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The Moscow Patriarchate has labeled those wanting to join the new church as schismatics.

Priests of Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine face a choice: join Ukraines new independent church and be labeled a renegade by supporters of his own church, or stay away, and risk being branded a Russian agent.

It is a decision facing thousands of clerics as Ukraine prepares to sever ties to the Russian Orthodox Church going back to 1686, Reuters reports.

For the Ukrainian authorities it is an essential step to tackling Russias malign influence on its soil, four years after Russia annexed Crimea and backed separatists in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people.

It may also help President Petro Poroshenko, who championed the split, shore up support in a tight election race next year.

But the move is opposed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church, which compared it to the Great Schism of 1054 that split western and eastern Christianity.

Metropolitan Oleksandr, a member of the traditionally dominant Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), wants to join the new church because of what he calls its poisonous association with the Russian state.

We love Russians, we love Russia, but we dont love those who have unleashed a war on the part of Russia and who are feeding it today, he said in an interview.

He echoes critics who call his church a tool used by Moscow to justify Russian expansionism and their support for the militants.

Oleksandr compares setting up the new church to removing a diseased body part by surgery. The surgical method is painful, but it must be done in the end in order for the body to begin to recover, the 41-year-old said.

At the same time, the Moscow Patriarchate has labeled those wanting to join the new church as schismatics. A high-ranking official, Metropolitan Antoniy, said joining the new church would be a betrayal.

Read alsoUkrainian Orthodox Church trying to withdraw from Moscows control: Kremlin not happy.

In May, the Moscow Patriarchate censured Oleksandr for obscene behavior and told him to stop making public statements that could lead his followers into temptation.

Ukraine in October secured approval to set up an independent church from the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul, the global spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians.

The next step is for Ukraines various church strands to meet to decide the make-up of the church and who will lead it.

Read alsoKyiv Patriarchate hopes to hold Church Unification Council before year-end

The Russian Orthodox Church retaliated by breaking off all ties with Istanbul and accused the United States of engineering the split behind the scenes. President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday warned of painful consequences.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow called the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomews support for an independent Ukrainian church shameless.

He said Orthodox unity could be preserved only through the resistance of our people, our clergy, our episcopate, to every mean trick, to every heresy, to every schism.

Support for the Kyiv Patriarchate swelled after the annexation of Crimea. It supports church independence and Ukraines closer integration with the West.

Read alsoNew Local Orthodox Church in Ukraine: Explained

Oleksandr estimates between 40-70% of Moscow Patriarchate churches will join the new church, though his parishioners have mixed views. Some support it, while others, like Anna Trofimova, oppose it as a political game.

Archbishop Kliment, spokesman for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), said in an interview that his church was the victim of a smear campaign. As an example, he cited Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkins statement that his church had no place in Ukraine and suggested it root out Russian agents in its ranks.

Kliment said support for independence had not risen but the authorities were pushing for it because in six months there will be presidential elections.
The Kurultai conference will discuss the situation in Crimea and tasks of national self-governing bodies under the conditions of the temporary occupation of Crimea by Russia.

Head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, MP Refat Chubarov has said the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people convenes a conference of delegates of Kurultai in Kyiv on November 12 to discuss the situation in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

The Kurultai conference will discuss the situation in Crimea and tasks of national self-governing bodies under the conditions of the temporary occupation of Crimea by Russia.

Read alsoKremlin resettles to Crimea 108,000 Russian nationals to change demographics  Yelchenko

It is also proposed to consider "the execution of the resolution of the second extraordinary session of the Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people of the sixth convocation (Bakhchisarai, March 29, 2014) 'On the realization by the Crimean Tatar people of their right to self-determination in their historical territory  in Crimea.'"

Coordination of the organizational work on the preparation and holding of a conference of delegates of the Kurultai is assigned to Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Ilmi Umerov.
The Kharkiv Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has declared it remains loyal to the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and its leader, Onufriy.

"The clergy that gathered, along with the bishop, showed loyalty to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its primate, Blessed Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine," the Diocese's press service said.

It is noted that Onufriy on October 1 headed the meeting of the priors of the city churches and heads of departments of the Kharkiv diocese.

As reported earlier, three lawsuits were filed with the Supreme Court of Ukraine against the decision of the Verkhovna Rada to support the appeal of President Poroshenko to the Ecumenical Patriarch for the provision of a tomos on autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Read alsoTraitors or Russian agents? Clergy caught in Ukraine church row

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on October 22 said the Russian side would have to accept the decision of Constantinople on the Ukrainian church issue. "Whether our Russian brothers like it or not, sooner or later they will follow the decisions that the Ecumenical Patriarch has made since they have no other choice," he said.

Following a meeting of the Holy Synod, a decision was announced on October 11, stating that the Ecumenical Patriarchate proceeds to granting autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine. In addition, the legal binding of the Synod's letter of 1686 was abolished, thus taking the Kyiv Metropolis from under Moscow's canonical jurisdiction.

Also, head of the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate Filaret and head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Makariy were reinstated in their canonical status. The Kremlin vowed to protect the interests of Orthodox Church members in Ukraine "politically and diplomatically," claiming Moscow did not intend to interfere in the "interchurch dialogue."

On October 15, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church ruled to sever eucharistic communication with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is a UN-recognized day observed annually on November 2.

The United States Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, has called on the Ukrainian authorities to thoroughly investigate crimes against journalists.

"On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we remember and honor Georgiy Gongadze, Pavel Sheremet, and other courageous journalists who have yet to receive justice. Crimes against journalists must be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted," the Embassy tweeted on November 2.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Sheremet, a journalist from Belarus who was residing in Kyiv, was blown up in a car on the morning of July 20, 2016. Police opened a criminal case under Clause 5 of Part 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (felonious homicide committed in a way dangerous for many people's life). Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko called revenge for professional activity as a major theory behind the journalist's murder. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov did not rule out Russia's involvement in the assassination. He said that the National Police are ready to pay UAH 200,000 for any information with regard to the murder.

Read alsoUkraine commemorates journalist Georgiy Gongadze on 18th anniversary of his disappearance

On September 16, 2018, Ukraine commemorated journalist Georgiy Gongadze, 31, a co-founding editor of the online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda, who was kidnapped in Kyiv in autumn 2000 during Leonid Kuchma's presidency. Later, his decapitated body was found outside Kyiv. Three former officials of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's foreign surveillance department and criminal intelligence unit (Valeriy Kostenko, Mykola Protasov and Oleksandr Popovych) accused of his murder were arrested in March 2005 and a fourth one (Oleksiy Pukach, the former chief of the unit) in July 2009. A court in Ukraine sentenced Protasov to a sentence of 13 years and Kostenko and Popovych to 12-year terms in March 2008 for the murder. On January 29, 2013, Pukach was sentenced by Kyiv's Pechersk District Court to life imprisonment. Gongadze's widow Myroslava Gongadze and their two daughters received political asylum in the United States and have lived there since 2001. His mother, Lesya Gongadze, a native of Lviv, died on November 30, 2013. Gongadze's body was buried in Kyiv on March 22, 2016.

The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is a UN-recognized day observed annually on November 2.
There were fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period.

Monitors of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine have reported they recorded about 133 explosions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, within 24 hours.

"In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including about 130 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 610 explosions)," the OSCE SMM said on November 1 in an update based on information received as of 19:30 on October 31, 2018.

In particular, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded 28 undetermined explosions and 20 projectiles in flight, all 0.5-3km south and south-west on the evening and night of October 30-31.

On the evening of October 30, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 50 undetermined explosions and 75 bursts and shots of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 3-7km at southerly directions.

On the evening of October 30, the SMM camera in Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol) recorded six undetermined explosions and about 170 projectiles in flight (mostly from easterly to westerly directions), all 2-5km at directions ranging from south-east to south.

Read alsoBritain's Mark Etherington re-joins OSCE SMM as Deputy Chief Monitor

"In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations, including three explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (about 30 explosions)," the update said.

The SMM continued to monitor and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), as foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of September 21, 2016. The SMM said its access remained restricted, but the mission was able to partially monitor them.
According to intelligence reports, two enemy troops were eliminated and another four were wounded.

Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 20 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another two as wounded in action (WIA).

"One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another two were wounded in the past day. According to intelligence reports, two occupiers were killed and another four were wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on November 2, 2018.

Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire from grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms as they attacked the defenders of the towns of Zolote, Avdiyivka and Krasnohorivka. The following villages also came under enemy fire: Stanytsia Luhanska, Zaitseve, Berezove, Novotroyitske, Starohnativka, Hranitne, Chermalyk, Hnutove, Vodiane, and Lebedynske.

Read alsoJFO: Ukraine reports two WIAs in Donbas in past 24 hours

The enemy shelled from 82mm mortars a fortified position of Joint Forces near Chermalyk.

"Since Friday midnight, Russian-led forces have mounted three attacks on the Ukrainian positions near the towns of Avdiyivka and Maryinka, and the village of Shyrokyne. No heavy weapons have been used. No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported since the start of the day," reads the report.
No further details have been reported.

An explosion rocked the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Friday afternoon.

The incident happened at 16:25 Kyiv time on November 2, according to social media reports.

After that, emergency vehicle sirens were heard across the city, local residents said in social networks.

Read alsoOSCE monitors record about 133 explosions in Donbas within 24 hours

"Donetsk. A single explosion has occurred just now," "Donetsk. Zaperevalna [coal mine], Kvitkovy micro district have heard it," "Does anyone know what has exploded and why many sirens are heard ten minutes after?" social media users wrote.

Meanwhile, further violations of the ceasefire in Russian-occupied Donbas were reported in the past day: one Ukrainian soldier was killed in action and two were wounded in action.
The SMM landed the UAV without damage and left the area.

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine has announced that its drone came under fire in Russian-occupied Donbas again.

"Small arms fire was again assessed as directed at an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). While conducting a mini-UAV flight in the southern outskirts of Zhovte (non-government-controlled, 17km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard 40 shots of small-arms fire about 2km north-north-west of its position, in the area where the UAV was flying, and assessed it as aimed at the UAV," the OSCE SMM said in an update based on information received as of 19:30 Kyiv time on November 1, 2018.

Read alsoOSCE monitors record about 133 explosions in Donbas within 24 hours

The SMM landed the UAV without damage and left the area.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine on October 27 lost its long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which was monitoring the movement of a convoy of trucks in the Russian-occupied area in the east of Ukraine. "For about 35 minutes before communications were lost, the UAV had experienced signal interference, assessed as jamming, at intervals in areas near Saurivka and Nyzhnokrynske. The UAV did not return to its ground control station near Stepanivka (government-controlled, 54km north of Donetsk) and is considered lost," it said.
A minister in Polands arch-conservative government has also recommended his country quit the agreement.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Thursday he wanted to pull the Czech Republic out of a United Nations migration agreement and would discuss this with his governing coalition partner.

Babis expressed his dislike of the pact a day after Austria said it would follow the United States and Hungary in backing out of the UN pact over concerns that it would blur the line between legal and illegal migration, according to Reuters.

A minister in Polands arch-conservative government has also recommended his country quit the agreement.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was approved in July by all 193 UN member nations except U.S. President Donald Trumps administration, which backed out last year. The pact is due to be signed next month in Morocco.

Babis told lawmakers during a Q&A session in parliament that he disliked the agreement and said nobody but the Czech Republic would decide on migration into the country. He said he shared fears that the difference between legal and illegal migration was becoming blurred.

Read alsoAustria says will not sign global migration pact - Reuters

I do not like the pact, he said, according to a parliamentary transcript of the debate, when asked whether his government would sign the deal.

There are issues that can be interpreted in various ways. I will be proposing to my partners in government that we act in the same way as Austria or Hungary.

The Czechs have stood with central European neighbors such as Hungary and Poland in maintaining a hardline anti-immigrant stance during the course of the European Unions struggle to stem migration to the bloc by migrants fleeing conflict and deprivation, particularly in the Middle East and Africa.

Central European states refused to endorse a Brussels-prescribed quota system to share asylum seekers among all EU member states, a plan dropped earlier this year.
(@FahadShabbir)

Tehran welcomes the US decision to allow eight countries to continue buying Iranian oil after Washington reimposes its sanctions on Iran on November 5, Ali Kardor, managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company and Iranian deputy oil minister, said in an interview for the local ISNA news agency.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) Tehran welcomes the US decision to allow eight countries to continue buying Iranian oil after Washington reimposes its sanctions on Iran on November 5, Ali Kardor, managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company and Iranian deputy oil minister, said in an interview for the local ISNA news agency.

Earlier in the day, Bloomberg reported, citing an anonymous senior official from the US administration, that the United States had agreed to grant eight states, including India, Japan and South Korea, waivers from the upcoming US sanctions targeting Iranian oil sector.

"The United States understands the situation in the market. It is obviously impossible to exclude Iranian oil from the market," Kardor told ISNA.

He added that it had not been determined yet whether the waivers would be temporary or permanent, specifying that additional negotiations were required for making the final decision.

The waivers will be granted in exchange for Iranian oil import cuts, and the move is aimed at avoiding a fuel price spike, according to Bloomberg. The agency also reported, citing the unnamed official, that the waivers would be only temporary.

In May, US President Donald Trump announced US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and consequent reinstatement of its sanctions against Iran that had been previously lifted within the deal. While the first package of sanctions was introduced in August, the second one, targeting Iranian oil sector, is set to take effect on November 5, and this is when the countries that will get waivers are expected to be officially announced.
The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Syed Ali Gilani in Indian occupied Kashmir, has said that struggle for Kashmir freedom will continue till complete success and no power on earth can change the course of Kashmiris who have sacrificed so much for the cause.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Syed Ali Gilani in Indian occupied Kashmir, has said that struggle for Kashmir freedom will continue till complete success and no power on earth can change the course of Kashmiris who have sacrificed so much for the cause.

According to Kashmir media service , Syed Ali Gilani, who is under continued house detention since 2010, in an interview in Srinagar said Kashmiris know that their struggle is just and also has the backing of international law.

He urged the international community to do more to make New Delhi accept the realities in Kashmir.

The APHC Chairman expressed serious concern over the prevailing situation in the occupied territory. He said India is continuing its harsh repression in occupied Kashmir and killing Kashmiri youth on daily basis but killing and other cheap tactics will not weaken the sentiment and idea of freedom.

He hailed the resolve of Kashmiris, particularly women, saying that they are rendering unflinching sacrifices in the ongoing liberation movement.

He said India wants to project its violence, which is a part of its illegal control, as legitimate and make all dissent illegitimate.

Syed Ali Gilani said that tripartite talks among Pakistan, India and the people of Kashmir could be a way forward on Kashmir but New Delhi had never been sincere in talks.

He said, "If New Delhi is serious, which it is not, it should have held a plebiscite. After all, if it says 'Kashmir belongs to India' why not to hold the plebiscite? But they know they are brutally holding our land and our people. We have always called upon the Indian government to accept the realities. If they are not even ready to accept that Kashmiris are the main party to the dispute, then what peace are they talking about?" The octogenarian leader maintained that the resistance leadership has always stressed that dialogue among the three parties to the dispute India, Pakistan and people of Kashmir is a way forward.

"We have also agreed to talks in the past, but New Delhi resorts to doublespeak and the utter lies about those talks have always been exposed.

As Kashmiris have noted, New Delhi uses the idea of talks and tries to deal with some situation and hoodwink the world on what it is doing in Kashmir, not as a sincere means of establishing peace," he pointed out.

The APHC Chairman maintained that his continued house arrest is taking a toll on his health. "Being under constant house arrest for the last eight years, I have been unable to even offer Friday prayers, not to talk of Eid prayers.

The overall space for pro-freedom leaders has been squeezed as New Delhi wants that we should be cut off from our people. They don't even want us to reach out to our people or condole and console with them in times of grief," he said.

Syed Ali Gilani said the condition of political prisoners in jails is miserable as New Delhi flouts every law to subject them to mental and physical torture.

The persecution of dissenters and pro-freedom leaders under false and absurd charges has also been heightened and even basic religious freedoms are flagrantly violated, he deplored.

Asked about the difference in Kashmir policy during the rule of Congress and BJP, he said the arrogant and brutal policy has always existed under various regimes in New Delhi.

He said the RSS now uses its political face, the BJP, to try and infuse Hindutva ideology into repression. He said the RSS and BJP want to implement what their Israeli friend, rather partners in crime, tried to do in occupied Palestine.

"Using the name of Article 35-A or 370 of the Indian Constitution is part of this policy but we will also resist this as it is an attempt to change land demography in Kashmir," he maintained.

Syed Ali Gilani said that the people of Kashmir rejected all sham elections in the territory. He said the Indian government uses local collaborators and pro-India parties to say these elections are for roads, water and electricity but later tries to convert these votes into an imaginary referendum.
H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, extended greetings to the UAE Armed Forces and hailed their role to enhance security and stability in the UAE, region, and support the Arab causes while achieving the national security and maintain the political balance among countries of the world as per the strategic vision of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and The Supreme Council Members, Their Highnesses Rulers of the Emirates.

FUJAIRAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 02nd Nov, 2018) H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, extended greetings to the UAE Armed Forces and hailed their role to enhance security and stability in the UAE, region, and support the Arab causes while achieving the national security and maintain the political balance among countries of the world as per the strategic vision of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and The Supreme Council Members, Their Highnesses Rulers of the Emirates.

The remarks came when the Ruler of Fujairah; H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, and H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Adviser to the UAE President, attended on Friday the Union Fortress 4 Military Exercise at the Fujairah Corniche.

The event, held under the patronage of the Fujairah Ruler, was also attended by a number of Sheikhs, officials, military and police commanders, huge number of Emiratis and expatriate residents.

The Ruler of Fujairah expressed his pride at the UAE Armed Forces personnel and their high military professionalism which has been achieved by the directives and follow-up of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

He also indicated that the homeland whose sons have this high combat spirit and are ready to sacrifice their lives for its sake, is a homeland that its achievements and gains are protected and will continue its renaissance with confident steps to deliver its noble message.

He also congratulated them on the success of the military exercise and said, " We are all proud of our Armed Forces and their successful missions aimed at preserving security, stability and peace of the UAE and support the Arab issues, as they are always united to repel those who wish to do harm to the security and stability of our country, which was established down by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan,"

Union Fortress 4 is being implemented by main units of ground and air forces, in addition to the Presidential Guard. The aim of this show is to demonstrate the remarkable military power, as well as the ability to carry out missions with outstanding agility and high efficiency, and to perform a wide range of military operations to defend the homeland and protect its security, in close cooperation with other security services.

The organisation of the military event aligns with the vision of the wise leadership to show the important role played by the brave armed forces in defending the countrys borders and protecting the people and their interests from foreign and internal threats, in cooperation with other ministries and government institutions.
Sharjah Charity International (SCI), on Thursday, celebrated Flag Day which falls on November 03 to commemorate the accession of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as President of the UAE.

SHARJAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 02nd Nov, 2018) Sharjah Charity International (SCI), on Thursday, celebrated Flag Day which falls on November 03 to commemorate the accession of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as President of the UAE.

The UAE flag was raised over the Charitys headquarters in the presence of Abdullah Mubarak Al Dukhan, Secretary-General of the Charity, Abdullah Sultan bin Khadim, Executive Director of SCI and all department heads and staff of the Charity. The occasion, which is held annually, is a national memory living in the minds of both citizens and residents of the UAE.

It reminds leaders, government and people of the UAE, of the achievements of His Highness President of the UAE and the efforts he has made to promote the status of the country and to ensure the comfort and well-being of its citizens and residents alike.

Commenting on the occasion, Al Dukhan said, "Flag Day is a source of pride for every citizen and resident living on this beloved land. Flags are raised on this day to reflect the unity and cohesion between the leadership and the people, as well as the prosperity the UAE has reached throughout its history."
(@FahadShabbir)

The United Arab Emirates, UAE, condemned in the strongest possible terms the heinous terrorist attack today on a bus carrying Copts in Upper Egypt's Minya Governorate, in which scores of people were killed and wounded.

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 02nd Nov, 2018) The United Arab Emirates, UAE, condemned in the strongest possible terms the heinous terrorist attack today on a bus carrying Copts in Upper Egypt's Minya Governorate, in which scores of people were killed and wounded.

''The UAE stands in solidarity with Egypt with the government and people of sisterly Egypt in confronting extremism and terrorism, which seek to undermine Egypt's stability and its national unity,'' said H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in a statement today.

''While we extend our heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Egypt on the victims of this terrible terrorist attack, we confirm our confidence in the measures taken by the Egyptian government to fight terrorism and whoever espouses it.

We also highly value the high sense of consciousness of the Egyptian people in regards to the objectives of these terrorist groups against Egypt's security and stability. We also appreciate the national unity of the Egyptian people which proves its solidity and strength against desperate attempts which will never succeed in their bad intentions and evil ends. May Allah protect Egypt and its people,'' Sheikh Abdullah added.
An Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday adjourned the hearing of the post arrest bail application filed by former Senator Faisal Raza Abidi in multiple contempt of court and cyber crime cases on the request of Abidi's counsel. The ATC in the last hearing, sought recommendations from Adiala Jail administration over the post arrest bail application filed by Abidi over medical grounds till Friday which was presented in the court on the day.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :An Anti Terrorism Court ATC ) on Friday adjourned the hearing of the post arrest bail application filed by former Senator Faisal Raza Abidi in multiple contempt of court and cyber crime cases on the request of Abidi's counsel. The ATC in the last hearing , sought recommendations from Adiala Jail administration over the post arrest bail application filed by Abidi over medical grounds till Friday which was presented in the court on the day. The report says that all the health related facilities were equipped with jail hospital whereas Abidi was being treated well in the hospital.

In the previous hearing the counsel of the farmer senator had told the court of ATC-II judge Shahrukh Arjumand that his client was suffering from various medical issues that needed to be addressed at hospital.

It is worth mentioning that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had booked Abidi under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016.

According to the FIR registered against the former Senator, Mr Abidi with criminal intent had used sarcastic, derogatory and defamatory language against the chief justice of Pakistan and was prima facie guilty of offences punishable under sections 10(a), 11 and 20 of Peca, read with sections 109 and 509 of the PPC.

Abidi is also facing other FIRs registered at the secretariat police station under PPC's sections 228, 500, 505(ii) and 34, along with the ATA, in response to a complaint lodged by SC public relations Officer Shahid Hussain Kambyo for using threatening language and leveling allegations against government institutions and individuals holding the highest constitutional posts. The court fixed the next date of hearing as November 6.
(@rukhshanmir)

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Friday congratulated the newly elected President of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Amanullah Kanrani and other office bearers.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Friday congratulated the newly elected President of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Amanullah Kanrani and other office bearers.

In a statement, he said lawyers had played an appreciable role in the strengthening of democracy and promotion of democratic values in the country.

He expressed the hope that the newly elected office bearers would perform their vital role for supremacy of the Constitution and rule of law.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Thursday remarked that if a case could not be established against someone then how could the judges punish him in a blasphemy case.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Nov, 2018 ) : Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Thursday remarked that if a case could not be established against someone then how could the judges punish him in a blasphemy case.

The chief justice remarked this in connection with recent decision of the apex court regarding acquittal of Aasia Bibi in a blasphemy case.

Blasphemy was unacceptable to everyone as it was a part of the faith, he said. The judges who passed the judgment might loved the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) more than those protesting against the decision, he added.

He said that love did not mean that even if a case could not be formed it should be made.

"We uphold the Finality of the Prophethood (PBUH) and without it our faith is incomplete. We published the verdict in urdu as well so the nation can read it," the chief justice said.

He said that most of the judges recited Darood-e-Pak all the time while hearing the case, then how people could establish a wrong perception against them.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

A delegation of German leading companies headed by Walter Linder called on Minister for Power, Omar Ayub Khan here on Thursday and discussed matters of mutual interest.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Nov, 2018 ) :A delegation of German leading companies headed by Walter Linder called on Minister for Power, Omar Ayub Khan here on Thursday and discussed matters of mutual interest.

The meeting was also attended by Federal Secretary Power Division, Irfan Ali.

During the meeting, Omar Ayub Khan informed that the present government was endeavoring to overcome challenges of power through effective policy making and introducing advanced available technology.

In this regard, the establishment of intelligent grid system and installation of smart meters and ABC conductors are key initiatives which present government is determined to take soon, he added.

The minister also revealed that a mechanism was being evolved to display the list of projects ready for investment at portal of Private Power Infrastructure board (PPIB).

The interested companies could be able to apply through this online system. This would insure transparency and convenience for the investors.

He also emphasized that the projects of alternative energy are given prime importance to meet energy needs through clean and sustainable resources.

In the meeting German companies expressed their deep interest in various energy projects including projects of renewable energy and digitalization of distribution system.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday said that government wanted to resolve the prevailing situation through dialogue.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday said that government wanted to resolve the prevailing situation through dialogue.

Talking to media outside Parliament House, he said offer of dialogue should not be considered weakness of the government.

He said that damaging public and private property was wrong. If the protesters were unhappy with the Supreme Court decision, they should file a review petition, instead of causing losses.
Multan atmosphere has crossed the 'Healthy' readings on the Air Quality Index (AQI) and entered the 'Unhealthy' grade with air pollution including smog still on the rise, though gradually.

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) : Multan atmosphere has crossed the 'Healthy' readings on the Air Quality Index (AQI) and entered the 'Unhealthy' grade with air pollution including smog still on the rise, though gradually.

Deputy Director Environment Protection Department (EDP) Multan Zafar Iqbal told APP here on Friday that the department had installed an Air Quality Monitor (AQM) that is providing air quality index daily.

The atmosphere is considered in Healthy grade when AQI remains upto or below 50 grade and anything above 50 or up to 100 is Unhealthy, Zafar Iqbal added.

He said Multan AQI has reached 90 grade, gradually approaching the maximum of unhealthy grade.

The EPD official said the department was gearing up to close brick kilns operations in Multan on Nov 4, a major clause of the report of a smog commission that was formed on the orders of Chief Justice Lahore High Court and commission had recommended, among other measures, to close brick kilns from October to December.

After closure of operations of around 600 brick kilns in Multan on Nov 4, the department would keep monitoring the smog situation and would recommend brick kilns' reopening in December or later, the EPD official added.

He made it clear that employing old and outdated technology at new brick kilns would not be allowed and only those having employed Zig Zag technology would be permitted. Moreover, he added that existing brick kilns have been ordered to shift to Zig Zag techynology soonest.

Zafar Iqbal said smoke was the major contributor to smog phenomenon whether emitting from stoves at homes, industrial units' chimneys, vehicles' cylinders, burning of trash or burning of old tyres during protests.

He said people were polluting the environment by their own hands by burning old tyres and trash, a practice they should stop right now if they want to give their kids a clean and healthy atmosphere.

He said that 65 industrial units in Multan have been issued notices to adopt measures including installation of Scrubbers and Cyclones to emit lesser pollution while FIRs have been got registered against another 56 industrial units.
Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI-F) leader Maulana Abdul Wasey on Friday said that protest is democratic right of each citizen of the country but it must be peaceful.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :Jamiat Ulema islam (JUI-F) leader Maulana Abdul Wasey on Friday said that protest is democratic right of each citizen of the country but it must be peaceful.

Talking to media outside the Parliament House, he said that the protesters should not cause damages to the public properties during their protest.

He said that the government should take steps for protecting public prosperities.

PML-N Leader Riaz Pirzada said that damaging public properties is totally wrong in protest demonstration. He said that protesters should avoid causing damages to the public properties and remain peaceful.
Lebanese caretaker Minister of Displaced Affairs Mouin Merhebi announced Friday that around 55,000 Syrian refugees returned home legally and illegally since June, local media reported.

BEIRUT, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :Lebanese caretaker Minister of Displaced Affairs Mouin Merhebi announced Friday that around 55,000 Syrian refugees returned home legally and illegally since June , local media reported.

"Among these 55,000, around 7,000 leaved under the supervision of Lebanon's General Security," he was quoted by Elnashra, an independent online newspaper, as saying.

Merhebi praised the ministry's work in coordinating with humanitarian organizations and donors to solve the problems facing Syrian refugees in a bid to facilitate their return home.

More than one million Syrian refugees are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, while the government estimated the true number of Syrians in the country at 1.5 million.

To secure the return of 890,000 Syrian refugees to their homeland, Russia has drafted a strategy and presented it to the Lebanese authorities.
Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have agreed to re-develop and co-inhabit a major naval base on Manus Island.

CANBERRA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have agreed to re-develop and co-inhabit a major naval base on Manus Island.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed on Thursday evening that he and Prime Minister of PNG Peter O'Neill had reached an agreement to expand the base at Lombrum on the east coast of Manus Island, which is PNG's northernmost island.

The base will house Australian ships as well as Guardian-class patrol boats supplied by Australia to PNG. Both Australian and PNG personnel will live and work at the base.

"We will continue this cooperation through a new joint initiative at the PNG Defence Force's Lombrum Naval Base in Manus Province," Morrison and O'Neill said in a joint statement.

"This initiative will further enhance interoperability between our defence forces, and deepen our maritime security co-operation, including through increased Australian ship visits over time," the statement read.

Morrison said the initiative would boost the "strong partnership with the PNG national government." The base at Lobrum was built by the United States during World War II and was used by the Australian Navy through to the 1960s, but has since fallen into disrepair.

Vice Admiral Mike Noonan, chief of the Royal Australian Navy, described re-developing Lobrum as "hugely important." "We operate in and around that region quite routinely. We've got a number of patrol boats operating up there through the north end of Australia at the moment," he told Fairfax Media on Friday.

News Corp Australia reported on Friday that PNG and Australia were in negotiations to upgrade ports at Wewak, Kikori and Vanimo.
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China is willing to promote bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges with the Dominican Republic, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Friday.

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) : China is willing to promote bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges with the Dominican Republic Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Friday.

Li made the remarks while meeting with the Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina, who is on a state visit to China and will attend the first China International Import Expo, which runs from Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai.

Li said the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Dominican Republic in May confirms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples and opened a new chapter in bilateral relations.

Noting that the two countries' economies are highly complementary and that there is a huge potential for pragmatic cooperation, Li said the Chinese side supports its competent enterprises and financial institutions to deepen infrastructure construction cooperation with the Dominican Republic in areas such as electricity and transportation based on market rules and commercial principles.

"China is willing to import more products from the Dominican Republic that are competitive and of high quality, and enhance bilateral trade exchanges," Li said, also hoping the two countries to expand people-to-people exchanges and tourism cooperation.

Medina said Dominican Republic-China cooperation has yielded fruitful results since the two countries established diplomatic relations.

"We welcome Chinese enterprises to invest and develop in the Dominican Republic," he said, adding that his country hopes to increase exports to China and deepen cooperation with China in electricity and other areas for greater mutual benefits.
BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) China successfully launched the BeiDou-3 satellite, the 41st satellite to join the nation's BeiDou navigation system, atop the Long March 3B carrier rocket, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said on Friday.

The lift-off took place at 11:56 p.m. (15:56 GMT) on Thursday from the Xichang space center in the southwest of China. The satellite will be connected to the navigation system after undergoing a number of checks.

The satellite is the 17th Beidou-3 satellite within the system.

China plans to launch up to 30 such satellites to the orbit by 2022.

The BeiDou system is designed as a rival to GPS in the United States, Glonass in Russia and Galileo in the European Union.

The Chinese space exploration program has said that the BeiDou system would provide services to the countries located along the so-called New Silk Road transport route, initiated by China in cooperation with other regional players, in 2018. Beijing also plans that the system will operate worldwide in 2020.
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The Colombian government faces 273 lawsuits stemming from damages to crops, land and water caused by the spraying the herbicide glyphosate, which intended to destroy the plants harvested to manufacture cocaine.

COLOMBIA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :The Colombian government faces 273 lawsuits stemming from damages to crops, land and water caused by the spraying the herbicide glyphosate, which intended to destroy the plants harvested to manufacture cocaine.

The government has already paid out $5.6 million for 70 rulings in 116 separate lawsuits already concluded, Defense Ministry officials told the Senate, El Tiempo newspaper has reported as quoted by UPI.

Different judicial authorities have held Colombia's national police responsible for damages, which has led to a great number of rulings against the government.

Aerial herbicide spraying by plane was suspended in Colombia in 2015, but the government planned last month to restart the practice using glyphosate -- via drones -- despite the opposition from farmers organizations through a 40-day trial program.

"We do not agree. The solution is not poison because it causes many environment problems, Jorge Rios, leader of the farming association of Rio Nechi," told El Tiempo last month.

Leaves on coca plants are used to produce cocaine.

According to U.S. data released in June, Colombian coca cultivation increased 11 percent last year, an all-time high. That led to an estimated 19 percent increase in cocaine production, it said.

Creeks, lakes and rivers and banana, sugar cane and corn crops were poisoned, CorpWatch reported.
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Cyprus and Romania have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of energy.

CYPRUS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :Cyprus and Romania have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of energy.

The MoU was signed on behalf of the Cypriot Ministry of Energy by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minas Hadjimichael who paid Bucharest a visit and Romanian State Secretary for Energy Doru Vian.

The Memorandum "sets out the framework for cooperation between the two countries, also stating their desire to cooperate in order to support and promote sustainable energy policies in line with the EU climate and energy policy," an announcement released by the Press and Information Office (PIO) says.

The two exchanged views on the need for collective action in dealing with challenges, such as increasedrefugee and migratory flows to Europe and EU-Turkey relations and also discussed issues of internationalconcern, such as the Syrian crisis, the energy security of Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean in particular.
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US authorities have recovered a suspicious package sent to a Democrat donor in California that looks similar to the pipe bomb parcels sent to former and current officials, the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed in a statement on Friday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2018) US authorities have recovered a suspicious package sent to a Democrat donor in California that looks similar to the pipe bomb parcels sent to former and current officials, the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed in a statement on Friday.

"The FBI has confirmed a package was recovered last night in California, similar in appearance to the others, addressed to Tom Steyer," the FBI said via Twitter.

Steyer, a billionaire hedge-fund manager and philanthropist, has raised money for several prominent Democratic campaigns, including those of former President Barack Obama and presidential candidates John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.

Last week, US authorities discovered that packages containing suspected explosives were sent to prominent Democrats, including Obama, Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden and US Congresswomen Deborah Wasserman Schultz and Maxine Walters.

The 56-year-old suspect, Cesar Sayoc of the US state of Florida, has been charged with five federal crimes, including interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of explosives and threats against former presidents and other individuals.
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Lithuania's capital Vilnius on Friday installed new traffic lights featuring female symbols to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote in the Baltic state.

Vilnius, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :Lithuania's capital Vilnius on Friday installed new traffic lights featuring female symbols to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote in the Baltic state.

The right for women to vote was written into the Lithuanian Constitution on November 2, 1918, putting it among the first countries to grant women suffrage, ahead of France or the United States.

President Dalia Grybauskaite, who chairs Council of Women World Leaders, hailed the date as "a win for democracy that put the country (Lithuania) among the leaders of modern states".
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The flights between Greece and Macedonia have resumed after 12 years as their relations improve over efforts in the latter country to rename itself North Macedonia.

ATHENS, Greece, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :The flights between Greece and Macedonia have resumed after 12 years as their relations improve over efforts in the latter country to rename itself North Macedonia

The first direct flight took off to Skopje, North Macedonia at 6:40 p.m. local time Thursday, from Athens, Greece.

Greece's Aegean Airlines, the country's largest air carrier, will operate flights between the countries twice weekly.

This is indicative of the big improvement in our relations, Macedonia's ambassador to Athens, Darko Angelov, told the Guardian, as quoted by UPA.

The rift between the countries has begun to ease after they recently settled a decades-long dispute over over Macedonia's name.

The former Yugoslav Republic has been Macedonia since 1991, but Greece had disputed the name since it has a region with the same name that has an ancient culture it claims.

Earlier this month, Macedonia lawmakers voted 90-39 to change the country's name to Republic of North Macedonia, distinguishing it from Greece's province.

Direct air flights were halted under the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's conservative government in 2006, because it named Skopje's airport after Alexander the Great.

"After more than 10 years, we are witnessing the re-establishment of the air corridor between Skopje & Athens, Macedonian deputy prime minister for European affairs Bujar Osmani said on Twitter," calling it a symbol to the genuine relations that we are building.
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Germany welcomes the meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of events to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War I in Paris on November 11 and their readiness for dialogue regarding the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), Germany's Cabinet Deputy Spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said on Friday

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) Germany welcomes the meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of events to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War I in Paris on November 11 and their readiness for dialogue regarding the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), Germany's Cabinet Deputy Spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said on Friday.

"We have already stated that we welcome this meeting between Trump and Putin. Every opportunity for dialogue between the parties to the treaty [INF] is welcomed and supported," Demmer said at briefing.

In October, Putin said that Moscow was ready to discuss the possible US withdrawal from the INF Treaty with US partners without any "hysteria" and expressed hope that he would be able to touch upon this issue during his meeting with Trump in Paris.

On October 20, Trump said the United States would withdraw from the INF, claiming that Moscow was not respecting the agreement. The Kremlin rejected the accusations, adding that Russia would be forced to take measures to ensure its security if the treaty is terminated by the United States. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on October 28 that Washington had handed over to Russia a list of complaints regarding the implementation of the accord and that Moscow was preparing its response to the US concerns.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed on Friday to do everything possible to win the understanding on the issue of relocation of the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station to another site within the Okinawa Prefecture, local media reported.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed on Friday to do everything possible to win the understanding on the issue of relocation of the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station to another site within the Okinawa Prefecture, local media reported.

On Thursday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that landfill works necessary for the relocation of the US military base had been resumed in the city of Nago in spite of the local authorities' criticism. The works were suspended in August in line with the local authorities' decision but the Japanese government had reversed the ban on Tuesday.

Abe made the statement during his speech at the Lower House Budget Committee meeting, the NHK broadcaster reported.

The prime minister promised to win the support of Okinawa residents for the base's relocation, as well as return the land, which belongs to the Futenma Air Station, to the public use as soon as possible.

The opposition insists that making a decision on the base's relocation without taking into account the public opinion is unacceptable.

US Marine Corps base Futenma was constructed in 1945 and is located in a densely populated area in Ginowan. Talks on its relocation to a less populated area within the Okinawa prefecture started over two decades ago, but the government's plans have been hampered by Nago residents' protests. While Ginowan residents have been calling on the government to close the Futenma base due to their environmental concerns, aircraft incidents and accidents related to US troops behavior, Nago residents are also unwilling to see the base relocated to their city.
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Minister of Foreign Affairs Kairat Abdrakhmanov met Friday with his Brazilian counterpart Aloysio Nunes who is paying an official visit to Astana.

ASTANA, Nov 2 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :Minister of Foreign Affairs Kairat Abdrakhmanov met Friday with his Brazilian counterpart Aloysio Nunes who is paying an official visit to Astana.

This is the first-ever official trip of Brazilian Foreign Ministry head to Kazakhstan since the establishment of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The visit is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Brazil and marks a new stage in srtrengthening the to states' friendship and cooperation. Over these years the partnership between Kazakhstan and Brazil has significantly strengthened due to high level visits in 2007 and 2009.

In September 2016, President Nursultan Nazarbayev and President of Brazil Michel Temer met in China on the sidelines of G20 Summit.

Brazil is one of the leading trade partners of Kazakhstan in Latin America. The sides emphasized the importance of activating business contacts, holding business forums and meetings in B2B formats in order to ensure further step-by-step development of the bilateral economic relations. Last year, the bilateral commodity turnover hit $135 million and there are good opportunities for increasing this indicator.

Kairat Abdrakhmanov spoke about favorable conditions created by Kazakhstan for foreign business and called Brazilian side to implement investment projects in agriculture, aerospace and military-industrial complex, energy, ore-mining industry, green technologies, tourism and education sectors as outlined in the recent Kazakh President's Address to the Nation.

The Brazilian side congratulated Kazakhstan on successful organization of the EXPO-2017 event in Astana and expressed interest in cooperation with the Astana International Financial Centre, international centres for green technologies, investment projects and IT startups launched on the ground of the international specialized exhibition.

Kazakhstan expressed interest in deepening dialogue in a multilateral format with Brazil which is an important member of the such regional and global structures as BRICS, G20 and MERCOSUR. It was noted that development of cooperation between the EAEU and MERCOSUR can positively affect the economic interaction between the two countries.

The sides agreed to continue constructive interaction on acute issues of global security within the UN with a focus on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and international terrorism countering.

In the nearest time, the Foreign Affairs Ministries of Kazakhstan and Brazil will adopt the roadmap of bilateral cooperation in all priority spheres of mutual interest.

Aloysio Nunes will also meet with Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of Agriculture Umirzak Shukeyev.
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The Kazakh Tourism and Swiss Tourism have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, according to which the Swiss side will assist in the development of year-round tourism in the national parks and mountain areas of Kazakhstan, adapting and introducing standards for training mountain guides and ski instructors.

ZURICH, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :The Kazakh Tourism and Swiss Tourism have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, according to which the Swiss side will assist in the development of year-round tourism in the national parks and mountain areas of Kazakhstan, adapting and introducing standards for training mountain guides and ski instructors.

The bilateral document aims at mutual support in promoting tourism products, exchanging information, and deepening international cooperation.

A delegation of Kazakh Tourism National Company led by CEO Rashid Kuzembayev is in Switzerland for a working visit from October 29 to November 2, Kazinform reports.

In the course of the visit, a road show with the participation of over 50 representatives of tour companies and potential investors in Switzerland was organized in the cities of Geneva and Zurich. Kazakh Tourism National Company made a presentation about Kazakhstan and several of the top ten investment projects of the National Tourism Development Map.

In the furtherance of the tasks, which were set by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, to establish a tourism university in Kazakhstan, the delegation visited the Ecole Htelire de Genve (the Hotel Management School of Geneva). The school's senior executives expressed interest in developing a curriculum for Kazakhstan and assisting in the opening of the respective university.

Besides, in Geneva, the delegates held a meeting with World Economic Forum's representatives on the travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, which will be one of the main indicators of Kazakhstan's tourism government program to be adopted.

They also held a number of official meetings with the leadership of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Swiss Tourism, Swiss Health, Swiss education Group, and other organizations.
Russia hopes that UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will be able to reach progress in Syrian settlement process until his mandate expires in late November, Russia's envoy to the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG), Gennady Gatilov, told Sputnik in an interview.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) Russia hopes that UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will be able to reach progress in Syrian settlement process until his mandate expires in late November, Russia's envoy to the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG), Gennady Gatilov, told Sputnik in an interview.

"In general, I would like to note that Staffan de Mistura has carried out rather complicated work at the post of the UN special envoy [for Syria], which required his considerable efforts. We hope that the last coming month of his mandate of the special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Syria will be helpful for solving the problems that restrain the Syrian settlement progress," Gatilov said.

De Mistura announced in October that he would leave the post in the end of November due to personal reasons. The diplomat has been working as the special envoy for the crisis-torn country since 2014.

Over the recent months de Mistura has taken a lot of efforts aimed at coordinating with the conflicting sides the formation of a Syrian constitutional committee  the body that is tasked with rewriting the Syrian main law. The creation of the Syrian constitutional committee was agreed upon during the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian resort city of Sochi in late January.

Syria has been devastated by years of violent civil war that has prompted millions to flee hostilities to other locations within the country or abroad. The international community has taken efforts to settle the conflict by conducting political settlement talks in Geneva. Astana-format talks have been an important part of international efforts aimed to settle the conflict in Syria. It is during the Astana talks that the memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria was signed in 2017.
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Russia hopes that UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths will make additional efforts to launch the process of political settlement in the conflict-torn country, Russia's envoy to the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG), Gennady Gatilov, told Sputnik in an interview.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) Russia hopes that UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths will make additional efforts to launch the process of political settlement in the conflict-torn country, Russia's envoy to the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG), Gennady Gatilov, told Sputnik in an interview.

According to Gatilov, the main objectives in Yemen today are ceasing the hostilities and a rapid start of dialogue between the warring sides "without any preliminary conditions."

"We very much hope that these efforts will continue and the special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen, Mr. Griffiths, will make additional efforts in order to start the process of Yemeni political settlement," Gatilov said.

Gatilov reiterated Moscow's position that there can be no military solution of the Yemeni conflict.

"In this context, we are closely following the work of the UN special envoy for Yemen, Mr. Griffiths, and support his efforts to find a negotiated solution with a prospect of reaching a comprehensive settlement," the diplomat noted.

Griffiths on Wednesday called on all sides to the conflict in the war-torn country to seize the opportunity to restart peace talks, saying he hopes to resume the negotiations within one month.

The UN-mediated talks were expected to be held in early September in Geneva, but the representatives of the Houthi movement eventually refused to come, claiming that the Saudi-led coalition, which controls Yemeni air space, did not allow them to leave and return peacefully. The coalition said that Houthis were given the green light to leave on time, but did not use the opportunity.

Yemen has been gripped by the civil war with the government headed by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi fighting the Houthi movement. The government is backed by the Saudi-led coalition that has been carrying out airstrikes that target the areas controlled by the Houthis since March 2015.
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The Moscow Patriarchate expressed concern over the mental health of Archbishop Job of Telmessos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and offered him treatment after he "canceled" the existence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Alexander Volkov, the spokesman for Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, told Sputnik on Friday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) The Moscow Patriarchate expressed concern over the mental health of Archbishop Job of Telmessos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and offered him treatment after he "canceled" the existence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Alexander Volkov, the spokesman for Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, told Sputnik on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Archbishop Job told the BBC broadcaster that after Constantinople launched preparations for granting autocephaly to Ukraine's non-canonical Orthodox Church of Kiev Patriarchate (UOC-KP), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate ceased to exist. He added that all bishops in Ukraine were then de facto bishops of Constantinople and should wait for its directives on further action.

"These are very disturbing statements by Archbishop Job. We are seriously concerned about his mental and spiritual health. If necessary, we are ready to help our brother with treatment, or to send him to study in one of the seminaries of our church," Volkov said.

He also stressed that Archbishop Job was not an official representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and was not authorized to speak on behalf of it. Volkov added that Job's statements were "beyond reasonable limits" and could be explained only by "personal anger toward the Russian Church.

"

In October, the Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate announced that it would proceed to granting independence to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which is currently split into three major churches  the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, the non-canonical UOC-KP, which was created after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the so-called Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

The synod's decision has been welcomed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who seeks to establish a single independent church in the country.

On October 8, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to completely "break the Eucharistic communion" with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Moscow Patriarchate called Constantinople's decision the "legalization of schism," saying that it would have catastrophic consequences and would affect millions of Christians in Ukraine and other countries. The Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church said that the synod's decision was a hostile act, interfering with the Ukrainian church's affairs, and threatened the Constantinople patriarch with anathema.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) should be more active in protecting the rights of journalists and ensuring media freedom, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) should be more active in protecting the rights of journalists and ensuring media freedom, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday.

"We reaffirmed the need for greater attention by the OSCE and its relevant institutions toward ensuring the freedom of the media and, of course, protecting the rights of journalists," Lavrov told a press conference after talks with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger.

Greminger, in turn, said that all OSCE member states should comply with international standards and avoid interfering in the media's work.

He stressed that media freedom was one of the pillars of the OSCE's work.

The situation with Russian media in the West has become increasingly difficult in recent years. In November 2016, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution to counter alleged Russian anti-EU propaganda. According to the document, media such as the Sputnik news agency and RT broadcaster allegedly pose a danger to European unity and therefore justify extra European Commission funding for counter-propaganda projects.

A number of Western politicians, including members of the US Congress and French President Emmanuel Macron, accused Sputnik and RT of interfering in the elections in the United States and France, albeit without providing any evidence.

Russian officials have repeatedly refuted such claims as unfounded.

In May, head of the RIA Novosti Ukraine news website Kirill Vyshinsky was detained in Kiev on suspicion of treason and supporting the breakaway republics in Donbas. He was then transferred to the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, where he was taken into custody by court order. On November 1, a Kherson court extended the arrest until December 28.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Vyshinsky's arrest was politically motivated, adding that the incident demonstrated an unprecedented and unacceptable policy of Ukrainian authorities targeting journalists who were just doing their jobs. The Russian Foreign Ministry has lodged protests to Kiev, calling on the government to stop its crackdown on media.

Harlem Desir, the OSCE representative on freedom of the media, has also expressed his concern over Ukraine's actions toward Vyshinsky, stressing that, under the Helsinki Final Act, the OSCE states "have committed to facilitating the conditions under which journalists from one participating State exercise their profession in another participating State."
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ST PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) The Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) supports the government's decision not to sign the UN global migration pact dealing with the rights of refugees and migrants and expects other countries to follow, Roman Haider, the FPO's foreign policy spokesman, told Sputnik on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, who is an FPO member, stated that the Austrian government was concerned about the potential restrictions on its freedom to protect Austria's sovereignty and, therefore, would not sign the global compact on migration, which is expected to be adopted in December at the UN conference in Marrakesh.

"We don't think it compromises our EU presidency. It is a necessary step and we expect to be followed by other countries i.e. Italy, Poland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Slovakia," Haider said.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is set to be formally adopted at the UN conference in Morocco on December 10-11. Though the treaty is not legally binding, some countries have expressed concerns that the compact could promote the liberalization of border crossing procedures.

The United States and Hungary have already decided not to join the deal, while Poland is considering such an option.
Russia's participation in the Palermo conference on Libyan settlement is important to secure the Libyan people's right for a fair presidential election, Dr. Aref Ali Nayed, the chairman of the Libya Institute for Advanced Studies and a presidential candidate, told Sputnik in an interview.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st November, 2018) Russia 's participation in the Palermo conference on Libyan settlement is important to secure the Libyan people's right for a fair presidential election , Dr. Aref Ali Nayed, the chairman of the Libya Institute for Advanced Studies and a presidential candidate, told Sputnik in an interview.

The conference will take place in Sicily on November 12-13. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, have been invited, but the Kremlin announced on Wednesday that the Russian president was not scheduled to attend the conference. Nayed, who visited Moscow to attend events dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the foundation of the Oriental Studies Institute at the Russian academy of Sciences, met with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and other officials on Wednesday. Nayed and Bogdanov have already had two meetings before, in September to discuss the recent flareup of fighting in Tripoli as well as the Palermo conference, and in Abu Dhabi before that.

"It is very important to get elected leadership, and we seek Russia's support in that regard and we feel that Russia's participation in Palermo is very important to protect that principle and to build on the Paris accord ... It is important that Russia is committed to the high-level representation, and I encourage Russian colleagues not only to participate, but to make sure that there are firm about protecting the Libyan people's right to vote in a fair election on time," Nayed said.

Nayed is the only one to have officially announced the intention to run in elections so far, but reports have also emerged that Saif Gaddafi, the son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who had been detained for six years by militia before being released in June 2017, was also planning to run for president.

The presidential candidate noted that the conference in Palermo should focus on concrete mechanisms for the upcoming presidential vote in Libya, as the vote itself had been agreed upon at the Paris meeting in May.

"What we should be discussing in Palermo is how to make sure that this promise is delivered, when precisely it can be delivered, how it can be delivered, the mechanisms - the monitoring mechanisms and the implementation of the results mechanisms - and the guarantees that the international community must give the Libyan people to help them out to conduct their fair and balanced election the results of which are fully implemented," Nayed said.

In May, representatives of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headquartered in Tripoli, on one side, and the authorities operating in the east of the country on the other, agreed that the country would hold parliamentary and presidential elections on December 10. The sides also agreed to work on uniting their security forces.

Libya has been torn apart by conflict since its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown 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 GNA is headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Russia intends to sign an agreement in mid-November on giving Cuba a loan worth 38 million euros ($43.25 million) as part of the two countries' defense cooperation agenda, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Storchak told reporters on Friday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2018) Russia intends to sign an agreement in mid-November on giving Cuba a loan worth 38 million Euros ($43.25 million) as part of the two countries' defense cooperation agenda, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Storchak told reporters on Friday.

The document is set to be signed during the visit of a Cuban delegation dealing with Russian-Cuban defense cooperation, which will take place in two weeks.

"Work is underway. No one has refused anyone. There is such a topic, there is such a loan. Some parts [of the agreement] have not been coordinated yet, and they will be coordinated in the near future.

Cubans intend to come here [to Russia] with a professional delegation, and I think that we will sign this agreement during this visit," Storchak told reporters, specifying that the loan amount would make 38 million euros.

Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov told reporters that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Cuban counterpart Leopoldo Cintra Frias were going to define the areas of the two countries' future military cooperation, and also discuss the upgrading the Cuban army's equipment during their talks, scheduled for the second half of November.
Russia is ready to resume the 2+2 format for talks between foreign and defense ministers with the United States and hopes for progress in the matter after the US midterm elections, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) Russia is ready to resume the 2+2 format for talks between foreign and defense ministers with the United States and hopes for progress in the matter after the US midterm elections, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

According to the minister, Moscow and Washington used to hold consultations between military and experts under the auspices of the foreign ministries, as well as the 2+2 format talks.

"We are ready to resume all these formats and we expect that the fuss caused by the upcoming elections in the United States will subside, and once the people responsible for strategic stability will be able to look at these issues more responsibly and without linking them to domestic political problems, we will be able to achieve some progress in the matter.

I am sure, it will be welcomed by all states interested in security and stability on our planet," Lavrov told a press conference after talks with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger.
Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said Friday that next year she would ask the US attorney general to release Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko on parole to serve his sentence in Russia.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said Friday that next year she would ask the US attorney general to release Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko on parole to serve his sentence in Russia

"He [Yaroshenko] had his term for release on parole reduced by three years for good behavior. Therefore, next year I will ask the US attorney general ... for his early release to serve the sentence in Russia," Moskalkova told reporters.

She added that Yaroshenko's wife and daughter had just returned from the United States, where he is currently serving his sentence.

"His wife and daughter have just returned and have told me about the meetings they had. They had six meetings, which were quite long. He says he feels very bad. I can't even describe all the subtleties regarding his state of health, as this concerns medical confidentiality and a person's private life," Moskalkova said.

Moskalokva went on to say that this was great that Yaroshenko and his relatives had finally met.

"And this is so sad that his state of health is deteriorating. He stays in a cell where there are 100 people, this is a huge room in fact. They are not taken for walks every day as the alarm system often breaks and walks are thus canceled in order to forestall escape. His nutrition is, of course, still very poor," she added.

Yaroshenko was captured in Liberia in 2010 and sentenced the following year in the United States to 20 years on charges of conspiring to import drugs. In 2016, the New York Court of Appeals refused to revise Yaroshenko's sentence. In June, Yaroshenko was transferred from the Fort Dix prison in the US state of New Jersey to the Danbury correctional facility in Connecticut.
There is a possibility that the Syrian Constitutional Committee will hold its first meeting until the end of 2018, however this will require additional efforts regarding forming this body, Russia's envoy to the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG), Gennady Gatilov, told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) There is a possibility that the Syrian Constitutional Committee will hold its first meeting until the end of 2018, however this will require additional efforts regarding forming this body, Russia's envoy to the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG), Gennady Gatilov, told Sputnik.

"Such a possibility, of course, exists. However, obviously, this will also require some efforts from the UN special envoy for Syria [Staffan de Mistura], who will have to do a serious additional work with all sides," Gatilov said.

The role of the UN special envoy for Syria is critical as the official is in charge of forming the body that is tasked with rewriting the Syrian main law. The creation of the Syrian constitutional committee was agreed upon during the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian resort city of Sochi in late January. Earlier, de Mistura noted that he saw no reasons preventing the potential start of the committee's work in November.

When asked whether Russia will be striving for holding new investigations within the United Nations into Western accusations against the authorities in Damascus regarding alleged use of chemical weapons, Gatilov said that the investigations "must be conducted in order to find out the truth in this issue.

"

No evidence or specific facts proving the use of chemical weapons by the authorities in Damascus have been provided, and that is why an objective investigation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) must be conducted, according to the Russian envoy.

Gatilov also called on the international community to take more collective efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Syria

"Collective efforts by the whole international community are needed in order to drastically improve the situation and solve those acute problems that have arisen as a result of the conflict in Syria," the Russian envoy stressed.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations. Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of the ceasefire in the country, while it also provides humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians and is actively engaged in dialogue on settlement to the Syrian crisis.
Senior trade officials from South Korea and Bulgaria held talks on how to promote closer cooperation on economic and energy matters, officials said Friday It was the first time in seven years that the two nations had held such talks, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.

SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :Senior trade officials from South Korea and Bulgaria held talks on how to promote closer cooperation on economic and energy matters, officials said Friday It was the first time in seven years that the two nations had held such talks, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.

The talks were led by Kang Myung-soo, standing commissioner at the Korea Trade Commission, and Lachezar Borisov, Bulgaria's deputy minister of economy, the ministry said.

South Korea has previously asked Bulgaria to ease regulations on employment visas for Korean firms doing business in the Eastern European country.

Seoul has also asked Sofia to relax its rules for South Korean firms exporting electric transformers to Bulgaria.
In mid-November, a company called Rocket Lab will try to send six small satellites into orbit around Earth -- a fairly banal undertaking, save for the size of the launch rocket.

New York, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Nov, 2018 ) :In mid-November, a company called Rocket Lab will try to send six small satellites into orbit around Earth -- a fairly banal undertaking, save for the size of the launch rocket.

It is only 17 meters (56 feet) tall and 1.2 meters (four feet) in diameter.

And if all goes well, the US company will send up more than one of its Electron rockets every month in 2019.

Rocket Lab, which was created in 2006, completed a successful test flight in January and is expected this month to be the first of a new generation of companies to declare itself operational in the so-called "small launch industry." The launch window opens on November 11. Barring a mishap, or another delay after a months-long technical setback, the rocket will blast off from the world's first private orbital launch range in Mahia, New Zealand.

Like Rocket Lab, dozens of start-up companies are developing rockets adapted to send small, micro or nanosatellites -- which weigh anything from a few kilos to a few hundred kilos (Pounds) -- into space.

It's a whole new chapter for the "New Space Race," the latest industry revolution begun about a decade ago and based on private, not public, innovation -- especially in the United States.

Rocket Lab's creation has a black carbon composite fuselage with "Electron" emblazoned on the side in white lettering.

Its engine is produced by a 3D printer in California, a move that helped cut costs, the company's chief financial officer Adam Spice told AFP.

Launching from New Zealand also has its advantages over traditional sites in Florida or California: there are not nearly as many planes in the air.

"If you've got no air traffic to clear, we have the ability to launch more frequently than any other place in the planet," Spice noted.

The company has six Electron rockets in production, and is estimating it will carry out 16 launches next year.

- 'A lot more flexibility' - Rocket Lab's plans are not going to be cheap -- relatively, its rocket is expensive on a per-kilo basis.

But it's holding out the prospect of frequent launches that would help resolve the current backlog.

Nowadays, companies that want to put a small satellite into space are only offered spare space in a rocket launched by SpaceX or Arianespace, which are primarily reserved for bigger, costlier satellites.

The two-stage Falcon 9 operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX is 70 meters tall (more than four times bigger than the Electron) and can carry 23 tons of cargo into space (as opposed to a maximum of 250 kilos for the Electron).

But small rockets should help reduce launch wait times from 18-24 months or more, at the bigger companies, to a mere six months.

Customers are ready to pay for the speedy service: the going rate at Rocket Lab is about $40,000 a kilo, as compared with $3,000 a kilo at SpaceX.

"What you have with the small launch vehicles is you get a lot more flexibility," said Rob Coneybeer, an investor in Vector, one of Rocket Lab's competitors.

Other companies in the small rocket sector include Virgin Orbit, Stratolaunch, and Australia-based Gilmour.

Chad Anderson, the CEO of the Space Angels investment network, says there are about 180 companies working on small rockets.

But, he told AFP, there are only about a dozen worldwide that actually have hardware. And even fewer have the necessary funding.

"Maybe there's like half a dozen that are really credible at this moment," the investor said.

- Numerous applications - The success of those half-dozen firms will help define how fast the New Space Race shakes out.

In 2009, when SpaceX sent its first satellite into orbit, there were about a dozen private space companies, according to Anderson.

Today, there are more than 375 such firms, which have raised more than $16 billion in funding.

The applications for the technology are numerous -- first of all, in telecommunications, and then in Earth observation, according to participants in the second Space Summit organized by The Economist in New York on Thursday.

Obtaining more precise images of Earth, more frequently, would be something companies in multiple sectors would want, from defense to farming, insurance and finance.

Such satellites could help facilitate everything from repairing gas pipelines to assessing flood damage, for example.

SpaceKnow is already using them to count parked cars at Disney World in Florida or the number of swimming pools in Brazil, as well as to observe activity at 6,000 factories in China.

Such data is scooped up by clients on Wall Street, who use it as a new kind of economic indicator.

For all of these services to be accommodated, more satellites need to be in orbit, and thus more rockets need to be launched. Nearly a decade after the creation of SpaceX, the path to space is getting wider.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he is seriously considering State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert for the post of US ambassador to the United Nations.

"She's under very serious consideration," Trump told reporters, adding that he will probably make a decision next week.
The United Nations still does not know whether the next round of the UN-mediated talks on the Yemeni settlement will be held in the format of consultations or negotiations, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) The United Nations still does not know whether the next round of the UN-mediated talks on the Yemeni settlement will be held in the format of consultations or negotiations, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen told Sputnik.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis called for an immediate cease fire in Yemen's 3-year-old civil war within the next 30 days. On the following day, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths called on all sides to the conflict in the war-torn country to seize the opportunity to restart peace talks, saying he hopes to resume the negotiations within one month.

"Well, we don't know if this will be negotiations or consultation. What I mean is, in general, we called for consultations, and I think this is what we will do.

The government of Yemen has already departed for the consultations, but we are also trying to include all the political actors that need to be involved in the talks," the spokesperson said.

According to the official, there has been no official reaction from the Houthis on the US statements about a ceasefire within 30 days.

"There has not been any official reaction from the Houthis. The only reaction that we got was from Sana'a-based foreign minister, Hisham Sharaf  who is not from the Houthis, but he welcomed the cessation of hostilities and for the resolution of the political process. It is not an officially recognised government, and Sharaf is not the foreign minister of Yemen, but he is the shadow foreign minister, if you want. But up to this point, the Houthis have not responded yet," the spokesperson said.
(@rukhshanmir)

The United Nations seeks to hold the negotiations between Yemen's warring parties in November and expects to confirm the venue within the next week or two, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen told Sputni

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) The United Nations seeks to hold the negotiations between Yemen's warring parties in November and expects to confirm the venue within the next week or two, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen told Sputnik.

On Wednesday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths called on all sides to the conflict in the war-torn country to seize the opportunity to restart peace talks, saying he hopes to resume the negotiations within one month. Same day, Sweden officially expressed its readiness to host talks between the parties to the conflict in Yemen. Previous attempt to hold UN-mediated talks in Geneva in early September collapsed when Houthi representatives refused to attend, claiming that the Saudi-led coalition refused to guarantee their safety.

"We are still looking on the details. What we are trying to aim for is end of November, in a European country," the spokesperson said.

The official added that the date and venue would be confirmed "within the next week or two," noting that there were several options on the table, apart from Sweden.

"We have different options  Sweden was mentioned, but we have other options as well. So we have not really identified the venue yet," the spokesperson said.

Last week, Abdul Malik Ajri, a member of the Houthi-led Political Bureau, told Sputnik that there were three options for the upcoming talks' venue  Austria, Switzerland or Sweden.
(@FahadShabbir)

Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency's Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan described on Friday the Western states' hypocritical position on the detention of head of the RIA Novosti Ukraine news portal Kirill Vyshinsky as shocking

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency's Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan described on Friday the Western states' hypocritical position on the detention of head of the RIA Novosti Ukraine news portal Kirill Vyshinsky as shocking.

On Friday, about 100 people, including prominent journalists, State Duma lawmakers, human rights activists and those not indifferent to Vyshinsky's fate, took part in a demonstration outside the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow. Simonyan also participated in the demonstration.

"The hypocrisy of the so-called Western states is surprising and shocking as these countries have been told us for decades about the freedom of expression, democracy ... and that nobody could be prosecuted for his opinion. The fact that they avoid [speaking about] the arrest of Kirill Vyshinsky in Ukraine [is also shocking]," Simonyan said.

According to Simonyan, if it were not for the fact that the fate of an individual just doing his job got turned around in this way, the Russian journalistic community would laugh at the West's position.

"He is facing terrible charges only because of what he wrote. At the same time he wrote nothing radical, nationalist, nothing that can be regarded as extremism, nothing, which can result in such a punishment," the editor-in-chief said.

Simonyan noted that expression of an alternative opinion was viewed as a treason in Ukraine.

"In Ukraine expression of an opinion, which is not in line with the position of the authorities ... is a treason," Simonyan said adding that the current Ukrainian authorities came to power as a result of the coup, which could also be regarded as a treason.

Vyshinsky was detained in Kiev on May 15 on suspicion of supporting the breakaway republics in Donbas and on treason charges. The maximum penalty for such offense is 15 years of imprisonment.

On May 17, a court of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson ruled to remand Vyshinsky in custody. The defense appealed the arrest, but the court dismissed the appeal. During a court hearing, Vyshinsky asked for help from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said that he would give up his Ukrainian citizenship.

Putin has said that Vyshinsky's arrest was politically motivated, adding that the incident demonstrated an unprecedented and unacceptable policy of Ukrainian authorities targeting journalists, who were just doing their jobs. The Russian Foreign Ministry lodged protests to Kiev, calling on it to stop crackdown on media.

On Thursday, the Kherson city court extended the arrest of Vyshinsky until December 28. On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Vyshinsky must be immediately released. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Desir, has expressed his disappointment with the Ukrainian court's decision to prolong the detention of Vyshinsky.

OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, commenting on the situation around Vyshinsky's detention, said that all the organization's member states must create favorable conditions for the work of foreign journalists and thus comply with the international standards in the sphere of freedom of media, without meddling in the work of media outlets.
In patients with castration resistant prostate cancer(CRPC), the most frequent site of metastases is bone particularly with osteoblastic change, which accounts for 90% at the late stage of CRPC and is accompanied by symptomatic skeletal symptoms(SSEs)such as bone pain or pathological fractures. Radium-223(Ra-223)dichloride emits  particles and has been proven to improve overall survival(OS)and QOL by reducing SSEs in metastatic CRPC patients. Although hemotoxic adverse events(AEs)of Ra-223 treatment including anemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, and non-hemotoxic AEs including nausea, diarrhea and bone pain have been reported, they were mild and well tolerated. The completion of 6 injections of Ra-223 is important for prolonging OS. The optimal time of Ra-223 administration is recommended the duration when PSA is increasing regardless of abiraterone or enzalutamide treatment prior to chemotherapy.

Clinical calcium. 2018 Jan [Epub]

Hiroji Uemura

Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, Yokohama City University Medical Center, Japan.

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30374005
Vietnam has revised the minimum wage caps and social security contributions, most of which will be in effect from January 2018. Foreign and domestic firms will be required to adjust to the changes to ensure compliance with the new laws. These changes are going to impact the payroll and net take home salary for employees. Revisions have been made in minimum wages, salary caps for unemployment insurance, and social insurance for foreign workers.

Minimum wages

Vietnams minimum wage rates play a significant role in payroll compliance. Currently, there are two kinds of minimum wages.

Common Minimum Wage

The first type is the common minimum wage, which is used to calculate salaries for employees in state-owned organizations and enterprises. The common minimum wage has been increased by 90,000 VND/month from 1,300,000 VND /month (US$ 57) to 1,390,000 VND /month (US$ 61), in effect from 1 July 2018.

Regional minimum salary

The second type of minimum wage is used for employees in all non-state enterprises and is based on regions as defined by the government. From 1 Jan 2018, the National Wages Council has finalized the regional minimum salary rates for 2018, as follows:

Region I: VND 3,980,000/month;

Region II: VND 3,530,000/ month;

Region III: VND 3,090,000/ month;

Region IV: VND 2,760,000/ month..

Social security scheme

There are three types of mandatory social security in Vietnam:

Social insurance (SI;

Health insurance (HI);

Unemployment insurance (UI).

SI and UI contributions have been applicable for Vietnamese individuals only, while HI contributions are required for Vietnamese as well as for foreign individuals.

Changes in the social security contribution base

Companies in Vietnam mostly offer a low gross salary to ensure that SI/HI/UI contributions remain low, which has benefited both the companies and employees. However, from 1 January 2018, extra payments such as responsibility, seniority, and regional allowances will need to be included when calculating the SI/HI/UI gross salary. This will lead to a reduction in the net take-home pay for employees.

Salary used to calculate the social security contributions will include basic salary, as well as allowances and other payments as mentioned in the labor contract, including:

Position allowances;

Responsibility allowances;

Hardship, hazardous and toxic allowances;

Area allowances;

Mobility allowances;

Attraction allowances;

Other allowances having similar nature as the above.

Not included in the base are certain bonuses, incentives, meal allowances, petrol, telephone, transportation, and childcare.

Changes in contribution caps

From 1 July 2018, the minimum salary cap for SI/HI contributions will increase to VND 27,800,000 per month (approximately US$ 1,220 per month) from the present VND 26,000,000 per month (approximately US$ 1,140 per month). This will increase the compulsory insurance contributions for both the employer and employee.

Social Insurance

From 1 January 2018, all foreign/expat workers will be eligible for SI contributions. The coverage will include sickness, maternity leave, occupational diseases and accidents, retirement and death. In case of a foreign employee leaves Vietnam, a one-time claim for pension will be available.

Foreign employees will be liable for 8 percent Social Insurance, while the employer will pay 17.5 percent.

Health Insurance

Foreign employees will be liable for 1.5 percent Health Insurance, while their employer will pay 3 percent.

Unemployment Insurance

From 1 January 2018, the minimum regional salary cap for UI contributions will range from VND 55,200,000 to VND 79,600,000 per month depending on each region.
In 1963, a man in the Nevsehir Province of Turkey knocked down a wall of his home. Behind it, he discovered a mysterious room. The man continued digging and soon discovered an intricate tunnel system with additional cave-like rooms. What he had discovered was the ancientunderground city, part of the Cappadocia region in central Anatolia, Turkey.The elaborate subterranean network included discrete entrances, ventilation shafts, wells, and connecting passageways. It was one of dozens of underground cities carved from the rock in Cappadocia thousands of years ago. Hidden for centuries,s underground city is the deepest.Theunderground city has 11 levels, extending to a depth of approximately 60 meters (200 ft), it is large enough to have sheltered as many as 20,000. It has wine cellars, stables for livestock, and even what appear to be chapels. The openings to each level are guarded by a huge circular rock door that can be shut by a single person from the inside to keep people out. The opening in the center acts as a peep hole. It also has an air ventilation and pluming system. The largest vent also acts as a well.It was opened to visitors in 1969 and to date, about half of the underground city is accessible to tourists.While there is no consensus for who is responsible for building, many groups have occupied the underground city over the centuries. It is believedwas later expanded during the Byzantine era (330-1461 CE).During this time the underground city was known as(Greek:). Early Christians used the tunnels to escape persecution during raids from the Muslimanddynasties.Over time the need for underground shelter in Cappadocia ebbed and flowed with different ruling empires. In peacetime tunneling efforts were reduced as resources were diverted back toward the surface. During these times the subterranean city served as cold storage facilities and underground barns.During the Roman persecutions of the 2nd and 3rd centuries (and the Arab raids between the 8th and 10th centuries) CE, use of the underground cities increased and tunnels were expanded.
A large number of experts and members of authorities attended the forum

Speaking at the forum titled Vietnams employment, wages, and labour productivity in the context of Industry 4.0 organised by the Ministry of Planning and Investments (MPI) National Centre for Socioeconomic Information and Forecast on October 31, 2018, Vu Quang Tho, director of the Vietnam General Confederations Institute of Workers and Trade Unions, said that Industry 4.0 will change every field of employment, from banking, commerce, and telecommunication to education, agriculture, and electronics.

Low-skilled jobs will be done by machinery, and even average-skilled employees can be replaced by artificial intelligence, Tho said, adding that creativity is the key to give Vietnams workforce the confidence to approach Industry 4.0.

Several major issues, including the position of and demand for untrained labour in Vietnam, forecasts about the impacts of Industry 4.0 on the labour market, and suggestions on completing social welfare policies in Vietnam were highlighted at the forum.

Accordingly, Industry 4.0 refers to breakthrough technology innovations including robotics, artificial intelligence, automations, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and self-driving cars, which are supposed to have higher productivity and make great contributions to aiding employees and handling human jobs. On the other hand, Industry 4.0 will rapidly affect the society and the economy, as well as the labour market in Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Thuat, deputy editor of the Socioeconomic Information and Forecast Review, said that Vietnam has abundant labour force, however, 77 per cent (43 million workers) are untrained labourers. In addition, workers also lack soft skills, including communication, teamwork, and time-management skills.

The shortage of soft skills is more serious than the lack of specialist skills, since labourers can be technically trained at their workplace, but it takes a long time to learn soft skills, said Thuat.

As Industry 4.0 popularises automation and hi-technology, the structure and position of Vietnams labour market will definitely be altered. Specifically, the number of untrained labourers will reduce as employees with better potential will be upskilled.

Addressing social welfare, which is a principal issue in any country, director Bui Van Huyen of the Institute of Economics (Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics) said that in addition to providing employees with job opportunities, Industry 4.0 will also incite countries to complete education policies and increase social welfare coverage.

Industry 4.0 will introduce a new industry platform, which is going to bring about brand-new employment opportunities. In these new circumstances, well-trained employees are guaranteed employment, while unskilled labourers needs to be given access to self-training to adapt to the technological revolution. This will help reduce the financial burden on the government. In addition, once peoples jobs are ensured, they no longer have to rely on government subvention, and can contribute by paying social security and health insurance, Huyen added.

Moreover, with the development of technology, employees can better research and understand what social welfare policies apply to them, it will also be easier for authorities to administer employees social welfare benefits. Correspondingly, Industry 4.0 will contributes to the formulation and supervision of social welfare policies in a more systemic and modern way.

Industry 4.0 will open a plethora of new job opportunities, however, only those with the requisite skills will be allowed access to them, while the less skilled majority may find it harder to cope. To lessen the negative impacts of Industry 4.0 or even turn labour force into an advantage, Vietnam needs to improve the quality of education and training, building out a creative labour market with high intellectual standards.
There are no schools or activities for children in the Syrian camps, where poor hygiene causes regular bouts of diarrhoea, vomiting and skin infections AFP/Amer ALHAMWE

Like other Western nations which experienced an extremist exodus to Iraq or Syria, France is grappling with how to handle citizens left in the war zone following heavy losses for the Islamic State group.

Last week, France announced plans to start repatriating an estimated 150 children, many of them being held alongside their mothers by Kurdish forces in Syria following Islamic State defeats.

But French officials made clear that the mothers themselves will not be welcomed home.

A few days ago, Nadine - her name has been changed - got a phone call from her daughter-in-law in a Kurdish camp.

The young mother was in tears. "Do I have to abandon my children in order for them to go back to France?" she sobbed.

RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL?

Nadim Houry, a senior Human Rights Watch official who regularly visits the Kurdish camps, said France's announcement would "bring an end to an unbearable situation".

There are no schools or activities for children in the camps, where poor hygiene causes regular bouts of diarrhea, vomiting and skin infections.

Lawyers for the mothers, pushing for the whole families to be repatriated, have complained for months of "deplorable" conditions in the camps.

"My daughter-in-law gets sick a lot, like her children," Nadine told AFP. "She only weighs 45 kilos."

Reluctant to bring extremists back onto home soil, France has so far insisted its captured nationals must go on trial locally.

Some 260 adults and 80 minors have already returned to France from Syria or Iraq, and earlier this year French authorities estimated that more than 700 adults and 500 children were still in the war zone.

Several French adults have already been tried in Iraq and their children repatriated.

But in Syria, most of the remaining French nationals are being held in northern Syria in territory which, while under Kurdish control, does not constitute an internationally recognised state.

Kurdish forces have repeatedly insisted they will not try foreign prisoners and have called on the extremists' home countries to repatriate them.

With a few exceptions such as Russia, Indonesia and Sudan, most countries have, like France, proved highly reluctant.

Houry said the idea that France could leave the Kurds to put its nationals on trial was "a fiction" that it was maintaining in a bid to avoid public alarm at a wave of impending extremist returns.

Lawyers for the mothers, meanwhile, say it is a travesty that a country which touts itself as a beacon of human rights would separate parents from children and leave its citizens in a war zone.

William Bourdon, a lawyer for several of the women, insisted that "the vast majority have had no combat or active role in IS (Islamic State) and have a right to a fair trial, which can only take place in France".

'UNSPEAKABLE CRUELTY'

Nadine began sobbing at the thought of the choice facing her daughter-in-law.

"Having to give away your children without knowing whether or not you're going to see them again one day, or who will be looking after them - can you imagine doing that to someone?" Nadine said in a phone call.

"My daughter-in-law is still breastfeeding the youngest, just eight months old. It's an unspeakable cruelty."

Houry predicted that many of the mothers will refuse to separate from their children - an assessment shared by relatives in France.

"It's their comfort, their only reason for living," said one resident in northern France, whose sister is still in Syria.

"My daughter-in-law will not give up her little one like that, not even knowing what's going to become of herself," said Sarah, a pseudonym.

Sarah's son and his wife set off for Syria in 2016 and were arrested a year ago by the Kurds.

The mother and son are both in a camp, fending off illness and chasing away mice from their tent, Sarah said.

Like the families, child psychologist Serge Hefez believes separating the children from their parents can only bring more harm.

"Keeping a link with a parent, even if it's visits in prison, is essential for a child," he said.

Otherwise, he warned, the children run a greater risk of radicalisation themselves - turning the absent parent "into a hero or a martyr".
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe (Photo: AFP)

Vietnam and France set up diplomatic ties on April 12, 1973. Overcoming ups and downs in history, over the past 45 years, especially since the establishment of the strategic partnership in 2013, Vietnam-France relations have developed unceasingly.

In the past years, the two sides have maintained the exchange of high-level delegations. Particularly, a visit to France by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong in March 2018 has created a strong driving force for the development of bilateral ties in the fields of politics, economy, culture, education, healthcare and national defence.

Bilateral trade between Vietnam and France have seen positive growth, with Vietnam having enjoyed continuous trade surplus since 2010, reported the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In 2017, the two-way trade value exceeded 4.6 billion USD, up 11.6 percent from 2016. The figure included 3.3 billion USD worth of Vietnamese exports to France and 1.3 billion USD worth of imports from the European country, both increasing by over 11 percent year on year.

France is an important European partner of Vietnam. It also respects Vietnams stature and contributions to peace, stability and development in the region and the world. Vietnams membership of the ASEAN Economic Community and many free tradeagreements, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), expected to take effect in the near future, will bring new cooperation chances for both countries.
Konstantin Vnukov

What, in your view, is the main significance and impact of the Vietnam-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on the ties between Vietnam and Russia, after the first two years?

The FTA surely has had the biggest impact on trade co-operation between the two countries. Since the FTA came into force on October 5, 2016, we have witnessed sustainable growth in all bilateral economic indexes.

Regarding bilateral trade - two-way trade turnover last year increased by almost 30 per cent, to $5.2 billion. This allowed Vietnam to firmly establish itself as one of the top trade partners of Russia in the ASEAN region. In the first eight months of this year, the rate increased by almost 20 per cent. I think that this is quite impressive.

We are also happy that in the first eight months of 2018, Russian exports to Vietnam have soared by almost 50 per cent, thanks to a boost in traditional export items such as machinery and equipment, oil products, and metal, as well as new export items like foodstuffs and agricultural products.

Meanwhile, Vietnam also increased its exports to Russia in remarkable fashion, in areas such as electronics, aquatic products, fruit, tea, and coffee.

What about investment projects between the two countries?

A positive trend has been seen in our investment co-operation. Among the major projects, Vietnamese fresh milk producer TH Group has commenced the construction of its dairy farm and milk processing mega-complex project in Kaluga region, which is about 100 kilometres from Moscow.

Vietnams Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong took part in the ground-breaking ceremony during his visit to Russia in September.

Generally speaking, Vietnam has invested about $3 billion into Russia thus far. Notably, more than 10 years ago, the figure was merely $100 million. I believe that the investment co-operation potential between both countries remains tremendous, especially in Siberia and the Russian Far East, where the best conditions have been created for foreign investors and businesses.

Of course, Russia also wants to expand in Vietnam. Regarding the energy sector, Russian companies have been operating in the country effectively for a long time. Up to 30 per cent of crude oil and about 25 per cent of gas exploited in Vietnam are done so by enterprises involving Russian investment, including Zarubezhneft, Rosneft and Gazprom corporations.

Another important task for us is to implement the inter-government protocol on the establishment in Vietnam of GAZ and KAMAZ automobile-assembling companies. I hope that in the near future, all procedures for the establishment will be completed, and Russian auto firms can operate well in Vietnam.

Though the FTA offers many advantages for the two countries, challenges remain. What do you believe are the main obstacles yet to overcome?

Of course, the implementation of the FTA will face some challenges. State agencies of both countries have yet to create proper legal framework for trade of certain types of goods.

For example, it takes a long time to reach an agreement on animal and phytosanitary certificates. Also, enterprises themselves may still have little information about certain rules and legal requirements of both nations.

I think the key point here is that relevant agencies must stand ready to act in conjunction with each other. For instance, this summer, after being informed by Vietnamese authorised agencies about problems in Russian wheat imports, agents from our Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) visited Vietnam to discuss this question.

I believe that the settlement of issues between the two countries will continue in the near future.

What else can be done to maximise the potential of the FTA in Russia-Vietnam trade and investment ties? And what is your expectation about investment inflows for the two nations in the time to come?

The economic-trade co-operation development between Russia and Vietnam would require continuous efforts from the state and enterprises, as well as agencies of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

I think that the key task is how to attract the attention of small- and medium-sized enterprises to our respective markets. In order to double Russia-Vietnam trade turnover, we have to increase our efforts and work on all fronts.

This is now being expedited by the Russian Export Centre, which not only provides consultancy services for Russian firms, but also allocates export-related credits for them.

The centre has already helped introduce Russian products in Vietnam and connect Russian firms with Vietnamese companies.

What is important is that efforts must be made to raise awareness and reduce business costs by reciprocally removing administrative hurdles and simplifying different procedures.

For example just this month, an agreement on a system of online licensing and verifying goods origin, inked by customs agencies from Vietnam and all members of the Eurasian Economic Union, took effect.

It will enable the acceleration of customs clearance for goods, greatly benefiting both Russian and Vietnamese entrepreneurs.
The handover ceremony was held on November 1 to mark the towers completion

The first tenants are IKEA Purchasing & Logistics Southeast Asia and AAH Corporation. Besides pre-committed tenants, Tower 1 has received strong leasing interest from companies in the information technology, business process outsourcing, as well as finance and back office outsourcing sectors.

Targeting companies from these sectors, Tower 1 offers attractive space solutions for companies seeking expansion, relocation or consolidation; companies looking for large floor plates to improve productivity and their working environment; as well as companies supporting tenants in Saigon Hi-Tech Park.

Tan Yew Chin, CEO for Singapore and Southeast Asia, Ascendas-Singbridge Group, said: We are happy to welcome IKEA Purchasing & Logistics Southeast Asia and AAH Corporation to Tower 1. We would like to thank them for making OneHub Saigon their new home, which is an encouraging endorsement of the quality of our OneHub Saigon product and a testament to our execution capability.

IKEA wants to have a positive impact on people and the planet, said Kim Lindell, regional manager of IKEA Purchasing & Logistics Southeast Asia. Moving our office to a LEED-certified building at OneHub Saigon is aligned with this strategy.

With the vision to be a leading interior decoration contractor in Southeast Asia, AAH Corporations CEO decided to move our back office to Tower 1, OneHub Saigon as we would like our colleagues to experience a brand new working environment which promotes collaboration and creativity, shared Nguyen Van Hung, board member of AAH Corporation. The location is also convenient for us to commute to our representative office in the CBD.

Tower 1, which has a total net lettable area of 10,199sq.m, provides tenants quality office space that is designed with environmentally friendly features built in accordance with international standards and industry specifications. The building was developed in consultation with Sydney-based PTW Architects (architecture), CPG Consultants (civil, structural, and MEP), Colin K. Okashimo and Associates (landscaping), G-Energy Global (sustainability), and constructed by the main contractor Coteccons Construction.

Expected to begin operations in January 2019, Tower 1 is strategically located within OneHub Saigon, a fully integrated business park located in District 9, Ho Chi Minh City, and within walking distance to Station 12 of the upcoming Metro Line 1. OneHub Saigon aims to provide a seamless and vibrant work-live-play-learn environment for its tenants and the surrounding community.

The 12-hectare development will comprise of seven office towers, a mixed-use commercial block, work-office home-offices, an education centre, and recreational amenities built with sustainable features. Phase 1 will also feature lush and curated spaces for outdoor events and social gatherings.

To promote a greener environment and encourage collaboration, the community spaces will be traffic-free and pedestrian-friendly, allowing tenants within the business park and surrounding developments to enjoy the lush greenery that OneHub Saigon has to offer.
Not all Vietnamese drug companies target overseas markets, but those that scrap the foreign ownership limit tend to go international more often than not

Imexpharm Pharmaceutical JSC (IMP), one of Vietnams four biggest pharmaceutical firms, is to open the Vinh Loc high-tech antibiotic plant at a cost of VND180 billion ($7.83 million) by the years end, while inaugurating the VND370 billion ($16.09 million) Binh Duong high-tech pharmaceutical plant in late 2019.

We plan to complete the portfolio of EU-GMP-standardised products to increase the contribution of ethical drugs to the total revenue, while locating partners to boost exports, Nguyen Quoc Dinh, chairman of IMPs board of directors, told VIR.

To ease over-the-counter (OTC) pressures, we aim to increase the contribution of ethical drugs to 40 per cent by 2020, while decreasing that of OTC revenue to 50 per cent, while reserving 10 per cent for exports, he added.

IMP currently has three foreign shareholders: Balestrand Limited (6.09 per cent), Franklin Templeton Investment Funds  Templeton Frontier Markets Fund (8.49 per cent), and Kwe Beteiligungen AG (8.23 per cent).

However, not all leading Vietnamese drugmakers target the international market.

Traphaco (TRA), the second-largest publicly-traded drugmaker in the country, is a typical example. The firm aims to become the No.1 drug producer in Vietnam by 2020, with market capitalisation of VND10 trillion ($434.8 million), revenue of VND4 trillion ($173.9 million), and a distribution network of 40 branches nationwide.

We are co-operating with partners to boost the distribution of imported pharmaceuticals. We do not have plans to export now, a representative from TRA told VIR.

It is clear why TRA targets the domestic market rather than going international. Currently, the OTC market segment of TRA is on a growing path, while the ethical drugs segment is improving with new products meeting the PIC or GMP-EU standards of the new factory, thus enabling the firm to win bids.

TRA has the State Capital Investment Corporation (35.67 per cent), Magbi Fund Ltd. (24.99 per cent), and Super Delta Pte. Ltd. (15.12 per cent) as their biggest shareholders.

Going international?

According to industry insiders, the drugmakers which scrap foreign ownership limits (FOLs) have a higher tendency to go international than others. Moves by the biggest publicly-traded drugmaker Hau Giang Pharmaceutical JSC (DHG), and the third-biggest Domesco (DMC) seem to confirm the fact.

DHG, with a 32 per cent stake owned by Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings, one of the largest pharmaceutical firms in Japan, is now attempting to upgrade its lines to boost exports, thus enabling it to reach an export revenue of $5 million by 2020.

DHG has completed the upgrading of effervescent line Hapacol with the support of Taisho. As expected, the line will be granted with PIC/S standards in Malaysia in December, thus enabling DHG to export Hapacol to the market. The firm also plans to upgrade production lines of strategic products to Japanese PMDA standards and EU PIC/S standards.

DHG drugs are now available in 13 countries, namely Moldova, Ukraine, Myanmar, Russia, Mongolia, Cambodia, Nigeria, Laos, Singapore, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Romania, and North Korea.

Export channels can partly add money to DHGs revenues at least in the short-term, when the scrapping of the FOL creates a negative impact on business performance. The FOL removal forces the drugmaker to give up some business lines, including sale of goods manufactured by other units, and a packing business.

As shown in the third-quarter financial statement, DHGs consolidated net profit is down 9.9 per cent on-year, while consolidated net revenues fell by 1.49 per cent between January and September, partly because of the suspension of sales of MSD and Eugica products in line with the FOL removal.

In similar moves, DMC is expanding to venture further into international markets. Now, export is a part of its revenues. In the third quarter of this year, export revenue was VND2.35 billion ($102,170), thus raising the total figure in the first three quarters to VND5.2 billion ($226,100), and contributing to revenue improvement.

Currently DMC, which has Abbott Laboratories, one of the worlds leading nutrition groups, as the biggest foreign shareholder (51.7 per cent), exports to 12 markets including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Hong Kong.

Recovery trend TRA, DMC, and IMP have announced their three-quarter financial statements with positive results after posting poor performances over the first half.

TRA saw revenues rise by 10 per cent on-year during the period. In the first half of this year, the drug-maker recorded an on-year fall of 7 and 48.6 per cent in net revenue and net profit of VND798 billion ($34.70 million) and VND56 billion ($2.44 million), respectively.

This period marks the second year of our new factory operation, with business indexes meeting yearly targets and many new products with high prospects. This is a highlight of our nine-month business, said the TRA representative.

At present, TRA has become the nations second-biggest provider in the OTC channel, just behind Sanofi.

Meanwhile, in the first nine months of this year, IMP recorded an on-year rise of 21.35 per cent in its net profit in the third quarter, thus contributing to raising the firms net revenue and net profit by 7.9 and 11.65 per cent to VND810.15 billion ($35.22 million) and VND99.28 billion ($4.3 million) in the first three quarters.

IMP attributed the improvement to the market expansion and a rise in sales of IMP-made products.

In the same context, DMC fetched a net profit and revenue of VND162.91 billion ($7.08 million) and VND973.78 billion ($42.34 million), up 3.1 and 2.7 per cent, respectively.

Looking back the second quarter of 2018, TRA, MDC, and IMP all reported a fall in profit margin due to cost burdens. Accordingly, TRA fell from 57.8 per cent in the second quarter of last year to 51.1 per cent in the same period of 2018, while the ratios for DMC and IMP were 41.1 per cent versus 36.4 and 44 per cent against 42.2 per cent.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (R) will visit Seoul 'soon', according to the South's President Moon Jae-in (L) AFP/KCNA VIA KNS

At their third summit in Pyongyang in September, the leaders of the two Koreas agreed Kim would visit Seoul "in the near future" without giving a specific date.

Moon later suggested that the trip was likely to happen this year, and told lawmakers Thursday that the peninsula was approaching "the historic starting line" for peace.

"It appears that Chairman Kim Jong Un's trip to Russia and a visit to North Korea by (Chinese) President Xi Jinping will happen soon," Moon said, adding there was an "open" possibility of a meeting between Kim and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"Chairman Kim Jong Un's return visit to Seoul will happen soon," he added.

No further detail was given.

The remarks came on the day a no-fly zone went into force along the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas in line with a military agreement they signed at the September summit in Pyongyang.

The 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two sides still technically at war and divided by the DMZ.

Under the pact signed by the defence ministers all hostile activities along the border were to cease from Nov 1, including military drills on land, at sea and in the air, to prevent accidental clashes.

SECOND SUMMIT

But despite the flurry of diplomacy on and around the peninsula differences are emerging between Seoul and its security ally Washington, which stations 28,500 troops in the South to protect it from its neighbour.

At their historic Singapore summit, brokered by Moon, Kim and US President Donald Trump signed a vaguely-worded statement on denuclearisation but there has been little progress since then.

Washington and Pyongyang have sparred over the exact terms of the agreement, with the US pushing to maintain sanctions and pressure against the North until its "final, fully verified denuclearisation".

The dovish South Korean president has long favoured engagement with the North, which is subject to multiple UN Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

He has dangled large investment and joint cross-border projects as incentives for steps towards denuclearisation.

Concerns have been raised that such schemes could violate the sanctions against the North, while the US has been adamant pressure should be maintained on Pyongyang until it fully dismantles its weapons programmes.

The State Department said this week that Seoul and Washington would set up a new working group to strengthen coordination between them.

Moon said a second Trump-Kim summit was "right before our eyes".

"Now the South, the North, and the United States will achieve the complete denuclearisation and lasting peace on the Korean peninsula," he said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has suggested the next meeting between Trump and Kim will be "hopefully early in the next year, where we can make a substantial breakthrough in taking down the nuclear threat from North Korea".

But in September, the North's foreign minister told the United Nations there was "no way" his country would disarm first as long as tough US sanctions remain against his country.
As transshipment has reared its head as a major cause of the US-China tensions, Vietnamese steel makers are advised to pay close attention to product origin requirements Photo: Le Toan

Businesses around the world are doing whatever they can to avoid tariffs from the US-China trade war. As moving entire production lines can be time-consuming and costly, some firms choose to shift their goods to countries such as Vietnam to disguise the true origin of their products. These businesses hope that with a Made in Vietnam label, their products will be free from tariffs.

The process, known as transshipment, requires manufacturers to set up a plant in Vietnam or collaborate with Vietnamese factories. This year, transshipment has reared its head as a major cause of the US-China tensions, and Vietnam is now caught in the middle. The Americans have publicly accused Chinese steelmakers of evading US tariffs by sending their half-finished goods to a third country, particularly Vietnam, for completion.

US steel manufacturers said that after the US carried out anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations in 2015, steel imports from South Korea and Taiwan decreased, while imports from Vietnam increased rapidly, prompting the US Department of Commerce (DOC) to investigate unsubsidised steel products imported from Vietnam. In May, the DOC slapped 256 per cent tariffs on Vietnamese steel products that supposedly include Chinese materials. This is on top of the new 25 per cent levies on Chinese products, thus significantly reducing the competitiveness of Vietnams products in the US.

Moreover, the worlds largest steel producer China experienced years of plunging prices and factory shutdowns due to oversupply. Chinese steel firms are moving to set up operations abroad, including in Vietnam, and have even agreed to sell their output at a loss in order to win orders and cover their fixed operating costs. Chinas steel surplus poses a threat to the global steel industry, thus many countries have introduced anti-dumping measures against Chinese steel products and products using substrate originating from China.

At last weeks seminar discussing the US-China trade dispute held by the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre, experts noted that transshipment issues are not unique to the steel industry or Chinese manufacturers. For example, Chinese mangoes can be re-branded as products from Dalat in Vietnam, and US lobsters are now labelled as Canadian produce to avert import tariffs in China. Analysts believed that transshipment is indeed a significant issue for Vietnam in the trade war era. In the short term, Vietnams export volume and inbound investments may increase thanks to transshipment attempts, but the country benefits little in terms of technology transfers. As a result, Vietnams production capabilities will not be improved, which is a huge disadvantage for the country in trying to move up the global supply chain.

How to avoid the blame

Nguyen Van Sua, deputy head of the Vietnam Steel Association, acknowledged that Vietnam runs a risk of becoming a transshipment hub for products from other countries. According to him, Vietnamese producers should prove that their products are genuinely made in Vietnam, without using materials from China or other countries that are subject to tariffs.

We recently petitioned to stop a Chinese steelmaker named Yongji Metal from setting up a factory in Vietnam. We believe that this investment, or rather transshipment activity, poses a risk for both Vietnamese steel products in the domestic market, as well as the reputation of Vietnams steel industry overseas, said Sua, noting that the petition has been approved by the government.

In addition, foreign investors that hope to move their production from China to Vietnam may also need to be mindful of transshipment issues. Experts advised domestic steel makers to pay close attention to product origin requirements, as their products may be subject to tariffs if customs officers detect the use of Chinese materials.

As one of the larger exporters of steel products to the US, Nam Kim Steel JSC, said to avoid the effect of the anti-dumping investigation and tariffs levied by the US due to concerns that steel products are originated from China, Nam Kim has diversified its raw material import markets. Similarly, Hoa Phat Group said it will not have to import hot-rolled steel for its products thanks to the upcoming Dung Quat steel complex. Besides, it will become the first steel maker to achieve a closed production chain that will help them improve their competitiveness and minimise the backlash of these policies.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announces criminal charges against Chinese and Taiwanese electronics companies accused of stealing the technology of US semiconductor giant Micron. (AFP/Jim WATSON)

The Justice department unveiled criminal charges against Chinese state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) of Taiwan, along with three UMC officials.

It said they conspired to rob US-based Micron's advanced designs to turn Fujian Jinhua into a major player in the global computer chip market.

The charges were the latest in a series of cases targeting what Washington calls an ongoing Beijing program to steal valuable US industrial and commercial secrets in order to advance the Chinese economy.

"Taken together, these cases and many others like them paint a grim picture of a country bent on stealing its way up the ladder of economic development and doing so at American expense," Session said.

"This behaviour is illegal. It is wrong. It is a threat to our national security. And it must stop."

The indictment released in the US district court in San Jose, California alleges that three former Micron employees in Taiwan - Stephen Chen Zhengkun, He Jianting and Kenny Wang Yungming - joined UMC in 2015 and 2016 with the express plan to hand over to the company Micron's design and manufacturing processes for specific dynamic random access memory (DRAM) semiconductors.

Those would then be transferred to Fujian Jinhua under an contract set by Chen.

Prior to the plot, US prosecutors said, neither the Chinese nor the Taiwanese company had any DRAM production capability.

But China had set out the goal of acquiring DRAM capability in its current strategic economy plan.

Chen was originally a top executive at Micron's Taiwan operation. He moved in 2015 to lead UMC, a contract chip manufacturer listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and subsequently became president of Fujian Jinhua.

COMPETITIVE THREATS FROM MICRON

The theft posed a major threat to Micron, a company valued at around US$100 billion and which controls 20-25 per cent of the global market for DRAM chips.

The indictment came four months after Fujian Jinhua won a patent dispute with Micron in a Chinese court, gaining an order for the US company to stop sales in China of more than a dozen solid-state drives, memory sticks and chips.

In retaliation, the US Commerce Department on Monday placed heavy restrictions on Fujian Jinhua's ability to buy US machinery and materials for its factories that would boost its DRAM production capabilities.

In addition to the criminal charges announced on Thursday, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit to block imports of any UMC and Fujian Jinhua products using stolen Micron technology.

In recent years Washington has stepped up its fight against China's alleged ongoing economic espionage programme against the United States, aiming to obtain all sorts of advanced technologies, from agriculture to heavy manufacturing.

In the past two months the Justice Department has also indicted 12 Chinese, including three intelligence officials, in an alleged five-year plot to steal jet engine technology from major US and French companies who supply the world's airlines.

"China is probably, over the long term, the biggest challenge, national security challenge that faces our country," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday in an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham.

"Where the semiconductor piece fits in is, it's part of a mosaic of our strategic effort to push back against this continued Chinese effort."
L'eveque de la province joint au telephone par l'AFP, a confirme le bilan.

Un responsable des services de securite a indique a l'AFP que l'attaque, dans la province de Minya, avait fait des "morts et des blesses".

Avec AFP


Listen in as top Washington journalists discuss the tightening race between Democrat and Republican candidates for the midterm elections. The election will decide which party controls Congress. Join moderator Michael Williams of CBS Radio, Philippe Gelie of Le Figaro and Emily Tamkin with BuzzFeed News as they discuss these and other stories on Issues in the News.
The release of a Christian woman in Pakistan who was acquitted by the Supreme Court of blasphemy earlier this week has been delayed.

Asia Bibi's acquittal Wednesday sparked protests across the country. More nationwide protests are set to be staged after Friday prayers.

The military has warned that its patience with the demonstrators has been taken to its "threshold."

"We are tolerating remarks against us, but action can be taken, according to the law and constitution," military spokesman Asif Ghafoor said. "Don't force us into taking an action."

Bibi, a day laborer, was arrested after a dispute with women with whom she was picking berries.

According to her statement in court, Bibi had a heated argument with the women after they refused to drink water she had fetched for them because she was a Christian.

Several days later, a man, Qari Muhammad Salaam, lodged a complaint with the police, claiming Bibi had used derogatory language for the prophet of Islam in front of the other women. In 2010, a trial court convicted and sentenced her to death. She has been in jail as her case went through various phases of appeal.

"The verdict has shown that the poor, the minorities and the lowest segments of society can get justice in this country despite its shortcomings," Bibi's lawyer Saif-ul-Mulook said.

Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where people have been killed by individuals or lynched by mobs over a mere accusation.
Asian leaders will be meeting at the U.S.-ASEAN Summit and East Asia Summit in Singapore Nov. 15. Despite evidence of rising authoritarianism, human rights violations and regression of democracy in the region, these issues won't be high on the agenda. What is causing this trend, and why is the Trump administration largely silent on it? White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
Participants at the first ever WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution have adopted a plan for reducing air pollution, which every year prematurely kills an estimated seven million people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called the conference a resounding success, noting 900 people attended, twice as many as expected. Furthermore, it says more than 70-member states, non-governmental organizations, and other participants have made voluntary commitments to take action to reduce air pollution.

Director of the WHOs Department of Public Health and Environment Maria Neira said the WHO is taking a leading role in setting forth action to tackle air pollution for a cleaner, healthier world.

WHO, as the global health agency, made, as well, very strong commitments, starting by proposing an aspiration target of reducing by two-thirds the mortality caused by air pollution by the year 2030. And, this is really a big challenge that we will mobilize and, we will call for everyone to contribute to that, she said.

Neira said prompt action is needed to reach that goal. For example, she says people need to stop burning solid waste and agricultural waste. She said they have to move away from fossil fuels. She said people in Africa and other areas with populations in great need must be helped to meet the goal.

We need to liberate those three billion people that today, they are still relying on fossil fuels at the household level to cook or heat or light their house. We need to make sure that they will have access to clean sources of energy, said Neira.

The WHO plans to put in place a tracking system to monitor commitments made by the participants. The system is intended to gauge the progress being made toward achieving better health for all by freeing the world of air pollution.
A record number of American women are running, or running again, for political office at all levels of government in the upcoming midterm elections. And they're finding innovative ways to finance their campaigns. VOA's Julie Taboh followed two candidates, a Democrat and a Republican, to see how they are raising funds in their quest to land seats in the U.S. Congress.
Julius Ayuk Tabe and nine other separatist leaders made their first public appearance Thursday since Nigeria extradited the men to Cameroon in January.



The men appeared tired as they were brought into a Court of Appeals in the capital under heavy military escort.



Nigerian authorities arrested Tabe and 46 of his followers in Abuja, where they were accused of remotely leading a rebellion in English-speaking parts of Cameroon.



The 36 others who did not appear in court have yet to be seen in public.



Separatist supporter Diana Awemo said she traveled from the English-speaking northwestern town of Bamenda to see the men.



"We are happy. We can now confirm that ten of them are alive. We want to see the others that were kidnapped with them in Nigeria and brought back into Cameroon." Awemo said.



Defense counsel John Nsoh said the accused were deprived of their right to meet their lawyers. He said they have filed a motion for their immediate release.



"This is the first opportunity for them to tell their story to a court. These people were arrested illegally, they were abducted, they were not even arrested, taken from a foreign country and brought into Cameroon and detained incommunicado for more than 10 months," Nsoh said.



Cameroons government calls the separatist leaders terrorists and says those arrested will go before a military tribunal. If convicted, they could face the death penalty.

Tabe in October last year declared himself the president of what he called the English-speaking republic of Ambazonia in Cameroons northwest and southwest.



Since Tabes arrest, armed separatists have launched sporadic attacks in the region on the military, markets and public buildings. At least a hundred schools have been torched and 300,000 people have fled to safer, French-speaking towns and neighboring Nigeria.



The government says more than 400 civilians, police and troops have been killed in the fighting.



In spite of the tensions and violence, Emmanuel Ngaibe, a relative of one of the arrested separatist leaders, expressed hope they will receive a fair trial.



"I hope that the court will be very, very independent and exercise justice and that politicians will not intervene in the matter," Ngaibe said.



Violence erupted in Cameroons English-speaking regions in 2016 when teachers and lawyers protested alleged discrimination at the hands of the French-speaking majority.



The government responded with a crackdown that sparked a movement for an independent, English-speaking state.


Southeast Asian countries are expected to push back gently against Chinese political and economic influence in their region, edging instead toward Western-allied powers, when their leaders gather this month.

Heads of state from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, are due to meet one another as well as leaders and senior officials from China, Japan, Russia and the United States in Singapore at an annual summit November 11-15.

China will use the series of two-way and group meetings to promote new infrastructure projects over the next 15 years in developing Southeast Asia, despite growing international concerns of regional nations becoming indebted to Beijing and resentment of Chinese expansion in a contested sea, analysts predict.

Southeast Asian leaders will engage China at the summit but be more interested in infrastructure projects led by Japan and security offers from Western allies against Chinas maritime expansion, they suggest.

China can block a so-called China-unfriendly agenda but that does not necessarily mean that China can push through a pro-China agenda either, said Yun Sun, East Asia Program senior associate at the Washington D.C.-based Stimson Center think tank.

Infrastructure projects

Much of Southeast Asia, with a total population some 630 million, has looked to China over the past half-decade for loans and other aid for building railways and seaports. China, the worlds second largest economy, sees these projects as part of its Belt-and-Road initiative to open trade routes worldwide.

While Chinese investment has buoyed the sagging economy of Brunei and fired up infrastructure renewal in the Philippines, to name two examples, it worries some countries because of debts owed to China by the likes of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

In Malaysia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad cancelled two Belt-and-Road projects in August: a $20 billion railway link and gas pipelines worth $2.3 billion, to avoid any further debt.

Im not sure whether hes going to go so far as to try and impose or persuade other countries to follow suit, but I think he definitely wants ASEAN to be more in tune with the rest of the world as opposed to just China, said Ibrahim Suffian, program director with the Kuala Lumpur-based polling group Merdeka Center.

ASEAN heads will also want to know whether Chinas trade disputes with the United States will spill over into their region, analysts believe.

But China may gain favor at the summit over the United States, said Termsak Chalermpalanupap, a fellow with the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. China, he said, can also use the event to push for a regional trade pact, something U.S. President Donald Trump opposes as he seeks bilateral deals. Trump will be skipping the event and send Vice President Mike Pence in his place.

I think China will score and the U.S. will lose because Trump will not come and he will send Pence, who doesnt know much about ASEAN, Chalermpalanupap said.

South China Sea dispute

Southeast Asian leaders will pay attention to any offers from Japan to help with infrastructure as well as security in the South China Sea, said Stephen Nagy, senior associate politics and international studies professor at International Christian University in Tokyo.

He expects Japanese summit delegates to talk about development aid, high quality infrastructure and transparent lending, the latter in direct contrast with Belt-and-Road deals.

Japan, backed by the United States, will also find enthusiasm at the summit for its effort to keep the South China Sea free and open, Nagy said.

That position goes against Chinas, that about 90 percent of the ocean falls under its flag despite competing claims from four Southeast Asian countries. Past Japanese efforts to keep the sea open include naval expeditions and arms sales to Southeast Asian governments.

Theres nothing being really discussed thats controversial, for example territorial disputes in South China Sea, which means theres much more likelihood for a consensus on some of the basic principles that free and open Pacific are based on, Nagy said.

ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam claim parts of the South China Sea, overlapping tracts controlled by more militarily powerful China. The 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea is prized for fisheries, fuel reserves and commercial shipping lanes. Over the past 10 years China has landfilled parts of the sea for military infrastructure.

China and ASEAN agreed last year to negotiate a code of conduct for avoiding mishaps at sea, but ASEAN now feels frustrated with the progress since then, Sun said.
A website popular with racists that was used by the man charged in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre was shut down within hours of the slaughter, but it hardly mattered: Anti-Semites and racists who hang out in such havens just moved to other online forums.

On Wednesday, four days after 11 people were fatally shot in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history, anonymous posters on another website popular with white supremacists, Stormfront, claimed the bloodshed at Tree of Life synagogue was an elaborate fake staged by actors. The site's operator, a former Ku Klux Klan leader, said traffic has increased about 45 percent since the shooting.

The anti-Semitic rhetoric was just as bad on another site popular with white supremacists, The Daily Stormer, where a headline said: "Just go, Jews. You're not welcome."

Trying to stop the online vitriol that opponents say fuels real-world bloodshed is a constant battle for groups that monitor hate, and victories are hard to come by. Shut down one platform like Gab, where the shooting suspect posted a message shortly before the attack, and another one remains or a new one opens.

The problem dates back to the dawn of the internet, when users connected their computers to each other by dialing telephone numbers. A report issued by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League in 1985 found there were two online "networks of hate" in the United States, both run by neo-Nazis who spread anti-Semitic, racist propaganda.

Today, the vastness of the online world is a big part of the problem, said Oren Segal, director of the ADL's Center for Extremism. Determining how many hate sites exist is nearly impossible, he said.

"It's really difficult to put an actual number on it, but I would say this: There are thousands of hate sites and there are dozens and dozens of platforms in which hate exists," Segal said.

A new study by the VOX-Pol Network of Excellence, composed of academic researchers who study online extremism, said the exact number of far-right adherents on just one platform, Twitter, is impossible to determine. But at least 100,000 people and automated accounts are aligned with radicals commonly referred to as the "alt-right," the study found, and the true number is probably more than twice that.

An ADL report released a day before the shooting said extremists had increased anti-Semitic harassment against Jewish journalists, political candidates and others ahead of the midterm elections. Researchers who analyzed more than 7.5 million Twitter messages from Aug. 31 to Sept. 17 found almost 30 percent of the accounts repeatedly tweeting derogatory terms about Jews appeared to be automated "bots" that spread the message further and faster than if only people were involved.

The New York-based ADL said that before the 2016 election of President Donald Trump anti-Semitic harassment was rare, but afterward it became a daily occurrence. It commissioned a report in May that estimated about 3 million Twitter users posted or re-posted at least 4.2 million anti-Semitic tweets in English over a 12-month period ending Jan. 28.

Gab shutdown

The story of Gab, the platform where Robert Gregory Bowers allegedly wrote an ominous message early Saturday before the shooting, shows how new sites spring up in a hate-filled environment.

Created in 2016 to counter what founder Andrew Torba viewed as liberal censorship on social networks, Gab gained popularity among white supremacists and other right-wing radicals after tech companies clamped down on racist sites following the deadly clash at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Daily Stormer was offline briefly after the violence but re-emerged on a new host.

With Gab now shut down after the synagogue shooting, Torba is portraying the platform not as a hate-filled corner of the internet, but as a bastion of free speech that's working with federal authorities "to bring justice to an alleged terrorist."

A message posted by Torba said Gab was trying to get back online, and Segal has few doubts it will succeed.

Don Black, the former Klan leader who runs Stormfront, said traffic is up partly because of the Gab shutdown and partly because of increased interest among users. His site, which has been in operation since 1995 and has about 330,000 registered users, has only had one "prolonged" shutdown  a month following the Charlottesville melee, he said.

"I expect all sorts of more trouble now because of the Pittsburgh shooting," Black said.

Free speech

Purging hateful content from the internet is a challenge. The Constitution's guarantee of free-speech provides a roadblock to banning hate speech in the United States, according to the First Amendment Center, a project of the Washington-based Freedom Forum Institute.

"Political speech receives the greatest protection under the First Amendment, and discrimination against viewpoints runs counter to free-speech principles. Much hate speech qualifies as political, even if misguided," said an essay by center scholar David L. Hudson Jr. and Mahad Ghani, a fellow with the center.

Some advocate other tactics for curbing hate.

Three days before the synagogue attack, a coalition that includes the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal advocacy organization that monitors hate groups, released a proposed framework aimed at social media companies.

The plan is geared around a model terms-of-service policy that states that platform users "may not use these services to engage in hateful activities or use these services to facilitate hateful activities engaged in elsewhere." Next year, sponsors plan to begin posting report cards showing how sites are doing at quelling hate speech.

No company has publicly announced plans to adopt the coalition's guidelines, but Segal said the ADL separately has talked with several social media companies about limiting hate speech. Companies have been welcoming but solutions remain elusive, he said.

Segal added: "The commitment to eradicating hate from platforms is not always matched by the ability to do so because there is just so much content out there."
Two congresswomen running for the U.S Senate in Arizona are crisscrossing the state, raising millions of dollars and trying to exploit every possible advantage to win in what both sides expect to be a photo-finish race.

The wild card: Angela Green, a Green Party candidate who could win votes that might have gone to Democrat Krysten Sinema, clearing a path to victory for Republican Martha McSally.

But on Thursday, Green suddenly announced she would drop out of the race and endorsed Sinema.

"After watching the debates and seeing everything, Sinema's stance on a lot of things are very close to mine," Green said in an interview with KPNX-TV in Phoenix.

The about-face demonstrates the significance third-party candidates are playing as Election Day nears and key races tighten across the country. There's a fear that these candidates could become "spoilers" by peeling off just enough support to let the other major party win. Democrats are especially sensitive to the issue after Green Party and Libertarian presidential candidates drew about 5 percent of the popular vote in 2016, the year that Hillary Clinton narrowly lost the presidency to Donald Trump.

"When a race is close everything matters  every demographic group, the number of candidates on the ballot," said Nathan Gonzales, a nonpartisan analyst for Inside Elections. But, he added, that doesn't mean third-party candidates will inevitably tip a close race. "We have to be a bit more nuanced."

Third-party candidates tend to poll better than they actually perform on Election Day, when voters tend to revert to the two major parties. And some who cast ballots for third-party candidates may not otherwise show up to the polls, so it's misleading to presume that every vote for an outside candidate is a vote stolen from a major party.

Regardless, it's a fear present on both sides of the aisle. The biggest impact this cycle may be in Kansas, where Democrats fear businessman and independent gubernatorial candidate Greg Orman, who has notched up to 10 percent support in polls.

Kansas Democrats worry Orman will help Republican Kris Kobach, the chair of Trump's disbanded voter fraud commission, win the governor's race. On Monday, Orman's treasurer, Republican Tim Owens, quit the campaign because he feared Orman was putting at risk the campaign of Democrat Laura Kelly.

"I wish Tim well, but have told him that my campaign is about the people of Kansas, not about establishment figures in Topeka," Orman said, referring to the state capital.

In Georgia, a Libertarian candidate could force one of the nation's most closely watched governor's races into a December runoff.

And in Montana, Sen. Jon Tester has repeatedly won campaigns with less than 50 percent of the vote with a Libertarian candidate on the ballot. This week, an anonymous mailer was circulating that attacked Tester's Republican challenger, Matt Rosendale, and urged a vote for Libertarian Rick Breckenridge.

In response, on Wednesday, Breckenridge said he was endorsing Rosendale. "Matt has the character to combat this, not Jon Tester," Breckenridge said in an interview.

The Montana mailer and endorsement came after an anonymous donor earlier this year bankrolled a drive by a firm that normally works for Republicans to collect 5,000 signatures to place a Green Party candidate on the Senate ballot. Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, a Republican, put the candidate on the ballot, but Montana Democrats successfully sued to overturn it.

In Indiana, similar mailers have circulated attacking Republican Mike Braun and promoting the candidacy of Libertarian Lucy Brenton, who openly says she wants to play the role of spoiler. She garnered 5 percent of the vote in a 2016 race and has been onstage in debates that also include Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly and Braun. It's unclear which of the two major party candidates is threatened more by her pro-gay rights, pro-marijuana legalization, anti-tax platform.

"Do I intend to spoil the election for them? Absolutely. And here's why: Something doesn't spoil unless it's rotten," Brenton said Tuesday after a debate in Indianapolis. "And the two-party system that has had a stranglehold on our country is absolutely rotten."

Nevada has another option  voters can select "none of these candidates." That helped Sen. Dean Heller win re-election in 2012. Even as then-President Barack Obama handily won the state, Heller was re-elected by an 11,000-vote margin  a total of 46 percent of the vote. That's because 44,000 voters chose "none of these candidates" rather than Heller or his Democratic opponent, Rep. Shelley Berkley, who faced a congressional ethics investigation during the race.

Heller is trying to replicate that strategy as he faces another tough race this year against Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen. Some Republicans think the none-of-the-above option gives Heller a better chance than the Republican running for governor, Adam Laxalt. That's because there's an independent candidate in the race who could spoil it for Laxalt: Ryan Bundy, the elder son of a rancher who became notorious for his armed standoff with federal agents in 2014.

Political maneuverings also helped shape Arizona's ballot. In 2012, Republican Jeff Flake won a U.S. Senate election there by 3.5 percentage points while a Libertarian candidate garnered 4 percentage points. The Republican state legislature complained that Libertarians were siphoning GOP votes and increased the number of signatures the party needed to qualify a candidate for the ballot. There was no similar requirement for the Green Party.

Green's announcement Thursday that she was suspending her campaign may have relatively little impact. More than 60 percent of expected voters have already cast their ballots early, as is traditional in the heavily vote-by-mail state, according to the secretary of state's office. And Green's name will remain on the ballot for those who haven't made a decision.

McSally's campaign unsuccessfully pushed to have Green included in the Senate race debate, and some Republicans hold out hope she can chisel off enough supporters from Sinema to put their candidate over the edge. A recent poll from Marist-NBC News, for example, had Sinema leading McSally by 6 percentage points when Green was omitted but only by 3 points when the third-party option was included.

Still, others are skeptical Green will affect the race one way or the other. She raised less than $1,500 and had little campaign presence while running a business selling organic goods and hemp clothing.

"At the end of the day I think the real narrative here is who's able to appeal to independent, unaffiliated and Republican women," said Paul Bentz, a GOP strategist in Phoenix. "They'll make the difference here."

As recently as last week, Green said that while didn't support McSally or Trump, she didn't think she should be held responsible if her candidacy lost the election for Sinema.

"I will not be responsible for who wins this race," Green said in an interview then. "So I need to let people to know that is not why I came into this race. I came into it for the people, not the politics."
Concurs de granturi adresat COMUNITATILOR (APL) pentru sporirea rezilientei lor la schimbarile climatice si FEMEILOR ANTREPRENOARE in vederea dezvoltarii unor afaceri prietenoase mediului
Over coffee, Baggio Leung, the new spokesman for pro-independence party Hong Kong National Front, talks with a quiet determination about the need for drastic political change in the autonomous Chinese city.

Independence is the only way for Hong Kong to survive, he said. Without a democratic system we can never end the privilege class ruling in Hong Kong both politically and economically. And we cannot achieve or make a more fair and just society without this.

Its almost difficult to hear him at times, he keeps his voice low either out of habit or because much of what he says could make him the subject of a police investigation as ideas such as his have been ruled unconstitutional and a possible threat to national security by the Hong Kong government.

Separation from China

But despite the specter of legal prosecution, Leung is the latest young politician to step into the spotlight and call for Hong Kongs independence from China, which he says is a necessary first step for democratic reform. He sees the two as inextricably linked: There can be no change without separation from China, and he is not the only young person to feel this way.

Beyond the Hong Kong National Front, a handful of groups, filled mostly with young people and students, continue to call for either independence from China, self-determination or a referendum on the future of the former British colony.

Many of their political views were hardened from political events that have roiled Hong Kong since 2014s Umbrella Movement democracy protests. Some like Leung initially tried to enter the political system and change it from within only to find themselves blocked. Leung was elected to the Legislative Council in 2016 but was later barred from office with five other pro-democracy legislators for modifying his oath of office as a political protest.

In the intervening years, other pro-democracy candidates like Agnes Chow and Lau Siu-lai have been barred from even running for office for supporting ideas like self-determination, while the leaders of the Umbrella Movement have been prosecuted by the courts.

Then in September, the city banned the Hong Kong National Party on the grounds that it was a threat to national security for its pro-independence stance. Many in Hong Kong saw the long arm of the Communist Party in Beijing behind these events, leading to a general consensus that the citys autonomy, promised until 2047, is eroding much sooner.

But while independence may be a growing interest among young Hong Kongers, how to make it happen remains elusive. The Hong Kong National Front is currently focused on reaching out into the community, said Leung, while the pro-independence Studentlocalism and Student Independence Union are doing much the same with secondary school and university students. Online, discussion of independence continues on Cantonese internet forums like HKGolden.com and LIHKG.com.

Most of the students want freedom but they dont know how to express their view of freedom, said Wayne Chan, who founded the Student Independence Union in January. He said while many students do not explicitly support independence, many have localist-first views or would like to see a referendum on Hong Kongs future.

The Student Independence Union is pushing for such a referendum as well as for the United States government to sign the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which would, among other things, introduce penalties for anyone found responsible for detaining or surveilling Hong Kongers for exercising freedom of speech or association.

Most of these groups will likely continue on the fringes of Hong Kong politics, but Benny Tai, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong and one of the founders of the Umbrella Movement, said they are likely not going away any time soon.

I think to young people in Hong Kong, independence is a choice that they will still consider now even though they may not talk about that in the open, he said by email. I do not think the idea of independence can be stopped just by banning political parties. As people get more and more dissatisfied with the Chinese Communist Party, they will naturally hope for independence even though they have no idea and no plan on how it will happen.
For the first time, Ethiopias Supreme Court will be led by a woman.

Meaza Ashenafi, a lawyer and womens rights advocate, accepted the offer Thursday, after deliberating for about a week. I know the weight that comes with this responsibility, she told VOAs Amharic service after assuming her new role. When an opportunity like this comes, it comes once in a lifetime. I decided to accept it.

Meaza previously sat on the high court from 1989 to 1992. Later, the Ethiopian Constitution Commission appointed her as a legal adviser. She also served on the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

In her extensive career as a lawyer, judge, legal advocate and business leader, Meaza has focused on womens rights and economic empowerment. She founded Ethiopias first womens bank, Enat Bank, or Mother Bank in Amharic. The bank specializes in loans to underserved communities, including women and young people.

Meaza also founded the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association, a group focusing on issues of sexual and intimate partner violence.

Improving the legal system

Meaza hopes to restore respect for the legal system in the eyes of Ethiopians who sometimes view the courts as biased or slow to respond.

The people of Ethiopia love the law, and they respect the law. However, because justice is hard to come by for the people, they have lost trust in the law, she told VOA.

Meaza wants Ethiopians to view the court as able to hold all to account, including those in power.

It is not enough for the law to remain on paper, she said. What makes the law purposeful is the court in the end. If one person is killed by a government body or is killed by another person, where he can find the solution is from the court. Therefore, if the court cannot afford the person speedy justice that is free of political pressure and corruption, the law loses meaning.

Common vision

Meaza believes she has an ally in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopias young, reform-minded leader. In a speech Wednesday to thousands of Ethiopians in Frankfurt, Germany, Abiy highlighted the role the court will play in strengthening Ethiopias civil society.

Justice and democracy arent granted simply because we want them, Abiy said. They are not trees planted through peaceful protests and social media in the morning and grown overnight. They need institutions to grow and bear fruit.

Abiy told Meaza he wants the court be independent of political influence, she said.

The prime minister confirmed that this was one of his biggest visions, she said. Therefore, this is the common vision we share to build the court. If there is an agreement on this level, what comes next is, even though it is not an easy task, I believe can be done.

Meaza has been a crusader against harmful practices that victimize women. One of her most famous cases involved a 14-year-old girl who was kidnapped by a man trying to force her into child marriage, a traditional practice in some parts of Ethiopia. The girl shot and killed her abductor, but was cleared of charges due to Meazas work. The incident was dramatized in an award-winning film, Difret.

She hopes her understanding of Ethiopias culture and people will be an asset in her new position as she seeks solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

One of the big advantages I have is that, even when working with international organizations, I never left my country. I didnt leave Ethiopia, she said. I live within the society, and I meet with legal experts, and I have a general knowledge. But I will have to learn the key aspects of this position in detail and understand how we can find solutions.
Gay and transgender people in Tanzania have gone into hiding fearing for their lives after a senior government official called on the public to report suspected homosexuals so that they could be arrested beginning Monday.

Paul Makonda, regional commissioner for Tanzania's main city of Dar es Salaam, announced the crackdown Monday. He said a team would be set up to identify and arrest the "many homosexuals," who could face up to 30 years in jail.

Makonda's announcement has sparked panic and fear among thousands of LGBT+ people in the east African nation. Some said they were too scared to go outside during the day, while others had left their homes fearing imminent arrest.

"Since Monday, I have left my place and have been moving here and there. I am always looking over my shoulder in case they coming for me," Nathan, 24, told Reuters by phone from Dar es Salaam.

"There's so much tension within the gay community at the moment. Not just in Dar, but all over the country. We are really scared. We don't know what to do and where to go."

Gay sex is illegal in Tanzania, but the law is rarely enforced. Homophobia and attacks and arrests on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT+) have risen since President John Magufuli's election in 2015, activists say.

Even though the clampdown is set to begin Monday, Nathan said homes were already being raided in the port city and gay people were arrested. The Reuters could not immediately confirm this.

'Even cows' disapprove of homosexuality

African countries have some of the most prohibitive colonial-era laws against homosexuality in the world. Same-sex relationships are seen as taboo and are a crime across most of continent, with punishments ranging from imprisonment to death.

As a result, the persecution, discrimination and exploitation of Africa's sexual minorities is rife, say campaigners.

They are routinely abused, blackmailed, assaulted by mobs, or raped by police or vigilantes. Many are unable to get jobs due to their sexual identity  forcing them to sell sex through social media sites.

Tanzania has had a reputation for being more tolerant than its neighbor Uganda but, since Magufuli came to power three years ago, campaigners say the little protection, representation and freedom LGBT+ people have is being slowly eroded.

Civil society organizations supporting gay people have been shut down and activists have been arrested. Authorities have also suspended HIV/AIDS prevention programs for gay men.

In June last year, Magufuli said that "even cows" disapprove of homosexuality.

'Scared to death'

Makonda told a news conference Tuesday that he had already received over 5,700 messages from the public  with over 100 names of suspected gays.

A 17-member committee is also being set up, he said, which would be tasked with identifying gay people on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter and arresting them.

Campaign group Equality Now said it was appalled and alarmed by the crackdown  which also targets sex workers. It called on the federal government to condemn Makonda's statement and to enact laws and policies to protect the rights of all.

"People who are LGBT and in prostitution are already frequently ostracized and face multiple levels of violence and inequality," said Equality Now's Tsitsi Matekaire. "Arresting them perpetuates this inequality, resulting in further marginalization and damage to their well-being."

LGBT+ people in Tanzania said foreign donors must pressure the government to abandon the anti-gay campaign.

A previous crackdown on the LGBT+ community in 2016 was abandoned by authorities, they said, as a result of widespread condemnation by the international community.

They also called on the United Nations to protect them by providing them with safety in another country.

"I haven't left my house during the day for the last four days. I am scared to death," said 19-year-old sex worker Michael by phone from the northeastern city of Arusha. "We have no one to protect us. We ask the United Nations and other countries to help us to go somewhere else where we do not have to hide in fear."
It was a protest that went around the globe.

From Singapore to Dublin, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Pryor, Oklahoma, Google employees walked out of their offices to protest the internet search giant's handling of sexual discrimination cases, and express their frustration with its workplace culture.

WATCH: Google Silicon Valley Employees Join a Worldwide Protest

In San Francisco, where Google has several offices, hundreds of workers congregated at a plaza where they gave speeches and held signs. One read: "I reported and he got promoted."

The unusual protest  tech companies are not unionized and typically keep strife about personnel matters behind closed doors  riveted Silicon Valley, which has struggled in recent years over the treatment of women in the industry.

Resignation, severance

The Google protest was spurred by a New York Times story that outlined allegations against high-profile leaders at the firm, including Andy Rubin, known as "the father of Android," who was reportedly paid $90 million in severance. Rubin has denied the allegations in the article, as well as reports of his severance amount.

Richard DeVaul, a director at X, a unit of Googles parent company, Alphabet, resigned from the company on Tuesday. He was accused of making unwanted advances to a woman who was a job applicant at the firm.

List of demands

"We are a small part of a massive movement that has been growing for a long time," protest organizers said in an article published in the online magazine The Cut. "We are inspired by everyone  from the women in fast food who led an action against sexual harassment to the thousands of women in the #metoo movement who have been the beginning of the end for this type of abuse."

Leaders of the protest issued a list of demands, including that Alphabet add a worker-representative to its board of directors and that the firm internally disclose pay equity information.

They also asked the company to revise its human resources practices to make the harassment claims filing process more equitable, and to create a "publicly disclosed sexual harassment transparency report."

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to employees that "as CEO, it's been personally important to me that we take a much harder line on inappropriate behavior. ... We have taken many steps to do so, and know our work is still not done."

Social media protest

The global protest unfolded on Twitter and Facebook as employees from offices around the world posted photos of themselves walking out at the appointed time of 11:10 a.m.

The greatest concentration of Google workers is in the San Francisco area. In San Bruno, 12 miles south of San Francisco, employees at YouTube, which is part of Google, walked out, as did those in Mountain View, company headquarters.

"As a woman, I feel personally unsafe, because if something were to happen, what accountability measures will be in place to make sure that justice is sought?" said Google employee Rana Abdelhamid at the San Francisco protest.

Christian Boyd, another Google employee, was angry about what she said was protecting the powerful, even in the face of credible allegations.

"It's sad to see that what we consider the best companies are not immune to this, as well," Boyd said.

After 30 minutes of speeches, the workers went back to their offices but vowed to continue pressuring Google to change.
Editor's note: We want you to know what's happening, why and how it could impact your life, family or business, so we created a weekly digest of the top original immigration, migration and refugee reporting from across VOA. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.

Does Trump mean it 

Or is this week's barrage of anti-immigrant rhetoric just aimed at winning next week's election?

In one week, Trump put additional troops at the border to combat a caravan of migrants pushing up through Mexico that he tweeted was an "invasion of our country;" he vowed to end the constitutionally protected practice of granting citizenship to babies born in the U.S.; and he promised to crack down on asylum seekers.

If there is an executive order restricting asylum, as Trump promised, it would likely to go directly to court, and the prospects for a change in birthright citizenship are even dimmer.

But for sure, there will an election next week, and immigration is a top issue.

Counter flow

This mid-term (not usually very inspiring) election may have motivated an unusual number of immigrant candidates to run, including Cambodian-American Elizabeth Heng.

More immigrants are also eligible to cast ballots, and they could affect the outcome of the election in states like Nevada IF they vote.

Stationed troops

The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday, an additional 5,200 troops would be in place on the U.S./Mexico border by November 2, even though the migrant caravan, which has been dwindling in numbers, is weeks away. The addition brings the total number of troops at the border to 7,200, about the same number that is posted to Iraq and Syria combined and more than twice the number of migrants expected to make it to the border. On October 24, Mexico estimated that there were 3,630 people in the caravan.

But DHS says that 270 of the migrants "have criminal histories" and the caravan "presents a unique safety threat to our nation."

Border residents wonder at the need.

Helping refugees, because we are Jewish

The shooting and killing of 11 people in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, synagogue at the end of last week was in part motivated by hatred for a Jewish refugee resettlement organization. The alleged shooter Robert Bowers wrote on social media that the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society brings in "invaders that kill our people." HIAS Senior Vice President said Monday, "We used to help refugees because they were Jewish. Now, we help refugees because we are Jewish."

African asylum seekers in Israel could use some help. They have work visas but no status.

And refugees on the Micronesian island of Nauru can no longer settle in Cambodia after a controversial agreement with the Australian government expired.
The Italian government has decided it needs to offer incentives to combat the countrys declining birthrate and proposed a new plan it is calling Land-for-Children. The agriculture minister says providing free farmland for families who have a third child could create new business ventures for Italian families.



Italy now has the lowest birthrate in Europe, and the populist government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is taking measures because it wants to reverse the trend.

In its draft budget it announced a plan to award land to married couples who have a third child. The idea is not only to combat Italys dwindling population but also to ease the states burden in maintaining unused farmland.

Italys agricultural minister, Gian Carlo Centinaio, says families in rural areas still have children and the government wants to support them. For the next three years, from 2019 to 2021, a family that has a third child can take advantage of the government incentive.

In comments Friday on national television, Centinaio explained the plan, saying Italy is the European country with the largest number of young people in agriculture, and at the same time is where the least number of children are born. During these months, he added, the government has launched the sale of 7,700 hectares of unused land and at the same time given the go-ahead for a contribution of $79 million for young people who launch activities in the agricultural sector.

For years, migrants arriving in Italy were believed to be the solution to a low birthrate in Italy, re-populating abandoned villages and taking on jobs Italians no longer wanted to do. But the present government is not interested in a multi-cultural Italy and wants to limit that phenomenon.

It wants to find ways to support Italian families who have more children, return to farming their land, and limit the number of migrants being allowed into the country. In fact, the incentive is available only to migrants who have resided in Italy for at least 10 years.

Reaction to the governments plan has been widespread. Some Italian farmers say there is no future in agriculture and ask why should they farm land and build a future on land that does not belong to them. The government has said those who take advantage of the initiative would be able to hold on to the land for 20 years.

The opposition also reacted negatively, describing the plan as medieval and declaring that the idea is outrageous and a clear example of the cultural and social mindset of the current government.
The fiancee of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi said the Trump administration's response to Khashoggi's death has been "devoid of moral foundation."

"Of all nations, the United States should be leading the way in bringing the perpetrators to justice," Hatice Cengiz wrote in an op-ed piece appearing Friday in The Washington Post.

Instead, Cengiz said, "Some in Washington are hoping this matter will be forgotten with simple delaying tactics. But we will continue to push the Trump administration to help find justice for Jamal. There will be no coverup."

The New York Times, quoting two people familiar with the matter, reported Friday that White House officials knew from an Oct. 9 phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that he considered Khashoggi a dangerous Islamist, and therefore knew the Saudi prince had a potential motive for the killing. But because of its deep investment in Prince Mohammed as the main lynchpin of the administration's Middle East agenda, the Trump Adminstation concluded it could not feasibly limit his power.

Instead, the White House "has joined governments around the region in weighing what effect the stigma of the Khashoggi killing may have on the crown prince's ability to rule - and what benefit can be extracted from his potential weakness," the Times said, quoting people familiar with the administration's deliberations.

Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, disappeared last month when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get a document he needed to get married.

The journalist, who was also a columnist for The Washington Post, was critical of Saudi Arabia. He is reported to have been strangled and dismembered in the consulate. "There is no explanation for this hate," his fiancee said.

Governments, Cengiz said, "must all ask themselves a fundamental question: If the democracies of the world do not take genuine steps to bring to justice the perpetrators of this brazen, callous act - one that has caused universal outrage among their citizens - what moral authority are they left with? Whose freedom and human rights can they credibly continue to defend?"

Cengiz said in The Washington Post Friday that it has been one month since she last saw her fiance as he entered the Saudi consulate. She noted that Friday is also United Nations International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

"The coincidence is tragic and painful," she said.
Years after Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari fled Tibet for India with his parents, he learned the Chinese had killed his grandmother and elder brother who had remained, by torture and stabbing respectively. As an adult, he co-founded an influential Tibetan rights organization, relinquished the notion of armed resistance to embrace non-violent dispute resolution, and became the special envoy of the Dalai Lama in Washington, D.C.



Recognized as the reincarnation of Khenchen Jampal Dewe Nyima of Lumorap Monastery in Nyarong, Eastern Tibet, he died on Monday in San Francisco where he was undergoing treatment for liver cancer.



Better known as Gyari Rinpoche, he had the ear of world leaders and listened to the janitors who cleaned around him as he prepared to appear before the U.S. Congress.



Advocate for Tibetans



Described as "an impassioned advocate for the Tibetan people, universal human rights and global democratic reform," by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), the Tibetan government in exile held special prayers for Gyari Rinpoche at its seat in Dharamsala, India on October 30, a day after he died. A gathering is planned in San Francisco before his body is flown to Dharamsala for a funeral, people close to the family told the VOA Tibetan Service.

Lobsang Sangay, president of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government in exile, called Gyari Rinpoche a true Tibetan patriot who dedicated his entire life to serving Tibet and the Tibetan people. He was a trailblazer and leaves behind a lasting legacy of public service.

Lodi was my dear friend and partner and mentor for over 30 years, said Richard Gere, the ICT board chairman and actor in a statement posted on the organizations site. He created a life of great meaning and sacrifice that will resonate for many generations  throughout the Tibetan and non-Tibetan world. He was extraordinary.

U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the San Francisco Democrat, issued a statement soon after the death of Gyari Rinpoche, crediting him with building deep support for the Tibetan cause throughout America and around the world. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle benefited from Lodis insight and wisdom.

Envoy to Washington

The Dalai Lama appointed Gyari Rinpoche the special envoy in Washington in 1990. The envoy simultaneously served as ICT president.

Gyari Rinpoche used the two positions to draw attention to the Tibetan cause. In the United States, as a direct result of his advocacy work, the 2002 Tibet Policy Act institutionalized support for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan peoples right to self-determination, said a statement by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, which Gyari Rinpoche co-founded. Part of this support came in the form of over $185 million in funds for Tibetans and the Tibetan government in exile, set aside for the purpose between 1991 and 2011.

WATCH: Lodi Gyari Testifying Before Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2008

He oversaw the ICTs growth from fewer than 1,000 members to more than 75,000 with a multimillion-dollar budget. After his tenure as ICT president ended, he became executive chairman of the ICT board, a position he held till 2014.

When Gyari Rinpoche retired as special envoy in 2012, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution that commended the achievements of Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari in building an international coalition of support for Tibet that recognizes, (A) the imperative to preserve the distinct culture and religious traditions of Tibet; and (B) that the Tibetan people are entitled under international law to their own identity and dignity and genuine autonomy within the Peoples Republic of China that fully preserves the rights and dignity of the Tibetan people.

Born into influential family

Gyari Rinpoche was born in 1949 into an influential family in Nyarong, Eastern Tibet. When China invaded and occupied Tibet after an uprising in 1959, he escaped to India with his family, an epic trek made with thousands of other Tibetan refugees.

In India, he continued his monastic Buddhist study with both Tibetan and Indian Buddhist masters, whose eminent positions often placed them in contact with their peoples respective self-determination movements, according to an obituary published by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, an organization he co-founded. The combination of the two would prove a fundamental influence on his path in life.

Armed resistance to Middle Way

An advocate of armed resistance, Gyari was selected to be educated as a translator for the resistance fighters being trained in the United States.

Instead, he used English to edit the first English-language Tibetan publication, which is now the Tibetan Review, a position that drew him into the politics of Tibets government in exile. This exposure sparked his evolution into a proponent of nonviolent conflict resolution, and he became one of the key supporters of the Dalai Lamas Middle Way policy.

In 1970, Gyari Rinpoche co-founded the Tibetan Youth Congress, which today is one of the largest Tibetan political organizations outside of Tibet.

In May 1998, the Dalai Lama appointed Gyari Rinpoche to initiate and lead a dialogue with the Peoples Republic of China. Between 2002 and 2010, Gyari Rinpoche conducted nine rounds of high-level talks in China and elsewhere, according to the ICT. He also led a behind-the-scenes diplomatic effort to sustain the process, expand the channels of communication, build trust with the Chinese leadership and maintain a broad international interest in the dialogue process, the ICT said.

Gyari Rinpoche also worked on anti-poverty initiatives throughout the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. He co-founded Kreddha, the International Peace Council for States, Peoples and Minorities, with the late Don Rodrigo Carazo, former president of Costa Rica, and others.

The Allied Committee

He was one of the co-founders of the Allied Committee, an organization that advanced the common issues faced by the Tibetans, Uyghurs and Mongolians under Chinese rule. This led Gyari Rinpoche to co-found UNPO, a worldwide organization established before the break-up of the Soviet Union to promote the rights of peoples and minorities through democracy and nonviolence.

He is survived by his wife Dawa Chokyi, who performed with the Tibetan Institute of Cultural Arts, when the couple met in Dharamsala, according to a family acquaintance. The couple had six children and grandchildren.
South Sudanese authorities on Friday released two former high-ranking followers of rebel leader Riek Machar who were facing death sentences.

President Salva Kiirs government had imprisoned former Machar spokesman James Gadtet and former Machar security adviser William John Endley on charges of treason and conspiracy.

The two men were smiling and appeared to be in good condition as they were released by guards at Juba National Security Headquarters.

Interior Minister Michael Chienjek said, "Their release comes as part of the peace [agreement] implementation."

The Sept. 12 agreement requires the parties to release all political detainees and prisoners of war. Kiir said his administration was checking to see whether there were more detainees to be released.

Chienjek said he expected Gadtet to travel to Khartoum and that Endley would be deported to his native South Africa.

Security officials in Kenya arrested Gadtet two years ago and sent him to South Sudan. Endley was arrested in Juba in August 2016, days after government forces and Machar's bodyguards renewed fighting.

Both men were first sentenced to 20 years in prison, then later were sentenced to death by hanging.

Expressions of thanks, gratitude

Gadtet said he was happy to be free after two years in prison.

"I think this the same day I was arrested in Nairobi  on the 2nd of November 2016  and today is the 2nd of November 2018, he said. I want to thank President Salva Kiir for ordering my release. I am very happy that this will enable me to reunite with my family."

Endley said he was thankful for the hospitality of the South Sudanese people.

"Unfortunately, in all walks of life in all countries, you will get the good people and the bad people, and my memories of South Sudan always will be positive," he said.

James Gatluak, a relative of Gadtet, praised the president for releasing Gadtet but said more political prisoners must be freed.

"I am very, very happy. I am thanking President Salva Kiir for the release of James Gadet, and I also thank Dr. Riek Machar for bringing peace to South Sudan, he told South Sudan in Focus. But still we have people we want: lawyer Dong Samuel and Aggrey Idri. We want these two people also [to] be released."

Seif Magango, deputy director of Amnesty International East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, welcomed the release of the two men but also said more must be done.

"It is a relief that two lives have been spared, he told South Sudan in Focus. They were at risk of the death penalty, but that will not happen as a result of the pardon that was given. But that is not the end of it. There needs to be a proper end to the use of the death penalty. All people who are on death row need to be commuted so that no one in South Sudan is executed by the state."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday it would be a "handful more weeks" before the United States had enough evidence to impose sanctions in response to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Pompeo, in an interview with KMOX radio in St. Louis, said President Donald Trump had made it clear Washington would respond to the killing. He said the administration is "reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals that we have been able to identify to date that ... were engaged in that murder."

"It'll take us probably a handful more weeks before we have enough evidence to actually put those sanctions in place, but I think we'll be able to get there," Pompeo said.

"We're going to find the fact pattern," he said. "The president said we will demand accountability for those who were involved in the commission of this heinous crime."

While insisting the United States did not condone Khashoggi's killing, the top U.S. diplomat said the United States had "deep and long-term strategic relationships" with Saudi Arabia and "we intend to make sure that those relationships remain intact."

Saudi Arabia's former intelligence minister, Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud, said on Wednesday that the outcry in the United States demonizing Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi's killing threatened to disrupt strategic ties between the two countries.

"We value our strategic relationship with the United States and hope to sustain it. We hope the United States reciprocates in kind," Prince Turki, a royal family member, said in remarks at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, a nonprofit advocacy organization.

Khashoggi, who lived in the United States and wrote columns for The Washington Post, went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to collect some documents, but he never reappeared.

Riyadh initially denied any role in his disappearance, but under pressure from Turkish authorities it eventually identified 18 suspects in the case.

Saudi Arabia said they will face justice in the kingdom.

Ankara has repeatedly called for them to be extradited to Turkey for trial.

Turkey pressed Saudi authorities on Thursday to tell them the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body, which has not been recovered.
A Pakistan government team negotiated a deal late Friday with Islamist groups, apparently defusing three days of crippling protests over the Supreme Court's acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy against Islam's holy prophet.

The government agreed under the deal to take "legal measures" to prevent the woman from leaving the country while the court hears a petition against the verdict.

Members of a group called Tehreek e-Labbaik ya Rasool Allah, or TLYR, blocked roads in cities across the country and clashed with police overnight. In a cellphone video of one such clash, a protester could be seen firing a pistol.

The protests started Wednesday morning after the highest court in the country upheld Asia Bibis appeal against a guilty verdict. She had been facing death row since 2010 under Pakistans controversial blasphemy laws.

According to Bibi, she was falsely accused after a heated argument with other women who refused to drink water she had given them because she was Christian.

Other religious groups also held demonstrations Friday, albeit peacefully.

The government banned television coverage of protests linked to the issue and suspended cellphone service in several cities throughout the day to contain the crowds.

Schools across the country were closed and many workers stayed home. Traffic was light and unpredictable, with roads blocked either by TLYR members or the police in some places.

People turned to Twitter, Facebook, and other social media forums as news on dozens of television channels in Pakistan was scant. The rumors and unconfirmed reports that followed caused anxiety among those who had relatives or friends traveling or stuck away from home.

Media outlets and foreign journalists often used cellphones rather than cameras to acquire footage of the demonstrations after several instances of TLYR members beating up cameramen or breaking their equipment.



While the protests were spread out and none of the spots had more than a few thousand people, those present seemed charged and ready to fight.

If the police come here we will hit them with this baton. We are here for Islam. If they conduct an operation, we are willing to die. We will not retreat, said an 18-year-old man wielding an iron baton, who had come alone from another city to attend the protest in the capital, Islamabad.

Several people brought their children to the protests despite the risk of security operations, which could include tear gas, water cannons, a baton charge, or rubber bullets.

One man, who brought four young daughters and an infant to a rally in Islamabad, said he planned to stay despite the risks to his children.

All of my children, my parents, my whole family, is for the prophet, said Mohammad Zahid Niazi.

Earlier in the week, TLYR leaders called for the killing of Bibi and the Supreme Court justices who passed the acquittal judgment, an overthrow of the elected government, and a mutiny in the army against its chief. This prompted Prime Minister Imran Khan to respond with a strongly-worded message on national TV.

By Thursday morning, however, the government seemed to have softened its stance, announcing it would negotiate for a peaceful end to the protests.

Thursday night, the leader of TLYR, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, tweeted that the negotiations, which included government ministers and an army general from Pakistans intelligence agency ISI, had failed. He called on his followers to bring the country to a halt Friday.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted Friday morning, though, that the government was still negotiating with TLYR.

The spokesman for Pakistans military, Asif Ghafoor, told Pakistans state TV Friday morning the situation should be resolved peacefully.

Both sides should talk to each other. It should not reach the stage where the armed forces have to be called, he said.
Unknown assailants in Pakistan have assassinated the top Islamist leader known as the father of Afghanistan's Taliban movement.

Family members confirmed that Maulana Sami-ul Haq, 81, was resting at his home Friday in Rawalpindi when he was killed with a knife. The slain leader's son, Maulana Hamid-ul Haq, said his father's security guard had gone to a nearby market when the attack occurred.

"When his guard returned home from the market, he found my father drowned in blood," he said, adding they immediately drove him to a nearby hospital, where Haq died.

Nobody has yet claimed responsibility.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is in China on an official visit, condemned the assassination of the renowned cleric and ordered authorities to swiftly investigate it.

Haq was the head of the famous Haqqania madrasa, or religious seminary, in Akora Khatak, near Peshawar.

The slain cleric was internationally known as the father of the Taliban movement, which currently is fighting the U.S.-backed government in neighboring Afghanistan.

Many senior leaders of the Afghan insurgency had graduated from the seminary before the Islamist group emerged on the Afghan scene in the early 1990s and later took control of most of civil war-torn Afghanistan.

The Taliban denounced the killing of Haq, declaring it a "great loss for the Islamic world" and Pakistan.

"He supported the oppressed Afghan nation during the Soviet invasion and American occupation of the country through his unforgettable services," the Islamist insurgency said in a statement.

Haq, who was also the head of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S) Islamic party, had promised to play his role and even host the Afghan peace talks.

A former member of the Senate, the upper house of Pakistan's parliament, Haq was a harsh critic of the U.S.-led military intervention in Afghanistan that ousted the Taliban from power in 2001 for harboring the leadership of the al-Qaida terrorist network.
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An Iraqi refugee woman in Syria became paralyzed after her husband was killed by Islamic State militants. VOA's Zana Omar reports from al-Hol, Syria.
As the U.S. midterm election enters the final stretch, many races are too close to call but most polls have Democrats seizing control of the House of Representatives and Republicans clinging on to the Senate.

President Donald Trump is ratcheting up the rhetoric and campaigning furiously as he seeks to hold on to the Republican majorities in the two chambers of Congress.

All 435 seats in the House are up for grabs on Tuesday while 35 seats in the 100-member Senate are at stake. Americans will vote for governor in 36 states.

Republicans have a slim 51-49 hold on the Senate, where Democrats have a tough hill to climb with 26 Democratic seats on the ballot and only nine Republican seats.

Democrats need a net gain of 23 seats to take control of the House they lost in 2010 and House minority leader Nancy Pelosi boldly predicted this week they would do so.

"Democrats will carry the House," Pelosi said on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," while also forecasting victory in the Senate.

Political forecasting outlet FiveThirtyEight.com gives Democrats a 6 in 7, or 85 percent, chance of gaining control of the House but only a 1 in 7, or 15 percent, chance of winning the Senate.

As election day approaches and with turnout a major factor, Trump has sought to drive Republicans to the polls and rekindle the enthusiasm of his 2016 upset presidential bid.

"I'm not on the ticket, but I am on the ticket because this is also a referendum about me," he said at a rally last month in Mississippi. "Pretend I'm on the ballot."



Anti-immigration rhetoric



Trump has scheduled 10 campaign rallies over the next five days in eight states -- Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Trump has dialed up the rhetoric on immigration, issuing dire warnings about caravans of Central American migrants heading to the U.S. southern border.

Claiming the caravans include "very bad thugs and gang members," Trump has ordered 5,000 active-duty troops to the border and said he is considering sending up to 15,000.

Trump also posted a political ad on his Twitter account on Wednesday which shows a Mexican man boasting about killing police officers and includes the caption "Democrats let him into the country."

Democrats accused the president of seeking to inflame his supporters with racist anti-immigration appeals.

"This is fear mongering," Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told CNN. "This has been Donald Trump's playbook for so long."

Control of the Senate will come down to a handful of races, in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia, according to political analysts.



Tight Senate races



In Arizona, two women - Democratic Representative Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Representative Martha McSally, a former air force fighter pilot - are battling to replace Senator Jeff Flake, a Trump critic who is not running for reelection. 538.com currently gives Sinema a slight edge.

In Florida, incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson is involved in a tough reelection battle with Republican governor Rick Scott. 538.com has Nelson with a small lead.

In Missouri, 538.com gives incumbent Democratic Senator Clare McCaskill a 3-in-5 chance of holding off a stiff challenge from 38-year-old state attorney general Josh Hawley.

In other closely watched races, Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota is trailing in most polls and incumbent Republican Senator Dean Heller of Nevada is locked in a dead heat with Democratic challenger Jacky Rosen.

In reliably Republican Texas, Senator Ted Cruz is facing a surprisingly competitive challenge from rising Democratic star Beto O'Rourke but most polls give the edge to the Republican incumbent.

Two races for governor have drawn widespread attention.

In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams, former minority leader in the state House of Representatives, is seeking to become the first black woman to become governor of a U.S. state.

And in Florida, the African-American mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum, is in a bitter battle with a Trump acolyte, Republican Representative Ron DeSantis.
President-elect Jair Bolsonaro reiterated Thursday that he plans to move Brazil's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, joining the United States and Guatemala.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly welcomed the plan.

In a tweet Thursday, Bolsonaro said: "As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that."

It was the first time since being elected Sunday that Bolsonaro referred to his plan to move the embassy.

In Israel, Netanyahu issued a statement praising Bolsonaro. "I congratulate my friend Brazilian President-Elect, Jair Bolsonaro, for his intention to move the Brazilian Embassy to Jerusalem, a historic, correct and exciting step!"

Netanyahu spoke to Bolsonaro earlier this week, congratulating him on his victory and inviting him to visit Israel.

If Bolsonaro follows through on his pledge, Brazil would become the third country to have an embassy in Jerusalem, after the U.S. and Guatemala. Paraguay briefly moved its embassy to Jerusalem as well, only to move it back to Tel Aviv after its new president, Mario Abdo Benitez, was elected.

The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as the capital of a future state. Israel claims all of the city, including the eastern sector, home to Jerusalem's most important religious sites, as its eternal capital.

Most countries maintain embassies in Tel Aviv, saying the final status of Jerusalem must be determined through negotiations.

Some Brazilians have raised concerns about the idea, saying it would hurt Brazil's relations with Muslim nations.

Former Brazilian Ambassador to the U.S. Rubens Barbosa has warned that such a move could hurt Brazil's poultry exports. He says that Brazil "would be throwing away $6 billion per year in poultry sales to Arab countries."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the order to kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi came from the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.

In an op-ed piece published Friday by The Washington Post, Erdogan said he did "not believe for a second" that Saudi King Salman had ordered the killing of Khashoggi. He also did not directly accuse Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Khashoggi, a Post columnist who had written critically of the Saudi crown prince, was killed after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last month to get a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

Erdogan wrote that the international community has the responsibility to "reveal the puppet masters" behind the killing.

Earlier Friday, a Turkish presidential adviser and friend of Khashoggi said his body was cut up and dissolved in acid for easier disposal, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported.

"According to the latest information we have, the reason they dismembered his body is to dissolve it easier" before it was disposed of, Yasin Aktay told the newspaper.

After initially denying Khashoggi had been killed, the Saudi government claimed he died in an unplanned "rogue operation." Saudi public prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb offered a different explanation last week when he said the killing was premeditated.

State wants full probe

The U.S. State Department said Friday that it would continue to seek a full investigation into Khashoggi's death and that it was exploring the possibility of additional measures against anyone determined to be responsible.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert marked the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on Friday, saying the day was "particularly important" because of the Khashoggi case.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that it might be a "handful more weeks" before the U.S. has enough evidence to impose sanctions on those responsible for Khashoggi's death.

Pompeo told St. Louis radio station KMOX that the U.S. administration was continuing to understand the fact pattern" and added it was "reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals" who have so far been identified as being "engaged in that murder."

In his first public reaction Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the killing "horrendous" and said responsive action must be taken.

"At the same time, I say that it's very important ... for the region and [for] the world that Saudi Arabia remain stable," Netanyahu told reporters in the Bulgarian city of Varna, where he was attending a summit with the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania and the president of Serbia. "I think that a way must be found to achieve both goals, because I think the larger problem is Iran."

Iran has denied accusations it is building a nuclear bomb, saying weapons of mass destruction are prohibited under Islam.

Khashoggi's fiancee wrote in an op-ed piece published Friday in the Post that the Trump administration's response to Khashoggi's death has been "devoid of moral foundation."

"Of all nations, the United States should be leading the way in bringing the perpetrators to justice," Hatice Cengiz wrote.

The New York Times, quoting two people familiar with the matter, reported Friday that White House officials knew from an Oct. 9 phone call with the Saudi Crown Prince that he considered Khashoggi a dangerous Islamist, and therefore knew the Saudi prince had a potential motive for the killing. But because of its deep investment in Prince Mohammed as the main linchpin of the administration's Middle East agenda, the Trump administration concluded it could not feasibly limit his power.

WATCH: Khashoggi's Fiancee Appeals to Trump to Seek Justice for His Killing

More than 100 members of PEN America, a New York-based nonprofit group of journalists and artists devoted to human rights and free expression, have called on the U.N. to launch an independent probe into the killing.

"The violent murder of a prominent journalist and commentator on foreign soil is a grave violation of human rights and a disturbing escalation of the crackdown on dissent in Saudi Arabia, whose government in recent years has jailed numerous writers, journalists, human rights advocates and lawyers in a sweeping assault on free expression and association," the group said Friday in an open letter.
Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a rare meeting with American evangelical Christians on Thursday, as the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom seeks to open up more to the world and repair an image of religious intolerance.

The delegation was led by communications strategist Joel Rosenberg and included former U.S. congresswoman Michele Bachmann, according to an emailed statement by the group, as well as heads of American evangelical organizations, some with ties to Israel.

It was a historic moment for the Saudi Crown Prince to openly welcome Evangelical Christian leaders to the Palace. We were encouraged by the candor of the two-hour conversation with him today, the statement said.

The delegation also met Saudi officials including Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Khalid bin Salman, and secretary-general of the Muslim World League Mohammed al-Issa.

Rare religious openness

A visit by such prominent non-Muslim leaders, who estimate they represent about 60 million people, is a rare act of religious openness for Saudi Arabia, which hosts the holiest sites in Islam and bans the practice of other religions.

Some of the figures support for Israel, which the kingdom does not recognize, is also striking. For instance, Mike Evans, founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, describes himself on his website as a devout American-Christian Zionist leader.

Saudi Arabia has maintained for years that normalizing relations with Israel hinges on its withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war, territory Palestinians seek for a future state.

But increased tension between Tehran and Riyadh has fueled speculation that shared interests may push Saudi Arabia and Israel to work together against what they regard as a common Iranian threat.

Crown prince loosens some rules

Crown Prince Mohammed, who in recent years has loosened strict social rules and arrested Saudi clerics deemed extremists, said in April that Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land. A month earlier, Saudi Arabia opened its air space for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel.

Several members of the delegation, which met with Abu Dhabis Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in the United Arab Emirates earlier in the week, have also advised U.S. President Donald Trump on faith issues.
Dozens of people who said they were victims of sexual assault by doctors at three major universities urged Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to make campuses accountable for investigating abuse allegations in a letter released Thursday.

The Education Department is considering new guidelines that could change the way allegations are investigated under Title IX of federal civil rights law. DeVos has called for a "more balanced approach" that respects the rights of the accused, especially students.

The letter is signed by 80 people who said they were assaulted by doctors Larry Nassar of Michigan State University, George Tyndall of the University of Southern California or the late Richard Strauss of Ohio State University. Nassar is in prison, while Tyndall has denied the allegations and hasn't been charged with a crime.

The victims are especially concerned about ordering colleges to allow cross-examination in student-discipline cases involving assault allegations.

"That should not be the price of coming forward to report abuse," they wrote. "If it is, too many survivors would be deterred from moving forward on their complaints."

A federal appeals court, however, recently said universities must allow some form of cross-examination. The decision applies to schools in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee after a student who quit rather than face expulsion sued the University of Michigan.

The victims said universities should be allowed to investigate assaults by students that are alleged to have occurred off campus.

Education Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Hill said any proposed changes haven't been released yet.

"I can tell you that the secretary is committed to Title IX reforms that will ensure survivors feel empowered to come forward, all students are afforded due process, universities have clear rules to follow and all institutions that fall short will be held accountable for violations of federal law," Hill said.

Separately, the leaders of Princeton University, the University of Wisconsin and Rutgers University wrote a letter to DeVos expressing their "deep concern" that the government might drop civil rights protections under Title IX for transgender students.

"This is no time for the country to turn its back on these valued members of our communities," they wrote.
President Donald Trump implored voters Thursday to reject Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and to instead install a Republican in her seat who would fully back his agenda.

Trump appeared at a rollicking campaign rally in Columbia, home of the states largest university, in an airline hangar draped in American flags. It was his second rally in an 11-stop, eight-state tour designed to boost Republican turnout ahead of Tuesdays crucial midterm elections.

The president, accompanied by McCaskills Republican challenger, Josh Hawley, declared that Hawley will be a star.

Hawley, the current attorney general, sought to link McCaskill to Trumps Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who lost the state in 2016 by nearly 19 percentage points.

Claire McCaskill has spent her lifetime in politics just like Hillary, Hawley said. Claire McCaskill wanted us to call Hillary Clinton Madam President. On Nov. 6, were going to call Claire McCaskill fired.

Four days until midterms

With four days to go until midterm elections that determine control of Congress, Republicans are optimistic they could make gains in the Senate, but they might struggle to maintain a majority in the House.

McCaskill is among a number of vulnerable Democrats running in red states. She is a top target for Republicans seeking to expand the partys slim 51-49 edge in the U.S. Senate.

McCaskill is pitching herself as a moderate as she seeks to hold onto her seat. She has sought to distance herself from crazy Democrats and said in an appearance on Fox News that she supports Trumps efforts to secure the southern border. Hawley has dismissed her efforts and argues that she is not the right fit for an increasingly conservative state.

Trump said that McCaskill has been saying nice things but that she wants to get elected and then shell always vote against us.

A check of her record, however, shows that McCaskill votes with the president about half the time, though she has opposed him on some key issues, including his tax cuts and the recent confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

GOP momentum blunted, Trump says

Trump expressed optimism for the midterm elections, though he noted that Republican momentum had been blunted in recent days by two maniacs  a reference to a mail bomb scare and a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. He added, We dont care about momentum when it comes to a disgrace like just happened to our country.

However, he noted, It did nevertheless stop a certain momentum. And now the momentum is picking up.

The president will appear twice over the next few days in Missouri, returning on the eve of Election Day to rally voters in Cape Girardeau.
President Donald Trump again stoked fears Thursday about undocumented immigrants and promised an executive order sometime next week that would severely restrict asylum-seekers who approach the southern U.S. border.

Speaking at the White House, Trump did not give specifics of his proposal other than to say migrants attempting to seek asylum must make their requests at legal points of entry, and that he wants to increase the detention of asylum-seekers.

The president made the claims five days before the U.S. midterm elections, when voters will determine which party will hold power in Congress and statehouses across the country.

Under this plan, the illegal aliens will no longer get a free pass into our country by lodging miraculous claims in seeking asylum, Trump said. Instead, migrants seeking asylum will have to present themselves lawfully at a port of entry.

Existing law

Its not clear how Trumps proposal would work under existing law. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act states that an alien who is physically present in the U.S., whether or not at a designated port of arrival, may apply for asylum in accordance to laws.

He also did not clarify how he wants to detain asylum-seekers, but hinted that he wants to build tent cities and were going to hold them right there without providing details.

Trump insisted his plan is totally legal, repeating the term invasion that he has previously used to describe the caravan of several thousand migrants, many of them women and children, trying to enter the U.S.

WATCH: Trump: Migrant Caravan Should Turn Back

Rocks like rifles

The president also said there would be a crackdown if migrants were to throw rocks at U.S. soldiers, saying the troops would fight back, considering the rocks the same as a rifle.

We will consider that a firearm, Trump said, arguing theres not much difference when you get hit in the face with a rock. He made the threat referring to a recent violent confrontation between migrants and the Mexican police at the Guatemala-Mexico border.

Speaking to VOA, former Department of Homeland Secretary Tom Ridge decried Trumps use of the U.S. military.

Theyre not trained to deal potentially with a group of unarmed immigrants, Ridge said. You put them and all law enforcement in a very difficult emotional, let alone security posture.

Sarah Pierce, policy analyst for the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, refuted the presidents claims.

Families can only be detained for 20 days and unaccompanied child migrants are not detained at all theyre actually transferred to a different government agency, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Pierce said.

Trump said that he is working on a system to keep migrant children together with their parents. He claimed, without providing proof, that former President Barack Obamas administration separated children from the parents but nobody talks about that.

Several immigration experts have pointed out the Obama administration did not implement a policy of separating families.

Immigration an election issue

Trumps speech in the Roosevelt Room is his latest attempt to make immigration the central issue for Republicans in Tuesdays midterm elections.

Pierce said that the timing of the migrant caravan was a political gift to Trump because the issue of immigration had served him so well during the 2016 presidential election.

Bringing up fear about immigrants and fear of this caravan will help push people to the polls to vote for Republicans, framing them as the party that will protect us from the situation, she said.

A day before his speech, Trump posted a controversial anti-immigration campaign ad on Twitter and contended, without evidence, that Democrats allowed a twice-deported Mexican immigrant to stay in the country before he killed two deputy sheriffs in California in 2014.

The ad shows Luis Bracamontes laughing at a court hearing before he was handed a death sentence and profanely vowing, Im gonna kill more cops soon.

Trump said atop the ad, It is outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country. Vote Republican now! The ad claimed, President Donald J. Trump and Republicans are making America safe again!

Also this week, Trump said he would send more than 5,000 additional active duty troops to the U.S. border with Mexico to block a caravan of several thousand migrants and said he might send thousands more troops. The migrants are still more than 1,000 kilometers (more than 620 miles) from the U.S., a distance that will likely take several weeks for them to walk.

Former DHS Secretary Ridge told VOA, There are bigger threats to the U.S. than the migrants. Opioids are a bigger threat. The terrorists that send pipe bombs to political figures and journalists is a serious threat. The gunman who assassinates people on the Sabbath, ... he said, speaking to several U.S. news stories from last week.

On Thursday, Trump claimed this immigration crisis is largely caused by the U.S. having the hottest economy anywhere in the world. He underscored that asylum is to be granted based on safety considerations, not poverty.

There are billions of people in the world living at the poverty level, Trump said. The United States cannot possibly absorb them all.

After his speech Trump departed to a campaign rally in Missouri, where he is expected to highlight these themes again, as he has done in several rallies to support Republican candidates this month.

White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara and National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this story.
Chuck Wirtz voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, inspired by the then-political outsider, but the veteran Iowa hog farmer now has buyer's remorse as the U.S. Republican president's trade policy exacts a heavy toll on his business.

Wirtz, 56, estimates the tariffs resulting from the U.S. trade war with China and other nations have cost him $200,000 this year and forced the liquidation of part of his farm in northwestern Iowa.

"I was obviously wrong and I regret my vote," said Wirtz, who says he is undecided ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections that will decide whether Republicans continue to control the U.S. Congress.

Some of the nation's 3.2 million farmers and ranchers, traditionally staunch Republicans, are wavering in this election because of the trade dispute with China, the main buyer of U.S. soybeans and pork, interviews with nearly two dozen farmers showed.

Those interviews and a survey of 2,454 farmers by trade publication Farm Journal also point to a surprising generational split in agricultural areas. While younger producers largely believe in Trump's pledge to cut a better trade deal with China and his administration's patriotic appeal for short-term sacrifice, older farmers recall past economic crises and the years of work involved in opening the Chinese market.

Veteran farmers worry they will not be able to recover from a prolonged dispute with the world's other economic superpower and are concerned the downturn will take too big a bite out of their retirement savings.

Taking one for the team no more

Barry Bean, a Missouri cotton marketer whose family sells crops, said that older producers have been cautioning their younger peers about the longer-term risks of the trade battle.

They're saying, Look, Ive taken two or three for the team in the past. We cant keep taking one for the team. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that about 53 percent of registered voters in rural areas approved of Trump as of last month. Farm Journal found that some 70 percent of farmers had voted for Trump and 52 percent found him favorable as of August.

However, 61 percent of farmers under 45 favored the president while only 40 percent over 65 did.

Overall in the United States, 55 percent of voters over the age of 55 supported Trump in 2016, according to the Reuters/Ipsos 2016 Election Day poll. Only 30 percent of voters under 24 and 38 percent of those aged 25-34 voted for the president.

Democrats, who have high hopes to win back control of the U.S. House of Representatives, see the changing tide in the farm belt as possibly boosting their chances in areas that Trump won in 2016 but are now seen as toss-ups.

They would need to gain at least 23 of the House's 435 seats to have a majority in the chamber, which would enable them to block at least part of Trump's agenda. Recapturing the Senate is considered far more difficult.

Two of the four House races in Iowa, the top corn producing state, are considered up for grabs. Democrat Abby Finkenauer has been hitting the trade issue hard as she vies to oust Trump ally and U.S. Representative Rod Blum in one of the districts.

In Kansas, the nation's top wheat producing state, the Kansas Farm Board took the unusual step of declining to endorse a candidate for governor after Republicans nominated staunch Trump ally Kris Kobach.

'Another year or so'

Political divisions are prompting debates in Republican farm families like that of Donald Schexnayder, 57, who farms corn with his two brothers in Louisiana.

"I have one brother whos not sure about the president, and the other that is very sure that what hes doing is right, Schexnayder said.

The Trump administration has tried to sweeten its relationship with farmers in recent months with a $6 billion farm aid package meant to compensate them for markets that were lost due to the trade wars.

Farmers started receiving checks in September, and the U.S. Agriculture Department has promised more aid for the end of the year.

Last month, Trump, who has embraced an "America First" policy aimed at boosting jobs and reducing U.S. trade deficits, promised to expand domestic sales of corn-based ethanol, a key market for Iowa farmers.

Fears that other markets could be lost also eased after the trilateral trade deal signed by the United States, Canada and Mexico on Oct. 1. U.S. corn and dairy farmers, in particular, had fretted about the prospect of a North American trade war.

Nevertheless, a study by economists at Perdue University in Illinois this week showed the retaliatory tariffs imposed by Canada and Mexico during the trade negotiations would cause U.S. agricultural exports to decline by at least $1.8 billion annually, outweighing market access improvements it said were worth $450 million.

U.S. farmers, however, remain most worried about trade with China, which last year bought 60 percent of U.S. soy and has virtually halted purchases this year.

"He probably should have gotten Mexico and Canada, get that deal done and then went after China," said Curt Mether, a 63-year-old corn and soybean farmer in Iowa, referring to Trump.

Mether said he had voted for Trump and would vote Republican next week, partly because of alignment on social issues like abortion, but added that he could reevaluate Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

"We'll be willing to put up with him for a while, I'd say another year or so. If he doesnt get the negotiations turned around by the time he himself is up for election, then well definitely reassess," Mether said.
The number of U.S. troops deploying to the U.S. southern border has increased to more than 8,000, two U.S. defense officials told VOA Friday.

President Donald Trump ordered the troops to keep a caravan of asylum-seeking migrants from Central America from entering the U.S.

The officials described the active duty troops as deployed, deploying, or identified to deploy to help with border security in response to a request for help from the Department of Homeland Security.

"We just have a capacity issue, " Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in explaining the need for the troops. "What we've asked the [Department of Defense] to do is to support us."

Another 2,100 National Guard troops are already deployed along the southern border. Altogether, there are now more U.S. troops assisting border patrol agents than there are fighting terror groups in Iraq and Syria.

Speaking to reporters at the White House before leaving for another campaign-style rally in Huntington, West Virginia, to drum up support for Republican Senate contender Patrick Morrisey, Trump said Friday that troops would not shoot at migrants who had thrown rocks at them.

"I didn't say shoot. I didn't say shoot. But they do that with us, they're going to be arrested for a long time," Trump said.

A day earlier in his speech on immigration, Trump suggested he had directed the military to shoot migrants who throw rocks at U.S. border authorities. Experts and retired military officials have pointed out that such a directive would be unlawful because it violates U.S. military conventions.

Migrant lawsuit

Meanwhile, a group of the migrants traveling to the U.S. to seek asylum have filed a lawsuit against Trump.

Attorneys for six Honduran migrants filed the class-action lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, alleging Trump violated their due process rights under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The suit cites a ruling by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote, "It is well established that the Fifth Amendment entitles aliens to due process of law in a deportation proceeding."

Trump has been using the migrant caravan to rally his Republican base before next week's midterm elections, declaring on several occasions its approach toward the U.S. constituted a "national emergency."

Trump again raised fears Thursday about undocumented immigrants and promised an executive order "sometime next week" that would severely restrict asylum-seekers.

At a political rally Thursday night in Columbia, Mo., Trump said several times that he also intended to end birthright citizenship. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees U.S. citizenship to anyone born in the United States. The president said at the rally that he was against "birth tourism," in which pregnant foreign women travel to the U.S. to give birth so that the babies can automatically be U.S. citizens.

Trump said he could change the 14th Amendment with an executive order, but many legal analysts disagree, maintaining the Constitution cannot be changed by executive order alone.

The president added that migrants attempting to seek asylum must make their requests at legal points of entry, and said he wanted to increase the detention of asylum-seekers.

As more troops arrive at the Texas-Mexico border, some military experts argue that sending troops to the border is a distraction from the military's top priority of being more "lethal" at war, as Defense Secretary James Mattis put it.

Former Department of Homeland Secretary Tom Ridge decried Trump's use of the U.S. military at the border, telling VOA, "They're not trained to deal potentially with a group of unarmed immigrants."

Retired Marine colonel and and current vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center David Lapan said deploying troops at the border "doesn't make any sense." He added, "This caravan, this group of poor people, including a lot of women and children, doesn't pose a threat, not a national security threat."

The migrants are still more than 1,000 kilometers from the U.S., a distance that will likely take at least several weeks for them to walk.

WATCH: Trump: Migrant Caravan Should Turn Back
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry will visit Ukraine, Poland and other eastern European countries next week as the Trump administration seeks to offer them alternatives to buying coal and gas from Russia.

Perry will also visit Hungary and the Czech Republic on the trip. He will meet with government officials on topics from nuclear energy to cyber security and coal and liquefied natural gas exports, the Department of Energy said in a release on Thursday.

The Trump administration is seeking foreign markets for coal as domestic consumption has dropped to the lowest level since 1983 due to closures of coal-fired power plants that are suffering from abundant, cheap supplies of natural gas.

In July, 2017 Centrenergo PJSC, one of the largest power companies in Ukraine, agreed to buy 700,000 tons of U.S. coal.

Last month, Poland's top natural gas company, PGNiG, finalized the terms of a deal to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from U.S. company Venture Global LNG, as part of a move to cut reliance on Russia.

Poland has relied on Russia's Gazprom for more than half of its gas under a long-term deal that expires in 2022.

The United States is touting its LNG as more reliable than pipelined gas from Russia, but LNG is more expensive because of the costs of shipping and super-cooling the fuel to the point where it becomes a liquid.
Uganda will begin administering the experimental Ebola vaccine to approximately 2,000 health care and front-line workers along its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday, the Ministry of Health said.

Uganda has no confirmed cases of Ebola, but as the threat worsens in the DRC, the preventive measure is seen as necessary because of heavy border traffic. More than 20,000 people cross from the DRC into Uganda and back every week, the ministry says.

"The public high risk of cross-border transmission of Ebola to Uganda was assessed to be very high at national level," said Jane Ruth Aceng, Uganda's minister for health. "Hence, the need to protect our health workers with this vaccine. Currently in Uganda, we have 2,100 doses of the vaccine available at the National Medical Stores and preparations are in high gear, including training of the health workers that are to be targeted."

Many of those crossing the border are from the DRC's North Kivu province, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ugandan border, where armed conflict has made fighting the Ebola outbreak a challenge.

The vaccine, known as rVSV, has been used during recent outbreaks in Congo, Guinea and Sierra Leone, and is currently being dispensed in North Kivu.

Uganda's Health Ministry says the Ebola vaccine will be given with the consent of Uganda's health workers, since it is being used outside of clinical trials.

Despite being experimental, the vaccine is absolutely safe, Aceng says.

"The vaccine is a recombinant vaccine genetically developed by getting a particle of the Ebola gene, replacing a particle of the gene with another virus called the vesicular stomatitis virus. The vaccine therefore is a genetically modified organism, that is able to replicate and cause antibody production against the Ebola virus but not cause Ebola virus disease," she explained.

The Ebola virus causes a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed 250 cases of Ebola  causing 180 deaths  and another 41 suspected cases.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that Yemen is teetering "on a precipice" and called on the international community to stop the violence and prevent a catastrophe.

"The consequences of going on with this war will be terrible for the Yemeni people," Guterres told reporters as he amplified his calls for a cessation of hostilities.

"On the humanitarian side, the situation is desperate," he said, repeating warnings that 14 million Yemenis could be at risk of starvation. "On the political side, there are signs of hope."

Earlier this week, both U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called for an end to the nearly four-year conflict. Mattis said the parties should meet in the next 30 days to begin serious negotiations.

Guterres welcomed what he called "strong, constructive engagement" from many U.N. member states in recent days. "I am hopeful that the voice of reason will prevail," he added.

The secretary-general's special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, in his own statement Wednesday also welcomed the calls and said his office remains committed to bringing the parties to talks within a month. "Dialogue remains the only path to reach an inclusive agreement," Griffiths said.

A Saudi-led coalition began bombing Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in support of Yemen's 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 country is suffering from a severe food crisis, that could see half the population slide into famine conditions in coming months.

The food crisis is man-made, in large part due to the collapse of the national economy and the devaluation of the currency. Civil servants and pensioners have not been paid in almost two years, adding to their inability to afford food, especially when the price of many staple items is skyrocketing.

Also driving the humanitarian crisis is the country's reliance on imports of food, fuel and medicine  90 percent of those goods come from abroad. Clashes around the country's most important sea port  Hodeida  are also hindering food distribution.

The Saudi-led coalition appeared to have launched new strikes against Hodeida port on Friday, according to local media reports. Meanwhile, to the north, the coalition said it hit a rebel-held airbase in the city of Sanaa, used by rebels to launch drone and missile attacks on Saudi territory.
Nigeria must beef up protection for civilians at displaced persons' camps following a deadly attack by Boko Haram militants, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

Armed men attacked the camp at night, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens more, OCHA reported. The camp, which houses 12,000 internally displaced people, is near Dalori village, a few kilometers from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

The militants kidnapped women, and burned and looted homes, shelters and food stocks, OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said. Hundreds of civilians have fled; their whereabouts are unknown.

Laerke told VOA that Borno is the worst affected of the three states which have been under attack by Boko Haram insurgents since 2009. He said it is the epicenter of displacement and the humanitarian crisis, and is particularly vulnerable to lethal attacks by armed groups.

The U.N. is urging the government to do more to increase security and protect civilians.

"The entire environment there is highly militarized," Laerke said. "That goes both for the government forces and, of course, the armed groups which are there. It is highly insecure."

The IDP camp that came under attack is one of nine in Dalori. The camps were set up in 2015 and are home to 47,500 civilians.

Laerke noted more than 20 organizations provide food, water, sanitation and other essential aid to the inhabitants. Given the dangers, however, aid agencies only operate during the day. Consequently, he said, none of the agencies was present at night when the attack occurred.

The Nigerian military has recaptured territory seized by the Islamist militants but has yet to stop the attacks.

Since the start of the conflict in 2009, the United Nations reports more than 27,000 people have been killed, thousands of women and girls have been abducted, and children have been used as suicide bombers.
Deputy State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said the United States wants Saudi Arabia to locate the remains of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and return them to his family for a proper burial as soon as possible. Turkish authorities say the 59-year-old Saudi journalist was killed by strangulation immediately after entering Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul, before his body was "cut into pieces." VOA's Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department.
Saying Chinese economic espionage poses a grave threat to U.S. national interests, Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday announced a new Justice Department initiative to combat China's alleged rampant theft of American intellectual property.

The China initiative "will identify priority Chinese trade theft cases, ensure that we have enough resources dedicated to them, and make sure that we bring them to an appropriate conclusion quickly and effectively," Sessions said at a news conference.

The attorney general also disclosed that a grand jury had issued an indictment in a new case of alleged Chinese economic espionage.

According to the indictment, filed Sept. 27 but unsealed Thursday, Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. Ltd., a Chinese state-owned company; United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), a Taiwanese semiconductor foundry listed on the New York Stock Exchange; and three Taiwanese nationals conspired to steal trade secrets from Micron Technology, a leading U.S. semiconductor manufacturer.

Cases under way

Sessions touted the Trump administration's stepped-up prosecution of Chinese espionage cases after a hiatus in such prosecutions during the final years of the Obama administration. Since the start of 2017, Sessions said, the Justice Department has charged three people with spying for China and is currently prosecuting five Chinese economic espionage cases.

"As this and other recent cases have shown, Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasing  and it has been increasing rapidly," Sessions said.

The new China initiative will be led by John Demers, assistant attorney general for national security, and carried out by a senior FBI official, five U.S. attorneys and several top department officials.

Among other things, the initiative will be responsible for the department's review of foreign investments and licenses in U.S. infrastructure and telecommunications, as well as its enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act "to counter covert efforts to influence our leaders and the general public," Sessions said.

"This will help us meet the new and evolving threats to our economy," he said. "Today, we see Chinese espionage not just taking place against traditional targets like our defense and intelligence agencies, but against targets like research labs and universities. And we see Chinese propaganda disseminated on our campuses."

Sessions said he'd asked the officials working on the China initiative to recommend legislation to Congress, if necessary.

Pressure on China

The announcement came amid an escalating trade war between the U.S. and China, and growing pressure on China over its alleged theft of hundreds of billions of dollars worth of U.S. intellectual property.

According to a 2017 report by the U.S. trade representative's office, Chinese theft of U.S. intellectual property costs the U.S. between $225 billion and $600 billion annually.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he'd had "a long and very good conversation" with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier in the day, and that "discussions are moving along nicely."

The launch of the China initiative followed three cases of Chinese economic espionage announced by the Justice Department since September.

In the Micron case, according to U.S. prosecutors, the conspirators worked to fulfill a key Chinese national economic priority: the development of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and other microelectronics technology. Fujian Jinhua was founded in 2016 for the sole purpose of developing DRAM technology.

According to the indictment, Stephen Chen, a former president of a company Micron acquired in 2013, allegedly engineered the theft of DRAM trade secrets from Micron after he left the company to work for Taiwan-based UMC.

UMC then teamed up with Fujian Jinhua "so that ultimately, China could steal this technology from the United States and then use it to compete against us in the market," Sessions said. "This is a brazen scheme."

If convicted, the defendants could face up to 15 years in prison and $5 million fines. The two companies could face forfeiture and fines of more than $20 billion.

The Justice Department also filed a civil injunction on Thursday that would block the two companies from transferring the stolen technology or selling products based on the stolen technology in the United States.

Last week, the Commerce Department imposed sanctions on Fujian Jinhua.

Long-term problem

U.S. officials have been sounding the alarm about Chinese economic espionage for some time.

In February, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Chinese students, academics and researchers were exploiting America's "very open research and development environment."

In a July, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center identified China, Russia and Iran as "three of the most capable and active cyber actors tied to economic espionage and the potential theft of U.S. trade secrets and proprietary information."

Sessions accused China of reneging on a 2015 agreement between Xi and former U.S. President Barack Obama that neither country would conduct economic espionage over the internet for the purpose of "providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors."

Herb Lin, a cyber expert and senior research scholar at Stanford University, said the carefully worded agreement was not intended to stop all Chinese economic espionage.

The agreement "didn't say that the Chinese were all of a sudden going to stop all their efforts," Lin said. "In the narrow domain in which the agreement was intended to cover, there was indeed a significant reduction in the amount of activity that the agreement covered."

China has dismissed the charges of economic espionage as fabricated.
The United States says it plans to issue temporary waivers to several countries, allowing them to continue purchasing Iranian oil without being subject to forthcoming U.S. sanctions.

Sanctions on Iran are expected to be reinstated Monday, the result of U.S. President Donald Trump's withdrawal earlier this year from the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers. Any country importing Iranian oil that does not receive a waiver will be subject to U.S. financial penalties.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the waiver decision in a conference call Friday, but did not specify which countries will be exempted or how long they would last. He said only that the European Union will not be granted an exemption.

"We expect to issue some temporary allotments to eight jurisdictions, but only because they have demonstrated significant reductions in their crude oil and cooperation on many other fronts and have made important moves toward getting to zero crude oil importation," Pompeo said.



Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, spoke out Saturday against the U.S.  on the eve of the anniversary of the 1979 revolution and takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. He said the power of the U.S. is in decline and the country is "waning year by year."

Khamenei said that although the U.S. has been waging military, economic and propaganda wars against Iran for almost 40 years, "the U.S. is the defeated side and the Islamic Republic is the victorious party." He also said the U.S. has failed to dominate Iran as it did prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution that removed a pro-Western monarchy, the Shah of Iran, and the U.S. is facing global opposition to its policies.

The United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs, however, had a different take on the situation. Anwar Gargash said Saturday that Iran's "aggressive policies" were "largely responsible" for the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Tehran.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that South Korea, India and Japan are among the exempted countries.

All three countries are among Iran's biggest oil customers, and have argued that if they stop their purchases immediately, it would cause a worldwide spike in oil prices.

Turkey's Energy Ministry announced Friday that Turkey is among the countries that will be given an exemption, but said the government does not yet know all the details.

Two of the eight countries receiving a U.S. waiver will completely cut off imports of Iranian oil in a matter of weeks, while the other six will "greatly" reduce their imports, Pompeo said.



The sanctions are part of what the Trump administration calls a "maximum pressure" campaign aimed at convincing Iran to abandon its nuclear program and end its support for U.S. foes in the Middle East. Pompeo says the campaign is working

"The maximum pressure we have imposed has caused the rial (currency) to drop dramatically, (President Hassan) Rouhani's cabinet is in disarray, and the Iranian people are raising their voice even louder against a corrupt and hypocritical regime," Pompeo said.

After Pompeo's announcement, President Trump tweeted what looks like a movie poster image of himself with the words "Sanctions are Coming, November 5." The typeface and phrasing were inspired by the TV series "Game of Thrones.''

HBO, which creates the TV series, said in a statement, "We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes."

The U.S. on Monday will also expand sanctions on a wide range of Iranian entities, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said.

"This includes hundreds of targets previously granted sanctions relief under the JCPOA (the Iran nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), as well as more than 300 new designations," Mnuchin said.

Notably, the Trump administration is not completely cutting off Iran from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) international banking system  an option that had been considered.

Mnuchin says the U.S. has informed SWIFT that it would be subject to U.S. sanctions if it provides financial messaging services to "certain designated Iranian financial institutions."

But "humanitarian transactions to nondesignated entities" will continue to be allowed," he said.

WATCH: Brian Hook Speaks to VOA Persian

Speaking to VOA Persian at the State Department, U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said Washington is urging banks around the world to enable the sale of food, medicine and medical devices to help the Iranian people.

"The biggest challenge we have is the Iranian regime has a banking sector that doesn't comply with banking standards," Hook said. "And that makes it very hard for foreign banks to facilitate humanitarian sales [to Iran]."

Guita Aryan of VOA Persian contributed to this report from the State Department.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says it may be a handful more weeks before the U.S. has enough evidence to slap sanctions on those behind the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi was killed after he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month, according to a Turkish prosecutor. His body has not been found.

Pompeo told St. Louis radio station KMOX Thursday the administration is reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals that we have been able to identify to date that ... were engaged in that murder.

Were going to find the fact pattern, Pompeo added. The president said we will demand accountability for those who were involved in the commission of this heinous crime.

The United States is urging Saudi Arabia to locate Khashoggis body and return it to his family as soon as possible.

WATCH: US Calls on Saudis to Return Khashoggi's Remains for Burial

Killed inside Saudi consulate

Khashoggi was killed when he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month, according to a Turkish prosecutor. His body has not been found, although Turkish police last month searched a forest on Istanbul's outskirts and near Yalova, a city near the Sea of Marmara, for Khashoggi's remains.

Khashoggi's friends and family say they want just a piece of his body so they can carry out his wish to be buried in the city of Medina, Islam's second holiest site.

"We are calling the entire world to put the necessary pressure, international pressure, on the Saudi government to find his remains, to be able to bury him, even before finding those who are responsible, before this issue is covered up," Faith Oke, executive director of the Turkey-Arab Media Association, said Thursday.

Turkish officials said chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan failed to get answers about the location of Khashoggi's body and who ordered his killing during three days of a joint Turkish-Saudi investigation in Istanbul.

The Saudis have given a shifting account of what happened to Khashoggi on Oct. 2. After initially denying Khashoggi had been killed, the Saudi government claimed he died in an unplanned "rogue operation." Saudi public prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb offered a different explanation last week when he said the killing was premeditated.

After talks with Mojeb earlier this week, Fidan also said the killing was premeditated, with Khashoggi being suffocated immediately after entering the consulate and his body dismembered.

Turkey is trying to extradite 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia so they can be tried in a Turkish court. Among the suspects are 15 members of an alleged "hit squad" that Turkey claims was sent to Istanbul to kill The Washington Post columnist who had written critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Some of the people suspected of being involved in the killing have close ties to the prince, whose condemnation has failed to alleviate suspicions he was involved.

Khashoggi entered the consulate last month to get a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.
Younger Americans don't want to come to your party  your Democratic or Republican party.

Younger voters 18 to 30-ish  which includes Generation Y, Millennials, post-Millennials and Generation Z  traditionally skew more toward liberal candidates than conservatives. But lately, many are registering as independents. Others, specifically young white males, are drifting toward the red camp.

Political divisiveness and fear about the future left to them by baby boomers is the problem, they say.

"I don't feel good about it," Charlie Owens, 23, of Chattanooga, Tenn., told VOA about the health of the U.S.

"Our nation is divided by parties," said Emily Pitts, 24, of Charleston, S.C. "We are not united as Americans."

"It's a hot mess," said Ashley Ashe, 22, of Greenville, S.C.

Research leading up to the Nov. 6 midterm elections says young voters are dismayed about the country's polarized, contentious politics. A key issue for many is gun violence. Mass shootings  like the one in which 17 people were killed and dozens were injured at a high school in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14  have weighed on young people; theyve grown up in a country where the level of gun violence exceeds those in all other industrialized nations.

"These young people, born after the mid-'90s, grew up with the internet, smartphones and social media while watching news of school shootings and having active-shooter drills in their own classrooms," wrote Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), a research group focused on the political views of young people. Its part of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

"The post-Parkland movement against gun violence stands out as one led by this generation and explicitly focused on voting as a way to achieve change," she said.

Registration drive

Parkland students ignited registration of young voters this year, and the midterms will tell whether the effort has been able to change the political landscape. Six weeks after the Parkland attack, they organized 200,000 protesters against gun violence in Washington and thousands of others at similar events nationwide.

Then they took to the road, launching a two-month bus tour across the U.S. to register voters of all ages.

TargetSmart, an organization that crunches political data, says youth voter registration has "surged" in Pennsylvania, a state key to the success of Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. It also reports increased registration among youths in Arizona, Florida, Virginia, Indiana and New York.

But will it be enough to bring young voters to the polls?

Gun violence is definitely an issue that is important to me," said Katia Portela, a freshman from New York City at American University in Washington. "The Parkland students have been just so inspiring  going out and lobbying, really standing for what they believe in, even after that traumatic incident."

Other topics of concern among youths are climate change, health care and student debt, issues that did not burden their parents and grandparents to the same degree, if at all.

The validity of science about global warming that was once generally accepted has been questioned by some politicians. The Affordable Care Act, enacted under then-President Barack Obama, has been tossed about in political debate as, well, unaffordable. And student debt has been climbing for decades, leaving today's younger Americans with choices between student loan payments or marriage and children, but not both.

"I feel an immense burden in terms of the swelling federal deficit, the inaction on climate change and the threat of war with Iran," lamented Alex Eliades, 24, of Washington.

While a Harvard University Institute of Politics poll shows that nearly 60 percent of young Americans are fearful about their futures, they are not without hope.

Power to make change

"Four out of five young people (81 percent) say that as a group, they have the power to change things in this country," CIRCLE reported. "More than half of young people (54.8 percent) say they believe this election's outcome will have an impact on everyday issues."

Portela, the American University freshman, echoed those sentiments.

"Things are happening in this world, and if we want change, we can't just wait for it to happen," she said. "We have to be the change we want to see in the world."

Enthusiasm aside, Richard Fry, senior researcher with the Pew Research Center in Washington, was cautions about pre-election turnout predictions.

Generational comparisons over time are "rough at best," because "each midterm election has its own unique set of issues and national conditions, which undoubtedly influence overall turnout," Fry wrote on Pew's website about the fallibility of polling.

"If the younger generations were to turn out to vote at the rates boomers did when they were younger, post-Millennials, Millennials and Gen Xers would account for the majority of votes."
Debra Haaland is running for Congress.

Shes among a record number of American women who are running  or running again  for political office at all levels of government in Tuesdays midterm election. Most of those candidates are Democrats, and they are receiving the lions share of campaign contributions. But female candidates from both parties have found that they have a harder time raising money than men. Consequently, they have had to be innovative and creative in fundraising.

WATCH: American Women Fund Political Campaigns in Innovative ways

Haaland is the Democratic nominee in New Mexicos 1st Congressional District, located in the north-central area of the state. She is a member of the Laguna Pueblo, hoping to make history as the first Native American woman in Congress.

While shes been actively involved in Democratic politics for more than two decades, including service as the New Mexico state Democratic Party chair, this is the first time she is running for public office. And she is favored to win.

Haaland entered the race fully aware that running a campaign takes money.

When you first start a campaign for Congress, its like a series of concentric circles, she explained in an interview with VOA. So, I started with my friends and family, those are people that know me and trust me, and then you graduate to acquaintances, people you went to school with, people that youve known through work. And so, thats how I initially got started.

Deb for Congress

That was in 2017. Haaland has been able to meet all her financial goals every quarter since then, thanks to lots of small grassroots contributions.

I have a lot of donors who will donate $3, $5, $10 apiece, she said.

Those donations come in through the internet, regular mail and at fundraising events such as private dinners hosted by friends and supporters in their homes.

The most recent Federal Election Commission records show that between April 1, 2017, and Oct. 17, 2018, Haalands campaign received $1,909,373 in total contributions.

Her opponent, Republican Janice Arnold-Jones, received $282,471 in contributions through Oct.17.

Much of Haalands donations go toward funding the many expenses associated with running a campaign, such as creating and airing television ads, travel, mailings, signs, staff salaries and maintaining her Albuquerque campaign headquarters.

Haaland also has a strong social media presence.

Were on Twitter. Were on Instagram. Were on Facebook, of course. And then we send out regular emails, and some of those are fundraising emails where we ask people to donate before the end of the quarter, she said.

Building relationships

Haaland says her most powerful fundraising tool is her telephone. Shes used it to call thousands and thousands of donors and voters alike, to talk about my campaign.

I feel confident that folks need to hear directly from me, she said. I have called some people who have said, Ive never, ever been called by a candidate. Thank you for calling me. Im so happy to hear from you. Thats the way I build relationships with people.

That includes outreach to the Native American community.

We decided early on that considering that I would be the first Native American woman in Congress, that I should work hard to engage Indian tribes in my fundraising, she said. So, we said we wanted to build a national tribal network from the start.

Over the past year and a half, Haaland and her team have been reaching out to tribes by attending meetings and working with them in other ways to help her campaign.

More money for Dems

While Haaland doesnt accept money from corporate political action committees, she does accept contributions from Democratic fundraising organizations such as EMILYs List (an acronym for Early Money Is Like Yeast, meaning it helps raise dough) that collect money from individual donors who are interested in a specific issue.

These [donors to EMILYs List] are pro-choice voters who want to see more women in office, said Sarah Bryner, research director for the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization in Washington. They say, I dont really care who this money goes to, you guys can decide. Im going to give you $500, and you distribute it to the candidates that need it the most.

Bryner told VOA that these donors are also interested in the policy positions that women politicians tend to hold, particularly things like abortion and other what we might consider traditional womens issues.

She points out that most of the campaign donations to women this year are going to Democrats.

This particular cycle, were seeing the breakdown more along party lines, with Republicans getting less money  Republican women getting practically nothing  and Democrats getting more money from individual donors, she said.

Amie for Congress

That hasnt stopped Amie Hoeber, who is also in a contest for a seat in Congress, but is being overwhelmingly outspent by her Democratic opponent.

After losing to a two-term Democratic incumbent in 2016, she is running again as the Republican candidate for Marylands 6th Congressional District; an area that spans a large part of the Atlantic coast state, incorporating more conservative rural areas and more liberal cities.

Hoeber is one of only two women, both Republicans, whove been nominated to run for Congress in Maryland. She was deputy undersecretary of the Army during the Reagan administration and later founded a consulting firm. Shes running this time for an open seat against Democrat David Trone, a wealthy businessman who co-founded Total Wine & More.

Hoeber is financing her campaign with small and large donations, as well as personal contributions from herself and her husband, Mark Epstein, who often joins her on the campaign trail.

Last time, I was unknown. I had to prove myself. And at this point, I think Ive proven myself very well, Hoeber said. And people know that I am willing to put my own resources on the line, because I believe in what Im doing.

Its about doing everything right, she said, so its a combination of having the time and energy to make a lot of phone calls, to hold a lot of events, to make sure that people know that I need their help if we are going to succeed.

Shes been pleased, she said, with the breadth of the donations that have been coming in.

There are a fair number of people that have given me the maximum allowable donation, ($2,700 per individual), and there are a fair number of people that have given me $10 or $5 because thats what they have to contribute, she explained. But it is showing me the depth of support I have across the district.

FEC records show Hoebers campaign received $833,225 through Oct. 17.

David Trone raised nearly 16 times as much, a total of $13,276,970 through the same time period.

Money, money, money

That contrast is not unusual. While plenty of female candidates are raising record amounts of money, a recent analysis by The New York Times found that women running for office have a much tougher time, especially if they are challenging incumbents.

The newspaper states that among Democratic primary winners on the ballot for House seats, women have raised an average of $1.4 million. Thats $185,000 less than the average for men, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Women are finding ways around the incredible war chest advantage that members of Congress who are incumbents bring to any race they run in, Sarah Bryner told the Times. Were approaching equity in terms of campaign fundraising, but there are still specific groups having a harder time, she added.

That may be one of the reasons some female candidates like Haaland and Hoeber have been relying on new ways to raise money, getting more in small donations from individual donors and from women.

Watching from Afar: Global Voices on US Midterms

Cultural bias

Still, Hoeber believes there is some prejudice against female candidates and that its harder for them to ask for donations.

I think I have been prejudiced against a little, but not an awful lot, she said. Im used to dealing in that world. Im a national security expert, and when I started out in that business, there were almost no women in it.

But she does acknowledge that asking for money was challenging.

It was hard for me to learn how to ask a complete stranger on the phone to help donate to the campaign. But Im much more comfortable with it this cycle than I was last cycle, she said.

Haaland experienced bias as well.

When I first started running for the seat, there were a number of folks in the state who said I couldnt raise the money. They were very skeptical, even though I had been the chairwoman of the state party and helped to get our party out of debt, she said.

I think whenever you are a woman of color  weve never had a Native American woman in Congress, so that is kind of a test, right?  people dont believe that youre capable of digging in and raising the money you need. And so, I just proved everyone wrong, she said.

The pink wave

Currently, out of the 535 members of Congress, 423 are men, and 112 are women. That translates to just more than 20 percent female representation. Women all across the country, those running, as well as those who are actively supporting them, are planning to increase that percentage significantly.

Haaland and Hoeber, who are among the 260 or so women who are running (or running again) for seats in the House and Senate, are hoping to prove that in America, reaching your political goals is possible, as long as you have the money to help you win.
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Scientists are putting a robotic Mars rover to the test in Spain's rocky Tabernas Desert. The European Space Agency and Russia's Roscosmos space agency plan to land a rover on the Red Planet in 2021, to search for microscopic signs of life. Faith Lapidus reports.
A search warrant led the Limestone County Sheriffs Office on a foot pursuit Friday morning. Six arrests were made and officials seized six ounces of methamphetamine along with marijuana, pills, drug paraphernalia and four firearms. One of these firearms was stolen.

The Limestone County Sheriff's narcotics unit in conjunction with Rogersville Police executed a search warrant early Friday morning at West Pryor Street in Athens.

When investigators arrived at the scene, Mark Stacey ran from a vehicle that was parked in the driveway and tossed a loaded pistol and a bag of meth. The other suspects were secured and tracking dogs from the Limestone Correctional Facility were called to the scene. Stacey was found a few blocks away.

Mark Stacey of Athens was arrested on three charges for possession of meth, attempting to elude and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. He is in the Limestone County Jail on a $4,250 bond.

Barry McKinney of Athens is charged with trafficking meth, drug paraphernalia and receiving stolen property in the 4th degree. He is in the Limestone County Jail and his bond has not been set yet.

Daniel Jones of Athens is charged with possession of meth and is in the Limestone County Jail on a $2,500 bond.

Meridith Miller of Rogersville is in the Limestone County Jail on three charges for possession of meth, illegal possession of marijuana in the 2nd degree and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Her bond is at $2,500.

Elizabeth Clem of Athens is charged with possession of meth and illegal possession of marijuana in the 2nd degree. She's in the Limestone County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

Andrea Lovvorn of Athens is charged with illegal possession of marijuana in the 2nd degree and is in the Limestone County Jail on a $2,500 bond.
A convicted sex offender told a judge that castration would be better than serving a full prison sentence. Stephen Bunyard made the request in a Madison County courtroom after violating his parole from a 2007 rape.

The judge denied his request and sentenced him to 30 years. He's now accused of raping a 79-year-old woman earlier this year and a woman who thought he was her friend.

"Let him serve 10 years of his 30-year sentence and then, as a condition of his release, have the castration performed," said Larry Marsili, Bunyard's attorney.

Stephen Bunyard and his attorney made that request to the judge during a hearing to revoke his parole. Marsili said Bunyard violated his parole by not paying court fees, leaving the state and getting a DUI in Tennessee.

"Because of his age and his overall health is not excellent, he knew or I believe in his view. 15-year consecutive sentences would have essentially amounted to a life sentence for him anyway," Marsili said.

Bunyard has three sex crime convictions dating back to the 80's, and two of his victims were over the age of 60. Bunyard won't be getting out of jail for at least 30 years and if convicted of rape, he'll be facing life without parole.

"His request for castration while unusual, it was not just an attempt to get out of trouble or to get out scot-free," Marsili said.

Thursday, Bunyard was back in court for a hearing on rape charges from April. The victim told investigators she knew him for about 10 years, but not by his real name.

An investigator testified the victim waited days to report it and that Bunyard had made her swear on a bible. The victim said she had given Bunyard food and tried to help him.

The judge sent the rape case to a grand jury. Bunyard has another charge against him for violating the sex offender registration and notification act, but the judge has not heard evidence about that charge yet.
The Madison County Sherrif's Office says a murder-suicide happened in a driveway Friday morning on the east side of Rustic Cedar Lane.

The sheriff's office and HEMSI responded to a shots fired call. According to Lieutenant Donny Shaw, Jonathan Neil Coffman, a therapist at the Arc of Madison County, killed a female, Sunshine Price Pauly.

Officials said Pauly told 911 she was in danger because there was a man with a gun.

A 7-year-old child was present but was not injured. The child is with family now. Shaw said the father of the child told investigators Coffman was his son's therapist, and the Arc said that's untrue.

The people were all known to each other, and investigators are not sure what led to the incident.

"We have a quiet neighborhood with everybody. If you dont know their names, you know their faces, and we wave when were going in and out," a neighbor said.

Its pretty clear that neighbors on Rustic Cedar Lane are close, so when a driveway was filled with first responders Friday morning, everyone around wanted to know what had happened.

I was like, 'Oh my God, whats going on? and because I know that neighbor somewhat, I was concerned about the son and the people that live there, because I didnt see them at first," a neighbor said.

According to the Madison County Sheriffs Office, a man showed up at a home, shot and killed a woman and then himselfall in front of the womans young son, who many neighbors say they saw often.

Every time Ive seen him, hes just been out in the road, playing with the other neighborhood kids, just having fun," Garrett Mitchell said. "I feel really bad for him.

I would see the mom and dad sometimes walk the little boy to the end of the street. He liked to watch the cars, and they would let him watch the cars go by," another neighbor added.

Thats why neighbors say theyre thinking about the little boy and the rest of the family during this difficult situation.

I pray for the family, the dad, the grandparents. I pray for the whole family, because I cannot imagine," one neighbor said.

Below is a statement from the Arc of Madison County:

"The Arc of Madison County, Inc., is aware of reporting by AL.com that Jonathan Neil Coffman is suspected of involvement in an alleged murder that occurred on November 2, 2018. The Arc is deeply saddened to hear of these tragic events. Mr. Coffman was employed by The Arc. To be clear, however, The Arc was not providing any services to the victims family. We want to provide space for the authorities to investigate this matter and for the families to grieve. We will have no further comment to the media."
A new medical technology that can help save limbs and even lives, is now being used by just one doctor in Alabama.

Dr. Sanjeev Saxena is a cardiologist in Fort Payne, and he is using a new device called DABRA to help treat patients that suffer from Peripheral Arterial Disease. The disease is a result of a blockage in an artery, which reduces blood flow to a limb. If left untreated, it could result in an amputation. That is almost what happened to Brenda Hargiss.



Dr. Sanjeev Saxena Dr. Sanjeev Saxena

"It wasn't pain with me so much as it was just muscle aches and cramps if I would walk very far," Hargiss said.

Hargiss couldn't walk like she used to, but never thought much of it.

"Well I've known something was wrong, but I didn't realize what it was with my legs for a good while, maybe four, five, six years," she said.

After being diagnosed with Peripheral Arterial Disease in her legs, Hargiss knew she needed help. She turned to Dr. Saxena, who was looking to use DABRA to help.

"If we find a blockage, we can use our tools, which now includes DABRA, to pass through a blockage, open it up and restore blood flow," Dr. Saxena said.

DABRA is a liquid filled catheter that emits a laser that can penetrate hard plaque inside an artery. This new technology provides a faster treatment with the laser breaking through blockages in a maximum of two hours. Prior to DABRA, an operation could take up to five hours long and still be unsuccessful. Dr. Saxena said DABRA can save his patients from amputations.

"Forty percent (of his patients), we would not have been able to get through the blockage without DABRA and probably 10 to 15 percent would have lost a limb," Dr. Saxena said.

Hargiss is one of those patients. After a procedure failed when Dr. Saxena did not yet have the new technology, Hargiss started to lose hope.

"I knew I needed it, and I thought, 'how many times is it going to take to get done?'" Hargiss said.

After weeks went by, Dr. Saxena received DABRA and brought Hargiss back in. He successfully cleared blockages in both of her legs with the use of DABRA. She now has no pain in her legs.

Dr. Saxena believes DABRA can change the field of medicine.

"It's better for the patients. It's better for north Alabama," he said.
An obscure map in the Keats-Shelley House inspires a cultural pilgrimage to places in Rome where American, British and Irish writers and artists stayed in the 19th century.

Rome's Keats-Shelley House hosts a mysterious watercolour map on its steep, narrow stairwell where it is believed to have rested since the museum's opening in 1909.

Painted by an unknown artist, the map depicts the area surrounding Piazza di Spagna, using blue motifs with calligraphy to indicate where visiting British and American writers and artists stayed during the 19th century. By this time the network of streets around the Spanish Steps was already known as the English ghetto" due to its popularity among wealthy British travellers who would conclude their grand tours of Europe in Rome.

The map contains around two dozen names  many of whose paths crossed  with several buildings hosting plaques boasting of their illustrious former residents. Based on the information recorded in the map, which can also be viewed on the Keats-Shelley House website, it is possible to trace a roughly clockwise trail around the Tridente, a trident-shaped area of the centro storico fanning out from Porta del Popolo, once the main gateway to the city. The walking tour spans nine decades, from 1817 to 1895, and takes a couple of hours at a leisurely pace.

The map can be found on the stairwell of the Keats-Shelley House.

Joseph Severn's sketch of John Keats on his deathbed in Rome in 1821.

Unsurprisingly, the map takes as its central focus the Keats-Shelley House at Piazza di Spagna 26, whose former tenant(1795-1821) needs little introduction. Despite spending just three months here, a virtual prisoner to the final throes of tuberculosis, Keats remains indelibly associated with Rome. Visitors today can enter the second-floor bedroom in which the 25-year-old Romantic poet died in terrible agony, his devoted friend Joseph Severn at his side, on 23 February 1821. Keats is buried in the city's Non-Catholic Cemetery where his tomb  dedicated simply to a young English poet  continues to draw pilgrims almost two centuries after his death.1819 saw the arrival of English Romantic painter(1775-1851). It is not known where he stayed  perhaps at Palazzo Poli near the Trevi Fountain from which his one surviving letter was written. However we know that on his return trip in August 1828 he took lodgings at Piazza Mignanelli 12, a stone's throw from what is now the Keats-Shelley House.

Turner's exhibition in December 1828 at Palazzo Trulli (demolished half a century later to make way for Corso Vittorio Emanuele II) was attended by over a thousand visitors; however, the works received a predominantly unfavourable response, according to Turner expert David Blayney Brown. On 3 January 1829 Turner departed Rome for the last time, although the city's ruins were to feature prominently in his future work.

Campo Vaccino by Turner.

"Oh Rome! my country! city of the soul! The Romantic poet(1788-1824) is undoubtedly the most colourful character on this list. Fleeing debts and a desperate personal situation, Byron left England in 1816, never to return, living mainly in Italy until his death in modern-day Greece aged 36. Byron befriended the Shelleys at Lake Geneva before travelling to Italy, where he was to spend seven years, predominantly in Venice, Pisa and Ravenna. According to popular myth he lodged at Piazza di Spagna 66, opposite the Keats-Shelley House, in 1817. On his return to Ravenna he wrote the fourth canto of his epic narrative poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, about half of which relates to Rome.

The map features a couple of names who fit into neither painter nor writer category. One of these figures is James Clark (1788-1870), a Scottish doctor who operated a thriving medical practice in Piazza di Spagna from 1819 until 1826, during which time poor Keats was one of his patients. Despite rising to become physician to Queen Victoria, recent research suggests that Clark misdiagnosed Keats' illness, compounding the poet's final months of agony by enforcing starvation and blood lettings. The doctor's exact address is unknown but, according to the American author John Evangelist Walsh in his book In Darkling I Listen. The Last Days and Death of John Keats, Clark lived "across the steps" from the Keats-Shelley House.

Claude Lorrain's studio, collection British Museum.

Ascending the steps to Trinita dei Monti, the map lists the American landscape painter(1801-48) as living on Via Sistina, without a street number but with the vital clue that he was based at a studio once used by Claude Lorrain, from 1831-32 and again in 1841. According to a drawing in the collection of the British Museum the location of Lorrain's former studio corresponds to Via Sistina 66, the building wedged between the start of Via Sistina and Via Gregoriana, opposite today's Hotel Hassler.

Next door at Via Sistina 64 lived the Irish portrait painter Amelia Curran (1775-1847), who moved to Rome in or around 1818, eking out a living painting portraits and copying old Masters. She is best known for her portrait of her friend Percy Bysshe Shelley, quill in hand, which was presumably painted at this address and is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London. Curran died in 1847, her funeral celebrated at the Franciscan church of St Isidore's on Via degli Artisti 41. Here she is commemorated with a memorial featuring palette and brushes, carved by prominent Rome-based Irish sculptor John Hogan (1800-58).

Amelia Curran's portait of Shelley, collection National Portrait Gallery, London.

On 7 May 1819,(1792-1822) and his wife(1797-1851), fresh from penning her Gothic masterpiece Frankenstein, left their lodgings at Palazzo Verospi on Via del Corso 374 to move next door to Curran on Via Sistina 65, against the wishes of the family doctor, who advised Shelley to escape the city's mal'aria. Although the elevated Via Sistina had the best air in Rome according to Shelley, one month after their move the Shelley's three-year-old son William Willmouse died of a fever, most likely malaria. The heartbroken couple left Rome for the last time on 10 June 1819, after burying the boy, their third child to die, at the Non-Catholic Cemetery. Three and a half years later Shelley's ashes would be interred in the same cemetery after his tragic death aged 29 during a storm off the Tuscan coast near Lerici.

Veering slightly off-course now, turn left half-way down Via Sistina onto Via di Porta Pinciana. At the top of the street Palazzo Laranzani, number 37, hosted Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) in 1858. Hawthorne overcame his initial misgivings of Rome's wicked filth to become enraptured with the city; his 1858 Gothic romance The Marble Faun was inspired after seeing a woodland scene of mythological sculpture in Villa Borghese. Hawthorne was affected profoundly by the tragic tale of Roman noblewoman Beatrice Cenci  who also inspired Shelley's five-act drama The Cenci  and her portrait attributed to Guido Reni, which can be seen today at Palazzo Barberini.

Nathaniel Hawthorne stayed near Via Veneto.

Severn's grave stone. Photo Giovanni Dall'Orto.

At the bottom of Via Sistina, cross over Piazza Barberini and up Via delle Quattro Fontane to Palazzo Barberini, home to Italy's national gallery of ancient art. The American neoclassical sculptor and art critic William Wetmore Story (1819-95) lived here with his family from 1856, taking studios on nearby Via di S. Niccolo da Tolentino 4. For the next four decades his apartment on the palace's piano nobile was a bustling meeting place for distinguished expatriates, from Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning to Henry James. When his wife Emelyn died in 1894, Story carved the poignant Angel of Grief in the Non-Catholic Cemetery. The much-replicated memorial was Story's last major work and became the artist's resting place a year later on his death aged 78.

Angel of Grief memorial at Non-Catholic Cemetery

Returning to Piazza Barberini, turn left down Via del Tritone and at Largo del Tritone turn right and then first left onto Via della Mercede. When the Scottish poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) undertook his Grand Tour of Italy in 1832, he had achieved international acclaim for historical novels including Ivanhoe and Rob Roy and poems such as The Lady of the Lake (some of which inspired well-known Italian operas). However despite being greeted with much fanfare, Scott was in failing health by the time he reached Rome. He stayed at Via della Mercede 11 from 16 April until 11 May 1832 in the same palazzo in which Bernini had lived and died two centuries earlier. The building's exterior hosts a plaque dedicated to Scott, who died on his return to Scotland several months later.

Turning back downhill towards Via Sistina, take the last left onto Via degli Artisti. From 1821 until 1824, when the street was still called Via di S. Isidoro, it hosted the English painter(1793-1879) who lived in a large apartment at number 18, today the Hotel degli Artisti. Severn is linked eternally with Keats with whom he travelled to Rome in 1820 and whom he nursed devotedly in his dying days. Severn would outlive Keats by almost six decades, becoming an accomplished painter and a highly respected figure among Rome's English-speaking community. In 1841 Severn moved back to England; however, 20 years later he returned to Rome as British Consul, a post he held for 11 years. When he died, aged 81, there was outrage that his resting place at the Non-Catholic Cemetery was not next to Keats. Several years later, Severn was reinterred beside his old friend.

Continue along Via della Mercede, cross Via del Corso, into Piazza del Parlamento to the rear of today's chamber of deputies and along Via dei Prefetti to number 17, home to Samuel Morse (1791-1872) from February 1830 to January 1831, as commemorated by a plaque over the door. This American painter of portraits and historical scenes is best remembered as the inventor of the Morse Code. An outspoken opponent of popery, it is said that while in Rome the staunchly Calvinist Morse caused a stir by refusing to take off his hat in the presence of the pontiff.

The next side-street to the right, Vicolo del Divino Amore, meanders to Palazzo Borghese where Lady Gwendoline Talbot (1817-40) moved from her Alton Towers family estate in Staffordshire following her 1835 marriage to Prince Marcantonio Borghese. Described by King William IV as the "greatest beauty in the realm", Gwendoline was known in Rome for her tireless charity work and ministry to the sick. She died of scarlet fever aged just 22, and her tomb in the Borghese Chapel at the Basilica of S. Maria di Maggiore carries the inscription madre dei poverelli. Shortly after her death the couple's three sons died of measles however their daugher Agnese survived. Incidentally, three years before her own marriage in Rome, Gwendoline's elder sister Mary had married Prince Filippo Doria.

Anna Brownell Jameson

Follow Via Borghese onto Via di Ripetta which the map lists as the 1859 address of Irish-born art historian Anna Brownell Jameson (1794-1860). According to her biography by niece Gerardine Bate, Jameson occupied a pleasant apartment close by the Tiber facade of the Palazzo Borghese, looking out over the river at the point known as the Porto di Ripetta. Jameson also stayed at an unknown address in Piazza di Spagna in 1847, after making part of the journey from Paris to Rome with the Brownings  to undertake research for the best-selling work on which her reputation rests: Sacred and Legendary Art. Jameson died before finishing the final segment of her celebrated series which was completed by Lady Eastlake, wife of English painter Charles Eastlake, as The History of Our Lord in Art.

John Gibson portrait (detail) by Margaret Sarah Carpenter.

Follow Via di Ripetta into Piazza del Popolo, turning right past the twin churches onto Via del Babuino. The first left is Via della Fontanella, where number 4 hosted the studios of Welsh sculptor John Gibson (1790-1866) from 1818 until his death four decades later. Gibson was originally the star pupil of Venetian master Antonio Canova and later Denmark's Bertel Thorvaldsen before going on to make his fortune from monumental commissions, mainly from patrons in England. He is buried in the Non-Catholic Cemetery. Although not listed on the map it is worth mentioning Gibson's only protegee Harriet Hosmer (1830-1908), who became the most distinguished female sculptor in America in the 19th century. Hosmer studied under Gibson from 1853 to 1860, during which time she became good friends with the Brownings and the Storys. In addition to her artistic prowess and ferocious work ethic, the emancipated Hosmer raised eyebrows by riding her horse alone around the city at all times of night, and even rode from Rome to Florence for a lark.

Contuining down Via del Babuino, past All Saints' Anglican Church, a bastion of British life in Rome since it opened in 1887, the map lists English author George Eliot (1819-80) as residing at Hotel Amerique in 1860. The hotel no longer exists but the building can be found at Via del Babuino 79. While touring Italy Eliot conceived the idea for her historical novel Romola as well as gathering background material for her future masterpiece Middlemarch, completed in 1871. The story's central characters Dorothea and Casaubon honeymooned at a "boudoir of a handsome apartment in the Via Sistina."

George Eliot painted by Francois D'Albert Durade (detail), collection of National Gallery, London.

Turn left into Vicolo dell'Orto di Napoli and straight ahead lies Via Margutta, a greenery-draped street long associated with painters and art studios. According to the map  perhaps incorrectly  Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) stayed at number 53 in 1822. This leading English portraitist travelled Europe painting foreign sovereigns and diplomats, including Pope Pius VII, and was hosted at the Palazzo del Quirinale from May 1819 until January 1820. Subsequently, as president of the Royal Academy, Lawrence granted his cautious approval and funding to Rome's fledgling British Academy of Arts, established in 1821 by a group of artists led by Severn. This life drawing academy was based initially at Severn's apartments on Via degli Artisti and then moved to Via Margutta 53b from 1895 until its closure in January 1936.

Back on Via del Babuino continue towards Piazza di Spagna, taking the second right onto Via Vittoria until the street meets Via Mario de' Fiori. The map lists this corner building, Palazzo Rondanini, as hosting the Romantic poet and former banker Samuel Rogers (1763-1855) while he put the final touches to Italy, a sumptuous edition of verse tales illustrated with vignettes by Turner, in 1829. Less known today, Rogers was highly prominent in his time, penning hugely popular poems such as The Pleasures of Memory. In 1850, on the death of Wordsworth, he declined the offer of Poet Laureate due to his age. Rogers first visited Rome in 1815 and again in 1822, when he met Byron and Shelley in Pisa.

Portraits of the Brownings by Thomas B. Read

Take the next left onto Via Bocca di Leone where, at number 43, the poets Robert Browning (1812-89) and Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-61) spent two winters, in 1853 and 1858, commemorated by a plaque in their honour. They returned to Rome for the winter of 1859, staying at Via del Tritone 28, and spent the following winter at Via Sistina 126. Less than a month after leaving Rome on 1 June 1861 Elizabeth died in Florence in her husband's arms, "smilingly, happily, and with a face like a girl's. She is

buried in the city's English Cemetery; Robert died in Venice in 1889 and is buried in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey. The Brownings are also remembered with a writers' museum at their former Casa Guidi residence in Florence.

Continuing along Via Bocca di Leone we reach Hotel d'Inghilterra at number 14, where the American novelist Henry James (1843-1916) stayed in 1869, when it was called Hotel d'Angleterre. From here the author immediately reeled through Rome's streets in a fever of enjoyment. His arrival coincided with the dying days of papal Rome, an era he was to mourn in subsequent years. Considered among the greatest novelists in the English language, James was inspired by the social and cultural interplay between Americans, English people and continental Europeans. His experience of life in Rome is referenced in his novel Portrait of a Lady, whose central character Isabel Archer lived unhappily at the Palazzo Roccanero on an unnamed street off Piazza Farnese.

Turning back a few paces, take the first right onto Via dei Condotti which hosted the former Hotel d'Allemagne, owned by the German family of watercolourist Ettore Roesler Franz, whose romantic paintings of Rome and its surroundings are still popular today. It was here that the English writer William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-63) stayed on his first visit to Rome during 1844-45. Thackeray returned to the hotel in 1853 with his daughters Anne Isabella and Jane but soon moved to a large apartment at Palazzo Poniatowski, at nearby Via della Croce 81, on the advice of the Brownings. Anne Isabella wrote of "feasting on cakes and petits fours" from the Spillmann pastry shop below. During this period Thackeray wrote and produced illustrations of The Rose and the Ring, a story conceived in the Christmas period of 1853 to entertain the daughters and children of friends, including Pen Browning and Edith Story. Describing a gay and pleasant English colony in Rome, Thackeray wrote in his memoir The Newcomes: the ancient city of the Csars, the august fanes of the popes, with their splendour and ceremony, are all mapped out and arranged for English diversion."

Antico Caffe Greco painted by Austrian artist Ludwig Passini in 1856.

On returning full-circle to the foot of the Spanish Steps, how better to conclude the map-inspired tour than taking a coffee or aperitif at the Caffe Greco. Established in 1790, this venerable institution was frequented by most of the people on this list (although Hawthorne was not a fan), their memories enshrined today with portraits and literary memorabilia throughout the bar.

The Keats-Shelley House director, Giuseppe Albano, points out that the map and its accompanying list of names contain several anomalies (Byron is listed as having stayed at Piazza di Spagna 26  the address of the Keats-Shelley House  instead of number 66) and is male-orientated (Mary Shelley and Elizabeth Barrett Browning are not mentioned alongside their respective husbands).

The map also includes a few rather obscure names at the expense of towering literary figures such as Charles Dickens (1812-70) who stayed in Rome in early 1845 while gathering material for his book Pictures from Italy, or Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) whose 1887 visit inspired the poem Rome at the Pyramid of Cestius Near the Graves of Shelley and Keats.

Another glaring omission is Edith Wharton (1862-1937), whose regular travels around Italy in the late 19th century resulted in several erudite guides and travel tales, once describing Rome as exciting a passion of devotion such as no other city can inspire. Also omitted is the far less impressed Mark Twain (1835-1910), who in 1867 felt that he had been cheated of discovering anything in Rome as it had all been experienced before. Finally, perhaps due to its timeline or maybe the attendant scandal, the map fails to record the three-month stay at Hotel d'Inghilterra of Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), six months before his death in Paris.



Oscar Wilde in St Peter's Square

Over the years attempts to discover the artist behind the map in the Keats-Shelley House have come to no avail. Whatever its provenance, and despite any inconsistencies, it inspires a fascinating search for traces of these bygone wordsmiths and painters whose presence in Rome is still felt today.

By Andy Devane



---------------

Places of interest

Keats-Shelley House, Piazza di Spagna 26,

Non-Catholic Cemetery, Via Caio Cestio 6,

Antico Caffe Greco, Via dei Condotti 86,

Further reading

The Dream of Arcadia: American Writers and Artists in Italy 1760-1915, (1958) by Van Wyck Brooks.

Joseph Severn, A Life: The Rewards of Friendship (2009) by Sue Brown.

The Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome: Its history, its people and its survival for 300 years (2014) by Nicholas Stanley-Price. This article was published in the October 2018 edition of Wanted in Rome magazine.---------------Keats-Shelley House, Piazza di Spagna 26, website Non-Catholic Cemetery, Via Caio Cestio 6, website Antico Caffe Greco, Via dei Condotti 86, website The Dream of Arcadia: American Writers and Artists in Italy 1760-1915, (1958) by Van Wyck Brooks.Joseph Severn, A Life: The Rewards of Friendship (2009) by Sue Brown.The Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome: Its history, its people and its survival for 300 years (2014) by Nicholas Stanley-Price.
The solution could be storage, which is rapidly getting cheaper. It could spread out solars generation for use two to four hours until later in the day. Arizonas storage needs would be massive by todays standards and costly at todays prices. But Wood Mackenzie and GTM Research forecast a ninefold increase in storage installed by 2023, with prices tumbling as much as 80 percent by 2040.
There is some concern that higher wages might fuel inflation if companies turn around and increase prices for consumers. But for now, inflation remains right around the Federal Reserves target of 2 percent. If inflation rises next year, the Fed would probably respond with faster interest rate increases, which have tended to cause markets and the economy to choke in the past.
But experts say it could signal disappointment for other cities that were considered strong possibilities, such as Chicago, Atlanta and Austin, if Bezos did not travel to those places some other way. They say it is very rare to see a chief executive choose a new headquarters site without looking at it personally, even if he or she is not involved in the early or middle stages of the project.
The vigilantes had been tracking Ansari for over a week. Early on the morning of June 29, 2017, a tea stall owner who had been working as an informer for the vigilantes called with a tip that Ansari was headed to the market in a white van full of beef, according to the judges ruling in the case and suspects statements to police. Deepak Mishra, a Brahmin priest, sent a WhatsApp message to a group of vigilantes calling them to the scene, court documents show.
Let me just say that although I dont mind watching other theatergoers getting into the act  as a longtime observer of how audiences behave, the psychology of these events intrigues me  I hate being compelled to be the show. Im not shy or anti-social. I simply dont want to be made to feel that I must cross the line, onto the actors playing field, or be a spoilsport if I dont. It might be that the role I have been playing for more than two decades  a paid analyst of what happens inside a theater  has conditioned me to occupy a perch slightly apart from most others who attend a play. On the other hand, it might arise from a baseline conviction that I dont want to be in your play!
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Every place is a little different, Smith said. In the Mediterranean, you get winds that pick up at end of summer and into fall; in Baja, you get winds in November and December. We take all that into account and talk to people about the time of year and destination. If you want to cruise Alaskas calm and protected Inside Passage, for example, you can start in Juneau (rather than Seattle or Vancouver, B.C.) to bypass the choppier Pacific. In the Galapagos, fly to the islands to avoid taking a cruise from mainland Ecuador, where the sea will be rougher (although you still might encounter chop when youre cruising between islands). Even places that seem like theyd be tranquil  Australias Great Barrier Reef, for example  can get rough, depending on the trade winds.
They said Lindsay Jeffries of Lorton, Va., was is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Jeffrey Hunter, 57, of Fort Washington, Md. in the 9100 block of Friar Road. Police said the homicide followed an argument.
Still, she said, it would be wrong to assume students in middle school and high school uniformly know the history of the swastika, and why it is such a trigger, as we get farther away from the Holocaust and fewer Holocaust survivors are alive.
Trones campaign has depicted Hoeber as misleading voters about his campaign. Shameful Lies, reads one mailer, the words appearing over the image of the anti-Trone fliers in a garbage can. Jerid Kurtz, Trones campaign manager, said that Hoebers campaign set the tone by attacking Trone, and that his team was responding in kind.
Teodoro Petkoff was a mentor to at least three generations of Venezuelans. I count myself among them, playwright, essayist and former Tal Cual columnist Ibsen Martinez told the Associated Press. He instilled in us the idea that democracy and tolerance . . . are the essence of social justice.
Regis got credit for undergoing about six debriefing sessions with the CIA, explaining what searches he conducted and where he stored the classified information, according to court documents, in order to allow them to conduct necessary risk assessments and protect their information against any inadvertent spills.
The trial stems from Fords actions on March 13, 2016. He had recently fled to Maryland from South Carolina after he became violent during an encounter with his wife, police said. The morning of the shooting, he video-recorded what he said he meant to be his last words, promising to leave his car and electronics to his younger brothers  Malik, 23, and Elijah, 20  before they all piled into a red Honda Accord and rode to the police station in Palmer Park, Md.
In their first appearance in court after their arrests, Gross, a home health aide and mother of three, and Barnes only said their names as they stood next to their attorneys Thursday. Their lawyers argued there was no evidence that the women set the victim on fire or conspired to do so. The attorneys also argued that the witnesses who identified their clients to authorities were biased.
Shea said he could not confirm a report based on unnamed police sources in the New York Post that the mother of the sisters received a phone call from a Saudi Embassy official who told her she might have to leave the United States because the sisters had applied for asylum. The call reportedly came the day before the sisters bodies were found.
Carew, Kamara and Vandiver were arrested as part of the coordinated sweep last December and have since pleaded guilty to various drug and firearm crimes. Carew, 36, is serving a 16-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute over 2,200 pounds of marijuana and THC edibles over the past six years to members of the Bloods gang and other armed drug dealers. Vandiver is serving a 20-year sentence for distributing heroin and cocaine while armed; he also pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court to involvement in a murder.
Scalise; Cheney, the daughter of former vice president Richard B. Cheney; and Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, traveled Thursday evening to a Lynchburg restaurant for Republican candidates Denver Riggleman and Ben Cline. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R), who is retiring and whose seat Cline hopes to fill, was also there. On Friday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders headlined an hour-long event with Riggleman at 9:30 a.m. at the Fauquier County GOP headquarters in Warrenton.
While I was hoping that Project Veritas would investigate the Spanberger campaign, I had no prior knowledge that they actually were., Hile wrote. Had I known that Project Veritas did have an undercover reporter in the Spanberger campaign, I would never tweeted anything about it, so as not to potentially bring attention to the undercover reporter gathering information about the deception that has been uncovered across the country in different campaigns.
When it comes to immigration, an issue that Trump and the Republican Party have been highlighting nationally, half of likely voters in the district say the federal government should do more to stop illegal immigration across the U.S. border with Mexico, while 27 percent say it is doing about the right amount and 23 percent say it should do less.
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A copy of the report was read to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Forest County Coroner Norman J. Wimer, the newspaper reported. Wimer confirmed that account to The Washington Post. The coroners report stated that the elder Bowerss body was found underneath a picnic table with antidepressant drugs not far away. Wimer said Randall Bowers had not been seen for about a week when his body was found, and officials determined that he could have been dead for that period.
Gottlieb has pledged the FDA would do more to balance efforts to curb the epidemic  which killed a record 49,000 users in 2017, according to preliminary data  with the needs of people who need strong pain relief. But Fridays statement is the first detailed indication of how the FDA might use its drug-review process to tackle the problem.
Trump told his aides that he is afraid Zinke has broken rules while serving as the interior secretary and is concerned about the Justice Department referral, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. But the president has not indicated whether he will fire the former Navy SEAL and congressman and has asked for more information, the officials said.
Over 100 held after Halloween 'purge' riots in France: France's Interior Ministry said police detained at least 116 people after violent incidents in several cities on Halloween night. Police fired tear gas at groups that threw projectiles and set cars and garbage bins on fire in Lyon, in eastern France. Similar incidents were reported in Nantes and Rennes, in the west, and in Toulouse in the south. Some stores were looted in Paris suburbs. The ministry said messages circulating on social media called for a "purge" of police.
To write off Trump's message, or to see his voters as racist and deplorable, is to miss the point. It is not that the Democrats' elite are geriatrics, though they certainly are; it is that they are too entrenched, too tone deaf and out of touch in myriad ways. The Clintons need to retire to discover the ambiguous pleasures of obscurity that the rest of us already know. Barack Obama is as eloquent as ever, and inspirational, but he needs to understand the dismay many of us feel when seeing him and his fellow Democrats taking money from big companies that outsource work and exploit foreign workers, all the while sucking up to celebrities.
While reports have focused on the likely legal and constitutional hurdles an executive order denying birthright citizenship would face, theres also a logical one. How far back would former Trump administration official Michael Anton, who has said, An executive order could specify to federal agencies that the children of noncitizens are not citizens, be willing to apply this principle? If applicable to current generations of individuals born on U.S. soil through no fault of their own, why not apply the same logic to previous generations? We could certainly question the legitimacy of every immigrants right to be here using this reductio ad absurdum, including the forebears of anyone who was the first to be born in the United States to noncitizens.
We had the ad team coming up with ads, the speechwriters inserting whole paragraphs into his nomination acceptance speech about his familys own losses to violent crime, cameras filming the sites where his brother was killed and his father mugged and left for dead. Then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton crafted the lines to use for the Horton question at the debate; when Dukakis didnt use it, the floor fell out completely. We were loaded with dirt on George H.W. Bush, including the rumored adultery that I famously fired Donna Brazile, then-deputy field director for the Dukakis campaign, for mentioning to the media. Dukakis would have none of it.
The first is Donald J. Trump, of course. He carried the Sunflower State by close to a quarter of a million votes, and he remains relatively popular despite his tariffs and his Twitter feed. The presidents strong endorsement of Kobach  Trumps study-buddy in the art of immigration demagoguery  was likely the difference in the secretary of states narrow primary win over incumbent Gov. Jeff Colyer. But there are signs that anti-Trump energy is high in the suburbs of Kansas City and Wichita, where strong turnout against the provocateur in chief could tip the race to Kelly.
So, in many ways the Trump presidency is like deja vu all over again. Except that Trump is, at least for conservatives, arguably a much better president than was Nixon. While Nixon had a mixed record in Supreme Court appointments, Trump has, so far, given us two of the strongest conservative justices in modern history. While the chairman of Nixons Council of Economic Advisers, Herb Stein, bragged that, under Nixon, probably more new regulation was imposed on the economy than in any other presidency since the New Deal, Trump has given us a historic regulatory rollback. While Nixon boasted over dramatic cuts in defense spending, Trump has enacted historic increases. While Nixons 1969 tax reform increased taxes, Trumps reforms have cut them. While Nixon withdrew U.S. troops from Vietnam, Trump has unleashed our forces against the Islamic State and has halted the withdrawal from Afghanistan begun during the Obama administration.
It is commonplace to hear and read about President Trumps takeover of the Republican Party. And certainly there is lots of evidence that the GOP is animated these days by an unquestioning devotion to Trump and whatever his ideas may be at any given moment. But the problem is that Republicans are now becoming the party not of Trump but of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator who in the 1950s accused the State Department of treason, called George Marshall  head of the Army during World War II, later secretary of state and defense  a traitor, and implied that the American government was being secretly run by the Kremlin.
Meanwhile in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott, a term-limited Republican, came up with an audacious plan to reshape his states Supreme Court. On Jan. 8, 2019, the terms of three progressive justices on the Supreme Court will come to an end  the same day that the next Florida governor would be sworn in at noon. Scott, rather than hand off these appointments to his successor, claimed he has the power to appoint the new justices in the waning minutes of his term, tilting the court sharply to the right for a generation. Fortunately for voters, the Florida Supreme Court disagreed, ruling in October that the winner of Novembers election  not Scott  was legally empowered to appoint the new justices. Unfortunately, though, Scott has packed the commission that recommends the judges the new governor will choose from  so he may still get his preferred appointees.
Sixty years and three weeks ago, the Temple in Atlanta was bombed by anti-Semitic white supremacists who perceived the Jews as masterminding the civil rights movement  not unlike accused killer Robert Bowers accepting the widely broadcast theory that Jews conceived and bankrolled the migrant caravan. The day after the Temple bombing, Ralph McGill, editor of the Atlanta Constitution, published an editorial attacking Southern elected officials who conjured up scapegoats and stirred up the mobs for their own political gains. It is not possible to preach lawlessness and restrict it, he wrote. You do not preach and encourage hatred for the Negro and hope to restrict it to that field. It is an old, old story. It is one repeated over and over again in history. When the wolves of hate are loosed on one people, then no one is safe.
Set aside for the moment Khashoggis association with The Post. The fact is, a legal resident of the United States, with children who are U.S. citizens, was assaulted upon entering the Saudi Consulate, and then murdered. According to Turkeys top prosecutor, Khashoggi was immediately strangled as part of previously made plans and his body dismembered. What happened to his remains has still not been made public. The Saudis presumably know but wont say.
The Posse Comitatus Acts criminal provisions are honored in the breach: No one has ever been prosecuted for violating this law. But the courts have at times scuttled prosecutions for running afoul of the act. In the aftermath of the Armys massacre of Native Americans at Wounded Knee, for example, two courts held that the violation of the act meant that the government could not show that the military personnel were lawfully engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties, which was one of the elements of the criminal charges against persons who gave help and support to the Native American occupants during the siege.
Dominion Energy is on both sides of this deal. On one side, a Dominion company is building the pipeline. On the other side, Dominion acts as the electric utility for millions of Virginians who have no choice in the matter. Dominions utility has signed a 20-year contract with Dominions pipeline developer to allegedly provide the natural gas for Dominions natural gas power plants. Yet only two of Dominions 35 natural gas units in Virginia will connect to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and neither of these will use the pipeline as a primary fuel source.
This clearly peeves Trump. Good. It was intended to. The Radical Republicans who authored the 14th Amendment following the Civil War wanted to end the Confederate view of citizenship  which was contingent on color  finally and forever. The 14th Amendment was intended to be a stake in the heart of bloodline citizenship, which is precisely what Trump hopes to revive. At the time of the amendments passage, some members of Congress expressed the fear that birthright citizenship would turn gypsy, Chinese and other (in their view) undesirable children into citizens. Sen. John Conness of California responded: We are entirely ready to accept the provision proposed in this constitutional amendment, that the children born here of Mongolian parents shall be declared by the Constitution of the United States to be entitled to civil rights and equal protection before the law with others.
Mckesson, of course, is not the first African American to face questions about how he became the face of a movement and whether he deserves that role. In fact, almost every historical figure he invokes  Douglass, King, Chisholm and others  faced sustained criticism from ordinary African Americans concerning their representation as the face of social change. Who elected them? is a question that has been asked repeatedly about those who came to the fore by some combination of chance and their own evident skill. It has been asked even of the person who actually did get elected in part because of the strength and passion of voters of color  the black president whom Mckesson has to justify meeting. The Other Side of Freedom is a good guide to the ironies and contradictions of this new social movement, and of the individual who has reluctantly come to personify it.
One of the most insidious and disturbing examples of classical appropriation by the alt-right is its embrace of Stoicism, a philosophical school that began with Zeno of Citium around 300 B.C. Today, the adjective stoic is most commonly used to describe people who dont show what theyre feeling, instead keeping their emotions under tight control. Ancient Stoics, though, were less interested in the display of emotions than in understanding what causes them. The Stoics aspired to live rationally, which meant accepting that each person could exert complete control over their own behavior. Emotions, they thought, were usually a result of irrationally believing that somebody elses actions, or other outside forces, determined ones psychological reaction. The Stoic thinker Epictetus wrote in his Discourses that the appropriate response to the death of your child is to say to yourself, I knew I had fathered a mortal. Anger was particularly anathema to the Stoics: The Roman philosopher and statesman Seneca the Younger wrote an entire treatise about angers destructive force: De Ira (About Anger).
Of the 73 congressional races that have been deemed most competitive by the Cook Political Report, 25 are in districts where Latinos make up at least 10 percent of eligible voters. In 12 of those districts, Latinos make up at least 20 percent of eligible voters, according to Pew. Latino voters could play a major role in the Senate and governors races in Florida and Nevada, the governors races in Colorado, Connecticut and New Mexico, and the Senate races in New Jersey, Arizona and Texas.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch said they would have granted the Trump administrations request to delay the trial. It is unclear how the other six voted  including new Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh  because justices are not required to publish their votes in such procedures. But at least five of the six were unwilling to block the trial.
Weve been confident throughout this case that we would get to trial, and I believe we will get to trial, Julia Olson, the attorney for the youths and executive director of Our Childrens Trust, said in an interview with The Washington Post on Friday evening. We have overcome everything the government has thrown at us. It is not luck. It is the strength of the case and the strength of the evidence and the strength of the legal arguments we are making.
The judge found that, the Presidents ownership interest in the Trump International Hotel and his apparent receipt of benefits from at least some foreign and state governments, as well as from the Federal Government itself, suggest that he has received emoluments in violation of the Constitution.
Morrisey has used his alliance with Trump as a major selling point to voters as he works to oust Manchin. But the Democrats long history of getting elected statewide  he is a former governor who has served in the Senate since 2010  and his record of supporting Trump on key issues, such as the environment and his Supreme Court picks, have complicated their task.
On Thursday, Trump ratcheted up the anti-immigrant rhetoric that has been the centerpiece of his midterm push by portraying a slow-moving migrant caravan, consisting mostly of families traveling on foot through Mexico, as a dangerous invasion and suggesting that if any migrants throw rocks they could be shot by the troops that he has deployed at the border. The president also vowed to take action next week to construct massive tent cities aimed at holding migrants indefinitely and making it more difficult for them to remain in the country.
Either approach necessitates first doing an ADU feasibility analysis. Three basic questions must be posed and answered by the homeowner. Does the property have sufficient space, access from a street or alley, and available utility access and capacity to build an ADU in compliance with zoning regulations and building codes? What will be the probable total cost and therefore the necessary financial investment for creating a backyard ADU? And will available financial resources, including projected ADU rental income, cover all building costs, additional mortgage servicing costs and increased costs for utilities, insurance and taxes.
With no end in sight in the increasingly rancorous trade war, Xi has been emphasizing the need for China to be able to stand on its own two feet, especially when it comes to the kinds of technologies it needs to propel its economy forward.
The news also brought a fresh outbreak of demonstrations on the darkened streets of Islamabad, where protests against the acquittal of Asia Bibi by the high court had erupted for the third day in a row, as they have in other cities. The protesters view the court decision as an insult to Islam and the prophet Muhammad, and they have called for Bibi to be put to death.
One of the posts read: We shall rid the Jews who are a cancer on us all. Other alleged examples of anti-Semitic speech in the dossier were the use of slurs, including calling someone a Jew boy and another a Zionist Extremist.
On Friday evening, Egypts Islamic State affiliate, which has vowed to target the nations minority Coptic Christians, claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq news service. It was the first attack claimed by the militant group this year outside northern Sinai, where it is fighting Egyptian security forces. In a statement, the militants claimed that they had killed 13 and wounded 18, and that the attack was in response to the jailing of females they claim to be their supporters by the Egyptian government.
Red Sox win the World Series, migrant caravan continues its trek to the U.S. border, mourning victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and more images from around the world.

Oct. 31, 2018 A zoo keeper catches a pelican to move it to its winter enclosure at the zoo in Dvur Kralove, Czech Republic. Martin Divisek/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Trapped between the warring parties are millions of Yemenis grappling with what the United Nations describes as the worlds most severe humanitarian crisis. This month, the United Nations declared that as many as 14 million Yemenis  nearly half the population  are on the brink of famine. More than 3 million have fled their homes, and a cholera epidemic is raging.
Seizing on immigration as his main campaign theme ahead of Tuesdays midterm elections, Trump has depicted the caravans  at least four have formed, though they remain hundreds of miles away  as a grave danger to U.S. national security, claiming they are composed of unknown Middle Easterners, hardened criminals and very tough fighters. He also insists the number of migrants heading north is much larger than estimates put forward by U.S. and Mexican governmentofficials.
In addition to the possible DNA match, the FBI has said it connected Sayoc to the devices, none of which exploded, via fingerprints. Prosecutors said in a court filing that Sayoc had run Internet searches on potential targets as far back as July. Authorities said they recovered a list of people Sayoc apparently contemplated targeting with bombs that totaled more than 100 people and, in recent days, have been notifying those who are on it.
Iran is expected to resort to subterfuge to keep its economy going. Some of its oil tankers already have turned off the electronic identity tags that keep track of where they are heading. The Europeans are establishing a special system that will essentially allow trade to continue with Iran through a form of barter, though they have had trouble getting a country to agree to host the exchange and risk U.S. sanctions.
Erdogans comments, which coincided with the one-month mark since Khashoggis killing in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, were his most direct attack yet on the Saudi government and its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. As other Middle Eastern states, including Israel, have come to Saudi Arabias defense in recent weeks, Turkey has relentlessly demanded answers from the Saudi government. In the face of those demands, Riyadh has offered shifting accounts of how Khashoggi was killed.
Traveling in groups is perceived as safer and cheaper for migrants, who often pay $7,000 to $10,000 to smugglers called coyotes to avoid the dangers of crossing Mexico. Migrants do not pay to join a caravan, and many travel without much cash, to avoid being robbed. Rather than carry many provisions, members of the caravan often rely on the generosity of people along the way to feed them.
Many analysts were skeptical that anything fundamental had changed in the U.S.-China standoff. There has been no indication, for instance, that Xi is willing to abandon the Made in China 2025 program of state subsidies aimed at securing Chinese dominance in advanced technology industries. China will host an import fair in Shanghai next week that Xi said will demonstrate Beijings commitment to increase imports and expand openness, according to the Chinese readout.
The nations first comprehensive buildings census reveals that Victoria trumps NSW for having the tallest and biggest structures, with Queensland also eclipsing NSW on both top ten lists.

The geospatial survey compiled by the government-owned PSMA also shows that Australians love their buildings generally, as well as swimming pools and solar panels.

Nationally the survey reveals 15.243 million structures with a roof area of more than nine square metres, or 1.6 for every Australian.

Eureka Tower pips Sydney's Centrepoint Tower. Credit:Will Willitts

In whats bound to inflame ancient Sydney-Melbourne rivalries, the survey shows that Melbourne boasts the tallest building  the Eureka Tower  and also the biggest (Melbourne Airport, with a roof area of 187, 489 square metres).
A man once investigated over the murder of Corryn Rayney has been sentenced over a string of charges including the vicious bashing of a woman but could walk free next month despite being at high risk of reoffending.

Allon Lacco was once questioned over the murder of Corryn Rayney.

He was sentenced to 20 months jail, but with parole, and time already served, Allon Mitchell Lacco could be out of jail next month.

Lacco faced the Perth Magistrates Court on Friday morning on eight charges including one count of common assault in circumstances of aggravation and one count of unlawful assault causing bodily harm.

The court heard Lacco inflicted 12 blows on a woman at a house in Bassendean in September 2015.
An ABC journalist has been suspended and is the subject of a two-month investigation following a direct complaint by Malcolm Turnbull's son to former chairman Justin Milne.

Peter Lloyd, a senior correspondent in the broadcaster's radio current affairs division, is accused of leaking un-aired portions of an interview between high-profile presenter Emma Alberici and Alex Turnbull in August.

ABC reporter Peter Lloyd has been suspended pending an investigation.

The ABC told Senate estimates last week no formal complaint had been made, and on Wednesday said Mr Milne never raised the issue with ABC management.

But Fairfax Media can reveal Alex Turnbull telephoned Mr Milne shortly after the leaked comments were published by the Australian Financial Review, and demanded answers.
To that end, Nadjib says Australia should pursue a foreign policy more independent of the US and "become more part of Asia". That's a polite way of suggesting Australia should not move its embassy to Jerusalem, nor recognise the city as Israel's capital. Privately, allies of Turnbull say he is dismayed by his successor's byelection-eve embassy proposal, fearing it could risk the friendship and trade deal between the two nations, and hopeful the newish government in Canberra backs down. Then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in November 2015. The two men invested considerable political effort in the trade deal between their countries. Credit:AP The Australian government had already examined the possibility of moving the embassy to Jerusalem months ago, following Trump's move, with cabinet's National Security Committee informally considering - and dismissing - the idea.

The former PM struck up a close relationship with Jokowi and the pair were due to sign the long-delayed Indonesia-Australia free trade deal at the Oceans Conference this week. While the signing didn't take place, Turnbull said publicly he believed there was no reason the agreement wouldn't be signed in the next few weeks. Loading Senior ministers in the Morrison government have told Fairfax Media that the concern over the embassy proposal is primarily coming from the Australian side and that their Indonesian counterparts have not raised the issue with them in private meetings. In Jakarta, however, it's a little more complicated than that.

When Trump announced the US embassy would move, it sparked protests on the streets of the Indonesian capital. That hasn't happened yet following Morrison's announcement of a review, but if Australia presses ahead and implements the move, such protests are possible. The Palestinian flag (seen here top right) is a common sight at mass protests in Jakarta. Credit:Dewi Nurcahyani For Indonesians, the rights of the Palestinians are a very sensitive issue. The constitution of Indonesia, promulgated in 1945, states clearly that independence is the right of all nations and that colonialism must be abolished.

It's through that prism - Israel as colonisers, and the Palestinians as people who have a right to a homeland - that the issue is understood by many Indonesians. Publicly, the Indonesian government has been critical of the proposal. Privately, hard heads in Kemlu, Indonesia's foreign ministry, say they understand the announcement was made for domestic political reasons. "We understand it was about Wentworth. But we have asked the Australians not to follow through on this," says one seasoned observer. In Jakarta, officials understand that Scott Morrison's Jerusalem proposal was floated in the context of a key byelection. But they are watching for the next move. Credit:AAP Turnbull's assessment of the potential damage to the bilateral relationship if the embassy move goes ahead is accurate.

At this stage, the free trade agreement is not at risk of not being signed, but ratification of the document by Indonesia's parliament could be delayed if the embassy move goes ahead. And as the April 2019 Indonesian elections approach, the opposition parties - led by presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, an ardent nationalist who has thus far refused to buy into the dispute - could change course and use the issue to criticise Jokowi for doing the trade deal with Australia. If that happens, and protests begin from hardline pro-Palestinian groups in Indonesia, the heat will be on Jokowi to delay or even drop the free trade deal. Joko Widodo will want to avoid negative publicity as he confronts presidential rival Prabowo Subianto (pictured). Credit:AP In a choice between backing the Palestinian cause and securing re-election, or backing the free trade deal, Australia will lose out.

Evi Fitriani, an international relations academic at the University of Indonesia, is in no doubt that moving the embassy would affect bilateral relations and potentially delay the free trade deal. "I think it can affect IA-CEPA [the trade deal]. Because in so many occasions Australia always says that both of us share the same values on many things, including human rights. In fact, if Australia considers moving its embassy to Jerusalem it is not in accordance with sharing the same values because Israel is so not pro-human rights in its action towards Palestine," she says. "This issue is quite sensitive here in Indonesia now because the president is facing an election year. His opponents could exploit the situation if the government does not react properly to this issue. An injured Palestinian youth receives treatment in a field clinic after being shot by Israeli troops during a protest in the Gaza Strip in July. Credit:AP "I dont think it will go as far as cutting off diplomatic ties, but it could somehow push the signing of IA-CEPA until after the presidential election."

At the Singapore-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, research fellow Aaron Connelly says that at this stage it appears the Morrison proposal does not appear to have been "as damaging as some in Canberra have initially suggested, and feared. But keep in mind, the political context can change." He says that much will hinge on whether the move actually goes ahead and whether Prabowo, or more likely his political allies, decide to use the issue to wedge Jokowi as the election draws closer. "Indonesian officials and leaders read the newspapers, and they understand the domestic political context in which [the proposal] was made. They understand that no decision has yet been taken," he says. "Many elites were annoyed by the timing [Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki was in Jakarta when Canberra announced the review], but they dont want to damage the relationship with Canberra over it. "The politics of this issue in Indonesia are unpredictable, and could shift rapidly. A decision to go ahead with moving the embassy to Jerusalem during the Indonesian presidential campaign risks taking control of the politics of the issue away from the elites and putting it into the volatile cauldron of Indonesian electoral politics. It is hard to anticipate how that will affect the relationship."
Jakarta: The pilot of a Lion Air flight from Indonesia's Bali island made an alert call minutes after take-off due to technical problems, but they were overcome and he pushed on to Jakarta.

The same jet crashed on another flight hours later, killing all 189 people on board.

Herson, chief of the airport authority for the Bali-Nusa Tenggara area, told Reuters that after the call on Sunday the pilot updated the control tower to say that the plane was flying normally and he would not return to the airport as requested.

"The captain himself was confident enough to fly to Jakarta from Denpasar," said Herson, who goes by one name, speaking by phone from Bali.
London: A Japan Airlines co-pilot arrested after failing a breath test shortly before a London to Tokyo flight has pleaded guilty to being almost 10 times over the legal limit for alcohol.

London's Metropolitan Police force say Katsutoshi Jitsukawa appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates Court in west London on Thursday and admitted to exceeding the alcohol limit.

The airline said the co-pilot was arrested on Sunday at Heathrow Airport for violating British aviation law.

Pilot Katsutoshi Jitsukawa admitted to exceeding the alcohol limit.

The driver of a crew bus at Heathrow smelled alcohol on Jitsukawa and reported it to police, Japan's NHK public television said.
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Trump: "I fully -" VandeHei: "You don't think we're the 'enemy of the people,' do you?" Trump: "I don't. I don't. But if you gave me false reports, I would say that's not a good thing for our country." VandeHei: "But don't you worry at all? You are like the most powerful man in the world. And if you say that word, 'enemy, enemy, enemy' - literally tens of thousands of people go into a stadium to listen to you. And then people go on social media and get themselves so jazzed up. There's gotta be a part of you that's like, 'damn, I'm scared that someone is going to take it too far.'" Trump: "Jim, it's my only form of fighting back. I couldn't be here if I did that."

Loading VandeHei: "You won! You have the presidency!" Trump: "No, no, no. But I did this before I won." In the video, when Trump is asked by a visibly worried fellow human being to display awareness of the dangerous impact his own actions and rhetoric have on others - when he is asked to show a conscience about this - Trump visibly chafes. He can only process and respond to the question by flipping into a mode in which all that matters is how his conduct makes his supporters like him more and about how it is absolutely justified as a response to the way he is treated. The impact that Trump's wielding of the power and megaphone of the presidency is having on others - and on the country he leads - is, for Trump, simply not worth addressing for a passing second. Perhaps he is incapable of addressing it. Trump responds thusly not once, not twice, but three times.

Perhaps you think this merely represents Trump digging in and refusing to cave to a reporter, because (as he put it) this makes his supporters "like me more". But this would not be mitigating in the least. Loading We already know Trump's rhetoric is driving people toward violence Here's why: We already have direct confirmation that Trump's "enemy of the people" rhetoric may, in fact, be inspiring real people to actively consider murdering reporters. A few weeks ago, Robert D. Chain was arrested for allegedly threatening to murder journalists at the Boston Globe - while mimicking Trump's language. According to FBI documents., Chain allegedly snarled into one employee's voicemail: "You're the enemy of the people, and we're going to kill every [expletive] one of you."

Trump has kept on repeating this very same "enemy of the people" language after that happened. This is the context for understanding Trump's new comments to Axios: Trump has seen actual evidence that people appear to be contemplating acting on his rhetoric with murderous intent. Yet he defends it on the grounds that it is a justifiable response to aggressive media scrutiny of him and his administration - which is what the press is supposed to be doing - and even confirms he keeps this up anyway because it tightens his bond with his supporters. If this is true, which it appears to be, what does that say about his supporters? Loading Trump keeps feeding conspiracy theories after they incite violent behaviour and murder Before departing on a final campaign swing on Wednesday afternoon, Trump was asked by reporters whether he stands by the suggestion that the "caravan" of migrants moving through Mexico is orchestrated. Trump fed the conspiracy theory that George Soros is behind it:

Question: "Do you think somebody is funding the caravan? Do you think somebody is paying for the caravan?" Trump: "I wouldn't be surprised. I wouldn't be surprised." Question: "George Soros? Who's paying for it?" Trump: "I don't know who. But I wouldn't be surprised. A lot of people say yes." The man who allegedly gunned down 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue did so after unleashing deranged rants to the effect that Jews "bring in invaders" - that is, refugees - who "kill our people". This is a standard white nationalist trope, which imagines a conspiracy in which "globalists" (read: Jews) are engineering a demographic invasion of the United States, to racially infect and undermine the "real" American people. Trump himself has used the "globalists" language while hatemongering about the Central American migrants and casting them as a national emergency in veiled white nationalist terms.

Loading Recently, a man with a van covered in pro-Trump stickers allegedly tried to murder Soros with a pipe bomb mailed to his home, along with the homes of many prominent Democrats. Now Trump is again feeding the Soros-is-orchestrating-the-migrants conspiracy theory. Multiple Republicans continue to do the same. Chain, the man who allegedly threatened to murder journalists, didn't merely agree with Trump that they are the "enemy". He also trafficked in a Trumpian conspiracy theory. He allegedly told a newsroom employee: "Why don't you call Mueller, maybe he can help you out." In this, Chain indulged the theory that Mueller is conspiring with the media against Trump. After the news broke about this, Trump strode forth at a rally and repeated a version of this very same conspiracy theory. Trump knows exactly what he's doing. It isn't just that he is actively, concertedly, and deliberately inciting civil conflict on as many fronts as possible. Nor is it just that he does this precisely because (as he again confirmed to Axios) that he believes his supporters thrill to it, the damage to the country be damned, as independent reporting has verified again and again.
BRIDGEPORT  Six bullets were removed from the 28-year-old man who was hit Wednesday when gunfire erupted on the citys West End and took the life of a 41-year-old woman.

Hes a very, very lucky man, Police Chief Armando Perez said Friday. They took six bullets out of him. He lost a kidney, his spleen, a piece of his liver. He was shot through the scalp.
WESTPORT  The partisan divide characteristic of todays political climate was on view Monday in front of a packed crowd at Westports League of Women Voters candidate debate.

The closely watched race between incumbent Republican Senator Toni Boucher and her upstart Democratic challenger Will Haskell especially showed the divergent worldview between the two parties.

Our businesses tell me it has become structurally unaffordable to grow their businesses here, Boucher said at the debate, arguing high taxes and anti-business legislation have forced companies, such as General Electric, to leave the state and 26th District, which includes parts of Westport, Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, and Wilton.

Haskell disagreed. I dont think taxes play as large a role as she does, Haskell said, contending instead that GE left because of Connecticuts lack of a young, diverse, and tech-savvy workforce and the states crumbling infrastructure that makes it difficult for employees to get to work.

The pairs opposing economic philosophies clashed again when the debate moderator read Haskell the question Boucher submitted for him to answer.

Connecticuts job market is one of the worst in the country and the state has yet to recover the jobs lost in the great recession of 2008, moderator Carol Reimers read from Bouchers question, which asked how a $15 minimum wage would help improve the states economy.

Crippling inequality in this state drags us back, and its time to enable more consumers and more employees to become contributing members of society, Haskell said, endorsing a $15 minimum wage.

In the race for the 28th Senate District to represent Fairfield and parts of Westport, Democratic challenger Michelle McCabe differed in views from incumbent Republican Tony Hwang, notably when it came to the question of gun regulation.

I have been a strong supporter of gun control in our community and I think that issue has been so emotional that I would hope people look at the facts and not simply lead to the emotion. Emotion is what will divide us. We need to be united in addressing this very important issue of public safety, but we need to look at the facts and represent the will of the people, Hwang said.

McCabe criticized Hwang for voting to lift the ban on concealed weapons in state parks and said if elected, she will vote to give police the power to ask people whether they have a gun permit and will fight tooth and nail for increased gun regulation.

The race to represent Westport in the 136th State House District pits Democratic experience in the form of lifelong Westporter and four-term state representative Jonathan Steinberg versus an insurgent Republican, Greg Kraut, who moved to town in 2016 and was elected to Westports Representative Town Meeting last year.

I learned early on in business that time doesnt always equal effectiveness, Kraut, a real estate developer, said, adding his plan to lower taxes and government spending will help reverse the trend in Connecticut of decreased home values, the departure of major businesses, and longer train commutes to New York City.

Steinberg said Kraut has missed almost half of the Representative Town Committee finance subcommittee meetings in the 11 months since Kraut was elected. According to documents provided by the office of the Westport Town Clerk, Kraut has missed four out of the 11 finance subcommittee meetings since December and has missed no meetings of the full RTM.

Steinberg also touted his own record in Hartford.

Ive developed relationships across the aisle. I have assumed leadership positions that are growing period to period that put me in a position to help Westport and help the state, said Steinberg, who heads the house Pension Sustainability Commission and Moderates Caucus.

Republican Gail Lavielle represents parts of Westport, Norwalk, and Wilton in the 143rd District and while she and her Democratic opponent Stephanie Thomas shared a collegial demeanor, their differences were apparent, particularly on social policies, such as affordable housing.

In the cities there is quite a lot of affordable housing, and in Norwalk, which is very close to us and I represent part of it, there is so much affordable housing that they cant fill all of it, Lavielle said, adding the states affordable housing law 8-30g has good intentions but bad consequences for communities who want a say in the character and location of affordable housing in their town.

I think 8-30g is overstepping a bit, but we cant be naive, these laws came into effect because of classism and racism, so we have to straddle that fine line between not in my backyard and making sure affordable housing is in keeping with the character of the town, Thomas said of her stance on affordable housing.

In a section of rapid-fire questions in which debaters were asked to hold up a Yes or No placard, the candidates fell along party lines on the question of whether they would support tolls and the legalization of recreational marijuana, with the Democrats holding a Yes for each and the Republicans a No.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Greg Kraut missed almost half of his Westport Representative Town Meeting subcommittee meetings over the past year. According to documents provided by the office of the Westport Town Clerk, Kraut has missed four out of the 11 Representative Town Committee finance subcommittee meetings since December and has missed no meetings of the full RTM.

svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2639; @SophieCVaughan1
WESTPORT  Its said your friends say a lot about who you are. Perhaps the same is true with the supporters of political candidates.

In this last week before the elections, the Westport News interviewed a strong supporter of each of the candidates in the two major political races that have captivated Westports attention this year.

In the race for the 26th District state Senate seat, Republican incumbent Toni Boucher is said to be dedicated to helping her constituents with personal problems while a fan of her opponent, Democratic upstart candidate Will Haskell, said he has the fresh perspective and dedication to gun regulation and transportation infrastructure investment needed in Hartford.

Four-term Democrat Jonathan Steinberg understands Westports values, and by extension the 136rd House District, his ally said. A fan of Steinbergs opponent, Republican insurgent Greg Kraut, said Kraut has the ideas to rectify the states fiscal crisis.

John McKinney

for Toni Boucher

A former Republican member of the Connecticut Senate representing Fairfield and parts of Newtown and Westport, John McKinney said hes seen Sen. Toni Bouchers hard work on behalf of her constituents.

Ive never known anyone to work harder and with more energy than she has, McKinney, 54, said, adding, What doesnt get a lot of focus thats incredibly important to people is the work you do in your town helping people out, in situations such as senior struggling to gain access to state services.

Those kind of everyday things can help peoples lives and no one works harder at that than Toni, McKinney said.

Constituent services aside, Boucher works to improve the states economy by securing good paying jobs, a strong education system, and transportation infrastructure that works for businesses, McKinney said.

Theres a lot that goes into a strong economy and Tonis experience in the state legislature and in the real world running her own business makes here well-suited to represent Westport, McKinney said, adding Boucher is unafraid to vote against the Republican Party if she believes shes doing whats right for her constituents.

Lee Race for Will Haskell

Lee Race had an aha moment while listening to Will Haskell speak at a neighbors home in April.

When he talked about whats at stake in the election and everything thats happened not only in Connecticut, but around the country, I saw everything clearly, Race, 54, said.

Race, a PR professional who moved to Westport with her family in 2016 after living in London and Manhattan, said Haskells solutions for transportation and gun reform inspired her. Although she has always leaned Democrat, Race was never politically active before volunteering for Haskells campaign with her daughter Kylie Race, a Staples High School sophomore.

I think the solutions our state needs require someone from outside the political machine. If the people whove been there for 20 years were going to drive change, they would have, Race said. When you have a young person with so many options in front of them and they choose to do this, it counts for a lot.

Because Haskell is a digital native, he has a fresh perspective, especially on the issue of tolls, Race said. Its so straightforward to someone like him. The technology is available so you should have tolls and those funds should go toward improving roads and commuting infrastructure, which would make Connecticut a great place to live, Race said.

As a parent, Race said the normalization of lockdown drills feels like a failure of adults, and people like Haskell and her daughter are both aware of the ways politicians are letting kids down and poised to make a change.

He just has great views. I think people find him really persuasive and authentic, Race said.

Jimmy Izzo

for Greg Kraut

After 27 years in business, Jimmy Izzos Main Street store, Crossroads Ace Hardware, closed in May. Izzo, a native Westporter and member of the Representative Town Meeting, credits Crossroads decline to Amazon, taxes and failing local retail. Greg Kraut has the outsider perspective and dedication to Westports financial interests needed to reverse towns falling real estate prices and economy, Izzo, 53, said.

I think Greg would come in with some innovative ideas and put Westport first and foremost. He has no allegiance to any of the Hartford insiders and I think thats a good thing when it comes to key financial votes, Izzo said.

Krauts plan to do away with the estate tax will help mitigate the flight of Westports elder population to Florida, Izzo said, noting the outflux results in less spending at local stores and sales tax revenue.

Most important to Izzo is that Kraut promises to vote with the financial interests of Westport, unlike incumbent Jonathan Steinberg, who voted to extend the state workers pension agreement, Izzo said. These are unsustainable, unrealistic benefits that were giving away, and the cost will be shouldered by taxpayers, Izzo said.

Westporters pay high taxes to Hartford and get nothing back, but Kraut will fight to bring more state funding to town, Izzo said.

We need to get value for our dollar and I think at the end of the day a change would be fantastic, Izzo said.

Darcy Hicks

for Jonathan Steinberg

Darcy Hicks grew up in Westport and has raised her own family in town just like incumbent Rep. Jonathan Steinberg. Hicks said Steinberg understands and fights for Westports values in Hartford.

The fact that he grew up here and knows the fabric of Westport and what makes us different than other suburban Metro North suburbs is so valuable to our town, Hicks, 52, said.

Through his mother, an artist and writer, Steinberg learned the importance of Westports artist community, both to the economy and continuing attractiveness of Westport, Hicks, an artist herself, said.

Not only does Steinberg stand up for womens rights, gun reform, environmental protection, and health coverage, but he also votes in Westports best interest, even if doing so requires breaking party lines, Hicks said.

Steinberg voted with a small group of House Democrats against Gov. Dannel P. Malloys proposed tax increase in 2011 and the 2015 budget deal, that also proposed a tax hike, in order to prevent more taxes for Westpo rters, Hicks said.

Listening to constituents is Steinbergs strength, Hicks said, noting she once had a long conversation with Steinberg about pervasive standardized testing in schools and he changed his position to accommodate concerns of teachers like her, Hicks said.

He really spends time with people and that creates a reputation of a man who has integrity and who people are willing to work with, which is what we need right now, Hicks said.

svaughan

@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1
To the editor :

With all the challenges that Connecticut is facing, Wilton needs Gail Lavielle to continue to represent us in Hartford.

Gail has been a strong voice in the Legislature for fiscal discipline so that our tax dollars are being well spent and has focused on getting our state budgets back in balance. She has also championed education and worked hard to ensure that Wilton received its Educational Cost Sharing revenue promised but often cut back by the governor. With so much at stake, it is imperative that Wilton re-elect Gail, an experienced voice of reason in the State Assembly.

Jeffrey Rutishauser

Wilton

Vote to re-elect Toni Boucher

To the editor :

I have known Sen. Toni Boucher for many years. We first met at the National Conference on Aging in Washington, D.C., when I was comptroller general of the United States. I have come to know Toni much better since moving to Connecticut over eight years ago.

Toni is a person of boundless energy and considerable ability. She is fully committed to do what it takes to help our next governor turn around Connecticut and create a better future for all of us in the Constitution State. We need Toni now more than ever. Please vote to re-elect Senator Toni Boucher.

Hon. David M. Walker

Bridgeport

Support for Gail Lavielle in 143rd District

To the editor :

I support Gail Lavielle for re-election to the state House of Representatives in the 143rd District.

Gail is an independent thinker who considers every issue on its merits.

Rather than sticking to party ideology, she has stood up again and again for the things that matter to Westporters, while keeping a laser focus on resolving the states fiscal and economic issues.

Gail is a stickler for gun safety, having received a distinction from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. She has a forceful environmental record, having been endorsed by both the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club. As a ranking member of the Education Committee, she defended our schools against unfair adjustments to educational funds during the school year. Gail has been a leading spokesperson for 8-30g reform, and has championed Westport neighborhoods again and again, most recently on Lincoln Street.

She has no trouble combining these positions with her focus on turning the states economy around to keep Westports economy and property values strong. Having also served on both the Appropriations and Finance committees, she understands the importance of reducing taxes and spending, renegotiating the state employee union contracts, improving the business climate to attract new businesses, and making critical investments in transportation, education, and services for the needy.

Gail will always focus on her constituents priorities, because she respects them. She understands why Westport is so unique, and is working hard to keep it that way.

Karen Kleine

Westport

Vote for Greg Kraut

To the editor :

The one thing we do need in this state and Westport is a new set of eyes offering new solutions to the same old problems that have been in existence for years. The reason for this is that we have had the same state representative in office for the past eight years. I am at a loss to try and figure out what our current state representative, Jonathan Steinberg, has accomplished over the last eight years for the town of Westport.

Greg Kraut brings intellect, energy and new ideas to try and solve many issues that seem intractable. The time has come to vote in a new State Representative for our Town. We gave Jonathan Steinberg eight years to attempt to create change at the state level and for the town of Westport and thus far we have nothing to show for it.

A vote for Kraut is a vote for change.

Tom Bloch

Westport

Vote for Kraut, Lavielle, Boucher and Hwang

Any voter who focuses on events in Washington to make his or her decision on voting for the Connecticut Legislature is missing the most important outcome for those of us privileged to live in Westport. Our legislature has been dominated by Democrats, largely under the influence of labor unions, for the last 40 years. This one-party rule is largely responsible for the excessive state employee benefits that are bankrupting our state, as well as the 8-30g law that is destroying the culture of our town.

For the first time in many many years, there is an opportunity in the 2018 election to break this one party rule and bring some sanity to the Legislature in Hartford. To accomplish this, I urge Westporters to vote for Greg Kraut and Gail Lavielle for state representative and Toni Boucher and Tony Hwang for state Senate on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Pete Wolgast

Westport

Kraut will get things done

To the editor :

My family and I have lived in Westport for 7 years.

About a month ago, Greg Kraut knocked on my door to tell me why hes running for state representative and to ask for my support. Since then Ive learned a lot about the job, the candidates and the issues. Indeed, I co-moderated a debate between Greg and Jonathan Steinberg at Staples High School on Oct. 15.

Ill be voting for Greg because I think hes better equipped for the job and has better ideas for how to manage the important economic (and other) issues facing our town and our state. Best as I can tell, Mr. Steinberg speaks like a politician about all the things he supports but hasnt really accomplished much despite many years in office. I think we need someone whos actually going to get things done, not someone who just talks a good game. I think Greg will get things done.

I also think its important that we the voters focus on the candidates themselves and listen to what they say about what they stand for and what they have done and intend to do. Theres far too much unproductive political rhetoric and polarization in our world today. Lets try hard to move past that and elect someone who (to me anyway) appears 100 percent committed to doing the right thing and to not being beholden to party politics. My mother told me many times all things in moderation. She was right. I think Greg Kraut can help get us back to the middle  to a place of moderation, common sense, civil human communication and productive action. That would be a very good thing for Westport.

John Goldman

Westport

Join me in voting for Kraut

To the editor :

Greg Kraut represents a breath of fresh air in the political arena. He is a passionate advocate for much needed reform in Connecticut.

Our property values in Westport depend on fundamental changes in Hartford. Greg has a well-thought-out economic plan to advocate for on our behalf.

If elected as our state representative, Greg can help bring a bright future to our state, reversing the past eight years of fiscal irresponsibility that has depressed our property values.

Greg is tireless in his pursuit to achieve change and to represent us in our state capital. Please join me in voting for Greg Kraut.

Avi Kaner

Westport

Liberal mom supports Kraut

I support Greg Kraut. Im a working mom, a strong liberal and a Westport resident with a deep passion for our state.

Kraut cares about womens rights, all of them. Not limiting to the smallness of one topic, but an advocate of women. He cares about the environment  from our (unfortunately, very littered) community to our childrens future world. He lives and breathes the corrupt and bankrupt infrastructure that is in place and has a plan to fix it. He is honest and is, what I believe, the fresh air we need to fix a long overdue fiscal crisis.

I believe in him, and I never thought I would ever cross a party line, but this  he  is worth it. He isnt just saying these things  hes on his bike, in the community and genuinely caring. Im just one liberal mom and I support Kraut for (overdue) change.

Collette Winn

Westport

Country needs more politicians like Greg Kraut

To the editor :

I am writing to you as a constituent, neighbor, and friend of Greg Kraut, to endorse his bid for Connecticut state representative.

I have witnessed first-hand Gregs common sense solutions to seemingly unsolvable longstanding problems. My neighborhood abuts the town transfer station, Greg was the first elected official that worked with the management of the transfer station to establish operating compromises that respected both the homeowners and the priorities of the business. While Greg is running on the Republican ticket, he is a candidate that truly reaches across the aisle to work on behalf of all his constituents.

His endorsement by the Independent Party is a testament to his work on the issues that matter, not falling in-line along party platforms. In this day of divisive politics Westport, Connecticut, and this country of ours needs more politicians like Greg Kraut. Greg wants to grow the local economy, improve the Metro-North commuting to NYC, and keep investing in our schools. I hope you will join me in voting to send Greg to Hartford to advocate on our behalf.

Glenn Gans

Westport

Kraut would represent Westport well

To the editor :

Having served Westport on the Representative Town Meeting for 10 years, having ties to the town dating back close to 50 years, and having raised two children in Westport, I write as a Florida resident who still has ties to Westport, still has friends here, and still spends time in the town. Westport will always be special to my family and me, and I will always care about what happens to both Westport and to Connecticut. That is why I am hoping you will support Greg Kraut for State Representative this coming Nov. 6.

Greg Kraut would represent Westport well. He offers a fiscally thoughtful and experienced approach to the problems facing Connecticut  problems that impact Westport, too. The policies he would support are a break from the legislative majoritys unsuccessful policies which have made CT the state with the lowest growth rate across all 50 states. Greg presents Westport voters with the opportunity to choose a candidate who proposes a different course of action from the failures of past fiscal habits. Those fiscal habits have clearly diluted the quality of Westporters transportation services, the quality of their childrens education, and the value of their homes (financial security for the future of their families), and they will continue to do so unless drastically changed. Connecticut desperately needs a new approach to its spiraling problems. and Greg Kraut can work on Westports behalf towards a positive change in that direction.

For these reasons, I urge you to support Greg Kraut on Nov. 6.

Judy Starr

Isla Morada, Fla.

Formerly Westport

Kraut is right for the job

To the editor :

As the final days of the 2018 election heats up, I wish I could sit down and have a heart-to-heart with each and every Westport resident and explain why I believe Greg Kraut is the right person for the job as our state rep.

I wouldnt dwell on the issues. His platform speaks for itself (visit his website www.gregkraut.com). His ideas are wise, logical, and well thought out. Mostly I would talk about his sensibility. I would tell my fellow residents about the kind of guy Greg is. He is a curious and open thinker who truly cares about the town he loves. I remember meeting him over my stonewall as I was training my new puppy. We got into a highly spirited and independent political conversation, based on principal values and sensible solutions and found him to be a refreshing change for the town that has been home to our family for 30 years.

Greg is a person who stands up for what is right and good. He has single handedly dug deep into Westports good and bad, championing the positive and battling the negative. Greg is a grounded thinker who will rise above the partisan bickering and finger-pointing, prioritize education, keep tight control on taxes to assure that Westport remains attractive to local businesses and familys alike and help nurture a compassionate and open-minded conversation and culture in Hartford.

Many people feel uncomfortable by all the ugly vitriol coming out of Washington and are looking for someone who is plain-spoken and not beholden to special interests politics. This November, for a change, lets vote for the person and not the party. Lets elect Greg Kraut, as our independent thinking voice.

Linda Miller

Westport

Asian-American community supports Kraut

To the editor :

The Asian-American community at Westport held a campaign rally for Greg Kraut on Sunday at Saugutuck River bridge. Greg Kraut is a Westport RTM Member and state representative candidate (R-136). He is running against the democrat incumbent Rep. Jonathan Steinberg.

Asian-Americans held such signs as Asian American for Kraut, Support Kraut No Profiling of American Children, No Jonathan Steinberg, No Racial Profiling, etc. During the past legislative year, Rep. Jonathan Steinberg became too comfortable with the Hartford political swamp. He turned deaf ears to the strong voice from Connecticut Asian-American community. Such voice calls for not treating Connecticut residents differently based on their skin color and ethnics background. He promoted and supported a legislative bill that only targets specifically at Asian-American community and requires all Asian-American in Connecticut to register their ancestral nation of origin or ethnic background.

Greg Kraut is the right choice for Asian-American community in Connecticut, especially for representing Asian-American community in Westport. He stated very clearly, As somebody that is very aware of registry profiling in our country over the last 100 years and the dangers that are associated with it, I oppose any such attempts by the government to further discriminate against any group of people.

I urge all Democrat and Republican legislators in Connecticut to pass legislation to protect our Asian Community from Identity Politics. No racial profiling, ethnic registry or division targeting Asian-Americans or any Americans over all, Kraut also said.

One of the apparent purposes of the Asian Registry initiative nationwide, largely sponsored by the Democratic Party, is to artificially limit the education opportunities for students from certain Asian-American groups, because they either work too hard or over-achieve. This is unfair and un-American. All ethnicities should be treated equally in this country. This issue is not just an Asian-American issue, as it is part of the identity politics obsessed by some political party. It is an American issue.

More than half century ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream about the America that an Americans would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. This is our Asian-American dream, too.

Feng Zhang

Westport

Greg Kraut the right choice for Westport

To the editor :

Greg Kraut, a Westport RTM Member, is clearly the right choice for the next state representative for Assembly District 136.

Greg is a practical business person, and supports lowering tax, increasing tax base, limiting government spending, and fostering a pro-business environment. These are the changes needed for the state of Connecticut to recover from its current dismal financial situation.

Greg has been active in advocating for protecting our youth from potential harm of illegal drugs including marijuana. He has voiced his concern against the on-going trend of education socialism, which tends to obliviate the inspiration, motivation and a healthy meritocracy, essential for our students success both in and out of the campuses.

Jonathan Steinberg, the incumbent, has been part of the status quo for very long. Having controlled the state Legislature for almost 40 years, the Democratic Party has no excuse for not taking responsibility of the current financial situation of Connecticut; and as a state Representative for the past eight years, Steinberg certainly possesses his share in this collective responsibility. Steinberg also came across as someone overly comfortable with his current position, and stopped listening to peoples legit concerns, especially those concerns from an underrepresented group which does not form a large base of his constituents.

Greg Kraut, on the other hand, is very personable and approachable. He listens to people even if they are from a small group, and supports their cause if justified. This is the type of candidate we all should support.

Monty Du

Wilton

Business owner supports Steinberg

To the editor :

As the owner of a manufacturing company that has been based in Connecticut for almost 50 years, I am fully aware of the challenges facing Connecticut. That is why I am supporting Jonathan Steinberg for re-election as state representative in the 136th District. These are uncertain times  for our state, and for our country  a time when we need more than ever a serious candidate who has a deep understanding of the issues, who can set ego aside in order to make the tough and sometimes unpopular decisions, and a candidate who is committed to supporting our democratic values.

I have known Jonathan for over 20 years, and I know that at times he has been criticized for seeming as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and for perhaps getting too into the weeds when explaining issues. The truth is, he actually does hold the weight of us all on his shoulders  all Westporters, this state, and our democratic values  because he understands the importance of his role, especially during this critical time in our history. When there is an issue that impacts us, it impacts him. When there is a threat to our democratic values, he feels that threat personally. When you have an intellect like Jonathans it is not easy to break down an issue into sound bites, tweets, Facebook posts, or generalized promises. This is because he wants us to understand that these are not simple times, and there are no simple solutions.

For Jonathan, being a Westporter is truly in his DNA. Before becoming our state rep in 2010, Jonathan spent years volunteering for our town  he spent seven years on the RTM, was elected deputy moderator three times, chaired various RTM Committees, and served on numerous other town committees and commissions. He grew up here. He raised his amazing family here. He knows us. He is one of us. He is Westport.

He is a leader in the state Legislature  chairing the Public Health Committee, joining the Advanced Manufacturing Caucus, co-chairing the BioScience Caucus, and chairing the Pension Sustainability Commission. His legislative accomplishments are numerous, and he has proven that we can count on him to reach across the aisle when necessary and do whats best for the state. We can count on him to promote pay equity. We can count on him to care for our environment. We can count on him to deal with this states opioid addiction issue. We can count on Jonathan to unequivocally fight for common sense gun control. We can count on him to protect a womans access to health care and protect coverage of pre-existing conditions, and we can count on him to work to bring new jobs to Connecticut.

What has always struck me about Jonathan is his willingness to show up for whoever needs him, the absolute respect he has from his colleagues in the state House, his collaborative approach to problem solving, his focus on substance over sound bites, and his gratitude for the position he has held for four terms.

I am proud to count Jonathan among my friends, and equally proud to support him in his bid for re-election. He is a man who deserves our support and our vote on November 6th.

Lauren H. Soloff

Westport

Vote for Michelle McCabe for senator for the 28th District

To the editor :

As a member of the board of directors of the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, I have watched Michelle as director of the Food Equity and Economic Development Center of the CCGB bring her inexhaustible energy, intelligence and knowledge to bear on the operation of the CCGB food pantries in the greater Bridgeport area. She will devote that energy and resourcefulness to her role as our state senator from the 128th district.

Michelle will advocate for changes on a deep level, addressing root causes, not surface side effects. She is not obligated to special interests that would seek to influence her votes for their interests and not for our interests. Our state Senate and citizens of Connecticut need a hard worker like Michelle who does a lot more than smile for the camera. We need Michelle to get things done for us in Hartford.

Please join me in voting for Michelle McCabe on Nov. 6. Its a vote for committed and pro-active governance in Hartford.

Grove W. Stoddard

Fairfield

In support of Gail Lavielle for re-election

To the editor :

Wilton has been well-served by our senior state representative and long-time resident Gail Lavielle for eight years. She has provided unrivaled accessibility, leadership and is intensely focused on fiscal responsibility and accountability in creating a sustainable budget for our state.

Gail provides frequent updates to local governing boards on legislative and executive activities in Hartford helping local officials better serve their communities. She not only has a deep understanding of the needs of Wilton and the rest of the 143rd District, but importantly, is committed to knowledge sharing both to and from her constituents.

Gail has the seniority and know-how to effect changes in Hartford. As a ranking member on a number of important committees including Education, Finance and Bonding, and Transportation, she understands how to navigate the complex systems in Hartford. We need her experience to continue to effect important change.

Gail is focused on initiatives to grow the states tax base by retaining current businesses as well as attracting new ones. This can only be done by halting higher tax growth caused by unsustainable spending. She is committed to reforming Connecticuts government labor costs including controlling the DOTs excessively high construction costs, among the highest in the country on a per mile basis. Tolls and higher gas taxes are not the solution.

Gail Lavielle brings the experience, seniority, and accesibility to continue making a difference for our communities and our state. Regardless of your political party affiliation, I urge you to re-elect Gail Lavielle.

Walter Kress

Wilton

P&Z members endorse Kraut

To the editor :

We, as Westports three senior members of the P&Z Commission, endorse Greg Kraut for state rep in the 136th District.

Greg has proven to us that he has the best interest of all Westporters and is against predatory developers who consistently challenge Westport and our way of life. Our current state Rep. Jon Steinberg, has never once offered to work with us and the Westport land use commission for the good of our town. His efforts to amend 8-30g have been misdirected and misguided. Westport has led the way on affordable housing that is proper and respectful to those in need since the creation of Hales Court (newly renovated) for returning WWII veterans, Canal Park for seniors, and the rebuilt Sasco Creek housing. The point system imposed by the state 8-30g mandate excludes most of our affordable housing stock.

Our current state Rep. Steinberg, has consistently brought us unwanted state studies and plans that if implemented would lead to increased traffic and density in Saugatuck and all of Westport. Through all the studies undertaken, in the past eight years, we know is that Westporters want to keep our towns character, density and livability for all. We feel that our current state rep has been working against local control of land use in planning for our town and instead has promoted State mandates that by pass all our local land use regulations

Greg is committed to working with us in keeping the small-town character of Westport. He is committed to working with your local P&Z to amend 8-30g in such a way that it will benefit our community. Were impressed with his energy level and the connections he has made in our community. Please join us in supporting Greg Kraut as your new state rep in the 136th district.

Al Gratrix, Chip Stephens, Catherine Walsh

P&Z Commission members

Why Steinberg has my vote Nov. 6

To the editor :

Jonathan Steinberg has my vote because Jonathan is trustworthy. Jonathan Steinberg has my vote because he has a proven track record of being a champion of womens reproductive rights. Jonathan Steinberg has my vote because he has a proven track record of being a champion of the environment. Jonathan Steinberg has my vote because he has a proven track record of fiscal responsibility. Jonathan Steinberg has my vote because he has a proven track record of being a champion for gun sense safety laws. Jonathan Steinberg has my vote because he has been, and continues to be a dedicated public servant for Westport for over the last 16 years, including multiple years of experience working in Hartford. Jonathan Steinberg has my vote because he knows that progress is not instantaneous but requires consistent commitment and perserverence. Jonathan Steinberg has my vote because he wants the best for our current and future Westporters.

Jonathan Steinberg knows Westport. Jonathan Steinberg grew up in Westport. Jonathan Steinberg returned to Westport to raise his family.Jonathan Steinberg loves and wants the best for Westport.

I trust and I believe in all that Jonathan Steinberg is doing and needs to continue doing for Westport. These are the reasons why Jonathan Steinberg has my unwavering support and my vote on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Nicole Klein

Wesport RTM District 5

Time for grownups to run the state

To the editor :

The 143rd District is incredibly fortunate to have Gail Lavielle as their representative in the state House. As ranking member on the Education Committee and assistant minority leader, she assures our interests are well represented.

Gail has consistently voted against tax increases. She understands the importance of economic growth and reducing Hartfords out-of-control spending. Last year, Governor Malloy gave away the farm when he negotiated a labor agreement for our state workforce that guarantees these workers wages that are 25 to 46 percent higher than their private sector counterparts. These contracts must be restructured.

The Tax Foundation ranks Connecticut 47th in terms of business tax climate. Is it any wonder our businesses are leaving? General Electric, after much study, decided they would be better off in Massachusetts rather than keeping their headquarters in Fairfield. Imagine that  TAXachusetts was their better option.

What is the solution? Well in our district it is voting for strong fiscally conservatives like Gail Lavielle and Toni Boucher. Together, they want to reduce income taxes, streamline government expenses, reform state employee benefits and implement a dynamic economic development plan.

Make a difference with your vote on Nov. 6 (or vote by absentee ballot that are now available with our Town Clerk). It is now time for the grownups to run the state. Vote Lavielle!

Jonathan T. Woods

Wilton

Steinberg earned my vote

To the editor :

Im a registered Independent and a fiercely-independent voter. Heres why I plan to vote for Jonathan Steinberg for state Rep.

I weighed the candidates along three factors. 1) Their proposed approaches to solving the states fiscal situation; 2) Their policy views on transportation, gun control, and immigration; and 3) My assessment of how closely their values align with mine.

Connecticut faces grave problems, and the allure of wholesale change certainly temps me. Regrettably, I fear no simple and quick solutions exist. My wife and I spoke with Mr. Steinberg in our living room, and he convinced us that he understands the need for change but with a long-term view. His opponent promotes ideas that smell like the snake oil the country has been sold by our current president and will simply line the pockets of the wealthy at the expense of the long-term health of our state.

Mr. Steinberg has spent time on the transportation committee and seems keenly aware how the traffic problems and crumbling mass transit infrastructure degrade our quality of life. He also represents a pragmatic view that will help shape the next governors approach. His opponent does not mention transportation on his campaign site.

Both candidates claim support for continued increase in gun control measures. Im gravely concerned that the Republican candidate for governor wins the election and moves Connecticut gun restrictions in the wrong direction. He received an A rating from the NRA, and a vote for Greg Kraut will mean more support for a Stefanowski administration. Kraut claims to be Independent. Mr. Kraut, if youre an Independent, then register as an Independent like me. Youve chosen to be a member of a party and represent the party, so please dont pretend you wont vote in party line when a Republican administration tries to roll back gun restrictions.

Immigration does not seem top of mind in this race, but I believe it should be. Our state relies on both skilled and unskilled immigrant labor. As a wealthy town, Westport particularly relies on immigrant labor. State and municipal governments in many states like ours have resisted sharply anti-immigrant federal policies with a more progressive approach. A Republican administration in Hartford will threaten to move in line with the Trump administration which will damage our communities. Again, a vote for Greg Kraut is a vote to strengthen a potential Stefanowski administration.

In terms of personal values, I do not know either men so I can only gauge from my limited contact, but here the difference is stark and decisive for me. Mr. Steinberg sat and listened patiently to our many complaints about the state government. I was not always perfectly polite with Mr. Steinberg, but he cordially responded to every issue. I believe he represents the progressive social values and pragmatic fiscal values we support.

I cannot say the same about Mr. Kraut. My only interactions with him have been through his Facebook page. Nearly three quarters of Westport voted against our current president in 2016. The president has disrespected the office in too many ways to recount here, and he has greatly damaged the institutions supporting our republic, the ideal of truth most of all. I believe its a legitimate question to ask any Republican candidate if they will disavow Mr. Trump. I posted this question on the candidates Facebook page multiple times. He not only refused to answer, but deleted my posts. Mr. Kraut reached out to me himself through Facebook Messenger asking me to have coffee. When I asked him again if he would disavow Trump, he began to respond but then blocked me on Facebook.

This is simple  Mr. Kraut knows that 27 percent of Westport did vote for Trump, and hed like to count on their votes. Publicly disavowing Trump puts those votes at risk. We have a person in the White House who incites violence, denigrates women, justifies neo-Nazi white supremacists, attacks core institutions of our government  law enforcement, the courts, the federal reserve, the free press, science, peaceful discourse, and most of all attacks the ideal of the truth. If you cant tell this town that you either disavow that or not, you dont deserve to represent Westport. If you cant publicly answer a question from someone in your community, but suppress it, then you also dont support an open, peaceful dialogue. We dont need more Trump in this town.

Mr. Steinberg earned my vote, but Mr. Kraut earned my disgust.

Robert Birge

Westport

McCabe will deliver real solutions

To the editor :

I have worked with Michelle McCabe for multiple years and I want to emphasize for your readers that she will be an amazing representative for them in the Senate. Michelle is a true leader and will be able to represent all her constituencies in Fairfield fairly, moving to action on issues they care about, and delivering real solutions.

Michelle takes the time to listen and talk with people, acknowledging issues, and working collaboratively to find the best solutions for the many problems that currently plague Connecticut and our local communities.

In light of the current financial and other difficulties, we desperately need a candidate who is willing to acknowledge and understand these problems and then wrestle them towards effective and sustainable solutions that work for all residents. Michelle can do this! She has a keen grasp of state and local financial woes and other challenges. I have seen her be exceptionally resourceful and creative when it comes to addressing persistent problems. And one of her biggest strengths is her ability to work as a partner and get things done effectively.

I am more than confident that with Michelle McCabe as state Senator, the cycle of inaction to resolve tough problems in our state and communities will end. She has the intelligence, skills, and determination needed to make positive changes in the tough predicament we currently find ourselves in. Michelle has the passion and vision to lead and collaborate to get things done, and above all to make the changes residents need for their communities to thrive. With all this in mind, please vote for Michelle Lapine McCabe for state Senate on Nov. 6.

Maria Markham

New Haven

Vote Cafero for probate judge

To the editor :

In addition to all the state and federal offices we will be voting for on Election Day, we also must elect a new judge of Probate. Larry Cafero is by far the best qualified candidate for probate judge.

Larrys 35-plus years of legal experience, in addition to his public service experience, together with his human qualities of fairness and compassion, make him the ideal person for the job. Please vote Larry Cafero for judge of probate on Nov. 6.

Carol Lenihan
WESTPORT  Rabbi Yehoshua Hecht of the Beth Israel Chabad of Westport and Norwalk did not hear of the shooting on Saturday morning at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh until later that night because he was celebrating sabbath.

There were increased patrols around the synagogue all day and I didnt know why because during the sabbath day I dont use electronic equipment or cell phones, Hech said, noting he started to receive calls Saturday night notifying him of the 11 people shot dead at synagogue in Squirrel Hill.

Were shocked, were mortified, Hecht said, adding, Houses of faith are always open because people go to houses of faith to gain strength, solace and hope. Heres a beautiful place of community that was turned into a killing ground.

The news of Pittsburgh rippled throughout Westport and across the country on Saturday and on Sunday, over 800 people from the community gathered at The Conservative Synagogue of Westport to honor the victims at Tree of Life, also a Conservative Jewish synagogue.

The community vigil was comforting because it gave everyone an opportunity to come together and remind ourselves that together we are stronger, Conservative Synagogue Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn, said, adding that over a dozen non-Jewish clergy, such as Reverend Dr. Bernard Wilson of the Northfield Congregational Church in Weston, participated in the interfaith service.

For some in Westport, the tragedy in Pittsburgh laid bare antisemitism that had previously thought to have receded from American life.

People are shocked and they feel vulnerable. Weve long known that antisemitism is out there somewhere, but we're very concerned that it seems to be legitimized these days and thats very scary, Rabbi Michael Friedman of Westports Temple Israel said, adding the Squirrel Hill shooting was the worst anti-semitic act in United States history.

From a historical perspective, Jews are certainly sensitive to anti semitism, Steve Getz, President of The Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Fairfield County said.

That (anti semitism) is why so many Jews came to America: to escape that kind of danger and threat. America was believed to be a haven for safety and equality and religious freedom.

"An incident like this and the documented evidence of increased anti semitism in recent years in this country have really been alarming to Jews in this nation, Getz added.

Because Jewish people have long been a part of the American tapestry, the shooting in Pittsburgh is not only a Jewish tragedy, but also an American tragedy, Getz said.

The unifying theme among the interviewed leaders was a dedication to not let the tragedy push congregants away from community. The Conservative Synagogue is joining a world-wide campaign this weekend to #ShowupforShabbat, which encourages worshipers to come to synagogue on Friday and Saturday night to show the community is not afraid  and not alone, Wiederhorn said.

Im telling people to not continue with our life would increase the desecration of our humanity and our faith. Were not going to give that victory to the dark side. We have to express more faith, more acts of loving kindness, reach out to more people in society on the margins. This is our only answer. I dont know of any other pract ical way, Hecht said.

The Humanistic congregation will respond by continuing to believe that people have the responsibility and capacity to make the world a better place by challenging those who espouse bigotry and hate wherever it exists, Getz said.

You just redouble your efforts and you reach out more and you do more, Getz said, adding the Jewish toast of lchaim is a good guide for this moment. Its a cornerstone of the Jewish experience that means you value life, and everything that goes with it. That theres ups and downs, but life is still worth living, and you go on, Getz said.

svaughan@hearstmediact.

com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1
BRANDON  A woman accused of endangering her elderly mothers life told police she was bringing her mother back to health using natural supplements, reiki and other holistic remedies.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 2/11/2018 (1114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON  A woman accused of endangering her elderly mothers life told police she was bringing her mother back to health using natural supplements, reiki and other holistic remedies.

The video police statement played in Brandon Court of Queens Bench capped the second day of Rae Elene Deutschers trial. She has pleaded not guilty to failing to provide the necessaries of life to her mother, Elene Collins.

Collins had been living with Deutscher for about a year before family grew concerned about her quality of care. The situation came to a head on Nov. 26, 2014, after Deutschers daughter learned Collins had been living on the floor of the basement bathroom.

Police who performed a wellness check on Collins reported they found her unresponsive, bruised and swollen. Collins, 96, was taken to Brandon Regional Health Centre, where she died on Christmas Eve.

The emergency doctor who first treated Collins, Jacie Grobb, testified Collins was in poor condition when she arrived, emaciated with a decreased level of consciousness.

"Its a case that stands out to me just in that I remember the patients physical condition and was concerned her condition was where it was while under the care of someone," Grobb said.

Collins had multiple bruises on her body, significant bruising to her right shoulder and under her left armpit, significant swelling to her right eye and abrasions down her spine, Grobb said. A CT scan revealed Collins also had bleeds on both sides of her brain.

X-rays showed a number of rib fractures that were in different stages of healing, Grobb said. When questioned by police months after her mothers death, Deutscher said she had "completely cured" herself through natural means and took Collins to live with her in order to do the same for her.

"If I hadnt moved her to Brandon, she would have died I was a really dedicated daughter," Deutscher told police, crying. "This is why Im so sad Im not afraid, do you understand? Im very hurt."

Deutscher said she moved Collins from her condo in Saskatoon, where she was living alone several blocks from her son, Deutschers older brother. Deutscher claimed Collins was not doing well because her brother was "not a caregiver."

"When I put my mom on all-natural, she could talk again I brought her 100 per cent right back," Deutscher said. "My mom knew, she completely trusted me my entire life."

"As her primary caregiver, the responsibility falls on you to make sure shes getting the best care possible," said Const. Jeff Hoad, who was interviewing Deutscher.

"I believe I was giving her the best care," she replied.

Dr. Barbara Kelleher also testified about her treatment of Collins, whom she saw in the days after she was admitted into the hospital, as well as her final days a month later.

Collins would lie in the fetal position, Kelleher said, and while she was somewhat awake at times, she was mostly non-verbal and wouldnt eat or drink.

During cross-examination, both Kelleher and Grobb agreed with defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn when he suggested other than her injuries, Collins was in normal health for a 96-year-old woman. Because an autopsy was not done, Synyshyn said the cause of death could not be determined.

"Is it possible she passed away because she was a 96-year-old woman?" Synyshyn asked.

"Who wasnt eating or drinking, yes," Kelleher said.

The Crown closed its case and the defence will not call any evidence. Lawyers will deliver closing arguments today.

 Brandon Sun
The Manitoba government has appointed the first female head of Manitoba Hydro amid turmoil at the public utility and accusations that her mandate is privatization.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/11/2018 (1114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba government has appointed the first female head of Manitoba Hydro amid turmoil at the public utility and accusations that her mandate is privatization.

The government appointed Jay Grewal as president and CEO of Manitoba Hydro. She is currently president and CEO of Northwest Territories Power Corp.

LINKEDIN The provincial government has named Jay Grewal the new president and CEO for Manitoba Hydro. Grewal, who currently heads Northwest Territories Power Corp., will take the reins of the province's biggest Crown corporation on Feb. 4. She succeeds Kelvin Shepherd, who has announced his retirement. Grewal will be the first woman to lead Manitoba Hydro.

Prior to that, Grewal was senior vice-president of Capstone Mining, a global intermediate mining company.

But it's her earlier history at B.C. Hydro that the Opposition NDP targeted on Thursday.

Grewal is a former senior executive of B.C. Hydro and assisted in privatizing the public electricity giant, the NDP says. She then became managing director for Accenture, a private global management consulting firm, where she continued involvement in the energy sector.

"The appointment of Ms. Grewal is another sign that the Pallister government is setting the stage for the privatization of Manitoba Hydro," NDP Leader Wab Kinew said in a statement.

"She worked with (former B.C. premier) Gordon Campbell to privatize parts of B.C. Hydro despite his promises to keep it public. Their actions led to huge payouts for corporate firms and higher bills for regular families. We cant allow this to happen in Manitoba."

Grewal refused to do interviews on Thursday, saying she is occupied with her current job.

Premier Brian Pallister dismissed the NDP's claim that his government secretly intends to privatize Manitoba Hydro.

"Just because the NDP raises the same old tired boogeyman, whether on Halloween or the day after, doesnt mean I have to spend a lot of my time responding to what theyre doing," Pallister said.

Grewal was in a "junior position" when BC Hydro began outsourcing parts of its operations, and "wasn't in a position of decision-making or on the lead of the file," Pallister said.

"So making the accusation that Ms. Grewal is somehow a privatizer is just a massive stretch. And if you look at her record (at NTPC), it's an incredible record of performance."

Grewel is scheduled to take over Feb. 4, 2019, from Kelvin Shepherd, who is retiring.

Grewal will enter at a stormy time in Hydro's history. It is facing a massive debt and is caught in a spat between the Manitoba Metis Federation and the provincial government.

The Metis federation has launched legal action after the province cancelled two agreements that would have paid the federation $87 million.

Meanwhile, Hydro's debt load is so huge it has to borrow to pay operating costs. Hydro has racked up billions of dollars in debt building new generating stations and transmission lines. It is seeking nearly an eight per cent rate increase to put its financial house in order.

Grewal is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and also holds an MBA in finance from the University of Western Ontario. She has been active on a number of non-profit boards, including a board member of the B.C Business Council and the United Way Campaign Cabinet.

She is a past member of the U of BC Board of Governors where she chaired the finance committee, and past chair, energy division, of the B.C. Children's Hospital Miracle Network.

"Ms. Grewal is a proven leader, with extensive senior leadership experience in the utility, resource and consulting sectors," said Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer in a written statement.

The appointment follows an extensive national and local search by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board.

The hiring must still be confirmed through a provincial government order in council.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
PM Salwai addressing the first Plenary of the 20th session of the ITU PP18 Conference. Photo: ITU/R.Maniego
PREMIER Brian Pallister says the provinces hiring practices have been tightened after the discovery that some former senior civil servants were appointed inappropriately under the previous government.

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This article was published 1/11/2018 (1114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PREMIER Brian Pallister says the provinces hiring practices have been tightened after the discovery that some former senior civil servants were appointed inappropriately under the previous government.

The premier said hiring practices within government departments were reviewed following the discovery more than a year ago that Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries had failed to fully disclose compensation to a former CEO.

The review released Thursday found that best practices were not followed in the hiring of several officials in the Families Department in 2015 and 2016. The employees were hired through interchange agreements (or secondments) with an outside organization without proper approvals. There is also a question of whether required deductions were made from the employees pay, including income tax, Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance.

At a late afternoon news conference with Finance Minister Scott Fielding on Thursday, Pallister used strong language in calling out the way five former government staffers were hired and paid.

"Were here today to talk about continuing to end the culture of cover up, fixing a flawed hiring process and ending the practice of secret payments to out-of-province corporations," he said.

The government failed to record the employees full compensation in the provinces public accounts for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 fiscal years, according to the review. The added payments amount to $222,000 for 2015-2016 and $81,000 for 2016-2017. According to a revised financial report released Thursday, the out-of-province corporation referred to by the premier appears to be headquartered in northwest Ontario.

The review, which was carried out by the provinces Finance Department and the Civil Service Commission, found that "procedures were circumvented, individuals were hired without proper oversight (and) compensation arrangements were not in accordance with the rules," the premier said.

He added that it would be "inappropriate" to name names. He also acknowledged that the questionable hiring practices were not politically directed by the former NDP government, although the previous government was in charge when the events under review occurred.

Fielding said the review found that conflict of interest declarations were not obtained in most cases from the employees in question. In one instance, he said, an employee failed to declare a conflict of interest arising from shareholdings in a company that had previously contracted services to the government.

Meanwhile, Pallister said the government plans to require audits of Crown corporations, municipalities, school divisions and hospitals to ensure best hiring practices are being employed.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
The University of Manitoba, its student union and others spoke out Friday against racist slogans placed in various locations on its Fort Garry campus and faxed to its native studies department overnight on Halloween.

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This article was published 2/11/2018 (1113 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The University of Manitoba, its student union and others spoke out Friday against racist slogans placed in various locations on its Fort Garry campus and faxed to its native studies department overnight on Halloween.

Dozens of letter-sized posters declaring "Its okay to be white" were affixed to walls in multiple buildings.

It was part of a co-ordinated campaign that involved white-masked individuals posting the same messages around downtown Ottawa and in Halifax on Halloween night. The same notices have appeared on campuses elsewhere in the country and in the United States, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.

U of M president David Barnard condemned the action, "part of whats understood to be a co-ordinated international effort by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups," in a statement Friday.

"There is no tolerance for hate and discrimination."

Omar Kinnarath, organizer for Fascist Free Treaty One, an anti-fascist group in Manitoba, said the slogan seems harmless, but really isnt.

"This is something these groups want to portray as benign, and theyre not going to be posting pictures of swastikas," he said. "But people who track the movement know the route. This is designed to make anti-racists look bad for freaking out about this, and thats how they get a reaction."

Nobody has stepped forward to lay claim to the posters and Kinnarath said anti-fascist activists can only say they have "an idea who it might be."

The University of Manitoba Students Union singled out the native studies department for special support.

"We are committed to an environment that is safe for all Indigenous and racialized students, and recognize that these communities have been traditionally marginalized in these spaces and continue to be today," UMSU said in a statement.

Free Press columnist and University of Manitoba associate professor Niigaan Sinclair drew attention to the white supremacist posters with a Facebook post Thursday, describing them as a "scare tactic used to build supporters for white supremacist groups."

The posters appeared on the same day the U of M held a vigil in honour of the 11 victims in last Saturdays mass shooting inside a Pittsburgh synagogue, the worst anti-Semitic act in U.S. history.

"We share a sense of revulsion and a need to act because of what we see happening around us: the treatment of refugees, the tone of anger and hatred in political discourse, the installation of corrupt regimes, a distressing number of hate crimes (and) terrorist attacks.

"We must fight against ignorance with knowledge. Against intolerance and racism with inclusiveness and acceptance. Against complacency with our words and action."

A Wikipedia entry traces the posters to 2017 on an American website called 4chan, a social media propaganda-style billboard. It was set up to show that a "proof of concept" and a "harmless message" could cause a "massive media s---storm" that would lead white Americans to the far right.

The concept dates back centuries, University of North Carolina communications Prof. Christian Lundberg said Friday. A specialist in rhetoric, he was among the American experts who analyzed the phrase when it first surfaced.

Aristotle called such slogans enthymemes  when a speaker stops short of making a claim explicit, counting on the audience to fill it in, particularly when it allows someone to imply controversy.

"In the example Its okay to be white, something has happened to make it not OK to be white. Theres an implied argument about efforts to expand diversity because they are somehow privileging one group in such a way that is offensive or discriminatory to white people," Lundberg said.

"We typically take slogans at their face. In reality, the most important work slogans do is about the sets of assumptions audiences pile on top of them."

A year ago, the posters were removed from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, Brandon University and the University of Toronto.

New posters were plastered around campus again in Brandon last week. They read "Tired of anti-white propaganda? Stand up for yourself."

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
The union that represents city bus drivers accuses Winnipeg Transit of withholding information about dangerous and violent altercations on buses that put its members at risk.

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This article was published 1/11/2018 (1114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The union that represents city bus drivers accuses Winnipeg Transit of withholding information about dangerous and violent altercations on buses that put its members at risk.

The most recent incident involved a violent assault downtown during rush hour on Wednesday. A male suspect pulled out a knife on a packed bus. It resulted in a brawl and two arrests.

"(It) was a very serious incident. There was a knife involved. A security guard got heavily beaten up and eventually the police arrived and they had to use a Taser to subdue the male (suspect)," said Aleem Chaudhary, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union 1505.

"These kinds of incidents, the union is not told about him. Were not informed at all and neither is our membership informed of what takes place out there."

The security guard was a passenger and not employed by Winnipeg Transit.

A 17-year-old male and a 15-year-old female, who were believed to be intoxicated, were arrested in connection with the assault. Both were detained at the Manitoba Youth Centre.

Chaudhary said that incident was the latest in a recent string of events. He said there were three altercations on city buses in the past week that the union was not told about.

The union only found out about Wednesdays attack because a union employee was on the bus. If a witness doesnt tell the union, it often doesnt find out, Chaudhary said.

"The reason were given is (Winnipeg Transit) just said, The drivers were not physically involved in these situations.' If the drivers not hurt or physically involved, they say, 'Thats the reason were not telling you,'" Chaudhary said.

Randy Tonnellier, Winnipeg Transit's manager of operations, said the agreement with the union means it is notified if something happens to a driver.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Aleem Chaudhary, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union that represents City of Winnipeg Transit drivers.

Tonnellier said this includes not only assaults on drivers, but also if they are taken to hospital because of a medical issue or are in a serious motor vehicle collision.

"It is usually immediately or within an hour or so," he said. "We let them know about these all the time."

Tonnellier said he will meet with the union today to talk about their concerns.

"We're willing to talk with them," he said.

Tonnellier said assaults against drivers have been trending down in recent years; the most was 62 in 2015, followed by 48 in 2016, 50 in 2017, and 38 so far this year.

"We've certainly put more of our inspectors on the street in strategic locations, and they have been riding on buses too," he said. "Just the presence helps to deter."

Chaudhary said the union has asked to meet with Winnipeg Transit brass to discuss the issue, adding they want to work with management to find a solution.

Hes adamant that the union should be told about all unsafe situations on buses.

"This is a major problem. We want to get to the bottom of it. These kinds of incidents are happening more," Chaudhary said.

"We want to work with Winnipeg Transit to ensure our operators and the public are safe, because increasingly the safety of passengers and our drivers are at risk."

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.cakevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

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
If Canadian family physicians hope to maintain the trust of our patients, we must reject sales pitches thinly veiled as education at our premier conference.

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This article was published 2/11/2018 (1114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

If Canadian family physicians hope to maintain the trust of our patients, we must reject sales pitches thinly veiled as education at our premier conference.

From Nov. 14 to 17, the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) will host its annual meeting, the Family Medicine Forum, in Toronto. I have been a family physician for 12 years, but have only attended the largest conference of its kind in Canada twice. Each time I have gone, I have been turned off by the health products industrys influence on the meeting.

This year, however, theres a chance for the college to shake off the golden handcuffs with the introduction of the new National Standard for Support of Accredited Continuing Professional Development Activities, which was introduced in Jan. 1, 2018. This new set of rules is supposed to maintain the high standards of quality and accountability in continuing professional development, while keeping accredited learning activities as free as possible from bias and influence.

Though several medical conferences in Canada have recently moved away from pharmaceutical industry sponsorship, the CFPC has persisted in including this controversial source of funding in its business model.

Sponsorship influences prescriptions

Health product companies sponsor conferences so that they can pitch brand-name drugs, devices and remedies directly to doctors.

The public may hope that doctors prescribe medicine based on unbiased scientific research, rather than information from sales representatives. Sadly, this is not the case.

Studies show that contact with industry changes the medications doctors prescribe and that it takes as little as US$114 per year in gifts, meals or cash to significantly change a doctors prescribing pattern.

The CFPCs financial statements show that 14 per cent, or roughly $500,000, of the 2017 conference budget came from industry funding. The sponsorship averaged about $120 of funding per conference participant  almost precisely the amount shown to influence prescribing practices.

When prescribing habits are influenced, doctors may recommend medications based on questionable information from manufacturers, rather than peer-reviewed articles. For example, Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the makers of OxyContin, a painkiller once erroneously marketed as being "low risk" for addiction, is now acknowledged to have fuelled the current deadly opioid crisis and done little to help patients in pain, to boot. Purdue has been a frequent exhibitor at the Family Medicine Forum.

Further, financial statements show that Family Medicine Forum 2017 made a profit of almost $250,000, or seven per cent. If it chose to forgo a profit, it could easily choose to decline half its industry sponsorship.

Speakers with financial conflicts of interest

Two years ago the organizations CEO, Dr. Francine Lemire, and then-president Dr. Jennifer Hall pushed back against calls to end health product industry funding of continuing professional development.

They highlighted the changes CFPC had made in 2013 to mitigate the influence of pharmaceutical companies at the Family Medicine Forum, steps such as "clearly articulat(ing) what is education and what is marketing." Enforcing such steps should mean the forum schedule clearly identifies talks sponsored by companies, but this was not the case last year.

In Montreal last year, doctors were inundated with industry messaging. Physicians attended lunchtime "ancillary" sessions without realizing they were sponsored by drug manufacturers because they were not labelled as such in the program.

Doctors attended talks by speakers who had multiple financial conflicts of interest relating to the topic and complained that the speakers did not provide balanced information about the risks, benefits and indications for products.

Doctors also received pitches, and samples, for products from salespeople while attempting to get food in the giant room that housed both sponsors booths and food. According to the pre-2018 CFPC guidelines, none of these things should have happened.

Family doctors must complain loudly

The latest rules are designed to maintain the high standards of quality and accountability in continued professional development, while keeping learning activities as free as possible from bias and influence.

They state that sponsors, such as pharmaceutical companies, will no longer have direct or indirect influence on the content of an accredited continuing professional development activity, and that product-specific advertising will not be allowed to appear in educational slides or programs.

The new standards mean that lunchtime talks at the forum that are directly sponsored by industry should no longer be allowed.

These new guidelines are stricter than the old ones, but they will only make a difference if the CFPC chooses to enforce them and if family doctors complain loudly when the standards are breached.

Family doctors such as myself must demand that our premier conference provides evidence-based information rather than sales pitches. Organizers must prevent the sampling of products and must crack down on presenters who have financial conflicts of interest about the subjects on which they are presenting.

Anything less is a breach of duty to our patients.

Sarah Giles is a lecturer in family medicine in the faculty of medicine at the University of Ottawa.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.
If you spend time online reading about and discussing politics, you might rightly conclude that people are often far too quick to be outraged. Nevertheless, every once in a while, a story pops up that well and truly causes the blood to boil.

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This article was published 2/11/2018 (1114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

If you spend time online reading about and discussing politics, you might rightly conclude that people are often far too quick to be outraged. Nevertheless, every once in a while, a story pops up that well and truly causes the blood to boil.

This week brought one such occasion: the news that former governor general Adrienne Clarkson has spent more than $1.1 million since leaving the position via a program that allows her and other former governors general to bill the taxpayer for their office expenses even after departing Rideau Hall. Clarkson has billed over $100,000 most years since she left in 2005, and could do so for years to come since this is a lifetime perk extended to former governors general. This is in addition to her lucrative government pension.

What on earth is she spending 100,000 smackeroos per year on? Officially, the money is spent on secretarial support, but what are these pricey secretaries up to? We dont know, because Rideau Hall wont disclose this and Clarkson herself refuses to say. The claims, accordingly to her assistant, are a "private matter." Further, Clarkson is unavailable to comment, since she is away on a weeks-long trip to Europe, which Im sure wont be popular when read in the context of this most recent news about her spending.

But all this is in keeping with our past experiences with Clarkson, who provoked controversy while governor general over staggering consecutive increases in the Rideau Hall budget.

In 2003, for example, she planned a 19-day trip to Iceland, Finland and Russia. Clarksons airborne caravan included no fewer than 59 politicians and cultural figures, including (of course) her husband, the philosopher John Ralston Saul. The trip  state dinners, wine tastings and all  added up to a grand total of $5.9 million, provoking a parliamentary committee to investigate Clarksons remarkable generosity with taxpayers money.

One would have thought the spigot had at long last been closed in 2005 following Clarksons departure from Rideau Hall, but apparently not.

These reports also come on the heels of recent negative coverage of the current Governor General, Julie Payette, who was accused of radically scaling back her workload and leaving charitable organizations traditionally supported by Rideau Hall high and dry. On one occasion, Payette resisted updating her schedule to accommodate granting royal assent to a bill passed by the government.

All this bad press is grist for the republican mill, welcome news to those who want to somehow transform Canadian government in such a way to get rid of the Queen as head of state and the governor general as her representative in Canada. Im not much of a monarchist, but I appreciate the role of the governor general when it is carried out appropriately, and I regret the public drubbing the position is taking due to its current and some past occupants.

There are occasions when the governor general is at centre stage in the drama of Canadian politics, when her presence is indispensable. But this occurs rarely. The rest of the time, the position is largely ceremonial. The governor general is supposed to be a non-partisan, non-controversial figure who represents our head of state. If you doubt the importance or value of the position, contrast it with the partisan, perpetually controversial head of state currently occupying the White House in the country south of us.

Most people who have resided in Rideau Hall realize this ceremonial role is an important one, and so they spend their time participating in ceremonies, honouring Canadians and working with charities. The position should be a unifying one, and the governor general can use her influence to advocate on behalf of groups that need an advocate. Payettes predecessor, David Johnston, maintained a dizzyingly busy schedule of ceremonies honouring Canadians and meetings with charities that benefited from his support.

In 2009, former governor general Michaelle Jean rebuked European opponents of the Canadian seal hunt by visiting Rankin Inlet and chowing down on raw seal meat, including the animals heart. Her actions tweaked animal rights activists, but were consistent with her long practice of both drawing attention to and defending traditional Indigenous cultural practices. In response, a northern MP, Todd Russell, argued that Jeans actions reinforced that "the eating of seal meat, and the hunting of seals, is an integral part of certain Aboriginal Peoples culture." Which was undoubtedly what Jean had in mind.

Its wearying to watch people be given the privilege of public service and then exploit the opportunity to extract every benefit possible from it. But that doesnt change that the role of governor general is an important one. And with the quiet dignity exhibited by many past governors general, this unifying role takes on even greater significance.

Royce Koop is an associate professor and head of the political studies department at the University of Manitoba.
Dogs have a reputation for being protective and loyal to the humans they serve. But a canine-named corporation that adorns the side of its iconic buses with a depiction of a racing dog has left without so much as an affectionate shake of the paw.

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This article was published 1/11/2018 (1114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dogs have a reputation for being protective and loyal to the humans they serve. But a canine-named corporation that adorns the side of its iconic buses with a depiction of a racing dog has left without so much as an affectionate shake of the paw.

Its all about business for Greyhound Canada, of course. The company says ridership in Canada has plunged 41 per cent since 2010, largely due to increased car travel and new low-cost airlines.

Its about more than business, though, for the countless Manitobans who boarded and disembarked Greyhound buses at the terminals downtown location at Portage Avenue and Balmoral Street for 45 years before the terminal moved to the airport in 2009.

Manitoba must find a viable replacement for Greyhound. (Cole Burston / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Greyhounds services will be missed as a highway transportation option that was reliable and usually the cheapest way to travel between Prairie communities.

Such public transportation is a necessity for rural Manitobans without private vehicles, including First Nations residents. They require a reliable link to larger centres, such as Winnipeg, for purposes that include education, family visits and medical appointments.

It can also be a matter of safety. Referring to Manitobas alarming epidemic of missing and murdered women, the Native Womens Association of Canada noted in a statement, "The lack of safe transportation in and out of communities creates more vulnerability for Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people by encouraging travellers to resort to less safe means of transportation, such as hitchhiking or walking unsafe highways."

Unfortunately, these valid reasons for public highway transportation were not enough to persuade Greyhound to maintain unprofitable western Canadian routes.

The companys Prairie pullout has prompted expressions of entrepreneurial interest from private operators in Manitoba. They hope to use cost-effective vans instead of Greyhounds full-sized buses, and avoid the overhead of standalone bus terminals by operating out of such places as highway restaurants. They plan to focus on main routes  such as Brandon and Thompson  because, unlike Greyhound, theyre not required to service smaller routes that are unprofitable.

Good luck to the transportation startups. Theyll need it, if the experience of Saskatchewan holds true in Manitoba.

When the government-owned Saskatchewan Transportation Company shut its bus service in March 2017, at least 10 private bus firms tried to fill former routes. Within a year only two of them remained, and bus service across Saskatchewan remains sporadic and non-existent in places.

Greyhounds services will be missed as a highway transportation option that was reliable and usually the cheapest way to travel between Prairie communities. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press files)

The Saskatchewan experience is a reminder that public transportation commonly requires public funding. For example, the citys bus service, Winnipeg Transit, relies heavily on funding from different levels of government. No one would expect Winnipeg Transit to forgo all government funding and raise fares to cover 100 per cent of costs.

It was encouraging to learn Wednesday that the federal government will step in to help the transportation needs of some northern and remote communities affected by the departure of Greyhound. While specifics were not provided, Transport Minister Marc Garneau says Ottawa is open to helping affected provinces pay for bus service in communities where private enterprise has not come forward to service abandoned routes.

That optimism was tempered by the provinces reaction, however, as Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said Manitoba is unlikely to take up the federal cost-sharing offer: "We as a government are not prepared to get into the business of running buses; we believe the market will make a decision on whats feasible."

With Manitobas vast geography and relatively scant population, public highway transportation is critical. The connection between communities is driven by necessity.
Pepping up the players for a trip to the UNI Dome

The Winterset High School competition gym was filled with good cheer from freshmen to seniors and boosters in between. They gathered on game day to Pep Up the coaches and players of the Husky football team, who would soon depart for their journey to the...

Winterset falls in semifinals

Winterset advanced to the Class 4A semifinals on Thursday night to face the Xavier Saints at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls. Despite a valiant effort by the Huskies, Xavier defeated Winterset 40-14. Our boys fought hard, said head coach Zach Sweeney. We ran into...
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There turned into an extraordinary and somewhat sweet divide some of the target market playing Classic Runescape in 2018.It appeared to runescape gold be a reasonably even blend of young teenagers,apparently still gambling from college computer systems to skip the time,alongside a bunch of adults of their overdue twenties and early thirties searching out successful of nostalgia.While Runescape is gradual,clunky,and elderly searching,it's nevertheless precise as a long way as MMORPGs cross.The lack of strain to specialise nevertheless feels clean,and I can recognize why a few players choose it over the opposition even now.

With a grin it hits that I'm one of these 20-somethings,heading lower back to Runescape for successful of nostalgia.Wandering around,in no way without a doubt intending to move returned full time,however sorting out the locations I as soon as knew so properly.It's heartwarming to suppose that during 2018,an astonishing 17 years after launch,there are nonetheless teenagers coming across the thrill of MMORPGs through Runescape - just like I did.

The Runescape community is in a tizzy seeking to discern out the which means behind a brand that was accidentally revealed in the course of a developer livestream on Friday.Runescape's community supervisor,'Mod Shauny,' become hosting a walkthrough of the sport's cutting-edge patch notes whilst,because the circulate wound to a near,he seemingly misclicked and displayed the logo for a few seconds.

Once he realized his mistake,he diminished the screen to black but forgot to mute his microphone and began panicking and saying that he become "about to lose [his] job." Another Runescape employee who become website hosting the flow along him commenced to comfort him,explaining it became a easy mistake.All of this was being relayed live to an audience of loads.

Aside from that unmarried photo,there are no information on what this "Next Gen" venture is or whether or not it is even related to Runescape at all.Jagex has seemingly been operating on some thing related for pretty a while,according to a Reddit thread from 2015 linking to a now deleted activity listing that become for a "next gen" MMO.

Buy FIFA Coins, Rocket League Trading, Madden Coins, RS Gold Online Store : https://www.lolga.com
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Nov. 2, 2018 /IndustryPRwire/ -- According to new market research report by IndustryARC, titled Soil Wetting Agents MarketBy Form (Liquid, Granular, Others) By Application (Turf care, Agriculture, Others) End-user (Crop Protection Products (Insecticides, Pesticides, Fungicides), Fertilizers (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium), others) - Forecast (2018-2023), the market will grow due to increasing demand for higher agricultural productivity and critical climatic changes.

Americas dominates the Soil Wetting Agents

Americas will dominate the Soil Wetting Agents Market during the forecast period. This is followed by Europe. Asia Pacific will have a strong scope for development due to the adoption of good farming practices for meeting the food requirements of the growing population. The Middle East and Africa market is expected to have a significant growth due to growing preference for quality food products and rise in agricultural farming in Africa.

Selected Regulatory Analysis done in the full Report:

The turf care segment has the largest share in the Soil Wetting Agents Market. It provides the soil softener for the turf managers and lawncare professionals. The agricultural segment is driven by growing demand for higher yield in the economy along with growing environmental concerns and demand for soil surfactant in agriculture.

Selected Driving Factors Mentioned in the Full Report:

 Growing demand for better quality yield agro products drives the demand for soil wetting agent in the forecast period.

 Increasing demand for agricultural productivity enhances the growth of the soil wetting agents market.

 Growing demand for crop protecting agents will boost the need for soil wetting agents in the forecast period.

 Unfavourable environmental conditions elevate the growth of the wetting agent surfactant.

Request for table of contents of the full report by providing your details in the below link:

https://industryarc.com/Report/15266/soil-wetting-agents-market.html

Key Players of the Soil Wetting Agents Market

Nufarm Limited (Australia), The Wilbur-Ellis Company (U.S), Bretty Young Seeds Limited (Canada), and BASF SE (Germany) dominate the Soil Wetting Agents Market during the forecast period. Nufarm Limited sells its crop protection products in regions such as Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and North America. The Wilbur-Ellis Company manufactures animal feed, agricultural products, and speciality chemicals in the United States. Bretty Young Seeds Limited produces and sells seeds in Canada, US, South America, and Europe. BASF SE produces surface active agents and wetting agents.

Soil Wetting Agents Market is segmented as below:

Increase in agricultural farming will drive the demand for the soil wetting agents market.

A. Soil Wetting Agents Market By Form

1. Liquid

2. Granular

3. Others

B. Soil Wetting Agents Market By Applications

1. Agriculture

2. Turf care

3. Others

C. Soil Wetting Agents Market By End users

1. Crop protection products

1.1. Insecticides

1.2. Pesticides

1.3. Fungicides

2. Fertilizers

2.1. N(nitrogen)

2.2. P(phosphorous)

2.3. K(potassium)

3. Others

D. Soil Wetting Agents Market By Geography( covers 18+ countries)

E. Soil Wetting Agents Market Entropy

F. Company Profiles

1. VYOM Fertilizers & Agrochem Private Limited

2. ALASIA Chemicals

3. Team well logistics limited

4. Dalian CIM Co.,ltd

5. Boading Fengba Modern Agriculture

6. Ningo Evergreen iritech Co.,ltd

7. Chinadrip Irrigation Equipment

8. Ningbo Precise

9. Nufarm Limited

10. The Wilbur Ellis Company

11. Bretty Young Seeds Limited

12. BASF SE

13. Harmony Additive Pvt.Ltd

14. Mani Agro Chemicals

15. Vedanta Organo World

16. NUFARM

17. Iota Silicone Oil (Anhui) Co.,Ltd

Sample Report @ https://industryarc.com/pdfdownload.php?id=15266

What can you expect from the report?

The Soil Wetting Agents Market Report is Prepared with the Main Agenda to Covers the following 20 points:

1. Market Size by Product Categories

2. Market trends

3. Manufacturer Landscape

4. Distributor Landscape

5. Pricing Analysis

6. Top 10 End user Analysis

7. Product Benchmarking

8. Product Developments

9. Mergers & Acquisition Analysis

10. Patent Analysis

11. Demand Analysis (By Revenue & Volume )

12. Country level Analysis (15+)

13. Competitor Analysis

14. Market Shares Analysis

15. Value Chain Analysis

16. Supply Chain Analysis

17. Strategic Analysis

18. Current & Future Market Landscape Analysis

19. Opportunity Analysis

20. Revenue and Volume Analysis

Media Contact:

Mr. Venkat Reddy

Sales Manager

Email 1: sales@industryarc.com

Or Email 2: venkat@industryarc.com

Contact Sales: +1-614-588-8538 (Ext-101)

About IndustryARC:

IndustryARC is a Research and Consulting Firm that publishes more than 500 reports annually, in various industries such as Agriculture, Automotive, Automation & Instrumentation, Chemicals and Materials, Energy and Power, Electronics, Food & Beverages, Information Technology, Life sciences &Healthcare.

IndustryARC primarily focuses on Cutting Edge Technologies and Newer Applications in a Market. Our Custom Research Services are designed to provide insights on the constant flux in the global supply-demand gap of markets. Our strong team of analysts enables us to meet the client research needs at a rapid speed, with a variety of options for your business.

We look forward to support the client to be able to better address their customer needs, stay ahead in the market, become the top competitor and get real-time recommendations on business strategies and deals. Contact us to find out how we can help you today.

Source: http://industryprwire.com/agriculture/soil-wetting-agents-market-2018-leading-players-and-market-analysis/
10 hours ago

Vietnamese workers at Chinese factory in Serbia cry for help

ZRENJANIN, Serbia (AP)  They are shivering in barracks without heat, going hungry and have no money. They say their passports have been taken by their Chinese employer and that they are now stuck in a grim plainland in Serbia with no help from local authorities.

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Varian Medical Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, sells, and services medical devices and software products for treating cancer and other medical conditions worldwide. It operates through Oncology Systems and Proton Solutions segments. The Oncology Systems segment offers hardware and software products for treating cancer with radiotherapy, fixed field intensity-modulated radiation therapy, image-guided radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiotherapy, artificial intelligence based adaptive radiotherapy, and brachytherapy, as well as quality assurance equipment. Its products include linear accelerators, brachytherapy afterloaders, treatment accessories, and quality assurance software; and information management, treatment planning, image processing, clinical knowledge exchange, patient care management, decision-making support, and practice management software. This segment serves university research and community hospitals, private and governmental institutions, healthcare agencies, physicians' offices, medical oncology practices, radiotherapy centers, and cancer care clinics. The Proton Solutions segment designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and services products and systems for delivering proton therapy for the treatment of cancer. The company has a strategic agreement with McKesson Corp. to supply treatment delivery systems and planning, services, and radiotherapy information system solutions to its U.S. Oncology Network and Vantage Oncology affiliated sites of care; and a strategic partnership with Siemens AG to represent Siemens diagnostic imaging products to radiation oncology clinics in the United States and other select markets. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. was formerly known as Varian Associates, Inc. and changed its name to Varian Medical Systems, Inc. in April 1999. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

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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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Alerian MLP ETF's stock reverse split on the morning of Monday, May 18th 2020. The 1-5 reverse split was announced on Monday, April 27th 2020. The number of shares owned by shareholders was adjusted after the closing bell on Friday, May 15th 2020. An investor that had 100 shares of Alerian MLP ETF stock prior to the reverse split would have 20 shares after the split.
Everest Re Group Ltd. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of reinsurance and insurance services. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Reinsurance, International, Bermuda, and Insurance. The U.S. Reinsurance segment writes property and casualty reinsurance and specialty lines of business, including marine, aviation, surety, and accident and health business, on both a treaty and facultative basis, through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies primarily within the U.S. The International segment offers foreign property and casualty reinsurance through Everest Re's branches in Canada and Singapore and through offices in Brazil, Miami, and New Jersey. The Bermuda segment comprises reinsurance and insurance to worldwide property and casualty markets through brokers and directly with ceding companies from its Bermuda office and reinsurance to the United Kingdom and European markets through its UK branch and Ireland Re. The Insurance segment writes property and casualty insurance directly and through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents within the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartere

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The following companies are subsidiares of Banco Santander: 2 & 3 Triton Limited, A & L CF (Guernsey) Limited (f), A & L CF June (2) Limited, A & L CF June (3) Limited, A & L CF March (5) Limited, A & L CF September (4) Limited, AFB SAM Holdings S.L., ALIL Services Limited (b), AN (123) Limited, ANITCO Limited, Abbey Business Services (India) Private Limited, Abbey Covered Bonds (LM) Limited, Abbey National, Abbey National Beta Investments Limited, Abbey National Business Office Equipment Leasing Limited, Abbey National International Limited, Abbey National Nominees Limited, Abbey National PLP (UK) Limited, Abbey National Property Investments, Abbey National Treasury Services Investments Limited, Abbey National Treasury Services Overseas Holdings, Abbey National UK Investments, Abbey Stockbrokers (Nominees) Limited, Abbey Stockbrokers Limited, Ablasa Participaciones S.L., Administracion de Bancos Latinoamericanos Santander S.L., Aduro S.A., Aevis Europa S.L., Afisa S.A., Albert., Aljardi SGPS Lda., Alliance & Leicester, Alliance & Leicester Cash Solutions Limited, Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments (Derivatives) Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments (No.2) Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments Limited, Alliance & Leicester Limited, Alliance & Leicester Personal Finance Limited, Altamira Santander Real Estate S.A., Alternative Leasing FIL, Amazonia Trade Limited, Amherst Pierpont, Andaluza de Inversiones S.A., Aquanima Brasil Ltda., Aquanima Chile S.A., Aquanima Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aquanima S.A., Arcaz - Sociedade Imobiliaria Portuguesa Lda., Argenline S.A. (b), Asto Digital Limited, Athena Corporation Limited, Atual - Fundo de Invest Multimercado Credito Privado Investimento no Exterior, Atual Servicos de Recuperacao de Creditos e Meios Digitais S.A., Autodescuento S.L., Autohaus24 GmbH, Auttar HUT Processamento de Dados Ltda., Aviacion Antares A.I.E., Aviacion Britanica A.I.E., Aviacion Centaurus A.I.E., Aviacion Comillas S.L. Unipersonal, Aviacion Intercontinental A.I.E., Aviacion Laredo S.L., Aviacion Oyambre S.L. Unipersonal, Aviacion Real A.I.E., Aviacion Santillana S.L., Aviacion Suances S.L., Aviacion Triton A.I.E., Aymore Credito Financiamento e Investimento S.A., BEN Beneficios e Servicos S.A., BRS Investments S.A., BZW Bank, Banca PSA Italia S.p.A., Banco Bandepe S.A., Banco Madesant - Sociedade Unipessoal S.A., Banco PSA Finance Brasil S.A., Banco Popular, Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A., Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso 100740, Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso 2002114, Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso GFSSLPT, Banco Santander - Chile, Banco Santander Consumer Portugal S.A., Banco Santander International, Banco Santander International SA, Banco Santander Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Banco Santander Peru S.A., Banco Santander Rio S.A., Banco Santander S.A., Banco Santander Totta S.A., Banco Santander de Negocios Colombia S.A., Banco de Albacete S.A., Bansa Santander S.A., CCAP Auto Lease Ltd., Canyon Multifamily Impact Fund IV LLC, Capital Street Delaware LP, Capital Street Holdings LLC, Capital Street REIT Holdings LLC, Capital Street S.A., Carfax (Guernsey) Limited (f), Carfinco Financial Group, Carfinco Financial Group Inc., Carfinco Inc., Casa de Bolsa Santander S.A. de C.V. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Cater Allen Holdings Limited, Cater Allen International Limited, Cater Allen Limited, Cater Allen Lloyd's Holdings Limited, Cater Allen Syndicate Management Limited, Centro de Capacitacion Santander A.C., Certidesa S.L., Chrysler Capital Auto Funding I LLC, Chrysler Capital Auto Funding II LLC, Chrysler Capital Auto Receivables LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding 2 LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding 4 LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding LLC, Cobranza Amigable S.A.P.I. de C.V., Community Development and Affordable Housing Fund LLC (g), Compagnie Generale de Credit Aux Particuliers - Credipar S.A., Compagnie Pour la Location de Vehicules - CLV, Comunidad Laboral Trabajando Argentina S.A., Comunidad Laboral Trabajando Iberica S.L. Unipersonal en liquidacion (b), Consulteam Consultores de Gestao Lda., Consumer Lending Receivables LLC, Crawfall S.A. (b), Cantabra de Inversiones S.A., Cantabro Catalana de Inversiones S.A., Darep Designated Activity Company, Decarome S.A.P.I. de C.V., Deva Capital Advisory Company S.L., Deva Capital Holding Company S.L., Deva Capital Investment Company S.L., Deva Capital Management Company S.L., Deva Capital Servicer Company S.L., Digital Procurement Holdings N.V., Diners Club Spain S.A., Direccion Estratega S.C., Dirgenfin S.L. en liquidacion (b), Ebury, El Corte Ingles, Elavon Mexico, Electrolyser S.A. de C.V., Entidad de Desarrollo a la Pequena y Micro Empresa Santander Consumo Peru S.A., Erestone S.A.S., Esfera Fidelidade S.A., Evidence Previdencia S.A., Financeira El Corte Ingles Portugal S.F.C. S.A., Financiera El Corte Ingles E.F.C. S.A., Finsantusa S.L. Unipersonal, First National Motor Business Limited, First National Motor Contracts Limited, First National Motor Facilities Limited, First National Motor Finance Limited, First National Motor Leasing Limited, First National Motor plc, First National Tricity Finance Limited, Fondos Santander S.A. Administradora de Fondos de Inversion (en liquidacion) (b), Fortensky Trading Ltd., Fosse Funding (No.1) Limited, Fosse Master Issuer plc, Fosse Trustee (UK) Limited, GTS El Centro Equity Holdings LLC, GTS El Centro Project Holdings LLC, Gamma Sociedade Financeira de Titularizacao de Creditos S.A., Gesban Mexico Servicios Administrativos Globales S.A. de C.V., Gesban Santander Servicios Profesionales Contables Limitada, Gesban Servicios Administrativos Globales S.L., Gesban UK Limited, Gestion de Instalaciones Fotovoltaicas S.L. Unipersonal, Gestion de Inversiones JILT S.A., Gestora de Procesos S.A. en liquidacion (b), Getnet Adquirencia e Servicos para Meios de Pagamento S.A., Global Vosgos S.L. Unipersonal, Grupo Empresarial Santander S.L., Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico S.A. de C.V., Grupo Financiero Santander SAB de CV, Guaranty Car S.A. Unipersonal, HQ Mobile Limited, Hispamer Renting S.A. Unipersonal, Holbah II Limited, Holbah Santander S.L. Unipersonal, Holmes Funding Limited, Holmes Master Issuer plc, Holmes Trustees Limited, Hyundai Capital Bank Europe GmbH, Iberica de Compras Corporativas S.L., Independence Community Bank Corp., Insurance Funding Solutions Limited, Interfinance Holanda B.V., Inversiones Capital Global S.A. Unipersonal, Inversiones Maritimas del Mediterraneo S.A., Isla de los Buques S.A., Klare Corredora de Seguros S.A., Landcompany 2020 S.L., Langton Funding (No.1) Limited, Langton Mortgages Trustee (UK) Limited, Langton Securities (2008-1) plc, Langton Securities (2010-1) PLC, Langton Securities (2010-2) PLC, Laparanza S.A., Liquidity Limited, Luri 1 S.A. en liquidacion (b) (e), Luri 6 S.A. Unipersonal, Master Red Europa S.L., Mata Alta S.L., Merciver S.L., Mercury TFS, Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.A. de C.V., Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.L., Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.p.A., Moneybit S.L., Mortgage Engine Limited, Motor 2016-1 PLC, Motor 2017-1 PLC, Mouro Capital I LP, Multiplica SpA, NW Services CO., Naviera Mirambel S.L., Naviera Trans Gas A.I.E., Naviera Trans Iron S.L., Naviera Trans Ore A.I.E., Naviera Trans Wind S.L. (b), Naviera Transcantabrica S.L., Naviera Transchem S.L. Unipersonal, NeoAuto S.A.C., Norbest AS, Novimovest  Fundo de Investimento Imobiliario, Open Bank Argentina S.A., Open Bank S.A., Open Digital Market S.L., Open Digital Services S.L., Operadora de Carteras Gamma S.A.P.I. de C.V., Optimal Investment Services SA, Optimal Multiadvisors Ireland Plc / Optimal Strategic US Equity Ireland Euro Fund, Optimal Multiadvisors Ireland Plc / Optimal Strategic US Equity Ireland US Dollar Fund, PBE Companies LLC, PECOH Limited, PI Distribuidora de Titulos e Valores Mobiliarios S.A., PSA Bank Deutschland GmbH, PSA Banque France, PSA Finance UK Limited, PSA Financial Services Nederland B.V., PSA Financial Services Spain E.F.C. S.A., PSA Renting Italia S.p.A., PagoFX Europe S.A., PagoFX HoldCo S.L., PagoFX UK Ltd, PagoNxt Merchant Solutions S.L., PagoNxt S.L., Parasant SA, Patagon.com, Pereda Gestion S.A., Pingham International S.A., Popular Spain Holding de Inversiones S.L.U., Portal Universia Argentina S.A., Portal Universia Portugal Prestacao de Servicos de Informatica S.A., Prime 16  Fundo de Investimentos Imobiliario, Punta Lima LLC, Punta Lima Wind Farm LLC, Retop S.A., Return Capital Servicos de Recuperacao de Creditos S.A., Return Gestao de Recursos S.A., Riobank International (Uruguay) SAIFE (b), Rojo Entretenimento S.A., SAM Asset Management S.A. de C.V. Sociedad Operadora de Fondos de Inversion, SAM Investment Holdings S.L., SAM UK Investment Holdings Limited (b), SANB Promotora de Vendas e Cobranca Ltda., SCF Eastside Locks GP Limited, SDMX Superdigital S.A. de C.V., SMPS Merchant Platform Solutions Mexico S.A de C.V, Sancap Investimentos e Participacoes S.A., Santander (CF Trustee Property Nominee) Limited, Santander (UK) Group Pension Schemes Trustees Limited, Santander Ahorro Inmobiliario 1 S.A., Santander Ahorro Inmobiliario 2 S.A., Santander Alternatives SICAV RAIF, Santander Asesorias Financieras Limitada, Santander Asset Finance (December) Limited, Santander Asset Finance plc, Santander Asset Management - S.G.O.I.C. S.A., Santander Asset Management Chile S.A., Santander Asset Management LLC, Santander Asset Management Luxembourg S.A., Santander Asset Management S.A. Administradora General de Fondos, Santander Asset Management S.A. S.G.I.I.C., Santander Asset Management UK Holdings Limited, Santander Asset Management UK Limited, Santander Back-Offices Globales Mayoristas S.A., Santander Banca de Inversion Colombia S.A.S., Santander Bank & Trust Ltd., Santander Bank National Association, Santander Bank Polska S.A., Santander Brasil Administradora de Consorcio Ltda., Santander Brasil Gestao de Recursos Ltda., Santander Brasil Tecnologia S.A., Santander Capital Desarrollo SGEIC S.A. Unipersonal, Santander Capital Structuring S.A. de C.V., Santander Capitalizacao S.A., Santander Cards Ireland Limited, Santander Cards Limited, Santander Cards UK Limited, Santander Chile Holding S.A., Santander Consulting (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Santander Consumer (UK) plc, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2013-B2 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2013-B3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L4 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L5 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-B1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-L2 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-L3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-B1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-L1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-L2 LLC, Santander Consumer Bank, Santander Consumer Bank AG, Santander Consumer Bank GmbH, Santander Consumer Bank S.A., Santander Consumer Bank S.p.A., Santander Consumer Banque S.A., Santander Consumer Credit Services Limited, Santander Consumer Finance Benelux B.V., Santander Consumer Finance Global Services S.L., Santander Consumer Finance Oy, Santander Consumer Finance S.A., Santander Consumer Finance Schweiz AG, Santander Consumer Financial Solutions Sp. z o.o., Santander Consumer Finanse Sp. z o.o. (b), Santander Consumer Holding Austria GmbH, Santander Consumer Holding GmbH, Santander Consumer International Puerto Rico LLC, Santander Consumer Leasing GmbH, Santander Consumer Mediacion Operador de Banca-Seguros Vinculado S.L., Santander Consumer Multirent Sp. z o.o., Santander Consumer Operations Services GmbH, Santander Consumer Receivables 10 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 11 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 3 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 7 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables Funding LLC, Santander Consumer Renting S.L., Santander Consumer S.A., Santander Consumer S.A.S., Santander Consumer Services GmbH, Santander Consumer Services S.A., Santander Consumer Technology Services GmbH, Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc., Santander Consumer USA Inc., Santander Consumo S.A. de C.V. S.O.F.O.M. E.R. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Santander Corredora de Seguros Limitada, Santander Corredores de Bolsa Limitada, Santander Corretora de Cambio e Valores Mobiliarios S.A., Santander Corretora de Seguros Investimentos e Servicos S.A., Santander Customer Voice S.A., Santander Digital Assets S.L., Santander Drive Auto Receivables LLC, Santander Equity Investments Limited, Santander Espana Merchant Services Entidad de Pago S.L. Unipersonal, Santander Espana Servicios Legales y de Cumplimiento S.L., Santander Estates Limited, Santander F24 S.A., Santander Facility Management Espana S.L., Santander Factoring S.A., Santander Factoring Sp. z o.o., Santander Factoring y Confirming S.A. E.F.C., Santander Finance 2012-1 LLC, Santander Financial Exchanges Limited, Santander Financial Services Inc., Santander Financial Services plc, Santander Finanse Sp. z o.o., Santander Fintech Holdings S.L., Santander Fintech Limited, Santander Fundo de Investimento SBAC Referenciado di Credito Privado, Santander Gestion de Recaudacion y Cobranzas Ltda., Santander Global Consumer Finance Limited, Santander Global Facilities S.A. de C.V., Santander Global Facilities S.L., Santander Global Operations S.A., Santander Global Services S.A. (b), Santander Global Sport S.A., Santander Global Technology Brasil Ltda., Santander Global Technology Chile Limitada, Santander Global Technology S.L., Santander Global Trade Platform Solutions S.L., Santander Guarantee Company, Santander Holding Imobiliaria S.A., Santander Holding Internacional S.A., Santander Holdings USA Inc., Santander ISA Managers Limited, Santander Inclusion Financiera S.A. de C.V. S.O.F.O.M. E.R. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Santander Insurance Agency U.S. LLC, Santander Insurance Services UK Limited, Santander Intermediacion Correduria de Seguros S.A., Santander International Products Plc. (d), Santander Inversiones S.A., Santander Investment Bank Limited, Santander Investment Chile Limitada, Santander Investment I S.A., Santander Investment S.A., Santander Investment Securities Inc., Santander Investments GP 1 S.a.r.l., Santander Inwestycje Sp. z o.o., Santander Lease S.A. E.F.C., Santander Leasing LLC, Santander Leasing S.A., Santander Leasing S.A. Arrendamento Mercantil, Santander Lending Limited, Santander Mediacion Operador de Banca-Seguros Vinculado S.A., Santander Merchant Platform Operations S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Services S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions Mexico S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions S.A., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions Uruguay S.A., Santander Merchant Platform SolucoesTecnologicas Brasil Ltda., Santander Merchant S.A., Santander Mortgage Holdings Limited, Santander Paraty Qif PLC, Santander Pensiones S.A. E.G.F.P., Santander Pensoes - Sociedade Gestora de Fundos de Pensoes S.A., Santander Private Banking Gestion S.A. S.G.I.I.C., Santander Private Banking UK Limited, Santander Private Banking s.p.a. in Liquidazione (b), Santander Private Real Estate Advisory & Management S.A., Santander Private Real Estate Advisory S.A., Santander Real Estate S.A., Santander Retail Auto Lease Funding LLC, Santander Rio Asset Management Gerente de Fondos Comunes de Inversion S.A., Santander Rio Trust S.A., Santander Rio Valores S.A., Santander S.A. Sociedad Securitizadora, Santander Secretariat Services Limited, Santander Securities LLC, Santander Seguros y Reaseguros Compania Aseguradora S.A., Santander Servicios Corporativos S.A. de C.V., Santander Servicios Especializados S.A. de C.V., Santander Technology USA LLC, Santander Tecnologia e Inovacao Ltda., Santander Tecnologia Argentina S.A., Santander Tecnologia Espana S.L.U., Santander Tecnologia Mexico S.A. de C.V., Santander Totta SGPS S.A., Santander Totta Seguros Companhia de Seguros de Vida S.A., Santander Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A., Santander Trade Services Limited, Santander UK Group Holdings plc, Santander UK Investments, Santander UK Operations Limited, Santander UK Plc, Santander UK Technology Limited, Santander Wealth Management International SA, Santander de Titulizacion S.G.F.T. S.A., Santusa Holding S.L., Services and Promotions Delaware Corp., Services and Promotions Miami LLC, Servicio de Alarmas Controladas por Ordenador S.A., Servicios de Cobranza Recuperacion y Seguimiento S.A. De C.V., Sheppards Moneybrokers Limited, Shiloh III Wind Project LLC, Sociedad Integral de Valoraciones Automatizadas S.A., Sociedad Operadora de Tarjetas de Pago Santander Getnet Chile S.A., Socur S.A., Sol Orchard Imperial 1 LLC, Solarlaser Limited, Sovereign Community Development Company, Sovereign Delaware Investment Corporation, Sovereign Lease Holdings LLC, Sovereign REIT Holdings Inc., Sovereign Spirit Limited (f), Sterrebeeck B.V., Suleyado 2003 S.L. Unipersonal, Summer Empreendimentos Ltda., Super Pagamentos e Administracao de Meios Eletronicos S.A., Superdigital Argentina S.A.U., Superdigital Colombia S.A.S., Superdigital Holding Company S.L., Superdigital Peru S.A.C., Suzuki Servicios Financieros S.L., Swesant SA, TIMFin S.p.A., TOPSAM S.A de C.V., Taxagest Sociedade Gestora de Participacoes Sociais S.A., Teatinos Siglo XXI Inversiones S.A., The Alliance & Leicester Corporation Limited, The Best Specialty Coffee S.L. Unipersonal, Time Retail Finance Limited (b), Tonopah Solar I LLC, Toque Fale Servicos de Telemarketing Ltda., Tornquist Asesores de Seguros S.A. (b), Totta (Ireland) PLC, Totta Urbe - Empresa de Administracao e Construcoes S.A., Trabajando.com Mexico S.A. de C.V. en liquidacion (b), Trabajando.com Peru S.A.C., Trans Rotor Limited (b), Transolver Finance EFC S.A., Tresmares Growth Fund Santander SCR S.A., Tresmares Santander Direct Lending SICC S.A., Tuttle and Son Limited, Universia Brasil S.A., Universia Chile S.A., Universia Colombia S.A.S., Universia Espana Red de Universidades S.A., Universia Holding S.L., Universia Mexico S.A. de C.V., Universia Peru S.A., Universia Uruguay S.A., Uro Property Holdings SOCIMI S.A., WIM Servicios Corporativos S.A. de C.V., WTW Shipping Designated Activity Company, Wallcesa S.A., Wave Holdco S.L., Waypoint Insurance Group Inc., and Wirecard (Technological Assets).
BNP Paribas SA provides a range of banking and financial services in France and internationally. It operates through two divisions, Retail Banking and Services, and Corporate and Institutional Banking. The company offers long-term corporate vehicle leasing, and rental and other financing solutions; and digital banking and investment services, cash management, and factoring services to corporate clients, as well as wealth management services. It also provides credit solutions for individuals under the Cetelem, Cofinoga, Findomestic, AlphaCredit, and Opel Vauxhall brands; savings and protection solutions, including insuring individuals, and their personal projects and assets; and asset management, private banking, and real estate services. In addition, the company offers global market services, including investment, hedging, financing, research, and market intellingence across asset classes; security services comprising clearing, custody, and asset and fund services, as well as corporate trust, and market and financing services; and corporate trade and treasury, debt financing, specialized financing, strategic advisory, mergers and acquisition, and equity capital market services for institutional and corporate clients. The company was formerly known as Banque Nationale de Paris and changed its name to BNP Paribas SA in May 2000. BNP Paribas SA was founded in 1848 and is headquartered in Paris, France.

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The following companies are subsidiares of BorgWarner: B80 Italia S.r.l., BERU AG, BW El Salto S.A. De C.V., BWA Receivables Corporation, BWA Turbo Systems Holding LLC, Borg Warner Europe Holdings (PDS) B. V., BorgWarner (China) Investment Co. Ltd., BorgWarner (Reman) Holdings L.L.C., BorgWarner (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner Aftermarket Europe GmbH, BorgWarner Alternators Inc., BorgWarner Arden LLC, BorgWarner Arnstadt RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Asia Inc., BorgWarner Automotive Asia Limited, BorgWarner Automotive Components (Beijing) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Brasil Ltda., BorgWarner Chungju Co. LLC, BorgWarner Comercial e Distribuidora de Pecas para Veiculos Automotores Ltda., BorgWarner Comercializadora PDS S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner Componentes PDS S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner Cooling Systems (India) Private Limited, BorgWarner Cooling Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Diversified Transmission Products Services Inc., BorgWarner Drivetrain Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Drivetrain Management Services de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Drivetrain de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Electric Motors L.L.C., BorgWarner Emissions Systems (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Emissions Systems (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Emissions Systems Holding LLC, BorgWarner Emissions Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Emissions Systems LLC, BorgWarner Emissions Systems Portugal Unipessoal LDA, BorgWarner Emissions Systems Spain S.L.U., BorgWarner Emissions Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Emissions Talegaon Private Limited, BorgWarner Engineering Ketsch RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Engineering Kibo RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Esslingen GmbH, BorgWarner Europe GmbH, BorgWarner Europe Holding S.a. r. l., BorgWarner Gateshead Limited, BorgWarner Germany Holding GmbH, BorgWarner Germany Holding Services GmbH, BorgWarner Germany REH GmbH, BorgWarner Germany REM GmbH, BorgWarner Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, BorgWarner Global Holding S.a. r. l., BorgWarner Heidelberg I RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Heidelberg II RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Heidelberg REH GmbH, BorgWarner Heidelberg REM GmbH, BorgWarner Holding Inc., BorgWarner Holdings Limited, BorgWarner Hungary Kft., BorgWarner IT Services Europe GmbH, BorgWarner India Holdings Inc., BorgWarner Investment Holding Inc., BorgWarner Ithaca LLC, BorgWarner Ketsch Plant RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Ketsch REH GmbH, BorgWarner Ketsch REM GmbH, BorgWarner Kft., BorgWarner Kibo RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Korea Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Korea Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Korea LLC, BorgWarner Limited, BorgWarner Ludwigsburg GmbH, BorgWarner Ludwigsburg RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Markdorf Plant RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Markdorf REH GmbH, BorgWarner Markdorf REM GmbH, BorgWarner Massachusetts Inc., BorgWarner Mauritius Holdings Ltd., BorgWarner Mexico Holding BV, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings II LLC, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Morse Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Morse Systems Italy S.r.l., BorgWarner Morse Systems Japan K.K., BorgWarner Morse Systems Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Muggendorf RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner NW Inc., BorgWarner Netherlands Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Oroszlany Kft., BorgWarner PDS (Anderson) L.L.C., BorgWarner PDS (Changnyeong) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Indiana) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Livonia) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Ochang) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner PDS (USA) Inc., BorgWarner PDS Brasil Produtos Automotivos Ltda., BorgWarner PDS Irapuato S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Technologies L.L.C., BorgWarner Poland Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Pyongtaek LLC, BorgWarner Romeo Power LLC, BorgWarner Rzeszow Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Shenglong (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner South Asia LLC, BorgWarner Southborough Inc., BorgWarner Spain Holding S.L.U, BorgWarner Sweden AB, BorgWarner Systems Lugo S.r.l., BorgWarner Thermal Systems Inc., BorgWarner Thermal Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner TorqTransfer Systems Beijing Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Tralee Ltd., BorgWarner Transmission Products LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Arnstadt GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Korea LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Tulle S.A.S., BorgWarner Trustees Limited, BorgWarner Turbo & Emissions Systems France S.A.S., BorgWarner Turbo Systems Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems LLC, BorgWarner Turbo Systems Worldwide Headquarters GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Turbo and Emissions Systems de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner UK Financing Ltd., BorgWarner UK Holding and Services Ltd., BorgWarner US Holding LLC, BorgWarner USA Industries L.L.C., BorgWarner United Transmission Systems Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Waterloo Inc., BorgWarner Wrexham Limited, Cascadia Motion LLC, Creon Insurance Agency Limited, Delphi Technologies, Dytech ENSA, Gustav Wahler GmbH u. Co. KG, Haldex, Kuhlman LLC, Kysor Europe Limited, M. & M. Knopf Auto Parts L.L.C., NSK-Warner (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., NSK-Warner K.K., NSK-Warner Mexico S.A. de C.V, NSK-Warner U.S.A. Inc., New PDS Corp., Old Remco Holdings L.L.C., Old Remco International Holdings L.L.C., Remy International, SeohanWarner Turbo Systems LLC, Sevcon, Sevcon New Energy Technology (Hubei) Company Limited, and Transmission Systems AutoForm LLC.
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..
CEMEX SAB de CV engages in the production, distribution, marketing, and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates. It operates though the following geographical segments: Mexico; United States; Europe; South, Central America and the Caribbean (SCA&C); Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA); and Others. The Europe segment covers United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Czech Republic, Poland and Latvia, as well as trading activities in Scandinavia, and Finland. The SCA&C segment includes Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Caribbean TCL, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Jamaica, the Caribbean, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The EMEA segment comprises of Egypt, Israel, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. The Others segment refers to the cement trade maritime operations, information technology solutions business, and other corporate entities as well as other minor subsidiaries with different lines of business. The company was founded by Lorenzo Zambrano Gutierrez in 1906 and is headquartered in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico.

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Civeo Corp. engages in the provision of workforce accommodations, logistics and facility management services to the natural resource industry. It operates through the following business segments: Canada, Australia, and U.S. The Canada segment provides accommodation services through lodges, open camps and mobile assets, which supports workforces from oil sands and in a variety of oil and natural gas drilling, mining and related natural resource applications, as well as disaster relief efforts. The Australia segment provides accommodations services on a day rate basis to mining and related service companies, such as construction contractors. The U.S. segment provides open camp facilities and highly mobile smaller camps that follow drilling rigs and completion crews as well as accommodation, office and storage modules that are placed on offshore drilling rigs and products platforms. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

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IRVING, Texas, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --A Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR)A will hold a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 to discuss the Company's third quarter 2018 financial results.A The teleconference will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET and will be hosted by Mr. Randall Stuewe, CEO and Chairman of the Board, and Mr. Brad Phillips, EVP and Chief Financial Officer.A Additionally, the Company will have a slide presentation available to augment management's formal presentation, which will be accessible via the investor relations section of the Company's website. The related press release will be issued after the market closes on November 6, 2018. Due to historically high call volume, the company is offering participants the opportunity to register in advance for the conference through the following link: http://dpregister.com/10125255 Registered participants will receive an email with a calendar reminder and a dial-in number and PIN that will allow them immediate access to the call on November 7, 2018. Participants who do not wish to pre-register for the call may dial in using 844-868-8847 (U.S. callers), or 412-317-6593 (international callers), and ask for the "Darling Ingredients" call. A replay will be available two hours after completion of the call through November 15, 2018. To access the replay, please dial 877-344-7529 (U.S. callers), 855-669-9658 (Canada) and 412-317-0088 (international callers) and reference passcode 10125255.A A The live webcast and archived replay also can be accessed on the Company's web site at http://ir.darlingii.com. About Darling

Darling Ingredients Inc. is a global developer and producer of sustainable natural ingredients from edible and inedible bio-nutrients, creating a wide range of ingredients and customized specialty solutions for customers in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, pet food, feed, industrial, fuel, bioenergy and fertilizer industries. A With operations on five continents, the Company collects and transforms all aspects of animal by-product streams into useable and specialty ingredients, such as gelatin, edible fats, feed-grade fats, animal proteins and meals, plasma, pet food ingredients, organic fertilizers, yellow grease, fuel feedstocks, green energy, natural casings and hides.A The Company also recovers and converts recycled oils (used cooking oil and animal fats) into valuable feed and fuel ingredients and collects and processes residual bakery products into feed ingredients. A In addition, the Company provides environmental services, such as! grease t rap collection and disposal services to food service establishments and disposal services for waste solids from the wastewater treatment systems of industrial food processing plants. The Company sells its products domestically and internationally and operates within three industry segments: Feed Ingredients, Food Ingredients and Fuel Ingredients.A For additional information, visit the Company's website at http://www.darlingii.com. For More Information, contact:

Melissa A. Gaither, VP Investor Relations 251 O'Connor Ridge Blvd., Suite 300 & Global Communications Irving, Texas 75038

Phone: 972-717-0300
The following companies are subsidiares of Crane: "CPI-Kiev" LLC, ARDAC Inc., AeroHose, Alfa Laval - The Industrial Flow Group, Armature d.o.o., Automatic Products (UK) Ltd., Automatic Products international - Assets, B. Rhodes & Son Ltd., Barksdale GmbH, Barksdale Inc., CA-MC Acquisition UK Ltd., CR Holdings C.V., CashCode Co - Assets, Coin Controls International Ltd., Coin Holdings Ltd., Coin Industries Ltd., Coin Overseas Holdings Ltd., Coin Pension Trustees Ltd., Conlux Matsumoto Co. Ltd., Consolidated Lumber Co, Corva Corp, Crane (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., Crane Aerospace Inc., Crane Australia Pty. Ltd., Crane Canada Co., Crane Composites Inc., Crane Composites Ltd., Crane Controls Inc., Crane Currency, Crane Electronics Corporation, Crane Electronics Inc., Crane Environmental Inc., Crane European Financing LLC, Crane Fengqiu Zhejiang Pump Co. Ltd., Crane Fluid & Gas Systems (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Crane Global Holdings S.L., Crane GmbH, Crane Holdings (Germany) GmbH, Crane International Capital S.a.r.l., Crane International Holdings Inc., Crane International Trading (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Crane Ireland Ventures Designated Activity Company, Crane Ltd., Crane Merchandising Systems Inc., Crane Merchandising Systems Ltd., Crane Merger Co. LLC, Crane Middle East & Africa FZE, Crane Ningjin Valve Co. Ltd., Crane North America Funding LLC, Crane Nuclear Inc., Crane Overseas LLC, Crane Payment Innovations GmbH, Crane Payment Innovations Inc., Crane Payment Innovations International Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Pty Ltd., Crane Payment Innovations Sarl, Crane Payment Innovations Srl, Crane Pension Trustee Company (UK) Limited, Crane Process Flow Technologies (India) Pvt. Ltd., Crane Process Flow Technologies GmbH, Crane Process Flow Technologies Ltd., Crane Process Flow Technologies S.P.R.L., Crane Process Flow Technologies S.r.l., Crane Pumps and Systems Inc., Crane Resistoflex GmbH, Crane SC Holdings Ltd., Crane Stockham Valve. Ltd., Crane Yongxiang (Ningbo) Valve Company Ltd., Croning Livarna d.o.o., Cummis-Allison Corp, Delta Fluid Products, Delta Fluid Products Ltd., Dixie Narco, Donald Brown (Brownall) Ltd., ELDEC Corporation, ELDEC Electronics Ltd., ELDEC France S.A.R.L, Edlon - PSI division, Environmental Products USA, Etex Group - Business, Flow Technology Inc., Friedrich Krombach GmbH Armaturenwerke, General Technology Corp., Hattersley Newman Hender - Assets, Hattersly Newman Hender Ltd., Hydro-Aire Inc., Inta-Lok Ltd., Interpoint S.A.R.L., Interpoint U.K. Limited, Kessel (Thailand) Pte. Ltd., Kontron America - Mobile Rugged Business, Laminated Profiles - Assets, Lasco Composites, Liberty Technologies, MCC Holdings Inc., MEI Australia LLC, MEI Auto Payment System (Shanghai) Ltd., MEI Conlux, MEI Conlux Holdings (Japan) Inc., MEI Conlux Holdings (US) Inc., MEI Payment Systems Hong Kong Ltd., MEI Queretaro S. de R.L. de CV, MEI de Mexico LLC, MOVATS - Nuclear Valve Division, Merrimac Industries, Merrimac Industries Inc., Mondais Holdings B.V., Money Controls, Money Controls Argentina SA, Money Controls Holdings Ltd., Multi-Mix Microtechnology SRL, NABIC Valve Safety Products Ltd., Nippon Conlux Co. Ltd., Noble Composites, Noble Composites Inc., Number One Supply, Owens Corning - FRP Panel Business, P.L. Porter, P.T. Crane Indonesia, Pegler Hattersly Ltd., Resistoflex, Sequentia Holdings, Signal Technology, Sperryn & Company Ltd., Stentorfield, Streamware, Telequip, Terminal Manufacturing Co., The Dow Chemical - Plastic-Lined Piping Products division, The Krombach Group, Triangle Valve Co. Ltd., Unidynamics / Phoenix Inc., Ventech Controls, Viking Johnson Ltd., W.T. Armatur GmbH, Wade Couplings Ltd., Wask Ltd., Westlock Controls, Xomox, Xomox Chihuahua S.A. de C.V., Xomox Corporation, Xomox Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Xomox France S.A.S., Xomox Hungary Kft., Xomox International GmbH & Co. OHG, Xomox Japan Ltd., Xomox Korea Ltd., Xomox Sanmar Ltd., and Yilme Holdings B.V..
Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers. The company also provides mobile voice and data services to consumers and business customers; sells mobile devices and other hardware products; and sells mobile services to resellers and to companies that purchases and markets network services to third parties, such as mobile virtual network operators. In addition, it offers internet services; internet-based TV products and services; and information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions with an infrastructure of data centers and networks under the T-Systems brand, as well as call center services. The company has 242 million mobile customers and 22 million broadband customers, as well as 27 million fixed-network lines. Deutsche Telekom AG has a collaboration with VMware, Inc. on cloud-based open and intelligent virtual RAN platform to bring agility to radio access networks for existing LTE and future 5G networks; and partnership with Microsoft to deliver high-performance cloud computing experiences. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.

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

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Erdene Resource Development Corporation focuses in the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious and base mineral deposits in Mongolia. It explores for copper, molybdenum, gold, silver, lead, and zinc deposits. The company principally holds a 100% interest in the Bayan Khundii Gold Project comprising 2,309 hectares located in the Bayankhongor province in Mongolia. It also holds interests in three mining licenses and two exploration licenses located in southwest Mongolia. The company was formerly known as Erdene Gold Inc. and changed its name to Erdene Resource Development Corporation in May 2008. Erdene Resource Development Corporation was incorporated in 2000 and is based in Dartmouth, Canada.

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iShares MSCI Australia ETF's stock was trading at $17.46 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWA stock has increased by 45.1% and is now trading at $25.33.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
Continental Building Products Inc (NYSE:CBPX) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November, 12th. The construction company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks' consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.01. The construction company had revenue of $127.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $127.16 million. Continental Building Products had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 18.84% and a net margin of 12.12%. The company's revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.51 EPS.

View Continental Building Products' earnings history.
Gildan Activewear Inc. manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sport shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Anvil by Gildan, Alstyle, Prim + Preux, and GoldToe brands. The company also offers hosiery products comprising athletic; dress; and casual, liner, therapeutic, and workwear socks, as well as sheer panty hoses, tights, and leggings under the brands of Gildan, Under Armour, GoldToe, PowerSox, GT a GoldToe Brand, Silver Toe, Signature Gold by Goldtoe, Peds, MediPeds, Kushyfoot, Therapy Plus, All Pro, Secret, Silks, Secret Silky, and American Apparel. In addition, it provides men's and boys' underwear products, and ladies panties under the Gildan and Gildan Platinum brand names; and ladies' shapewear, intimates, and accessories under the Secret and Secret Silky brands. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors, screen printers, or embellishers, as well as to retailers and consumer brand companies. The company was formerly known as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

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GlaxoSmithKline Plc is a healthcare company, which engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceuticals; Pharmaceuticals R&D; Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment focuses on developing medicines in respiratory and infectious diseases, oncology, and immuno-inflammation. The Pharmaceuticals R&D segment focuses on science related to the immune system, the use of human genetics and advanced technologies, and is driven by the multiplier effect of Science x Technology x Culture. The Vaccines segment produces pediatric and adult vaccines to prevent a range of infectious diseases including, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, typhoid, influenza, and bacterial meningitis. The Consumer Healthcare segment develops and markets brands in the oral health, pain relief, respiratory, nutrition and gastro intestinal, and skin health categories. The company was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Middlesex, the United Kingdom.

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5.0 Community Rank

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Community Sentiment Dividend 15 Split Corp. II has received 80.00% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Dividend 15 Split Corp. II and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe DF will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe DF will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Thermo Fisher Scientific: 236 Perinton Parkway LLC, 27 Forge Parkway LLC, ABR--Affinity BioReagents, ACI Holdings Inc., ARG Services LLC, ASPEX Corporation, Abgene Inc., Abgene Limited, Acoustic Cytometry Systems Inc., AcroMetrix LLC, Acros Organics B.V.B.A., Advanced Biotechnologies Limited, Advanced Scientifics (ASI), Advanced Scientifics Inc., Advanced Scientifics International Inc., Affymetrix Biotech Participacoes Ltda., Affymetrix Biotech Shanghai Ltd, Affymetrix Inc, Affymetrix Japan K.K., Affymetrix Pte Ltd, Affymetrix UK Ltd, Afora S.A.U., Ahura Scientific, Alchematrix Inc., Alchematrix LLC, Alfa Aesar, Alfa Aesar (China) Chemical Co. Ltd., Alfa Aesar (Hong Kong) Limited, Allergon AB, Alphine Mountain Limited, Ambion Inc., Apogent Denmark ApS, Apogent Finance Company, Apogent Holding Company, Apogent Technologies Inc., Apogent Transition Corp., Apogent U.K. Limited, App-Tek International Pty Ltd, Applied Biosystems B.V., Applied Biosystems Finance B.V., Applied Biosystems International Inc., Applied Biosystems LLC, Applied Biosystems Taiwan LLC, Applied Biosystems Trading (Shanghai) Company Ltd., Applied Biosystems de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Applied Scientific Corporation, Avances Cientificos de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Avocado Research Chemicals Limited, B.R.A.H.M.S. Biotech GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. UK Ltd, BAC BV, BAC IP BV, Barnstead Thermolyne LLC, Beijing Phadia Diagnostics Co Ltd, Bender MedSystems GmbH, BioTrove Corporation, BioTrove International Inc., Bioanalysis Labsystems S.A., Biochemical Sciences LLC, Biolab, BmT GmbH Laborprodukte, Bonsai Tecnologies - Sistemas para Biotecnologia e Industria Unipessoal Lda, Brammer Bio, Bumi-Sans Sendirian Berhad, CAC Limited, CB Diagnostics AB, CB Diagnostics Holding AB, CEPH International Corporation, CHK Holdings Inc., CRS Robotics, CTPS LLC, Capitol Scientific Products Inc., Capitol Vial Inc., Cellomics Inc., CellzDirect Inc., Cenduit GmbH, Cenduit LLC, Cezanne S.A.S., Chase Scientific Glass Inc., Chromacol Limited, Clintrak, Clintrak Clinical Labeling Services LLC, Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services LLC, Cohesive Technologies (UK) Limited, Cohesive Technologies Inc., Columbia Diagnostics Inc., Compendia Bioscience Inc., Comtest Limited, Consolidated Technologies Inc., Consultores Fisher Scientific Chile Ltd, Core Informatics, Core Informatics LLC, Core Informatics UK Ltd., D-finitive Technologies Inc., DCG Systems B.V., DCG Systems C.V., DCG Systems G.K., DCG Systems GmbH, DCG Systems Korea Ltd., DCG Systems LLC, DPI Newco LLC, DSM Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Dharmacon, Diagnostix Ltd., Dionex (China) Analytical Ltd, Dionex (Switzerland) AG, Dionex (UK) Limited, Dionex Austria GmbH, Dionex Benelux B.V., Dionex Brasil Instrumentos Cientificos Ltda, Dionex Canada Ltd., Dionex China Limited, Dionex Corporation, Dionex Denmark A/S, Dionex Holding GmbH, Dionex I LLC, Dionex Pty Ltd., Dionex S.A., Dionex S.p.A., Dionex Singapore Pte Ltd., Dionex Softron GmbH, Dionex Sweden AB, Distribution Solutions International Inc., Doe & Ingalls Investors Inc., Doe & Ingalls Limited, Doe & Ingalls Management LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties II LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties LLC, Doe & Ingalls of California Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Florida Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Maryland Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Massachusetts Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of North Carolina Operating LLC, Doublecape Holding Limited, Doublecape Limited, Drakeside Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Duke Scientific Corporation, Dynal Biotech Beijing Limited, EGS Gauging Ltd., EGS Gauging Technical Services Company, EP Scientific Products LLC, Ecochem N.V., EnviroEquip Pty Ltd, Epsom Glass Industries Limited, Equibio Limited, Erie Electroverre S.A., Erie Finance Limited, Erie LP Holding LLC, Erie Scientific Company of Puerto Rico, Erie Scientific Hungary Kft, Erie Scientific LLC, Erie U.K. Limited, Erie UK 1 Limited, Erie UK 2 Limited, Erie UK Holding Company, Erie UK Senior Holding Limited, European Laboratory Holdings Limited, Eutech Instruments Europe B.V., Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd., Eutech Instruments Sdn Bhd, Ever Ready Thermometer Co. Inc., FEI Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., FEI Australia Pty Ltd, FEI CPD B.V., FEI Company, FEI Company Japan Ltd., FEI Company of USA (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd., FEI Czech Republic s.r.o., FEI Deutschland GmbH, FEI EFA Inc., FEI EFA International Pte. Ltd., FEI Electron Optics B.V., FEI Electron Optics International B.V., FEI Europe B.V., FEI France SAS, FEI Global Holdings C.V., FEI Hong Kong Company Limited, FEI Houston Inc., FEI Italia Srl, FEI Korea Ltd., FEI Melbourne Pty Ltd., FEI Microscopy Solutions Ltd, FEI Munich GmbH, FEI Norway Holding AS, FEI SAS, FEI Saudi Arabia LLC, FEI Servicos de Nanotecnologia Ltda., FEI Technologies Inc., FEI Technology de Mexico S.A. de C.V., FEI Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FEI Trondheim AS, FEI UK Ltd., FHP LLC, FRC Holding Inc. V, FS (Barbados) Capital Holdings Ltd., FS Casa Rocas Holdings LLC, FS Mexicana Holdings LLC, FSI Receivables Company LLC, FSII Sweden Holdings AB, FSII Sweden Holdings I AB, FSIR Holdings (UK) Limited, FSIR Holdings (US) Inc., FSUK Holdings Limited, FSWH Company LLC, FSWH II C.V., FSWH International Holdings LLC, Fermentas China Co. Ltd, Fermentas Inc., Fermentas International, Fermentas Sweden AB, Fermentas UK Limited, Fiberlite Centrifuge LLC, Finesse Scientific Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Finesse Solutions AG, Finesse Solutions Inc., Finnzymes Oy, Fisher Alder S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Asia Manufacturing Ventures Inc., Fisher Bermuda Holdings Limited, Fisher BioImage ApS, Fisher BioPharma Services (India) Private Limited, Fisher BioSciences Japan G.K., Fisher BioServices Inc., Fisher Bioblock Holding II SNC, Fisher CLP Holding Limited Partnership, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 1, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 2, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 3, Fisher Canada Limited Partnership, Fisher Chimica BVBA, Fisher Clinical Logistics LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services (Bristol) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Colombia) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Korea) Co. Ltd, Fisher Clinical Services (Mexico) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Peru) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services Colombia S.A.S., Fisher Clinical Services GmbH, Fisher Clinical Services Inc., Fisher Clinical Services Japan K.K., Fisher Clinical Services Latin America S.R.L., Fisher Clinical Services Limited Liability Company, Fisher Clinical Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Clinical Services Peru S.R.L, Fisher Clinical Services Pte Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services U.K. Limited, Fisher Emergo B.V., Fisher Germany Holdings GmbH, Fisher Hamilton China Inc., Fisher Hamilton Mexico LLC, Fisher Holdings ApS, Fisher Internet Minority Holdings L.L.C., Fisher Laboratory Products Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Fisher Luxembourg Danish Holdings SARL, Fisher Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Maybridge Holdings Limited, Fisher Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific (Austria) GmbH, Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Fisher Scientific (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific (SEA) Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific A/S, Fisher Scientific AG, Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Limited, Fisher Scientific Biotech Line ApS, Fisher Scientific Brazil Inc., Fisher Scientific Central America Inc., Fisher Scientific Chile Inc., Fisher Scientific Colombia Inc., Fisher Scientific Company, Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C., Fisher Scientific Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Fisher Scientific Europe Holdings B.V., Fisher Scientific GTF AB, Fisher Scientific Germany Beteiligungs GmbH, Fisher Scientific GmbH, Fisher Scientific Holding Company LLC, Fisher Scientific Holding HK Limited, Fisher Scientific Holding U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific Holdings (S) Pte Ltd, Fisher Scientific International LLC, Fisher Scientific Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Fisher Scientific Ireland Investments Unlimited, Fisher Scientific Ireland Limited, Fisher Scientific Japan Ltd., Fisher Scientific Jersey Island Limited, Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd, Fisher Scientific Latin America Inc., Fisher Scientific Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Fisher Scientific Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific Mexico Inc., Fisher Scientific Middle East and Africa Inc., Fisher Scientific Norway AS, Fisher Scientific Operating Company, Fisher Scientific Oxoid Holdings Ltd., Fisher Scientific Oy, Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific S.A.S., Fisher Scientific S.L., Fisher Scientific SPRL, Fisher Scientific The Hague I B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague II B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague III B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague IV B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague V B.V., Fisher Scientific U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company 2, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company Limited, Fisher Scientific Unipessoal Lda., Fisher Scientific Venezuela Inc., Fisher Scientific Worldwide (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Holdings I C.V., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Inc., Fisher Scientific de Mexico S.A., Fisher Scientific of the Netherlands B.V., Fisher Scientific spol. S.r.o, Fisher Servicios Clinicos (Chile) LLC, Fisher Servicios Clinicos Chile Ltda, Fisher WWD Holding L.L.C., Fisher Worldwide Distribution SPV, Fisher Worldwide Gene Distribution SPV, Flux Instruments, Fuji Partnership, G & M Procter Limited, G V Instruments Limited, GV Instruments Canada Ltd., GV Instruments Inc, Gatan Inc, General Scientific Company Sdn Bhd (M), Genomed molekularbiologische und diagnostische Produkte GmbH, Gerhard Menzel B.V. & Co. KG, Gold Cattle Standard Testing Labs Inc., Golden West Indemnity Company Limited, Goring Kerr Detection Limited, Greenville Service Company Inc., HENO GmbH i.L., Hangar 215 Inc., Helmet Securities Limited, Henogen, HighChem, HyClone International Trade (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Hybaid Limited, I.Q. (BIO) Limited, IDnostics AG, ILS Laboratories Scandinavia AB, Inel Inc., Inel SAS, InnaPhase Inc., InnaPhase Limited, IntegenX, Intrinsic BioProbes Inc., Intrinsic Bioprobes Inc., Invitrogen (Shanghai) Investment Co. Ltd., Invitrogen Argentina SA, Invitrogen BioServices India Private Limited, Invitrogen Europe Limited, Invitrogen Finance Corp., Invitrogen Holdings LLC, Invitrogen Holdings Ltd., Invitrogen Hong Kong Limited, Invitrogen IP Holdings Inc., Invitrogen Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ion Torrent Systems Inc., Ionalytics Corporation, JSC Thermo Fisher Scientific, Jouan LLC, Jouan Limited, Jouan SA, Kendro Containment & Services Limited, Kendro Laboratory Products Ltd, Kettlebrook Insurance Co. ltd., Keystone Scientific, KonTEM GmbH, Kyle Jordan Investments LLC, LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, LTC Tech South Africa PTY Ltd., La-Pha-Pack GmbH, Lab Vision (UK) Limited, Lab Vision Corporation, Lab-Chrom-Pack LLC, Lab-Line Instruments Inc., Labomex MBP S. de R. L. De C.V., Laboratoire Service International - L.S.I, Laboratory Management Systems Inc., Laboratory Specialties Proprietary Ltd., LambTrack Limited, Laser Analytical Systems Inc., Liberty Lane Investment LLC, Liberty Lane Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Life Sciences International (Poland) SP z O.O, Life Sciences International Holdings BV, Life Sciences International LLC, Life Sciences International Limited, Life Technologies AS, Life Technologies Australia PTY Ltd., Life Technologies BPD AB, Life Technologies BPD UK Limited, Life Technologies Brasil Comercio e Industria de Produtos para Biotecnologia Ltda, Life Technologies Chile SpA, Life Technologies Clinical Services Lab Inc., Life Technologies Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Czech Republic s.r.o., Life Technologies DaAn Diagnostic (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Europe B.V., Life Technologies Finance Ltd., Life Technologies Finland Oy, Life Technologies GmbH, Life Technologies Holdings PTE Ltd., Life Technologies Inc., Life Technologies International B.V., Life Technologies Japan Ltd., Life Technologies Korea LLC, Life Technologies Limited, Life Technologies Magyarorszag Kft, Life Technologies New Zealand Ltd., Life Technologies Norway Investments US LLC, Life Technologies Polska Sp z.o.o., Life Technologies SA, Life Technologies SAS, Life Technologies s.r.o, Linkage Biosciences Inc., Linkage Biosciences S.a.r.l., Loftus Furnace Company, Lomb Scientific, Lomb Scientific (Aust) Pty Limited, MTI-GlobalStem, Marketbase International Limited, Matrix MicroScience Inc., Matrix MicroScience Ltd., Matrix Technologies Corporation Limited, Matrix Technologies LLC, Maybridge Chemical Company Limited, Maybridge Chemical Holdings Limited, Maybridge Limited, Medical Analysis Systems Inc., Medical Analysis Systems International Inc., Medical Diagnostics Systems Inc., Metavac LLC, Microgenics Corporation, Microgenics Diagnostics Pty Limited, Microgenics GmbH, Microm International GmbH, Microm Laborgerate S.L.U, Molecular BioProducts Inc., Molecular Probes Inc., Molecular Transfer Inc., NAPCO Inc., NERL Diagnostics LLC, NOVODIRECT GmbH Labor- und Industrie- Megerate, Nalge (Europe) Limited, Nalge Nunc International (Monterrey) LLC, Nalge Nunc International Corporation, Nanjing WeiKangLe Trading Industrial Co Ltd, NanoDrop Technologies LLC, National Scientific Company, Navaho Acquisition Corp., Neomarkers Inc., New FS Holdings Inc., NewcoGen PE LLC, Nihon Dynal K.K., Niton Asia Limited, NovaWave Technologies Inc., Nunc A/S, ONIX Systems Inc., OXOID CZ s.r.o., Odyssey Holdings Corporation, Odyssey Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 1 S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 2 S.a r.l., Odyssey Venture Corporation, Omega Data Systems, One Lambda Inc, Onix Holdings Limited, Orme Scientific Limited, Owl Separation Systems LLC, Oxoid (ELY) Limited, Oxoid 2000 Limited, Oxoid AS, Oxoid Australia Pty. Limited, Oxoid Company, Oxoid Deutschland GmbH, Oxoid Holding SAS, Oxoid Holdings Limited, Oxoid Inc., Oxoid International Limited, Oxoid Investments GmbH, Oxoid Limited, Oxoid N.V., Oxoid New Zealand Limited, Oxoid Pension Trustees Limited, Oxoid Senior Holdings Limited, Oxoid UKH LLC, PAX - DSI Acquisition LLC, PE AG, Pacific Rim Far East Industries LLC, Pacific Rim Investment LLC, Panomics L.L.C., Panomics S.R.L., Patheon, Patheon API Inc., Patheon API Manufacturing Inc., Patheon API Services Inc., Patheon Austria GmbH & Co KG, Patheon B.V., Patheon Banner U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon Biologics (NJ) LLC, Patheon Biologics Australia Pty Ltd, Patheon Biologics B.V., Patheon Biologics LLC, Patheon Calculus Merger LLC, Patheon Cooperatief U.A., Patheon Development Services Inc., Patheon Finance LLC, Patheon France SAS, Patheon Holdings B.V., Patheon Holdings I B.V., Patheon Holdings II B.V., Patheon Holdings SAS, Patheon I B.V., Patheon I Holding GmbH, Patheon Inc., Patheon International AG, Patheon Italia S.p.A., Patheon KK, Patheon Life Science Products International GmbH, Patheon Manufacturing Services LLC, Patheon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Patheon Pharmaceuticals Services Inc., Patheon Puerto Rico Acquisitions Corporation, Patheon Puerto Rico Inc., Patheon Regensburg GmbH, Patheon Softgels B.V., Patheon Softgels Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings LLC, Patheon UK Limited, Patheon UK Pension Trustees Limited, Pelican Acquisition Corporation, Perbio Science (Canada) Company, Perbio Science AB, Perbio Science BVBA, Perbio Science France SAS, Perbio Science Inc., Perbio Science International Netherlands B.V., Perbio Science Invest AB, Perbio Science Nederland B.V., Perbio Science Projekt AB, Perbio Science Sweden Holdings AB, Perbio Science Switzerland SA, Perbio Science UK Limited, Phadia AB, Phadia Diagnosticos Ltda, Phadia GmbH, Phadia Holding AB, Phadia International Holdings C.V., Phadia Korea Co. Ltd, Phadia Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Phadia Malta Holdings Limited, Phadia Oy, Phadia Real Property AB, Phadia Sweden AB, Phadia Taiwan Inc., Phadia US Inc., Phadia s.r.o., Pharmacaps Mexicana SA de CV, Phenom-World B.V., Phenom-World Holding B.V, Phenom-World Innovations B.V., Phinotex, Pierce Biotechnology Inc., Pierce Milwaukee Holding Corp., Pierce Milwaukee Inc., Polychromix, Power Sweden Holdings I AB, Power Sweden Holdings II AB, Power Sweden Holdings III Aktiebolag, Princeton Gamma-Tech Instruments LLC, Princeton Security Technologies, Prionics AG, Prionics Asia Ltd., Prionics Deutschland GmbH, Prionics France SAS, Prionics Italia S.r.l., Prionics Lelystad B.V., Prionics USA Inc., Priority Air Express LLC, Priority Air Express Pte. Ltd., Priority Air Express UK Limited, Priority Air Holdings Corp, Priority Solutions International, Promedica Pty Limited, Proxeon, Proxeon Biosystems ApS, Qiagen, REP GBP I-B Blocker Inc., Raymond A Lamb Limited, Remel Europe Limited, Remel Inc., Richard-Allan Scientific Company, Robbins Scientific LLC, Robocon Labor- und Industrieroboter Gesellschaft m.b.H, Rupprecht and Patashnick, Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P), Russell pH Limited, S.C.I. du 10 rue Dugay Trouin, SCI Inno 92, STC Bio Manufacturing Inc., Samco Scientific (Monterrey) LLC, Samco Scientific LLC, Saroph Sweden AB, Schantz Road LLC, Seradyn Inc., Shanghai Life Technologies Biotechnology Co. Limited, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (C-I) Trading Co. Ltd, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (S) Trading Co. Ltd, Southern Trials (Pty) Ltd., Specialty (SMI) Inc., Spectra-Physics AB, Spectra-Physics Holdings Limited, Spectra-Physics Holdings USA LLC, Spectronex, Staten Island Cogeneration Corporation, Sterilin Limited, Stokes Bio Ltd., Sweden DIA (Sweden) AB, SwissAnalytic Group GmbH, Systems Manufacturing Corporation, TFLP LLC, TFS Breda B.V., TFS LLC, TFS Singapore HK Limited, TFSL Financing GP LLC, TFSL Senior GP Holdings 2 LLC, TK Partnership, TKA Wasseraufbereitungssysteme, TMOI Inc., TPI Real Estate Holdings LLC, TSP Holdings I LLC, TWX LLC, Technology Design Solutions Pty Ltd, Thermedics Detection de Argentina S.R.L, Thermo Allen Coding Limited, Thermo Asset Management Services Inc., Thermo BioAnalysis LLC, Thermo BioAnalysis Limited, Thermo BioSciences Holdings LLC, Thermo CIDTEC, Thermo CRS Holdings Ltd., Thermo CRS Ltd., Thermo Cambridge Limited, Thermo Cayman Holdings Ltd., Thermo Corporation, Thermo DMA Inc., Thermo Detection de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Dutch Holdings Limited Partnership, Thermo EGS Gauging LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings I LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings II LLC, Thermo Eberline LLC, Thermo Electron (Calgary) Limited, Thermo Electron (Chile) S.p.A., Thermo Electron (Karlsruhe) GmbH, Thermo Electron (Management Services) Limited, Thermo Electron (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Electron A/S, Thermo Electron Australia Pty Limited, Thermo Electron Export Inc., Thermo Electron Holdings SAS, Thermo Electron Industries, Thermo Electron LED GmbH, Thermo Electron LED S.A.S., Thermo Electron Limited, Thermo Electron Manufacturing Limited, Thermo Electron Metallurgical Services Inc., Thermo Electron North America LLC, Thermo Electron Pension Trust GmbH, Thermo Electron Puerto Rico Inc., Thermo Electron SAS, Thermo Electron Scientific Instruments LLC, Thermo Electron Sweden AB, Thermo Electron Sweden Forvaltning AB, Thermo Electron Weighing & Inspection Limited, Thermo Elemental Limited, Thermo Environmental Instruments LLC, Thermo Fast U.K. Limited, Thermo Finland Holdings LLC, Thermo Finland Holdings MT1 B.V., Thermo Finland Holdings MT2 B.V., Thermo Finnigan LLC, Thermo Finnigan Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Malta Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN-I) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (CN-II) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings I Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings II Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings 2) LLC, Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) II Limited, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Heysham) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Kandel) GmbH, Thermo Fisher CHK Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust II, Thermo Fisher Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Thermo Fisher Cyprus Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Detection Mexico LLC, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics (Ireland) Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AB, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AG, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Aps, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Austria GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics B.V., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics K.K., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics NV, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.L.U., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.p.A. , Thermo Fisher Diagnostics SAS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Thermo Fisher Eurobonds Ltd., Thermo Fisher Financial Services Inc., Thermo Fisher GP LLC, Thermo Fisher German Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Germany B.V., Thermo Fisher India Divestco Private Limited, Thermo Fisher India Holding B.V., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Thermo Fisher Israel Ltd., Thermo Fisher Production et Services SAS, Thermo Fisher Project Cyprus LLC, Thermo Fisher Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Australia) C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Barbados) Holdings Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Breda) Holding BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (CN) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China-HK) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (DE) Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Ecublens) SARL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance II) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Fuji) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Holding II) B.V. & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Johannesburg) (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mexico City) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Milwaukee) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mississauga) Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Monterrey) S. De R.L. De C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (NK) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) Austria Holding GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-I) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-II) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN1) UK Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) Dutch LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Praha) s.r.o., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) GmbH & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Schweiz) AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Instruments Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Suzhou) Instruments Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific AL-1 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific AU II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Aquasensors LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V.B.A., Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (I) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (II) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics UAB, Thermo Fisher Scientific Beteiligungsverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Biosciences Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brahms LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Instrumentos de Processo Ltda., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Servicos de Logistica Ltda, Thermo Fisher Scientific C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cayman Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chemicals Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific China (C-I) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China (S) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings IV B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings Aps, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus IV C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus V C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Denmark Senior Holdings ApS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie 1 Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Europe GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC Finance C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSUKHCO Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Falcon Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Finance Company BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific GENEART GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Germany BV & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific HR Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) I, Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) II , Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings Europe Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific IT Services GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Pvt Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Malta) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments Malta (Sweden Financing) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Invitrogen Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific K.K., Thermo Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific LSI Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments III S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments IV S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life NL Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Netherlands Holding C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Switzerland Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Tech Korea Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Enterprise Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investments Holding LP, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Luxembourg Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Enterprise Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg German Holdings S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Life Technologies UK Holding S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings I S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings II S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malta Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Messtechnik GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Mexico City S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Middle East Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Milano Srl, Thermo Fisher Scientific NHK Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Holdings, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway Holdings AS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway US Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Operating Company LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Oy, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 C.V, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Panama I Cayman Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Peru S.R.L., Thermo Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific SL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Financing LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Holdings Australia LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific South Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific SpA, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg I S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Investments Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Switzerland Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific TR Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Taiwan Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific West Palm Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Worldwide Investments (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific eCommerce Solutions LLC , Thermo Fisher Senior Canada Holdings LLC, Thermo Foundation Inc., Thermo Gamma-Metrics Holdings Pty Ltd., Thermo Gamma-Metrics LLC, Thermo Gamma-Metrics Pty Ltd, Thermo Holding European Operations LLC, Thermo Hypersil Ltd, Thermo Hypersil-Keystone LLC, Thermo Informatics Asia Pacific Pty Ltd., Thermo Instrument Controls de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Thermo Kevex X-Ray LLC, Thermo Keytek LLC, Thermo LabSystems Inc., Thermo LabSystems S.A., Thermo Life Science International Trading (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Thermo Life Sciences AB, Thermo Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo MF Physics LLC, Thermo Measurement Ltd, Thermo Measuretech Canada Inc., Thermo Neslab LLC, Thermo Nicolet Limited, Thermo Onix Limited, Thermo Optek (Australia) Pty Ltd., Thermo Optek Limited, Thermo Optek S.A., Thermo Orion Inc., Thermo Portable Holdings LLC, Thermo Power Corporation, Thermo Process Instruments GP LLC, Thermo Process Instruments L.P., Thermo Projects Limited, Thermo Quest S.A., Thermo Radiometrie Limited, Thermo Ramsey Italia S.r.l., Thermo Ramsey LLC, Thermo Ramsey S.A., Thermo Re Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Pte Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Sdn Bhd, Thermo Scientific Portable Analytical Instruments Inc., Thermo Scientific Services Inc., Thermo Securities Corporation, Thermo Sentron Canada Inc., Thermo Sentron Limited, Thermo Shandon Inc., Thermo Shandon Limited, Thermo Suomi Holding B.V., Thermo TLH (UK) Limited, Thermo TLH L.P., Thermo Trace Pty Ltd., Thermo-Fisher Biochemical Product (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ThermoLase LLC, ThermoSpectra Limited, Trek Diagnostic Systems LLC, Trek Diagnostic Systems Ltd., Trek Holding Company II Ltd., Trek Holding Company Ltd., Trex Medical Corporation, USB Corporation, Union Lab Supplies Limited, United Diagnostics Inc., VG Systems Limited, Westover Scientific Inc., ZAO PE Biosystems, eBioscience GmbH, eBioscience Ltd, eBioscience SAS, and picoSpin LLC.
Invesco CurrencyShares Singapore Dollar Trust's stock was trading at $70.23 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, FXSG shares have increased by 0.0% and is now trading at $70.23.

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iShares Gold Trust's stock reverse split before market open on Monday, May 24th 2021. The 1-2 reverse split was announced on Wednesday, March 3rd 2021. The number of shares owned by shareholders was adjusted after the closing bell on Friday, May 21st 2021. An investor that had 100 shares of iShares Gold Trust stock prior to the reverse split would have 50 shares after the split.
Kibo Energy PLC, together with its subsidiaries, explores for and develops energy projects in Sub Saharan Africa and the United Kingdom. The company holds a 100% interest in the Mbeya Coal to Power project located in Songwe Regio, Tanzania. It also holds an 85% interest in the Mabesekwa Coal Independent Power Project located in Botswana; and 65% interest in the Benga Power Plant Project located in the Tete province of Mozambique. In addition, the company owns a 100% interest in the Bordersley power plant located near Birmingham. Further, it engages in power generation and treasury businesses. Kibo Energy PLC has a collaboration agreement with ESS Tech Inc. to develop energy storage solutions. The company was formerly known as Kibo Mining Plc and changed its name to Kibo Energy PLC in July 2018. Kibo Energy PLC was founded in 2008 and is based in Galway, Ireland.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise: 3Com International Inc., 3PAR Inc., Apogee, Aruba Networks Inc., Aruba Networks International Cayman, Aruba Networks International Limited, BlueData Software, Cloud Cruiser, Cloud Technology Partners, Cloud Technology Partners Inc., Compaq Computer (Mauritius), Compaq Trademark B.V., Cray, Cray Inc., EDS World Corporation (Far East) LLC, EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc., H3C Holdings Limited, HP Enterprise Services Australia Pty Ltd, HP Financial Services (Australia) Pty Limited, HP Financial Services (Chile) Limitada, HP Financial Services (Japan) K.K., HP Financial Services Arrendamento Mercantil S.A., HP Financial Services Company (Korea), HP Financial Services International Holdings Company, HPE Government LLC, HPFS Global Holdings I LLC, HPFS Global Holdings II LLC, HPFS Rental S.R.L., Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co. Ltd, Hewlett Packard Caribe BV LLC, Hewlett Packard Colombia Ltda., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (China) Co. Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V. Amstelveen Meyrin Branch, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Cie, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Costa Rica Limitada, Hewlett Packard Enterprise GlobalSoft Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Ireland Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Luxembourg SCA, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Polska sp. z o.o., Hewlett Packard Pathfinder LLC, Hewlett Packard Taiwan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (Israel) Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn. Bhd., Hewlett-Packard (Nigeria) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Schweiz) GmbH, Hewlett-Packard (Tanzania) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Limited, Hewlett-Packard ApS, Hewlett-Packard Argentina S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Australia Pty Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Belgium SPRL/BVBA, Hewlett-Packard Bermuda Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Brasil Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria EOOD, Hewlett-Packard Caribe B.V., Hewlett-Packard Caribe Y Andina B.V. LLC, Hewlett-Packard Chile Comercial Limitada, Hewlett-Packard Cyprus Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Egypt Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Financial Services (India) Private Limited, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Canada Company, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company, Hewlett-Packard France SAS, Hewlett-Packard G1 SPV (Cayman) Company, Hewlett-Packard Gesellschaft mbH, Hewlett-Packard Ghana Limited, Hewlett-Packard GmbH, Hewlett-Packard Guatemala Limitada, Hewlett-Packard HK SAR Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Hellas EPE, Hewlett-Packard Holdings Ltd., Hewlett-Packard International Bank Designated Activity Company, Hewlett-Packard International Bank Public Limited Company, Hewlett-Packard International Sarl, Hewlett-Packard Italiana S.r.l., Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Korea Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Leasing Limited, Hewlett-Packard Limited, Hewlett-Packard Luxembourg Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Macau Limited, Hewlett-Packard Manufacturing Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Marigalante Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Middle East FZ-LLC, Hewlett-Packard Mocambique Limitada - Sociedada em Liquidacao, Hewlett-Packard Nederland B.V., Hewlett-Packard New Zealand, Hewlett-Packard Norge AS, Hewlett-Packard OY, Hewlett-Packard Operations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Peru S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Philippines Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Portugal Lda., Hewlett-Packard SARL, Hewlett-Packard SIA, Hewlett-Packard Servicios Espana S.L., Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Sales) Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Hewlett-Packard Sverige AB, Hewlett-Packard Technology Center Inc., Hewlett-Packard Teknoloji Cozumleri Limited Sirketi, Hewlett-Packard The Hague B.V., Hewlett-Packard Venezuela S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Vision Limited, Hewlett-Packard d.o.o., Hewlett-Packard s.r.o., Limited Liability Company Hewlett Packard Enterprise, MapR Technologies, New H3C Technologies Co. Ltd., Niara Inc., Nimble Storage, Nimble Storage Inc., Nimble Storage Israel Ltd, Nimble Storage Japan GK, Nimble Storage UK Limited, Plexxi, RedPixie, SGI (Silicon Graphics), Sapphire Holding Co, Scytale, Shanghai Hewlett-Packard Co. Ltd., Silver Peak, SimpliVity, Sinope Holding B.V., Trilead, UAB ES Hague Lietuva, and Unis Huashan Technologies Co. Limited.
L'OrAal S.A., through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cosmetic products for women and men worldwide. The company operates through four divisions: Consumer Products, L'orAal Luxe, Professional Products, and Active Cosmetics. It offers shampoos, hair care products, shower gels, skin care products, cleansers, hair colors, styling products, deodorants, sun care products, make-up, perfumes, etc. The company provides its products under the L'OrAal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline New York, NYX Professional Makeup, Essie, Niely, Dark and Lovely, LancAme, Yves Saint Laurent BeautA, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Kiehl's, Urban Decay, Biotherm, Ralph Lauren, IT Cosmetics, L'OrAal Professionnel, KArastase, Redken, Matrix, Biolage, Pureology, DeclAor, Carita, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, SkinCeuticals, Roger&Gallet, CeraVe, Stylenanda, Mixa, Magic Mask, Prada, Helena Rubinstein, Valentino, Mugler, Shu Uemura, Viktor&Rolf, Azzaro, Diesel, Atelier Cologne, Cacharel, and Yue Sai brands. It sells its products through distribution channels, such as hair salons, mass-market retail channels, perfumeries, department stores, pharmacies, drugstores, medispas, branded retail, travel retail, and e-commerce. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Clichy, France.

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Brookfield Asset Management, Inc. engages in the management of public and private investment products and services for institutional and retail clients. It operates through the following segments: Asset Management, Real Estate, Renewable Power, Infrastructure, Private Equity, Residential Development, and Corporate Activities. The Asset Management segment includes the management of its listed partnerships, private funds and public securities. The Real Estate segment is comprised of the ownership, operation and development of core office, core retail, LP investments and other properties. The Renewable Power segment encompasses the ownership, operation and development of hydroelectric, wind, solar, storage and other power generating facilities. The Infrastructure segment consists of the ownership, operation and development of utilities, transport, energy, data infrastructure and sustainable resource assets. The Private Equity segment refers to the broad range of industries, and is mostly focused on business services, infrastructure services and industrials. The Residential Development segment represents homebuilding, condominium development and land development. The Corporate Activiti

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iShares MSCI Israel ETF's stock was trading at $45.06 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EIS stock has increased by 74.2% and is now trading at $78.50.

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iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF's stock was trading at $35.66 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWL stock has increased by 42.0% and is now trading at $50.64.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan.
White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. engages in the acquisition of businesses and assets in the insurance, financial services and related sectors. It operates through the following segments: HG Global/BAM, NSM, Kudu, and Other Operations. The HG Global/BAM segment refers to the White Mountains's investment in HG Global Limited, and the consolidated results of Build America Mutual Assurance Company (BAM). The NSM segment comprises of full-service managing general underwriting agency and program administrator for specialty property and casualty insurance. The Kudu Segment provides capital solutions for boutique asset managers for a variety of purposes including generational ownership transfers, management buyouts, acquisition and growth finance and legacy partner liquidity. The Other Operations segment comprises of the Company, its wholly-owned subsidiary, WM Capital, its wholly-owned investment management subsidiary, WM Advisors, and its other intermediate holding companies, as well as certain consolidated and unconsolidated private capital and other investments. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Hanover, NH.

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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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Premier African Minerals Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mining, exploration, evaluation, development, and investment of natural resource properties on the African continent. The company explores for tungsten, lithium, tantalum, fluorspar, xenotime, zinc, nickel, uranium, gold, specialty minerals, limestone, potash and limestone, and rare earth metals. It holds interests in various properties located in Zimbabwe, Togo, Benin, and Mozambique. The company was formerly known as G&B African Resources Limited and changed its name to Premier African Minerals Limited in April 2012. Premier African Minerals Limited was founded in 2007 and is based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

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iShares National Muni Bond ETF's stock was trading at $114.45 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, MUB shares have increased by 1.6% and is now trading at $116.25.

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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 Dominion Energy: 96WI 8me LLC, Alamo Solar LLC, Align RNG Arizona LLC, Align RNG Arizona-Snowflake LLC, Align RNG California LLC, Align RNG California-Corcoran LLC, Align RNG Grady Road LLC, Align RNG LLC, Align RNG Magnolia LLC, Align RNG North Carolina LLC, Align RNG North Carolina-Bowdens LLC, Align RNG Utah LLC, Align RNG Utah-Milford LLC, Align RNG Virginia LLC, Align RNG Virginia-Waverly LLC, Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC, Azalea Solar LLC, BOE Holdings Inc., Blackville Solar Farm LLC, Blue Ocean Energy Marine LLC, BrightSuite Home LLC, BrightSuite Inc., BrightSuite Solar CT Inc., BrightSuite Solar SC Inc., BrightSuite Solar VA Inc., Buckingham Solar I LLC, CEA Americus LLC, CEA CO-Fort Morgan LLC, CEA Clovis LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Colorado LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Georgia LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Idaho LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Nevada LLC, CEA Dairy RNG New Mexico LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Texas LLC, CEA Greely LLC, CEA Mason LLC, CEA TX-Dimmitt LLC, CID Solar LLC, CNG Coal Company, CNG Power Services Corporation, Carolina Gas Transmission Corporation, Catalina Solar 2 LLC, Clean Energy Asset USA LLC, Clean Energy Enterprises Inc., Clipperton Holdings LLC, Consolidated Natural Gas Company, Correctional Solar LLC, Cottonwood Solar LLC, Cove Point LNG LP, Cove Point LNG Limited, DE Arlington Solar LLC, DE Fluvanna Solar LLC, DE Hanover Solar LLC, DE Henrico Solar LLC, DE King William Solar LLC, DE Louisa Solar LLC, DE Newport News Solar LLC, DE Powhatan Solar LLC, DE Virginia Beach Solar LLC, DECP Holdings Inc., Dairy RNG Holdings LLC, Dairy RNG NY LLC, Dairy RNG NY-Curtin LLC, Dairy RNG OH LLC, Denmark Solar LLC, Dominion ACP Holding Inc., Dominion Alternative Energy Holdings Inc., Dominion Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC, Dominion Capital Inc., Dominion Cogen WV Inc., Dominion Energy Fuel Services Inc., Dominion Energy Gas Distribution LLC, Dominion Energy Generation Marketing Inc., Dominion Energy Inc., Dominion Energy Kewaunee Inc., Dominion Energy Marketplace LLC, Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut Inc., Dominion Energy Overthrust Pipeline LLC, Dominion Energy Payroll Company Inc., Dominion Energy Questar Corporation, Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline LLC, Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline Services Inc., Dominion Energy RNG Holdings II Inc., Dominion Energy RNG Holdings Inc., Dominion Energy Services Inc., Dominion Energy Solar CA LLC, Dominion Energy Solutions Inc., Dominion Energy South Carolina Inc., Dominion Energy Southeast Services Inc., Dominion Energy Technical Solutions Inc., Dominion Energy Technologies II Inc., Dominion Energy Technologies Inc., Dominion Energy Terminal Company Inc., Dominion Energy Wexpro Services Company, Dominion Equipment III Inc., Dominion Equipment Inc., Dominion Fairless Hills Inc., Dominion Fowler Ridge Wind LLC, Dominion Gas Projects Company LLC, Dominion Generation Inc., Dominion Greenbrier Inc., Dominion High Voltage Holdings Inc., Dominion High Voltage MidAtlantic Inc., Dominion Investments Inc., Dominion Keystone Pipeline Holdings Inc., Dominion Keystone Pipeline LLC, Dominion MLP Holding Company III Inc., Dominion Mt. Storm Wind LLC, Dominion Nuclear Projects Inc., Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration & Production Inc., Dominion Person Inc., Dominion Privatization Florida LLC, Dominion Privatization Georgia LLC, Dominion Privatization Holdings Inc., Dominion Privatization Kentucky LLC, Dominion Privatization Maryland LLC, Dominion Privatization Pennsylvania LLC, Dominion Privatization South Carolina LLC, Dominion Privatization Texas LLC, Dominion Privatization Virginia LLC, Dominion Products and Services Inc., Dominion Projects Services Inc., Dominion Resources Capital Trust III, Dominion Retail Gas Holdings Inc., Dominion Solar Construction and Maintenance LLC, Dominion Solar Gen-Tie LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings I LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings II LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings III LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings IV LLC, Dominion Solar Projects A Inc., Dominion Solar Projects B Inc., Dominion Solar Projects C Inc., Dominion Solar Projects D Inc., Dominion Solar Projects I Inc., Dominion Solar Projects II Inc., Dominion Solar Projects III Inc., Dominion Solar Projects IV Inc., Dominion Solar Projects V Inc., Dominion Solar Projects VI Inc., Dominion Solar Projects VII Inc., Dominion Solar Services Inc., Dominion State Line LLC, Dominion Voltage Inc., Dominion Wholesale Inc., Dominion Wind Development LLC, Dominion Wind Projects Inc., ESCT-SA-Suffield LLC, Eagle Holdco Solar LLC, Eagle Solar LLC, Eastern Shore Solar LLC, Enterprise Solar LLC, Escalante Solar I LLC, Escalante Solar II LLC, Escalante Solar III LLC, Four Brothers Solar LLC, Fremont Farm LLC, Granite Mountain Holdings LLC, Granite Mountain Solar East LLC, Granite Mountain Solar West LLC, Greenbrier Marketing Company LLC, Greenbrier Pipeline Company LLC, Greensville County Solar Project LLC, Hardin Solar Energy LLC, Hecate Energy Cherrydale LLC, Hecate Energy Clarke County LLC, Hope Gas Inc., Imperial Valley Solar Company (IVSC) 2 LLC, Indy Solar Development LLC, Indy Solar I LLC, Indy Solar II LLC, Indy Solar III LLC, Innovative Solar 37 LLC, Iron Springs Holdings LLC, Iron Springs Solar LLC, Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas, Maricopa West Solar PV LLC, Moffett Solar 1 LLC, Moorings Farm 2 LLC, Mulberry Farm LLC, Mustang Solar LLC, PSNC Blue Ridge Corporation, PSNC Cardinal Pipeline Company, Pavant Solar LLC, Phone House, Pikeville Farm LLC, Prairie Fork Wind Farm LLC, Public Service Company of North Carolina Incorporated, QPC Holding Company LLC, Questar Corporation, Questar Energy Services Inc., Questar Field Services LLC, Questar Gas Company, Questar InfoComm Inc., Questar Southern Trails Pipeline Company, Questar White River Hub LLC, RE Adams East LLC, RE Camelot LLC, RE Columbia Two LLC, RE Kansas LLC, RE Kent South LLC, RE Old River One LLC, Richland Solar Center LLC, Ridgeland Solar Farm I LLC, SBL Holdco LLC, SCANA, SCANA Communications Holdings Inc., SCANA Corporate Security Services Inc., SCANA Energy Marketing LLC, SCANA Pharmacy LLC, SRFI LLC, Scana Corporation, Scott-II Solar LLC, Seabrook Solar LLC, Selmer Farm LLC, Siler Solar LLC, Sol Madison Solar LLC, Somers Solar Center LLC, South Carolina Fuel Company Inc., South Carolina Generating Company Inc., Southampton Solar LLC, Summit Farms Solar LLC, Sussex Drive Solar Project LLC, TA - Acacia LLC, TWE Myrtle Solar Project LLC, The East Ohio Gas Company, Trask East Solar LLC, Tredegar Solar Fund I LLC, VP Property Inc., Virginia Electric And Power Company, Virginia Power Fuel Corporation, Virginia Power Nuclear Services Company, Virginia Power Services Energy Corp. Inc., Virginia Power Services LLC, Virginia Solar 201 Projects LLC, Wakefield Solar LLC, Wexpro Company, Wexpro Development Company, Wexpro II Company, Wilkinson Solar LLC, Wrangler Retail Gas Holdings LLC, and Yemassee Solar LLC.
Reinsurance Group of America, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of traditional and non-traditional life and health reinsurance products. It operates through the following segments: U.S. and Latin America; Canada; Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Asia Pacific; and Corporate and Other. The U.S. and Latin America segment markets individual and group life and health reinsurance to domestic clients for a variety of products through yearly renewable term agreements, coinsurance, and modified coinsurance. The Canada segment offers individual life reinsurance, and to a lesser extent creditor, group life and health, critical illness and disability reinsurance, through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements. The Europe, Middle East, and Africa segment serves individual and group life and health products through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements, reinsurance of critical illness coverage that provides a benefit in the event of the diagnosis of a pre-defined critical illness and underwritten annuities. The Asia Pacific segment comprises individual and group life and health reinsurance, critical illness coverage, disability, and superannuation thr

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iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF's stock was trading at $108.64 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, IWD shares have increased by 50.8% and is now trading at $163.88.

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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.
Sanchez Energy Corporation, an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of U.S. onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources. It engages in the horizontal development of resources from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. It also holds an undeveloped acreage position in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) in Mississippi and Louisiana. As of December 31, 2017, the company had assembled approximately 285,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale; and owned approximately 37,000 net acres in the TMS. Sanchez Energy Corporation was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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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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IGM Financial, Inc. operates as a financial services company, which engages in the management and distribution of mutual funds and other managed asset products. It operates through the following segments: Wealth Management, Asset Management, and Strategic Investments & Other. The Wealth Management segment reflects the activities of operating companies that are principally focused on providing financial planning and related services to Canadian households, which includes the activities of IG Wealth Management and Investment Planning Counsel. These firms are retail distribution organizations who serve Canadian households through their securities dealers, mutual fund dealers and other subsidiaries licensed to distribute financial products and services, which also includes the investment management activities of these organizations, including mutual fund management and discretionary portfolio management services. The Asset Management segment reflects the activities of operating companies focused on providing investment management services and represents the operations of Mackenzie Investments. Investment management services are provided to a suite of investment funds that are distribut

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Rolls-Royce Holdings plc operates as an industrial technology company in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company operates in four segments: Civil Aerospace, Power Systems, Defence, and ITP Aero. The Civil Aerospace segment develops, manufactures, and sells aero engines for large commercial aircraft, regional jet, and business aviation markets, as well as provides aftermarket services. The Power Systems segment provides high-speed and medium-speed reciprocating engines, and propulsion and power generation systems for the marine, defense, power generation, and industrial markets. The Defence segment offers aero engines for military transport and patrol aircraft applications; and naval engines and submarine nuclear power plants, as well as aftermarket services. The ITP Aero segment engages in the design, research and development, manufacture and casting, assembly, and testing of aeronautical engines and gas turbines. It also provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for regional airlines, as well as business aviation, industrial, and defense applications. Rolls-Royce Holdings plc was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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William Lyon Homes (NYSE:WLH) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November, 6th. The construction company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks' consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.07. The construction company had revenue of $466.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.15 million. William Lyon Homes had a net margin of 3.04% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 6.98%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share.

View William Lyon Homes' earnings history.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is a financial holding company. It provides financial and investment banking services. The firm offers a range of investment banking products and services in all capital markets, including advising on corporate strategy and structure, capital raising in equity and debt markets, risk management, market making in cash securities and derivative instruments, and brokerage and research. It operates through the following segments: Consumer and Community Banking, Corporate and Investment Bank, Commercial Banking, and Asset and Wealth Management. The Consumer and Community Banking segment serves consumers and businesses through personal service at bank branches and through automated teller machine, online, mobile, and telephone banking. The Corporate and Investment Bank segment offers a suite of investment banking, market-making, prime brokerage, and treasury and securities products and services to a global client base of corporations, investors, financial institutions, government and municipal entities. The Commercial Banking segment delivers services to U.S. and its multinational clients, including corporations, municipalities, financial institutions, and non profit

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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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NEW YORK (AP) - Authorities say Alec Baldwin has been arrested after allegedly punching a man in the face during a dispute over a parking spot outside his New York City home.

The actor was taken into custody just before 2 p.m. Friday in Manhattan's West Village neighborhood.

Police say Baldwin claimed he had a family member holding the spot when a man driving a station wagon pulled up and took it.

Officials say the men were arguing and pushing each other before the 60-year-old Baldwin turned violent.

The 49-year-old station wagon driver was taken to a hospital with jaw pain.

A representative for Baldwin did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.

Baldwin is known for playing President Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live." Asked about Baldwin's arrest, Trump said: "I wish him luck."

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara discussed the death penalty for the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue accused shooter, Robert Bowers, and the legal process in prosecuting the case.

Bowers has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that could result in a death sentence. Police say he killed 11 people and wounded six others in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Bowers is facing 29 federal charges, 22 of which could potentially carry the death penalty. That doesnt necessarily mean Robert Bowers will be put to death.

Bowers is facing both state and federal charges. According to Whyy.org, the Allegheny County district attorney's office said its still possible Bowers could be prosecuted under state law. District Attorney Stephen Zappala is working with federal officials to figure that out.

Federal prosecutors have vowed to pursue the death penalty, and it looks like this is supported by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Oneida County District Attorney McNamara said, "From my experience, the U.S. government does not typically go after the death penalty except in very extreme cases, this being one, obviously we're talking about what's being reported as one of the most Anti-Semitic shootings or homicides in this country's history."

"When you have a local district attorney, like myself, there's one there, he's probably looking and thinking, 'Hey listen, this is a case that should be prosecuted locally, this took place in my jurisdiction.'"

In New York state McNamara said, "If the state goes first, the federal government can go second. It cannot go the other way around. If the federal government goes first, we have a double jeopardy issue.

"This is one of the few cases where I think the U.S. government would be hard pressed not to look at the death penalty because it's such a terrible shooting and because so many people got killed."

According to Whyy.org, its more common for states to hand down death penalties than the federal government. Right now, more than 2,700 inmates face death on state charges, compared with 62 on federal death row.
Political candidates are now reaching out to voters with text messages, but some voters are tired of being inundated with unwanted messages.

"It came from a 315 area code number, so it sounded legit," said Brian Trainor, of Boonville. "I thought maybe it was a friend of mine that had my number and I didn't know it."

But it wasn't. It was text messages from a political campaign telling him not to vote for Democrats running for election. But text messages are coming from both sides political isle and even if the phone number is National Do Not Call Registry.

"It is legal, it's essentially covered under the Do Not Call Registry," said John Conklin, director of public information for the state board of elections. "Political calls are specifically excluded from the Do Not Call Registry, which means that they are allowed."

He said political campaigns are using phone numbers from public records.

"If the voter put a cell phone number on their voter registration record it's possible that it came from public record," Conklin said. "Everything in your voter registration record is a public record, except your social security number and your department of motor vehicles number."

He said when people fill out forms for a store loyalty program or any type of application the information can sometimes be sold to third parties, which could also be a way to get contact information.

Voters can simply reply to the message but texting the word "Stop," and the messages should end. Conklin said people can also file a complaint with the New York State Board of Elections by emailing enforcement@elections.ny.gov.
A two-hour hike on the Pacific Crest Trail between two strangers led to the rescue of one of them just days after.

Katharina GrAne on Wednesday described how she was alone, surrounded by snow and sleet, and trapped 5,000 feet up on a mountain when a helicopter swooped down to rescue her.

"I was not sure I would make it out at all," GrAne said in a press conference. "I already, via WhatsApp, informed my parents. I apologized for dying on the PCT, for risking too much, for being too stupid."

GrAne, of Germany, started her journey on the PCT at the Mexican Border in May, and she was committed to make it to Canada.

She met Nancy Abell at Lake Susan Jane in Washington on October 22, and Abell offered her a ride to Stevens Pass, a popular mountain resort. The two hiked around the area for about two hours, before GrAne decided to head north.

"I felt like, being from Germany, she wasn't familiar with the Glacier Peak wilderness area, and Glacier Peak creates its own weather, and it can be really bad this time of year," Abell said. "The whole two hours we were hiking together, I was trying to talk her out of it."

Up to 3 feet of snow was expected where GrAne was headed.

'It's terrifying'

After the weather started getting worse, Abell checked the weather and her maps, and pinpointed where GrAne might be before calling 911.

"I couldn't sleep the night before because I was so worried about her," Abell said. "Anybody, really I would have done the same thing for if I thought they were in peril up there, because I've been through it and it's terrifying."

While on Glacier Peak, GrAne lost shelter equipment and two sets of gloves as the snow and sleet closed in.

"I was screaming for help in the morning because I just had to get the fear out of me. I was screaming all the names I knew and I was just hoping that someone would react." GrAne said.

After being in contact with Abell, the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team spotted footprints and GrAne's red jacket and eventually got their SnowHawk 1 chopper close enough so she could climb in.

The rescue team was on its last scan before running out of fuel, according to Bill Quistorf, the chief pilot for the sheriff's office.

"Katharina did not need any encouragement to climb aboard SnoHawk 1 and fly off the mountain," the team wrote in a Facebook post Monday.

Faith in humanity is back

"The biggest thing, which I have struggled with before I started the PCT, was faith in humanity," GrAne said.

While GrAne was stuck in the mountains she was asking why no one cares about anyone else.

"My faith in humanity? Definitely restored, so box checked," GrAne said in the press conference, sitting next to the former strangers who saved her life.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Many who lived in Hiroshima, Japan on August 6th, 1945 never lived to see the end of that day. But one woman did, and now she is sharing her story.

Meet Shigeko Sasamori. She was 14 years old when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

She lived just two miles away from the hypocenter of the explosion. She suffered extensive burns along the front of her body as a result of the bombing.

In 1955, she came to the United States. According to Purdues website, she was brought to the U.S. by Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a Japanese reverend. Tanimoto raised funds to bring 25 women from Hiroshima to the United States for reconstructive surgery.

Sasamori said the purpose behind sharing her tragic past is about spreading a message of world peace.

"If everybody is together, all countries in the Earth to work hard to make peace, she said. Otherwise there will never be world peace."

She said one thing in particular is especially important to her.

Life is so important, she said. And it doesnt whose life it is to me.

She believes it is important to share her past with younger generations who werent alive to experience the tragedy.

My life is getting shorter and shorter and Im getting older, she said. And young people have a good energy so I ask them and others to push our governments for peace. And not just in the United States, and not just in Japan. All countries should push for peace.

She wants people to see past her words and do something much bigger.

"Learn, study what is happening on the Earth and the world, and think about how life is important," she said.

She said the first time she returned to Hiroshima after the bombing, she was amazed by the development and revitalization that she saw. She now goes back to Japan to visit her family who still lives there.

Purdue's School of Languages and Cultures and the Asian Studies Program and the Peace Studies Program invited her to speak on campus. The event started with a poster exhibit from the Hiroshima Peace Museum. Her speech took place at the Wilmeth Active Learning Center.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The Greater Lafayette YWCA'S first Purple Purse challenge benefitting local domestic violence help programs is now over.

This is the first time the YWCA competed in this challenge, and they reached a pretty big milestone.

Out of 120 other organizations in its district, the YWCA came in 7th place. YWCA Executive Director Allison Beggs anticipates that they are well on their way to being the rookie organization of the year.

They raised more than $70,000 and left over bonuses and donations still havent even been added to that total yet.

Beggs told her staff and purse holders that if they won the third Bonus Challenge, she would dye her hair purple, not truly believing deep down that the goal could be reached.

We have a wonderful staff and team but I just didnt think we could compete with organizations across the country and win, she said with a laugh.

But they all proved her wrong in the best way possible. And now she is rocking a new look of purple locks.

All the proceeds go back to helping the local domestic violence help programs.

"Anything that a survivor of domestic violence needs to transition into safe, permanent housing for them and their families,she said. It's an important cause and an important mission.

It will also go towards advocacy services, counseling services and even helping cover rent for families.

She said she is amazed at what they accomplished in just two months.

"Our purse setters were high visibility individuals from throughout our community who took the challenge so seriously and shared our message with their friends and family, she said. It's true grassroots and you just don't see that very often.

While it is such a proud accomplishment for all those who fundraised for the challenge, there is still work to be done.

It costs $800,000 to run our program, said Beggs. This money that we raised will only cover about 42% of our total costs.

And so the fundraising will continue outside of the challenge. November 8th, the YWCA is hosting its 12th annual Holiday Bingo and Silent Auction fundraiser.

They hope to raise more than $40,000 at this years event. Click here to learn more and get your tickets.
Nacogdoches, TX (75965)

Today

Mainly sunny. High 74F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear this evening then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 57F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
With just four days until millions of Americans head to polling stations across the U.S., President Donald Trump is on a mission.

Trump is set to continue a campaign blitz in battleground states pivotal to Republican success in the U.S. midterm elections that will see him embark on trips to Montana and Florida on Saturday and Georgia and Tennessee on Sunday.

The intense electoral push will be capped on the eve of the Nov. 6 polls when Trump will visit three states in one day  Ohio, Indiana and Missouri  in a sign of how important these races are for a president seeking to fulfill his legislative agenda with just two years left on his first, and possibly sole, term.

The presidents travel schedule is based on internal White House planning first made public by Bloomberg and is subject to change. But parts of the schedule that have already come to pass have squared with the presidents visits.

Republicans currently hold a razor-thin one-seat majority in the Senate, and while their hold on the House of Representatives is far firmer, it is most threatened in that chamber. The party and the president can ill-afford to lose either part of the bicameral legislature.

Every House members seat will be up for grabs in this fall's elections, as will just over one-third of Senate seats.

Whether Trump will prove to be a boon or an albatross for the Republicans is unclear amid predictions of a possible blue wave, or massive legislative inroads for the Democratic Party.

Democrats are seeking to seize on discontent that has fomented among some segments of American society following Trumps successful 2016 White House bid, particularly those who take issue with his personal life, controversial policies -- notably his hardline immigration crackdown and efforts to roll back the U.S.s universal healthcare law -- and unorthodox approach to the American presidency.

With less than a week until Americans cast their ballots, the Pew Research Center found that wide segments of both Republican partisans  73 percent  and their Democratic counterparts  77 percent  say which party controls Congress is a factor in how they vote.

Each group of partisans expects their party to control the House of Representatives following the midterms, with 77 percent of Democrats saying they expect their party will control the chamber following the polls, compared to 82 percent of Republicans who expect the same.

Pew tracked what it said is the highest level of voter enthusiasm in the past two decades as over two-thirds  67 percent  of Democrats say they are more enthusiastic than normal.

Fifty-nine percent of Republicans say the same.

Trump continues to loom large for registered voters, with 60 percent of voters saying he will factor into how they cast their ballots. Well over a third of voters  37 percent  say their vote will be against him, compared to just 23 percent who said it will be for him.

- Republicans likely to remain in control of the Senate

In all, 35 seats are being contested in the Senate  33 of which are being contested under normal Senate rules, in addition to two which are being contested because the incumbents, both Republicans, are retiring: Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee.

Normally, one-third, or about 33, seats are contested every two years.

Flakes seat continues to be tightly contested in a race between Democrat Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Martha McSally. Sinema holds a narrow 6-point lead in the contest.

The Republican seeking to succeed Corker, Marsha Blackburn, holds about the same margin over her Democratic challenger, Phil Bredesen.

Real Clear Politics, a polling aggregator website, counts six toss-up seats in the 100-member chamber with four of those seats held by Democrat incumbents.

Republicans have a lock on 46 seats that are either safely Republican or are not up for election compared to just 37 for Democrats. Meanwhile, seven seats are either likely to go Democrat or lean Democrat, compared to four for Republicans.

The Senates two Independents caucus with the Democrats, and both are expected to keep their seats.

- Democrats face good odds in taking the House of Representatives

In the 435-member House, however, the likelihood that Republicans will maintain their hold is increasingly in doubt.

Either party will need to claim a 218-seat majority to control the chamber, a challenge that may prove insurmountable for Republicans.

The party currently holds a 43-seat advantage in the House but is facing serious challenges to 30 seats it currently controls. Only four such tight races are for seats held by Democratic incumbents.

In addition to those 34 races, Democrats appear likely to take four seats from Republicans with an additional 11 currently held by Republicans now leaning Democratic.

Should Democrats take either chamber, that would mark a major upset for the president, who is seeking to round out his four-year term with major legislative victories, particularly long-promised immigration initiatives such as his border wall with Mexico and a repeal of former President Barack Obamas universal healthcare law.

Democrats have staunchly opposed his agenda, particularly his efforts to curtail immigration and fully repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Should Democrats take either, or possibly both chambers, Trump would be forced to come to terms with a legislature no longer in the hands of his political allies.

- At least 65 Muslims running for office across nation

In addition to the federal legislature, Americans will be voting on dozens of state governors and troves of other local officials and referendums.

Across the nation, at least 65 Muslim-Americans are in the running for a variety of state, local and federal posts, according to Jetpac, a nonprofit working to increase Muslim-American civic engagement.

That is up from the nonprofits previous estimates of around 40 candidates as more individuals have been found in contests that are relatively lower on electoral ballots and garner less media attention.

In all, at least 128 Muslim-Americans ran for office in this election cycle, the highest number since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to Shaun King, Jetpacs co-founder and executive director.
According to the Courage Foundation, which has campaigned against the persecution of Julian Assange, the Ecuadorian Embassy in London has forbidden access to all visitors to the WikiLeaks publisher, including his lawyers, until Monday, amid an urgent lawsuit.

Most immediately, the ban obstructs a legal appeal by Assange against an Ecuadorian judges decision last week to uphold a draconian protocol that President Lenin Morenos government has sought to impose on him, in fundamental violation of the right to political asylum.

The protocol essentially bars Assange from making any political comments whatsoever, because they might be deemed detrimental to the interests of Ecuadors government or any other government.

Julian Assange

By ratcheting up the already intolerable conditions of virtual solitary confinement that Morenos government has inflicted on the courageous journalist and editor since March, the ban is another warning of its preparations to terminate Assanges asylum.

Under intensifying pressure from Washington, by Democrat and Republican leaders alike, the Ecuadorian ruling elite is clearly moving to either evict Assange or create such inhuman conditions that he is forced to leave the embassy, in spite of significant protests internationally and in Ecuador itself.

On October 31, two days after the judges ruling to endorse the protocol, a demonstration was held in front of Ecuadors presidential palace against a renewed bid by the right-wing, US-linked Social Christian Party to secure a National Assembly vote to strip Assange of his Ecuadorian citizenship. Article 79 of Ecuadors constitution states: In no case shall extradition of an Ecuadorian be granted.

Brief video footage of the protest, posted on the WikiLeaks twitter account, shows a determined and sizeable demonstration in defence of Assange, flanked by police.

There is considerable public support for Assange, because of WikiLeaks long and continuing record of publishing leaked documents that expose the crimes and machinations of governments and their major corporate partners. Morenos government, however, is intensifying its moves to remove Assange from the embassy building, effectively handing him over to be imprisoned in Britain and then the US.

Ecuadors foreign ministry issued a statement on October 30 immediately hailing the judges ruling and escalating the threat to end Assanges political asylum for making comments critical about the moves against him.

Ecuador will not allow unwarranted untrue assertions or insinuations about the conduct of the National Government concerning the diplomatic asylum that was granted to Mr. Assange, in exercise of the prerogative powers of the State of Ecuador, the statement declared.

This was after Assange had tried to use the court hearing the day before to alert the world to plans to evict him, breaking through the wall of silence that Morenos government has placed around him for seven months.

Speaking via teleconference from the embassy to the court hearing in Quito, Assange said the new protocol was a sign that Moreno had already decided to end his asylum, but had not yet officially given the order. Before he could say more, Ecuadors senior government lawyer, Inigo Salvador cut him off, warning him not to make political statements during the proceedings.

This intervention underscored the travesty of the hearing itself. The judge refused to rule on the constitutionality of the governments actions against Assange, saying it was a matter for the countrys Constitutional Court. She also refused to hear witnesses or accept evidence documenting the extent of the embassys bans on visitors and communications.

In its statement, conscious of the domestic and global support for Assange, Ecuadors foreign ministry reiterated to the public the steadfast adherence of the State of Ecuador to the relevant rules of national and international law that govern asylum.

The self-contradictory statement claimed that the Protocol reestablishes Mr. Assanges access to communications, yet insisted that pursuant to the international treaties that govern asylum, he may not make statements, transmissions or announcements that interfere with other States or that may affect the interests of Ecuador.

Far from recognising Assanges basic right to communication, the protocol prohibits him from making any political comments deemed detrimental to Ecuador or its good relations with any other state and makes clear that his communications and visitors will be subjected to surveillance, with the results shared with US and British spy agencies.

The protocol further stipulates that the WikiLeaks founder undergo a medical examination every three months and that doctors can recommend he be evacuated from the embassy if they conclude that he requires urgent treatment.

The statement falsely asserted that the judges decision confirmed that the protocol is fully consistent with the right of asylum. The fundamental right to political asylum, an essential international protection against anti-democratic oppression, was reiterated in May by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights.

That court, which has jurisdiction over human rights abuses by members of the Organisation of American States, insisted that Assange had to be free of any threats or coercion that would force him into the hands of a government seeking to persecute him, in this case the US.

The inter-American court also warned the British government: If the UK continues to ignore the courts decision by insisting that local police will arrest Assange for a breach of bail conditions if he leaves the embassy, this means that the British government will have wantonly failed to uphold Assanges rights as a legitimate receiver of asylum by Ecuador.

The British government, acting in concert with Washington, has defied the ruling, assisted by the Australian government.

The WikiLeaks founder was forced to seek refuge in the embassy in 2012 after trumped-up Swedish government allegations of sexual misconduct were brought forward as a pretext for his imprisonment in Britain. This would have been followed by extradition to the US to face concocted espionage charges that could see him jailed for life or even executed.

Assange, an Australian citizen, was compelled to turn to Ecuador because the Labor Party-led government in Australia lined up behind the Obama administration and denied Assange his right to assistance and protection.

The US and its allies want to lock away Assange for good in order to intimidate all those who are fighting against militarism, social inequality and the assault on democratic rights. His defence requires the broadest possible mobilisation of the international working class to demand his immediate and unconditional freedom.

The author also recommends:

In the face of mounting threats, the working class must defend Julian Assange

[25 October 2018]
The rotating strike initiated last week by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) hit Montreal on Tuesday, with 6,000 workers off the job, and impacted much of suburban Montreal on Wednesday. On the latter day, workers were also on strike in Canadas capital, Ottawa, as well as Prince Edward Island, and several other smaller Quebec cities, including Sorel, Joliette, and St. Jerome.

Postal workers are angry because of the huge erosion in their living and working conditions in recent decades, in particular since the CUPW ordered workers to submit to the Harper Conservative governments law criminalizing their 2011 strike and went on to sign a concessions-filled contract.

The rotating strike is designed to dissipate workers energy and militancy, minimize any disruption to corporate Canadas activities and any curtailing of Canada Posts profits, and to avoid at all costs a confrontation with the union-backed, Justin Trudeau-led, Liberal government.

It also enables the union apparatus to avoid making any payments from the strike fund, since under CUPW rules, workers must be off the job for five consecutive days to receive strike pay.

Wednesday afternoon, CUPW announced another tame pressure tactic. It has imposed an overtime ban, which it says is in protest of managements failure to address a surge in workplace accidents and injuries due to speed-up and a huge increase in the volume of parcels. In a demagogic statement, union President Mike Palecek said, Until the Canada Post negotiating team decides to address these issues, we will fix them ourselves.

In fact, CUPW and the entire pro-capitalist trade union apparatus have no intention of mobilizing postal workers, let alone the working class as a whole against the government-employer assault on public services, working conditions and worker rights.

Striking workers outside Montreals main postal sorting plant

CUPW has mounted no serious struggle against the privatization of much of Canada Posts retail operations and its much-touted campaign for a postal bank does not challenge the privatization of public services. Rather, the union accepts that Canada Post should be run as a for-profit business and appeals to management and government to provide it with new revenue streams.

Similarly, the union has remained silent on the threat of government intervention to illegalize the strike, although Liberal and Conservative governments have outlawed postal strikes on numerous occasions in the past, including in 1978 when the current prime ministers father, Pierre Trudeau, threatened to fire postal workers en masse when they didnt immediately abide by such a law.

Since then, the CUPW, like the rest of the union bureaucracy, has used the passage of anti-strike laws to short-circuit militant struggles.

When WSWS reporters spoke with workers picketing Montreals main postal-sorting facility Tuesday evening, many were eager to speak out against the deterioration of their working conditions.

Before it was more balanced, said a worker who wished to remain anonymous. We didnt talk about work overload as we do today. There was Christmas, but they hired more people at that time. Now the workload increases from day to day, no matter what the time of year. Retirees are not being replaced, she added.

Marie and co-worker

Commenting on the growth of precarious jobs especially for young people, she noted that at Canada Post young people often only have a 20-hour workweek, forcing them to have two jobs. But you cant combine your two jobs! A worker who refuses a shift at Canada Post, because the schedules at their two jobs do not match, can be quickly dismissed, she explained. Dont refuse a second time, or itll be bye-bye.

In discussing the marketization of public services, she said, We want there to be a service. Today it is money, money, money, money: we no longer talk about services.

When the WSWS asked whether workers had voted for rotating strikes, a young worker employed since 2011 said that it was the union that decided on the rotating strike strategy. He agreed that it would be better to have a general strike.

Two other strikers, Marie and a co-worker, spoke with the WSWS about the decline in living conditions, the growth of social inequality, and past struggles.

Referring to the 2011 strike and the Conservative governments savage response despite the unions tame rotating strike strategy, Marie said, After a few days of rotating strikes, (Canada Post) locked us out. Then the Conservatives put in a special law ordering us back to work, although it was them who had put us on the street. Speaking of Canada Post and employers in general, Marie went on to say, Of course they always want to put more in their pockets: except that at some point, we have families to support.

As for Maries co-worker, he had the feeling that we are going back to the 1930s and 40s. A native of Gaspesie, a region hard hit by unemployment, he approvingly referred to his father who had told him that the younger generations will relive the conditions that existed when he was young, that there will only be the rich and the poor without middle classes in between. He added: There are limits, people will eventually revolt,

WSWS reporters who spoke with striking postal workers in Edmonton, Windsor, and Toronto last week found workers expressing like grievances. And this commonality is true not just of postal workers or workers in Canada. In the United States, postal workers are fighting against the Trump administrations plans to privatize the US Postal Service, while in early October, UPS workers rejected a contract only to have it imposed on them by the Teamsters union despite their rejection vote. In France, a letter carrier killed herself last week after denouncing employer harassment, a phenomenon that has provoked local strikes that the union has isolated.

If postal workers and workers around the world are facing the same increasingly difficult conditions, it is because these conditions are determined by the global capitalist crisis. But the unions that claim to represent them meekly submit to every demand of globally mobile capital and keep workers divided between different countries, regions, cities, and industries.

To mount a counter-offensive, striking Canada Post workers must seize control of their struggle by forming rank and file committees, independent of the CUPW and the other pro-capitalist unions, that will make a broad appeal to all sections of the working class for a unified struggle in defence of public services and workers social and democratic rights.
Shortly after US President Donald Trump announced he would repudiate the Intermediate Range Nuclear Force (INF) treaty signed with the Soviet Union in 1997, targeting Russia and China, Paris announced that it would send its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, to Asian waters. The carriers air wing includes Rafale aircraft bearing missiles with nuclear warheads.

In the daily La Provence, French Defence Minister Florence Parly said the carrier, which has been under repair since last year, would be sent to the Indian Ocean and South China Sea: The fact that the Charles de Gaulle will soon be back at sea at full operational capacity will give back its power projection capacity to our naval air force and reinforce its political dimension. It is also scheduled to travel to the Indian Ocean in 2019.

Parly justified the dispatching of the carrier citing the need to defend freedom of navigation, the pretext Washington and its allies have used for provocative naval operations in the South China Sea: We have always been on the front line of defending the inalienable right of freedom of navigation in international waters. And each time this fundamental principle of international law is threatened, as is currently the case in the South China Sea, we will make known our freedom to navigate in these waters.

She was thus echoing Washingtons accusationsever since then-US President Barack Obama announced in 2011 a pivot to Asia aiming to politically and militarily isolate Chinathat Beijing is threatening freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

It points to the growing involvement of the European imperialist powers in the war drive in Asia, led above all by Washington, which seeks to defend its fast-crumbling world hegemony against China. At the beginning of this year, France negotiated an agreement with India, a leading rival of China in Asia, allowing it to station military forces in India. At the beginning of May, French President Emmanuel Macron travelled to the French possession of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean to call for a new Indo-Pacific axis to threaten China.

The Charles de Gaulle is to set sail for Asian waters in a context of extreme political tensions. Its deployment can have the most serious consequences for working people in France and worldwide.

Trump threatened to repudiate the INF treaty only a few weeks after US officials made the first direct threats to launch war against Russia since the end of the Cold War. US Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison accused Russia of violating the INF treaty through its development of new cruise missiles and threatened to bomb Russia to destroy these missiles. One of the Trump administrations main goals in repudiating the treaty was to allow the United States to reinforce its nuclear arsenal in the Pacific, aimed at China.

Three days before, a Chinese warship had steamed at a US destroyer carrying out freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea, forcing the US ship to manoeuvre to avoid a collision. This could have provoked the most serious diplomatic crisisand, potentially, military escalationin the Pacific Ocean in decades.

These events confirm the warnings made by the Socialist Equality Party and the WSWS to workers internationally. Amid the same commercial and military rivalries between the major capitalist powers that twice in the 20th century plunged humanity into world war, the risk of nuclear war between the major powers is real, imminent and growing. The rising danger of war poses to workers who are entering into struggle around the world the task of building an anti-war movement on a socialist and internationalist programme.

In 2015, as Washington threatened to arm Ukrainian militias against Russia in eastern Ukraine after having backed a fascist-led coup in Kiev, and as Russia threatened to retaliate militarily, then-French President Francois Hollande declared: We have gone in the space of a few months from conflict to war.  We are in a state of war, and a war that could be total.

Since then, the rising economic weight of Asia, where half of the worlds trade in manufactured goods passes through the Indian Ocean, has only stoked the appetites of the imperialist powers in both America and Europe and inflamed the danger of war.

In 2016, then-French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called on the European navies to build a presence that is as regular and as predictable as possible in the maritime expanses of Asia. And at the end of May, the Dixmude, a French power projection ship, carried out a military mission in the region alongside three Rafale fighter jets, an A400M military transport plane, an A310 and a refuelling plane.

A deafening silence predominates on the network news, the press and the political establishment in France as to the danger of war posed by imperialist war threats against Russia and China.

Above all, an entire layer of middle-class parties that claim to be the far left, but who support the neo-colonial wars of the imperialist powers, is criminally silent on the war danger. After having called for humanitarian military interventions in Libya and Syria by imperialism, forces like the Pabloite New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA) are tacitly endorsing the war preparations the ruling class is carrying out behind the backs of the workers. At the same time, they maintain a hostile silence on the statements and the warnings made by the WSWS.

This reflects their anti-worker material interests. As a reactionary social layer of the affluent middle class composed of academics, union executives and media personalities, their revenuestheir research grants, business subsidies for their unions, and access to the mediadepend on their support for French imperialisms aggressive foreign policy.

After Ambassador Hutchisons threats against Moscow, the French ex-Maoist daily Liberation insisted in its Check News section that the WSWS is exaggerating the extent of preparations for total war, affirming that the WSWS mixes up correct reports to arrive at misleading headlines.

A few days after the WSWS published a response refuting Liberations complacent article, Trump refuted Liberation in his own way by repudiating the INF treaty in order to prepare an escalation of the US nuclear posture around the world. By sending the Charles de Gaulle into Asian waters, now it is Macron who is ratcheting up the danger of a nuclear war between the major powers.

The author also recommends:

A reply to French daily Liberation: Is the WSWS exaggerating the threat of war?

[17 October 2018]

French president calls for new Indo-Pacific axis against China

[4 May 2018]
Despite calls by the US secretaries of state and defense for a ceasefire in Yemen, the US-backed, Saudi-led coalition is carrying out a massive buildup of troops laying siege to the countrys critical Red Sea port of Hodeidah, threatening an offensive that could kill many thousands while plunging millions more into outright starvation.

The developments came as the United Nations issued fresh warnings that some 14 million people in Yemen are threatened with a famine that is eclipsing anything the world has seen for the past century.

Speaking at the US Institute of Peace in Washington on October 30, Pentagon chief Gen. James Mattis stated in relation to Yemen, We have got to move toward a peace effort here, and we cant say we are going to do it sometime in the future. We need to be doing this in the next 30 days.

Mattis peace appeal was laced with lies placing the principal blame for the near genocidal war that has been raging in Yemen for the last three and a half years on the Houthi rebel movement that overthrew the US and Saudi-backed puppet regime of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He repeated unsubstantiated US allegations that the Houthis are a proxy force for Iran, and that Tehran is supplying them with missiles, something for which the US and its allies have presented not a shred of evidence.

The US defense secretary insisted that the peace talks would be aimed at demilitarizing the border so that Saudis and Emirates [sic] do not have to worry about missiles coming into their ... homes, and cities and airports.

He went on to denounce Iran, declaring that its alleged shipment of missiles to the Houthis had interrupted freedom of navigation and charging that: They are the ones who keep fueling this conflict and they need to knock it off. They may do it through proxies as they do so often in the Middle East, but they do not escape accountability for what theyre doing through proxies and surrogate forces. We still will hold them accountable.

This belligerent nonsense turns the situation in Yemen inside out. Saudi Arabia recently claimed that a little over 100 of its civiliansa grossly inflated figurehad been killed by Houthi missiles. No one has died in the UAE. Meanwhile, the estimates of the number of Yemenis killedthe vast majority of them by Saudi airstrikesranges between 50,000 and 80,000.

While there is no evidence that Iran is fueling the conflict, Washington is literally doing just that. US Air Force tanker planes have been deployed over the Arabian Peninsula to enable Saudi bombers to carry out continuous strikes against Yemen. US military intelligence officers help run a joint command center in Riyadh providing the Saudi military with targeting information and other intelligence and the US Navy provides crucial support for a Saudi-led blockade that is starving the country of food, medicine and other essential supplies. Meanwhile, virtually all of the billions of dollars worth of bombs, warplanes and other military equipment being use in the war on Yemen is supplied by the arms manufacturers of the US, the UK and other NATO allies.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed the statement by Mattis, declaring that the time is now for the cessation of hostilities. He added that America stands by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The state-run media in Saudi Arabia portrayed the statements by Mattis and Pompeo as support for Riyadh. America stands by the kingdom against the Houthis Iranian ballistic missiles, was the headline of the major daily Al Riyadh.

Even as these duplicitous calls for a ceasefire were being made in Washington, the Saudi-led coalition was reportedly bringing as many as 10,000 fresh troops, including Sudanese regulars, mercenaries and Saudi and Emirati troops to the outskirts of Hodeidah for a fresh offensive that is expected to unfold within days.

The size of this buildup makes clear that it could not have been carried out without US knowledge and logistical backing.

Washington gave the greenlight for the siege of Hodeidah, which is aimed at cutting off the lifeline for food, medicine and other basic supplies to the majority of the population who live in areas of the country controlled by the Houthi rebel movement. The Red Sea port is the entry point for 70 percent of the countrys food imports and international aid.

Despite continuous airstrikes, the Saudi-led forces have until now been unable to break the resistance of the Houthis and the citys residents. Aid organizations have reported that food is running out in the city, while thousands of families have been driven from their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The aid groups and the United Nations have warned that the overrunning of the city by the Saudi-led forces would entail massive civilian casualties, while threatening millions of Yemenis with death by starvation by cutting off the flow of food aid.

The Western media has largely blacked out reports of the Yemen war, while the meager reporting that has appeared repeats a years old estimate of 10,000 civilians killed. The UN has since raised this estimated death toll to 16,000.

However, a new report issued by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, has established that the Saudi-led war has claimed the lives of at least 56,000 Yemenis.

That figure is itself a significant underestimate. Andrea Carboni, who researches Yemen for the ACLED, told Patrick Cockburn of the Independent that it includes only those killed between January 2016 and October 2018. Adding the victims claimed from the start of the Saudi-led war in March 2015 until the end of that year, he said, would likely bring the real toll to between 70,000 and 80,000.

The death toll from hunger and preventable diseases like cholera caused by the US-backed blockade of the country and the systematic destruction of basic infrastructure, including water and sewer systems and healthcare facilities, is far higher.

The aid group Save the Children has released an estimate that 100 children on average are dying every single day in Yemen from preventable causes like extreme hunger and disease. At least half of the 14 million Yemenis threatened with famine are children. UNICEF reports that 1.8 million children under the age of five are facing acute malnutrition, and 400,000 are affected by severe acute malnutrition.

This massive human catastrophe is the product of policies pursued under both Obama and Trump, without which the war in Yemen would have been impossible. The aim under both the Democratic and Republican administrations has been to further US imperialisms drive for hegemony over the Middle East, by assuring that Yemen remained under the control of a US-Saudi puppet regime and preventing any expansion of Iranian influence in the region.

The calls for a ceasefirewhile giving a 30-day deadline to allow the murderous siege of Hodeidah to proceed and continuing US arms shipments and logistical supportsignals a tactical shift in this imperialist policy. Washington is attempting to utilize the crisis provoked within the Saudi monarchy by the exposure of the brutal assassination in its Istanbul consulate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to put a tighter leash on the House of Saud and its de facto chief, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

There are also reports that the US government is pressing Riyadh to end its economic blockade of Qatar, which hosts the largest US military facility in the Middle East, the Udeid airbase, from which US warplanes have carried out their bombardments of Syria and Iraq.
Labor Party leader Bill Shorten used a speech on Monday at the Lowy Institute, a corporate think tank, to outline an aggressive foreign policy aimed at expanding Australian imperialisms influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

With a federal election due to be held before May, the address was a clear signal to the Australian military-intelligence apparatus, and to Washington, that a Labor government would intensify Australias alignment with US-led preparations for conflict with China, while extending Australias own predatory operations in the region.

Shorten said the international order, established on the basis of US economic and military superiority after World War II, was being disrupted. He specifically referenced Chinas growing influence and the Trump administrations America First program, characterised by a turn to trade war, which is leading to economic and military tensions with foes and nominal allies alike.

Shortens remarks formed part of a broader discussion within the Australian corporate and political establishment over the implications of Trumps reckless, and often erratic, foreign policy. Sections of the ruling elite are deeply fearful that the US economic measures and military provocations against Beijing threaten their lucrative business relations with China.

Shorten declared that his government would be prepared to differ with Trump, but this would be done within the enduring framework of our close relationship with the US. The Labor leader declared that Australians would be more responsible allies of Washington by voicing these concerns.

Shorten is in line with the dominant section of the political establishment which is wholly committed to the US alliance that has been the cornerstone of Australian foreign policy for over 70 years. At the same time, he said Australia needed to adopt a more independent, confident and ambitious stance.

Significantly, Shortens response to concerns over the implications of Trumps foreign policy is to expand Australian military influence throughout the Indo-Pacific, including through a build-up of the armed forces.

This, Shorten indicated, would be aimed at propping up the US-led global order. This order has enabled Washington, and its allies, including Australia, to pursue their predatory imperialist ambitions.

Shorten declared that Labor has a firm commitment to a strong, self-reliant, defence force. A Labor government would maintain high levels of military spending, currently at 2 percent of gross domestic product, and expand the defence industry, so that it has the ability to project Australian power, to have Australia be taken seriously.

A central focus of these efforts would be the Pacific, which Shorten called the Blue continent. Shorten only hinted at the geo-political implications of that term. Numerous figures in the US and Australian military-intelligence establishments have insisted that control of the region is decisive in the US-led confrontation with China.

The Lowy Institute, where Shorten spoke, has been at the forefront of a campaign for a more aggressive US-Australian stance in the Pacific. Last August, it published a report warning that China was set to overtake Australia as the largest donor to Pacific countries, after Beijing committed four times more in the region than Canberra during 2017.

In April, the think tank issued a paper titled Safeguarding Australias security interests through closer Pacific ties, based on a 12-month South Pacific Fragile States Project headed by Lieutenant Colonel Greg Colton, an Australian army officer. It called for Australia to focus on drafting a Biketawa Plus Declaration with Pacific island governments that would seek to limit the military involvement in the region of those external actors not signatories to the agreement, especially China and Russia.

The Labor leader condemned Australias current Liberal-National government for relegating the Pacific Affairs portfolio to the status of an assistant ministry. He also criticised Prime Minister Scott Morrison for failing to attend Septembers Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru.

Shorten claimed that Labors policy would not seek the strategic denial of others, i.e. China, to the Pacific. Yet this was precisely the purpose of what Shorten outlined. Were not going to forfeit the Pacific because we didnt turn up, he declared.

Shorten said a Labor government would encourage Australian companies to invest in projects that drive development in the region: from roads and ports to water supply, communications technology and energy infrastructure. He touted similar measures by allies, including the US, Japan and New Zealand.

Shorten said Labor would establish an infrastructure investment bank to provide loans for nation-building projects in the region. This would make Australia the partner-of-choice for Pacific countries.

In other words, Shorten called for a direct contest with China for influence in the region. He also advocated an expanded Australian military presence in the Pacific, including through closer ties with the armed forces of Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

It is necessary to mend the relationship with the Fijian armed forces and ensure the Australian Defence Force is best-placed to develop the Fiji militarys professional capabilities to ensure Fijis security needs. Australian and US strategic circles, have, in recent years, voiced major concerns over Fijis economic and military ties with China and Russia.

Shortens comments were a declaration that Labor would intensify Australias decades-long operations throughout the Pacific, which the ruling elite views as its own backyard. Labor has supported, or directly overseen, military interventions throughout the region, including the 1999 deployment of troops to East Timor, and the protracted police-military occupation of Solomon Islands that began in 2003.

Significantly, in the question and answer period after his speech, Shorten denounced Beijings alleged oppression of the Uighur people in western China. This was amid a hysterical US-led campaign accusing the Chinese regime of holding hundreds of thousands of people in internment camps.

The media frenzy, fed by unsubstantiated reports from think tanks with close ties to the US and Australian military-intelligence apparatus, is attempting to foment anti-Chinese sentiment and promote separatist tendencies within China to weaken the Beijing regime.

Shortens speech sent the message that Labor will continue its role as one of the chief props of US aggression. Shorten was a senior minister in the former Labor government of Julia Gillard as it aligned Australia, in 2011, with the Obama administrations pivot to Asia, which featured a vast military build-up in Asia in preparation for war with China.

Since then, key Labor leaders have advocated Australian participation in US military provocations against Beijing in the South China Sea, and Labor supported the passage of sweeping foreign interference laws in June, essentially aimed at demonising China and criminalising anti-war opposition.

At the conclusion of his speech, Shorten warned of the echoes between today and the period before World War II. He spoke of the growth of protectionism, the emergence of ultra-nationalist governments and the collapse of international institutions, including the League of Nations, all of which led to damaging conflict.

While he bemoaned the dangers, the program Shorten outlined only heightens the risk of a catastrophic conflict between nuclear-armed powers, in which Australia would play a frontline role for the US.
Abigail Spanberger is a former CIA agent running as the Democratic candidate for Congress in Virginias 7th Congressional District. She is seeking to defeat and replace the Republican incumbent Rep. Dave Brat.

The 7th Congressional District is a large sprawling area spanning Culpeper and Nottoway Counties. It includes a large portion of Richmond suburbs, with otherwise mainly rural areas. The district has a population of 775,000, 72 percent of which lives in urban areas, with a median income of $73,580.

Spanberger spent eight and a half years as an agent for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), working both overseas and at home. The CIA has long ago taken its place as one of the most hated organizations in human history. It is reviled by the vast majority of the world for toppling democratically elected governments, supporting fascist coups and political massacres, allying itself with the most reactionary elements of society, including Al Qaeda, and carrying out sadistic, medieval-style torture on its victims.

Spanbergers campaign is one component of an entirely new and unprecedented phenomenon within American capitalist politics: the open takeover of one of the two main corporate-controlled parties by the military-intelligence apparatus. The creation of this new political force, designated by the World Socialist Web Site as the CIA Democrats, has all the hallmarks of an intelligence operation. The first article of the series by the same name warns: If the Democrats capture a majority in the House of Representatives on November 6, as widely predicted, candidates drawn from the military-intelligence apparatus will comprise as many as half of the new Democratic members of Congress. They will hold the balance of power in the lower chamber of Congress.

Spanberger has received the unequivocal official support of the Democratic Party establishment, including from prominent figures such as former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, and many others. She also has the backing of a vast array of political action committees (PACs), including Foreign Policy for America, an organization which expresses the strategic aims of the anti-Russian campaign being waged by the Democrats and the military-intelligence apparatus. This PAC has led the charge to introduce draconian sanctions against Russia, in addition to backing legislation in Congress preventing Trump from removing already existing sanctions.

The tag line on the front page of Spanbergers campaign website reads: Former CIA Operative, Girl Scout leader, ready to represent Virginias 7th District in Congress. The biographical section states ominously: Abigail took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That oath didnt come with an expiration date. In other words, Spanberger is still on duty, both as a candidate and, if she wins next Tuesday, as a congresswoman.

Spanberger worked within the CIA as a case officer, a term now used interchangeably with operations officer. The agencys official webpage describes the position as an agent involved in clandestinely spotting, assessing, developing, recruiting, and handling non-US citizens with access to foreign intelligence vital to US foreign policy and national security decision makers. The Directorate of Operations, the office to which Spanberger reported, strengthens national security and foreign policy objectives through the clandestine collection of human intelligence (HUMINT), and by conducting covert action as directed by the President.

Before working for the CIA, Spanberger worked for the US Postal Inspection Service. This division essentially works as an internal police force within the US Postal Service. In this capacity, she focused on cases of money laundering and narcotics.

Whereas most capitalist politicians are only indirectly affiliated with the intelligence apparatusand usually keep such ties quietSpanberger, like Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, has made the most of her previous role as a CIA agent. It is her main qualification for office. As Niles Niemuth, the Socialist Equality Party candidate for Congress in Michigans 12th Congressional District, noted in his assessment of Slotkin, Spanberger puts herself forward, not as a representative of a party, let alone an advocate for any specific program, but as a representative of the military-intelligence apparatus.

The Democratic Party and corporate-controlled media promote Spanberger on just this revolting basis. In all my years in politics, I can say that Abigail is the only former CIA Operative and Girl Scout Leader that I have had the good fortune to endorse, Biden gushed in his official endorsement.

Warner echoed this sentiment: Her dedication to serving her country as a CIA officer has prepared her to now serve as an effective, common-sense legislator who can work across the aisle to achieve positive results for the people of the 7th District. Northams endorsement outmatched Warners only in its glorification of militarism: Abigails service as a CIA officer exemplifies the honor, integrity, and selflessness that central Virginians deserve in their next representative.

Spanbergers approach is carefully measured, attempting to deflect attention away from the fascistic policies of the Trump administration while presenting herself as a more competent alternative to Brat. In lieu of a political program, she emphasizes her level-headedness, as well as her commitment to bipartisanship and service to her country.

She has been cautious in mentioning Trump at all, largely preferring not to refer to him by name. Her only criticism of the administration, unsurprisingly, has been on the basis of its political infighting with rival factions within the intelligence agencies. In a recent interview on Bloomberg News, she stated, I think the attacks that the president has made on the intelligence community [are] very unfortunate I do hope we see a place where we have leadership in Washington who are seeing the value in the intelligence produced by our hardworking men and women in the intelligence communities.

For me its about changing the conversation and really working to make sure that even if on one side the rhetoric and anger is really intense, that were not volleying back with the same anger and intensity, Spanberger told the Washington Examiner. This statement reflects fears within the ruling class that the bitter internal divisions that exist within the capitalist state may explode onto the mass arena, which could threaten a social upheaval.

The 7th District has long been dominated politically by the Republican Party, which has moved further and further to the right during the past two decades. Dave Brat, a three-term incumbent, typifies this shift. He is an ultra-rightist and anti-immigrant racist who ousted then House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the Republican primary in 2014. His response to being challenged by a CIA agent has been to denounce her as weak on terrorism because she taught briefly, before joining the CIA, at a Saudi-funded Islamic school in northern Virginia. In other words, he has sought to outflank this representative of Murder Inc. from the right.
In the run-up to the November 6 midterm elections, the efforts of major media outlets to convince people to vote for the Democrats are intensifying. The Democrats and their allies on Wall Street and within the national security establishment are desperate to drive up the turnout on Election Day, particularly among young people who are more likely to vote for Democratic candidates.

Critical allies in this effort are the various pseudo-left organizations, led by the Democratic Socialists of America. A handful of DSA members who have won Democratic primaries in races for Congress and other offices, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York, are being touted by the New York Times and other pro-Democratic media as supposed proof that the Democratic Party represents a progressive alternative to the Republicans.

An example of the media campaign to hustle votes for the Democrats is a column posted Wednesday on the New York Times website by the prominent advocate of identity politics Roxane Gay. Headlined Youre Disillusioned. Thats Fine. Vote Anyway, the piece is pitched to disillusioned young voters who believe that voting for either of the two corporate-controlled parties is a dead end.

Gay, a professor and best-selling author, acknowledges that conditions for young people in America are grim, while remaining silent on the responsibility of both parties, and the eight years of the Obama administration, for this situation.

She admits that the Democrats give little reason for enthusiasm, but then attempts to shame people disgusted by the right-wing policies of both parties into voting for the Democrats, reserving particular ire for those voters in 2016 who chose third party candidates who had no chance of winning the presidential election but were still able to affect the outcome in key states.

Gay cites the events of the previous weekthe mail bombs sent to Democrats, the murder of two blacks by a gunman in Louisville and the shooting rampage that killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogueand the role of Trumps anti-immigrant agitation in inciting right-wing violence, to denounce voter disillusionment as incredibly selfish and shortsighted.

She adds: If you remain disillusioned or apathetic in this climate, you are complicit If you are feeling disillusioned, get over it, at least enough to vote and vote pragmatically Lives are at stake and if you dont recognize that, you are no better than those with whom you are disillusioned.

That is, if you do not go to the polls and vote for the Democrats next Tuesday, you are complicit in fascist violence and death.

What is the actual program of the Democratic Party? In regard to the upsurge of fascist violence, the Democrats are downplaying Trumps responsibility. They are maintaining a criminal and complicit silence on his deployment of troops to the border and his racist agitation against immigrants. They are doing their best to conceal the dangerous implications of the eruption of anti-Semitic violence.

The Democrats are running as a party of war, fielding some 40 congressional candidates with backgrounds in the military, intelligence or State Department and denouncing Trump for being insufficiently aggressive in the war for regime-change in Syria and the conflict with Russia. Their hysterical anti-Russia campaign strongly suggests that had Clinton been elected, the United States would already be at war with Russia. Such a conflict between the two biggest nuclear powers in the world could rapidly escalate into a conflagration that would kill millions.

Lives are at stake here too, though, of course, Gay and the New York Times do not want to talk about it.

The Democrats are also in favor of authoritarianism and attacks on democratic rights. They just go about it in a different way. While Trump seeks to prepare for dictatorship by cultivating an extra-constitutional far-right movement, the Democrats promote authoritarian rule by promoting the FBI, the CIA and the military and leading the campaign for internet censorship. Their response to the eruption of far-right violence last week is reflected in the headline of the New York Times October 30 front-page lead article: With Growth, Social Media Spreads Harm.

The basic content of the Democrats domestic economic policy is virtually indistinguishable from that of the Republicans. They support a pro-corporate agenda and the continued transfer of wealth from the working class to the corporate oligarchy. That is why in the election campaign they are saying next to nothing about Trumps tax cuts for the rich and attacks on social programs such as food stamps and Medicaid.

The so-called progressive Democrats promoted by the DSA and other pseudo-left organizationssuch as Bernie Sanders, Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, congressional candidates Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressleyoffer minor reforms, such as a $15 minimum wage and Medicare for all, which will never be passed by Congress, and even if they were, would do nothing to alter the vast concentration of wealth at the very top.

Even these measures are opposed by the Democratic Party leadership. Should the Democrats capture control of the House of Representatives in the November 6 election, they will continue and, if anything, escalate their lurch to the right. This was spelled out by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in an interview with the Times published on Wednesday.

The newspaper cites Pelosi as saying that a Democratic-controlled House will seek to show voters that Democrats are a governing party, not the leftist mob that Mr. Trump describesand to extend an arm of cooperation to the president after an electoral rebuke.

Pelosi and her deputies, the Times writes, sought to project a more modest and politically popular agenda on issues ranging from health care to criminal justice changes. They said they would work to improve the Affordable Care Act, for example, rather than rushing to replace it with a single-payer health care plan.

Then there is the challenge, the Times writes, of reining in the most energized liberal lawmakers for whom anything short of a presidential impeachment would be a compromise too far.

Pelosis deputy in the House, Steny Hoyer, sums up the right-wing policies of the Democrats, declaring: His [Trumps] objectives are objectives that we share. If he really means that, then there is an opening for us to work together.

So much for the moral imperative of voting for the Democrats to stop Trump! As Obama said following Trumps election, the Democrats and Republicans are on the same team and their differences amount to an intramural scrimmage. They are on the team of, and owned lock stock and barrel by, the American corporate-financial oligarchy, personified by Trump.

The Democrats are, moreover, politically responsible for the rise of Trump. The Obama administration paved the way for Trump by implementing the pro-corporate (Wall Street bailout), pro-war (Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, drone killings) and anti-democratic (mass surveillance, persecution of Snowden, Assange, Manning) policies that Trump is continuing and intensifying. And by breaking all his election promises and carrying out austerity policies against the working class, Obama enabled the billionaire gangster Trump to make an appeal to sections of workers devastated by deindustrialization, presenting himself as the anti-establishment spokesman for the forgotten man.

This was compounded by the right-wing Clinton candidacy, which exuded contempt for the working class and appealed for support to the military and CIA and wealthy middle-class layers obsessed with identity politics. Sanders endorsement of Clinton gave Trump an open field to exploit discontent among impoverished social layers.

The same process is taking place internationally. While strikes and other expressions of working class opposition are growing and broad masses are moving to the left, the right-wing policies of supposedly left establishment parties are enabling far-right and neo-fascist forces to gain influence and power in countries ranging from Germany, Italy, Hungary and Poland to Brazil.

As for Gays injunction to vote pragmatically, this is a crude promotion of the bankrupt politics that are brought forward in every election to keep workers tied to the capitalist two-party system. You have only two choices. That is the reality, whether you like it or not. And again and again, in the name of practicality, the most unrealistic and impractical policy is promotedsupporting a party that represents the class that is oppressing and exploiting you! The result is precisely the disastrous situation working people and youth face todayfalling wages, no job security, growing repression and the mounting threat of world war.

The Democratic Party long ago earned the designation graveyard of social protest movements, and for good reason. From the Populist movement of the late 19th century, to the semi-insurrectional industrial union movement of the 1930s, to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, to the mass anti-war protest movements of the 1960s and the eruption of international protests against the Iraq War in the early 2000severy movement against the depredations of American capitalism has been aborted and strangled by being channeled behind the Democratic Party.

The central lesson of history is that there can be no struggle for genuinely progressive and democratic change outside of the organization of the working class as a politically independent force. The rise of fascist forces is indeed a serious danger, as is the drive by American and world imperialism toward a new world war. But the fight against these evils is the fight against their sourcethe capitalist system.

There is only one way forward in the struggle against war, austerity and dictatorshipthe independent political mobilization of the working class in the fight for socialism in the US and internationally. This requires a complete break with the Democratic Party and the establishment of the political independence of the working class.
An Australian TV host has been fired after he described Chinese visitors to Shanghai Disneyland as "black-haired, slanty-eyed (and) yellow-skinned" live on air.

Ross Cameron, the host of Sky News Australia's Outsiders and a former Liberal Party politician, made the comments during a broadcast on October 30.

Australia Companies Continents and regions Discrimination Oceania Racism and racial discrimination Sky plc Societal issues Society

While Sky News has removed all versions of the broadcast from its website and social accounts, clips of the show has been widely shared on social media. CNN has not been able to verify the recording independently.

Sky News Chief executive Paul Whittaker announced in a statement Friday that Cameron had been fired, effective immediately.

"Sky News is committed to robust discussion and debate however this language is totally unacceptable and has no place on any of our platforms, nor in modern Australian society," the statement said.

Whittaker apologized for any offense Cameron's comments had caused. CNN has reached out to Ross Cameron for comment. Sky News Australia is a CNN affiliate.

It isn't the first controversy around race to hit Australia in the past year.

In August, Sky News was widely criticized for airing an interview with neo-Nazi and far-right agitator Blair Cottrell, who had previously been accused in local media of calling for a portrait of Adolf Hitler to be "in every (Australian) classroom and every school."

Just one week later, a right-wing Australian senator made a controversial speech calling for a "final solution" to immigration, echoing the infamous Nazi Germany phrase used to describe the genocide of Jews in Europe.

Australia made headlines across the world again in September when a cartoon of Serena Williams by Melbourne newspaper cartoonist Mark Knight was widely denounced as racist.

At the time, Knight's editor Damon Johnston said the cartoon "had nothing to do with race." The cartoonist accused his critics of being overly politically correct.

Despite perceptions of itself as a highly successful, multicultural society, persistent accusations of racism have been made against Australia for decades.

Incoming Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan said on Wednesday that Australia was facing an "increasing re-emergence of racial extremism."

"As a successful multicultural society, we should be clear on this: there is no place for racial prejudice, discrimination, or intimidation in our society," he told a conference in Sydney on Wednesday, though it was not clear whether he was commenting specifically in response to Cameron's remarks.

Australian author Max Barry wrote for CNN in September that his country was the "nicest racist country you will ever see."

"The racism you get in Australia is mostly of the blindness to privilege variety, where a person may make fun of another for their distinguishing characteristics without realizing that doing so is far more comfortable from within the demographic majority," he said.
Julian Assange's stay at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London could finally be drawing to a close.

Six years after he fled to the country's diplomatic mission in Knightsbridge, yards from the world-famous Harrods department store, facing extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations, the WikiLeaks founder appears to be burning bridges with the only people known to have helped him since then.

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The Swedish case may have since been shelved but he's still wanted by British authorities for jumping bail and entering his Ecuadorian refuge in 2012.

Back then, the activist triumphantly praised Ecuador as the "courageous Latin American nation that took a stand for justice." But as the relationship has deteriorated over the years and Ecuador's leadership has changed hands, Assange has found himself in an increasingly precarious position.

Will 'catgate' spell the end of Assange's stay?

On Monday, an Ecuadorean judge rejected the WikiLeaks founder's legal action against the country's government in which he claimed that new asylum conditions imposed by the embassy were "violating his fundamental rights."

Judge Karla Martinez said Assange will have to obey a new set of house rules, which include paying for his own food, medical and laundry bills as well as cleaning up after himself and his cat.

Assange -- with a flowing snow-white beard and long shoulder-length hair -- appeared before the judge in Ecuador's capital Quito via video link from London. He claimed the new rules were a clear indication Ecuador was trying to push him out and accused President Lenin Moreno's government of preparing to revoke his asylum.

There has been no love lost between Assange and Moreno -- who came to power in 2017 -- and has since described Assange as an "inherited problem" and "more than a nuisance."

While Assange has previously said his position in the embassy was under threat, it is understood the relationship has degraded to the point that he believes he's being deliberately restricted so that he might choose to leave on his own, sources told CNN in May.

But Ecuadorian Attorney General Inigo Salvador denied this last week, telling reporters the country was "not looking to revoke" Assange's asylum.

"The only thing that Ecuador's state has told Mr. Assange is: Your asylum problem is a problem between you and the British justice."

Ecuador: UK 'will not extradite Assange'

With these comments, Ecuadorian officials are increasingly distancing themselves from the 47-year-old activist while also trying to put its house in order. Salvador reiterated that the activist will be allowed to remain at the embassy for as long as he wants.

"The only restrictions that Mr. Assange has been imposed are the ones referring to the hygiene. He needs to maintain inside the spaces we have accommodated for him and to look after his mascot (cat) as apparently it roams free through the offices," Salvador explained.

The new rules -- seen by CNN and first published by Ecuadorean website Codigo Vidrio -- stipulate that if the cat's welfare is not improved, the head of the embassy will request that Assange give the feline to another person or rehouse it.

Salvador said Assange shares a meeting room, reception and the kitchen with the embassy's staff and that his living arrangements within the building interferes with the work of the diplomatic mission, which is why the new rules were written in the first place.

In an interesting development, Salvador told CNN that Assange was sent a letter by Foreign Minister Jose Valencia in August giving him two options: stay at the embassy under the new rules or hand himself over to authorities.

If he did decide to face UK justice, Salvador said Ecuador had received guarantees from the UK that his punishment for skipping his bail would not exceed six months and that he "won't be extradited to a third country where he could face the death penalty."

Assange has always feared being extradited to the US, and in the past his lawyers have claimed he could face execution there.

CNN has not been able to independently confirm the UK's assurances and whether or not they are still valid. WikiLeaks did not give CNN an official comment. Meanwhile, the UK Home Office told CNN it would "neither confirm nor deny that an extradition request has been made or received until an arrest is made in relation to the request."

Related: Assange's fate rests on death penalty assurances

Citizenship in trouble

And there are still further signs that indicate the fractured relationship that Assange has developed with the Ecuadorians during his long stay.

Ecuadorian lawmaker Paola Vintimilla claims she has seen documents that point to "irregularities" with his Ecuadorian citizenship process last year. She has asked the government to revoke his citizenship and called for a sit-in demonstration outside the main presidential palace in Quito on Wednesday.

In a video posted to her official Twitter account, she said that Assange has also "undermined our country more than once and now he has decided to bite the hand that feeds him and sue the Ecuadorian state."

Her comments appear to reflect a growing displeasure in Ecuador over how much Assange has cost the South American state over the past six years.

It emerged Monday during the hearing that the bill for Assange's stay in the embassy has totaled $6 million to date.
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - CREATE held its annual meeting in Tupelo on Thursday and gave away two of its philanthropy awards.

The event was held at the BancorpSouth Conference Center. The foundation covers 17 counties across northeast Mississippi, and it is one of the top three grant making foundations state-wide.

Mossy Oak was this year's recipient for the McLean Award for philanthropy, and the Tupelo-Lee County Community Foundation received the James Hugh Ray Award.
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- A probable cause hearing for a Tupelo teacher has been postponed until next week.

The hearing for Braden Bishop was delayed after he was not in attendance.

His attorney, Tony Farese, told the court his client was in a mental health facility in Meridian.

Lee County Prosecutor James Moore was scheduled to present evidence he says supports two counts of sexual battery and five counts of touching a child for lustful purposes.

The Tupelo Public School District notified Tupelo police of the allegations.

Detectives spent two days talking to witnesses before handing their findings to the prosecutor.

Moore says Bishop is accused of having a relationship with a student under the age of 18.

Judge Thomas Gardner reset the hearing for 9 a.m. Friday, November 9.
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CASPER  A Democratic organizer from the Wind River Reservation said she and other activists faced difficulties in their efforts to vote early in Fremont County, prompting allegations of voter suppression seen on reservations in other areas of the country.

In a Facebook post Tuesday night, Lynnette Grey Bull  a Democratic activist behind a large Get Out The Vote effort among the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes on the reservation  said she and other GOTV activists were told by an employee at the Lander county clerks office they needed a valid state-licensed drivers license to register and vote early, which, according to state and federal election law, is the preferred means of voter registration.

However, this was only partly true: While 2003s Help America Vote Act requires states to have a voter registration system that verifies a person with the state department of transportation, the department of health and the department of criminal investigation, there is a provision that allows voters to provide the last 4 digits of their social security number and another form of government-issued photo ID in lieu of a drivers license.

While Grey Bull said she told the employee this, it was only after placing a call to the chairman of the Fremont County Democratic Party, Bruce Palmer, that she was successfully able to get the group registered.

She then came back, nice as can be, overly nice and registered us all without a problem! she wrote. It hurt me to the core, to see my Native team of canvassers to be treated and disregarded in such a racist manner and the demeaning tone to which she displayed. The continued suppression of the #NativeVote and overall oppression of Native Americans is appalling. It took a white guy, to advocate for us, in order to be treated like U.S. Citizens!

While the group was, eventually, allowed to vote, the state Democratic Party on Wednesday issued a statement on the incident, adding the party planned to increase their digital outreach in order to educate voters regarding their rights and to post poll watchers at voting locations.

Were taking this incident very seriously, Wyoming Democratic Party Chairman Joe M. Barbuto said. These folks believe they were treated rudely because they are Native Americans, and that is unacceptable. This is what discourages other tribal members from voting.

Though the clerks office, in a press release issued Monday, clarified the states election law with guidelines on how to vote, the optics of the confusion  particularly when accusations of suppressing the Native American vote in North Dakota have gone national  have led Grey Bull to speculate there is an effort to suppress the vote there.

Being so scrutinized here, how can you not say its voter suppression or racist behavior toward Native Americans? she said in an interview Wednesday.

I definitely felt like this was racism and discrimination, she added. I talked to friends who are white in Fremont County who have voted all their life and have [been] told theyve never been asked for their I.D. to vote.

In recent days, both the Fremont County Clerk and the Secretary of States office released statements reiterating state election law, clarifying in clear terms what it takes to cast a vote.

Wyoming election law, with its same-day registration provisions, allows Wyoming residents to register and vote on Election Day if they provide a valid Wyoming drivers license. If they dont have the physical license, they must provide their drivers license number as well as another acceptable form of identification.

If a prospective voter has not been issued a Wyoming drivers license, according to the Secretary of States office, they must provide the last four digits of their social security number and another form of acceptable identification.

If a person has not been issued a Wyoming drivers license or a social security number, they may still vote if they have another form of acceptable identification.

The law on how a voter registers to vote is clear, Fremont County Clerk Julie Freese said in a press release on Tuesday. There are multiple ways in which a voter can register if they do not have a valid Wyoming drivers license. If a voter forgets their Wyoming drivers license or if they dont know their drivers license number on Election Day, they can still cast a provisional ballot. A voter will then have the responsibility of providing the necessary documentation to their county clerk by the close of business on the following day.

Even Palmer, the Fremont County Democratic Party chairman, said in an interview Wednesday he wasnt aware of the specifics of the law, adding he was always under the impression that a drivers license was merely the preferred means of identification and that other forms of I.D.  including a tribal identification card  would be sufficient to register to vote.

However, he said, the incident gives him cause to think there is a liability that the laws are applied differently from county to county, which Grey Bull said could have significant impacts on elections in a county where one in five residents are Native Americans. On Wednesday, Palmer told the Star-Tribune that a colleague in Albany County had been regularly registering University of Wyoming students in Laramie with no problems, many of them using a student I.D. and their social security numbers to register.

It feels like theres been a shift in terms of the requirements, he said.

The event did, however, add to a continuing dialogue between residents on the Wind River Reservation and the county clerks office. The local Democratic Party has held numerous Rev Up The Rez Vote events in Fort Washakie and Ethete (often attended by Freese). And, throughout this election cycle, Palmer said the concerns of voters on the reservation have had the ear of the clerks office as theyve advocated for ways to increase voter engagement there.

We have been able to meet with folks, and thats been positive, Palmer said. There have been conversations around how registrations have been done and this incident, specifically.

In an interview Wednesday, Freese said she had spoken with Palmer and that Mondays incident was more an example of a miscommunication of the law, rather than discrimination or racism. She emphasized that those who came to the clerks office were allowed to vote and that, in the future, anyone experiencing problems should reach out to her directly to resolve them.

I stand behind my staff, said Freese. Were impartial, and we treat everybody equally. I stand behind what we do, and we dont feel anyone was disenfranchised. Everybody got to vote.

Im very attentive to peoples issues, she added. And if they have problems, I hope they get in touch with me.
This Week's Deals With Gold Include Hitman 2, Injustice 2 and Watch Dogs 2
A California community is rallying to raise donations after a 27-year-old woman passed away following an emergency Caesarean to give her unborn baby a chance to live, the Fresno Bee reports.

Charlene Flores was admitted to a Fresno area hospital in the early morning hours of October 24 after experienced pregnancy pains weeks before her babys due date. While her husband, Elesandro Flores Jr., did not want to leave her side, Charlene asked him to return home to take their three daughters to school.

But a short time after leaving, Elesandro received a call from his wife asking him to come back  and it would be the last time the two would speak.

She FaceTimes me and says I need you here right now, 30-year-old Elesandro recalled to KFSN.

Charlene had begun to bleed internally while at the hospital and doctors said she needed to undergo an emergency Caesarean section to save the babys life.

According to Mayo Clinic, while Caesarean sections are common and save lives, they involve numerous risks for the mother, including infections, blood clots, cardiac arrest and postpartum hemorrhages. Because Charlene had heart problems and underwent a surgery last summer, there were added risks in going through with surgery, the Bee reported.

While she initially survived the operation, once Elesandro was able to return to the hospital, things quickly turned for the worst.

So the doctors come back to me in the room saying your babys being worked on, your wifes asleep, he told KFSN.

RELATED VIDEO: North Carolina Woman Delivers Baby and Undergoes Open-Heart Surgery at the Same Time

He continued: And then [I] heard code blue. This lady comes to our door area and says, We need you, doctor, and the doctor rushes back there. And then 20 minutes later the rest of the doctors and nurses flow in the room and tell me that my wife didnt make it but my daughters in an incubator getting her treatment.

The couples newborn daughter, Quinn Nevaeh Flores, survived the ordeal but will remain in the NICU for the next few weeks after being born prematurely.

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A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for Charlenes funeral, which has been set for Saturday.

Before leaving she left us a parting gift of her everlasting love for us through her and her husbands miracle baby Quinn Nevaeh Flores, the donation page reads. We ask in this time of grieving you keep all of those she knew in your prayers.

RELATED: Popular Blogger Who Documented Her IVF Journey Dies During Emergency C-Section

With the help of hundreds of donors, the GoFundMe page has raised more than $12,000 so far.

Now, Elesandro and his other daughters  Lanyssa Vasquez, 12; Kiara Flores, 12; Adriene Flores, 8  are doing their best to heal after the loss of Charlene.

I told my kids, youre [an] extension of your mother, Flores told KFSN. You guys are women, and you guys are going to be my life, you guys are going to take that role, you guys are going to take care of me, and I know you will, and they have.
The Food and Drug Administration says that a public health tragedy is underway as teen e-cigarette use continues, but that they are working on plans of action with the major manufactures, including Juul.

After demanding in September that e-cigarette manufacturers submit detailed plans to curb the illegal teen usage, the FDA says theyve met with the top five companies and will roll out their proposals in November.

Some of the plans include better systems to stop the illegal sales of e-cigarettes to people under 18, limiting the availability of flavored smoke pods and raising the overall tobacco-buying age to 21.

We are committed to taking the necessary steps to fully confront the epidemic of e-cigarette use that has gripped the nations youth and set in motion an accelerating epidemic. Ive stated clearly, all options are on the table, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in statement on Wednesday.

Kids and e-cigarettes: The FDA announced on Wednesday that they have hard data that supports a public health tragedy is now underway.



The biggest e-cigarette maker, Juul, isnt part of those lawsuits but is in the crosshairs of the FDA, @CynthiaMcFadden reports. pic.twitter.com/MuVQGkmPQA  TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 1, 2018

This comes as growing scientific evidence shows that e-cigarettes leave harmful toxins in the body. A study published in the journal Pediatrics looked at the effects of e-cigarettes on teens bodies.

We found a lot of the same chemicals in the urine of these teenagers that we see in cigarettes. Much lower levels than we see in traditional cigarettes, but higher than what we expect to find from just environmental exposures, Dr. Martin Rubinstein, the lead author of the study and a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, told Today. The five main chemicals that we found are either shown to be cancer-causing, or thought to be cancer-causing, either in humans or animals.

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Juul and various flavor packs

Rubinstein said they dont yet know the long-term effects of e-cigarettes, but researchers are not optimistic.

We dont, so even the fact that these were lower levels is still concerning, he said. We dont know that these kids will continue using these for many years, but should they, we expect to see some of these same negative outcomes that we see with cigarettes.

But Juul, which controls 74 percent of the market for e-cigarettes, refutes the study, saying that because the teens are self-reporting which products they use its not possible to point to one as the culprit. Ashley Gold, Juuls chief administrative officer, said that they dont want teens using their products, but highlighted the research that points to e-cigarettes as a less-harmful way to smoke.

Theres growing scientific consensus that theres significantly less toxicants from e-cigarettes than cigarettes, she told Today. We know that cigarettes kill half of the people who use them. The potential of vapor technology is to deliver nicotine through an aerosolized form, and avoid combustion, and thereby avoid or significantly reduce the harm resulting from cigarette smoking.

RELATED VIDEO: Sean Penn Smoking & on Ambien: Fans React to Actors Memorable Late-Night Appearance

But, Gold claimed she was unable to say if Juul has any long-term effects.

I cant talk about the safety of the product from a regulatory perspective, she told investigative reporter Cynthia McFadden. Juuls been on the market since 2015. We have data from the time the product was on the market to now, and we will collect data over time.

Gold did agree, though, that nicotine is addictive, and they dont want teens using Juuls.

No theres no dispute, were not disputing that, she said. Its critically important that youth are educated about the harms of nicotine, what we dont know about e-cigarettes and why. These are not products for them. We agree 100 percent with that.
Oprah Winfrey returned to the campaign trail on Thursday for Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who is running for governor of Georgia, lamenting all the noise, crazy talk and vitriol that is now part of political discourse.

You know what? They are designed to confuse and confound you with fear. They are not designed for people with discernment, she told a crowd at the Cobb Civic Center Jennie T. Anderson Theatre in Marietta, Ga.

Winfrey did not mention President Trumps name or reference Abrams Republican opponent, Brian Kemp.

Women, people. We have discernmentWhen you can feel what is the right thing to do, you cant be influenced by propaganda and fear, she said.

This was Winfreys first foray into midterm politics this year, after largely sitting out the 2016 presidential campaign. In January, when she gave a speech at the Golden Globe Awards, it ignited speculation that she too may be looking to run for president in 2020.

At the event, Winfrey again dismissed those prospects.

Im not here because Im making some grandstand, Im thinking about running myself, Winfrey said. I dont want to run. Im not trying to test any waters.

Winfrey is taking a pause from her role as a contributor on 60 Minutes as she campaigns.

She touched on one of the major issues of the Abrams-Kemp campaign: voting rights.

Im here today because of the men and because of the women who were lynched, who were humiliated, who were discriminated against, who were suppressed, who were repressed and oppressed, Winfrey said. I refuse to let their sacrifices be in vain.

Kemp, Georgias secretary of state, has been challenged for his decision to freeze some 50,000 voter applications. Abrams campaign has called on him to resign, while he has said that it is a manufactured problem at a time when registration is at a record high.

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She told the crowd that she was registered as an independent. I am an independent woman. I have earned the right to do exactly what I want to do, she said.

Winfrey added, Nobody paid me to come here. Nobody asked me to come here. I came for myself, and I approve this message. The line drew big cheers from the crowd.

She said that she called Abrams up and offered to make campaign appearances for her. Winfrey said to Abrams, You keep standing strong for the values that matter to me, and the values that matter to Georgians all over this state.

She later sat with Abrams for a Q&A session, in which the candidate answered questions about issues like healthcare and education. One of the central proposals in her campaign is to extend the Medicaid expansion to the state. Abrams also talked about how she ran, despite people telling her that she could not because she holds more than $200,000 in tax, credit card, and student loan debt.

Abrams told Winfrey, I think Im going to win. Leadership is about being willing to take the risk, not knowing if youll get the reward.

Vice President Mike Pence campaigned for Kemp on Thursday, and made reference to Abrams celebrity support. Id like to remind Stacey and Oprah and Will Ferrell, Im kind of a big deal, too. Ferrell went canvassing door-to-door for Abrams last week.

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Even as Lion Air jet's black box is found, some answers may be back in the United States originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Representatives from Boeing, the manufacturer of the ill-fated Lion Air 737 that crashed Tuesday in the Java Sea and presumably killed all 189 people on board, have arrived in Indonesia to gather information and assist in the investigation.

Soon, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will join the probe.

The American presence in Indonesia is focused on uncovering any potential problems with the 21st-century aircraft. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is the manufacturing giant's best-seller and one of the most recent versions of the 737, considered the workhorse of the U.S. aviation system.

Officials in Indonesia on Thursday said they'd recovered Flight 610's data recorder from the bottom of the sea, but there could be more answers already back in the United States.

(MORE: Lion Air crash search finds debris, belongings on seafloor)

This aircraft type has a high-tech data system designed to send hundreds of gigabytes worth of information to the ground as it flies, including flight deck displays, maintenance data, software information and engine health.

It's called the Onboard Network System and every MAX 8 has a server installed in the aircraft, according to an article posted on Boeing's website.

Rescuers scan the horizon from a rescue ship during a search operation for the victims of Lion Air plane crash in the waters of Tanjung Karawang, Indonesia, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. A massive search effort has identified the possible seabed location (The Associated Press)

(MORE: Indonesia Lion Air flight with 189 aboard crashes into ocean shortly after takeoff)

Boeing, the airline carrier and CFM -- the engine maker on the MAX 8 -- typically would receive this data.

But it's up to each airline to decide to "subscribe" to the data downloads. It remains unclear whether or not Lion Air subscribes to the downloads. An airline representative did not immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment.

An Indonesian soldiers walk past debris retrieved from the waters where Lion Air flight JT 610 is believed to have crashed at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. A massive search effort has identified the possible seab (The Associated Press)

A Boeing representative declined to comment on whether or not Boeing successfully received data from this flight.

A representative of General Electric, which partially owns engine maker CFM, also declined to answer the question.

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Anatashya Mengko, a mother of three who lives near the Jakarta airport, told ABC News that she saw smoke billowing from the underside of Flight 610 shortly after takeoff.

After seeing the plane leave the airport, she dropped her children at school and went to work. It was only later she learned the plane had crashed.

(MORE: New report says it's still unknown why Flight MH370 disappeared)

In 2014, Rolls Royce, another engine maker, was getting data from Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 as it flew astray over the Indian Ocean; even though Malaysia Airlines was not a subscriber.

(MORE: 'Extremely disappointing:' Another MH370 search ends)

That aircraft and its 239 people on board are still missing.

ABC News' Karson Yiu contributed reporting.
A conservatives crusade: Loyalty to Trump defines the GOP rivalry in Mississippis Senate special election originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

When Cindy Hyde-Smith, the first female senator from Mississippi, stood before a room brimming with supporters on a Friday in a northern pocket of the state about seven miles from Southaven  where President Donald Trump rallied for her last month  she delivered an impassioned, pro-Trump closing argument in her soft-spoken southern twang.

"It is so great to be here," she began. "When President Donald Trump came into Desoto County and I got to ride in the motorcade with him  Seeing the streets lined with people trying to get a glimpse of the president, what a great day that was for Desoto County, what a great day that was for Mississippi and for the country."

Trump might not be on the ballot in Mississippi, but in the Senate special election to replace retired Sen. Thad Cochran, the two GOP candidates  Hyde-Smith and conservative firebrand and state Sen. Chris McDaniel  are each crafting a path to victory that is heavily dependent on the White House.

PHOTO: Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, right, poses with supporters during a campaign stop at the Northwest Mississippi Association of Realtors office in Nesbit, Miss., Oct. 26, 2018. (Brandon Dill/EPA via Shutterstock)

In one of this cycle's quirkiest races, the Senate special election is a four-way nonpartisan "jungle primary," in which multiple candidates from both parties compete and no party labels are featured on the ballot. In addition to a challenge from her right by McDaniel, Hyde-Smith is facing a challenge from her left by Democrat and former Clinton cabinet secretary Mike Espy and Democrat and former Navy intelligence officer Tobey Bartee.

(MORE: A region at the crossroads: A black candidate's historic Senate run begins in the Mississippi Delta)

If none of the candidates receive a majority of the vote on Nov. 6, the top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to a runoff on Nov. 27.

Much like a primary, this special election is pitting one establishment Republican against a conservative insurgent, and both are staking their campaigns on their loyalty to Trump to win over his base.

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The Trump factor

As Trump continues his campaign blitz, he has sharpened his partys final message for voters heading into Election Day  making his pitch a referendum on his administrations central issues, including the caravan of migrants marching towards the United States and Justice Brett Kavanaughs contentious confirmation process.

"This will be an election of Kavanaugh, the caravan, law and order, and common sense," he declared at a rally in Missoula, Montana in October, and repeated that line at subsequent rallies in Houston, Texas, and Murphysboro, Ill.

This mantra has become a rallying cry as he crisscrosses the country to shore up support for Republican candidates and maintain the GOPs majority in Congress in the final days of the midterm elections.

Trump stopped in Mississippi in early October to bolster Hyde-Smith's candidacy, since the special election could potentially decide the balance of power in the Senate. Hyde-Smith currently stands as the frontrunner in the race, according to a recent NBC News/Marist poll, although she still remains shy of clearing the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright on Tuesday.

On the trail, Hyde-Smith is stitching the presidents remarks into her own, showing her fealty to Trump with voters.

"Weve got a president that is a leader," she told the small crowd in Nesbit, Miss. "He is a leader. They talk about the caravan headed for the border down there, weve got somebody that can handle that caravan. Theres no doubt in my mind."

PHOTO: U.S. Senate candidate Chris McDaniel answers a voter's question at a meet and greet dinner in Taylorsville, Miss., Sept. 6, 2018. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP, FILE)

Hyde-Smith is currently serving in Cochrans seat after being appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant on March 21. Her resume showcases a long political career in Mississippi politics, previously serving as the state's Agriculture Commissioner from 2011 until her appointment to the Senate, as well as formerly serving as a state senator for 12 years beginning in 1999, when she was elected as a Democrat.

The former Agriculture Commissioner switched to the Republican Party in 2010, but in 2008, she voted in the states Democratic primary for president. Hyde-Smith's former party affiliation has been her greatest hurdle in the race, as McDaniel continues to weaponize her Democratic ties.

(MORE: Ultra-conservative to enter Miss. Senate race against Trump-backed incumbent)

Despite not revealing who she voted for in 2008, McDaniel repeatedly claimed that the former Democrat voted for Hillary Clinton.

"I understand that as a lifelong Democrat who voted for Hillary Clinton, it might be difficult for Cindy Hyde-Smith to advocate vocally for one of President Trump's Supreme Court nominees, but Mississippians are counting on her to stand and fight for them in the U.S. Senate," he said in a statement provided to ABC News last month.

After nearly defeating Cochran in 2014 in a primary challenge, McDaniel decided to run again this cycle. Boasting name recognition across the state and riding anti-establishment fervor, he first mounted a bid in the Senate race against incumbent GOP Sen. Roger Wicker.

After Cochran resigned, McDaniel jumped into the special election race in March, encouraged by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, to contest the establishments hold on the seat.

The former conservative talk show host, seeking to fuel his outsider candidacy with support from Trump's base, has relentlessly challenged Hyde-Smith every step of the way on her loyalty to the president. Despite failing to secure Trump's endorsement, which was clinched by Hyde-Smith, McDaniel has taken some unconventional steps to garner approval from the White House, including inviting supporters to show up to the Trump rally for Hyde-Smith.

"Show the President that Trump Country is McDaniel Country," an email to supporters read.

He has also consistently claimed that Trump was "forced" into endorsing Hyde-Smith by the Washington establishment, primarily Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

McDaniel, in a statement from October, opined that as the only "lifelong" Republican in the race, on Election Day, "Mississippians will ultimately do the right thing."

Over the weekend, at a Hyde-Smith campaign event in Nesbit, a truck clad in McDaniel campaign signs that read "Remember Mississippi," parked as close as possible to the venue, seemingly trolling the incumbent senator.

PHOTO: A truck covered in Chris McDaniel campaign signs sits parked outside of a campaign stop for opponent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Nesbit, Miss., Oct. 26, 2018. (Kendall Karson/ABC News)

But marring McDaniel's chances is a campaign fraught with controversy of his own making.

During an interview on MSNBC, when asked how he would speak to the states African-American population, which is one of the largest in the country, the state senator responded, "After 100 years of begging for federal government scraps, where are you today?"

Out-Trumping the opposition

Their bitter rivalry came to a head as the Kavanaugh hearings rattled Washington.

In an apparent show of loyalty to Trump, McDaniel told American Family Radio in September of Kavanaugh accuser, Christine Blasey Ford's claims, "These allegations, 99 percent of the time, are just absolutely fabricated."

He also urged Hyde-Smith to fight "tooth and nail" to confirm the judge, cornering her into issuing a full-throated embrace of Kavanaugh.

Recalling the Kavanaugh hearings, after accepting a "women for Kavanaugh" t-shirt during the weekend campaign stop, she told the crowd of the hearings, "When we say it was brutal, that is an understatement."

"It was unbelievable, but I want you to know that we did the right thing by Brett Kavanaugh," she asserted.

Hyde-Smith is adamantly positioning herself as the ultimate champion of the Trump agenda, and in an interview with ABC News in Nesbit, she brushed off any concerns about her former Democratic party affiliation.

"I'll tell you, anybody in Mississippi that is over 40 years old, they voted for a Democrat because we were a Democratic state many years ago," she said. "[I] have a very conservative voting record that Im very proud of, so really that is a non-issue."

Pushing an ardent defense of the presidents policies, Hyde-Smith added, "I know firsthand that we have got to secure those borders."

"It is a must, we cannot allow this to go on any longer," she continued.

PHOTO: Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith speaks with a reporter in front of her tour bus, which features a photo of her and President Donald Trump, during a campaign stop in Nesbit, Miss., Oct. 26, 2018. (Brandon Dill/EPA via Shutterstock)

When pressed on Trump's often heated rhetoric on immigration, she evaded the question, instead telling ABC News, "I cannot speak for the president, I can only speak for myself."

Standing before her campaign tour bus, which features a blown-up selfie of the senator and the president plastered on the side, she praised Trump for bringing prosperity to Mississippi, pointing to the tax cuts the GOP passed this year as a signature achievement of the Trump administration and for the Magnolia state.

"The tax cuts have been huge for our state," she said. "The environment that he has created to allow us to prosper, that is what Mississippi needs."

Of all 50 states, Mississippi ranks either the lowest or among the lowest in terms of percentage of the population in poverty (19.7 percent as of 2017), education attainment (only 21 percent of the state has a bachelors degree or higher), and median household income ($40,528), according to the most recent information from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The weight of a Trump endorsement

In the deep red state, which voted for Trump by nearly 20 points in 2016, the president continues to have a favorable rating, with more than half the state approving of the president's job performance, according to the NBC News/Marist poll.

PHOTO: A water tower sits in the city of Gulfport on Mississippi's Gulf Coast, Oct. 28, 2018. (Kendall Karson/ABC News)

Hyde-Smith is seizing on Trump's firm standing in the state to win over his voting bloc. Among attendees at her campaign events, some indicated that they see her as a reflection of the president and as the only candidate in the crowded field who will advance his progress.

"In 2016, I voted for Trump," Janet Curtis from Nesbit told ABC News. "I am supporting Cindy Hyde-Smith and I still support Trump."

(MORE: Trump mocks Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault)

When asked why hes voting, Brandon Grace from Senatobia, said, "To make America great again. To keep the things that are going."

"Like Cindy was saying," he added.

In the Republican stronghold of Gulfport  which sits on Mississippi's Gulf Coast and where an overwhelming majority voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election, according to the New York Times  when it comes to deciding between the conservative they know in McDaniel and the Trump-approved candidate in Hyde-Smith on Nov. 6, voters are weighing Trumps endorsement heavily.

PHOTO: Elizabeth West, 42, a resident of Gulfport, Miss., sits inside local restaurant, Petie's Eats Downtown, Oct. 28, 2018. (Kendall Karson/ABC News)

"I think that whole campaign, putting [Trump] up there on the podium supporting Cindy, thats what we all see," Elizabeth West, 42, told ABC News in local restaurant Petie's Eats Downtown. "That goes a long way with the public. You can see the ripple effect."

Another voter, Mary Cox, 50, who also lives in Gulfport and as a staunch pro-life supporter, ranked abortion as her top issue at the polls, said that a candidate's voting record signals their loyalty to Trump.

"If they are loyal, they are going to follow suit," she asserted. "They are going to vote the way that the president wants them to vote."

Hyde-Smith has a 100 percent Trump score, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Cox conceded that initially, she supported McDaniel, but after Trump interjected himself in the race, her opinion shifted in favor of Hyde-Smith.

"I was going for Chris McDaniel, then Trump backed her," she added. "I would like to take and vote for all of the ones Trump endorses. McDaniel has a very good background. Cindy-Hyde-Smith just kinda popped up out of nowhere."

PHOTO: Gulfport resident Mary Cox, 50, sits in Petie's Eats Downtown in Gulfport, Miss., Oct. 28, 2018. (Kendall Karson/ABC News)

"I dont like the fact that Cindy Hyde-Smith used to be a Democrat but Trump is endorsing her," she continued.

When asked if the election were held today who would she vote for, Cox said, "For Cindy Hyde-Smith just because Trump endorsed her."

A historic bid in a historic year

Already distinguished as the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress, Hyde-Smith would also be the first woman elected to the Senate from the Magnolia State if she wins next week, or three weeks later in the likely runoff.

In a year in which a historic number of woman are running for elected office, and winning, Hyde-Smiths bid to the U.S. Senate is historic. She is among 23 female Senate candidates in a general election match-up this cycle.

While her victory would secure a greater presence for women in the Senate, she is focused on keeping the GOPs majority in this years midterm elections.

"We need to keep on going," Hyde-Smith said. "We have so many issues facing us right now. Tuesday is an important day. Its the jungle race, it is named correctly. These midterms are so very important."

"We have to have the House and Senate that we want," she added.

In a more forceful tone before the intimate audience in Nesbit, Hyde-Smith said that if Democrats win, they will "immediately" move to impeach the president.

"When I tell you that impeachment proceedings would start immediately, Maxine Waters has got it on her mind," she said. "Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer. It would start immediately. All these good things that were doing would be put to the side because of the obstruction."

"It is the most serious race I have ever been involved with," she affirmed.
Saudi sisters found dead in Hudson River were in NYC for nearly 2 months, police say

Saudi sisters found dead in Hudson River were in NYC for nearly 2 months, police say originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Two sisters from Saudi Arabia whose bodies, bound together with duct tape, were found floating along the Hudson River last week had first arrived in New York City nearly eight weeks prior, a police source told ABC News.

Through mostly electronic evidence, such as credit card transactions and ATM withdrawals, investigators from the New York City Police Department have established that Tala and Rotana Farea traveled from Fairfax, Virginia, where they had previously been living with family since 2015, to Washington, D.C., then to Philadelphia and on to New York City, where they arrived on Sept. 1, the source said.

Detectives are reviewing hotel and restaurant records, surveillance video, electronic statements as well as eyewitness accounts to determine what the sisters were doing and where in the city they were staying between Sept. 1 and Oct. 24, when their bodies were discovered in the Hudson River, the source said.

Investigators believe the women were alive when they entered the water and are checking to see if any surveillance cameras captured that moment. They are also trying to determine whether either of them had met with any counselors or therapists in recent weeks, two police sources told ABC News.

The deaths are being investigated as suspicious and police are equally considering all options, whether they are homicides, suicides or accidents, the sources said.

The medical examiner's office will ultimately determine the causes of death as the investigation continues.

(MORE: Detectives begin 'unraveling' mysterious deaths of Saudi sisters found bound with tape in New York City's Hudson River)

PHOTO: Tala Farea and Rotana Farea are seen in these undated photos released by the New York Police Department. (NYPD)

Investigators have also conducted various interviews in Fairfax, Virginia, with family members and other associates of the sisters to learn more about them. Dermot Shea, chief of detectives for the New York City Police Department, said those interviews are "unraveling" what was going on in the sisters' lives before their mysterious deaths.

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"I think we've made significant progress in piecing together pieces of this puzzle to find out what happened," Shea said at a press conference Wednesday morning.

"Those interviews are really unraveling, in some way, a piece of the puzzle of behind the scenes," he added. "There is still work to do."

(MORE: Investigators probe deaths of Saudi sisters found bound together with tape in the Hudson River)

PHOTO: The bodies of two women were found washed up from the Hudson River off the Upper West Side in New York, Oct. 24, 2018. (WABC)

A passerby alerted authorities after spotting the bodies in the Hudson River off of Manhattan's Upper West Side on the afternoon of Oct. 24.

The women were found lying on rocks near the river, fully-clothed, both wearing black jackets with fur trim and black leggings. There were no obvious signs of trauma, police said.

The bodies are believed to have washed ashore with the tide and stayed when the tide went out, police said.

Four days later, police identified the bodies as Tala Farea, 16, and Rotana Farea, 22.

The younger sister, Tala, had been reported missing on Aug. 24, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That was the last time the two sisters were seen in Virginia, two police sources told ABC News.

(MORE: Police identify sisters found dead and bound together in New York City's Hudson River)

PHOTO: Police sketches of the two women found taped together in the Hudson River on Oct. 24, 2018. (New York Police Department)

The Royal Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in New York confirmed in a statement Tuesday that the Farea sisters were students accompanying their brother in Washington, D.C.

The consulate said it has "appointed an attorney to follow the case closely" and that authorities "are following closely and constantly for details on the case including the forensic reports showing the causes of death which have not yet been finalized and is still under investigation."

Anyone with information about the Farea sisters is urged to call the New York City Police Department's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

ABC News' Kaelyn Forde and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
'The West Pier at Brighton will vanish beneath the waves in the next few years' - Getty

Among the more enlightening experiences I have had recently is the hour I spent sloshing through the fetid sewers beneath Brighton. This subterranean visit was part of my work for a new book and television series, Portillos Hidden History of Britain, which are based on the premise that history does not reside solely in structures generally described as historic  cathedrals, castles, the former homes of the great and the good.

I hope I succeed in demonstrating that you may equally find compelling and significant narratives  stories that alter or add to our understanding of history  in unprepossessing places: a Victorian sewer system; a Cold War bunker; derelict hospitals. From Brighton to Bradford, from Suffolk to Somerset, I have explored some remarkable buildings and structures that in different ways have helped to shed light on the way modern Britain has developed.

In most cases the buildings have outlived their function and lie derelict, awaiting change in one form or another. One  the West Pier at Brighton  will vanish beneath the waves in the next few years. So the timing was crucial  I gained access before the original fabric of the building was destroyed and with it the evidence of past occupation and use. As a presenter on a mission, I was privileged to have permission to visit sites that are otherwise off-limits  though some remain open to the public in certain circumstances. Details of these sites are listed in the panel on the right.

I was privileged in another sense, for I was able to walk in the footsteps of important figures from history  though, in most cases, not ones you would have heard of. This was never truer than at Orford Ness, on the Suffolk coast, where men and women of extraordinary ingenuity and dedication carried out highly classified work in defence of the realm  over many decades, and entirely unknown to the general populace.

I was particularly fascinated to explore this windswept shingle spit and discover many things that I didnt have a clue about while in government office. My acquaintance with the area goes back to my student days at Cambridge when I used to visit an excellent seafood restaurant, the Butley Orford Oysterage (still there) in the adjacent village of Orford. At that time, the early Seventies, the top secret operations taking place just across the river Alde were winding up.

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Michael explored Britain for his new book and television series  Portillos Hidden History of Britain Credit: Getty

After decades of the tightest security the armed military police had been deployed elsewhere and in time much of the site would be reclaimed by nature. Orford Ness is, indeed, now a nature reserve, a haven for marsh harriers and rare flora, owned by the National Trust. The only binoculars you will find there today belong to birdwatchers, not men with guns. But the extraordinary buildings that litter this remote coastal sliver of shingle and marsh cannot be erased. Colossal and bizarre, with names straight out of science fiction (the Pagodas, Cobra Mist), they are testament to the top-secret, often hazardous military experimentation and research that took place here. They also contribute to a landscape that counts among the most other-worldly and sinisterly memorable in Britain.

Even among the assortment of pavilions, bunkers and concrete groundworks, the two so-called Pagodas stand out. With their raised roofs they put one in mind of ancient temples, but their purpose was entirely practical  they were Vibration Test Buildings where Britains nuclear bombs were subjected to procedures designed to gauge their ability to withstand extreme environmental pressures.

This much I was at least vaguely aware of before visiting Orford Ness. But while there I gleaned an even more startling piece of information. For Portillos Hidden History of Britain I arranged to meet men and women who were witnesses to history  ordinary people who were caught up in extraordinary events. In one of the Pagodas on Orford Ness I spoke to a former civilian engineer with the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment who told me that sometimes (and contrary to official policy) the bombs being tested contained both high explosives and fissile material (ie capable of a nuclear reaction).

'Could Orford Ness have become a byword for nuclear catastrophe?' Credit: Getty

That sounds risky to me. Could Orford Ness have become a byword for nuclear catastrophe? My witness claimed that the chances of such an event occurring were vanishingly small, but military research and planning are as susceptible to error and mishap as any aspect of civilian life.

Another site I investigated is the village of Imber on Salisbury Plain. At the end of 1943, as Allied forces prepared for D-Day, the War Office ordered Imbers inhabitants to leave so the Army could use the site for tank and target practice. Some villagers claimed they were told they could return to their homes at the end of the war, but this never happened. Were they lied to, fobbed off, or the victims of a misunderstanding?

Unravelling these questions provided one of the most poignant stories. It was also a memorable experience to actually visit the village. It lies in the middle of the Salisbury Plain Training Area, surely the most physically dangerous spot in Britain, where the Army fires live ammunition and tanks drive at combat speed on military exercises. The road there is littered with signs warning of unexploded military debris.

Accessible on only a few designated days a year, the village is pretty much shot to pieces. A forlorn air hangs over its broken buildings and cartridge-strewn streets. But its spirit is not quite extinguished, living on in the still-intact Norman church, and in the descendants of Imbers final inhabitants who gather there every year to celebrate its past.

Salisbury Plain was used for tack and target practice during the Second World War Credit: istock

Another site that affected me, for very different reasons, in the course of my research was Shepton Mallet prison in Somerset. When it closed in 2013 it was Britains oldest working prison, having been in continuous use for 400 years, so it had a few stories to tell (not least about the notorious Kray twins who were incarcerated there when it was a military glasshouse). But I wasnt entirely happy at the thought of entering its grim precincts because being banged up is, literally, the stuff of nightmares for me  I have a recurring anxiety dream about being locked in a prison cell.

In the event I met a real lifer  a man who lived my nightmare for real every day for more than three decades. The interview he gave me was the most moving I have heard since I started in television. So the moment when I entered a cell and closed the door, contemplating the reality of being stuck there for up to 17 hours a day, stays with me. I had no such qualms about opening a hatch in a pavement in Brighton and descending into the bowels of that seaside city.

Orford Ness is now a nature reserve Credit: Getty

Beneath gaudy and glamorous Brighton, with its Royal Pavilion and its Regency Squares, lies a network of sewage tunnels, 44 miles (71km) of them either walkable or navigable by boat. They were built in the early 1870s as a means of improving the public health at a time when the rapidly expanding resort was blighted by outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases. Brightons sewerage system is a typically ambitious Victorian concept, realised by a brilliant feat of precision engineering.

Duplicated across the country, such projects continue to underpin much of contemporary Britain, from sewers to railways, and bridges to tunnels. Visionaries such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Joseph Bazalgette (who designed Londons sewers) tend to monopolise this story of Victorian improvement and expansion. Few people have heard of John Hawkshaw, the engineer responsible for Brightons sewers, but he also built the Severn Tunnel and parts of the London Underground system. Such figures, largely forgotten now, conceived an infrastructure that was perfect in its fine detail and intended to last for a century or more; as it has.

I should also point out an irony that pleases me greatly. Brightons sewers were far better built than many of the flashy squares and terraces above them, which were knocked up using shoddy materials. Hawkshaws brick-lined tunnels represent hidden history in a true sense  invisible, taken for granted. But wherever I ventured, pointing my torch into neglected corners and trying to make sense of what I saw, I found fascinating, often unsuspected stories about the shaping of modern Britain.

The second TV series of Portillos Hidden History of Britain, made by Transparent Television, continues on Channel 5 on Fridays at 9pm

Interview by Nigel Richardson
In a press conference Friday, the NYPD released details about the final months of Rotana and Tala Farea, the two Saudi sisters found dead on the shore of the Hudson River, duct taped together.

Chief of Detectives Dermot F. Shea said the girls family had not seen them since November 30, 2017. They were reported missing and then located near Fairfax, VA. At that time chose to go to a facility due to abuse allegations rather than return home. While at the facility, the women expressed that they would rather inflict harm upon themselves then return to Saudi Arabia. They also made allegations of abuse against against their mother, father, and brother.

In August of 2017 the Farea sisters went missing from the Virginia facility and slowly made their way to New York City. According to Uber records, they arrived in New York on September 1, where they stayed at a series of high end hotels including the Knickerbocker and began a pattern of ordering takeout meals, always two at a time. The purchases have been traced to a credit card in Rotana, the older sisters, name. Around October of this year police believe the money started to run out as they reached the limit on their card.

On October 31, a man contacted the NYPD to report that he had information that was "haunting him." The man, a frequent jogger along the Hudson, said that on the morning of October 24, he saw two women sitting about 30 feet apart in a playground near the water. He said they had their heads in their hands and could be heard praying. Police believe it is likely these women were the Farea sisters.

Detective Shea dismissed rumors that the woman had jumped from the George Washington Bridge as well as reports they had been bound in a cross-like formation. He said the duct tape was not tight but rather bound in a way to keep them together.

The sisters were captured on surveillance footage in good health as recently as one week before the discovery of their bodies. Law enforcement is attempting to fill in the gaps of their final months. They have no credible evidence at this time that a crime was committed but confirmed the investigation is ongoing.

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Its a tragedy all around, said Detective Shea.

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The boy was stabbed at Morleys chicken shop on Randlesdown Road, Bellingham (PA)

A 15-year-old boy has been stabbed to death at a chicken shop in south-east London.

Officers were called at around 5.20pm on Thursday to reports of a stabbing at Morleys on Randlesdown Road, Bellingham.

The victim was taken to a south London hospital with stab wounds and was pronounced dead at 8.15pm, the Metropolitan Police said.

No arrests have been made and officers are working to establish the circumstances of the death.

A crime scene remains in place at the chicken shop.

The victims next of kin have been informed, and anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.

The attack happened on this south-east London street on Thursday afternoon (PA)

MORE: Didnt you do enough damage last time? David Camerons comeback slammed by opponents

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The last fatal stabbing prior to yesterdays attack was just a day before, when Rocky Djelal, 38, was stabbed to death in Rotherhithe.

These are the latest in a long line of stabbings in the capital, with the Metropolitan Police reporting a 16 per cent increase in knife crime in London this year.

In the year to the end of April there were 1,299 stabbings in London, according to the Met, while the total offences involving a knife or bladed instrument in the year to March stood at a seven-year high of 40,147.
Consumer genetics company 23andMe on Wednesday became the first to secure Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a report that provides information about how a persons genetics may impact the efficacy of certain drugs. The approval, which comes with certain caveats and safety controls, expands the companys ability to offer medical insights to customers  but some experts say that information should be approached with caution.

This is the latest consumer advance in pharmacogenetics, or the study of how a persons genes may alter the effects of certain drugs, including blood thinners and antidepressants. Using the saliva sample provided by users, 23andMe will look for 33 genetic variants that could influence the rate at which a person metabolizes some medications, which may affect their efficacy and side effects.

Historically, there hasnt necessarily been a convenient way to access that information, says Kathy Hibbs, chief legal and regulatory officer at 23andMe. We want to make this proactively available to individuals so it will ultimately become convenient when, and if, they ever do need any of these medications.

The report will be part of 23andMes existing $199 Health and Ancestry service, a company representative told TIME, but its not clear when it will be available.

The latest FDA approval brings 23andMes genetic testing capacities closer to the level available before a 2013 warning letter from the FDA, which temporarily caused the company to halt the health and diagnostic side of its business. Recently, the company won FDA approval for tests for genetic variants associated with breast cancer, late-onset Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease and more.

But Dr. Rebecca Sutphen, president and chief medical officer of InformedDNA, an organization dedicated to the appropriate use of genetic testing, says that pharmacogenetics may not be ready for prime time. While research has demonstrated links between certain genetic variants and the metabolism of certain drugs, she says its not clear yet how those connections should influence prescriptions.

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People are just curious about their DNA, and reasonably so, Sutphen says. But unfortunately, for the case of pharmacogenetics, at this moment in time, its mostly potential power for the future, not for the present. Theres little thats applicable to anyones current care.

Kim Schahl, a certified genetic counselor and the director of genomics research and development at InformedDNA, says most people do not need this kind of testing, adding that the overwhelming majority of people have some sort of variant that would be flagged by a pharmacogenetics test.

Whether or not theyll ever need that drug in their lifetime remains to be seen, Schahl says. And whether or not that variant actually would change how that drug was prescribed to them remains to be seen.

The FDAs approval also comes with important caveats. People should not take the results of 23andMes report as medical advice and should consult a doctor before using the findings to justify taking  or ceasing to take  any medications.

To even consider using any of the information in the test, Sutphen says, you would need a clinical test to be done.

But Hibbs says few patients would get this kind of testing during routine care; 23andMes report is meant to fill that gap. While she also emphasizes the importance of talking with a doctor before implementing any of the results, she says physicians would likely be part of this process anyway, since most of the drugs affected by genetic variants are available only by prescription. 23andMe research also found that 97% of consumers understood that they should consult a doctor before changing the way they take any medications.

Without that conversation with physicians, because were primarily talking about prescription medications, its a little difficult to imagine how the consumer would use the information on their own, Hibbs says.

The FDA announcement also emphasizes that the reports cannot determine how a person will respond to any specific drug. Rather, Hibbs explains, the report highlights genetic variants that could affect someones reaction to certain classes of drugs. Even still, the FDAs announcement says health care providers should not use the test to make any treatment decisions.

The morning after 23andMes test was granted FDA approval, the agency issued a warning to consumers, urging them to be wary of similar tests on the market that have not yet secured FDA approval.

Sutphen says that while direct-to-consumer genetic tests can serve a purpose, all of them  even those with FDA approval  should be taken more for fun than for medical advice.

At this moment in time, theres not an indication for most people to get genetic testing other than curiosity, she says. Where there are indications for people to get genetic testing, there are clear guidelines and targeted tests and genetic counseling to help interpret that information in the context of your personal needs and family history.
Cairo (AFP) - Gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians in central Egypt on Friday, killing at least seven in the latest attack on a religious minority repeatedly targeted by jihadists.

The attackers opened fire on the bus in Minya, the province's bishop told AFP.

The gunmen "killed seven people and wounded 14, all of whom are in the Sheikh Fadel hospital in Beni Mazar" around 200 kilometres (120 miles) south of Cairo, said Bishop Makarios of Minya.

A security official confirmed the attack, adding that there were "dead and wounded".

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting.

Copts, a Christian minority that make up 10 percent of Egypt's 96 million people, have in recent years been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic State jihadist group.

IS killed more than 40 people in twin church bombings in April 2017 and a month later shot dead 28 Christians in Minya province as they headed to a monastery on a bus.

Egypt's government imposed a countrywide three-month state of emergency after the April 2017 church bombings.

In December 2017 an IS gunman killed nine people in an attack on a church in a south Cairo suburb.

A year earlier, an IS suicide bomber killed almost 30 worshippers at a church in Cairo located in the Saint Mark's Cathedral complex, the seat of the Coptic papacy.

The Egyptian army launched a major offensive in February 2018 against IS in the Sinai Peninsula, where the group has waged a deadly insurgency since the fall of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Alongside attacks against Copts, the jihadists have killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen in Egypt in recent years and were allegedly behind a November 2017 attack against a mosque in north Sinai that killed more than 300 people.

The military offensive -- Dubbed "Sinai 2018" -- has killed more than 450 jihadists, according to an army estimate, while around 30 Egyptian soldiers have been killed during this year's operation.

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Egyptian authorities have also convicted jihadists for their role in attacks against Copts.

Last month an Egyptian military court sentenced 17 people to death over the suicide attacks against churches in 2016 and 2017.

Copts have long complained of discrimination in Egypt and IS is not the only group to have launched sectarian attacks against the community.

In December 2017, hundreds of Muslims attacked a church south of Cairo that had been operating without a permit for more than a dozen years.
A 9-year-old girl in Indiana died Tuesday morning trying to shield her younger brothers from an oncoming car.

Alivia Stahl was crossing a street in Rochester with her 6-year-old twin brothers, Xzavier and Mason Ingle, to catch a waiting school bus.

As the kids crossed the southbound section of the road, a 2017 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck slammed into them, killing them all at the scene, according to CBS News.

An 11-year-old also at the scene suffered multiple broken bones but was able to speak to emergency workers before being airlifted to a hospital in Fort Wayne, where he is undergoing surgery.

Elgin Ingle, the uncle of Alivia, Xzavier and Mason, told CBS News Alivia was a mother hen always watching out for her little brothers.

Its horrible that this happened, Ingle said. They were holding hands every day on the way to the bus stop including todayit looks like Alivia stepped in front of the car for the boys. It looks like Alivia seen what was happening, and she stepped up like a hero. I wish she couldve saved her brothers, but shes still a hero.

Alivia and her twin brothers. (Photo: Elgin Ingle via Inside Edition)

Police arrested the trucks driver, 24-year-old Alyssa Shepherd, Tuesday afternoon at her place of employment, according to local outlet WSBT TV.

Shepherd has been charged with three counts of reckless homicide and a misdemeanor for passing a stopped school bus when the arm signal device is extended, causing bodily injury.

Sgt. Tony Slocum of the Indiana State Police said the troopers handling the crash had a hard time dealing with the tragedy.

I just cant imagine that pain, Slocum told the station. I havent seen troopers cry in a long time, but I saw that today.

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Heres a look at some of the companies the Yahoo Finance team is watching for you today.

Its a mixed quarter for Alibaba. The Chinese internet giant fell short on sales though earnings beat expectations. Its also cut guidance due to quote fluid macro-economic conditions. The stock has been rebounding this week off a 17 month low.

Investors seem happy with ExxonMobil today. The oil giant posted a beat on earnings and revenue last quarter. A big turnaround after falling short on profits in 4 of the last 5 quarters. The CEO says theyre seeing a boost in production and they expect that to continue.

UPS is warning customers ahead of a major labor contract vote next week. UPS wont pick up heavy items starting Wednesday. Thats just in case the Teamsters rank and file vote down the contract deal. UPS says it doesnt want packages to be stranded if the teamsters go on strike.

More cost-cutting at General Motors. The automaker is stopping two big renovation projects in the Detroit area. They reportedly cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Reuters says CEO Mary Barra told workers those projects arent in alignment with GMs current priorities. This week GM also started offering buyouts to some 18,000 workers.
Julia Roberts in Homecoming. (Photo: Amazon)

Homecoming is the best new web-television series to come along in a while, a fine way for Julia Roberts to make her debut as a small-screen star. Streaming on Amazon Prime starting Friday, Homecoming is a tense, slightly futuristic drama about the compromises we all make in life, and the extent to which were willing to take responsibility for our decisions. Although its based on a popular podcast, Homecoming is very much the work of its director, Sam Esmail (creator of Mr. Robot), who does a marvelous job here of creating an atmosphere of anxiety and dread.

Roberts stars as Heidi Bergman, a therapist caseworker at a mysterious Florida company called the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, which helps combat veterans re-acclimate to civilian life. She becomes close to one of the patients, Walter Cruz (Stephan James). She also clashes with her boss, played by Bobby Cannavale, over treatment techniques and, as the show proceeds, other practices at the facility. Homecoming has the framework of a whistleblower drama, but it digs deeply into the psyches not only of its soldier subjects, but also the very differently troubled lives of Heidi and Cannavales Colin Belfast.

The action jumps back and forth between 2018  when we see Heidi conducting therapy sessions with Walter  and 2022, when we see Heidi working as a waitress. What happened during the intervening years? Thats the mystery of Homecoming as it plays out in 10 crisp episodes, none of them much longer than a half-hour. If youve watched Mr. Robot, youll recognize certain signatures of Esmails style. He directed all 10 chapters, and theyre filled with examples of his vertiginous overhead shots, gliding camera work, and blunt closeups. I havent listened to the original podcast, which was created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, and starred Catherine Keener, Oscar Issac, and David Schwimmer. But its great that Esmail was interested in adapting someone elses writing, since Homecoming is far less convoluted than big chunks of Mr. Robot have been.

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The series is a big showcase for Roberts, and she does not disappoint. Her long face is framed by heavy bangs and long, thick hair that drapes her cheeks  its as though Heidi is trying to hide herself. Roberts tamps down the glowing smile and vitality she usually radiates, but she never reduces Heidi to a mere sad-sack victim. Its wonderful to see her play opposite Cannavale, who gives a frequently spectacular performance as a harried executive who uses lots of glad-handing bluster to disguise the mindset of a man whos frequently frantic with guilt and desperation. When they share the screen, Roberts and Cannavale give you two distinctly different kinds of energy, and theyre equally matched in force.

The whole production is a beautiful machine, with strong supporting performances. Shea Whigham, probably best known for his work in Boardwalk Empire, is very fine as a beleaguered Department of Defense investigator who knows theres something fishy about the Homecoming organization, but cant quite figure it out. Sissy Spacek is excellent as Heidis mother, a woman with strong opinions. Spacek and Roberts do a great job of implying a long history of conflict between mother and daughter that the scripts only hint at. Its also worth mentioning that Homecoming finishes especially strong. At a time when so many long-form TV projects tend to sag in the middle and then peter out, this one reserves some of its best moments  not just its climactic drama, but also its best acting  for its finale.

Homecoming is streaming now on Amazon Prime.

Watch Julia Roberts explain her two very different looks in Homecoming:



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Oppdal (Norvege) (AFP) - "This is my second time seeing snow, so it's a rather new experience," said a tank operative, a Florida native more accustomed to ice boxes than ice floes.

Like thousands of fellow US marines, Corporal Josye Martinez has been flown for military exercises to Norway, a country which pokes its head into the Arctic circle.

It's not just the conditions that are frosty. These are NATO's biggest military exercises since the end of the Cold War, a fact which has upset Russia.

"When I first landed in Norway, I was really cold, my body went into shock.... But as the time has gone by I've actually adapted to it" said Martinez, perched in the turret of an Abrams tank.

The military exercises are taking place from October 24-November 7.

The manoeuvres are aimed at training the Atlantic Alliance to defend a member state after an aggression by a third party.

Worried about the "unpredictable" behaviour of neighbouring Russia, especially since the Ukrainian crisis in 2014, Oslo had insisted on hosting Exercise Trident Juncture.

Some 50,000 troops, 65 ships and 250 aircraft from 31 countries are being deployed several hundred kilometres (miles) from Norway's border with Russia in the Arctic, leaving Russia vowing to "retaliate".

Moscow has now announced plans to test fire missiles in international waters off Norway in its own show of strength, and proximity.

- 'We cant' always stop' -

Meanwhile the fictional "Battle of Oppdal" is underway, with US Marines pitted against Spanish and Italian troops over control of an airfield, very few of them accustomed to the biting cold.

For the Abrams tanks teams, based in North Carolina and more used to deseret manoeuvres, operating their 60-tonne behemoth in the snow and ice is a challenge.

"The driver has to be very careful because we can't always stop when we need to" explains Lance Corporal Joaquin Medina, an ammunition loader aboard one the tanks, its colour and camouflage patterns standing out starkly in Norway's icy north.

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"Like two days ago, when it was very snowy and very icy, our tracks would just pedal. When we tried to stop, the tank would keep moving," he added.

On the "battlefield" the thermometer shows relatively mild conditions for the time of year, six degrees Celsius (42 degrees Fahrenheit), minus one degree with the windchill factor.

Certainly cold enough for some of the US troops to stand behind their tanks to warm themselves from the engines air outlet.

"A lot of people are from the southern states and in california where the coldest is usually around 70 degrees (Fahrenheit)," said Janar Ploompuu, of the second armoured reconnaissance battalion, surrounded by colleagues bundled up against the cold and wearing thick white boots.

- Far from the Cordoba sun -

The army mechanics face another stern test -- making sure that the tanks hydraulics system don't freeze up.

The Lepanto mechanised battalion of the La Reina regiment, usually stationed in Cordoba, in sunny southern Spain, has been preparing in temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus four degrees Fahrenheit) for the NATO exercises.

"We have been training in the Pyrenees," said their commander, Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Villalonga.

"We have been taking driving lessons on snow, we have been in contact with our mountain school and have received lessons on how to move and live in such weather conditions," he added.

Already the US Marines have decided to deploy around 700 troops on rotation in Norway, independent of the current NATO exercises, to acclimatise its forces to operating in freezing conditions.

Several European armies are following suit.

"We are ready to defend any NATO country or whatever country that needs our help," stressed Villalonga, braving the cold while his men enjoyed the relative warmth of their vehicles.
Jennifer Morant, who died in 2014 (PA)

An Australian man has been jailed for 10 years for persuading his wife to commit suicide.

Graham Morant was convicted of counselling and aiding his wife, Jennifer, to take her own life in 2014, because he could claim her life insurance.

When his wife died, the 69-year-old stood to gain a policy which totalled the equivalent of 770,000.

You counselled your wife to kill herself because you wanted to get your hands on the A$1.4m, Justice Peter Davis told the Queensland Supreme Court.

The judge said pensioner Morant must serve at least five years in prison before he is eligible for parole.

The case is believed to be the first such conviction in Australia.

While people have been convicted before in Australia of helping someone to commit suicide, the judge says no one has been convicted in Australia before of persuading someone who would not otherwise have taken his or her own life to suicide.

Such convictions carry a potential life sentence.

The pair lived on Australias Gold Coast.

Mrs Morant, who was 56-years-old when she died, suffered from chronic pain, depression and anxiety, the court heard.

However, she was not terminally ill.

The husband and wife lived on Australias Gold Coast (PA)

She was found dead alongside a petrol generator in her car on 30 November, 2014. Close to her body was a note which read: Please dont resuscitate me.

Her husband had helped her buy the generator, driving her to a hardware store to buy it, the jury was told.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A devout Christian, Mr Morant had told his wife that he planned to use the insurance money to build a religious commune, according to prosecutors.

However, the court found that without his prompting, his wife would not have taken her own life.

Sentencing him on Friday, Justice Davis said Morant had shown no remorse for his offences.

You took advantage of her vulnerability as a sick and depressed woman, he said.

As well as his 10-year sentence, he received an additional six years for aiding suicide, to be served concurrently.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  Leaders of four Balkan nations have met to discuss regional security, economic development and energy and transport connectivity.

The forum in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Varna was attended by the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania, the president of Serbia, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov said the meeting aimed to upgrade the region's energy, infrastructure and digital connectivity. He says "our policy focuses on the EU values: connectivity, higher incomes and competitiveness."

Greek Premier Alexis Tsipras announced plans for a railway link connecting the Bulgarian port of Burgas on the Black Sea with the Greek port of Alexandroupoli on the Aegean Sea, as well as a highway from Alexandroupoli to the Bulgarian border.
The Daily Beast

Lucy Nicholson/ReutersThe vast majority of Times Ups remaining staffers were laid off Friday in what they described as a debacle that began with leaders revealing they gave the news to the Washington Post first and ended with board member Ashley Judd breaking down in tears.The embattled organization, limping since its CEO and entire board resigned this summer, announced Friday that it would lay off the vast majority of its remaining staff. Leadership informed staff of the decision in a virtual
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump's national security adviser warned U.S. adversaries on Wednesday that the U.S. is prepared to respond offensively to cyberattacks on the United States.

John Bolton said that even before the administration released its cyber strategy last year, Trump had issued a classified executive order effectively reversing the Obama administration's approach to offensive cyber operations. He said Trump has reduced red tape and procedural restrictions to make it less cumbersome for the U.S. to take offensive action in response to cyberattacks.

"I think that's critical, because I think that if our adversaries can take steps against us in cyberspace and feel no consequences, feel no pain, bear no costs, they have no incentive to stop attacking us in cyberspace," Bolton said at an event in Washington hosted by the Alexander Hamilton Society.

"The objective is not to have unrestricted cyber warfare, the object is to create structures of deterrence by making our adversaries understand that when they engage in offensive cyberactivities themselves, they will bear a disproportionate cost  so they think about it a lot harder before they launch a cyber operation to begin with."

At the event, Bolton answered questions on a wide-ranging number of issues.

On Iran, Bolton said that while Tehran has been able to mitigate the impact of earlier sanctions, it is feeling heavy consequences from the sanctions the U.S. has re-imposed since May when Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal Iran signed with the U.S. and other world powers.

Blaming the United States, President Hassan Rouhani warned Iranians on Wednesday they could face more economic difficulties in the months ahead.

On Monday, the U.S. is re-imposing more sanctions on Iran's oil, gas and banking industries. The U.S. also is imposing penalties for countries and companies in Europe, Asia and elsewhere that do not halt Iranian oil imports.

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Bolton said the U.S. knows that some countries can't quickly stop buying oil from Iran altogether, indicating that the U.S. will be willing to give them more time.

"We don't want to harm friends and allies either," Bolton said. But he added: "The president has said unmistakably that our goal is maximum pressure and that it would drive Iranian oil exports to zero."

Bolton also said the Trump administration expects the Saudi government to fully investigate the death of Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed Oct. 2 at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

He did not disclose details of any actions the U.S. might take in response to the killing, which has strained relations with Saudi Arabia, a close ally of the United States.

"We expect there to be accountability for what happened, which was criminal without any question, and they have promised to do that," Bolton said. "They have promised to do that. They have gone a long way already and we'll see what the next steps are."
By Ricardo Brito BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian authorities said on Thursday they were investigating an alleged attempt to obstruct their investigation into the execution-style killing of an outspoken Rio de Janeiro councilwoman and her driver earlier this year. Councilwoman Marielle Franco, who was shot four times on March 14, rose to prominence for denouncing alleged abuses of power by Brazil's military and police in Rio. Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in March to protest her murder. State prosecutors' investigation of the killing has been slow-going. Now the federal government is opening a parallel case to investigate possible obstruction of justice, which authorities did not detail. "This is a crime that, without a doubt, hurts democracy," said Brazil's Public Security Minister Raul Jungmann, as he announced the new probe. He said a group of "public security officials, paramilitary members and criminals" appeared to be slowing down the case. Violence in Brazil has been escalating in recent years, with nearly 64,000 murders nationwide in 2017, a record. A pledge to crack down on violent crime helped far-right former army captain Jair Bolsonaro capture Brazil's presidency in elections on Sunday. As Rio's state government has run out of money for basic services, the capital city has seen a sharp rise in murders, gang violence and police brutality. (Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Marcelo Rochabrun,; Editing by Brad Haynes and Rosalba O'Brien and Tom Brown)
A Brooklyn synagogue canceled a speaking event Thursday night after Kill all Jews and other anti-Semitic vandalism was found written in a stairwell.

Ilana Glazer of the Comedy Central show Broad City was set to interview New York state Senate candidates Andrew Gounardes and Jim Gaughran at the Union Temple in Prospect Heights as part of a get out the vote campaign.

But graffiti covering parts of the building in black marker caused Glazer to cancel the event, according to ABC 7. The word Hitler was also found written inside the building, the outlet reported.

In a statement to HuffPost, Glazer said this incident would not stop her from continuing to organize events to get out the vote in next weeks elections.

Last night, we were ready to generate stories and conversations and turn them into action, Glazer said. We had beautiful, bright people ready to canvas  knock on doors for the local elections  and help candidates who stand up for human rights win. Then, the Generator community experienced, together, how white supremacy, anti-Semitism and racism silences human rights politics and halts progress. But they wont stop us from communicating, canvassing, and voting. We will continue to learn, organize, and act and make this country as safe for as many people as possible.

The comedian was referring to The Generator Collective, a civic engagement group that is hosting a series of talks featuring Glazer.

Last Saturday, a gunman killed 11 people and wounded six others at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synagogue. Authorities say the suspect targeted Jews, and social media posts show he had a history of making anti-Semitic statements. Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who survived the shooting, attended multiple funerals.

After preparing for five funerals, you get a little verklempt, Myers told The Associated Press.

There have been no arrests in the Union Temple vandalism case. The NYPDs hate crime unit is now investigating.

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This story has been updated with a statement from Glazer.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified the neighborhood where Union Temple is located.

Related Coverage

Anti-Semitism Is Rising, But Trump Wont Fill A State Department Job To Fight It

Indiana Synagogue Vandalized With Nazi Symbols Receives Outpouring Of Support

Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Follows Nationwide Spike In Anti-Semitism

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By Jeff Mason and Joe Skipper HUNTINGTON, W.Va./MIAMI (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Barack Obama warned on Friday against rhetoric he said was designed to sow fear as he campaigned in support of Democratic candidates while President Donald Trump hammered a hardline anti-immigration message to energize Republicans. In a packed day of campaigning ahead of Tuesday's congressional midterm elections, Trump continued a blitz of rallies urging voters to keep his Republican Party in control of Congress, while Democrats appeared to notch a win in their efforts to halt the spread of misinformation online. Twitter Inc said it had deleted more than 10,000 automated accounts posting messages that discouraged people from voting in Tuesdays elections and wrongly appeared to be from Democrats, after the party flagged the misleading tweets to the social media company. The removals took place in late September and early October. Obama hit on a common theme of Democratic campaigns - defending the 2010 healthcare law that was his signature domestic achievement, while urging Americans not to embrace hostility and division in politics. "We have seen repeated attempts to divide us with rhetoric designed to make us angry and make us fearful," Obama said in Miami. "But in four days, Florida, you can be a check on that kind of behavior." Obama was flanked by gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, who faces former congressman and strong Trump backer Ron DeSantis, and Senator Bill Nelson, who is being challenged by the outgoing governor, Rick Scott. Trump's campaign stops were aimed at bolstering Republicans challenging incumbent Democratic senators in West Virginia and Indiana, states he won in the 2016 presidential election. "This election will decide whether we build on the extraordinary prosperity that we've unleashed ... or whether we let the radical Democrats take a giant wrecking ball to America and to our future," Trump said in West Virginia. Opinion polls and non-partisan forecasters generally show Democrats as having strong chances of winning 23 additional seats and taking a majority in the House of Representatives, which they could use to launch investigations into Trump's administration and block his legislative agenda. Republicans are generally expected to retain control of the Senate, whose powers include confirming Trump's nominations to lifetime seats on the Supreme Court. Obama's speech was repeatedly interrupted by hecklers, prompting him to quip, "Why is it that the folks who won the last election are so mad all the time?" (Graphic: For a look at battleground states - https://tmsnrt.rs/2PmsO7M) (Graphic: Can Democrats regain control of the House? - https://tmsnrt.rs/2Qdinjo) SURGING EARLY VOTING Interest in the election has been unusually high in a year when Congress but not the White House is at stake, according to early voting tallies. Twenty-seven states plus the District of Columbia have recorded more early votes at this point in the campaign than they did in all of 2014, according to The Election Project at the University of Florida, which tracks turnout. Texas had already recorded more votes than it did in all of 2014, including Election Day, the group said. After Miami, Obama was headed to Georgia to campaign for Stacey Abrams, a former state legislator aiming to become the United States' first black female governor. That race pitting Abrams against Republican Brian Kemp, the state's top elections overseer, has become a flashpoint for allegations of voter suppression by Democrats due to the state's strict voter-identification law. Republicans contend the law is necessary to deter voter fraud. A federal judge on Friday ordered the state to allow some 3,000 recently naturalized citizens to vote after their registrations had been put on hold. With the race neck and neck, voter turnout will be crucial in determining who wins, said Georgia State University political scientist Lakeyta Bonnette-Bailey. Obama could energize Democratic voters and drive up turnout, she added. "At this point it's going to be turnout," she said. "How can he mobilize those who are already registered to vote to go out and vote. And to tell their friends and families to vote." The final weeks of the campaign season have also seen a spate of violence including the massacre of 11 people at a Pennsylvania synagogue and more than a dozen package bombs sent to prominent Trump critics. The FBI said on Friday it had recovered a suspicious package addressed to California billionaire Tom Steyer, a Democrat known for his ads calling for Trump's impeachment. In West Virginia, Trump's third visit in three months was aimed shoring up Patrick Morrisey, who is seeking to unseat Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. Two new polls this week showed Manchin's once-comfortable lead over Morrisey dwindling to 5 percentage points, which the Democrat's supporters blame in part on Trump's repeated visits. "I know Trump coming so often is making an impact," said Jim Hoyt, chairman of the Morgan County Democratic Party in northeast West Virginia. Like other Democrats in the state, he still expects Manchin to win. Trump also will go to Indiana to appear on behalf of Mike Braun, who is trying to replace Joe Donnelly in the Senate. For all Reuters election coverage, click: https://www.reuters.com/politics/election2018 (Reporting by Jeff Mason in Huntington, West Virginia. Additional reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, Joe Skipper in Miami, Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California, Julia Harte, Lisa Lambert, Christopher Bing and Makini Brice in Washington, and John Whitesides in West Virginia; Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Bill Trott and Cynthia Osterman)
A police officer enters the Sony building in Kensington (PA Images)

Two people were stabbed after an argument broke out between kitchen staff at Sony Musics London headquarters.

Firearms officers descended on the building in Kensington, central London, at about 11am on Friday.

Two men with stab injuries were arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and taken to hospital in non-life threatening conditions, Scotland Yard said.

A couple is being held on suspicion of modern slavery charges after it was claimed they kept a builder as a slave in their shed for four years.

The Polish man went to an NHS centre and told staff he had been forced to work in exchange for food.

The man and woman were arrested after a raid on their 1.2 million home in Hampshire.

The main suspect has denied killing Suzy Lamplugh

The main suspect in the case of the murder of Suzy Lamplugh 32 years ago has denied killing her.

Excavations are underway at the home of John Cannans mother in Sutton Coldfield.

Cannan said through his solicitor that he hopes a search will end speculation he was behind the 25-year-olds death.

An eight-year-old boy from Essex has launched a campaign to help 1,000 homeless people in his town.

Jacob Rabi-Laleh started raising money for supplies for the homeless after becoming concerned about how they would keep warm during the winter.
What do you do when your child puts something up their nose? [Photo: Getty]

Mum Ive put a pea up my nose! Its a statement that strikes fear into all parents.

But recent research has revealed that what we laugh off as a childs right of passage to put a coin/piece of lego/this mornings toast up their nose or in their ear is actually costing the NHS 3m a year!

A new paper, titled Will Children Ever Learn?, found that youngsters were responsible for the vast majority of hospital cases where medics needed to remove items from ears and noses.

Between 2010 and 2016, 8,752 nasal and 17,325 aural (ear) foreign bodies were removed from adults and children.

Youngsters were responsible for 95% of objects removed from noses and 85% of objects removed from ears.

Apparently the favoured item to put in an orifice is jewellery but youngsters are also shoving toys, pencils and cotton buds into their nose and ears.

But what is it that little ones find so attractive about using their nostrils as a temporary storage solution?

Mr Yakubu Karagama, consultant ENT surgeon at BMI The Alexandra Hospital in Manchester says children between the age of 2 and 3 are more likely to insert a foreign body in the either their nose or ears. Often its out of curiosity the child wants to know what else can go into these openings, he says.

While not usually life-threatening, according to Dr Nagete Boukhezra, from the walk-in GP, London Doctors Clinic, an object stuck in the nostrils could lead to difficulty breathing.

A foreign body in the nose can cause bleeding and infection, he says. While a foreign body in the ear can cause pain, dizziness, bleeding, infection or damage to the eardrum.

Kids putting things in the noses and ears is costing the NHS 3m [Photo: Getty]

So what should you do when your child decides to use their ear hole or nostril to store their food and toys?

The main thing is not to panic and keep your child calm, says Mr Neil De Zoysa, consultant ENT and thyroid surgeon at The Harbour Hospital, Dorset.

Mr De Zoysa suggests trying to find out what the foreign body is. Corrosive items such as batteries, caustic materials or tablets require urgent removal by an ENT specialist.

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Nasal foreign bodies can be blown out by your child they are old enough to understand your instructions, he explains. But it is best not to try to remove the foreign body yourself if none of it lies outside the nostril or outside the ear canal hole.

Children can be easily frightened by the experience if it is unsuccessful and may not allow further attempts to be made by experienced specialists and subsequently may require a general anaesthetic to remove the foreign body.

Dr Boukhezra advises parents not to remove the object with their finger or other object like cotton buds as you risk pushing it deeper into your childs nose/ears.

If the object is lodged firmly and deeply in your childs nose/ear or if you cannot see it, do no try to remove it. Take your child to the nearest A&E department or minor injuries unit.

And there are certain instances where immediate action is required.

Nasal foreign bodies are more of an emergency as there is a risk of inhaling it into the windpipe, explains Anooj Majithia, consultant ENT surgeon at BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital in West London. It is very rare for this to happen though.

Call 911, if your child has difficulty breathing, advises Dr Boukhezra. Or if you suspect an object containing chemicals (like a small battery), this can burn the nasal passages/ear canal. In this case, we advise to go to your nearest emergency department as it should be removed quickly.

So what will happen when you rock up at A&E with a child with a nostril full of raisons?

Different treatments/techniques are available including suction, irrigation, forceps but this will depend on the object involved, the location of the object and the symptoms,Dr Boukhezra says.

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The heralded meeting last week between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was touted by both leaders as opening a new era in SinoJapanese relations. Asias two most powerful nations have been locked in a cold war for nearly a decade, largely over the contested Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, but more broadly because of Japans discomfiture with Chinas rise and Beijings concern over Tokyos military modernization.

Chinese attempts to intimidate Japan into giving up the Senkakus have failed, despite repeated incursions into waters around the islands by Chinese fishermen, maritime patrol vessels, and navy ships. Chinese bombers have also flown near Japanese airspace in record numbers in the past several years, occasioning hundreds of scrambles by Japans Air Self-Defense Forces. In 2010, Beijing instituted a temporary ban on the export to Japan of rare-earth minerals, which are vital to advanced industrial production. In 2012, anti-Japanese demonstrations in cities across China turned into riots that attacked Japanese businesses. When Abe last met Xi, in 2014, the two could barely look at each other.

The atmosphere could hardly have been different at the red-carpet welcome in Beijing that Abe received. Ostensibly celebrating the 40th anniversary of the SinoJapanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Abe and Xi warmly toasted each other. Five hundred Japanese business leaders accompanied Abe, and the two sides signed trade agreements worth $18 billion. Topping it all off, the Japanese flag flew along Beijings main thoroughfare, a sight normally as rare as the smiles between the two leaders, who declared that competition between the two was over, and that they were moving in a new historic direction.

While any lessening of tensions between Asias leading countries is to be welcomed, optimists are likely to be disappointed. Far from welcoming Japan as an equal partner, Xi is more likely playing his own version of the China card, this time using Japan as a way to balance the United States.

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Belying his warm words, Xi has been among the most stridently anti-Japanese leaders ever in China, not only pressuring Japan over the Senkakus but making the 1945 defeat of Japan and remembrance of the Nanjing Massacre national holidays. Chinese television is filled every night with World War II dramas portraying Japanese depredations, and in 2014 Xi visited the Museum of the War of Chinese Peoples Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

The reason for Xis apparent turnabout is clear enough: Relations with Washington are rapidly getting worse, and President Donald Trump is not backing down from either his trade war or his increase in U.S. military operations in maritime areas claimed by China. Beijings bluff and bluster has failed, and Xi likely is realizing that he is in for a long war of attrition with Washington.

Thus, the Japan card. Beijing needs to remain an attractive trade partner, especially given Abes success in pushing through the Trans-Pacific Partnership after Trumps withdrawal and in signing a new free-trade pact with the European Union. Perhaps Xi believes that Tokyo will be enticed to join Beijings Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, leaving only America out in the cold. Promising to ease the pressure over the Senkakus is an easy concession by Xi, given that Tokyo remains committed to defending them. Perhaps, if relations appear to warm enough, Beijing will try to persuade Tokyo to slow down its increases in defense spending.

If the Japan card works for Beijing, whats in it for Tokyo? As China represents the greatest long-term threat to Japans security, Abe is eager for any reprieve in the pressure Xi has brought to bear since taking office, even though he has been uncommonly successful in reaching out to other Asian leaders and positioning himself as an alternative to dealing with the often overbearing Chinese. The summit with Xi will bolster his diplomatic credibility while also potentially opening up Chinese markets that could help keep his economic plans on track. Yet Abe undoubtedly harbors no illusions as to why Xi is reaching out at this particular time.

In reality, there are all too few areas of common interest between Japan and China. The poisonous history between the two fuels nationalism in both countries, but especially in China. Their struggle for predominance in Asia remains a zero-sum game, as Japan under Mr. Abe has assiduously deepened its relations with India, in Southeast Asia, and with Australia, all due to fears of Chinas growing military ambitions and its expansive Belt and Road Initiative. For his part, Xi has shown no inclination to back down from Chinas assertive regional policies.

It would indeed be historic if the two were honestly groping towards cooperation rather than competition and antagonism. Yet as soon Xi needs a convenient scapegoat to deflect attention from Chinas slowing economy, or if he somehow patches up relations with Washington, Japan is likely to become once again Public Enemy No. 1, and the Japan card will have turned out to be a joker.




The new Dragon Tattoo movie The Girl In The Spiders Web is so James Bond-esque, we kept expecting Daniel Craig to walk out of the sea with his abs out.

But with so many iconic characters being gender-switched at the moment, would The Spiders Web star Claire Foy like to play 007?

I think they should gender-switch the character. I played Lisbeth Salander, theres nowhere to go from there. James Bond? I mean, come on. But they definitely should. Its about time, as the Doctor Who posters say.

Her co-star Sverrir Gudnason thinks shed made a good fit for the role, but agrees that Lisbeth is more fascinating than Bond.

Definitely. She would make a good anything. But I think its very interesting and fun to see her as Lisbeth Salander, because thats something the world needs now, more than Bond, a female hero, on the screen. When I was growing up, every hero was a man, now kids can see both, and I think thats interesting.

Director Fede Alvarez has an easy solution to the problem, She would make a fantastic Bond, actually. We should do a movie where Bond and Lisbeth meet, that would be great. In 10 years maybe theyll do that, when Hollywood runs out of ideas they will start combining movies.

And it turns out Bond was an influence on Alvarez. I love those movies and theyre definitely an influence on this one, but I would say the Roger Moore films are more of an influence than the latest ones. Roger Moores my Bond because of the age that I was, I know a lot of people might say Hes not the best one! but who cares? My Bond is Roger Moore.

So there was a lot of that over the topness, everythings a bit too much and a bit more operatic. The character of Camilla dressing in red all the time, what the f**k is that? Its obvious that were making it bigger and more operatic.

Its something Hollywood films can do  not every other kind of film can do it, to really be a little bit insane and a bit over-the-top and the music be super-dramatic, I like that poppiness of it. To inject it into a series that has been more serious and moody, it was good  without betraying that  to add that to it.

The Girl In The Spiders Web will be released in the UK on 21 November.

Read more

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Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) and Chuck Schumer (N.Y.). (Photo: Tom Williams via Getty Images)

A decade ago, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill addressed the Democratic National Convention in Denver and declared, What unites us as Americans is a belief in a common dream  that in America, anyone can accomplish anything.

This week, she issued a clarification: Anyone does not include people who were born in other countries.

In an interview with Fox News, McCaskill heaped praise on President Donald Trump and his immigration agenda. For weeks now, the president has been spouting anti-immigrant venom laced with nods to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and policy ideas cribbed from white nationalists. McCaskill wanted Fox viewers to know she thinks there are some good ideas in there.

Stop them at the border, McCaskill said, referring to a so-called caravan of migrants making its way to the United States from Central America. I  100  percent back him up on that, arguing that turning them back was necessary because we are not equipped to handle that many asylum claims.

I do not want our borders overrun. And I support the presidents efforts to make sure theyre not, McCaskill said, urging Trump to use every tool he has at his disposal.

McCaskills Fox interview ran the day Trump announced he planned to end birthright citizenship through executive order, and one day after the president declared that more than 5,000 American soldiers were being dispatched to the border to confront people  roughly one-third of whom are children  still hundreds of miles away.

Everybody in Democratic Party officialdom surely knows this is disgraceful, which may be why they refuse to answer questions about it. HuffPost reached out to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. None would comment on McCaskills recent rhetoric. A spokeswoman for McCaskill clarified that she does not believe the president has the authority to end birthright citizenship through executive order, saying she still supports legal status for Dreamers, and wants to focus on commonsense, bipartisan ideas.

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But whatever the specifics of her policy agenda, theres no question that McCaskill is trying to yoke herself to Trump on immigration in the public imagination right before the midterm elections. In doing so, shes lending the legitimacy of a Democratic Senator to an agenda of undisguised hate. The fact that Schumer and other party leaders cant bring themselves to utter a word of criticism for this performance is nearly as disgraceful as the performance itself.

Nor is McCaskill the only Democrat hopping on Trumps immigrant-bashing bandwagon. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) has been touting his support for a border wall in campaign stops across Indiana. In a Wednesday debate, Donnelly suggested he was open to revoking birthright citizenship through legislation.

All of this is dangerous. If vulnerable Democrats decide the best way to deal with Trumps increasingly vicious rhetoric is to adopt some of it themselves, the focus of legitimate public debate shifts ever-Trumpward. The government is already sending thousands of troops to the border in a militarized stunt. Nobody wants to think about what escalation looks like.

This spring, McCaskill and Donnelly were among a dozen Democrats to support a bank deregulation bill, siding with Trump over the objections of organized labor, consumer advocacy groups and civil rights organizations. In her Fox interview, McCaskill touted her support for the bill to distinguish herself from more liberal colleagues. Elizabeth Warren sure went after me when I advocated tooling back some of the regulations for small banks and credit unions.

McCaskill did not emphasize other aspects of that bill, which rolled back regulations on foreign megabanks including Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and Barclays, and helped smaller banks hide racial discrimination in the mortgage market. For an older generation of Democratic strategists, this type of corporate favoritism is considered an unfortunate but necessary price of politics. Selling out to big business helps lawmakers raise money to run for re-election and frees them up to defend the real priorities.

But what exactly are the real priorities for Democrats like Donnelly and McCaskill? Whats the point of raising all that money from the banking industry if youre going to spend it feeding anti-immigrant paranoia?

Both McCaskill and Donnelly are locked in very close re-election contests. If Democrats have a good night on Tuesday, both could survive difficult challenges. If not, both could end up in a new phase of their careers. And its hard to predict how their recent immigrant-bashing will play. Trump won both Indiana and Missouri by a wide margin, but Obama won Indiana in 2008. Maybe emulating Trump on immigration will help Democrats with some white voters. Maybe it will backfire and reduce turnout among voters of color.

Its hard to predict. Its too bad they didnt try doing the right thing.

Also on HuffPost

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Aden (AFP) - Fierce clashes flared between Yemen's Huthi rebels and pro-government forces near a key port on Friday as a Saudi-led coalition backing the loyalists said it had attacked an airbase in the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

A day after the government offered to restart peace talks with the insurgents, a pro-government military source told AFP that loyalist forces closing in on the Huthi-held Red Sea port city of Hodeidah had reached its university.

The advance sparked intense fighting with rebels, with medical workers at two hospitals in the city reporting at least 34 Huthi fighters killed and dozens wounded over the past 24 hours.

Pro-government military officials and a medic in Hodeidah said six loyalist fighters had died in the violence.

The fighting began Thursday evening, backed by dozens of Saudi-led coalition air strikes, according to military officials.

It came days after the coalition sent more than 10,000 new troops towards Hodeidah ahead of a fresh assault, according to Yemeni government officials.

Hodeida's port is the entry point for more than 70 percent of imports to the impoverished country, which is teetering on the edge of famine.

A pro-government force backed by the United Arab Emirates said it had launched "a large-scale military operation to liberate and cleanse Hodeida" of the Huthi rebels.

The coalition has been waging an aerial bombing campaign in Yemen since 2015 aimed at pushing the Huthis back after they seized Sanaa and large parts of Yemen, but the rebels still hold the capital and parts of the Red Sea coast.

After UN-backed peace talks collapsed in September, the coalition announced it was relaunching an assault on Hodeida.

The fighting had since eased, but this week's developments mark a major escalation as international calls grow for peace talks.

- Talks 'within a month' -

Earlier Friday, the coalition said it had attacked an airbase in Sanaa, targeting "bomb-making and assembly workshops and their support locations" at in Al-Dailami Airbase.

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Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a statement that the adjoining Sanaa international airport was still open to air traffic from the United Nations and other relief agencies.

Calling the attacked structures "legitimate military targets", Malki said he would provide "evidence" of violations by the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels later Friday.

The development comes a day after the Yemeni government said it welcomed "all efforts to restore peace" following calls by key US officials and the UN's envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths for warring parties to come to the table "within a month".

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have called for an end to the Yemen war, including air strikes by the coalition.

Washington, a close Saudi ally, backs coalition forces by refuelling their jets and selling them weapons.

Saudi Arabia's regional role has come under scrutiny after the killing in its Istanbul consulate last month of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a former royal court insider-turned-critic and a columnist for the Washington Post.

Since the start of the Saudi-led intervention, nearly 10,000 civilians have been killed, according to the World Health Organization.

Some rights groups estimate the toll could be five times higher.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is leading a contingent of hawkish Republican senators in a campaign to drive President Trump toward a more aggressive approach to U.S.-Iran relations.

The Republican hawks plan to introduce legislation this month that would ramp up Trumps maximum pressure campaign against Tehran by implementing further economic sanctions, Politico reported Friday.

The State Department is holding a call Friday morning to announce the latest round of sanctions, which national security adviser John Bolton believes are insufficient. Bolton reportedly dropped off the Friday morning call in protest.

Cruz is joined by Republican Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Marco Rubio of Florida in introducing legislation designed to sway the White House toward Boltons hawkish approach to relations with Iran. The bill will ensure that Iranian banks do not have access to the global banking network known as the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).

President Trump has said repeatedly that the goal of the latest round of sanctions is to coerce Tehran into renegotiating the 2015 trade deal, but Republican hawks in Congress believe the administration has only taken half measures thus far.

The administrations maximum pressure campaign will not succeed if the Islamic Republic remains connected to SWIFT, Cruz wrote in an August letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, co-signed by 15 other Republican Senators.

Trumps more liberal critics, meanwhile, have argued that the commitment to sanctions will only harden Tehrans position with respect to the 2015 deal, which is still adhered to by its European signatories.
Tesla (TSLA) "probably would not" take money from Saudi Arabia in the wake of the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Chief Executive Elon Musk said.

Musk and his electric car manufacturer hit headlines in August after the billionaire put out a tweet saying that he was considering taking the firm private at $420 per share.

Later explaining his tweet in a blog post, Tesla's boss said he had been approached by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund "multiple times" about the prospect of taking Tesla private, and that it has bought a nearly 5 percent stake in Tesla through the public market. Plans for a take-private deal were subsequently shelved.

In an interview with Recode's Kara Swisher, which was published early Friday morning, Musk was asked directly about his thoughts on the death of Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime.

"Yeah, I mean, that sounds pretty bad. So ... that is not good. That is bad," he said.

Asked whether he would accept Saudi money now, following Khashoggi's death, Musk said: "I think we probably would not."

Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor last week acknowledged for the first time that Khashoggi's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey was "premeditated," deviating from previous claims that his death was unintended.

The Arab kingdom initially denied any involvement in his disappearance, saying the Washington Post journalist had left the consulate unharmed. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said he is cooperating with Turkey over Khashoggi's killing, and that those found guilty will be brought to justice.

Musk, asked about the influence of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund in Silicon Valley, added that it was important to recognize that not all Saudi cash is the same.

He said: "I think we should just consider that there is a whole country, and there's, you know ... There are a lot of good people in Saudi Arabia, and Saudis who are outside of Saudi Arabia. So I think you cannot paint an entire country with one brush."

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Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is a major backer of SoftBank's (9984.T-JP) $100 billion Vision Fund, which has been ploughing cash into Silicon Valley's start-up economy. The PIF has already committed $45 billion to the fund, and Saudi Arabia's crown prince said last month the PIF plans to invest another $45 billion into the Japanese firm's second major fund.

The relationship between SoftBank and Saudi Arabia appears to have become increasingly uncertain, however, following the controversy surrounding Khashoggi. Masayoshi Son, the firm's chief executive, reportedly backed out of the country's high-profile Future Investment Initiative business conference last month.

Various other tech executives withdrew from the investment conference, including Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi , Google's (GOOGL) Diane Greene and Simon Segars of Arm Holdings  which is fully owned by SoftBank.
By Gayatri Suroyo and Agustinus Beo Da Costa JAKARTA (Reuters) - The pilot of a Lion Air flight from Indonesia's Bali island on Sunday made a distress call minutes after take-off due to technical problems, but they were overcome and he pushed on to Jakarta. The same jet crashed on another flight hours later, killing all 189 people on board. Herson, chief of the airport authority for the Bali-Nusa Tenggara area, told Reuters that after the call the pilot updated the control tower to say that the plane was flying normally and he would not return to the airport as requested. "The captain himself was confident enough to fly to Jakarta from Denpasar," said Herson, who goes by one name, speaking by phone from Bali and referring to the resort island's airport. The pilot of another plane that was approaching Bali just after the Lion Air jet had taken off said he was ordered to circle above the airport and listened in to a radio conversation between the Lion Air pilot and air traffic controllers. "Because of the Pan-Pan call, we were told to hold off, circling the airport in the air," said the pilot, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media. "The Lion plane requested to return back to Bali five minutes after take-off, but then the pilot said the problem had been resolved and he was going to go ahead to Jakarta." Pilots use 'Pan-Pan' calls to flag urgent situations. They are a step down from 'Mayday', which signals severe distress. The Denpasar-Jakarta flight landed at the Indonesian capital's airport at 10:55 p.m. local time on Sunday. The same Boeing 737 MAX jet took off at 6:20 a.m. the next morning, bound for Bangka island, off Sumatra, and plunged into the sea 13 minutes later. Just before the crash, the pilot had made a request to return to base. A Lion Air spokesman declined to comment when asked about the distress call on the earlier flight, citing the ongoing crash investigation. The budget airline's CEO, Edward Sirait, said earlier this week that a technical problem had occurred on the Denpasar-Jakarta flight but it had been resolved "according to procedure". Amid media speculation over the airworthiness of the aircraft, the transport minister suspended Lion Air's technical director and three other officers on Wednesday to facilitate the crash investigation. The suspended technicians "issued the recommendations for that (final) flight", the ministry said in a press release. It did not say how many technicians had been suspended. ERRATIC FLIGHT During its earlier flight from Bali on Sunday, JT43, the aircraft flew erratically and its airspeed readings were unreliable, according to an accident investigator and a flight tracking website. According to data from FlightRadar24, the jet displayed unusual variations in altitude and airspeed in the first several minutes of flight - including an 875-foot drop over 27 seconds when it would normally be ascending - before stabilizing and flying on to Jakarta. However, the pilots kept the plane at a maximum altitude of 28,000 feet compared with 36,000 feet on the same route earlier in the week. National Transport Safety Committee (NTSC) deputy chief Haryo Satmiko told reporters on Tuesday there were technical problems on the flight, including unreliable airspeed readings. Divers on Thursday retrieved a flight data recorder from the plane that lay shattered on the muddy sea floor off the coast of Jakarta. The NTSC said it would examine the device to get a clearer picture of what happened on the flight from Bali on Sunday in addition to the flight that crashed on Monday. Herson, the airport authority chief in Bali, said the aircraft had encountered a "speed and altimeter" problem but the captain was confident that it was airworthy and pressed on. "He requested to return to the airport for RTB (return to base) but ... they updated and flew to Jakarta. The pilot double-checked to ensure that they could fly," he said. Two passengers from Sunday's flight posted on Instagram, reporting that they had been concerned about problems with the air conditioning system and cabin lighting before the plane left Bali nearly three hours late. Another passenger on JT43 described, in a talkshow broadcast by Indonesia's TVOne, a turbulent flight during which the seatbelt signs were never turned off. "When the plane took off, it climbed and then went down. It rose again, and then dropped again violently, shaking," said Diah Mardani. "Everyone in the plane shouted Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest), Subhanallah (Glory to God). We recited every prayer we knew." (Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Four days away from crucial midterm elections, one of the major questions is whether the Republicans will keep control of the Senate or whether the Democrats will gain enough seats to take over.

Republicans currently hold the majority of seats in both chambers of Congress. Democrats, however, hoping that could all change come on election day. The most recent polling suggests that Democrats have a grand opportunity to take back the House of Representatives.

But the fight to take back the Senate looks bleak for the Democrats. Republicans will not only cling on to control over the chamber, but they will also gain seats.

There are about 13 highly competitive Senate races, according to Cook Political Report. Out of those 13 races, eight states have a Democrat incumbent. However, six of those states voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential elections. Republicans, on the other hand, have incumbents in five states. Four of those states voted for Mr Trump in 2016.

To put it simply, Democrats have more seats up for re-election than the Republicans, and the majority of these seats are in states that overwhelmingly in favour of Mr Trump in 2016. In fact, Trump won 10 out of 13 states with close Senate races.

Statistical analysis website FiveThirtyEight predicts that Republicans have a 6 in 7 chance of keeping control of the Senate. There is 10 per cent chance they will win five more seats. Democrats face the same probability for netting two seats.

The hotly-contested Senate races right now are in Texas, Tennessee, North Dakota and Florida. In Texas, there is a three-point gap between Democrat Congressman Beto ORourke and Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. Mr ORourke continues to inch closer with 47 per cent of likely voters and Mr Cruz with 50 per cent.

Florida sees an even tighter race with Democrat incumbent Bill Nelson holding a two point lead (49 per cent) over his Republican challenger Rick Scott, the Sunshine States governor. As of right now, Tennessee leans Republican with incumbent Marsha Blackburn edging out former Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen with a 4-point lead. The most recent poll show 49 per cent of voters backing Mr Blackburn and 45 per cent for Mr Breesend, which is a complete turnaround from a mid-September CNN poll when Mr Bredsend had a five-point lead.

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It is no doubt that this is a high stake midterm election cycle. If Republicans do end up gaining more control over the Senate, there is one possible bright side: Democrats have a bit of advantage in 2020.

Republicans will be defending significantly more seats than Democrats with 22 seats up for re-election. Thus, providing Democrats will more chances to gain seats and play an offensive strategy to regain control over the Senate.

FiveThirtyEight predicts the main targets for Democrats in 2020 will be Colorado Senator Cory Gardner and Maine Senator Susan Collins since they are two Republicans who are up for re-election in states that voted in favour of Democrat Hillary Clinton. Collins will be exposed to several vulnerabilities since her vote for Brett Kavanaugh, who was publicly accused of sexual assault misconduct, effectively confirmed him as a Supreme Court Justice. The vote prompted activists to form a crowdfunding campaign for her 2020 Democrat opponent and raised $3 million. Although no one has yet to file to run against Collins in 2020, former UN Ambassador Susan Rice expressed interest.

There are also four more GOP Senators up for re-election in states that lean Republicans by less than 20 points that could potentially give Democrats an opportunity to win seats. FiveThirtyEight, however, notes that there will still be challenges for Democrats: Of course, its not a given that Democrats will add any seats at all to their total in 2020: Sen. Doug Jones faces an uphill fight in deep-red Alabama. Whats more, six more Democratic seats are also plausibly vulnerable.

The 2018 midterm elections, as well as the one in 2020, will have long-term crucial ramifications for Americans and the country. The future of the Supreme Court, immigration reform, reproductive rights and health care all depends who wins the Senate  and by how much.
By Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If Democrats win control of the U.S. House of Representatives or Senate in the Nov. 6 elections, nearly every aspect of Republican Donald Trump's presidency could face swift examination  from his long-elusive tax returns to possible business ties with Russia and conflicts of interest. Polls show Democrats likely to win control of the House with Republicans likely to retain their majority in the Senate. Here is what to expect, based on interviews with more than a half-dozen congressional aides: The investigative committees will ramp up. The majority party in the House or Senate receives more money and staff for investigations than the minority party. Control of key House panels, such as the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Judiciary Committee, the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is expected to shift to top Democrats. There is no plan for a special temporary committee to centralize the Trump investigations. The committees would spend January organizing and hiring staff, with investigations cranking up as soon as February. The scope and sequencing of investigations will be set. Democratic House leaders and prospective committee chairs already have been discussing the scope and sequencing of investigations they will launch if they win control. They will move swiftly to energize an oversight process they believe has stalled. Representative Adam Schiff, currently the top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, wrote in a recent Washington Post op-ed that Democrats must "restore Congress as an equal branch and check the ambition of an imperial and erratic president." Impeachment is not on the agenda - for now. Democratic leaders have made clear they will not pursue Trump's impeachment  at least until the outcome of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections and possible Trump campaign collusion with Moscow. Obtaining Trump's tax returns is a top priority. Trump has refused to release his tax returns, bucking the custom of recent U.S. presidents. The Ways and Means Committee would use its authority to request Trump's tax returns from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The judiciary and intelligence committees could then use the returns to dig into whether Trump got anything of value from foreigners or had business ties to Russia. The Oversight Committee will take a 'two-lane' approach. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has the broadest oversight jurisdiction and can examine any federal agency, person or company. Representative Elijah Cummings, currently the panel's top Democrat, is expected to chair the committee. Cummings told Reuters he would take a "two-lane" approach, examining Trump's businesses and potential conflicts of interests, while also probing "day-to-day" issues such as prescription drug pricing, voter suppression and questions about citizenship added to the 2020 U.S. Census. During Trump's presidency, Oversight Democrats sought 64 subpoenas that Republican committee members denied, which offers an indication of their intentions. Top priorities are examining Trump's handling of security clearances and top aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner's use of a private email system. Democrats will keep 2020 in mind. Democrats will aim for some bipartisan cooperation in conducting their investigations, lest their push seem too overtly political ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Reuters there is a risk the Democratic investigations run the risk of being "reminiscent of the late 1990s when we thought it was a good idea politically to impeach Bill Clinton and the public got mad at us, and felt sorry for him." (Reporting By Amanda Becker, Richard Cowan, David Morgan and Patricia Zengerle; Writing by Amanda Becker; Editing by Bill Trott)
By Jibran Ahmed and Asif Shahzad PESHAWAR, Pakistan/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Muslim cleric Sami ul-Haq, known as the "Father of the Taliban" for having taught some of the Afghan Islamist movement's leaders, was found killed on Friday in Pakistan, a relative and his deputy said. Unknown attackers killed the cleric, who ran an Islamic seminary in northwestern Pakistan and was seen as a possible intermediary in talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, his deputy Yousaf Shah said. There were conflicting reports of exactly how he was killed and why his bodyguard and driver were apparently not there to defend him at the time of the attack. Shah initially said that Haq had been shot dead. Haq's nephew Mohammad Bilal told Reuters that his uncle was found with stabbing and gunshot wounds in a house he owns in an upscale area on Islamabad's outskirts. "When the assailants entered his house ... They first started hitting Mullah Sami ul-Haq with knives and daggers and then shot him dead," he said. Further details remained unclear. Haq has run the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghanistan border, for decades. One of his students from the 1980s, known later as Mullah Mohammad Omar, went along with classmates to Afghanistan to join mujahideen groups fighting against the Soviet occupation of the country. Mullah Omar went on to found the Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan in 1996 after years of chaos and civil war following the Soviet military's withdrawal. "Recently, when the Afghan government sent him a delegation and sought his help in bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiation table, he offered them ... his madrassa (seminary) to sit with each other and build trust," a member of Haq's family told Reuters. The ultra-conservative Taliban imposed an extreme version of Islamic sharia law on Afghanistan that included forbidding women to leave home without a male relative, imposing minimum lengths on men's beards and banning sports, radio and television. Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the "people of Afghanistan will never forget (Haq's) services for them" and his killers were the "enemies of Islam". Haq's seminary has continued to thrive in Pakistan, including being allocated funding in the budgets of the provincial government, which is headed by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Haq had emerged as one of Khan's allies since the PTI came to power in the province after elections in 2013. Pakistan's Interior Ministry confirmed Haq's death in a statement on Friday evening and expressed its condolences. A spokesman for the military condemned the "assassination" and expressed "grief and condolences" to his family. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets near the northwestern town of Mardan near Haq's seminary, setting a highway toll station on fire. (Reporting by Jibran Ahmed; Writing by Kay Johnson; editing by David Stamp and Hugh Lawson)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  Florida is emerging as an epicenter of the nation's polarizing politics in the final days of the 2018 campaign.

In the closely contested campaign for governor, President Donald Trump and GOP nominee Ron DeSantis have used what has been called racially coded language to slam Democrat Andrew Gillum. The battles for the governor's mansion and a key U.S. Senate seat are playing out in communities still recovering from a killer hurricane and one of the nation's deadliest school shootings.

Virtually every hot-button cultural issue tearing at the nation  including guns, race and the environment  is unfolding in a deeply personal way here.

That's a sharp change in a state where elections notoriously come down to the wire. Politicians in both parties traditionally focus on winning over moderate voters, especially those living along Interstate 4 in the shadow of Disney World, to eke out a win. Not so in the Trump era as each side scrambles to mobilize its strongest supporters.

"This election is truly a choice between results and resistance," Trump told a crowd during a rally in southwest Florida. "This is really an election between greatness and gridlock."

Trump's visit is just one of two stops planned this week to bolster DeSantis and Gov. Rick Scott's U.S. Senate campaign.

The Democrats are out in force in the Sunshine State, as well. Former President Barack Obama visited Democratic-vote-rich South Florida on Friday, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders visited college campuses mid-week, urging students to vote for Democratic nominee Gillum, the Tallahassee mayor who could become the state's first black governor.

Speaking to a crowd of about 3,000 in Miami, Obama warned voters not to get bamboozled by misinformation while Republicans allow polluters to poison the environment, give tax cuts to billionaires and take healthcare away from millions.

"We need leaders who will actually stand up for what's right regardless of party," Obama said. "Leaders who represent the best of the American spirit. Patriots who will stand up for anyone whose fundamental rights are at stake."

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During his stop at the University of Central Florida, Sanders railed at Trump and contended he was coming to the state because he is worried that DeSantis will lose the governor's race. DeSantis, a former congressman, won the GOP primary over a much-better-funded opponent largely based on Trump's backing.

"I say to Donald Trump: This country has struggled with discrimination of all kinds for too many years," Sanders said. "We say to Trump today, 'We are not going backwards into more discrimination. We are going forward to celebrate our diversity."

The ramped-up campaign rhetoric in the closing days shows signs of bringing a surge of voters with it.

This election is on pace to significantly surpass the turnout of Florida's past five midterm elections, stretching back two decades. By Friday, nearly 4.1 million people had either voted by mail or at an early voting location.

Election Day will wrap up a bitter campaign season that witnessed the battle between DeSantis and Gillum veer into racial politics and heated exchanges over a long-simmering FBI investigation involving Gillum's home city.

Right after the primary, DeSantis said Florida voters shouldn't "monkey this up" by electing Gillum, a comment Democrats contend was racially charged. Trump also called Gillum a "thief" and corrupt, a move the mayor says is meant to reinforce negative stereotypes of black men.

The Gillum campaign, meanwhile, cut ties with a Democratic Party vendor and a campaign volunteer caught on video calling Florida a "cracker" state and saying the campaign was taking advantage of "white guilt."

The Senate race between Scott and incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson has taken a back seat to the governor's race, but it too has centered largely on name-calling and insults lobbed in tens of millions of dollars' worth of negative television ads. Scott has painted Nelson as an ineffective career politician, while Nelson has labeled Scott untrustworthy because of questions about how the multimillionaire governor has handled his finances while in office.

For months, Scott had kept his distance from Trump and even disagreed with the president on items such as the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. But he joined Trump in southwest Florida and plans to be with him again Friday in Pensacola. For some voters, that may prove to be all the difference.

"I'm not a huge Rick Scott supporter," said Allison Chiddo, a West Palm Beach resident who attended Trump's Estero rally. "He's part of the swamp. ... I'm not going to sit here and BS you. I don't trust either one. I'm going to vote the way Trump sees it."

During Trump's mid-week rally, DeSantis took the stage, where he bashed Gillum as a "failed mayor" who was "hanging out with Bernie Sanders." DeSantis also railed at Gillum for saying that Trump should be impeached.

Gillum, during a stop this week at a bayside restaurant in Destin, barely mentioned Trump or DeSantis but still got in a jab.

"I don't care who's on the other side of us, I am always going to be team Florida, so whether it's Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis, if you come after Florida, if you come after Floridians, you're gonna have to go through me," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Tamara Lush in Estero, Mike Schneider in Orlando and Brendan Farrington in Destin contributed to this story.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian announces aid and weapons for the Central African Republic (AFP Photo/)

Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - France will give the Central African Republic, its restive former colony, aid of 24 million euros ($27.4 million) and weapons, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced on Friday.

"France wishes to continue its historical partnership with the Central African Republic," the minister told journalists in Bangui after meeting President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

Le Drian signed aid agreements worth 24 million euros in 2018 for the payment of salaries and pension arrears, to develop regions near neighbour Cameroon affected by massive population displacements, and build bridges to open access to parts of the country.

He also announced that France would "soon deliver arms" to Bangui -- specifically 1,400 assault rifles for the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) established after independence in 1960.

"We are doing this within the strict, respectful, and transparent framework of the United Nations, in total transparency concerning the origin, the routing, and the delivery" of the arms, said Le Drian.

One of the world's poorest and most unstable countries despite vast mineral riches, the CAR spiralled into bloodshed after longtime leader Francois Bozize was overthrown in 2013 by a mainly Muslim rebel alliance called the Seleka.

That same year, the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on the country. The ban remains in place, except for weapons provided to the security forces with special pre-approval by a sanctions committee.

Last year, this committee gave the green light for Russia to supply weapons to the national forces.

But in June this year, France, Britain, and the United States blocked a request from Bangui for UN approval of Chinese weapons deliveries.

CAR Foreign Minister Charles Armel Doubane said Friday it "was time that France decided to make these assault rifles available to FACA within the strict framework of international commitments."`

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The government controls only a small part of the country, with vast areas under the control of armed groups vying for power and resources.

Thousands of people have died, 700,000 been internally displaced and another 570,000 have fled abroad as a result.

The African Union launched a UN-backed mediation effort in July 2017.

On the eve of Le Drian's visit, clashes between armed groups in Batangafo in the north forced more than 10,000 people to take refuge in the local hospital, according to Doctors Without Borders.
KIEV (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that Germany would push for an extension of Western sanctions against Russia in December because Moscow had failed to fully implement a Ukraine peace deal brokered in Minsk in 2015. "The Minsk agreement is not being fulfilled and we're only making inching progress if at all and sometimes we're going backwards," Merkel said during a visit to Kiev, where she met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. "So based on the situation we have today, Germany will push for an extension of the sanctions in December too," she said, adding that among the violations of the Minsk peace deal were elections planned for Nov. 11 in areas controlled by Moscow-backed separatists. (Reporting by Reuters Television; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Thomas Escritt)




Gwyneth Paltrow has settled into life as one half of the Faltrows.

Thats the couple nickname she came up with after her marriage to new husband Brad Falchuk  and she used it while sharing the first photo from their wedding. The full wedding album lives on her popular lifestyle website, goop, and includes lots of details about the A-list affair. The event took place in Amagansett, N.Y., on Sept. 29 and about 70 guests attended.

The fact that the Iron Man actress uses the nickname is a delight (there was an unsubstantiated tabloid report that they would be legally changing it), but there are a lot of takeaways from the gorgeous photos of the day she described as the best of our lives. Here are a few:

1. Paltrow got ready with Cameron Diaz.

One of the photos on Goop was of the two Hollywood stars getting their hair and makeup done together, leading to speculation that Diaz was a bridesmaid. Paltrow enlisted a glam squad including makeup artist Gucci Westman and hairstylist Orlando Pita.

Cameron Diaz assisting Paltrow on her big day. (Photo: Lynsey Addario/Goop)

2. Paltrows dress was Valentino.

GP went for a traditional look in a fitted lace gown with a dotted swiss pattern and a long veil. You may remember that, although she eloped with her first husband, Chris Martin, she said she was excited about having a traditional wedding (Even though Im 45, I sort of feel like a 21-year-old).

Gwyneth Paltrow, dressed in Valentino, is ready for her big day. (Photo: Lynsey Addario/Goop)

3. Their daughters were bridesmaids.

Both the bride and groom each have two kids, and the girls, Isabella Falchuk and Apple Martin, wore matching Monique Lhuillier gowns.

Isabella Falchuk and Apple Martin with Gwyneth Paltrow. (Photo: Lynsey Addario/Goop)

4. Brad and the boys  including her son, Moses  were dapper dudes.

They all wore Tom Ford. Brody, right, is Brads son.

From left, Moses Martin, Brad Falchuk, and Brody Falchuk. (Photo: Goop)

5. Steven Spielberg was documenting the proceedings.

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The filmmaker, who is Paltrows godfather, captured the event on his camcorder. Can you imagine that wedding video?

Steven Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw (Photo: Goop)

6. Robert Downey Jr. gave a speech.

While she didnt reveal what he said, the expression on her face suggests it was a jaw-dropper.

Robert Downey Jr. giving his speech. (Photo: Goop)

7. Paltrow wore a Stella McCartney jumpsuit (with a cape) for the reception  and danced next to Rob Lowe.

The actor looked like he might have been playing air guitar. Or was it the chicken dance? Or the Electric Slide? It was described on Goop as 80s party jams.

GP, dressed in Stella McCartney, dancing next to an animated Rob Lowe. (Photo: Goop)

8. Mama Blythe Danner looked glam.

No surprises there.

Mother of the bride, Blythe Danner. (Photo: Goop)

The photo album for the wedding was presented in a very GP-like fashion. For instance, the pair flew in celebrity chef Francis Mallmann, star of Netflixs Chefs Table, from Santiago, Chile, to cook pineapples at the rehearsal dinner. And the story made it seem like Paltrow had the power to will Mother Nature into providing good weather. (September 29 was a bright fall day in New York  sunny and cool with a crispness in the air. In other words, the gods complied on GPs wedding day.) But it also looked like it truly was a dream day  and how could you take issue with that?

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
Hong Kong (AFP) - A highly anticipated art show in Hong Kong by a Chinese political cartoonist was cancelled Friday due to safety concerns with organisers citing "threats made by Chinese authorities relating to the artist".

Badiucao, who was born in Shanghai but is based in Australia and whose real name and identity are not known, has carved a reputation for his images satirising political suppression by Chinese authorities.

His first solo international exhibition was due to open in Hong Kong Saturday and was billed as a "black comedy for Hong Kong, China and the world", taking in themes of authority and freedom of speech.

"We are sorry to announce that the exhibition 'Gongle' by Chinese artist Badiucao has been cancelled out of safety concerns," said the statement on the news website Hong Kong Free Press, one of the event organisers.

"The decision follows threats made by the Chinese authorities relating to the artist.

"While the organisers value freedom of expression, the safety of our partners remains a major concern," the statement said.

One organiser told AFP that the threats related directly to the works in the show.

The organiser would not say which Chinese authorities had made the threats or give any further detail.

Badiucao had already pulled out of appearing in person Saturday at the opening, and was going to answer reporters' questions by video link.

A chair based a torture device was on stage at the venue when AFP visited Friday. Other artworks were bubble-wrapped.

Badiucao did not immediately respond to a message from AFP.

There was also due to be a panel discussion including pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong and Russian protest punk band Pussy Riot as part of the launch event.

"The fact that an artist is threatened due to a simple art exhibition which celebrates freedom of expression is an outrage," Wong told AFP after the cancellation was announced.

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Patrick Poon, China Researcher at Amnesty International, the co-organiser of the exhibition said he was shocked to learn of the cancellation.

"Of course, the art work itself may be considered as provocative or politically sensitive by the Chinese government, but the exhibition is supposed to be happening in Hong Kong where we enjoy freedom of expression enshrined in Hong Kong's Basic Law," Poon told AFP.

The Hong Kong government and Beijing's liaison office have not responded to questions about the cancellation of the event. A spokesperson from China's foreign ministry in Hong Kong said he is not aware of the exhibition.

It is the latest blow to freedom of expression in Hong Kong as China tightens its grip on the semi-autonomous city.

Hong Kong has rights unseen on the mainland, protected by an agreement made before the city was handed back to China by Britain in 1997, but there are serious concerns those freedoms are under threat.

There was a major backlash against Hong Kong authorities when they denied a visa without explanation to a Financial Times journalist last month who had chaired a press club talk by a Hong Kong independence activist.

Some artists have told AFP previously that they are now sending their works out of Hong Kong for safekeeping in fear of what lies ahead for the city.
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's transport minister removed on Wednesday the technical director of the Lion Air airline and several of its technicians after the crash of one of its jets with 189 people on board, the Antara news agency reported on Wednesday. "Today we dismiss (the director) from his position and his duty," Budi Karya Sumadi said, citing the accident on Monday as the reason. He said technicians were also dismissed. It was not clear whether the removal was permanent or temporary. Lion Air's chief executive, Edward Sirait, told Reuters he had not heard of the minister's order. (Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo and Cindy Silviana)
Al-Qaim (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi troops have reinforced their positions along the porous frontier with neighbouring war-torn Syria, fearing a spillover from clashes there between Islamic State group jihadists and US-backed forces.

For weeks, IS has fought back an assault by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on a key jihadist-held pocket in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province near the border with Iraq.

It managed to recapture some territory from the SDF around Hajin, prompting Baghdad to dispatch reinforcements to its own border, including paramilitary units from the Hashed al-Shaabi and the army.

"All measures have been taken: we have control towers, observation posts, dirt berms and trenches," Lieutenant Colonel Abbas Mohammad, the head of one border unit, said Thursday.

"The SDF's retreat will not be a threat to Iraq," he added.

Soldiers could be seen posted along a sand berm topped by barbed wire and decorated with Iraqi flags, according to an AFP videojournalist at the scene.

Military vehicles patrolled between barracks, and soldiers stationed at observation posts pointed their machine guns towards the Syrian border.

Helicopters and more armoured cars arrived throughout the day.

According to Iraqi General Qassem al-Mohammadi, who heads operations in Iraq's western Anbar province, IS fighters were just "five or six kilometres away, inside Syria."

Anbar, a massive desert governorate which extends from the edge of Baghdad west towards the Syrian border, served as a jihadist bastion before Iraqi forces retook it in late 2017.

Across the border in Syria, two separate offensives have aimed at ousting IS from the frontier with Iraq.

One has been carried out by Russian-backed Syrian troops, who have cleared IS from territory west of the Euphrates River.

That includes the Albu Kamal border post with Iraq, which was captured last year. Authorities in both Baghdad and Damascus said in mid-October that they hope to revitalise cross-border trade through it as soon as possible.

The SDF is still fighting IS east of the Euphrates around Hajin, where the US-led coalition estimates around 2,000 jihadists are based.
The body of journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been dissolved in acid after he was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, an adviser to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told a Turkish newspaper this week.

The adviser, Yasin Aktay, said thats why the body of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and U.S. resident, was cut into pieces. Khashoggi disappeared shortly after entering the consulate Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his planned marriage, with Saudi officials giving shifting explanations for his death.

According to the latest information we have, the reason they dismembered his body is to dissolve it easier, Aktay said in a statement to the Hurriyet Daily News, Reuters and the BBC reported Friday.

The statement bolsters a report by The Washington Post on Wednesday that authorities believed Khashoggis body may have been dismembered and immersed in acid  either at the consulate or nearby, possibly in a well.

Khashoggis body was not in need of burying, said a senior Turkish official, who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity.

The official said investigators do not believe Saudi Arabias official story on what happened to the body. Saudi officials have acknowledged that Kashoggi was killed in the consulate on Oct. 2, but say the assailants gave the remains to a third party.

Istanbuls chief prosecutor, Irfan Fidan, said this week that Khashoggi was immediately strangled when he arrived at the consulate. Earlier Turkish media reports said audio recordings captured Khashoggi being tortured before his death.

Fidan demanded on Wednesday that Saudi officials reveal the location of the body.

Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggis fiancee, on Friday pleaded for the remains to be returned for proper burial.

Even though a month has passed since Jamals murder, his body has still not been given to his loved ones, Cengiz said during a Washington memorial service for her would-be husband. She again called on President Donald Trump to support Turkish officials efforts to uncover Khashoggis remains.

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Saudi Arabias story on what happened to Khashoggi has evolved from blanket denial of any involvement to a claim that rogue operatives carried out a mission to kill him  supposedly without the knowledge of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia faces sharp criticism from the international community in the wake of the death. Amid souring relations, the U.S. and U.K. are calling for a cease-fire in the kingdoms sometimes overlooked war with Yemen, which faces an enormous humanitarian crisis.

Related...

Saudi Arabia Now Says Jamal Khashoggi's Death Was 'Premeditated'

Jamal Khashoggi's Son Leaves Saudi Arabia For U.S.

Jamal Khashoggi's Fiancee Turns Down Trump Invitation To White House

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S President Donald Trump will meet for a long session on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina in a month's time, a Kremlin aide said on Friday. A separate meeting between the leaders on Nov. 11 during events in Paris to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One would be short, said the aide, Yuri Ushakov. The two leaders have not met face-to-face since a bilateral summit in July in Helsinki that stirred anger in the United States, where Trump was accused of cozying up to the Kremlin. Asked how long Moscow expected the meeting with Trump to last in Paris, Ushakov told reporters the meeting would be short but that a later meeting on the sidelines of the G20, taking place over Nov 30 and Dec 1, would be "lengthy and substantive". The White House had no immediate comment. U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said this week following a trip to Moscow that the White House had formally invited Putin to Washington next year. Speaking in ex-Soviet Georgia on Oct. 26, Bolton said that the Paris meeting would be brief and more of "a base-touching exercise". (Reporting by Denis Pinchuk in Moscow; additional reporting by Roberto Rampton in Washington; Writing by Tom Balmforth, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Vice President Mike Pence told a crowd in Georgia on Thursday that he was kind of a big deal, after railing against Hollywood liberals, including Oprah Winfrey and Will Ferrell, who lent their support to Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee for governor.

Stacey Abrams is being bankrolled by Hollywood liberals  I heard Oprah was in town today. And I heard Will Ferrell was going door-to-door the other day, he said. Well Id like to remind Stacey and Oprah and Will Ferrell: Im kind of a big deal, too.

Pence was campaigning for Abrams Republican opponent, Brian Kemp. Kemp and Abrams are neck-and-neck, with the latest polls showing they are at a statistical tie ahead of the election Tuesday.

He added: Stacey Abrams is being bankrolled by Hollywood liberals, Pence said. Ive got a message for all Stacey Abrams liberal Hollywood friends. This aint Hollywood. This is Georgia.

In a speech on Thursday that went viral online, Oprah told a crowd in Georgia: Nobody paid for me to come here. Nobody even asked me to come here. I paid for myself and I approve this message.

Winfrey is in Georgia in support of Abrams, who hopes to become Georgias first black female governor. (Abrams was on the cover of TIMEs issue on the American South in August.)

She also tamped down rumors that she was there to test the waters for her own possible Presidential run. I want to make it very clear  I dont want to run, okay? Im not trying to test any waters. Dont want to go in those waters. Im here today because of Stacey Abrams.
Federal prosecutors announced Thursday that they have charged Malaysian financier Jho Low and two former Goldman Sachs bankers in the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal.

Low was the alleged mastermind behind the embezzlement of $4.5 billion from the Malaysian development fund, much of which was allegedly used to buy luxury real estate, art, a yacht, and to invest in films, including The Wolf of Wall Street.

Low and Roger Ng, a Malaysian banker at Goldman, were indicted on three counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering, bribery, and circumvention of accounting controls, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Ng was arrested Thursday in Malaysia. Low, who is believed to be in China, remains at large.

The government also unsealed a criminal complaint against Tim Leissner, Goldmans former Southeast Asia chairman. Leissner has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the FCPA. He has been ordered to forfeit $43.7 million.

Federal prosecutors had earlier filed two civil forfeiture actions in an effort to recoup more than $1 billion of the stolen funds. According to those complaints, more than $100 million of the Malaysian development funds were diverted to Red Granite Pictures, the producer of The Wolf of Wall Street, Daddys Home, and Dumb and Dumber To. Red Granite was run by Riza Aziz, the stepson of Najib Razak, the former Malaysian prime minister.

Red Granite has paid $60 million to settle its portion of the case, without admitting wrongdoing.

Related stories

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico's Supreme Court issued two more rulings Wednesday ordering that complainants in individual cases be allowed to use marijuana for recreational purposes, establishing a precedent that a blanket prohibition on pot is unconstitutional.

The court found that adults have a fundamental right to personal development which lets them decide their recreational activities without interference from the state.

"That right is not absolute, and the consumption of certain substances may be regulated, but the effects provoked by marijuana do not justify an absolute prohibition of its consumption," the ruling said.

The high court ordered the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk to authorize the complainants to consume marijuana, though not to commercialize it or use other drugs.

The two decisions followed three similar ones between 2015 and 2017, and under Mexican law five decisions on a related issue set a standard that applies more broadly.

"With the existence of five precedents in the same vein on the subject, the judgment will be mandatory for all courts in the country," the high tribunal concluded.

The rulings technically do not legalize recreational use, however. They establish that courts must allow it, but it is still up to each individual to press his or her case in the judicial system.

Mexico saw something similar happen in recent years with five Supreme Court rulings establishing a broader precedent allowing same-sex couples to wed, though same-sex marriage has yet to become the law of the land nationwide.

Mexico United Against Crime, a group that opposes prohibitionist drug policies, said Wednesday's rulings "open the door to regulation of cannabis" and confirm that "Mexico must move toward the regulation of drugs to improve conditions of justice and peace in the country."

Formal legalization would be up to Congress, and the group urged lawmakers to act.

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"The Supreme Court has done its job. ... The responsibility for issuing the corresponding regulation falls on congress," the group's director general, Lisa Sanchez, said in a statement.

Mexico has long been the source of marijuana smuggled into the United States. The rulings from Mexico's Supreme Court come after many U.S. states have legalized pot in recent years for medicinal purposes, recreational use or both.

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A previous version of this story was corrected to show that the earlier rulings came between 2015 and 2017.
The tightrope race for taking the Senate during next weeks midterm elections could go either way, and one of the states that could tip the balance is Tennessee.

Theres no doubt Republicans are in a stronger position across America, and a blue win would require the Democrats to play a perfect hand, but it is possible Donald Trumps party could lose out.

With 51 red Senate seats to 47 blue, and two independents who caucus with the Democrats, every state counts. But as with any election, some states count more than others, and one of those under the spotlight is Tennessee.

With Republican Senator Bob Corker retiring, his Trump-supporting replacement Marsha Blackburn would normally have a clear run to victory in this red state. But a number of intriguing factors mean former Governor Phil Bredesen is a key Democrat to watch on Tuesday night.

Given the polarised state of American politics, there arent too many instances of viable Democratic Senate candidates in states as red as Tennessee, political professor at the University of Memphis Eric Groendyk tells The Independent. The Bredesen race is definitely one to watch.

Even Nashvilles favourite Taylor Swift is excited about this race. The international superstar has been more politically vocal than ever, calling for her army of Swifties to go out and vote.

This week Swift shared a message on Instagram saying she had already voted for Breseden, who she claims is the candidate who has proven himself to be reasonable and trustworthy.

And it seems the buzz around votership is having an impact. Communications Director for the Tennessee Democratic Party, Amanda Yanchury, tells The Independent more than one million people had already voted in Tennessee, with three days of early voting and Election Day itself still to go at that point.

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To put that into context, Ms Yanchury said, 1.4 million people total voted in the 2014 midterm election in Tennessee.

This high voter turnout is being seen across the country  with a left outraged with Donald Trump and a right fearful of the imminent migrant caravans  but it is in states like Tennessee where these numbers could make the difference.

So does Breseden really stand a chance?

Former Governor Phil Bredesen served two terms, leaving office in 2011, and was Mayor of Nashville before that, giving him strong name recognition among voters. A known moderate, Bredesen often plays the middle ground, however his controversial support of Brett Kavanaugh this year may serve to alienate him.

Bredesen definitely has a chance, but he needs to walk a tightrope to do it, Eric Groenendyk told us. He needs to appear moderate enough to win some of the moderate and conservative minded people who voted for him when he was governor, and the state was not so bright red. At the same time, he also needs the Democratic base to be excited enough to turn out to vote for him.

This graph shows the battle for the Senate at the 2018 US Midterms (The Independent)

Tennessee is strong Trump territory, as we saw with the Memphis rally earlier this month with the president wholly endorsing one of his biggest fans, Marsha Blackburn.

According to Real Clear Politics Blackburn currently holds a 6.2 per cent lead, but from April to the end of September this year  the same month as the Brett Kavanaugh hearing  it was in fact Mr Bredesen that was the favourite to win.

But many polls, including Cook, say this race is a toss up.

He has some support here and I think it may be a close race. I do think that Blackburn is more likely to win, however. I also think that this years midterm elections may be poll-defying like the Brexit vote and Trumps election, senior lecturer in political science at the University of Memphis, Paul A Mego, said.

But Blackburn is not without her own controversies. She has been plagued with expense scandals over recent years, including allegedly not disclosing a $100,000 line of a credit from a bank to cover the costs of repairs for a house she co-owns in South Carolina.

She is also a staunch pro-lifer, to the extent that one of her campaign adverts from 2017 got blocked from Twitter because she claimed she had stopped the sale of baby body parts.

I think that both sides (and there really are only two sides) are feeling desperate and a little scared, Dr Mego said.
A thousand miles south of the Rio Grande, Lesly Xiomara Chirinos plodded along a Mexican road comforting her year-old son Murphy, her partner holding up an umbrella to shield them from the punishing sun. On Oct. 13, they abandoned their home in the Honduran city of La Ceiba to join several thousand people on the so-called migrant caravan heading north. Since then, they have been marching for long hours, jumping on pickup trucks, sleeping in parks, living on handouts of food.

Chirinos, 31, says she fled because of death threats by gang members trying to shake down the family grocery store. In Honduras, extortion is often backed up by murder. They wait in front of the shop with big guns, and we are scared to go out, she says. The military police are outside, and they dont do anything. Their hope now is to get asylum in the U.S., where they would be protected from the gangs and be able to work to support the rest of their family.

On the other side of the border, politics awaits. The caravan of migrants and asylum seekers has become a virtual obsession of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has railed against it in tweets and at rallies over the past two weeks. He has claimed that it has been infiltrated by gang members, that dangerous people from the Middle East are traveling with it or that the Democrats are behind itall without evidence. Trump may see the caravan as a potent political issue ahead of the midterm elections, with an Oct. 18 poll showing that 55% of voters believe immigration is a very important issue. He also claimed on Oct. 29 that he plans to end birthright citizenship by Executive Order, a move many lawyers believe would be unconstitutional.

In addition to all the words, the Trump Administration is making real attempts to keep the caravan out. Trump has said hes willing to send as many as 15,000 troops to the U.S. border ahead of its potential arrival. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen offered a message to its members on Oct. 28. Do not come, she said on Fox News. You will not be allowed in.

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The first whispers of the caravan came in early October, when migrant activists in Honduras began passing around messages on social media to mass at the bus station in the city of San Pedro Sula. Strength in numbers helps protect migrants from Mexican cartels that kidnap them and federal police who detain and deport them.

Initially, just a few hundred people turned up, but when local TV stations reported the gathering live, it rapidly grew into thousands. Many in the caravan describe seeing the coverage and deciding to immediately pack their bags and join. People reacted to it because they are at breaking point, said Honduran TV reporter Orlin Castro. This is the worst moment ever for my country.

Although the murder rate there has dropped from record peaks in recent years, Honduras remains plagued by sky-high crime rates and widespread poverty. President Juan Orlando Hernandez was sworn in for a second term in January after an election marred by allegations of fraud, setting off violence that left dozens dead. Its clear people are running from a failed state, said Adam Isacson of the Washington Office on Latin America.

Even before the caravan, Honduras had been a top source country for asylum seekers to the U.S., alongside Venezuela, El Salvador and Guatemala. However, U.S. courts have long been hard on Honduran applicants, with 78% of them rejected from 2012 to 2017. And in June, Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed judges to toughen the criteria, which could push the rejection rate even higher. Donald Trump doesnt see them like human beings, said Irineo Mujica of the migrant support group Pueblo Sin Fronteras, which is helping the caravan. He sees them like animals.

The Trump Administrations tough stance hasnt stopped people from attempting to come to the U.S., though. At its peak the original caravan swelled to more than 7,000 people, while a second large group also made it to Mexicos southern border. On Oct. 28, Mexican federal police blocked the entrance bridge, leading to a confrontation in which a Honduran was killed, allegedly by a rubber bullet. But about 1,000 still made it over the river and could eventually catch up with the first group. Trump has vowed to put in tent cities any marchers who make it to the U.S. border.

Yet many on the march tell TIME they actually intend to stay in Mexico. Some 1,700 people who came in with the caravan have already applied for asylum here, and more could file from Mexico City, where the remaining 4,000 to 5,000 marchers plan to rest and debate their onward journey.

Josue Martinez, a 24-year-old law student from San Pedro Sula, says he plans to stay in Tijuana, where he has family. He is helping his younger brother flee, after a gang tried to forcibly recruit him. One thing he is certain of is that he wont turn back. There has been killing of students and innocent civilians  The control by the gangs has grown, he said. There is a terror, a fear, in Honduras.

 With reporting by Maya Rhodan/Washington
Shares fell in late trading after the results - AP

Apple lost its status as the worlds only trillion-dollar public company on Thursday night as shares slumped following disappointing results.

The iPhone maker said that it would no longer reveal how many iPhones, iPads and Macs it sells each quarter, claiming the figure was no longer relevant to investors.

The announcement, combined with an underwhelming forecast for the crucial Christmas quarter, sent shares falling by more than 7pc in after-hours trading, knocking over $70bn (54bn) off its value. If maintained, the drop means Apples value will fall below the trillion-dollar mark for the first time since it reached the milestone in August.

The news adds to a malaise that has hit technology shares in recent weeks. Amazons value surpassed a trillion dollars just weeks after Apple but has also fallen below the mark, while shares in other Silicon Valley giants have fallen.

Apples fall came despite it posting record profits and sales after it convinced consumers to buy more-expensive versions of the iPhone in the three months to the end of September.

The iPhone XS and XS Max Credit: AFP

But it said it expected revenue of between $89bn and $93bn in the final three months of 2018, traditionally the companys most profitable selling season. Wall Street had priced in revenues of $93bn, with the most bullish saying the company could hit close to $100bn of sales.

In the three months to the end of September, it sold 46.9m iPhones, flat on the same period last year and below what analysts had expected. However, a huge increase in the price of each phone meant that iPhone revenues increased by 29pc. On average, consumers now pay $793 for each iPhone, up from $618 a year ago.

Apple has successfully pushed its users into paying more for newer versions of its iPhone by adding new features and bigger screen sizes, even as sales growth has stalled.

Revenues in the quarter increased by 20pc to $62.9bn, while profits were up 32pc to $14.1bn. Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, said sales had been disappointing in some emerging markets such as India, Turkey and Brazil.

Apple sold fewer Mac computers and iPads than a year ago, but said revenues from its software division had increased by 17pc. This week, the company unveiled new iPad and MacBook computers, in an attempt to arrest declining sales of both.

Apple said it would continue to say how much revenue it makes from each of its product lines, which it claimed was a more relevant figure than unit sales. The company has reported how many of its major products it sells for over 20 years, well before the iPhone or even the iPod were invented.
Lewis Ludlow planned to attack the area around the Disney Store on Oxford Street (PA)

A Muslim convert who plotted to kill 100 people in a terror attack on Londons Oxford Street is due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey.

Lewis Ludlow, 27, is facing years in jail for planning to drive a van through pedestrians near the Disney Store.

Nicknamed The Eagle, he swore allegiance to Islamic State as he plotted this and other terror attacks.

Ludlow called himself The Eagle and The Ghost (PA)

Ludlow  who also called himself The Ghost  bought a phone under a false name and wrote down his attack plans, which were later found ripped up in a bin.

He identified Oxford Street as an ideal target, writing: It is expected nearly 100 could be killed in the attack.

Originally from Rochester, in Kent, he formulated his plan after being stopped by police at Heathrow Airport in February as he attempted to board a flight to the Philippines.

It was alleged he also set up a Facebook account called Antique Collections as a front to send money to south-east Asia for terrorism.

He pleaded guilty to plotting an attack in the UK and funding IS abroad and will be sentenced today by Old Bailey Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC.





According to a prosecution summary, Ludlow first came to the attention of police in 2010 when he attended a demonstration led by radical preacher Anjem Choudary and his banned Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) group.

When he was arrested in 2015, IS material was recovered from his electronic devices but no further action was taken.

In January this year, he bought a ticket to fly to the Philippines on February 3 but was stopped at the airport and had his passport seized.

Spoken to by police, he claimed he was going to the country as a sex tourist, but in a search of his home, officers found he was in communication with a man named Abu Yaqeen in an area with a significant IS presence.

In March, Ludlow sent him money by PayPal and created the Facebook account Antique Collections.

It purported to be an antiques business in Maidstone but, the prosecution alleged, was really a front to raise money for IS in the Philippines.

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Madame Tussauds was another of Ludlows terror targets (PA)

On March 21, police recovered torn-up scraps of paper from Ludlows bin detailing his plans.

They were pieced together to reveal potential attack sites including Madame Tussauds, Oxford Street, St Pauls Cathedral and a Shia temple in Romford. It added: Further locations scouted for the kil.

He detailed a potential attack on Oxford Street using a van mounting the pavement, noting the lack of safety barriers.

It said: Wolf should either use a ram attack or use on the truck to maximise death it is a busy street it is ideal for an attack. It is expected nearly 100 could be killed in the attack.

MORE: Cressida Dick backs calls for police to focus on violent crime rather than misogyny and wolf-whistling

MORE: One in eight drivers admit theyve fallen asleep behind the wheel

On April 13, Ludlows mobile phone was retrieved from a storm drain and found to have videos of the defendant swearing allegiance to IS and pictures of crowded areas, said to be evidence of hostile reconnaissance.

Undercover officers engaged Yaqeen in online chat, in which the IS fanatic called for lone wolf attacks and funds to be sent to the Philippines.

Yaqeen put an undercover officer in touch with Ludlow, implying they could work together on an attack in Britain.

Ludlow was arrested by counter-terrorism police on April 18 but refused to explain himself when he was interviewed.
Varna (Bulgaria) (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday condemned the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in his first comments on the affair, but stressed the need for stability in Saudi Arabia.

"What happened in the Istanbul consulate was horrendous and it should be duly dealt with," Netanyahu told reporters during a visit to Bulgaria.

"Yet the same time I say it, it is very important for the stability of the world, for the region and for the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable.

"I think that a way must be found to achieve both goals."

Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime, was murdered inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last month, and Turkish officials are still searching for his remains.

After at first denying the murder, Saudi officials eventually admitted he had been killed in the consulate, blaming a "rogue operation" and arresting 18 people.

Riyadh's international standing has been damaged by the affair and the Turkish authorities have made it clear they will keep investigating the matter.

Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations, but both nations have strong links with the United States -- and all three countries share a common enemy in Iran.

"The larger problem is Iran and we have to make sure that Iran does not continue the malign activities that it has been doing over the last few weeks in Europe," said Netanyahu.

Referring to what he said were two Iran-backed terrorist plots that Israel had helped foil in Europe, he added: "Blocking Iran is uttermost on our agenda for security, not merely for Israel but I believe for Europe and the world as well."

- Courting Gulf states -

Israel considers Iran to be the main threat to its safety and has backed the United States in its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

Israel has been quietly courting Gulf Arab states which share its suspicion of Tehran.

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Netanyahu held surprise talks with Oman's Sultan Qaboos in Muscat last month -- accompanied by the head of Israeli intelligence service Mossad, according to Netanyahu's office.

On Friday, the foreign minister of Bahrain, a close Saudi ally, praised the Israeli premier's stance.

Khalid bin Ahmad tweeted that "despite the ongoing dispute, (Netanyahu) has taken a clear position on the importance of stability in the region and Saudi Arabia's role in consolidating that stability."

Netanyahu also called on other countries to support US sanctions against Tehran.

New US sanctions go into effect on Monday.

He said sanctions so far had forced a marked decrease in the amounts Iran had devoted to "aggressive and terrorist" activities.

Netanyahu was in the Bulgarian city of Varna to meet southern Balkans leaders at a regional summit.
Walmart helped out the family of a newborn when they were forced to stay in a store parking lot after Hurricane Michael. (Photo: Walmart)

One newborn babys life got off to a stormy start, but Walmart stepped in to supply some sunshine.

Baby Luke was born Oct. 13, right after Hurricane Michael tore through parts of the south, including his hometown, Panama City, Fla. The hurricane resulted in at least 36 deaths, including 26 in Florida. Aware of the damage in Panama City, the family looked for a hotel room near the hospital when mother and baby were released two days later. Unable to find a vacancy, they were forced to drive back to their apartment in Panama City, despite the closed roads and stormy skies.

They arrived safely but quickly realized they couldnt stay. There was no power, the baby was overheating, and there was a lot of water damage. The couple, whose two other children were staying with family, checked out some FEMA shelters, but the unsafe and unsanitary conditions were no place for a newborn.

So they went to Walmart.

It was better off in our truck in a Walmart parking lot, Wilmer Capps said in a video interview with Walmart. I was worried about my wife and my son.  And when we went to the shelter and seeing what kind of living conditions it was, I was like, no way, he said. Their pickup truck was in bad shape, with leaking windows caused by the storm.

I had two flat tires, running out of gas  the whole nine yards, said new mom Lorrainda Smith. So we didnt have too many more options.

Its not uncommon for people to camp out in a Walmart parking lot. Walmart truck driver Nick Davis said he sees it every night.

Michelle Malashock, a spokesperson for Walmart, told Yahoo Lifestyle that Walmart being 24 hours, a lot of people feel safe in those parking lots because they have security, theyre well-lit.

There was lights all around; they had a generator, Smith said. Capps added: There was a cool breeze, no bugs.

They also had personal security. One of our security guards found them and was like, Hey, youre welcome to stay here, Malashock said. They basically said, Well keep watch over you.

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The security guard told us, Its probably the safest spot you can be right now. And thats why we stayed at Walmart in Callaway for the first night, Smith said. I was like, Weve got to have a miracle happen right about now or else were in trouble.

The security guard returned to deliver that miracle  or the first part of it, at least: He had secured a room for them at a nearby hotel where Walmart was providing accommodation for associates who had evacuated or were helping with relief efforts.

I was like, This is exactly what I just wished for, we need this right now, Smith said.

Truck driver Nick Davis was part of Walmarts effort to help a family whose home was made uninhabitable by Hurricane Michael. (Photo: Walmart)

Thats where they met Davis, who would be delivering the next part of their miracle. He came to the area from LaGrange, Ga., and he was hauling a shower trailer, Malashock said. We do [this]  so our associates and first responders can get good hot showers. Three other truck drivers  were hauling a cook trailer so we could supply meals. We have a pretty robust disaster response protocol. We want the associates to be able to come back to [work]; they want to come back to work.

While the Cappses arent part of the official Walmart family, that didnt matter. The family was basically adopted, so to speak, by those security guards and these four truck drivers, Malashock said.

Davis, in particular, felt compelled to help. He told Yahoo Lifestyle that the moment he saw the 3-day-old baby, his father instinct kicked in. I have a 7-year-old. I know how hard those first few weeks are  theyre amazing, but theyre very stressful, he said. Wed have done it for anybody. But the babys what really made me jump, quick. I just think about mine when I see something like that.

Hearing the familys larger story also moved the driver. Wilmer said, Nick, I just made my rent for that month. And then, bam, it hit us, and I was trying to make sure all my bills were in order before the baby came, because he knew he was going to take off about a week to spend time with the baby. And then all this happened and he was out of money.

In the video, Capps explained that they had also recently bought new furniture, which was now all gone. Theyre basically starting over, said Malashock, who met the family this week. They lost everything in the storm. She added that Capps had told her, You work so hard to get ready for a baby, and we did it, we were ready, and Michael had another idea.

We had everything: full-time job, a place to live, Smith told AP. One day we had it all, the next we had nothing.

Davis realized they needed more than a room for a couple of nights. They were leaving for the first checkup for the baby, and me and the security guard were standing there, and before she left we said, What do you have? And they said, Whatever the hospital gave us. Davis said the couple salvaged what they could from their apartment, but there wasnt much. So we gave them gas money to get back to the hospital for the checkup. When they left, Davis and his colleagues got busy.

Walmart drivers and associates took care of a family with a newborn who had been displaced by Hurricane Michael. (Photo: Walmart)

They called corporate to share the Cappss story and got approval to use the corporate card to spend $300 on supplies for the family. Walmart staffers also chipped in. It was 30 minutes later we had money at the store ready to go, Davis said in the video. I caught the store manager and told him our situation, what we had, and asked if he would help. And he actually donated more money to the family, on top of what we had already been authorized to use. He found the baby department manager, who helped him stock a shopping cart full of supplies, from diapers to formula to pacifiers.

When we got back to the hotel, they hadnt gotten back yet, so we got the hotel manager to get us in their room, and thats when we just put everything in their room, Davis told Yahoo Lifestyle. There were probably like 30 or 40 bags of stuff and we didnt say nothing when they pulled up, they were talking to everybody. And I think she was tired and said, Im just gonna go to my room. So she went up to her room, and she came back down crying.

They also cooked for the family every night. They were a godsend, Capps said. If it wasnt for them  we would have been trouble, Smith added. If there was anything else [we needed], Nick was there.

News traveled fast, and Walmart wanted to do more. When we heard about this literally days-old baby who started his life in our parking lot, it just seemed like something we had to do, Malashock said. So they threw a baby shower where it all started: Walmart.

We had been helping them with the FEMA application process for housing and stuff like that, so on Tuesday, [Oct. 30] we brought them to the store, Malashock said. We told them they needed to come in for a FEMA meeting, which isnt a real thing. We brought them into the store, where we had set up a makeshift baby shower for them, and Nick drove with his dad and another associate all the way from LaGrange just to reunite with the family. The original security guard was there. The store manager, and Julie the baby department manager  she was crying  and other associates.

Along with a big cake, the store manager presented the couple with generous gifts. We partnered with Wyndham Destinations to get them additional time at a different property; its a vacation rental. And we were able to donate a years worth of diapers, $500 in online groceries, and a $500 gift card.

Capp and Smith were overwhelmed. They were not expecting any of that, Malashock said. It was just heartwarming because we gave them that gift card and before they left, they bought a baby tub and a wipe warmer, because they needed those things. Im sure they had them already at the apartment, but they cant go back there.

They werent even sure they would make it out of the apartment safely before Luke was born.

It sounded like our whole building was falling down around us  tt was, though, Smith said. And then the eye had come through I was like, well maybe its over with. It got a little better.  It sounded like trains coming.

Seeing their apartment was heartbreaking. And though the hurricane has forced to start from scratch, Walmart has given them a head start. Theyre eater to tell Luke about it.

Were gonna tell him everything from the beginning, Smith said. I cant wait for him to come back and meet everybody again as he grows. Capps looked down at Luke and said, Youve got family you dont even know.

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Tapanatepec (Mexico) (AFP) - With the national flag of Nicaragua draped over his wheelchair, 14-year-old Axel Sebastian Palacios cuts a distinctive figure among the thousands of mostly Honduran migrants traveling in caravan across Mexico.

Palacios and his parents say they decided to join the caravan because they feel safer on the treacherous migrant journey than back home in Nicaragua -- suffering under the leadership of Daniel Ortega, aided by his brutal paramilitary supporters.

Yet despite being thousands of kilometers (miles) away from their tumultuous homeland, traipsing through Mexico toward the border with the United States, Palacios and his family still live in fear of being hunted down by those paramilitaries.

"I feel safe in the caravan, but also afraid," said Palacios in a faint voice.

Already, the teen says he owes his life to his best friend, who threw him to the ground when pro-Ortega paramilitaries attacked his hometown of Diriamba in July.

He recounts that residents were barricaded behind makeshift cobblestone defenses, armed only with slingshots, when the Sandinista fighters arrived and opened fire, just as they had done in other nearby opposition strongholds.

He survived, but was later injured when trying to help a friend who was fatally wounded by a bullet in the chest.

Now Palacios now has a splinter in his shin that hampers his ability to walk more than a block at a time.

- Death threat -

After the paramilitary attack, Palacios and his father fled to the mountains and the whole family left the country a little over a month ago.

Having reached Tapachula, in Mexico's south, the family immediately claimed refugee status.

But as time passed without a response from the Mexican authorities, Palacios's family opted a week ago to tag along with the largely Honduran caravan.

"I think it's about us doing something, we're all going to defend each other," said Palacios of the decision to join the migrant wave.

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Shortly after crossing into Mexico, Palacios's mother Idania Molina says she received a text message from the Sandinistas, telling her they would find and kill her family.

Her son wakes up with a start every night, and has done so since July.

"I feel happy because we've left that place but also insecure," said Palacios, as he watched his 12-year-old sister sleeping on the floor.

"They (the Sandinistas) sent us a threat and told us it would be easy for them to cross the border into Mexico."

Palacios covered the first 200-kilometers (125 miles) on Mexican soil using crutches, until local authorities in the town of Tonala, in Chiapas state, saw the sores under his armpits and donated a red wheelchair.

Molina estimates there are around 30 Nicaraguans in the caravan, which the United Nations says is made up of 7,000 people, although organizers put that figure at 4,000.

Although the caravan's original intention was to head for the US, after a vote it changed course and went to Mexico City so individuals could ask for migration documents that would allow them to move freely around the country.

- 'Afraid they'll kill us -

When unable to hitch a lift on passing trucks, Palacios's family take turns to push his wheelchair.

All he can do to help is hold on his emaciated legs the family's biggest bundle of belongings, a blue plastic bag containing clothes, medicine and medical reports relating to his leg, as well as evidence to support an eventual asylum application in the United States or Mexico.

Having fled Nicaragua, the family's Mexican journey is fraught with new dangers.

"The truth is, we came with the dream of crossing to there (the US), but we've heard lots of stories and I'm afraid they'll kill us," said Molina, 39, referring to Mexican gangs.

According to the Mexican authorities, in 2010, a group of 72 undocumented Central and South Americans were kidnapped and murdered by the Los Zetas drug cartel for refusing to work for them.

"We want Mexican asylum, but in Mexico City and before too long because I need care for my son," said Molina, before breaking down in tears.

She dreams of meeting Mexico's first lady, Angelica Rivera Hurtado, who she believes will "listen."

Over the border meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has deployed troops to prevent the migrants from entering the country, while warning Central American countries they will lose aid if they don't stop the caravan.

"We can't go back to Nicaragua, because we're persecuted," said her husband Lesther Javier Velazquez, who voices hope that "God will touch the heart" of the US president.
TOKYO (AP)  Denny Tamaki, the newly elected governor of Okinawa, is the first person with an American parent to lead the southern Japanese island, campaigning on a longtime popular demand to reduce the U.S. military presence there.

Tamaki is planning to visit the U.S. to talk to people and try to gain their understanding about what he sees as Okinawa's shouldering an unfair burden of hosting U.S. troops. At the center of contention is relocating a U.S. air base from densely populated Futenma to less-crowded Henoko on the east coast. Early construction has begun at Henoko, but it's far from finished. The U.S. and Japan's central government support the relocation, and government ministries have rejected Okinawa's legal maneuvers to block the construction.

Tamaki, 59, spoke with The Associated Press on Wednesday. Questions and responses have been edited for clarity and length.

___

Q: What is at the root of the problem in Okinawa with the U.S. military bases?

A: How long is it going to be Okinawa? How much longer? When you ask these questions, the answer was that we just don't need any more bases, and that answer was reflected in the election results this time. The people of Okinawa have opposed this new base for more than two decades and so there is a basic mistake in Henoko.

They say Henoko is the only one, Henoko is the only solution. But we think that it is definitely not the case and that they're refusing to think critically. The American side has made multiple proposals under reorganization plans and the Japanese government should consider them. The Japanese government should be relaying ways to put Okinawa at ease and to promote peace in Japan along with the message of the people reflected by my election victory to the American government.

___

Q: What is your view on Okinawa's history and how that fits in with peace and the base problem?

A: There are things that we Okinawans must speak up because we feel strongly about peace because of Okinawa's history and that is connected to the very core of our hearts. In the Battle of Okinawa, more than 100,000 civilians were killed. Harsh battles were fought and sacrifices were made. The tragedy should never be repeated and we are committed to our responsibility to promote a peaceful environment for our children and grandchildren.

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It is the issue not only for Okinawa but for all of Japan to think about. We want a world of harmony not of war, and that's part of the Okinawan identity. Okinawa's call for peace is based on our own sacrifice and I believe that would be a very strong message.

We always have to ask ourselves a question if Japan cannot defend itself without being armed so much. We have to keep asking if we can't defend Japan without it, if we really need it. No U.S. troop on Okinawa means there is a peaceful environment.

___

Q: Where do you want to take Okinawa's future?

A: Up to now, a black-or-white dichotomy of peace or economic development has been presented in Okinawa elections. Peace means the bases will be gone soon, and people will at last realize their dream of getting out of the postwar situation. Choosing the economy means the bases will stay but because of that, people will get aid money, and that will be given to the people. It has always been about that exclusive choice in elections.

But what I said was that both are important. Aren't both peace and economy important? Without peace, there is no economic development. And if the economy is thriving, it's certainly possible to create conditions that allow for peace. So we are not choosing between economy and peace but we want both.

I have always said, in this new age for Okinawa, we stand for autonomy, co-existence, diversity and acceptance. Okinawa is going to firmly push for these eternal values of democracy. A democratic country like the U.S. will surely listen to such an appeal, especially if I, someone who has an American father, am the one going there to express that.

___

Q: What is Okinawa's geopolitical significance and its role?

A: Looking at Okinawa's geopolitical position in Asia, Okinawa is in a position to take initiative in promoting friendship and peace among countries in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. We can perhaps host a peace-building conference. I would like to take up the role to promote peace, economic and people exchanges in the region. How about holding a U.S.-China summit on Okinawa? ... Overall, this year there was the summit of the Koreas in April and the U.S.-North Korea summit in June. I think at least we should cherish the ongoing momentum toward peace.

___

Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yurikageyama/?hl=en
Alexandra Elizabeth has been a Halloween super fan since day one: growing up in Tallin, Estonia, she would count the days until October 31. I absolutely love to portray and create unique charactersso it was just meant to be, Elizabeth says. Her childhood interest in the holiday extended far beyond trick or treating. Together with friends, she transformed her parents house into a performance venue, complete with tickets and a rotating schedule. Every night there was something different: a play, dance or singing performances, films, or photo shoots, she says. Basically, Halloween was an all-year-around event for me. Im sure my mom wasnt exactly thrilled, but she was a good sport!

Elizabeth may have outgrown living room plays, but she hasnt lost any of her creative spark. Now a filmmaker in addition to her career as a model for brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent, shes channeled her love of Halloween into a short film called Simple Life of the Immortal Sisters. A spooky play on drama-laden docuseries, it features Elizabeths friends and fellow runway stars Tami Williams, Harleth Kuusik, Julia Banas, Jordan Daniels, and Bridget Hearst, who co-wrote the story.

Photo: Kyleen James

The reality-TV meets immortal ghoul theme was inspired by Death Becomes Her, the 1992 hit that sees Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn transform into flawlessly undead arch rivals. For Elizabeth, who saw the film for the first time this summer, its exploration of the perils of eternal youth and unrealistic beauty expectations set for women struck a chord. Women outlive men, but society wants to give us an expiration date, said Elizabeth. I loved the idea of creating characters that were super old, yet still thriving. The retro movie reference was paired with two of Elizabeths current obsessions: beauty YouTube influencers like Jeffree Star and John Maclean and age-defying Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne. I wanted to try out a vlog [meets] reality TV format, but still keep an editorial edge, since it hasn't been done before, says Elizabeth, who worked with director of photography Samuel Levine and stylist Lisa Jarvis to create a glamorous look.

Though she was already used to directingshe shot her first film at the age of 8 while at surf campElizabeths career in fashion has influenced her films. A big inspiration [for] why I decided to do this more seriously was shooting a short film with the insanely talented John Galliano, says Elizabeth, who has worked with the designer several times during his tenure at Maison Margiela. Becoming a model obviously took my filmmaking to another level and gave me incredible opportunities to develop my skills. It also impacted the fearless way she approached the project. When I create I don't limit myself and I'm not afraid to do things differently, she says. I think some people just have it, and maybe their craziness makes sense. So far, reaction to the piece has been overwhelmingly positive and Elizabeth hopes viewers leave with one takeaway: "I hope that people realize that no matter how old you are, you can still be fabulous and live your life to the fullest!" Spoken like a true immortal diva.
By Asif Shahzad and Kay Johnson ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Until one sweltering day in 2009, Asia Bibi led a simple life with her husband and children in rural Pakistan. Hers was one of only three Christian families in her village but they'd never had much trouble from Muslim neighbors, relatives say. "She was an innocent, loving and caring ordinary woman," said Bibi's brother-in-law, Joseph Nadeem. "She and her husband both were farm workers. They had five kids and a happy life." Then, a dispute over a cup of water with fellow field laborers led to Bibi being sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam. She spent eight years on death row before Pakistan's Supreme Court overturned her conviction this week and ordered her freed. Bibi's ordeal has become symbolic of the difficulties that Pakistan's tiny Christian population, only 2.6 percent of the country of 208 million, faces along with other religious minorities as hard-line Islamist movements grow stronger. Her family is now in hiding for fear of attacks by Islamists angry at the ruling, and still waiting to be reunited with Bibi "You know my two youngest daughters were below age of 10 when their mother went away ... They don't remember spending much time with her," Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, told Reuters by telephone. The family has four daughters and one son, he said. "We are thankful to the court that it decided the case considering us human beings instead of any discrimination on the base of faith or religion." He said Bibi, who is about 50, has not been released from prison pending arrangements for her safety. Thousands of members of a hardline Islamist party have blockaded roads for two days in major Pakistani cities to protest against the Supreme Court's decision, even calling for the assassination of the judges who made the ruling. "She can't be safe here," brother-in-law Nadeem said. "You know what's going on outside. We want things to settle down before we go ahead for her release." DISCRIMINATION The rise of Islamist parties such as Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP), which has made "death to blasphemers" its main rallying cry, has many of Pakistan's religious minorities worried. Though the TLP gained no National Assembly seats in a general election this year, it won 2.2 million votes nationwide. The party's fiery rhetoric also pulled much of the political discourse to the right in this deeply conservative country. Pakistan is about 96 percent Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim, with Christians, Hindus and members the Ahmadi faith making up tiny minorities. Christians in Pakistan are often targeted in attacks by militants, including a pre-Christmas suicide bomb attack last year on a Methodist church that killed more than 50 people in the southwestern city of Quetta. The attack was claimed by Islamic State's local affiliate. Christians are also frequent targets of discrimination and violence. In 2013, a mob burned down more than 125 Christian homes in a neighborhood of Lahore after rumors spread that a Christian resident had insulted the Prophet Mohammad. Religious minorities are also far more likely to be charged with blasphemy than Muslims. Despite their tiny percentage of the population, Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis made up half of the 1,549 cases of blasphemy filed over three decades through 2017, according to Peter Jacobs, the Christian head of the Centre for Social Justice, which compiled the numbers. Pakistan's constitution guarantees freedom of religion and - as the Supreme Court's ruling Wednesday stressed - Islam's holy Koran stresses tolerance and fighting injustice. The ruling said that evidence against Bibi was insufficient to convict her. Bibi's family says that for years, they lived side by side with Muslim neighbors in the village of Ikkawali, in the bread-basket province of Punjab. "You know, the society we live in, we are often discriminated against as Christians but she was living a happy life," said Nadeem. 'ENEMY' That all changed on June 14, 2009, when Bibi offered a cup of water to her Muslim fellow field workers. A woman refused, saying anything from the hand of a Christian was unclean, according to the Supreme Court ruling. The incident led to harsh words and a police complaint several days later, then the court case that saw Bibi sentenced to death. "Just sipping water from a mug made the whole village her enemy," said Nadeem. With Bibi soon to be free, her family is struggling to make plans. They would prefer to leave the country to be safe, but there are plans in place. "We haven't got any contact yet either from Pakistani authorities or anyone from outside," Nadeem said. Yet, despite all the family has been through, Bibi's husband Masih said he would be sad to be forced to leave his homeland. "We're also part of Pakistan," he said. "This is our country. We love it." (Additional reporting by Mubasher Bukhari; Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - A senior Palestinian official on Friday condemned Brazilian far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro's announcement that he would move his country's Israel embassy to Jerusalem.

The move announced Thursday comes six months after the United States controversially transferred its embassy, and aligns the incoming Brazilian leader squarely with US President Donald Trump.

The Palestinians consider the Israeli-annexed eastern part of the city the capital of their future state.

"These are provocative and illegal steps that will only destabilise security and stability in the region," Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee, told AFP.

"It is very unfortunate that Brazil has joined this negative alliance against international law," she said, referring to a small number of countries supporting the US decision, which sparked fury among Palestinians.

On Thursday Bolsonaro tweeted that "as previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem."

"Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the move as "historic".

"I congratulate my friend Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro for his intention to move the Brazilian embassy to Jerusalem, a historic, correct and exciting step!" he said in a statement.

Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip and has fought three wars with Israel in a decade, also condemned the announcement.

"We consider this a hostile step against the Palestinian people and the Arabic and Islamic world," spokesman Sami Abu Zahri wrote on Twitter Friday.

The Palestinians cut off ties with the Trump administration after the decision was first announced in December 2017, saying the government's pro-Israel bias meant it could no longer lead peace negotiations between themselves and Israel.

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Ashrawi did not mention any potential downgrading of ties with Brazil.

Israel occupied Arab east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it in moves never recognised by the international community.

It sees the entire city as its capital.

For decades the international community maintained that the city's status should be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians.

Guatemala and Paraguay also moved their embassies to Jerusalem after the US transfer, though the latter announced in September it would return its embassy to Tel Aviv.

The embassies of all other countries are located in Tel Aviv.
The debate over whether or not President Trump encouraged the man who set out to slaughter Jews at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh really isnt a debate at all. Its a shouting match.

Yes, he did!

No, he didnt!

And it will likely only make things worse, as each side grows increasingly deaf to its own heated rhetoric and ever more furious at the others.

Heres a better question: Is Trump helping?

The answer is obviously no  and thats bad enough.

Let us stipulate that the pro-Israel father of Ivanka Trump, who converted to Judaism when she married Jared Kushner, is not literally Hitler. But lets also stipulate that theres something about Trump and his MAGA nationalism thats been, and remains, very attractive to bigots. This doesnt mean that everyone who jumped aboard the Trump train is a bigot. Far from it. But it is simply true that some who did are bigots, and Trump and his team have been dismayingly unconcerned about this fact.

I have some personal experience here. When the alt-right rallied to Trump starting in 2015, I was one of their targets. I was besieged with anti-Semitic filth. I ranked sixth on the Anti-Defamation Leagues list of targeted Jewish journalists. Once, when I mentioned that my brother had died, I was pelted with jokes asking if hed been turned into soap or a lampshade.

While the attacks shocked me, I was more dismayed by how little many fellow conservatives seemed to care about the entire phenomenon. This was back when Steve Bannon  later the Trump campaigns CEO and eventually the presidents senior adviser  still wanted Breitbart.com to be a platform for the alt-right.

The best defense of Trump at the time was ignorance and, ironically, bigotry  toward Republicans. A lifelong New York Democrat, Trump had no real understanding of what traditional conservatives and Republicans believed. In 2000, when he vied for the Reform partys presidential nomination, he said he was trying to keep bigots from taking over the party. Hes obviously been having a love affair with Adolf Hitler, Trump said of opponent Patrick Buchanan. Trumps dream running mate: Oprah.

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In 2016, after years of cultivating support for his birtherism, Trump still believed many of the liberal stereotypes of the GOP as a hothouse of bigotry. Thats why he struggled to repudiate David Duke and let Putins and the alt-rights racist troll armies fight in his name. Trump thought he needed them.

Trump is even more ignorant about how to be presidential. Hes the first president who doesnt even know how to pretend to be a unifying figure, at least for longer than it takes to read a statement. Instead, hes enraptured by the rapture of his base, feeding them red meat, dog whistles, and cultural wedge issues  anything to keep all of the attention, negative or positive, on him. He often says it would be so easy to be presidential but, as he said at a Pennsylvania rally in March, Youd all be out of here right now, youd be so bored. Why try to unify the country if the price is a little less applause and attention?

This dynamic has had a transformative effect on Trump, his base  and his opponents. Trump long resisted calling himself a nationalist, fearing it was kooky Bannon stuff. Now he embraces it, heedless of its implications to others not already on his team. The media has gone from being biased (it is), to being fake (its not), to being the enemy of the people and tantamount to a fifth column.

Many in the Trumpified right-wing media amplify and reinforce all of this because they, too, are addicted to the same base.

Amid the mail-bomb scare last week Trump tweeted about how unfair it is that CNN can criticize him yet when I criticize them they go wild and scream, Its just not Presidential! The false equivalence is lost on him and on his biggest defenders. CNN isnt the president. Its in a different lane. And while some of its coverage is worthy of criticism, it isnt  or shouldnt be  a warrant for Trump to leave his lane.

I dont think Trump deliberately encouraged the slaughter in Pittsburgh. But every day he fuels a sense of chaos, a feeling that none of the norms or rules apply anymore. And that is bad enough. It certainly isnt helping. The president is supposed to at least try.

 2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
Warsaw (AFP) - Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Friday it was unlikely Poland would support the UN migration pact set to be adopted in December, following rejections by Washington, Budapest and Vienna and a cool reception in Prague.

"It is very likely that Poland, like Austria, the Czech Republic or the United States will not be part of the global pact on migration," Morawiecki told reporters speaking alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Warsaw.

"Our rules, our sovereign principles concerning border protection and migration control are a top priority," he told the press conference, a day after his Czech counterpart also expressed misgivings about the pact.

The United Nations' Global Compact for Migration, whose final text was agreed in July after 18 months of negotiations, is set to be adopted during a conference in Morocco on December 10-11.

It lays out 23 objectives to open up legal migration and better manage migratory flows as the number of people on the move worldwide has increased to 250 million, or three percent of the world's population.

The United States quit talks on the pact last December, Hungary's anti-immigration prime minister Viktor Orban rejected it in July and Austria followed suit on Wednesday.

Poland and fellow eastern EU states the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia flatly rejected a German-backed EU plan to introduce a mandatory quota system to distribute migrants and refugees across the bloc, following the 2015 migrant crisis.

EU leaders dropped the mandatory quota plan in June.
The two Saudi Arabian sisters who were found dead on the shores of the Hudson River in New York are not believed to be victims of foul play, authorities said on Friday.

The bodies of Tala Farea, 16, and Rotana Farea, 22, were discovered duct-taped together at the waist and feet on Oct. 24.

At a press conference on Friday, New York City Police Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said the sisters were seen praying in a playground near the river hours before their bodies were found. He added that detectives were told by sources that the sisters said they would rather die than return to Saudi Arabia.

At this point in time, we have no credible information that any crime took place, Shea said. It is entirely credible that the girls entered the water alive.

The medical examiner has not yet made a determination on the cause or manner of death.

The Farea sisters moved to the U.S. two or three years ago and lived in Fairfax, Virginia. They were reported missing on a few occasions, and were last seen by family in November 2017. In December, they were placed in a shelter in Virginia after reporting that they had been physically abused by family members. They stayed there until August of this year.

Passport photos of Tala and Rotana Farea, found dead in New York. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Police believe the sisters arrived in New York City on Sept. 1. Shea said they used Rotanas credit card to pay for hotel rooms, order food and go shopping. By the time of their deaths, Rotanas credit card was maxed out.

Shea said the sisters may have applied for asylum, citing family abuse. HuffPost could not independently confirm this, and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this week, police said the mother of the girls claimed she received a call from the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, D.C. inquiring about the daughters asylum applications, and ordering the whole family to leave the country.

A Saudi official disputed that to HuffPost, stating that the phone call was about the mothers expired immigration status. The official added that the embassy was still confirming if, in fact, the sisters had applied for asylum, and said the family did not know about it if so.

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The NYPD confirmed the family was fearful over the possibility of deportation but did not elaborate further whether the concerns came from the Saudi Arabian consulate or U.S. Immigration and Customs.

ICE did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday it would be a "handful more weeks" before the United States had enough evidence to impose sanctions in response to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Pompeo, in an interview with KMOX radio in St. Louis, said President Donald Trump had made it clear Washington would respond to the killing. He said the administration is "reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals that we have been able to identify to date that ... were engaged in that murder." "It'll take us probably a handful more weeks before we have enough evidence to actually put those sanctions in place, but I think we'll be able to get there," Pompeo said. "We're going to find the fact pattern," he said. "The president said we will demand accountability for those who were involved in the commission of this heinous crime." While insisting the United States did not condone Khashoggi's killing, the top U.S. diplomat said the United States had "deep and long-term strategic relationships" with Saudi Arabia and "we intend to make sure that those relationships remain intact." Saudi Arabia's former intelligence minister, Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud, said on Wednesday that the outcry in the United States demonizing Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi's killing threatened to disrupt strategic ties between the two countries. "We value our strategic relationship with the United States and hope to sustain it. We hope the United States reciprocates in kind," Prince Turki, a royal family member, said in remarks at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, a non-profit advocacy organization. Khashoggi, who lived in the United States and wrote columns for the Washington Post, went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to collect some documents, but he never reappeared. Riyadh initially denied any role in his disappearance, but under pressure from Turkish authorities it eventually identified 18 suspects in the case. Saudi Arabia said they will face justice in the kingdom. Ankara has repeatedly called for them to be extradited to Turkey for trial. Turkey pressed Saudi authorities on Thursday to tell them the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body, which has not been recovered. (Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)
FILE  In this May 5, 2015 photo, marijuana plants grows at a Minnesota Medical Solutions greenhouse in Otsego, Minn. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP, File)

Cannabis companies are free to book profit on pot that isnt finished growing and hasnt yet been sold. Its all above board thanks to an accounting rule traditionally applied to assets like live hogs and grapes still on the vine.

Under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), companies in the agricultural sector pre-book profit for these biological assets while they are still growing. The unsold inventory impacts net income as if it were revenue, once estimated selling costs are deducted.

It means cannabis companies can, in theory, report net income in a quarter without a single sale.

Craig Wiggins, one-third of an independent analysis team called TheCannalysts, feels the accounting convention makes sense when applied to cattle  cannabis, he says, is another story.

Wiggins worries too many assumptions about an industry still in its infancy are being fed into these company-determined valuations, and expects many retail investors dont understand the risk of write-downs if the real-world cost-per-gram falls short.

There are far more examples of LPs (licensed producers) being too aggressive in pre-booking profits than the reverse, he told Yahoo Finance Canada. Canopy (WEED.TO) has had to reverse GoB (gain on biologicals) that they took at each of the last two year-ends.

Futures contracts and the spot market for old school commodities like corn and soybeans help companies predict prices down the road. Not the case for cannabis, where no such pricing exists. Demand and prices for pot are much larger question marks.

Paul Rosen, CEO and chairman of the cannabis-focused financing company Tidal Royalty Corp. (RLTY-U.CN) and co-founder of Cronos Group Inc. (CRON.TO), said the biological assets rule is widely-accepted.

Of the things that would keep me up at night about investing in the cannabis industry, that would not be one of them, he told Yahoo Finance Canada. Its not like a big hush-hush secret. Its just not that controversial in my opinion.

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Rosen admits the practice is likely not very well-known among the often young and inexperienced investors that piled into pot stocks ahead of recreational legalization in Canada on Oct. 17. He also concedes that cannabis companies and conventional agriculture make for odd bedfellows.

Is cannabis ultimately agriculture? Or is it industrial, biotech, or CPG (consumer packaged goods)?, Rosen said. There are all sorts of elements in the cannabis ecosystem

Rosen, who is by most measures a veteran investor in the nascent cannabis sector, has faith that regulators are doing an adequate job of protecting investors, and feels licensed producers are doing their part by making ethical decisions.

He also expects uncertainties around demand and prices will diminish as the industry works through its initial growing pains.

Wiggins, who boasts three decades of experience in commercial lending, and runs a boutique supply chain financing company, calls the IFRS measures voodoo.

His fellow Cannalysts, commodity trader Andrew Udell and Brock University biotechnology PhD candidate Graham Jones, recently emerged from anonymity on Reddit. They host a podcast about cannabis investment analysis.

It seems like Bay Street is listening.

Shortly after the Bank of Montreal (BMO.TO) became the first of the big Canadian lenders to wade into the cannabis sector earlier this year, TheCannalysts reached out and set up a meeting.

We wanted to understand what they knew about the sector. We showed them what we knew about the sector. I think we pointed out a number of things that they werent aware of, Wiggins said.



TheCannalysts have also arranged talks between five of Canadas biggest licensed producers and Export Development Canada to discuss international business opportunities.

For Wiggins, the biological assets rule underscores the the need for cannabis investors to evaluate non-IFRS measures, his favourite being adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), and conduct their own trend analysis.

If youre reading a companys press releases youre not getting the fully story, he said. It usually focuses on the good stuff. At TheCannalysts, we like to focus on the bad stuff. Thats where you figure out where the rubber hits the road.

Rosen too acknowledges that the commentary of exuberant cannabis company executives often ought to be taken with a grain of salt.

That said, until the recent pot stock pull-back, he was comfortable valuing companies in the sector at up to 200-times revenue.

Were genuinely bullish, Rosen said. Maybe we are all drunk on our own recipes, but we really believe in what we are doing.

Wiggins also anticipates long-term value, but hes calling for near-term carnage as weak post-recreational legalization numbers roll in.

The self-described slayer of gain on biological asset voodoo hopes the reckoning he sees on the horizon will encourage closer studying of cannabis company fundamentals.

You find out that I booked this product at $6 (per gram), not including my selling price. Now Ive got to sell it to the government wholesaler at $4, he mused. We are are going to see things start falling apart, and wheels falling off certain carts.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has canceled a visit to Colombia that he had planned for early December, the White House said on Friday. Trump had planned the visit to take place after his attendance late this month at a G-20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his stay is to include a meeting over dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "President Trumps schedule will not allow him to travel to Colombia later this month," the White House said in a statement. It is the second time this year that Trump has skipped a planned trip to Bogota. He had been scheduled to visit the Colombian capital in April after attending the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru, but stayed in Washington to focus on responding to a chemical weapons attack in Syria. Trump met with Colombian President Ivan Duque on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 25, the White House said. (Reporting by Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton; editing by Leslie Adler and James Dalgleish)
Thousands gathered in cities across Pakistan on November 2 in a third day of protests against a Supreme Court decision to acquit a Christian woman of blasphemy.

Asia Bibi, a Roman Catholic mother of five, was convicted in 2010 of insulting the Prophet Muhammad during an argument with her neighbors and was facing the death penalty, according to reports.

She appealed the conviction in Pakistans Supreme Court and won on October 31, inciting widespread protests from Islamists across the country, particularly the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik party. Reports citing Bibis lawyer said she was released following the ruling and has plans to leave Pakistan.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who published this footage, reported that supporters of Tehrik-e Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party in Swat had called for the Supreme Court judges to be killed for their ruling. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful
From the civil rights movement to the Vietnam War protests and the fight for womens rights, the youth of America have been at the forefront of leading and advocating for social change, and the young people of today are no different. In a new series titled Rise Up: Celebrating Young Leader Activists, Yahoo News profiles five up-and-coming leaders from the Gen Z and millennial generations, with our fourth installment featuring 17-year-old Kian Tortorello-Allen of Mount Kisco, NY.

Although he never knew his name, Kian Tortorello-Allen hasnt forgotten the trans high school senior he looked up to in the eighth grade. That was kinda my indicator that, Oh, maybe you can come out. Initially, Kian identified as a lesbian. I came out as, like, a slew of queer labels, he recalls. Now I identify as a homosexual, transgender male. Reaching that point of self-discovery, however, was not easy: In the eighth grade, Kian had rocks thrown at him, and in his freshman year of high school, he had to face the brunt of racist, homophobic bullying from a group of boys. At that point, he says, I was really like: I can either stand up for what I believe in, or I can literally never go to school again and drop out.

Kian picked the former option, and devoted himself to activism. He joined GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, and became part of a group of 18 students who worked toward making schools more LGBTQ-inclusive nationwide. He also worked with TSER, Trans Student Educational Resources, a grassroots organization focused on advocating for trans people of color. Once I realized that I had the ability to work with nonprofits really powerfully, I realized that I also have my own voice, and I can make my own platforms, he says. And I may be 17, but that doesnt mean that I dont have something to say and that I cant have my voice be heard.

Inspired by black LGBTQ civil rights pioneers from the 1960s, like Bayard Rustin and Marsha P. Johnson, Kian learned that good leadership means being willing to listen. He notes that, more often than not, those in positions of power dont identify with multiple marginalized communities. Its really important that people that hold the power are actually listening to people that are most affected.

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Kian says that combining arts with activism is something he doesnt see often  and that he wants to change that. As a musician, he has been part of a classical music band that plays with kids all over New York City, especially those from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Its really cool to walk into a room where Im not the only brown person with a flute, cause that had never happened to me before. And it got me to thinking about the fact that music can bring together communities  often in ways that are surprising and revealing.

Im African-American, continues Kian. Im very light-skinned, so people dont really associate that with me. But the black community is portrayed as very aggressive, and you have to be a certain way, and tough, and in reality, thats not whats going on at all. Were musical and artistic, and beautiful. Kian is also a painter, drawing everything from cityscapes to portraits. I think all forms of art, whether it be poetry, or fine arts, or especially music  theyre very healing, and theyre not only healing, but theyre very powerful and strong.

In the future, Kian hopes to start a nonprofit for trans people of color. In my freshman year, I was one of three trans kids in my [high]school, and my school has 1,500 kids. Now that Im a senior, Im looking and theres four or five underclassmen that are openly trans, which is really cool.

Representation, Kian believes, is key for the trans community. It makes me feel less invisible, he explains. It makes me feel loved, and accepted, and validated.
By Denis Pinchuk and Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is close to agreeing a 38-million-euro loan to Cuba to help it buy Russian-made arms, a deputy finance minister said on Friday, after President Vladimir Putin met Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Moscow. Russia's Kommersant newspaper had previously reported that Moscow planned to grant Cuba a loan of more than $50 million to allow it to buy Russian hardware such as tanks, armored vehicles and possibly military helicopters. Under Putin, Russia has sought to revive relations and deepen its influence in Latin America, particularly with countries wary of U.S. influence such as Cuba where friendly ties with Moscow date back to the Soviet era. Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak said a Cuban military delegation would visit Russia in two weeks when he expected a loan-for-hardware deal to be signed. Russian news agencies reported that Cuban Defence Minister General Leopoldo Cintra Frias would be part of the delegation. "Work (on the loan) is continuing," Storchak told reporters after Putin's talks with Cuba's president. "Nobody has refused anyone anything. There is such a theme and there is such a loan. It's just that there are some parts of it which have yet to be agreed. ... The Cubans plan to visit with a professional delegation and I think that we will sign the agreement during their trip," said Storchak, saying he expected that to be in two weeks. Kommersant had cited an unnamed source in Russia's military-industrial complex as saying that Cuba was looking to modernize Russian equipment it already operates and to acquire new hardware too. Another source told the newspaper he believed the Cubans were also interested in buying light arms from Russia. RUSSIAN OFFER OF HELP Putin told a news conference with the Cuban president that Russia would build a ground station in Cuba that would allow the island nation to tap into Russia's Glonass global navigation satellite system, Moscow's answer to the GPS system. He said Moscow was ready to help Cuba modernize its infrastructure too, including its rail network. Diaz-Canel, on his first official visit to Russia since taking office, invited Putin to visit Cuba next year. In a joint statement after their talks, the two men called on the United States to reconsider its intention to withdraw from a Cold War-era nuclear arms treaty, saying the move would be detrimental for international security. Washington has said it wants to quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces arms treaty and has accused Russia of violating it, something Moscow denies. The joint statement also criticized U.S. foreign policy, what it called Washington's interference in the affairs of other countries, and the practice of using sanctions to try to destabilize other nations. (Additional reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Indonesia's transport ministry said Friday it had found "minor" faults in two other Boeing 737-MAX 8 jets, including a cockpit indicator display problem which an analyst said may be similar to one reported in the crashed Lion Air Jet.

The ministry is inspecting 10 of the newly released jets owned by Lion and flagship carrier Garuda, as authorities analyse data from a recovered black box that may help explain why flight JT 610 plummeted into the Java Sea, killing 189 people on Monday.

Few details were released, but the ministry said it had looked over half a dozen jets so far and discovered that one had a problem linked to its cockpit display while another had a glitch in a jet stabilisation system.

Both Lion-owned planes required new components, it said.

Aviation analyst Dudi Sudibyo said the cockpit display issue could include a speed-and-altitude glitch reported in the doomed jet.

"With airplanes, even if there is a single, tiny fault it should not fly," he added.

Stephen Wright, an aviation expert at the University of Leeds, told AFP that the faults identified by the transport ministry were "very minor."

He added that any problems with the new jet's pitot-static system -- which determines speed and altitude among other measurements -- will be key to the probe.

The inspection comes as questions swirl about why a plane that had gone into service just months ago crashed into the sea minutes after takeoff.

The single-aisle jet, en route from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang city, is one of the world's newest and most advanced commercial passenger planes.

Budget carrier Lion Air's admission that the doomed jet had a technical issue on a previous flight -- as well its abrupt fatal dive -- have raised questions about whether it had mechanical faults specific to the new model.

Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee said it was interviewing people who flew on the plane the day before the fatal crash.

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Some have reported a frightening, erratic trip, an assertion that appears to be backed up by flight tracking data.

- Totally destroyed -

Earlier Friday, seats, wheels and other parts of the crashed jet were hauled from the depths off Indonesia's north coast as search teams scoured the seabed for the fuselage.

"There is a lot of little debris, plane wheels, and seats -- all totally destroyed and in pieces," said Isswarto, commander of the Indonesian navy's search-and-rescue division.

Divers were searching a relatively shallow area about 25-35 metres deep, but have been finding fewer body parts than earlier in the week, he added.

"They're scattered everywhere and some may have been washed away by the current."

Dozens of body bags containing remains have been recovered from the crash site.

On Thursday, one of the plane's black boxes was recovered, and authorities are hunting for the second one.

The black box could offer investigators their best chance of discovering why the jet crashed. The devices help explain nearly 90 percent of all crashes, according to aviation experts.

The devices record information about the speed, altitude and direction of the plane as well as flight crew conversations.

Boeing and US National Transportation Safety Board officials are taking part in the probe.

The search and rescue agency said the recovery effort would continue at least through Sunday.

Preliminary investigation results are expected to be made public by the end of the month.

- Poor safety record -

Passengers' remains are being sent to hospital for DNA testing, with four passengers identified as of Friday.

The pilot on the doomed plane asked to return to Jakarta before the crash, but it remains unclear what caused the accident.

The accident resurrected concerns about Indonesia's poor air safety record which until recently saw its carriers facing years-long bans from entering European Union and US airspace.

There were nearly 40 fatal aviation accidents in Indonesia over the past 15 years, according to the Aviation Safety Network, including a 1997 crash that killed 234 people, the country's deadliest plane accident.

Lion Air -- which has had a number of incidents including a fatal 2004 crash -- capitalised on an explosion in Indonesia's domestic air travel market.

But concerns have been raised about pilot shortages in the industry and growth outstripping Indonesia's strained regulatory and technical resources.

"The growth of the industry here has happened too fast," said analyst Sudibyo.
By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) - Sexual abuse by North Korean officials appears to be "endemic", a watchdog group reported on Thursday, as activists complain the isolated country's rights record is being ignored as an international push is made to improve relations. Investigators with U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) interviewed more than 100 North Koreans who had left the country - including more than 50 who left since 2011 - and described unwanted sexual contact and violence as "so common that it has come to be accepted as part of ordinary life". Gathering information in North Korea is notoriously difficult, and HRW acknowledged its survey was too limited to provide a generalized sample. But the testimonies paint a picture of sexual abuse - including rape - that is so widespread that many of the women interviewed did not understand that coercive sex should not be an almost every-day occurrence, said one investigator who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the work. The North Korean delegation to the United Nations in Geneva issued a statement to Reuters in response to the report, "strongly rejecting" the allegations as "trite" and "fictitious". "This is yet another futile attempt by some dishonest and hostile forces, who feel uneasy with the ongoing trend toward peace, reconciliation, prosperity and cooperation on the Korean peninsula, to hinder the rapprochement by raising the so-called 'human rights' issue of our country with unfounded and fictitious stories," it said. The global #MeToo movement has pushed to end sexual abuse, but HRW executive director Kenneth Roth said there appeared to be little progress in North Korea, despite economic reforms and a stated intention to modernize under leader Kim Jong Un's authoritarian government. "This is not a regime-threatening issue," Roth told Reuters. "So that is why it is particularly appalling that the government is not doing anything to prevent sexual abuse by officials." Those interviewed described abuse and rape by police, prison guards, and even officials who oversee some of the growing private markets, who exact bribes in the form of sexual favors. "Ironically, many of the women who are at the center of the economic opening that Kim says he cares about are the most at risk," Roth said. "Pervasive" social stigma meant many victims never discuss abuse, the group said. "I was ashamed and scared," one woman who said she was raped told HRW investigators. "Everybody would have blamed me." The Korea Future Initiative rights group said of North Korea in a March report that "a thinly disguised misogyny pervades all that the government touches, allowing perpetrators to find shelter in its institutions and societys patriarchal conventions". As South Korea and the United States focus on diplomacy with North Korea, rights and defector groups in the South have said they are struggling to raise money and are facing pressure to avoid criticism of North Korea. U.N. investigators have reported the use of political prison camps, starvation and executions in North Korea, saying security chiefs and possibly even leader Kim himself should face international justice. Up to 120,000 people are held in political prison camps, the top U.N. North Korea rights official reported last year. (Additional reporting by Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay in Geneva; Editing by Michael Perry, Robert Birsel)
Global smartphone sales fell for a fourth consecutive quarter in the period through September, suggesting a challenging market for device makers awaiting catalysts to spark sales, researchers said.

A report by research firm IDC late Thursday showed 355 million handsets delivered in the third quarter, a year-on-year decline of six percent.

"IDC maintains its view that the market will return to growth in 2019, but at this stage it is too early to tell what that growth will look like," the report said.

A separate survey by strategy Analytics showed an eight percent drop in sales to 360 million units.

"The global smartphone market has now declined for four consecutive quarters and is effectively in a recession," said Strategy Analytics director Linda Sui.

"The smartphone industry is struggling to come to terms with heavily diminished carrier subsidies, longer replacement rates, inventory buildup in several regions, and a lack of exciting hardware design innovation."

According to Strategy Analytics, Apple's iPhone sales of 46.9 million units suggested the California giant is focusing on price increases, capping its overall volume growth.

Samsung remained the top vendor with just over 20 percent of sales, according to both surveys.

Chinese-based Huawei held second place with over 14 percent and Apple remained third with roughly 13 percent.

The fourth and fifth largest, respectively, were Chinese device makers Xiaomi and Oppo.

The researchers said a slowdown in China is a major factor in the slump in global sales, while noting that the market could pick up next year as makers introduce new devices compatible with superfast 5G, or fifth-generation wireless networks.

"China's domestic market continues to be challenged as overall consumer spending around smartphones has been down," said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC.

"Despite this, we believe this market will begin to recover in 2019 and beyond, driven in the short term by a large, built up refresh cycle across all segments, and in the outer years of the forecast supported by 5G migration."
Madrid (AFP) - Spanish prosecutors called Friday for Catalan separatist leaders to be jailed for up to 25 years on charges of rebellion or misuse of public funds over last year's failed secession bid.

In a statement ahead of an upcoming Supreme Court trial, the prosecution service said it was seeking prison sentences against 12 Catalan leaders ranging from seven to 25 years, the latter jail term being sought for former Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras.

But in a sign Spain's socialist government disagreed, the attorney general's office announced it would ask for just 12 years jail for Junqueras, accusing him of sedition and misuse of public funds rather than the more serious charge of rebellion.

The sensitive trial is expected to start in early 2019 -- more than a year after Catalan leaders attempted to break away from Spain in October 2017 by staging a referendum despite a court ban and subsequently proclaiming independence.

Spain's then conservative government moved swiftly to depose the Catalan executive, dissolve the regional parliament and call snap local elections in December.

Some Catalan leaders such as deposed regional president Carles Puigdemont fled abroad, while others like Junqueras remained and were put into custody pending the trial.

"They can lock us up in here for years and years, but it will not weaken the desire for freedom," Junqueras said in a letter on Thursday.

Apart from Junqueras, prosecutors want two influential Catalan civic leaders, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, and former regional parliamentary speaker Carme Forcadell jailed for 17 years.

In a separate case, prosecutors said they were seeking four to 11 years jail against former regional police leaders including Catalonia's then police chief Josep Lluis Trapero, who is also accused of rebellion.

Catalonia's current separatist leader Quim Torra reacted angrily against the jail terms sought for "good people, peaceful people."

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"Does anyone think that the two million independence supporters will just disappear by demanding (a total of) 200 years of jail for pro-independence leaders?" he asked.

- 'Intimidating force' -

In its statement, the prosecution service said pro-independence leaders had planned to use all possible means to achieve secession, "including -- knowing that the state wouldn't accept this situation -- any violence needed to secure this criminal result".

It said separatist leaders had instigated "big citizen mobilisations" that represented an "intimidating force" and had also used the regional police force of 17,000 agents, who followed their orders.

The charge of rebellion has caused controversy in Spain, not just among those who support Catalan independence but further afield among legal experts.

According to Spanish law, rebellion is "rising up in a violent and public manner," to among other things "breach, suspend or change the constitution" or "declare independence for part of the (Spanish) territory".

Military officers behind a 1981 attempted coup in Spain were found guilty of rebellion, for instance.

But many legal experts contest the use of rebellion in the Catalan case, saying there was no violence during the secession bid, except that used by Spanish police on October 1, 2017 as they tried to stop people from voting in the banned referendum.

Spain's justice minister acknowledged the controversy on Friday, telling reporters there was a "legal, even social debate on what happened in Catalonia in September and October last year".

"This debate also took place at the attorney general's office," Dolores Delgado said, pointing out that it had decided to press charges of sedition, misuse of public funds and disobedience against Catalan leaders, and not rebellion.

She denied it was a political decision on the part of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist government, which is in a minority in parliament and depends on other lawmakers, including from Catalan separatist parties, to pass bills or approve the budget.

In an act in front of the prison where Junqueras is being held, Catalan leader Torra said separatist parties were withdrawing support for the budget and would not vote.

But Catalan parties with representation in Madrid will have more say in that decision and it was not immediately clear whether they would follow suit.

The right-wing opposition quickly accused the government of bowing to separatist pressure to secure support in parliament.

In a tweet, conservative lawmaker Pablo Casado accused premier Sanchez of being "hostage to coup plotters" and "no longer legitimate to lead the government".
Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil community, scarred by a devastating civil war, could emerge as kingmakers in a power struggle between rival prime ministers -- but they have reasons to mistrust both.

President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister last Friday and named former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse as his replacement.

Wickremesinghe refuses to accept his dismissal and has remained in the premier's official residence while both men fight for support in parliament.

The main Tamil party has 16 seats in the 225-member parliament that should decide between Rajapakse, who unleashed the full force of the military on Tamil Tiger fighters, their supporters and civilians a decade ago, and Wickremesinghe, whose foot-dragging on reform has grated.

"We have to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea," Tamil National Alliance (TNA) legislator Dharmalingam Sithadthan told AFP of the two men, both of whom are members of the majority ethnic Sinhalese community.

Wickremesinghe's party has 104 members in parliament, while Rajapakse and his allies have 99 -- although some members of each camp have switched sides. The 16 Tamil votes will likely play a crucial deciding role.

The prospect of Rajapakse returning to power worries Tamils concentrated in the north and east of the country because of the bloody past.

Wickremesinghe is also distrusted because of the slow pace of promised reconciliation after the war.

His party had promised accountability for war-time atrocities against the Tamils, but since coming to power he has not prosecuted any of the perpetrators.

He is also yet to deliver on promises of political reform to grant more authority to Tamils as well as reparations for war victims.

Sri Lanka's Tamils generally feel disconnected from national politics, but the power struggle has shocked them, said Ahilan Kadirgamar, a political economist from the Tamil stronghold of Jaffna in the country's north.

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"There is anxiety over Mahinda Rajapakse coming back," he said.

The United Nations estimates that more than 100,000 people were killed in the country's brutal 37-year civil war, including 40,000 Tamil civilians who perished when Rajapakse ordered a brutal final offensive in 2009.

Residents in Tamil areas were under constant surveillance during Rajapakse's reign.

Tamils had to get military permission to host outsiders in their homes -- even for a meal. Many feared those tight controls could return with Rajapakse, Kadirgamar said.

Rajapakse's decade in power ended in 2015. He blamed his presidential election defeat on Tamils who voted against him.

- Reprisal fears -

"I get calls from my constituents asking what will happen if Mahinda becomes PM," the TNA's Sithadthan said. "Our people are worried about their security, their future."

Sithadthan said his parliamentary bloc could risk retribution if it chose the losing side in the power struggle.

"If we support one party, the other will target us at some time when they return to power," he said. "It is not a happy situation for us to be king-makers at this time."

Kadirgamar said Tamils were also fearful that Jaffna would once again be militarised and the political stability of recent years threatened.

"Under Rajapakse, people always felt they were being watched," Kadirgamar said.

- No concessions -

Praveena Raviraj, whose legislator father was gunned down in 2006, said she feared for her future as she believed her father was killed by Rajapakse's forces.

"As the daughter of a murdered member of parliament who has been living in Sri Lanka, I am glad I just got my seven-year multiple entry visa to Canada," she said of the prospect of Rajapakse becoming premier.

Sirisena and Wickremesinghe came to power in 2015 promising ethnic reconciliation and accountability for wartime excesses under Rajapakse's rule, but they have been slow to deliver.

On Wednesday, Sirisena said he was opposed to greater devolution for Tamils who have been demanding more authority on land and law-and-order matters.

"As long as I am president, there will be no federal state in Sri Lanka," Sirisena said.

Tamil analysts said the community could not expect any Sinhalese leader to grant concessions to the minority group.
A convicted double murderer has been executed by electrocution in Tennessee  the first man in the state to be killed that way since 2007.

The Supreme Court turned down the last minute appeals of Edmund Zagorski, 63, without comment. However, Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented from that opinion, writing that she had concerns over the use of both the electric chair and lethal injection. Zagorski had refused the use of the injection.

Asked if he had any last words in the death chamber, the inmate said Lets rock shortly before the execution was carried out. Zagorski had asked for the electric chair over lethal injection believing it would be a quicker and less painful way to die.

Zagorski was pronounced dead at 7:26pm on Thursday at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, officials said. For his last meal, Zagorski chose pickled pig knuckles and pig tails.

He became only the second person to die in the electric chair in Tennessee since 1960. Across the US only 14 other people have been put to death in the electric chair since 2000, including a Virginia inmate in 2013.

Zagorski was convicted of killing of two men during a drug deal. Prosecutors said Zagorski shot John Dotson and Jimmy Porter and then cut their throats after robbing them. The two men had come to him to buy a large amount of marijuana.

Speaking ahead of the execution Marsha Dotson, widow of John Dotson said, siad the killing of her husband had ruined her

For 34 years, theyve let his killer sit on death row, she told The Tenessean. If they were going to kill him, they should have killed him years ago.

He did so not because he thought that it was a humane way to die, but because he thought that the three-drug cocktail that Tennessee had planned to use was even worse, Justice Sotomayor said in the statement. Given what most people think of the electric chair, its hard to imagine a more striking testament  from a person with more at stake  to the legitimate fears raised by the lethal-injection drugs that Tennessee uses.

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In Tennessee, condemned inmates whose crimes occurred before 1999 can choose the electric chair. It is one of six states that allow that choice.

The Supreme Court has never ruled on whether use of the electric chair violates the 8th Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment, but it came close about 20 years ago following a series of electrocutions in Florida. During two executions in the 1990s smoke and flames shot from the condemned inmates heads.

Associated Press contributed to this report
Firms including Apple, Amazon and JP Morgan sign letter of support after reports Trump wants to limit definition of gender

The letter reads: We oppose any administrative and legislative efforts to erase transgender protections through reinterpretation of existing laws and regulations. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Some of Americas largest companies including Apple, Amazon, Bank of America and JP Morgan have published a letter supporting legal protection for transgender people following reports the Trump administration is considering limiting its definition of gender.

Fifty companies, which employ 4.8 million people between them, signed the statement after the White House was revealed to be considering narrowing gender definitions to immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth, according to a department of health memo obtained by the New York Times.

An estimated 1.4 million Americans identify as a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth and any such legislation could jeopardize their legal protections.

We oppose any administrative and legislative efforts to erase transgender protections through reinterpretation of existing laws and regulations. We also fundamentally oppose any policy or regulation that violates the privacy rights of those that identify as transgender, gender non-binary, or intersex, the letter reads.

In the last two decades, dozens of federal courts have affirmed the rights and identities of transgender people. Cognizant of growing medical and scientific consensus, courts have recognized that policies that force people into a binary gender definition determined by birth anatomy fail to reflect the complex realities of gender identity and human biology.

The letter follows a campaign by leading companies including Bank of America which challenged North Carolinas attempts to impose legislation that would have mandated transgender people could only use the bathrooms assigned to the sex assigned on their birth records.

The new letter was signed by a host of tech companies, including Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter, as well as Coca-Cola, Citi and Pepsi.

Transgender people are our beloved family members and friends, and our valued team members, it said. What harms transgender people harms our companies.
By Allison Martell LONDON, Ontario (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces a dilemma as an election approaches - how to credibly clamp down on Saudi Arabia over its human rights record while sparing a $13 billion weapons deal with Riyadh. Trudeau, who has promised "consequences" for the Oct. 2 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is under pressure to freeze an already unpopular $13 billion contract for armored vehicles built in Canada by U.S.-based General Dynamics. The problem is that the deal underpins 3,000 jobs in the small city of London, Ontario, a recovering manufacturing center and a likely battleground in next year's general election. The debate over the deal is worrying to members of Trudeau's ruling Liberal Party, including Peter Fragiskatos, the lawmaker from the London North Centre parliamentary constituency. "A lot of jobs depend on this contract," Fragiskatos said in an interview, noting Trudeau has visited the city several times and "understands very well the challenges that London has faced. I am advocating very strongly for my community." A source directly familiar with official thinking said "we don't want to lose those jobs", but added it was also important for Canada to take a stand when human rights are violated. "Canada is committed to upholding human rights, freedom of expression and the protection of journalists around the world," Trudeau said last week. Trudeau said Ottawa would review its export permits to Saudi Arabia in response to the death of Khashoggi, whose murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has been condemned worldwide. On Thursday, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland reiterated that Ottawa was ready to suspend export permits for weapons if it was proven they had been misused. "We are really considering carefully the appropriateness of arms sales as we continue to seek full transparency" in the Khashoggi affair, Freeland told reporters on a conference call. Export permits that have already been issued are being respected, a government official said. That should spare General Dynamics any immediate impact. A 2016 document from the foreign ministry shows the firm had already received approval for C$11 billion worth of exports. As for further penalties, the official said Canada was carrying out a "comprehensive review of our relationship with Saudi Arabia". In recent years, Trudeau has cast himself and his government as standard-bearers for progressive values at a time when the United States is withdrawing from the global stage under President Donald Trump. Canada is particularly sensitive to Khashoggi's murder. Riyadh severed diplomatic ties after the Canadian embassy sent a Twitter message in August demanding the release of jailed activists. Trudeau backed Freeland after the tweet and the two have been generally aligned on Khashoggi's murder. But asked last week why Ottawa would go ahead with the arms deal, Freeland replied it was "a very good question" and declined to be more specific. Trudeau has said scrapping the deal would cost "billions" in penalties. Opposition critics and human rights groups say that if Trudeau is serious about standing up for human rights, he should cancel the deal. Other nations are also grappling with how to send a strong message to the oil producer about its need to respect human rights while limiting the economic impact. Germany halted new weapons sales to Riyadh, and Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing for the rest of the European Union to adopt a similar position. Berlin is also reviewing sales that have already been approved. But in Britain, the second-largest exporter of arms to Saudi Arabia after the United States, the government has repeatedly rejected calls to end weapons sales. "There are jobs in the UK ... at stake so when it comes to the issue of arms sales we have our procedures," Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told lawmakers on Wednesday. CRUCIAL TO LIBERALS London's newly elected mayor Ed Holder, a former Conservative minister who helped found the Canada Saudi Business Council and led a trade delegation to the kingdom in 2016, said the contract should not be canceled. "I've been in contact with the federal government about that and I'm advised that they don't intend to cancel the contract," he said in a radio interview after his Oct. 22 election. The political fallout of scrapping the deal could be significant. The Liberals control two of London's four seats and have a narrow, 12-seat parliamentary majority heading into a re-election campaign for a vote due by Oct. 21, 2019. The Liberals, at 36 percent, are just one point ahead of the Conservatives, with the left-leaning New Democrats, who say the Saudi military contract should be scrapped, are at 20 percent, according to the latest opinion poll by Ipsos Public Affairs polling company. Canada shipped C$166.9 million worth of armored vehicles and parts to Saudi Arabia in July, trade statistics show. "We are continuing to build that vehicle on schedule, and we see no indication that contract has changed," General Dynamics Chief Executive Phebe Novakovic said on a conference call last week. "Steady as she goes." (Reporting by Allison Martell; additional reporting by Steve Scherer and David Ljunggren in Ottawa and Guy Faulconbridge in London; Editing by Susan Thomas and Grant McCool)
The Trump administration will reimpose the rest of the sanctions lifted under the Obama administrations nuclear deal with early next week, officials announced Friday.

This part of the campaign about which were speaking today is simple: It is aimed at depriving the regime of the revenues that it uses to spread death and destruction around the world, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a call with reporters.

The 2015 nuclear deal, which was also signed by the U.K., France, Germany, China, and Russia, gave Tehran billions of dollars in relief from sanctions in exchange for a promise to curb its nuclear program. President Trump pulled out of the deal in May, and allowed two periods of 9o and 180 days to let companies phase out their business with Iran.

After the first period, which ended in August, the U.S. reimposed sanctions affecting transactions with U.S. dollar banknotes and trade in gold and precious metals, graphite, and cars. On Monday, the administration will reimpose the more hefty batch of sanctions, affecting the energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and financial sectors.

Eight countries will be granted a waiver from oil and gas sanctions and will still be able to import Iranian oil temporarily, Pompeo said. A list of those countries will be published Monday.

We expect to issue some temporary allotments to eight jurisdictions, but only because they have demonstrated significant reductions in crude oil and cooperation on many other fronts and have made important moves toward getting to zero crude-oil importation, the secretary of state said.

Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said the sanctions will not be lifted until Iran ends its nuclear program entirely, pulls its forces from Syria, and stops sponsoring terrorism.
The Trump administration has announced it is re-instating all US sanctions on Iran suspended under the 2015 nuclear deal.

Six months after the president announced he was withdrawing the US from the eight-party deal signed by Barack Obama with the intention of limiting Irans alleged nuclear weapons ambitions, the US government said a second batch of sanctions would come into effect on Monday.

These will cover Irans shipping, financial and - crucially - its energy sectors. Irans economy has long relied on its exports of crude oil.

While Iran has claimed the Trump administration is seeking to overthrow the government in Tehran - something that was recently the publicly-stated aim of John Bolton, now the US national security adviser, Washington insists it only wants the Iranian authorities to change their behaviour.

It accuses them of funding terror organisations across the Middle East and interfering in the political situation in Syria and Iraq, something that Iran accuses the US of also doing.

Washington has for months been engaged in a major economic and propaganda campaign against Iran, and threatened to boycott countries that continued to trade with it.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said on Friday the sanctions were aimed at fundamentally altering the behavioor of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He has released a list of 12 demands that Iran must meet if it wants the sanctions lifted. They include ending support for terrorism, ending military engagement in Syria and completely halting its nuclear and ballistic missile development.

Maximum pressure means maximum pressure, he said, according to the Associated Press.

Mr Pompeo said eight nations, which other officials identified as US allies such as Italy, India, Japan and South Korea, will receive temporary waivers allowing them to continue to import Iranian petroleum products for a limited period as long as they end such imports entirely. He said those countries had made efforts to eliminate their imports but could not complete the task by Mondays deadline.

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Treasury secretary Stephen Mnuchin said 700 more Iranian companies and people would be added to the sanctions lists under the reimposed sanctions.

Meanwhile, Iran claimed it had no concerns over the reimposition of the new sanctions.

America will not be able to carry out any measure against our great and brave nation ... We have the knowledge and the capability to manage the countrys economic affairs, Irans foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told state television, according to Reuters.

The possibility of America being able to achieve its economic goals through these sanctions is very remote and there is certainly no possibility that it will attain its political goals through such sanctions.

He added: The new US sanctions will mostly have psychological effects.

Washington first reimposed sanctions on Iran in August following Mr Trumps withdrawal from the deal. Under that arrangement, most international sanctions were lifted in 2016.
Donald Trumps national security adviser has welcomed Brazils election of far-right Jair Bolsonaro as a positive sign for Latin America.

John Bolton praised Mr Bolsonaro, who is openly racist, homophobic and sexist, as like-minded.

The comments came during a speech in Miami in which he appealed to the citys thousands of exiles from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, days before tightly contested midterm elections in Florida.

Mr Bolton announced new sanctions on the nations he described as a troika of tyranny and destructive forces of oppression, socialism and totalitarianism.

He drew a clear line between Latin Americas left-wing regimes and the right-wingers Mr Trumps administration appear to view as allies.

The national security adviser said: The recent elections of like-minded leaders in key countries, including Ivan Duque in Colombia and last weekend Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil are positive signs for the future of the region and demonstrate a growing regional commitment to the free market principles and open, transparent and accountable governance.

A former spokesperson for the US National Security Council described the remarks as terrifying.

It puts the US on the side of racism, misogyny, homophobia, and an aspiring autocrat, added Ned Price, who served under Barack Obama.

Mr Bolsonaro has been dubbed Trump of the tropics by some Brazilian media for his extreme views and appeal to popularism.

The president-elect has spoken fondly of the military dictatorship which ruled the country between 1964 and 1985 and who has defended its use of torture on leftist opponents.

He also has a lengthy history of offensive remarks about women, immigrants, black Brazilians and gay people.

Many Brazilians fear Mr Bolsonaro will trample on human rights, curtail civil liberties and muzzle freedom of speech.

Mr Bolton did not address widespread concerns about Brazil's leader-in-waiting, reserving his criticism of repression for Latin Americas left-wing regimes.

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He said: This troika of tyranny, this triangle of terror stretching from Havana to Caracas to Managua, is the cause of immense human suffering, the impetus of enormous regional instability and the genesis of a sordid cradle of communism in the western hemisphere.

Mr Bolton announced the US president had signed an executive order banning Americans from dealing with anyone involved with corrupt or deceptive gold sales from Venezuela.

US officials have said Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro illegally exported at least 21 metric tonnes of gold to Turkey to avoid American sanctions and help rescue a collapsing economy once bolstered by vast oil reserves.

Mr Bolton blamed Cuba for enabling Mr Maduros government and urged the nations of the region to let the Cuban regime know that it will be held responsible for continued oppression in Venezuela.

He also singled out Nicaragua for criticism over leftist president Daniel Ortegas crackdown on political opponents, saying the countrys government will feel the full weight of Americas robust sanctions regime with measures coming in the very near future.

Harold Trinkunas, deputy director of Stanford Universitys Centre for International Security and Cooperation, said there was no doubt Mr Boltons speech had an electoral purpose.

The timing and the location have an electoral impact and Florida is an important state for the Republican Party, he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the Infrastructure Initiative at the Local 18 Richfield Training Site in Richfield, Ohio, U.S., March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

If the Democrats wrestle control of one chamber of Congress from the Republicans, a stalemate on Capitol Hill could grind legislation to a halt. But buzz is building over whether or not President Donald Trump would try to unite with Democrats on infrastructure spending, a heavy priority of the administration during his 2016 campaign.

Wall Street analysts are projecting a Democratic House and a Republican Senate after the polls close on November 6. Craig Holke at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute wrote that such an outcome means that significant legislative action likely would be minimal until the next presidential election in 2020.

But both Trump and key Democratic leaders have expressed interest in big infrastructure investments. The White House has held a number of infrastructure weeks in which he pledged to improve the countrys network of roads and bridges, an initiative that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she could support.

Infrastructure is going to be starting right after the midterms and we think thats going to be an easy one, Trump told Fox Businesss Stuart Varney in October.

The obstacle: fiscally conservative lawmakers worried about the countrys rising deficit. Republicans have scoffed at Trumps $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan, asking how the government would fund the projects.

Capital Economicss Paul Ashworth wrote that Trump could work with Democrats on a spending bill, which presents some upside risk to the slowing economic growth that would otherwise be spurred by gridlock in Washington.

UBS similarly notes that infrastructure could be a point of compromise between the two parties, adding that the energy, industrials, materials, and utilities industries would benefit from any spending.

Skepticism that the Democrats might help Trump

Assuming the Democrats take the House, Nomura said they are skeptical that Democrats would be willing to help Trump ahead of his reelection bid in 2020, adding that the two parties differ too much on how to fund infrastructure projects. Democrats prefer direct government spending while Republicans prefer private sector investment.

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Peter DeFazio would become chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee if the Democrats win the House. Credit: David Foster / Yahoo Finance

The political tone was already set when Trump unveiled his infrastructure proposal. Peter DeFazio, the Oregon lawmaker who is the highest Democrat on the House committee on infrastructure, criticized the embarrassingly small plan for relying too heavily on private sector funds. DeFazio would likely become chair of the committee if the Democrats take the House.

I urge President Trump to work with Democrats to find sustainable solutions, rather than sell off our valuable infrastructure to the lowest bidder, DeFazio said.

Aaron Klein, a fellow of economic studies at the Brookings Institution, told Yahoo Finance that the impasse on how to fund infrastructure will make it difficult for the administration to get any compromise on a bill. But he said there are real economic benefits to doing so.

Smart infrastructure increases employment, and can increase wages in the short run and productivity in the long run, Klein said.

But with the economy already roaring and a litany of other political issues cropping up each day, voters may have lost interest in infrastructure spending.

Deutsche Bank Research looked at the last two years of internet search data from Google trends and found that infrastructure ranks low among voter interests. Credit: Deutsche Bank Research

Deutsche Bank analyzed internet searches on Google to gauge voters interest on a variety of topics. Tax reform, infrastructure, and the Mueller investigation barely feature in voter interest compared to issues like healthcare, trade, and immigration.

Some of the decreasing interest in infrastructure could be related to increasing enthusiasm for defense spending, where the government has poured over $700 billion. As the Wall Street Journal pointed out, recent U.S. economic growth has benefitted a lot from government spending on defense.

The American public has long been willing to fund defense without economic returns and struggles to gain the political constituency to get the votes to fund infrastructure, Klein said.

Brian Cheung is a reporter covering the banking industry and the intersection of finance and policy for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter @bcheungz.

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Donald Trump has suggested stone-throwing migrants making it to the US-Mexico border might be shot by the US military, as he unveiled a proposal to limit the right to apply for asylum.

In a speech at the White House filled with several falsehoods, the president said he was seeking to limit asylum claims only to those who applied at legal entry points. He claimed the move was necessary because a series of migrant caravans  still up to a 1,000 miles from the border  was considered by some people to be an invasion.

Asylum is not a programme for those living in poverty. There are billions of people in the world living at the poverty level. The United States cannot possibly absorb them all, he said.

Mr Trump has ramped up his tough stance on illegal immigration, an issue that appeals to his core supporters, before crucial midterm elections on Tuesday that will decide if his Republican Party keep control of Congress.

Asylum is a very specific protection based on those fleeing persecution.

The migrants making their way northwards have come largely from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, all of which suffer from poverty and high levels of violence.

He said some had thrown stones at, and attacked Mexican police and troops  a reference to clashes between Mexican security forces and up to 1,500 migrants at the Guatemala-Mexico border, that left one migrant dead. Meanwhile, even as the number of migrants attached to the original caravan continues to dwindle, a third group of around 500 migrants from El Salvador entered Guatemala last weekend.

I hope there wont be that. But I will tell you this, anybody throwing stones, rocks like they did to Mexico  Where they badly hurt police and soldiers of Mexico  we will consider that a firearm, the president said.

Because theres not much difference when you get hit in the face with a rock.

If you want to see how the press conference unfolded please see our live coverage below

Please allow a second for the live blog to load
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump is set to receive his final briefing on election security Thursday before polls close next Tuesday.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says Trump asked for a "status update on the security and integrity of Tuesday's election."

Sanders says top homeland security and intelligence officials will be present, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen (KEER'-sten) Nielsen and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

The Justice Department last month charged the first person, a Russian national, with attempting to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections.

U.S. intelligence agencies also jointly asserted last month that Russia, China, Iran and other countries are engaged in continuous efforts to influence American policy and voters in the upcoming elections and beyond.

___

For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. midterm elections: http://apne.ws/APPolitics
Washington (AFP) - Six months after President Donald Trump bolted from a nuclear deal on Iran, the United States from Monday will try to strangle the country's economy with sweeping sanctions, but doubts abound on how effective the campaign will be.

The United States has vowed to end all sales of Iranian oil, the country's crucial export, as well as international banking transactions, snapping back sanctions lifted by Trump's predecessor as US president, Barack Obama.

But much has changed since the Obama administration targeted Iran's economy in 2012. Obama won broad, if at times begrudging, international support as he set a goal of bringing Iran to the table to end its nuclear program.

Iran -- led by a more moderate president, Hassan Rouhani -- has according to UN inspectors abided by the 2015 agreement which is still supported by European powers and Russia and China, which all signed the nuclear deal.

"This is not 2012 when the world was united behind sanctions against Iran. This is the Trump administration trying to force the rest of the world to go along with a policy that most countries do not accept," said Barbara Slavin, an Iran expert at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

"The US has had some success in terms of frightening away major corporations. The sanctions hurt a lot. But Iran is still going to be able to sell oil," especially to China, she said.

The United States has accepted that it will need to issue waivers to countries that do not fully stop buying Iranian oil, with friends of the United States such as India and South Korea looking for sanctions exemptions, and Tehran may keep up clandestine sales.

The European Union has gone so far as to protect businesses that operate in Iran. It has announced plans for a legal framework through which firms can skirt US sanctions, although few major corporations have been eager to risk the wrath of penalties in the world's largest economy.

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- US objective in question -

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has issued a list of demands for Iran that go well beyond the nuclear program that was the focus of Obama's deal.

He wants the Shiite clerical regime to withdraw from war-ravaged Syria, where it is a critical ally of President Bashar al-Assad, as well as to end longstanding support to regional militant movements Hezbollah and Hamas.

Pompeo has also insisted Iran cut off backing for Yemen's Huthi rebels who are facing a US-backed air campaign led by Saudi Arabia.

In a recent tweet Pompeo crowed that the International Monetary Fund is predicting a 3.6 percent contraction of Iran's economy next year.

"That's what happens when the ruling regime steals from its people and invests in Assad -- instead of creating jobs for Iranians, they ruin the economy," he said.

But experts see no rapid turnaround from Iran's leaders -- especially the military and clerical establishments, for whom resistance to the United States has been an article of faith since the 1979 Islamic revolution overthrew the pro-US shah.

"It's basically magical thinking. The Iranians have been able to continue their support to regional proxies and allies for 40 years despite economic pressure," said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group.

He said the Trump administration believed that a constrained, struggling Iran would see its influence erode. But the final goal, he said, was unclear.

"I think the end-game depends on who you're asking. The president himself is interested in having a broader, better deal with the Iranians, but I believe that most of his national security team are interested in either destabilizing Iran or assuring a regime change in Tehran," Vaez said.

Trump's national security advisor, John Bolton, is a longstanding hawk with ties to Iran's armed, exiled opposition.

- North Korea model? -

One European diplomat believed Trump was following his playbook on North Korea, with which he is negotiating only a year after threatening "fire and fury."

"It's the same war plan as with Kim Jong Un and North Korea -- sanctions, maximum pressure and then ready to negotiate," he said.

The United States says it is exempting humanitarian goods from the sanctions, although Europeans say they have received no guidance on how to avoid penalties.

Another Western diplomat, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that Iran was more dependent on the outside world than the country's conservatives would like to think.

"In truth there are starts of a panic as there's beginning to be a shortage of medicine. We're heading back to the old war economy, which is tightly controlled."

Complicating Trump's effort, Saudi Arabia -- Iran's regional rival which has long pressed Washington to get tough -- is increasingly unpopular after the murder of a journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

But Tehran has been winning few friends, with France and Denmark recently accusing the clerical state's intelligence agencies of plotting to attack Iranian opponents in Europe.
President Trump said Thursday that he hopes the military troops being deployed to the United States southwestern border will not have to fire upon any migrants attempting to enter the country through Mexico, but warned that if any rocks are thrown from across the border we will consider that a firearm.

They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back, Trump said. I say, consider it a rifle.

White House sources had told reporters that Trump would announce a new immigration policy aimed at restricting entry for asylum seekers at the southwest border in an address from the White House Thursday afternoon. But the president outlined no concrete policy changes, instead referring vaguely to plans for the construction of massive cities of tents to house migrants with pending asylum claims for a long time if necessary.

He pledged to end the catch and release practice of paroling refugees with credible asylum claims into the population. Were gonna catch, were not gonna release, he said, claiming that just 3 percent of asylum seekers return for court hearings on their claims. The actual number, according to Justice Department figures, is between 60 and 75 percent.

He said he planned to issue an executive order on the subject, but didnt say what it would consist of.

For the most part, Trump simply amplified many of the same unsubstantiated claims that hes been airing at rallies and on Twitter over the past two weeks about a caravan of mostly Honduran migrants slowly making its way through Mexico.

Its like an invasion, Trump said, describing the thousands of migrants who, as of earlier this week, were still at least 1,000 miles away from the nearest U.S. point of entry, as a violent and imminent threat to the country.

President Trump discusses illegal immigration and gives an update on border security at the White House on Nov. 1. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP)

These are pretty tough people, and I dont want them in our country. Women dont want them in our country, he said. Women want security.

Trump began focusing his attention on the so-called caravan last month, when a large group of migrants first departed the Honduran city of San Pedro de Sula, growing to more than 7,000 as it traveled through Guatemala and into Mexico. That first group, whose numbers have since diminished to approximately 4,000, reached the Oaxacan city of Juchitan this week, as a second, smaller caravan crossed into Mexico about 250 miles behind.

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While Mexican authorities were ultimately able to impose order on what was initially a chaotic and aggressive entry by members of the first caravan nearly 12 days ago, migrants from the second group reportedly threw rocks and used sticks in a more violent confrontation with Mexican police, as they crossed the Suchiate River from Guatemala this week.

Theyre throwing rocks viciously and violently, Trump said, declaring, This isnt an innocent group of people, large number of people who are tough.

Although he insisted theres nothing political about his policy, Trump appeared to be talking directly to voters as he warned that the Democratic Partys vision is to offer [these migrants] free welfare, free health care, and even the right to vote.

Hard-working taxpayers will be asked to pick up the tab, he said.

According to the Washington Post, Trump had initially planned to unveil a new immigration policy Tuesday, but postponed the announcement in the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre.

On Twitter Wednesday, Trump repeated unsubstantiated claims about those traveling in the migrant caravans coming from Honduras and El Salvador.

We will NOT let these Caravans which are made up of some very bad thugs and gang members, into the U.S., he tweeted. Our Border is sacred, must come legally. TURN AROUND.

In fact, in order to seek asylum in the United States, an individual must first be physically present in the country. Under current law, migrants can legally pursue asylum at the border either by presenting themselves to border officials at one of the 48 official ports of entry between San Diego and Brownsville, Texas, or else by turning themselves in once they cross the border. Experts have warned that efforts to block these legal paths to entry, which are now used by the majority of Central American migrants, will not reduce the number of asylum seekers but will drive more of them to pay for the services of smugglers and put themselves in danger to cross the border without getting caught.

Trumps remarks Thursday, just five days before next weeks midterm elections, appear to be part of an effort to encourage his supporters to turn out by stoking fears of an invasion.

Earlier this week, the president suggested he would move to end birthright citizenship with an executive order, falsely claiming that it is not covered by the Constitution and vowing the issue will ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court. Most legal experts scoffed at the idea, saying the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the United States, is settled law.

On Monday, the Trump administration announced a plan to deploy 5,200 troops to the southern border to deter the estimated 3,500 asylum seekers in the Central American migrant caravan slowly making its way north through Mexico.

As he departed for a campaign rally in Florida Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he might send up to 15,000 troops to the border. If he does, the number of troops there would outnumber American forces in Afghanistan.

We have to have a wall of people, Trump told ABC News on Wednesday night. They cant invade our country. You look at that [caravan]  it almost looks like an invasion. Its almost does look like an invasion.  We cant have it.

And on Thursday morning, a video posted last night to the presidents Twitter feed compared the asylum seekers in the migrant caravan to a Mexican man who admitted killing two cops in California  a move that recalled the race-baiting Willie Horton ad attacking Michael Dukakis in support of George H.W. Bush in 1988.

The presidents remarks about the use of lethal force conjured up the possibility of American soldiers firing on unarmed civilians. But a spokesman for the militarys Northern Command, which has responsibility for protecting the American homeland, told Yahoo News that the troops involved in this operation are authorized the use of deadly force only for defense purposes  were talking about an extreme situation.

The military spokesman said only those troops that are involved in protecting assets like helicopters will even be armed. He stressed that they are there to free up border patrol agents by doing logistical and administrative work while the agents protect the border.

Read more from Yahoo News:
ISTANBUL/MANBIJ, Syria (Reuters) - Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols in northern Syria on Thursday aimed at averting clashes between Turkey and Washington's Kurdish allies, but Turkey pressed on with a new threatened offensive nearby to crush the Kurds. Turkish military advances into northern Syria over the past two years have put U.S. forces directly in the path of advancing troops from Turkey, Washington's main Muslim NATO ally. The two countries have been working to avert direct confrontation, even as Turkey aims to crush the Kurdish YPG militia. The YPG forms the main part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that Washington backs with arms, air support and around 2,000 special forces troops on the ground in the fight against Islamic State. To avert more fighting, the United States and Turkey agreed three months ago to hold joint patrols around the town of Manbij on the west bank of the Euphrates, under a deal that also saw Kurdish fighters withdraw from the city. But even as the joint patrols were due to begin this week, Turkey announced a new offensive against the Kurds on the opposite bank of the river, into territory where the SDF has U.S. troop support. Turkey's defense minister and the U.S.-led military coalition in Syria confirmed the start of the patrols in Manbij, about 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, on Thursday. Previously, U.S. and Turkish forces have held coordinated but separate patrols there. A Reuters journalist saw a convoy of six military vehicles, some flying the U.S. flag and others flying the Turkish flag, driving on Thursday about 20 km from Manbij city. The patrols are taking place along the dividing line between territory controlled by the SDF-allied Manbij Military Council and a Turkish-controlled area in northern Syria. However, the U.S.-Turkish cooperation in Manbij does not seem to have succeeded in averting what would be the first Turkish offensive across the Euphrates. Turkey has been firing across the border for five days in preparation for what President Tayyip Erdogan says will be an offensive soon to crush the Kurdish forces along the breadth of the Turkish frontier. SDF SUSPENDS CAMPAIGN AGAINST IS The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group and SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel said Turkish forces shelled and fired on an area near the Syrian town of Tel Abyad on the Turkish border. They said one girl died after being hit. On Wednesday, the SDF said the Turkish attacks had forced it to suspend its U.S.-backed campaign against Islamic State near the Iraqi border. On Thursday, the U.S.-led coalition spokesman Colonel Sean Ryan told Reuters in emailed comments that the suspension was still in place while talks continue. U.S. Central Command, which is in charge of American military forces in the region, issued a statement late on Thursday urging "all parties to show restraint to de-escalate the current situation and ensure maximum pressure continues" against Islamic State. In the multi-sided conflict, Islamic State fighters have been driven from nearly all of the self-proclaimed "caliphate" they controlled in Syria and Iraq by a range of foes including the U.S.-led coalition, the Iraqi government, the Russian-backed Syrian government and Iran-backed Shi'ite paramilitaries. However, last week Islamic State fighters launched one of their deadliest attacks this year against the SDF. The SDF says it lost 14 fighters; the Observatory says the death toll was much higher. Over the past two years, Turkish forces have already swept into Syria to push YPG fighters out of territory west of the Euphrates in two separate military campaigns. Past offensives halted at the banks of the river, in part to avoid direct confrontation with the United States. U.S. relations with Turkey, one of its closest allies in the Middle East for decades, have been strained almost to breaking point in recent months by differences over Syria and a range of other issues. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Thursday with Erdogan. The Turkish leader's office said they stressed their determination to strengthen ties. (Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul, Rodi Said near Manbij and Tom Perry and Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Grant McCool)
London (AFP) - Armed police stormed into Sony Music's offices in London on Friday after two people were stabbed in what the company said was a violent argument between two kitchen staff.

Panicked employees were evacuated from the large office building, which also houses Warner Music Group, and police said both victims were arrested.

"Two members of the catering team were involved in a violent altercation," Sony Music said in a statement.

London's Metropolitan Police said it was called at around 11:00 am (1100 GMT), dispatching firearms officers and emergency medical workers and evacuating staff as a precaution.

"Two men were found suffering from stab injuries. They were both arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm," it said in a statement.

"The men have been taken to hospital where they remain. Their injuries have been deemed non-life threatening."

Maria Afolabi, 25, a finance analyst with Warner, said the first she knew of a problem was when the fire alarm sounded.

As she made her way out of the building, she said she saw a Sony staff member in tears and armed police storming up the stairs.

"We didn't know what it was. They had massive guns and were running up," she told AFP.

An unnamed Sony employee told the Press Association news agency that the kitchen staff, employed by a catering company, were "running round chasing each other" and "slashing each other up".

The street was briefly cordoned off during the incident.

The area is in the High Street Kensington shopping district and Sony Music is opposite the offices of the Daily Mail newspaper.

Trish Ellis, a personal assistant at The Mail on Sunday newspaper who witnessed the incident, told PA: "Armed police were going in six-plus at a time, and more and more of them but they seemed to be keeping people in the building.

"Gradually they started to release people in tens, twenties."
By Brendan Pierson and A. Ananthalakshmi

NEW YORK/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors unveiled criminal charges on Thursday against two former Goldman Sachs Group Inc bankers and Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho tied to the alleged theft of billions of dollars from Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn announced that Tim Leissner, former partner for Goldman Sachs in Asia, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and agreed to forfeit $43.7 million.

Roger Ng, the other charged former Goldman banker, was arrested in Malaysia at the request of U.S. authorities and is expected to be extradited, according to John Marzulli, a spokesman for the prosecution.

The third person, the financier popularly known as Jho Low, remains at large. Malaysian authorities have revoked his passport and issued an arrest warrant for him, and have also applied for an Interpol red notice seeking assistance from the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, India, Myanmar, China and Hong Kong.

James Haggerty, a spokesman for Low, said in an e-mailed statement that Low "maintains his innocence."

"Mr. Low simply asks that the public keep an open mind regarding this case until all of the evidence comes to light, which he believes will vindicate him," Haggerty said.

A lawyer for Leissner could not be reached for comment. A lawyer for Ng did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Goldman has placed its former co-head of Asia investment banking, Andrea Vella, on leave over his role in the firm's involvement with the case, pending a review of allegations, according to a person familiar with the decision.

The Wall Street bank said in a securities filing on Friday that it may also face penalties from dealings with 1MDB and is cooperating with various government probes.

The government of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak set up 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB, in 2009. An estimated $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB by high-level officials of the fund and their associates between 2009 and 2014, the U.S. Justice Department has alleged.

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Najib has consistently denied wrongdoing in connection with alleged graft involving 1MDB.

According to the indictment against him, Low never held a formal position with the fund but he worked as an intermediary in numerous 1MDB transactions involving Goldman and others.

Prosecutors say Low, Ng, and Leissner conspired to launder the proceeds of fraud involving 1MDB through the U.S. financial system. Some of the laundered funds were then allegedly used to pay bribes to obtain business for Goldman. Other funds were used for the personal benefit of defendants, including purchases of luxury U.S. real estate and art.

Goldman said in an emailed statement that it "continues to cooperate with all authorities investigating this matter." It has previously denied any wrongdoing.

According to prosecutors, the investment bank generated about $600 million in fees for its work with 1MDB, which included three bond offerings in 2012 and 2013 that raised $6.5 billion. Leissner, Ng and others received large bonuses in connection with that revenue.

Prosecutors described the bank's system of internal accounting controls as "easily circumvented," and said its culture in Southeast Asia was "highly focused on consummating deals, at times prioritizing this goal ahead of the proper operation of its compliance functions."

On at least three occasions, Leissner and Ng tried to get the bank to accept Low as a client, according to court documents, but compliance staff blocked the efforts over concerns about the source of Low's money.

Nevertheless, Ng and Leissner concealed Lows involvement and pushed deals through the bank's control functions to obtain "very lucrative business for Goldman Sachs, themselves and others," according to the documents.

While U.S. prosecutors have previously filed civil asset forfeiture suits for assets allegedly bought with some of the stolen funds, these are the first criminal charges the Justice Department has brought against individuals in the case under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a federal law targeting official bribery abroad.

At least six countries, including Malaysia, the United States and Switzerland, have been investigating alleged thefts from 1MDB.

The 1MDB investigations in the United States and Malaysia have gathered pace since Najib unexpectedly lost a general election in May to Mahathir Mohamad, who returned to power 15 years after he retired as prime minister.

Since the election, Malaysian authorities have brought 38 charges against Najib. Many of the charges  multiple counts of corruption, money laundering and criminal breach of trust  are linked to 1MDB.

Najib has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and has consistently denied wrongdoing.

(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York and A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur; Additional reporting by Aparajita Saxena in Bengaluru, Jennifer Hughes in Hong Kong and Lauren Tara LaCapra in New York; Editing by Anthony Lin and Nick Zieminski)
By Arshad Mohammed, Lesley Wroughton and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it will temporarily allow eight importers to keep buying Iranian oil when it re-imposes sanctions on Monday to try to force Iran to curb its nuclear, missile and regional activities. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who announced the decision, did not name the eight, which he referred to as "jurisdictions," a term that might include importers such as Taiwan which the United States does not regard as a country. Having abandoned the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to cripple Irans oil-dependent economy and force Tehran to quash not only its nuclear ambitions and its ballistic missile program but its support for militant proxies in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East. On Twitter, in a message designed to emphasize his "maximum pressure" policy toward Iran, Trump included a photograph of himself modeled on a entertainment industry poster with the headline: "Sanctions are coming November 5." China, India, South Korea, Turkey, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and Japan have been top importers of Irans oil, while Taiwan occasionally buys cargoes of Iranian crude but is not a major buyer. Turkey has been told it will temporarily be allowed to keep buying Iranian oil, its energy minister told reporters, as has Iraq, as long as it does not pay Iran in U.S. dollars, three Iraqi officials said. India and South Korea were also on the list, said a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. Under U.S. law, exceptions can be granted for up to 180 days. Oil prices fell on Friday for a weekly loss of over 6 percent, as investors worried about crude oversupply after the U.S. waivers. Brent crude futures fell 6 cents to settle at $72.83 a barrel, while U.S. crude declined 55 cents to end the session at $63.14 per barrel, a 0.86 percent loss. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also said Washington had told the Brussels-based SWIFT financial messaging service it was expected to disconnect all Iranian financial institutions that the United States plans to blacklist as of Monday. He declined to name the targeted institutions. Trump set in motion the resumption of sanctions on May 8, when he announced U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers under which Tehran had agreed to curtail its nuclear program in return for relief from sanctions. "This part of the campaign is aimed at depriving the regime of the revenues it uses to spread death and destruction around the world, Pompeo said. ZERO CRUDE Pompeo said Washington will issue temporary waivers to the eight Iran oil importers "only because they have demonstrated significant reductions in their crude oil and cooperation on many other fronts." Two would stop imports and the other six would greatly reduce them, Pompeo said. He later said the ultimate goal was to stop all Iranian crude exports. "We will ultimately move Iran to zero crude oil. Thatll take us some number of months to do that," Pompeo told Fox News according to the transcript of the interview released by the State Department. "Weve been able to do that in a way that hasnt had a huge impact on crude oil prices. Thats a good thing for American consumers." Iran said it was not troubled over the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions, which target not only its vital oil and gas sector but also shipping, ship-building and banking industries. "America will not be able to carry out any measure against our great and brave nation ... We have the knowledge and the capability to manage the country's economic affairs," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told state TV. However, ordinary Iranians fear an even more painful squeeze, from businesses struggling to buy raw materials to the sick and elderly unable to afford life-saving medicines. "I cannot even buy rice to feed my children or pay my rent," said elementary school teacher Pejman Sarafnejad, 43, a father of three in Tehran. The European Union, France, Germany and Britain, parties to the nuclear agreement who are trying to keep it alive, said they regretted Washington's decision to re-impose sanctions. The EU is creating a special mechanism that would circumvent U.S. financial sanctions on Iran. The United States is able to pressure other nations to stop buying Iranian oil under a 2012 law that allows the president to cut off foreign banks, including central banks, from the U.S. financial system unless they significantly reduce purchases. The United States believes global oil supplies will exceed demand next year, making it easier for countries to cut Iranian oil imports to zero, Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, told reporters. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed, Patricia Zengerle, Lesley Wroughton; Additional reporting by Timothy Gardner and Humeyra Pamak in Washington, Devika Krishna Kumar in New York; Henning Gloystein in Singapore, Aizhu Chen in Beijing, Dmitry Zhdannikov in London; Hyonhee Shin in Seoul, Osamu Tsukimori in Tokyo, Gulsen Solaker in Ankara and Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; Editing by Susan Thomas, Grant McCool and Tomasz Janowski)
By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI, Fla. (Reuters) - The 56-year-old Florida man accused of mailing 15 pipe bombs to top Democrats and other high-profile critics of President Donald Trump agreed in a Miami court to be transferred to New York state to face charges and waived his right to a bail hearing in Florida. Cesar Sayoc, a former male stripper, pizza delivery driver and disc jockey, faces five charges and a maximum penalty of 48 years in prison for allegedly sending the bombs to targets including former President Barack Obama, ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, other prominent political figures and CNN. Sayoc appeared Friday shackled and wearing a beige jumpsuit with his hair in a ponytail. He agreed to be transferred to New York for a detention hearing where the case will be prosecuted. It was unclear when and how Sayoc will be transferred. The mailed bombs and the massacre of 11 Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue last Saturday took place against the backdrop of highly charged political campaigns. In the Nov. 6 midterm elections, voters will determine the balance of power in the U.S. Congress, currently controlled by Trump's Republican Party. Sayoc, who lived in a white van festooned with right-wing political images supporting Trump and lambasting his critics, will be transferred to New York to face charges. Details on when he will be transferred were not immediately known. Sayoc faces five charges and a maximum penalty of 48 years in prison. Prosecutors said prior to Friday's hearing that more charges were likely. Investigators have also said they had evidence that Sayoc began planning his attacks in July. Sayoc was arrested last Friday at an auto parts store in suburban Fort Lauderdale. In comments to reporters after the hearing, Sayoc's defense team stood by their claims that the government's evidence was "flimsy" and that both DNA and fingerprints gathered during the investigation, which have been attributed to Sayoc, would not hold up in court. "No government document or allegation at this point has confirmed there's DNA," said Jamie Benjamin, one of Sayoc's Florida attorneys. No one has been injured, but FBI investigators have said that at least some of the pipe bombs could have caused great harm. "The evidence of the defendant's terror campaign is still being collected but is already overwhelming," wrote Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a letter to the Miami court dated Tuesday. (Additional reporting by Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Editing by David Gregorio and Jeffrey Benkoe)
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted its 27th annual resolution calling for an end to the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba after a failed bid by Washington to amend the text to push Cuba to improve its human rights record. The U.N. vote can carry political weight, but only the U.S. Congress can lift the more than 50-year-old embargo. The United States and Israel voted against the resolution, 189 countries voted in favor and Ukraine and Moldova did not vote. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the General Assembly that the resolution was an opportunity for countries "to feel they can poke the United States in the eye." "But you're not hurting the United States when you do this. You are literally hurting the Cuban people by telling the regime that their treatment of their people is acceptable," she said ahead of the vote. The United States consistently voted against the U.N. resolutions for 24 years but abstained for the first time in 2016 under former President Barack Obama, as Washington and Havana forged a closer relationship. But relations have deteriorated sharply since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, returning to Cold War characterizations of Cuba and tightening trade and travel restrictions that had been eased by Obama. The United States voted against the U.N. resolution last year along with its ally Israel. The General Assembly's remaining 191 members voted in favor. This year, the United States proposed eight amendments to the resolution, including calling on Cuba to "fully grant its citizens internationally recognized civil, political and economic rights and freedoms, including freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and free access to information." But all of the amendments failed after more than 113 countries voted against them. Only the United States, Israel and Ukraine voted in favor of all eight amendments. More than 65 countries abstained. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Thursday the U.S. government lacked the "moral authority" to criticize Cuba and others on human rights. "The embargo is a violation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of international law," he said before the vote. "It is an act of aggression and an act of economic war, which disrupts international peace and order." Last month, the United States launched a campaign at the United Nations that it said was designed to highlight the plight of Cuban political prisoners. Protesting Cuban and Bolivian diplomats drowned out the launch by shouting, chanting and banging their hands on desks. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Yet again, we have witnessed a heinous display of the anti-Semitism that has plagued the Jewish community throughout history. America cannot sit silently and allow anti-Semitism to prevail, be it domestically or internationally. While the act of terror in Pittsburgh was that of a domestic white supremacist, anti-Semitism remains a global issue. Iran perpetuates the virulent rhetoric that has fueled this global scourge, and its rogue actions pose a threat to the United States and its allies.

Anti-Semitism is not solely a Jewish issue or an Israeli issue. It is also an American issue. America must hold Iran accountable for its bad behavior. Iran must pay for its constant attempts to destabilize the Middle East. Its nuclear ambitions, its proxy wars in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, and its financing of terrorism through groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas are a threat to the entire region.

Before the American energy renaissance, any suggestion of upheaval in the Middle East sent oil prices skyrocketing. Sanctions against a leading oil producer such as Iran were guaranteed to add several dollars to the global price of crude.

Times have changed. The Trump administrations looming imposition of sanctions against Iran has hardly caused a financial ripple in the oil market. Fortunately, this November, America will reinstate oil sanctions on Iran and thereby diminish Tehrans ability to fund its hegemonic goals and impose its extremist ideology. The sanctions facing Iran are warranted, given its position as the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism. Iran continues to incite violence against the United States, Israel, and other countries while repressing its own citizens.

The United States will no longer be held hostage to rogue states. Because of increases in U.S. oil-production capacity, the decision to enforce and augment the sanctions will not be as disruptive to oil markets as it would have been in the past. Americas status as a geopolitical powerhouse is enhanced as it grows into an energy exporter.

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The global markets pending loss of oil from Iran is an opportunity for American producers to become a supplier to the world. The United States can use the energy it produces domestically to ensure that its national-security concerns are met without harming American consumers. American energy independence will remind the world that it will no longer have to deal with wild price fluctuations spurred by unrest in the Middle East. The United States is capable of providing enough oil to help stabilize the global market, no matter what happens in countries such as Iran.

The deal arranged by the previous administration removed sanctions against Iran without offering any long-lasting solutions to the problems caused by this rogue nation. Making matters worse, that deal also funded Iran, allowing the regime to finance global terrorism, including the wars in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. Even so, Iran violated the terms of that agreement, so the sanctions imposed by the current administration are justified on those grounds as well.

The geopolitics of the Middle East are changing. Historic alliances are shifting, as nations move to protect themselves against the looming existential threat posed by Iran. The only constant is that Israel remains Americas closest friend in the region. Israel and America stay linked through their shared democratic values and common interests.

It is incumbent on the United States to stand up for our allies in the Middle East. America is no longer beholden to past realities to keep the oil market in check. No longer is it the case that the flow of oil to the United States will be stifled if the Strait of Hormuz is shut down.

It is vital for America to continue growing its domestic energy production. American energy independence will guard against potential supply disruptions that could threaten its security and economy and global markets and impact our allies abroad. The American energy revolution will not only be beneficial to America. It will also provide support and stability for the world economy. It is imperative for America to be the standard-bearer for freedom, and our country must take all measures to ensure that anti-Semitism and terror are eradicated worldwide.

Fred Zeidman serves as co-chairman of the Council for a Secure America and as chairman emeritus of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He also serves as chairman of Gordian Group. Harold Hamm serves as co-chairman of the Council for a Secure America and as chairman of the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance. He also serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Resources.
Dublin (AFP) - British and Irish ministers said Friday they were "very close" to agreeing how to keep open the land border between them after Brexit, which is holding up a divorce deal with the EU.

"I think we're very close to resolving it, I certainly hope we are," Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told reporters after talks in Dublin.

British Cabinet Office minister David Lidington told the same press conference: "We're certainly, as Simon says, very close to resolving it."

He added that negotiations in Brussels now need to "continue and intensify further".

But neither minister gave details of how they were going to break the impasse over the border, which has prompted fears that Britain could leave the European Union without a deal next March.

Britain intends to leave the bloc's single market and customs union, meaning the border between its province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland will become an external EU frontier after Brexit.

Both sides have pledged to ensure no physical infrastructure, such as customs checks, but disagree over how this can be achieved if and until they agree a new trade deal that would resolve the issue.

Lidington was in Dublin for the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, a forum for talks between the two countries established under the 1998 Northern Ireland peace agreement.

His colleague Dominic Raab, Britain's Brexit minister, visited Northern Ireland on Friday where he met with local politicians and businesses.

It emerged this week that Raab believes a Brexit deal can be finalised with the EU by November 21, although Prime Minister Theresa May's office was more cautious.

Coveney warned in Paris on Wednesday that if there was to be a breakthrough this month, "we need the negotiating teams to find a way forward in the next week or so".

The Irish minister revealed Friday that Dublin was in daily contact with the team of EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels.
London (AFP) - British police announced Friday they were investigating alleged "anti-Semitic hate crimes" within the main opposition Labour Party after receiving a leaked internal dossier.

The criminal investigation comes after a national radio station obtained what it said was an internal Labour document detailing 45 cases involving messages posted by party members on social media.

Labour, led by veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, spent the British summer dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism.

The issue has bubbled under the surface for years, but intensified in recent months with a series of incidents coming to light.

"A criminal investigation has commenced into some of the allegations within the documentation," London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

Britain's top police officer Cressida Dick was handed the leaked dossier two months ago after an interview at LBC.

"The complainant alleged that the documentation included evidence of anti-Semitic hate crimes," the Met Police said.

"The contents have been examined by specialist officers."

The Met said early investigative advice was being sought from the Crown Prosecution Service.

The CPS, England's state prosecutors, decides on whether to bring criminal charges once an investigation is complete.

LBC had previously showed the dossier to former senior Met Police officer Mak Chishty, who had been in charge of dealing with hate crime.

He believed that 17 instances should have been reported to the police for investigation, and another four were potential race hate crimes.

- 'Thoroughly depressing' -

Dick said Labour as a whole was not under investigation.

"We are not going to investigate the Labour Party. We would always want institutions and political parties and similar to be able to regulate themselves," she told BBC radio.

"However, if somebody passes us material which they say amounts to a crime we have a duty to look at that.

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"We are now investigating some of that material because it appears there may have been crime committed.

"I hope we will be able to clear that up very quickly."

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson told BBC radio that the investigation was "thoroughly depressing, although sadly I'm not surprised.

"If people have committed hate crimes, then they need to be dealt with by the full force of the law. There's no role for them within the Labour Party.

"If this does one thing, it will be able to silence a very small number of people who still believe that anti-Semitism doesn't exist in my party," which he said was hampering efforts to stamp out the problem.

Labour said they had not been contacted by the police but stood ready to co-operate with the investigation.

"The Labour Party has a robust system for investigating complaints of alleged breaches of Labour Party rules by its members," a spokesman said.

"Where someone feels they have been a victim of crime, they should report it to the police in the usual way."
Washington (AFP) - The United States will add 700 individuals and entities to its Iran blacklist and push the SWIFT global banking network to cut Tehran off when it reimposes sanctions Monday in a "maximum pressure" effort to cripple the country's economy.

US officials said Friday they were determined to force Tehran to give up its nuclear activities and what the US says is broad support for "terrorism" in the region, reimposing severe economic penalties six months after President Donald Trump's administration quit the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

There will also be sanctions to cut off Tehran's ability to export oil, the country's most crucial foreign exchange earner, though US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said eight importers would be given exemptions in exchange for slowing their purchases -- a bid to avoid upsetting the global crude market.

The reimposition of sanctions "is aimed at depriving the regime of the revenues it uses to spread death and destruction around the world," Pompeo said.

"Our ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlaw activities and behave as a normal country."

When Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal struck between world powers and Iran, he began reimposing sanctions that had been suspended or removed by his predecessor Barack Obama.

That process will be completed starting from midnight Sunday, US eastern time, when sanctions on the regime's banks, shippers, shipbuilders and oil sector are imposed.

The impact remains in question as other countries, particularly Washington's European allies, are resisting joining its effort to economically strangle the Tehran regime.

Britain, France, Germany and the European Union strongly condemned the US move, as they did when Washington withdrew in May from the Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"The JCPOA is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture and of multilateral diplomacy," they said.

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"It is crucial for the security of Europe, the region, and the entire world. The JCPOA is working and delivering on its goal."

- Oil trade exemptions -

Pompeo said the US would grant exemptions to eight countries that have pledged to or have already cut back on purchases of petroleum from Iran, which has long depended on crude exports to power its economy.

He did not name the eight countries, but they are believed to include India, Japan, South Korea, and possibly China.

Iran's northern neighbor Turkey said it was one of the eight.

"We know Turkey is among the countries that will be given an exemption but we do not have the details," Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said, according to state-run news agency Anadolu.

Pompeo said the countries agreed that the payments for the oil would go into escrow accounts that Iran will only be able to tap for "humanitarian trade, or bilateral trade in non-sanctioned goods and services."

"Maximum pressure means maximum pressure," Pompeo said.

To punish Iranian banks, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said SWIFT -- which enables secure bank-to-bank communications and transactions -- will also face sanctions if it provides services to blacklisted Iranian financial institutions.

The US blacklist includes most major Iranian banks.

That could make it extremely difficult for Iran to do business with other countries.

"SWIFT is no different than any other entity," Mnuchin said.

- Critical ally -

The US wants the Shiite clerical regime to withdraw from war-ravaged Syria, where it is a critical ally of President Bashar al-Assad, and to end longstanding support to regional militant movements Hezbollah and Hamas.

It also wants Iran to stop backing Yemen's Huthi rebels, who are facing a US-supported air campaign led by Saudi Arabia.

"It's important to keep our eyes on the prize when it comes to Iranian revenues, whether they be derived from oil or any other sort of sanctionable transaction. The goal is to target and tie up these revenues to change Iran's calculus," said Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

"SWIFT now must make a choice," he said: refuse to deal with Iran banks on the US blacklist, or face sanctions itself.

But experts don't expect Iran's leaders to immediately throw in the towel.

"It's basically magical thinking," said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group.

"The Iranians have been able to continue their support to regional proxies and allies for 40 years despite economic pressure."
Miami (AFP) - Cesar Sayoc, the Florida man accused of sending pipe bombs to critics of US President Donald Trump, is to be transferred to New York to face prosecution, the Miami Herald reported Friday.

Sayoc's attorneys told a Miami federal judge that they would argue at a detention hearing in New York for his release on bond, the newspaper said.

Federal prosecutors said they would oppose his release.

Sayoc, 56, was arrested a week ago and charged with mailing explosive devices to former president Barack Obama, former vice president Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, actor Robert De Niro and others.

Sayoc was living in a van plastered with pro-Trump and anti-Democrat stickers when he was arrested at an auto store in Plantation, Florida.

Sayoc, a registered Republican with a criminal history and reported past as a stripper, currently faces up to 48 years in prison, although further charges are expected to be filed against him for the mail-bombing campaign, which heightened political tensions and put the country on edge ahead of November midterm elections.

The explosive devices were sent through the mail and Sayoc was tracked down based on fingerprint and possible DNA evidence, according to the FBI.

Law enforcement sources told the Miami Herald that a list of more than 100 potential Democratic targets had been found during a search of Sayoc's laptop computer.
By Esha Vaish

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Volvo Cars has teamed up with Chinese search engine operator Baidu to develop a self-driving taxi for China, it said on Thursday, opening another frontier to secure its place in the robotaxi market while its Uber supply deal remains in limbo.

The Chinese-owned Swedish carmaker is one of a growing list of auto manufacturers tying up with technology companies or rivals to split the huge cost of developing functional and safe self-drive systems.

Volvo said the venture will give it access to Baidu's autonomous driving software Apollo, which it intends to use to develop a so-called Level 4 car, only one off the top level and the most sophisticated yet attempted by Volvo.

The top Level 5 designation is for vehicles that should be capable of navigating roads without any driver input in all conditions.

CEO Hakan Samuelsson said he expects sales of robotaxis to ride-hailing operators to account for a "significant portion" of the vehicles needed to hit its target of achieving a third of its sales from self-driving cars by 2025.

"Robotaxis is a segment where we will compete not as operators but by selling cars to companies we've sold to previously," he told Reuters.

The race is on to be the first to introduce an autonomous product to the ride-hailing market, which already accounts for more than 30 percent of the global taxi market. Goldman Sachs analysts believe the value of the ride-hailing market could achieve an eightfold increase to $285 billion by 2030.

Volvo is trying to make headway as a mid-size luxury player with more limited resources than a BMW or Audi and was forced to drop plans for an initial public offering this year because of international trade tensions and a downturn in share prices across the auto sector.

PARTNERSHIPS KEY

Samuelsson said he expects development costs for self-driving and electric vehicles will be about 5 percent of turnover and that partnerships are essential, such as its venture with technology company Veoneer to develop autopilots for cars to sell to individuals.

Story continues

"We need to be humble and say that we need new partnerships to be strong in this segment ... We definitely cannot do this in our normal development area," he said.

Samuelsson expects partnerships with battery suppliers as well as producers of components such as electric motors, inverters and chargers, but said the company still intends to develop its own electric powertrain.

Volvo didn't say when the Baidu car would be production ready and its actual sales program in robotaxis depends largely on its deal to supply up to 24,000 Level 1 and Level 2 autodrive cars to Uber between 2019 and 2021.

That deal was thrown into doubt when Uber halted its road-testing program after a recent fatal collision, but Samuelsson said the deal was "back on track" with deliveries planned for next year.

However, three sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters that Uber has no intention of buying anywhere near the 24,000 cars the deal allows for, making the Baidu tie-up all the more important for Volvo.

The Baidu deal has no supply agreement, Samuelsson said, but is being viewed as a first step into the China market, which industry forecasts suggest could become the single largest market for autonomous cars in the coming decades.

Baidu last year opened Apollo to third parties to accelerate development in the face of stiff competition from Google's Waymo and U.S. carmaker Tesla.

It has since brought on BMW as an adviser and announced plans to begin testing self-driving cars with Ford by the end of this year.

(Reporting by Esha Vaish in Stockholm; Additional reporting by Heather Somerville; Editing by David Goodman)
By John Whitesides BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin's re-election race was never going to be easy in conservative West Virginia, a state that President Donald Trump carried by more than 40 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election. But two new polls this week showing Manchin's once comfortable lead over Republican Patrick Morrisey dwindling to five percentage points ahead of Tuesday's congressional elections have sparked concern among Democrats, although a poll in mid-October showed Manchin still holding a double-digit lead. On Friday, Trump will make his third trip to West Virginia in three months to support Morrisey against Manchin, a moderate Democrat who sometimes sides with the president. Morrisey, the state's attorney general, touts Trump's support in ads, and said earlier this year the president would be the "difference maker" in the Senate race. "I know Trump coming so often is making an impact," said Jim Hoyt, chairman of the Morgan County Democratic Party in northeast West Virginia. Like other state Democrats, he still expects Manchin to win. The Democratic Senate campaign committee has made a late television ad buy in two small markets in the state, the Republican media firm Medium Buying reported, a sign of Democratic concern. West Virginia is one of 10 states won by Trump where Democrats are defending Senate seats. A Manchin loss on Tuesday would deal a punishing blow to already-slim Democratic hopes of picking up the net two seats they need to gain a Senate majority. Democrats are widely favored to win control of the House of Representatives. The visit to West Virginia on Friday, part of an 11-rally blitz across eight states in the final run-up to Tuesday's voting, is aimed at turning out his core supporters in a state where Trump's approval ratings are well above 50 percent. "President Trump has been crucial in bringing out a whole range of West Virginians who are not the normal political people," said Republican Keith Lowry, head of the party in nearby Jefferson County. "MAKING ME SO MAD" Manchin, a former two-term governor first elected to the Senate in 2010, frequently breaks with the national party, most recently becoming the only Democrat to support controversial U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's Oct. 6 confirmation. "Senator Manchin is in tune with what people in West Virginia want and he votes the way they want - even if it's not always what national Democrats want," said H.S. Leigh Koonce, chairman of the Jefferson County Democrats. A vote against Kavanaugh would have hurt Manchin in West Virginia, Koonce said, but some liberal Democrats in the state are still annoyed by it. "Joe Manchin is making me so mad I could punch him in the nose," said Jane Davis, a retired public relations consultant in Berkeley Springs, who said she will vote for Manchin but is still boiling over his vote to support Kavanaugh despite sexual assault allegations against him. Kavanaugh denied the allegations. Manchin is still too liberal for Jim Burns, a Republican and a retired Navy cryptologist who said he would vote for Morrisey because Manchin goes along with the Democratic agenda too often, particularly during the presidency of Barack Obama. "He got to the Senate and just followed that Democratic way," Burns said. The candidates met in their only debate on Thursday night, clashing over healthcare, opioids and taxes. Manchin has repeatedly reminded voters of Morrisey's years as a Washington lobbyist for interests including pharmaceutical companies. He also has aggressively attacked Morrisey for joining a national lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act - Obama's signature healthcare program - and wipe out popular protections for those with pre-existing conditions. In a state with high levels of diabetes, heart disease and opiod abuse, Morrisey says he will retain those protections. Morrisey has criticized Manchin for opposing Trump's tax cut package, which Manchin said would increase the federal deficit, and reminds voters that Manchin supported Democrat Hillary Clinton against Trump in 2016. Irv Miller, a Republican who runs a restaurant in Berkeley Springs, said he has grown tired of the bickering in campaign ads between the two candidates. He said he will support Morrisey "as a lesser of two evils kind of thing." (Editing by Bill Trott)
The midterm elections look like theyre going to be hotly contested.

Republicans now control both houses of Congress. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate are up for grabs, so both parties are putting up the fight of a lifetime.

The Senate now consists of 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats. Dems need to win 28 of the 35 seats in play in 2018 to take control of the Senate, but is that feasible?

According to FiveThirtyEights forecast, Dems have a 1 in 7 chance of flipping the Senate and grabbing the gavel out of Majority Leader Mitch McConnells hands.

GOP Sen. Ted Cruz is seen with a lead in his race with Democrat Rep. Beto ORourke in Texas. President Trump even weighed in on their close contest.

Beto ORourke is a total lightweight compared to Ted Cruz, and he comes nowhere near representing the values and desires of the people of the Great State of Texas. He will never be allowed to turn Texas into Venezuela!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2018

So for Dems, Senate odds look gray, but in the House they could see bright sunshine. Another poll prediction from FiveThirtyEight gives Democrats an 84% chance of seizing control of that chamber.

70 House seats are considered hotly contested, and Democrats only need to flip 23 to win. Of course, the party that controls the White House usually has little need for victory parties in the midterms.

Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush all saw their parties lose House seats in the midterms.

Trumps relatively low approval rating could prove to be a problem for Republicans in this election cycle.

Despite that, hes been doing a massive campaign sweep for candidates in tight local races, such as Kentucky incumbent Rep. Andy Barr.

And with the Center for Responsive Politics reporting that this is going to be the first midterm to hit $5 billion in spending, it looks like these politicians are putting their money where their mouths are.
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As a born-and-bred Israeli, I often play down the Jewish-American identity within me. Not that Im fooling anyone, but afternoons on the Israeli playground taught me that its better to claim the fact that Im a second-generation Jerusalemite. Or, if were playing our ethnicity cards, to pull my Dutch heritage card... but being an American Jewthats not something an Israeli would brag about.

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American Jewry just isnt something that Israelis like to think about seriously, not to mention liberal American Jewry.

The funeral of David and Cecil Rosenthal, victims of Pittsburgh shooting attack (Photo: AFP)

Until, that is, they are being murdered for being Jewish, and being murdered for being liberal.

And soeven though the pain and mourning are still fresh this is a moment for Israelis to reckon with the Liberal American Jewish Community, eleven of whose members died this past Shabbat in sanctification of Gods name, martyrs.

Martyrdom; sanctifying Gods name, these are not phrases we use lightly. They belong to the Jews of medieval Europe under the Crusader sword, to the persecution of Jews in Islamic lands. It is quoted in prayers for the millions slaughtered in the Holocaust, mingled with our tears for the deaths of those killed in attacks in our beloved Israel.

But not in North America. In the United States Jews dont die as martyrs, sanctifying Gods name. Not that it has never occurred, but you know, generally: it doesnt happen. In Har Nofyes, in Los Angelesno. And yet, here we are.

This coming Shabbat Jews all over the world will gather again in synagogues, and when the moment comes to return the Torah to the ark, that sweet, tender moment of parting, we will sing: It is a Tree of Life to those who uphold it.

Jewish American kids deliver a message

X

Then, one by one, before our eyes we will see the worshippers from Tree of Life-Or LeSimhah of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who met death at the hour of prayer; who, having chosen to go to synagogue, and to this particular synagogue, with its particular set of values, were forced to give their lives in sacred martyrdom.

Sadly, in the three thousand year story of Jewish history, a communitys murder, its martyrdom, raises it up in our view to the status of a holy community. As the Shabbat prayer book goes: Av HaRachamim, Father of compassion, who dwells on high: may He remember in His compassion the pious, the upright, and the blamelessholy communities who sacrificed their lives for the sanctification of Gods name."

Maybe thats why so few Israelis see American Jewry as a holy community in that sense. Not like the communities of Maintz, of Polin, of Sanaa. Not like the communities of Andalus or Mashad. To see a Jewish community as a holy community in this sense is to accept its values as authentic Jewish values, its Judaism as one worthy of the name, a Judaism that the Holy Blessed One, imagined in choosing us, little us, from among all the nations of the world as Gods own people. A Judaism, a Jewry, in which a person is proud to be a part of.

People laying flowers outside Tree of Life synagogue in memory of the victims (Photo: AFP)

So maybe this is the right moment to say, as we face the giant breach in our hearts torn by the acts of an alt-rightist, drowned in the flood of lies that calls itself white supremacy, may its name be blotted out!that the community of Tree of Life, Or LeSimhah Congregation of Pittsuburgh is a holy community, and its values are holy, and that we are glad to be called by its name and are proud of its work.

That they, as it says in the weekly Torah reading, they never got to read last week at Tree of Life, are the children of Abraham, who taught his children and his posterity to keep the way of God by doing what is just and right. And in their merit, we are proud to be Jews.

Thus, even if it saddens us that this horrific act was what brought their actions up into our hearts, it is still better to say this late than never: I am proud to be an American Jew.

Seeing people who labored for decades (97 years!), who saved and troubled and worked and gave; and who with their own hands and with no public support, in a random suburb of a post-industrial city, built a Jewish congregational home, where they could continue the tradition of their mothers and fathers and pass it along miDor lDor, from generation to generation (as they say, in their American accents) then I am proud to be an American Jew.

When we are aware of the fact that this murder took place ten minutes after the beginning of the service, that is, when the only people there are the core worshippers, the minyan-makers, the organizers and the volunteers, and alongside them the fragile ones whom others in the community have taken care to bring early, to support them; and when we think about all the congregations where people get up early to start services on time, and how many centuries weve been doing that, and how many congregations like that have sprung up in the last century in the United Statesthen I am proud to be an American Jew.





Rabbi Mishael Zion (Photo: Hila Arlniv)

When we watch the video of the community memorial gathering, so interfaith, so Pittsburgher, so Jewish, and so very American, in which the communitys Jews chose to remember their dead alongside Americans of every race and religion and custom; and we understand that this is the Promised Land they dreamed of for themselves and for their children, an American dream that is so very Jewishthen I am proud to be an American Jew.

And when we understand that the straw that broke the back of that despicable anti-Semite was the fact that families in this congregation volunteered to protect immigrants and refugees to the United States, working with that magnificent organization HIAS; that they sought this way to express their obligation under the Torahs most-repeated commandment, the commandment to love the stranger; when we understand that they said, Because we were migrants in the land of Egypt and in the land of America, we are obligated to help migrants and displaced people, strangers and refugees around us, even though they arent from our own people, even though they speak Spanish while we have traces of Yiddish in our accents, even though the President of the United States thinks they are a threatthinks they and we are a threat and when we understand that this is why that murderer marked them out for deaththen I am proud to be an American Jew.

This is a time to inscribe these values on our hearts, and if it was not so clearly inscribed on our hearts before then let us write it now in the blood of those murdered as martyrs, sanctifying Gods name: those murdered were Liberal American JewsA holy community, sustaining traditions three centuries old of loving humanity and repairing our world, alongside love of their own people and of ancient Jewish tradition. A community with a magnificent history, and with a future that will yet astonish us all. A community from which we, as Israelis, stand to learn so, so much.

So in this time of complex Israeli-Jewish identities, of framing ourselves as descendants of Moroccans and Kurdistanis, from the Soviet Union and from Holland, in which each of us contributes our own sweet and bitter elements to the crazy mixture that is Israeli Judaism, Im proud to count myself among those descended from Americans, from that great liberal community. I hope to continue to uphold that Tree of Life that my ancestors planted in the soil of the United States, and here, in my home in Jerusalem, to continue walking in its ways; because its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.

Rabbi Mishael Zion is Director of the Mandel Program for Leadership in Jewish Culture, and leads the Klausner Minyan in Jerusalem.
We've been told for a long time that the ceasefire is on the way . It had many names in the past, such as tahdiah, hudna, and most recently"an arrangement." On Friday, once again, reports started emerging that an agreement has been reached . Several hours later, southern Israel was hit with a barrage of rockets . What happened?

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For years the Gaza Strip has been a pressure cooker bound to explode. The residents are groaning: a few hours of electricity per day, 60 percent unemployment, filthy water. The conclusion, according to politicians and commentators, is unequivocal: Hamas needs an achievement, quiet, hudna, arrangement, in order to lift the blockade and improve the situation.

There is only one problem with this theory. It is based on rational thinking. The logic of Hamas is different. Hamas does not want improvement. Hamas is putting in all the effort into preserving Gaza as the pressure cooker it currently is.

IAF strike in Gaza

It is worth mentioning that for more than a decade, Hamas has been offered opportunities to improve the situation in the strip. In 2006, immediately after Hamas' elections victory, the international community, through Middle East Quartet, established the three conditions for continuation of the Western aid: recognition of Israel, cessation of terror and recognition of previous agreements. The very next day, Khaled Mashal announced the terror group rejects all of them.

The international community remained undeterred, but Hamas has rejected the conditions every single time. There were more proposals and initiatives, and all of them had been dismissed.

We should listen closely to what Yahya Sinwar said in a Yedioth Ahronoth interview a few weeks ago. There was no recognition of the Quartet's conditions, no acceptance of the EU proposal, and certainly no agreement regarding Mahmoud Abbass demand to restore Palestinian Authoritys security control over the Gaza Strip.

Gaza border riot (Photo: AFP)

There is readiness for a ceasefire there. A senior Hamas official, Mushir al-Masri, made it clear in the past what is a ceasefire as far as Hamas is concerned.

Any quiet that could be achieved is temporary. The meaning of quiet in the dictionary of the resistance is getting ready for the next campaign. The resistance will continue to fill and develop the weapons stockpiles for future campaigns, explained the official.

And what is Israeli policy? There is no policy. Restraint is appropriate, provided it does not become an actual policy. For years there has been no Israeli initiative. Hamas could have been offered the most generous offer. It is in Israel's interests for the strip to prosper. Even if Hamas would have refused the offer, Israel wiould still have benefited from merely making such a proposal.

There is no simple solution to attrition warfare. But when pursuing an arrangement, there is a need for a coherent policy and not illusions. What we have right now is the opposite. We have no policy, and what we do have is based on illusions.
A Republican candidate for state Senate in Connecticut apologized Wednesday for sending out a mailer that has been criticized as anti-Semitic.

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Ed Charamuts campaign staff posted a statement on social media, acknowledging the mailer had serious unintended consequences.

It includes an image of his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Matthew Lesser, with cash in his hands and a maniacal look on his face. Lesser is Jewish.

Ed Charamuts mailer (Photo: MCT)

The entire campaign committee, which includes members of the Jewish community, never discussed or considered Mr. Lessers ethnicity, race, religion or any other personal characteristic of Mr. Lesser and it was never our intention for the mailer to be anything more than a reflection of Mr. Lessers policy record, the campaign said. However, it is clear now that the imagery could be interpreted as anti-Semitic, and for that we deeply apologize as hate speech of any kind does not belong in our society and especially not in our politics.

The statement refers to Charamut in the third person and does not include any personal message from the candidate. It indicates Charamut will remain in the race.

The message was posted on the Charamut campaign Facebook page, which also included a profile picture that was updated on October 28 with a frame from the Campaign Against Antisemitism, which was released after the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. The frame has a Star of David made of interlocking arms of different colors and the hashtag Together Against Antisemitism.

The Anti-Defamation League says the mailing comes amid a rise in reported anti-Semitic incidents, including Saturdays shooting that left 11 people dead and six others wounded.

Protest at the scene of Pittsburgh shooting (Photo: AFP)

Lesser said the flyer is overtly anti-Semitic. He said he has not been contacted by Charamut or state Republican leaders since the mailing went out.

Im not sure if there is anything he could do to undo the hurt that he has inflicted on my family, but also on a like number of people across the district, across the state and across the nation, he said.

Charamut had defended the mailer on Tuesday, saying it was only meant to draw a contrast between Lesser and his own fiscal conservatism.

The mailer makes the point that if elected, Matt Lesser will undoubtedly vote to hike peoples taxes again and again, Charamut said in a statement. Those wishing to portray a graphic illustration as something hateful are completely wrong.

J.R. Romano, the states Republican Party chairman, issued a statement condemning the mailer, just hours after defending it and accusing Democrats of having false outrage. He said his change of heart came after discussing the imagery with Jewish friends.

In a race with a Jewish candidate, this image should be recognized as offensive, raising classic anti-Semitic tropes, he said. It cannot be justified. I personally would not have approved this mailer, and I am grateful that the party did not approve it. I have requested to sit down with the ADL to broaden my understanding of and sensitivity to anti-Semitism.

Lesser said it is his understanding that Romano is still supporting Charamut in Tuesdays election.

He said hes not sure what effect the mailer might have on the election.

My belief is that voters are decent people, he said. My expectation is that voters will reject this kind of hatred and bigotry and division.
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz on Friday called the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul "despicable" but said that co-operating with Riyadh against their common foe Iran was Israel's priority.

Steinitz's remarks appeared to break with Israeli government reticence over last month's killing, which has caused global outrage.

It was not clear if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared his views and Netanyahu's office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Saudi government initially denied Khashoggi had been killed then later said he died in an unplanned "rogue operation". Last week, the kingdom's public prosecutor Saud Al Mojeb said the attack was premeditated.

Asked about Khashoggi on Tel Aviv radio station 102 FM, Steinitz, a member of Netanyahu's security cabinet, said: "It was a despicable action. It's worthy of all reproach. This was a civilian, a journalist, not a terrorist."

He went on to say, however, that Israel's struggle against Iran was more pressing.

"We have a threat that can become an existential threat - the threat of a nuclear Iran, the threat of terror, the threat of spreading through Syria and Lebanon. And Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, are our allies in recent years against the spread of Iran and against the Iranian nuclear threat," he said.

Iran denies it is trying to nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu made a surprise visit last week to Oman, whose foreign minister then told Gulf neighbors that Israel should be accepted in the region. Other Israeli delegates this week visited the United Arab Emirates.

The Trump administration, which has brought US policy sharply in line with Israel's, has also sought closer s relations with Saudi Arabia. US envoys see Riyadh and other Gulf powers as possible partners in a broad peace deal with Israel that would overtake its long-stalled bilateral negotiations with the Palestinians.
A bill proposed by MK Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home), which will be brought for a vote in front of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday, seeks to allow Knesset members to meet with terrorists in prison.

At the initiative of Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan, these visits were stopped, and the Knesset Committee established that MK's immunity prevents them from meeting with terrorists in prison.

If passed, the new law will cancel Erdan's initiative.

"I fought tooth and nail until I managed to stop this bizarre situation elected officials visiting terrorists is a senseless phenomenon that has no parallel in the world, and I will fight and do everything in my power so that this dangerous bill will not pass," the minister told Ynet.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Friday with Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila as part of the summit meeting of the Craiova State Forum in Varna, Bulgaria, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

The two discussed strengthening relations between the two countries. The prime ministers discussed ways to increase the volume of trade and investment, as well as promoting cooperation in security and combating terrorism, in technology, energy and other bilateral issues.

Netanyahu told the Romanian Prime Minister that Israel is defending Europe by preventing dozens of attacks on its soil. Then, Netanyahu congratulated Romania on the occasion of its presidency of the European Union and requested that it help to significantly change the EU's position on Israel.

The two leaders also discussed regional issues and challenges in the Middle East.

"So youre close neighbors and good neighbors. Well, we have a different neighborhood, although our relations with our Arab neighbors are changing dramatically for the better," the prime minister said in his opening remarks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday condemned the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul, but said the bigger problem facing the region was Iran.

"What happened in the Istanbul consulate was horrendous and should be duly dealt with. At the same time, it is very important for the stability of the world, for the region and for the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable, Netanyahu told reporters.

"The larger problem is Iran and we have to make sure that Iran does not continue the malign activities that it has been doing over the last few weeks in Europe. We have helped uncover two terrorist attacksone in Paris, and the other one in Copenhagen, organized by the Iranian secret service. Blocking Iran is at the top of our agenda for security, not only for Israel but also for Europe and the world," he stressed.

Netanyahu made the comments during a news conference in the Bulgarian city of Varna, where he met the Bulgarian, Greek, Romanian and Serbian leaders.

The prime minister's remarks followed similar comments made earlier Friday by Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz.
Several hundred Palestinians demonstrate Friday in five locations along the Gaza Strip border.

As of this time, a small number of demonstrators have been registered in relation to previous weeks, and most of the protesters keep their distance and avoid reaching the fence.

At one riot center, demonstrators removed a wire obstacle located about 100 meters from the fence.
DUBAIIran said on Friday that it had no concerns over the reimposition of new US sanctions on the country's vital oil and financial sectors, expected to be announced by Washington on November 4th.

"America will not be able to carry out any measure against our great and brave nation... We have the knowledge and the capability to manage the country's economic affairs," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told state TV.
An Egyptian intelligence delegation arrived Friday at one of the protest centers in the northern Gaza Strip to examine closely the implementation of the understandings reached Thursday to stop the violence on the Gaza border fence.

At this time, no incidents of burning tires, Molotov cocktails throwing, and infiltration attempts have been reported.
The European Union, France, Germany and Britain said in a joint statement on Friday that they regret Washington's decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran.

New sanctions are due to come in on Monday. The restoration of sanctions is part of a wider effort by US President Donald Trump to force Iran to curb its nuclear and missile programs as well as its support for proxy forces in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East.

"Our aim is to protect European economic actors who have legitimate commercial exchanges with Iran, in line with European legislation and the United Nations' Security Council resolution 2231," European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers and finance ministers of the three countries said.
An Iranian lawmaker said on Friday that the reimposition of US sanctions on Tehran will further unite the Iranian nation against the foreign threat, news website Jamaran reported.

"Iranians become more united whenever Iran faces foreign threats ... political factions and Iranians from different layers of the society will confront (US President Donald) Trump's bullying tactics," Mahmoud Sadeghi was quoted as saying.

The US sanctions, lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, will come back into force on Monday.
CONFERRING WITH members of the Bessemer parks and recreation commission Thursday is Kelden Witt, standing to the right. Commission members are, from left, mayor pro tempore Allen Archie, Marlene Zaleski, Kathie Billie and Ron Zaleski (wearing hat.) Witt reported about his creation of additional footage to an existing trail behind Bluff Valley Park in Bessemer.

By P.J. GLISSON

[email protected]

BESSEMER - Members of the Bessemer parks and recreation commission were grateful to learn Thursday of new trail links that connect to an existing path behind the city's Bluff Valley Park.

With the help of a photo slide show, Kelden Witt, of Bessemer, reported about the new trail work he has accomplished since the city council approved the project last July.

Witt said he has nearly accomplished his goal to create new entry and exit trails that connect with the original path leading to the bluff behind the park. He said they will be great venues for bo...
BESSEMER SENIOR Kate Nyquist, left, and Michigan State Police Community Service Trooper Jerry Mazurek load a truck full of donated food at the Wakefield Post Thursday. The donated food was destined for food banks across the Gogebic Range.

By RICHARD JENKINS

[email protected]

WAKEFIELD - Once again the community has come together to support several food banks across the Gogebic Range, donating 31,810 pounds of food to the Michigan State Police Wakefield Post's annual food drive.

"I'm very, very happy. The community stepped up and was very generous. They made all this possible," said post commander First Lt. Don Horn.

The donations were collected over the past two weeks, according to Horn, and distributed Thursday to food banks in Ironwood, Bessemer and Watersmeet.

While it was too early to tell if the post was able...
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Governments new ACT Housing Strategy was positively received by the Housing Industry Association (HIA) although they noted that the plan lacked a good way to address with taxation.

HIA Executive Director for the ACT and Southern New South Wales Greg Weller said that the strategy has sparked the work and consultation among the government and other concerned sectors. At the same time, it presented many housing related issues in ACT.

Part of the approach was a new goal of allotting 15% of all government land releases for public, community and affordable housing, including both infill development in urban areas and developments in new suburbs. It is envisioned that this will increase the number of additional homes delivered each year to about 630.

Commenting on the totality of the strategy, Weller underscored that more complex problems were overlooked.

Equally, it provides a number of options to address some of the problems. However, it does fail to acknowledge the elephant in room when it comes to housing affordability, which is the level of taxation, he said.

Referencing a study, it was revealed that the level of taxation on a new home in a greenfield estate in a capital city can be as high as 44%. One of the biggest contributors is Stamp Duty, and although the ACT government has commendably embarked on a path of phasing out the tax, the reality is that while the rate being charged falls, the amount collected by government continues to rise due to the high cost of homes, Weller explained.

It was further pointed out that the government is reassessing the Lease Variation Charge, which has potentially made a number of projects unsuccessful and is affecting the type of development that the city should be supporting.

Apart from emphasizing that industry needs strong commitments on select plans rather than promises of consultations, HIA noted that repealing or reducing this tax should be top of mind.

HIA does welcome the strong commitment in the Strategy to maintaining a healthy land and development pipeline, rightly recognising that there is a real link between supply and affordability, Weller concluded.

This commitment is well supported by the publishing by the government of the ACT Land and Property Report.
News

Washington, DC - Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and United States Attorney William M. McSwain for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced that an Algerian man was sentenced today to 15 years imprisonment for conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists. United States District Judge Petrese B. Tucker presided over the proceeding.

Ali Charaf Damache, 53, also known as Theblackflag, was indicted in 2011 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and one count of attempted identity theft to facilitate an act of international terrorism. He was extradited from Spain in 2017 and pleaded guilty in July 2018. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States and return to Ireland, where he is a citizen, or alternatively, Algeria.

Damache, his co-defendant Mohammad Hassan Khalid, and others conspired to support, recruit, and coordinate a terrorist cell, consisting of men and women from Europe and the United States, to wage violent jihad in and around Europe. Jamie Paulin Ramirez, a resident of Colorado, and Colleen R. LaRose, aka Fatima LaRose, aka JihadJane, a resident of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania are among Damaches co-conspirators.

Though there were several involved in the conspiracy, Damache was the force behind the terrorist cell he formed. He enticed LaRose and Ramirez to travel to Ireland live with him and train in the ways of violent jihad; convinced Khalid, LaRose and others to recruit men online to wage violent jihad in South Asia and Europe; and began to coordinate explosives training for his co-conspirators. He also trained Ramirezs son in the ways of violent jihad, on one occasion taking him to a public park for physical training that scared him.

At a time when radical terrorist groups use the Internet to recruit new members and coordinate attacks against innocent people, the National Security Division remains committed to investigating all possible threats to our country aggressively  including those that take place online, said Assistant Attorney General Demers. Through close cooperation with our international law enforcement partners and the dedicated work of our agents and prosecutors, we have brought Damache to justice. The sentence in this case and order of removal have made the United States safer, and I applaud the women and men throughout the law enforcement community who made it happen.

Todays sentencing marks the end of a long and arduous prosecution that has spanned more than nine years, involved four defendants and five unnamed co-conspirators, and required multiple coordinated international arrests and two extradition applications, said United States Attorney McSwain. Damache and his co-conspirators were motivated by hate and prejudice, and their criminal activities presented a very real danger to our country and the world. This case is a prime example of the remarkable results we can accomplish when law enforcement  both foreign and domestic  work together to stop our enemies who intend to wage war on our way of life. As this case shows, our resolve to dismantle extremists groups is stronger than ever.

This case was investigated by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York and the FBI Field Divisions in New York, Denver, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and the IRS. The Justice Departments Office of International Affairs and authorities in Spain provided substantial assistance. Authorities in Ireland also provided assistance in this matter.

The case is being prosecuted Trial Attorneys Matthew F. Blue and C. Alexandria Bogle of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah M. Wolfe of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Latest News

Washington, DC - "We will not rest until our border is secure, our citizens are safe, and we finally end the immigration crisis once and for all." ~ President Donald J. Trump

GROWING CRISIS: Our country is facing an urgent crisis as illegal aliens stream across our border, including a caravan of thousands heading here at this moment.

Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 saw the highest number of family unit apprehensions and of inadmissible aliens on record  more than 40 percent higher than any previous year. Family unit apprehensions at the southern border have increased by a staggering 620 percent since 2013, from 14,855 to 107,212.

The number of unaccompanied minors apprehended along the southern border has grown by 171 percent since 2010. United States Border Patrol apprehended 18,411 unaccompanied minors at the southern border in 2010, compared to 50,036 in 2018.

Catch-and-release loopholes backed by Democrats and created by activist judges have blocked us from quickly removing illegal aliens and instead allow them to remain here for years. In FY 2000, 95 percent of apprehensions were repatriated within hours as the vast majority were adults from Mexico and not subject to outrageous loopholes. In FY 2018, roughly 4 out every 10 aliens apprehended along the southern border face effectively no legal consequence for illegal entry due to loopholes.

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of aliens claiming a fear of return at the southern border over the past several years. The number of aliens claiming credible fear of persecution in their home countries has spiked by over 1700 percent since 2010. While approximately 80 percent of migrants from the Northern Triangle countries claim credible fear, only 15 percent are granted asylum.



THREAT TO OUR SECURITY: Our porous southern border has allowed drugs and criminals to flood into our country and endanger the security and well-being of American communities.

CBP stopped 17,256 criminals and 1,019 gang members from entering our country in FY 2018.

Brutal gangs like MS-13 have exploited the influx of unaccompanied minors for recruitment.

Mexico is the source of more than 90 percent of wholesale heroin seized by law enforcement in the United States, up from only 10 percent in 2003.

The amount of fentanyl seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in FY 2017 (2,370 pounds) was enough to kill every American citizen by overdose.

The southern border is the main entry point for cocaine entering the United States.

Methamphetamine seizures at the southern border jumped by 157 percent from 2012 to 2016.

DEMOCRATIC OBSTRUCTION: Democrats have blocked all efforts to secure our southern border and protect our communities.
Latest News

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On October 25, Jason Michael Ludke, of Milwaukee, pled guilty to conspiring to provide material support or resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339B(a)(1). Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Special Agent-in-Charge R. Justin Tolomeo of the FBIs Milwaukee Division made the announcement Tuesday.

According to the plea agreement, Ludke and a co-conspirator agreed that they would travel through Mexico to Syria and Iraq in order to join ISIS and to work under its direction and control. Ludke also recorded a video of himself pledging his allegiance to the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and stating that he was ready to join ISIS. Ludke told an FBI Undercover Employee (UCE), who Ludke believed was assisting in the travel plans, that Ludke had training in jiu-jitsu and computers, which Ludke believed would benefit ISIS. On Oct. 5, 2016, Ludke and his coconspirator were traveling to the Texas/Mexico border in order to accomplish their plan to join ISIS (in Syria or Iraq), when law enforcement located and arrested them.

Ludke has prior convictions for child sexual assault and for making death threats against a federal judge. Also according to the plea agreement, Ludke was on probation at the time he was arrested and had cut the tracking device from his ankle before leaving Wisconsin.

This conviction demonstrates the United States resolute commitment to protecting our country and combatting foreign terrorism, United States Attorney Krueger said. Individuals like Ludke who seek to provide material support to ISIS will be held accountable.

The FBIs number one priority is protecting Americans from terrorism, said Special Agent-in-Charge Justin Tolomeo. I commend our Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which includes our local, state and federal partners, for their investigative efforts in identifying and arresting Jason Ludke that prevented him from joining the ISIS terror group.

Ludke faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a maximum term of supervised release of life, and a maximum fine of $250,000. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the JTTF and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul Kanter and Benjamin Taibleson and Trial Attorney Jolie F. Zimmerman of the Departments Counterterrorism Section.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - The Yuma Police Department is notifying the community that Austin Wilcher, 23 is now residing at 601 S. Orange Avenue #6, Yuma, Arizona 85364. He is described as 5 feet, 7 inches, 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

On January 27, 2009, Austin Wilcher was convicted Taking Indecent Liberties with a minor, Attempt 2nd Degree Rape and Sexual Offense.

On December 30, 2014, Austin Wilcher entered a plea agreement in the Yuma County Superior Court on one count of Sexual Abuse and one count of Attempted Sexual Abuse
Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 62F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

Considerable clouds early. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 83F. Winds N at 15 to 25 mph.
Ghanaian social media users have hailed US President Donald Trump for planning to end birthright citizenship.

Many celebrities from Africa for some reason have been giving birth to their children abroad especially United States of America (USA).

However, people who go to USA to give birth will be reducing drastically after Trump indicated that his country will be stopping citizenship being granted to children of immigrants born in the country.

Donald Trump (Photo credit: Glamour.com)

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Asamoah Gyan has a child with another woman in Italy - Social Media user reveals

Birthright citizenship in America comes from the citizenship clause in the 14th amendment of the countrys constitution, and it states that:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

After YEN.com.gh reported on the aforementioned news, some social media users have expressed their happiness over Trumps decision.

They took to YEN.com.gh's Facebook page to made their views known by hailing Trump.

For instance, a user, Kofi Akoto, took his hat off to Trump for planning to end birthright citizenship.

READ ALSO: Baffour Gyan reportedly kicks Gifty out of matrimonial home

Prince also heaped praises on Trump for his latest decision.

Sandra Dalous Ankrah also expressed his delight in Trump;s latest decision.

Benjamin Charwetey sees the news as a great one.

Many other social media users also praised Trump for stressing that he is planning to abolish the birthright citizenship.

READ ALSO: Analysis: 6 reasons Akufo-Addo, NPP must take Mahama's 2020 bid seriously

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Ghanaian actress Xandy Kamel has claimed that her colleague Benedicta Gafah is not a complete woman because she does not have a womb.

Xandy made this revelation in an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh on Thursday, November 1, 2018.

She revealed further that Gafah was married, but due to some marital issues with her husband, she removed her ring to appear to be single.

READ ALSO: Wendy Shay angry over Joy FM presenters Who is Wendy Shay question to her

According to her, Gafah had an operation to have her womb removed because she said she did not want to have children.

Xandy further told YEN TV in that exclusive interview that Gafah took her husband to a "juju man" to be made confused so she could have all his property in her possession.

She explained that Gafahs husband was by then building a house which she wanted to have to herself, hence the decision to take him to the "juju man".

READ ALSO: Video of Asamoah Gyans wife playing with her children would touch your heart

Asked how come she got to know so much secrets about the Zylofon actress, Xandy revealed that she lived together with Gafah in the same room for two months.

She was my good friend, a very good friend and we lived together in her house for two months even though she says two weeks, Xandy revealed to YEN.com.gh.

She also said that Gafah's family members have disowned her because of what she said was the Zylofon signee's bad character.

The two actresses have been at each others throat for some time now.

READ ALSO: Asamoah Gyans wife sings Kuami Eugenes Wish me well in exciting video

In a recent report by YEN.com.gh, Xandy said Gafah has dated many married men even though she is married.

She said also that one of the married men slept with the Zylofon actress after luring her with ordinary khebab.

According to Xandy, she has evidence to back all her claims about Gafah, adding that she would release all those evidence in due course for the world to know that she is not lying.

READ ALSO: It was a marriage of convenience with Asamoah Gyans knowledge  Close friend reveals

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A non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Ophelia Quainoo Global Foundation (OQGF) last Friday presented educational materials to the needy pupils of Afrangua D/A Basic School in the Central Region to improve learning.

The NGO donated 230 copies of branded exercise books, three packs of pencils, three packs of pens, three packs of erasers and one dozen of crayon to the 155 pupils in the Afrangua D/A Basic School to enhance their academic standard.

It was part of the NGOs back to school project, aimed at bettering the lives of the needy, abandoned and less privileged in society.

Ophelia Quainoo donates to Afrangua D/A Basic School

Source: UGC

The Communications Director of OQGF, Godfrey Ainoo speaking to The Spectator said the deprived nature and poor standard of learning in the school has accounted for their inability to excel in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E) thereby denying them the opportunity to further their education to the Secondary level.

It seems few students participated in the BECE previously which was not encouraging, but I believe if much attention was paid by way of support, more students can participate and come out with excellent performance, he added.

We believe the list of the learning items donated to the school would motivate and prepare the pupils to meet the high learning standards to further their education to the next level, he said.

Godfrey Ainoo expressed worry in the absence of library and Information Communications Technology laboratories (ICT labs) in some government Basic Schools which has accounted for the low standard of learning and poor performance by students in some part of the rural communities.

I believe corporate organisations, individuals and the government should factor such project in a sense that deprived schools in the country would have access to library and ICT labs hence promoting quality education, he said.

The Headmaster of Afrangua D/A Basic School, Ekow Simpson on behalf of the school children expressed gratitude to the OQGF volunteers and pleaded with government, individuals, Cooperate bodies and other philanthropists to support the school to build the image of the school as well as the children.

Source: Yen.com.gh
The family of late Major Maxwell Adams Mahama have established a foundation in memory of the late soldier who was killed on Monday, May 29, 2017.

The army commander was lynched by a mob at Denkyira Obuasi while on official duties in 2017. The infamy caused by the brutal killing forced townsfolk to change the town's name to New Obuasi.

The ex-serviceman was also posthumously promoted to the rank of Major from a captain.

3news.com also reports that the Major Maxwell Mahama Foundation, as it is called, is aimed at leading a campaign against mob justice.

READ ALSO: Benedicta Gafah is married; battling marriage in court - Xandy Kamel

Speaking on 3FMs Sunrise on Thursday, November 1, father of late Major Mahama Captain (rtd) Denis Adams said the family of the slain soldier is committed to ensuring that no such incident occurs ever again.

Adams is quoted as saying: The death of Major Maxwell Mahama should never be in vain, and the only way for it not to be in vain is for us to ensure that never again should such a thing happen to any other person.

We should use his death to stop mob justice.

READ ALSO: Wendy Shay angry over Joy FM presenters Who is Wendy Shay question to her

He stated that the family has taken opportunity of the late Majors birthday, which falls on November 1, to officially launch the foundation to celebrate his life.

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A resolution signed by 118 MPs against the appointment of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister and the appointments and decisions that followed, was handed over to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya today.

In the resolution, the MPs said the gazette notification issued by President Maithripala Sirisena on October 26 making Mr. Rajapaksa the Prime Minister was against the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

We also dont accept any of the decisions and appointments made by the President that followed the appointment of Mr. Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister, the MPs said.

UNP MP Ajith P Perera presented the resolution which was seconded by MP Champika Ranawaka. (Ajith Siriwardana)
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Menzgold Ghana Limited, Nana Appiah Mensah, has commented for the first time in a long while following a tumultuous period involving his company.

The gold dealership firm has been in the news in recent months following disagreements with the Bank of Ghana (BoG) regarding its operations.

The latest development is the order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to have the company shut down its gold trading activities.

READ ALSO: 2-bedroom renovated with Ghc1m - Maritime Authority boss sees no wrong

Customers of Menzgold have also been agitating, as their investments continue to be locked up with the gold dealership firm.

The last time Nana Appiah Mensah commented on the matter was in October, when he urged customers to remain calm and assured that we will pay you.

The Menzgold CEO has since been quiet on social media, but he has now posted another message which is bound to spark controversy.

In a Twitter post on Thursday, NAM1 said Menzgold is not a financial institution as people claim, adding that the company is here to stay.

He wrote: ''Menzgold is NOT a financial institution. Menzgold is a vibrant promising African brand, that is here to stay. Menzgold is law abiding. Great is thy faithfulness, O! God. Hail! Menzgold #Floreat! Menzgold.

Meanwhile, Menzgold has taken legal action against the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following weeks of inconclusive discussions.

READ ALSO: Kwame Boateng should have won Journalist of the Year - Israel Laryea

Deputy Minister of Finance has hinted that the Gold dealership company, Menzgold will not be in business again in Ghana.

According to the Deputy Minister, after several cautions from the Bank of Ghana and the Security and Exchange Commission, Menzgold has not been able to produce any legitimate license to the regulators thereby making their activities in the financial sector illegal.

Ghana News Today: KNUST Vice-Chancellor Asked to Step Aside | Yen.com.gh

READ ALSO: Social media user blows alarm over alleged fake gold investment company

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Source: Yen.com.gh
YEN.com.gh has sighted photos some social media users say are of a 'sakawa' boy, who they say was the boyfriend of the late social media slay queen, Charlotte Abena Woodey.

Abena Woodey died after a short illness last week, and some of her friends and followers have suggested that there was foul play involved.

The young man whose name is yet to be verified was spotted in a video, cruising in a car with with Abena Woodey, when she was alive.

The slay queen was seen dancing as she self-recorded and was seen with an iPhone on her lap.

Taju. Credit: Ghpage.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Delay told me Asamoah Gyan's wife used juju on him - Afia Schwarzenegger (Video)

Some social media have claimed that the iPhone on her lap which was captured in the video was was used by the alleged 'sakawa' boy (internet fraudster) to lure her.

They claim the boy later used her for rituals, leading to her death. YEN.com.gh could not verify any of the claims.

One of the photos of the alleged boyfriend of the late slay queen showed him posing close to a Mercedes Benz.

He has however come out to distance himself from Abena Woodey's death and has made it clear that he had no hand whatsoever in the unfortunate incident but rather went to show support.

Taju. Credit: Ghpage.com

Source: UGC

YEN.com.gh reported that the popular lady on social media, died after she fell ill momentarily.

READ ALSO: Passport forms now free and available online

Abena Woodey, who was widely known is reported to have died after battling with some illness, which is yet to be disclosed.

Although the cause of death is currently not known, some social media users have latched on to a conspiracy theory that the young lady died as a result of her relationship with 'Sakawa' boys.

Taju. Credit: Ghpage.com

Source: UGC

One Facebook user also claimed that Abena Woodey died after she went in for the boyfriend of a certain lady and was cursed as a result.

Her last video which was sighted on Facebook showed when she was full of life and while celebrating her birthday with friends.

Another video believed to be the last she took saw her sitting in front of a house and appeared to be in pain.

Charlotte Abena Woodey. Credit: Supplied

Source: Instagram

READ ALSO: NAM1 is back on Twitter after a long hibernation

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The Deputy Minister for Finance, Charles Adu Boahen, has given the biggest indication yet that Menzgold Ghana Limited could soon be out of business for good.

According to him, the gold dealership firm has so far failed to provide the necessary documents and licenses to suggest its business is genuine.

Menzgold has been in the news in recent months following disagreements with the Bank of Ghana (BoG) regarding its operations.

READ ALSO: Social media user blows alarm over alleged fake gold investment company

The latest development is the order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to have the company shut down its gold trading activities.

Subsequently, the company halted its collectibles and all other new businesses related to its gold vault market, albeit temporarily.

This, however, led to some customers of the firm besieging the various offices of Menzgold to demand that their investments are returned to them.

But speaking at the JoyBusiness Financial Service Forum, the Deputy Finance Minister suggested that Menzgold may never return to business again.

With the Menzgold issue, I think it is clear that the end is here. He is done, Mr. Adu Boahen emphatically stated at the Forum.

According to him, irrespective of the fact that, Menzgolds activities have been terminated, the management of Menzgold must ensure that every depositor receives his or her money.

READ ALSO: Passport forms now free and available online

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah, maintains that the gold dealership firm is not a financial institution as people claim, adding that the company is here to stay.

In a Twitter post on Thursday, NAM1 wrote:

Menzgold is NOT a financial institution. Menzgold is a vibrant promising African brand, that is here to stay. Menzgold is law abiding. Great is thy faithfulness, O! God. Hail! Menzgold #Floreat! Menzgold.

Ghana News Today: Stonebwoy Makes History At Ashiaman To The World Concert | Yen.com.gh

READ ALSO: GFA to pay Nyantakyi's GHS 2.4million FIFA fine if he defaults

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- A suspected robber, John Godwin, has explained the reason why he was finally arrested

- According to him, it was because he forgot to read Psalm 121 before going out on an operation

- Four other suspects have been arrested alongside Godwin

A 30-year-old cross-border robbery suspect, John Godwin, has claimed that he was arrested by the police because he failed to read the Bible.

According to him, he usually reads Psalm 121 before going on operations, so luck eluded him when he forgot to read it.

He added that he was arrested because God wanted the police to apprehend him, so that he quits robbery.

Source: Adomonline.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Ghanaians can now acquire passport forms online - Government

My parents told me when I was born a pastor prophesied that I would become a pastor. When I was in the prison I used to preach and pray with my colleagues.

It is the devil that drove me to crime. Whenever we are going on an operation, I usually read Psalm 121.

I believe reading the Psalms would give me protection throughout the operation period, he explained.

Four other suspects, Solomon Adeniji, Tosin Adeoye and two nationals of the Republic of Benin, Adewale Adebolaji and Moyori Sule, were arrested alongside Godwin.

The Zonal Police Public Relations Officer (ZPPRO), CSP Dolapo Badmos, revealed the suspects used to snatch vehicles in Nigeria, drive them to Benin Republic and hand them over to a receiver only known as Alhaji.

READ ALSO: NAM 1 posts a message on Twitter after a long break

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-The Ghana Education Service has warned male teachers to stop the practice of using their students as maidservants

-The practice is against the code of ethics of the education service of the country

Male teachers have been cautioned against requesting for services from female students in their homes.

According to the Director in charge of Girls Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Madam Nutsugah Mikado, it had come to the realization of the service that these male teachers took advantage of them.

The director said these male teachers used some of these girls as maidservants in their homes by making them run errands, cook and also wash for them.

GES cautions male teachers against female students

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Photos of 'sakawa' boy who allegedly used slay queen Charlotte Abena Woodey for money rituals

These actions by the teachers she stressed was against the code of ethics of the Ghana education service.

The director passed this note of warning at a ceremony to present food and cash to beneficiaries from the participating schools in the food and cash incentive programme, at Kulkpeni in the Yendi Municipality in the Northern Region.

Under the programme, the girls from deprived communities, were provided with food and cash to encourage them to remain in school and complete their basic education.

The programme is currently benefitting a total of 17,000 girls from deprived communities in the three regions of the north and parts of northern Volta.

READ ALSO: Passport forms now free and available online

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Information available to YEN.com.gh shows that residents of Buduburam in the Central Region have issued a threat to police officials.

They have allegedly threatened to burn any police car that will attempt to patrol the area.

This was after the police reportedly shot a man known as Alhassan Awudu, popularly known as Asah, on the night of Wednesday, October 31, 2018.

Source: adomonline.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: I was arrested because I forgot to read Psalm 121 - Suspected robber

According to some eyewitnesses, police patrol cars with registration number GP 4757 and GP4836 stormed the area and started searching for Indian hemp on them.

The police accused him of smelling of Indian hemp, an accusation he denied, leading to the firing of warning shots from the police, an eyewitness recounted.

Source: adomonline.com

Source: UGC

YEN.com.gh understands that the police insisted on searching the deceased in a bid to retrieve drugs from him, but he attempted to escape.

In a bid to stop him from fleeing, the police opened fire on him, leading to his death.

It has been alleged that police officers have been harassing and extorting huge monies from the youth of the town

Source: adomonline.com

Source: UGC

The youth have, therefore, called on the government to call the police to order, or they take the law into their own hands and fight them whenever the police attempt to arrest someone in the area.

Asahs body has been deposited at the police morgue for preservation, awaiting burial.

READ ALSO: Former beauty queen reveals why she is not married

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President Akufo-Addo has indicated that his government will not stop borrowing because even the United States borrows.

This, however, is in sharp contract with Akufo-Addos stance at the time he was contesting for the presidency during the 2016 electioneering campaign.

In an earlier report by YEN.com.gh, the president said that so far as the country was borrowing to enhance development and its betterment, there was nothing wrong with it.

READ ALSO: Sister Deborah finally speaks on rumours that Fella snatched Medikal from her

Despite trumpeting his Ghana beyond aid agenda, Akufo Addo said the country would continue to borrow.

In a bid to justify this, he stated that borrowing money was not the same as receiving aid, therefore, his Ghana beyond aid mantra was still a viable agenda.

However, his comment has landed on the bad nerves of some Ghanaians who have taken time to condemn the president on social media.

These Ghanaians channeled their grievances to the president through YEN.com.ghs official Facebook page.

Some of them even suggested that the president's age has a role to play in his recent outbursts.

READ ALSO: It was a marriage of convenience with Asamoah Gyans knowledge  Close friend reveals

Patterson, for instance, said Ghanaians were fed up with the many speeches of the president and needed real action:

Win was also of the view that Ghana was no longer a safe country to live in anymore:

READ ALSO: I see nothing wrong with dating a married man  Xandy Kamel

Jake also accused the President of not honouring his promise of not borrowing which he made noise about while his party was in opposition and he was contesting for the presidency:

Prince thinks Akufo-Addo lied to Ghanaians by making the NDC look bad when he preached against it for borrowing.

READ ALSO: 6 hot photos of the lady alleged to be behind Asamoah Gyans divorce

Godson was of the view that the president needed prayers to help him make sound decisions for the country:

To Baruna, Akufo-Addo misled Ghanaians by making them think that "borrowing is a crime":

READ ALSO: Video of Asamoah Gyans wife playing with the kids like coequals proves she is a good mother

Meanwhile, Ghana's total debt, according to reports, has hit $ GHS159.4 bn, according to a report by the Bank of Ghana.

Ghana News Today: KNUST Vice-Chancellor Asked to Step Aside | Yen.com.gh

READ ALSO: Video of Asamoah Gyans wife singing Kuami Eugenes Wish me well proves she loves to have fun

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A schoolteacher of the Presbyterian Junior High in the Upper West Regional capital of Wa has got himself into hot waters after he made a student crawl on the ground with their knees until the skin on that area was peeled off.

Officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the region have taken on the mathematics teacher. Parents with wards in the school have also registered their displeasure with the school.

The name of the victim is unknown YEN.com.gh but Mynewsgh reports that the teacher's name was only given as Mr Ahmed.

Mr Ahmed was looking to punish the student for "making noise in class". The student, a pupil in Form Two, is now reported unable to walk properly.

READ ALSO: Charlotte Abena Woodey died because of an iPhone 7+ from 'sakawa' boy - Man claims (Video)

The knees of the student after he endured his punishment. Photo credit: Mynewsgh.com

Source: UGC

As the photo above shows, the skin on both knees has literally peeled off.

YEN.com.gh gathers that the student's attempt to close a window caught the attention of the teacher. He explained to the teacher that he was avoiding the sun's contact with his eyes.

The mathematics teacher did not take this for an excuse especially because teaching was in session and he (teacher) felt the student was distracting the rest of the class.

The matter has been reported to the Municipal Police Command, which has since invited the headteacher of the school and the offending teacher for questioning.

READ ALSO: Deborah Vanessa confirms break-up with Medikal

The headteacher of the school has refused to comment on the issue, emphasising that the matter is before the appropriate authorities.

Ghana News Today: Musical Performances at the Glo Concert: Davido, Stonebwoy and Sarkodie Yen.com.gh

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- Actor John Dumelo has revealed plans to legalize marijuana if he becomes president of Ghana

- He also announced plans to appoint Nana Aba Anamoah as his vice president

- This was after she had endorsed his ambition to lead the country as president

Ghanaian actor and farmer, John Dumelo, has disclosed his intention to legalize Indian Hemp if he becomes president of Ghana.

Taking to Twitter, a social media platform, he indicated that it will be the first thing he will do when he takes charge as the leader of the nation.

In a bid to drum home his message, he again indicated his intention to appoint celebrated broadcaster, Nana Aba Anamoah, as his vice president if he assumes the reins of power.

READ ALSO: Ghanaians reveal 15 things Kwesi Nyantakyi can no longer do and it is funny

This came after an endorsement from Anamoah, with respect to his intention to lead the country.

He therefore asked her to pass by Highstaff house for her appointment letter for the position of vice president.

YEN.com.gh is however yet to confirm if Anamoah is in support of his ambition to legalize wee.

Dumelo has, in recent months, shared photos of his farming activities on social media, much to the delight of a cross-section of Ghanaians.

READ ALSO: Baffuor Gyan wanted by East Legon police

Yenkasa Kumasi: What is the Biggest Challenge Confronting the People of Kumasi?

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COXS BAZAR AFP Oct31, 2018 -A top Myanmar official said that his country would take back a first group of 2,000 Rohingya refugees from camps in Bangladesh in November despite widespread doubts over the proposal.



Officials from the two countries announced on Tuesday that some of the 720,000 Muslim Rohingya who fled a deadly military clampdown in the Buddhist-majority country last year would start returning next month.



Myanmar foreign secretary Myint Thu visited the camps in Coxs Bazar on Wednesday to discuss the repatriations with refugees.



Most repeated demands that they be given Myanmar nationality with full rights before they return.



Thu said Myanmar has verified 5,000 names on a list of 8,032 Rohingya that Bangladesh authorities sent in February.



From that 5,000, the first batch will be about 2,000 people. And then a second batch will follow. So in mid-November we will receive the first batch, Thu

told reporters.
The key issues dealt with were child marriage, women as Quazi judges and divorce

Womens Association of Sri Lanka Malays (WASLAM) organised a presentation and discussion session on Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act in Colombo on Sunday, October 7th, 2018 in collaboration with Muslim Personal Law Reform Action Group (MPLRAG).

The Nobel Peace Prize 2018 has been awarded to Dr. Dennis Mukwege from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nadia Murad from Iraq, two brave warriors in the battle against violence perpetrated towards women.

Against this backdrop it is timely that the Womens Association of Sri Lanka Malays (WASLAM) hosted a discussion on the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) on 7th October, 2018. The Act stems from an archaic piece of legislation borrowed from Batavia (Indonesia) in 1770 AD during the Dutch rule in Sri Lanka and implemented unrevised since 1951 to this day.



In contrast the original law has been subjected to reform and development in its country of origin to suit the changes of time.

The discussion was held in collaboration with the Muslim Personal Law Reform Action Group (MPLRAG), a body of Muslim lawyers and activists earnestly working towards reformation of the Act. Their findings that covered a period of nine (9) years were presented by young female Attorneys; Hyshyama Hamin, Ermiza Tegal, Sabra Zahid and Hasanah Cegu Issadeen. The event was well attended by a large group of women. The dearth of male participation was starkly evident. Only three gentlemen were present with the lionesses in their stronghold.



The key issues dealt with were child marriage, women as Quazi judges and divorce. The objective is to put a halt to girls being forced or coerced into matrimony even at the tender age of fourteen (14) years. An alliance that even older girls would agree to with some trepidation especially since the bridegroom could be 10 to 15 years her senior. Once the alliance is formed this child-bride despite her immaturity, has to fulfil the wishes of her husband and his family. Unable to cope she is compelled to undergo much humiliation, injustice and even violence. Many of these marriages end in divorce if the husband is willing. The child through her parents could appeal for a separation, but the process is long and tedious. Traumatised by her experience the girl becomes socially unfit and is considered a burden by the very people who pummeled her into this horrific situation.



At the divorce proceedings this child faces deep embarrassment by questions of a very personal nature. More so because they are posed by a bench of all-male Quazi judges. Females are woefully excluded. Are Sri Lankan women even the most qualified lawyers, unfit mentally and intellectually to participate in deliberations pertaining to their own gender, begs the question?!!! Belonging to the same gender will they not be capable of truly comprehending the feelings and fears of female children? If in Indonesia, Malaysia and other Muslim majority countries and in Saudi Arabia females are honoured and respected as Quazi judges, why are Sri Lankan Muslim women treated with such contempt?



Fortunately every dark cloud has a silver lining. This visualized in the form of a Commission headed by Justice Saleem Marsoof (PC) to study the MMDA. Its recommendations include: specifying the minimum age of a girl at the time of marriage to be not less than eighteen (18) years and inclusion of women as Quazi judges.



The Commission has encountered some opposition by the All Ceylon Jamiathul Ulema (ACJU) Council, the decision making body pertaining to Islamic matters in Sri Lanka, including the dates of commencement of the Islamic months according to the lunar calendar. Nevertheless, their decisions regarding this particular aspect has caused much confusion among the Muslims. The writer refrains from elaborating as it is irrelevant to the main theme of this article. However, this dissension in the Muslim society has resulted in reluctance by the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the Saleem Marsoof Commission.

Minister of Justice this is over to you.

Please consider the plight of Muslim women in this patriarchal Muslim society in Sri Lanka and grant us redress.

Dr. (Mrs.) Ameena Cassim (Ph.D)

Senior Lecturer (Rtd)

University of Peradeniya
China promises to keep aiding Pakistan, offers no details

New PM Khan meeting Chinas Xi amid financial crunch

Two countries to sign series of agreements today



(BEIJING) REUTERS: China promised to support Pakistans economy on Friday as new Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan told of his countrys very difficult economic situation amid a burgeoning financial crisis.



Pakistans foreign reserves have plunged 42 percent since the start of the year and now stand at about US$7.8 billion, or less than two months of import cover.

Last month, Pakistan received a US$6 billion rescue package from Saudi Arabia, but officials say it is not enough and the country still plans to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avert a balance of payments crisis.

It would be Pakistans 13th rescue package from the multilateral lender since the late 1980s.



Meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijings Great Hall of the People, Khan said hed come to China to learn.



My party has only been in power for two months. Unfortunately we have inherited a very difficult economic situation, Khan said.



Countries go in cycles. They have their high points, they have their low points. Unfortunately, our country is going through a low point at the moment with two very big deficits, a fiscal deficit and a current account deficit. And so we, as Ive said, have come to learn.



Xi told Khan that he highly valued the two countrys relations, reaffirming they were all-weather friends.



I attach great importance to China-Pakistan relations and am willing to work together with the prime minister to strengthen the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership and build a new era of China-Pakistan destiny, Xi said. Neither man mentioned any economic aid in comments made in front of reporters. However, the Chinese governments top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, told Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a separate meeting that China would not let Pakistan down.



The Chinese side will continue to provide support and help to the best of its ability for Pakistans economic and social development and national construction, Chinas Foreign Ministry cited Wang as saying, without giving details. The Pakistan prime ministers office said later that Xi had accepted an invitation to visit to the country. It gave no timeframe.



Khan will meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang today, when the two countries are expected to sign a series of agreements.



Though China is Pakistans closest ally, Khans newly elected government has sought to re-think the two countries signature project, the US$60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which Beijing touts as the flagship infrastructure programme in its vast Belt and Road Initiative.



Pakistan has sought to amend CPEC to put greater emphasis on projects that focus on social development, rather than purely on infrastructure.



After visiting Beijing, Khan is set to be a key note speaker at a major import fair in Shanghai, an event being touted by China as an opportunity to show the world the country welcomes foreign companies and their products.



Khan is in China amid unrest at home over the acquittal of a Pakistani Christian woman on death row for blasphemy, which has prompted an ultra-Islamist party to block roads in protest.
RIYADH AFP Nov2, 2018-A Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said Friday it attacked an airbase in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, a day after the Saudi-backed government offered to restart peace talks with the insurgents.



This operation includes targeting of ballistic-missile launch and storage locations... bomb-making and assembly workshops and their support locations in Al-Dailami Airbase in Sanaa, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a statement.



He added that the adjoining Sanaa international airport was still open to air traffic from the United Nations and other relief agencies.



Calling the attacked structures legitimate military targets, Malki said he will provide evidence of violations by the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels later Friday.



The development comes a day after the Yemeni government said it welcomed all efforts to restore peace following calls by key US officials and the UNs envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths for warring parties to come to the table within a month.



US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have called for an end to the Yemen war, including air strikes by the coalition.



Washington, a close Saudi ally, backs coalition forces by refuelling their jets and selling them
FOCUS ON DEFENSE CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND OCEANIA
Pity the nation, whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler,

and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking

 Kahlil Gibran

Pity, it is no doubt. This country, more particularly the urban middle class that now goes berserk calling the removal of Ranil Wickremesinghe from the post of PM as unconstitutional and undemocratic, were the same lot that hailed as democratic the removal of D.M. Jayaratne from Premiership, while he had 151 MPs with him, to install Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as PM with only 43 MPs.

Whatever the constitutional provision used, no civilised person can justify the removal of a PM with a two-thirds majority in Parliament to bring in ones political ally with a mere 20 per cent of the MPs in Parliament.

And no civilised person could call himself or herself a Democrat supporting this shameless change.

That change was orchestrated, if this country does remember, in the backdrop of an alleged Temple Trees Coup on January 8, 2015, midnight.



President Mahinda Rajapaksa was accused of high treason; conspiring to stay in power despite the Presidential Election defeat. Minister Mangala Samaraweera, in fact, lodged a complaint with the CID.

That allegation was serious enough to immediately arrest the conspirators. Yet, for three years and 10 months, for now, none bothered to ask why was that complaint not investigated?

Even Minister Samaraweera, who complained to the CID, never spoke about it, thereafter. Nor did the PM and his closest allies who were made Ministers of Law and Order ever speak about that alleged coup.

"Can I, therefore, propose to have Parliamentary Elections around March 2019?"



This time too, ousting of PM Wickremesinghe to install Mahinda as PM, came with a chilling conspiracy.

As told to the nation by President Sirisena, the conspiracy to assassinate him (Gotabhaya too) was what triggered the decision to change the Government.

Massive corruption in the UNP was tagged with it too.

President in his speech did not fail to implicate an unnamed Minister in the alleged assassination plot, which he said, has not been investigated properly.

Changes on both occasions were done with conspiracies given heavy importance. Thereafter, every night for a few days, there are conspiracies spoken about on MPs leasing out allegiances for a few years.



At the time this is written (31 Oct., night) eight UNP Parliamentarians have leased out their allegiance to PM Rajapaksa making his numbers in Parliament just nine less than the required 113 to prove his majority.

It could be, by the time this is published, the job is done with firecrackers and Kiribath.

Or may have a usual Ted Dexter end, ferociously racing up to the 90s but missing the coveted hundred.

Politics is so corrupt and therefore, wholly unpredictable.

This uncertainty has led some Colombo observers to question the political timing of MRs move. They tend to believe, it would have been more prudent for MR to have defeated the upcoming budget for 2019, without getting into this constitutional conflict that tarnishes his popular image.

Internationally, they say, both President Sirisena and MR have now lost all support and IF they cannot muster the minimum required number, they would end up in the dustbin of history.

"Rajapaksa remains the most decisive factor in Sri Lankan politics"



That cannot be refuted, nor contradicted when the qualifying phrase IF they cannot muster the required minimum number is written. Yet, that hinges on the question why did MR then decide to fast-forward his entry into State power, before the budget?

What needs to be very clearly said at the beginning and with emphasis is, neither of them decides politics on peoples issues and for the people.

All decisions taken are very much on personal interests. During the past decade or two, all who kept leapfrogging from one side to the other have always been voted back to Parliament by the people to sit once again with positions and privileges.

Thus, the political culture of deciding on personal interests to sit with any Government has been nurtured and fostered by this society itself; by the people who elect governments. It is in such a context, that the move by MR has to be politically read, for he remains with both his ears to the ground, more than any other politician today.



He was determined to have Parliamentary Elections ahead of the next Presidential Poll, and as I have written before he was gunning for Parliamentary Elections and nothing else.

The reason was quite plain. He knew quite well that once a person sat as President, he got addicted to the Presidential throne.

He was therefore not prepared to allow anyone else to run for Presidency in his name. His demand lately to have Parliamentary Elections did not provoke a loud campaign for elections, as journalists and the urban middle class read and accepted the constitutional provisions under 19 A, as disallowing Parliamentary Elections for four years and six months.

This constitutional provision was not challenged by Colombo Yahapalana Democrats as suppressing of peoples Sovereignty for 04 years and 06 months.

The constitution nevertheless says, in Chapter I,

3. In the Republic of Sri Lanka sovereignty is in the People and is inalienable. Sovereignty includes the powers of government, fundamental rights and the franchise.



With the dissolution of Parliament denied for 04 years and 06 months, Sovereignty that includes powers of government and the franchise has been made redundant, but accepted as constitutionally valid by the urban middle class who understands and interprets democracy as keeping MR out of political power.

As MR too does not challenge this autocratic, undemocratic provision brought along with 19 A, he himself had to find other means of having Parliamentary elections before the 2020 January Presidential Poll.

The option that was publicly discussed over a month ago, was defeating Mangala Samaraweeras budget for 2019.

For two very sound reasons I believe, he dropped the idea and opted to fast-forward his project to have early Parliamentary Elections by other means.

First is that, as a very seasoned politician who had gone through the political mill with many different fates, his subconscious mind, perhaps told him, collecting adequate numbers to defeat the budget would be a daunting task with Sampanthan, Sumanthiran and most in the TNA voting with the budget, despite its huge allocation for defence.



Two, he knows quite well, this budget is going to be an election budget.

Also, as Mangala is more pragmatic than most others in the UNP, he would use the budget to reach the rural society, the Rajapaksa bastion of electoral power.

There can be numerous projects to pump money into villages, that may leave MR at a disadvantage. Allowing it to go was not to MRs liking. This budget had to be stopped, even if it could be defeated.

There was, therefore, a political gamble MR had to take. The gamble was to stop the budget from being adopted in Parliament and also collect the required two thirds to resolve to have early elections.

"Whatever the constitutional provision used, no civilised person can justify the removal Why did MR decide to fast-forward his entry into State power, before the budget? "



Thus, his gamble to accept President Sirisenas offer of Premiership, that stunned all, including the UNP leadership and the funded civil society in Colombo.

It proves that State power in hand gives the advantage in collecting numbers than politically appealing for numbers, in our Parliamentary political culture.

It also says, Mahinda Rajapaksa in a way is politically right within our festering political culture, when UNP ministers and MPs meet with Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees, pledged their support to him and then run to Presidential Secretariat to be sworn in as a State Minister or a Deputy.

It also says, political power decides most things, when the State takes dictates from Mahinda as PM, though his appointment is challenged by the displaced Government, restricted to Temple Trees.



Mahindas decision to sit with State Power as PM for his own advantage seems right with no ordinary Sinhala Buddhist folk protesting against his decision.

The question is, what next? Perhaps Provincial Council Elections first, as Mahinda Rajapaksa believes he is now riding the political wave high and strong.

He believes he could sweep the PCs as he did the LG Elections. On that strength, he could harvest a two-thirds majority in Parliament to vote for a quick dissolution.

Can I, therefore, propose to have Parliamentary Elections around March 2019?

Whether that is accepted or not, Rajapaksa remains the most decisive factor in Sri Lankan politics. Sworn in as PM, promising to have a short-time caretaker Government, he now proves he is the leader the Sinhala South is comfortable with.



And thus I wrote in the opening chapter of the book Rajapaksa the Sinhala Selfie written one year ago in June 2017.

Past midnight on 08 January, Rajapaksa, a man with an ear to the ground, would have known his fate was sealed for the moment. His first public statement after he left Temple Trees and landed in his old ancestral house in Weeraketiya was to the exceptionally large crowd that gathered to welcome him. Still smiling to the cameras he told the cheering and wailing crowd, he still remains the leader of the Sinhala people. He meant he was not going to have the curtain down for long. What makes him so defiant and so certain he could bounce back to politics so soon?

This, therefore, is the reason why the lament Not Ranil. Save democracy, with the funded civil society has no real value in Sinhala South.

For, as I concluded the book on Rajapaksa:

Reconciliation this new government of Sirisena-Wickremesinghe speaks about is no different to that of Mahinda. The economics of this Government is no different to that of Mahinda both in terms of Chinese dominance and mega corruption..Thus two and a half years without Mahinda remains as much Rajapaksa as it was before.
UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has said the present crisis is not a matter of personalities, not a matter of political parties but a question on the rule of law.

It is whether we wish to live as a society governed by the rule of law or a society governed by the whims of individuals. This is not an issue which affects the present but one which will affect future generations as well." he has said in his message.

He expressed similar views to University Dons, several public servants and civil society representatives who met him at Temple Trees this morning. They are reported to have told Mr. Wickremesinghe that they would support all moves to safeguard the Constitution and the rule of law. (Yohan Perera)
Many scholars, teachers and colleagues have written much about A.M. A. Azeezs contribution to Muslim education, but very little is known about his thoughts in the sphere of Muslim Womens education in Sri Lanka. Having benefitted greatly from his work in the field of Muslim Womens education, it is only befitting to share a few thoughts regarding Azeezs ideas on education and status of Muslim Women in Sri Lanka.



Azeez realised at a very early stage that the lack of education was the main reason for the backwardness of the Muslims. He urged young men to follow higher education; also with a few like-minded friends, founded a Scholarship Fund to help needy students. His concern for education led him to retire prematurely from the Ceylon Civil Service in 1948 and take up the post of Principal at Zahira College Colombo.



Azeez then concentrated on education with the idea of ensuring the progress of the Muslim community. At Zahira College he set about establishing a well stocked library  reading, he said was the prerequisite for a good education! He appointed dedicated and efficient teachers from all communities and with varying ideologies; and also encouraged students irrespective of their community, to enter Zahira. He felt that these measures would be beneficial to Muslim students and would give them an understanding of each others religion and culture. This he believed would pave the way for tolerance and communal amity. Muslims should not, he said, adopt a frog-in-the-well attitude!



What of the education of Muslim Women? The Holy Quran stresses the importance of the pursuing knowledge and education. During the latter part of the 19th Century, therefore, some interest was taken in educating Muslim girls by those personages like Siddi Lebbe, who wanted to improve educational standards among the Muslims including Muslim girls. In 1891, Lebbe established the first school for Muslim girls in Kandy, followed by another in Gampola and then in Kurunegala. These schools, however were failures resulting from parental indifference.



In 1923 Dr M C M Kaleel, an ardent supporter of education for Muslim women, stated, As long as we keep our sisters in the dark, we are depriving ourselves of over 50% of the benefits that education brings to each family and the community.



Sir Razik Fareed urged the Government to establish schools only for girls so that Muslim parents would send their daughters, but only a small percentage made use of these schools. Even up to the 1940s there was opposition to educating Muslim girls.



Taking a great step

In 1946 Muslim LadiesCollege was established at a new premises in Colombo, with the encouragement of Sir Razik Fareed. Ayesha Rauf was appointed as Principal. Azeez welcomed the establishment of the school and he hoped that this Muslim girls school would follow the same systems that he introduced at Zahira College. To him this was a great step forward in promoting education for Muslim women.



As stated by the Poet/Philosopher Allama Muhammed Iqbal, Azeez believed that Education being a preparation for life is needed by all, the rich as well as the poor, the male as well as the female. He was a fervent supporter of womens rights to higher education and to gain a University degree- a notion that was the result of his educational background.

Azeez realised at a very early stage that the lack of education was the main reason for the backwardness of the Muslims

Azeez was from an educated family of Moor street Jaffna. Most of the families, in Jaffna, including the women were literate. They were not English-educated, but were well-versed in Arabic, Tamil and Arabic-Tamil (Tamil written in the Arabic script enriched by many Arabic words). Young girls attended the Madrasas with young boys; later they enrolled in schools near-by but did not continue schooling after puberty.



Although Moor Street was demarcated as a Muslim area there was much interaction and friendship with the Tamil community; in fact Azeez attended Vaidyeswara Vidyalayam and later Jaffna Hindu College. Perhaps this was why Azeez became a very liberal-minded person and was keen on friendship and understanding among all communities.



The right of women

Azeez has often said that it was his mother who instilled the faith in Allah and the importance of education not only for males, but for females too. Guided by his mother, the children of the family learned to recite the Holy Quran and the meaning in their spoken language, Tamil. They read Islamic works in Arabic-Tamil and in Tamil. It was at this time that Azeez began to be interested in education for girls; he encouraged his cousin Sithy Khadija to sit the London Matriculation, for which she attended Holy Family Convent, Jaffna. She passed this exam, but in keeping with the times did not continue further.



Azeez was adamant about the right of women to higher education and of their right to gain a University degree. He disapproved of the prevalent Purdah system (seclusion) and the un-Islamic dowry system. The Purdah system hampered the education of women. They did not attend school after puberty. They were secluded and taught to recite the Holy Quran and to read the Hadiths within the confines of their homes; at most they also learned Islamic songs. In addition, girls were taught cooking and sewing to prepare them for an early marriage.



The Purdah system was prevalent even up to the 1950ties and was practiced rigidly. It was at such a time, that Azeez encouraged the education of Muslim girls and discouraged the dowry system.



He stated that education would end, at least discourage the dowry system and it certainly did. He also expressed the belief that an educated mother would bring up disciplined and educated children who would want to better themselves - a necessity for the progress of the community. He expressed these views in his speeches, writings and at seminars and discussions. To a great extent his efforts were successful and many young women were allowed to follow teacher-training courses.



From the 1950 ties onwards, the contribution of Azeez and like-minded Muslims such as Siddi Lebbe, Dr Kaleel and Sir Razik Fareed spearheaded the education Muslim women who had taken up the challenge to pursue higher education and were aspired to gain University degrees and professional qualifications. Their efforts have made women independent. They are able to contribute to the family income resulting in an improved standard of living. They can also encourage their offspring to pursue education and help themselves and the community prosper.



These educated Muslim women are able to stand successfully alongside educated women of other communities with confidence. They have taken to many professions and hold responsible positions in Business. They have motivated other Muslim women to pursue higher education and gain employment. This augurs well for the Sri Lankan Muslim community.
UNP MP Palitha Range Bandara revealed today that he was offered US$2.8 million and a ministerial portfolio to join the government.

They agreed to offer me Rs.500 million and settle the transaction at a temple in Colombo but I said I could consider the offer if it was delivered to my house in Anamaduwa. They said I could be sworn in this evening. I received a message to my mobile phone saying I could get both cash and ministerial portfolio, he told the media at the parliamentary complex today.

Mr. Bandara said the current situation is that the peoples representatives were bought over for money and added that it was a serious threat to democracy.
Hindustan Times, Prayagraj, Nov 01, 2018 - Allahabad University student leader Sumit Shukla, who had a reward of Rs 25000 on his head, was shot dead at a party in a varsity hostel late Wednesday, police said.



Shukla aka Achyutanand, who had a number of cases registered against him, had contested for the vice presidents post in the 2012 students union election but lost. He had been active in this years student union elections, backing various candidates in the varsity and its constituent colleges.



According to reports, Shukla was attending a student leaders birthday party at the PC Banerjee Hostel when he was approached by a youth who first spoke to him and then fired on him from close range before fleeing.
On October 26, political confusion broke out in Sri Lanka. President Sirisena who had for months been carrying on a running battle with his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, without a warning announced, out of the blues so-to-say, had appointed the popular and charismatic former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as his Prime Minister.



He added, in an almost after-thought, that he had sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of the United National Party from his premiership as the Cabinet of Ministers had collapsed following the withdrawal of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) from the United National Front (UNF) Government which Mr. Wickremesinghe led. He also prorogued Parliament.



While the writing on the wall for the so-called Government of National Unity has been clear to all, it was the speed at which events unfolded that took the entire nation by surprise.



Concerned citizens remain confused, many questioning whether the Presidents action was ultra vires of the Constitution. They wonder whether it could lead to a breakdown in the rule of law, pondered whether it would lead to attempts to interfere in the system of justice in the country and how the ongoing stalemate will affect the national economy.



Both leading political parties -- the UNP and the SLPP -- and their supporters claim to be acting within the Constitution. While ex-premier Wickremesinghe claims he is the lawful Prime Minister and remains at the official residence, Temple Trees, newly-appointed Prime Minister Rajapaksa is now operating the day-to-day business of the country from the Prime Ministers Office at Flower Road.



To add insult to injury, the arguments of our intellectuals are often coloured by their political loyalties as it is the case even in developed Western democracies.



Professor Rajiva Wijesinha says there is no need to reconvene Parliament, especially he adds, as the Constitution itself is ambiguous regarding the dismissal of a Prime Minister. He suggests letting the judiciary decide on the matter, reconvening Parliament or calling for general elections.

Trade union leader Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne has threatened to stage protests and riots against the removal of former PM Wickremesinghe and the prorogation of Parliament.



Jehan Perera of the National Peace Council has described the dismissal of the premier as unconstitutional and a former Permanent Representative to the UN wants to know why Western countries had not pointed out wrongdoings committed by the Wickremesinghe regime!

Leading members of the clergy too have taken partisan stands on the issue and a few have begun raising the scare of separatism compounding the existing confusion.



In the immediate aftermath of the transfer of power, supporters of the President and the new Prime Minister in trade union movements at the SLBC, the Rupavahini Corporation and the print media prevented the politically-appointed leadership of the outgoing regime from functioning in their capacities in respective institutions.



On Tuesday -- four days after Fridays tumultuous events -- former Prime Minister Wickremesinghes supporters finally took to the streets in his support and the following day supporters of the deposed premier drove away State officials who attempted to inspect documents at Temple Trees, raising fears that violence may escalate.



To make matters worse, representatives of foreign countries -- almost all belonging to the global West -- are beginning to involve themselves in the impasse which is highly uncalled for. Diplomats from a variety of Western countries led by the US and Britain are warning of consequences and have called for a reconvening of Parliament.



Unsurprisingly, ordinary citizens have been left confused and fearful over what the future may hold as the country continues without direction and in a state of flux.



In the Maldives, the Supreme Court made an intervention when the results of the recently held election were questioned.



In Pakistan too, it was the court of justice which ruled against President Musharaff and more recently decided the fate of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sheriff.



Can our politicians resolve this problem amicably or will our country too follow precedents set by Pakistan and the Maldives where courts of the land had to step in and take corrective action.
Maithripala inextricably entangled himself in a Machiavellian political project



Sirisena-Rajapaksa duo wants at least 120 MPs on or before the 16th



Both sides engaged in intensive campaigning



By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Machiavelli is the only political thinker whose name has come into common use for designating a kind of politics, which exists and will continue to exist independently of his influence, a politics guided exclusively by considerations of expediency, which uses all means, fair or foul, iron or poison, for achieving its ends  its end being the aggrandizement of ones country or fatherland  but also using the fatherland in the service of the self-aggrandizement of the politician or statesman or ones party.

- Leo Strauss

Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli known as Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian diplomat, writer, historian and political philosopher who is regarded by some as the father of modern political science. His most famous work was the political treatise The Prince which gained notoriety because it supposedly justified duplicity and a cynical disregard for morality as acceptable means to achieve the ends of gaining or maintaining power. Machiavellianism derived from the name Machiavelli is a word used to describe the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or general conduct. The term Machiavellian is often associated positively with pragmatic politics and negatively with political deception and deviousness.



Very few nations have been immune from the Machiavellian effect. The politics of almost every country would have experienced Machiavellianism in different degrees at different stages. Sri Lanka is no exception. The ongoing attempt by President Maithripala Sirisena to remove Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and replace him with ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa can arguably be described as an exercise in Machiavellian manipulation. Some have referred to President Sirisenas coup detat as Constitutional. This has been disputed by others who say descriptions like extra- Constitutional coup, unconstitutional coup or anti-Constitutional coup is more appropriate. Another school of thought supportive of Sirisena argues that the Presidents actions were Constitutionally valid.



This writer too opines that a bloodless (so far) coup detat has been effected to remove and replace the lawfully-elected Prime Minister. The unconstitutional action is totally anti-democratic and deserves to be condemned strongly. It must be emphasised that the objection is to the mode and manner in which this attempt to oust Ranil Wickremesinghe from the post of Prime Minister and replace him with Mahinda Rajapaksa has been made. Had Wickremesinghe been defeated at a no-confidence vote or if Mahinda Rajapaksa had been appointed after proving he commanded the confidence of the House through a floor test, there would have been no grounds to protest. Compounding the complicated situation further is the prorogation of Parliament to pave the way for high powered horse deals. The legislature is being turned into an auction house where the souls of the peoples representatives are being sold to the side putting forward attractive bids.



SRI LANKAN STUDENTS IN OVERSEAS UNIVERSITIES

A refreshing silver lining in the prevailing dark cloud is the spontaneous denouncing of President Sirisenas actions by a wide section of the nations democracy-loving people. Much of the criticism and condemnation amounted to sound, well-informed, non-partisan commentary. Among the various statements issued by different persons, groups and organisations, I would like to excerpt a few paragraphs from an open petition signed by a group of Sri Lankan students in overseas universities. These paragraphs sum up the situation succinctly. Here are the relevant excerpts - Since 1931, Sri Lanka has had an imperfect and fragile, yet electorally and legally mandated, democracy. On Friday the 26th of October, for the first time since Sri Lankas independence, an unconstitutional and illegal transfer of power occurred. President Maithripala Sirisena, violating his oath of office and the mandate given to him on January 8th 2015, attempted to appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament for the Kurunegala District, as Prime Minister.



This was unconstitutional. The 19th Amendment deleted the Presidents power to remove the Prime Minister at will. While the President still appoints the Prime Minister, he has no implied power of removal since this is now governed by explicit provisions in the Constitution. Moreover, the withdrawal of the UPFA from the national government makes no difference: the Constitution does not provide that Cabinet ceases to function, and therefore that the Prime Minister loses his position, when one party in a national government withdraws its support.



In any event, there is a democratic means of settling this question  a test of confidence on the floor of Parliament. Yet President Sirisena and Mr. Rajapaksa did not propose a motion of no-confidence or engineer a defeat of the Budget to remove Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. Indeed even after Mr. Rajapaksas illegal appointment, President Sirisena decided to prorogue Parliament, demonstrating what was clear from the beginning: Mr. Rajapaksa did not have the confidence of a majority of the representatives of the people. His covert appointment, the illegal attempt to remove Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, the suspension of Parliament without consulting the Speaker, and the mob-led take-over of State media institutions make it clear that this is a coup detat.



TELEVISED ADDRESS TO THE NATION

President Maithripala Sirisena in his televised address to the nation on October 28 outlined his reasons for the removal of Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa. The address was not very convincing. If the intention was to win over the Sri Lankan people to his point of view, the speech-making turned out to be an exercise in futility. In a sense it was even counter-productive.



Although President Sirisena defended his actions by saying he had not acted unconstitutionally, he did not back up his assertion with solid supportive facts. He never even mentioned that Wickremesinghe was dismissed because the Prime Minister did not have a majority in the House. The President could not say that because it has not happened as yet. Instead he came out with a tirade of complaints against Ranil Wickremesinghe. The lengthy litany of woes demonstrated the personal level of animus held by Maithripala against Ranil. At the end of it, all the overall impression was that President Sirisena was prejudiced against Wickremesinghe and got rid of his Prime Minister because he could not get along with him and not for anything else.



Another huge howler was Maithripala Sirisenas failure to realise or grasp the irony of the situation while evoking memories about how he courageously contested the January 8, 2015 Presidential election amidst danger and hardship. The President said, I believe that you remember the circumstances under which I became the common candidate in 2014 and the dangers I had to face in consequence. It was a risk and a challenge that no politician in the history of the country wanted to accept. I faced this challenge despite the dangers to me and my family.



When Maithripala Sirisena revived memories about the dangers he faced while contesting the Presidency, the question that arises is - what were those dangers and from whom? Who was his main electoral rival? It was the then incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The dangers Maithripala faced then came from that quarter. When he hid with his family at a Dodangaslanda plantation or when he said tearfully that he may have been six feet under had he lost the polls, whom did he fear then? Was it not Mahinda Rajapaksa? And when he contested as common candidate was it not the UNP led by Ranil Wickremesinghe who supported him strongly? Today the very same Sirisena was castigating Wickremesinghe and replacing him with Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister. It was indeed pathetic to see that Sirisena was totally oblivious to this irony!



MAHINDA BACK TO POWER THROUGH BACKDOOR

President Maithripala Sirisena after commencing his address to the nation stated as follows  On January 8, 2015, it was with so many expectations that nearly six million and two hundred thousand people of my country chose me as their first servant and the leader of this nation. I wish to pledge that I will always fulfil the expectations and honour the trust and faith you have placed in me, even at the cost of my life. What the President seemed to have conveniently ignored, overlooked or glossed over was the fact that more than six million people had voted for him so that Mahinda Rajapaksa could be defeated electorally. After receiving such a mandate then, Maithripala Sirisena had flagrantly flouted it and shocked those who voted for him by bringing in the same Mahinda Rajapaksa back to the seat of power through the back door!



This does not mean that President Sirisena was entirely wrong in apportioning blame on Ranil Wickremesinghe for certain acts of omission and commission. One does sympathise with President Sirisena when he refers to Ranils decadent cronyism by saying Mr. Wickremesinghe and his group of closest friends, who belonged to a privileged class did not understand the pulse of the people and conducted themselves as if shaping the future of the country was a fun game they played. One elsoempathises with the common man from Polonnaruwa when he pinpoints the differences between himself and the Royal Ranil by saying I noted that there were also differences of culture between Mr. Wickremesinghe and me. I believe that all those differences in policy, culture, personality and conduct aggravated this political and economic crisis. However, much one understands the rationale behind Sirisenas conduct against Ranil, he cannot be condoned for what he did and more importantly, how he did it.



What he did in a nutshell is this. President Sirisena removed Ranil Wickremesinghe from Prime Ministerial office while the UNP leader continued to retain the confidence of the majority of parliamentarians. President Sirisena has also appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister even though he did not have the required majority in Parliament. Having done this, President Sirisena is now collaborating with the Rajapaksas to cobble together a majority by coaxing, cajoling or coercing MPs of all party hues. In order to gain enough time to facilitate this process of acquiring MPs, President Sirisena has arbitrarily prorogued Parliament until November 16. It is very likely that he may reconvene Parliament earlier than the specified date if the necessary number of MPs is garnered. Likewise, the President may also extend the prorogation further if the set target is not reached by November 16.



MY ENEMYS ENEMY IS MY FRIEND

It is blatantly clear that Maithripala Sirisena has inextricably entangled himself with this Machiavellian political project. Otherwise he would not have stated he would quit within an hour or two if Ranil Wickremesinghe returns as Prime Minister. Mahinda Rajapaksa too is intertwined with Maithripala Sirisena in this exercise to oust Ranil Wickremesinghe. It is a case of my enemys enemy is my friend or two enemies sinking their differences temporarily and getting together in a tactical alliance to destroy a common enemy. Both Maithripala and Mahinda seem to have forgotten how Sirisena defected after a meal of egg hoppers, teamed up with archrival UNP and defeated Medamulana Mahinda. There is a convergence of interests but there is no identity of interests. Thus, old wounds are likely to be reopened or new issues created after the common goal of ousting Ranil and consolidating power is realised.



A not-so-exact parallel that comes to mind is the brief honeymoon between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led by Velupillai Prabhakaran and the Sri Lankan Government and State headed by President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1989-90. The Indo-Lanka accord had been inked and the Indian Army was in Northeastern Sri Lanka fighting the tigers. The nationalistic Premadasa feared Indian expansionism and had contested the 1988 Presidential poll on a platform of making the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) quit Lanka. Besides, the JVP was on a killing spree claiming to oppose India. On the war front, the LTTE was hard-pressed with India saturating the N-E region with a large number of troops. So Prabhakaran too needed a respite.



Both parties wanted the Indians out. Hence, both Premadasa and Prabhakaran arrived at an astounding agreement and ceasefire. This enabled Premadasa to demand the withdrawal of the Indian Army. The Indian Army left Lanka. At the same time, the armed forces were able to crush the JVP militarily. There was however only a temporary convergence of interests between the Premadasa Government and the Prabhakaran-led LTTE. There was no identity of interests. So, after the Indians left fully in March 1990, the old enmity surfaced and there was war again between the armed forces and LTTE in June 1990. Such a scenario is likely to be replicated again in the case of Maithripala and Mahinda too in a post-Ranil environment.



MINIMUM MAGIC NUMBER OF 113

There is however a lot of ground to be covered before this prognosis proves to be correct or incorrect. What matters is the here and now. The immediate objective of both the Maithripala-Mahinda camp as well as the Ranil Wickremesinghe camp is to win the numbers game. Both sides need the minimum magic number of 113 to gain a majority of at least in a legislature of 225. When the crisis began, the Ranil Wickremesinghe-led United National Front consisting of the UNP and other Tamil and Muslim parties had 107 seats, The SLFPs combined strength of the Sirisena-led UPFA and SLFP factions, the joint opposition  Podujana Peramuna MPs led by Mahinda Rajapaksa and the group of 16 SLFP/UPFA orphaned MPs numbered 95. After the splintering and defections began both sides now have over a 100 each. The Sirisena-Rajapaksa duo however wants at least 120 MPs in hand before a vote count is taken on or before the 16th.

The new Sirisena-Rajapaksa Government has 15 Ministers, 7 State Ministers and 7 Deputy Ministers. Almost all the ministers are from the SLFP factions and other parties like the EPDP, CWC and also UNP renegades. The core group of joint opposition MPs is not taking any posts so that those crossing over from other parties could be accommodated. Intensive campaigning is going on by both sides. On one side the focus is to entice as many MPs as possible from other parties. The other side is trying hard to prevent its membership from crossing over. It is also trying to woo a few MPs from the other side.

President Sirisena, his newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, brother Basil Rajapaksa and son Namal Rajapaksa are spearheading the hunt for MPs on one side. They are being aided by stalwarts such as Dulles Alahapperuma, S.B. Dissanayake, Susil Premajayantha and so forth. Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued a statement supporting the new government but has not engaged in fishing for MPs. A large number of UNP Parliamentarians along with influential UNP working committee members are canvassing on Ranil Wickremesinghes behalf. Chief among them are Mangala Samaraweera, Harin Fernando, Mujibur Rahman and Sagala Ratnayake. Also in the fray is Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who has managed to prevent some MPs with an SLFP background from crossing over to Mahindas side.



WASANTHA SENANAYAKE AND VADIVEL SURESH

The situation is fluid and fickle. Loyalties and affiliations fluctuate rapidly. Two examples being that of Parliamentarians Wasantha Senanayake and Vadivel Suresh. Senanayake the great grandson of the Father of the Nation D.S. Senanayake, announces he is crossing over to Mahindas side from abroad. He returns to Lanka and meets Ranil Wickremesinghe assuring him of his loyalty. Wasantha then surfaces as a Cabinet Minister in charge of Tourism and Wildlife -- being sworn in by Sirisena. Vadivel Suresh is photographed wrapping a Ponnaadai (golden shawl) around Mahindas shoulders amidst speculation that he has gone over to the Rajapaksas. He is next seen sitting meekly with folded hands in front of Ranil explaining that he merely paid a courtesy call on Mahinda and blamed the media for distorting news. Then in another somersault Suresh is at the swearing in ceremony being sworn in as a State Minister of Plantation Industries by Sirisena.



Five UNPers including Senanayake and Suresh have defected to the Sirisena-Rajapaksa administration so far. The others are Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, the new Minister of Education and Higher Education, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Wildlife Ananda Aluthgamage and State Minister of Environment Dunesh Gankanda. More UNP MPs are expected to follow this famous five in the near future.



The prize catch for which Basil Rajapaksa is angling is a group of UNP Parliamentarians led by Ravi Karunanayake. The former Finance and Foreign Affairs Minister is supposedly cheesed off with Ranil Wickremesinghe for not reappointing him minister as promised earlier. According to Ravis friends, Karunanayake feels Ranil is prevented from doing so by erstwhile ministerial colleagues Malik Samarawickrama and Kabir Hashim. Apparently, Ravi Karunanayake has earned the support of a Ginger Group of UNP backbenchers by dispensing financial favours during his stint as Finance Minister. At least seven of these MPs could follow Ravi into the Sirisena-Rajapaksa camp if Karunanayake opts to change sides. But the hitch is that Ravi Karunanayake wants the Finance or Foreign Affairs Ministry both of which cannot be given. He has been offered an alternative Economic Ministry which Ravi is reluctant to accept. However, Ravi Karunanayake was seen at the peoples protest in support of Ranil. He has also had a heart-to-heart chat with Wickremesinghe. Only time will tell whether Ravi remains loyal to Ranil or not.



EFFORTS ON TO WIN OVER UNP STALWARTS

Since talks with Ravi Karunanayake are yet to bear fruit, efforts are also underway to woo members of the UNP ginger group individually like Gampaha District MP Dr. Kavinda Jayawardana and Kandy District MP Mayantha Dissanayake. Intensive efforts are also on to win over other UNP stalwarts who are not so favourably inclined towards Ranil like Palitha Range Bandara, Lucky Jayawardena and Palitha Kumara Thewarapperuma. It is learnt that Thewarapperuma has rejected all offers but talks with the others are proceeding.



While the UNP was being targeted for crossovers, a segment of the SLFP too was in the throes of a crisis. A group of SLFP Parliamentarians led by SLFP General-Secretary and Cabinet Minister Duminda Dissanayake was reluctant to join with the Rajapaksa-led Government because they were not sure of their future under a Rajapaksa-led regime. Fundamentally they feared re-nomination at the next hustings. Dissanayake informed Maithripala that they would remain as an independent group in Parliament and abstain from voting. However, after several rounds of talks with Mahinda, Maithripala and Basil, an agreement was reached and guarantees were given. A group of 13 SLFP Parliamentarians including Duminda Dissanayake have now taken oaths as Ministers, State Ministers and Deputy Ministers. However, some others with SLFP antecedents like Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Hirunika Premachandra still remain within the Ranil camp mainly due to the restraining influence of Chandrika Kumaratunga.



Initiatives have also been taken to woo Muslim parties. A very friendly equation exists between All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) leader Rishad Bathiudeen and Basil Rajapaksa. According to ACMC sources senior MP Ameer Ali Shihabdeen conducted negotiations with Basil Rajapaksa because Rishad was out of the country. The Rajapaksas expect Rishad and Ameer Ali along with other ACMC Parliamentarians to cross over by November 5. The Industries and Commerce Ministry is being kept in readiness for Bathiudeen.



Since Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem is regarded as being close to the UNP and Ranil Wickremesinghe, the SLMC is perceived as being hard to get. However, Basil Rajapaksa is said to have made a breakthrough with Ampara District SLMC Parliamentarian M.H.M. Harees. He is apparently ready to jump ship and is also trying to bring along a few other fellow MPs from the SLMC along with him. At the same time some representatives of a Muslim religious organisation are trying to talk to Hakeem on behalf of Mahinda Rajapaksa and get the SLMC on board if possible.



MANO GANESAN ISSUED STATEMENT

As for the Tamil parties the solitary MP from the EPDP Douglas Devananda was one of the first to team up with Mahinda and has been given the same portfolio held by D.M. Swaminathan of the UNP earlier. The CWC with two MPs is also in with Mahinda. CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman has been entrusted with the same ministries that came under TPA leader P. Digambaram earlier. In an interesting move two MPs from the Up-Country Peoples Front V. Radhakrishnan and A. Aravindh Kumar have engaged in discussions with the Rajapaksas. The final outcome of the talks remains unknown. While Tamil Progressive Alliance leader Mano Ganesan has issued a statement to the effect that the Tamil and Muslim parties will be supportive of Ranil Wickremesinghe, it is learnt that at least one TPA MP from Kandy M. Velu Kumar is all set to cross over.



Finally we come to the two main opposition parties the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). The JVP has been critical of both Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena. While there is no love lost between the JVP and UNP, the crimson comrades hate and perhaps fear the return of the Rajapaksas more. However it is too early to predict what the JVP will do.



The TNA with 16 MPs may very well be the decisive factor in determining who commands majority support in Parliament. It may be recalled that the TNA played a crucial role in helping to defeat the no-confidence motion against Ranil Wickremesinghe some months ago. The TNA however has not revealed its future course of action so far. TNA leader Sampanthan, deputy leader Senathirajah and spokesperson Sumanthiran have been supportive of Ranil Wickremesinghe in the past and are likely to be so in the future too. When TNA leader Sampanthan met with Mahinda Rajapaksa at the latters invitation, the veteran Tamil leader remained non committal when asked for support. The TNA is expected to play its cards close to its chest and is likely to take a decision only in the penultimate stages. However, talks are being held on behalf of Maithripala and Mahinda with some TNA MPs on an individual basis. It is learnt that discussions have taken place with Dharmalingam Siddharthan, Dr. S. Sivamohan, Charles Nirmalanathan and Sivasakthy Anandan so far. The aim seems to be to get some TNA Parliamentarians to abstain from voting even if they wont vote in support.



COUNT YOUR MPS, NAME THEM ONE BY ONE

This then is the current state of affairs was all bets are off and everything is up for sale. Frantic efforts are being made by both sides to form the majority or obtain majority support in Parliament. It remains to be seen whether the Machiavellian machinations of the Maithripala-Mahinda duo will succeed or not. There is a Christian hymn in which the chorus is Count your blessings, name them one by one. In the Sri Lankan Parliament, the chorus will be Count your MPs, name them one by one!



D.B.S. Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com
Part 3

We have already explained tha t the mere placement of Mars in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or the 12th House in a Natal Chart does not indicate the presence of Kuja Dosha. It is only a malefic Mars that causes the dreaded Dosha or the blemish and a benefic Mars would produce only good effects. In fact, a person with a benefic Mars in his Natal Chart is an active, energetic and dynamic person equipped with courage, executive skills and a positive outlook.



Mars not malefic when Lagnadhipati or Yogakaraka

For Aries and Scorpio subjects Mars is Lagnadhipati, the lord of the Ascendant. There would be no Kuja Dosha for these two subjects no matter which of the afore mentioned six Houses where Mars is posited.



The same principle is applicable to Cancer, Leo, Sagittarius and Pisces subjects. Because for these subjects Mars becomes a Yogakaraka or a special benefic by the virtue of the fact that Mars rules either a Moolatrikona or both a Kendra (a quadrant) and a Moolatrikona (a main Trine) in case of each of these four subjects.

In the case of the Cancer subject, Mars becomes the lord of the 5th Moolatrikona and the 10th Kendra

In the case of Leo subject, Mars becomes the lord of 4th Kendra and the 9th Moolatrikona

In the case of Sagittarius subject, Mars becomes the lord of the 5th Moolatrikona.

In the case of Pisces subject Mars becomes the lord of the 9th Moolatrikona.



Beneficial yogas

Powerfully placed Lagnadhipati and yogakarakas give rise to beneficial yogas. Therefore, Lagnadhipati and yogakarakas have to be considered special benefics and they cause no harm to the native. The fact that Mars commands aspect over several Houses, namely the 4th, 7th and the 8th Houses in a Natal Chart is a factor that immensely contributes to the phenomenon of Kuja Dosha.

Houses Mars aspects

Now let us consider how Mars influences the Houses he aspects.
The National University Teachers Association (NUTA) had informed President Maithripala Sirisena that it was against purported moves to reappoint UNP MP Rajitha Senaratne as the Health Minister.

NUTA Secretary Prof. Channa Jayasumana informed the President its position in writing and said a person who is despised by an overwhelming majority of people should not be made the Health Minister. (Kelum Bandara)
Sri Lankas citizens are getting a bit jaded now in waiting for that politician with real leadership qualities to emerge and take charge of the nation. Even when there was a tussle for power within the UNP during the time Ranasinghe Premadasa rose in the political ranks, the Green Party had stalwarts in the likes of Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake to choose from. If we take a leaf out of that period when the Green Party reigned, we saw that UNP Leader J.R Jayewardene groomed the next generation of politicians to take over the party and also serve the nation.

But that has not been the case with most political parties, except the JVP, since then and we now see many politicians from all walks of life having lofty ambitions which are sadly not supported by their skills.



UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe still feels the need to be in power at age 69. His opponent right now, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has received another lifeline and is the Premier of the country at the age of 73. The present President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, whose political career is now shrouded in controversy, is 67 years old to date. What do the ages of all these leaders reveal? Does the term old is gold apply to politics? Some feel these politicians seem to have remained quite long in politics. But others would argue that J.R. Jayewardene became the first Executive President of the country at the age of 72. USA President Donald Trump is 72 and recently Mahathir Mohamad swept to power in Malaysia at the age of 93.



Sri Lanka was suffering for the past three decades in terms of politics largely not due to the actions of corrupt politicians, but more due to the silence of good people. Last Tuesday (October 30) we saw people who love democracy throw their weight behind a protest rally in Colombo, organised to show support for ousted Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe. These people were not necessarily Wickremesinghe fans, but had thought that they should break their silence and voice their protests.

This could be the first step towards demanding that Sri Lanka needs leaders with stature who promote fair play and value democracy. If the platform was set to highlight the unfair treatment meted out to Wickremesinghe, what came out of it instead was a strong reminder being given to politicians that it is high time that they treat the citizenry fairly. One placard that carried the message Im not here for Ranil. Im here for good governance and democracy helps us read the minds of people. Is it a sign that the good people have woken up from slumber?



Many who were tired of Sri Lankan politics migrated abroad, more to enjoy a large dose of decency, a fair chance to succeed in life and to see whatever monies they pay as taxes are not misused by the government. Its good if the remaining democratic civil forces in the country can continue with these efforts and force our politicians to value democracy and decency. The civil forces too should be well grounded in the wider society and not at small enclaves. They should also not be funded by external forces with vested interests and agendas. Those who wish to rewind the clock beyond 2015 and boast about development must be told that success without a human touch is not worth highlighting!



We read much in social media about Sri Lanka Pudujana Peramuna loyalists throwing their weight around in government institutes. We experienced Government sponsored strong arm tactics during the Rajapaksa regime and hope such incidents would not occur.

Minister Champika Ranawaka stating that as many as 120 MPs have signed a letter addressed to the Speaker to summon Parliament gives some hope that ousted Premier Wickremesinghe might be in with a chance to prove that he is the one who has the numbers in parliament. On the other hand the Rajapaksa camp has said they have the required numbers. Lets keep our fingers crossed till Parliament meets.
Tentative notes for the present

The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear

Antonio Gramsci,

from the Prison Notebooks.



This is a moment for political action and this is a moment for a politics of paradox.

Is there an old? Importantly, is there a new? What will the new babe in about 50 years? We do not know.

The new is in the present, and the new is in the future. Our democratic action is about today and is for the future.

Do we raise our voice against the manipulation of the constitution, the wilful readings and misreadings of it? Yes. As Savi Hensman says, when the powerful tear up the rule book, violence against the people is not far off. We need to raise our voice, loud and clear against it, for it suits them to tear it up and that is the impasse of the old, through which fascism slips in.

We need to rally our forces and form our own voice too, against the rule book at the same time. For we are not scared of Fascism. We will not let it happen. Reactionary forces like the UNP and the coalition and national government will let it happen, pave way for it with their myopic self-interested politics. With neo-liberal trends overrunning the country without any understanding of where we are at the moment, liberal and neo-liberal forces will assume another face. Fascism will walk in, smoothly, with some protest. Let us not let it happen.



The task ahead:

Do we support a political party that best represents a peoples voice? Yes.

Do we form independent alliances, and form a collective voice against party loyalties and party politics? Yes again.



The mundane and the immediate:

Do we support the action of reconvening of the Parliament? Yes, again, for it is the only representative body we have at the moment. Not heeding it is making way for fascism.

Do we attend UNP rallies? Maybe, yes. Not sure, but will be sympathetic to those who did under the circumstances

Do we attend JVP rallies? Yes, sure, but do so without compromising on peoples demands, policies that do not speak of the minorities, and do not heed democratic practices.

Do we see JVP as the force to align with? Can it be reformed? I seriously doubt it, for it is too much turned toward the centre and is fighting for a place in the centre.

Do we support the TNA? No, but appreciate that it did not cross over.

Do we support the FSP? No. It does not offer anything, either at the centre or the periphery, and will not, until it becomes a truly peoples democratic party.

Do we maintain our critique of these parties and stay outside their platforms and Banners, but support some of the policies? Yes, if thats the only way.

Do we keep aligned to a politics of the marginal, the minorities, the working class, migrant workers, housemaids, plantation workers, the peasants, the fishing people, the landless and the displaced, women, students and youth? Yes, for they and we are the people.



Sivamohan Sumathy is attached to the Department of English, University of Peradeniya

and is a writer, filmmaker and political subject
The Trump administration is to reinstate all US sanctions on Iran that were removed as part of the 2015 nuclear deal.

However, eight unnamed countries will not be penalised by the US for continuing to import Iranian oil.

President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in May, describing it as "defective at its core".

The agreement saw Iran limit its controversial nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Barack Obama, the US president at the time, had argued the deal would prevent Iran from developing nuclear arms.

The UK, France, Germany, Russia and China were also parties to the 2015 accord and have stuck to it, saying they will set up a new payment system to maintain business with Iran and bypass US sanctions.

Mr Trump argues that the terms of the deal are unacceptable and it has not stopped Iran developing a ballistic missile programme and intervening in neighbouring countries, including Syria and Yemen.

Iran has accused Mr. Trump of waging "psychological warfare". (BBC)
ANKARA (REUTERS) Nov 1 2018- Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan said after talks with Saudi public prosecutor Mojeb on Monday and Tuesday that Khashoggi was suffocated in a premeditated killing as soon as he entered the consulate, and his body was then dismembered and disposed of.



Turkey wants Saudi authorities to tell them the whereabouts of the body of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed last month in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Justice Minister said on Thursday.



Turkey expected Saudi Arabia to co-operate in its investigation and there must be no cover-up, minister Abdulhamit Gul told reporters.

We are looking for answers to the question of where the body is, he said.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has spoken to President Maithripala Sirisena last night, UNP MP Dr. Harsha De Silva said today.

We hear the Secretary General had requested the President to respect democratic values and constitutional process, uphold the rule of law and ensure the safety and security of all Sri Lankans, he tweeted.
WASHINGTON (Reuters), NOVEMBER 2, 2018 -As U.S. President Donald Trump resumes sanctions on Iran, the success of his push to curb its nuclear, missile and regional activities may hinge on how flexible he is willing to be on his extensive demands to coax Tehran into talks.



Washington will reintroduce sanctions on Monday targeting Irans most important industry - oil - and U.S. officials have indicated a measure of flexibility is needed to ensure global markets are well supplied to keep prices from surging.



In abandoning the international 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Trump and his top aides have touted the re-imposition of economic penalties on Iran as part of a maximum pressure campaign to force a change in a wide range of Iranian behaviour.



What Trump wants from Tehran, though, is seen by former officials as a maximalist position that includes ending uranium enrichment, giving U.N. inspectors access to all sites across Iran and ceasing support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen and the Hamas Palestinian militant group.
The Government would present a Vote on Account as its second item when Parliament meets, seeking approval to financial allocations to run the country for an interim period, it is learnt.

The leaders of the political parties, aligned with the Government, met with President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday morning and discussed Parliamentary businesses.

President Sirisena is slated to make a statement after the House is convened as the first item.

There will be a debate on it if the opposition asks for it.

Afterwards, the Government will present a Vote on Account as its second item on a later date.

A Vote on Account is presented when the Government wants to allocate money from the Treasury before the annual budget is passed.

The new Government will seek such allocations for the period ending on March 31, 2019. (Kelum Bandara)
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said yesterday people should not accept the person who secures a majority in Parliament because it means that peoples representatives were bought over for money to secure the majority.

JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told a rally in Nugegoda that if the person who secures a majority in Parliament was accepted as the Prime Minister, it means accepting black money. It is black money which decides the position of peoples representatives in Parliament. These transactions are not done through banks. These transactions are concluded using black the money of smugglers, he said.

He said Parliament could not be considered as supreme any longer as peoples representatives were being bought and added that the President prorogued parliament thereby plunging the country into political chaos.

Dinesh Gunawardane, who usually requests that parliament convenes even for a minor flood, is silent over this grave crisis, he said.

Mr. Dissanayake further suggested that people should not accept President Maithripala Sirisena as the President because he betrayed the mandate given to him by the people in 2015. The President has betrayed the mandate of 6.2 million people who voted for him instead of Mahinda Rajapaksa. The President no longer has the support of 6.2 million persons who voted for him or the 5.8 million who voted against him, he said. (Ajith Siriwardana)
OSCE Drone Shot Down After Spotting Russian Missile in Eastern Ukraine



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MEDIA  Delaware County Council will create a committee to look at the issue of stray animals in the county after a group of citizens asked them for help at Wednesdays meeting.

Can you imagine being cold, hungry, scared, abandoned and suffering? said Russell Wolf Harper, the Ridley Township resident and humane officer with the Justice Rescue animal rescue group. There are many animals in Delaware County who feel this every day.

Were asking for the county leaders to get involved and have intervention immediately, he said. This needs to be a priority within our community. The animals and the citizens need you now to get involved.

The issue is there is no one central stray hold facility licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture after the Providence Animal Center, the former Delaware County SPCA, changed their mission about two years ago.

Since then, the county formed the Delaware County Animal Protection Board to find alternatives. One was contracting with the then-Chester County SPCA.

County Council Chairman John McBlain said the county spent around $944,000 paying for alternatives to care for Delcos stray animals.

He also said county officials had asked the Chester County SPCA to open a satellite facility here in Delco to make it easier. However, those negotiations fell apart.

Then, he said, they looked to a grassroots animal welfare group, Delco Dogs, which was unable to manage the financial burden of running such a facility.

So, after Harper and other animal lovers attended Wednesdays meeting, council has agreed to create a committee to potentially create a request for proposals from organizations or individuals who would operate a licensed stray hold facility.

McBlain said the county even has a facility at Smedley Park in Springfield that could be rented at low cost.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A utility-location worker failed to properly mark a natural gas line in a Madison suburb this summer, leading to an explosion that leveled more than half a dozen buildings and killed a firefighter, according to court documents.

A search warrant request recently unsealed in Dane County Circuit Court states investigators are looking for evidence that would support a homicide charge in Sun Prairie firefighter Cory Barr's death.





. . .
Subscriber content preview

By JAKE COYLE

AP Film Writer

In the smoldering centerpiece of Chang-dong Lee's masterly Burning  a mournful cry of a movie  a young, tragic South Korean woman named Haemi (an exquisite Jun Jong-seo) dances before two men at twilight while Miles Davis floats bluely from a nearby car radio. The Korean countryside stretches northward behind her. Her arms sway low and then high.

It's a dance she has learned from the Bushmen during a recent trip to Africa. She calls it the dance of Great Hunger, and she's ecstatic as she moves. But, as if something catches her and brings her back down to earth, she finishes in tears.





. . .
His administration is behind an bombshell on protections for pre-existing conditions thats set to go off right after the elections

As many as 1 in 2 Americans could lose access to health care if a Republicans lawsuit backed by Trump Administration prevails  and almost no one is talking about.

As Donald Trump tries to gin up a racist fervor at a group of starving migrants that wont get here, if they ever do, until late November, the press is largely ignoring what may be biggest risk Americans health care since the GOPs last attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

The Texas judge whos primed to eliminate the ACAs protections for preexisting conditions has been sitting on his opinion for six weeks now, Michigan law professor Nicholas Bagley tweeted last month. My money? The judge is waiting until after the midterms because he knows that bad ACA headlines would hurt Republicans at the polls.

The lawsuit filed in February of this year by 20 Republican governors and attorneys general seeking to invalidate the entire law could result in a national injunction that rolls back protections for pre-existing conditions for people who get their coverage through the ACAs marketplaces  and their employers insurance, depending on state laws.

In June, the U.S. Department of Justice weighed in Sabrina Corlette, Maanasa Kona,and Justin Giovannelli reported. While it did not ask the court to block the whole ACA, the administration urged the court to strike down the laws guaranteed issue, preexisting condition exclusion, and community rating provisions.

Estimates of how many Americans have some sort of condition insurers could use to deny coverage range from 50 to 129 million, enough to touch almost every family in the country.

Trump  like many other Republicans  wont stop lying about protections for pre-exisiting conditions for two simple reasons.

People want the protections the ACA gave them and Republicans want to take them away.

Also theres this:

On Wednesday, Trump was asked about the lawsuit by ABCs Jon Karl and the president denied that his Department of Justice is suing to end pre-exisiting conditions, which it is. Trump then offered a mangle of slurs that accused Democrats of bad things about health care, all of which more accurately described the policies hes actually backed.

Instead of following up about the lawsuit, Karl asked another question that allowed to attack Democrats some more.

The result?

The president flagrantly lied yesterday about Republicans support for protections for preexisting conditions in a deliberate effort to dupe millions of voters in the upcoming midterms, Nicholas Bagley tweeted. So the lead story at @ nytimes is naturally about [checks notes] George Soros.

There is no Republican plan to cover pre-existing conditions because the ACA is the only thing that has ever come close, by ending insurers ability to discriminate and put lifetime caps on coverage.

The Trumpcare bill House Republicans passed and celebrated seemed designed to leave cancer survivors uninsurable.

The Congressional Budget Office in a 2017 analysis said that less-healthy people, including those with pre-existing conditions, would ultimately be unable to buy individual health insurance (policies not tied to an employer) at premiums comparable to those under the Affordable Care Act, if they could purchase it at all,' Politifact reported.

More Republicans are running on lies to defend the victories of Obamacare than the Republican tax cuts. And unless we can get the press and the nation to focus on whats actually at stake while Trump is trying to distract and divide us, they may get away with it.
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By The Gateway Pundit , Oct. 31, 2018





Rep. Steve King from Iowa  one of the eternal targets of the liberal American media  made headlines this week after his recent trip to Europe and Austria.





During his visit Steve held a meeting with political leaders which is typically arranged in consultation with the US Embassy.

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In November 2017, a Titan Krios cryo-electron microscope (cryo-EM) was inaugurated at the ESRF, the European Synchrotron, France. Data collected on this cryo-EM features in a Nature publication describing the activation cycle of a serotonin receptor, which is targeted by medication against chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-induced nausea.

This publication is a true reward for us: the first one in less than a year from inauguration and we hope this kind of rewards will grow in number, explains Isai Kandiah, ESRF scientist who runs the facility. It shows the revolution that cryo-EM is leading in structural biology, she adds. Thanks to cryo-EM, researchers can now freeze biomolecules, including membrane proteins of high medical importance, in several different conformations in action and visualise each of these to atomic resolution. Cryo-EM thus allows researchers to produce snapshots revealing the dynamics of proteins when they interact with other molecules, information that is crucial both for a basic understanding of lifes chemistry and for the development of pharmaceuticals. The user programme of the cryo-electron microscope at the ESRF is run jointly with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS) and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL).

The research in Nature is a result of an international collaboration of scientists from the Institute of Structural biology (IBS-mixed research unit CEA-CNRS-University Grenoble Alps), CEA, CNRS, the Institut Pasteur, the University of Lorraine (France), the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), the University of Illinois (US) and the biotech company Theranyx. The focus of the paper, featuring data from the ESRF cryo-EM, is the activation cycle of the 5-HT3 receptor, belonging to the family of serotonin receptors. These receptors are well-known because they influence various biological and neurological processes such as anxiety, appetite, mood, nausea, sleep and thermoregulation, among others. Unlike the other serotonin receptors, which are G protein-coupled receptors, 5-HT3 is a neurotransmitter-gated ion channel and changes its conformation during activation. It is present in the brain, as well as in the enteric nervous system, the peripheral nervous system that drives the digestive tract.

A close-up view of the Cryo-EM at the ESRF. Credits: S. Cande.

5-HT3 is a target for drugs and pharmaceutical companies have studied it extensively, for example in anti-emetic medication. When patients undergo chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, they often suffer from nausea and vomiting as side effects. In fact, the chemicals used in cancer treatment trigger an elevation of serotonin signalling, which in turn activates 5-HT3 to open its ion channel, which then causes nausea.

The receptor has been widely studied due to its importance, but it hasnt been until recently, that we have accessed it at the atomic scale, thanks to cryo-electron microscopy, among other techniques, explains Hugues Nury, main author of the paper and CNRS scientist at the IBS.

The results published in Nature show the receptor 5-HT3 in four different conformations. Images of three of these were obtained at the Center for Cellular Imaging and Nano Analytics in Switzerland whilst the fourth, which finally allowed a full understanding of the activation mechanism of 5-HT3, was obtained at the ESRF. One of the conformations is inhibited thanks to the binding of anti-nausea and anti-vomiting drug widely used in chemotherapy. The images obtained of the receptor may therefore lead to the design of more efficient antinausea drugs for the treatment of patients undergoing therapy for cancers.

These results contribute to our knowledge on how 5-HT3 receptors behave. They provide a framework for the myriad of mutations described in the literature: we can now look where they are, what are the motions in these zones, and sometimes why the mutations altered the receptor function. Now we also see the binding pockets in unprecedented details, which can help the development of future drugs, explains Hugues Nury.
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South Sudan on Friday freed rebel leader Riek Machars spokesman and a South African adviser from prison, a Reuters witness and senior government official said, advancing a deal to end almost five years of civil war.

To reinforce the accord signed in September, President Salva Kiir on Wednesday ordered the release of retired South African colonel William Endley, an adviser to Machar, and James Gatdet, Machars spokesman.

The Reuters witness at the prison where they were held saw the two being asked to go and put on their civilian clothes after being brought out of their cell.

Stories Continues after ad

We are here to implement the orders of the president. Their release comes as part of the peace process. They are now free, Interior Minister Michael Chiangjiek said after signing paperwork confirming their release.

Gatdet will be going to Khartoum and William Johan will be going to South Africa.

Endley was sentenced to death in February for trying to bring down the government, while Gatdet was sentenced to death in the same month on charges of treason and incitement against the government.
Weather to finally dry out for harvest

With the weather drying out from now until Monday, we should be seeing average rainfall and a return to the dry summer we are used to for the rest of the year.
The former chairman of Goldman Sachs in Southeast Asia, Tim Leissner, pleaded guilty yesterday to FCPA and money laundering conspiracies in connection with a plot to loot the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

Here are eight odd facts about the 1MDB investigation.



1. The alleged mastermind is a 36-year old fugitive.

Low Taek Jho a.k.a. Jho Low, pictured right, is a Malaysian whos sought by U.S., Swiss, Singaporean, and Malaysian authorities.

He may be traveling on a passport from the Caribbean islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Low has also supposedly been seen in Phuket, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Shanghai since the 1MDB scandal broke.

He was supposedly last seen in China, but local authorities deny hes there.

2. Spies are involved.

Eight former agents from Malaysias foreign intelligence agency were arrested in August for allegedly stealing $12 million in government funds possibly related to 1MDB.

The agents worked for the Malaysian External Intelligence Organization or MEIO.

3. Tim Leissner is married to fashion designer and reality TV star Kimora Lee Simmons.

Simmons television show, Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane, aired from 2007 to 2011 on the Style Network. This picture shows Leissner and Simmons with Malaysian ex-PM Najib Razak.

The picture was posted on Simmons Instagram (@kimoraleesimmons) on September 22, 2013.

She has 1.6 million followers on Instagram.

4. Malaysias ex-PM Najib Razak and his wife have both been charged with laundering 1MDB money and their homes were raided.

The head of Malaysias commercial crime unit said the raids resulted in the biggest seizure in Malaysian history.

Police found cash in 26 currencies with a total value of $28.6 million.

They confiscated 457 handbags, including Hermes bags that alone are worth $12 million.

Also seized were 423 watches valued at $19 million, police said, along with 234 sunglasses worth $93,000.

Twelve thousand pieces of jewelry were found in 25 bags. Included were 1,400 necklaces, 2,200 rings, 2,100 bangles, 2,800 pairs of earrings, 1,600 brooches and 14 tiaras, police said. The jewelry could be worth around $180 million.

5. The DOJ thinks $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB.

In previous court filings, the DOJ alleged that more than $4.5 billion was looted from 1MDB from 2009 through 2015 by high-level officials of the fund and their associates.

The DOJ has already filed forfeiture actions against nearly $1.7 billion in assets linked to 1MDB.

6. Money was laundered using art, real estate, and the Wolf of Wall Street.

The DOJ alleges that Low, Leissner, Roger Ng, and others conspired to launder money in the United States by buying luxury residential real estate in New York City and elsewhere, and artwork from a New York-based auction house, and by funding major Hollywood films, including the Wolf of Wall Street.

Red Granite Pictures, the company that produced the 2013 Scorsese film, was co-founded by Najibs stepson.

Red Granite entered into a $60 million settlement with the DOJ in March.

7. Goldman Sachs made $600 million in fees from underwriting 1MDB bonds.

From the criminal information:

In the course of the scheme, the defendant TIM LEISSNER, together with Co-Conspirator #1, Co-Conspirator #2 and others, did obtain and retain lMDB business for U.S. Financial Institution #1, including three bond offering transactions for lMDB in 2012 and 2013. These three bond offerings and related transactions ultimately earned U.S. Financial Institution #1 approximately $600 million in fees and revenue and resulted in LEISSNER, Co-Conspirator #2 and others obtaining large bonuses from U.S. Financial Institution #1 and enhanced their professional reputations at U.S. Financial Institution #1.

Although the stated purpose of the approximately $6.5 billion raised by the three bond transactions was to support lMDB projects for the benefit of the Malaysian people, more than $2.7 billion was instead misappropriated by the defendant TIM LEISSNER and his co-conspirators.

8. Jho Lows yacht is for sale.

The $250 million super yacht Equanimity was put up for auction by Malaysia this week. Indonesian authorities seized the yacht in Bali earlier this year.

It sailed into Malaysia in August.

The DOJ filed a civil forfeiture order for the Equanimity in 2017.

According to reports, The Equanimity costs over $730,000 a month to maintain.

Interested bidders need to put down a $1 million deposit to be considered.

____

Harry Cassin is the managing editor of the FCPA Blog.
This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 14 years and 30,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.
O n a cloudy Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend, 1990, 40-year-old Marlene Warren was at home on her sprawling property in Wellington, Florida.

Marlenes 21-year-old son, Joey Ahrens, was home, too, finishing breakfast with several of his friends.

Just before 11 a.m., a white Chrysler LeBaron convertible pulled into the circular driveway. The driver stepped out, walked to the front door and knocked.

Marlene answered, still dressed in her pink nightgown. Joey and his friends heard her exclaim Oh, how sweet.

It was a clown in full costume, including orange curly wig, white painted face and a red bulb nose. It was holding a delivery of balloons and flowers.

As the clown handed Marlene the delivery, it pulled out a gun, aimed point-blank at Marlenes face, and fired one bullet.

Her son Joey heard the shot  it sounded like a balloon popped. But when his mother collapsed to the floor, he rushed over to the doorway. Marlene was bleeding heavily from her face.

As his friends called for help, Joey looked up at the clown walking away. It paused and turned to him, just long enough for Joey to see big brown eyes staring back.

The clown casually walked back to the LeBaron, got in and drove off.

Joey jumped in his own car with one of his friends to try to chase the LeBaron down. But he was too late, and the clown escaped.

An ambulance arrived at the home as paramedics worked frantically to save Marlene. The bullet had entered just above her upper lip, broke through her two front teeth and traveled into the back of her head where it was lodged in a vertebra.

They rushed her to Palms West Hospital, where doctors put her on life support. But Marlene never really had a chance, and she died two days later.

Marlene Warren

Marlene Mae McKinnon was a happy girl who spent part of her youth on her grandfathers farm in a town north of Detroit.

She was the middle of two sisters  Debbie and Lee Ann.

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Marlenes family moved around a lot, including spending years in California before returning to Michigan.

Marlene was exceptionally young when she married her husband John Ahrens and became a mom.

She gave birth to her first son when she was just 15 years old. By the time she was 18, she was the mother of two boys.

Marlenes parents dont remember exactly when she met and married John, but they remember when she lost him. It wasnt long into the marriage.

Marlene and John just had their two sons, John Junior and Joseph. They were toddlers when tragedy struck.

John was involved in a car crash in Texas and didnt survive. Marlene was a widow and single mother before she was even 20 years old.

Marriage to Michael Warren

Marlene didnt wait long to make a new start. Within just a few years, she met Michael Warren and they married in 1972 when Marlene was 22 and Michael was 19.

The Warrens lived for a short time  possibly less than a year  in Michaels hometown of Mount Clemons, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.

They decided to relocate to Florida to raise the boys, so they bought a home in Palm Beach County. They lived in it for a while, sold it for a profit, then did the same to their next home, and the next  building up their wealth each time.

They also started buying land and buildings for rental properties  eventually amassing 17 throughout the county.

Marlene managed and maintained them while Michael built up a business selling and renting used cars.

Aero Club

By the late 1980s, the Warrens businesses were paying off. They bought an acre of land in a new, exclusive community in Wellington called Aero Club and built a 6,500-square-foot home.

There is not much thats modest about the Aero Club development. The homes are spacious, most with long, circular driveways, swimming pools and meticulous landscaping.

Aero Club gets its name from perhaps its most unique feature. A private air strip  and the taxiways that lead to each home around it.

The Warrens was one of them. It was on Take Off Place, and the lot had plenty of space to park Michaels airplane.

Bargain Motors

Michaels used-car business was flourishing.

That was despite legal problems in the early 1980s that foreshadowed much larger issues that would come years later.

In the spring of 1983, Michael had been caught rolling back odometers on two cars he sold. When a customer turned him in to authorities, Michael was charged with a third-degree felony.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

But by 1990, business was strong enough for Michael to open a bigger lot called Bargain Motors along busy North Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach.

He employed a motley crew of mechanic, salespeople, car detailers, office workers and repo men who went after customers who didnt pay.

One day, one of his occasional repo men showed up at Bargain Motors in a tow truck. He was known by the name Spud and he was a long-time friend of Michaels. On this visit, he brought along his wife.

She bounded out of the truck, onto the lot and into Michaels life.

Her name was Sheila Keen.

Sheila Keen

Sheila was young and exuberant, a striking brunette with long, glossy hair. She was a headstrong, gun-toting, independent 26-year-old with a game-for-anything reputation and mischief in her big, brown eyes.

Sheila spent more and more time on Michaels lot and soon she was repossessing cars on her own.

Fearless and tough as nails, she had no qualms about driving a flatbed truck into the roughest neighborhood to reclaim a car.

The more time she spent on Michaels lot, the more responsibilities and duties she took on. She was virtually running the place.

But Sheilas attention, all of it, went toward one person. Her 6-foot, 1-inch, blue-eyed boss, Michael Warren.

And Michael clearly had feelings for Sheila too. She was a stark contrast to Michaels wife Marlene, the strawberry blonde, blue eyed, slightly pudgy housewife.

Michaels relationship with Sheila was evolving into an affair. It had become obvious to everyone, including Sheilas husband, Spud, whose real name was Richard Keen. By January 1990, Sheila and Richard split up.

The murder and the investigation

Michael Warren was on his way with friends to a horse racetrack in Miami when Joey Ahrens called him with news of Marlenes shooting.

He turned around and headed for the hospital, where he told police he had no idea who could do this to his wife.

The media jumped on the terrifying story that became national news.

Police had a trail to follow almost immediately.

Within two hours of the bullet hitting Marlene Warrent face, a call came in to police that would focus the investigation close to home.

An anonymous female caller said: You might want to ask Michael Warren and Sheila Keen a few questions. Then she hung up.

The tip certainly made sense. Everyone had seen the way that Michael and Sheila were carrying on. But were they killers? Would this case really be so simple to crack?

It would not.

Marlene Warrens murder led to an extraordinary and baffling murder investigation that led police through the darkest corners of the Sunshine State. They were encountering accusations of loan sharking, drug smuggling and dealing, insurance fraud, chop shops, stolen cars, prostitutes, seedy affairs and more.

And they spent nearly three decades searching for the clown who showed up at Marlene Warrens door with flowers, balloons and a pistol.
Seven Star Digital, a Shoreditch, London, UK-based gambling comparison company, raised a strategic funding from Kinetic Investments.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

The company intends to use the funds for further expansion.

Established in 2016 by Luke Eales, CEO, Seven Star Digital creates products for consumers to cut through the huge volumes of casino, sports betting, bingo, lottery, poker (like supercasinosites.com/video-poker) and esports operators on the market  and find exactly the right place to play.

The company currently operates a number of comparison brands including TopRatedCasinos.co.uk and Compare.bet.

The company currently has 15 employees led by Eales, who was previously Chief Marketing Officer at an insurance startup, and has worked in the digital marketing area for over a decade with a focus on performance marketing and growth.

FinSMEs

02/11/2018
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Home to the only royal palace in the united states and some of the worlds most active volcanos, Hawaii is one of the most amazing places to visit on this earth.

Between the golden sands and emerald valleys, the glimmering oceans and the warmth of its inhabitants, Hawaii is the pace to visit if you want to get lost in the spiritual beauty of the hula and take advantage of the islands amazing temperatures.

Not only is this island a fantastic vacation choice, but there is so much to do. Take your time and check out some of the amazing must-see attractions Hawaii.

7 Must See Attractions in Hawaii

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is a must-see for anyone visiting the island.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, making it the worst foreign attack on American soil. Due to the historical significance of this event, Pearl Harbor is the perfect place to visit while in Hawaii. Youll get the chance to see the memorials set up to remember our nations heroes who gave their lives that day.

The memorial for those who lost their lives during this time is a haunting yet beautiful experience, and its definitely something you wont want to miss out on if you visit the island.

Waikiki

One of the most popular destinations in Hawaii, Waikiki is a great place to spend some time and relax under the sun. This portion of Honolulu is extremely touristy and its no surprise that it has earned its reputation for being one of the best places to go if you want to have a good time.

Boasting amazing waves, Waikiki is the perfect spot for the surfing newbie. Catch some huge waves on the beautiful beaches, visit some of the surf schools and take in a new an exciting experience.

Volcanoes National Park

You cant go to Hawaii without visiting the volcanoes. Since Hawaii is a result of continual volcanic activity, visiting this national park is a great way to learn some history as well take in some amazing sights. Dont forget to take a tour to the Crater Rim while visiting the Volcanoes National Park.

Waimea Canyon

Starting in west Kauai town of Waimea, the canyon ends uphill twenty minutes later at the Puu O Kila Lookout. Not only will you pass through several different climates to get there ranging from hot desert conditions at sea level all the way to cool forest conditions of Kokee but you will also get the chance to navigate through the ahupuaa which is the traditional Hawaiian system of land division.

This gorgeous rock formation is one of the most beautiful places to visit on the island. Take some time out from the beach and visit the incredible sights offered by Waimea Canyon.

Mauna Kea Observatories

If you love science, then you need to add the Mauna Kea Observatories to your Hawaiian itinerary. These observatories are located on the summit of Mauna Kea, one of the highest points in the area. When visiting this area, youll get a chance to explore science and astronomy.

This site is perfect for stargazing due to its remote location and unpolluted skies. There are several different tours available at this site so you can pick which one works best for you.

Haleakala National Park

This beautiful national park is located near the summit Haleakala crater. This incredible site allows tourists to hike, camp and even go horseback riding. So if youre looking for an adventure, then this national park is definitely for you.

Dont miss the trails at Haleakala National Park. Take a trek down one of the trails into its massive bowl and check out its dormant volcano. You will never see landscapes quite like this anywhere else on earth. In fact, while the terrain may deceive you, there are many of the worlds rarest birds, plants and insects that live there.

Maui Ocean Center

If you want the chance to experience Hawaiian ocean life for yourself, then add the Maui Ocean Center to your to-do list. This aquarium is filled with marine life that you can find in Hawaii and more! You can see many kinds of marine life, from octopus to jellyfish. You can also get a close up look at sharks and other fish from the area.

If you find the beauty of Hawaii as stunning as I do, you will want to check out these 8 Free Hawaiian Art Prints.

Hawaii is a beautiful place to visit. When booking your next vacation, consider visiting some of these amazing must-see attractions Hawaii has to offer. From history and volcanoes to hiking and surfing, there is something for everyone to discover in Hawaii.
Mario Segale, the Washington-based real estate developer who Nintendo's very own Super Mario was named after, has passed away at the age of 84.

A self-made businessman, Segale graduated from Highline Highschool in 1952 and shortly after started his own construction company with just a single dump truck.

Working alongside his wife Donna, the pair managed to turn the firm into one of the most prominent heavy construction general contractors in the Northwest, and eventually sold the business to better concentrate on their real estate operations.

As for how he came into contact with Nintendo, the Japanese console maker actually rented a warehouse from Segale back in the '70s, at roughly the same time that Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto was searching for a proper name for the character, who was originally called Jumpman.

The story goes that Nintendo was behind on its rent, resulting in a confrontation between Segale and then-president Minoru Arakawa. After settling the dispute, the company decided to rename Jumpman in his honor, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Despite being the namesake behind one of the most iconic video game characters in the world, Segale tried to keep a low-profile, and wanted to be known for his many personal and work achievements.

In an obituary in the Seattle Times, he's described as someone who "loved hunting, fishing, his airplane, a good joke, the color red, great Italian food (with no cheese!), an excellent cigar and his view of Puget Sound."

"His passion was figuring out how to do things in new and better ways," it continues, "which often included drawing things on the backs of napkins and placemats. The innovations he brought to the construction industry that are still seen today attest to his remarkable creativity."
Work with your past self, create paradoxes to use to your advantage, and defeat an evil wizard (easy, right?)
Pinch of Salt: So much to be thankful for
Witnesses sought : Several burglaries keep Bonn police busy

Bonn Three burglaries and one attempted burglary were reported on the Thursday holiday, All Saints Day. So far, Bonn police have not been able to track down the culprits and are looking for witnesses.

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On Friday morning, Bonn police reported several burglaries that took place on the Thursday holiday, All Saints Day. Two of the break-ins were in Bonn-Ippendorf. Police reported that a single family home on Turmfalkenweg was broken into between 7 pm and 8:10 pm. According to investigations so far, the burglars gained access to the home by forcibly prying open a window. The thieves then searched the house for valuables.

Between 1:30 pm and 9:30 pm, burglars broke into an apartment building on Gudenauer Weg. Traces found by investigators show that they gained access to the ground floor apartment by forcibly opening a balcony door. Then they searched the apartment for valuables. In both cases, the thieves fled the scene undetected. At this stage, there is no information available about what was stolen.

In Wachtberg-Pech, there was a burglary at a single-family home on the street "Am Kottenforst" between 5 pm and 8:15 pm on Thursday evening. According to police, thieves gained access to the home by forcibly opening the patio door, then searching the home for valuables. Investigations so far show that jewelry and a laptop were stolen.

Sounded alarm prevents burglary

Residents in Bonn-Dottendorf were more fortunate. According to police, someone attempted to break into their apartment on F.-A.-Schmidt-Weg on Thursday in the early evening hours. At around 6:30 p.m., a window of the ground floor apartment was forced open, triggering an alarm. The culprits fled the scene of the crime. Neighbors heard the alarm and immediately called police. So far, police have not been able to find the person or persons responsible and no descriptions are available.

Police are investigating all of the incidences and are looking for possible witnesses who may have seen something or can give information about the perpetrators.

Anyone who may have related information is asked to contact the police at 0228-150.
At the reception (Photo: CPV)

So said Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the PCC Commission on Mass Mobilisation, and President of the Vietnam  Cuba Friendship Association, during a reception in Hanoi on November 1st for a visiting delegation from the Cuban Womens Federation (FMC), led by its Secretary General Teresa Maria, Politburo member of the Communist Party of Cuba.

Speaking at the reception, Ms Mai, on behalf of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, expressed deep thanks to the Cuban Party, State and people for their absolute support for Vietnam during its struggle for national unification earlier and the current national construction and protection, confirming that the special united, friendly, loyal and pure relationship between Vietnam and Cuba is a valuable asset of the two Parties, States and peoples.

Conveying her pleasure at Cubas success in the process of updating its socio-economic model, Ms Mai said she believed that Cuba will overcome its difficulties and challenges to further promote national development, asserting the consistent stance of the Party, State, and people of Vietnam towards supporting the unconditional end of the embargo against Cuba.

She also appreciated Cubas achievements in gender equality, adding that Vietnam is willing to share its legal and factual information on gender equality.

Teresa Maria expressed her thanks to the Vietnamese Party, State and people for its precious support for Cuba, affirming that the FMC will work closely with the Vietnam Womens Union (VWU) in implementing agreements at all levels, contributing to reinforcing the special solidarity between the two countries./.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Achim Steiner, administrator of United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in Beijing, capital of China, on Nov. 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday met with the Administrator of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Achim Steiner, calling for concerted efforts in upholding multilateralism and promoting sustainable development.

Li said that UNDP was the first UN development agency to establish cooperative relations with China after its initiation of reform and opening up policy four decades ago.

"Over the past 40 years, cooperation in various fields between the two sides has churned out fruitful results, propelling economic and social development in China," said the premier.

Noting that China remains and will remain for a long time a developing country featuring inadequate and unbalanced development, Li expressed the willingness to align its development planning with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and shore up cooperation with UNDP to make progress hand in hand.

Li said that the resurgence of unilateralism and protectionism under the current international situation brings instabilities and uncertainties.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the largest developing country, China hopes to work with UN development agencies including UNDP in upholding multilateralism and the international order with the purposes and principles of UN Charter at the core, he said.

He also called on both sides to jointly address global challenges and help countries to improve the capacity of independent and sustainable development under the framework of South-South cooperation, thus making an unceasing contribution to world peace and development.

Echoing Li's remarks, Steiner said UNDP and China have had a sound partnership and extensive cooperation both in China and other parts of the world.

Steiner voiced his appreciation for China's support for multilateralism and the role of the United Nations, adding that UNDP stands ready to enhance cooperation with China in sectors such as innovation and sustainable development, so as to boost South-South cooperation and share development experience.

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kacylee at 2-11-2018 08:58 PM (3 years ago) (f)

A man was left injured after he was thrown from third floor of a flat by a commercial sex worker following a misunderstanding over payment for sex services she rendere The incident happened two days ago at Dana Place in the Avenues area in Zimbabwe.

A man was left injured after he was thrown from third floor of a flat by a commercial sex worker following a misunderstanding over payment for sex services she rendere The incident happened two days ago at Dana Place in the Avenues area in Zimbabwe.

The man, only identified as Mandewo, sustained head, back and leg injuries and was rushed to the hospital where he was treatment.



Mandewo told H-Metro that the woman known as Trish within their circles and resides in Flat Room number 17, wrestled him off the apartment when he refused to disclose his Ecocash details.



He said they agreed for a $5 quickie when they hooked on the streets before the woman shifted goalposts after the act.



I hooked her in the street and we agreed on $5 for sex but she demanded $100 soon after the quickie, said Mandewo.



Mandewo said he offered to add $10 but she insisted on $100 demanding him to disclose his Ecocash details. I was prepared to add $10 but she kept on demanding my Ecocash details and when I refused she wrestled me along with her flat mate and threw me over the window.



She took my car keys and I want to believe she has gone and searched the vehicle or disappeared with the car if she is licensed to drive, said Mandewo writhing in pain.



Asked if he could give contacts of his relative, Mandewo ignored the question insisting to get help on making sure his vehicle is recovered.



Eye witnesses at Dana Place heard Mandewo calling for help but could not give a hand on time.















We heard him calling for help and we saw him hanging by the window and fell down as we tried to rush to the room, said one of the eye witnesses.



The lady reported to have hooked him ran away and we managed to apprehend two of the ladies who stay in that flat, added the witness.



Police attended to him and was taken by paramedics to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals The man, only identified as Mandewo, sustained head, back and leg injuries and was rushed to the hospital where he was treatment.Mandewo told H-Metro that the woman known as Trish within their circles and resides in Flat Room number 17, wrestled him off the apartment when he refused to disclose his Ecocash details.He said they agreed for a $5 quickie when they hooked on the streets before the woman shifted goalposts after the act.said Mandewo.Mandewo said he offered to add $10 but she insisted on $100 demanding him to disclose his Ecocash details. I was prepared to add $10 but she kept on demanding my Ecocash details and when I refused she wrestled me along with her flat mate and threw me over the window.She took my car keys and I want to believe she has gone and searched the vehicle or disappeared with the car if she is licensed to drive, said Mandewo writhing in pain.Asked if he could give contacts of his relative, Mandewo ignored the question insisting to get help on making sure his vehicle is recovered.Eye witnesses at Dana Place heard Mandewo calling for help but could not give a hand on time.We heard him calling for help and we saw him hanging by the window and fell down as we tried to rush to the room, said one of the eye witnesses.The lady reported to have hooked him ran away and we managed to apprehend two of the ladies who stay in that flat, added the witness.Police attended to him and was taken by paramedics to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals

Post Reply I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 2-11-2018 08:58 PM (3 years ago) | Addicted Hero
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds talks El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, on Nov. 1, 2018. Before the talks, Xi held a welcome ceremony for the El Salvador's president. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping held talks with El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren in Beijing Thursday, urging the two sides to consolidate a basis for mutually-beneficial cooperation.

Xi welcomed Sanchez's visit to China and his attendance at the first China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai next week.

China and El Salvador established diplomatic ties on Aug. 21 this year. Xi said the two countries have opened up a new chapter of relations ever since.

The Chinese people highly appreciate Sanchez, who has significantly contributed to the bilateral ties by making a right and historic decision with strategic vision, political courage and a sense of responsibility, Xi said.

"The decision to establish and develop diplomatic ties with each other was independently made by the two sovereign states," Xi said. "It is consistent with the international laws and purposes of the UN Charter and reflects such principles as mutual respect, equal treatment, mutual benefits and common development."

"Within slightly more than two months after China and El Salvador forged diplomatic ties, bilateral exchanges have progressed rapidly in various fields with strong vitality and robust momentum," Xi said, adding that this convincingly demonstrates the decision follows the trend of history and is in the fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries.

"China is willing to join hands with El Salvador to promote friendly cooperation in a speedy yet steady manner, so as to benefit the two peoples," the Chinese president said.

The two countries are faced with key tasks of mapping out cooperation direction as their diplomatic ties are still at an early stage, Xi said, urging both sides to firmly adhere to the one-China principle, which serves as a foundation in bilateral ties.

Stressing the importance of mutual understanding and trust, he called for more governance experience sharing, cooperation in local areas and exchanges between the two countries' political parties, legislative bodies and social organizations.

"The two sides should boost pragmatic cooperation in various areas, improve cooperative mechanisms, take the joint construction of the Belt and Road as guidance and transform complementary advantages into cooperation results in all aspects," Xi noted.

Saying China welcomes El Salvador to expand its export, Xi promised China will take measures to ease El Salvador products' access into the Chinese market.

"The Chinese side will cooperate with El Salvador in infrastructure in a government-guided, enterprise-led, market-based and mutually-beneficial way," he stressed, adding that capable Chinese enterprises are encouraged to invest in El Salvador and get more involved in its local society, premised upon legal, compliant and honest operation.

"People-to-people exchanges will be made a priority in the hope of benefiting both sides," Xi said.

He said China will support El Salvador in education, medical care, water supply and disaster prevention, increase scholarship quotas to El Salvador students, intensify bilateral cooperation in human resources training and list El Salvador as a destination for Chinese group tourists.

The Chinese president also called on the two countries to enhance coordination in international and regional affairs, jointly safeguard multilateralism and further advance China's ties with Latin American and Caribbean countries.

For his part, Sanchez said establishing diplomatic ties with China is a "long-cherished hope" of El Salvador.

He promised El Salvador acknowledges and firmly adheres to the one-China principle.

"The two countries have identical positions on many issues, and the development of bilateral relations is based on mutual respect and trust," Sanchez said.

"My visit has fully demonstrated El Salvador's confidence in advancing ties with China," he added.

Hailing China's remarkable achievements since reform and opening-up, Sanchez said El Salvador also strives to improve economic and social development and people's living standards.

"China is our partner in the path of development," Sanchez emphasized.

Viewing the upcoming China International Import Expo as "a good platform to introduce El Salvador products," Sanchez said his country welcomes Chinese investment and is willing to strengthen cooperation in areas including trade, agriculture, infrastructure, tourism, medical care, education, finance, science and technology.

He also voiced El Salvador's interest in participating in the construction of the Belt and Road.

Sanchez thanked China for its timely food aid after the drought in El Salvador not long ago.

El Salvador appreciates China's commitment to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity and stands ready to enhance political dialogue with China, and push for cooperation within such multilateral frameworks as the UN and the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, Sanchez said.

The two heads of state witnessed the signing of a series of documents on cooperation after the talks. Prior to the talks, Xi held a red-carpet ceremony to welcome Sanchez.

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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.
A Two-Cycle Process for Democrats

At the end of what has been a miserable decade for them, Democrats began making a comeback at the legislative level. But their victories were nowhere near enough to challenge the GOP's dominance of most chambers.Democrats flipped just six chambers. By contrast, Republicans took control of 21 chambers in 2010 during President Barack Obama's first midterm. The average number of chambers to flip per cycle is a dozen.Democrats on Tuesday took over the state Senates in Colorado and Maine, as well as both chambers in New Hampshire. They also achieved a working majority in the New York Senate, after years in which renegade members gave the GOP effective control. The sixth chamber to flip was the Minnesota House. (The Minnesota Senate was not up for grabs this year.)That means Minnesota will have the only legislature under divided control in the entire country -- something that hasn't happened since 1914, according to Tim Storey, an elections expert with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).Democrats also made inroads in some other states where Republicans held large majorities, including Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas. But the GOP picked up additional seats in red states like Alabama, and as Matt Walter, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee, puts it, "The Republican state legislative red firewall held strong in battleground states like Florida, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin."Overall, assuming the GOP wins the Alaska House, it will control 62 chambers, compared to 37 for Democrats.Democratsmade gains, but in a sense, they had nowhere to go but up.Republicans went into Tuesday's elections holding two-thirds of the nation's legislative chambers, with big majorities in many of them. Democrats mainly flipped chambers that were ripe for pickup. The party only needed to score a net gain of one seat apiece to take control of the state Senates in Colorado, Maine and New York.Democrats hoped a strong performance by their gubernatorial candidates could lift their legislative hopefuls. But that didn't always happen.Wisconsin Democrat Tony Evers appears to have unseated GOP Gov. Scott Walker, but Evers' performance was not strong enough to help his party win the two seats they needed to take control of the state Senate. Republicans didn't lose a single seat in the state Assembly, where their majority was never in doubt."It's looking like Republicans will gain one in the state Senate and easily keep the Assembly, but Democrats very well might sweep the statewide races," says Paul Nolette, a political scientist at Marquette University. "That's the power of gerrymandering."Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf enjoyed a big enough polling lead to have Democrats talking about flipping the House. He ended up winning by a healthy margin, and Democrats gained seats in both chambers, but even before the election, party officials acknowledged that winning back the Senate was going to be at least a two-cycle process.That was a common refrain all over the country. In many states, Democrats knewthey almost certainly couldn't erase GOP supermajorities in a single year. In North Carolina, Democrats simply set their sights on taking over enough seats to keep vetoes from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper from being overridensomething they did achieve.But Republicans held their supermajorities in Ohio, while turning their majority in the Alabama House into a supermajority.At least part of the Democrats' disadvantage has to do with redistricting, a process that Republicans dominated this decade, thanks to their control of so many states."The districts are not as favorable for Republicans as they were in the early 2010s, but they are still more favorable for them," says Steven Rogers, a political scientist at St. Louis University.He points to the example of Virginia. Last year, Democrats won 15 seats in the state House -- roughly double the amount that had been predicted even by the most optimistic members of the party. Yet that big haul was still one short of a tie and two short of taking the majority.The fact that about two-dozen new groups formed during this cycle to help elect Democrats to state offices speaks to an increased level of activism in a party that for years concerned itself much more with federal races."Even though Republicans have been much better at this in the past, they don't have a permanent hold on enthusiasm," says Ravi Gupta, managing partner of the Arena, which sought to elect legislative Democrats.Having begun the process of rebuilding their numbers, Democrats hope 2020 offers them the chance to add substantially more to their gains at the legislative level."Democrats should declare success," says Storey, the NCSL official. "They won this election cycle. But it wasn't exactly a blowout."
Is Early Voting Better for Democrats or Republicans?

This year, Americans are voting early and often.As of Friday morning, at least 29 million people had cast votes nationwide, according to the University of Florida's United States Elections Project . Some states will continue early voting through the weekend, but the current figure is already substantially higher than the 27 million early votes that were cast nationwide in 2014, the last major midterm election.Voters in 27 states plus the District of Columbia have exceeded the 2014 early voting numbers, according to Michael McDonald, who directs Florida's Elections Project. In Texas, more people have voted early than the number of Texans who voted in the 2014 midterms -- including Election Day. Nevada, which holds its last day of early voting today, is also expected to exceed its total 2014 turnout by the end of the day. (Many states are days behind in posting their vote totals, including a few that haven't posted any numbers at all.)In Florida, more than 4 million citizens have already voted. "Florida Man and Florida Woman are crushing this voting thing like it was a Natty Light can run over by a monster truck," tweeted Democratic consultant Steve Schale.Most states now allow various forms of early in-person, mail or "no-excuse" absentee voting. While early voting could merely be "cannibalizing" voters who would otherwise have voted next Tuesday, there are some signs of increased voter interest this year. Turnout was much higher in primaries than in 2014, up 64 percent among Democrats and 22 percent among Republicans."Both Democratic and Republican voters are telling pollsters that they are enthusiastic to vote," says Barry Burden, who directs the University of Wisconsin Election Research Center. "Turnout is all but certain to be higher in 2018 than in 2014."But that's a low bar, as Burden notes. Turnout in 2014 was the lowest in any election dating back to World War II.Still, the numbers so far this year are impressive. Roughly a million people have already cast votes who had not voted before. In Louisiana, more people have voted early than in any prior election, except for 2016.For pollsters trying to read the tea leaves about what this year's increased early turnout means for candidates, there are signs for optimism on both sides.Vote totals are surging among some groups that generally favor Democrats. Early voting among African-Americans has nearly tripled in Texas and Pennsylvania, nearly quadrupled in Nevada and is up 133 percent in Georgia, according to TargetSmart , a Democratic firm. The number of votes cast by citizens under 30 has increased more than 400 percent in Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Texas.But voting among seniors, who tend to vote more Republican, is also up -- 93 percent in Pennsylvania, 84 percent in Texas and 89 percent in Georgia. Their growth hasn't been as dramatic as among the young, but they're building from a larger base and continue to make up a much larger share of the total electorate.In Florida, youth turnout has doubled, compared to a 41 percent increase among seniors. Black turnout and Hispanic turnout have also doubled. Yet Republicans have cast slightly more ballots than Democrats to this point, meaning the latter party has to hope more independents are supporting its candidates.Context is everything. Democrats have cast only 700 more votes than Republicans in Washoe County, Nev., which includes Reno, but the GOP needs strong turnout there to overcome the Democratic advantage in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas."Washoe is going to be a wash, which is very bad for the GOP," tweeted Jon Ralston, editor of theStatewide, Nevada Democrats have the lead in turnout by about 15,000 votes, or just under 3 percent. "That's not huge, but it means that indies need to be breaking for the GOP by double digits, or there must be severe Dem base bleeding for Dean Heller and Adam Laxalt to win," he writes , referring, respectively, to the GOP nominees for U.S. Senate and governor.The most tired cliche in politics is that "it all comes down to turnout." Fewer voters split their tickets than was true a couple of decades ago. It's getting late for early voting, but both parties are counting on their supporters to come out between now and next Tuesday for a midterm where overall voting looks like it will be higher than normal.Republicans scored historic gains in the last two midterm elections, thanks to stronger turnout among their supporters than Democrats. The GOP may lose that advantage this year."Based on participation in special elections and primaries this year, plus the general tendency of the president's party to suffer in midterm elections, we should expect turnout among Democrats to be higher than among Republicans," says Burden, of the University of Wisconsin.
A last-minute attempt by tribal leaders to suspend a North Dakota law that requires voters to have a valid ID with a residential street address has failed.U.S. District Chief Judge Daniel Hovland denied a temporary restraining order filed by the Spirit Lake Sioux and six individuals against Secretary of State Al Jaeger, according to a news release issued Thursday. The 41-page restraining order, which was filed Monday, was meant to suspend the North Dakota voting law that makes ID cards with post office box addresses invalid at the polls.The ruling comes after the U.S. Supreme Court sided with North Dakota in early October, stating the voter ID law passed by the Legislature in April 2013 was constitutional.Before the law was enacted, IDs with P.O. boxes were acceptable, but the legislation specifically banned that type of address.Plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case argued about 18 percent of Native Americans don't have an ID with residential addresses, compared to 11 percent for non-Native voters. North Dakota has about 70,000 voters who do not have a correct ID, Jamie Azure, tribal chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, said in a Washington Post article.The gap has made Native American leaders and critics of the law claim it discriminates against and disenfranchises tribal residents.The Supreme Court ruling prompted the Secretary of State's Office to work with tribes to get residents street addresses, using information from county 911 coordinators. Though tribal governments have worked to issue IDs to residents for free in recent weeks, some have said the addresses they were given do not match their home addresses.In a lawsuit filed this week by Spirit Lake members against Jaeger in his capacity as the secretary of state, one tribal member said she was denied an absentee ballot because "the state's system considered the address invalid.""There is therefore no guarantee that even following the system proposed by Mr. Jaeger that Native Americans will not be denied from the ballot box," the lawsuit said.The motion to suspend the voter ID law called North Dakota's implementation of the requirement "unplanned, untested and broken.""Voters whose state-issued or tribal IDs list what they know to be their current residential address have had their absentee ballots rejected as having 'invalid' addresses," the motion said. "This problem threatens hundreds if not thousands more on Election Day."In his denial order, Hovland said the allegations in the complaint give the court "great cause for concern" that will require "a detailed response" from Jaeger. Issuing an order this close to the election would cause "much confusion," Hovland said."In this case, early voting has already begun," Hovland wrote. "Election Day is less than one week away."Jaeger, who is up for re-election, encouraged eligible voters to "make their voice heard." He declined to comment on the restraining order or new lawsuit.
(TNS)  The Worcester, Mass., Regional Research Bureau is recommending equipping city vehicles with GPS tracking capabilities, saying in its most recent report that this would save money, be better for the environment, and provide more oversight over employees, among other benefits."The Research Bureau believes the time has come to equip the entirety of Worcester's fleet with GPS tracking capabilities," the bureau wrote in its report,which was released Wednesday. "The city is missing an opportunity to collect data that can offer now-hidden optimizations and cost savings that cannot be uncovered by human oversight alone."The city of Worcester owns nearly 900 vehicles, more than half of them assigned to the Department of Public Works and Parks. Nearly 50 vehicles have GPS tracking, including city-owned sweepers and sanders and some contracted sanders. Installation is ongoing for the remainder of the contracted sanders, according to the report.GPS tracking is already paying off."While the DPW would not estimate a dollar amount saved through the system, GPS Insight, which holds Worcester up as a case study, claims a savings of $10,000 per year between time and material saved," the report noted.The report said tracking systems generally result in two related things: saving money and increasing efficiency.Although the installation of GPS devices can be costly  at least $200 per vehicle, plus a recurring fee that varies based on the vendor, according to the report  the municipality can save costs through reduced use of fuel. Idling and rapid accelerating and speeding are reduced, as the GPS tracks not just location but also speed and idle time, leading to less fuel use, according to the report. In addition, fleets can be deployed more efficiently for tasks such as snowplowing or garbage pickup, also saving fuel.For instance, Dallas estimated savings of more than $675,000 in the first year after installing a tracking system in 400 garbage trucks, and attributed $170,000 of that to reduced fuel costs, the report noted.Baltimore County, Md., added GPS to 850 vehicles and saw county vehicles drive 817,000 fewer miles than in the previous year and save nearly $300,000 worth of fuel, according to the report.This in turn, benefits the environment, as driving fewer miles and spending less time idling uses less greenhouse-gas emitting fuel, the report said.The report also said that GPS can improve customer service, resolving residents' complaints about snowplowing, missed garbage pickup, and more.Finally  and the report notes sometimes controversially  GPS tracking can be used to make sure public employees are doing their assigned tasks, are driving safely, and are working efficiently."Public utilities workers in San Diego, health department employees in Indiana, and public works employees in Tampa Bay have all been fired in the past after GPS systems caught them running personal errands or spending time at home when they were supposed to be on the clock at work," the report said.More locally, Massachusetts  which started tracking snowplow drivers with GPS in 2004  charged two drivers the next year with larceny for plowing for private customers using salt provided by the state, the report noted.The technology and practice appears well accepted.The report cited a 2017 survey finding that 54 percent of respondents saw an improvement in driver behavior after installing GPS or similar equipment in their fleet, while 49 percent saw increased fuel savings. Another 2017 study by a marketing and consulting research firm for GPS and wireless product industries found that in a survey of 500 participating fleets, 80 percent were satisfied with their systems while only 6 percent were not satisfied.GPS tracking is being used in several Gateway Cities already.Haverhill has GPS tracking devices on DPW vehicles, fire trucks and police cruisers; Lowell tracks police vehicles; and New Bedford uses GPS on vehicles in its snow removal fleet, according to the report.Worcester City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said the city would review the report."The city is always open to looking into new ways that municipal services can be more effective, accountable and transparent for our residents," Mr. Augustus said in a statement. "We look forward to fully reviewing the Research Bureau's report and its recommendations on GPS monitoring."The Worcester Fire Department deferred comment to City Hall, and the Worcester Police Department said it could not comment without looking into the issue.To be sure, the Research Bureau notes, "drawbacks and pitfalls exist" with GPS tracking. It cited potential costs, potential objections from workers and unions, and additional training for managers to monitor the data."Municipalities must be careful to screen and select a program that is appropriate and cost-effective for their situation," the bureau advises.But the report cites a long list benefits of GPS tracking  everything from eliminating underused vehicles to improving public safety by transmitting a location for supervisors or first responders  and said that Worcester should be realizing them."As the second-largest city in New England, with an active fleet of vehicles, Worcester should be a leader in this area," the report concludes. "The benefits of a GPS tracking system that encompasses the city's entire fleet could yield multifaceted benefits for employees, taxpayers, and the city as a whole."
(TNS)  A new collaboration between the University of Houston and Hewlett Packard Enterprise will aim to use data science for solving problems in health care, energy and other local industries.The two organizations on Friday announced that Hewlett Packard Enterprise will give $10 million to the university's Data Science Institute , which will be renamed the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Data Science Institute.The money from Hewlett Packard Enterprise will also provide funding for a scholarship endowment and equipment to enhance data science research activities. In addition, Hewlett Packard Enterprise leaders will become lecturers for UH classes, and UH researchers can help solve problems for Hewlett Packard Enterprise customers.Students will likewise work on research areas suggested by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, part of an effort to focus on real-world problems."A significant portion of our workforce here are alumni, so we are thrilled to have an opportunity to drive innovation in data science and shape the future workforce in that area," Mark Potter, chief technology officer for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said in a news release. "We look forward to continuing to expand the partnership over time and tackling meaningful research that will accelerate discoveries for the industry."The Data Science Institute is a relatively new program for the university, announced just one year ago.
CityLab hosts largest-ever local government CIO gathering

New York Citys Brooklyn Welcomes New Hub for VR and AR Tech

Louisville, Ky., Publishes New Bird Scooter Data

As the midterm elections approach, civic technologists across the country are working to create apps that support democracy.There are a couple of different categories these apps fall into, with some aiming to educate voters and others striving to get them the vital information they need in order to know where, when and how to vote.In Fort Bend, Texas, a civic technologist has created an educational app after becoming frustrated earlier in the year when he tried to vote in a primary and struggled to decipher where to go. The technologist, whose name is Eddie Sajjad, started working to design a free app called VotCen, with the functionality to teach users about polling locations as well as about the candidates running in local races. This is one of several voter outreach apps created by Texans this election cycle.Meanwhile, another civic technologist in Los Angeles County has created an app called My Polling Place, which helps registered voters find polling places. It also sends them reminders to vote. That app was built by Chris Voronin, who despite being essentially a world away from Sajjad of Fort Bend, reported the same struggle to figure out where polling places are, according to news reports out of Los Angeles.So yeah, citizens take note: midterm elections are this Tuesday, and if you dont know where your local polling place is located (which is maybe not that unusual), there might be an app available to help you find it.More than 60 local government CIOs from across the country attended the CityLab summit earlier this week in Detroit, accounting for what some estimate is the largest-ever gathering of folks who hold that title. CityLab , which was founded in 2013, is a global summit that aims to tackle pressing urban issues. This years event featured a range of speakers, some of which included attendees with ties to Detroit and others of which are active in the local government innovation space. Prominent speakers included Mary Barra, chair and CEO of Detroit-based General Motors; Hannah Beachler, a production designer for; Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies; David Bradley, chair of Atlantic Media; and Kersti Kaljulaid, the president of Estonia, among others.The event ran through Tuesday and included a number of panels as well as some rewards. What was perhaps most notable  aside from the potentially record-setting number of local gov CIOs  was the announcement of the nine cities that won the 2018 Bloomberg Philanthropies U.S. Mayors Challenge In addition, Bloomberg Cities identified several attendees to watch as key innovators in the space moving forward, the list of which can be found here Brooklyn, N.Y., is now home to a new city-funded, multi-university center for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) research, training, innovation and entrepreneurship.Located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the new facility will ultimately feature over 16,500 square feet of co-working labs, classrooms, studios and more. Officials with the city noted in a press release that this is the first city-funded center of its kind in the country, saying it would be critical to the local governments push to establish itself as a global leader in the emerging technology fields and ultimately creating new jobs.Last week, the city also hosted an event to show off the new facilities, with over two dozen demonstrations of the sort of VR/AR, spatial computing and other interactive technology the center is designed to grow. The project was made possible with contributions from private companies such as Viacom and the, as well as from key academic partners such as New York University, the City University of New York, The New School and Columbia University.More information about the lab and event is available here Louisville, Ky., like so many cities across the country, has a scooter vehicle rental program through which visitors and residents in their downtown area can rent quick and temporary transportation.Now, Louisville has published data on its open data portal related to its scooter programs origin and destination information, aggregated by neighborhood. This open data collaboration between the city and the Bird scooter program is being billed as the first time a municipal government has published such data on an open portal.In an announcement about the publication , the city noted that this data is currently for the Interim Operating Agreement only, and does include potential equitable scooter distributions and other requirements specified in our forthcoming final operating agreement. Louisville is still discussing with Bird how to add a more detailed level of data in the future.The data, the city also notes, is aggregated in order to ensure the privacy of individual riders. The Bird scooter program first launched in Louisville in early August, and in the first 32 days, the 100 scooters allowed under the temporary agreement had 3,994 unique riders for a total of 9,876 rides, which went an average distance of 1.87 miles at an average speed of 6.97 miles per hour.
(TNS)  Linn County's commissioners on Tuesday approved accepting a $284,513 Emergency Management Homeland Security Grant to purchase an armored personnel vehicle.In a written request to the commissioners, Sheriff Jim Yon noted, Our world has changed in the last 10 years. A fire truck was attacked last week in Springfield. They took shotgun rounds to the cab while responding to an emergency call. We need to have equipment like this to protect ourselves and the public from that type of evil.Lenco Armored Vehicles has produced the BearCat, an acronym for Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck, since 2001. It weighs 17,550 pounds and is 12 feet long and 10 feet wide. The vehicle holds up to 12 people, including two crew members, and is powered by a 440-horsepower diesel engine mated to a Ford six-speed transmission.Lenco builds its vehicles with military-spec steel armor plates that can withstand multi-hit attacks from everything from 7.62 mm to .50-caliber rounds. Founded in Massachusetts in 1981, the company has produced more than 6,000 vehicles at its 170,000-square-foot facility. Military and police and fire departments use them in more than 40 countries.Yon said his office's repurposed armored vehicle is old and hes not certain of its resistance to modern-day ammunition.The new vehicle, Yon said, "is an armored personnel vehicle that can take a 50-caliber round. There are no matching funds (needed) for this grant. This will greatly enhance our SWAT teams capacity to resolve issues. This vehicle will allow our operators to get close to a residence while protected inside this vehicle. We can deliver phones and different devices to communicate with barricaded subjects to resolve critical situations.The commissioners also approved accepting a $38,000 grant to purchase a high-quality unmanned aerial vehicle (drone), also from Homeland Security.Yon said the unit features high-definition lenses and a FLIR heat-sensor unit and can fly in nearly any weather.It will be used by our search and rescue team, Yon said.Commissioners Roger Nyquist and Will Tucker were at the Tuesday meeting in person; Commissioner John Lindsey participated via telephone.
Where is the San Francisco district in its efforts to move toward interoperability?

Whats the core problem you are trying solve?

So where did you begin, in terms of trying to fix the situation?

And what stage of the journey are you at now?

In pursuing interoperability, are you following one standard?

How long will it be before you get where you want to go?

Whats an example of how data in your district ends up isolated and of little use, and how interoperability might help?

How would interoperability improve your use of attendance data?

Are there multiple ed-tech vendors that operate those data systems, and what will you need them to change?

Is that approach similar to how you will try to make interoperability happen through other data systems?

How do you believe your interoperability efforts will help teachers and students in the classroom?

Where is the San Francisco district when it comes to single sign-on?

What concerns have you heard from education companies about your interoperability efforts?

You mentioned your district is using Clever. What is your relationship with that company?

One concern weve heard from districts about interoperability is a fear that if they go with one data standard, such as Ed-Fi or IMS Global, they might be prevented from using an innovative e-tech product down the road. Is that a worry for you?

(TNS) The San Francisco Unified School District is trying to make its way through the data maze.For years, much of the school systems data on attendance, academic performance, and student behavior has been stuck in silos, where few teachers and administrators could access it, much less make practical use of it.And when data is available in the district, too often its out of date, and administrators have questioned its validity and accuracy.Another complication: When the district has purchased new tech products in the past, its had to figure out if they mesh with existing data systemsand if they dont, theres a scramble to create a workaround.Now, San Francisco district officials have set out to end those disconnects through the pursuit of interoperability, a strategy for making data more useful and accessibleand a driver of classroom improvements, rather than an impediment.Melissa Dodd, the San Francisco districts chief technology officer, is running the point on those efforts. Now in her third year in the 57,000-student district, Dodd and other administrators are trying to build a system that churns out actionable data that helps the district reach its academic and administrative goals . Those goals include creating personalized academic pathways for students, finding new ways to motivate them, integrating technology throughout the school day, and re-imagining how space can be used in school buildings.Education Week Associate Editor Sean Cavanagh recently interviewed Dodd about her districts pursuit of interoperability and what other districts can learn from it.This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.Were beyond exploring, and were at a stage of implementation. The journey started before I arrived, in terms of identifying the pain points that teachers, principals, and our senior leadership team were experiencing around data and information. Interoperability gives us a framework and a terminology to describe what were all attempting to dowhich at the end of the day is to make all of our data and information meaningful to our communities.When I started in San Francisco, one of the first things I heard was that we had a lot of data, but it was in a lot of different places and systems, and that made it not user-friendly. A new system would come online, and wed say, OK, lets figure out how to make our student information system talk with that system. Or how to get another system to talk with this other system. We didnt have a comprehensive, coherent, systematic approach for how we were going to integrate data and make it easily accessible to the end-users.Were approaching it from a cultural/organizational transformation, as well as from a technology-technical transformation. I dont want to say the technology side is easy, because none of it is really easy. But the harder part is building a common vision, understanding, approach for what we want our end goal to be and how we organize ourselves as a district to enable that. It was really focused on the cultural aspect, the change management thats needed for interoperability to take hold.We started by looking at building coherence across ourselves as an organization. We formed a data-governance committee, and implemented stronger technology governance, so that when we were interested in bringing a data system online, we asked questions first. One question: Do we have a system that can already serve this purpose and need? If were bringing in another system, how are we integrating data and making it interoperable with our existing system. These are questions we didnt necessarily ask beforehand.Now were at the second partthe technical transformation. Were really building in the technical infrastructure to support this work moving forward. Part of it is weve been consolidating our systems down to an essential few and then implementing data standards, and a technology infrastructure that will help make our data interoperable across all of our systems.Were implementing the Ed-Fi standard . Were a part of the alliance. Were in year one of a three-year partnership with the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation to help us implement our Ed-Fi standard and to start up an operational data store, as well as a data vault in the cloud. Were starting with our core student data and building out from there, then bringing in our education human-resources data, then ultimately bringing in our operational and financial data.This year, were focused on setting up the infrastructure, the environment. Thats about a four-month process. But in terms of bringing all of our data in, weve mapped that out over a three-year period. Were also looking how we serve up and make accessible that data and the practices and culture through which we use that data.Heres a great example: Two of our schools recently went through school board-approved name changes. We need to have a common and consistent way of applying the names of those schools into our core data systems. Right now, wed have to do that manually, because a data field in one system doesnt speak to a data field in another.Our attendance data starts with a teacher or school clerk entering data into our system. And there can be multiple pieces of attendance data assigned to that student on any given day. Our students typically start the day in our system as present and our teachers have to take a step to change that to absent or tardy. And then at the secondary level, were taking attendance for each period.The data resides within our student information system, and it then gets sent out to various other systems we have. For instance, we have another system that makes attendance calls at a certain time of day, which notifies the parent whether their child is in school that day. It goes to our behavioral system so interventions can take place for that student. And then various reports are run at a school level, at a student level, and at an aggregate levelsuch as showing us the percentage of all students who are chronically absent over a period of time. All of those things require that data from one system gets to another. Currently, to get data from our SIS to our behavior system, theres a 24-hour lag time. And right now, if two people are running an attendance report and doing a report from the start of school to a specific date, then their report is going to be different, because the data is not real-time. Data is more accurate in one system than in another. So having data interoperable means that our codes, our logic, our definitions are consistent across systems, so that its apples to apples.Yes, were working with our student information system [that is produced by a vendor]. Theyll be adopting and implementing Ed-Fi standards, just as we are as a district. Because of how the information flows out of our SIS and into other systems, we can write the interfaces, but we need the core SIS in place and to have an API [Application Programming Interface] in place to pull the data out in a consistent way and into our other systems.The approach we look for in our data systems is that they either have open systems or APIs in place that can allow districts to extract the data and interact with other systems. Were extracting information from our core SIS. Were then bringing it into an operational data store. And then were serving it up into the other systems we use. So we get away from having to create separate interfaces between systems. We want one interface where all the data comes in and we can then push it out.Thats ultimately who were serving. We want to make it easier and less burdensome at the school site and in the classroom for our principals and teachers. We want to leverage single sign-on so that were not sending them through so many systems to get information on their students. They should be able to access information through databoards and make meaning out of it. We want the data they have to be more accessible and accurate, and more real-time. They shouldnt have to wait for us to generate some big report for them, so that its a month or two later and its hard for them to make meaning from it.We do have single sign-on. All usersstudents and adultshave an SFUSD ID and password and our core systems all have single sign-on.For our teachers, we leverage the same ID and password for the most part. We do that for security purposes. We dont want to have too much access if a teacher steps away from their laptop [in terms of what someone else] would be available to access.Honestly, the vendors weve been working with have been stepping up to the plate, because were clear on what our expectations are and what we need to have in place to do business with them. There has been more of a shift with vendors in that it requires them to rethink their technology and how they play with other vendors. I think groups like Ed-Fi IMS Global , and Clever are pushing the vendors in a way that makes it clear this is the new normal for districts.We use Clever for instant log-in, and rostering of digital learning applications and tools for students. We pass data from our SIS and class rosters so that if a teacher is using a particular math digital learning tool, they dont have to set up their classes as well. It comes from their master schedule from our SIS. Theres interoperability around student information. Its really to relieve the burden and extra steps on teachers and for students, and theyre going to one placewe call it our digital backpackwhere they can access our learning tools that they use in our classrooms.Its definitely a factor, but Id also say we have a pulse and a check on the likelihood of that in the timeframe were focused on. We didnt feel that it was reason enough to not go with the Ed-Fi standard. Our goal is to be as flexible and adaptable as possible, because technology changes and evolves. But the reality for us is that to bring out some new platform or new tool, with our governance process, our intake process, and our decisionmaking, we take a 12-18 month view. Well work with vendors to integrate them into our environment.Also, districts have been talking about interoperability for many years now. What I see now, with the districts that are part of the Ed-Fi alliancesimilar to IMS Globalare the economies of scale. More of us are harnessing our buying power and the influence we have to push the technology sector to make the shift with us.Melissa Dodd is the chief technology officer for the San Francisco Unified School District. Prior to joining the 57,000-student system, she was with the Boston public school system, where she held positions as chief information officer and chief of staff.
(TNS)  The city council this week approved an official investigation into an Internet outage during a recent council meeting.On a 5-2 vote, with Pat Clem, D-2nd, and John Cannon, R-4th, voting against, members said they want to find out why there was no Internet service to Woodland Park the night of their Oct. 2 meeting.Council President Mark Oprisko, D-at-large, said after the outage, he could not get any answers on what happened. The council meetings are live-streamed and the outage, he said, caused council members to find alternative "hot spots" to stream the meeting. He added the council also uses a paperless system and must access documents for the meeting via the Internet.Oprisko said the council wasn't informed prior to the Oct. 2 meeting about any issues with the Internet.Oprisko said he spoke with City Council Attorney Ken Elwood and has formed a committee, including himself and council members Liz Modesto, D-1st, and Sue Lynch, D-at-large, to look further into it. The investigation was prompted, he said, after he sent emails and a Freedom of Information Act request for information to Park Superintendent Jenny Orsburn and the city's technology consultant.Oprisko said he spoke with the consultant, who didn't even know there was an outage, but Orsburn did not reply to requests for information.Elwood said he received a call from an attorney representing Orsburn regarding the FOIA request.Oprisko said he was also told that cameras at the park haven't worked for months or years, which he believes could be a liability issue, but cannot get any information from park staff. The council will be able to subpoena people, if necessary, to conduct the investigation."It could be nothing. I just want to look into it," said Oprisko, adding he had heard other "rumors" he wanted checked out.Clem objected, saying the council had no authority even if wrongdoing was found.The council has no control over the park department, including disciplining personnel.Orsburn did not reply to a voice mail or email left byasking for comment.
Yuan Jigang with the Chinese embassy in Serbia (3rd R) and Prime Minister of Serbia's autonomous province of Vojvodina Igor Mirovic (2nd R) unveil the plaque of the Confucius Classroom together at the Gymnasium of Karlovci (Karlovci Grammar School) in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia, on Nov. 1, 2018. A Confucius classroom opened on Thursday in the Serbian city of Sremski Karlovci, on the occasion of the anniversary of the country's oldest secondary school. (Xinhua/Confucius Institute at University of Novi Sad)

SREMSKI KARLOVCI, Serbia, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- A Confucius classroom opened on Thursday in the Serbian city of Sremski Karlovci, on the occasion of the anniversary of the country's oldest secondary school.

With that, pupils will now be able to learn the Chinese language, apart from classical and modern languages.

A ceremony of the 227th anniversary of the establishment of the Gymnasium of Karlovci (Karlovci Grammar School) was held at Sremski Karlovci, a town some 60 kilometers north of the capital Belgrade.

Among attendees were Mladen Sarcevic, Serbian minister of Education, Science and Technological Development, Prime Minister of Serbia's autonomous province of Vojvodina Igor Mirovic, Yuan Jigang, with the Chinese embassy in Serbia, as well as current and former students and professors of the school.

"Thanks to the generous support of the Embassy of China and the Confucius institute at the University of Novi Sad, today we opened and put in disposal completely-equipped, modern schoolrooms for Chinese language learning," said director of the school Radovan Kovacevic in his welcome speech.

Minister Sarcevic congratulated on the anniversary and good results of the school throughout centuries, as well as Chinese Embassy and China with whom Serbia has excellent cooperation.

Provincial PM Mirovic wished the school success in multi-language learning, and expressed hope that Sremski Karlovci might in the near future grow into a university center.

High school pupils recited sayings of Confucius dressed in his costume, while the choir sang a popular Chinese song "Friends".

Yuan expressed gratitude to Serbia as well as its educational institutions for supporting Chinese language learning.

"Chinese language learning is in increase, which opens new possibilities and better perspective for all students that learn Chinese language," he said.

"The number of schools in China that offer students to learn Serbian language is also increasing, as well as the number of students. The traditional friendship between our countries must become wider, and should be passed on to future generations," he said.

This is the second Confucius classroom opened in Serbia, along with the existing one in the capital city of Belgrade. Moreover, the country hosts two Confucius institutes -- one at the University of Belgrade, and the other at the University of Novi Sad.

The Gymnasium of Karlovci opened in 1791 with Latin as the teaching language then, as in most schools of the Holy Roman Empire of the time.

The school continued to exist throughout centuries, and today it is specialized for philology, and has two departments -- one for classical, and the other for modern languages.

[ Editor: WPY ]
(TNS)  Fight for the Future (FFTF), a left-leaning think tank that supports net neutrality, believes the issue will drive voters to the polls next week. But they dont appear to have data on their side.FFTF is partnering with local groups to host net neutrality town halls in 24 swing districts across the nation the week before midterm elections. Their goal is to get out the vote for candidates (overwhelmingly Democrats) who support overruling the FCC and the reinstating Obama-era net neutrality rules.Anthony Damore, a Florida resident who plans to attend a local town hall hosted by Palm Beach Tech and other groups said in a FFTF press release , I plan to attend the Tele-town hall and make sure Congressman [Brian] Mast (R-FL) knows why supporting net neutrality means supporting an Internet that prioritizes people over corporate interest, that videos and music arent subject to fast lanes and slow lanes ensuring only those with money get heard. Without net neutrality smaller companies would be helpless trying to keep their businesses afloat and turn a profit. Net neutrality ensures we all have a voice.But there is no data to indicate that net neutrality is a priority for midterm voters. In fact, the Brookings Institution found that the top three issues for Floridians this year are health care, immigration and guns, respectively. Net neutrality didnt even make the list.Furthermore, the American Enterprise Institutes (AEI) Roslyn Layton, a visiting fellow specializing in tech policy, recently released a study finding that net neutrality rarely, if ever, motivates voters to go to the polls. Surveys and conventional wisdom on elections suggest that voters focus on top line issues such as the economy, education, health care and security, Layton found. recent poll by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), which focuses on health care policy, found that health care, gun policy and immigration are the top three issues for voters this year respectively, followed closely by tax reform and foreign policy. Neither net neutrality nor tech policy in general have emerged as key issues, despite recent scandals surrounding Silicon Valleys handling of personal data.Part of the reason for this, Layton argues, is that net neutrality and privacy issues are difficult to define.When asked open-ended questions, such as how to define net neutrality and how to regulate it, a leading poll suggests that as many as 75 percent of Americans have not heard of the topic or cannot explain it, Layton says, citing a 2015 Hart Research study . While there may be general support among Americans to protect the Internet  and specific support for net neutrality among millennials, there is not necessarily an agreed definition or preferred policy instrument.And yet, she notes, Democratic insiders and left-leaning think tanks are still trying to make net neutrality a key midterms issue. Layton quotes Senator Chuck Schumer, who said If our Republican friends dont wise up and join us, Democrats will be making net neutrality a major issue in the 2018 elections, and we will.Democrats are out of touch with what the electorate cares about. What Democratic voters do care about is health care, Layton told InsideSources.The Center for Democracy and Technology, which also supports net neutrality, thinks FFTFs town halls are sending a message to Congress and encouraging voters to vote their values.The vast majority of people across the political spectrum support net neutrality and understand that access to the Internet plays a critical role in their daily lives, Open Internet Counsel Stan Adams told InsideSources. Net neutrality is good for individuals, small business, and the broader economy. These town halls are an excellent opportunity to remind members of Congress that Americans expect it to take action to protect net neutrality.
It is what it is. Photo: Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images

The truth must be faced. The Boston Red Sox practically drowned themselves in Champagne to celebrate the franchises third World Series in 14 years. On Sunday, TMZ reports that the team spent a whopping $300,000 at Los Angeles nightclub Nightingale Plaza, for some reason ordering 43 bottles of Ace of Spades and 17 bottles of Jack Daniels. The players also tipped $195,000 on their bill, which is very generous and has forced Grub to hold its tongue. As if they hadnt had enough bubbly, the team spent another $300,000 at Bostons Icon nightclub on Tuesday and ordered 40 cases of sparkling wine and 15-liter bottles of Luc Belaire Luxe. Sounds like the first time you went to the club, too.
Larb Ubol might reopen. Photo: Melissa Hom

Just a couple of months after Andy Rickers Pok Pok Ny shuttered, New York has lost another one of its standard-bearers in the Thai restaurant scene. Restaurateur Ratchanee Sumpatboon closed her Larb Ubol this week, after five years in Hells Kitchen. The chef and owner was, a source tells Eater, unable to renew her lease. She does reportedly plan to reopen the restaurant in a new location.

During its run, the restaurant earned a lot of praise. New Yorks Underground Gourmet named it to their 2014 101 Best Cheap Eats list and called many of the dishes habit forming. Its closure is a loss for the neighborhood, though its worth noting that Sumpatboon runs a host of other acclaimed Thai restaurants, including Elmhurst favorite Chao Thai and Lan Larb Soho.

As much as anyone else, Sumpatboon is responsible for the surge of those restaurants this decade and the generally better Thai food now available here. Along with Chao Thai, her most significant restaurant has been Zabb Elee. After Zabb expanded in 2011 from Jackson Heights to the East Village to great fanfare (it was mobbed the day after a J. Kenji Lopez-Alt review), New York saw an uptick in Isaan Thai restaurants. However, she sold the Queens location in 2016 and it closed the next year. She then sold the East Village location in 2017, which was renamed Zaabver and closed earlier this year.

Pok Pok Ny opened in 2012, a year after Zabb Elee in the East Village and a year before Larb Ubol. New Yorks Thai scene is going very strong, but in explaining the closure, Ricker pointed to declining business as well as the explosion of specialized regional Thai food vendors in all boroughs.
Sport

Bin Drai team shine in AHPRC League at Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club

Ankora Polo faced Hesketh Polo team at the second match and the teams were in a tie by the end of the first chukker. An exchange of goals from both teams occurred during the second chukker and teams were relentless and kept the game in a tie.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez addresses the UN General Assembly meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, Nov. 1, 2018. The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday adopted a non-binding resolution calling for lifting the United States embargo against Cuba. The draft resolution, tabled by Cuba, received 189 votes in favor and two against at the 193-member General Assembly. (Xinhua/Xie E)

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday adopted a non-binding resolution calling for lifting the U.S. embargo against Cuba.

The draft resolution, tabled by Cuba, received 189 votes in favor and two against at the 193-member General Assembly. Only the United States and Israel voted against it.

"The blockade is a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of the human rights of Cuban men and women and has been an essential impediment to the aspirations of the wellbeing and prosperity entertained by several generations," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in his speech delivered before the voting.

"The quantifiable damages accumulated as a result of the blockade after almost six decades of its implementation amount to 933.7 billion U.S. dollars," he said.

Noting that the U.S. government "does not have the least moral authority" for criticizing Cuba or anyone else with regards to human rights, the Cuban foreign minister said that "we reject the repeated manipulation of human rights with political purposes as well as the double standards that characterize it."

Before the vote, there was debate on eight amendments proposed by the United States that criticized Cuba's human rights record and lack of civil liberties on the island. The amendments were all defeated by wide margins with only the United States, Israel and Ukraine consistently voting for them.

The General Assembly debate on "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba" began Wednesday.

Speakers on both Wednesday and Thursday overwhelmingly called on the United States to end its economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba as the General Assembly began its annual debate on the issue amid demands for the cessation of unilateral coercive measures.

Almost all speakers said the nearly six decades long blockade imposed on the Caribbean island by Washington impedes its right to development and its ability to participate fully in the global economy. They stressed that the United States must heed the Assembly's repeated calls to lift its restrictive policies.

China's permanent representative to the UN Ma Zhaoxu told the General Assembly that the U.S. embargo against Cuba should cease.

"All countries should uphold the process of mutual understanding and development for all peoples," he said.

"The international community must tackle issues together," he said, urging Washington to cease the unilateral coercive measures.

The General Assembly has adopted resolutions repeatedly to have the embargo dropped, yet it still has not ended, said the ambassador, noting that the blockade "is contrary to the principle of the United Nations Charter and creates huge financial and economic damages for Cuba."

"It hinders Cuba's ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals," Ma noted.

On the same day, Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the embargo an "abhorrent relic of the Cold War" and said it "hobbles" Cuba's ability to engage in global financial markets and to participate in international credit institutions.

Iranian ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo said the blockade is a "vivid example of the unilateral way in which the United States acts in the world."

"Rather than drawing lessons from their short-sighted and disastrous policies towards Cuba and the Middle East, United States officials have intensified the blockade against the island to put more pressure on the Cuban leadership under far-fetched pretexts," he said.

Thursday's vote marked the 27th consecutive year in which Havana has tabled the resolution.

The only time that the United States didn't cast a no vote was in 2016 during the Obama administration's opening toward Cuba when both the United States and Israel abstained.

Two weeks ago, a U.S. sponsored campaign aimed to criticize the human rights situation in Cuba encountered fierce protest at the UN.

2

1

[ Editor: WPY ]
(CNBC) A former J.P. Morgan Chase executive turned activist hedge fund investor has taken a 3.1 percent stake in Deutsche Bank as the beleaguered German lender works on a turnaround story.

To read this article:
Lukkarinen highlights in an online column that part-time workers have traditionally accounted for only a small share of the employed in Finland. Their share, however, has now grown steadily since the 1990s, recently at a higher rate than elsewhere in Europe.

Involuntary part-time work has increased throughout the 2010s in Finland, tells Henri Lukkarinen, a senior statistician at Statistics Finland.

Part-time workers made up over 16 per cent of the 1574-year-old people in employment in Finland in 2017. The share is lower than the average in the European Union (20%), primarily due to the fact that part-time employment among women is considerably more uncommon in Finland than in the EU.

In Finland, over a fifth (22%) of employed women and over a tenth (12%) of employed men were in part-time employment in 2017.

Lukkarinen also reminds that part-time employment is not exclusively a negative phenomenon as the reasons for it are varied. It does, however, become problematic when it is involuntary and dictated by the labour market situation.

Involuntary part-time employment, in particular, increased during the economic recession of the 2010s. The lack of full-time employment opportunities has become the most common reason for part-time employment in recent years, he writes.

For example, the number of 1564-year-old people in part-time employment grew by 45,000 between 2008 and 2017, but 31,000 of such people were in part-time employment involuntarily.

The total number of people in involuntary part-time employment stood at 117,000 and that of all people in part-time employment at 408,000 in 2017.

Involuntary part-time employment is a major phenomenon in all sectors where part-time contracts generally make up a large share of employment contracts. In the retail sector, one can see that the number of workers has declined since 2008, but simultaneously the number of involuntary part-time workers has increased, he highlights.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
The proposals, outlined here , would put in place new limits to prevent the export of surveillance technology to regimes and entities accused of human rights abuses. The proposals were first launched in 2016, drawing widespread praise from human rights advocacy groups.

Recently-leaked internal documents from the European Commission reveal that Finland, Sweden, and the UK are at the heart of an opposition to proposed legislation which would improve human rights safeguards across the EU.

While the EU publicly expressed unanimous support for such measures, the documents reveal that in private, the Finnish government has helped lead the charge to prevent any improvement to existing safeguards.

EU companies have in the past been implicated in selling technology used to commit human rights abuses in China, Syria, Russia, Israel, and Egypt, among others. It was therefore recognized that measures should be put in place to stop EU countries exporting such dual-use technology (meaning technology with both military and civilian applications) to authoritarian regimes.

The proposals submitted in January this year included a requirement for exporters to obtain a license to sell surveillance technology to certain regions. They also proposed including human rights as an EU-wide criterion for export controls. However, both Finland and Sweden have remained fundamentally opposed to such measures, provoking private frustration from many other EU member states, who have accused Finland of deliberately trying to derail the legislation.

In an EU Council meeting in May 2018, Finland and Sweden submitted a joint paper setting out their opposition. In it, they describe proposals to increase the scrutiny of surveillance technology exports as completely unnecessary, believing it would undermine competitiveness. They also expressed fears that the proposals would put over 1 million EU jobs at risk, as authoritarian regimes would presumably purchase such technology from elsewhere.

Finland has also argued to the EU Council that withholding such products could actually be detrimental to human rights in many cases as military-grade surveillance technology can also be used to fight terrorism. Finland and Sweden also oppose any measures that would deter the United States from the EU export market, which it believes these would.

Over the course of 2018, the legislation has progressed to the point where almost all other member states agree that the proposals are needed. However, the documents show that the EU has singled out Finland and Sweden for private criticism, stating that they are both unwilling to compromise.

Finland has called for the complete cancellation of any articles which would require technology companies to submit to a human rights consultation before exporting overseas. It has also apparently used a number of blocking efforts to try and derail the legislation, including apparent attempts at filibustering to delay progress.

The human rights advocacy group Amnesty International has delivered a strong rebuke, stating that Finland and its supporters are secretly ready to trade in their obligations as human rights defenders for the sake of business interests.

The EU hopes to reach an agreement by the end of November, but it seems that Finland is committed to ensuring that doesnt happen. In a world where authoritarian regimes are more emboldened than ever, it may seem disheartening to some that Finland is placing the interests of business before the protection of human rights.

Adam Smith - HT

Image: Lehtikuva
Credit: Jake StarkHollywood Undead has surprise-released a new EP called Psalms. The five-track collection is available now for digital download.

Psalms includes the previously released tracks "Another Level" and "Gotta Let Go," as well three brand-new songs: "Bloody Nose," "Live Fast Die Young" and "Something to Believe."

Hollywood Undead's most recent full-length album is 2017's Five, which features the single "California Dreaming."

Next year, Hollywood Undead will launch a U.S. co-headlining tour with Cypress Hill.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
OTTAWA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- "I'm very excited about the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai and the opportunity that presents to Prince Edward Island exporters and for Canadians to engage with Chinese partners and with consumers," Canada's Prince Edward Island Premier Wade MacLauchlan told Xinhua Tuesday.

The premier is among a delegation of more than 600 Canadian federal ministers, provincial premiers and business people for the CIIE, China's first-ever fair of this kind scheduled for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai.

The delegation will be led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay, whose home province is Prince Edward Island.

MacLauchlan said he was "aware of the role of President Xi Jinping in launching this initiative" and "proud" that the Canadian delegation will be led by a Prince Edward Island-born federal minister.

The Canadian delegation is one of the largest from Europe and America, a clear sign of the great importance Canada attaches to the event.

China-Canada relations enjoy a solid foundation and bright prospects. The two countries, though at different stages of development, are highly complementary and hence natural partners of cooperation.

The bilateral trade volume, which hit 72.77 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, rose to 49.87 billion dollars in the first eight months of 2018, among which China's imports from Canada jumped 8.6 percent to 12.65 billion dollars, according to the Chinese embassy to Canada.

The CIIE is the latest move of China to promote trade liberalization and further open up its market.

Meanwhile, Canadian exporters are hoping to draw more potential buyers via the expo.

China now ranks as Prince Edward Island's second-largest export market, according to the latest provincial government report.

Upbeat about the fast-growing trade between the Island and China, MacLauchlan said: "I am looking forward to seeing all of the activities and building relationships that we will continue to pursue as we continue to grow."

"I will do everything to take advantage of this great trade expo. We have a number of businesses from Prince Edward Island that will be taking part ... So, look forward to the trade expo and wish everyone great success," the premier added.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
SHANGHAI, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- New Mexican food and agricultural products will make their way to ordinary Chinese households via the upcoming first China International Import Expo (CIIE), according to Yonanetl Zavala Cadena, president of the Shanghai office of the Mexican Chamber of Commerce in China.

Avocado is no longer new to the Chinese market, but avocado oil is still alien to many. Dozens of Mexican companies will bring "a bite of Mexico" to the expo, including chilli sauces, blueberry, raspberry, tortilla, seafood, beer, coffee and even canned nopal, said Cadena.

Mexican firms will also bring high-end organic food to meet rising consumer demand in China, said Cadena.

China's recent tariff cuts are good news for Mexican businesses, making them more confident in the Chinese market, she said.

"The CIIE marks the beginning. We expect more companies with authentic Mexican-flavoured food to come to China," Cadena said.

The majority of the Mexican food and agricultural products showcased at CIIE will continue to be exhibited in the Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub after the expo's closing and many will even make it to ordinary Chinese people's dining tables through channels like high-end supermarkets.

The first CIIE is slated to be held in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10.

China is Mexico's second-biggest trading partner while Mexico is China's second-largest trading partner in Latin America.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
Mitsubishis G4M bomber went by many names, but perhaps the most appropriate would have been flaming coffin.

We called her Betty. The American system of nicknaming World War II Japanese aircraft gave female names to bombers, male names to fighters. Betty was actually a waitress in Pennsylvania. A member of the three-man intelligence team that picked the names thus immortalized a one-night stand.

The Japanese might have thought that amusing, but they called the Mitsubishi G4M Rikko, truncating their phrase for land-based attack bomber. (The G4Ms predecessor, the Mitsubishi G3M Nell, was also called Rikko.)

The Rikko was Admiral Isoroku Yamamotos idea, abetted by the young, air-minded naval officers in his orbit. Yamamoto was a smart guy, even though he only got a C+ for his two years of English studies at Harvard from 1919 to 1921. Rather than pull all-nighters, he spent a lot of time in Cambridge playing poker. He beat his affluent opponents like borrowed mules, then used his considerable winnings to finance a summer of travel around the United States, learning as much as he could about the overconfident gunslinger he would outdraw at Pearl Harbor two decades later.

The old-timers in the Imperial Japanese Navy were battleship queens, and it was thanks to them that Japan constructed two expensive but supremely useless super-battleships, Yamato and Musashi, both sunk before their crews even knew the way to the wardroom. Yamamotos idea, however, was not to build more shipsyou could buy a thousand airplanes for the cost of a warship, he once saidbut to build a land-based bomber with huge range and great speed that could quickly fly far out to sea and fight naval battles, either defending the fleets capital ships or attacking the enemy.



The brainchild of Pearl Harbor planner Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, G4M1s fly in formation off the Japanese coast. (Aviation History Collection/Alamy) The brainchild of Pearl Harbor planner Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, G4M1s fly in formation off the Japanese coast. (Aviation History Collection/Alamy)

In 1936 Japan renounced the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, which had stipulated that the capital-ship-building ratio between the U.S., Britain and Japan should be 5:5:3. The Japanese thought that was unfair, and Yamamotos desire to build a fleet of very-long-range torpedo bombersno aircraft carriers neededwas in part a way to circumvent the Washington treaty: If we cant build floating warships, lets build flying warships.

Yamamotos weapon of choice was the torpedo, and the Betty was first and foremost a torpedo bomber, carrying a single 1,890-pound Type 91 tin fishthe worlds most accurate and powerful aerial torpedo right up until the end of the war. The Type 91 had been designed specifically for the Hawaii attack and Pearl Harbors shallow water, though there it was carried by single-engine, carrier-launched Nakajima B5N2 Kates.

The Type 91 was a remarkable torpedo that could be dropped at speeds in excess of 230 mph. It was propelled by a tiny radial engine fueled by kerosene and compressed air, and had a surprisingly sophisticated automatic roll-control mechanism. It carried a huge explosive charge, and bore large wooden tailfins that stabilized it in flight and broke away when the torpedo entered the water.

The Rikko assignment went straight to Mitsubishi, which had already paid its bomber-building dues with the G2M and G3M. The Nell was the scourge of China, ranging far and wide during the Sino-Japanese war that preceded WWII. So the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service laid down the parameters of what would become the Betty by basically saying, Build a better Nell. Same engines, same twin-engine configuration, same size, give it some gunsjust make it a lot faster and longer-legged.

The IJNAS requirements were a top speed of 247 mph, a maximum range of almost 3,000 statute miles and a loaded range of 2,300 miles. Mitsubishi said the bomber would need four engines to accomplish that, but the IJNAS insisted on a twin-engine configuration. Fortunately for the Bettys engineering team, Mitsu came up with a new 1,530-hp, 14-cylinder, twin-row radial with half again as much grunt as its predecessor had offered. The Betty design would work.

Some sources claim that Japan bought the original Douglas DC-4 prototype, the unsuccessful triple-tail design called the DC-4E, to serve as a model for a four-engine G4M. Imperial Japanese Airways did in fact purchase the DC-4E in late 1939 and immediately handed it over to Nakajima, which was ordered to produce a four-engine heavy bomber, the G5N, based on the Douglas design. Douglas couldnt have played its hand better if it had tried. The DC-4E design proved to be so bad that the company started over again, producing the successful DC-4 airliner. Nakajima had no such opportunity with the G5N, which turned out to be underpowered and overly complex.

Though the Betty was initially laid out by engineer Joji Hattori, the lead designer was Kiro Honjo, a good friend of Zero fighter designer Jiro Horikoshi. Honjo had studied bomber design at the Junkers works in Germany, and was responsible for the G3M. He took over work on the Betty after returning from a fact-finding trip to the U.S. in 1938.



Illustration by Steve Karp

Before serial production of the Betty began in 1940, Mitsubishi was ordered to first create a G4M heavy fighter variant designated the G6M1. G3Ms attacked in large vee formations of 27 aircraft stacked in nine mini-vees of three aircraft each, a formation-flying nightmare. The two rearmost and outermost Nells were, no surprise, found to suffer the highest casualties from opposing fighters. So why not fill those positions with dedicated gunships? The Japanese called them wingtip escorts, assumedly so-named from their position in the main formation, and they were gunned up with extra 20mm cannons in place of light machine guns.

The U.S. Army Air Forces would later try the same thing with its YB-40s, which were B-17s carrying 18 or even more .50-caliber guns, flying as formation escorts. Both the YB-40 and the G6M1 were failures because they were too heavy to keep up with companion bombers that had dropped their ordnance. Mitsubishi also learned that the heavy cannons compromised the Bettys handling.

Physically, the G4Ms salient feature was a fat but graceful fuselage quite unlike the tapering configuration of typical WWII medium bombers. Honjo gave the Betty a full complement of guns in waist, dorsal-turret, nose and tail positions, and the roomy fuselage was intended to give the airplanes seven-man crew (later reduced to five when it became increasingly difficult to recruit aircrew) space to move around during long flights and to fill multiple positions. Honjo apparently also decided that an untapered fuselage ending in a large tail-gunners station made sense aerodynamically. Whether his engineering team found it aesthetically pleasing is open to question. They called the design the snail, sometimes translated as slug.

The Japanese more genially nicknamed the Betty Hamaki (cigar), and many sources have assumed this was a reference to the airplanes flammability when struck by enemy fire. In fact it was another moniker based on its shape, chosen long before G4Ms began igniting frequently enough for Americans to call them Zippos.

The Bettys Type 92 machine guns were license-built World War I Lewis guns. Drum-fed from an archaic 47-round pancake magazine atop the gun, the Lewis had a long history of aviation use. It was the first gun ever fired from an airplane, a Wright Model B Flyer, in 1912. With a relatively slow rate of fire and rifle-caliber (7.7mm) ammunition, the hand-held Type 92 wasnt about to frighten away .50-caliber Browning-equipped Grumman F4F Wildcats, to say nothing of F6F Hellcats and F4U Corsairs.

The tail gun was a 20mm cannon, though a relatively ineffective one. Hand held and operating through a 20-degree arc, it required a pursuing fighter to voluntarily position itself within the cannons tiny field of fire, though this limitation was removed in later versions of the Betty.

But none of this mattered, because the Betty had a fatal flaw, and Kiro Honjo knew it.

In order to achieve the G4Ms great range and performance, he was forced to equip it with the largest possible fuel tanks and to forego rubberized self-sealing protection for them. Nor did he provide armor for the crew. (His friend Horikoshi seems to have taken the technique to heart in designing the Zero.) The Bettys wet wings were its tanks, with fuel cells neatly defined by the main spar and a secondary spar forward of it, the ends sealed by solid wing ribs. There was no self-sealing mechanism, which would have required a 1-inch-thick soft rubber layer weighing about 660 pounds, either inside or outside the fuel tanks, substantially reducing the tanks capacity.

After 663 Bettys had been manufactured (some 2,400 would ultimately be built), Mitsubishi began to fireproof the wings by applying a thick self-sealing layer on the outside of the lower wing skins. This maintained the internal fuel capacity but adversely affected the airplanes aerodynamics. The rubber mat shaved about 6 mph from the G4Ms speed and reduced range by almost 200 miles. Had they tried putting a matching mat on the exterior top of the wing tanks as well, the airplane probably would never have gotten off the ground.

The final version of the Betty, the G4M4, had an entirely new laminar-flow wing with integrally self-sealing fuel tanks. The benefits of laminar flow were probably illusory on Bettys, since IJNAS aircraft of all types had paint jobs that ranged from beater-bad to junkyard special, peeling and flaking in a manner that would have tripped any incipient laminar airflow. For years it was assumed that the Japanese simply didnt know how to make good paint, but the reason was even more basic. Mitsubishi aircraft were delivered to combat units in natural metal and spray-painted with camouflage in the fieldwithout the benefit of primer.

The Betty was the product of excellent engineering pushed to the limit and then slightly beyond, to meet requirements created not by aviators but by military bureaucrats. Those procurement officers were aware of the airplanes main flaw but chose to accept it, dooming many crews.

None of this mattered during the Sino-Japanese campaign, when Bettys were escorted by the new, long-range A6M2 Zero. Nor was it a factor during the early days of WWII, when Bettys ranged virtually unopposed against the Philippines, Australia and, in their greatest single victory, against the Royal Navy.

The British had assembled a Singapore-based task force around the battlecruiser Repulse and the battleship Prince of Wales, with which they intended to protect their Southeast Asian territories. Airpower proponent Billy Mitchell might have told them this was a dumb idea, having demonstrated in the early 1920s what bombers could do to capital ships. The day of big-gun ships was over, though the worlds navies didnt yet know it.

Nobody is sure how many torpedoes hit the two British battlewagons, but three days after Pearl Harbor, wave after wave of Nells and Bettys achieved at least nine Type 91 hits and possibly as many as 21. It was the first time that aircraft alone had sunk fully maneuverable capital ships at sea. In one stroke, it totally removed the Royal Navy from any effective role in the Pacific War.

For the Betty, however, it was all downhill from there. The next time the Mitsubishi bombers attacked Allied ships, on February 20, 1942, they were after the U.S. carrier Lexington and its task force. Fifteen of the 17 unescorted Bettys were shot down.



Crewmen on the destroyer USS Ellet observe the wreckage of a Betty that crashed during an attack off Guadalcanal on August 8, 1942. Of 23 Bettys that set out from Rabaul that day, only five returned. (U.S. Navy) Crewmen on the destroyer USS Ellet observe the wreckage of a Betty that crashed during an attack off Guadalcanal on August 8, 1942. Of 23 Bettys that set out from Rabaul that day, only five returned. (U.S. Navy)

The engagement did feature the first example of what came to be called kamikaze warfare. One Betty on a bomb run against Lexington had an engine shot entirely off its mounts, by Lieutenant Butch OHare of ORD fame, and then did its best to crash into the carrier. It missed, but it has been written that the entire corps of Rikko pilots, aware that they were riding fiery mounts, had agreed to seek out a target to crash into if their airplane was terminally damaged. One highly regarded Japanese book about Bettys in combat is titled Wings of Flame. (Perhaps something is lostor gainedin translation.) Betty crews carried no parachutes, since bailing out wasnt an option.

In August 1942, during the Guadalcanal campaign and this time escorted by fighters, 18 out of 23 attacking Bettys were shot downthe single worst G4M loss during the entire campaign. More than 100 Bettys were lost over Guadalcanal. The G4M air wings eventually learned that daytime missions against well-defended U.S. ships would result in unacceptable losses. The Mitsubishis were large, ponderous targets and needed to follow stable courses during torpedo runs. Anti-aircraft guns decimated them.

The Japanese had become outstanding night pilots during the Sino-Japanese war, when they flew 500-mile missions in darkness purely by dead reckoning, sometimes serving as navigation lead ships for their own fighter escorts. Now they revived the technique with night torpedo missions against U.S. ships that were essentially blind. It worked for a while, but increasingly inexperienced G4M crews and the chaos of night attacks rendered even these desperate measures ineffective.

Amid it all came one of the Bettys most notorious flights: the mission to carry Admiral Yamamoto on an inspection tour of the Solomon Islands in April 1943. The admirals own noted punctuality doomed him, for the two G4Ms carrying him and his aides intersected perfectly with 16 P-38 Lightnings sent on a precise mission to intercept him over Bougainville, and Yamamoto died in the very airplane that he had helped create.

One of the Bettys last combat assignments was to carry torpedo-shaped Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka single-seat kamikaze rocket planes to within striking distance of U.S. fleets. Striking distance meant 20 miles or less, thanks to the Ohkas tiny load of rocket fuel, and Betty pilots too often pulled the release handle early. Some ships never knew they had been attacked, since the Ohkas glided into the Pacific before even coming within sight.

The rocket planes were heavymore than 4,700 poundsso the overloaded Bettys carrying them were particularly vulnerable to fighter interception. The first Betty/Ohka strike, toward U.S. aircraft carriers off Kyushu in March 1945, consisted of 18 Bettys escorted by 30 Zeros. Within 20 minutes, Hellcats had shot down all 18 bombers. Only one U.S. ship, the destroyer Mannert L. Abele, was ever sunk by an Ohka, and it cost six out of the eight attacking Bettys.

The Bettys swan song would have involved a fleet of some 60 troop-carrying G4Ms (their roomy fuselages made them particularly appropriate for this) that were to simultaneously land on Guam, Saipan and Tinian. They would disgorge hundreds of commandos dressed in USAAF uniforms. In the confusion, the Japanese troops were to destroy as many B-29s as possible and then head into the jungles to continue fighting as guerrillas. One specially detailed Betty crew was even assigned to seize a Superfortress and fly it back to Japan. The atomic bombs put an end to this sideshow.



Members of the Japanese delegation debark from their aircraft and prepare to board a C-54 for a flight to Manila, where they will receive instructions concerning the surrender and American occupation. (U.S. Navy) Members of the Japanese delegation debark from their aircraft and prepare to board a C-54 for a flight to Manila, where they will receive instructions concerning the surrender and American occupation. (U.S. Navy)

Bettys flew on the opening day of WWII, and they helped close out the war as well. A G4M1 and a G6M1-L, whitewashed and given green-cross insignia, carried a group of Japanese officers assigned the job of arranging the details of surrender negotiations. The August 19, 1945, mission is often characterized as having carried Japans surrender delegation, but the officers aboard had no such function; the surrender was actually ratified on September 2.

The white Bettys flew from Japan to Ie Shima, a small Okinawan island, where the Japanese were transferred to a C-54 and carried on to Manila to meet with Douglas MacArthur and his staff. Homeward bound, the Bettys were appropriately snakebit. One ran off the runway during takeoff from Ie Shima and damaged its landing gear; the other ran out of fuel and ditched short of its destination in Japan.

Not a single Betty survives as anything more than a battered, partial hulka situation unique among warbirds built in such numbers and active in so much combat. After the war, the USAAF was test-flying at least one Betty that had been captured in the Philippines, one of four or five flyable G4Ms that the U.S. liberated. Their fate is unknown, though the cockpit and nose of one, plus the tailcone, ended up in storage at the National Air and Space Museum.

The only Betty remnant in Japan is owned by a wealthy automotive importer/exporter, Nobuo Harada. It currently consists of a fully restored fuselage, much of it fabricated by Haradas restorers, in a museum near Tokyo. Another hulk is in the collection of Australias Darwin Aviation Museum.

One of the best-known Betty carcasses was on display for years at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, Calif. It was recovered from New Guinea in 1991 by warbird salvager Bruce Fenstermaker, in a joint venture with the Santa Monica Museum of Flying. The deal with Santa Monica somehow got derailed and the hulk was instead acquired by Ed Mahoney, who put in on display in Chinoa wrecked fuselage, inboard wings, engines and nacelleas a jungle diorama.

In November 2015, billionaire Paul Allen bought the wreck for his Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum in Seattle. Judging by what Allen has done with other such acquisitions, it is possible that this Betty will someday fly again. Almost certainly it will eventually be fully restored and placed on display.

Contributing editor Stephan Wilkinson recommends for further reading: Mitsubishi G4M Betty, by Martin Ferkl, and Mitsubishi Type 1 Rikko Betty Units of World War 2, by Osamu Tagaya.

This feature originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of Aviation History. Subscribe here!
by Stefania Fumo, Li Jie

MILAN, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The first China International Import Expo (CIIE) will be a "great opportunity" for global trade, the Pirelli CEO has said.

The CIIE is going to be held on Nov. 5-10 in China's metropolis of Shanghai to show China's firm support for international trade liberalisation.

"I think (the CIIE) is a great opportunity to show the players in the global economic environment the opening of China to world trade, and it is also a contribution to the growth of the global market," said Marco Tronchetti Provera, executive vice chairman and CEO of Italian-Chinese tyre maker Pirelli, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"I think that China is growing not only as a market, but also in terms of technology and education," said Tronchetti Provera, who has continued to serve as Pirelli CEO since ChemChina became the major stakeholder of the Italian tyre maker in 2015.

Tronchetti Provera, who has been traveling to China on business since the 1990s, said that in the past two decades he has witnessed China's growth in every area -- its economy, its infrastructure, and its cities have burgeoned in a way he described as "amazing" in terms of both speed and the quality of growth.

"I have been really lucky to be a part of it, because I think it is something that has never happened so fast before in human history," said the veteran Italian entrepreneur.

"Pirelli entered China as a local producer in 2005," he said. "Before that, we used to export (tyres) to China. Then we decided to set up a factory that would be fully dedicated to the high value segment -- meaning tyres with a high technology content."

The decision to open the first factory in China that was 100 percent dedicated to producing high-value tyres "was based on the development of the Chinese market," Tronchetti Provera said. "We saw huge investments were being made by international car manufacturers."

"We were the first to gain approval from the main carmakers as local suppliers for the original equipment of high value cars," he said. "We created a network with regional wholesalers, and we entered into a number of agreements with tyre dealers."

Pirelli's development in China was fast, Tronchetti Provera said.

"We started from scratch, and now we have agreements with to 4,000 distributors," said Tronchetti Provera, lauding the quality of China's education.

He said that "very knowledgeable people" in Pirelli's local management teams and research and development departments have been well trained by the Chinese education.

Tronchetti Provera was sanguine about Pirelli's prospects in China -- where he sees a future based on technology, people and innovations.

Tronchetti Provera said that "we must learn to see others as partners and not just competitors," because this means we can pool our energies and pull in the same direction to everyone's benefits.

"I am still positive. I believe that at the end of the day, global interests will prevail," he said.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
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by Shi Song, Justice Lee Adoboe

ACCRA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- For Ghana's exporters, the upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) in early November offers a good opportunity to enhance trade ties with China.

Joseph Boahen Aidoo, CEO of Ghana's cocoa industry regulator Cocoa Board, expressed hope that the fair would open a new chapter in the western African country's cocoa exports.

"We are very hopeful that China's consumption of cocoa per capita will grow, therefore we have made inroads to China," Aidoo said.

Behind Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana is the second-largest cocoa exporter in the world. The government and planners have decided to make cocoa the leading product at the Ghana pavilion at the CIIE, which is scheduled for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai.

"We believe that we can expand our market horizon in China. We are talking about 1.3 billion people, and even if we can get 1 percent of that market, it is very huge. So everybody is looking to China," Aidoo noted.

The CIIE offers Ghana an opportunity to showcase its cocoa as the leading product for the Chinese market, he added.

Data showed two-way trade between Ghana and China grew 12 percent to 6.7 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2017, up from 5.98 billion dollars in the previous year.

Among Ghana's exhibitors at the CIIE, the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) produces chocolate bars and a variety of chocolate powders, including the type for sugar-free cocoa drinks of natural taste.

"We want to enter the big market. We are getting into some of the institutions where we will get e-commerce and some satellite shops so that we can project ourselves," Nana Agyenim Boateng, the company's managing director, told Xinhua.

All its products for the CIIE show are expected to arrive in Shanghai before November, Boateng said. "It is going to be huge. Before we get back in November, we would have sealed all our agreements and moved on from there," he added.

Ebo Quaison, head of export at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, noted that Ghana is among the African countries invited to set up country pavilions at the CIIE.

"We are going to showcase cocoa and cocoa-related products as the lead, although we are going with over 50 different products," Quaison added.

"Unlike other fairs elsewhere where the visitors and locals compete for space and opportunities together, this very expo is different in nature," Quaison observed. "It is the first China International Import Expo, so the focus is on imports into the Chinese economy."

One major attraction at the Ghana pavilion will be a miniature farm intended to show what a cocoa farm really looks like for a better understanding of how cocoa beans are produced.

In Ghana, there are currently some 800,000 cocoa farmers. According to cocoa farmer Kwame Boateng, farmers like him believe the Shanghai CIIE could be an opportunity for Ghana to bring changes to its traditional market.

In their eyes, Boateng said, Ghana's producer price of cocoa beans has been under pressure since 2016 by international market pricing.

It is the Ghanian farmers' hope that the upcoming CIIE could help Ghana export more cocoa beans to China, he said, in addition to the old markets such as the United States, France and the Netherlands.

"At least there will be competition in the export destinations for the cocoa beans," he said.

Alongside the exhibition, the Ghanaian delegation will also organize a Ghana Trade and Business Forum in Shanghai, which partly features an introduction to Ghana's industrial transformation program.

"All in all, we are good to go," Quaison said.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
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Cheshire Holds Town Administrator Interviews



Former Selectman Edmund St. John IV, left, was the first of three interviews on Thursday night. CHESHIRE, Mass.  The final three candidates for the town administrator position were interviewed on Thursday night but the Board of Selectmen held off on making a choice.

The two members of the Board of Selectmen asked candidates Edmund St. John IV, Marion Carr, and Thomas Spiro a set of questions. The each were given a half hour to answer and some questions were asked to all three while others were candidate specific.

The interviews were public but only a few people attended.

Town Administrator Mark Webber plans to retire in November and the selectmen are seeking a replacement who will work more hours. The part-time post has been increased to three days a week at a salary of $40,000. Nine candidates applied for the position and the selectmen chose three for final interviews.

St. John stepped down from Board of Selectmen, just over a year into his three-year term, to apply for the post. The School Committee member had been advised by the Ethics Commission to be off the board for at least 30 days before he could apply.

"It was a hard decision to come to but really this was a decision to do more for the town and to be able to work more closely within the town, with the school and have an open dialogue," he said. "To be committed to the town and to be dedicated to the town."

St. John said because he is already planted in the community he thinks he will have an easier time transitioning into the position and the eventual shift to a five-member select board.

"I have a working relationship with the town and I have some institutional knowledge," he said. "I am from this town, I grew up in this town ... this has always been my home and because of these relationships I think I can offer continuity to make this transition more smooth and faster."

St. John said he wants to better communication with the school district and to aggressively pursue grants. He added that as a resident he will always be available.

If hired, he would like to stay in the position for a long time.

"I had the opportunity to stay in Boston after law school but didn't. I moved back. I moved 50 feet from where I grew up," he said. "We decided to put our roots down where we are ... and I would love to see this relationship grow for as long as possible ... I would love to be in this as long as the town will have me."



Marion Carr, former Otis town clerk, says her job at Head Start touches on many aspects of the town administrator's responsibilities. Carr, the operations director at Head Start of the Berkshires in Pittsfield, spoke to her budgeting and municipal background and a desire to try something new.

"I really am looking for something that grows my experience and keeps me doing something different all of the time," she said. "I am looking for something that is a growth experience but that keeps me living in Berkshire County."

Carr said she does have some municipal experience and was the town clerk in Otis. She said at Head Start she has built budgets and applied for multiple grants. She said in May ways it is like running a town.

"It is very similar to what I do now. I establish all of their budgets and budget for all of their grants," she said. "I make sure all of the money is spent in the correct cost allocation method and I oversee maintenance."

Carr said the town's budget is comparable to Otis' and she would be comfortable coming into Cheshire. She said she has a flexible schedule and has been given the option to keep her job at Head Start part time.

Many of the tasks in the town administrator job description she already does at Head Start, she said.

"I kind of touch on all of the little pieces I do some of the reporting for the board," Carr said. "I also have to meet with the parents at our policy council so I am used to dealing with everyone from all walks of life."

Spiro was program coordinator at Elms College's Greenfield campus and, prior to that, was town administrative aide in Conway for nearly eight years.



Thomas Spiro was Conway's administrative aide, which he says fulfilled many of the same duties as a town administrator. "I like to meet new people and I like to talk to the public that was one of my favorite things to do in Conway," he said. "I like being the face of the town and I would be the person that people would see when they walk in the front door."

He was essentially the town administrator in Conway, he said, and is well versed in the responsibilities that come with the job.

"I was doing the job. I prepared the budget, the annual report, I was the chief procurement officer and all of that fun stuff," he said. "I am very familiar with the position although not in this town. I know all towns are different."

Spiro said he had experience working with other communities and noted that Conway shared services and a school district with multiple communities. He also said he has a background in law, public policy, construction, and project management.

He no longer works for the college and manages finances for family members as well as bookkeeping for wife's business. He said he is very flexible.

"I know I can do this job," he said. "I consider myself a jack of all trades and a master of a couple."

The Selectmen will make their decision at a future meeting.
The event was held jointly by the Association of Vietnam Scientists and Experts (AVSE Global), Quang Trung Software City (QTSC) and the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies (HIDS).

The forum included four sessions: Pathway to the Industrial Revolution 4.0 for Vietnam, The impact of digital technology on business strategies of SMEs, Applying digital technology to improve the competitiveness of SMEs and Digitalised services in supporting SMEs.

According to AVSE Global Director, Vu Ngoc Anh, the VDEF 2018 aims to share strategic visions and practical experience from pioneers, as well as discussing the trend of indispensable transformation in the digital economy.

In addition, the delegates assessed the current status, challenges and opportunities associated with the digital economy.

Speaking at the forum, Deputy Minister Information and Communications, Nguyen Thanh Hung, expressed their hope that the experts would share experience in effectively implementing digital infrastructure in administrative management and public service delivery in important fields including education, healthcare, transport and agriculture.
In South East Asia, one in two journalists have felt insecure because of their work, in the past year. Today, on International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the South East Asia Journalist Unions (SEAJU) launch the preliminary findings into the IFJ-SEAJU survey on journalist safety & working conditions, and call on governments to talk immediate action to guarantee safety for the media.

Photo: Journalists from Asia Pacific at the IFJ-SEAJU meeting in Bangkok launch findings from IFJ-SEAJU research into impunity, working conditions and safety for journalists in South East Asia. Credit: Ujjwal Acharya/IFJ

At the IFJ-SEAJU meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, findings from a survey of almost 1,000 journalists in South East Asia revealed that the single biggest threat to the safety and security of journalists at work are working conditions.

The IFJ said: The systematic failure of governments in South East Asia to act to ensure the safety and security of the media is evident from the survey findings. This research is an opportunity for action to tackle impunity and guarantee the safety of the media.

The preliminary survey findings showed that 44% of journalists in South East Asia feel that media freedom declined in the past 12 months, and 55% said that the rate of impunity in their country was a major problem or epidemic. For one in two journalists, their governments response to impunity was deemed worsening or extremely bad.

There are bright spots in the region, such as in Timor Leste where despite legal proceedings, not a single journalist has been jailed in connection with their work. In Malaysia the change of government in early 2018 has offered an opportunity for change and for media freedom to flourish. However, there are still challenges, such as in the Philippines which is the third deadliest country for journalists in the world. New threats and challenges in the Philippines such as online campaigns and troll armies mean that journalists are feeling unsafe online and offline.

SEAJU said: "The findings of the survey unequivocally show that impunity for assaults on journalists and the repression of press freedom and free expression has been steadily worsening throughout the region. This means not only do we journalists need to further strengthen our ranks and cooperate across borders to protect ourselves and improve our welfare, we will also need to undertake more direct engagements with our audiences, the people we serve, and get them firmly on our side."

The full survey findings will be launched in a report on December 15, 2018, available here.
The election on Nov. 6 is one of the most important in our lifetimes. And it is clear that those who do not support our communities interest also know how important this election is. They are clearly threatened by the power of the Black vote. After the Supreme Court began allowing states to make changes to their voter ID laws without federal oversight, Republicans started doing everything they could to keep people from showing up to the polls.

Here in Indiana, we are determined not to let that happen. From Gary to Indianapolis, Black voters are making plans to turnout in support of candidates like Sen. Joe Donnelly, a strong advocate for affordable healthcare and working families, on Election Day.

Black voters also know that whats at stake in this years election is bigger than any one candidate or issue. In the past several days, weve seen an ugly reminder of this nations troubled past. When Donald Trump stood on a stage and declared himself a nationalist, he gave dangerous, like-minded individuals permission to act on their hate. And the results were deadly.

Ultimately, this election is about the future. Nov. 6 will give us an opportunity to declare what kind of future our community wants, needs and demands. Its important to plan ahead because lines may be long at your polling place. Make sure to find your correct polling place and plan your transportation to the polls in advance.

Dont forget to bring a form of photo identification with you to the polling place. This ID must have your name and photo and be issued by the state of Indiana or the U.S. government (an ID that expired after Nov.8, 2016 will also work). College IDs from private schools like Notre Dame and IDs issued from other states are not valid.

In Indiana, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Election Day, but you are legally allowed to vote if you arrive by 6 p.m. If you believe you are registered and eligible to vote, but poll workers are trying to turn you away, do not leave the polling place without casting your ballot. Election Protection has a hotline to help you. Just call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (687-8683). Dont be afraid to reach out for help to make your vote count on Election Day.

Across the country, Republicans are closing polling locations, changing voting times, purging voters from the rolls, requiring photo IDs and invalidating registration forms that dont meet strict exact match requirements. These efforts feel painfully similar to the poll taxes and literacy tests that kept Black voters from voting, and they can impact voter turnout, but only if we let them.

With 10 percent of Indianas population, Black voters have the power to make a significant impact and push back on the politics of fear and division in our country. While Republicans may try to keep us from the polls with misinformation and voter suppression schemes, our community will proudly exercise the fundamental right our ancestors fought for and help put our state and country back on track.

Soon, Hoosiers will cast their votes to decide on our states future. Who we choose to send to the U.S. Senate is especially critical: Indiana is a battleground for control of the Senate and the Senate confirms the Supreme Court. It is in the courts that major issues facing our community will be resolved. Because of this, the outcome of this election could have a major impact on voting rights, healthcare, criminal justice reform and education not only in Indiana but across the country. With stakes this high, our community knows that this is a history-making moment and none of us can sit on the sidelines.

Robin Winston is chairman of Progressive Thought Matters, an advocacy group that believes that increased voter education and participation by underrepresented groups will lead to a more progressive nation. Adrianne Shropshire is the executive director of BlackPAC, an independent, Black-led organization that uses the power of year-round political engagement and elections to change our economic, justice and social systems.
By Barry M. Lando

November 01, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Reading the horrified reactions to the bloody attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, one has the impression that the assault was carried out by a crazed individual operating from the most deranged fringe of Americas alt-right: a product of the brutal politics of Donald Trump and social media run amok. The fact is that, though America would dearly love to forget it, anti-Semitism has long been deeply embedded in the U.S.

In the Spring of 1942, the sociologist David Riesman described American anti-Semitism as slightly below the boiling point.

Indeed, the despicable image of an American president slamming shut his countrys Southern border to desperate refugees fleeing the violence of their homeland is nothing new. The same tragic tale played out in the United States in the spring of 1939, when Franklin Roosevelt was President: U.S. authorities refused to let a ship, the St. Louis, loaded with more than 900 passengers, most of them Jews attempting to escape from Germany, refused to let them dock in the U.S.

Already forbidden from landing in Cuba, the ships German captain Gustav Schroder (not a Jew), circled off the coast of Florida, hoping for permission to enter the United States. But Secretary of State Cordell Hull advised President Franklin Roosevelt not to accept the Jews. Still determined to save his passengers, Captain Schroder considered running aground along the U.S. coast to allow the refugees to escape. But, again, acting on Cordell Hulls instructions, US Coast Guard vessels shadowed the ship and prevented such a move.

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Also refused entry by Canada and Great Britain, Captain Schroder finally returned to Europe, but only after several European countries other than Germany agreed to accept a portion of the refugees. But Hitler still caught up with many of them: more than 250 of the St Louis passengers ultimately died in the Holocaust.

That was just one episode of Americas shameful role during World War II. The Nazis were the murderers, but we were the all too passive accomplices. Such was the verdict of American historian, David Wyman, a Protestant, who, after years of the most thorough research, in 1984 produced an extremely disturbing book, The Abandonment of the Jews (Pantheon).Wymans findings have not been disputed. There have been similar books on the subject, documenting chapter and verse.

For instance, little Switzerlandcharged with closing its borders to the Jews during WWII in fact accepted as many Jewish refugees during the war  21,000  as did the vastly greater United States. That pitifully small number represented only 10 percent of the number who could have been legally admitted under U.S. immigration quotas at the time.

Tens of thousands of Jews were turned away or dissuaded from applying for visas by U.S. officials intent on keeping the inflow to a trickle.

It is clear that by the summer of 1942, Washington had confirmed accounts of Hitlers plan to exterminate the Jews. But, according to Mr. Wyman: The American State Department and the British Foreign Office had no intention of rescuing large numbers of European Jews. On the contrary, they continually feared that Germany or other Axis nations might release tens of thousands of Jews into Allied hands. Any such exodus would have placed intense pressure on Britain to open Palestine and on the United States to take in more Jewish refugees  a situation the two great powers did not want to face. Consequently, their policies aimed at obstructing rescue possibilities and dampening public pressures for government action.

Incredibly, according to Mr. Wyman, Anthony Eden even opposed a joint plea from the Allies to Germany to release the Jews because of his fear that Germany might actually agree.

Strong popular pressure could have made a difference. Why wasnt it there? Anti-Semitism and anti-immigration attitudes were widespread in American society and entrenched in Congress. In the late 1930s, as Jews were scrambling to escape from Europe, a Roper poll showed that 70 to 85 percent of the American people opposed raising quotas to help Jewish refugees enter the United States.

Even more shocking, another set of polls taken in the years between 1938 and 1945 revealed that as much as 35 to 40 percent of the U.S. population was prepared to approve an anti-Jewish campaign in America. Only 30 percent would have opposed it, and the rest would have remained indifferent.

There was also the failure of the mass media  including newspapers like the New York Times  to publicize Holocaust news, even though the wire services and other sources made most of the information available early on.

Added to that were the near silence of the Christian churches and most of their leaders and the indifference of American political and intellectual nabobs.

One of the greatest American journalists of the day, Walter Lippmann, for instance, wrote not a single column about the Holocaust or the death camps.

As for President Franklin Roosevelt, according to Mr. Wyman, he did nothing about the mass murder for 14 months after first learning about it. And then he moved only because he was confronted with political pressures he could not avoid and because his administration stood on the brink of a nasty scandal over its rescue policies.

Even most of Americas Jewish leaders at the time were remiss, caught up in internal bickering, concerned about provoking anti-Semitism, more worried about establishing the state of Israel than saving Jews from the Holocaust.

Its ironic how insistent we were after the war that the Germans recognize their shameful historyteach it in their schools, and so on. The French also have similarly felt obliged to confront their shameful willingness to collaborate in the Holocaust. As have the Swiss.

Americans and Canadians and Brits, meanwhile, have done their best to bury and forgetand have been very successful at it.

Lando, a graduate of Harvard and Columbia University, spent 25 years as an award-winning investigative producer with 60 Minutes. The author of numerous articles about Iraq, he produced a documentary about Saddam Hussein that has been shown around the world. That film became a book about Iraq, Web of Deceit: The History of Western Complicity in Iraq, from Churchill to Kennedy to George W. Bush.

Lando blogs on international affairs at http://barrymlando.com.

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Peace and joy
Last week, the government reported to the 14th National Assembly that, based on thorough analysis of domestic and international situations, Vietnam will have new socio-economic targets for 2019, including a growth target of 6.8% (see box).

The economy has been strongly growing, with growth quality improving significantly. This will lay firm groundwork for higher growth next year, the government stated.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, it is expected that the economys 2018 GDP growth will be higher than the initial target of 6.7%. The economy grew 5.98% in 2014, 6.68% in 2015, 6.21% in 2016, and 6.81% last year. In the first nine months of this year, the rate was 6.98%.

If the economy grows 6.7% this year, the total GDP will be valued at US$240.5 billion, higher than last years by more than US$220 billion. In addition, Vietnams per capita GDP is estimated to be US$2,540  up by US$155 against last year, and by US$325 against 2016, and 1.21 times higher than in 2015.

One of the most outstanding points in the economy is that the economic growth quality has witnessed a remarkable improvement, with the contribution of the total-factor productivity (TFP) and labour productivity augmenting.

Specifically, the TFP ratio in the economy stood at 33.58% in the 2011-2015 period, and 45.47% in 2018. A rise in TFP is usually due to technological innovations or improvements.

Labour productivity also increased by 6% last year from the average annual 4.3% rate in the 2011-2015 period.

Vu Hong Thanh, Chairman of the National Assembly Economic Committee, said that the economy has been clearly growing in a positive manner, with improved quality.

One of the most eminent points is that the trade balance has shifted from a deficit previously to a surplus over the past three years. Moreover, attraction and disbursement of foreign direct investment (FDI) have also been increasing. Especially, the ratio of FDI in the processing and manufacturing sector has been growing, Thanh said.

According to the government, Vietnam will likely witness a total export-import turnover of US$475 billion this year  up 11.7% year-on-year, including US$238 billion in exports and US$237 billion in imports. This will lead to a trade surplus of US$1 billion for 2018.

Furthermore, total FDI disbursement this year is estimated to hit a record US$18 billion, up from the record figure of US$17.5 billion last year. In the first 10 months of this year, total FDI disbursement reached US$15.1 billion, up 6.3% year-on-year, and stake acquisitions by foreign investors and businesses touched US$6.3 billion, up 35.8% year-on-year.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, if the economy grows 6.7% this year, the average growth rate over the past three years will be 6.57%, much higher than that of 5.91% posted in the 2011-2016 period.

For 2019 and 2020, the average growth rate of Vietnam is projected to be 6.9%, thus bringing the average growth rate for the entire five-year period to 6.71%.

The National Assembly earlier set an average target of 6.5-6.7% in economic growth for the 2016-2020 period.

New momentum

Yesterday, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc reported to the National Assembly that Vietnam has numerous growth driving forces to boost its growth sustainably.

Specifically, the momentum must be based on households growing consumption, which currently contributes to almost three-fourths of total GDP, as well as investment, especially local privately-owned and foreign investment and strong development of the service, agriculture, and industrial sectors.

In the middle term, it is necessary to seek new momentum for quicker and more sustainable growth, the prime minister said.

According to him, the new growth momentum will come from the development of private enterprises, especially locally-owned ones, boosted equitisation and the enhancement of the operational effectiveness of state-owned enterprises.

Moreover, it is necessary, as another momentum, to take advantage of the signed bilateral and multi-lateral free trade agreements.

Notably, urban development must become a new growth driving force. Science and technology must become a key propellant, especially the further reform of the economys business climate, Prime Minister Phuc stated. A prime solution is to continue reforms, innovations and improvements of the institution
Home Search ICH False Flag Terror Acts Press Europe To Sanction Iran By Moon Of Alabama November 01, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Israels secret service Mossad, with the CIA behind it, is framing Iran with alleged assassination plots in Europe. In September a terror attack killed some 30 people in Iran. Two entities, an Arab separatist movement as well as the Islamic State terror group ISIS, took responsibility. After an investigation Iran found that it was ISIS which was responsible. It took revenge against the identified culprits. Six weeks later Denmark claims, without providing evidence, that Iran tried to assassinate a leader of the Arab separatist movement over the incident. Iran denies any such attempt. The right wing Danish government uses the claim to urge other European countries to sanction Iran. It is unlikely that Iran would take action in Europe, which it urgently needs to reduce the damage of U.S. sanction, over an incident for which it already punished the Islamic State. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The Danish claims are allegedly based on information provided by Mossad. That only increases the suspicion that the assassination plot is a false flag operation similar to a recent one in Belgium. More likely though is that the CIA is behind such false flag incidents. The details: On September 22 gunmen killed 29 and wounded more than 70 participants and onlookers of a veterans day parade in Ahvaz, Iran: Three of the attackers were gunned down during clashes with the security forces and one other was arrested, news agencies reported.

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"The terrorists disguised as Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Basiji (volunteer) forces opened fire to the authority and people from behind the stand during the parade," the governor of Khuzestan, Gholam-Reza Shariati, said, according to IRNA. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert also referred to the attack as terrorism. Nauert said on Saturday, "We stand with the Iranian people against the scourge of radical Islamic terrorism and express our sympathy to them at this terrible time". The Islamic State as well as an Arab separatist movement claimed responsibility: On 22 September 2018, Yaqoob Al-Ahvaz claimed responsibility for the 2018 Ahvaz military parade attack in comments to UK-based Iran International TV. He said that his group Ahvaz National Resistance, a part of Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz, has "no choice but to resist." On 23 September, a statement made in The Hague, Netherlands, on the ASMLA website, denied responsibility for the attack, saying that the claim was made by a "group that was expelled from the organization since 2015." After Yaqoob Al-Ahvaz claimed responsibility Iran accused Saudi Arabia of involvement in the attack: IRGC spokesman Ramezan Sharif said the attackers were affiliated with a terrorist group supported by Saudi Arabia, Iran's state-run Press TV said. "The individuals who fired at the people and the armed forces during the parade are connected to the al-Ahvaziya group which is fed by Saudi Arabia," Sharif said. Saudi Arabia has yet to respond to the allegations. The UK-based Iran International TV, where Yaqoob Al-Ahvaz claimed responsibility, is funded by a firm with ties to Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Several years ago ASMLA aka Al-Ahvaziya committed several terror attacks in Iran. Its leaders live in the Netherlands and Denmark. Iran immediately reminded those countries of their duties: Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of the Netherlands and Denmark, along with a senior British diplomat on Saturday to issue a strong protest the attack, Iran's state-run media reports. Bahram Ghasemi, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Iran "re-emphasized" to the diplomats a previous warning about the presence in their respective countries of members of a group that Iran classifies as a terrorist group and wants arrested and prosecuted. According to IRNA, Ghasemi said "it is unacceptable" that members of a terrorist group be allowed in those countries and not be included on the European Union's terror list only because they have not committed crimes on European soil. A few days later though, Iran concluded that the attack was not committed by the Ahvaz movement, but by the Islamic State. On October 1 it responded with a missile salvo that hit Islamic State facilities in Syria: The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced they have bombed a site in eastern Syria in retaliation to the terrorist attack against a military parade in Iranian Ahvaz 10 days ago.

...

The IRGC confirmed that the targeted terrorist group was behind the terror attack that killed over a dozen and injured many more in the city of Ahvaz. An additional operation against the planers of the attack took place on October 15 in Iraq: Irans Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they had killed the mastermind behind an attack on a military parade in the Iranian city of Ahvaz last month which left 25 people dead, nearly half of them members of the Guards. The Guards said in a statement published on state media their forces had killed a man named Abu Zaha and four other militants in Diyala province in Iraq. One news website run by Irans state television said Abu Zaha was a member of Islamic State. That closed the issue for Iran. On October 30 Denmark suddenly accused Iran of an assassination plot against a leader of the ASMLA group: Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen described the alleged planned assassination by Iran of an exiled separatist leader in Denmark as "totally unacceptable" The Iranian ambassador to Copenhagen was summoned to the foreign ministry over the allegations. A Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin was arrested in Sweden on 21 October in connection with the alleged plan. The man denies the charges. Authorities conducted a massive manhunt on 28 September which led to road closures, trains and ferries being cancelled, and bridges being shut across Denmark. On Tuesday, Danish intelligence chief Finn Borch Andersen confirmed the measures had been taken to prevent the alleged plot. The Danish intelligence accused the Norwegian citizens of taking pictures of a house where one of the ASMLA leader lives. It provide no evidence for its claims. Iran rejected the accusations: An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said such "biased reports" and allegations pursued "the enemy's plots and conspiracies" to harm the developing relations between Iran and Europe, according to Tasnim news agency. It indeed seems that Danish government, led by the rightwing Venstre party, is collaborating with the U.S. and Britain to sabotage the European position against U.S. sanctions on Iran: Mr Rasmussen said, after a meeting with his British counterpart Theresa May in Oslo, that he appreciated her support. "In close collaboration with UK and other countries we will stand up to Iran," he tweeted. Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said Denmark would discuss further actions with European partners in the coming days. The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, congratulated Denmark on arresting "an Iranian regime assassin". The former Secretary General of NATO and U.S. stooge Anders Fogh Rasmussen is the predecessor of the current Venstre party leader and Danish premier Lars Lkke Rasmussen. Both are hawks. Yesterday Israeli journalist reported that the information on which Denmark acted came from Israel: Barak Ravid @BarakRavid - 10:12 utc- 31 Oct 2018 BREAKING: Israeli Mossad gave Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) the information about the assassination attempt planned by Iranian intelligence service against the leader of the Iranian opposition organization ASMLA, Israeli official tells me Well - if Israeli officials says Iran did something bad that will surely be true. (Not.) Iran's foreign minister accuses Israel of running false flag operations to frame Iran: Javad Zarif @JZarif - 20:15 utc - 31 Oct 2018 Mossad's perverse & stubborn planting of false flags (more on this later) only strengthens our resolve to engage constructively with the world. [...] The Times of Israel notes: Denmarks accusations against Iran followed the unveiling of another suspected Iranian plot to target a Paris rally by an opposition group in June. According to Israeli reports, the Mossad helped thwart that attack as well, which led to the arrest of several Iranians in Europe, including a diplomat. The earlier plot involved two members of the anti-Iranian terror cult MEK in Belgium who were caught with explosives that they allegedly wanted to use to blow up a MEK conference in Paris: The allegation that an Iranian operative plotted an attack on French soil is jeopardizing Europes support for the accord. As U.S. and Israeli officials ramp up pressure on Europe to sever ties with Tehran, they have cited it as a reason why Mr. Macron and other leaders should end their support for the deal. On Tuesday, Denmark announced it had foiled an Iranian operation to kill a dissident, turning up the pressure on Europe to harden its posture toward Tehran. A spokesman for Irans foreign ministry said Iran had no involvement in the case. The most interesting question about such plots is always "Cui bono?". Who benefits from these incidents? Iran has no interest in causing any upheaval with Europe shortly before the second round of U.S. sanctions, which threaten its economic well being, come into place early this month. Iran already took revenge for the Ahvaz attack. It has no need to tackle some unrelated separatist who resides in Denmark. Iran needs Europe to work around the U.S. sanctions. That aim prohibits any such operations. Both, the MEK plot as well as the case in Denmark, smell of false flag incidents. In both case no one was hurt. In both cases some stooges with no current relation to Iran were caught. Both cases came to light after information was allegedly provided by Mossad. But is it really Israel who set up these incidents? Both serve U.S. interest just as much. It is no secret that the U.S. wants to prevent European subversion of U.S. sanctions on Iran. In June 2017 the Trump administration installed a new CIA group to plot and launch undercover operations against Iran. It is led by its most ruthless operator: He is known as the Dark Prince or Ayatollah Mike, nicknames he earned as the Central Intelligence Agency officer who oversaw the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the American drone strike campaign that killed thousands of Islamist militants and hundreds of civilians. Now the official, Michael DAndrea, has a new job. He is running the C.I.A.s Iran operations, according to current and former intelligence officials, an appointment that is the first major sign that the Trump administration is invoking the hard line the president took against Iran during his campaign. Mr. DAndreas new role is one of a number of moves inside the spy agency that signal a more muscular approach to covert operations under the leadership of Mike Pompeo, the conservative Republican and former congressman, the officials said. A year later the same Mike Pompeo, now Secretary of State, created the Iran Action Group within the State Department. It is a complementary entity to the CIA group. Little has been published about the action both groups have taken so far. What has Ayatollah Mike done since he set up shop 18 month ago? It is likely that the false flag operations in Europe, like the ones in Belgium and Denmark, are run by the CIA with the Mossad only in an auxiliary role. The U.S. can hardly admit that it is faking terrorist incidents in Europe while the overrated Mossad loves to take credit for everything that happens on this world. Europe has no interest in supporting or escalating Trump's war on Iran. EU countries should demand hard evidence from Denmark and other accusers of Iran and should not act on the basis of only vague accusations. This article was originally published by " Moon Of Alabama " - 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.
By Caitlin Johnstone

November 01, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - The United States government is preparing to implement an additional level of sanctions against Iran for its refusal to meet a dozen demands that are so absurdly unreasonable that they have been called a regime change policy in all but name. The sanctions which have already been implemented have already badly hurt the Iranian economy, the sting of which is being felt first and foremost by Irans poor and sickly.

In an article titled Irans poor to bear brunt of Trumps oil sanctions, Financial Times documents how poor Iranians are already strained to the breaking point from the cutbacks theyve had to make in food and groceries. An article titled In Iran, US sanctions are being felt, with harsher measures to come by the Christian Science Monitor details difficulties Iranian charities are having getting medicine to sick children, including chemotherapy treatment, having already run out of four life-saving drugs. In an article titled US fails to shield humanitarian trade with Iran as sanctions loom, Al Monitor details the way humanitarian aid, while ostensibly exempt from the sanctions, has been severely impacted by their economic aspect because humanitarian aid costs money. The Wall Street Journal further explains the effects of Americas economic warfare on ordinary Iranian civilians in an article titled Iran Moves to Shelter Millions as U.S. Sanctions Bite.

This is before the US implements a new level of attacks upon Irans oil industry, a primary economic lifeline, which is scheduled to begin on November fifth. If Iran cant find a way to get around these crushing sanctions in a significant way, many civilians already stretched far too thin will be pushed past the breaking point.

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And who is the US government blaming for the consequences of its economic warfare? Why, the Iranian government, of course.

The International Monetary Fund @IMFNews is projecting a 3.6% decline in #Iran's economy next year. That's what happens when the ruling regime steals from its people and invests in Assad-instead of creating jobs for Iranians, they ruin the economy.  @SecPompeo

The International Monetary Fund @IMFNews is projecting a 3.6% decline in #Irans economy next year, tweeted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Thats what happens when the ruling regime steals from its people and invests in Assad  instead of creating jobs for Iranians, they ruin the economy.

Pompeo talks about the Iranian people a lot. A recent State Department release is packed with lines like Irans actions have made the country a pariah, much to the despair of its own people, and clerics and officials have wrapped themselves in the cloak of religion while robbing the Iranian people blind, and The United States is asking every nation that is sick and tired of the Islamic Republics destructive behavior to stand up for the Iranian people. But Mike Pompeo does not care about the Iranian people. Plainly.

Sanctions are so weird. Imagine if the US government had listed twelve ridiculously extreme demands of Tehran, and then when those demands werent met they launched a few dozen Tomahawk missiles into an Iranian suburb. And imagine, if you will, what the response would be if Secretary Pompeo had then issued a tweet saying Boy, it sure was awful of the Iranian regime to launch those missiles at its own civilians!

He would never do such a thing, of course, because nobody would buy it. But for some weird, entirely narrative-based reason, the US government can get away with killing the same number of civilians by depriving them of food and medicine and say its Irans fault for not bowing to Washingtons twelve demands. The civilians would be just as dead as they would have been if they were killed by Tomahawk missiles, and the US government would be just as culpable for their deaths as they would have been if theyd killed them by missile strike. We can be absolutely certain that the US government would acknowledge such economic sanctions as an act of war (which they unquestionably are) if any foreign nation ever implemented anything similar against America. But for some weird, stupid, nonsense reason, the medieval siege tactic of starving them to death and cutting them off from supplies is something that can still be blamed on a sovereign nation for refusing to obey the commands of a foreign government. For some weird, stupid, nonsense reason, sanctions are the only form of warfare where it is considered both legal and acceptable to deliberately target a civilian population with lethal force.

My grandmother in Iran has gone blind in one eye because she can no longer access her diabetes medicine. Thanks America  @sonofnariman

The responses to this Tweet caught me off guard. Thank you for the kind words. But now I feel selfish for writing it. I didn't want or expect sympathy; I wanted to make a point about the impact of sanctions on Iran -- that it's the ordinary people who suffer.  @sonofnariman

This, by the way, is all coming after the UNs highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), ordered the United States to remove any impediments to humanitarian aide in the sanctions that it has implemented, to which Washington responded by withdrawing from two international agreements which could lead to any legally binding rulings by the ICJ. Any other nation which refuses to comply with UN rulings is branded a rogue nation by the US-centralized empire and targeted for regime change, but when the US does exactly the same thing were meant to look at it as perfectly normal and acceptable.

The US has defended its dismissal of the ICJ ruling by citing the exemptions it has made for humanitarian aide in its sanctions, with Secretary Pompeo asserting the following:

Existing exceptions, authorizations, and licensing policies for humanitarian-related transactions and safety of flight will remain in effect. The United States has been actively engaged on these issues without regard to any proceeding before the ICJ. Were working closely with the Department of the Treasury to ensure that certain humanitarian-related transactions involving Iran can and will continue.

Not only is he not being accurate, he is lying, Trita Parsi of the National Iranian American Council told the Real News of Pompeos remarks. The Trump administration has not issued a single license since they took power. They know quite well that theyre doing everything to scare banks away from the Iranian market, which then is affecting the ability for the Iranians to pay for medicine and medical supplies, even though that is supposedly exempt. So essentially what theyre saying, hey, we made those exempt. Yes, but you have targeted the financial system so harshly, so indiscriminately, so no bank is willing to handle transactions with Iranian banks. And as a result the Iranians cannot buy medical supplies, and their medical shortages are a direct result of the sanctions.

What will Secretary Pompeo say when civilians begin dropping dead? Will he claim that the price is worth it, as his predecessor Madeleine Albright said of the thousands of Iraqi children killed in sanctions upon Iraq? Will he cite the constantly recurring lie that it is because Iran is the worlds top sponsor of terrorism? Will he claim that it is because it is somehow wrong for Iran to defend its ally Syria from the violent jihadist factions who attempted to effect regime change in Damascus with western backing? Or will he just be honest, and admit that its because Iran has one of the few governments in the strategically crucial and resource-rich Middle East which has refused to be absorbed into the blob of the US empire?

Hey, a girl can dream.

Caitlin's articles are entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking her on Facebook, following her antics on Twitter, checking out her podcast, throwing some money into her hat on Patreon or Paypal, or buying her book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers.

This article was originally published by " Medium " -

Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here.

==See Also==

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Peace and joy
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) on Friday presented attestation certificate and confirmation of school cert result to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari, has been under severe criticisms after he failed to submit his educational certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) as required by law.

Both the opposition party and some Nigerians have taunted the president, for not having a certificate, yet holds the highest office in the land.

However, reacting to the presidents attestation certificate, Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) chieftains, Femi Fami-Kayode, and federal lawmaker Dino Melaye have said they need to see the original one.

Former Aviation Minister wrote:

I congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari on his "attestation" certificate. Now can we see the real one?  Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) November 2, 2018

Senator Dino Melaye wrote
The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has issued a warning to a national leader of the All Progressives Congress(APC) over statement attributes to him against its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The PDP in its statement to the effect said, Tinubu being an elder statesman shouldnt be heard making utterance that reduce his pedigree. In the statement signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity secretary, advised Tinubu not to join the smear campaign against its Presidential candidate.

The party added that, a person of the former governor of Lagos status can go ahead with his political activities without resorting to to indecent language that is lacking in respect for a personality, such as Atiku.

See statement here

Asiwaju, as an elder, should not reduce his pedigree by engaging in indecorous utterances which has become the trademark of his failed, dysfunctional and discredited party, the All Progressives Congress(APC).

We caution the National Leader of the failed and discredited APC , Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not to draw himself out by joining in the smear campaign and unsavoury comments against our Presidential candidate.

It is also instructive to state that a person of Asiwaju status can conduct his political activities without recourse to indecent language that is lacking in respect for a personality, such as @atiku,whom Nigerians, across board, have generally resolved to be their next President.
A soldier serving in Azare, Yobe state has survived an attack from insurgents in Yobe state.

The soldier identified as Sammy Jay Ajuwa, took to his Facebook page this morning to share the good news.

According to Sammy Jay Ajuwa, he and other soldiers were being attacked by Boko Haram insurgents when he was shot at.

He was struck by a bullet which luckily made a hole in his sweater and got lodged there but didnt enter his body.

Sadly, some soldiers werent as lucky.

He wrote:

My location azare yobe was attack diz morning but Almighty God keep me alive despite bullet penetrate my sweater but didnt touch me its just a miracle 4rm d Lord

(RIP to those who died)

Still in hospital but Im okay no injury

Below are the photos the soldier shared showing his pierced sweater:
The son of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, President @ MBuhari tonight receive Olujonwon Obasanjo, was at the State House, Abuja to see president Muhammadu Buhari.

According to Bashir Ahmad, President Buharis aide on new media, who shared the photo via Twitter, he revealed that the son of the former president is on Buharis 2019 Team.

It will be recalled that his father, Olusegun Obasanjo had awhile ago, withdrawn his support from Buhari, who he had supported against former president Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. Obasanjo, in series of letters to Buhari, criticised Buhari of being a failure and advised him to resign and not recontest in 2019.

However, it appears that the younger Obasanjo, doesnt share his fathers sentiment on the presidents reelection bid, if the photo above is anything to go by.

Another photo
A team of Nigerian doctors successfully separated a pair of conjoined twins at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada.

The operation which took several hours was carried out by a medical team led by Nuhu Kwajafa of the Global Peace Initiatives, announced the joyful news via his Instagram account @nuhukwaj on Tuesday.

He wrote:

We wish to express our profound gratitude, as we say a massive thank you to Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, for his kind hearted and extremely generous gesture to the successfully separated twins and their familyGod bless you, Sir.

Spokesman to the Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Hassan Turaki, however told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that the House of Representatives speaker , paid the medical bill or their parents.

Another one
Police have announced the arrest of the Togolese Cook, who allegedly killed his boss, Chief Ope Bademosi, the Chairman of Credit Switch Technology.

The cook, who was said to have stabbed his boss in the heart severally, just four days after he was employed, has now been caught by police.

The suspect was said to have stabbed the chief to death, then carted away valuables from the house before taking off.

More details shortly
Manchester City beat Fulham by putting 2 unreplied goals past them during their 4th round clash at the ongoing Caraboa cup to qualify for the quarter final of the competition.

The match which was played at the Etihad stadium of the Citizens saw the English champions, Mancity, scored their first ever goal at the fourth round stage of the competition under Pep Guardoila in the 19th minute after Brahim Diaz shot was deflected into the opposition net.

The 19 years old, Diaz, was scored his first senior goal for Manchester City with the goal went on to complete his brace in the second half to take the contest to bed.
The festival has attracted more than 200 artists and musicians from over 30 countries worldwide, who will participate in the five major categories of symphony, chamber music, chorus, harmony of traditional musical instruments and harmony of Western musical instruments.

The artists will delight Vietnamese audiences with classic and contemporary musical pieces from Vietnam and other Asian and European countries.

They will also be invited to join short trips to explore the iconic Temple of Literature in Hanoi and the beautiful natural scenery of the Trang An landscape complex in Ninh Binh province.

Chairman Do Hong Quan said that the biennial festival is designated as an arts platform to introduce contemporary Vietnamese music, particularly instrumental music, to international friends.

It also aims to help foreign artists to gain a further understanding of the land, people, culture, and music of Vietnam, thus contributing to promoting the friendship between Vietnamese artists and their international colleagues.

The festival will open at the Hanoi Opera House at 7:30pm on November 24 with a concert featuring 11 musical pieces by celebrated composers from different countries. The concert will be held under the baton of Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji and Greek conductor Zoe Zeniodi.

The closing ceremony will take place at 7:30pm on November 27 at the Vietnam National Musical Academys Main Concert Hall.
Apple had yet another massive quarter, raking in billions, but the company is aware that the next quarter might not see such positive results.

In an interview with Reuters, Apples CEO, Tim Cook, warned that a potential weak holiday stretch is tied to a couple different factors. The first is timing, specifically as it relates to the most expensive iPhones the company has ever launched. Both the iPhone XS and XS Max launched in September, and with those devices largely being picked up by early adopters, the massive sales wont reflect in the next quarter, even with holiday shopping season in full effect.

And then the iPhone XR launched in October, and while that will surely help things, the device doesnt have as high a price tag, and therefore wont have such a huge impact.

Cook says the companys forecast, which includes a $2 billion hit, is due directly to exchange rates and emerging markets.

Cook said that Apple is seeing some macroeconomic weakness in some of the emerging markets. He later told investors that weak markets included Brazil, India, Russia and Turkey.

Apples guidance for the next quarter is between $89 billion and $93 billion, with the company leaning more towards $91 billion in the end.

[via Reuters
The awards ceremony was held at the Cultural Friendship Palace, Hanoi, on October 31.

The best short film prize was given to Water by Aizhana Kassymbek from Kazakhstan.

The Philippines Christian Bables won the best actor for his role in the film Signal Rock, while Phuong Anh Dao, in the film Nham mat thay mua he (Summer In Closed Eyes), was honoured as the best actress.

Polish director Piotr Domalewski was named best director for his feature film Silent Night and Nguyen Le Hoang Viet of Vietnam was announced the best young short-film director for the film Ban cung phong (Roommate).

The judges awards for feature and short films went to The countryside people by Serbias director Vladimir Todorovic and Hai dua tre (Two kids) by Ta Quynh Tu of Vietnam, respectively.

The film Student, by Lee Kyung-sub from the Republic of Korea, was honoured with the Network for Promotion and Asian Cinema (NETPAC) award.

This years festival featured 147 films from 45 countries and territories around the world, including a total 47 of Vietnamese films.

Notably, audiences enjoyed outdoor screenings at Ly Thai To Flower Park with three films: Co Ba Saigon (The Tailor) from Vietnam, Anida and the floating circus (Argentina) and Simple (Australia).

A wide variety of practical activities were held on the sidelines, including a HANIFF script-writing camp, film project market, seminars, and film discussions.

Director Nguyen Le Hoang Viet receives the best young short-film director award. (Photo: NDO/Tuyet Loan)
The delegation was led by Teresa Maria Amarelle Boue, Politburo member of the Communist Party of Cuba and Secretary General of the FMC.

Politburo member Mai, who is also President of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association, affirmed Vietnam's consistent policy of supporting the revolutionary cause of the Cuban people.

The Party official also spoke highly of the working visit and the close cooperation between the women's associations of both countries.

The Secretary General of the FMC emphasised that the solidarity, traditional and long-standing friendship between the two countries are invaluable treasures of the two Parties and States, which need to be preserved and nurtured among the younger generations.

Head of the PCCs Commission for Mass Mobilisation, Truong Thi Mai, said that Cuba's experience in the implementation of gender equity goals is a valuable lesson for Vietnam in order to create more opportunities for Vietnamese women.

Politburo member Mai suggested that the women's associations of both countries continue to coordinate to effectively implement the signed agreements, boost exchanges of delegations and information, and support each other at international forums.

Secretary General of the FMC Teresa Maria expressed her gratitude for the support of Vietnam for Cuba and Cuban women in particular, while expressing her belief that under the leadership of the Party, the Vietnamese people would gain more achievements in the renewal process.
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A worker prepares the Canadian flag next to the Israeli flag ahead of the arrival of Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland who meets with Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during her first to Israel, at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. Canada's rejection of Jewish refugees before the Holocaust was shameful, but Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told Israel that it is an "ironclad" ally against anti-Semitism especially after the Pittsburgh synagogue murders. (Jim Hollander/Pool via AP)
Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committees Economic Commission, made the statement at a reception for German Ambassador to Vietnam Christian Berger in Hanoi on November 1.

Germany is now the largest trade partner of Vietnam in the European Union (EU) in particular and Europe in general, with two-way trade in the first nine months of this year hitting nearly US$8 billion, an increase of 11 percent year-on-year, he said.

The Vietnamese official expressed his wish that Germany and EU member countries will support the Europe-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), saying that the early signing and adoption of the deal will be a significant step to realise the EUs Europe-Asia connectivity strategy as well as boost Vietnam-Germany relations.

He hoped that Christian Berger will make active contributions to developing the bilateral ties in an effective and practical manner.

For his part, the ambassador spoke highly of the important achievements Vietnam has made in its socio-economic development, affirming that Germany always treasures the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam.

He said his country wishes to actively support and foster the relationship between Vietnam and the EU, including the early signing of the EVFTA.


Susan Kootnekoff is a lawyer with Inspire Law in Kelowna. The content of this article is intended to provide very general thoughts and general information, not to provide legal advice. Specialist advice from a qualified legal professional should be sought about your specific circumstances To contact the writer, call 250-764-7710 or info@inspirelaw.ca.
Burke/Triolo Productions/Thinkstock Granger Smith's film honoring five fallen soldiers will premiere November 30, the same day its soundtrack is released. You can watch the trailer for They Were There: A Hero's Documentary on his YouTube channel, where you'll later be able to screen the entire film.

"The Difference" hitmaker Tyler Rich will guest on Hallmark's Home & Family on Tuesday, November 6. You can watch for the newcomer starting at 10 a.m. ET on Hallmark Channel.

Tracy Lawrence's new holiday album, Frozen in Time, is available now. It adds the title track and "Please Come Home for Christmas" to his 2007 collection, All Wrapped Up in Christmas.

If you missed Martina McBride making pot roast, mashed potatoes and chicken on the Today show, you can catch up on her cooking segments online. You can also check out Runaway June's performance of "Buy My Own Drinks" on the show as well.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
>>> French PM Edouard Philippe begins official visit to Vietnam

France is the fifth largest economic power and the third largest exporter of services in the world. France has a long tradition of industrial invention, high quality education system, high level researchers, huge investment in research and development, and high labour productivity. As the leading European producer and exporter of agricultural products, France enjoys an annual trade surplus of US$6.6 billion in agricultural products alone.

France carries out a comprehensive foreign policy, acting as a bridge and pioneer in dealing with global issues. The European country also promotes economic diplomacy and boosts French images and products through cultural values, French language, its heritage, tourism and sports. France contributes 10% of the world's total in development aid and ranks fourth in the global donor league table.

Vietnam and France established diplomatic relations in April 1973. Since the late 1980s, France has taken the lead among Western countries in building up their relationship and forgiving debt for Vietnam, helping to settle debts with its creditors who are members of the Paris Club.

The two countries signed a joint statement on the establishment of the Vietnam-France strategic partnership during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dungs visit to France in 2013. The positive political relations between the two countries are marked by high-level visits, particularly the visit to Vietnam by French President Francois Hollande in 2016 and the visit to France by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in March 2018. The two countries have maintained many cooperative mechanisms, notably the annual dialogue on security and defence strategy and the annual high-level dialogue on economy.

It is pleasing to see that the economic cooperation between Vietnam and France is growing well. France is the Europe's fifth largest trading partner of Vietnam with bilateral trade of US$4.6 billion in 2017. Two-way trade volume in the first six months of 2018 reached US$2.3 billion. In 2017, France ranked third among European countries and 16th out of 114 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 512 valid investment projects posting a total registered capital of US$2.8 billion. Vietnamese businesses have so far invested in nine projects in France with a total investment capital of over US$3 million.

In terms of development cooperation, France is the leading bilateral official development assistance (ODA) donor for Vietnam, with Vietnam ranking second among Asian countries to receive French ODA, with total pledges of up to US$18.4 billion since 1993. France has so far provided preferential loans of EUR2.2 billion to Vietnam.

Education and training cooperation between the two countries has been established and boosted since the early 1980s. France always considers education and training a priority in its cooperation activities in Vietnam, focusing on French language teaching and human resources training at undergraduate and postgraduate level in various fields, including economics, banking, finance, law, and new technology. Vietnamese students in France have increased by 40% over the past 10 years with more than 7,000 Vietnamese students currently studying in the country.

France also ranks seventh among countries and territories investing in the tourism sector in Vietnam, with 14 projects worth a total US$188 million. Vietnam also identifies France as its key tourist market. The bilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology, security-defence, cooperation between localities, and health has left many imprints. As members of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), the two countries have implemented many cooperation activities within the OIF.

The Vietnamese community in France, which formed after the First World War, arrived at various times and circumstances. Over 300,000 Vietnamese people are currently living in France, most of whom have French citizenship. Knowledge is the strength of the Vietnamese community in France with about 40,000 Vietnamese holding university or postgraduate degrees. The Vietnamese Association in France has made significant contributions to the struggle for national independence and reunification in the past as well as the current cause of national construction.

The official visit to Vietnam by the French Prime Minister, Eduardo Philippe, aims to further promote the Vietnam-France strategic partnership, while creating favourable conditions for the two countries businesses to approach and learn about each others market, potential, and demand. May the French Prime Minister's visit to Vietnam be a success, contributing to peace and stability in the region and the world.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 56F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 34F. Winds light and variable.




By Dong Sun-hwa







The husband of seasoned actress Kyeon Mi-ri has been sentenced to four years in prison at the first trial for manipulating stock prices with false disclosures and reaping nearly 2.4 billion won ($2.1 million).







The Seoul Southern District Court also slapped a 2.5 billion won fine on Lee Hong-heon Friday for violating laws regarding capital markets and financial investment business.







"Lee played the key role in the scheme," the court said in its ruling. "In one case, he drew investors using Kyeon's name, although she was not involved in investment."







Lee, the former director of a company listed on the Kosdaq, was arrested and charged with alleged stock price manipulation from November 2014 to February 2016.







Kyeon previously said she had nothing to do with the incident. The two married in 1998.


During the visit, Deputy PM Dung had working sessions with Norways Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide, Minister of Trade and Industry Torbjorn Roe Isaksen, and Minister of International Development Nicolas Astrup.

He also met with leaders of Norways Government Pension Fund Global and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise.

At the meetings, the Norwegian leaders conveyed their deep sympathies over the death of President Tran Dai Quang and congratulating Vietnam on electing General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong as the new President.

The two sides lauded the sound friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Norway over the years with the regular exchange of delegations and meetings.

They spoke highly of the outcomes of the meeting between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in October this year.

They agreed that the two countries boast huge potential cooperation, stressing the need for stronger affiliation in the spheres of oil and gas, shipbuilding, maritime transport, culture, education, and tourism.

At the meeting with Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide, Deputy PM Dung expressed his hope that Norway will have a stronger voice to support the settlement of disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures in line with international law. The two sides concurred to continue supporting each other at multilateral forums and the United Nations.

At the meetings with Minister of Trade and Industry Torbjorn Roe Isaksen and Minister of International Development Nicolas Astrup, both sides recognised the growth in bilateral economic cooperation with two-way trade in recent years reaching over US$ 350 million per year.

Norway currently has 40 projects in Vietnam with a total investment of over 160 million USD, ranking 41st out of 129 foreign investors in the Southeast Asian country.

Deputy PM Dung suggested Norway help speed up the signing and ratification of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Meeting with leaders of Norways Government Pension Fund Global and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise, Deputy PM Dung underscored that Norway is an important partner of Vietnam. He highlighted many investment opportunities in Vietnam as a result of the equitisation of State-owned enterprises.

He pledged that Vietnam will create a favourable investment and business environment for foreign firms, including those from Norway, to invest and do business equally in the country.

The Deputy PM proposed that Norways Government Pension Fund Global and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise send business delegations to Vietnam to further explore the market. Currently, the US$ 1 trillion fund is investing in a number of big firms in Vietnam, including Vinamilk, MBank, and Hoa Phat Group.

Representatives of Norwegian firms showed interest in cooperation and investment opportunities in Vietnam, listing the country as one of the top newly-emerged markets.

They expressed hope that the Government of Vietnam will continue reforming the institutional and legal system, while also simplifying procedures for imports, and supporting Norwegian firms to invest particularly in shipbuilding, oil and gas, aquaculture, hydropower, wind power, and pharmaceuticals.

During the visit, Deputy PM Dung also had a meeting with officials of the Vietnamese embassy and the Vietnamese community in the country.
Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol, third from left, speaks at the beginning of a meeting attended by the heads of the country's nine banks at the BOK building, Friday. The governor said that financial market volatility is likely to expand further in the coming months due to lingering uncertainties abroad. Courtesy of Bank of Korea
Kim Young-choon, minister of oceans and fisheries / Courtesy of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

Oceans minister expresses cautious optimism for 'peace zone'



By Park Jae-hyuk



North Korea has emerged as the key factor for the success of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' bid to stimulate the economy of coastal areas, according to Minister Kim Young-choon.



In a recent interview with The Korea Times, he mentioned inter-Korean cooperation as one of the ministry's biggest tasks, along with revitalization of the shipping industry and fishing villages.



Kim was among the entourage that accompanied President Moon Jae-in on his visit to Pyongyang and Mount Baekdu for the inter-Korean summit in September. The minister, who stood next to Kim Jong-un for a commemorative photo on the mountain, has been the talk of the town as he described the North Korean leader as a dignified and generous young man.



During the September summit, the leaders of the two Koreas agreed to adopt the "Agreement on the Implementation of the Historic Panmunjeom Declaration in the Military Domain" as an annex to the Pyongyang Declaration.



The agreement includes the designation of joint fishing zones in the Yellow Sea.




Vehicles are lined up for export at Pyeongtaek Port in Gyeonggi Province, in this file photo. / Korea Times file



Economists say it is 'balloon effect' from US-China trade feud



By Nam Hyun-woo



Data backing the government's rosy outlook that Korea's exports will surpass $600 billion this year could be an illusion, misrepresenting the country's real economic condition, economists said Friday.



President Moon Jae-in cited the outlook to stress that the country's industrial fundamentals are strong and to ease business concerns. But experts said the number soared because exporters front-loaded their shipments to avoid next year's hefty tariffs stemming from the trade war between the U.S. and China.



"The $600 billion mark could be an optical illusion or a balloon effect," LG Economic Research Institute research fellow Kim Hyung-joo said.



"If the growth in exports were to be sustainable, other indicators in investment and jobs should also show similar trajectories. The fact that only exports show solid numbers means the growth will not be sustainable."



According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the country's exports amounted to $54.97 billion in October, up 22.7 percent from a year earlier. It was the second-largest monthly total since 1956, following September's $55.12 billion.



Citing those numbers, the ministry said Korea's exports will surpass $600 billion this year for the first time.



President Moon said this will be a remarkable achievement for Korea, but pointed out the country's economic polarization has worsened, stressing the government will continue efforts to tackle income inequality and job creation.



Kim said, however, the surge in exports "may not be what we should celebrate."



"Due to the trade conflict between the U.S. and China, around 25 percent tariffs will be imposed on exports from next year," Kim said. "Given the time required for shipping _ around 45 days _ exporting after mid-November will likely be slapped with various duties."



China reaped a record trade surplus of $34.13 billion with the U.S. in September. Foreign economists explained that exporters benefited from increased orders before U.S. tariffs were to hit.



Most of Korea's exports to China are intermediary goods, which can be affected by U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.



In the first half of this year, Korea's China-bound shipments accounted for 26.7 percent of the total, up 1.9 percentage points from last year.



"Thus, not only Korean exporters but also Chinese and U.S. exporters seem to be shipping their goods as much as possible in October and early November," Kim said. "Due to the base impact, the country's exports next year will contract."



While Korea's exports are showing robust growth, other indicators show that the country's industries are contracting.



According to Statistics Korea, production in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries for September sank 2.5 percent from a month earlier. From a year earlier, it dropped 8.4 percent.



Facility investment for September improved 2.9 percent, ending six consecutive months of decline, but it was still a 19.3 percent contraction compared with a year earlier.



Despite the government's drive to create more jobs, the unemployment rate stood at 3.6 percent in September, up 0.3 percentage points from a year earlier. It was the highest September jobless figure since 2005.



The number of unemployed people reached 1.02 million in September, up 92,000 from a year earlier.








By Jhoo Dong-chan



KB Kookmin Bank's Robo-adviser service, "Kbot SAM," is gaining market attention for its precise outlook in asset management amid the nation's tumbling stock market.



Run by human experts an algorithm to provide asset management, the Kbot SAM was introduced in Jan. 29. The artificial intelligence (AI) based deep running algorithm provides a tailor-made portfolio.



According to KB Kookmin Bank, Kbot SAM customers' average return was -1.4 percent as of Oct. 24. One out of its 10 customers has posted a profit since the service was rolled in January.



This is in stark contrast to the benchmark KOSPI and tech-heavy Kosdaq index which tumbled 21.6 percent and 27.2 percent, respectively. The Morgan Stanley Capital International Emerging Market index also slid 24.8 percent over the same period.



"The Kbot SAM suggested a tailor-made asset management portfolio based on customers' investment patterns," a KB Kookmin official said.



"The AI algorithm then analyzes its customer's financial history, including equity fund and stock trade records, to suggest an ideal asset management portfolio. It also regularly revised the suggested portfolio considering the latest developments in the market."



In May, the Kbot SAM extensively revised its portfolio, suggesting customers reduce their share in domestic equity funds while increasing investment in domestic bond funds. This is in stark contrast to its previous suggestion of a balanced portfolio.



"Despite the nation's solid stock market where the KOSPI sustained the 2,400-point level in April, the Kbot SAM suggested reducing my investments in Seoul stocks," said a 48-year-old Kbot SAM customer surnamed Kim.



"It suggested increasing my investment in domestic bond funds to 80 percent while reducing investment in equity funds. In the meantime, the nation's stock market has started clashing since June, but I managed to post a profit thanks to the algorithm service."



Not only KB Kookmin Bank but also other commercial banks are operating robo-adviser services to meet customer demands.



NH NongHyup Bank started utilizing the technology by rolling out "NH Robo-Pro" in August 2016 to provide retirement pension asset management and retirement design functions.



Woori Bank also introduced its AI-based algorithm service, "Woori Robo-Alpha," in May last year to provide a similar service for its customers.



The nation's second-largest lender Shinhan Bank introduced the M-Folio, a mobile asset management service, in November 2016.



In the past few years, robo-advisers have emerged globally as an alternative to human financial advisers who are active but often make costly investment mistakes.



Korea joined the trend few years ago to utilize the AI in asset management and other financial services. Of the nation's financial sectors, brokerages were the first movers to aggressively adopt the technology.



NH Investments launched the equity-linked "QV Robo Account" in December 2015 while Samsung Securities rolled out a similar service in June 2016 based on analysis on stock markets in the past 10 years and investment results.


By Yi Whan-woo







The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has been monitoring North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health using a three-dimensional video analysis program, according to a lawmaker, Friday.







The spy agency also has been analyzing soil samples collected near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, which Pyongyang demolished in May to show its determination for denuclearization.







"The NIS described a 3D program designed to scan and analyze changes in a person's body during a meeting with the National Assembly Intelligence Committee," the lawmaker said on condition of anonymity. "The analysis of Kim's health condition was made possible by building a 3D image of Kim based on video samples of him and scanning them through 360 degrees."







The program can discover health problems Kim may have, such as back pain, by simply analyzing the way he walks.







The NIS has been using the program for years, but its performance "dramatically" improved recently after it was transferred to a supercomputer.







"This is something that we've seen in science fiction," the lawmaker said.







When asked about Kim's health, the NIS only said "he's pretty fine" and refused to elaborate, according to the lawmaker.







During the intelligence committee meeting, the NIS revealed it asked outside experts to analyze soil samples collected near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site after North Korea demolished it May 24.







The North invited international journalists to witness it blow up the site, in line with Kim's pledge for denuclearization.







The NIS is believed to have revealed its analysis of soil samples to underscore that it is monitoring North Korea's possible nuclear activities despite the reconciliatory mood on the Korean Peninsula.







Previously, when a nuclear test induced an artificial quake in North Korea, South Korea collected traces of radioactive material in the air over the East Sea to get information about the blast. But this method has limits in getting exact details of the test, according to sources.










By Jung Da-min





A 2019

showing the everyday life of North Koreans is available from an online shop run by NK News, a subscription-based North Korea monitoring website.







Calendar photographer Pierre Depont snapped the images in different parts of North Korea, including Pyongyang, Wonsan, Masikryong, South Hamgyong Province, Rason and Kaesong in 2017 and 2018.







Through the photos, the photographer has tried to show life beyond the politics of North Korea. All those featured are North Korean citizens.






By Yi Whan-woo





Presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok met a close aide of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Seoul, according to Cheong Wa Dae, Friday.







It said Im had lunch with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi and discussed a wide range of bilateral issues.







They specifically went over the crown prince's possible trip to Seoul.







The meeting came after President Moon Jae-in and the crown prince agreed to have Im and Al Mubarak communicate routinely on their behalf, when the President travelled to the UAE.







Some political sources speculated the two countries are trying to ensure their friendship following an alleged diplomatic feud over military agreements and nuclear cooperation.







In March, the opposition parties said Moon's trip was to address the UAE's grievances over his administration's attempts to reduce its troop presence in the country or revise "secret" mutual military agreements signed under the conservative government of Lee Myung-bak (2008-2013).







The parties also said the trip was to allay the UAE's concerns about the impact Moon's nuclear-free policy would have on deals for South Korea to build and manage nuclear reactors in the Middle East country.







Im is seen as the President's most trusted aide, and met Al Mubarak and the crown prince in the UAE before Moon's March trip.







Earlier this week, he met top U.S. nuclear negotiator Stephen Biegun and had "in-depth talks" on the denuclearization of North Korea.


By Jung Hae-myoung





Gwyn Richards, the dean of Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times, Thursday, during his visit to Seoul. His school and the Korean National University of Arts held a joint concert, Friday. / Courtesy of Seoul Cyber University


By Lee Suh-yoon



Controversy is brewing over how to verify the "sincerity" of conscientious objectors, after a landmark Supreme Court ruling Thursday recognized religious beliefs as a justifiable reason for refusing mandatory military service.



Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su said in the verdict that the prosecution and the court would assess conscientious objector's claims by looking at "his family, childhood development, school life and other social experiences."



The court said that in a case, the accused would present materials that can prove his conscientious objection and the prosecution and the court will determine the sincerity.



Four justices, who disagreed with the 13-member bench's majority ruling, expressed concerns over the difficulty in distinguishing a person's true beliefs as opposed to someone pretending to have those beliefs.



"Whether one's expressed conscience is true cannot be proven in a criminal court trial," Justice Lee Ki-taik told the courtroom.



Justice Park Sang-ok also echoed Lee's point, saying justifiable reasons for refusing military conscription have to be "consistent and objective, such as a medical condition."



"Subjective circumstances like religion or values are not a justifiable reason for refusing military service," he said.



While most conscientious objectors here are Jehovah's Witness followers, some also doubt how the prosecution or the court can distinguish the sincerity of a person's belief if they do not belong to that specific religion, and refuse military service by claiming their own belief in pacifism.



According to a 2016 survey by Amnesty Korea, around 70 percent of Koreans said they "cannot understand" conscientious objectors. Thursday's ruling unleashed a new onslaught of criticism against them.



At the forefront are conservative groups and politicians, who immediately issued statements citing fears of national security. They claim conscientious objection would become an exploited loophole, leading to a lack of military personnel for the country, still technically at war with North Korea.



"If everyone refuses to serve in the military now, who will protect this country?" Rep. Kim Jin-tae from the opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) tweeted Friday.



Rights activists and human rights lawyers say such criticism is groundless, citing examples of other countries such as Norway where recognizing conscientious objection did not lead to an increase in objectors.



The issue of fairness was also tossed around, with social media flooded with comments.



"Is the court saying the people who just suck it up and serve in the military do so because they don't have a conscience?" one user said.



The fairness issue is a sensitive one, especially for men who have already finished their military duty. The reaction is not surprising, considering how mandatory military service exposes young men to human rights abuses in a strict authoritarian hierarchy, leaving a painful imprint.



On an order from the Constitutional Court in June, the government is developing plans for alternative civilian service options and plans to announce these next week.


Investigators from the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency carry seized materials from their search of the office of WeDisk, a company owned by Yang Jin-ho, an IT CEO, in Bundang, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yang is accused of abusing and assaulting workers. / Yonhap



By Kim Rahn

Police have searched the offices and home of Yang Jin-ho, an IT entrepreneur, over his alleged abuse and assault of workers and killing of chickens.

His companies will also be subject to labor authorities' special inspection for alleged violation of labor-related laws.

On Friday, some 40 investigators from the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency searched 10 locations, including Yang's house in Bundang in Seongnam, and the offices of WeDisk nearby and Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province  two of several companies Yang owns.

The search followed the recent disclosure of video clips in which he slaps a former employee of WeDisk and forces workers to kill chickens with a crossbow and a Japanese sword at a workshop.

The investigators seized the crossbow, arrows, the sword and computer files related to the allegations of assault, coercion and animal abuse. "With the seized materials, we'll see whether he committed additional offenses," a police officer said.

The police plan to summon Yang for questioning as early as next week.

In one video clip taken in April 2015, Yang slaps a former worker's head and face several times and curses him in front of other workers at the WeDisk office. He orders the man to kneel down and apologize for leaving sarcastic comments on the company's bulletin board.
During the talks, the two sides informed each other about the situation in each country.

The German side spoke highly of Vietnam's achievements in socio-economic development and international integration; as well as the Southeast Asian nations important role and position in ASEAN and in the Asia-Pacific region, saying that this is an important basis for the two sides to enhance cooperation in the coming time.

They highlighted the great potential for strengthened bilateral cooperation in the coming time, and agreed to promote exchange of delegations at all levels in the time to come, especially those among sectors, localities and enterprises; and to work closely to build programmes to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam - Germany diplomatic ties in 2020.

Andreas Michaelis accepted with pleasure Deputy FM Sons invitation to visit Vietnam and promised to arrange a visit to Vietnam for the strategic at a convenient time for a strategic dialogue between the two countries foreign ministries.

The German side highly valued its effective cooperation with Vietnam at international and regional forums such as the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the ASEAN-EU cooperation mechanism as well as Vietnam's implementation of international commitments.

The two sides agreed to support the maintenance of multilateralism and global free trade; coordinate closely and support each other to stand for international organisations, especially those within the UN.

They were delighted that the German House project in Ho Chi Minh City is being performed well, saying that the work will provide a gathering place for German businesses in Vietnam, contributing to promoting the bilateral trade and investment ties.

Both sides appreciated the importance of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), affirming that Germany will make every effort to promote the signing and approval of the trade pact.

The German side expressed its joy at the effective operation of the Germany-Vietnam University in the southern province of Binh Duong - a prominent project for the bilateral cooperation between the two nations; and agreed to continue to support Vietnam in training human resources serving the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Germany is willing to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in training and using Vietnamese nurses in Germany, Andreas Michaelis said.

The two sides agreed to intensify collaboration in other areas such as justice and participation in UN peacekeeping operations.

They also exchanged their views on international and regional issues of common concern, including those related to the East Sea, and the ASEAN - Germany and ASEAN - EU ties.
By Lee Min-hyung



U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent expression of discontent to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha over an inter-Korean military agreement resulted from a "misunderstanding," according to National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief Suh Hoon.



The incident happened a day before the beginning of an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang from Sept. 18 to 20, when the two Koreas signed the military agreement outlining a series of bilateral tension-easing steps.



At that time, Pompeo vented in a telephone conversation with Kang that Seoul did not communicate enough with Washington before making the agreement. Last month, Kang said it was "correct" that Pompeo had complained.



But the NIS chief said Thursday this was nothing more than a misunderstanding due to a lack of internal communication in Washington. Suh added Pompeo called Kang back about three hours after he expressed his anger when he found out that the inter-Korean agreement was made after consultation with the U.S. military authorities in advance.



"Before announcing the inter-Korean military agreement, the government and military authorities had had about 50 meetings with the United Nations Command and U.S. armed forces," Suh said in a National Assembly audit Wednesday.



"After checking details internally, Pompeo called Kang back and resolved the misunderstanding," he said.



The NIS chief also reportedly explained that details over the pre-summit negotiations between Seoul and Washington were not properly delivered to the U.S. Department of State, and this caused the recent controversy.



His remarks are in line with the foreign ministry's stance that it has had close negotiations with its U.S. counterpart to fine-tune details before signing the military agreement during the summit.



The Seoul-Washington discord reached a peak last month when local reports claimed that Pompeo was dissatisfied with the inter-Korean military agreement and expressed this to the foreign ministry, citing the South's failure to have enough talks with the U.S. before announcing the accord.



The controversy showed no sign of abating when the foreign ministry declined to confirm the diplomatic clash between Seoul and Washington in September.



Last month it only said, "Seoul has closely teamed up with Washington in every process (to draw up the agreement)."



"The government has had close discussions with the U.S. before signing a series of inter-Korean agreements in all areas, including the military and any inter-Korean relations; and both sides will continue to have these on inter-Korean affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk said in a media briefing last month.



Regarding a report that claimed the existence of a foreign ministry document that states Pompeo's dissatisfaction, the ministry spokesman only said that he "cannot confirm" details, which raised concern of friction with Washington.



The foreign minister said last month during an Assembly audit that she also had a telephone conversation with Pompeo after the three-day-long inter-Korean summit. She said: "Pompeo expressed gratitude to President Moon Jae-in over his achievements following the summit in Pyongyang."




By Mark Peterson



My recent visit to Sacheon village in Uiseong County of North Gyeongsang Province left me thinking about the traditional Korean village today. I wrote last time about Sacheon throwing all its efforts into becoming internationally known as a "storyteller's" village as a way to both promote storytelling as an art form and revive a dying village in the process.



This visit to a traditional village, and a night in an ondol room, sleeping on mats on the floor, brought back to me many pleasant memories. I've spent many years on an ondol floor. And after living in Korea in traditional, and semi-traditional homes (meaning "hanok" and more modern homes still with heated floors), I have moved to America, but returned from time to time (six times in all) to live in traditional villages, what today are often referred to as hanok villages. I've also spent more than 20 nights, one at a time, in Buddhist temples, so-called "templestay," with student groups and teacher groups. The six trips with students were spring term "study abroad" experiences where we stayed in a hanok village and slept on ondol floors.



"Hanok" has become a term. We used to just say traditional house, or Korean house, or old-fashioned house, or use the Korean term "giwa-jip"  literally, a tiled-roof house. But these days in English and Korean we use the Korean word hanok, literally "Korean house." Now, in Korea it's become fashionable to spend a night or two at a traditional Korean house; they call it the "hanok chehom"  the hanok experience.



The six student groups I led stayed twice in Yangdong, a yangban village on the outskirts of Gyeongju, in 1999 and in 2001. There, it was so unusual for a group to stay in a hanok village that KBS made a documentary about it  it's now on YouTube with the tile, "Mark Peterson's Summer School." Subsequently, I led student groups to stay at the hanok village inside Yeongnam University in 2004, and at Gimhae Hanok Village (associated with Inje University) in 2007, 2009 and 2011. I've been doing the hanok chehom before they started calling it, hanok chehom.



Traditional Korean villages are getting "on board" with the idea of promoting the beauty and tradition of the hanok.



Sacheon is going to try storytelling as its logo, its pony to ride, its hope for salvation. If they tried to apply for UNESCO recognition, they might get their dream to come true; but their dream might become a nightmare.



Hahoe Village has been irredeemably transformed by tourism; it can be argued that it is not the same place it once was. To some it's a dream that has become a nightmare. In Yangdong, the year they were applying for UNESCO status, I happened to be in the village and was invited to a meeting with the village elders where they discussed whether they were going to go ahead with the application or not. The experts from outside the village that were there to help them write the application  a huge pile of documentation, more than 500 pages  asked them at one point if they really wanted to do this. And warned them that the village would be changed forever if UNESCO accepted their application. The village elders seemed somewhat hesitant, but felt they owed it to their ancestors to seek glory  the glory would go to the ancestors, the founders of the village, in the view of the village elders.



Well, Yangdong's dream came true, in some senses, but some think it is a nightmare. The place is overrun with tourists. It was saved from oblivion, but now it's a completely different village, unlike anything it could have foreseen.



Sacheon's dream is to become the center for storytelling in Korea. That might be better than going the UNESCO route? It will give it new life; people might move in, the school might be revived, and it might survive as a village.



Sacheon could apply for UNESCO status. It would give them the salvation they are looking for, but it will change the village into something unrecognizable. The storytelling center might be a better alternative, a more modest attempt at bringing the village into the present. Their plans are big: they want festivals, a training center and a school for children to learn storytelling as an art, as a skill. They anticipate achieving international recognition. And it's entirely reasonable. There are similar storytelling centers in other countries  why shouldn't there be one here?





Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.


By Joschka Fischer







BERLIN  Politically, 2019 will be an extraordinarily important year for the European Union. The United Kingdom is currently on track to leave the EU on March 29, 2019. And, following elections to the European Parliament in May, nearly all of the most important leadership positions across EU institutions will turn over.







Thus, depending on how parliamentary seats are distributed, Europe could witness a major realignment of power among member states, within EU institutions, and between member states and the Parliament.







The new distribution of power within EU institutions will be reflected largely through personnel. New presidents of the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Central Bank will be appointed, and a new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy will be chosen.







If nationalist Euroskeptic parties become the largest group in the European Parliament, these appointments could represent an abrupt break from the past.







EU member states are more divided now than ever, even on the most fundamental issues concerning the European project. The broad pro-European consensus of the past has been replaced by a resurgent nationalism.







Moreover, east is increasingly pitted against west, and north against south. And there is good reason to fear that these widening rifts will be reflected in the new composition of the Parliament, making majority governance difficult if not impossible.







Today's de facto grand coalition between the conservative European People's Party (EPP) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) most likely will not survive beyond the elections.







The S&D, in particular, is in deep  indeed, existential  crisis across Europe. And there are new players on the field, including French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist La Republique En Marche! and a smattering of radical Euroskeptic and nationalist parties.







Given the unprecedented prominence of nationalist parties in this election cycle, the usual pro forma European campaign issues will inevitably take a back seat. This will be a contest about Europe and the future of European democracy.







Recent developments in a number of member states have challenged foundational EU principles such as the rule of law and the separation of powers. These democratic institutions, as well as questions of European solidarity and sovereignty, will all effectively be on the ballot.





Needless to say, the parliamentary elections will have far-reaching implications for Europe's future in a rapidly changing world. The current president of the United States has such disdain for the EU that many now talk of "the end of the West."







An increasingly revanchist Russia is waging wars along the European periphery and in Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking his country down the path of authoritarianism. And China is demanding recognition as a global power.







Worse still, U.S. President Donald Trump's recent decision to withdraw the U.S. from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia raises the threat of a renewed arms race. And this is coinciding with an escalating climate crisis and a global contest for predominance in artificial intelligence, the risks of which are still largely unaccounted for.







Against this dismal backdrop, the question is what will become of Europe. Will Europeans manage to hold on to their sovereignty, or will their self-inflicted disunity render them ever more dependent on other powers?







Pro-EU parties must make Europe's place in the world a central issue of the parliamentary election campaign; otherwise, they will suffer a shattering defeat at the hands of the new nationalists. The nationalists want to return to the past; it is up to the pro-Europeans to offer answers for the future.







Make no mistake: a nationalist victory next year would rock the EU to its core and throw it into another deep crisis. It would represent a defeat for the fundamental values of the European project.







Given the scale of the threat, pro-Europeans cannot count on business as usual. Recent upheavals in many member states' party systems have altered the electoral calculus, and the pro-Europeans must adapt accordingly.







For my part, I foresee next year's elections auguring dramatic change in Europe. For better or worse, the question of Europe itself has been politicized, and now it must be decided. There will either be a rebirth of nationalism or a victory for EU-level democracy and unity.







Sadly, pro-Europeans cannot hope for any help from abroad. In fact, the opposite is true: Europe must be vigilant in policing foreign interference in its affairs  including its elections.







In recent years, there has been much talk of the EU suffering from a "democratic deficit." But the fight for a majority in the European Parliament actually represents a major opportunity for democracy. Pro-Europeans need only wake up in time to seize it  or Europe's enemies will.







).





Joschka Fischer, Germany's foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader of the German Green Party for almost 20 years. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate ( www.project-syndicate.org
By Trudy Rubin



CHENGDU, China  One reason for the fashionable fear that Beijing is out to overtake America is the worry that China will soon outstrip the United States in key areas of technology.



Chinese President Xi Jinping fanned this fear with his Made in China 2025 pledge to catch up with the U.S. in 10 critical areas of tech by the middle of the next decade, including automation and artificial intelligence. Add to that the incidents of Chinese theft of intellectual property and forced technology transfer from multinational firms that want access to Chinese markets.



This all adds up to a tizzy about future Chinese technological triumphs.



Yet a visit with a group of young entrepreneurs in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, raised a question that clouds China's huge aspirations: Can your nation truly be innovative if your government directs the process from the top down?



Chengdu is a logical place to noodle over that question. Best known abroad for its panda preserve and its spicy Sichuan food, this major city has become a center for a vibrant startup culture that draws young Chinese and foreigners with its cheaper cost of living than Shanghai or Beijing. I met several entrepreneurs in a conference room at WeWork, a provider of shared office space located in a glass tower in the newish Jinjiang district.



"China has opened more than 5,000 (tech) incubators, with 200 in Chengdu alone," said Erik Ackner, a German who has lived in China for five years. He helps China's startup community connect with the rest of the world, through programs such as Startupbootcamp China in Chengdu. "There are so many innovation centers in universities, and in government," he added.



And there is a ton of government money sloshing around to fund startups and fly young aspirants around to conferences (there is also substantial private venture capital). So even though half the 5,000 incubators may prove useless, adds Ackner, the government strategy is to see which can survive.



But then there is the flip side, starting with the horribly slow internet controlled by government servers that ban Facebook, Google, and other outside content. The young entrepreneurs described having to "play hopscotch" with VPNs, the virtual networks designed to leap the great internet firewall. Often VPNs must be changed daily. Chinese business developers frequently write sophisticated software to get around the firewall.



Internet restrictions harm China's bottom line. "A lot of startups leave China to Thailand and elsewhere because it is very hard to expand internationally," said Hungarian entrepreneur Rafael Raj, who has worked in Chengdu for 15 years and is cofounder of Blockwise Consulting. "We work in an isolated bubble here," he added. "Development is top down and the government tells you where the money should be used."



The tech entrepreneurs were also troubled by a rigid Chinese education system that tells people "don't think" and a culture averse to risk-taking (the aim of successful startups is not to go public but to get bought out by medium-sized Chinese companies). Not an outlook that produces technological breakthroughs.



Instead, the Chinese take a different approach. "The big thing now is not innovation, but implementation," said investment fund manager Dinis Gaspar Nunes. In other words, while the U.S. excels at innovation, the Chinese focus on taking established technologies and making them better. For example: "They didn't invent artificial intelligence (AI), but they want to be best at it," Gaspar Nunes said.



So when it comes to technological breakthroughs, the United States will no doubt remain the leader. But given the scale of the Chinese market and available government funds, the Chinese could leapfrog ahead in some fields. And forced technology transfers could help them make that jump.



A key area where China could take the lead is AI, in large part because the size of the Chinese population provides access to so much data.



E-commerce is very advanced here, with everyone from kids to grandmas paying for nearly everything by flashing the barcode on their cell phones. And everyone can afford a cheap smartphone. Just imagine the amount of data that provides the Chinese government.



What surprised me at the roundtable was the accepting attitude of some Chinese entrepreneurs toward government use of that data, which includes compiling a "social score" on individuals that can affect everything from jobs to mortgages to whether they are allowed to travel.



"Your social score is to encourage better behavior," said Violet Chen, a Chinese native with a British graduate degree who helps foreign firms set up a Chinese digital presence. "If you have a higher score, for example, you can rent a phone charger without paying a deposit. It helps establish trust."



Her point: In China, the public embraces technology that gives power to the system.



We in the West assume that technological advances come from the bottom up in an open society. But the Chinese aim to prove that a top-down, closed system can still enable their country to play catch up  with some help from forced technology transfer. Their odds appear disturbingly favorable.





Trudy Rubin (trubin@phillynews.com) is a columnist and editorial-board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Her commentary was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Supreme Court orders Japanese firm to compensate



The Supreme Court delivered Tuesday a final verdict on the lawsuit against a Japanese company by four victims of forced labor during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation.



The top court upheld the Seoul High Court's 2013 ruling which ordered the steelmaker Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal (NNSM) Corporation to pay 100 million won ($88,000) per victim for forced labor and unpaid wages. Out of the four plaintiffs, who first lodged the litigation in 2005, only one is still alive.



The ruling was welcomed by various civic groups fighting for the victims of Japanese imperialism. It gives hope to the people who suffered under the Japanese occupation and offers belated consolation, although it is uncertain whether they will actually receive the money. Previously, the highest court in Osaka confirmed that NNSM was not responsible for the liabilities of the company's predecessors. Tuesday's ruling, however, did not recognize the effect of the Japanese court's ruling.



The Supreme Court's verdict is noteworthy in that it reaffirmed that the 1965 Korea-Japan bilateral treaty, in which the two countries settled issues from the colonial period, did not terminate individuals' rights to seek compensation for damages incurred during the Japanese occupation. The verdict is likely to influence similar damages suits against Japanese companies regarding forced labor pending in local courts. The victims of the wartime sexual slavery, some of who have also lodged damages suit, also welcomed the ruling,



However, the verdict is expected to further complicate Korea-Japan relations, which have soured in recent years due to their differences over the so-called comfort women and a foundation set up for them based on a Korea-Japan deal made between the administrations of President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2015. Japan is likely to lodge a strong complaint on the verdict.



Despite the ruling, Japan's position is expected to remain unchanged. It has maintained that all compensation related to the Japanese occupation was settled through the 1965 Korea-Japan basic treaty signed under the Park Chung-hee administration. Based on the treaty, the Tokyo paid $500 million to Seoul for a final settlement. But the Korean government has claimed the treaty did not cover all the issues.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had conveyed to the Japanese side about the need to not let the verdict negatively influence bilateral relations. At a critical juncture on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul and Tokyo need to refrain from inflaming a historical row.




By Baek Byung-yeul





Models introduce LG Electronics' Puri Care 360 air purifier in this photo provided by the company, Oct. 22. / Courtesy of LG Electronics

Home appliance makers such as LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics have launched new air purifiers to attract the growing number of consumers who are becoming increasingly concerned about worsening air quality in the upcoming winter season.



Korea has been plagued by heavy fine dust from late fall to spring. As it is especially hard to open windows at home, more consumers here are purchasing air purifiers.



In dealing with fine dust, home appliance makers are benefiting from the fast growing air purifier market. While about a half million air purifiers were sold in 2014, the market grew to about 1.4 million last year. Industry watchers presume it will grow to 2.5 million this year.



LG Electronics said Monday it launched an updated version of its Puri Care 360 air purifier. The premium air purifiers, which start at 790,000 won, is one of the most popular air purifiers here. Equipped with a 360-degree circulation and filtration system, the product is known for a six-layer filter system that efficiently removes fine dust in rooms.



LG said the new version can cover rooms of up to 100 square meters. The previous Puri Care 360 devices were available in four different sizes including 51.5, 58, 81 and 91 square meters, but the new version can cover a wider range of 54.5, 62, 91 and 100 square meters.



"Air purifiers have been increasingly used not only at home but also in various public places such as kindergartens, hospitals and schools," an LG official said, adding the company is also aiming business-to-business air purifier market. "The new Puri Care 360 will be suitable for those public spaces as it can cover more spaces."





A model poses with Samsung Electronics' Cube air purifier in this photo provided by the company, Oct. 15. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
ICT minister stresses public-private sector cooperation in next-generation telecommunications

By Jun Ji-hye



Korea has been grabbing worldwide attention as a venue for the world's first fifth-generation (5G) networks with telecom companies here moving to launch commercial 5G services Dec. 1.





ICT Minister Yoo Young-min

With the nation speeding up the 5G commercialization, global ICT companies as well as equipment makers are also moving fast to enter the Korean market as it will be a test bed for their technical skills, which will help them gain competitive advantages and business opportunities in the global market.



Knowing that 5G commercialization carries an important meaning, the Ministry of Science and ICT has actively supported mobile carriers.



In an interview with The Korea Times, ICT Minister Yoo Young-min stressed the need for the government and companies to closely cooperate to reach the goal.



"The world's first 5G commercialization is very meaningful in that Korea will have an advantageous position in the global market and take the leadership," Yoo said in the interview on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of The Korea Times, Nov. 1.



"Amid intensifying competition among global mobile carriers, it is significant for the government and companies to join hands and reach the goal together."



The nation's three mobile carriers _ SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus _ plan to provide 5G services using mobile routers first rather than smartphones, Dec. 1. The services on smartphones will be available from March next year as initially planned. Mobile routers are devices providing mobile connections for Wi-Fi devices.



"We understand that preparations have been going well in each area such as devices, equipment and services," Yoo said. "We expect the launch of the world's first commercial 5G service to help Korean companies expand into the global market and create relevant jobs."




Song Chang-hyun, chief technology officer of Naver, speaks during a conference at COEX, southern Seoul, Friday. / Courtesy of Naver



By Baek Byung-yeul



Naver, one of the leading internet firms here, said it will contribute to nurture a healthy ecosystem for local startups, the company said during a conference for local venture firms, Friday.



Song Chang-hyun, chief technology officer (CTO) of Naver, said there should be more effort to nurture technology startups here. "The country's tech startups are unsung heroes of our industry," Song said during the Tech Meets Startup conference at COEX, southern Seoul.



"Four years ago, 1.6 trillion won ($1.4 billion) was invested into venture firms but this increased to 3.3 trillion won this year. However, among 95 startups that succeeded to procure seed funding of more than 3 billion won ($2.7 million) last year, only 15 were tech startups," Song said, adding "Naver will contribute to the growth of those tech-based startups as a member of the industry ecosystem."



Naver operates its startup accelerator program D2 Startup Factory, and since 2015, it has funded 28 startups. Naver holds an annual conference for software developers but it came up with another conference focusing on tech startups in a bid to provide opportunities to share survival stories of existing companies here.



The conference featured various panels from existing startups here and venture capital firms. Comprised of eight sessions including how to develop source technology, commercialize their technologies and procure funding from investors, about 600 people participated in the conference.



Song pointed out local startups here are underestimated even though they have superior technologies because the country has a relatively small market size compared to the United States and China.



Bringing up the example of Amazon, the CTO said tech startups should put more effort into knowing who their customers are and what kinds of demands they have.



"Amazon doesn't take care of their competitors. They only focus on their customers, seeking ways to provide technologies so that their customers can make more money," Song said. "Even though we have a small market size compared to startups in China or the U.S., I think tech startups here are lacking in finding their customers. They also need to think more about what kinds of needs their customers have."



The Naver conference is in line with the latest trend of local IT firms. They have held a series of conferences for local startups in a bid to nurture an ecosystem for venture firms and to secure startups or creative talent with high potential.



Naver holds the DEVIEW conference, an annual meeting for developers; and SK Telecom, the country's largest mobile carrier, also recently hosted an artificial intelligence (AI)-related conference, the ai.x 2018, in September. Internet firm Kakao hosted the AI conference, If Kakao, also in September.






By Baek Byung-yeul







Samsung Electronics Service, a warranty service arm of Samsung Electronics, said Friday it will hire 8,700 workers from its subcontractors as regular employees.







The company said its president Choi Woo-soo signed an agreement with Ra Doo-sik, labor union chief of the Samsung affiliate, and Kim Ho-gyu, president of the Korean Metal Workers' Union, to directly hire outsourced workers, at the firm's headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.







The agreement came about 200 days after the affiliate announced in April that it would directly hire about 8,000 workers from its 90 partners.







The service arm also said it decided to allow the legal activity of its labor union. The country's leading conglomerate has faced mounting pressure to change its union-free policy that has lasted for 80 years.







The firm said 7,800 repair experts will become regular employees on Jan. 1, 2019, while 900 operators at call centers will become regular workers of Samsung Electronics Service CS, in which Samsung Electronics Service holds a 100 percent share, on Nov. 5.







With the agreement, the firm said it will become the largest after-sales company in Korea, with more than 9,000 employees and 184 repair centers throughout the country. The service arm also said wages and welfare benefits of employees will be vastly improved.







"We will try to build a future-oriented relationship between labor and management and we will also work hard to provide the best quality warranty service to customers," the firm said.







Given that more than 70 percent of the call centers workers are women, the firm said Samsung Electronics Service CS has strengthened social protection for female employees, including maternity protection and child-care programs.


PM Phuc lauded the tour to Vietnam by PM Edouard Philippe, saying it is the second high-level visit between the two countries in 2018 after the France visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in March.

The two sides agreed to increase delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high level, while promoting the role of coordination and direction mechanisms for bilateral cooperation, and forging stronger partnership in politics, economy, defence, science-technology, culture, and education-training.

The two leaders underscored that economic collaboration continues to be a priority in bilateral ties, stressing the need to speed up major joint projects and foster the relationship between Vietnam and the European Union.

PM Edouard Philippe stated that France supports the early signing and ratification of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EU, underlining Frances commitment to maintaining development cooperation with Vietnam in the future.

Both sides concurred to promote collaboration in building e-government and modernising State administrative governance, which is a new and promising cooperation area.

They will encourage and create favourable conditions for businesses of both sides to enhance their economic and investment partnership in areas of Frances strength and Vietnams demand such as infrastructure, energy, aviation-aerospace, health care, science-technology, communications, climate change response, and smart city.

They highlighted the significance of cooperation in education and training, including the development of the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi to an international-standard facility.

The two sides agreed to expand ties in culture, stressing the determination to turn cultural institutions of each country into centres for cultural cooperation and exchange, including the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France and the French Institute in Vietnam.

They shared the hope to strengthen partnership in security and defence as well as increase visits of French military ships to Vietnam, and support Vietnam in joining UN peacekeeping operations.

The two PMs agreed to enhance coordination in ensuring the success of the 11th conference on cooperation between Vietnamese and French localities scheduled for early April 2019 in Toulouse, France.

They pledged to work closely at multilateral forums, especially the UN and the Francophonie, while supporting each other in developing relations between France and Asia Pacific countries as well as between Vietnam and EU members.

The two sides will also promote collaboration in coping with global challenges, especially climate change.

Both Vietnamese and French PMs stressed the significance of ensure peace, stability and strengthening regional and international cooperation. They affirmed their commitments to maintaining navigation and aviation freedom, and solving disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures in line with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982.

The French PM showed his hope to enhance the role of France in the Asia-Pacific region.

The same day, PM Phuc and PM Edouard Philippe witnessed the signing of a number of agreements of cooperation between the two countries in various areas, including training, e-government development, health care, climate change response, environmental protection, urban management, aviation, and energy.
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Early voting is well underway in California ahead of Tuesday's election, and the ballots returned so far are giving us some clues about who's participating in this year's critical midterm elections.

Turnout's up overall in the state. It's doubled in many of the competitive House districts, compared with June's primary election.

But voter registration is also up in California, due in part to a program launched in April that automatically registers voters at the DMV, unless they opt out.

What happens on Election Day will determine whether key Southern California congressional races will contribute to any change in which party controls the House.

Democrats are hoping for a blue wave of support to help them flip Republican-held districts.

To learn more about early voting in California, we talked to Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc., a bipartisan voter data company.

Q: What's happened so far regarding early voting in California?

I think a lot of people who've been paying attention to California elections understand that we've converted a lot of our voting to voting by mail. And the election day has now essentially become an election month.

Statewide, 13 million of the state's 19 million voters actually received a vote-by-mail ballot. So those ballots can be filled out and mailed in or they can be dropped off at precincts or vote centers on Election Day. And that has become kind of the most common mode of voting, is voting by mail.

Q: How have voter registration numbers changed in California?

Traditionally, what happens in California is the voter registration rolls grow and grow in presidential election cycles, and then in gubernatorial election cycles, people just aren't as motivated. Voters kind of fall off the voting rolls, there's not a lot of high rates of registration. So the total number of state voters usually dips in a gubernatorial election cycle and then rises again in a presidential.

This is the first time we've seen where the number of registered voters has continued to grow. And we are very, very close to 20 million registered voters in the state. And, you know, that's a high [number].

Q: Why is that happening?

A lot of the reason why we're at that number is because we've changed the way that we register voters -- most Importantly, the way that the DMV does their registration. The DMV process for years has been that when you're at the DMV, they offer you an opportunity to register to vote. And if you want to hang out at the DMV for five extra minutes, you can do it. And you know, you would have a lot of people registering at the DMV. But a lot of people, just out of expediency, would say "no" and leave.

They flipped it, so that now when you're at the DMV, they are going to register you to vote if you're an eligible voter. And if you do not want to register to vote, you have to essentially say "no," and fill out a little thing.

So the easiest path to get out of the DMV quickly is to just give in and say, "Sure, you know, update my voter registration or register me to vote."

And that has resulted in millions of voter registrations, the vast majority of which are simply re-registrations. ... But there still have been, you know, hundreds of thousands of people getting registered to vote who weren't previously registered to vote.

And the real question is ... are they motivated enough to actually vote and turn in their ballot?

We'll see what it means for total turnout.

Q: What are the indications that Democrats will show up in large numbers for this election? Will there be a blue wave?

Well, we definitely can see higher overall turnout in those targeted districts that essentially have become nationalized. In most cases, we're essentially seeing double the turnout that we saw in the primary election, but still not the level of turnout that we saw in, say, the 2016 presidential.

So it's higher than expected for a gubernatorial, not as high as we would expect for [a] presidential [election].

And so in terms of a blue wave, that's the first piece of it is -- just overall higher turnout in those key competitive districts.

And the composition of the turnout so far has been what we would expect. It's been more Republican, and it's been older. And the real challenge for Democrats is to see if in the kind of end game of this election cycle, they can get out more of those younger and Democratic and left-leaning independent voters.

Q: What's going on with younger voters in Orange County so far?

What we're seeing is that just as of last weekend, we started to see an uptick in voting for voters in kind of the ages 18- to 45-year-old range. And that uptick was enough essentially to bring down the share of the electorate that was seniors below 50 percent.

And that isn't a lot. But it is a movement that we hadn't seen in the primary. And if over the next few days, the young voters can make a greater share of the electorate, I would consider that more of a sign of this blue wave. Not that all young voters are going to be democratic. But if Democrats are going to win, it's going to be because they get outsized support from young voters.

Q: Any suggestions for people who've already voted but are getting lots of mailers?

When somebody does return a ballot, the county registrars will let the campaigns know who's voted so the voters don't keep getting harassed.

So one little tip for voters is if you want to stop the calls and mailers, you can oftentimes just vote early and a lot of that will subside.

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.

So the easiest path to get out of the DMV quickly is to just give in and say, "Sure, you know, update my voter registration or register me to vote."

And that has resulted in millions of voter registrations, the vast majority of which are simply re-registrations. ... But there still have been, you know, hundreds of thousands of people getting registered to vote who weren't previously registered to vote.

And the real question is ... are they motivated enough to actually vote and turn in their ballot?

We'll see what it means for total turnout.

Q: What are the indications that Democrats will show up in large numbers for this election? Will there be a blue wave?

Well, we definitely can see higher overall turnout in those targeted districts that essentially have become nationalized. In most cases, we're essentially seeing double the turnout that we saw in the primary election, but still not the level of turnout that we saw in, say, the 2016 presidential.

So it's higher than expected for a gubernatorial, not as high as we would expect for [a] presidential [election].

And so in terms of a blue wave, that's the first piece of it is -- just overall higher turnout in those key competitive districts.

And the composition of the turnout so far has been what we would expect. It's been more Republican, and it's been older. And the real challenge for Democrats is to see if in the kind of end game of this election cycle, they can get out more of those younger and Democratic and left-leaning independent voters.

Q: What's going on with younger voters in Orange County so far?

What we're seeing is that just as of last weekend, we started to see an uptick in voting for voters in kind of the ages 18- to 45-year-old range. And that uptick was enough essentially to bring down the share of the electorate that was seniors below 50 percent.

And that isn't a lot. But it is a movement that we hadn't seen in the primary. And if over the next few days, the young voters can make a greater share of the electorate, I would consider that more of a sign of this blue wave. Not that all young voters are going to be democratic. But if Democrats are going to win, it's going to be because they get outsized support from young voters.

Q: Any suggestions for people who've already voted but are getting lots of mailers?

When somebody does return a ballot, the county registrars will let the campaigns know who's voted so the voters don't keep getting harassed.

So one little tip for voters is if you want to stop the calls and mailers, you can oftentimes just vote early and a lot of that will subside.

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Californians will vote on 11 statewide initiatives when they go to the polls Tuesday. The state has one of the strongest direct democracies in the world -- established more than a century ago in response to powerful railroad interests.

But in recent decades the initiative process has come to be dominated by the very forces it was invented to avoid: special interests with lots of money.

"The realities of the initiative process today are that if you don't have money, you won't be able to get a statute or a constitutional amendment through," said Mary-Beth Moylan, a professor at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. "It really is so expensive."

According to Moylan, it typically costs about $2 million -- and in recent years as much as $7 million -- to get an initiative on the ballot. It starts with a $2,000 filing fee and costs for lawyers, but by far the hardest, most expensive part is getting the requisite signatures to qualify.

A simple initiative requires five percent of the votes cast in the last election. With California's massive population, that equals almost 400,000 signatures in just six months.

"That's a lot of signatures for just a grassroots organization to collect out of just the goodwill of their base," said Moylan.

This year's ballot features proposition campaigns bankrolled by the deep pockets of a powerful union, the Realtors Association, and Silicon Valley billionaires.

The money helps pay for guys like Scott Schultz, who works part-time as a professional signature gatherer, making up to $25 an hour during the peak season for circulating petitions.

He deploys all kinds of strategies to get as many signatures he can, as quickly as he can: He carefully chooses the geographic location and the type of retail to stake out according to the political leaning of the petitions, and uses fast-talking people skills to engage passers-by.

"You can kind of lean in and kind of just place the board with the petition in front of them, take your pen and kind of lead it to that empty spot so that they can just reach for it and finish," he said.

He's a quick-study at sizing people up, then throwing out a key word to hook them in: "Governor Moonbeam" for a suspected conservative, or "ACLU" for the liberals.

(Photo by Susanica Tam//KPCC)

He's part of a whole cottage industry that has grown up around the initiative process. And there may be no better example of how it functions than the 1984 lottery initiative.

"That's one in which the initiative industry itself created a measure," said Joe Mathews, a journalist who wrote the book "California Crackup."

He tells a story about a California signature gathering firm, Kimball Petition Management, that was looking to gin up some business for itself.

Mathews wrote that after some polling, the firm determined a lottery initiative was likely to pass. So it pitched the idea to a company that makes lottery supplies.The idea was the company would hire Kimball's firm to collect signatures and, if the initiative passed, it could sell lottery equipment to the state.

The plan was a success -- Kimball got new signature gathering business, the voters passed the initiative, and the state contracted with the company to run the lottery.

Proceeds from the lottery do benefit California schools, but they only make up about 1.5 percent of the public education budget. So who were the real beneficiaries of this experiment in direct democracy?

"It doesn't look very direct, right?" said Mathews. "It's very much just buying and selling."

It's a far cry from the vision conceived more than a century ago by leaders who started the initiative system to take back power from special interests.

There are ideas to reform the process: There have been legislative attempts to limit how signature gatherers get paid, but those have been vetoed by the governor. And Mathews suggests allowing more time to gather signatures would cut down on the cost.

All of those ideas would also cut down on Scott Schultz's income. "It's a drag that it's a money game," he said. "But at the same time, I think that it's the best process that there is and I love being part of the political process."

The California Dream series is a statewide media collaboration of CALmatters, KPBS, KPCC, KQED and Capital Public Radio with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the James Irvine Foundation.
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If you're a California voter having a tough time deciding how to mark your ballot in the lieutenant governor's race, you're not alone.

There's a couple of factors making this contest confusing, according to Jaime Regalado, California State University, Los Angeles political science professor emeritus.

"If you have two candidates that most people don't recognize, and they're of the same party, it makes for a difficult choice," said Regalado.

VOTER GAME PLAN: Southern California's guide to filling out your ballot >>

Both candidates running for the job are Democrats. Neither has great name recognition.

State Sen. Ed Hernandez, an optometrist, has spent the last 12 years as a state legislator. Unless you live in his district or you're really interested in state health policy, you'd be forgiven for not knowing who he is.

Businesswoman Eleni Kounalakis, who comes from a family of wealthy developers, is a former U.S. ambassador who has never held elected office. She is running TV ads that joke about how no one is quite sure how to say her name.

The lieutenant governor doesn't hold much power. But the position can be an important stepping stone to higher office. Just ask former California Gov. Gray Davis or the current lieutenant governor, Gavin Newsom, who hopes to follow the same path Davis took to the governor's mansion.

HOW THEIR PLATFORMS STACK UP

On many issues, it can be hard to tell the candidates apart. Part of the lieutenant governor's job is to serve on the boards for the University of California and California State University systems. Both Hernandez and Kounalakis have said they would not vote to increase tuition.

The lieutenant governor also sits on the State Lands Commission. Both candidates have opposed the Trump administration's plans to open up more of California's coast to offshore oil drilling. On these and other issues, their platforms overlap more than they diverge.

Hernandez is highlighting his legislative record, especially around health issues. He was behind legislation that raised California's minimum age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21. He also authored a bill to increase drug pricing transparency.

Kounalakis is running on her experience as the head of the U.S. embassy in Hungary from 2010 to 2013. She argues her background in development will help in tackling California's housing affordability crisis. She has said that she'll be more focused on higher education than healthcare.

Endorsements for Hernandez include those from California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Planned Parenthood and the California Nurses Association. Kounalakis is endorsed by Barack Obama, the California League of Conservation Voters and Emily's List.

HOW THEIR MONEY STACKS UP

Still scratching your head over this race? Here's one big difference between the two candidates: money.

The Kounalakis campaign has raised more than $11 million. Nearly $7.7 million of that is her own money. An independent committee backing her raised another $5 million from her father, Sacramento real estate developer Angelo Tsakopoulos.

The Hernandez campaign has raised much less: about $2.6 million. His top donors include labor groups like the California State Council of Laborers. Health insurance companies have also given to an independent committee backing Hernandez. Blue Shield chipped in $250,000 and Anthem Inc. gave another $50,000.

Add it all up, and much more money is flowing into this lieutenant governor's race than back in 2010, when Gavin Newsom won his first term against Republican Abel Maldonado.

The Hernandez campaign says Kounalakis is trying to buy the election. But her campaign says she's not beholden to donors, and that it's simply not cheap to run a successful statewide campaign, between the cost of TV ads and other expenses.

Regalado, the CSULA professor emeritus, said in some ways, it's not that strange to see such lopsided fundraising in this race.

"It's an important position without much power," he said. "For those who are looking for a political future -- and in the case of Eleni, a kind of baptism into elected office at a very high level -- this is your race."

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.
In a quiet room in the Riford Library on a Sunday afternoon, youll find a small but passionate group of locals partaking in a ritual thats thousands of years old. They call themselves the La Jolla World Tea Enthusiasts, and they bring their own. Tea, that is. And cups and saucers.

Lipton is a dirty word here, and tea bags are absolutely not allowed. And forget about paper cups, even if they are environmentally friendly. It all has to be authentic, right down to the Tetsubin cast-iron kettle boiling the water.

The club was recently started by Greg Anthony and Maryanne Miller after they attended a similar, but short-lived, event at The Athenaeum during the summer. They bring only imported rare and exotic teas that Greg purchases to serve  at least two different varieties each week.

I pick out teas from online suppliers, he explains. The teas are high-class teas from around the world  Ceylon yellow teas, aged puerh teas  teas that most people dont drink. I seek out those specialties.

Greg also brings an antique furogama to heat the water, which is used in Japanese tea ceremonies. He then ceremoniously pours the water into the teapot to brew it with the care, love and attention that each cup of tea deserves, he points out.

Greg and Maryanne share a serious perspective on the ritual. We seek not to simply enjoy tea. We want to fully experience the tea itself and all the history behind each tea. We want to be fully present with all of our senses and be in the moment of each sip. We seek the ceremonial, meditative, calming, majesty of each different tea we try, they recite.

Maryanne says her love of tea was instilled in her as a little girl. It goes back to my family background, she explains. My parents loved tea and so did I. Ive lived in La Jolla for 16 years and Ive always wanted to have a little club like this for tea drinkers. She admitted that she recently converted a bedroom at her home into a tea room for friends and family.

The first records of tea drinking date back to the third century A.D. as evidenced in a medical text written by Hua Tuo, known as a divine physician and worshiped as a medicinal god in Daoist temples in China. Tea was next introduced to Portuguese priests and merchants in Lebanon during the 16th century. And, of course, England is well-known for its love of tea, which dates back to the 17th century.

Our teas, here in La Jolla, are a social event for tea enthusiasts who really enjoy sampling specialized teas, Greg says. We try to guide the conversation, but its really an open table. People start talking about various things and we all join in. The point is to connect community members through tea drinking while learning from one another.

A local art dealer showed up while the Light was there, interested to learn more about the new club. I drink tea moderately, she explained. I was just curious about whats happening here.

And if youre wondering ... Maryanne is a semi-retired real-estate investor and Greg is an up-and-coming cyber-security geek. Their love of tea is what binds them together and they invite more people to take a moment out of their busy lives to just sit back and sip.

 IF YOU GO: La Jollas World Tea Enthusiasts meet 2-5 p.m. Sundays in the La Jolla Librarys Patio Room, 7555 Draper Ave., La Jolla. All are welcome, and the event is free. (858) 552-1657.
Guest Commentary / Opinion / Our Readers Write:

In response to a residents letter in the Oct. 10, 2018 La Jolla Light regarding Independent La Jolla, please allow me to correct some misunderstandings.

Independent La Jolla is chartered by the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commissions (LAFCO), which are regional service planning agencies of the State of California, to pursue Cityhood via the Special Reorganization process. LAFCOs across California manage the process from A-Z with an entity such as Independent La Jolla, charging fees for the work they perform.

The path from Village to City is an established, but lengthy, one that covers every aspect of governmental affairs. On a County level alone, there are 91 special districts in San Diego responsible for providing over 15 different types of services within both the incorporated and unincorporated portions of the County.

The services provided vary depending upon the needs of particular communities, available finances, anticipated population growth, and service demands. There are also a myriad of City and State agencies, as well as the California Coastal Commission involved. As it stands, there are 137 different land entities at various landmark points in the LAFCO process. These entities are hamlets wanting to become towns, towns to villages, villages to cities.

The legislative process alone is fairly complex. I attend meetings in Sacramento on a quarterly basis, meeting with City lobbyists on efficient ways to attain Special Reorganization. For the past four years, theres been a push in State Legislature to enable villages to only require a ballot vote of their village alone in order to qualify as a City. If this measure passes, only La Jollans would vote on our Special Reorganization fate.

The letter-writer mentions a new law in Special Reorganizations that he did not see explained on our website. There is definitely no new law. The laws surrounding the formation of California cities have not changed in decades. There were minor changes after the San Fernando Valley ballot measure in 2002, but even those were centered more on community involvement than process change. These are not listed on our website as they are not pertinent to San Diego County.

The letter-writer also mentioned that he does not find our website informative enough. We were a bit puzzled by that, as every current Special Reorganization document is posted there. This may be a navigation issue. Simply click through the drop-down tabs at the top of the landing page, and every document is there.

He also suggested that the website is outdated, but after analyzing our site this weekend, we believe weve figured out the confusion there. We have a section on the site called 2016 Documents. This section contains documents updated by the State in 2016, which is the last year any documents were updated.

Our website, up since 2004, is very active, as we receive more than 2,000 unique visitors a month, in part, because we have the current California documents posted. In October 2018 we had 2,763 unique visitors, which is excellent for a local non-profit.

Our Facebook page, which has been up since 2011, lists 3,796 Followers  also excellent for a local non-profit. So we definitely do our utmost to ensure that all information is publicly available and presented in a format that is comprehensive, but also navigable, and viewers have been responsive to that.

If anyone would like to view Special Reorganization documents by e-mail instead, please e-mail us at independentlajolla@sandiegocities.org
Opinion / Letters to the Editor / Our Readers Write:



Scooter hodge-podge is assault on disabled

This photograph  an especially egregious example of why many of us are anti-scooter  captures the reason. If youre in a wheelchair or otherwise physically disabled, you cannot move these things. With an injured shoulder, I couldnt pick them up and place them out of the way to clear a path to the wheelchair curb cut near my apartment  nor should I have to.

We claim that as a society we care about disabled veterans, the elderly, and others with physical challenges. Given that, we should prioritize policy toward those who have true mobility issues over those who want a fun way to get around.

Name withheld by request



Continue reporting STVR violations

Now that the San Diego City Council has rescinded the compromise rules on short-term vacation rentals, they are operating illegally in residential-zoned neighborhoods. It is time for those negatively affected by STVRs to write or call our Mayor and/or City Council members and complain every time a residential-zoned property is being used as a STVR. If these officials keep getting complaints on a regular basis, they may get fed up with dealing with us and realize they need to resolve this issue.

Let them know the address of the STVR, so they can document where this is happening.

Their contact information is Mayor Kevin Faulconer (619) 236-6330, kevinfaulconer@sandiego.gov; City Attorney Mara Elliott (619) 236-6220, cityattorney@sandiego.gov; Code Enforcement (619) 236-5500. (They wont do anything, but ask them to document your complaint.)

Avalee Cohen



La Jolla Christmas Parade name exudes exclusivity

I found quite interesting the opinions expressed recently by those who oppose any change to the name of our La Jolla Christmas Parade. One opinion was that discrimination and exclusivity among people was tolerable, if coupled with civility and proper social etiquette. Another was that a civic parade, which in name commemorates an important event in the history of a particular religion, can exclude all others as long as that religions followers stand in the majority.

It is undeniable that a Christmas Parade, by its very name, is a celebration of Christianity. And, that is fine, if the event is openly recognized and treated as such. If, however, the suggested purpose and intent of the parade is community, with a desire to join all people of La Jolla together with an eye toward neighborly inclusiveness, the events name does matter.

Dave Bola



Whats on YOUR mind?

 Letters published in La Jolla Light express views from readers in regard to community issues. To share your thoughts in this public forum, e-mail them with your name and city of residence to editor@lajollalight.com or mail them to La Jolla Light Editor, 565 Pearl St., Suite 300, La Jolla, CA 92037. Letters reflect the writers opinions and not necessarily those of the newspaper staff or publisher.
IN GOOD TASTE:

What started out as a marina owners desire to have a restaurant as an amenity on Harbor Drive in Point Loma has grown into a small chain that is expanding throughout Southern California and beyond.

Jimmys Famous American Tavern is a concept developed by David Wilhelm, a former chef whos worked in the restaurant industry for more than 40 years. The late John Grimstad, Wilhelms original business partner in the concept, was introduced to Wilhelm by a mutual friend, who wanted someone to manage and operate the restaurant. Grimstads son, Johnny, now serves as Wilhelms managing partner.

The Jimmys in Point Loma was opened in the summer of 2010, and, the public response was really great, so we decided we were going to slowly expand, Wilhelm told Point Loma-OB Monthly.

They brought in a consulting firm who gave the restaurant an evaluation, which came back great, loving the brand, and after that, they drew up a plan to open a new restaurant every year or two.

The second Jimmys Famous American Tavern was in Dana Point, which has consistently proven to be the chains most successful. Its near the harbor and surrounded by affluent communities, as well as high-end hotels. It has performed beyond my expectations, Wilhelm said.

Third to open, in the L.A. area was the Woodland Hills spot, followed by Brea; and two years ago, Santa Monica on Ocean Avenue.

The name, Jimmys Famous American Tavern, is based off a semi-fictitious character. Wilhelm explained that his friend, Jimmy Duval, works in the fashion industry but is also a backyard cook. Jimmy always has a bunch of famous dishes he makes for his friends and family. So when the restaurant was in its conception mode in 2010, the gastropub was big and Wilhem decided he wanted to make his restaurant a celebration of American comfort food with dishes from around the country. Jimmys Famous just stuck.

I also like the name tavern because it is a community meeting place, Wilhelm added. I wanted it to represent a modern day version of Cheers. 

Jimmys has since become a go-to place, a watering hole, and a setting for celebrations and holidays. The menu, decor and seating is geared toward attracting a broad audience, whether families, retirees, locals, military, or birthday parties. People use us in a lot of different ways, Wilhelm laughed.

One thing that sets Jimmys apart, is its dedication to being a certified Green restaurant committed to using sustainable food and resources. We felt that was important, Wilhelm said. Going through the process of becoming Green certified, meant, for example, purifying their water onsite, using all recycled materials  no Styrofoam  and, of course, no straws. Its worth it, Wilhelm insisted.

In addition to its Green certification, Jimmys has taken it a step further and joined the Seafood for the Future program, serving only sustainable seafood. The major seafood vendors say aquafarming is the future of seafood, since the oceans are being fished out, Wilhelm added.

While Jimmys serves classic American comfort food, it is comfort food with a twist. The Caesar Salad, for instance, is made with grilled lettuce, has poblano peppers, and is topped with toasted pumpkin seeds.

We have a great, great burger, too, Wilhelm said, pointing out its their most popular item. The signature burger is made with Mishima Wagyu beef, one of four strains of Kobe beef that is supposed to higher in omega-3s and lower in saturated fat and cholesterol. People love burgers, and if they can feel better about the quality of the burger, then its a big win-win, Wilhelm said.

 Jimmys Famous American Tavern, 4990 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego, is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch Monday-Friday; 3-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday for dinner (to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday); and serves brunch 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Happy Hour is 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. (619) 226-2103. j-fat.com

One of Jimmys Famous burgers with cheese ( Courtesy)
* US President Donald Trump on November 1 vowed to step up efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants.

* Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a dialogue with the leaders of a newly formed opposition alliance on Thursday night over the general election slated for December.

* The Moroccan King Mohammed VI launched Thursday the construction of Mohammed VI Tower with a height of 250 meters, which set to become Africa's tallest skyscraper, according to the project holder BMCE bank. The tower will consist of 55 floors with a luxury hotel, offices and apartments.

* US President Donald Trump slapped new sanctions targeting Venezuela's gold exports on Thursday, as his National Security Adviser John Bolton unveiled a hard-line policy toward Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

* The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States have signed guidelines on their combined defense after the planned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul, paving way for the transfer and setting guiding principles for their future defense cooperation.

* The Philippines can expect one to two tropical cyclones to enter in its area of responsibility in November, the Philippine state weather bureau said on November 2.

* Yutu, the 26th typhoon of the year, forced more than 10,000 residents of eastern China's Fujian Province to be evacuated on Monday (November 5), local authorities said.

* Parliament Speaker of the Maldives Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed on Thursday resigned hours before a no-confidence vote was to be taken against him, local media reported.

* Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree Thursday to impose sanctions on 322 Ukrainian individuals and 68 entities amid a prolonged row between Moscow and Kiev.

* Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart Donald Trump on Thursday agreed by phone to take "constructive steps" toward strengthening ties, said Turkey's presidential press office. The two leaders also discussed on Syria issues, including Manbij and Idlib, emphasizing to keep "close contacts" on bilateral and regional issues.

* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Egyptian authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on the fourth review of Egypt's economic reform program to grant Egypt with US$2 billion, the Egyptian Finance Ministry said on Thursday.

* The All-China Journalists Association this year will offer financial assistance to 80 journalists who died, were injured or fell seriously ill at work, the association announced Friday.

* Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday met with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the situation in Ukraine's eastern region of Donbas, the presidential press service said in a statement.

* Iran's ambassador to Britain, Hamid Baeidinejad, said that it is impossible to renegotiate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Press TV reported on Thursday.

* Turkish and US forces on Thursday started joint patrols in the Manbij region of northern Syria, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.

* Egyptian armed forces and the police killed 18 militants in North and Central Sinai during anti-terrorist raids over the past few days, a military spokesperson said on Thursday.

* Russia may exempt customs duties on vegetables and fruits, as well as wine imported from Moldova from next year, announced the Moldovan presidential press service on Thursday.

* Yemen's newly-appointed Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik chaired the first meeting of his cabinet members in Aden province on Thursday, and vowed to resume oil exports from new fields in the next days.

* Tunisia will benefit from a fund of 2.8 billion (US$3.19 billion) from the Netherlands to fight against terrorism and extremism, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok announced in Tunis on November 1.

* Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj on Thursday urged the UN Security Council's Sanctions Committee to partially lift the arms embargo on Libya.
Its hard to imagine that a major monthlong battle from World War II  one that devastated a large city, caused more than 100,000 civilian deaths and led to both a historic war crimes trial and a Supreme Court decision  should have escaped scrutiny until now.

But history has somehow overlooked the catastrophic battle for Manila, capital of the Philippines, in the waning months of the war. Like the Rape of Nanking, or the siege of Stalingrad, the tragedy of Manila deserves far greater understanding and reflection today.

James M. Scott remedies that gap with Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila, the first comprehensive account of one of the darkest chapters of the Pacific War. It is powerful narrative history, one almost too painful to read in places but impossible to put down.

It begins as Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the egotistical military commander of the U.S. colony in the Philippines, was caught woefully unprepared when the war began. Japanese bombers destroyed his planes on the ground and American and Philippine forces were soon overwhelmed. MacArthur famously vowed to return as he was evacuated to Australia.

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Three years later, the U.S. Navy had steadily clawed its way back across the Pacific and bombers were already striking Japanese industrial centers. Most commanders saw no need to risk American lives on a costly invasion of the Philippines when the fall of Japan appeared imminent, Scott writes.

But MacArthur insisted, and by early 1945 his troops were closing on Manila. Americans knew it then as the Pearl of the Orient for its neoclassical buildings, grand boulevards and cafe society. Convinced the Japanese would abandon Manila, just as he had, MacArthur ordered up a massive victory parade to welcome himself home.

General Douglas MacArthur and Philippine president Sergio Osmena in 1945 (Gamma-Keystone France via Getty Images)

On Feb. 6, 1945, MacArthur preemptively announced the citys liberation, claiming credit in grandiose terms. Congratulations poured in from Washington, London and elsewhere. But the 29-day battle had only just begun. MacArthurs public relations stunt meant reporters traveling with his forces struggled to get the truth out about the unfolding horror.

The Japanese commander, Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, had stunned allies early in the war by seizing Malaya and Singapore, capturing a much larger British force. His orders now were to bog MacArthurs forces down in the Philippines and give Japan time to prepare for the expected U.S. invasion. He ordered subordinates to destroy Manilas bridges and port, and then to follow him to the mountains.

Once Yamashita withdrew, however, Rear Adm. Sanji Iwabuchi instead ordered his marines to fight to the last man. They methodically dynamited Manilas business, government and religious landmarks, obliterating the citys cultural heritage, and torched thousands of wooden homes, sparking a deadly firestorm. Worse, they cruelly tortured and killed thousands of men, women and children.

Scott, who was a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Target Tokyo, focuses in part on the 7,500 or so Americans and others held as prisoners of war or civilian internees in squalid conditions, and their dramatic rescue by U.S. troops. Although some of those stories are familiar, he adds a heart-rending portrayal of the brutal life they endured.

But Scott breaks new ground by mining war crimes records, after-action military reports and other primary sources for the agonizing testimony of Philippine survivors and witnesses of more than two dozen major Japanese atrocities during the battle  and the ferocious American response.

The frenzy of Japanese massacres defies imagination. Countless women were raped and tortured, their babies tossed in the air and bayoneted. Patients and doctors were stabbed at hospitals, nuns and priests hanged at churches, children tossed into pits with grenades. Marauding Japanese troops burned people alive in convents, schools and prisons. They simply buried others alive.

Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila by James M. Scott (W. W. Norton & Company)

In one charnel house, they cut a hole in the second floor and then led scores of blindfolded civilians upstairs, made them kneel by the edge and decapitated them with swords. Elsewhere, they crammed hundreds of men into a sweltering stone dungeon, locked the iron door and let them starve to death.

A Japanese soldiers diary relayed the horrors at Fort Santiago, an ancient citadel. Burned 1,000 guerrillas to death tonight, the diarist wrote on Feb. 9, one of several such entries. The mass murder was not random. Military orders later found by investigators stated that all people on the battlefield  will be put to death. The battlefield was the entire city.

Against them was a U.S. force unprepared for urban warfare. They fired 155-millimeter howitzers at point-blank range to dislodge the enemy and used tanks, flamethrowers and bazookas to kill the rest. They fought block by block, house by house, room by room, leveling hundreds of city blocks.

U.S. troops rescued, treated and fed tens of thousands of traumatized and wounded survivors. But amid the smoldering ruins, Scott writes, it was hard to tell who had done more damage  the Japanese defenders or the American liberators.

Estimates of the civilian dead range from 100,000 to 240,000. MacArthur was mostly absent, writing in his diary that he was engaged in routine conferences at a lush hacienda north of the city. Iwabuchi, who had presided over one of the most barbaric massacres of the war, apparently committed suicide rather than surrender, although his body was never found.

The terrible battle had a curious afterlife. Yamashita finally surrendered several weeks after the war had formally ended. U.S. prosecutors soon charged him with failing to control his troops in the deaths of 62,278 civilians, 144 slain American officers and enlisted men, and 488 raped women and children.

Yet the first war crimes trial in the Pacific proved a rushed, makeshift affair. Yamashita was not charged with participating in the atrocities, or ordering them, or even knowing about them. The rule of evidence, a New York Times reporter wrote at the time, can be boiled down to two words: anything goes.

Not surprisingly, he was found guilty and sentenced to hang. His American lawyers filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. It ultimately ruled 6-2 against Yamashita, dooming him to the gallows, but is remembered mostly for the two impassioned dissents.

Never before have we tried and convicted an enemy general for action taken during hostilities.  Much less have we condemned one for failing to take action, Justice Wiley Rutledge wrote. Justice Frank Murphy was even more blunt. The enemy has lost the battle but has destroyed our ideals, he warned.

Those still fascinated by World War II will find much new to ponder in Rampage.

Bob Drogin, author of Curveball: Spies, Lies and the Con Man Who Caused a War, was the Los Angeles Times bureau chief in Manila from 1989 to 1993.

::

Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila

James M. Scott

W.W. Norton: 640 pp., $32.95

bob.drogin@latimes.com

@droginlatimes
Nathan Butcher is 25 and, like many men his age, he isnt working.

Weary of long days making minimum wage, he quit his job in a pizzeria in June. He wants new employment but wont take a gig hell hate. So for now, the Pittsburgh native and father of young children is living with his mother and training to become an emergency medical technician, hoping to get on the ladder toward a better life.

A decade after the Great Recession, 25-to-34-year-old men are lagging in the workforce more than any other age and gender demographic. About 500,000 more would be punching the clock today had their employment rate returned to pre-downturn levels. Many, like Butcher, say theyre in training. Others report disability. All are missing out on a hot labor market and crucial years on the job, ones traditionally filled with the promotions and raises that build the foundation for a career.

Job growth beats expectations. That could boost Republicans but also trigger higher interest rates 

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At some point, you can have a bit of an effect of a lost generation, said David Dorn, an economist at the University of Zurich. If you get to the point where youre turning 30, youve never held a real job and you dont have a college education, then it is very hard to recover at that point.

Men  long the United States economically privileged gender  have been dogged in recent decades by high incarceration and swollen disability rates. They hemorrhaged high-paying jobs after technology and globalization hit manufacturing and mining.

The young ones have fared particularly badly. Many of them exited high school into a world short on middle-skill job opportunities, only to be broadsided by the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Employment plummeted across the board during the 2007 to 2009 recession, and the 25-34 male cohort fell far behind their slightly older counterparts.

Although employment rates have been climbing back from the abyss, young men have not caught up again. Millennial men remain less likely to hold down a job than the generation before them, even as women their age work at higher rates.

Most Americans arent financially healthy despite booming economy, survey finds 

Their absence from the working world has wider economic consequences. It marks a loss of human talent that dents potential growth. Young people who get a rocky start in the job market face a lasting pay penalty. And economists partly blame the decline in employed men for the recent slide in marriage rates and increase in out-of-wedlock births. Those trends foster economic insecurity among families, which could worsen outcomes for the next generation.

A changing template

Butcher has a high school diploma and a resume filled with low-wage jobs at places such as Target, Walmart and a local grocery store. Hes being selective as he searches for new work because he doesnt want to grind out unhappy hours for unsatisfying compensation.

Im very quick to get frustrated when people refuse to pay me what Im worth, he said. His choosiness could be a generational trait, he allows. His mother worked to support her three kids, whether she liked her job or not.

That was the template for that generation: You were either working and unhappy, or you were a mooch, he said. People feel that they have choice nowadays, and they do.

There is no one explanation for whats sidelining men  data suggest overlapping trends  but Butcher sits at a revealing vantage point. His demographic has seen the single biggest jump in nonparticipation among prime-age men over the past two decades: About 14% of 25-to-34-year-olds with just a high school degree werent in the labor force in 2016, up from 6.4% in 1996, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City analysis by economist Didem Tuzemen.

Its difficult to pin down whether the demographic wants to remain on the sidelines or is kept there by a dearth of attractive options. They could be choosing to stay home or enroll in school because well-paying, nondegree jobs in industries like manufacturing are fewer and farther between. But it isnt clear why lost opportunity would hit young men hardest.

Other social changes could be exacerbating the trend. Better video games might make leisure time more attractive, some economists hypothesize, and opioid use might make many less employable. Young adults increasingly live with their parents, and cohabitation might be providing a different form of insurance, said Erik Hurst, an economist at the University of Chicago.

So the question looms: Is the groups employment decline permanent? Survey data may offer clues.

Mind the gap

Young men have been reporting higher rates of school and training as a reason for their non-employment in a Labor Department survey, and a large share say that disability and illness are keeping them from work. Those factors explain much of the wider post-2007 participation gap between the 25-34 group and their older counterparts, according to an analysis by Evercore ISI economist Ernie Tedeschi.

Applications for Social Security Disability Insurance  and the payouts it has issued  have been falling as the nations economy has improved, so young men offering disability as an explanation might start working again, Tedeschi said.

As for school and training, its not obvious that the move toward higher enrollment will reverse  or that it should.

Education doesnt necessarily strike me as a policy failure, Tedeschi said.

Butcher, for one, hopes EMT training will be a first step toward a career in healthcare. He wants to earn enough to provide security for his son and daughter, who live with their mother.

Its a good start to a career, he said.

Smialek writes for Bloomberg.
Adam Bowen and James Monsees were pursuing masters degrees in product design at Stanford when they decided to do something about their smoking addictions.

That was the beginning of what eventually would become Juul Labs Inc., now a $15-billion e-cigarette maker with a product so popular its used as a verb.

Theyre becoming synonymous with the e-cigarette market, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Ken Shea said of San Francisco-based Juul. Theyre a phenomenon of a company.

Bowen, 43, and Monsees, 38, founded Ploom in 2007, sold the name eight years later to Japan Tobacco Inc. and renamed their company Pax Labs Inc. Around the same time, the pair introduced an e-cigarette shaped like a USB drive and called it the Juul. Last year, Juul was spun out from Pax and has gone on to swallow the market.

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Its growth has been meteoric, with Juuls dollar share of e-cigarette sales soaring to 53% from 16% at the end of 2017, according to data from market researcher IRI. Reynolds American Inc.s Vuse Ciro is next biggest with just 10%, down from 22% at the end of last year.

Bowen and Monsees came up with their big idea while taking a smoke break one night in 2004 as they faced a deadline on their thesis proposals for their masters degrees in product design, according to a 2012 profile in Stanford Magazine.

The men, who declined to comment for this article, each owned 5.6% of Juul after a July funding round that gives them stakes worth $843 million apiece. That figure is poised to grow along with e-cigarette sales, which have almost tripled in the last year. Although e-cigs make up just 3% of tobacco-industry sales today, Shea said he expects they will be as much as 25% within a decade.

Wells Fargo & Co. analyst Bonnie Herzog, who called Juul the brand to beat, led a survey that found its attracting new tobacco users rather than drawing them from traditional cigarettes and other e-cigarette brands. Juuls stated mission is to help adults quit smoking cigarettes.

Its hard to say why Juul has become so popular when e-cigarettes have been around for more than a decade.

Some products just go viral, Shea said, citing the Cabbage Patch Kids craze of the 1980s as an example.

But dolls arent addictive.

Most of Juuls single pods contain the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. Thats one of the highest levels of nicotine content in the U.S. e-cigarette market, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Juul also comes in flavors such as mango, cucumber, fruit and creme, which may appeal to children, in addition to people trying to quit smoking.

Flavors in e-cigarettes have become the focus of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation into underage e-cigarette use, which Commissioner Scott Gottlieb called an epidemic. In September, the FDA threatened to pull such products from the market if the industry doesnt do more to combat growing use among children and teens. Tobacco giant Altria Group Inc. said last week that its temporarily pulling some pod-based products from store shelves.

Altria launched its own e-cigarette line after creating its NuMark unit in 2011, but it was in the companys best interest for the product to never become popular because it threatened sales of traditional cigarettes, which are its bread and butter, Shea said. Much to their chagrin, Juul has taken off like a rocket.

Juul is under particular scrutiny because of its market dominance. In early October, FDA inspectors took more than 1,000 pages of documents on sales and marketing from its headquarters.

While the pressure from the FDA is a concern, most retailers dont think it will have a meaningful or lasting impact on either Juul or the broader vapor category, according to the Wells Fargo report.

Juul is also sold in Canada and Britain and just entered the Russian market. The company is appealing a ban imposed by Israel on pods with the highest amounts of nicotine.
The U.S. trade deficit widened more than forecast in September to a seven-month high as imports expanded and the merchandise gap with China hit a record amid an escalating tariff war.

The gap for goods and services increased 1.3% from the prior month to $54 billion, Commerce Department data showed Friday. The median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg projected a deficit of $53.6 billion. Imports and exports each rose 1.5%.

The monthly report provides details around third-quarter data released last week that showed trade imposed the biggest drag on growth in 33 years amid tariffs on China and counter-levies by the Asian nation. While President Trump is threatening more action, U.S. businesses already are facing higher prices and supply-chain disruptions as they rush to buy materials and other items.

Overall exports rose to $212.6 billion, including gains in petroleum products, gold, oil and aircraft. Imports increased to $266.6 billion, boosted by a variety of capital and commercial goods. The overall trade gap for goods increased to $76.3 billion, also a record and in line with the preliminary figure last week.

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The unadjusted merchandise trade gap with China, the worlds second-biggest economy, widened to $40.2 billion, from $38.6 billion.

American soybean exports fell 29% from the prior month to $1.79 billion, the lowest since February. That extended the unwinding of a run-up in the second quarter before Chinese retaliatory levies were imposed.

Analysts are monitoring the trade data to assess whether the tariff headwinds are starting to inflict more pain on the economy than they anticipated. The stronger dollar also is a potential hurdle for exports of American-made goods.

An index of U.S. manufacturing fell by more than forecast to a six-month low in October as a measure of export orders declined to the lowest since 2016, data from the Institute for Supply Management showed Thursday.

Gross domestic product expanded at a 3.5% pace in the July-through-September period, marking the best back-to-back quarters of growth since 2014. Net exports subtracted 1.78 percentage points from GDP growth, reflecting an unwinding of the boost in the prior quarter when U.S. exporters of soybeans and other products stepped up shipments to beat retaliatory tariffs from abroad.

Other details

 September goods trade deficits with Mexico and Canada both narrowed on an unadjusted basis. The gap with Europe shrank to $10.6 billion, from $15.7 billion.

 Exports and imports of goods account for about three-fourths of Americas total trade. The United States typically runs a deficit in merchandise trade and a surplus in services.
The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday adopted a non-binding resolution calling for lifting the United States embargo against Cuba.

The draft resolution, tabled by Cuba, received 189 votes in favor and two against at the 193-member General Assembly. Only the United States and Israel voted against it.

"The blockade is a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of the human rights of Cuban men and women and has been an essential impediment to the aspirations of the wellbeing and prosperity entertained by several generations," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in his speech delivered before the voting.

"The quantifiable damages accumulated as a result of the blockade after almost six decades of its implementation amount to 933.7 billion U.S. dollars," he said.

Noting that the U.S. government "does not have the least moral authority" for criticizing Cuba or anyone else with regards to human rights, the Cuban foreign minister said that "we reject the repeated manipulation of human rights with political purposes as well as the double standards that characterize it."

Before the vote, there was debate on eight amendments proposed by the United States that criticized Cuba's human rights record and lack of civil liberties on the island. The amendments were all defeated by wide margins with only the United States, Israel and Ukraine consistently voting for them.

The General Assembly debate on "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba" began Wednesday.

Speakers on both Wednesday and Thursday overwhelmingly called on the United States to end its economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba as the General Assembly began its annual debate on the issue amid demands for the cessation of unilateral coercive measures.

Almost all speakers said the nearly six decades long blockade imposed on the Caribbean island by Washington impedes its right to development and its ability to participate fully in the global economy. They stressed that the United States must heed the Assembly's repeated calls to lift its restrictive policies.

China's permanent representative to the UN Ma Zhaoxu told the General Assembly that the U.S. embargo against Cuba should cease.

"All countries should uphold the process of mutual understanding and development for all peoples," he said.

"The international community must tackle issues together," he said, urging Washington to cease the unilateral coercive measures.

The General Assembly has adopted resolutions repeatedly to have the embargo dropped, yet it still has not ended, said the ambassador, noting that the blockade "is contrary to the principle of the United Nations Charter and creates huge financial and economic damages for Cuba."

"It hinders Cuba's ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals," Ma noted.

On the same day, Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the embargo an "abhorrent relic of the Cold War" and said it "hobbles" Cuba's ability to engage in global financial markets and to participate in international credit institutions.

Iranian ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo said the blockade is a "vivid example of the unilateral way in which the United States acts in the world."

"Rather than drawing lessons from their short-sighted and disastrous policies towards Cuba and the Middle East, United States officials have intensified the blockade against the island to put more pressure on the Cuban leadership under far-fetched pretexts," he said.

Thursday's vote marked the 27th consecutive year in which Havana has tabled the resolution.

The only time that the United States didn't cast a no vote was in 2016 during the Obama administration's opening toward Cuba when both the United States and Israel abstained.

Two weeks ago, a U.S. sponsored campaign aimed to criticize the human rights situation in Cuba encountered fierce protest at the UN.
Investment firm Donerail Group and newspaper publishers McClatchy Co. and AIM Media have submitted bids for Tribune Publishing Co., according to people familiar with the matter.

Tribunes board is scheduled to meet early next week after bids for the assets came due Thursday, said the people, who asked to not be identified because the matter isnt public.

Representatives for Tribune Publishing and McClatchy declined to comment. Representatives for Donerail and AIM didnt respond to requests for comment.

Potential buyers have been circling Tribune Publishing for months. The Chicago company, which changed its name back from Tronc Inc. last month, owns the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News, the Baltimore Sun, the Hartford Courant and other publications. It sold the Los Angeles Times earlier this year.

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McClatchy is offering some stock as part of its bid, which would give Tribune Publishing shareholders an interest in the combined business, according to the people familiar with the bids. McClatchy, which owns 30 newspapers, including the Miami Herald, the Sacramento Bee and the Kansas City Star, expects that it could generate cost savings by combining with Tribune Publishing, they said.

Donerail, backed by Starboard Value veteran William Wyatt, could sell some of Tribune Publishings newspaper assets to individual buyers, Nieman Lab media analyst Ken Doctor said in August.

AIM Media, based in McAllen, Texas, owns daily and weekly newspapers throughout the state, including the Monitor and the Coastal Current, according to its website. The company is run by Jeremy Halbreich, a former chairman and chief executive of Sun-Times Media in Chicago.

Tribune Publishing has been beset by controversy since Michael Ferro became its largest shareholder and took over as chairman in early 2016. He stepped down in March, hours before Fortune magazine detailed two womens sexual harassment accusations against him.

In June, Tribune Publishing completed the $500-million sale of the Los Angeles Times to billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong.

Soon-Shiong, Tribune Publishings second-largest shareholder, said in July that he would like to see the company sell more assets if it gets the right price.

Gannett Co. terminated talks two years ago to buy Tribune Publishing, a once-powerful publisher that has been battling a declining market since spinning off in 2014 from Tribune Media Co.

Tribune Publishing stock fell 1.9% on Friday to $15.42 a share, giving the company a market value of about $550 million. Its shares are down 12.3% this year.

UPDATES:

2:30 p.m.: This article was updated with Tribune Publishings closing stock price.

This article was originally published at 12:40 p.m.
Business as normal.

With those three words, the chief executive of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer declared this week that his company, and by extension the drug industry, is dropping any pretense of being open to price cuts and will continue gouging sick people as much as they can.

After reporting a 45% increase in quarterly profit  45%!  Pfizers CEO, Ian Read, was asked about possible pushback from the Trump administration if he announced price hikes in January after earlier saying the company would reconsider its strategy of regular increases.

I expect our approach by the end of year will be, what I would characterize as business as normal, Read answered during a conference call with analysts.

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We price to the marketplace, he said. We price competitively, and we will make those decisions towards the end of the year and early in January.

In other words, no more Mr. Nice Guy. Pfizer will once again reach as deeply as possible into peoples pockets, regardless of what President Trump might want.

Because lets face it: For all his talk of drug companies getting away with murder, Trump has been all bark and no bite when it comes to sky-high drug prices. And the industry knows it.

Joel Hay, a professor of pharmaceutical economics at USC, said drug companies have made clear that theyll never voluntarily reduce prices.

Pfizers message to the White House, he told me, is that the industry is going to play hardball right back.

Lets see how much money they pour into congressional elections and other lobbying going forward, Hay said.

Fat stacks, Im figuring.

In the 2016 election cycle, the pharmaceutical industry gave more than $64 million to political causes, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Most of that money went to Republicans.

Drug companies political contributions might pale in comparison to the more than $1 billion shelled out by financial and insurance firms in 2016, but its nothing to sneeze at.

The industry has spent more than $216 million on lobbying this year. Its main trade group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, has led the way with about $22 million in lobbying efforts, followed by Pfizer with $9.4 million  the most of any single drug company.

If they were trying to fend off unwarranted, business-unfriendly regulation, that would be one thing. But these guys are rolling in cash.

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology sales revenue soared to $775 billion from $534 billion between 2006 and 2015, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

The average profit margin for the industry in 2015 was 17%. For the 25 biggest drug companies, the average profit margin was 20%.

And now we have Pfizer, the happy people who bring us Viagra, posting a 45% quarterly profit gain. For all of 2017, the company pocketed $21.3 billion, with a big chunk of that coming in the form of a wet kiss from the Trump tax cuts.

In July, Pfizer wanted everyone (and by everyone, I mean Trump) to think it could play well with others. It said it would put off its usual summertime price increases as a goodwill gesture until Trump could implement his blueprint on lowering U.S. drug costs.

Pfizer is rolling back price hikes, so American patients dont pay more, Trump crowed on Twitter. We applaud Pfizer for this decision and hope other companies do the same. Great news for the American people!

Four months later, Trumps blueprint is largely wishful thinking and Pfizer, for one, is tired of being a presidential punching bag.

Look, our pricing  I dont think our pricing situation has changed, Chief Executive Read said this week.  Our pricing philosophy is to price to the value of the product and price inside a competitive marketplace.

That notion of pricing to the value of the product is key here. To a sick person, a drug might have limitless value.

I have Type 1 diabetes. Without insulin, I will die. You could charge me whatever you like. If I have the money, Ill pay it. What choice do I have?

And there, in a nutshell, is the whole problem. Our pharmaceutical industry is single-mindedly focused on maximizing profits, and patients are left to fend for themselves. All other developed countries put patients first and ensure drug prices remain reasonable.

Telling companies to voluntarily lower their prices and expecting it to happen on a consistent basis is not a realistic long-term policy proposition, said Anthony T. LoSasso, a professor of health policy and administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Trump has proposed having Medicare pay for some drugs roughly what people in other countries pay, thus bringing U.S. prices in line with overseas prices without any messy governmental price controls.

USCs Hay called this the boldest step taken by any administration for drug cost control ever. But not everyone shares his enthusiasm.

Its not going to happen, said William Comanor, a professor of health policy and management at UCLA. Nothings going to change.

Indeed, its hard to imagine Congress getting behind any change that would so drastically cut into drug-industry profits (and political generosity).

There is no chance of meaningful pharma price legislation coming out of Congress based on GOP votes, said James Robinson, a health economist at UC Berkeley. It will only happen if Trump supports it, all Dems support it and a few GOP support it. Overall probability of course is small.

Pfizer is signaling that it knows it doesnt have to take any of Trumps guff.

This isnt even the first time the drug industry has poked Trump in the eye in recent days. Drug companies all but laughed off a proposal from the president that they include prices in their TV ads.

PhRMA, the drug lobby, said the farthest the industry would go is posting list prices on a website. And thats it.

Business as normal  three words that mean drug companies dont care what you think of their money-grubbing behavior.

I can think of three other words.

Medicare for all.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
What with his rhythmic acuity, Steve Reich gives the impression of being a composer who has never missed a beat in his life. So when asked Thursday night in the preconcert talk before the premiere of his Music for Ensemble and Orchestra whether he had written the piece with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in mind, he answered in a split-second heartbeat, No!

At 82, Reich hasnt lost his sense of timing. No, of course, meant yes.

There was the perfect pause for surprise laughter, the implication being, why would you even ask? Then the explanation that he obviously wants other orchestras to play it, as the London Symphony will at the end of November and the San Francisco Symphony in June. You can bet more will sign up.

But the L.A. Phil did commission the first piece for full orchestra Reich has agreed to write in more than three decades for its centennial season. The L.A. Phil has, moreover, been the orchestra that for those three decades and then some has paid more attention to Reich, orchestra composer or not, than any other. He clearly feels at home with it and in Disney (the Los Angeles Master Chorale has also premiered two Reich choral masterpieces in Disney).

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As he also explained, it was while attending an L.A. Phil concert that he got idea that he actually could make a new orchestra piece very much on the lines of the smaller ensemble configurations that suit him best. It was because, he further said, the L.A. Phil was his kind of orchestra; its game to try anything.

And if Reich has lost any of his timing as a composer in this breathtakingly beauteous and perfectly pitched work, it is but a very slight fraction. The score says 19 minutes. Susanna Malkkis confident performance came in at, by my timing, 18 minutes and 59 seconds. Id also say by, maybe the second second, you knew only one composer could have written this. Reich is not a composer who, at this point of his celebrated career, needs to reinvent himself. But it is great news to have him back with the orchestra.

By what may seem a coincidence but is more explicable by the fact that Disney increasingly deserves the title Walt Disney New Music Concert Hall, Music for Ensemble and Orchestra ended just in time to rush downstairs to REDCAT, where pianist Margaret Leng Tan was making her much belated Los Angeles debut with two West Coast premieres. She began with Phyllis Chens Curios for masked performer, toys and video, but the main attraction for this extraordinary new music specialist was George Crumbs Metamorphoses (Book 1). Just like Reich with orchestra, this the first piano cycle in almost 40 years by another hugely influential octogenarian American composer whose style is so distinctive you recognize it immediately.

That lamentably meant missing Malkki conduct Mahlers Fifth Symphony, but it was well worth it. Between 1972 and 1979, Crumb had composed four volumes of his primeval, mystic, night-sky-drenched Mikrokosmos series for amplified piano or pianos. It turns out the 89-year-old composer, who finished the first book of this new Metamorphoses series last year and is working on a second book, hasnt missed a beat either.

There isnt a lot musically, perhaps, to tie Reich and Crumb together other than an utter mastery of their individual art and the ability to hold a listener spellbound. But who needs more than that?

In Reichs case the model for his new work was Bachs Fifth Brandenburg Concerto. Like Bach, he pits a smaller ensemble  in this case pairs of pianos and vibraphones, along with pairs of wind, brass and string instruments and a lone electric bass  against a slightly larger string orchestra with no basses.

A theme close in style to a jazz melody starts in on instrument or pair, gets picked up by others in rhythmic counterpoint and a frisson begins. A metaphor for the rhythmic process might be cell division, an aural sense of multiplication producing a life force. That was especially apparent at the end when the orchestra began a kind of vibratory activity in shifting tone colors. The organism was whole and was starting to wiggle away on is own. The effect was brilliant.

This, though, made Chens Curios a few minutes later all too curious in comparison. Leng Tan appeared masked and started setting loose cute, wriggly wind-up toys. The mask came off, replaced by paper-lantern headdress and then a clowns nose as Leng Tan let loose a toy-a-rama of kiddie pianos, kiddie psaltery, kiddie pipe organ, bird whistle and other such noise makers .

In an animated video overhead, other toys were up to no good, adding a creepy atmosphere to the proceedings. What saved it was Leng Tans ability to bring a sense of magical presence to everything she touches.

In the Crumb piece, Ten Fantasy-Pieces (after celebrated paintings) for Amplified Piano  for which the composer responds to famous 20th century paintings  that quality of ritual, however, produced a heady atmosphere. A mysterious nocturnal mood pervaded, be it the strumming in the piano for Paul Klees Black Prince or Leng Tans cawing like a crow to accompany Van Goghs Wheatfield With Crows.

She played a toy piano with her right hand and her grand piano with her left. She shook various chimes with he left hand and played her grand piano with her right. She hit the piano strings with mallets, plucked them like a lute and whisked them with a wire brush as dimly lighted projections of Whistler, Johns, Dali, Chagall, Gauguin and Kandinsky glowed overhead, each familiar painting became startlingly mysterious. Chagalls The Fiddler was, for instance, no fiddler on the roof but in the cosmos.

There was no need to ask whether Crumb wrote this for Leng Tan. Other pianists will surely be compelled to play it, but no other could be muse for this kind of marvelously transporting ritual.

          

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Where: Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave.

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday

Tickets: $20-$194

Info: (213) 850-2000, laphil.com

mark.swed@latimes.com
The highly affecting Foreign Land, which won the 2018 Ophir Award (Israels Oscar) for best documentary, takes a personal approach to a vital subject that could also benefit from a more macro on-screen examination.

The film profiles Jewish Israeli journalist-filmmaker Shlomi Eldar (he also directed) and Arab Israeli actor Gassan Abbas, both of whom began to feel like strangers in a strange land as their native country became increasingly engulfed by extremism on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide. (Comparisons to Americas current state of discord are not lost on Eldar.)

This alienation caused Eldar to emigrate with his family to the United States, while Abbas moved from Tel Aviv to an Arab town in Galilee and continued to explore the problem through his art. Unfortunately, neither path helped these men feel at home in their own worlds. Abbas son, also seen here, experienced the same sense of isolation when he relocated to England after being beaten by Israeli police.

Eldar and Abbas share candid, heartfelt observations about what they consider an internal culture war within Israeli society and its troubling effects. Bits of archival news footage, including a painful report of the 2008 deaths of a Palestinian doctors three daughters during the Gaza War (his story would go on to become a stage play starring Abbas), round out this effective, if modestly-shot portrait.

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Foreign Land

In Hebrew, Arabic and English with English subtitles

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 14 minutes.

Playing: Starts Nov. 2, Laemmle Town Center 5, Encino

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Theres a big sci-fi adventure movie waiting to burst out of Time Trap, a decidedly contained, budget-conscious take on time travel, youth in peril and apocalyptic fear. The result, directed by Mark Dennis and Ben Foster (not the actor) from Dennis script, is a handful of intriguing ideas in search of a more cohesive and dimensional narrative.

When Texas archaeology professor Hopper (Andrew Wilson) disappears after setting out to find his hippie parents, who disappeared in the 1970s while in pursuit of the Fountain of Youth (really?), Hoppers dedicated teaching assistants, Taylor (Reiley McClendon) and Jackie (Brianne Howey), go looking for their vanished mentor.

Joining Taylor and Jackie on their half-baked mission are Taylors friend Cara (Cassidy Gifford), Caras tween sister Veeves (Olivia Draguicevich) and Veeves nerdy, video blogger pal Furby (Max Wright). As posses go, its not the most inspiring bunch.

They soon land in a vast and twisty underground cave that they believe will lead them to Hopper. But as a series of dubious and risky events unfold, its revealed that the cave is home to a unique space-time continuum in which time passes more slowly than it does above ground.

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This opens things up to plenty of new dangers, including aliens and some seriously hostile cavemen, but not the kind of wholly propulsive, time-tripping fun that might be expected.

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Time Trap

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes

Playing: Starts Nov. 2, Laemmle Royal Theatre, West Los Angeles; Laemmle Glendale

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Kristen Ruhlin is both the screenwriter and the star of the supernatural thriller Welcome to Mercy  and shes written herself one heck of a role. The movies too slow at the start and somewhat befuddling at the end, but for the most part its a haunting, poignant portrait of one womans Kafkaesque nightmare.

Ruhlin plays Madaline, a single mother who at the start of the film travels back to her family home in Latvia with her daughter, to visit her father on his deathbed. As soon as she arrives, she suffers an out-of-body experience, culminating in violent spasms and what appears to be stigmata.

The local Catholic priest and Madalines estranged mother both suggest she convalesce at a convent. But the nuns there are unhelpful, and treat her her more like a prisoner than someone in need of healing. Only a young novice named August (Lily Newmark) shows Madaline any kindness, and even she seems to be hiding some terrible secret.

Welcome to Mercy doesnt develop much momentum until about halfway through; and even then, it doesnt spin a story so much as explore Madalines increasingly fractured psyche, as she investigates the truth about herself and her weird spells.

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But director Tommy Bertelsen effectively illustrates both Eastern European grimness and the phantasmagorical spectacle inside Madalines head. And Ruhlin, of course, is a marvel as the character she created: a mother desperate to reunite with her child, but worried shes become a terrible danger.

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Welcome to Mercy

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 44 minutes.

Playing: Starst Nov. 2, Arena Cinelounge, Hollywood

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A telephone rings in a corner of Giles Martins private mixing room at Abbey Road Studios, catching the latter-day producer of Beatles recordings by surprise.

That never rings, he says, reaching over to pick up the receiver. Its his wife, Melanie, calling from their 23-acre farm about 80 miles away with happily urgent news: Eggs laid by one of the ducks they keep  alongside sheep, horses and other farm creatures  were starting to hatch. By the next morning, all seven eggs will yield ducklings.

Martin, 49, is visibly relieved at the farm report, which may well be a good omen for another septuplet delivery hes shepherding into the world: a seven-disc 50th-anniversary box set revisiting the Beatles 1968 double album The Beatles, colloquially known as the White Album.

It was, in many ways, the Beatles most ambitious, most sprawling studio creation and demonstrably the biggest commercial success of the groups fabled career: It has sold more than 19 million copies in the U.S. alone, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, the body that awards gold and platinum certifications.

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The new edition is due Nov. 9  13 days short of the actual 50th anniversary of its release Nov. 22, 1968  and it follows last years 50th-anniversary reissue of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. That was the first Beatles album to be fully remixed, not just remastered, for a new generation of listeners as well as fans who grew up with the original.

The Sgt. Pepper remix scored a perfect 100 on Metacritic.coms aggregate review website for the fresh perspective on that rock masterpiece brought about by Martin and his collaborators at Abbey Road, which the Beatles helped turn into arguably the most famous recording studio in the world a half-century ago. Not a day goes by that dozens, sometimes hundreds, of Beatles fans show up at the studios iron gate, ever-hopeful to glimpse a Beatle or other rock star working there.

Following the acclaim generated by the Sgt. Pepper update, Martins attention has turned to the wildly diverse album that gave the world the soon-to-be-Beatles classic songs While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Back in the U.S.S.R., Dear Prudence, Birthday, Helter Skelter, Cry Baby Cry, I Will and Happiness Is a Warm Gun among its 30 tracks.

I thought the White Album would be the easy one, Martin says ruefully.

Giles Martin at Abbey Road Studio in London, where he has supervised a remix of the Beatles 1968 double album known as the White Album, which was originally produced by his father, George Martin. (Micha Theiner / For The Times)

Its an unexpected statement, perhaps, given how musically, thematically and sonically varied that collection is compared to Sgt. Pepper.

But Martin is in a unique position to make the evaluation: Over the last dozen-plus years, he has assumed the mantle of supervising production of globally beloved works originally overseen by his father, Sir George Martin, who guided the groups recording career from the quartets first session in August 1962 through its swan song seven years later.

The vast majority of those sessions played out at what was then known as the EMI Recording Studios, a complex that became world famous as Abbey Road Studio only after the band titled its 1969 album for the quiet suburban street on which the facility resides and where fans regularly stop local traffic to pose for photos in the iconic striped crosswalk between the two curbs.

A garage-band album

The 50th-anniversary package of the White Album  so named for its groundbreaking plain white cover with the bands name subtly embossed, off center, and an individual serial number stamped on original pressings  offers the deepest dive yet into the Abbey Road archives of Beatles material.

The mountain of recordings offered in several configurations  including a particularly rich seven-disc super deluxe box set (listed on Amazon for $138.74)  reflect both a creative outburst that was impressive even by Beatles standards and an evolution in the bands working process  conceiving, developing, nurturing and polishing songs in the studio while tape was rolling rather than perfecting songs through live performance as theyd done in their earliest sessions.

The bonus tracks in the new edition, drawn from that wealth of raw material, are generating at least as much excitement among Beatles enthusiasts as the upgraded sonics of the original album.

One disc contains 27 Esher [pronounced EE-sher] Demos: primordial versions of 19 songs that ended up on the White Album plus others they were working on at the same time, such as George Harrisons bypassed songs Not Guilty and Circles, and John Lennon and Paul McCartneys whimsical ode to pot, Whats the New Mary Jane.

Many had been written, or at least started, during the bands trek to India early in 1968 to study Transcendental Meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

The demo versions were recorded upon their return during initial work at Harrisons house in Esher, a town in Surrey outside London. These versions have been bootlegged for years but in poor-quality transfers from second-, third- and fourth-generation sources.

The original two- and four-track tapes were discovered in recent years among Harrisons things at his Friar Park Estate, resulting in the sonically superior recordings included with the 50th-anniversary reissue. Martin encountered them while working with Olivia Harrison selecting music for Martin Scorseses 2011 Harrison documentary Living in the Material World. He said they were housed in boxes marked simply Beatles 1, Beatles 2, Beatles 3, etc.

The set includes three more discs with 50 tracks, the majority never previously released, spotlighting alternate takes of most White Album songs, bits of studio chatter allowing fans to eavesdrop on their working methods, and assorted songs they also tackled during those sessions but that didnt end up on the album.

Theres a slow, simmering workout on Helter Skelter before it turned into a blistering rocker  Giles Martin opted for relative economy of a 13-minute jam rather than the even more expansive 27-minute take lurking in the Beatles vault. Ringo Starrs famous screeched ending to the song  Ive got blisters on my fingers!  however, erupted after one of the groups more adrenaline-charged takes. Theres also on extended run-through of Revolution 1 that tops 10 minutes, as well as tracks isolating instrumental backing or a cappella vocals from various songs.

The Sessions discs also include the singles Hey Jude, Revolution and Lady Madonna as well as Across the Universe and fascinating one-off cover versions of other artists material including the blues standard St. Louis Blues and a couple of early Elvis Presley favorites: Blue Moon and (Youre So Square) Baby I Dont Care.

The seventh disc is a Blu-ray disc with high-resolution versions of the new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes of the albums 30 songs plus a direct transfer of the original monaural mix of the White Album.

A 164-page hardbound book with the super deluxe edition combines extensive notes on the songs, previously unreleased photos, reproductions of original handwritten lyrics, introductory essays by McCartney, Giles Martin and Beatles authority Kevin Howlett and other documentation of the albums creation.

Fans wanting to dig even deeper into the stories and music of the White Album have other recent resources available including the White Album installment of the DVD series Deconstructing the Beatles with musicologist Scott Freiman as well as historian Bruce Spizers forthcoming book, due Nov. 22, The Beatles White Album and the Launch of Apple, the groups own label that they launched with the double LP.

Martins initial expectation that remixing the White Album would be easy compared to Sgt. Pepper stemmed from essential differences between the works:

Sgt. Pepper represents what may have been the zenith of bands revolutionary work with George Martin for which they conceived the recording studio itself as a tool as creatively important as their guitars, keyboards, drums and other musical instruments. The result was a dazzling explosion of new possibilities for making records that continues to resonate today.

The White Album, however, was more of a garage-band record, Giles Martin thinks. The band often spent hours, or days, in the studio developing ideas while tape was rolling  a stark contrast to their earliest efforts when songs had been whipped into shape through hundreds of hours of live performance.

The ambitious application of studio technology and techniques that came to the fore in Sgt. Pepper continued with their 1967 double A-side single Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane and in their songs for Magical Mystery Tour, which was not considered a bona fide successor to Sgt. Pepper because in England it was a six-song double EP, not a full album.

By the time the foursome returned from India and began work on a new album in May 1968, however, Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr had become increasingly confident in their abilities to call the shots in the studio. In Giles Martins view, they also increasingly missed playing together as a band.

The White Album, consequently, was more of a band album. They were trying to get back to playing as a band again, Martin says. They were less interested in producers and engineers.

1 / 14 Digging into the Beatles 50th anniversary White Album box set where it all began: Abbey Road 2 / 14 Ringo Starr, left, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison at Thomson House, London. July 28, 1968. ( Apple Corps Ltd. ) 3 / 14 An Abbey Road sign in the city of westminster on July 19, 2018, United Kingdom. (Micha Theiner / For The Times) 4 / 14 Details at Abbey Road Studios, July 19, 2018, United Kingdom. (Micha Theiner / For The Times) 5 / 14 Paul McCartney during a recording session for the White Album in October 1968. ( Apple Corps Ltd.) 6 / 14 Music producer Giles Martin at Abbey Road Studios. He is the son of Beatles producer George Martin. (Micha Theiner / For The Times) 7 / 14 Details at Abbey Road Studios, on 19 July, 2018, United Kingdom. (Micha Theiner / For The Times) 8 / 14 Ringo Starr during a recording session for the White Album at Abbey Road Studios in June 1968. ( Apple Corps Ltd. ) 9 / 14 Jet & Piston Engine Aeroplane tape, used for the track Back In The U.S.S.R. ( Calderstone Productions Limited) 10 / 14 George Harrison during a recording session for the White Album at Abbey Road Studios in October 1968. ( Apple Corps Ltd. ) 11 / 14 George Harrison, left, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr at St Pancras Old Church, London. July 28, 1968. ( Apple Corps Ltd. ) 12 / 14 Details at Abbey Road Studios. (Micha Theiner / For The Times) 13 / 14 Fans walk daily on the cross walk from the Beatles 1969 album Abbey Road. (Randy Lewis / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 14 The exterior wall of Abbey Road Studios where fans are invited to write messages or sign their names. (Randy Lewis / Los Angeles Times)

Thats one reason that recording engineer Geoff Emerick, who previously helped realize some of the most innovative facets on Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour, walked out during the White Album sessions.

Giles Martin notes that his father often rolled his eyes when fans described the White Album as their favorite  but more because of his memories of demanding all-night recording sessions that laid waste to conventional studio practices.

It wasnt always a pleasant experience for my father, Martin says. The students had taken over the classroom, and he was no longer the architect of their sound.

Furthermore, sessions for the White Album began almost two years after the group famously retired from touring in August 1966 out of frustration from being unable to hear themselves during concert performances, playing for audiences who also couldnt hear the music above the roar of screaming Beatlemaniacs. Their time making Sgt. Pepper was creatively liberating but often at the expense of playing music in real time with one another.

Ringo Starr during recording of the Beatles White Album in 1968. (Apple Corps Ltd)

That aligns with one of Starrs favorite memories of that album, even though at one point he also quit the group for two weeks.

I love Yer Blues,  Starr, 78, says during a separate interview in Nice, France, where he hosted his 10th Peace & Love birthday celebration this year. Wed got through Sgt. Pepper. Yes, it was great, but you know, for me, I love being in a band, and on the White Album, we became a band again.

We got in a room that was like 8 feet square with everything we needed, and John sang his heart out and we all played looking at each other, he says of a cramped room in the back of Abbey Roads Studio 2, a utility room that no longer exists.

Work on Yer Blues was a big difference from their experience with Sgt. Pepper, which often involved work hours and even days at a time individually on tracks that were built from the ground up and stitched together during the mixing process by Martin and the lads.

Sessions revelations

The Sessions discs offer a wealth of insight into the Beatles, not just as supremely gifted musicians but as dedicated craftsmen and enthusiastic experimenters as well.

There are also moments of extreme intimacy that make the band that famously changed the face of pop music as we know it all the more human.

Before expressing uncertainty whether to play a new song strumming his acoustic guitar or using the finger-picking technique hed picked up in India from Scottish folk-rocker Donovan, Lennon confesses, Its very hard to sing this, you know.

A reply comes back through the mixing booths microphone, a tone of fatherly empathy in George Martins voice when he says, Its a very hard song, John.

Theyre discussing Julia, named for Lennons mother, who died after being struck by a car when John was 17. It also was something of a love note inspired by his new relationship with Yoko Ono, who became a regular presence in the studio during the White Album sessions.

Its one of the many discoveries that are coming to light in the 50th-anniversary set. The dialogue snippet, and the version of Julia that follows, turned up on an uncataloged tape, one of many that Abbey Road archive engineer Matthew Cocker threaded up and listened to in its entirety. After 20 minutes of blank tape, suddenly he heard the exchange between Lennon and Martin and another attempt at bringing Julia to fruition.

Another fetching moment comes in an alternate version of Good Night, the lullaby-like ballad Lennon gave to Starr to sing.

On the original version that closes the album, Starrs vocal is bathed in a lush orchestral arrangement by George Martin. Earlier, however, the band plays with and for him  Lennon, McCartney and Harrison lifting his vocal performance up with their sympathetic harmonic support.

Its a much rawer but exceedingly sweet performance of Lennons unabashedly romantic, unapologetically sentimental composition.

They gave me those songs to do, Starr says, lumping it in with the likes of previous Lennon-McCartney songs written with him in mind including With a Little Help From My Friends and Yellow Submarine.

Im the only one who could do that, he says proudly, at which point he begins to croon the opening lines for a visitor seated beside him on a sofa at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nice: Now its time to say goodnight / Good night, sleep tight

Then he laughs: They ruined my career! I was a rock drummer and they gave me that!

Ringo probably had the hardest job in the band, playing for hours and hours, and he probably shared the same view that we occasionally had, I played that last night for nine hours. Do I have to do it again? second engineer Richard Lush told Beatles biographer Mark Lewisohn in his 1988 book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962-1970, newly reissued in September. He had a hard job trying to please them.

Asked whether he believes Martins new mix of the White Album will give fans a better idea of what he and his bandmates heard within the hallowed walls of Abbey Road studio 50 years ago, Starr scoffs.

Those speakers EMI had were terrible! he says.

The entrance of Abbey Road Studio in London, where the Beatles did most of their recording in the 1960s (Micha Theiner / For The Times)

Repainting a masterpiece?

As with Sgt. Pepper last year, the new mix of the White Album doesnt radically alter the essence of the original. Instead, remixing it a half-century later from the original tapes enhances the sonic impact of those recordings, which typically were compressed to comport with playback on audio equipment of the time. The sound digs deeper, reaches wider and has greater immediacy and overall is more open.

The first thing most listeners will notice is more visceral punch from the bass and drums, instruments that sometimes created problems for mastering engineers decades ago. Additionally, the recordings gain clarity and definition  the percussive power of McCartneys piano on Martha My Dear more evident, the earthy richness of the saxophones in Harrisons Savoy Truffle fuller, the intensity of Lennons vocal on Yer Blues all the more gripping.

Such upgrades on archival projects such as this can elicit mixed reactions among purists.

Its like catnip for me, Mike Campbell, lead guitarist of Tom Pettys Heartbreakers, tells The Times. I love that kind of stuff.

His longtime band mate, keyboardist Benmont Tench, chimes in, Im always curious about anything that has to do with those guys. That is just a beautiful piece of work. It goes everywhere in the world, and it works. That record is earth-shattering to me. And those guys did record after record that are still earth-shattering.

At the same time, Tench says, I dont want a new mix. Dont go like George Lucas did [with modified editions of Star Wars]: Dont repaint the masterpiece. When I get a record, I want to hear the record that moved me in the first place. I dont need to hear the kick drum more clearly. I dont need to hear anything more clearly on [Elvis Presleys] Thats All Right Mama. I dont need to hear anything more clearly on a Robert Johnson record.

I dont mean disrespect to Giles Martin  hes brilliant, Tench says. Extra stuff? Yes, Im dying to hear what they did. But a remix of the White Album? No, thank you.

Martin knows well the competing interests at work in the modern-day editions of classic recordings.

Theres one side of a fence  which is actually more the Beatles side  that says, Why should we be playing outtakes? Theyre outtakes, he says.

And theres the other side [of fans and Beatles collectors] that says, We want everything, and we want it now. I think my job, in a way, is to curate that, to balance that so that its all valid. Because once you put something out, its out forever.

The biggest question I always ask myself, and everyone else, he says, is Why are we doing this? 

We had good reason to go back and revisit Pepper in the stereo world, he says of the motivating reason behind last years remix: The Beatles were minimally involved in the stereo version because in 1967 their primary focus was on monaural mixes of their recordings. Consequently, the new stereo remix of Sgt. Pepper garnered the bulk of the publics attention. The alternate takes, demo recordings and other extra material packaged with it were treated as bonus tracks  the icing on the cake.

On the White Album, we became a band again. Ringo Starr

A year later, however, priorities were different. By 1968, the Beatles were much more attentive to the stereo mix of the White Album.

It wasnt until we started compiling stuff and going through the outtakes and the Esher Demos and everything else that I started to realize that this is probably more about all of the other bits and pieces as it is about the remix, he says.

Im not putting the remix down in any way, Martin says. Im really proud of that. I think it sounds really good, and people seem to like it.

Its really the depth of creation about the White Album that is the focal point this time, he says. Every project is different, and thats whats fun. The thing about the White Album is it shows the band taking more control. It was made in different way [than Sgt. Pepper] and thats reflected in the work that Ive done on it, I suppose.

The Beatles with George Martin during a recording session at Trident Studios in 1968. (Tony Bramwell / Apple Corps)

Indeed, the deluxe versions three Sessions discs pull back the curtain on the groups creative process as it continued its ever upward and outward expansion.

The Beatles did think in terms of albums, from Rubber Soul onward, and they knew they had this towering oak tree of Sgt. Pepper, critically and commercially successful, says Beatles scholar Martin Lewis. They werent in fear, but they were very conscious that the eyes of the world were going to be on them. Most artists would have thought, How do I top it? But they didnt approach it that way.

Instead, they went on a group vacation to India and effectively cut themselves off from the world, Lewis says. There were no telephones, no radio, no TV. You might wonder how could they create in that vacuum? But you carry all your parts in you, and the tranquility of being in India brings forth an incredible amount of new songs.

They were like sponges, soaking up everything, Lewis says. What they did with the White Album is they absorbed everything in the atmosphere around them, ran it through their food processor and it comes out in this incredible way: its a patchwork quilt, or as [filmmaker/journalist] Tony Palmer described it at the time, this Bayeux Tapestry of rock, folk, country, blues, bluegrass, vaudeville music, John Cage experimentation with aural collage. But its not a conscious thing; its not studied. It was simply an outpouring of the muse.

Few artists had the breadth and range they did. The Beatles, because of where theyd ascended to  and I think they are unique in this  were able to take their eclecticism and make it a virtue.

Not yet divided

Two months after Giles Martin has previewed a substantial chunk of the massive White Album 50th-anniversary release for The Times at Abbey Road, he returns to Los Angeles for a broader press preview of the project for an audience of about 60 writers and other music industry members at Capitol Studio A in Hollywood.

With even more time to reflect on what place the album holds in the groups extraordinary artistic oeuvre, Martin concludes: They didnt want to make another album like Sgt. Pepper, I think  much to my dads disappointment  or even go to the next stage of Sgt. Pepper, which I think was his intention.

The White Album is a band working together without my dad pulling the strings, Martin said.I think Let It Be was my dad not pulling the strings and the band falling apart. And Abbey Road was a band that was separate and my dad pulling it back together again.

Hes also come to discount conventional wisdom about the White Album as a document of the beginning of the end of the Beatles. One popular bromide is that The White Album is less a Beatles album than four Beatle solo projects.

As Starr puts it, Whatever else was going on, after the count-in [on any song], we were always a band. It didnt matter whose song it was. Nobody said, Im not interested because its not my song.

Martin was on the lookout for any evidence of the kind of tensions that director Michael Lindsay-Hogg caught on film when he made the Let It Be film a year later.

If there was anything on the tapes that supported that idea, I would have included it  I would feel obligated, Martin says. But it just wasnt there.

There are these snippets of conversation between them that are kind of relaxed even after 70 takes. Thats not the sound of a band falling apart. And when they locked themselves in that small room to record Yer Blues, thats not something musicians who are at each others throats do.

In a quick aside in a hallway outside the Capitol Studios during a break, Martin provides an update for his Abbey Road visitor, proving that even 5,400 miles away and two months down the line, he hasnt forgotten those other septuplets that recently came into his life.

The ducklings? he says with a sheepish grin. They survived  all seven. Theyre doing great.

ALSO:

A 50th anniversary trip through Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band with Giles Martin

A closer look at Yellow Submarine, the Beatles film that crossed generations

The Beatles All You Need Is Love: It was 50 years ago today

The Beatles best album is really its worst. Sgt. Pepper, we need to talk

randy.lewis@latimes.com

Follow @RandyLewis2 on Twitter.com

For Classic Rock coverage, join us on Facebook
SUNDAY

Whats next in politics, technology, etc.? Answers may be found in the new four-part docu-series Axios. 6:30 p.m. HBO

Theyd like to buy a vowel in the new episode Wheel of Fortune Greatest Moments on Cover Story. 7 p.m. GSN

Havana ooh na-na: Camila Cabello leads the field with six nominations at the 2018 MTV EMAs. Nicki Minaj and Janet Jackson are among the slated performers, and Hailee Steinfeld hosts the festivities in Bilbao, Spain. 7 p.m. MTV

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STEM types collect kudos at the 2019 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony. Pierce Brosnan hosts the proceedings and Lionel Richie from the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif. 7 p.m. National Geographic Channel

A cartoon mouse marks nine decades in showbiz in Mickeys 90th Spectacular. With performances by Josh Groban, Leslie Odom Jr., Meghan Trainor and Zac Brown Band. 8 p.m. ABC

Jessy Schram and Chad Michael Murray play rival TV producers who hook up for the holidays in the romantic new TV movie Road to Christmas. 8 p.m. Hallmark Channel

There are mean girls, then theres the Psycho Prom Queen in this new thriller. With Zoe McLellan and Allie MacDonald. 8 and 11:05 p.m. Lifetime

Theyre coming to America  today! Claire and Jamie (Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan) find themselves in the New World in a new season of the fantasy drama Outlander. 8 p.m. Starz

Rick, we hardly knew ye: Original series star Andrew Lincoln makes his final appearance as the leader of our hardy band of survivors on the horror drama The Walking Dead. 9 p.m AMC

Five chefs will have the stuffing knocked out of them in the three-part Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge. Giada De Laurentiis hosts, and Alex Guarnaschelli, Carla Hall and Christian Petroni are the judges. 9 p.m. Food Network

The adult-film industry drama The Deuce ends its second season. With James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal. 9 p.m. HBO

Its all over but the helicopter ride in the conclusion of the three-part documentary special Watergate. 9 p.m. History Channel

The little interplanetary mobile science laboratory that could is hailed in the new special Curiosity: Life of a Mars Rover. 9 p.m. National Geographic Channel

Vote early, vote often: The animated satire Our Cartoon President weighs in on the midterms in Election Special 2018. 10:30 p.m. Showtime

MONDAY

Everything you always wanted to know about Hispanic heritage but were too stupid to ask is revealed in a filmed version of the one-man show John Leguizamos Latin History for Morons. Any time, Netflix

The new documentary This Is Congo offers a heart-rending look at everyday life in that war-torn African nation. 9 p.m. Starz

She hears dead people in the new reality series Mama Medium. 9 p.m. TLC

The decimation of Native American families by child-welfare agencies and foster-care programs is charted in the poignant documentary Dawnland on a new Independent Lens. 10 p.m. KOCE

TUESDAY

Local stations, broadcast affiliates and cable-news outlets will offer live coverage throughout the day and evening of the 2018 midterm elections. Various channels

Well always have Casablanca. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman rekindle a wartime romance in this beloved 1942 classic directed by Michael Curtiz. With Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. 5 p.m. TCM

The Sons of Anarchy spin-off Mayans M.C. rolls to the end of its first season. With J.D. Pardo and Edward James Olmos. 10 p.m. FX

WEDNESDAY

Schmear campaign: A new episode of The Migrant Kitchen visits Jewish delicatessens around L.A. 8 p.m. KCET

Cheetahs never prosper and we aint lion in the conclusion of the three-part series Super Cats on Nature. 8 p.m. KOCE

Underwater archaeologists plumb the depths of the Adriatic Sea in search of a missing WWII bomber in Last B-24 on a new Nova. 9 p.m. KOCE

Oh, no, there goes Tokyo ion a new episode of the climate change-themed series Sinking Cities. 10 p.m. KOCE

The unscripted series Storage Wars unlocks a 12th season. 10 p.m. A&E

British besties head to university and fall in with a shadowy Clique in this Scandal-esque imported drama. With Aisling Franciosi and Synnove Karlsen. 10 p.m. Pop

THURSDAY

Victorias Jenna Coleman plays a mother suffering from severe postpartum depression in the new online psychological thriller The Cry. Sundance Now

The new documentary We Are Not Done Yet visits a USO-sponsored poetry workshop for veterans and active-duty troops with PTSD. 8 p.m. HBO

Baroness Von Sketch Show will be bringing the funny for a third season. 9 and 9:30 p.m. IFC

Bette Midler, John Larroquette and Katie Couric all guest star on a new episode of the rebooted sitcom Murphy Brown. 9:30 p.m. CBS

FRIDAY

The new docu-series Medal of Honor salutes eight recipients of the U.S. militarys highest award for bravery. Any time, Netflix

Kill or be kilt: Chris Pine portrays legendary 14th-century Scottish leader Robert the Bruce in the new historical drama Outlaw King. With Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Florence Pugh. Any time, Netflix

The spy drama Patriot surfaces for a second season. With Michael Dorman and Losts Terry OQuinn. Any time, Amazon

Check one  check two ...: The new unscripted series Westside follows nine young musicians chasing dreams of stardom right here in the City of Angels. Any time, Netflix

Jennifer Lawrence plays Russian spy who maybe is colluding with spy of U.S.A. in 2018 espionage drama Red Sparrow. With Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeremy Irons. 7:40 and 11 p.m. Cinemax

The hills are alive with a U.K. production of the beloved Rodgers & Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music on a new Great Performances. 9 p.m. KOCE

Its gonna take not one but two whole episodes of Mike Judge Presents: Tales From the Tour Bus to tell the tale of R&B superstar Rick James.10 p.m. Cinemax

The Offices Rainn Wilson guest stars in the second of two new episodes of Jay and Mark Duplass hotel-set anthology series Room 104. 11:30 p.m. and midnight HBO

SATURDAY

Elmo, Abby and Bert get whats coming to them in When You Wish Upon a Pickle: A Sesame Street Special. 7 p.m. HBO

Country musics LeAnn Rimes plays a school superintendent named Eve in the new holiday romance Its Christmas, Eve. With Tyler Hynes. 8 p.m. Hallmark Channel

A closeted gay teen (Nick Robinson) navigates life and relationships in the charming 2018 rom-com Love, Simon. With Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner. 8 p.m. HBO

Keep on truckin! The return of Truck Night in America is followed by the similarly-themed specials Truck Hunters and Born Tough: Inside the Ford Factory. 8, 9 and 10 p.m. History Channel

The only thing worse is than a psycho prom queen is a Sorority Stalker in this other new thriller. With Haley Webb and Haley Pullos. 8 p.m. Lifetime

Customized TV listings are available here: www.latimes.com/tvtimes

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Nov. 4 - 10, 2018, in PDF format

This weeks TV Movies
Cookbooks are some of the best gifts you can give your food-minded friends and relatives because theyre easy to find, simple to wrap  and can often trigger reciprocal dinner invitations. Among this years wealth of cookbooks are a few excellent baking books, some new books from award-winning folks whose other books might already be on your shelves, and two debut books from Los Angeles chefs. Here are 10 new cookbooks to put on your gift list.

Roses Baking Basics by Rose Levy Beranbaum (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $35)

For the record: An earlier version of this post gave the name of an I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook author as Nicole Fonseca. Her name is Nicole Ponseca.

Do you (or whomever youre gifting) need another of Beranbaums baking books? You really do. This one, her 11th, features 100 recipes for the essential stuff: cookies, cakes, pies, tarts and breads along with toppings and fillings. What makes this book particularly useful is all the photos  600 of them, apparently  often in step-by-step sequence. All these pictures are pretty, yes, but also practical because baking is so often somewhat intangible without visual aids. They also offer pretty good incentive because theres nothing like more than 300 pages of pictures of cupcakes, brownies, rugelach, chocolate rolls, lemon and blueberry tarts, and babka to make you want to start baking.

The Nordic Baking Book by Magnus Nilsson (Phaidon, $49.95)

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Magnus Nilsson, chef of the acclaimed restaurant Faviken in northern Sweden, does not write normal chef cookbooks. His last one, The Nordic Cookbook, was a King James Bible-sized encyclopaedia of regional dishes with a glossary and illustrations to go along with many of his own photos. Nilssons new book is along the same vein, this time documenting the baking traditions and recipes of his native Scandinavia. The variety is truly impressive: rye crackers, Faroese roulades, green marzipan layer cakes, Swedish beer soup and striped peppermint sticks. There are more than 450 recipes, illustrations and more of Nilssons great photos  plus enormously fun things, such as pictures of tundra and boats, and a template for a gingerbread house.

Play our gift guide game and find the perfect present 

Now & Again: Go-to Recipes, Inspired Menus and Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers by Julia Turshen (Chronicle Books, $35)

Now & Again: Go-to Recipes, Inspired Menus and Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers by Julia Turshen (Chronicle Books)

Cookbooks are often ambitious, aspirational things, filled with recipes that load our tables and refrigerators. So its something of a relief to find one that celebrates the opposite: leftovers. Julia Turshens latest cookbook is organized around the idea that we need guidance not only for what to cook for dinner but what to do with the extras afterward. So the more than 125 recipes in this book have follow-ups  secondary recipes built with the leftovers of the original recipes. Its a terrific, creative and wonderfully pragmatic approach. Its also flexible, as Turshen varies the leftover suggestions, using components, transforming the dishes wholesale, or simply pointing out that some dishes are best eaten cold the next day  or, in the case of baked pasta, pressed into a waffle iron. So much fun.

I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook by Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad (Artisan, $35)

As the authors, who own and operate two of the best Filipino restaurants in the country, write in their introduction: This is not just a cookbook. Its a manifesto. In the last few years, Filipino food has gone from a little-known immigrant cuisine, mostly experienced at home, to being on the forefront of American restaurant dining. Ponseca and Trinidad have been a big part of this, and their debut cookbook is a great guide to both the subtleties and history of the food, and the dishes themselves. From pancit and adobo to chorizo burgers and jackfruit ice cream, this book demonstrates the delicious mash-up of recipes that define the vibrant cuisine.

Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $35)

Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

The follow-up to the pairs award-winning first book, Zahav  named for their Israeli restaurant in Philadelphia  this book showcases the informal food of Israel, the street food and home cooking. Falafel, shawarma, hummus, kebabs, plus cookies and halva and ice-pops. Timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israels founding, Israeli Soul is a celebration of the country as well as its food, threading short essays on various towns and traditions throughout the recipes. There are also step-by-steps and sidebars  Building Kebabs, the Three Stages of Coal  that are both exceedingly practical and fun to read, as well as short bits about other chefs and local markets that further liven the pages.

Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook by Dorie Greenspan (HMH/Rux Martin Books, $35)

You likely already have a cookbook or two from Greenspan, the James Beard Award-winning cookbook writer, whose writing shows up regularly in the New York Times Magazine. Among her 13 cookbooks are Dories Cookies and Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme, which reflect the range of her considerable expertise. Greenspans latest book is built around the dishes she cooks at home  simple, workmanlike stuff for weekday dinners with the family. This is Greenspan, so the recipes run the gamut from burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, and pimento cheese, which might be described as everyday for most of us; to flounder meuniere with onion-walnut relish, summer vegetable tian, and salmon brandade. Which means, basically, something for everyone  and yes, there are desserts.

Chinese Heritage Cooking From My American Kitchen, by Shirley Chung (Page Street Publishing, $21.99)

Chinese Heritage Cooking From My American Kitchen, by Shirley Chung (Page Street Publishing)

The Top Chef alums first cookbook comes right on the heels of her first Los Angeles restaurant, Ms. Chi Cafe, which opened in Culver City in early October. Chungs cookbook features more than 75 recipes that display her Chinese-American roots: Born in Beijing to a family who over generations lived in both China and California, Chung went to culinary school in San Francisco, and cooked for both Thomas Keller and Jose Andres before going out on her own. Chungs dishes reflect that both heritages and techniques. So theres a Little Gem salad, that quintessential California farmers market dish, paired with salt-cured duck eggs; a recipe for Chinese shrimp and grits that started as a classic Chinese garlic shrimp recipe, and melded Louisiana with corn congee. With one chapter devoted to comfort food and another to condiments and hot sauces, this is just the sort of cookbook to head into the holidays with.

Bestia: Italian Recipes Created in the Heart of L.A. by Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis with Lesley Suter (Ten Speed Press, $35)

Ever since Menashe and Gergis opened Bestia, their Italian restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, in 2012, the place has been packed. With the couples first cookbook, which features 140 recipes from the restaurant, you can just make their intensely flavorful, creative dishes at home  since the place is still one of the hardest reservations in town. This is rustic Italian food, through the lens of Menashes technique-intensive cooking: pastas an pizzas, pickles and charcuterie. Theres an ample pantry section, with the mostardas, soffritto and sauces that are fundamental to the dishes, plus recipes for the nduja and salumi for the ambitious. And the final chapter is filled with Gergis brilliant fruit-intensive desserts. Heres hoping the duo are already testing the follow-up to this book  their second restaurant, Bavel, is as hard to get a table at as their first.

Milk Street: Tuesday Nights by Christopher Kimball (Little, Brown and Company, $35)

Christopher Kimball, who co-founded Americas Test Kitchen and started Milk Street in 2016, has come out with the second book from the Boston-based cooking school and magazine. The conceit of this book is that Tuesday nights are best accomplished with quick meals that make use of staple ingredients. So here are 200 recipes that are organized by the time it takes to make them (fast, faster, fastest), plus categories like easy additions and one pot. The dishes span many cuisines and there are fun sections such as weeknight pizza and recipes that let you walk away from the cooking  nice, if you want to load up the oven and go read the rest of the book.

David McMillan, Frederic Morin and Meredith Ericksons cookbook Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalpyse (Knopf Publishing Group)

Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse, Another Cookbook of Sorts by David McMillan, Frederic Morin and Meredith Erickson (Alfred A. Knopf, $45)

This is the follow-up book to the terrific first Joe Beef cookbook, which came out in 2011 and itself followed up on the Montreal restaurant for which both books are named. Although there are plenty of zombie jokes, this book isnt about the actual apocalypse so much as how the food-minded can prepare for the metaphorical one (extreme weather, elections, etc.). This book is about how to build things for yourself, Erickson writes in the introduction, about how to make it on your own. In Joe Beef world, this translates into a cellar stocked with crab apple cordial and pickled deer necks; recipes for soap and partridge pie and squash sticky buns; and tiny essays on natural wine and kids dinnertime behavior. Survivalism, yes, but with style.
Anaheim detectives have arrested a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in a trash bin at a condominium complex as he attempted to leave the country.

Amer Alhasan, 28, was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of killing Tyanie Ly, whom he had been dating. Alhasan had just completed check-in for a flight late Wednesday afternoon to Jordan, according to Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt.

Alhasan had a significant amount of personal belongings with him, Wyatt said.

If we were about two or three hours later, he would have been out of the country, Wyatt said at a news conference Thursday.

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Someone rummaging through a trash bin looking for recyclables discovered the body early Tuesday in the 2100 block of South Balboa Plaza.

The body was found stuffed in a piece of luggage, police said.

Police identified the victim as Ly, a 38-year-old mother of three. Her oldest child is under the age of 12, Wyatt said.

Alhasan was born in the U.S., but has family ties to Jordan and might have recently traveled there, according to Wyatt. Alhasan is being held on $5-million bail, but police are working to have that revoked because he is a flight risk, Wyatt said.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia
Note: The following is an edited translation of a commentary from the Chinese-language "Commentaries on International Affairs."

During the National Day holiday in China last week, United States Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech in which he boasted about the strength of the United States, and criticized China's development ambitions. The speech was translated into Chinese and published by the U.S. Embassy in China on their official WeChat account, enabling it to be readily ridiculed by Chinese netizens.

In his speech, Pence unleashed a verbal attack on the greater part of China's history over the past one hundred years. Some young netizens who paid attention to the speech decided to brush up on their history, and found that Pence's view of events was often laughable.

"It is remarkable to think that only five years after our nations had fought together, we fought each other in the mountains and valleys of the Korean Peninsula. My own father saw combat on that frontier of freedom," he said. Some Chinese netizens were quick to point out that the United States military smashed and burned its way up towards China's doorstep. In order to defend their country's sovereignty and territory, the Chinese People's Volunteers "crossed the Yalu River valiantly and spiritedly", as says a classic army marching song.

The Vice President also said, "We rebuilt China over the last 25 years." Twenty-five years ago China was at a crossroad, deciding on its path to development. It was then that China's leader Deng Xiaoping said, "Let whoever opposes reform go to sleep." He said this during his history-making Southern Tour, which gave a massive boost to the country's policy of Reform and Opening up. It was at this moment that China stepped up the pace of its move towards becoming a market economy. At the same time, the United States was busy celebrating the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and warning that China would be the next big global threat. In 1992, China's GDP was 2.72 trillion yuan; by the end of 2017 it was 82.71 trillion yuan. This was, as some Chinese netizens said, the result of hard work by the Chinese people, and not some gift from the United States.

Pence also said, "At the University of Maryland, a Chinese student recently spoke at her graduation of what she called the fresh air of free speech in America. The Communist Party's official newspaper swiftly chastised her. She became the victim of a firestorm of criticism on China's tightly-controlled social media, and her family back home was harassed." This observation led to more ridicule from Chinese netizens, as Pence grossly mischaracterized why she came in for such harsh criticism in China. Many Chinese netizens attacked her words because her decision to launch a broad-brush attack on China was little more than an insincere attempt to please her American hosts and her audience. As a Chinese netizen said, "Mr. Pence doesn't know today's China and the Chinese people. No wonder his remarks were not to the point and opened him up to ridicule."

But the biggest laugh that netizens got from Vice President Pence's speech, which also sparked the ridicule of many American netizens, was his accusation that "China wants a different American President." Many Americans on Twitter started replying "So do we!" And as some Chinese netizens noted, isn't interfering in the domestic politics of another country a longstanding habit of the United States? And some were quick to point to the tight race the Republicans are facing in next month's mid-term elections, which is why Pence fell back on the old trick of using China as a scapegoat for America's domestic problems.

Just last month, President Donald Trump bragged about his achievements and promoted his policy of "America First" at the United Nations. It triggered a burst of laughter from the participants at the General Assembly. We've become the laughing stock of the world, said many American media commentators.

Another netizen pointed out that Pence has always been seen to play a more neutral and moderate role in the Trump administration. This is why the many smears in his speech left many people in China feeling disappointed. In early September, The New York Times published an article by an anonymous senior official of the White House called "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration", which complained about President Trump's "amorality" and "reckless decisions". The American media was rife with speculation about Pence's role in its publication, which is why some observers in China see Pence's fiery speech as some sort of misguided show of loyalty to President Trump. Chinese people have always believed that it is important to set your own house in order before you criticize someone else, but this is not, it seems, a sentiment shared by the American Vice President.

When President Trump spoke, the whole world laughed; when Pence spoke, Chinese netizens laughed, said a Chinese netizen. But now the jokes are over, and it's time for China to get back to the serious work of addressing the problems the country still has to solve along its path towards development. Because, regardless of Pence's barrage of criticism, China will continue to move forward, to build partnerships with countries around the world, and to play its part as a responsible member of the community of nations  and not be the butt of a joke for the world.
A man suspected of committing a series of Los Angeles sexual assaults who was added to the FBIs Ten Most Wanted list earlier this year was recently spotted in South Carolina, authorities said.

Greg Alyn Carlson, 46, was previously described by the FBI as a hot prowl rapist, suspected of breaking into several womens homes and sexually assaulting them while armed with a weapon.

Carlson was arrested by Los Angeles police in September 2017 on suspicion of assault with intent to commit rape, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, authorities have said. But Carlson fled to South Carolina after posting bond.

Two weeks ago, investigators were informed of a confirmed sighting of Carlson in Mount Pleasant, S.C., where his mother lives, according to a news release issued Friday by the FBI.

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Greg Alyn Carlson was facing allegations of assault with intent to commit rape, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon when he fled Calif. (FBI)

Carlson was last seen driving a Hyundai Accent, and investigators think he is still in the southeastern United States, though he may be attempting to reach Mexico.

Police spotted Carlson in Hoover, Ala., in November last year, where he led local officers on an erratic, high-speed pursuit that eventually was called off because of the potential danger to the public.

He also was seen in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, Fla., roughly one week later. The FBI described Carlson as armed and extremely dangerous.

Carlson is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds, the FBI said.

The Los Angeles Police Department said Carlson broke into a womans home in West L.A. and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint in July 2017. DNA evidence also has linked Carlson to a pair of sexual assaults in 2003, police have said.

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.
Huntington Memorial Hospital said Friday that a veteran Pasadena obstetrician accused of sexual misconduct and other improprieties was no longer treating patients at the Pasadena hospital.

The announcement about Dr. Patrick Sutton came days after The Times presented the hospital with five pages of findings and detailed questions for a story it was preparing about the physician.

In an email to the newspaper Friday morning, hospital spokeswoman Eileen Neuwirth said that effective immediately Sutton was not practicing at Huntington. She declined to elaborate.

John Burton, an attorney representing Sutton, said his client took a leave of absence from his hospital privileges on Thursday by agreement. Sutton has denied wrongdoing.

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Sutton has practiced at Huntington since 1989 and delivered more than 6,000 babies over the course of his career. Colleagues have elected him chair of the hospitals nationally ranked obstetrics and gynecology service repeatedly and he was set to take over the department again in January.

He was forced out of Huntingtons leadership last month after The Times reported that the Medical Board of California had accused him of sexual misconduct, the fifth time a patient had made such an allegation against him.

The 64-year-old doctor has been accused of inappropriate touching and making suggestive remarks to patients by the medical board in three disciplinary proceedings and in a civil lawsuit filed by two former patients. Four of those cases were settled without any admission of sexual misconduct by Sutton. Through an attorney, the physician has called the remaining case, which is still pending, baseless.

After the allegations surfaced last month, three women filed a federal class-action lawsuit accusing Sutton of subjecting them to unwanted sexual remarks in the 1990s. Last week, another former patient sued the obstetrician in Los Angeles Superior Court, accusing him of sexual battery and other claims during the birth of her child.

Burton, the lawyer representing Sutton, has previously denied the lawsuits accusations and said that the field of obstetrics is an extremely difficult, challenging area that requires split-second judgment.

On Friday, Burton expressed confidence that Suttons privileges would be restored.

Things have to be sorted out, the lawyer said.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno
A Long Beach doctor pleaded no contest Thursday to one felony count of distributing pornography to a minor, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

A Superior Court judge ordered Jonathon Ellis to register for life as a sex offender and sentenced him to five years of formal felony probation, according to the district attorneys office.

In April, officers with the Los Angeles Police Departments Human Trafficking Unit arrested Ellis, 35, after they said he sent a lewd photograph to an undercover officer posing as a 16-year-old girl on the internet.

Ellis studied medicine in Henderson, Nev., and is a resident physician in Long Beach, the LAPD said earlier this year.

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Under the plea agreement, Ellis must serve 90 days in county jail and attend 52 weeks of sex offender counseling, according to the district attorneys office.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettis security detail has racked up nearly $450,000 in travel costs since 2015 as Garcetti visited other parts of the United States and foreign countries, according to figures released by the city on Thursday.

The year-by-year totals for the mayors Los Angeles Police Department security detail were provided in response to a lawsuit by the Los Angeles Times, which is seeking to determine how much taxpayers have spent on the mayors travels.

The security details travel costs include airfare, meals, lodging, car rentals and other expenses, according to a letter sent to attorneys for The Times by Deputy City Atty. Sara Ugaz. The officers salaries and overtime are not included in the expense totals.

The Times went to court in July after city officials refused to turn over records for Garcettis out-of-state trips.

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The security expenses totaled about $109,000 in 2015; $91,000 in 2016; $144,000 in 2017, and $105,000 so far this year, according to Ugazs letter.

Dan Laidman, an attorney representing The Times, said the newspaper continues to seek more complete records and that there are no plans to withdraw the lawsuit.

Were glad that the city has released this information that the L.A. Times requested many months ago, he said Thursday night. And it shows a significant expenditure of public funds, and its a start. We believe we are entitled to additional information. The request had asked for a breakdown of different types of travel and how this money was spent.

The mayors trips on city business are typically paid for by taxpayers, outside groups or his officeholder account. Taxpayers do not pay for his political or campaign trips.

Garcetti is usually accompanied by LAPD officers both in Los Angeles and when he travels. The city has typically paid for the officers flights, hotels, rental cars and other expenses, as well as their salaries.

As the mayor seeks to bolster his national profile ahead of a possible presidential run, he has traveled frequently  including visits to six states in the last two months. Garcetti was gone from Los Angeles for nearly one-third of the days in a 12-month period in 2016-17, according to his public calendar.

Garcetti spokesman Yusef Robb said in September that the Democratic Midterm Victory Fund, which raises money for Democratic candidates and state parties, would cover security expenses on all future campaign-related trips.

Robb also said the fund would reimburse the Police Department for several trips that had already occurred.

The Democratic Midterm Victory Fund has reimbursed the LAPD $22,500, according to a Sept. 30 filing with the Federal Election Commission. That amount covered six trips, Robb said Thursday.

LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein said Friday that there were no other reimbursements to the department for the mayors security costs. He added that the figures released by the city cover LAPD security for Garcettis family when they travel with him.

As the chief executive of the second-largest city in the nation, and a prominent national figure who frequently receives threats against his safety, the mayor of Los Angeles requires appropriate security to protect him and his family while traveling, Rubenstein said.

The Times sued Los Angeles after city officials refused to turn over records detailing taxpayer costs for security on out-of-state trips, accusing the city of violating the California Public Records Act and the California Constitution.

In August 2017 and April of this year, The Times requested detailed information from the LAPD about security expenses for Garcetti and his family on their travels.

In addition to the overall costs, the newspaper sought to know the number of officers accompanying the mayor, his family or staffers on each trip; the number of hours that each officer worked during trips; and costs such as food, lodging and travel incurred by the security team.

The LAPD declined to provide the information, saying it could put the mayor and his security team in danger.

Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.

dakota.smith@latimes.com

Twitter: @dakotacdsmith

UPDATES:

6:20 p.m.: This article was updated with a comment from LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein.

This article was originally published at 8:55 p.m. Nov. 1.
Two men and one woman will serve time for a series of paintball attacks in Torrance that injured several people, officials said.

Tyler James Walters, 21, Lynn Emerson Johnson, 21, and Gabriella Lorraine Semana, 19, were arrested in February after reports that several pedestrians had been shot with paintball guns from a moving vehicle.

Walters and Semana pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon, and Johnson and Walters pleaded no contest to one count of mayhem, said Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

Walters was sentenced to six years and Johnson to four years in state prison. Semana will serve six months in jail and three years of felony probation, Santiago said.

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The initial charges accused all three of mayhem and assault with a deadly weapon causing psychological damage and permanent disability and disfigurement of one man, according to court documents.

In late January, a 65-year-old man was walking in Hickory Park in Torrance when he was shot several times by paintballs fired from a passing vehicle, Torrance police Sgt. Ronald Harris said at the time. At least two paintballs struck and severely injured his eye, Harris said.

Police said at the time the injury could blind the man, and while its unclear whether the victim lost sight in his damaged eye, Santiago said the man is still recovering.

According to court documents, the paintball attack did cut and disable the tongue and put out an eye and slit the nose, ear and lip of the man. One other person is named as a victim in the complaint.

The day of the attacks, two other pedestrians reported a similar assault and provided a description of the suspects and vehicle to police. Walters, Johnson and Semana were arrested Feb. 6.

Several paintballs were found in the car they were using, and a paintball gun was recovered from the home of one suspect.

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra
Federal authorities have found another suspicious package addressed to billionaire political activist Tom Steyer, an outspoken critic of President Trump, officials said Friday.

The package was found Thursday night at a U.S. Postal Service sorting facility in Burlingame, Calif., south of San Francisco. FBI officials said the package appears similar to a string of other mailings sent to prominent Democrats and opponents of the president. It was the second package sent to Steyer. The other one was found last week.

Earlier this week, authorities said a Florida man accused of sending the packages kept lists and other information that suggest he had more than 100 potential targets for his campaign of terror, including at least 15 in Southern California.

The FBI has confirmed a package was recovered last night in California, similar in appearance to the others, addressed to Tom Steyer.  FBI (@FBI) November 2, 2018

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The FBI and local law enforcement agencies have begun reaching out to potential targets of Cesar Altieri Sayoc Jr., 56, who is accused of mailing 14 explosive devices to President Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, various senators, actor Robert De Niro and CNN.

In California, packages were sent to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Sen. Kamala Harris in Sacramento.
For 43 years, the hulking monument of concrete and colored glass known as the Triforium has towered over Fletcher Bowron Square in downtown Los Angeles, an object of apathy once the mockery had quieted down.

Creator Joseph Young saw it as an instrument of cultural unity through music and light.

Critics ridiculed it as Trifoolery, Psychedelic Nickelodeon and Schlockenspiel. For most of the last four decades, it has sat dark and quiet, producing little but rust.

Then a trio of thirtysomethings fell in love with the Triforium, as both L.A. story and art. Their enthusiasm turned into a $100,000 grant, which has turned into a high-tech, digital rebirth, bringing synchronized music and light to an otherwise dreary corner of the Civic Center.

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For the last two Fridays the Triforium dazzled thousands of onlookers with its polyphonoptic interface  as Young termed his forward-looking computer code that turned music into kinetic light.

In those performances it synced to the likes of multi-instrumentalist Reggie Watts, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, electronic loop vocalist Julianna Barwick and tenors from the L.A. Opera singing arias from Philip Glass Satyagraha.

The link in this lineup of auditory incongruity is light. As the musicians played, their melodies, rhythms and tones were interpreted by 1,494 light-emitting diodes of ever-changing color encircling the three-legged, 60-foot concrete structure in vertical arrays.

Tonights performers will include alternative rockers Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, the Taikoproject drum ensemble and world champion whistler Molly Lewis.

People walk past the Triforium illuminated with LED lights as part of a restoration effort as City Hall stands illuminated in the background. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

Then it will be a bittersweet ending for the three millennials who won the Goldhirsh Foundation grant with the promise that a restored Triforium would signal the flickering of a new movement, one that encourages people to reclaim and celebrate public artworks in their cities.

It turned out that the six-figure grant was far from enough to keep the lights running.

After this weeks concert, the LEDs that were affixed to each prism by hand will come down, and the Triforium will again go silent and dark.

Were doing what we can with what we have, said Claire Evans of the dance-pop band Yacht. Evans and partner Jona Bechtolt curated the eclectic events to showcase Youngs concept of the Triforium as a nexus for the cultural and artistic diversity of the city.

The pair and Tom Carroll, host of the web series Tom Explores Los Angeles, won the grant in 2016 and jumped in thinking that LEDs and microchips could breathe life into the Triforium that the technology of Youngs day could not.

Though the revival is only temporary, they say their lasting achievement was uncovering and bringing to life the depths of Youngs artistic vision that were never known before.

The insights came from the artists notebooks and punched-tape code, the standard of the day, which were provided to the project by his three daughters.

He had to make a lot of technical compromises, said Douglas Dunn, an expert on obsolete computers who probed Youngs code as a contractor for the project.

Young had imagined, for example, 127 intensities of brightness to correspond to intensity of sound, a requirement achievable with LEDs. The transistor-era computer, with only four kilobytes of memory, and incandescent lights could muster only three levels: full, middle and off, Dunn said.

In Youngs conceptual notes, Dunn found mystical and spiritual expression.

Lots of shape- and geometry-related mysticism, Dunn said. He was really into mechanical calculators, like the circular slide rule.

In one notebook, Dunn found references to the Triforium as evoking the main arch of a cathedral and a pipe organ of light.

He wanted you to hear color and see music, Carroll said.

The Triforium originally synchronized its lights to a 79-bell carillon that was removed long ago. Later, the lights were abandoned, and tape-recorded music occasionally played on its speakers.

To bring the original vision to life through multiple genres, Dunn connected a microphone and a laptop to the LEDs through an electronic controller.

Though the hand-blown Murano prisms are arranged in stacks of uniform color  another physical limit on Youngs imagination  the LEDs are so powerful their color shines through the glass, making possible the myriad color combinations a microprocessor can manage.

This is the first time weve ever seen the Triforium in the way the artist originally intended, said Carmen Zella of Now Art LA, who co-produced the events. The daughters are super thrilled.

The future of the Triforium now may depend on the funding needed to restore the aging structure.

Carroll said that would take about $1 million, a figure arising from the realities of rusted steel, sketchy wiring and bureaucratic process.

Among the hang-ups: The city wouldnt allow the young entrepreneurs to simply connect new lights to the old wires  1,494 of them laced from each prism through the concrete legs down to a control room in the underground mall.

And though there are electrical outlets in the square, the city didnt approve their use. A rented generator was brought in to power the shows.

It also turned out that the steel bracing that held up the prisms was compromised by rust. And the concrete structure itself required a structural evaluation.

Reports required by the Department of Cultural Affairs added a year to the one-year project and established the seven-figure cost, Carroll said.

We were naive, Carroll readily admits, taking consolation in the thought that Young himself became disillusioned.

Naivete has been a part of this project from the beginning, Carroll said.

Youngs polyphonoptic kinetic tower, commissioned for the opening of the Los Angeles Mall in 1975, had problems from the beginning. Over the years it played only intermittently, its bulbs constantly burning out.

In a letter to The Times 18 months after the Triforiums debut, Young added his own epithet to the many coined for the monument, saying the citys catatonic management had made it a million-dollar jukebox.

Yet Young, whose works adorn buildings across Los Angeles, died in 2007 still believing that one day others would see the Triforium as he did: a vision of the unfinished kaleidoscopic nature of the city.

The fate of the Triforium now rests with a plan to restore the entire Los Angeles Mall, which connects Fletcher Bowron Square to the municipal building known as City Hall East via an underground passage.

City Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents downtown, has asked the city staff to prepare a plan to make Civic Center a more engaging, pedestrian friendly, active and dynamic space.

Its not guaranteed that the Triforium, which has not been designated a historic-cultural monument, will be a part of that plan.

Carroll is hoping the three performances have improved the odds by building a fan base among the several thousand who attended.

We just hope to stick the image in peoples heads, Carroll said. People will be more easily motivated.

doug.smith@latimes.com

@LATDoug
As rookie NASA astronaut Nick Hague climbed into a Soyuz rocket for the first time alongside veteran Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin on Oct. 10, what should have been a routine flight to the International Space Station could already be described as awkward. The empty middle seat between them served as a reminder that all was not well.

Hague and Ovchinin were launching into an uncertain situation aboard the space station. A little more than a month before their launch, on Aug. 29, the station had suddenly begun to vent oxygen into the cold vacuum of space. The source of the leak was quickly traced to a small hole in a Russian-made Soyuz capsule already docked to the station. In Houston and Moscow, experts were left scratching their heads

For more than 20 years, NASAs relationship with Russias space agency, Roscosmos, has been the model of post-Cold War reconciliation between Washington and Moscow. Those ties only grew deeper in 2011, when the U.S. retired its fleet of space shuttles and Russias Soyuz rocket, a design that dates to the 1960s, became the sole means of reaching the $100-billion space outpost.

This marriage between the two space programs has weathered the atmosphere of distrust that now permeates U.S.-Russia relations. Across the field of bilateral ties between Moscow and Washington, only space exploration has succeeded in staying above the fray. But when evidence arose that the hole in Soyuz was deliberately drilled, that resilience was put to a test.

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Dmitry Rogozin, a bombastic nationalist politician recently appointed by President Vladimir Putin to lead the Russian space agency, was quick to insert himself into the situation when he suggested the Soyuz spacecraft had been sabotaged. There were several attempts at drilling, Rogozin said on Sept. 3. Was this a production defect or some premeditated action?

The Russian media ran with the theory, and before long speculation was rampant that American astronauts aboard the space station poked the hole in Soyuz. Rogozin, who is famously anti-Western and under U.S. sanctions for his role in Moscows 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, was intent on tracking down the culprit, calling it a matter of honor for Russias space industry.

The International Space Station has long been a site of U.S-Russian cooperation. The discovery in August of an air leak in a Soyuz capsule docked to the station has strained that relationship. (HO / AFP/Getty Images)

When Jim Bridenstine, the NASA administrator, flew to Moscow for the first time on Oct. 9 to meet Rogozin before traveling with him to Baikonur, Kazakhstan, for the following days Soyuz launch, he did his best to calm things down. Weve got to very dispassionately allow the investigation to go forward without speculation, without rumor, without innuendo, without conspiracy, he said.

With tensions higher than at any previous point in the NASA-Roscosmos partnership, Rogozin and Bridenstine watched as their astronauts worked through the tradition-rich motions of a Soyuz launch. It was all very routine. And at 11:40 Moscow time, the claw-like launch gantry fell away from the Soyuz rocket. Engines blazing, the rocket began its climb out over the horizon.

But, in the course of 118 seconds, what began as an awkward launch turned into a terrifying nightmare for the Russian and American space agencies.

On NASA TV, a commentator following a well-rehearsed script was undercut by a slightly muted background track looped into Russias mission control center outside Moscow: Booster failure! Booster failure! The astronauts reported shaking, rolling and then weightlessness  a clear indication something had gone very wrong at such an early stage in the flight.

Then, there was silence. For several harrowing minutes, all contact with the crew was lost.

According to an official Roscosmos accident report, released Thursday, a deformed sensor led to poor separation of one of the four side boosters from the main rocket. The booster struck the central body of the rocket, damaging the bottom section and knocking the vehicle off course. The computer, sensing a problem, cut the engine and initiated the launch abort system.

The top section of the rocket, housing Hague and Ovchinins Soyuz capsule, was then catapulted away from the damaged rocket and sent on a 15-minute ballistic hurdle up through the atmosphere and back down to Earth. They were alive, but for a moment only they knew it. It was a rough maneuver, and they experienced a force of 6 to 7 Gs on reentry. But they survived.

Rescue teams later recovered the crew and they were flown back to Baikonur. Even in failure, the fact of their survival was a testament to 60-year-old engineering and, after such a close call, no one was talking about the hole anymore.

Though the crew survived, the two agencies were not out of the woods yet. Soyuz is the only way to reach the space station, and until the cause of the failure could be identified, no other Soyuz rockets would fly. And the current station crew could stay no later than December. If Soyuz didnt get cleared for launch before them, the space station would have to be abandoned  ending a 20-year streak of human presence in orbit and jeopardizing the largest international project ever undertaken during peacetime.

It was a daunting prospect for the two space agencies, but one that they avoided on Thursday, when Roscosmos announced Soyuz is back in action.

On Dec. 3, a relief crew will be launched to the station. The issue that nearly derailed the space partnership, the hole in the Soyuz currently docked to the space station, has disappeared from the public radar. And in an interview with Tass two weeks ago, NASA Administrator Bridenstine said they had secured a temporary sanctions exception for Rogozin to visit the U.S.

There is a lot I would like to discuss with Rogozin, Bridenstine was quoted as saying in a Russian-language version of the interview published on Oct 19. If we want to establish a strong working relationship, then we need to begin working closely with each other  which in turn will be good for both countries.

No official confirmation that NASA helped remove Rogozin, temporarily, from the sanctions list has yet been given. His visit would be the third time a sanctioned Russian official has visited the U.S. on official business  the other two officials were the heads of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service and Federal Security Service, successor agency to the KGB.

Bridenstines spokeswoman, Megan Powers, when asked for clarification did not deny the Tass report but said only that NASA has invited Mr. Rogozin to the U.S. early next year. The specifics have not yet been determined.

Powers deferred all visa- and sanctions-related questions to the U.S. State and Treasury departments.

Regardless of the circumstances of Rogozins visit, it is a strong and unusual gesture considering Bridenstine had spoken with his counterpart by phone only one time  concerning the hole  before meeting him in Baikonur for the failed Soyuz launch. And it remains an open question whether the issue of the hole has been put to rest.

I think after the next manned launch this will all go back to where it was before the last launch, said Pavel Luzin, a Russian space industry analyst. Inviting Rogozin to D.C. means that some tough talk is required out of sight of cameras and the smiles. There are a number of issues they still need to work out, and the future of the partnership beyond [the space station] is a big question.

Bodner is a special correspondent to The Times.
A Colorado jury likely threw cold water on future legal challenges against cannabis companies by homeowners who consider filing racketeering lawsuits alleging that proximity to pot operations hurts their property values, analysts and industry lawyers said Thursday.

A federal jury in Denver on Wednesday rejected claims involving the odor from a pot farm made in a case that was closely watched by the marijuana industry.

It was the first such lawsuit to reach a jury. Three others are pending in California, Massachusetts and Oregon.

The big takeaway is that the verdict is likely to curb the enthusiasm for bringing these lawsuits in the future, Vanderbilt University law professor Rob Mikos said.

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He said its easy to show marijuana companies are violating federal laws against pot, but the Colorado verdict shows the difficulty in proving actual harm.

There was a thought that this would be easy money, Mikos said about such claims.

Congress created the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act  better known as RICO  to target the Mafia in the 1970s. It allowed prosecutors to argue that leaders of a criminal enterprise should pay a price along with lower-level defendants.

The law also allows private parties to file lawsuits claiming their business or property has been damaged by a criminal enterprise. Those who can prove it can be financially compensated for damages plus attorneys expenses.

Scott Schlager, a lawyer who filed a similar lawsuit against a dispensary in Cambridge, Mass., dispensary agreed with Mikos, saying racketeering lawsuits are expensive to litigate.

They shouldnt be the next cottage industry, he said. There is a lot of uncertainty.

Schlager said the Denver verdict will have no effect on his case because the two legal actions have important differences.

The Colorado plaintiffs complained that a farms odor lowered their property value by about $30,000.

Schlagers clients in Harvard Square argue that the stigma of a marijuana dispensary in the upscale business district lowered property values by $29 million.

Attorney Ken Stratton, who represents a pot farmer being sued by eight homeowners near Petaluma, in the heart of California wine country, said he was surprised the Denver case reached a jury.

I think well see more and more of these knocked out before they go to trial, Stratton said. The racketeering law wasnt meant to litigate land disputes.

He also predicted the Denver verdict will make other lawyers and disgruntled neighbors look elsewhere to settle their disputes with marijuana operations.

He said showing that cannabis operations impact land prices is difficult, especially if the homeowners are speculating rather than arguing they lost money in actual sales.

Emma Quinn-Judge, a Boston lawyer defending the Cambridge dispensary, agreed that showing harm is the biggest hurdle.

If you know anything about Cambridge home prices, then you know that arguing their value has dropped $29 million is laughable, she said.
President Trump said Thursday that Heather Nauert, the State Department spokeswoman, is a leading contender to replace Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, adding that he may reach a decision next week in the latest shuffle of his top aides.

Shes under very serious consideration, Trump told reporters after a speech on immigration at the White House.

Shes excellent, he added. Shes been with us a long time. Shes been a supporter a long time.

Trump met with Nauert, 48, on Monday in the Oval Office. A former Fox News anchor and ABC news correspondent, she has no diplomatic experience and rarely delved deeply into policy details as the voice for the State Department, often deferring to the White House.

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When Rex Tillerson led the State Department for the first year of the Trump administration, Nauert often seemed excluded from his inner circle. She never accompanied him on his flights around the world. In the view of some diplomats, she was seen as loyal first and foremost to the White House.

After Trump fired Tillerson in March and appointed former CIA Director Michael R. Pompeo to the job, Nauerts role and proximity to power grew. She is frequently at Pompeos side and has accompanied him on trips as far flung as North Korea and Mexico City.

Fox News reported that Trump had offered Nauert the job but that she had not yet accepted it. Sources at the State Department suggested that Trump had sounded her out but not made a formal offer.

Nauerts selection would not be a surprise. Her name had surfaced along with other administration political appointees, including Jamie McCourt, the U.S. ambassador to France and former owner, with her husband, Frank McCourt, of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

When she joined the administration in April 2017, Nauert left her husband and two young sons at home in New York City. Returning to New York, where the United Nations is located, may appeal to her.

She has not appeared at the State Department briefing podium for the last two weeks, allowing a deputy, Robert Palladino, to lead press briefings.

Nauert cemented her loyalty to Trump early last year before she joined the State Department. After retailer Nordstrom dropped Ivanka Trumps clothing line, citing poor sales, Nauert tweeted that designs by the presidents older daughter are lovely, well made and vowed to wear a pair of her high heels on TV, according to Bloomberg. The tweet was later deleted.

Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and a rising Republican star, announced Oct. 9 that she would leave the United Nations at the end of 2018 after two years as ambassador. She is considered a possible future presidential candidate, but has said she will not run in 2020.

Haley won praise at the White House for her skillful if sometimes brash diplomacy. She helped strengthen U.N. sanctions on North Korea, but alienated other diplomats by condemning the Iran nuclear deal, which the Security Council had approved in 2015, and speaking in favor of Trumps decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem.

On Thursday, she unsuccessfully argued against the annual General Assembly vote to condemn the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba. The vote was 189 to 2, with only Israel siding with the United States.

Haley saw her own influence shrink as Pompeo took over the State Department, and John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was named Trumps national security advisor. The two effectively took charge of foreign policy, leaving Haley as an outsider.

Bolton, who once called for lopping off the top floor of the U.N. headquarters, appears eager to downgrade the ambassadorial position there to reflect his conviction that the global body is irrelevant.

At the State Department, Nauert has hewed closely to White House positions. She has refused to endorse the so-called two-state solution as a potential way out of the Middle East crisis, a shift from previous administrations. She often deflects grilling on touchy topics, such as the U.S.-backed Saudi air war in Yemen, by calling on reporters she can count on for softball questions.

Nauerts appointment would further cement Trumps affinity for Fox News. He is a devoted consumer of the networks shows that are most favorable to him, and has given more interviews to Fox personalities than to any other network.

Bill Shine, a former Fox executive ousted for his handling of sex scandals at the network, joined the White House in July as deputy chief of staff for communications.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

Twitter: @TracyKWilkinson
Note: This is a translation of a Chinese-language article first published by Xinhuanet.com. The article reflects the author's own views.

Speaking recently about the Trump administrations policy toward China, United States Vice President Mike Pence accused China of pressuring three Latin American nations to sever ties with Taipei and to recognize Beijing. He condemned these alleged actions, which he said threaten the stability of the Taiwan Strait. His claim reveals his ignorance of history.

Put simply, there is only one China, and Taiwan is an integral part of Chinas territory. This has been widely accepted since October 1971, when the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, which recognized the government of the Peoples Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of China at the United Nations and established the One-China Principle.

This year El Salvador became the 177th country to adopt Resolution 2758 when President Salvador Sanchez Ceren recognized that the government of the Peoples Republic of China is the only legitimate representative of China, and that Taiwan is an integral part of Chinas territory.

Decades ago, when the United States established formal ties with China, they recognized the One-China Principle. The three joint communiques that established formal China-U.S. relations, namely the Shanghai Communique, the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and the August 17 Communique, all affirmed the One-China Principle. American adherence to the three joint communiques and the One-China Principle, and its cooperation with China on restraining Taiwan independence forces, are part of the political foundations of healthy China-U.S. relations.

From time to time, some voices in the United States call on the government there to abandon the promises it made all those years ago. And some go so far as to call for the government to interfere in Chinas domestic affairs in relation to Taiwan. Mike Pence, an avowed Christian, would be well aware of the Bibles admonishment: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

And as a student of history, he would be well versed in his countrys own struggle against separatism.

Abraham Lincoln is held up as one of Americas greatest presidents precisely because he stood firmly against the Southern separatists to safeguard the union. A house divided against itself cannot stand, he said in his 1858 speech. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided. In 1861, the country was plunged into a bloody conflict that would leave more than 600,000 dead on battlefields across the countryside. Chinas desire to safeguard its unity is just as strong as that of America. Americans fought their deadliest war for the sake of unity; why would they hold China to a different standard when it defends its own territorial integrity?

On October 8 during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chinas Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi proposed a series of concrete actions to safeguard China-U.S. relations and stability of the Taiwan Strait. This includes cessation of U.S. official and military contact with Taiwan, and end to arms sales to Taiwan, an end to unreasonable intervention in countries that have established or are hoping to establish relations with China, and restraint on voices calling for Taiwans independence.

Any sovereign country that chooses to establish diplomatic ties with China in accordance with United Nations Resolution 2758 should be free to do so without threats or intimidation from the United States. In recent years, the Democratic Republic of S o Tome and Principe, the Republic of Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Burkina Faso have joined the Republic of El Salvador in establishing diplomatic relations with China. It is their right to do so and Washington should respect their exercise of sovereignty.
The Trump administration announced plans Friday to reimpose sweeping sanctions on Irans shipping, banking and oil industries and vowed severe consequences against any country or company that violates them, a move that has roiled relations with U.S. allies.

The aggressive array of sanctions will go into effect Monday, a day before the midterm election and six months after President Trump withdrew from the landmark Iran nuclear accord.

Unlike the global coalition that forced Iran to abandon its nascent nuclear program in 2015, the White House has struggled to gain broad diplomatic support for its decision to slap back all the U.S. sanctions that were lifted as part of the disarmament deal.

In a sign of the patchwork support, the administration granted temporary waivers to eight nations to allow them to continue importing Iranian oil. The group reportedly includes several major U.S. allies, including Japan, South Korea and India.

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Russia suggested it would deliberately defy the U.S. sanctions, saying it will continue importing Iranian oil and trading it to third countries, and may expand its dealings.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said the U.S. sanctions  the second round since May  were aimed at fundamentally altering Irans behavior and would deprive Tehran of the revenues it uses to spread death and destruction around the world.

The White House argued that the sanctions will cause such hardships that Iranian authorities will be forced to reopen negotiations and ultimately abandon their ballistic missiles and stop bankrolling militant groups across the Middle East. Iranian officials quickly rejected that notion.

The possibility of America being able to achieve its economic goals through these sanctions is very remote and there is certainly no possibility that it will attain its political goals through such sanctions, Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qasemi, told state TV.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a strong supporter of the nuclear deal, called on Europe, Russia and China to quickly enact plans to compensate for and mitigate the effects of Americas newest unilateral and extraterritorial sanctions.

The White House decision is expected to be the focus of state-sponsored commemorations in Iran this Sunday of the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by Islamic militants.

The sanctions announced Friday target major sectors of the Iranian economy, such as energy, shipping, shipbuilding and finance, including the Central Bank of Iran. In all, more than 700 individuals, vessels, aircraft, banks, companies and other entities were put on the U.S. blacklist  300 more than before.

Any financial institution, company or individual who evades our sanctions risks losing access to the U.S. financial system and the ability to do business with the United States or U.S. companies, said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, who joined Pompeo on a conference call with reporters. We are intent on ensuring that global funds stop flowing to the coffers of the Iranian regime.

Mnuchin also said that Swift, the Brussels-based financial messaging service that connects banks worldwide and facilitates money transfers, could be subject to sanctions if it worked with Iranian institutions on the U.S. blacklist.

Officials said they aim to cut Irans crude oil exports by 1 million barrels a day, a little more than half the current output, which had already dropped due to earlier U.S. sanctions.

Over the last six months, U.S. officials have lobbied allies and other countries that import Iranian oil to shift to other sources before the sanctions hit, and have threatened to punish those that do not comply. But they have achieved only partial success.

More than 20 countries cut their imports of Iranian oil to zero, according to the White House, but some of the biggest consumers of Iranian oil, including China and Turkey, have not significantly reduced their imports, U.S. officials said.

The White House moved to reassure energy markets that cutting Irans exports in half would not disrupt global supplies. It said U.S. oil production would increase by 1 million barrels a day over the next year.

In addition, the U.S. special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, said Saudi Arabia has complied with a U.S. request to step up production of oil to help compensate for any shortages caused by removing Irans output from the market.

When Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal in May, he called it defective at its core because it did not address Irans production of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and its support for militant groups in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

The deal was negotiated with Iran by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, plus Germany, and all except the United States want to keep it intact  and to avoid the U.S. sanctions. The European Union announced in September, for example, that it was setting up private mechanisms to trade with Iran.

Diplomats described that effort as largely symbolic, however, intended to show support for Iran and give it incentive to remain in the nuclear deal. Most major European companies that began doing business in Iran after sanctions were lifted, such as the French-owned Total energy conglomerate and Volvo of Sweden, have departed the country.

The Iran deal is dead in the water, said Nile Gardiner, a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that opposed the deal and advises the Trump administration on foreign policy. The United States has shown its a steamroller and either you get out of the way or you get steamrolled.

The Trump administration claims its efforts have worsened Irans economic crisis and caused its national currency to plunge, factors that have stirred national unrest.

Trump is showing his disdain for the Iranian people through these sanctions, said Trita Parsi, founder of the National Iranian American Council, a nonprofit group in Washington that supported the nuclear deal. They will bear the brunt of this escalation, not the Iranian government. Iranian hospitals are already starting to report medical shortages as a result of financial sanctions that make banks reluctant to handle Iranian transactions.

Tehran announced last month it would sell oil in a private market to anonymous customers to protect them from U.S. punishment. The system appears difficult to sustain and susceptible to corruption, but Iran said a first sale was made on Oct. 29.

The danger for the U.S strategy is that at some point Iran may decide to revive its nuclear program, rather than returning to the negotiation table in a weakened state, as the White House intends.

European governments have assured Tehran they will stay by its side as long as it remains in the deal. If Iran starts to enrich uranium or rebuild its nuclear infrastructure, the Europeans say they will join the United States.

Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs, decried the U.S. decision to reimpose sanctions. Lifting them under the nuclear deal, she said, was designed to have a positive impact on trade and economic relations with Iran, but most importantly on the lives of the Iranian people.

Special correspondent Ramin Mostaghim contributed from Tehran.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter

UPDATES:

3:30 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details and reaction from Iran.

7:20 a.m.: This story was updated with the announcement of the oil sanctions.

This story was originally published at 3 a.m.
As election day nears, the noise out of the White House on immigration has been deafening, a torrent of lies and assertions designed to reinforce the misperception that immigrants  including, but not only, those who come to the country illegally  are a danger, an invading force that must be stopped. Underpinning this hysterical reaction are three big and wrongheaded assumptions: that immigrants are disproportionately criminals and gangsters or otherwise violent; that they pose a threat to the pocketbooks of hardworking real Americans by taking away jobs and/or living off government handouts; and that in these ways and others their arrival will subsume some embattled American culture and keep this country from becoming great again.

But thats just wrong. Whatever American culture is  and it runs a broad gamut from North Atlantic lobster to Southern grits to taco stands and from jazz to opera to folk music and hip-hop  immigration doesnt threaten it. President Trump is engaged in a blatant and cynical effort to play to xenophobia and nativism in hopes of helping the Republican Party maintain control of Congress. The president continued his fearmongering on immigration Thursday, just hours after the Washington Post released a poll showing that the issue resonates strongly in battleground districts.

The fact is that Trump, like the vast majority of us, is descended from immigrants: His impoverished mother, following her older sisters, emigrated from a remote Scottish island to find work as a housekeeper in New York; his paternal grandfather emigrated from Germany.

So are immigrants dangerous criminals and gang-bangers? Trump has said that Mexico sends us rapists and other criminals rather than their best (never mind that immigrants are not sent by their home governments). Hes talked about the SO DANGEROUS refugees from the seven Muslim-majority countries subject to his travel ban.

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We are a stronger, better, richer nation for our immigrant roots, a truth that Trump and his choir try to paint differently.

Even though it is true that some immigrants commit crimes  they are human, after all  immigrants, regardless of their legal status, commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans. Study after study shows that communities with high numbers of undocumented immigrants tend to have lower rates of violent crime. A Cato Institute analysis of Texas data found that the homicide conviction rate for all immigrants was 1.41 per 100,000, less than half of the 3.88 rate for native-born Americans; the rate for illegal immigrants was also below that of native-born Americans. Another study in the Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice found that over 40 years in major metropolitan areas, immigration is consistently linked to decreases in violent (e.g., murder) and property (e.g., burglary) crime throughout the time period. If the president and his supporters were to make an argument by fact rather than citing anecdotes of individual crimes, theyd have to acknowledge that, statistically speaking, immigrants reduce the overall U.S. crime rate.

Nor are they a drag on the economy. Employment rates for immigrants tend to be higher than for native-born Americans, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A report by Trumps own alma mater, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, concludes that immigrants, whether they are here legally or illegally, tend to compete not with working-class, native-born Americans but with earlier arriving immigrants, and that they are unlikely to replace native-born workers or reduce their wages over the long term. At the same time, their spending adds to the economy, helping create jobs higher up the economic ladder. A 2016 study published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that while there might be short-term negative economic impacts from immigration at the local level (such as increased school spending), children of immigrants  are among the strongest economic and fiscal contributors in the U.S. population, contributing more in taxes than either their parents or the rest of the native-born population.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

And with the native-born population aging and births declining, the U.S. economy will need immigrants to fill jobs, pay taxes and shore up Social Security. Even if some new immigrants need a little help to get their feet underneath them, the long-term economic benefits of immigration are undeniable, from helping expand the economy through innovations and new businesses. It has always been thus.

Some 326 million people live in the U.S., and 43.7 million, or 13.5%, were born in other countries (about a quarter of those live here without permission). Immigrants and their American-born children account for one-quarter of the current U.S. population. They change us and we change them. As a 2015 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report pointed out, integration is a two-way process: it happens both because immigrants experience change once they arrive and because native-born Americans change in response to immigration. Americans generations removed from Irish roots are no less American because they celebrate St. Patricks Day, nor are people of Jamaican descent less American if they listen to reggae. Even if second or third generations still speak Spanish at home or eat halal food or wear a turban or a sari, they are no less American for it.

We are a stronger, better, richer nation for our immigrant roots, a truth that Trump and his choir try to paint differently. We have always had that mind-set in this country, that fear of the new and the different. But to our general benefit, the nation has persistently risen above its worst instincts and provided a canvas for reinvention, and for the realization of dreams and ambitions. Its the kind of place where even the son of an immigrant housekeeper can become president.

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To the editor: I was disappointed to read in a column on voters trying to flip an Orange County congressional district that Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) wants to weaken federal laws against marijuana.

Recently-approved state laws legalizing marijuana have not been beneficial. In Colorado, following the legalization of recreational marijuana, the number of traffic fatalities involving marijuana-impaired drivers more than doubled. Surveys have found a majority of marijuana users in Colorado do not believe driving high is dangerous, leading some to get behind the wheel impaired.

As a retired law enforcement officer who has had the opportunity to work with people impacted by drug addiction, and as a lifelong Republican, I feel Rohrabacher is making a mistake.

Republicans have traditionally stood strong on public safety and championed drug-free communities. While I do not currently plan to stop voting Republican, backing down on such an important issue certainly makes continuing my support more difficult.

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Sally Fairchild, Newport Beach

..

To the editor: In such a dark news week, it felt like a ray of sunlight came over me after reading about Orange County residents Katie Kalvoda and Joni Nichols working to bring about change in their congressional district.

The women reminded me that we all need to simply roll up our sleeves and continue to work on making this world one that we want to leave to our children. I believe this is what the survivors in my hometown of Pittsburgh (where residents know a thing or two about rolling up their sleeves and getting to work) would want us to do.

Kudos to these ladies, and I hope all their hard work and passion pay off. I will be thinking about them as I pray for all the victims, survivors and first responders in this very sad and difficult week.

Jennifer Swoboda, Long Beach

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To the editor: Jonah Goldberg says that while President Trumps rhetoric is unhelpful, not everyone who jumped aboard the Trump train is a bigot.

But if Trump had never appealed to peoples latent bigotry, the Republican Partys economic policy would not have brought enough voters on board for it to win elections. Activating fear and anger toward minority populations distracts voters from the fact that GOP policy hurts them.

If voters were not driven into an unrealistic panic over foreigners coming to the U.S., they would notice that the death toll of the 9/11 attacks is dwarfed every year by the number of people who die prematurely because of pollution or lack of access to healthcare. They would suspect that tax and economic policy explains why economic gains in recent years have gone chiefly to people who were already wealthy.

Competition with immigrants for low-wage jobs cannot explain increasing inequality.

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Stuart Meisner, Santa Monica

..

To the editor: Goldberg is not someone I often agree with, but hes right on the mark when he explains why the presidents words and beliefs matter. By continuing to feed his base red meat, Trump amps up emotions on both sides.

The problem is that Trump has no reference point. He does not know anything about history or about how his rhetoric echoes past despots who spawned reactionary behavior and chaos.

We need a leader as president who understands that what he says and how he says it is very important to the way people treat each other.

James Bandy, Sonoma

..

To the editor: Buried close to the bottom of his column, Goldberg takes a swipe at the media, which he claims is biased (as opposed to fake or the enemy of the people, as Trump says).

The Los Angeles Times has long been seen as a liberal newspaper. Goldberg is a famous conservative writer, and yet The Times publishes his work even though he criticizes the media for its bias.

That is rich.

Joan Walston, Santa Monica

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook.
Like the hedgehog in the ancient epigram, President Trump in politics knows only one big thing, but he knows it very well  how to polarize.

Trump won the presidency in 2016, beating the odds, by polarizing voters at every opportunity, from his first official campaign statement about Mexican rapists to his final chants of Lock her up.

This year, confronted with a midterm election that could hand at least a share of power to his opponents, Trump has stuck to the one thing he does. But he hasnt quite done it the way he did in 2016, and the evidence so far suggests he wont achieve the same result.

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LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM, THERE ARE NO NEUTRALS

In the closing weeks of 2016, Trump kept the spotlight largely off himself, focusing the glare on Hillary Clinton. That helped his cause: Weve seen repeatedly that Trumps popularity drops when his behavior becomes the primary focus of public attention.

This time around, Trump has not shown similar discipline. Instead, he has relentlessly stepped onto center stage.

This week alone he has announced plans to send thousands of additional troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, declared that he wants to issue an executive order to eliminate the Constitutions automatic grant of citizenship for children born in the U.S. and repeatedly blamed the news media for creating divisions in American society.

(If Trump actually goes through with his plan for an executive order on birthright citizenship, most legal scholars expect hed quickly lose in court, David Savage wrote. And Jaweed Kaleem noted that Trumps claim that no other country has birthright citizenship is not even close to being true.)

Trumps emphasis on immigration and his insistence on pushing divisive messages personally is not what Republican strategists had planned. With the economy continuing to hum, they had wanted a campaign focused on low unemployment. It was Trumps choice to close the campaign with a message focused on immigration  an issue that strongly motivates his core supporters, but not others.

As Noah Bierman and Eli Stokols wrote, White House aides first plan after the killing spree at a synagogue in Pittsburgh last weekend was to portray Trump as empathetic and a national unifier. The president seemed to have little interest in playing that role.

The result, Bierman and Stokols wrote, has caused some Republican strategists to ask: Is Trumps campaigning helping his party or hurting?

In the last week, the president has behaved like a guy trying to build a permanent political majority in the Ozarks, Josh Penry, the strategist for Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado, said. Coffman is battling to hold on to a seat in a suburban district outside Denver. Polls show him behind, and Trumps not helping.

Thats only part of the answer, however.

As Jennifer Haberkorn reported from Missouri, Democratic incumbents in conservative areas, like that states Sen. Claire McCaskill, need to court Trump supporters to keep their seats. By widening the gap between the two parties, Trump makes reaching across it much harder. That hurts candidates like McCaskill and Sen. Joe Donnelly in Indiana.

Meanwhile, as Victoria Kim wrote from Orange County, Trumps divisive personality is exactly the thing that has spurred a new generation of activists among suburban women.

Our USC-Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll last week showed that voters who dislike both sides lean toward the Democrats this year, the reverse of the pattern set in 2016.

The more Trump makes the election a referendum on himself, and the more he pushes polarizing issues like immigration, the more he inflames Democratic activists and reminds swing voters of all they dislike about him. That increases the chance of Republicans losing in suburban House districts, even as it hurts Democrats running in red states.

Trumps closing strategy, then, increases the likelihood of a split verdict: Democrats win the House, but Republicans expand their slim majority in the Senate by a seat or two.

If that happens, look for him to take credit for the Senate wins. As for losses in the House, hes already set the stage for blaming Republican leaders, starting with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).

DECISION CALIFORNIA

In the Trump era, Republicans have repeatedly had to decide how to deal with openly racist supporters. The latest to face that problem: Rep. Steve Knight, who represents the closely contested 25th Congressional District in northern Los Angeles County.

Knights campaign produced an online ad featuring a supporter who is a military veteran. Unfortunately for Knight, the veteran in question has an extensive history of posting racist rants and violent threats on Facebook, as Michael Finnegan and Maya Sweedler reported. After the article appeared, Knights campaign removed the ad from their website.

With housing issues on the ballot, California has become a national battleground on rent control, Liam Dillon reported.

As Christine Mai-Duc reported, Asian Americans hold the key to victory in several Southern California districts. Those voters matter especially in the extremely close race between Gil Cinseros, the Democrat, and Young Kim, the Republican, in the 39th Congressional District, which covers parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Asian American voters could also play a major role in the adjacent 45th and 48th districts.

And in the 10th District, in the Central Valley, water is lifeblood, Jazmine Ulloa reported. Incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Denham hopes his years of work on water policy will continue to give him an edge.

DEMOCRATS WINNING THE MONEY WAR

Nationwide, Republican campaign money is stretched thin as Democrats rake in huge amounts, Evan Halper reported.

The Democrats, combining the fervor of hundreds of thousands of small contributors with the largess of a few liberal billionaires, have expanded the number of districts in which they can compete.

As Haberkorn reported, the closing weeks of the campaign have seen unlikely Democratic House candidates gaining momentum, even in GOP strongholds. They wont all win, but some may, and theyre forcing Republican campaign committees to burn up resources defending seats that party strategists thought were safe.

Republicans have their own coterie of super-wealthy big donors, but theyve struggled to keep up.

All told, spending on the midterm election has approached a record $5 billion, Finnegan reported.

RACES AROUND THE COUNTRY

The fight for control of Congress gets most of the attention, but Democrats also expect to make some big gains in state legislatures, Halper reported. That could have a major impact on policy as well as on redistricting after the 2020 census.

In many state races, Democrats have seized on public concerns about schools, Chris Megerian wrote. They could win governorships in several red states, including Kansas and Oklahoma, where a backlash against deep cuts in education spending has hurt Republicans.

Republican candidates are saying they will protect Americans with preexisting health conditions, but they continue to fight against expanding Medicaid to help the poorest patients, Noam Levey wrote.

In the Georgia gubernatorial race, Stacey Abrams could make history, Jenny Jarvie wrote. But Georgia law requires a runoff if no candidate gets 50% of the vote, a prospect that seems increasingly possible in that race.

The midterm election features the most diverse group of candidates ever, and were featuring some other potential historic firsts, in addition to Abrams.

PARSING THE EARLY VOTE: BEST NOT TO TRY

As Mark Barabak wrote, early voting numbers are blowing the doors off in some states in this midterm election, but its very unclear what that means for the final count.

In 24 states, more people already have voted early than did so in 2014, even before whats usually a big weekend for early voting. In some states, the early numbers appear to favor Democrats; in others Republicans.

But theres a big problem with trying to interpret early voting numbers: Theres never any way to know until after the fact whether encouraging people to vote early has added to a partys final vote total or just shifted when certain people cast their ballots.

TRADE, SANCTIONS AND CEASE-FIRES

Robert Lighthizer, Trumps trade czar, is the man with the presidents ear these days, Don Lee writes. Lighthizer has long believed that the key to boosting U.S. industry is playing hardball with China.

The White House is reimposing oil sanctions on Iran, putting the U.S. on a path toward a confrontation with Europe, Tracy Wilkinson wrote.

Under pressure from Congress, the administration called for a cease-fire in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has waged a horrifically destructive war.

The administration is denouncing Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua as a troika of tyranny, Wilkinson wrote.

And Trump appears to be moving toward naming the State Departments spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, as U.S. envoy to the United Nations.

LOGISTICS

That wraps up this week. Until next time, keep track of all the developments in national politics and the Trump administration with our Essential Washington blog, at our Politics page and on Twitter @latimespolitics.

Send your comments, suggestions and news tips to politics@latimes.com.

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David.lauter@latimes.com

@davidlauter
Roger Stone, a longtime advisor to President Trump, sent an email to Trumps chief campaign strategist in October 2016 that implied that he had information about WikiLeaks plans to release material that would be damaging to then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

In an email to Stephen Bannon on Oct. 4  days before WikiLeaks began releasing emails hacked from the account of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta  Stone said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange feared for his personal safety but would nevertheless be releasing a load every week going forward.

Stone posted the exchange with Bannon on Thursday in a column on the Daily Caller website, shortly before the New York Times published a story describing the message.

The 2016 email suggests that Stone  long known for a tendency to exaggerate and hype  was nevertheless viewed by Bannon and the Trump campaign as a source to consult for information about WikiLeaks.

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The groups release of documents allegedly hacked by Russian operatives in the final months of the 2016 White House race is being investigated by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Muellers team has been intently focused on the question of whether Stone had knowledge of WikiLeaks activities.

Stone has long insisted that he did not know what WikiLeaks planned to release and that predictions he made were based on public information and tips from associates.

His newly revealed exchange with Bannon undercuts Stones insistence this week that he never communicated with Trump campaign officials about WikiLeaks.

There are no such communications, and if Bannon says there are, he would be dissembling, Stone told the Washington Post, which reported Tuesday that Bannon had been asked about Stones interactions with the campaign in a recent interview with the Mueller team.

On Thursday, Stone told the Post that he was unaware of this email exchange until it was leaked.

We had not turned it up in our search, he added. We can find no others to campaign officials.

William Burck, an attorney for Bannon, declined to comment.

Stones email to Bannon came in the key week before WikiLeaks began releasing Podestas emails  a time when Stone had been publicly trumpeting his belief that WikiLeaks would drop material that would reshape the campaigns final weeks.

On Sunday, Oct. 2, Stone tweeted: Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. #WikiLeaks.

The next day, Stone received an email from Matt Boyle, an editor for Breitbart News, the conservative publication that Bannon led before he was named Trumps campaign chief in August 2016, the New York Times reported.

Assange - whats he got? Boyle asked. Hope its good.

Stone wrote back: It is.

Boyle then forwarded the message to Bannon, writing, You should call Roger.

A Breitbart spokesman told the Post that Boyle acted in his role as a journalist to attempt to uncover the story behind Roger Stones public claims. Boyle has not been contacted by Mueller, according to a person close to him.

On Oct. 4, Assange spoke by video conference to reporters gathered in Berlin. Instead of releasing material, as had been expected, Assange announced a vague plan to publish documents sometime in the future, suggesting that there would be weekly releases at some point.

An apparently disappointed Bannon wrote Stone: What was that this morning???

Stone replied: Fear. Serious security concern. He thinks they are going to kill him and the London police are standing done. However  a load every week going forward.

On Thursday, Stone said the idea of weekly releases was based on Assanges public announcement. He said that his information about Assanges fears came from Randy Credico, a New York comedian and radio host who had hosted Assange on his show.

Credico has denied providing Stone with inside information about WikiLeaks.

According to Stone, Credico told him that Assange had been warned to delay the release of hacked emails in early October 2016 by Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst famed for his role as the source of the Pentagon Papers in the early 1970s. In Stones account, Ellsberg is described as a WikiLeaks attorney.

Reached by phone Thursday, Ellsberg broke into laughter when told of Stones claim.

How absurd, Ellsberg said. I am not, of course, a lawyer. That doesnt make any sense at all. That story is totally false.

Ellsberg had been supportive of WikiLeaks in 2010, when he appeared with Assange at a news conference in London after the group released hundreds of thousands of Iraq War documents. He said he later visited Assange at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London, where the WikiLeaks founder has been confined for years.

But Ellsberg said he had had no contact with Assange about the WikiLeaks releases during the 2016 campaign. Ellsberg said he opposed the releases and thought Assange had used bad judgment in an effort to defeat Clinton.

The Posts Robert Costa contributed to this report.
Even as voters fixate on the fight for control of Congress, that other battle going on this election cycle  the one for power in the states  could prove most dramatic for the direction of the nation.

Democrats anticipate significant wins, retaking majority control of as many as a dozen state legislative chambers. If that happens, it would shake up the political order from coast to coast.

Since the early years of the Obama administration, Democrats suffered historic losses at the state level. That enabled the GOP to transform many state capitals into incubators for conservative ideology and policies. The legislative chambers have deeply cut spending, weakened organized labor and loosened gun safety laws. They have resisted action on climate change, curbed abortion rights and worked to unravel Obamacare, with many refusing federal money to expand Medicaid.

If election forecasts hold, those conservative efforts will be stymied in many places when the next class of state lawmakers assume their seats.

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Moreover, Democrats appear to be positioned to gain full control over the governments of a few key states, including Colorado and New York, where power is currently split. Those states could join places like California in advancing liberal policies and more robustly challenging the Trump administration.

In other states, voters seem poised to bolster the power of Democratic governors by ending veto-proof legislative majorities Republicans hold.

These elections are huge, said Tim Storey, elections analyst at the National Conference of State Legislators. Eighty percent of the seats are up Democrats are optimistic that they can pick up eight to 12 chambers and make substantial gains in others.

In some of those states, including Wisconsin and Maine, Republicans are also in danger of losing governors offices they have held for at least the last eight years.

The shift in power in the states comes as lawmakers prepare to redraw political districts nationwide after the 2020 Census. Victories this year would help position Democrats to erase many of the heavily gerrymandered districts that the Republicans have used to solidify their hold on Congress and state legislatures since 2010.

(Los Angeles Times)

The existing voting districts benefit Republicans so much  and voters in some states have migrated so far from the Democratic Party  that even if the blue wave Democrats hope for builds into a tsunami, nobody projects that Democrats this year will get back the level of state power they had before the Obama era.

In the 2010 elections alone, 24 chambers flipped to Republican control, more than double the number Democrats are forecast to gain this year. The GOP kept building on those gains, flipping another 11 chambers in 2014.

This is not going to be the flip side of 2010, said Carl Klarner, a former Indiana State University professor who forecasts state elections. Despite all the voter intensity, he said, there are all kinds of places Democrats cannot win because Republicans have built in dikes through redistricting. In some states, however, such as Michigan, the gerrymanders have been so heavy-handed and awkward that those dikes could break, he said.

Voters partisan attitudes are more likely to drive how people cast ballots for state legislative candidates than most other offices, political scientists say, since most voters cant name their state representatives.

These are not referendums on what state legislators do themselves, said Steven Rogers, who teaches political science at St. Louis University. They are dominated by national politics.

In some states, the fights have become so intense and the stakes so high that the campaigns resemble those run by national candidates. Big corporate interests and Washington advocacy groups are pouring in cash. Progressive advocacy groups are taking a page from the right by engaging grassroots activists at unprecedented levels for down-ballot races.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has identified 17 seats nationwide that are key to flipping eight legislative chambers. Republicans hold razor-thin majorities in legislative chambers in Colorado, Minnesota, Maine, New York and Wisconsin.

In Florida, Arizona and Michigan, voter enthusiasm for Democrats at the top of the ballot could help the party make considerable gains that may not lead to chambers flipping now, but that could lay groundwork for another surge in 2020. The party is investing $35 million in the effort, the most it ever has on legislative races.

Voters are getting besieged.

Ive seen ads broadcast on network television for candidates in three different state Senate races, said Robert Duffy, a political science professor at Colorado State University. I cant recall ever seeing that before. That is a lot of money.

Democrats are making a big push to regain control of the Colorado Senate, which could be accomplished by flipping a single seat. Several districts in the metropolitan Denver area seem ripe for Democrats to pick, Duffy said. The star Democratic candidates are pulling in endorsements from the likes of former Vice President Joe Biden and they are getting help from national progressive groups such as MoveOn and End Citizens United.

One of the beneficiaries is Democratic Senate candidate Faith Winter, who is in a race in which the Denver Post projected spending will surpass $1 million, most of it for her. This for a job that pays an annual salary of $30,000.

Oil and gas companies are spending big on an independent campaign to persuade voters to back Republicans, as they scramble to keep the party in control of a legislative chamber that has scuttled environmental policies that the companies argue would hurt business.

We are running the largest down-ballot program we have ever had, said Lisa Changadveja, the state and local elections director at MoveOn. The effort involves mobilizing the 1,900 MoveOn activists who live in Winters district to knock on doors, blast out texts and dig into their wallets for her. The group is doing the same with its members in dozens of other statehouse races.

Another Democratic group applying to state races some of the sophisticated tools more commonly associated with federal campaigns is Flippable. It emerged in 2016 after a couple of campaign operatives for Hillary Clinton in Ohio saw how the lack of infrastructure for down-ballot candidates was fatal even in districts Clinton won.

We saw the partys disinvestment in state races play out when working in these field offices, said Catherine Vaughan, a Flippable co-founder. Candidates running for state House and state Senate were not getting the resources they needed.

The group has drawn donor attention to state races by emphasizing the power state legislatures have over gerrymandering. Some 800 of the state lawmakers elected next week will be directly involved in the next redistricting.

Flippable navigates all the thorny and conflicting state finance rules for donors by setting up a network of political action committees that conform to each states laws and routing donor contributions through them. Donors dont need to exhaustively research candidates and figure out where their dollars can have the most impact; Flippable handles it.

But more important for Democrats than a savvy digital operation are candidates with a pulse.

In recent years, Democrats could not manage to field credible nominees in many red-state races. That changed with Trumps election. The party, which has flipped 44 state legislative seats nationwide in elections that came after Trumps victory, is contesting more seats next week than it has in any election since 1982. It is fielding candidates in hundreds more of the 6,066 state legislative elections that will take place Tuesday than are Republicans.

Having a near record number of candidates is going to be good for them, said Rogers. You cant win if you dont show up.

The latest look at the Trump administration and the rest of Washington 

More stories from Evan Halper 

evan.halper@latimes.com | Twitter: @evanhalper
At President Trumps rally in Florida on Wednesday night, the states Republican candidate for the Senate, Gov. Rick Scott, took the stage to thank the president for his help in recovering from a pair of hurricanes, avoiding Trumps more divisive actions.

Trump didnt take the hint, however, and in this heavily Latino state plowed ahead with an attack on his latest immigration target, the crazy policy of birthright citizenship, while Scott moved offstage. In contrast, the Republican running to succeed Scott as governor, Ron DeSantis, praised Trump and echoed the presidents attacks against his Democratic opponent, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, prompting chants of Lock him up!

Trumps latest foray into Florida, a large and culturally diverse state, underscored the complications of his persistent presence in the final days before Tuesdays midterm elections. His efforts to stoke fears of an immigrant invasion, for example, are likely to galvanize supporters and detractors alike. His erratic responses to last weeks pipe-bomb threats and synagogue massacre havent helped.

The president can help drive Republican turnout, which could help a polarizing candidate like DeSantis. At the same time, he poses a potential liability for Republicans in states with large Latino populations who are pursuing a different strategy  including Scott, who has spent months courting Floridas large Puerto Rican community  as well as for House candidates in more moderate suburban districts nationwide.

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Party strategists and non-partisan analysts say Trumps closing strategy shows he has largely given up on Republicans keeping control of the House and is instead focusing on Senate contests and, to a lesser, extent governors races.

A number of Senate races remain close, but they mostly are in states where Trump is popular. Indiana, Montana, West Virginia and Missouri, where Democrats are seeking reelection, rank high on Republicans target list, and they top the presidents campaign travel destinations.

But he is avoiding states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that were critical to his victory in 2016. Though he has campaigned in each state, he is now considered a potential drag on Republican candidates in competitive races, particularly for the House. He is also steering clear of California, where Republicans have no Senate candidate but a number of vulnerable Republican-held seats.

Though Trump has chosen his rally locations carefully, he has sought to make immigration the top issue nationwide. This week, he proposed to end the constitutional right to citizenship for people born in the U.S., an idea aimed at parents who are here illegally; ordered thousands of troops to border states, and released a political advertisement that even some Republicans called racist, linking Latino immigrants to cop-killers and blaming Democrats for letting killers into the country.

On Thursday afternoon, he delivered another immigration speech, a televised address at the White House that hadnt been on his schedule when the day began.

Trump largely reiterated claims that the caravan of migrants from Central America, still hundreds of miles from the U.S. border, was like an invasion. He suggested hes instructed troops they can fire on migrants who throw rocks, an act that would not justify deadly force under Pentagon rules.

To take those hard-line, core right-of-center positions only plays well to the Senate piece of this puzzle, said David Paleologos, a non-partisan pollster who has conducted surveys in key states including Florida. A lot of his alleged haphazard tweets and comments are really well-thought-out, poll-driven actions.

Paleologos said he believes that Scott, running slightly behind incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in several recent polls, is one of the few Republican Senate candidates who could be hurt by Trumps strategy. Democrats concede that Trump is probably helping Senate candidates in key states.

Theres no other organizing principal among Republicans other than President Trump now-a-days, and getting them out and motivated for an election is really impossible without the president, said Democratic pollster Matt Canter.

But Canter said Trumps out-sized presence on the campaign trail and his polarizing immigration rhetoric could prove extremely helpful to Democratic challengers in as many as 20 House races, almost enough seats for their party to win a majority. Several of those contests are in Pennsylvania, where suburban women who stuck with Trump in 2016 appear to be deserting him  and his partys candidates.

Two years ago, he had kind of an across-the-broad appeal in certain demographics. Im not sure thats there this time, said Charlie Gerow, a Pennsylvania-based Republican consultant.

Trumps approval rating in the Keystone State sits at 36% and Democrats held a 53% to 38% advantage when registered voters were asked which partys congressional candidate they would choose, according to a new poll released Thursday by Franklin & Marshall College.

That survey also showed the Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Trump ally Lou Barletta, trailing Democratic Sen. Bob Casey by 15 percentage points. Trump has appeared in the state several times in recent months, but appears to have given up.

The president likes to be in places where he can make a difference and then declare his presence was a key factor, said Mike DeVanney, a Republican media consultant based in Pittsburgh. And I dont see too many opportunities for that to be the case here in Pennsylvania.

In Wisconsin, Republican Senate candidate Leah Vukmir has wholly embraced Trump and trails by double-digits. Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican fighting hard for a third term, has lost support in the critical Milwaukee suburbs, home to educated, white voters who have largely been turned off by the presidents divisive politics.

Trump held a rally last week in the small town of Mosinee, in rural northern Wisconsin, home to just 4,000 people. While the president remains overwhelmingly popular with registered Republicans, he gets a negative rating from 55% of the independent voters Walker has been courting desperately, according to a new Marquette University poll this week.

If you are going to live or die by winning the independent vote, Trump may not be the guy you want to go to a rally with, said Charles Franklin, who conducted the poll. And weve seen that, as Walker has gone back and forth on Trump.

Trumps final campaign swing has him campaigning in solidly Republican-red parts of mostly red states with hot Senate and gubernatorial races, including Columbia, Mo., on Thursday night, Huntington, W.Va., and Bozeman, Mont., on Friday and Macon, Ga., and Chattanooga, Tenn., on Saturday.

While hes staying away from Democratic-leaning states and many suburban House districts, Republicans in such places still struggle to keep their distance.

In New Yorks Hudson Valley, Rep. John Faso seemed less than pleased that the president had  without warning  endorsed his reelection on Twitter. I didnt know it was coming, Faso told the Los Angeles Times. You know, it is what it is. Itll help with some people and hurt with others.

Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican who represents suburban Denver and trails his Democratic challenger in recent polls, has made a point of criticizing Trumps policies and personal behavior in a last-ditch effort to survive.

His strategist, Josh Penry, remains upbeat but said Trumps closing message  which fills local airwaves even without a presidential visit  doesnt make things easier.

In the last week, the president has behaved like a guy trying to build a permanent political majority in the Ozarks, he said. The purposeful provocation on immigration just makes an already grim situation in suburbs even more difficult.

Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington 

Stokols reported from Estero, Fla. Bierman reported from Washington. Staff writers Jennifer Haberkorn contributed from Belleville, Ill., and Evan Halper from Kingston, N.Y.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman

eli.stokols@latimes.com

Twitter: @EliStokols
OK. Youre registered, and election day is almost here. Now what?

For first-time voters, the prospect of heading to the polls can seem a little daunting. A recent New York magazine article made waves online when young people gave their reasons for not voting, including it makes me anxious, I dont know where to buy stamps and I just dont know how.

A lot of it seemed to boil down to confusion and apprehension.

People are intimidated by things they dont know, said Jeanette Senecal, the senior director of mission impact at the League of Women Voters. People dont want to look stupid. They dont want to look like they dont know what theyre doing. And when you actually recognize and appreciate how important voting is, and youre concerned that messing it up will have a very significant impact, you can understand why people shy away from it.

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All of that is true. So, for you first-time voters, heres your guide that will demystify the process.

Can I still vote if I didnt register in time?

Yes. California passed legislation that allows same-day voter registration even if you missed the deadline to do it online. Its called conditional voter registration. You have to find your countys election office, go there and cast a provisional ballot, which will be counted once your registration is verified. Heres where to find yours.

How do I send a mail-in ballot?

If youre doing a mail-in ballot, it has to be postmarked by election day, which means you need to drop it in the mailbox on Nov. 6 at the latest, and in time for it be collected that day. If you need stamps, you can buy them at the post office, and most grocery stores and drugstores also have them  just ask the cashier when youre checking out. That wont be a concern much longer: California is in the process of phasing out having to use a stamp at all.

You can also drop off your mail-in ballot at a polling place if youre concerned you didnt mail it in time. In either case, your vote will count.

There is a rumor out there that elections arent necessarily going to be counting absentee ballots or provisional ballots if the elections not close, said Jen Tolentino, the director of policy and civic tech at Rock the Vote. Thats 100% untrue; every single ballot is always counted.

If you requested a mail-in ballot but changed your mind after you filled it out, or decided youd rather vote in person, you can still go to your polling place. Just bring your ballot and trade it for a fresh one when you get there. Heres more information on how to do that.

Its too late to request a mail-in ballot for this election if you dont already have one, but heres how to do it in the future, including how to register as a permanent mail-in ballot voter.

Where do I go to vote?

If youre planning to vote in person, you need to find your polling place  the location where you physically go to cast your vote. If youre voting in L.A. County, you can find it here. If youre somewhere else in California, look here. It might be a school, or a government building, or a community center, or something more unusual (past polling places in L.A. have included a lifeguard station in Venice Beach and a furniture store in Silver Lake).

Decide in advance what time of day youll go and how youll get there. You could even stop by ahead of time to scope things out, Senecal suggested, especially if its an early voting location.

Polls in California open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. As long as youre in line by 8 that night, you will be allowed to cast your vote.

Voters cast ballots at a polling place at the Los Angeles County lifeguard headquarters. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press)

What do I need to bring with me to the polls?

If youve never voted before and you didnt provide ID with your registration, youll need to show your drivers license or other photo ID. If youve voted before, you can show up with nothing at all. You are allowed to bring your phone, your sample ballot, and notes with you when you vote, so dont worry about memorizing anything ahead of time.

What happens when I get to my polling location?

Wherever your polling place is, there will be lots and lots of big signs directing you to where youre supposed to go. It will be clearly marked.

Once you get to the right spot, you may have to wait in line for 10 to 15 minutes, especially if you go during peak hours right before and after the workday starts. There may be more than one table with people in line. You can ask a poll worker which one youre supposed to go to.

Once you get to the front of the line, a poll worker will greet you. If youre a first-time voter, youll need your ID; otherwise, the poll worker will ask your name and address and have you sign in on their list. Then theyll give you a ballot and direct you to where youre supposed to go to fill it out.

Voters line up to vote in the garage of a home in Sherman Oaks. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

What if I go there and Im not on the list?

The poll worker will help you. They can look up if youre registered to vote in a different location. You can also request a provisional ballot, which youll fill out the same way as a normal ballot. Request a receipt for your provisional ballot and check back a few days later to make sure it was counted.

How do I actually vote?

California uses paper ballots. After you get your ballot from the poll worker, youll be directed to a small booth or other voting station where you can privately fill it out. No one else will see who youre voting for.

You can take as much time as you need once youre there, and youre welcome to consult your phone, the sample ballot you got in the mail, or any notes you brought with you. If you screw something up or change your mind after youve filled it out, you can go back to the poll worker and request a fresh ballot.

After you fill it out, bring it back to the poll worker, who will put it in a machine. If somethings wrong  for instance, if you voted for two candidates in a race where you had to pick one  the machine will reject it and you may have to fill it out again.

Critically, this is the point at which youll receive your I Voted sticker. Instagram it with pride.

There might be a lot of people in your polling place, but the actual voting takes place in a private booth or other set-up affording privacy, like this one. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Do I have to vote in every race?

No. If you feel strongly about some candidates or propositions but not others, you can opt to leave some races blank. Thats known as under-voting. When you turn in your ballot, the machine might flag that you left some parts blank, and the poll worker will double-check that you meant to do that. You can say, Yes, I did, and the rest of your votes will be counted normally.

How do I know who and what to vote for?

In California, were voting for governor, a wide range of state-level offices, and 12 statewide ballot propositions. On top of that, you probably have some city and county races and measures, and congressional races. Its a lot to take in.

There are a few different ways to research how youll vote. If youre a registered voter, you received a sample ballot in the mail that has information on all the propositions and races youll be voting on. The League of Women Voters has VotersEdge.org, which also has lots of information on everything on the ballot in California. Rock the Vote lays out what every office youre voting on does, as well as what the ballot measures would do. Our California politics team put together a closer look at the statewide ballot propositions. And you can read about the close congressional races that could determine which political party will control the House of Representatives. Our Decision California page has all The Times coverage.

You can also look at voter guides and endorsements from a group you trust or that aligns with your political views. Heres a sampling:

The Los Angeles Times editorial board endorsements

Sacramento Bee editorial board endorsements

San Francisco Chronicle editorial board endorsements

California Democratic Party endorsements

California Republican Party endorsements

Courage Campaigns California Progressive voter guide

Libertarian Party of California voter guide

Sebastian Villegas, 14 months old, holds an I Voted sticker from his dad Epi Villegas. Hell have to wait until the 2032 election for his turn. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

How can I make sure my kids vote?

Statistically, the best way to make sure your kids become voters is to take them with you when you vote, Senecal said.

They see their parents do it, they see how easy it is, she said. In a sense theyre not a first-time voter [as an adult], because they see what the process is like.

California allows young people to pre-register to vote at 16, which means they will be fully registered voters once they turn 18. If they register through Rock the Vote, theyll be emailed a reminder when they turn 18, Tolentino said.

Why should I vote?

Voting is an important part of the Democratic process. It will be rare that you have an election where youre 100% excited or certain about every single measure and candidate. But not voting doesnt accomplish anything, other than making sure your voice isnt heard on the issues that matter to you locally and statewide.

Voting is the most impactful way for you to make change that you want to see happen, both in our country and in our communities, Tolentino said.

Senecal agreed: Voting is the one time that everyone is equal. Everyones voice counts the same and you get to set the direction of our country. Youre making a decision for your communitys future.

Nationwide, barely one in three eligible voters hit the polls in the last midterm election  the lowest in 70 years. According to CNN exit polls, people 18-29 only made up 13% of that already abysmally low number of voters. Based on the enthusiasm for early voting this year, it seems like turnout will be better, but the only way to contribute to that is to show up at the polls.

@jessica_roy

jessica.roy@latimes.com

ALSO:

The complete list of L.A. Times endorsements for the November 6 election

The good, the bad and the egg-laying hens: Heres how you should vote on the ballot propositions
Jake Wenger grows walnuts on land where early settlers arrived in search of gold and instead found rich soil. His orchards just west of Modesto stretch 700 acres and supply a nut company that has remained in his family for four generations.

Like other farmers in this congressional district at the northern end of the San Joaquin Valley, Wenger, 34, said he fears his livelihood is under siege by a state plan to reduce the waters diverted from Northern California rivers for irrigation.

He and other farmers agree that water is the regions lifeblood and that there isnt enough of it. But as the race between Republican Rep. Jeff Denham of Turlock and Democrat Josh Harder near its conclusion, the farmers are mixed on who will do a better job of fighting for greater access to the scarce resource. Polls show the candidates in a virtual tie in one of the most heated races in California.

There are a lot of key issues here, Wenger said as he hulled walnuts on a brisk October day, his hands stained with the black ink of crushed husks. But without water, what else do we have?

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Walnut grower Jake Wenger at his farm west of Modesto. (Max Whittaker / For the Times)

The issue could serve as a boost for Denham, who has the firm support of local farm bureaus and, like other Republican members of Congress in the Central Valley, has long made farmers calls for water a political rallying cry.

The three-term incumbent sought to underscore the advantage when he was one of five California GOP congressmen  House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Reps. David Valadao, Devin Nunes and Tom McClintock were the others  to stand by President Trump last week as he signed a presidential memo directing federal agencies to speed up their biological reviews of water projects in California.

Policy experts doubted the directive would have little immediate effect, saying it illustrated how little power the federal government has to unilaterally send more water to Valley growers.

Some farmers say they want a fresh approach and are lining up behind first-time candidate Harder, 32. The investor and former venture capitalist also has ties to the farming community: His great-great-grandfather was a peach grower in Manteca.

Bob Cushing, an almond grower who has been farming east of Oakdale for 20 years, admires Harders credentials and thought he would do his research to help farmers and the environment.

Denham has had eight years to work on these issues, Cushing said. It is time for change.

Millions of dollars are pouring into the race for the 10th Congressional District. Its one of seven California districts long held by Republicans and heavily targeted by national Democrats in this midterm election. The district spans miles of orchards and ranches across Stanislaus County and the southern portion of San Joaquin County.

Democrats here hold a slight voter-registration edge and carried the last two presidential elections. Latinos  who lean Democratic  make up more than 40% of the population, but their low voter turnout has helped keep the congressional seat in Republican hands.

Water here is an issue that cuts across demographics, ideologies and party lines in an area where agriculture is one of the areas top economic drivers. Along roadways and chain-link fences, farmers vent their frustrations on placards that hang alongside campaign signs, declaring, Water for food is not a waste.

Across the Central Valley, politicians  Republican and Democrat  tend to see themselves in a perpetual struggle with environmentalists in coastal cities and with farmers in other parts of the state to protect an irrigation network they say helps produce more than half the states fruits, nuts and vegetables.

Bringing water to the Valley is one of the few issues where you have a bipartisan agreement, said Brian Gray, a senior fellow at the Water Policy Center under the Public Policy Institute of California.

This year, water has come to the forefront of voters minds as the California Water Resources Control Board weighs its plan to allow more water from three rivers to flow freely to the Pacific Ocean, reducing the amount farmers can use for irrigation. Scientists say the move will help replenish the Delta and aid fish and fisheries. The plan has been denounced by many, if not most farmers, who say it will cause them to fallow fields and lay off workers, devastating the regions economy.

Both Denham and Harder have seized on the water concerns. They oppose the state water boards plan, and another proposal from Gov. Jerry Brown for a $17-billion twin-tunnels project in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta meant to send more water to Southern California.

Norma Rodriguez, left, and Lilia Ochoa sort walnuts at Wengers farm just west of Modesto. (Max Whittaker / For The Times)

When more than 1,500 protesters and lawmakers from the region descended upon Sacramento over the water boards plan, Denham spoke to the crowd. He later attacked Harder, whom he has sought to cast as a Bay Area candidate who doesnt understand the regions water plight.

Josh Harders failure to attend and fight the state water grab or meet with local ag leaders shows hes not fit to represent the Central Valley, he said after the Capitol protest.

Denham, 51, first made his name as a vocal advocate for farmers as a state senator fighting for a bond to increase water storage. It wouldnt pass until 2014, after he left for Congress. But former state Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, now a Stanislaus County board supervisor, said it was state leaders such as him who laid the groundwork.

What I admire about Jeff is he is persistent, she said.

The congressman now counts wealthy Democratic farmers among his political donors, and farmers credit him with helping secure funding to raise the Shasta Dam and maintain a wastewater treatment plant. He also helped pass legislation with Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to increase the amount of federal dollars to water projects in the Central Valley and across the western United States.

Harder, who was born and raised in the district, has fired back at Denham, pointing out the district hasnt seen any federal dollars spent on water projects during the congressmans time in office. Washington insiders like Jeff Denham have done nothing to actually ensure our access to our water, Harder wrote in a Modesto Bee op-ed opposing the state water plan.

Outside Modesto, at the Wood Colony Nut Co., which Wenger runs with his father out of a bright, red barn, the farmer said he has supported both Democrats and Republicans in the Valleys fight for more water. But he said Denham had the experience and clout to influence state and federal officials.

Wenger was on the Modesto Irrigation Districts board of directors when he made several trips to Washington to persuade members of Congress to fight the state board plan.

Every time we would get the same response, Wenger recalled of his conversations with members of Congress. That is a state issue  sorry, I cant help you.

It has been Denham, he said, who in recent weeks has helped bring Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and acting Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler to survey the potential damage. Zinke later wrote a memo to his staff asking them for a plan to circumvent Californias state water policy.

Jeff was the only one who said, lets think about how we can do this, Wenger said.

But to John Casazza, its all political show. He grows walnuts, almonds and peaches in the small farming community of Hughson, just east of Modesto, where farmers have been hurt hard during the drought.

He is just parading these guys around, the 75-year-old farmer said of Denham. What the district needs, he argued, is someone who can bring local, state and federal officials together, something he said Denham hasnt been able to do.

He hasnt won a single fight against environmentalists who fight us tooth and nail on the need to build a dam, said Casazza, who has appeared in television ads for Harder.

Stephen Routh, a political science professor at Cal State Stanislaus, said Trumps latest water memos reinforced the optics that Denham could bring in federal policy that can assist local farmers, though they were likely to attract lawsuits galore and not have long-term impact.

Still, in an area where partisan rifts reflect the countrys divide, a trending blue wave could tilt the odds in Harders favor. It is going to be a nail-biter race until the end, Routh said.

More stories from Jazmine Ulloa 

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Note: This is a translation of a Chinese-language article first published by Xinhuanet.com. The article reflects the author's own views.

In what was seen as the Trump administrations first major policy speech on China, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence berated Beijing for a series of so-called wrongs, and hailed his countrys historical policy towards China. In his address, Pence said that, When China suffered the insults and exploitations during her so-called Century of Humiliation, America refused to join in, and instead advocated an Open Door policy, with the aim of developing freer trade with China, and preserving its sovereignty. His words gave the impression that the United States had chosen not to join the ranks of the colonial powers and Japan in their aggressions at the time, but instead had acted to protect Chinas sovereignty.

If that were true, the Chinese people would be giving the United States a big thumbs up. But the facts of history suggest otherwise. Its not strictly true, as Mr. Pence suggested, that the US refused to join in with the imperial powers. If that were so, then how did the inequitable Treaty of peace, amity, and commerce between the United States of America and the Chinese Empire come about in 1844? And what about the unequal China-U.S. Treaty of Tianjin in 1858?And where did the U.S. troops, found among the Eight-nation Alliance that attacked China in 1900, come from? Perhaps we should examine more closely that Open Door policy and consider whether it really was designed to preserve Chinas sovereignty.

By the end of the 19th century, the West was embracing monopoly capitalism, with trade in the hands of just a few people. After the Jiawu Sino-Japanese War from 1894 to 1895, the colonial powers scrambled to partition China. From 1897 to July of 1898, Germany forced the lease treaty of the Jiaozhou Bay and took Shandong as its territory; Tsarist Russia leased Lvshun Port, Dalian Bay and its surrounding waters to make northeastern China part of its territory; France leased Guangzhou Bay and its surrounding waters, colonizing Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan; Great Britain occupied Weihaiwei and controlled areas along the Yangtze River; Fujian fell to the might of Japan. Almost all of Chinas strategically important, populous and economically advanced areas had been claimed. And yet, the United States was nowhere to be seen.

Why was that? Among the big capitalist powers, the United States was a latecomer. When it was first founded at the end of the 18th century, it was comprised of only 13 states along the Atlantic coast. Its territory soon expanded, and in 1861 a 4-year civil war broke out when southern states broke away to protect the institution of slavery. After the civil war the United States rebuilt and expanded to become an economic powerhouse. Even so, it did not have the might to invade Asia until it became a world power by the end of the 19th century. The United States fought Spain over the Philippines in 1898, but it was not an easy victory. By the time it turned its attention to China, it was already too late. The United States wasnt strong enough to rival more powerful countries such as Great Britain and France to take territories away from them. So, it looked elsewhere and set its sights on the Sandu Gulf - a natural deep water port in Fujian Province. A U.S. navy official inspected the area and was of the opinion that, whoever controls this gulf controls the entire western Pacific; If the United States were to take possession then the Pacific Ocean would become a lake of the United States. However, Italy was also taking a keen interest, and both Germany and Britain wanted it too. These countries squabbled over the territory, with none wishing to back down, so in the end it was ceded to no one. So, its not that the United States didnt want territories in China, it was simply not strong enough to get any. To quote the Chinese philosopher Mencius, Its because it cant, rather than wont.

So the United States went for the next best option. To protect its commercial interests in China, it came up with its Open Door policy, the principles of which were as follows: No nation shall interfere in the sphere of influence of another in China; None shall favor their own traders at the expense of those from other nations in transportation levies; and the territorial status quo shall be maintained, safeguarding equal and free trade throughout China. To put it bluntly, it required all powers to allow US goods to enter any part of China unhindered.

So, its clear that the Open Door policy had no impact on the influence of the colonial powers in China in any way, nor did it alleviate the indignities and exploitation China suffered. The only thing the United States cared about with its Open Door policy was that its own interests in China should not be harmed in any way. What Mr. Pence sees as a policy to preserve Chinas sovereignty was more aimed at protecting the interests of the United States while China was being carved up by others. To be fair, compared to the other powers consuming China at the time, the United States looks more attractive, but that was something neither to celebrate nor be grateful for.
NASAs Dawn mission to explore Vesta and Ceres, the two largest worlds in the solar systems main asteroid belt, has come to a close.

The spacecraft has run out of hydrazine, the chemical fuel it needs to orient itself in the vacuum of space, NASA officials said Thursday.

That means it can no longer point its antennas toward Earth to send and receive data. Nor can it point its solar panels to the sun to recharge its batteries.

The spacecraft missed its scheduled communications sessions with NASAs Deep Space Network on Wednesday and Thursday, confirming that it is no longer operational.

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Weve known for months that it would most likely run out of fuel between the middle of September and the middle of October, said Marc Rayman, Dawns chief engineer and mission director at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge. To me, every time we communicated with it in the past two months has been one more bonus on an already fabulously productive mission.

This is the second time this week that a NASA space mission has been terminated because of an empty fuel tank. On Tuesday, the space agency announced that its planet-hunting Kepler mission had also run out of fuel and was being decommissioned.

Paul Hertz, director of NASAs astrophysics division in Washington, D.C., said the timing was pure coincidence.

Both Kepler and Dawn have run out of fuel at exactly time they were expected to, he said. Were not surprised.

The Dawn mission launched in September of 2007, bound for the asteroid belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter.

Its goal was to study the two largest objects in this region and see what they could tell us about the birth of the solar system and the formation of its planets.

In the broadest sense, we wanted to investigate the conditions and processes that existed at the earliest epoch of our solar system, said Carol Raymond, a JPL scientist and principal investigator for the mission.

The spacecrafts first stop was Vesta, a dry, lumpy asteroid about 325 miles in diameter. From July 2011 through September 2012, the spacecraft probed the chemistry of Vesta, discovering a complex geology that included an iron core, much like the one inside Earth.

Dawn captured this image of Vestas south polar region. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA)

Dawn also spotted a big splotch of water-rich minerals on Vestas surface that were likely deposited by asteroids or comets from the outer solar system.

The same process has been invoked as an explanation for how Earth has so much water, so that is a really nice discovery to make, Raymond said.

The spacecraft arrived at Ceres in March 2015 and quickly revealed an unexpectedly dynamic world shaped by recent volcanoes and seasonal ice cycles. Dawn revealed that the 588-mile-wide dwarf planet was born in the outer solar system and migrated to its current location long ago.

The chemistry of its crust suggests that Ceres once harbored a global liquid ocean beneath its surface. That global ocean is no more, but Dawns observations indicate there could be some remaining pockets of briny liquid.

The spacecraft also discovered organic material  the building blocks of life  on Ceres surface.

Were not saying they are indicative of life or evidence of life, but it does make Ceres a more interesting object from the habitability perspective, Raymond said. The bottom line is we now know enough about Ceres to know it would be a fantastic target for in depth exploration.

With Dawn, scientists detected ice in the northern wall of Ceres Juling Crater, which is in almost permanent shadow. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/ASI/INAF)

After a careful analysis, Dawns engineering team determined that they didnt need to do anything special to the spacecraft before declaring it officially decommissioned.

Its transmitter would automatically shut off once the fuel ran out, and it was already in a safe, stable orbit around Ceres.

Although Dawn is now dead, Raymond hopes that one day another spacecraft will return to the dwarf planet.

There is so much more we want to learn, she said. We didnt go and find this inert object with a record of stuff that used to happen. It was almost like, Its alive.

deborah.netburn@latimes.com

Do you love science? I do! Follow me @DeborahNetburn and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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Along with soulful eyes, endearingly long necks and warm fuzzy coats, llamas have a far less appreciated feature: They make an array of immune system antibodies so tiny they can fit into crevices on the surface of an invading virus.

That feat could one day protect humans from entire families of flu viruses that bedevil scientists with their unpredictable and shape-shifting ways.

All, potentially, with a once-a-year puff up the nose.

In a study in Fridays edition of the journal Science, a team from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla and their international colleagues have taken a major step toward the long-sought goal of developing a universal vaccine against influenza.

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When they tested their intranasal formulation in mice, it quickly conferred complete protection against a raft of human flu strains adapted to mice. Those include A viruses, such as the H1N1 swine flu that touched off a global pandemic in 2009, and B viruses, which occur only in humans.

Against H1N1, a dose of the experimental vaccine was shown to protect for at least 35 days  a span of time equivalent to more than a single flu season for humans.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, offered a full-throated appreciation for the new study, which received funding from the National Institutes of Health.

From a scientific and technical standpoint, this is really a very elegant study  the highest quality of science, Fauci said. He praised it for demonstrating that in order to protect people from pathogens that can change or emerge unpredictably, scientists must construct vaccines that can knock down an array of viruses, even in people whose immune systems are fragile or compromised.

A dose of flu vaccine is drawn into a syringe. By developing a universal flu vaccine, scientists hope to eliminate the need to design a new shot every year. (Brent Lewis/Denver Post via Getty Images)

Influenza is a viral scourge that kills as many as 650,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization. To fight it, the research team borrowed new techniques from immunology, microbiology, nanotechnology and genetic engineering labs around the world.

First, they vaccinated llamas against a number of A and B strains of influenza. Then they took blood samples to collect the antibodies the llamas produced in response.

Among them were four uniquely small antibodies that showed an ability to destroy many different strains of influenza. In a nod to their size and function, they called their creations nanobodies.

From those multitasking little powerhouses, the researchers engineered a single protein capable of squeezing into spaces on a virus surface that are too small for most proteins. The resulting multidomain antibody MD3606, with its impressive breadth and potency, could confer protection against pretty much any strain of flu that nature could throw in humankinds way, the study authors said.

If the dominant strain in a given season were to suddenly change, these antibodies would be ready for the unwelcome guest. If a flu strain came out of nowhere and threatened a population with no immunity to it  the nightmare scenario of pandemic flu  this supercharged defender would recognize that flu and counter it. If health officials guessed wrong about what flu strain was coming and ordered up a vaccine that would be largely ineffective  a scenario that played out last flu season  this package of antibodies could save the day.

But the researchers still faced a key hurdle: getting the human immune system to make such a super-protein even when its weighed down by age, stress and disease.

Their solution: Dont even try.

Instead, they devised a way to work around humans unreliable response to vaccines, building a gene that encoded the production plans for their powerhouse protein. To ferry that gene into a host organism, they enlisted a harmless virus used by labs working on gene therapy.

By splicing their designer gene into this viral delivery device, the scientists not only found a way to get their antibody package into a host, they were delivering the manufacturing machinery to produce it. This passive transfer of antibodies gives this vaccine candidate the potential to be equally effective in everyone, Fauci said.

A group of llamas look around on a farm in New Jersey.. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

The next step is to conduct further tests in animals and clinical trials in humans, and that will take years, he said. But if fully successful  a majestic leap right now  it could essentially eliminate the need from season to season to divine which of countless possible flu viruses will rear up, and to then build a yearly flu vaccine that neatly fits the bill.

Scripps immunologist Ian Wilson, the studys senior author, said that as the cells infected by the delivery virus turn over, repeated doses might be needed to sustain the production of antibodies. We dont really know how long this treatment would survive in humans yet, he said.

But even less-than-permanent immunity against a broad range of flu threats would help buffer people from the emergence of unexpected flu strains, Wilson said. And the rapid response of mice to the vaccine suggests it could be used to inoculate a population after a new viral threat has emerged, he added.

That the experimental vaccine might need to be administered each year makes it an interesting hybrid, said Ted M. Ross, who directs the University of Georgias Center for Vaccines and Immunology.

This approach is similar to antivenom, said Ross. The therapeutic is an antibody that was made in another species to neutralize the toxin. Its short-term, but it gets you through the period of time where bad things could happen.

Over time, patients who got the same antibodies repeatedly might start to build resistance to them, he said. Vaccine makers could counter that by finding and including new antibodies in their formulation every few years, he suggested.

Ross and other scientists also cautioned that the human immune system might see the llama-derived proteins as foreign and attack them.

This is not the only universal flu vaccine under development. In May, Faucis NIAID launched the first clinical trial to test the safety of a universal flu vaccine in 120 healthy humans. The candidate vaccine, called M-001, targets portions of the flu virus that tend not to change even as other proteins do. This should prime the human immune system to recognize and fight many different strains of influenza viruses.

Janssen Vaccines and Prevention, a Dutch company that employs some of the study authors, has applied for a patent that would cover some of the molecules described in the new report.

melissa.healy@latimes.com

@LATMelissaHealy

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An attorney who represented Burbank Unified in a nearly decade-long legal battle, in which the school district lost and was ordered to pay more than $3 million in attorneys fees, is now representing a local construction company in a recent lawsuit filed against the same woman who won the years-long case against the school district.

La Crescenta attorney Nancy Doumanian is representing Francisco Javier Primera Jr., who runs the Burbank-based commercial and residential construction company Arco Development Inc.

Primera is suing Danielle Baez and her sister, Gilda, for alleged fraud, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in January.

NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with whats going on in the 818 >>

Baez was most recently in the headlines after she filed a lawsuit against Burbank Unified in 2007 alleging her former supervisor in the school district made unwanted sexual advances and sent her sexually explicit emails, beginning in 2005.

The lawsuit went to trial three times and played out in court for more than eight years. All the while, Doumanian represented Burbank Unified in that case, which the school district ultimately lost.

In the school districts final attempt to win the case, Burbank Unified filed an appeal. However, on Jan. 25, the district lost its appeal.

Baez was awarded $200,000 and her attorneys received $3.2 million.

In Primeras lawsuit, he alleges that Danielle and Gilda Baez, who both worked for his company, committed fraud by using his business checking accounts to pay for personal expenses without his consent, according to the lawsuit, which was filed nearly two years after he first learned about the alleged fraud on April 9, 2014.

Burbank police are also investigating the case.

Primera alleges that the Baez sisters charged upward of $200,000 in travel expenses, dinners, movie theater tickets, cosmetic procedures and clothing, in addition to a host of other personal expenses to Primeras company credit card accounts, according to the lawsuit.

Primera also alleges that Jeff Ho, in working for the Culver City-based accounting firm Tagawa & Ho LLP, helped to cover up their fraud, theft, embezzlement, negligence and other acts of dishonesty, court records show.

Doumanian did not return a request to comment on the latest case against Baez.

In another twist, Danielle and Gilda Baez have sued Primera and his company for allegedly failing to compensate them for overtime hours they worked, and failing to pay minimum wage, according to their lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 4.

In their lawsuit, Danielle Baez claims she was hired by Primera in 2010, initially as a caregiver for his children, and then his office manager. Gilda Baez was hired to perform office duties in March 2011.

Their lawsuit alleges that by the end of 2013, Gilda was being paid at a rate of $16 per hour, despite Primera promising her that she would be retroactively compensated at a rate of $25 an hour once the company was in a better financial position, according to court records.

It is unclear in their lawsuit exactly when Danielle and Gilda Baez stopped working for Primera, but according to the sisters lawsuit, by the time they stopped working for him, no overtime pay had been paid to Gilda and no compensation whatsoever had been paid to Danielle, and neither plaintiff had been given designated meal and rest periods.

The lawsuit also claims that In lieu of payment, Primera permitted Danielle gratuitous use of Primeras American Express business card in exchange for the services she provided.

As a result of their alleged loss of income and other economic damages, Danielle and Gilda Baez seek $275,000, according to court records.

Meanwhile, Primera seeks an amount exceeding $200,000 for monies stolen, misused and abused, his lawsuit states.

--

Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan

Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this story.

--

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Prescott named director of Community Development Department

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Before she was ever an arts programmer and executive at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Judy Morr devoted her young life to dance. And while she long ago hung up her own pair of pointe shoes, Morr now scours the globe in search of world-class dance companies to bring to Southern California.

It made sense, then, that she would go to Russia, one of the art forms cradles, in search of the next great ensemble for Segerstroms stage. And so in St. Petersburg, about 15 to 20 years ago, she observed the famed Mikhailovsky Ballet and Orchestra.

Their company is a very old company and considered one of the best, even though it doesnt have much recognition in [America], Morr said.

On Nov. 9 Mikhailovsky Theatre, which was founded in 1833 by Tsar Nicholas I, begins a three-date stint at Segerstrom with a performance of Don Quixote, the Cervantes tale of a knight on a fanciful quest, set to the balletic score by Ludwig Minkus.

Their training is excellent, their repertoire is good, and they also have really fine musicians, Morr said of the company, adding that the artistic directors have an understanding of how important music is to dance, so that it also important to me.

Morr, for whom the smaller Judy Morr Theater at Segerstrom is named, said she fell in love with dance, which is what all little girls did, and took lessons before transitioning to the programming side. When seeking acts for the Segerstroms main 3,000-seat theater, she takes into careful account how specific shows will play in that room.

I have a definite dependence on Broadway musicals because they are the most popular art form for our audiences, Morr said, but for those people who feel dance is essential to their lives, as I do, I try to [program] approximately four to five companies a year. I look for how they will look in a very large theater and how we will be able to attract an audience that will make them feel warm and special.

The Mikhailovsky rendition of Don Quixote fits the bill perfectly, she said. Morr looks at how such companies might work out in the Segerstrom space, what kind of repertoire they are known for  and, of course, how many tickets she believes Orange County patrons might conceivably purchase.

We thought for a long time [that] a concert hall is not the best place for dance, and it probably isnt  but you can still do it, Morr said. So I have to be very selective about what companies [to program] in there.

Being a former dancer, Morr typically enjoys interacting with the artists backstage at Segerstrom, however, she said that will be difficult with the Mikhailovsky artists, as she does not speak Russian. She said that the power and the beauty of their rendition of Don Quixote will transcend language.

They will see one of the great classics, and it will be done to perfection with an excellent orchestra and a wonderful conductor who understands the music and the dance, Morr said. I think they will have been transported to a better place and have two hours of pure joy and remember that as they leave.

Eric Althoff is a contributor to Times Community News.

IF YOU GO

Who: Mikhailovsky Ballet Don Quixote

When: Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 11 at 1 p.m.

Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Cost: Tickets start at $29

Information: (714) 556-2787 or scfta.org
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 1918, the Great War, known since as World War I, came to an end.

On Nov. 7, UC Irvine will host A Silent Night: A World War I Memorial in Song, a voice recital of 26 songs spanning from 1914 (just before the wars outbreak) to 1939 (just prior to the outbreak of World War II).

Presented by UCI Illuminations, the Chancellors Arts and Culture Initiative, and the Claire Trevor School of the Arts Music Department, the show will feature performances by baritone John Brancy and pianist Peter Dugan, both Julliard graduates. The duo made their professional debut in 2014 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D. C.

A Silent Night is about the experience of war, honoring the composers who served and, in a few cases, who didnt survive.

Such as George Butterworth, an Englishman killed in battle by a sniper in 1916 at the age of 31. Among his best-known works are his pastoral settings of some of the 63 poems that make up A Shropshire Lad by A. E. Housman. Butterworths 11 settings, published in two volumes, date from 1911-12.

And theres the music of Francis Poulenc, who served in both world wars and wrote Bleuet in 1939 to a posthumous poem by Guillaume Apollinaire, who died of influenza just two days before the Armistice. The songs title was slang for French soldiers of the war.

The majority of A Silent Night sticks to 1913-19  but the 1818 Christmas hymn that the title of the program references is an exception.

It was sung by the English-speaking soldiers as Silent Night and the Germans as Stille Nacht,  Brancy said. It was Christmas Eve 1914, and they all started coming out of their trenches. The fighting had by then stopped  It symbolized a Christmas truce and it was the music that brought the people together.

Unfortunately, the truce only lasted that night.

A Silent Nights lineup also includes rarely-performed lieder (German songs) by Carl Orff, as well as two of American avant garde composer Charles Ives Three Songs of the War.

Our program is set up as England-to-Germany, intermission, France-to-America, Brancy said.

Brancy and Dugan perform A Silent Night 8 to 10 times a season, usually on concert stages but occasionally even in hospitals.

As this continues, were hoping to do more outreach events at VA centers to give back to the community and bring awareness to those suffering from PTSD, said Dugan.

We found so many of these songs, we couldnt fit them all on one program. So we came up with a second recital program, sort of a sequel: Armistice: The Journey Home, which tries to answer the question: What do you do once the the war is over?

Michael Rydzynski is a contributor to Times Community News.

IF YOU GO

What: A Silent Night: A World War I Memorial in Song

Who: John Brancy, baritone, accompanied by Peter Dugan, piano

When: 6 p.m. Nov. 7

Where: Winifred Smith Hall, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, UC Irvine

Cost: Free admission (but tickets required)

Information: illuminations.uci.edu/events
The title of Andrew Carrolls play If All the Sky Were Paper comes from a letter by a 14-year-old Polish Jew during World War II, who wrote: If all the sky were paper, and the seas of the world an inkwell, I could not describe my suffering to you.

His letter had to be smuggled out to his parents.

The work is based on Carrolls two bestsellers, War Letters and Behind the Lines, both based, in turn, on real letters written by servicemen to their wives, girlfriends and families.

And, in some cases, from families back home writing to the servicemen, said John Benitz, who has directed every production of the play since its first staged reading in Los Angeles in 2009.

It sold out, which is when they knew they had something. The latest production takes place Nov. 10 at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University in Orange.

Benitz first approached Carroll about doing a play based on his two bestsellers in 2007.

Who goes traveling around the world collecting war letters for so many years, as Andy has? Benitz asked. Who and why? What did it cost him to do that? Why are these letters so personal to him? I had to find the answers. Many letters show a sense of humor in the most dire of circumstances. And here are these actors performing real people who lived and wrote these letters. Its an awesome responsibility and I feel their presence in the theater every time I do this play.

The play was developed at Chapman, where it had its world premiere at the Waltmar Theatre in 2010 and a revival in 2012.

Its always been a work-in-progress, said Benitz. Its really quite different from when it premiered eight years ago  And now, to bring it back eight years later on the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, it has a nice symmetry to it.

The 15-person cast of this one-act, 85-minute play is an eclectic mix of actors, including Annette Bening, Ed Asner, Kate Mansi, Gary Cole and Chapman faculty, students and alumni. Peter Boyer composed an original score, which will be performed live by seven instrumentalists.

Benitz and Carroll have had a surplus of letters to utilize: there are more than 100,000 letters from every American war in Chapmans Center for American War Letters, of which Carroll is the founding director.

Many letters show a sense of humor in the most dire of circumstances, said Benitz. And here are these actors performing as real people who lived and wrote these letters. Its an awesome responsibility, and I feel their presence in the theater every time I do this play.

Michael Rydzynski is a contributor to Times Community News.

IF YOU GO

What: If All the Sky were Paper, a play by Andrew Carroll based on real letters written by servicemen and their families during World War I

Who: Starring Annette Bening, Gary Cole and Ed Asner. Music by Peter Boyer. Directed by John Benitz.

When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10.

Where: Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, 415 N. Glassell St., Orange.

Cost: Tickets start at $25

Information: (844) 626-8726, muscocenter.org
At first glance, the Democratic Voter Guide that some Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach residents received this week seems like just another piece of election-time clutter.

But closer inspection reveals something interesting: Several local candidates listed in the pamphlet are Republicans.

Now the Costa Mesa Democratic Club is crying foul.

Its a pretty diabolical partisan gamesmanship maneuver in most peoples estimation, said club Chairman Brandon Love, who lives in the citys Mesa del Mar neighborhood.

Love said he received the four-page flier Wednesday and saw it listed current Mayor Sandy Genis  who is seeking election to the post she was appointed to last year  and District 3 City Council candidate Brett Eckles under the heading The choices of progressive Democrats in Costa Mesa.

However, in both races, the Democratic Party of Orange County has endorsed their opponents: Councilwoman Katrina Foley for mayor and Andrea Marr for District 3.

Another version of the mailer swaps out Eckles for Michelle Figueredo-Wilson, a council candidate in Costa Mesas District 4. The county Democratic Party is supporting one of her opponents, Manuel Chavez.

Eckles said Thursday that his campaign bought a spot on a slate mailer and that he didnt know how it would look ahead of time.

As with any slate mailer, Im only in charge of or responsible for the content about myself, he said.

Though he is endorsed by the Republican Party of Orange County, Eckles said he has support from individuals in District 3 from all sorts of political persuasions.

Genis said Thursday that she doesnt know how her name ended up on the mailer.

I have no idea about anything that has to do with that, she said. I havent seen it.

However, she said its not all that uncommon for people to be on slate mailers that imply theyre from another party. She called it one of those goofy things that happen around election time.

Eckles sent the Daily Pilot an image of a slate mailer apparently put out by a group called Continuing the Republican Revolution that includes Foley.

Figueredo-Wilson did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment Thursday.

The Costa Mesa Democratic Voter Guide lists mayoral candidate Sandy Genis and City Council hopeful Brett Eckles as the choice of Costa Mesa Democrats, though both are Republicans. (Courtesy Photo)

In Huntington Beach, a similar flier was mailed to residents listing Republican Mayor Mike Posey as the choice of Huntington Beach Democrats for City Council. It lists his endorsements, recent accomplishments and plans for the city if he is reelected.

Posey, one of 15 candidates in next weeks council election, said he bought space on a slate mailer but didnt have any input over it.

He said he doesnt think its misleading to voters but said he would seek advice from his consultant.

It doesnt say Im from the Democratic Party, and its truthful that I am endorsed by police and fire, he said.

The pamphlets include a disclaimer saying the document was prepared by Orange County Voter Guide, not an official political party organization. However, that notice is next to a symbol of a donkey in red, white and blue  much like the insignia typically associated with the Democratic Party.

Its a blatantly misleading piece that really borders on the brink of being trademark and copyright infringement, Love said.

Its unclear who is behind the pamphlet, which lists a post office box in Anaheim but no other identifying information.

An active slate mailer organization with the name Orange County Voter Guide is registered with the California secretary of states office, but calls to the listed phone number were not answered Thursday and the voicemail box was full.

Love said the Costa Mesa Democratic Club plans to refer the matter to the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the state attorney generals office and will explore civil action regarding potential trademark or copyright violations.
We urge the city of Newport Beach to take responsibility and assume a leadership role for protecting our coastal environment and designating appropriate beach areas for humans and dogs to enjoy.

By enforcing common-sense regulations, the city can ensure future generations can enjoy the beauty of our coastline, with native California animals and plants thriving in their natural habitat. With leadership from the city, we can achieve a balance of shared uses.

Newport Beach must protect our shared natural resources by:

Openly engaging with the public to educate the community of the importance of preserving the Snowy Plover habitat  including beaches and sand dunes;

Recognizing the dunes and beaches as an integral part of the Newport Beach ecosystem and afford protections to preserve the scenic and visual qualities of our local coastal areas;

Collaborating with the Coastal Commission and other interested parties to create a comprehensive plan to protect native California plant species and endangered Snowy Plover bird species, so future generations can enjoy our beautiful coast;

Restoring degraded habitat areas and updating beach grooming practices;

Updating and training city maintenance staff;

Increasing enforcement of existing dog-leash laws;

Installing informational signage;

And actively ensuring that our beaches, waterways, dunes and coast are healthy and safe environments for everyone.

We call on Newport Beach residents to write, call and post on social media to ask our city officials to fulfill their commitment to the community. If the city of Newport Beach fulfills its promise as a leader on this issue, we can preserve our open spaces for everyone (and every dog) to enjoy.

Garry Brown

Costa Mesa

The writer is founder and president of Orange County Coastkeeper.

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Quality of life declines in H.B.

Re. H.B. city attorney seeks 3 new employees to help target illegal businesses (Oct. 31): Hasnt City Attorney Michael Gates noticed Huntington Beachs quality of life has been ruined for years? Out-of-control traffic. Air pollution from off-shore. Oil rigs. Noise pollution. Ignoring our homeless. Ugly high-rise apartments. Too many events. Increased accidents. Traffic. Sirens. I and people I know leave town for days around July Fourths war zone. Huntington can be called Siren City.

Lynn Copeland

Huntington Beach

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Spyglass Hill picnic unified the community

Spyglass Hill in Corona del Mar has an annual picnic gathering in Spyglass Hill Park that has brought residents, friends and family members together every year since 2012. These events routinely feature at least three generations: Grandparents, parents and children

This is a well-organized event, planned months in advance, and is done by the people for the people. This year, the sixth annual community picnic gathering drew close to 300 residents, as well as elected and appointed officials.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa), state Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa), Mayor Marshall Duffy Duffield and Mayor Pro Tem Will ONeill  a big supporter in the last several years  attended. Council members Jeff Herdman, Kevin Muldoon and Diane Dixon also showed support alongside our new city manager, Grace Leung, and Keith Krallman, the Area 4 commander from the Newport Beach Police Department.

What Spyglass Hill has done is bring back the spirit of closeness and friendship among community members, as well as between them and our city, state and federal officials. This initiative has created a sense of belonging, leading to better participation and more involvement by the Spyglass Hill community members in their own affairs, and in helping our elected officials better represent and help them. Just like the good old days; this is what I call a big family.

Special thanks go to Therese Loutherback, who has directed this annual event from the beginning, and to every single member of the Spyglass Hill Picnic Committee. Also deserving credit are community members who attend and support the picnic and the many vendors who have contributed to its success. Special thanks is also extended to our elected officials mentioned above for their attendance, talking and listening to the people, leading to the betterment of life in Newport Beach.

K. E. Mehrfar

Newport Beach

How to get published: Email us at dailypilot@latimes.com. All correspondence must include full name, hometown and phone number (for verification purposes). The Pilot reserves the right to edit all submissions for clarity and length.
The Orange County district attorneys office will not pursue charges against Costa Mesa City Council candidate Manuel Chavez and mayoral candidate Katrina Foley after examining allegations that they had improperly included photographs of uniformed city employees in some campaign materials.

District attorney spokeswoman Michelle Van Der Linden said Thursday that the office did review this matter and the case has been rejected due to insufficient evidence to prove any criminal conduct.

The review came after an attorney with Best Best & Krieger  a law firm representing the city of Costa Mesa  sent letters to Foley and Chavez on Oct. 8 saying that using such images for political purposes could run afoul of a provision of the California Government Code that states no officer or employee of a local agency shall participate in political activities of any kind while in uniform.

I knew there was never a violation, and its unfortunate that our city attorneys office tried to interfere in the election, Foley, a current councilwoman, said Thursday. Im glad to put this behind us and Im glad that our employees are not going to be penalized for expressing their political positions.

The letter to Foley, who is running against Mayor Sandy Genis to become the citys first directly elected mayor, was prompted by a campaign flier that included photographs of her alongside uniformed city public safety personnel.

The letter to Chavez took issue with pictures posted to his campaign Facebook page that showed him alongside Fire Chief Dan Stefano, as well as a decorative depiction of the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department logo, which includes the city seal in its center.

Chavez  one of three candidates seeking to represent council District 4, which covers a dense pocket of the Westside south of the Fairview Developmental Center  said Wednesday that he removed the photos once he became aware of the potential issues.

We just want to make sure there are no issues like that at all with Manuel and the firefighters supporting him, Chavezs campaign manager, Cassius Rutherford, said Wednesday.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoney
Authorities have arrested a second suspect in connection with a series of vehicle burglaries that occurred in La Crescenta earlier this year where thieves broke into at least 30 cars.

Raymond Gardner, a 26-year-old Ontario resident, was arrested by the Glendale Police Department this week for his suspected involvement in a series of vehicle break-ins that took place around Jan. 31 in the 3000 block of Montrose and 3900 block of Pennsylvania avenues.

Sgt. Dan Suttles, a department spokesman, said DNA evidence left at the scene linked Gardner to the crimes.

The other suspect, 20-year-old Andrew Cordia from West Covina, was arrested back in February.

According to police, Gardner and Cordia had entered a multi-unit garage overnight in the area and proceeded to smash the windows of several cars in order to steal items from inside.

At least three people were caught on camera committing the burglaries.

The trio also stole two vehicles from the area.

Despite the DNA evidence identifying Gardner as a suspect, Suttles said he wasnt arrested immediately.

When you get a DNA hit, its just not enough to get a guy, Suttles said. You have to do some investigative follow-up.

Besides the vehicle break-ins in La Crescenta, officers eventually came upon two other cases that allegedly involved Gardner.

One case involved a theft from a car where a DNA sample left behind at the scene came back as a match for Gardner, according to Suttles.

The other case involved another car theft where a stolen credit card was used at a restaurants drive-through window. Suttles said surveillance footage from the restaurant showed Gardner as the suspect.

He was tracked down on Oct. 31 to a home in Covina, where officers were able to see him looking out from a window. When officers contacted the homes occupants, they denied he was there. However, a search of the residence led police to Gardner, and he was taken into custody.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc
Note: This is a translation of a Chinese-language article first published by Xinhuanet.com. The article reflects the authors own views.

On October 4, United States Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech in Washington in which he said, Much of (Chinas) success was driven by American investment in China. It goes without saying that the American people have become friendlier to China over the past few decades, and American investors have been friendly to China because it has been profitable. But what about the American government?

In order to force China to submit to its agenda, the United States government, along with its vassal countries, imposed a series of large-scale economic sanctions on China around 1990. China's economic growth rate was pushed down from 11.2 percent in 1988 to 9.3 percent in 1991. But before long Washington had to waive the sanctions when the resilient Chinese people managed to restore the countrys annual economic growth to double digits through continuous reform.

The United States government also tried every means at its disposal to prevent China from joining the world trading system. It prevented China from resuming its status as a contracting party of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and set many obstacles in the way of China's accession to the World Trade Organization. A generation of negotiators devoted themselves into the cause of helping China return to the world trade family, undertaking 77 formal bilateral negotiations on China's accession to the WTO, including as many as 25 between China and the United States.

Besides introducing the highest threshold for commodities and service trade with China, the United States forced China to leave a tail in the WTO accession agreement in the form of Article 15 of Chinas Protocol of Accession to the WTO. This allowed WTO members to disregard Chinas prices and costs in anti-dumping cases and base their calculation of dumping price margins on external benchmarks if producers couldnt show that market economy conditions prevailed in their industry. Given the obstacles it put in Chinas way, I dont see how Vice President Pence could seriously argue that the United States brought China into the World Trade Organization.

For the sake of a narrow and self-interested few, the United States government continues to suck the lifeblood from the international system it helped to build, like an economic leech. The result was the East Asian financial crisis of 1997-98, which saw American capitalists fleece East Asia. It hit China's economy hard, but the upside was that it forced China in a new direction of financial reform. The international financial crisis in 2008, caused by the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States, again put the world economy into a whirlpool of recession and slowed Chinas economic development. And now, Americas 2018 trade war with the world is directly targeting China and threatens to destroy the fruits of its reform and opening up.

But even outside of these moments of crisis, it has not been smooth sailing. From 1980 to 2017, the United States launched 284 trade investigations against imports from China valued at 32.72 billion U.S. dollars. Over the course of the investigations, the United States employed unfair practices such as using surrogate countries, and subjected Chinas products to abnormally high tariff rates, which seriously affected the ability of Chinas enterprises to export to the United States. In addition to economic means, the United States government has spared no effort in employing military, political, and media methods to hinder Chinas development and create trouble for China domestically and internationally. From the South China Sea to Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, and issues relating to international bodies and world governance, it almost seems to pain the United States government to give us a break on anything it sets eyes on.

These are some contributions the United States government has made to China's reform and opening up  one failed attempt at sabotage after another. And it wont stop until the "America first" policy has become worn out, and China's reform and opening up policy has become unbreakable.
Say so long to the color show in the Eastern Sierra for this year and hello to an autumnal palette in the the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains.

Thats the word from CaliforniaFallColor.com, whose motto is, Dude, autumn happens here too.

Lower elevations of the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains, around the 5,000-foot mark, are lighting up with yellows, golds and oranges. Lake Arrowhead, Grass Valley Lake, Lake Gregory and Oak Glen will be the hot tickets in the San Bernardinos; look to Idyllwild and Lake Hemet for color thrills in the San Jacintos.

Fremont cottonwood in the Sespe Wilderness. (Lance Pifer)

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The Piedra Blanca Trail in the Sespe Wilderness in Los Padres National Forest near Ojai also is nearing peak, the color report said.

The leaf spectacular in the Eastern Sierra is over. The splashiest hues can be found now in the Western and Northern Sierra and in the Cascades.

Big leaf maples and black oak are showing their best stuff in Yosemite Valley, and the color report predicts, will continue to do so for a couple of weeks, if the weather holds.

Info: CaliforniaFallColor.com

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
The harried holidays are coming to an airport near you, but so are four-legged creatures such as dogs, a cat, even a genial pig, that will be roving airport terminals to de-stress passengers. Many U.S. airports have therapy pet programs. Fodors travel guides recently gave a shout-out to a dozen that pass the sniff test. Look for these love dispensers, many wearing Pet Me! vests, when youre visiting these airports.

Los Angeles

Dogs and one cat are part of the Canine Airport Therapy Squad at Denvers airport. (Denver International Airport)

Los Angeles International Airports therapy pet program called PUPs, or Pets Unstressing Passengers, started in 2013 with just 20 dogs. Canines cuddled their way through airport terminals, making the program a success and one used as a model by many other airports. Today 93 dogs and their owners spread the love at LAXs gate areas at each terminals departures levels. If youre lucky, youll find them dressed up for events such as the annual Howling Halloween Parade. Look for Instagram (flylaxairport) and Facebook (@lainternationalairport) posts to learn when the pups are in the building.

San Francisco

LiLou the pig cheers up passengers with other therapy pets at San Franciscos airport. (San Francisco International Airport)

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San Francisco International Airports Wag Brigade also started in 2013 with therapy dogs trained by the citys Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or SPCA. Three years later a pet pig named LiLou  sometimes sporting a tutu and hair bow  passed the test and joined the Pet Me! squad. Last year the pig greeted one of the most famous animal lovers on the planet, Jane Goodall, at SFO. I knelt down to greet LiLou  and enjoyed a snout-to-nose greeting, Goodall wrote on her blog. Wag Brigade animals can be found at the airport on Mondays through Fridays. Follow the teams Instagram feed (SFOWagBrigade) to find out what theyre up to.

Denver

The PUPs program at LAX marked its fifth year in 2018. (Linda Pianigiani)

Hows this for confusing: The 115 therapy animals that participate in CATS, or Canine Airport Therapy Squad, at Denver International Airport (DIA) are dogs. But theres also a short-hair cat in the program. If youre at the airport at the right time, you are most likely to see Newfoundlands, golden retrievers, Labradors, German shepherds and standard poodles. Theres no set schedule when the CATS crew makes the rounds, but the airport posts their whereabouts every day on Twitter (@DENAirport).

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Dogs roam terminals at Vancouver International Airport between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. (Vancouver International Airport)

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) sends seven Ambassador Dogs out to greet passengers at the airports terminals from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays. Known as the Less Airport Stress Initiative, the therapy dogs (and their owners) wait for passengers to pet them and love them up. However, these arent the only creatures at the airport. You can bliss out watching sea nettle jellyfish float around in the International Terminals aquarium. Just dont miss your flight.

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@latimestravel
One hundred years ago, on Nov. 11, 1918, World War I ended. The fighting ended at 11 a.m. Paris time, the eleventh hour on the 11th day of the 11th month.

The armistice was agreed upon at 5 a.m. on Nov. 11. While news spread quickly, fighting continued until 11 a.m. Army Pvt. Henry Gunther of the 79th Division was killed at 10:59 a.m., a minute before the Armistice took effect. He was the last American killed in World War I.

As many as 4.7 million Americans served in the military during World War I. About 116,000 Americans died and 204,000 were wounded.

Armistice Day became a national holiday in 1919. In 1954, Armistice Day was rededicated as Veterans Day to honor all American veterans.

For the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., is having special activities from Nov. 2 through Nov. 11.

On Nov. 11, 1926, the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City was dedicated as a World War I memorial. In 2004, Congress designated the site, now named the National WWI Museum and Memorial, as the countrys official museum dedicated to World War I.

For this years Armistice centennial, the museum is sharing these images from their archives.

Nov. 11, 1918: Soldiers dismount the railroad car in which the armistice ending World War I was signed. Gen. Maxime Weygand of France is second from left and Gen. Marshal Foch of France is second from right. National World War I Museum and Memorial

Nov. 11, 1918: U.S. President Wilson reads the terms of the armistice to Congress. National World War I Museum and Memorial

Nov. 11, 1918: The U.S. Capitol is illuminated the night the armistice ending World War I was signed. National World War I Museum and Memorial

Nov. 11, 1918: Members of the 89th Infantry Division's 353rd Regiment, Company A, approach a church in Stenay, France, at 10:58 a.m., just two minutes before the end of World War I. National World War I Museum and Memorial

Nov. 11, 1918: Members of the 89th Infantry Division's 353rd Regiment, Company A, enter Stenay, France, following the end of World War I. National World War I Museum and Memoral

Nov. 12, 1918: Hill No. 356, outside of Gibercy, France, is shown. The spot marks where some members of the 79th Infantry Division stopped when the armistice ending World War I went into effect. National World War I Museum and Memorial

Nov. 11, 1918: Runners from the 79th Infantry Division's 315th Regiment spread the word to stop firing at 11 a.m. on the last day of World War I. From left are Pvt. William Wachter, Pvt. R. D. Thompson, Pvt. J. J. Mulcahy and Pvt. John McCaughtry. National World War I Museum and Memorial

Nov. 11, 1918: In Tailly, France, Mjr. Gen. F. L. Winn, commander of the 89th Division, left, shakes the hand of Mjr. Gen. William M. Wright as Wright leaves to take command of the 1st Army Corps. National World War I Museum and Memorial

Nov. 11, 1918: French Gen. Marshal Foch's train arrives at the station at Compiegne in France. The armistice ending World War I was signed in Car No. 2419D, shown on the right. National World War I Museum and Memorial

The National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., is shown in 2013. The museum is having special activities from Nov. 2 through Nov. 11 for the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. Edwin Remsberg / Getty Images

See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here
Nigel Farage, the far-right politician who founded Britains UK Independence Party, was the mastermind behind Britains vote to leave the European Union.

The 54-year-old dedicated his career to campaigning for Brexit. In fact, hed been advocating it since 1999.

After his victory, Farage began to help Donald Trumps campaign during the 2016 presidential election. He had known Stephen K. Bannon, a Trump advisor who would briefly become a senior White House aide, for years.

Farages nativist vision and populist messaging, especially toward immigration, are strikingly similar to the views of President Trump.

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Farage spoke with The Times about Brexit, Islam and his role in politics. The interview, which took place at Chapman University in Orange, has been edited for length and clarity.

Brexit was your dream come true. Yet, you decided to leave politics after Britons voted to leave the European Union. Why?

Thats not true. I still lead a group in the European Parliament, so Im still active in politics. But I left frontline British politics in terms of leading the UK Independence Party because the mission was done. I wasnt in it for a career. I came from business into politics to try to change something. And at that moment in time it appeared it was done. So I said thank you very much.

Was it hard to resign as leader of the UK Independence Party?

It was dead easy. Im not your normal political figure. Most people in politics are in for the long term or because they want to be prime minister or president. I got into it because I had a great cause. I felt that that this European question had been swept under the carpet. These issues about sovereignty werent being discussed and I wanted to try to change the direction of my country and I did. And Im very happy.

How has UKIP changed since you resigned as its leader in 2016?

Its not doing well. In the eyes of some, its become a bit anti-Islam. Im concerned about Islamism, but Im not concerned about the religion of Islam. Also, when you have a political movement thats got a dominant figure, once that person is gone its always going to be tough moving forward.

What about Islamism worries you?

The worry about Islamism is that those who adhere to that in the U.K. dont accept U.K. culture, dont accept U.K. law. They want to impose their version of the world upon the host country. And that would lead us toward disaster. It doesnt work. Im very specific that Im not against the religion, Im not against Islam. There is a danger that if the right goes too far to the right it starts to become confrontational.

In the U.S., some might say that President Trump or Steve Bannon are examples of the far right and how it has become anti-Islam.

Well actually if you sit down and talk with Steve Bannon, hed tell you that Islam is one of the great religions in the world thats been perverted by a few people. Steve has said that very clearly. There are a lot of voices building in America and elsewhere who think that all adherence of Islam is bad and that is a very dangerous place. Thats not where we need to be.

You gave a defiant speech at the European Parliament after the country voted to leave the European Union. What was that like?

The whole two or three days after was almost like a daze. I remember weeks later coming to the office and asking if we had really won. It seemed impossible for so long. It was fantastic and amazing. I didnt know what the reaction would be at the European Parliament. I thought that for once theyd treat me with respect. But no, they couldnt do that. When I got up, they started booing, and so I thought, The hell with it. It was the achievement of a dream that looked impossible. I was on my own for years, so it was an amazing few days.

Brexit won, but by a small margin. Do you consider it a victory?

It was a huge victory. We had the whole world against us. The whole global order was telling us that wed be reduced to living in caves and plagues of black locusts would descend upon our lives. And we still said, The hell with you. This is what we want to do. It was a huge victory. We are struggling with it a bit, but I still think we will leave on March 29 of next year.

Do you believe in a second referendum?

No, its not necessary. But if it comes I will fight it. I would hate to see that. The breakdown in trust of our democratic system would be very severe.

Are Europe and the United States shifting away from liberal democracy and more toward illiberal democracy?

Depends how you define liberal. This idea that somehow Trump wants to crash democracy is ludicrous. The executive branch in America has tremendous power and thats true, but what is liberal democracy? All liberal democracy has done is to hand decisions to a whole host of global organizations instead of would-be voters. I think so-called liberal democrats have forgotten one thing, which is their duty to the people in their country and not to the rest of the world.

What are the similarities between the election of Trump and Brexit?

I think Trump was a similar phenomenon to Brexit in the sense that it was the little people saying we are going to do something about this, and they did, much to the shock of the corporate establishment. It was a feeling that life had been too easy for the big corporations and that Washington was a swamp for lobbyists.

Some reports suggest that there was a rise in hate crimes after Brexit.

Absolute lies. There was a story that appeared on BBC about a Polish guy who got punched, falls down and hits his head and dies. They even interviewed someone who said that Nigel Farage had blood on his hands. I was appalled. A year later it goes to trial. What had happened? The Polish guy tried to a hit a black kid and the black kid had tried to defend himself. Completely 180. Did I get an apology? No. So I dont buy any of this stuff. I dont buy it. How is wanting to assert your rights of national democracy and independence in any way a hateful thing? Its a normal thing. It makes me quite angry, actually.

What do you think of Trump pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal?

I understand the reason why the Iran deal was struck. And I understand the logic that if you break sanctions, you allow more liberal forces into a country [and] they themselves actually look toward the outside world. I understand the argument; however, Im sorry to say that it hasnt worked at all. Its turned a bad Iranian regime even worse and theyve used the financial benefit of the Iran deal to spread their hate and poison through Hezbollah all across the region, so actually the Iran deal was well intentioned and I understand why President Obama did it. I understand why the Europeans supported it. It worked out completely opposite, so I believe that what Trump did was entirely right.

melissa.etehad@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @melissaetehad
Note: This is a translation of a Chinese-language article first published by Xinhuanet.com. The article reflects the authors own views.

In his speech on U.S. government policy towards China at the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C. on October 4th, 2018, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence stated the Communist Party of China (CPC) began to pursue authoritarian expansionism after taking power in 1949. He said it was remarkable to think that China and the U.S. fought one another in the mountains and valleys of the Korean Peninsula only five years after they had fought together, and that his father saw combat on that frontier of freedom. Such remarks fly in the face of historical fact.

First of all, the Korean War broke out in 1950, not long after the Peoples Republic of China was founded, at a time when the CPCs top priority was to realize the countrys reunification. The Kuomintang had fled to Taiwan after losing a civil war with the CPC, and the Peoples Liberation Army was preparing in southeast Chinas coastal area for the liberation of Taiwan. There was then absolutely no way that the CPC would be seeking expansionism. The Korean War was a product of the Cold War, with the Korean Peninsula split into two states. The U.S. played a key role in the decision to divide the Korean Peninsula at the 38th parallel. Before the war broke out, both Kim Il Sung, the then-top leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), and Rhee Syng-man, the South Korean President at the time, proposed that the Korean Peninsula should be reunified by force. Rhees voice was the louder. Declassified documents from the Soviet Union show that in January 1950, Joseph Stalin, then-leader of the Soviet Union, invited Kim to discuss the reunification of the Korean Peninsula in Moscow. During his month-long visit to Moscow from March 30th to April 25th, 1950, Kim met with Stalin for three times. Theres no record giving the details of their talks, but later actions proved that Stalin supported Kims ambition to reunify the Korean Peninsula.

Secondly, China eventually joined in the Korean War because U.S. actions were threatening Chinas own national security, and that of the Chinese people, and so China was forced to take action to protect homes and safeguard the country. The security of the DPRK has always been closely bound up with Chinas national security and its own interests. In the belief that the Korean War was the first phase in a Soviet Union plan to launch a global war, the U.S. got involved in the conflict not long after it broke out. On June 27th, 1950, then-U.S. President Harry Truman ordered the countrys naval, air and other military forces to fight with South Korean troops. On July 27th, a United Nations force led by the U.S. landed in Pusan, while at the same time, the U.S. sent its Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Straits to frustrate Chinas reunification. At an event celebrating the National Day held by the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference National Committee on September 30th, 1950, then-Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai gave a solemn warning to the U.S. that while the Chinese people loved peace, in order to safeguard that peace, they have never been and would never be afraid to oppose war, and that the Chinese people would never tolerate foreign aggression, nor tolerate seeing their neighbors being savagely invaded by imperialists. On October 3rd, 1950, Premier Zhou Enlai once again warned the U.S. via the Indian Ambassador to China, that China would take action instead of sitting idle, if the U.S. forces should cross the 38th parallel, and that the Korean issue should be settled peacefully. He said the war must be stopped, and the invaders must retreat. However, the U.S. government underestimated Chinas resolution and determination, and Douglas MacArthur issued an order to cross the 38th parallel and launch military attacks at a time when the Chinese people were celebrating the first anniversary of their new republic. The flames of war burned even at Chinas own gates, with parts of Chinese territory along the China-DPRK border bombarded by U.S. troops. After 18 days of deliberation, China, which was still rebuilding, eventually decided to send troops, and become involved in a war.

Thirdly, the U.S. was in no way fighting to defend freedom, but for geopolitical expansion. The Korean War was originally solely an internal Korean Peninsula matter, where the north and the south were fighting for national reunification. It was the U.S. which regarded it as the expansion of communism and began interfering, enlarging the regional war into an international one, leading to severe casualties. South Korean administrations supported by the U.S. were hardly democratic. During a demonstration launched by South Korean students and other citizens who called for democracy and freedom from May 18th to 27th, 1980, the then-South Korean President Chun Doo Hwan, with the tacit approval of the U.S., deployed troops to Gwangju and opened fire at demonstrators. Official figures suggest 207 people lost their lives and more than 800 others were injured.

In his book Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties, British academic Paul Johnson described the Korean War as a characteristic 20th-century tragedy, it achieved no purpose, all its consequences were unintended, Truman judged it to be a prelude to an attack on Japan and a direct challenge to Americas willingness to uphold international law through the UN. The Korean War resulted from the development of the global situation. It was a war imposed on China by external forces. It was U.S. troops who threatened Chinas national security at Chinas own gates, forcing China to send forces to defend itself. It is simply ridiculous for Pence to claim that the Korean War was caused by what he called Chinas pursuit of authoritarian expansionism and that the U.S. was fighting on the so-called frontier of freedom.
United States Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech on October 4 that laid out United States policy vis-a-vis China. The broad-ranging speech swept through the past and present state of U.S.-China relations. At one point, he turned his hand to modern Chinese literature to make a point, quoting one of its leading lights, Lu Xun.

In "Hot Wind", a collection of short essays and commentaries, Lu Xun wrote that "There had been two ways for the Chinese people to treat foreigners: either as brutes or as emperors. They never called them friends, or thought they were just like us." Vice President Pence used this line, adding that he hopes "Beijing will reach back with deeds, not words, and with renewed respect for America."

The quote comes from a collection of Lu Xun's works published between 1918-1924. Lu Xun was, as the vice president rightfully acknowledged, not a simple storyteller, but a great thinker whose incisive criticism of the national character of old China was based on his profound patriotism. The remark was a harsh criticism of the social atmosphere in China at a time when the country was burdened with outdated values, learning from other cultures was discouraged, and there was a lack of motivation for reform.

When the quote is taken in context, it's clear that Lu Xun was not talking about China's relationships with other countries. Rather, he was critiquing contemporary Chinese society. He saw a tendency in the Chinese intellectual class to enthusiastically discard Chinese tradition and embrace foreign ideas regardless of how suitable they were for the nation's circumstances. Then, when the new ideas so rashly introduced failed to live up to expectations, they were abandoned and the intellectual class turned its back on reform. It need not be said that Lu Xun's argument has nothing to do with China's approach to international relationships, and even less to do with its relationship with the United States.

In his speech, Vice President Pence also talked about the assistance that America provided to China in the later years of the Qing Dynasty. He said, with the tone of a benefactor, that "American missionaries not only did they spread their faith, but these same missionaries founded some of China's first and finest universities." What he failed to mention is that the United States was a party to the Boxer Indemnity agreement, which was imposed on the weakening Qing by the invading Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900 following the domestic uprising against Western imperialism and the imposition of the Christian missionaries. The agreement cost China dearly, further weakening it and leaving it ill equipped to reform itself for the challenges that would accompany the end of the Qing Dynasty, including its legitimate need for self-defense.

Looking forward to China's contemporary military modernization, the vice president criticized the growth of China's strength. But in the same breath, he praised his own administration's military expansionism, saying "We've been making the strongest military in the history of the world stronger still. Earlier this year, our president signed into law the largest increase in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan". This includes, he added proudly, modernizing America's nuclear weapons arsenal.

But perhaps the grossest mischaracterization of China's history was made using not his own words, but those of President Trump, whom he quoted: "'We rebuilt China' over the last 25 years." This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's policy of reform and opening up, which has turned the country into the home of the world's second-largest economy, allowed it to develop into an unmatched manufacturing powerhouse, and raised 700 million people out of poverty. "Much of this success," the vice president said, "was driven by American investment in China." The idea that the Americans came to China and saved it, like the missionaries claimed to be doing all those years ago, is a nonsense. Hard work, determination, and a willingness to experiment is what brought China economic success. The result has been that for nearly two decades, China has contributed almost 30 percent of the world's economic growth, and helped the world to recover after 2008 when the global economy almost collapsed as a result of the crisis in the American economy.

China's government is striving to meet the aspirations of its people for a better life. To do so, it must base its policies on China's own national conditions and follow its own path. This is the message that Lu Xun was making when he penned the line that Mike Pence mangled during his speech. And it's a message as valuable today as it was when it was written all those years ago.
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European seed companies prepare for licensing and litigation difficulties as technology allows them to patent more inventions and threatens to stifle the industrys strong sharing culture
This former homeless man is now a tour guide. AFP

Alcoholics, vagrants, nobodiesMile Mrvalj rattles off common prejudices against Zagreb's "invisible" homeless community as he leads a tour around sites that usually go unnoticed in the Croatian capital. Now you will hear the story of a painful, tough Zagreb, the 58-year-old, who spent more than three years on the streets himself, tells local high school students at the start of a recent tour. During the next hour and a half he takes the group to seemingly ordinary spots in downtown Zagreb that are a lifeline for those without shelter, especially during cold winters.Croatia has a homeless population of around 2,000 and it is increasing, according to NGO estimates, which had put the figure at around half that just two years ago. Another 10,000 are currently classified as being relativeas opposed to absolutehomeless, meaning they have shelter but lack basic health and security standards. Mrvalj, who co-founded the tour, starts his route at the King Tomislav Square park, a neatly-trimmed lawn packed with tourists, young couples and children. No homeless person would dare rest in the park in full view, says Mrvalj, explaining that they often sleep in abandoned buildings nearby. "If a homeless person was sleeping on this grass police would fine him," he adds."How did you become homeless?" a teenage boy asks Mrvalj on the tour. The former gallery owner recounts his own downward spiraltriggered by a mortgage loan he could not pay off that eventually left him bankrupt in 2009. Gradually abandoned by family and friends, he left his home in Bosnia's capital Sarajevo for Zagreb. For more than three years he lived without a roof over his head. Lighting one cigarette after another, Mrvalj describes the shame he felt when collecting refundable plastic bottles from rubbish bins to earn around three euros ($3.4) a day. The experience was hell, he recalls. "I was smelling so badly. I heard so many times Go away stinky! Have a bath!'. In Croatia, due to economic hardship and high unemployment8.4 percent in Septembermaking ends meet is a tall order for many, not only the homeless. The tour's second stopZagreb's main railway stationis a place where many homeless go to warm up in the winter, though only for 30 minutes due to video surveillance and fear of police, says Mrvalj.The next option is to ride the trams. If it's really cold you make two, three tram tours," he explains. A cheap coffee machine inside the station provides another source of solace. Coffee saves you, warms you up, after waking up frozen like an iceberg, Mrvalj tells the tour group.After obtaining a Croatian ID card four years ago, Mrvalj managed to secure health care and a room to live in. Now he runs an association to help the homelessnamed Fajter (Fighter)and since July guides the "Invisible Zagreb" tour five times a week as its sole guide. Mrvalj says the goal of the tour is to raise awareness about growing homelessness and to correct misunderstandings. "A common [prejudice] is that homeless people are to be blamed for their destiny," he told AFP. But he said that homelessness "can happen to anyone" faced with an unlucky chain of events, such as the loss of a job leading to an inability to pay off a loan. "If someone told me 10 years ago that I would be homeless I would tell him that he was crazy." Croatia's economic problems have their roots in the 1990s independence war and its legacy, especially the fraudulent privatisations of state-run firms which threw many out of work and left companies ruined. Last year nearly 28 percent of the country's 4.2 million people were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to Eurostat figures released in October. Only six other EU member states -- Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Italy, Latvia and Lithuania -- had a higher number at risk. Jointly launched with an agency specialised in social impact programmes, the Zagreb tour was initially planned for tourists, but now locals dominate. "People are realising how many things they don't notice on an everyday basis," said Branimir Radakovic, of the Brodoto agency. Petra Stunja, a 16-year-old pupil on the tour, said she learned that homelessness "can happen to many without expecting it."
The first China International Import Expo (CIIE), which takes place in the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, showcases Chinas sincerity to further open up its market and promote global trade and cooperation. It is bound to bring more development opportunities to the world and inject strong impetus into building an open global economy.

The event will be held from Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai, and Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony and relevant activities.

The CIIE, as the first import-themed national exhibition in the world, is a major policy announcement and practice of China to actively opening up its market.

CIIE-related news received instant and high attention, as well as warm response from the world. Political and business leaders from about 150 countries and regions and heads of international organizations have confirmed to attend the six-day event.

So far, 82 countries and three international organizations have set up 71 booths in the country pavilion of the CIIE, and about 3,000 companies from more than 130 countries have signed up for the business exhibition. In addition, about 2,000 guests from more than 130 countries and regions will attend the Hongqiao International Trade Forum held during the CIIE.

The global enthusiasm for the first CIIE has reflected the influence of the Chinese market, the attraction of the Chinese opportunities, as well as the appeal of the Chinese solutions.

China is a market with more than 1.3 billion people, and its choice to open wider to the world is unquestionably exciting news for the world. Against the backdrop of trade protectionism and mounting anti-globalization sentiment, China has showed its firm resolution to build an open world economy and embark on a road of opening up with other countries for mutual benefits and win-win results.

The first CIIE is viewed by the world as Chinas innovative move to resolutely expand opening up.

China has become one of the largest markets in the world. Its import value accounts for 10 percent of the worlds total and the country has remained the 2nd largest importer of commodities in the world for 9 years in a row.

It is expected that China will import goods worth $24 trillion in the next 15 years. By hosting the CIIE, the country is endeavoring to make the outcomes of its opening-up efforts deliver benefits as soon as possible to all enterprises and people in China and around the world.

Currently, the global economy is faced with uncertainties and trade protectionism has created negative impacts on developing countries. How to deeply participate in the international division of labor, build an export-driven economy and accelerate the process of industrialization and urbanization are new tasks for relevant countries.

Among the enterprises that have registered for the first CIIE, 34 percent are from developed countries, 34 percent from Belt and Road countries and 10 percent from least-developed countries. Such proportion fully demonstrates the universality of the CIIE as a global public product.

Contrary to trade protectionism, the China-proposed construction of an open economy is the right direction where the global economy should develop, said an American scholar.

As a responsible country, China sincerely hopes to push countries to trade with each other, open up their markets, accelerate further development of economic globalization, and construct an open economy, so as to let countries and people in the world gain win-win outcomes through opening up.
On 22 October (weeks after the polls opened on 7 October), it was finally confirmed that 85-year-old President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, will serve another term in office. Voter turnout was very low; and in the urban centres of Douala and Yaounde, the leadership of the working class was nowhere to be seen  despite widespread hatred of the Biya regime. Moreover, violent unrest in the Anglophone regions made any kind of democratic process there impossible, and tit-for-tat skirmishes between state troops and separatists have aroused fears of a new civil war that could plunge the country into barbarism.

This was an election marked by fraud, violence and voter apathy: all of which played a role in the outcome. Despite the unpopularity of the Biya government, the masses had no faith in the weak, divided opposition candidates, none of whom offered a credible alternative to the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM). Nor did they pose any solution to the economic problems of underemployment and poverty, resulting from falling oil prices, the burden of foreign debt and endemic corruption.

Biya currently maintains his grip on power thanks to the CPDMs total dominance of the state apparatus; economic and military support from imperialist governments (particularly France and America); and by buying off traditional tribal leaders  the reactionary elites who command significant authority among Cameroons more backward, rural layers. Most importantly, Cameroons working class and peasantry lacked a political leadership capable of taking advantage of peoples desire for change. However, president Biya is sitting on a powder keg, and his increasingly repressive efforts to hold onto power and quell the Anglophone question are provocations to the masses.

A farcical election

When the results were released, Biya rejected calls for a re-run from opposition parties, insisting the elections were free and fair. He went so far as to send fake representatives from Transparency International to be interviewed on the state-run Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) and attest the elections were conducted justly.

This stunt was a capstone to a farcical election, in which Biya took the majority of votes in all but one of Cameroon's 10 regions, losing out to Maurice Kamto of the Cameroonian Resistance Movement (MRC) by a small margin in the Littoral region: home to the economic capital, Douala. Despite prematurely declaring victory, Kamto claimed just 14.2 percent of the official vote share. Joshua Osih, candidate of the main opposition party (the Social Democratic Front) came fourth, with 3.35 percent. After the official results were announced, hundreds of Kamtos (mostly young) supporters in Douala mounted a furious protest against Biya, complaining that their candidate had been cheated. This and smaller protests in Yaounde and Bafoussam were quickly contained by the police, with witnesses reporting that protesters were beaten and dragged through the mud.

After the results, hundreds of opposition supporters mounted a furious protest against Biya / Image: fair use

Doubtlessly, Biya rigged the race, making full use of his control of the media to ensure that all political opposition was pushed to the sidelines. In 2018, the government expanded its surveillance networks across social media, to shut down opposition campaigns and promote its own propaganda. The CPDM also used a tactic of setting up over 20 phony opposition parties, which all switched their support to the incumbent at the last minute. Biya was so confident of victory that he barely bothered to campaign, organising only one rally in the northern region.

Additionally, there are reports that opposition candidates were harassed and thrown out of polling stations by the CPDMs goons. The CRM has claimed that 42 people, including party officials, were arrested over the course of the election and are still being detained. Among these is Michele Ndoki: a lawyer who defended Kamto at the constitutional council after he accused Biya of fraud and ballot-stuffing in favour of the CPDM. Biya also co-opted and bribed tribal leaders to whip the vote in the more backward layers of Cameroons 45 percent rural population.

However, most telling of all is the fact that official voter turnout was 53 percent, compared to 68 percent in 2011 and 80 percent in 2004, revealing a lack of enthusiasm for any of the candidates. As one voter quoted in Reuters put it: I voted for the opposition even though I did not trust them. The low participation is also explained by the fact that tens of thousands of people were simply unable to take part due to insecurity in English-speaking Cameroon, in which the separatists aggressively enforced an election boycott. As a result, voter turnout in the country's two Anglophone regions was as low as 5 percent, according to the International Crisis Group.

Weak and divided opposition

Cameroon is an extremely diverse and divided country. Aside from the Francophone and Anglophone question, it also comprises numerous ethnic groups, including the Bamileke and Bamoun (considered the economically dominant ethnicities); as well as Beti, Makaa, Fulani and Kirdi. These communities all have traditional tribal leaders and loyalties that Biya has historically exploited to the full. Without a class movement to cut across these lines, ethnic and national divisions resulted in a weak and divided opposition, with the anti-Biya vote split between eight presidential candidates, most of whom represented different regional bases rather than presenting distinct political programmes.

The ruling CPDM party is a bourgeois, Francophone outfit that has been in power since Cameroon gained independence from the French in 1960. The party and its then-leader, Ahmadou Ahidjo, were installed by the French authorities (originally as the Cameroon National Union) to preserve their interests in the country and repress radical, Anglophone independence parties like the UPC. It has maintained an iron grip on power ever since. It dominates the national assembly (with 148 out of 180 seats) and continues to play the role of loyal servant to (particularly French) imperialism. The CPDM and Biya (who assumed power in 1982) are deeply unpopular amongst Cameroonians, with a poll conducted by Nkafu Policy Institute putting the president on a 30 percent approval rating.

Maurice Kamto's neoliberal programme failed to galvanise the working class or peasantry against Biya / Image: fair use

However, the opposition parties are even less popular. The CRM (which received 12.65 percent approval in the poll cited above) was founded in an abortive attempt to unify the anti-Biya vote across ethnic, language and class lines. Its 2008 founding document, Visions of Society is a vague and confusing jumble of nationalist, populist and liberal ideas, with no clear political or economic programme. It promises modernisation, an end to right and left divisions in politics and the promotion of traditional values. The document also espouses a neoliberal, anti-worker agenda. It proposes lengthening work days, lowering wages and introducing more flexible labour, to make the Cameroonian economy more competitive.

The CRM candidate, Kamto (an Anglophone academic, lawyer and former minister), was hoping for support from his home region in the west, the Anglophone far-north and the cities in the south (including Douala and Yaounde). However, the Biya government has long since bought off the tribal chiefs in the north and the CRMs vote was split with the SDF in the west. More importantly, despite populist promises to resolve the Anglophone question and modernise Cameroons crumbling infrastructure, the partys neoliberal programme failed to galvanise the working class or peasantry, and its support was limited to the urban petty-bourgeoisie.

The SDF has historically been the main opposition party in Cameroon. It was founded after the introduction of multi-partyism, following a bloody political struggle in the 1990s. It traditionally had a strong Anglophone base. However, the SDF has gravitated away from Anglophone liberation in recent years, moderating its position in an attempt to broaden its appeal amongst Francophones (though not by reaching out to Francophone workers with economic reforms.) While it originally stood for succession, the party is now officially in favour of a four-part, federal state. This has angered the partys Anglophone base, and driven many of them into the armed separatist struggle. Biya has further undercut support for the SDF by playing divide and rule between Anglophone elites in the southwest and the partys political leaders in the northwest.

Joshua Osih of the main opposition party (SDF) received 3 percent of the vote share, compared to 11 percent for the SDF in the last elections / Image: fair use

Despite nominally representing an Anglophone voice in the national assembly, the SDF is a shadow of its former self and commands little authority amongst the masses in either the French or English-speaking regions. Its vote share collapsed from 11 percent in 2011 to 3 percent this time around. It lost millions of votes due to the record-low Anglophone turnout, and received half the votes of third-place candidate Cabral Libii: a liberal, bourgeois lawyer with a sizable social media following but no actual policies.

Moreover, despite belonging to the Socialist International, the SDF was never a workers party in any practical sense. It is based largely on the urban middles classes (particularly teachers and civil servants), and in its early years entirely focused on democratic demands against Biyas repressive regime rather than fighting for economic or social reforms for Cameroonian workers and peasants. The partys 1990 Constitution and Manifesto and 1991 Proposals on Devolution of Power prominently enshrined a free market economy and the right to private property. Their 2018 presidential candidate is a business owner who has had relations with Biya: renting the president and his family private aircraft via one of his companies. This only reveals that the SDF and Biya are agents of the same ruling class. Unsurprisingly, the SDF utterly failed to exploit the simmering hatred for the status quo in these elections.

In despair at the hopeless opposition, ordinary people are drawing increasingly desperate conclusions. In Douala and Yaounde, dozens of young people interviewed by the Crisis Group prior to this years elections stated that: since the government and opposition are both against us, we might as well spoil everything so that nobody wins, and that Cameroonians must make themselves heard by doing what the Anglophones are doing. This is now the mood on the streets: the potential for civil unrest is building even as Biya tightens his chokehold.

Economic crisis

Biyas increasingly repressive grip on power must be understood in the context of Cameroons ongoing economic crisis, that places him on an increasingly unstable footing. GDP growth in Cameroon is falling and the cost of living is increasing. The main culprit in recent years has been volatile oil prices, which despite bouncing back to $64.60 a barrel in 2018, fell as low as $44.00 a barrel in 2016. Cameroons oil (mostly off the coast of the Anglophone southwest) accounts for nearly 40 percent of the countrys exports, compared to 30 percent for agricultural products. The dips in oil prices have wreaked havoc on the lives of the Cameroonian masses and have deepened resentment against the regime.

In general, Cameroons economy is very underdeveloped. 70 percent of the countrys workforce is employed in agriculture, compared to only 13 percent in industry and 17 percent in services. While the government has attempted to modernise agricultural production in recent years, millions of Cameroonians are still producing food and cash crops using traditional farming techniques that are arduous and inefficient, resulting in low yields. This lack of development means Cameroon has a large peasantry, mostly under the sway of tribal elites.

Cameroons economy is very underdeveloped. 70 percent of the countrys workforce is employed in agriculture, many of them using traditional farming methods / Image: Flickr, BecA ILRI Hub

Corruption and foreign debt are major factors in Cameroons economic backwardness. Cameroon saw a huge amount of capital flight after achieving independence ($57bn between 1970 and 2012), with the bulk of that money being embezzled by government officials. This corruption (combined with a fall in oil prices) provoked a major economic crisis in the 1980s. Biya responded with massive cuts and privatisations in the public sector (amounting to an 18 percent reduction in government spending). He also accepted loans from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, France, Germany and the United Kingdom; as well as a 150m aid package from the IMF. From the 1990s onwards, Cameroon has taken on further loans, including a new economic and financial partnership agreement with the IMF in 2016.

All this accumulated debt has resulted in decades of hardship and misery for Cameroonians, who have been made to bear the burden of the economic crisis. In order to pay off its loans and meet the terms of its international lenders, the government has continued to restrict public spending. After the latest IMF package, Biya reduced domestic investment from 8 percent of GDP in 2016 to a projected 6.6 in 2019, which has only exacerbated long-standing social and infrastructural problems. Many roads are nigh-unusable, cuts to public education have considerably reduced the growth of literacy rates, and healthcare is of a very low quality. Moreover, despite an official unemployment rate of 4.4 percent, fewer than 18 percent of Cameroonian adults earn more than 200,000 FCFA ($400 USD) a month.

Meanwhile, Biya and high-ranking officials continue to leech off the state and enjoy lavish lifestyles at the publics expense. Aside from his luxurious presidential palace in Yaounde, Biya spends a great deal of time on private trips to the five-star Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva. This hypocrisy has only intensified the masses loathing towards the CPDM.

A new civil war?

The Anglophone question has cast a shadow over this election, with the majority of Cameroonians (65 percent) regarding it as the greatest threat to the countrys national security. English-speaking Cameroon has seen ever-deepening repression, along with centralisation of power to French-speaking Yaounde under Biyas presidency.

The Anglophone crisis cast a shadow over the election: a new civil war is on the cards in the southwest / Image: fair use

A flashpoint came in 2016, when protest marches by Anglophone teachers and lawyers over the enforced use of French in classrooms and courts were met with gunfire from state troops that left 17 protestors dead. A ramping-up of tensions culminated in the declaration of the independent, Anglophone state of Ambazonia on 1 October 2017 by the Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Consortium United Front (SCACUF). Biyas response was immediate and brutal. He shut down the internet in the southwest for a period of 93 days, and sent in American and Israeli-trained special forces (the Rapid Intervention Battalion or BIR) to quell the Anglophones. This has resulted in escalating skirmishes between Anglophone separatists and Biyas troops, with hundreds dead already, thousands displaced, and accusations of atrocities on both sides (including the murder of women and children).

All the ingredients exist for a civil war on the southwestern border between Anglophone and Francophone Cameroon. With the memory of the Biafran War in neighbouring Nigeria still haunting many Cameroonians, this is a terrifying prospect. However, despite Biyas attempt to lean on sectarian hatred against Anglophones, most of the countrys population (85 percent) are opposed to the governments use of force in suppressing the separatists and believe that dialogue and negotiation should be pursued. It is clear that the Cameroonian masses have no taste for bloodshed, but with Biya still in power and no unifying class movement to cross language lines, any chance of a peaceful resolution appears remote.

The role of imperialism

Another factor explaining Biyas grip on power is the support he receives from imperialist governments. His vicious handling of the Anglophone question has been met with a deafening silence from the west. In part, this is because the US has leaned on Biya and the Cameroonian military to help fight the Islamic terror group Boko Haram, who have a foothold in the north of the country. As a result, the United States has dished out more than $220m in military and security funding to Cameroon since 2012, via the State Department and the Pentagon. Cameroon has also historically represented one of the more stable governments and trading partners in the region. As such, aside from helping to arm and train Biyas shock troops in the BIR, the Americans have also assisted Biyas regime by continually rescheduling Cameroons debt obligations.

France remains the most important imperialist power in Cameroon, reflected in its strong support for Biya / Image: fair use

However, France remains the most important imperialist power in Cameroon, reflected in its strong support for Biya in the 1992 elections, where the SDF nearly won the presidency. In that race, it is rumoured that French secret police fabricated incriminating documents linking SDF candidate Fru Ndi to illegal arms deals. Also, the French ambassador, Gilles Vidal, and other officials undertook a number of missions to one of the SDFs few Francophone strongholds (the West Province) to persuade the Bamileke elites to distance themselves from the SDF. The French also encouraged Biya to create satellite parties with Bamileke leaders so as to weaken local support for the SDF. It has even been alleged that France and the CPDM were conspiring to set up a Bamileke front in the SDF to create disorder within the party by playing on internal ethnic divisions.

The French rely on Biya and the CPDM to safeguard their exploitation of Cameroons rich natural resources. For more than 30 years, the French company Total controlled 75.8 percent of oil exploitation contracts signed via Cameroons state-run National Hydrocarbons Company (SNH). It also had shares in the National Refining Company (SONARA) and the Cameroon Oil Depots Company (SCDP). In 2010, Total sold its interests in Cameroonian oil to the Franco-British company PERENCO, which, today, is the leader in the exploitation and production of oil in Cameroon. Biya is more than content to allow these bloodsuckers to plunder his countrys oil reserves: so long as he and his cronies are compensated and maintained in power.

Imperialist exploitation of Cameroonian oil is also a major driving force behind the Anglophone question. Aside from state repression of the Anglophone identity, the English-speaking regions of Cameroon have provided the bulk of the countrys economic production, but see systematic underinvestment compared to the Francophone regions. In 2017, the two Anglophone regions were allocated a combined $153m of the countrys Public Investment Budget. Meanwhile the countrys south (Biyas home region) was allocated more than $225m, despite having a far smaller population. Resentment towards this policy has fuelled the violent separatist movement.

The unions and the 2008 movement

Given all the anger and frustration from below, where is the political leadership of the working class? While Cameroon has a national trade union federation (the Confederation of Cameroon Trade Unions), it is a weak and corrupt body that has largely prostrated itself to the Biya regime. The most economically important layers of the Cameroonian working class  the oil workers in the southwest  are positioned around and off the coast, divided from the rest of the class. The most organised sector are the transport workers, who have provided some of the most resolute opposition to Biyas authority in the last decade.

The 2008 anti-government protests cut across sectarian lines / Image: fair use

By far the most important action by transport workers was a strike in February 2008, which provoked the most serious civil unrest since the 1990s. The dispute began with a strike on 25 February, ostensibly against extortionate parking fines and rising fuel prices. However, workers were also protesting against a planned constitutional amendment that would abolish presidential term limits, thus allowing Biya to run for office indefinitely. This was correctly identified as an attempt by Biya to ensure his rule for life, and the transport strike rapidly drew in very wide layers of the population (particularly the youth) enraged at this manoeuvre, amidst a list of other grievances. As Janet Garvey, then-US ambassador to Cameroon, commented:

Frankly, the frustration of the people had boiled over There was anger over the constitutional amendment, unemployment, corruption and a whole host of other problems Both the Francophones and Anglophones were protesting.

The movement was a reaction against the hated Biya regime and its imperialist backers, reflected in placards carried by demonstrators that read: Biya must go, Down with France, No Life President. It encompassed Anglophones, Francophones, Bassa, Bamileke, Ewondo, etc. and spread across 31 municipalities and half of the countrys provinces. By 26 February, a state of emergency was declared and Biya responded with a brutal clampdown that left 100 dead and resulted in 1,600 arrests. In the end, the leaders of the transport union confederation refused to provide a political leadership to the movement, and withdrew their support in exchange for very minor concessions.

Biyas amendment passed on 10 April, leaving the youths who led the struggle severely demoralised. However, this was a highly significant event that showed the capacity for Cameroonians to transcend sectarian divisions and unify against the despised CPDM. All that was lacking was a working-class leadership to harness the energy from below, armed with a socialist economic programme capable of carrying out the peoples demands. Today, this essential ingredient is still lacking, but the urgent desire for change remains.

The need for a workers party

Despite achieving an overwhelming victory in these elections, there is dynamite in the foundations of Biyas regime. His repressive measures are a sign of weakness, not strength. As evidenced by his sending in riot police to lock down Douala and Yaounde on the day the official results were released, he clearly fears the anger of the masses and has limited confidence in his own authority.

Decades of economic attacks and political repression against the Cameroonian working class and peasantry are bound to find their expression sooner or later, as in 2008. At some point the conditions suffered by the masses will produce a genuine, mass movement from below. This, in turn, could force Biya out of power. As we have seen in several African countries in the recent period, when the masses move in a decisive way, the regime is forced to remove the figurehead in the hope of holding back the movement. Biyas mishandling of the Anglophone crisis could also lead to him being regarded as a liability by the bourgeoisie. Under these circumstances, he could go the way of Mugabe in Zimbabwe. For now he is stubbornly holding on to power.

Biya does not have the support of the masses, but they see no alternative. The masses do not support a civil war, but the situation is out of their hands. A workers' party and movement are needed urgently / Image: fair use

What has to be stressed is that the removal of one individual is not sufficient to solve the burning social and economic issues facing the Cameroonian masses. While the call for Biya to go can rally a large layer of the population, any meaningful, long-term solutions to Cameroons economic and political problems can only come from a socialist movement, capable of uniting the countrys various peoples and social layers on a class basis. For instance, while Marxists respect the right for democratic self-determination for the Anglophones, any separation based on ethnic or national lines that does not pose the problem in class terms, given the myriad of different tribal, ethnic and linguistic groups in the country, could result in a bloodbath. The shambolic opposition in these presidential elections demonstrates the necessity of a workers party  with a bold and clear political programme  to galvanise ordinary Cameroonians against Biya, the tribal elites and their imperialist masters.

It is evident that the CPDM does not have the support of the masses. It stays in power because right now the working masses see no alternative. Equally, they do not support a civil war in the southwest, but the situation is out of their hands, and rapidly spiralling out of control. The situation in Cameroon strongly poses the question: socialism or barbarism?
A dozen Montana businesses next week will cross the border to exhibit at BuildEx Calgary, a tradeshow where the Department of Commerce is helping them to explore Canada as a market to sell internationally.

"Montana businesses provide high-quality equipment, materials and services for the building and construction industry," said Commerce Director Pam Haxby-Cote. "As our closest neighbor and our biggest trading partner, Canada has great potential to grow this industry for Montana."

Montana last year exported $685 million in commodities to Canada, representing 42 percent of all commodity exports.

http://commerce.mt.gov/News/PressReleases/building-and-construction-businesses-to-exhibit-at-canadian-tradeshow
This partnership marks an important milestone for Kilowatt Labs as it establishes a presence in the U.S. market.

Kilowatt Labs, Inc. http://www.kilowattlabs.com , a New York-headquartered designer and manufacturer of innovative energy storage and power management solutions, today announced that NorthWestern Corporation ("NorthWestern) http://www.northwesternenergy.com , through its wholly-owned subsidiary, NorthWestern Energy Solutions, Inc. ("NES") has made an investment in the Companys current equity financing round. NorthWesterns Chief Financial Officer, Brian B. Bird, has joined the Companys board of directors.

NorthWestern has made an investment of $2.5 million in Kilowatt Labs. The investment gives NorthWestern a small minority interest in Kilowatt Labs.

NorthWestern is a NYSE-listed utility operator (ticker symbol "NWE") serving customers in Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska with an enduring commitment to providing reliable and affordable energy. Kilowatt Labs will work with NorthWestern to deploy Kilowatt products throughout NorthWesterns network and to develop customer-centric solutions, leveraging NorthWesterns technical, commercial and regulatory know-how.

"This is a significant milestone for Kilowatt Labs as we enter the U.S. market," said Larry Seibert, Managing Director of Kilowatt Labs. "We are delighted to partner with NorthWestern and have Brian join our board, and are confident that NorthWestern will be an exceptional partner for us. Our intent is that, together, we will have a meaningful impact on grid efficiency, resiliency, and enhanced service through deployment of Kilowatts products. With our advanced technologies, as well as with those we see others developing, the grid of the future is within reach."

"We are excited to engage with Kilowatt as we look toward the future of energy solutions in the U.S.," said Bob Rowe, NorthWesterns president and CEO. "The technology that Kilowatt has developed is compelling. It aligns closely with our thinking about the evolution of the infrastructure that serves our customers, from rural to industrial, and at multiple layers of the network. We look forward to working together to incorporate Kilowatt technology into our network as we work to meet our customers changing and increasing expectations."

About Kilowatt Labs

Kilowatt Labs, headquartered in New York, NY, is a creator of innovative products that address the worlds energy problems. The company designs, manufactures and sells energy storage and power management solutions that deliver unprecedented performance across a broad range of industrial, commercial and residential applications, and facilitate the integration of renewable energy into conventional energy distribution systems. For more information about Kilowatt Labs, please visit http://www.kilowattlabs.com.

About NorthWestern Energy (NYSE: NWE)

NorthWestern Energy provides electricity and natural gas in the Upper Midwest and Northwest, serving approximately 718,300 customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. More information on NorthWestern Energy is available on the companys website at http://www.northwesternenergy.com.
An embassy staff member (Right) and the Programme of Tacugama (Left)

The Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Sierra Leone has donated four solar lights to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary to show China's support to the country's only chimp sanctuary.

Tacugama is situated on 100-acres of land in the Western Area Forest Reserve, a forty minute drive from Freetown, Sierra Leones capital. The Tacugama Sanctuary was founded three years ago with one chimpanzee and is now home to over 100 chimps, serving as a haven and rehabilitation center for chimpanzees that were orphaned by human activities such as hunting and deforestation, as well as those which were sold as pets but later rescued by the authorities.

While receiving the donation, Aram, the programme manager at Tacugama Sanctuary, praised China's support and expressed optimism that the excellent partnership would continue between the Embassy and sanctuary in the future. Aram also extended an invitation to embassy officials to visit the chimps in their Tacugama habitat.

The donation is part of the Chinese Embassy's continuous support to local organizations in the development of Sierra Leone.
One of the perennial complaints  accurate or not  from Idaho entrepreneurs is that theres a lack of investment money for startups. But thats changing as an increasing number of capital management companies are setting up shop in Idaho.

Greenbriar Capital Corp. https://www.greenbriarcapitalcorp.com/ is moving its head office from Newport Beach, California, to Boise, which could eventually bring up to 200 jobs to the state.

Aspatore Ventures announced in August that it was setting up shop in Boise to fund ideas.

Trolley House  named after the iconic Boise restaurant, because founders wanted something that represented Boise without being explicit about it  is a nine-member investment group that typically gets personally involved in the companies it funds

By: Sharon Fisher
Its no secret that outdoors recreation in Montana is big business. Gov. Steve Bullock wants to see the growth continue.

The states outdoor recreation economy generates more than $7.1 billion in annual consumer spending and employs more than 71,000 people each year, making it the second largest sector of the states economy, according to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry.

In response to those statistics, the Montana Office of Outdoor Recreation will host the Business of Outdoor Recreation Summit Dec. 4-5 at Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish. Summit organizers want to bring together leaders, community members, recreation and conservation groups from Montana and the Greater Crown of the Continent, including Alberta and British Columbia, to provide a platform to discuss promoting and strengthening outdoor recreation and the economic activity it supports.

By SCOTT SHINDLEDECKER Daily Inter Lake

http://www.bigforkeagle.com/local_news/20181101/whitefish_will_host_session_on_montanas_71_billion_outdoor_industry

***

TEDx: The Autonomous Vehicle Revolution Is An Everything Issue  Cities and States That Think Ahead, Stay Ahead http://www.matr.net/article-85467.html
Chinese Ambassador, H.E. WU Peng, presents an award to one of the deserving students (Photo/Abu Bakarr Kargbo)

The Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, His Excellency Wu Peng, awarded scholarships to deserving students in the University of Sierra Leone at a ceremony held at the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China to Sierra Leone on Oct. 31, displaying his commitment to the governments priority on education.

The scholarships were awarded as recognition of the Ambassador in academics, the understanding of China and contribution of China-Sierra Leone friendship. These scholarships serve as the fruit of longstanding cooperation between the Chinese Embassy and the University of Sierra Leone in supporting education in the West African country.

During the scholarship interviews, the Embassy learned that many of the students are troubled by economic constraints, meaning they cannot easily afford tuition fees. Some of the students work part-time to support themselves, while others help their parents.

In your efforts, we see the spirit of perseverance and self-reliance, of which we highly appreciate and respect, says Ambassador Wu, adding that as a friend that attaches great importance in building human capacity, the Chinese Embassy always stands ready to help poverty-stricken Sierra Leonean students fulfill their studies and realize their dreams.

Beneficiaries with dignitaries at the ceremony held in Freetown (Photo/Abu Bakarr Kargbo)

Under Sierra Leones New Direction Agenda, President Julius Maada Bio has prioritized quality education, deeming it as a strong pillar for the countrys development and the moral regeneration and revival of its people.

The Chinese have been in full support of the New Direction Agenda and have pledged to continue to contribute to its success.

Earlier this year, 111 Sierra Leonean students embarked on a study trip to China with funding from the Chinese Government. Furthermore, hundreds of Sierra Leoneans have also benefited from short-term training programs and courses provided by the Chinese Government.

The key to sound relations between states lies in the affinity between their peoples. As the Chinese Ambassador in Sierra Leone, I am dedicated to promoting people to people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, Ambassador Wu assured. He encouraged the beneficiaries to learn more about Chinese culture at the Confucius Institute at the University of Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leones Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Turad Senesie, commended the Chinese Ambassador for his unflinching support towards the ideals of education. We believe we can move Sierra Leone forward with quality education and China has provided opportunities such as training and other educational support over the years, he remarked. The Deputy Minister stated that China is moving at a faster pace because it has built its human capacity over time, and this is what the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone is bringing to the West African country.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone, Prof. Sahr Foday, said he appreciates China's assistance in helping deserving students achieve their dreams. With overwhelming Chinese support, he said many Sierra Leoneans have studied and are currently studying in China, adding that this has led to more university students studying the Chinese language at the Confucius Institute. Prof. Foday urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity given to them by the Chinese Embassy, and assured them that university authorities would provide necessary guidance.
(Photo/zjol.com)

A Chinese adult claims he has grown an extra 7 centimeters in college thanks to his beloved extreme sport parkour, zjol.com.cn reported Wednesday.

(Photo/zjol.com)

23-year-old Jiang Weiliao, who is an engineer, explained that while practicing the sport over his four years at college, he grew from 169 to 176 centimeters. He also became stronger because of the sport, bulking up from 47.5 kilograms to his current 65 kilograms. He said that parkour has also made him more confident.

(Photo/zjol.com)

Though injuries are part of the sport, he noted that passion is what he wants in his life.
Dr. Kathleen Neuzil Will be Only U.S. Member to Serve on WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE)

Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), has been named to the World Health Organizations (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization.

Dr. Neuzils term, which was approved by the Director-General of the WHO, will be effective from January 2019 through December 2021. SAGE was established by the Director-General of the WHO in 1999 to provide guidance on the work of WHO. SAGE is the principal advisory group to WHO for vaccines and immunization and advises WHO on overall global policies and strategies, ranging from vaccines and technology, research and development, to delivery of immunization and its linkages with other health interventions. SAGE is concerned not just with childhood vaccines and immunization, but all vaccine-preventable diseases.

I am honored to serve on SAGE and to contribute to better health for children around the world through thoughtful, evidence-based global health policy. Assuring access to vaccines in the worlds poorest countries is my passion and can save millions of lives, said Dr. Neuzil.

Dr. Neuzil is uniquely positioned to contribute to the mission of SAGE. She has dedicated her career to reducing and eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases in children and adults. As an academic, Dr. Neuzil has published extensively in the field of vaccinology, and her research has informed health policy and advanced vaccine programs throughout the world. Dr. Neuzil is currently leading the Typhoid Vaccine Acceleration Consortium (TyVAC) to bring much-needed typhoid vaccines to Africa and Asia.

Dr. Neuzil is likewise experienced in the vaccine policy realm, having served as a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for many years and in a number of other vaccine policy roles for professional, governmental, and global organizations. She previously served as a technical advisor to WHO on influenza, diarrheal diseases, vaccine safety, and maternal immunization.

Dr. Neuzil has decades of experience in vaccines and infectious disease research and global health program implementation. She will bring her expertise, energy, and passion to this new role as a member of SAGE, said UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, who is also the Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 43 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished recipient of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically-based care for more than 1.2 million patients each year. The School has over 2,500 students, residents, and fellows, and more than $530 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total workforce of nearly 7,000 individuals. The combined School and Medical System (University of Maryland Medicine) has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu/

About the UMSOM Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health

For over 40 years, researchers in the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health have worked domestically and internationally to develop, test, and deploy vaccines to aid the worlds underserved populations. CVD is an academic enterprise engaged in the full range of infectious disease intervention from basic laboratory research through vaccine development, pre-clinical and clinical evaluation, large-scale pre-licensure field studies, and post-licensure assessments. CVD has worked to eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases. CVD has created and tested vaccines against cholera, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, non-typhoidal salmonella disease, shigellosis (bacillary dysentery), Escherichia coli diarrhea, nosocomial pathogens, tularemia, influenza, and other infectious diseases.

CVDs research covers the broader goal of improving global health by conducting innovative, leading research in Baltimore and around the world. CVD researchers are developing new and improved ways to diagnose, prevent, treat, control, and eradicate diseases of global impact. Currently, these diseases include malaria, typhoid, shigella and vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. CVD researchers have been involved in critical vaccine development for emerging pathogens such as Zika and Ebola. In addition, CVDs work focuses on the ever-growing challenge of anti-microbial resistance.
(Photo/Chinanews.com)

An express railway loaded with equipment, costumes and auto parts departed to Latvia in northern Europe on the afternoon of Oct. 30, marking the 1030th express rail journey originating from Xian this year, Chinanews.com reported on Oct. 31.

The new route connecting Xian and Riga, capital of Latvia, which was opened on Oct. 30, is the 11th express line to connect China with Europe. These 11 express railways have been the major source of supplies in Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

By Oct. 30 this year, goods transported on the China-Europe express railway departing from Xian reached over 1 million tons, worth $1.5 billion, seeing a 4.5-fold rise in weight over the same period and an eight-fold growth in value when compared with the previous year.

Located in northwestern China, Xian is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and a key city along the route of the Belt and Road. It is making efforts to enhance greater connectivity with neighboring regions and countries, with the geographical advantage as a logistics center in western China.
Survey shows that young people will only buy what they need during upcoming Double 11 shopping spree

Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang kicks off the celebration of the 10th Nov 11 Shopping Festival in Beijing, Oct 19, 2018. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

70.4 percent of respondents said in a recent survey that they would only buy what they need in the upcoming Double 11 Global Shopping Festival, an online promotion held on Nov. 11 every year across China, with many adding that shopping festivals are merely a marketing tool to sell more products.

The survey of 1,969 young people aged between 18 and 35 was conducted by the social investigation center of China Youth Daily.

As indicated by the survey, many young people said they would remain rational towards various sales and promotions.

For example, 68.1 percent of respondents consider the cost performance of a product and their own finances before purchasing, while 58.3 percent consider a product's practicability and whether it is essential.

I think my expenditure should fit my financial situation. When Im financially stable, I buy products with the best possible quality. I attach great importance to quality, so I'm not stingy if a product is necessary, said Zhu Di (pseudonym), a student from China Medical University.

Moreover, 45.9 percent of respondents agreed that liking a product's appearance is essential, 32 percent of those surveyed are more inclined to part with their cash if a product is trendy, though only 17.9 percent said it's vital for the product to be branded.

Consumption habits of young people differ between the east and west, urban and rural areas, and among different groups of people in China, explained Ding Jianchen, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, adding that these differences are influenced by a variety of factors including profession, income and family.

Regarding the flourishing promotions both online and offline across the country, 70.4 percent of young people surveyed consider them mere marketing methods, and expressed that they would only buy what they need, while 50.8 percent of young people admit that it's difficult not to impulse buy when met with such big discounts.

41.2 percent of respondents expressed that there are now too many shopping festivals, and 8.2 percent think theres no difference between such festivals and regular days.

Xue Haibo, a professor of East China Normal University, explained that a festival usually involves certain customs which are closely related to social trends. The recent boom in shopping festivals is proof of that.

Xue noted that some sellers may have used the psychology behind consumer's disposition when it comes to festivals and sales to construct shopping festivals with commercial features, which has created a commercial culture.

The professor also pointed out that shopping festivals with real value and significance will continue to develop with time, while pointless ones will simply die out. He suggested that its important to take into consideration the cultural connotations when thinking about establishing shopping festivals, as they are more likely to be accepted and praised by consumers.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. on Friday opened COVID-19 booster shots to all adults and took the extra step of urging people 50 and older to seek one, aiming to ward off a winter surge as coronavirus cases rise even before millions of Americans travel for the holidays.
Veterans Day program at Pennridge North Middle School thanks those who served
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On Friday, new Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan started his four-day official visit to China, a trip seen as vital to step up the two nations long-standing friendship, as well as a chance to explore new avenues of cooperation.

During his first visit to China, the Prime Minister and his Chinese counterparts will take a comprehensive review of bilateral relations, as well as displaying Pakistans market potential and export capacity at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), Khalid Masood, the Pakistani ambassador to China, told Peoples Daily Online.

This will be Khans first official visit to China after assuming office in August. During his visit, the Prime Minister will have meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, as well as attending the CIIE, leading a business delegation of more than 70 entrepreneurs to discuss new cooperative opportunities in areas including agriculture, technology and education.

China and Pakistan are old friends, close partners and good neighbors. The Prime Ministers visit will reinforce our friendship and partnership, while we would also like to study China's model, to see what advantages we can extract from Chinas experience, added Masood.
Michigan Technological Universitys thought leaders share their ideas to prepare students and the University for a rapidly changing future. Janet Callahan, dean of the College of Engineering, explains the value of a growth mindset.

Weve entered a new era: enabled by 5G, the internet of things and overwhelming amounts of big data. As with most new eras, we characterize it first by descriptive analytics (hindsight, what happened), then by diagnostic analytics (insight, what happened and why) and finally by predictive analytics (foresight, what will happen and why). But now we can add prescriptive analytics: simulation-driven, decision-making analysis of all this data in order to prevent accidents, diagnose and treat health conditions, and more. Cognitive analytics, using self-learning and automation, is the new challenge. In other words, the new era requires us to leverage and integrate simulation and actions using artificial and augmented intelligence (AI).

Ive just returned to Houghton from travel that took me from an engineering conference in Minneapolis, to leading an international accreditation team for engineering programs across Asia. I met Michigan Tech alumni at all stages of their careers, ranging from a PhD student enrolled at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, to an alumnus who graduated more than 50 years ago, who transformed his fathers family business from simple metal working to manufacturing mufflers on a global scale. It was incredible to hear these stories and to reflect on their common elements. It turns out that Michigan Tech is a refinery for tenacitythe belief that hard work, perseverance and unwavering single-mindedness will eventually solve the problem.

Our students and alumniand the University itselfconverge with this new digital era, the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, as described in the book by Klaus Schwab. In this new era, what should we do in order to continue to meet workforce needs and graduate alumni who continue to be as aggressively recruited as they were at this years near record-breaking Career Fair? How can we further distinguish Michigan Technological University in this emergent world?

Alumni who are actively working in an engineering role in the workforce reassure us that were on the right track by saying, Michigan Tech taught me that I can do anything, and, You need to keep doing what youre doing. They report that they have the tools for learning and the confidence to know they can do it.

From those out in the workforce less than 20 years, there is a clear interest in exploring the new skills that are coming to bear in this AI/big data/digital world. It seems a cluster of courses focused on a topic, such as machine learning, data analytics or computational modeling, would be very attractive to help them learn the new technical art. Our alumni have the wherewithal and the tenacity piece: theyve got that. Helping our alumni to augment their talent with new skills for a new age, and integrating these new skills into our curricula, is certainly an area where we will focus in the College of Engineering.

From our global corporate leader alumni, I heard their companies are moving so swiftly in this digital world that a big challenge is to find and grow employees with these new skills. They emphasized that the basics in science, math and engineering are still the backbone, but as each company aggressively leapfrogs forward in this digital space, and looks beyond, having employees who can be nimble and adaptable in this space is critical.

The overwhelming value of tenacity was the message that resonated from everyone I spoke toor, if I may use a modern educational term, the growth mindset. The most important thing we can continue to foster here at Michigan Tech is this general idea that you can succeed with hard work, looking again and again at difficult problems, confident in the belief that you can solve them. When we solve any sort of problem, it strengthens us, it gives us confidence, it helps us know that we belong. Tenacious problem solving and critical thinking skills distinguish our alumni.

And yes, there must be something about the relentless snow in Houghton that contributes to tenacity. Like tea steeping in hot water, our alumni were soaked in snow, emerging with the flavor of tenacity. I heard stories about students losing their cars for the depth of snow upon them; stories about driving home with a companion car in tandem, taking turns getting stuck going up the hill. In meeting our alumni, some one-on-one and some in group settings, snow always gets mentioned, often with a grin and shrug of the shoulders.

Artificial and augmented intelligence? Weve got this.

#Tenacity

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, the University offers more than 125 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
The 5th District Congressional race is reportedly generating the strongest voter enthusiasm of all state contests, with record registration reported in its 41 cities and towns.

It also features two candidates who have run very different campaigns.

Democrat Jahana Hayes, the 2016 national teacher of the year, has received national attention and has a significant fundraising advantage over Republican Manny Santos. The advantage has allowed her to run TV ads.

Its like building a plane while youre flying it, the Wolcott resident said about her campaign this week. Everything has happened so quickly. I never imagined this momentum.

Santos, the former Meriden mayor and U.S. Marine, plans to make some radio appearances in the campaigns last few days, but otherwise has been relying on smaller public events to reach voters.

Im letting them know, I am candidate thats looking out for their best interests, he said. Santos, who has raised $64,000 to Hayes $1.3 million, has opted for social media advertising.

The two are running to replace U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty.

Hayes endorsements include President Barack Obama, NARAL Pro Choice and Emilys List, Move on, several employee unions, the Sierra Club and several state newspapers, including the Record-Journal.

Santos endorsements include the Independent Party of Connecticut, the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, the Latino National Republican Coalition of Connecticut, and the Republican-American.

The race has been rated as a safe victory for Democrats by several political forecasters, including Cook Political Report, Sabatos Crystal Ball and FiveThirtyEight.

The two candidates engaged in five debates, but Santos canceled the final two in late October. Santos explained on his campaigns social media page he did not want to give Hayes more opportunities to tout her platform.

The move confused political watchers who said Santos needed the exposure as a way to cover more ground.

He has a compelling story of immigrant success and military service, yet he has maintained the same low profile he had in the primary campaign, said Scott McClean, political science professor at Quinnipiac University. Hayes comes across very well in media and perhaps Santos thinks giving her more spotlight in a debate is too risky.

Both candidates survived August primaries.

Santos hopes polls showing a tighter governors race between Republican Bob Stefanowski and Democrat Ned Lamont could help boost his vote total. Some political watchers suspect the enthusiasm for Hayes could boost support for Lamont.

The campaign is going really well, Santos said. Im getting good feedback and a lot of encouragement. Come Tuesday, the taxpayers of Connecticut will have a clear choice.

The two candidates offer starkly different policy platforms. Santos backs President Trumps economic policies, local oversight of schools, free markets and business deregulation.

He is also a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and said funding Medicaid through block grants would give states more flexibility. His family emigrated from Portugal and he supports a path to legalization for DACA recipients, but not citizenship.

Hayes was raised in a Waterbury housing project by her grandmother and became a mother at age 17. She eventually became a teacher and considers herself a strong advocate for education investment. She also supports health care for all and immigration reform that leads to a path to citizenship. Hayes opposes free tuition for all, but supports regulations on businesses to protect the environment and responsible gun ownership.

If elected, Hayes will be the first black Democrat elected to Congress from Connecticut.

Hayes will be attending rallies throughout the district in the campaigns final days and says she isnt taking anything for granted.

I want to make sure there isnt a community I havent been in, Hayes said. Im the same candidate who people didnt think would make it out of the primaries.

Santos said hes spending the next few days making sure voters know who he is, and that the election is around the corner.

mgodin@record-journal.com

203-317-2255

Twitter: @Cconnbiz
A new poll shows Republican Bob Stefanowski in the lead over Democrat Ned Lamont with just days left in the gubernatorial race.

The Sacred Heart University/Hearst Connecticut poll, released Thursday evening, showed Stefanowski with a 2.4-point lead among likely voters.

According to the poll, Stefanowski was favored by 40 percent of voters, compared to 37.6 percent for Lamont and 9 percent for unaffiliated candidate Oz Griebel.

The poll also found that 12.2 percent still were unsure, while 1.2 percent opted for someone else. Libertarian Rod Hanscomb and petitioning candidate Mark Stewart Greenstein are also in the race.

The poll of 500 likely voters, completed between Monday and Wednesday, has a margin of error of 4.32 points. That means outcomes within the margin of error range from a 6.72-point Stefanowski victory to a 1.92-point Lamont win.

Over the course of the four polls weve conducted since September on Connecticuts gubernatorial race, weve watched the Republican candidate, Bob Stefanowski, close the gap, says Lesley DeNardis, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy and director of Sacred Heart Universitys master of public administration program.

Lamont was leading by 3.9 points in the last Sacred Heart/Hearst poll, conducted Oct. 13-17, and held a similar 4 point lead in a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday.

But only 38.4 percent of respondents viewed Lamont favorably, compared to 41.6 percent who had a favorable view of Stefanowski. Stefanowskis favorability rating was up from just 34.9 percent in the previous poll.

The poll found that the budget, taxes, or the economy were the top issue for a combined 47.8 percent of voters.

It also found that 56.2 percent of respondents viewed tolls as a way to collect significant money from out-of-state drivers and interstate truckers. Additionally, 60.8 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that if Connecticuts budget deficit cant be solved with cuts, raising taxes on those who make more than $1 million annually would be fair and effective.

Stefanowski has voiced his opposition to tolls and has included in his platform the elimination of the income tax over eight years. Lamont, meanwhile, has said he wants to impose tolls on truckers, but hasnt provided much detail on how he would balance a projected $4.6 billion deficit over the next two years.

msavino@record-journal.com

203-317-2266

Twitter: @reporter_savino
Who is the Fine Watch Club for?

The Fine Watch Club is for anyone whos interested in fine watchmaking, and watches in general. Its the first international multi-brand watch owners club that offers its members year-round benefits. Depending on their situation, some members might be interested in the limited series designed exclusively for the Fine Watch Club, while others might be more attracted to bespoke experiences, or specially designed accessories. And a different group may be keen to access the heavily discounted luxury watches. And finally, anyone for whom watches are an all-consuming passion will want to take advantage of all these privileges. Currently, there is no other bridge between luxury watch brands and their end clients that gives access to all these benefits.

What, exactly, do you mean by luxury watch brands?

The term is perhaps overused, but we have concrete, successful experiences with the luxury watch industry. Simply put, were talking about high-end Swiss-made watches with a mechanical movement (at least as far as mens watches are concerned). These brands know us well, because we have been dealing with them on a day-to-day basis since the year 2000, through our watch magazine GMT and WorldTempus. Whats more, the process of creating exclusive limited editions with luxury watch brands is not completely new to us. In recent years we have designed one-of-a-kind pieces for our readers in cooperation with 15 watch brands, in a range of prices from CHF 3,000 to 42,000. There has been something to suit all tastes: Anonimo, Bell & Ross, Bulgari, Chopard, Eberhard, Frederique Constant, Graham, Hublot, Rebellion, TAG Heuer, Tiffany, Ulysse Nardin, Urban Jurgensen, Vacheron Constantin, Zenith. This was a new departure for the majority of these brands. Id like to thank them again for their trust, and for the wonderful experience of working together to create unique dial designs for their flagship models. We are working with the same range of brands to design limited series exclusively for our Fine Watch Club members.

Some of the unique pieces designed in partnership with luxury watch brands

Isnt this a bit opportunistic?

The world has changed. The purchasing behaviour of end clients, as well as the way they are approached by watch brands in terms of communication, distribution and e-commerce, have changed profoundly over the last few years. The Fine Watch Club initiative is neither impulsive nor opportunistic; its a logical extension of the activities we have been conducting alongside the watch industry for the last 20 years. Its a long-term endeavour that will meet the needs of both watch buyers and watch brands. As an entrepreneur and a lover of fine watches, I co-founded GMT Magazine in 2000. It has since become the publication of reference for the Swiss watch press, with issues published from the Middle East to Africa, plus a large format international special issue, GMT XXL World, which is circulated in 80 countries. Thats a lot of readers all over the world, with an interest in watches.

On a more fun but still educational note, in 2012 I set up the Geneva Watch Tour, which has become a mainstay for Genevas many business, institutional and leisure visitors. In order to share my passion in a creative way with the diverse international community of watch owners, in 2018 I also created the Watch Photo Awards, a watch photography competition open to the public. The authors of the 60 finalist entries had their photos exhibited at Genevas Museum of Art and History in November.

Brice Lechevalier is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of GMT. He also created the Geneva Watch Tour and the Watch Photo Awards. His latest venture for 2019 is the Fine Watch Club. He is also active in the sailing world: his magazine Skippers, Voile & Ocean is now the official magazine of the Swiss Sailing Federation and also Switzerlands oldest nautical magazine.

In 2014 GMT Publishing, our publishing house, bought and developed WorldTempus.com, which was launched in 2001 by 30 watch brands, and has since become the leading trilingual watch news website, with 80 partner luxury brands. Each month, close to 300,000 unique visitors browse WorldTempuss pages looking for information about specific watches. Why not give them an opportunity to get closer to the watch brands, by joining the Fine Watch Club? If just 0.5% of this highly qualified readership opted to join each month, the club could have more than 10,000 members by the time we launch our first offers next summer.

What benefits can Fine Watch Club members expect?

Thanks to our knowledge of the watch industry, our geographical proximity to them, and the close relationships we have built up, we can guarantee members of the Fine Watch Club privileged access behind the scenes of the watch industry: private viewings, visits to manufactures, invitations to private events, new services, products and accessories available only to members and, of course, limited edition watches designed especially for the Fine Watch Club, plus luxury watches at a serious discount. Each week, members of the Fine Watch Club will be given access to these private sales, but theyll have to be quick because numbers will necessarily be limited. Members of the Fine Watch Club will have a dedicated contact person. For several months we have been interviewing watch industry professionals to find the person who best shares our vision for the club. The qualities of the club manager clearly include a deep-seated interest in watches, a gift for communication and service, a facility with digital media and a creative drive. From the point of view of the watchmakers, they appreciate the contact with end clients, and the opportunity to get to know them better and even meet them, through their long-standing partnership with us.

How do I become a member of the Fine Watch Club?

Its very easy, you just have to sign up! Until the end of 2018, its completely free to join. Beginning in January 2019, three tiers of membership will be available, with three different price levels according to the nature and quantity of benefits that members can access. The highest tier will also give members a time advantage, by granting them early access to private sales, plus many other benefits. Readers of GMT and WorldTempus have a head start, with the opportunity to apply for free membership up to December 2018. After that, we will start telling the readers of our media partners around the globe, although they will not enjoy the same advantages.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Realty major DLF has agreed to sell 49 per cent stake in its upcoming commercial project at Gurugram to US-based Hines for about Rs 900 crore and the deal is expected to be concluded by December, according to sources.

DLF has already signed a term sheet with Hines to develop a prime commercial project on 11. 76 acre land parcel in Gurugram that it bought for nearly Rs 1,500 crore through e-auction conducted by the Haryana government in February.

The company on Thursday said it has signed a non-binding term sheet with a fund managed by Hines for a 51:49 partnership to develop a high-end commercial project on NH8 at Gurugram.

The transaction documents are being negotiated and are expected to be closed within third quarter of this fiscal, it added.

"This project entails development of more than 2.5 million sq ft of commercial space," DLF said.

According to sources, Hines, which is a privately owned global real estate investment, development and management firm, will invest around Rs 900 crore for 49 per cent stake in the project.

A spokesperson for DLF declined to comment. This will be the second project that DLF would develop in joint venture with Hines.

"DLF has had a successful joint venture with Hines earlier for its existing commercial development 'One Horizon Centre' in DLF-5 in Gurugram.

One Horizon Centre is a marquee office building with Leed Platinum Rating," the company said in a presentation.

In December last year, DLF had formed a joint venture with Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC.

The JV was formed when DLF promoters sold entire 40 per cent stake in DLF's rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL) for nearly Rs 12,000 crore.

This deal included sale of 33.34 per cent stake in DCCDL to GIC for about Rs 9,000 crore and buyback of remaining shares worth about Rs 30 billion by DCCDL.

DCCDL currently holds about 27 million sq ft of rent-yielding commercial assets, largely in Gurugram, with annual rental income of about Rs 2400 crore.

DLF had also sold about 50 per cent stake in its two housing projects in the national capital for about Rs 2,000 crore.

On Thursday, DLF reported an over 26-fold jump in consolidated net profit at Rs 374 crore for the September quarter.

Total income rose to Rs 2,304 crore in the July-September quarter of this fiscal from Rs 1,751 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India, for the third time, extended the deadline for the imposition of higher customs duties on 29 US products, including almond, walnut and pulses, by another 45 days until December 17, the government said Thursday.

According to a notification by the finance ministry, the implementation of the duty hike has been postponed until December 17.

The commerce ministry had asked its finance counterpart to extend the deadline for the rollout of duty hike further.

In June, India decided to impose retaliatory tariffs from August 4.

But it was extended by another 45 days till September 18 and then again till November 2.

As part of imposition of higher import duties, New Delhi has notified higher tariffs on several products.

While import duty on walnut is to be hiked to 120 per cent from 30 per cent, duty on chickpeas, Bengal gram (chana) and masur dal will be hiked to 70 per cent from 30 per cent.

Levy on lentils will be hiked to 40 per cent from 30 per cent.

ALSO READ: 50 Indian items including handloom face heat as US revokes duty-free privileges on import of 90 products

Other products which would attract higher duties include boric acid, phosphoric acid, diagnostic reagent, flat rolled products of iron, certain flat rolled products of stainless steel.

The duty hike move by India was in retaliation to US President Donald Trump's March 9 decision to impose heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium items.

Senior officials of India and the US are in discussions to finalise a kind of trade deal.

Both the sides holding two track discussions -- to increase trade in short and medium term, and identify long term trade potentials.

India is pressing for exemption from high duty imposed by the US on certain steel and aluminium products, resumption of export benefits to certain domestic products under their generalised system of preferences (GSP), greater market access for its products from sectors, including agriculture, automobile, auto components and engineering.

As many as 3,500 Indian products from sectors such as chemicals and engineering get duty-free access to the US market under the GSP, introduced in 1976.

On the other hand, the US is demanding greater market access for its farm and manufacturing products, including medical devices.

India's exports to the US in 2017-18 stood at USD 47.9 billion, while imports were USD 26.7 billion.

The trade balance is in favour of India.

Meanwhile, the US on Thursday ended duty-free concessions on import of about 50 Indian products, mostly from handloom and agriculture sectors.

These goods were so far availing duty-free access to the US market under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

In April, the US announced eligibility review of India for the GSP.

According to the USTR, the total US imports under GSP in 2017 was USD 21.2 billion, of which India was the biggest beneficiary with USD 5.6 billion, followed by Thailand (USD 4.2 billion) and Brazil (USD 2.5 billion).

Out of USD 5.6 billion, these 50 products accounted for USD 72.35 million worth of duty-free exports to the US in 2017.

Some of the Indian products removed from the provisions include dried pigeon pea seed; areca nuts, fresh or dried, in shell; mangoes, prepared or preserved by vinegar or acetic acid; and sandstone, merely cut into blocks or slabs of a rectangular (including square) shape.
By UNI

MUMBAI: The Rupee on Friday added another gain of 98 paise to 72.47 a one-month-high on brisk selling of the US Dollar by exporters and softening crude oil prices, dealers at the Forex Market said.

The ease of concerns over the rift between the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) too gave a support to the Rupee, forex dealers said.

The domestic unit gained by 36 paise to 73.09 in early trade. Till the end of the session it shot up by 98 paise to 72.47 as compared to its last close.

The local unit registered day high and low at 73.21 and 72.44 respectively.

Weak dollar against some currencies overseas and strong equity market boosted the Indian currency, dealer added.
Sunitha Natti By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Rs 9.6 lakh crore  thats the tug of the ongoing RBI-government tussle. At 28 per cent of the total assets, RBIs reserves are the largest among all central banks, yet it is unwilling to part with it citing credibility crisis, and weakening balance sheet.

Experts even warn that the revaluation reserves, which are dependent on currency and gold prices, cannot be toyed with, while former RBI deputy governor Rakesh Mohan noted that raiding RBIs capital creates no new government revenue, and only provides an illusion of free money in the short-term.'

In principle, however, this excess capital belongs to the government, which now intends to propose a surplus distribution policy.

These reserves have been built at an average rupee value of 45 (per US dollar) or so. Its unlikely that rupee will fall to, or below, 45 now. We need to identify an exchange rate beyond which the rupee cannot depreciate and determine the surplus based on that value, an RBI official told TNIE, adding, Its incorrect not to distribute the surplus altogether."

"Its an extraordinary situation. Nowhere in the world does any reserve bank have such reserves. There has to be proper appropriation. A formula has to be followed, he emphasised.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed trade issues between the two countries, a top White House official said Thursday.

"We (India and US) are in talks. We are in talks absolutely. India is a highly-valued ally. The president has spoken to the prime minister and so forth. We're in talks," White House Chief Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow told reporters.

Kudlow, however, did not specify when the two leaders spoke on trade issues.

For the last several months, the White House has stopped issuing readouts of most of the telephonic conversation that Trump has with world leaders.

The president himself tweets about some of these telephonic conversations.

ALSO READ: India wants trade deal with America primarily to keep me happy: President Donald Trump

The chief economic advisor did not provide any details of the trade talks between India and the US.

"I can't go there. I can't go. We're talking. Talk is good by the way," Kudlow said.

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday in New Delhi said India and the US have exchanged offers for a possible trade deal with a view to resolving issues related to bilateral commerce.

"The negotiations are ongoing. Of course, at this stage they have given an offer and we have also given a counter-offer and we are working on it," he had at an event in New Delhi.

India is pressing for exemption from high duty imposed by the US on certain steel and aluminium products, resumption of export benefits to certain domestic goods under their Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) as well as greater market access for its products from sectors, including agriculture, automobile, auto components and engineering.

ALSO READ: 50 Indian items including handloom face heat as US revokes duty-free privileges on import of 90 products

As many as 3,500 Indian products from sectors such as chemicals and engineering get duty-free access to the US market under the GSP, introduced in 1976.

On the other hand, the US is demanding greater market access for its agriculture goods, manufacturing products and medical devices.

India's exports to the US in 2017-18 stood at USD 47.9 billion, while imports were USD 26.7 billion.

The trade balance is in favour of India.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A new submetering system developed by a Bengaluru-based firm is helping apartment residents reduce water usage, and trim their water bills. Most apartments in the city dont have individual water meters or submeters. Instead, water charges are included in the rent payment, leaving tenants with no idea about how much water they are using, and no financial incentive to conserve it.

Smarterhomes Technologies, a smart water meter offering company started by Kasturi Rangan and Vivek Shukla, has devised a way in which submeters can be installed in houses. At least 4,000 flats in Bengaluru have been submetered, leading to reduction in water use by 20 per cent on an average.

Our company has successfully convinced the water boards in Pune and Chennai to make it mandatory for every new apartment building to include submeters. However, our efforts to convince the BWSSB in Bengaluru have failed. We are still trying, Vivek Shukla, CEO and co-founder, Smarterhomes Technologies, said.

Krishna Lilac, a gated community off Sarjapur Road in Bellandur, has reduced its water consumption by 15 per cent after adopting the technology. The 44 houses in the complex rely on tanker waters and a borewell. They installed a meter at the unloading point of water tankers, to measure water supply. Water use in common areas is metered and the cost shared by all households. Meters for individual houses were installed at the terrace, and each of them is billed based on its meter reading.

From 195 lpcd (litres per capita per day), average consumption has came down to 165 lpcd, said secretary of the apartment residents association. The community has come close to following the recommended quantity of water use in mega cities, which is 150 lpcd.

Another apartment, Nester Raga, has been able to nearly halve its tanker supply after sub-metering.

This shows that apartments are using more water than they need, and that it can be reduced using sub-metering, which makes each household accountable for their water use. People pay in proportion to their consumption, and penalties can be imposed on those who waste water, Shukla added.

The success of the initiative depends on several factors. Ease of retrofitting depends on the existing plumbing network  for example, fewer water entry points to a house means less effort for installing meters.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chennai, with its preference for public transportation and non-motorised transport, short trip lengths, superior air quality, and thrust laid by citizens towards eco-friendly modes of commute, has emerged as the city with the most sustainable mobility practices amongst other metros, according to Indias first Ease of Moving Index, 2018 released by Ola Mobility Institute, the research and outreach arm of Ola, one of the worlds largest ride-hailing platforms.

The report, which was released by Union minister Nitin Gadkari, in the presence of Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO of Ola, in New Delhi, said that Chennai had emerged as pro-sustainable mobility city as 75 per cent of people prefer public transport. The study states that Chennai carries 1,300 passengers per bus per day which is the highest in the country. Buses are main form of public transport in Chennai.

The study also states that 100 per cent of elderly residents in the city are concerned about accessibility to public transit. It says that lack of first and last mile connectivity to public transport deters them from using buses.

Honoured to have @nitin_gadkari launch first of its kind 'Ease of Moving Index, India Report 2018. The index offers insights on mobility preferences & aspirations of Indian commuters across 20 cities. More here - https://t.co/jmmoAoOQva@MORTHIndia pic.twitter.com/SPIohvwslU  Ola (@Olacabs) November 1, 2018

The report also says that more than 95 per cent of people in higher income groups do not use buses for daily commute. A detailed profiling of public transport users in Chennai could help determine how big this demand is allowing for city administration to design appropriate solutions.
Toby Antony By

Express News Service

KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team probing the case in which 14 persons from Kasargod purportedly joined the Islamic State (IS), has decided to interrogate a Kalpetta native who was deported from Afghanistan recently. The NIA has approached the Special Court in Kochi seeking the custody of Nashidul Hamzafar, 26, for the second time.

Nashidul, who was deported from Afghanistan in September, was arrested by the NIA from New Delhi. The agency later interrogated him after receiving him in custody for seven days.

After examining his call details records and probing his stay in Afghanistan, the NIA has now decided to interrogate him further. His arrest was crucial in unravelling the details regarding the Keralites joining IS in Afghanistan. The people associated with him in Kerala will also be interrogated. The NIA has now sought four days custody of Nashidul and a petition in this regard has been filed before the NIA court, sources said.

Another youth hailing from Emily, near Kalpetta, had accompanied Nashidul to Afghanistan. However, after reaching Iran, the Emily native decided to return owing to family reasons. Nashidul and his friend have been arraigned the 16th and 17th accused in the case related to the migration of 14 persons from Kasargod to Nangarhar in Afghanistan.

The NIA investigation found there was frequent communication between Nashidul and Bestin alias Yahiya of Palakkad, who joined IS in Afghanistan. Following the arrest, the NIA had recovered a mobile phone, $450 and 1,260 Afghani from Nashidul. Several Jihadi books were also retrieved from his email account. His mobile phone was examined by CDAC.

In 2016, as many as 14 men and women travelled to Iran via Afghanistan for joining the IS. A Bihar native who attempted to join the group was intercepted by the police in New Delhi. She was later convicted by the court. The Interpol has issued red corner notice against these accused persons. Many of them are said to be staying in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, while some are suspected to be killed in the air-strike by the US-led collision.

14 persons

From Kasargod purportedly joined the Islamic State (IS). In 2016, they travelled to Iran via Afghanistan for joining the IS.

During the probe, NIA had recovered a mobile phone, $450 and 1,260 and several Jihadi books from the accused
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was as if spring had arrived, the stage bursting with vibrant hues, and the air laden with joyous spirit. If you can relate a performance to the mood that spring ushers in, then, it indeed felt like spring. The hypnotic performance was given by the 17 member Russian dance ensemble Otrada.

The stage opened with the exuberant Russian music, as the dancers trouped onto the stage and put on an animated and magnetic display of the various Russian folk dance forms.

The artists danced with abandon, tapping their feet and twirling and spinning to the peppy beats of Russian music. The musical night unravelled the traditional Russian dance forms, with the dances having stunning interludes by Alexander Avdeev as he rendered the music from Russian soil.

Otrada in Russian translates to happiness, the joy of life. The teams electric performance gifted a slice of Russia to the city residents. The members danced away to beautiful Russian folk numbers.

The ensemble led by Alexander Avdeev included a gypsy dance, victory dance, cossack dance and harvest dance among others.

The dance ensemble from the Chita City, Russia, has been performing ever since 2004 and has been touring around the world, gifting spectacular visual extravaganza to the world community.

After giving their performance in Italy, China, Japan, and Korea, the Russian ensemble was in India, introducing a bit of Russia. The folk dance forms from the various Russian villages were displayed.

The Russian cultural evening was organised by the Russian Cultural Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, in association with Swaralaya.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump mangled the facts Thursday when addressing immigration and falsely claiming - more than once - that former President Barack Obama was responsible for family separations at the border.



Here's a look at what Trump said and what happened:



It's Obama's fault? Not true



Trump was widely criticized this spring for his rollout of a "zero-tolerance" policy on immigration that resulted in the chaotic separations of some 2,600 children from their families. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there are still some 221 children in custody as a result of the policy, after a federal judge ordered that the families be reunited.



Trump eventually signed an executive order backtracking on the policy, but he still seems frustrated that he was blamed for the chaos at the border. Initially, Trump blamed Democrats in Congress, although they don't have majority control to push through new immigration laws. And on Thursday, Trump blamed Obama, who never enforced a zero-tolerance policy that has led to the recent mass separation of families.



"Nobody talks about that, but under President Obama, they separated children from the parents," Trump said.



Trump later returned to this theme, even after being asked an unrelated question about tents.



"President Obama separated children from families, and all I did was take the same law, and then I softened the law, but by softening the law, many people come up that would not have come up if there was separation," he said.



What is true is that Obama had faced an influx of children both traveling alone and with families as a result of violence in Central America. And at one point, the Obama administration tried housing the families in special detention centers. But after a federal judge in California ruled that the arrangement violated a long-standing agreement barring kids from jail-like settings for extended periods, even with their parents, the government began releasing families into the U.S. pending notification of their next court date.



Some arriving families were separated during the Obama and Bush administrations but most of those cases would have been tied to other serious crimes like drug trafficking. Trumps policy was different because his administration considered the act of crossing the border illegally enough of a justification to detain the adult and put the child in protective custody.



Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have derided the Obama-era policy as "catch and release" because there were numerous cases where the migrant wouldn't appear in court. They have previously said releasing families into the U.S. increased levels of illegal immigration in the U.S., which led to the zero-tolerance policy in the first place. That catch-and-release policy actually pre-dated Obama.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
It was one of the highlights from the SIHH earlier this year. The Baumatic movement presented by Baume & Mercier sets new standards for mechanical movements in the accessible luxury price segment with five-days of power reserve, chronometer-level accuracy and prices below 3,000 Swiss francs.

But how did they do it? The logic behind it is quite straightforward, as is the development process. ValFleurier, Richemonts movement division, was tasked with the movement conception and the Richemont groups in-house research and development team were responsible for developing new materials and processes. The most difficult part arguably fell to Baume & Mercier, which had to design this new collection to cost.

In doing so Baume & Mercier took a customer-centric approach. That may sound self-evident, but consider the activities of other brands. For example, Daniel Braillard, the brands COO, stressed that the objective was not to break records.

25 times greater magnetic resistance

Baume & Mercier therefore took a practical approach to anti-magnetism. The Baumatic movement can resist magnetic fields of at least 1,500 Gauss, which is 25 times more than the requirements of the ISO 764 standard for anti-magnetism (resistance to a magnetic field of 60 Gauss while keeping a precision of +/- 30 seconds per day). The simple solution was to use non-magnetic components for the key sensitive components, the escapement and regulating organ (including the mainspring). The balance spring specifically is made using a new technology called TWINSPIRTM, which involves superimposing two silicon cores at an angle of 45 degrees to each other and binding them by a layer of silicon dioxide, which offers greater magnetic resistance. How? Because the configuration of the two crystal lattices reduces the impact of a phenomenon called anisotropic elasticity compared with single-crystal silicon.

 Baume & Mercier

Five days power reserve

One of the main benchmarks for measuring power reserve seems to be the ability to take your watch off on a Friday night after leaving work and put it on again the following Monday morning without needing to wind it up or adjust the time. I dont know many people who change their watch just for the weekend, rather than, say, every day, but if its encouraging people in the industry to innovate them Im not complaining. In Baume & Merciers case, a series of incremental improvements have led to a huge increase in power reserve. Using a new type of barrel coupled with a Nivaflex Plus mainspring increased the power reserve by an extra 30 hours over a standard baseline of 42 hours to reach 72 hours. The new TWINSPIRTM balance spring adds another 25 hours of autonomy and the new POWERSCAPETMescapement in silicon adds a further 33 hours. If youve been totting that up as you read, you will have noticed that the total is 130 hours, ten hours more than the 120 hours (five days) advertised by Baume & Mercier but a figure that the brand has achieved in numerous practical tests. More importantly, the brand has observed that the movements precision over the entire duration of this five-day power reserve is much better than that suggested by the theoretical calculations.

 Baume & Mercier

Chronometer-grade precision

Thanks to the TWINSPIRTM technology and a new balance wheel with variable inertia, the Baumatic calibre is able to offer chronometer-level precision in different positions (measured in three positions for the standard calibre and five for the COSC-certified version). This guarantees a precision of between -4 and +6 seconds per day for all Baumatic movements, which is the level required for COSC chronometer certification. Furthermore, The use of two new lubricants in the movement also helps to improve precision and keep servicing intervals high. Baume & Mercier recommend a service interval of 5-7 years for the Baumatic calibre but their longer-term objective is to extend it up to 10 years.

All this technological innovation comes at a price that defies the competition: The stainless-steel models with leather strap cost 2,650 Swiss francs, with the stainless-steel bracelet this goes up to 2,800 Swiss francs. The COSC certified model is available for a premium of just 200 Swiss francs and the two-tone steel and gold model costs 3,350 Swiss francs.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: The announcement of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu about coming together of the TDP and the Congress to save the nation has raised the hackles of the Opposition parties in the State who accused the TDP supremo of putting political agenda above the interests of people.

Co-incharge of the BJP State unit Sunil Deodhar termed the new-found bonhomie between the TDP and the Congress a cruel insult to the party founder, the late NT Rama Rao. Irony just died a painful death today. NT Rama Rao formed the TDP for Telugu Pride and uprooted the Congress from Andhra Pradesh. Today, his Son-In-Law & Chief of TDP Chandrababu Naidu went to Delhi at doors of Congress and literally begged for support. Reason? His evil political gain. This is a cruel insult to NTR Garu whose #CongressHatao vision is transformed by Naidu into #CongressBachao(sic), Deodhar tweeted. He observed that the two parties working together was like two sinking ships coming together for saving their corrupt bastions.

BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao said that Naidu buried the spirit of NTRs TDP, a party built on the alternative to the Congress. The man who had not stood by NTR has now mortgaged the partys soul to the Congress, he remarked.

YSRC MP V Vijayasai Reddy said that the real objective behind Naidus tour to the national capital was to save the TDP. The actual name of this drama is not Save Nation programme, but Save TDP. Naidu, who went hammer and tongs at the Congress till a while ago, now is getting ready to enter into a wedlock with the same party, he observed.

The Left parties, though, had a different take. CPI State secretary K Ramakrishna welcomed the TDP joining hands with Congress to fight against the Modi regime. We are for any development, that is against the Modi Sarkar. There is a need for all Opposition parties to unite to fight against Modi Government, which has turned anti-democratic, he said. On being pointed out the anti-TDP stance of the CPI in the State, he said national and state-level perspectives were different. To buttress his argument, he said, though the party supports Congress on some issues at the national level, it is the ruling party in Kerala while the Congress is in the Opposition.

CPM State secretary P Madhu begged to differ with his CPI counterpart and said any anti-BJP alliance at the Centre would not work. We have tried it before and I dont think the TDP joining hands with the Congress would yield any result. As for the Left parties, they will remain anti-TDP, anti-Congress and anti-BJP in Andhra Pradesh, he said.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Will there be poll alliance between the TDP and the Congress in Andhra Pradesh in 2019 elections? Going by Thursdays developments and the bonhomie on display between Congress president Rahul Gandhi and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, it appears all but certain.

TDP leaders in the State tried their best to clarify that as of now there is no such proposal as the party is focused on stitching together an anti-BJP front at the Centre. The as of now is a clear giveaway. But the alliance between the once arch-rivals may not be that easy in the State.

A section of leaders in both the TDP and the Congress have been at daggers drawn right from the inception of the yellow party back in the early 1980s and for them, it is a bitter pill to swallow. Congress leader Vatti Vasanth Kumar on Thursday said that he had resigned from the party.

I am deeply hurt at this alliance. We have been working against the TDP since 1983! How are we supposed to tell our supporters to work with those against whom we have fought tooth and nail till date? Hence I resigned, he said.

Other senior leaders like C Ramachandraiah are also reportedly upset. Nonetheless, some other Congress leaders are upbeat at the turn of events. They hope alliance with TDP will help revive the party that has been uprooted by the people lock, stock and barrel following the division of the State in 2014. In fact, reliable sources told TNIE that talks are already underway between the two sides with the grand old party bargaining for at least six MP seats and 20-25 MLA seats. However, the talks are still in the initial stage and Naidus Delhi diplomacy is just a starter, they pointed out.

In the TDP camp too, there are two sections. One, supportive of Naidus strategy and the other flummoxed. Those in favour are convinced much like Naidu that since 2019 is going to be a triangular contest between the TDP, YSRC and Jana Sena, it would be difficult to go it alone. The TDP, under Naidu, has always entered the poll fray in alliance with other parties -- be it the Left, BJP or others. This time, the Left parties in the State are more or less aligned with actor Pawan Kalyans Jana Sena. Facing anti-incumbency, tough opponents in Pawan and YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, besides a seemingly vindictive BJP, it appears Naidu and company are convinced that sailing with Congress is the only option. The TDP top brass, sources said, hope that whatever little vote share the Congress may still have will come in handy. Not to speak of the Congress support at the Centre at a time when the Modi regime has unleashed I-T, ED and other agencies on party leaders.

When contacted, a senior TDP leader on condition of anonymity, told TNIE, The TDP is already a part of the Grand Alliance led by the Congress in Telangana and now our leader met with the AICC chief and underscored the need for bringing the Congress and other anti-BJP parties together. This indicates that the TDP is ready for an alliance with the Congress in AP in the coming elections and in the meantime, we have to convince our leaders as well as the people. It is true that there are some leaders who have voiced concerns over an alliance with the Congress. Similarly, Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy suggested that alliance with Congress would not be problematic in the State, pointing out that it is in the interest of the State and the nation.

APCC vice-president N Tulasi Reddy termed the Rahul-Naidu meet historic. In fact, it is wrong to say that TDP was born to fight against the Congress. As Congress was in power at the time, such a theory was believed. And, this is not the first time that TDP and Congress have joined hands. When former PM PV Narasimha Rao contested from Nandyal, the then TDP president NT Rama Rao did not field any candidate. TDP was also a part of the United Front government formed with the support of the Congress, he reasoned.
Manish Anand By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Central Election Committee of the BJP went into a huddle on Thursday to finalise the candidates for the Madhya Pradesh elections, even as the party is learnt to have given more time to Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje to submit multiple names for as many as 150 Assembly seats. The BJP is likely to release the first list of candidates for Madhya Pradesh on Friday.

The party is seeking a fourth straight mandate in the state, where it had won the Assembly elections in 2013 with more than two-thirds majority.

Sources said that the BJP Central Election Committee has cleared about names of about 150 candidates for the central state, which would be announced in a phased manner, beginning Friday. PM Narendra Modi, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other office bearers went into a huddle on Thursday in the meeting presided over by BJP chief Amit Shah. There are indications that the BJP would be denying a significantly large number of sitting MLAs opportunities to contest elections.

The Central Election Committee was slated to consider the list of candidates for both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. However, the BJP president is said to have given more time to the Rajasthan unit to submit multiple names against at least 150 Assembly seats.

Raje camped in the National Capital on Wednesday to defend the sitting BJP legislators, who are likely to be axed by the Central Election Committee in favour of fresh faces.The BJP Central Election Committee may again meet on November 9 to consider the list of candidates for Rajasthan.

Shah, who has seemingly taken control of the Rajasthan campaign, besides entrusting his trusted lieutenants in Madhya Pradesh, is apparently not solely banking on the two chief ministers for the crucial elections.

BJP slams Naidu for meeting opposition leaders

The BJP took a dig at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu over his meetings with several opposition leaders here, saying he was indulging in political tourism.

Naidu is diverting attention from Andhra Pradesh where he is facing imminent defeat in state and parliamentary elections, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.

He comes to Delhi for political tourism and photo session. Hussain said.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Friday passed an interim order directing the Cubbon Park police not to arrest multilingual actor Arjun Sarja in relation to a case registered by actress Sruthi Hariharan.

Justice P S Dinesh Kumar passed this order after hearing the petition filed by Arjun Sarja seeking to quash the FIR registered by Cubbon Park police on the charges of sexual harassment based on the complaint filed by Sruthi Hariharan.

During the hearing, senior counsel B V Acharya, representing Sarja, argued that Sruthi had filed the complaint as a counter to the defamation case registered by Arjun Sarja after she made allegations as part of the #MeToo movement.

He also argued that Sruthi did this to gain popularity by making allegations against Sarja who has maintained a clean image in the film industry as well as in public.



After hearing the arguments of Sarjas counsel, the court asked police not to arrest Sarja and said that investigation may continue, as the case was registered three years after the incident.
By Online Desk

On Friday, the head of the South Indian Writer's Association K Bhagyaraj released a press statement that said he has submitted his resignation from his post.

The statement described that he was elected unanimously as the leader of the association and that everything was going smoothly till the 'Sarkar' issue came up.

He said that when Varun Rajendran complained that the Sarkar plot was stolen from a story that he had registered in 2007, Bhagyaraj had found the claim to be true. He took the complainant's side and wanted to do the right thing.

ALSO READ: Director AR Murugadoss to flash message card agreeing that theme is similar

Bhagyaraj explained that the problems that he faced due to the 'Sarkar' row, could have been because of his becoming the leader without elections.

He also apologised to Sun Pictures for having revealed the plotline. He said that he was forced to do it after Murugadoss refused to involve himself in the case.

The writer revealed that he has noticed that there are some wrongdoings in the association. To rectify them, he and others in the organisation who have been appointed without an election must quit the organisation, he said.

He promised that, if the association decides to hold elections for the president post, he will come back the right way with the maximum amount of votes.

As a response to Bhagyaraj's resignation, the association released a statement saying that the executive committee has refused to accept the resignation as it was informed through a phone call. The association declared that Bhagyaraj will continue to serve as the president of the South Indian Film Writers Association.
By IANS

NEW DELHI: Taking a major step in further penetrating the growing smartphone market in India, Samsung has showcased renewed vigour and innovative zeal to take on the Chinese brands flooding the mid-range segment. A result of this new strategy was the launch of the Galaxy A7 in September that comes with triple camera configuration at the back.

The Galaxy A7 was unveiled in two variants - the 4GBRAM and 64GB internal storage variant at Rs 23,990 and the 6GB+128GB phone costing Rs 28,990 in three colours - blue, black and gold. The phone supports dual SIM and the MicroSD slot allows both the variants to extend internal storage up to 512GB.

The phone is powered by a Samsung Exynos 7885 2.2GHz octa-core processor and runs the Android Oreo operating system.

Samsung did not hide what it wanted to achieve with the Galaxy A7. It wanted to more engagement form the millennials by offering them a premium-looking phone packed with features that they care for the most, such as good-quality front and rear cameras and ease of shopping, at an affordable cost.

Let's see how the execution part of this winning proposition has fared for Samsung by examining the galaxy A7 4GB+64Gb variant.

What works for the phone?

In terms of look, the 2.5D glass back does give the premium feeling despite ditching the notch which has now become mainstream even for sub-Rs. 20,000 segment. The bezels on the sides are also not too thin for a phone of this price range, but what gives it the edge is the light weight and easy grip that it offers. The 6-inch phone weighs just 168 grams.

The placement of the fingerprint sensor is another big plus. Unlike most other phones that feature the fingerprint sensor at the back, in galaxy A7 it comes bundled with the power button placed at the side bar, making it little more easier to unlock the phone as users generally tend to reach out to the power button, instead of using the fingerprint sensor, to unlock their devices. We have also found the face unlock feature working well.

The phone also comes with the "Always On" mode that allows users to see the date and time on the display without even touching the phone. This is a useful feature which is not very common, although it drains the battery a bit.

The highlight of the phone is, of course, its cameras at the back and front. The rear triple camera system comes with a 24MP AF lens, an 8MP "Ultra Wide" lens (F2.4) and a 5MP "Depth" lens.

In terms of camera performance, we found it working better than Xiaomi's POCO F1 which is priced in similar range. In similar shots, background colours captured by the Galaxy A7 showed more vividness and closeness to reality. With auto flash turned on, the images in low light conditions also came out fairly good. The phone also allows users to add an extra button to click pictures from any place in the display.

The rear camera also comes packed with several interesting feature, such as the "scene optimiser" that makes necessary corrections depending on the objects that the camera is focused on. For example, the shot scenario for food is starkly different from the shot scenario of a sunset and the camera is powered to make these distinctions through its auto detection feature.

The beautifications that the 24MP front shooter makes should also make selfie lovers happy. The "Selfie Focus" feature allows one to blur the background. But as with most smartphones, this phone also does not help much if someone wants the background to come out really well in the selfie.

The FHD+ Super AMOLED display is another plus that offers good video viewing experience. It also supports Dolby Atmos immersive sound technology, but this works only in earphones and Bluetooth headsets.

The 3,300mAH battery works well to run a day after full charge for moderate level of use. With the Shopping Mall and Samsung Pay mini, it can also enhance the shopping experience of the users, especially its key target groups - the millennials.

What does not work for the phone is that it does not come with any fast-charge technology as the users are given a USB 2.0 connector.

Conclusion: The galaxy A7 offers sober look, several useful and innovative features and an ease of handling, besides the camera advantage and a trusted brand backing.
By IANS

SRINAGAR: Senior Shia separatist leader Aga Syed Hussain Badgami was on Thursday served a notice by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to appear before the agency on Friday.

A notice was served to the separatist leader by the Superintendent of Police (NIA) which said: "... You are directed to appear on November 2 at 10 a.m. at Police Officers Mess (in) Srinagar in connection with the investigation."
By PTI

IMPHAL: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said time has come to review the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in the state because of the prevailing peace, but time has not yet come to lift it totally.

While reviewing the AFSPA, the security concerns of the state sharing an international border or being in the vicinity of other countries should also be considered, Singh told a group of visiting journalists here Wednesday.

The state shares a 398-km-long border with Myanmar, while China and Bangladesh are in the vicinity.

"Manipur is a peaceful state now, but the country's security must be a priority. Financial help and arms supply by foreign countries cannot be ruled out," Singh said.

"Personally, I would like to ask the Centre to lift it given the law and order situation, but since we have international borders, we cannot ask for its lifting," the chief minister said in reply to a question whether there is need for AFSPA to be in force in the state.

Major General V K Mishra, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 57 Mountain Division of the Army, which spearheads counter-insurgency operations in Manipur, said the AFSPA was a prerequisite for the Army to maintain peace in the militancy-affected state.

Citing seizures of sophisticated arms from camps of insurgents and war-like stores maintained by them, he said, "If we do not have AFSPA, how do we do this. It is not just an enabler, it is a prerequisite. The AFSPA is a requirement for the Army to function." He said the situation is under control, but pressure needs to be maintained on insurgent groups to ensure peace in the north-eastern state, which was affected by militancy for several years.

Advocating a review of the Act that gives wide powers to security forces, the chief minister said the situation in Manipur is complex.

"It's not like Kashmir, where Pakistan is involved. Here it is our own people and as such it is very difficult for the security persons too. It is very critical and complex issue and has to be solved," he said.

Several insurgent outfits of Manipur operate from neighbouring Myanmar using the porous borders.

Though there are regular intelligence-sharing and meetings between the forces of the two friendly countries, there is no joint patrolling or joint operations to flush out militants.

Since the 2015 surgical strikes in the Myanmarese territory by the Indian forces, insurgents have moved deeper into its territory, sources said.

Indian Army commandos had carried out the surgical strikes, killing several militants, on June 9, 2015, a few days after insurgents ambushed an Army convoy in Chandel district of Manipur, killing 18 soldiers.

Biren said there was no major insurgent attack in the state since his government took over one-and-a-half years ago.

"There is peace in the state. Nightlife has started in Imphal and there is a lot of activity in the evenings unlike in the past," the chief minister said about the state capital from where the stringent AFSPA has been lifted.

The AFSPA has been lifted in eight assembly segments comprising Imphal in 2014. He also expressed hope that a solution to the Manipur insurgency problem would be reached soon.

Regarding allegations of human rights violations by the force in the state, GOC Mishra said the Army was very sensitive on the matter. "Right from training, our conditioning, in our process of equipping, human rights are in-built. We are sensitive about human rights," Maj Gen Mishra said.

The Supreme Court is hearing a PIL seeking a probe into alleged cases of extra-judicial killings in Manipur and on July 14 last year constituted a special investigation team to probe such cases.

Over 300 Army personnel have also petitioned the apex court challenging the registration of FIRs against them for operations in areas where the AFSPA is in force.

The AFSPA came into being in September 1958 providing certain powers upon members of the armed forces in disturbed areas.

Manipur was given the 'disturbed area' status in 1980 in a bid to combat various insurgent groups and the state government has from time-to-time extended the disturbed area status.

Irom Sharmila Chanu, known as the "Iron Lady of Manipur", had been on fast for 16 years till August 9, 2016, demanding the stringent Act be lifted.

She had been under house arrest and was kept as an under-trial at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal and force-fed through her nose using Ryles tube.

In July 2004, a group of 12 middle-aged Manipuri women protested naked in Imphal against the alleged rape and killing of a 32-year old woman after being allegedly picked up by paramilitary forces from her home.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Former finance minister P Chidambaram has questioned the Centres much-touted Jan Dhan scheme, saying it is yet another jumla (fake promise) of the Modi government.

Jan Dhan Yojana is another jumla and an exercise in mass deception by PM Modi and his government. The funds were supposed to be cost-free for struggling banks, but they are required to bear the cost of the accounts. The SBI alone has spent Rs 775 crore as on December 31, 2016 for maintaining the accountants. In any event, there are no comparable benefits to the customer, Chidambaram said.

The UPA government had sowed the idea of financial inclusion, said Chidambaram, adding that the RBI had introduced the Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (BSBDA).

Until May 2014, 25 crore BSBD accounts had been opened and the average citizen began to enjoy the advantages of modern banking, he said.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: Jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadavs elder son and former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav has filed for divorce from his wife Aishwarya Rai barely six months after their marriage, it was revealed on Friday.

Even though the Yadav family remained tight-lipped on the matter and the partys leaders rubbished the reports as baseless, Tej Pratap Yadavs lawyer Yashwant Kumar Sharma confirmed that a divorce petition has been filed at Patnas civil court and that November 29 has been fixed as the date for a hearing.

Tej Pratap, 30, who served as health and environment minister in the erstwhile 20-month-old Grand Alliance government, left for Ranchi on Friday to meet his father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is in a hospital there under judicial custody. Tej Pratap refused to answer journalists questions about his divorce petition.

The first-time MLA had married Aishwarya Rai, daughter of former minister and serving RJD MLA Chandrika Rai in a spectacular ceremony in Patna on May 12. Several top political leaders, including CM Nitish Kumar and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, had attended the ceremony.

Sources said the divorce petition (matrimonial case number 1208/2018) has been filed by Tej Pratap under Section 13 (1) (1A) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, which deals with cruelty by a spouse against the other. The two spouses failed to get along cordially and therefore the divorce petition was filed, said Tej Prataps lawyer, declining to give further details.

Aishwarya Rai, 25, the elder daughter of six-term MLA and former minister Chandrika Rai of RJD, was spotted getting out of his house with him and her mother and entering the official residence of Tej Prataps mother and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi on Friday evening. Lalu and Rabris eldest daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti also reached Rabri Devis residence. None of them answered journalists questions on the issue.

Chandrika Rai, who is the son of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai, had met Lalu Prasad Yadav in Ranchi last month. Sources said efforts are on by both the families to bring about a rapprochement between Tej Pratap and Aishwarya.

Tej Pratap has reportedly been unhappy about public perceptions that he is being sidelined in RJD because his younger brother Tejashwi Yadav has been controlling the partys affairs single-handedly. Tejashwi, 29, who served as Bihars deputy chief minister in the Grand Alliance government, has already been declared as Lalus heir apparent and the future chief ministerial candidate of the RJD-led alliance.
The Constellation collection has long been Omegas symbol of precision in watchmaking. With a name inspired by the stars above us, it has sought to redefine the standards by which we measure time and has always done so with elegance and class.

This year, the Constellation takes its next step in design and technology. With 101 new Constellation ladies models being presented this year, there are a lot of details to explore and discover. While the iconic Constellation design has been retained, the collection has received a full makeover with subtle changes found in every angle.

Yet for this entire new line, it is the outward craftsmanship that truly stands out. The refined makeover has touched upon almost every part of the iconic design, while still keeping the central Manhattan look that has been a firm favourite for more than 36 years.

Constellation, 29 mm  Omega

The Omega Constellation 2018 collection comes in three sizes - 25 mm, 28 mm and 29 mm. The Omega Calibre 4061 powers the first two models, while the 29 mm versions house the Omega Master Chronometer Calibre 8700/8701, assured by the 8 strict tests that every Master Chronometer certified watch faces before it leaves the factory.

The watches are available in 18K Sedna gold, 18K yellow gold, stainless steel or two-tone versions. The new dials offer a choice of sun-brushed blue, chestnut brown, dark grey and gold champagne colours, silk-embossed silvery or gold champagne, and crystal silvery.

The changes include a new matte-finish embellished by polished bevelled edges along the case and bracelet; new slender bezels including thinner Roman numerals, which are all now in the upright reading position; new Constellation claws that have been given a slimmer look and an improved integration and have polished bevels; a new crown whose teeth have been given a feminine half-moon shape, following the iconic half-moon facets of the case; new slimmer hands in the shape of a skeletonised leaf, and indexes that are inspired by the Manhattan skyline.

 Omega

Two different bracelet styles can be found within the collection. The quartz models have a similar bracelet to the Constellation 09, whereas the 29 mm Master Chronometer models have been given a more luxurious version. The new bracelet is inspired by those of the original Constellation Manhattan collection, featuring polished mid-bar links. Now featuring domed covers with the Omega name and symbol, the bracelet clasps have been given polished half-moons and a comfort release adjustment, which allows the wearer to extend an extra 2 mm of comfort when required.

On the 29 mm models, the slim design is achieved by the use of domed sapphire crystal on the caseback, which absorbs the thickness of the movements self-winding system. For the 25 mm and 28 mm models, the famous observatory medallion is used.
By Online Desk

In the latest allegation against editor-turned-politician M J Akbar, NPR's (National Public Radio) chief Business editor Pallavi Gogoi has accused him of sexual harassment and rape in 1994 when she was working with The Asian Age as an op-editor.

The journalist gave a first-person account of the sexual harassment she faced in a November 1 article for The Washington Post.

Pallavi, who was just 23 then was made the Op-Ed page editor, writes: It was a big responsibility at a young age. But I would soon pay a very big price for doing a job I loved."

The first incident she describes, was at his office when he tried to kiss her forcibly as a way to applaud her efforts after she made her first op-ed page. She says in her column: "I was mesmerized by his use of language, his turns of phrase, wishing that I could write like he did. So I took all the verbal abuse. After all, I was learning from the best. Or so I thought. "

ALSO READ | #MeToo: 20 women journalists to testify against Union Minister MJ Akbar in support of Priya Ramani

The second incident was in Mumbai at The Taj hotel, where they had gone for a magazine launch. Pallavi recalls being called to his room, forced upon and then being scratched when she fought back.

M J Akbar threatened to throw her out if she again resisted his advances but Pallavi did not quit.

The third instance occurred when Akbar asked her to visit his hotel room for 'work' discussion in Jaipur. She alleges that M J Akbar ripped her clothes off and raped her. Filled with shame, Pallavi decided not to report it.

After a few months, she was posted at their London office as a 'reward' for her coverage of the 1994 elections. Instead of an escape route, this became a method to prey on her in a foreign land, where she had no defence. Things got worse when one day at their London office M J Akbar spotted Pallavi laughing and talking to a male colleague. He screamed, hit her and went on a rampage, throwing things from the desk --- a pair of scissors, a paper-weight, anything he could lay his hands upon. After months of torture and sexual harassment, Pallavi finally quit.

Akbar's lawyer has refused the allegations, claiming they never happened.

Gogois allegations come two days after Akbar appeared in court to record evidence in his defamation suit against journalist Priya Ramani, the first woman to level sexual harassment allegations against him.

Ramanis allegations were reported while Akbar, who was junior minister in the Ministry of External Affairs, was abroad on an assignment. He resigned from his post in the ministry on October 17.

Over the last fortnight, about 20 women have come forward to narrate their experiences of alleged sexual harassment at the hands of Akbar.
Ramananda Sengupta By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In a veiled dig at China, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale on Thursday said that regional connectivity initiatives should promote trade, not tension. In his opening remarks at the first South Asia Regional Connectivity conference, which began at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi on Thursday,

Gokhale also reiterated the need for a rules-based world order, which must uphold sovereignty, territorial integrity and equality of all nations, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

Stressing Indias unique role in the region by virtue of its geographical location and economic gravity, he listed the major initiatives launched by India as part of its Act East and Neighbourhood First policies.

The conference, co-organized by CUTS International, East-West Center, FICCI and the US government, was also addressed by the Japanese ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu, and US ambassador Kenneth Juster.

Gokhale also reiterated Indias deep and abiding interest in Afghanistan, and Irans importance in helping ship goods from India to Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port.

Indias connectivity to our west continues, though it remains blighted. We have sought to bypass an unwilling regime in Islamabad by establishing in June 2017 an air freight corridor between India and Afghanistan, which we plan to expand to more cities. We are also seeking to develop the Chabahar Port as a gateway for onward connectivity to and from Afghanistan and Central Asia, he said.

Apart from respect for international commitments and the rule of law, and access to global commons which require freedom of navigation, unimpeded commerce and peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, Gokhale also said that connectivity efforts must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations in the region, and be based on principles of economic viability and financial responsibility.
By PTI

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Friday rejected a public interest litigation challenging BJP president Amit Shah's discharge in Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter case.

The division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Bharati Dangre rejected the petition on the grounds of locus and the delay in filing the case, said Adv Ahmed Abdi of the Bombay Lawyers' association (BLA) that had filed the petition.

"We are dismissing the petition. We are not inclined to grant any relief, especially when the petitioner is a body which has no locus in the case," the court said in its judgement.

We shall now adopt the route of a special leave petition, Abdi said.

The CBI had opposed the petition in September while saying that, "the petition is a publicity litigation and not a public interest litigation".

The petition had termed the CBI's decision not to challenge Shah's discharge in the case as "illegal, arbitrary and mala fide".

While the petitioners had contended that the CBI had changed its stand on Shah after the Modi government came to power in 2014, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the CBI, said there was no law that makes it compulsory for the agency to file appeals or revision applications for every discharge.

The special CBI court discharged Shah in the case in 2014. Sohrabuddin Shaikh and his wife Kausar Bi were killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2005 by the Gujarat Police.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In a huge setback to CBI, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain the appeal filed by the investigating agency against the Delhi High Courts 2005 verdict discharging all the accused, including the Hinduja brothers, in the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors payoff case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it wasnt convinced with the grounds cited by the CBI explaining why it had approached the court with its plea 12 years later.

As per the normal practice, such appeals have to be filed within 90 days.

We are not convinced with the grounds furnished by the petitioner in explaining the inordinate delay of 4,522 days in filing this SLP (appeal), the bench said.

The apex court, however, said the CBI could raise all grounds in the appeal against the same high court verdict, filed by advocate Ajay Agrawal, who has also challenged the judgement.

Attorney General K K Venugopal tried to request the bench to mention in the order that the dismissal of CBIs appeal would not preclude it from carrying on its probe. However, the bench refused to do so.

The Delhi High Court had quashed all charges against the three Hinduja brothers, Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand, and the Bofors company in 2005, and castigated the CBI for its handling of the case, saying it had cost the exchequer about Rs 250 crore.

Attorney General KK Venugopal had earlier advised the government against approaching the top court, pointing out that the petition was likely to get dismissed on account of the long delay in the case.

The deal

The Rs 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms maker AB Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm howitzers for the Indian Army dates back to March 1986. Swedish Radio had claimed on April 16, 1987, that the firm had bribed top Indian politicians and defence personnel.
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress and the Congress have raised questions about whether the BJP and the RSS were behind the killings and demanded an inquiry into the incident by a committee formed by the Supreme Court.

Speaking at a public meeting after leading a protest rally in south Kolkata against the killings, Youth TMC president and TMC apparent heir Abhishek Banerjee said: "If ULFA says they were not behind the killings, then there must be an independent probe into the incident not by CBI, whose impartiality is questionable, but by a committee formed by the Supreme Court. We suspect that BJP cadres may be behind the killings. We demand the resignation of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal," he said.

ALSO READ: Day after violence, lone survivor in Assam recounts terror

TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay led a rally against the killings in north Kolkata and brought out rallies in other parts of the state while the CPM organised a rally in Dharmatala in central Kolkata.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that the killings of Bengalis in Assam and exodus of Biharis from Gujarat indicated worse days in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

ALSO READ: Chandrababu Naidu, Rahul join hands, say uniting opposition a 'democratic compulsion'

"I fail to understand why innocent poor people have to be killed," she said.

West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Somendra Nath Mitra said: "This killing is a result of the regional discord brought about by the BJP government and implemented in the grassroots by the RSS cadres. We worry that the regional tensions might spread to other states as well."
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: Tension gripped the police lines in the heart of Patna on Friday when hundreds of trainee police constables, many of them women, vandalised the office premises and attacked some senior police officials after a woman constable died of dengue.

Nearly 300 agitating constables broke the windscreens and window glasses of about a dozen cars belonging to senior officials with sticks and bricks. They also threw stones at two senior officials  an SP-rank official and a sergeant major-cum-DSP  present there. Two television channel journalists covering the incident were injured in the attack. Some trainee constables also allegedly opened fire during the violent protests.

The situation came under control after Rapid Action Force (RAF) jawans flag-marched the area and deployments from the Bihar Military Police (BMP) and Special Task Force (STF) were summoned. Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj, wearing riot gear, visited the area and supervised efforts to bring normalcy back to the police lines.

It all began with trainee constables shouting slogans against senior police officials soon after learning that Sabita Pathak, a constable, succumbed to dengue at a city hospital in the morning. They alleged that her request for leave in order to seek treatment and take adequate rest was turned down.

The protests soon became violent as the trainee constables gheraoed the residence of police lines commandant Mohammad Masruddin. The police lines turned into a war zone within minutes and the rampage spilt out on to the roads around it, affecting normal traffic movement.

The trainee constables have spent just a few days in training and are not familiar with the discipline and work culture of the police force. They were apparently misguided by some anti-social elements. The whole episode will be thoroughly probed and suitable action would be taken, said Bihar DGP KS Dwivedi.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sought a report from the DGP and the home secretary about the incident. The Opposition RJD and Congress attacked the government, accusing it of failure to keep the police force as a disciplined unit.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: After Supreme Court deferred the hearing in vexed Ayodhya title suit till January next year, BJP's state president in Uttar Pradesh Mahendra Nath Pandey dropped a significant hint about an impending announcement to be made by the UP CM on the occasion of Diwali, which he claimed would be a good news but stopped short of revealing more here on Friday.

ALSO READ: RSS hints at another 'mass agitation' for Ram temple

Refraining from disclosing the details of the project, Pandey said it would proper if the CM made the announcement himself. "Yogi Ji mukhyamantri ke saath-saath bahut bade sant hain. Nishchit roop se unhone Ayodhya ke liye yojana banayi hai (Apart from being the Chief Minister, Yogi ji is also a great saint. Definitely he has made some plan for Ayodhya)," said the UP BJP chief.

"Diwali aane dijiye, khushkhabri ki pratiksha kijiye...Mukhyamantri ke haathon wo yojana saamne aayegi to uchit hoga (Let Diwali come, wait for the good news. It would be appropriate if the scheme is announced by the Chief Minister himself," Mahendra Nath Pandey further said.

Notably, post-SC order on the issue, UP CM Yogi Adityanath had said that if justice was done in the time it was known as justice otherwise justice delayed was justice denied. He had claimed that the BJP government had full faith in Supreme Court and hoped it would settle the issue.

However, he had stressed upon the prompt resolution of the issue for the sake of peace and amity in the country. On the other, the apex court's decision to defer hearing by another three months has evoked sharp reactions from various quarters like VHP, and RSS.

The CM had further said that though the matter was in the apex court, for peace and brotherhood and for honouring the beliefs of the majority community, all alternatives need to be explored. He had maintained that Ram temple was associated with the faith of Hindus who had pinned their hopes on the apex court.

"The sentiment and the faith of the majority community should be respected," Yogi had averred. However, Pandey's remarks came on a day when RSS brass expressed its disappointment over deference of hearing in the title suit case saying that Hindus were feeling 'insulted' by the SC stand.

Suggesting to follow the ordinance route to the temple, the Sangh Parivar leaders had asserted that the organisation would not hesitate in launching another 1992-like movement for the temple in Ayodhya if need be. However, they requested the SC to take into consideration the feeling of Hindus.
By Express News Service

KAKINADA: Thanelanka, a peaceful village in Mummidivaram mandal of East Godavari district has made news headlines for all the bad reasons. Janepalli Srinivasa Rao, who attacked YSRC president Jagan Mohan Reddy in Visakhapatnam International Airport last week, hails from this village.

ALSO READ | Jagan Mohan Reddy attacker Srinivasa Rao says he acted on his own, fears threat to life

Of late, an eerie silence has descended on the village. The shame shows on their faces; villagers around Thanelanka look upon them as criminals. The villagers are quite friendly in nature. A stranger to Thanelanka can perambulate safely through the village and go about his/her work. But things have come to such a pass now that the villagers are frustrated because of the regular police movement; they even refuse to give directions to Srinivasa Raos home to media persons.

Thanelanka has a population of around 4,500 population. There are seven Anganwadi centres in the village  Chinatanelanka, Pedatanelanka, Vaddigudem, Gopalaraopeta, Padamolli and Vargalanka.

A 700-metre gravel path leads to the house of the prime accused. Thick bushes grow on both sides of the path. Before becoming rich, Srinivasa Raos family eked out a livelihood working as daily wage labourers. They constructed a pucca house only 10 months ago.

ALSO READ | YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy knocks on HC door for outside agency probe into attack on him at airport

Locals say Srinivasa Rao, who has a penchant for members of the fairer sex, had purchased land worth Rs 1 crore recently. People of the village are sure that lure of easy money had turned him into a criminal. We dont know where he used to get the money from, but he spent a luxurious life days in the run up to the incident, locals said.

Presently, his sister-in-law Babi and his elder brother Subbaraju and their children live in the house. Srinivasa Raos parents Savithri and Thatarao have gone to Visakhapatnam.Though Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials have left Mummidivaram, they get all information from a Sub-Inspector of One Town police station in Visakhapatnam, who is presently camping in Mummidivaram police station. He collects titbits of information and sends the same to Visakhapatnam SIT officials. This way SIT officials monitor each and every movement at Thanelanka village.
Toby Antony By

Express News Service

KOCHI: The Afghanistan government has sent a communication of Indian government related to Keralites who joined Islamic State (IS) and moved to the war-torn country. NIA submitted the letter sent by Afghanistan government before NIA Court in Kochi when the application for the custody of a Kalpetta native who was allegedly deported from Afghanistan was heard on Friday.

NIA submitted the communication sent by the Afghan government in a sealed covered. NIA prosecutor Arjun Ambalapatta made a submission before the court that the letter reveals information about people who joined IS.

"Since the letter also reveals details about several witnesses, it is being submitted in a sealed cover. Names of these witnesses have to be kept confidential. The letter was sent by the Afghan government to India government," he submitted while handing over the letter to the court.

Meanwhile, NIA seeking the custody of Kalpetta native Nashidul Hamzafar who was allegedly deported from Afghanistan claimed that accused is familiar to other IS sympathisers in India. NIA alleged that Nashidul Hamzafar is highly radicalised and motivated and he maintained contacts with people who are working for IS in India and abroad. His interrogation will help in identifying these people and prevent IS spreading their tentacles in the country.

Similarly, NIA claimed that after obtaining mirror images of the content in Nashidul's mobile phone, several Afghan contact numbers could be traced. For identifying the persons whom he contacted in Afghanistan, he has to be interrogated. Similarly, in the previous interrogation, Nashidul had revealed a few names who are witnesses in the case. More information about the witnesses has to be received.

"Abdul Rashid Abdullah an accused in the case sent voice clips from Afghanistan in which he asked people who conduct jihad in India if they are unable to come to India. IS operatives are working as a lone wolf. We have to identify who these lone wolves are. We need to prevent jihad happening here," NIA prosecutor Arjun Amabalappatta submitted before the court. The court will give its order on the petition on November 8.

In 2016, as many as 14 men and women from Kasargod travelled to Iran via Afghanistan for joining the IS. A Bihar native who attempted to join the group was intercepted by the police in New Delhi. She was later convicted by the court. The Interpol has issued red corner notice against these accused persons. Nashidul was deported from Afghanistan and later arrested by NIA from New Delhi airport in September. He is 16th accused in the case.
By Express News Service

PATHANAMTHITTA /KOCHI: With just three days remaining for the opening of the Sabarimala temple for a days pooja on November 5, the law and order situation once again turned precarious in Pathanamthitta on Thursday with the body of a missing devotee being found in a gorge at Laha situated between Pathanamthitta and Nilakkal.

Following the development, the BJP and the Sabarimala Karma Samiti called for a 12-hour hartal in Pathanamthitta district on Friday demanding a judicial inquiry into the death of the person identified as Shivadasan, 60.

ALSO READ | Sabarimala temple row: Amit Shah's outburst a warning to SC, says CPI-M

Local BJP leaders alleged he had died after he was attacked by the police during the five-day protests against the womens entry issue.

BJP district president Ashokan Kulanada said the cause of death should be investigated. Essential services and people coming for Parumala pilgrimage have been exempted from the hartal.

Sabarimala Karma Samithi said Shivadasan had gone to Sabarimala for darshan during the monthly poojas during the Malayalam month of Thulam. Meanwhile, the Pathanamthitta police issued an official statement that people with vested interests are spreading rumours with regard to the incident. The police said the protests of the Hindu outfits took place on October 16 and 17, while Shivadasan had left home only on October 18 to visit Sabarimala.

ALSO READ | Sabarimala row: Rahul Gandhi's attitude wont work in BJP or CPM, says Ramesh Chennithala

The police also claimed he had called his family members on October 19. The police said as per the complaint of his family, he was only reported missing from October 18. The police have also warned of strict action against those who resort to malicious campaigns on social media in connection with the incident aiming to incite violence.
Egyptian prosecution opens investigation into the terror attack; Sisi mourns victims and offers condolences to Pope Tawadros II; western and Arab states denounce and express solidarity with Egypt

Egypts prosecutor-general Nabil Sadek has dispatched a team of prosecutors to the site of the terrorist attack on a bus which killed at least seven Copts and injured 12 near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Upper Egypt's Minya on Friday.

In an official statement, Sadek ordered members of northern Minya prosecution and members of Supreme State Security prosecution to the site to investigate the attack.

He also instructed the team to head to hospitals where the injured are receiving treatment to listen to their testimonies on the circumstances of the attack.

Security forces are currently searching for the unknown gunmen who carried out the terror attack on the bus, the sources said.

The sources added that the bus was using a back road to reach the monastery, adding that the main road to the monastery had been closed per security instructions due to the danger present in the western part of the governorate, where the monastery is located, and the lack of communication networks in the vicinity.

President mourns victims

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, to express his sincere condolences for the victims of the terrorist attack, according to a statement released by the church.

El-Sisi had issued a statement on his official Facebook page shortly after the attack mourning the victims, vowing to continue the war against terrorism.

"I mourn with deep sorrow the martyrs who were killed today by treacherous hands which aim to undermine the firm fabric of the nation, and I wish speedy recovery for the injured," El-Sisi said.

"I confirm our determination to continue our efforts to combat dark terrorism and apprehend the culprits," the president added.

"This attack will not weaken the will of our nation in continuing its battle to prevail and build," El-Sisi said.

In the evening, El-Sisi and attendees at the World Youth Forum observed a moment of silence in Sharm El-Sheikh for the victims of the terrorist attack.

Azhar and state officials respond

Egypt's Azhar, the country's highest Islamic Sunni authority, condemned the terrorist attack, extending its condolences to all Egyptians and to the families of the innocent victims.

In an official statement released on Friday evening, Al-Azhar said "the culprits of the cowardly terrorist attack are criminals who were stripped of basic human values and are as far as could be from the teachings of religions, which call for coexistence and peace, the renouncing of violence and hatred, and criminalization of the killing of the innocent."

Egypt's Minister of Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa also condemned the "terrorist, sinful and vile attack," saying "an attack on any person on Egypt's soil is an attack on all Egyptians."

Gomaa said that it was a "religious, patriotic, and human duty to report any terrorist."

Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal also condemned the attack, saying "it aims to undermine the security and stability of the country."

The country's State Information Service (SIS) issued a statement "expressing its deepest condolences to the families of the victims, stressing that the terrible crime will not damage the unity of the Egyptian people."

"Such sordid attempts by desperate forces of terrorism will not affect the people of Egypts determination to move forward in their path to achieve security, stability and development throughout the country, and to eradicate terrorism," the statement said.

The SIS said the "desperate attempt by terrorist groups is evidence of their weakness", pointing at "Egypt's extensive Comprehensive Sinai 2018 operation in securing Egyptian borders in all four directions and eradicating terrorism in Northern and Central Sinai."

"Such despicable crimes will only reinforce the strength and unity of the Egyptian people and their dedication to rooting out terrorism," the SIS said, affirming "the need to respond to Egypt's successive calls for international solidarity in pursuing terrorism and its sponsors and supporters who provide it with funds, offer shelter to its leaders, and dedicate propaganda outlets to justify its crimes under misleading pretexts."

Arab and western states condemn

The UK, Germany, and Arab States condemned the terrorist attack on Copts today.

In a tweet, British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said he was "appalled at news of the attack", adding that "his thoughts were with the families of the victims."

"The UK will continue to support #Egypt and all its people in the fight against terrorism," Burt said.

UK's ambassador to Egypt Sir Geoffrey Adams also tweeted to offer his condolences to Egyptians for the attack.

"I offer my deepest condolences to all Egyptians as we mourn together the loss of innocent lives today. Britain stands with Egypt against terrorism," the ambassador said.

The German Ambassador to Egypt Julius Georg Luy also denounced the attack.

"I deeply suffered of this resurgent and vile attack on peaceful Egyptians in Minya," Luy said, adding that "there was no justification to carry out such violent terror attacks."

The German envoy affirmed his country's support to Egyptian people.

The US Embassy in Cairo said "it condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack on Egyptian pilgrims tofay in Minya and we offer our sincere condolences. We stand with the Egyptian government and people against terrorism."

A statement by the European Union's Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations also denounced the attack.

"Todays attack on a bus of Coptic Christian pilgrims in Minya, Egypt has again exacted a toll of civilian deaths and injured," the spokesperson said, adding that "the attack was a stark reminder of the security challenges that Egypt is facing."

The EU spokesperson expressed "its condolences to the bereaved, and stands side by side with Egypt in its efforts to defeat terrorism in the country."

Saudi Arabia also condemned the deadly attack, according to Saudi Press Agency.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the shooting incident that targeted a passenger bus in Minya governorate in the Arab Republic of Egypt and resulted in the death and injury of a number of innocent people," SPA reported quoting an official source at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The source reiterated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's stand with Egypt against these terrorist acts, extending condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Egypt, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery," the SPA said.

The UAE also condemned the attack, calling it 'heinous'.

''The UAE stands in solidarity with the government and people of Egypt in confronting extremism and terrorism, which seek to undermine Egypt's stability and its national unity,'' Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said in a statement.

King Abdullah II of Jordan extended his condolences to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah-El-Sisi for the victims of the attack, condemning "the coward attack and stressed his country's support to Egypt in its efforts to fight terrorism, and preserving its security and stability."

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also expressed his condolences to Egypt's El-Sisi, according to the official Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA).

Al-Sabah expressed his country's "robust denunciation of this horrific terrorist act that targeted the innocent and aimed at jeopardizing Egypt's security and stability".

Attacks and court sentences

Coptic Christians make up 10-15 percent of Egypt's 104 million population.

In the last several years, Coptic churches have been the target of several deadly terrorist attacks, which left tens dead and injured.

In May 2017, a terrorist attack by gunmen on a bus carrying Coptic pilgrims heading to the same monastery left 30 killed and two dozen injured.

In August 2017, the interior ministry announced that a man suspected of involvement in the deadly armed attack on the pilgrims was killed during a shootout with police in Qena governorate in Upper Egypt.

On 9 April of the same year, as Egyptian Copts celebrated Palm Sunday, a terror bomb attack inside Mar Girgis Church in the Delta city of Tanta killed 29 and injured tens others.

On the same day, a few hours later in the city of Alexandria, a suicide bomber killed 17 people, including three policemen, as he blew himself up outside St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral. as the head of the church, Pope Tawadros II, lead the service inside.

In April 2018, an Alexandria military court issued preliminary death sentences against 36 people convicted of involvement in the deadly attacks in Alexandria and Tanta.

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By Express News Service

KOTTAYAM:Even as the state government is determined to crack down on any attempt to prevent Sabarimala pilgrims anywhere on roads leading to Sannidhanam, a meeting of the Sabarimala Karma Samithi (SKS) held on Thursday has decided to launch the second phase of protests against the implementation of the Supreme Court order permitting women of all ages to enter the hill shrine.

Though SKS will not take any direct initiative to prevent young women from trekking to Sannidhanam, the meeting had resolved to provide all the support to the Ayyappa devotees in their efforts to protect the customs and faith in Sabarimala, indicating a tough time ahead for the government and the police in the upcoming pilgrim season. There will be a natural resistance from the part of Ayyappa devotees against the attempt to break the centuries-old custom and practices in Sabarimala. And SKS will provide total support to their protests, said ES Biju, Hindu Aikyavedi state secretary.

The second phase of protests will commence with deeparchana (a ritual) in temples across the state on Chithira Day, on Sunday. As part of strengthening its ongoing protests, SKS will organise a one-and-a-half-days long continuous Akhanda Sarana Manthram in 200 centres across the state, from the time of opening the Sabarimala shrine on Monday at 5 pm to its closure on the following day at 10 pm for the Chithira Attavishesham festival.

The meeting also decided to conduct viswasa samrakshana sammelanam (faith protection meetings) in all districts from November 10 to 12, which will commence in Idukki. This apart, its ongoing programmes including, house visits and family meets in the village-level, and namajapa ghoshaythra (prayer processions) at village temples will continue. Margadarsa Mandalam, a joint forum of monks, will organise padayathra (rallies) in the villages as well.

The SKS will also lend all the legal support to those who were arrested in connection with Sabarimala-related protests. The meeting also resolved to provide all the support to the Ayyappa Jyothi Prayanam, a protest march to be organised under the aegis of Pandalam palace from Perinad near Ranni to the palace from November 9 to 12.

A total of 466 representatives, including monks from 10 ashrams, thanthrik pramukhs and Hindu leaders were present in the meeting. A total of 85 Hindu organisations, nine womens organisations and seven Ayyappa Dharma organisations participated. SKS patron Swami Chinmayanandapuri of Kulathur Advaitha Ashramam, Kozhikode, inaugurated the meeting. Hindu Aikyavedi president and SKS vice-chairperson K P Sreekala presided over. S J R Kumar, SKS chief coordinator, Sabarimala Ayyappa Seva Samajam secretary V K Viswanathan, and Prof P M Gopi also spoke.

P C George files review plea

Kottayam: The Supreme Court has admitted the review petition filed by Kerala Janapaksham leader P C George against the apex court order allowing women of all ages to enter Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala. George claimed in the petition filed through Adv Manoj C Nair the state government has no right in Sabarimala as the temple is functioning as per a covenant which dates back to the merger of ertswhile Travancore and Kochi princely states. He also pointed out the government had misled the court on issue of womens entry . Moreover, implementing the order will create law and order problems which may lead to riots if the order is enforced without considering the sentiments of devotees.

Government will act against bid to demoralise cops: CM

TPuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged society to maintain vigil against efforts to demoralise the police. He was speaking after taking the salute at the Raising Day parade at the SAP ground here on Thursday.The CM said the Kerala we live in today was not made overnight. Kerala could eradicate several social evils and become a progressive state through numerous movements by renaissance leaders. But there are some efforts to take Kerala backward. They are trying to create a rift in the police force as well. The police, government and public places are secular. No one should be allowed to sow the seeds of communalism in public places and offices. Efforts to demoralise the police include abusing them in the name of religion. The government will be forced to take steps against this, he said.

Cant interfere in apex court order: HC

Kochi: A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court on Thursday made it clear it cannot interfere in the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages entry into Sabarimala. The court also said it was the states bounden duty to implement the top courts order. The High Court issued the order while dismissing as withdrawn a petition filed by M Thankappa Menon of Panampilly Nagar seeking to restrain the entry of women until the Supreme Court disposed of review and writ petitions against its order. The Supreme Court has posted the petitions to November 13, while the Sabarimala hill shrine will be opened on November 5. The petitioner sought a status quo be maintained until the Supreme Court decides on the status of Lord Ayyappa as a Naishtika Brahmachari, as the Constitution Bench of the court did not decide on the issue in its original judgment. However, the High Court declined and granted the petitioner permission to withdraw his petition.
By PTI

CHENNAI: Welcoming efforts to unite opposition parties against the BJP, the DMK Friday pledged its support to the initiative of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to defeat the saffron party in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"Corrupt, autocratic and divisive forces are destroying the democratic fabric of our country. It is the need of the hour for all non-BJP parties to come together on a common platform," DMK president M K Stalin tweeted.

"I congratulate @rahulgandhi and @ncbn for initiating steps towards this. They have my support," he said.

In a series of tweets, he said "Rahul Gandhi's opinion that all opposition parties should work together to defeat the BJP is significant."

In Tamil Nadu, Congress is a key ally of the DMK besides other opposition parties like the IUML. Stalin, who is the leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu assembly, said he seconded Naidu's "save nation," slogan.

He alleged that the BJP led government at the Centre "snatched away state autonomy." On issues like NEET, the DMK had opposed the Modi government, saying the centralised test was against social justice and took away the powers vested with the states.

The main opposition party had also opposed Governor Banwarilal Purohit's tour of districts on similar grounds.

While DMK has been steadfast in opposing the BJP and the Centre, the ruling AIADMK has been maintaining cordial ties with the saffron party, saying such an approach was needed to get funding and projects for the state.

Stalin had also months ago endorsed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's efforts to bring various parties together to oppose and defeat the BJP.

Rahul Gandhi had said Thursday that the primary challenge before all the opposition forces was to work together and defend India's institutions and democracy.

Naidu had asserted that the need of the day was to save the nation and democracy.

"That's why I discussed with Rahulji also. In-principally we have agreed," he had said. "Some of you have doubt about our past. It is a democratic compulsion now, we are joining together to protect this country," Naidu had said.
T Muruganantham By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government Friday said people would be allowed to burst firecrackers between 6 am and 7 am and 7 pm and 8 pm on Deepavali day (November 6), in line with the Supreme Court directive.

The SC, last week, ruled that across the country, people can burst crackers only for two hours between 7 p.m., and 8 p.m., to reduce the air pollution caused by crackers. However, Tamil Nadu government has sought permission for allowing the public to burst crackers for four hours. However, the SC rejected this request and said the State government could fix flexible slots for one hour in the morning and an hour in the evening.

An official release here said the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board would monitor the quality of air in all municipal corporations from one week ahead of Deepavali and one week after Deepavali.

Stating that it is the duty of everyone to safeguard the environment, the government suggested that the public could burst crackers with lesser noise and which have lesser polluting possibilities. Welfare associations could take efforts to assemble the public at a common place to burst crackers.

The government has also suggested that public could avoid bursting serial crackers which raise higher noise. Bursting crackers can be avoided near hospitals, near hutments, places of worship and wherever calm and peace is maintained.

TNFRS all geared up

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services department has geared itself to meet Deepavali which is four days away. About 85 fire safety vehicles and water tanks have been stationed at 38 stations in the city, said a department officer. Shops that were given licence to sell crackers have been requested to implement safety measures such as having buckets of sand and displaying no smoking boards. Flying squad will be moving around the city during the festival days, said the officer. This comes after 32 fire accidents were recorded in Chennai during Deepavali last year.
By AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has said, making the Latin American giant the largest country after the United States to make the controversial switch.

ALSO READ | Australia mulling embassy move to Jerusalem: PM Scott Morrison

"As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that," Bolsonaro tweeted Thursday, a move that will defy Palestinians and most of the world.

As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that.  Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) November 1, 2018

In interviews, Bolsonaro said Israel should have the right to decide where its capital is located, just as Brazil moved its capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia in 1960.

Israel considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, with international consensus being that the status of the whole city must be negotiated between the two sides.

Israel occupied east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

ALSO READ | Jerusalem embassy move: US pulls out from Vienna Convention protocol

In December, President Donald Trump reversed longstanding US policy and recognised Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, prompting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to boycott his administration.

The embassy was officially transferred on May 14.

Guatemala and Paraguay followed suit, though the latter announced last month it would return its embassy to Tel Aviv.

Bolsonaro, 63, who won a run-off election on Sunday, has outraged many with his overtly misogynistic, homophobic and racist rhetoric.

Following his victory, Netanyahu told Bolsonaro he was certain his election "will lead to a great friendship between our peoples and the tightening of links between Brazil and Israel".

An official in Netanyahu's office told AFP the Israeli premier was "very likely" to attend Bolsonaro's inauguration ceremony in January.

Bolsonaro, meanwhile, plans to make Israel one of his first foreign trips as president, along with the United States and Chile -- countries that "share our worldview", according to the president-elect's future for chief of staff, Onyx Lorenzoni.
By UNI

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan here on Friday.

Mr Khan, who is on his first visit to the country after assuming PM's office in August, was welcomed by Mr Xi for paying an official visit to China and attending the first China International Import Expo, a report in Xinhua said.

READ | Pakistan PM Imran Khan in Beijing, may seek more loans to avoid tough IMF bailout

Mr Xi hailed the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership as a special friendship shaped and developed during a long time of mutual support and close cooperation.

The bilateral ties always stay vigorous and continue developing regardless of the changes in international situations or the two countries' domestic affairs, Mr Xi said.

"China-Pakistan cooperation not only benefits both peoples but also contributes to regional and world peace, stability and development," he said.

Mr Xi hailed the Pakistan PM for reiterating that he would always promote the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

READ | China defends CPEC bus service as Pakistan rejects India's protests

China always views relations with Pakistan as a priority of diplomacy and supports Pakistan in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.

He also expressed support for Pakistan's new government in implementing its policies and promoting national development.

"We'd like to work with Pakistan to strengthen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and build a closer community with a shared future between the two countries."

Xi said the two sides should deepen strategic communication, maintain regular visits and meetings between the two countries' leaders and enhance experience-sharing in the governance of a country.

Proposing closer pragmatic cooperation and promotion in trade and investment, Xi called for consolidating the early results of CPEC and expanding CPEC to areas such as industrial parks and people's livelihood.

He also said the two sides should boost people-to-people exchanges, strengthen anti-terrorism cooperation and increase coordination and communication on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Pakistan admires China's development achievements and hopes to learn from China's experience in development, poverty alleviation and anti-corruption, Khan said.

"Pakistan-China friendship is deeply rooted in the mind of Pakistani people," Khan said, noting that Pakistan is devoted to furthering the relations with China and the construction of CPEC, so as to benefit the economic and social development of Pakistan.

The Pakistani side is willing to reinforce communication and coordination in multilateral affairs with China, Khan added.
By Online Desk

The US on Friday agreed to let India and seven other countries to buy oil from Iran.

Apart from India, the other countries which got US waiver include Japan, China and South Korea. China is still in talks with the US and negotiating on terms. US has agreed to the demands of theses countries to buy Iranian crude following the reimposition of sanctions on the oil-producing nation on Nov 5. a senior administration official said.

The US is confident that their pressure tactics will help in choking Iran's economy thus forcing them not to raise the oil prices. Further, Iran will also not directly get the money for the oil. But instead they will able to buy food, medicine or other non-sanctioned goods from its crude customers.

The US wanted everyone to reduce oil imports from Iran to zero eventually, but was open to waivers that would allow limited imports by the countries pledging significant cut. India and other key importing countries have been engaged for months with the US for a waiver.

"It is our expectation that the purchases of Iranian crude oil will go to zero from every country or sanctions will be imposed". Mike Pompeo was quoted by Bloomberg recently.

The US had been trying to cut off all oil imports from Iran to zero by November 4 following Trump's decision in May to pull out of the 2015 multilateral deal that eased global sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran's suspected nuclear programmes and malign activities.

India was resisting Washington's call to reduce purchases to zero, citing the galloping energy needs of its 1.3 billion people. But at the same time, India has taken steps to reduce its oil purchase from Iran, which has already declined substantially.

In his presidential determination, Trump had said "there is a sufficient supply of petroleum and petroleum products from countries other than Iran to permit a significant reduction in the volume of petroleum and petroleum products purchased from Iran by or through foreign financial institutions."
By PTI

BOTSWANA: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has hailed demonetisation saying the move has led to money stashed in "the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows" coming into the banks.

Naidu, who is in Botswana on an official visit, said the southern African country is also following India's efforts to curb black money.

He said reformative measures like demonetisation "may be painful but are meant for public good".

"Paisa joh bedroom, bathroom aur pillow ke neeche tha, woh bank mein pahunch gaya.

Pata ke saath, pita ke saath aur pati ke saath (The money that was in the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows reached banks due to demonetisation)," the vice president said.

Interacting with the Indian community in Botswana here on Thursday night, he said measures like demonetisation were "temporary pain for long term gain".

"Now how much (of this money) is white, how much is tax-paid money that will be known.

It is the duty of the Reserve Bank of India and income tax people to verify and see to it that everybody falls in line," the vice president said.

"You are aware that Government of India has launched several flagship schemes for making India a skilled and knowledge society and manufacturing hub.

Measures like the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) have also been taken to make it a transparent and integrated market with greater ease of doing business," he said.

India has taken a major leap towards financial inclusion by encouraging 330 million people to open bank accounts, Naidu said.

The tax base has widened by 26 per cent in the last one year with nearly 68 million tax payers paying taxes, he said.

Naidu termed Botswana as a land of god-gifted serenity and natural beauty.

He asked Indians everywhere not to forget their mother tongue and motherland.

"I am not against other languages.

One must learn as many languages as possible, but should not forget the mother tongue," he said.

"I know that many of you have been living here for several decades and have made Botswana your second home.

The Indian diaspora in Botswana has not only well-integrated into its pluralistic, free and democratic society, but, also have immensely contributed to the economy of Botswana," he said.

"I am glad that you have contributed hugely to the successful story of Botswana's economic growth," he said.

He thanked the Indian community here for contributing to flood relief in Kerala.

Naidu, who is on an official trip to the African nations of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi, said India is changing rapidly.

"The business environment is changing for the better.

The archaic regulations are being dismantled.

Seamless processes are being introduced," he added.

If the talented enterprising Indian diaspora can lend its active support, the pace and quality of transformation in India can be considerably enhanced, he said.

Naidu hoped that Indians abroad will continue to cherish their Indian roots and nourish the socio-economic and cultural life of Botswana and other countries with which they are connected.

"You are India's cultural ambassadors and the world sees you as the representatives of Indian values and way of life," he said.

Naidu also expressed satisfaction that the Swachh Bharat initiative, launched when he was Union urban development minister, has become a people's movement.

Four crore toilets have been built under the scheme, he said.
By PTI

UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted in favour of condemning the US economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba - a call it has made every year since 1992.

A total of 189 UN Member States voted in favour, with Israel and the US voting against the resolution, urging all States to "refrain from promulgating and applying laws and measures" which among other things, in the case of the embargo, interfere with the freedom of trade and navigation.

There were no abstentions.

The Assembly called upon States "that have and continue to apply such laws and measures to take the steps necessary to repeal or invalidate them as soon as possible."

Through the resolution, the General Assembly also decided to include the agenda item entitled "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba," in the provisional agenda of next year's session.

The vote on the resolution is unenforceable, but the Cuban-sponsored resolution shines a spotlight on the relative isolation of the US regarding the embargo, which was first imposed in 1960, when former leader Fidel Castro came to power, following the revolution.

Speaking ahead of the vote, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla outlined the impact of the embargo on Cubans, especially due to restrictions on lifesaving medicines.

"Incalculable human damage has been caused by the blockade, which is qualified as an act of genocide" he said, referring to the convention on the prevention of genocide.

"It is also a violation of International Humanitarian Law, if it were a conflict," he said.

Before the resolution was adopted, eight amendments, relating to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), human rights and rule of law, proposed by the US, failed to pass.

Introducing the amendments, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said that the draft resolution "changes nothing" in terms of addressing the problems faced by Cuban citizens.

"The United States will continue to stand with the Cuban people, until their rights and freedoms are restored. We won't back down," she said.

India reiterated its support for the lifting of economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed five decades ago by the United States against Cuba, saying the continued existence of the embargo undermines multilateralism and the credibility of the United Nations itself.

"People to people contact holds immense possibilities for fostering better understanding between nations. The international community needs to intensify its efforts to promote an environment free from sanctions and embargoes. India hopes that the embargo will be withdrawn at the earliest," India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Tanmaya Lal said here Wednesday.

Lal said every year the General Assembly rejected the imposition of laws and regulations with extra-territorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures that hurt the progress and prosperity of the people the world over.

Last year, 191 member states voted in favour of the resolution, expressing their strong support to lifting of the embargo.

He said the General Assembly has also called upon all States to refrain from promulgating and applying and to repeal and invalidate laws and measures that have extra-territorial effects affecting the sovereignty of other States, in conformity with their obligations under the UN Charter and international law.

"There can be little doubt that the continued existence of this embargo, in contravention of the overwhelming world opinion as expressed by this Assembly, undermines multilateralism and the credibility of the United Nations itself," he said.

Member States who spoke on the resolution over two days, overwhelmingly called on the US to end the embargo and other punitive measures against Cuba.

National representatives said that the nearly six-decades-long blockade imposed on the Caribbean island by Washington impeded its right to development and its ability to participate fully in the global economy.

They also urged the US to heed the Assembly's repeated calls to lift its restrictive policies.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Top Pakistani cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, who was also known as the 'godfather of Taliban', was stabbed to death at his residence in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Friday, his family said.

Haq, 82, was the head of the Islamic religious seminary Darul Uloom Haqqania in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Akora Khattak town and also the chief of the hardline political party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Sami (JUI-S).

Haq, a heart patient, was killed by unidentified attackers while he was resting in his room, his son Maulana Hamidul Haq was quoted as saying by Geo News.

His personal guard had gone out to the market and when he came back he saw Haq lying "in a pool of blood" on the bed, Hamidul added.

JUI-S's Peshawar president also confirmed Haq's death following an assassination attempt in Rawalpindi.

Initially, there were conflicting reports about how Haq was killed.

Some Pakistani media had reported that he was killed in a gun attack.

Haq's son has clarified that the cleric was attacked with a knife.

Maulana Abdul Majid Hazarwi, a close associate of Haq, also confirmed that he was attacked with the knife.

So far, no outfit has claimed the responsibility of the killing.

A probe has been launched to nab the assailants who apparently escaped on a motorbike, police said.

Haq's funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday in Akora Khattak.

The cleric was elected twice to Pakistan's parliament on Islami Jamhoori Itehad ticket.

He was also the chairman of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council -- an umbrella coalition of more than 40 groups, including Hafeez Saeed-led Jamat-ud Dawa (JuD) and the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba.

Haq's madrassa in Akora Khattak is known for having several top Afghan Taliban leaders among its alumni, including Mullah Omar who had received an honorary doctorate from the seminary.

Haqqani Network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AIQS) leader Asim Umar and slain Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor were also among the alumni of the seminary which is dubbed as the "University of Jihad".

Howver, Haq never supported militant activities in Pakistan.

He was an ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan and supported the anti-polio vaccination drive by his government when hardcore militants opposed the campaign by terming it as a "western effort to sterilise Muslims".

Meanwhile, Khan, who is in China on an official visit, condemned the killing of Haq and ordered the authorities to prepare a report of the incident and submit it to him.

Former premier Nawaz Sharif also condemned the killing of the leading cleric and urged public to remain clam.

Pakistani Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa also condemned the "assassination of the renowned religious scholar and political leader".

Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior, Sheryar Afridi, condemned Haq's killing and said, "The political and religious services of the Maulana will be remembered forever."

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam- Fazl (JUI-F), also condemned the attack.

"I am with the family of the Maulana at this difficult hour," he said.
By UNI

SOFIA (BULGARIA): Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Iran the "most potent force of militant Islam," says he has warned Europe of possible Iranian attacks on its soil.

While speaking to media personnel's on Thursday after talks with his Bulgarian counterpart in Sofia, Netanyahu said radical Islam is a threat to the world and that Israel has recently revealed a number of Iranian plots to carry out attacks on European soil.

Netanyahu did not provide details, but cases involving alleged Iranian plots to attack opposition groups or figures in both France and Denmark have emerged in recent months. The Israeli premier's warnings about Iranian plots in Europe have been part of his campaign to pressurise European nations to take a tougher stance toward Tehran, a report said.

Israel was one of the only countries to side with the United States this year in its decision to pull out of Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimpose sanctions.

European countries refused to follow suit, and European powers Germany, France, and Britain have been working with Iran to keep the nuclear agreement in place and circumvent US sanctions.

Ahead of his trip to Bulgaria, Netanyahu said his goal is to "change the hostile and hypocritical approach of the European Union" on matters like Iran and the Palestinian question.

Netanyahu is meeting on November 2 in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Varna with European leaders he views as more "friendly" in the Craiova Forum, which includes the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania, as well as the president of Serbia.

"This is not just a meeting of friends," Netanyahu said.

"It is also a bloc of countries with whom I want to promote my policy, to change the hypocritical and hostile attitude of the EU."
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued a statement on his official Facebook page on Friday mourning the victims of the terror attack on a bus carrying Copts on Friday.

"I mourn with deep sorrow the martyrs who were killed today by treacherous hands which aim to undermine the solid fabric of the nation, and I wish speedy recovery for the injured," El-Sisi said.

"I confirm our determination to continue our efforts to combat dark terrorism and apprehend the culprits," the president added.

At least seven people were killed and seven injured in a terrorist attack Friday on a bus carrying Coptic Christians near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Upper Egypt's Minya, state TV reported, quoting security sources.

Security forces are currently searching for the unknown gunmen who carried out the terror attack on the bus, the sources said.

"This attack will not weaken the will of our nation in continuing its battle to prevail and build," El-Sisi said.

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By UNI

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has ordered new sanctions against Venezuela, aiming to disrupt the country's gold exports.

The announcement came on Thursday in the middle of a speech by National Security Adviser John Bolton on the current state of US relationships with South America in Miami.

Labelling the three nations as "the troika of tyranny in this hemisphere," Bolton accused Cuba of helping Venezuela, saying the State Department will sanction over two dozen entities owned or controlled by the Cuban military and intelligence services, with which US nationals are barred from doing business, Qatar News Agency reported.

The remarks came on the same day when United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted its 27th annual resolution calling for an end to the nation's economic embargo on Cuba, after a failed bid by Washington to amend the text to push Havana to improve its human rights record.

The executive order also placed restrictions on certain individuals from emigrating to US, arguing that allowing unrestricted entry to the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the nation.

Trump's executive order is just the latest round of sanctions placed against President Nicolas Maduro's regime.

In May, shortly after Maduro's re-election, the US ordered sanctions in an effort to prevent Venezuela from quickly selling off key assets.
By PTI

TOKYO: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked Japan's medium, small and micro enterprises to explore business opportunities in India and assured them of a more conducive environment to consolidate bilateral trade ties.

ALSO READ | PM Modi invites Indians in Japan to invest in 'new India', says country is transforming

Modi, who is here to attend the 13th India-Japan annual summit, said the ease of doing business was his top priority.

"Some years ago, I spoke about making a mini-Japan in India. It's a matter of great happiness for me that today, you are working in an even larger number in India," Modi said while addressing 'Make in India: India-Japan Partnership in Africa and Digital Partnership' seminar in Tokyo on Monday.

Modi said when he became prime minister in 2014, India was at 140th position in the 'ease of doing business' ranking of the World Bank.

"Now India has reached 100th position and we are working towards better ranking," he said.

He said the Indian government was making all efforts to change the country's business environment and ensure that there is ease of doing business and ease of living.

"There are ample possibilities for Japan's [micro] SMEs in India," the prime minister said.

"It's not only big companies but Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that are welcome to India. Through MSMEs, too, Japanese entrepreneurs can take their businesses to new highs."

Low-cost manufacturing and competitive labour cost make India more favourable for doing business.

ALSO READ | India poised to be No. 1 in mobile phone manufacturing: PM Modi

"Our software industry is very powerful. As I said earlier if we combine our software and your hardware, we can do a miracle in the world," he said.

The cooperation between Japan and India in the field of electric mobility is going to be very beneficial, he said.

"We are doing wonderful work in infrastructure sector. Our emphasis is now on next-generation infrastructure. We are trying to develop such a competitive economy which would be based on skill, speed and scale," Modi said.

"I always speak of a strong India, strong Japan," he said, inviting Japanese businesses to accelerate the pace of investment in his country.

"I assure you that you will be helped in all possible ways to further consolidate India-Japan trade ties," he said.

Earlier, Modi asked Japanese businessmen to engage more with India as he interacted with top business leaders from the two countries at a forum here.

Modi said that the inputs offered at the Business Leaders Forum will propel India to achieve global benchmarking.

"He urged Japanese businessmen to engage more with India," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Strong India- Strong Japan



PM @narendramodi addressed Indian & Japanese business leaders in Tokyo. Welcomed the deepening of dialogue on infrastructure, capacity building & communication, among others. Full address on: https://t.co/rZlaWrkBZP pic.twitter.com/EiXjvkyY3a  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) October 29, 2018

Earlier, Modi interacted with some Japanese venture capitalists.

"Participants gave a thumbs up to reform measures initiated by the government and offered suggestions on further improving the startup and innovation ecosystem in India," Kumar said.

The bilateral trade during April - August 2017 was USD 6.1834 billion.

India's export to Japan for 2016-17 was USD 3.86 billion; whereas India's Import from Japan for 2016-17 was USD 9.76 billion, according to official data.

Japanese FDI in India (during 2016-17) was USD 4.7 billion (an increase of 80% over the last year).

Cumulatively, since 2000 the investments to India have been around USD 25.7 billion (Japan ranks third now among the major investors).
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Chance of a shower or two during the morning, followed by partly cloudy skies this afternoon. High 53F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 38F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Egypts prosecutor-general Nabil Sadek has dispatched a team of prosecutors to the site of the terrorist attack on a bus which killed at least seven Copts and injured 12 near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Upper Egypt's Minya on Friday.

In an official statement, Sadek ordered members of northern Minya prosecution and members of Supreme State Security prosecution to the site to investigate the attack.

He also instructed the team to head to hospitals where the injured are receiving treatment to listen to their testimonies on the circumstances of the attack.

Earlier on Friday afternoon, seven people were killed and 12 were injured in the terror attack which took place near the monastery in Maghagha.

Security forces are currently searching for the unknown gunmen who carried out the terror attack on the bus, according to the sources.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued a statement on his official Facebook page shortly after the attack mourning the victims, vowing to continue the war against terrorism.

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Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau will travel to Shanghai on November 4 to attend the inaugural China International Import Expo.

The expo will be held at the National Exhibition & Convention Center in Shanghai from November 5 to 10.

It consists of the Country Pavilion for Trade & Investment, the Enterprise & Business Exhibition and the Hongqiao International Economic & Trade Forum, which comprises an opening ceremony, three parallel sessions and the Hongqiao International Business Media & Think Tank Forum.

A Hong Kong Exhibition Area will be set up by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government inside the China Pavilion of the Country Pavilion for Trade & Investment to showcase Hong Kong's strengths, major infrastructure projects, popular tourist attractions, and products and inventions.

The city's participation in the Belt & Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, its contributions to the reform and opening up of the country, and the implementation of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law will also be major themes.

More than 160 Hong Kong enterprises will take part in the Enterprise & Business Exhibition, in which a Hong Kong Services Zone and a Hong Kong Product Zone will be set up to exhibit a wide range of quality products and services to international exhibitors and buyers.

Mr Yau will attend one of the parallel sessions on November 5, and deliver an opening address at a seminar co-organised by the Trade & Industry Department and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council on November 6.

He will return to Hong Kong that evening.

During Mr Yaus absence, Under Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Bernard Chan will be Acting Secretary.
Mrs Lam (centre) dines with musicians of the Asian Youth Orchestra after its Alumni Special Concert.

Mrs Lam, accompanied by the shows Project Leader Vincent Ng (second right), tours the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Tokyo exhibition.

Mrs Lam officiates at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects More than High-rise: Exploring Hong Kong through Architecture exhibition in Tokyo.

Mrs Lam meets Tokyo Institute of Technology President Prof Kazuya Masu during a tour of the institute.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks at "CxO Luncheon: Womenomics in action: Female empowerment and women in leadership" organised by the Economist Corporate Network in Tokyo.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today visited innovation and technology organisations and institutions in Tokyo, addressed a luncheon on womens leadership and opened an exhibition on Hong Kong architecture.

Mrs Lam had a breakfast meeting with President of the Japan Science & Technology Agency Michinari Hamaguchi and its key members.

Managed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology, the agency promotes state-of-the-art research and development projects and spearheads co-creation of innovation.

It also formulates long-term R&D strategies and promotes the transformation of technological achievements and related education.

Mrs Lam said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is determined to develop Hong Kong as an international I&T hub and has been advancing I&T development using an eight-pronged approach.

She had proposed in her recent Policy Address the allocation of an additional $28 billion to support university research, encourage re-industrialisation and promote technological entrepreneurship.

She encouraged technology enterprises, R&D institutions and academics from Japan to partner with their Hong Kong counterparts in research to make good use of the R&D grants and tax deduction for expenditure on R&D rolled out by the HKSAR Government.

Mrs Lam also visited the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), one of the top four universities in Japan, where she met its President Prof Kazuya Masu, learned about the institutes development in technological research and viewed the supercomputer Tsubame 3.0.

The Chief Executive said she was pleased to learn that Tokyo Tech has established links with several universities in Hong Kong through a co-operation agreement, various collaborative research projects and student exchange programmes.

She expressed the hope that Tokyo Tech would continue to collaborate with Hong Kongs universities to jointly enhance the level of scientific research.

At the Economist Corporate Network luncheon, themed on womens leadership, Mrs Lam introduced the situation of women in Hong Kong in education, employment and appointment to public offices, as well as government initiatives to support women and family-friendly measures.

In the afternoon, Mrs Lam opened the Hong Kong Institute of Architects More than High-rise: Exploring Hong Kong through Architecture exhibition in Tokyo.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Lam said Hong Kong has not only been celebrated for its skyscrapers, but also for heritage such as the Blue House in Wan Chai and the PMQ in Central.

Contemporary iconic buildings including Hong Kong International Airport, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the Xiqu Centre and M+ in the West Kowloon Cultural District also enrich Hong Kong's skyline and cityscape, she added.

In the evening, Mrs Lam attended a special concert performed by more than 20 alumni of the Asian Youth Orchestra from Hong Kong and Japan to celebrate the friendship between the two places.

The orchestra attracts many bright young musicians from all over Asia to Hong Kong for training every year and takes them to different parts of the world for performances and cultural exchange.

It has played a significant role in promoting arts and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Japan, and Japan has been one of its touring destinations almost every year.

Mrs Lam wrapped up her day by dining with the orchestras musicians.

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau and Secretary for Innovation & Technology Nicholas Yang accompanied Mrs Lam during the days events.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan will travel to Shanghai on November 4 to accompany Chief Executive Carrie Lam to attend the opening ceremony of the China International Import Expo.

He will also join part of Mrs Lams visit programme in Shanghai.

On November 6, Mr Chan will head to Wuzhen to attend the 5th World Internet Conference and address a sub-forum on fintech on November 8.

During his absence, Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury James Lau will act as Financial Secretary.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's opening up and economic reform, which unleashed productivity growth and market vitality in many fields, bringing our country unprecedented prosperity. The Mainland economy, which maintained an impressive growth rate of almost 10% per annum over the past four decades, is now the second largest economy in the world, with an annual GDP of over US$12 trillion or about US$8,800 on a per capita basis. The Mainland has evolved into a middle-income economy and entered a new era of economic development.

In this new era, the Mainland authorities are committed to developing the economy along the path of balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth. Meanwhile, the Mainland economy has been shifting from an extensive model, which relies more on the accumulation of factors of production, to an intensive one, which relies more on innovation and productivity growth. To promote high-quality development, Mainland authorities pledge to push forward supply-side structural reforms, particularly those relating to boosting market efficiency, increasing consumption, upgrading productivity, lowering business costs and containing financial risks. By harnessing the power of innovation and technology and unleashing the potential of consumption demand, these reforms will enable the Mainland to eventually attain the status of a high-income economy, while sustaining a medium-high rate of growth in the years to come.

Opening up plays a crucial role in facilitating the aforesaid economic reform. Experience over the past four decades proves that opening up has not only enabled foreign capital and technology to enter the Mainland, but also created a competitive environment that compels domestic economic reform, thereby achieving enviable growth. To pursue sustainable and high-quality development, it is essential that China sustains its opening up for global partnerships, so that benefits can be created and shared between the Mainland and its economic partners through trade, investment and more.

Since the Mainland started opening up 40 years ago, the rise of its economy has gone hand in hand with the wave of globalisation. Indeed, the forces of economic globalisation manifested in trade liberalisation through tariff reductions and removal of trade barriers have driven growth worldwide, benefiting many. Such economic success cannot be achieved without the support of the international community as it is built on a shared vision of openness and mutual respect on the part of every economy engaged in international trade and investment.

Unfortunately, this consensus for multilateralism is under threat lately. Protectionism has been on the rise, casting a shadow over the global economy. This became particularly obvious since last year, as the current US administration began to escalate trade conflict with its trading partners around the world, particularly the Mainland.

For a small and externally oriented economy like Hong Kong, a free and open trade environment is of vital importance. A strong and credible multilateral trading system, supported by the World Trade Organization, is of great value because it provides a predictable, rule-based framework to promote trade expansion and liberalisation, while preventing the vagaries of arbitrary and discriminatory actions by any economy. So we note with grave concern the escalating protectionist trends because they pose great challenges to the established rule-based multilateral trading system.

As the trade conflict between the US and the Mainland continues to escalate and the range of products subject to tariffs expands, Hong Kong's economy would be affected, not only through the trade channel but also indirectly through weaker business confidence and dampened financial market sentiment. Aggravating the situation is the normalisation of US monetary policy and the shifts in international capital flow. The combined impact of these on us and the global economy will become even more apparent in the period ahead, especially if the trade conflict is prolonged and escalates further.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to closely monitor this development and assist the trade by stepping up support measures, particularly for our small and medium-sized enterprises, which are relatively vulnerable under the changing market conditions. We have already put forward special measures to enhance support to Hong Kong SMEs including protection against rising export credit risks, enhanced access to bank finance, and assistance in market development and diversification. We will continue to communicate with the trade closely to understand their concerns, and to provide more assistance if needed. We have also been monitoring very closely our banking system and the financial market. Our banking sector is very strong, extremely well capitalised and resilient. The stock market has been operating smoothly and stress tested to withstand extreme market conditions.

Protectionist moves in the form of raising tariffs and imposing trade barriers have brought uncertainties in international trade. I must say it is a big setback to the international trade system. Such moves also drag the pace of global economic growth and impede development towards an open global economy.

Countering this protectionist current, China reaffirms its full commitment to further opening up its economy. At this new historic juncture of its development, further reform and opening up are welcome, and indeed comforting to note, because they will boost new drivers of economic growth. In particular, the Mainland has rolled out concrete measures creating a more favourable business environment for foreign investors. Market access for foreign investors will be significantly eased in sectors such as finance, transportation, professional services, infrastructure, energy, resources, and agriculture. The Mainland has also continued to voluntarily reduce import tariffs, with the latest round of reductions starting today. Together with the tariff reductions which took effect earlier this year, the Mainland's overall tariff level has been lowered to 7.5%, half the level of 2001. To create a level playing field for companies of all kinds of ownership, be they Chinese or foreign-owned, Mainland authorities have, on many occasions, pledged to further widen market access, raise policy transparency and exercise fair and impartial regulation.

China's policy of opening up is also reflected in its efforts to establish partnerships with other countries. The Belt & Road Initiative is a grand strategy adopted by our country to usher in a new phase of international co-operation, which is particularly important in face of rising protectionism in some advanced economies. The initiative will deepen collaboration across economies along the Belt & Road region by strengthening economic and infrastructure connectivity and boosting cross-border flows of goods, services, capital and talents, to achieve win-win outcomes for all economies involved - all in the spirit of peace, co-operation, openness, inclusiveness, mutual respect and mutual benefit.

With the focused endeavour and unwavering commitment by Mainland authorities to widen reform and open up further, China's door to the world is bound to open wider in the years to come. Hong Kong can contribute to national reform and development by playing our unique role as the pivotal gateway connecting the Mainland and the rest of the world.

Under the unique one country, two systems arrangement, underpinned by a fine tradition of rule of law, an independent judiciary, our competitive advantages including an open and free market, a robust institutional framework, a low and simple tax regime, and a deep pool of multicultural talent, Hong Kong will continue to serve as Chinas international financial, trade, shipping and I&T centre. Our participation in the Belt & Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development will allow Hong Kong to play an even more active role in the further two-way opening up of the Mainland.

At the same time, Hong Kong will benefit in such participation. As the Mainland becomes a more open, transparent, competitive and better regulated market, top-quality high-end service providers in Hong Kong can reap ample opportunities ahead. To fully realise the potential benefits arising from the Mainlands continued reform and opening up, the HKSAR Government will play the role of promoter and facilitator, diversify our economic base, remove our supply-side constraints in land and manpower, and deepen our economic co-operation with the Mainland.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan gave these remarks at the China Masters Series: China's New Economic Era in the Face of Escalating Trade Conflicts organised by the Our Hong Kong Foundation.
Mrs Lam (second right) and Mr Yau (right) meet Japans Minister of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries Takamori Yoshikawa (second left) on food safety.

Mrs Lam (centre) and Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau (right) officiate at the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Week 2018 - Greater Bay Area Showcase.

Mrs Lam (centre) speaks at a luncheon attended by representatives from universities, research and development institutions and businesses in relation to innovation and technology.

Mrs Lam (left) and Japans Minister of Economy, Trade & Industry Yoshihiro Seko (right) witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on business and trade co-operation.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam delivers a speech at the "Think Global, Think Hong Kong" symposium organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today encouraged Japanese businesses in Tokyo to explore Mainland and overseas markets through Hong Kong.

Mrs Lam attended a breakfast meeting with Japanese business leaders and briefed them on the latest developments in Hong Kong, and the opportunities brought about by the Belt & Road Initiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Later, Mrs Lam attended the "Think Global, Think Hong Kong" symposium organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) with 1,500 participants from the political and business sectors.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Mrs Lam said Hong Kong and Japan have long had frequent exchanges in areas such as commerce, tourism, culture and education.

She said Hong Kong is the best place to do business with its unique advantage of "one country, two systems", unparalleled knowledge of the Mainland market and deep connections with the world.

The Chief Executive welcomed Japanese businesses to partner with Hong Kong to jointly seize the huge opportunities presented by the Belt & Road Initiative and the development of the bay area.

After the symposium, she witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding on trade and fintech by the HKTDC, the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation and the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company with their Japanese counterparts.

At noon, Mrs Lam had a luncheon with representatives from universities, research and development institutions and businesses in relation to innovation and technology.

She introduced to them the resources allocated and measures rolled out to promote I&T development in Hong Kong, including the establishment of two research clusters on healthcare technologies and on artificial intelligence and robotics technologies, enhanced tax deductions, smart city development, re-industrialisation and the implementation of schemes to attract talents.

Mrs Lam then met Chairman of the Japan Business Federation Hiroaki Nakanishi.

She thanked the federation for its support for Hong Kong over the years and said she hopes it will continue to promote co-operation between the two places.

Mrs Lam later attended an activity to promote tourism in the bay area organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

The activity introduces tourist attractions in Hong Kong and the cities in the bay area as well as Hong Kong's latest infrastructure to the Japanese public.

Speaking at the activity, Mrs Lam said with the commissioning of the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, tourists will find making short day trips to Hong Kongs neighbouring cities much more convenient.

She invited Japanese visitors to Hong Kong to make good use of the new infrastructure when planning their trips.

Mrs Lam then visited a cheongsam exhibition organised by the Hong Kong Arts Centre and spoke with participating Hong Kong designers to learn about how they find inspiration in literature, fine art and Chinese culture to design cheongsams with unique features.

In the evening, Mrs Lam met Japan's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries Takamori Yoshikawa.

Hong Kong has been Japan's largest export market for food and agricultural products over the years, she said, adding this shows the love of Japanese gourmet food by Hong Kong people.

She added Hong Kong authorities will closely monitor the situation of the import of Japanese food and maintain close communication with Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries to ensure food safety and safeguard public health.

At the "Think Global, Think Hong Kong" dinner, she introduced to the guests the close relationship between Hong Kong and Japan and the areas for future co-operation between the two places.

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau and Secretary for Innovation & Technology Nicholas Yang accompanied Mrs Lam during the days events.
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung will attend a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council to be held from November 6 to 9.

He will be joined by representatives from the Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Security Bureau, the Department of Justice and the Labour Department.

The Government said the officials will attend the meeting as members of China's delegation.

The council will examine China's third report under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism, which incorporates a part concerning the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The Chief Secretary and other HKSAR representatives will answer questions in relation to human rights issues in the city, it added.

Secretary for the Environment KS Wong will be Acting Chief Secretary during Mr Cheung's absence.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam will lead a delegation to Shenzhen and Beijing from November 10 to 12 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up of the nation.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau and Director of the Chief Executive's Office Chan Kwok-ki will join the visit.

The delegation will visit a thematic exhibition on the 40th anniversary of the countrys reform and opening up and visit another exhibition and an iconic site in Qianhai related to reform.

In Beijing, the delegation will be received by state leaders and attend a seminar co-organised by the National Development & Reform Commission and the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office.

The seminar will review the history of Hong Kong's participation in the countrys reform.

It will also look ahead to the key development aspects of the country's further reform and opening up as well as Hong Kong's role in the development of the nation.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi delivered a message of peace during a tour of Sharm El-Sheikh ahead of the kick-off of the World Youth Forum on Saturday.

In official statements to Al-Ahram Daily, El-Sisis spokesman Bassam Rady said that El-Sisi went on an inspection tour of the resort city on his bike early on Thursday morning, where he exchanged greetings with citizens in the streets.

The second edition of the World Youth Forum, which is expected to be attended by some 5,000 young people from 145 countries, runs from 3 to 6 November, and is under the auspices of El-Sisi, who will attend the whole event.

Rady said the attendance of El-Sisi ahead of the forum represents his keenness and interest in the forum as an international pillar for youths, where they present their ideas and get involved in direct dialogues with state leaders and top officials, in the attendance of a number of presidents and other figures.

El-Sisi is set to attend a performance of the play The Visitor on Friday, which features actors from the National Academy for Youth Training and Rehabilitation, the Artistic Creativity Center, and talented youth of different nationalities.

This year, the forums events will revolve around a vision inspired by The Seven Pillars of the Egyptian Identity, a book by Milad Hanna written for the purpose of emphasising the unity and harmony of Egyptian society despite divergences and differences, according to the official website of the forum.

On Sunday, the WYFs agenda includes more than ten sessions, including discussions on the role of world leaders in building and sustaining peace, Agenda 2063: the Africa we want, e-sports and games, and Euro-Mediterranean co-operation: a strategic partnership, among others.

Monday will witness discussions on humanitarian assistance: a global responsibility in the face of challenges, and others.

The final day, Tuesday, will see an announcement of the recommendations of forum, as well as a closing speech by the Egyptian president.

Last year, the forum attracted thousands of participants worldwide, with official delegations from several states, as well as youth representatives from various countries taking part.



The forum identifies itself as one built by promising youth that sends a message of peace, prosperity, harmony and progress to the entire world.



This years forum was first announced during the countrys National Youth Conference in Alexandria in July 2017, which was also attended by El-Sisi.

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(Newser)  When Sonny "Tex" Gilligan was shot in the back, he initially thought he was being fired on from outside his vehicle. Then he remembered the shotgun he had left in the backseat of his pickup with Charlie, his 120-pound Rottweiler mix, and two other dogs. The 74-year-old, who was sitting in the driver's seat when he was shot, had brought the dogs to hunt jackrabbits in the desert near Las Cruces, New Mexico. "Charlie got his foot in the trigger of the gun and I leaned forward and he slipped off the seat and caught the triggerand it shot," Gilligan tells the Las Cruces Sun News. "It was a freak accident but it's true, that's what happened." He says Charlie is a good dog and it wasn't his fault.

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Gilligan was able to call 911, but he says he lost so much blood he "passed to the other side" on the way to the hospital before he was revived with CPR. He was hospitalized with three broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a broken collarbone. He has undergone several surgeries since the Oct. 25 incident but doctors expect him to survive, ABC reports. His son, Mark Gilligan, has a lot of praise for the deputies who rushed to the scene 14 miles out of town. "The Dona Ana County Sheriffs Office is the real hero herewithout them, he was dead," he tells the Santa Fe New Mexican. He jokes that after the "rambunctious" dogs were taken to the pound, he had to "bust them out of jail." (This woman in Indiana was shot by a dog named Trigger.)
Rascha Ragheb, executive director of the National Training Academy, tells Shady Zalata about the academys major activities and its role in organising the World Youth Forum

The decision to establish the National Training Academy (NTA) was one of the most significant recommendations of the first National Youth Conference held in Sharm El-Sheikh in November 2016.

It falls within the framework of the states focus on building the Egyptian citizen. The academy carries on work initiated by the Presidential Programme for grooming young people for leadership roles which began in September 2015.

NTA was created by a presidential decree in August 2017 to become a scientific institution to train youth for public service, as well as to improve their abilities and skills and produce cadres capable of holding leading posts in state sectors.

Located on the outskirts of Cairo in 6 October city, the academy, over 10,000 square metres, consists of six buildings designed after the French National School of Administration, known as Ecole nationale dadministration (ENA).

Rascha Ragheb, NTA executive director, comes from a background of focusing on human development through education, learning and training because she is a strong believer that the human being is the real wealth of a country.

To achieve this, she relied on exchanging international experiences, transferring up-to-date trends in education and training from the developed countries to the least developed and adjusting these international programmes and expertise to fit the needs of those least developed.

Ragheb has held several posts and consulting tasks with various regional and international institutions including vice president of the European ESLSCA University (LEcole Superieure Libre des Sciences Commerciales Appliquees), for Strategic Planning and Development in Africa and the Middle East region and dean of the ESLSCA International Business School in Uganda.

She was also director of regional and international relations in the Banking Academy in Jordan and head of the Small and Medium Enterprises Centre in Jordan.

What has been accomplished in the year since the establishment of the academy?

Throughout a whole year the academys programmes were developed and many students were received on the academys premises whether from the Presidential Programme or from the states administrative apparatus.

What are the admissions criteria?

There is no one criterion for joining the academy; each programme has its own criteria.

The academy provides several programmes, including the Presidential Programme for qualifying youth for leadership and various programmes for leaders in the states administrative apparatus or nominees to be appointed or be promoted within it.

The academy also plans to provide several other programmes and training certificates.

What is the nature of studying in the academy?

Studying in the academy differs from one programme to another in terms of depth, time span and the nature of education.

However, all the programmes use practical applied and research methods at the hands of expert practitioners.

Programme design is made to build human beings culturally, artistically, literarily and politically.

Teaching at the academy takes place by Egyptian experts with international expertise.

Moreover, regional and international partnerships for transferring the latest expertise and updates in the field of international programmes and education methods are among the main objectives of the academy in the coming period.

What are the most prominent programmes provided by the academy for next year?

Next year students will be provided with many programmes such as the joint programme with the ENA which aims at qualifying leaders within the administrative apparatus.

One of the programmes provided by the academy is the Presidential programme which began as an initiative before the establishment of the academy.

Next year there will be the African Presidential Programme, Advanced Presidential Programme and the Executive Presidential Programme.

There will also be various other programmes in the fields of modern technology, creativity and entrepreneurship.

Shall we see the academys graduates in leading state posts after their graduation?

They are already occupying leading posts whether in the private sector, in international companies or within the states administrative apparatus.

The main message of the academy is to build the Egyptian citizen, qualify and enable him to work and be productive in any sector.

Is it possible that we will see a role for the academy in political life in the future, especially concerning the formation of political parties?

I dont think this will happen in a direct way. However, qualified graduates will mean the existence of cadres who are aware of the current and future situation and capable of taking decisions. Thats why nations need to build real political awareness.

NTA reports directly to the presidency and enjoys the sponsorship and support of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. Did the president meet the academys students?

Regular meetings between President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and the youth take place in the form of monthly youth conferences and Ask the President which is one of the ideas of students in the Presidential Programme.

The World Youth Forum is also the outcome of ideas of the Presidential Programme students.

Whats the role of the academy in this years forum?

The students and graduates of the academys Presidential Programme organise the World Youth Forum down to the minutest detail.

Will the World Youth Forum be held annually under the academys supervision?

The World Youth Forum is one of the NTAs activities along with education, training and consultancy.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 1 November, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Educating tomorrows leaders

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(Newser)  New Caledonia, a French archipelago in the South Pacific, is preparing for an independence referendumthe last step in a three-decades-long decolonization effort. Sunday's vote is key to settling tensions between the native Kanaks, who once suffered from strict segregation policies, and descendants of European colonizers. It is also a test of the depth of the links between France and the territory, which lies east of Australia and has about 270,000 inhabitants, the AP reports. Voters have to answer the question "Do you want New Caledonia to gain full sovereignty and become independent?" Observers say that, based on past electoral results and polls, voters are likely to back remaining in France.

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The territory enjoys a large degree of autonomy, but relies on the French state for its defense, police, foreign affairs, justice, and education. The referendum is the result of a process that started 30 years ago after years of violence that pitched pro-independence Kanak activists against those willing to remain in France. Today the Kanaks represent about 40% of New Caledonia's population, while people of European descent make up about 27%. Others include those who emigrated from Asia and other Pacific islands. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe will travel to New Caledonia the day after the vote to discuss the archipelago's future with local politicians. (Hong Kong recently banned a pro-independence party.)

(Read more New Caledonia stories.)
(Newser)  An Australian man who encouraged his wife's suicide has been handed up to 10 years in prison in what's reported to be a first-of-its-kind sentence. Graham Morant was last month convicted of counselling and aiding Jennifer Morant's November 2014 suicide, with Justice Peter Davis noting the devout Christian and self-styled preacher stood to gain $1 million as sole beneficiary of three life insurance policies, report ABC Australia and the AP. "You took advantage of her vulnerability as a sick and depressed woman  because you wanted to get your hands on the [money]," Davis said Friday in Queensland Supreme Court, where he applied the maximum 10-year sentence for counselling suicide, to be served with a six-year sentence for assisting in the death, per the BBC.

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Jennifer Morant suffered chronic pain, depression, and anxiety but wasn't terminally ill when she was found dead in her car at her Gold Coast home with a gas generator and a note reading, "Please don't resuscitate me." Prosecutors later said her husband had taken the 56-year-old to buy the generator at a hardware store and had told her he would use the insurance payout to build a religious commune in the Gold Coast hinterland. ABC Australia describes it as "a haven from the biblical rapture" complete with bunkers. Daviswho referred to the sentence as the world's first for counselling suicidestressed that Morant hadn't shown remorse, reports the Guardian. The 69-year-old will be eligible for parole beginning in 2023. (This suspected suicide turned out to be murder.)
(Newser)  Olin Shane Tannery spent years in prison for assaulting his infant sonand now the Missouri father might end up back behind bars after that son died two decades later. The Kansas City Star reports on the 39-year-old's indictment for second-degree murder, almost seven months after his 20-year-old son Dominick J. Pittsenbarger passed away. Per the New York Post, the Clay County jury that handed down the indictment Tuesday believes injuries from the February 1998 attack on baby Dominickin which Tannery is said to have squeezed, shaken, and thrown the month-old infant to the ground in an effort to stop his cryingultimately led to Dominick's death in April. Doctors didn't initially think the baby would survive the attack, but he did, although he was left with broken ribs, a fractured vertebra, bleeding on the brain, and other head injuries.

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He was left severely brain damaged and used a wheelchair for his entire life. Tannery pleaded guilty to a first-degree assault charge in 1999 and was sentenced to 13 years in prison; he was released in 2007. Meanwhile, Pittsenbarger, who graduated from high school in 2017, was adopted by his mom's husband, Wendell Pittsenbarger, and spent his time watching Sesame Street, shooting baskets, and hanging out with friends; his mother died before he did. "I love that boy and still miss him dearly," Wendell Pittsenbarger tells the Star. "I think about him all of the time." Tannery, due in court Friday, is being held on a $500,000 bond. (An Ohio boy shaken as a baby died 12 years later.)
(Newser)  Katharina Groene was near deathwet, dehydrated, showing signs of hypothermia, and eating a ration of one Pop-Tart per day. She was down to the last 200 miles of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail earlier this week when she pulled out her phone and recorded an apology for those she feared shed never see again, per the Washington Post. The 34-year-old German hiker was soon after saved by a woman she'd met only briefly a week before. Aiming to reach the Canadian border, Groene had refused to turn around in Washington state's Cascade Range on Oct. 24 though local backpacker Nancy Abell advised her to do so. Snow was coming. "I'd been through a storm up in the same area and we couldn't go anywhere for three days," Abell said Wednesday. "I just kept thinking of her being up there alone" without snowshoes.

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Groene, who started at the Mexican border in May but was delayed by visa issues, thought she was prepared enough for the weather, per KOMO News. But back home in Sultan, Abell grew concerned amid heavy snowfall, to the point where she couldn't sleep. Abell called 911 on Monday, giving a location of where she had calculated the hiker might be found. It was "right on," says Sgt. John Adams of the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office. A helicopter search located footprints and eventually Groene, whose phone had no service. "I was crying. I was screaming for help," she said per Tribune Media. And "I knew who called [911]. But who does call for a stranger?" Abell, however, says Groene didn't feel like a stranger after the two hours they had hiked together. Adds Groene, who will stay with Abell until her trip home: "My faith in humanity is definitely restored." (The PCT is actually quite busy.)
(Newser)  A retired Los Angeles detective who's long claimed to have solved one of the most vile murders in American history says he has new evidence pointing the finger squarely at  his father. Steve Hodel has spent decades researching the 1947 murder of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short, dubbed the Black Dahlia, and specifically George Hodel's links to it. An initial suspect who died in 1999, George Hodel hosted Hollywood stars for extended stays at the family's Los Feliz mansion, reports the South Pasadenan. Perhaps most incriminating, he was also a surgeon skilled in hemicorporectomy, the process of cutting a body in two without hitting bone. Short's body, found expertly drained of blood in a vacant LA lot, was treated in just such a way. But Steve Hodel argues a newly surfaced letter identifying the killer as "GH" offers yet another clue.

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Penned by LAPD informant W. Glenn Martin on Oct. 25, 1949, it was discovered by a relative who reached out to Hodel in time for him to include it in his latest book on the murder, out this week. Hodel says Martin, who seemed to fear his daughters were at risk, referred to "GH" as the killer of Short and 28-year-old Louise Springer, who died in 1949. "GH was grilled by police on Louise Springer death; he and I both knew her," the letter reads. "The investigation officers became GH friend, so matter dropped." As operator of a venereal disease clinic, George Hodel was "privy to the sexual disease histories of the rich and powerful in Los Angeles, including cops, prosecutors and celebrities," the South Pasadenan notes. (He also rubbed elbows with an artist whose work he might've been trying to mimic.)
(Newser)  The Trump administration on Friday announced the reimposition of all US sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. The sanctions will take effect Monday and cover Iran's shipping, financial, and energy sectors, the AP reports. It's the second batch of penalties the administration has reimposed since President Trump withdrew from the landmark deal in May. With limited exceptions, the sanctions will penalize countries that don't stop importing Iranian oil and foreign companies that do business with blacklisted Iranian entities, including Iran's central bank, a number of private financial institutions, and state-run port and shipping companies. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who released a list of 12 demands Iran must meet if it wants the sanctions lifted, said they're "aimed at fundamentally altering the behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

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The sanctions include ending support for terrorism, ending military engagement in Syria, and completely halting its nuclear and ballistic missile development. "Maximum pressure means maximum pressure," Pompeo said. Pompeo said eight nations, which other officials identified as US allies such as Italy, India, Japan, and South Korea, will receive temporary waivers allowing them to continue to import Iranian petroleum products for a limited period as long as they end such imports entirely. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said 700 more Iranian companies and people would be added to the sanctions lists under the reimposed sanctions. Pompeo and Mnuchin both said the sanctions will have exceptions for humanitarian purchases. (Hawks in Congress want to get tougher on Iran.)
(Newser)  An influential cleric in Pakistan known as the "Father of the Taliban" has been assassinated inside his own home, reports Geo News. The son of Maulana Sami ul-Haq says his father, believed to be in his early 80s, was stabbed to death while at home Friday. Other reports suggested he may have been shot, too. The cleric's bodyguard had left him alone for about 15 minutes, and "when he returned, he found Maulana Sami ul-Haq dead in his bed and his body covered in blood," the son tells Geo. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Dawn notes that the assassination comes at a volatile time in Pakistan, following the acquittal of a Christian woman on blasphemy charges.

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In fact, the cleric had attempt to join protests against the acquittal Friday, but he returned home because of blocked roads, says his son. It wasn't clear if the protests were connected to his slaying. Haq had twice served as a senator in Pakistan and had close ties to Taliban leader Mullah Omar, reports the Daily Pakistan. He apparently earned his nickname "Father of the Taliban" by serving as leader of a seminary through which many prominent members of the group emerged. Last month, he had been asked by a delegation from Afghanistan to use his Taliban contacts to help broker an end to the Afghan conflict, per Dawn. (That conflict continues to take the lives of US soldiers.)
(Newser)  Among the phrases that appeared in Twitters local trends section for many New Yorkers on Friday were #JobsReport, #FridayFeeling, and Kill all Jews. That last one, Twitter says in a statement, should not have appeared in trends, and were sorry for this mistake, per BuzzFeed, which reports that the offensive phrase appeared for about 10 minutes. The company explains that news coverage and social media discussion of the vandalism of Brooklyns Union Temple synagogue the day before prompted the algorithm that selects trending topics to flag the phrase for the section, the New York Daily News reports. According to reports, the vandalism included phrases like Jew better be ready and end is now being scrawled in black marker on the synagogue.

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Per BuzzFeed, kill all Jews misreported as being among the epithets. The vandalism (which came just days after 11 people were gunned down at a Pittsburgh synagogue) prompted Ilana Glazer, who stars in Broad City, to cancel a Thursday night political event at the synagogue, NBC reports. On Friday, the NYPD made public an image of the suspect, a black man who is about 20 years old wearing a suit red jacket, from surveillance footage. (Read more anti-Semitism stories.)
(Newser)  Earlier this week, Amnesty International condemned the Nigerian army for firing on protesters during a march in the capital. Now the army is using comments by President Trump to argue that the soldiers were within their rights to do so, reports the New York Times. The army's reference is to Trump saying US troops could fire on rock-throwing migrants because he considers rocks to be weapons. The Nigerian army released a video of Trump saying that, and a spokesman elaborated: We released that video to say if President Trump can say that rocks are as good as a rifle, who is Amnesty International? he said. What are they then saying? What did David use to kill Goliath? So a stone is a weapon.

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The army says its soldiers fired in self-defense and killed just a handful of demonstrators, but Amnesty International says more than 40 Shiite Muslims were shot to death, reports Bloomberg. Our soldiers sustained injuries, said the army spokesman. The Shiites even burnt one of our vehicles, so what are Amnesty International saying? A spokesman for the protesters doesn't deny that some threw rocks. But rocks are not equal to bullets, he says. The use of force is disproportionate. I dont think President Trump is a good example." (Trump also took criticism for tweeting this video about immigration.)
Shifting to electric transportation will help solve Egypts traffic and pollution problems

Fifteen electric buses will soon be running on Alexandrias streets. The new vehicles use chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. They are less costly in maintenance and more environment-friendly.

We started experimental operation for the first bus last week, Khaled Eleiwa, chairman of the board of the Alexandria Passenger Transportation Authority (APTA), told Al-Ahram Weekly. This will last for three months, then 14 buses will operate immediately.

Tickets will range from LE5 to LE10 according to the destination.

Eleiwa said the target was to make Alexandria a green city by 2030.

The idea of turning from traditional buses using solar and diesel to electric buses started in 2015.

The cost of annual maintenance and repair of the regular buses reaches LE200,000 compared to only LE50,000 for electric vehicles, Eleiwa said.

The new buses are made by a Chinese company and cost LE4 million each.

Pollution is very high in Alexandria because of the different types of emissions coming out of traditional cars. These emissions are poisonous and cause cancer. Protecting citizens health is one of the main reasons for using electric buses in public transportation, Eleiwa said.

The number of daily passengers that use public transportation in Alexandria is almost 800,000.

The plan to shift to electric buses was thoroughly discussed during the sessions of a conference held in Cairo under the name of Sustainable Transport in Egypt (STE 2018), Cleaner Mobility and the advent of Electric Vehicles.

The event was co-organised by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), a German foundation that promotes social democracy, the Ministry of Environment and the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab region and Europe (CEDARE).

Richard Probst, FES resident representative, told the Weekly that FES and the Ministry of Environment held the event as the first international conference on electromobility (e-mobility) in Egypt.

E-mobility is a general term for the shifting to electric-powered vehicles instead of those using fossil fuels.

We think that e-mobility and electric vehicles, especially in public transportation, can be a cure to Egypts pollution problem as it is a very good way for reducing CO2 emissions in the future, Probst said.

It is very important to focus on e-mobility as an integrated model where all kinds of transportation should be electric, according to Probst. We were discussing even including electric tuk tuks, he said.

The capacity of an e-bus is 90 passengers while cars normally take from one to five passengers. This means that one bus can replace dozens of cars and thus help reduce traffic and pollution at the same time, Eleiwa said.

Ahmed Al-Dorghami, representing CEDARE, told the conference of the importance of partnership between the private and public sectors to draw up public strategies.

There are cities like London, Berlin and New Delhi that now have low-emission zones and are on their way to halting the production of traditional cars and other vehicles using diesel, Al-Dorghami said.

Hani Mounib, a professor at Helwan University, believes that moving to e-mobility is a step that started very late in Egypt. Although the investment to move from traditional vehicles to e-vehicles is very high, Mounib said, it will save billions that are spent by the Ministry of Health for treating patients suffering from cancer due to pollution.

Addressing the transport sectors rising fuel costs and polluting emissions is a priority among planners and policy-makers in Egypt, especially in light of the fiscal burden of fuel subsidies.

Mounib said that while LE110 billion were allocated to subsidise petroleum products in 2017, the bulk of this was directed to imported diesel fuel.

With 9.3 million vehicles in Egypt, there is an urgency for planning an alternative, which is electric mobility as confirmed by various studies.

Car assembly and production in Egypts vocational education curricula are currently void of studies on electric vehicles.

Mounib also sees other benefits of e-mobility: it does not need much training and the production of such vehicles can offer job opportunities to thousands of technical education graduates each year.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 1 November, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Electric vehicles on the way

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Death toll from the collapse of a building in Salmaniya last month has risen to five Wednesday evening with the death of a Bangladeshi national, who sustained major burn injuries in the incident. Three others are still receiving treatment at hospitals with varying degrees of injuries.

Sheikh Mohammed Tauhidul Islam, the Labour Counsellor at the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh Embassy to the Kingdom told tribune, The individual who lost his life on Wednesday evening was identified as Selim Habi Ulla. Selim Habi Ulla was admitted to BDF hospitals burn unit with 70 per cent burn injuries and was in a critical state. A Maison by profession, Habi Ulla was in Bahrain since 2012.

He is survived by his wife and three sons, who are now in Bangladesh. Further there are three others who are still hospitalized with two in Salmaniya Medical Complex and one in BDF Hospital, the Labour Counsellor said. The embassy, the Counsellor told Tribune, has arranged accommodation for those who lost everything in the blast.

Others are living in their own accommodation, with their relatives. The Counsellor also confirmed that the embassy has decided to provide 500 dinars to the families of those who lost their lives in the mishap, 200 BD to individuals who sustained burns and other injuries and 100 BD to others who were living in the building.

The five men who lost their lives in the building collapse were all undocumented. Their bodies were repatriated back to their home countries at the embassys cost. The embassy, Sheikh Mohammed said, is planning awareness programmes in the Capital with other social organisations and Ministry to compel owners and residents there to follow safety requirements to avoid such accidents.

Tribune reported a similar incident on October 9 where a gas cylinder explosion resulted in the collapse of an entire two-storey building in Salmaniya which further damaged several shops around it affecting the livelihoods of almost 180 labourers.
A first of its kind event in the region focusing on Tamil literature and history will be held today. Gulf Tamil Literary Festival is set to be held at the Indian Club tomorrow at 5:30 pm revolving around the theme of Tamil language and history. Organised by Bahrain Tamil Coordination Committee in coordination with the Indian Club it will be held at Indian Club.

Organisers told Tribune that the event is expected to have a huge turnout. Guest of Honour will be Prof Dr P. Ramasamy, current deputy chief minister of Penang, Malaysia. A former member of the Malaysian Parliament for the Batu Kawan constituency, Ramasamy was elected to the Malaysian Parliament and Penang State Assembly in the 2008 election, defeating former Penang Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon.

He is also the first person of Indian origin to hold the post of deputy chief minister in any Malaysian state.Malaysian officials, including Dr Ramasamy arrived in Bahrain yesterday. Speaking to Tribune Dr Ramadan said that his speech at the event today will focus on Tamil history and identity.

I am glad such events are being organised. Tamil history is ancient and rich, its something we can be proud of. This would be a good opportunity to reflect on the rich history and language, he said. Apart from Dr Ramasamy, Ex-Member of Parliament of India Vaiko, Member of Penang State Legislative assembly Satees Muniandy and David Marshel, who is a member of Ahli Majlis at Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai (MPSP) in Malaysia are special guests for the event.

The whole Tamil community is going to be there to make this event a huge success, said Indian Club President Cassius Periera.
The Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) has recognised University College of Bahrain (UCB) as its first affiliate university in the world. The agreement was signed during the 13th AAOIFI & World Bank Annual Conference on Islamic Banking and Finance held in Radisson Diplomat, Manama, Bahrain.

This agreement allows UCB students to be exempted from taking two modules out of four Certified of Islamic Professional Accountant (CIPA of AAOIFI) certification. The move also allows UCB students to register for CIPA exam through UCB admission centre. The deal, UCB said, is expected to solve several issues within talent management of Islamic finance.

One of them is the skills mismatch issue which means the gap between what Islamic finance education providers equip their graduates with and what the market really needs from the graduates.
Thailand is rolling out plans to legalise medical marijuana, an official said yesterday, as the country hopes to cash in on a multi-billion dollar industry with a product its supporters hail as some of the worlds best. Several nations have embraced the use of medicinal cannabis, including Canada, Australia, Israel, and more than half the states in the US.

But Thailand would be the first country in Asia to do so, tapping into a market that USbased Grand View Research has estimated could reach US$55.8 billion by 2025. A draft bill to permit its limited use has been sent to the military juntas National Legislative Assembly (NLA).

We have submitted the bill to the speaker, Jet Sirathraanon, chairman of the NLAs standing committee of public health, said, adding that it will have its first reading in the juntas rubber-stamp parliament in less than one month.
Egypt received on Friday a delegation of French tourists visiting the country to embark on a tour of the path the Holy Family of Jesus Christ are said to have taken, as the country continues to promote the path as an international Christian pilgrimage destination.

In an official statement, Egypts Coptic Orthodox Church spokesman said the delegation was received by Pope Tawadros II at the Coptic Cathedral in Abbasiya on Friday.

This is the first French delegation visiting the country for the Holy Family tour.

In June 2017, an Italian delegation arrived Egypt for the same tour, which comes as part of the Egyptian efforts to incorporate the trip to Egypt by the Holy Family into the global religious tourism map.

The tour takes in numerous Coptic sites throughout the country, including several in Upper Egypt.

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Batelco Group, a regional telecommunications group, yesterday reported a 179 per cent jump in its third-quarter profits, thanks to strong revenues helped by the continued strong performance of all its units including Batelco Bahrain, Umniah in Jordan and Dhiraagu the Groups operation in the Maldives. Increased customer numbers for Broadband services have contributed significantly to the growing revenues with year-on-year growth of 9pc in the total Broadband base.

Yearon-year, fixed Broadband customer numbers are up by 16pc in Bahrain, while in Jordan subscriber numbers are up by 49pc and in the Maldives up by 42pc, said Batelco Group CEO Ihab Hinnawi. The companys net profit attributable to equity holders was BD17.3 million (US$45.9m), a 179 per cent increase from BD6.2m (US$16.4m) from the same quarter a year ago. Earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter was 10.4 fils compared to 3.7 fils in the year-ago quarter.

Revenues rose by 5 per cent to BD101.5m (US$269.2m) from BD96.5m (US$256.0m) in Q3 2017. Revenues were mainly boosted by improvements in broadband and adjacent services, with growing broadband subscriber bases in all three locations. EBITDA stands at BD36.3m (US$ 9 6. 3 m ) c o m p a re d t o BD27.2m (US$72.1m) in Q3 2017, representing an increase of 33 per cent. Operating profit was up by 78pc to BD20.0m (US$53.1m) from BD11.3m (US$30.0m) in Q3 2017.

Batelco Group CEO Ihab Hinnawi said that the successful implementation of the Groups transformational strategy and investment in Fixed LTE, Fibre and Digital solutions across all operations has resulted in strong revenue and EBITDA growth. The results were announced by Batelco Chairman, Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, following a meeting held yesterday at Batelcos Hamala Headquarters.
A journalist who was freed after being held hostage for more than 3 years in Syria is revealing new details about his experience. Jumpei Yasuda says he was kidnapped almost immediately after sneaking across the border from Turkey. His guides turned on him.

Jumpei Yasuda said "We walked for about an hour. At some point, we crossed the border between Syria and Turkey. Suddenly, the two-man team that had been guiding me grabbed my arms. They did not grab me with strong force. It was almost as though they were prodding me. They forced me onto a pick-up truck."

Yasuda said he was moved between 10 different places while in Syria.

At one point he was held in a large facility with other hostages.

Yasuda says his captors appeared organized but never told him if they were aligned with a specific group.

Yasuda said "They never revealed the name of their group. Even if they managed to get a ransom, I think they were still worried about being bombed. I had the impression that they were trying to be secretive about all of this, even to other groups in the area."

Yasuda said he had hoped to report on how people lived in an area controlled by Islamic State militants.

He ended up spending 40 months as a hostage.

He was freed last month and initially stayed in a Turkish border city.

There are still a lot of questions about his release.

Japan has denied paying a ransom but says Qatar and Turkey helped secure Yasuda's freedom.
The Natural History Museum has contributed to the discovery of a new species of papilionid butterfly, officially named Papilio natewa, on the Pacific Island of Vanua Levu, Fiji.

The discovery is all the more remarkable as there are only two swallowtail butterfly species previously known from this part of the Pacific; Papilio schmeltzi, endemic to Fiji and Papilio godeffroyi, endemic to Samoa.



The new Papilio natewa species measures eight centimetres across, with two elongated edges projecting from the hind wings. It has striking black and white zigzags emblazoned on the top of its wings, and a cream and black speckled pattern underneath, all gilded with soft yellows and blue eye spots.



Its such a striking butterfly that scientists are wondering how it has gone undiscovered for so long.



John Tennent, Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum, says: The discovery of a new swallowtail in the Pacific is hard to believe.



The new swallowtail is a big butterfly, recognizable from a distance. There were previously only two swallowtail butterflies known from the region, endemic to Fiji and Samoa. Both are large but dull in appearance. To find a third as large, colourful and unusual, with its long, sword-like tails really is remarkable.



The new butterfly, named this week after the Natewa Peninsula where it was discovered, was first found and photographed by the Australian ornithologist Greg Kerr, who was working on the Fijian island of Vanua Levu in 2017.



The image was sent for identification to lepidopterists around the world, who were puzzled as to what it might be. Not only that, but the butterfly simply did not fit with what was known about butterfly diversity on Fiji, or even in the wider region as a whole.



After confirming that the butterfly had been spotted on multiple occasions, earlier this year a research team returned to Vanua Levu to find the new species and discover more about its ecology. After a few months of field work, the butterflys true habitat was discovered.



John Tennent, who was part of the research team tasked with finding the butterfly, says, I arrived in July 2018, but it was not until early August that I found its probable true habitat and was able to make observations on its behaviour, habitat and ecology. There is still much more to learn about this new species, as the early stages of its life and even its host plant remain unknown.



It does make you wonder what else awaits discovery in the worlds wild places. The key to finding new and interesting things is simply to go and look.



One of the reasons Papilio natewa has remained undiscovered for so long may lie in the butterflys habits. Unusually for a swallowtail, the butterfly seems to be a true forest species, spending most of its life inside the forest at elevations above 250 metres.



It is also unclear as to how the butterfly evolved on the Fijian island. Genetic analysis suggests that the new species has some affinity to Papilio anactus, found in eastern Australia.



The paper has been published in a German journal, Nachrichten Entomologischen Vereins Apollo N.F. The few specimens collected are now in the Fiji National Insect Collection.



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Media contact: Tel: +44 (0) 20 7942 5654/+44 (0) 7799 690151 Email: press@nhm.ac.uk



The Natural History Museum exists to inspire a love of the natural world and unlock answers to the big issues facing humanity and the planet. It is a world-leading science research centre, and through its unique collection and unrivalled expertise it is tackling issues such as food security, eradicating diseases and managing resource scarcity. The Natural History Museum is the most visited natural history museum in Europe and the top science attraction in the UK; we welcome more than 4.5 million visitors each year and our website receives over 500,000 unique visitors a month. People come from around the world to enjoy our galleries and events and engage both in-person and online with our science and educational activities through innovative programmes and citizen science projects. www.nhm.ac.uk


Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State on Thursday announced a reward of N1 million on every illegal AK 47 rifle returned to the state g...





Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State on Thursday announced a reward of N1 million on every illegal AK 47 rifle returned to the state government.





The Governor, who announced this at a news conference in Gusau, said the gesture had become necessary following the unabated increase in crime, especially abduction in the state.





He lamented the level of insecurity in the state, saying in 2015, with just about 250 soldiers, the crime rate was low but with over 1,600 soldiers of different categories, we cannot contain crime in the state.





Yari said with the proposed engagement of 8,500 youths as civilian task force, those involved would be better equipped in the fight against armed banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping in the state.





The Governor explained that many of the youths that would be engaged would come from the rural areas where the crime rate was higher.




Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, has dismissed insinuations that he is a card-carrying member of All Progressives Congress, APC, describing the allegation as claptrap.He said he remained focus in assisting Governor Udom Emmanuels administration to succeed.He stated that those who had written off the governors re-election bid would be disappointed in March 2019.He said: Let the doomsayers wait to see what will happen on election day. They plan victory with violence. I plan victory with dividends of democracy. I remain focused and undistracted. Plots, gossips, and blackmail are what incompetent people thrive in.
The 16 Brigade of the Nigerian Army on Friday commenced `Operation Crocodile Smile III exercise across some states of the Niger Delta, to stem the tide of pipeline vandalism in the region.Maj.-Gen. Jamil Sarham, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Port-Harcourt, said the 2018 operation would not be different as officers and soldiers had been advised to abide by the rules.Sarham said that professionalism would be showcased during the operation in the states under division  Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers.He commended Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa for providing the needed support to the army and other security agencies in the state.Sarham assured the general public that the navy and army would be peaceful during the conduct of the operation.Also speaking, Brig.-Gen. Kevin Aligbe, the Commander, 16 Brigade, Nigerian Army in Yenagoa, said the operation was being conducted under the directive of the Army Chief of Staff.Aligbe said that the Brigade had visited two Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Igbogene and donated relief materials sent from headquarters.In line with the Army Headquarters Training Directive for Year 2018, we have commenced preparations that started on Oct. 22, with multi-agency show of force within Yenagoa metropolis and beyond.Today, we have gathered here at the second army headquarters Nembe for the flag-off of our engagement to dominate the water.In doing so, we are very much aware of the expectations of the GOC, Chief of Army Staff and the general public of our conduct during period of operation.He said that at the end of the exercise, they would want to achieve success in order to undertake future tasks and challenges as the yuletide season approaches.In his remarks, the Bayelsa governor urged the public to support and collaborate with the army to achieve the aim of the operation.Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Kemela Okara, Dickson described the army as a very critical component of the country, especially in the area of security.
The New Agenda for Positive Change, a civil society organization has taken a swipe at the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democrat...

The New Agenda for Positive Change, a civil society organization has taken a swipe at the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for reportedly holding a strategy session with members of his team in Dubai, UAE.





The Dubai meeting had in attendance, Atikus running mate, Peter Obi and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.





Also in the meeting were ex-Ogun Governor, Gbenga Daniel, ex-aide to former President, Reno Omokri, Bayelsa East Senator, Ben Bruce among others.





Reacting, however, the group said the development was a sad reminder of Atikus extravagant lifestyle.





Raymond Clarke Amuna, President of the group, said the development was an indication to his dangerous tendency to hand Nigeria over to foreign interests, with Dubai being his latest preference.





Amuna in the statement challenged the PDP candidate to explain to Nigerians how he intends to run a domestic-oriented economy for the masses with the kind of lavish lifestyle of taking his strategy team with over 400 members to Dubai.





He warned that a vote for Atiku would definitely signal a return to the era where even bottled water is imported into the country and Nigerians will again be conditioned to believe that only things that are foreign are good.





According to him, Each time Atiku Abubakar considers slinking to Dubai he should be mindful of how the opulence of the desert city warps his sense of proprietary. He has never returned from his Dubai trips lucid enough to accept the reality in Nigeria possibly because his guilty conscience pricks him to know that the PDP could have done better for Nigeria in its 16 years of misrule.





There are various exotic venues in Nigeria that he could have used and have members of his team spend money to boost the local economy but he decided to expend his N20 million annual income in ferrying Peter Obi, Secondus and other clowns in his circus to Dubai for the strategy session. It is therefore not surprising that his team issued the statement castigating the government for planning to use the proceeds of privatization to fund the national budget.





The first thing of note is that Atiku Abubakar, a onetime Vice President (1999 to 2007) and by default the Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the time, was the originator of privatization or in laymans term selling government owned enterprises, businesses and assets. It was under him that the chant of government has no business in business or government is incapable of managing businesses first gained ground and have remained a part of our collective psyche today.





This is why even as the nation continues to explore the diversification of its revenue source under President Muhammadu Buhari, people have been conditioned to the point that no one is thinking of creating enterprises that will address unemployment and revenue sources simultaneously.





Secondly, Atiku Abubakar spoke from experience. He is not sure that the national assets in question would be allocated to him and his cronies as it was done under his watch when he held sway over the privatization of most of the countrys assets.





He is therefore definitely waiting until such a time when he is certain that he can acquire the same assets for pittance. His media organization ranted on about how the assets to be sold were built by the PDP without being able to list a single one of them, which implies that the PDP candidate is claiming what he did not achieve.




Registrar of West African Examination Council, WAEC, Iyi Uwadiae on Friday presented attestation and confirmation certificate to Pr...





Registrar of West African Examination Council, WAEC, Iyi Uwadiae on Friday presented attestation and confirmation certificate to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.





The Registrar presented only the attestation certificate because by law it cannot present a new certificate having allegedly issued the first one which the President said was with the Military Board.





Uwadiea came from the WAEC headquarters in Ghana to present the attestation certificate to the President in his mini conference hall.



Femi Adesina, the special adviser to the president on media and publicity confirmed this, he wrote on Twitter: WAEC presents attestation certificate and confirmation of school cert result to President Buhari. What will the naysayers say next?

WAEC presents attestation certificate and confirmation of school cert result to President Buhari. What will the naysayers say next?  Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) November 2, 2018

There has been controversy over whether or not he wrote the OLevel exam having claimed in his affidavit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that his original credentials were with the military.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party, had threatened to go to court over the certificate saga.
Despite being listed among the 50 high-profile Nigerians barred by the Federal Government from travelling out of the country, a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has gone to Germany for surgery.Kalus media aide, Kunle Oyewunmi, who disclosed this, said his principal left the country on Monday aboard a Lufthansa aircraft.Kalu, who is now a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, according to Oyewunmi, left for Wiesbaden, Germany, alongside his wife, Ifunanya.The former governor was said to have gone for a major surgery to address an undisclosed and life-threatening ailment.Kalu, alongside his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, and a former Director of Accounts and Finance at the Abia State Government House, Ude Udeogu, are facing N7.65bn fraud charges before the Federal High Court in Lagos.The 11-year-old case was in September adjourned sine die (indefinitely) by Justice Mohammed Idris, who had been elevated to the Court of Appeal.The fate of the case remains unclear.In a statement made available to our correspondent on Friday, Oyewunmi said Kalu was rushed in an ambulance to Helios Klinik, Wiesbaden, Germany on Tuesday and was immediately wheeled into the surgical theatre.Oyewunmi quoted Kalus wife, Ifunanya, as saying that the surgery was successful, adding that the ex-governor had regained consciousness.According to the media aide, Ifunanya, in a quavering voice, over the telephone on Friday, lamented her husbands health status.Although the surgery was successful, my husband will still have to be monitored closely by a medical team for at least four months in order to prevent complications.His condition is improving gradually.He will be fine, if he is able to keep to his doctors advice.We appreciate the prayers and kind words from friends, associates, well-wishers and Nigerians in general, Oyewunmi quoted Ifunanya to have said.
Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano governor, on Friday failed to appear before the state house of assembly committee investigating the videos of ...





Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano governor, on Friday failed to appear before the state house of assembly committee investigating the videos of him allegedly receiving kickbacks from contractors.





The governor sent Muhammadu Garba, commissioner for information, and Ibrahim Mukhtar, justice commissioner, to represent him.





Ganduje was said to be busy attending to pressing engagements at the government house.





According to the justice commissioner, the letter of invitation gave Ganduje the option of sending a representative or a written document as provided by the countrys constitution.





The information commissioner, lawyer to the governor, submitted his position on the alleged bribery videos.





The governor denied collecting bribe from contractors, saying the video clips were aimed at tarnishing his image politically.





He said: Such untruth publications was done to the Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi the II and also to the former Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau.





Baffa Danagundi, chairman of the committee, commended the commissioners for standing in for the governor.





He said the committee will scrutinise the video on Tuesday in the presence of the representatives of both parties to the matter.





Daily Nigerian has so far published no less than three videos showing Ganduje allegedly receiving kickbacks in dollars.




President Muhammadu Buhari, Friday, felt disappointed over the delay in passage of budget by the National Assembly, not as he demanded commendations from Nigerians for the little he was able to achieve.Buhari was quoted by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, when he received a delegation of Eminent and Respected citizens of Niger State led by Lt. Gen. Garba Duba (Rtd) at the Presidential Villa as saying that the governments achievements in ensuring better roads, rails, power and repositioning of the airports was in spite of the delays in the passage of budget, and prayed for more understanding and commitment to infrastructural development.If the National Assembly takes seven months to pass a budget, then we should be commended for the much that we have achieved, and can still achieve.I personally feel very disappointed. I spoke with the leaders of the National Assembly on the issue that seven months is a long time to work on a budget, he said.The President said ongoing efforts to improve road, and rail networks across the country will be increased as infrastructural development remains paramount for improving the livelihood of Nigerians.President Buhari told the delegation, which includes Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, military and traditional leaders, that his administration will pay more attention to the stretch of 2,150km federal roads in the state.On security, he said, we cannot manage our communities and societies without security. A lot of resources is being diverted to provide security instead of going into infrastructural development.The President re-assured the delegation that his administration will stay focused on securing lives and property, fighting corruption and stimulating the economy for more progress.President Buhari said the Minister of Agriculture and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria had been directed to increase monetary supports, through loans, to farmers in the next farming season, and ensure that farmers are not overwhelmed with the traditional demand for collaterals.Traditional institutions and families can serve as guarantors because we cannot continue with that colonial style of asking for collaterals that people dont have, he added.The President commended the Chinese government for accepting to finance 85 per cent of Nigerias infrastructural development need.I thank you so much for coming. It is a good morale booster for me and the country that a State will bring a strong delegation to show appreciation for our efforts, he said.In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, Lt. Gen. Duba, who is a former military governor, commended the President for the significant stride in repositioning of roads, rails and airports across the country.He said Niger State still faced challenges of security along Jebba-Mokwa-Birnin Gwari-Kaduna roads, urging the President to reinforce surveillance on the routes and also direct more attention on the construction of federal roads in the state.The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, who is also the Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, commended the President for providing exemplary leadership for the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he and the late Gen. Shehu Musa YarAdua were classmates at both the primary and secondary scho...



President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he and the late Gen. Shehu Musa YarAdua were classmates at both the primary and secondary schools, noting that they both joined the Army after the completion of their West African School Certificate Examination. President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he and the late Gen. Shehu Musa YarAdua were classmates at both the primary and secondary schools, noting that they both joined the Army after the completion of their West African School Certificate Examination.





Buhari said that he and the late Gen. YarAdua wrote the WASCE in 1961.





The President said this as he defended the presentation of his WAEC certificate to him by the West African Examinations Council on Friday.





WAEC Registrar, Dr. Iyi Uwadiae, made the presentation at the Presidents mini conference hall at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Friday.

Uwadiae, who was accompanied by senior staff of the council, performed the ceremony during a courtesy visit to the State House.





Taking to his verified Twitter handle @MBuhari after the presentation, Buhari tweeted:





Today I received the attestation and confirmation of my 1961 West African School Certificate (WASC) Examination result from the Registrar of the West African Examinations Council.





It was also an opportunity for me to thank WAEC for upholding its integrity over the years.





As a Nigerian military officer, it would have been impossible for me to have attended the Defence Services Staff College in India in 1973, and, after that  in 1979  the United States Army War College, had I not sat for the WASC examinations, which I did in 1961.





The late Gen. Shehu Musa YarAdua was my classmate. We spent close to nine years in boarding school, at primary and secondary levels.





And from there, after our WASC, we moved to join the Army, where we had to take a military examination as one of the requirements.





The President, however, referred to the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) as WASC throughout his post.





See the tweets:

Today I received the attestation and confirmation of my 1961 West African School Certificate (WASC) Examination result, from the Registrar of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). It was also an opportunity for me to thank WAEC for upholding its integrity over the years. pic.twitter.com/coJpMFZ0Kr November 2, 2018

As a Nigerian military officer, it would have been impossible for me to have attended the Defence Services Staff College in India in 1973, and, after that - in 1979 - the United States Army War College, had I not sat for the WASC examinations, which I did in 1961. pic.twitter.com/pqTGMpcyC2 November 2, 2018
Kevin De Bruyne will be sidelined for up to six weeks after the Manchester City star suffered knee ligament damage in Thursdays League Cup win against Fulham.De Bruyne limped off in the closing minutes of Citys 2-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium after falling awkwardly in a clash with Timothy Fosu-Mensah.The 27-year-old had scans on Friday that revealed the left knee injury is serious enough that he is unlikely to be back in action until mid-December, although he does not require surgery.De Bruyne only recently returned from another knee problem that forced him to miss two months this season, limiting the Belgium international to five appearances.His absence during a busy period is a major blow for Premier League leaders City, who face crucial Champions League fixtures, the Manchester derby and a trip to Chelsea before De Bruyne is likely to be fit.Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne suffered knee ligament damage in his left knee during Thursday nights Carabao Cup fourth-round win over Fulham, a statement on Citys website said.The Belgian underwent scans on Friday at the CFA. No surgery is needed but he is expected to be out for between 5-6 week
iStock/Thinkstock(CAIRO)  At least seven people were killed and multiple others were injured in an attack on a bus carrying Coptic Christians to a monastery in Egypt on Friday, a spokesman for Egypt's Coptic Church told ABC News.



The bus was traveling from the Egyptian city of Sohag to the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor, in Minya, both south of Cairo, according to the church's official television channel.



Egypt's government news service released a statement from an unnamed security official saying at least 12 people were injured. Earlier Friday, the church television channel had said 10 people were killed.



The church said in a statement that the bus was carrying several members of the same family. Graphic images shared by the church showed children among the injured.



A similar attack took place in May 2017, when gunmen fired at a bus carrying Christians to the same monastery, killing at least 28 people. ISIS claimed responsibility for that attack.



Egypt's state-run newspaper Al-Ahram on Friday quoted an unnamed security official from the Minya governorate who said the main road to the monastery had been closed to vehicles since last year's attack and that the bus attacked Friday had used an alternative route to reach the monastery. The source said authorities were still searching for the attackers.



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Bayelsa State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, formally welcomed a former Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and former Special Adviser to the President on Presidential Amnesty Programme, Chief Timi Alaibe to the party.Former Lagos Assembly Speaker, Pelumi, six others arraigned over alleged murder of Police DSPAlaibe was received alongside other chieftains of the APC including former Secretary to Bayelsa State Government, SSG, Chief Gideon Ekeuwei, former PDP chairman in the state, Chief Rufus Abadi, and a two-time former Commissioner for Information in the state, Chief Nathan Egba and over ten thousand of their supporters.The defectors were received by Governor Seriake Dickson and the National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Uche Secondus, who was represented by the South-South Zonal Vice-chairman of the PDP, Mr. Emmanuel Ogidi, in Yenagoa.The defectors, who had earlier been hosted by the governor, expressed gratitude to the state governor for giving them a rousing public reception.In his remarks, Alaibe said: By hosting us this way, the governor has added value to our return to the PDP. I must tell you that with this rally, pundits are ashamed because they did not believe that we were going to be received in this manner.We left All Progressives Congress, APC, because they dont keep to promises. You can see that their house is in chaos.We are coming back to support you so you can continue to invest in other areas including what you have already done in the health sector like the diagnostic centre where a former president came to be diagnosed.On his part, Dickson said:  APC didnt know the value of Chief Alaibe and all these wonderful political leaders. I feel sorry for them. Our brothers and friends, in the new Bayelsa State that we have been creating, we believe in brotherhood, oneness, and unity.I keep telling everybody that the disagreement of the past belongs to the past. All the mistakes of the past belong to the past. As governor of this state and leader of our people, my concern is the future.
A former Minister of Aviation and senator representing Anambra North, Stella Oduah, has disagreed with the saying that the youths are the leaders of tomorrow.According to Oduah, the youths only need to have their potential productively enabled and the country will see a fast rise in their abilities to lead today as opposed to the tomorrow that never comes.The former minister, who said this at a youth convention in Anambra, noted that certain requirements must be met before the youths could have an amazing life.She said, They say that the youths are the leaders of tomorrow but I believe the contrary. I believe that youths are leaders of today. All they need is the necessary support and enabling environment. Also, the youths can reach their full potential if they are productively enabled. This is one of the underscoring points of my action for what I call Fundamental Human Capital Development.The need to build a constituency of independent, enterprising and self-reliant young men and women has always been my motivating factor for seeking elective office. I believe that our young people, that is the youths, all they need is a mentor, guidance but most importantly great skills and talents built in them.My talk today is about the amazing life that is in all of us. The amazing life that the youths can have if only we can train them; If only we can give them the opportunity to emulate that which is good. If only we can provide the way to go. In doing so, we need nothing less than 2,500 youths in different skills.
Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, to express his sincere condolences for the victims of the terrorist attack on a bus carrying Coptic Christians, which killed at least seven and injured 12 near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Upper Egypt's Minya on Friday, a statement released by the church said.

El-Sisi had issued a statement on his official Facebook page shortly after the attack mourning the victims, vowing to continue the war against terrorism.

Meanwhile, Egypts prosecutor-general Nabil Sadek has dispatched a team of prosecutors to the site of the terrorist attack to start investigations.

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Egypt's Azhar, the country's highest Islamic Sunni authority, condemned the terrorist attack which killed at least seven Copts and injured twenty near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Upper Egypt's Minya on Friday afternoon.

Al-Azhar extended its condolences to all Egyptians and to the families of the innocent victims.

In an official statement released on Friday evening, Al-Azhar said "the culprits of the cowardly terrorist attack are criminals who were stripped of basic human values and are as far as could be from the teachings of religions, which call for coexistence and peace, the renouncing of violence and hatred, and criminalization of the killing of the innocent."

Al-Azhar stressed that "the targetting by terrorists of Egyptians will only increase their determination marching foward united in the war against terrorism."

Egypt's Minister of Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa also condemned the "terrorist, sinful and vile attack," saying "an attack on any person on Egypt's soil is an attack on all Egyptians."

Gomaa said that it was a "religious, patriotic, and human duty to report any terrorist."

Egypt's parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal also condemned the attack, saying "it aims to undermine the security and stability of the country."

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi had issued a statement on his official Facebook page shortly after the attack mourning the victims, vowing to continue the war against terrorism.

The President also called Pope Tawadros II, the head the Coptic Orthodox Church, to extend his condolences to the families of the victims.

Meanwhile, Egypts prosecutor-general Nabil Sadek has dispatched a team of prosecutors to the site of the terrorist attack to start investigations.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi and attendees at the World Youth Forum observed a moment of silence on Friday evening in Sharm El-Sheikh for the victims of the terrorist attack which killed at least 7 Copts and injured 20 near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Upper Egypt's Minya today.

The World Youth Forum, which is organized by Egypt, is officially taking place from 3-6 November in Sharm El-Sheikh, South Sinai.

The President asserts, in the presence of youths from different parts of the world, that Egypt will always stand strong in the face of terrorism and extremism, the Presidents official page on Facebook

Earlier today, El-Sisi issued a statement also on his official Facebook page mourning the victims, vowing to continue the war against terrorism.

The Egyptian President also called Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, to express his sincere condolences for the victims of the terrorist attack on a bus carrying Coptic Christians

Meanwhile, Egypts prosecutor-general Nabil Sadek has dispatched a team of prosecutors to the site of the terrorist attack to start investigations.

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The UK, Germany, and Arab States condemned a terrorist attack which killed at least seven Copts and injured 12 near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in Upper Egypt's Minya on Friday.

In a tweet, British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said he was "appalled at news of the attack", adding that "his thoughts were with the families of the victims."

"The UK will continue to support #Egypt and all its people in the fight against terrorism," Burt said.

UK's ambassador to Egypt Sir Geoffrey Adams also tweeted to offer his condolences to Egyptians for the attack.

"I offer my deepest condolences to all Egyptians as we mourn together the loss of innocent lives today. Britain stands with Egypt against terrorism," the ambassador said.

The German Ambassador to Egypt Julius Georg Luy also denounced the attack.

"I deeply suffered of this resurgent and vile attack on peaceful Egyptians in Minya," Luy said, adding that "there was no justification to carry out such violent terror attacks."

The German envoy affirmed his country's support to Egyptian people.

The US Embassy in Cairo said "it condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack on Egyptian pilgrims tofay in Minya and we offer our sincere condolences. We stand with the Egyptian government and people against terrorism."

A statement by the European Union's Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations also denounced the attack.

"Todays attack on a bus of Coptic Christian pilgrims in Minya, Egypt has again exacted a toll of civilian deaths and injured," the spokesperson said, adding that "the attack was a stark reminder of the security challenges that Egypt is facing."

The EU spokesperson expressed "its condolences to the bereaved, and stands side by side with Egypt in its efforts to defeat terrorism in the country."

Saudi Arabia also condemned the deadly attack, according to Saudi Press Agency.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the shooting incident that targeted a passenger bus in Minya governorate in the Arab Republic of Egypt and resulted in the death and injury of a number of innocent people," SPA reported quoting an official source at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The source reiterated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's stand with Egypt against these terrorist acts, extending condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Egypt, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery," the SPA said.

The UAE also condemned the attack, calling it 'heinous'.

''The UAE stands in solidarity with the government and people of Egypt in confronting extremism and terrorism, which seek to undermine Egypt's stability and its national unity,'' Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said in a statement.

King Abdullah II of Jordan extended his condolences to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah-El-Sisi for the victims of the attack, condemning "the coward attack and stressed his country's support to Egypt in its efforts to fight terrorism, and preserving its security and stability."

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also expressed his condolences to Egypt's El-Sisi, according to the official Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA).

Al-Sabah expressed his country's "robust denunciation of this horrific terrorist act that targeted the innocent and aimed at jeopardizing Egypt's security and stability".

Friday's terror attack, which killed at least seven Copts and injured 12 near the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor, is the first major attack on the Coptic minority, which makes up 10-15 percent of Egypt's 104 million population, since the deadly bombings of two Coptic churches on Palm Sunday in April 2017, and the deadly terror attack shortly after on a bus carrying pilgrims, also to the same Minya monastery, in May of 2017.

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The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said it attacked Sanaa International Airport and an adjoining airbase being used by Houthi insurgents, as the two warring sides also clashed further west in the countrys main port city.

The violence broke out days after renewed US calls for a ceasefire in the three-and-half-year war that the Saudi-backed government suggested it was ready to support.

Houthi forces were using the airbase in the capital to launch drone and ballistic missile attacks, a coalition spokesman told Saudi state al-Ekhbaria TV on Friday.

Flights and international aid efforts were not affected, Colonel Turki al-Malki said.

Al-Masirah TV, which is controlled by the Houthis, said more than 30 air strikes targeted al-Dulaimi Air Base in Sanaa and the surrounding areas.

In the port of Hodeidah, fighting broke out early on Friday in a southern district, residents and military sources said.

The coalition had massed thousands of troops near the city on Wednesday, in a move to pressure the Iran-aligned Houthis to return to UN-sponsored peace talks.

The sources in Hodeidah said fighting was heard in areas near the airport and the university, and Apache helicopters were spotted in the sky.

Forces loyal to the Saudi-backed government have said coalition strikes were intensified on Thursday night on Houthi bases near the eastern entrance to the port city, which is a gateway to the capital, and in its southern part.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Oil prices steadied on Friday after a week of heavy falls as markets braced for the imposition next week of US sanctions on Iran, which Washington hopes will halt exports of Iranian oil.

Brent crude oil LCOc1 was up 5 cents a barrel at $72.94 by 1235 GMT. The contract has fallen 6 percent this week and almost 12 percent since the beginning of October, when it reached its highest since 2014.

US light crude CLc1 was 25 cents lower at $63.44, down more than 13 percent since hitting four-year highs a month ago.

Investors are concerned about the prospects for oil supply when new US sanctions are implemented against Iran on Monday.

Washington has said it aims eventually to stop all Iranian oil exports but has granted several countries waivers on sanctions, allowing them to continue imports for a while.

The US government has agreed to let eight countries, including South Korea and Japan, as well as India, keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes the sanctions, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a US official.

Oil prices look to remain under pressure, as fears of global oversupply have returned with a vengeance, said Ashley Kelty, oil and gas research analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe.

A list of all countries getting US waivers allowing them to import Iranian oil is expected to be released officially on Monday, industry sources say. Despite these efforts, waivers are likely to be only temporary.

Goldman Sachs said it expected Irans crude oil exports to fall to 1.15 million barrels per day by the end of the year, down from around 2.5 million bpd in mid-2018.

Beyond Iran sanctions, oil output has been rising significantly in the past two months.

Russian Energy Ministry data showed on Friday the country pumped 11.41 million bpd of crude in October, a 30-year high.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries boosted oil production in October to 33.31 million bpd, up 390,000 bpd and the highest by OPEC since 2016.

And in the United States, crude production C-OUT-T-EIA is now well over 11 million bpd, putting the United States in a neck and neck race with Russia for the title of top producer.

But Goldman Sachs analysts say they expect Brent prices to fall to $65 a barrel by the end of next year, largely due to the unleashing of Permian (US shale) supply growth once new pipelines come online.

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Related Pompeo suggests US may lift Turkey sanctions linked to pastor

The United States lifted sanctions on Friday on two top officials in Turkish President Tayyip Erdogans cabinet, a sign of improved relations after Turkey freed an American pastor from detention three weeks ago.

The United States had imposed sanctions on Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu in August to protest the case of Andrew Brunson, an American Christian pastor who had been detained by Turkey for two years.

The US Treasury Department announced on its website that the sanctions had been lifted. Turkey immediately matched the US move by lifting sanctions on two corresponding US officials - US Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the foreign ministry said.

Tensions between the NATO allies on this and other issues have weighed on the Turkish economy. After Fridays move, Turkeys sovereign dollar bonds jumped, with many issues adding 1 cent or more.

Erdogan and Trump discussed improving relations between Washington and Ankara during a call between the two leaders, the Turkish presidency said on Thursday.[nL8N1XC785]

The White House did not have any immediate comment on the lifting of the US sanctions.

Brunson, who had lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, was swept up in raids after a 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan. He was jailed two years ago and up until his release last month had been under house arrest since July, accused of links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a cleric blamed by Turkeys government for the coup attempt.

Brunson maintained his innocence, and his case was championed by US evangelical Christians.

After a July deal to free Brunson fell apart, Washington imposed sanctions and tariffs on Ankara that sent the lira tumbling.

Relations have also been strained by US support of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, Turkeys plans to purchase a Russian missile defense system and the US jailing of an executive of a Turkish state bank in an Iran sanctions case.

Washington has also been pushing Turkey to release Turkish- American Serkan Golge, a former NASA scientist, who was arrested in the 2016 crackdown, as well as Turkish citizens employed by the US. State Department who were detained in the sweeps.

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'True Detective' Season 3 Trailer: Mahershala Ali and the Case of 7 Dead Kids in Arkansas

By Dustin Rowles | TV | November 2, 2018 |

Heres the official trailer for True Detective season 3, and heres how HBO describes it: A story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods. Mahershala Ali stars as Wayne Hays, a state police detective from Northwest Arkansas. Carmen Ejogo and Stephen Dorff also star.

That kind of undersells it, because it also stars Mamie Gummer and Scoot McNairy, among others, and it doesnt mention that the incredible Jeremy Saulnier directs the first two episodes and that one of televisions best directors, Daniel Sackheim (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Americans) takes over from there.

It also doesnt really explain that season three seems to return to its roots, so to speak, by featuring those different timelines and a case of what appears to be seven dead kids that haunts Mahershala Alis character through all three timelines. Forget everything else, this is the perfect template for a great crime fiction story, and the fact that Mahershala Ali stars in it and that its set in the Ozarks of Arkansas just makes it all that much more intriguing.

Im even willing to ignore Stephen Dorffs terrible 80s hair.

True Detective Season 3 debuts on HBO on January 13th.

 49ers Cheerleader Kneels During The National Anthem | 'The Nutcracker and the Four Realms' Review: The Best Bit Is When Keira Knightley Eats Her Own Hair 

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.

Header Image Source: HBO
Google employees around the world walked away from their desks today to protest an alleged culture of sexual misconduct at the tech company whose services most of us use on a daily basis. At offices in California and New York, as well as Singapore, London, and Berlin, employees responded passionately to last week's New York Times revelations that high-ranking Google employees accused of sexual misconduct had received severance packages worth millions of dollars.

One such employee was Andy Rubin, the creator of Android. Rubin left the company in 2014 with a $90 million exit package; it is now clear that he departed in the wake of a sexual misconduct claim. He was asked to leave by Google co-founder Larry Page.

According to an open letter written by a group of women employees at Google and published by New York magazine's The Cut early Thursday morning, many Google workers found details revealed by the Times investigation to be unsurprising but galvanizing. They're now calling for a cultural shift away from "Google's history of harassment, discrimination, support for abusers" and towards a more equal workplace.

"All employees and contract workers across the company deserve to be safe," the letter reads. "Sadly, the executive team has demonstrated through their lack of meaningful action that our safety is not a priority. We've waited for leadership to fix these problems, but have come to this conclusion: no one is going to do it for us. So we are here, standing together, protecting and supporting each other."

Those who took part in the global walkouts this morning posted images and slogans to social media, using the hashtag #GoogleWalkout. As part of the protests, workers are demanding that Google discontinue its practice of settling sexual harassment cases via private arbitration. They're also calling for more salary transparency.
The Latinx musical revolution is upon us. Actually, it's been going on for a while.

Take a glance at the charts: Spanish-speaking artists are heavily inspiring today's top pop stars and enjoying heavy radio play stateside  regardless of a potential language barrier. Just look at Cardi B's massive Spanglish smash "I Like It" with J Balvin and Bad Bunny, DJ Snake's "Taki Taki" with Selena Gomez, Ozuna and Cardi B, and Drake and Bad Bunny teaming up for "MIA." Remember Beyonce dropping her remix of J Balvin's "Mi Gente"? And of course, there was Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's utterly inescapable "Despacito" with Justin Bieber.

Reggaeton and Latin trap, especially, lead the way. But there's a new sound trickling in as well. Something old, actually. Specifically, the sound of Southern Spain's flamenco.

And that's where Rosalia comes in.

Born and raised in a small village in Catalonia, the 25-year-old multi-hyphenate creative is continuing to lead the charge on the Latinx front while paving her own path with her unique brand of traditional-meets-next-level sound, blending the emotionally-charged flamenco of her upbringing in Spain with more modern electronic production and the nostalgic R&B-pop melodies of the Top 40 radio she grew up on, from Destiny's Child to Justin Timberlake.

After releasing her debut Los Angeles in 2017, which she effectively describes as a love letter to the tradition, Rosalia returned a year later with the entrancing "Malamente," captured in a stunning bullfighting-themed visual that blends elements of folk iconography with the modern world. It quickly went viral  26 million views and counting  inviting the world to the first chapter of El Mal Querer, Rosalia's sophomore record, out today, which splits its individual songs into chapters to tell a full story.

Her music is arresting, provocative and undeniably fresh. Her album art and videos are rich with meaning and powerful choreography. Above all, there's that voice: the passion, and the alternating aggression and vulnerability with which she sings  especially live  is palpable.

She is, quite simply, the real deal.

PAPER met with the charismatic artist ahead of the release of her album, just after filming with Pedro Almodovar and Penelope Cruz for an upcoming film, to discuss her unique brand of music-making, her origin story, her creative process, and her vision for the future.

I was at your showcase last night. I was so impressed. I just want to warn you now: my Spanish pronunciation is terrible. No problem. Maybe we can try to do a mix, like English-Spanish? That would be great. It's good for me to practice in English. This is the first time I'm doing interviews in English.

Really? Yeah, but I'm kind of excited! If I can't understand something, I'll ask you. We will get through this. If I speak in Spanish, you understand? Yes... mas o menos. ("More or less.") Perfecto. ("Perfect").

Okay, "Malamente." There's so much symbolism in the video. Can we talk about the inspiration behind that? For me, "Malamente" is like when you have a feeling something bad is going to happen, but even still... tu vas pa' ello. ("You go for it.") "Malamente" is the first chapter of this new record, El mal querer. I'm kind of experimenting with electronic sound to find something new. At the same time, the tradition is there. My flamenco foundation is there. I was talking to this director I admire and love, Nico Mendez. I wanted to work with him hace muchos anos ("for many years") and he didn't pay attention. He was very busy, until finally I showed him these two songs: "Malamente" and "Pienso en Tu Mira." He was so excited when he heard them. I grew up in a small village in Baix Llobregat (a county on the coast of Catalonia, Spain.) It's called Sant Esteve Sesrovires. It's pretty small. Around the village are industrial fabricas (factories), like poligono industrial (industrial parks)  a lot of trucks, always. I got very used to that. Also, the culture from the South of Spain is very present. There's a lot of immigration from the South, so flamenco is very present. My grandma also used to make me go to church on Sundays sometimes. Those are the kind of things I experienced. Son cosas como de lo imaginario, cultural, mio. Que hay a mi alrededor. ("They're things from my imagination, my culture... the things around me.") I was telling that to the director. The tracks were coming from a very masculine place. Powerful. Como algo fuerte. ("Something strong.") That was enough for him to do the mind-blowing visual poem he did, with the bullfighting inspiration as a metaphor for the story of El mal querer.

Billboard recently declared you were leading the flamenco reinvention. In terms of Latin music in America, we hear a lot of reggaeton, but flamenco is definitely not so common.

It's different, right? I feel like it's a very special music. I'm so in love with the music. I would like everyone else to fall in love with that music as well. There is a lot of passion in the music, especially when you were singing last night. It was so intense and powerful. What are you thinking about when you're performing? The lyrics are very important. Flamenco has so many different subjects. It's a very old style. Life, love, fighting, spirituality, death  you can find everything in flamenco. That's why I love the music so much. When I'm on stage, I feel like a channel  like I have to let the stories of the songs pass through me. The most important thing que tiene estar el primero plano ("that has to be at the forefront") is the emotion and story. Not me. That's all I'm thinking about. I care about connecting with the lyrics. The lyrics guide you. You just have to pay attention to what's happening in that moment, how the audience is and the energy that you receive. Do you find that there's a song that everyone seems to be responding to most when you're performing live? That's interesting. "Malamente" is the first song of the show. I think it's interesting, because nobody expects "Malamente" to be first.

"Life, love, fighting, spirituality, death  you can find everything in flamenco."

No! I didn't either!

Right? That's a surprise. I like that. For me, it's como un reto ("a challenge"). Something that motivates you to maintain the energy since that's the song most people know. Then, in the middle of the show, you find this motorcycle song ("De aqui no sales"), which is the most oppressive. I feel like people  maybe some don't understand the lyrics, or maybe they're not expecting something like that  but it's powerful, especially the attitude of the girls on stage. It's another moment I think people connect. They react. They say something. And that's so cool, because in flamenco, when you're at a concert, the audience is always talking, like "Ole! Arsa!" I like when that happens, because I'm used to that style. Those moments are some of my favorites.

So you're referencing flamenco, which is older, but then, you have some very new sounds. I believe you said you were inspired by 2000s pop, like Justin Timberlake and Beyonce.

Yes! I grew up with that music. I grew up listening to Justin Timberlake and Beyonce songs. They are big references for all artists of my generation. They're iconic. These melodies, like the "Cry Me A River" melody, is iconic. "Say My Name," those lyrics are iconic. It's like I'm honoring the melodies that have been in my head since I started listening to music. You also worked with a new producer [Pablo Diaz-Reixa, known as El Guincho]. I'm curious what your creative process is like. Do lyrics come to mind first? It depends. Sometimes it's the lyrics, sometimes it's melody, sometimes it's the production and the beat. When it's the lyrics, I do it in a more traditional way. The way that the lyrics are written in flamenco is very specific. I start there, and then I compose. Do you ever wake up and have a melody in your head and you just record it? I never have those moments in the morning. [Laughs] It's more like I'm about to go to sleep, and start getting relaxed, and the melody appears. I'll record it then. But usually, I never work like that. I'll keep it just in case, but I usually never use it. I usually work in the studio and get more focused. I love being in the studio.

Was it recorded all in one place?

No, it was in El Hierro, an Island in Spain, which was very, very cool. Madrid, Barcelona  a lot of different studios. El mal querer, I feel it's like important to me because it's like... mi trabajo final de carrera ("my final project"), like I'm in university. I've spent two years of my life on this. But you did do an album before this (Los angeles, released in 2017). That doesn't feel like your final project? No, it was different. What was it to you? The first one? I feel like it was a tribute to the tradition I love so much and have been learning for all these years. The lyrics, the melodies  that's all very important to me. I wanted to start with my roots.

So you started with tradition, and now you're kind of bringing in newer sounds. I feel like the flamenco inspiration is still there, but in a different way. The production is different. I wanted to compose. On the first one, I didn't compose. This one, I composed a lot. People don't really give enough credit to the artist for composing. I love that you say that, because production and composition is so important. Girls don't get enough credit. There's not that many, but something's changing. There's more and more. In this new generation, I find more female top-liners in the studio. I find more women engineers. That's very important that they get the credit and visibility. And you also wrote the J Balvin track, "Brillo." Yeah! I was in Las Vegas for the Latin Grammys. I saw Sky, this producer who works with Balvin... Sky rompio! Sky rompiendo! Yeah, yeah, yeah! [Laughs] I was so excited to see him. We spoke on the phone the day after... I went to the studio and he did this amazing beat one hour before. I started writing, and in four hours or something, we got that song. I wasn't sure that it was for me. Sometimes I do music for other artists, and I enjoy that. But Sky was like, "No, no, no. You have to sing it. You have to do it, Rosalia." He was really saying it, so I was like, then why don't you show it to Balvin? I love Balvin. I love his music. I love him as an artist. I was excited about the idea of doing something with him. Balvin liked the song and said he wanted it for his record. I was super excited. By the end, with his part, it's a beautiful song. I'm very proud.

It's great  and a lot of exposure for you, too.

Of course, but I was not trying. It was just something I enjoyed because I love his music. I think he's the most amazing artist at this moment. What he's doing for the Latin culture, for music in Spanish... he's risky in his decisions. The way he does music, he's so smart. It's beautiful, and it makes you move. Does his crossover success inspire you then? Is that something you're interested in? Absolutely. I feel like all Latin artists are inspired by the way he does music and his position in the industry. It makes you think, hey, Latin music is having this amazing moment, and artists doing music in Spanish can do it internationally. That's inspiring. I want to talk about the album, especially the cover, which is gorgeous. Wasn't it just unveiled in Times Square? [Squealing] Yesterday, yeah! We went yesterday to see it. [Laughs] It was crazy, I couldn't believe it.

I follow the illustrator (Filip Custic) on Instagram. The artwork is full of symbolism. He is amazing. I was telling him it was super important for me to do a powerful cover and show this feminina muy directa ("direct femininity")  which is why the nudity is there, but it's a pure nudity. It was important for me. And this light around the head. For me, this is the end of the story. El mal querer is a record with a story. Yeah, you have the songs listed as chapters. Yeah, and so this is the last one. The image that you have in your head when you end the record. But not the last record you'll ever make, right? Mmm... nah. [Laughs]

It's interesting you bring up the light around your head on the cover, because I thought one very cool part of the show was the moment where it was like a straight beam of light on you, singing pretty much a cappella. Absolutely, I feel it's muy emocionante ("very moving") because it's empty. Sometimes less is more. I'm very comfortable in a minimalistic mode. I've talked to people at labels, and friends in America who don't even speak Spanish, and they've responded strongly to your music. I love a lot of international music, so a language barrier isn't weird to me, but there are a lot of people who don't handle that well, and they still like your music. Why do you think it works for them? Si el lugar desde que tu haces las canciones tiene verdad ("If your music comes from a truthful place"), then the people will feel it. Sometimes I think people underestimate the audience. You can't, though. The people can feel when it's real and when it's not. In my opinion, it's as simple as that. It doesn't matter what language you're using. If the music doesn't have emotion, it doesn't happen.

People have obviously been writing about your music now for a while since your debut. There's a lot of social media feedback, the press, all of that. Do you feel there are misconceptions about your work? I kind of live in a bubble. I try. I want to keep doing my music as free as I can, because I feel like my intuition is the most important thing I want to take care of. I want to preserve it, so I live like that. I still try to be connected with people and know what's going on, but at the same time, I don't really look at the press that much. That's good. You shouldn't  not because it's bad, but because it can change your perception of what you should do. It can change it, exactly. I want to keep focused, making music and spending my time in the studio, on stage and with the people I love. On another note, you recently shot a scene with Pedro Almodovar, super casually, for his upcoming movie, Dolor y gloria. [Gasps] Yes! Crazy. You can't even imagine... he's my very favorite artist in Spain. His energy is crazy. He's a very good leader and a good director  his energy is so good. He used to come to the shows I did in Spain when I was touring with my first album, Los angeles. He'd been twice or something. I remember him crying to the song "La hija de Juan Simon." It's a very traditional song from Spain. I was so shocked to see Pedro feeling the song. He connected to my music and I connect to his movies, so it was very natural and organic to work together.

Acting is obviously different than performing music, but... It's kind of the same for me. Yeah? I mean, the technique is different. But at the end, it's the same. I used to study theater. Just for one year, but it was something that left a big impression. But... it was shocking that I did my first scene in a movie with Pedro.

"Si el lugar desde que tu haces las canciones tiene verdad ("If your music comes from a truthful place"), then the people will feel it."

That's a big start.

[Laughs] That's a big start. It's a crazy start. I couldn't believe it, but he made me feel very comfortable. He's so involved in the situation and his energy is so good. I get so inspired by the way he works. And Penelope [Cruz], too. Penelope is... wow. Her eyes. Most impressive I've ever seen. I'm telling you...

Were you intimidated?

Kind of! Because she has strong energy. I never met somebody as strong as her  the energy! The presence. You can feel her. When she walks into the room, you feel her presence. I feel like in my country, there are so many good artists. Spain is having a big moment of creative energy. Are there artists, international or at home, you're hoping to collaborate with or write for? There are collaborations with Spanish musicians on El mal querer, but not artists like I would like to do in the future, like Kendrick Lamar. I love him and the way he does music. I'm super open-minded. There's no music for me that's better than another. I like all styles, as a musician, and finding different ways to use my voice and my head when I'm composing. I would love to do music with any musician I admire. I would feel lucky to do music for anyone. I think what's most exciting here right now are artists from other places. Different cultures. I agree. And now, the genuine thing is more important than the perfect product.

Yes. What's popular has shifted from untouchable pop superstars to something much more relatable and tangible. Yes! In the industry, maybe 15 years back, maybe you'd be a pop star and go into the room where everyone thinks for you. But now? It's not like that. Maybe some do that, but I feel like the artists right now at the top are the creative directors. They hold the reigns and control everything. They have the vision. For me, I started from nothing, from the bottom... Like Drake? Yeah, yeah. [Laughs] That pushed me find a way to work and make music and do my composing. What's something you learned from the first album experience? Is there anything you're doing differently? I feel like on the first album, I was producing, but I didn't know that I was doing it. On the second, I'm conscious of it. I'm doing it and I have the control.

Were you not confident about claiming production on the first album? Maybe not as much as now. Maybe. I was making so many decisions, but I was not as confident as now. Now, I'm going to do everything, even if I collaborate with other people who write, because that's smart to work on a team. It makes you go mas lejos ("further"). But I'm playing the bass lines. I'm playing the keyboards. I'm doing percussion. I'm doing the clapping. I'm singing. I'm choosing the chords. I put that credit on my album  I want people to know. Bjork's also talked about that. Yeah! Bjork is an inspiration for me. She does that. It's important for people to know. Right, because they see a name you worked with and assume that's who did it. Ah, exactly! That's not fair for girls. It's not. I'm spending two years of my life in front of a computer... I've been spending so much time. It's my music. It's my life.

Related | 100 Women Revolutionizing Pop

The power in your music  it's masculine as you said, aggressive, assertive. Which is interesting, compared to the femininity of the album imagery, to have the two sides of presenting yourself. I like that. I like this masculine and feminine voice at the same time. In the show, I worked with Charm La'Donna, this amazing choreographer. She used to say, "What do you envision? How do you want to move?" I was like... I want powerful movements. Masculine movements. I like that confidence. I feel like something strong is the most important thing for me to present on stage. It's not just beauty. It seems like you're already a seasoned performer. That was my sixth show. Of the new music? Yeah! And we had so many technical problems in the other shows. I needed to do it perfect. I was like, "Oh, I hope we don't have any technical issues." It was one of the best, I think. The audience sometimes doesn't even know, but you know one note was played wrong, and you're bothered by it. Yeah! [Laughs] You have to keep going. On stage, it's always about that: it's always about keep going. The more you can keep going, the better you'll do.
The "Linguistic" Component of the Khashoggi-gate Narrative

11/02/18

By Fareed Marjaee

Ultimately, "language" and "metaphor" are the building blocks of an established political paradigm. In that vein, we can examine the linguistic framework that international news is presented to the public.

The "Regime"-- For some years now, in its official language the American media refers to the governing bodies in Iran, Syria, Russia and Venezuela as "regime". On the other hand, Egypt and Pakistan have (legitimate) "government". Saudi Arabia is a "kingdom". However, after Jamal Khashoggi's death, in the past 3 weeks, Christian Amanpour and a number of media pundits have been using the term "Saudi Regime" in their language. We have to wait to see if the terminology will change back to "kingdom", or not.



"Lebanon Premier, Hariri" - In the past 4 weeks, we notice that the reporting around Saa'd Harirri's recent journey to Saudi Arabia surprisingly has been presented as kidnapping or involuntary stay in Saudi Arabia. This language by former diplomats, pundits in the media certainly has a new tone. Whereas, before, only Iran and Hizbollah in the region had emphasized Harriri's controversial stay in Saudi Arabia as involuntary.



The "Yemen war" -- Up to Khashoggi's disappearance three weeks ago, the language and the narrative of Yemen war and blockade in the news was not highly charged; certainly it was not apprehensive enough to question weapons transfer from UK, Germany and the US to Saudi "Kingdom". In the past 3 weeks the civilian toll and the destruction of Yemen war has taken on a highly charged tone in the news media. For example, on Monday October 21, 2018, The New York Times published a first page story on Yemen war.



Lastly, the CIA official Gina Haspel's trip to Turkey was another interesting news item. In the public sphere, the irony was missed that an intelligence official who had destroyed "evidence" on torture, had gone to Turkey to investigate "evidence" on torture and assassination.
Iran Lawmaker Amir Khojasteh Raises Alarm On Widespread Corruption

11/02/18

Source: Radio Farda

An Iranian Parliamentary official says financial corruption is widespread "in all of the ministries of the Iranian government." Amir Khojasteh, MP and chairman of the parliamentary group for combating financial corruption has accused "some state officials" of "spreading corruption" and failing to curb it while it was still possible to do so, alluding that the situation is beyond rescue.



Iranian MP Amir Khojasteh

At the same time, in the latest cases of financial corruption two local officials were arrested on charges of embezzlement and bribery on Thursday October 31.



Addressing the ministers of President Hassan Rouhani's cabinet, Khojasteh said, "There is widespread corruption in all of the ministries and that is where combating corruption should start," The Parliament's news agency, ICANA, quoted him as saying.



Earlier, Vice-President Es'haq Jahangiri had said that "corruption is so widespread that it has reached some top state officials."



In a reference to the fact that well-connected individuals receive special treatment at government offices, Khojasteh pointed out that corruption among government officials has engulfed the banks and the customs administration where some individuals benefit from special privileges.



He called on cabinet ministers to start combating financial corruption from their own offices regardless of corrupt individuals' political affiliation.



Former MP, Ahmad Tavakoli had said earlier that there was systematic financial corruption in the Islamic Republic, charging that the "Children of many state officials are financially corrupt."



"Children of many state officials are financially corrupt."

cartoon by Sana Hosseinpour, Iranian daily Ghanoon



However, in the past, parliament speaker Ali Larijani and his brother Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani had ruled out systematic corruption in the Islamic Republic.



This comes while in two recent cases on Thursday October 31, the chairman of Mining and Industry Organization of Northern Khorasan province was arrested on charges of embezzlement, and the local governor of Chabahar in Sistan and Baluchistan province has been jailed for taking bribe, Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, reported.



Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei previously called for more serious punishments for corrupt officials. This is contrary to his advice to the media about "not making a fuss about corruption."



The fact that many senior officials are openly speaking about corruption could signal a desire from the top to unmask and clamp down on some corrupt officials, to show concern at a time when economic hardship has drastically reduced living standards for ordinary Iranians.



During repeated popular protests this year people came out accusing the regime of corruption. Now, with U.S. sanctions making the situation more volatile, the Islamic Republic needs to placate public anger and reduce the chances for more mass unrest.



But whether the anti-corruption slogans by officials is too little, too late to be convincing, remains to be seen.



MP Gholam Ali Jafarzadeh Imanabadi has recently pointed out that "corruption in Iran is so widespread that the law cannot do anything about it."



Imanabadi has said in a controversial equivocal remark that "Combating financial corruption had better start from the Supreme Leader's office." It is not clear whether he meant Khamenei should be the flag-bearer of anti-corruption measures, or he wanted Khamenei to combat corruption in his own office.



Outspoken regime insider turned critic Abolfazl Qadiani has accused the Islamic Republic of "A widespread, deep-rooted financial corruption unprecedented in Iran's modern history, and systematic plundering of public assets by regime officials," and called for "reforming the laws that give way to despotism, and putting an end to tyranny," as the "definitive solution to Iran's problems."



In a highly critical open letter released in the Summer of 2018, Qadiani said, "Ayatollah Khamenei chants slogans in support of social justice, but gives hefty privileges to individuals close to him or linked to his office in order to buy their loyalty," warning that that the practice destroys productive economic activity.



The latest ranking by the International Transparency Organization has put Iran in the 131st position in terms of economic corruption among 178 countries.



According to the ITO, the Islamic republic is 113 steps more corrupt than the United Arab Emirates, 56 steps than Turkey and stands 23 points lower than Egypt.
Importers and retailers of textile prints in Accra are opposing the government's policy to use the Tema Port as the single corridor for the importation of textile products.



According to the traders, any move to adopt the single port policy would put undue financial burden on them and throw them out of business.



The government has announced that a tax stamp policy and the single port policy for the textile industry will start on November 15, this year.



The move by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is meant to check tax evasion and guard against the piracy of textile designs.



That arrangement means that the Aflao Border, which has been the most patronised for the importation of textile prints, can no longer serve that purpose.



The policy was supposed to have started in July this year but was postponed to November 15 to make way for consultations with traders and other players in the textile Industry.



Fierce resistance



As part of the engagement, the Trade Ministry has been holding regional town hall meetings to educate the key stakeholders, especially the traders.



One such meeting was held in Accra yesterday that brought together importers and retailers, mainly from the central business district of Accra.



The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kyerematen, while addressing the traders, reiterated that the single port policy would be rolled out as planned.



However, the traders mounted a spirited defiance of the initiative, stressing that they would resist the policy.



In what appeared to be a well-rehearsed agenda, the traders, in a chorus, stated that they wanted to be allowed to import from other ports.



They also complained that the cost of imports was high and asked for a reduction in duties.



Mr Kyerematen and the President of the National Cloth Sellers Association, Mrs Christiana Laryea, had a tough time controlling the traders, who chanted intermittently to register their opposition to the policy.



Resolute stance



The minister, nonetheless, stood his ground and said the government would not relent in its effort to implement policies to salvage the local textile industry from pirates and tax evaders.



He explained that the tax stamp, the single corridor and other policies that were being rolled out in the textile industry were meant to strike a balance for local textile manufacturers, importers and consumers.



"We are determined to go ahead to implement policies that will save the textile industry.



We want to stop illegal importation and also ensure that importers pay the right duties at the port to ensure that local companies are not treated unfairly," he stressed.



Pay tolls



For his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mr Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah, urged traders in the various markets to pay their rent and market tolls religiously to help the assembly and the government undertake development projects that would benefit them.



He said, for instance, that the AMA would rebuild all dilapidated sheds at the Makola Market next year to improve on conditions there.



"The AMA spends about GHc60,000 a week and GHc240,000 a month on fuel alone to cart refuse from the markets. We are including the rebuilding of sheds at the Makola Market in the 2019 budget.



We need money to do all these and so if you do not pay what you are supposed to pay to the assembly and the government, it will be difficult to undertake projects to benefit you," he said.

Source: Daily Graphic









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Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage(AUCKLAND, New Zealand) -- Prince Harry and Meghan Markles 16-day, four-country tour is over, but one fan is still recovering from the encounter she had with Meghan.



The fan, Hannah Sergel, is a 20-year-old from Christchurch, New Zealand.



She created one of the most touching and viral moments of Harry and Meghans tour when she made the around 600-mile trip from her home to Auckland, where the royals visited Tuesday.



Sergel stood for hours at the Viaduct Harbour in Auckland to secure a spot that would be close to Meghan and Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.



She caught Meghans eye amid a sea of people because the two had communicated on Instagram before Meghan closed her social media accounts.



Meghans reaction to seeing Sergel in person was caught on camera, and the rest is history, or at least one super fan's dream come true.



ABC News' Good Morning America spoke to Sergel about how she came to befriend Markle, and what it was like to meet the Duchess of Sussex in person.



Here is GMA's email Q&A, edited for length:



How did you become friends with Duchess Meghan on social media?



I first followed her on Instagram and Twitter after seeing her in Suits and would just comment on some of her photos [and] tweets, casually.



After a while, she started engaging with me more by replying back to my tweets and comments/questions. Eventually, she followed me back [on Instagram] in January 2016 and we continued talking from there.



What were your conversations about?



Many conversations would be her encouraging me to be the best person I could, talking to me about starting university and just well-wishes in general. The main takeaways were definitely to just be myself, do what I love and always be kind.



I was definitely disappointed [when Meghan closed her social accounts] that I was going to lose contact with her through social media, but I was so happy she had found someone to spend the rest of her life with. She was so happy and that was what mattered.



What was the moment like when Meghan recognized you in Auckland?



I was honestly so shocked, its such a blur. I tried to keep my cool (not very well) but it was definitely difficult.



It was a very short conversation as it was just as they were supposed to be leaving.



But, after she recognized me she said, "Oh my gosh, how are you? So good to finally meet you." I answered, then she said, "Come here," and hugged me.



She thanked me for coming out and making contact and I asked her to read the letter I gave her, which she said she would.



I didnt expect her to recognize me, let alone spend time with me! I had hoped to see her or even get the chance to speak with her, but never expected anything like this to happen. Im still so blown away that she recognized me AND came over to me.



Shes honestly such a genuine person.



How do you think Meghan is handling her role as Duchess of Sussex?



I think its amazing that shes using her platform to inspire good change in the world.



Even before she was a duchess, she was engaged with [United Nations] Women and anti-racism campaigns so I think its wonderful that she is able to use her voice to stand up for what she is passionate about.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
New Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday of his countrys very difficult economic situation, on a trip seen as vital to Islamabads efforts to obtain fresh loans.

Pakistans foreign reserves have plunged 42 percent since the start of the year and now stand at about $8 billion, or less than two months of import cover.

Last month, Pakistan received a $6 billion rescue package from Saudi Arabia, but officials say it is not enough and the country still plans to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avert a balance of payments crisis.

It would be Pakistans 13th rescue package from the multilateral lender since the late 1980s.

Meeting Xi in Beijings Great Hall of the People, Khan said hed come to China to learn.

My party has only been in power for two months. Unfortunately we have inherited a very difficult economic situation, Khan said.

Countries go in cycles. They have their high points, they have their low points.

Unfortunately, our country is going through a low point at the moment with two very big deficits, a fiscal deficit and a current account deficit. And so we, as Ive said, have come to learn.

Xi told Khan that he highly valued the two countrys relations, reaffirming they were all-weather friends.

I attach great importance to China-Pakistan relations and am willing to work together with the prime minister to strengthen the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership and build a new era of China-Pakistan destiny, Xi said.

Neither man mentioned any economic aid in comments made in front of reporters.

Khan, accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, will meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday, when the two countries are expected to sign a series of agreements.

Though China is Pakistans closest ally, Khans newly elected government has sought to re-think the two countries signature project, the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which Beijing touts as the flagship infrastructure program in its vast Belt and Road Initiative.

Pakistan has sought to amend CPEC to put greater emphasis on projects that focus on social development, rather than purely on infrastructure.

After visiting Beijing, Khan is set to be a key note speaker at a major import fair in Shanghai, an event being touted by China as an opportunity to show the world the country welcomes foreign companies and their products.

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January 22, 1966 marked the start of a new era for Ghana. Modernization was supposed to come in the shape of of 1,030 megawatt-generating Akosombo hydroelectric dam inaugurated that day.



The giant Volta River project was constructed in collaboration with the United State and with support from the World Bank which would be able to produce vast quantities of cheap power, boosting the creation of a modern and industrial state. This is a little history of Nkrumah's Akosombo hydroelectric dam.



As Ghana population grows, power consumption increases and when power consumption increases power generated was not sufficient for the entire population so Ghana encounted Dumsor under President Jerry John Rawlings, President John Agyekum Kufuor, President Atta Mills, President John Mahama and at the earlier stages of President Akuffo Addo's government this current government suffered dumsor. That was when a member of parliament in opposition described it as "presor" meaning the power outages was frequent.



Dumsor during President Mahama's era was the longest that have ever happened in the history of Ghana and it affected families, hospitals, factories, businesses and universities. It drastically reduced productivity in the entire country.



Former President Mahama tried to solve the dumsor situation by bringing in power barges but the power problem couldn't solve, Ghana owed Nigeria pertaining to the West Africa gas pipeline so there was not enough funding for fuel to power the other thermal plant.



Dumsor was ended during President Akuffo tenure after serious criticism from the opposition leader in parliament (Haruna Iddrisu) calling the situation "presor". Mr President through his economic management team was able to mobilize funds to clear the Nigerian gas debt and have been able to sustain electricity power till now. Mahama should be truthful and thankful to President Akuffo Addo for clearing his mess.



Edmund Kyei

1st Vice Chairman Asokwa NPP

Member of NPP Communication









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Communications Director for the Ministry of Education [MoE], Ekow Vincent Assafuah has categorically stated that the conversion of the Unity and Katanga halls into mixed halls at the KNUST is never the cause of the recent riots by the students.



Most Ghanaians believe the recent violent demonstration in the University was as a result of the school authorities converting the single sex halls into mixed halls.



According to Vincent Assafuah, the students have confirmed they never meant any violent protest until they realized some colleagues of theirs had been arrested in line of their peaceful demonstration.



This was because government accepted their grievances in good faith, engaging in negotiations to address their issues at hand.



It was not the conversion of single halls into mixed that caused the KNUST chaos as being speculated all over the country, but the arrest of students by school management, when there were engagements behind the scenes by government to resolve the misunderstandings between the school council and students, he said.



In a one-on-one interview on UTVs Adekye Nsroma show, the MoE Communications Director indicated the Student Representative Council [SRC] have admitted taking up the full cost of the damaged caused by some students in the school, but the school council have to access the total amount of the damage caused for the necessary decision to be taken first.



The Chancellor of the KNUST, His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has gone to inspect the extent of damages caused by irate students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).



Barely a week ago, students of the school went on rampage to register their grievances against school authorities, destroying school properties in the process.



The Occupant of the Golden Stool in his visit was accompanied by some chiefs of the Kumasi Council and some members of the Vice Chancellors Ghana.



On his arrival, he first inspected the administration block and later the Transport Section, TEC Hospital area and finally at the Office of the Dean of Students.



Peacefmonline gathers that the cost of destruction amounts to GHC 1.7 million.





Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall Friday called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House moments after their arrival in Ghana.



The royal couple, who are on a four-day visit to Ghana, as part of a week's tour of West Africa that has already taken them to Gambia, are in the country to celebrate the shared values and cultures between the United Kingdom and Ghana.



On arrival at the Jubilee House, Prince Charles inspected a full guard of Honour mounted by a detachment of the Ghana Army, and took the National salutes of both countries.



Prince Charles, who turns 70 this year, would hold bilateral talks with President Akufo-Addo, and the pair is expected to celebrate the history and significant ties between both nations.



The Prince as part of his visit to the country, would attend a programme at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Accra, and leave for Kumasi on the morning of Saturday, November 3, 2018 for a Durbar that would be held in his honour, and also visit the Kumasi Central Market.



He would on Sunday, November 4, 2018, join President Akufo-Addo for a thanksgiving service at the Ridge Church in Accra, and later visit the Osu Castle.



On Monday, November 5, 2018, the Prince Charles is to address a public lecture at the Accra International Conference Centre, and visit the Jamestown quarters of Accra later in the day.



He would be honoured on the same Monday with a State Banquet at the Jubilee House.



The Prince and his wife, leave Ghana for the United Kingdom on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

Source: GNA









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Some irate youth in Gomoa Budubram popularly known as Liberia Camp, a suburb of Kasoa in the Central region, have threatened to burn police vehicles should they attempt patrolling the area.



The decision taken by the youth, is coming after the police allegedly shot and killed a resident, Alhassan Awudu popularly known as Asah Wednesday.



According to eyewitness, two police patrol vehicles with the registration numbers GP 4757 and GP 4836 from Kasoa Division stormed the area to search residents because they suspected they were having drugs suspected to be Indian hemp (marijuana) on them.



The aggrieved youth narrated their ordeal to Rainbow Radios Nana Yaw Asare and stated that, the police on weekly basis storm the area to harass and extort money from them.



They also alleged that the poli8ce extort between GHc2,000-2,500 from residents suspected to be dealers in marijuana.



The angry youth disclosed the police started firing shots at them after they failed to give them money and in the process, a bullet hit Awudu.



The body was conveyed by the Kasoa police and currently at the police morgue. The Kasoa divisional police command is yet to comment on the incident.



The youth have called government to as a matter of urgency investigate the matter or blood will start flowing whenever the police make an attempt to arrest someone in the area, an angry youth said.

Source: rainbowradio.com









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Passport application forms are now free, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has announced.



Effective today, passport applicants will have to download a PDF format of the passport application formfrom the Ministrys website, it said.



However, it said the 50 cedis and 100 cedis processing fee for regular and express services remain unchanged.



A statement issued Thursday evening to address some of the concerns of the public regarding passport acquisition in the country said payment of the processing fees will no longer be done at the bank.



Payment can only be made by mobile money (MTN, Vodafone) and Visa or MasterCard, it indicated.



The new system, the Ministry explained, does not replace the already existing online Passport Application System at the Accra Passport Application Centres.



On the issue of shortage of passport booklets, it said the Ministry it is currently assisting the Passport Office to adopt a number of steps including improvements in procurement, and that hopefully, shortage of booklets should be a thing of the past.



According to the ministry, a significant number of completed passports remain uncollected for months and years now.



Effective Monday November 5, 2018, all applicants who applied before September 15, 2018 and have not collected their passports can visit www.mfa.gov.gh to check the list of uncollected passports and to make plans to claim them from the various Passport application centres.



The Ministry is also appealing to Ghanaians to endeavour to apply for a Passport when they have need for it, it said.



These measures, it said, would restore confidence and help ease the process of passport acquisition in the country.













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The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Tamale North Constituency, Alhaji Alhassan Suhuyini, is of the view that governments initial intervention into the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) impasse without the involvement of the Chancellor, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II , is a sign of disrespect.



According to him, government should have consulted the Chancellor, who is also the King of the Ashanti Kingdom, before taking any move.



I mean if government was minded, and if they respected his stature, some of the decisions that they took wouldnt have been taken without consultation with him, the Tamale North MP said Monday on TV3s New Day.



The Asantehene was Monday tasked by government to within five days lead the reconstitution of the Universitys Governing Council to take over from the Interim Council, which government had earlier constituted to investigate and manage the crisis that led to the closure of the school.



This directive came a few days after government had directed the Vice Chancellor, Professor Obiri Danso, to step aside for investigations to continue.



But the dissolution of the Council and the directive for the VC to step down was fiercely resisted by interest groups including University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), TEWU and others, some of whom withdrew their services in solidarity with the Council and the VC.



Government created mess for Otumfuo to clean



Mr. Suhuyini thinks the latest development of bringing in the Asantehene is a retreat on a mess the government created. He has been so disrespected in the process of creating this mess, and after the mess is created, he is now being asked to clean it and that is why Im sorry for him, he said.



So you dont take those decisions only for those decisions to backfire and then you retreat and make him the carrier of the mess. Mr. Suhuyini, however, has confidence that the Asantehene has what it takes to bring closure to the unrest at the university.



He said the Asantehene is a wise man who will deliver on his mandate.



But knowing the wisdom with which he is made of, I am sure that he will steer this to a very impressive end, he stated.



Political interference



He claimed the intervention of government in the first place smacks of political interference, making reference to the cases in the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) and the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), where he claimed the removal of the VC and rector, respectively, were politically motivated.



Even though Mr. Suhuyini admits government has a responsibility to take steps in helping resolve the issues in universities, he maintains it must know its limits.



But Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, rebuts that the involvement of government in the Universitys impasse did not amount to any interference.



I fail to see the interference. Of course, government has not involved itself with the running of KNUST, he rebutted.



He expressed worry that the Minority in parliament always want to read political meaning into everything situation that require government attention.



Let us not try to create issues where there is none, he stated reiterating his point that government has done nothing untoward in the KNUST issue.

Source: 3news.com









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The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are expected in Accra today on a five-day visit.



During the visit, their Royal Highnesses will celebrate the close relationship between the United Kingdom (UK) and Ghana, the importance of their Commonwealth ties and shared values.





The visit, which is part of a West Africa tour, will be the Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwalls first visit to the Commonwealth since Commonwealth Heads of Government unanimously decided the Prince should succeed Her Majesty The Queen as the future Head of the Commonwealth, during the Commonwealth Summit held in London in April this year.



The summit was the largest of its kind in British history, with leaders agreeing a range of actions to build a reformed and revitalised Commonwealth that was fairer, more sustainable, prosperous and secure.



Activities



A statement issued by the British High Commission in Accra said on arrival in Accra, their Royal Highnesses would be welcomed at the Jubilee House by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo.



It said they would attend a State Banquet organised by the Presidency in their honour celebrating the ties between the UK and Ghana, attended by senior dignitaries, a number of British, Ghanaians as well as prominent figures from business, arts, culture and the media.



The Prince will also attend a meeting with Ghanaian and International business leaders to discuss sustainable practice in Ghanas cocoa industry and key environmental issues. His Royal Highness will visit the Christianborg Castle, once Danish, and then British, slave fort, which was -until a few years ago, the seat of Ghanas Government after independence, to discuss the future restoration and reuse of the area, as part of a major redevelopment of Accras waterfront, conceived by the Ghanaian Government with the Architect Sir David Adjaye, it said.



Reception



The statement said as part of activities today, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Iain Walker, will host a special reception to celebrate the visit to Ghana and to mark Prince Charles 70th birthday, ahead of the official celebrations in the UK on November 14.



Among those attending will be several specially invited guests who share the same birthday as His Royal Highness. They will be joined by members of the British-Ghanaian Diaspora, members of the UK community in Ghana, and Ghanaians  from all walks of life  who share a close connection with the UK.



Prince Charles would share his reflections on the Commonwealth at a forum at the Accra International Conference Centre.

It said President Akufo-Addo, representatives from Commonwealth organisations and a cross section of Ghanas youth who represent the future of the Commonwealth would attend the forum.



The visit will highlight a number of important commitments made by the Commonwealth Heads of Government during the Commonwealth Summit, it said.



Plastics



The statement said Prince Charles would also bring together global partners at a Plastics Round-table to discuss implementation of the Commonwealth Blue Charter and their collective responsibility to tackle marine plastic pollution.



It said he would see the work of local artists who were turning plastic waste into art to raise awareness of plastic pollution.



It said the Duchess of Cornwall would also be joined by Ghanas First Lady, Mrs Akufo-Addo, to launch the Queens Commonwealth Essay Competition, the worlds oldest international schools writing competition at another event.



Commonwealth youth under the age of 18 are invited to express their hopes for the future, opinions of the present and thoughts on the past. This is the first time this competition, an important platform for the voices of young people, will be launched outside the UK.



This event will be one of the first of Her Royal Highness activities in her new role as Royal Commonwealth Societys Vice Patron, which was announced earlier this year, it added.



The statement said the Duchess of Cornwall would also host the Commonwealth Big Lunch, a festive gathering that will bring together children from schools across Accra to celebrate the shared values of the Commonwealth and to promote Ghanas rich cultural diversity and community spirit.



Recognition



It said their Royal Highnesses would also host an event to recognise the sacrifices that had been made by the UK, Ghana and other Commonwealth nations to create a more secure world.



They will lay wreaths at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, to acknowledge the sacrifice made by Ghanaian and British soldiers during the First and Second World Wars, and in more recent times during international peacekeeping missions.



They will be joined by the President, the First Lady and His Royal Highness, the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward. As the Centenary of the Great War approaches, their Royal Highnesses will reflect on the Commonwealths ongoing efforts to respond to todays global security challenges.



The statement quoted Mr Walker, as saying on the visit that: The Royal Visit comes at an exciting time for both the UK and Ghana.



In the six months since the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the Commonwealth has been working together to drive forward our commitments to build a Commonwealth that is fairer, more sustainable, prosperous and secure.



Their Royal Highnesses visit is a moment to celebrate the warm, enduring relationship and our shared ambition for the Commonwealth.



Last official visit



The Prince of Wales' last official visit to Ghana was in March 1977 but it will be the Duchess of Cornwalls first visit to Ghana.



During his last visit, Prince Charles attended the Golden Jubilee of Achimota School, formerly The Prince of Wales College, and a durbar in Kumasi.



He has been an active supporter of the Commonwealth for over 40 years and shows his support to the Commonwealth through official visits, military links, charitable activities and other special events.



The Queens visit to Ghana



It would be recalled that in 1961, the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, paid a royal visit to Ghana.

Undoubtedly the worlds most powerful woman at the time, the young Queens visit was four years after Ghana had gained independence from her country.



The visit witnessed parades and festivals in her honour with kings, queenmothers, princes and a host of other nobles present to pay homage to the ruler of the Commonwealth.



Her visit was preceded by lengthy deliberations.



The Queen told the Prime Minister of the country at the time, Harold Macmillan, I am not a film star, but I am the head of the Commonwealth and I am paid to face any risks that may be involved.



Nor do I say this lightly. Do not forget that I have three children. Thus Queen Elizabeth II agreed with Macmillan the previous week when he conveyed to her his Cabinets advice that she should carry out her royal visit to Ghana, despite a spate of bombing incidents in Accra protesting the rule of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.









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In the wake of frequent shortage of passport booklets in the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appealed to Ghanaians to apply for passport only when it becomes necessary.



Acquisition of passport in Ghana has become a major challenge for Ghanaians and the Passport Office due to a number of factors, including inadequate printing machines, breakdown of equipment and shortage of passport booklets.



It usually takes some people more than a year to acquire a Ghanaian biometric passport, which ordinarily should take about four weeks to be processed in the case of a regular service.



The situation has allegedly created a booming business for some persons who parade themselves as agents and are able to facilitate quick acquisition of passports, in some cases within 24 hours, at a cost of at least 700 cedis.



The Passport Office has recently received backlash for its inability to process passport applications on time, as well as the cumbersome and centralised process, which applicants say overburden them.



In view of these, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday issued a statement to announce some reforms to help resolved the challenges that have characterised passport acquisition in the country.



Appeal



The statement said the Ministry is assisting the Passport Office to adopt a number of steps, including improvements in procurement of passport booklets.



The Ministry is also appealing to Ghanaians to endeavour to apply for a passport when they have need for it.



Passport forms now free and available online

Hopefully, shortage of booklets should be a thing of the past, it said, and added



It announced the purchase of passport application forms from banks and post offices have been scraped and put in place an online system where the forms would be downloaded for free from the Ministrys website.



That, it explained is part of measures to make the passport application forms readily accessible to all Ghanaians.



Payment for the passport processing fees of 50 cedis and 100 cedis for regular and express services respectively at the bank has also been abolished. Effective November 1, all the payments are to be made through mobile money and MasterCard.



Delays partly caused by applicants



Meanwhile, the Ministry has partly blamed passport applicants in the country for the delays in the processing of passports.



According to the Ministry, its checks at the Passport Office have revealed some applicants do not provide accurate and verigiable information when applying for passports.



The Ministry through the Passport Office has learnt that delays in passport processing occur partly as a result of the failure by applicants to provide accurate and verifiable data or information, it said in a statement Thursday.



It has consequently asked all applicants to ensure information they provide on the application form is accurate to ensure speedy processing of passports.



Again, it said not only does inaccurate information delays in the processing of passports, providing misleading information with your passport application is an offence under the laws of Ghana.



The Ministry thus reminded all applicants that they are responsible for all the information they provide, even when someone else completed the application forms for them.









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France has launched a nationwide investigation into abnormal rates of babies born with missing or malformed limbs in several regions, after 11 new cases were identified.



In October, the country's health agency, Sante Publique France, presented at a press conference seven cases in three different geographical areas that had been alerted by the regional register for birth defects, Remera.



Additional tests conducted with hospital data in the Ain region, near the Swiss border, revealed more suspect cases, totaling 18 over 15 years from 2000 to 2014. For now, the cause remains unknown, said Health Minister Agnes Buzyn.



"It could be an environmental issue. It could be what they ate or what they drank. It could be something that they've breathed in. I don't know," Buzyn told French TV station BFM TV.



Pesticides are suspected to be to blame for the deformities, with the particular products likely to no longer be on the market, Emmanuelle Amar, director of Remera, told CNN in an email. She added this is based solely on assumptions for now. "These cases occurred at a given time and then they stopped occurring. Either that the product used is no longer being used, or that the person or entity that was spreading it has now stopped spreading it" she said.



The first step will be to evaluate, among the 11 suspected cases, those that really correspond to transverse agenesis (the failure of the limbs to fully develop) of the upper limbs, the health agency said in a statement. All cases will then be analyzed and teams across multiple organizations will investigate what the affected families have in common.

Source: CNN









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Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to end human trafficking with the support of its partners and stakeholders.



The affirmation was highlighted when senior Government officials and representatives of the United States Government met, on Wednesday, in Accra to discuss progress in achieving the objectives of the US-Ghana Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership.



The CPC is the first-ever jointly-developed plan to address forced child labour and child trafficking for sex in Ghana.



Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others.



Members of Ghana's delegation included Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations; Madam Gifty Twum-Ampofo, Deputy Minister, Gender, Children and Social Protection; and Madam Yvonne Atakora-Obuobisa and Director of Public Prosecutions, Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General.



The US representatives were Mr Christopher J. Lamora, Charge d'Affairs, US Embassy in Accra and Mr Joel Maybury, Deputy Director, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.



The CPC Partnership, signed in Accra, in June 2015, outlines the commitment of the four participating ministries  the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of the Interior; and the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations  and the US Government to work collaboratively to enhance the protection of Ghanaian children and hold traffickers accountable for their crimes through arrests, prosecutions, and convictions.



Mr Baffour-Awuah said the Government was committed to ending human trafficking in the country and thus making sure that CPC agreement was met.



He said his Ministry was working towards the elimination of child labour; stating that the practice was hazardous to the development of children.



Mr Baffour-Awuah said about 1.2 million children were involved in child labour in the country.



He, therefore, urged the media to help the Government in the fight the menace.

He said the Government had placed a ban on travels to work in the Gulf States, as part of measures to curtail the many reported cases of abuse faced by some Ghanaians working in those countries.



It was also putting in place a mechanism, which would ensure a country to country agreement for labour export.



Madam Twum-Ampofo said human trafficking was a crime and that once the perpetrators were arrested they would be brought to book.



She urged the public to expose those who engaged in human trafficking activities for the law to deal with them.



She said this year, the Gender Ministry received GHCC500,000 as the allocation to the Anti-Human Trafficking Fund.



She explained that the amount was being used for the renovation of shelter homes for victims of human trafficking.

Source: GNA









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The caravan of migrants making its way through Mexico is kind of a normal event and the United States ought not to reinforce its border against them, a United Nations official said on Friday.

With days to go before mid-term elections, US President Donald Trump has called the surge of people an invasion, ordered troops to the border and suggested any rock-throwing by migrants should be treated as equivalent to gunfire.

Joel Millman, a spokesman for the UNs International Organization for Migration (IOM), told a UN briefing in Geneva there had been similar caravans for many years, and the group was still hundreds of miles away from the United States.

So (using) words like invasion and things like that is assuming that this is a new phenomenon which is a drastic emergency, and I dont think that anyone at IOM would share that view, he said.

This is kind of a normal event.

Militarised frontiers tended not to deter people from crossing borders, he added. Instead, they increased the profits of criminal people-smuggling gangs and led to deaths among migrants.

Militarising the border is not something we are ever in favor of, he said.

The migrant group has become a major issue in campaigning for the elections on Nov. 6, when Republicans will seek to maintain control of both congressional chambers.

We are calling for humanity and taking things away from politics, Babar Baloch, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said at the briefing.

Mexico on Wednesday put the size of the migrant group that left Honduras in mid-October at 2,800 to 3,000 people. Others have since followed.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday more than 7,000 troops would support the Department of Homeland Security along the Mexican border. Trump said as many as 15,000 could be sent.

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The various contestants for national executive positions in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have intensified their campaigns in the Ashanti Region lately.



As the NDC election date is fast approaching, the NDC contestants are said to have increased their campaign programmes in all the 47 constituencies in the Ashanti Region.



The NDC aspirants have mounted huge campaign billboards and banners at vantage points in the region, which is a clear attempt to help them garner more votes in the party polls.



DAILY GUIDE on Tuesday spotted several giant billboards of various NDC contestants at the Suame Roundabout in the Suame Municipality  one of the busiest roads in the region.



The campaign billboards are huge and strategically positioned around the roundabout in order to catch the attention of drivers, passengers and pedestrians that ply the busy road.



Some of the people in Kumasi, especially the NDC supporters that spoke to the paper, commended the various contestants for the open political campaign.



They said giant billboards and banners have helped to market the NDC to the people in the Ashanti Region. According the NDC supporters, the billboards have proven that the NDC is still strong.



The paper also learnt that the various contestants have been visiting the region on the quiet to explain their policies and programmes to better the fortunes of the NDC to the party delegates.



In a related development, some people in Kumasi, who are clearly not NDC members, have stated that the huge billboards and banners are indication that the NDC members still have cash.



They said they were surprised that the NDC contestants had decided to embark on such flamboyant campaign strategies by displaying giant billboards and banners in the city even in opposition.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused President Nana Akufo-Addo of failing to fulfill campaign promises he made in the build-up to the 2016 general elections to Ghanaians.



According to him, President Nana Akufo-Addo has only fulfilled his childhood dream of wanting to become President and not improving the lives of Ghanaians.



Clearly this President has fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming President; lets commend him. Lets thank God for him for becoming President, but I think one term is good enough, he said.



Speaking in an interview with Godfred Akoto Boafo on Citi TVs Face to Face, he explained that President Nana Akufo-Addo and his appointees are living lavishly at the expense of Ghanaians.



My constituents are still asking me; it is the second year, where is the one district, one factory? Where is the $2m per constituency? They are counting down; now the Minister says it has expired.



There are also other promises of how they will manage the economy, stabilize the currency, manage the fuel prices, they are building the fundamentals forever, and we are choking, and we are under excruciating hardships as they build the fundamentals, meanwhile what we see from their end is that they are living lavishly.



He also cited the AMERI deal, and the recent Maritime Authority lunch scandal as proof that President Nana Akufo-Addo is not in control as President of the nation.



He says the current government is a huge disappointment.



Mahama has a better track record than President Akufo-Addo



Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa, who endorses President Mahamas comeback, also described the NDC loss in the 2016 general election as a blessing in disguise as Ghanaians can compare between President Nana Akufo-Addo and Ex-President John Dramani Mahama.



According to him, Ex-President Mahama has a better track record than President Nana Akufo-Addo.



He explained that if given the chance in 2020, Mr. Mahama will be a more decisive leader than he was when he was President.



John Mahama is bringing the benefit of hindsight, I think President Mahama will be more decisive; remember that it is one of the things he talks about in his own book, that he by nature is not that decisive; he did not strike the whip as he should. His vision for Ghana remains alive. He believes infrastructure will develop this country I believe his vision is the vision we need for this country. He is a modern political leader who knows how to get the job done. He added.

Source: citi









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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Funeral flags are on the hearse for the funeral of Rose Mallinger, 97, at Congregation Rodef Shalom on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018, in Pittsburgh. Mallinger was one of the eleven victims killed in the deadly shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood last Saturday. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Visitors explore the new Calgary Library following its opening in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The four-storey building cost $245 million to construct and the 240,000-square-foot interior centres around a four-storey central atrium topped by a skylight. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Egypt signed a deal with Saudi Arabian utility developer ACWA Power on Thursday to build a $2.3 billion power plant in the countrys south, the Egyptian electricity minister said.

The plant, which will have a capacity of 2,250 megawatts (MW), will be built in Luxor province, the minister, Mohamed Shaker, told a news conference.

He said the facility is expected to be operational by 2023 at the latest.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi opened three new power stations in July built at a total cost of 6 billion euros ($7 billion) as part of the countrys plans to plug a gap in power generation and fuel its development drive.

Acute power shortages in the years immediately following Egypts 2011 uprising led to frequent summer blackouts and cuts to industrial output.

The new projects initiated in 2015 are part of an 8 billion euro deal to boost electricity generation by 50 percent through new gas and wind power plants.

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KAMPALA  The Bank of Uganda sold Crane Bank (CBL) and others like Global Trust Bank (GTB) without holding a board meeting and therefore, there were no minutes upon which the transactions were based, inside sources have said.

Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile heads the board as Chairman while his deputy Dr Louis Kasekende is his vice.

However, it is said some of the members who made up the board at the time when the banks were being sold left at the end of their term.

Sources at the Uganda currency regulator, BoU, reveal that there is a plan to have those members back so that the issue of not having minutes is resolved. Thus there is likely to be some kind of forging the meeting and its minutes subsequently.

COSASE, on Thursday, November 1, gave BoU officials up to Monday to avail procedures, manuals and the list of the then board members who presided over meeting about all defunct banks starting from Teefe bank in 1993 to Crane bank in 2016.

Members of parliaments committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) chaired by Bugweri County MP Abdu Katuntu tasked the officials to produces inventory report, customer deposits, loan schedules and other supporting documents before and after the close and sell of these banks.

Katuntu said, the process is aimed at seeing that in case any other bank is to close in the future, the processes are handled better and with accordance to the law.

This process is, therefore, equally good for the past and future. The committee is going to consider all the banks in order of how they were closed, from Teefe bank in 1993 to Crane bank in 2016, I see a lot of misconception that this is about one specific bank, He said.

Alluding to page five of the Auditor Generals report, Kasilo County Member of Parliament, Elijah Okupa implored BoU officials to provide reports from bank supervision departments for at least two years before the closer of these banks.

Citing page 12 of the Auditor Generals report, Okupa said, BoU should also produce an Interim order that restrained the supervision body of banks leading to the closure of National Bank of Commerce (NBC).

COSASE Vice Chairperson and Woman Member of Parliament for Bukedea District Anita Among, said officials should also come along with the minutes of all previous meetings under the subject to matter for closer and selling of the banks.

Governor of the Bank of Uganda, Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, said they have all the alluded copies answering all the queries raised by committee members and asked for two working days to table them before the committee which was accorded to them.

The Auditor General (AG) John Muwanga also in his recent special audit report of BoU on seven defunct banks says BoU transferred Performing Loans and Overdrafts transferred worth Shs22,630,112,656 representing 80o/o of the book value of Shs28,287,640,820 which meant that that Dfcu acquired the loan portfolio at 20 per cent discount.

Interviews with BoU management indicated that the transfer price was agreed upon after negotiations with the purchaser, however negotiations minutes of the P&A were not provided, Muwanga says. Furthermore, Muwanga adds, the evaluation of the alternatives and assumptions on which the evaluation was based were not provided for verification. Therefore I could not determine the Justification for transferring the Performing loans at a 20 per cent discount, he says.

CBL was placed under statutory management from October 20, 2016, to January 20, 2017. During this period. The Statutory Manager did not prepare a plan detailing efforts to return the bank into compliance with prudential standards despite BoU injecting Shs478.8 billion to support the operations of CBL. In absence of any documented assessment to revive the bank, I could not provide assurance as to whether Sections 89(5) and 90(a) (c) of the FIA 2004 was complied with, he says.

Relatedly, he says the Statutory Manager prepared CBL annual report and financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016 but these were neither signed by BoU nor the auditors.

Furthermore, he says the Statutory Manager did not provide financial statements for the period January 1, 2017, to 25th January 2017 (P&A completion date) and therefore the AG was therefore unable to ascertain the financial performance of CBL during statutory management and its financial position as at January 25, 2017. As such, I was also unable to establish the details and values of assets and liabilities transferred to Dfcu, he says.

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KAMPALA Government has described as false, media reports that Uganda has called off construction of the Standard Gauge Railway, affirming that the project is still on course with construction slated to kick off in 2019.

The shift in position was made by Minister of Works Monicah Azuba and Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija while addressing journalists at Uganda Media Center today.

The press briefing followed media reports that Government had halted the SGR Project forgive room to both Kenya and China to harmonise on their differences with Uganda now diverting attention to revamping the old meter gauge railway.

However, addressing media on Friday, Kasaija retracted his earlier statement arguing he was misquoted.

Kasaija said, I was misquoted last week. The two sides SGR Uganda & the SGR Kenya are complementing each other.

Our Standard Gauge Railway will be constructed & in fact we shall go together to Beijing to source more funding. Financing of the work of the SGR Uganda teams work will continue. Even at Presidential level, President Yoweri Museveni and Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta have given us instructions to continue with the construction & financing of the SGR Uganda.

The Finance Minister said that for the part of Uganda, a total of 1724KM of the SGR lines will be developed in a phased manner starting with the Eastern Line and emphasised that the SGR the project is a priority project as enshrined in the Vision 2040.

According to Government, the process of land acquisition is ongoing with a total of 3,083 Project Affected Persons out of 10,207 of those assessed having been compensated translating into 101Km out of 273KM & 1,002.8 Acres out of 2,994.519 Acres to be paid for (33.5%) and about Shs560Bn is need for land compensation.

Kasaijja explained that Uganda and Kenya agreed to synchronize the construction of the Railway lines such that they arrive at the same time on the Malaba boarder point with the two nations set to hold joint negotiations with the Exim Bank of China.

SGR is part of the Northern Corridor Integration Project, set to run from Mombasa through Nairobi in Kenya to Kampala in Uganda as well as connect to Kigali in Rwanda and Juba in South Sudan, with hopes that once complete, the transport route will reduce the days spent on transporting goods from Mombasa to Kampala to two days, from the 14 days currently spent.

Adopted in 2014 by the East Africa Presidents, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta flagged off the maiden passenger train on the newly completed Mombasa-Nairobi SGR in March 2017, he was followed suit by his Tanzanian counterpart Magufuli Pombe in April 2017.

Uganda had promised to kick-start the project in June 2015, but three years down the road, Government is yet to complete funding negotiations with Exim Bank China.

The Ugandan SGR project is earmarked to cost USD12.8Bn approximately Shs47,990,352,919,786Trn and of this, Exim Bank will inject USD2.3Bn which represents 85%, while the remaining 15% will be footed by Ugandan taxpayers.

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KAMPALA- Officials from the Central Bank have said they were lucky to sell Crane Bank Limited at Shs200Bn to dfcu because the troubled financial institution had accumulated bad loans to a tune of Shs458Bn.

This Defence and much more are contained in the written response provided by Bank of Uganda to the Parliamentary Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) that is probing circumstances under which Bank of Uganda closed seven Banks.

Among the Banks closed by the Central Bank are; Teefe Bank in 1993, International Credit Bank Ltd in 1998, Greenland Bank in 1999, The Co-operative Bank in 1999, National Bank of Commerce in 2012, Global Trust Bank in 2014 and the sale of Crane Bank Ltd to DFCU in 2016.

The probe into the closure of the seven defunct Banks culminated from a letter by COSASE authored in November 2017, requesting the Auditor General, John Muwanga to undertake a special audit on the closure of these commercial banks by the Central Bank after the controversial closure of crane bank.

The Auditor General report later released his report in August 2018 highlighting a number of queries in the management of the process leading to the closure of the Banks and among these, Crane Bank.

The Auditors in their report admitted that they had failed to establish how consideration of Shs200bn from dfcu as the price of Crane Bank was reached at by Bank of Uganda.

However, in the written responses Mutebile is expected to present to the Committee on Friday next week that the deferred cash consideration of up to Shs200Bn was based on net recoveries on fully provisioned non-performing assets as adjusted following dfcu Banks due diligence which put the figure at Shs500Bn.

Bank of Uganda argued that when the fully-provisioned assets were scrutinised, it was discovered that some of the loans could only be classified as loss category and whose recovery was found to be very uncertain given that some of them were objectively more than 355 days past their due date or have general weaknesses in terms of; origination, collateral and its registration or enforceability.

Attempts to have them recovered were found to be impossible given that the conditions the loans were in would complicate recovery stating that such assets carry a zero value on the balance sheet and their recovery is usually; cumbersome, strenuous, very costly, and partial and is most importantly achieved over a much longer time frame.

A review and assessment of the bad portfolio was conducted in a bid to ascertain forced recoverability of major loans and possible timelines. For an acquiring bank (dfcu Bank) to have bid to pay Ugx.200bn staked against a possible recovery from such a portfolio worth Ugx.458bn, which CBL had failed to recover, was a great achievement, as indicated in Bank of Ugandas written statement.

Additionally, BOU further defended the decision to close Bank of Uganda on grounds that the move was intended to secure Ugandas banking sector, as failure to do so would have led to dire consequences for the whole banking sector.

This was after the Auditors had faulted BOU for failing to prepare a plan to revive Crane bank.

Still in the written response, BOU asserted that following an onsite examination and a finding of significant under-capitalization, the shareholders of CBL were given an opportunity to revive the bank through a capital call on July 1st2016.

However, Crane Banks Shareholders are said to have failed to comply with the capital call, forcing BOU to exercise its powers under section 87(3), 88(1Xa)&(b) and took over management of CBL.

The response read, The takeover under section 87(3) was guided by the systemic nature of the undercapitalised institution to avoid financial sector instability. The results of a subsequent inventory and forensic investigation guided the resolution plan that resulted in the P&A.

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Chief Christian Daigre has been charged with non-consensual dissemination of a private sexual image, intimidation and possession of a controlled substance. Image courtesy of CPD / Twitter.

According to CBS News, the chief of police for the Chicago Heights (IL) Park District Police Department has been accused of videotaping sexual encounters with women and sharing explicit images without their consent.

Chief Christian Daigre has been charged with non-consensual dissemination of a private sexual image, intimidation, and possession of a controlled substance.

Anthony Guglielmi, Chief Communications Officer for the Chicago Police Department, said in a Tweet, " We have charged the Chief of Police of the Chicago Heights Park Dist w multiple counts of distributing sexually explicit images & threatening a witness after victims contacted CPD. Allegations are egregious & if proven, a disgraceful abuse of power & trust from police & community."
VIDEO: Body Camera Video Released of Non-Fatal OIS in Virginia

The Virginia Pilot reports that Officer Jeremy Durocher of the Portsmouth (VA) Police Department has been charged with aggravated malicious woundingand a related firearms chargefor an officer-involved shooting that occurred in October 2017.

If convicted, Durocher faces up to life in prison plus three years. The aggravated malicious wounding charge carries a minimum of 20 years in prison, though a judge could suspend part of the term.

Officer Durocher reportedly believed that the subjectwho fled police on foot after reportedly committing a burglaryhad a gun in his possession at the time of the shooting.

Body camera footage reveals that Durocher repeatedly shouted to other responding officers, "He has a gun! He has a gun!" before shooting Ward.

Durocher's attorney, Nicholas Renninger, said the decision to file charges against his client would have a "chilling effect" on police officers in Portsmouth and across the country.

"No police officer can go to work now without looking over their shoulder worried they will be charged simply for doing their job," Renninger said.

Ward pleaded guilty in June to breaking into the home, stealing some jewelry and illegally possessing a firearm.
Photo: Chicago Police Commander Paul Bauer was murdered Feb. 13. (Photo: Chicago PD) U.S. District Judge James Peterson sentenced Thomas Caldwell, who sold dozens of guns without a license on a controversial website, to about three years in prison. Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer was fatally shot with one of the guns Caldwell sold.

Caldwell, 68, had been warned by federal authorities to stop the illegal gun sales long before the so-called Baby Glock ended up in the hands of a four-time felon charged in Bauers slaying in February, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Caldwell had pleaded guilty to selling firearms without a license. But the otherwise routine charge took on special significance after one of the many handguns he sold was connected to Bauers shocking daylight shooting in the heart of the Loop on Feb. 13. Shomari Legghette, a 45-year-old felon, is awaiting trial on first-degree murder and other charges in the killing.
The Mardigian Library, in conjunction with the Student Veterans Association at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, will host a WWI centenary event, Then and Now: The End of World War One, Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a free event featuring speakers, discussion, videos, photos, and displays containing WWI memorabilia on loan from the Dearborn Historical Museum and the Detroit Historical Museum.

Featured talks include the following:

*Joe Lunn, Professor of History, UM-Dearborn: Memoirs of the Maelstrom: Africans and the First World War

*Jamie Wright, LMSW, Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran: From Shell Shock to PTSD

*Jesse Kauffman, Associate Professor of History, Eastern Michigan University: Germany, Poland, and Ukraine in the Central European Civil War, 1917-1921

*Kristin Poling, Assistant Professor of History, UM-Dearborn: The Role of Women in Grassroots Revolutions: Germany at the End of WWI

*Jamie Wraight, Lecturer IV, U UM-Dearborn:, Men of Action: The War Youth Generation and the Holocaust

*Hani Bawardi, Associate Professor of History & Arab American Studies, UM-Dearborn: The [un]Making of the Arab Levant: Seeding Conflict With the Edge of a Ruler

*Ron Stockton, Professor Political Science, UM-Dearborn: The Fall of Empire, the Rise of Conflict, and the Middle East

*Olga Virakhovskaya, Archivist, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor: White Nights, Dark Days: American Expeditionary Force in North Russia, or the Polar Bear Expedition

Free parking is available in lots E2, E3, and E4 directly across from the Mardigian Library in student-designated parking spaces.

Due to construction on campus use the central or south campus entrance off of Evergreen Road.

Light refreshments will be served. There is no need to RSVP. For questions, contact Bob Fraser, rfraser@umich.edu.

Source: UM-D
NEW DELHI, November 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Drishti The Vision (Drishti IAS) is celebrating its 19th foundation day on 1st November, 2018. To mark this day, Drishti is launching a brand new web portal for UPSC aspirants. This portal is available on http://www.drishtiias.com and it has two websites within its fold - one each for Hindi and English medium aspirants.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/778468/Drishti_Logo.jpg )



Both these websites come with multiple functionalities. These functionalities help fill the gap where reading and taking notes, bookmarking and collecting reading materials, and interacting with fellow aspirants, overlap one another. For example, it is now possible to jot down valuable notes by the side of an article, on the website itself. One does not have to go to a different app or notebook for that. This saves a lot of precious time for aspirants. Similarly, in case of a hurry, simply bookmark articles to read later, or send every article read (and subsequently worked upon) to the progress tab. That way, all of one's reading materials are streamlined at one place.

What further makes the new websites most invaluable for any aspirant is that both are updated with quality articles every day. Take current affairs for example. Both the websites feature not only daily updated current affairs that is curated by experienced editors but they also feature daily Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on the same material. Thus, one can not only read up the day's current affairs but also attempt the related daily MCQs to test oneself.

These websites also come at a crucial juncture of time. These days, UPSC is setting question papers which are considerably more challenging than before. Both the Preliminary and the Mains examinations have become difficult nuts to crack for the average aspirant. And it seems the only way to overcome this difficulty is by being smart and dynamic with the preparation. To be smart is not to bulldoze through tens of different books while trying to understand the basics, and to be dynamic is to be able to add to existing knowledge some new information, without a Herculean effort. This is where web-based solutions to UPSC preparation come in handy. Such solutions are just a click away, are always available and most importantly are made and primed by those who are experts in this field. Not checking out this mode of preparation is definitely a fatal mistake and cannot, therefore be advised.

The solution to clearing and securing a good rank in the Civil Services Examination has evolved too. The need for burning the midnight oil though, hasn't changed. What has changed instead is the method for preparation where, what is being learned has to be proportional to the time spent learning it. Managing time vis-a-vis learning something is the new mantra. As such, except for maybe a few books, reading a book cover to cover can no longer be advised for clearing this examination. Instead, a topic-wise effort, regularly revised and updated, along with a development of one's own views on a topic (through engaging in debate and discussions with fellow aspirants) is needed. The forums on the new Drishti websites propose to do exactly this. They provide an opportunity to connect with other aspirants and fill gaps in knowledge and understanding. This is important because 'learning' has always been a matter for the social endeavour, as opposed to 'studying' which is always a solo effort. Drishti IAS is giving an opportunity to both learn as well as study on its new websites. Feel free to check it out, give the new method a try.

Media Contact:

Ajay Kiran Singh Karakoti

[email protected]

+91-11-47532596 / +91-8130392355

COO, Drishti IAS



SOURCE Drishti IAS
CHENNAI, India, November 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Launches its fully integrated hospital capable of handling advanced treatments and surgeries for orthopedics, neurology, accident and emergency medicine

Parvathy Hospitals expands into Mahindra World City by announcing the launch of Parvathy Jeevan Hospital, a fully functional 24x7 multispecialty tertiary healthcare hospital. The new hospital envisioned with new generation of 'superlative health caring' with state-of-the-art infrastructure that includes ICU, inside Mahindra World City, Chengalpattu. This facility was inaugurated by Dr. S. Muthukumar, Chairman, Parvathy Hospital, Dr. O.V. Jayakumar, Medical Director, Parvathy Jeevan Hospital and Mr. Sujay Sambamoorthy, CEO, Parvathy Hospital presided on the occasion.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779159/Parvathy_Hospital_Launch.jpg )



The hospital is spread over 6,000 sq. ft. that enables a 40-bedded high-end state-of-the-art hospital in Mahindra World City. Designed to hold the distinction of being with International standards, the hospital boasts of various facilities including ICU care, 24x7 accident and emergency care, 2 Operating theatres and other corporate healthcare services. The quaternary hospital will have center of excellence in the field of Accident &Emergency Care, Critical care, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, General Medicine & Surgery, Neuro Sciences, Orthopedics, Pediatric& Gynecology, Plastic Surgeries, Urology and Vascular surgery, Diagnosis and Investigation.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. S. Muthukumar, Chairman, Parvathy Hospital said, "Parvathy Hospitals has emerged as the most trusted healthcare hospital in Chennai and we are happy to foray in Mahindra World City, Chengalpattu with our vast experience in the field of healthcare. Our long-term visioning has helped us to identify areas where we can serve patients better. We identified Mahindra World City, Chengalpattu as center where explicit healthcare was the need of the hour."

Dr. O V Jayakumar, Medical Director, Parvathy Jeevan Hospital, said, "The Hospital is designed to diagnose and treat illness before they develop into health issues. Here we have adopted a fully integrated healthcare system for treatment and hence achieving patient satisfaction. This will be the only 24x7 hospital in Mahindra World City that will be capable of doing advanced treatment and surgeries for Orthopedics and trauma cases."

Mr. Sujay Sambamoorthy, CEO, Parvathy Hospital, said, "Parvathy Jeevan Hospital is first of our expansion plan. We have planned to open new hospitals in Alwarpet, Koyambedu, Valsarawakkam and Oragadam. In addition, we are signing up with the Government of Bahamas and its operations will roll up by first week of December, 2018. With these thoughts in place, we have drawn up plans to spread our wings across India and other countries to add 500 beds by 2020.

About Parvathy Hospital:

Almost three decades ago, Parvathy Hospital was only a fledgling of an idea. Born of a necessity to offer better healthcare to Indians,it has since become a name to reckon with as one of Chennai's leading healthcare service providers. Parvathy Hospital has consistently envisioned patients needs and introduced game changing innovations.

In the years gone by, we have broken new grounds - from providing Level 1 Trauma care to bringing Asias first of its kind Joint Replacement Surgeries. As we forge ahead, healthcare will become even more inclusive. Our Centre of Excellence is to build on our core philosophy of high quality of care in key areas of Orthopaedics, Emergency & Critical Care, Cardiac Sciences, Neuro Sciences, Urology, Vascular sciences and Gastro Entereology.

For more information, please visit http://parvathyhospital.com/ .

Media Contact:

Manikandan

[email protected]

+91-9600034228

Parvathy Hospital



SOURCE Parvathy Ortho Hospital Private Limited
Pre-eminent gifting solution, accepted at more than two million retail outlets, now available to a larger base of corporates; targeting the $65 million Indian B2B gifting industry

MUMBAI, India, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sodexo BRS India , the leader in digital employee benefit solutions, has partnered with digital gift card platform, Swych Gift Cards India , to extend its gifting offerings to their B2B clients. Sodexo Premium Pass has been the gifting solution of choice for companies across India to reward employees with a tax-saving gift card, accepted at more than two million retail outlets nationwide & 90,000+ online portals.

Trusted by over 11,000 corporate clients in India, across 1,500+ cities and servicing more than 3 million daily consumers, Sodexo offers both public and private sector employers with state-of-the-art solutions to reward and motivate their employees. Employees of large companies as well as SMEs can use their gift card in retail stores as well as via a next-generation mobile app. The company also offers a virtual gift card that can be sent by companies instantly to their employees.

Stephane Michelin, CEO, Sodexo BRS India said, "Sodexo BRS is constantly developing solutions to suit the needs of the millennial workforce. This festive season, owing to the growing demand in regional (Tier 2 and Tier 3) cities, we have introduced India's first-ever limited-edition festive gift cards, a new addition to Sodexo's employee gifting basket. We appreciate the collaborative approach of Swych Gift Cards India to enable Sodexo reach out to a wider corporate base during festivals and to efficiently manage instant delivery of Premium Pass to locations far and wide."

Firoz Khan, CEO of GiftCardsIndia said, "Sodexo BRS is the market leader in employee benefit solutions. Their list of partnered retailers and outlets is extremely extensive and we're proud to now be able to offer up that level of freedom and variety to thousands of corporates across India. As the digital gifting industry grows, it's important to us that GiftCardsIndia users maintain the maximum amount of choice possible and partnering with Sodexo achieves just that."

For more information, please visit http://www.goswych.com . To purchase a Sodexo gift card, please log on to https://www.giftcardsindia.in.

About Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services, India:

The Sodexo group works towards improving the quality of daily life for employees, partners and customers across the world. Sodexo BRS, India's No.1 Employee Motivation & Benefits Services provider is a partner to over 11,000+ HR Leaders. Our fully-compliant Multi-Benefit Digital Solutions are customized to meet specific needs of organizations and help them develop their best motivated workforce.

Sodexo BRS offers a range of 100% Digital Employee Benefit Solutions. The meal benefit offerings include Meal Cards, & Cafeteria Cards. The company's fully-digital Gifting & Recognition offerings include the Premium Pass range of solutions that include the Premium Pass Celebrations for festive gifting & Premium Pass Rewards for ongoing Reward & Recognition programs. The company also has a revolutionary virtual B2B gifting solution, Sodexo Premium Pass  Virtual Card. Sodexo reaches out to over 3 million daily consumers in India across 1,500+ cities nationally including tier 3 & tier 4 cities making it India's largest Digital Meal Benefit Network with over 100,000 unique points of acceptance.

For more information regarding our services, please call our toll-free numbers

1800 267 3030 or visit our website www.sodexobenefitsindia.com

For media related queries, please write to [email protected]

or call 0224321 4321

About Swych:

Swych's patent pending mobile gifting platform enables users to send "swychable" gifts from their mobile device that can be instantly redeemed for electronic gift cards from more than 600+ popular brands. Swych users can instantly buy, send, re-gift, upload, "swych" and redeem gift cards conveniently from their mobile device. Swych is a private company funded by seasoned angel investors from banking, financial services, payments, gifting, telecom and enterprise computing space.

The Swych app is available for download on iOS and Android. For more information, please visit http://www.goswych.com. For Gift Cards India, please visit http://giftcardsindia.com and http://www.giftcardsindia.in .

Contact:

Nicole Pfeifer

P: (917) 900 8576

E: [email protected]

About GiftCardsIndia:

GiftCardsIndia, recently acquired by Swych, provides consumers and businesses with a reliable, efficient and high-quality source of the widest selection of gift products from the top brands in India. GCI has successfully operated a robust aggregation and distribution network for gift cards and has been serving millions of consumers, enterprises, loyalty platforms and wallet operators in the Indian market.

Related Links

http://www.goswych.com



SOURCE Swych
TempTraq Wearable, Bluetooth Temperature Monitor Provides Peace of Mind for Parents and Home Care Givers, and Sets a New Standard of Care for Hospitals in Europe

CLEVELAND, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Spark Technologies today announced it received CE Mark approval for its revolutionary TempTraq Bluetooth wearable temperature monitor. With CE Mark approval, TempTraq will soon be available to European consumers and hospital systems looking for the only continuous temperature monitoring solution in the form of a soft, comfortable, disposable patch.

By delivering continuous, wireless, temperature readings, TempTraq alleviates many concerns of those caring for an ill or recovering loved one, including eliminating the need to continually disturb or wake them. Caregivers can securely monitor temperature data from anywhere so important health care decisions can be made sooner. Plus, the wearable patch can even send alerts to mobile devices when the patient reaches a pre-determined, user-set temperature level.

Through TempTraq Connect, a secure, HIPAA-compliant service supported by the Google Healthcare Cloud Platform, TempTraq can be integrated directly into hospital central monitoring system and electronic health records (EHR) to safely and securely store patient data. Healthcare providers can then view the temperature in their system as frequently as needed and can receive real-time audible or visual temperature change alerts at the patient bedside and/or through the central nursing station. Plus, no more waking patients to take their temperatures, and the hygienic, single-use, disposable design eliminates the hassle, time and cost of sterilizing the device between uses.

TempTraq has shown proven efficacy during clinical trials in the most demanding environments, including the intensive care unit at the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cincinnati Children's Hospital, as well as several other leading hospitals in the United States.

The TempTraq system is scalable and can support a single hospital or a multi-hospital/physician group healthcare system.

For more information on TempTraq, please visit www.TempTraq.com.

About Blue Spark Technologies, Inc.

Headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, Blue Spark Technologies, Inc. is the leader in developing thin, flexible, printed power solutions for printed electronic systems, including solutions developed utilizing their thin, flexible proprietary battery technology. Blue Spark Technologies' latest patented innovation, TempTraq, is the only Bluetooth, wearable temperature monitor in the form of a soft, comfortable patch that continuously, safely and comfortably, monitors body temperature for up to 24 or 48 hours and sends alerts to Apple or Android compatible mobile devices.

The company's TempTraq Connect HIPAA-compliant service supported by Google Healthcare Cloud Platform allows parents and caregivers to monitor body temperature from anywhere. It also allows direct integration with health care provider electronic health records (EHR) systems and central nurse's stations, providing a secure method of storing patient health care data.

TempTraq has shown proven efficacy in the most demanding environments, including the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cincinnati Children's Hospital, as well as several other leading hospitals. The TempTraq system is scalable and can support a single hospital or a multi-hospital/physician group healthcare system.

SOURCE Blue Spark Technologies, Inc.
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Rantoul, IL (61866)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 52F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 37F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
'Tilting at the government in English in front of India may make him feel like Joan of Arc, but without a feel for Bharat he will merely be Don Quixote,' says S Muraleedharan, former managing director, BNP Paribas.

IMAGE: Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Dr Viral Acharya, second from right, with RBI Governor Dr Urjit Patel.

Recently a deputy governor of the RBI, Viral Acharya, expressed his (strong) views on the need for independence of the RBI. He was airing his views in public in front of a group of businessmen.

In defending his stand, he bordered on fear-mongering, warning of dire consequences in the absence of what he deems 'independence'. Lest there be any misunderstanding that he has gone 'rogue', he added that his boss Urjit Patel encouraged him to explore the issue of 'independence' in the address.

Subsequently the RBI employees have jumped into the fray, needlessly muddying the waters further. Clearly, Dr Acharya chose to address the issue in a manner calculated to get maximum publicity. It also appears calculated to open yet another front against the present dispensation in the run-up to the elections next year and thus exert maximum pressure in favour of the cause he was espousing.

These two factors take his speech out of the realm of monetary management (which is the remit of the RBI) and place it firmly in the minefield of politics which is the domain of political parties.

The presence at the lecture of his peers and the invocation of the Governor's blessings appears intended to suggest that he is not alone and that the entire RBI stands with him.

Is he right in what he said, when he said it, where and how?

Dr Acharya's views were expressed at the A D Shroff memorial lecture in Mumbai at the Forum of Free Enterprise. The lecture was instituted in memory of Mr A D Shroff, an economist who represented India at the Bretton Woods Conference which chalked out the post World War II global economic order. The IMF and World Bank are babies of Bretton Woods.

Mr Shroff himself founded the Forum of Free Enterprise in 1956, no doubt anguished by the definitely pink hue that the political economy of India was taking on at that time with the State controlling the heights of the economy.

It has since being espousing the cause of Free Enterprise, evidently without much success, for it took the reserve crisis of 1991 and the political craftiness of Narasimha Rao that set in motion the liberalisation of the economy.

The annual Shroff Memorial lecture is well-attended by businessmen and bankers of the land, hardly the type of platform one would use to air one's differences with the government of the day especially if it is considered fundamental to the success (or failure) of Indian Democracy.

Dr Acharya might have done well to ponder the fact that while this sort of thing is grist to the Westernised Elites' mill, it is largely a non-issue to the vast majority of Indians looking for their next meal and a roof over their heads.

While the English media have hyperventilated and political opponents have took on a stern holier-than-thou sanctimoniousness, the regional media have ignored the issue altogether.

This should serve as an eye opener to all of us whose socio-political (not to mention historical) sensibilities have been developed in and conditioned by a Western framework -- issues that exercise us are not the ones moving the billions.

Therefore, such issues are best debated between the parties concerned in a spirit of mutual respect and give and take -- isn't that what democracy is all about?

Dr Acharya's speech starts with a masterful summarising of the theory of independence of Institutions as the precondition for the success of a democracy. These institutions do not include the Central Bank, but only the Judiciary, Election Commission and (strangely) property rights which is a right, not an institution.

It is evident that while this is a model of governance, predicated upon a free-market liberal democracy with individual rights at its core, this is not the only model for an economy to succeed.

It is unlikely that an erudite man such as Dr Acharya is unaware of exceptions such as China which has contracted with its people to deliver rapid economic prosperity in return for absolute Party control over politics; much of South Korean economic miracle happened under de facto or near-totalitarian (and certainly authoritarian) governments. Even now South Korean democracy is beholden to business Chaebols and its democracy is at best tentative.

The post-WW II Japanese miracle was not wrought through a clash of competing ideas or the Western paradigm of win-or-lose binary logic; but it was based on their traditional paradigm of social harmony and consensus-building.

Suffice it to say far less gifted intellects than Dr Acharya's can see that there are alternate socio-political and economic paradigms for prosperity.

Dr Acharya making 'Institutions' the starting plank of his discourse is troubling. In his support he does wheel out some real big guns. In my view, it was an attempt to tap into the rich vein of intellectual uproar about the erosion of 'democratic institutions' under the present political dispensation.

If that sounds political, it is. Dr Acharya is young and unlikely to recall that the ideological underpinnings for the systematic subversion of the Institutions were proposed, erected, and defended in the 1970s.

Indira Gandhi was firm in her view that the elected government was supreme compared to any or all institutions. To cut a long story short, he had come to the gathering determined to decisively vanquish those he saw as the enemy.

While expatiating on economic management is his turf, his considerable effort to imply that all institutions are under attack and that democracy is imperilled shows to me he had come ready to execute, not enquire or engage.

The rest of his talk concerned the RBI's Independence to pursue Monetary Policy, Exchange Rate Management, Public Debt Management, and Financial Supervision. Considerable focus was also on how the RBI's surplus should be dealt with.

Dr Acharya contends that since elected governments' time horizons are necessarily short and their inclinations essentially populist, experts should be left free to manage these areas. I would not go further than to quote from Georges Clemenceau, 'War is too serious a matter to entrust to military men'.

Dr Acharya might well respond that Mr Clemenceau would have lost a war, but for the British and the Americans. To arrogate to oneself the highest ability and the noblest motive is arrogance and hubris of the highest order, hardly the characteristics that makes an effective business manager, let alone a successful economic manager at the highest level.

Dr Acharya is absolutely right that the government should not own and control banks. That was the result of a cynical political act perpetrated five decades ago which cannot be unwound overnight.

Political parties aren't about to let go of the privilege conferred by owning and controlling banks, especially considering that their political opponents have enjoyed that privilege for decades.

Letting go of anything is difficult and this sort of control on this scale, million times more so. The answer is to convince the government through persistent and unremitting engagement, dialogue and discussion -- leading the central bank of the largest and probably the most fractious democracy isn't easy.

Dr Acharya is also on the dot when he regrets that large sections of the economy served by unregulated lenders vitiate a central bank's control on creating and expanding credit. He is, however, less right when he appears to suggest that the 'shadow banks' or unregulated/lightly regulated lenders are somehow being 'encouraged'.

Nature abhors a vacuum and when there are sectors which have low or no access to credit, informal lenders step in. He might recall that the government killed the chit funds in the 1960s after one or two highly-publicised failures.

Chit funds were then the most effective and flexible means of saving as well as the most readily available source of credit. They were a lifeline for personal and small-business borrowers. Countless are the families, mine included, which could only send their children to college thanks to the chit funds.

NBFCs admittedly have been flourishing through regulatory arbitrage. Be it credit to real estate, film-making, stock-broking, jewellery and gold trade, they were quick to respond. Banks do not know how to lend to these businesses.

If we create a vacuum, someone is sure to step into it.

It is also not possible to regulate everything. Ever since NBFCs came under the RBI's ambit two decades ago, they have found ever ingenious ways of side-stepping the latter's regulations.

Killing them is no solution; coming up with answers to the conundrum of how to let them flourish without losing control over credit and money supply is.

The serious issue is that a vast majority of small businesses and the informal sector do not have easy -- I would even say any -- access to bank credit. It is no exaggeration to claim that the beating heart of India's economy is such businesses which mostly operate from small towns and villages. They also employ a very large number of people.

They mostly fund themselves through community or group chit funds, private 'hand loans' and the like. The manufacuring-centric banking system cannot and will never be able to meet their demands for credit expeditiously and in required quantities. Local informal lenders (perhaps not even recognised as such) are somehow able to perform that role.

Dr Acharya makes a very valid point about the elephant in the room; he cannot be more explicit but I can be. The bureaucratic interference in the work of the RBI and treating the latter as errand boys of the twice-born IAS staffers is an old issue.

How then does one kill the elephant? Take a lesson from how the early man conquered (and ate) mammoths. Kill them by a thousand cuts.

The RBI will have to take the power of and responsibility for supervision slowly and systematically; perhaps starting with the ones the babus may not want to touch with a barge pole: Bad banks.

Smart men and women in the RBI should be able to work out the ways of doing this. Some of the significant progress in the work of the RBI was during the tenure of Governors who had served the government as bureaucrats: Dr Bimal Jalan, Dr Y V Reddy, Dr D Subba Rao, et al.

Knowing how to work the corridors of power and how the political masters are best handled was no doubt an asset. The relatively youthful top echelons in the present-day RBI stands in contrast to the mandarins of North Block as a result of which the former suffer.

But that is the beast. You deal with the cards you are dealt with. They need to think less like the 'experts' that they no doubt are, and put on the 'smart' cap.

The government must on its part must keep its bureaucracy in check and stop them treating special arms of the government like their minions and serfs.

The time to stop it is now.

There are a number of other issues that Dr Acharya points out none of which one can take exception to. But it is the manner he raised the issues, the forum he used to do that and the style in which he did that, which is disconcerting -- to me at least.

Clearly, he was confrontational, alarmist and speaking to the urban elite perhaps hoping to cash in on the groundswell of urban opinion against the present dispensation. This is not the act of one intending to solve a problem; rather it is that of someone trying to wrestle a pig -- the pig always wins.

Democracies work through 'Advice and Consent'; Advice from the experts and with the Consent of those being governed. Advice is what the likes of Dr Acharya are supposed to give the governments in power and Consent is for the latter to secure through political means.

People's Consent is what the political wing has and experts don't. Engagement with the political wing and careful and lengthy negotiations can achieve what all the expertise in the world cannot.

I dare suggest Dr Acharya might benefit from a 'Bharat Darshan' to the top 100 non-metro towns to understand how Bharat ticks.

Tilting at the government in English in front of India may make him feel like Joan of Arc, but without a feel for Bharat he will merely be Don Quixote.

S Muralidharan retired as the managing director of BNP Paribas after serving the bank for 20 years.
The non-viability of green crackers may pave the way for e-crackers.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

T E Narasimhan explores the latest Supreme Court ruling on firecrackers and the feasibility of green and e-crackers

What is the latest Supreme Court ruling on firecrackers?

With Diwali around the corner, Justice A K Sikri of the Supreme Court of India, in an order dated October 23, imposed certain restrictions on the manufacture and sale of firecrackers and allowed the sale of green crackers.

The manufacture, sale and use of joined firecrackers (series crackers or laris) have been banned as it causes huge air, noise and solid waste problems.

E-commerce websites were also barred from accepting online orders or effecting online sales.

The Court also banned the use of barium salts that make fireworks colourful.

The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) was directed to review the clinical composition of fireworks, particularly reduce the aluminum content, and was asked to submit its report on this within two weeks from the date of order.

Those firecrackers that have already been produced and that do not fulfill the criteria of improved and green crackers will not be allowed to be sold in Delhi and the national capital region.

The government has been urged to take steps to permit community firecracking in major cities and create awareness about the harmful effects of firecrackers.

On Diwali day or on any other festival like Gurpurab when firework displays take place, the time to do so has been restricted to between 8 pm and 10 pm.

On Christmas and New Years eve, when such fireworks start around midnight, it would be limited between 11:55 and 12:30 am.

The writ petitions are being posted for hearing on December 11, 2018.

What is the reason for this Supreme Court order?

With concern over pollution in major cities growing, there was also a demand for a ban on firecrackers.

Legal battles to this end have been going on for about a decade now, though the movement has intensified in the last couple years.

A petition was filed on behalf of three infants in 2015 by their fathers asking for a complete ban.

With air pollution level going up 29 times above the World Health Organisation standards in November 2016, the Court suspended the sale of fireworks in the NCR, affecting 50 per cent of the total crackers sold in the country.

The Court also asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and and some others to conduct a study on the impact of bursting fireworks during Dussehra and Diwali on the health of the people.

In its report the CPCB said that due to fireworks on Diwali day, particulate matter 2.5 (tiny particles or droplets in the air that are two and one half microns or less in width, and hinder visibility and adversely affect health) levels go up.

It stated when when there was less fireworks in 2017, the level had reduced compared to previous years.

What is the stand of the firecracker industry?

The industry has argued that firecrackers are used for only a few days in a year and it cannot be the cause of pollution.

In the absence of any definite study attributing the deterioration of air quality to fireworks during Diwali, the industry has argued that the right of manufacturers and traders under Article 19(1)(g), which is a fundamental right to carry on trade, should not be infringed upon.

What are green crackers?

Firecrackers that do not contain harmful chemicals have been termed green crackers by the Court.

While the case was being heard, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change consulted various scientific organisations including the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), the National Environment Engineering Research Institute, the PESO and the CPCB to offer concrete solutions and short-term measures.

The short-term measures it suggested to the Court included the use of low-emission firecrackers (that avoid the use of ash as filler material) to reduce particulate matter by 15-20 per cent and the use of water and air sprinklers to reduce sound and light emission by 30-35 per cent.

Is it possible to produce 'green crackers' on a commercial scale?

There is nothing called green crackers - not only in India, but also globally, say industry leaders.

It would take several years to reduce the emissions levels, let alone achieve the ambitious target of zero emissions, says K Mariappan, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association, which represents the Rs 6000-crore firecrackers industry in the state.

The possibility of producing green crackers had been explored by the CSIR but the industry says that suggestions such as stuffing water packets with aluminum powder in crackers for lesser emission is not practical considering that higher moisture content in the atmosphere can make the material unstable, causing accidents.

It alleged that the CSIR, without taking this into account had submitted its proposals to the Court.

The solution has to come from the industry and CSIR can be part of the research.

It would take at least four years to come up with less- emission fireworks, said Mariappan.

There is also talk of electronic crackers...

The non-viability of green crackers may pave the way for e-crackers.

The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, for instance, is developing a prototype in which there is light and sound, but no smoke.

Similarly, CSIRs Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute in Pilani, Rajasthan, is also developing an electronic firecracker.

Many of these products run on rechargeable battery and can be operated using a remote.

On whether electronic crackers are a solution, industry representatives said in one voice that e-crackers were toys and they cannot be classified as explosives.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that countries like India, if it gets the exemption, would be asked to bring down their oil imports from Iran to zero in six months' time.

The US has agreed to temporarily allow eight countries to continue buying Iranian oil after it re-imposes crippling sanctions on Tehran on November 5, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday, citing "significant reductions" in imports of oil from the Persian Gulf nation.

India is one of the countries expected to get the exemptions.

But senior administration officials refused to spell out the names on Friday.

The list of these exemptions would be announced on Monday, Pompeo told reporters during a conference call on Iranian sanctions, with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

While the US had previously wanted countries including India to completely halt oil purchases from Iran by November 4 when its full sanctions against Tehran come into force, it seems to have relented considering the havoc the move to completely take out Iranian supplies from the market would have on prices.

Pompeo said that countries like India, if it gets the exemption, would be asked to bring down their oil imports from Iran to zero in six months' time.

Negotiations are still ongoing, he said explaining the reasons for not revealing the names of the countries that are expected to get exemptions from the US from this latest and so far the toughest American sanctions on Iran.

"We expect to issue some temporary allotments to eight jurisdictions, but only because they have demonstrated significant reductions in their crude oil and cooperation on many other fronts and have made important moves towards getting to zero crude oil importation.

These negotiations are still ongoing. Two of the jurisdictions will completely end imports as part of their agreements.

The other six will import at greatly reduced levels," Pompeo said.

These economic sanctions are just a part of the US government's total effort to change the behaviour of the Iranian regime, he said.

"On November 5th, the United States will re-impose sanctions that were lifted as part of the nuclear deal on Iran's energy, shipbuilding, shipping and banking sectors. These sanctions hit at core areas of Iran's economy. They are necessary to spur changes we seek on the part of the regime," he said.

"In order to maximise the effect of the President's pressure campaign, we have worked closely with other countries to cut off Iranian oil exports as much as possible," Pompeo said.

The expected list of exemptions to eight jurisdictions, that too temporary, is far less than the 20 countries, including India, which were exempted from Iranian sanctions during the previous Obama administration, he said.

"We will have issued, if our negotiations are completed, eight and have made it clear that they are temporary," he said.

"Not only did we decide to grant many fewer exemptions, but we demanded much more serious concessions from these jurisdictions before agreeing to allow them to temporarily continue to import Iranian crude oil.

These concessions are critical to ensure that we increase our maximum pressure campaign and accelerate towards zero," Pompeo said.

As a result of the latest sanctions, he said the US expects to have reduced Iranian crude oil exports by more than 1 million barrels even before these sanctions go into effect.

"This massive reduction since May of last year is three to five times more than what many analysts were projecting when President Trump announced our withdrawal from the deal back in May," he said.

"Starting today, Iran will have zero oil revenue to spend on any of these things. Let me say that again: Zero.

100 per cent of the revenue that Iran receives from the sale of crude oil will be held in foreign accounts and can be used by Iran only for humanitarian trade or bilateral trade in non-sanctioned goods and services," he said.

Pompeo said the latest US sanctions are targeted at the regime, not the people of Iran who have suffered grievously under this regime.

"It's why we have and will maintain many humanitarian exemptions to our sanctions, including food, agriculture commodities, medicine and medical devices," he said.

India, which is the second biggest purchaser of Iranian oil after China, is willing to restrict its monthly purchase to 1.25 million tonnes or 15 million tonnes in a year (300,000 barrels per day), down from 22.6 million tonnes (452,000 barrels per day) bought in 2017-18 financial year, sources in New Delhi said.

The US will also demand the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) global financial network stop supporting Iranian banks as part of enforcing sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme and alleged support for terrorism.

In May, President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) terming it as disastrous".

Under the Obama-era deal, involving five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, Iran agreed to stop its nuclear programme in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

After the US' withdrawal from the deal, Trump signed fresh sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with Tehran over its controversial nuclear weapons programme.

Iran has dismissed these charges and maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters
The valley is under the iron grip of the armed forces and Pakistan does not have the military power or political support to change the status quo, observes Colonel Anil A Athale (retd), after a recent visit to Kashmir.

A three-part series.

IMAGE: The alienation of a significant part of the present generation of young Kashmiris has indeed crossed the point of no return. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters

Kashmir is never far from the headlines in the Indian media. But it has mostly been bad news, either the teenage stone-pelters or the loss of lives of our soldiers, that finds a mention.

So the good news first. It has been nearly two months since the annual Amarnath yatra ended on August 24, 2018, with roughly three lakh pilgrims making the journey. The two-month-long event passed off totally peacefully with NOT a single incident of violence.

The security forces under the operational command of Srinagar-based XV Corps commanded by Lieutenant General Anil Kumar Bhat deserve credit for a job well done.

Yet, in our topsy-turvy world of instant media, this found hardly any mention. The Indian media seems to live up to the old adage it is news only when man bites dog and not the other way around.

Besides ignoring the achievement of the security forces, this sidelining of a major 'victory', it also failed to give credit to the population of the valley who supported the pilgrims.

In some ways it is a result of the late realisation by Kashmiris that tourism or pilgrimage is in their interest as it means income -- and that peace is essential for it. It is the public pressure on the militants that seems to have worked.

Ever since the 2016 agitation in the wake of Burhan Wani's death and the orgy of stone-pelting that the Kashmir valley saw, an impression has gained ground in the rest of the country that the situation is back to the 1990s.

As someone who was actively involved in studying Kashmir since then and a frequent visitor since, I sought to know the truth.

It is to find answers that I visited the valley from October 12 to 18, travelling to many places like Kupwara, Tregam, Budgam, Sahibabad, Sopore and Pattan. I interacted with many security officials as well as a limited number of civilians during this visit.

The clear answer is that the situation is nowhere similar to the 1990s. In some ways it is worse than at that time.

In this, I agree with the David Devadas's observations that the alienation of the youth and general population from the Indian State is far greater than it was in the 1990s. Incidentally, I happened to be in the valley at the same time as David and we spent two fruitful evenings discussing the Kashmir issue.

The alienation of a significant part of the present generation of young Kashmiris has indeed crossed the point of no return. This has an important lesson for the policy-makers that no amount of economic goodies or packages will work in Kashmir.

To begin with, Kashmir erupted in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a 'political issue' and there were no economic demands placed on the Centre. Yes, unemployment exacerbates the violence, but is not the cause but consequence of the revolt.

This cardinal truth is not understood by many, and certainly not by the TV 'studio warriors' on Kashmir. The general (wrong) tendency to equate the Kashmir valley with the whole of Jammu and Kashmir continues and nonsensical talk of a revival of 'Kashmiriyat' as a solution continues to sprout.

Pray, how is the so-called 'Kashmiriyat' of any relevance to the Jammu region, Shia-dominant Kargil or the Buddhist-dominated Ladakh? In fact, the unnatural tie-up of three culturally and linguistically diverse regions in a single state is part of the problem of J&K.

Till the unrest in the valley began in 1988-1989, there was no armed forces present between the Pir Panjal range and the LoC.

Once infiltrators from Pakistan entered the valley, nearly three divisions were inducted helter-skelter. It is a tribute to those brave soldiers who by sheer dint of hard work and bravery brought the situation under control.

The Indian Army was that time outgunned by the militants who had better weapons and no shortage of ammunition that flowed in through porous borders. Today in its place we have a three-tiered wire fence, modern surveillance gadgets and modern arms to match the militants.

Militarily, the situation is that the people of the valley and Pakistan have realised that wresting Kashmir by force is an impossibility.

The situation in 1990 was the opposite. People of the valley felt that 'azaadi' was around the corner. Many had begun to align their watches with Pakistan time and stopped paying their utility bills in expectation of a change of regime.

Communications in the valley are greatly improved with bigger roads, flyovers and even a rail line connecting Baramulla with Banihal. With successive governments showering economic goodies on J&K, the state is prosperous and people below the poverty line are less than 6%, the lowest in India.

On the other hand there is a huge demographic bulge of frustrated youth.

The average family in the valley has five to six children, and every decade has seen the population of the valley triple!

In this sense the valley resembles other areas of high population growth like Bihar, eastern UP or Pakistan! Runaway population growth is the elephant in the room that seldom finds any mention in debates over Kashmir.

Another major change from 1989-1990 is the exodus of Kashmir Hindus from the valley. Out of the estimated 600,000 Hindus, only 3,000 to 4,000 remain in the valley.

In terms of ethnic cleansing the valley already resembles Pakistan. In sheer population terms, the Jamait e Islamis slogan 'Kashmir banega Pakistan' has already been achieved.

In the 1990s, and right up to 2000, the big daddy of world politics, the US, fully backed the Kashmiri insurgency. So it was not uncommon to hear slogans like 'Bill Clinton zindabad' during public demonstrations during that period. Now international support for the Kashmiri cause has more or less evaporated, though Pakistan continues to support it.

Many Kashmiris have illusions about the importance of their cause for the country and the world at large thanks to the Himalayan blunder of India taking the issue to the UN in 1948. But the brutal truth is that Kashmir poses no threat to Indian security and the valley is under the iron grip of the armed forces.

Pakistan does not have the military power or political support to change the status quo.

Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) -- a military historian specialising in counterinsurgency -- has been a Kashmir watcher for 27 years. He is the author of Let the Jhelum Smile Again published in 1997.
'Instead of doing ground work they are sitting and monitoring the drought through Mantralaya and trying to solve the problem with Aamir Khan.'

'When will you declare a drought? Or shall we declare a drought?'

Justice Abhay Oka of the Bombay high court asked the Maharashtra government this probing question last week while hearing a petition moved by activist Sanjay Lakhe-Patil to declare a drought in the state.

According to Patil, the Maharashtra government should have declared drought by the last week of August, but did not do so.

On October 31, the Devendra Fadnavis-led government declared in the high court that 42 per cent of the state was facing a drought.

'You cannot declare a drought on the whims and fancies of any minister or officer,' Patil tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

Of 355 Maharashtra talukas, 112 have been declared drought-affected. Why did the government do so so late when it was evident the state is facing a drought?

I filed the petition in the court under the Disaster Management Act.

I had requested in my petition that the Maharashtra government must declare a drought by August last week after seeing the ground situation.

The situation on the ground was bad, but the state government was not doing anything.

Moreover, the state doesn't have the resources to tackle a drought.

Why did you insist on declaring a drought in August? What is the significance?

As per the drought manual 2016, if the situation warranted, then the government must consider the month of August to declare a drought.

This is written in the drought manual.

Who am I to tell them to declare a drought in the month of August?

I am only talking of the government manual on drought which was published in 2016.

What was the situation on the ground in August?

The basic indicator (for a drought) is a dry spell. This year there was a dry spell in Maharashtra.

When a dry spell exists, then there will be no humidity and no crop vegetation.

These are basic indicators to declare a drought.

You cannot declare a drought on the whims and fancies of any minister or officer.

There are mandatory indicators for declaring a drought in the 2016 manual, but the Maharashtra government failed (to consider it).

The government was sleeping and did not declare a drought early.

The government has no mandatory mechanisms to declare a drought or hold mandatory meetings which they must conduct.

Nothing has happened on the ground yet to solve this problem.

Did you meet any minister or official to alert them about the drought situation?

It is the mandatory duty of the state to function on such issues.

They are aware of every provision on what is a drought, so is it not their duty to declare a drought?

Neither the chief minister of Maharashtra nor the chief secretary or for that matter any collector knows about the Manual for Drought Management 2016 which is mandatory (to declare a drought).

The disaster management unit of the Government of India told the Maharashtra government categorically that if they do not follow the gist of their manual, they will not give a single penny to the state.

When that is the law, the government must follow the law.

But they are not following it.

The Maharashtra government has failed totally to assess the drought, to monitor and declare it and to erect the mechanism for (handling) it.

There are four conditions for a drought.

Dry spell is the first indication.

The drought manual says that when there is a dry spell for the first 3 or 4 weeks (during the monsoon season), then you must press the first trigger button.

The second indication is the level of the ground water.

The third indication is the vegetation of crop and the fourth is the humidity in the atmosphere.

When a dry spell is going on, then automatically there will be no humidity and no vegetation, so the number two button has to be pressed.

I believe the state's water reservoirs will have only 26 per cent water left in November, whereas last year the reservoirs had 78 per cent water at this time.

In my region of Marathwada and Vidarbha there are dams which are dry.

There is no water in hundreds of dams across Maharashtra which are small and medium in size.

What about Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's flagship programme, Jalyukt Shivar in which Aamir Khan was involved?

Aamir Khan is a celebrity.

He is doing his job as an actor, which he is being told to do by his director.

The director is the government of Maharashtra. Dialogues and music too are given by the government of Maharashtra.

Fadnavis claims the Jalyukt Shivar programme is a success.

Jalyukt Shivar of Aamir Khan and the Maharashtra government has failed.

It is a totally failed programme.

It is an unscientific and bankrupt programme.

I am not blaming Aamir Khan as he is only the actor, but the director and dialogue writer (the Maharashtra government) are playing with nature.

On the ground there are tankers going around the whole of Maharashtra as there is no water.

That is the true situation on the ground.

What about farming?

There is no water in ponds and no rains.

How will farmers do farming?

There was a dry spell for 11 weeks and more (during the monsoon).

Drought seems to be a recurrent phenomenon in Maharashtra. How can a progressive, developed state like Maharashtra overcome this dependence on the monsoon and become drought-free? What needs to be done?

You can call Mumbai and the Mumbai metropolitan region progressive, but the situation is bad in rural Maharashtra.

There is total bankruptcy of policy.

If they want to solve this problem then they must check out how (then chief minister) Vasantrao Naik tackled the drought situation in 1972.

They must do the same thing.

But instead of doing ground work, they are sitting and monitoring drought through Mantralaya (the administrative headquarters of the state government in Mumbai) and trying to solve the problem with actors like Aamir Khan.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is observing a protest in Pathanamthitta on Friday after the recovery of the body of an elderly Sabarimala pilgrim, who had trekked hills to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple last month.

The BJP alleged that Sivadasan, 60, had died during police action against devotees last month after the landmark verdict by the Supreme Court allowing women entry into the shrine.

But police said it was an accident. They said Sivadasan's body was recovered from a forest area on Thursday.

Shops and business establishments downed shutters and buses and autorickshaws stayed off the roads in the area.

Police said Sivadasan had come to offer prayers at the hill shrine on October 18 and informed his family the following day that he was able to visit the temple.

Since he did not reach home, his son had filed a missing complaint on October 21 at police stations in Pamba and Nilakkal and at Pandalam police station on October 24.

Sivadasan's family has demanded a probe into his death.

Meanwhile, describing the BJP protest as 'unnecessary', Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Suredran said it was only to cause difficulties to the people.

Even the deceased's family has not alleged there was any foul play, he told reporters.

Noting that a 'false campaign' was on against the police, a senior official said he had died in an accident.

The BJP workers have also decided to take a 're-dedication' pledge in all assembly constituencies to protect the traditions of the temple.

They alleged that the state government was trying to 'destroy the uniqueness' of the shrine which prevents women in the age group of 10 and 50 from offering prayers.

Kerala had witnessed widespread protests by devotees after the state government made it clear that it was bound to implement the top court's verdict on entry of women of all ages into the temple.

The shrine had witnessed high drama after around a dozen women in the 10-50 age group were prevented by protesting devotees from entering it after the temple doors were opened for monthly pujas between October 17 and 22.
Supporters of some Congress leaders allegedly ransacked the party offices in Raipur and Bilaspur districts alleging unfair distribution of tickets for the upcoming Chhattisgarh assembly polls.

The incidents took place on Thursday evening, a party leader said.

The party, however, chose to play down the incidents calling them 'minor protests', and claimed that there was no discontent among the workers.

Several supporters of Congress leader Ejaz Dhebar, who was eyeing a ticket from Raipur City South constituency, entered the party's state office in the capital late on Thursday evening and raised slogans against the leadership.

According to the party leader, they allegedly broke chairs, window panes and flower pots during the protest and tried to storm inside the office room of All India Congress Committee state in-charge P L Punia.

The protesters, however, later told media persons that they were enraged after Dhebar was denied a ticket. They also said that they spoke to Punia, who assured to take up the issue.

The protesting workers also said they have full faith in the party leadership and they have apologised for their act (of ransacking the party office).

The Congress has fielded Kanhaiya Agrawal, a new face, from Raipur City South seat against sitting Bharatiya Janata Party MLA and minister Brijmohan Agrawal.

A similar incident was reported from the party's Bilaspur district office, where supporters of a ticket aspirant created a ruckus on Thursday evening.

The party has fielded Shailesh Pandey from Bilaspur seat against incumbent minister Amar Agrawal.

Congress's Bilaspur unit spokesperson Abhay Narayan Rai sat on a protest in front of the party office, saying that Pandey was an outsider. Rai is a supporter of senior Congress leader Atal Shrivastav, who was aspiring to fight the election from this seat.

"Had any local leader of Bilaspur been selected, they would have accepted him and the party leadership did not even discuss the name of Pandey," Rai said.

Talking to reporters, Pandey said he was nominated by the Congress leadership and he will try to convince the party workers so that they can fight together against the BJP and win the seat.

Congress spokesperson has ruled out discontent among the party leaders and accused the BJP of trying to cash in on a 'minor' protest over ticket distribution.

"There is nothing like discontent among Congress leaders. The ruling BJP is trying to publicise and cash in on a minor protest (by some Congress leaders' supporters). By doing this, BJP is trying to hide its shortcomings, dissent within BJP, its failures and mistakes," state Congress communication wing head Shailesh Nitin Trivedi told PTI.

There is anger among the BJP leaders in the entire state over the ruling party's ticket distribution. BJP's rebel leaders are contesting election from various seats and in at least 15 seats, the BJP will lose because of their own leaders only, he claimed.

The Congress on Thursday released its final list of 19 candidates for the second phase of polling on November 20.

Wife of former chief minister Ajit Jogi, Renu Jogi who was a congress MLA from Kota seat, was denied a ticket. Former policeman, Vibhor Singh, has been fielded from Kota by the party.

November 2 is the last day of filing of nominations for the second phase.

Chhattisgarh has 90-member Assembly and the polls there are being held in two phases this month on November 12 and November 20. The counting of votes will be held on December 11.
Two pro-talk United Liberation Front of Assam leaders were arrested in Assam on Friday for their "provocative remarks" as a massive combing operation was launched to nab those behind the gunning down of five persons in Tinsukia district with chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal blaming "hate speeches" by political parties for the killings.

IMAGE: Mrinal Hazarika, convener of Khilanjiya Mancha Asom and pro-talks ULFA leader is taken for medical examination at MMC Hospital, Panbazar, after being arrested for his provocative comment on the Citizenship (Amendment) bill 2016, in Guwahati. Photograph: PTI Photo

The Assam government announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a job for the next of the kin of the deceased.

Though the police suspect that the gunmen belonged to the ULFA-Independent faction as they were dressed in battle fatigue, 'publicity department' member of the outlawed group Romel Asom, in an e-mail statement, however, denied its involvement in Thursday's incident.

In neighbouring West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress organised protest marches and sought a court-monitored inquiry into the killing of the five Bengali-speaking individuals.

They also called for the resignation of the Assam chief minister over the incident. Left parties, too, took to the streets in Kolkata to protest the killings.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep anguish over the incident and said "a sense of sadness descended on my mind seeing innocent and poor persons being killed in a village in Assam".

She changed her display picture to black on Twitter along with other leaders of her party. "I don't know why these people were killed, but one thing is for sure, the ominous signals have started surfacing," she said.

The TMC also sought to link the attack as a "fallout of the draconian NRC exercise".

IMAGE: Relatives mourn the death of a family member killed by suspected United Liberation Front of Assam. Photograph: PTI Photo

Over 40 lakh people are facing deportation from India as their names have been excluded in the NRC draft, TMC Youth Congress president and MP Abhisekh Banerjee told a rally in Kolkata.

He sought a court-monitored inquiry into the incident.

On Thursday night, a group of assailants called out six villagers of Kheronibari.

They then took them to the edge of Dhola-Sadiya bridge in the area and opened indiscriminate fire, killing five of them on spot, police said, adding one of them survived the firing.

Sahadeb Namasudra, in his early 20s, said he had a "providential escape" as he fell off the edge of the bridge, where the gunmen had lined them up.

Though he did not sustain injuries, he fell unconscious out of fear and nervousness. On regaining consciousness, he found one of the five persons still alive beside him, Namasudra claimed, adding the man died before any arrangement for help could be made.

IMAGE: Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi takes part in a protest organized by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee in front of Rajiv Bhavan in Guwahati against the killing five people in Tinsukia district of Assam. Photograph: PTI Photo

Chief Minister Sonowal warned of strong action against those who make inflammatory statements.

"The perpetrators of this dastardly violence will not go scot-free. We will not tolerate such cowardly act," he said.

"For this situation today, I hold responsible a section of political parties, organisations, news media, social media and people's representatives for their inflammatory statements," Sonowal told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting in Guwahati.

Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia said several operations were underway to nab the culprits. He said pro-talk ULFA leaders Jiten Dutta and Mrinal Hazarika were arrested for making provocative statements.

Asked about the involvement of ULFA factions in the killings, the DGP said, "It isn't about taking random names. We will take action as per law."

Political parties and organisations across Assam condemned the killings and demanded that the culprits be immediately nabbed.

A bandh, called by All Assam Bengali Federation, was observed on Friday in Tinsukia district. Vehicles were off roads and shops were closed. No untoward incident was reported in the morning, a police

officer said.

IMAGE: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee workers take part in a protest against the killing five people in Tinsukia district of Assam . Photograph: PTI Photo

The ruling BJP said the incident was a result of the Congress party continuously making provocative statements on sensitive issues such as the NRC and the Citizenship Bill.

Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass also criticised a section of the media for broadcasting provocative statements uninterruptedly, thereby vitiating the atmosphere.

He asked the Assam government to set up a judicial probe into the incident.

Countering the BJP leader's claims, veteran Congress leader and former chief minister Tarun Gogoi said the Sonowal-led government has failed to maintain law and order in the state.

He also sought a CBI probe into Thursday's incident.
Photograph: PTI Photo

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav on Friday filed a petition seeking divorce from his wife of six months citing incompatibility issues, his lawyer said.

The separation has been sought invoking Section 13 A of the Hindu Marriage Act under which either spouse can unilaterally seek divorce, said lawyer Yashwant Kumar Sharma, who filed the petition on behalf of Tej Pratap at a civil court in Patna.

"I cannot give much details. I was only told by my client that he and his wife were not compatible and hence he wanted divorce," Sharma said.

Tej Pratap, a sitting RJD MLA and a former Bihar minister, had tied the knot with Aishwarya Rai on May 12.

The grand wedding ceremony for which Prasad, serving sentences in fodder scam cases, had flown in from Ranchi after obtaining parole from a court, was attended by political leaders from virtually all political parties including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

While leaving the civil court premises, Tej Pratap's cavalcade was stopped by waiting journalists eager for response from the RJD leader, who wore a small bandage over his forehead.

He, however, rushed to the airport without taking any questions to leave for Ranchi, where his father is admitted in a hospital, only to return to the residence of his mother Rabri Devi on being persuaded by close family members.

No member of the family was available for comments.

Journalists and cameramen made a beeline outside the 10, Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi where Aishwarya Rai along with her father Chandrika Rai visited in the evening while refusing to take questions.

They were later joined by Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti, the eldest of Lalu-Rabri's nine children.

Granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Rai, Aishwarya is a management graduate.

There have been rumours that the couple did not get along well.

Tej Pratap has been also dropping hints that he did not get along well with his younger brother Tejashwi who has emerged as the party's de facto leader in their father's absence.
Protesting cops attacked senior police officials of half a dozen police stations, alleging that a woman constable died as she was denied leave for medical treatment.

M I Khan reports from Patna.

Nearly 400 police constables, including 200 women cops, damaged police vehicles, attacked several senior officers and ransacked the office in police lines premises in Patna on Friday. They were protesting against the death of a woman police constable after she was allegedly denied leave for medical treatment.

Protesting police officials, mostly trainee police constables, including women, took to the streets to protest against the alleged apathy of top police officers.

Some protesting police officials attacked a temple near the gate of the police lines, triggering violent clash between cops and local residents who were angry at the attack on the temple.

Tension gripped the police lines premises in the heart of Patna with protesting police officials attacked the city superintendent of police, rural superintendent of police, sergeant major and officer in charge of half a dozen police stations.

According to protesting cops, a woman police constable died in a local hospital because she was denied leave.

"She had repeatedly requested for leave but was denied despite being suffering from serious illness," they said.

Protesting officials said they are exploited in the name of duty for hours without even basic facilities given to them.

"We work without food, water and toilet facility. And it is impossible to get a leave," they said.

"Three police officers were beaten up by the protesting police constables and sustained head injuries," a police official said.

"Angry protesters attacked and chased away several officers who tried to pacify them and control the situation. They pelted stones at them and even thrashed some of them," a district police official said.

Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj and other top police officers were not in the police lines premises during the attack.
Debjani Ghosh, the president of India's National Association of Software and Services Companies or NASSCOM, said cyptocurrencies were illegal from the organization's perspective.

In an interview with Hindu Businessline, Ghosh urged crypto players to obey the law and seek government clarification if they are unhappy with it.

she said, "It is law of the land and hence, we have to work with it. If we do not agree, we have to go back to the government and speak about why cryptocurrencies aren't correct."

Reserve Bank of India or RBI in July had banned providing banking services to firms or individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies. RBI had told the Supreme Court that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoins would encourage illegal transactions.

The other day, founders of crypto start-up Unocoin were arrested after opening Bitcoin ATM in violation of RBI norms,raising concerns among cryptocurrency players in the country.

Regarding Unocoin, Ghosh said Nasscom had not gone into the details of the case and were waiting for it.

NASSCOM is a nonprofit trade association of Indian Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing industry with over 2,000 member companies.

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Business News
ArcelorMittal (MT) announced Friday that it has agreed to the binding offer from Liberty House Group for the acquisition of ArcelorMittal Dudelange (Luxembourg) and certain finishing lines at ArcelorMittal Liege (Belgium).

The finishing lines at ArcelorMittal Liege (Belgium) include hot dipped galvanising lines 4 and 5 in Flemalle; and hot-rolled pickling, cold rolling and tin packaging lines in Tilleur.

The assets are the final part of a divestment package the Company agreed with the European Commission during its merger control investigation into the Company's acquisition of Ilva S.p.A .

Transaction closing is subject to the completion of the Company's acquisition of Ilva, corporate approvals and is conditional on EC approval and the conclusion of consultations with local and European Works Councils.

ArcelorMittal said it has now received binding offers for the complete divestment package in keeping with its commitments to the EC. Furthermore, by agreeing to binding offers from Liberty House for the full divestment package, the Company has met the EC's preference of finding a single suitable buyer.

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Business News
India's Financial Stability and Development Council or FSDC is considering a blanket ban on the use of private cryptocurrencies in the country. However, the Council plans to encourage the use of Distributed Ledger Technology, known as blockchain.

In a document by the Ministry of Finance, the Council said it has deliberated, in a meeting, on the issues and challenges of Crypto assets and cryptocurrencies. It was also briefed about the deliberations in the High-level Committee to devise an appropriate legal framework for banning private cryptocurrencies.

The meeting of the FSDC, which was held under the Chairmanship of the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, reviewed the current global and domestic economic situation and financial sector performance.

According to the Council, the Regulators and the Indian Government would now keep a close watch on the developing situation and take all necessary measures.

A recent report, citing a senior government official, indicated that India was evaluating the possibility to launch a government-backed cryptocurrency and crypto-token. A panel, which was constituted by India's finance ministry in December 2017, is likely to soon recommend that the country launch a cryptocurrency.

The Reserve Bank of India or RBI also has formed a multi-department panel to study on the desirability and feasibility of launching government-backed digital coins.

RBI in July had banned providing banking services to firms or individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies. RBI had told the Supreme Court that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoins would encourage illegal transactions.

Recently, founders of crypto start-up Unocoin were arrested after opening Bitcoin ATM in violation of RBI norms, raising concerns among cryptocurrency players in the country.

Following this, Debjani Ghosh, the president of India's National Association of Software and Services Companies or NASSCOM, said cyptocurrencies were illegal from the organization's perspective. Ghosh also urged crypto players to obey the law and seek government clarification if they are unhappy with it.

The plan to encourage the use of blockchain Technology was earlier announced in the Budget 2018-19.

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Business News
New York for the first time granted license to a Bitcoin teller machine (BTM) operator.

Coinsource is the 12th cryptocurrency firm to receive a Bitlicense from the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).

Announcing the news, NYDFS Superintendent Maria T. Vullo said, "Today's approval is a further step in implementing strong regulatory safeguards and effective risk-based controls while encouraging the responsible growth of financial innovation."

Coinsource currently operates 40 Bitcoin kiosks in New York state, similar to ATMs.

The customers can insert cash and buy bitcoin and store it on their mobile wallet or sell bitcoin for cash by scanning their mobile wallet at the kiosk.

Coinsource CEO Sheffield Clark said, "Coinsource is the first and only company that operates BTMs to receive a New York virtual currency license. All New Yorkers  from the people that are unbanked to the people who own the banks  can use our kiosks in their neighborhood retail locations to buy bitcoin instantly in a convenient and familiar way."

NYDFS granted approval to Coinsource after a comprehensive and rigorous review of its application, and subject to significant regulatory conditions.

The company is required to implement effective risk-based controls and appropriate BSA/AML and OFAC controls to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, misuse of Bitcoin, including market manipulation.

NYDFS has made it clear that the license is subject to revocation for failing to comply with any of the above provisions.

Coinsource is an audited firm with more than 20 employees and over 200 machines. It currently has money transmission licenses in 18 states.

The company's general counsel Arnold Spencer said that by next year, Coinsource will have operator license in all 50 states.

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Business News
After successfully positioning Malta as a fintech hub and a crypto-friendly "Blockchain Island," the Maltese government is now exploring ways to replicate the success to position the small Mediterranean island nation amongst the top ten countries in the world with a national strategy for Artificial Intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the processing of data that can be used for machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and predictive modeling, apart from the common usage in robots.

The Government is aiming to develop a National AI Strategy that considers for ethically aligned, transparent and socially responsible AI, identify policy, regulatory and fiscal measures to strengthen Malta's appeal as a hub for foreign investment in the sector. It will also identify the underlying skill base and infrastructure needed to support AI.

Malta's Junior Minister for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri launched Malta.ai, Malta Government's vision on AI.

Malta.ai will collaborate with SingularityNET, the company behind AI Robot Sophia, on a pilot project to explore a citizenship test for Robots in the process of drafting new regulation for AI.

The Maltese government has already established an eleven-member Malta.ai task force made up of entrepreneurs, academics, and experts in the field to help draft the national AI strategy and devise a holistic approach to the sector.

The Malta.ai taskforce will work under the responsibility of the Malta Digital Innovation Authority, which was recently entrusted with regulation of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) products and services.

The national AI framework will be developed in alignment with other strategies being pursued on DLT and Internet of Things (IoT).

AI is expected to underpin $15.7 trillion of global economic growth by 2030 and is expected to impact every economic sector and transform current jobs and create new ones.

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Technology News
The U.K. Government's Cryptoassets Task-force has proposed some changes in the regulation of cryptocurrencies. In a report published by the HM Treasury, the Task-force urged to take strong action to address the potential risks associated with crypto assets.

The task-force plans to establish the UK's policy and regulatory approach to cryptoassets and its underlying DLT . The associated risks of cryptoassets and the underlying technology, as well as its potential benefits were explained in the report.

It is expected that the authorities will keep their approach to cryptoassets and DLT under review to make sure the country continues to support innovation, while maintaining safe and transparent financial . The most immediate priorities would be to mitigate the risks to consumers and market integrity, and prevent the use of cryptoassets for illicit activity.

The government will issue a consultation in early 2019 to further explore whether and how exchange tokens and related firms such as exchanges and wallet providers could be regulated effectively.

The Cryptoassets Task-force, launched by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in March 2018, consists of HM Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England.

The authorities will also guard against threats to financial stability that could emerge in the future, and encourage responsible development of legitimate DLT and cryptoasset-related activity in the UK.

The Task-force said, "Given concerns identified around consumer protection and market integrity in these markets, the FCA will consult on a prohibition of the sale to retail consumers of all derivatives referencing exchange tokens such as Bitcoin, including CFDs, futures, options and transferable securities. The proposed prohibition would not cover derivatives referencing cryptoassets that qualify as securities, however CFDs on securities would remain subject to ESMA's temporary restrictions and any future FCA proposals to implement permanent measures in relation to CFDs."

The Task-force said strong action should be taken to address the risks associated with cryptoassets. The authorities plan to engage with international bodies to ensure a comprehensive response.

In a similar development, India's Financial Stability and Development Council or FSDC said it is considering a blanket ban on the use of private cryptocurrencies in the country. However, the Council plans to encourage the use of Distributed Ledger Technology, known as blockchain.

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Technology News
After falling sharply early in the session, shares of Shake Shack Inc. (SHAK) have climbed off their worst levels of the day but remain significantly lower in afternoon trading on Friday. Shake Shack is currently down by 13.2 percent after hitting a six-month intraday low.

The early sell-off by Shake Shack came after the restaurant chain reported third quarter earnings and revenues that exceeded analyst estimates but an unexpected decrease in same-store sales.

Shake Shack also forecast full-year revenues between $450 million to $452 million, below analyst estimates for $453.4 million.

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President Donald Trump is set to reimpose tough sanctions on Iran on Monday, November 5th, the White House confirmed in a statement on Friday.

The White House said the U.S. will fully reimpose all sanctions that were lifted as part of the nuclear agreement reached with Iran under former President Barack Obama.

Trump hinted at reimposing the sanctions with a picture of himself posted to Twitter with a text overlay saying "Sanctions Are coming" in the style of HBO's "Game of Thrones" slogan "Winter Is Coming."

The White House said the sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran's , including the Islamic republic's energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and financial sectors.

"Together with the unprecedented sanctions actions taken by the Trump Administration, this will be the toughest sanctions regime ever imposed on Iran," the White House claimed.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the reimposed sanctions are aimed at depriving the Iranian regime of the "revenues that it uses to spread death and destruction around the world."

"Our ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlaw activities and behave as a normal country," Pompeo said in conference call with reporters.

Pompeo noted eight jurisdictions will be granted temporary waivers from energy-related sanctions due to reductions in their crude oil imports from Iran and cooperation on many other fronts.

The Secretary of State argued the maximum pressure imposed on Iran has caused the Iranian currency to drop dramatically, led to disarray in President Hassan Rouhani's cabinet and encouraged the Iranian people to speak out against a corrupt and hypocritical regime.

"On that note, our actions today are targeted at the regime, not the people of Iran, who have suffered grievously under this regime," Pompeo said

He added, "It's why we have and will maintain many humanitarian exemptions to our sanctions including food, agriculture commodities, medicine, and medical devices."

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Business News
It has been a busy week for everyone and most of our international visitors, who came to our shores as delegates at the recent SAMOA Pathway Inter-Regional Conference, are perhaps on their way home to the 50-plus nations that they represent.

The Government of Samoa did a fabulous job as the host of an international conference, again, putting its regional neighbours on notice in terms of its hospitality and ability to ensure the conference participants ticked off the boxes on behalf of their governments from the various Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The The Inter-Regional Meeting for the Mid-Term Review of the SAMOA Pathway released an Outcomes Document as a result of the deliberations.

But a couple of days prior to the convening of the SAMOA Pathway conference, Samoa reaffirmed its commitment to the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (C.E.D.A.W.) through a live videoconference led by Faimalotoa Kika Stowers, the Minister of Women, Community and Social Development.

Again, another box ticked for this island nation in the last seven days, with Faimalotoa assuring the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women that the socio-economic wellbeing of the Samoan people remained at the core of the countrys development initiatives.

The Minister listed, among the Governments various achievements, the first comprehensive legislative review of the Convention since its ratification by the Law Reform Commission, the constitutional amendment of June 2013 introducing the 10 per cent quota of female representatives in the Legislative Assembly, the passing of the Family Safety Act in 2013, the establishment of the Family Court of Samoa in 2014, and the passing of the Crimes Act and the Labour and Employment Relations Act in 2013.

The Government remains committed to combatting all forms of violence against women and girls, and it is promoting safe families and communities in Samoa, she added.

But all that good work by the Government - to promote safe families and communities in Samoa through its various intervention programs - could come undone by the recent decision of the Liquor Board to extend the alcohol sales hours of small shops in Samoa.

Last week the Liquor Board issued a public notice signed by its Secretary, Leatigaga Tiatia Liaina, advising of the new sales hours which went into effect October 25, 2018.

The notice advised that retail stores, hotels and restaurants can now sell alcohol from 6.00 am to 1.00 am Monday to Friday. However, on Saturdays alcohol can only be sold from 6:00 am to 12:00 am midnight. Stores and restaurants are not permitted to sell on Sundays, while hotels can do so but only from 10:00 am to 12:00 am midnight.

While the Minister of Revenue Tialavea Tionisio Hunt came to the defense of the Liquor Board recently, to speak in favour of the decision to extend alcohol trading hours for small shops in Samoa, there are studies from around the world that show the connection between alcohol availability and its impact on local crime patterns.

But we do not need to highlight international case studies to show the link between increasing alcohol availability and local crime patterns. In fact the Samoa Law Reform Commission has called for major reforms and the overhaul of the Alcohol Act.

The reforms were to target the following: the alcohol licensing system; regulating the sale and supply of alcohol by controlling availability; reducing demand of alcohol through taxation and minimum pricing scheme; advertising and sponsorship; enforcement; reducing alcohol-related problems; and responsibilities of parents, village council and churches. The recommendations from the commission were comprehensive and would have had a major impact in mitigating alcohol-related crime.

But the recent announcement by the Liquor Board - to extend the small shops alcohol trading hours - appears to be on a collusion course with the Samoa Law Reform Commission and ultimately the Police.

We note Faimalotoa assuring the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (C.E.D.A.W.) recently that the Government intends to promote safe families and communities in Samoa.

It is the same objective that the Samoa Law Reform Commission and the Police are working to achieve through the reforms they are pushing. Perhaps it is time for the relevant arms of Government to get back to the roundtable and reach a consensus on fighting a common enemy. Have a nice weekend Samoa and God bless.
The chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (A.O.S.I.S.), Ali Naseer, is thankful for the Samoa Pathway because of the positive changes it has brought about.

A lot has changed since we adopted the Samoa Pathway, Mr. Naseer said.

Since then, we have adopted the disaster risk reduction strategy, the Addis agenda for financing of development, the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, and indeed the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Mr. Naseer said Samoa Pathway could stimulate a brighter future for island States.

These were all very encouraging at global level to galvanise support for sharing a future that is more sustainable and more climate friendly, he said.

The purpose is to walk away from multilateral framework that A.O.S.I.S. forged so successfully in 2015 with the hope that these island countries will return to the multilateral approach to overcome the challenges of their time.

While a lot has changed, what have not changed, since their last meeting in Samoa, were the vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S.).

Mr. Zhenmin said since then, the space for S.I.D.S. to access development financing has been reduced significantly, and as a result, the abilities of these countries to build resilient infrastructure has been reduced.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (I.P.C.C.) shows, and have caused significant damages, not only to the small amount of land in S.I.D.S, but also to the marine life, which provide an important source of economic livelihood for their communities.

This was one of the reasons of the meetings, to let the people know of the progress A.O.S.I.S. has achieved, the challenges that they continue to face, and evaluate the pathway forward and the pathway that they wish to recommend to Mid-Term review Meeting in New York in 2019.

Mr. Zhenmin is appreciative towards the Government and people of Samoa for facilitating this important meeting and for their incredible hospitality.
Supreme Court Justice Leiataualesa Darryl Clarke yesterday quashed a District Court decision to discharge without conviction suspended Lands and Titles Court President, Fepuleai Atilla Ropati.

Justice Leiataualesa upheld an appeal by the Police and ruled that the matter is remitted back to the District Court for a re-trial, with the direction that section 17 of the Sentencing Act 2016 is applied.

The matter relates an incident on the night of December 15, 2017 at the end of year party convened at the Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration for the judiciary and their staff. Fepuleai, the respondent in yesterdays appeal, struck a 55-year-old male at the party twice with a bottle and threw a punch at him and sustained injuries during the attack.

The respondent was charged by the police and went before the District Court in July this year, where he pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm. Following a full trial, the presiding District Court Alalatoa Rosella Papalii discharged him without conviction.

The decision of the District Court judge subsequently led to an appeal by the Police, who were represented in the appeal by Rexona Titi from the Office of the Attorney General. The respondent was represented by counsel Aumua Ming Leung Wai.

Before handing down his decision yesterday, Justice Leiataualesa told the parties that the appellant  as it did in the District Court proceedings  invited the Supreme Court to set sentencing bands for the offence of causing injury with intent.

The rational of the invitation by the prosecution was to set guidelines, due to the discontent with sentences by the District Court in relation to that type of offending, he added.

But the invitation by the invitation by the prosecution was premature, according to the Supreme Court Judge.

In my view it is premature for guidelines to be made in the absence of any appeals on sentence having earlier been made, and not in a case where the appeal relates to the grant of a discharge without conviction. I decline to issue a guideline judgment for sentencing for causing injury with intent.

The sentence of discharge without conviction is quashed and the matter is remitted to the District Court for re-hearing with the direction that section 17 of the Sentencing Act 2016 is to be applied to any dispute fact between the parties.

I have not directed that the District Court find as an aggravating factor abuse of position of power and leave this open to the Judge to consider on further submission by counsel as the matter is remitted for re-hearing, Justice Leiataualesa said.
The Inter-Regional Meeting for the Mid-Term Review of the SAMOA Pathway has released an outcomes document.

In the document, delegates who represented over 50 Small Island Developing State (SIDS) as well as associate members of the regional agencies reaffirmed their commitment to the sustainable development and full implementation of the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.

Key highlights of the document included a consensus that the outcome document will will serve as the basis for the preparation of the inter-governmentally agreed Political Declaration of the High Level SIDS Mid-Term Review of the SAMOA Pathway.

The delegates also agreed that the SAMOA Pathway, which is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is a standalone overarching framework for guiding global, regional and national development efforts to achieve the sustainable development aspirations of SIDS; building on the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA) for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation.

There was also recognition by the delegates of the achievements made by SIDS in the first five years of implementation of the SAMOA Pathway, while also recognizing that there are gaps in implementation, and commit to addressing the following key priority areas over the next five years of the SAMOA Pathway with the support of the international community.

Areas in which there would be accelerated action, in terms of implementation at the national, regional and inter-regional level  as per their recent discussions in the Apia conference  were: climate change, disaster risk reduction and resilience building, conservation, protection, management and sustainable use of oceans, seas and their resources, sustainable transport and improved connectivity, renewable energy and access to affordable energy, and water and sanitation, sustainable management of waste including chemical and hazardous waste, and building of human, technical and institutional capacity; especially for data collection and statistical analysis and the production of quality data and statistics, including for research and development amongst others.

Among the concerns that were highlighted by the conference was the double burden imposed on states by communicable and non-communicable diseases, poverty and inequality, gender inequality, food insecurity, limited transport and communications networks, degradation of terrestrial, coastal and marine environments, inadequate access to or inappropriate infrastructure and the adverse impacts of climate change.

We call for greater international support to address these challenges that are being persistently compounded by the increasing costs of recovery associated with more frequent, intense and unpredictable natural disasters, the delegates stated in the outcomes document.
Fero Samoa Limited celebrated its one year anniversary since its establishment at the companys compound in Vaitele yesterday.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, who was in attendance, congratulated the company for reaching their first year. He also assured Governments support in the companys future endeavours.

I wish to thank Fero for taking the initiative and the risk to invest in our country, also my congratulations to the Fulton family, Fero Samoa management and staff for your hard work, Tuilaepa said.

I extend my best wishes to continue the success and assure you the Government of Samoas support and commitment to the system anyway possible.

Fero Samoa General Manager, Sam Fulton told Samoa Observer that Fero Samoa could not have gotten this far without the staff.

Mr. Fulton said because of the team effort, Fero Samoa has achieved its mission of effectively manufacturing and supplying to overseas customers.

Going forward, the company looks to increase the number of employees to 200 and build business relations with overseas businesses as well. Fero Samoa is also looking to diversify their products, which would allow the staff to learn new skills.

There has been a lot of growth and development with what we have done here. The skills we have in the team here are world class. We have progressed a lot and we are able to handle all the requirements that these different customers have, said Mr. Fulton.
Supreme Court Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Clark yesterday sentenced a 26-year-old male to three years and two months imprisonment.

Ava Jeffery Salapo of Vaiee, Vaitele Fou and Satapuala is charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to a taxi driver. He was represented by Maiava Visekota Peteru.

Justice Leiataualesas told the defendant that the circumstance of the offending was very serious.

I accept that you had been drinking and you saw the victim, hailed his taxi and sat in the back seat behind him, said Justice Leiataualesa.

You asked to be taken to a fairly scheduled place at the sea wall at Vaiala and there from the back, you slit his throat. You then tried to leave the scene in the victims taxi but the taxi got stuck.

You are fortunate that the victim did not die, such acts of cutting a persons throat with a knife being very dangerous and serious.

Justice Leiataualesa said there was a clear element of premeditation in the offending. The court also accepted that the defendant was remorseful.

That you are a person of prior good character and that this act by you was entirely out of character.

I also accept that this may have been influenced by your intoxicated state but that however, is no excuse.

The court heard that prosecution sought five years as a starting point for sentence.

Your counsel seeks a non-custodial sentence; however a custodial sentence is warranted in your case as a deterrent to you and others who may consider such cowardly act on others, said Justice Leiataualesa.

The seriousness of your assault in cutting the victims throat in the circumstances shows that you did warrant a custodial sentence.

I have referred to the authorities that have been referred to by prosecution and adopt five year starting point for sentence.

For Avas genuine remorse and his prior good character, Justice Leiataualesa deducted six months respectively for each of them and from the remainder he deducted 10 months for his guilty plea.

Accordingly, you are convicted and sentence to three years and two months imprisonment less time remanded in custody.
The Plaza Health Clinic has once again offered their services for Miss Samoa.

Yesterday, the free medical check-up sponsorship for reigning Miss Samoa Sonia Piva was launched at the Samoa National Provident Fund in Apia. This is the second year the clinic has sponsored Miss Samoa.

The clinic is run by Papalii Dr. Samuelu Petaia, who is the Director of Services and Dr. Tanya Petaia Godinet, who is in charge of clinical services. We offer our services free of charge for the current reigning Miss Samoa if she was to be sick or ill. We will provide the medical checks throughout her whole reign as the Miss Samoa, Papalii said.

It is our hope to continue this sponsorship for the following year. But we also support all health programmes that are introduced in our country and we always try to be part of it.

Papalii said it has always been a passion to help the public and the sponsorship is a form of their community service.

But especially for us, this is our calling in life. In the previous year, the former Miss Samoa, Alexandra Iakopo, came to visit us when she was not feeling well and so we provided medical checks, which are conducted by Dr. Tanya, Papalii said. Ms. Piva expressed gratitude towards the clinic for their kind sponsorship.

At the end of the day, everyone gets sick and so I am grateful for the kind assistance given by the Plaza Health Clinic, she said.

It would be a good opportunity for me to come and undergo my regular checkups here so that I am well and healthy to perform my duties as Miss Samoa to the best of my capabilities.
Faataua o le Ola (F.L.O.) launched their Walk for Life campaign at Vaoala yesterday.

The campaign focuses on not only raising money to keep the organisation operational, but to also raise awareness about various issues affecting our society such as suicide.

In a press conference, Board Chairman Tuatagaloa Joe Annandale announced that the campaign is also dedicated to the late Hans Joachim Keil, also known as Joe Keil.

Tuatagaloa said Mr. Keil was the founding member of F.L.O.

At the time of his passing, he held the position of co-patron of Faataua le Ola together with Misa Telefoni Retzlaff, he said.

He was a dedicated member of F.L.O. and he was instrumental in its reformation in 2012.

He was an advocate for helping others and secretly reached out to many people in need. He was instrumental in the formation of many F.L.Os outreach programmes to church, communities and colleges.

Tuatagaloa also acknowledged the presence of Joes wife, Celine Keil and his son Nathan Keil during the launch.

He said F.L.O. is the only non-government organisation that deals specifically with the issue of suicide, suicide awareness and prevention.

We work with individuals who suffer from mental anguish and depression due to many and varied social issues and conditions, he said.

Our service is free of charge and we offer troubled individuals a lifeline through our Samoa lifeline 24/7 phone counselling service.

Tuatagaloa said this is the eighth year theyve been running the campaign to raise the much needed awareness about the very real issues of suicide and mental illness that plaque our society.

It is Samoas largest event of its kind and participants from all sectors of the community turn up to walk.

By collecting proceeds for the walk and walking with us, people are given the opportunity to help our fellow countrymen who are in distress.

Tuatagaloa said the Samoan community plays a vital role in helping them achieve their suicide awareness and prevention campaign in the grassroots level.

This is why we humbly seek your support in whatever way possible, be financial, in kind, participating in the walk or volunteering of your time to help.

The majority of our community lives comfortable and profitable lives and reap the benefits of living in a tropical paradise.

However there is the minority, the marginalised who are out there suffering, and these people are crying out and reaching out for help and they are not being heard. This is why it is so very important that Faataua le Olas work continues.

So please come and support us.
A first time visitor, Charlotte Ralphs from New Plymouth, New Zealand, was drawn to Samoa because of its warm weather.

The 23-year-old flew into Samoa with her partner Nick Oneill five days ago for a two weeks break.

The Dear Tourist team came across the couple while they were partaking in the cultural experience at the Samoa Tourism Authority Cultural Village in Apia.

Charlotte is originally from England, but has lived in New Zealand.

We arrived on Sunday and then we checked into our booking, which was at Vaiula Beach Fales, Charlotte said.

We also rented a car so it would be easier for us to travel and explore the islands.

I chose Samoa because I love being in warm places and with that being said, Samoa has beautiful beaches and warm water and not forgetting so many stunning natural sites to visit, Charlotte said.

Charlotte said the Samoan people were very friendly, which gave off a nice vibe of being surrounded by happy people.

We went to the To Sua trench, which was spectacular. It was so different in a way that it was exceptionally breathtaking, she said.

The location of the place we are staying in is on the way to where the trench is located so it was convenient.

Samoa is unique because it still keeps a sense of its traditional way of life.

Charlotte admitted it was Samoa was the first destination where she experienced staying in traditional Samoan fale.

I have to admit that sleeping near the ocean hearing the waves crashing on the shore is very relaxing, Charlotte said.

I love the local organic foods like fruits; they just taste so refreshing, my favourites are the pawpaw.

I had the opportunity to drink the local Samoan beer as well and so far my favourite is the Taula, she said.

Charlotte said they will also be exploring Savaii and see how that side of the island differs from Upolu.

We also want to do some shopping so we will head to the local markets to have a look at the local product.

I feel like Samoa should stay the way it is at the moment and not be too modernised because once it becomes modernised, it will be just like every other country, focusing on development but losing its own sense of identity, which classifies them from the rest.

Samoa is unique because it still keeps a sense of its traditional way of life, meaning compared to other countries, it is different in a way where it still maintains its normal lifestyle that has a nice vibe.

Charlotte said she would recommend Samoa for couples looking for a getaway.

There are so many different places to see and explore and it is just perfect to just escape from the everyday hassles of life.

Samoa offers great beautiful warm beaches and I love that, she added.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  The release of a Christian woman in Pakistan, acquitted eight years after being sentenced to death for blasphemy, was delayed Friday after authorities agreed to bar her from flying abroad following talks with radical Islamists who want her publicly hanged.

The agreement between the government and the Tehreek-e-Labbaik party was reached in the city of Lahore where Islamists have been rallying since Wednesday, when the Supreme Court overturned the 2010 conviction of Asia Bibi for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Pakistani authorities will now not allow Bibi to leave the country until the Supreme Court makes a final review of its verdict, said provincial minister Noorul Haq Qadri, according to the agreement.

It comes a day after Ghulam Mustafa, the lawyer representing a provincial cleric in Punjab who had filed the initial blasphemy charges against Bibi, petitioned the Supreme Court requesting the judges review her acquittal. The court has not set a date to take up the petition.

Pakistan's Supreme Court has not been known to reverse its decisions but court reviews typically take years. Bibi's ordeal will continue until the review is completed.

The latest development will likely irk rights groups calling for the release of Bibi, who has spent nine years in jail since her arrest in 2009. Bibi's family has always maintained her innocence and says she never insulted Islam's prophet.

Since Wednesday's landmark ruling over Bibi's acquittal, radical Islamists have blocked highways and damaged or set fire to dozens of vehicles to pressure the government to prevent Bibi's release from an undisclosed detention facility.

Earlier, during the day, some 5,000 Islamists rallied in the capital, Islamabad and nearly 4,000 demonstrators staged a sit-in in Lahore, demanding that Bibi's acquittal verdict be overturned. Similar rallies were also held in the northwestern city of Peshawar; there were no reports of violence.

Over 2,000 demonstrators blocked a key road linking Islamabad with the garrison city of Rawalpindi, causing traffic jams. Hundreds also blocked another key motorway, connecting Islamabad with other major cities. No violence was reported during the rallies.

Earlier, Pakistan shut down schools and colleges after radical cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, announced that "talks" between his deputies and the government about Bibi's fate had failed.

Before dawn Friday, Rizvi had told an emotionally charged rally in the eastern city of Lahore that one of the government negotiators threatened his deputies during the talks that security forces will ruthlessly kill them if they did not disperse peacefully. He asked his supporters to continue sit-ins as authorities summoned paramilitary troops to restore order.

"We are ready to die to show our love for the prophet," he said.

Rizvi's envoys had demanded that Bibi be barred from leaving the country but Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry initially rejected the demand, saying the government will not accept any dictates.

Interior Minister Sheharyar Afridi said Friday that officials were trying to persuade Islamists to disperse their rallies peacefully.

Authorities also stepped up security near an undisclosed detention facility where Bibi is being held for her safety.

On Thursday, prison officials said two inmates were arrested last month for planning to strangle Bibi to death. They said the men were still being questioned.

Bibi's family had expected her release by Thursday night. Her husband, Ashiq Masih, returned from Britain with their children in mid-October and was waiting for her release so that they could fly out of Pakistan. Though the family has not disclosed the country of her destination, France and Spain have offered asylum.

Islamabad authorities suspended mobile phone services in the city for ten hours on Friday, likely to prevent the crowds from swelling further in the Pakistani capital.

Bibi's acquittal has posed a challenge to the government of Pakistan's new prime minister, Imran Khan, who came to power this summer partly by pursuing the Islamist agenda.

Khan condemned the Islamists on Wednesday after cleric Afzal Qadri urged supporters to kill the three judges who acquitted Bibi, revolt against army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa and overthrow Khan's government.

Military's spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor said Friday the army was exercising restraint, to provide a chance for a peaceful resolution. He asked demonstrators to refrain from violence and await the outcome of the review petition to the Supreme Court.

"Let this legal process be completed first," he told state-run Pakistan Television.

Bibi was arrested in 2009 after she was accused of blasphemy following a quarrel with two fellow female farm workers who refused to drink from a water container used by a Christian. A few days later, a mob accused her of insulting Islam's prophet, leading to her 2010 conviction.

The charge of blasphemy carries the death penalty in this majority Muslim nation and critics say it is often misused to settle feuds and arguments.
Sempra Energy on Thursday named Bethany Mayer to a newly created position at the San Diego-based Fortune 500 energy giant and promoted Patricia Wagner to group president of U.S. utilities.

Mayer, currently an executive partner for the New York-based private equity firm Siris Capital Group, will join Sempra on Nov. 26 as executive vice president of corporate development and technology. Mayer has experience with Sempra, having served on the companys board since February 2017.

She resigned from her seat on the board earlier this week in advance of assuming her new job in which she will lead Sempras strategy, corporate development/mergers and acquisitions, cybersecurity, digital technology and certain human resources functions.

Bethany Mayer (left) and Patricia Wagner (Photos from Sempra Energy)

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Mayer has more than 25 years of technology experience and prior to joining Siris Capital Group, she was president and CEO of Ixia, a publicly traded $500 million company based in Calabasas.

Bethany Mayers appointment underscores the increasingly critical role technology plays today and in the future of our business, Jeff Martin, Sempras CEO, said in a statement. Mayer will report to Martin.

The company also announced that Wagner, in her new role as group president for U.S. utilities, will oversee San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Gas and Sempras investment in Texas-based utility Oncor.

Currently the chairman and CEO of SoCalGas, Wagner will assume her new responsibilities at Sempra on Nov. 17 and will continue her role as chairman of SoCalGas.

J. Bret Lane will remain president and chief operating officer of SoCalGas and continue to report to Wagner.

In her new position, Patti will be able to apply her deep and diverse experiences from managing within our utility, infrastructure and corporate organizations, Joseph Householder, president and chief operating officer of Sempra, said in a statement. Wagner will report to Householder.

The hiring of Mayer and the promotion of Wagner come as an increasing number of women take on executive positions at U.S. energy companies.

Debra Reed served as CEO at Sempra from 2011 until she retired earlier this year.

According to the Wall Street Journal, almost 20 percent of utilities in the S&P 500 are run by women.

Business

rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski
The conversion of a nearly 40-year-old grocery store into a luxury gym received top honors at this years San Diego architecture awards.

Equinox La Costa in Carlsbad received the honor Thursday night for the $4.4 million conversion of a 31,000-square-foot abandoned former Vons. The distinction was for the annual Design Awards from the San Diego chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Architect Retail Design Collaborative, of Long Beach, said it took about two years to complete the Equinox project, which included a lounge, juice bar, yoga area, steam room and management offices. Materials included porcelain tiles, cedar, flamed marble and recycled materials.

The jury said it admired the transformation as an example of sustainability, as well as the use of natural light in the core of the building. Skylights amplify daylight that spreads rays throughout the building, including locker rooms.

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The material palette is simple, and elegant and used with restraint to effectively define programmatic activities, said comments from the five-member selection panel.

Equinox La Costa in Carlsbad was praised by judges for its use of natural light. (Benny Chan)

Equinox is a luxury fitness company that started in New York City. Retail Design Collaborative design director Jonathan Lopez said the challenge was to create something that was true to its urban roots but also connected to the vibe of Southern California.

Its amazing to see how the reimagination of something unused can truly transform a neighborhood, he said. So, weve been excited about the success of the project.

Begun in 1960, the Design Awards program on Thursday also recognized three other projects with honors. Other projects received merits and citations, and there were a few individual categories decided on by the architecture institutes board. There were 88 submissions this year.

Honor for architecture: UCLA Saxon Suites by Studio E Architects

The UCLA Saxon Suites won an honor for architecture from the San Diego chapter of the American Institute of Architects (Benny Chan)

San Diego-based Studio E Architects was honored for its construction of a two-story common building at UCLA that includes study lounges, offices and gathering spaces. The 7,240-square-foot building cost $3.9 million to construct and stands out because parts of the steel building look like it is hovering above common areas. Judges said the overhang solved technical problems, enhanced the project and served as a dynamic, engaging shading device.

Honor for architecture: IDEA1 by The Miller Hull Partnership

IDEA1 won an honor for urban design from the San Diego chapter of the American Institute of Architects (John Gastaldo /)

The $60 million project in East Village has many different attributes, from retail to creative housing, and is one of downtowns most diverse mixed-use developments. Judges said the pedestrian and human scale of the street facades and the courtyard weave the building together. The building is not an object; it fits well in the community and the subtle facades are timeless, they said.

Honor for urban design: Quartyard by Rad Lab Designs

The US Green Building Council-San Diego held a panel forum on the state of sustainable housing at Quartyard Park at Park Blvd. and Market Street (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Quartyard is a temporary pop-up style development that uses recycled and retrofitted shipping containers. Businesses serve craft beer, coffee, hamburgers and there is space for concerts and events. The jury said the project should be a prototype for future vacant urban lots. This is a great community revitalization project created from a simple kit of parts, the said.

Metro Tijuana award: Casa Coubes by Generica Arquitectura + Diseno Urbano

Casa Coubes was honored for its open design (Gonzalo Gonzalez)

This three-patio house on a hillside uses its unique shape to get as much natural light as possible into the home. The architecture board said the simple, clean material palette allows the residents to focus on the tranquil spaces or engaging views. It said it was impressed by the the horizontal and vertical layering of interior and exterior spaces.

Accessory dwelling unit award: The Enclave by Crossman Architecture

The Enclave won for best accessory dwelling unit (American Institute of Architects)

Plans for this Coronado accessory dwelling unit, sometimes called a granny unit, are probably nicer than most peoples houses. The unit is built above an existing 1950s home and uses load carrying elements to cut down on the carbon footprint. The architecture board created the new category this year with the intention of encouraging more innovative designs for granny units and recognize a growing part of housing market.

Other winners

Architecture:

Merit Award  domusstudio/2800 Third Avenue. Firm: domusstudio architecture

Merit Award  Del Mar Civic Center and Town Hall. Firm: The Miller Hull Partnership

Merit Award  La Jolla Guest House. Firm: Gluckman Tang Architects

Merit Award  Spectrum IV. Firm: LPA

Citation Award  Makers Quarter Block D. Firm: BNIM

Citation Award  PLNU Science Center (Sator Hall + Latter Hall). Firm: Carrier Johnson + CULTURE

Interior architecture:

Merit Award  Virginia Way. Firm: DuCharme Architecture

Merit Award  The Honor Foundation. Firm: Gensler

Unbuilt:

Honor Award  705 Sixth Avenue. Firm: Rios Clementi Hale Studios

Merit Award  Front Street Tower. Firm: Rios Clementi Hale Studios

Divine detail award:

Citation Award: Super Court of California  San Diego. Firm: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Young architect of the year award:

Philip Auchettl, AIA, CEO/Co-Founder of RAD LAB

Jared Basler, AIA, Owner of Basis Studio

Student design award:

Ivan Hu, Romberg Resurgence; NewSchool of Architecture & Design

Mackenzie Sims, Learning Environments for Creativity; NewSchool of Architecture & Design

Business

phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

ALSO

San Diegos new single-family homes are pricey, modern and in short supply

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Last years housing market broke records
Cloudbeds opened its doors to a sprawling new headquarters in San Diego on Thursday, capping a year of rapid growth for the local tech startup.

The company, which makes management software for hotels, hostels and other vacation properties, has added 160 employees to its ranks in a little over one year. Total, Cloudbeds now employs 201 people across 28 countries, with its core staff headquartered in Bankers Hill. The new office has nearly three times the space of its former digs, totaling 8,300 square feet and featuring startup staples like an arcade game room, ping pong tables and a 12-foot willow tree in the common area.

Inc. magazine recently ranked Cloudbeds No. 75 on its list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private U.S. companies, putting the startup in an elite group of past winners that includes Microsoft, Intuit and Oracle.

But it wasnt that long ago when the startup was a bit of a nobody in San Diego. Cloudbeds was founded by two longtime travelers  Adam Harris and Rich Castle  in 2012, and got its first big spotlight in 2014 when it won a local award handed out by startup accelerator Connect. Harris was so sure Cloudbeds wouldnt win that he told his small staff not to attend the ceremony. He even made a bet that if he won, hed accept his award wearing a hotel-issued bathrobe. Well, he won. And he kept his promise.

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When he walked on stage that night wearing a bathrobe, Harris only had 100 properties using his software. Today, Cloudbeds has nearly 17,000 properties using its tech.

The new office at Cloudbeds features a game room, picnic area, and large common space. (Courtesy/ Cloudbeds)

Cloudbeds is largely used by small, independently owned vacation properties. The software helps owners manage their room availability, bookings and other back-office tasks. The founders like to think of the tool as an asset for the underdogs, helping small boutique hotels stay in business in the rapidly evolving travel landscape. One way they do that is by automatically syncing current booking data across platforms like Airbnb, Expedia and Hotels.com so that owners keep a wide funnel of customer inflow without manually updating their listings.

A lot of times its the property owner who is also doing the front desk, the marketing, and the phones on top of the finance, accounting and other responsibilities, Harris said. Theres only 24 hours in a day. A lot of what we do is putting that work into an automated workflow.

On average, Harris said properties save about eight hours of time per week, and will often see a lift in revenue and reservations after signing on.

Cloudbeds has raised over $21 million in venture capital, completing a Series B financing round in June 2017.

In the span of about four years, Harris said the company grew annual revenue from around $100,000 to $4.2 million by 2017. Harris and Castle said theyre plugging every penny back into the company, so they havent reached profitability yet.

Were reinvesting our revenue in the technology to continue building the platform, Castle said. Our gross margins are 86 percent, so our unit economics are good.

Going forward, Cloudbeds expects to move up the chain from small properties to midsize and larger, eventually having hospitality management software that eclipses older tools used by hotel giants.

Were getting lifted upstream, Castle said. Properties dont want to use a desktop client anymore  an old, clunky, legacy system thats 25 or 30 years old. They want to use something thats modern, easy to use and in the cloud.

Cloudbeds new office is at 3033 5th Ave, across the street from Cafe Bassam.

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brittany.meiling@sduniontribune.com 619-293-1286 Twitter: @BrittanyMeiling
Efforts to expand San Diegos convention center gained ground Thursday when port commissioners took action clearing the way for a $5 million payment to the developer of a bayfront site needed for the expansion project.

While there are many more hurdles to clear, the action represents yet another crucial step, culminating with a future public vote on financing for the long hoped-for expansion.

The payment, which will be made by the port, is one of the terms of a deal negotiated several months ago to enable the city to regain control of the 5-acre site where an enlarged convention center has long been envisioned.

The deal between the port, the city and the port leasehold  Fifth Avenue Landing  had been struck at at time when it was presumed that there would be a citizens initiative on this Novembers ballot asking voters to increase San Diegos hotel room tax to underwrite the project.

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Backers of the measure, which would also raise revenues for addressing homelessness and street repairs, failed to qualify it in time for this Novembers election. But it did end up qualifying for placement on a future ballot following a verification of all the signatures collected.

Longtime port tenants Ray Carpenter and Art Engel, who control the Fifth Avenue Landing property, have teamed with a San Diego developer to build a $300 million hotel complex on the convention center expansion site. As part of the original deal with the port and city, however, they agreed to back away from that project and turn over their leasehold in return for a $33 million payment should voters approve the hotel tax increase.

So far, no date has been set for when the matter will go before the electorate, although Mayor Kevin Faulconer has indicated his support for a special election early next year rather than wait until the 2020 regular election schedule.

San Diego Port Chairman Rafael Castellanos made it clear Thursday that waiting until 2020 is not an option. A decision from the voters, he said, is needed sooner than later.

We own this land, and the port is in the business of building things, so I urge the council if they schedule the election they should do so as soon as possible.

With the ports action, the $5 million payment will now be made by Nov. 12, but its unclear if the financial terms of the original agreement will now change given a later election date. Under the terms of that pact, the next payment  $9.5 million  from the city to Fifth Avenue Landing would be due April 1.

In a statement released late Thursday afternoon, Faulconers office said that the city will now turn its focus to updating this agreement to reflect that the citizens initiative to expand the convention center will be on a future ballot, and transactions to acquire the waterfront property will be reliant upon the date of that public vote.

Carpenter said Thursday that he and Engel are hoping to have discussions soon on the timing of a potential election on the convention center initiative. To date, there has been no talk, he said, about changed financial terms.

Port Commissioner Dan Malcolm asked for clarification from a representative of the mayors office on whether the initiative will require a simple majority to pass or a higher threshold of two-thirds, the normal minimum for raising taxes. A California Supreme Court decision last year suggested that only a simple majority is needed for a citizens initiative, but the ruling remains open to legal interpretation.

It seems to me that that is the critical question here, Malcolm said. The gulf between 50 percent plus one and two-thirds is huge in terms of the likelihood of the measure passing or not passing. Id like to formally request that the mayors office request of the city attorney  to provide us some guidance here.

Should the tax hike measure fail at the ballot box, Fifth Avenue Landing would continue processing its plans for the bayfront project, which calls for an 850-room hotel and 565-bed hostel, and the city would reimburse the San Diego Unified Port District for its $5 million payment. If the initiative succeeds, the city would cover the balance of the leasehold costs from revenues raised by the hotel tax hike.

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lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisberg
Mountain Empire Unified School District, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in rural East County, is asking voters to pay for renovations to aging facilities at its seven schools.

Proposition JJ on the Nov. 6 ballot is a $15 million bond that would allow the district to replace or update roofing, plumbing and electrical systems, and heating and ventilation operations for its 1,750 students.

It is the first time in 20 years Mountain Empire has brought a bond measure before voters in the 1,660-square-mile district.

The district operates Mountain Empire High School, Camp Lockett and Pine Valley middle schools and four elementary schools: Campo, Clover Flat, Descanso and Potrero.

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No argument against the measure was filed in the office of the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.

The proposition will need to be approved by 55 percent of the votes cast. There are about 6,500 voters in the district which covers Pine Valley, Campo, Potrero, Descanso, Jacumba and Mount Laguna. Residents will pay a tax assessment of $37 a year per $100,000 of assessed valuation if the measure passes.

The nearly 50-year-old districts oldest campus was built in 1935. It last received voter authorization to issue general obligation bonds in 1998 under Prop N.

District Superintendent Kathy Granger said all the schools need to meet current American Disability Act standards so there is safe access for all students, parents, teachers and the visiting public.

Descanso Elementarys 1935 main building has never been modernized and the districts newest school, the high school, is 43 years old and Campo Elementary was constructed 30 years ago.

The bond would make a big difference at the schools where roofs leak, there are heating and air-conditioning breakdowns, and other building issues are challenging, said Patrick Keeley, principal of Mountain Empire High School and a graduate of the district.

(Mountain Empire High) science labs were built in the 1970s and I went to them in the 1980s, Keeley said. The kids now need to see what a current science lab looks like. (The district) doesnt have the same advantages as a kid going to a school district 30 miles away.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
A Center for Innovation is opening at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside, providing a Culinary Arts Teaching Kitchen, Performing Arts Center and STREAM Lab to hundreds of area youths and community members with disabilities.

A ribbon-cutting for the 2,800-square-foot addition to the club at 401 Country Club lane will be on Thursday, Nov. 8. The event will include tours of the new nearly $1 million facility, which was funded through grants, special events and donations from area businesses and community members.

The state-of-the-art facility includes a Culinary Arts Teaching Kitchen, which gives teens a place to learn job skills and life skills and will provide preliminary training for at-risk youths to learn culinary and hospitality skills for future careers.

The Performing Arts Center includes a stage where youths and adults with disabilities in the clubs ROADS program can participate in music, drama and dance, laying a foundation for high school arts education.

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The STREAM Lab (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts and Math Laboratory) is an interactive facility where youths can engage in experiments and learn problem solving skills.

The club, which opened in 1952, provides educational programs, considered life changing, to more than 1,400 youths ages 6-18 daily.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce will be from 4 to 4:15 p.m. followed by tours of the center and hors doeuvres provided by local nonprofit Kitchens for Good along with An Evening of Innovation presentation from 5 to 6 p.m. at the clubhouse.

We could not have done this without the tremendous support from this community, said club CEO Jodi Diamond. We want youth to gain skills they never wouldve received had they not entered our doors. The Center for Innovation will help us do that and much more.

RSVP by Monday, Nov. 5, at (760) 433-8920, ext. 115, or hmoss@bgcoceanside.org.
As multiple marijuana measures go to the ballot in Vista, proponents of the citizens initiative, Measure Z, have invested more than a half-million dollars toward legalizing pot sales in the city.

Two campaign committees supporting the measure, which would allow up to 11 marijuana retailers to operate in the city, have spent a total of $575,469 since 2016 to get the initiative on the ballot and promote its passage.

Measure Z, sponsored by citizens and businesses, is one of three measures on the Nov. 6 ballot that would permit and regulate marijuana sales. Two additional city-sponsored initiatives, Measures AA and BB, would allow up to three delivery-only medical marijuana dispensaries, and set tax rates on those businesses.

With the multiple marijuana measures and six-figure campaign spending has come confusion. If all three measures pass, the one that receives the most votes would likely prevail, legal experts said. Specific provisions of the proposals may be subject to interpretation, however, and could lead to legal disputes.

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The higher number of votes is the one that would take effect under state law, said Rick Hasen, a professor at Loyola Law School, a specialist in election law. But thats only if theyre competing. Sometimes, theres overlaps, and thats where theres legal challenges.

Vista City Attorney Darold Pieper agreed that provisions of the higher-ranking initiative would take precedence, but said prior court rulings dont provide simple guidance for that process.

There is case law out there, but it is all very fact-specific, Pieper said. So you have to look at each one and take them apart piece by piece, to see what may be left.

In addition, the city has warned supporters of Measure Z to stop distributing campaign flyers in support of municipal candidates, without stating that the promotions are not affiliated with their campaigns. The city attorney issued cease-and-desist letters to one of the pro-pot campaigns regarding flyers distributed last month in support of mayoral candidate Joe Green and council candidate Corinna Contreras.

In violation of campaign finance laws, the flyers were designed to appear as if they came from the candidates themselves, and didnt clearly disclose who paid for them, the city attorney stated. Green told the city attorney and The San Diego Union-Tribune that he had no role in creating or distributing the material. Contreras could not be reached for comment.

The large cash infusions and flurry of campaign messages reflect the interests at stake, as marijuana producers and retailers and their supporters seek to secure legal sales outlets in the region. If voters approve the measure, Vista would become the first city in North County to allow storefront marijuana sales.

They want Measure Z on the ballot because, at the end of the day, they want safe and reliable access for medical cannabis patients, said former Vista Councilman Cody Campbell, now a campaign consultant for the campaign.

The measure qualified for the ballot last September, allowing Vista voters in this years general election to weigh in on retail sales of both medical and adult use marijuana.

Measure Z, proposed by the pro-pot organization Vistans for Safe Community Access, would authorize retail medical marijuana sales for up to 11 businesses, at shops located in the citys commercial, industrial, business park and mixed-use commercial/residential zoning districts. It would also impose a 7 percent special tax on gross sales.

The proposal followed two separate petition drives, the first of which was rejected for technical errors in the paperwork. The second qualified for this years general election, but not a special election, as supporters had hoped.

In June, the city council, seeking to gain a handle on potential pot sales, approved an alternate ballot initiative that would permit more restricted marijuana business. Measure BB would allow just three delivery-only medical pot retailers and two product safety testing laboratories, located exclusively in industrial or manufacturing zones and part of the citys business park.

Measure AA, also proposed by the council, would tax marijuana cultivation at $14 per square foot of cultivation facilities, and tax gross sales at up to 3.5 percent for testing labs, 8 percent for manufacturing and distribution, 10 percent for medical cannabis, and 12 percent for adult-use pot sales.

Between the lengthy petition drives and the referendum campaign, Vistans for Safe Community Access collected total contributions of $467,869, according to campaign filings with the Vista City Clerk.

That included campaign contributions of $191,118 in 2016, $227,101 in 2017 and $49,650 this year. The largest contributor was Jda Property Management Group, LLC, which donated $93,493 in 2016 and $201,887 in 2017. Another donor, Dub Brothers Management, LLC, contributed $85,125 in 2016.

Campbell said thats not all going to campaign ads. The majority of that money, particularly contributions made in 2016 and 2017, funded the multiple petition drives needed to put the measure on the ballot, he said.

A separate organization listed as Safe Vista-Safe Access-Safe Community, Yes on Measure Z, sponsored by Barry Walker, prospective licensee collected donations totaling $107,600, including $72,600 from Walker and $35,000 from Jay Tee Investments, Inc. Dub Brothers reported an additional $35,000 loan to that committee on Tuesday.

On Oct. 2, the committee reported expenditures of $5,839 on a campaign flyer in support of council candidate Corinna Contreras. On Oct. 19, that committee reported spending $13,673 on campaign flyers for Councilman Joe Green, who is challenging incumbent Mayor Judy Ritter for her seat.

The city attorney received complaints about the flyers, which didnt cite the committees full name, identify Walker as a potential licensee, or include a disclaimer that the ad was not authorized by the candidates.

If its an independent expenditure, the candidate can in no way be involved in the flyer, Pieper said. Theres a no coordination rule. Otherwise, it would exceed campaign contribution limits.

Pieper issued a cease-and-desist notice ordering the committees organizers to stop distributing the materials, or face potential misdemeanor charges and fines.

During council debates on the measures, Green expressed support for legalizing access, noting that 57 percent of Vista voters voted for Proposition 64, which legalized marijuana in California, and an equal percentage favored retail sales in Vista, according to a city-commissioned poll. Those positions may have led Measure Z proponents to conclude that he would be a preferable candidate for mayor. Green said, however, that he had no part in the flyer, which included photos of him with his family and campaign volunteers, and the web address to his website. He responded to the city attorney with the following statement:

Im in receipt of your cease-and-desist notice and wanted to respond in writing ASAP. The information contained in the mailers was sent from a PAC unaffiliated with my campaign. All photos, web sites, and information was obtained via public access and was in no way authorized or produced, by me, my campaign committee, or members. I appreciate your diligence in insuring compliance with FPPC regulations for all candidates for office. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please feel free to contact me anytime.

Pieper said Contreras has not responded to his inquiry about the campaign flyers. Contreras did not respond to requests for comment by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
For the 65.5 million viewers worldwide of the PBS series Patis Mexican Table, host Pati Jinich is an expert in Mexican cuisine.

Jinich thought so too  until she traveled to Baja for the show.

She ate tortas in Tijuana, tacos in Rosarito, uni tostadas in Ensenada, corn pancakes in the Valle de Guadalupe, and drank Baja beer and wine everywhere.

I thought Id recognize the food, Jinich said in a phone interview this week as she rode in an Uber through Washington, D.C.

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As a Mexico City native  I thought I knew Mexico well, studying its history. I was a policy analyst, I study food like I study everything, like a policy analyst, she said.

It ended up being an unbelievable journey and discovery of a Mexico that has been brewing for the last 20 years. This unbridled, beautiful Mexican cuisine.

Viewers in San Diego can join Jinich on her journey to the Valle de Guadalupe on Saturday at 3 p.m. on KPBS.

In the episode, she visits such iconic Valle wineries as Monte Xanic and marvels as Fauna chef David Castro Hussong butchers then grills massive bone-in steaks.

Tijuana and the Valle de Guadalupe are teeming with gutsy, risk-taking, adventurous and bold chefs, winemakers, brewers, farmers and food producers, who arent bound by the rigid rules found elsewhere in Mexico.

Its really a microcosm of people who represent all the different areas of Mexico  at the same time. Baja is like this open door where they try new things, Jinich said.

While shooting the Baja episodes, Jinich spent time with all of the top names in the Valle, including Hussong, Javier Plascencia, Miguel Angel Guerrero and Sabina Bandera, aka La Guerrerense.

She dedicated an entire episode on Senora Blanca Estela Martinez Bueno, chef and owner of La Cocina de Dona Esthela, a breakfast restaurant that has reached cult status in the Valle. The wait on weekends can take hours. Dona Esthelas unbelievable corn pancakes were among the best things she tasted on her Baja visit.

Even with the show long in the can, Jinich is still as passionate for what she discovered as when she was on camera.

People are just experimenting  I had tuna tartare with dates and pistachios!  and it blows my mind. They have the license to do whatever they wish, what you cant do in other parts, like Oaxaca, where you have the traditional grandmas and chefs saying you cant.

Whats being created right now in Baja, she said, is a new Mexican regional cuisine.

The range of what you can find there is unparalleled in Mexico.

Pati Jinich and Felipe Nunez, owner of Tacos El Yaqui in Rosarito. (Courtesy photo)

michele.parente@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @sdeditgirl
Four Camp Pendleton Marines who were severely burned in an explosion last year when their military vehicle hit a natural gas line on the base filed a federal lawsuit this week against companies that provided the gas and the pipe.

The Marines are seeking unspecified damages against San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co.  both subsidiaries of Sempra Energy  and Texas-based Kinder Morgan, an energy pipeline operator.

Attorneys for Cpl. Anthony Romero and lance corporals Samuel Koontz, Nicholas Amrien and Tagen Schmidt filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in San Diego.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants were negligent and are liable for their actions to install, mark and maintain the natural gas line that constituted an ultrahazardous and abnormally dangerous risk of harm to the public traveling adjacent to said pipeline.

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Contacted for comment on the lawsuit Friday, a spokesman for San Diego Gas & Electric sent a statement saying: We are aware of a gas incident that occurred on Camp Pendleton in September 2017. We investigated and determined that an SDG&E gas line was not involved. With respect to the lawsuit, we do not comment on pending litigation.

Kinder Morgan declined commend on the suit. No statement was immediately released by Southern California Gas Co.

The four Marines who filed the lawsuit suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns when the amphibious assault vehicle they were riding in became engulfed in a ball of fire on Sept. 13, 2017.

Marines and Navy corpsmen were taking part in training in the San Mateo area of the base when their vehicle, nicknamed an amtrack, rolled partway into a ditch and severed a natural gas line.

Service members rocked the vehicle to get it out of the ditch and the engine was revved, their attorneys said in a statement. The vehicle backfired, triggering a natural gas explosion and 20-foot-high flames.

The gas-fueled fire burned for six hours and sent 13 troops to area hospitals with major burns and injuries.

A report filed later by military officials blamed the explosion on soil erosion along the roadway shoulder that exposed the pipe, which was painted gray and was hard to see in the dirt. Investigators also found that signs warning of the underground pipe were dilapidated and hidden amid overgrown brush.

According to the lawsuit, the companies failed to meet Camp Pendletons requirements that natural gas lines be buried at least 36 inches deep or as recommended by the manufacturer. Safety rules also call for burial of caution tape over the pipeline, along with above-ground signs and markers.

Had the markers been plainly visible, the lawsuit contends, the amtrack driver would have seen them and avoided the gas line.

Koontz, Robero, Schmidt and Amrien suffered permanent injuries and incurred significant medical expenses and lost wages as well as future earnings, their suit says.

Lead attorney Timothy Loranger said Friday that none of the four, ages 19 to 22, has returned to full duties and one faces additional surgeries on his wounds.

Months after the incident, Cpl. Carlos Tinoco, who suffered third-degree burns, filed a separate lawsuit against SDG&E. The company said then that the gas lines belong to the federal government.

Service members injured in the line of duty are barred from suing the federal government, but instead are to be compensated by military and Department of Veterans Affairs pension and health benefits.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @pdrepard
Fullerton city officials announced the resignation of Police Chief David Hendricks on Friday, roughly two months after he was accused of attacking paramedics who were treating his wife during a concert in Irvine.

A statement announcing Hendricks resignation made no mention of the Aug. 24 incident, which ended with police asking Hendricks and a Fullerton police captain to leave a Lady Antebellum concert at the FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine. Stephen Hale, a city spokesman, declined to comment on any connection between the August clash and Hendricks resignation, describing the situation as a personnel matter.

Hendricks made the decision to resign and was not forced out, according to Hale.

I am honored to have had the privilege of leading the men and women of the Fullerton Police Department, Hendricks said in the statement. I am grateful to the City Council and City Manager Ken Domer for the opportunity to serve the Fullerton community as chief of police.

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Irvine police responded to a disturbance at the country music concert at 9:42 p.m. Aug. 24. Investigators said two emergency medical technicians had been treating Hendricks wife when they had an altercation with Hendricks and Fullerton police Capt. Thomas Oliveras.

Police have not said what sparked the altercation or why Hendricks wife needed medical attention. Hendricks and Oliveras were ejected from the event a short time later, according to Irvine police.

No one was injured, and police were unable to recover any video of the incident.

The results of the investigation were turned over to the Orange County district attorneys office for review in August. Michelle Van Der Linden, a spokeswoman for the district attorneys office, said the case remained under review Friday.

Oliveras has remained on leave since the August incident, according to Hale. Hendricks had served as Fullertons police chief since August 2017, after a two-decade career with the Long Beach Police Department, where he rose to the rank of deputy chief.

Fullerton Police Capt. Bob Dunn, a former Anaheim police captain, will continue to serve as acting chief. The City Council will launch a search for a permanent replacement early next year, according to the citys statement.

james.queally@latimes.com

Twitter: @JamesQueallyLAT

UPDATES:

12 p.m.: This article was updated with information from the district attorneys office.

11:05 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information about the August confrontation as well as comments from a Fullerton spokesman and the Orange County district attorneys office.

This article was originally published at 10:40 a.m.
A child and three adults were killed in a fiery crash Thursday evening when an SUV rear-ended a stopped big rig on the northbound 5 Freeway in Santa Clarita, officials said.

According to a statement from the California Highway Patrol, the crash occurred just before 7:30 p.m. when a black SUV traveling at high speed slammed into the rear of the truck and trailer, which was stopped on the right shoulder of the freeway north of Weldon Canyon Road.

The driver of the SUV and his three passengers  two males and a female  died at the scene, the CHP said. The child in the SUV appeared to be younger than 10, the agency said. The driver of the big rig was uninjured.

The crash caused the SUV to catch fire, and the flames spread to the trailer, which was loaded with lumber. The flames charred a hillside next to the freeway before being extinguished by Los Angeles County Fire Department crews, the CHP said.

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First responders arrived to find the SUV stuck beneath the truck and engulfed in flames, authorities said. The crash snarled traffic all the way to the 210 Freeway late Thursday as several lanes were shut down.

Authorities towed the big rig off the freeway and reopened all northbound lanes shortly after 7 a.m. Friday, according to the CHP.

Investigators are trying to determine what caused the crash. Anyone with information is asked to call the CHPs Newhall office at (661) 294-5540.

5 FREEWAY CRASH UPDATE: Fatality count now at four after car slams into truck carrying wood that was pulled over to side of NB 5 in Santa Clarita https://t.co/taNoH3Htex pic.twitter.com/DtQdBZvGUC  ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) November 2, 2018

UPDATES:

7:25 a.m. This article was updated with additional details about the victims and with freeway lanes reopening.

5 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with additional details.

This article was originally published at 1:35 a.m.
Officials announced a $5,000 reward Friday for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect behind anti-Semitic graffiti at an Irvine synagogue.

At a news conference, a cluster of civic and interfaith supporters united outside Irvines City Hall to condemn intolerance.



For the record: A previous version of this article misspelled the name of the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League as Peter Levy. The spelling of his name is Peter Levi. The name of the president of Irvine Valley College was misspelled as Glen Roquemore. His name is Glenn Roquemore.

In the aftermath, the raw hatred shown by the hooded intruder at Beth Jacob Congregation, who spray-painted an obscenity-laced message at 1:30 a.m. Thursday, is overwhelmed by concern, solidarity and true friendship from countless individuals and institutions, said Rabbi Yisroel Ciner, leader of the synagogue founded 34 years ago.

We not only stand in support  were on this journey together, said Peter Levi, regional director at the Anti-Defamation League, whose organization donated the reward money.

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While this incident, which is being investigated as a hate crime, just started with the Jews, he warned that its perpetrator would likely target other communities, including blacks and Latinos.

Our job is to never let that be normalized, Levi said. No one should ever feel marginalized.

Chief Mike Hamel of the Irvine Police Department said that so far, investigators have no leads on the suspect, who fled on a bicycle, according to surveillance video.

Those assembled preached a message of compassion toward each other.

Hate does not wait  but let us not wait also to love one another and let us love our neighbor as ourselves, said Pastor Mark Whitlock of Christ Our Redeemer Church in Irvine, urging the crowd to not hesitate in reporting hate crimes.

Irvine Mayor Don Wagner led the gathering in calling out hate for the evil it is, adding: No community is exempt.

He said vandalism at Beth Jacob pales in comparison to the horrors at the Tree of Life synagogue just last weekend in his hometown of Pittsburgh  the deadliest shooting against Jewish people in the U.S.  and he continued to urge residents to stay vigilant.

While the words were written on your building, this is an attack on all of us, he told congregants in the audience.

Glenn Roquemore, president of Irvine Valley College, promised to stay vocal against hate and violence across the country, adding that school officials recently discovered swastikas defacing restrooms on campus.

Alison Edwards, CEO of OC Human Relations, shared statistics from Orange Countys most recent report on hate crimes, documenting a jump of nearly 30% over the previous two years, with Jews making up 9% of the victims. She echoed others who pushed the public to increase reporting of such crimes, saying that step-by-step instructions are listed on the groups website.

Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer said data show that among the top targets of hate crimes in the county are people of Jewish descent and members of the LGBTQ population. The only way to reduce this is to raise prosecutions. We must keep at it, he added.

Sheikh Atef Mahgoub, religious leader of the Islamic Center of Irvine, said he served in the same role at the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh for eight years. He said the mass shooting left him heartbroken, and he felt outrage at what happened at Beth Jacob.

Over the last few years, we have witnessed people in power trying to awaken evil, he said, trying to persuade listeners to demand that their elected officials lobby against intolerance. Well mourn with you today, but well fight with you for a safer community, a safer America.

Anyone with information for law enforcement is asked to call the department at (949) 724-7200 or to leave anonymous tips at the Orange County Crime Stoppers hotline at (855) TIP-OCCS.

anh.do@latimes.com

Twitter: @newsterrier

UPDATES:

3:05 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from speakers at the news conference.

This article was originally published at 1:30 p.m.
Between 65 percent and 70 percent of San Diego County voters are projected to cast ballots for Tuesdays elections, according to Registrar of Voters Michael Vu.

Vu said he could adjust his estimate depending on voting activity and ballot arrivals over the weekend.

For context, he noted that the last open gubernatorial general election, in 2010, had a 64 percent turnout.

Vu said 377,236 mail ballots had been returned as of Friday afternoon. Heres the breakdown by political party:

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144,183 (38 percent)  Democratic

137,078 (36 percent)  Republican

80,878 (21 percent)  No Party Preference/nonpartisan

15,097 (4 percent)  Minor political parties

(Percentages do not add up to 100 percent because of rounding.)

Vu said he has been tracking the mail ballot returns over the past week, and the percentages have been consistent.

He said on Election Day he is expecting 250,000 to 300,000 mail ballots to be dropped off at the 1,542 polling places and picked up from the U.S. Postal Service. Those figures do not include provisional ballots that will be cast at the polls and require validation following Election Day.

Weekend voting will continue this Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the registrars office, 5600 Overland Ave, San Diego. The telephone number is (858) 565-5800.

Vu said people who missed out on registering before the deadline can still participate, but they will need to go to his office and register and vote on the same day. He recommends people who plan to do this come in this weekend because Monday and Tuesday are expected to be busy.

He also recommends voters who still have mail ballots drop them off instead put them in the mail to make sure they are counted. In addition to the registrars office, ballots can be dropped off at 59 branch libraries throughout the county. To find their locations, click here.

The law says that mail ballots need to be postmarked on or before Election Day and received within three days after it.
A suspect in the slaying of a Midway District adult book store clerk appeared in San Diego Superior Court Friday, but didnt answer when asked to enter his plea on a murder charge.

An attorney entered the not guilty plea for Shaun Ward, 39, who on Thursday had refused to leave jail to attend his scheduled arraignment.

The hearing was re-set for Friday after the District Attorneys Office filed the murder charge.

Ward is accused of stabbing 65-year-old Diane Spagnuolo to death at X-Spot adult book store on Midway Drive where she worked as a clerk.

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A customer found her body near the front counter about 1:45 p.m. Monday, San Diego police said. Homicide investigators released security camera photos of the suspect and had Ward in custody by about 11 p.m. that day.

Investigators believe Spagnuolo was stabbed to death during a robbery.

Spagnuolos daughter Alexis Wylie, 28, and other family turned up for the Thursday hearing. Outside the courtroom, Wylie said authorities notified her of her mothers death about 1 a.m. on Tuesday, after having trouble tracking down her current address.

She described the shocking notification as surreal, with relief that someone can be held accountable for this.

Wylie said she and her aunts and uncles came to court because we want to face this person, show we are not afraid of this person.

She described her mother as a hard worker with a generous heart.

Her jobs were her life, her daughter said.

Spagnuolo had worked at the bookstore for 24 years and held a job with the Salvation Army, as a textiles processor and sales clerk for 16 years until 2012. Then, Wylie said, her mother left that job and became an assistant manager of the El Cajon mobile home park where she lived.

She was a very kind person. She was always thinking of others and she always wanted to have a good time and make sure others were having a good time as well, Wylie said.

Wylie added that her mother also was considerate and generous. A worker at a neighboring business said on Monday that Spagnuolo tried to help homeless people in the area when she could.

Whenever she could, she gave, Wylie said.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @pdrepard
A Clairemont woman who fired a shot through the front door of her next door neighbors apartment after they complained about loud noises and yelling coming from her unit was sentenced Friday to 16 years in state prison.

Brittany Lefler, 37, was convicted in May of four counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count each of making a criminal threat, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and child endangerment.

Superior Court Judge Joan Weber said the defendants addiction to alcohol led to the events of Dec. 29, 2016.

This is a woman who really tried to kill people, the judge said. Alcohol led her to that.

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Deputy Alternate Public Defender Gilson Gray unsuccessfully argued for a lesser sentence, calling Leflers actions significant recklessness while stressing that one shot was fired.

But Deputy District Attorney Michael Reilly said Lefler pointed a gun in the face of one of her neighbors when he opened the door, saying, Ive got my finger on the trigger.

Reilly said one of the victims grabbed her 11-year-old daughter from behind the door just before Lefler fired the shot.

Had Lefler fired a few seconds earlier, she might have been looking at a first-degree murder, the judge told the defendant.

You gave control of your life to alcohol, Weber told Lefler. Can you believe youre capable of trying to kill people?

A tearful Lefler apologized to the four victims, who were not in court for the sentencing hearing.

Im truly sorry for putting your whole family in danger, she said.

Lefler vowed to get help for her alcoholism so something like this doesnt happen again.

During the trial, Reilly said Lefler had been drinking and was out of control and verbally abusive after Erick Morales called police about 1 a.m.

Morales and her roommates told police that Lefler kept banging on the wall and screaming in her apartment on Beadnell Way. When officers responded, Lefler wanted to know who called the police on her, according to body-worn camera evidence.

Morales 19-year-old son said at one point he went outside and asked Lefler to keep it down. Lefler reached into her boot and pulled out what looked like a gun, and the teen ran back inside.

She (Lefler) said, Cmon outside, Ill bust a cap in you, Henry Molina testified.

The witness said he had overheard Lefler telling police that she kept a gun for things like this.

After he shut the door around 5 a.m., Molina testified, he heard another bang and his mother said, Shes shooting! Shes shooting!, referring to Lefler.

Reilly told the jury that Lefler pointed her gun at everyone in Morales apartment  including her boyfriend, son and 11-year-old daughter  before pulling the trigger.

She (Lefler) did it on purpose, the prosecutor said. In a moment of anger and fury, she shot through that front door. Ms. Lefler sent a message with a bullet through that front door. She cant do that!

The defense attorney told the jury that Lefler called 911 multiple times that night, but police did not help her.

Lefler was home alone, scared and outnumbered by her complaining neighbors, Gray said.

Both sides were yelling at each other and Lefler fired the shot accidentally when a door suddenly slammed, according to Gray.
A Fallbrook drug distributor accused of causing the fatal fentanyl overdose death of a client has pleaded guilty.

Corey Bernard Green, originally charged with distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to just distribution of fentanyl. Both charges carry the same penalty, a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

Fentanyl is an incredibly potent synthetic heroin that has infiltrated the illicit drug supply because it is cost effective and easy to obtain. It is laced into street drugs such as heroin, or sold on its own in diluted powder or pill form, often disguised as oxycodone.

Green is among a handful of people charged in overdose fatalities in San Diego federal court over the past year, and the first to plead guilty.

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The tactic of prosecuting drug distributors in overdoses is seen as a potential way to curb the deadly opioid epidemic raging across the nation.

Green is accused of selling fentanyl to an unnamed 34-year-old Fallbrook man who was found dead at home on Nov. 4, according to court records.

The mans wife told sheriffs investigators that her husband appeared to be doing well in recovery and had marked 100 days sober two days before he died.

She found him in the living room of their home, with a rolled-up dollar bill, a piece of burned foil and a spoon with a white substance on it, according to the complaint. Investigators found traces of fentanyl and heroin in a nearby backpack.

The wife gave investigators Greens name, noting that her husband had bought heroin from him before, the complaint states.

Text messages between Green and the customer showed the transaction unfold. The man had reached out to Green but said he didnt have any cash. Green replied, I only have a little China but its even a ton stronger than the last powder, according to the complaint. China is a slang term for a pure form of heroin laced with fentanyl.

The customer answered: Just did half. Feeling good. Thanks again.

The next day, the customer said he had money and would Uber to meet him.

Will you have that Uber stop at McDonalds for me? Green asked. Ill throw you a little extra? Its China.

Cellphone records show the man took an Uber from his job in San Marcos to Greens house then returned to work, court records state. He was found dead the next day.

When deputies searched Greens home weeks later, they found pound quantities of processed and concentrated marijuana, according to the complaint.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
Two San Diego men, including one dubbed the pinky bandit because of the protruding finger on the hand he used to wield various weapons, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to robbing 10 cellphone stores and a sandwich shop in a four-week period last year.

Carlos Adolfo Soto, the pinky bandit, would typically rob the stores while brandishing a weapon and threatening violence, while Justin Wayne Caldwell acted as his getaway driver, according to court documents.

On at least one occasion, Caldwell also helped rob one of the businesses while armed, prosecutors said.

The pair robbed 10 Metro PCS stores and one Subway restaurant in locations across San Diego County between Jan. 25, 2017 and Feb. 21, 2017.

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Investigators identified the robbers after one of them registered a cellphone taken during one of the armed heists, federal prosecutors said. The duo was under surveillance when they pulled off their last robbery at a Pacific Beach Metro PCS retailer.

Undercover law enforcement agents followed the pair from the College Area to Pacific Beach, where they watched Soto walk into the cellphone store and then run out a few minutes later, according to court documents. As Soto tried to get into Caldwells black Mercedes C-Class sedan, the undercover agents and San Diego police officers made their move.

Caldwell was arrested immediately but Soto ran down a street, then an alley and through several residential properties before he was finally apprehended, prosecutors said. Along his route, investigators found discarded cash and cellphones taken from the shop just minutes before.

FBI special agents and robbery detectives from the San Diego Police Department and San Diego County Sheriffs Department collaborated on the investigation.

The robbers (struck) fear in the hearts of San Diego-area store clerks, U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman said in a statement.

In a typical robbery, Soto would enter the store holding a weapon such as a machete, (Taser), or pellet gun that resembled a firearm, prosecutors from Bravermans office said in a statement. Soto would point his weapon at store clerks and demand cellular phones and cash. Caldwell typically waited outside the store in his vehicle, serving as the getaway driver who helped Soto escape the crime scene.

On Valentines Day last year, the pair had both gone inside a business, pointed an object that looked like a gun at a store clerk and forced him onto his hands and knees in a storage area. During the last robbery, Soto was wielding a gun when he made a clerk walk to the back of the store and face a wall while he rummaged through a safe.

The Metro PCS stores the duo robbed last year were located at:

Grand Avenue just east of Mission Boulevard on Feb. 21

Mission Village Drive near Taft Middle School on Feb. 14

San Marcos Boulevard near Twin Oak Valley Road in San Marcos on Feb. 10

El Cajon Boulevard near Montezuma Road in the College Area on Feb. 8

Clairemont Mesa Boulevard west of Interstate 805 in Clairemont on Feb. 7

Poway Road near Pomerado Road in Poway on Feb. 6

Coronado Avenue near 19th Street in Egger Highlands on Feb. 1

Adams Avenue near John Adams Elementary School in Normal Heights on Jan. 30

El Cajon Boulevard near 42nd Street in Kensington on Jan. 27

Jamacha Road near Sweetwater Road in Spring Valley on Jan. 25

Both men face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when theyre sentenced early next year.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
A San Diego parolee will spend several decades behind bars for gunning down his best friend in a premeditated attack a prosecutor said happened because the shooter felt his friend had disrespected him.

Shyrehl Wesley  an aspiring rapper who called himself Wesside Rehl  was sentenced Thursday by Vista Superior Court Judge Richard Monroy to the maximum of 80 years to life in prison for the 2017 shooting death of DAngelo Charon, 21.

Last month, a North County jury found Wesley, 22, guilty of first-degree murder as well as being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition at the time of the slaying.

I truly believe this guy was a murder waiting to happen, Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe said of the defendant in an email Thursday, and pointed to what he said was Wesleys violent criminal history.

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At the time of the killing, Wesley was on parole for a 2014 armed robbery at an El Cajon gun store. He was a juvenile at the time of that crime.

Wesleys attorney, Jeremy Burland, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

During the trial, Burland told the jury that Wesley and Charons bond had exceeded that of best friends, that the two considered themselves brothers.

At trial, prosecutor Watanabe told the jury that Charon  who had no stable home, and who turned to selling his plasma for money  looked up to the popular Wesley.

According to the prosecutor, Wesley believed that Charon had somehow disrespected him.

Shortly before 5:30 a.m. on July 12, 2017, a passerby found Charons body slumped along Twin Oaks Valley Road, not far south of Gopher Canyon Road in unincorporated Vista.

Before the end of the day, Wesley, then 20, landed in custody, suspected of murder.

Also behind bars and accused of a role in the killing: Sheffah Chevis, then 18. She had just graduated from Madison High School, where she had been a varsity cheerleader and honor-roll student, and had an eye on attending a four-year university.

She was secretly dating Wesley. She did not know that he was already married and had two other girlfriends  one of whom was pregnant, the prosecutor told the jury,

Chevis admitted she intentionally drove the men to the remote spot, knowing that Wesley planned to kill Charon there, according to the prosecutor.

Wesley testified in his own trial that it was Chevis who had shot Charon  not him.

Nobody believed Shyrehl Wesleys story that he wasnt the shooter, Watanabe said in an email. Not the Judge. Not the Jury. Not me.

Chevis  who had initially been charged with murder  pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. She faces either six or 11 years when she is sentenced next month.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
Shopkeepers who find homeless people sleeping at their front door in the morning might be tempted to call the police, but a San Diego business group is encouraging them to take a different approach.

Part of the process is educating individual business owners that we do have the ability to handle some of those encounters with compassion first, said Jamie Hampton, CEO of Mixte Communications and a member of Business for Goods committee on homelessness.

Business for Good, a nonprofit with a mission statement to unite small businesses and drive policies that improve the community, has created a toolkit to help businesses deal with various scenarios when encountering homeless people on or near their property.

So far, the toolkit is only available for people who attend presentations about it. The next one is scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 15 at Moniker Warehouse, 705 16th St. in downtown San Diego. Upcoming presentations will be posted online at businessforgoodsd.com.

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Dennis Stein, owner of several UPS Stores and the filmmaker behind the documentary Tony, helped create the toolkit.

Many businesses dont really have a deep understanding of the issue, Stein said. Businesses are just like individuals. They need a little more information to become more empathetic.

Stein learned much about the subject while filming Tony, which focused on a homeless San Diego man and the agencies and nonprofits working to help people like him.

The toolkit is designed to give practical advice to business owners while also guiding homeless people toward services that may help them.

If a shopkeeper finds someone sleeping or loitering at the front door, for instance, the toolkit suggests to politely ask the person to leave.

If the person refuses, shopkeepers are advised to say they are going to call the police, but would rather not.

Avoid confrontation and keep a safe distance if you feel threatened in any way, the toolkit advises. Call the non-emergency police number at (619) 531-2000, but if they become disruptive and you need additional assistance, call 911.

Similar suggestions are offered for dealing with homeless people who enter businesses. Shop owners are advised to treat them respectfully but to let them know the area is for paying customers.

Business owners also are advised to keep the area in front of their shops clean and well-maintained.

If you keep your area clean, others are more likely to respect that area, the toolkit reads.

Shopkeepers also are advised not to give people money or food, but instead suggest they call 211 to find where to get help. They also should not allow anyone to camp on their property unless they have developed a trusting relationship with the person, the toolkit reads.

Stein said he first started thinking that businesses should be better informed on homelessness when an employee at one of his stores called to ask what to do about a person who had been sleeping behind his shop.

This was before I was very involved in the topic, he said. I thought to myself, What do I tell my store manager? I didnt know.

Stein said he called 211 and was advised to offer the person a ride to a service provider.

Now, if there were someone sleeping in front, Id counsel my staff to say, Hey, is there anything we can do to help? he said.

Hampton said all store owners who attended meetings so far have said they appreciated the advice.

One of the things I personally hope we can accomplish with this tool kit is to reduce some of the stigma often associated with homelessness, she said. That starts with recognizing that the person on your store front is a human being, and homelessness can happen to somebody at any time. Have a conservation.

Stein said business owners may find it pays to build relationships with homeless people near their shops.

Theyre going to respect you more, and theyre not going to deface your store or make a big mess, he said.

Stein said business owners also should avoid calling the police as a first reaction because that could lead to confrontations, citations or arrests, which could make life worse for the homeless, resulting in them staying on the streets even longer and not finding services that can help them.

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gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
For two and a half years, former President Mohamed Nasheed watched from exile as his political allies and democratic activists were jailed and targeted by an increasingly authoritarian government on his island nation, the Maldives.

Nasheed returned to the Indian Ocean archipelago Thursday to a joyous welcome as yellow-clad party activists and flag-waving supporters poured into confetti-strewn streets in the cramped capital of Male.

The homecoming of the islands first democratically elected president was the clearest sign of the political transition taking shape in the Maldives, where incumbent President Abdulla Yameen has pledged to step aside after losing reelection to a member of Nasheeds Maldivian Democratic Party.

Im extremely grateful to the people of the Maldives for having lived with hope, Nasheed said Thursday before arriving in Male from Colombo, Sri Lanka. They always believed that things would change.

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Former President Mohamed Nasheed, right, and President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih walk to a rally in Male, Maldives, after Nasheed returned from exile. (Ahmed Shurau / AFP/Getty Images)

The Maldives  a string of coral islands better known for luxury beach resorts  has emerged as a possible bright spot for democracy in South Asia, which has seen an election in Pakistan marred by military interference, a bloody pre-poll crackdown in Bangladesh and now a messy crisis in Sri Lanka, where a dictatorial former president has returned to power in what critics call a constitutional coup.

Nasheed, 51, has lived in exile since early 2016, when he was granted asylum in Britain. He had just begun serving a 13-year prison sentence for a terrorism conviction that United Nations and human rights groups said was marked by a lack of due process.

Nasheeds allies said the case was orchestrated by his rival Yameen. During five turbulent years in power, Yameen manipulated the judiciary, muzzled the press and jailed or exiled all of his major opponents.

He also allegedly profited from a scheme to lease dozens of islands to tourism developers at reduced cost, robbing the country of tens of millions of dollars in revenue.

While in exile, Nasheed divided his time between Britain and Sri Lanka while continuing to lead his party. He had hoped to run in the election, but after he was disqualified due to the conviction, he threw his support behind Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, a consensus opposition candidate.

Read more: The Times profiled Nasheed during his exile in Sri Lanka 

The low-key Solih, a veteran opposition lawmaker, flew to Sri Lanka to meet Nasheed a day earlier so that the pair could arrive in Male together. They walked to a rally on the capitals seafront clasping hands in a show of unity.

He is the main person that represents freedom to the people of the Maldives, the president-elect said. They are waiting for his arrival.

Solih captured 58% of the vote in a stunning victory in the Sept. 23 election. Just as surprisingly, Yameen agreed to step aside without much of a fight.

Days later, Nasheed announced his intent to return to the Maldives come what may.

He faced the prospect of arrest upon his arrival until this week, when the countrys highest court suspended the warrant until his appeal could be heard.

That made his homecoming a happy one. Joining him on the flight from Colombo were his wife, Laila Ali, and some two dozen friends, family members and party activists, many of whom had lived in self-exile and were returning to the Maldives after years.

Laila and I are both looking forward to coming home. pic.twitter.com/UCQql9rh2m  Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) October 31, 2018

Among them was Ahmed Abbas, a political cartoonist who was briefly banned from traveling by the Yameen government, then fled to Sri Lanka around the same time as Nasheed.

I saw this as the chance to go home, Abbas said. We are happy. But we cant be 100% relaxed until this current government is out of power.

A former journalist who gained international attention as an advocate for climate justice a decade ago, Nasheed is regarded by supporters as the Maldives father of democratic reforms.

He led the fight against the 30-year dictatorship of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and founded the Maldivian Democratic Party during a previous stint in exile, which ended in 2005. He was jailed more than a dozen times before winning the Maldives first multiparty elections in 2008.

It is not clear what role he will play in Solihs administration, but Nasheed said he would work to ensure that Solihs broad coalition  including secular and Islamist parties  holds together.

I see my function as making sure that President Solihs government remains stable, Nasheed said.

Among Solihs challenges will be managing the Maldives tourism-dependent economy, which has racked up large debt to China from massive infrastructure projects championed by Yameen. Nasheed says the Chinese contracts carry onerous repayment terms that in a couple of years will exceed the entire budget of the country, home to fewer than half a million people.

Several political prisoners and opponents have been freed or returned from exile in the weeks since the election. Nasheeds arrival followed the return last month of Qasim Ibrahim, a tourism magnate who spent several months in Germany after being convicted of plotting to overthrow Yameens government.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Shashank Bengali is South Asia correspondent for The Times. Follow him on Twitter at @SBengali

UPDATES:

11:35 a.m.: This article was updated with additional background.

This article was originally published at 6:10 a.m.
In Georgia, voters could elect the first black woman to become a U.S. governor. In Michigan and Minnesota, two candidates could be the first Muslim women elected to Congress. In Vermont, the first openly transgender governor could win.

One of the most diverse pools of candidates ever seen in the U.S. is up for election on Tuesday, and many of them will mark historic firsts if voted into office. Theyre running for offices ranging from governor, House and Senate to state legislative, mayoral, city council and school board positions.

This is the most diverse candidate group Ive seen in my political career, said Ross Morales Rocketto, who has worked on Democratic campaigns for 15 years and last year co-founded Run for Something, a progressive political action committee that formed to recruit millennials to run for office.

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Of the thousands of diverse candidates that political scientists, activists and political action committees have tracked, the vast majority are running on Democratic tickets. That trend matches longstanding data that Republican voters and candidates are more likely to be white while the Democratic side tends to be more diverse.

Still, Republicans are also poised to make history, with a candidate from Orange County who could become the first Korean American woman in Congress, one in Rhode Island who would be the states first Asian American governor, and one from Hawaii who could be that states first openly gay man in Congress.

According to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, there are 6,066 state legislative races on Tuesday with more than 5,300 Democratic candidates in the running. About 1,100 are nonwhite Democrats. More than 275 candidates in those state races are nonwhite Republicans.

There are several reasons for the diverse slates of candidates. One factor is that the country is becoming more diverse, with groups such as Muslims who were not as politically active a decade ago becoming politically organized. For many Democratic first-timers, surveys have shown that opposition to President Trump also spurred them to action. But its not only because of his policies.

One unintended effect of Donald Trump is that he has alleviated fears of people who who thought they were unqualified for office, said Sayu Bhojwani. Shes the founder of New American Leaders, an organization that trains immigrants and their descendants to run for office, and the author of People Like Us: The New Wave of Candidates Knocking at Democracys Door. Bhojwani referred to Trumps lack of formal political experience before taking on the presidency.

The diversity cuts across racial groups, and is more present in local elections, said political strategist Varun Nikore. Hes president of AAPI Victory Fund, a progressive group that trains and tracks Asian and Pacific Islander Americans running in midterms.

Youll find at least 20 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders running for federal office and easily up to 40 for state legislative positions, he said. What gets harder to track is city council, mayoral and other local offices that are no doubt changing in their makeup.

Here are some key races to watch.

Georgia gubernatorial hopefuls Stacey Abrams and Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp debate last month. (John Bazemore / Associated Press)

Stacey Abrams

Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams could become Georgias first black governor and the first black woman governor in the country. Abrams is in a heated battle with Republican Brian Kemp, who is the Georgia secretary of state. Polls indicate the election could be among the closest in the country.

The race also gained national attention after the Abrams campaign accused Kemp, who oversees elections, of voter suppression.

Rashida Tlaib, left, and Ilhan Omar. (Al Goldis / Associated Press)

Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar

Tlaib, a Democrat running in Michigan for former U.S. Rep. John Conyers seat, is widely expected to win. A Palestinian American and former state legislator, Tlaib was running unopposed until recently.

Omar, a Somali refugee and Democratic Minnesota state legislator, is running for the congressional seat of Rep. Keith Ellison against Republican Jennifer Zielinski.

If elected, Tlaib and Omar will become the first Muslim women in Congress.

Vermont Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist. (Charles Krupa / Associated Press)

Christine Hallquist

Hallquist, a Democrat, made history by winning her partys primary in August to become the first openly transgender candidate to be nominated for governor on a major-party ticket.

The former chief executive of Vermont Electric Cooperative is running against Republican incumbent Gov. Phil Scott. Recent polls have shown Scott with a double-digit lead over Hallquist.

If Hallquist wins, she will be the first openly transgender governor in the U.S.

Young Kim, running for Californias 39th Congressional District, with supporters in Rowland Heights. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Young Kim

California Assemblywoman Young Kim is running to represent the 39th Congressional District, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties.

Kim, an immigrant and Republican, is vying for the seat left open by retiring GOP Rep. Ed Royce.

A win would make Kim the first Korean American woman in Congress.

Cranston, R.I., Mayor Allan Fung. (Steven Senne / Associated Press)

Allan Fung

Fung, a Republican, is running against Democratic incumbent Gina Raimondo to be governor of Rhode Island.

The Cranston mayor, who is the son of Chinese immigrants, has trailed his competitor in polling, but if he wins will make history as the states first Asian American governor.

Paulette Jordan at a campaign event in Boise, Idaho, in June. (Otto Kitsinger / Associated Press)

Paulette Jordan

Jordan, a Democrat, faces Republican Brad Little in the race for Idaho governor.

The former state legislator is Native American and a member of Coeur dAlene Tribe, once serving on the tribal council.

A win on Tuesday would make Jordan the first Native American governor in the country.

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, right, debates GOP rival Ron DeSantis. (Chris OMeara / Associated Press)

Andrew Gillum

The Florida governors race, in which Democrat Gillum is running against Republican Ron DeSantis, is one of the most closely watched in the country, with polls that show a divided electorate.

Gillum, the African American mayor of Tallahassee, accuses DeSantis of peddling in racism. DeSantis has hit back, saying his opponent practiced corruption in action as mayor. The president has endorsed DeSantis and rallied for him, tweeting that hes strong on borders, tough on crime & big on cutting taxes.

Gillum will become Floridas first black governor if he edges out his competitor.

Congressional candidates Sharice Davids, left, and Deb Haaland. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press; and Mark Ralston / AFP / Getty Images)

Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland

Both Democrats, Davids and Haaland may become the first Native American women elected to Congress.

Davids would represent Kansas, where she is running against four-term Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder in the 3rd Congressional District.

Haaland would represent New Mexico, where she is up against Republican Janice Arnold-Jones in the 1st Congressional District.

jaweed.kaleem@latimes.com

Twitter: @jaweedkaleem
Theyve held hundreds of rallies including a massive gathering on the National Mall, appeared with Trevor Noah and other late-night television hosts, and challenged elected officials to face-to-face debate.

But nine months after the teenage students from Parkland, Fla., were thrust to the fore of Americas daily political discourse following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, their calls for gun control, and for registering and turning out young voters, have been largely overtaken by the nations daily crush of controversies.

While the effort they ignited was viewed early on as a possible tipping point, even the slaying of 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue last weekend with weapons that included an assault rifle triggered a muted response concerning gun control.

Yet as Tuesdays midterm election looms, the students who launched the national movement known as March for Our Lives, have remained undeterred, traveling to dozens of college campuses and registering voters, while keeping gun control at the forefront of their pitch. And they remain confident that even if they have personally receded from the national spotlight, their message continues to resonate.

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The work on the ground is being done  it truly, truly is, said Jaclyn Corin, 18, a senior at Stoneman Douglas and co-founder of March for Our Lives. Were seeing movement and gaining traction.

Throughout the fall, Corin and more than a dozen other current and former Stoneman Douglas students have traveled from coast to coast holding town halls and meetings with college students to discuss gun control and emphasize the importance of engagement in the political process. The tour has inspired the hashtag #voteforourlives and the group estimates it has registered 50,000 voters  many of them young people between the ages of 18 and 29.

The effort could make a difference in boosting election participation this year among younger voters, who historically turn out in small numbers for the midterms.

A poll released this week by the Institute of Politics at Harvards Kennedy School of Government found 40% of 18- to 29-year-olds say they will definitely vote in Tuesdays elections. The highest rate of youth voter turnout in past midterms was 21%, in 1986 and 1994, according to the survey, which cited U.S. census data.

We want people to recognize that they can make a difference regardless of their age, Corin said.

Since the Feb. 14 shooting at Stoneman Douglas that left 17 students and instructors dead, activists from March for Our Lives, many of whom have amassed large followers on social media, have seen a bit of movement at the state level in efforts to limit gun sales.

In March, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a measure that, among other things, raises the minimum age to purchase a firearm in that state from 18 to 21. Other states, including Vermont and California, have passed similar measures in the wake of the Florida tragedy.

Im an NRA member, a supporter of the 2nd Amendment, and the 1st Amendment, and the entire Bill of Rights for that matter. Im also a father, and a grandfather, and a governor, said Scott, after being lobbied by Parkland students and parents. We all have a difficult task in front of us, balancing our individual rights with our obvious need for public safety.

States including Florida have also implemented red flag laws, which allow family members or law enforcement to seek a court order to temporarily restrict a persons access to firearms when he or she shows signs that they are a danger to themselves or others. (The conduct of the 19-year-old gunman in the Parkland shooting had raised concerns among family members, who contacted the FBI before the rampage). These laws were lauded by the Parkland students.

In addition, the group has called on major corporations to sever any ties with the National Rifle Assn., which has continued to vehemently oppose gun-control measures even after a barrage of further mass shootings, including at a newspaper office in Maryland in June, an e-sports tournament in Florida in August and at the Pittsburgh synagogue, the most deadly attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.

Shortly after the Parkland massacre, Delta Airlines announced that it would no longer offer discounted fares to NRA members to attend annual meetings, and asked the NRA to remove any reference to the company from its website. More recently, FedEx announced that it was ending its partnership with the NRA, in which discounts were offered to members of the gun-rights group.

David Hogg, a leader of March for Our Lives who graduated from Stoneman Douglas in June, said the student groups effort remains primarily about public health advocacy.

We advocate in the same way that people who advocate for safer cars and roads  they arent pro-car or anti-car, they are pro people not dying, Hogg, 18, said this week before a get-out-the-vote rally at the University of Central Florida. We are pro people not dying.

A Gallup poll released last month showed that 61% of respondents said they favor stricter laws concerning the sale of firearms, down slightly from March, when 67% expressed that view shortly after the Parkland shooting.

Issue fatigue may also be showing in campaign finance efforts. In May, parents of Parkland students started a political action committee to oppose politicians funded by the NRA. Last month, however, the parents who started the committee, Families vs. Assault Rifles, told local media that the group was scaling back its 2018 plans after the PAC raised $230,000 of an initial goal of $10 million.

Dudley Brown, president of the National Assn. for Gun Rights, predicts that despite the students having captivated the nations attention earlier this year, their effort will have minimal results on Tuesday.

Theres been a lot of stomping and screaming, but has there been any federal laws passed? No, Brown said. There wont be after the midterms either, because politicians know its not wise to infringe on 2nd Amendment rights.

Hogg and other students counter that their movement will make a difference not just on Tuesday  but far into the future.

This fight doesnt end in 2020 or 2022, Hogg said. This fight doesnt even end in this generation  we cant just give our thoughts and prayers to these things, we have to go out and take action. We have to pray with our votes.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee
After President Trump ordered more than 5,000 U.S. troops to the southwest border days before the midterm election to intercept what he called an invasion of migrants, retired Marine Col. David Lapan decided he could not stay silent.

The idea that a group of poor people from Central America, most of whom are women and children, pose some kind of threat to the national security of the United States is ridiculous, Lapan said in an interview. Its a misuse of active duty forces.

Lapan held senior jobs at the Pentagon while in the Marines and then served in the Trump administration as a Department of Homeland Security political appointee before departing in late 2017. Hes one of a growing number of former senior military officers who say Trumps order to deploy troops to the border on the cusp of an election compromises the militarys traditional position as an institution shielded from electoral politics.

Trump has had rocky relations with the military since taking office, clashing with Pentagon leaders over his ban on transgender recruiting, his proposed space force and his abrupt cancellation of training exercises in South Korea.

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But Trump has added unusual strain by ordering a military operation whose timing and scale seem unjustified to some officers, and by suggesting military personnel might use deadly force against unarmed migrants, instead of remaining in a support role, as required by law.

Defense Secretary James N. Mattis has issued only terse statements but has not said why a force of more than 5,000 troops  which Trump said could rise to as many as 15,000  is needed to stop several thousand men, women and children who are heading north in hopes of applying for asylum at the U.S. border.

Asked Wednesday whether the deployment on the eve of an election was a political stunt, Mattis replied, We dont do stunts in this department, thank you.

But critics have included retired Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He broke his near-total silence on Trump after the commander in chief suggested Thursday that U.S. troops might open fire on anyone who threw rocks at them along the border.

A wasteful deployment of over-stretched Soldiers and Marines would be made much worse if they use force disproportional to the threat they face, Dempsey tweeted Thursday. They wont, he added.

Trump pulled back Friday, saying migrants who threw rocks would be arrested and prosecuted, not shot.

Trump last faced criticism from retired military officers in August when William H. McRaven, a retired Navy admiral who was commander of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014, rebuked him for withdrawing the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan.

I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency, McRaven wrote.

The decision to speak out is not an easy one, many military officers say, because it runs contrary to a well-established norm that even retired military personnel should refrain from commenting publicly on policy decisions by the commander in chief.

No active duty military personnel are known to have publicly criticized the border operation, though privately some say that opinions about the deployment within the military are divided, as they are among former service members.

Military personnel are instructed in training that they have a duty not to carry out orders that violate the laws of war. If they have a moral objection to a policy decision, they are expected to resign from the armed forces.

Even Trumps critics say he is within his legal power to order the operation.

Its always tough, especially if you are still in uniform, Lapan said. This isnt an illegal order from anything I can see. Then it becomes much tougher. Is it politicization? Is it inappropriate?

But the perception that one of Trumps motives in sending troops to the border is to help Republicans in the election damages the militarys status as a institution that by tradition has been insulated from electoral politics, some officers said.

Its politicization of one of the few remaining nonpolitical institutions in the country  the United States military, Paul Yingling, a retired Army officer, said in an interview.

Yingling warned in an article this week that the administration aims to leverage the militarys credibility in support of its hysterical anti-immigrant propaganda campaign. The article, titled Advice For US Troops Sent To The Mexican Border In An Age Of Terrible Leaders, appeared Wednesday on Task and Purpose, which calls itself a news site for veterans, by veterans.

Yingling warned that Trumps decision to employ the military  and his aggressive rhetoric  could lead midlevel military commanders to push underlings into detaining suspects, seizing property and taking other actions that could violate the law.

The official Pentagon orders given to units deploying to the border describe a dire situation.

The security of the United States is imperiled by a drastic surge of illegal drugs, dangerous gang activity and extensive illegal immigration, it reads. The situation at the border has reached a point of crisis and [the president] has taken action to secure our borders.

Yingling, who deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan, said the order is unnecessarily provocative. If a seasoned pro finds the language in the order to be combative, imagine the effect it will have on a 19-year-old fueled by Red Bull and testosterone.

The likelihood of a confrontation between migrants and troops along the border is low. One caravan of approximately 3,500 people from Central America is still moving through southern Mexico, about 900 miles from the U.S. Others are even smaller and steadily declining in numbers.

Pentagon officials say privately that Trump has exaggerated the role the military will play; they say that it will mostly consist of equipping, transporting and feeding Border Patrol personnel.

Troops will also help strengthen crowd- and vehicle-control measures at border entry points and provide civilian law enforcement with aerial surveillance along the border. The Pentagon rejected a request from the Department of Homeland Security to have troops perform emergency law enforcement missions, including crowd and traffic control, CNN reported.

But deadly confrontations involving armed troops sent to the border to assist law enforcement have happened in the past. In 1997, an 18-year-old American was killed by a Marine near the U.S. border, an incident that led to a temporary suspension of troop patrols there.

david.cloud@latimes.com

Twitter: @davidcloudLAT
Significant changes to how ambulances operate in San Diego have ended a response-time crisis that had sparked calls for the city to find a new ambulance company.

Response times have improved, staffing levels are up and new dispatch procedures have boosted efficiency since the city agreed in October 2017 to significantly change its contract with the company, American Medical Response.

The changes included a 24 percent increase in the cost patients pay for ambulance rides, softening of some response-time requirements and elimination of hefty fines the company had been paying for failure to meet certain goals.

The company also agreed to provide more personnel so the city could implement a new approach to 911 calls. The new approach prioritizes acute emergencies more heavily and aims to weed out non-emergency calls that waste scarce resources.

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We see more efficient use of our resources with no adverse patient outcomes, Colin Stowell, chief of the San Diegos Fire-Rescue Department, told the City Councils public safety committee last week.

Stowell said city officials still plan to potentially replace American Medical Response by issuing a request for proposals this winter to operate the citys emergency medical services.

But the city, which had been scheduled to issue that request for proposals this past June, delayed the process several months because last falls policy changes have been so successful.

The urgency was there because of what was felt as a failure of our EMS system at the time, Stowell told the committee on Oct. 24. Response times were below standard and below compliance measures.

But the changes, which were based on a comprehensive study of 340,000 incidents over three years, have made a big difference, he said.

The urgency in the streets is no longer there, Stowell said.

Shifting away from fines and requiring higher staffing levels appears to have been a winning combination, said Chris Olsen, fiscal and policy analyst for the citys Independent Budget Analyst.

The switch from the penalty-based system to this guaranteed-unit-hour system is really significant, Olsen told the public safety committee. The department has much more transparency into the number of paramedics actually working and serving the residents.

In addition to helping reduce response times, that information will help the city strategically craft the request for proposals it issues this winter, Olsen said.

They are doing a lot of creative things to use that data that they have access to, he said.

Stowell agreed with Olsen that the fines had a negative impact under the old model.

Sometimes it was easier and less expensive to pay fines versus them actually deploying the model we wanted to see, he said.

Under the new model, response times are above the 90 percent compliance level for all three categories of incident: acute emergencies, urgent situations and non-emergencies.

Based on national standards, the city requires ambulances to arrive at acute emergencies within 12 minutes, urgent situations within 15 minutes and non-emergencies within 25 minutes.

From July 1 through Sept, 30, which is the first quarter of the citys new budget year, ambulances met the goal for acute emergencies 93 percent of time, for urgent situations 95 percent of the time and for non-emergencies 97 percent of the time.

In addition to meeting the 90 percent goal citywide, American Medical Response must meet that goal in four specific zones: a border zone, a metro zone and two zones north of Interstate 8  one inland and one coastal.

Before the policy changes last fall, the city had been divided into eight zones where the company was required to meet the 90 percent goal.

The goal of having eight zones was greater equity among communities. The bigger a zone, the more potential for the company to provide subpar service to some communities and still meet the response-time goals by posting stellar times elsewhere in a particular zone.

City officials didnt provide data on how much the 24 percent rate hike had boosted revenue for American Medical Response, which bills patients directly and pays the city a $10.7 million annual flat fee.

The spike put San Diegos ambulance fees near the top of communities in the southern half of the county, which the city defines as the area below state Route 56.

The spike hasnt affected patients who have Medicare or Medi-Cal, which have maximums they will pay for an ambulance ride that were already below what the city charged before the spike.

It also hasnt affected people who have private insurance where ambulance fees are already higher than their annual deductible.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
With just days until the election, Democrat Mike Levin still leads Republican Diane Harkey in race for the 49th Congressional District, although his lead in the closely watched contest seems to have narrowed somewhat from a once double-digit advantage, according to polling released Friday.

According to a SurveyUSA poll, commissioned by the Union-Tribune and 10News, Levin had 51 percent of the vote and Harkey 44 percent, with 5 percent still undecided. Some 500 registered voters who have already returned a ballot or promised to were surveyed. The margin of error was plus or minus-5.4 percent.

Diane Harkey, candidate for the 49th Congressional District, in Golden Hall in San Diego. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Levin seems to be benefiting from the significant number of swing voters in the district, includes parts of San Diego and Orange counties, stretching from La Jolla up the coast to Dana Point.

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About 55 percent of independents favor the Democrat while 35 percent supported Harkey with another 10 percent undecided.

Levin is an environmental attorney, and Harkey is the chairwoman of the state Board of Equalization.

The poll, which queried 651 registered voters from the district, found that the race had largely become a referendum on President Donald Trump. More than any other subject, voters said the presidency was their primary issue, followed closely by immigration and the economy.

About 51 percent said they disapproved of the job Trump was doing, with about 43 percent approving and 5 percent undecided. About 88 percent of Levin supporters said they disapproved of the job Trump was doing, with 92 percent of Harkey supporters approving of the president.

Following a narrow victory in 2016, Republican Rep. Darrel Issa announced at the beginning of the year that he wouldnt seek reelection in the district.

Issa had controlled the seat for years, capitalizing on anti-Barack Obama rhetoric with regular appearances on national television.

However, in the 2016 presidential election, the GOP-controlled 49th went to Hillary Clinton, and the congressman defeated his Democratic challenger by just 1,621 votes.

According to the SurveyUSA poll, just 37 percent of voters approved of the job Issa has been doing.

Seeing his vulnerability, Democrats focused on the district, and Issas Vista field office was barraged by weekly protests organized largely by grassroots volunteers. Issas eventual decision to abandon the district was part of a mass exodus by congressional Republicans not seeking reelection.

In the primary election, Harkey tacked right of moderate Republican Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, R-Oceanside, using strong rhetoric on repealing the states recently enacted fuel taxes and cracking down on immigration.

According to the poll, immigration was the top issue among Republicans  something Trump has used as his central platform when stumping for other Republicans around the country.

By comparison, the presidency was the chief issue that most fired up Democrats.

Levin leads Harkey among voters 18 to 34 years of age, 53 percent to 37 percent, as well as those 65 years and older, 50 percent to 46 percent.

Harkey bested Levin among military, with 55 percent support and among evangelical Christians with 75 percent.

Among those with a four-year college degree, 58 percent said they were voting for Levin, 37 percent for Harkey.

About 67 percent of Harkey supporters and 70 percent of Levin voters said they were casting their ballots enthusiastically.

Roughly 60 percent of both Harkey and Levin supporters said they were voting for their chosen candidate, as opposed to against his or her opponent.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
After leaving the San Diego Zoo early Tuesday morning, Gao Gao the giant panda is safely back in China, where he was born about 28 years ago.

Gao Gao is now exploring his extensive new habitat in the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, said San Diego Zoo spokeswoman Christina Simmons. The center is in Dujiangyan, in central China.

Gao Gao will be in quarantine for at least 30 days. Those in contact with Gao Gao will follow heightened biosafety procedures.

But since pandas are normally solitary, isolation from other pandas wont make much difference to him. The only time they normally get together is mating season. While panda cubs stay with their mothers, they leave when mature.

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Three zoo employees who accompanied Gao Gao to China are still there: senior keeper Kathy Hawk, veterinarian Meg Sutherland-Smith, and Carmi G. Penny, the zoos director of Collections Husbandry Science.

San Diego Zoo veterinarian Meg Sutherland-Smith, lower left, reviews medical files with Chinese veterinarians. (San Diego Zoo)

A wild-born panda, Gao Gao arrived at the San Diego Zoo in 2003 as part of an historic partnership between the zoo and Chinese authorities to study panda reproduction and improve success in breeding. He replaced Shi Shi, who proved to be uninterested in mating with his intended partner, Bai Yun.

The combination of Gao Gao and Bai Yun, proved quite fertile, producing five panda cubs. They have all survived to adulthood, and some have gone on to produce cubs of their own.

Two pandas remain at the San Diego Zoo; Bai Yun, 27, and Xiao Liwu, 6, her youngest cub.

The knowledge gained helped breeding programs in China and elsewhere. Meanwhile, Chinese conservation effort extended protection to native panda habitat, enabling the endangered population to grow. Pandas have been removed from the list of endangered species, but are still regarded as vulnerable.

Gao Gao was always expected to return to China at some point. He was on loan from the Chinese government, as are all pandas sent to other countries in recent decades.

Gao Gao has reached the end of his breeding life, and has endured health problems in recent years. So his return needed to take place while he was healthy enough to withstand long-distance travel.

He was prepared for the trip by exposure to sights and noises such as the operation of a forklift, while keepers kept his attention with conversation and treats.

The handoff is still under way, as Penny, Hawk and Sutherland-Smith confer with Gao Gaos new Chinese keepers and veterinarians.

Related reading

Panda patriarch Gao Gao leaves San Diego Zoo to return to China

A species revived: How San Diego Zoo helped unlock mystery of panda sex, parenting

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GLEN ALLEN, Virginia  Listening to the conversation at Robert Jones Parkside Barber Shop and Grooming Lounge, youd never know we live in a deeply divided country that seems incapable of discussing everyday challenges.

Jones, a successful local entrepreneur, hosted a group of business leaders and educators here to ponder how to prepare the millennial workforce. They offered their ideas to Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, and Democratic congressional candidate Abigail Spanberger.

Both are on the ballot Nov. 6, but the hour-and-a-half exchange on a Saturday evening didnt sound like what we think of as politics these days.

It was all about how educational institutions at all levels  and employers themselves  could endow students with the skills to succeed and provide enterprises large and small with the well-trained labor they need to thrive. The dialogue was detailed and practical, with a were all in this together spirit.

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It had nothing to do with the 2018 campaign. And it had everything to do with the 2018 campaign.

As voting approaches, President Trump is doing all he can to drive the national dialogue away from such concerns and toward the ethno-nationalist themes he hopes might scare enough voters into backing Republican candidates.

There he was on Wednesday morning, back to tweets about his favorite topic, the immigrant Caravans from Central America, and charging  without any evidence, of course  that they are made up of some very bad thugs and gang members.

Any normal president would be ashamed of ripping the nation apart on this issue soon after the slaughter at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The attack was unleashed by an anti-Semitic gunman who appeared motivated by the work of a Jewish group on behalf of refugees. But Trump is an abnormal  and normless  president. This is all he has.

Yet on the ground, Democratic candidates are not taking the bait. They are insisting that the country is exhausted by acrimony, by the cries of right-wing ideologues, and by the evasion of the day-to-day issues  health care, education, job training  that they believe most Americans want their politicians to grapple with.

I think youre more likely to pull people together in the context of solving problems, Kaine said in an interview after the labor-force session. Its a formula that has worked for him this year as he has built a large lead over Republican Corey Stewart, the chair of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. Stewart may be, as Kaine noted, one of the most pure Trumpian candidates on the ballot this year, given Stewarts long-standing anti-immigrant activism.

Kaine said that he is looking for a particular kind of wave next week, a wave of dignity and compassion and respect and community.

Spanberger is a 39-year-old veteran of the CIA, a mother of three, and one of four Democrats in Virginia with a chance of taking a Republican seat. She faces tea-party Republican incumbent Dave Brat. It has become a neck-and-neck race in an area where, until recently, Democrats were barely a presence.

She doesnt bring up Trump and doesnt have to. Should her campaign and the Democrats prevail, the victory will be about decency, modeling good behavior, being enthusiastic about who we are as a people and what this country has to offer; it will be about solving problems and working with other people and working across party lines. Citizens, she said, are tired of politicians who are just ideologues, and trying to stop things.

Asked about the synagogue killings, she argues that the massacre underscores the obligations of anyone of influence to denounce bigotry and hatred and anti-Semitism and to model constructive, respectful and measured behavior.

The key word here may be measured. What often looks nationally like a split-level campaign  Trump railing about groups he seeks to marginalize, Democrats talking about economic mobility and the right to see a doctor  is actually one campaign. Its closing days highlight the two very different approaches to politics voters confront.

The pipe bombs sent in the mail and the tragedy in Pittsburgh brought home the costs of Trumps style of politics. Our nation is paying a steep price for a form of leadership that knows only how to set Americans against each another.

The dialogue in a suburban barber shop brought together people across racial and ethnic lines to consider how to lift up the next generation. It illustrated the other way of doing politics. Thats the approach citizens have a right to expect from their leaders.

Dionne is on Twitter, @EJDionne. For a view on the election from the right, please read Hugh Hewitts column in Fridays opinion section.
Donald Trump upended conventional wisdom when he was elected president of the United States in 2016. Despite his lack of political experience, he claimed victory over Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state and U.S. senator. As voters nationwide prepare to cast ballots in the 2018 midterm elections, we asked several local residents to answer the following question: How has Trump changed politics? Here are their responses.

FRANCINE BUSBY, past chair, San Diego County Democratic Party

Oxford Dictionary definition of politics: the activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power, activities.

Trump has redefined politics in the U.S. beyond recognizable boundaries. In doing so he has undermined our institutions, alliances, values, civil discourse and expectations of the presidency itself.

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His divisive language, mocking criticism and hateful vilification of individuals, races, religions, countries, leaders, agreements and organizations strike like a cleaver through the heart of a polarized nation. He has inflamed divisions, revved up his base and galvanized opposition to the point of political warfare that threatens to rise to physical violence.

Despite defying political, civil and legal norms, he has succeeded. He won an election with verifiable, illegal interference from Russia. His administration has withstood unprecedented levels of corruption and discord. He bullies friend and foe with impunity. His unchecked incendiary comments, twitter rampages, chronic lies and shoot-from-the hip policies foster chaos and confusion.

He has rebranded the Republican Party and cowed congressional Republicans. Republicans who gorged on investigations of Hillary Clinton now block investigations of importance to our national security. They have capitulated to the fury and fantasies of a president who neither understands or respects Congress or the Judiciary as equal branches of government charged with defending our Constitution and our nation.

The cost to the political, economic and environmental stability of our nation and the world is incalculable. Thankfully, our electoral system, though threatened by blatant voter suppression and destabilizing accusations by the president of being rigged, assures Americans the right to choose our leaders. The future of our country is in the hands of the voters. The question now is whether our democratic process can withstand the corrosive onslaught by our own president and the shameful complicity of the Republican Party.

THAD KOUSSER, professor of political science and department chair, UC San Diego; co-editor, Legislative Studies Quarterly

President Donald Trump has shattered the traditions of American politics in so many ways that it is hard to pick just one. But to focus on the central way in which the Trump presidency has reshaped Americas politics, it is that he has made everything more visceral.

Our politics is based more and more on feelings, on both sides of the aisle. Rigorous studies of the 2016 election show that it was hostility toward illegal immigration and sentiments about race that put President Trump in office, much more than voters sense of economic dislocation. Reactions to his presidency, beginning with the marches after his inauguration, have been highly visceral as well. Nothing put the strong emotions of both sides on clearer display than the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings. This was not a policy debate about objective goals; people on both sides were reacting through strongly held feelings that led members of the Senate to speak in a more raw fashion than we have seen in this political generation.

Passion is part of what politics are all about. Donald Trumps readily apparent passions are what have driven many Americans toward him, and driven many more away from him. He ran a campaign based on his gut feelings and intuitions, appealing to the emotions of voters, and hes presided over the country in that way. I dont think that politics should be dispassionate, but I think the unbridled emotions that have been unleashed by the Trump presidency, on both sides of the aisle, are unhealthy for our democracy. They prevent deliberation, put civility in short supply and make compromise nearly impossible.

RON NEHRING, former California Republican Party chairman

American politics is cyclical. After eight years of sound leadership under President George W. Bush, including taking the country through 9/11 and conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, America looked for the alternative. In fact, Barack Obamas victory could be traced in part to the belief President John McCain would represent Bushs third term.

Likewise, after eight years of Barack Obama, America was once again looking for an alternative.

Candidate Donald Trump represented the starkest contrast to Barack Obama among all the Republican candidates in 2016. Trump never served in public office before, while Obama had a career in state and federal office. Obama was liberal, measured and anti-drama. Trump does not hesitate to create controversy and works to use it to his advantage.

While most of his predecessors were careful to abide by tradition and conventional wisdom, Trump is willing to dispose of both when he finds it necessary, especially when it comes to fulfilling promises he made on the campaign trail in 2016.

Many Republican candidates took tough lines on the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris climate accord, tax cuts and moving the American embassy to Jerusalem. Not all of those candidates, if elected, would have delivered on those promises. In some cases, establishment pressures would lead to half-measures. But not with Trump: He pulled America out of the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on the Tehran regime, ditched the Paris climate accord because of its disproportionate impact on American energy, cut taxes boldly and defied much of the international communitys conventional wisdom by moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel.

Trumps approach is brash and controversial, but it is not merely stylistic. His approach has deep policy implications that can be felt throughout the American government, and the economy.

While President Trump dominates the headlines with his rallies, tweets and overall brash style, his team works to implement his agenda. When Congress declines to move a Trump agenda item forward, his administration works diligently to fulfill his promises with no regard for the pundits and the chattering class. Thats definitely a change.

ITZEL GUILLEN, immigrant integration manager for Alliance San Diego

Even before Trump, there was always a grave air of uncertainty about my future given that I am one of the 800,000 people who are part of DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. But today, its like a dystopian reality show where immigrants are the unpopular contestants and I could be voted out of the country at any moment. After watching the unmitigated cruelty of this administration as it continues to rip thousands of children from their families and place them in cages, I cant even begin to process in which country Ill be living in a year from now.

Thats how Trump has changed politics.

Trump has used my life, my dreams, my aspirations as no more than a bargaining chip for his expensive and unnecessary border wall, while simultaneously ratcheting up anti-immigrant hysteria in the streets by routinely calling my people murderers and rapists. Most recently he dehumanized a caravan of refugees that includes children fleeing Central American violence on its way to our border. He has emboldened racists with his rhetoric and made it acceptable to bring out the ugliest sides of our nation.

But we the people are not deterred.

As a noncitizen, I am not able to vote, but this election season, Ive knocked on hundreds of doors and made hundreds of phone calls. Latinos, people of color and women are running for office this year in record numbers. Youth-led movements like United We Dream and March for Our Lives are growing stronger and changing hearts and minds along the way. The U.S. Latino community is young and large; every year 900,000 Latino children turn 18. Trump can do his best to make our lives hell today, but the future is ours  el futuro es nuestro.

DELORES CHAVEZ, president of the Latino American Political Association of San Diego County

Observers of American politics are upset that President Donald Trump has stirred up a disruptive anti-establishment and anti-political correctness in the country.

The left is obsessed with everything they consider bad about Donald Trump. His tweets, his nicknames of opponents and adversaries, his language in private conversations, his business approach to running the country. Everything about Trump throws the left into a ballistic frenzy. But Donald Trumps perspective on America has not changed for 40 years.

In his 1980 interview with Rona Barrett, he presented himself as flamboyant and spicy 34-year-old on his way to becoming a billionaire. Through the years he has maintained a consistent perspective on America that we see actively implemented in his policies today.

Trump came to Washington to make waves. Seeing he was not getting fair coverage in the media, Trump decided he would bypass them with his free use of social media. He doesnt wait for the press to report his news. He reports his own news. He goes off script in speeches and is willing to disregard many of the time-honored traditions of the Washington elite. Trump has made a lot of waves and the press reports these waves as a destructive tsunami. Their hatred for our president prevents the media from providing a fair and honest evaluation of his policies.

There has never been an American president quite like Donald Trump. No one has ever held the office with no prior elective or military leadership experience. No one in modern times has been as blunt or as disruptive a force on the national and international stage. We had eight hears of hope and change and didnt like what we got. We asked for something different.

The way Mr. Trump has operated and goes about running the nation has been different from all other presidents. Two years into his presidency, Donald Trump has changed the way politics is conducted in America. But politics has not changed Donald Trump.

PATRICK OSIO JR., former editor of HispanicVista, columnist for the San Diego Metropolitan Magazine

I have voted Republican since 1960, Nixon versus Kennedy, and have over the years campaigned for the party.

Recently, however, I could no longer in good faith be a part of the GOP because the nativists have taken over. I have registered independent.

In 2016 came the candidacy of Donald Trump, which at first the GOP leadership dismissed as a bad joke but that has since turned into the partys and the nations worst nightmare.

Trump announced his candidacy for president, unleashing the dark soul of a substantial segment of our citizens. He promised to make America great again, suggesting to his followers this included keeping Mexicans out. He later added Muslims to the lot.

As candidate, Trump told the nation that he alone could solve all the nations problems; that he knows more than all the U.S. generals so he would resolve the conflicts in the Middle East within the first 100 days of becoming president. His candidacy was marked with insults, falsehoods and outright lies.

As president, Trumps behavior has gotten worse. He represents a clear and present danger to our democracy that must be reversed.

Equally troubling is the deafening silence of the GOP leadership, allowing the complete surrender of the party whose first president, Abraham Lincoln, rid the nation of slavery, the party that went on to champion women suffrage and civil rights.

Unable to stem the political influence of growing minority citizens, fellow Republicans, emboldened by Trump, are passing state laws or ignoring constitutional rights, suppressing voters to win elections.

For democracy to work, there must be at minimum two strong political parties keeping the other in check and creating, compromise. Eliminate one of those parties, and democracy ceases to exist and totalitarianism becomes the ruler.

Donald Trump has indeed changed U.S. politics  but not for the better.

LINDA BEAIL, professor of political science, Point Loma Nazarene University

Donald Trump has not changed American politics as much as he has embodied and intensified patterns already at work. His willingness to criticize the media as dishonest and dangerous, or to make comments about ongoing FBI investigations into possible obstruction of justice, have shocked some who see him as violating sacrosanct democratic norms of freedom of the press and separation of powers. But this is simply deepening an already-growing mistrust of the media from an electorate that is ever-more isolated in its consumption of news from solely liberal or conservative channels and sources. It reflects trends already at work in government as the judiciary has slowly become more politicized and bipartisan norms of legislative process have long broken down in Congress.

Similarly, racial division and misogyny have long been powerful undercurrents in our political system, though many feel that Trump has normalized and legitimized racism and sexism in his rhetoric and policies.

Finally, partisan polarization and antipathy of Americans has exploded in the past few election cycles. In 1994, about 20 percent of Americans had a very unfavorable view of the opposing political party; by 2016, that had swelled to nearly 60 percent, with more than four in 10 characterizing the opposite party as a threat to the nations well-being, according to the Pew Research Center. In the Trump era, anger is a more prevalent and potent political force: not just anger at perceived injustice that has long fueled political movements since the American revolution, but anger aimed squarely at ones fellow citizens who are perceived not as political opposition, but as mortal enemies.

While all this anger or anxiety about democracy may lead to threats of violence, it can also lead to increased engagement in politics. More women, in particular, have been mobilized during the Trump era, and a record-breaking number are running for office. In 2018, 235 women are candidates for the House of Representatives, a stunning 40 percent increase from 2016.
With Republicans appearing on track to lose control of the House on Tuesday, President Donald Trump has trotted out a greatest hits of Trumpian tactics to try to rally his base. In a speech and subsequent news conference Thursday at the White House, the president depicted a nation under siege from criminal immigrants  millions already here, thousands more on their way. On top of sending 5,200 troops to the border and possibly up to 15,000 total to thwart the caravan invasion, Trump declared he would drastically change asylum policies to detain asylum seekers in massive cities of tents while their applications were being considered. He has also said he would use an executive order to amend an unambiguous part of the U.S. Constitution that says people who are born here are citizens.

To be clear, Trump has identified some genuine issues. With opioids killing thousands of Americans a month, its troubling that so much heroin and fentanyl comes across our southern border. Its true that many asylum seekers are motivated by economic and lifestyle reasons, not fears for their personal safety, which partly explains why in 2017, one in three applications were rejected. And on the question of giving automatic citizenship to children born in America to non-U.S. citizen parents, birth tourism  which draws hundreds of wealthy Russian and Chinese families a year  is at least eyebrow-raising.

But on just about everything he says on immigration, Trump isnt trying to start an informed debate. Hes trying to create a boogeyman. Fact-checkers show that asylum seekers skipping hearings is relatively uncommon  about 3,200 out of 54,000 applicants in fiscal 2017 were ordered removed from the U.S. for doing so. The governments own data show that in a recent six-year span, only 159 youths detained at the border were suspected gang members. And there are many studies that show unauthorized immigrants are less likely to engage in crime than U.S. citizens. So much for the central premise of the presidents fearmongering. As for the 14th Amendments provision of citizenship to anyone born here, does anyone think Trump is as worried about Russian and Chinese families taking advantage of this as is he is about Mexican families?

When thousands of U.S. troops begin arriving at the border in coming days  pointlessly  in anticipation of a caravan that is many weeks away, perhaps his true believers will begin to doubt Trumps invasion hysteria, then begin to wonder how much else of what the president says about immigration is malarkey. That insight cant come soon enough.

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Officially, the outfield picture in San Diego was too crowded for Alex Dickerson.

The Poway High product on Friday elected free agency after the Padres outrighted the left fielder off the 40-man roster. Other moves included designating right-hander Kazuhisa Makita for assignment and reinstating outfielder Franchy Cordero, right-hander Dinelson Lamet and left-hander Clayton Richard from the 60-day disabled list, giving the Padres a full 40-man roster on the eve of the start of free agency.

A left-handed bat who had a .257/.333/.455 batting line with 10 homers and 37 RBIs in 84 games as a rookie in 2016, Dickerson missed consecutive seasons with back and Tommy John surgeries. During his absence, Wil Myers from first base to left field (and to third base at the end of this season), Cordero and Franmil Reyes developed into intriguing starting options, Hunter Renfroe blossomed down the stretch of 2018 and Travis Jankowski proved himself as at least a quality fourth outfielder.

The Padres this offseason will entertain trading someone from that group, which also includes one-time top prospect Manuel Margot.

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Dickersons trade value, meanwhile, had taken a hit after the 28-year-old missed all of the last two seasons.

The 33-year-old Makita signed a two-year, $3.9 million deal before last season to provide the Padres with an alternative look out of their bullpen. But the soft-tossing, submariner spent most of 2018 bouncing between Triple-A El Paso and the majors, where the Japanese import posted a 5.40 ERA in 35 innings.

Makita appeared in just two games in the majors in September as the Padres got a long look at several rookie relievers, perhaps foreshadowing plans to move away from the second-oldest reliever in the bullpen.

Surgeries to clean up both knees ended Richards 2018 campaign. He is expected to be back to full strength for spring training, when hell compete for a rotation spot.

Cordero is also expected to return for the start of spring training from his procedure to remove a bone spur in his right (throwing) elbow, while Lamets timeline  barring setbacks  likely places his return around the All-Star break.

Free agency opens Saturday, followed by the General Manager Meetings in Carlsbad next week and the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas in the second week in December.

Padres Videos  On Now Padres pitcher Chris Paddack on start vs. Mariners and possibility of making rotation On Now Meet the Padres: Ian Kinsler 5:18 On Now Catching up with Padres OF Franmil Reyes 5:18 On Now Meet The Padres: Greg Garcia 5:11 On Now Catching up with Padres reliever Craig Stammen 5:33 On Now Meet the Padres: Logan Allen 6:23 On Now Meet The Padres: Manny Machado 9:08 On Now Meet The Padres: Chris Paddack 5:08 On Now Three things that stood out from Machado's first day with the Padres 1:53 On Now Padres manager Andy Green on Machado joining his roster

jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutSanders


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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/02/2018 -- Sodium carbonate is an inorganic salt of Sodium and carbonic acid. It is also known as soda ash, soda crystals and washing soda. Sodium carbonate is a white, odorless, hygroscopic, amorphous solid soluble in water and most solvents. It has an alkaline taste and results into a strong alkaline solution with water. Sodium carbonate is often utilized domestically as a common water softener. Sodium carbonate occurs naturally across the globe and can be mined for cosumption. It can also be manufactured commercially from sodium chloride (common salt) and limestone through 'Solvay Process'. Sodium carbonate has low toxicity, however prolonged exposure to skin and eyes or inhalation of dust may cause irritation. Ingestion of sodium carbonate may cause vomiting, diarrhea, stomach ache, and nausea. Sodium carbonate releases carbon oxides when reacted with acids or burned.



Sodium carbonate is primarily used by the chemical industry for manufacturing glass, detergents, sodium chemicals and carbonate chemicals. It is also employed by the paper and pulp industry for paper production. Sodium carbonate is used in industrial and municipal waste water treatment because of strict regulations requiring dechlorination of the waste water treatment process. It is also employed for brine treatment, coal treatment and desulphurization of flue gas. Sodium carbonate finds major consumption in industries as well as households for removal of hardness in water and pH adjustment of water. Sodium carbonate is also used as a catalyst for resin regeneration through ion exchange.



Read Report Overview @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sodium-carbonate-market.html



The sodium carbonate market is primarily driven by its demand in water treatment applications, paper and pulp applications and applications in chemical industry. However, difficult disposal of effluents from the production process and stringent regulations for effective waste management might hamper the market growth. Expanding industrial economies of Asia Pacific, Latin America and Africa are expected to bring prospective opportunities for future market growth of sodium carbonate.



In terms of geography, Asia Pacific is the largest consumer as well as producer of sodium carbonate. Major industrial economies including China, India, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia and South Korea are the major consumers of sodium carbonate for application in waste water treatment, paper and pulp and chemical industry. Two of the most populated countries, China and India are situated in Asia. Both these countries are growing rapidly and witnessing rising disposable income and purchase power parity of the general population. This high growth has lead to growth of end use products of sodium carbonate such as detergents and glass. North America is another major consumer for sodium carbonate especially in the detergent and waste water treatment applications. In Rest of the World, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and South Africa contribute to major demand for the market, especially in the glass manufacturing industry. Europe is expected to witness comparatively slower growth than other regions owing to stringent regulations against environment polluting chemicals. There is very low scope of capacity expansion in the developed regions of North America and Western Europe due to over capacities, high land and labor costs and stringent regulations. China and India are the best prospects fro capacity expansion to serve the local demand.



The market is consolidated with major players exploiting economies of scales at global scale production level. Some of the market players include Merck Millipore, Solvay, Tata Chemicals (Soda Ash) Partners and J M Loverridge plc. among many others.



This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report include



North America

Asia Pacific

Europe

Middle East and Africa

Latin America



This report provides comprehensive analysis of



Market growth drivers

Factors limiting market growth

Current market trends

Market structure

Market projections for upcoming years



This report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porter's five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.



Request Report Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=7313



Reasons for Buying this Report



This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics

It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth

It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow
Does single room accommodation housing shape womens drug- and health-related outcomes, including their risk of overdose?

Alexandra Collins, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Health Sciences, recently won a 2018 Vanier Scholarship to address this question. She is among 167 graduate students Canada-wide to receive a Vanier Scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

The scholarships, awarded annually, recognize graduate students who demonstrate leadership skills and exemplary scholarly achievement.

When I found out I was one of the recipients, I was extremely ecstatic, says Collins. But I was also relieved to get funding for a project I care so much about. It was really great to see that this research is valued.

With a background in medical anthropology, Collins enjoys learning how social and structural factors can shape health and well-being.

During her MSc health sciences studies at SFU, she worked on a project with professor Susan Erikson, studying international funding impacts on HIV programs in Sierra Leone. Later, she worked at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and BC Centre on Substance Use where she developed an interest in pursuing research around drug use, especially in women.

Remaining at SFU for her doctoral studies lets her continue collaborating with leading researchers in HIV and substance use, such as professors Robert Hogg and Kanna Hayashi.

I appreciate and enjoy the interdisciplinary nature of the Faculty of Health Sciences, which has been important in shaping my approach to research, says Collins.

Her current research focuses on how space and place relate to drug use. Shes also using an ethnographic approach to determine how Vancouvers housing and overdose crises are impacting women who use drugs in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside.

While still collecting follow-up data from study participants, Collins is beginning to discover the complex lives of the women who are living in single-room accommodations in Vancouver.

Given that this research focuses on overdose risks for women, and how housing shapes potential health and drug harms, it has implications for housing providers, service organizations, local health authorities, and other organizations working with women who use drugs.

Once the data collection is finished at the end of this year, Collins will work on analysis and community presentations. Because it is a community-engaged research project, she says it is important that findings are reported back to the community in a timely manner.

Following her PhD, Collins plans to continue examining urban housing environments and housing models, and the ways these can shape health and well-being, particularly for women. As urban areas continue to develop and redevelop rapidly, she says it will be increasingly important to understand how these changes contribute to health outcomes for low-income populations, in order to better inform housing policies.
When I visited Hungary recently, I knew I was entering a waning democracy that's become increasingly authoritarian. I knew that Prime Minister Viktor Orban won a third term in April by convincing voters that a phantasmic combination of Muslim migrants, the Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros, and European Union bureaucrats was coming to get them.



But I only understood how Mr. Orban pulled this off when I spoke to Hungarian journalists. They explained that Mr. Orban first criticized the press for being biased against him. Then he and his allies took over most of it, and switched to running stories that promote Mr. Orban's populist agenda and his party, Fidesz.



This happened fast. The investigative website Atlatszo estimates that more than 500 Hungarian media titles are now controlled by Mr. Orban and his friends; in 2015, only 23 of them were.



...Some now reportedly take their talking points directly from the government. Recent headlines at Origo  once a respected online news site  were a numbing assortment of articles about migrants wreaking havoc on various European cities and conspiracies about Mr. Soros.



...There's still independent news online, but most Hungarians don't see it. And when one of these websites exposes corruption, Orban-friendly publications align to attack it.



"This is what the government would like to teach society  that there are no reliable sources at all among those who criticize the government," explained Attila Batorfy, who tracks the Hungarian media for Atlatszo.

On Monday, I wrote : "One of my continuing concerns about the political situation we face in the United States is that it's part of a larger erosion of democracy worldwide  a global trend from which it will be difficult to extricate ourselves, if it's even possible at all. There are anti-democratic forces subverting democracy everywhere around the planet, and I'm not sure even the bluest of blue waves can effectively contend with that."Further on that subject, Pamela Druckerman at the New York Times: The News Is Bad in Hungary There is much more at the link.We must understand that we are up against forces that are undermining democracy around the entire globe, using the same strategies  and, in some cases, even the same boogeymen.This isn't going to get "fixed" by the midterms, or by even the most spectacular outcome of Bob Mueller's investigation. We need to vote; we need to demand accountability; and we need to be prepared to keep fighting for the long haul.[H/T to Aphra_Behn.]
Fulton Hogan committed close to $300 million for its strategic purchase of Stevenson Groups construction and quarrying activities.

The deal, announced in May, was to have included two quarries and four concrete plants and was intended to strengthen Fulton Hogans supply chain and ensure its long-term aggregate supplies for projects in Auckland and Waikato.

The Christchurch-based infrastructure and construction groups accounts show the company had committed $304.3 million for the purchase of two Stevenson companies and for general plant as at June 30. The firms general plant commitments had totalled $16.7 million and $13.4 million in each of the two prior years.

Fulton Hogan subsequently opted to exclude Stevensons Huntly quarry from the deal, allowing the Commerce Commission to drop an investigation last month.

Privately-held Fulton Hogan builds and maintains roads, bridges, airports, and rail, water and energy projects. It works in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji. Recent major local projects include the $25 million Taramakau bridge opened on the West Coast in August, the $122 Western Belfast bypass in Canterbury, and the expansion of Christchurch International Airport.

Including the 182 Stevenson employees that joined it, the group now employs 7,963 workers, about 3,100 of them in Australia. That is up from 6,300 two years ago.

The company's net profit of $180.1 million for the year through June, was only marginally higher than a year earlier, despite a 28 percent jump in revenue to $4.67 billion.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation increased 4.3 percent to $380.3 million.

The company said almost two-thirds of the revenue increase was from its Australian activities. New Zealand contributed 21 percent of the growth, with a softening of the average exchange rate accounting for 13 percent of the increase.

In a joint commentary, chair David Faulkner and managing director Cos Bruyn said all the firms divisions performed well, apart from Australian construction.

The company said 2019 will be challenging in New Zealand and Australia.

In New Zealand, the governments infrastructure focus has moved from major road networks to rail and smaller projects, and a further slowdown in post-earthquake work in Canterbury is expected.

The forward order book in New Zealand is solid with 58 percent of next years revenue secured, but that is down from 66 percent last year, due to the shift away from large government construction projects.

Our challenged projects in Australia are advancing in their delivery, with one completed already, and the board is considering all options to reduce our risk exposure associated with major projects in the new financial year.

It is worthy of note that these challenged projects were secured in the very competitive environment that prevailed two years ago and are now being executed in very buoyant market conditions. The wider Australian pipeline continues to be strong.

The firm will pay a final dividend of 35 cents a share. That takes the full-year payout to 60 cents, down from 64 cents the year before.

Paying out less than the firms target of 50 percent of net profit reflects the need to fund strategically important asset purchases, such as the Stevenson Construction Materials business, the company said.

(BusinessDesk)

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New Zealand Oil & Gas says the country needs to advance drilling off the South Islands east coast to help reduce global emissions.

The company is seeking drilling partners for two large permits it operates off the South Canterbury coast and in the Great South Basin south-east of Stewart Island.

Chief executive Andrew Jefferies told shareholders today that both basins are highly prospective and likely to contain large gas deposits.

Its that gas that can be used in the global energy system to displace the coals, and the bitumens and oilsands which is where the other reserves are seen, he said.

These prospects should be unlocked, they should get drilled. If we dont use these resources then the world will continue to use resources  they will just continue to use them from other places and were going to have to buy them.

And that will leave New Zealand poorer and similarly global emissions higher.

NZOG has spent several years seeking partners to drill the Barque prospect off the Oamaru coast. The 150 square-kilometre structure lies in the Clipper permit the company owns with Beach Energy and could hold the equivalent of 530 million barrels of condensate and gas.

But the venture faces a drilling decision next year, in what could be the first real test of the governments commitment to allow existing offshore acreage to continue to be worked and developed if a discovery is made. The government is currently rushing legislation through Parliament to block the granting of any new offshore exploration permits.

Jefferies told shareholders the governments ban had turned the headwinds the firm faced finding partners into a gale.

But the government had provided a written guarantee of its continuing rights under its existing permits. A well must be drilled at Clipper by late 2020 or the acreage surrendered.

Were hoping that they continue to be supportive in helping us keep the permit going and to get that well drilled, Jefferies said.

We really want to see Barque drilled. We really want to be part of that discovery of the new North Sea in the south.

NZOG shares were unchanged at 63 cents.

Jefferies had no new details to offer the roughly 30 shareholders attending the Wellington meeting on the testing of the onshore Kohatukai well in Taranaki.

Drilling was completed by Mitsui-owned AWE last week and produced encouraging gas shows in its two main target formations. Logging is underway and further pressure testing and sampling is planned over the weekend, he said.

NZOG and major shareholder OG Oil & Gas each have 25 percent interests in the well which is targeting a 48 square-kilometre structure that extends almost to the coast.

Chairman Samuel Kellner, a director of OG Oil & Gas, said his firms experience as a partner at Kohatukai had reinforced its confidence in the management team at NZOG and the opportunities ahead.

OGOG believes in the Barque prospect and the Ironbark prospect off Western Australia that NZOG has also just taken a 15 percent stake in, he said.

The company is not seeking quick profits and is willing to invest significant capital over very long time frames in sectors it gets involved in.

It wants to keep NZOG listed so that it can raise the capital needed to fund future growth, and so that existing investors can continue to share in that growth, he said.

Jefferies said the scale of opportunity and the firms credibility with potential counterparties, has risen since OGOG got behind the company.

And he said the firm would likely come to shareholders and the broader market to seek funding for some large asset purchases in the future.

He cited Ironbark  potentially five-times the size of Maui  as a potentially transformative investment for the company.

It ranks among the worlds top-10 undrilled prospects and has a great address among a string of major gas fields.

Its a really exciting well.

(BusinessDesk)

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A wide range of cutting-edge weaponry and equipment for use in the air, sea, space and on the ground are being gathered for Airshow China 2018.

The shows begins Tuesday but has already attracted a lot of attention from military buffs and experts alike who have arrived early in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province.

Chinese military analysts said on Thursday that the air show, which runs until November 11, has become a comprehensive defense exhibition and is driving sales of Chinese armaments on the international market.

A J-10B fighter jet belonging to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force was spotted on Tuesday at Zhuhai Jinwan Airport conducting a rehearsal for the air show, Beijing-based news website people.cn reported on Wednesday.

The fighter jet is equipped with a thrust vectoring nozzle, making it a world-class single-engine fighter jet and top of its class in China in terms of maneuverability, people.cn said. The nozzle gives the aircraft significant advantages in dogfights by allowing it to make extreme maneuvers.

This is the first time the PLA Air Force has displayed a fighter jet capable of thrust vectoring control.

According to the list of participating aircraft the air show organizer released on Saturday, the J-10B will be on static display at the show.

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Thursday that China's thrust vectoring control system could become a highlight of the Zhuhai show.

China's most advanced fighter jet J-20 is also very likely to appear at the show despite its absence from the participation list, according to military experts. Formations of J-20s were seen in the skies above Zhuhai on Tuesday.
The CJI also inaugurated the Centre for Research and Planning, an "in-house think tank" and launched a portal through which citizens can book their visit to the court, which will be open from 10 AM to 1 PM every Saturday, except on declared holidays.

: The Supreme Court as a "public institution" needed to be opened for common people on Saturdays barring holidays, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said Thursday.

The common public can now have a guided tour of courtrooms, judges' library on Saturdays.

The think tank would carry out "cutting-edge research" into fundamental jurisprudence and the principles and doctrines of law as well as on judicial reforms for improvement in justice delivery system.

"As my colleagues are concerned I really seek a post-facto approval. The decision was entirely mine. I did not consult any of you. I apologise for it but I hope you will approve of it," the CJI said candidly when discussing the aspects to be covered by the 'think tank'.

In a function organised at Judges' lounge, Justice Gogoi said, "The in-house centre will be a very small body but it will be meant for domain experts all over the country who will be contributing their line of thoughts."

The main mandate of the think tank would be to collect, assimilate and disseminate inputs for judicial reforms, legal education and development of jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of India.

Dealing with the aspect of throwing open the gates of apex court for common public, Justice Gogoi said, "It is an experiment, a very limited exposure to the Supreme Court, a public institution that I thought should be opened up in a limited way."

Professor Mohan Gopal, academician and former vice chancellor of National Law School of India, Bangalore, also spoke at the programme.

He said the think tank could play an important role in better explaining to the general public, the work of the Supreme Court.

"We are setting out on a very important venture to create a permanent body of knowledge that can be accessed by the entire legal fraternity and by the public that will improve the better understanding of the working of the judiciary and the justice system," he said.
China challenges US to provide 'evidence' in trade secrets case



Beijing, Nov 2 (AFP) Nov 02, 2018



China challenged the United States Friday to show evidence to support charges that Beijing backed a scheme by Chinese and Taiwanese companies to steal trade secrets from a US-based semiconductor firm.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions accused the companies on Thursday of stealing an estimated $8.75 billion worth of know-how from semiconductor giant Micron.

The Justice Department unveiled criminal charges against Chinese state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) of Taiwan, along with three UMC officials.

It said they conspired to steal US-based Micron's advanced designs to turn Fujian Jinhua into a major player in the global computer chip market.

"If the US side is really concerned, they should provide concrete examples that can withstand the test of evidence and facts," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing.

The charges were the latest in a series of cases targeting what Washington calls an ongoing Beijing programme to steal valuable US industrial and commercial secrets in order to advance the Chinese economy.

"Taken together, these cases and many others like them paint a grim picture of a country bent on stealing its way up the ladder of economic development and doing so at American expense," Sessions said.

"This behaviour is illegal. It is wrong. It is a threat to our national security. And it must stop."

US President Donald Trump has cited China's alleged theft of US technological know-how among a litany of grievances in his trade war with the Asian power.

Trump and Xi spoke on the phone about trade and other issues hours after the charges were announced, and the US leader tweeted that the pair had a "very good" conversation.

Xi said he was "very happy" to talk to Trump again and that he would like to see him at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires later this month, adding that the two countries should "push for a mutually acceptable solution to China-US economic and trade issues", according to state media.



- Chip designs -



The indictment released in the US district court in San Jose, California alleges that three former Micron employees in Taiwan -- Stephen Chen Zhengkun, He Jianting and Kenny Wang Yungming -- joined UMC in 2015 and 2016 with the express plan to hand over to the company Micron's design and manufacturing processes for specific dynamic random access memory (DRAM) semiconductors.

Those would then be transferred to Fujian Jinhua under an contract set by Chen.

Prior to the plot, US prosecutors said, neither the Chinese nor the Taiwanese company had any DRAM production capability.

But China had set out the goal of acquiring DRAM capability in its current strategic economy plan.

Chen was originally a top executive at Micron's Taiwan operation. He moved in 2015 to lead UMC, a contract chip manufacturer listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and subsequently became president of Fujian Jinhua.



- Competitive threat to Micron -



The theft posed a major threat to Micron, a company valued at around $100 billion and which controls 20-25 percent of the global market for DRAM chips.

The indictment came four months after Fujian Jinhua won a patent dispute with Micron in a Chinese court, gaining an order for the US company to stop sales in China of more than a dozen solid-state drives, memory sticks and chips.

In retaliation, the US Commerce Department on Monday placed heavy restrictions on Fujian Jinhua's ability to buy US machinery and materials for its factories that would boost its DRAM production capabilities.

In addition to the criminal charges announced Thursday, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit to block imports of any UMC and Fujian Jinhua products using stolen Micron technology.

In recent years Washington has stepped up its fight against China's alleged ongoing economic espionage programme to obtain all sorts of advanced technologies, from agriculture to heavy manufacturing.

"China is probably, over the long term, the biggest challenge, national security challenge that faces our country," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday in an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham.

"Where the semiconductor piece fits in is, it's part of a mosaic of our strategic effort to push back against this continued Chinese effort."

pmh-lth/mtp

UMC - UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION
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US President Donald Trump waves to a crowd before leaving a campaign rally on Oct. 20, 2018 in Elko, Nev. [Photo/IC]

By Li Dapeng

US President Donald Trump announced on October 20 that the US would withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) due to Russias violations. Trump said that the US cannot continue to honor the agreement under the circumstance that both Russia and China are violating it. Unless Russia, China and the US all work together to handle short-, medium-, and intermediate-range missiles and agree not to develop these weapons, the US could only withdraw from the agreement, said Trump.

Trumps statement is a serious mistake. In fact, China did not join the INF Treaty and therefore the agreement is not binding on China.

Trumps withdrawal is another setback to the international arms control process after the US unilaterally withdrew from the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (ABM Treaty). The negative impact of the second withdrawal is even worse.

Short-, medium-, and intermediate-range missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometer that were included in the INF Treaty are the most common weapons in modern warfare. The range also covers the distance in possible wars in Europe and its surrounding areas between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The starting point for the signing of the agreement between the US and the Soviet Union was to prevent the two countries from waging conventional wars on the European continent.

Therefore, politically, Russia regards the withdrawal of the US as a hysterical anti-Russian action. Militarily, Russia believes that the purpose of the withdrawal is to pave the way for the deployment of short-, medium-, and intermediate-range missiles in Europe.

The withdrawal of US set a bad example. Without the constraint of the agreement, the US-Russian military confrontation and geopolitical game will have a broader space in terms of warfare means, and the escalation and expansion of military competition between the two countries will become inevitable.

A series of chain reactions will be triggered if the INF Treaty is abolished. The INF Treaty is the first disarmament treaty in the world to completely ban a weapon category. Its signing is of great significance in the history of international arms control. It is one of the most important treaties in international arms control, and one of the cornerstones of the establishment of the international arms control treaty system.The INF Treaty is interdependent with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

If the INF Treaty is abolished, it will deal a heavy blow to the international disarmament process, which means the initial collapse of the international arms control treaty system.

Just as the US withdrew from the ABM Treaty, missile defense will become a hot spot for military competition among nations. It can be predicted that countries other than the US and Russia will inevitably compete for missiles and other armaments for their own security reasons. One of the manifestations willbethe proliferation of ballistic missiles, which will have extremely serious consequences and far-reaching effects.

At the time of the signing of the INF Treaty, only the US, the Soviet Union, France and China had short-, medium-, and intermediate-range missiles. Today, nearly 30 countries have such missiles through independent research and development and international market purchases. Under this circumstance, missile proliferation is inevitable. An even greater danger could arise if forces of terrorism, extremism and separatism also come to possess these missiles.

As a result, short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear and biochemical warheads will be regarded as the new trump card by some small and medium-sized, weak and poor countries. Because only in this way can they ensure military deterrence and possess means of attack to compete, to some extent, with big and powerful countries as the US and Russia.

For this reason, Russian President Vladimir Putins warning on the withdrawal of the US is unprecedented: If Russia comes under a missile attack, it will immediately use nuclear weapons to fight back. Those who launch such attack will meet a dead end, and have no time to regret their action.

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who signed the INF Treaty, also expressed concern: Washington wants to return to the political struggles amidst the Cold War era and we cannot support that. Not only Russia, but all countries that are eager for a nuclear-free world must voice their concerns over the US withdrawal. Does Washington really not understand what this will lead to?

Disclaimer: The author is Li Dapeng. The article was published on the China Youth Daily and translated from Chinese into English and edited by China Military online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Chinamil.com.cn does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. If the article carries photographs or images, we do not vouch for their authenticity.
By Wu Hao and Jiang Shan

PORT of SANTO DOMINGO, Nov. 2 (ChinaMil) -- The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark (Hull 866), currently on its Harmonious Mission 2018, arrived at the Port of Santo Domingo of the Dominican Republic on November 1 for an eight-day friendly visit.

The Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean Sea and it officially established diplomatic relations with China on May 1 this year. This is the first time that a Chinese naval ship has visited the Dominican Republic after the diplomatic relations were established.

The Dominican Republic side held a warm welcome ceremony for the Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark at the Port of Santo Domingo.

Military and political leaders of the Dominican Republic, Charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in the Dominican Republic Zhang Buxin, the Chinese Embassy staff, local overseas Chinese and representatives of Chinese-funded institutions welcomed the Chinese naval hospital ship at the port.

After the ceremony, Dominican military and political leaders and local overseas Chinese boarded the ship for a visit.

The Peace Ark started medical services on the same afternoon.

The Dominican Republic is the 41st country visited by the Peace Ark since it was commissioned to the PLA Navy. It is also the ninth stop of the Harmonious Mission 2018.

During the visit, the mission commander will pay visits to the Dominican military and various government leaders, and the Peace Ark will carry out a series of activities such as joint medical treatment, cultural exchange, and equipment maintenance.
Apple delivers strong profits, but investors punish shares



San Francisco, Nov 2 (AFP) Nov 02, 2018



Apple on Thursday delivered blockbuster earnings, but saw shares punished after a disappointing holiday season forecast and word that it will stop reporting how many iPhones it sells.

The California-based technology giant makes most of its money from iPhones, and sales numbers have been seen as a bellwether of the company's fortunes.

Apple shares dove 6.5 percent to $207.78 in after-market trades following the release of earnings figures for a record-setting September quarter.

The firm said net profit climbed 32 percent to $14.13 billion on revenue that was up 20 percent to $62.9 billion with help from growing sales of digital content and services to users and other Apple gadgetry.

"We're thrilled to report another record-breaking quarter that caps a tremendous fiscal 2018, the year in which we shipped our two billionth iOS device, celebrated the 10th anniversary of the App Store and achieved the strongest revenue and earnings in Apple's history," said chief executive Tim Cook.

However, the market was disappointed that Apple fell short of expectations with sales of 46.9 million iPhones and a forecast for the key holiday season that was not as robust as anticipated.

The average sale price for the latest iPhones was $793, indicating that Apple was able to deliver more of its priciest handsets.

Apple offered no detailed breakdown of iPhone sales, but Cook said "the response has been powerful" to the new 10S models that sell for $1,000 and up.

Apple executives said that from now on, its earnings reports would no longer specify numbers of iPhones or other products sold. Instead it would focus on revenue, margins and cost of sales.

Apple chief financial officer Luca Maestri told reporters on an earnings conference call that the change stemmed from an increasingly diverse product line.

"It doesn't matter how many units there are in there when it comes to the full value of the shopping cart," Cook said, adding that "customer loyalty" was a more important metric.

Revenue in the quarter ended September 29 grew double digits everywhere Apple does business around the world.

"We set September quarter revenue records for iPhone and wearables and all-time quarterly records for Services and Mac," Maestri said.

The world's most valuable company saw its stock market value briefly dip below a dizzying $1 trillion based on share price.



- Challenges ahead -



Apple forecast that it would bring in between $89 billion and $93 billion in the current quarter.

Some analysts thought the estimate may have been conservative, with Apple being cautious about expectations as it works to balance supply and demand for a slew of freshly introduced products.

"This is a great set of results from Apple which underlines all of the innovation the company has put into its suite of products over the past year," said GlobalData Retail managing director Neil Saunders.

The latest report offers some positive news for Apple in growing its services such as streaming music and Apple Pay, allowing the company to diversify its revenue stream in a saturated smartphone market.

However, the iPhone has been the key driver of revenue and profit for Apple, and also helps bring more consumers into the company's ecosystem for apps and services.

Apple holds around 12 percent of the global smartphone market, with most of the rest sold by makers of Android-powered handsets.

Analyst Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies said it is possible Apple failed to anticipate consumer demand and did not have the right mix of devices in the past quarter.

Another possibility, Bajarin said on Twitter, is that "Apple may be intentionally setting lower expectations for holiday."

The strong US dollar was a "headwind" to sales, particularly in markets such as Turkey, India, Brazil and Russia, according to Cook.

"In some cases that resulted in us raising prices, and those markets are not growing the way we would like," Cook said.

He maintained that Apple has been talking with Indian officials about opening stores in that country and about duties on the company's products.

"I am a big believer in India," Cook said. "I am very bullish on the country and the people and our ability to do well there."

Apple's business in China was strong despite a near moratorium by officials there on approving new games for the local App Store, according to Cook.

gc/sst
A ceremony is held for veterans who are leaving the armed police services in Gansu Province, Sept. 1, 2018. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Xiaojun)

Beijing started to collect information of veterans for the first time by setting up more than 1,100 collection points across the city, authorities said on Friday, which, analysts said will better safeguard the legal rights of veterans and social stability.

Collecting veterans' information is meant to get a clear picture of the number of veterans and other entitled members and offer them better services, according to a statement released on the website of Beijing Municipal government on Friday.

Honor plates will be hung on doors of registered military personnel, including for families of martyrs, soldiers and veterans. Those who do not have a permit, including soldiers who died in action and families of soldiers who died of illness, can apply for an honor plate.

The Ministry of Veterans Affairs had designed a unified honor plate which says, "Guangrongzhijia," meaning "family of honor," Beijing Evening News reported citing the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau.

Twelve categories of military personnel are covered, including retired soldiers, families of martyrs (parents, spouse and siblings) and families of military personnel in active service.

Collecting information of military staff will allow the government to protect their legal rights, and the honor plates would show respect for military personnel," Li Daguang, a professor at the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army in Beijing, told the Global Times on Friday.

Li said "collecting their information is also a way of safeguarding social stability."

A marine veteran surnamed Tan told the Global Times that "It aims to provide care to veterans." Tan believes the move will standardize the management of veterans and help the government implement better policies to them.

The government will collect their personal information, political status and basic living status, which includes information and photos of their household register and social insurance.

Beijing has set up more than 1,100 collection points, mainly along local streets and county-level government service halls. Related military personnel should register in person.

The collection will end before December 25 and authorities will check and examine the data, which is expected to be completed before May 2019, Beijing Evening News reported.

Other provinces and cities have also started to collect information of veterans and send out honor plates. Tianjin has hung more than 70,000 plates since September.
Trump sanctions set to bite Iran, but what next?



Washington, Nov 2 (AFP) Nov 02, 2018



Six months after President Donald Trump bolted from a nuclear deal on Iran, the United States from Monday will try to strangle the country's economy with sweeping sanctions, but doubts abound on how effective the campaign will be.

The United States has vowed to end all sales of Iranian oil, the country's crucial export, as well as international banking transactions, snapping back sanctions lifted by Trump's predecessor as US president, Barack Obama.

But much has changed since the Obama administration targeted Iran's economy in 2012. Obama won broad, if at times begrudging, international support as he set a goal of bringing Iran to the table to end its nuclear program.

Iran -- led by a more moderate president, Hassan Rouhani -- has according to UN inspectors abided by the 2015 agreement which is still supported by European powers and Russia and China, which all signed the nuclear deal.

"This is not 2012 when the world was united behind sanctions against Iran. This is the Trump administration trying to force the rest of the world to go along with a policy that most countries do not accept," said Barbara Slavin, an Iran expert at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

"The US has had some success in terms of frightening away major corporations. The sanctions hurt a lot. But Iran is still going to be able to sell oil," especially to China, she said.

The United States has accepted that it will need to issue waivers to countries that do not fully stop buying Iranian oil, with friends of the United States such as India and South Korea looking for sanctions exemptions, and Tehran may keep up clandestine sales.

The European Union has gone so far as to protect businesses that operate in Iran. It has announced plans for a legal framework through which firms can skirt US sanctions, although few major corporations have been eager to risk the wrath of penalties in the world's largest economy.



- US objective in question -



US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has issued a list of demands for Iran that go well beyond the nuclear program that was the focus of Obama's deal.

He wants the Shiite clerical regime to withdraw from war-ravaged Syria, where it is a critical ally of President Bashar al-Assad, as well as to end longstanding support to regional militant movements Hezbollah and Hamas.

Pompeo has also insisted Iran cut off backing for Yemen's Huthi rebels who are facing a US-backed air campaign led by Saudi Arabia.

In a recent tweet Pompeo crowed that the International Monetary Fund is predicting a 3.6 percent contraction of Iran's economy next year.

"That's what happens when the ruling regime steals from its people and invests in Assad -- instead of creating jobs for Iranians, they ruin the economy," he said.

But experts see no rapid turnaround from Iran's leaders -- especially the military and clerical establishments, for whom resistance to the United States has been an article of faith since the 1979 Islamic revolution overthrew the pro-US shah.

"It's basically magical thinking. The Iranians have been able to continue their support to regional proxies and allies for 40 years despite economic pressure," said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group.

He said the Trump administration believed that a constrained, struggling Iran would see its influence erode. But the final goal, he said, was unclear.

"I think the end-game depends on who you're asking. The president himself is interested in having a broader, better deal with the Iranians, but I believe that most of his national security team are interested in either destabilizing Iran or assuring a regime change in Tehran," Vaez said.

Trump's national security advisor, John Bolton, is a longstanding hawk with ties to Iran's armed, exiled opposition.



- North Korea model? -



One European diplomat believed Trump was following his playbook on North Korea, with which he is negotiating only a year after threatening "fire and fury."

"It's the same war plan as with Kim Jong Un and North Korea -- sanctions, maximum pressure and then ready to negotiate," he said.

The United States says it is exempting humanitarian goods from the sanctions, although Europeans say they have received no guidance on how to avoid penalties.

Another Western diplomat, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that Iran was more dependent on the outside world than the country's conservatives would like to think.

"In truth there are starts of a panic as there's beginning to be a shortage of medicine. We're heading back to the old war economy, which is tightly controlled."

Complicating Trump's effort, Saudi Arabia -- Iran's regional rival which has long pressed Washington to get tough -- is increasingly unpopular after the murder of a journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

But Tehran has been winning few friends, with France and Denmark recently accusing the clerical state's intelligence agencies of plotting to attack Iranian opponents in Europe.
Iran nuclear deal: from US walkout to fresh sanctions



Tehran, Nov 2 (AFP) Nov 02, 2018



The United States last May quit the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal aimed at halting Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

It reimposed a first wave of sanctions on the Islamic republic in August and is due to pass the remaining tranche on November 5 targeting its crucial oil industry and central bank.

Here are the key developments since that dramatic walkout:



- US quits -



President Donald Trump on May 8 pulls the United States out of the hard-won nuclear pact between world powers and Iran.

"The Iran deal is defective at its core," he says.

The move provides for the reinstatement of US sanctions on Iran and companies with ties to the Islamic republic.

Washington warns other countries to also end trade and investment in Iran and stop buying its oil, or face punitive measures.

It says sanctions will take effect immediately for new contracts and gives foreign companies an additional 90 to 180 days to end existing trade with Iran.

But other parties to the deal -- Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- insist Iran has abided by its commitments and say they are determined to save the agreement.



- Enrichment threats -



Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warns Tehran could halt the curbs it agreed in the deal and restart increased uranium enrichment "without limit", looking to the remaining parties to save the accord.

Washington warns on May 21 that Iran will be hit with the "strongest sanctions in history" unless it capitulates to a series of demands aimed at curbing its missile programme and interventions around the Middle East.



- Five powers back deal -



A top US official says on July 2 that Washington is determined to force Iran to change behaviour by cutting its oil exports to zero, confident the world has enough spare oil capacity to cope.

On July 6, Tehran's five remaining partners in the nuclear accord vow to back "the continuation of Iran's exports of oil and gas".

On July 16, EU countries reject the US demand that they economically isolate Tehran and they move to give European firms legal cover to operate in Iran.

But the next day European sources say the US has dismissed requests to spare its firms from sanctions penalties.



- War of words -



On July 22, Rouhani warns the United States that any conflict with Iran would be the "mother of all wars".

Trump responds with an all-caps Twitter tirade telling him to stop making threats "OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES".

On July 30, however, Trump says he is ready to meet Iranian leaders "anytime they want" and promises "no preconditions".



- Sanctions, again -



On August 7, Washington reimposes a first set of sanctions on Iran, described by Trump as the "most biting ever".

They involve freezing financial transactions and imports of raw materials, and penalties on purchases in the car and commercial aviation sectors.

Within hours German carmaker Daimler says it is halting its activities in Iran. On August 20, Iran's oil minister announces French energy giant Total is quitting its multi-billion dollar gas project in the country.

Several major international companies follow suit.



- European evasion -



The European Union on September 25 announces plans to preserve business with Tehran and evade the new US sanctions.

A "legal entity" will allow businesses to transfer money without coming under Washington's scanner, foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says, although analysts remain highly sceptical that private firms will be willing to risk US penalties by using it.



- Court confrontation -



The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's top court, orders the United States on October 3 to lift sanctions on humanitarian goods for Iran, saying they breached a 1955 friendship treaty between the two countries.

The following day, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington is terminating the treaty. There have been no diplomatic relations between the rivals since 1980.

acm/eab/br/er/hc/ecl

DAIMLER
Hard-won 2015 Iran nuclear deal



Tehran, Nov 2 (AFP) Nov 02, 2018



In a hard-won deal struck in 2015, Iran agreed to freeze its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of punishing international sanctions, ending a 12-year standoff between Iran and the West.

But in May the breakthrough agreement was derailed when President Donald Trump pulled the United States out and announced he was reimposing the related sanctions.

Here is some background on the accord:



- Long road -



Negotiations start in June 2013 between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany.

The final deal is signed on July 14, 2015 after 21 months of dogged discussions.



- The aim -



The goal of the deal is to render it practically impossible for Iran to build an atom bomb while at the same time allowing Tehran the right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme.

As part of the agreement, Tehran pledges to reduce its nuclear capacities for several years.

It agrees to slash the number of centrifuges, which can enrich uranium for nuclear fuel as well as for nuclear weapons, from more than 19,000 to 5,060, maintaining this level for 10 years.

Iran also accepts to modify its heavy water reactor in Arak, under the control of the international community, to make it impossible to produce plutonium at the reactor for military use.

The deal comes into effect on January 16, 2016.



- Inspectors, sanctions relief -



The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is charged with regular inspections of facilities such as uranium mines and centrifuge workshops for up to 25 years.

In August 2018, the IAEA says Tehran is sticking to the terms of the deal but emphasises the importance of Iran's "timely and proactive cooperation in providing such access" to sites and locations.

The accord paves the way for a partial lifting of international sanctions on Iran, opening the door for foreign investors such as French energy giant Total and carmakers PSA and Renault to strike deals.

UN embargoes on the sale of conventional arms and on ballistic missiles to Iran are however maintained up to 2020 and 2023 respectively.



- US exit -



In October 2017, Trump refuses to certify that Iran is respecting its commitments on the agreement but he does not re-impose sanctions or abandon the agreement.

Trump again waives sanctions in January but he demands that European partners "fix the terrible flaws".

On May 8, he announces the United States is pulling out of the deal and will reimpose sanctions on Iran as well as all companies with ties to the Islamic republic.

On August 7, Washington reimposes the first set of "the most biting sanctions ever" -- although they are in fact simply a reimposition of sanctions in place prior to the nuclear deal -- targeting access to US banknotes and key industries such as cars and carpets.

A second tranche of sanctions will kick in on November 5, this time targeting Iran's vital oil sector and central bank transactions.

bur-eab/br/hc/er/ecl

TOTAL
U.S. President Donald Trump said he talked with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, especially about ongoing trade disputes between the world's two biggest economies.

Trump and Xi, in several reciprocal actions, have in recent months imposed higher tariffs on tens of billions of dollars of exports moving between the two countries, increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing.

But Trump described the call between the two leaders as "a long and very good conversation" and said "discussions are moving along nicely." He said further meetings with Xi are being scheduled for the G20 summit of the world's biggest economies, set for Nov. 30 in Buenos Aires, the first ever such summit in South America.

Trump made no mention of whether the two leaders talked about the U.S. indictment unveiled Thursday of two companies based in China and Taiwan accusing them of stealing trade secrets from a U.S. semiconductor company, Micron Technology Inc. It was the fourth such case since September alleging Chinese espionage on U.S. economic interests.
Uruguay's government asks Congress to approve US troops for G20



Montevideo, Nov 2 (AFP) Nov 02, 2018



Uruguay's government asked Congress on Friday to allow US troops to stay in country during the upcoming G20 meeting in neighboring Argentina, due to be attended by the US and Russian leaders.

Washington wants to send 400 civilian and military personnel as well as eight aircraft for a week, from November 26 to December 3.

US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin are scheduled to attend the event.

Uruguay's defense ministry submitted a two-part bill to Congress, the first of which sought permission for the US troops, official sources said.

The bill's second article asks for authorization to allow troops from other countries whose leaders are attending the summit to be stationed in Uruguay, according to a document seen by AFP.

Opposition senator Javier Garcia told AFP that such authorization can only be issued by the General Assembly through a constitutional mandate.

But he stressed that any such authorization would be for a specific request rather than a "carte blanche" opening of doors to unspecified foreign troops.

Garcia said the defense ministry would have to ask each other country wishing to use Uruguayan soil to provide a detailed request similar to the one US officials presented.

The G20 summit takes place in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, which is just 200 kilometers (125 miles) away from Uruguay's capital Montevideo.
France promises money, guns for C.Africa



Bangui, Central African Republic, Nov 2 (AFP) Nov 02, 2018



France will give the Central African Republic, its restive former colony, aid of 24 million euros ($27.4 million) and weapons, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced on Friday.

"France wishes to continue its historical partnership with the Central African Republic," the minister told journalists in Bangui after meeting President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

Le Drian signed aid agreements worth 24 million euros in 2018 for the payment of salaries and pension arrears, to develop regions near neighbour Cameroon affected by massive population displacements, and build bridges to open access to parts of the country.

He also announced that France would "soon deliver arms" to Bangui -- specifically 1,400 assault rifles for the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) established after independence in 1960.

"We are doing this within the strict, respectful, and transparent framework of the United Nations, in total transparency concerning the origin, the routing, and the delivery" of the arms, said Le Drian.

One of the world's poorest and most unstable countries despite vast mineral riches, the CAR spiralled into bloodshed after longtime leader Francois Bozize was overthrown in 2013 by a mainly Muslim rebel alliance called the Seleka.

That same year, the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on the country. The ban remains in place, except for weapons provided to the security forces with special pre-approval by a sanctions committee.

Last year, this committee gave the green light for Russia to supply weapons to the national forces.

But in June this year, France, Britain, and the United States blocked a request from Bangui for UN approval of Chinese weapons deliveries.

CAR Foreign Minister Charles Armel Doubane said Friday it "was time that France decided to make these assault rifles available to FACA within the strict framework of international commitments."`

The government controls only a small part of the country, with vast areas under the control of armed groups vying for power and resources.

Thousands of people have died, 700,000 been internally displaced and another 570,000 have fled abroad as a result.

The African Union launched a UN-backed mediation effort in July 2017.

On the eve of Le Drian's visit, clashes between armed groups in Batangafo in the north forced more than 10,000 people to take refuge in the local hospital, according to Doctors Without Borders.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will "soon" visit Seoul as part of a flurry of high-profile diplomacy aimed at ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons.

During a speech before parliament, Moon said that a second North Korea-U.S. summit is "near at hand" and that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit North Korea soon. Moon also said he expected Kim to visit Russia soon and that Kim may meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

 2nd U.S.-N.Korea summit

Moon has previously said that Kim told him he would visit Seoul within this year when the leaders met in Pyongyang in September. South Korea's presidential office said later Thursday that it had nothing to add to Moon's speech about Kim's trip. His comments were in line with previous statements, the Blue House said. They suggest that Moon is determined to push ahead with diplomacy to resolve the nuclear issue.

"Now, based on firm trust among one another, South and North Korea and the United States will achieve complete denuclearization and lasting peace of the Korean Peninsula," Moon said. "This is an opportunity that has come like a miracle. It's something that we should never miss."

The prospects for a second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump improved after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made his fourth visit to North Korea earlier this month. But no breakthrough has followed. U.S. officials have recently said a second Trump-Kim summit will likely happen early next year. Some experts have raised doubts over whether Kim's Seoul trip would be realized by December.


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English01/11/2018

SRPSKAS 20TH REPORT TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL ACCEPTED

BANJALUKA, November 1 /SRNA/ - The Republika Srpska Government today accepted Srpskas report to the UN Security Council, which reads, among other things, that the voters in Srpska gave the current ruling coalition an unquestionable mandate to form a government thanks to views and goals based on which it was running in the general elections.



This is about the 20th report that Srpska, as a signatory to all annexes to the Dayton Peace Agreement, submits to the UN Security Council every six months, for ten years.



"This time, the submitted material is comprised of two parts. The first part contains Srpskas 20th report to the UN Security Council, which reviews the elections in BiH and ongoing issues, while the second one, particularly worth of attention, is the special report to the UN Security Council entitled" - Subversion of Dayton system," the Public Relations Bureau of the Srpska Government has announced.



The first part of the 20th report is about the results of recent general elections in BiH, the 8th since the signing of the Dayton Accords, with the remark that the voters in Srpska gave the current ruling coalition an unquestionable mandate to form the government on the basis of views and goals based on which it was running in the general elections, including full application of Annex 4 of the Dayton Peace Agreement  the BiH Constitution.



"The convincing victory of the coalition, in addition, must be understood as opposing the attempts of foreign interference in the BiH elections. The election of Sefik Dzaferovic as a Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency has greatly disturbed Serbs and represents a mockery of the rule of law and reconciliation since his link to war crimes committed by El Mujahid Detachment is proven," the report says.



This document emphasizes that the election of a Croat BiH presidency member is a regretful result, which shows why it is essential that any constituent people, including Croats, be allowed to elect their own BiH presidency representative.



"Reforms are also necessary for the implementation of the European Court of Human Rights decision from 2009 in the Sejdic-Finci case," the report reads.



The second part of the report emphasizes Srpskas readiness to work with all stakeholders in BiH for a better future in terms of issues that are important for all nations, such as European integration, democratic elections in Mostar, judicial reforms, fair and equitable investigations in the prosecution of war crimes, and the fight against terrorism.



The report expresses the desire of the Srpska Government to build closer ties with all interested parties within the international community, and that Srpska particularly expects to work with the new US ambassador on building stronger relations with the United States based on the mutual respect of the Dayton Peace Agreement and international law.



Special Report - Subversion of Dayton System explicitly deals with the international treaty wisely defined by the Dayton structure of BiH, the persistent assaults it has suffered from its creation and the legal and political necessity to be implemented entirety.



"Since the voters in the Serb Government have loudly granted another mandate for full implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, including the BiH Constitution, it is now the right time to deal with these issues more attentively," the document reads.



The first section of the Special Report is about the nature of the political and legal structure of the Dayton Accords, and explains that this structure is carefully conceived to reflect the reality in BiH and everything necessary for a sustainable peace.



"Through the Constitution of BiH, the Dayton Peace Agreement gave a consociational model of government in which the three constituent peoples share power. The BiH Constitution, which introduces different mechanisms for the protection of the two entities and three constituent peoples in BiH, is the result of a delicate compromise that was necessary to provide stability and democratic government," the document says.



The second section of the Special Report is about the systemic disregard of the Dayton structure, where the USA and other Bosniak parties refuse to respect the Dayton's structure of BiH and seek, through the illegal procedures of the international high representative, to gradually but surely transform BiH into a centralized, unitary state.



"The unlawful centralization of power in Sarajevo has led to a dysfunctional BiH, where the number of controversial decisions that need to be taken at the level of BiH is maximized," the report says.



The third section of the Special Report explains in detail that the high representative has centralized BiH with fictitious "Bonn powers" and that there is no legal attitude for dictatorial powers with which he has imposed hundreds of laws and constitutional amendments and issued several hundred out-of-court sanctions.



The appendices to this report, among other things, read that the high representative declared 111 constitutional amendments through his decisions. There is also a list containing 249 out-of-court sanctions imposed by the OHR /some refer to several persons/, and a list of 98 appointments based on the high representative's decision.



"The out-of-court sanctions that the high representative used as important means of coercion are a flagrant violation of international human rights conventions. By means of dictatorial powers, the high representative systematically centralized the power in Sarajevo, contrary to the Constitution of BiH," the document reads.



In addition, it emphasizes that by the dominance in the Constitutional Court of BiH and other courts in BiH, the high representative has prevented any questioning of his actions legality.



"Once the damage has already been done on the Dayton structure, the same constitutional protection mechanisms that were supposed to block the centralization of BiH now enable the Bosniaks to block the retrieval of the Dayton structure," the document says.



The fourth section reads that some states, years after the high representative lost political power to rule through decisions, try to get involved in BiH's internal affairs, even the elections.



"For example, the US has provided more than $ 100 million to the media without transparency in BiH, and these funds, as the US government admits, are intended to influence local politics and elections," the document says.



The fifth section of the special report reads about the authorities at the BiH level having poor results and engaging in illegal actions, and that overspending, abuse and inefficiency are present in the new BiH agencies imposed by the high representative.



"The Prosecutors Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the high representative's baby, serves as a political weapon against the SDA opponents and protects the politicians from its ranks against war crimes investigations. Meanwhile, the high representatives judicial institutions at the BiH level discriminate war crimes victims of Serb ethnic background in accordance with the established pattern. The BiH Agency for Statistics, under the threat of a lawsuit, has adopted a unique data processing programme for a population census that favors Bosniaks, contrary to the Population Census Law," the report reads.



The sixth section of the Special Report is about the arguments supporting the necessity of reforming the Constitutional Court of BiH and the judicial institutions at the BiH level, and also cites that the presence of international judges in the Constitutional Court is incompatible with the sovereignty of BiH and democracy.



"The court is suffering from a large deficit of legitimacy due to international judges and its political nature. All Serb and Croat leaders in BiH support the abolition of international judges positions in the Constitutional Court of BiH, but the SDA is blocking the necessary reform. It is necessary to reform the judicial institutions at the BiH level, too, such as the Court of BiH, which has been confirmed by EU experts," this section of the report states.



The seventh section of the Special Report shows that the centralization and dominance of the SDA undermines the security and stability of BiH, and that the policies and procedures of this party, during and after the war, made BiH a haven for jihadists.



"In addition, the leaders of the SDA and other Bosniak parties respond to political disagreements with violent threats. The SDA often attacks the legitimacy of Srpska, as it did when it tried to prevent the marking of Republika Srpska Day. This party obstructs the execution of key decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH and the European Court of Human Rights when it comes to the elections. Moreover, by provocative move and flagrant violation of the Constitution, the SDA leader /Bakir Izetbegovic/ tried to unilaterally renew the BiH lawsuit against Serbia," the report cites.



The eighth section of the Special Report explains why Srpska has the right to express its position on NATO membership and, potentially, hold a referendum on the subject, while the ninth section stateS that Srspka is committed to the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement via legitimate political and legal instruments.



"Srpska has no secession plans, but insists on the full implementation of the Dayton political structure. EU officials often emphasize that the decentralized structure of BiH does not represent an obstacle to EU membership. Srpska will continue to advocate the necessary reforms through political dialogue, but has the right to rectify material damage to the Dayton Peace Agreement," the report says.



The statement cites that the Dayton Constitution defines the structure of a viable political system in social structure with three cohesive and distinctive peoples, and that attacks on such structure, unfortunately, have resulted in endemic dysfunction, frequent political crises and the domination of an ethnic group.



"The Government of Srpska is committed to the success of BiH, with the full and constant implementation of the Dayton Constitution," the statement reads. /end/vos
Samsung will compensate employees who developed serious illnesses while working at its semiconductor factories, ending a decade-long compensation dispute. Samsung decided to accept the proposal of an arbitration committee on Thursday.

Under the proposal, which was amended to cover more victims and extend the range of illnesses covered, Samsung will compensate current and former employees who developed job-related illnesses, including leukemia, breast cancer, brain tumors and other diseases since May 1984.

Leukemia victims will receive up to W150 million each, and ovarian and breast cancer victims up to W75 million (US$1=W1,133).

Samsung is also expected to make a public apology within this month with plans to establish a W50-billion fund for the prevention of work-related diseases.

Samsung has already paid about W20 billion to some 130 victims. With the latest settlement, an additional 300 victims are now eligible for compensation.
What connects a non-Jewish Florida woman with a rare liver cancer with a hospital in India and two surgeons, one Israeli and the other British? A Jewish appliance repairman in Canada, whose passion is finding experimental treatments for hopeless cancer cases.

That mind-boggling idea is at the heart of the gripping Israeli documentary N of 1. The documentary follows Kayte Hollingsworths journey from a terminal diagnosis of a rare liver cancer to the chance of a cure, thanks to the efforts of a stranger in Toronto named Howard Simons. It spotlights the unusual work of this Jewish man committed to making a difference in the world and potentially saving lives by scouring medical journals for experimental treatments for terminal cancer.

Diagnosed with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcininoma, a rare liver cancer, Hollingsworth, at age 23, has had surgery, radiation, and rounds of chemotherapy, until all options were exhausted. Pretty, lively Hollingsworth doesnt look sick but her liver is full of tumors and doctors have sent her home to die. Unwilling to give up, she contacts Tal Friedman, who runs an online support group for those with fibrolamellar cancer. He, in turn, puts her in touch with Simons.

Simons has no medical training but he is a natural problem-solver. By scouring peer-reviewed research in top medical journals, he finds overlooked treatments and makes connections that most doctors seem to miss for treating terminal cancers. He first did this for a friend with terminal cancer, but Simons decided to continue doing it free for anyone who asked, a decision influenced by his deep Jewish faith.







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The documentarys title refers to the number of patients in a clinical trial. An experiment with an n of 1 has only one patient, in this case Hollingsworth who will be the first on which the untested procedure Simons uncovers will be tried. It combines a liver transplant from a living donor with a bone marrow donation. If it works, her altered immune system will eliminate any remaining cancer cells and she also wont need life-long immunosuppression drugs. The treatment could revolutionize all transplants.

For the operation, Simons calls on Israeli Dr. Shimon Slavin in Tel Aviv, a bone marrow transplant specialist, and British-India liver transplant surgeon Dr. Mohamed Rela in London. Because the operation is so experimental, it has to be done in a nation with less restrictive rules, so India is chosen.

The documentary brings us close to all the people involved, Hollingsworths family, Simons and the two surgeons particularly. It also offers insights on medical research and the barriers in medicine to such new procedures, explained well by Dr. Ephraim Fuchs of Johns Hopkins. This involving documentary is both emotionally moving and informative.
Besides the three documentaries reviewed in this issue, the St. Louis International Film Festival offers a few other films that may interest readers of the Jewish Light.

There are several excellent short films in the program, including some from Israel. The Documentary Shorts: Women Around the Globe (free, shown at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 at the Tivoli) includes two. Exit focuses on two women who face custody fights and other difficulties after leaving their ultra orthodox community. Keren Or (A Ray of Light) is the story of a resilient single mother fighting to survive in unexpected circumstances.

In Documentary Shorts: Animated Lives (free, 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2 at the Tivoli), 5 Years After The War is a French tale of growing up with an absent Iraqi father and a very-present Jewish mother.

There are two narrative shorts. In Narrative Shorts: Animation 2 (9:10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4 at the Tivoli), the Israeli short America focuses on a mother and her son in 1950s Tel Aviv who receive a message with an invitation from America. In Narrative Shorts: Baring It All (8:45 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Tivoli), there is the Israeli short Barefoot about an actress waiting for her big break.







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There are also two narrative features that may interest Jewish audiences.

Memoir of War (noon Friday, Nov. 2 and noon Sunday, Nov. 4, both at Plaza Frontenac), a powerful French language film, based on Marguerite Duras memoir, is a nominee for SLIFFs Interfaith Award as well as a potential Oscar nominee. The main character is a woman with the French Resistance who starts along a quest to find information on her husband after his arrest in 1944. She continues into the post-war years and is joined by other women looking for loved ones. The most striking of these is Mrs. Katz, a Jewish woman who is convinced her daughter will return any day. The part is played by Shulamit Adar in a show-stopping performance and sparks the main character (and the film) to reflect on how much higher a price Jewish families paid in the war, putting her own troubles in a new perspective.

The Captain (8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 and 12:15 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, both at Plaza Frontenac) is a chilling German drama, based on a true story, of a German deserter in the waning days of World War II who dons a Nazi officers uniform and assembles a following of stragglers. Under his sway, they begin to carry out brutal actions and executions; orders he tells them, come straight from the Fuhrer. The film is a condemnation of the brutality and mindless cooperation among the Nazis, and is described as presenting fascism as a game to be played on the gullible by the unscrupulous.
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
Korea's exports are forecast to set a new record of more than US$600 billion this year on the back of a boom in the global memory chip market, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Thursday. But the country's heavy dependence on memory chips could spell trouble for the export-driven economy once the boom ends.

The ministry said exports in October rose 22.7 percent on-year to an estimated $55 billion, bringing the cumulative figure for the first 10 months of the year to a record $505.3 billion.

Memory chips accounted for 21.2 percent or $107.2 billion of the cumulative total, while non-chip exports amounted to $398.1 billion. In comparison, in the same period of last year, chip exports stood at just $78.7 billion and the rest at $396.5 billion.

Six of Korea's top 13 export items suffered falls in the January to October period -- ships by 58 percent, mobile communications devices by 19.3 percent, home appliances by 18.9 percent, display panels by 10.5 percent, automobiles by 4.4 percent and steel by 0.6 percent.

Experts warn against increasing dependence on semiconductors. Prices of memory chips are declining in the global market, sending a worrying signal over the prospects for the country's exports.

Another worrisome factor is a trade dispute between the U.S. and China. The two countries accounted for more than a third of Korea's exports last year, with China taking 24.8 percent and the U.S. 12 percent.

The ministry said, "A drawn-out trade dispute between the U.S. and China and increased volatility in global financial markets are expected to have a negative impact on our exports."


A unique piece of British History is on display in Stratford, just in time for bonfire night.

An original printed copy of the Royal Proclamation which named the chief conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot, is now available to view at the Shakespeare Birthplace until Sunday.

The infamous plot saw Guy Fawkes and a host of others attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I on 5 November 1605.

The proclamation, dated 7 November 1605 two days after Guy Fawkes was arrested underneath the Palace of Westminster, names Thomas Percy, Robert Catesby, Ambrose Rookwood, Thomas Winter, Edward Grant, John Wright, Christopher Wright, and Robert Ashfield as conspirators.

The 413-year-old document describes the men as utterly corrupted and detestable traitors, and their actions as devilish and the most horrible treason.

The men did not meet with a happy fate, with those who were not killed by the authorities whilst fleeing, hung, drawn and quartered for their involvement.

The tradition of remembering the plots discovery with bonfires and the ringing of church bells began soon after.

Fireworks and the burning of a guy are now also traditional at many Bonfire Night events.

Paul Edmondson, head of research at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said: Its a fascinating document that would have been read out in market places up and down the land, and makes it clear that to withhold information as to the whereabouts of these men would be considered treason itself.

"The magnitude of what these plotters did not achieve cast a very long shadow, and the civil rights of Roman Catholics were severely restricted until the middle of the 19th century. This proclamation is a reminder of a failed act of terrorism, as well as state-inflicted social injustice."

A BBC Radio 3 documentary will be broadcast at 6.45pm on Sunday, 4 November, in which Mr Edmondson will discuss the Royal Proclamation, how 14 of the 19 men who died as a result of their involvement in the failed plot had links to Stratford and Warwickshire, and Shakespeares references to the plot in his plays.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is also holding another special event related to bonfire night, with Shakespeares New Place hosting a special performance from historical interpretations company Liven History on Saturday (3 November).

Two 30-minute costumed presentations on the story of The Gunpowder Plot and its failure, and how the plotters escaped into Warwickshire, will take place at 12pm and 1pm.
S&P said Hyundai's deteriorating profitability is "unlikely to notably reverse over the next 12-24 months."

Operating rates at Hyundai's factories last month fell to 56 percent in China and 80 percent in the U.S. The automaker invested W3 trillion in China and W1.2 trillion in the U.S. to build factories, but they apparently remain idle (US$1=W1,133).

Hyundai's car sales in the domestic market rose slightly in October, but it has been faltering in overseas markets mainly due to poor sales in the U.S. and China.

Standard & Poor's lowered its ratings of Hyundai and affiliate Kia from A- to BBB+ on Wednesday, while Moody's the following day downgraded their rating outlooks from stable to negative. The last time S&P downgraded its credit rating of Hyundai was in 1998 at the height of the Asian financial crisis.

After falling to B during the Asian financial crisis, Hyundai's credit rating rose to A- in 2015 and remained there until recently. Its BBB+ rating is the same as Volkswagen's, while Ford and GM's ratings are even lower at BBB-. The Korean automaker's outlook seems bleak, however, as it could be subject to further downgrades.

Hyundai's crisis stemmed from an expansion of production facilities without making substantial growth, only to see global market conditions worsen. Hyundai's factories in the U.S. and China account for 30 percent of its overseas sales.

In a bid to remain among the world's top five automakers, Hyundai and Kia boosted global output capacity to 9.04 million vehicles per year. But sales fell to 7.25 million vehicles last year after peaking at 8.12 million in 2015. Hyundai and Kia have eight factories in China with capacity to produce 2.54 million vehicles, but they sold only 1.14 million cars last year.

To make things worse, Chinese automakers have begun to release cheaper automobiles that rival Korean cars in terms of quality and technology. That has sent Hyundai's rank in China tumbling from fifth in 2016 to ninth this year.

Operating rates at Hyundai's U.S. factories fell from 100 percent in 2016 to 80 percent in the second half of this year. The Korean automaker failed to market large SUVs and other multi-purpose leisure vehicles in the U.S., while Japanese automakers have benefited from a weak yen.

Lee Hang-koo at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade said, "Hyundai will be able to stage a rebound if it works on future car technologies like self-driving cars or futuristic vehicles, while diversifying its lineup."
>> An investigation into a recent increase in natural deaths among the 600 greater one-horned rhinos in Chitwan National Park suggested the park may have reached its carrying capacity for the species

>> The park and its resources are facing pressure both from a growing population of rhinos within the park and from increasing human settlement on its periphery

>> Assessments of the parks carrying capacity for rhinos vary wildly, ranging from 500 to more than 2,000, leading to differences of opinion about the role overcrowding could play in rhino deaths.

There was a time when Dhan Maya Tamang and her husband, Prem Bahadur, both in their 50s, worried about rhinos straying into their settlement.

They would come out mostly in the night and raid our paddy fields during the harvest season, say the Tamangs. Our fences were of little help. We were helpless as we cannot do anything to them. They are protected by law.

In the past few months, no rhino raiding parties have descended on the village.

We dont know why, says the couple, who live near the Baghmara Community Forest, part of the buffer zone on the eastern side of Nepals Chitwan National Park.

The Tamangs are not the only ones trying to figure out whats going on with the greater one-horned rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) of Chitwan, which hosts the worlds second-largest population of the species.

Earlier this year, the government formed a committee to look into a recent increase in natural deaths among the parks 600 rhinos. Following a brief investigation, it hinted that Chitwan may have reached its carrying capacity for rhinos.

The limits of growth

Historically, the area currently occupied by the national park was uninhabitable due to malaria. But in the 1950s, government efforts to eradicate the disease led to a rapid migration of people to these fertile floodplains.

The trend continues. The total population of the 36 villages in the buffer zone rose from 292,000 in 2001 to more than 400,000 in 2011, according to the national census. Similarly, the number of rhinos in and around Chitwan has climbed to more than 600 from a low of 100 in the 1960s.

Experts question how long its possible for both of these numbers to rise in tandem.

We recommended that a study be commissioned to assess the carrying capacity of the national park, says ecologist Laxman Poudyal, who headed the committee investigating rhino deaths. As human population pressure increases on the borders of the national park, it is necessary to ascertain how many rhinos can live in this park, he said.

While Poudyals team investigated, conservationists got both good news and bad news from the rhino census in Indias Kaziranga National Park, home to the worlds largest population of the species. While 2,413 rhinos were counted in the 430-square-kilometer (166-square-mile) park, the number was only 12 more than the population in 2015  an annual growth rate of just 0.5 percent.

This has led Indian authorities to point to the same issue of carrying capacity: They fear the current habitat cannot support any more rhinos.

How many rhinos can Chitwan support?

Carrying capacity has been a buzzword in Nepals conservation sector for more than two decades, but there has yet to be a scientific assessment of Chitwans actual carrying capacity for any species, says the parks former warden, Narendra Man Babu Pradhan. Only population models have been used, which he says dont fully account for factors like habitat degradation and interspecies competition for resources.

Estimates of the parks carrying capacity vary wildly. A report prepared by the IUCN/SSC Rhino Specialist group in 1997 suggested the park could support only 500 rhinos in what was at the time a 932-square-kilometer (360-square-mile) habitat. Then, a study funded by the Dutch government in the early 2000s used population models to suggest that the equilibrium population, where gains are exactly balanced by losses, was around 1,000.

Ram Kumar Aryal, head of the Biodiversity Conservation Centre at the Nepali NGO National Trust for Nature Conservation, says he believes the park and its surroundings can support more than 1,500 rhinos. He points to the 2003 eviction of Padampur, a cluster of 16 small villages inside the park. The resettlement of the villagers freed up 20 square kilometers (7.7 square miles) of prime rhino habitat along the Rapti River. In addition to that, a lot more areas around the buffer zone have been developed as potential habitats for rhinos, he says.

Aryal also cites Kaziranga, which is much smaller than Chitwan. Kaziranga is around half the size of Chitwan. If Kaziranga can sustain 2,000 rhinos, Chitwan can support way more than that, he says.

Mammalogist Shant Raj Jnawali agrees. We havent seen major health issues with the rhinos, nor have we seen any kind of malnourishment, he says. If the park had reached its carrying capacity, we would have definitely seen this happen.

Rhino population growth at Kaziranga

But while in Kaziranga the population growth rate has dwindled, raising concern among scientists there, in Chitwan the population increase over the past decade has been robust. Between 2005 and 2015, the annual growth rate of the rhino population fluctuated between 3 and 6.9 percent (the lower figures are attributed to poaching deaths during the decade-long Maoist insurgency in Nepal, which ended in 2006, and the years of political transition that followed).

It would be hard for us to say that we have hit the carrying capacity of the park unless the growth rate declines significantly, says former warden Pradhan. The next census will offer more insight into the growth pattern. Only if the growth rate is observed to have dropped considerably will there be a need to look into the carrying capacity of the park, Pradhan says.

Eastern sector vs. western sector

This doesnt mean that park authorities and local people disregard the idea of carrying capacity, Jnawali says. There are signs that the rhinos in Chitwan are congregating on the western sector. This has intensified competition among rhinos for food and habitat. With increased pressure on resources in this area, its possible that the western sector, but not the whole park, has hit its carrying capacity for rhinos.

Aryal says a simple way to deal with the problem is to pay extra attention to conserving existing rhino habitats in the park, mostly on the eastern side so that the rhinos congregating on the western side can be dispersed throughout the park and the resources can be used optimally. In addition, he says plans are needed to restore degraded rhino habitat in the eastern part of the park. Aryal also opposes recent initiatives to relocate rhinos from Chitwan to other protected areas, saying that removing them affects the parks environment and alters the sex ratio of the population. This has disturbed the balance in the park, he says.

Back in their settlement, the Tamangs hope the rhinos return to the eastern sector of the park. We depend on tourists for our livelihoods. We face problems when there are more rhinos than required in the park, they say. But when they are gone, our livelihood is threatened. We need to have just the right number.

This story was first published on Mongabay. Read the original story here.
It's a classic. The years pass, trends pass, governments pass, trainers of Real Madrid pass, and Spain never manages to shake off the reputation it has had since time immemorial of a country whose inhabitants have a medium-low proficiency in English.

WORLD RANKING 70.72 points were awarded to Sweden, which tops the worldwide list of English proficiency among non-English-speaking countries with a 'very high' level. The table, which shows good scores for many European countries, closes with Iraq (40.82 points) and Libya (39.64), which is equivalent to a 'very low' level. 1. Sweden: 70.72 points. 2. Netherlands : 70.31 3. Singapore: 68.63 4. Norway: 68.38 5. Denmark: 67.34 6. South Africa: 66.52 7. Luxemburg: 66.33 8. Finland: 65.86 9. Slovakia: 64.84 10. Germany: 63.74 32. Spain: 55.85

This has been highlighted by the EF EPI report 2018, which has just been published: it gives the results of the EF Education First test, which evaluates the level of English among adults and classifies non-English-speaking countries in accordance with the results obtained in the test.

The result this year is that Spain has passed, but only just. In fact, the study has shown that not only has Spain not improved its knowledge of English, it has gone backwards; and in two aspects, as well.

In the first instance, on a scale of 0 to 100, it obtained an average mark of 55.85, slightly lower than a year ago (56.06) and even worse than in 2016 (56.66) and 2015 (56.8).

It has also dropped down the international ranking based on the same index. In terms of knowledge of English, Spain occupies 23rd place out of 32 European countries, ahead of only Italy, France, Belorus, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Albania, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Globally, Spain is 32nd out of 88 nations, having dropped four places compared with last year and nine compared with 2015.

It seems unlikely that there are fewer inhabitants with a knowledge of English than a few years ago, so the data suggests that the number of people who took part in the study in this country is probably lower. In fact, the report says that worldwide, for the first time, more people aged between 26 and 30 speak English than those between 21 and 25.

It is also the case that this year's test, carried out to internationally approved standards among 1.3 million individuals worldwide, included 30 per cent more participants compared with last year and 13 new countries have been evaluated, explained EF Education First, the international language teaching company which carried out the study.

"They can't speak it"

The results have "unfortunately" come as no surprise to Ana Maria Fraile, director of the English Language Department at Salamanca University.

"In our experience, when first year students who want to specialise in this subject come here they are supposed to have a certain level of English and a certain knowledge, but they tell us that at school the classes were very rarely taught in English and they hardly ever spoke it. They just did written exercises, which were very repetitive, to learn the grammar. They come here and they can't speak the language. In fact, their written level is pretty poor as well," she says.

Ana Maria says it seems that "the system and the teaching methodology is failing", even in schools which in theory provide bilingual tuition.

"There seems to be a similar situation with bilingual schools. Either we have devalued the meaning of the word 'bilingual' or there are hardly any schools which merit that description. Bilingual means you are equally at home in your native language and another one," she says.

She believes the root of the problem lies in the education system in Spain. "We don't have enough fully trained teaching staff, so they are not teaching English properly. Some of the teachers can't even express themselves well in the language," she says.

Around 650 students a year study for a degree at Salamanca University, with moderate success. "Quite a few have to repeat the course, unfortunately," explains Ana Maria. "They have to leave here with a C1 level, which shows a flexible, effective and spontaneous use of the language, and they don't all reach that level".

Everything she says is cause for thought. "In a situation where speaking English is key to being competitive, our average score, which is the worst in three years, shows a real loss of opportunities for the Spanish population," says Xavier Marti, the director of EF Education First in Spain.

"Although the level in Spain is above the world average, which is 53.34, for a European country it is very low and the results show that the level of English has dropped in the past few years," he says.

On this occasion his company evaluated more than 76,000 Spanish people through an online reading and oral comprehension test. The report, which is "used as a reference document by most governments in the world", does not analyse how many people among the whole of the Spanish population have some knowledge of English.

Navarra, top of the class

To improve the scores in forthcoming tests, Ana Maria Fraile says it is essential that the teaching methods used from infant school upwards need to be reconsidered, and teachers should be properly trained. She also believes the ability of teachers in bilingual schools should be carefully monitored. She applauds the efforts of some universities for introducing courses which are also available in the English language, "not only for our own students but also to attract others from abroad".

However, not every area of Spain just scrapes through. Four regions passed with better marks and reached the "high aptitude" level in English proficiency this year.

Navarra topped the list with 58.17 points, followed by Madrid (57.94), the Basque Country (57.88) and Asturias (57.75). La Rioja (51.87) and Extremadura (51.29 puntos) came bottom of the list.

In terms of cities, Barcelona and Madrid scored higher than any others, with more than 58 puntos. Bilbao, in second place last year, has now dropped to fourth.
Ever since it was announced last week that the National Police would be receiving classes in meditation to help them to deal with the stress of the job, little else has been spoken about during station coffee breaks.

But as many officers joked around and started doing the lotus position in the corridors, a majority, in fact, have expressed their interest in signing up for the classes.

This is the first time that yoga classes have been offered to the Spanish police. Not only is the course free, but officers will also have all their expenses paid.

There is only limited availability for this pioneering course set up by the police

The course is called 'Regulation of stress through yoga' and is aimed principally at officers further down the chain of command who, according to the Ministry of the Interior, suffer the highest stress levels. Only deputy inspectors and those fighting crime directly on the streets, which is to say the majority of the workforce, can sign up.

The first classes will take place at the headquarters for police training in Madrid between 11 and 13 December.

Although the course has been designed for all police officers, initially its organisers will give preference to those with job profiles considered the most stressful, more specifically, members of "units exposed to traumatic psychological experiences".

As a result, judicial police will be prioritised, especially those in the family and women's units (UFAM). Forensics officers and those tasked to deal with violent crime will also top the list. These agents are the ones who, in their day-to-day work, face very difficult situations, investigating cases involving the dead and wounded, family violence and paedophiles.

Perhaps it is not a surprise that the ministry expects a positive response to this initiative. With the prospect of hundreds of registrants, which would exceed the capacity the course has to offer, they have decided to do a "pre-selection", giving priority to those already mentioned.

The course is especially attractive as officers based outside Madrid will not have to pay for their accommodation, food or travel expenses.
A man who was gunned down while having dinner in a restaurant in Torremolinos last Saturday night has been identified.

The victim, who later died after emergency surgery in Carlos Haya hospital, was known to police, having been arrested a month ago in connection with an unexploded bomb found in a litter bin in the Alto de los Monteros area of Marbella. However, just a couple of weeks later, he was out of prison having paid his bail.

The 33-year-old Dutch national of north African descent, was shot at around 9pm on Saturday by an individual who burst into Tiki, a restaurant on the seafront at Playamar, with his face covered and opened fire, letting off seven shots without saying a word.

It was still quite early for a Saturday night and the only customers were the victim and his female companion who were dining at a table, and another foreign couple at the bar.

The waitress was about to serve the couple one of the dishes they had ordered when the incident occurred.

"I hadn't seen the man who fired the shots come in. When I heard the first shot I thought it was a balloon bursting. I didn't think it could be a gunshot, even though it was inside, but when I saw they were gunshots I dropped the plate I was carrying and ran to hide upstairs where we have a storeroom," said the witness.

She added that nearly all of the employees did the same, while another colleague locked herself in the toilets. "I hid in the storeroom out of survival instinct," she said. "His face was covered and he pointed [the gun] at everyone in the restaurant. He fired seven shots, but I was so nervous that I didn't see what he was shooting at," continued the waitress.

Another of the employees who was in the kitchen said he went out with the intention of following the attacker but when he saw how serious the incident was he also hid."

Quick response

The emergency services received numerous calls informing of the shooting and police were quickly deployed to try to intercept the suspects.

After the shooting, the gunman left the restaurant and escaped in a white van parked nearby where an accomplice was waiting. The van, which apparently had its back window missing, left in the direction of the motorway.

Sources close to the case said that police chased the gunman's van but lost sight of it on the motorway.

The emergency services rushed the victim to hospital with gunshot wounds to the head and upper body.
The airport which serves the Costa del Sol is expecting to be extra busy this winter, because from now until the end of March the airlines are offering a total of 7.1 million seats to fly here.

THE FIGURES 43,000 103 16

This is 15 per cent more than the same period last year, and there will also be 13.7 per cent more flights, with more than 43,000 planes landing and taking off in Malaga during this time.

Malaga airport is the fifth in Spain in terms of plane seats over the winter, according to the Aena airports authority, after Madrid-Barajas, which is offering more than 29.5 million, Barcelona-El Prat with over 23.1 million, Gran Canaria with 7.9 million and Palma de Mallorca with 7.3 million.

A total of 43 airlines are offering direct flights between Malaga and destinations around the world between November and March, and 16 of the 186 routes are new.

These include the Vueling flights connecting Malaga with Algiers and Marseilles, and others which were announced this week by Norwegian, which is the fourth biggest airline in terms of passenger traffic in Malaga.

This company, which will base six of its planes in Malaga this winter, is the one that has most increased the number of flights. It is now offering 45.5 per cent more seats on flights to Malaga, totalling more than 926,000.

Norwegian will be flying to 16 destinations altogether, including its latest addition, Dusseldorf.

Ryanair, which is the leading airline at Malaga airport in terms of volume of passengers, is also expanding its connections from the Costa del Sol this winter.

The low-cost Irish airline recently announced that it will be flying from Malaga to Luton six times a week, and it has introduced a connection to Oslo and another to Dusseldorf, which will be among 51 routes the airline is operating during the low season.

Sources at Aena say the two major markets for Malaga airport are performing strongly at present: Europe, with 152 routes, and elsewhere in Spain, with 29.

However, there will also be more flights to more distant destinations, such as the USA with 41.1 per cent more seats and 37.9 per cent more operations, and Africa, where the airlines have placed 30.4 per cent more seats on sale and programmed 17.2 per cent more operations so far.

Year-around attraction

These important increases are in contrast to the scheduling for last summer, when the airlines increased their connections with Malaga by four per cent. It is a clear indication that the companies can see the attractions of the destination at other times of year, and not just in the peak season.

The sector is also confident about the future of tourism within Spain, and has increased flights for the domestic market by 10.6 per cent to more than 10,400.

The number of seats on offer for flights within the country has now risen to 1.3 million, which is 10.8 per cent more than last winter.

However, most of the airlines have been focusing their attention on destinations elsewhere in Europe, with 16 per cent more seats and 14.7 per cent more flights.

There are 39.4 per cent more seats available to Sweden, 24.7 per cent more to Germany, 9.8 per cent more to Ireland and eight per cent more to Italy.

The UK continues to be the principal market, however, with a total of 44 routes to British cities, reinforcing its position as the country with the most connections and with 14.6 per cent more capacity.

This will no doubt compensate for the 5.5 per cent reduction which was registered in the numbers of travellers to Malaga from Britain between January and August this year.

flights will be landing or taking off from Malaga between now and March next year.

destinations around the world can be reached on non-stop flights from the Malaga-Costa del Sol airport.

new routes have been introduced from Malaga during the winter season.
Local mayors from inland Malaga province have been leading sit-ins and road blockages this week in protest at what they say is the slow and inadequate response by authorities with aid for the heavy flood damage in the area.

The municipalities of Teba, Campillos and Ardales were especially affected by the record-breaking rainfall last month, with many homes damaged and a lot of infrastructure swept away.

There was widespread disappointment last Friday that the national government, by coincidence holding a cabinet meeting away from Madrid in nearby Seville, did not declare an official emergency zone to release faster funds.

However on Tuesday the Junta de Andalucia regional government announced emergency funding worth 37 million euros would be available from its funds for districts affected across parts of Malaga, Seville and Cordoba provinces. The regional president, Susana Diaz, also said that she expected the national government to announce an emergency zone this Friday, 2 November.

Despite the announcement by the Junta, the mayors said they would continue protesting. Mayors of Teba and Campillos, Cristobal Corral and Paco Guerrero, both of the Izquierda Unida party, said it was "insufficient" and that they would continue protesting, including a rally in Madrid on Friday.

"We haven't been through a flood," said the mayor of Campillos, "We've been through a tragedy."

"Political motives"

Susana Diaz urged the mayors this week to stop "pouring oil on the fire" and the national government representative in Andalucia, Alfonso Rodriguez Gomez de Celisro, stressed that help for private individuals affected had been available since the first day and criticised the mayors for "taking advantage of the catastrophe" to gain votes.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, the national government's representative for Malaga province, Maria Gamez, said she had received requests for 128 million euros in aid.

Damaged infrastructure

Of the 37.7 million euros aid announced by the regional government for 86 Andalusian municipalities for rain damage, 40 are in Malaga province. The majority will be spent on repairs to infrastructure, including roads, water courses, schools and health centres, while around ten per cent will go to town halls. Funds will come from a mixture of extra, authorised spending plus disaster contingency finds.

Meanwhile discussions have begun for four kilometres of unfinished AVE high-speed rail line to be brought into service as a quick way to replace the damaged normal gauge Seville-Malaga line, which along with other non-high-speed lines in the north of the province, has been out of action since the floods.
The next day, the Chitlang valley appeared verdant green in the early April morning with a glorious sun to match the country landscape. From where we stood, thick forests blanketed the hills to the North, East and the West, while to our South the view spread out into expanses of terraced field and a dirt road passing through the middle to the town. Small pockets of houses, mostly stone-roofed, were scattered around. The landscape seemed like a freshly done painting.

The forest-clad hills around was protected and looked after by the village community. The rich vegetation included: temperate varieties like pine, chilaune (needlewood), phanlat (oak), lapsi (renowned for its small fruits called hog-plum), utis (alder), and katus (chestnut). Rich in flora and fauna, the forest boasts more than 160 species of birdlife. Chitlang is also recalled for delicious peach farming.

While Shayeet left to take a stroll around, I struck up a conversation with some teachers whod stopped for tea at the home-stay. The school was located right next to the home-stay. I learned that the old crumbling building within the school premises, which had survived the 2015 earthquake, was built by the Rana Prime Minister, Chandra Shumsher (fifth Prime Minister of Nepal, 1901-1929). Before the advent of the Tribhuwan Rajpath Highway, the building served as a guest house for Rana elites and dignitaries who stopped for the night on their journey to and from India.

After breakfast, our host, Rita Singh Thakuri, took us on a tour of her goat cheese factory. Chitlang is the first and the only village in Nepal to produce goat-milk cheese. The goat cheeses, soft and hard, sell in star hotels and restaurants of Kathmandu. We also visited the goat farm run by her and her husband, Ashok Singh Thakuri. The goat cheese has made a reputation for itself and when Chitlang is mentioned, the name of the cheese factory crops up spontaneously. Obviously, we got the chance to taste the cheese served for breakfast, yummy!

A town steeped in history

After a customary check and dusting off our bikes, we took leave on a tour of the town. First, we stopped at an old settlement called Majh Gaon, a Newar village said to be as old as the hills around. Majh Gaon housed the renowned chaitya built by Emperor Ashoka of India during his tour of Nepal during the Kirat dynasty (800 BCE300 CE). He was on a peaceful mission to disseminate the principles of non-violence and the teachings of Buddha.

It is believed Chitrapur (ancient name of Chitlang) was renamed Chaityalon, chaitya (monument) and lon (path) in Newari, after this monument was built. Over the years, the name got misquoted as Chitlang said Santa Lal Newa, a 71-years old gentleman, who is an authority on the history of Chitlang. Later, I learned that he had penned a few books in Newari dialect on Newari culture and religion. There is also a different opinion, which claims that Chitlang being very close to Patan, got its name from Chi (meaning short) and lan (path). The term Chilan is still used in Newari verses, but the first name of Chitlang was Ek Chakri Nagar, to go by the oldest history of Chitlang, added Mr. Newa.

As we walked our bikes through narrow alleys, I was suddenly gripped with a sense of deja vu. The surroundings seem to spark my memory that Id seen them or been there before. Then it suddenly dawned on me that I was somewhere in the back alleys of Bhaktapur or Madhyapur Thimi.

The men and women too looked familiar  men in their suruwal (tight trousers), shirts, waistcoats, and the ubiquitous black Bhadgaunle topi (the national cap), and women in cotton checkered blouses and black fariya (traditional dress) with red borders.

Chitlang town is predominantly inhabited by the Balamis (ethnic Newars). As the legend goes, a large group of newar people from Bhaktapur for contracting smallpox was banished from the Nepal valley by the King of Bhaktapur. During that mass exodus, a child was born to a woman in the middle of a road. Myth has it that the Balamis got their name Bala (middle) and mi (person) for that reason. I spoke Newari to some and found theirs very similar to Bhaktapursthe reason being obvious for their origins. The accent and the diction, however, slightly differed from that of Bhaktapur.

Apart from the Balamis, Chitlang is resided by another major community of Newars called the Gamals. Curiously, this community, originally from Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, had the same fate as their cousins the Balamis. To go by the local myth, this community once served the royal kitchen in ancient Patan and Bhaktapur but was ousted for misconduct by the Malla Kings and sent to live in the villages. Gama in Newari language translates to a person from the village and it is speculated that the community derived its name from this word.

Since Chitlang, for the most part, is populated by Balamis and the Gamals of Bhaktapur and Patan descent, the small town hosts similar Newari cultural festivals of Kathmandu each year, the Kartik Nach (the legendary dance performed in Patan, Lalitpur in Oct-Nov), the kojagrhat dance, Bhairab and Mahadev jatra and Khadga jatra being the popular ones. Other minorities in Chitlang include Brahmin, Khas(Chhetri), and Tamangs. Some of the famous temples of Chitlang include, among others, the Kalidevi, the Swachhanda Bhairab, Bhandarkharka, and Bhimsen Mandir.

The Ashoka chaitya in Majhgaon bore a stone inscription that dated back to Sambat 45 of the Lichhavi Era (between the 5th and 8th centuries AD), proclaiming Udayadev as the king of Chitlang. Id like to relate a small incident that took place at the chaitya site, quite a hilarious one. Before setting out on our trip, I happened to look up on the Internet for some info on Chitlang. In one of my researches, a website clearly mentioned that next to the Ashokas Chaitya or Stupa, Ashoka also built a metal pillar that stood nearby.

To my great consternation, I could not find one although both Shayeet and I looked all around. Just then I spotted one local guy sitting by the stupa smoking a cigarette. I approached him and asked, Bhai, where is the Ashokas pillar located, I cant see it around here. The guy first looked me up and down and gave me a quizzical look. Id to repeat my question again. What pillar, he asked sounding irritated. I repeated again and this time he really went mad at me. What on earth are you talking about? I was born and brought up here and I know nothing or even heard about a pillar retorted the guy rudely. I chose to back off. Mind you, the info on the Internet can be misleading at times!

Next, we visited the perennial Sat Dhara (literally, the seven stone waterspouts)the main source of water to a number of settlements in Chitlang. The water spouts, however, had completely dried up after the 2015 earthquake. The site was overgrown with weed and wild grass and looked abandoned.

We left Majhgaon, and pedaled up to Gurujudhara, located at Tagatar. The ancient stone spout calls to mind the great poet, Laxmi Prasad Devkota, who penned his poem Yatri (traveler) sitting beside Gurujudhara while he was in Chitlang. Right next to the spout a path led down, which was a part of the old walking trail of the yore. That path bustled with life and trade in the village flourished in the old days, before the Tribhuwan Rajpath came, said Buddha Ratna Manandhar, a retired school head-teacher who also runs a home-stay facing the renowned stone-spout.

We rode the ancient trail a little way down, which eventually met with the main motor road. In fact, we intercepted the old footpath at several places while riding around Chitlang. We stopped at Narayanhiti, named after a shrine of god Narayan (Bishnu), a stone spout close by. The place was in shamblesa bleak aftermath of 2015 earthquake. The place needed a complete reconstruction. We continued past quaint little dwellings at Tupikhel and Kushlechour; a small rivulet called the Chitlang kusi (river in Newari) ran a little down the road to our left.

Next, we pedaled uphill to see the reputed Shivalaya way uptown to Mathilo Pauwa on the way to the Chandragiri heights. While looking at the Shivalaya completely finished in stone bricks, I was reminded of the Krishna Temple, Lalitpur. The interior of the temple was even more awe-inspiring. What struck me most was the roofall carved in stone, which spiraled up in some kind of a geometrical patterna unique specimen of ancient architecture.

Toukhel

After lunch, we rode to Toukhel, another town renowned for ancient inscriptions and relics. We stopped on the way by the ruins of the historic kot (fortress) built by the Malla Kings (10th18th century)only old bricks and some artifacts remain. Toukhel (6 km from Chitlang), is predominantly resided by the Gopalis, yet another ethnic Newar community. I could not understand a word of it when I heard them speak. The Gopali dialect is different from the Balami or Gamal tongueand not is only remotely close to Kathmandu or Bhaktapur Newari.

The Balamis, Gamals and the Gopalis, all Newars, live in such close proximity, but when it comes to their language, they are way apart.

We happened to meet a teacher at the local school, Rudra Gopali who volunteered to take us around the village. Toukhel (tou big and Khel a big ground (in Newari) is exclusively resided by the Gopalis. We are the descendants of the Gopal era (before 300 A.D.) and milkmen or cow herders by origin, informed Rudra.

Life in Toukhel seemed laidback and timeless. Men and women going their way with their kodalis (digging tools) and dokos (conical-shaped dry bamboo strip hand-woven baskets), rice paddy laid before the houses to dry in the sun, bunches of chilies, corn-cobs and strips of sliced radish hanging by the roofs and buffaloes masticating by the neat piles of straw. For the second time that day I was reminded of being not in Toukhel but somewhere in Bhaktapur or Thimi.

Next, Rudra took us to an ancient stone inscription dating back to the Lichhavi era. The Gopalis originally belonged to the forests. The letters on the inscription were an appeal made by the Gopalis to King Amshuverma (6th century AD) to move their residence to Toukhel instead of the dreaded forests. It is also said that King Udaya deva (621 AD), the then King of Chitlang, donated the present land to the Gopali community, said Rudra.

Nearby villages to Toukhel included Bisingkhel, Nhulgaon, and Kunchhal. As our tour neared its end, Rudra pointed to a distant clump of trees, which he explained was the jaitun (olive) plantation and oil extraction center, the Himalaya Plantations Pvt. Ltd., a Nepal-German joint venture, set up in 1994. We wanted to see the factory but it was already late in the evening and the visiting hours were over. We thanked Rudra and left for Chitlang.

Next morning, after a ceremonial tika and a garland from the host, Rita Singh Thakuri at the homestay, we bid her goodbye and set out on our mountain bikes on the long journey to Kathmandu with a treasure trove chock-full of ancient history of Chitlang and fond memories of the trip to cherish back home. Last but not least, we felt proud to have spun our wheels on the historic Rolls Royce trail.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Kathmandu-Phakhel-Kulekhani-Markhu-Chitlang circuit is a well-used track by mountain bikers (130km). Recent times have seen hikers both foreign and Nepali frequenting the route via Thankot to Chitlang). Buses and public jeeps are available on Phakhel-Pharping, and Chhaimale-Dakshinkali road. For hikers, motorbikers and mountain bikers, the route to Chitlang from Thankot is the shortest (27km). For accommodation, basic lodges, modern resorts, home-stays, tea houses and eateries are plenty to be found in Chitlang.

According to the Tourism Board, Chitlang is gradually turning into a tourist hub, drawing over 1,000 domestic and foreign tourists every week. The recent operation of cable-car to the Chandragiri heights has also helped boost tourism in Chitlang. From the Chandragiri heights, its like a 45-minutes downhill hike to Chitlang.

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Also read:
Mijas town hall's announcement of new regulations to control the conditions of the animals providing Mijas Pueblo's traditional Burro-Taxi service has, far from being praised, revived calls from animal rights activists for an end to the tourist rides.

Manuel and Salvador have been driving the Burro-Taxis in Mijas all their lives, having inherited the job from their parents. When asked about this new controversy they explained how they are tired of the attacks on social media.

"They post photos of obese people on donkeys which weren't even taken in Mijas. The strange thing is we've only ever received one or two complaints to our faces," said the pair. It's clear from social media that the donkey taxis cause indignation among animal rights campaigners, although many of the photos posted are taken in Greece. A few hours watching the Mijas donkeys reveals that more than 90 per cent of the riders are small children; adults ride in the donkey-pulled carriages.

According to Manuel and Salvador, the donkeys only give three or four rides each a day and the route does not involve steep slopes, although they do walk to and from their stables to the village centre.

The local council, which studied the new regulations with the president of the Malaga law society and the Refugio del Burrito shelter, has defended the service, which dates back to the early days of tourism in the 1960s.

"We like having this as our symbol and that's why we are taking care of it," said local councillor Nuria Rodriguez. She said that the donkeys' conditions had improved in recent years and that the aim of the new regulations was simply to put on paper what is already being done in practice.
The deputy prime minister's meeting with the Pope's second in command turned into an embarrassing diplomatic faux pas for Madrid this week after the Vatican was forced to issue a press statement correcting what the minister said had been discussed.

Carmen Calvo was at the Vatican on Monday to talk about several issues, including taxation of Church property in Spain. But near the top of the list was a discussion on where the Church stood on the planned exhumation of the remains of dictator General Franco from his ceremonial resting place at the Valley of the Fallen Civil War monument.

If the removal goes ahead, Franco's grandchildren have said they want a burial in the public crypt of Madrid's Almudena Cathedral, where there is a family tomb.

Faced with the likelihood that this could turn Franco's grave into even more of a tourist attraction and place of right-wing pilgrimage than now, the government has been searching for a way out of granting the Franco family what is apparently their legal right.

After the Vatican meeting with Pietro Parolin, Carmen Calvo said that they had jointly agreed a way out that wouldn't involve the cathedral crypt.

But a rare rebuke from the Vatican in a statement said that the pair had only discussed that the government's engagement with the Franco family was a sound approach.

The Catholic Church in Spain has previously also expressed its wish to keep out of the controversy.
Spain's "glass-half-full" economy minister Nadia Calvino is convinced that her government's new budget will be passed, despite it needing support from hostile quarters in congress. Speaking to CNBC this week, Calvino breezily declared, "I don't think it's impossible to find agreement with these political parties." Among these potential allies, though, are Catalan separatist parties - and their backing for the Socialists' 2019 spending plan is unlikely to be forthcoming.

At the end of last week, Spain's Supreme Court finished investigating the cases of eighteen pro-independence Catalan politicians involved in organising last October's illegal referendum. Of these eighteen, nine have been held in custody since the vote and are to be tried on charges of rebellion, for which the maximum prison sentence is thirty years. Other, less serious, charges faced by these men and women are misuse of public funds and disobedience. The Supreme Court has confirmed that all these politicians will be going on trial, probably early 2019.

The Court's ruling also proves that pro-independence Catalan president Quim Torra's ultimatums to the government have been ignored. For the past couple of months, Torra has been threatening to withhold parliamentary support for Pedro Sanchez's administration - specifically for its proposed 2019 budget - unless it allows Catalan separatists to proceed with secession plans and releases the imprisoned politicians.

One of the separatists behind bars is Oriol Junqueras, former Catalonian vice president and president of the pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC). A couple of weeks ago, Junqueras received a visit from Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, whose party has made a budgetary pact with Sanchez's Socialists. Iglesias was told by Junqueras that the ERC will only start cooperating with the government on fiscal issues if Sanchez takes "categorical" action on behalf of imprisoned separatists.

The PSOE leader, though, has repeatedly made it clear that he will not interfere in judicial proceedings against Catalan secessionists. Accordingly, the only "categorical" action that's been taken since the Iglesias-Junqueras meeting has been the Supreme Court's decision to put eighteen prominent independistas on trial. One wonders, then, why Calvino is so sure that her government's budget will pass the parliamentary vote this month, in part buoyed up by support from Catalan separatists. Misplaced optimism, surely?

Yet there was another reminder this week that, macroeconomically speaking, Spain is indifferent to the Catalonia problem. During the third quarter of this year - which spanned the first three months of Sanchez's hamstrung minority administration - the country's GDP expanded by 0.6%, three times more than the eurozone average. Spain's overall expansion for this year is predicted to be 2.6% - down from the last three years but still a healthy growth. As Sanchez tries to secure Catalan parties' approval for his 2019 budget, Spain's GDP appears to be more than capable of taking care of itself.
Almost all newspapers published in Kathmandu on Friday have prioritised reports related to the investigation into the Nirmala Pant Murder Case, 100 days after the incident. The spat between Province 3 minister Keshav Sthapit and Chief Minister Dormani Paudel has also received considerable attention.

Heres a summary of important, ignored, and interesting reports that made it to the front pages on Friday.

Important

Hundred days after the rape and murder of Nirmala Pant in Bhimdutta Nagar in Far-west Nepal, investigators are still clueless about who perpetrated the crime. The Kathmandu Post reports that four things stand out in the whole investigation process: lapses in DNA tests, the conclusion of the post-mortem report that the girls vocal cord was broken, the lost CCTV footages of a nearby hotel, and the proximity of army barracks to the crime scene. Similarly, Republica says that despite investigations at seven layers and deployment of scores of undercover agents, investigators are still clueless about the case.

Govt Decides to reclaim forest from Tapoban

The Kathmandu Post and Kantipur report that the government has decided to reclaim land leased to Osho Tapoban, an international commune and forest retreat named after Osho Rajneesh. The decision comes as the commune was found to have breached conservation laws by building infrastructure on land that falls in the buffer zone of the Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park.

Ignored

NCP lawmakers demand political rights for NRNs

Republica reports that a group of NCP lawmakers have demanded that non-residential Nepalis be granted political rights. The report says that the demand is against the spirit of the constitution as it says that NRNs can only enjoy economic, social and cultural rights. Four lawmakers from the party: Krishna Bhakta Pokhrel, Ganesh Pahadi, Indu Kumari Sharma and Kumari Tulsi Thapa registered an amendment to the new Citizenship Act demanding the removal of a provision barring political rights for NRNs.

World Bank calls for structural reforms in economy

The World Bank has pointed out the need to introduce structural reforms in the economy, reports Karobar. The paper says that the bank has called for concerted efforts and optimum use of resources to help Nepal become a middle-income country by 2030. The bank has said that Nepal needs to transform from a remittance-dependent economy to an economy based on investment and production if it is to achieve its development goals.

Interesting

Nepal on course to achieving 6% growth for four consecutive years

Nepal has been projected to register at least 6 per cent economic growth in the current and the next fiscal. If the projections turn into reality, this would be the first time the country achieves this feat. According to a World Bank projection, Nepal is expected to grow at 5.9 per cent in 2019 and 6 per cent in 2020. In the last two fiscals, Nepal registered growths of 7.9 and 6.3 per cent respectively.

Mobile app to provide real-time data on water and electricity

Karobar reports that the government is preparing to launch an app that will provide realtime data on the state of power plants and rivers across the country. The apps, NPower and NWater is being launched by the National Planning Commission to facilitate development planning at different levels.
Madrid, November 2

Two cities in Spain and Nepal have signed an agreement to boost cooperation and exchange of knowldge.

The city of Madrid and Lumbin Sanskritik Municpality signed the agreement under which both cities are to work toeget to find solutions to commong problems and help each others econonomic, social and cultural development.

Madrid city chief Manuela Carmona and Lumbini Mayor Manmohan Chaudhary signed an agreement to this effect in Madrid on Thursday. This is a very important milestone for Lumbini. I hope that this will help promote tourism in the city, Mayor Chaudhary told Onlinekhabar.
Kathmandu, November 2

Leaders of ruling Nepal Communist Party and main opposition Nepali Congress have stressed that both the forces should come together in solving major problems of the nation.

The leaders, who more often than not blame each other for the problems, today stated that their togetherness would be the best solution to the critical issues.

As the main opposition party hosted a tea reception on the occasion of major festivals including Dashain and Tihar, the opposition leaders visited the venue to exchange festive greetings.

Speaking on the occaion, NCP Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal said, No one should retain narrow mindedness. We completed the peace process in partnership with the Nepali Congress. Now, we should be together for economic prosperity.

He was of the view that the parties should stay together on major national issues so as to institutionalise changes brought by political revolutions.

On behalf of the host, the opposition leader Sher Bahadur Deuba said, The country needs reconciliation today. We should move ahead together.
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Linkedin Olivia Herlinda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2, 2018 16:13 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a615e8 3 Opinion development-aid,development,foreign-aid,United-Nations,health,health-care Free

The development aid has undoubtedly become an industry yet a disputable issue across the world. History records that billions of dollars have been disbursed up to now since the first time in 1986 food aid were distributed.

For the health sector alone, between 1990 and 2015 an amount of US$502.7 billion Development Assistance for Health (DAH) had been disbursed to various health sectors. However, within the health sector itself, HIV accounts for 23 percent of all health aid, while tuberculosis (TB) accounts for only around 3 percent of the total aid.

The head of states gathered at annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this year which one of the sessions highlights one important topic, to end TB global epidemic. One of the most important declarations from the head of states is more resources need to be allocated for TB, which in other words mean, developed countries channel fund to this cause even more, and developing countries prioritize and reallocate resources to this problem. While this kind of pledge of rich countries to contribute at least their 0.7 proportion of their GDP on Official Development Assistance (ODA) has been echoed for the past decades, not all countries, however, have followed the target.

In the case of Indonesia, international aid has been accounted as complementary to the national budget to expand the reach of government projects. In 2014, the World Bank recorded that Indonesia received 0.01 ODA (% per GNI). Moreover, more than $6 billion of ODA have been granted to health sector in Indonesia since 1990. For the past years, the Indonesian) has been trying to limit the foreign aid to be no more than 5 percent of the national annual budget to ensure that Indonesias development does not depend on it.

It is a good sign when in 2018 Indonesias health budget has increased to 5 percent of the total national budget, though almost half of it is to fund our National Health Insurance. However, in the case of three infectious diseases: HIV, TB, and Malaria, there is only about 55 percent of the funding in Indonesia provided by the national and local governments, and private contributions, while the rest is still provided by foreign donors.

As one of the biggest donors for Indonesias health sector, Global Fund, records the grant allocation for 2014-2017 totaling $302 million ($113 million for HIV, $104 million for TB, $75 million for malaria and $10 million for Health Systems Strengthening). Another question arises, what will happen when Global Fund stop their grants for Indonesia? As Indonesia is becoming one of the largest economies in the world, they may consider to stop the fund very soon.

Further looking at Indonesias attainment on health development, the report of the achievement of Indonesia MDGs 2014 shows that those health-related goal 4,5, and 6 had not been successfully achieved, as by 2018 Indonesia still has high burden on HIV, TB and Malaria. Though we are progressing, the money and the efforts that come along do not seem work in harmony. Financial resources are undeniably one of the most important elements, particularly to maintain and sustain an effort would need adequate funds, however, an effective use of it, is also an imperative element and remains an issue itself. Our dependency on health aid is one thing, and how we utilize the aid is another thing. Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) in Indonesia recorded the Global Fund budget on TB was only 70 percent absorbed in 2017. That said, there are two big questions that all stakeholders should ask how they do things, do we always need aid on and on? or we can actually try harder to pool more domestic resources, reallocate and utilize them better than we used to do?

Towards the achievement of global goals, Indonesia will indeed need enormous financial resources. The government of Indonesia still has homework to ensure the efforts and results are improved and sustained. Besides mobilizing resources from potential domestic sources like private sectors, one of the things might be done by the government is shifting and improving domestic resources through reallocating and utilizing them in a more efficient and effective way.

Efficient and effective are also a vague term, hence, there should be more mechanisms and right indicators in our public system in general where we can measure whether the output equals to the budget they spent and where people are held accountable for money they spent and the results they achieved. Asking for more money is much easier than spending it correctly. Further, as declared at Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness (2005), donors and recipients have to put ownership, alignment, harmonization, results-based, and mutual accountability on the top of efforts. That way, it may lead to, ultimately, better results of health development.

***

The writer is a health development worker, currently working with Center for Indonesias Strategic Development Initiatives and Stop TB Partnership Indonesia.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2, 2018 08:11 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a4cb69 4 Editorial #Editorial,KPK,corruption-eradication-commission,Indonesian-politics,political-parties,money-politics Free

Traditionally, the effective number of political parties usually depends on what type of electoral system is implemented in one particular country. A proportional system usually yields a greater number of parties while a first-past-the-post system will result in a smaller number of parties.



Indonesia is a unique case, where an intervening variable works alongside an electoral system to deliver a verdict on which political parties survive the tough political environment. Past experience shows that any political parties targeted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in an antigraft probe could end up losing support from voters. And if this pattern was to continue, the National Mandate Party (PAN) should be worried about its prospects in the 2019 general election and other future elections, now that its senior politician Taufik Kurniawan, one of the deputy speakers at the House of Representatives, has been named a suspect in a graft case.



The KPK has done this before and its effect could be devastating. The Democratic Party was once a significant force, which at the peak of its power, around the time when then-president Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono wrapped up his first term in 2009, got more than 20 percent of the vote in the general election, translating into 95 seats in the House. Soon after, the KPK launched a graft probe into some of the partys most prominent politicians including party chairman Anas Urbaningrum, party treasurer Muhamad Nazarudin and celebrity-turned-lawmaker Angelina Sondakh. Five years later in the 2014 general election, the party only garnered 10 percent of the vote.



The Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) was once hailed as a beacon of hope, a reform-minded political party campaigning on good governance and transparency. In 2004, the party got more than 7 percent of the vote in the general election and was expected to get more in the future. In 2014, one year after party chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaq was arrested by the KPK, the partys popularity plunged and it secured only 17 seats in the House, down from 38 seats in 2004.



The Golkar Party, once an indispensable player in Indonesias politics, will likely follow the Democratic Partys and the PKS road to ruin, especially after the KPK was successful in its efforts to put its once powerful leader Setya Novanto in prison. A survey conducted by Poltracking in the weeks after Setya was named a suspect by the antigraft body found that Golkar was trailing behind the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Gerindra Party with an approval rating of a little over 10 percent.



A new survey in September this year paints a bleak picture for political parties contesting the 2019 general election, with at least five major political parties likely failing to meet the 4 percent threshold to send its representatives to the House. Included on the list of the endangered political parties are the PKS and PAN, which were expected to get 4 percent and 2 percent of the popular vote respectively.



It is undeniable that the KPK has played its hand effectively in driving them to extinction, on account of their own dabbling greedily in public money.
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Linkedin Jan Hennop (Agence France-Presse) Amsterdam, Netherlands  Fri, November 2, 2018 07:01 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a4aae5 2 Art & Culture China,Netherlands,archeology,culture,Court Free

Chinese villagers embroiled in a fight over the ownership of a 1,000-year-old mummified monk made a passionate plea Wednesday for their idol to be returned as the case wrapped up in a Dutch court.

The small eastern Chinese village of Yangchun has accused Dutch collector Oscar van Overeem of buying the stolen Buddha statue containing the remains of the monk in Hong Kong in 1996.

"We grew up with the statue. He was there day and night. He is our spiritual leader," Yangchun village spokesman Lin Wen Qing said shortly after lawyers closed their arguments at the Amsterdam District Court.

"For us, it is the most important thing to have him back," said Lin, 42, speaking through an interpreter. He was one of six villagers who travelled from Yangchun to attend the hearing in the Dutch capital.

The village is asking Dutch judges to rule that the human-sized Buddha statue be returned to the temple from where it was stolen in late 1995, after being worshipped there for centuries.

Missing for two decades the statue, called the "Zhanggong Patriarch" resurfaced when villagers in 2015 recognized it as part of a display at the "Mummy World Exhibition" at Budapest's Natural History Museum.

A scan of the statue revealed a skeleton inside -- said to be that of a Chinese monk who lived nearly a millenium ago during China's Song dynasty.

The statue was subsequently withdrawn from the exhibition.

The villagers are demanding that the statue be given back in a closely-watched case which could mark one of the first successful retrievals of Chinese relics in court.

They said they were convinced that the statue which Van Overeem bought was their missing idol.

Read also: Stolen ancient artifact returns to Iran museum

"There is a very special bond between the villagers and the statue," their lawyer Jan Holthuis told the judges.

But Van Overeem again reiterated in court that he did not have the statue, which he said he exchanged in a swap with a Chinese collector in 2015.

"I swapped the statue in a transaction. I was happy to hear that it would go back to China," Van Overeem told the judges, adding he did not know the identity of the collector with whom he did the swap.

He also furiously refuted Holthuis' claims that he was in fact a dealer in Chinese art, and bought the statue in Hong Kong in 1996 -- a known destination for stolen artifacts.

"I'm an architect and a passionate collector. But I'm not a dealer," an angry Van Overeem said. He said he did not know where the statue was.

But Holthuis disagreed.

He accused Van Overeem and the statue's new owner of "conspiring to make the Buddha mummy disappear to make sure that the claimants cannot take action."

Judges in the case are due to hand down a ruling on December 12.

Previous retrievals of Chinese artifacts have been done through diplomatic channels.

Beijing in recent years has vehemently protested the sale of artifacts that it said were stolen, particularly in the 19th century when European powers began encroaching on Chinese territory.
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Linkedin Patrick Galey (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France  Fri, November 2, 2018 09:06 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a50f67 2 Environment environment,forest,ocean,conservation,wildfire,animals,extinction Free

More than 70 percent of Earth's last untouched wilderness lies in the territories of just five countries, scientists said Wednesday -- mostly nations that alarm environmentalists with their lukewarm response to climate change.

True wild spaces -- land and sea areas mostly unaffected by mankind's explosive expansion and insatiable appetite for food and natural resources -- now cover just a quarter of the planet.

They form vital refuges for thousands of endangered species threatened by deforestation and overfishing, and provide some of our best defenses against the devastating weather events brought about by climate change.

New research published in the journal Nature found that nearly three quarters of the wilderness that's left belongs to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia, and the US.

"For the first time we've mapped both land and marine wilderness and showed that there's actually not much left," James Watson, professor of conservation science at the University of Queensland and lead paper author, told AFP.

"A few countries own a lot of this untouched land and they have a massive responsibility to keep the last of the wild."

Researchers used open-source data on eight indicators of human impact on wilderness, including urban environments, farm land and infrastructure projects.

For oceans, they used data on fishing, industrial shipping and fertilizer run-off to determine that just 13 percent of the planet's seas bore little or no hallmarks of human activity.

In a week when scientists warned that animals were being driven to the brink of extinction by runaway consumption, the paper's findings that most remaining wilderness lies with just five nations will likely set conservationists' nerves on further edge.

Russia's vast swathes of taiga forest and permafrost contains trillions of trees that suck carbon from the atmosphere, tempering the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.

But Russia has been vague in its conservation commitments and President Vladimir Putin suggested last year that climate change was not caused by humans.

Read also: Nature under assault: Key indicators

- 'Alarm bells' -

President Donald Trump has said the US is leaving the landmark Paris deal on climate change, and Brazil this week elected a right-wing former army captain who has pledged to drawdown existing legal protections for the Amazon rain forest.

The wilderness list sets off "alarm bells", said Watson, who is also director of the science and research initiative at the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York.

But "there's time to break the mold and show some leadership. Because to sustain wilderness you just have to stop industry and not allow people in," he added.

Due to voracious human consumption of fossil fuels, wood and meat, as well as our exploding population, just 23 percent of land on Earth is untouched by the impact of agriculture and industry.

A century ago that figure stood at 85 percent.

Between 1993 and 2009, an area of wilderness the size of India was lost to human settlement, farming and mining.

The conservation group WWF warned this week that mankind's consumption had decimated global wildlife and triggered what is known as a mass-extinction event.

In the last 40 years populations of fish, birds, amphibians reptiles and mammals have plummeted, on average, by 60 percent.

In their paper, Watson and his colleagues warned that Earth's wild places were facing "the same extinction crisis as species".

"Similar to species extinction, the erosion of the wilderness is essentially irreversible," they wrote.

Read also: Conservationists fight to save animals as mass extinction looms

- 'Nature needs a break' -

As well as being havens for biodiversity, wildernesses such as the boreal forest in northern Canada -- which acts as a carbon sink and which is protected by federal law -- form mankind's frontline protection against runaway climate change.

"These areas are the places where many, many species retreat to," said Watson. "At the same time they have massive amounts of carbon reserves."

Scientists called for greater legislation to protect other unspoilt areas from industry, and to reformat global finance initiatives to provide incentives for forest protection.

"It requires nations to legislate and not let industry in. Nature needs a break," said Watson.

"We can't just exploit everywhere and these nations still have these strongholds of wilderness. I think the world would appreciate these nations standing up and saying we're going to look after these places."
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Linkedin Marlowe Hood (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France  Fri, November 2, 2018 06:05 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a49d27 2 Health parents,health,genetics,infants,father Free

Newborns of fathers 45 and older are more likely to be underweight or wind up in intensive care, researchers reported Thursday, adding to the list of problems associated with older dads.

For fathers 55 and up, infants tended to score worse in a standardized test used to assess the baby's health immediately after birth.

Even more startling -- and harder to explain -- was a heightened risk for women carrying the child of a man 55 and older of diabetes arising during pregnancy, according to a study published in the medical journal BMJ.

All these conclusions, the researchers cautioned, are based on an analysis of medical records rather than a controlled experiment, which means no firm conclusions about cause-and-effect can be drawn.

The overall risk of such outcomes also remained low, they added.

But the findings held true even after other factors that might skew the results -- age of the mother, maternal smoking, level of education -- were taken into account, they said.

"A significant number of these negative birth outcomes were estimated to be prevented if older fathers had elected to have children before the age of 45," the scientists concluded.

"The risk associated with advanced paternal age should be included in discussions regarding family planning and reproductive counselling."

The average age of fatherhood has been steadily rising in wealthy nations, as has the percentage of fathers above 45 or 55.

In the United States, the number of births to men 40 and older has almost doubled to nine percent over the last 40 years. For men over 50, the percentage has gone up from 0.5 to nearly one.

Read also: Father's age may affect children's mental health: Study

- 20 grams lighter -

Similar trends are found in western Europe. In England, for example, fathers over 35 accounted for 40 percent of all births in 2003, compared with 25 percent in 1993.

To date, most research on the link between the age of parents and health outcomes in children has focused on older mothers.

But recent studies suggest that being a father later in life may also be associated with higher risks in offspring of autism, genetic abnormalities and mental problems.

One possible culprit is thought to be changes with age in male reproductive cells that affects the way genes are expressed, rather than the genes themselves.

To better understand the possible impact of advanced-age fatherhood on infants and mothers, researchers led by Michael Eisenberg of Stanford University combed through data on more than 40.5 million births in the United States from 2007 to 2016.

Children born of fathers 45 or older were on average 20 grams lighter, and had a 14 percent higher risk of low birth weight -- less than 2.5 kilos (5.5 pounds) -- than infants born to younger dads.

These children were also 14 percent more likely to be admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, and had 18 percent higher odds of experiencing a seizure compared with infants of fathers aged 25 to 34.

The risk of gestational diabetes, meanwhile, for women carrying the child of a man aged 55 or older increased by 34 percent.

The researchers further estimate that 13 percent of premature births were attributable to fathers of more advanced age.
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Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2, 2018 09:42 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a53028 1 Entertainment film-festival,food,environment,#environment,#food,Goethe-Institute,#film Free

German cultural center Goethe Instituts Science Film Festival has returned for its ninth edition, and this time it focuses on the theme of food production and its impact on the environment.

The festival is Goethe Instituts longest-running event and the cultural center describes this years theme as one that has been both socially and politically pressing in the last few years, specifically related to the ongoing phenomenon of global warming.

The festival runs from Oct. 23 to Nov. 13 and will feature 15 films and shorts related to the topic of food revolution aimed for young students.

This years theme, Food Revolution: Meeting the Challenges of 2050, represents a desire to focus outside of the general idea that transportation is the leading cause for climate change and instead focus on an overlooked aspect of it: Human eating patterns that have become very dependent on meat, and therefore increases the use of environmentally harmful production methods.

The Goethe Institut states in its official statement that producing food for a fast-growing global population has a much greater impact on the planet, with greenhouse gases emitted by cattle and rice fields, the burning of forests for agricultural purposes and nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural applications being only three examples.

Adding to that, Goethe Institut Jakarta director Heinrich Bloemke explains that this years theme is an issue that is being discussed by countless countries around the world, particularly related to food supply sustainability, how to reduce agricultural emissions by producers as well as other environmental risks that come with the way we demand and consume our food in the age of global warming.

To maximize the idea, the festival is expanding to 42 cities nationwide, going to various schools to directly teach students and work with teachers on how to teach the subject of food sustainability in a fun way to fully get the message across.

By bringing the festival to the participating schools, we are able to give them a more comprehensive education on the matter in a way that can really reach these children. Unfortunately, most of the time, such pressing issues on food waste are not taught in schools in a way that it makes them think, Bloemke says.

This festival, by providing workshops and experiments in our partner schools, wants to deliver the message in a thorough manner in which students can really understand the complete scope.

The festival will visit schools across Indonesia, from Aceh to Bandung in West Java, and even Sorong in West Papua.

The films screened on opening night were mostly child-friendly features that aim to teach young viewers the importance of reducing food waste and how to contribute to solving the problem at hand.

One of the films was a short that highlighted the use of insect larvae as an alternative source of protein, titled Germanys Bug Burgers. In it, a group of scientists from the Netherlands share their experience of turning specific insect larvae into a substitute for meat in burgers and shows several restaurants in the Netherlands and Germany that are already selling the burgers publically.

Launched in 2005, the Science Film Festival has always been the Goethe Instituts celebration of science and communications. The institute projects that about 100,000 will attend this years festival as a promising 80,000 attended the event in 38 cities last year.

In addition to short and feature films, the festival will also showcase documentaries.

One of the documentaries is Clipton Tomatoes in Space, which tells the story of a space research center in Bremen, Germany, that tries to develop a way to grow vegetables in space so that astronauts do not need to depend on packaged food.

Another documentary, Mushrooms on Coffee Grounds, follows the story of a German businessman who utilizes the residue of coffee drinks to grow gourmet mushrooms often used as condiments in fine dining restaurants.

The story of a research center in Russia that tries to discover new chemical compounds in berries around the world is also told in The Berrymakers.
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Linkedin Maria Antonova (Agence France-Presse) Moscow, Russia  Fri, November 2, 2018 15:06 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a5e609 2 Entertainment Hollywood,united-states,Russia,Ukraine,film,Movie,Gerard-Butler Free

Release of a Hollywood action film in which American soldiers rescue a Russian president during a coup attempt has been mysteriously postponed in Russia and Ukraine, with reports suggesting it could be banned due to its content.

Released in the US last week, Hunter Killer is a thriller starring Gerard Butler as an American submarine captain who tries to prevent World War III after the Russian president is taken hostage by his rogue defense minister.

It grossed a modest $6.7 million its first weekend.

In Russia, the film was ready for release Thursday but theaters unexpectedly cancelled the screening, citing circumstances beyond their control.

Russia's culture ministry confirmed to AFP that it had withheld a screening license for the film because the distribution company did not show confirmation that it "transferred the film for permanent storage in the Russian state film fund."

The ministry said the only copy it received from the company in September was "of an insufficient quality".

A report in industry outlet Film Distributor Bulletin said distributor Megogo Distribution had to warn theaters not to show the movie just hours before the premiere, due to the ministry's unexpected stalling.

Opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov suggested that the ministry could be blocking the movie for suggesting even a fictional possibility that President Vladimir Putin could be deposed.

Read also: Motorbike crash casualty Gerard Butler on a year of pain

- 'Aggressor state' -

"What are these bastards from Hollywood suggesting? That someday (Defense Minister Sergei) Shoigu... comes out quietly and tops Putin? That will not happen," he wrote on Facebook.

The movie's troubles in Russia follow its mysterious failure to open in neighboring Ukraine, with the distribution company telling AFP that the government is preventing the film from screening.

"(The state film committee) watched the film, it fell under some law and was banned," said a representative of Kinomania, a Ukrainian film distributor which in August announced the premiere of "Hunter Killer" on October 25.

The representative declined to give his name, but the film had disappeared from Kinomania's website and did not open last week as planned.

A representative of the State Film Committee, or Derzhkino, told AFP that "the decision to ban the film is currently being reviewed and will be published soon."

Though there is no official explanation of the ban in Ukraine, reports have cited a Ukrainian law which bans films popularizing a military of the "aggressor state" or "creating a positive image" of its employees.

Ukraine considers Russia an aggressor which supports an insurgency in its eastern region, where pro-Russia separatists have declared independence from Kiev.

One Ukrainian internet user also saw parallels between real life and the film, which suggests the US submarine strives to rescue a good Russian leader. "Saving Private Putin," Roman Polyoviy wrote mockingly on distributor Kinomania's Facebook page.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2, 2018 07:49 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a4b625 2 Politics Banser-flag-incident,Banser,NahdlatulUlama,HTI,2019-elections Free

A planned rally to protest the recent burning of a black flag bearing an Islamic creed is a waste of energy and not relevant, a senior government official has said.

The statement follows the announcement of a plan by the National Movement to Safeguard Ulema (GNPF-U) and 212 Alumni groups to take to the streets on Friday for a Aksi Bela Tauhid 211 march from Istiqlal Mosque to the State Palace in Jakarta.

This kind of rally is just a waste of energy and is no longer relevant because religious leaders, ulema and the leaders of Muslim organizations have called for peace and for people to let the police carry out their investigation, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said at his office in Jakarta on Thursday.

However, Wiranto emphasized that the government did not prohibit people from staging a protest, as long as they complied with the law and did not disturb public order.

Through the rally, the groups plan to demand the government disband Nahdlatul Ulamas (NU) the Guardian Troops of Ansor (Banser) youth wing.

Banser members were allegedly involved in a flag-burning incident during National Santri Day celebrations in Garut, West Java, on Oct. 22.

The groups believe the actions of the Banser members  who reportedly burned the flag because they thought it was the flag of outlawed Muslim group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI)  was unacceptable and an insult to all Muslims.

West Java Police have named three suspects from the incident. Two are the alleged flag burners, while the third is the one who allegedly raised the flag at the event.

Under Article 174 of the Criminal Code, the three suspects face possible sentences of three weeks in jail for disrupting a public gathering.

With the suspects now under police investigation, National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Ari Dono Sukamto questioned the intention behind the rally.

[We] are conducting the legal process [for the case]. If [the groups] still want to stage a protest, that will raise questions, Ari said.

We suggest that those who are from outside Jakarta not come to the city [for the protest]. We also hope that the protesters in Jakarta maintain public order, Ari said.
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Linkedin Fox Hu (Bloomberg) Hong Kong  Fri, November 2, 2018 11:05 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a56ddf 2 Business cannabis-legalization,Asia,investment,Bitcoins,marijuana Free

The cannabis investor conference in Hong Kong this week started with some stern warnings against smoking pot in the city, which can land you in prison. Then folks got down to talking business.

The Hong Kong Cannabis Investor Symposium on Thursday drew executives from some of the worlds hottest cannabis firms together with more than 200 attendees to talk about the plants misconceptions and its investment opportunities. Pot stocks have returned 73 percent in the last 12 months, outpacing Bitcoin, gold and any major equity index. And, despite the prohibition in Hong Kong, many of the forums participants said they see attitudes in Asia changing.

"When people see legalization in the U.S. is being accepted, its very likely the same trend will happen in Asia," said Jim McCormick, chief operating officer of KushCo Holdings Inc., a California-based provider of cannabis packaging services. "Sooner or later, its going to happen."

Sumit Mehta, chief executive of Mazakali, a cannabis investment-banking platform based in San Francisco, said legalization in states across America would trigger changes in Asia because "it was the U.S. that exported propaganda against cannabis around the world.

Some pot entrepreneurs said they were already making forays into China, seizing opportunities in medical cannabis, which is cultivated in the country under government control. CannAcubed, a grower with its main offices in Singapore (where drug trafficking can carry the death penalty), is working with Chinas state-owned health fund to build an industrial hemp park in Yunnan province, with 100,000 hectares of land, according to the firms chief executive, Glenn Davies.

Others came hoping to tap Asian investment money. Dooma Wendschuh, chief executive officer at Province Brands, a Toronto-based company developing cannabis beer, said he expects investors in the region to buy at least a third of a 40 percent stake in a $23 million deal to take the firm public, planned for this year. One Hong Kong investor and several others from Japan have already committed, he said.

Peter Bi, manager of a state-owned investment fund in Guangzhou, was one Chinese investor who he said was drawn to the forum because of the wild rally in pot stocks. Bi, who asked his fund not be named because of its public relations policy, said he was researching western producers of medical hemp expanding into China.

"Hemp cultivation for industrial and medical use will rise in China," he said. "Foreign companies with advanced technology for processing can benefit."
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Linkedin David McLaughlin and Chris Strohm (Bloomberg) California  Fri, November 2, 2018 11:11 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a583d4 2 Business China,espionage,state-owned-enterprise,theft,economic-espionage,trump,US Free

A Chinese state-owned company was charged with conspiring to steal trade secrets of U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology Inc. as the Justice Department steps up actions against China in cases of suspected economic espionage.

Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. and Taiwans United Microelectronics Corp. were indicted in California along with three individuals, the Justice Department said Thursday. The U.S. also sued to stop the companies from exporting to America any products that were created using the trade secrets.

Intellectual property theft is among the Trump administrations chief complaints against China as it wages a trade war thats rattled global markets and seen the worlds two largest economies slap tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each others goods. On Monday, the Commerce Department restricted exports to Jinhua, one of several high-profile government-backed companies at the vanguard of Chinas effort to become a major player in global semiconductors.

Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasing, and it has been increasing rapidly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a press conference in Washington. It is time for China to join the community of lawful nations. International trade has been good for China, but the cheating must stop.

A representative for Jinhua declined to comment but said the company will make an announcement when the time is right. UMC said it regretted not having the opportunity to discuss the matter with U.S. authorities and will respond to the allegations accordingly, adding it expected no impact from the charges on its finances or business. Its shares fell as much as 2.9 percent Friday.

Accusations that China unfairly acquires technology are at the heart of escalating U.S.-Chinese tensions, along with a plan by the worlds second largest economy to achieve supremacy in a plethora of future technologies.

The latest case was made public as the Justice Department announced a new initiative to respond to Chinese efforts to obtain U.S. technology and trade secrets, whether through hacking or theft by insiders. Sessions said the departments National Security Division, led by John Demers, along with the FBI and a group of U.S. Attorneys will step up enforcement.

The charges against Jinhua and UMC follow a string of government cases against individuals accused of attempting to steal information on behalf of China. On Tuesday, the U.S. said Chinese intelligence officers worked with hackers and company insiders to acquire commercial aviation technology.

Chinas trying to reduce a reliance on some $200 billion of annual semiconductor imports -- about as much as it spends on importing oil. It isnt home to even one of the top 10 producers of the crucial electronic components. The memory chip market at issue in Thursdays case has been increasingly concentrated in the hands of Micron and its two Korean rivals, Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc., who have enjoyed record profits from the technology essential to everything from computers to smartphones. China didnt possess DRAM capabilities before the alleged theft but had identified its development as a national economic priority, the U.S. said.

Jinhua is a state-owned enterprise funded by the Chinese government and established to design and manufacture dynamic random-access memory chips, or DRAM. The U.S. actions risks choking off supply of the crucial American components it needs and jeopardizing a $5.7 billion wafer-making factory its building on the countrys southeastern coast.

Micron has invested billions of dollars over decades to develop its intellectual property, Joel Poppen, Microns general counsel, said in an emailed statement. The actions announced today reinforce that criminal misappropriation will be appropriately addressed.

Micron, based in Idaho, is the only U.S.-based company that manufactures DRAM. Prosecutors said Chen Zhengkun, also known as Stephen Chen, the president of a Micron subsidiary in Taiwan, resigned in 2015 and began working at UMC. While there, he arranged an agreement between UMC and Jinhua in which UMC would transfer DRAM technology to Jinhua to mass-produce, and the technology would be jointly shared by the companies.

Chen recruited numerous employees of the Micron subsidiary to work with him at UMC, according to the U.S., including He Jianting, also known as J.T. Ho, and Wang Yungming, also known as Kenny Wang. He and Wang both stole several Micron trade secrets related to the design and manufacture of DRAM, the U.S. said.

The Chinese governments complicity in intellectual property theft hurts American manufacturers, workers, and consumers, and undermines the ability of U.S. businesses to operate in China, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in an emailed statement.

Micron last year sued UMC and Jinhua, claiming they stole trade secrets. UMC then took legal action against Micron in January, alleging that the company infringed on patents in China related to memory storage and other products. In July, a Chinese court banned Micron chip sales in the country, but the American company said that moratorium affected just 1 percent of its annual revenue.

The criminal case is U.S. v. United Microelectronics Corp., 3:18-cr-00465, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose). The civil case is U.S v. United Microelectronics Corp., 5:18-cv-06643, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose).
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2 2018

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Thursday that it had recorded 1.35 million foreign tourist arrivals in September, 10.56 percent lower than the previous month.

Learning from the year-by-year data on tourist arrivals, we see that the decline in tourist arrivals in September is normal because the holiday season is over [in September]. European countries have entered fall, BPS head Suhariyanto said at a press conference on Thursday.

He revealed that the largest decline in tourist arrivals occurred in Tanjung Benoa in Bali, followed by arrivals in South Sumatra.

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Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2 2018

Indonesias coal miners are considering to sell their products using e-commerce channels after realizing that China, their biggest export market, has been endorsing the method recently.

Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI) executive director Hendra Sinadia expressed that he was open to using e-commerce channels on Wednesday, saying they could save much spending on marketing and provide broader access to Chinas market, or even the global market.

It could be a solution to accessing Chinas market, which is not that easy to penetrate. Besides, our trade, especially in coal, with China has continued to increase, he said.

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Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2 2018

Archipelagic and island states have committed to work closely together on maritime and climate change issues by setting up a new forum, the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum.

The decision was made in a joint declaration that was inked at the end of an inaugural ministerial meeting held in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Thursday.

Representatives from 20 countries stated their commitment to address common challenges in climate change; economic challenges and opportunities in the blue economy, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; and challenges related to marine plastic debris and maritime governance.

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Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2, 2018 08:06 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a4b7ac 1 Business FreeportIndonesia,temporary-permit,energy-and-mineral-resources-ministry Free

The Energy and Mineral Resources extended on Thursday the temporary special mining permit (IUPK) of gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) as the previous permit issued one month ago expired on Oct. 31.

Ministry spokesperson Agung Pribadi told the press at his office in Jakarta on Thursday that the newly issued permit would expire on Nov. 30.

The temporary permit is needed by PTFI as a legal basis to export its copper concentrates. PTFI has already had monthly temporary IUPKs since February 2018. "The issuance of the month-month permit is to extend the time for the completion of the divestment transaction," he said.

PTFI is currently still under a contract of work (CoW), which is due to expire in 2021. The government plans to issue a permanent IUPK for the company after the completion of the divestment process through which Indonesia is set to gain control of at least 51 percent of the companys shares.

State-owned mining holding company PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum), which represents the government, has signed agreements with Freeport-McMoran (FCX), PTFIs parent company, on the purchase of a majority stake in PTFI, which operates a gold and copper mine in Papua.

To conclude the deal, however, Inalum, which represents the government in the talks, needs to settle the payment of US$3.85 billion to FCX and the Rio Tinto Group within six months. When the deal is completed, Inalum will increase its ownership of PTFI shares from 9.36 to 51.23 percent. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2, 2018 09:07 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a51682 1 Business BPS,tourist-arrivals,September Free

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Thursday that it had recorded 1.25 million foreign tourist arrivals in September, 10.56 percent lower than the previous month.

Learning from the year by year data on tourist arrivals, we see that the decline of tourist arrivals in September is normal because the holiday season is over [in September]. European countries have entered Autumn, BPS head Suhariyanto said at a press conference on Thursday.

He revealed that the largest decline in tourist arrivals occurred in Tanjung Benoa in Bali, followed by arrivals in South Sumatra.

The decline in South Sumatra was seen because, in the previous month, the province's capital Palembang welcomed a large number of tourists when it cohosted the 2018 Asian Games from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2, Suhariyanto added.

Meanwhile, the largest increase in tourist arrivals was seen in Manado, North Sulawesi, because of the opening of new flights from Sam Ratulangi International Airport to several cities in China. We also saw a sharp increase in arrivals in West Kalimantan, he added.

The BPS said China was still the largest source of tourists, followed by Malaysia, Timor Leste and Australia. The data is similar from month to month, with a minor change in position among them, Suhariyanto said.

Tourist arrivals from January to September stood at 11.93 million. This year, Indonesia targets to welcome 17 million foreign tourists. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2, 2018 15:38 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a5f69a 4 City KAI,rally,jakarta,Train,jatinegara Free

State-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has temporarily added Jatinegara station in East Jakarta as an extra stop for intercity trains in anticipation of congestion around Central Jakarta's Gambir station as a result of a mass rally planned for Friday afternoon.

Normally, [intercity] trains depart from Gambir and doesnt stop in Jatinegara. But today, the trains will stop at Jatinegara to board passengers there, Edy Kuswoyo, the spokesman for KAI's Jakarta office, a in a statement as quoted by kompas.com.

He added that KAI would deploy extra personnel to assist passengers at Jatinegara station.

Police have announced that thousands of Muslims planned to protest the recent burning of a black flag bearing the Islamic creed in Arabic.

Members of Banser, the civilian security unit under Islamic group Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)s Ansor youth wing, burned the flag during National Santri Day celebrations on Oct. 22 in Garut, West Java, claiming it was the flag of banned Islamic organization Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI).

A viral video caused public uproar over the incident.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2, 2018 19:19 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a679c4 1 National 2019-presidential-election,2019-elections,IMF-WB-meeting,Christine-Lagarde,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,Bawaslu Free

An elections supervisory agency questioned on Friday two ministers from President Joko Jokowi Widodo's administration for allegedly campaigning for the incumbent during the recent Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Bali.

A group known as Archipelago Advocates reported Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati to the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) for allegedly campaigning for the incumbent at the international event, which was attended by world leaders and businesspeople.

At a group photo session during the closing ceremony, Luhut and Sri were seen correcting IMF managing director Christine Lagarde, who had raised her index and middle fingers, creating a V-sign, a symbol of peace.

After ministers asked Lagarde to instead raise only her index fingers, other prominent figures that were standing beside them raised their index figures.

The incident was criticized by the campaign team and supporters of Prabowo Subianto, Jokowis challenger in the 2019 presidential election, which will take place in April. They said that, by asking Lagarde to raise her index fingers, the government officials had tried to campaign for Jokowi, who has been designated as candidate No. 1, while Prabowo is candidate No. 2.

Read also: Hand gesture at IMF gathering deemed as campaign violation

The two ministers answered Bawaslu summonses on Friday and came for separate questioning at around 3 p.m.

I explained there was [no intention of campaigning]. We were busy working there. Nobody thought about campaigning, Luhut told reporters after his questioning as quoted by Antara.

He said what he did during the photo session was just an expression of spontaneity and happiness.

We said Indonesia is number one, great Indonesia. We expressed our joy because Lagarde and [World Bank President Jim Yong Kim] said it was unthinkable that Indonesia could hold a world-class event like the IMF-World Bank gathering.

Luhut denied accusations that his actions violated regulations.

Earlier, Bawaslu commissioner Fritz Edward Siregar said the incident would be examined thoroughly and in context to avoid misinterpretation.

Perhaps it can be [reported] as an alleged violation of articles 282 and 283. Article 282 is about public officials actions benefiting certain candidates, he said, referring to the 2017 Elections Law, which prohibits public officials from using state facilities to campaign or to encourage others to support certain candidates. (wit)
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Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani and Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2, 2018 14:40 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a5e2de 1 National soil-liquefaction,extreme-weather,west-sumatra,BNPB,Sawahlunto Free

Prominent land cracks were seen in Barangin regency, Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, on Friday following weeks of downpour.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said the cracks, which were caused by soil liquefaction, had left 16 houses damaged. Twenty-two people were removed from the houses.

A crack is about 40 meters in length. No deaths have been recorded, BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement.

The agency said the area had been hit with heavy rains since Oct. 11, affecting soil conditions.

Read also: Land in Depok cracked after rain

The soil liquefaction occurred following the infiltration of rainwater into the ground. Many houses and buildings sustained cracks and became tilted, floors collapsed and drainage was also damaged, Sutopo said.

Most roads around the affected area have been closed to vehicles. Sutopo also warned residents to prepare for a possibility of more damage.

It is possible that soil liquefaction will continue and damage more houses and buildings, he said.

The Sawahlunto BNPB has been cleaning up debris using backhoes and excavators.Tents and public kitchens have been established for the displaced. (wit)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, November 2, 2018 16:59 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a63408 4 City liquor,Bekasi,consumer Free

The Bekasi Police have arrested two people and named them suspects for allegedly running a home factory that produced illegal liquor in Bekasi, West Java.

The two suspects, a 37-year-old and a 30-year-old, were arrested during a raid at a house in Vila Taman Kartini, East Bekasi district, on Thursday. The police estimated that the home industry had a monthly revenue of up to Rp 200 million (US$13,389).

The amount of liquor that the suspects produced was pretty big, Bekasi Police chief Sr. Comr. Indarto said as reported by tempo.co on Thursday.

The raid came following a tip-off from local residents who suspected illicit activities were taking place in the house. In the raid, investigators found 100 drums of ciu (fermented sugarcane liquor), each filled with 100 liters of the liquor.

The home industry produced 20 cardboard containers per day, with each container storing 24 bottles of liquor, Indarto said.

The suspects claimed the liquor did not use harmful substances and that only safe substances, like rice, sugar and water, were used.

The police would analyze samples of the liquor at the National Police forensics lab, Indarto said, as the suspects did not hold a permit for the production of liquor.

The suspects face 15 years in prison if found guilty of violating the 2009 law on consumer protection.
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Linkedin Nova Safo and Charlotte Plantive (Agence France-Presse) Chicago, United States  Fri, November 2, 2018 08:08 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a4c2e3 2 World #USA,#DeathPenalty,USA,death-penalty,Tennessee,electric-chair,murder Free

A Tennessee man convicted of a double murder was set to die Thursday in the electric chair, after insisting on the rarely used method rather than lethal injection.

Barring a last-minute stay, Edmund Zagorski, 63, will be the first US convict in five years to be put to death by electrocution.

Zagorski was sentenced to death for the 1983 murders of two men he lured into a wooded area with a promise to sell them marijuana. The victims' bodies were found two weeks later, shot and their throats slit.

His attorneys launched an 11th-hour appeal to the US Supreme Court to halt the execution, after earlier efforts failed at the appellate level.

Only nine US states still use the electric chair as a form of capital punishment. It was set to be Tennessee's only electric chair execution since 2007.

Neysa Taylor, a spokeswoman for the southern state's Department of Corrections, said the chair had been inspected on October 10 and tested two days later.

"The department will carry out the execution in accordance with the state's protocol," she said.

It was scheduled to take place at 7:00 pm (0000 GMT Friday).

- Controversy -

In Tennessee, people condemned to death before 1999 have the right to choose between the two methods of capital punishment.

Officials initially had intended to perform a lethal injection, which has become more common, but Zagorski challenged the state's use of a three-drug cocktail that includes the controversial sedative midazolam.

When the state supreme court rejected the challenge, he asked to be put to death by electric chair.

Midazolam has been the focus of numerous legal challenges in death penalty cases as lawyers have argued it cannot adequately prevent suffering during executions.

The eighth amendment to the US Constitution provides protections against "cruel and unusual punishment."

Zagorski's lawyer Kelley Henry said the state had forced him to "choose between two absolutely barbaric methods of death."

"The state's three-drug protocol is certain torture," she charged.

- 'Macabre requirement' -

Robert Dunham, head of the Death Penalty Information Center, which tracks US executions, said: "What we're seeing in Tennessee is a direct result of the US Supreme Court's macabre requirement that prisoners propose an alternative method of execution before the court will evaluate whether the method the state seeks to use is unconstitutionally cruel."

"It says a lot about the failures of lethal injection as a method of execution that a prisoner would opt for a method he considers to be a half-minute of torture instead of one he considers to be 18 minutes of torture," Dunham added.

Electrocution has only been used nationwide for 14 executions out of nearly 900 since 2000, and has not been used at all since 2013.

The Death Penalty Information Center lists nearly two percent of electric chair executions as "botched."

In the 1980s and 1990s, there were witness reports of inmates catching fire, bleeding, and not dying from initial jolts.

In 1997, flames up to a foot (0.33 meter) high burst from the mask covering the face of Florida convict Pedro Medina while he was in the electric chair, and the execution chamber filled with smoke.

Tennessee last carried out an execution in August, using lethal injection to put to death a man convicted of raping and murdering a child in 1986.

Since Tuesday, prison guards have been keeping Zagorski under 24-hour observation known as "death watch" and have moved him to a cell next to the execution chamber.

The prisoner requested a final meal of pickled pig knuckles and pig tails.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Hanoi, Vietnam  Fri, November 2, 2018 20:48 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a6a265 2 Business #business,#Vietnam,Vietjet-Air,deal,Airbus,plane Free

Vietnam's fast-growing budget carrier VietJet famed for its bikini-clad air hostesses signed a deal with France's Airbus on Friday for 50 planes worth $6.5 billion, according to a copy of the deal.

Airbus signed "a commercial contract with Vietjet Air for the delivery of 50 A321neo" planes, read a document of the deal from the office of French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who attended the signing ceremony in Hanoi during an official visit to the communist country.

The pact was part of a raft of agreements signed between Vietnam and France, one of Hanoi's top European trading partners that is eager to boost investments in the former colony.

Vietjet also inked a Memorandum of Understanding worth $5 billion with France's Safran group for engines and equipment maintenance, the document said.

Vietnamese airlines have been eagerly growing fleets to serve burgeoning passenger numbers, where domestic travel has soared in recent years and international air travel is one the rise.

Vietjet stormed into Vietnam's airline sector in 2011 when much of the market was dominated by the national carrier Vietnam Airlines.

The country's first budget carrier, owned by Vietnam's only female billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, has raised eyebrows with its racy marketing campaigns featuring nearly-naked models and by staffing inaugural flights with air hostesses wearing bikinis.

In just five years Vietjet quickly caught up with Vietnam Airlines to capture 42 percent of the domestic market in 2016, and 27 percent of the total market, according to data from the CAPA Centre for Aviation.

Over the past two years it has turned its attention to adding more international routes to its roster, including to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, as it seeks to serve Vietnam's growing middle class with a thirst -- and budget -- for travel.

The number of passengers travelling internationally jumped to 30 million in 2017 from 23 million the year before, according to official Vietnam aviation data.

- From foes to friends -

The French premier is in Vietnam for a three-day visit largely aimed at drumming up business deals with one of Asia's fastest growing economies, which clocked 6.8 percent GDP growth last year.

Both sides signed deals worth a total of nearly $12 billion, including in the energy and IT sectors.

Trade between the former colonial foes has boomed in recent years, and France is now Vietnam's third leading European trading partner after Germany and Italy, with two-way trade hitting $7.6 billion last year, according to the French Prime Minister's office.

Vietnam, an export-driven manufacturing hub with a population of 93 million people, has eagerly courted trading partners in Europe after the United States pulled out of the sprawling Trans-Pacific trade pact that Hanoi stood to gain enormously from.

Philippe is set to visit Dien Bien Phu on Saturday, the site of the epic battle between France and Vietnam in 1954 that would spell the end of France's colonial empire in Indochina and pave the way for Vietnamese independence.

The French premier's trip also includes a stopover in the bustling economic hub Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday where he will inaugurate a French medical centre and host a business forum with French tech entrepreneurs before heading to New Caledonia.
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Linkedin Devina Heriyanto (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, November 3, 2018 08:23 1113 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a5ecfb 1 National Indonesia,Myanmar,charity,generous-country,UK,volunteer Free

The generalization that Indonesians are friendly and helpful might be true after all.

The 2018 World Giving Index by British organization Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has placed Indonesia on top of the list.

Three behaviors are used to measure a countrys generosity: donating money, helping a stranger and volunteering in the past month when the survey was conducted. Indonesians' participation in volunteering stands as the highest in the world at 53 percent, while its peoples participation in donating money and helping a stranger are at 78 and 46 percent, respectively. The country's overall score is 59 percent.

The index, released this week, is based on surveys in 2017 by management consultancy Gallup involving more than 150,000 people worldwide -- before the devastating earthquakes in Lombok and Central Sulawesi that prompted people to donate and volunteer.

Indonesia made it to the top from its second position last year, after Myanmar dropped to ninth place after four years of enjoying the status of worlds most generous country. It is the first time has Indonesia topped the list in the history of the index, the ninth this year.

CAF notes in its report that the 2017 Rohingya crisis might have contributed to Myanmars people being less willing or less able to give in these ways.

Myanmar people still are the most generous when it comes to donations, with 88 percent participation -- 3 percent short of last years rate. The countrys adherence to Theravada Buddhism, which encourages its followers to donate money to those living a monastery life, might explain the high rate, according to the report.

Indonesia is in second position in terms of donating money. Similar to Myanmar, the countrys adherence to Islam might explain the high rate as the religion also encourages followers to donate, a concept known as infaq.

Indonesia has the highest rate of women volunteering compared to other countries at 48 percent, even though the number is less than the rate of Indonesian men who volunteer at 59 percent.

The survey found that globally, those from developing countries are more likely to help a stranger while those in developed countries are more likely to donate money. CAF found that the rate of people donating money globally was at its lowest since 2013, with more people reported to help a stranger or volunteer instead.

The worlds most generous countries are:

Indonesia (59 percent) Australia (59 percent) New Zealand (58 percent) US (58 percent) Ireland (56 percent) UK (55 percent) Singapore (54 percent) Kenya (54 percent) Myanmar (54 percent) Bahrain (53 percent)
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Linkedin Anisah Shukry (Bloomberg) Kuala Lumpur  Fri, November 2, 2018 11:01 1114 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877a5687b 2 SE Asia Malaysia,Kuala-Lumpur,debt,risk,budget,economy Free

Less than six months in office, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is staring down a possible credit rating downgrade in his governments first budget.

Economists and market watchers are bracing for bigger deficit targets, higher debt and slower economic growth when Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng delivers his budget speech on Friday. Moodys Investors Service has already flagged threats to Malaysias A3 rating, while credit-default swaps have risen.

The budget will be a tough balancing act for 93-year-old Mahathir: he needs to find more revenue and keep debt under control, without angering voters and stalling the economy with higher taxes and severe spending cuts.

The ousting of Najib Razaks government was very much triggered by economic discontents, said Wong Chin Huat, a political analyst at the Penang Institute. Mahathirs ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition, which won only 48 percent of popular votes, must tread very carefully between competing demands between fiscal discipline and avoiding a popular backlash.

Part of the deficit problem is due to Mahathirs own doing. Shortly after winning the May 9 election, he scrapped a consumption tax to fulfill a key campaign pledge, which Lim has said leaves a 23 billion ringgit ($5.5 billion) revenue shortfall. The government has also fixated on contingent liabilities -- such as guarantees for public companies -- which if included in the states overall debt figures would push up the ratio to above a self-imposed threshold of 55 percent of gross domestic product.

Theres progress in recouping about $4.5 billion potentially lost through scandal-ridden 1MDB, as the U.S. unveiled criminal charges against two former Goldman Sachs executives for their alleged roles in siphoning monies from the Malaysian state fund. That may help ease the governments burden in paying off 1MDBs borrowings.

If the plan to narrow the gap is realistic, locking down a 3% deficit target for 2020 may appease rating agencies and contain damage to investor sentiment from significant fiscal slippage in 2019. Importantly, tax revenue targets should not be overly ambitious. In particular, there should not be too much reliance on asset sales, which can disappoint when needed most. Read More: Plug Budget Gap, Keep Growth - Wont Be Easy-- Tamara Henderson, Bloomberg Economics

Heres a snapshot of what economists are expecting:

Budget deficit

The previous government had an optimistic target of 2.8 percent of GDP for the budget deficit for this year, which it planned to slowly narrow over time. Mahathirs move to scrap the goods-and-services tax and replace it with a sales tax makes that goal unlikely.

The median forecast of nine economists surveyed by Bloomberg is for the deficit to reach 3.2 percent of GDP in 2018 and remain at that level next year. The government has already abandoned a plan by the previous administration to balance the budget in two years time, forecasting instead a shortfall of 3 percent of GDP in 2020.

Mohamed Faiz Nagutha, an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Singapore, said a key question for investors relates to the medium-term fiscal plan. Even though authorities may commit to reducing the deficit over time details are going to be important in convincing investors, he said in a note.

GDP growth

The economy was one of the growth stars in Asia last year, expanding almost 6 percent on the back of an export boom, strong public infrastructure spending and cash handouts by the previous government. Growth has eased this year amid rising trade risks and after the political transition led to a slump in public spending.

Economists in a Bloomberg survey forecast growth of 4.8 percent this year and 4.5 percent next year. According to a mid-term review, the government is projecting expansion of 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent in 2018 to 2020.

Mahathirs focus in his first few months in office has been to root out corruption, reform key institutions and reprioritize some spending. Thats made businesses cautious to invest, and the private sector is looking towards the coming 2019 budget for new policies, growth catalysts, and fiscal clarity, said Julia Goh, an economist at United Overseas Bank Ltd. in Kuala Lumpur.

New taxes

The government may make some key tax changes to help boost revenue. These are some of the measures it could adopt:

Digital tax: Like other Southeast Asian nations, Malaysia may look to tap the fast-growing e-commerce world with new levies, according to Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, chief economist at Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur Sugar tax: To help promote healthy living, a tax on sugar or soda consumption could be imposed Logging and carbon tax: To improve and protect the environment, the government could consider green taxes. Neighboring Singapore plans to introduce a carbon tax from 2020 Others: Bloomberg Economics Tamara Henderson said she doesnt expect the government to invoke a capital gains tax. A levy like that would be a disadvantage to Malaysia relative to peers, she said. New taxes on inheritance or online transactions are unlikely to be rolled out until 2020, she added.
Verdict: a coldly beautiful film with exceptional performances.

Paul Dano makes his directorial debut with Wildlife, a drama about a troubled marriage in 1960's Montana, USA. Beautiful cinematography and exceptional performances from Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal help suck you into a low-key, melancholy tale.

A prideful father (Gyllenhaal) loses his job, causing tension at home. When he leaves his wife (Mulligan) and son (Ed Oxenbould) to help fight a raging forest fire, the rift in the family grows.

Even though it's set against the backdrop of an all-consuming fire, Wildlife is a decisively quiet and introspective character study, with only a scant few explosive outbursts of emotion. The family at its core doesn't violently fall apart as much as it slowly and irreparably disintegrates.

Gyllenhaal's patriarchal figure is absent through most of the film, which doesn't stop him from making a memorable impression. He's there at the beginning and he's there at the end, but his distance from the family is more than just physical.

One of his most memorable moments simply has him say the word 'Boy' over and over again - all the pent up anger boiling over and coming through in that one word.

The real star here is Carey Mulligan, playing a woman at once liberated and yet suffocating. When her husband leaves, she starts acting out, seeking the affection of a wealthy older man - a clear provocation, born out a sadness for what's been lost and anger over what she's been denied. Mulligan conveys that richness of character magnificently.

Dano and co-screenwriter Zoe Kasan paint a delicate portrait of a deteriorating relationship that doesn't really vilify either side. The audience is free to take one if they want, but the movie isn't interested in doing so.

Caught in between the parents' turmoil is a teenage boy, who's both confused and hurt. Oxenbould conveys both the innocence of youth and the toll his family's trouble takes on the character very well.

The cinematography is cold, but beautiful. You can't really look away, even though it makes you sad. Not an outright weeping kind of sad, more of a gloomy rainy day, sitting by yourself type deal.

The final shot of the movie is undoubtedly its most memorable and effective. Heartbreak isn't the right word to describe it. There's just an emptiness, something that was lost and can never be found. It's in the way the shot's composed and it's written on the actor's faces - no wonder they decided to put it on the poster. A better summary couldn't possibly be made.

There are issues. A time skip near the end is disorienting in a way that doesn't really compliment the narrative. A subplot about the son bonding with a girl at his school doesn't go anywhere. A violent confrontation near the end feels out of place. They're not major problems, but they're noticeable.

Still, it's impossible to deny that this is a fantastic debut for actor-turned-director Paul Dano. It may be subdued, but it's in no way lacking in confidence and craft. Whatever Paul Dano decides to work on next, I'm there.

Wildlife hits cinemas on November 9th.
This week we explore a Jack Kerouac inspired novel crafted by AI and the potential for extremely speedy internet with the advent of 5G.

AI

piece of artwork produced by AI has been sold for $432,500 at Christies Auction House. The AI was given 15,000 portraits to study to be able to produce a new portrait, of the fictional Edmond Belmay. The AI also had a function to try and determine whether the painting had been produced by a human or a computer - if it appeared to be by a human, it was suitable for sale. has been sold for $432,500 at Christies Auction House. The AI was given 15,000 portraits to study to be able to produce a new portrait, of the fictional Edmond Belmay. The AI also had a function to try and determine whether the painting had been produced by a human or a computer - if it appeared to be by a human, it was suitable for sale.

Automotive technology

Image credit: Dyson

Singapore , to be released in 2021. The company currently produces electric motors in Singapore, with the help of 1,100 workers. The car is being developed in a research centre in Wiltshire, approximately 400 UK employees are working on the venture. Dyson plans to manufacture electric cars in, to be released in 2021. The company currently produces electric motors in Singapore, with the help of 1,100 workers. The car is being developed in a research centre in Wiltshire, approximately 400 UK employees are working on the venture.

Smartphones

Image credit: Pixabay

Last week Vodafone introduced a test version of 5G for use by businesses in Salford. Vodafone have previously used 5G to enable a hologram phone call and the technology has the potential to deliver rapid internet speeds, as 5G networks can operate at more than 100 times the speed of 4G. Devices that can use 5G are expected to be released in 2019.

The future of authorship

Image credit: Pixabay
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More than 200 BASF employees from southeast Michigan recently used their skills and muscle power to help enrich Detroits Durfee neighborhood.

It was the fifth consecutive year BASF partnered with Life Remodeled, a Detroit-based nonprofit organization focused on cleaning up city neighborhoods and building relationships in the community.

The company contributed $50,000 as well as equipment and materials to the revitalization project.

BASF team members cleared brush and debris from long overgrown, impassable alleys to create safe pathways for area residents. They also repaired electrical and plumbing fixtures, painted ceilings, and hung artwork inside the Durfee Innovation Society, the hub of the neighborhood project where Life Remodeled and other nonprofit organizations have offices.

Our BASF team dedicated their time and skills to create a welcoming space for an innovative community resource center, said Greg Pflum, vice president and general manager of BASFs Midwest Hub, based in Wyandotte. It was a great opportunity for our employees to take part in the neighborhoods ongoing transformation.
By Mira Tellegen

tellegen@grinnell.edu

On Tuesday, Nov. 6, Grinnell College will hold an open session at 11 a.m. in JRC 101 for students, faculty and staff to discuss their perspectives on the Colleges ongoing accreditation evaluation process. This session will follow a gathering that happened last week, during which administrators met with student leaders to discuss their perspectives on how the College handles issues of inclusion, governance structures and available resources on campus. The event is to prepare for when five peer reviewers from the regional accreditation body, the North Central Higher Learning Commission, will meet with Grinnell College representatives to evaluate whether the College qualifies for reaccreditation.

Accreditation occurs every ten years and determines whether a college is eligible for federal funding. The college president Raynard Kington and Board of Trustees, according to associate dean and member of the chemistry department Mark Levandoski, will represent the College. If all goes as planned, the college will receive confirmation of their accreditation by the end of the semester.

Although the College has remained continuously accredited for over 100 years, the process of securing funding is extensive. Levandoski has worked for the last two years to create a comprehensive profile for the college, which includes information about the mission statement, the Colleges core values of social justice, diversity and integrity, and evidence such as the Student Handbook and Advisors Handbook.

Levandoski emphasized the importance of the cause, as remaining accredited and securing federal funding is extremely important in providing a positive environment for their students.

If you dont have federal funding for students to attend your university, you might have trouble making your institution work, Levandoski said. However, he remains confident that [accreditation] should not be a problem for Grinnell, as it is an exceptionally high-functioning institution.

Levandoski identified five facets of the College that hold particular relevance in the evaluation process. First, the mission of the College and how its implemented in the day to day life of students and faculty; second, the structures on campus meant to promote ethical conduct and improve campus climate; third, the high quality of teaching and emphasis on academic excellence at Grinnell; fourth, the improvements and expansions to the academic programs; fifth, the resources and institutional effectiveness of the college.

At the last accreditation evaluation in 2008, the committee discussed issues such as diversity, institutional research, governance, student assessment and learning, faculty retention and mentoring, and student affairs.

Following the feedback given in 2008, Grinnell has implemented new policies around diversity and inclusion, which are highlighted in the 2018 report to the Higher Learning Commission.

We talked a lot about our work in diversity and inclusion over the last 10 years, because weve done a lot of work over that time period, Levandoski said.

After hearing from the staff and student body, the commission this year will communicate with the College about potential areas of improvement in their policy. Levandoski said the College then takes that feedback and works to enact change.

We think about how to improve things and then we implement plans that will lead to those types of changes, Levandoski said.

According to Levandoski, the student participation in the accreditation process is extremely important.

They want to hear from you, they want to understand what its like to be a student at Grinnell, Levandoski said.
By Shuhan Yi

yishuhan@grinnell.edu

Professor Susan Ferguson, sociology, was honored with the Hans O. Mauksch Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Sociology in August 2018. The Hans O. Mauksch Award is a prize given annually by the American Sociological Association to honor an individual scholar that has contributed to the teaching and learning of sociology through various aspects.

Ferguson has several areas of specialty that she has explored over the last few decades at the College. In addition to teaching introductory and tutorial courses, she has offered a course on the sociology of health and illness as well as a seminar on the family. Two years ago, she also taught in the Semester at Sea program.

Devoting herself to the enrichment of Grinnells, as well as the nations, sociological community for nearly three decades, Ferguson said that winning this prize acknowledges the work and teaching she has done over these years.

In the professional domain, Ferguson has published several books that have influenced the teaching of sociology worldwide. Her three anthologies on introductory sociological material, the family, and race, class and gender, respectively, have been used in colleges and universities nationwide, as well as in China and Europe.

Those three anthologies I have edited contain what I think are really compelling voices in sociology, and a lot of faculty are using them, Ferguson said.

Besides having written and published several books, Ferguson has led teaching workshops for other faculty, has served as an external reviewer of other colleges sociology departments and participated in designing the sociology curriculum nationwide.

What parallels her academic achievement is her experience and enthusiasm for teaching. During her graduate school years, Ferguson had already begun to teach classes and was nominated for an award as a graduate student teacher.

However, Ferguson still felt as though the College challenged her teaching style when she first arrived 25 years ago.

Coming here, it pushed me to a higher level because the students demanded it, she said. In that, I could not just come to the classroom and, you know, stand at a podium and lecture for 50 to 80 minutes. There was more engagement, and students asked great questions so I needed to push my teaching to a different level.

Ferguson also later wrote in an email to The S&B that her teaching philosophy revolves around the importance of decentering dominant narratives in the classroom by introducing diverse voices and texts, and that learning needs to be student centered and that faculty need to narrate their positionality as teachers.

Although Fergusons career at the College has brought many personal accomplishments, her priorities still center around her students.

Teaching never gets old, Ferguson said. The students challenge me and bring new perspectives to the readings and the learning that goes on in each class. I came to Grinnell because of that high-quality teaching, the emphasis put on it, but I have stayed for the students. Ive learned as much from them over the years as I have taught. They push me. So Grinnell students certainly contributed to [the award].

Despite Fergusons lengthy career, she still has several immediate plans for the future in wake of her award.

The award comes with an expectation that I will do a lecture at next years meeting, she said. Next year I will give Hans O. Mauksch Award lecture in August at the ASA meetings, so I am doing research right now in preparation to write that lecture and then it will be published in Teaching Sociology, its our top journal on teaching.

Ferguson is now designing new courses that will involve more global work, and she also hopes to teach on Semester at Sea again, while conducting international sociology research at the same time.
By Mayo Sueta

suetamay@grinnell.edu

On Tuesday, Oct. 29, a vigil was held in JRC 101 in remembrance of the anti-Semitic violence at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. This gathering, which was open to the whole campus, followed a similar event on Monday night in which Jewish students were welcomed to the CRSSJ garage to find support and solidarity among one another.

The students of Chalutzim organized both events after they realized that the administration had not released a statement concerning the tragedy.

The vigil  because we dont have a rabbi, we werent really sure kind of what to do or who was organizing it, said Noah Segal 19. But Deanna Shorb [dean of religious life] reached out to us from the CRSSJ and shes been great and has been really helping us. We were really able to get it together because Dylan Caine 21 reached out to a rabbi in Ames and theres  very few rabbis in Iowa, but he was able to come down and do that.

Segal said that coming back to campus after the shooting presented a unique set of challenges.

Coming back to campus after the shooting was a little jarring [because] one, we were all dealing with it personally, but then  with the lack of structure in terms of having, like, the wider Jewish leadership without a rabbi or without really any paid person at this time, we were trying to figure out how to make sure that the lives [that] were lost were honored and memorialized and also kind of how to deal with the wider issues of antisemitism. Weve felt like both of those things were very important to address, he said.

Amelia Geser 19 also expressed her frustration with organizing the vigil in an email to The S&B.

Since we had to scramble to find a Rabbi and organize a space, the service was more stressful than relaxing for many of us, wrote Geser. It was hard to return to a campus where we, a very small representation of all the Jews on campus, had to plan and organize everything at a time when we should have been able to decompress and grieve.

President of the College Raynard Kingtons response caused further confusion among students. On Monday afternoon, he sent out an email about the massacre after Shorbs all campus email, addressed specifically to a group of Jewish and non-Jewish students concerning the shooting.

We were disappointed with [Kingtons] response and it was not really until  students and faculty and  even some alumni [asked] the administration [to] send out an all campus memo condemning antisemitic violence and violence and hate as a whole  after a lot of urging we got an email that  [was] just to the Jewish students but it was unclear where they even got that list and I know not all Jewish students got this email, Segal said.

Segal believes that the email should have been sent out to the whole campus community, as Jewish students and faculty werent the only people impacted by the event.

It didnt feel very sufficient, one  we know that there is antisemitism in this country and on this campus but its important that the rest of the campus who isnt knows that there is antisemitism. We appreciate the administration sending out an email to us, however they figured out who the Jewish students were, but  that wasnt totally the point, the point is that the whole campus knows that this is an issue, Segal said.

After receiving the email, the group of students involved in organizing the vigil expressed their concern to Kington regarding the email, after which Kington invited the Chaluztim and Jewish leadership on campus to sit down with him and dean of the college Mike Latham.

We do  appreciate them reaching out and it seems like they are interested in helping, but there was nobody really from the administration at the vigil, Segal said. Going forward we really hope that  they recognize that we need their supportthat its important that they  step up and meet us to make sure that the Jewish community on campus is supported and feels that the administration is on our side.
By Sarah Licht

lichtsar@grinnell.edu

During last Tuesdays seminar and roundtable discussion The Wealth of the Black Snake, Sebastian Braun, the director of the American Indian studies program at Iowa State University, spoke about the effects of the Dakota Access Pipeline on both Native and non-Native communities and the controversies surrounding the construction of the pipeline. The talk was sponsored by the Center for Prairie Studies.

Despite being born in Switzerland, Braun became interested in Native American studies from an early age. He recounted reading books on American Indians at an early age, and became immersed in their different cultures. After receiving his degree in Ethnology, History, and Philosophy from Universitaet Basel, Braun traveled to the United States for his Masters in Anthropology and Folklore and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Indiana University.

Now an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Iowa State University, he works to educate the non-Native population of the United States about Native culture and how it is marginalized by both the government and the public.

The roundtable discussion was informal in nature and allowed for the audience to directly ask Professor Braum questions about his field of work and interest. As can be imagined, many of these questions related to the controversy over the construction and location of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

The pipeline, which was completed in 2017, passes 500 feet from the edge of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in an unseeded territory. Braum described it as limbo because the [United States] government paid the tribe over 200 years ago for the rights to the land but the tribe never accepted the money.

This would mean that legally the land is owned by the federal government because it was purchased, even though the money has yet to be collected. Unfortunately, this also means that should the reservation have sued to prevent the construction of the DAPL, the Supreme Court would have found the pipelines existence to be legal under eminent domain  the federal government taking private property for public use  because payment was given in exchange for the land.

The initial discussion over the construction of the DAPL led to an even more interesting talk about the treatment of Native Americans in the United States. Braun mentioned a Supreme Court case from 1831 in which Native American tribes were established as domestic, dependent, sovereign entities, a phrase that has yet to be deciphered to this day.

As dependents of the federal government, the people living within a reservation have no real say over their status as a legitimate tribe, and, as a sovereign body, any court case filed had the potential to go to the Supreme Court where it will be found to be constitutional because the reservations are under the care of the United States, Braun said.

A final topic discussed during the roundtable was the expectations of Native Americans in the modern United States. Despite American culture being expected to grow and change, Braun said, American Indians are supposed to remain the way they were in the 1800s to be considered Native. This is due in part to public opinion of Native culture which widely revolves around stereotypes of past centuries. Braun stated that until the American Indian culture is accepted by the majority of non-Natives, we can expect even more pipelines to be built on their land.

The complex nature of the discussions and its free layout piqued the interest of many of the audience members. One guest, Mica Lin-Alves 22, said that the roundtable taught him about the contradictions in the rights given to indigenous people by the Supreme Court as well as how their rights and oppression is based on stereotypes and how they are perceived as being Native.
By Candace Mettle

mettleca@grinnell.edu

On Facebook, a group has developed with implications that often spill beyond the internet: Grinnell Thumbs Down (GTD). The group exists for Grinnellians, past and present, to express grievances related to the College. Some posts venture into humor, while some have generated polarizing reactions from members, leading to call-outs on oppressive behavior, bans and reactions from the College administration. Such occurrences have made GTD infamous, but nevertheless an integral part of the Grinnell College experience.

Origins and growth

Grinnell Thumbs Down started with Shida Jing 19. He wanted to create a place where students can hold critical and non-sanitized opinions of the College. For him, conversing on the internet lowers self-censorship, a tendency he says occurs frequently in real life.

From personal experiences I think its really dangerous for a group of people to have a collective sense of satisfaction towards their governing body.  Regardless of how [the governing body] is doing its job, its dangerous for us to constantly feel like its satisfactory, Jing said. I am frustrated that we dont have a way to collectively criticize whats going on in the school.

Jing never expected GTD to grow exponentially, but the fact that membership now exceeds 1300 Facebook users reveals that students want to participate in critical discussions about their College experience. With membership nearly as large as the student population, Jing anticipated GTD to unravel tensions among the campus and heated discussions, but he did not anticipate the harm it has brought to members. As the internet lowers pressure to act a certain way, people can also use it as a tool to disrespect others.

[GTD] is not for you to hurt other people, let your anger out What I meant is, its a way for you to say the things you dont like about the place you are in, to express your opinions, Jing said.

Jing gave up an administrative role in fall 2017, when a post calling out sexual assault led various members to approach Jing and ask for him to take action against the accusers and accused. On top of it, Jing claimed that during the sexual assault allegations, members of the administration approached him to convince him to either delete the group or hand over control to Student Government Association. He could not recall the administrators names, and is not sure if they are still a part of the College.

Feeling uncomfortable and unqualified to rule on matters regarding sexual assault, he chose three new moderators who came from different backgrounds yet seemed able to handle the group in ways that he could not. Of the three, only Carrie Stallings 19 remains. Jing now occasionally posts in the group, but for the most part is not involved in GTD.

I think in regards of handling conflict I think Ive definitely learned that I should put less of my personal preferences and opinions into deal with conflicts of two parties I think I should stay neutral, he said.

The heated moments

In recent months, the group has experienced an increase in the banning and removing of members when they appeared to violate the groups civility rules. Rhonda Stuart 86 was banned from the group by an admin who claimed Stuart attempted to undermine a students experiences regarding an instance of racist language in the classroom. Reactions from other alumni and current students led some group administrators to ban more members.

The ensuing reaction represented to Stuart an unavoidable consequence of internet groups.

I understand rules are intended to make the conversation more civil but it does not always turn out that way, said Stuart Sometimes there is authoritarianism in the way that the rules are enforced. People overlook things that their friends say when admins or are harsher on other people because they simply dont like them. But  again, thats the limitation of the medium. Youre free to participate or leave, youre always free to start your own group, so to that intent it doesnt really bother me.  this group will have to work out its own dynamics.

Stuart serves on the Alumni Relations Council, a volunteer group dedicated to alumni outreach to current students and the administration, and has a child currently attending the College. She claimed GTD has made her role as an advocate for current students possible as she can pressure the College to take certain actions, or simply offer resources to students with complaints and concerns. For instance, Stuart raised money to replace the stolen money from SHIC, but could not have done that had she had not heard of the issue.

In light of the situation regarding GTD, Misha Laurence 18 stepped down from his admin role.

Its that I left the group in an attempt to diffuse the conflict and let other students speak. Im not lying about this to cover my ass; thats honestly why I did it. I dont like seeing people hurt, wrote Laurence in an email to The S&B. He declined to comment further.

The Discourse thats not Really Discourse

GTDs most famous rule seems like a catch-22: no discourse. However, as peoples posts often relate to their identities as experienced in the College, inklings of discourse are unavoidable.

Eli Calalang-LaCroix 21, a GTD member, has a loose definition of discourse that at least includes having discussions on issues in the abstract and producing some type of resolution. Regardless of what it truly is, he says at times, the conversations held in the group do not reach the group of people who have relevant identities to the matters discussed.

It would be nice to  if there would be allowed for a system  taking care to prioritize voices of oppressed people, which gets tricky cause oppression Olympics is shitty, but often times there are identities more relevant to the topic at hand, said Calalang-LaCroix. Its not any worse to have a discourse group than to have a group that turns into arguing, so if were going to say no discourse, then we should shut down any threads with any argumentsI think its hypocritical to allow arguments about discourse but also we use discourse is such many different ways.

Stallings echoes similar sentiments of the groups struggle with discourse that dissolves into arguing instead of discussion. She became an admin because of the intersections of her identity and continues to be a one despite the emotional drain it poses. Though the group does include large members of the student population, Stalling believes that the voices of marginalized identities often are talked over, ignored and disrespected.

What discourse should be and what is often labeled as discourse are often two different things, I believe. Discourse is when you have a conversation for the sake of learning and challenging your perspectives  However, I find that often what people call discourse within the Grinnell community is actually just a conversation in which people who are unwilling to learn and change their minds attempt to demonstrate to the other person they are entirely wrong or that their opinions have no value, wrote Stallings.

I definitely think often the people who speak in GTD, especially the more harmful content, are people who are socially privileged enough to do so, who feel that they will face little consequence, Stallings added.

So what is GTD now?

Though not having an explicit mission, GTD still represents a space in which the rosy idea of the College and students is muddled. To Stallings, the Grinnell bubble, a colloquial term to describe that the College community is monolithic in its ideologies and student body, does not exist.

Stallings also highlighted that for students with marginalized identities, the hurtful implications in these posts are not actions that can be easily brushed aside, they are attacks on their very belonging at this institution.

Perhaps the most appalling thing is to consider that people think these issues are equally sided; that within a space like GTD when we make claims and embarrass and blame one another, and that we all have the same amount of things at stake and thats not true. There are students of color and women and poor students and first gen[eration] students and other marginalized people who already struggling with their sense of belonging at this institution who read this content and engage with it and they dont just get mad, Stallings wrote.

Looking forward

All interviewees agreed that GTD must continue to exist and remain out of the Colleges control, and it seems that the College administration for the time being is not interested in taking control of GTD. Unlike the administrators that allegedly approached Jing, Associate Dean of Students Ben Newhouse believes that it would defeat the purpose of GTD to have it influenced by the College. Newhouse claimed that the only time the College would get involved in GTD and other Facebook groups would be when issues that harm students arise. Newhouse joined the College earlier this year and has no idea which of his colleagues or past administrators could have contacted Jing.

I think these groups have success and momentum because theyre student lead and student spaces theres a reason why we dont insert ourselves in them  and thats okay. I think this is part of our learning experience in how to engage with one another in a productive fashion that reacts to one another in a space thats largely unregulated, but reflects the kind of dialogue that were capable of, said Newhouse.

He also said he hopes that as students criticize the College among themselves, they can eventually feel comfortable to approach admin with their concerns.

I think theres a reason students are drawn to those sites  sometimes you just also need to vent about a place that you call home and that can be healthy too.  Ive always said you can always love your college and not be in love with your college, because you love your college you can also be critical about [because] youre so invested in it being its best version of itself and you know its full potential, Newhouse said.

In terms of creating a more fulfilling and respectful environment for GTD, Stallings reached out to Regina Logan 20, SGA diversity and outreach coordinator (DOC), to seek guidance on how to best handle GTD. The meeting coincided with Logans goal as coordinator to make SGA available as a resource to moderators of Grinnell-oriented facebook groups. To Logan, moderators and admins are also student leaders as they deal with the student body, even if not directly on campus.

I think [SGA] is uniquely connected to resources, and one of our jobs is we support students, Logan said. In my role, its kind of unique as the DOC I do have a particular eye out for bias related discussions incidents,  so one of the reasons I tried to say plugged into social media is I think these online forums bring out things that people dont always formally report or random concerns that people might not know if its big enough to file a bias related incident or whatnot. So I think Facebook conversations are the same way on having the pulse on what are the campus conversations the same way students feel whats happening, what can I do to support.

As a concession towards improving GTD, Stallings, with Logan and SGA and the wider Grinnell College administrative community, have considered involving conflict resolution training for future admins of the page. Stallings does not intend to further moderate the page and has initiated elections for replacement group admins. The elections for GTD admins are still ongoing but whatever the results, the group will certainly remain a fixture of the Grinnell College community.

I think there is a gut reaction to  think [GTD] is a negative toxic space  as I was getting ready for my role this semester  I wanted to move away from a lens of [GTD] is a negative group that needs to be stopped that needs to be shut down. Its time for us to recognize that we live in a digital age, that theres an extension of our campus community online and we have to face new challenges there. Theres not really a protocol of what it means to be a a self-governing Grinnellian online, and I think students are figuring that out, Logan said.
Although our elected officials expressed shock that such an attack could happen, the terror carried out in Pittsburgh last weekend should not have come as a surprise to anyone. The scourge of antisemitism has existed in the United States since the countrys inception, but as the horrors of the Holocaust reached our American conscience, and an association with antisemitism became an association with Nazism, its legacy was conveniently erased from our national memory. Americas dominant culture conveniently removed the more overtly antisemitic elements from its outward identity without experiencing any sort of reckoning.

Yet American antisemitism persists, and on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 27 during Shabbat morning services, 11 Jews were murdered because of it. In representing the Jewish community at Grinnell College, we see it as our obligation to name and condemn this attack for what it is: an antisemitic act of terror inspired by white supremacy.

Denial of antisemitisms existence allows it to thrive, so recognizing it is key to combating it. Antisemitism is unique in that it is essentially based on an abundance of conspiracy theories. Unlike other forms of hatred, antisemitism functions cyclically, characterized by periods of lull followed by periods of intense violence, and doesnt rely on clear, constructed binaries. America and the world at large are experiencing a surge of antisemitism, with the Anti-Defamation League reporting a 35 percent increase in the United States of instances of antisemitic hate crimes in 2016, and a 57 percent increase in 2017. The Pittsburgh shooting is no isolated incident. It is the product of a sea of radical hatred, newly emboldened by an apparently sympathetic Oval Office.

Now that antisemitic dog-whistles have entered the political mainstream (our president has taken to tacitly defending the protesters in Charlottesville who chanted, Jews will not replace us, and recently failed to immediately condemn the antisemitic motivation of a shooter who yelled All Jews must die), allyship is as important as ever. Think about how you interact with antisemitism, and how it manifests in your own life. We ask that you recognize antisemitism as endemic to our culture and understand that it infects us in the same way that racism, sexism, homophobia and all other societally learned hatreds do. We urge you to do anything in your power to ensure that antisemitism is recognized as a legitimate threat in the spaces you create in and outside of Grinnell, and to combat it whenever possible.

We understand that we are by no means alone in the fear and hatred we are experiencing, and we stand in solidarity with all other marginalized groups affected by the unabashed white supremacy entering the mainstream. We are stronger fighting it together than we are alone.

Jewish students of Grinnell, do not allow moments like this to cause you to force your Jewish identity into obscurity. Support each other. Love each other. Speak up for others and speak up for yourself. Your voice matters now as much as ever.

You can contact Chalutzim at [chalutz]. Get on our mailing list and join us for Shabbat table.

 The Chalutzim Board
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 6C. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 2C. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Tateyama is a small town on the edge of the Japanese Northern Alps and makes a great base to explore the mountains. Its already on the map as the starting point for the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route  a journey which involves cable car, bus and ropeway. These were originally built to provide supplies for the Kurobe Dam but now are for tourists.

Unfortunately theres no hiking involved, but theres a much older route for pilgrims travelling on foot. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, Mt. Tateyama was designated as one of Japans three holy mountains along with Mt. Fuji and Mt. Hakusan. It helped, of course, that are plenty of hot springs and sulphurous fumes coming out of the ground in the area.

Mount Tateyama

Jigokudani, or Hell Valley, at the foot of the mountain, is the centre of all this activity. Pilgrims, arriving here, imagined the hot springs were the gateway to the underworld and of course the stink of sulphur helped.

Since you had to walk through here to get to the summit of Mt. Tateyama, the pilgrimage symbolically represented a journey from hell to heaven. At the top, a Shinto shrine was built, where pilgrims would receive a blessing from the monks, and see it as a free ticket to the afterlife.

I visited the region last year for the Nunobashi Kanjoe Festival and am familiar with the sacred mountain but I want to explore further.

Theres a horseshoe walk starting and ending in Tateyama, taking 3-4 days, passing the Shomyo Falls, the tallest waterfall in Japan. Unfortunately, Im slightly pressed for time so take a cable car from Tateyama station up to Bijodaira, saving a few hours of hiking. In Japan trails are well marked and maintained and I have no problem finding my way.

From Midagahara the boarded pathway takes me across wetlands before plunging down to a stream. From here its a steep climb up, but chains are provided to prevent sliding down the slope. Its also extremely windy, a result of the passing typhoon, but I make it to the Tateyama Murodo hut at 2450m by early afternoon. The building is modern, but next to it is a wooden structure, erected around 300 years ago, the oldest mountain hut in Japan.

Im now close to Hell Valley, and the threat from the sulphurous fumes is enough to warrant toxicity warnings on the huts notice board.

Just nearby is the Mikurigaike Crater Lake, whose cobalt blue stillness mirrors a beautiful image of the sacred mountain. In former times, the water in the lake, known as a kitchen pond for god was used to cook food offerings for the mountain gods.

Next morning Im up at dawn, partly because I want to avoid an entire army of children who are on a school trip to the shrine at the top of the mountain. Even though its late July, patchy snowfields make the going tricky although theres a paved path up to the half way stage.

After this, its a craggy stiff scramble to the summit. Its so clear that I can make out the iconic shape of Mount Fuji, two hundred miles away.

The legend of Oyama

In front of me is the shrine of Oyama where legend says that an 8th century hunter pursued a wounded bear only to see it transform into a golden Buddha. The hunter became a priest so he could look after this sacred place and monks still live here, offering a blessing and a taste of sake to those who come to pray.

Tateyama actually has three summits, connected by a long ridge. The highest, Mt. Onanji, at 3015m, is just beyond the temple, and theres a definite sense of achievement as I take in the wonderful views. Of course youre never alone in Japan and the summit is no exception.

My fellow Japanese hikers are all wearing the latest outdoor gear, definitely overdressed in the heat. Of course everyone carries a small towel, obligatory to wipe the sweat off their brows. What I like about hiking here is that everyone is so polite, stopping to let you pass and always saying hello.

I follow the stony ridge climbing Mt. Masago, 2861m, and Mt. Bessan, 2399m, before descending to the Tsurugigozen mountain hut. I can see the turquoise crater lake and fumes rising from Jigokudani far down below.

From here I could carry on all the way back to Tateyama but time is too short. Instead I follow a twisting path which descends to the Rachiozawa campsite, on the banks of the river in Murodo.

Hell Valley

Im now definitely in Hell territory and theres a strong smell of sulphur in the air. Unfortunately the access into Jigokudani or Hell is closed, due to high levels of the poisonous gases, but there are still good views into the valley along the trail. I pass the crater lakes and a number of pools of red water in the green wetlands. They are known as Chinoike, or blood ponds, although the colour comes from the high concentration of iron oxide in the water, rather than anything diabolical.

As I arrive back at Tateyama Murodo hut, the schoolkids are back from their pilgrimage and getting ready to take the transport down. Theyve been through hell and climbed the stairway to heaven. No wonder they seem so excitable  its been a trip of a lifetime.

Fact File

GET THERE: British Airway flies direct to Tokyo from London Heathrow.

Its a two hour bullet train ride from Tokyo to Toyama, then a 25 minute bus or taxi journey to Tateyama.

STAY: The Senjusou is a traditional Japanese hotel, with communal hot spring baths, by the Tateyama cable station.

NEED TO KNOW: The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is open from May to November. The horseshoe walking trail, starting and ending in Tateyama, takes 3-4 days and its wise to take a guide.

TIP: In autumn, from the end of September to late November, the foliage is absolutely stunning, the birch leaves, a vivid yellow, and the nanakamado bushes, fiery orange and red.

Tateyama has information about the town.
MBABANE  Eswatini has dropped five places in the Ease of Business charts. The World Bank, through its 16th edition of the Ease of Doing Business Report 2019 released on Wednesday afternoon, disclosed that the kingdom was ranked at 117 out of 190 countries.



This effectively means Eswatinis business environment continues to diminish on a yearly basis when taking into consideration the fact that in 2018, the World Bank ranked the country at 112, which was a regression from the 2017 ranking of 111 out of 190 economies.



The Ease of Doing Business Report is one of the yardsticks used by investors in measuring the conduciveness of a countrys business environment. It is regarded as the best measurement by most investors. Therefore, the countrys poor ranking in this regard, put it at a competitive disadvantage in the southern African region, more so because all countries in the region scramble for the same investors.



Out of the core pillars used by the World Bank in determining the level of ease of doing business, the country dropped in six key areas namely; getting credit, dealing with construction permits, resolving insolvency, protecting investors, starting business, getting electricity and enforcing contracts (enforcing of contracts pertains to the delayed payment of suppliers).



This was the similar situation in the 2018, report where the country was ranked ninth out of 18 countries. On top was Mauritius, who was regarded as Africas fastest growing economy. It was followed by Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Seychelles, Lesotho, Namibia and Malawi, respectively.



Among members of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), who are Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland and South Africa, the kingdom was also ranked poorly. This means the business environment was not as good as the other countries.



Process



Regarding starting a business in Eswatini, the World Bank reported that starting a business in the country was still a long process as it requires 12 procedures, takes 30 days, costs 14.8 per cent of income per capita for men.



The bank said the procedures comprise of the bureaucratic and legal steps that an entrepreneur must complete to incorporate and register a new firm.

These are identified by Doing Business through collaboration with relevant local professionals and the study of laws, regulations and publicly available information on business entry in that economy, reads the report in part.



Regarding getting electricity, globally, Eswatini dropped three places. In the 2018 report, the kingdom was at 159 in the ranking of 190 economies on the ease of getting electricity. In 2017, it had been placed at position 157, which shows that it has regressed even further. Arguably, this might be due to the fact that other countries made reforms in this regard, while Eswatini did nothing.



The World Bank said the indicators reported for Eswatini were based on a set of specific procedures the steps that an entrepreneur must complete to get a warehouse connected to electricity by the local distribution utility identified by Doing Business.

In terms of paying taxes and trading across borders, the country maintained the same positions of 32 /190 and 63/190, respectively.



Doing Business is an annual report measuring the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 190 economiesfrom Afghanistan to Zimbabweand over time.



Doing Business measures regulations affecting 10 areas of the life of a business. These areas are: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.














MBABANE - All is set. The first of its kind Eswatini Fashion week is set to take place November 17 at The Hive situated in Mbabane New Mall.



This is an initiative that will now take place every six months as it aims at promoting and giving upcoming local models and designers a platform to showcase their work to the public. These shows will mainly take place in-between the transition of winter and summer seasons.



Nkosinathi Dlamini, who is the Communications Officer for the organisation, said it was intended to celebrate local designers by showcasing their various designs specific to each season.



It is hosted within, giving them an opportunity to advance their talents in return of an increase in the local fashion standards as a contribution to the growth of the Eswatini arts and culture industry in line with the national agenda of First World status by 2022,he said.



The event will kick off with a flee market which will be hosted within the New Mall premises. Fashion related merchandise will be sold to the public in various stalls.



The main event will take place in the evening where the stage and runway will be set to showcase Eswatinis best in fashion, said Dlamini.

Twenty-five models have been selected for the show, a mix of new comers and internationally experienced. Dlamini added that the will be expects to co-ordinate the function.



Sabelo Ndlela, one of the nations most veteran choreographers has been solicited for this auspicious event, joining forces with Mr Eswatini Rodney Landsberg. These powerhouses will be grooming the models to ensure the highest level of professionalism on and off the runway, he said.



On other note local designers on both national and international platforms, are invited to join the fashion week and showcase their clothing.

Eswatini Council for Arts & Culture Chief Executive Officer Stanley Dlamini said he is in full support for the fashion week.  I ensured The nation that the show is not just for the council and organisers, but for the youth of Eswatini to help them accomplish their dreams of turning fashion into sustainable businesses, said Dlamini.



He also encouraged local businesses to partner with the fashion week as corporate social responsibility and also engage the talents showcasing on the day in future business ventures.
MBABANE - The countdown to Eswatinis biggest arts and music awards show, the MTN SWAMAs, has officially begun.



The MTN Swaziland Arts and Music Awards (SWAMA) 2018 aims to celebrate and recognise artists whove contributed to the growth of the arts industry in the Kingdom of Eswatini. With voting formally being closed at midnight on Wednesday, artists are now geared up for the yellow carpet event, to take place at the Royal Swazi Spa Convention Centre on December 1.



A whopping 27 552 votes were received since the beginning of the voting process. Of those, 7 278 were submitted on October 31 alone; making it the busiest day since voting began in July this year.

The highlight of the voting process has been the consistent good performance of new categories, with Best House Artist leading ever since voting was opened. The Song of the Year category, which is wholly reliant on the public votes, made a dramatic improvement over the past few weeks.



SWAMA PRO, Thabile Mdluli, said they were now focusing on the next step of the prestigious awards ceremony.

The next step is the adjudication process; which will begin in a few days. This is a thorough process that involves combing through every vote. Results will be audited by an independent audit firm. Judges have 60 per cent voting power, while the public vote contributes 40 per cent, she said.



Rap artist King Terry thanked his fans for pumping in votes for him. He further thanked the whole nation for making sure the arts industry is developed through its immense support.

DJ Njebza said they were what they are today because of the people who constantly support them through such platforms.



I thank everyone for appreciating my music. This will not only help me get closer to the award but it will also grow my brand to greater heights, he said.

Last year, the award went to local Jazz band Quad Element, who will be opening their arts joint Encrypto Arts Lounge tomorrow.



On another note, Kwaito band Immortal 7 started the week on a high note following a surprise gift from Siphofaneni Indvuna Yenkhundla Mzimela Simelane.



Donated



Simelane donated a sum of E500 to the experienced kwaito outfit. The money acted as a donation for his MTN SWAMA awards votes.

The double nominated award-wining giants also originate from Siphofaneni, in Madlenya. Immortal 7 confirmed the donation, while adding they received it on Tuesday through the Mobile Money platform. The donation was sent to the founder of the group, Banele Fash Sithole.
MBABANE  The Royal Commission has to reduce the pay of politicians by not more than 35 per cent, an economist has opined.



The economist, who gave the interview on condition of anonymity, said being in politics should not be a scoop in terms of employment. He said being in office should be about serving the people and consider their basic well-being.



Look at our economy, there is a shortage of a number of things and government is actually contributing to high unemployment by failing to pay its suppliers. So, let the Royal Commission reduce their remuneration by 25 to 35 per cent, he said.



The economist said politicians had to consider the size of the economy before demanding exorbitant packages while the taxpayer suffers. He noted that given the provisions articulated in Finance Circular No. 2 of 2013, there should be a guideline for the Royal Commission when reviewing the salaries of the politicians. A reduction of salaries is essential and justified.



He said it was ridiculous that the previous Cabinet ministers were paid higher than Lesothos prime minister; yet the two countries had the lowest GDP in SADC. Lesothos GDP stands at 2.639 billion USD (2017) which is equivalent to E38.194 trillion.



burden



He said the economy could grow much faster if the burden of government was reduced through pay cuts for politicians. He said this followed that most salary increments for politicians had reflected a negative economic impact. Look at the chaos in government institutions, it shows the disparity of the economy brought by the high wage bill which was inflated by the politicians high pay.

He punched holes in the criterion used to set the exorbitant exit packages and opined that such should not be repeated. Another economist, from a reputable banking institution, said a decision to implement a pay cut by the Royal Commission would be welcome.



majority



He also noted that such would minimise the obscene wages in comparison to regular citizens. While a majority of the population lives on less than E20 per day, the ex-legislators earned over E46 000 monthly. In the absence of a circular detailing the remuneration for the 11th Parliament, the same could be received by the incoming politicians at the end of this month.
By Trend





Armenia is being further isolated in the region, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Committee for International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations Samad Seyidov told Trend on Nov. 2.

Armenias policy does not inspire confidence in anyone, Seyidov, who is also head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, said.

The Pashinyan government is trying to pursue policy that serves the interests of Armenia, however, the more it tries, the more Armenia is being isolated in the region, he said. In fact, Armenias regional ties are being ruined.

"This is a paradox, as no matter how Armenia tries to change the situation in the region in its favour, in reality it only becomes worse for itself. And the reason is that Armenias political course is fundamentally wrong, he said.

Armenia must recognize that all its problems are the result of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their lands as a result of the policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Azerbaijanis," Seyidov added.

The current processes in the region are in favor of Azerbaijan and the recent events in Armenia create a strong basis for such a conclusion, he added. In this regard, I would like to cite a few specific facts. A few days ago, Istanbul hosted meetings of foreign ministers of the regional countries in a trilateral format. A meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia was held on October 29, while a meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran - on October 30.

Seyidov stressed that respect and support for the principles of international law, in particular, sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of internationally recognized borders, a specific and principled position on resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on these principles have been once again outlined in the Istanbul declarations, signed at both meetings of the trilateral format.

"In these declarations, the regional countries, in particular the Iranian side, expressed open support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, made an appeal to resolve the conflict on the basis of these principles," he said.

Seyidov stressed that Armenia is always trying to harm the Azerbaijan-Iran relations and use it in its own interests.

"However, it is obvious that all the leading countries of the region, namely, Turkey, Iran, Georgia call for resolving the conflict specifically within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and confirm that in the above-mentioned declarations," he said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.








By Trend

Turkmen government is ready to host the second UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference in Ashgabat, said Aksoltan Ataeva, permanent representative of Turkmenistan to the UN, at a joint event with the international organization, Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a message.

The first UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference was held in Ashgabat in November 2016.

Recently, at the initiative of the Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to the UN, together with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), a round table meeting was held on the issues of sustainable transport and mobility for all.

The event took place with the participation of the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and the Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), the World Bank and the International Center for Transport Diplomacy (ICTD). The event was attended by the heads of the UN secretariat, representatives of regional commissions, permanent representatives and diplomats of missions of the UN member states, representatives of non-governmental and public organizations.

Ataeva informed that after the conference held in Ashgabat certain work was done in the sustainable transport development.

In particular, a five-sided agreement was signed on the creation of the Lapis Lazuli transport corridor, the opening of the international sea port in Turkmenbashi took place, and a resolution of the UN General Assembly on sustainable transport was adopted.

Ashgabat is involved in a number of large-scale transport projects. The Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railways, automobile and railway bridges across the Amudarya River, airports, highways, international sea port of Turkmenbashi are the important links in the international transport network in the region.
By Trend





Iran's non-oil exports in the seven months of the current year exceeded $27 billion, reaching $ 27.22 billion, Foroud Asgari, Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said according to ILNA.

"At the same time, the definitive amount of goods imported to Iran was about 18 million tons worth $26 billion," he said.

"Iran's major export items during this period were gas condensate valued at $2.718 billion, liquefied propane worth $1.224 billion, other light oils and products except gasoline worth $980, methanol worth $849 million and Polyethylene film grade was worth $691 million," Asgari said.

According to Iran's Customs Administration, the Major import items during this period included livestock corn, car parts, soybeans, and a coal-fired electrodes for furnaces.

"During this period, the main export destinations of Iran is Iraq, China, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, and India respectively," he said.

This data shows Iran's main import partners in recent 7 months, sorted by their share in total imports are China, the United Arab, South Korea, India, and Germany.
People living in faraway areas to watch performances of the National Theatre free of charge, broadcast live at local indoor spaces

Hellenic Parliament and the National Theatre of Greece signed a deal that aims to bring the theatre closer to people throughout the country, even those living in its remotest areas.

Parliament Secretary General Konstantinos Athanasiou and National Theatre Artistic Director Stathis Livathinos signed an agreement launching an initiative called National Theatre live in cooperation with the Hellenic Parliament TV, which will enable people living in faraway areas to watch performances of the National Theatre free of charge, broadcast live at local indoor spaces.

Read more at greekcitytimes.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: Dimboukas License: CC-BY-SA
Britain's Ambassador to Greece Kate Smith and Deputy Director of the National Crime Agency (NCA) in Britain Tom Dowdall stressed the close and effective cooperation between the Greek and British security authorities in tackling organized crime, combating terrorism and smuggling, ANA reports.

"The cooperation we have developed with the Greek security and justice authorities is an important aspect of the Embassy's work with real, tangible value for the security of Greeks, Britons and the whole of Europe," British Ambassador Kate Smith noted in a special an event that took place at the ambassador's residence on Tuesday, November 30, in the presence of the Minister of Migration Policy Dimitris Vitsas.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
The award is presented every year to a person or organization that has exemplified by actions a concern for the basic rights and religious freedom of all people

Greek Americans Father Alex and presbytera Xanthi were honored on October 27 as the 2018 recipients of the Athenagoras Human Rights Award in a ceremony organized in New York.

The award is presented every year to a person or organization that has exemplified by actions a concern for the basic rights and religious freedom of all people.

US President Donald Trump acknowledged in a letter their exceptional contribution to their Greek Orthodox community in the United States.

Former Vice President of the US Joe Biden also delivered remarks on the two honorees.

The award was presented by the Order of Saint Andrew, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople.

Read more at ekathimerini.com

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Pieter Jongerhuis / Anefo License: CC-BY-SA
The eastern coast of the Greek mainland, along with Crete and the Aegean islands, are projected to go through 20 additional days of drought

Greeces average temperatures during the summer months have risen by more than four degrees Celsius in a period of 100 years, according to Professor of Geology Christos Zerefos, chief of the Research Center for Atmospheric Physics & Climatology of the Academy of Athens.

In a seminar that was held on Tuesday, Zerefos added that the people of Greece have not learned how to live with extreme weather conditions, stating that People live with earthquakes but are not used to living with extreme weather conditions.

According to figures compiled by the Research Center, cold evenings during the winter have decreased fivefold in recent decades, while the number of summer heat waves has increased.

As for the issue of precipitation, the news is not positive either.

The eastern coast of the Greek mainland, along with Crete and the Aegean islands, are projected to suffer from 20 additional days of drought in the period between 2021-2050, as well as 40 additional days between 2071-2100.

The predominantly wet western portion of Greece is expected to see a drop in the number of rainy days as well.

Greeces north is expected to be hit by droughts too, but at a lower intensity. These conditions will result in Greeces wildfires becoming larger and much more frequent, according to Zerefos.

During the seminar, Efthimios Lekkas, a professor in the Department of Dynamic, Tectonic and Applied Geology of the University of Athens, called for the creation of a new state organization that will be responsible for disasters caused by extreme weather conditions, such as floods and wildfires. He referred to the recent catastrophic floods in the town of Mandra, outside of Athens, a region which had rarely experienced such events. Lekkas described these occurrences as a hydro-meteorological bomb that had not appeared in Greece for over 100 years.

Read more at Nick Kampouris/greekreporter

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
Gas and oil drilling in the Ionian Sea, and more specifically in the Gulf of Patras and Katakolo, will begin in 2019, Yiannis Bassias, president of the Hellenic Hydrocarbon Resources Management S.A. (HHRM S.A.) said in an event on Tuesday.

A campaign is also underway for the promotion of marine areas in Greece's Ionian Sea and Crete island.

In the West Patras Gulf, the consortium of Greek Petroleum and Edison is planning the first of the two to five exploration drills to follow in 2019. In Katakolo, a region that has been assigned to Energean, there are confirmed stocks of 10.5 million barrels. Production drilling will also be carried out next year with the view to start the production in 2020.

Greeces Ionian Sea along with the south of Crete region are unexplored. The prospective basins consist of carbonate platforms and transition zones to the east toward continental Greece.

Exploration in this frontier region will be assisted by nearby ports in Igoumenitsa, Astakos, and Patras. Entrepreneurs in Greece are also involved in secondary and tertiary service during this exploration phase, according to Bassias.

In 2013, a tender for blocks offshore Crete received no bids, but subsequent discovery of the giant Zohr field in offshore Egypt raised interest in the area. Similar geological structures were identified in nearby Cyprus and Crete.

The existence of two petroleum systems-clastic Nile Delta and carbonate reefs-has changed the view of these types of plays in Greeces deepwater areas, Bassias told Oil and Gas Journal.

The Ionian Sea contains a huge amount of carbonate reefs. Traditionally, these play types require a lot of surface to offer large reservoirs. But Greece offers a compacted, highly folded carbonate environment with potentially high reserves, according to Bassias.

Read more at greekcitytimes.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: Wknight94 talk License: CC-BY-SA
A very high-profile case involving alleged capital control violations in far-off China linked with property purchases in Greece, combining the export of capital via POS transactions with the local "Golden Visa" program, suddenly shifted attention to the recently resurrected urban real estate market in the recession-battered country.

Reports that China central bank authorities are investigating up to 40 million euros worth of property purchases in Greece by Chinese citizens through a company set up by a top Greek retailer's executive vice-president sent ripples through the market, and reportedly generated an initial probe by a Greek prosecutor.

However, the president of the federation of Greek realtors, Ioannis Revithis, on Wednesday said there was "no surprise in the sector over the specific 'pyramid' in transactions between Chinese buyers and the well-known businessman."

According to Revithis, the case is not unique.

"It's well known to all that certain groups of people, in cooperation with Chinese brokers, purchased numerous apartments (usually in the greater Athens) for dirt cheap prices, which they later transferred to individual Chinese citizens, earning thousands of euros through this process, and with the final buyers also picking up a residence visa in our country," he pointed out.

He also clarified how, in his view, the multiple property transaction scheme, one linked to the "Golden Visa" program, works.

"... Chinese (broker) agencies would purchases numerous residences (in central Athens) at prices significantly lower than 250,000 euros... in other words, at their real market value," Revithis noted, citing the figure needed to apply for the specific residency visa program in Greece.

"... in turn, they (brokers) would find an individual Chinese buyer, who, for instance, would pay 250,000 euros for an apartment worth 100,000 euros, so that the transaction would be declared to (Greek tax) authorities in order to receive the 'Golden Visa'. Afterwards, after retaining a portion of the transaction price as its commission, the broker would return a previously agreed-to sum (the difference between the declared 250K payment with the real market value) to the buyer back in China, money appearing as 'profit' by the Chinese broker's Greek subsidiary."

Revithis added the level of the commission was not known, but said it was very high.

The case first revolved now resigned Jumbo group executive Evangelos Papaevangelou, who submitted his resignation from the company's board of directors a day earlier. Jumbo is one of the largest toy and children's retailers in southeast Europe.

Papaevangelou has established a real estate holding and management company over the recent period - totally separate from Jumbo - that aggressively entered in the property sector in the east Mediterranean country, as well as in bidding in e-auctions.

Regulators in Beijing are focusing on POS payments - through Greek banks - by PRC nationals to acquire property in Greece, thereby taking advantage of the visa program.

Read more at naftemporiki.gr

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Lemur12 License: CC-BY-SA
An economic prosecutor has been ordered to carry out a preliminary investigation into the case

The Athens-based company currently at the center of scrutiny over alleged Chinese capital control violations linked with residency visa-granting property purchases in Greece on Thursday decried what it called inaccurate information and malicious comments against it.

Destiny Investment, established and owned by Greek executive Evangelos Papaevangelou, noted the obvious goal for certain parties is to create confusion in public opinion and to undermine the companys reputation.

An economic prosecutor has been ordered to carry out a preliminary investigation into the case, while National Bank of Greece on Wednesday said it has stopped the POS transfer of funds between China and the company, while also notifying authorities.

Papaevangelous resignation from the board of retailer Jumbo was accepted on Wednesday. The latter, one of the biggest toy and childrens retailers in SE Europe, also issued an announcement saying it has no involvement whatsoever in its former vice-presidents other business activity.

Read more at naftemporiki.gr

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Marcus Cyron License: CC-BY-SA
Over 600 experts from across the energy infrastructure ecosystem including government officials, Chinese engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company representatives, project end-users, and financiers attended a GE-hosted event in China.



The China for the World 2018 Energy Infrastructure Cooperation Forum was held in Beijing, said a statement.



Now in its fifth year, the forum is Chinas first private-sector event where global experts gather to share insights and opportunities and explore how to best bring lasting benefits to communities in Belt and Road countries, it said.



In a special breakout session, participants were invited to discuss views on the current and potential impact of Belt and Road initiatives in the Middle East, North Africa (Mena) and Pakistan.



A highlight of the session was a panel discussion on Powering Iraq, where participants explored market developments, project models, and financing mechanisms to unlock the potential benefits that Belt and Road initiatives can bring to the country.



Iraq has a strategic location along a key artery of the Belt and Road Initiative, which is further underpinned by the growth in oil trade with China. As Iraq looks to ramp up its electricity infrastructure, China and global technology providers can support its reconstruction efforts with win-win collaborations for all parties.



Nabil Habayeb, president and chief executive officer of GE Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, said: Delivering power and real economic benefits to communities in our region requires collaborations that bring together industry-leading technology, engineering, and financing capabilities through multiple players.



We also need to innovate new business models and new ways of working across geographies, which allows us to develop the appropriate energy infrastructure for each country. GE is honoured and excited to work with our customers, partners and other stakeholders to drive further cooperation in building the energy infrastructure ecosystem of the future, he added.



Since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched, nearly 100 countries and international institutes have pledged support and gotten involved in growing the markets along the Belt and Road, with many landmark projects successfully completed or underway. Since GE started working with Chinese EPCs more than 20 years ago, it has delivered over 35 gigawatts (GW) of power to developing markets through these partnerships, with an additional 20 GW worth of power underway or pledged based on orders through the first half of 2018.



A demo area at the forum presented over a dozen standout projects including the Hassyan Clean Coal Project in Dubai, UAE, and Bhikki combined cycle power plant in Pakistan. The flagship Hassyan project is the Middle Easts first clean coal plant with ultra-supercritical coal technology and GEs advanced environmental control systems, as well as financing from the Silk Road Fund. Bhikki is noteworthy for being the first project in Asia to use GEs 9HA gas turbine units, adding up to 1,180 megawatts (MW) to the national grid, the equivalent electricity needed to supply up to 2.4 million Pakistani homes.



Past iterations of the China for the World Forum discussed building an ecosystem of shared knowledge between partners working together on projects in Belt and Road regions. This includes the spread of knowledge through trainings, as well as new models of working.



Meanwhile, new ways of working proposed through the forum included joint market development, joint financing, and joint operation. These efforts ensure that projects generate long-term benefits for local markets; that enterprises are able to tap into capital markets in China and share global financing resources; and that EPCs can partake in the operations of new facilities  taking an increased stake following construction, which increases the chances of financing.



Bringing together technical know-how with a wide range of perspectives and experiences on working in global markets, participants in the China for the World 2018 Energy Infrastructure Cooperation Forum look forward to delivering power solutions to the markets that need it most to grow, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Bitcoin Ten Years Later and What is Yet to Come

Ten years ago Wednesday (October 31st) someone going by the name Satoshi Nakamoto published a paper titled Bitcoin: A Peer to Peer Electronic Cash System. The system he or she outlined went live a few months later, on January 3rd 2009. The basic idea was simplicity itself: create a monetary system that doesnt require a trusted third party intermediary like a bank. Technology  common software running on thousands of unrelated computers around the world  alone would power the publics trust.

In the last 10 years, bitcoin has been through multiple booms and busts but it is still with us. And since anniversaries are times to look both at the past, present and future, we have a list of 7 points that do just that.

#1. Bitcoins current market cap is $110 billion, and the crypto currency ecosystem it spawned is worth $203 billion. For reference:

Bitcoin is worth more than much older entities like Goldman Sachs ($83 billion, founded in 1869) or Morgan Stanley ($78 billion, founded in 1935).

Its market cap is still just 9% of all the $100 bills in circulation ($1,252 billion) or 17% of all 100  500 euro notes outstanding.

#2. Bitcoins rapid price increase in 2016-2017 created a whole industry of other crypto currencies, and there are now just over 2,000 products listed on industry database Coinmarketcap, trading in 15,000 markets around the world. Thirteen other crypto currencies have market caps over $1 billion. All that said, bitcoin remains the industrys gorilla with 54% of total market value.

#3. Bitcoins appeal is global, with top Google search traffic over the last year coming from South Africa, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Australia and Ghana. No surprise, but current global search trends are a shadow of their late December peaks, down 92% and still heading lower.

Bitcoins utility in countries where the banking system or even government are less than stable is something that crypto currencies first-world critics usually miss. They tend to assume that everyone has ready access to a stable local currency guided by a responsible central bank with legal protections against the arbitrary seizure of personal property. Spoiler alert: they dont.

#4. There are 29.7 million bitcoin wallets in existence, a tiny fraction of the estimated 2.5 billion smartphone users in the world. Thats the most important statistic to understand both the opportunity and problem with crypto currencies just now. Mobile payments are the future  thats easy enough to see and bitcoin is mobile-ready. But right now virtually all global mobile money transfers hook up to the traditional banking system. For bitcoin and other cryptos to gain real traction, they need to offer great convenience/utility than dollar, euro, or yen-based payments.

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A scientific-practical conference marking the 25th anniversary of introduction of the Turkmen Manat was held in Ashgabat. The conference brought together workers of Turkmenistans financial sphere.

The forum heard the reports on the history of Turkmen numismatics, changes in the banking system of the country and cooperation with international financial institutions. Speakers emphasized the importance of putting into circulation of the national currency on 1 November 1993 that contributed to establishing market relations and a stable and competitive banking system in the country. As was noted, the introduction of the national currency allowed Turkmenistan to ensure the conduct of an independent monetary policy and obtain genuine economic sovereignty.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
UNHCR staff give recently arrived Venezuelans in the Peruvian city of Tumbes advice on their rights and health screening.  UNHCR/Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, reinforced its response at crucial border points in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia this week as thousands of refugees and migrants from Venezuela rushed into Peru ahead of a deadline for seeking Temporary Stay Permits.

On Wednesday, the number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants entering Peru from Ecuador at the main Tumbes border crossing peaked at more than 6,700 people in a single day, more than three times the level of just two weeks ago. Peru is now home to an estimated half a million Venezuelans.

Venezuelans crossing into Ecuador from Colombia via the Rumichaca and San Miguel border crossings also increased in October. Some 97,500 arrivals were registered over the course of the month.

The main reason for the surge in arrivals to Peru seems to have been a 31 October deadline for applying for a Temporary Stay Permit. This permit gives Venezuelans the right to work in Peru and access to health and education services. The Peruvian authorities announced that only those Venezuelans who entered the country before 31 October 2018 would be allowed to apply. Those eligible will be able to submit applications until December. Over 100,000 Venezuelans have already obtained the Temporary Stay Permit.

Earlier this week, Venezuelans waited in line for two to three days to complete the required border formalities, including immigration procedures and mandatory vaccinations. Thousands of people were sleeping in the open and many required medical assistance and food. The Peruvian authorities, UNHCR and its partners worked to quickly scale-up the response. In addition, strong coordination is in place between UNHCR offices in Peru and Ecuador to respond to the urgent needs of arriving Venezuelans.

In Peru, UNHCR has reinforced its presence in Tumbes with additional staff to help coordinate the response, increase protection coverage and identify and assist persons with specific needs, such as unaccompanied and separated children. Venezuelans who formally apply for asylum in Peru continue to be admitted at the border, although it appears the arrivals are falling. In Tumbes, the Peruvian authorities are processing some 1,000 asylum requests per day. Since 29 October, the Special Commission for Refugees (CEPR) has been working 24 hours a day in order to deal with the upsurge in applications. Over 150,000 Venezuelans have applied for asylum in Peru since 2014.

UNHCR has donated laptops and other equipment to Perus immigration authorities in order to speed up border formalities and cut waiting time. UNHCR has also provided financial resources for the deployment of additional government officials to bolster the capacity of the Special Commission for Refugees at the border.

Together with our partner Encuentros, UNHCR distributed hundreds of relief items and provided cash based assistance to vulnerable individuals and families. In addition, UNHCR installed 50 chemical toilets at the border. A new medical space was set-up to attend emergency cases. Currently, an average of 250 people are assisted daily by our partner IFRC but more are in need of care. IOM and UNHCR are sending volunteers to provide orientation and information to arriving Venezuelans.

ECUADOR

UNHCR has also reinforced its response in Ecuador to provide protection and assistance to refugees and migrants from Venezuela. UNHCR teams are at the northern and southern borders providing orientation to arriving Venezuelan families, identifying cases with specific protection needs and referring them to services and programmes implemented by the state and UNHCR partners.

Over the weekend, food packages and essential relief items were distributed to some 1,500 vulnerable persons in the Rumichaca area. Also at the Colombia border, extremely vulnerable cases have been supported through cash assistance and hundreds of relief items have been distributed near San Miguel, and at Huaquillas on the border with Peru. Vulnerable families are identified and supported with temporary accommodation while they complete migratory entry procedures.

COLOMBIA

In Colombia, to respond to the increase of departures towards Ecuador, UNHCR and partners have deployed teams to the border to provide assistance, delivering hot meals, blankets and kits for children, as well as information and orientation to Venezuelans on their way to Ecuador.

Governments in the region and ordinary citizens have demonstrated generosity and solidarity with the refugees and migrants from Venezuela. However, essential services and infrastructure in the receiving communities are being impacted by the volume of arrivals and it is becoming increasingly difficult to respond to all the needs. More support from the international community is more needed than ever.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Delhi Chief Electoral Office organises online pledge for students to raise awareness about voting 20 Nov 2021 | 6:58 PM New Delhi, Nov 20 (UNI) As a part of an ongoing Special Summary Revision, the Delhi Chief Electoral Office, in collaboration with the Directorate of Education, organised an online pledge for students to raise voters' awareness, a statement said. see more..

Joint account not mandatory for family pension: Minister 20 Nov 2021 | 6:47 PM New Delhi, Nov 20 (UNI) Joint Bank Account is not mandatory for Spouse Pension, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who is also in charge of Department of Pensions, clarified on Saturday. see more..
OSCE missions drone shot down in Ukraine

Kiev, Nov 2 (UNI) Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine likely shot down a drone being used by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) monitoring mission, said Germany and France in a joint statement, demanding that those responsible be held accountable.

Germany and France, which have been working with Moscow and Kyiv as part of the so-called Normandy Format to bring an end to the conflict, said the drone operated by the OSCEs Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) disappeared in the early hours of October 27.

The incident occurred while the long-range drone was following a convoy of trucks near the town of Nyzhnokrynske close to the Russia-Ukraine border, an area controlled by the separatists, the statement said.
New Delhi, Nov 2 (UNI) Delhi Police have arrested three people, including the deceased's husband, for allegedly killing a government school teacher in Bawana a couple of days ago, police said.

Thirty-eight year-old Sunita, was declared brought dead at a hospital, after being shot thrice on her way to school on Monday morning.

The reason behind the killing is believed to be the deceased's husband Manjeet's alleged affair with another woman named Angel Gupta.
Trump announces new sanctions against Venezuela

Washington, Nov 2 (UNI) US President Donald Trump has ordered new sanctions against Venezuela, aiming to disrupt the country's gold exports.

The announcement came on Thursday in the middle of a speech by National Security Adviser John Bolton on the current state of US relationships with South America in Miami.

Labeling the three nations as "the troika of tyranny in this hemisphere," Bolton accused Cuba of helping Venezuela, saying the State Department will sanction over two dozen entities owned or controlled by the Cuban military and intelligence services, with which US nationals are barred from doing business, Qatar News Agency reported.
GLO.ACT raises awareness among community leaders on TIP & SOM in Mali

West Africa is affected by many threats and criminal activities. In Mali, the porous borders along with political, economic and social instability contribute to the development of criminal networks and illicit activities such as firearms trafficking, drug trafficking, smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons. Trafficking in persons is the third largest illegal activity in the world after drug and arms trafficking. Smuggling of migrants is also particularly present in the Sahel region.

From 2 to 4 October 2018, in the framework of the UNODC GLO.ACT project, a training and sensitization workshop for community leaders was organized in Bamako, Mali. The training brought together 40 participants, including 14 women, from all regions of Mali (Koulikoro, Sikasso, Segou, Mopti, Gao, Timbuktu and Bamako) to sensitize them and include them in national efforts to control trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. The workshop aired the UNODC film "The White Horse" on the exploitation of child begging. This tool enabled participants to become aware of the various forms of trafficking in persons, in particular the begging of talibe children, and to understand the difference between trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.

Traditional leaders play a key role in communities, particularly through their involvement in resolving disputes through traditional courts. As the victims' (or the victim's family's) first interlocutors, their awareness on this issue is crucial for the protection and reintegration of victims in the Malian society. In fact, the objective of this awareness raising session is that traditional leaders will be able to transmit their acquired knowledge through meetings organized at local level and promote safer migration options in order to combat smuggling of migrants.

Through its regional office based in Senegal and its 10 country offices based in the region, UNODC is implementing its Regional Strategy to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Migrant Trafficking (2015-2020) in West and Central Africa. The GLO.ACT project comprises 13 core countries, including Mali, and is a joint initiative of the European Union (EU) and UNODC, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Development Fund (UN). Childhood (UNICEF). The GLO.ACT project (2015-2019) is a global action to implement national strategic efforts to combat trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.

GLO.ACT is a four-year (2015-2019), 11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to assist to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including assisting victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.

For more information:

Definitions and tools on trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling

UNODC Regional Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants 2015-2020

GLO.ACT

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Moulaye Arby

GLO.ACT National Project Officer for Mali

moulaye.arby@un.org

www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/

glo.act@un.org

Twitter: @glo_act


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Pax in pectore belli iacet [1]

The influential Council on Foreign Relations journal, Foreign Affairs, has just crudely exposed the current debate on a nuclear war that the US could let unfurl against Russia and China [2].

First, there is the article by Elbridge Colby, one of the main authors of the Pentagons National Defense Strategy [3]. This declares that the war currently being waged against terrorism will come to an end and the Great Powers will once again compete inter se. The motto is: if you want peace, prepare yourself for nuclear war [4].

Colby, Joint Under Secretary in charge of strategy and developing the force, provides: all confrontation with Russia and China could become nuclear if during the a battle that is becoming tougher and more uncertain, each fighter was tempted to seize his nuclear sword to test the resolve of his adversary, to rise to the challenge, or quite simply to be able to continue the fight.

Colbys logic is that the best way to avoid a nuclear war is to get ready to deliver a limited one (sic); and the US is ready to carry out effective, contained nuclear operations (sic).

Andre Damon, from the Trotskyite website WSWS [5] revisits Trumps threat to withdraw the US from the INF Treaty (Treaty on Medium Range Nuclear Weapons) [6], that prohibits the US and Russia from developing missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 km.

Damon considers that Trumps threat endangers the lives of millions of people in Europe and East Asia by planning a cross fire against Peking and Moscow. And the USA does not hide its desire to have total discretion in its use of nuclear weapons in its wars so that it can conquer its adversaries.

Damon adds that these plans are made in secret with the complicity of the New York Times and the Democratic Party which has stayed almost silent on the consequences and danger of a World War.

George Shultz, the powerful Secretary of State when Republican Ronald Raegan was the US President, defends the INF: we have to preserve this nuclear treaty [7].

Shultz remarks that nuclear weapons pose a threat to the whole world and pro ceeds to defend Ronald Raegan then the Republican President, and Mikhail Gorbatchov, the leader of the former USSR signing the Treaty in 1987 [8].

He criticizes Trumps threats to abandon the INF, threats based on the pretext that Russia has violated it. Shultz exploits the occasion to invite other countries to sign up to the treaty and to resist the US temptation to develop new types of lethal weapons; he proposes that, as a preliminary step, a meeting of experts from the US and Russia be held to discuss possible violations.

At the time, the treaty provoked a high degree of sceptism but George Schultz sustains it has been possible to carry out extensive on site inspections to check that all the weapons that had been banned, had been eliminated and that by 1992, some 2,700 missiles had been destroyed [9].

On this subject Shultz cites a key phrase that Tsar Vlady Putin uttered a year ago: if someone asked me if nuclear disarmament is possible or not, I will say yes it is. Is it the case that Russia desires universal nuclear disarmament? The response once again is yes, if Russia desires it and is going to work for it.

Shultz recalls that the Revision of the US Nuclear position [10] provided: the US remains committed to its efforts to support global elimination of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

The US has reduced its nuclear reserves to 85% of what it had during the Cold War, and it has not deployed new nuclear capacities for more than two decades [11]. Ronald Raegans Secretary of State concludes that now is not the time to build massive arsenals of nuclear weapons. Now is the time to eliminate this threat from the whole world.

The worst would be to think that Russia and China are going to wait with their arms folded.
Keeley Hawes. Photo: Getty Images

Spoilers below for Bodyguard and its ending.

Please dont ask Keeley Hawes if shes dead. The British actress is the star of Bodyguard  the BBC crime thriller that became a massive sensation in the U.K. before landing on Netflix last month  and if theres one thing thats quite worrying to her about the shows skyrocketing popularity, its that question. Lets get this into perspective, people, she says. Its quite odd, because people keep asking me if Im dead.

In the series, exGame of Thrones star Richard Madden serves as the stoic guardian to Hawess conservative Home Secretary Julia Montague, up until the moment  again, spoilers! when she gets blown up by a terrorist. Though Julias death was a shock to everyone watching the show, Hawes promises that she knew it was going to happen ahead of time, and was excited about the idea. Julia Montague is definitely dead, but Keeley Hawes is very much alive, and she caught up with Vulture over the phone to talk about reuniting with Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio after working together on the U.K. police procedural Line of Duty, how the shows French director helped her approach those intense sex scenes with Madden, and what it was like to watch Bodyguard become ridiculously popular.

We have to talk about this first: You die halfway through the show! Did you know that Julia Montague was going to die when you signed on?

Oh yes, I did. I did another show with Jed Mercurio called Line of Duty and he killed me in that, too. Hes getting in the habit of that. I was only supposed to be in one [season] and then he asked me to go back. And I went back, but we didnt tell anybody, so it was a really great surprise. So I think people in this country thought, Oh, he wont do that again.

Its a story about this bodyguard looking after this very powerful woman and it just pulls the rug out from the viewer. Then you dont know where you are because then nobodys safe. If one of your leads is blown up in front of you, then it makes for really compelling viewing. He takes risks, and there isnt really anybody else like him here. I love working with Jed and we had such a nice time. I happily would have worked with Richard forever, but, you know 

I kept thinking, Oh, she cant be dead. I havent seen the funeral yet. Maybe shell come back. Did people ask you if it was a fake out as it aired in the UK?

Constantly. It was incredible. The reaction here was incredible. I personally havent known anything else like it. It was just a really exciting thing to be part of. People were asking the prime minister her views on it. She was giving her view and it was like, Wow, this is extraordinary.

So yes, I was suddenly very, very popular. People asked me if I was really dead. It was quite worrying, Is Keeley really dead? No! Is Julia really dead? Lets get this into perspective, people. Its quite odd, because people keep asking me if Im dead.

In those first few episodes, the relationship between Julia and David is so compelling. Julia is in control, but then she has to cede control to her bodyguard. And theyre completely at odds politically. How did you two approach playing that?

We didnt do a chemistry read. Id never met Richard until we arrived at the read-through. We were just thrown into this thing together. It couldnt have been better, as far as Im concerned. We just got on so well. I would highly recommend working with Richard Madden.

We work in the same way, which is really helpful, in that we both take it seriously  yes, its our job  but when youre working on something that can be very, very intense, its great to keep it light on set. We laughed all the time. I think it always helps when you get on well with the people that youre working with, but especially for this relationship. You have to believe that they do have feelings for each other, that theyre not just playing each other.

Theres something so perfect about the way he says Maam to Julia.

It sounds like Mum, doesnt it? In an American accent.

Yeah, it sort of becomes Freudian.

Theres a whole other aspect that we have no idea about. Its so funny. Theres a compilation with how many times he says Maam. And its something ridiculous  it goes into the hundreds or whatever. Its me with lots and lots of dialogue, and occasionally he would say, Yes, Maam.

Julia has very hawkish political views, so how did you try to find sympathy for her?

Its such a difficult job. I dont envy any politicians in any country. Its so hard what they do, looking after the safety of the country. We keep up on the news and we think we know these politicians, but actually we dont know them. They all have lives and they all go home at night, and so, trying to make her as real as possible, rather than just this face that we always see. You know, the public image. I like her as a person. I dont share her views, but I am sympathetic to her. I think that helped, and the more intimate scenes, Richard was really helpful for that.

Speaking of those intimate scenes, a lot of character dynamics come into play when the characters have sex. Julia masturbates in front of him, for instance. How did you approach those scenes?

They are directed by a Frenchman [Thomas Vincent] and I think that comes across as well. The idea is just to make them as real as possible and intimate and feel real. And real isnt always as sexy as wed like it, you know, Sex in the City. Because what looks good on camera is not necessarily real.

Especially amid the #MeToo movement, theres a greater push to ensure actors feel more comfortable filming sex on set. Did you talk about that?

Its funny, were all fully clothed almost all the time  Richard might be less so  but even that was was very relaxed. Richard was very cool with it and nobody was doing anything they felt uncomfortable with. Those kind of things, theyre just awkward. Theres 15 people in the room. Its just part and parcel of the whole thing and important to tell the story.

Did you consult with any experts about the real dynamics between women politicians and their bodyguards?

We had people, yes. Jed uses a lot of experts. We had political advisors and people who had been bodyguards and that sort of thing.

Was there anything that surprised you?

No, but my husband was filming in New York and I finally had a week off, so I took my children to see him and I walked out of our hotel and there was a man standing outside like David Budd stands outside Julias door. It was the first time Ive ever seen it in the flesh. It was extraordinary. Filming it was very odd, always having somebody by your side, always having somebody there. To see it in action is really interesting.

Your husband Matthew Macfadyen was filming Succession, right? Have you watched it? Are you rooting for Tom Wambsgans?

Yeah, Tom Wambsgans is a really hot guy and I might the only person who thinks that. Hes brilliant. The cast are uniformly excellent and the writing is just exquisite. We dont often sit and watch each others shows, but I watched it and I couldnt stop. Its been a real hit over here.

One very important last question: How often do people sing I Will Always Love You to you because of Bodyguard?

I sing it a lot myself. It does follow me around, thats not a bad thing. Because its great, isnt it?
Spend 47 days in the art world with Seen. Bodys Isek Kingelez (Congolese, 19482015). Ville de Sete 3009. 2000. Photo:  Pierre Schwartz ADAGP; courtesy Musee International des Arts Modestes (MIAM), Sete, France

Bodys Isek Kingelez was born in the bitter cauldron of dying Belgian colonialism in the then Belgian Congo. In the 1970s  inspired by grandiose visions of his troubled country gloriously declaring independence in 1960, and convinced that his own art would point the way to Zaires new future  the self-described enlightened  designer, architect, sculptor, engineer, artist  small God, he set about creating a series of panoramic, kaleidoscopically colored, precisely articulated and constructed intense maquettes of what he imagined could be the shiny new cosmopolitan city of Kinshasa (formerly Leopoldville). No one has ever had a vision like this, he once said. The maquettes are part fantasia, science fiction, electric train sets, world fairs, and Borges meets stained-glass Kubla Kahn Atlantis meets futuristic Dubai (but decades before a futuristic Dubai really blossomed into being), and infused with their own utopian cosmographic mathematics and visual pleasure. Thirty-three of Kingelezs huge maquettes  dating from 1980 to 2007, some as big as boats  form a magic carpet of a show at MoMA, one that breathes freedom, tragedy, and social practice, before it was called that.

The show has been up since this summer and I dont usually wait this long to write about something. But Ive returned to the show time and time again relishing its good faith utopianism. The show is restorative, a tambourine beat all its own to remind us that if we build it, a better future might come. (It runs through January 1.)

Curated by Sarah Suzuki with Hillary Reder, the exhibition is called City Dreams. In it youll see Kingelez extending his pan-African vision to create buildings for Paris, Palestine, and a Palais dHirochima to heal the stricken Japanese people. He designed AIDS hospitals, research centers, pharmaceutical companies and in Ville do Sete  a masterpiece  a psychedelic, peninsular, canalled city from the year 3009. Everything is showy, tricked-out, and glitzy. Yet the materials and means are modest, limited mainly to paper, cardboard, plastic, cigarette packs, advertising logos and other packaging, all hand-tooled by the self-taught Kingelez using razor blades, glue, tape, and whatnot. While his overall aesthetic seems like its born out of the heroic Modernist (a little Edward Durell Stone, a little Brasilia) towers-and-boulevards Corbusian urbanism of his time, Kingelez adds Africa and reveals that there was and is more weirdness in these Western movements than its rationalist and utopian founders ever dreamed of. Here, Modernism turns rhapsodic, hysterical, even fruitcake. And capitalistic too. Kingelez model buildings are often corporate headquarters. The richer and bigger, the better. Instead of any restrictive dictum of form follows function, Kingelezs is an optical concatenation of sculptural-architectural ideas. Altogether, the maquettes tell us that in the thrilling wake of independence and before the dictatorship of Mobuto Sese Seko perverted and corrupted the dreams of this new country, Kingelez understood the content of freedom necessitated new forms.

At MoMA you should circle these models slowly, let these polychrome acropolises cast their spell, then get on one knee and peer down these grand mad boulevards lined with skyscrapers, pagodas, structures with Chartres-like flying buttresses, M.C. Escher staircases to nowhere, rocket ships, futuristic towers, waterwheels, mosques, circus tents, terraces, lotus-blossoms, painted moats, abstract statues, fenestrated pyramids, signs made of Coke cans, cantilevered constructions, cornices that morph into crowns. Its all some Las Vegas-Persian manuscript imperium of the mind.

As perfected and fantastical as these maquettes are, theyre really phantom cities. (I didnt see a parking place in the whole show.) People are never included, nor cars, no signs of life. Its like aliens left these cities here. These megalopolises reduce people to little more than performing fleas. Still, I love them because they tell us unequivocally that Kingelez wasnt an architect but an explorer of form, structure, and color; an astronaut on the outer banks of freedom; his is an aesthetics of the poverty of lesser materials infused with a rich imagination for African humanity.

In the catalogue architect David Adjaye calls Kingelezs work signifiers of architectures  that represent a dogged mining of the contemporary African psyche. Adjaye then points at the tragic side of Kingelezs vision  how the extraordinary promises brought by the 20th-century African independence movements instead of the hoped-for growth or nations  there was a crash. This is where psychosis inflicted on Africa by European colonialism enters Kingelezs cities of the mind. Adjaye calls this the deliberate naivete in Kingelezs sculptures. (A sort of proactive/aggressive defense mechanism, perhaps.) Rather than real cities Kingelez made spaces for shedding old lives, throwing aside colonialism (and its psychosis) and starting from visual, psychic and spiritual scratch. In this way its crucial to understand that Kingelez is truly making abstract art deploying the languages of geometry, structure and form to spark ideas, unleash the will, animate new selves, and fabricate distortions that get as far away as possible from the immediate past.

The exultant shock of all this is that somehow, against all odds Kingelez didnt live and die in abject obscurity. Starting in 1989 he was able to bring his message to the world when a curator of the now legendary Paris Pompidou Magiciens de la terre  a show that freely mixed insider and outsider artists  spied a picture in an African magazine of an artist standing next to one this beautiful grand construction. It was Kingelez. The curator tracked him down, placed him prominently in that show and overnight, the genius of Kingelez was recognized. So too was his resonance his vision, his understanding of the new city as a laboratory for living, engineering, and big thinking. He went on to wow biennial crowds for decades, until his death in 2015.

Forward-looking collector Jean Pigozzi owns dozens of these masterpieces. Pigozzi has already generously gifted many of these works to numerous museums. Lets hope that when the time comes that many more of these sculptures will one-day end up in public collections. What we see in Kingelez is are glorified predictive favellas  building made from the cast offs and detritus of capitalism, waste products reused, with new fanciful lives breathed into them. Its beautiful innocence and brilliant urban thinking for the future. That way Kingelezs ordered world without violence, crime, shantytowns, poverty, inequality or shame; his vision shot-through with aspiration, joy, surprise, and pleasure, will shine forth as a sheltering starting point and inspiring source of the many blessings still to come from Africa.
Homecoming Mandatory Season 1 Episode 1 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next  Photo: Jessica Brooks/Amazon Prime Video

The Gimlet podcast Homecoming is a deft experiment in audio storytelling, a narrative puzzle box constructed out of multiple timelines, heavily fussed-over sound design, and a big-name cast of performers, including Catherine Keener, David Schwimmer, Oscar Isaac, and David Cross. Its pleasures lie mostly in the tease, the little questions and clues it drops about the Homecoming program, a government-adjacent initiative ostensibly intended to help returning soldiers reacclimate to society. Its plain from the start that something is amiss  that theres another agenda afoot, and guys behind guys behind guys  but the storytelling strategy is to keep you guessing and keep luring you down the rabbit hole. If you ever find the bottom, maybe youll start getting some answers.

It turns out that podcasts like this are quite readily screen-adaptable. Unlike books, theres no need to get reductive about either the scope of the story or the interior psychology that so stubbornly resists translation. For Homecoming showrunner Sam Esmail, who is best known as the creator of the paranoid techno-thriller series Mr. Robot, the main challenges lay simply in finding the right visual language to sync up with Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloombergs podcast, and in managing a new cast, with Julia Roberts stepping in for Keener, Bobby Cannavale for Schwimmer, and Stephan James for Isaac. So far, the podcast cast has a slight edge, due mainly to Keeners performance as the flustered Heidi, a caseworker who wants to do right by these soldiers, and to a supremely, delectably dick-ish Schwimmer as the company man who chews her out over the phone. (Between this and his turn as Greenzo , NBCs power-mad environmental mascot on 30 Rock, Schwimmer clearly excels at playing a jerk.)

The first episode of Amazons Homecoming, written by Horowitz and Bloomberg and directed by Esmail, has the same sense of modest proportions as the podcast, establishing the premise and tossing out little breadcrumbs for episodes to come. Its unusual to see a serious genre series playing out in half-hour, rather than hour-long installments, but theres a lot to admire here about the sheer economy of expression. Horowitz and Bloomberg carve the story down to its barest essentials and Esmail busies himself with creating a paranoid ambience and tucking in minor visual clues that will presumably pay off later. The shows visual texture isnt dissimilar to that of Mr. Robot, really, with the same ominous feeling of a world where nefarious, conspiratorial forces are calling the shots.

As Heidi Bergman, a caseworker at a secret government facility in Tampa, Florida, Robertss performance doesnt have the coarse edges of Keeners, but she does project a willfulness and a commitment to the job that serves the character well. In Mandatory, shes stepping into an office thats not hers  the fish tank is soothing but not a design touch shed have chosen and executing an official protocol she finds uncomfortable. As she explains to Walter Cruz, the compulsory elements of his time at Homecoming include attending group meals, workshops, and meetings with her, and it embarrasses her a little to have to read off that disclaimer. She and Walter are on the same page: She wants to help him, he wants to be helped. Only their sincere efforts are mediated and will surely be compromised.

Heidis supervisor keeps her on edge. Its almost a shame that Esmail cuts to the face of Cannavales Colin Belfast when the podcast achieves so much with his disembodied voice, as he castigates Heidi through dodgy cell phone connections across different time zones. Hes out somewhere doing important things, and his mood is one of perpetual annoyance and aggravation, as he stresses over whatever results he needs to show in order to extract more funding from the appropriations committee.

When Heidi talks about taking a more holistic approach to treating men like Walter, Colin blows his stack at that touchy-feely conceit, which runs counter to the data-mining he appears to believe is more essential. We dont know yet why Colin and the Homecoming program need this information from returning soldiers, but its clear enough that treating them isnt their highest priority.

Meanwhile, the show flashes forward to Heidi as a waitress a few years after the fact, when shes confronted at the diner shes working at by an investigator from the Department of Defense, who presses her to rehash her time at Homecoming and the circumstances of her departure. Heidis story is that she left to take care of her ailing mother, but shes evasive on the other questions, like whether her patients were voluntarily committed or whether she knew a man named Walter Cruz.

Esmail films the restaurant, Fat Morgans, like its some seaside joint at the end of the world  the farthest place Heidi could find, where no one would find her. The episode leaves the investigator standing alone on the pier without a single satisfying answer to any one of his questions. That seems like the right place to leave it.

Session Notes

 As the story unfolds, Esmail keeps leading your eye to unexplained objects and phenomena. Those yellow desk lamps being rolled into the patients rooms, for example, have an obvious significance  perhaps theyre surveillance devices.

 What to make of the ominous facility from which Colin is barking orders to Heidi on his cell? There seems to be some sort of clean-up going on, but what exactly is being cleaned up is unclear.

 When Alex Karpovskys Craig leads patients through a mock shoe-store job interview, it seems like precisely the sort of exercise that a legitimate program would use to get soldiers ready to return to the working world. And the violent reaction by one of the patients, who recalls a getting an infection from a poorly sized shoe, also reads as a plausible response from a patient whos experiencing PTSD. But to simulate a shoe store with a projected backdrop suggests an odd set of priorities. Why does a place like this need such sophisticated technology to help veterans?

 The matter-of-factness of the closing credit shot is a nice touch and mirrors the feeling of the podcast, which ends its episodes unemphatically. Both show and podcast are happy to let a mood linger until the story picks up again.
Does the America of House of Cards ever have any real problems that require a presidents attention? I ask because it feels like, in the six seasons of this gloomily lit program, the presidents are always mighty busy arranging fake catastrophes or exaggerating perfectly manageable problems so as to stoke public panic whenever it suits them. Which I guess is one way to handle things, but the Underwoods cant control every part of America at every single second. So wouldnt all their efforts be thwarted whenever a real terrorist brought an AR-15 to a grocery store, or a hurricane devastated a coastal region, or one of the other 10 million typical American horror stories unfolded?

Apparently no such event upsets the Claire-constructed news cycle. Claire wants this factory leak-turned-explosion in Bellport, where there were two casualties but the damage is reportedly under control, to be an all-hands-on-deck disaster. Claire all but blackmails the governor into declaring a state of emergency, a total Frank maneuver even though, she says, I promised myself I wouldnt be like him. Looks like someones lived long enough to see herself become the villain! So now the EPA and FEMA and the Ohio National Guard are converging on this humble town of Real Americans as Claires staff pointedly asks the country, Where is Shepherd Unlimited in all this?

Ah, of course: The Shepherds own the factory. This whole performance reminds me of one of my evergreen HoC questions: What do the Underwoods want? Power, okay, sure, fine  but to what end? Why does Claire want to be president? Does she have a coherent worldview? What are her politics, even? All weve ever seen Claire or Frank fight for are their own petty grievances, using huge swaths of the nation or major policies as pawns in their interpersonal skirmishes. They know you can be powerful just by being rich, right?

Anyway, Claire does this whole thing of going to the town and insisting on a tour and dramatically removing her gas mask (where is her security detail in all this?) and because no ones quite ready to drink that Bellport water yet, she feels vindicated. At the gym to which all the Bellport residents have been forced to evacuate for no godly reason, Seth, who now works for the Shepherd Freedom Foundation, is coercing people into signing up for some vaguely-defined app that will steal all their data and spy on them forever and ever. Perhaps the least plausible moment in this episode is when an average citizen stops to read the terms and conditions of this app and asks Seth what it is, exactly, hes agreeing to by signing. Said citizen later details his concerns about this app to Janine, who works for a weekly paper and is investigating ARCAS, the factory.

Annette tries to make this into a PR win, holding hands with Claire in the air, but Claire visibly flinches and tugs her hand away, accusing the Shepherd-owned factory of demonstrating a blatant disregard for human life. Annette interrupts her. As I asked in the premiere recap: would people actually be this disrespectful toward a sitting president? In public? I dont buy it  and Claire shuts her up by saying the EPAs investigative branch is moving into the Pentagon so they can use the militarys resources to figure out what went wrong. Oh, Claire also wants to know which one of you had the idea of leaving Franks ring on their bed.

CNN blows up over the Presidential Recoil, where Tom (of the Herald, not to be confused with Tom, the novelist, whom Claire murdered last season; it is unclear why these characters had to be given the same name) plays talking head alongside Seth. Tom says Claire was about to divorce Frank right before he died  and that Frank was about to be indicted. This may be an unseemly thing to say, but its quite possible that her husbands death was the presidents lucky day. May be, Tom?

Doug is watching this with his arms folded and he is EXHALING LOUDLY. His exhales, like all of his speech, are just growly sounds. In his therapy sessions  which I assume are held in dark rooms so that Doug can feel at home  Doug wonders who betrayed Frank. Later, he sneaks a call to the U.S. attorney general and tells her hes going to recant. For convoluted legal reasons, shes going to have to recuse herself from testifying against Doug. The case thats going to change your life is the prosecution of Claire Underwood.

Back in the Oval, Mark tells Claire she needs to make amends with the Shepherds. Do you want to spend the rest of your presidency defending your dead husband? Fair question! But also remember that Mark is in with the Shepherds. As we will learn later in this episode, hes really in with the Shepherds, like, making-out-in-the-coat-check-with-Annette in with them. Claire takes this under advisement but also tells Mark theyre sticking with this very nervous-seeming, bright-eyed young woman as acting press secretary, even though Mark calls her an elevated intern. Mark is rude but I cant pretend he doesnt have a point. Then I remember why I recognize her: She was friendly with novelist Tom and is the only person who asked about his whereabouts after he died.

Annette drops in on her son, Duncan, who assures her they can spin the current situation any way they want. Claire cant decide if shes Lady Macbeth or Macbeth, Annette says. Bill is so obsessed with Frank he needs to stay in his exact suite at the Hay-Adams (sound familiar?). Seth is delighted that, somehow, 50,000 people signed up for an app they explain several times throughout this episode but whose appeal I still dont understand. Its like, push alerts from the near-future? I dont know, Im sure it wont matter. The point is the Shepherds have access to a lot of information they really shouldnt get to have access to. Its this seasons Pollyhop.

At a fundraiser, Claire and Annette have a tete-a-tete in the ladies room. (Sidebar: I like Annettes dress but isnt it kind of off-season? Velvet in July?) Its just your average chat, friends catching up. Annette says, You know I slept with him once, and Claire replies, Your brother? Which is PERFECT and delicious, like Folgers in your cup. But actually, Claire knows about Frank and Annettes tryst, because those werent the sorts of secrets they kept from one another  remember, she knew all about Zoe and the rest of Franks, ah, side hustles, as he did hers  and Annette isnt all that surprised. But the best part is when she says Frank was a great kisser and all, but trash in bed. I bet it was never very different with you. Even you, the blonde goddess. YES. Why does this show ever waste Robin Wrights talents on scenes with dopey men? The chemistry she has with other women is so much more thrilling. (One of my favorite scenes on HoC is when Claire and Cathy Durant play beer pong. Memories!) They do this deep, meaningful curtsey-thing to each other and go their separate ways.

Claire heads to the prep kitchen, where Bill awaits her, just to be a dick, I guess? Claire promises to make his life a living hell. Bill just wants Claire to sign that  bill. (Did they really have to name him Bill? The naming on this show, SMDH.) He mentions Raymond Tusk. Every time someone on this show threatens to bring Raymond Tusk back into the proceedings, a piece of my spirit shrivels up and dies inside. Mostly this scene is just about Bill proving he knows stuff and that he has power over Claire. This, again, makes me wonder why Claire was ever invested in being president, if, in the world of HoC, being president is like 95 percent just doing whatever rich people tell you to do.

By the way, someone sneakily records Claire telling someone that the reign of the middle-aged white man is over, which is too bad for the Bill Shepherds of the world. In real life, damning recordings do little to derail a presidency. But perhaps this will be more consequential in the HoC universe.

Doug has escaped from the facility where I honestly did not realize he was trapped. After meeting with the USAG, Doug returns home to his precious Sadness Cave only to discover an intruder awaiting him. Claires here! She tells Doug, in a very enchanting voice, that if Cathy Durant goes away, so does this whole mess. We can do whatever we want, Doug, she says. Doug is NOT interested. When Claire tells him she plans to do good, he CACKLES. After telling Doug that LeAnns murder was all on Frank, Claire gives Doug Franks F.U. cufflinks. Now that Doug is strictly a T-shirt and hoodie kind of guy, Im not sure what she expects him to do with those. Maybe sleep with them under his pillow?

Claire holds Annettes hand and she signs the bill and does everything the Shepherds want her to do. She also tells Bill to put Franks ring back, so, guess someones got to dig up a grave again. And she meets with a doctor, in private, to hear that someones prognosis is not good. What do we think thats all about? All those cigarettes by the window coming back to haunt her? Or is Claire keeping tabs on someone elses health?

One last reveal from Claire: She tells us shes not the one who killed Frank; they werent even in bed together when it happened. Is she telling us the truth? And if she is, who killed Frank? I hope its someone interesting and not one of these new characters Im not invested in yet. More importantly: Is this entire season going to be about the man House of Cards just fired? If the cast and crew get to be rid of Kevin Spacey, why is the audience still stuck with him?
In House of Cards, as in life, everything improves when bumbling, boring men get out of the way and let formidable, complicated women take over. How much better is the second half of this episode than everything weve seen so far? Its an improvement by miles, all thanks to the welcome return of Patricia Clarksons sultry, slippery Jane and the elevation of Diane Lanes folksy-on-the-outside, lethal-underneath Annette, worthy scene partners and sometime adversaries for Robin Wrights slick, regal Claire. An honorable mention should go to Jayne Atkinson for her Cathy Durant, who did her very best to avoid getting murdered. Unlike so many Underwood victims, she escaped not once but twice  but of course, the third time was the charm. (Or was it? I feel like on HoC, its never-say-die until you see the body. But maybe Im overthinking it.)

Women are truly the best, arent they? Claire tells Judge Abruzzo, a SCOTUS hopeful she has been strong-armed into interviewing by Mark and the Shepherds. He pauses for far too long.

Brief caveat: This episode introduces two handsome men and I think it is important to acknowledge them now, because reader service. Nasser (which is pronounced like Nassar so, not a great choice, considering) is maybe a terrorist? Hes a Syrian who is in with ICO, the terrorist group that is threatening more attacks. Also, we meet Congressman Cole, whos doing extra public service just by looking so sharp in a suit. He did something stupid in his past that Doug can make go away to clear a path to the coveted job of Speaker of the House.

After he leaves, Claire vents to Mark about how she felt emasculated by Bills literal forcing of her hand on that bill. Im intrigued by Claires use of that word, emasculated. Why does someone so certain of her femininity and her power associate masculinity with strength and the taking away thereof with weakness? Isnt she above that kind of thing? Claire also reveals that she can tell Bill is sick, explaining her meeting with the doctor last episode.

Bill is one of those guys who probably sees himself as a modern Thomas Jefferson, nostalgic for an era in which he never lived, when D.C. was a small southern town (built by slaves) and not some heathen-ridden city created by a socialist overlord (FDR). Why is he pontificating to his sister? I would never let a sibling just ramble at me that way, especially if we were both billionaires. As he talks, I write in my notes: Oh, he likes states rights. Hes one of THOSE white people. Do people typically talk to each other while standing side-by-side, staring out a window? Also, that is some very sensual sister-hair-smoothing, Bill. Seth barrels in to say that Claires had three abortions, which they can use against her. Annette is not interested.

Claire meets with Cathy, who knows exactly whats up, because, to her credit, she usually does. She offers up that her memory could be erratic if Claire needs it to be  I just might forget my time in office altogether!  while Claire basically tells her not to take a think tank job thats too close to government for (Claires) comfort. Cathy responds by saying she can still feel Franks hand on her back. Hmm. Im not sure this was a smart play. And this hunch of mine is proven correct when Claire brings Jane into the fold and just straight-up puts a hit on the former secretary of state. I MEAN.

Also back in the fold: Doug, who is riding around with Claire and helping her have Cathy murdered. Everyone discusses this quite calmly. I worry about what all these drivers must know. Claire wants it to look like complications from the fall; Doug says he can get Cathys detail pulled. Claire says some hokey thing about Frank telling her she and Doug should look out for each other and I shout STOP at my screen. NO ONE CARES ABOUT FRANK ANYMORE EXCEPT THE TWO OF YOU.

Meanwhile, the Herald has been bought by Gardner Analytics, which means it has been bought by the Shepherds. Gardner Analytics has been buying up local media and owns Beltway TV, where Melody Cruz is prominently featured. Strong Sinclair vibes all around. The man on the ground is their fantastically trash son, Duncan, a nightmare millennial who dresses like the bad member of a 90s boy band. Tom goes on some crotchety rant about how no one writes stories anymore. Isnt this the same plot from when Slugline first came on the scene? Tom quits and meets with Doug, the man he called a murderer in print, to yell the names of dead people at him and beg Doug to tell him what he knows. The only person who knows everything is you.

As for the mystery of Franks death, which it appears were all supposed to care about now, the autopsy says overdose by liver medication, but Doug is not convinced.

Okay, back to the ladies. Jane arrives at the Oval to have this wonderful back and forth with Claire, in which theyre simultaneously talking about the Syrian strategy, Petrov, the Shepherds, Franks death, and God. It ends with Claire inviting Jane to move into the White House. Maybe one day later, Claire is telling Jane to have Cathy killed. Jane does not sound sold in the moment, but later she gets Cathy to meet her in a restaurant where Cathy can just TELL she is about to be killed, so she BOLTS OUT. Jane is lounging with her back to the wall, looking cool as hell, as Cathys car peels out. Cathy, queen of chutzpah, calls Jane to ream her out for this homicide attempt; Jane, sounding almost bored, says, Once a decision is made, you cant escape. Maybe it wont happen today. But someday. Cathys totally rational response: I curse you. And wish you a painful death. Drawn out and excruciating. To which Jane replies, I dont want to disappoint you. Thats not how Im going to die.

One scene later, Cathy is manhandled into the back of an SUV. By the end of the episode, Claire reports that Cathy is dead. But said death happens off-screen so we have no idea what went down. I say: YES TO ALL OF THIS. Its over-the-top but in the most entertaining and bananas and somehow still fitting way. Why did House of Cards ever star men at all?

Mark, fresh from a tryst with Annette, tells Claire to go with Abruzzo. Whatever, who cares about Mark? Lets get to the good stuff.

In the Oval, Jane and Claire are talking about Duncans past misdeeds. Some prep school drugs, a gripping transcript, charges conveniently erased from the young Shepherds record. Annette arrives in an absolutely fabulous dress and with perfect hair. I know that all these women are dangerous and vicious and immoral, etc., etc., but I cannot lie: What a thrill to see three women alone in the Oval Office, just holding court amongst themselves, without a man in sight.

After a little aside about The Second Sex  Youve gotta admit, she was right about everything; Lord, give me Patricia Clarksons impeccable delivery  Jane leaves Claire and Annette alone. Claire sees Annettes Claire Hale and raises her an Annie. Nothing like a nickname from the archives to put someone in their place. One carefully-placed remark about Duncans old mugshot and Annies a changed woman. Youre the president. You should do what you want.

Claire tells her deputy press girl Kelsey that Tom Yates has been using his credit card in and around Prague, which I must admit is a perfect cover story. It is extremely Tom to ghost on D.C. to bop around eastern Europe. Claire is feeling all smug and loose-ends-tied-up as she heads out for her evening run, until Mark intercepts her to show her the collateral the Shepherds set up for her: Tom Yatess body. Forgive me for posing such a gross question, but: If Claires been president for over 100 days, would his body really be in such good condition? Please provide your gruesome counsel on this matter in the comments!
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

A political event at a Brooklyn synagogue featuring Broad City star Ilana Glazer was canceled after hateful messages like Die Jew Rats were discovered on the walls  the latest in a string of anti-Semitic vandalizations around New York City.

Per the New York Times, Glazer was scheduled to host a get-out-the-vote at the Union Temple of Brooklyn in Prospect Heights, where she planned to interview journalist Amy Goodman and two candidates for the New York State Senate, Jim Gaughran and Andrew Gounardes. Shortly after 8 p.m., though, on the night of the event, Glazer announced that the event was canceled, after disturbing messages including We are here, Hitler, Jew Better Be Ready, and End it now, were found on the walls.

The vandalism, which police are investigating as a hate crime, was discovered on the same day that two spray-painted swastikas appeared on a concrete pier on the Upper West Side, and two days after chalk-drawn swastikas were found on several residential buildings in Brooklyn Heights.

The Police Department has received 142 reports of anti-Semitic graffiti in the city in the past year, and the chief of detectives told reporters on Wednesday that there has been an increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes, particularly swastikas, on buildings in parts of the city in the past month. (Last weekend, a single shooter entered Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and murdered 11 people.)

On Friday morning morning, Mayor de Blasio tweeted that the recent vandalism was the vilest kind of hate.

We will fight anti-Semitism with every fiber of our being, the continued. The NYPD will find the perpetrators of this hate crime and hold them accountable.
I thought of John Cheevers short story The Swimmer a few times watching this episode, in which, rather than hop from tony pool to tony pool, our roomies doggy-paddle from drunken Vegas vacation to drunken Seaside vacation to drunken Atlantic City vacation as their lives stagnate blurrily around them. But, like, in a fun way.

Three weeks after Paulys birthday gig in A.C., Nicole is the first to arrive at the new shore house in Manalapan, which she says she found herself on Craigslist. (To be clear, she says herself, and Craiglist.) Complete with a wooden leopard guarding the front door and gold cushions in the living room, this huge, ineffably Jersey mansion looks kind of like it could belong to a member of the extended Gorga-Giudice clan. It even has a pool out back  complete with a waterfall and waterslide  so you can get upset about the migrating ducks (or at least, the migrating duck phone) and then tell Dr. Melfi all about it.

That said, Nicole is panic-stricken upon arriving: Wheres the beach? There is an enormous backyard, and a truly alarming endless horizon of trees beyond the grass, but no sand. To be fair, the Jersey Shore castmates literally never go to the actual beach, although the lack of boardwalk access is a genuinely pressing concern.

Ron is the second castmate to arrive, making night one an effective reunion of the Spiral Squad responsible for last seasons best, and most harrowing, episode. After toasting with the sacramental wine that is Ron-Ron Juice, they go out to dinner, where Nicole presses Ron on his relationship status in a way that only she, impish little sister, could get away with.

He says things with Jen are better now, calm, cordial even. Is that before or after she dragged you in the car? asks Nicole, an emotional savage who wants whats best for her friends and loved ones, but a savage, nonetheless. Honestly, I love you, Ron, but for the babys sake, go to couples therapy, fix yourselves, and be a good parent to your baby, Nicole says, and then they go out dancing, the only logical next step.

Nicole calls Angelina, whos already on her way to the house, and demands she reroute her cab directly to the club. And so Angeliners lugs her suitcase across the crowded dance floor (good thing she upgraded from her traditional garbage bags!), only for Ron and Nicole to immediately decide its time to leave by the time she finally reaches them. Nicole passes out during the ride, only to wake up back at the house, happily surprised to see Angelina.

Fuck you all, Nicole chirps, tucked into bed, her eyes shut tight. Im going.

Angelina calls Chris at 4 a.m. and then, as best I can tell, gets pissed with him for sounding pissed that she called him at 4 a.m. (By the way: Have we ever talked about the karmic perfection of our beloved Trash Bags getting engaged to a sanitation worker?) The next morning, she expresses her concern that theyre fighting too much, though Ronnie and Nicole seem utterly unfazed. Angelina, meanwhile, remains unable to string together ten consecutive words without mentioning Vinny  who, along with Mike, will turn up that afternoon. Nicole tells Ronnie it should be their mission to see that the shart-crossed lovers bang once more, a plan the gang does not find to be mutually exclusive with their fondness for Angelinas fiance.

But what if it really wasnt mutually exclusive? Grazing on a beautiful spread of meatsies and cheesies, Mike informs Angelina that he heard a rumor that she and Chris are secret cuckers out in these streets. Angelina doesnt even know what that means, she protests. (Let the record reflect that I support Angelina and Chriss personal sexual choices, whatever they may be, so long as theyre consensual, and between adults, and yadda yadda yadda, have fun out there, kids.) I would cuck you, Vinny volunteers without hesitation.

In an extremely weird mating ritual that is both entirely a bit and entirely not, Vinny requests Angelina wash a dish and bring it to him. She theorizes hes attracted to her because she reminds him of his mother, which the show illustrates, hauntingly, by superimposing Paolas face over Angelinas leopard-print bikini.

Outside, by the pool, Big Daddy Sitch relaxes fully clothed in a lounge chair while his friends show off their dives. Nicole nails a surprisingly competent series of backflips; Angelina opts for what you might call a reverse belly flop, which I hope hasnt negatively affected her spinal alignment.

Once Jenni arrives, theyre off to yet another steakhouse for dinner. (Very pregnant Deena, alas, is sitting this trip out, per her doctors orders.) Nicole, who has been hitting the vodka sodas hard, knocks over her bottle of water. What are you, a fucking cheese wiener? she slurs in Angelinas general direction. She orders asparagus and only asparagus. When it arrives, she shouts, Yes, bitch! at the waiter, then picks up the stalks with her bare hands, shoving them into her mouth and complaining about how hot they are.

Last night, you see, was a red herring, in the exact shade of red as Ron-Ron Juice. Spiral Squad 2.0 requires only one member: Nicoles drunk alter ego, Dren. Im doing it! This is me! This is me! This is me! Im doing it! This is me! Let me live! This is me! Nicole announces to her bemused friends, the unwilling audience to an avant-garde, spoken-word rendition of that one song from The Greatest Showman. Im sorry Im not  this is it. This is what you got.

I have said this before, but Best Supporting Actress Oscars have been won for less.

Jenni is already worrying, not baselessly, that they might get kicked out of the restaurant by the time Nicole gets up from the table. She starts dancing and intermittently shouting, Come on, girl! to no girl in particular. To be clear, there is no dance floor, nor any music. Shes in another realm, Mike observes.

At least Dren sticks to eating clean, stealing broccoli off Jennis plate with her hands and throwing some of it at Vinny and Ronnie. Come on, girl, she says again, though it remains unclear if shes addressing Jenni, or maybe herself, or maybe you and me  or maybe, more likely, the broccoli.
Spend 47 days in the art world with Seen. Kayode Ojo, Scorched Bedroom, Paris (Cartier), 2018: C-print mounted on museum board. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Martos Gallery, New York

One of the sculptures in Kayode Ojos solo show Equilibrium at Martos Gallery features a male chastity system. I wouldnt have had any idea what the menacing shiny metal contraption was if I hadnt read the exhibition checklist. Same goes for the vaguely medical-looking syringe guns that lay next to it on a mirrored end table youd expect to find in a high-rise condo at the turn of the millenium. The perverse potential of the instruments, the fragility of the glass theyre perched on, the compositions meticulous  not to say OCD  precision, and the impermanence of the entire display, feels pregnant with anxiety. Its not clear after all if this is a ready-made or still life mise-en-scene.

Kayode Ojo, Im Fine, 2018: Zikimed 50 Ml Revolver Syringes, Glass Barrel, Luer Lock (Animal Only), Master Series Ultimate Male Lockdown Chastity System, Howard Elliott 11184 Mirrored Pedestal Table. Photo: Whitney Mallett

Ojos art often plays with a certain narrative ambiguity leaving you wondering, just what did I walk in on, exactly? Riding the line between sculpture and photo is not the only point of uncertainty. Friend or foe? Black or white? These questions are central to Equilibrium, which Ojo explains takes its title from a 2002 sci-fi film starring Christian Bale and Taye Diggs, set in a dystopian future where emotionality is criminalized. Spoiler alert: Taye Diggs is the sidekick who ends up becoming the villain, says Ojo. Im interested in that character because Im interested in betrayal. The Tuskegee syphilis experiment, Rachel Dolezal, Samson and Delilah, luxury brands going downmarket  these are all examples of deception and misrepresentation that come up when he talks about the shows themes.

Equilibrium is the artists first solo exhibition in New York and third in a few short months, following closely on the heels of a show in Paris at Balice Hertling and one in Berlin at Sweetwater. All three combine video, photo or painting, and precariously assembled ready-made sculptures with a unique vocabulary of animated thingness Ojo has been developing over the past few years.

Formally it is something I dont see anywhere else, says Alex Hertling of Balice Hertling about Ojos way of working, where the artist brings together clothes, furniture, wigs, jewelry, and household objects in very deliberate configurations but without any kind of permanent adherence. A blazer hangs from a lamp. A dress drapes over a chair poised atop a mirror. A body chain spills out of the crotch of pleather jeans upside down and hooked onto a music stand.

Kayode Ojo, Undressed (The Four Seasons, Seagram), 2018: Kryssma Long Natural Straight Brown Lace Front Wig Half Hand Tied Realistic Looking Glueless Synthetic Wigs for Women 24 inches, Topwholesalejewel Bridal Long 5 Strands Silver Crystal Earrings, DAY.LIN Jewelry Ladies Body Chain Women Nightclub Party Body Chain Jewelry Bikini Waist Gold Belly Beach Harness (Silver), H&M Size 12 14 20s Flapper Gatsby Deco Fringe Tassel Gold Dress, Hamilton Stands KB400 Classic American Folding Sheet Music Stand (Chrome). Photo: Whitney Mallett

Everything is made to be photographed, says Ojo. And in this show, a couple objects find their way into both a sculpture and a photo. But the artist also explains, Im always shooting photos of the sculptures as Im making them. Photos help him determine when a work is finished and they function as a reference for how to reassemble a work in a collectors home. Two-dimensional depictions are also the first way Ojo interacts with many of a sculptures component parts, consumer products he orders from the web and unboxes in his bedroom studio. These things exist online and in images and then you have to figure out how it can be a sculpture, says Tennessee-born Ojo, who majored in photography at SVA, graduating with a BFA in 2012.

When he moved to New York after high school, Ojo wanted to be a fashion photographer. Growing up in Cookeville, Tennessee, fashion and advertising were a lot more visible than contemporary art, but even access to what youd see in a magazine ad or on a tv commercial was pretty limited. There was a mall, he says, but if you wanted brands youd have to drive to Nashville. His family didnt do that. My parents were immigrants. They werent huge consumers. Ojos parents moved from Nigeria for his dad to teach engineering at the university in Cookeville. There, he grew up around kids who wore hunting camo and brought homemade jerky to school.

Since he was a kid, Ojos always been interested in the misuse of objects, in prizing things like a suitcase lock for something other than its prosaic function. The entire luxury industry in a way is a perversion of an objects utilitarian function, turning clothes and furniture into tools of self-transformation rather just a dress to wear or a chair to sit on. But these tools can be slippery, their value unreliable.

I was talking to someone the other day who thought everything I made looked super-expensive, but actually Im looking for an object where the exact value is sort of unclear, says Ojo. Something trying to be high end but its not or something harkening back to a certain era of high end.

Kayode Ojo, Closed Audition: Boohoo Plus Verity Slinky Plunge Split Maxi Dress, 2018: C-print mounted on museum board. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Martos Gallery, New York

In one of the self-portraits included in Equilibrium, made as a commission for the Studio Museum in Harlems inaugural issue of Practice in Print, Ojo wears a Naomi Campbell-esque wig, a glitzy costume jewelry collar, and a glam gown he ordered from boohoo.com. The drag extends beyond just cross-dressing. At 2 a.m., Ill be looking through every beige polyester dress online and the website will be like, buy now, only one in stock or 50 percent off only for the next two hours. Even though Im not buying this dress to wear to a party in the Hills, I become that consumer. I abide by all the same rules as someone who is.

Ojos work suggests the performance of class and anxieties of taste inherent to decisions like what to wear and how to decorate. How do I express a level of intelligence and wealth? Is it okay to have money? Where should it be displayed? These are things people are worried about, he notes. But his interrogation of objects and their value has another connotation. This idea of objecthood is related to the fact that for a long time you could buy a black person, he says. And this not-so-distant history is related to how racism functions today. Its this thing that can always be in your head. Every interaction you wonder, Is this fetishization?

In Equilibrium, Ojo includes a video featuring a white Belgian dealer of African objects. Hes handling a 19th-century Nigerian divination object, a figure carved into a bowl, as he gives his pseudo-academic sales pitch turning the object over and over again in his hands. Its kind of this uncomfortable touch, says Ojo, who notes both the macro and micro context, Belgians fucked up colonial history and his parents being Nigerian.

Ojo often appropriates video from movies, commercials, or social media  this one with the Belgian dealer he found on Instagram. Theyre visual ephemera that he stumbles across and cant get out of his head  cursed images, he calls them. In the show in Berlin he included a Jockey underwear advertisement that featured a shirtless, muscled white man cradling his adopted black infant baby. I was returning something to Macys and this was on these giant screens. You really cant help but not be triggered by this.

Offsetting these videos featuring racialized power imbalances, Ojos New York and Berlin exhibitions include photos capturing intimate moments of interracial banality that foreground both his presence as a black person and his agency constructing the images. In several from the Berlin show, Ojos hand reaches out from behind the camera to caress the white subject in the photo. A thumb against teeth. A hand underneath a cross pendant. One from the New York show is a you-and-me selfie, Ojos face pressed against an older white mans, their glasses colliding. I like how this picture looks like a glasses ad, he says.

Kayode Ojo, Closed Audition: Balenciaga Bootcut, 2018: C-print mounted on museum board. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Martos Gallery, New York

Another picture in the show is actually an ad of sorts, an image from a series Ojo shot for Balenciagas Instagram. In it, hes sitting on a clear plastic Ikea cantilever chair, shirtless and wearing the jeans Balenciaga sent him in the mail. Everything they sent me was very 90s and very thrift store, he says. The irony of course is these bootcut jeans are one of the only designer items in the show and look they least like it.

The fantasy of looking regular is different than the luxury-industry mythology Ojo (and I) came of age with. Fairy-tale Chanel perfume ads shot by Baz Luhrmann or the Chloe Spring 2000 campaign frosted with Y2K glitz. The latter is full of lithe shiny bodies underneath ridiculously impractical, barely there shirts made from spiderwebs of body jewelry. Ojo points out the utopian world-making of this sort of imagery while also puncturing its fantasy with his skepticism: I just think, where is the safe space where she is wearing this shirt?
Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum with The Daily Shows Trevor Noah. Photo: Comedy Central

Have you heard the news? Its Vote Time! Twitter knows it, commercials for and against various props know it, and late night knows it too. Ding-dong, whos there? A canvasser for Beto, even though you live in Delaware. The time for civic engagement has come, motherfuckers, and even the most normally apolitical of hosts wont let you forget it. When James Corden is having gun-control debates on his usually breezy couch, you know things have gotten very very votey.

Katie Hill is trying to flip Orange County, one of the few red districts in otherwise blue California. If elected, Hill will be the first Democrat in years to hold the seat for Californias 25th. Shed also be the first woman, ever. It feels a little odd for a House candidate to share couch time with Greg Kinnear, but Hill was hardly the only actively campaigning politician on late night this week. Nancy Pelosi went on The Late Show to represent the whole Democratic party, and The Daily Show dedicated nearly an entire episode to Andrew Gillum, the Florida Democratic nominee for governor.

The Daily Show went to Miami in this week leading up to the midterms, because its the closest they could get to Mar-a-Lago. They partied in the city where the heat is on, arguably in an attempt to sexify the midterms. Samantha Bee has been on a months-long quest to gamify the midterms, upping the ante with a cameo from Patton Oswalt on Halloween. Its expected that political comedy shows are weighing in on this election. A few years ago, it wouldnt have been surprising to only see The Daily Show and The Colbert Report be the only late-night shows to even pay attention to a midterm election. Talk shows, as a rule, used to be content to comment only on national affairs. And before Bush 2, the jokes would have been about as pointed as a beauty blender (not pointy, in fact soft). Shiny-floor TV was all about appealing to the middle. What would a man be without a brain? Foster Brooks asks Dean Martin. A politician, Martin replies, to the studio audiences delight. Can you believe hes saying this stuff?

That general disdain for politicians has gotten a lot more specific over the years. The Clinton years were certainly full of stained dress jokes, but Monica Lewinsky and Ken Starr got as much of the skewering as the president himself. Were equal-opportunity offenders, was the rally cry. Everybody gets joked at, nobody gets hurt. It was really the Iraq War that changed late nights non-offensive offense policy. During the Vietnam War, late night was still the purview of old heads, the Bob Hopes of the world who didnt see why all these longhairs were fussin. Save for an occasional rant by Dick Gregory, late night was the smooth white icing on a cake of generational tumult. (Dick Cavett would be the jam between layers in this metaphorical cake.)

Oddly, Samantha Bee is closer to the old version of late-night politics than her peers. The woman who called Ivanka Trump a feckless cunt says she doesnt care who you vote for, so long as you vote. Meanwhile, Corden is openly endorsing candidates, and Stephen Colbert is literally crossing his fingers for a blue wave. Guests are bringing it up, too! Diane Lane wore her I Voted sticker to Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel had Emily Ratajkowski talk about how cute and fun getting arrested during a direct action can be. When voting is insufficient, occupy the Capitol Building. Thats the message were getting on a show thats more well-known for seamless brand integration with Guillermo.

It makes sense that late-night comedians feel they have a stake in these races. Its their job to comment on the news, and they will goof their way into an early stress-induced grave if they have two more years like we just had. Perhaps thats why even the musical guests are political this week. Willie Nelson went on Kimmel to Outlaw Country the Vote. Back in the Cake Days, musical guests were often the only progressive element of a late-night show. Today, everything is politicized, and the musical guest can often be the only party still trying to appeal to all sides. A typical late-night lineup in 2018 is Wanda Sykes, MSNBCs Chris Hayes, and BTS. BTS is probably going to have the least to say about the caravan (even though theyre the only ones who have spoken at the U.N.  2018 is weird). But this week is balls-to-the-wall boosterism. No stops will go un-pulled. This week we have MacArthur Genius Grant winners singing Patti Smith songs about people power, and Amber Ruffin singing about killing a cat if you dont vote.

We mean business. The sanity of our late-night luminaries depends on your vote.
Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images

Mac Miller would have been on tour right now. He would have been promoting Swimming, his fifth studio album. He released that record at the beginning of August, to a warm reception by critics. A month later, he was found dead in his Studio City home from an apparent overdose.

So, on Wednesday night, he would have been performing songs from Swimming, an album about sadness and recovery. Instead, a collection of his friends and collaborators gathered, and they played songs in his honor.

Mac Miller: A Celebration of Life  which benefited the Mac Miller Circles Fund established by the late artists family to help provide resources to kids in underserved communities  took place at the Greek Theatre on a night made all the more eerie by the presence of costumed audience members. A zombie bride. A glittering fairy. I walked past twin Frida Kahlos during Vince Stapless set. Killmonger leaned casually against a wall. Generous plumes of weed smoke wafted above these heads, in loving tribute to Miller. When Action Bronson took to the stage, early in the night, to perform Red Dot Music, a blunt dangled from his lips.

Festival bookers must have been envious of this nights lineup: Earl Sweatshirt. Anderson .Paak. Rae Sremmurd. SZA. Chance the Rapper. Even Zane Lowe showed up, and initiated a moment of silence for the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shootings. The Free Nationals backed every artist, providing a cohesive support system for the nights tributes.

Mac Miller was the kind of artist who didnt just have collaborators. He had friends. So it felt like these artists were performing in service of their own healing, for their own grieving group of friends, rather then for the fans in attendance. When Anderson .Paak took the stage, his tears caught the light. Millers childhood friend, an artist by the name of Dylan Reynolds, who had known Miller since he was 5, came in early in the night to sing Come Back to Earth, the haunting first track on Swimming.

John Mayer performed Gravity, a song that perhaps belongs to a version of his former self, that felt singularly stirring. Schoolboy Q played That Part, a song, he said, he wrote with Mac Miller.

A Rae Sremmurd performance in the middle felt jarring, a little too rowdy, a little too irreverent for the rest of the night, especially while watching clips of Mac play on the screen behind them. These vignettes, edited documentary-style, caught Mac in unguarded moments. At the gym. At the amusement park, on a roller coaster. In the privacy of his own home. With his mother. Backstage, at a concert, he confided boyishly to the camera, I dont know how Beyonce does this shit.

Though occasionally sorrowful, there were moments that felt purely joyous. Juicy J showed up to perform in a vibrant orange fur jacket, Macs silhouette projected behind him. Ty Dolla $ign performed Blase, a song he claimed was one of Macs favorites. He smiled a lot when he performed, Zane Lowe told the audience.

Death so frequently sanitizes life. But, when Mac died, the outpouring of praise and love did not ring false. The artist was warm and generous, this we know from the testimonies of those close as well as from those less close to him. Many of them sent iPhone videos of themselves, which were stitched together to provide an interlude for the music. Lil Wayne. Rick Ross. Donald Glover. Syd tha Kyd and The Internet. Jason Sudeikis, even, who said to the camera, Ive been thinking about you a lot. Like almost every day, at least once. Does that mean I love you? Maybe. Maybe.

Amine, one of Millers collaborators, also contributed. Mac, I look around and every other artist that I know or that I see is saying the exact same things Im saying about you, he said. You were always so loving and so kind and so humble. I just dont understand how someone could be like that always, just 24/7. Thats what so beautiful about it. You make me want to be a better person.

It should not feel special, but it is, in the music industry, to encounter kindness. Not politeness, or sycophancy, but real, unselfish kindness. And Mac Miller not only practiced kindness but appears to have inspired it in others, enough so as to bring a diverse and talented group of people together on a stage in Los Angeles on Halloween night to perform in his honor. At the end, they all took the stage and gave him one final send-off, and the tour performance his album deserved.
Murphy Brown Results May Vary Season 11 Episode 6 Editors Rating 3 stars * * *  Previous Next  Photo: David Giesbrecht/Warner Bros.Entertainment Inc

Its midterms day on Murphy Brown, which means that, six episodes in, were finally going to meet Averys Wolf Network colleagues, as we spend the episode cutting between his-and-hers newsrooms as parent et enfant anchor full-day midterm-elections coverage.

We open in her living room at 3:30 a.m., where Murphy Brown is remarkably alert, waving half a bagel around and delivering a soliloquy on the importance of the day. Finally, after 655 days of this reality show we call the government, America gets to vote some of these clowns off the island, and I get to report it. As if on cue, Avery hustles down the stairs and strikes a Trumpian pose: Many people are saying I look terrific. His suits nicely cut, sure, but the joke isnt funny, son, and that red ties gotta go.

Todays down-and-dirty task, covering the election alongside network star John Haggerty, is a good career move for the man BuzzFeed calls the millennial Anderson Cooper. Its also an opportunity to pursue his foolish ambition to add just a little objectivity to his network. Sure. Murphy predicts that he wont be able to spend the day with Haggerty without losing his cool; he wagers that she wont make it to the end of the broadcast without nodding off. Youre on! But Murphy, if youre going to be alert, focused, and totally neutral, why do you have a party horn in her bag? Why, indeed?

Over at CNC HQ, theres greater preshow pandemonium than usual. Franks doing yoga, Miles is juiced about a full day of rock-solid old-fashioned reporting, and  hold on. Murphy is now wearing a red velvet bow tie???!!! It leans maroon, but she just blew a gasket about Averys red tie. Im confused.

Pat Patel, making his first on-camera appearance today, looks like Miles Silverberg on the morning of his bar mitzvah and is unhappy about it. The khaki pants and the navy blazer are like something my parents would put me in to meet the wife they picked for me. It doesnt help when Miguel pipes up, Mazel tov.

Since they cant greet the second breakfast hour of the day across the street as usual, Phils has come to them, with Phyllis and Miguel bearing ten gallons of coffee and a pile of energy drinks. Frank stocks up on these, as hes not about to repeat his embarrassing gaffe in 2000, when his case of cottonmouth got him tongue-tied over the returnth from Tharathota. Phyllis, who has never seen the studio, is excited and overwhelmed by the novelty of seeing herself onscreen, but here comes Julius to ruin the fun. Theyve got a show to do!

On the set of The Wolf Pack, meanwhile, Averys riding the couch with beautiful and vacuous Callie Clark and John Haggerty, network megastar and author of Mike Pence: Gods Vice President. (He is secure enough in his masculinity to wear a pink and gray tie, but not so much that he can do so without Callie Clarks adulation.) Avery foolishly tries to insert factual information into the broadcast, but Haggerty explains the order of things. Im the alpha. I make the jokes, and when I say something, you go along with it. Hes the top dog. Why else would the president call every night and ask for his advice? Im actually running the country. This, Avery discovers, is not one of the jokes hes supposed to go along with. Uh-oh.

At 3 p.m., Franks fizzling with liquid energy and Murphys midterm excitement is fizzling out. Pats stumbling over decimal points. Cut to Corkys satellite interview in East Winnsocket, New Hampshire, which boasts 100 percent voter participation from all 16 eligible voters. As East Winnsocket has gone, so has the nation, in every election since 1850. The polling place in the town registrars garage opens at midnight, but theyre still waiting on Bill Cabot, who likes to cast his vote last. They cut the registrar off when she starts explaining Bills personal business to the nation. Frank may be wired, but hes definitely not tongue-tied. He cant stop calling out Nazis, white supremacists, pimps, and child molesters. Here, sign my petition asking the New York Times editorial board to hire him.

Averys foolishly trying to do some reporting, but Haggertys concerned about reports of uniformed gangs intimidating voters in Philadelphia. Those are actually Boy Scouts, Avery says, suggesting they put the video up so viewers can see that the kid throwing a Black Power salute is just hailing a cab for an elderly woman. Great idea, champ, but the presidents calling to inform them that CBS, NBC, and ABC are all fake news because they predicted Trump wouldnt win the electoral college. Today, hes polling higher than Abraham Lincoln! When Avery points out that there were no opinion polls in the 1860s, the president tells him, Your mother is not a nice lady. And, by the way, no collusion.

Phyllis, um, doesnt vote because voting doesnt make a difference. Were over, Phyllis. But Miguel is here to serve as her personal Relatable Undocumented Millennial. Young people with DACA status cannot vote  Miguel says, I feel like an American every way except maybe the most important one. Phyllis is clearly affected, but she gets a grip: You really think you can make me crack. He sure does, and then Im going to get you to give me health insurance  with a dental plan. The fact that Miguel doesnt have insurance may be the first thing we learn about him that is unrelated to his immigration status.

Over at the anchor desk, Pat Patel explains to Miles that hes having trouble on camera because he doesnt feel like himself in the clothes hes wearing. He feels uptight and uncool and  well, like Miles, who concedes that you cant break this wild clotheshorse and sends Pat off to wardrobe with the command, Gimme some zhush. Just you wait, sister-friend!

Some hours later, the president is still going on about Russias collusion with the Democrats, and Avery Brown is about to lose his cool. Haggerty tries to cut Trump off, but Avery stops him, wanting to hear more about the witch hunt. In a horrifying betrayal, the beautiful and vacuous Callie Clark pipes up, Amen to that, Avery! Our guy settles back into his seat with a self-satisfied grin, an astonished Haggerty tries to make sense of this power move, and President Trump rattles on about Crooked Hillary.

Twelve-and-a-half hours into the broadcast, Murphy is hoarse, Frank cant stop clicking his pen, and Corky is a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. But Pat Patels bringing the zhush and thank God for it: Clad in a porkpie hat and clashing prints, he saves the day as a data dynamo, explaining election returns in clear terms and circling key states on the screen with his finger. Miles is elated, pumping his fist and pointing to Pat, who takes a graceful bow. Back to Winnsuckit for the sixth time today, where Bill has finally shown up to vote, and hes busy making sure the camera gets the ad for Bruno Plumbing on the back of his shirt. You cant hurry love, he intones, and you cant put a clock on patriotism. Corky snarls, Sweet baby Jesus, get in the damn booth and cast your damn vote. Oh, no. Shes never sworn on camera before; its the (bleeeeeep)ing menopause. Miles offers to fill time with more catheter commercials, but Murphys determined to win her bet with Avery.

Over by the coffee service, Phyllis finally sacks up for democracy when she overhears two staffers talking about a new challenge to Roe v. Wade. Miguel has researched the City Council candidates and made her a cheat sheet. How thoughtful! Maybe theyll talk about that health insurance when she comes back.

Its 9:41 p.m. when President Trump finally hangs up. Callie Clarks betrayal has had consequences, we see: She has been replaced by a fresh beautiful and vacuous woman. Cut to commercial, which is an opportunity for the audience to order Mike Pence: Gods Vice President on their phones. Adds Avery, the audiobooks read by Ted Nugent. Haggerty has had enough. If you want a permanent seat on this couch, you better start to get with the program! Capisce? Oh, ho, ho. Funny thing, John. No seats ever permanent, even yours. Theres always some young wolf coming up right behind you. Capisce? I realize were supposed to find this satisfying, but Averys so ageist.

Things are falling apart at Murphy in the Late Evening, where Miles has his tie around his head and Murphy has flung hers aside. The polls are closing and the returns are coming in. Frank, practically vibrating at this point, squints to see the numbers from  Mippisippi, Missusippy, Minnisippy. Murphy gratefully signs off, reminding viewers that Americans have had their voices heard from Sea to signing she. The anchors all lose it. We were this close, Pat, Miles says. Cut to the zhush, Pat replies firmly. Im going in.

Its almost midnight, and Haggerty wants to call Nevada. Just as Avery starts to argue with him about it, Nevada comes in. What happened? Its a cliffhanger, sorta. In both studios, the returns are greeted with wide eyes and sober demeanors all around. Wow, how about that, I did not see that coming. Intones Murphy Brown, Welcome to the next two years. Fade to black and a message from Diane English in white text: Elections have consequences. Vote. Louder, for the disaffected millennials in the back, please!

MISC. & ASSORTED:

 This episode needs more party horn, and Im now holding BuzzFeed responsible for the rise of enfant terrible Avery Brown.

 Feeling some kinda way about the weird little jabs at women. The Wolf anchor babes are beautiful and vacuous. Corkys menopause is mined for joke after joke, and the stories about her backwater family are playing increasingly poorly.

 He gets a little more airtime here, but Im unhappy with how one-note Miguel is. I mean, I understand how sitcoms work; every characters got to trade in some sort of shorthand if youre going to fit them all into 20-minute episodes. But the writers are doing a drastically better job with Avery and Pat. They have roles to play, but theyre also sketched with a light hand.

 It may interest you to know that zhush is included in the Google Docs dictionary.
Because of The Good Places twisty, overlapping timelines  all Jeremy Bearimy, as Michael put it  its easy to forget that in the shows current reality, Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason dont know as much as we do about what theyve all been through. As far as theyre concerned, they were terrible human beings who nearly died, then made a stab at being better people, then failed again, then were pushed together by the mysterious Michael, before learning from him and Janet that no matter what they do, theyre destined to spend eternity in the Bad Place. As of right now, these four humans cant recall the many, many times theyve already tried to compensate for their garbage pasts.

Most of the time, The Good Places seemingly infinite series of blank slates gives the show the crackle of possibility  every time a new episode begins, anything can happen. This weeks A Fractured Inheritance is a rare case in that Eleanor and companys baby-stepping toward ethical awakening feels too much like circling back over ground thats already well-trod.

To be fair, both of this episodes missions are entirely new, both to the characters and to us. In Tarantula Springs, Nevada, Michael helps Eleanor reconnect with her long-lost mother, Donna, who isnt dead, but has instead been hiding out under Eleanors favorite alias, Diana Tremaine. Meanwhile, in a Budapest art museum, Janet, Jason, and Chidi stand by helplessly as Tahani nearly botches her long overdue reconciliation with her sister, Kamilah.

These fixes to Eleanor and Tahanis relationships wouldve been impossible during the hundreds of years both these women spent in the afterlife. Yet while both storylines this week have some funny moments  and surprisingly sentimental payoffs  neither hits the comic highs of last weeks simultaneous trips to Jasons Jacksonville and Chidis breakup purgatory.

The problem with the European half of A Fractured Inheritance may be that Jason, Chidi, and even Janet are effectively sidelined, as Tahani repeatedly tries to get Kamilah to accept her apology for a lifetime of bad sisterhood. Jason has fun pointing out which of the museums paintings symbolize womens breasts (and how they come in all shapes and sizes and distances apart), while Janet enjoys impressing Jason with her encyclopedic knowledge of how much all the art is worth. But for the most part this The Al-Jamil Show, heavy on jokes about the younger siblings Marina Abramovic-esque conceptual art.

As part of Kamilahs exhibition, Tahani has to join the throng queuing up at an omelet station  prompting her to grumble, I have never waited in any kind of formation before, let alone a line. And when Chidi tries to intervene in the Al-Jamils family spat, Kamilah turns him away by looking deep into his eyes and saying the words he most longs to hear: All of your fears are now mine. (Dont worry: Chidi gets his fears back.) The episode satirizes the pretensions and hero-worship of the art world, in ways that are disappointingly pat and mild, compared to the inspired lunacy of, say, the Cowboy Skyscraper Buffet.

The Budapest scenes, though, do come to a sweet end. Tahani almost gets arrested for smashing up the installation with a hatchet, but then looks closely at one of Kamilahs paintings and has a revelation: All of her sisters work is really about how their parents conspired to pit the girls against each other, creating a rivalry thats made them both miserable. She gives Kamilah a sincere hug, which is reciprocated. Its genuinely moving.

Also unexpectedly poignant? Eleanors gradual understanding of why her mothers new life in Nevada makes her so mad. She finds Donna living with a likably dorky single dad and architect (!) named Dave, played by the always great Andy Daly. While Eleanor initially assumes her moms running a scam, it turns out that, no, Diana Tremaine actually likes PTA meetings and yoga with the gals  and, most annoyingly, enjoys raising a young daughter. If her mother was capable of change all along, that just means that Eleanor wasnt worth the effort  or so she thinks.

The Tarantula Springs material is the best source of comedy in A Fractured Inheritance. Donna Shellstrop herself is a very funny character, both in the reminiscences about her past exploits (she once bid $30,000 on a date with Gene Simmons, outbidding the loser by $29,800! She claimed to have died by getting trampled while bending down to adjust her toe ring at a Rascal Flatts concert! Her favorite drink is a 7 & 7 & 7, which is seven shots of Seagrams 7 consumed in 7 minutes!) and in her current genial befuddlement at the classiness of her boyfriend Dave, whose napkins are made out of, like, shirt material. (Cloth, Michael clarifies.)

Even with those good Donna Shellstrop punchlines, though, this episode is lighter on laughs than any Good Place so far this season. It functions more as a low-key tear-jerker, taking its cues from Eleanors emotional words of forgiveness to Donna: No, Mom  ya basic. And thats okay.

Soul Patrol

I had to see the slogan for the MGM Grand Elementary School  Always bet on read!  several times before the joke finally sunk in. Then I had to pause the show for a few seconds to compose myself.

Donna shares her daughters gift for describing the attractiveness of others in elaborate metaphors, as evidenced by her calling Michael a stretched-out, sexy Alex Trebek.

Eleanor hasnt spent a lot of time around children  not even when she was a child. Shes utterly baffled by Daves 9-year-old daughter, who (according to Eleanor) is either a toddler who sleeps in a crib or is getting ready to take her SATs.

Michael tries something new with Eleanor, embracing his role as her father figure and sternly addressing her as young lady whenever he chastises her for being petulant. This, however, doesnt stop her from casting a vote in the MGM Grand PTA election for Bofa Deeznuts. (Youre not my real dad, she snaps, when Michael objects.)

Second-funniest line-reading of this episode? I call it a tie between Ted Danson and Andy Daly, in the exchange between Michael and Dave, when the former says he met Eleanor when they lived in the same neighborhood, and the latter replies, What a fun way to say a normal thing.

The funniest line-reading? The prize goes to Danson, when Michael becomes embarrassed that he forgot to add bathrooms to his designs for Daves combination Subaru dealership-burlesque club, and quickly insists that he definitely uses human toilets. Love to sit on  the thing, and just, yknow  shoot one out.
Photo: Walter McBride/Getty Images

Its been eight years since we said goodbye to beloved dramedy Ugly Betty, and our lives have been sadly poncho-free ever since. So would the cast return to revive it and end this fashion nightmare? In a minute! Michael Urie told Vulture at the Torch Song after-party at Sony Hall on Thursday night. We all would. We loved each other so much and we loved it so much. We would absolutely do a revival and if youre listening, ABC, please make it happen. You can make one of the characters a Trump supporter if [you] have to. He also revealed that the cast loves to text. Were in touch all the time. [There] was just a text chain yesterday with America [Ferrera] and everybody, with this baby dressed up like Ugly Betty in the Guadalajara poncho.

Becki Newton and Vanessa Williams were also at the opening night of Torch Song at the Hayes Theater and expressed similarly definitive interest in a reunion. Sure! Lets see if it happens, but absolutely, Williams told Vulture. Yes, period! Newton said. But what does she think her character is up to now? Amanda is not doing anything different. Amanda is doing the exact same thing and I think thats why I enjoy playing her so much. She felt like she was wildly unpredictable. But I feel like, from an audiences point of view, we can plan on what Amanda would do and say. I dont know, I feel like shes still following everyone around and still at Mode magazine waiting for everyone to come back. Say what you will about pivoting to video, but a Mode magazine web series is something we would definitely watch.
Photo: JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP/Getty Images

Its been two years since the upcoming remake of Watership Down was first reported, with John Boyega, Nicholas Hoult, Gemma Arterton, James McAvoy, and Ben Kingsley announced as voice talent for the mini-series about a group of rabbits fleeing death and destruction. Today, another handful of Brits joined the cast, so welcome Gemma Chan (as Dewdrop), Peter Capaldi (as Kehaar), Rosamund Pike (as the Black Rabbit Of Inle), and Taron Egerton (as El-Ahrairah) to this reboot of your childhood trauma, according to Deadline. Based on the book by Richard Adams, this adaptation will reportedly bring a new interpretation to the classic story. And yes, listening to the comforting sound of Chans voice guide us through tragedy will certainly be a new Watership experience, so, thanks? If you didnt see your favorite British actor above, dont worry, the voice cast also includes Olivia Colman and Tom Wilkinson, among others. It was also reported today that Sam Smith will record a new original song called Fire on Fire that will be used as the theme, so just make sure you know where your tissues are.
Photo: Joseph Okpako/WireImage

Saturday Night Live kicked off its 44th season with a stacked lineup of musical guests. Veritable legends Paul Simon and Kanye West performed, as did current chart-topper Travis Scott. This week, however, the show hosts its first non-A-lister of the fall: rising pop phenom Maggie Rogers.

Only 24 years old, Rogers has an exceptional backstory. Growing up in Maryland, she loved classical music  Rogers cites Vivaldi and Holst as early favorites  and learned to play harp, guitar, and piano as a grade-schooler. She shipped off to St. Andrews School in Delaware for high school, where she learned to play a peers banjo, fell in love with folk, and became known for serenading classmates with songs by Phish and the Grateful Dead.

Rogerss musical interests led her to a high-school summer program at the prestigious Berklee School of Music and subsequent enrollment at New York Universitys Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. She recorded and released a couple of folk albums via Bandcamp and, although her music sounds nothing like the Strokes, was a key assistant to journalist Lizzy Goodman on her rock history Meet Me in the Bathroom. And a 2015 stint studying abroad in Berlin and visiting the citys dance clubs opened her ears to yet another genre. It changed everything, she told Rolling Stone last year. I wanted to play a show that kids my age would want to come to and get high for.

Rogerss big break came in early 2016, when she played her song Alaska during an NYU class for guest speaker Pharrell Williams. The awestruck pop god compared her songwriting style to Stevie Wonders, the clip went viral, and Rogerss career was born. Two years later, shes booked for SNL, preparing to open for Mumford & Sons on their fall tour, and readying her proper debut album for its January release.

Below, Rogerss essential songs so far.

Alaska (2016)

Rogers says she wrote her breakthrough song in 15 minutes, just days before her fated Pharrell encounter  and the track sounds effortless. Over electronic textures thatd fit at a Miami festival, she glides with a vocal sensibility that echoes the R&B artists she cites as influences. No wonder Pharrell compared her stylistic fusion to Reeses marriage of chocolate and peanut butter.

On + Off (2017)

Rogers delivered on the promise of Alaska with the February 2017 release of her Now That the Light is Fading EP. On the solid sets other highlight, On + Off, Rogers again creates an electropop confection by infusing trendy production  clattering keys, droning bass  with romantic lyrics and nuanced vocals. Plenty of songs sound like On + Off, but few are this good.

Covers of Sheryl Crows If It Makes You Happy, Spice Girls Wannabe, and the XXs Say Something Loving (2017)

Lauded for her songwriting, Rogers has also proven a deft interpreter of other artists material. While touring in summer 2017, she trotted out covers that spanned a wide stylistic range, playing Sheryl Crows If It Makes You Happy with folk-rocker Sharon Van Etten, Spice Girls Wannabe with Fletcher, and the XXs Say Something Loving on Australian radio station Triple Js popular Like a Version series. The last one stands out thanks to Rogerss bold interpretation of Oliver Sims original vocal and a heady synthesizer climax.

Fallingwater (2018)

Rogers has a fair amount of indie cachet: Beyond her XX cover, she performed I Need My Girl with dour rockers the National at Boston Calling earlier this year. Around then, she released Fallingwater, her collaboration with indie production stalwart Rostam Batmanglij, formerly of Vampire Weekend. Taut drums and forceful piano chords underscore Rogerss soulful vocal part, which calls to mind Florence Welchs piercing howl. The tune was the first taste she offered from Heard It in a Past Life, slated to arrive January 18.

Give a Little (2018)

In 2018, is a star really a star until shes worked with Greg Kurstin? The super producer has teamed with everyone from Adele and Sia to Beck and Foo Fighters, and he collaborated with Rogers on her second Heard It single, Julys Give a Little. Naturally, its her poppiest work to date, decked out with groovy bass licks, colorful sound effects, and a prime-time guitar solo. But it also has a political edge. Upon the tracks release, Rogers called Give a Little a song about empathy and explained that she wrote it after getting inspired by the springs school walkouts protesting gun violence.

Light On (2018)

For her most recent single, Rogers again worked with Kurstin, but added Kid Harpoon (Florence + the Machine, Haim) to the mix. The production pedigree makes the plucky track an earworm and Rogerss lyrics  her most revealing yet  cement its quality. Everything kept moving, and the noise got too loud, she sings of her rapid rise to fame. With everyone around me saying, You should be so happy now. Like many pop gems, the lyrics deal in specificity but could apply to listeners from all sorts of backgrounds  basically anyone who has encountered too much of a good thing too fast.
1-5 October 2018

The World Customs Organization (WCO), in conjunction with the WCO ESA Project II and the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA), held a 2nd Workshop of the Regional Training of Trainers (ToT) Programme for the Frenchspeaking trainers of the ESA Region from 1 to 5 October 2018 in Port Louis, Mauritius. The objective of the ToT programme is to establish and develop a pool of skilled Frenchspeaking trainers capable of delivering training in the region.

In his opening address, the Director of MRA Customs welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of this WCO-supported regional programme and the workshop which aims to provide the regions participants with training expertise in the Harmonized System and Customs valuation.

He added that acquiring enhanced technical Customs knowledge in such areas as the HS and Customs valuation was a vital step in undertaking Customs functions and Customs revenue collection.

A total of 13 officials were appointed by their respective Customs administrations of Burundi, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Rwanda to attend the workshop. Eight of the participants chose to focus on the Harmonized System while the other five opted for Customs valuation.

A broad range of topics related to the HS were addressed, and the participants were briefed meticulously on the HS structure, the methods and principles governing the classification of goods in the HS (General Rules for the Interpretation of the HS) and the practicalities involved in classification in the HS with a view to ensuring the proper and uniform application of goods. Those participants interested in Customs valuation attended sessions on a variety of topics, including the background to the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement, the principles governing transaction value and the other valuation methods.

During the workshop, the participants completed practical exercises, both individually and in groups, on particular topics relating to the HS and Customs valuation. In addition, they each individually delivered an HS or Customs valuation training session, thus providing the opportunity for the WCO experts to address issues relating to training methodology and teaching techniques in each of those areas of expertise.

For most of the participants responsible in their administration for carrying out professional duties connected with the tariff classification of goods or Customs valuation, the workshop offered the opportunity to acquire skills and to familiarize themselves with the legal provisions of the HS Convention, including those relating to the HS 2017 amendments, and with the various classification tools, and to acquire a basic technical knowledge of Customs valuation.

In his closing speech, the Director of Human Resources concluded that, in that first stage of basic training, the tasks completed and the discussions held between the Frenchspeaking participants of the ESA Region in the course of the workshop would help to enhance the participants Harmonized System or Customs valuation expertise.
At the invitation of the Chatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs), WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya spoke at the Global Trade 2018 Conference, held at the Chatham House in London, United Kingdom on 1 November 2018, with the theme Protectionism, power dynamics and changing priorities.

As a speaker at the session three on Technology, Services and Data Trade, Secretary General Mikuriya talked about how Customs encounter with digital connectivity and smartphones has brought transformational changes in the international supply chain, and altered the narrative on how consumers, business and governments interact with one another.

Dr. Mikuriya explained the WCO Framework of Standards on Cross-Border E-Commerce and how it ensures speedy clearances of the rapidly increasing number of parcels crossing borders as well as addresses the potential risks this poses to the safety and security of the supply chain. He also asserted that leveraging the power of big data through data analytics was the way forward for Customs, and that already several Customs administrations were exploring the usefulness of Blockchain technology to potentially improve transparency throughout the supply chain, streamline Customs risk management, and regulatory compliance, and reduce transaction costs.

WCO Secretary General further averred that there were many possible benefits to Blockchain technology, such as to assemble the required pieces of information for Customs declarations, inter-agency exchange of information, implementation of free trade agreements, implementation of Authorized Economic Operators  Mutual Recognition Agreements (AEO-MRA), revenue collection and compliance management.

Based on the ongoing pilot projects involving Customs administrations, Secretary General Mikuriya mentioned several challenges in the use of Blockchain. These included the integration of technology into Customs business model, the standardization of data, the interface of Customs system and the interoperability of Blockchain, the harmonization of Blockchains as well as the quality of data. He concluded by expressing his wish for smart borders.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Nov. 01, 2018 | PADUCAH

By West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 01, 2018 | 07:33 PM | PADUCAH

A Paducah man was arrested on multiple charges after an incident with his girlfriend late Wednesday night.



According to Paducah Police, they were called to the emergency room of Mercy Health Lourdes about 10:45 pm. They spoke with a 21-year-old woman who told them that an argument with her boyfriend, 18-year-old Tyler Marktez, had escalated, and he had assaulted her.



The woman said Marktez smashed her cell phone against a wall, then pulled a handgun and fired two or three shots over her head. She told police he kicked and struck her several times.



Officers went to Marktezs home in the 800 block of North 7th Street and spoke with him, and say he eventually admitted there had been a physical altercation with his girlfriend. Police say he denied having or knowing anything about a handgun.



Marktez was arrested on charges of first-degree wanton endangerment, fourth-degree assault, and second-degree criminal mischief. He was taken to the McCracken County Regional Jail.



Officers obtained a search warrant for his home, and say they found a Glock 9mm handgun in a bedroom. A computer check revealed the gun was stolen on October 6th. As a result, Marktez was also charged with receiving stolen property.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 02, 2018 | 07:25 AM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY

Police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing girl.

According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Office, 17-year-old Aauyah M. Wheeler, of Mayfield, was last seen by family members at a convenience store in southern McCracken County. Deputies say Wheeler is not believed to be in any danger and is believed to have left the store on her own.

Wheeler is white, 5 3 tall and weighs about 100 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She is believed to be in the Mayfield-Graves County area.

Anyone with information on Wheeler's whereabouts is asked to contact the McCracken County Sheriff's Office or your local law enforcement agency.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Dec. 06, 2018 | PADUCAH

By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 06, 2018 | 05:32 PM | PADUCAH

Authorities in Paducah are searching for a missing teen.



According to the Paducah Police Department, 17-year-old Cenya Holland, of Broadway in Paducah, was last seen at 4:00 pm on Wednesday, at Four Rivers Behavioral Health. It is reported that she suffers from bi-polar disorder and depression.



Holland is black, 5'3" tall and weighs 170 lbs, with black collar length hair, and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black jacket with a fur lined hood, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots.



She had previously been missing and was found in Nashville. It also is reported that recently she has been spending time with an 18-year-old black male that drives an older model Chevrolet Caprice with a temporary tag in the rear window.



Anyone with any information on Cenya Holland is asked to contact the Paducah Police Department at 270-444-8550, or your local law enforcement agency.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Nov. 01, 2018 | PADUCAH

By West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 01, 2018 | 06:41 PM | PADUCAH

Paducah police are asking for the publics help in identifying the person who used another persons debit card at a local credit union ATM, early Thursday afternoon.



Blake A. Franklin told police he lost his wallet last week in Calvert City. After checking his statement, he found that someone had used his debit card to withdraw cash from an ATM at Signet Federal Credit Union, located at 1600 Clark Street.



Surveillance video shows a person wearing a jacket with the hood pulled up, and a bandana over their face, using the card at the ATM. The persons face is not visible, but police hope someone can identify the jacket the person is wearing.



Anyone with information is asked to call the Paducah Police Department at 270-444-8550. Information also may be provided anonymously through West Kentucky Crime Stoppers by texting WKY and your tip to 847411 (tip 411) or by downloading the app WKY Crime Stoppers from the Apple Store or Google Play. Tipsters also may access the online tip form through the City of Paducah website at http://paducahky.gov/west-ky-crime-stoppers. Information leading to an arrest or indictment may result in a reward of up to $1,000.
Calvert City Jingle All the Way 5k and Fun Run set for December 4
This year's parade was dedicated to migrants who have lost their lives travelling to other countries. The tradition is enmeshed with indigenous identity in Mexico, going on for thousands of years during the annual maize harvest, which was the primary crop in the country.The Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebrates and honors deceased loved ones through a variety of different traditions: altars with photographs, sprays of orange marigolds, revelers with faces painted with intricate makeup, a slew of parades and parties, representations of human skeletons and skulls (calacas and calaveras) and various offerings (ofrendas) along roads and in graveyards.At the heart of Dia de los Muertos is family, love and remembrance. And if you've never witnessed it in person, we promise it's something you must experience to truly feel its power and poignance. It's no wonder then, that the Dia de los Muertos holiday was added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.What better place to celebrate than the destination of San Miguel de Allende -- itself a UNESCO World Heritage site? This picturesque town in north central Mexico, known for its pristine, colorful Colonial and Spanish architecture, is also a magnet for expats and artists.San Miguel's Dia de los Muertos festivities are a four-day-long celebration of history and family, arts and culture, food and frolic referred to as La Calaca.On November 1, costumed revelers with calaveras, or skulls, painted on their faces, slowly snake through the cobblestone streets of San Miguel, ending at Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel, the 17th-century cathedral in the town's main square. This ancient tradition -- a mix of Aztec and Christian modalities -- has been celebrated throughout Central America and Mexico for thousands of years.Despite the timing, the Day of the Dead is not directly connected with Halloween. Their calendar adjacency, however, might relate to the growing popularity of Dia de los Muertos events, particularly in the U.S.Sugar skulls go on sale. Makeup artists are booked. Retailer Party City sells Day of the Dead regalias and decorations. Even Target has a collection of Dia de los Muertos merchandise.Regardless of how or where or why the holiday is celebrated, visiting Mexico at this time of year is a true privilege.Witnessing the love and care and beauty that true believers pour into their altars and shrines, seeing the photographs of dearly-departed loved ones bathed in orange marigolds and orange candle light, participating in a parade or watching from the sidelines, is magical and transforming. It's a singularly moving trip that any passionate traveler would treasure for life.
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Four arrested after Smithy Lane assault leaves 16 year old in hospital

This article is old - Published: Thursday, Nov 1st, 2018

Police have arrested four people following an assault on Smithy Lane that prompted a rapid large medical and police response.

North Wales Police said late last night: Following an assault on Smithy Lane, Wrexham at 4.52pm today, four males were arrested and are currently in custody.

The sixteen year old victim is stable in the Maelor hospital.

Any witnesses, please contact 101 quote ref W156166.

Updates from last night below

Update 9:48pm: The police helicopter has left the area.



Update 9:25pm The police helicopter has arrived in the skies above Smithy Lane, there is no indication yet if this is connected to the earlier incident.

Original information below

Police have been attending to an incident in little acton for several hours this evening.

A large emergency service response occurred just before 5pm, and we observed door to door enquiries being carried out by police shortly afterwards.

Four police cars, an ambulance and a first response vehicle were parked outside a property in Little Acton area at 5:20pm, with one person believed to have been taken to hospital.

Details from the police are expected shortly.

We will update as and when there is further information.

@wrexham something serious going on not far from the 4*4 garage little Acton 5 police cars in attendance???  richard emberton (@EmbertonRichard) November 1, 2018

@wrexham Avoid the bottom of Smithy Lane, 4 cop cars, 1 ambulance car and an ambulance, Road is shut.  Kelsey Cochran (@kels_452) November 1, 2018
Split vote will see Independent Remuneration Panel told pay rise for councillors is wrong

This article is old - Published: Friday, Nov 2nd, 2018

Proposals to increase the salaries of councillors have been branded wrong and disappointing  with calls to refuse any pay rise to show solidarity with the public during times of austerity.

Members of the councils democratic services committee discussed the pay increase proposals outlined in the Independent Renumeration Panel for Wales (IRPW) annual report, with the majority speaking out against any such pay rise in the current economic climate.

The recommendations in the panels report would see eight members of the executive board senior salary receive over 30,000 a year in a 2.7% increase  taking the overall councillor pay bill almost to the 1,000,000 a year in Wrexham alone. A similar 800 pay rise is also proposed for the leader and deputy leader of Wrexham Council, which locally would bring the salaries up to 49,100 and 34,600.

Committee members on the whole spoke out against independent proposals to give them a pay rise, although Cllr Beverley Parry-Jones, who represents the Bryn Cefn ward, asked: Would any resident in any ward be prepared not to take a pay rise in their job if offered?

When we uniquely wrote our preview article ahead of the meeting the feedback on social media and forums from the public was strongly against the rises, with councillors citing some more direct telephone feedback from residents due to the article.

Llays Cllr Rob Walsh said the pay proposals were very very disappointing, adding he had heard from outraged members of the public.

He said: It is not just about the money, this is about public confidence. For the first time I have had people phone me to ask what is going on here? We are proposing budget cuts but then saying pay rises.

We do need to show solidarity with the public, and say this is not the right time for this.

Cllr Rob Walsh expressed to us his frustration (shared entirely with us at Wrexham.com) of those who do not fully read articles, as he had to explain that councillors do not set their own pay levels, and in the current system are effectively forced to accept it  although they can proactively write to the finance officer to forgo it.

Cllr Derek Wright, who represents Cefn, spoke in opposition to any pay rise, attacking the IRPW for ignoring feedback in the so called consultation, adding: To increase salaries in this period of austerity is disappointing to say the least.

I have been involved in this process over the last few years, this committee says the same thing, and our views get ignored. They ask for consultation, and we are ignored.

Rhosnesni Cllr Mike Davies said he was personally unhappy at the proposals, saying the context of asking the public to consider cuts to services and higher council tax made him uncomfortable.

With our article creating some feedback for councillors before the meeting, our live tweeting of comments by Cllr Parry-Jones triggered a range of live-ish feedback.

Cllr Parry-Jones cited recent comments from the prime minister and chancellor regarding being told we are coming out of austerity and things are improving.

Cllr Parry-Jones added: As I said last year and this year again, I firmly believe it should be left to an independent body. For openness, honesty and transparency this is a decision for the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales.

Later she questioned: Would any resident in any ward be prepared not to take a pay rise in their job if offered?

I dont see why councillors shouldnt be reimbursed for the efforts they put in to their ward to make it a better place.

The latter comments have promoted a range of replies to the specific tweet  here.

Cllr Dana Davies, who represents Ruabon, noted the panels report on the 800 senior rises alluded to the increase being performance related, adding it was basically being put forward as performance related pay and therefore we will be open to challenge on it.

Cllr Davies said: We have got some who deliver 30 reports, and others who deliver half a report in a year.

It is about credibility and collective responsibility. The Panel are out of step. It puts us all in a very difficult position, is is difficult if they are not seeing the message we are sending.

Cllr Brian Cameron, Whitegate ward, said he was about to do a common I echo all the comments so far, but specifically distanced himself from Cllr Parry-Jones.

Cllr Cameron said he was strongly against any pay increase as people were bleeding out there, but also indicated the process was not clear to some councillors until recently as we always thought in the past we had to take it, indicating he and possibly others in his grouping donated rises to charity.

Council Leader Mark Pritchard, Esclusham ward, said he welcomed the introduction of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales in 2010 and still supported the levels of pay being taken out councillors hands.

He said: It is a mixed bag. Some will make public statement saying I am not taking it leaving it in the council pot, that is fine. Others will say they the council will waste it and will take it, and give to local community organisations, or national organisations. That is also fine.

I hope this time this is not a debate on if we should take it or not, that should be in the gift of every elected member. Some however say they should not increase, do they feel the same about the fire service or is that just the council?

If you say no increase today are you saying the same on the fire authority? They are asking for 17.5 per cent, there is either a reason for an increase or not.

I wish there was a webcam in here so the public can see how we react in the debate. You should not be scared of it. Members say they are scared of the IRPW announcement, we do not make the decision, it is in the gift of them.

Elected members have it in their gift, take it or give it away. That is what it is about to me.

Cllr Wright weighed in on the fire service, saying they should be separate and have their own budget rather than rely on councils for donations. The 17.5%, they should not tell councils what they want and get it added to the precepts. Perhaps recognising the debate was veering elsewhere, he then called for a vote to move business on.

Wynnstay Cllr Malcom King noted a response would be created from Wrexham Council to the IRPW, and would be formulated between himself and Cllr Pritchard and shared to councillors before it being sent off.

Such collaborative working between Cllrs King and Pritchard was the second mention in the meeting, with a previous agenda item seeing such togetherness jokingly described as a bromance. This basic search of our twitter history gives a flavour of previous relations.

Cllr King spoke to say: Yes very few are awarded a pay rise and are not expected to take it, however we are not fire officers, not local authority employees, and are not working in general economy here.

We are 52 elected members, elected community leaders. This is a leadership issue.

It is fair to say if there were signs of austerity being over, that last eight years of pay restraint where generally people are no better off eight years ago will not be replaced in next year or fifteen.

It is often called a wage scar. I am sure we are worth every penny and all that, but that is irrelevant to the issue. There is only 52 of us, in no other services are people elected to lead. To take this would be a shortfall in our duties as community leaders.

Cllr Bill Baldwin, Little Acton, asked for the response to the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales last year to be read out, and said he felt this years should be similar again.

Cllr Wright spoke of his recommendation noting that the committee was disappointed again views are being ignored, and that the current austerity climate is taken into account, and that it is wrong to give a pay increase.

A vote was taken to effectively back the drafting of a response incorporating those views by Cllrs King and Pritchard for circulation, with the committee voting 4 in favour for the move.

Cllrs Barrie Warburton, Gwersyllt North, and Cllr Baldwin abstained, indicating they would want to read what is in it before agreeing to it, and Cllr Parry-Jones voting against.

Copies of our live tweets are archived below in reverse order.

Wrexham.com @wrexham Decided: Described as a bromance earlier, Cllr King & Cllr Pritchard will write a letter to pay panel with strong negative feedback from committee on plans to give councillors a payrise. Cllr Baldwin/Warburton abstain as want to see letter first, Cllr Parry-Jones votes against

Wrexham.com @wrexham Cllr King points out many people in a wage scar with ongoing pay restraints due to austerity. Says Cllrs in a privileged position, and this is a leadership issue not a pay issue due to the elected nature of councillors and should be self denial of pay rise

Wrexham.com @wrexham Cllr Davies says IRPW link pay to performance and negative public feedback made to her is 800 hike for Exec members, has a pop at some Exec members some deliver 30 reports others who deliver half a report a year

Wrexham.com @wrexham Council Leader Pritchard says it is a mixed bag, that some councillors give the increases away, some do that as they want to target a donation rather than returning to the general council money-pot. Says some play to galleries saying it is an easy way out.

Wrexham.com @wrexham Cllr Cameron distances himself from those comments, disagreeing with pay rise proposals: It is not the right time. People are bleeding out there.

Wrexham.com @wrexham Clr Parry-Jones asks if any resident in Wrexham would be prepared to *not* take a pay rise, I dont see why councillors shouldnt be reimbursed in the efforts they put in to their ward to make it a better place

Wrexham.com @wrexham Cllr Rob Walsh says he got phone calls after links article that reported the pay rise, said people asked him why cuts were proposed at same time as a payrise. Used word outrage and cllrs should show solidarity with public.

Wrexham.com @wrexham Cllr Parry-Jones says she feels the IRPW should set the pay and welcomes independent panel doing it, for openness honesty and transparency taking it away from councillors deciding pay.

Wrexham.com @wrexham Cllr Wright kicks off debate, points out year after year this committee writes to the IRPW (indy panel who sets pay) saying no thanks to rises  but are ignored. Indicates that the consultation is basically a waste of time.

Wrexham.com @wrexham When we wrote our preview bit on these proposals some councillors were unhappy as they said it did not have current info, Officer has just said the report contains current figures, which we based our article on.
On October 25, 200 students came to the meeting Defend the student union against the right-wing attacks of the university administration and the AfD! in the main building of Berlin's Humboldt University (HU). The youth and student organization of the Fourth International, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), together with the student unions of the universities in Potsdam and Bremen, had called for solidarity with the RefRat, as the student administration at HU is known.

The meeting at Humboldt University

The appeal for the meeting evoked a powerful response because many students oppose the harassment and intimidation of the RefRat by the university administration at the behest of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). The large turnout was an expression of political strength and a clear sign that students are willing to defend their democratic rights and fight against the right-wing danger.

At the beginning of the meeting, RefRat members Tim and Michi said they were pleased with the invitation to the event by the IYSSE. We are especially happy that so many of you are here today.

The two speakers informed those present about the legal action being taken by the university administration against the elected student body and showed how its content was consistent with a motion tabled by the AfD in the Berlin House of Representatives (state legislature). In particular, the request for the university administration to publish lists of names of all active students in the RefRat could be directly linked to the motion tabled by the AfD. For this reason, the president of HU had brought an action against the RefRat in July.

Tim also reported that students were being exposed not only to political but also to social attacks by the university administration. For example, student employees at HU have for years been systematically paid far below the applicable wage rates, resulting in serious financial problems for some.

As Michi added, the actions of the university represent a social development in which increasingly authoritarian behaviour against democratic and critical structures [is] legitimized. In the name of the RefRat, Michi called for solidarity from the student body and other student unions. The RefRat would continue to resist handing over lists of names to right-wing extremists.

Fabian, the representative of the AStA (student union) at the Free University of Berlin (FU), followed on from Michis report about the character of the universities as business enterprises. Fabian compared the list of names demanded by the HU presidium with AfD websites in Berlin and Hamburg, where students are called on to denounce their teachers. The AfD was deliberately seeking out information about its opponents, using further parliamentary motions.

Fabian referred to the case of the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) officer Franco A. and the right-wing terrorists of the National Socialist Underground (NSU), among whom extensive lists of names of potential targets were found. Furthermore, critical students and the AStA at the FU were confronted with systematic attacks by the university administrators.

Irina of the student body of the university of Bremen

Irina, who had travelled to Berlin on behalf of Bremens AStA, reported how extreme right-wing forces were increasingly acting openly at her university. They felt encouraged because their ideas were being made acceptable again, she said.

For example, representatives from the neo-fascist German National Party (NPD), the AfD and the Identitarian Movement had put in an appearance during the orientation period for first-year students on campus. The Bremen AStA, however, had gone on the offensive and is confronted with increasing attacks by the university administration. The administration had also refused to defend the AStA when it was sued by right-wing HU Professor Jorg Baberowski.

At the beginning of his contribution, the IYSSE speaker at HU, Sven Wurm, took up the remarks of the RefRat representatives. The sheer mass of attacks by university administrations against the social and democratic rights of students had attained a new quality. Sven stressed that it was important to understand why the attacks take on such a massive form today.

He addressed two appeals to students. First, they should not underestimate how far the development of the right wing had progressed in the universities and in society internationally. We arent just talking about a development at HU, he said. Second, Sven called on those present to participate in building a movement against the right-wing attacks that are taking place everywhere.

He agreed with the RefRat that the opposition must come from students themselves. On the other hand, there was a deafening silence among academics, journalists and in establishment political circles. However, as a member of the IYSSE, Sven said he was not surprised by this. In the fight against representatives of the extreme right, the IYSSE had already made similar experiences.

In 2014, in the newsweekly Der Spiegel, the chair of East European history at HU, Jorg Baberowski, had attested that Hitler was not vicious. And when he downplayed the Nazis war of extermination in Eastern Europe, this remained completely unchallenged. The IYSSE was the only one to oppose Baberowskis systematic relativizing of the crimes of the Nazis in his works and his pursuit of an extremely right-wing political agenda. The university administration, academics and leading newspapers had subsequently organised a campaign to falsify the IYSSEs views and silence its representatives.

Sven Wurm, spokesman of the IYSSE at Humboldt University

Sven went into more detail about the social context to the rise of the far right. With the entry of the AfD into the Bundestag, an openly extreme right-wing party was sitting in the German parliament for the first time since the end of the Nazi dictatorship. Its chairman, Alexander Gauland, recently described this dictatorship as merely bird shit in more than 1,000 years of successful German history, and only a few weeks ago he wrote a guest article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that paraphrased one of Hitlers speeches. Unlike the Nazis, the AfD today possesses no mass movement on the streets. However, given the massive support for the AfD from the state apparatus, the government and wide sections of the media, the rightward development was no less dangerous today. As in the 1930s, a socialist perspective was needed to stop the right wing and prevent a catastrophe.

Sven said many of the participants must have asked themselves the question, What would I have done 85 years ago? This question was again posed today: I think we have to face this today and have to anticipate the question of the next generation: What did you do?

The developments of recent years have shown that one cannot simply rely on things turning out right in the end. Students had to take the fight against the right wing into their own hands. We can defend the universities and the RefRat only if we develop as broad a counteroffensive as possible. He called on everyone to take part in this fight, to continue discussions, to come to the students plenary meeting next Wednesday and to the meetings of the IYSSE at HU.

Afterwards, a lively discussion developed. Students from other universities pointed to similar developments. A student from the University of Leipzig reported how the local university administration had defended the nationalistic comments of the law professor Thomas Rauscher. A petition against Rauscher had gathered 18,000 signatures.

Another pointed to the case of Martin Wagener, professor of international politics at the Federal College of Administration in Munich, who in a recent book called for the establishment of a postmodern frontier system, with walls, pits and barbed wire at the German border.

The attempt by a small group of right-wing provocateurs and officials of the AfD organisation, Young Alternative, to disrupt the meeting failed miserably. On the contrary, their vulgar behaviour only caused disgust among those present. Several participants protested against those seeking to disrupt the meeting and called for them to be isolated.

Other participants asked questions about the characterisation of the actions of the HU administration as a far-right conspiracy. In his reply, Sven explained that the term was not chosen randomly, but represented what had actually happened. In view of the massive opposition to right-wing extremism in the populationwhich was also expressed in the large attendance at the meeting itselfthe policy of the government, which has largely taken over the programme of the AfD, increasingly assumes the character of a political conspiracy.

He referred to the book, Why are they back? by Christoph Vandreier, deputy chairman of the Socialist Equality Party (SGP), recently published by Mehring Verlag. This systematically explains the nature of the right-wing conspiracy.

Even after the official end of the meeting, discussions continued in the corridors for a long time. Members of the IYSSE stressed that although the meeting had been a great success, it was only an important impetus for a broader mobilisation to defend the universities against right-wing attacks, which must ultimately be raised to an international level, and for the mobilisation of the working class on the basis of a socialist programme. Many students left their contact details to be kept informed about a planned networking meeting and regular IYSSE meetings.
In a press conference yesterday afternoon, US President Donald Trump announced a series of immigration proposals that are without precedent in US history. Denouncing immigration as an invasion, Trump said he was planning on announcing the new measures in an executive order at the beginning of next week.

Hours before he was greeted at a Missouri campaign rally with raucous cheers of USA! USA! and Build that wall, Trump outlined his vision of massive concentration camps and border showdowns between armed soldiers and defenseless asylum seekers.

First, Trump said he had already ordered immigration officials to indefinitely detain all immigrants arrested crossing the border, as opposed to releasing immigrants while their court cases are pending.

We are going to no longer release, he said. We are going to catch. We are not going to release. They are going to stay with us until the deportation hearing or the asylum hearing takes place. So we are not releasing them into the community. We have no use for people that over the years have been released into the community.

Second, Trump proposed ending the right of immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border without documentation to apply for asylum.

Under this plan, illegal aliens will no longer get a free pass into the country by lodging meritless claims in seeking asylum. Migrants seeking asylum will have to present themselves lawfully at a port of entry. Those who choose to break the laws and enter illegally will no longer be able to use meritless claims to gain automatic admission into our country. We will hold them for a long time, if necessary.

Third, Trump announced he had already ordered the military to construct a network of concentration camps to house the massive expansion.

We are putting up massive cities of tents. The military is helping us incredibly well. I want to thank the Army Corps of Engineers, they have been so efficient, so good, so talented. We have thousands of tents, we have a lot of everything. We are going to hold them right there. We are not letting them into our country. Later, Trump added that you need massive facilities we are building the facilities now, massive numbers of tents and we will hold them in tents.

Trump openly threatened to massacre the caravan of workers and peasants escaping war and poverty in Central America.

We have already dispatched to the border United States military, and they will do the job, Trump said. They are setting up right now and they are preparing. We hope nothing happens, but if it does, we are totally prepared.

Responding to a reporter who asked how the US military deployed at the southern border would respond to members of the caravan, many of whom are women and children, throwing rocks, Trump added:

We will consider that a firearm. We will consider that the maximum we can consider that, because theyre throwing rocks viciously and violently. Were not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. I told them to consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks, like they did at the Mexico military and police, I said, consider that a rifle.

Trumps fascistic proposals yesterday come amid a series of dictatorial immigration measures, including proposing to repeal the 14th Amendment by executive order, eliminating the right of infants born on US soil to American citizenship, as well as deploying 15,000 soldiers to the US-Mexico border, more than the US has deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria combined. The first of the 5,200 soldiers already deployed to the border began arriving yesterday.

No presidentindeed, no American politicianhas uttered words like these. To enforce these policies would abrogate nearly every section of the Bill of Rights, not just for immigrants but for all people, regardless of immigration status.

Trump repeated a variant of these remarks at a campaign rally held at a hanger at the airport in Columbia, Missouri on behalf of Republican Senate candidate Josh Hawley, who is running against Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill. Trumps fascistic demagoguery has intensified significantly in the last days of the election campaign, as he fights to build an extreme-right wing movement outside the framework of the Republican and Democratic parties.

At the tarmac rally, Trump proclaimed that he is building an unprecedented and historic movement, the strength of which derives from its ability to bypass the media. Trumps efforts are meeting with some success. A recent poll showed more likely Republican voters identify with Trump than they do with the Republican Party.

At the Columbia rally, Trump threatened protests against his administrations policies, claiming his supporters were being very nice, for which protestors should be grateful because Trump supporters are very tough.

Trump has increasingly sought to mobilize his supporters in an anti-socialist and nationalist direction. In Missouri, he denounced the Democratic Party as far-left and the party of socialism, open borders and crime. He said immigrants live in nests and said that the United States is being overrun by masses of illegal immigrants and giant caravans whose participants are criminals, murderers, and rapists, not little angels.

He said that enemies of the country were taking advantage of birthright citizenship, proclaiming, hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens are made automatic citizens of the US every year because of this crazy, lunatic policy that we can end.

He concluded with the following appeal: We are one people and one family and one glorious American destiny.

The speech came less than 24 hours after Trump posted a campaign advertisement that portrayed immigrants on their desperate trek to the US as the equivalents of murderers and criminals. The ad features courtroom footage of the trial of an immigrant convicted of murder with the words Democrats let him in who else would Democrats let in?

Trumps demagoguery has a deadly logic. His rhetoric has already inspired violent attacks, like the massacre of Jewish synagogue-goers carried out by Robert Bowers in Pittsburgh last Saturday. Trumps language and his actions are aimed deliberately at creating conditions where immigrants will not only be detained, but also killed.

The Democratic Party has played a criminal role in letting Trump mobilize his fascistic base against immigrants. On Wednesday night, CNN host Chris Cuomo asked Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez four times why his party was refusing to respond to Trumps threats against immigrants.

Perez responded each time by saying that immigration was not the real issue in the election, and that Trumps threats were merely a distraction. Perez said the Democrats do not believe in open borders or amnesty for immigrants and that they also support tough immigration laws.

Typical was the response of former Clinton advisor and CNN contributor Paul Begala, who said in response to Trumps remarks yesterday: My position on Trumps press conference is that a caravan of Republicans is trying to take away your health care if you have a pre-existing condition. Other Democrats, like Claire McCaskill, have been even more explicit, telling CNN: I support the president 100 percent doing what he needs to do to secure the border.

The self-proclaimed left wing of the Democratic Party has ignored Trumps deadly threats. In a 1,200 word fundraising email Wednesday, Bernie Sanders refused to mention Trumps assault on immigrants.

Trumps words and deeds must be a wake-up call to workers and young people in the United States and around the world. The basic choice confronting humanity is between the horrors of the 1930sincluding war, internment camps, police state round-ups and the official promotion of racism and xenophobiaand socialist revolution.
The US is dramatically escalating its illegal, economic war against Iran, with the aim of crashing its economy and imposing a pro-US regime in Tehran akin to that of the despot Shah Reza Pahlavi.

Beginning Monday, November 5, the US will embargo Iranian energy exports, which fund well over a third of the countrys state budget.

To choke off the remainder of Irans exports and deny it access to machinery, basic consumer goods and other essentials, Washington will also bar Irans central bank and other financial institutions from the US dominated-global financial system and target any company that insures trade with Iran.

The unilateral US sanctions against Iran are to be enforced through punitive secondary sanctions. Companies and countries that trade with Iran in defiance of Washington will face exclusion from the US market and massive financial and other penalties.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo describes the Trump administrations Iran strategy as maximum pressure and disruptive boldness, adding that the pressure will only increase.

Writing in the NovemberDecember issue of Foreign Affairs, Pompeo claims that Trump does not want another long-term US military engagement in the Middle Easti.e. another US instigated war. But his Confronting Iran article bristles with war threats, from his boasting that Trumps threats to incinerate North Korea caused Pyongyang to submit to US demands to his reiteration of the recent statements from Trump, his national security adviser, the longtime Iran war-hawk John Bolton, and other top officials threatening Iran with military attack.

Employing the favourite stock-phrase of every aggressor, Pompeo declares, We do not seek war. He then adds, But we must make painfully clear that escalation is a losing proposition for Iran. The Islamic Republic cannot match the United States military prowess and we are not afraid to let Irans leaders know it.

Pompeo, needless to say, repeats Trumps cant about Iran being a rogue regime and the worlds leading state-sponsor of terrorism.

Yet it is Washington that has ripped up the 2015 UN-backed Iran civil nuclear accord, although all the other states that negotiated it with TehranBritain, France, Germany, Russia and Chinaare in agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and even the US State Department that Iran has fulfilled all its obligations under the accord to the letter.

And it is American imperialism that over the past three decades has waged a series of predatory wars across the greater Middle East, from Afghanistan to Libya, that have razed entire societies, killed millions and displaced many millions more.

It is also Washington that, to use Pompeos language, resembles a mafia, giving Iran a choice between submission or facing Americas military might: a choice between accepting US demands that would reduce Iran to a neo-colonyincluding giving up its ballistic missile program, even as the US threatens it and arms Israel and Saudi Arabia to the teeth; ending all support to its allies such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Syrian regime; and permanent limits on its civilian nuclear program much harsher than those imposed on any other countryor being subjected to an ever-escalating campaign of US economic and military pressure.

A new instance of US oppression

Speaking Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Washingtons plans to throttle the Iranian economy constitute a new instance of oppression by America and appealed for national unity.

In an oblique reference to a massive depreciation of the Iranian currency, the rial, and a further spike in unemployment due to the pullout of European and other investors spooked by the impending US sanctions, Rouhani conceded that in the past few months people have faced difficult times and its possible that the next few months will be difficult.

But he insisted Washington will not be able to reach any of (its) goals with regard to Irans oil  to bring it to zero or reduce it. To buttress this claim, he emphasized the opposition of the European imperialist powers to Trumps jettisoning of the nuclear accord and their pledges to develop a Special Vehicle to allow European-based companies and others to circumvent the US sanctions.

In reality, Irans bourgeois nationalist regime is enveloped in crisis. It had banked on rapprochement with the Western imperialist powers, and a consequent boom in foreign investment, to strengthen its hand against the working class while pushing through neo-liberal reforms aimed at increasing the profitability of Iranian capitalism. However, the European investment surge in 201617 fell far short of expectations. This year it outright collapsed, as European businesses scrambled for the exit ramp, for fear of impending US sanctions.

At the beginning of 2018, the Iranian regime was shaken by the eruption of mass anger over years of austerity and social inequality. In the months since, there have been numerous strikes involving teachers, truck drivers and other workers.

Faced with these twin threats, from an increasingly militant working class and a rapacious US imperialism desperate to reverse the erosion of its global power, Tehran has twisted and turned.

Rouhani and Iranian military leaders have assertedgiven that the US and its Saudi and other Gulf allies are illegally seeking to prevent Iran from exporting its oilthat Tehran would be in its rights to block the Strait of Hormuz, the principal conduit for Arabian Peninsula oil.

In an interview with CBS News this week, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif dismissed the claim by a member of Irans parliamentary security committee that there have been secret talks between Tehran and Washington. But Im not ruling out the possibility of negotiations, said Zarif. Weve done it in the past. We can do it again.

US imperialisms offensive against Iran and world geopolitics

With the approach of the Nov. 5 launch of the US embargo on Iranian oil exports, various countries have approached the Trump administration for waivers, that is for US permission to continue importing at least some Iranian oil. Between 2011 and 2015when the Obama administration was pressuring and threatening Iran, in a campaign Trump, Pompeo and Bolton decry as insufficiently aggressivethe US granted waivers to countries that had traditionally imported Iranian oil, as long as they reduced their overall imports by 20 percent every 180 days.

Yesterday, for the first time, there were indications that the Trump administration was close to granting such waivers, although, if it does, they will reportedly only be short-term and conditional on overall import cuts of 30 percent or more.

Not insignificantly, the two countries said to be close to securing waivers, India and South Korea, are viewed by Washington as key allies in its strategic offensive against China.

For its part, Beijing has reduced its oil imports from Iran in recent months, while rebuffing Washingtons calls for it to abide by the US sanctions against Iran.

Some news reports have suggested that Trump may impose sanctions against some Chinese firms active in Iran on Nov. 5, as part of its ongoing campaign of military and economic pressure against the country that administration spokesmen have identified as American imperialisms most important strategic rival.

Yesterday the New York Times carried an article headlined As New Sanctions Loom, US Push Against Iran Faces Steep Obstacles.

The article notes that the Saudi regime, a key ally of Washington in its offensive against Iran, is mired in crisis after its brutal murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and points to the opposition of China, the European powers and most other states around the globe to the Trump administrations trashing of the nuclear accord and unilateral sanctions.

Undoubtedly, the tensions in the Middle East and between the great powers are far more explosive today than at the beginning of the decade, when the Obama administration, backed by Washingtons traditional European allies, prevailed on Russia and China to back economic sanctions against Iran, on the grounds that Tehran could be developing nuclear weapons under the cover of a civil nuclear program.

In the interim, Washington has made it clear it is actively preparing for war against nuclear-armed Russia and China, and the trans-Atlantic partnership between the US and Europe has unraveled. Led by Germany and France, Europe is frantically rearming so it can assert its own imperialist interests independently of and, when need be, against Washington. European leaders, it should be noted, have touted the Special Vehicle the EU is now seeking to create to continue trade with Iran as a potential building block for a financial system not subject to US, and US dollar domination.

All this, however, only makes the developing confrontation between Washington and Tehran more volatile and more explosive. Having laid the power and prestige of US imperialism on the line in the aim of humbling and subjugating Tehran, the Trump administration and the American oligarchy will be loathe to see its anti-Iran offensive undercut or circumvented by its rivals, driving it to still greater recklessness and belligerence.
A new report from the Institute for Policy Studies, made public Tuesday, underscores the role of inherited wealth in the growth of social inequality in the United States. The report, titled, Billionaire Bonanza: Inherited Wealth Dynasties in the 21st-Century United States, analyzes the Forbes magazine list of the 400 wealthiest individuals in the United States, and finds that one-third of them derived their wealth primarily from inheritance from their parents or from an even older generation of the super-rich.

The three wealthiest of the dynasties, the Waltons, the Koch brothers and the Mars family, saw their combined wealth increase nearly 6,000 percent since 1982, while average household wealth in America actually declined slightly. These three families, based in retailing, oil production and food manufacturing respectively, had a combined wealth of $348.7 billion in 2018, up from $5.84 billion in 1982, adjusted to 2018 dollars.

Besides the seven Waltons, two Kochs and six Mars, the report notes nine Cargill heirs on the Forbes 400 list, along with five Johnsons (Fidelity Investments), nine Pritzkers (Hyatt Hotels), five heirs to the Cox media fortune, four heirs to the Duncan oil fortune, four Lauders (perfumes), five billionaires from the Johnson & Johnson empire, four Bass brothers (oil), three Strykers (medical equipment), and so on. The top 15 billionaire dynasties had a combined wealth of $618 billion.

In the 100 years since the first US Gilded Age, the vast wealth of the original dynastic families like the Rockefellers, Mellons, Carnegies and DuPonts has been dispersed among large numbers of descendants, as well as diluted by progressive taxation (before 1980) and, in a few cases, by transfer to foundations. Few heirs of the original robber barons now make the Forbes 400 list. But the report notes, Now several decades into the second Gilded Age, dynastic wealth families once again appear in force on the Forbes 400 list. And like previous dynasties, a segment of these families use their considerable wealth and power to rig the rules of the economy to protect and expand their wealth and power.

These wealthy families have pushed through major changes in the tax and inheritance laws that will allow them to pass on their wealth to the next generation virtually without hindrancechanges which will be taken advantage of by the new layer of super-rich, personified by the trio of Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, whose combined wealth is greater than that of the bottom half of the American population.

But their impact on American social and political life goes well beyond the immediate accumulation and preservation of family fortunes. The report begins by citing a warning by Paul Volckerwho, as the former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, the US central bank, was intimately familiar with the political and social psychology of this layerabout the dangers of the rule over society by a tiny elite of the fabulously rich.

The central issue is were developing into a plutocracy, Volcker said. Weve got an enormous number of enormously rich people that have convinced themselves that theyre rich because theyre smart and constructive. And they dont like government and they dont like to pay taxes. Hence the agenda of tax-cutting and deregulation carried out by Democratic and Republican administrations alike.

The past 40 years have seen the consolidation of a plutocratic elite, which has subordinated every aspect of American society to a single goal: amassing ever more colossal amounts of personal wealth. The top one percent have captured all of the increase in national income over the past two decades, and all of the increase in national wealth since the 2008 crash.

This is the fundamental class reason for the dramatic and seemingly unending shift to the right in American politics over this period. Well-paying jobs, long-term job security, decent public schools, the social infrastructure of transportation, health care, housing, even water and sewage systemsall these have been sacrificed to the maniacal and never-ending self-enrichment of the plutocrats.

The destruction of jobs, living standards and social benefits for working people is constantly and invariably justified by Corporate America and the capitalist politicians of the Democratic and Republican parties with the declaration that there is no money. This mantra is repeated even as the fortunes of the super-rich swell to previously unthinkable dimensions. What it really means is there is no money for you, because we want it all. The plutocrats bear the same relationship to modern society as a cancerous tumor does to the human body.

The Institute for Policy Studies has done a public service by publishing these figures, which dovetail with the findings of economists like Emmanuel Saez, Thomas Piketty and Gabriel Zucman. But the policies advanced by the IPS, tepid liberal reforms such as the reinstitution of the inheritance tax and a 1 percent annual wealth tax, have a snowballs chance in hell of being enacted under the present social order. They are proposed to bolster illusions in the Democratic Party, and in particular to promote politicians of the Bernie Sanders stripe.

The reality is that the Democratic Party is just as beholden to the billionaires and just as devoted to the defense of capitalism as the Republican Party. The financial aristocracy will never permit such measures to be adopted through the mechanisms of Congress and the presidency, which it controls from top to bottom. On the contrary, the open turn to authoritarianism by both corporate-controlled parties is a powerful demonstration that economic inequality on the scale that exists today in the United States is incompatible with democracy.

The only realistic alternative to the dictatorship of the billionaires is the independent political mobilization of the working class on the basis of a socialist program. The banner of the working class cannot be restore modest taxation on the super-rich. It must be, Expropriate the super-rich. The working class must set as its goal the confiscation of the wealth of the billionaireswhich was produced in the first place by the workersto provide the resources needed for the common good. This would be the first and most decisive step in the socialist reorganization of economic life to serve human needs and not private profit.
Thousands of people have been attending the funerals for the victims of the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh this past Saturday. The outpouring was a sign of popular opposition to horrific act of anti-Semitic violence and the political climate that contributed to it.

On Tuesday, services were held for Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, of Edgewood, and brothers Cecil, 59, and David Rosenthal, 54, of Squirrel Hill and Daniel Stein, 71, of Squirrel Hill. On Wednesday, thousands of mourners attended three services for Joyce Fienberg, 75, of Oakland, Irving Younger, 69, of Mount Washington, and Melvin Wax, 87, of Squirrel Hill.

On Thursday, services were held for husband and wife Sylvan Simon, 86, and Bernice Simon, 84, of Wilkinsburg, who were both killed in the attack. A separate service was held for Richard Gottfried, 65, of Ross. Gottfried a dentist, worked part of his time in clinics providing free care to refugees and those that couldnt afford dental care.

Funeral services will be held today for Rose Mallinger, 97, of Squirrel Hill, the oldest of the victims.

The 11 people were shot and killed Saturday while attending morning services at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Religious leaders have invited the public throughout the country to attend Solidarity Shabbat services Friday night and Saturday to express their sympathy for the victims and to oppose anti-Semitism. The victims were killed last Saturday while observing the Jewish sabbath or day of rest.

Attorneys for Robert Bowers, 46, the chief suspect in the massacre, entered pleas of not guilty to 44 counts, including 11 counts of murder, for the killing of 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue. On Wednesday, a federal grand jury in western Pennsylvania indicted Bower on 11 counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious freedom resulting in death, and 11 counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Bowers, who is reportedly a truck driver from nearby Baldwin, is accused of entering the synagogue shortly before 10 am last Saturday carrying an AR-15 assault rifle and 3 handguns and shouting all Jews must die as he began shooting.

Social media posts made by Bowers in the weeks and days before the attack make clear that he targeted the synagogue because of work done there in connection with HIAS (formally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), which relocates refugees from war-torn Syria, Latin America and throughout the world to the Pittsburgh area. HIAS is the oldest refugee organization in the world, having assisted refugees for more than 130 years.

Just before his bloody assault, Bowers wrote, HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I cant sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, Im going in.

The political climate for this rampage has been created by the fascistic speeches of President Donald Trump. In the past few weeks, the president has referred to the caravan of Central American refugees as an army of invaders out to steal jobs, commit crimes and steal social services from native born residents. He also accused Democratic donor George Soros, who is Jewish, of funding the caravan, an accusation that was taken up by far right and fascistic web sites.

These xenophobic rants incited the violence in Pittsburgh and others acts, including the sending of pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and critics of Trump by an avid Trump supporter and the murder of two African-Americans at a grocery store in Kentucky.

Trump uses language like invaders and army whenever he is talking about poverty stricken migrants coming from Central America, Sam, a coal miner from the Pittsburgh area, told the World Socialist Web Site said. This is like music to the ears to mentally ill people like (Bowers). Trumps rhetoric is reinforcing their illusions that immigrants are responsible for our problems.

Sam specifically singled out the Democrats for their role. I dont know what to say about the Democrats. A few months ago, some of them were saying to get rid of ICE but they quickly dropped that. Its all politics to them.

They want to tiptoe around the issue (of immigration). They dont really care about children being separated from their parents, or people living in poverty being treated like criminals just because they are trying to come to America to have a better life.

Obama deported more immigrants than anyone else. They have ceded the issue to Trump who sprouts this hatred. For the Democrats the issue is Russian meddling and Me Too.

The Democrats are allowing the president to claim that people from Central America or the Middle East are a threat to America. They are giving people who are not doing very well someone to blame for their problems--not the CEO and corporate executives who are making obscene profits. Immigrants are not the reason the coal companies are giving miners the worst possible health care package, or why the company can draft (forced overtime) a miner to work weekends, or miners are dying from black lung.

Even as the Pittsburgh funerals were taking place, Trump gave a White House speech Thursday night, once again denouncing the invasion of immigrants and accusing those seeking to escape the dire conditions in the Central American countries long ravaged by American imperialism of being human traffickers, drug dealers and violent criminals. The president said he planned to strip migrants of the right to claim asylum if they were inside the US and he gave a greenlight to US troops being sent to the border to shoot children, if they throw rocks at our military.

NBC News reported that the president was scheduled to give the provocative speech earlier in the week but postponed it because of the Pittsburgh killings.

When Trump arrived in the city Tuesday, he was met by thousands of demonstrators who protested in Squirrel Hill and other areas of Pittsburgh. About 200 students from the University of Pittsburgh and other universities in the area, hastily gathered outside UPMC hospital when students learned that Trump had gone there to visit wounded police officers.

Jackie, Madison, and Haley, students at University of Pittsburgh, attended the protest. A lot of people specifically told him not to come here and he came anyway, noted Jackie.

Madison said that immigrants are definitely used as a scapegoat for a lot of things that are unfair. I think the way weve been handling it as a country is not the right answer. Some of the things that the Trump administration has proposed are inhumane. Tomika Kinsley, a certified nurses assistant said, Trump shouldnt have come here when everyone was telling him not to. He promotes hatred and seeks to divide people.

Pierre Mballa and Gill VauGhn-Spencer, students at Point Park University in downtown Pittsburgh, denounced Trump for creating the climate for the synagogue massacre. Pierre said, I think we are living in a time when our President is spreading a lot of hate and vitriol. When events like this happen, the two cant help but be correlated. We have protests when our president is coming and that just shows that people are not supportive of him and what he does.

Gill added, Its sad to see that people are so divided. He is spreading so much hate that even now, when he comes to pay his respects, people hate it, nobody wants him around because he created the situation that allowed this to happen.

The people who he is labeling as invaders are people from this continent and South America, Pierre said. America is a country made up of immigrants. I am an immigrant. If Trump passes that executive order saying that people born in the United States are not citizens, you are basically going against the fundamentals of what the USA is.

Workers in other cities also denounced Trumps anti-immigrant tirade.

A Fiat Chrysler worker from Kokomo, Indiana told the WSWS, If we go down the road of scapegoating immigrants, all workers will be victimized the same way. The government is ripping families apart and treating people seeking asylum worse than animals. Its time we wake up and realize that powerful forces are trying to divide us, and we stand up to oppose it.

An autoworker in Detroit added, The rich need an external enemy to draw attention away because workers are starting to go after them.
At least 575 tower blocks across Britain, 41,000 individual flats, have structural faults endangering the safety and lives of around 100,000 people.

These blocks were built during the 1960s and 1970s using the Large Panel System (LPS) method involving prefabricated concrete panels held together by bolted joints. Flats built using LPS have been found to have widening cracks in walls.

LPS was authorised by central government as it provided a quick and cheap method of delivering social housing. It provided lucrative profits for building firms.

The LPS systems faults have long been known, but the June 2017 Grenfell fire disaster has heightened public concerns. Tower Blocks UK, which coordinates information about tower block safety, not only warns that the structural design of LPS blocks is weak, they could collapse in an explosion, high wind or serious fire, but also that gaps between floor and wall panels prevent the flats from containing a fire for one hour and lead to the risk of serious fire spread. The highest risk blocks are those with gas in them.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the collapse of Ronan Point in East London, built using the LPS technique. A gas explosion in a corner flat on the 18th floor of the 22-storey block blew out load-bearing walls and led to a progressive collapse of the south-east corner of the building. Four residents died and 17 were injured. The collapse took place in May 1968, only two months after the tower was officially opened.

Inside Housing published an article in May, The tower blocks that time forgot.

It asked, Fifty years ago councils were told to assess high-rise buildings that were similar to Ronan Point and strengthen them where necessary. So why are problems with some of the blocks still emerging?

Following the Ronan Point disaster, landlords of large panel blocks were told by the government to assess their buildings and strengthen them if necessary. These blocks are still standing across the country, but it is by no means certain, 50 years on, that they have been modified in line with the governments requirement.

The Building Research Establishment (BRE)the privatised former government national building research laboratorypublished its LPS guide in 2012, stating that block owners have an ongoing responsibility to regularly inspect and assess LPS buildings. When Inside Housing sent a Freedom of Information request to councils asking when they had last carried out such a survey, many had not done so.

The Tower Blocks UK information sheet on LPS notes: Originally it was expected that these blocks would have a life of 40 years, we are beyond that now...the bowing of the panels is likely to become greater with age. ... All large panel system tower blocks should be inspected as a matter of urgency. This needs to be led by experts who are familiar with these structures, it needs to be led by the government and the Building Research Establishment.

An article in the October 22 Independent cites building surveyor expert Arnold Tarling, who has examined LPS blocks across London. He described the LPS system as a house of cards...stacked up and held together by a bit of simple bracing work. Its not just the risk of gas explosion like Ronan Point. A serious enough fire in an LPS building could result in collapse. The floor slabs would expand and push out the external wall panels and things would break up quite quickly.

Tarling insisted, The government needs to...start facing up to the problem. You cant leave residents in potential danger.

The Ministry of Housing and the Local Government Association have established a forum to discuss the issue, but an LGA spokesman told the Independent, The issues...with LPS buildings are complex and technical ones. They require expert advice on what to do and the LGA is not placed to do that. We have...been pushing for the government to provide that advice.

The Independent notes structural defects have been found at LPS high-rise blocks in Rugby, Leicester, and Portsmouth and in two London boroughsthe Ledbury estate in Southwark and on Haringeys Broadwater Farm estate. Southwark Council has four LPS blocks on the Ledbury estate in south London deemed at risk of collapse. One resident, Danielle Gregory, had cracks in the walls of her 12th-floor flat big enough to put her hand through.

The blocks are being emptied and the council has yet to decide whether to demolish them. But in a consultation exercise, most residents expressed the wish that the blocks should be strengthened and refurbished. This reflects a growing awareness that Londons working-class estates are being socially cleansed and replaced with private, unaffordable luxury developments with a minimal number of supposedly affordable units that are much more expensive than existing housing stock. Gregory, who has been rehoused nearby, told the Independent, My worst fear is all these [LPS] estates will eventually be demolished and replaced with mainly private apartments.

Two blocks at the Broadwater Farm estate in north-east London6-storey Tangmere House and 18-storey Northolthave failed structural safety checks. The risk at Tangmere House is compounded by the fact it has a gas supply. The council wants to demolish them, but Jacob Secker, the secretary of the residents association, wants residents to be given the option of deciding if the blocks should be strengthened and refurbished. He told the Independent, If there was a scenario where you had all these wonderful new council homes ... I would be less opposed to demolition... local authorities never seem to have the funding to rebuild their estates with new council housing.

In Portsmouth, the council is to move out 800 residents from its 18-storey Leamington House and Horatia House following structural surveys. An Architects  Journal article of June 7 noted that the construction system used in Portsmouth is the same used at two high-rises in Rugby where residents were moved out in April following safety fears. Leicester City Council took the decision to demolish its 23-storey Goscote House, which contains 134 apartments, over fears about its structural integrity. It will cost around 3 million to demolish compared to around 6 million to refurbish it.

The Grenfell Fire Forum, initiated by the Socialist Equality Party, demands immediate government intervention to make all the LPS-constructed tower blocks safe, along with hundreds of other public and private sector building that threaten residents lives due to being covered in combustible material similar to hat caused the Grenfell Fire inferno. Quality public housing is a social right. We demand an emergency multibillion-pound programme of public works to build schools, hospitals, public housing and all the infrastructure required in the 21st century.

The Grenfell Fire Forum is holding its next meeting on November 10 at the Maxilla Social Club in North Kensington, London. All are welcome to attend.

Grenfell Fire Forum meeting

Saturday, November 10, 4 p.m.

Maxilla Social Club, 2 Maxilla Walk

London, W10 6SW (nearest tube: Latimer Road)

For more information, visit: facebook.com/Grenfellforum

The author also recommends:

Emergency evacuation of four south London tower blocks

[12 August 2018]

London: Ledbury estate residents speak about evacuation from their homes

[12 August 2018]
The negotiating committee for Teamsters Local 705, which covers more than 8,500 United Parcel Services (UPS) workers in the Chicago metro area, announced Tuesday that it is rescinding a contract extension with UPS as of December 1. The contract expired last July, but the Teamsters had isolated the Chicago-area workers from workers across the country by keeping them on the job without an agreement.

David Bernt, a negotiating committee member, announced the rescission yesterday. We made some progress at the table today, however there are many important issues still to be negotiated, he said. We will continue to meet with the company at a later date and bargain in good faith. If necessary, details regarding a strike authorization vote and other logistics will be announced if needed.

The Teamsters Local 705 claims that it opposes any contract that incorporates a new 22.4 hybrid/warehouse driver position, which would pay up to $6 an hour less than current drivers. The union also claims it wants a $15 an hour starting wage for warehouse workers, a poverty-level wage that is already being paid to Amazon workers by billionaire oligarch Jeff Bezos, the worlds richest man. Bernt stated that if the union could not reach such an agreement, it would consider striking after the Thanksgiving holiday, the busiest period of the year.

The union is seeking to contain the widespread outrage among UPS workers, both in Chicago and across the country, over the Teamsters naked sellout at the beginning of last month.

On October 5, the union defied the 54 percent no vote by UPS workers nationally on its sellout contract, which creates the new 22.4 tier, starts warehouse workers at $13 per hour and boosts corporate profits. The union is utilizing a loophole in its constitution, stuck in 30 years ago, allowing it to impose any contract if less than half the workforce votes, unless more than a two-thirds majority votes against it.

The union ignored a 93 percent strike authorization vote by UPS small package workers and a 91 percent strike authorization vote by UPS Freight workers. UPS Freight workers are now being forced to vote again on the same contract they already rejected last month.

There is widespread determination among workers to fight. A young UPS worker at the Chicago Area Consolidated Hub (CACH), a massive warehouse with thousands of part-time workers, told us the unsafe conditions he witnesses daily.

Its a really dirty, filthy place, he said. Conditions are terrible. Ive seen mice and bugs everywhere. In the summer, temperatures are terrible. Were just sweating, dying doing heavy work. We work in this giant concrete box and the heat is also made worse by the machinery. In the winter, they had to be forced to turn the heat up because some pipes froze.

The extremely poor air quality makes breathing difficult for some workers. Some people will wear surgical masks, the worker said. It gets really dusty in there. You can see it on the walls. They dont have an air filtration process either. They have giant dusty fans and they only clean them every six months. A whole area of dust and grime covers us.

The worker said there have been multiple dangerous fires at CACH, including three this year. In March, a fireball explosion caused a two-hour evacuation. UPS never commented on it or told us why it happened. The union didnt say anything about any of this either.

It takes 10-15 years to become full-time, he said. You have to be full-time for a set amount of time to collect a full-time pension. I only make $12 an hour now after three years, and UPS keeps making profits. If the unions worked for us, we wouldnt be in this situation today. They keep trying to divide us all up. And UPS keeps pushing us and pushing us to a corner until we have no choice but to fight back and revolt.

The last thing that the Teamsters Local 705 apparatus wants is such a revolt. Its central concern is to impose a contract that will be amenable to UPS without provoking such a rebellion by the workers. If the union reaches an agreement without the new 22.4 tier, or with a slightly higher warehouse starting wage, it will be in exchange for other cost-cutting concessions worked out in backroom deals with the company.

The Teamsters has still not taken a strike authorization vote because it has wanted to wait until the union had rammed through its sellout contract nationally. In the event that it does actually call a strike authorization vote, it will seek to prevent a strike, or confine any action to isolated stoppages aimed at imposing a defeat on the workers.

Since 1979, Teamsters Local 705 has claimed that the negotiation of a separate contract from the national agreement would provide Chicago workers with better conditions. In reality, every contract has closely mirrored the concessions and sellouts imposed across the country. In 2008, after Chicago-area UPS workers voted to authorize a strike, the union prevented a strike and imposed a concessions contract. The overwhelming majority of CACH workers now work for as little as $10 per hour.

David Bernt, who is attempting to provide the Teamsters local with a left and militant image, is a member of Teamsters United and Teamsters for a Democratic Union, which are rival factions of the Teamsters apparatus. In the wake of the naked sellout by the union and the leadership of Jimmy Hoffa last month, the TDU and TU have been the most determined defenders of the union apparatus against the workers.

They have instructed workers to sign worthless petitions to the Hoffa leadership, and thus appeal to the very forces who just threw out workers votes and made clear they could not care less what workers think. The TDU has told workers they cannot prepare strike action against the illegitimate contract because such action does not have the backing of the International. (See: Teamsters for a Democratic Union to UPS workers: Whatever you do, dont fight!)

A serious fight against UPS requires that workers form new organizations of struggle, rank-and-file workplace committees, in every hub, independent of the Teamsters and democratically controlled by workers themselves.

Such committees could issue a powerful appeal to UPS workers across the country, as well as workers at FedEx, Amazon and other sections of the working class, for a united struggle, including a nationwide strike. The Chicago metro area is a strategic location for the logistics supply chains of major corporations, with more than 160,000 logistics workers.

We urge UPS workers who want to take forward such a fight to contact us today.
Gary Walkowicz is running for US Congress from Michigans 12th Congressional District in Tuesdays midterm elections as the candidate of the so-called Working Class Party, a ballot name adopted by the organization that publishes the Spark newsletter.

Walkowicz is a member of the bargaining committee of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 600 in Dearborn, Michigan, which covers Fords Rouge complex. He has run several token campaigns for UAW president. This is the third consecutive election in which he has run for Congress from the 12th District against incumbent Democrat Debbie Dingell.

Walkowicz and the Working Class Party, founded on the initiative of the pseudo-left Spark organization, made a breakthrough in the 2016 elections, when he won 9,183 votes, or 2.8 percent of the total vote. No doubt the support for Walkowicz was an expression of workers deep disaffection with the two-party system and their general movement to the left, which also found expression in the large vote for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primaries. Social opposition within the working class has only grown in the intervening two years.

The Socialist Equality Party is running Niles Niemuth against Walkowicz and the Working Class Party in the 12th District. Niles is running on a socialist program, whose strategic aim is the end of the capitalist system and the reorganization of society to meet human need, not private profit. This program is based on the principles of internationalism, which means the unification of workers of all countries in a common struggle against the capitalist system.

To achieve these aims, the SEP fights to break workers from capitalist politics, including its left variants such as Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Socialists of America, which seek to disorient workers by promoting illusions in capitalist reform. The SEP also calls on workers to break with the corrupt trade unions such as the United Auto Workers and form rank-and-file committees to organize their struggles, and works to assist workers in accomplishing this task.

In fighting for this program, the SEP bases itself on the decades-long history of its international movement, the Fourth International, which was founded by Leon Trotsky in 1938 against the crimes of Stalin and the Soviet bureaucracy. The introduction of this history, encompassing the strategic experiences of the international working class over the last 80 years, to a new generation of socialist-minded workers and youth is a major element of Niles campaign.

The Working Class Party, by contrast, is an electoral front with no principled foundation for its political activities. Despite its name, its orientation is not towards the working class, but towards the trade union officialdom. It seeks to bolster the flagging illusions among workers that these corrupt organizations can be reformed.

While it formally calls for a break with the Democratic and Republican parties, it does not raise any socialist demands. In fact, the word does not appear anywhere in their election platform.

In the Elections section of the WCPs website, they state, All of the candidates featured in this section want to see the working class build its own party, independent of the two parties that have long served the American capitalist class.

All these candidates understand that the working class cannot solve its problems through elections, not in a society where the capitalist class controls all the levels of power. Elections were not the end goal of these candidates, only the beginninga lever to pry an opening through which working people could express their anger and their desire to organize for the benefit of their own class.

All of them share this perspective: the working class, simply to defend itself, will have to organize itself to fight. To do that, the working class will need all its forces: black and white; immigrant and native born; women and men.

This basic formulation, that the WCPs electoral activity is a lever to get the working class to fight, is repeated over and over again, without elaboration or amendment, in virtually every speech and public statement by Walkowicz and the WCPs other candidates. Im not here to promise that I can get in office and change anything, Walkowicz said in a recent interview on Detroit public radio. I dont think any politician can change anything. Throughout history, we have not seen that. It has not been legislation, it has not been politicians who have made any basic changes. It has been struggles.

The most striking thing about the Working Class Partys election platform itself is its formlessness. It takes no position on any concrete political question. On the most critical issues of the day, including the drive to war against Russia and China, the crisis of the Trump administration, the bipartisan assault on immigrants, the Democrats anti-Russian campaign and the growth of internet censorship, the Working Class Party has literally nothing to say.

What then, does the Working Class Party propose that the working class fight and struggle against? How and against what social forces is the unification of the working class to be achieved? Their formulation, while appearing superficially militant, has no political substance.

The absence of any reference to socialism in the Working Class Partys platform is highly significant. History has shown time and again that the real political independence of the working class is impossible without a revolutionary socialist program.

To take only an example from recent headlines, consider the fate of the Workers Party (PT) in Brazil, which ran the country under the ex-metalworker president Lula. Its corruption and right-wing policies left the PT so discredited that it paved the way for the election of fascist army officer Jair Bolsonaro, showing that merely calling a party a workers party and even having leaders with working-class backgrounds does not guarantee a working class program or orientation.

The decisive criteria for establishing the class orientation of a political tendency is its program. The Working Class Partys program is a classic example of syndicalism, a variety of middle-class radicalism which promotes trade union militancy as a substitute for socialist politics.

Closely related to anarchism, which rejects as a matter of principle any coherent, unified political perspective, syndicalism is incapable of, and in fact hostile to, political consistency. This explains the lack of any concreteness in the Working Class Partys program and its refusal to deal with any issues of deeper political perspective.

While syndicalism has at times had an influence within sections of the working class, especially in the United States, where the influence of socialist ideas was relatively limited historically, socialists have always understood that syndicalisms insistence on no politics leaves unchallenged the politics of the ruling class, depriving workers of a clear perspective or understanding of their own interests, and paving the way for defeat.

Moreover, the trade unions have been fundamentally transformed over the past four decades into corrupt agencies of management. This has made syndicalist rhetoric uniquely suited for oppositionists within the trade union apparatus whose real aim is to block any genuine struggle by the workers by promoting illusions in the possibility of reforming these corrupt, pro-company organizations.

This is what accounts for Walkowiczs participation in this electoral front. When he ran for union president at the UAW convention in June, Walkowicz warned convention delegates in an open letter: Many workers have lost faith in the unions. This is the dangerous consequence of the union leaderships policy of partnership with the very people who are attacking us.

Walkowiczs goal, in other words, is to promote workers faith in an organization which, by his own admission, works hand-in-glove with the companies to enforce layoffs and concessions. Such loyal opposition, which treats the corrupt relationship between the unions and the companies as a simple misunderstanding, has long served a critical role in propping up the authority of these bankrupt organizations. The Teamsters for a Democratic Union, for example, are urging UPS workers not to strike in defiance of the unions attempts to override a no vote on the latest sellout contract, urging them instead to write letters to Teamsters President James Hoffa.

For all of his declared opposition to the UAW leadership, Walkowicz played no significant role in mobilizing autoworkers during the rank-and-file rebellion in 2015 against the sellout contract (the SEP and WSWS, by contrast, played the leading role, with thousands of workers signing up for the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter during the contract vote). He has not said anything about the unexplained shooting death of young part-time worker Jacoby Hennings at the UAW office in Fords Woodhaven Stamping plant.

He has also maintained a studied silence on the widening UAW-Chrysler bribery scandal, because to do so would expose his claim that the union is still a workers organization that can be reformed.

During the teachers strikes and other workers struggles over the course of the past year, The Socialist Equality Party and World Socialist Web Site encountered the argument of no politics again and again from left apologists for the unions. This was inevitably coupled with attempts to censor material from the World Socialist Web Site that exposed the treachery of the trade unions and their collaboration with Democratic Party in shutting down the strikes.

The role of Spark in the Working Class Party deserves attention. Spark is a right-centrist organization that is affiliated with the French Lutte Ouvriere (LO) group, a self-described Trotskyist tendency that declares that the Fourth International which Trotsky founded is a failure. Its origins lie in an earlier French group which had refused to participate in the founding of the Fourth International.

Spark and its co-thinkers entire histories are steeped in political pessimism and equivocation. The role of such organizations is to freeze the movement of workers to the left in a centrist stagethat is, at that moment when workers move between reformism and revolutionary politicsby buttressing illusions in the old organizations under cover of radical-sounding phrases.

No doubt, some workers who are disgusted with the two big business parties and are searching for a way to articulate their opposition to the entire existing setup may be attracted to the name Working Class Party on the ballot. But, when considering the program and history of the different candidates in Michigans 12th District, there is only one candidate which truly represents the working classthe Socialist Equality Partys candidate, Niles Niemuth.
To: Kim Voet

News Director

WDIV Local 4 News

I am writing you to protest the censorship of my campaign for Michigans 12th congressional district by WDIV Local 4 News and ClickonDetroit.com.

Only two of the four candidates, incumbent Rep. Debbie Dingell (Democrat) and Jeff Jones (Republican), were given the opportunity to record two-minute video statements in your studio, which were then posted on your website. Despite being on the ballot, both myself and Gary Walkowicz (Working Class Party) have been completely excluded by your news station, including from the list of candidates in your official voter guide.

A representative of my campaign called your station on Wednesday to request an interview for myself and a correction to the voter guide. They were told over the phone that as News Director you had made the decision that only Dingell and Jones would appear on WDIV and ClickonDetroit.com even though Walkowicz and I are on the ballot. A voicemail was left with you which has yet to be returned.

Even before Wednesday supporters of my campaign have sent information about my campaign to your news station, without any response.

The exclusion of any information about my campaign is an anti-democratic act of political censorship which disenfranchises voters by depriving them of critical information required to make a decision when they vote on Tuesday, November 6.

There is no legitimate excuse to omit me from your coverage as I have been profiled as one of four candidates in the race by WDET and the News Herald. My campaign for Congress has also been noted by the Michigan Daily, Michigan Radio and the Dearborn Press and Guide.

The program I am running on as a socialist, against social inequality, war and the threat of fascism and dictatorship, has found support from working people and youth within the district and across the country. My campaign gathered more than 5,800 signatures from registered voters in the 12th district to appear on the ballot, more than any other candidate running for the House of Representatives.

Under conditions of growing hostility to capitalism and rising interest in alternativesa recent Gallup poll found for the first time that a majority of young people favor socialismI can only conclude that you have made a conscious decision to keep workers and young people in Michigan from knowing that there is an independent party on the ballot which is fighting for a socialist alternative. As a member of the Socialist Equality Party I am the only candidate in the midterm elections who is running on a genuine socialist program.

Your censorship is part and parcel of the role typically played by the corporate media in reinforcing the two-party political monopoly by covering only the Republicans and Democrats. This is the case in every race profiled by WDIV and ClickonDetroit.com, not just the 12th congressional district.

WDIV is the flagship news station of Graham Media Holdings, what remains of the Katharine Graham family media empire after they sold the Washington Post to billionaire Jeff Bezos for $250 million. Chairman Donald Graham is reputed to have a net worth in excess of $500 million. In other words, the censorship of my campaign comes as little surprise since the station is owned and run on behalf of the super-rich.

This only goes to show that the entire electoral process is an anti-democratic farce, with innumerable financial and bureaucratic obstacles, along with a media blackout, placed in the way of third-party candidates. While the Democrats and Republicans can raise enormous sums of money from their corporate financiers and receive non-stop press coverage, third parties are consistently blocked from reaching a wider audience.

I demand that you reverse your blackout and offer equivalent coverage to myself and Walkowicz in order to provide voters in Michigans 12th district with information about all of the congressional candidates that will appear on their ballot next Tuesday.

Niles Niemuth

Socialist Equality Party candidate for Congress, Michigans 12th district

* * *

I encourage my supporters to write letters to Kim Voet at kimv@wdiv.com demanding WDIV reverse their decision to censor my campaign.
3 years ago by Scott Hardy

Report says several employees cheated over 9-month span

The Mark Twain Casino in La Grange has been fined $50,000 by the Missouri Gaming Commission over allegations of cheating by employees.

The Commission issued the fine earlier this week against HGI - Mark Twain, LLC, due to incidents that happened between December 2016 and August 2017. In a report, the Commission says that on August 1st, 2017, Mark Twain Casino's Surveillance Manager and the Director of Casino Operations notified a Gaming Commission agent of "multiple cheating incidents involving casino employees and patrons at table games." They say that a dealer was changing the outcome of the Craps game by failing to clear losing bets on the table, which resulted in paying patrons for losing bets. They add that the Casino's Pit Manager allowed the cheating to take place, and that none of the activity was identified by surveillance or the table game supervisor. The report also says that the Casino lost over $50,000 of table game revenue in one month. It admits it's not sure what the total loss to the Casino was over the 9 months. The dealer, Pit Manager, and Table Games Supervisor have all been charged with Gambling violations in Lewis County. Two have pleaded guilty, and the third is awaiting trial.

The full report is available below.

Click Here to Download File
JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A Marianna man was arrested after he tried assaulting a woman he helped with a flat tire shortly after Hurricane Michael hit the area.

Robert Kelley, 36, was taken into custody on Thursday morning.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office said Kelley helped a woman with a flat tire shortly after Hurricane Michael hit the area.

JCSO said after the woman went home and her husband left for work, Kelley, who is believed to have been watching the home, entered the house with a knife, and assaulted the woman in her bedroom.

According to JCSO, the woman was able to arm herself with a hammer, defending herself and her infant child.

After Kelley ran from the house and the woman contacted law enforcement, a warrant was obtained. Subsequently, the U.S. Marshal Service adopted the case and began tracking Kelley.

The North Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force of the Marshal Service, helped by the USMS Task Force from South Alabama, found Kelley at a house trailer near Cottonwood, Alabama at about 4:00 a.m. Thursday.

JCSO said Kelley refused to leave the trailer and had to be removed. No injuries were sustained during the incident.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the Holmes County Sheriffs Office, Jackson County Sheriffs Office, and the Dothan Police Department all helped in arresting Kelley.

He was booked into the Houston County Jail to await extradition back to Florida.

He is being charged with armed burglary of an occupied dwelling, aggravated battery, and aggravated assault.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - For the 5th time in three days a driver has hit school children at a bus stop this time in Tampa sending three children and two adults to the hospital.

One of those five accidents happened right here in Tallahassee on Tuscan Hill Drive and Ox Bottom Road Wednesday.

The child in that case, was sent to the hospital but has been released.

Recent incidents have left parents and officials on high alert.

"Every superintendent worst fear is heaven for bid a child is injured at a bus stop," said Rocky Hanna Superintendent of Leon County Schools.

Joycelyn Lewis, the mother of a Leon County student, said she's worried every time her daughter leaves for school.

While there is no way to prevent all crashes, Officer Damon Miller of the Tallahassee Police Department said they do their best daily to make sure the road ways are safe near bus stops.

"Everyday we are out there as far as going out to school zones to make sure you stay below 20 miles per hour or below but also making sure that kids can get on the buses safely," said Miller.

There are strict laws for drivers near school buses and for those driving buses, they too are held to the same driving standards.

"No one is above any traffic laws here in the city of Tallahassee. If a dump truck driver is speeding, a school bus driver is speeding they are susceptible to getting a traffic violation as well," said Miller.

"We do the best we can training our bus drivers on how to protect our kids. Safety is always our top priority," said Hanna.

Miller said that getting rid of distractions near school bus zones is the best way to prevent crashes.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 01:02:15|Editor: Chengcheng

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ANKARA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkish and U.S. forces on Thursday started joint patrols in the Manbij region of northern Syria, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.

Speaking at Turkish parliament, Akar said the joint patrols of Turkey and the United States had begun at 3:53 p.m. local time, as a step to ease tensions between the two allies.

Turkish and U.S. troops patrolled around the Saju Stream, which separates the Manbij frontline from the city of Jarabulus, an area falling under Turkey's Euphrates Shield Operation, according to state-run Anadolu News Agency.

Ankara and Washington have been conducting independent patrols on the border of Manbij since the two countries agreed a roadmap in June, under which both sides would jointly maintain security and stability there.

The Manbij roadmap also focuses on the withdrawal of Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers as a terrorist organization affiliated to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

During his meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Oct. 17, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has warned to eliminate YPG militants in Manbij if the United States failed to do so.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 01:12:23|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua (C, back), also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, speaks at a teleconference on combating the spread of African swine fever in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua on Thursday called for greater efforts to combat the spread of African swine fever and ensure a stable pork supply.

Despite positive results China has achieved in controlling the spread of the disease, Hu said the situation remained grave and it was a pressing task to intensify the control efforts.

Hu urged a crackdown on illegal activities and irregularities of pig farmers and slaughterhouses to ensure that all control efforts are firmly implemented.

Efforts should be taken to strictly and timely address any outbreaks of the disease while enhancing quarantine and monitoring to prevent its spread across regions, he said at a teleconference in Beijing.

He also urged relevant departments to unveil favorable policies for the live pig industry to ensure a stable supply of pork.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 01:17:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran's ambassador to Britain, Hamid Baeidinejad, said that it is impossible to renegotiate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Press TV reported on Thursday.

"The aspiration ... is that we keep the Iran nuclear deal alive and give time to the U.S. to rethink and revise its position," Baeidinejad, also an Iranian nuclear negotiator, was quoted as saying.

He emphasized that the idea of changing or renegotiating the nuclear deal would be "impossible," he said, reasoning that if any part in the deal is changed, other aspects of the deal will either be changed or compromised.

"We are trying very hard ... to find mechanisms that this deal could (still) be effectively implemented," he added.

The U.S. President Donald Trump decided to quit the historic Iran nuclear deal on May 8 and urged the signatories to the deal for renegotiation of the accord.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 01:17:26|Editor: Chengcheng

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen Thursday evening killed a local leader of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Anil Parihar and his brother in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The duo was fired upon at their locality in Parihar Mohalla in Kishtwar town, about 217 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"This evening gunmen killed BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar while they were walking towards their residence," a senior police official told Xinhua. "The duo was shot from a point-blank range."

Locals said the two were immediately taken to the nearest hospital but doctors there declared them dead.

Police were trying to ascertain if the attack was carried out by militants or it was a criminal incident.

"It is too early to tell who is behind the attack," the official said.

India's junior minister in Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh expressed shock over the incident.

"Deeply shocked by the killing of a dear party colleague and BJP J&K State Secretary Anil Parihar and his brother. No words to express the grief. Rushing to Kishtwar at the earliest... that is the only thought on mind," Singh tweeted.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 02:27:41|Editor: Yang Yi

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PARIS, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Novak Djokovic said that he hasn't reflected on returning to world No. 1 but focused on every match at the 2018 Paris Masters here on Thursday.

Djokovic secured his berth in quarterfinals after Damir Dzumhur was forced to pull out due to lower back pains at 2-1 down in the second set. The Serbian triumphed the first set 6-1.

Following Rafael Nadal's withdrawal on Wednesday, Djokovic is set to regain the top spot at the upcoming ATP Rankings next Monday, the first time over the past two years.

"I'm obviously very proud of the achievement, but I haven't been really reflecting on that and focusing on that too much because it's the middle of the week," Djokovic told a news conference.

"I guess it will be different when I finish this tournament, and hopefully the year-end ranking stays the same. That's the aim, and obviously then I'll be able to reflect on my emotions and share with you more," he added.

Djokovic ranked as lowly as 22nd earlier this year, before bouncing back strongly since the Wimbledon, winning 29 of his last 30 matches through to Thursday. He joined Marat Safin as players outside the Top 20 before moving atop the rankings in the same season.

"I understand you guys want to go in depth about it, but please respect that I'm in this tournament and I have to focus on every match and try to get as far as I can. Then I'll be able to speak more about it next time we see each other," Djokovic pointed out.

Djokovic established his quarterfinal clash with fifth-seeded Marin Cilic. Despite a 15-2 head-to-head record, Djokovic lost to Cilic in the same stage in 2016 to cede his top position.

"He was playing really well, I remember. He likes playing indoors. Obviously he has a big serve and big game from back of the court.

"It's going to be a tough one. Tough to receive his missiles. His first serves are really fast, and he uses a lot of rotation and variation with his serves. He can play very aggressively and also defend well," said Djokovic.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 02:37:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Mustafa Oshe, a resident of Goleba Qulito village in Adami Tulu Judo Kombolcha locality in central Ethiopia's Oromia regional state, has been dreaming to get clean water for himself, wife and his three children for years.

His dream came true on Thursday when Chinese heavy machinery manufacturer -- Xuzhou Construction machinery Group, inaugurated 41 water cellars it financed for the community, which are expected to serve hundreds of local villagers.

Speaking to Xinhua, Oshe said he had to cope with the double threats of insufficient amount of water and danger of water borne diseases in the semi-arid village for years, but now he can make a sigh of relief.

"In the past, we got water from the river, it is contaminated with Giardia parasites and when our people drank the water, many of them used to have diarrhea, but with the clean water project now it is good for the health of our community. We appreciate the project as it will be a good example in promoting healthiness," said Oshe.

Oshe's relief was echoed by Debele Feyisa, head of Planning and Economic Development Office at Adami Tulu Judo Kombolcha locality, who said residents had to depend on unreliable and dangerous water sources for their drinking and other needs.

"Many residents use the area's groundwater which is dangerous to health as it has too much fluoride," Feyisa told Xinhua.

"This locality has a minimum of 600 households, most travel a minimum of five kilometers to fetch ground water, and this project partially solves this problem," he further said.

Gao Zhiqiang, Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group's Ethiopia Country Manager, on his part said the water cellar projects will enhance the resilience of local communities to face natural disasters.

"The program helps build 41 water cellars for drought affected communities and schools, tackling the challenge of safe, potable water faced by hundreds of villagers and students, and boosting their ability to resist natural disasters," he said.

Gao pledged the water cellar project will be expanded to other parts of Ethiopia and called upon other companies to join in the project.

"The water project can be promoted to other places, we are hoping more companies can join in such projects like we did, with joint efforts we can build even more water cellars and settle the shortage of safe, potable water," he said.

The Chinese company has previously inaugurated a water cellar project in Amhara regional state, located in northern Ethiopia, in a place that like Adami Tulu Judo Kombolcha locality is facing the double danger of water shortage and polluted water sources.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 02:42:46|Editor: xuxin

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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (L, front) welcomes visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R, front) during a ceremony in Kiev, Ukraine, Nov. 1, 2018. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday met with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the situation in Ukraine's eastern region of Donbas, the presidential press service said in a statement. (Xinhua/Sergey)

KIEV, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday met with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the situation in Ukraine's eastern region of Donbas, the presidential press service said in a statement.

At the joint press conference, Poroshenko said that during the meeting the parties have discussed the elections in the insurgent-controlled areas in Donbas scheduled for Nov. 11, and coordinated their positions on the issue.

"The current fake elections, just as previous elections, are legally irrelevant and will not have any legal consequences. Their so-called results will never be recognized by the international community," Poroshenko told reporters.

He said that holding local elections in accordance with the Ukrainian law would be an instrument to pave the way for the peaceful resolution to the conflict.

For her part, Merkel said that the conflict in Donbas could be resolved only through peaceful means as prescribed in the Minsk agreements.

"We have nothing else but the Minsk process. It is very important that Ukraine fulfills its obligations, even if it is difficult," Merkel said.

She also thanked the Ukrainian government for extending the term of validity of the "special status" law for the Donbas till the end of the next year.

Poroshenko and Merkel, together with Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron are leaders of the Normandy Four diplomatic group, which was set up to resolve the conflict in Donbas.

Merkel arrived in Kiev earlier in the day for a one-day working visit.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 02:57:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GENEVA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that it's rather concerned over the increase of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) during the past four weeks, despite significant improvements in the response action against the outbreak.

The increase over the past four weeks in confirmed case incidence, most notably in the city of Beni and communities around Butembo in North Kivu Province, is concerning, the WHO said, as security incidents have continued to severely impact both civilians and frontline workers.

Moreover, community resistance or reluctance have also continued to hamper timely detection of new Ebola cases and the effectiveness of response operations, even though the response to the disease outbreak has seen significant improvements, including strong performances by field teams conducting case investigations, vaccinations, and community engagement and risk communication in priority areas.

According to the latest WHO statistics, as of Tuesday, 279 Ebola cases, including 244 confirmed cases and 35 probable ones, had been registered, while the death had risen to 179. All these cases were reported in North Kivu Province and the neighboring Ituri Province.

The WHO warned that with ongoing transmission, the risk of the outbreak spreading to other provinces in DR Congo, as well as to neighboring countries, remains very high.

While still closely monitoring the outbreak situation, the WHO's assessment of the outbreak risk remains unchanged, which is very high at the national and regional levels, but low on the global level, it said.

The WHO continues to advise against any restriction of travel to, and trade with, DR Congo based on currently available information.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 03:07:54|Editor: Chengcheng

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ANKARA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on Thursday agreed by phone to take "constructive steps" toward strengthening ties, said Turkey's presidential press office.

The two leaders also discussed on Syria issues, including Manbij and Idlib, emphasizing to keep "close contacts" on bilateral and regional issues.

During the phone call, Erdogan condemned last Saturday's synagogue attack in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and conveyed his condolences to the victims' families.

The phone conversation came as Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols in northern Syrian city of Manbij under an agreement that aimed to ease tensions between the two NATO allies.

The Manbij deal between Turkey and the U.S. focuses on the withdrawal of the People's Protection Units, Syrian Kurdish militia regarded by Ankara as a terrorist organization, from the city.
The final quarter of 2021 is on its way and theres so much positivity about the rapid growth of the...
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 03:07:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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PARIS, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay on Thursday met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez to further promote the two parties' cooperation in education, science and culture, the Paris-based UN body said in a statement.

"We welcome the renewed support today by the president of Cuba to UNESCO by stressing the importance of our intellectual contributions in culture, education and science in an unstable world. This reaffirmed cooperation between UNESCO and Cuba is a sign of confidence in our organization," Azoulay said.

Azoulay would visit Cuba in 2019 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Havana. "Old Havana and its Fortifications", a site including the central, historic portion of Havana, as well as Spanish colonial fortifications, was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1982.

Cuba's inclusions on the list include a variety of sites. As of 2011, nine sites in Cuba are included.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 03:12:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BAGHDAD, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Violence across Iraq killed 69 civilians in October, the lowest since the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) began publishing monthly casualty data six years ago, the UN mission said Thursday.

A UNAMI statement said that 105 civilians were wounded in the terror attacks and armed conflicts in Iraq in the past month.

Iraq's northern province of Nineveh was the worst affected with 65 civilian casualties, as 29 people were killed and 36 others wounded, it said.

Jan Kubis, the United Nations special envoy to Iraq and the UNAMI chief, said "while regretting the casualties, the fact that these figures are the lowest UNAMI has recorded since November 2012, is a positive indicator."

"It shows that the country is gradually coming out of the cycle of violence into which it was forced by terrorists," according to the statement.

The security situation in Iraq has been dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist Islamic State militants across the country late in 2017.

However, small groups and individuals of extremist militants melted or regrouped in urban and rugged areas and are carrying out attacks against the security forces and civilians despite operations from time to time to hunt them down.

Many blame the chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups in Iraq on the United States, which invaded the country in March 2003, under the pretext of seeking to destroy weapons of mass destruction in the country. But no such weapons were found.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 03:18:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Embassy in Moscow on Thursday cautioned Iranian visitors to Russia against traveling to the country's bordering areas with Europe, official IRNA news agency reported.

Russia has set restrictions on tourists visiting bordering areas with Europe, the embassy said in a statement.

There is a possibility of travelers' arrest by the Russian police to prevent illegal immigrations to Europe, it said.

The embassy also cautioned the Iranian travelers against staying in Russia beyond the validity of their visas.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 03:18:04|Editor: Chengcheng

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The suspect charged with killing 11 people at a synagogue in the U.S. city of Pittsburgh pleaded not guilty on Thursday, according to records of court proceedings.

The suspect, Robert Bowers, has requested a jury trial to determine whether he is guilty of the 44-count indictment pressed against him by prosecutors Wednesday.

The charges included "use and discharge of a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence," among others.

This is his second appearance before a federal court. Local media reported that he was wheelchaired into the courtroom due to injuries sustained during his horrific attack. In court proceedings he told the judge that he understood the charges against him.

Prosecutors said a trial would take three to four weeks unless the case is certified for the death penalty.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Bowers faces a maximum possible penalty of death, or life without parole, followed by a consecutive sentence of 535 years' imprisonment.

According to Bowers' indictment, the 46-year-old truck driver drove to the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh Saturday morning and opened fire on the congregation. Bowers surrendered himself to police after the attack and was taken into custody.

Bowers allegedly expressed anti-semitic sentiments on social media before he carried out the attack, making the shooting the worst anti-semitic attack in U.S. history. U.S. President Donald Trump said he supported giving Bowers the death sentence.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 03:28:07|Editor: Chengcheng

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TRIPOLI, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj on Thursday urged the UN Security Council's Sanctions Committee to partially lift the arms embargo on Libya.

Serraj made his remarks during a meeting with the Committee's Chairman on Libya Olof Skoog in the capital Tripoli, according to a statement issued by the Libyan Prime Minister's Information Office.

Serraj called for a partial lifting of the arms embargo in order to support efforts against terrorism and illegal immigration, the statement said.

"Serraj explained that there are those who illegally provide weapons and money (to certain parties in Libya), while restrictions are imposed on the legitimate government. He pointed out that the reports of the Sanctions Committee are evidence of all the violations in recent years," the statement added.

Serraj also demanded for the management of the frozen Libyan funds abroad rather than unfreezing them, in order for the government to meet its economic commitments.

The UN Security Council has imposed a ban on the sale and supply of arms to Libya since 2011.

Libya is suffering from a security chaos and a political division, with authorities in the east and west of the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 06:28:53|Editor: Chengcheng

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SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,000 Google employees in San Francisco Thursday joined global walkout in the city's downtown area to protest workplace sexual harassment at the world's top internet company.

The demonstrators gathered at San Francisco's major tourist neighborhood at the waterfront Embarcadero in the northern part of the city, holding placards that read "Don't Be Evil" and "#Times Up Google," and called more greater respect for women and women's right.

The walkouts followed a recent New York Times report alleging that Andy Rubin, creator of the Android mobile operating system and former executive in charge of the Android software department at Google was forced to resign for sexual misconduct with a severance package of 90 million U.S. dollars.

Rubin was accused of forcing a female subordinate to have sex with him and probed for sexual misconduct at Google.

However, Rubin denied the allegations this month and slammed New York Times on Twitter for containing "inaccuracies about my employment at Google and wild exaggerations about my compensation." He called the allegations "a smear campaign."

On Oct. 25, Google admitted it had fired 48 employees for sexual harassment, including 13 who were senior managers and above, in the last two years.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said none of those individuals who were terminated received an exit package after Google took a tougher line toward its employees accused of sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct.

During Thursday's rally, the Google employees called for an end to sexual harassment and pay inequity at the company.

On the Mountain View campus at Google's headquarters in northern California, hundreds of employees also staged a walkout to express their discontent about Google's lax handling of sexual harassment at the company.

The protesters said they've heard stories of sexual exploitation for a long time and wanted to see actions taken along with real changes at their workplace.

The global walkout attracted thousands of employees at Google offices across Asia, Europe and North America to protest sexism and urge respect for women in major cities including San Francisco, Berlin, London, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Tokyo and Hyderabad, India.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 06:33:55|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the State Department, is "under very serious consideration" for the post of the country's ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump told the media at the White House, "She is under very serious consideration" to replace Nikki Haley for the job.

"She's excellent. She's been with us for a very long time. She's been a supporter for a long time," Trump said.

"We'll probably make a decision next week," he added.

U.S. media outlets reported a few days ago that Nauert had been offered the job, but it remained unclear whether she would take it.

Reuters quoted a source familiar with the selection process as saying that Nauert was "at the top of the list," while Bloomberg reported that Trump met with Nauert on Monday.

Nauert has not attended any press briefing recently, and her deputy Robert Palladino has chaired three briefings this week.

Asked about the nomination on Thursday, Palladino said "any announcement like that is the prerogative of the White House."

Nauert, 48, a former anchor at Fox News Channel, has worked for the State Department as a spokeswoman since April 2017. She was named acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs earlier this year.

Haley announced in early October she would step down from her position by the end of the year, saying she needed a break after decades of public office.

The appointment of Nauert, if confirmed, would be unorthodox, given that she had no prior political or foreign policy-making experience before joining the State Department.

However, she has reportedly gained the trust of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and is also close to Trump's daughter and son-in-law.

Nevertheless, the U.S. media have complained about the falling frequency of the State Department's press briefings under Nauert.

"In keeping with broader administration practice, Nauert has cut back State Department briefings from almost every day to, at most, twice a week," Bloomberg noted.

U.S. media earlier reported that Kelly Craft, the U.S. ambassador to Canada; Dina Powell, a former White House aide; Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Jamie McCourt, U.S. ambassador to France and Monaco; and Nancy Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, were among the candidates being considered.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 07:18:59|Editor: Yang Yi

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PARIS, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- To-be ATP world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Swiss legend Roger Federer advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2018 ATP Paris Masters here on Thursday.

Damir Dzumhur from Bosnia and Herzogovina pulled out in the second set due to lower back pains, when Djokovic was leading 6-1, 2-1.

Djokovic is set to become world No. 1 for the first time in two years after Rafael Nadal withdrew due to an abdominal concern on Wednesday. Following Thursday's third-round win, the Serbian has extended his unbeaten streak to 20 matches.

In the quarterfinals, Djokovic will face fifth-seeded Marin Cilic, who saw off Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (5), 6-4. Despite a 15-2 head-to-head record, Djokovic lost to Cilic in the same stage at the 2016 Paris Masters to cede his top position. Cilic needs to beat Djokovic on Friday for a guaranteed spot in the ATP Finals later this month in London.

"It's going to be a tough one. Tough to receive his missiles. His first serves are really fast, and he uses a lot of rotation and variation with his serves. He can play very aggressively and also defend well," said Djokovic.

In his first match at the tournament in three years, Federer embraced warm welcome from home crowds in the Bercy Arena. The Swiss veteran didn't let them down as he accounted for Fabio Fognini in straight sets.

After two players held their serves in the first two games, Federer registered his first break throughout the match and built a 4-1 lead, seeing his Italian rival throw the racquet onto the court in discontent.

That proved to be of help for regrouping Fognini later on with two games in a row. He went on to trail 4-5 while leading 40-15, but let slip his advantage in the tenth game to lose 6-4 in the first set.

Federer continued his momentum for another break midway through the second set, before sealing his quarterfinal spot 6-3 following Fognini's double faults.

"I served better than him at important moments. This was actually the key of the match," said Federer.

"What is crucial in a match is who serves better. It was me today. He didn't start well as well, which is always a bad thing for him," he added.

Federer will take on Kei Nishikori, who marched past No. 7 seed Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4. The Japanese kept his London hope alive with the win, but he needs to reach the final for a chance.

John Isner, however, is set to miss the Finals after losing to Karen Khachanov in a tussle featuring two tie-breaks in almost two and a half hours.

Despite saving three match points before triumphing the tie-break 11-9 in the second set, the American serving machine failed to repeat that in the decider as the Russian sealed the win at 10-8.

Khachanov booked a quarterfinal encounter with No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev, who got past Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-2.

Defending champion Jack Sock shrugged off lucky loser Malek Jaziri from Tunisia 6-0, 6-4, establishing a duel against the 2018 Roland Garros runner-up Dominic Thiem.

Thiem, on pace to qualify for the Finals, rallied past the Shanghai Masters finalist Borna Coric 6-7 (3), 6-2, 7-5.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 07:24:01|Editor: Liangyu

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A visitor (front) takes a photo of an exhibit displayed at a lantern festival in Dublin Zoo, Dublin, Ireland, Nov. 1, 2018. A lantern festival with all creations from China opened here at Dublin Zoo on Thursday night, drawing thousands of local visitors. (Xinhua)

DUBLIN, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- A lantern festival with all creations from China opened here at Dublin Zoo on Thursday night, drawing thousands of local visitors.

Entitled "Wild Lights", the lantern festival is the second edition of its kind co-organized by Dubin Zoo and Zigong VYA Creative Lantern Limited (Zigong VYA), a lantern company from Zigong, a city in China's southwest Sichuan province, which is famous for its lantern culture.

This year's lantern festival comprises four themes, namely Ocean of Light, with an entirely new cast of illuminated silk lanterns, inspired by the wonders of the life aquatic such as hammerhead sharks, colossal blue whales and dainty seahorses; Winter Wonderland, home to Arctic favourites such as polar bears and walruses; Celebrating China, bringing a flavour of the Orient; and The North Pole, home to Santa's workshop, a dazzling 16-metre-high silk Christmas tree and a host of festive displays.

All the creations displayed at the festival are designed, made, assembled and operated by Zigong VYA, said Luo Jieyou, a manager from the organization.

It took 50 days for 60 craftsmen to make these creations in China and another 45 days to have them assembled here at Dublin Zoo, he said, adding that over 50 tonnes of steel and tens of thousands of LEDs were used for making all the creations for the festival.

The response to the lantern festival from visitors including local residents and overseas tourists are very encouraging, said Emma Kiernan, Marketing Manager for Dublin Zoo.

She said over 100,000 tickets have been booked online prior to the opening of the festival which will last till Jan. 6, 2019.

Last year we sold over 200,000 tickets and this year we expect the number of visitors to the lantern show to be much higher than last year's based on the advance booking of the festival tickets online, she said.

Dublin Zoo and Zigong VYA has signed a four-year contract for holding the festival, said Luo, adding that his company has held a dozen of themed lantern shows across the world, mostly in developed countries.
The left part (file) of this combo photo shows Shekou Port in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. The right part of the combo photo taken by Mao Siqian on Nov. 16, 2016 shows Shenzhen Taiziwan cruise home-port in Shekou. (Xinhua Photo)

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council members will visit China in November during China's presidency of the council, said Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ma Zhaoxu on Thursday.

"We are planning to hold two side events. The first one is the planned visit by the Security Council members to China," Ma told reporters.

The theme of the visit will be peacekeeping operations, he said. "We'll have a chance to visit the stand-by peacekeeping forces near Beijing and so we'll have an opportunity to exchange with the peacekeeping soldiers and officers and to discuss how to improve the work of peacekeeping operations."

The council members will also visit Shenzhen and Guangzhou in the southern Guangdong province -- the pioneer cities of opening up and reform, said Ma.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's opening up and reform, he said. "That would be meaningful for us to go to the southern part of China ... and have an impression of China's development in the past 40 years."

"I have the honor to invite my colleagues in the council to pay a visit to China and to give my colleagues an opportunity to feel China, feel China's development, feel China's opening up and reform," said Ma.

The second side event would be a performance on Nov. 6 in New York City by a Chinese troupe of disabled people, said Ma.

The troupe is well-known across the world. It has toured more than 100 countries and won awards from UN agencies, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 10:49:38|Editor: Chengcheng

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NAY PYI TAW, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 12th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) hosted by Myanmar in Nay Pyi Taw has adopted an action plan on fighting terrorism, said a statement released at the end of the meeting late Thursday.

The meeting approved the work project (2018-2025) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to prevent and eradicate emergence of terrorism and extremists.

In correlation to the ASEAN work project (2018-2025), a decision was reached to discuss year wise and country wise implementation projects in the 19th Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) to be hosted by Myanmar in 2019.

Thursday's follow-up meeting of the 9th AMMTC+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) also agreed that ASEAN will continue to cooperate with the three dialogue partner countries in eradicating transnational crimes including terrorism, cyber crime and human trafficking.

Moreover, an approval was made to submit South Korea's cyber capacity raising proposal for 2019 to the ASEAN Secretariat and to obtain comments from the member countries.

The meeting agreed on Thailand hosting the next 13th AMMTC and the 10th AMMTC+3 in 2019.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 11:29:47|Editor: Chengcheng

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YANGON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Entrepreneurs in Myanmar are seeking through European embassies in the country for withdrawal of European Union (EU)'s intended trade sanctions, the official Global New Light of Myanmar quoted the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) as reporting on Friday.

An EU monitoring team, in its mission to evaluate if it should withdraw its existing Generalized Scheme of Preference (GSP) offered to Myanmar, arrived on the weekend and met with labor and business circles in Yangon through to Tuesday.

The EU sent the monitoring team to Myanmar for the trade sanction assessment out of an allegation that Myanmar violated human rights as well as workers rights. It is considering to withdraw its GSP offered to Myanmar.

In the case of EU's revoking of the GSP, it can adversely affect the entire garment sector which is engaged in by over 500,000 workers, said UMFCCI Joint General Secretary Daw Khine khine Nwe.

Most of the laborers are working in Yangon, with 19 percent of them coming from Rakhine state, constituting 6.1 million U.S. dollars being remitted back to the western state, which she said is a great source of income that contributes materially to their families.

According to the UMFCCI, there are over 500 garment factories in Myanmar, with 65 percent of them being foreign-invested and the garments are exported mainly to European countries.

The EU revoked its GSP to Myanmar in 2003 out of political reasons but re-granted the privileges after 10 years in 2013.

However, the EU announced on Oct. 5 that they would send a mission to Myanmar to evaluate the revoke of the GSP due to the Rakhine issue.

The EU mission will submit their findings and recommendations to the EU Parliament for further action.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 13:00:02|Editor: mym

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CANBERRA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have agreed to re-develop and co-inhabit a major naval base on Manus Island.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed on Thursday evening that he and Prime Minister of PNG Peter O'Neill had reached an agreement to expand the base at Lombrum on the east coast of Manus Island, which is PNG's northernmost island.

The base will house Australian ships as well as Guardian-class patrol boats supplied by Australia to PNG. Both Australian and PNG personnel will live and work at the base.

"We will continue this cooperation through a new joint initiative at the PNG Defence Force's Lombrum Naval Base in Manus Province," Morrison and O'Neill said in a joint statement.

"This initiative will further enhance interoperability between our defence forces, and deepen our maritime security co-operation, including through increased Australian ship visits over time," the statement read.

Morrison said the initiative would boost the "strong partnership with the PNG national government."

The base at Lobrum was built by the United States during World War II and was used by the Australian Navy through to the 1960s, but has since fallen into disrepair.

Vice Admiral Mike Noonan, chief of the Royal Australian Navy, described re-developing Lobrum as "hugely important."

"We operate in and around that region quite routinely. We've got a number of patrol boats operating up there through the north end of Australia at the moment," he told Fairfax Media on Friday.

News Corp Australia reported on Friday that PNG and Australia were in negotiations to upgrade ports at Wewak, Kikori and Vanimo.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 13:15:05|Editor: Liangyu

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NANJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tech giant Tencent will channel more resources to industries seeking deeper business integration with internet technologies as part of its efforts to bank on a digitally industrialized future.

The Shenzhen-based firm will delve into smart services for retail, health, education, transport, manufacturing and urban development sectors, Dowson Tong, senior executive vice president with Tencent, said Thursday at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Tencent Global Partner Conference.

The two-day event, centering on openness and inter-growth, is the company's first large-scale event since it announced a landmark strategic organizational upgrade in late September.

The 20-year-old company has integrated its original seven business groups into six, forming two new business groups in cloud and smart industries, as well as platform and content, respectively.

"The Internet sector is in a new phase as users want not only content, but also products and services to be customized and of high quality," Tong said.

China has been promoting its "Internet Plus" initiative since 2015, aiming to upgrade the country's traditional sectors through internet technology applications.

While expanding investment in the so-called industrial internet, Tong said Tencent would build on its vast presence among consumers by offering more customized, high-quality and interactive content.

Tencent has stepped up efforts in recent years in utilizing cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to aid traditional sectors to offer smarter services. Tencent Miying, an AI-aided medical imaging and AI-aided diagnosis tool, has helped doctors read more than 100 million medical images for over 900,000 patients, according to Tong.

The company will leverage the technological advances brought by its AI, online security and quantum computing labs to empower other industries, Tong said.

Qiu Yuepeng, head of Tencent's cloud business, said the group would work with Peking University to set up a business school specialized in the industrial internet to empower enterprises' digital transformation.

Tencent executives' remarks came on the heels of an open letter disclosed Wednesday by co-founder and chairman Pony Ma, who said that companies should go beyond their traditional realms and work with internet companies to reach more customers and build a sound industrial ecosystem.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 13:45:10|Editor: Chengcheng

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HANOI, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Under a plan on the network of public communications units towards 2021 approved recently by the Vietnamese government, more and more state-run media agencies are supposed to start funding themselves, local media reported on Friday.

According to the plan, at least 10 percent of all state-run media agencies in Vietnam will be financially independent by 2021, and it will increase to at least 20 percent by 2025, Kinh Te & Do Thi (Economic and Urban Affairs) newspaper reported.

State monies will be only earmarked for a number of state-own media outlets and programs for information dissemination purposes.

Also according to the plan, Vietnam will see at least a 10-percent reduction in the number of state-funded communications agencies (non-media) and a 10-percent cut in the number of staff receiving salary from the state budget by 2021, Vietnam News newspaper reported.

The government also set the target of transforming public communications agencies that meet certain conditions into joint stock companies by 2021.

The plan is part of the government's efforts to restructure and make the communications and media agencies leaner, while still ensuring quality.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 13:50:12|Editor: Yamei

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File photo provided by Honeywell shows Honeywell UOP's New Production Line for Coal-to-chemicals Catalysts in China. (Xinhua)

By Xinhua writer Yang Shilong

NEW YORK, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 180 American firms have signed up for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) scheduled for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai despite the on-going tariffs dispute between the world's two largest economies.

The event, focusing exclusively on imported goods and services, will showcase 3,000 companies from over 130 countries and regions. Among them, the U.S. firms will cover fields such as high-end manufacturing, intelligent equipment, agricultural products, culture and sports.

"There was no shortfall of interest in the Chinese market on the part of American companies. To the contrary, there was still great appetite to understand and expand within the market," said Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

CHIPS TO GINSENG

For giant U.S. companies that have grown in China for decades, the expo is an important platform to showcase their technologies and services and nab an even bigger share of the fast transformational Chinese economy.

Qualcomm, a leading global company in wireless technologies headquartered in San Diego, California, is one of the first American companies to confirm its participation at the expo.

"We hope to showcase innovative technologies and products and services with our Chinese partners through the CIIE, and reveal the vision and value of the new communications era," Frank Meng, Chairman of Qualcomm China, told Xinhua.

Qualcomm, which entered the Chinese market in the 1990s, has expanded its collaboration with its local partners in areas including mobile phones, connected vehicles, Internet of Things, and integrated circuit manufacturing. It established joint innovation centers in Nanjing, Chongqing and Qingdao to empower startups and support the growth of the industrial chain.

"The development of the Chinese market offered Qualcomm unprecedented opportunities," Meng said.

China is expected to import 10 trillion U.S. dollars worth of goods and services in the next five years, according to China's Ministry of Commerce. For example, by 2025, the size of the smart logistics will exceed 1 trillion yuan (143.8 billion U.S. dollars), according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company, which established its first franchise in Shanghai in 1935, also sees great growth opportunities in China's national agenda including innovation-driven industrial upgrading and green development.

"Through the CIIE, Honeywell will introduce a series of hi-tech connected technologies to support China's booming digital economy," said Shane Tedjarati, president of Honeywell Global High Growth Regions.

China is the largest market for Honeywell outside the United States and it is also the biggest contributor to Honeywell's growth, Tedjarati said, adding that the company is now "very aligned with" China's Internet Plus strategy.

For smaller U.S. companies knowing less about China, the CIIE plays as a window for them to explore and understand more the business environment.

Horacio Licon, vice president of the Greater Houston Partnership, an economic development organization serving the Greater Houston area in the state of Texas, is leading a team of 15 delegates to Shanghai. They represent 12 companies covering diverse industries such as technology, manufacturing, energy and logistics.

Ten innovative companies from Wisconsin, to be featured as part of Foxconn Innovation Pavilion in the expo, are to showcase the midwestern state's key industries, including its advanced freshwater technology.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin ginseng products will be on display to woo Chinese customers. Statistics show that there are about 180 ginseng farms in Wisconsin producing around 1 million pounds (453,000 kg) of ginseng every year, and about 70 percent of the output has been exported to China.

ESSENTIAL MARKET

The six-day CIIE is a symbol of win-win cooperation which China has long championed in handling foreign relations, noted Robert Kuhn, a leading Chinese expert and chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"To large numbers of companies, particularly in technologies and new areas, to be in the Chinese market is not an option. It's essential for them," he said.

"China is in most areas, either the world's largest market, or will become the world's largest market and no company in this world can afford not to be in the Chinese market," said Kuhn.

China now has a middle income group of 400 million, which tops the world and is still fast growing.

According to the Group's Doing Business 2019: Training for Reform report released by the World Bank on Wednesday, China now ranks 46th in the global ranking, advancing more than 30 spots from last year, as the government continues efforts to create favorable conditions for private enterprises.

The report said China is one of this year's top 10 improvers on its business environment given the authorities' continuous opening-up and economic reform.

"There are very few industries in the future where companies can, and will be able to compete on a global basis or even in their home country, if they are not in the Chinese market, being in touch with the latest trends, or the latest problems or challenges," Kuhn added.

OPEN TRADE

For U.S. companies doing business with China, the trade tensions between the United States and China are really "a distraction," Kuhn said.

"They're unhappy with it. They really don't want to deal with the problems of the bigger macroeconomic, political, or economic or geopolitical matter. They only want to deal with the nuts and bolts of their own business. And to be successful, they need to be in the Chinese market," he explained.

"Only those of us who are most directly affected, the hog farmers, the wheat growers, the cotton and peanut growers ... All of us are just now beginning to realize that this thing is real and that it's going to impact us directly," said Randy Hudson, a pecan farmer in the leading producing state of Georgia.

Hudson used to sell over 20 million dollars worth of pecans to China every year before the U.S.-China tit-for-tat tariff measures. On July 6, the United States added a 25-percent tariff on 34 billion U.S. dollars' worth of Chinese products. Beijing responded in kind, hitting U.S. products, including pecans.

"It is the hope of both U.S. suppliers and their customers in China that current tariff rates are short-lived," said Rose Braden, president of the U.S. Softwood Export Council based in Portland, Oregon.

Braden's council is part of the 12-member delegation for the CIIE led by the Oregon-China Sister State Relations Council.

"It is particularly important in light of the current trade situation for American trade organizations and suppliers to participate in trade shows and delegation missions to China to show our Chinese colleagues that American suppliers are committed to our long-term partnerships," Braden said.

On the other hand, Kuhn said, "China is doing it (CIIE) for its own benefit and the benefit of its own industries and its own people."

"Obviously, the primary interest of (the Chinese) government is to elevate the standard of living of the people," he said, adding that inviting competitors can also force Chinese companies to elevate their game.

(Xinhua correspondents Xu Jing, Miao Zhuang in Chicago; Gao Lu, Liu liwei in Houston; Wu Xiaoling, Ye Zaiqi in San Francisco; Tan Jingjing in Los Angeles; Xia Lin, Chang Yuan, Wang Ying in New York City;Liu Yang in Washington D.C, also contributed to the story.)

(Video editor: Luo Hui)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 13:55:16|Editor: xuxin

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Delegates take part in a cake cutting ceremony during a celebration of Air China in Mumbai, India, Oct. 31, 2018. Air China celebrated its 12th anniversary of operating airline service between India and China. (Xinhua/Stringer)

MUMBAI, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Air China celebrated its 12th anniversary of operating airline service between India and China.

On a celebration ceremony, General Manager of Air China Mumbai Shao Jun said: "The Beijing route acts as a Bridge of Dream between India and China, it is also a representation of active participation of Air China in the Belt and Road Initiative."

The company has commenced its operation in India since 2006 by starting its first air services from Delhi to Beijing. In 2015, the airlines started direct flights from Mumbai to Beijing.

Air China Limited is the flag carrier and one of the major airlines of China, with its headquarters in Beijing. This is the only airline carrier which offers direct flights from Mumbai to the Chinese mainland.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 14:05:19|Editor: Chengcheng

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SYDNEY, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- One of Sydney's most highly regarded teaching hospitals, Royal Prince Alfred (RPA), faces a ban on accreditation to one of it's departments following allegations of bullying and harassment, local media reported on Friday.

The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) has withheld training accreditation for RPA's cardiothoracic surgery department in 2019 following a review in May which revealed incidents of bullying and harassment on that ward.

RACS executive director of surgical affairs Dr John Quinn told Xinhua that no ban has yet been initiated and that the ward's accreditation is still under review, although due to the uncertainty, no trainees had been allocated for 2019.

"The accreditation is being reviewed and we expect that it will be reinstated in 2019," Quinn said.

Speaking on behalf of the hospital, Sydney Local Health District chief executive Dr Teresa Anderson said that the ban will not affect patient services.

"The cardiothoracic department at RPA will be fully staffed next year and will continue to provide the full range of world class cardiothoracic services to the community," Anderson said.

The New South Wales State public health system, of which RPA is a part, has faced many allegations of misconduct in the past, including a recent survey which revealed that more than one in three staff had witnessed bullying in the past 12 months.

"We're aware that bullying is prevalent in the community generally, in all spheres of life, but we're very aware that it's happening in the medical field," Quinn said.

"There's a number of courses that are being done to try and change the culture in surgery to decrease the incidents of bullying -- it's a very big problem, we're very concerned about it and we're trying to change that."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 14:10:20|Editor: Chengcheng

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KABUL, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least nine Taliban militants have been killed after Afghan National Army troops launched a cleanup operation in southern province of Helmand, Afghan Ministry of Defense said Friday.

"The raid was conducted Thursday on the outskirts of provincial capital Lashkar Gah city after intelligence tips confirmed militants' activity at the areas," the ministry said in a statement.

No security force member or civilian was hurt during the operation.

Helmand, notorious for poppy growing, is also a known Taliban stronghold.

The militant group has yet to respond to the report.

Afghan forces and NATO and U.S.-led coalition troops continued in mopping-up operations as the Taliban militant group has been attempting to take territory and consolidate its positions ahead of winter in the Central Asian country.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 14:15:21|Editor: Chengcheng

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by Noemi Galban, Raimundo Urrechaga

HAVANA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cubans hailed another diplomatic victory on Thursday after receiving overwhelming support from the international community at a United Nations vote condemning U.S. trade embargo against the Caribbean island.

Havana once again submitted a resolution to the UN General Assembly that calls on the United States to lift the economic and financial sanctions imposed on Cuba for more than half a century.

The non-binding resolution received 189 votes in favor and two against. Only the United States and Israel voted against it.

"We are very satisfied and happy. Once again the nations of the world backed Cuba and demanded the United States put an end to this obsolete policy that damages our economy so much," Nilexys Cardenas, an industrial engineering student at the Technological University of Havana, told Xinhua.

Generations of Cubans have been born under the sanctions that have had a stranglehold on Cuba's economy since the 1960s.

Nowadays, Cuban youth have taken the lead in organizing large-scale rallies against the policy. At events like "Wasp against the blockade," young Cubans have had the chance to express their anger and frustration at seeing their country's economic development systematically undermined.

"Despite the diversity of interests among our people, this issue unites all Cubans. It's something that affects all of us and we can't expect anything less than a resounding rejection from our students and young people in general," Raul Palmero, president of the Federation of University Students, told Xinhua.

Washington proposed eight amendments to the resolution that questioned the situation of human rights in Cuba as well as the Caribbean nation's alleged failure to meet the UN's 2030 sustainable development goals.

Each of the U.S. amendments was rejected by a majority of countries.

"Despite the intentions of the United States this year to obstruct the Cuban resolution, once again most of the world's countries demanded President (Donald) Trump end the economic blockade against our country," said Isidro Sanchez, a university professor.

In spite of the impact the blockade has on the nation's economy, Cubans are optimistic and confident of their government's ability to carry out its development plans.

"The blockade has stopped Cuba from fully developing all its potential but it has served to show us we can do more in tough times with our own abilities and move forward as a country," said Maria Martin, a public-sector worker.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel thanked the 189 countries who supported the island's resolution.

"The countries of the world voted in Cuba's favor because they know our cause is truly just," he said via Twitter.

The nearly six-decade long blockade hampers Cuba's development and its capacity to participate fully in the global economy.

Thursday's vote marked the 27th consecutive year in which Havana has tabled the resolution. The only time that the United States didn't cast a no vote was in 2016 during the Obama administration's opening toward Cuba when both the United States and Israel abstained.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 14:35:25|Editor: Chengcheng

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Judge Sergio Moro, who became a celebrity in Brazil for presiding over several cases of political corruption, accepted on Thursday an offer from President-elect Jair Bolsonaro to become the country's new justice minister.

The newly-elected president is expected to merge the ministries of justice and public security, which means that Moro will have authority over both the judiciary and the federal police.

Moro's nomination is highly controversial due to him being an iconic figure in anti-corruption cases. He was the judge who accused former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of taking bribes last year, while Lula was the leading presidential candidate until the court banned him from running because of the conviction.

In other words, Moro was responsible for taking out of the race the only candidate who had, in all polls, an advantage over Bolsonaro. According to the polls, Lula would have beaten Bolsonaro in the first round of elections, without a runoff required.

That alone was seen as evidence that Moro was partial in his judgement of Lula, which was part of the mega Operation Carwash, a major Federal Police operation that is unraveling a large bribe scheme involving contracts between the government and the private sector.

Lula's Workers' Party (PT) has always complained that the judge focused only on Lula and PT politicians, to the point of ignoring denouncements against right-wing politicians, many of whom were from Bolsonaro's old party, the Progressive Party.

Moro also disclosed the very negative testimony of a former PT high-profile member a few days before the election, which was seen as an attempt to damage the chances of Lula's replacement in the race, Fernando Haddad.

Moro said in 2016 that he would never become a politician and criticized illegal and undeclared campaign funding, qualifying it as a worse offense than corruption in office.

But he will have as his fellow ministers people investigated for both crimes: Onyx Lorenzoni, announced as the future chief of staff, admitted to illegal campaign funding, and future Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes is being investigated for financial fraud.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 15:40:39|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's trade promotion agency said Friday that the country is eyeing the upcoming first China International Import Expo (CIIE) to promote Malaysian export to China as well as markets along the routes of the Belt and Road Initiative.

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.

The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) said it has coordinated the participation of 80 Malaysian companies at the event. Malaysian International Trade and Industry Minister Darell Leiking will be leading the Malaysian mission.

The agency has identified the CIIE, which takes place on Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai, as an ideal platform to assist Malaysian companies to promote their brands to China as well as to the countries along the Belt and Road routes.

At the expo, it will be championing Malaysian high value sectors, in particular high intelligence equipment and services.

"Malaysia can take advantage of the opportunities available from the Belt and Road Initiative which main objective is to promote unimpeded trade," MATRADE CEO Mohd Shahreen Madros said in a statement.

As China is Malaysia's largest trading partner since 2009, he said, Malaysia needs to ramp up efforts in facilitating Malaysian companies' access to the market so its trade with China will remain competitive.

Last year, Malaysia's total trade with China went up 20.7 percent year-on-year from 2016. For the first eight months, Malaysia's trade with China further expanded by 9.6 percent. Its exports to China rose 11 percent, driven by growth in electrical and electronics products, chemicals and chemical products, manufactures of metal as well as optical and scientific equipment, according to MATRADE.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 15:55:46|Editor: xuxin

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LONDON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Medical cannabis products were legalized under certain circumstances in Britain on Thursday.

More than 80,000 specialist doctors are qualified to prescribe cannabis-based products. According to a guidance published by National Health Service, they are allowed to prescribe medical cannabis only when "there is clear published evidence of benefit" and other treatment options have been exhausted.

The new rule about medical cannabis came after the cases of two kids, Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell who had severe epilepsy which has been improved by cannabis oil treatments. Their parents' campaigns pushed forward with changing the legislation.

However, reactions to the law change from the public are not all positive.

"It's absolutely gutting and not what my campaign was about," said Hannah Deacon, Alfie Dingley's mother. She added that the guidelines meant people would struggle to access the oil her son had been given because scientific studies had not been carried out on the treatment.

Dr. Waqar Rashid, a consultant neurologist at St George's Hospital, called for medical trials for medical cannabis products.

"Even with the best will in the world we're looking at very selective numbers of neurologists prescribing this and it would need the infrastructure to support it," he said.

Britain is not the only country where medical cannabis is legalized. The United States, Chile, parts of Australia and parts of India also allow some use of medical marijuana. In October, Canada became the second country after Uruguay where weed is fully legalized.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 16:05:50|Editor: xuxin

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that it would be a "handful more weeks" before the United States had enough evidence to sanction those responsible for the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey's Istanbul.

Pompeo, in an interview with the Mark Reardon Show in St. Louis, said that the Trump administration is "continuing to understand the fact pattern" and "reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals that we have been able to identify to date that were engaged in that murder."

"It'll take us probably a handful more weeks before we have enough evidence to actually put those sanctions in place, but I think we'll be able to get there," he said. "The president said we will demand accountability for those who were involved in the commission of this heinous crime."

"We neither condone it, nor will we permit it to go unresponded to," he noted.

Meanwhile, the top U.S. diplomat said the United States has "deep and long-term strategic relationships" with Saudi Arabia and "we intend to make sure that those relationships remain intact."

He added that the United States has had "good cooperation" with Saudi Arabia and Turkey on this issue.

Earlier on Wednesday, Istanbul's chief public prosecutor's office said that Khashoggi was choked to death immediately after entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in the city and his body was dismembered afterwards.

The prosecutor reiterated a call for the extradition of the suspects arrested in Saudi Arabia, saying "Turkish courts have jurisdiction over the case in line with Turkish law and principles of international law, provided that Jamal Khashoggi was killed in Turkey."

Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After releasing the results of its initial investigations, the Saudi Public Prosecution announced that 18 people were arrested over their alleged connections to the killing.

On Oct. 23, U.S. President Donald Trump denounced Saudi handling of the death of Khashoggi, calling it the "worst cover-up ever" and "a total fiasco."

Pompeo has also announced that the United States is revoking visas of 21 Saudi officials who were suspected of involvement in the case, in the first concrete step of punishment taken by the Trump administration after the disclosure of Khashoggi's death.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 16:10:51|Editor: xuxin

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department said Thursday that there is no timeline or deadline concerning its consultations with the U.S. Congress on the second round of sanctions against Russia.

Earlier on Wednesday, State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said that the agency will certify to the Congress "whether Russia has met conditions required by the law (the Chemical and Biological Weapons Act) three months after the initial determination of the Skripal case," referring to a former Russia spy.

"If we can't make such a certification, the State Department is required to impose a second round of sanctions after consultations with the Congress," he said.

However, in a press briefing on Thursday, Palladino said that "there is no timeline associated with these consultations."

"We have to make a determination by the 6th and ... begin consultations with the Congress," he added. "We are required to begin coordination and consultation with the United States Congress."

U.S. media reported that such remarks would mean that whatever U.S. certification result would be, the U.S. side does not have to take any specific steps regarding the sanctions in near future.

Before the first batch of sanctions on Russia came into effect in August, the United States had threatened to impose stricter sanctions on Russia three months after the first batch was implemented, if Moscow failed to agree not to use biochemical weapons on its nationals, provide credible assurance of not engaging in such behavior in the future, and allow third-party observers to verify its actions on-site.

However, Christopher Ford, assistant secretary of state, said while announcing the first group of sanctions that "these measures ... will remain in place for at least one year and until further notice," backing off from the agency's previously set deadline.

Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, aged 66, and his daughter Yulia, were found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping center in Britain's southwestern city of Salisbury on March 4. Britain claimed the pair was exposed to a nerve agent and holds Russia responsible, while the Russian government has denied any involvement in it.

The U.S. Federal Register said in a notice on Aug. 27 that the U.S. sanctions came into effect on the same day, as the Department of State has determined that "the Government of the Russian Federation has used chemical weapons in violation of international law or lethal chemical weapons against its own nationals."

Under the sanction regime, U.S. foreign assistance, the licensing of defense articles and services, and the licensing of national security-sensitive goods and technology concerning effort to Russia would be banned.

Russia will also be denied "any credit, credit guarantees, or other financial assistance by any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government, including the Export-Import Bank of the United States."

For its part, Russia blasted the U.S. sanctions, saying Moscow will "withstand" the U.S. moves and respond to Washington's "brute pressure."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 16:15:54|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- She can dance, teach English, tell stories and answer general knowledge questions. Xiaoke the robot has been touted as an ideal companion for Chinese children.

At a house in the city of Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Xiaoke is playing with her new friend, a six-year-old girl. The girl's father sits beside them, checking e-mails and writing reports.

Suddenly the girl giggles and lifts up Xiaoke. The robot, the shape of a ball with a flat screen at the front, has an expression of fear on her face and yells: "I lost my balance. Hold me tight."

The girl's father Chen Xiaodong, who works in an electronics design company, says the robot is good for the family. "My wife and I are very busy and end up having little time to be with our daughter," he said.

Chen is among more than 1,000 free trial users of Xiaoke on the Chinese mainland. Most of them are young working parents who struggle to find time to be with their children, to read bedtime stories and play games.

Standing 30 cm tall, weighing 3 kg and costing 3,000 yuan (around 431 U.S. dollars), Xiaoke was launched by Keeko Robot (Xiamen) Technology Co. Ltd. in September 2017.

It is programed to interact with children aged below six, offering education and company, according to Guo Changchen, Keeko's founder.

Guo said he has set up a joint venture with a Taiwan-based company, inking a deal to sell 30,000 devices to Taiwan consumers, adding, however, that the Chinese mainland market will be a new focal point in the future.

"Although I admit that robots cannot replace parents, not all parental companionships are quality companionships," Guo said.

For example, he said, if parents stare at phone screens and children never put down iPads, and they do not talk with each other in the same room, "it is not a real companionship".

Xiaoke is one of a number of AI-enabled robots to be marketed for family use in China, as a growing number of young parents struggle to balance work and family life.

According to statistics released by Taobao, a leading Chinese e-commerce platform, more than 10,000 online stores were selling companion robots for children at the end of October, up 60 percent year on year.

The booming new industry has, inevitably, triggered discussion about parent-child relationships.

Yang Jiong, a newspaper editor in Xiamen, allows his two-year-old son to play with a robot for two hours a day, reciting poems, singing and dancing, and listening to stories.

"He is our only child. We hoped he could find someone to play with. Compared with the smart and funny robot, parents may not be good playmates," Yang said.

However, not all parents share this view. Wang Lu, a 31-year-old foreign company employee in Beijing, said that she would not buy such a "pricey machine".

"The so-called robot may not be that high-tech. Meanwhile, no one can replace parents to read bedtime stories or walk the dog with the kids," Wang said.

Wang admits that she and her husband sometimes find it hard to provide quality companionship for their daughter. They have agreed not to touch mobile phones at home unless there are urgent calls, but that promise is always broken.

"People are more likely to rely on mobile phones these days, gossiping with friends, shopping, watching movies, and checking news and weather," she said.

Almost half of Chinese parents play with their mobile phones while talking with their children, according to a recent survey of more than 4,100 primary and middle school students across six Chinese cities.

Sun Hongyan, director of the Childhood Research Institute at the China Youth and Children Research Center, said the interaction between parents and children has changed in the digital age and the use of electronic devices has become one of the reasons for parent-child conflicts.

In September, scores of children took to the streets of Hamburg, Germany to protest their parents' excessive use of smartphones.

"Many parents think that talk is communication," Sun said. "It is not. Effective communication should take into account the topic, tone, eye contact and emotional exchange. These are what robots cannot offer."

"Robots can be a complementary tool to relieve parents' burdens and enrich children's lives. But it does not mean that parents can be freed from companionship," she said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 16:25:57|Editor: xuxin

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MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least three police officers and four Taliban militants were killed during clashes in Afghanistan's northern province of Faryab overnight, a local official said Friday.

"Hundreds of militants stormed a key police checkpoint in Dawlat Abad district Thursday night, causing heavy gunfight. The clashes caused three policemen and four militants killed," a provincial council official, Sibghatullah Selab, told Xinhua.

An unknown number of police personnel and four police vehicles were captured by Taliban, he said.

Security forces launched a search operation early Friday to track the fleeing militants in the area.

The province, 425 km northwest of Kabul, has been the scene of heavy clashes between Taliban and security forces from time to time.

Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once peaceful region in the north, where Taliban have been recruiting from the youth.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 16:46:02|Editor: xuxin

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Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya (2nd R) attends a meeting with political party legislators at the parliament in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Nov. 2, 2018. Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Friday informed lawmakers that President Maithripala Sirisena was likely to convene parliament next week. (Xinhua/Ajith Perera)

COLOMBO, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Friday informed lawmakers that President Maithripala Sirisena was likely to convene parliament next week.

Jayasuriya, in a meeting with political party legislators, said President Sirisena had in a telephone conversation informed him that parliament would convene on Nov. 7 and a gazette notification would be issued either Friday or Saturday.

President Sirisena last Saturday prorogued parliament till Nov. 16.

Parliamentarians, including ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, have urged for an urgent parliamentary session, to identify which party held the majority in the House.

Newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, who was sworn in last Friday after the president sacked Wickremesinghe, told journalists on Thursday that President Sirisena had informed him that the parliament would convene on Nov. 5 in order to settle the ongoing political crisis.

A government official told Xinhua that President Sirisena had also informed this decision to the new foreign envoys who presented their credentials to him on Thursday afternoon.

However, on Thursday evening, General Secretary of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Susil Premajayantha told journalists that no such announcement had been made by the president and parliament would convene as announced on Nov. 16.

President Sirisena is the leader of the UPFA.

Premajayantha said that parliament needed time to prepare to meet and there was not enough time to meet on Nov. 5.

However, there has been no statement from President Sirisena or Prime Minister Rajapakse since then.

A political crisis erupted in Sri Lanka last Friday when President Sirisena, in a shocking move, dissolved cabinet and sacked Wickremesinghe and appointed former President Rajapakse as the new prime minister.

Wickremesinghe and his party have maintained that the move was illegal as they still held a majority in the House.

Sirisena has formed a new cabinet since then with several ministers, state and deputy ministers already sworn in.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 16:46:02|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Pu Bo, vice governor of southwest China's Guizhou Province, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and dismissed from office over serious violations of Party discipline and laws. His qualification for delegate to the 19th CPC National Congress has been terminated.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission said in a statement on Friday that they had conducted an investigation into Pu, who is also a member of the Leading Party Members Group of the government of Guizhou Province.

"Pu's illegal gains will be confiscated, and the case will be transferred to the judiciary," the statement said.

Pu was found to have violated political discipline and refused to cooperate in the investigation, according to the statement.

"Pu violated the Party's eight-point frugality code, attending banquets and tours that could have resulted in him performing his duty unfairly," it said.

Other offenses included taking advantage of his position to interfere in the selection and appointment of officials, refusing to report personal matters to authorities and amassing huge amount of money through gambling, being engaged in business, and illegally owning stock equity and shares.

His acts of taking advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others and accepting huge amounts of money and property put him on the radar for the alleged crime of taking bribes.

"As a senior cadre of the Party, Pu lost his ideals and convictions and showed no commitment to Party principles. He severely violated Party discipline, and the case should be dealt with seriously," the statement said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 17:06:05|Editor: Yamei

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SYDNEY, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Australian TV presenter and social commentator Ross Cameron has been sacked from his position at Sky News after making racist remarks on air on Tuesday.

Cameron, who co-hosted the program - Outsiders, was making reference to crowds at Disneyland in Shanghai.

Sky News chief executive Paul Whitaker described the remarks as "totally unacceptable."

"I have today advised Ross Cameron that his contract with Sky News has been terminated," Whitaker said on Friday.

"Sky News is committed to robust discussion and debate, however this language is totally unacceptable and has no place on any of our platforms, nor in modern Australian society."

Cameron is a former Australian Liberal party member of the New South Wales State parliament, and was suspended last year for criticizing the state party leader, and current New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 17:11:07|Editor: Yamei

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A technician guides the installation of exhibits at an exhibition hall in the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in Shanghai, east China, on Oct. 30, 2018. The final work is underway to get all eight exhibition halls ready for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE), scheduled to be held from Nov. 5 to 10. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's landmark import expo comes as the government moves to open domestic markets wider globally in the year marking the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up policy.

The China International Import Expo (CIIE), the world's first national-level import expo, starts Monday in Shanghai. With the slogan "New Era, Shared Future," the event will strengthen business ties, promote easier market access and garner support for free trade.

As the world's second-largest importer of goods for nine consecutive years, China remains committed to pro-import policies.

Instead of seeing imports as a threat to the domestic economy, analysts believe increasing quality products from overseas will help satisfy a bigger appetite from domestic buyers and serve as a catalyst for faster industrial transformation.

"The market supply will be enriched, and the prices will be more wallet-friendly for Chinese consumers," said Liu Shangxi, head of the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences.

China has impressed the world with its rising consumption power, which largely stems from a rapidly growing middle-class.

Wooed by an ever-growing Chinese market, more than 3,000 companies from over 130 countries and regions plan to bring their new products and technologies to the CIIE, including Italian helicopters and German machine tools.

Many products at the expo will enjoy lower import tax rates, as a total of 1,585 tariff lines, including electromechanical and textile products, started seeing lower levies on Thursday, down from 9.8 percent to 7.5 percent on average.

This latest round of tariff reduction is expected to boost imports to China.

Zhao Ping with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade said the increase in foreign products would intensify competition, see upgrades in domestic industries and push Chinese companies to move up the global value chain.

Automakers are among the first batch of domestic players that will more directly face global counterparts, as new tariffs for vehicles and auto parts came into effect on July 1, with rates lower than the average of other developing economies.

"China has a complete automotive industrial system but needs fiercer competition for further development," said Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association. "The reduced tariffs will bring more imports and push the sector to realize quality development in a more open circumstance."

A wide range of other industries from food to fashion will also experience this no-pain-no-gain process.

The import-triggered industrial upgrades are in line with China's new development concepts and the drive to high-quality growth, and efforts have been taken to motivate companies to innovate and improve their competitiveness, including tax breaks and easier loans.

By expanding imports, China will share the benefits derived from its development model with other parts of the world and achieve common growth, according to analysts.

Chinese authorities expect the country will import goods worth 24 trillion U.S. dollars in the next 15 years.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 17:21:08|Editor: Yamei

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TOKYO, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Defense Ministry said Friday that two F-2 fighter jets clipped each other in mid-flight during a training exercise, although both planes made it safely back to their training base in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwest Japan.

The accident occurred at 4:00 p.m. local time, according to Defense Ministry officials, who added that the vertical tail wings of the planes were damaged during the training drill.

The drill, officials said, took place 200 km west of the planes' Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Tsuiki Air Base, over the sea west of Japan's southern Kyushu Island.

The JASDF is investigating the cause of the mishap and reported that the planes' pilots did not suffer any injuries as a result of the midair accident.

The Mitsubishi F-2 is a multirole fighter based on the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and looks very similar in appearance to the F-16.

The F-2 is manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

Production of the jet fighter began in 1996 and the first aircraft entered service in 2000.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 17:36:10|Editor: Yamei

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The United States Central Command on Thursday apologized for including discriminatory language in a welcome guide offered to troops deployed in Saudi Arabia.

The June 2018 guide, designed to inform newly deployed troops about the kingdom's culture and customs, said in one paragraph a "mixture of negro blood from slaves imported from Africa" can be found in some of the kingdom's population.

Bill Urban, a spokesman of the command, said in a statement that "we regret that inappropriate material was posted to our website without a more fulsome review and apologize to anyone who took offense."

"We removed the document as soon as we were notified of the content, and it was returned to the originating office for revision," Urban said.

The Central Command will review other training material for inappropriate content, he said.

The offensive wording was brought to light by comedian Hasan Minhaj, who joked on his show that "Oh America, even in boring, technical manuals you somehow manage to be racist."

It is unclear how the language was inserted into the guide in the first place, U.S. media said the tone of the language was dated from several decades ago, suggesting that the wording might have been pulled from an older material.

The U.S. Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command headquartered in the U.S. state of Florida. It's Area of Responsibility includes countries in West Asia, parts of North Africa, and Central Asia, most notably Afghanistan and Iraq.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 17:46:12|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan will attend the 2018 New Economy Forum to be held in Singapore and pay a visit to the country, from Nov. 5 to 7, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang announced at a regular press briefing on Friday.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 17:56:17|Editor: Yamei

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JAKARTA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia was to hold 2018 World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) on resort island of Bali that would be attended by participants from at least 50 countries and regions, the organizer said on Friday.

An official at Indonesian Agency for Creative Economy (Bekraf) overseeing relations with foreign institutions Kartika Chandra Negara said the conference initiated by Indonesia themed "Inclusively Creative" was slated for Nov. 6-8 in Bali's Nusa Dua.

Some 1,700 participants comprised of government and private sector representatives, experts, businessmen, media, creative economy practitioners have been confirmed to attend the event, he added.

"Since the idea proposed by Bekraf last year, preparation towards the event has reached 95 percent as of now," Kartika said.

He added the conference would discuss problems and challenges faced by global creative economy industry, including social cohesion, regulation, marketing, ecosystem and financing.

Featured throughout the conference were "Creative Village" sessions, enabling participants to present creative economy products as well as sharing their creative ideas from their respective countries, he added.

Kartika added contribution of creative economy to the nation's gross domestic products have reached 12 percent.

Indonesia's creative economy products were dominated by culinary, fashion and handy crafts so far as apparent potentialities from film, music, arts and online games have been seen in recent years, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 18:06:21|Editor: Yamei

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BEIRUT, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces inspected on Friday the military road between Ghajar and Wadi Al 'Asal passing through Abbassieh in south Lebanon, local media reported.

"Israeli forces stopped from time to time along the wired fence to inspect surveillance equipment and video cameras in the area," according to Elnashra, an online independent newspaper.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) toured the area close to the fence to inspect the situation.

This is not the first time that Israeli forces inspect the borders with Lebanon.

Israeli forces have been inspecting surveillance equipment regularly on the borders with Lebanon.

On Oct. 15, an Israeli drone destroyed one of Israel's spying devices in southern Lebanon.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 18:36:28|Editor: xuxin

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WINDHOEK, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Namibia is making steady progress in combating road carnage, with the number of fatalities by October this year decreasing by 31 percent year-on-year, said Transport Minister John Mutorwa.

Statistics show a steady decrease from Jan. 1 to Oct. 28 in crashes by 9 percent, injuries by 18 percent and fatalities by 31 percent compared to the same period in 2017, Mutorwa said at a conference to find solutions to road fatalities in Namibia.

Year-to-date crash statistics collated by the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund revealed that 317 males and 122 females succumbed to crashes during the same period, according to the minister.

"Women are determined to be the catalyst of change in road safety and have the courage to stand up and say enough is enough, let us stop the carnage on Namibia's roads," said Mutorwa.

Road fatalities in Namibia are among the highest in the Southern African Development Community region, according to the government.

Namibia hosted the first Women Road Safety Conference, and the subsequent establishment of the Women in Road Safety Network in the country on Wednesday in the capital city Windhoek.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 18:41:30|Editor: xuxin

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WINDHOEK, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- A sharp increase in domestic appetite for debt to finance different styles of living as the economy continues a consecutive recession, statistics showed Thursday.

Total credit extended to the private sector in September rose by 7.3 percent year-on-year -- the fastest pace on an annual basis since May 2017 -- to 95.3 billion Namibian dollars (6.57 billion U.S. dollars), according to statistics released by the Bank of Namibia.

Credit extended to the business sector increased on an annual basis, compared with third quarter 2017, to 6.0 percent from 5.2 percent in August, while credit extended to individuals slowed down slightly from 7.0 percent in August to 6.9 percent, according to the country's reserve bank.

Compared with the beginning of 2018, credit extended to businesses expanded faster (5.2 percent) than that extended to individuals (4.0 percent), said the bank.

"Individuals continue to absorb most of total credit extended (58.6 percent), while businesses absorbed 40.2 percent. The remaining 1.2 percent are extended to the non-resident private sector," said the bank.

Namibian economy has been in recession for the last ten-quarters since the middle of 2016, which is attributed to such factors as commodity price crash, persistent droughts and weak growth in neighbouring trading partners, said Minister of Finance Calle Schlettwein in October.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 18:56:34|Editor: xuxin

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by Xinhua writers Cui Yuanlei, Gao Chunyu

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Increased trade between the Dominican Republic and China will lead to stronger ties between the two peoples, Dominican President Danilo Medina has said.

Since establishing diplomatic ties on May 1, "we have embarked on a path together that seeks the prosperity of both nations," Medina said in a written interview with Xinhua Wednesday before departing for his first state visit to China.

Medina, who heads his country's delegation to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) scheduled for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai, said both sides "have been working to create a framework for cooperation in recent months."

"We have already signed a Political Consultation agreement focused on working together at multilateral forums, and very soon we will have a mixed bilateral commission," said Medina. "Similarly, soon we will be signing several agreements in the areas of economy, transport, education, financial development and other fields."

Technical teams "are working on the details of various agreements of understanding to ease exports, visas and the flow of tourism, as well as to develop technical assistance in education, transport, agriculture and other areas," said the president.

He also noted that the China-Dominican Republic ties date back to a long time ago.

"Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Dominican Republic has had a very significant Chinese community, which has completely integrated into the society, and which we have always appreciated and admired for its family structure, its industriousness and its contribution to the development of the community," said Medina.

Currently, the Dominican Republic is China's biggest trade partner in the Caribbean region. In 2017, two-way trade reached 1.871 billion U.S. dollars.

The president believed that attending the five-day expo is a way to strengthen those ties and boost the country's exports.

"We are interested in increasing Dominican exports to the Chinese market, which in addition is among the largest and most dynamic in the world," Medina said.

It won't be easy to make inroads in China's massive market, given the competition and stringent import standards, he said. But considering the price and quality, Dominican products will have a competitive edge.

"We make the world's best cigars, thanks to our country's exquisite tobacco and the fine way it is manufactured, by hand," the president said.

"Our cacao is of the highest quality and with the best aroma in the world. And our rum has conquered the most exclusive markets in Europe and the United States, and we are certain that very soon it will also conquer the demanding Chinese market," he said.

Medina's visit coincides with the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, which he said has achieved notable economic and social progress in the past four decades.

"The Chinese government's willingness to undertake reforms that promote internationalization and globalization -- aware of its context, cultural characteristics and historic roots -- sets an example for the rest of the world," said Medina.

On China's socioeconomic development, Medina said that investing in education and training has allowed the Chinese society to become more skilled and productive, while headway in housing and urbanization has significantly improved people's quality of life.

"Lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and creating a significant middle class is something we admire about China, and without a doubt, we have a lot to learn from them," he said.

The Dominican Republic, which is situated in the heart of Central America and the Caribbean, boasts one of the region's most well-connected port networks, as well as a highly trained work force in production, transport and logistics.

"Because of all of that, I believe we are a natural ally for joining the Belt and Road Initiative as a regional center for trade between China and the rest of the Americas," said Medina.

Despite rising protectionism in parts of the world, multilateralism will prevail given its strengths and benefits, said the president.

"In a globalized world, for goods and services and ideas, it is difficult to believe that any country can really be isolated without losing out on great development opportunities," said Medina.

"That's why I am convinced that the global tendency will continue to benefit those who bet on economic and political multilateralism," Medina added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 18:56:35|Editor: xuxin

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JUBA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people have been killed and 20 others injured in South Sudan's Jonglei state in a communal violence that has beset the area for the past three days, a local government official said Friday.

Jonglei State Deputy Governor Agot Alier confirmed a group of armed Murle men attacked Duk Payuel and Bor North County on Tuesday, killing 15 people and wounded 20 others.

"On Oct. 30, a group of cattle rustlers suspected to be from Boma state attacked the cattle camp in Poktap in Duk Payuel county while they were grazing killing five people and wounded 14 others after a long hour of a deadly fighting," Alier told Xinhua by Phone in Juba.

The official said cattle's owners and youth in the area managed to pursue the attackers and recovered some herd of cattle, though the attackers run away with approximately 10,000 cattle causing huge displacement from the area.

Alier said the subsequent attack also occurred in Bor North county of Jalle Payam on Wednesday, the same day the nation was jovially celebrating the peace deal that saw the main opposition leader Riek Machar returned to the capital after he fled the country in July 2016.

"On Oct. 31 there were again separate attacks in another county of Bor North called Jalle where 10 people were killed and 6 others wounded," he said.

Aleir revealed that the seriously wounded victims of the two incidents were transferred to Juba for medical treatment.

He urged the local communities in the area to remain peaceful despite the deadly attack as the two state authorities intervene to end cattle raiding and child abduction in the area.

Margret Gola, Boma State Information Minister, told Xinhua that her state authorities have no knowledge of the incident, but said they will investigate the matter and will work hard to hold the predators to justice.

"We didn't hear of what happens in Bor but we will do our best to investigate the incident and if we found out that the attackers are from Boma state then we will hold them accountable," Gola assured.

The Jonglei region bordering Ethiopia to the east has long been plagued by ethnic fighting over cattle grazing grounds and access to water.

The region is prone to deadly cattle rustling between the Nuer, Murle and Dinka tribes who often carry out retaliatory attacks against each other.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 19:26:43|Editor: mmm

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Li Zhanshu (R), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), meets with El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu met with El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren on Friday, with both sides pledging efforts on strengthening exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

Urging the two countries to consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations, Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), expressed the hope of strengthening cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, to bring benefits to the two peoples.

"The NPC is ready to enhance exchanges with El Salvador in various sectors, as a way of promoting mutual understanding and the formation of broad social consensus underpinning China-El Salvador friendship," Li said.

Echoing Li's remarks, Sanchez said that the country will adhere to the one-China principle, take an active part in jointly promoting the Belt and Road Initiative with the Chinese side, and shore up bilateral exchanges and cooperation in legislature and other sectors.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 19:46:49|Editor: xuxin

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MOGADISHU, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Somali journalists have appealed to the government for efforts to end impunity and violence against media workers after the murder of three colleagues in 2018.

The National Union of Somalia Journalists (NUSOJ) also called on the government to arrest the perpetrators of such heinous acts, saying in all cases journalists have been murdered, their killers have never been apprehended.

"I am deeply saddened that Somalia still remains in the top-list of the countries that journalist are murdered and culprits go unpunished. We need to improve this situation," Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, NUSOJ general secretary, said in a statement issued on Thursday evening.

Moalimuu said the government is responsible for the safety and protection of journalists and media workers against any threats or physical violation of their right to life and integrity by its security forces and other non-state actors.

"The high levels of violence against journalists are unacceptably high and there is an urgent need for the government to protect and enforce journalists' basic right to life," he added.

According to the union, eleven journalists and media workers including two female journalists were killed in Somalia while performing their duties between 2016 to 2018.

The statement comes barely a week after a radio journalist was killed by unknown gunmen on Oct. 27 in Mogadishu.

Two unidentified gunmen shot Abdullahi Mire Hashi in the town of Elasha Biyaha, about 17 km from the Somali capital, Mogadishu. No arrest has been made so far.

The Horn of Africa nation remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists with dozens having been killed, maimed or forced to leave the country.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says about 25 journalists have been murdered with complete impunity between September 1, 2008 and Aug. 31.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 20:01:53|Editor: xuxin

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ANKARA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Pushing to develop its own missile systems along with making a number of high-profile deals, Turkey has started work for its first indigenous long-range air defense system Siper, the country's president announced.

The first delivery of the missile system is expected at the end of 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Oct. 31 at the opening ceremony of the National Technology Development Infrastructures.

Turkey has decided for domestic production of this system last year, a Turkish official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The new project will be developed on the knowhow of the ongoing indigenous Hisar short and medium-range surface-to-air missile systems which are being developed by the Turkish companies Aselsan and Roketsan since 2007, the official said.

Siper will be developed with higher altitude compared to Hisar, according to the official who noted that the new project will have almost 90-kilometer range and will provide protection against air vehicles along with ballistic missile systems.

Hisar missiles, still on the testing phase, are defense weapons developed to protect military bases, ports, facilities and troops against air-based threats along with the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces for a low and medium-altitude air defense security system.

Hisar-A short-range surface-to-air defense missile system has a range of 15 kilometers and will be taken into inventory in 2020. Hisar-O medium-altitude air defense missile system has a range of 25 kilometers and will be taken inventory in 2021.

In 2012, Ankara requested air defense support from NATO against threats posed by missiles from Syria.

Turkey, which has been relying on Patriot batteries from NATO for its air defense since the crisis in its neighboring Syria, has been looking to procure its own system for years.

Turkey aims to meet its defense requirements on its own and Siper systems will be a flag project among other domestic productions, an expert said.

"This project represents the most developed one," local defense industry expert Arda Mevlutoglu stated.

Turkey's plans for a long-range air missile defense systems were previously revealed by a statement of Turkish defense electronics company Aselsan.

Aselsan said on Jan. 16 that it had signed a business partnership along with defense company Roketsan, an agreement for a national long-range defense system project for Turkish Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, but the name of the project is newly revealed, according to Mevlutoglu.

In its statement, the company told the Istanbul Stock Exchange that Aselsan's share under the agreement was 869 million Turkish liras (227 million U.S. dollars) and 279.3 million euros (342 million U.S. dollars) and that the deliveries would be completed in 2021.

The technical specifications of the system have not been revealed yet, but Siper will cover an extended one compared to Hisar defense systems and will target threats both from air and ballistic missiles, the expert said.

"These kind of systems are provided not to protect along a border, but to protect valuable targets deployed in a way to complement each other's coverage zone," Mevlutoglu added.

This long-range missile defense system is different from the joint project that Turkey has been conducting with Eurosam, the expert stated.

On 2018, Turkey has awarded Franco-Italian consortium Eurosam, Aselsan and Roketsan a contract for a study into the future of a long-range air and missile defense system.

Scheduled to last 18 months, this study aims at preparing the development and production contract for a future system and could pave way for the launch of a three-country joint long-range air and missile defense program.

This is a feasibility study, Mevlutoglu said, adding that production of Siper is different from the scope of this study, at least at the moment.

Another long-range missile defense system that Turkey will add to its inventory will be S-400 surface-to-air missile defense systems from Russia.

The installation of the S-400 missile system will begin in October 2019, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said last week.

However, NATO is critical of Turkey's purchase of the Russian-made system, as it is believed to be incompatible with the systems used by the alliance.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 20:06:56|Editor: xuxin

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BEIRUT, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese caretaker Minister of Displaced Affairs Mouin Merhebi announced Friday that around 55,000 Syrian refugees returned home legally and illegally since June, local media reported.

"Among these 55,000, around 7,000 leaved under the supervision of Lebanon's General Security," he was quoted by Elnashra, an independent online newspaper, as saying.

Merhebi praised the ministry's work in coordinating with humanitarian organizations and donors to solve the problems facing Syrian refugees in a bid to facilitate their return home.

More than one million Syrian refugees are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, while the government estimated the true number of Syrians in the country at 1.5 million.

To secure the return of 890,000 Syrian refugees to their homeland, Russia has drafted a strategy and presented it to the Lebanese authorities.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 20:21:58|Editor: mmm

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Huang Kunming (5th R, front), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, meets with delegates to 2018 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Huang Kunming, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday called for enhanced media cooperation among countries along the Belt and Road.

Huang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with delegates to 2018 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road, hosted by China's People's Daily.

The forum, held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 in Hainan and Beijing, was attended by 256 representatives from 205 media outlets and institutions from 90 countries and international organizations.

Huang said the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping five years ago, has turned from a vision into a reality, and yielded fruitful results.

He called on media organizations from related countries and regions to further intensify exchanges and cooperation, and spread good stories on the initiative.

Foreign representatives said the Belt and Road Initiative had scored remarkable achievements, adding that they were ready to enhance cooperation among media outlets to contribute more to the Belt and Road construction.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 20:27:00|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China will strive to intensify protection of the eco-system and contribute to global ecological progress, Vice Premier Han Zheng said Friday.

Han made the remarks at the opening session of the annual general meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), a non-profit advisory organization.

China attaches great importance to the construction of ecological civilization, Han said, stressing that China has entered a crucial phase in terms of ecological conservation and is able to solve prominent environmental problems.

He promised China will advance green development, implement innovation-driven development strategy, deepen its supply-side structural reform and seek coordination between high-quality economic growth and high-level environment conservation.

China will continue its efforts on implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and shore up cooperation with the international community to construct the Green Belt and Road, Han said.

The Chinese government expects a stronger CCICED, which will serve as a new type of international cooperation platform featuring global inclusiveness, open cooperation and mutually beneficial development, he noted.

Themed "Innovation for a Green New Era," the meeting gathered many members and experts of the CCICED. The Chinese vice premier voiced his hope that they would have in-depth exchange of views, so as to contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity and a clean and beautiful world.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 20:32:02|Editor: xuxin

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LONDON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Two people were stabbed and a man was arrested on Friday at the Sony headquarter in central London, according to local police.

"No evidence of firearms involved. Not being treated as terror related." London metropolitan police said on its twitter account.

Local media claimed "a man armed with a machete" entered the building, which was located on Derry Street, near Kensington high street.

The condition of the two victims was unknown currently.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 20:37:03|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China will unveil its GJ-2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at an air show opening on Nov. 6 in the southern port city of Zhuhai, the air force said Friday.

The domestically-developed GJ-2 is a medium- and high-altitude, long-endurance reconnaissance-strike drone, which has played an important role in border patrol and the anti-terrorism fight, said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force spokesperson Shen Jinke.

Complete with new coatings, demonstrations of China's J-20 stealth fighter jets will also take place at next week's 12th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China), Shen said.

The J-20 is China's fourth-generation medium- and long-range fighter aircraft, and it was commissioned into air force combat service in earlier 2018.

It was first shown to the public at Airshow China in November 2016. The fighters made their parade debut when the PLA marked its 90th anniversary in July 2017 at the Zhurihe military training base in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

This year's Zhuhai exhibition will also showcase the Y-20, a versatile transport aircraft, which is designed to carry cargo and personnel over long distances in complicated meteorological conditions, said Shen.

Airshow China is an international aerospace trade show endorsed by the central government. The show has been held every two years since 1996 in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 20:47:05|Editor: xuxin

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BERLIN, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Armin Laschet, the German governor of North Rhine-Westphalia and vice-president of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), warned his party on Friday against lurking to the political right when Chancellor Angela Merkel steps down as party leader in December.

Laschet told the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung that such a "change of tracks would be wrong" and announced that he would personally back a "course of the middle." North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany's most populous state and home to the CDU's largest regional branch by the number of members.

Speaking to Suedeutsche Zeitung, Laschet also offered indirect criticism of recent comments made by health minister Jens Spahn (CDU) regarding asylum policy. "I for one think it is a mistake to create the impression again that migration is the biggest of all problems. This analysis is factually and politically incorrect and harmful," the 57-year-old governor argued.

Announcing his candidacy for the CDU leadership recently, Spahn drew attention to what he described as "uncontrolled and largely male immigration" which needed to be limited.

While Laschet has not thrown his own hat into the ring for the leadership contest in December yet, he belongs to a group of Merkel allies within the CDU who share the veteran chancellor's preference for moderate politics.

By contrast, candidates such as Spahn and the former CDU secretary general Friedrich Merz are outspoken critics of Merkel's stance on migration and are both calling for a return to what they view as the party's conservative roots.

Following a disappointing performance of the CDU in regional elections in Hesse last Sunday, Merkel has announced that she would no longer run for another term as party leader. Throughout her 13-year tenure as German chancellor, Merkel had previously insisted that the roles at the helm of the federal government and the party be held by the same person. The end of this long-standing tradition is widely interpreted in Germany as a further sign of the 64-year-old's weakening grip on the CDU.

Ralph Brinkhaus, the CDU and Christian Social Union (CSU) parliamentary faction leader, emphasized in the papers of the Funke media group on Friday that the next party leader would have to be able "unite and balance" different internal factions. Brinkhaus noted that the CDU had lost voters to the Greens (Gruene) as well as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Hesse and that its aspiration now needed to be to "win back these voters."

Taking a similar view to the one espoused by Laschet, Daniel Guenther (CDU), governor of Schleswig-Holstein, told Xinhua that the CDU should stick to its centrist credentials to improve its electoral fortunes again. "I am firmly convinced that we can only be successful in the long-run if we are rooted in the middle of society and have the ambition to make a political offer to this middle," Guenther said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 20:47:07|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Vice Premier Liu He (R) meets with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu He met with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim Friday in Beijing.

Noting that this year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, Liu said the first China International Import Expo, to be held in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to Nov. 10, is a major policy initiative and commitment taken on China's own accord to open up its market.

"The Chinese side is willing to deepen development partnership with the World Bank to improve international economic governance and to promote economic globalization as well as sustainable development," Liu said.

The World Bank highly evaluated China's achievements in reform and opening up as well as poverty reduction and development, Kim said, also expressing gratitude to China for its positive contributions to the World Bank.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 20:57:08|Editor: mmm

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (3rd R) meets with El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren (3rd L), who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2018. Sanchez will attend the upcoming first China International Import Expo in Shanghai. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren in Beijing on Friday, urging more efforts by the two sides to promote pragmatic cooperation and common development.

Li said that the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and El Salvador is a major event in the history of their bilateral relations and conducive to delivering benefits to the two peoples as well as expanding China's engagement with countries in Central America.

Noting that the Chinese side values El Salvador's pledge to the one-China principle, Li expressed hopes of synergizing the Belt and Road Initiative with El Salvador's development strategies, enhancing mutual political trust and expanding pragmatic cooperation, so as to advance bilateral relations in a steady manner.

The premier voiced China's willingness to jointly address global challenges, including climate change, as well as to make sustained efforts in promoting cooperation in various fields, in line with the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefits and common development.

"We encourage Chinese enterprises to make investment and start businesses in El Salvador," Li said, adding that China is ready to enhance people-to-people exchanges and encourage various sectors of the two countries to take part in promoting friendship, so as to lay a solid foundation of public support for bilateral cooperation.

For his part, Sanchez, who will attend the upcoming first China International Import Expo in Shanghai, vowed to adhere to the one-China principle and be committed to developing long-term friendly relations with China.

Sanchez also expressed El Salvador's readiness to work with the Chinese side in enhancing political dialogue and friendly exchanges, jointly promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, and stepping up communication and coordination under multilateral frameworks.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 21:02:09|Editor: xuxin

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NEW DELHI, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Over 300 trainee constables, including policewomen, Friday went berserk at police lines in eastern Indian state of Bihar, ransacking officers quarters roughing up seniors following the death of their colleague, officials said.

The policemen thrashed their seniors, vandalized buildings, damaged police vehicles inside police lines in Patna, the capital city of Bihar.

The agitated trainee policemen alleged that their colleague, a woman constable, lost her life due to "negligence and inhuman authoritarian stance" of her seniors.

The protesters alleged Savita Pathak, a woman constable posted at the police lines had been feeling sick and was denied leave by her commandant that ended up worsening her condition.

The woman constable, according to officials, died after suffering from dengue.

"She was admitted at a private hospital this morning and her health deteriorated after which she died," an official said.

No sooner, the news about her death reached the police lines, irate trainee policemen smashed furniture, threw stones at seniors and thrashed few of them, witnesses said.

Reports said authorities had to summon contingents of policemen and personnel from Bihar military Police to bring the situation under control.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought a detailed report into the incident from state Police Chief K. S. Dwivedi.

Meanwhile, police have ordered an inquiry into the incident, officials said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 21:07:10|Editor: xuxin

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SANAA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels fired a short-range ballistic missile toward a military camp in southern Saudi border region of Najran on Friday, hours after Saudi-led coalition airstrikes hit an airport in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, the Shiite rebels said in a statement.

"The Badr-1-P missile targeted the camp in Buko desert on Friday morning in retaliation to overnight airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition warplanes that hit Sanaa International Airport," according to the statement carried by the rebel-controlled Saba news agency.

The statement said the missile hit the target accurately.

More than 30 airstrikes hit the Sanaa airport on Friday pre-dawn, according to Saba. Residents in Sanaa reported dozens of airstrikes overnight in and around the airport that made the whole city quake.

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television quoted coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki as saying that Friday's airstrikes targeted ballistic missiles' launchpads in the Sanaa airport.

There was no comment yet from Saudi Arabia on the rebel missile attack.

Buko is a shared Saudi-Yemeni border crossing area bordering the Yemeni northern province of Saada, which is the main stronghold of the Yemeni rebels.

Buko has been under control of the Saudi border forces since 2016, after the Saudi troops defeated the Yemeni rebels and forced them to retreat back to Saada few months after the war erupted in early 2015.

The attack was the latest attempt by the Houthis in response to the Saudi-led airstrikes. Most of the missiles had been intercepted and destroyed in the air.

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 fresh military escalation came ahead of a new UN-proposed round of peace talks.
File photo shows locals ferry jerrycans on a donkey-cart in Ethiopia's Somali Regional state, Gode District,Ethiopia, Sept. 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Mustafa Oshe, a resident of Goleba Qulito village in Adami Tulu Judo Kombolcha locality in central Ethiopia's Oromia regional state, has been dreaming to get clean water for himself, wife and his three children for years.

His dream came true on Thursday when Chinese heavy machinery manufacturer -- Xuzhou Construction machinery Group, inaugurated 41 water cellars it financed for the community, which are expected to serve hundreds of local villagers.

Speaking to Xinhua, Oshe said he had to cope with the double threats of insufficient amount of water and danger of water borne diseases in the semi-arid village for years, but now he can make a sigh of relief.

"In the past, we got water from the river, it is contaminated with Giardia parasites and when our people drank the water, many of them used to have diarrhea, but with the clean water project now it is good for the health of our community. We appreciate the project as it will be a good example in promoting healthiness," said Oshe.

Oshe's relief was echoed by Debele Feyisa, head of Planning and Economic Development Office at Adami Tulu Judo Kombolcha locality, who said residents had to depend on unreliable and dangerous water sources for their drinking and other needs.

"Many residents use the area's groundwater which is dangerous to health as it has too much fluoride," Feyisa told Xinhua.

"This locality has a minimum of 600 households, most travel a minimum of five kilometers to fetch ground water, and this project partially solves this problem," he further said.

Gao Zhiqiang, Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group's Ethiopia Country Manager, on his part said the water cellar projects will enhance the resilience of local communities to face natural disasters.

"The program helps build 41 water cellars for drought affected communities and schools, tackling the challenge of safe, potable water faced by hundreds of villagers and students, and boosting their ability to resist natural disasters," he said.

Gao pledged the water cellar project will be expanded to other parts of Ethiopia and called upon other companies to join in the project.

"The water project can be promoted to other places, we are hoping more companies can join in such projects like we did, with joint efforts we can build even more water cellars and settle the shortage of safe, potable water," he said.

The Chinese company has previously inaugurated a water cellar project in Amhara regional state, located in northern Ethiopia, in a place that like Adami Tulu Judo Kombolcha locality is facing the double danger of water shortage and polluted water sources.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 21:12:11|Editor: Liangyu

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The 12th National Women's Congress (NWC) concludes at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2018. Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan attended the closing ceremony. Shen Yueyue, the newly re-elected president of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), presided over and addressed the closing ceremony. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 12th National Women's Congress (NWC) concluded in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday.

"The cause of our country's women has made unprecedented historic achievements, which fully demonstrates the gracefulness of 'half the sky' in contemporary times," said Vice Premier Sun Chunlan at the closing ceremony.

She urged promotion of implementing fundamental state policies such as the equality of men and women, as well as settling of problems such as employment discrimination in order to facilitate women in devoting themselves to innovation and entrepreneurship.

Shen Yueyue, the newly re-elected president of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), presided over and addressed the closing ceremony, calling for strengthening family construction and striving to realize the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 21:22:13|Editor: xuxin

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ADEN, Yemen, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Intense fighting flared up between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and the Houthi fighters in the Red Sea coast city of Hodeidah on Friday, causing an unknown number of casualties.

In past hours, pro-government forces engaged in ferocious fighting with the Houthis around the University of Hodeidah, causing huge blasts in the area, according to local sources.

An officer of the pro-government Giants Brigades told Xinhua by phone that "the large anti-Houthi military operation which will liberate the Hodeidah's port has not started yet."

"The Houthis are frightened and started attacking our positions in a desperate attempt to impede the progress of government forces," the officer said.

He added that armored vehicles, tanks and helicopters will participate in the anti-Houthi military operation in the forthcoming hours.

Residents confirmed to Xinhua that the two-warring sides started exchanging artillery shelling and large explosions were heard across the city.

The ongoing fighting is moving closer from the Thawrah public hospital and other medical centers, posing a real threat to people there, according to residents.

A pro-government medical source said that mortar shells landed on residential areas and caused casualties among citizens.

Overnight, warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition launched a series of airstrikes and targeted military bases in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa.

The Houthi-affiliated Masirah television station reported that more than 30 airstrikes hit various locations in and around Sanaa.

Yemeni observers said that the ongoing mobilization and the escalating fighting in Hodeidah will put more additional strains to any cease-fire ahead of the next peace negotiations facilitated by the United Nations.

On Wednesday, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths announced his commitment to bringing the warring Yemeni parties to the negotiation table within a month, stressing that dialogue remains the only path to reach an inclusive agreement in the country.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government announced later that it is willing to restart stalled peace talks with the Shiite Houthis to find solutions to end the country's years-long conflict.

The Yemeni government is seeking to expel Houthi rebels out of the strategic city of Hodeidah in recent days despite warnings by international humanitarian agencies.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the country with world's biggest humanitarian crisis, with seven million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths.
Honduran migrants board a truck as they take part in a new caravan heading to the U.S., in Quezaltepeque, Chiquimula, Guatemala on Oct. 22, 2018. (Xinhua/AFP)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed to step up efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants.

"We will not allow our generosity to be abused by those who would break our laws, defy our rules, violate our borders, break into our country illegally," Trump said in a televised speech at the White House.

Trump said he will sign a "quite comprehensive" executive order "sometime next week" to address illegal immigration, but did not specify what measures may be included in the package.

It is also unclear whether Trump will take action before or after the midterm election scheduled for Tuesday.

Trump's speech focused on an immigration caravan moving towards the U.S. border in Mexico.

"At this very moment, large well-organized caravans of migrants are marching towards our southern border ... It's like an invasion," he said.

Trump called on those seeking asylum to accept protection offered by the Mexican government, and warned that those who try to enter the United States illegally will be arrested and tried.

"We have thousands of tents ... We're going to hold them right there. We're not letting them into our country," he said.

Trump said he hopes U.S. military massing on the southern border will not resort to force in face of the incoming immigrants, but threatened that anyone throwing rocks at U.S. law enforcement or military personnel will be regarded as using firearms.

With only days left before the midterm elections, Trump has made repeated tough remarks against illegal immigration, which polls show is among the most important issues for Republican voters.

Trump on Tuesday suggested he would move to end "birthright citizenship," a privilege long considered to be protected by the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. On early Thursday, he tweeted a controversial video ad depicting an illegal immigrant who killed two U.S. policeman.

Trump refuted criticism that he was "fear mongering" by underscoring the negative impact of illegal immigrants in the United States, saying that immigration is a "very big and dangerous topic."

He said that the United States will not "allow people to come into our country that don't have the well-being of our country in mind."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 21:32:17|Editor: xuxin

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DUBAI, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- CitrussTV, based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was founded in 2005 and is the Arab world's first dedicated home shopping TV channel.

To take part in the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Nov. 5 in Shanghai, citrussTV aims to introduce Middle East specialty products to China, including world-renowned top products such as saffron, dates and camel milk, Jason Kong, president and CEO of citrussTV, has said.

Highly focusing on technology, citrussTV has created multi-platform channels and social media to offer seamless shopping of a wide range of quality products including home and kitchen, beauty, fashion and jewelry.

On Sept. 20, 2017, SHARK SHOPPING, one of the top home shopping platforms in China, signed a strategic agreement with citrussTV, marking the very first overseas acquisition in the Chinese TV shopping industry.

Meanwhile, as a comprehensive e-commerce platform for China-Arab trade, citrussTV also introduces a number of Chinese goods and achieves good sales.

In the future, citrussTV will be committed to vigorously developing bilateral trade, serving as a bridge for trade between China and the Arab world, and introducing more special commodities, Kong said.

According to statistics, citrussTV has already served more than 1 million customers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and many other countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The UAE is China's second largest trade partner and the largest export market for Chinese goods among Arab countries, while China has been the largest trade partner of the UAE for several consecutive years.

In 2017, bilateral trade stood at 41 billion U.S. dollars, a 1.06-percent increase year-on-year. At the end of 2015, China's foreign direct investment in the UAE reached 4.6 billion dollars. In 2016, the UAE invested over 2.1 billion dollars in China, the top among Arab countries.

CitrussTV can make full use of the advantages from both markets to provide Chinese and MENA customers the best products and services at a competitive price.

As China has a large number of suppliers, brands and quality products in various categories, citrussTV can better meet the fast-growing consumption demand in MENA countries by importing high-value products from China.

In addition, citrussTV can work with multiple local suppliers from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and other countries to bring more Middle East style products to Chinese customers through the Chinese platform SHARK SHOPPING.

Supported by the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese and MENA markets are expected to see an even faster growth of mutual trade and retail business, which enables citrussTV to grow into a leading omni-channel retail platform in the world and continue to provide the best products and services for Chinese and MENA customers, Kong said.

Through the end-to-end services by citrussTV, a number of Middle East suppliers have opened up the Chinese market and started getting positive feedback from the market.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 21:32:18|Editor: xuxin

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MOGADISHU, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) is stepping up measures to contain cholera outbreak in Somalia amid decline in the number of cases and deaths in the past month.

The UN health agency, which cited figures from the Health Ministry of Somalia, said 32 new suspected cases of cholera, including one death were reported between Oct. 15-21.

"Since week 28 (seven weeks), there has been a significant downward trend in the number of new suspected cholera cases reported from different treatment facilities," WHO said in its latest report released on Friday.

"The cumulative total of cases is 6,498, including 43 associated deaths (case-fatality rate 0.6 percent), since the beginning of the current outbreak in December 2017 along the Shabelle River," it added.

Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease, usually spread by contaminated water and food, and can cause severe diarrhea that, in extreme cases, lead to fatal dehydration and kidney failure within hours.

According to WHO, the outbreak has spread in the south and central regions and the effected districts include Jowhar, Kismayo, Bulobarde, Afgoye, Merka and Banadir.

However, it said the trend of cases has been declining in the past seven weeks, noting that only Banader region has been reporting cases and deaths in the last three weeks.

The UN health agency has called for robust investments in Somalia's fragile health care infrastructure as a means to accelerate the country's reconstruction after two and a half decades of civil strife.

WHO, which has been training several health workers in Somalia to help cope with the diseases, has also urged greater investments in surveillance infrastructure to enhance timely response to disease outbreaks in Somalia.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 21:42:19|Editor: mmm

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JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- South African businesses set to participate in the upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) should use the opportunity to access the Chinese market, business experts have said.

The expo, to run from Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai, is aimed at promoting economic and trade cooperation and boosting world economic growth.

TRADE LIBERALIZATION & ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION

"I'm all in favour of free trade and easier movement of people and goods and of services. I believe that African countries taking part in it (CIIE) should ensure that they benefit from trade relations and improve their economies," said Jannie Rossouw, professor of Wits School of Economic and Business Science.

According to the organizing committee, more than 2,800 companies from all over the world have confirmed they would attend the CIIE.

They are from more than 130 countries and regions, including over 200 Fortune Global 500 firms and leading enterprises in various industries.

"It is a significant move for the Chinese government to hold the CIIE to firmly support trade liberalization and economic globalization, and actively open the Chinese market to the world," the organizing committee said on its website.

STRONG TRADE LINKS BETWEEN CHINA & SOUTH AFRICA

In a commentary published in April in South African daily Pretoria News, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Lin Songtian said trade and investment between the two countries have grown immensely.

"China has for nine years in a row been South Africa's largest trading partner. In 2017 bilateral trade grew by 11.7 percent to 39.17 billion U.S. dollars, a more than 20-fold increase from the figure at the beginning of diplomatic relations," Lin said in the article.

"South Africa has been China's largest trading partner in Africa for eight consecutive years, accounting for a quarter to a third of China-Africa overall trade," he noted.

According to the Chinese diplomat, last year South Africa became the first country on the continent to export beef to China. The two nations are strategic partners in many fields, including trade, mining, manufacturing, finance and commerce.

The CIIE was an opportunity for South African businesses to expand and to diversify products being exported to China, said Efficient Group Chief Economist Dawie Roodt.

"The trade between South Africa and China is very important for South Africa...this is an excellent opportunity and I hope our businesses will make use of this opportunity," Roodt said.

OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHINESE MARKET

Bongani Lukhele, director of media relations of South African Department of Trade and Industry, said that several South African businesses set to take part in the expo would use the opportunity to learn more about the Chinese market.

"Twelve companies specializing in services (emerging technologies and service outsourcing) will participate in the exhibition. The expo will expose South African exporters of a range of products and services to export opportunities and create opportunities for them to access the Chinese market," said Lukhele.

"We will also create the opportunity for exporters to obtain first-hand market information and to understand the distribution channels, barriers and procedures for entering and supplying the Chinese market," he added.

The organizing committee said the exhibition area will exceed 270,000 square meters, including trade and investment pavilions for different countries and exhibition halls for companies.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 21:47:23|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has reassured the country's private sector with pledges of substantial policy support including tax cuts and easier financing to crank up a vital engine of the world's second largest economy.

In a headline-making speech at a symposium Thursday, Xi reaffirmed "unswerving" support for the development of private enterprises "toward a broader stage" and said difficulties facing the private sector "will surely be solved through development."

A HISTORIC SYMPOSIUM

The authorities often invite private business owners to such symposiums to listen to concerns, exchange opinions and discuss targeted policies. Still, here it is considered rare due to its high-profile participants and profound implications.

The gathering brought together senior officials, leading entrepreneurs and bankers. Above all, it was the first symposium on private businesses presided over by Xi since late 2012 and culminated in a series of Xi's commitment of support for the private sector.

It's not hard to explain such special attention: private businesses are vital and in need of help. A look at the statistics would show that the non-public sector accounts for 80 percent of employment, 70 percent of technological innovations, 60 percent of economic output and 50 percent of tax revenue.

"The private sector's contributions are undeniable for the country to be able to make miraculous achievements in economic development," Xi said in his speech during the two-hour dialogue.

As growth uncertainties have been on the rise, downward pressures have increased and companies have been facing more difficulties. The symposium was held in time to chart the course for greater policy support.

"It's an unprecedented meeting with great importance," said Chang Zhaohua, vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, after attending the symposium.

"We have been greatly encouraged by his determination to help us solve our problems concerning funding, market access and transformation," Chang told China Business Times.

STANCE UNCHANGED

Addressing entrepreneurs at the meeting, Xi did not shy away from market concerns about China's stance on private businesses, pledging unwavering effort to "encourage, support and guide the development of the non-public sector."

"We hold the meeting today to draw on collective wisdom, enhance confidence, and maintain and reinforce the sound trend of private economy," Xi said.

From financing barriers to relatively hefty taxes, a raft of problems that private businesses encounter were discussed and tackled.

Shandong Hetong Information Technology, a Jinan-based tech firm, has been plagued by high receivables in deals with big state firms and government agencies, a difficulty cited by Hetong's chairman Geng Zhe but shared by many other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

"The problem needs high attention, government departments and state firms can not just leave bills unpaid," Xi said. "Local governments defaulting on their payments also can be blacklisted. The central authority supports you in demanding the payment and will help you sue them if they still defer payment."

Xi called those issues obstacles in the process of development and growing pains for the country, which will definitely be solved through development.

FUTURE BRIGHTENED

A string of measures were unveiled at the symposium to offer private businesses an assured future.

Business burdens will be eased, with substantial tax cuts; financing for private firms will no longer be hard and costly; a level playing field will be built and improved; policies will be more effective with solid implementation; the relationship between government and business will be cordial and clean; entrepreneurs' property and safety will be ensured.

"We are reassured. As long as there is policy certainty, we can proceed with confidence, work without distractions and get over difficulties," said Liu Jiren, board chairman of Neusoft, a Shenyang-based IT company.

Earlier this week the World Bank ranked China as a top-50 economy in the world for ease of doing business, due to a record number of reforms carried out last year.

"China has made rapid progress in improving its business climate for domestic SMEs in the past year. The progress signals the value the government places on nurturing entrepreneurship and private enterprises," said Bert Hofman, World Bank country director for China.

Liu Yi, chairman of Anhui ActBlue, said: "Engaged in exhaust gas treatment, we are fully confident in the future of the industry and our company. The company will continue to innovate and strive for greater growth amid a national drive to quality development."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 22:02:26|Editor: xuxin

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by Bedah Mengo

NAIROBI, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Sitting in a public bus in traffic jam along Mombasa Road in Kenya's capital Nairobi on Friday morning, Martin Andalo was getting late for his 8 a.m. appointment in the city center.

His face showed nervousness. The traffic gridlock was at a standstill with the vehicle having moved barely 50 meters in 30 minutes.

He dipped his hand in his coat pocket, fished out his phone and started fidgeting with it and soon, his face lit up, temporarily forgetting about his predicament.

Andalo then laughed, attracting the attention of some of the passengers in the public transport vehicle, commonly known as matatus.

"Someone believes this is the way Kenyans will be looking at maize flour after prices hit 1 U.S. dollar for a 2 kg pack," he said, showing a photo of a man with his two hands on his head peeping through the window.

Maize millers on Tuesday announced that prices of the commodity would rise from 0.75 dollars to a dollar, citing high operational costs.

Kenyans on social media sites Facebook and Twitter decided to make jokes out of the announcement as some faulted the millers noting that dry maize prices are at an all-time low of 15 dollars per 90 kg bag.

One of the jokes reached Andalo Friday morning, brightening his day as he sat in the vehicle getting late for his appointment due to traffic jam. Social media has become the main place where a majority of Kenyans go for comic relief as citizen post all manner of jokes.

Having a bad day in Kenya or things are not working to your expectations? Social media will put a smile on your face, seems to be the new motto for Kenyans.

From short videos, memes, photos and text messages, Kenyans creative juices flow unhindered on the social media sites.

"Class work: 2+2=4. Assignment: 3+3=6. Exam: A plane was flying North East at 450Mph. Winds blowing at 130Mph. Calculate the weight of the pilot," posted Incredibly Terrible on Twitter as citizens discussed the start of the class eight exit exams on Tuesday.

"What is thiiiiiis?" posed Benji Ndolo, a lawyer based in the capital Nairobi after seeing a funny photo of a bed in a heated debate on social media. "Kenyans, please stop, you are going to murder innocents with humour."

Vincent Musumba, a teacher in Busia County, west of Kenya, noted that social media has become a source of good laughter for Kenyans.

"Even for the worst of situations in the country, Kenyans will always make some good jokes out of it. Social media makes me laugh. There is never a dull moment on Twitter or Facebook," he said, noting he picks some jokes from the site which he uses to warm up his students while teaching maths and economics.

Bernard Mwaso, a consultant with Edell IT Solution, said that social media has offered Kenyans an unlimited platform to show their creativeness by coming up with humour even when discussing serious matters like rising cost of living or the rising public debt.

"If you want a good laugh, just go to social media and you will brighten your day," he said.

"The other day when the government announced new taxes on the internet, Kenyans came up with various humorous memes showing how they will start using their phones. They were funny but captured the seriousness of the issue," he noted.

Mwaso observed that social media offers budding Kenyan creatives, who are unable to get platforms elsewhere on mainstream media, a chance to launch their careers with great success.

"As long as you are consistent, you can post your videos there and amass a huge audience that would enable you break into the mainstream," he noted.

However, he observed that the negative side of the humour is when social media users use their creativity to troll individuals.

"It happens sometimes and this can be nasty if you are at the center of the jokes," he said.

Kenya has over 7 million social media users on Facebook and Twitter, according to 2017 estimates by Social Bakers. Majority of the users are aged between 18-24 and 25-34 years with 64 percent of them being male.

Kenya's internet subscriptions stood at 41 million in June, with 99 percent of users accessing the service via their mobile phones, according to a latest report from the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA).

CA attributed the fast growth of internet penetration to availability of affordable smartphones and cheap data bundles.

The regulator isolates growth of social media use as one of the things that have fuelled internet usage.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 22:18:35|Editor: xuxin

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People visit tombs of their departed relatives inside a public cemetery in Marikina City, the Philippines, Nov. 2, 2018. Millions of people paid tribute to the dead by visiting tombs of their deceased relatives in various cemeteries during All Saints Day and All Souls Day in the Philippines. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 22:17:31|Editor: xuxin

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DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Tanzania on Friday officially launched a massive crackdown on illegal fishing in Lake Tanganyika, one of the oldest freshwater lakes in the world.

Luhaga Mpina, the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, said the crackdown should go in tandem with the arrest of local government officials and fisheries officers who protected syndicates of people involved in illegal fishing.

He said 93 boats, 32 vehicles, 16 motorcycles and 5,000 tonnes of fish have been seized since the crackdown on illegal fishing started in Lake Tanganyika, adding that 3,250 illegal fishnets were impounded.

"We have burned all the illegal fishing nets," said Mpina, directing government officials in the region to oversee the crackdown.

"The government's position is to make sure that illegal fishing is put to an end not only in Lake Tanganyika but also in all lakes in this country," said Mpina.

The minister said illegal fishing resulted in depletion of fish stocks in the country's lakes, forcing Tanzania to spend more money to import fish.

In March this year, Tanzanian President John Magufuli supported ongoing crackdown on illegal fishing in Lake Victoria that was aimed at replenishing fish stocks in the lake.

Magufuli's remarks came barely a week after the Council of Ministers of the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization approved scaling up anti-illegal fishing operations in the lake.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 22:22:34|Editor: xuxin

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BEIRUT, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- A military cooperation agreement was signed on Friday between Lebanon and Armenia, local media reported.

"We aim at creating a committee that would expand military cooperation between the two countries," Lebanese caretaker Defense Minister Yacoub Sarraf said during meeting with his Armenian counterpart David Tonoyan.

According to the National News Agency, Sarraf said he hopes that this agreement can lead to cooperation with Armenia in other fields such as tourism, trade and culture.

When talking about the overall Lebanese situation, Sarraf pointed at the continuation of Israeli aggressions and violations.

"Lebanon is in favor of the dialogue and compromise while it has no hostile intention towards any party, but it will defend its sovereignty and rights when necessary," he added.

Sarraf also praised the efforts of the Armenian forces operating within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Tonoyan said that signing of the agreement paves way for future agreements while praising the historic relations between the Lebanese and Armenian peoples.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 22:27:35|Editor: xuxin

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MOSCOW, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Moscow is ready to cooperate with Washington to maintain global stability, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

"More and more contradictions have accumulated between Russia and the United States, two leading nuclear powers, regarding strategic stability," he said at a press conference with visiting Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Thomas Greminger.

Lavrov said the channels for settling these contradictions have not been used for a long period, which creates an unacceptable situation from the perspective of global security.

"We have repeatedly offered to unfreeze the channels, which are now frozen, and begin a dialogue on all aspects of strategic stability," he said.

According to Lavrov, the dialogue could include the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which the United States plans to abandon, and the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which expires in 2021.

Russia is ready to consider the possibility of extending the New START for another five years after its expiration, Lavrov said.

Russia is also ready to discuss with the United States the consequences of the U.S. withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) in 2002 only to begin deploying a global missile defense system.

"Problems associated with the deployment of U.S. missile defense elements in Europe and now in Asia directly affect strategic stability, so they cannot be left out of any honest professional discussions," Lavrov said.

Moscow says it wants to have a dialogue on preventing the placement of weapons in space since the situation could spiral out of control and "stability and security may be forgotten," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 22:47:39|Editor: Chengcheng

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Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli troops on the Gaza-Israel border, east of Gaza City, on Nov. 2, 2018. A total of 32 Palestinians were wounded on Friday in clashes with Israeli troops near the Gaza-Israel border, according to the report of Gaza's Health Ministry. (Xinhua)

GAZA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Palestinians released on Friday afternoon arson balloons from northern Gaza Strip into southern Israel, eyewitnesses and local media in Gaza reported.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinian protesters arrived on Friday afternoon at eastern Gaza area close to the fence of the border with Israel and began to burn tires, eyewitnesses in eastern Gaza said.

They added that Israeli soldiers stationed at the border opened warning gunshots at the protesters.

The highest commission of the marches of return called on Gaza populations to join the 32nd Friday of the marches and broke the siege in five different locations in eastern Gaza close to the border with Israel.

The commission urged the protesters to keep the marches popular and peaceful, avoiding to approach the fence of the border with Israel.

Leaders of the Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other minor factions stressed that the tactics of the marches of return has been changed.

Their remarks came after meetings with the Egyptian security intelligence delegation on Thursday in Gaza.

The delegation mediates a calm deal with Israel for easing the hard living situation in Gaza and stopping violence at the border between eastern Gaza and Israel.

Palestinian activists in the anti-Israel marches of return threw percussion bombs at Israeli soldiers stationed on the border between eastern Gaza and Israel, according to eyewitnesses.

Israeli media Hadashot 24 reported that Palestinians in Gaza threw six bombs, three hand grenades and stones at Israeli soldiers without injuries.

Eyewitnesses in eastern Gaza said that more arson balloons were released from northern, central and southern Gaza Strip into southern Israel.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 22:52:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Denis Elamu

JUBA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Friday set free James Gatdet Dak, a spokesman for rebel leader Riek Machar. and William John Endley, a retired South African soldier who was earlier sentenced to death and life imprisonment on treason and terrorism charges.

Minister of Interior Michael Changjiek said the two were released from the Juba central prison following President Salva Kiir's order issued on Wednesday, during the peace day celebrations that were attended by Machar, the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in opposition (SPLA-IO), and four other African leaders.

Kiir and Machar signed the final revitalized peace agreement to end over four years of conflict in September in the Ethiopian capital, which calls on both sides to immediately cease hostilities and release political detainees.

Both Endley and Gatdet were sentenced to death in February by the apex court in the capital. Gatdet was captured and extradited to Juba from Nairobi in November 2017.

Anthony Oliver Legge, spokesperson for the National Prison Service, said Endley will be immediately deported to South Africa and that these were the last group of political prisoners at the main prison.

He said the release of Endley and Gatdet represents the spirit of the revitalized agreement.

"Our brothers in the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)... acknowledge the process and they are satisfied with the procedure," Legge said.

South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, creating one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world.

A peace agreement signed in 2015 to end the violence was again violated in July 2016, when the rival factions resumed fighting in the capital, Juba, forcing Machar to flee into exile.

The United Nations estimates that about 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 22:52:44|Editor: Liangyu

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DAMASCUS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United States seems to be stuck in an awkward situation in northern Syria between its two rival allies, the Turks and Kurds, as it is trying to ease the tension by deploying forces to separate them.

The U.S. has been backing the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for a long time in the battles against the Islamic State (IS), managing to defeat IS in its de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria in 2017.

The U.S. support continued and the SDF and allied Kurdish forces are now fighting IS in its last pocket on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour near Iraq.

The SDF had suffered a setback in the first wave of attack that was launched on Sept. 10 as the IS launched a counter-offensive recently and retook all the areas that had fallen to the SDF, which is now amassing more capable forces to have another round of battles against the last IS-controlled areas in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour near the Iraqi border.

The plan was smoothly moving forward with activists expecting the second attack to be more powerful and to achieve its intended purpose of eliminating IS in the eastern Euphrates.

However, Turkey, which has for long been so outright about its enmity to the Kurdish forces of the People's Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the SDF, said it was ready to launch offensives against the Kurds on the eastern side of the river.

The Turkish forces have actually started shelling positions of the Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria over the past few days, pushing the U.S.-backed SDF to temporarily halt the preparations of the second stage of the battles for 24 hours before resuming them on Thursday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said in a report Friday that the Turkish forces shelled a Kurdish-controlled village in the countryside of Raqqa province on Thursday evening.

The Britain-based watchdog group said preparations are ongoing on the western bank of Euphrates by Turkish forces and its Syrian rebel allies to launch offensives on the Kurdish forces.

Despite the tension that would grow with the U.S., Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that his country had finalized plans for a "comprehensive and effective" operation that would target the U.S.-backed Kurdish groups in the east of the Euphrates River.

The Turkish stance reflects the desire to defeat the Kurdish militia in the eastern Euphrates after they had already pushed them to retreat from the western side of the river in two cross-border operations in 2016 and 2018.

In this particular situation, the U.S. has become in an embarrassing situation between Turkey, which is a key NATO ally, and the Kurds, Washington's reliable allies on the ground in Syria with which they are making territorial gains against IS in eastern Syria.

To ease the tension, the U.S. on Friday has deployed forces along the line between the two sides of the Euphrates River to contain the situation, according to the Observatory.

It's also running joint patrols with Turkey between the Kurdish-led Manbij Military Council and the Turkish-backed rebels in the countryside of the city of Manbij.

Manbij in the northern countryside of Aleppo is controlled by the Manbij Military Council, which is backed by the Kurdish-led SDF, while the city's countryside is controlled by the rebels allied with Turkey within an umbrella called the Euphrates Shield.

The Observatory said the U.S. is also deployed on the borderline between Turkey and Syria in the area between the rivers of Euphrates and Tigris.

Additionally, U.S. forces are also deployed in the Kurdish-controlled city of Ayn Al-Arab, or Kobane, in the northern countryside of Aleppo on the eastern side of Euphrates to prevent any confrontation.

Ayham Majid, a Syrian political expert in the Kurdish issues, told Xinhua that the U.S. is now embarrassed as the SDF is being shelled by the Turkish forces.

He said that running patrols between Kurds and the Turkish-backed forces is an attempt by the U.S. to try to contain the situation.

The expert said there seems to be a determined Turkish decision in terms of fighting the Kurds in the eastern bank of Euphrates and Manbij.

Majid believes that relative calm would take place after the joint patrols until the end of the year, noting that in two-month time, the Kurdish forces could capture the remaining IS-held pocket in eastern Syria.

After that, the expert continued, the Turkish side would be more serious in targeting the Kurds.

"In next two months, the Kurds would have the chance to consolidate their negotiations with Damascus as the only way to protect the areas in the eastern Euphrates is through the deployment of the Syrian government forces," he said.

Throughout the more than seven-year-long war in Syria, Turkey has made it clear it won't tolerate a growing Kurdish influence in northern Syria near the Turkish border.

Ankara has already backed Syrian rebels to push the Kurdish forces out of the northern enclave of Afrin earlier this year.

The Syrian government has recently opened the door for negotiations with the Kurdish forces, which want to keep running an autonomous region in northern Syria. The government at the same time stressed that all Syrian areas should return under the government control.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 22:52:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAIRO, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and 17 wounded in attack on a bus heading from Sohag province to Coptic Christian monastery in upper Egypt city of Minya, the Archbishop of Sohag told Xinhua on Friday.

"Unknown masked military men opened fire on the bus in route to Samuel monastery," he added.

No group yet declared responsibility for the attack.

Last year in the same place, 28 Copts were killed in a similar attack.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 22:52:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KIEV, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Visa-free travel between Ukraine and Qatar came into effect on Friday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

The deal allows citizens of Ukraine and Qatar to stay in each other's respective country without a visa for a maximum of 90 days in a 180-day period.

According to local experts, the visa-free mechanism will help Ukraine and Qatar deepen their business ties and people-to-people exchanges.

The visa-free agreement between Ukraine and Qatar was signed during Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's visit to Doha in March this year.

Last year, 14,263 Ukrainians traveled to Qatar, while Ukraine hosted 283 Qatari citizens.

Ukraine currently has visa-free agreements in place with more than 80 countries around the globe.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:07:49|Editor: Liangyu

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Aerial photo taken on Nov. 2, 2018 shows the new Yarmag Overpass in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Mongolia's first three-level interchange, the new Yarmag Overpass built by a Chinese firm, was put into full operation on Friday. (Xinhua/Xu Bin)

ULAN BATOR, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's first three-level interchange, the new Yarmag Overpass built by a Chinese firm, was put into full operation on Friday.

With construction of ramp roads and repair work completed, the interchange built by China Railway 20 Bureau Group Co., Ltd officially opened to traffic in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator.

Senior officials from Mongolia and China, including Ulan Bator's Mayor Sundui Batbold and Charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese embassy in Mongolia Yang Qingdong attended the bridge's opening ceremony.

"The project is one of the main ones implemented with the Chinese government's soft loans. I am confident that the three-level interchange will significantly improve traffic and reduce accidents in Ulan Bator," Batbold said at the opening ceremony.

He said that accidents occurred frequently on the old Yarmag Overpass, adding that Ulan Bator had neither built a new bridge nor repaired its old ones over the past 60 years.

In response, Yang said that the bridge exemplifies the close bilateral ties between China and Mongolia, which have been expanding continuously in recent years.

"The year 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic ties. Several bridges, roads and educational facilities are set to be built with Chinese soft loans and non-refundable assistance," he added.

The 4,312-meter three-level interchange is the main route to Chinggis Khaan International Airport and the development zone from downtown Ulan Bator.

The project with a total investment of 30.26 million U.S. dollars started construction in April last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:07:50|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Beijing Friday.

Xi welcomed Khan for paying an official visit to China and attending the first China International Import Expo.

He hailed the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership as a special friendship shaped and developed during a long time of mutual support and close cooperation.

Xi said the bilateral ties always stay vigorous and continue developing regardless of the changes in international situations or the two countries' domestic affairs.

"China-Pakistan cooperation not only benefits both peoples but also contributes to regional and world peace, stability and development," Xi said.

Xi appreciated Khan for repeatedly stressing that he would view the relations with China as a political cornerstone in Pakistan's foreign policy and would unswervingly promote the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Xi said China always views relations with Pakistan as a priority of diplomacy and supports Pakistan in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also expressed support for Pakistan's new government in implementing its policies and promoting national development.

"We'd like to work with Pakistan to strengthen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and build a closer community with a shared future between the two countries."

Xi said the two sides should deepen strategic communication, maintain regular visits and meetings between the two countries' leaders and enhance experience-sharing in the governance of a country.

Proposing closer pragmatic cooperation and promotion in trade and investment, Xi called for consolidating the early results of CPEC and expanding CPEC to areas such as industrial parks and people's livelihood.

He also said the two sides should boost people-to-people exchanges, strengthen anti-terrorism cooperation and increase coordination and communication on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Pakistan admires China's development achievements and hopes to learn from China's experience in development, poverty alleviation and anti-corruption, Khan said.

"Pakistan-China friendship is deeply rooted in the mind of Pakistani people," Khan said, noting that Pakistan is devoted to furthering the relations with China and the construction of CPEC, so as to benefit the economic and social development of Pakistan.

The Pakistani side is willing to reinforce communication and coordination in multilateral affairs with China, Khan added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:22:55|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds talks with Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2018. Before their talks, Xi held a welcome ceremony for Medina at the Great Hall of the People. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping held talks with the Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina in Beijing Friday, pledging to promote common development.

China and the Dominican Republic established diplomatic ties half a year ago. Xi said the decision of President Medina to establish ties with China conformed to the trend of the times and the historical inevitability, which allowed the Dominican Republic to have more than 1.3 billion Chinese friends.

"Although China and the Dominican Republic have only recently established diplomatic relations, our hearts have long been linked together," Xi said. "The establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries has given China a good partner with mutual respect, equal treatment and mutually-beneficial cooperation."

He expressed China's willingness to work with the Dominican Republic to promote accelerated development of bilateral relations, turn the good vision of cooperation between the two countries into more tangible results, promote common development and bring benefits to the people.

"History and facts will prove that the decision to establish diplomatic relations between China and the Dominican Republic is completely correct," said the president.

The relations between China and the Dominican Republic have released a wellspring of vitality and shows the unlimited broad prospects since the two countries forged diplomatic ties half a year ago, said Xi.

He encouraged both sides to enhance the top-down design and political guidance, calling on the Dominican Republic to adhere to the one-China policy so as to lay a solid foundation for the lasting and stable development of bilateral ties.

He suggested that both sides strengthen overall planning and coordination to advance bilateral cooperation in various areas through partnership in the Belt and Road Initiative, and conduct cooperation in areas including infrastructure construction, finance, investment, tourism and aviation in the principle of a government-guided, business-led and market-driven approach for win-win progress.

Xi expressed his welcome to Medina's participation in the opening ceremony of the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) scheduled for Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai, and called on the Dominican Republic to make the best use of the platform to promote its products.

The president also encouraged both sides to intensify cultural and people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding and to promote exchanges at high and local levels and from governments to legislature bodies so as to gain extensive public support for China-Dominican Republic cooperation.

China stands ready to carry out cooperation with the Caribbean country in areas such as human resources training and sports, and will send medical teams there, Xi said.

He also called for coordination on international affairs and joint efforts to safeguard international peace and security as well as the common interests of developing countries.

Noting that China and Latin American countries, including Caribbean countries, are developing countries, Xi said both sides are at a similar stage of development thus providing opportunities for each other.

Cooperation between China and Latin American countries conforms to the trend of the times and is the common aspiration and choice of both sides, he said.

China-Latin America cooperation has been mutually beneficial and greatly promoted economic development and improvement of the people's livelihood in Latin American countries, Xi said.

Medina expressed admiration for China's achievements in development and poverty reduction. Noting that the establishment of diplomatic ties with China is completely in the interests of the Dominican Republic, Medina said his country is willing to develop closer ties with China and deepen the friendship of the two peoples.

"The Dominican Republic hopes to promote cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative, in such areas as trade, infrastructure construction, energy, electricity and tourism," Medina said.

After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:32:58|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BERLIN, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Opel will appeal a mandatory recall ordered by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) for certain types of diesel vehicles which were allegedly fitted with illicit defeat devices, the Ruesselsheim-based carmaker confirmed on Friday.

The German magazine SPIEGEL reported that Opel sought to prevent an immediate recall of nearly 100,000 diesel vehicles from traffic by legal appeal. According to a spokesperson for the responsible Schleswig Administrative Court, a decision in the case is expected to be reached between late November and early December.

The German transport authority recently ordered the mandatory recall for 96,000 Opel vehicles built between 2013 and 2016 in response to suspected emissions-cheating practices. Unlike its larger domestic rivals Volkswagen and Daimler, the PSA subsidiary had so far evaded formal judicial scrutiny in the dieselgate scandal.

During a hearing at the ministry of transport back in July, Opel was asked to provide information about the function of exhaust system defeat devices in three of its models. A spokesperson for the ministry said at the time that it was too early to reach conclusions about the "legitimacy" of the technology in question.

The subsequently-ordered recall affects Opel Insignia, Zafira and Cascada models in which the KBA said it discovered motor software which understated actual NOx emissions during normal operations, a claim that was rejected by Opel. The Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) estimates that diesel cars are responsible for more than 50 percent of harmful NOx emissions in Germany.

Opel is currently in the midst of a closely-watched struggle to improve profitability at the 156-year-old firm. The carmaker wants to focus on producing lower volumes of vehicles with higher profit margins in the future and has launched a far-reaching program of corporate reforms since being acquired by PSA in 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:37:58|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday announced that visa-on-arrival services for all fellow African citizens has been launched.

In a press statement, the foreign ministry said the Ethiopian government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, is working to realize a peaceful and integrated Africa.

"The visa-on-arrival services to all African citizens has been launched with the view to realize the vision of our founding father to see a peaceful and integrated Africa, where minds, ideas and markets are open to trade," said the statement.

"The issuance of visa on arrival for fellow Africans will clearly demonstrate our commitment to the ideals of free movement of people across the continent and integration agenda, which are also inscribed as objectives of the continental body, AU," the statement further said, referring to the African Union (AU).

The east African country, which hosts the headquarters of the AU, hopes that the move will assist the AU's initiative on the free movement of people. The AU urged all African countries to issue visas on arrival as of 2023.

Ethiopia also hopes the visa-on-arrival initiative would facilitate the economic integration of Africa by pushing tourist flow to a higher level and help advance conference tourism.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:37:59|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 2, 2018. Medina will attend the upcoming first China International Import Expo in Shanghai. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to promote bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges with the Dominican Republic, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Friday.

Li made the remarks while meeting with the Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina, who is on a state visit to China and will attend the first China International Import Expo, which runs from Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai.

Li said the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Dominican Republic in May confirms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples and opened a new chapter in bilateral relations.

Noting that the two countries' economies are highly complementary and that there is a huge potential for pragmatic cooperation, Li said the Chinese side supports its competent enterprises and financial institutions to deepen infrastructure construction cooperation with the Dominican Republic in areas such as electricity and transportation based on market rules and commercial principles.

"China is willing to import more products from the Dominican Republic that are competitive and of high quality, and enhance bilateral trade exchanges," Li said, also hoping the two countries to expand people-to-people exchanges and tourism cooperation.

For his part, Medina said Dominican Republic-China cooperation has yielded fruitful results since the two countries established diplomatic relations.

"We welcome Chinese enterprises to invest and develop in the Dominican Republic," he said, adding that his country hopes to increase exports to China and deepen cooperation with China in electricity and other areas for greater mutual benefits.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:42:59|Editor: Chengcheng

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CAIRO, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Friday mourned the victims of the deadly attack on a bus heading to a Coptic monastery in Upper Egypt's province of Minya.

"I assert our determination to continue our efforts to combat dark terrorism and pursue the perpetrators," the Egyptian president wrote on his official Facebook page, wishing a speedy recovery for the injured.

The state media said at least seven Copts were killed and seven others wounded in an armed attack on a passenger bus heading to St. Samuel Monastery in the southern province of Minya.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Last year in the same place, at least 28 Copts were killed in a similar attack.

Sisi is currently in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to prepare for the opening ceremony of a three-day international youth forum scheduled to start on Nov. 3.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:53:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration announced on Friday that it will slap back sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the historic 2015 Iran nuke deal, with eight jurisdictions given temporary waivers.

According to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin, the sanctions, the second batch of its kind, will take effect on Monday, targeting Iran's shipping, financial and energy sectors.

All nations that still buy Iran's oil and do business with blacklisted Iranian entities will be punished under the sanctions regime, except the eight nations that will be given temporary waivers, they added.

Mnuchin said some 700 Iranian companies and people would also be sanctioned.

The sanctions were "aimed at fundamentally altering the behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Pompeo. "Maximum pressure means maximum pressure."

However, the U.S. officials have not revealed the names of eight countries getting waivers.

Bloomberg had reported earlier on Friday that India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey would be among the ones temporarily exempt from the sanctions. They would be allowed to continue to purchase Iran's oil products temporarily, but they have to cut the imports until they reach zero. Pompeo said the countries had made efforts to cut their imports but could not complete the task by Monday's deadline.

After leaving the Iran nuke deal in May, the U.S. government on Aug. 7 re-imposed sanctions on Iran in non-energy areas, and will slap the remaining sanctions on Nov. 5 that concentrate on such areas as energy, shipping and ports.

For its part, Tehran has said that the U.S. side is unreliable and it will not talk with Washington.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:58:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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VARNA, Bulgaria, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Serbia met here on Friday to boost infrastructure development, connectivity and cooperation.

The meetings of the quartet have had one goal -- to raise the level of energy, infrastructure, and digital connectivity within the European Union (EU), Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said at a joint press conference after the meeting with his Greek and Romanian counterparts Alexis Tsipras and Viorica Dancila, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

"Our policy has never been targeted against other countries," Borissov said,"We believe that with the entry of Serbia into the EU, the EU will become stronger."

Tsipras also emphasized the development of projects of mutual interest.

He said that later on Friday, his country and Bulgaria would sign a joint declaration on the implementation of two "important projects", including the modernization of the Alexandroupolis - Bourgas - Varna railway, and the construction of a high speed road from Alexandroupolis to the Bulgarian border.

The four leaders also talked about the "great opportunities" that existed for cooperation in the region's energy security, as well as the economic and trade cooperation between their countries, Tsipras said.

Dancila said, on her part, that the meeting of the four leaders demonstrated the determination to strengthen cooperation of their countries. Their efforts were aimed at enhancing the connectivity of the countries in the region, which could boost economic growth in the countries, she said.

Vucic added that energy connectivity was crucial for the Balkan countries.

He also thanked Bulgaria, Romania and Greece for the support they provide to Serbia on its European path.

It was the second meeting of leaders of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Serbia in Bulgaria in this format. The first one was also held in Varna last October.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:58:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAPE TOWN, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday launched an anti-gang unit in Cape Town amid rising gang violence in the city.

"Today we are launching a national anti-gang strategy," Ramaphosa said at the launch ceremony in Hanover Park where gangsterism has taken root.

The strategy is seeking to address gangsterism in a holistic manner through a community-based approach with a focus on street-level outreach, community development, conflict mediation and changing community norms in order to reduce violence and criminality, Ramaphosa said.

With this strategy unfolding, gangsters terrorizing the communities would soon end in jail, he said.

The anti-gang unit is a national competency which will also be rolled out in places where gangsterism exists, such as Gauteng and the Eastern Cape provinces.

"This is a fantastic day, it is a day of great activity and a great demonstration of what we are going to do to go after the gangsters," he said.

This demonstrates that the government really works to deliver services to its people, Ramaphosa said.

"This is a new beginning for the people of Hanover Park and a number of other areas," he said.

Flanked by Police Minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner Khehla Sithole, the president handed over a fleet of 50 brand new BMWs to the anti-gang unit in front of thousands of screaming Hanover Park residents.

"These are high-performance cars that are meant to go after the gangsters, they are going to give capacity to our police officers to be there among our people to walk the streets, to drive around and to chase gangsters," said Ramaphosa.

Some areas in Cape Town have been ravaged by gangs for a long time. Every year, dozens of people are killed in gang violence, prompting local authorities to call on the national government to send army troops to quell gangs.

In the latest incident on October 30, Pete Mihalik, a prominent criminal attorney, was shot dead allegedly by gangsters in Cape Town. Mihalik had in the past represented key suspects in Cape Town's underworld.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 23:58:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GAZA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Senior Egyptian security intelligence officials toured on Friday afternoon the eastern Gaza Strip close to the border with Israel amid the ongoing anti-Israel rally for the 32nd week.

Ahmad Abdul Khaleq, head of the Egyptian delegation, arrived in Gaza on Thursday and agreed with leaders of the Palestinian factions, including the Islamic Hamas movement, to keep the anti-Israel marches "peaceful," according to al-Aqsa TV, a Gaza-based satellite channel.

On Friday afternoon, tens of thousands of Palestinians joined the 32nd anti-Israel March of Return rally starting on March 30. They waved Palestinian flags and carried out non-violent activities.

Eyewitnesses and local media said the protesting crowds kept a distance of 300 meters from the border security fence with Israel despite a few exceptions.

Asharf al-Qedra, spokesman of the health ministry in Gaza, said in a press statement that seven demonstrators were shot and wounded by Israeli gunfire and 25 suffered suffocation after inhaling Israeli tear gas fired at them.

This Friday's protests were also organized to mark the 101th year of Balfour Declaration, issued on Nov. 2, 1917 by the British government to give the Jews "a national home" in historical Palestine.

Earlier in the day, Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, told the demonstrators in eastern Gaza that the success of the mediator's efforts to end the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip "is imminent."

"The occupation (Israel) is under our test, but we are certain that the mediators are able to restrain the occupation and its crimes," al-Hayya said.

According to the Gaza health ministry, the Israeli army has killed 2,017 Palestinians and wounded more than 23,000 others since March 30, with 6,000 of them shot in their limbs.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 00:03:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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XICHANG, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 13th meeting of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) will open in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Nov. 5.

According to the China Satellite Navigation Office, the six-day meeting will focus on the compatibility and interoperability of the global satellite navigation systems and application issues.

More than 300 representatives will attend the meeting.

The ICG aims to strengthen coordination and cooperation in satellite navigation, as well as promote its global application.

In 2012, the seventh meeting of the ICG was hosted by China.

China became a member of the ICG in September 2007. The country's Beidou satellite navigation system is recognized globally along with the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), the EU's Galileo Positioning System and Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS).

A basic system with the orbiting BeiDou-3 satellites will be in place by the end of the year to serve countries and regions involved in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 00:03:08|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Friday that it has lifted sanctions against two senior Turkish officials over the detention of an American pastor.

According to the website of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu have been removed from the human rights related Global Magnitsky Act sanctions list.

The Treasury in August slapped sanctions on the two senior ministers, citing their "leading" roles in the detention of Andrew Brunson.

Brunson, a 50-year-old Christian pastor, was detained two years ago in Turkey on spying charges, and once faced up to 35 years in prison if found guilty.

He was indicted on charges of having links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party and the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization, which Turkey accuses of being behind a 2016 coup attempt to topple Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In October, a court in Izmir Province set the pastor free. He has since returned to the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later suggested that the United States may lift sanctions on Turkey that are directly related to the Brunson case.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 00:08:11|Editor: Liangyu

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YAOUNDE, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- China is a "credible and serious" partner of African countries as they endeavor to overcome an electricity deficit and boost economic development, said Guinea's minister of energy and water Cheick Taliby Sylla.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua during his recent stay in Yaounde, capital of Cameroon, the minister said the China-proposed Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) initiative can help overcome Africa's electricity deficit and boost development in the continent as one.

Proposed by China in 2015, GEI is a globally interconnected strong and smart grid with ultra-high voltage (UHV) grid as the backbone, which will serve as a platform for extensive development, deployment and utilization of clean energy worldwide.

"When we talk about electricity, we are talking about development, improvement of people's living conditions," said Sylla.

Sylla noted that "many Africans do not have access to electricity, especially those living in rural areas."

Africa needs to "electrify to its last part to have emancipation," Sylla said, hailing China as a "great nation" that is assisting Africa with durable solutions in development.

"China is now teaching Africa how to develop, how to enhance growth... and giving its financial support," Sylla said.

"Some believe China is putting Africa into debt which is prejudicial for Africa. I think all our African authorities are unanimous that China on the contrary is helping African countries to build infrastructures that are indispensable to their economic take-off, creating better lives for African people," Sylla said.

In September, the Guinean government signed a partnership agreement with China's Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) to jointly implement the GEI initiative in Africa.

"It's a futuristic vision, very ambitious, that must be taken very seriously if we want energy to be for everyone," Sylla said.

According to Sylla, the China-Guinea deal is a first step in Africa to a "monumental" project that is undergoing scrutiny by other African countries.

"It is important to think about this so that in the long-run, Africa as one can be interconnected in terms of energy and other infrastructures," Sylla said, adding that African countries could then accelerate industrialization and "exploit their resources domestically to keep the added value staying in the country."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 00:23:14|Editor: Chengcheng

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MOSCOW, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel signed a joint statement on Friday on maintaining and strengthening their cooperation in international affairs.

"The joint statement we have just signed confirmed the strategic and allied nature of the relations between our countries," Putin told a press briefing following talks with the Cuban president.

The two leaders emphasized the importance of efforts aimed at ensuring international peace and security, sustainable development and respect for human rights.

Russia and Cuba share the belief in a more multi-polar world, one that reflects a variety of political, socio-economic and cultural systems, the statement said.

Putin and Diaz-Canel condemned unilateral coercive measures in international relations and oppose the use of such measures to change legitimate governments, including through economic strangulation.

They also criticized the refusal of some countries to observe international legal obligations, including those under the World Trade Organization, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

They categorically rejected Washington's practice of "interference in internal affairs of sovereign nations" that have the right to choose their political, economic and social systems and determine their own development model.

Moscow and Havana agreed to cooperate in counter-terrorism and the fight against cross-border organized crimes.

Russia and Cuba welcomed the adoption of a non-binding UN resolution calling for the lifting of the U.S. embargo against Cuba on Thursday, which reaffirmed the near unanimous rejection by the international community of Washington's discriminatory policy, the statement said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 00:28:16|Editor: Liangyu

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CHENGDU, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The city of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, will hold an international conference focusing on various aspects of giant pandas between Nov. 7 and 11, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding said Friday.

Hosted by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and governments of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, the International Conference for the Giant Panda Conservation and Breeding will see high-level governmental officials and representatives from over 10 embassies in China.

Experts from foreign giant panda breeding cooperating organizations including the U.S. National Zoological Park and Berlin Zoo, scholars from domestic and overseas universities and institutions and representatives from China's panda reserves and zoos will attend the conference.

A wide range of topics including the protection and breeding of pandas, disease prevention and control, panda's internal secretion, panda's return to the wild, the protection of panda's companion animals and ecological environments will be discussed at the conference.

Chinese and foreign scholars are also expected to share their academic achievements and exchange ideas in the field of giant pandas.

Sichuan has the largest population of giant pandas in China. At the end of 2015, it had 1,387 wild pandas and 364 captive pandas, accounting for 74 percent and 86 percent of the national total, respectively.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 00:33:22|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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YANGON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- An art and music festival Voices for Wildlife was held here in Yangon late Friday.

Aiming to support the government's combat on illegal wildlife trade across Yangon region as well as to raise awareness of wildlife conservation in the country, the festival was celebrated at the Mahabandoola park in downtown Yangon.

The festival showcased varieties of wildlife-themed activities, displaying wildlife-themed artworks and performances by local artists.

Yangon region authorities have recently announced a ban on all illegal sales across the region, devising Yangon as the first city in Southeast Asia to become "Illegal wildlife trade free."

"We really appreciate the Yangon regional authorities for initiating the ban in the region and we are looking forward to the government's further efforts to reach the ban to the other regions and states in the country," said 50-year-old visitor U Mya Han.

Wildlife trafficking is the fourth biggest transnational crime after drugs, weapons and human trafficking.

Meanwhile, Myanmar has signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to protect wild elephants, setting aside 9,205 square miles for elephant sanctuaries.

Local and international non-governmental organizations are accelerating efforts to expand the area of land for wildlife reserve in the country.

The authorities have designated 42 protected areas which accounts for 5.79 percent of total country area so far in Myanmar.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 00:53:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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NAIROBI, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- President Uhuru Kenyatta has moved to shut political debate on his succession, with analysts noting ending the discussion would give him space to deliver his campaign promises.

Kenyatta, who is serving his second and final time, on Thursday told off leaders engaging in early 2022 campaigns and those pushing for him to have a role after he retires.

"Kenya held two elections in 2017, people are tired of continuous politics. What they want are development and services. Sit down and work," Kenyatta told leaders in Nyeri.

"Some people think that I am not engaging in politics because I'm serving my last term. When the right time comes, I will have a word to say on my successor," Kenyatta said.

Debate, spearheaded by leaders from his central Kenya backyard, has been raging in the last weeks on what role the president should play after 2022 polls.

Some leaders have suggested that the constitution be changed so that he becomes a prime minister. Others have been pushing him to name his deputy president as his preferred successor.

This debate, according to Kenyatta, is derailing his development agenda as he seeks to leave a legacy in 2022.

Having made peace with opposition leader Raila Odinga following divisive polls in 2017, Kenyatta has focused on his Big Agenda Four, which he announced soon after his re-election. The agenda focuses on provision of universal health, housing, food security and manufacturing.

William Kabogo, a former governor and a ruling Jubilee party politician, reckoned that politicians engaging in succession politics are keen on derailing Kenyatta.

"That agenda on Kenyatta taking up position after 2022 is inconsequential as he has said he would retire after his second term in office," he said.

Opposition Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr believes those calling for role of Kenyatta post 2022 are pushing for constitutional changes.

"It is good the president has refused this overtures and let him create a legacy by leaving power after his term," he said.

Jared Okello, a political analyst noted that Kenyatta is barely one year into his second term thus debate on his successor is premature.

"Talk of succession is diversionary and uncalled for. It should end as he directed," he said.

Henry Wandera, an economics lecturer in Nairobi, noted that the scolding of leaders by Kenyatta was timely.

"The president has been quiet for some time as the debate rages and it was time to assert his authority and extinguish it. The talk was raising political temperatures in the country," he said.

He observed that succession politics is very emotive. Therefore, it may fuel ethnic tensions.

"Kenya is a highly ethnicized country and this debate was pushing the president into a corner. Those leaders who were asking him to have a role after his retirement may fuel tension in areas where his deputy come from as that may mean they are keen to shortchange the heir apparent," he said.

But Wandera noted the debate would not end. "It would go under for weeks and then resurface as it happened before," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 01:03:28|Editor: Chengcheng

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BANGKOK, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Friday revealed that some 486 million people remain undernourished in Asia-Pacific, and little had changed from the past two years.

According to the report released here in Bangkok, more than half of the world's malnourished children live in Asia-Pacific. The region is also home to the fastest growing prevalence of childhood obesity in the world.

This paradox is attributed to a nutrition transition with children increasingly exposed to cheap and convenient unhealthy processed food rich in salt, sugar and fat but poor in essential nutrients. This double burden of malnutrition sees undernourished and overweight children living in the same communities and households and it can even occur in the same child.

The report says there are multiple causes of child malnutrition, including poverty, poor access to food markets and health services, as well as poor knowledge and practices for nutrition.

This complexity means that eradicating child malnutrition cannot be addressed through one sector alone and requires shared actions implements through multi-sector approaches that cut across food systems, health, sanitation, social protection and education.

The UN urges local city governments and urban planners to become the new nutrition partners and nutrition policy advocators in tackling these challenges.
In this file photo taken on May 8, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump signs a document reinstating sanctions against Iran after announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear deal, in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington, DC. (AFP file photo)

TEHRAN, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Friday that his country has "no concerns" over the upcoming U.S. sanctions on its crude sales and banking sector.

The Iranians will prove that they are not intimidated by the U.S. sanctions which are in effect a "psychological war," Qasemi said.

The United States has not succeeded in persuading global financial institutions and companies to follow its sanctions against Iran, he noted.

In this file photo taken on July 14, 2015, a staff worker removes the Iranian flag from the stage after a group picture with foreign ministers and representatives of the United States, Iran, China, Russia, Britain, Germany, France and the European Union during the Iran nuclear talks at Austria International Centre in Vienna. (AFP file photo)

Iran is capable of managing its economy and people's living conditions under any circumstances, the spokesman told state IRIB TV.

Earlier in the day, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced the re-imposition of all sanctions on Iran lifted under the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, including embargo on Iran's oil sales.

The sanctions will enter into force on Nov. 5, covering Iran's shipping, financial and crude exports.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 01:33:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The rapidly increasing of children and youth population in Africa poses a great challenge, which could otherwise be an opportunity if well harnessed, a new report revealed.

The African Report on Child Wellbeing 2018: Progress in the Child-Friendliness of African Governments, which was published in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Friday, warned that Africa could be home to a billion angry, under-fed, under-educated and under-employed children and young people by 2050.

The report also urges African governments to commit themselves to massive long-term investment in nutrition, health and education of their children and young people so as to avert the danger.

Noting the challenges rising from the population boom in the continent, the report indicates that Africa is sitting "on a demographic time bomb."

"Without massive long-term investment in nutrition, healthcare, education and employment, the growing child and youth population could become a huge burden, exacerbating poverty, inequality, unemployment and instability and creating a serious human development crisis," it showed.

Assefa Bequele, Executive Director of the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF), which compiled the report, said that Africa can choose to reap the demographic dividend, nurture its human capital and accelerate sustainable and equitable development.

"Children have the potential to transform Africa - but if neglected, they will exacerbate the burden of poverty and inequality, whilst posing a serious threat to peace, security and prosperity," Bequele said.

According to ACPF, close to half of all deaths in under-fives in Africa are associated with under-nutrition, while African children may attend school in large numbers, but they are not learning. Two in every five children leave primary school without learning how to read, write or do simple arithmetic.

The report was compiled based on the Child-Friendliness Index (CFI), which ranks 52 African nations on progress towards realizing the rights and wellbeing of children.

The CFI rates countries including Tunisia, South Africa, Egypt and Namibia as the most child-friendly African countries.

While South Sudan, Cameroon, Zambia, Liberia and Eritrea were among the least child-friendly countries.

The ranking was made based on a range of indicators including nutrition, education, budgets and social protection, it was indicated.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 01:43:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MADRID, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- A total of 66.2 million foreign tourists visited Spain during the first nine months of 2018, the Spanish government confirmed on Friday.

The government published a communique containing data from two studies elaborated by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE) into the arrival of foreign tourists and their spending.

Although the number of tourists visiting Spain between January and September is unchanged from 2017, tourist spending increased by 2.5 percent over the first nine months of the year.

Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism Isabel Oliver gave a positive valuation of the data, saying it showed the "stabilization of the number of visitors and is accompanied by an important growth in tourist spending.

"That is the way to continue," she said, adding that the numbers "motivate us to continue working even harder to maintain our country's position as a world tourism leader."

Of the 66.2 million visitors to Spain, almost 15 million came from the United Kingdom, with 9.43 million from France and 9.1 million from Germany. Meanwhile there was an 8.7 percent growth in the number of visitors from the United States and a 5.3 percent increase in the number of Russians.

The Catalan region continues to be the most important tourist destination, with 15.4 million visitors in the first nine months of the year, followed by the Balearic Islands with 12.2 million tourists and the Canary Islands with 10.05 million visitors.

A total of 8.9 million tourists visited Spain during September, which is 0.5 percent more than September 2017. They spent a total of 9.543 million euros (10.86 million U.S. dollars), 0.7 percent higher than in 2017, with the average visitor spending 147 euros (167.3 U.S. dollars) per person per day.

The year 2017 saw 82 million tourists spend holidays in Spain, making the country the second most important destination in the world, beaten only by France.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel during a signing ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow on November 2, 2018. (AFP Photo)

MOSCOW, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel signed a joint statement on Friday on maintaining and strengthening their cooperation in international affairs.

"The joint statement we have just signed confirmed the strategic and allied nature of the relations between our countries," Putin told a press briefing following talks with the Cuban president.

The two leaders emphasized the importance of efforts aimed at ensuring international peace and security, sustainable development and respect for human rights.

Russia and Cuba share the belief in a more multi-polar world, one that reflects a variety of political, socio-economic and cultural systems, the statement said.

Putin and Diaz-Canel condemned unilateral coercive measures in international relations and oppose the use of such measures to change legitimate governments, including through economic strangulation.

They also criticized the refusal of some countries to observe international legal obligations, including those under the World Trade Organization, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

They categorically rejected Washington's practice of "interference in internal affairs of sovereign nations" that have the right to choose their political, economic and social systems and determine their own development model.

Moscow and Havana agreed to cooperate in counter-terrorism and the fight against cross-border organized crimes.

Russia and Cuba welcomed the adoption of a non-binding UN resolution calling for the lifting of the U.S. embargo against Cuba on Thursday, which reaffirmed the near unanimous rejection by the international community of Washington's discriminatory policy, the statement said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 02:38:52|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that half of Yemenis could face famine, and urged immediate action to prevent the already dire famine situation from getting worse.

"Without urgent action, up to 14 million people -- fully half the population -- could be at risk in the coming months," the UN chief told reporters.

Noting that "Yemen today stands on a precipice" and its humanitarian situation is "desperate," the secretary-general said that "we must do all we can to prevent the already dire conditions from deteriorating into the worst famine we have seen in decades."

Last week, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock warned the Security Council that Yemen is "closer to famine than ever."

The UN chief called for action steps including immediately ceasing violence, ensuring unimpeded entry of humanitarian assistance, supporting Yemeni economy and increasing international funding, to help revert the situation in Yemen.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 03:09:04|Editor: Liangyu

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DAMASCUS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Syrian businesses are pinning a great hope on their participation in the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) to market some of the famous Syrian products.

A total of 40 Syrian industrialists and businessmen, as well as 21 companies, are taking part in the CIIE scheduled for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai, with products ranging from olive oil, coffee, sweets, natural oils, and chocolate expected on display, according to the Syrian Union of Exporters.

Rula Deeb, general manager of BioCham, a Syrian business that will take part in the Chinese expo, told Xinhua that it will be a "great opportunity" to introduce the Syrian products to the huge Chinese market through the unique expo.

"This expo is a great platform. It is a great opportunity for us to go and introduce our products in China for the Chinese people and hopefully from there we can tap into a big market in China," she said.

Deeb also believed the expo will become a venue for Syrian businesses to learn more about China and the Chinese.

"We are going there because we believe it is an opportunity, a step for us to learn about the Chinese and see how we can serve. It is my way to learn how to go into the Chinese market, which is a huge market that everybody wants to go in," she noted.

Kamal Adi, general manager of the Near East Olive Products, believed the Syrian olive oil will have a chance to be marketed by virtue of its pure nature without chemical processes.

"The main characteristic of the Syrian olive oil is that it is not chemically processed as this kind of process is out of the question here. We only refine the oil so that is why the oil remains free of impurities and free of any mixture with another kind of oil," Adi explained.

He pinned high hopes for the Syrian olive oil, which is famous in the region, to become a favorite product for the Chinese people and market.

"Our participation in expo reflects our hope that the Chinese consumers could get to know the olive oil and its benefits and increase the consumption of the olive oil so that we could have the biggest consumer base and the largest market," he said.

For Mohammed Sawah, head of the Syrian Union of Exporters, the Chinese event offers the world a significant window to the largest market in the world.

The Chinese market is the world's biggest in terms of population and capabilities, while the Chinese people have a strong purchasing power with growing per capita income, Sawah said.

More than 3,000 companies from more than 130 countries have confirmed participation in the Chinese expo, with a booth area of 270,000 square meters, according to Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Fu Ziying.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 04:34:22|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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SKOPJE, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The judge at the Macedonian Criminal court rejected on Friday the motion filed by Macedonia's former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to postpone the two-year prison sentence, the criminal court told the media in a statement.

Gruevski asked the court to postpone his imprisonment due on Nov. 8, citing his obligations as a member of parliament and the plan to write a book related to his Ph.D. thesis.

According to the statement of the criminal court, the judge rejected his request and the decision was sent to the parties involved in the procedure.

Gruevski was sentenced to a two-year imprisonment for the case codenamed "Tank" and according to the court order, he will have to report by Nov. 8 at Shutka prison in Skopje the latest.

On Oct. 5, the court found Gruevski guilty of acquiring personal gain and influencing officials in purchasing a new Mercedes vehicle in 2012 for more than 600,000 euros (681,000 U.S. dollars) and sentenced him to two-year imprisonment.

Gruevski was prime minister from 2006 to 2016, representing the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party in Macedonia.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 04:44:26|Editor: Chengcheng

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Photo taken on Nov. 2, 2018 shows the Security Council meeting on the situation in Libya at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday asked the UN Security Council to shore up its support with effective action, particularly regarding the arrest of outstanding fugitives from justice. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday asked the UN Security Council to shore up its support with effective action, particularly regarding the arrest of outstanding fugitives from justice.

"I look forward to effective support and concrete action from this Council to ensure that our separate yet interlinked mandates can positively contribute to the cause of peace, stability and justice in Libya," Fatou Bensouda said as she presented her 16th report on the issue to the 15-member organ.

Bensouda said that, despite previous appeals of Council members and concerted efforts of the Court, not one of those indicted for alleged crimes in the events of the 2011 Libya situation has been arrested.

She warned that in the absence of accountability, impunity will continue to reign in Libya, causing great suffering and instability.

In that context, she said her office continues to monitor criminal conduct carried out by members of armed groups in Libya who use violence to exert control over state institutions, commit serious human rights violations and exploit detainees in unregulated prisons and places of detention throughout the country.

She added that she hopes to soon be able to apply for new arrest warrants for such crimes.

Bensouda noted that she also continued to receive evidence of alleged crimes committed against migrants transiting through Libya, including killings, sexual violence, torture and enslavement.

Since her last report, her office has piloted new models of cooperation with interested states and law enforcement organizations to address criminal networks that operate in Libya and outside the country.

Following the briefing, most Council members expressed support for the Court's work in Libya under Resolution 1970 (2011), agreeing that ending impunity for grave crimes was necessary to consolidate stability in the troubled country.

Ma Zhaoxu, China's UN ambassador, expressed his support to all efforts that aimed to consolidate stability in Libya, and called on all Libyans to work for national reconciliation and restore state governance throughout the country.

"The international community should continue its support to the country in that effort while respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

In regard to the ICC, he said that his country's position remained unchanged.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 05:34:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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By Christopher Guly

OTTAWA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- As Canada prepares to roll out a national carbon-pricing system next year, the country's environment and climate change minister highlighted China's pricing system on greenhouse gas emissions on Friday as she concluded her visit to China.

"China has been and continues to be an essential partner in the fight against climate change as a large emitter and producer, but also with its commitment to reduce emissions and its ability to scale like no other country," Catherine McKenna told Canadian journalists in a teleconference from Beijing.

"It is essential that we engage with China, and China is committed to climate action."

During her Chinese visit, McKenna signed a memorandum of understanding on climate-change cooperation with Chinese Ecology and Environment Minister Li Ganjie. The pact builds on the Canada-China Joint Statement on Climate Change issued by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during Trudeau's visit to China last December.

"Both of our countries understand that the environment is directly linked to our economies," said McKenna. "It impacts on businesses, farmers, fishers, tourism and people's lives."

She credited China with strictly regulating sulphur-dioxide emissions, engaging in mass reforestation projects, investing in clean technologies and "protecting more of its nature."

McKenna visited China's new and first giant panda national park, which covers more than 27,000 square kilometres, straddles three Chinese provinces (Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu) and, as she noted, is home to a unique ecosystem that also includes golden snub-nosed monkeys.

The minister, who is also responsible for Parks Canada, said that Canada would assist China in developing a national park system, and referred to a twinning agreement recently reached between Giant Panda National Park and Canada's Jasper and Elk Island national parks, all of which serve "an important role in habitat protection and the conservation of iconic species," according to the Canadian government.

For instance, in the late 19th century, plains bison were on the brink of extinction, but as a result of Canadian conservation efforts, the species is returning to the wild. In the latter part of the last century, giant pandas also faced extinction but their population is recovering due to Chinese conservation efforts.

On climate change, McKenna said that she and her Chinese counterpart discussed how Canada and China could collaborate on reducing emissions, phasing out coal, combatting pollution and protecting nature. The conversation resulted in an agreement on pricing pollution, electric vehicles and clean technology.

The Canadian environment minister said that China has yet to join the 28-nation Powering Past Coal Alliance that is promoting the global phase-out of coal power. "China knows that it needs to take action to tackle pollution from coal," said McKenna. "It is taking action, but it has to do more. Coal constitutes a large part of its electricity system."

She added that China is making "historic investments in renewables," such as through the production and use of electric vehicles, of which the country accounts for two-thirds of the three million vehicles worldwide.

"Like Canada, there's more work to do, and we have to make sure we're working together," McKenna said.
In this file photo taken on May 8, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump signs a document reinstating sanctions against Iran after announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear deal, in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington, DC. (AFP file photo)

ANKARA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has been told that it will receive a waiver from the U.S. oil sanctions against Iran, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez said Friday.

"According to information we received, Turkey will be among the eight countries allowed by the U.S. to continue importing Iranian oil, but we have no further details yet," Donmez told reporters at parliament.

"I think this outcome will contribute to peace and stability in the region," he said.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said eight countries will be exempted temporarily if they continue importing Iranian oil after the penalties take effect.

Turkey depends heavily on oil imports and almost nearly half of its oil needs are imported from Iran.

U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil sector are set to come into effect on Nov. 5, after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal in May.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 05:44:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAIRO, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The recent terrorist attack that killed at least seven copts near a monastery in Upper Egypt's province of Minya on Friday has been met by local and regional condemnation.

Carried out by masked gunmen in two vehicles, the attack on a minibus on its way back from St. Samuel monastery in Minya left at least seven dead and a dozen wounded, according to official statements.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi mourned the victims of the attack and vowed to continue the country's anti-terror war and bring the perpetrators to justice.

"I assert our determination to continue our efforts to combat dark terrorism and pursue the perpetrators," the Egyptian president wrote on his official Facebook page, wishing a speedy recovery for the injured.

Sisi also made a phone call to Pope Tawadros II, head of Egypt's Orthodox Church, offering him condolences over the victims of the monastery attack.

The Egyptian cabinet condemned the attack, saying in a statement on Friday that "it will only increase Egyptians' determination to fight against terrorism and continue building their country."

The deadly attack was also rejected by the Egyptian parliament, whose spokesman said in a statement that "terrorism in Egypt is breathing its last," stressing that all Egyptians back President Sisi, the armed forces and the police in fighting all forms of terrorism.

Cairo-based Al-Azhar, the most prestigious Islamic learning institution in the Sunni Muslim world, expressed in a statement on Friday its strong condemnation of the anti-Coptic terroirist attack.

Al-Azhar described the perpetrators as "criminals deprived of the least meanings of humanity," adding that they are "so far away from the religious teachings that urge for coexistence and peace and denounce violence, hatred and terrorism."

Meanwhile, Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit strongly condemned the Minya attack, expressing the Cairo-based pan-Arab body's full support for Egypt's measures to uproot terrorism.

"I am confident that such horrible crimes will not weaken the unity and solidarity of the Egyptian people," AL spokesman Mahmoud Afifi quoted Aboul-Gheit as saying.

He stressed the necessity for renewing coordination between Egypt and fellow Arab states to fight collectively against terrorist groups and their activities.

The attack drew condemnation of several Arab leaders who expressed offered condolences and expressed solidarity with the Egyptian president and all the Egyptian people in general.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud sent a telegram to President Sisi, offering condolences over the "brutal terrorist attack" that targeted Egyptian Copts in Minya.

"We condemn in the strongest terms this criminal deed and share Your Excellency the pain of this calamity, stressing the solidarity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the Arab Republic of Egypt and its people," King Salman said in the telegram, according to Saudi official news agency.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a similar telegram to the Egyptian president.

Likewise, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah expressed in a telegram to the Egyptian president his sincere condolences over the victims of the monastery attack and his country's condemnation of the terror assault.

"Kuwait stands by Egypt in facing such a dangerous phenomenon and supports all the measures taken by Egypt to preserve its security and integrity," the Kuwaiti emir said, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

Bahrain's Foreign Ministry also slammed in a statement on Friday the deadly terror attack on Egypt's monastery, stressing the country's solidarity with Egypt's anti-terror war.

The statement also urged for collective efforts to obliterate terrorism and uproot its sources of finance, said Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

In addition, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas offered on Friday his condolences to Sisi over the attack, highlighting the solidarity of the Palestinian people with Egypt in its battle against terrorism.

"We stress Palestine's solidarity with Egypt in its fight against dark terrorism, which has neither religion nor manners," Palestinian official news agency WAFA quoted Abbas as saying, referring to the attack as "a coward terroirist act."

Similarly, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi sent a telegram of condolences to his Egyptian counterpart, expressing full support for the security measures taken by Egypt to protect its security and stability, according to Yemeni official Saba news agency.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 06:44:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LONDON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- An export ban has been placed by Britain's arts minister on a rare marble sculpture that symbolises the end of the Napoleonic War in Europe and return of peace to Europe after years of conflict.

The intervention by Michael Ellis means that the "Bust of Peace" cannot be exported from Britain to enable a home buyer to be found to match 5.3 million pounds (6.9 million U.S. dollars) offered by an overseas buyer.

The white marble "Bust of Peace" is considered to be an original work by Antonio Canova, one of the greatest 19th century sculptors.

The neo-classical bust, one of a handful of original works by the Italian neoclassical artist that remain outside museum collections, was sold to a private buyer at Sotheby's in July 2018. Until then, it had been more than 200 years since it had last been seen in public.

"The 'Bust of Peace' combines a crucial moment in our history with beauty and elegance, pointing to a more peaceful future ahead. It is essential that we do our best to save this superb item for the benefit of the nation," Ellis said in a statement Friday.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said the work can be seen to symbolise the return of peace to Europe after years of struggle and unrest during the Napoleonic era, which culminated in the Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon was defeated.

It was carved between 1814-15 and may have been given to John Campbell, Lord Cawdor, in part to thank him for his help in repatriating art looted from Italy by the French armies during the Napoleonic Wars.

It was the first such bust to reach Britain, and the first to be presented to a British patron after Napoleon's defeat.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-03 06:49:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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YAOUNDE, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon's speaker of the National Assembly Cavaye Yeguie Djibril on Friday criticized post-electoral "disorder and division" in the country.

"I strongly oppose to any call for civil disobedience and division. I therefore appeal to your collective sense of responsibility." Djibril said at the opening of the November ordinary session of the National Assembly.

Djibril stressed that the Oct. 7 presidential election which saw incumbent Paul Biya re-elected unfolded in "calm and serenity" .

The condemnation came following frequent protests by supporters of Maurice Kamto of Cameroon Renaissance Movement who claimed to have won the election.

Djibril also expressed concerns over comments by the president of the National Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Samuel Kleda, questioning the authenticity of the results in favour of Paul Biya in war-torn English-speaking regions of Southwest and Northwest.

"Moral authorities, men of God in general in my opinion, have the sacred duty to preach peace, unity and co-existence and not to sow the seeds of discord. They have the sacred mission to convey a message of togetherness and appeasement, not to incite violence and confrontation." Djibril said.

The National Assembly was meeting after nearly four months of recess. The president-elect Paul Biya is expected to be sworn-in by the National Assembly early next week.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-02 04:38:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States have signed guidelines on their combined defense after the planned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul, paving way for the transfer and setting guiding principles for their future defense cooperation.

TRANSFER OF OPCON

According to a speech transcript released by the Pentagon on Thursday, U.S. defense chief James Mattis and his ROK counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo attended the 50th annual Security Consultative Meeting at the Pentagon on Wednesday, and signed "Alliance Guiding Principles" after the meeting.

Noting that the document "paves the way for clarifying the conditions-based transition of wartime operational control of our combined forces," Mattis told the media that this document ensures that South Korea will replace the United States to lead the future Combined Forces Command, a mechanism that "will continue to use the combined might of U.S.-ROK alliance to defend the ROK's sovereignty from any external aggression."

"As the ROK prepares to lead our combined defense of the Korean peninsula, I must note the U.S.' strong support for your nation's ongoing efforts to fulfill the conditions for this OPCON transition," he said.

For his part, Jeong said that he and Mattis "assessed that we've made significant progress in our preparation for the transition," adding "we will continue our joint efforts to meet the conditions for wartime OPCON transition in an expedited manner."

Yonhap News Agency quoted ROK Defense Ministry as saying that "the Alliance Guiding Principles are a document that we drew up while thinking of the future of the alliance more than 50 years ahead ... the principles are expected to address citizens' security concerns by presenting a direction for the South Korea-U.S. combined defense system after the OPCON transfer and proclaiming the firmness of the South Korea-U.S. alliance."

It also reported that the two countries had signed a group of other military cooperation documents, including the plans for the Future Command Structure, under which the ROK will dispatch a four-star general to lead the joint command and the U.S. side will name a military official of the same level to be the deputy.

These documents "laid the foundation to stably and expeditiously carry out OPCON transition," Jeong noted.

U.S. FORCES TO STAY IN S. KOREA

According to these documents, the United States will keep its current level of troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula.

Mattis also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to "the provision of extended deterrence and the maintaining of the U.S. Forces Korea at the current level," Jeong said, referring to the U.S. commitment to using a full range of military capabilities, including nuclear, conventional and missile defense assets.

Jeong also announced that the two nations will conduct the initial operational capability (IOC) certification next year as the first step to evaluate the ROK-led wartime operational capabilities, and "regularly assess and review the implementation progress to determine the specific timing of OPCON transition."

"We can effectively and properly carry out the IOC certification, and thereby, reassure our citizens they do not need to worry about any falls, any decreases, any negative impacts to our military capabilities or our readiness posture," the ROK defense chief noted.

For his part, Mattis added that the two sides also studied "the details of the joint study for the future defense vision of the U.S.-ROK alliance, which will be conducted over the course of this next year."

"This study will examine the role our alliance would play following the final, fully verified denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," he added.

FUTURE JOINT DRILLS

The two nations have decided to suspend several major joint military exercises this year.

Jeong said as for the future major large-scale exercises, the two nations will conduct a review from staff members, and "have the results of the review until 15th of November, and then we'll make our final decision on any major exercises in the next year before the 1st of December."

Only a part of the joint exercises has been suspended at the moment, he noted. "However, if we continue to see a suspension of these large-scale exercises like the Key Resolve and the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, then we will create ways to make sure that we can mitigate the impact of the suspension of these exercises, including things such as Iraq-U.S. combined staff training to make sure that we don't see any dips in our readiness posture or our military capabilities."

Yonhap reported that the two sides had also finalized their decision to suspend the annual massive Vigilant Ace air exercise, which was originally slated for December, to support the ongoing diplomacy to build trust with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and encourage its nuclear disarmament.

"Secretary Mattis and I have agreed that we will continue to do our best to support, from a military perspective, the diplomatic efforts of our countries and we'll continue our thought process on how we can move forward from this point on to bring about the complete denuclearization of and establishment of peace on the Korean peninsula, and we'll continue to seek ways in which we can continue to maintain our current level of combined defense posture, as well as our military readiness," Jeong added.

Mattis noted that "clearly the threat from North Korea, at least as expressed by Chairman Kim, has been significantly reduced."

"We are not right now concerned with the loss of combat capability. Clearly, as we go forward, we'll have to make adaptations to ensure we don't lose that capability," he said. "Certain large ones were put on hold, suspended temporarily in order to give the diplomats the best possible effort, because we were making a good faith effort on the military side."

The DPRK has blasted the U.S.-ROK military drills as threatening provocations against it.

The ROK handed over the operational control over its troops to the commander of the U.S.-led command during the 1950-53 Korean War. Seoul took back the peacetime OPCON in 1994, but the United States still possesses wartime OPCON. The transfer of it had been supposed to occur in 2015 but was postponed.
The Blockchain Research Association has announced that the B-Day 2.0 conference, one of the CEEs largest blockchain events, will be held at the Balna (Whale) in Budapest on November 8-9, according to a press release.

Sponsored by OTT-One Nyrt., the conference will include more than 800 participants, with the EXPO hosting more than 40 exhibitors, allowing the most innovative firms, world-class developers, and professional elite to present themselves.

Presenters include Nick Szabo, inventor of the smart contract concept and bitcoin predecessor "bit gold," and Robby Schwertner, nicknamed "CryptoRobby," alongside several experts from countries including the U.S., Russia, Switzerland, England, and Germany.

Further information about the conference is available on its official website.

Related links:

'Blockchaineum' Conference, Budapest, 23 May

Blockchain Technology Still In Its Infancy In Hungary

Hungary Ready To Join The Global Blockchain Market
The government will set up an inter-ministerial team to coordinate Hungarys contribution to the European Entry/Exit System (EES) as well as the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), according to a decree published in the official Hungarian gazette, Magyar Kozlony.

The governmental team will be headed by the interior minister, while the justice, foreign affairs and finance ministers will be its members.

The head of the national police and leaders of several other authorities will also attend meetings of the new body, with consultation rights.
The European Parliament Liaison Office in Hungary and the Urania National Film Theater are jointly organizing film screenings on November 7-9, showing three movies vying for the European Parliaments Lux Film Prize, according to a press release.

Every year since 2007, the European Parliament Lux Film Prize has shone a spotlight on films that go to the heart of European public debate, in the belief that cinema, as a mass cultural medium, is an ideal platform for debate and reflection on Europe and its future, according to the official website.

The finalists this year are Mila Turajlics "The Other Side of Everything" (Serbia/France/Qatar), Benedikt Erlingssons "Woman at War" (Iceland/France/Ukraine), and Wolfgang Fischers "Styx" (Germany/Austria).

The three films will be screened in their original languages with Hungarian subtitles. The finalists of the European Parliaments Lux Film Prize are selected by a panel of cinema professionals and will be screened in cinemas all across Europe.

There is a chance to win free tickets to see the films by completing the online quiz at this address (in Hungarian).

Venue:

Urania National Film Theater

1088 Budapest, Rakoczi ut 21.
S-AU RAZGANDIT  Alesii locali au dat bani pentru Minaur, dar si pentru concertul de 1 Decembrie

Consilierii locali s-au razgandit si au decis ca poate totusi e mai bine sa dea bani la Minaur, dar si pentru concertul de 1 Decembrie. In cazul evenimentului de 1 Decembrie nu au fost 350.000 lei, [citeste mai departe]
Larry Rosenblum (left), founder of Spread Bagelry, with Robert E. Brown III of MVP Capital Partners outside the shop on 18th Street near Rittenhouse Square. Read more

Spread Bagelry, which brought Montreal-style bagels to Philadelphia in 2011 with a shop near Rittenhouse Square, is preparing for a national rollout.

MVP Capital Partners, a private-equity firm based in Radnor, said it had signed on as an investor with founder Larry Rosenblum and his wife, Gigi Arnuti. Both parties declined to disclose the terms but said plans included eight to 12 new company-owned locations, the hiring of a management team, and the creation of an online storefront. Rosenblum will remain president and chief executive, MVP vice president Robert Brown III said.

Besides the shop that opened in May 2011 on 20th Street near Spruce, there's a larger Spread location with a bar at 36th and Chestnut Streets in University City that opened in September 2016. Both stores were self-funded.

New stores could include kiosks and would be modeled on the smaller 20th Street location, which has a counter and limited seating. The partnership with MVP will not be apparent to customers, aside from subtle interior changes, Rosenblum and Brown said.

"If this place feels like a chain, we've failed," Brown said.

Hand-rolled Montreal bagels, as opposed to the puffier New York-style bagels, have a sweetness mixed with a pleasant char and crunchiness, as they are boiled in honey water and baked in wood-fired ovens in small batches. Traditionally, Montreal bagels are smaller than Spread's and have a larger hole. Spread's bagels adapted a slightly more pneumatic visage shortly after opening, a nod to customer reaction. Spread's hand-built oven at 20th Street is 6 feet by 7 feet and weighs two tons.

Rosenblum, who describes himself as a serial entrepreneur, saw what appeared to be a gaping hole in the market when he and then-partner Mark Cosgrove leased a storefront across from Twenty Manning Grill in 2010. The men had heard of Montreal-style bagels and made a brief pilgrimage to scope out the bakeries.

"I wanted to do for Montreal bagels what Auntie Anne's did for pretzels," said Rosenblum, who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia eating bagels from the long-gone Brooklyn Bagels shop on Bustleton Avenue, near the Orleans movies and Abe's Appetizers. "You make it fresh, you make it in front of people," he said. "It's different. It's not a manufactured product."

For nearly a year during construction on 20th Street, a sign teased "Montreal-style bagels." The debate between bagel styles began to rage, so when Spread opened, neighbors had been primed to the idea.

"Over all these years, I can't tell you all the times people would come in and say, 'I wish you were in my town,'" said Rosenblum. Meanwhile, "I saw imitators popping up  and I got a little frustrated. I wanted it to be me."

Brown's interest in Spread began as a customer, where his standing morning order is a bacon, egg, and extra-cheese on an everything bagel and a coffee.

A mutual friend introduced the men late last year and they began talking.

"I obviously know the product very well," Brown said. "Moreover, we're interested in products that have a timeless and enduring appeal."

The local coffee company Saxbys and the drive-through grocer Swiss Farms are in MVP's portfolio.

Spread fits because "from our perspective, he's shown that he can build a business and have it endure," Brown said of Rosenblum. "More importantly, he's shown that he can replicate it."

The investment follows a recent settlement that Spread reached with the Labor Department, which contended that the shop owed money to dozens of workers over unpaid overtime. Rosenblum and Arnuti agreed to repay $40,000.

"It was no big drama," Rosenblum said. "We fixed it."
New Jersey's State Health Planning Board has scheduled a Nov. 8 public meeting on the sale of Memorial Hospital of Salem County to a newly-created nonprofit that will be run by a North Jersey management company.

Publicly traded Community Health Systems Inc., which bought the hospital near Salem for $35 million in 2002, has agreed to sell it for $1 million, plus reimbursement for cash on hand expected to bring the total cost to $3 million, to Salem County Hospital Corp., according to an application for approval of the deal.

The $3 million is expected to come from a Salem County Health & Wellness Foundation grant. If the foundation, started with money from the 2002 sale of the hospital, does not supply the money, it is expected to come from the Bloomfield, N.J., management company, Community Healthcare Associates LLC, the application said.

Community Health previously had an agreement to sell the hospital, which this year is expected to lose $22.6 million on $64.5 million in revenue, to Prime Healthcare Foundation for $15 million, but Prime backed out last year.

The only available alternative to the currently proposed sale is closure, the planning board filing said. That "was considered to be an unacceptable option in view of the absence of available acute care services in the area and the offer" from the nonprofit.

The planning board will take comments at Salem High School, at 219 Walnut St. in Salem, starting at 6 p.m. next Thursday.
The American flag flies at the Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Read more

There seems to be an attitude in the Pennsylvania legislature that education is a luxury not a necessity.

Education budgets have been cut, pushing funding requirements onto local school districts. Politicians then blamed teachers for tax increases and promised to cut salaries and benefits. The public attitude toward teachers deteriorated. But words and actions have consequences, and the state is suffering a significant teacher shortfall that will affect finances and educational quality for years.

Students are no longer flocking to the teaching profession. Over the last five years, the number of students graduating from Pennsylvania teacher training programs has fallen by over 60 percent, while the number of teacher certifications granted dropped by over 70 percent.

Almost every school district is challenged to find teachers in certain disciplines and substitutes to cover classrooms.

The cratering of the supply of new teachers has enormous implications.

School districts save costs by replacing teachers who leave or retire with new, lower-paid teachers. Experienced teachers cannot compete for openings in other districts since schools will not pay their higher salaries.

The teacher shortfall means that districts either have to reduce the number of teachers, which normally implies increasing student-teacher ratios, employ more temporary teachers or substitutes, or raise compensation to retain teachers.

Increasing the student-teacher ratio or the number of temporary teachers is generally associated with lower educational outcomes. Paying more to retain experienced teachers is hardly an option in the "no new taxes" political world.

The teacher supply deficit has to be dealt with in other ways. Here are two suggestions: Stop the negative press about teachers and have the state pay its fair share.

Words matter.

When a governor in a neighboring state says that teacher union leaders are greedy, those words are heard because the union is the teachers. Its responsibility is to maximize teacher compensation and improve working conditions in the same way business organizations mirror their business membership's desire to reduce business taxes and regulations.

When the son of a presidential candidate says that schools are "like Soviet-era department stores that are run for the benefit of the clerks and not the customers," people react to those words.

And when a state senator, who is now a candidate for governor, says that "If we laid off 10 percent of the teachers in the state of Pennsylvania, we'd never miss them," students who may be considering going into education take notice. Though he now says he wants to spend more on education, if you were a prospective teacher, would you trust him?

Another way of looking at it is this: If the head of a company said that he/she wanted to cut salaries, benefits, and jobs, would you go to work for that company?

How often in the past 10 years have you heard a politician running for state office or local school board say we need to spend more on education? Not very.

OK, there is one candidate for governor who has steadfastly supported education, but the other major candidate, until recently, bragged that he would cut funding.

And you wonder why people are abandoning the education profession?

But it is not just words; actions tell the same story. Until recently, education has been a major target of budget cuts in Pennsylvania.

Indeed, Pennsylvania is one of the worst states in the nation at funding local education.

Yes, total education spending is high and the state ranks 12th in average spending per pupil.

Unfortunately, the share coming from Harrisburg is abysmal. State aid as a percent of total school revenue is about 35.2 percent. That ranked Pennsylvania 46th in the nation.

As a consequence, the weight of education funding has landed on the backs of school boards. Local funding makes up nearly 62 percent of the revenue supplied by either the state or local governments. The burden on local governments is the sixth highest in the nation.

And that burden is a major reason that school boards are squeezed and local taxpayers have rebelled, making teachers the object of their anger.

You have to hand it to the state legislators. They figured out how to make a state funding responsibility the problem of teachers and local school boards.

The political battles over school taxes and funding have reached a point where they are affecting the attraction of new teachers and the retention of experienced teachers, putting the quality of education at risk.

The next governor will have to confront the reality that the low level of state education funding is unsustainable.
Artist's rendering of Philadelphia Logistic Center project planned at 3025 Meeting House Rd. in Northeast Philadelphia. Read more

Chicago-based Ridge Development plans a 207,500-square-foot warehouse and distribution center on a Northeast Philadelphia property that it is buying from the city for $2.18 million.

Ridge broke ground Friday on the project at 3025 Meeting House Rd. in the Byberry East Industrial Park, the developer said in a joint release with the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., which has managed the property on the city's behalf.

The project is the first modern, e-commerce-serving distribution hub  or "logistics center"  to be built in the city as a so-called speculative development, without any tenants lined up to use the space, PIDC president John Grady said in the release.

PIDC approved the development site's sale to Ridge, the industrial-property arm of Transwestern Development Co., in May.

The company aims to have the building, to be known as the Philadelphia Logistic Center, available for occupancy by the end of September 2019.
Americans are losing the war on robocalls, with 4.4 billion of them buzzing phones in September alone, nearly double the number from a year ago.

One man is fighting back, or at least turning the pesky calls into cash. Meet Andrew Perrong, a college student who regularly sues and scores settlements against companies he claims illegally call him.

Perrong, from Huntingdon Valley, is ridiculed by opposing lawyers as a "professional plaintiff," and they accuse him of "running a business" through his robocall lawsuits. They claim he sets traps for unsuspecting telemarketers and debt collectors.

But those arguments have proven to be of little consequence. Perrong has filed dozens of lawsuits  at least 45 by one opponent's count  and squeezed settlements from a wide variety of businesses, ranging from chimney sweeps and collection agencies to giants Verizon and Citibank.

Perrong notched his first settlement in 2015 while a senior at La Salle College High School in Springfield Township. Now age 21, the robocall warrior attends Catholic University of America in Washington and continues to fire off lawsuits, usually representing himself without a lawyer.

"His litigation history makes plain that he seeks [calls] out and gladly receives them" for his next lawsuit, Ballard Spahr's Daniel JT McKenna, who represents a Texas utility that Perrong recently sued, argued in October. "The purpose of such conduct is to make Perrong money."

Perrong utilizes the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which outlaws calls coming from autodialers or those with artificial or prerecorded voices unless consumers give prior consent. It also requires businesses to honor "do not call" lists, among other provisions. Consumers can sue for up to $500 per violation and courts can award triple damages for willful conduct.

How much money Perrong has made from his settlements is a mystery. He has demanded tens of thousands of dollars in some cases, and most of his suits settled quickly, Ballard Spahr's McKenna noted in court filings.

While sometimes searing in court papers, Perrong declined requests for interviews, citing pending litigation and confidentiality agreements. So it's unclear whether his suits are an altruistic effort to combat the rapid rise of robocalls, or if he's simply making money off the companies that call him.

Robocalls have become an epidemic. There were 33 billion of them nationwide this year through September, according to YouMail, a robocall-blocking application. That's 101 calls per person. The Federal Trade Commission received on average more than 375,000 robocall complaints per month in fiscal 2017, up from 63,000 per month in 2009.

Technology has made it cheaper and easier to send robocalls. Perhaps the most problematic development has been caller ID "spoofing," which not only disguises a caller's identity, but can make it look as if the call is from a local number.

Along with the surge of robocalls has come a sharp increase in the number of lawsuits filed by consumers. In 2017, there were 4,392 federal cases filed under the TCPA, compared with 14 in 2007, according to Michigan-based WebRecon, which tracks consumer litigation filings.

Companies and consumer advocates have clashed over the robocall law. Some, including Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai, now chairman, have called the TCPA "the poster child for lawsuit abuse."

Others, such as the National Consumer Law Center's Margot Saunders, credit the law for providing legal recourse for real victims who've been harassed by robocalls, and say it shouldn't be scrapped just because some consumers abuse it.

Amid this debate, Perrong stands out for the frequency of his lawsuits and the great lengths he goes to catch the companies that call him. He has claimed to own eight phone numbers over the years, his opponents note in court filings, and has cajoled callers hiding behind fake numbers to reveal their true identities.

In one case, he scheduled an appointment through a telemarketer, ostensibly to get a home-repair estimate. When a repairman arrived, Perrong took his business card, sent him home, and then sued his company the next day in May, according to his complaint. In another case, he placed an order, froze the credit-card payment so the company would call back, and sued the same day.

Serial litigants such as Perrong are like land mines for companies, said Jack Gordon, CEO of WebRecon, the consumer lawsuit tracker. WebRecon offers a "Litigant Alert" service that help companies identify consumers with a history of litigation  a super-serious "do not call" list. The search engine found 23 federal lawsuits for Perrong, Gordon said.

Perrong has denied being a professional plaintiff, arguing hes too busy to be running a business of robocall lawsuits. In a proposed class action against retail giant Macys, Perrong pointed out he was a dual major in philosophy and psychology, on the deans list (3.9 GPA), and worked in the IT field, both independently and as a subcontractor. Hes also studying to be a priest at the St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Washington. He owns an airplane, records show.

"It is neither true nor plausible that he even has the time to be a 'professional plaintiff,' " wrote Jon B. Fougner, Perrong's California-based lawyer in the recently settled Macy's case.

Still, Perrong has found time to help out another regular robocall litigant. He has served defendants court summonses and complaints for James Everett Shelton, a King of Prussia man who has filed at least 30 TCPA lawsuits as of September, court records show. Shelton declined comment.

Christine Reilly, a TCPA defense lawyer, said abusers of the robocall law will manufacture lawsuits by providing their phone numbers on online lead forms, then deny they consented to the calls. But she said many companies choose to settle these cases instead of dealing with the time and expense of obtaining evidence, going through discovery, or especially taking it to trial.

"These plaintiffs are looking for fairly nominal amounts," said Reilly, of the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips law firm in Los Angeles. "A number that's attractive enough to get the company incentivized to pay the demand so they don't have to pay the lawyer fees."

Saunders, the National Consumer Law Center lawyer, acknowledged some plaintiffs abuse the law but emphasized that the TCPA protects consumers who have been harmed by unrelenting robocalls, such as a Florida woman who received 1,845 calls from an appliance company in 14 months.

"I'm not working to preserve the TCPA for someone who solicits robocalls and then sues on them," Saunders said. "I'm working to preserve it for people who are abused by robocalls so that we have a private remedy to try to help stop them."

Perrong, barely old enough to drink, is already well-known among robocall defense lawyers. Perhaps even feared.

"If you have been practicing [TCPA] law on the defense side, and you've been doing this for a good amount of time, you will know Andrew Perrong's name," Reilly said.
A Florida woman shows a robocall she received on her home phone in Orlando. Despite consumer awareness, state and federal efforts to crack down, and apps for blocking unwanted calls, robocalls have increased dramatically in the first half of 2018. Read more

Robocalls  those nettlesome autodial telephone calls from both scammers and legitimate businesses  skyrocketed in the first half of 2018, and have prompted the most complaints to federal and most state enforcement officials of any consumer topic in recent years.

But as much as top state law enforcement officers would love to go after the robocallers, who often operate outside the law, the combined hurdles of technology, economics and geography make the job difficult.

Robocalls jumped dramatically nationwide this year, from 2.9 billion in January to 4.1 billion in June, according to YouMail Inc., a company that tracks robocalls and sells software to block them.

Unwanted calls are the biggest complaint to the Federal Communications Commission, making up about 60 percent of complaints the agency gets. Robocalls also are the top complaint at the Federal Trade Commission, which in fiscal 2017 received more than 4.5 million robocall complaints.

While states are trying to crack down  a tougher law was enacted in Connecticut, for example, and legislation is pending in a handful of other states  they face almost insurmountable obstacles because often the callers are offshore. And while telephone companies are taking steps to help combat the calls, state officials imply they are not helping enough.

"There is a problem with a lot of these calls emanating from overseas," said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat. "The practicalities of enforcement become problematic."

State Efforts

State attorneys general know what makes their constituents mad because they hear it. And the calls are not just nuisances  consumers are cheated out of an estimated $350 million a year by phone scams, many involving automatic dialing, according to the Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports.

States are trying to act. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, in June signed a bill adding criminal fines and penalties to the state's anti-robocall statute. The law goes into effect in October.

In Massachusetts, a bill making its way through the Legislature would prohibit robocalls to mobile devices and impose penalties including fines starting at $10,000 for each violation.

In New Jersey, a bill urging the FCC to require landline and wireless telephone service providers to implement technology to block robocalls to customers, free of charge, is also working its way through the Legislature.

A New York bill similarly would limit autodialed telephone calls to state residents and require telephone service providers to provide free "call mitigation technology."

Ian Barlow, the FTC's Do Not Call program coordinator, acknowledges that state efforts to subvert illegal robocall scams are limited, but he said states also serve an important function in coordinating with federal agencies to crack down on large scam operations.

Barlow pointed to a 2015 case involving the FTC and 10 states from Florida to Washington that resulted in Caribbean Cruise Lines being barred from robocalling.

"I think there are some challenges for states," Barlow said, adding that states were at the forefront of the Do Not Call lists before the effort spread nationwide. He said states often identify "bad actors" quickly. When states sue bad actors, they stop operating there, though they often move on to other states until the feds get involved.

Among the challenges, Barlow said, is that cellphone owners can take their mobile numbers with them when they move across state lines. "Number portability makes it a trickier issue," he said. "That doesn't mean [states] are ineffective."

Phone customers are simply fed up, said Maureen Mahoney, a Consumers Union public policy fellow. She urged all levels of government, along with the phone companies, to use all methods to stop the unwanted calls.

"I think it's important for every consumer to have strong legal protections against robocalls," she said. "If we see progress in one or two states, that could lead to more states and help push the FCC and the Congress to take action. FCC has said addressing robocalls is a priority, but the problem continues to get worse."

Robocalls are the No. 1 consumer complaint to the Federal Communications Commission, its chairman said last year. "It's the No. 1 consumer complaint," said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat, referencing the national figures. "The Do Not Call list doesn't work."

That list is not the real problem, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which is the lead federal agency, along with the FCC, in tracking and prosecuting unlawful telephone scams, which often involve robocalls.

The Do Not Call Registry, on which telephone customers can put their numbers and request not to be bothered by telemarketers, does work  up to a point.

The call registry does the job it was intended to do by blocking calls from companies that follow the law, said Barlow, of the FTC. "If people are speeding on the highway, does that mean speed limits are broken?"

The problem is that many companies, both in the United States and overseas, don't obey the law.

That's because the risk is worth the reward, said Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail, the Irvine, California-based company that sells other enhanced telephone and email services in addition to its call-blocking app.

"It's so easy to make them and so cheap to make them," he said of the calls. "You don't even need expertise to become a robocaller. You upload an audio file and upload numbers, press a button, and it makes the calls."

And if the scammers are getting thousands of dollars every time they succeed, "it becomes 'why not?' if you are a bad guy," he said.

Jon Banks, senior vice president for law and policy at USTelecom, the trade group for phone companies, agreed. "It's part of the blessing and curse of the internet," he said. "It is cheap to send these calls over the internet. And it appears, sadly, you can make money with these robocalls."

A recent robocall scam involved asking people  in Mandarin Chinese  to get in touch with "the embassy" to "pick up an important document" and to press zero for more information. Some of the calls apparently ask for money, others for personal information, after zero was pressed.

>>>Listen to the audio of a recent robocall scam (WMA) | Translation (PDF)

The calls were directed at area codes where a significant number of Chinese immigrants live, though many calls to non-Mandarin speakers would have to be made in a city like Washington to find enough susceptible Mandarin speakers to prove profitable.

People often inadvertently give consent to receiving robocalls by failing to read the fine print in documents they sign regarding loans, doctors, prescription drug companies and hundreds of other legitimate uses.

If a drugstore automatically calls to say you need to refill a prescription, that's a "good" robocall. A school system calling to say that it's a snow day is another example.

"But the good ones are being swamped now by the ones people don't want," Quilici said.

He attributes the dramatic rise in the number of calls, ironically, to enhanced efforts to stop them, including people refusing to answer calls from numbers they don't recognize. If more people put blocking software on their phones, or let the calls go to voicemail routinely, that means the automatic callers must dial more numbers to succeed.

Battling Technology

Madigan, the Illinois attorney general, called for more blocking by phone companies.

"What needs to be done is the carriers need to start blocking them," she said. "A lot of states are not going to have the investigative capacity to look into overseas calls."

Telephone carriers say they are doing it already.

Banks, of the trade group, said the networks internally block unwanted calls as well as offering consumers apps to curb the calls such as Nomorobo. Some apps are free but many require payments, he said.

Nomorobo costs about $2 a month for cellphones and is free for land lines, according to its website. The blocking software won a 2012 contest organized by the Federal Trade Commission to develop the best concept to thwart robocalls. Since then, many imitators have sprung up.

"We've put together a group of over 20 carriers to help [law enforcement] trace calls back to try to get to their origins," Banks said. Finding where the calls originate is complicated by robocallers' "spoofing"  creating a familiar-looking fake number that may use a phone customer's home area code or three-digit neighborhood number.

Both Banks and YouMail's Quilici agreed that coming technology may be the ultimate solution to dampening the robocalls to the point that they parallel email spam. While spam was a pervasive problem just a few years ago, spam filters slowly became better, to the point where today most spam ends up in a junk folder or is blocked altogether.

The FTC is working on a way to identify spoofed numbers that mirror legitimate area codes and exchanges and trace them back to their real origins.

The technology was given acronyms only a government bureaucrat would love: SHAKEN (Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs) and STIR (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited).

Stateline, a project of the Pew Charitable Trusts, provides daily reporting and analysis on trends in state policy.
Donald Trump encourages supporters to jeer the dishonest media during a Trump rally in Newtown, Pa. on October 21, 2016. ELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer Read more

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Nashville. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but my sister-in-law, whose father was a local rabbi, remembers a rock being thrown through her living-room window.

So I know that anti-Semitism didn't arrive in America with the massacre in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Jewish refugees were denied entry to America during the Holocaust, and Jews were refused entry to clubs, hotels, and top universities until the 1960s.

Parochial-school kids, prepped by their priests, used to throw stones at me on my way home from elementary school and call me a "Christ killer." But I didn't mind, because I never felt threatened. I am the product of an American era during which Jews gained entry everywhere. I thought overt anti-Semitism was passe in this country.

>> READ MORE: After the Pittsburgh shooting, I feel more Jewish than ever before | Perspective

I was wrong. Donald Trump has made it kosher for anti-Semitism to reenter the mainstream.

There has been a 57 percent increase in anti-Semitic acts in the United States in 2017 over 2016, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The Pittsburgh shooting was the deadliest crime against Jews in American history.

Abe Foxman, the longtime former head of the Anti-Defamation League, explains it, in an interview with the Times of Israel: Since the Holocaust, America gradually built a "containment wall" against anti-Semitism, making it unacceptable to act on such ugly prejudice. With his rants against Mexicans, immigrants, Muslims, the media, and liberal opponents, President Trump "broke down all the taboos" against attacking ethnicity, race, or religion.

The president's encouragement of mayhem at his rallies, his attacks on media as "the true enemy of the people" are an incitement to violence. Alleged pipe bomber and Trump supporter Cesar Sayoc is believed to have chosen targets  such as President Obama, Hillary Clinton, George Soros, CNN  that were all denounced by the president. Repeatedly.

With his dog whistles and conspiracy theories, Trump has helped anti-Semitic tropes reenter the national conversation, magnified by Fox commentators and alt-right websites he favors. Even the mainstream media feeds the process when we report on his inflammatory tweets.

>> READ MORE: Our descent into vitriol began long before Trump  and Democrats are culpable too | Marc Thiessen

The president is enamored of dog whistles  buzzwords that make anti-Semites happy. He slams "globalists" and "the eastern elite" and Jewish financial leaders he dislikes, such as Soros, and former Fed head Janet Yellen, while extolling "nationalists."

To bigots, nationalist means white, and globalist means nefarious Jewish plotters. Prime example: Trump encourages the demonization of Soros, whom the alt-right portrays as a mastermind out to destroy the white Christian world.

During the 2016 campaign the president refused to criticize David Duke, the infamous Ku Klux Klan leader. "I know nothing about David Duke [or] white supremacists," Trump piously insisted. Duke praised his support.

Similarly in Charlottesville, the president claimed there were "good people on both sides." Among those people in Charlottesville were neo-Nazis who marched with torches and chanted, "Jews will not replace us."

"He didn't give them the brownshirts," says Foxman. "But he emboldened them. And when he had an opportunity to put [them] down, he didn't. I consider that a greater sin."

So where do the bigots go with their legitimization by the leader of the free world? "They look for a moment.  They need a flash point," says Foxman.

The perfect example is Robert Bowers, the man charged in the Pittsburgh killings, whose online postings show a hatred of Jews. He wasn't pro-Trump, but he glommed on to the president's false claims that a "caravan" of Central Americans was "invading" our country aided by Soros' funding. Somehow Bowers linked all this to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Service (HIAS), which does noble work helping refugees but has nothing to do with the so-called caravan.

>> READ MORE: After Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, clients ask HIAS PA: 'Am I safe?' | Mike Newall

"Here for Bowers were the Jews, celebrating bringing in these invaders," says Foxman. "It was that flash point."

Of course, Trump insists he can't be an anti-Semite since his daughter and son-in-law are Jewish. That only makes what he is doing even more disgusting  fueling anti-Semitism just to keep the votes of the bigots in his base.

The president made that point clear after the massacre. After first blaming the Jews (they should have had armed guards at the synagogue, he said), he briefly denounced the "anti-Semitic" murders and visited Pittsburgh. But he quickly reverted to campaign mode, lamenting that news coverage of the pipe bombs and massacre had slowed the GOP's campaign momentum.

Trump blew the chance to put a brake on the rise of the new anti-Semitism. He could have imitated Ronald Reagan, who showed zero tolerance when anti-Semitism began to infect the GOP in the mid-1980s. Reagan pushed through a GOP platform resolution that disassociated the Republican Party "from all people and groups who practice bigotry in any form."

But this president shows no interest in denouncing the white supremacist groups and conspiratorial websites that support him. That might hinder his vote tallies.

With Trump's help (and the enabling of Jared, Ivanka, and GOP leaders) the anti-Semitism of my parents' era is clawing its way toward the new normal. We will have to fight hard to shove it back under the rocks.
From left, Seleena Hing, (blue shirt) Cynthia Son, (white shirt) Lanica Angpak, (purple shirt) and Danyca Lok, perform a traditional Cambodian dance at the Bok Bar on Mifflin St, Philadelphia, Pa. Sunday, July 15, 2018. Cambodian American Girls Empowering is an organization that helps Cambodian American girls preserve their heritage through teaching them traditional Cambodian dance. Read more

When Lanica Angpak started the organization Cambodian American Girls Empowering three years ago as a personal project, she visualized it as a safe space where young Cambodian women could talk about "taboo" topics they didn't feel comfortable discussing with their families. But when Angpak broached that idea with the women she was mentoring at the time, the group had an addendum: They wanted Angpak to teach them traditional Cambodian dance.

"I was already teaching some of them," said Angpak, who learned how to dance from her mother. "But bringing it into this organization allowed us to build bridges through dance."

On a recent Sunday, the organization gathered at Bok Bar, a popular rooftop bar in South Philly with gorgeous views of the Philadelphia skyline, for a sunny afternoon workshop performance.

The women slipped off their shoes and completed stretches that were harder than your average yoga pose. Eventually, they shifted into formation and performed a dance about a Cambodian celebration for young children. The dancers moved slowly, but their movements required just as much precision as ballet. Their mastery of balance was impressive, as was their flexibility as they bent their wrists and ankles for various poses.

Curious Philadelphians can see the dancers in another workshop performance and learn a few moves themselves next month at the same venue.

Cambodian dance is a crucial part of storytelling in the country's culture. It has existed for thousands of years and draws its roots from Indian mythology and religion. Every component of the dancer's body is engaged during a performance, from their fingertips to their facial expressions. The style of dance has evolved throughout the years, and Angpak said a recent development has been new choreography inspired by the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s.

In a city filled with avant-garde dance studios and prominent ballet companies, grassroots organizations such as Angpak's often fly under the radar. The Philly area has the fourth largest Cambodian population in the United States  about 13,000, according to the most recent census  centered in South Philly. Angpak works closely with the Cambodian Association to help support the community here. Besides the performances, CAGE also holds dance workshops for females as young as 6 and as old as 72.

"On average, we do about 14 performances a year, and we've already surpassed that number this year," Angpak said. "We prioritize public events, especially from communities of color." The group particularly enjoys performing for organizations representing other communities of color.

Angpak said dance is an alternative way of sharing between communities, an exchange of culture and art, of sorts. The organization charges on a sliding scale for performances. Workshops, including the one at Bok Bar next month, are free and open to the public.

"We understand that many of the organizations we work with are on the smaller end," she said. "We do our part and they do theirs."

Angpak's parents fled to the United States as refugees in the early 1980s, and her mother made sure to pass on traditional Cambodian dance to her daughter because the genocide had nearly wiped out everyone who knew this art form. Even though Angpak grew up in a suburb outside of Philadelphia, she became very familiar with the Cambodian American community in South Philly because her mother was a social worker in the area. Years later, Angpak works to pass on what she's learned from her mother.

"I remember going to Lanica's mom's workplace and seeing them dance," said Danyca Lok, Angpak's 16-year-old godsister, who has been dancing for 11 years. "My mom used to bend my fingers when I was young to make sure they were flexible enough for me to dance. It's a legacy that plays a very important part of my identity."

The mission of the organization caught the attention of Morgan Jezierski, Bok's bar manager. Jezierski said she first got to know CAGE when it moved into an office on the second floor of the Bok building. Since then, she has looked for opportunities to introduce what it does to more people in South Philly.

"I thought it would be so fun to give them a chance to highlight Cambodian culture on our family days," she said. (The bar holds family days every Sunday.) "It gives the kids something to do while parents drink and catch up."



Sokorn Touch brought his 3-year-old daughter, Nisai, to the event on Sunday to foster her love of dancing. Nisai skipped around the bar area in a pink leotard and a matching sampot, a rectangular cloth worn as a skirt.

"She actually knows a lot about Cambodian dance already," said her father, a Cambodian American activist with the 1Love Movement, an organization that fights the deportations of Cambodians in Philadelphia. "But we thought that now maybe it was time for her to start learning."

Although Nisai seemed more interested in crawling under tables during the hour-long workshop, many other onlookers paid attention to the unconventional dance class unfolding before their eyes. "There aren't a lot of opportunities for people to be exposed to Cambodian culture and it doesn't always resonate with Westerners," Angpak said. "But it allows people an inner look at our community."

Cambodian American Girls Empowering is holding a second free dance workshop on Aug. 19 from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Bok Bar, 800 Mifflin St.
If there are four things the Cajuns I've met love to do, it's tell stories, eat, drink, and have fun. I have intimate experiences with this: My best friend's husband, Chris, is one of them. Merrily living the expression "never let the facts get in the way of good story," Chris and his Southern Louisiana family take delight in spinning a yarn as inflated as it is funny.

I don't mind the fudging. Listening to them, I laugh and laugh, enjoying yet fearing the gleam in Chris' eye that accompanies his expressive brand of Southern accent. Invariably he will persuade me to join him in some ridiculous caper that we'll both recount with fantastic embellishment later on. It doesn't hurt that a cold beer and maybe some Louisiana-style boudin or boiled blue crabs usually enhance his persuading.

You will get a taste of that tradition if you're heading to New Orleans to cheer on the Eagles against the Saints on Nov. 18. Nola is Louisiana's always-simmering pot of jambalaya, where Cajuns  descended from the French and French Canadians  ethnically mix with African Americans, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Haitians, Native Americans, and of course, Creoles, whose European-colonist and African-slave ancestors were born in the territory.

But be warned: You will not get immersed in authentic Cajun culture unless you venture out of the city and visit any one of the hundreds of bayous that meander through the southern part of the state. A 45-minute drive southwest of the Superdome lies a bayou whose people claim it as the heart of where Cajun Country beats. I'll let you decide whether that's true or just more Cajun math, but if there's a place that represents Louisiana's gulf region better than Lafourche Parish (pronounced Lafoosh), I'll race you down there.

This past spring, Lafourche Parish officials launched the Cajun Bayou Food Trail to help visitors navigate a 100-mile stretch of almost-off-the-grid local eateries that help give Louisiana's deep south its famous flavor. We're talking the homiest of dining destinations  checker-clothed tables, servers who call you by a pet name, and no animal fast enough to escape a frying pan. These are multigenerational spots with legendary regional reputations  and frequently without a website or even Facebook page to steer out-of-towners in their direction.

The trail map and passport  available for download at lacajunbayou.com/foodtrail or at any of the 21 participating restaurants  don't leave out the rest of what puts the Cajun in Cajun Country. By visiting the parish visitor center at the intersection of U.S. Route 90 and State Route 1 or its website, lacajunbayou.com, you can also find out where to dance to live modern zydeco, stuff your gills at a crawfish boil, feed a wild alligator, or try the King Cake Ale at Lafourche's only brewery.

"There's no denying that food is truly one of our standout experiences in Louisiana's Cajun Bayou," says Timothy Bush, president and CEO of that organization. "Our food has a story that's rooted in traditions and told by the wonderful storytellers who are such an integral part of Cajun culture."

In April, I spent three days in the parish capital of Thibodaux and driving down and back up the bayou. I took precious few breaks away from gorging myself to visit the Mudbug Brewery, Bayou Lafourche Folklife and Heritage Museum, Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building, and E.D White Historic Site sugar plantation (via boat from the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center), and to spend a morning feeding a baby gator on a swampy boat trip with Capt. Clyde McCulley.

If you're looking for a Cajun out of Central Casting, McCulley is your man.

"I demonstrate Cajun bayou life when you go out to see what it's been like for the past 150 years for a person to feed their families by fishing, crabbing, and duck hunting. I tell them the whole story," says McCulley, a 66-year-old lifelong resident of Des Allemands, the town where his tours start.

(You might want to leave time after docking to have a cold lager or a pickled quail egg with the captain at the rickety wooden bar nestled within his Cajun Museum of historic artifacts. I wish I could have stayed to pick fresh-caught crabs with him on the dock, but many lunches and dinners awaited me elsewhere.)

A few highlights, in order of when I visited. Some are cash-only  that does not mean debit cards  or alcohol-free or both:

Cher-Amie's. You know that quintessential down-home spot I described above? It most closely reflects Cher-Amie's, which I almost sped past because only a small sign calls it out as a restaurant and not a shotgun shack. My first (and second and third) taste of locally popular Bang Bang Shimp  fried and coated in sweet chili sauce  allowed me to skip prawns for my initial entree of the trip and move on to mahi Cher-Amie style that came blackened, topped with lump crab and grilled oysters and served with buttered green beans, a baked sweet potato, and garlic bread. Yeah, I pretty much ate every stereotypical Cajun critter for my first lunch. And I had 10 meals to go! (15628 W. Main St., Cut Off; cheramies.com)

Cajun Pecan House. Do you need to buy souvenirs? One stop at the Cajun Pecan House and you're set. The overwhelming clutter of nuts made me feel that the walls, ceiling, and floor of the shop had barfed up sugar and tree nuts  but in a good way. Months later, I discovered two bags of confections I'd bought and forgotten about. Of course I ate them. All. In five minutes. Barf. (14808 W. Main St., Cut Off; cajunpecanhouse.com)

Spahr's Seafood. Ah, Spahr's Seafood. The Thibodaux branch of a local chain pours what might be the best hot sauce in town. It still kills me that I lost the bottle I bought for a dollar. Go for dinner when you have time to relax, ask Miss Sandy to make you her famous Bloody Mary, and order gumbo and the appetizer sampler, which comes with a bunch of fun fattening stuff, like hush puppies, crawfish pies, and some addictive crawfish cream sauce. You could eat light off the grilled protein menu, but, really, why would you? (601 W. Fourth St., Thibodaux; spahrsseafood.com)

Bubba's II PoBoys. You could spend your whole time at Bubba's II PoBoys admiring the Yankees memorabilia that takes up just about every inch of wall. But, again, why would you, especially considering that you can eat every conceivable kind of po'boy (hello, crawfish) or anything else you can fit between two slices of bread. Order at the counter, expect to be good-naturedly teased, and pick up a set of plastic cutlery before you sit down. (212 E. Bayou Rd., Thibodaux; bubbasiipoboys.com)



Navigating the trail by car is easy. Navigating it any other way is impossible. Route 308 runs along the east side of the bayou and the more leisurely Route 1 runs along the west. Both provide scenery of the houses, boats, and businesses where residents live and work  though the recession, a rapidly receding shoreline, and the retraction of industry have left behind pictures of poverty that are anything but pretty.

Cajun and Creole foods differ. Though both cultures prepare roux, for instance, Creole dishes tend to include more ingredients, spices, and components that would have cost a lot in the 1700s. Think about it this way: Creole cooking developed among upper-class New Orleanians; Cajun food comes from the country.

Prepare for seafood. Lots of it. It might sound obvious, but as you drive toward the western part of Cajun country, around the city of Lafayette and Amelia Island, home of Tabasco, you rise to higher ground and, hence, more trapping of land animals.
A former Philadelphia police officer pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to conspiring with corrupt Baltimore police officers who funneled illegal drugs to him to sell on the streets of Philadelphia.

Eric Troy Snell, 34, who was a Baltimore officer before he joined the Philadelphia force, had originally pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy charge and was in the middle of a jury trial in Baltimore when he admitted to taking drugs from a Baltimore detective to then be sold by Snell's brother in Philadelphia.

Snell had been with the Philadelphia Police Department for three years when he was fired late last year after being charged in the Baltimore corruption case.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 30 in Baltimore by U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Eight members of the Baltimore Police Department Gun Trace Task Force have been convicted as a result of the corruption investigation.

"Prosecuting law enforcement officers is painful, but necessary if we are to restore the public's trust in our justice system. No one is above the law," Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur said in a statement Thursday.

From October 2016 through June 26, 2017, Snell conspired with Jemell Rayam, a former detective with the task force, to sell drugs seized by Baltimore officers. Snell and Rayam attended the Baltimore Police Academy together. Snell left the Baltimore force in 2008.

On Oct. 3, 2016, Rayam and other detectives recovered nine ounces of cocaine thrown out of a vehicle during a high-speed chase in Baltimore. Snell offered to have his brother sell the cocaine in Philadelphia.

A few days later, Snell agreed to distribute heroin for Rayam. Afterward, Snell deposited half of the $2,000 he made from drug sales in Rayam's bank account, prosecutors said.

In another deal, Snell deposited $2,500 into Rayam's bank account.

In a plea letter, Snell admitted that he was involved in the sale of other narcotics as part of the conspiracy.
The siblings were wounded early Wednesday evening when two masked men began firing, Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. Read more

Two children will remember Halloween 2018 in Philadelphia as the night they were shot.

A 14-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother were recovering from gunshot wounds Thursday after they became caught in the crossfire of a Halloween night gun battle on an Olney sidewalk.

The siblings were wounded early Wednesday evening when two masked men began firing, Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. Five or six shots were fired, he added.

On the 5700 block of Hope Street, where the shooting happened about 6:20 p.m., residents and passersby tried to make sense of the shooting of the two children.

"It's messed up, man," said Khair Graham, 35, as he exited his home on the block. He said he was grateful that his daughter had spent Halloween night in South Philadelphia. "Trick or treat is supposed to be a time for fun with the kids and their costumes. Back in the day, there was respect. If there was shooting, it wasn't kids getting killed or shot."

Police on Thursday were checking surveillance cameras in the area for images of the perpetrators, and asking anyone with information about the shootings to call 911.

"I would say, particularly, this incident is an all-time low in my experience," Capt. Malachi Jones of Northwest Detectives told reporters Thursday.

Police said the girl suffered two bullet graze wounds on her left leg and was released from Einstein Medical Center Wednesday night. Her brother, who was shot in the right leg, was transferred to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, where he was recovering Thursday. Their names were not released, but officials said the boy's spirits were lifted by a visit from Philadelphia police officers.

"These are like the last days," said Ray Nunez, 76, who along with Agustin Torres, 87, spent part of Thursday morning knocking on doors on the 5700 block of Hope Street on behalf of Jehovah's Witnesses.

The men had hoped to share their faith with residents, but no one answered their knocks. Instead, they found themselves on a block where light blue chalk circles marked where bullet casings were recovered from the sidewalk, and glass glittered in the gutter from a pickup truck and Jeep whose windows had been shattered by bullets.

Bob Weston, 53, a plumber who was on the block to work on a resident's home, lamented how much things had changed from when he was growing up in the old Liddonfield Homes projects in Holmesburg, where disputes were settled with fists.

"When I was growing up, nobody shot each other," Weston said, standing near the chalk circles. "If you got whupped, you got whupped. You came back to fight another day. But these kids today, they have no respect for nobody. They just don't think."

Sterling Walker, 44, who has lived on the block for 20 years, said shootings in the area are common so he was not shocked by the gunfire. Still, he said, he was troubled that shootings seemed to be more frequent.

"This is crazy. I was wondering, like, really, on Halloween?" said Walker, who runs a youth-mentoring program called Exposure that uses media arts to teach life skills. "It's not a shock that it happened, it's more like, when will something like this happen."
A Connecticut man who used the internet to engage in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against a Drexel University student was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison, officials said.

During the 2015-16 school year, Jacob Waitze, 23, himself a Drexel student, impersonated the victim in a variety of internet forums, suggesting that the victim was either a pedophile who needed help or someone interested in receiving child pornography material. The campaign, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement, came after a personal dispute with the student.

Waitze, of Southbury, Conn., used personal details about the victim, including name, email address, and photographs to harass the student. As a result, the victim received multiple unwanted emails, both from people offended by the posts and from some who wanted to engage the victim in conversations about child porn.

"In taking on the victim's persona online, Waitze used the internet as a weapon to carry out his personal vendetta," said U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain. "By giving others the impression that this victim was interested in child exploitation, Waitze caused the victim a great deal of harm. Today's sentence demonstrates that my office will hold cyberstalkers accountable when they misuse technology in this manner."

Waitze, who was charged May 4 with cyberstalking in an information, was also sentenced to three years' supervised release.
Humane Society Police Officer Tracie Graham (back) and Clair Mullins of the Montgomery County SPCA (front) take out two large tortoises from a home in Montgomery County. The couple who rented that home have been charged in Lehigh County for keeping other animals there in squalor. Read more

A Lehigh County, Pa., couple linked to two homes where dozens of animals were kept in squalor, including a house in Montgomery County, now face criminal charges.

Melanie Rehrig, 33, and Jason Wieder, 39, were charged Friday with multiple counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, neglect of animals, and related offenses after police found nearly 100 animals inside a home they rented in Macungie, investigators said.

Police were called to the residence Oct. 15 when a neighbor complained of incessant dog barking. Inside, officers found 86 animals living "in filth and debris, and suffering from neglect," according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.

Five of the animals were dead, and the rest of the group  including birds, snakes, rabbits, frogs, pigs, monitor lizards, and dogs  were taken into custody by the Lehigh County Humane Society.

Days later, police a few miles away, in Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County, raided another home that the couple rent, and found more than 200 animals living in similar conditions.

Kate Delano, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, said Friday that the investigation into the Upper Hanover property was ongoing and charges were pending.

These were not the first such incidents for Wieder.

Court records show he pleaded guilty to 12 counts of animal cruelty in 2015 after investigators retrieved birds, dogs and snakes from his home in Emmaus, Lehigh County. A code inspector for the borough tipped police off to the squalor, the Easton Express-Times reported at the time, and police found 67 animals inside. That group included six boa constrictors, all of which had died from neglect.

Similar conditions were found in Upper Hanover, about an hour north of Philadelphia.

State police served a warrant there Oct. 18 after receiving a tip from neighbors during the investigation in Macungie, and found an oppressive odor of urine and feces, according to Robin Royer, the zoning officer and code official for Upper Hanover. Dozens of animals were sequestered in filthy conditions, including cages filled with ferrets and plastic storage bins brimming with turtles.

Other reptiles roamed freely throughout the home, including at least 100 snakes, Royer said. Some of the animals in the house were dead, others severely ill. The home had no furniture, only the various creatures.

It appeared, she said, that the tenants visited the house only sporadically, likely to give the animals food and water.

"The house just stank," she said. "In order for someone to inhabit that property in the future, it will have to be washed out with bleach."
Stephen Schwartz, 34, has been charged with aggravated assault and related offenses. Read more

A Levittown man, allegedly in the midst of a manic episode, threatened to kill himself with a .22 rifle that he later fired at police officers called to his home by his wife, according to authorities.

Stephen Schwartz, 34, was arraigned on Thursday and charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment, and related offenses. There was no attorney listed for him, and he faces a preliminary hearing on Nov. 20. Schwartz was released on $50,000 unsecured bail.

A Tullytown Borough police officer who shot Schwartz during the incident was cleared, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.

Schwartz's wife called police on Sept. 22, saying he had shot himself in a leg at their home, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in his arrest.

She warned dispatchers that Schwartz "was having a manic episode and would most likely get violent with police."

When officers from Bristol Township and Tullytown arrived, a shot was fired toward their marked vehicles from inside the home, the affidavit states. Schwartz then walked out of his home with the .22 rifle and pointed it at the officers.

The officers told him to put the gun down. When he refused, Tullytown Police Sgt. Phillip Kulan shot Schwartz once, according to the affidavit. Schwartz was then taken into custody and treated for minor injuries.

County detectives later interviewed Schwartz's wife, learning that she had come home earlier that evening to find her children standing outside their home.

They told her that her husband was in the backyard with a gun. She found Schwartz back there, shooting targets with a "bullet hole in the calf of his leg," the affidavit states. Schwartz said he had accidentally shot himself. When his wife pressed him, Schwartz put the barrel of the gun inside his mouth, she told police.

Detectives entered the couple's home and found a hole in the screen of a first-floor bathroom window, which Schwartz's wife said "was the window her husband must have shot at the police from."
Clean block officer Diane Oliveras inspects the 2400 block of West Sedgely Street in North Philadelphia, as she conducts an indexing to determine where loose litter and illegal dumping is the worst, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. Read more

San Jose, Calif., will pay $15 per hour to people who are homeless to pick up litter starting this month, joining more than a dozen other cities that offer similar programs. And Philadelphia is considering following its lead.

Twenty-five people will be part of San Jose's pilot program and will work four to five hours per day every week or two. They will focus on roughly 40 litter hot spots the city has identified along major roadways. The city will pay for the program with $200,000 from its general fund. Mayor Sam Liccardo said he hopes to expand the initiative after the pilot ends in June.

"We want to see every one of these individuals housed and moving on to steady employment," while also helping to reduce litter and blight, Liccardo said. Workers also will receive support services.

The city of roughly 1 million located about an hour south of San Francisco has a homeless population of more than 4,300 people.

Albuquerque, N.M.; Chicago, Denver, Seattle, and San Diego are a few of the cities nationwide that have similar programs for homeless residents.

Since Philadelphia has both a litter problem and a housing problem, the city has considered doing the same. City officials have been looking into Albuquerque's "There's a Better Way" initiative as a model. The New Mexico city's Solid Waste Department picks up people who are homeless and offers them day labor, such as garbage removal and landscaping, and connects them with social services.

"We would love to do it," said Liz Hersh, director of Philadelphia's Office of Homeless Services. "We're not there yet."

Philadelphia's homeless population is roughly 5,800 people, more than 900 of whom live outdoors. Hersh said other projects have taken precedence.

"As we were looking at the panhandling problem, we got slammed with the opioid epidemic," she said.

But she pointed to an upcoming pilot program that will employ the homeless, and an employment program that a nonprofit started this year.

Mural Arts Philadelphia is partnering with the nonprofit Mental Health Partnerships to hire people to help paint murals in SEPTA's Center City concourses with funding from the Barra Foundation, based in Delaware County, and the Sheller Family Foundation, based in Philadelphia.

"It's sort of a dream come true for us," said Jane Golden, founder and executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia. "It's providing people with opportunities to see gifts and talents and opportunities to do work that is really important work, because it's about beautifying the built environment in our community."

Mural Arts plans to start the two-year pilot program on April 1 with up to 10 people per day four days a week. The program will recruit people from the Center City area and pay a wage that is competitive with what they would collect while panhandling  $20 a day on average, according to a city survey. The "preemployment" program will include support services.

Earlier this year, First Step Staffing, a nonprofit staffing company based in Atlanta, came to Philadelphia to hire people who were homeless or formerly incarcerated for light-industrial jobs. Of the 650 people now employed through the nonprofit, about 400 were homeless when they started, said Dave Shaffer, chief executive officer. Of the total, about 25 percent have moved on to full-time positions.

The first workers in San Jose's program will start the week of Nov. 12. The mayor said private sector employers have offered to help expand the program, which formed from a partnership between the city, the nonprofit Downtown Streets Team, and Goodwill. The nonprofits will screen, hire, and supervise workers.

"We have a crisis of homelessness like every major city on the West Coast right now, but increasingly the palpable signs of that homelessness are encampments and trash and disorder in those neighborhoods where encampments are popping up," the mayor said. "It's caused some residents to point the finger at the homeless as the problem. It's important to demonstrate through this program that homeless individuals want to be part of the solution."

Philadelphia Media Network is one of 21 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city's push towards economic justice. See all of our reporting at https://brokeinphilly.org.
A Jewish couple living in Montgomery County woke up Wednesday morning to find swastikas spray-painted on their vehicle. Local police say they're investigating the incident as a hate crime. Read more

While Pittsburgh worked to heal after a synagogue shooting that killed 11, a suburban township on the opposite end of Pennsylvania was reminded of the hate that spurred the violence.

A Jewish couple woke up Wednesday morning in Montgomery Township, Montgomery County, to find swastikas spray-painted onto the windows of their car, parked in the driveway of their townhouse, police said Friday. The symbols, in red paint, were part of a rash of vandalism in the Montgomery Glen development near North Wales.

Five incidents were reported by residents, mostly obscenities painted onto fences or the exteriors of homes. Only the one on the couple's vehicle had swastikas.

That was enough to lead Police Chief Scott Bendig to label the incident, at least preliminarily, a hate crime.

"We're investigating it as a hate crime, and that's what we'll move forward with," Bendig said. "And as things develop, if we find evidence to show that that's not the case, we can take steps to charge appropriately."

Bendig said it was unclear whether the couple were targeted. He pointed out that the vandalism came on the night before Halloween, characterized by pranks and property damage.

But he said he doesn't take the implications of the graffiti lightly, and is urging anyone who may have seen something to contact his department at 215-362-2301.

"Obviously, this is very disturbing," Bendig said. "We're taking it very seriously in light of what happened this past weekend."

The couple, reached through Liora Yallop, a family friend, did not respond to a request for comment. Yallop said the incident shouldn't be written off as "kids being kids."

"That doesn't make it OK," Yallop said. "If it was kids, we need to tamp this behavior down, so their future doesn't become more hateful. And if it was adults, they need to be held accountable for their actions."

Pennsylvania last year had 96 reported incidents of anti-Semitism, an increase of 43 percent from 2016, according to statistics from the Anti-Defamation League. Of that number, 51 were reports of vandalism.

Robin Burstein, senior associate regional director of the ADL's Philadelphia office, said anti-Semitic behavior after the Pittsburgh massacre underscores the importance of rooting out hateful speech and attitudes.

"When those go unchecked, when people don't hold each other accountable for their way of speaking and conducting themselves in society, it can lead to acts of bias," she said. "When that goes unchecked, it could lead to violence.

"And so, in situations like this, when someone might be tempted to say, 'Oh, it's not that bad,' we need to put it in check and hold each other accountable now, at that level, before it becomes worse."

Barbara Simmons, director of the Peace Center of Bucks County, agreed. Simmons spent Friday morning discussing the graffiti with rabbis and other community members. Its timing troubled her. Her organization had held a candlelight vigil and town hall meeting Oct. 25 at Carl Sandburg Middle School in Levittown, where anti-police and anti-Semitic graffiti were painted two weeks in a row.

"In my mind, when you've got this kind of anti-Semitism, it has to be addressed by the community and by community leaders," Simmons said. "The people who are the victims need to feel the community is rallying around them and supporting them."

Simmons said her organization is planning a similar event Sunday at Congregation Beth El, 375 Stony Hill Rd., Yardley, which she expects to draw around 200 people from across the region to discuss recent examples of hate speech.

"We can't address these one incident at a time. Clearly there's a toxic environment right now," she said. "And so all of us have to be involved as much as we possibly can."
Ernest Gardner rakes trash in a vacant lot on North 19th Street in North Central Philadelphia on Feb. 16 2018. Gardner does not own the property. A neighbor who was tired of seeing the litter hired him to clean it up. Read more

You've probably seen it happen: A driver pulls up at a red light and unloads his cabin of empty water bottles onto the sidewalk before zooming away. A kid finishes his Wawa hoagie and tosses the wrapper at the base of a tree. The neighbor drags her garbage bags around the corner and dumps them there, days before trash pickup.

In a city so synonymous with litter, some people see these sorts of civic offenses and suffer them in silent frustration. Others engage.

"I confront," said Loretta Lupo Tague of Point Breeze. "My husband thinks I'll be shot one day, but I can't help myself.  The reactions I've seen have been mixed. Some people sheepishly pick up what I point out they dropped  youngsters are more likely to do this  and others defy my taunts."

The official suggestion from Keep Philadelphia Beautiful's Michelle Feldman is to not confront litterers, for safety reasons. "We don't want to put anyone in a dangerous situation," Feldman said. The nonprofit partners with community groups on cleanups and sends volunteers into schools to talk to students about keeping sidewalks and streets litter-free.

Feldman said that if someone decides to strike up a conversation with a litterer, it's best to find a way into the conversation that's relatable to the person.

"You can come at it from an economic development angle, neighborhood pride, the environment, community cohesion," Feldman said. "We recommend to figure out where someone is coming from and address it from that place."

We put out a call, and fed-up Philadelphians told us how they react:

Return to sender.

Several readers said they pretend as if the offender dropped the trash accidentally and then politely hand it back.

Rob Swift, 32, was walking through Passyunk Square recently when he saw a driver pull up and start emptying out his car in front of a family barbecuing on their sidewalk. "He's taking trash and soda and bags and just dumping it all right in front of them," Swift said.

As the man moved to clean out his backseat, Swift collected the garbage on the sidewalk and dumped it inside the guy's passenger side window. When the driver realized what was happening, he started cursing at Swift, got in his car and sped off, throwing garbage out of the window as he went.

"It was insane," said Swift, who has a purple belt in jiu-jitsu. "But I kind of feel like people need to call each other out on it. Obviously there's dangerous people in Philadelphia, but it's just shocking how casual people are about it."

Another reader reported chasing down a SEPTA bus after the driver tossed a bag of garbage onto the sidewalk. One told of returning "freshly jettisoned cigarette butts" to their owner.

Guilt them, with wisdom or cute children who know better.

"I tell them there are people in this neighborhood working really hard to keep it clean, and they shouldn't make their jobs harder," said Dan Martino, 33, of Old Richmond. "They usually pull a stupid face and walk a little faster."

Anna MacDonald's 6-year-old son, Abraham, confronted a grown man who discarded a bottle at a South Philly park last year. "He shouted across the street, 'Hey! Hey, you! I saw you throw that on the ground. You need to protect the planet!'" MacDonald said. "The guy just looked down and ignored him."

Meet their mad disregard for the neighborhood with a Holmesian response.

Most people have to observe a litterer in the act to confront them. Frank Criniti, 65, of South Philadelphia, tracks them down by the trash they leave behind.

When Criniti, who has lived in the neighborhood since his family moved from Italy in 1958, sees a bag of garbage, he'll open it and weed through it to find evidence of who left the mess on his pavement. He's got a running log of names, addresses, and phone numbers of known dumpers.

Recently, Criniti found a bag with a receipt from an auto body shop listing the name, phone number, and address of a man in Claymont, Del. He called the guy. "I told him, if I catch another bag of yours, I'm calling the city, and they'll send you a fine for $300 to $1,000," Criniti said. The perp, who worked in Philadelphia but dumped his trash in the city on his way to the office, apologized.

"For the most part, people don't give me attitude," Criniti said. "I've been around the block a few times, people don't bother me. If they start to, I tell them I'll bring a container, fill it up with trash, and I'll run it down there and dump it out in front of your house. See how you like it."

Staff writer Michael Boren contributed to this article.
Among the fruits and calacas and pan de muertos traditionally used on a Mexican Day of the Dead altar, there were a menorah, a Star of David, and 11 portraits of the victims of last week's shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue.

It's a gesture of solidarity between the Mexican people and government and American Jews, said Alicia Kerber-Palma of the Mexican consulate in Philadelphia. "Here [is] the commitment to continue working together in initiatives that promote respect and unity," she said.

Stones were placed in front of each portrait, a nod to the Jewish tradition of placing stones at the tombs of the loved ones. And a Mexican Tree of Life serves as a symbolic connection between both communities and their dual work with immigrants and the vulnerable populations in the region.

A grand jury on Wednesday issued a 44-count indictment against Robert Bowers, 46, including hate crimes and obstructing the practice of religion, in connection to the massacre in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

"It makes me sad and it makes me angry that someone can do such a thing, but I'm very grateful to see other areas of faith and religion try to help us and comfort us," said Selma Harris Forstater, 85, of Center City, who visited the altar Friday afternoon.

The altar was presented to representatives of the local Jewish community on Thursday in the public space of the consulate, and will stay open to visitors daily, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m, until Friday, Nov. 9. The consulate is on the third floor of the Bourse Building, 111 S. Independence Mall E.
Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man who was found with multiple stab wounds in his Northeast Philadelphia basement apartment.

Adding mystery to the probe is that some of the 31-year-old man's wounds were consistent with a suicide while others were consistent with a homicide, police said. A Medical Examiner's Office investigator has initially listed the death as "suspicious, possible homicide."

Investigators are hoping the results of an autopsy expected Friday will offer some clarity.

The man's landlord and a friend found the man about 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the bathroom of his basement apartment on the 10000 block of Clark Street in Bustleton, police said. The pair went to check on the man after not having heard from him since Wednesday night, which was unusual.

A knife was found near the body, police said.

Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters at the scene that the man had been stabbed multiple times in chest and torso and in both wrists.

Small said there were no signs of forced entry or ransacking of the apartment.
When a gunman opened fire in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and massacred 11 worshipers last Saturday, American Jewry had to confront one of its biggest fears: anti-Semitism in America.

For many American Jews, anti-Semitism is a phenomenon that was left behind when their relatives left Europe decades ago. For young Jews, especially, the tragedy at Tree of Life was a wake-up call, bringing to life the pain and violence that their ancestors experienced in the past. We talked with young Jews from the Philadelphia area about their experience with anti-Semitism and how the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre fits within that experience.

Responses have been edited lightly for clarity. Interviews were conducted by staff writer Abraham Gutman.

Rachel Abramowitz, 24, Olde Kensington

I'm not surprised that anti-Semitism exists, but more that it exists so close to home and in such a powerful way. In my life, I've never really felt like I had to hide my Jewish identity to protect my safety; and I still don't think I do. But I did have a moment yesterday. I caught a glimpse of the mezuzah on my front door and it just took me back for a second. It wouldn't cross my mind to take it down, but it really made me think. And while this terrifies me as a Jew, I am also terrified as an American. This might've been the worst anti-Semitic act of violence in American history (and I don't want to downplay how much that matters  it really matters), but this was not even near the worst act of gun violence even in the past nine months in America.

Ian Gavigan, 28, Callowhill

Jewish education and its pedagogy of suffering teaches that we have survived for millennia in the face of violence and genocide. We learn that we can always become targets. The attack on Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue breached the boundaries of that learning for me. I've spent time in Squirrel Hill. It's my state. Like so many Jews, I'm connected to people in that synagogue within a few degrees of separation. The attacker could have been shooting at me, family, friends  at any Jew. And when I remember that this kind of violence isn't limited to Jews that it's like the horrors so many Americans face, be they refugees, Muslims, immigrants, black people, brown people, women, workers, and/or LGBTQ people  I am deeply saddened. But it also offers me a glimpse of the way forward. Together, through solidarity, we can build a world with freedom and dignity for all of us.

Sumner Lewis, 19, North Philadelphia

At first, to me this was more of just a "oh there is just another mass shooting, that really sucks." But then as the day went on, and we got more information, it was very plainly put out there that the shooter said "all Jews must die" before he went in and shot everyone. That changed just about everything. This wasn't just your average run-of-the-mill domestic terrorism; this was blatant anti-Semitism and it is just not something that you ever really think of nowadays. After this weekend, plenty of close friends have taken off their necklaces and any other Jewish regalia that they have, because they just don't feel safe putting their Jewish identity out there for everyone else to see because there have been so many anti-Semitic incidents now. It just makes me really sad and hurt because I'm really proud to be Jewish.

Albert Eisenberg, 27, Fishtown

[I found out about the shooting in synagogue, which] was surreal, especially since I had just been driving by and thinking, "Well, it's probably time to have police protection here like they do in Europe." It seems like there is and has been a big risk of anti-Semitic attacks like this. On the one hand, there was nothing new about it  it's the same old hatred of Jews. It's not an attack on "all of us," or on every discriminated-against group as I've heard some people say. It's an attack on Jews. On the other hand, there does feel like there's something new about this, considering the death toll and methods. Jews have always been targeted during times of chaos, and there is rising anti-Semitism from both fringes. Anybody who says it's a problem on only one side is either ignorant or lying.

Grace Sollberger, 17, Blue Bell

I've been sheltered from anti-Semitism. Nobody has ever said anything to me personally, but then that act and knowing that someone had so much hatred for me is crazy to think about. It is crazy to think that I'm unsafe in synagogue.  [The Monday after, in school] I was shocked that no teachers brought it up. Not a single person brought it up to me. After the Parkland shooting, my school had a walkout. So, I think it was a little confusing for me that there were announcements, there was a moment of silence for that, and no one said a single word about this. Usually my school is not a place that I would think would think less of a tragedy like this, but it kind of almost seemed that way because there wasn't anything of that nature.

Nathan Hersh, 33, Center City

The attack and its aftermath redefined my relationship with this country. Growing up as an American Jew, I mostly felt at home here. The type of anti-Semitism I grew up studying never felt like something I should fear. Even over the past couple of years, as I spoke out about the dangers of the president promoting conspiracy theories against ethnic minorities, beliefs that throughout history ended with violence against Jews, I still subconsciously saw anti-Semitism as abstract, a fringe idea rather than a threat to my flesh. The attack changed that conception. But the response from those in power changed my self-conception. The messaging that Donald Trump, the Republicans, and Fox News spread  the conspiracy theories that stoked the killer's hatred  didn't change after the attack. It got worse. It seems like Jewish blood is cheaper than the power gained by sowing fear. Going forward, I don't want to be an invisible minority here. I want to stand with every community attacked and confront this hatred forcefully.
Robert Bowers allegedly killed 11 worshipers in a synagogue in Pittsburgh because he hates Jews. Dylann Roof killed nine worshipers in a church in South Carolina because he hates black people. Cesar Sayoc is believed to have sent more than a dozen pipe bombs by mail because he hates Democrats and CNN.

Hate seems to be everywhere we look  and it is violent. According to a Government Accountability Office report, in the 15 years after 9/11, right-wing domestic terrorists killed 106 people. The FBI recorded more than 6,000 hate crimes in 2016  the last year for which data are available.

What drives so much hate and can it be stopped?

Dr. Gabor Mate's work can help us get toward an answer. Mate is a Hungarian-born Canadian physician and best-selling author who is best known for his work on addiction and attention deficit disorder. He thinks that just as some people find relief in drugs like heroin, some are finding relief and validation in harboring hate. Both are caused by an attempt to mask the pain of childhood trauma.

This week, Mate visited Philadelphia to give a keynote address in a symposium about addiction hosted by the Mural Arts Program. After the symposium, he sat for an interview with the Inquirer.

According to Mate, addiction is any behavior  not necessarily just drug use  that individuals cannot stop doing, despite harmful consequences, because it provides them with some relief or pleasure. He remembers a sex worker who told him that the first time she tried heroin, it felt like a "warm, soft hug." For Mate, the question is not "Why the addiction?" but "Why the pain?"

The connecting line between addiction and hate, according to Mate, is trauma. "What happened in Pittsburgh is a manifestation of trauma," Mate told the Inquirer. "There is no mass killer who wasn't a traumatized person."

Trauma is not foreign to Mate. He was born in Budapest to Jewish parents a month before the Nazi occupation of Hungary in 1944. His grandparents were killed in Auschwitz and his father was sent to forced labor. For his safety, his mother decided to give him to a Christian stranger. They were separated for a few weeks. Family members were eventually reunited and made their way to Canada. He became a physician, treating people in addiction on the eastside of downtown Vancouver, the drug-use capital of North America. During this time, he was a workaholic, depressed, and addicted to purchasing classical-music CDs, once spending as much as $8,000 on music in one week.

Just like addiction  to drugs or classic music  provides relief to people who were traumatized as children, so does hate.

People like the shooter from Pittsburgh have, according to Mate, "anger [that] has got nothing to do with what they think they are angry about. They are just angry because of what life has done to them as children and then they find external targets." Politics plays a role, too. "It will give them a target and an explanation to their rage and an outlet to express their rage," and "adds more and more fuel to direct their violence toward certain groups," he says.

In his keynote address, Mate critiqued the view that prevention campaigns can solve addiction crises. "If those campaigns of 'just say no' [to drugs] were so successful, why are we having a 9/11 every three weeks?"  referring to the overdose death toll in the country.

Mate talks about hate in a similar fashion: "You can't 'just say no' to hate."

"You can't fight hatred," Mate explains. "Telling people not to hate is not fighting hatred."

But there are solutions. The first step is recognizing the problem.

He says: "Instead of saying this is not our way, we should be saying, 'Let's get real  this [mass shooting] is happening. It is happening a lot. It is happening increasingly.' "

After recognizing that there is a problem, we need to find out what causes it. "We have to take an honest look at ourselves as a society and as a culture and say what is it about us that foments this kind of stuff," he says.

Two major forces contribute to hate: racism and inequality.

"The research is absolutely clear," Mate says. "The more inequality in a society, the more hate, the more dysfunction, the more mental illness, the more physical illness." It should come as no surprise, then, that we see more addiction and more mass shootings since "the inequality is rising all the time." Violence against racial, ethnic, or religious groups "is a manifestation of a society that foments division amongst people and sets people against each other."

We can reduce the harm of hate by not letting it boil over. We can vote for legislators who will enact gun laws to reduce the harm in those moments that it does. And we can create an environment that allows parents to be there for their children emotionally to prevent trauma  that includes paid family leave and stopping the fetishization of hard work.

Both hate and addiction are a manifestation of a society that is ill, disconnected, and traumatized. It is an indictment of American culture and society that anyone finds relief by picking up a rifle and driving to a synagogue. To fight hate, we need to change our culture and society.

That's a big task, but Mate believes it is possible: "It's going to get worse before it gets better, but in the long term, I don't have any doubts."
New Delhi: With less than a month to go for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections 2018, a bitter feud emerged among top Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

According to party sources, the two heavyweights sparred in the presence of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over seat allotment during the meeting of the central election committee (CEC) on Wednesday night.

CEC is the party's body for selecting poll candidates.

This prompted Rahul to ask senior party members Ashok Gehlot, Ahmed Patel and M Veerappa Moily to intervene between the two and sort out differences.

No candidate has been announced for the state polls so far.

It appears that Singh and Scindia, each batting for their own candidates, are bitterly divided over allotment of tickets for the upcoming state elections. As a result, the outcome of the CEC meeting, that continued till hours beyond midnight, remained inconclusive.

This was followed by a meeting of the leaders from Madhya Pradesh and the central screening committee of the state chaired by Madhusudan Mistry with Patel, Gehlot and Moily.

"The senior leaders have also been asked to first evolve a consensus among the various factions of Madhya Pradesh Congress and hold the next meeting," a senior party leader told PTI.

Insiders say a third meeting of the CEC for Madhya Pradesh to be held this evening was cancelled as no consensus could be brought about between the various state leaders over party tickets.

The meeting is now likely to be held on Friday.

Singh has refuted all reports of fissure spat with Scindia.

"It is being wrongly reported in press that I and Jyotiraditya Scindhiaji had any argument and (Congress President) Rahulji had to intervene. All of us in Madhya Pradesh Congress are one and determined to defeat the corrupt BJP government," Singh tweeted.

It is being wrongly reported in press that I and Jyotiraditya Scindhia ji had any arguement and Rahul ji had to intervene. All of us in MP Congress are one and determined to defeat the corrupt BJP Govt in MP.  digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) November 1, 2018

Reiterating similar views, Gehlot said, "There was no such fight between the leaders as reported in a section of the media. All the leaders in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are united."

Reacting to the Congress internal feud rumours, the BJP said that Rahul is "confused" and the Congress under him is "defused".

"Rahul is a confused President and under a confused President, the Congress is defused. The kind of infighting within the Congress...Digvijaya Singh (former Chief Minister) takes on Jyotiraditya Scindia (Congress MP) openly and that too in front of Rahul Gandhi," BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra said at a press conference.

"The people of this country are not confused. They want strong government and not a weak government," he said.

With agency inputs
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday announced the first of candidates contesting for Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections 2018.

The party has announced the names of 177 candidates for 230-member house.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan will contest from his current constituency Budhni. State ministers Narottam Mishra will contest from Datia, Yashodhara Raje Scindia from Shivpuri, Surendra Patwa from Bhojpur, Archana Chitnis from Burhanpur and Jitendra Gehlot from Alot (SC).

The BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) held a long meeting at the party headquarter in New Delhi on Thursday in a bid to finalise the names of contesting candidates.

Polls to the 230-member MP Assembly house will be held on November 28 while the results will be announced on December 11.
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MUMBAI: Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah held talks with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at the sidelines of a Sangh executive meet in Mumbai on Friday.

According to sources, the two held talks over the Ram Mandir issue. Shah also met several other RSS leaders and is scheduled to speak at the Sangh event later in the day.

The three-day meeting of the Sangh's Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal at Bhayander will end on Friday.

Last month, the Supreme Court said an appropriate bench would decide in January when to hear the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute cases.

RSS has been demanding an Ordinance for early construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya following the top court order.

"With this in view, the Supreme Court should make an early decision and if there are any difficulties, the government should make a law to remove all hurdles in the way of giving land for temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi site," RSS spokesperson Arun Kumar had said on Monday.

Pitching for building a Ram temple in Ayodhya at the earliest, the RSS said the government should enact a law to acquire the land for the construction, just like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had rebuilt the Somnath temple in Gujarat.

BJP ally Shiv Sena has also made similar demands. Part chief Uddhav Thackeray will visit Ayodhya on November 25 to remind PM Modi about constructing the Ram Mandir.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Uttar Pradesh government has planned a number of programmes to make the Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya grand. Among the various programmes, the biggest highlight is expected to be the laying of foundation stone of grand statues of lord Ram and Hanuman in the holy city.

Notably, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had in 2017 proposed that a 151-metre tall statue of lord Ram should be constructed on the banks of Saryu River in Ayodhya. The tourism department of the state had presented a proposal in this regard before Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik.

Sources have told Zee News that a number of presentations were made in Lucknow on Thursday on the proposed statue of lord Ram in Ayodhya.

Apart from this, several other events have been planned to be held in Ayodhya from October 4 to October 6. Ram Leela troupes from across the country have been invited to perform in Ayodhya on October 4 and October 6.

The Ram-Sita duo, which emerges winners on these two days, will perform in a grand Ram Leela, scheduled to be held on October 6, when the major Diwali celebrations will take place in Ayodhya.

Water and laser shows will also be organised during the events, and flowers will be showered by helicopters during the celebrations.

The main Diwali celebration is slated to be held from 8 am to 8 pm on October 6, and is likely to be attended by Yogi Adityanath and all other members of his government. South Korea President Moon Jae-in is also expected to attend the event, along with Governors of several states from across the country.

Earlier on Friday, Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey said that Adityanath is expected to make some major announcement on Ayodhya during the Diwali celebrations.

Diwali aane dijiye, khushkhabri ki pratiksha kijiye...Mukhyamantri ke haathon wo yojana saamne aayegi to uchit hoga (Let Diwali come, wait for the good news. It would be appropriate if the scheme is announced by the Chief Minister himself, Pandey said.
Pune Sessions Court on Friday rejected bail plea of activist Shoma Sen who is an accused in Bhima Koregaon Case.

Earlier the Pune court had granted police custody to activist Sudha Bharadwaj till November 6.

Two left-wing activists Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves were also arrested after the local court rejected their bail plea.

The Hyderabad High Court had earlier extended the house arrest for activist Varavara Rao for three weeks.

During the investigations into the Koregaon-Bhima riots, the Pune Police had raided and arrested five accused including Bharadwaj, Gonsalves, Ferreira, Gautam Navlakha (now released) and P. Varavara Rao (currently in house arrest in Hyderabad).

Earlier in June, the Pune Police had nabbed activists Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale, Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut and Rana Jacob in the Koregaon-Bhima case.

Besides the Koregaon-Bhima violence, the police claimed that they harboured links with Maoist terror groups, were allegedly planning to carry out high-level political assassinations in a Rajiv Gandhi-style operation and incite disturbances in the country to topple the government.

(With Agency Inputs)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) challenging a 2005 Delhi High Court verdict which had given a clean chit to Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case.

The apex court said that appeals are time bound and therefore, it cannot entertain CBI's appeal in the matter.

The London-based billionaire Hinduja brothers had been cleared of accepting kickbacks in the politically sensitive arms scandal by the Delhi High Court on May 31 of 2005. Srichand Hinduja and his brothers Gopichand and Prakash were cleared from accusations that they had received payments worth $8.3 million from Sweden-based AB Bofors to help gain an Indian government contract for Bofors guns. The HC had also given a clean chit to AB Bofors which had been accused of paying $1.3 billion in bribes.

The deal for 400 15mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army has remained shrouded in murky waters ever since March 24 of 1987 when a Swedish radio channel claimed that the company had paid bribes to top Indian politicians and defence personnel to secure the contract. It prompted the then prime minister in Rajiv Gandhi to assure Lok Sabha that no bribes were paid or received and that there were no middlemen involved. (Click here for a complete timeline)
Refuting a journalist's allegations of rape, former editor-turned-politician MJ Akbar released a statement on Friday claiming that they were in a consensual relationship" which spanned over several months.

He says that the relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause strife in my home life as well.

This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on best note.

A US-based journalist of Indian origin wrote in a blog piece for Washington Post alleging that she was raped by Akbar on several times more than two decades ago.

Akbar's wife Mallika has also come out in his defence.

I don't know her reasons for telling this lie, but a lie it is, she said.

Mallika added that the woman had reportedly caused unhappiness and discord in our home.

I learned of her and my husbands involvement through her calls and her public display of affection in my presence. In her flaunting the relationship, she caused anguish and hurt to my entire family, she added.

Akbar resigned from the Union Council of Ministers on October 17 after his name cropped up on the social media in the #MeToo campaign. Multiple women accused him of alleged sexual harassment when he was the editor.

Akbar had termed the allegations "false, fabricated and deeply distressing".

He filed a criminal defamation case against another woman journalist who accused him of harassment.

"Indeed there was an immediate damage because of the scurrilous nature of these concocted and false allegations. I was attacked in my personal capacity about alleged and fabricated non-events allegedly done two decades ago," he said in his statement.

The court has fixed November 12 for further hearing of the case when the statements of witnesses named by Akbar will be recorded.
New Delhi: Indian Navy has inducted a submarine rescue system with a Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) along with associated equipment, it said on Friday.

This system has a `Side Scan Sonar` for locating the position of the submarine in distress at sea, providing immediate relief with the help of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and thereafter rescuing the crew of the submarine using the DSRV itself, as per a release.

"To ensure early mobilisation, the system has been procured in a Flyaway configuration which permits rapid transportation of the rescue system from the base to the exact location of the distressed submarine by transportation using air/land/sea vessel"," said the release.

The Indian DSRV has the capability to rescue personnel from a distressed submarine (DISSUB) up to a depth of 650 m and it is the latest in terms of technology and capabilities.

The Navy said the system has been designed and supplied to meet unique requirements of the submarines by James Fishes Defence, UK.

"We have ordered two systems which shall be based on the West and East Coast of India respectively to provide redundancy, high operational availability and early response to deal with a submarine contingency," it said.

"With this capability, India has joined a select league of nations which have this unique capability and we are now in a position to not only provide rescue cover to our own submarines but also to other friendly nations in the IOR (Indian Ocean Region) and beyond."

The DSRV is likely to be inducted in the Indian Navy by end of this year.
New Delhi: Steps taken by states to control stubble burning "are far from satisfactory", Union minister Harsh Vardhan said on Thursday as environment ministers of four states around Delhi, including Haryana and Punjab, where the practice is rampant, skipped a crucial meet to discuss measures to stop air pollution levels from deteriorating further.

With Delhi's air quality plummeting to "very poor" category, Vardhan stressed the need for an "aggressive" plan to combat air pollution in Delhi.

He underlined that despite a decrease in incidents of stubble burning by 30 per cent from the previous year, more needs to be done.

Officials from four states - Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh - and Delhi's Environment Minister Imran Hussain took part in the meet, where Vardhan asked the Delhi government to ensure 100 per cent stoppage of open burning of domestic and industrial wastes.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal questioned in a tweet the absence of environment ministers of the neighbouring states. "Why didn't ministers from other states attend? Its a collective problem and I urge everyone to please work together. Only then can we find a soln (sic)."

Why didnt ministers from other states attend? Its a collective problem and I urge everyone to please work together. Only then can we find a soln. https://t.co/KSmR5deJDb  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 1, 2018

Hussain asserted that Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh should also show seriousness in curbing the increasing air pollution in the National Capital Region.

However, Vardhan said the issue of air pollution "should not be politicised" and everyone should give their full cooperation to protect the environment.

The Union environment minister had called a meeting of environment ministers of neighbouring states of Delhi to discuss the air pollution situation in Delhi.

Hussain said the Delhi government has been urging the central government to intervene and give farmers resources so they do not have to depend on stubble burning.

"Today also, you saw that ministers from Haryana, Punjab, UP and Rajasthan did not attend the meeting by the Union Environment Minister. Seriousness is needed to deal with the issue of increasing pollution in the national capital," he said.

Delhi's air quality was on the brink of turning severe as the overall air quality index was recorded at 393, only seven points shy of falling in the severe category, forcing authorities to enforce an emergency plan to tackle air pollution on Thursday.

Amid a rise in health-related problems due to air pollution, Vardhan launched a manual on asthma detailing how school administration must behave in case of an emergency.

The manual is a compilation of simple, easy-to-understand information on childhood asthma and the best practices that schools can implement to provide a safe and supportive environment for children.

Vardhan also launched an "aggressive" 10-day clean air campaign from November 1-10, reiterating that criminal proceedings against defaulters will be initiated in case of repeat violations.

He flagged off 52 teams to monitor and report polluting activities and ensure action. These teams will visit parts of Delhi and its adjacent towns of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Noida. While Delhi has 44 teams in NCR, Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad have two teams each.

After chairing the meeting Thursday, Vardhan said the steps taken by the state governments to control stubble burning are far from satisfactory.

"In Punjab only, daily cases of stubble burning were still running into thousands," he said, calling for effective steps to be taken "aggressively" by state governments to control the practice.

"More needs to be done to protect the environment and cooperation from administration and public is required for it," he said.

He also directed Delhi government and NCR states to ensure 100 per cent stoppage of open burning of domestic and industrial wastes. Vardhan said active participation from all agencies will be required to ensure that quick action is taken on the cases of violations reported by field teams.

The air quality is expected to deteriorate further around Diwali due to local factors and regional causes such as stubble burning, mainly in Punjab and Haryana.

He said the Central Pollution Control Board has also put up guidelines for the public to file complaints of air pollution in Delhi-NCR on its social media page, website and through its mobile app.

"We are receiving 100 complaints every day on these apps which is a good sign of people participation," he said. "The government can make policies and rules but it is the people who can play a role in implementing it," he told reporters.

A mechanism of implementation score to quantify the remediation actions, based on the observation or report of CPCB teams has also been devised.

The scores, however, indicate that actions on ground are not even 10 per cent of the incidents, Vardhan said adding the implementation scores of measures to combat air pollution are "not very good".

Since September 15, construction activities, open dumping or burning of wastes and others have been observed during inspection visit of CPCB.
Pakistan and China have dismissed Indias protest over the proposed luxury bus service between the two countries. While India has asserted that the bus service will be a violation of Indias sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Foreign Office of Pakistan accused New Delhi of trying to mislead the international community.

Just days after India strongly objected to the proposed bus service, the Foreign Office of Pakistan issued a statement saying, We reject the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) purported protest and statement regarding bus service through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Indias repeated regurgitation of claims over India-held Kashmir can neither change the facts of history nor the legality of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

According to Pakistan-based Dawn News, Indias objection to the bus service through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was rejected by Pakistan, with the Pakistan Foreign Office saying that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is disputed. The statement by Islamabad said that the final status is to be determined through a democratic and impartial plebiscite to be held under the auspices of the United Nations.

The report also quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang as saying that the CPEC is an economic cooperation initiative which targets no third country. He further said that Indias objection would not change Chinas position on the Kashmir issue.

On Wednesday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had objected to the proposed bus service.

He had said, So-called China-Pakistan 'Boundary Agreement' of 1963 is illegal and invalid, and has never been recognised by the Government of India. Therefore, any such bus service through Pakistan Occupied Jammu & Kashmir will be a violation of India's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

According to reports, the new bus service will be launched between Lahore in Pakistan and Kashgar in China via Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on November 13.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar health minister Tej Pratap Yadav has reportedly filed for divorce in a Patna court. Tej Pratap, son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and former chief minister Rabri Devi, had married senior RJD leader Chandrika Rais daughter Aishwarya Rai in a grand ceremony in Patna on May 12.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Tej Pratap's lawyer Yashwant Kumar Sharma said, "They couldn't get along. Application under Hindu Marriage Act was filed through me on behalf of Tej Pratap Yadav. I can't say anything else at this moment."

The sudden development comes months after reports said that Aishwarya Rai, granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai, might contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on an RJD ticket from Chhapra in Bihar.

Even before an official confirmation about the same, the Janata Dal United (JDU) had taken a dig at the RJD, saying workers in the party were there merely to play drums and party tickets for elections would be given only to members of Lalus family.

Aishwarya Rai was also in news when a poster of the foundation day of the RJD had carried her pictures, triggering speculations of her making a debut in politics. Despite Tej Pratap claiming that his wife would not join politics, the posters featuring her were installed by an RJD worker, Wasim Akram, ahead of the foundation day of the party.

From Mehendi ceremony to the lavish wedding, several photographs and videos of the high-profile wedding had gone viral on social media in May. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav was also granted parole to attend the wedding ceremony in Patna.

Taking to Twitter, Tej Prataps brother and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav had thanked people for coming in huge numbers to bless the couple. He had shared photographs showing huge crowd trying to click photographs of the couple.

Tejashwi had thanked people for showering blessings on the couple, attributing the huge turnout to the presence of Lalu Prasad Yadav. He had tweeted, Had we expected that lakhs of people would come to shower their blessings on the couple in the presence of Lalu Prasad Yadav, we would have organised the wedding at a bigger venue like Gandhi Maidan. Forgive us for whatever trouble you faced. Thank you again.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has threatened to launch an agitation for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, if needed. While talking about the stand of the organisation on the issue of Ram temple, RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said that Hindus were feeling insulted by the decision of the Supreme Court to defer the hearing in Ayodhya title suit till January 2019.

He said that the declaration by the Supreme Court that it had priorities other than the Ayodhya issue had not gone down well with the Hindus, adding that the government must bring an ordinance if all options run out.

We will not hesitate to launch an agitation for Ram temple, if needed, but since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there are restrictions, Joshi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. He said the same when asked by a mediaperson on whether the Sangh would launch an agitation for Ram temple construction like in the 1990s.

Joshi was interacting with the media after the conclusion of the National Executive meeting of the RSS in Uttan town in Thane district on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Joshi said the RSS, which is the fountainhead of the ruling BJP, was "not putting pressure" on the government as "we respect the law and the Constitution which is why there has been delay." The RSS leader added that the Ram temple issue was among various matters discussed when BJP president Amit Shah met Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat earlier in the day.

When the top court deferred the hearing on Monday, Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh of the RSS, Arun Kumar had demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre must bring a legislation to pave the way for the construction of Ram temple.

The RSS is of the view that Ram temple must be constructed at the birth place of Lord Ram and the place should be given to Ram Janmbhoomi Nyas. The construction of temple will create harmonious atmosphere. Taking this into account, the Supreme Court should take a decision at the earliest, the RSS communications in-charge had said.

He had further said, However, the government must bring a legislation to pave the way in case of any obstacles. The saints and the Dharm Sansad have been spearheading the Ram temple movement since the beginning and the RSS has supported them. We will stand by whatever steps they take.

Following the decision of the Supreme Court, the clamour has grown for a law on the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
CHENNAI: Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan has sparked a row asking if children will be punished if they burst crackers on Diwali during the time of restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court with DMK saying no remarks should be made that would amount to "disrespecting" the top court.

Radhakrishnan has said not adults, but it is children who burst fireworks in large numbers on Diwali.

"Not adults, over 90 per cent of those bursting crackers are children.. What are you going to do with them.. Will you impose the law on them," he said at Nagercoil recently.

He asked if the government would post a policeman at every house, apparently to implement the apex court order.

Diwali was a "people's festival" even as Christmas was due in another two months, he said, claiming these sort of restrictions could be in place then too.

Reacting to Radhakrishnan's statement, DMK spokesperson Constantine Ravindran said children who burst crackers do so under the supervision of parents, indicating that the onus was on the parents to adhere to the court order.

"What the Central Minister Radhakrishnan is saying, those whom he refers to as children, they don't do it (bursting crackers) themselves.. They do it under the supervision of the parents," he said.

"That being the case, the Supreme Court has given a verdict for a good thing (to address pollution). We should follow it to the maximum extent possible. That is the reality. The apex court's verdict is for parents," he told PTI.

He also said no remarks should be made against the court that would amount to "disrespecting" it.

Meanwhile, welcoming the apex court order, environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman it was a 'good' one.

"We should voluntarily shun firecrackers," he said when asked about Radhakrishnan's remarks.

Last month, Radhakrishnan triggered a row over his comments on the #MeToo movement, saying it was started by "people with perverted minds."

The Supreme Court had on October 23 permitted the sale and manufacture of low emission "green" firecrackers across the nation and fixed a two-hour time period from 8 pm to 10 pm for bursting them on Diwali and other festivals.

The Tamil Nadu government later moved the court urging it to allow firecrackers to be burst on Diwali morning in accordance with religious practices in the state, besides the already permitted 8 pm to 10 pm period.

Following this, the court had modified its order for Tamil Nadu, allowing it to decide on the time slot for burning firecrackers.

Accordingly, the state government Friday fixed the slot for bursting crackers between 6 am to 7 am and 7 pm and 8 pm, confining the revelry to two hours in line with the apex court directive.

Diwali falls on November 6 in the state.
A US-based journalist of Indian origin recently wrote in a blog piece on Washington Post that she had been raped by editor-turned-politician MJ Akbar years ago when he was the Editor-in-Chief at Asian Age. Akbar's lawyer has reportedly dismissed the accusation as 'false'.

In her opinion piece for the American news outlet, she writes that the recent accusations levelled against Akbar by other women 'made my head spin.' She writes that she was 22 when she began working for Asian Age in a newsroom where a majority of the employees were women. "Working in New Delhi under Akbar, we were star-struck. He was famous, an author of two well-regarded political books and a leading editor. Akbar, who was in his 40s, always made sure we were aware of his superior journalistic skills. He marked our copy with his red-ink-filled Mont Blanc pen, crumpled our printouts and often threw them in the garbage bin, as we shuddered. There was never a day when he didnt shout at one of us at the top of his voice. We rarely measured up to his standards."

She recounts that at 23, she became the editor of the op-ed page and it was in late spring or summer of 1994 that the first incident of harassment occurred. "I went to show him the op-ed page I had created with what I thought were clever headlines. He applauded my effort and suddenly lunged to kiss me. I reeled. I emerged from the office, red-faced, confused, ashamed, destroyed," she writes, adding that she recounted the incident to a colleague who was also a close friend. "The second incident was a few months later, when I was summoned to Bombay to help launch a magazine. He called me to his room at the fancy Taj hotel, again to see the layouts. When he again came close to me to kiss me, I fought him and pushed him away. He scratched my face as I ran away, tears streaming down. That evening, I explained the scratches to a friend by telling her I had slipped and fallen at the hotel."

She then states that Akbar had even threatened to sack her if she resisted him again.

The third incident, according to her, is when Akbar raped her. Recounting that she had gone to Jaipur for a news report, she writes she was called to Akbar's hotel room to discuss work. "In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me. Instead of reporting him to the police, I was filled with shame. I didnt tell anyone about this then. Would anyone have believed me? I blamed myself. Why did I go to the hotel room?"

The woman remembers that the incidents took a massive toll on her. "I was in shreds  emotionally, physically, mentally," she writes about a certain incident in London when Akbar had allegedly hit her and hurled office stationaries towards her. It is after this that, she writes, she quit the job and re-started her career in the US.

While she reflects back on the time spent in Asian Age with horror, she writes that she is now a US citizen who has re-discovered her love for journalism.

The woman's re-telling of what reportedly happened with her is likely to come as yet another blow to Akbar who is already facing allegations of harassment from several women who were his juniors at Asian Age. Akbar - who resigned as minister of state for external affairs - has maintained he is innocent and is confident the truth will come to the fore. According to Washington Post, his lawyer has expressly denied charges made against Akbar by the woman.
BENGALURU: The ruling Congress-JDS coalition in Karnataka faces a litmus test as three Lok Sabha and two assembly constituencies go to bypolls on Saturday, the outcome of which is expected to have a bearing on the state's political scene.

The polls are significant as the coalition partners, who have decided to contest them together, have termed it as a "prelude" to the May 2019 general elections and called for a similar "grand secular alliance" against the BJP at the national level.

BJP which has been questioning the longevity of the coalition government has predicted its fall once the by-poll results are out.

Polling in the by-polls to three Lok Sabha seats - Ballari, Shivamogga and Mandya and Ramanagara - and Jamkhandi assembly segments will be held between7 am to 6 pm Saturday, with a total of 54,54,275 voters eligible to cast their franchise in about 6,450 polling stations.

There are a total 31 candidates in the fray in all the five constituencies, though the contest is mainly between the Congress-JDS combine and the BJP.

Counting of votes will be on November 6.

Among the prominent candidates in the fray is Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's wife Anita Kumaraswamy, who is expected to have a smooth sail facing virtual no-contest in Ramanagara after BJP nominee L Chandrashekhar withdrew from the contest and rejoined Congress, giving a jolt days before the polls.

Officials at the state Chief Electoral Officer's office said, a total of 1,502 polling stations had been declared as sensitive.

A total of 35,495 polling personnel will be on duty for the bypolls in which 8,922 Voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) will be used, they added.

Senior police officials said elaborate security arrangements have been made in all the five constituencies.

The announcement of the by-polls for the Lok Sabha seats came as a surprise to all the three major political parties in the state -- Congress, BJP and JD(S) -- who questioned the need for the exercise when the general elections are due early next year.

Congress and JDS, who came together in a post-poll alliance after the assembly elections in May this year threw up a hung House, have decided to face the polls unitedly against the BJP, which they perceive as their common enemy.

While the Congress has fielded its candidates in Jamkhandi and Ballari, JD(S) is contesting in Shivamogga, Ramanagara and Mandya under an electoral understanding.

The outcome of the by-polls is expected to have a bearing on the alliance between Congress and JDS for the 2019 polls and also be a factor in determining the respective bargaining power of the two parties.

The bypolls brought to for family politics with kin of several leaders being fielded.

In Jamkhandi, Congress candidate Anand Nyamagowda, son of former MLA Siddu Nyamagouda, is pitted against Srikant Kulkarni of the BJP.

In Shivamogga, state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra is testing his fortunes against another former chief ministerS Bangarappa's son Madhu Bangarappa of the JD(S).

In Ballari, senior BJP leader Sriramulu's sister J Shantha is fighting against V S Ugrappa of the Congress, considered an outsider.

In the Vokkaliga bastion of Mandya, JD(S)'s Shivarame Gowda, is pitted against a fresh face in Dr Siddaramaiah, a retired Commercial Tax officer from the BJP.

BJP has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission about the developments in Ramanagara and requested it to "annul" the elections immediately.

During campaigning, open expression of displeasure by Congress workers came to fore in Ramanagara and Mandya constituencies that come under old Mysuru region over the party's decision to support the JDS candidates.

Congress and JD(S) that had fought bitterly against each other in the assembly polls, especially in the old Mysururegion.

The by-elections have been necessitated after Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga) and Sriramalu (Ballari), and CS Puttaraju of JD(S) (Mandya) resigned as MPs on their election to the assembly in May this year.

Bypolls to Jamkhandi assembly seat was caused by the death of Congress MLA Siddu Nyamagouda, while Ramanagara fell vacant after Kumaraswamy gave up the seat preferring Chennapatna, the other constituency from where he had won.
New Delhi: Bollywood's 'Badshaah' Shah Rukh Khan turns a year older today and on his special day various celebs took to social media and expressed their love for him. The actor greeted an ocean of fans outside his house Mannat last night and shared pics from his birthday eve via Twitter. Now, superstar Aamir Khan has a special wish for 'Shah' and it is too cute to miss!

Taking to the micro-blogging site Twitter, Aamir shared a pic with SRK and wrote Happy Birthday Shah! Health and happiness always! Love. a.

Well, the two Khan's look adorable in a single frame!

Aamir is gearing up for the release of his next film 'Thugs of Hindostan'. The movie also stars superstar Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Fatima Sana Shaikh and is slated to release on November 8.

The film is high on the buzzword and its trailer left people waiting for the release. The advance bookings of the film are also open and people can't wait to watch the saga unfold on silver screens!

The film also stars Hollywood actor Lloyd Owen, Ila Arun and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub in supporting roles.

Reportedly set in the backdrop of India under the British rule in the 19th century, Thugs of Hindostan is inspired by Philip Meadows Taylor's 1839 novel Confessions of a Thug. It revolves around the life of a thug and his gang who challenge the British Empire in the country.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is on his first official visit to China after assuming power, on Friday met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Khan referred to the Chinese president as a role model as he met him at the Great Hall of People in Beijing.

Lauding the leadership of Xi Jinping in China, the Pakistani Prime Minister said that the Chinese Presidents vision and leadership is a role model. He further said that no other country has tackled poverty and corruption the way China has.

A tweet by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) quoted Imran Khan as saying, President Xis vision and leadership is a role model; our country is very impressed the way China has progressed. China's phenomenal achievements are worth emulating. No other country has tackled poverty and corruption the way China has tackled.

Imran Khan further said that Pakistan wants to learn from Chinas experience in poverty alleviation and curbing corruption, even as he extended an invitation to Xi Jinping to visit Pakistan.

Xi also hailed the new leadership of Pakistan, saying that the ties between the two countries had now gained momentum. While welcoming Imran Khan, he said, Pakistan China relations have already been strengthening, and now gained momentum. The relationship has not only benefited the two countries but also the region.

According to news agency PTI, China on Friday reportedly agreed to provide USD 6 billion in aid to cash-strapped Pakistan to minimise its dependence on an IMF bailout package. A loan of USD 1.5 billion is also expected to be offered, along with an additional package of USD three billion for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a Geo TV report said.

This is the second USD 6 billion package which Khan has managed to obtain in the last few weeks as Pakistan reeled under severe financial crisis. Earlier during his visit to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh committed USD 6 billion funding which included USD 3 billion deferred payment for oil imports.
Maulana Samiul Haq, also known as the 'father of Taliban', was reportedly killed in Pakistan's Rawalpindi.

Muslim cleric Sami ul-Haq, known as the "Father of the Taliban" for having taught some of the Afghan Islamist movement`s leaders, was killed on Friday in a Pakistani city, a relative and his deputy said.

Unknown attackers shot the prominent cleric, who runs an Islamic school in northwestern Pakistan, his deputy Yousaf Sha and nephew said. They said he was visiting the capital Islamabad this week, but further details of the shooting were unclear. Some local media said ul-Haq was in the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi when he killed.

Samiul Haq was the chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and died in an assassination attempt, news agency PTI reported.

He has twice been a member of the Senate of Pakistan from 1985 to 1991 and again from 1991 to 1997.

Samiul Haq had close ties with the Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.

He was also the head of Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Akora Khattak, Dawn reported.

Haq was aligned with the ruling Pakitan Tehreek-i-Insaf for July 25 election.

(With Agency Inputs)
While Poroshenko is changing the regional heads of districts, MPs negotiate on a possible replacement of some other heads of the regional state administrations, particularly in Ukraines southern regions

Open source

Into the new year with the new governors! Apparently, Presidents Administration and the Cabinet of Ministers decided to do so and therefore began changing the regional leaders. October 24, Cabinet of Ministers agreed on the dismissal of the heads of four regional state administrations: Oleksandr Horhan (Kyiv Regional Administration), Yuriy Harbuz (Luhansk Regional Military-Civilian Administration), Yuriy Tkachenko (Cherkasy Regional Administration), and Olexandr Fischuk (Chernivtsi Regional Administration). On the same day, the government agreed on the appointment of Oleksandr Tereshchuk to the Kyiv Regional State Administration and Oleksandr Velbovets to Cherkasy.

From governors to deputies

Oleksandr Horhan has long been considered to be fired soon. As a result, the governor remained in the office for two years. According to 112.ua sources in the coalition factions, the head of the region was charged with the absence of a pro-presidential majority in the regional council. The conflict has lasted for these years.

Since 2014, businessman Kostiantyn Bondarev, who is considered close to former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, has a great influence on Kyiv Regional Council, as well as a number of district councils of the region. For example, the regional council could make a decision regarding the distribution of 82 billion USD of regional budget funds "for the socio-economic development of the region" only in April of this year.

According to Slovo i Dilo portal, Oleksandr Horhan ranked last in the list of fulfilled promises.

In addition, according to our interlocutors, the ex-head of the regional state administration quarreled with part of the local elites, as well as "failed the party activity of the pro-presidential political force." It is rumored that Yaroslav Moskalenko (Horhan is called his man) began to drift towards Tymoshenkos "Batkivshchyna" party. Sources add that thanks to Moskalenkos efforts, Horhan was able to keep his chair last year. Horhan calls his resignation planned.

According to 112.ua sources in the coalition factions, the large-scale process of dismissing the district administrations heads has already been launched. Bankova (Presidents Administration  Ed.) expects Tereshchuk to work for Poroshenkos victory in the upcoming presidential election, our interlocutors say.

By the way, Tereshchuk is called a man of former Prosecutor General Vitaliy Yarema.

There is some information about Horhans future. Our sources claim that the ex-head of the Kyiv region might run for parliament (district No. 93 in Kyiv region).

What about the rest?

Yuriy Tkachenko was appointed the head of the Cherkasy Regional State Administration in 2014 by acting president Turchynov. After Poroshenko became the president, Tkachenko was reassigned. The main reason for this resignation was the tense relations of the governor with a businessman Yuriy Kosyuk, who is close to Bankova. Cherkasy was a very important region for his business. In 2015, Tkachenko stated that he will not allow the expansion of the capacity of Myronivsky Hliboproduct company, headed by Kosyuk, without the proper availability of permits.

The new head of the region was the chairman of Cherkassy Regional Council, Olexandr Velbovets, who is considered to be close to Yuriy Kosyuk. The new governor has a mixed past. In 2010, Velbovets, who at that time was a village chief, was suspected of bribery. He himself calls this criminal case fabricated.

Two years after his appointment, Yuriy Harbuz, head of Luhansk regional military-civil administration, was also dismissed. The reason for his dismissal was the conflict with the MP Serhiy Shakhov from Nash Krai (Our Land) group, which is considered close to the Presidential Administration. In summer, the parliamentarian publicly demanded Harbuzs resignation.

So far, the Luhansk military-civil administration will remain without a full-fledged leader. Yuriy Harbuz to be replaced by his deputy Serhiy Fil, who, according to the Verkhovna Radas website, is a volunteer assistant to the leader of the Poroshenkos faction Artur Herasimov, and according to a number of media reports, he took part in the election campaign of MP Serhiy Shakhov.

Oleksandr Fischuk, head of the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration, was officially dismissed at his own request but continues to fulfill his duties. Fischuk has taken the post in 2015. Prior to that, in 2012, he was elected a people's deputy.

The main reason for the dismissal of Fischuk was the conflict with the leader of the National Front faction, Maksym Burbak. Fischuk repeatedly accused Burbak of destabilizing the situation in the region. Bukbak, in turn, hinted that the head of the region serves the interests of businessman Dmytro Firtash.

This is not the end of the regional personnel changes. While the head of state is changing the regional heads of districts, MPs negotiate on a possible replacement of some other heads of the regional state administrations, particularly in Ukraines southern regions.

Read the original text at 112.ua.
Open source

November 1, the illegal armed formations of Russian militants conducted eight attacks on the positions of Ukrainian servicemen in Donbas. The HQ of the Joint Forces Operation reported this on Facebook.

'The enemy opened adjusted fire from grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. The most intense activity was observed in the Azov sector. The outposts near Hnutove came under fire three times; in the area of Chermalyk, the occupant forces used 82 mm mortars and heavy machine guns,' the report says.

In the daytime, the mercenaries attacked Stanytsia Luhanska, where the Ukrainian troops did not return fire so as to avoid any risk for the civilian population. In Avdiivka, the commanders decisively ordered to return fire.

None of the Ukrainian fighters were wounded or killed in action. The general situation remains controlled by the Ukrainian military.
In particular, centers of innovative practices are expected to appear in this country

Angela Merkel and Petro Poroshenko during the Chancellor's official visit to Ukraine on November 1 Presidential Administration press office

Ukraine should expect new cash proceeds from Germany, as the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel said at the joint briefing with the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, which was broadcasted by 112 Ukraine.

'We will significantly enhance the number of allocations in the scientific area. We will be creating centers of innovative practices worth $2.2 million. It is very important that the scientists have a chance to stay in Ukraine and not leave abroad; that they could work here,' Merkel stated.

She added that Germany was ready to allocate the extram means amounting around $97.2 million to improve the prospects of the employment of young Ukrainians by professional education and to improve the housing situation.

At the same time, Poroshenko said that part of the money Germany allocates on the development of Ukraines economy will be spent on the construction of the roadway between Zaporizhia and Mariupol.

'During one of her visits, the Chancellor emphasized the decision of the German Government to allocate loans worth $572.1 million to support Ukraines economy. And today, I suggested that part of the means should be spent on the loan to construct the roadway between Zaporizhia and Mariupol, as the development of the infrastructure of liberated Donbas is our priority,' the President noted.

Earlier, Angela Merkel paid the official visit to Ukraine. She met with President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and the leaders of the political parties' parliamentary factions. During the visit, the parties discussed some critical issues, including the prolongation of anti-Russian sanctions, the construction of the Nord Stream 2 and elections on the occupied territories of Donbas.
On October 11th, following a three day meeting in Istanbul, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople announced its decision to terminate the effect of its Tomos, the publication of a declaration issued 300 years ago, which gave Russia patrimony over Ukraine, thus setting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the path to independence - autocephalous in Church parlance - from Moscow.

Vladimir Putin, the Presidnet of Russia EU Today

At the same time, the heads of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv (UOC-KP) Patriarch Filaret, and of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) Metropolitan Makariy, both of who had been excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church, were reinstated in their canonical status.

This move, precipitated by Kyiv in 2016 in response to Russias ongoing aggression against its neighbours, was taken in order to prevent Moscows continued use of the Orthodox Church as a political tool in order to exert influence Ukraine.

This has caused considerable consternation and embarrassment for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has always voiced his belief that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, a sentiment that inspired, and was used to justify, in Putins mind at least, Russias 2014 illegal annexation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, and subsequent military and other support for rebels factions in the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

Moscow had challenged the right of Constantinople to rule on this matter, but itwas overruled: as a result, in a fit of fury, the Moscow Patriarch announced that the Russian Orthodox Church was breaking its ties with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, sowing the seeds of what could possibly become the biggest schism in the Orthodox Church in a thousand years.

The Patriarchate of Constantinople has the status of being first among equals as the main Church of the old Christian Byzantine Empire.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the Moscow patriarchates head of external church relations, declared the decision of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, to be unlawful, saying that Moscow will not be able to communicate with the church which today finds itself in the midst of a schism.

This action may be driven not merely by the granting of autonomy to the Ukrainian Churches, but also by the fact that Moscow has had a difficult relationship with Constantinople for some time. In 2016, Moscow ignored and attempted to foil the long-awaited Great Orthodox Council, which Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew considered to be his lifetime achievement.

The Council went ahead in June of that year in Crete, with one of the matters on the agenda being Autonomy and the Means by Which it is Proclaimed, which may go some way to explaining Putins hostility to the event.

As Putin appears determined to lead his country into a future of not so splendid isolation, this may be viewed by the Kremlin as a beneficial crisis: he clearly does not have the power he wanted over the wider Orthodox Church, and so better for him to denounce it and turn his back on it.

Since the aggression of 2014 Ukraines Russophile population is now reduced in both size and political influence. Control over one of Ukraines two Orthodox Churches, the (UOC-KP) - the other being the (UAOC), which appoints its own head, and has never come under the jurisdiction of any external patriarch or archbishop - had given the Kremlin an important power base in the country.

In fact, since 2014 congregations have been moving away from the Moscow Patriarchate in favour of those Churches that identify as Ukrainian in increasing numbers.

All these important changes come at a time when Ukraines government and civil society are presiding over a resurgence of the Ukrainian language - suppressed by Moscow during the Soviet era - and the removal of symbols of the Soviet past. All of this is a blow to Putins perverse view of the world, in which he once described the collapse of the evil empire as a geopolitical disaster.

He has also stated Russia to be spiritually inseparable from Ukraine, a claim undermined by the Orthodox church's decision to make Ukraine independent.

On October 12th, the day following the Constantinople declaration, Putin urgently convened an extraordinary meeting of Russias National Security and Defence Council, where the situation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, was discussed. This was most revealing, as the Church that comes under patrimony of Moscow is officially known as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

I think we will soon see how many bishops of the UOC MP are really bishops, and how many are pro-Russian politicians in church robes said Ukrainian religious scientist Prof. Yuriy Chornomorets.

Indeed, the Church has always been used as a political tool by Russia - the current Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, is a close friend of Putin, who has often used the Church to endorse many of his polices, such as his opposition to feminism and same-sex marriage, once describing his first 12 years of his rule as a miracle of God .

Kirill has been implicated in the activities of the Siloviki, the criminal group of mainly former KGB/FSB officers over which the Russian president presides. Indeed, Kirills predecessor, Alexy II, who died in December 2008, was also known to have been recruited into the KGB in 1958, operating under the codename Drozdov.

Moscow will do everything to destroy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, said Patriarch Filaret, of the UOC-KP (pictured below right) and therefore, to preserve the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and bring it to fruition, I have to work to the end.

Filaret has also stated that there is no misunderstanding between the two Ukrainian Churches, suggesting that the UOC-KP is also expecting to be granted autocephaly.

"There is no misunderstanding between the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church since both are for the autocephalous.

Putin will certainly continue to use the Moscow Patriarchate to exert influence on Ukraine, as he will continue to use it as a propaganda tool at home, and to inspire feelings of patriotism in the armed forces: his cynicism knows no bounds.

Patriarch Kirill has already hinted at what is to come when in an outburst in which he attempted to divert attention away from the the legitimate legal and religious reasons behind the move towards independence of the Ukrainian Churches he stated We are aware of how difficult the current situation in the brotherly land of Ukraine is, but we believe that secular forces that aim to destroy the church will never succeed."

In his words, Patriarch Kirill appears to confirm the warning of Patriarch Filaret. Putin will demand his revenge for what is the greatest setback and humiliation of his political career to date. Europe has stood by Ukraine since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, and must prepare itself to witness further Russian aggression, this time in the name of God.

Read the original text here.
The local election appointed for December 23 will not take place at Kryvorizhzhya and Shakhovo rural joint areas of Dobropilsky district, - Central Election Commission

Open source

The Central Election Commission of Ukraine has delayed the elections in two joint territorial communes of Donetsk region due to the threat of the terrorist act as the press service of the commission reported.

'On October 18, 2018, the Central Election Commission got a letter from Donetsk Regional Military-Civilian Administration on the impossibility to provide the proper security to the citizens due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and avoid the terrorist threat during the holding of the first local elections,' the message said.

The authorities concerned about the security of voters during the elections at Kryvorizhzhya and Shakhovo rural joint territorial communes of Dobropilsky district.

Due to the terrorist threat, the Regional Military-Civilian Administration of Donetsk region offered to postpone the holding of the local elections planned on December 23, until the situation is stabilized.

The Central Election Commission found the arguments of the administration sufficient. So, the commission claimed it was 'impossible to provide the preparation and holding of the local election.'

Related video:
It is claimed that steps that would further aggravate the situation must be avoided

Open source

The European Union assumes that Russias sanctions against Ukraine are unreasonable. Rikard Jozwiak, reporter of Radio Liberty claimed this on Twitter.

Rus gov's decision to impose financial measures against Ukr persons & companies is unjustified. All steps that further exacerbate the situation & obstruct finding a solution to the restoration of Ukr's territorial integrity must be avoided, reads the message.

EU on #Russia's sanctions on #Ukraine: "Rus gov's decision to impose financial measures against Ukr persons & companies is unjustified.All steps that further exacerbate the situation & obstruct finding a solution to the restoration of Ukr's territorial integrity must be avoided."  Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) November 2, 2018

As we reported earlier, on November 1, 2018, Russias Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev issued a decree, which introduces sanctions against 322 Ukrainian citizens and 68 companies. In particular, sanctions were imposed against Ukraines Internal Minister Arsen Avakov, acting Health Minister Ulyana Suprun and Culture Minister Yevgen Nyshchuk, Minister of Education Liliya Grynevych, Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan, Ecology Minister Ostap Semerak, Information Policy Minister Yuriy Stets, Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak, Deputy Defence Minister for European integration Anatoliy Petrenko and Vice Prime Minister for European, and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

Presidents son Oleksiy and Poroshenkos Press Secretary Svyatoslav Tseholko were included on the list; however, the president's name is not there.

Earlier, President Petro Poroshenko introduced the early-adopted decision of the National Security and Defense Council on personal sanctions against the number of legal entities and individuals connected with the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The order was signed on May 14, 2018, and published on the website on the Presidential Administration on May 18.
Earlier, the Turkish Cabinet introduced sanctions against the members of the U.S. Government, as a response to the decision of the United States Department of the Treasury

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the withdrawal of sanctions against Suleyman Soylu, Head of Turkish Interior Ministry and Abdulhamit Gul, Head of the Turkish Ministry of Justice. Ankara took a similar step by canceling restrictions against two members of the U.S. Government, Turkish Anadolu agency reports.

Sanction against the U.S. Attorney General and the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen are lifted in response to the decision of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Hami Aksoy, Spokesperson of Turkish MFA claimed.

He recalled that Ankara imposed sanctions on the members of the US Government, as a 'reflecting step' on the decision of the U.S. Department of the Treasury on sanctions made on August 1, 2018.

The ban on the entry of Jefferson Sessions and Kirstjen Nielsen to Turkey, the blocking of probable accounts of US ministers in our country and the ban on trading with Turkish citizens have been lifted, the Representative of the Turkish MFA claimed.

It is reported that the strained relations of the countries were due to the case of American pastor Andrew Craig Brunson accused for connections with terrorists in Turkey.

Brunson was detained on December 9, 2016 for espionage and facilitating the terrorists inspired by Fethullah Gulen and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). On October 12, the court of Izmir in Turkey sentenced the American pastor to three years and 45 days of imprisonment.

Considering the term the U.S. citizen has already spent in detention and under house arrest, Brunson was released from the courtroom, after which he returned to Washington. Head of the White House Donad Trump expressed his gratitude to Turkey for the support in the release of Brunson.
Rick Perry, the U.S. Secretary of Energy goes with the working visit to Eastern Europe. He will negotiate with responsible officials in Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Reuters reported this on Friday.

The official press release says that Perry is going to talk through a wide range of questions concerning coal exports, supplies of liquefied gas, nuclear energy and cybersecurity.

Donald Trump's administration seeks to settle coal and gas supplies to the EU market. The U.S. promotes its own energy carriers as the alternative to the Russian gas in Europe, which would let cut down the EU addiction from the Russian energy monopoly. On the other hand, the American liquefied gas is more expensive because of the transportation expenses.

In October, Polish PGNiG company turned to the U.S. and agreed on the contract to buy the gas from U.S. company Venture Global LNG.

Besides, Trump's government seeks new market outlets for the U.S. coal, since the domestic demand has dropped to the historical minimum since 1983, as the coal power plants shut down.

In June 2017, Ukrainian energy company Tsentrenergo agreed to buy 700,000 tons of U.S. coal.
Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, reminded Russia about the importance of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Open source

Russia-NATO council held a session in Brussels. In particular, the situation in Ukraine was included in the discussion, as NATO website reports.

The NATO-Russia Council, which brings together the 29 Allies and Russia, met in Brussels on Wednesday (31 October 2018). Ambassadors had an open exchange on several topics, including the situation in and around Ukraine; issues related to military activities, reciprocal transparency, and risk reduction; Afghanistan; and hybrid challenges, the message says.

Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, reminded Russia about the importance of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

NATO has urged Russia repeatedly to address these concerns in a substantial and transparent way, and to actively engage in a constructive dialogue with the United States. While we stand ready to continue dialogue on this issue with Russia, as an Alliance we are also committed to take effective measures to continue to ensure the safety and security of all Allies, he said.

In its turn, Russia wants to have complete information about the plans of deployment of medium-range and shorter-range missiles, including the American ones, on the European continent.

The participants have also shared information about the military drills. In particular, NATO reported on Trident Juncture 2018, which are under way in Norway and Russia  on Vostok 2018.

NATO ceased practical cooperation with Russia in 2014 for Crimeas annexation and participation in Donbas conflict. Russia-NATO council session at the level of the ambassadors was restored.

Related video:
The Kremlin representatives stated that the convicted has to file the complaint by himself

The Administration of the Russian President Vladimir Putin has declined the appeal filed by Russias party Yabloko ('Apple' in Russian, - 112 International) on pardoning of Oleg Sentsov, the Ukrainian political prisoner. Journalist Anton Naumlyuk wrote this on Facebook.

'The right for the pardon is an exclusive prerogative of the president. Russias Constitution does not restrict the president within this right. We urge to not be afraid to take this step, which is important from the humanitarian, legal and political points of view,' the statement of the party says.

Yet, Putins administration responded that according to the pardon procedure, the convict has to file the complaint by himself. It has to be sent to the commission of pardon headed by the governor. Then, the president is to confirm this decision.

Earlier, Ukrainian political prisoner Oleg Sentsov was awarded Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

Previously, Valeriy Maksymenko, the Deputy Head of Russias Federal Prison Service said that Sentsov gave up starving and almost returned tp normal nutreition mode. The procedures to properly finish the hunger strike are almost completed, the official said. He added that over the past three weeks, the inmate gained ten lkilograms and returned to his initial weight he had before the hunger strike.

The native of Crimea, film director and political activist, Sentsov was illegally detained in Crimea in 2014, then taken to Russia. They judged him and sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment at a high-security penal colony. The prosecutors charged Sentsov with preparing terrorist acts in the occupied Crimea. Sentsov denies his guilt. Ukraine's government, common citizens and the international society - politicians, artists, public figures - urge the Kremlin to release him.

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According to Andriy Zolotaryov, one vector is oriented at the Russian domestic political discourse and another one - is aimed outwardly, at the part of Ukraines politicum which refers to the party of peace

Open source

Political expert Andriy Zolotaryov commented on Russias sanctions imposed against many Ukrainian politicians; he shared his views on Facebook.

'Many saw the absence of common sense in the reflecting sanctions list of Russia, which was a hot topic on Thursday. Indeed, the list is rather diverse, it contains the names of political and business big cheeses and political 'pawns' for whom this situation will be the peak of their career. There is a reasonable logic here,' he believes.

The expert sees two vectors in the list. The first one is oriented at the Russian domestic political discourse.

'The list is full of 'hawks' from 'to-the-bitter-end war party' and media-clownish characters like Havrylyuk and Parasyuk. The question is what for? The answer is clear. It is necessary to demonstrate the talk show audience, the consumers of the political information, the waythat one is punished for anti-Russian position. At least, to create an illusion. Such demands were present in the Russian media and political sphere for a long time,' Zolotaryov said.

The second vector is external; it is aimed outwardly, at the part of Ukraines politicum which refers to the party of peace.

'The opponents consider them pro-Russian politicians, yet, it is just an old propaganda cliche. Probably, before a new electoral course, using the stick-and-carrot method, the Kremlin motivated this flank of the Ukrainian politics if not to surrender, then to have a more active, even a radical position,' Zolotaryov wrote.

He also added that the period of talks on 'huge importance of Minsk Agreements' without no actions to promote them is coming to an end.

As we reported, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed an order which imposes sanctions against a list of physical and legal entities of Ukraine.

In particular, sanctions were imposed against Ukraines Internal Minister Arsen Avakov, acting Health Minister Ulyana Suprun and Culture Minister Yevgen Nyshchuk, Minister of Education Liliya Grynevych, Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan, Ecology Minister Ostap Semerak, Information Policy Minister Yuriy Stets, Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak, Deputy Defence Minister for European integration Anatoliy Petrenko and Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

Presidents son Oleksiy and Press Secretary Svyatoslav Tseholko were included in the list; however, the President's name is not there.

Later, spokesperson of the Russian president Dmitriy Peskov claimed that the presidents are not included in the sanctions lists because 'it is beyond all reasons'.
Most of them are conducted by Ryanair; Wizz Air, Tarom and Atlasglobal are on the list, too

Open source

22 new flights began to operate in Ukrainian airports; 17 of those are conducted by Ryanair, with Wizz Air, Tarom and Atlasglobal joining in. President Petro Poroshenko posted this on Facebook.

'I dreamed of it, when last year, on June 11, we opened symbolic doors to Europe, when the visa-free regime was introduced. Now we expand the opportunities for Ukrainians to travel by competitive prices. The visa-free regime is active, and Europe becomes even closer and more available', Poroshenko wrote.

On October 17, the flight of Brussels Airlines was launched from Boryspil airport.
Open source

Cases of attacks on activists and public figures increased in 2018. Only for the first nine months, 54 cases were recorded, Ukraines Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko claimed this at the operative session, having summed up the work over the last nine months, 112 Ukraine reports.

I want to say that I, along with my colleagues, solved only one-third of all attacks. We havent found any contractor yet. No matter how we explain the difficulties of the contractor search  it is negative. Zero contractors in this sector, as an attack on activists causes reasonable criticism and distrust of the authorities, the Prosecutor General stressed.

Earlier, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko claimed he was concerned about the numerous attacks on activists and is not pleased with the criminal situation in the country.

As we reported earlier, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a law on the observance of the rights of participants in criminal proceedings and other persons during the pre-trial investigation.

The draft law amends several articles of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, in terms of providing another person whose rights or legitimate interests are limited during the pre-trial investigation, or his representative the right to file petitions to the investigator. The prosecutor is to close the criminal proceedings if there is an unreasonable decision of the investigator or no criminal offense is detected.
The loss of the territory can take place due to the lack of the financing of the bank consolidation in Volyn region

Ukraine can lose about 5,000 hectares of land in the favor of Poland due to the erosion of the coast of Western Bug, which is being eroded without the riverbank consolidation. It is stated in the report of the State Audit Service on the results of the state financial audit of the execution of the budget programs by State Agency of Water Resources for 2015-2017 and January-March 2018.

Particularly, the report states that the reason for the incident is the underinvestment of the consolidation of the bank.

'Due to the absence of the financing for the fulfillment of the riverbed-regulating and banks-consolidation events at the border parts of Western Bug River, the processes of the coastal erosion are observed; it can lead to the exclusion of 5,000 ha of the lands as the border between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland lies in the middle of the stream pool of the river,' the report said.

The estimated cost of the possible losses is more than $30,7 million.

Ukraine can lose its territories in favor of other states, too - particularly, at the transboundary parts of rivers Tisa, Dniester, Sozh, Prut, Suceava and others at the territories of Vinnytsia, Zakarpattia, Chernivtsi and Chernihiv regions. The total cost of the necessary works makes about $71.2 million.

The auditors emphasize that the Finance and Ecology Ministers are aware of the problem but the budget money was not allocated for the coastal works in 2015-2017.

Earlier, the Ukrainian government offered Moldova to construct the bridge over Dnister river not far from the town of Yampil, Vinnytsia region, southwestern Ukraine.

Besides, Biyuk-Karasu river, one of the largest ones in the occupied Crimea, dried out because of the severe drought there. The creekbed next to Karasivka village is completely dry; due to that, Taiganske and Bilohirske reservoirs are empty now.

Related video:
Donbas conflict, Ukrainian gas, Russian sanctions, Crimea, Oleg Sentsov, Merkel's visit to Kyiv, Ukrainian political prisoner in Russia Oleg Sentsov - the whole week on one page

About Donbas conflict

Belarusian capital city Minsk hosted Munich Security Conference. Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko and Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko participated in the conference.

UN Security Council condemned preparations for the local election in Donbas. Eight EU members urged the Kremlin to apply pressure on the militants in Donbas to cancel the elections. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor who visited Kyiv on November 1, added that the election contradicts the Minsk agreement. PACE delegation visited Donbas combat area on November 1.

Mark Etherington, former British airborne trooper re-joined the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine  as the new deputy head of this mission. He replaced Alexander Hug, who served in this office since March 2014 until October 2018.

The Red Cross sent to the occupied Donbas five trucks with humanitarian aid aboard.

The Ukrainian army successfully tested a new mortar carrier vehicle; it lets the crew deploy a mobile firing position, which also enjoys an automatic fire control system.

***

About Russian sanctions

On November 1, Russia imposed sanctions against 322 Ukrainians and 38 Ukrainian companies, while the President Poroshenko was not included into the list and the Kremlin explained why. Besides, the sanctions list can be extended or shortened as the Russian government reported.

In his turn, Poroshenko stated that 'the Russian decision on the sanctions was not unexpected'.

The National Bank also commented on Russias actions  the representatives of the institution stated that the sanctions would not significantly influence Ukraines macro-stability.

Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin called this a beginning of a 'multi-episode series'.

***

About Oleg Sentsov, the Ukrainian political prisoner in Russia

Oleg Sentsov, the Ukrainian political prisoner who just had his last will published seems to be recovering after the long-lasting hunger strike. At least thats what the Russian side claims. Valery Maksymenko, the Deputy Head of Russias Federal Penitentiary Service reported that the treatment process is almost over, and Sentsov returns to a normal nutrition mode.

Sentsov wrote a letter to his supporters; thanks to the efforts of Russian human rights activist Nikolai Shchur, it appeared on the Web. 'I feel better - much better than I did a month ago. My lab tests are not very good yet, but not as bad as they were before.

Russian presidential administration declined the appeal of Russias party Yabloko (Apple in English) on the pardoning of Oleg Sentsov, the Ukrainian political prisoner. 'This is an exclusive prerogative of the President,' the party noted. Yet, Vladimir Putins administration responded that according to the pardon procedure, the convicted has to file the appeal by himself. It has to be sent to the commission of pardon headed by the governor. Then, the president has to confirm this decision.

***

About Merkels visit to Kyiv

The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel paid an official visit to Ukraine on November 1. She had meetings with the President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.

Besides, they held a joint press conference, where Markel, in particular, stated that the local elections in Donbas contradicted with Minsk agreements. The Chancellor claimed Germanys support of Ukraines territorial integrity.

During this visit, Poroshenko and Merkel agreed on the conduction of the 10th session of the Ukrainian-German group on the high level in Berlin on November 28.

At the meeting with Ukraines Parliament Spokesperson, Merkel said that Germany insisted on the provision of the guarantees of the maintenance of gas transit through the territory of Ukraine after the construction of the Nord Stream 2.

In addition, the Chancellor announced new allocation for Ukraine  to develop the science sector, in particular.

***

About gas prices in Ukraine

Gas prices hike in Ukraine from November 1. The tariff has risen by 23,5 percent, the price is $305 for a thousand cubic meters. Gas getting more expensive, Ukrainians getting poorer. 'Why so expensive?' How much does Ukrainian gas really cost? Ukraine's politicians could be manipulating increase in gas prices in the run-up to elections.

***

About Crimea

Ukraine had to block the adoption of the annual budget of the Commission on the Black Sea Protection due to the participation of the so-called 'representatives of Crimea'.

It was also announced that the first hearing on the case of 'Ukraine against Russia' on Crimea is scheduled for February 27, 2019. The ECHR should establish the date when Russia tool control over the Crimean peninsula.

***

About Ukraine-Hungary relations

Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Occupied Territories said that Hungary took pro-Russian position. Whereas, Foreign Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto claimed that Budapest does not plan to conquer particular areas of Zakarpattia region or to ensure its autonomous state.

Hungary has also changed the name of 'the minister for Zakarpattia' to the 'minister responsible for the development of the cooperation of Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg and Zakarpattia regions and coordination of the development program for education facilities for children of Zakarpattia region.'
Russian distributor Megogo Distribution asked cinemas not to show the thriller ahead of the scheduled premiere on October 31, saying it had still not received the screening license

Gerard Butler starring in Hunter Killer Radio Liberty

Hunter Killer movie was released in the U.S. last week. The Russian and Ukrainian release of the film, which tells the story of U.S. soldiers rescuing a Russian president during a coup attempt, is postponed. According to some reports, the film could be banned in both countries due to its content, Radio Liberty reports.

'Russian distributor Megogo Distribution asked cinemas not to show the thriller ahead of the scheduled premiere on October 31, saying it had still not received a screening license,' the news agency reads.

The Ministry of Culture of Russia, which provides licenses, stated that the company had provided an incomplete package of documents.

'There was no official explanation for the delay of Hunter Killer in neighboring Ukraine, where the movie failed to open as scheduled last week,' the message says.

'We still do not have any response from the [Russian] Culture Ministry,' Megogo Distribution stated in a letter about the screening license.

Nevertheless, all the materials and documents regarding this movie have been submitted in advance. Previously, the Ministry did not have any no objections to the film's release, the distributor said.

'The Culture Ministry told the AFP news agency that it had withheld a screening license for the film because Megogo Distribution did not show confirmation that it 'transferred the film for permanent storage in the Russian State Film Fund [Archive], which is the key prerequisite for obtaining a screening license,' the message says.
Social media

The exchange of RIA News CEO Kyrylo Vyshynsky, suspected of state treason in Ukraine for political prisoners held in Russia is not a topic for talks and he should be simply released, as Russias President Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told the journalists, Interfax reported.

'We think that Vyshynsky has to be immediately released. It is a violation of all the international norms, it is a violation of freedom of press - as, basically, he was arrested for his journalistic occupation,' Peskov said, answering the question of a Ukrainian correspondent who asked why Vyshynsky coud not be exchanged for Roman Sushchenko.

On May 15, the SBU considered the detention of the head of RIA News Ukraine agencys office.

Kremlin has already responded to the incident and called the actions of the SBU outrageous. Besides, Russia promised to assume reciprocal measures. Then, the state sent a protest note over searches at the mass media office.

Later it was reported that the actions of Vyshynsky were preliminarily qualified as the state treason. The same day the SBU reported that Kyrylo Vyshynsky is now officially suspected of state treason.

Recently, there are statements about his exchange for the convicted Ukrainians held in Russia.

On September 6, the arrest of Vyshynsky was extended until November 30.
Baturyn Citadel, town of Baturyn in Ukraine Open source

On November 2, Ukrainians commemorated the victims of Baturyn tragedy with a minute of silence.

Baturyn city was destroyed by Russian troops in an attempt to capture the city, which is referred to as the Baturyn tragedy or the Massacre in Baturyn; it took place on November 2, 1708. At that time, Baturyn was the capital of Ukrainian Hetman Ivan Mazepa. It was a battle led by the Russians against the Cossack stronghold to quell any actions of rebellion against the Russians. It is known that during the operation all of the city's residents were killed, regardless of the gender and age. According to various estimates, the death toll was from 11,000 to 15,000 people.

November 2, 2018 marks 310 years from the date of the Baturyn tragedy.

Currently, Baturyn is a city in the Bakhmach district of Chernihiv region, northern Ukraine.

Memorial to the victimes of Baturyn tragedy of 1708, town of Baturyn, Ukraine Open source

As it was reported earlier, Ukraine marks Liberation Day on October 28. It was the day when the modern territory of Ukraine was completely liberated from the troops of Nazi Germany during World War II. Since January 1, 1941, till January 1, 1945, the population of Ukraine reduced from 40,9 million to 27 million  including those who were evacuated or left with Germans. Moreover, the historians say Ukraine alone sustained more losses within this horrible period than Great Britain, the U.S., Canada, and France combined.

Ukraine made a major contribution to the victory over the Nazi Germany and its allies in World War II. Not only the Nazi occupants were the enemies, but also Stalins totalitarian regime, which made it even harder for the Ukrainian soldiers to defend the Soviet Union and Ukraine, in particular, as some troops wanted to restore Ukraines independence.
He had a story to tell.

Eighteen months ago, a panel of talented film experts and I listened as Faraday Okoro pitched his idea for the film Nigerian Prince. Its the story of a Nigerian-American teenager who, after being sent to Nigeria against his will, joins forces with an internet scammer to get back home.

Viewers everywhere will now get to experience Nigerian Prince. It debuts Friday at select theaters across the United States and on our own DIRECTV and U-verse video platforms.

Today marks an important milestone. This movie is the first film funded and produced from the AT&T Presents: Untold Stories program, in collaboration with the Tribeca Film Institute.

Like our friends at Tribeca, we appreciate quality storytelling that challenges us and transports us to new places. This is beautifully embodied in Nigerian Prince.
Estrogen <3 THC

Male and female cannabis users are affected quite differently by consumption of the same cannabis. Historically scientists have attributed these distinctions to everything from culturally prescribed gender roles to fat tissue distribution and muscle mass. Published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neurosciences latest volume, The Modulating Role of Sex and Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Hormones in Cannabinoid Sensitivity reviews data derived from animal studies and concludes that sex differences in cannabis response are both cultural and biological and that sex hormones modulate human cannabinoid sensitivity.

Conducted by University of Cagliari researchers, the study examines the ways in which sex hormones like estradiol (aka estrogen), progesterone and testosterone influence both the formation and action of the human endocannabinoid system, endogenous brain cell networks that communicate using cannabinoids, cannabis primary chemical constituent. For example, the number of CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the brain fluctuates alongside estrogen levels. Estrogen also increases the quantity of endocannabinoid system-fortifying anandamide, and THCs psychoactive effects are at their most intense when estrogen levels are at their highest.

Sobering Research

As Psychology Today reports, a new study of teen and young adult cannabis use and neurocognitive function, One Month of Cannabis Abstinence in Adolescents and Young Adults Is Associated With Improved Memory, was just published in The Journal of Clinical Psychology. Conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical Schools Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), this study broke new ground by tracking how one month of abstinence from cannabis impacted cognitive function in young people who regularly use cannabis. Eighty-eight study participants ranging from age 16 to 25 were randomly assigned to abstain from cannabis for four weeks to collect data on how extended cannabis abstinence can benefit cognition. Only abstaining participants exhibited improvements in memory from baseline to week one. The study yielded no abstinence- correlated effect on attention, with all subjects improving consistently with practice.

Study results suggest that cannabis abstinence can offer meaningful improvement in verbal learning, verbal memory and better overall memory (in weeks one, two and three). The MGH research team recommends further research to determine whether cognitive improvement with cannabis abstinence can also be associated with academic and other functional outcomes.
For the 23rd year, Albuquerque Pride brings us the annual New Mexico Pride Pageant at the African American Performing Arts Center . This culmination of the incredible performances we see all year at our local and regional clubs is a fierce spectacle of glamour, talent, poise and, of course, the best looks of the year. Friday night, Nov. 2 brings out all registered competitors for the preliminaries. These drag and gay, youth and adult LGBTQIA contestants compete for four coveted titles including Miss New Mexico Pride, Mr. New Mexico, Miss New Mexico Pride Youth and Mr. New Mexico Pride Youth. Once they narrow it down to the most powerful performers on night one, head out Saturday, Nov. 3 as they pick each other off, one by one, to win those sparkly crowns. The doors open both nights at 6pm and the pageant takes hold from 7 to 10 pm . Grab Friday tickets for $10 general admission and $20 VIP and Saturday $15 for general and $25 for VIP. This is an all-ages event. Support the community with pride. (Mayo Lua de Frenchie)

Albuquerque Pride puts on a pageant where contestants compete in various categories to win one of the four titles.

VIP Tickets include 3 drinks (alcohol for +21 with valid ID) and premier seating at the front of the auditorium.

This is an all ages event, cash bar available with valid ID.

Once a year, as it's been for 23 years, Albuquerque Pride puts on a pageant where contestants compete in various categories to win one of the four titles. Those who earn titles from this friendly competition continue to help Albuquerque Pride spread Pride in our community, fund-raise, and entertain as only entertainers are able to do.

There will be four winners:Two adult and two youth winners competing for Mr, Miss and Mx.

Categories include: Sponsorship, Judges Interview, Opening Number, Theme Wear with Audience Vote, Talent, Formal Evening Wear and On-stage Interview.
But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something

over there only because I am here . But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past

as past
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

THUNDER BAY, Ontario, Nov. 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MEXICAN GOLD CORP. (TSX-V: MEX; OTCQB: MEXGF; FRA: 4QW1) ("Mexican Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to report that it has received a positive response to the previously announced financing (see the Companys October 22, 2018 news release), which proposed a non-brokered private placement of units (Units) at $0.20 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $3,000,000 (the "Private Placement"). Accordingly, the Company wishes to extend the previously announced November 10, 2018 period for competing the Private Placement, to allow certain interested investor to participate in the Private Placement. The Company intends to complete the Private Placement in the coming weeks and, as previously announced, has the option to increase the size of the Private Placement by 25%.

Each Unit offered under the Private Placement will consist of one common share of the Company (a Common Share) and one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share for a period of thirty-six months from the closing date of the Private Placement at a price of $0.30 per Common Share. The Company will have the right, but not the obligation, to accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants on notice to the holders of the Warrants, if at any time after four months and one day from the closing date of the Private Placement, the closing price of its Common Shares on a stock exchange in Canada is greater than $0.45 per Common Share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days, in which case the Warrants will expire 30 days after the date on which such notice is given.

The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used to continue exploration on the Companys Las Minas project located in the State of Veracruz, Mexico (up to approximately $1,100,000), property payments (US$866,666 plus Value Added Tax in Mexico), and general working capital purposes (up to approximately $600,000).

The Company may compensate certain eligible finders for their assistance in selling Units under the Private Placement, with such compensation being subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The closing of the Private Placement is subject to receipt of all required regulatory approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Units issued under the Private Placement will be subject to a four month and one day statutory hold period. As at the date hereof, there is no material fact or material change related to the Company that has not been generally disclosed.

About Mexican Gold Corp.

Mexican Gold Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration company committed to building long-term value through ongoing discoveries and strategic acquisitions of prospective precious metals and copper deposits in Mexico. Mexican Gold is exploring the Las Minas Project, which is located in the core of the Las Minas mining district in the Veracruz State, Mexico, and is host to one of the largest under-explored skarn systems known in Mexico.

For more information, please contact:

Carl Hering, PhD Geology, CEO

Brian E. Robertson, P. Eng., President

Phone: 807-474-4270 or 807-251-1816

Fax: 807-474-4272

E-mail: info@mexicangold.ca

Website at www.mexicangold.ca

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information can often, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. These statements are based on information currently available to the Company, and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements about the closing of the Private Placement, the future exploration results relating to the Las Minas project, and exploration plans for the Las Minas project and the exploration potential of the Las Minas project. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including the risks identified in the Company's disclosure documents. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. 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, except as required by law.



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.
As the legal and administrative processes relating to BLOCs acquisition of X2 carry on, the Companys board has elected to defer the determination of the definitive Record Date for purposes of participating in the spin out of certain assets, until the date is officially agreed upon between BLOC and X2. Once this agreement has been reached, the corresponding date will be announced by way of press release, among other channels. The acquisitions roadmap remains on track with a signed letter of intent between BLOC and X2. Since its initial announcement, the acquisition has been very positively received by BLOC shareholders.



VANCOUVER, B.C., Nov. 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GLOBAL BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES CORP. (CSE: BLOC.U) (FSE: BWSP) (OTC: BLKCF) ("BLOC" or the "Company") announces to its investors that the date (the Record Date) at which shareholders of BLOC will become entitled to participate in the spin out of certain enterprise and exchange activities, as announced on October 11, 2018, has been deferred pending the finalization of a definitive closing date that will result in X2 Games Corp. (X2) being acquired by BLOC. At this time, BLOC and X2, as well as their respective professional advisors, are completing definitive documentation and obtaining requisite approvals for the Transaction. A new Record Date will be set upon completion of these tasks, and this date will be announced along with corresponding details of the finalized acquisition by way of press release, as well as the use of other media and IR channels.

The acquisition is continuing as planned, with a letter of intent having been signed by both BLOC and X2. Both companies are also in discussions about the synergies between their assets and personnel, which has revealed even more opportunities for disruptive and innovative blockchain-based gaming developments. The acquisition has garnered much positive attention from the business news media and shareholders alike since its announcement on October 11, 2018.

Even before the acquisition has been finalized, were already doing great things with X2, said Shidan Gouran, President and CEO of the Company. Our team and their team have collaborated and discovered even more potential from this acquisition than we had anticipated at the outset. Since our announcement of the acquisition attracted a lot of attention from our shareholders, we have gotten several inquiries about the Record Date. Our board has decided to defer the finalization of the Record Date for the time being as the acquisition is finalized, thus giving our investors even more flexibility to plan their holdings of BLOC shares to ensure they receive the desired participation in the spinout.

On behalf of the Company:

Shidan Gouran, President and CEO

info@globalblockchain.io

For more information, please contact:

Global Blockchain Technologies Corp. Investor Relations

ir@globalblockchain.io

800-689-8089

About Global Blockchain Technologies Corp.

The Company provides investors access to a basket of direct and indirect holdings within the blockchain space.

The Company is focused on streamlining the currently arduous, lengthy, and complicated process that interested investors must undergo to gain exposure to the blockchain space, with a view to becoming the first vertically-integrated originator and manager of top tier blockchains.

BLOC is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) and its common shares trade under the ticker symbol "BLOC." Additional information relating to BLOC is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, the CSE at www.theCSE.com, as well as on the Company's website at www.globalblockchain.io.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Generally, any statements that are not historical facts may contain forward-looking information, and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or indicates that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the Companys goal of streamlining the current arduous, lengthy and complicated process that interested investors need to undergo in order to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency space with a view to becoming the first vertically integrated originator and manager of top-tier blockchains and digital currencies. The Company has no assets and its business plan is purely conceptual in nature and there is no assurance that it will be implemented as set out herein, or at all. Forward-looking information is based on certain factors and assumptions the Company believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to: statements and expectations regarding the ability of the Company to (i) successfully engage senior management with appropriate industry experience and expertise, (ii) gain access to and acquire a basket of cryptocurrency assets and pre-ICO and ICO financings on favourable terms or at all, (iii) successfully create its own tokens and ICOs, and (iv) execute on future M&A opportunities in the cryptocurrency space; receipt of required regulatory approvals; the availability of necessary financing; permitting and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. 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 the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: risks related to changes in cryptocurrency prices; the estimation of personnel and operating costs; general global markets and economic conditions; risks associated with uninsurable risks; risks associated with currency fluctuations; competition faced in securing experienced personnel with appropriate industry experience and expertise; risks associated with changes in the financial auditing and corporate governance standards applicable to cryptocurrencies and ICOs; risks related to potential conflicts of interest; the reliance on key personnel; financing, capitalization and liquidity risks including the risk that the financing necessary to fund continued development of the Companys business plan may not be available on satisfactory terms, or at all; the risk of potential dilution through the issuance of additional common shares of the Company; the risk of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information set out in this presentation, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
English French

INNATE PHARMA CLINICAL DATA FEATURED AS ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT TWO MAJOR UPCOMING ONCOLOGY CONFERENCES

Late-breaking abstract and oral presentation on clinical and translational biomarker results from the combination of monalizumab and cetuximab in R/M SCCHN at the SITC 2018 Annual Meeting

Oral presentation of updated data from Phase I of IPH4102 in patients with relapsed/refractory Sezary Syndrome at the ASH 2018 Annual Meeting

Marseille, France, November 2, 2018, 07:00 AM CET

Innate Pharma SA (the "Company" - Euronext Paris: FR0010331421 - IPH) today announced that new data from ongoing clinical trials evaluating monalizumab, partnered with AstraZeneca/MedImmune, and first-in-class antibody, IPH4102, will be presented at the SITC 2018 Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., USA, November 7-11, 2018 and at ASH 2018 Annual Meeting in San Diego, USA, December 1-4, 2018, respectively.

SITC 2018:

Title: monalizumab in combination with cetuximab in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN): clinical and translational biomarker results

Date and time: November 11, 2018, 9:05 am

Session: Clinical Trials Session 302

Presenter: Roger Cohen, Principal Investigator and Prof. of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Location: 202 AB, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., USA



ASH 2018:

Title: IPH4102; an anti-KIR3DL2 monoclonal antibody in refractory Sezary Syndrome: Results from a multicenter phase 1 trial

Date and time: December 3, 2018, 11:45 am

Session: 624. Hodgkin Lymphoma and T/NK Cell Lymphoma-Clinical Studies: Immunotherapy and Targeted Strategies.

Presenter: Martine Bagot, Principal Investigator and Head of the Dermatology Department at the Saint-Louis Hospital, Paris, France

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 6F, San Diego, USA

Innate Pharma is also taking part in many other scientific congresses, listed below:

13th Annual Meeting of Chinese Society for Immunology, Shanghai, China, from November 7 to November 11, 2018

PEGS Europe 2018, Lisbon, Portugal, from November 12 to November 16, 2018

4th ICI Europe Summit, Berlin, Germany, from November 27 to November 29, 2018

3rd International Conference on Innate Lymphoid Cells, Tokyo, Japan, from November 29 to December 1st, 2018

For the full schedule of each event, please visit the "Events" section on Innate Pharma's website.

About Innate Pharma:

Innate Pharma S.A. is a fully integrated oncology-focused biotech company dedicated to improving treatment and clinical outcomes for patients through therapeutic antibodies that harness the immune system to fight cancer.

Innate Pharma's commercial-stage product, Lumoxiti, in-licensed from AstraZeneca, was approved by the FDA in September 2018. Lumoxiti is a first-in class specialty oncology product for hairy cell leukemia (HCL). Innate Pharma's broad pipeline of antibodies includes several first-in-class clinical and preclinical candidates in cancers with high unmet medical need.

Innate Pharma has pioneered the discovery and development of checkpoint inhibitors, with a unique expertise and understanding of Natural Killer cell biology. This innovative approach has resulted in major alliances with leaders in the biopharmaceutical industry including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi, and a landmark and multi-products partnership with AstraZeneca/MedImmune.

Based in Marseille, France, Innate Pharma is listed on Euronext Paris.

Learn more about Innate Pharma at www.innate-pharma.com.

Information about Innate Pharma shares:

ISIN code

Ticker code

LEI FR0010331421

IPH

9695002Y8420ZB8HJE29

Disclaimer:

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Although the company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. For a discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause the company's actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors ("Facteurs de Risque") section of the Document de Reference prospectus filed with the AMF, which is available on the AMF website (www.amf-france.org) or on Innate Pharma's website.

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to shares in Innate Pharma in any country.

For additional information, please contact:

Investors







Innate Pharma



Dr. Markus Metzger / Danielle Spangler /

Jerome Marino



Tel.: +33 (0)4 30 30 30 30



investors@innate-pharma.com



International Media







Consilium Strategic Communications



Mary-Jane Elliott / Jessica Hodgson



Tel.: +44 (0)20 3709 5700



InnatePharma@consilium-comms.com French Media







ATCG Press



Marie Puvieux



Mob: +33 (0)6 10 54 36 72



presse@atcg-partners.com




PRESS RELEASE

2 November 2018

WENTWORTH RESOURCES PLC

("Wentworth" or the "Company")

Director Appointments

Wentworth, the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: WEN) and AIM (AIM: WEN) listed independent, East Africa-focused oil & gas company, further to its announcement on 22 August 2018, is pleased to announce that Ms. Katherine Roe, Mr. Tim Bushell, and Mr. Iain McLaren, have been appointed as members of the Board of Directors (the "Board") with immediate effect. These appointments follow the successful completion of the Company's re-domicile to Jersey ("Re-Domicile"), announced on 29 October 2018, as part of its restructuring process to better align corporate and management structures with its shareholders and asset base in Africa.

The Board believes that the appointment of these Directors will add significant financial, technical and operational experience to the Board, providing a stronger platform to execute on the strategic aspirations of the Company following its Re-Domicile.

Ms. Katherine Roe - Chief Financial Officer

Katherine, Chief Financial Officer since 1 April 2018, was Vice President Corporate Development & Investor Relations for the Company since 2014 and has 19 years of senior corporate and capital markets experience. Prior to joining Wentworth, Katherine spent 11 years at Panmure Gordon & Co, having moved from Morgan Stanley's investment banking division. She is currently an independent Non-Executive Director of Faroe Petroleum plc, where she will take over the role of Audit Chair in 2019.

Mr. Tim Bushell - Deputy Chairman and Independent Non-Executive Director

Tim is a qualified geologist with more than 30 years' experience in the oil and gas industry. He has worked at British Gas, Ultramar, LASMO, and Paladin Resources. Most recently Tim was Chief Executive Officer at Falkland Oil and Gas Limited and Director/co-founder of Core Energy AS. He is currently serving as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Rockhopper Exploration PLC, Genel Energy plc and Petro Matad Limited, and as a Director of Point Resources AS and Redrock Energy Limited.

Mr. Iain McLaren - Independent Non-Executive Director

Iain has significant experience in the oil and gas sector with deep experience as Audit committee chair. He is currently a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Jadestone Energy Inc. and until May 2018 was Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Audit Committee for Cairn Energy plc. He is currently Chairman of F&C UK High Income Trust plc as well as a director of three other investment companies. He is a past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and was a partner of KPMG for 28 years until 2008.

Bob McBean, Chairman, commented:

"We are delighted to welcome Katherine, Tim and Iain to the Board. They collectively bring substantive technical, commercial and financial upstream E&P experience, joining the Board at a pivotal moment, as the Company has completed its Re-Domicile from Canada to Jersey.

"We have an ambitious domestic gas-led East African focused strategy to deliver material shareholder value, organically from our core gas producing asset, Mnazi Bay, and inorganically through an M&A led growth mandate. The new Board members bring the requisite skills and expertise to contribute significantly to our aspiration of becoming a mid-tier African focused E&P Company."

-Ends-

Enquiries:

Wentworth Bob McBean,

Executive Chairman







Eskil Jersing,

Chief Executive Officer







Katherine Roe,

Chief Financial Officer rpm@wentworthresources.com







eskil.jersing@wentworthresources.com

+44 7717 847623







katherine.roe@wentworthresources.com

+44 7841 087 230 Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited AIM Nominated Adviser and Broker (UK)

Callum Stewart

Ashton Clanfield

Simon Mensley





+44 (0) 20 7710 7600 Peel Hunt LLP Broker (UK)

Richard Crichton

Ross Allister





+44 (0) 20 7418 8900 Vigo Investor Relations Adviser (UK)

Patrick d'Ancona

Chris McMahon +44 (0) 20 7930 0230

Notes

Katherine Louise Margiad Ward Roe (40), Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Roe holds the following directorships:

Current Directorships Past Directorships Faroe Petroleum plc IDE Group Holdings plc Roe Resources Limited

Timothy Paul Bushell (59), Deputy Chairman

Mr. Bushell, holds the following directorships:

Current Directorships Past Directorships Petro Matad Limited Core Energy AS Point Resources AS Desire Petroleum Limited Redrock Energy Limited Falkland Oil and Gas Limited Rockhopper Exploration plc FOGL Finance Limited



Red Kite Energy Limited

Iain Archibald McLaren (67) - Non-Executive Director

Mr. McLaren, holds the following directorships:

Current Directorships Past Directorships Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon plc Afren plc Ecofin Global Utilities Cairn Energy plc Edinburgh Dragon Trust plc Scotbeef Limited F&C UK High Income Trust plc Infrastructure Trust plc Jadestone Energy Inc

Mr. McLaren holds 100,000 ordinary shares in the Company.

Iain McLaren was formerly a director of Afren plc, a company formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange. Afren plc was placed in administration within one year of Mr. McLaren ceasing to be a director.

Save for the above, there is no further information required to be disclosed under paragraph (g) of Schedule Two of the AIM Rules for Companies, with respect to the appointment of Ms. Roe, Mr. Bushell, and Mr. McLaren.

About Wentworth Resources

Wentworth Resources is a publicly traded (OSE: WEN, AIM: WEN), independent oil & gas company with natural gas production; exploration and appraisal opportunities, all in the Rovuma Delta Basin of coastal southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique.

Inside Information

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by Wentworth to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) no. 596/2014 ("MAR"). On the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service ("RIS"), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This press release may contain certain forward-looking information. The words "expect", "anticipate", believe", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "forecast", "plan", and similar expressions are used to identify forward looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made in light of management's experience, current conditions and expected future development in the areas in which Wentworth is currently active and other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Wentworth undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcome will not occur, including some of which are beyond Wentworth's control. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to: the risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general such as operational risks in exploration, development and production, delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures, the imprecision of resource and reserve estimates, assumptions regarding the timing and costs relating to production and development as well as the availability and price of labour and equipment, volatility of and assumptions regarding commodity prices and exchange rates, marketing and transportation risks, environmental risks, competition, the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and changes in applicable law. Additionally, there are economic, political, social and other risks inherent in carrying on business in Tanzania and Mozambique. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could vary or differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. See Wentworth's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2017, available on Wentworth's website, for further description of the risks and uncertainties associated with Wentworth's business.

Notice



Neither the Oslo Stock Exchange nor the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange has reviewed this press release and neither accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fortis Inc. (TSX/NYSE:FTS)



Fortis Inc. ("Fortis" or the "Corporation") (TSX/NYSE:FTS), a leader in the North American regulated electric and gas utility industry, released its third quarter results today. The Corporation reported third quarter 2018 net earnings of $276 million, or $0.65 per common share.

"During the third quarter, all of our regulated utilities performed well and we made good progress towards completing our $3.2 billion capital plan for 2018," said Barry Perry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fortis. "We recently announced a new plan that lifts our annual capital expenditures to approximately $3.5 billion per year over the next five years. Regulated investments in grid modernization, the delivery of cleaner energy and natural gas infrastructure are driving growth."

Reported Net Earnings

The Corporation reported third quarter net earnings attributable to common equity shareholders of $276 million, or $0.65 per common share, compared to $278 million, or $0.66 per common share, for the same period in 2017. On a year-to-date basis, net earnings attributable to common equity shareholders were $839 million, or $1.98 per common share, compared to $829 million, or $2.00 per common share, for the same period in 2017.

Earnings per common share ("EPS") was comparable quarter over quarter. The third quarter of 2017 included the receipt of a $24 million break fee associated with the termination of the Waneta Dam acquisition.



Strong performance at the U.S. utilities during the third quarter of 2018 was driven by capital investment at ITC as well as favourable electricity sales at UNS Energy associated with weather.



The Canadian and Caribbean utilities also improved third quarter EPS, tempered by higher operating and interest expenses at FortisBC Energy in 2018.



Other factors impacting the third quarter EPS included favourable foreign exchange offset by a higher weighted average number of common shares outstanding and a $5 million change in the unrealized net losses on mark-to-market of derivatives at the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility quarter over quarter.

Adjusted Net Earnings1

Third quarter adjusted net earnings attributable to common equity shareholders were $276 million, or $0.65 per common share, compared to $254 million, or $0.61 per common share for the same period in 2017. This adjusts for the $24 million acquisition break fee received in the third quarter of 2017.

Year-to-date adjusted net earnings attributable to common equity shareholders were $809 million, or $1.91 per common share, compared to $794 million, or $1.92 per common share for the same period in 2017. This adjusts for a favourable one-time $30 million tax remeasurement in 2018, the $24 million acquisition break fee received in 2017, and an $11 million favourable settlement of matters pertaining to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") ordered transmission refunds in 2017.

__________________________

1 Non-US GAAP Measures

Fortis uses financial measures that do not have a standardized meaning under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("US GAAP") and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other entities. Fortis calculated the non-US GAAP measures by adjusting certain US GAAP measures for specific items that management believes are not reflective of normal, ongoing operations of the business. Refer to the Financial Highlights section of the Corporation's Management Discussion and Analysis for further discussion of these items.



Regulatory Proceedings

Fortis is focused on maintaining constructive regulatory relationships and outcomes across its North American utility group.

In August 2018 the Alberta Utilities Commission approved an allowed return on equity of 8.50% for FortisAlberta on a capital structure of 37% common equity for 2018 to 2020, unchanged from 2017.

On October 18, 2018, FERC issued an order in response to a third-party complaint challenging ITC's independence incentive adders that are included in transmission rates charged by ITC's Midcontinent Independent System Operator ("MISO") operating subsidiaries. The order reduced the adders to 0.25% effective April 20, 2018. On October 22, 2018, MISO filed a motion requesting an extension to January 17, 2019 to issue refunds.

Also, in October, FERC issued an order with respect to New England transmission owners' return on equity ("ROE") complaints. The order provides guidance on FERC's methodology for establishing ROEs, including addressing outstanding ROE complaints. Fortis views the new methodology to be generally constructive for transmission owners.

Execution of Growth Strategy and Outlook

Consolidated capital expenditures were $2.3 billion during the first nine months of 2018 and the Corporation remains on track to invest $3.2 billion in 2018. The five-year capital program for 2019 to 2023 is expected to be $17.3 billion, up $2.8 billion from the prior year's plan. Consolidated rate base is projected to increase from $26.1 billion in 2018 to approximately $32.0 billion in 2021 and $35.5 billion in 2023, translating into a three and five-year compound annual growth rate of 7.1% and 6.3%, respectively.

Beyond the base capital investment plan, Fortis continues to pursue additional organic growth as well as near and long-term development projects. Key development projects not yet included in the capital investment plan include a liquefied natural gas export terminal at the Tilbury facility in British Columbia; the fully permitted, cross-border, Lake Erie Connector electric transmission project in Ontario; and the Big Chino Valley Pumped Storage project in Arizona.

"Our focus on sustainable investments in our existing utilities is driving visible rate base growth over the next five years supporting our 6% average annual dividend growth target through 2023," said Mr. Perry.

"In October we published our 2018 Sustainability Report, detailing our commitment to the environment, our governance practices, our people and our involvement in the communities where we live and work. Fortis continues to strengthen its commitment to sustainability and deliver on customer expectations for reliable, safe, cleaner energy," concluded Mr. Perry.

About Fortis

Fortis is a leader in the North American regulated electric and gas utility industry with 2017 revenue of $8.3 billion and total assets of $50 billion as at September 30, 2018. The Corporation's 8,500 employees serve utility customers in five Canadian provinces, nine U.S. states and three Caribbean countries.

Teleconference to Discuss Third Quarter 2018 Results A teleconference and webcast will be held on November 2 at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern). Barry Perry, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Jocelyn Perry, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, will discuss the Corporation's third quarter 2018 results.



Analysts, members of the media and other interested parties in North America are invited to participate by calling 1.877.223.4471. International participants may participate by calling 647.788.4922. Please dial in 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. No pass code is required.



A live and archived audio webcast of the teleconference will be available on the Corporation's website, www.fortisinc.com.



A replay of the conference will be available two hours after the conclusion of the call until December 2, 2018. Please call 1.800.585.8367 or 416.621.4642 and enter pass code 4019827.

Forward-looking information

Fortis includes forward-looking information in this media release within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively referred to as "forward-looking information"). Forward-looking information included in this media release reflect expectations of Fortis management regarding future growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities. Wherever possible, words such as "anticipates", "believes", "budgets", "could", "estimates", "expects", "forecasts", "intends", "may", "might", "plans", "projects", "schedule", "should", "target", "will", "would" and the negative of these terms and other similar terminology or expressions have been used to identify the forward-looking information, which includes, without limitation: the Corporation's forecast consolidated and segmented capital spending for 2018 and the five-year period from 2019 through 2023; the Corporation's consolidated forecast rate base for 2021 and 2023; the nature, timing, benefits and expected costs of capital projects and additional opportunities beyond the base capital plan; and targeted average annual dividend growth through 2023.

Forward-looking information involves significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Certain material factors or assumptions have been applied in drawing the conclusions contained in the forwardlooking information. These factors or assumptions are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally, including those identified from time to time in the forward-looking information. Such risk factors or assumptions include, but are not limited to: reasonable decisions by utility regulators and the expectation of regulatory stability; the implementation of the Corporation's five-year capital expenditure plan; no material capital project and financing cost overrun related to any of the Corporation's capital projects; sufficient human resources to deliver service and execute the capital program; the realization of additional opportunities; the impact of fluctuations in foreign exchange; and the Board exercising its discretion to declare dividends, taking into account the business performance and financial condition of the Corporation. Fortis cautions readers that a number of factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking information. These factors should be considered carefully and undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information. For additional information with respect to certain of these risks or factors, reference should be made to the continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time by the Corporation with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Fortis disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Additional Information

This media release should be read in conjunction with the Corporation's Management Discussion and Analysis and Consolidated Financial Statements. This and additional information can be accessed at www.fortisinc.com , www.sedar.com , or www.sec.gov .

A .pdf version of this press release is available at : http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/07ed06a3-83d0-46af-9cd1-c0c6764f9031

For more information, please contact:
BROOKFIELD, NEWS, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN) today announced its results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018.

Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Sep 30 Sep 30 US$ millions (except per unit amounts), unaudited 2018 2017 2018 2017 Net income1 $ 5 $ 11 $ 339 $ 32  per unit2,3 $ (0.10) $ (0.04) $ 0.53 $ (0.13) FFO4 $ 278 $ 301 $ 905 $ 857  per unit5 $ 0.71 $ 0.81 $ 2.31 $ 2.32

Brookfield Infrastructure reported net income for the quarter of $5 million (loss of $0.10 per unit) compared to $11 million (loss of $0.04 per unit) in the prior year. Net income for the period benefited from organic growth across the majority of our operations and contributions from new investments made in the past 12 months. These increases were offset by the loss of income after the sale of our Chilean transmission operation, and a one-time item recorded in our transportation segment.



Our business generated Funds from Operations (FFO) of $278 million, or $0.71 per unit during the third quarter of 2018. While FFO benefited from another period of solid organic growth, this quarters results were impacted by the same items as mentioned above, and $40 million of foreign currency exchange movements.

For the balance of 2018, our focus is on completing our previously announced transactions, integrating our newly acquired businesses, and delivering on our organic growth backlog, said Sam Pollock, Chief Executive Officer of Brookfield Infrastructure. Looking ahead, we are optimistic about the opportunities to expand our globally diversified business with high-quality investments, and we have tremendous flexibility and financial resources to pursue these initiatives.

Segment Performance

The utilities segment generated FFO of $130 million, benefiting from solid underlying performance and same-store income that increased 4% year-over-year. The increase was partly due to substantial connection activity in our U.K. regulated distribution business, as well as capital commissioned into our rate base. This compares to $170 million of FFO last year which included our Chilean operations sold last quarter, a debt financing recently completed at our Brazilian regulated gas transmission business (and hence less invested capital), as well as the impact of foreign exchange.

The transport segment contributed FFO of $119 million. Results were positively impacted by higher tariffs charged at each of our operating groups. Results at our rail business benefited from increased agricultural volumes but these positive impacts were offset by lower volumes from our minerals customers, and the hand back of one of our state concessions in our Brazilian toll road business. FFO in this segment was also reduced by $15 million as a result of foreign exchange, primarily the result of the conversion of the income from our Brazilian business to close to 20% lower FFO in U.S. dollars.

Our energy segment reported FFO of $59 million in the third quarter. This represents a 23% increase over the same period in the prior year, reflecting higher transport volumes due to strong gas production growth across North America. Our district energy operations benefited from new customer additions and warmer weather, which increased throughput in our North American business.

The data infrastructure segment contributed FFO of $19 million for the period, which was consistent with the prior year.

The following table presents FFO by segment:

Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended Sep 30 Sep 30 US$ millions, unaudited 2018 2017 2018 2017 FFO by segment Utilities $ 130 $ 170 $ 438 $ 438 Transport 119 136 389 393 Energy 59 48 179 153 Data Infrastructure 19 19 57 57 Corporate (49) (72) (158) (184) FFO $ 278 $ 301 $ 905 $ 857





Update on Strategic Initiatives

We continue to advance several initiatives that will meaningfully contribute to our future results:

South American Data Center Business  In the third quarter, we reached an agreement with a strategic partner to acquire a co-controlling interest in Ascenty, the leading hyperscale data center operator in South America, for $2 billion. Brookfield Infrastructure and its institutional partners will be investing $750 million (BIPs share  approximately $200 million) and expect to close this transaction by the end of 2018.

Indian Natural Gas Pipeline  We are in advanced bilateral discussions to acquire a 1,500 km gas pipeline in India. This well-located pipeline draws from a prolific basin and spans the country from east to west. It will also provide secure cash flows generated under a 20-year take-or-pay contract. If successfully concluded, total equity invested by Brookfield Infrastructure and its institutional partners will be approximately $1 billion, of which BIP will invest approximately $200 million.

Distribution

The Board of Directors has declared a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.47 per unit, payable on December 31, 2018 to unitholders of record as at the close of business on November 30, 2018. The regular quarterly dividends on the Cumulative Class A Preferred Limited Partnership Units, Series 1, Series 3, Series 5, Series 7, Series 9 and Series 11 have also been declared.

Additional Information

The Board has reviewed and approved this news release, including the summarized unaudited financial information contained herein.

Brookfield Infrastructures Letter to Unitholders and Supplemental Information are available at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure .

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is a leading global infrastructure company that owns and operates high quality, long-life assets in the utilities, transport, energy and data infrastructure sectors across North and South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. We are focused on assets that generate stable cash flows and require minimal maintenance capital expenditures. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure . Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information.

Brookfield Infrastructure is the flagship listed infrastructure company of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with over $300 billion of assets under management. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com .

Please note that Brookfield Infrastructure Partners previous audited annual and unaudited quarterly reports have been filed on SEDAR and Edgar, and can also be found in the shareholders section of its website at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure . Hard copies of the annual and quarterly reports can be obtained free of charge upon request.

Contact Information:

Media:

Claire Holland

Vice President, Communications

Tel: (416) 369-8236

Email: claire.holland@brookfield.com Investors:

Melissa Low

Vice President, Investor Relations

Tel: (416) 956-5239

Email: melissa.low@brookfield.com



Conference Call and Quarterly Earnings Details

Investors, analysts and other interested parties can access Brookfield Infrastructures Third Quarter 2018 Results as well as the Letter to Unitholders and Supplemental Information on Brookfield Infrastructures website under the Investor Relations section at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure .

The conference call can be accessed via webcast on November 2, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time here or via teleconference at 1-866-521-4909 toll free in North America. For overseas calls please dial +1-647-427-2311, at approximately 8:50 a.m. Eastern Time. A recording of the teleconference can be accessed at 1-800-585-8367 or +1-416-621-4642 (Conference ID: 4297818).

Note: This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian provincial securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and in any applicable Canadian securities regulations. The words will, should, target, future, growth, expect, believe, may, derivatives thereof and other expressions which are predictions of or indicate future events, trends or prospects and which do not relate to historical matters, identify the above mentioned and other forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release may include statements regarding expansion of Brookfield Infrastructures business, the likelihood and timing of successfully completing the transactions referred to in this news release, statements with respect to our assets tending to appreciate in value over time, the future performance of acquired businesses and growth initiatives, the commissioning of our capital backlog, the pursuit of projects in our pipeline, the level of distribution payout ratio and distribution growth over the next several years and our expectations regarding returns to our unitholders as a result of such growth. Although Brookfield Infrastructure believes that these forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on them, or any other forward-looking statements or information in this news release. The future performance and prospects of Brookfield Infrastructure are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results of Brookfield Infrastructure to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by the statements in this news release include general economic conditions in the jurisdictions in which we operate and elsewhere which may impact the markets for our products and services, the ability to achieve growth within Brookfield Infrastructures businesses and in particular completion on time and on budget of various large capital projects, which themselves depend on access to capital and continuing favourable commodity prices, and our ability to achieve the milestones necessary to deliver the targeted returns to our unitholders, the impact of market conditions on our businesses, the fact that success of Brookfield Infrastructure is dependent on market demand for an infrastructure company, which is unknown, the availability of equity and debt financing for Brookfield Infrastructure, the ability to effectively complete transactions in the competitive infrastructure space (including the ability to complete announced and potential transactions that may be subject to conditions precedent, and the inability to reach final agreement with counterparties to transactions referred to in this press release as being currently pursued, given that there can be no assurance that any such transaction will be agreed to or completed) and to integrate acquisitions into existing operations, the future performance of these acquisitions, changes in technology which have the potential to disrupt the business and industries in which we invest, the market conditions of key commodities, the price, supply or demand for which can have a significant impact upon the financial and operating performance of our business and other risks and factors described in the documents filed by Brookfield Infrastructure with the securities regulators in Canada and the United States including under Risk Factors in Brookfield Infrastructures most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other risks and factors that are described therein. Except as required by law, Brookfield Infrastructure undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

References to Brookfield Infrastructure are to the Partnership together with its subsidiaries and operating entities. Brookfield Infrastructures results include limited partnership units held by public unitholders, redeemable partnership units and general partnership units.

References to the Partnership are to Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.

1. Includes net income attributable to non-controlling interests  Redeemable Partnership Units held by Brookfield, limited partners and the general partner.

2. Average number of limited partnership units outstanding on a time weighted average basis for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 was 276.8 million and 276.7 million, respectively (2017  262.6 million and 260.6 million).

3. Results in a loss on a per unit basis for the three-month period ended September 30, 2018 and three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 as allocation of net income is reduced by preferred unit and incentive distributions.

4. FFO is defined as net income excluding the impact of depreciation and amortization, deferred income taxes, breakage and transaction costs, and non-cash valuation gains or losses. A reconciliation of net income to FFO is available on page 8 of this release.

5. Average number of partnership units outstanding on a fully diluted time weighted average basis, assuming the exchange of redeemable partnership units held by Brookfield for limited partnership units, for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 were 394.2 million and 394.1 million, respectively (2017  373.9 million and 371.0 million).

6. Payout ratio is defined as distributions paid (inclusive of GP incentive and preferred unit distributions) divided by FFO.





Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

As of

US$ millions, unaudited Sep 30, 2018 Dec 31, 2017 Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,144 $ 374 Financial assets 218 196 Property, plant and equipment 10,155 9,937 Intangible assets 9,084 9,894 Investments in associates and joint ventures 4,305 5,572 Investment properties 185 192 Deferred income taxes and other 4,241 3,312 Total assets $ 29,332 $ 29,477 Liabilities and partnership capital Corporate borrowings $ 1,664 $ 2,101 Non-recourse borrowings 9,860 8,063 Financial liabilities 1,188 1,313 Deferred income taxes and other 4,498 4,526 Total liabilities 17,210 16,003 Partnership capital Limited partners 4,294 4,967 General partner 21 25 Non-controlling interest attributable to: Redeemable partnership units held by Brookfield 1,726 2,012 Interest of others in operating subsidiaries 5,144 5,875 Preferred unitholders 937 595 Total partnership capital 12,122 13,474 Total liabilities and partnership capital $ 29,332 $ 29,477





Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.

Consolidated Statements of Operating Results

US$ millions, except per unit information, unaudited For the three-month period

ended September 30, For the nine-month period

ended September 30,

2018

2017 2018

2017 Revenues $ 1,167 $ 961 $ 3,224 $ 2,551 Direct operating costs (603 ) (394 ) (1,479 ) (1,110 ) General and administrative expenses (57 ) (63 ) (169 ) (173 ) Depreciation and amortization expense (188 ) (215 ) (569 ) (541 ) 319 289 1,007 727 Interest expense (140 ) (114 ) (379 ) (315 ) Share of (losses) earnings from associates and joint ventures (32 ) 24 (36 ) 83 Mark-to-market on hedging items 31 (18 ) 58 (84 ) Gain on sale of associate   338  Other (expenses) income (26 )  (33 ) 19 Income before income tax 152 181 955 430 Income tax expense Current (53 ) (17 ) (269 ) (67 ) Deferred (12 ) (13 ) (53 ) (31 ) Net income 87 151 633 332 Non-controlling interest of others in operating subsidiaries (82 ) (140 ) (294 ) (300 ) Net income attributable to partnership $ 5 $ 11 $ 339 $ 32 Attributable to: Limited partners (20 ) (11 ) 166 (35 ) General partner 34 28 103 84 Non-controlling interest  redeemable partnership units held by Brookfield (9 ) (6 ) 70 (17 ) Basic and diluted (loss) earnings per unit attributable to: Limited partners1 $ (0.10 ) $ (0.04 ) $ 0.53 $ (0.13 )

1. Average number of limited partnership units outstanding on a time weighted average basis for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 were 276.8 million and 276.7 million, respectively (2017  262.6 million and 260.6 million).





Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

US$ millions, unaudited For the three-month period

ended September 30, For the nine-month period

ended September 30,

2018

2017 2018

2017 Operating Activities Net income $ 87 $ 151 $ 633 $ 332 Adjusted for the following items: Losses (earnings) from investments in associates and joint ventures, net of distributions received 40 (20 ) 64 (41 ) Depreciation and amortization expense 188 215 569 541 Revaluation losses on hedging items, provisions and other 28 27 57 102 Gain on sale of associate   (338 )  Deferred income tax expense 12 13 53 31 Change in non-cash working capital, net (18 ) (11 ) (52 ) 7 Cash from operating activities 337 375 986 972 Investing Activities Net (investments in) proceeds from: Operating assets (181 )  (579 ) (4,203 ) Associates (8 ) (33 ) 1,226 (351 ) Long-lived assets (196 ) (164 ) (549 ) (474 ) Financial assets 25 (64 ) (63 ) (88 ) Net settlements of foreign exchange contracts (5 ) (3 ) (77 ) (43 ) Cash used by investing activities (365 ) (264 ) (42 ) (5,159 ) Financing Activities Distributions to limited and general partners (229 ) (196 ) (686 ) (586 ) Net borrowings: Corporate 377 (703 ) (412 ) 608 Subsidiary 15 65 1,629 274 Issuance of preferred units 185  342 220 Issuance of partnership units, net of repurchases 4 977 12 988 Capital provided by non-controlling interest, net of distributions 50 (243 ) (1,014 ) 2,372 Cash from (used by) financing activities 402 (100 ) (129 ) 3,876 Cash and cash equivalents Change during the period $ 374 $ 11 $ 815 $ (311 ) Impact of foreign exchange on cash (12 ) 13 (45 ) 17 Balance, beginning of period 782 468 374 786 Balance, end of period $ 1,144 $ 492 $ 1,144 $ 492





Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.

Statements of Funds from Operations

For the three-month period

ended September 30, For the nine-month period

ended September 30, US$ millions, unaudited 2018

2017 2018

2017 Adjusted EBITDA Utilities $ 172 $ 200 $ 552 $ 533 Transport 158 179 509 515 Energy 73 62 221 211 Data Infrastructure 23 23 69 68 Corporate (57 ) (63 ) (169 ) (173 ) Total 369 401 1,182 1,154 Financing costs (107 ) (108 ) (323 ) (328 ) Other income 16 8 46 31 Funds from Operations (FFO) 278 301 905 857 Depreciation and amortization (180 ) (195 ) (573 ) (539 ) Deferred taxes and other items (93 ) (95 ) 7 (286 ) Net income attributable to the partnership $ 5 $ 11 $ 339 $ 32

Notes:

Funds from Operations in this statement is on a segmented basis and represents the operations of Brookfield Infrastructure net of charges associated with related liabilities and non-controlling interests. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as FFO excluding the impact of interest expense and other income or expenses. Net income attributable to the partnership includes net income attributable to non-controlling interests  redeemable partnership units held by Brookfield, limited partners and the general partner.

The Statements of Funds from Operations above are prepared on a basis that is consistent with the Partnerships Supplemental Information and differs from net income as presented in Brookfield Infrastructures Consolidated Statements of Operating Results on page 6 of this release, which is prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management uses Funds from Operations (FFO) as a key measure to evaluate operating performance. Readers are encouraged to consider both measures in assessing Brookfield Infrastructures results.





Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.

Statements of Funds from Operations per unit

For the three-month period

ended September 30, For the nine-month period

ended September 30, US$, unaudited 2018

2017 2018

2017 (Loss) earnings per limited partnership unit1 $ (0.10 ) $ (0.04 ) $ 0.53 $ (0.13 ) Add back or deduct the following: Depreciation and amortization 0.46 0.52 1.45 1.45 Deferred taxes and other items 0.35 0.33 0.33 1.00 FFO per unit2 $ 0.71 $ 0.81 $ 2.31 $ 2.32

1. Average number of limited partnership units outstanding on a time weighted average basis for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 were 276.8 million and 276.7 million, respectively (2017  262.6 million and 260.6 million).

2. Average number of partnership units outstanding on a fully diluted time weighted average basis, assuming the exchange of redeemable partnership units held by Brookfield for limited partnership units, for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 were 394.2 million and 394.1 million, respectively (2017  373.9 million and 371.0 million).

Notes:

The Statements of Funds from Operations per unit above are prepared on a basis that is consistent with the Partnerships Supplemental Information and differs from net income per limited partnership unit as presented in Brookfield Infrastructures Consolidated Statements of Operating Results on page 6 of this release, which is prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management uses Funds from Operations per unit (FFO per unit) as a key measure to evaluate operating performance. Readers are encouraged to consider both measures in assessing Brookfield Infrastructures results.





Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.

Statements of Partnership Capital

As of



US$ millions, unaudited Sep 30, 2018

Dec 31, 2017 Assets Operating groups Utilities $ 1,703 $ 3,290 Transport 3,583 4,116 Energy 1,801 1,806 Data Infrastructure 651 614 Cash and cash equivalents 734 205 $ 8,472 $ 10,031 Liabilities Corporate borrowings $ 1,664 $ 2,101 Other liabilities 767 926 2,431 3,027 Capitalization Partnership capital 6,041 7,004 $ 8,472 $ 10,031

Notes:

Partnership capital in these statements represents Brookfield Infrastructures investments in its operations on a segmented basis, net of underlying liabilities and non-controlling interests, and includes partnership capital attributable to non-controlling interests  redeemable partnership units held by Brookfield, limited partners and the general partner.

The Statements of Partnership Capital above are prepared on a basis that is consistent with the Partnerships Supplemental Information and differs from Brookfield Infrastructures Consolidated Statements of Financial Position on page 5 of this release, which is prepared in accordance with IFRS. Readers are encouraged to consider both bases of presentation in assessing Brookfield Infrastructure's financial position.
BROOKFIELD, NEWS, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE: BBU) (TSX: BBU.UN) (Brookfield Business Partners) announced today financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2018.



We reported strong results for the third quarter, benefitting from increased scale and diversification of our business as a result of acquisitions, organic growth and improvements we have made to our operations, said Cyrus Madon, CEO of Brookfield Business Partners. With the acquisition of Westinghouse Electric Company, we have entered the Infrastructure Services segment, which has significant long-term growth potential for our business.

Three months ended

September 30 Nine months ended

September 30 US$ millions (except per unit amount), unaudited 2018 2017 2018 2017 Net income attributable to unitholders1 $ 93 $ 9 $ 286 $ 69 Net income per limited partnership unit2,3 $  $ (0.15) $ 0.06 $ 0.40



Company FFO1,4 $ 170 $ 46 $ 485 $ 184 Company FFO per limited partnership unit2 $ 1.31 $ 0.42 $ 3.75 $ 1.70

Brookfield Business Partners reported Company FFO for the three months ended September 30, 2018 of $170 million, or $1.31 per unit (excluding incentive distribution), compared to $46 million, or $0.42 per unit in the same period of 2017. Company FFO in the quarter benefited from significantly improved results in our industrials segment and the incremental contributions of Westinghouse and Teekay Offshore. Net income attributable to unitholders for the quarter was $93 million compared to $9 million in 2017. Net income per limited partnership unit was $nil.

Operational Update

The following table presents Company FFO by segment:

Three months ended

September 30 Nine months ended

September 30 US$ millions, unaudited 2018 20175 2018 20175 Business Services $ 26 $ 40 $ 109 $ 70 Infrastructure Services 49  49  Energy 35 (5) 104 26 Industrials 76 22 268 109 Corporate and Other (16) (11) (45) (21) Company FFO1,4 $ 170 $ 46 $ 485 $ 184

Our business services segment generated Company FFO of $26 million during the quarter, compared to $40 million in the third quarter of 2017. Previous year results included our U.S. brokerage joint venture which was sold in the second quarter of 2018. Results also benefited from strong performances at our gaming operation, One Toronto, and at BGIS, our facilities management business, which performed well across all regions. Our construction services business performed well in Australia and the UK, but results were weak in the Middle East where we are completing projects and refocusing into a smaller operation. New business activity in construction services brought the companys backlog at the end of the quarter to approximately $8 billion.

Our infrastructure services segment generated Company FFO of $49 million during the quarter. This included a partial contribution from Westinghouse following our acquisition of the company, together with institutional partners, on August 1st. Brookfield Business Partners share of the $920 million equity investment was $405 million for a 44% ownership of the business. The business performed well during the two months since the closing of the acquisition and benefited from a one-time recovery on a project.

Our energy segment generated Company FFO of $35 million during the quarter, compared to a loss of $5 million in the third quarter of 2017. Teekay Offshore and Quadrant contributed positively to our results this quarter. We exercised an option during the quarter to take a controlling interest of 51% in Teekay Offshores general partner. Prior year results include a $16 million loss on the sale of a small oil and gas producer in Western Canada.

Our industrials segment generated Company FFO of $76 million during the quarter, compared to $22 million in the third quarter of 2017. Company FFO increased largely due to significantly higher contributions from GrafTech compared to the prior year and the first full quarter of contribution from Schoeller Allibert, our newly acquired returnable packaging manufacturer. During the quarter we realized proceeds of $668 million ($230 million for Brookfield Business Partners) from a secondary offering and concurrent share buyback at GrafTech.

Strategic Initiatives Update

Quadrant Energy

In August we signed an agreement to sell Quadrant, our Australian oil and gas company, for $2.15 billion. Brookfield Business Partners net share of the proceeds is expected to be ~$125 million. In addition to the sale consideration, the agreement includes future upside on select exploration interests.

Imagine Communications

In October, together with institutional partners, we acquired a 50.1% controlling interest in Imagine Communications, a provider of high speed fixed wireless broadband. The company is an established business using a proven technology to roll out a national high-speed broadband solution in rural areas of Ireland. Brookfield Business Partners will own 30% of the business.

Cardone Industries

In October we originated a $240 million senior secured term loan to Cardone Industries, a leading remanufacturer of automotive parts in North America. Brookfield Business Partners share of the loan was $50 million, with the balance taken by institutional partners. The financing was used to partially refinance existing indebtedness and provide liquidity to fund further growth.

Distribution

The Board has declared a quarterly distribution in the amount of $0.0625 per unit, payable on December 31, 2018 to unitholders of record as at the close of business on November 30, 2018.

Additional Information

The Board has reviewed and approved this news release, including the summarized unaudited consolidated financial statements contained herein.

Brookfield Business Partners Letter to Unitholders and the Supplemental Information are available at https://bbu.brookfield.com/reports-and-filings .

Notes:

1 Attributable to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, redemption-exchange unitholders and special limited partnership unitholders.

2 Average number of partnership units outstanding on a fully diluted time weighted average basis, assuming the exchange of redemption exchange units held by Brookfield Asset Management for limited partnership units, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 was 129.3 million (2017: 108.9 for the three months ended and 108.3 for the nine months ended September 30, 2017).

3 Income (loss) attributed to limited partnership unit on a fully diluted basis is reduced by incentive distributions paid to special limited partnership unitholders during the period. A reconciliation of net income per unit is available on page 11 of this release.

4 Company FFO is presented as a net amount attributable to unitholders and is a non-IFRS measure and is calculated as net income excluding the impact of depreciation and amortization, deferred income taxes, breakage and transaction costs, non-cash gains or losses and other items. When determining Company FFO, we include our proportionate share of Company FFO of equity accounted investment. A reconciliation of net income to Company FFO is available on pages 7 to 10 of this release.

5 The comparative figures have been updated to conform with the new segment presentation.





Brookfield Business Partners is a business services and industrials company focused on owning and operating high-quality businesses that benefit from barriers to entry and/or low production costs. Brookfield Business Partners is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information.

Brookfield Business Partners is the flagship listed business services and industrials company of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (NYSE: BAM)(TSX: BAM.A)(EURONEXT: BAMA), a leading global alternative asset manager with over $300 billion of assets under management.

For more information, please visit our website at https://bbu.brookfield.com or contact:

Media:

Claire Holland

Tel: (416) 369-8236

Email: claire.holland@brookfield.com

Investors:

Gwyn Hemme

Tel: (416) 359-8632

Email: gwyn.hemme@brookfield.com

Conference Call and 2018 Third Quarter Earnings Details

Investors, analysts and other interested parties can access Brookfield Business Partners 2018 third quarter results as well as the Letter to Unitholders and Supplemental Information on our website under the Reports & Filings section at https://bbu.brookfield.com

The conference call can be accessed via webcast on November 2, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time at https://bbu.brookfield.com or via teleconference at +1 (866) 521-4909 toll free in North America. For overseas calls please dial +1 (647) 427-2311, at approximately 10:50 a.m. Eastern Time. A recording of the teleconference can be accessed at +1 (800) 585-8367 or +1 (416) 621-4642, conference ID: 1519659.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements and Information

Note: This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian provincial securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and in any applicable Canadian securities regulations. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, include statements regarding the operations, business, financial condition, expected financial results, performance, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, strategies and outlook of Brookfield Business Partners, as well as the outlook for North American and international economies for the current fiscal year and subsequent periods, and include words such as expects, anticipates, plans, believes, estimates, seeks, intends, targets, projects, forecasts or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as may, will, should, would and could.

Although we believe that our anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Brookfield Business Partners to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the impact or unanticipated impact of general economic, political and market factors in the countries in which we do business; the behavior of financial markets, including fluctuations in interest and foreign exchange rates; global equity and capital markets and the availability of equity and debt financing and refinancing within these markets; strategic actions including dispositions; the ability to complete and effectively integrate acquisitions into existing operations and the ability to attain expected benefits; changes in accounting policies and methods used to report financial condition (including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates); the ability to appropriately manage human capital; the effect of applying future accounting changes; business competition; operational and reputational risks; technological change; changes in government regulation and legislation within the countries in which we operate; governmental investigations; litigation; changes in tax laws; ability to collect amounts owed; catastrophic events, such as earthquakes and hurricanes; the possible impact of international conflicts and other developments including terrorist acts and cyber terrorism; and other risks and factors detailed from time to time in our documents filed with the securities regulators in Canada and the United States.

We caution that the foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Except as required by law, Brookfield Business Partners undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether written or oral, that may be as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Cautionary Statement Regarding the Use of Non-IFRS Measures

This news release contains references to Company FFO. When determining Company FFO, we include our unitholders proportionate share of Company FFO for equity accounted investments. Company FFO is not a generally accepted accounting measure under IFRS and therefore may differ from definitions of Company FFO or Funds from Operations used by other entities. We believe that this is a useful supplemental measure that may assist investors in assessing the financial performance of Brookfield Business Partners and its subsidiaries. Company FFO should not be considered as the sole measure of our performance and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, analysis of our financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS.

References to Brookfield Business Partners are to Brookfield Business Partners L.P. together with its subsidiaries, controlled affiliates and operating entities. Brookfield Business Partners results include publicly held limited partnership units, redemption-exchange units, general partnership units and special limited partnership units. More detailed information on certain references made in this news release will be available in our Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2018.





Brookfield Business Partners L.P.

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

As of US$ millions, unaudited Sep. 30, 2018 Dec. 31, 2017 Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,770 $ 1,106 Financial assets 1,252 784 Accounts receivable, net 5,430 4,362 Inventory and other assets 3,362 1,577 Assets held for sale 145 14 Property, plant and equipment 7,067 2,530 Deferred income tax assets 217 174 Intangible assets 5,427 3,094 Equity accounted investments 536 609 Goodwill 2,420 1,554 Total assets $ 27,626 $ 15,804 Liabilities Accounts payable and other $ 9,386 $ 5,638 Liabilities associated with assets held for sale 12  Borrowings 10,865 3,265 Deferred income tax liabilities 887 837 Total liabilities 21,150 9,740 Equity1 Limited partners 1,519 1,585 General partner   Non-controlling interests attributable to: Redemption-Exchange Units, Preferred Shares and Special Limited Partnership Units held by Brookfield Asset Management Inc. 1,386 1,453 Interest of others in operating subsidiaries 3,571 3,026 Total equity 6,476 6,064 Total liabilities and equity $ 27,526 $ 15,804

Note:

1 Attributable to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, redemption-exchange unitholders, special limited partnership unitholders and preferred shareholders.









Brookfield Business Partners L.P.

Consolidated Statements of Operating Results

US$ millions, unaudited Three months ended September 30 Nine months ended September 30 2018 2017 2018 2017 Revenues $ 9,990 $ 7,640 $ 26,959 $ 14,444 Direct operating costs (9,080) (7,295) (24,929) (13,842) General and administrative expenses (174) (95) (434) (233) Depreciation and amortization expense (251) (109) (462) (262) Interest income (expense), net (148) (66) (317) (135) Equity accounted income (loss), net (9) 37 1 61 Impairment expense, net (180)  (180) (30) Gain (loss) on acquisitions/dispositions, net 247 (14) 353 267 Other income (expenses), net (42) (41) (63) (36) Income (loss) before income tax 353 57 928 234 Income tax (expense) recovery Current (43) (19) (123) (19) Deferred (25) 6 4 6 Net income (loss) $ 285 $ 44 $ 809 $ 221 Attributable to1: Limited partners $ (1) $ (8) $ 4 $ 21 General partner     Non-controlling interests attributable to: Redemption-exchange units held by Brookfield Asset Management Inc.  (8) 4 23 Special Limited Partners 94 25 278 25 Interest of others in operating subsidiaries 192 35 523 152

Note:

1 Attributable to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, special limited partnership unitholders and redemption-exchange unitholders.









Brookfield Business Partners L.P.

Statements of Company Funds from Operations

For the 3 months ended

September 30, 2018

US$ millions, unaudited Business Services Infrastructure Services Energy Industrials Corporate and Other Total Revenues $ 7,923 $ 740 $ 390 $ 937 $  $ 9,990 Direct operating costs (7,784) (574) (216) (504) (2) (9,080) General and administrative expenses (64) (16) (11) (65) (18) (174) Interest income (expense), net (9) (35) (48) (60) 4 (148) Equity accounted Company FFO 7  17 2  26 Current income taxes (8) (4) (5) (26)  (43) Realized disposition gains (loss), net    (3)  (3) Other income (expense), net (11) (11) Company FFO attributable to others (39) (62) (81) (205)  (387) Company FFO1,2 26 49 35 76 (16) 170 Depreciation and amortization expense (251) Impairment expense, net (180) Realized disposition gain (loss), net 250 Deferred income taxes (25) Other income (expense), net (31) Non-cash items attributable to equity accounted investments (35) Non-cash items attributable to others 195 Net income (loss) attributable to unitholders2 $ 93

Notes:



1 The Statements of Company Funds from Operations above are prepared on a basis that is consistent with Brookfield Business Partners Supplemental Information and differs from net income as presented in Brookfield Business Partners Consolidated Statements of Operating Results on page 6 of this release, which is prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management uses company funds from operations (Company FFO) as a key measure to evaluate operating performance. Readers are encouraged to consider both measures in assessing Brookfield Business Partners results. Company FFO is presented as a net amount attributable to unitholders and is a non-IFRS measure and is calculated as net income excluding the impact of depreciation and amortization, deferred income taxes, breakage and transaction costs, non-cash gains or losses and other items. When determining Company FFO, we include our proportionate share of Company FFO for equity accounted investments.

2 Attributable to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, special limited partnership unitholders and redemption-exchange unitholders.









Brookfield Business Partners L.P.

Statements of Company Funds from Operations

For the 9 months ended

September 30, 2018

US$ millions, unaudited Business Services Infrastructure Services Energy Industrials Corporate and Other Total Revenues $ 23,129 $ 740 $ 544 $ 2,539 $ 7 $ 26,959 Direct operating costs (22,729) (574) (325) (1,295) (6) (24,929) General and administrative expenses (203) (16) (21) (144) (50) (434) Interest income (expense), net (50) (35) (62) (174) 4 (317) Equity accounted Company FFO 21  79 9  109 Current income taxes (38) (4) (6) (75)  (123) Realized disposition gains (loss), net 55   48  103 Other income (expense), net (11) (11) Company FFO attributable to others (76) (62) (94) (640)  (872) Company FFO1,2 109 49 104 268 (45) 485 Depreciation and amortization expense (462) Impairment expense, net (180) Realized disposition gain (loss), net 250 Deferred income taxes 4 Other income (expense), net (52) Non-cash items attributable to equity accounted investments (108) Non-cash items attributable to others 349 Net income (loss) attributable to unitholders2 $ 286

Notes:

1 The Statements of Company Funds from Operations above are prepared on a basis that is consistent with Brookfield Business Partners Supplemental Information and differs from net income as presented in Brookfield Business Partners Consolidated Statements of Operating Results on page 6 of this release, which is prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management uses company funds from operations (Company FFO) as a key measure to evaluate operating performance. Readers are encouraged to consider both measures in assessing Brookfield Business Partners results. Company FFO is presented as a net amount attributable to unitholders and is a non-IFRS measure and is calculated as net income excluding the impact of depreciation and amortization, deferred income taxes, breakage and transaction costs, non-cash gains or losses and other items. When determining Company FFO, we include our proportionate share of Company FFO for equity accounted investments.

2 Attributable to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, special limited partnership unitholders and redemption-exchange unitholders.









Brookfield Business Partners L.P.

Statements of Company Funds from Operations

For the 3 months ended

September 30, 20173

US$ millions, unaudited Business Services Infrastructure Services Energy Industrials Corporate and Other Total Revenues $ 7,070 $  $ 66 $ 503 $ 1 $ 7,640 Direct operating costs (6,909)  (50) (335) (1) (7,295) General and administrative expenses (50)  (4) (29) (12) (95) Interest income (expense), net (15)  (7) (44)  (66) Equity accounted Company FFO 8  12   20 Current income taxes (15)  2 (7) 1 (19) Realized disposition gains (loss), net 11  (48)   (37) Other income (expense), net  Company FFO attributable to others (60)  24 (66)  (102) Company FFO1,2 40  (5) 22 (11) 46 Depreciation and amortization expense (109) Realized disposition gain (loss) reported in prior periods 23 Impairment expense, net  Realized disposition gain (loss), net Deferred income taxes 6 Other income (expense), net (41) Non-cash items attributable to equity accounted investments 17 Non-cash items attributable to others 67 Net income (loss) attributable to unitholders2 $ 9

Notes:

1 The Statements of Company Funds from Operations above are prepared on a basis that is consistent with Brookfield Business Partners Supplemental Information and differs from net income as presented in Brookfield Business Partners Consolidated Statements of Operating Results on page 6 of this release, which is prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management uses company funds from operations (Company FFO) as a key measure to evaluate operating performance. Readers are encouraged to consider both measures in assessing Brookfield Business Partners results. Company FFO is presented as a net amount attributable to unitholders and is a non-IFRS measure and is calculated as net income excluding the impact of depreciation and amortization, deferred income taxes, breakage and transaction costs, non-cash gains or losses and other items. When determining Company FFO, we include our proportionate share of Company FFO for equity accounted investments.

2 Attributable to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, special limited partnership unitholders and redemption-exchange unitholders.

3 The figures have been updated to conform with the new segment presentation.









Brookfield Business Partners L.P.

Statements of Company Funds from Operations

For the 9 months ended

September 30, 20173

US$ millions, unaudited Business Services Infrastructure Services Energy Industrials Corporate and Other Total Revenues $ 13,100 $  $ 199 $ 1,140 $ 5 $ 14,444 Direct operating costs (12,823)  (146) (870) (3) (13,842) General and administrative expenses (125)  (12) (66) (30) (233) Interest income (expense), net (28)  (20) (87)  (135) Equity accounted Company FFO 23  36 1  60 Current income taxes (7)  1 (20) 7 (19) Realized disposition gains (loss), net 19  (12) 237  244 Other income (expense), net  Company FFO attributable to others (89)  (20) (226)  (335) Company FFO1,2 70  26 109 (21) 184 Depreciation and amortization expense (262) Realized disposition gain (loss) reported in prior periods 23 Impairment expense, net (30) Realized disposition gain (loss), net  Deferred income taxes 6 Other income (expense), net (36) Non-cash items attributable to equity accounted investments 1 Non-cash items attributable to others 183 Net income (loss) attributable to unitholders2 $ 69

Notes:

1 The Statements of Company Funds from Operations above are prepared on a basis that is consistent with Brookfield Business Partners Supplemental Information and differs from net income as presented in Brookfield Business Partners Consolidated Statements of Operating Results on page 6 of this release, which is prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management uses company funds from operations (Company FFO) as a key measure to evaluate operating performance. Readers are encouraged to consider both measures in assessing Brookfield Business Partners results. Company FFO is presented as a net amount attributable to unitholders and is a non-IFRS measure and is calculated as net income excluding the impact of depreciation and amortization, deferred income taxes, breakage and transaction costs, non-cash gains or losses and other items. When determining Company FFO, we include our proportionate share of Company FFO for equity accounted investments.

2 Attributable to limited partnership unitholders, general partnership unitholders, special limited partnership unitholders and redemption-exchange unitholders.

3 The figures have been updated to conform with the new segment presentation.





Brookfield Business Partners L.P.

Reconciliation of Net Income per Unit

Three months ended

September 30 Nine months ended

September 30 US$, unaudited 2018 2017 2018 2017 Net income (loss) per unitholder, excluding incentive distribution1 $ 0.72 $ 0.08 $ 2.21 $ 0.63 Incentive distribution per unit2 (0.72) (0.23) (2.15) (0.23) Net income (loss) attributable to limited partnership unit1,2 $  $ (0.15) $ 0.06 $ 0.40

Notes:

1 Average number of partnership units outstanding on a fully diluted time weighted average basis, assuming the exchange of redemption exchange units held by Brookfield Asset Management for limited partnership units, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 was 129.3 million (2017: 108.9 for the three months ended and 108.3 for the nine months ended September 30, 2017).

2 Income (loss) attributed to limited partnership unit on a fully diluted basis is reduced by incentive distributions paid to special limited partnership unitholders during the period.
Dublin, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Research Report on China's Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Industry, 2018-2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



China is the world's largest PVC producer and consumer. At the end of 2017, China's PVC production capacity exceeded 20 million tons/year. In 2017, the production volume of PVC in China was approximately 17.9 million tons, an increase of 7.2% year-on-year.



In 2017, there were more than 60 PVC producers in China, 20 of which had an annual capacity of 400,000 tons or more. Most of them are located in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Shandong and Qinghai. The two largest PVC producers are situated in Xinjiang, namely, Xinjiang Zhongtai Chemical Co., Ltd. (with an annual production capacity of 2.2 million tons) and Xinjiang Tianye Co., Ltd. (with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tons). In China, PVC is produced in the calcium carbide method or in the ethylene method.



The calcium carbide method accounts for over 80% of China's PVC production capacity. PVC produced in the calcium carbide method is mainly used in the production of low-end pipes because it contains a large amount of vinyl chloride residues. While PVC made from ethylene, containing little vinyl chloride residue, can be used to produce refined high-end PVC products that cannot be produced with PVC made from calcium carbide. PVC made from ethylene and PVC made from calcium carbide can hardly replace each other.



Economically developed regions such as Guangdong and South China are the major consumers of PVC in China. Guangdong accounts for over 20% of the total PVC consumption in China; Fujian, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang in East China account for more than 30% of the national total.



The downstream applications of China's PVC mainly include construction materials, pipes, etc. Among building materials, sections, doors and windows account for about 30% PVC consumption; pipes account for about 30%; and film accounts for nearly 10%.



According to market research, China's PVC industry is still expanding its production capacity in 2018-2019. It is expected that by the end of 2020, China's annual PVC production capacity will exceed 27 million tons.



China's PVC industry is playing an increasingly important role in the global PVC industry. China has grown from a net PVC importer into a net PVC exporter. Especially since 2003 when China took anti-dumping actions against PVC imports, PVC made from calcium carbide has been developing rapidly in China. In 2006, China surpassed the U.S. in both the capacity and volume of PVC production, becoming the largest PVC producer in the world. As the Chinese economy develops and the urbanization rate increases, the demand for PVC will continue to expand in China from 2018 to 2022.



Topics Covered:

Supply of and demand for PVC in China

Major PVC producers in China

Market price of PVC in China

Competition on China's PVC market

Import of PVC in China

Major driving forces and market opportunities for China's PVC industry

Prospect of China's PVC industry from 2018 to 2022

Key Topics Covered:



1 Relevant Concepts of PVC Industry

1.1 Definition and Classification of PVC

1.1.1 Definition

1.1.2 Classification

1.2 Parameters and Assumptions

1.2.1 Assumptions

1.2.2 Data Sources



2 Analysis on China's PVC Industry, 2013-2018

2.1 Development Environment of China's PVC Industry

2.1.1 Economic Environment

2.1.2 Policy Environment

2.1.3 Social Environment

2.2 Analysis on Supply of PVC in China

2.2.1 Production Capacity

2.2.2 Production Volume

2.3 Analysis on Demand for PVC in China

2.3.1 Major Consumers of PVC in China

2.3.2 Market Size of PVC in China



3 Competition in China's PVC Industry, 2013-2018

3.1 Barriers to Entry in China's PVC Industry

3.1.1 Brand Barriers

3.1.2 Policy Barriers

3.1.3 Technical Barriers

3.1.4 Scale Barriers

3.2 Competition Structure of China's PVC Industry

3.2.1 Bargaining Power of Raw Material Suppliers

3.2.2 Bargaining Power of Consumers

3.2.3 Internal Competition of PVC Industry

3.2.4 Potential Entrants

3.2.5 Substitutes



4 Major PVC Producers in China, 2017-2018

4.1 Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Chemical Co., Ltd.

4.1.1 Enterprise Profile

4.1.2 Operation

4.2 Xinjiang Tianye Co., Ltd.

4.2.1 Enterprise Profile

4.2.2 Operation

4.3 Yibin Tianyuan Group Co., Ltd.

4.4 Hangjin Technology Co., Ltd.

4.5 Hubei Yihua Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.

4.6 Sichuan Jinlu Group Co., Ltd.

4.7 Ningxia Younglight Chemicals Co., Ltd.

4.8 Xinjiang Zhongtai Chemical Co., Ltd.

4.9 Hongda Xingye Co., Ltd.

4.10 Inner Mongolia Junzheng Energy & Chemical Group Co., Ltd.



5 Analysis on Production Costs and Prices of PVC in China, 2015-2018

5.1 Analysis on Production Costs of PVC in China

5.2 Analysis on PVC Prices in China



6 Forecast on Development of China's PVC Industry, 2018-2022

6.1 Factors Influencing Development of China's PVC Industry

6.1.1 Major Driving Forces and Market Opportunities

6.1.2 Threats and Challenges

6.2 Forecast on Supply of PVC in China

6.2.1 Forecast on Production Volume of SUVs in China, 2018-2022

6.2.2 Forecast on Structure of PVC Products

6.3 Forecast on Demand for Nickel in China



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4bvkc4/china_polyvinyl?w=12

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.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Labrador Gold Corp. (TSX-V:LAB) (Labrador Gold or the Company) is pleased to announce initial results from the first phase of detailed gold exploration in the Florence Lake greenstone belt (FLGB). The company controls a 57 kilometre strike length of stratigraphy prospective for gold in the belt. The exploration program at Florence Lake followed up on successful results of 2017 and included detailed soil sampling, geological mapping, rock sampling and prospecting along the length of the belt.



A total of 11,213 soil samples were taken on 12 grids at a 100m line spacing and 25m sample spacing across the FLGB. Results of 5,511 analyses received to date, primarily on two of the larger grids, Misery and Jasmine-Shirley, show significant gold anomalies typically associated with geological contacts. Analyses range from below detection limit, <0.25 parts per billion (ppb) to 2.22g/t Au, with 19 samples containing more than 0.1g/t Au. In addition, 551 samples greater than the 90th percentile are considered anomalous and require detailed follow up.

Gold in soil samples from the 5.7km by 2km grid covering the Misery carbonate alteration zone indicate four distinct soil anomalies with the two largest measuring 1,300m by 150 m and 750m by 100m, with nine samples containing more than 0.1g/t Au and ranging from 0.1 to 2.1g/t Au in the soil. Anomalies occur at the contact with ultramafic rock and felsic/mafic volcanic rocks and at the contact between ultramafic rocks and felsic intrusive rocks, both common sites of gold mineralization in greenstone belts.

Similarly, gold anomalies over the 2.6km by 0.6km Jasmine-Shirley soil grid occur along the contact between ultramafic rocks and sedimentary rocks (800m by 120m) and in a fold nose in the ultramafic rocks (400m by 250m) with values up to 0.36g/t Au in the soil. The Jasmine-Shirley grid also shows a strong arsenic soil anomaly associated with massive arsenopyrite mineralization with an along strike trend over 1km and highlights of between 0.1 and 1% As in the soil (see figures at www.labradorgold.com/Hopedale).

Results received for Misery and Jasmine-Shirley show specific gold targets, typical of greenstone hosted gold mineralization elsewhere in the world, defined by the detailed soil sampling on both grids, said Roger Moss, President and Chief Executive Officer of Labrador Gold. Soil sampling is working to focus us on the highest potential mineralized areas of the belt and we will follow up these anomalies with detailed mapping, rock sampling and drilling during the next field season.

This summers program did exactly what we wanted it to do, identify and pin down the anomalous gold trend on a 25m scale, added Shawn Ryan, Technical Advisor to Labrador Gold. The intensity and strength of the targets, both in terms of size of the Misery anomaly and its location right along the contact of the felsic / ultramafic unit, indicates that we truly have a new mineralized system. Three other targets in the area all seem to be following the same pattern with anomalous gold seen along the contacts of either the felsic or mafic units with ultramafic rocks. These areas will be the focus of detailed mapping next season to identify high quality drill targets.

All samples were dried in the field before being shipped to the Bureau Veritas preparation laboratory in Timmins, Ontario, with analyses completed at the Vancouver laboratory. Samples were analyzed for gold and another 36 elements by ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) following an aqua regia digestion. The company routinely submits blanks, field duplicates and certified reference standards with batches of samples to monitor the quality of the analyses.

Roger Moss, PhD., P.Geo., is the qualified person responsible for all technical information in this release.

The company gratefully acknowledges the Newfoundland and Labrador Ministry of Natural Resources Junior Exploration Assistance (JEA) Program for its financial support for exploration of the Hopedale property.

About Labrador Gold:

Labrador Gold is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and exploration of prospective gold projects in the Americas. In 2017 Labrador Gold signed a Letter of Intent under which the Company has the option to acquire 100% of the 896 square kilometre (km2) Ashuanipi property in northwest Labrador and the Hopedale (458 km2) property in eastern Labrador.

The Hopedale property covers much of the Hunt River and Florence Lake greenstone belts that stretch over 80 km. The belts are typical of greenstone belts around the world but have been underexplored by comparison. Initial work by Labrador Gold during 2017 show gold anomalies in soils and lake sediments over a 3 kilometre section of the northern portion of the Florence Lake greenstone belt in the vicinity of the known Thurber Dog gold showing where grab samples assayed up to 7.8g/t gold. In addition, anomalous gold in soil and lake sediment samples occur over approximately 40 kilometres along the southern section of the greenstone belt (see news release dated January 25th 2018 for more details). Labrador Gold now controls approximately 57km strike length of the Florence Lake Greenstone Belt.

The Ashuanipi gold project is located just 35 km from the historical iron ore mining community of Schefferville, which is linked by rail to the port of Sept Iles, Quebec in the south. The claim blocks cover large lake sediment gold anomalies that, with the exception of local prospecting, have not seen a systematic modern day exploration program. Results of the 2017 reconnaissance exploration program following up the lake sediment anomalies show gold anomalies in soils and lake sediments over a 15 kilometre long by 2 to 6 kilometre wide north-south trend and over a 14 kilometre long by 2 to 4 kilometre wide east-west trend. The anomalies appear to be broadly associated with magnetic highs and do not show any correlation with specific rock types on a regional scale (see news release dated January 18th 2018). This suggests a possible structural control on the localization of the gold anomalies. Historical work 30 km north on the Quebec side led to gold intersections of up to 2.23 grams per tonne (g/t) Au over 19.55 metres (not true width) (Source: IOS Services Geoscientifiques, 2012, Exploration and geological reconnaissance work in the Goodwood River Area, Sheffor Project, Summer Field Season 2011). Gold in both areas appears to be associated with similar rock types.

The Company has 51,592,552 common shares issued and outstanding and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol LAB.

For more information please contact:

Roger Moss, President and CEO Tel: 416-704-8291

Or visit our website at: www.labradorgold.com

@LabGoldCorp

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.
After having fled to Japan and traveling to Chile from where he was extradited to Peru the patriarch was sentenced for crimes against human rights and corruption committed during his term in office.

In 2017, he was pardoned by ex-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski , who later stepped down amid a political scandal.
"Hija mia, siento mucho haberte metido en el mundo de la politica que te ha hecho tanto dano. Te pido perdon por eso. Solo espero tener las fuerzas y la vida para verte -como en ese dia- libre al lado de mis nietecitas". pic.twitter.com/P9CfT87s76
In 2000, secret videos which Montesinos had recorded were televised that showed him bribing an elected lawmaker to leave the opposition and join the Fujimorist side of Congress. He has been in prison since 2001.

Montesinos was the long-standing head of Peru's intelligence service (SIN) under former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) , Keiko's father.

Las claves del fallo de #prisionpreventiva del juez Concepcion Carhuancho sobre Keiko Fujimori https://t.co/3Zgazbffjm pic.twitter.com/U4DaFUn3ul
This improvement is the result of nurturing better student employability, improving its staff/student ratio, and shaping a broader international network of research collaborators.

Furthermore, the other two universities were Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia which has fallen from 68th to 70th and Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos which has risen from 82nd to 74th.
Since 2006, Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connections has been an independent view of family history resources and developments seen from an Ottawa perspective.
Proceeds to enable advancement of lead product candidate INT230-6 into Phase 2 clinical development for solid tumors

WESTPORT, Conn., Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intensity Therapeutics, Inc. , a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing proprietary immune cell-activating cancer treatments, today announced the completion of a $6.5 million Series B financing.

Intensity plans to use the proceeds of the financing to advance the clinical development of lead product candidate INT230-6, a direct intratumoral injection that is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical study in patients with various advanced solid tumors. The Company intends to expand the study by adding clinical sites outside the U.S. and Canada, as well as adding combination arms with an anti-PD-1 antibody.

The support from our investors in this round, who purchased stock at a 150 percent premium to our Series A financing, underscores the potential of INT230-6 and our proprietary DfuseRxSM technology discovery platform, said Lewis Bender, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Intensity. With this funding, we are well positioned to complete the ongoing Phase 1/2 study of INT230-6, including planned combination arms with an anti-PD-1 antibody, and initiate Phase 2a studies in specific tumor types next year. We look forward to further evaluating the safety and efficacy of INT230-6 to ultimately bring a novel, intratumoral, immune response-activating treatment to patients with refractory solid tumor cancers.

As the Company recently reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Congress, preliminary data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 study demonstrated intratumoral injections of INT230-6 were well tolerated with no drug-related serious adverse events or dose-limiting toxicity in patients with advanced solid tumors. In addition, increases in circulating CD8 and CD4 T-cells and evidence of abscopal responses in non-injected tumors were observed. Preliminary data from this study will also be presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 33rd Annual Meeting, which is being held November 7-11 in Washington, DC.

About INT230-6

INT230-6, Intensitys lead product candidate designed for direct intratumoral injection, is comprised of two proven, potent anti-cancer agents and a penetration enhancer molecule that helps disperse the drugs throughout tumors and diffuse into cancer cells. INT230-6 is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical study ( NCT03058289 ) in patients with various advanced solid tumors. In preclinical studies, INT230-6 eradicated tumors by a combination of direct tumor kill and recruitment of dendritic cells to the tumor micro-environment that induced anti-cancer T-cell activation. Treatment with INT230-6 in in vivo models of severe cancer resulted in substantial improvement in overall survival compared to standard therapies. Further, INT230-6 provided complete responder animals with long-term, durable protection from multiple re-inoculations of the initial cancer and resistance to other cancers. In mouse models, INT230-6 has shown strong synergy with checkpoint blockage, including anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA4 antibodies. INT230-6 was discovered from Intensitys DfuseRxSM platform.

About Intensity Therapeutics

Intensity Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new immune-based approach to treat solid tumor cancers. Intensity leverages its DfuseRxSM technology platform to create new drug formulations that, following direct injection, rapidly disperse throughout a tumor and diffuse therapeutic agents into cancer cells. Intensitys product candidates have the potential to induce an adaptive immune response that not only attacks the injected tumor, but also non-injected tumors and unseen micro-metastases. INT230-6, Intensitys lead product candidate, is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical study in patients with various advanced solid tumors. For more information, please visit www.intensitytherapeutics.com and follow us on Twitter @IntensityInc .

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Intensity Therapeutics plans, future operations and objectives. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual performance or achievements to be materially different from those currently anticipated. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about the initiation and timing of future clinical trials.

Contacts

Investors :

Lewis Bender

Founder & CEO, Intensity Therapeutics

(914) 329-6571

lbender@intensitytherapeutics.com

Media :

Tony Plohoros

6 Degrees PR

(908) 591-2839

tplohoros@6degreespr.com




YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan addressed a message on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the Ombudsmans Office told Armenpress.

The message runs as follows:

Dear journalists,

November 2 is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

One of the main directions of the Ombudsmans activity is to guarantee respect towards the profession of a journalist and ensure unobstructed professional work.

The freedom of speech and journalistic activity is one of the main indicators of democracy development in the country.

With your high title to be guided by a responsible journalism and every-day hard work you contribute to the development of democracy in the country. In particular, thanks to your work, the citizen becomes informed about the activities of public bodies and officials representing these bodies. The civilian control over the state is guaranteed by this way.

The journalist also plays a key role in promoting dissent and ensuring atmosphere of solidarity in the country. These are important pledges to overcome the challenges facing the country with an honor and ensure smooth transitions of changes.

Any encroachment against the professional activity of a journalist must meet the strong reaction of the state, and the person who violated the law should be held accountable.

The journalist must be convinced that his/her professional activity is protected by the state.

I will continue making efforts with the status of a Human Rights Defender to contribute to guaranteeing protected work for journalists.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. United States President Donald Trump said November 1 he would sign an executive order "next week" aimed at restricting US asylum rules, CNN reports.

He also suggested that the US troops he dispatched to the US-Mexico border could fire on someone in the migrant caravan if the person threw rocks or stones at them.

In a speech at the White House about immigration, Trump recycled many of the talking points he touts on the campaign trail -- but offered little in the way of concrete ways to address the problems he embellished.

Trump said his administration is finalizing an executive action that would limit asylum claims to legal ports of entry, claiming migrants frequently abuse the system by fabricating their need for asylum.

But he declined to specify how a change he described as a forthcoming executive order would work.

Asked if he envisions US troops firing on anyone in the groups of migrants, Trump told reporters at the White House: "I hope not. I hope not -- but it's the military."

"I hope there won't be that," Trump said, but added that anybody throwing rocks or stones at the military service members will be considered to be using a firearm, "because there's not much difference when you get hit in the face with a rock."

The President said he would sign an immigration-related executive order next week, but was not specific as to what it would address.

A White House aide had said earlier Thursday that Trump would unveil an executive action requiring migrants to request asylum at legal points of entry and preventing them from claiming asylum if they are caught crossing the border illegally.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The active phase of the joint drills of the Joint Peacemaking Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) "Enduring Brotherhood-2018" has started at the Sverdlovsky Range near Yekaterinburg, TASS reports.

An Armenian military contingent is also participating in the drills as the country is part of the CSTO.

National contingents of the CSTO countries are carrying out a peacemaking operation on the territory of the "enemy state," which is not a CSTO member. Servicemen will perform joint tasks to control the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the zone of responsibility and provide support to restore peaceful life on the territories that suffered from attacks carried out by international terrorist organizations, TASS reported on the scenario of the drills.

The press service of the Central Military District explained that delegations from Serbia and the UN are observing the peacemaking operation. "The CSTO is cooperating with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations on the possibility of using the CSTOs potential for the benefit of the UN. A corresponding roadmap on the possibility of implementing this area was developed," the press service noted, according to TASS.

The military contingents from six CSTO member states - Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan - as well as an operation group of the CSTO Joint Headquarters, police forces and departments of the emergencies ministries of these countries are taking part in the "Enduring Brotherhood-2018," which started on October 30 and will run until November 2 in the Sverdlovsk Region.

About 1,300 people in total are taking part in the maneuvers, along with 300 vehicles, 20 aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles. Representatives for the International Committee of the Red Cross are also taking part in the drills. "Enduring Brotherhood" is being held for the seventh time and for the second time on Russian territory.


YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. US President Donald Trump wants to sign a trade agreement with China during the upcoming meeting with President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit, Interfax reported citing Bloomberg.

The summit will be held from November 30 to December 1 in Argentina, Buenos Aires.

According to sources, Trump tasked the Cabinet to draft possible trade deal with China. Several agencies are participating in the preparation of the draft document.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan has released a statement about the dissolution of parliament.

After the prime ministers resignation and not electing a prime minister twice the parliament is beginning the process of ceasing its duties by virtue of law, Babloyan said in the address.

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, the incumbent parliament will function until the first session of the [next parliament]. Clearly, the Members of Parliament composition of the [incumbent] parliament stood out with reasoning and tolerance. This was a result of our colleagues high professionalism, political will and wisdom. The last one and a half year was entirely enough to be convinced that our lawmakers have their own [traits] and they protect their political stance until the end in any issue. But at difficult times, which werent few in the past months, often by [ignoring] party interests and views, all of them united around the idea of maintaining stability in Armenia and Artsakh and did not lead the country to new turmoil, he said, thanking MPs.

He expressed a special thanks to those MPs who regardless of old and new realities, in these ever-changing times did not betray their principles and were guided by their inner convictions and consciousness when making decisions.

Lets hope that everything will be OK, he said, and wished the next parliament law-making effective work and most importantly responsibility.

The full text of the statement is available in Armenian.

On November 1, the Armenian parliament did not re-elect Nikol Pashinyan, the sole candidate, as Prime Minister in the second and final round, as intended.

Thus, the parliament was dissolved by virtue of law.

None of the lawmakers voted against or in favor, while 13 MPs abstained.

Pashinyan was nominated as a formality by the Yelk and Tsarukyan factions as lawmakers were expected to deliberately vote him down in order to dissolve the parliament  a requirement for calling early elections.

The first round failed to elect a prime minister, as intended.

During the first round, the Yelk faction nominated Nikol Pashinyan in a technical maneuver because the Constitution says that a vote must take place.

Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyans Republican Party (HHK) still had most seats in the 105-seat parliament. Since taking office, Nikol Pashinyan has numerously said that the incumbent parliament doesnt represent the people and that early elections should take place as soon as possible.

He resigned on October 16 to trigger the process which is required to lead to early elections.

This is the first time in the history of the Republic of Armenia when a parliament is being disbanded.

Later on the same day, President Armen Sarkissian signed an order on dissolving the parliament and calling early election of parliament on December 9.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The first annual Project Management Conference has kicked off in Yerevan on November 2, reports Armenpress.

President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian addressed a message to the Conference participants at the opening ceremony: This Conference is another proof of the new breath of young Armenia. I am convinced that such events will have their practical continuation. Such events prove that they will be constantly held in the Republic of Armenia. Our citizens, as well as all those who have a wish will have a chance to participate in conferences, as well as trainings and to receive qualification. At this era of rapid and constant changes it is important to move forward in accordance with the time. You need to be able to adapt to innovations in your activity fields. In the contemporary world it is necessary to be constantly informed and not to stop learning. Every knowledge-based event enables to rise by one degree in the professional scale.

The Project Management Conference is directed for exchange of experience among project management specialists, as well as is a perfect atmosphere for establishment of ties and communication of Armenian and foreign high-ranking officials.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will be on an unpaid leave from November 2 until November 4, according to his office.

Earlier today Pashinyan said on Facebook that he will have a brief vacation until Monday.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Acting minister of justice Artak Zeynalyan has commented on the criticism around the fact that the recently initiated clemency will cover the gunmen who seized a police station in Yerevan in 2016.

The attack took place in summer of 2016 when the gunmen identifying themselves as Sansa Tsrer (Daredevils of Sassoun) stormed a police station and took hostages. Three police officers were killed.

Speaking at a news conference today, Zeynalyan emphasized that this isnt the first time that this kind of a clemency is granted in Armenia. You remember the 2009 pardon for the March 1 events defendants. Meaning this isnt something new. If it is about a differentiated approach, then the lawful conduct or lawful right is envisaged by the criminal code and correctional legal acts. This is entirely an exception, this is an entirely differentiated approach.

The clemency act is a group of differentiated approaches, it isnt a law, this isnt an obligation by the state that should be fulfilled. As I have said earlier, this is a [favor], a privilege, and the privilege is implemented by the state within its discretion and opportunities, within the framework of political orders from the society, within the framework of commitments, he said.

He emphasized that a balance of laws exists here.

If you noticed we have attempted to maintain this balance in numerous points, in conditions of all stakeholders, including also in conditions of conflicting interests. We have also envisaged the protection of the rights of those killed, hostages and those who suffered bodily injuries. This clemency wont be applied if they object, he said.

Weve tried to maximally balance it, he added.

He said that the clemency will be initiated as soon as the president will sign the bill that was passed in parliament.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Acting defense minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan arrived in Lebanon on a working visit, his spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan said on Facebook, reports Armenpress.

Acting minster Tonoyan was welcomed by Lebanese defense minister Yacoub Sarraf at the airport. The two officials had a brief discussion after the welcoming ceremony. Today, on November 2, Davit Tonoyan visited Lebanons defense ministry, laid a wreath at the memorial of fallen soldiers. Thereafter, the acting defense minister and his Lebanese counterpart had a working meeting.

During the meeting joint cooperation programs, regional and international security issues were discussed. At the end of the meeting the officials signed an agreement on Military cooperation.

Thereafter, Davit Tonoyan visited the location site of the Armenian peacekeepers, the spokesperson said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The question on involving the Karabakh side as a negotiating party in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement negotiations process must be decided by the conflicting countries, Russias minister of foreign affairs Sergey Lavrov said at a joint press conference with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger.

Weve already commented on [Armenian PM] Nikol Pashinyans statements about involving Nagorno Karabakh as a party to negotiations. This is the kind of an issue that should be decided by the conflicting countries. There was a time when representatives of Nagorno Karabakh participated in the negotiations, but the format has changed and for many years now the negotiations are held only by Armenia and Azerbaijan. Certainly we proceed from the positions that Armenia is taking into account the approaches of Nagorno Karabakh in the negotiations process. Changing the negotiations format requires the consent of both sides, which at this moment doesnt exist, Lavrov said.

He noted that the conflict settlement is dealt by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, who are currently in the region for meetings with the leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Lavrov attached importance to this kind of contacts in terms of settling the conflict.

Lavrov stressed that the Co-Chairs have made great efforts in the recent years in the direction of the NK conflict settlement.

The Russian FM reminded that Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev had reached certain agreements in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

As far as I know during the Dushanbe meeting the Armenian PM and Azerbaijani president reached an agreement that dialogue must be continued and that the foreign ministers must meet. The sides noted that Armenia and Azerbaijan are ready to work with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. We can only welcome these decisions. As long as the [fervent] political processes, which we are following, in Armenia havent ended, its hardly going to be possible to discuss clear options for coming out of the crisis, he said.

Speaking about the NK conflict settlement, the OSCE Secretary General also addressed the Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Tajikistan, describing it as productive. He expressed hope that the meeting will contribute to restoring trust.

During the upcoming ministerial council in Milan in December we will express our support to the work of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and we will call on the conflicting sides to find political will for the settlement of the issue. It is important for the sides to work in a constructive atmosphere, to avoid provocative rhetoric, which will allow to de-escalate the tension in the line of contact. This kind of an atmosphere is extremely necessary in order for the sides to go for difficult compromise, which are required for long-lasting and comprehensive peace, Greminger said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Agreement is the largest supply agreement in Atlantic Canada



TORONTO, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biome Grow Inc. (Biome or the Company) (CSE:BIO) (Frankfurt:6OTA) proudly announces that its Newfoundland and Labrador brand, Back Home Medical Cannabis Corporation (Back Home) has entered into a 24,000 kg three-year production and supply agreement (the Supply Agreement) with the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (the Transaction). Todays announcement is the largest cannabis supply agreement in Atlantic Canada and one of the top five largest deals of its kind in the Canadian cannabis market by quantity. The Company expects that the Supply Agreement will represent close to $100 million in revenue per annum beginning in 2020.

Back Homes new $60 million production facility will operate from Barachois Brook on the west coast of Newfoundland. It will be built in multiple phases consisting of an initial 18,000 square foot facility, followed by an expansion of an additional 150,000 square feet in 2019. The expansion will bring the Companys total footprint to 168,000 square feet, making it the largest cannabis production facility in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Back Home is expected to produce Newfoundland and Labrador-grown cannabis in 2019 and plans to operate its production facility in the province for a minimum of 20 years. Pursuant to the Supply Agreement, Biome has committed to supplying up to 4,000 kgs in the first year of its three-year contract, with 10,000 kgs annually in the following two years from across its portfolio of production assets. The Transaction also allows Biome to recover up to $52 million through reduced remittances to the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC).

Biome will receive access to five retail licenses, leading to additional investments in development and construction beyond the costs associated with the development and construction of the production facility. This also positions Biome as one of the few cannabis enterprises in Canada to date with approved vertical integration from production through to retail distribution. The Supply Agreement will facilitate the creation of a minimum of 120 jobs at Back Homes production facility, with approximately an additional 80 jobs for Back Homes five retail stores and associated infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador. The first of the stores is expected to be located in Western Newfoundland in close proximity to the production facility.

Biome will also invest $500,000 over five years for research and development in the Province. The Companys investment in the provincial cannabis ecosystem ensures Biomes cannabis products are eligible for sale in the Province through the Newfoundland and Labrador supply chain.

Were very excited to partner with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador on the largest cannabis supply agreement in Atlantic Canada, and one of the top five in the country. Todays announcement is part of Biomes strategic plan to invest in sustainable production facilities and ecosystems across Atlantic Canada. The region provides Biome with the benefit of having a local customer base and governments that value the Companys invest local, hire local, and brand local approach to building sustainable cannabis ecosystems, says Khurram Malik, CEO of Biome. Furthermore, this supply agreement allows Back Home to make the investment to create a large employment base that will create high quality products for both the local market and for customers in international jurisdictions that are looking for a Made in Canada offering.

Back Home branded products are expected to be sold at Biome retail locations and they will be a key partner and supplier to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador of finished cannabis product.

Back Home is proud to be a locally operated company that will create high quality employment and contribute to the local economy through the production and sale of cannabis products grown right here in Newfoundland and Labrador, said Dave Callahan, President of Back Home.

Biome is a growing Canadian cannabis company that, under the focused stewardship of experienced and respected leaders in the cannabis space, has acquired five subsidiaries and has so far announced approximately 390,000 square feet of production capacity in operation or under development in Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

For further information, please contact:

Alise Mills

amills@sussex-strategy.com

778-928-0267

www.biomegrow.com

About Back Home

The Back Home Medical Cannabis Corporation is a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and is in the late stages of applying for a license under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR). Back Home began construction on a new production facility in Western Newfoundland in the second quarter of 2018. The facility will be 168,000 square feet in size upon completion and will be built in four phases. 

About Biome

Biome wholly owns five subsidiaries, including: The Back Home Medical Cannabis Corporation, a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and in the late stages of applying for a license under the ACMPR; Great Lakes Cannabis, a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario and in the late stages of applying for a license under the ACMPR; Highland Grow Inc., a licensed producer in Nova Scotia under Canadas ACMPR; Red Sands Craft Cannabis Co., a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Prince Edward Island, and; Weed Virtual Retail Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario in the business of operating a new virtual reality technology platform focused exclusively on the medical and recreational cannabis markets. Biome is a Canadian-based company with national and international business interests.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans,  expects or does not expect, proposed, is expected, budgets, 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. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forwardlooking statements and information concerning: the Transaction and the expected revenue to be derived from the Supply Agreement; the construction and the timing associated with such construction and expansion of Back Homes facility in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador; Back Homes expected timeline for the production of cannabis; the expected operating lifetime of Back Homes facility in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador; investment in, and the development of, Back Homes retail locations; the anticipated creation of jobs at Back Homes production facility and retail locations; Biomes expected investment in research and development; the Companys investment in the provincial cannabis ecosystem and its ability to ensure Biomes cannabis products are eligible for sale in the Province through the Newfoundland and Labrador supply chain, and Biomes management and its business plans. Such forward-looking statements and information reflect managements current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to Biome, including, among other things, assumptions and expectations with respect to: Back Homes ability to obtain all necessary regulatory licenses, permits and approvals to produce and sell cannabis and generally operate its business; that labour, construction, and other costs will remain low for Back Homes licensed cannabis production facilities; and that sufficient financial resources will be available.

These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including, among other things: a failure to obtain or delays in obtaining the required regulatory licenses, permits, or approvals; changes to legislation; changes in cannabis research or the general publics perception of cannabis; crop failure; labour disputes; increases in labour and/or construction costs; rising energy costs; an inability to access financing as needed; and general economic downturn.

Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. 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. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Biome, or any of its subsidiaries undertakes no 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. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Yerevan and Baku have the desire to continue high-level dialogue around the NK conflict settlement, OSCE Minsk Groups Russian Co-Chair Igor Popov told reporters today, according to RIA Novosti.

We are hopeful that a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries will take place next month, during which the key issues of settlement will be discussed, as well as the measures on strengthening of trust that can be adopted  taking into account the situation, taking into account how the relations between the leaders of the two countries will be built. From a principal point of view we have understood that a desire to continue high level dialogue exists, Popov said.

The question on involving the Karabakh side as a negotiating party in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement negotiations process must be decided by the conflicting countries, Russias minister of foreign affairs Sergey Lavrov said earlier today at a joint press conference with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger.

Weve already commented on [Armenian PM] Nikol Pashinyans statements about involving Nagorno Karabakh as a party to negotiations. This is the kind of an issue that should be decided by the conflicting countries. There was a time when representatives of Nagorno Karabakh participated in the negotiations, but the format has changed and for many years now the negotiations are held only by Armenia and Azerbaijan. Certainly we proceed from the positions that Armenia is taking into account the approaches of Nagorno Karabakh in the negotiations process. Changing the negotiations format requires the consent of both sides, which at this moment doesnt exist, Lavrov said.

He noted that the conflict settlement is dealt by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, who are currently in the region for meetings with the leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Lavrov attached importance to this kind of contacts in terms of settling the conflict.

Lavrov stressed that the Co-Chairs have made great efforts in the recent years in the direction of the NK conflict settlement.

The Russian FM reminded that Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev had reached certain agreements in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

As far as I know during the Dushanbe meeting the Armenian PM and Azerbaijani president reached an agreement that dialogue must be continued and that the foreign ministers must meet. The sides noted that Armenia and Azerbaijan are ready to work with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. We can only welcome these decisions. As long as the [fervent] political processes, which we are following, in Armenia havent ended, its hardly going to be possible to discuss clear options for coming out of the crisis, he said.

Speaking about the NK conflict settlement, the OSCE Secretary General also addressed the Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Tajikistan, describing it as productive. He expressed hope that the meeting will contribute to restoring trust.

During the upcoming ministerial council in Milan in December we will express our support to the work of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and we will call on the conflicting sides to find political will for the settlement of the issue. It is important for the sides to work in a constructive atmosphere, to avoid provocative rhetoric, which will allow to de-escalate the tension in the line of contact. This kind of an atmosphere is extremely necessary in order for the sides to go for difficult compromise, which are required for long-lasting and comprehensive peace, Greminger said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Acting minister of economic development and investments Tigran Khachatryan agrees with the view that many potential investors are waiting for the results of the upcoming parliamentary elections in order to make investments in Armenia, Armenpress reports.

I agree with Nikol Pashinyans statement that investors are waiting for the parliamentary elections. There will definitely be an acceleration of investment decisions, the acting minister said.

He stated that many obviously are waiting for the election results.

The acting minister said that according to estimates the gross accumulation in the economy will increase by 6% next year.

He said all investment actions are being carried out where there is predictability.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Acting defense minister Davit Tonoyan and his delegation arrived in Lebanon on a working visit on November 1, the defense ministry said.

Lebanons minister of defense Yacoub Sarraf greeted Tonoyan at the Beirut airport. The two ministers held a brief discussion upon greeting each other.

On November 2, acting defense minister Davit Tonoyan visited the ministry of defense of Lebanon.

After the welcoming ceremony, Tonoyan laid a wreath at the memorial of the martyred soldiers of Lebanon.

During a working meeting Tonoyan and Sarraf discussed joint cooperation projects, regional and international security matters.

At the end of the meeting, Armenias acting defense minister and Lebanons defense minister signed a military cooperation agreement.

Afterwards the Armenian delegation visited the Armenian contingent of the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The session of the CSTO Collective Security Council will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan on November 8, Armenpress reports citing the CSTO website.

The Collective Security Council includes heads of CSTO member states  Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.

Armenia will be represented by acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the session.

The heads of state will discuss several issues in a narrow format meeting, and the next issues of the agenda will be discussed during the plenary session which will be attended by the foreign ministers, ministers of defense, secretaries of security council of the states, as well as acting CSTO Secretary General Valery Semerikov.

Before the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council, the joint session of the foreign ministers council, council of defense ministers, committee of secretaries of security council will be held during which 24 issues will be discussed, 15 out of which will be submitted for the discussion of the heads of member states.

The members of the Collective Security Council will discuss issues relating to international and regional security, the mutual cooperation of the member states within the organization and international arena.

Given the fact that Kyrgyzstan will assume the CSTO chairmanship for 2018-2019, Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov will introduce the countrys priorities during the chairmanship at the upcoming session.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a letter of condolences over the death of legendary weightlifter Yuri Vardanyan, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The letter runs as follows:

I learned with a deep sorrow about the death of one of the legends of the Armenian sport, famous weightlifter, Olympic Champion Yuri Vardanyan.

Yuri Vardanyan was an example for many in the Armenian sport world. With his Olympic and world records he proved that what is impossible is just a challenge which can be overcome, that what is impossible can become possible.

His achievements were raising our national spirit and fortifying the character and will. We lost the sport legend, and I warmly remember my personal meetings with him. He was also an active participant of public and state life and was always with the Homeland with his minds and programs.

I extend my sincere condolences to Vardanyans family, relatives and share their grief and sadness.

Yuri Vardanyans bright memory will always remain in our hearts and souls.

Yuri Vardanyan has passed away on November 2 at the age of 62.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, 2 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 2 November, USD exchange rate up by 0.30 drams to 486.85 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 3.21 drams to 556.86 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 7.41 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 6.42 drams to 634.22 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 265.30 drams to 19270.69 drams. Silver price up by 1.86 drams to 226.18 drams. Platinum price up by 289.79 drams to 13336.01 drams.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The delegation led by acting First Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan participated in the regular session of CIS Council of Heads of Government.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia, first the heads of the CIS delegation met with the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev during which the interlocutors exchanged ideas not only on bilateral cooperation between the member states, but also the cooperation in the sidelines of international organizations and integration units.

Afterwards, the narrow-format meeting of the Heads of Government of the CIS member states took place, followed by an expanded format meeting. Ararat Mirzoyan gave a speech during the narrow-format meeting.

He highlighted the raising of the effectiveness of the cooperation in the sidelines of the CIS and deepening of ties in various directions, and noted that its necessary to take practical steps for realizing the potential of the CIS in terms of development of regional cooperation.

During the expanded-format meeting the acting First Deputy PM of Armenia signed 5 documents and a dozen of decisions on behalf of Armenia.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
Each of the children was immediately registered and granted Australian citizenship, and when they turned six they were packed off to boarding school in Sydney.

He moved for a time to the Australian protectorate that is now Papua New Guinea, where he married his Papuan wife and had five children before returning to Australia.

By wars end John Bird had been awarded honours by both Australia and the United States, having served in the merchant navies of both nations.

Ms Walton went on to become one of Australia's most celebrated pilots, an Officer of the Order of Australia, and her name would one day appear upon Qantas's flagship A380 aircraft.

He was one of 19 survivors rescued by the USS Patterson and is the last of them still alive.

SYDNEY - Nancy-Bird Walton's younger brother John was just 15 when the merchant ship he served on in World War II was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-180 off the New South Wales coast.

There they spent their weekends and holidays with their aunt, Nancy-Bird. One of Johns daughters is Mary-Anne, who at 64 remains an active member of the Australian Army Reserve, which she has now served for 29 years.

So it has been a shock to the whole family that the Department of Home Affairs is now challenging the citizenship of all the children. Mary-Anne has been forced onto a bridging visa which will expire in the new year.

Another daughter, Cathy, went on the run after a Border Force officer told her she might be arrested and detained at any time pending her deportation to Port Moresby. Donald Bird is currently teaching English in Thailand and may have trouble returning should his passport expire.

John Bird, now 91, is worried for his children and furious at the familys treatment.

I was bloody devastated. They are Australian. I am Australian. I have been a member of the RSL for 50 years and I get a veterans pension. The immigration department positively hounded them, he said.

Cathy first discovered that her citizenship was being questioned by the Department in 2016 when she went to renew her passport.

A couple of days after submitting her fee and the appropriate forms she received a call from the department saying that it did not consider her to be a citizen and demanding she apply for a Returning Resident visa.

I told them, I cant, I havent returned from anywhere, Im here, Ive always been here, she says. "It is just being told you that you dont belong that hurts the most."

Later she was informed that according to the Department she had been issued a visa in 1994 that expired in 2006 and she needed to sort out her status.

She says she has no idea what the Department is talking about, that during that period she lived in Australia, holding an Australian passport, and that the Department has refused to show her the visa it is referring to.

Finally in September she was contacted by a case officer in Cairns and instructed to apply for a bridging visa. She claims her case officer bullied and intimidated her in a meeting, telling her that he could - and would - remove her from her flat at any time.

He said he could break down my door and he would be happy to do it, says Cathy. It is common knowledge up here [in far North Queensland], people are scared of Border Force.

She was granted a one-month bridging visa which expired on 31 October. Last week she locked up her Cairns apartment, had Mary-Anne drive her to the airport and went into hiding in rural NSW.

Fairfax Media understands that since media made enquiries to the Department on Thursday morning, the bridging visa was extended.

Mary-Annes battle with the department began later when she sought to have her own passport renewed. Like Cathy, she does not know why her citizenship is being questioned. I am serving in the Australian Army. I have had my security check. You cant serve in the Army if you are not a citizen, she says.

Like Cathy, she has been forced onto a bridging visa, though she was given three months rather than one.

In recent days Cathy confessed to a friend that she had for a time considered suicide. "It was just so disheartening. I thought, 'How can I keep this fight up? How can I live like this?'"

Dan OBrien, the secretary of US Army Small Ships Association, a group founded to assist Australian veterans, said over recent days members of the group, along with the Maritime Union of Australia, the Merchant Navy Association of NSW and the American Legion had raised money to help the Birds pay for legal assistance.

He said it was his understanding that when the Department of Immigration combined with other Australian government arms, including Border Force, to become the Department of Home Affairs, regulations - or the interpretation of regulations - about the citizenship of Australians born to mixed marriages in Papua New Guinea changed.

If this was the case, he says, those affected by the changes should have been notified and assisted rather than threatened with deportation.

This is not how you treat a family that has given so much to this country, he said.

Asked why the Birds citizenship had been challenged and how many people might be affected by changes to regulations, a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs declined to comment on individual cases due to privacy concerns.

After hearing Cathy's bridging visa was extended, Mr OBrien, called on the government to apologise to the Bird family and settle the question of their citizenship conclusively.
PNG Party has a record of undertaking reform and restoring the country to good health following the havoc caused by a previous Peoples National Congress government.

The National Alliance is a well-established party with a record of stability and competent management. it has some outstanding members of parliament in its ranks.

I am very happy to join National Alliance along with my PNG Party colleagues and together work with like-minded members on the other side to replace the prime minister.

PORT MORESBY - The merger of PNG Party with the National Alliance is a very clear demonstration of the Oppositions determination to do everything in its power to change the prime minister.

Sir Mekere Morauta (left) calls for a joint effort in the PNG parliament to unite MPs in an effort to tip out controversial prime minister Peter O'Neill

Papua New Guineans must now stand up and take the opportunity offered by this merger to talk to like-minded members of parliament on the government benches to work with the opposition to replace the prime minister.

We know that there are some very good members on the other side, even in PNC, who want change as they know that this prime minister is not fit to run the country.

They feel trapped by the prime ministers net, and we want to assure them that there is a way out. We dont want to change the government; we want to change the prime minister. He is our common enemy.

I am urging Papua New Guineans to come out and tell Peter ONeill that enough is enough. He has been given enough opportunity  six years - to repair the country and change course from the path of destruction he has set. But we cannot put up with him any longer.

It is a public shame that polio and leprosy had returned to Papua New Guinea; that there were drug shortages all over the country; that teachers had suffered a pay cut and that schools were closing.

Meanwhile, the prime minister has the hide to order 800 vehicles for APEC, including luxury Bentleys and Maseratis, begging other APEC countries to fund this self-glorification project.

What about the people?

Papua New Guinea cannot afford to host APEC in the manner it has.

It has been used as an opportunity to pour K3 billion into a bucket with plenty of holes.

I am calling on the prime minister to account for every toea he has spent on APEC. Papua New Guineans deserve to know. And I am sure the taxpayers of the APEC countries that have supported the hosting of this APEC would also like to know.

The strengthened Opposition will bring extra focus on the problems with APEC, and more general issues brought about by Mr ONeills corruption, waste and mismanagement.

The two parties combined bring an unparalleled set of skills and experience and provide the best hope Papua New Guinea has to repair the damage of the last six years.
I did a little bit of delving and discovered the reunion was the idea of a couple of businessmen who had done well after leaving school and wanted to brag about it. They wanted to rub the collective noses of those who hadnt done so well as the businessmen perceived they had themselves.

I had for many years gone out of my way to avoid telling anyone thats where I went to high school.

Why on earth, I wondered, would anyone who went to the Elizabeth Boys Technical High School in the early 1960s even want to admit to having gone there and, worse, want to get together for a meal and a yarn?

TUMBY BAY - I think I received my first invitation to a reunion when I was in my mid-forties.

Retired kiaps come together regularly to rekindle the comradeship that developed during their service in Papua New Guinea before independence

Ever since then Ive been wary of reunions, although I must admit I once went to a reunion of mud skippers from what is now Western Province. And I went to a one-off affair involving the crew from the old Aboriginal and Historic Relics Unit of the South Australian Museum.

Those reunions were based on old friendships more than anything else.

For some years now, people who worked in pre-independent Papua New Guinea have been holding reunions but apart from the above mentioned mud skippers bash Ive avoided them.

Perhaps the most famous and enduring is the kiap reunion held on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland every alternate year. There is a smaller version in Cairns in the intervening year.

In recent years both these events have widened their scope to embrace anyone with a history in Papua New Guinea. A case of diminishing numbers I suspect.

I cant imagine that kiaps are the sort of people who would get much satisfaction from bragging about themselves, so attending has always been an option for me.

Unfortunately Im not the most organised person in the world and Ive usually been busy doing something else somewhere else at the time.

I was thinking about this the other day and wondering what it would actually take for me to get organised enough to attend such an affair.

Then it came to me.

If they actually held a reunion in Papua New Guinea Id make sure I got there.

Just think about it. A bunch of grizzled old kiaps in some middle-of-the-road accommodation somewhere in Port Moresby rubbing shoulders with their local counterparts and learning what has happened to the place since they left decades ago.

Maybe even invite some pollies along to join in the merriment and anything could happen.

Now that would be a reunion to remember.
Dublin, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Pea Starch Market by Application (Food & Beverages, Feed, Pet Food, Industrial), Function (Binding & Thickening, Gelling, Texturizing, Film Forming), Grade, and Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Row) - Global Forecast to 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global pea starch market is estimated at USD 91.8 million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 134.7 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period.



Some of the major factors driving the market include integrated use of pea starch in ethanol production, growth in the demand for convenience food, and an increase in the production of peas. Increasing instances of retrogradation impact the functional properties of pea starch, which is a major factor inhibiting the growth of the market.



Pea starch finds use in various food applications such as confectionery products, processed food, beverages, and others; the segment accounted for nearly half of the global pea starch market share. It is generally used in food products to provide consistency in terms of texture and stability. In addition, it is a clean label substitute to modified starch such as corn and potatoes, which helps in expanding its utility in food products. Although pea starch is considered as a low-level substitute in the food & beverage industry over the years, its acceptance has increased in recent past, due to the growing demand for natural ingredients in products around the globe.



Pea starch is used to maintain the texture of food and to create texture in water-based products. It contains amylose, which acts as a gelling agent for various food products. The use of the gelling agent enhances the impact of starch amylase hydrolysis. Hence, the gelling of starch is used in the food & beverage industry to provide digestible starch and to thicken or bind food products. It is used in various confectionery products, which include candies, chew gum, and jelly beans. In addition, this starch is also used in feed, pet food, and other industrial applications.



The market in North America is projected to account for the largest share during the forecast period. This is attributed to factors such as the increase in consumer demand for healthy processed food. In addition, consumers in this region are calorie-conscious and prefer low-calorie and low-fat foods. Due to these factors, the demand for pea starch is projected to remain high in this region.

The market in the Asia Pacific is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The rapid growth of the market in this region is mainly attributed to the increasing demand for pea starch in the food & beverage industry in China and India.



Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Premium Insights

4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the Pea Starch Market

4.2 Pea Starch Market, By Key Country

4.3 Pea Starch Market, By Function, 2018-2023

4.4 Asia Pacific Pea Starch Market, By Application, 2017



5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Integrated Use of Pea Starch in Ethanol Production

5.2.1.2 Growth in the Demand for Convenience Food

5.2.1.3 Increase in the Production of Pea

5.2.1.4 Rising Demand for Pea Starch in Various Food and Industrial Applications

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 Retrogradation Affecting the Functional Properties of Pea Starch

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Increasing Demand From the Pet Food Industry

5.2.4 Challenges

5.2.4.1 International and Domestic Food Safety Standards



6 Pea Starch Market, By Grade

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Food

6.3 Feed

6.4 Industrial



7 Pea Starch Market, By Application

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Food & Beverages

7.2.1 Snacks & Savories

7.2.2 Soups & Sauces

7.2.3 Meat & Poultry Products

7.2.4 Confectionery Products

7.2.5 Bakery Products

7.2.6 Dairy Products

7.3 Industrial

7.3.1 Pharmaceuticals

7.3.2 Textiles

7.3.3 Cosmetics

7.3.4 Mining & Bioplastics

7.4 Pet Food

7.4.1 Dog

7.4.2 Cat

7.4.3 Others

7.5 Feed

7.5.1 Swine

7.5.2 Ruminants

7.5.3 Poultry

7.5.4 Others



8 Pea Starch Market, By Function

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Binding & Thickening

8.3 Gelling

8.4 Texturizing

8.5 Film Forming

8.6 Others



9 Pea Starch Market, By Region

9.1 Introduction

9.2 North America

9.2.1 US

9.2.2 Canada

9.2.3 Mexico

9.3 Europe

9.3.1 Germany

9.3.2 France

9.3.3 UK

9.3.4 Italy

9.3.5 Spain

9.3.6 Rest of Europe

9.4 Asia Pacific

9.4.1 China

9.4.2 Japan

9.4.3 India

9.4.4 Rest of Asia Pacific

9.5 Rest of the World (RoW)

9.5.1 South America

9.5.2 Middle East

9.5.3 Africa



10 Competitive Landscape

10.1 Overview

10.2 Company Rankings

10.3 Competitive Scenario

10.3.1 New Product Developments

10.3.2 Expansions

10.3.3 Acquisitions

10.3.4 Partnerships



11 Company Profiles

11.1 Emsland Group

11.2 Cosucra Groupe Warconing Sa

11.3 Roquette Freres

11.4 Vestkorn Milling as

11.5 Meelunie B.V.

11.6 Parrish and Heimbecker, Ltd.

11.7 Puris Foods

11.8 Yantai Oreintal Protein Tech Co., Ltd.

11.9 Axiom Foods, Inc.

11.10 The Scoular Company

11.11 Shandong Jianyuan Group

11.12 Agt Food and Ingredients

11.13 Felleskjpet Rogaland Agder

11.14 Yantai Shuangta Food Co., Ltd.

11.15 Dakota Dry Bean



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6c4543/134_7_million?w=12

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.
US forces are currently participating in the largest NATO war games in decades, practicing storming the beaches in preparation for a fight against a tough adversary like Russia.

The Trident Juncture 2018 joint military exercises involve roughly 50,000 troops, as well as 250 aircraft, 65 ships, and 10,000 vehicles. During the exercises, US Marines, supported by Navy sailors, rehearsed amphibious landings in Alvund, Norway in support of partner countries.

A landing exercise on Oct. 29 consisted of a combined surface/air assault focused on rapidly projecting power ashore. During the training, 700 Marines with the Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division took the beach with 12 amphibious assault vehicles, six light armoured vehicles, and 21 high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles.

The Marines conducted another assault, which can be seen in the video below, the following day.

View this content at Business Insider

These photos show US Marines, with the assistance of their Navy partners, conducting amphibious assault exercises in Norway on Oct. 30.

Navy sailors aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New York signal for a landing craft to leave the well deck.

The landing craft air cushion leaves the well deck.

The landing craft air cushion turns to start its approach toward the beach.

The landing craft air cushion transits the Norwegian Sea. The LCAC hovercraft can manoeuvre at speeds up to 40 knots and carry loads the size of an M-1 Abrams tank.

Amphibious assault vehicles assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit prepare to leave the well deck of the USS New York.

Marines board amphibious assault vehicles during the landing exercise.

An amphibious assault vehicle assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit sets out from the USS New York.

Another amphibious assault vehicle disembarks from the ship.

Roughly a dozen amphibious assault vehicles drive toward the shore.

The amphibious assault vehicles come ashore.

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A landing craft carrying armoured assault vehicles approaches the shore.

Marines with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit offload their armoured assault vehicles as they establish a beachhead.

Marines with 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division offload light armoured vehicles from a landing craft.

Marines come ashore in armoured assault vehicles after disembarking from the landing craft.
Australian retail sales rose marginally in September, rounding off what was a weak quarter for spending at the shops.

Food sales grew by 0.4% during the month. Without that increase, sales would have been flat.

Retail sales volumes grew by just 0.2% in the September quarter, and will add very little to Q3 GDP growth.

Australian retail sales rose marginally in September, rounding off what was a weak quarter for spending at the shops.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), sales rose by 0.2% to $26.893 billion after seasonal adjustments, undershooting expectations for a larger increase of 0.3%.

Sales previously grew by 0.3% in August, the same level as the original estimate.

From a year earlier, spending increased by 3.7%, the same pace seen in the 12 months to August.

Spending on food and eating out drove the increase in September, offsetting flat to lower outcomes in all other categories.

"Food retailing (0.4%) led the rises," said Ben James, Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys at the ABS. "There was also a rise in cafes, restaurants and takeaways, which rose 0.5%."

"The rises were offset by a fall in clothing, footwear and personal accessories (-1.2%), while three industries -- other retailing, household goods and department stores -- were relatively unchanged."

Excluding food sales, turnover was flat, leaving the increase on 12 months earlier at 3.4%, the fastest increase since June last year.

Many deem this figure to be a better indicator on discretionary spending patterns across the country.

As was the case with spending by category, sales across the nation were also mixed, rising strongly in some locations while falling heavily in others.

"There were rises in Victoria (0.7%), Queensland (0.4%), South Australia (0.4%) and Tasmania (0.7%)," James said.

"There were falls in New South Wales (0.4%) and the Northern Territory (1.0%), while Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory were relatively unchanged."

Story continues

The mixed national performance offers few clues as to whether the housing market downturn, and the impact of soaring petrol prices, is affecting overall spending levels at present, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia's most populous states.

The housing market is clearly weighing on spending on household goods; although, from a broader perspective, it's hard to explain why sales surged in Victoria but fell in New South Wales given households in both states were influenced by similar circumstances during the month.

They both have positives such as firm labour market conditions and strong population growth, offset by falling property prices and higher petrol costs.

"We will be watching closely for a decent lift next quarter, otherwise it may be a signal that negative wealth effects from falling dwelling prices are weighing on consumer spending," said Kristina Clifton, Senior Economist at the Commonwealth Bank. "We think it is too early to make that conclusion yet though."

Despite creating more questions than answers on the impact of a declining wealth effect, Paul Dales of Capital Economics says there was enough in the latest report to suggest that households are "starting to feel the pinch".

"With the full effects of falling house prices yet to be felt, we think spending will slow further next year," he said.

Mirroring the soft nominal spending figures in the past three months, retail sales volumes -- which remove the impact of price movements -- rose by 0.2% over the September quarter in seasonally adjusted terms, also missing forecasts for a larger gain of 0.4%.

Real sales increased by 2.2% and 1.2% for other retailing and in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food outlets, offsetting declines ranging from 0.6% to 0.8% across all other categories except food which was unchanged from the June quarter.

By state and territory, sales volumes rose by 0.3% in New South Wales and by 0.7% in Victoria. Elsewhere, they increased by 1% in Tasmania, 0.5% in Queensland and 0.2% in South Australia. Volumes fell 0.3%, 1.2% and 3.1% in the ACT, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Over the year, total retail sales volumes grew by 2.2%, indicating a marginal improvement in per capita sales given Australia's population is growing around 1.6% per annum.

The headline increase in volumes during the quarter will marginally boost household consumption expenditure in Australia's upcoming GDP report, although not by as much as had been anticipated.

"The subdued increase in real retail sales suggests that spending on goods may have stagnated in Q3," Dales said. "Whats more, a slump in vehicle sales may have shaved off 0.1 percentage points from quarterly consumption growth."

Retail sales volumes grew by 1% in the June quarter, contributing to the spending-led surge seen in Q2 GDP.

Unless spending on services was strong during the September quarter -- a much larger component of household consumption -- then a similar result in the next set of national accounts is unlikely.

Dales says spending on services was likely stronger than at the shops, although not by enough to prevent a slowdown in household consumption expenditure over the quarter.

"Services consumption probably remained strong. All told, weve pencilled in 0.5% rise in private consumption in Q3," he says. "That would be slower than the 0.7% rise in Q2 and would mean that the annual increase slowed a little."

However, given the view falling home prices will likely drag on spending in the period ahead, Dales says household consumption will probably slow next year.

"We think that slowdown has further to run," he says.

"Our forecast remains that the slump in house prices combined with weak income growth means that consumption growth may weaken from 2.9% this year to 2.0% in 2019."
Austal, a supplier of ships to the Australian and US navies, has reported a data breach and extortion attempt.

The company's data management systems in Australia were hacked but systems in the US were unaffected.

The hackers then offered the information for sale on the internet.

Defence contractor Austal, which builds ships for the Royal Australian Navy, the United States Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman, has detected a breach of the companys data management systems in Australia.

The hackers then demanded money from the Perth-based company in return for the stolen data.

"Following the breach the offender purported to offer certain materials for sale on the internet and engage in extortion," the company says.

"The company has not and will not respond to the extortion attempts."

The company says Austals business in the US, where it makes the littoral combat ship for the US Navy, is unaffected by the breach because the computer systems between the two countries are not linked.

Austal, which has shipyards in Western Australia, the US and the Philippines, has referred the hack to the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Australian Federal Police.

"No company wants to lose control of its information, but there is no evidence to date to suggest that information affecting national security nor the commercial operations of the company have been stolen," the company says.

"Ship design drawings which may be distributed to customers and fabrication sub-contractors or suppliers are neither sensitive nor classified."

Austal says the security and integrity of the companys data systems have been restored.

"A small number of stakeholders who were potentially directly impacted have been informed," the company says.

"The data breach has had no impact on Austals ongoing operations. Austals business in the United States is unaffected by this issue as the computer systems are not linked.

Story continues

"Some staff email addresses and mobile phone numbers were accessed and these staff members have been informed accordingly."

The Office of the Australian Information Commission has been informed.

Austal in August reported full year revenue of $1.39 billion, up 6%, and a 154% surge in net profit after tax of $39 million.
Images: AAP

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rejected suggestions that an increase to the Newstart Allowance could be in order, arguing its Australian pensioners who need the help more.

Labor leader Bill Shorten yesterday described the Newstart Allowance as too low and a barrier to employment. Labor has committed to review welfare benefits, with Shorten yesterday telling Channel 9 that a punitive approach to unemployed people doesnt work.

Also read: Check your wallet: Australian Mint launches $1 coin treasure hunt

The Newstart Allowance is a benefit payment granted to unemployed people looking for work.

Of course we want people to get off the dole and get a job, but this sort of simple view that you starve people to get them off the dole, its not as straightforward as that, Shorten said.

Our priority is to make sure people find a job and make sure that we encourage people to work, but at the same time, Im not going to start kicking a person who is down in the head, am I?

However, responding this morning, the Prime Minister said Labor was primarily for welfare, rather than jobs.

Also read: Why 5 million Aussies have landed themselves on the ATOs watch-list

I heard the other day they were thinking of increasing the Newstart payment, he told reporters.

Well Ive got to tell you, if I thought I had the money to do that, I reckon Id be doing it for pensioners first.

His words follow a major report released by Deloitte Access Economics last month, which found that increasing Newstart would lead to an extra 12,000 people in employment by the 2020-21 financial year, and an increase in wages.

The report revealed that the allowances indexation to prices, rather than wages, meant it had effectively not increased in real terms for more than 20 years. As it stands, its 700,000 recipients receive $273 a week, or $39 a day.

As a share of the Age Pension and the average, median and minimum wage, the Newstart Allowance has shrunk, the report said, with senior partner Chris Richardson describing the current amount as unnecessarily cruel.

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However, increasing the Newstart Allowance would come at a cost of $3.3 billion a year, the report also noted.

In its 2018 budget, the Turnbull government expanded the Restart Wage Subsidy program, providing employers with financial incentives of up to $10,000 to hire workers of 50 and older. This was expanded to encourage older workers to work longer and support themselves better in retirement and was costed at $1.1 million.

Also read: The new financial mediation body you need to know about

The government also announced it would put an additional $90 million into its Transition to Work program, targeting Australians between 15 and 21 at risk of long-term unemployment,

However, it simultaneously limited uni students access to welfare.

Its mean and unjustified: Independent economist

To independent economist Saul Eslake, the current Newstart Allowance is unjustifiably low.

Speaking to Yahoo Finance, he noted the decrease in the allowance as a percentage of the single Age Pension from 92 per cent in the early 1990s to its current 66 per cent.

Im not necessarily saying the unemployment benefit ought to be lifted to the level of the Age Pension, because a lot of people who receive the unemployment benefit have access to other forms of support, but nonetheless I think it is mean and unjustified for it to be set at two-thirds of the level of the Age Pension, as it is now, he said.

He said Age Pensioners arent necessarily generously treated, but they are in comparison to the unemployed.

Further, he said the debate is symptomatic of a view that young people need to be punished in order to be diligent about hunting for work, pointing to the Abbott governments proposal to force unemployed people with no employment history to wait six months before being eligible for income support.

However, its not an exclusively Liberal stance.

Also read: Apple iPhone sales disappoint, but selling prices were way up

Labor is also a relatively new convert to the Newstart Allowance cause, Eslake said. Neither party stands to gain much by increasing the allowance as the vast majority of recipients live in Labor strongholds and already vote Labor.

Outside of politics, support is strong on both sides, with the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) both in supported.

This is not a left-wing cause, Eslake said.

When Labor was in office, they had exactly the same approach as the Coalition has had. Conversely, its not just bleeding-heart liberals, or social justice warriors, or whatever phrase from the language of the alt-right you want to pick, that think this is wrong.

 With agencies.

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Arron Banks, the self-styled bad boy of Brexit who bankrolled the successful grassroots Leave.EU campaign, is now facing a criminal probe into where its money came from. Having made his fortune selling insurance, Banks joined forces with UK Independence Party (UKIP) figurehead Nigel Farage to target working-class voters uncomfortable with mass immigration and suspicious of Brussels. Outspoken, passionate about leaving the EU and always keen to get the better of anyone who slights him, Banks, 52, revels in rubbing people up the wrong way. His approach to the 2016 Brexit battle was heavily influenced by Donald Trump's run for the US presidency -- and Farage, accompanied by Banks, was the first foreign politician to meet Trump after his election. Since his referendum victory, Banks has watched the disintegration of UKIP and faced questions about his tactics and finances -- culminating in a National Crime Agency investigation announced Thursday. The NCA is probing Banks's alleged use of offshore companies to finance Leave.EU. The probe came after the Electoral Commission regulator said it had "reasonable grounds" to believe Banks was not the true source of the money. - Insurance to political provocateur - Born in March 1966, Banks was a naughty boy at school and went into sales rather than further education. He started in insurance with a junior job at Lloyd's of London and worked his way up the wealth ladder through various self-launched companies, notably GoSkippy.com. Within his various active companies, he lists himself as a businessman, entrepreneur, director and insurance broker. He does not feature on The Sunday Times newspaper's Rich List 2018 of the 1,000 wealthiest individuals in Britain, which requires a minimum of 115 million. He has two children from his first marriage and three more from his second in 2001 to Russian linguist Ekaterina Paderina. Banks was a Conservative Party member who donated 25,000 to two local branches of the party in southwest England and loaned 75,000 to another. He first came to prominence when he switched his financial backing from the Conservatives to the pro-Brexit UKIP in 2014. William Hague, the former Conservative leader and foreign secretary, said he had "never heard of him" and so was not "too upset". Smarting, Banks immediately whacked up his donation tenfold from 100,000 to 1 million. Banks "hates political correctness and career politicians", Farage told the New Statesman magazine. "When he lets his hair down, boy, he has fun," he added. - Grasping for emotions - Banks was fuming after Vote Leave was designated the official pro-Brexit campaign. He pumped millions of pounds into Leave.EU. He identified that winning would rest on appealing to people's emotions -- notably on mass immigration -- rather than bombarding them with facts and economic forecasts. The Leave.EU campaign reached out to socially conservative working-class voters with targeted social media messaging. After victory, he has remained in the limelight, in the crosshairs of his opponents -- and now the NCA. Banks published a memoir entitled "The Bad Boys of Brexit: Tales of Mischief, Mayhem & Guerilla Warfare in the EU Referendum Campaign". He revealed he enjoyed "boozy lunches" with the Russian ambassador, but said nothing untoward happened. He has since tried to launch a Brexiteer takeover of the Conservatives, feeling the battle for Britain's future was now an internal one within the governing party. Banks is a Twitter warrior who relishes hitting back at his critics -- a style also in evidence in June when he testified before a parliamentary committee investigating fake news. After three hours of questions, Banks walked out, saying it had long over-run and he had a lunch appointment. Banks said he was confident that the NCA probe would "put an end to the ludicrous allegations" against him -- as he posted a picture of himself fishing in Bermuda. Arron Banks, who made his fortune in insurance, bankrolled the UK Independence Party in the run-up to the Brexit referendum Banks accompanied Brexit champion Nigel Farage when he flew to the United States to congratulate Donald Trump after his presidential win Banks put millions of pounds into the Leave.EU group in the run-up to the Brexit referendum
Brazil's far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has wasted no time showing his hostility to the independent news media, raising fears for the press under his administration, watchdog groups say. International media associations are just the latest group to voice concern about the Latin American giant's future under the former army captain, who has made derogatory comments against women, gays and blacks, and defends the use of torture by Brazil's brutal military dictatorship (1964-1985). The media controversy blew up after Bolsonaro threatened in one of his first interviews as president-elect to cut state advertising in newspapers or broadcasters that "behave disgracefully." That prompted the Inter American Press Association to say it was worried over "reprisals Brazil's president-elect would take against the press." "We are concerned that the president-elect does not draw a distinction between government and state, in saying that he would use the public administration to punish media that turn out to be uncomfortable, denying them official advertising," said the organization's president, Maria Elvira Dominguez. The Brazilian Investigative Journalism Association said it was fearful for the future given Bolsonaro's comments, and the National Newspaper Association also registered its disapproval. "Possible differences of opinion with the news media cannot be confused with unacceptable retaliation against newspapers via state advertising money," said its president, Marcelo Rech. The president-elect did not shy from naming names of the media outlets that have invoked his wrath. First on the list: Brazil's leading newspaper, Folha de Sao Paulo, which broke a story on an illicit campaign to send bulk WhatsApp messages slandering Bolsonaro's opponent, Fernando Haddad, and his Workers' Party. The contracts with the companies that sent the message were worth up to $3.2 million, the newspaper reported -- money that was not declared to the electoral authorities. The paper also infuriated Bolsonaro with an investigation that found he had a ghost employee on his payroll as a congressman. Speaking after the election, Bolsonaro declared his committment to the free press -- then followed it up by saying of Folha: "That newspaper is finished." "As far as I'm concerned, media that behave disgracefully will not get federal government funds," he said. - 'Get used to it' - "Get used to it," Folha fired back Wednesday in an editorial. "This newspaper will comfortably continue standing guard, because it doesn't depend on federal advertising," it said. The Brazilian press "will not stop scrutinizing the workings of power just because those who hold it at the moment employ the tactic of intimidation." Folha told AFP it receives less than five percent of its advertising revenue from the federal government. The newspaper got a surge of public support in the form of shout-outs on social media, as well as new subscriptions. But Bolsonaro's supporters have also taken to social media to attack journalists perceived as critical of the politician. Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders warned last week there has been an increase in both physical attacks and threats against journalists in Brazil's highly polarized climate. The Brazilian Investigative Journalism Association said it had registered 141 cases during the campaign. The Sao Paulo Foreign Correspondents' Association meanwhile said journalists had reported "countless" stories of physical and verbal harassment, calling on both Bolsonaro and his supporters to respect the Brazilian constitution's guarantee of freedom of the press. Black and white picture of Brazilian far-right president-elect Jair Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro before the runoff on October 28
Chinese President Xi Jinping greeted his Dominican counterpart Danilo Medina with a raft of economic deals in Beijing on Friday, meeting a Latin American leader who recently diplomatically ditched Taiwan for a second consecutive day. Xi met Medina at the opulent Great Hall of the People, where they reviewed Chinese troops before holding talks, a day after treating El Salvador's president to a similar welcome. During their talks, Medina pledged to support Beijing's "One China Principle" and agreed to participate in Xi's pet trade infrastructure project -- the Belt and Road Initiative -- a Chinese official told reporters. The leaders also oversaw the signing of 18 agreements, including on infrastructure, investment, finance and civil aviation, the official said, without providing details. The Dominican Republic abandoned Taiwan in May, as part of a campaign by Beijing to split the self-governed democratic island from its few remaining diplomatic allies. El Salvador followed suit in August. Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela, who already met the Chinese leader in Beijing late last year after ditching Taiwan, will attend a massive import expo hosted by Xi in Shanghai next week. The recent Latin American defections from Taiwan has irked the United States, which recalled its envoys from El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Panama in September. Beijing has tried to paint the moves as economic and not motivated by any desire to undermine Taiwan. The Dominican Republic's choice to switch its allegiance from Taipei to Beijing was "a political decision without any preconditions... The same as with El Salvador and Panama," the Chinese official told reporters. The new relationship "does not target third parties," he said, reiterating a line the government used following the meeting with El Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren on Thursday. Medina will inaugurate the Dominican Republic's new embassy in Beijing Saturday. Only 17 countries remain in Taiwan's diplomatic circle as the self-ruling democratic island struggles to fend off Beijing's growing influence around the globe. China and Taiwan have been governed separately since the end of a civil war on the mainland in 1949, but Beijing sees the island as part of its territory to be brought back into the fold. Taiwan and China have been engaged for years in a diplomatic tug-of-war in developing countries, with economic support and other aid often used as bargaining chips for diplomatic recognition. Central America has been a key bastion for Taiwan, with Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua still recognising Taipei rather than Beijing, which has used its economic muscle and promises of investment to entice governments. The United States recognises Beijing but is congressionally bound to ensure Taiwan's defence, with President Donald Trump's administration especially vocal on defending Taipei diplomatically. China's President Xi Jinping and the Dominican Republic's President Danilo Medina met in Beijing on Friday
European ambassadors and foreign business lobbies are calling on China to introduce "bold" and concrete market reforms at a Shanghai trade fair next week that the government touts as proof of its commitment to opening up. President Xi Jinping on Monday formally kicks off the week-long China International Import Expo (CIIE), which will gather more than 3,000 foreign businesses from 130 countries seeking to sell their products in China's market. Xi has raised expectations by saying it will be unlike any trade fair staged in the country and help reduce the massive trading surpluses it runs with other countries such as the United States. In a phone call with Donald Trump on Thursday, Xi told the US president the expo "shows China?s willingness to increase imports and open further", according to an account by Chinese state media. But trading partners and foreign firms remain sceptical, saying China continually backtracks on promises. The EU Chamber of Commerce in China urged leaders to "move beyond rhetoric" in a position paper released Friday. "The reform deficit has already sparked serious tensions with China?s major trading partners, so it is imperative that the government makes a concerted effort to address the issue at all levels," it said. Foreign government and business groups complain over preferential treatment accorded to Chinese firms, requirements that foreign companies form joint ventures with Chinese enterprises, forced technology transfer, intellectual property violations and restrictive red tape. Trump has targeted such complaints in his escalating trade battle with China that has seen both sides impose tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods. It remains unknown whether China will unveil any substantive measures next week to address the long-standing complaints. The French and German ambassadors to Beijing said in a commentary published in Chinese media on Thursday that the expo was an opportunity to "level the playing field". French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert and Germany's Clemens von Goetze wrote that the time was right, with China nearing next month's 40th anniversary of its historic shift toward economic reforms, urging Beijing to give that effort "fresh impetus". China is pivoting from an economic model dominated by export manufacturing and investment toward one based increasingly on domestic consumer demand, and the expo purports to welcome more foreign imports. The United States last week said it will not send "high-level" representation to the expo, instead calling on China to "end its unfair trade practices". Kenneth Jarrett, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, said the association wants the expo to be "an event with lasting consequences". "We would like CIIE to mark a turning point in Chinese trade policies. But any measures the Chinese government announces to change its current trading practices must be real and verifiable," Jarrett said. "Experience has repeatedly shown that regulatory obfuscation and foot-dragging become barriers to fair trade, even when the government has purportedly opened sectors to investment." President Xi Jinping has said next week's China International Import Expo will help reduce massive trading surpluses the country runs with other nations
As the US midterm election campaign enters the final stretch before Tuesday's vote, many races are too close to call but most polls have Democrats seizing control of the House of Representatives -- and Republicans clinging on to the Senate. President Donald Trump is ratcheting up the rhetoric and campaigning furiously as he seeks to hold on to the Republican majorities in the two chambers of Congress. All 435 seats in the House are up for grabs on Tuesday while 35 seats in the 100-member Senate are at stake. Americans will choose new governors in 36 states. Republicans currently have a slim 51-49 hold on the Senate, where Democrats have a tough hill to climb with 26 Democratic seats on the ballot, while Republicans must only defend nine. Democrats need a net gain of 23 seats to take control of the House they lost in 2010, and House minority leader Nancy Pelosi predicted this week they would do so. "Democrats will carry the House," Pelosi said on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," while also forecasting victory in the Senate. Political forecasting outlet FiveThirtyEight.com gives Democrats a 5 in 6, or 84.5 percent, chance of gaining control of the House but only a 1 in 7, or roughly 15 percent, chance of winning the Senate. As election day approaches and with turnout a major factor, Trump has sought to drive Republicans to the polls and rekindle the enthusiasm of his successful 2016 presidential bid. "I'm not on the ticket, but I am on the ticket because this is also a referendum about me," he said at a rally last month in Mississippi. "Pretend I'm on the ballot." - Anti-immigration rhetoric - Trump has scheduled 10 campaign rallies over the next five days in eight states -- Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Trump has dialed up the rhetoric on immigration, issuing dire warnings about caravans of Central American migrants heading to the US border with Mexico. Claiming the caravans include "very bad thugs and gang members," Trump has ordered 5,000 active-duty troops to the border and said he is considering sending up to 15,000. "This isn't an innocent group of people," Trump said Thursday. "This is an invasion." Trump also posted a political ad on his Twitter account on Wednesday that shows a Mexican man boasting about killing police officers and includes the caption "Democrats let him into the country." Democrats accused the president of seeking to inflame his supporters with his anti-immigration appeals. "This is fear mongering," Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told CNN. "This has been Donald Trump's playbook for so long." Control of the Senate will come down to a handful of races, in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia, according to political analysts. - Tight Senate races - In Arizona, two women -- Democratic Representative Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Representative Martha McSally, a former air force fighter pilot -- are battling to replace Senator Jeff Flake, a Trump critic who is not running for re-election. 538.com currently gives Sinema a slight edge. In Florida, incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson is involved in a tough re-election battle with Republican governor Rick Scott. 538.com has Nelson with a small lead. In Missouri, 538.com gives incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill a 3-in-5 chance of holding off a stiff challenge from 38-year-old state attorney general Josh Hawley. In other closely watched races, Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota is trailing in most polls and incumbent Republican Senator Dean Heller of Nevada is locked in a dead heat with Democratic challenger Jacky Rosen. In reliably Republican Texas, Senator Ted Cruz is facing a surprisingly competitive challenge from rising Democratic star Beto O'Rourke but most polls give the edge to the Republican incumbent. Two races for governor have drawn widespread attention. In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams is seeking to become the first black woman to become governor of a US state. She got a helping hand on the campaign trail Thursday from Oprah Winfrey. And in Florida, the African-American mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum, is in a bitter battle with a Trump acolyte, Republican Representative Ron DeSantis. US President Donald Trump has scheduled 10 campaign rallies in eight states ahead of the crucial midterm elections US Representative Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat, has energized voters and is waging a surprisingly competitive race in Texas against incumbent Senator Ted Cruz A voter information guide for the upcoming US midterm election People cast their ballots at a community center during early voting in Potomac, Maryland
SANDAL PLC (Sandal or the Company)

NOTICE OF AGM

2 NOVEMBER 2018

The Company announces that its Annual General Meeting ("AGM") will take place at the offices of Edwin Coe LLP, 2 Stone Buildings, Lincolns Inn, London, WC2A 3TH on the 28th November 2017 at 11.00 am.

The notice of AGM has been posted to shareholders today along with the annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 May 2018 and these documents are available to view on the Company's website: www.sandal-plc.co.uk.

The directors of Sandal Plc accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

ends

Enquiries:

Sandal Plc 01279 422022

Alan Tadd, CEO

Oliver Tadd, Director

www.sandal-plc.co.uk

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP

David Coffman/Jo Turner 020 7213 0880

MB Communications

Maxine Barnes 07860 489571

Notes to editors:

Sandal plc commenced business in 1996 and joined NEX in March 2015. The Company designs, develops and manufactures consumer electronics products. Its business is divided into two distinct product groups, PowerConnections, a long established wholesaler and reseller of a successful and patented range of converter plugs and power cables, and Energenie, which sells a newer product range that includes energy saving products, portable charging devices and the new Energenie MiHome range of products aimed at the "Home Automation" and "Internet of Things" marketplace.

The range of Energenie MiHome home automation products makes the remote operation of everyday household appliances and energy monitoring more accessible through integration with smartphone and tablet connectivity. The Energenie MiHome range is also integrated with the major players in the home automation market including Google Nest and Amazon Echo. Energenie MiHome products are available through a number of mainstream retailers including Amazon, Argos and Sainsbury's. In addition Energenie also offers Eco and electrical, travel and energy saving products for homes and offices, reducing energy usage and the Home Automation sector. It has store listings for its current products with several large retailers including Homebase, Maplin, Amazon, Screwfix, Toolstation and ASDA.

PowerConnections is a supplier to customers, in the UK and abroad, of single-phase electrical connection products. The products are manufactured in three partner factories in the Far East and have distributors worldwide for its range of patented converter plugs. The Company's product portfolio consists of International Power Leads, Rewireable Plugs, Converters and Connectors. These products are stocked in the Far East, Australia and UK.
Yoi Hasegawa still remembers when armed Soviet soldiers burst into her house just days after Japan's World War II surrender and tried to drag away her teenaged sister. At gunpoint, her father shielded his daughters at their home on an island north of Japan's Hokkaido. "Only after you kill me!" he screamed at the soldiers, who left without harming the family. "I thought we would all die," Hasegawa tells AFP. Nevertheless, Hasegawa, then 13, now 86, has fond memories of her home on the island of Etorofu, off the northern coast of Japan, one of the Kuril islands invaded by the Soviet Union at the end of the war. Four of the islands known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the southern Kuril islands in Russia are disputed and remain a bitter sticking point between Tokyo and Moscow, preventing them from signing a formal peace treaty. Now, former residents who were children when the Soviet troops arrived are heading into their twilight years with little expectation of returning to their former home. More than 60 percent of the 17,000 former islanders have already died and the average age of those still alive is 83. After the Soviet invasion, the father of Kimio Waki, a former resident of the island of Kunashiri, buried his important documents in a pot, for the day he and his family returned. But he didn't live to see that day and Waki, 77, doesn't expect to either. "No progress at all for 70 years... I have nothing to say but it is truly regrettable," he told AFP. He too remembers the Soviet arrival clearly. "Big men I've never seen before, carrying machine guns, came into our house, ransacking rooms... I was frozen with terror," he recalls. The four-year-old Waki later became friends with Russian children, who came with families after the invasion. But the friendships came to an abrupt end three years later, when hundreds of Japanese residents were expelled, some gathered inside a fishing net with a wooden bottom and hoisted onto a cargo ship. "We were like swordfish... We were not treated like humans," he said. - 'Too little time' - In recent months, diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue appear to have accelerated. Russian President Vladimir Putin in September suggested signing a peace treaty "without any preconditions". Tokyo rejected the proposal, but Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to meet with Putin again later this year. Historically, Japan insists the islands, which were once inhabited by the Ainu indigenous people, have never belonged to anyone else. Russia considers them spoils of war as agreed between then US president Franklin Roosevelt and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1945. Strategically, control of the islands gives Russia year-round access to the Pacific Ocean for its Pacific Fleet of warships and submarines based in Vladivostok, as the surrounding water doesn't freeze in winter. "Too little time is left," says Masatoshi Ishigaki, mayor of Nemuro City, on the eastern tip of Japan's Hokkaido, just a few kilometres from two of the islands. In 1956, Moscow offered to Tokyo the two smallest islands, Shikotan and Habomai, in exchange for a peace treaty, an offer that went nowhere. But Ishigaki says people in Nemuro would now accept that offer, and even a partial return of the islands would bring "great benefits". - 'The Kurils are Russian' - Another local mayor, Minoru Minatoya from Rausu, says grass-roots exchanges could help build trust. This process is already under way in a limited fashion, with some former residents allowed back to visit family tombs, and Russians coming to Japanese towns under an exchange programme. Japan and Russia are also negotiating economic projects on the islands in areas such as fishing, farming, wind-generated energy, and tourism but the details are yet to be worked out. But Minatoya is sceptical that the economic projects are the best way to solve the problem. "Would you accept it when someone you don't trust says, 'here's a big present for you, please take this'?" he asks. On the other side of the strait, there is little appetite to return the islands. "It is not likely that economic projects will enable Japan to retake control of the islands," said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Asia-Pacific Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center think-tank. "The Russian position is firm: the Kurils are Russian," he told AFP. Until the deadlock is broken, Hasegawa has only the memories of her home island, known as Iturup in Russian, from where a Japanese carrier fleet departed to attack Pearl Harbor in 1941. She remembers riding a horse on the beach, her family felling trees and pulling the logs home on a horse sled. She remembers the bitter cold and how they would put a brick on a stove, then wrap it in a towel to warm their bed. Waki now lives in Rausu, around 25 kilometres from his hometown of Kunashiri, known in Russian as Kunashir, which is visible on a clear day. "It's so near but yet so far." Kimio Waki was four years old when Soviet troops invaded the island of Kunashiri and still remembers their arrival clearly, recalling being 'frozen with terror' when 'big men I've never seen before, carrying machine guns, came into our house' Historically, Japan insists the islands have never belonged to anyone else while Russia considers them spoils of war as agreed between then US president Franklin Roosevelt and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1945 Map showing the Kuril islands disputed by Japan and Russia. Kunashiri island, part of the Russian-controlled archipelago known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the southern Kuril islands in Russia, can easily be seen from Hokkaido in Japan The dispute over the islands remains a bitter sticking point between Tokyo and Moscow, preventing them from signing a formal World War II peace treaty
France, Germany, Britain and the European Union issued a joint condemnation Friday of the US move to place fresh sanctions on the Iranian economy, vowing to protect European companies doing "legitimate" business with Tehran. "We deeply regret the reimposition of sanctions by the United States stemming from their withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," the statement said in reference to the hard-fought 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Struck between world powers and Tehran after years of fraught negotiations, the deal was aimed at limiting Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for sanctions relief. But US President Donald Trump announced in May that he was walking away from the deal and would reimpose sanctions, leaving the EU scrambling to protect companies that have forged trade links with Iran. Friday's statement from EU nations defended the deal as "essential for the security of Europe, the region and the whole world". "Our objective is to protect European economic actors involved in legitimate commercial trade with Iran," it added. Europe will also seek to "maintain financial channels operational with Iran and to ensure the continuation of Iranian oil and gas exports", it said. US officials said Friday that Washington was adding 700 individuals and entities to its Iran blacklist and pressuring the global SWIFT banking network to cut off Tehran when expanded sanctions are put in place next week. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the sanctions were aimed at getting Tehran to halt its nuclear activities and what the US says is broad support for "terrorism" in the region. The EU says 12 consecutive reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency show that Iran has stuck to the terms of the deal. A staffer removes the Iranian flag from the stage after a group picture with foreign ministers and representatives of the United States, Iran, other nations and the European Union on July 14, 2015, when the Iran nuclear deal was signed
Japan's cabinet on Friday approved a draft bill to bring more blue-collar foreign workers into the country, in a controversial move to address chronic labour shortages. The draft legislation, now likely to be submitted to parliament as soon as Friday, has come under attack from both the opposition and members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's own party, but business leaders say it is desperately needed. The bill would allow foreign nationals with skills in sectors facing particularly severe shortages to obtain five-year visas, which would not allow them to bring their families. Foreign workers in those fields who hold stronger qualifications and pass a more difficult Japanese language test will be able to obtain a visa that can be extended indefinitely, eventually leading to residency, and will be able to bring over family. Abe has insisted the new policy does not represent a wholesale overhaul of the country's strict immigration policy. Japan will only accept foreign workers "who have specific skills and can work immediately to address serious labour shortages, only in sectors that genuinely need them", he told lawmakers Thursday. But the bill has nonetheless faced a raft of criticism, potentially jeopardising government hopes to pass it before the end of the year and launch the visas from April. There have been questions about whether an influx of foreign workers will depress wages, how the workers will be incorporated into Japan's social security system, and worries about exploitation of migrant labour. Among the sectors in most need are agriculture, construction, hospitality/tourism and nursing. Many of Japan's low-skilled foreign workers are in the country under a so-called "technical training" programme, which has repeatedly faced allegations of abuse. There have also been concerns about culture clashes in Japan, a relatively homogeneous society that prizes social harmony and order. Asked how his government plans to integrate migrants, Abe pushed back against the idea. "Please don't misunderstand," he told parliament. "We are not thinking about a so-called immigration policy," he said, repeating that most of those coming in under the plan will stay for term-limited periods. "It is impermissible to force foreigners to accept your country's values," he added. "It's important to prepare an environment for coexistence with mutual respect," The bill has also been criticised as short on detail, with no word yet even on how many workers the government plans to bring in. While Japan has visas for highly skilled foreign workers, it has traditionally been cautious about accepting blue-collar foreign labour, though it opened its doors in the nineties to South Americans of Japanese descent. Businesses have long lobbied for looser immigration rules, saying they struggle to find workers in a country where unemployment hovers around 2.5 percent and there are 165 job vacancies to every 100 job seekers. The chronic labour shortages are only worsening as Japan's ageing and shrinking population means a declining pool of workers. Japan is looking to boost the number of workers in the construction industry as well as other sectors including nursing and agriculture
A Malaysian financier at the centre of a corruption scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB maintained his innocence Friday after the US unveiled criminal charges against him and two ex-Goldman Sachs bankers. Low Taek Jho, commonly known as Jho Low, and the former bankers were accused by the US Justice Department of conspiring to launder billions of dollars from the fund and bribing officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi. Low allegedly played a central role in plundering 1MDB. He was an associate of Malaysia's former leader Najib Razak, whose government lost power in May in large part due to allegations that the then premier was involved in the vast fraud. Since being ousted, Najib has been hit with a barrage of charges linked to the scandal. A spokesman for 36-year-old Low, who held no official position at the fund but was believed to have huge influence over its workings, said that he "maintains his innocence. "Mr. Low held no formal position at 1MDB, nor was he ever employed by Goldman Sachs, or the governments of Malaysia or Abu Dhabi. "The US Department of Justice specifically states that the charges in the indictment are allegations, and that Mr. Low is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. "Mr. Low simply asks that the public keep an open mind regarding this case until all of the evidence comes to light, which he believes will vindicate him." Low's is still at large. His current whereabouts are unknown, although reports have suggested he is in China. The indictments unsealed Thursday against him, ex-bankers Tim Leissner and Ng Chong Hwa, were the first US criminal charges over the huge fraud, which has spawned investigations around the world. Charges were filed in Malaysia in August against Low. Ng was arrested in Malaysia on Thursday, according to the DOJ. Leissner has already pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $43.7 million in restitution of ill-gotten gains. Goldman Sachs underwrote about $6.5 billion in bonds issued by 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a sovereign wealth fund set up to help develop the country, according to the US government. But more than $2.7 billion went to kickbacks and bribes, according to the charges. Goldman Sachs garnered $600 million in fees and revenues from three 1MDB bond transactions detailed in the indictments. Low acted as an intermediary for 1MDB but the ex-Goldman bankers concealed his involvement in the bond offerings, and repeatedly circumvented the bank's oversight tools for countering fraud, according to the charges. The bank says it is cooperating in the probe. Low Taek Jho, commonly known as Jho Low, is accused by the US Justice Department of conspiring to launder billions of dollars from the state fund 1MDB and bribing officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday condemned the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in his first comments on the affair, but stressed the need for stability in Saudi Arabia. "What happened in the Istanbul consulate was horrendous and it should be duly dealt with," Netanyahu told reporters during a visit to Bulgaria. "Yet the same time I say it, it is very important for the stability of the world, for the region and for the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable. "I think that a way must be found to achieve both goals." Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime, was murdered inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last month, and Turkish officials are still searching for his remains. After at first denying the murder, Saudi officials eventually admitted he had been killed in the consulate, blaming a "rogue operation" and arresting 18 people. Riyadh's international standing has been damaged by the affair and the Turkish authorities have made it clear they will keep investigating the matter. Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations, but both nations have strong links with the United States -- and all three countries share a common enemy in Iran. "The larger problem is Iran and we have to make sure that Iran does not continue the malign activities that it has been doing over the last few weeks in Europe," said Netanyahu. Referring to what he said were two Iran-backed terrorist plots that Israel had helped foil in Europe, he added: "Blocking Iran is uttermost on our agenda for security, not merely for Israel but I believe for Europe and the world as well." - Courting Gulf states - Israel considers Iran to be the main threat to its safety and has backed the United States in its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. Israel has been quietly courting Gulf Arab states which share its suspicion of Tehran. Netanyahu held surprise talks with Oman's Sultan Qaboos in Muscat last month -- accompanied by the head of Israeli intelligence service Mossad, according to Netanyahu's office. On Friday, the foreign minister of Bahrain, a close Saudi ally, praised the Israeli premier's stance. Khalid bin Ahmad tweeted that "despite the ongoing dispute, (Netanyahu) has taken a clear position on the importance of stability in the region and Saudi Arabia's role in consolidating that stability." Netanyahu also called on other countries to support US sanctions against Tehran. New US sanctions go into effect on Monday. He said sanctions so far had forced a marked decrease in the amounts Iran had devoted to "aggressive and terrorist" activities. Netanyahu was in the Bulgarian city of Varna to meet southern Balkans leaders at a regional summit. The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the regime, provoked international outrage Netanyahu (R), on a visit to Bulgaria, called on other countries to support US sanctions against Tehran


A cute snake has been photographed playing peek-a-boo from between the cracks of a bridge in Melbourne.

Snake Catcher Victoria Australias Barry Goldsmith snapped a photo of the snake, believed to be a red-bellied black, sticking his head up from beneath a bridge at Pindara Estate.

This guy keeps popping up on the bridge, Mr Goldsmith wrote.

Hes not hurting anyone, he just periscopes sometimes to check out whats happening.

I hope he stays safe.

This red-bellied black snake has been snapped popping up from under a bridge at Pindara Estate in Melbourne. Source: Snake Catcher Victoria Australia

Mr Goldsmith said hes removed snakes from under the bridge before and hopes locals let the curious serpent stay.

Be nice to snakes, he wrote.

A number of Facebook users labelled the snake cute, but hoped not to run into him anytime soon.

Thats so cute! one woman commented.

But it would definitely give me a fright.

Another added its like a cute game he plays.

Hes just inquisitive I expect, another woman wrote.

Wants to know whos walking on the bridge, giving him a headache!

In other snake news, a goanna and a red-bellied black snake have been filmed in a savage combat that has left many social media users shocked.

Footage of the face off was shared online by Queensland tour agency Unique Fraser and when viewing the video many agree it does not seem to be a fair match up

Earlier this week, a Queensland family were left shocked when they discovered a venomous snake on top of their fridge.

The fearsome beast slithered onto a nearby shoe rack, nestling between their sneakers while the frantic father called for help.

By the time I arrived, it was on the ground, basically just near the shoe rack, Stuart McKenzie, snake catcher at The Snake Catcher 24/7 Sunshine Coast told Yahoo7.


A Japan Airlines pilot, who was arrested shortly before a flight for being drunk, had almost 10 times the legal alcohol limit for a pilot, London police said Thursday.

JAL executives told reporters in Japan that the co-pilot cleared an in-house breath test but aroused the suspicion of a bus driver taking him to the plane from Heathrow Airport on Sunday.

The co-pilot, identified as Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, was arrested by British police and required to undergo a blood test that confirmed those results.

A Japan Airlines pilot who was arrested shortly before a flight for being drunk had almost 10 times the legal alcohol limit for a pilot. Source: File/AAP

We are certain (the in-house breath test) wasnt conducted properly, JAL communications chief Muneaki Kitahara told reporters.

A spokesman for the London police said a test on the co-pilot taken 50 minutes before the flights scheduled departure revealed 189 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his system  almost 10 times the 20-milligram limit for a pilot.

The airline said the pilot drank two bottles of wine and five cans of beer over a six-hour period the night before the flight from London to Tokyo.

The plane departed London after a delay of 69 minutes.

The incident came just a day after All Nippon Airways revealed a hungover pilot had caused multiple flight delays. Source: File/AAP

The company sincerely apologises to the passengers and to all affected by the employees actions, JAL said in a press release.

The incident came just a day after All Nippon Airways, another Japanese carrier, revealed a hungover pilot had caused multiple flight delays.

The male pilot in his 40s called in sick after a night of drinking on the remote resort island of Ishigaki in southern Okinawa prefecture, the company said.

The last-minute sickie forced the airline to delay five flights linking Okinawa island and smaller regional islands, affecting 619 passengers.

Following the two incidents, the transport ministry urged airline companies to strictly comply with rules on drinking.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Friday it was unlikely Poland would support the UN migration pact set to be adopted in December, following rejections by Washington, Budapest and Vienna and a cool reception in Prague. "It is very likely that Poland, like Austria, the Czech Republic or the United States will not be part of the global pact on migration," Morawiecki told reporters speaking alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Warsaw. "Our rules, our sovereign principles concerning border protection and migration control are a top priority," he told the press conference, a day after his Czech counterpart also expressed misgivings about the pact. The United Nations' Global Compact for Migration, whose final text was agreed in July after 18 months of negotiations, is set to be adopted during a conference in Morocco on December 10-11. It lays out 23 objectives to open up legal migration and better manage migratory flows as the number of people on the move worldwide has increased to 250 million, or three percent of the world's population. The United States quit talks on the pact last December, Hungary's anti-immigration prime minister Viktor Orban rejected it in July and Austria followed suit on Wednesday. Poland and fellow eastern EU states the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia flatly rejected a German-backed EU plan to introduce a mandatory quota system to distribute migrants and refugees across the bloc, following the 2015 migrant crisis. EU leaders dropped the mandatory quota plan in June. Poland is unlikely to adopt the UN migration pact, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX-V: CXB) (the Company or Calibre) announces that Ms. Julie Lassonde has resigned as a director of the Company effective immediately. The Company would like to thank Ms. Lassonde for her service and contributions to the Company.



About Calibre Mining Corp .

Calibre owns a 100% interest in over 413 km2 of mineral concessions in the Mining Triangle of Northeast Nicaragua including the Primavera Gold-Copper Project and Santa Maria Gold Project. Additionally the Company has optioned to IAMGOLD (176 km2) and Centerra Gold (253 km2) concessions covering an aggregate area of 429 km2 and is party to a joint venture on the 33.6 km2 Rosita D gold-copper-silver project with Rosita Mining Corporation and Century Mining. Major shareholders of Calibre include gold producer B2Gold Corp, Pierre Lassonde and management.

Calibre Mining Corp.

Greg Smith, P.Geo.

President and CEO

For further information contact:

Ryan King

604 628-1012

www.calibremining.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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday met Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel who was making his first official visit to long-term ally Moscow. His trip came a day after the United States, which has slapped several rounds of sanctions on Russia, imposed new economic restrictions on Cuba. Diaz-Canel took office in April in a historic transition of power on the Caribbean island, succeeding Raul Castro, who took over from his elder brother Fidel, father of the 1959 revolution. Cold War ally Moscow has affirmed "unshakeable solidarity" with Communist Cuba and last year criticised US President Donald Trump for reversing his predecessor Barack Obama's deal to restore ties with Havana. In a brief joint statement after their meeting in the Kremlin, Putin praised "friendship, mutual support and help" which mark the two countries' relations through the decades, and said the two leaders had "substantive and effective talks". Diaz-Canel invited Putin to visit Cuba in 2019 and said he would assure the continuity of the "legacy" of the relations between Moscow and Havana built since the Soviet period. The Cuban leader last met Putin in Russia in 2016 as first vice president, discussing economic cooperation. - US-Cuba relations 'regressing' - Diaz-Canel flew into Moscow on Thursday for a three-day visit accompanied by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and other officials. In his meeting with parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Diaz-Canel blasted the new US sanctions and said relations with Washington have taken a nosedive under President Donald Trump. "Relations between Cuba and the US are regressing," he was quoted by Interfax news agency is saying. "They are returning to Cold War rhetoric," he said, calling reports of sonic attacks on US diplomats in Havana "lies". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed the warmth of "friendship and cooperation with Cuba", telling journalists on Thursday: "Russia intends to continue these relations and do everything possible to develop them." Russia's oil company Rosneft has begun offshore drilling on Cuba's shelf, the Kremlin said Friday. Military cooperation would also be on the agenda, Peskov said, adding that the topic was "quite sensitive" and he could not give details. He declined to comment on a report in the Kommersant daily that Moscow would lend Havana more than $50 million to buy Russian arms. - 'Return to Cuba' - Moscow had funnelled massive funds into Cuba since the 1960s, when it proclaimed that the island has become a socialist republic after the Cuban Revolution. Cuba's proximity to Moscow's Cold War rival the United States had historically made it an important ally that bore geopolitical significance, culminating in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis which put Moscow and Washington on the brink of nuclear war. It also served as an unusual -- and symbolic -- meeting place between Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis in 2016. Stepping up military cooperation with Cuba would be viewed by Washington with great unease as Russian-American relations have plunged to the lowest level since the Cold War. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov during a recent visit to Cuba oversaw signing of contracts worth over $260 million, though it was not clear how many of them dealt with the military sphere. State newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta proclaimed this a "Return to Cuba". Borisov told Russian journalists that the issue of Moscow's military aid to the Cuban army would be discussed later this month when the Cuban defence minister visits Russia. Diaz-Canel will later meet Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, who held a landmark meeting with Pope Francis in Cuba in 2016. Previous Cuban president Raul Castro visited Russia in 2015 while Putin visited the island on a tour of Latin America in 2014, meeting both Raul and Fidel Castro. Russian President Vladimir Putin says his talks with Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel wer 'substantive and effective' Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel took power in April
The Israel-Gaza border saw the quietest weekly protests in months Friday, amid reports of a truce agreement between the Jewish state and the strip's Islamist rulers Hamas. In total seven Palestinians were shot, the health ministry in Gaza said, down dramatically from previous weeks, as protesters largely stayed well away from the border. Reports Thursday suggested Egypt had brokered a deal that would see Hamas end the eight months of often violent demonstrations in exchange for a loosening of Israel's crippling blockade on the strip. Such a deal would see Israel allow Qatari money to be transferred to Gaza to pay salaries of public employees hired by Hamas, as well as fuel deliveries, in exchange for calm, Israeli media said. There was no official confirmation of the agreement. The protests went ahead on Friday but local media suggested Hamas was keen to keep them calm to ensure goodwill with mediators Egypt and the United Nations. Thousands again gathered in several sites across the border Friday but largely stayed away from the barrier, AFP correspondents said. At a demonstration east of Gaza City, Hamas security personnel were seen preventing protesters from getting too close to the fence. Unlike previous protests, demonstrators did not fly kites with attached incendiary devices across the border to set fire to Israeli farmland, and few tyres were burned, the correspondents said. The previous week's demonstrations saw seven Palestinians die and a further 180 others wounded by Israeli fire during fierce clashes, according to the ministry. At least 218 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since protests began on March 30, according to an AFP toll. One Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper. Protesters are calling to be allowed to return to the homes their families fled or were expelled from in the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel and which are now inside the Jewish state. Israel says any such return would mean its demise as a Jewish state. It accuses Hamas of controlling the protests and seeking to use them to carry out attacks. - Egyptian border visit - Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and fears remain high that recent tensions could slide into another conflict. The Jewish state maintains a crippling blockade of the strip, which it says is necessary to isolate Hamas. Critics say it amounts to collective punishment of the coastal territory's two million residents. After last Friday's protests, Hamas ally Islamic Jihad fired a series of rockets at Israel. In response Israel struck Hamas and Jihad sites in the strip, without injuries on either side. Egypt and the UN have been mediating indirect negotiations for months in the hope of ending the protests and reaching a long-term truce deal. An Egyptian security delegation had been ferrying between Gaza, the West Bank and Israel during the week seeking to secure a deal. The delegation briefly visited the border protests Friday in the first such publicly announced visit by Egyptian officials, eyewitnesses and organisers said. During those protests, senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said they were close to success. "The efforts will succeed soon thanks to the steadfastness of our people in the marches," he told protesters. He said the protests would continue until they achieved their goals. A Palestinian protester in a wheelchair is pulled by a fellow demonstrator amid clouds of tear gas fired by Israeli forces during border clashes east of Gaza City on November 2, 2018
Spanish prosecutors called Friday for Catalan separatist leaders to be jailed for up to 25 years on charges of rebellion or misuse of public funds over last year's failed secession bid. In a statement ahead of an upcoming Supreme Court trial, the prosecution service said it was seeking prison sentences against 12 Catalan leaders ranging from seven to 25 years, the latter jail term being sought for former Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras. But in a sign Spain's socialist government disagreed, the attorney general's office announced it would ask for just 12 years jail for Junqueras, accusing him of sedition and misuse of public funds rather than the more serious charge of rebellion. The sensitive trial is expected to start in early 2019 -- more than a year after Catalan leaders attempted to break away from Spain in October 2017 by staging a referendum despite a court ban and subsequently proclaiming independence. Spain's then conservative government moved swiftly to depose the Catalan executive, dissolve the regional parliament and call snap local elections in December. Some Catalan leaders such as deposed regional president Carles Puigdemont fled abroad, while others like Junqueras remained and were put into custody pending the trial. "They can lock us up in here for years and years, but it will not weaken the desire for freedom," Junqueras said in a letter on Thursday. Apart from Junqueras, prosecutors want two influential Catalan civic leaders, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, and former regional parliamentary speaker Carme Forcadell jailed for 17 years. In a separate case, prosecutors said they were seeking four to 11 years jail against former regional police leaders including Catalonia's then police chief Josep Lluis Trapero, who is also accused of rebellion. Catalonia's current separatist leader Quim Torra reacted angrily against the jail terms sought for "good people, peaceful people." "Does anyone think that the two million independence supporters will just disappear by demanding (a total of) 200 years of jail for pro-independence leaders?" he asked. - 'Intimidating force' - In its statement, the prosecution service said pro-independence leaders had planned to use all possible means to achieve secession, "including -- knowing that the state wouldn't accept this situation -- any violence needed to secure this criminal result". It said separatist leaders had instigated "big citizen mobilisations" that represented an "intimidating force" and had also used the regional police force of 17,000 agents, who followed their orders. The charge of rebellion has caused controversy in Spain, not just among those who support Catalan independence but further afield among legal experts. According to Spanish law, rebellion is "rising up in a violent and public manner," to among other things "breach, suspend or change the constitution" or "declare independence for part of the (Spanish) territory". Military officers behind a 1981 attempted coup in Spain were found guilty of rebellion, for instance. But many legal experts contest the use of rebellion in the Catalan case, saying there was no violence during the secession bid, except that used by Spanish police on October 1, 2017 as they tried to stop people from voting in the banned referendum. Spain's justice minister acknowledged the controversy on Friday, telling reporters there was a "legal, even social debate on what happened in Catalonia in September and October last year". "This debate also took place at the attorney general's office," Dolores Delgado said, pointing out that it had decided to press charges of sedition, misuse of public funds and disobedience against Catalan leaders, and not rebellion. She denied it was a political decision on the part of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist government, which is in a minority in parliament and depends on other lawmakers, including from Catalan separatist parties, to pass bills or approve the budget. In an act in front of the prison where Junqueras is being held, Catalan leader Torra said separatist parties were withdrawing support for the budget and would not vote. But Catalan parties with representation in Madrid will have more say in that decision and it was not immediately clear whether they would follow suit. The right-wing opposition quickly accused the government of bowing to separatist pressure to secure support in parliament. In a tweet, conservative lawmaker Pablo Casado accused premier Sanchez of being "hostage to coup plotters" and "no longer legitimate to lead the government". Catalan regional president Quim Torra Catalonia's current separatist leader Quim Torra reacted angrily against jail terms sought for "good people, peaceful people" Jailed Catalan separatist leaders including (top L-R) Oriol Junqueras, Raul Romeva, Joaquim Forn, (centre L-R) Jordi Turull, Dolors Bassa, Josep Rull, (bottom L-R) Jordi Cuixart, Carme Forcadell and Jordi Sanchez Chronology of Catalonia's political crisis
Sri Lanka's speaker Friday summoned parliament to meet next week in defiance of the president as a constitutional crisis darkened with an MP saying he was offered millions of dollars and a minister's post to defect to a rival camp. With the Indian Ocean nation torn between rival prime ministers Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mahinda Rajapakse, speaker Karu Jayasuriya said he could no longer ignore demands for parliament to meet to end the week-old feud. Amid growing international concern over the standoff, Jayasuriya convened parliament to meet next Wednesday. President Maithripala Sirisena suspended parliament until November 16 after sacking Wickremesinghe as premier and replacing him with former authoritarian president Rajapakse. Wickremesinghe has refused to accept the dismissal and remained bunkered at the prime minister's official residence for the past week amid nearly daily twists in the saga. Sirisena at first lifted the suspension, but with observers saying his candidate Rajapakse did not have enough support to win a parliamentary vote, the president's party said late Thursday that the assembly would remain shut. "The speaker met a majority of MPs at a committee room today and promised he will open parliament on November 7," Jayasuriya's spokesman told AFP. Some 118 of the 225 lawmakers attended the meeting in a new sign that Sirisena would not win a vote on Rajapakse, whose decade as president up to 2015 was marked by the brutal end of the Tamil civil war and corruption claims. Wickremesinghe and his allies are confident they can prove a majority. But intense behind-the-scenes lobbying to tempt defectors surged into the open on Friday. - Millions offered - A senior member of Wickremesinghe's United National Party, Range Bandara, said he was offered $2.8 million and a ministry to switch sides and would go to the anti-graft commission. "I have a phone recording of a former minister in the Rajapakse camp trying to approach me," Bandara told reporters. "A broker offered me the $2.8 million and the ministry of law and order." Another Wickremesinghe loyalist, deputy minister Ranjan Ramanayake has already accused China of financing the defection of MPs to the Rajapakse-Sirisena camp. China has strongly rejected the claims. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) party, which has seven lawmakers, said its members had also rejected offers to join the Sirisena-Rajapakse camp. "There are dealers and brokers trying to buy over MPs both wholesale and retail," SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem said. "This is a disgrace, an assault on the dignity of honourable members of parliament." Hakeem said only an early parliament meeting could end the horse trading. - Buying time - Jayasuriya said that in a meeting with Sirisena this week he had highlighted that he had not been consulted on the suspension of parliament. "I have been getting numerous appeals from diplomats and civil society groups to intervene and end this crisis," Jayasuriya said. Wickremesinghe's party says that the president wants to shut parliament for as long as possible to give himself more time to secure votes for Rajapakse. "It is clear that Rajapakse does not have the numbers in parliament to justify getting the prime minister post," UNP spokesman Harsha de Silva said. "They are now trying to wriggle out of this crisis." De Silva said Rajapakse's brother, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, met with Wickremesinghe on Thursday to discuss ending the standoff but no accord was reached. "The PM's position is clear. No compromise," de Silva said quoting Wickremesinghe. There was no immediate reaction from Rajapakse or his party to the speaker's move to call parliament nor the allegations of offers to lawmakers. In the meantime, Rajapakse's administration ordered cuts to prices of essential food and taxes in what was seen as a bid to woo public support. The cuts were applied Friday, but MPs who met with the speaker in parliament vowed any decisions made by Rajapakse would not be honoured. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya (C) has summoned parliament to meet on Wednesday in defiance of the president Graphic on the political crisis in Sri Lanka. Some 118 of the 225 MPs met with parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya in a sign the president would not win a vote on his choice for prime minister Police Special Task Force troops leave the prime minister's official residence which Ranil Wickremesinghe has refused to leave
The UN Security Council is preparing to lift sanctions on Eritrea after the United States dropped its insistence on prolonging the measures despite a peace deal with Ethiopia, diplomats said Friday. Britain circulated a draft resolution to the council on Thursday that calls for lifting the arms embargo and all travel bans, asset freezes and targeted sanctions on Eritrea, according to the text seen by AFP. The council is to vote on the proposed resolution on November 14. Diplomats said they expected the measure to be adopted after the US change in position. Eritrea and Ethiopia signed a peace deal in July, but the United States, backed by France and Britain, insisted that Eritrea would first have to show progress on respect for human rights before sanctions could be lifted. That position however recently changed -- a shift some diplomats said was decided by US national security adviser John Bolton, who dealt with the Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict when he served as UN ambassador. The council slapped sanctions on Eritrea in 2009 for its alleged support to Al-Shabaab jihadists in Somalia but the draft resolution acknowledged that UN monitors had "not found conclusive evidence that Eritrea supports Al-Shabaab." The Eritrean government had long denied backing the group and Foreign Minister Osman Mohammed Saleh slammed the sanctions as "unwarranted" in his address to the General Assembly in September. The sanctions and arms embargo will end on the day of the adoption of the resolution, according to the text. - Stabler Horn of Africa - The peace declaration signed in July by the prime ministers of Eritrea and Ethiopia ended two decades of hostility and triggered a thaw in relations with Djibouti and Somalia that shored up stability in the Horn of Africa. In his UN address, Eritrea's foreign minister said it was "astounding" that some countries at the Security Council wanted to prolong sanctions "in light of the widely acclaimed peace." The sanctions caused "considerable economic damage" to Eritrea and "unnecessary hardships," said the foreign minister, who called for their immediate end. Ethiopia and Somalia had backed Eritrea's call to end sanctions. The draft resolution calls on Eritrea and Djibouti to continue to improve relations after the leaders met in Saudi Arabia in September to resolve a border dispute. It urges Eritrea to make available information on the whereabouts of Djiboutian soldiers missing since clashes in 2008, which has been a sore point in ties. The draft resolution would maintain the arms embargo on Somalia, imposed in 1992. Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, and war broke out later that decade over a border dispute. A 2002 UN-backed boundary demarcation was meant to settle the dispute for good, but Ethiopia refused to abide by it. A turnaround began in June when Ethiopia announced it would hand back to Eritrea disputed areas including the flashpoint town of Badme where the first shots of the border war were fired. The UN Security Council is scheduled to vote on November 14 on lifting sanctions on Eritrea after the US dropped its insistence on prolonging the measures despite the peace deal with Ethiopia Eritrea and Ethiopia signed a historic peace deal in July, ending two decades of hostility and re-opening their border
Uruguay's government asked Congress on Friday to allow US troops to stay in country during the upcoming G20 meeting in neighboring Argentina, due to be attended by the US and Russian leaders. Washington wants to send 400 civilian and military personnel as well as eight aircraft for a week, from November 26 to December 3. US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin are scheduled to attend the event. Uruguay's defense ministry submitted a two-part bill to Congress, the first of which sought permission for the US troops, official sources said. The bill's second article asks for authorization to allow troops from other countries whose leaders are attending the summit to be stationed in Uruguay, according to a document seen by AFP. Opposition senator Javier Garcia told AFP that such authorization can only be issued by the General Assembly through a constitutional mandate. But he stressed that any such authorization would be for a specific request rather than a "carte blanche" opening of doors to unspecified foreign troops. Garcia said the defense ministry would have to ask each other country wishing to use Uruguayan soil to provide a detailed request similar to the one US officials presented. The G20 summit takes place in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, which is just 200 kilometers (125 miles) away from Uruguay's capital Montevideo. US President Donald Trump (R) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, pictured during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017, are to also attend a G20 gathering that begins November 26 in Argentina
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced charges Thursday against Chinese and Taiwan companies for theft of an estimate $8.75 billion worth of trade secrets from US semiconductor giant Micron. Sessions said the case was the latest in a series that are part of a state-backed program by Beijing to steal US industrial and commercial secrets. "Taken together, these cases and many others like them paint a grim picture of a country bent on stealing its way up the ladder of economic development and doing so at American expense," Session said. "This behavior is illegal. It is wrong. It is a threat to our national security. And it must stop." The indictment released in the US district court in San Jose, California alleges that Chinese state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. and privately owned United Microelectronics Corporation of Taiwan, along with three UMC executives, conspired to steal Micron trade secrets to help UMC and Fujian Jinhua develop DRAM chips used in many computer processors. It said the three Taiwanese men -- Stephen Chen Zhengkun, He Jianting and Kenny Wang Yungming -- all previously worked at Micron and stole its technology when they joined UMC with the express purpose of transferring it to Fujian Jinhua, a two-year-old firm. Chen was originally a top executive at Micron, then moved to lead UMC, and subsequently became president of Fujian Jinhua. The move posed a major threat to Micron, a company valued at around $100 billion and which controls 20-25 percent of the global market for DRAM, or dynamic random-access memory, chips. The indictment came four months after Fujian Jinhua won a patent dispute with Micron in a Chinese court, gaining an order for the US company to stop sales in China of more than a dozen solid-state drives, memory sticks and chips. In retaliation, the US Commerce Department on Monday placed heavy restrictions on Fujian Jinhua's ability to buy US machinery and materials for its factories that would boost its DRAM production capabilities. The new restrictions mean US firms will need special approval to export products intended for use by state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Company, Ltd., according to a statement. In addition to the criminal charges announced Thursday, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit to block imports of any UMC and Fujian Jinhua products using stolen Micron technology. In the past two months the Justice Department has also indicted 12 Chinese, including three intelligence officials, in an alleged five-year plot to steal jet engine technology from major US and French companies who supply the world's airlines. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announces criminal charges against Chinese and Taiwanese electronics companies accused of stealing the technology of US semiconductor giant Micron
China challenged the United States Friday to show evidence to support charges that Beijing backed a scheme by Chinese and Taiwanese companies to steal trade secrets from a US-based semiconductor firm. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions accused the companies on Thursday of stealing an estimated $8.75 billion worth of know-how from semiconductor giant Micron. The Justice Department unveiled criminal charges against Chinese state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) of Taiwan, along with three UMC officials. It said they conspired to steal US-based Micron's advanced designs to turn Fujian Jinhua into a major player in the global computer chip market. "If the US side is really concerned, they should provide concrete examples that can withstand the test of evidence and facts," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing. The charges were the latest in a series of cases targeting what Washington calls an ongoing Beijing programme to steal valuable US industrial and commercial secrets in order to advance the Chinese economy. "Taken together, these cases and many others like them paint a grim picture of a country bent on stealing its way up the ladder of economic development and doing so at American expense," Sessions said. "This behaviour is illegal. It is wrong. It is a threat to our national security. And it must stop." US President Donald Trump has cited China's alleged theft of US technological know-how among a litany of grievances in his trade war with the Asian power. Trump and Xi spoke on the phone about trade and other issues hours after the charges were announced, and the US leader tweeted that the pair had a "very good" conversation. Xi said he was "very happy" to talk to Trump again and that he would like to see him at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires later this month, adding that the two countries should "push for a mutually acceptable solution to China-US economic and trade issues", according to state media. - Chip designs - The indictment released in the US district court in San Jose, California alleges that three former Micron employees in Taiwan -- Stephen Chen Zhengkun, He Jianting and Kenny Wang Yungming -- joined UMC in 2015 and 2016 with the express plan to hand over to the company Micron's design and manufacturing processes for specific dynamic random access memory (DRAM) semiconductors. Those would then be transferred to Fujian Jinhua under an contract set by Chen. Prior to the plot, US prosecutors said, neither the Chinese nor the Taiwanese company had any DRAM production capability. But China had set out the goal of acquiring DRAM capability in its current strategic economy plan. Chen was originally a top executive at Micron's Taiwan operation. He moved in 2015 to lead UMC, a contract chip manufacturer listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and subsequently became president of Fujian Jinhua. - Competitive threat to Micron - The theft posed a major threat to Micron, a company valued at around $100 billion and which controls 20-25 percent of the global market for DRAM chips. The indictment came four months after Fujian Jinhua won a patent dispute with Micron in a Chinese court, gaining an order for the US company to stop sales in China of more than a dozen solid-state drives, memory sticks and chips. In retaliation, the US Commerce Department on Monday placed heavy restrictions on Fujian Jinhua's ability to buy US machinery and materials for its factories that would boost its DRAM production capabilities. In addition to the criminal charges announced Thursday, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit to block imports of any UMC and Fujian Jinhua products using stolen Micron technology. In recent years Washington has stepped up its fight against China's alleged ongoing economic espionage programme to obtain all sorts of advanced technologies, from agriculture to heavy manufacturing. "China is probably, over the long term, the biggest challenge, national security challenge that faces our country," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday in an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham. "Where the semiconductor piece fits in is, it's part of a mosaic of our strategic effort to push back against this continued Chinese effort." Attorney General Jeff Sessions announces criminal charges against Chinese and Taiwanese electronics companies accused of stealing the technology of US semiconductor giant Micron Chip-making facilities at Tawian's United Microelectronics Corp (UMC), accused of helping Chinese company Fujian Jinhua steal advanced semiconductor technology from US firm Micron
Dublin, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Casino Management System Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application (Security & Surveillance, Accounting & Cash Management, Player Tracking, Property Management, Marketing) And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global casino management system market size is expected to reach USD 11,726.7 million by 2025, progressing at a CAGR of 14.8% during the forecast period.



Growing demand for these establishments and increasing social acceptance are expected to emerge as crucial factors for driving the market. Increasing use of technologically advanced solutions and systems across the casino floor to boost operational efficiency will further drive growth in the casino management system market.



North America emerged as the highest revenue generating segment in 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.5% from 2017 to 2025. However, it is estimated that Asia Pacific will witness significant growth and will grow with the fastest CAGR of 17.0% over the forecast period. The growth of the casino gaming industry, especially in Japan, China, and India, is expected to play a major role in propelling the over the forecast period. Governments across the region are gradually legalizing casino gaming, owing to the various social and economic benefits. A rising number of these establishments and evolving customer preferences towards casino-style gaming will boost the casino management system market over the next nine years.



It involves a multitude of monetary transactions which has resulted in an increase in the number of fraud and spoofing attacks. To safeguard against cheating, fraud and other crimes, operators are heavily investing in security & surveillance solutions to ensure a safe gaming environment across the casino floor. Hence, security & surveillance systems have become a vital component of a casino management system enabling casino operators to monitor and manage security threats in real time. Video analytics, license plate recognition, facial recognition and automated surveillance technologies are being implemented increasingly which is expected spur the casino management system market growth.



These systems incorporate analytic tools, management systems, player tracking, and other tools. The analytics segment is expected to grow with the fastest CAGR of 16.2% over the forecast period. These systems are expected to witness high penetration as casinos become more data driven and analytical tools can help gain a competitive edge. Analytical tools offer varying insights on customer behaviour, game preferences, spending patterns, and win/loss probabilities, among others. Such insights enable operators to deliver a personalized gaming experience, enhancing customer retention rate and streamline gaming operations. However, emerging online gaming platforms are expected to gain increased market penetration owing to the evolving customer preferences which is likely to hinder the market growth.



Further key findings from the study suggest:

The security & surveillance segment is expected to dominate the overall market, and was valued at USD 757.6 million in 2016. Advancements in automated security solutions is further expected to drive market growth in this segment.

Analytics segment is expected to witness significant growth at a CAGR of over 16% from 2017 to 2025. Analytical tools are likely to witness increased adoption over the forecast period owing to varying insights offered enabling operators to remain profitable.

The player tracking segment was valued at USD 512.6million in 2016. Operators are incorporating digital technologies to deliver a more personalized gaming experience and drive customer retention rate.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth rate over the forecast period. Increased demand for these establishments coupled with changing consumer preferences and rising disposable income will augment the market growth.

Global players include International Game Technology (IGT), Micros Systems, Inc., Aristocrat Leisure Limited, Konami Corporation, Bally Technologies, and Honeywell International, Inc., among others.



Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope

1.1. Research Methodology

1.2. Research Scope & Assumptions

1.3. List of Data Sources



Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Casino Management Systems Regional



Chapter 3. Casino Management Systems Industry Outlook

3.1. Market Segmentation

3.2. Market Size and Growth Prospects, 2014 - 2025

3.3. Value Chain Analysis

3.4. Market Dynamics

3.4.1. Market driver analysis

3.4.1.1. Improve operational efficiency

3.4.1.2. International tourism and higher social acceptance of casinos

3.4.1.3. Enhancing customer engagement

3.4.2. Market restraint/challenge analysis

3.4.2.1. Rise of online casinos

3.4.2.2. Cost and complexity of casino management systems

3.5. Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping

3.6. Industry Analysis - Porter's

3.7. PEST Analysis



Chapter 4. Casino Management Systems Market: Application Outlook

4.1. Casino Management Systems Market Share by Application, 2016 & 2025 (USD Million)

4.2. Security & Surveillance

4.3. Analytics

4.4. Accounting & Cash Management

4.5. Player Tracking

4.6. Property Management

4.7. Marketing & Promotions

4.8. Others



Chapter 5. Casino Management Systems Market: Regional Outlook

5.1. Casino Management Systems Market Share by Region, 2016 & 2025 (USD Million)



Chapter 6. Competitive Landscape



Konami Corporation

Agilysys, Inc.

Bally Technologies

Casinfo Systems

International Game Technology (IGT)

LGS (Lodging and Gaming Systems)

Micros Systems, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)

Honeywell International, Inc.

Next Level Security Systems, Inc.

Aristocrat Leisure Limited

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/63hkmp/global_casino?w=12

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.
A young woman out trick or treating with her family was shot and killed after a man jumped into her car and demanded cash and her phone.

Maira Coronel had been out in the streets of Illinois, Chicago taking part in the Halloween festivities with her twin sister and two nieces, aged just one and two, when the masked man forced his way into their car and pointed a gun at the back of her head.

He demanded the 21-year-old hand over her money but upon learning she only had $40 he demanded her mobile phone.

Her grieving family said she refused and he shot her twice in the head.

Maira Coronel was in the car with her twin sister and young nieces when she was gunned down. Images: ABC7 Chicago

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her heartbroken twin Leticia Coronel is now demanding justice for her sister, describing her as a kind and lovely person.

Community activist Andrew Holmes urged the gunman to hand himself in, saying it was only a matter of time until police caught him.

To the perpetrator, you need to turn yourself in because I can guarantee you, if your fingerprints are all over that car, save your mother and your father the headache and turn yourself in, because it will be a matter of time, especially if youre in the system already, said
U.S. Rep. John Katko and challenger Dana Balter disagreed on immigration and how to address the migrant caravan that's headed to the southern border during an hour-long televised debate Thursday.

The immigration questions led off the Spectrum News debate at Onondaga Community College's Storer Auditorium. Balter, D-Syracuse, and Katko, R-Camillus, were asked if the migrant caravan, which reached southern Mexico this week, warrants deploying thousands of U.S. troops to the border.

Katko acknowledged there is a crisis in Central America and that's why many people are fleeing Honduras and other countries. When he was a federal prosecutor, he spent some time in El Paso, Texas, along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Now, as a member of Congress, he receives briefings that reveal the threats along the border with Mexico.

"We have to secure the southern border," he said. He then repeated a claim that Balter wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency.

Balter again denied that she supports eliminating the agency and accused Katko of misleading voters. She said that the borders should be secure and that it's the United States' right as a sovereign nation to determine who is allowed entry.

She differed with Katko by referring to the migrant caravan as "refugees fleeing violence and persecution." The U.S., she continued, has provided safety for refugees in the past.

Balter noted that her grandparents were Holocaust survivors who fled Europe and settled, as refugees, in Rochester.

"We have a process in place for asylum seekers when they come to our border requesting asylum," she said. "We have a very good process to determine who has a legitimate claim and who doesn't have a legitimate claim. We need to put these folks through this process."

Katko said Balter was conflating refugees with people who are entering the country illegally. Refugees, he added, come to the U.S. legally through the refugee resettlement program.

Katko supports the program, but believes the migrant caravan is trying to ignore the law and enter the country illegally. And he thinks the asylum process is being abused at the border. He called it a "chronic problem" that results in resources being diverted from helping refugees to address asylum seekers.

Balter shifted her focus to President Donald Trump's actions and rhetoric about the caravan. Trump tweeted a controversial campaign video and has sent thousands of troops to the border.

Trump, Balter said, "is trying to scare the American people about an issue that's still months away and he's doing it to distract from other issues."

While the candidates disagreed on most immigration-related issues, they found common ground on birthright citizenship.

Trump wants to issue an executive order to end birthright citizenship. His proposal has been condemned by members of both parties. Many legal scholars believe the only way to alter birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, is by amending the Constitution.

Balter and Katko disagree with the president. They say he can't end birthright citizenship by issuing an executive order.

There is one televised debate remaining in the 24th district race. The debate will air at 5 p.m. Sunday on channel 9.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Outside groups have invested millions in supporting or opposing candidates vying for the 24th Congressional District seat, according to a review of Federal Election Commission records.

As of Friday, independent expenditures in the 24th district race totaled $3,421,370. Most of the funds have been spent since mid-October, records show. Democratic-aligned groups have outspent GOP organizations by a 3-to-1 margin, $2,556,994 to $864,426.

The leading spender is House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC. The organization has invested $1,312,492 into the 24th district race, mostly in opposition to Republican U.S. Rep. John Katko.

House Majority PAC has paid for mailings and television commercials. In early October, the super PAC announced it would launch a $1 million ad campaign targeting Katko, R-Camillus, for his tax vote in 2017.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is the top GOP outside group in the race. The House Republicans' political arm spent $788,086. The committee has funded ads criticizing Democratic challenger Dana Balter on taxes and her support of single-payer health insurance.

There is another Republican outside group funding ads in the 24th district. Congressional Leadership Fund released an ad this week targeting Balter. The amount the group spent on the ad is unknown. As of Friday, it wasn't included the FEC independent expenditure database.

No Labels, a nonpartisan organization, has spent $283,022 supporting Katko. The GOP congressman is a member of No Labels' Problem Solvers Caucus, a coalition of members from both parties.

Most of the outside money, though, is coming from Democratic groups.

Change Now, a super PAC with links to environmental groups and unions, spent $445,376 on a television ad opposing Katko. Women Vote!, a super PAC formed by EMILY's List, a group supporting pro-choice Democratic women, paid $420,000 on a TV ad buy and production in the 24th district.

EMILY's List endorsed Balter in August.

Priorities USA, another Democratic super PAC, has been active in central New York. The committee has spent $100,771, mainly on digital ads and production.

The Progressive Turnout Project paid $48,618 for digital ads supporting Balter.

A lot of money has flowed into the district since Balter announced she raised more than $1.5 million in the third quarter of 2018. The record-setting quarter led to more interest from Democratic groups.

FEC records show House Majority PAC launched its TV ad campaign two days after Balter's fundraising announcement. More spending followed from Democratic-aligned groups. The NRCC began running TV ads in the district in mid-October.

Public polling found that Katko has a double-digit lead over Balter. But the increased spending by outside groups is an indication that internal polls show the race is closer than the Siena College poll suggests.

Katko is seeking a third term representing the 24th district, which includes all of Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, plus the western part of Oswego County. Balter is a first-time candidate.

Election Day is Tuesday.

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From "Village of the Damned" to WALL-E and everything in between, here's a look at the 100 best sci-fi films of all time, according to the critics.
While working as a social worker in Denver, Laura Kowal would use party planning, do-it-yourself craft projects, Pinterest and more as a way to de-stress and relax.

Now, Laura and her husband, Marc, are combining those passions together to open Board & Brush Creative Studio, part of a national chain, in Skaneateles.

Set for a grand opening this Saturday, the studio lets guests sign up for sessions to design their own personalized wooden sign decorations in a fun, creative crafting experience.

Customers can choose from over 200 designs to customize their signs, using sandpaper, hammers, power tools, paints and more to make them look like longtime heirlooms.

Some signs in the Kowals' shop feature Christmas-, fall- or spring-themed designs with sayings like "love, laughter and happily ever after," while others are made for porches, kitchens or family rooms with declarations like "The Kowal Kitchen."

The three-hour, instructor-led sessions are designed for guests to have fun while letting their creativity flow, Laura said.

With a liquor license and a bar to serve beer, wine and snacks, the sessions are a great option for bachelorette parties, bridal showers or birthdays, or just individuals looking for an alternative to dinner and drinks out, Laura said.

"Anything where people want to have a good time and do something different," Laura said. "We definitely want people to have fun."

Laura decided to start the business after attending a class at a Denver Board & Brush location shortly before moving to New York.

"I knew I needed a change and thought this would be a perfect fit for me and for Skaneateles. And it came to be," Laura said.

For the village, Laura said the rustic, farmhouse style is very popular right now and matches perfectly with the overall feel and look of the area. Having other boutique stores and restaurants so close by helps complement the business's emphasis on fun and a good time, she said.

Laura and her husband, an Auburn native, moved back to the area for their two children to be closer to family, but chose the village over the city partly for the quaint feel that aligns with the business.

"I just always loved coming to visit here," Laura said. "It's always been that cozy, charming village that you picture in your head."

DIY craft projects have been something Laura has always loved, she said, and her background in social work helps her be a good host and instructor.

"It just feels like this is where I belong. It feels like a perfect combination of everything I like," Laura said, later adding, "It's connecting with people, it's making them feel confident and feel proud of what they're doing and encouraging them. I think it all goes hand-in-hand."

Although Laura is no longer a social worker, helping others and giving back to the community is still at the forefront of her mind. That's why she plans to make fundraisers  especially ones benefiting social work, social services, teachers and children  a big part of the business.

The business has been a team project as well, with nearly everything inside the shop, including the shelves, tables and bar, built by Marc.

"He's all over this shop, and thank God because I couldn't build it," Laura joked. "So it's kind of like a nice team."

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 Cayuga County Legislature's Ways and Means Committee had its first of several workshops to develop the 2019 county budget, focusing on departments related to finance, health and public safety.

The committee received reports from the departments under its purview as well as those under the Health and Human Services Committee and the Judicial and Public Safety Committee.

Significant points of discussion included an increase in state aid for indigent legal services, the proposed use of a new software service for social workers and the hiring of additional social service case workers.

As a result of a new law passed in the wake of a lawsuit settlement against New York for failing to provide adequate funding for indigent legal defense, the state will provide Cayuga County with a significant increase in funding.

According to the review documents provided to the legislators by County Administrator J. Justin Woods, the additional funding represents a $180,000 savings between the Youth Bureau and Assigned Counsel offices.

As part of the state's "massive, multi-year investment," Woods said, the county could also likely expect similar reimbursements for the program in subsequent years.

In the Department of Social Services, Director of Community Services Ray Bizzari requested additional case worker and senior caseworker positions as part of a revamped approach to juvenile justice prompted by the state's Raise the Age law.

While the revenue generated by the positions would significantly help offset the costs, it would also help the county prepare for subsequent changes coming from Raise the Age, as well as better align with the intent of the law, to "do juvenile justice in a better way," as Woods said.

In addition to furthering the ultimate goal of keeping youthful offenders out of the criminal justice system and set back on the right path, the additional caseworkers would help the county save potentially millions, Bizzari said, over the next decade.

The state plans to stop funding for placements for youths classified as a Person In Need of Supervision (PINS), so pivoting the county towards a system where such placements are avoided would provide significant savings.

Government Operations Committee Chair Ryan Foley, D-Auburn, said he hoped the kind of detail Bizzari and Woods provided for the proposal would be similar for the rest of the budget process, saying it was the kind of information the Legislature needs to make the right decisions.

"That's the kind of explanation we're looking for," Foley said.

Bizzari also requested the purchase of a new software system for the services unit, which the Legislature decided against last year.

The Northwoods software would allow case workers to access all the necessary documentation to do their work in the field, such as release forms, court orders, patient histories, and more.

Currently, workers can often be on a case in the south of the county late at the evening when they're required to drive back to and from Auburn to retrieve documentation.

After reimbursements from the state, the software would have a cost to the county of $70,000 for a one-time purchase fee plus an annual $45,000 after reimbursements for licensing and maintenance.

Bizzari said his department had been studying the software, which is now used by multiple other counties, for four years, and studies showed the software could increase efficiency enough to save an entire day of work for the caseworkers.

"I think it's a tool that's really effective in the field," Bizzari said.

Legislator Chris Petrus, R-Brutus, asked if it would be possible and more cost effective for a similar system to be built in house. Bizzari, as well as Chief Information Officer Steve Tobin, said would not be realistic with the county's manpower and would be even more expensive.

The next workshop meeting for the Ways and Means Committee is scheduled for Thursday Nov. 8.

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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Scott Comegys first thought about getting involved in politics when his oldest child turned 18.

Once his daughter, Saige Comegys, became 18 a couple years ago, Comegys focused in on his children living in a world where they could thrive and be confident, instead of being in an environment of "political and world turmoil," he said. He decided to run for office to try to ensure that world he wants to see becomes a reality.

Comegys, D-Palmyra, and Brian Manktelow, R-Lyons, are running for the 130th Assembly District, which includes ten Cayuga County towns, some of Oswego County and all of Wayne County. Assemblyman Bob Oaks, R-Macedon, announced earlier this year he would leave his post after serving since 1992. Comegys previously pursued the Democratic ticket for the 24th District seat in the House of Representatives earlier this year before Dana Balter was picked as the party's nominee.

Comegys, who has owned and operated an alpaca farm since 2012, admitted that he used to complain about the state of the world on social media. The more he thought about solutions to issues, though, "the more I wanted to do something about it," he said.

He said he wants to lead by example. It has been important to him to run a campaign without attacking others and avoid the fighting he feels has been "the hallmark of our political society for so long." He feels people are increasingly divided instead of working on the same side to tackle problems together. Instead of lashing out, Comegys said, he points out the benefits of other ideas.

He said his direct political work is limited but he touted his leadership skills and ideas for a better tomorrow. Working in careers as varied as a farmer to being a grocery store clerk to working as the field manager for the University of Rochester helped Comegys work with and lead a variety of people, he said. His work with the university from 2004 to 2012 meant dealing with various committees involved in subjects such as emergencies, construction projects and special events and interacting with various people with different goals in mind.

"You have to lead. You have to have the vision for what you want to do, and you have to convince them that your vision is the right way for them to go," he said.

Comegys, who was born in Delaware but moved with his family to Rochester at a young age, said people often ask about the alpacas, and he doesn't mind talking about it. At one point while working with a garage door company, he was at a job where the neighboring farm had alpacas. He was immediately taken with them and did research, finding a sustainability component to the animals. Their fleece is a sustainable resource for fiber, they tend to live long lives and are highly adaptable, he said.

Sound environmental practices are close to his heart, as he said it is vital to look at agricultural opportunities, ecotourism and alternative energy. He touted the idea of job creation from environmentally practices, like infrastructure building, manufacturing and alternative energy development.

Universal accessible health care is one of Comegys' biggest priorities, as he believes it would bring people closer to prosperity. Single-payer health care can encourage entrepreneurial work while saving employers money now spent providing health care benefits so they can pay higher wages to employees, he said. It could also provide a better collective bargaining opportunity in dealing with pharmaceutical companies.

Education is also a critical issue in Comegys' eyes. He said adult education and job training is important along with elementary and high school, as he said adults transition from different careers as the economy shifts.

For Cayuga County, he wants to address the blue-green algae blooms of Owasco Lake. He feels it is vital to communicate with and work with farmers and examine more sustainable methods for them to practice. He sees a chance to harness ecotourism through areas such as the Erie Canal, he said, while adding he wants to bring more attention to the "historical charm" of some Cayuga County towns.

Comegys, who also appears on the Working Families Party ballot line, said he wants all people to be prosperous while progressing on issues.

"Change is frightening, and yet change is necessary," he said.

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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Brian Manktelow believes serving others is one of the greatest ventures one can take in life.

Manktelow, R-Lyons, said that belief is one of the reasons he is running for the state's 130th Assembly District seat. He and Scott Comegys, D-Palmyra, are vying to occupy the spot held by Assemblyman Bob Oaks, who will not seek re-election after joining the state Assembly in 1992. Ten Cayuga County towns, all of Wayne County and some Oswego County areas fall into the district.

Manktelow, who was born in Williamson, has operated Manktelow Farms in Lyons for over 30 years and has been the supervisor for the town of Lyons since 2009. He said he has spent much of his life trying to help others, citing his time in the U.S. Army in active duty for three years and three years inactive, joining the Lyons town planning board in 2000 and his supervisor role. Manktelow decreased his farm's size a few years ago, he said, to focus on his government work.

This Assembly bid is not Manktelow's first run at state-level office, as he lost to state Sen. Pam Helming in the Republican primary in the 54th Senate District in 2016 before she won the seat in the general election. He eyed the Assembly after Oaks, R-Macedon, told Manktelow he was going to vacate his position.

Due to his knowledge of both the political process and what residents face on a day-to-day basis, Manktelow maintains he is the right person for the Assembly position. He said he has seen firsthand how upstate communities are affected by decisions made in Albany, which also drove him to run. He criticized unfunded state mandates, which he feels drop requirements on municipalities without local residents' input. Upstate and downstate New York have different needs, he said, so what works for one region might not for the other. He wants representatives to work together to decide what best serves the state as a whole.

Economic issues are among Manktelow's chief priorities, he said. He is concerned about state minimum wage requirements, specifically an eventual $15-a-year floor that will hit various parts of the state at different times, which he believes will strain businesses. Tax rates are also too high, Manktelow said, saying taxes have already driven people out of the state. He called for fiscal oversight to make sure funds are spent wisely.

"Because it's our taxpayers' money," he said. "It's not Albany's money, it's our money."

He also denounced the practice of lumping unrelated pieces of legislation into a single bill. He said that isn't done in town or county governments, so he questioned why it should happen at the state level.

In addition, Manktelow supports term limits for elected officials.

"When we get comfortable in a position I think you can forget about who you represent sometimes," he said.

In regard to issues specifically related to Cayuga County, Manktelow said he would fight to obtain more resources to combat the opioid epidemic. He said protecting natural resources in the 130th district is critical, especially for Cayuga County.

"Providing additional resources to fight harmful algae blooms in the Finger Lakes will be something I would proudly fight for," he said via email. "Our area is second to none in terms of natural beauty, and I believe we should protect those resources so they may be utilized by future generations."

Manktelow said he enjoys helping people as the Lyons supervisor and would hit the ground running if chosen for the state Assembly.

"I really love helping and working for the people," he said.

Manktelow is also on the Conservative, Independence and Reform party lines for the Nov. 6 election.

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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State fire investigators and detectives from the Auburn Police Department were investigating the fire that damaged a city apartment house Wednesday night.

Auburn firefighters responded to the fire at 20 Barber St. after the first call came in at about 6:54 p.m. The blaze was located in a back stairway of the structure, which houses two apartments.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Thursday. Auburn Police Capt. James Moore said that the APD's investigation was opened due to comments made by a resident at the fire scene.

Auburn Fire Department Assistant Chief Ed Sherman said Thursday morning that the fire shot up the back wall of both apartments to the structure's attic, causing significant damage. Between water, smoke and fire damage, both apartments are currently unlivable, Sherman said, but not a total loss.

The fire displaced the three adults living in the upstairs apartment and the two adults and two children living downstairs, Sherman said. There were no injuries. The Red Cross was asked to provide assistance to the structure's residents.

Firefighters were on the scene for more than two hours. New York State Electric and Gas was called in to shut off utilities.

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AUBURN  Six families were displaced by a fire at an apartment house in Auburn Thursday morning.

Residents and neighbors called the fire in just before 9 a.m., reporting smoke coming out from the top of the building, dispatchers said. First responders arrived at the three-story 111 Osborne St. apartment house within five minutes of the first call. Firefighters located the second-alarm blaze in the building's attic.

Occupants in the 1950 building at the time of the fire were evacuated and six families  at least 12 adults and children in total  were displaced. No injuries were reported for residents or firefighters, dispatchers and Auburn Fire Department said, and The Red Cross was called to assist the displaced families.

Dispatchers said that the fire was under control at 9:47 a.m. And AFD Assistant Fire Chief Mark Fritz said the investigation was completed and the scene was cleared around 5 p.m.

The cause of the fire was ruled as accidental and electrical in nature, he said.

The damage caused by the fire itself was confined to the attic, Fritz said. He said the building was turned over to the property manager for repairs and noted that it will be inhabitable again.

"I don't know how bad it is," Fritz said, adding there was "minor smoke and water damage" in addition to the fire damage.

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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English Lithuanian

Lietuvos Energija, UAB (hereinafter  the Company or Lietuvos Energija), legal entity code: 301844044, registered office address: Zveju st. 14, LT-09310 Vilnius.

The gross nominal value of the bonds issued by Lietuvos Energija, UAB, is EUR 600,000,000, ISIN codes  XS1646530565; XS1853999313.

Lietuvos Energija finished the reorganization of Energijos Tiekimas UAB and Energijos Sprendimu Centras UAB; Energijos Tiekimas UAB which continues its operation was merged with Energijos Sprendimu Centras UAB that terminated its operation without the liquidation procedure.

Upon completing the reorganization of Energijos Tiekimas UAB and Energijos Sprendimu Centras UAB, the Group further implements its strategy and purifies the areas of activities. Having regard to this fact, Lietuvos Energija has approved the initiation of separating the operation optimization activity of electrical plants of Energijos Tiekimas UAB by separating the activity of operation optimization of electrical plants from the succeeding company, Energijos Tiekimas UAB and establishing a new legal entity Gamybos Optimizavimas UAB on the basis of assets, equity capital and liabilities of the separated activity, and instructed the Board of Energijos Tiekimas UAB to prepare the conditions of separation.

It is planned that the Groups new company Gamybos Optimizavimas UAB will commence activity in January. Lietuvos Energija would own 100 percent of Gamybos Optimizavimas UAB shares.

As it has been announced earlier, upon separating these activities, activities of Energijos Tiekimas UAB would be purified  the company will continue the sale of energy resources to customers as an independent supplier, whereas the specific activity of optimizing the operation regimes of electrical plants would be transferred to the new company Gamybos Optimizavimas UAB. The separation of activities will have no effect on customers of Energijos Tiekimas UAB and all obligations assumed by Energijos Tiekimas UAB will be continued.

The Company will inform about its further actions in the manner set forth by laws.

For more information: Head of Lietuvos Energija Corporate Communication Projects Arturas Ketlerius, +370 620 76076, arturas.ketlerius@le.lt
New York Assembly district 126 candidates were at Southern Cayuga Central School on Oct. 22. Mr. Finch and Mr. Batman responded to questions posed by a student panel. No questions were taken from the audience. The Citizen reported the meeting; Kevin Rivoli took photos and Robert Harding was there to report.

The most shocking assertion of Assemblyman Finch was that he believes a woman, and her physician, should make heath care decisions during pregnancy. His voting record tells another story. He consistently votes to restrict funding and access to abortion. In fact, NY Right to Life rates Mr. Finch at 100 percent. Was Mr. Finch lying or did he have a lapse in memory?

So much of what Mr. Finch asserted at the forum just doesnt match his voting record.

Mr. Finchs 20 year voting record reveals an out-of-touch and troubling disregard for constituents. He voted against the New York Health Act, a comprehensive health measure that benefits every New Yorker. (A4738)

He voted against marriage equality, the prohibition of discrimination based on gender identity or expression, the prohibition of convicted domestic abusers from owning or purchasing firearms (S8121), and he even voted against a bill to prevent the shackling of women prisoners to and from a medical facility while they were in labor or immediately post-partum. On some of these he says he voted wrong and regrets the vote. On some of these he remains steadfast. So where does he stand and how will he vote in the future?

The gun safety group, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, gives Mr. Finch an F. Eighty percent of people killed by firearms annually in the U.S. by intimate partners are women. And domestic violence victims are five times more likely to be killed if her partner owns a gun.

The 126th Assembly District needs a representative who will give attention to ALL his constituents.

Im voting to replace Mr. Finch. Keith Batmans long history of work in our district shows a respect for all citizens. From his early work with community advocacy, jobs programs, and public health, to his years developing non-traditional programming and degree programs at Cayuga and Finger Lakes Community College, Keith has always worked to level the playing field. He will give everyone the opportunity to improve their life. Batman is committed to listening to his constituents and taking our ideas to Albany. We need a fresh voice.

Mickey Belosi

Owasco

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Should Beaufort County elected officials demand that every alleged incident of Child Rape be investigated in Beaufort County?

Yes, without fail, irrespective of the parties involved; this heinous crime must be investigated, and the truth be known, and responsible parties prosecuted.
Boise, ID, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- We are advised by SUEZ in North America that journalists and other readers should disregard the news release, "SUEZ FILES INTENT TO ACQUIRE EAGLE WATER IN IDAHO FOR $10 MILLION" issued November 02, 2018 9:06 ET, over GlobeNewswire.
PRESS RELEASE

2 November 2018

WENTWORTH RESOURCES PLC

("Wentworth" or the "Company")

Board Changes

Wentworth, the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: WEN) and AIM (AIM: WEN) listed independent, East Africa-focused oil & gas company, announces the following changes to its Board of Directors (the "Board") following the successful completion of the Company's re-domicile to Jersey ("Re-Domicile") announced on 29 October 2018, and the appointment of three new members of the Board as announced earlier today 2018.

In order to ensure its structure is appropriate for a Company of its size and stage of development in line with the recommendations of the QCA Corporate Governance Code, which the Company intends to adopt following delisting from the Oslo Bors, if successful, and to align the Board with the Company's strategic objectives following the Re-Domicile:

Bob McBean will move from Executive Chairman to Non-Executive Chairman, effective 1 January 2019;



Cameron Barton has chosen to resign to enable further efficiency within the company following a transitional handover period as a result of the Re-Domicile, effective 31 March 2018;



Neil Kelly has resigned from the Board with immediate effect;



Tim Bushell will be appointed Chair of the Remuneration Committee with immediate effect;



Iain McLaren will be appointed as Chair of the Audit committee with immediate effect; and



John Bentley to remain as Senior Independent Director of the Company.

Bob McBean, Chairman, commented:

"On behalf of the Board, I would specifically like to thank Cam and Neil for their longstanding service and major contributions to the Company to date. I am also hugely appreciative of Cam's continued support and assistance through this transition period for the Company.

"We have an ambitious domestic gas-led East African focused strategy to deliver material shareholder value, organically from our core gas producing asset, Mnazi Bay, and inorganically through an M&A led growth mandate. The new Board members bring the requisite skills and expertise to contribute significantly to our aspiration of becoming a mid-tier African focused E&P Company."

-Ends-

Enquiries:

Wentworth Bob McBean,

Executive Chairman







Eskil Jersing,

Chief Executive Officer







Katherine Roe,

Chief Financial Officer



rpm@wentworthresources.com







eskil.jersing@wentworthresources.com

+44 7717 847623







katherine.roe@wentworthresources.com

+44 7841 087 230 Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited AIM Nominated Adviser and Broker (UK)

Callum Stewart

Ashton Clanfield

Simon Mensley



+44 (0) 20 7710 7600 Peel Hunt LLP Broker (UK)

Richard Crichton

Ross Allister



+44 (0) 20 7418 8900 Vigo Investor Relations Adviser (UK)

Patrick d'Ancona

Chris McMahon



+44 (0) 20 7930 0230

Notes

Katherine Louise Margiad Ward Roe (40), Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Roe holds the following directorships:

Current Directorships Past Directorships Faroe Petroleum plc IDE Group Holdings plc Roe Resources Limited

Timothy Paul Bushell (59), Deputy Chairman

Mr. Bushell, holds the following directorships:

Current Directorships Past Directorships Rockhopper Exploration plc Falkland Oil and Gas Limited Redrock Energy Limited FOGL Finance Limited Petro Matad Limited Red Kite Energy Limited Point Resources AS Core Energy AS Desire Petroleum Limited

Iain Archibald McLaren (68) - Non-Executive Director

Mr. McLaren, holds the following directorships:

Current Directorships Past Directorships Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon plc Afren plc Ecofin Global Utilities Cairn Energy plc Edinburgh Dragon Trust plc Scotbeef Limited F&C UK High Income Trust plc Jadestone Energy Inc

Mr. McLaren holds 100,000 ordinary shares in the Company.

Iain McLaren was formerly a director of Afren plc, a company formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange. Afren plc was placed in administration within one year of Mr. McLaren ceasing to be a director.

Save for the above, there is no further information required to be disclosed under paragraph (g) of Schedule Two of the AIM Rules for Companies, with respect to the appointment of Ms. Roe, Mr. Bushell, and Mr. McLaren.

About Wentworth Resources

Wentworth Resources is a publicly traded (OSE: WEN, AIM: WEN), independent oil & gas company with natural gas production; exploration and appraisal opportunities, all in the Rovuma Delta Basin of coastal southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique.

Inside Information

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by Wentworth to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) no. 596/2014 ("MAR"). On the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service ("RIS"), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This press release may contain certain forward-looking information. The words "expect", "anticipate", believe", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "forecast", "plan", and similar expressions are used to identify forward looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made in light of management's experience, current conditions and expected future development in the areas in which Wentworth is currently active and other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Wentworth undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcome will not occur, including some of which are beyond Wentworth's control. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to: the risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general such as operational risks in exploration, development and production, delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures, the imprecision of resource and reserve estimates, assumptions regarding the timing and costs relating to production and development as well as the availability and price of labour and equipment, volatility of and assumptions regarding commodity prices and exchange rates, marketing and transportation risks, environmental risks, competition, the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and changes in applicable law. Additionally, there are economic, political, social and other risks inherent in carrying on business in Tanzania and Mozambique. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could vary or differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. See Wentworth's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2017, available on Wentworth's website, for further description of the risks and uncertainties associated with Wentworth's business.

Notice



Neither the Oslo Stock Exchange nor the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange has reviewed this press release and neither accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
Primates are a highly social species who often live in complex groups and individuals support their social groups and often bark to alert others if they perceive a threat. But when they are up against a trophy hunter with a weapon, they do not stand a chance. Photo by Alamy

1.2K shares







Last month, Americans reacted with horror and outrage when an Idaho game commission official, Blake Fischer, circulated a photo that showed him smiling next to a family of baboons, including youngsters, he had killed on a hunting trip in Namibia. To most of us, it was unfathomable that anyone could mercilessly hunt down a family of animals simply to impress his wife, as Fischer boasted in his email, which was sent to more than 100 recipients. But shocking as Fischers trophy hunt of those primates was, it is by no means an isolated event when it comes to American trophy hunters, according to a new analysis from Humane Society International.

Between 2007 and 2016, the United States imported a lions share  80 percent or 8,896  of the 11,205 primate hunting trophies that were traded internationally. Other countries that imported primate trophies over the nine-year period were Spain with 490 trophies, South Africa with 401, Germany with 322 and Denmark with 310, according to our analysis of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species data that was covered today by the National Geographic.

On an average, Americans imported more than 800 primate trophies each year, including Chacma baboons  the species Fischer hunted  vervet monkeys, yellow baboons and African green monkeys.

Primates are easy targets for trophy hunters because unlike highly-sought-after species like elephants and rhinos, the cost of trophy hunting primates is often nominal or even non-existent. Chacma baboons are the most hunted of the primate species. They are one of the largest monkey species, with males reaching up to five feet from head to tail. The animals have striking golden eyes and long noses, not unlike dogs.

Primates are a highly social species who often live in complex groups and individuals support their social groups and often bark to alert others if they perceive a threat. But when they are up against a trophy hunter with a weapon, they do not stand a chance.

After the story of Fischers killing spree went public, we wrote to the Namibian government to ask that it ban primate trophy hunting, even as we demanded Fischers resignation or dismissal. And with this new information in hand, we are exploring legal action to prohibit the import of primate trophies to the United States. Fischers heartless action gives us an opportunity to shine a red-hot spotlight on the problem of international primate trophy hunting  a problem, as our analysis shows, that American trophy hunters are exacerbating. The anger that followed Fischers hunt  leading to Gov. Butch Otter of Idaho asking for his resignation  is proof that most Americans do not support such killing. Primates are our closet cousins in the animal kingdom, and these intelligent, beautiful and sometimes mischievous animals deserve to be celebrated and protected, not hunted to death.
Hey you know what happens when a superpower declares that it's going to take steps that will allow it to dictate the internal policies of other nations?

I'll give you a hint: nothing good.

From Vox.com

National Security Adviser John Bolton just gave a modern-day "Axis of Evil" speech, this one focused on three countries in Latin America. In a 30-minute address at Miami Dade College's Freedom Tower, Bolton said the Trump administration will take a hard line against Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua by sanctioning the countries and cutting off diplomatic relations with them until they meet US demands. "This Troika of Tyranny, this triangle of terror stretching from Havana to Caracas to Managua, is the cause of immense human suffering, the impetus of enormous regional instability, and the genesis of a sordid cradle of communism in the Western Hemisphere," Bolton said. "Under President Trump, the United States is taking direct action against all three regimes to defend the rule of law, liberty, and basic human decency in our region."

I guess that if Trump can't stop folks from migrating to the American border (totally legal) to request asylum (very legal as well), then he and his flying monkeys will throw cash and personnel at stopping the problem at what they perceive to be the source? This sounds pretty thin.

According to Vox, US relations with Cuba will become more limited. Diplomatsapparently America still has thosewill attempt to force the Venezuelan government to release hundreds of political prisoners and Nicaragua, which we've talked about here extensively, will get a talking to over the 300-plus civilians that have been killed so far this year in anti-government protests.

Threatening sanctions against countries which already have so little  where the rule of law has little sway and whose citizens are desperate enough to risk thousands of miles, death and incarceration in the name of keeping their children safe  feelscounter intuitive. An autocrat like Daniel Ortega doesn't give a shit about what happens to his people: he only cares about clinging to power and lining his pockets, which he doesn't need the United States for as his administration has been buddy-buddy with China for years.

The timing of the speech feels auspicious. Over the last two years, the Trump administration has had zero shits to give for South and Central America other than their zeal for keeping brown people from those countries from crossing into 'Murica. Less than one week after an autocrat after Trump's own heart takes office in Brazil and a sea-shift in foreign policy gets plopped out? None of this is fine.

If I were a betting man, I'd wager that this shit's going to get greasier, fast.

Image by Gage Skidmore  https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/16471115647/in/faves-54050720@N05/, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link
U.S. military intelligence analysis documents obtained by Newsweek reveal that defense officials do not believe there are terrorists or other national security threats present within the so-called "migrant caravan." Despite this, Trump has demanded that up to 15,000 military troops be dispatched to the border, to brace for an "invasion" that doesn't exist, just before the midterm elections.

These documents show that U.S. troops are preparing for encounters not so much with the asylum seekers, but with armed white supremacist American crackpots at the U.S. border. Because they are ones with all the guns. Not the migrant caravan.

"Preliminary intelligence assessments are preparing for encounters with a litany of groups from unregulated militias to transcontinental criminal organizations," reports Newsweek:

In a powerpoint presentation from Saturday, the Joint Force Land Component Commander Threat Working Group prepared an intelligence assessment for Pentagon officials as they begin to carry out Operation Faithful Patriot, the interagency operation with the Department of Defense and led by the Department of Homeland Security, that started Tuesday. The presentation is marked as "UNCLASSIFIED//FOUO//LES," meaning, the documents are for official use only and are law enforcement sensitive. Newsweek obtained the operational planning documents earlier this week from two different Defense Department sources that have direct knowledge of U.S. Northern Command's mission on the southern U.S. border. The documents take a detailed look at the four-point of entry locations spread across the southwest border and assesses where the caravan might travel. Two areas of concern to U.S. intelligence officials involving points of entry and transcontinental criminal organizations is the point of entry in Brownsville, Texas, where the Rio Grande River is located between Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and the San Ysidro point of entry, separating San Diego, California from Tijuana, Mexico. The assessment underscored news reports that combatant commanders might encounter unregulated militia members along the southern border in alleged support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. "Estimated 200 unregulated armed militia members currently operating along the southwest border. Reported incidents of unregulated militias stealing National Guard equipment during deployments. They operate under the guise of citizen patrols supporting CBP [Customs and Border Protection] primarily between POEs [Points of Entry]," according to the documents. The documents go onto highlight historical protests that support immigrants crossing the U.S. border. Those protests in some cases have shut down points of entry controlled by Customs and Border Protection, but the assessment concludes that protests are "normally peaceful unless extreme right or left groups attend."

Go read the whole report, which includes an embedded copy of the original document they're referencing.

BORDER TROOPS PREPARING FOR THREAT OF ARMED, UNREGULATED MILITIAS, LEAKED DOCUMENTS SHOW

[JAMES LAPORTA AND CHANTAL DA SILVA, 11/1/18 AT 12:55 PM]

[via Rachel Maddow]

A 4-year-old girl collapses from exhaustion and refuses to walk any further.

Powerful photo from the caravan by @vanhoutenphoto. pic.twitter.com/lIMjJzH9VB  ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 31, 2018
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stereotaxis, Inc. (OTCQX: STXS), the global leader in innovative robotic technologies for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, today announced that it will release financial results for its 2018 third quarter ended September 30, 2018 on Monday, November 12, 2018 before the open of the U.S. financial markets. The Company will host a conference call and webcast at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time that day to discuss the Companys results and corporate developments.



What: Stereotaxis third quarter 2018 financial results conference call When: Monday, November 12th at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (7:00 a.m. PT) Dial In Number: To access the live call, dial 888-256-1007 (US and Canada) or 323-994-2093 (International) and give the participant pass code 5173966. Webcast: To access the live and replay webcast, please visit the investor relations section of Stereotaxis website at www.stereotaxis.com Call Replay: A phone replay of the call will be available for one week beginning approximately two hours following the end of the call through Monday, November 19, 2018. To access the replay dial-in information, please click here.

About Stereotaxis

Stereotaxis is the global leader in innovative robotic technologies designed to enhance the treatment of arrhythmias and perform endovascular procedures. Its mission is the discovery, development and delivery of robotic systems, instruments, and information solutions for the interventional laboratory. These innovations help physicians provide unsurpassed patient care with robotic precision and safety, improved lab efficiency and productivity, and enhanced integration of procedural information. Over 100 issued patents support the Stereotaxis platform. The core components of Stereotaxis systems have received regulatory clearance in the United States, European Union, Japan, Canada, China, and elsewhere. For more information, please visit www.stereotaxis.com .

Company Contacts:

David L. Fischel

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Martin C. Stammer

Chief Financial Officer

314-678-6100

investors@stereotaxis.com




Senator Ron Wyden [D-OR] (previously) has introduced the Consumer Data Protection Act, which extends personal criminal liability to the CEOs of companies worth more than $1B or who hold data on more than 50,000,000 people who knowingly mislead the FTC in a newly mandated system of annual reports on the steps the company has taken to secure the data.

CEOs whose companies lie to the FTC about these measures will face 20 years in prison and $5 million in fines for breaches.

This reminds me of the criminal liability regime in the Sarbanes-Oxley bill passed after the Enron scandal, which threatened jail sentences for CEOs who signed their name to false financial statements and had far-reaching consequences (for example, record labels had been routinely running "third shift" pressings to produce extra, off-the-books copies of popular CDs that would be sold in record stores but without sending any royalties to the musicians involved  after SOX, this came to an abrupt halt).

It turns out that when the CEO's freedom is on the line, businesses manage to create really effective policies to accomplish whatever it is the company needs to do to keep the CEO out of prison: "Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully."



From Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal to Verizon getting busted covertly tracking wireless users around the internet, it has become clear there's not much in the way of genuine accountability or transparency when it comes to cavalier treatment of user data. From the wrist slap Equifax received for failing to protect the private data of 145 million Americans, to the SIM hijacking and location data scandals plaguing the wireless sector in recent years, meaningful government inquiries, investigation, and punishment are often lacking.



"It's time for some sunshine on this shadowy network of information sharing," Wyden said. "My bill creates radical transparency for consumers, gives them new tools to control their information and backs it up with tough rules with real teeth to punish companies that abuse Americans' most private information." The problem is that big business lobbyists will likely line up in opposition to a bill that genuinely protects privacy, meaning that Wyden's bill faces a steep uphill climb.



Sen. Ron Wyden Introduces Bill That Would Send CEOs to Jail for Violating Consumer Privacy [Karl Bode/Motherboard]





(via /.)
For more than a decade, Shipping and Transit LLC (AKA Arrivalstar) has been aggressively pursuing dubious patent claims against public transit companies, shippers, and other businesses whose practices overlapped with Arrivalstar's absurd, obvious patents on using GPSes to figure out where stuff was.

Now, Shipping and Transit is bankrupt, and it has valued its portfolio of 34 patents at $1. It's the most honest moment in the company's shameful history.

Shipping and Transit is the poster-child for sloppiness at the US Patent and Trademark Office. The company owns a suite of patents for using GPS exactly as it was designed to work: to figure out where stuff is, and then to log and/or transmit that location. The people who filed these patents didn't invent GPS: they just took someone else's widely used invention and patented the most obvious way to use it. The US Patent and Trademark Office granted the patent, Shipping and Transit bought it, and then used it to harass and soak people who were making products and providing services (including city bus services!), while Shipping and Transit made nothing (except lawsuits).

Thankfully, there have been some changes in patent rules that have made it easier to get junk patents thrown out. After a couple of significant court losses in which Shipping and Transit was ordered to pay their victims' legal fees, and facing mounting debts, the company filed for bankruptcy.

Though the company made millions in settlements and "licenses" for its patent portfolio, it valued the portfolio at $1 in the bankruptcy. Its creditors include victims whom it owes court fees to, as well as some pretty sketchy-sounding offshore entities like the "West African Investment Trust," based in Geneva, Switzerland.

UPSTO Director Andrei Iancu recently gave a speech where he suggested that those who complain about patent trolls are spreading "scary monster stories." It may finally be dead, but Shipping & Transit was a patent troll, and it was very, very real. We estimate that its lawsuits caused tens of millions of dollars of economic harm (in litigation costs and undeserved settlements) and distracted hundreds of productive companies from their missions. Research shows that companies sued for patent infringement later invest less in R&D. A patent system truly focused on innovation should not be issuing the kind of worthless patents that fueled Shipping & Transit's years of trolling. Courts should also do more to prevent litigation abuse. It shouldn't take an entire decade before an abusive patent troll faces consequences and has to shut down. While it lived, Shipping & Transit/Arrivalstar sued over 500 companies and threatened many hundreds more. That might be a "monster story," but it is true.



Stupid Patent of the Month: How 34 Patents Worth $1 Led to Hundreds of Lawsuits

[Daniel Nazer/Deeplinks]





Notorious patent enforcement entity values its entire portfolio at $2, folds [Cyrus Farivar/Ars Technica]





(Image: Matti Mattila, CC-BY)
This week's Saudi State-sactioned Murder Wheel of Misfortune has landed upon "acid bath."

A top Turkish official, presidential adviser Yasin Aktay, has said he believes Jamal Khashoggi's body was dissolved in acid after being cut up. The "only logical conclusion", he said, was that those who had killed the Saudi journalist in Istanbul had destroyed his body "to leave no trace behind".

Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi rulers, was killed inside the country's consulate on 2 October. No forensic evidence has been provided to prove his body was dissolved.
The beauty of a 17-year-old teenager from Awerial in former Lake State in South Sudan has gone far and wide with prominent tycoons lining up to win her hand in marriage in an epic competition.

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By close of business on Thursday, October 25, six men had visited the family of Nyalong Ngong Deng with various proposals; one suitor is leading the pack with 520 heifers and three Toyata V8 cars.

Among the competitors is the former commissioner of Awerial and the current Deputy Governor of Eastern Lakes State among other who is who in the Africa's youngest independent state.

The news that Kok Alat is the leading suitor did not come as a surprise to those who know him as a tycoon with vast interest in different businesses in East African nations.

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Word on the street is that there are two more men willing to pay higher prices should they get accepted by the damsel's parents.

In Yirol community culture, any man willing to marry must convince the girl's family he has the desired qualities which include ability to take care of their daughter.

READ ALSO: West Rand municipality couldn't pay wages thanks to VBS scandal

It is from here that contestants are carefully 'auditioned' before letting them battle it out in a long search for the lucky son-in-law able to meet dowry terms.

The battle continues.

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Source: Briefly.co.za
- An Austrian energy company found gas and oil deposits in Zimbabwe

- Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Zimbabwean president, announced the discovery on television on 1 November

- The president says it is an exciting discovery for Zimbabwe

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Zimbabwe has discovered gas and oil deposits within its borders.

The Zimbabwean president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, made the announcement of the discovery on Thursday, 1 November.

The gas and oil deposits were found in the Mashonaland Central Province after a study by Invictus Energy Limited, an Australian company.

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The Zimbabwean president addressed the nation on television and stated that the government has been working with the company for the last few months, as reported by eNCA.

According to President Mnangagwa, it is a great development for Zimbabwe. Exploration of the deposits will be made by mid 2020.

The company is focused on energy in Sub-Saharan Africa and is committed to working with and in Zimbabwe.

The president said that Invictus will enter into an agreement with the Zimbabwe government that will kick in when the project reaches the production stage.

READ ALSO: Tito Mboweni to investors in New York: SAA should be shut down

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Source: Briefly.co.za
Former Hip-Hop star HHP's funeral is turning into a tragic mess. Lerato Sengadi, HHP's wife, turned to the court to stop the funeral arrangements. According to HHP's family, the right rituals weren't followed and Lerato wasn't handed over to the family.

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While South Africans, and everyone who loved him, are mourning the passing of HHP, his family and wife are in a messy battle over his funeral.

Lerato Sengadi insists that HHP wanted to be buried in Johannesburg and she went to court when his family didn't include her in the arrangements.

She even applied for an urgent application to stop all funeral arrangements, according to a report by TimesLIVE.

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The South Gauteng High Court heard the case on Friday, 2 November. Robert Tsambo, HHP's father, claims that Lerato was never handed over to the family and there was never any lobola paid for her.

The Tsambo family still maintains that Jabulani was not married according to their custom and in terms of the requirements outlines in the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act (Act 120 of 1998). The fact that he lived in the same house with Ms Lerato Sengadi does not change their mere cohabitation into a concluded customary marriage.

However, Lerato says she can prove that her marriage to HHP is legit and she can prove that lobola was indeed paid.

READ ALSO: GENERATIONS: THE CELE FAMILY TURNS ON MAMNANDI FOR DISRESPECTING FANA

ZAlebs reports that while the court case is still underway, HHP's family responded to Lerato's attempt to stop the funeral.

The family says Lerato is welcome at the funeral but refuses to accept her as his wife. They also complained about her hope to stop the funeral.

What we object to is the indignant upheaval of the deceased funeral which has been arranged at great expense to the family and with coordination of the Mmabatho Municipality and the Premier of the North West Province. The present funeral arrangements are the desire of the deceased family.

The case is ongoing and a verdict has not been reached yet.

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Source: Briefly.co.za
News / National

by Staff reporter

The High Court has come to the rescue of a 15-year-old Form Four pupil who was barred from sitting for her Ordinary Level examinations because she does not have a national identity card.The court ordered the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) to allow Shelter Chisiri to write the examinations using her birth certificate.Authorities at the Vista Vision College in Harare had threatened to bar her from writing the examinations based on Zimsec's requirement taat exam candidates must produce a national identity card. In terms of the law, one can be issued with a national identity card upon reaching the age of 16.Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), who were acting for the minor, wrote a letter to Zimsec explaining the law, but there was no response.The child, who was being represented by her mother, had no other option but to approach the High Court for recourse. High Court judge Justice Davison Foroma set aside the decision and directed that Shelter be allowed to sit for the examination using her birth certificate without any hindrances."The decision to bar the applicant's minor child, Shelter Chisiri, from sitting for her November 2018 Ordinary Level examinations be and is hereby forthwith suspended," said Justice Foroma."The applicant's minor child, Shelter, is entitled to sit and write her Ordinary Level examinations for November 2018 at Vista Vision College upon the mere production of her birth certificate."The respondent or any third party acting at the special instance and request of the first respondent are interdicted from barring the applicant's minor child from sitting for her examinations commencing October 15 2018."The girl, who was a pupil at Vista Vision College, registered to write her examinations with Zimsec at the institution. Despite being registered at the institution, in addition to possessing a birth certificate, the authorities demanded a national identity card, driver's licence or passport from the girl. Being a minor, she was neither a holder of a national identity card, nor a driver's licence. She also did not have a passport.In the court application, the girl's mother argued that her child's right to administrative justice had been violated. She also argued that the girl would be seriously prejudiced. The mother further argued that since the girl was known at the school, there was no risk of impersonation or fraud.
News / National

by Staff reporter

President Mnangagwa is restructuring the Department of Scholarships as his administration seeks to prioritise critical skills in line with the Government's vision premised on a broad national skills strategy.In his weekly column in The Sunday Mail, President Mnangagwa said there was need to spell out areas of skills, which are a necessity in terms of the country's development vision and priorities."The old Department of Scholarships which we are restructuring will be a key vehicle for this broad national skills strategy," he said."Gone are the days where we just received any scholarship on offer from friendly countries. We must now spell out areas of skills need which are reckoned in terms of our development vision and priorities, and the numbers we aim for."President Mnangagwa said the country seeks scholarships that build national capabilities in areas of greatest need. "Much more, the skills strategy must be encompassing," said President Mnangagwa."By definition, medical work is collaborative and what this means is that whichever key skill we target must develop alongside supportive skills in related disciplines."President Mnangagwa said there should be a programme of equipping the country with modern medical gadgets."Our inability to ensure that institutions at primary level are adequately staffed and provided with core competencies has created this impossible situation where provincial and central hospitals are no longer referrals for complicated cases requiring specialised interventions only," he said."Add to this the absence of trauma facilities along our highways where traffic accidents are frequent. Illustratively, any serious traffic accident along the Harare-Chirundu Highway will have to be rushed back to Chinhoyi and Harare. This is quite typical on all our highways and we have lost many lives as a result."President Mnangagwa said there was need to revisit the entire institutional healthcare by way of spatial distribution and deployment of key competencies across the institutions. He said health insurance was a key area for collaborative investment action by both public and private sector if the country was to realise its vision of becoming an upper middle-income economy by 2030.President Mnangagwa said the country's medical schools, including other training institutions, were churning out hundreds of brilliant junior doctors, nurses and allied skills."All we need is to harness this brain power for far-reaching policy decisions and actions," he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

AUDITOR General Mrs Mildred Chiri has said her office was ready to help Government investigate financial leakages at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) if its services are required.Ordinarily, the Auditor General's office does not audit the Central Bank but concentrates on public entities and State-owned enterprises.The RBZ recently engaged auditors to investigate the activities of four senior executives who were suspended over allegations of corruption and illegal foreign currency dealings.Speaking at the 4th Internal Control Congress for Africa attended by accountants, auditors and internal control specialists in Victoria Falls, Mrs Chiri called for strengthening of internal control systems."As for the RBZ, authorities are dealing with those issues. Government and law enforcement agencies such as the anti-corruption are best placed to deal with that as ours is to audit and point out symptoms of such things."So, when our reports come out, the law will use them for investigations but for now should they need our assistance we are available, we are at service to the nation," said Mrs Chiri.She said internal control systems were important in financial management as they enhanced transparency. Internal control is there to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations and also with internal policies and keeping records so as to detect and prevent fraud and corruption among other vices.It facilitates effective operation by enabling it to respond in an appropriate manner to significant business, operational, financial, compliance and other risks.This includes safeguarding of assets and ensuring that liabilities are identified and managed in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, which talks of internal control responsibilities of people and Government in safeguarding assets.Mrs Chiri said if enforced, the Act, together with the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act, which addresses loopholes in corporate governance, will go a long way in addressing defects in internal control systems for the public entities and state owned enterprises.She said internal control was positive in terms of encouraging good corporate governance and preventing corruption as it also looks at issues of boards for public entities. Internal control is in five categories namely, accounting, administration, prevention, detection and correction.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE Police have stepped up their crackdown against perceived opponents of President Emmerson Mnangagwa after arresting and charging a Bulawayo man with undermining his authority.Wisdom Mkwananzi was arrested on Friday last week and charged with undermining the authority of or insulting Mnangagwa as defined under section 33(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.Mkwananzi last week allegedly burst out during a public hearing conducted at a Bulawayo hotel by the commission of inquiry into the August 1, killing of civilians, that he was orphaned because the Zanu PF party leader had masterminded the killing of his parents during Gukurahundi, where human rights groups claim over 20 000 people were killed during the post-independence disturbances in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.He allegedly pointed at Mnangagwa's portrait during his testimony before the former South African leader Kgalema Motlanthe-led commission of inquiry into the post-election violence and stated: "I am an orphan because of this man, he killed my parents."Mkwananzi, who was represented by Jabulani Mhlanga and Tinashe Runganga of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), was accused of engendering a feeling of hostility or ridicule towards Mnangagwa.Mkwananzi was also charged with lying under oath.The police officers claimed that Mkwananzi unlawfully and intentionally supplied a false name to the commission of inquiry after he allegedly told the probe team that his name was Siphatha Mandla, which is different from the name, which appears on his national identity card.Mkwananzi also faces a third charge of assault as defined in section 89 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, where ZRP officers alleged that he intentionally bit Luckmore Dube once on the right hand intending to cause bodily harm.Mkwananzi, who appeared in court on Saturday, becomes the second man to be charged with undermining authority of or insulting President Mnangagwa inside one month after police officers arrested Alexander Samuel Chidzedzere of Kariba early this month, and charged him with undermining the authority or insulting the President after he alleged that the ruling Zanu PF party had won the July 30 harmonised elections through rigging.Meanwhile, ZLHR lawyers on Saturday secured the release on bail of three Bulawayo men Marshal Sibanda, Welcome Moyo and Venat Ncube, who were last Friday charged with committing public violence.The trio was also charged with disrupting a public gathering as defined in section 44(a) Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 after they allegedly engaged in a disorderly and riotous conduct intending to disrupt the Commission of Inquiry proceedings.Sibanda, Moyo and Ncube were granted $150 bail each and remanded to 13 November 2018 for commencement of their trial. Mkhwananzi was yesterday released on $200 bail when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Rachel Mkanga, facing charges of undermining the president, assault and lying under oaths. He was remanded to November 13.
HOUSTON, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TC PipeLines, LP (NYSE: TCP) (the Partnership) will participate at the RBC Capital Markets 2018 Midstream Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 13 and 14, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. Nathan Brown, president of TC PipeLines GP, Inc., the Partnerships general partner, will attend and meet with investors during the conference.



A copy of the meeting materials will be available on the morning of November 13, 2018 in the Investor Center section of the Partnerships website at http://www.tcpiplineslp.com/events-and-presentations.html .

About TC PipeLines, LP

TC PipeLines, LP is a Delaware master limited partnership with interests in eight federally regulated U.S. interstate natural gas pipelines which serve markets in the Western, Midwestern and Northeastern United States. The Partnership is managed by its general partner, TC PipeLines GP, Inc., a subsidiary of TransCanada Corporation (NYSE:TRP). For more information about TC PipeLines, LP, visit the Partnership's website at www.tcpipelineslp.com .

Media Inquiries:

Grady Semmens

403.920.7859 or 800.608.7859

Unitholder and Analyst Inquiries:

Rhonda Amundson

877.290.2772

investor_relations@tcpipelineslp.com

PDF available: http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/538aecac-a1a2-41c6-bd54-0e0c8627c245




News / National

by Staff reporter

About 21 Zimbabwean entrepreneurs are among 1 000 young persons who will benefit from the latest round of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme's (TEEP) $100 million fund.TEEP is a brainchild of Nigerian billionaire, Tony Elumelu, one of Africa's most successful entrepreneurs who in 2015 launched Africa's largest philanthropic fund to nurture a culture of entrepreneurship among the youth.The fund intends to support 10 000 African entrepreneurs in the decade to 2025, and targets to create one million new jobs and $10 billion in additional revenues by providing a $5 000 non-refundable seed grant.The training programme is designed for the African environment and provides access to a dedicated group of mentors.Last year, 17 local entrepreneurs benefitted from the programme.One of this year's beneficiaries, Gugulethu Siso, founder of Thumeza, a delivery solution provider, told NewsDay that the funding would help grow her nascent business."We currently have a team of four drivers with small cars from small sedans to two-tonne trucks to cover all delivery needs from envelopes to bricks. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to be part of the TEF programme as a 2018 alumni. Aside from the seed capital, the networks I have made with other entrepreneurs who are now prospective clients and partners," Siso said.Another Zimbabwean entrepreneur, Nkosana George Mazibisa, who was part of the selected entrepreneurs in 2016, was this year awarded a Most Impactful award, along with five others.He now runs a potato crisp and biscuit manufacturing plant in Bulawayo and gets fresh potatoes from the surrounding schools under the green house project he introduced."We came up with a greenhouse project, where we would train schools on climate change and in entrepreneurship. We trained all 188 schools in Bulawayo. We would go there to facilitate potato production, which we ourselves bought and use for our snacks production," he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

MDC Alliance has given Bulawayo deputy mayor Tinashe Kambarami a seven-day ultimatum to step down from his position or face expulsion for defying a party directive on the election of the deputy mayor.This followed recent protests by activists and some pressure groups calling for Kambarami's recall as deputy mayor, arguing that he was not Bulawayo-born.Another MDC Alliance councillor Batirai Dube faces the same fate.Dube was in the eye of the storm recently when he refused to take oath in English during the swearing in of incoming Bulawayo councillors at the council chambers.In a letter dated October 29, 2018, Bulawayo province secretary, Sibusisiwe Adams, informed Kambarami that he had been directed to step down from his position within seven days, failure of which he would be expelled from the party."In pursuant to the letter addressed to us by the national secretary for Local Government. We hereby inform you that you are instructed to step down from the position of deputy mayor of Bulawayo Municipality within 7 days of receipt of this letter. Failure to comply within the stipulated period shall result in your expulsion from the party and also recall from the council," read the letter in part.The letter was also copied to Local Governance and Devolution secretary Sesel Zvidzai, Bulawayo mayor Solomon Mguni and provincial secretary for Local Government, O Ncube.On October 9, 2018, Zvidzai wrote a letter to Bulawayo provincial chairperson, Gift Banda, directing him to implement the party's position."Following the election of Cllr Tinashe Kambarami as the deputy mayor of Bulawayo against the party recommended candidate, Cllr Mlandu (Ncube), subsequently, Councillor Kambarami was summoned three (times) to the head office and he failed to avail himself," the letter read in part.Zvidzai said a decision was made for Kambarami to withdraw from the position of deputy mayor and remain an ordinary councillor."Failure to which, the party was to expel him and recall him from council. Similar cases of defiance elsewhere were dealt with by the party in the same way. You are aware that the member concerned falls within your area of control, thus we kindly invite you to put the due process in motion," the letter reads.Kambarami refused to comment when Southern Eye contacted him.
News / National

by Agencies

War Veterans leader, Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa, is no longer President Emmerson Mnangagwa's special advisor, the office of the president has confirmed.Mutsvangwa was initially appointed as Minister of Information and Publicity, but was then appointed as the President's advisor in Mnangagwa's first cabinet, installed shortly after the November military driven operation restore legacy.However, when new cabinet appointments were made after the July elections, Mutsvangwa was not restored to his position, as the President sought to further trim his cabinet.Officials from the Office of the President and Cabinet told media that despite Mutsvangwa's absence on the most recent letters of appointment, members of the media had assumed that he had continued in his role, and continued to refer to Mutsvangwa as the President's advisor."Ambassador Mutsvangwa has not been the President's advisor for a long time. Everyone who was appointed as part of the new cabinet and to positions within the OPC had their names gazetted in announcements."Mutsvangwa's contract and appointment to that role was not renewed. He continues to be referred to, and quoted as the President's advisor, which is incorrect.", the office of the President said.Mutsvangwa recently accused a local businessman, Kuda Tagwirei of running a forex cartel in the country.Mutsvangwa accused Tagwirei of getting preferential treatment from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) through shady forex allocation as well as running a monopoly on the fuel supply."Tagwirei's business gets about US$80 to US$90 million every month for fuel from the RBZ, yet many companies, some of them largest fuel dealers in the world, want to come and invest in the fuel industry in the country."You can ask (Energy) minister Joram Gumbo. There are many who want to come. We can't have a whole country for one man," he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Information Communication Technology and Courier Services Minister Kazembe Kazembe, who is attending the 2018 Plenipotentiary Conference in Dubai, yesterday endorsed the candidature of Zimbabwean telecommunication expert Dr Cosmas Zavazava for the post of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), director telecommunications development bureau.ITU is a specialised agency of the United Nations and one of the many players working with partners to connect the world.The Plenipotentiary conference is held every four years to allow the ITU to set its strategic direction, finances, leadership and to make any changes needed to the organisation's constitution and convention.In his presentation at the conference, Minister Kazembe said the conference was a landmark occasion where member states take stock of their achievements towards the Vision 2020 and whose outcomes will map our aspirations towards the attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.He said the year 2030, was a watershed year for Zimbabwe as the country had also set a goal of attaining upper middle-income status. Minister Kazembe said Dr Zavazava was Zimbabwe's candidate for the post of director telecommunications development bureau."Dr Zavazava, is a diligent, versatile, and humble man. He speaks several languages and has vast diplomatic experience within and outside the ITU, with almost 20 years of experience in the development sector."Some of you have worked with him in disaster situations and I am sure you can testify that he is undoubtedly a strategic asset to the ITU, who deserves your support."We are offering Dr Zavazava to the ITU as a token of appreciation for the support that we have enjoyed and also our commitment to the work of the union. We are counting on you to support our offering to the union," he said.He said Zimbabwe was doing its best with regards to the Vision 2020 targets and fostering growth of the ICT sector where the country had witnessed unprecedented growth in the use of Internet bandwidth and achieved 86 percent in 3G population coverage."In our quest for an inclusive information society, we are using our Universal Service Fund to roll out community information centres in all corners of the country, connecting schools and health centres mostly in rural and remote areas," he saidThe minister said Zimbabwe had deliberately directed efforts on reducing cost of services by a maintaining a cost-based tariff regime, mandating passive infrastructure sharing and establishing a national internet exchange point, which will double up as a regional internet exchange point.He said the country had also embarked on massive training, education and awareness programmes for broadband consumers targeting the remote areas so as to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs."On the innovation front, we have started disbursing funds for start-ups following the successful launch of the innovation fund in March 2018."Looking into the future, we are saying 'Zimbabwe is open for business' and we cherish building partnerships and concerted collaboration to take us to the desired level. Our target is to grow our economy by at least 14 percent year-on-year on a sustained basis, with broadband as our lynch-pin," he said.In April this year, SADC also endorsed Dr Zavazava for the post stating that based on his work experience, he was the best candidate for this post, which primarily takes care of developing countries and in particular the least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries and Small Island Developing States.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) has ordered Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries founder Wlater Magaya to retract his claim that he had found a cure for HIV and Aids within the next seven days or face legal action.In a letter written to Magaya yesterday and seen by NewsDay, ZADHR chairperson Brighton Chizhande also demanded that the cleric immediately stops distributing, marketing and selling the product.The association noted that Magaya's actions were in violation of the Medicines and Allied Substances Act (Section 15:03) and demanded that he makes a public withdrawal of the claim."While we have no dispute with innovation and discovery of drugs, we argue that due process of proving clinical efficacy and safety prior to any advertisement and distribution is of paramount importance. As ZADHR, we give you notice to take remedial action within seven calendar days of this notice by withdrawing all products that purport, claim or infer that they cure HIV and Aids from the market forthwith, and making a public statement that withdraws your initial claim to have found a cure for HIV," Chizhande said.He said Magaya's pronouncement was "malicious" and "poses an existential danger as defined in the Public Health Act".Magaya's spokesperson, Admire Mango, said he could not comment as he was attending a funeral.Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged Zimbabweans on anti-retroviral treatment (ART) to continue taking their medication despite Magaya's claims.WHO representative to Zimbabwe, Alex Gasasira, said in a statement yesterday that people on ART "can enjoy healthy, long and productive lives".He said such people must continue with prescribed medication, as there was still no cure for HIV and Aids."There is no cure for HIV infection. However, effective anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs can control the virus and help prevent transmission so that people with HIV, and those at substantial risk, can enjoy healthy, long and productive lives," Gasasira said."Zimbabwe has very well-established procedures for clinical trials. Clinical trials are the process by which any new medical approaches, including drugs, are rigorously evaluated to determine whether they are safe and effective in the prevention and/or treatment of any ailments."The WHO representative said it was important for every new treatment for any ailment to be subjected to the Health and Child Care ministry's national clinical trial processes and procedures, and warned those on ARV medication to exercise extreme caution should they want to try new medicines.He said Zimbabwe had experienced a reduction of Aids-related deaths by 63% in the period 2010 to 2017.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Murehwa North legislator Daniel Garwe (Zanu-PF) has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against a two-month jail sentence imposed on him for flouting a High Court order barring him from stripping the family farm in Mvuma and properties in Harare.But the legislator risks jail time if he loses the appeal he filed through his lawyers, Mundiya and Mu dhara.In a High Court application (HC 6885/18) made by his estranged wife, Pedzisayi Miriam Lillieth Garwe, the MP is accused of defying a court order made on June 15, 2018 that blocked him from removing assets held under the family trust.High Court judge Sylvia Chirawu-Mugomba recently ruled that Garwe was in contempt of the High Court, before slapping him with a 90-day prison term, 60 of which would be suspended on condition that he immediately complies with the court order.However, Garwe now wants the High Court ruling set aside by the Supreme Court."The court a quo erred in law in interdicting the appellant (Garwe) from dealing with assets that do not belong to the parties and that cannot be affected in any way whatsoever by pending divorce proceedings in HC 5020/18," Garwe said."Alternatively, the court a quo improperly exercised its discretion and made an irrational decision in ordering the return of assets that are either subject to lease agreements in genuine commercial transactions or are being repaired, with a view to future commercial use."Following the appeal, the court directed that an inspection in loco be held at the farm last Friday.The court is now expected to come up with an inventory detailing its findings, amid indications that some items were found missing at the property.In the High Court ruling, Chirawu-Mugomba said Garwe was in defiance of the court order, which required him to "return forthwith assets removed from subdivision A of Rhodesdale, also known as Sebakwe Ranch farm in Mvuma, being an electric hammer mill, boom spray, lister pump, planter, gladiator mower, TD 95 tractor and P11 plough.""The applicant averred that the respondent was in breach of the court order by failing to return forthwith all assets he removed from number 12 Mitchel Road, Kamfinsa, Greendale, Harare, being an Isuzu truck registration number ABI 5006, Bomag roller, construction shutters, window frames, timber, pivot water pump set and Isuzu TR registration number ABI 5791," she ruled.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE police Minerals and Border Control Unit (MBCU) in Shurugwi has been accused of misappropriating tonnes of gold ore confiscated from a syndicate suspected of illegal mining operations and kept as an exhibit in a theft case that happened two years ago.The five-member mining consortium, known as Masaisai, was hauled to court by one Sabastian Dzingirai who claimed ownership of Paradox Mine at which the group was accused of conducting illegal operations. When members of the syndicate were arrested alongside two directors  Joice Gwaringa and Jabulani Nyabanga  police confiscated 11 tonnes of gold ore found at the site and kept it as exhibit.Due to inadequate space at Shurugwi Police Station, the ore was kept at Rolly 103 Gold Mine in Shurugwi after mine owner, Brighton Gara (34), signed an indemnity form promising that he would keep the ore safely.The indemnity form was also signed by the complainant Dzingirai, representatives of the syndicate, Timothy Mauto, investigating officer, Constable Rovodzanayi, and the officer in charge (crime) Inspector Tshuma, on November 23, 2016.Shurugwi resident magistrate Evia Matura acquitted the members of the syndicate after the State failed to prove a prima facie case against them and their operations were deemed legal.But despite the court ruling, the gold was not released and was kept by the police."We went to the prosecutor and got a letter for us to be given back our gold ore by the police. However, when they took us to the mine where it was kept, they showed us a heap of soil, about three tonnes, and said this is your ore. We refused because that was not our ore. When we asked around at the mine, some people said the police officers came back and milled the ore and got about 2kg of gold. We have been trying to recover the ore since last year, but nothing has come up to date," Gilbert Makumbe, one of Masaisai directors, said.Last year, the group approached the then Midlands Provincial Affairs minister Owen Ncube complaining about conduct of the MBCU police. He then wrote to the Midlands Provincial Police Officer Assistant Commissioner Charles Ndoro, urging him to ensure the mining syndicate got its ore and officers responsible for the scam brought to book.Part of the letter dated December 20, 2017, in Southern Eye's possession read: "It is also directed that 11 tonnes of ore held at November 11, 2016 by ZRP (Inspector Tshuma, investigating officer C Roodzanayi and Constable Kim) be investigated and returned to the rightful owners and where irregularities appear, the culprits should be brought to book with immediate effect. Please note that it is the duty of this office to protect investors as we turn a new leaf in the history of our economy. Hence, you are called upon to act swiftly as per the expectations of the new dispensation."Gwaringa revealed that the police went on to confiscate another five tonnes of gold ore and again refused to return it even after the court ruling.Ncube in his letter also compelled the police to release the gold ore. "It is also directed that 5 tonnes confiscated under instructions from ZRP (Tshuma and Moyo) be released as per the instructions of the public prosecutor and Courts in Shurugwi," the letter read.Rovodzanayi, who was the investing officer in the case, refused to comment when contacted by Southern Eye."I am aware of the case but I am not allowed to comment to the Press. Get hold of my bosses," he said.Shurugwi MBCU officer in charge (crime) Assistant Inspector Mharakurwa also refused to comment and referred this paper to one Superintendent Thandabanthu."Who is complaining? Please speak to our PRLO," Thandabanthu quipped.Midlands acting police spokesperson, Assistant Ethel Mukwende did not respond to questions sent to her mobile phone as she was not reachable.
News / National

by Staff reporter

GERMAN ambassador to Zimbabwe Thorsten Hutter on Wednesday said his country was ready to re-engage Zimbabwe but urged the government to make tough economic decisions to reduce the budget deficit if it was to provide efficient services to citizens and win international support.Hutter said the country's extravagant spending did not inspire investor confidence and there was need to rein in budget deficit."We are ready to re-engage but this needs to be based on decisions by the government of Zimbabwe, decisions that would be tough, painful decisions, which have to do with the runaway budget deficit," Hutter said on the sidelines of a tour of Gweru's water reservoirs rehabilitated with help from German Development Co-operation."The (budget) deficit needs to be reined in; otherwise it would be hard for the government of Zimbabwe to maintain services to the people of Zimbabwe.Yes, we need to re-engage with the government but there is a saying that it takes two to tango and tango is a dance that needs two people. So we hope the government of Zimbabwe understands the need to take important sustainable decisions."Early this week, Treasury secretary, George Guvamatanga revealed that the country's budget deficit will more than double to 11,1% of gross domestic product this year from an initial forecast of 5% as a result of uncontrolled government spending.He said a double digit budget deficit was not sustainable and that government was taking measures to cut its wage bill by $330 million between 2019 and 2020.Over the years relations between Germany and Zimbabwe took a down turn after the European Union imposed sanctions after the 2000 elections over alleged human rights abuses. The EU lifted the sanctions in 2014, with only former President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace still on the list.In August this year, Germany Economic Co-operation minister, Gerd Muller met President Emmerson Mnangagwa with the Western country pledging to open lines of credit for Zimbabwe and improve bilateral relations between the two countries.
News / National

by Staff reporter

DEPUTY Defence minister Victor Matemadanda on Wednesday pleaded for more funding to be channelled to the war veterans' as a "Thank You" for their role during the liberation struggle.Matemadanda, who is also the secretary-general for the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), called for financial inclusion of ex-combatants in the running of the country's economic affairs.He made the comments at a meeting with the Central Bank and other stakeholders held at Zanu PF's Bulawayo provincial offices, Davies Hall.The meeting came after the National Business Council of Zimbabwe approached the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) concerning the plight of the war veterans in the mainstream economy of the country. The meeting was held under the theme, Financial Inclusion for National Production."What makes other people think war veterans are withdrawn from main activities of the economy and so forth is that when war veterans left assembly points after the liberation war, they came back to the country with nothing and have been suffering ever since."They found themselves with no control of everything. They came back beggars. This is the sad story of war veterans, and that is why we are calling for financial inclusion of ex-combatants in the running of the country's economic affairs," Matematanda said.He revealed that the ZNLWVA has approached the RBZ to avail funding to assist ex-combatants kick-start self-help projects to cut their dependency on government, but central bank deputy governor Kupukile Mlambo quickly shot down the request saying the country was broke."The government inherited a number of economic challenges that it has to first fix. We need to deal with what has got us to a position of economic meltdown, and to live without means," Mlambo, who attended the event, said. "There are no free funds, if any they can be in the form of loans that have to be paid back."Ex-combatants have been getting freebies for years. In 1997, angry war veterans pressured former President Robert Mugabe to pay them ZW$50 000 gratuities and other benefits for their role in the liberation struggle.
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Prophet Walter Magaya today arrived at the Harare Magistrates Court to face charges of selling medicines without a licence.Magaya's Aguma immune booster is pegged at $500.00Yesterday Magaya and the Minister of Health Dr. Obadiah Moyo held a joint press conference where the embattled Prophet apologised for flouting procedure in announcing his medication.More to follow...
Collaboration Includes Research Opportunities for Faculty and Students

HOUSTON, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of Houston announced a new collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) on Friday, including a $10 million gift from HPE to the University. The gift from HPE will benefit the Universitys Data Science Institute and include funding for a scholarship endowment, as well as both funding and equipment to enhance data science research activities.



At HPE, we have a robust presence in Houston and a long history of partnership with the University of Houston. In fact, a significant portion of our workforce here are alumni, so we are thrilled to have an opportunity to drive innovation in data science and shape the future workforce in that area, said Mark Potter, Chief Technology Officer, HPE, and Director, Hewlett Packard Labs. We look forward to continuing to expand the partnership over time and tackling meaningful research that will accelerate discoveries for the industry.

In todays information age, the data being created is only as valuable as the insights that are gleaned from it. The secrets to scientific breakthroughs and industry-changing innovations hide in plain sight behind mountains of data. Data science is the key to unlocking these breakthroughs and critical as companies undergo digital transformation.

Amr Elnashai, vice president for research and technology transfer at UH, said the alliance with HPE will expand the Universitys ability to respond to some of the biggest challenges facing the region.

This partnership will enhance our capacity to deploy data science tools to address challenges in the healthcare, energy and smart materials sectors in the Houston area, from health data mining to data-enabled oil and gas exploration, he said.

HPEs collaboration with the University is part of a larger movement focused on accelerating the development of Houstons innovation economy, led by organizations like Houston Exponential . Gina Luna, chair of Houston Exponential, which is charged with accelerating development of the regional digital tech ecosystem, said enhancing Houstons position as a leader in data sciences is an important piece of that plan.

HPEs commitment to this program at UH is exciting for Houston, she said. As our core industries digitize, leveraging the power of data is critical to that transformation, and collaborations between industry and academia are a key component. This partnership, along with many others, is essential to accelerating our progress as a global leader in this area.

The collaboration between HPE and UH will go beyond funding, with HPE leaders serving as lecturers for UH classes and UH researchers helping to solve complex problems for HPE customers. Students will work on research areas suggested by HPE, part of an effort to ensure students and faculty are focused on real-world problems.

UH offers a number of certificate and degree programs in data analytics, statistics and related fields, and researchers from a variety of disciplines use data science in work ranging from health care diagnostics and imaging to improving the safety of offshore drilling.

Paula Myrick Short, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, said the gift will benefit students in a number of ways, from scholarships to opportunities to address some of societys greatest challenges.

Data science is profoundly changing society, she said. The enhanced educational opportunities available to UH students through this gift will translate to increased student engagement and a better prepared workforce.

The UH Data Science Institute will be renamed the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Data Science Institute (HPE DSI) in recognition of the alliance. The HPE gift contributes to the Universitys $1 billion Here, We Go Campaign, the first major fundraising campaign in more than 25 years, in support of major University initiatives.

About the University of Houston

The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter for excellence in undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city and one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse regions in the country, UH is a federally designated Hispanic- and Asian-American-Serving institution with enrollment of more than 46,000 students.

About Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is a global technology leader focused on developing intelligent solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze and act upon data seamlessly from edge to cloud. HPE enables customers to accelerate business outcomes by driving new business models, creating new customer and employee experiences, and increasing operational efficiency today and into the future.
News / Press Release

by 1893 MHRRM

Venue:

Time:

Theme:

Train Stations:

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Please feel free to contact the Movement for further details on: +44 (0) 7889 422 695

The 1893 Mthwakazi Human Rights Restoration Movement (1893 MHRRM) is pleased to announce that Moses Mzila Ndlovu is expected to arrive in the United Kingdom today for the Matebeleland Gukurahundi Genocide taking place in Luton this Saturday 3rd November 2018.Ndlovu will be welcomed at one of the UK's airports by some of the 1893 MHRRM leadership officials this evening.The 1893 MHRRM takes this opportunity once more to invite Matebeleland nationals, friends of the Matebele, all Human Rights Defenders and all media houses to the Conference in Luton this coming Saturday.It is time for the world to recognise the Matebeleland "Gukurahundi" Genocide and the on-going human rights violations that centre on the issue of Genocide in Zimbabwe and support Matebeleland in its journey to ultimately find peace.The recent arrest, beating and prosecution, on trumped charges, of Wisdom Mkhwananzi by Zimbabwean police for testifying about the killing of his parents during the Matebeleland "Gukurahundi" Genocide in the 80s in front of the Motlante led Commission is one good example of serious on-going human rights violations in Matebeleland.The conference will take the opportunity to condemn his arrest and continued harassment by Zimbabwean authorities and courts.Meanwhile, as a way of an update, the 1893 MHRRM student wing in the Republic of South Africa is preparing a similar conference in South Africa soon, before year end. The wing will update on these preparations that are gathering momentum.As for the details of the UK Conference, kindly find them below.The Lansdowne Hall, The Lansdowne Club, 70 New Bedford Road, Luton, Bedford, LU3 1BS.11:00 am to 17:00 pm (British Time)Matebeleland "Gukurahundi" Genocide: Together Towards Truth, Justice, Reparations and Healing for MatebelelandLuton, Luton Airport Park and LeagraveLondon Luton Airport
Opinion / Columnist

On March 21 this year, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was one of the Heads of State and government who signed the African Continental Free Trade (AfCFTA).The protocol has now been signed by 49 of the 55 African Union (AU) member States. Despite the large number of signatories, the agreement can only come into force if it is ratified by at least 22 of the member states. Only seven countries have so far ratified and Zimbabwe is not among the countries.Ratification is a process mainly undertaken by Parliament. The process of ratification begins with the relevant ministry obtaining approval for ratification from government.The ministry then seeks parliamentary approval, which is a resolution of the House pursuant to a motion on the same. Thereafter, a Bill may then be gazetted to domesticate the instrument.Domestication is about aligning domestic laws and policies with the international agreement. Section 327 of the Constitution provides that international treaties only become binding upon approval by Parliament.So Parliament is largely to blame for the failure to ratify the AfCFTA, among other continental and regional agreements.Arguments that the of Foreign Affairs ministry must bring the instrument to Parliament for ratification are a lame excuse.Parliament should demand these instruments as part of its oversight role. All ministries, government agencies and departments are accountable to Parliament as provided for in Section 119 of the Constitution. So Parliament has power to enforce ratification of the agreements.The AfCFTA is a very important protocol to promote industrialisation and intra-African trade.The protocol is one of the flagship projects of the first 10-year implementation plan under the AU "Agenda 2063  The Africa We Want".The AfCFTA is an African market of over 1,2 billion people, with a gross domestic product of $2,5 trillion. This free trade area has the potential to boost intra-African trade by 53% through elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers.According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the AfCFTA is expected to double intra-African trade from 12 % in 2012 to 25 % in 2022.Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent.By 2050, Africa's population is projected to reach 2 billion. About 70 of Africans are under 30 years of age and over half are females.The AfCFTA negotiating institutions have so far held several meetings since the launch of the agreement in March.One of the key outcomes of the meetings has been the adoption of modalities for tariff liberalisation with a level of ambition of 90% of tariff lines to be liberalised over a period of five to 10 years depending on the categories specified.A group of seven countries requested a longer transition period of 15 years. The other outcome is the adoption of modalities for liberalisation of trade in services, with a hybrid approach of schedules of specific commitments accompanied by regulatory cooperation.There is no doubt that the AfCFTA can be a major vehicle to accelerate Africa's industrialisation and address what is commonly referred to as the continent's resource curse.This refers to the paradox that countries with an abundance of natural resources tend to experience poor economic growth and human development outcomes.Some statistics will illustrate this paradox of plenty. Africa has approximately 30% of the earth's remaining mineral resources.The continent has the largest reserves of precious metals with over 40% of the gold reserves, over 60% of cobalt and 90% of platinum reserves. However, Africa is the world's poorest and most underdeveloped continent, with a continental gross domestic product (GDP) that accounts for just 2,4% of global GDP and accounts for only 4% of global trade. In addition, Africa accounts for around 60% of the world's uncultivated arable land.It is, therefore, high time that Members of Parliament in Zimbabwe and across the African continent become fully involved in the negotiations currently underway in order to accelerate the conclusion of the processes and ensure their full ownership.Stakeholder ownership of the AfCFTA agreement is a pre-requisite for easier implementation and achievement of desired objectives of rapid industrialisation and free trade.The starting point for Members of Parliament to be fully involved in the AfCFTA processes is ratification of the agreement.Related to the issue of ratification of AfCFTA is for Parliament to ratify the protocol establishing the Pan-African Parliament (PAP).Ratification of the PAP protocol, commonly known as Malabo Protocol, will enable it to come into force, thereby conferring full legislative powers on the continental Parliament. The PAP must have full legislative powers in order to legislate for these developments on intra-Africa trade.However, only 18 of the 55 AU member states have so far signed the protocol, more than four years since the agreement was launched.Only five member states, namely Gambia, Mali, Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, Sierra Leone and Togo, have so far ratified the Protocol.Zimbabwe appended its signature to the agreement, but is still to ratify.It is strange that Members of Parliament are failing to speedily ratify their own protocol to give themselves enough teeth. Parliaments must popularise the PAP protocol among civil society actors and the media in order to build constituencies of support that will then pressure their governments to sign and then ratify and domesticate the agreements.Zimbabwe must move away from simply signing international agreements without ratification and domestication.Let us fully commit ourselves to these international agreements in order to demonstrate that indeed we would like to belong to the world family of nations, and that we are truly open for business.John Makamure is the executive director of the Southern African Parliamentary Support. Feedback: johnma@sapst.org; @john_makamure
Opinion / Columnist

Conclusion

Don chigumba is a mixed methods research specialist, can be found on twitter @Donchigumba

The months of October and September should be declared a period of 'spiritual lies' with immediate effect. A lot of myths happened during this period and I am not going to be surprised today if 'they' say Jesus Christ has been spotted in the streets of Harare. It started with Acie Lumumba and Mthuli Ncube drama. Lumumba was appointed and fired before he even entered in his new office. What he only managed to do was to briefly work via his Facebook account before being fired.Lumumba declared that the entire Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)'s top leadership except John Mangudya is corrupt. John Mnagudya did not waste time, he fired the RBZ top leadership except himself. This did not go down well with most of the Zimbabweans especially opposition supporters who believe in the Zimbabwean dictum that goes 'A fish starts to rot from the head'.Following the termination of Lumumba, God showed Prophet Magaya another lie. Prophet Magaya declared before his congregation that he had found an HIV/Aids cure. When asked by the media to verify his claim, Prophet Magaya claimed that he did a two year experiment with an Indian company and did a clinical trial with HIV/Aids patients. It was later observed that Prophet Magaya had violated the ethics of conducting experiments and approving medicines.When Prophet Magaya realized that he had lied in the name of Jesus, he retracted his statement before the local and international media and blamed himself for lying before Zimbabweans and God. Is this not going to become the beginning of the end of Prophet Magaya? That will be my next discussion, Prophet Magaya is not only a liar but also an ambitious businessman and a false/fake prophet. If Rotina Mavhunga was arrested because of the false allegations of 'diesel at Chinhoyi', why is Prophet Magaya not in jail? Only ZANU PF government knows.Following the spiritual lie on HIV/Aids cure, Strive Masiyiwa made another spiritual lie. The MDC Alliance supporters believed that Masiyiwa lied when he said 'I believe President Mnangagwa is SINCERE ' before Masiyiwa concluded by saying, sanctions must be removed MDC Alliance supporters were already throwing stones on him and some MDC alliance leaders started to mobilize their supporters against getting services at his Econet. Was it true that President ED is sincere? This happened after the soldiers recently murdered 6 or 10 innocent civilians in Harare, according to the law it is only the President who is allowed to unleash soldiers on people. Is it a fair assessment to claim that President ED is sincere? Between Masiyiwa and MDC Alliance supporters someone should be wrong. According to MDC Alliance supporters, Masiyiwa is not persecuted because of his calls for the removal of sanctions but is under fire because of labeling President ED 'a sincere person or a man of God' despite his involvement in the Gukurahundi genocide.However, according to some ZANU PF supporters, MDC Alliance supporters are always unruly, anyone who tries to attack Chamisa and his team will be stoned to death before trial. They believe that Masiyiwa was just a victim of unruly MDC Alliance supporters and was stoned before being dragged to the courts of law. It reminds me of the events that took place before the burial of Morgan Tsvangirai. MDC alliance supporters disowned his biological mother when she said she didn't want Eriza and Nerisoni to attend the burial of the late Tsvangirai in Buhera. The MDC Alliance supporters started claiming that the 'biological mother' of Morgan Tsvangirai was not her real mother but was the mother of Kenneth Manyonda. Who is wrong, MDC alliance supporters or Masiyiwa?Another spiritual lie visited the Statehouse of Zimbabwe when Strive Masiyiwa was being stoned (before trial). President ED Mnangagwa declared before the universe that a major discovery was done in Muzarabani. President ED claimed that gas and oil has been found in Zimbabwe and that fuel queues are now history because Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi are now in our midst. President ED is now blaming the media for misquoting him and the media is now producing V11 through videos etc. Who is wrong here President ED or media? Both (ED and media) may be wrong because the Australian company responsible for exploration is claiming that there in neither oil nor gas discovered in Zimbabwe and explorations are going on.a) What is the difference between Rotina Mavhunga and President ED in relation to oil discovery in Zimbabwe?b) If Rotina Mavhunga was arrested for lying, should the police arrest Prophet Magaya and President ED?c) Is it correct for Strive Masiyiwa to claim that President ED is sincere?d) Is it true that Jesus was spotted in Harare?I believe that Zimbabwe is a Christian state and we should remain honest and truthful people. ZANU PF government should stop leading by bad example of lying and proper research should be done before the dissemination of information.
Alberta RCMP have seized more than eight kilograms of heroin in unrelated busts, one in Edmonton and the other in Chipman, northeast of the city.

A search of an Edmonton residence on Tuesday yielded 5.59 kg of heroin, plus documents and devices, RCMP said in a news release Thursday.

A 24-year-old Edmonton man has been charged with heroin importation and heroin possession for the purpose of trafficking.

The heroin, valued at $2 million, arrived in a mailed package, RCMP spokesperson Fraser Logan said.

The search warrant was executed by the Alberta RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime Unit, with help from the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team, Strathcona RCMP, Edmonton Police Service, Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Canada Post.

Also Thursday, Alberta RCMP announced the seizure of 3 kg of heroin in a Sept. 2 search of a residence in Chipman, a village 77 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. Police also seized documents, electronic devices and 61 marijuana plants.

A 57-year-old Chipman man has been charged with heroin importation, heroin possession for the purpose of trafficking, and cannabis production.

The Sept. 2 search was conducted by the Alberta RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime Unit North with assistance from the Alberta RCMP Emergency Response Team, Fort Saskatchewan RCMP and CBSA.

$127,000 worth of cocaine

In another drug bust, Edmonton police said Thursday they have laid drug-related charges against a man and a woman after the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement Unit conducted searches at two locations  a "stash pad" condo unit near Edwards Drive SW and 91st Street, and the couple's full-time residence.

Investigators discovered 862 grams of cocaine with a street value of $127,000. They also seized 408 grams of crack cocaine, 1 kg of methamphetamine, 9 kg of buffing agent and more than $9,300 in cash.

Drug manufacturing equipment was also seized from the "stash pad," police said. The condo, which was unfurnished, was allegedly being used to process cocaine into crack cocaine, police said.

A Honda Ridgeline truck with two "sophisticated" hidden compartments was also seized, police said.

The man and woman, both 21, face trafficking and other drug charges. The investigation that led to their arrests was launched in the spring.
BANJUL (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Charles congratulated Gambia on Thursday for turning its back on "autocratic" rule at home and returning to the Commonwealth fold as he began a nine-day Africa tour. The West African former British colony rejoined the Commonwealth in February, five years after its now exiled authoritarian former leader Yahya Jammeh pulled Gambia out, dubbing the 54-member group a "neo-colonial institution". "We are friends and partners, and once again we are both members of the Commonwealth family of nations," the prince said at a ceremony in Banjul's McCarthy Square, hosted by President Adama Barrow. Gambia, he said, was "turning its back on 20 years of autocratic rule in order to embrace a new beginning," he said. Jammeh, who fled Gambia last year after regional militaries launched an operation to remove him, repeatedly clashed with the British authorities over criticism of his government's human rights record. Under Jammeh's 23-year rule, the country gained a reputation as a repressive state where journalists and political opponents were jailed, tortured and even murdered. Barrow, who won a December 2016 election that Jammeh rejected, is attempting to rehabilitate Gambia's image abroad. Critics of the Commonwealth see it as an outdated relic of Britain's imperial past, while advocates say it gives small countries like Gambia a seat at the table with larger states, and has potential to improve life for its 2.4 billion residents. Born of British and French colonial rivalry in the 19th century and surrounded by Francophone Senegal, Gambia - a tourist haven and groundnut producer - won independence from Britain in 1965. Prince Charles, who was accompanied by his wife Camilla, visited a medical research facility run by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and an armed forces training center, where Gambian troops are preparing for a peacekeeping mission in Sudan. The royal pair will fly to Ghana on Friday and to Nigeria on Nov. 6. (Reporting by Pap Saine and Sofia Christensen, Writing by Cooper Inveen, Editing by Sofia Christensen and Richard Balmforth)
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball will be going to China at the end of next week to talk trade, particularly about the opportunities that could come from the revived Kami iron ore development in western Labrador.

"Iron ore is our biggest sector in trading of the $800 million [and] just over $300 million of that, as an example, goes to China," Ball told reporters at the House of Assembly on Wednesday.

"So it's important for us now to tell the great news of what the Labrador trough has in store and the possibilities for China so we'll be working with many companies, but Alderon certainly will be one of them."

Alderon Iron Ore Corp. is the company behind the Kami project, which was announced in 2013 but shelved a year later when the price of ore collapsed.

It's the largest population in the world so it's a huge opportunity. - Premier Dwight Ball

An uptick in the iron ore market has put Kami back in play. Earlier this month, Alderon presented information to the Labrador West Chamber of Commerce that showed the project comes with a $1-billion price tag.

At the time, Tayfun Eldem, president and CEO of Alderon, said China's interest in higher-grade iron ore makes it a good time to come up with the money.

Earlier this year, Natural Resources Minister Siobhan Coady went to China with Elden to pursue investment from China in the Lab West mining sector.

CBC

Fisheries and Land Resources Minister Gerry Byrne will join Ball on the trip, which starts Nov. 8.

The trip will come a week after the Newfoundland and Labrador government releases its mining sector plan, which Ball said will be released Friday.

Schedules are still being finalized, but the trip will be made as part of the Atlantic Canada growth strategy, and will also be attended by members of the federal government, as part of the Canada-China Business Council.

'Diversifying our trading partnership'

Another major sector at play for the province in China is seafood, Ball said. Byrne will attend a weekend seafood conference.

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Also making the trip are what Ball said is a group of "very enthusiastic" business people from the province.

Chris Ensing/CBC

"It's a great opportunity for them to network and continue to strengthen the relationships that are already there existing, but keep in mind it is really about diversifying our trading partnership and getting that $800 million and increasing that," said Ball.

"It's the largest population in the world so it's a huge opportunity for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to expand their businesses and grow on the existing work that's already happening there."

Ball will miss a full day of debate in the House of Assembly because of the trip. He added that while he will be monitoring proceedings while he is in Asia.

Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
Former B.C. resident says she can't complete gender reassignment after move to Newfoundland

A woman trying to complete her gender transition says she's been set back "years" after moving from B.C. to Newfoundland.

Stacey Piercey, who moved to the island last year, had been approved for breast augmentation in B.C., but is unable to get that surgery in Newfoundland and Labrador, a province which has few policies around how gender transition-related surgeries are covered.

Piercey worked as a business consultant in B.C. for years, and ran unsuccessfully for the B.C. Liberals in the 2017 provincial election. Later that year she decided to move back to Newfoundland to be with family.

She soon discovered that although she'd been approved for breast augmentation surgery in B.C., she's unable to get that surgery in Newfoundland.

Piercey said her case highlights how a patchwork of provincial rules around which gender reassignment surgeries are covered and how they are approved can leave transgender people stuck in different phases of their transitions.

It's not an equal standard of care across the country. - Shelley Piercey

"I was ready to transition and the province was ready with me, everything was just great. And then I came back to Newfoundland and now I just feel so far away from that surgery," she said.

"I've gone back probably eight or nine years in my transition and I'm starting over again in a province where there aren't a lot of procedures in place.

"It's not an equal standard of care across this country."

Lengthy approval process

Piercey had her first gender reassignment surgery in B.C.

Then, after three-and-a-half years of seeing specialists, she was finally approved for breast augmentation. She had a letter from Medical Services Plan, B.C.'s public health care provider, confirming the province would cover the cost, and even had a surgeon in B.C. lined up before she moved to Newfoundland.

But once in Newfoundland and Labrador, she found that there was no mechanism through which the province would recognize that approval. She believes she may be the first person to have requested the surgery in that province.

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"It should be as simple now as transferring that surgery to [Newfoundland and Labrador], where a surgeon should be able to perform it, because there are inter-provincial agreements," she said.

"So I'm waiting to hear something, but it's a smaller province and we don't have the medical supports like other places."

Piercey has met with deputies from Newfoundland and Labrador's health ministry and the ministry of social services, but has not heard from them since those meetings.

It hurts because I know I'm losing time. I want to be in love, I want to have a family, I want to have a home, that's important to me. But right now I'm stuck. - Stacey Piercey

In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for Newfoundland and Labrador's health ministry said breast augmentation is not currently available for funding under that province's medical health plan, but said "work is underway" to make it eligible.

The province does cover the cost of some transition-related surgeries when the procedures are completed outside the province at a publicly funded health centre in Canada.

To be eligible for surgery through Newfoundland and Labrador's Medical Care Plan (MCP), a referral is required from the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health, Gender Identity Clinic in Toronto, the statement said.

'Stuck'

But those options are of no help to Piercey, who is now fundraising to pay for the breast augmentation, which could cost between $5,000 and $10,000.

She said it is particularly frustrating because after years of progress, she now feels she's taken a step backwards.

"It hurts because I know I'm losing time. I want to be in love, I want to have a family, I want to have a home, that's important to me. But right now I'm stuck."

With files from Zahra Premji
JERUSALEM, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi Arabian Embassy but did not walk out. It appears that an attempt was made to drug him and return him to his home country to stand trial for charges against the government. Article 6 of the law in Saudi Arabia states that it is punishable by imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and a fine of not more than SAR 3 million or one of these penalties for a number of crimes, including the production of anything that violates public order, religious values, morals, the inviolability of private life, or preparation, transmission or storage of it through the Internet or a computer.



Mike Evans reports that he was quietly told, first in Israel by a former high-level member of Mossad, and later in a meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials, that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman approved the mission to arrest Khashoggi and bring him to justice just as Israel did with Adolf Eichmann. Unfortunately, the persons charged with secretly arresting the journalist and flying him back to stand trial for incitement accidentally killed him with an overdose and then panicked. It was then that the cover-up ensued.

Evans then flew to the UAE and heard the story repeated twice more before flying to Saudi Arabia and hearing it yet again. While in the various countries, Evans met with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense. He also held meetings with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance, Education, as well as the Secretary General of the Islamic World League, and members of ETIDAL Center (Combating Extremist Ideology).

According to sources, Khashoggi was not choked, but stopped breathing after he was drugged to get him from Turkey back to his home country. It was reported that Khashoggi had apparently been in a long-term relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical organization firmly aligned with Turkey and Qatar.

Khashoggis last article in The Washington Post broadcasts some of his long-standing disapprovals: Even in Tunisia and Kuwait, where the press is considered at least 'partly free,' the media focuses on domestic issues but not issues faced by the greater Arab world. They are hesitant to provide a platform for journalists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Yemen. Even Lebanon, the Arab worlds crown jewel when it comes to press freedom, has fallen victim to the polarization and influence of pro-Iran Hezbollah.

Despite rabid finger-pointing by Turkey, Evans says the Saudis were well aware that the embassy cameras were trained on the corridors. According to an unidentified source, No one was authorized to kill Khashoggi. We knew we had every right to smuggle him out and arrest him, as he is a Saudi citizen.

Evans was in a delegation that had a two hour meeting with the Crown Prince. "I told the Crown Prince the story of 'Operation Eichmann.' I knew it well because Isser Harrel, who planned the operation, shared it with me at his home one evening over dinner. I told the Crown Prince that I believe he did the same thing and drugged him to bring back to charge him for incitement, but the drug killed him. The Prince never denied it, he simply talked about how unfortunate the whole event was. He said, 'even a prince can make a mistake.'"

At the close of World War II, Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi Transportation Administrator who had been assigned the duty of ensuring that trains packed with Jews heading to the death camps were kept in good working order, and assumed various aliases and identities in an attempt to elude Allied authorities and evade responsibility for his wartime atrocities.

In 1960, the Mossad, Israels Intelligence Agency headed by Isser Harel, planned and executed Operation Finale. The intelligence agents tracked Eichmann to his village, drugged him, and brought Eichmann to Israel. There, the fugitive stood trial on charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes against the Jewish people. He was convicted in 1961, and, after all appeals were exhausted, he was hanged. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered across the Mediterranean.

Such was the plan for Jamal Khashoggi, a plan that went awry, resulting in his death, according to information sources gathered by Evans from three other countries.

********

Mike Evans is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with 92 published books, including The New Iran. He is the founder of Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem of which the late President Shimon Peres, Israels ninth president, was the chair. He also serves on the Trump Faith Initiative.

info@fozhc.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1fbebabe-a0b8-46a6-8103-a48d28cf34de




The federal government wants to create new ocean sanctuaries off the British Columbia coast as part of an additional $61.5 million it is spending to protect endangered killer whales.

Fisheries and Oceans Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Wednesday the government wants to establish new areas of critical habitat off the west coast of Vancouver Island for southern resident killer whales.

The protected areas of Swiftsure Bank in the Juan de Fuca Strait between Vancouver Island and Washington state, and La Perouse Bank off Tofino, B.C., will be areas that the whales can call home, he said.

Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press

"We are in the process of consulting on those new critical habitat areas and expect to be able to move forward on them in the next couple of months,'' he said.

"We are also talking about creation of killer whale sanctuaries, which essentially are within the areas of critical habitat ... which means that we can prohibit a range of different activities, not simply fisheries, where you can regulate that ships cannot go.''

The government previously announced $167.4 million would be spent to improve prey availability and reduce disturbances for whales.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Southern resident killer whales were listed as endangered in 2003 and only 74 of them remain in the wild.

Wilkinson said the government will take a closer look at enhancing food sources for whales by putting money into a new hatchery to increase the stock of chinook salmon.

While there have been calls for a ban on chinook salmon fishing, he said the government "hasn't gone there yet.''

"We'll certainly be looking at the needs of the southern resident killer whales and trying to ensure balancing economic issues with environmental issues,'' he said.

Fisheries closed to help whales

Earlier this year, the federal government closed about 35 per cent of recreational and commercial chinook fisheries in the Juan de Fuca Strait and around portions of the Gulf Islands.

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Misty MacDuffee, a conservation biologist at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation in B.C, said she was encouraged by the move to identify sanctuaries where the animals can be protected from fishing and whale watching.

She said the government has to increase the number of salmon in the sanctuaries and a hatchery "is not a promising way to do that.''

"The best way to increase the abundance of chinook is by closing fisheries.''

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

The Fisheries Department proposal to enhance the availability of chinook in the fall in the Fraser River will not help southern resident killer whales when they need the salmon in the early spring and the summer, MacDuffee said.

"The importance of those early-time chinook are key to southern resident killer whales,'' she said. "What the feds are proposing to do is enhance chinook that are returning in the fall.''

In addition to food, Wilkinson said the government is looking at moving shipping lanes further away from areas preferred by killer whales, as well as long-term solutions such as quieter ships to reduce overall vessel noise.

"With the ferries, they are structured in such a way that reducing the speed doesn't help as much with the noise.''

A conservation agreement is in the works with BC Ferries to ensure its vessels take a wide berth around the whales, he said.

Two years ago, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said the government was working with BC Ferries on possible approaches to help decrease noise and traffic.

Wilkinson said he hopes to have the bulk of the measures in place by May when the whales return to the area. But it will take some time to reduce noise and purchase ships that are quieter, he said.
'It's okay to be white' signs posted around Halifax

A group of men wearing identical white masks stapled posters with the slogan "It's okay to be white," on poles throughout downtown Halifax on Wednesday night, sparking concerns of racism.

Jody Corkum had just finished his dinner at a Barrington Street restaurant when he saw "four or five" men in masks and dark clothing. At first he thought they were Halloween revellers.

"But they're posting stuff along the way as they're walking down the street," he said. "When I looked at the poster it says 'It's okay to be white.'"

He found the message disturbing for its "undertones" of racial intolerance.

It appeals, he says, to the insecurity of some who feel threatened by people of colour.

"Anyone who pays attention to politics south of the border, I think, will look at that and be equally disturbed," he said.

Corkum, who's a member of the Royal Canadian Navy, reported it to police but was told the posters could not be termed "hate speech."

'Shocked and disgusted'

Chad Simmons said he and his girlfriend were "shocked and disgusted" when they encountered the group at about 6:30 p.m. AT near Barrington and Sackville streets.

"They were talking amongst themselves and laughing," he said.

"We followed them for a few blocks, tearing down the signs as we went. I think at one point they noticed but they did not say anything. I was not trying to hide at all."

He saw the act as "attacking the community in my home city."

'Wake-up call'

Dr. Kesa Munroe-Anderson, manager of race relations, equity and inclusion at the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, believes the posters should serve as a wake-up call.

She said many Nova Scotians mistakenly believe they live in a "post-racist world" but pointed to recent incidents in New Glasgow and Yarmouth as evidence that racism is still too easily found in the province.

Story continues

"This is a wake-up call to us, to wake up and be aware of what is going on in our society."

She said the posters should be investigated by law enforcement.

"Often times they are, what I call, 'whitewashed'  they are dismissed as not being anything offensive, that couldn't cause any type of harm to anyone physically, emotionally, psychologically."

That type of attitude comes from not having the life experiences of people of colour, she said.

"You cannot walk along a street in Halifax without being assaulted by this type of language and what that means to an individual of colour, and what that means to every single citizen within Halifax who cares about that.

"This is actually a case where I question my safety as a woman of colour."
By Aye Min Thant YANGON (Reuters) - Hair helps to pay the rent for Za Za Lin, whose eyes filled with tears as her long black mane was combed, cut, and untangled by practiced hands at a roadside market stall in Myanmar's commercial hub of Yangon. "It only hurts a little," said the 15-year-old, as hair buyer Zin Mar handed over the equivalent of $13 for the 20 inches (51 cm) of hair she sheared off, roughly the minimum weekly wage in Myanmar. "It was time to pay the rent," she said. On the other side of the world, the hair, processed and repackaged as "raw Burmese hair", will sell for hundreds of dollars to consumers clamoring for wigs and extensions made from the sought-after material. Long hair is esteemed as a mark of beauty and has deep religious meaning in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where monks and nuns shave their heads as a sign of humility. "People from all over the world want hair from our country, because when you shampoo and condition it, it shines with the color of pearls," said Win Ko, a 23-year-old who buys hair from individuals and small suppliers such as those at the market. Although the trade in human hair dates back centuries, only in the last decade or so, as Myanmar has opened up to the outside world, have its people begun to grasp the economic opportunity. The country formerly known as Burma now sits at the heart of a multi-million dollar industry. Since 2010, it has quadrupled the volume of hair it ships each year to become the world's fourth largest exporter, the United Nations says. In 2017 alone, Myanmar earned $6.2 million from the export of hair equivalent to the weight of 1,160 average-size cars. The trade has drawn in thousands who source, process, and export hair, whether from desperate people like Za Za Lin or bought by the kilo in the form of dusty hairballs. Once gathered, the hair travels from vendors to factories to be untangled, combed, washed, and repackaged before being shipped, mostly to China, to become extensions and wigs. Firm numbers are hard to come by in the largely unregulated industry, but Min Zaw Oo of Tet Nay Lin, a hair trading business started in the mid-2000s, says he sells mostly to black women in Britain, Nigeria, South Africa, and the United States. "This is our market: black people." A recent YouTube search for "Burmese hair" returned thousands of videos of women reviewing wigs and extensions. "It's not as silky as Indian hair, and it's not as coarse as Brazilian hair. But it's a little bit in the middle," said a beauty blogger, 'MakeupD0ll', who boasts more than 600,000 followers and earns up to $900 from some of the wigs she makes. COLORED, PERMED AND SHORT But the demand for Burmese hair is outpacing supply as modern fashion trends make it harder to source long, straight and chemically unaltered product, said two vendors huddled around market stalls in Yangon's Insein district. "Hair is colored, permed, and short now," said Hmwe Hmwe, 44, who has spent 13 years in the business. Vendors say April, the time of the Myanmar new year, is their best month, when many women preparing to become nuns sell their hair before it gets ritually shaved. Much of the hair exported from Myanmar is not freshly cut, but swept up from waste instead. One business owner, who goes by the name 'Auntie Cho', said she bought "hair from the comb", which has fallen out naturally. She pays about 55 cents per ounce of hair, stuffed into plastic bags for family and neighbors to untangle and comb into bundles she sells to middlemen. Among them is Win Ko, who loads the hair on a truck for a drive of several hours to Myanmar's border town of Muse, where about a dozen Chinese traders wait. "You just pick and choose one you like and he arranges for you to sell to Chinese buyers," said Win Ko. Sensing Za Za Lin's sadness at losing her hair, the buyer, Zin Mar, the owner of Thiha Hair Purchasing and Sales, offered sympathy. "It's like getting paid to get a haircut," she said. (Editing by Poppy McPherson and Clarence Fernandez)
The US Defense Department announced on October 29 that it would send 5,200 troops to Americas southern border by the end of the week.

The troops are expected to join 2,000 National Guard members already deployed there, assembling a force exceeding the US military footprint in Iraq and Syria, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The move came as US President Donald Trump repeatedly called attention to a migrant caravan moving through Central America, using speeches and tweets to refer to it as an invasion. The caravan was hundreds of miles from the border in late October and was not expected to arrive there for two months.

This footage shows crews and equipment preparing to leave Fort Knox, Kentucky, to be deployed to the southwest border region as part of the effort to support border security, in an operation dubbed Faithful Patriot. Credit: TSgt Nick Kibbey via Storyful
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Friday that Yemen could face "the worst famine we have seen in decades" and urged the country's warring parties to immediately halt the violence.

The UN chief told reporters "the urgency of the humanitarian crisis leaves no room for complacency" and the "building wave of momentum" for peace must be seized.

UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock warned last week that "there is a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing Yemen" that could affect 14 million people  half of the country's population.

The conflict began in 2014 when Houthi Shia rebels toppled the internationally recognized government. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.

Guterres said more and more countries are engaged in helping create conditions for the warring parties to understand the need to cease hostilities and engage in serious negotiations.

He urged the coalition and the Houthis "to overcome obstacles and resolve differences through dialogue" at UN facilitated talks later this month.

Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images

Guterres stressed that "violence must stop everywhere  with an immediate halt around critical infrastructure and densely populated areas."

"My objective is to appeal to the parties to the conflict to understand that there is an opportunity that must be seized, and to say that the humanitarian situation is so dire that if that doesn't happen" the world will have to deal with a famine in Yemen next year, he said.

"I must say, I hope the voice of reason will prevail," Guterres said.
Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondross powerful photographs played an important role in moving the world to action and ultimately bringing the Second Liberian Civil War (1999-2003) to an end.

Trapped with Liberian dictator Charles Taylors forces in besieged Monrovia in the summer of 2003, Chris braved artillery and rocket fire to send frontline pictures of women and children being killed by the hundreds. His photos ran on front pages around the world and provoked outrage over a brutal war whose victims were almost entirely noncombatants.

Tim Hetherington, embedded with the LURD rebels in the same period, provided documentation of the rebels shelling civilians. Even the ruthless Charles Taylor considered him a threat and sent assassination squads to kill the British photojournalist. Tim barely escaped, only to return and live in Liberia following the conflict. His haunting book, Long Story Bit by Bit: Liberia Retold, has become a standard text of the Liberian wars.

Together, these two photographers alerted the world to Liberias humanitarian disaster and helped to build the international momentum that resulted in the deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping mission that brought the war to a close, helped set the stage for democratic elections and created a lasting success story for the West African nation and the subregion. The U.N. closed its Liberia mission last year, leaving a country still fragile but with a fighting chance for peace and development.

The photos in this exhibition, some never before shown, are a tribute to these journalists and to the Liberian civilians who protested so powerfully and demanded an end to the violence. In 2011, Tim and Chris, friends and colleagues committed to documenting the truth, were killed by artillery in Misurata, Libya.

War and Peace in Liberia slideshow and discussion with Michael Kamber, Nov. 10, 2018, at the Bronx Documentary Center. Exhibition on view through Dec. 16, 2018.

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.
By Lovasoa Rabary ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - No matter who wins Madagascar's presidential election next week, Soloniaina Rakotomamonjy wants the victor to bring jobs to a country shackled by poverty despite immense resource wealth. In an irony in one of Africa's poorest countries, the result of the first round of voting could hinge in part on which of the three front-runners -- all wealthy men -- has spent the most money campaigning for the Nov. 7 contest. Rakotomamonjy, 20, does odd jobs in construction and works at a roadside open-air restaurant when the owner has enough business to hire extra staff. He will vote in the Indian Ocean island nation's election on Wednesday, he says, for the first time in his life because he wants to participate and "make the choice like everyone else". Like many other young Malagasy, he says, he wants a leader who "can change the lives of young people" by creating jobs. He is not holding his breath. "I just have to keep working as many jobs as I can find in order to get by," he said, heading back to the building site where he had already been at work for four hours by 8 a.m. one morning this week. In the run-up to the poll the three leading candidates have toured the country making electoral promises that many voters don't expect them to keep: The three are President Hery Rajaonarimampianina and his two main challengers, both former heads of state themselves: Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina. Handing out sacks of rice and t-shirts, the top candidates have hired helicopters for many thousands of dollars a day to sidestep the problem of rundown roads across the country, famed for its exotic wildlife and luxury vanilla spice. HEAVY CAMPAIGN SPENDING ALLOWED Though relative political stability since a 2013 election has enabled the economy to rebound, the country of 25 million people remains among Africa's poorest. About 80 percent of the population lives on less than $2 per day. Unemployment is under two percent, official statistics show, but a 2015 government study found that "disguised unemployment" was at least 20 percent and underemployment was rampant. Though there are 36 candidates on the ballot, only two could advance to a possible run-off on Dec. 19. The three front-runners are wealthy and have been repeatedly accused by local civil society groups of having used their time in office to enrich themselves. The three deny the allegations. Ravalomanana, toppled in a 2009 coup, was criticized while in office for not tackling corruption. Rajoelina, the man who ousted him, was accused by conservation groups of profiting from illegal plundering of natural resources. The current president is under fire from civil society groups for signing a fisheries agreement in September with Chinese firms -- the deal is opaque, civil society groups say, and will rob local fisherman of their livelihoods. On the campaign trail all three men pledged to accelerate the recovery of the economy, forecast by the IMF to grow at more than five percent this year, the highest rate in a decade. Since a peaceful election in 2013, investors and donor governments re-engaged following a four-year freeze after the coup. Heavy spending on campaigning is permitted -- no national laws cap it -- and some analysts have predicted the results of the first round of the election will hinge on cash, not issues. Transparency International tried to get candidates to fill out a public questionnaire on how much they had spent on their campaign. Just one of the 36 people on the ballot -- a pop star who goes by the nickname Dama -- responded, saying he had spent around two billion ariary (about $565,000) in the one-month official campaign period that ends on Monday. One person commented on Transparency International's Madagascar Facebook page: "If he has spent this much on his campaign, I wonder how much the others have spent on theirs." One out of every two children is stunted by malnutrition according to the World Food Programme. The U.N. agency says around 1.2 million people need food aid in the southern part of the country, where the frequency of droughts has increased over the past decade, pushing farmers deeper into poverty. In an interview with Reuters this week as the campaign period wrapped up, the incumbent Rajaonarimampianina said economic growth would soar into the double digits, enabling the creation of millions of jobs, if he wins a second term: "I've developed a vision of transformation and growth of Madagascar ... which is a vision of emergence and rebirth." (Reporting by Lovasoa RabaryAdditional reporting by Hereward Holland in Nairobi, Writing by Maggie Fick, Editing by William Maclean)
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis: Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on Arab-Israeli relations Website: www.imra.org.il

Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

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..IMRA Weekly Commentary..1 November '18..They should know better.These are national leaders with literally decades of experience.And yet with a few notable exceptions, they all talk about "restoring quiet" as being Israel's overarching goal vis-a-vis the Gaza Strip.They appear to be convinced that if the Gazans aren't shooting at us that we have "deterred" them.But anyone even superficially following what has transpired since we retreated from the Gaza Strip is aware that there's a lot going on when there is "quiet".Many years ago security officials would proclaim that if the Gazans were to deploy "X" that this would be a "balance breaker" and require an Israeli response.Well. They have X, Y, Z and a lot more already deployed.And we do nothingEven when we engage in a tit for tat with the Gazans we typically don't even try to destroy these weapons because we fear it would lead to an escalation.Simply put, the Gazans have deterred us.It has gotten so bad that the term "balance breaking" is no longer in our lexicon when describing advances in the military capabilities of the Gazans.These leaders seem to just want quiet for today and damn the consequences tomorrow.I heard the next COS, Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, recently encourage officers to think out of the box. Kochavi himself is famous for introducing a novel method for moving forces in an urban setting under heavy fire (punching holes in the walls to move between adjacent buildings).I fervently hope that Kochavi pitches some ideas that compel the national leaders to embrace a program that goes beyond seeking only temporary quiet.________________________________________
TORONTO, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unigold Inc. (Unigold or the Company) (TSX-V:UGD) is pleased to announce that the Environmental Permit for the Companys 100% owned Neita Fase II Exploration Concession located in the Dominican Republic has been approved by the Minister of the Environment of the Dominican Republic. This final permit allows the Company to resume active exploration of the Concession.



Joseph Del Campo, Interim President and CEO of Unigold commented, We are very pleased to report that we have secured all necessary permits to allow exploration activity to resume at our flagship Neita Concession. We believe that there is opportunity to expand both the high grade gold and copper massive sulphide mineralization identified at the Candelones Extension deposit and increase both the size and the grade of the near surface oxide mineralization at the Candelones Main and Candelones Connector deposits. While obtaining the necessary licenses required by Dominican law has taken significantly longer than expected, the hiatus in active exploration has provided us an opportunity to reevaluate our exploration approach. Our focus going forward will be directed towards advancing the project sufficiently to allow the Company to apply for an exploitation permit within the next 3-5 years.

While there are over 20 known showings within the Concession, the Companys focus will be on the Candelones Project where historical exploration drilling completed from 2012 through 2013 returned long intercepts of consistent mineralization, including:

LP17 252.0 to 325.0 metres 73.0 metres(1) 2.37 g/t Au 0.3% Cu LP23 191.0 to 261.0 metres 70.0 metres(1) 2.10 g/t Au 0.2% Cu LP28 263.0 to 340.0 metres 77.0 metres(1) 3.81 g/t Au 0.1% Cu LP52 115.2 to 184.6 metres 69.4 metres(1) 3.75 g/t Au 0.1% Cu



(1) Intervals noted above are measured down hole and are interpreted to be true width based on the current interpretation of the orientation of the mineralization relative to the orientation of the drilling.

The 2012-2013 drilling supported an initial, Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate totaling

39.5 M tonnes averaging 1.59 g/t Au containing 2.0 M ozs Au

The mineral resource estimate presented above has been prepared under the supervision of Mr. Alan J. San Martin, MAusIMM(CP) and Mr. William J. Lewis (P.Geo.) of Micon International Limited., both of whom are "qualified persons" as per the CIM Standards and independent of Unigold Inc.

The mineral resource estimate presented above is classified as an Inferred Mineral Resource. The CIM Standards define a Mineral Resource as "a concentration of material in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction." The CIM Standards further define an Inferred Mineral Resource as "that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonable assumed but not verified, geological and grade continuity." The CIM Standards state; Due to the uncertainty that may be attached to Inferred Mineral Resources, it cannot be assumed that all or part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will be upgraded to an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource as a result of continued exploration.

Micon has not identified any legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resource estimate presented.

The mineral resource estimate presented above includes both open pit mineral resources; reported within an optimized pit shell and underground mineral resources; reported below the optimized pit shell. Both open pit and underground mineral resources are reported above an estimated economic cut-off grade developed using the following key economic assumptions.



Gold Price US $1,500 per ounce

Mining Costs: Open Pit US $ 2.00 per tonne; Underground US $30.00 per tonne

Process Costs: Oxide US $ 10.00 per tonne; Sulphide US $ 18.00 per tonne

G&A Costs US $ 2.50 per tonne

Metallurgical Recovery: Oxide 95%; Sulphide 84%

Pit Slope Limits 45

Estimated Cutoff Grades:

Open Pit: Oxide 0.32 g/t Au; Sulphide 0.56 g/t Au

Underground: Oxide Not applicable; Sulphide 1.25 g/t Au

The estimate is fully supported by the Technical Report titled NI 43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate for the Candelones Project, Neita Concession, Dominican Republic. The Technical Report, with an effective date of November 4, 2013, is available on SEDAR and the Companys website.

In February 2015, the Company reported an updated mineral resource estimate for the Candelones Extension deposit. This estimate, also completed by Micon, considered underground mining targeting higher grade portions of the Candelones Extension deposit. Micon estimated an Inferred Mineral Resource for the Candelones Extension deposit of:

5.3 M tonnes averaging 5.27 g/t Au (894 K ozs Au) and 0.35% Cu (41.2 M lbs Cu)

The mineral resource estimate presented above has been prepared under the supervision of Mr. Alan J. San Martin, MAusIMM(CP) and Mr. William J. Lewis (P.Geo.) of Micon International Limited., both of whom are "qualified persons" as per the CIM Standards and independent of Unigold Inc.

The mineral resource estimate presented above is classified as an Inferred Mineral Resource. The CIM Standards define a Mineral Resource as "a concentration of material in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction." The CIM Standards further define an Inferred Mineral Resource as "that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonable assumed but not verified, geological and grade continuity." The CIM Standards state; Due to the uncertainty that may be attached to Inferred Mineral Resources, it cannot be assumed that all or part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will be upgraded to an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource as a result of continued exploration.

Micon has not identified any legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resource estimate presented.

The mineral resource estimate presented above assumes underground mining methods for extraction. Underground mineral resources are reported above an estimated economic cut-off grade developed using the following key economic assumptions.



Gold Price: US $1,200 per ounce

Copper Price: US $3.00 per pound

Mining Costs: US $80.00 per tonne

Process Costs: $17.50 per tonne of ore;

G&A Costs: US $5.00 per tonne of ore

TCs and RCs: US $10.00 per tonne of concentrate

Metallurgical Recoveries: Gold 84%; Copper 84%

Estimated Cutoff Grade: 3.50 g/t Au

The estimate is fully supported by the Technical Report titled NI 43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate for the Candelones Extension Deposit, Candelones Project, Neita Concession, Dominican Republic. The Technical Report, with an effective date of February 24, 2015, available on SEDAR and the Companys website.

In November 2015, the Company commenced a follow up exploration drill program targeting high grade areas within the mineral resource footprint at the Candelones Extension deposit. Significant results from this drill program included:

LP15-93 298.6 to 314.3 metres 15.7 metres (1) 7.45 g/t Au 1.1% Cu LP15-95 252.6 to 287.5 metres 34.9 metres(1) 6.19 g/t Au 0.6% Cu LP16-100 307.5 to 319.5 metres 12.0 metres(1) 7.46 g/t Au 1.4% Cu LP16-101 409.6 to 419.4 metres 9.8 metres(1) 3.10 g/t Au 0.6% Cu LP16-114 256.8 to 278.0 metres 21.2 metres(1) 6.00 g/t Au 0.9% Cu



(1) Intervals noted above are measured down hole and are interpreted to approximate true width based on the current interpretation of the orientation of the mineralization relative to the orientation of the drilling.

On November 21, 2016, the Company submitted all necessary documentation to the Direccion General de Mineria, seeking approval for the Neita Fase II Exploration Concession.

On May 22, 2018, the Company received notice from the Ministry of Energy and Mines of the Dominican Republic that the Neita Fase II Exploration Concession had been approved. The Exploration Concession is valid for a three-year period after which the Company may apply for two, one-year extensions.

On approval of the Exploration Concession, the Company immediately applied for the Environmental Permit for the Neita Fase II Concession. As per Dominican law, the Environmental Permit application can only be initiated after approval of the Exploration Concession.

On November 1, 2018, the Company received formal approval from the Ministry of the Environment that the Environmental Permit for the Neita Fase II Concession has been approved.

From May through November 2018, the Company completed a review of the historical data for the Candelones Project. The review highlighted the potential for a near surface, oxide resource at the Candelones Main and Connector deposits. The 2013 Mineral Resource estimate identified a near surface, Inferred oxide resource of:

3.6 M tonnes averaging 0.98 g/t Au (112,000 ozs Au) (1)

(1) Reference Technical Report titled NI43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate for the Candelones Project, Neita Concession, Dominican Republic; authored by Micon International Ltd. with an Effective Date November 4, 2013, available on SEDAR and the Companys website.

At the Candelones Main deposit, the oxide resource extends over a 500 x 100 metre, WNW trending zone. At the Candelones Connector deposit, oxide mineralization has been identified over a zone measuring 250 x 100 metres. The oxidation profile extends from surface to depths of 15 to 20 metres. Historical metallurgical testing indicates that the oxide resource offers robust recoveries. More importantly, comparison of surface sampling results relative to results from diamond drill core, suggest that surface trenches averaged 300-400% higher than drill core from the same area. Drill core recovery within the oxide footprint is generally poor to very poor, averaging less than 50%. The Company believes that there may be potential to increase the lateral extent of the oxide resource and, more importantly, increase the grade of the oxide resource, potentially defining a near surface oxide resource of sufficient size to support a surface mining operation. The potential to increase the size and grade of the oxide resource, combined with more robust metallurgical recovery, represent a compelling exploration target that should be evaluated in greater detail.

The Company also reviewed the geological and geophysical data from the Candelones Extension deposit where drilling in 2015  2016 identified a gold-copper rich massive sulphide lens that historical drilling and geophysical surveys failed to identify. The Companys review suggests that the historical geophysical surveys were not oriented perpendicular to the newly discovered mineralization.

With the environmental permit in-hand and with access once again to working areas, the Company plans to:

evaluate the near surface oxide mineralization at the Candelones Main and Connector Zones; and

complete a follow up Induced Polarization (IP) survey targeting the high grade, gold-copper massive sulphide mineralization discovered at the Candelones Extension deposit in 2016.



See Unigolds press release No. 2018-04 dated August 7, 2018 for additional details.

The Company has sufficient working capital to proceed with this initial exploration work.

QA/QC

Diamond drilling utilizes both HQ and NQ diameter tooling. Holes are established using HQ diameter tooling before reducing to NQ tooling to complete the hole. The core is received at the on-site logging facility where it is, photographed, logged for geotechnical and geological data and subjected to other physical tests including magnetic susceptibility and specific gravity analysis. Samples are identified, recorded, split by wet diamond saw, and half the core is sent for assay with the remaining half stored on site. A minimum sample length of 0.3 metres and a maximum sample length of 1.5 metres are employed with most samples averaging 1.0 metres in length except where geological contacts dictate. Certified standards and blanks are randomly inserted into the sample stream and constitute approximately 5-10% of the sample stream. Samples are shipped to a sample preparation facility in the Dominican Republic operated by Bureau Veritas. Assaying is performed at Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd.s laboratory in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. All samples are analyzed for gold using a 50 gram lead collection fire assay fusion with an atomic adsorption finish. In addition, most samples are also assayed using a 36 element multi-acid ICP-ES analysis method.

Wes Hanson P.Geo., Chief Operating Officer and Technical Director of Unigold, who is a qualified person under the definitions established by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this press release.

About Unigold Inc.  Discovering Gold in the Caribbean

Unigold is a Canadian based mineral exploration company traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol UGD, focused primarily on exploring and developing its gold assets in the Dominican Republic.

For further information please visit www.unigoldinc.com or contact: Mr. Joseph Del Campo, Interim President & CEO jdelcampo@unigoldinc.com

416.866.8157

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this document, including statements regarding events and financial trends that may affect our future operating results, financial position and cash flows, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are based on our assumptions and estimates and are subject to risk and uncertainties. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words like strategy, expects, plans, believes, will, estimates, intends, projects, goals, targets, and other words of similar meaning. You can also identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. We wish to caution you that such statements contained are just predictions or opinions and that actual events or results may differ materially. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Where applicable, we claim the protection of the safe harbour for forward-looking statements provided by the (United States) Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

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.
Here comes the Davidoff Year of the Pig.

With 2019 marking the Davidoff Year of the Pig on the Chinese Zodiac, its time for Davidoff to unveil its annual release in the Chinese New Year Series. The Year of the Pig becomes the eighth installment of the annual limited series. This years installment uses a 6 x 56 Gran Toro, finished with a pig-tail. This marks the largest size since 2014s Year of the Horse (which was a 6 x 60).

One that the is idifferent is that there are two different blends being released  one from the U.S. market and one for the rest of the world. The blend for the Davidoff Year of the Pig heading to the U.S. marker features an Ecuadorian Habano 2000 wrapper, Mexican San Andres Negro binder and a combination of fillers from the Dominican Republic. A Dominican Clara wrapper from Yamasa is being used for the blend outside the U.S.

The cigars will be packaged in ten-count boxes and a total of 9,300 boxes are slated to be released worldwide. Pricing is set at $39.00 SRP per cigar and it will begin shipping to Davidoff Appointed Merchants this month.

In addition, Davidoff will also release a limited edition Year of the Pig ashtray. Pricing is set at $395.00 SRP per unit. A total of 300 units have been produced.

At a glance, here is a look at the Davidoff Year of the Pig.

Blend and Origin

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador 2000 (U.S.), Dominican Yamasa (Outside U.S.)

Binder: Negro San Andres from Mexico

Filler: Nicaraguan (Esteli Ligero, Condega Seco), Dominican (Piloto Visus, Hybrid Olor/Piloto Visus and Piloto Seco)

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Factory: Cigars Davidoff

Vitolas Offered

Gran Toro: 6 x 56

Davidoff Chinese New Year Series

For reference, here is a look at the Chinese New Year series to date:

2012: Davidoff Year of the Dragon (Limited Asia Release)

2013: Davidoff Year of the Snake

2014: Davidoff Year of the Horse

2015: Davidoff Year of the Sheep

2016: Davidoff Year of the Monkey

2017: Davidoff Year of the Rooster

2018: Davidoff Year of the Dog

2019 Davidoff Year of the Pig

Photo Credits:  Oettinger Davidoff AG, used with permission
FRIDAY, Nov. 2, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) has become the standard of care in screening for cervical cancer. But now, Canadian researchers say it may become unnecessary in women aged 55 or older who have one negative result with the test.

The DNA-based HPV test is highly accurate in detecting 14 high-risk strains of the virus that causes the majority of cervical cancers.

In the new study, researchers first gathered data on more than 200,000 women living in British Columbia. They then created a mathematical model that estimated the lifetime risk of cervical cancer in older women, all of who had not been vaccinated against HPV.

The result: Just one negative HPV DNA test at the age of 55 suggested that a woman has a very low risk (less than 1 percent) of cervical cancer, and continued screening with this type of test would provide little benefit, according to the study.

However, the researchers said that regular screening with the traditional -- and cheaper -- Pap test up to age 75 may still prevent some cervical cancers. But even in that case, benefits would decline with age.

"Our results suggest that for countries that use HPV testing as part of their screening, it might be possible to stop screening earlier than we are currently doing, provided women have a negative HPV test," said study author Talia Malagon, of McGill University in Montreal.

But one obstetrician/gynecologist said it's too soon to make firm recommendations.

"I caution readers to use this data as a reason to stop performing cervical cancer screening after age 55," said Dr. Adi Davidov, who directs Ob/Gyn care at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City.

"Firstly, this study uses mathematical modeling, which may not be accurate," he said. "In addition, many patients are already skipping their annual gynecology visit because of newer recommendations of less frequent cervical cancer screening. If women stop seeing their gynecologist at age 55, I worry that other serious conditions will be left undiagnosed."

The new findings were published Nov. 1 in The Lancet Oncology journal.

Right now, most guidelines say cervical cancer screening -- done with either with the Pap test or HPV DNA test -- can be stopped after ages 65 to 69. However, there's been a lack of high-quality evidence to support this recommendation, the researchers said.

"Cervical cancers are caused by infections with oncogenic [cancer-causing] HPV types," Malagon explained in a journal news release. For decades, doctors have turned to the Pap test "to detect the precancerous lesions caused by HPV, which can then be treated before they ever progress to cervical cancer," she added.

The Pap test has saved thousands of lives, but "it is far from perfect because it does not always detect the precancerous lesions which develop into cancer," Malagon said.

"We have known for some time that directly screening instead for the HPV types that cause cervical cancer performs just as well, if not better, than [the Pap test] for screening in women below the age of 60," she said.

What hasn't been known is whether an older woman who tests negative on an HPV screen can safely stop screening, as happens for some older women whose Pap tests come back negative.

The new study might help clear up that question, Malagon said.

She cautioned that the study "does not necessarily suggest that all screening should stop at age 55, since the benefits of continued screening depend on the type of screening used. For countries that still use [Pap test] screening, screening at older ages should further reduce the risk of cervical cancer," she noted.

Furthermore, "our study did not include any cost-effectiveness analysis, which will be a useful next step to inform policy decisions before any change in guidance is considered," Malagon said.

Dr. Jill Rabin helps direct Women's Health Programs at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y. She called the findings "interesting," but offered several caveats.

She said factors that might cause "latent" HPV to go undetected -- things like stress or certain medical conditions -- may be in play for some older women, rendering continued HPV screening valuable.

Furthermore, one rare but potentially deadly form of cervical cancer, called adenocarcinoma of the cervix, does not rely on HPV and "most likely will go undetected until its later stages if a regular routine examination is not performed," Rabin noted.

She also agreed with Davidov that cervical cancer screening has long been a "gateway" to better gynecologic care generally.

"My concern is if they stop coming for Pap tests, they will miss an examination which may help uncover other medical and gynecological issues, such as breast, uterine, ovarian and colon cancer," Rabin said.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on HPV.
THURSDAY, Nov. 1, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- More men are delaying fatherhood, and new research suggests that might raise the risk of both birth complications and infant health problems.

When new fathers are aged 45 or older, there's an increased chance of preterm birth, infant seizures and even gestational diabetes in the mother, the study found.

"When you think about fertility, don't forget the father. Having a baby is a team sport, and fathers do play a role as well," said study senior author Dr. Michael Eisenberg. He is director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in California.

"Men shouldn't think of their runway as unlimited. There may be some health implications from waiting," he said.

But men shouldn't panic either. Eisenberg said to think of the potential risks like you would the lottery. If you buy two tickets, you've doubled your odds of winning, but you still probably won't hit the jackpot. Likewise, if you increase your risk of birth complications or child health problems slightly, the chances are still good that everything will be OK.

Eisenberg and his colleagues started the study because more men are choosing to have kids at older ages. Almost one in 10 children are fathered by a man over 40, the researchers noted. Yet, scant research has looked at how dad's age contributes to the way a pregnancy progresses and to the health of the child.

The study looked at data from more than 40 million births between 2007 and 2016. For infants, the researchers looked at birth weight, Apgar score at 5 minutes, admission to neonatal intensive care, seizures and the need for postpartum antibiotics. In moms, the researchers looked at the incidence of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure during pregnancy).

The researchers controlled their findings to account for the mother's gestational age. They also controlled for education level, marital status, smoking history and access to care.

The investigators found that the greater the father's age, the greater the risk of problems. Men aged 45 and older had a 14 percent higher risk of a child being born prematurely. Men who were 50 or older had a 28 percent increased risk of that outcome, the study authors said.

Dads aged 45 and older also had an 18 percent higher risk of having an infant who had seizures compared to fathers between the ages of 25 and 34. They also had a 34 percent higher risk of having a partner who had gestational diabetes.

Eisenberg said he can only speculate on why older dads might face these higher risks. He said there are some mutations in sperm DNA as men age, and those changes might impact the pregnancy and child. It's also possible that epigenetic changes that affect the embryo and placenta when there's an older father may also affect maternal health.

Dr. Anthony Vintzileos, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., said the study may open the way for more research on how dad's age may play a role in pregnancy and child health.

But, he was quick to point out that the study cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship, only an association.

And as for the connection to gestational diabetes, Vintzileos expressed concern that the researchers weren't able to adjust the data to control for the mother's weight. Maternal obesity is a risk factor for gestational diabetes.

Both Eisenberg and Vintzileos said these findings shouldn't lead anyone to change their family planning or life plans. They also both emphasized that it's too soon to make any changes in clinical practice based on this study.

The findings were published online Oct. 31 in the BMJ.

More information

Read more about older dads from the Mayo Clinic.
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New York, November 2, 2018Authorities in Cameroon should halt their intimidation of journalist Mimi Mefo and ensure that she can work safely without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On October 31, Mefo, the head of English news and a presenter for the privately owned Equinoxe television and radio station, was summoned to appear before the national gendarmerie in Douala, the capital of Cameroons Littoral region, as part of a false news and cybercrime investigation, according to Mefo, her lawyer Tamfu Richard, and a summons document seen by CPJ. Mefo, who also runs Mimi Mefo Info, her own news website, and actively reports on social media about political unrest in Cameroons western Anglophone regions, is scheduled to appear at the gendarmerie office in Douala on November 5 at 2 p.m., according to Mefo and a scheduling document seen by CPJ.

By summoning Mimi Mefo, Cameroonian authorities send a chilling message to the countrys media community, Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, said from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Over the last year, Cameroonian journalists have been repeatedly summoned simply for doing their work. In many instances, these summons resulted in detentions. This pattern of intimidation must end.

The summons document does not specify any charges against Mefo, stating only that she is summoned in connection with an investigation. Richard said that the summons likely resulted from a complaint against Mefo by either the state or a private citizen and that its details would likely be revealed during Mefos appearance at the gendarmerie office. Richard told CPJ that penalties for false news charges can range from heavy fines to several years in prison.

Mefos original summons called for her to appear before the gendarmerie today, but the appearance was delayed to November 5 after Richard submitted a formal request for a postponement, according to Richard, Mefo, and the request document seen by CPJ. Richard told CPJ that he made the request because of the possibility that Mefo could be detained following her appearance, and if this occurred on a Friday there would not be enough time to make a legal intervention for her to be released before the weekend.

Mefo told CPJ that threats against her related to her reporting have increased in recent months. Various social media accounts have posted and shared menacing messages and images, seen by CPJ, identifying Mefo as a female journalist and threatening violenceand, in some cases, murder.

Journalists in Cameroon are regularly arrested for reporting on unrest in the countrys western regions, including most recently editor Michel Biem Tong, who was summoned and detained on October 23. Mefo has previously written about the importance of press freedom for peace and development in Cameroon. I have a lot of people looking up to me for info, and I cannot let them down, Mefo told CPJ.
MARKHAM, Ontario, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sienna Senior Living Inc. (Sienna or the Company) (TSX: SIA) provides an update to the proposed class action that was launched against the Company in May 2018.



On October 25, 2018, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued an order discontinuing the proposed class action as a class action. The Company expects that this will be an individual claim and any potential liability pursuant to such claim will be covered by insurance and should therefore not have a material adverse impact on the business.

Sienna has a strong track record of providing quality senior living services and care. Siennas Care Communities in Ontario and BC outperform provincial and national averages on the majority of Canadian Institute for Health Information publicly reported quality indicators, have a high resident satisfaction score, and have achieved the highest accreditation standards from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF Canada) and Accreditation Canada.

We are pleased with the Court order discontinuing the proposed class action and are proud of the care and services our team members provide to help residents live fully every day, said Lois Cormack, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sienna.

ABOUT SIENNA SENIOR LIVING

Sienna Senior Living Inc. (TSX:SIA) is a leading seniors' living provider with 87 seniors' living residences in key markets in Canada. Sienna offers a full range of seniors' living options, including independent and assisted living, long-term and residential care, and specialized programs and services. Sienna also provides expert management services. Sienna is committed to national growth, while driving long-term value for shareholders. The Company's approximately 12,000 employees are passionate about helping residents live fully every day, and were the driving force behind Sienna being named one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures in 2017. For more information, please visit www.siennaliving.ca.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements contained in this news release regarding the Companys expectations are forward-looking statements and are provided for the purpose of presenting information about management's current expectations. These statements are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements and, accordingly, should not be read as guarantees of future results. The forward-looking statements in this news release are based on information currently available and what management currently believes are reasonable assumptions. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements except as may be required by applicable law.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Lois Cormack

President & Chief Executive Officer

(905) 477-4006

Lois.Cormack@siennaliving.ca

Nitin Jain

Chief Financial Officer & Chief Investment Officer

(905) 489-0787

Nitin.Jain@siennaliving.ca
Stress test confirms ABN AMRO's resilient capital position

The EBA has performed an EU-wide stress test which resulted in a decline of the CET1 capital ratio of 2.68% to 14.85% at year-end 2020 under the adverse scenario

The stress test does not contain a pass or fail threshold

The regulator will use the result of the stress test in the upcoming SREP process

Today, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published the results of the 2018 EU-wide stress test for European banks, including ABN AMRO. The starting point for the stress test was a 17.53% CET1 ratio, adjusted for IFRS9, at year-end 2017. The stress test resulted in a CET1 capital ratio of 19.70% under the baseline scenario and a CET1 capital ratio of 14.85% under the adverse scenario, both at year-end 2020.

The stress test is designed by regulators and is used in determining capital requirements as part of the upcoming Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP). It allows the regulator to assess the ability to meet prudential requirements under stressed scenarios. It supports the regulator in discussing risk mitigating actions. The stress test also aims to enhance transparency among banks. This stress test does not contain a pass or fail threshold.

Scenarios and assumptions

The adverse stress test scenario was set by the European Central Bank and the European Systemic Risk Board and covers a three-year time horizon (2018-2020). The stress test has been carried out applying a static balance sheet assumption and therefore does not take into account future management actions. It is not a forecast of ABN AMRO profits.

The baseline scenario, mainly impacting net interest income, resulted in a fully loaded CET1 ratio of 19.70% and a leverage ratio of 4.58%, both at year-end 2020. The adverse scenario, also impacting loan impairments, operating costs and risk-weighted assets, resulted in a decline of the CET1 ratio to 14.85% and a leverage ratio of 4.03%.

Key capital ratios Starting point EBA EU-wide stress test results Reported

YE2017 Restated for IFRS9

YE2017 Baseline scenario

YE2020 Adverse scenario

YE2020 CET1 ratio, fully loaded 17.65% 17.53% 19.70% 14.85% Leverage ratio 4.04% 4.02% 4.58% 4.03%

The CET1 ratio in both scenarios was well above the SREP requirement for 2018 of 10.425%. The outcome of this stress test will be taken in consideration by the regulator when determining the SREP requirements for 2019. ABN AMRO continues to aim for strong capital ratios, even under stress, as part of its moderate risk profile.

The outcome of this stress test reflects upgrades of our stress testing models since 2016 to better accommodate specific assumptions and methodological requirements prescribed in the stress test.

Templates with detailed results of the EBA EU-wide stress test are available on www.abnamro.com/financials

and www.eba.europa.eu.

ABN AMRO Press Office

pressrelations@nl.abnamro.com

+31 20 6288900 ABN AMRO Investor Relations

investorrelations@nl.abnamro.com

+31 20 6282282
The Union Cabinet Narendra Modi has approved signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and South Korea for strengthening cooperation in the field of Tourism.

Objectives of MoU

Expand bilateral cooperation in tourism sector

Increase exchange of information and data related to tourism

Encourage cooperation between tourism stakeholders including hotels and tour operators

Establish exchange programmes for cooperation in Human Resources Development (HRD)

Encourage Investment in Tourism and Hospitality sectors

Exchange visits of tour Operators, decision or opinion makers, media for promotion of two-way tourism.

Exchange experience in areas of promotion, marketing destination development and management.

Encourage participation in travel fairs/exhibitions in each others country

Promote safe, honorable and sustainable tourism.

Background

India and South Korea have enjoyed strong diplomatic and long economic relationship. Both countries are now desiring to strengthen and further develop established relationship in field of tourism. South Korea is one of leading tourist generating markets for India from East Asia region. Signing of this MoU will be instrumental in increasing arrival in India from this source market.
The first joint military exercise named Dharma Guardian between India and Japan has begun at Indian Armys Counter-Insurgency Warfare School at Vairengte (Mizoram). The exercise is aimed at developing mutual understanding and respect between militaries of both countries, as also facilitate in tracking worldwide phenomenon of terrorism.

Dharma Guardian

In this exercise, Indian Army will be represented by 6/1 Gorkha Rifles, while Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force will field its 32 Infantry Regiment. The emphasis of this exercise will be on building interoperability. Armies of both countries will jointly train, plan and execute series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario. Moreover, experts from both sides will also hold detailed discussions to share their expertise on varied operational aspects.
Lt Gen P S Rajeshwar took over as 12th Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman, COSC. Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Director General (Perspective Planning) at Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence.

Lt Gen PS Rajeshwar

He was commissioned into Regiment of Artillery in December 1980. He is alumnus of Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, National Defence College (NDC), Delhi. He holds Masters in National Security Administration from NDC, Philippines. He has rich operational and staff experience with distinction of serving in operational environments such as Counter Insurgency area in the North East & Counter Terrorist Operations in Jammu and Kashmir, High Altitude Area, apart from United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. During 38 years of his illustrious career, he has commanded Artillery Regiment during Operation Parakram, Infantry Brigade at Line of Control (LoC), Counter Insurgency Force in J&K and Corps in the desert sector.

Integrated Defence Staff

Government had established Integrated Defence Staff, headed by Chief of Integrated Staff as Chairman (who enjoys status equivalent to that of Vice Chief of Service.) to ensure high degree of synergy between Armed forces. It acts as point organisation for integration of policy, doctrine, war fighting and procurement by employing best management practices. It was created on 1 October 2001 based on recommendations of Group of Ministers which was set up in 2000 (post-Kargil) to review Indias defence management. It has representation from all three services, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Department of Defence (DoD) and Def (Finance).
The Union Cabinet has approved agreement between India and Morocco on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. The Union Cabinet was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Key Facts

The agreement will provide broad legal framework for bilateral cooperation between India and Morocco in investigation and prosecution of crime, restraint, tracing, forfeiture or confiscation or proceeds and instruments of crime. It will also increase effectiveness in investigation and prosecution of crime and provide necessary peaceful ambience which is pre-requisite for development of society as a whole. It will further be also instrumental in gaining better inputs and insights in modus operandi of terrorists and organised criminals, which in turn can be used to fine-tune policy decisions in the field of internal security.
Ultra Health is the first cannabis provider to win a lawsuit over production regulations

SANTA FE, N.M., Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nicole Sena, a medical cannabis caregiver to her infant daughter with a rare form of epilepsy, and Ultra Health prevailed in the lawsuit they jointly filed against the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) to secure an adequate supply of medical cannabis.

This is the first time any medical cannabis provider in the United States has successfully sued the state on overly restrictive production regulations.

This is a victory for my daughter and all New Mexicans," Nicole Sena said. "I think this will make a huge impact on our cannabis program because not all patients use the same products and they will be able to choose what is right for them now that producers will be able to have more plants."

Santa Fe District Court Judge David K. Thomson issued a thoughtful, 60-page ruling in favor of the plaintiffs, stating the NMDOH regulatory 450 plant count is arbitrary and capricious.

In essence, DOH is using its regulatory authority in a manner and with an end toward impeding the purpose of the [Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act], Judge Thomson said in his ruling. Further, its regulatory mandate of 450 plants is not based on fact or reliable data and is not rationally related to its regulatory authority. More importantly, it impedes the ability to assure medical patients have an adequate supply.

The judge ordered a stay on the injunction of the plant count for 120 days to allow NMDOH to conduct fact-finding procedures to arrive at a plant count that complies with providing an adequate supply of medical cannabis per the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act. The judge has also given Ultra Health the responsibility of preparing the form of order to execute the judges decision.

The ruling squarely directed the NMDOH to act in accordance with the law. Allowing for the beneficial use of cannabis to all qualified New Mexicans is the clear intentions of the Legislature, said Duke Rodriguez, CEO and President of Ultra Health. Going forward, we can now have a program fully committed to the public health benefits of cannabis availability and affordability. Better health over the politics of the past.

Below are highlighted quotes from Judge Thomsons ruling.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

Further any plant count, and certainly the 450 plant count, it may not be simply based on outdated and unrelated data in such a manner and means as to violate the Legislatures directive to provide an adequate supply. (Item 1, Page 50)

...the inclusion of the adjective regulated in the statute does not bestow on DOH wide-ranging power to issue whatever regulations it wants. (Item 7, Page 50)

The statute provides for beneficial use, and if patients cannot obtain cannabis from regulated sources in an amount which is actually beneficial, then the statute is an illusion. The specific mention of beneficial use in the statute signals the statute intends to build a system where cannabis is not just available in a theoretical sense  as in, each patient gets access to one gram per month at $100 per gram  but is available in an amount which can benefit patients. (Item 8, Page 51)

The Court declares that the 450 plant limitation is not within the power of the Department and since it frustrates the purpose of the statute, alters the reach of the statute, and contradicts the statute, the remedy is to strike the 450 figure and remand to the Department for further proceedings to find a number which can ensure patient needs are met. (Item 13, Page 53)

It is the Legislatures role to decide if the regulation should be strict or not, and the Legislatures silence on any production limit (in contracts to the explicit possession limit for patients), plus its seven specific enumerated items in  26-2B-7, suggests the Legislature wanted a flexible, relatively hands-off, patient-centric regulatory system. (Item 14, Page 53)

The Agency limit of 450 plants is arbitrary and capricious. (Item 15, Page 53)

The Department of Health exceeded their statutory authority by, without justification, altering, modifying and limiting the reach of the [Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act] created by the Legislature by their unsupported limit of 450 plants per producer. (Item 17, Page 54)

FINDINGS OF FACT

DOHs choice of 450 plants as the limitation point is not based on reliable data or updated data. DOH's choice of 450 plants is not supported by current and/or reliable data and is not justified by any grant or delegation of authority by the New Mexico Legislature. (Item 1, Page 11)

DOH impermissibly reads into the statute its style of regulation that in fact impedes on its statutory mandate to ensure an adequate supply. (Item 2, Page 11)

There is also pent-up demand from patients who are not enrolled in the program precisely because they do not have access to medicine, and this demand is essentially silent (Item 4, Page 12)

Equally important is what DOH has not done in three-and-a-half years: no more surveys, no studies, no calculators by epidemiologists or economists, no forecast reports, no projections (Item 7, Page 12)

DOH failed to implement a proactive system of medical cannabis regulation. DOH retroactively responded to a shortage crisis in 2013, but it reacted only to the needs of the existing 9,760 patients. A regulation designed to serve 9,760 patients cannot reasonably be expected to serve 45,000 patients, and the data used to serve 9,760 patients may not be used by hope of higher yield to serve 45,000. (Item 14, Page 13)

SUMMARY OF DECISION

DOH has a duty/obligation to ensure that patients can obtain an adequate supply of medical cannabis products, and therefore DOH has a duty to adequately study and evaluate whether patients can obtain such an adequate supply. [Ultra Healths] claim is substantiated that DOH is not fulfilling its obligation because its data collection is unreliable and because its evaluation of supply is baseless and unreliable. (Page 8)

Although the Department of Health has endeavored to ensure the general availability of cannabis within the Program, DOH has failed to ensure that there is an adequate supply within the Program as to cannabis in general or as to any given cannabis products. (Item 4, Page 10)

In essence, DOH is using its regulatory authority in a manner and with an end toward impeding the purpose of the [Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act]. Further, its regulatory mandate of 450 plants is not based on fact or reliable data and is not rationally related to its regulatory authority. More importantly, it impedes the ability to assure medical patients have an adequate supply. (Item 7, Page 10)

Contact: Marissa Novel 480-404-6699

marissa@ultrahealth.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/973ab5e0-6c6a-45d5-8989-a6db702b4d4f
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given ex-post facto approval for opening up International Solar Alliance (ISA) membership to all countries that are members of the United Nations. In this regard, Cabinet has approved to move Resolution in first Assembly of ISA for amending the Framework Agreement of ISA.

Significance

It will put solar energy in global agenda with universal appeal for developing and deploying solar energy. It will make ISA inclusive, whereby all member countries of UN could become member. Thus, expanding membership will lead to ISA initiative benefitting the world at large.

International Solar Alliance (ISA)

ISA is an alliance dedicated to the promotion of solar energy among its member countries. The ISA Framework Agreement had entered into force in December 2017 and formally became de-jure treaty based International Intergovernmental Organization. It is headquartered at Gurugram, India. The main objective of ISA is to include global deployment of over 1,000GW of solar generation capacity and mobilisation of investment of over US$ 1000 billion into solar energy by 2030. ISA also aims to serve as an action-oriented organization by bringing together countries with rich solar potential to aggregate global demand, thereby reducing prices through bulk purchase. It also seeks to facilitate deployment of existing solar technologies at scale, and promoting collaborative solar R&D and capacity building.
India: Fishing community tests World Bank immunity before US Supreme Court

by Sasha Chavkin

November 02,2018 | Source: ICIJ

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday on whether the World Bank and other international organizations enjoy absolute immunity from U.S. lawsuits. The case centered on a dispute between the banks private-sector lending arm, the International Finance Corporation, and a fishing community in India that alleged residents livelihoods were damaged by pollution from an IFC-supported coal power plant. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists investigated and reported on the conflict in its 2015 Evicted and Abandoned investigation.



If this is judged in favor of the people, it will create an opportunity for the community to get indemnity, said Bharat Patel, the general secretary of the Association for the Struggle of Fisherworkers Rights, one of the plaintiffs in the case. It will help other communities to hold the IFC accountable. The legal case hinges largely on a 1945 law, passed to apply to the United Nations and other international bodies, which granted these organizations the same immunity from suit as foreign governments. In 1976, the U.S. passed another law excluding commercial activities by foreign governments from this immunity. The case is being heard in the U.S. because that is where the IFC is headquartered.



The plaintiffs argued that loans from the IFC should be considered as commercial activities that fall outside the protection of sovereign immunity. This is about a dozen words in a U.S. statute, and those dozen words are pretty clear, said Jeffrey Fisher, an attorney for the plaintiffs, in a press conference after the hearing.



The IFC contended that the intention of the 1945 law was to protect the core activities of multilateral organizations so that they could function effectively. If it were stripped of immunity for commercial activities, the IFC maintained that it could be flooded with lawsuits that would cripple its mission as a development lender. Were a big fat target here, Donald Verrilli, the attorney for the IFC, told the Supreme Court. So instead of suing the person that actually injured them, the power plant in India, they come here and sue us.



The case centered on the ultra-mega Tata Mundra power plant, built by the Indian conglomerate the Tata Group and backed by $450 million in loans from the IFC. A fishing community said the plant, on the shores of the Gulf of Kutch in northwest India, was encroaching on their land and its discharges were destroying their fisheries. The IFC refused to consider them as project-affected people entitled under its rules to be consulted about the project and compensated for any damages, because the community only spent part of the year in the coastal area,



The IFCs handling of Tata Mundra was part of a larger pattern of undercounting or failing to recognize communities negatively affected by its development projects, ICIJ revealed in 2015. The findings were part of ICIJs Evicted and Abandoned investigation, which found that about 3.4 million people were physically or economically displaced by World Bank-funded development projects between 2004 and 2013.



Ultimately, even if the Supreme Court decides in favor of the fishing community, it could have limited impact. The high courts ruling will determine only if the lawsuit may proceed in U.S. lower courts, and, if it does, those courts could decide that the plaintiffs have not proven their claims or that the IFCs actions in the Tata Mundra case are protected even if its immunity is not absolute. The Supreme Courts decision is expected by summer 2019.
India: Where goats drink first: Women struggle as coastal India grows saltier

November 02,2018 | Source: Morung Express

Dripping wet and looking exhausted, Shompa Pal winces as she walks into her home, holding tightly to a knot at the end of her saree. From it she extracts and lays out to dry a soggy 100 rupee note, her earnings from wading waist deep in the brackish waters of the Bidyadhari River for four hours, dragging a triangular net behind her.



On a good day, she catches a thousand thread-like baby prawns that swim in during the two daily high tides, earning 100 rupees ($1.40) from a dealer who sells them to private firms that grow and export prawns. Such work is common for poor women in her village in Indias delta Sundarbans region  but it also may be a health threat.



The work does not require much skill or physical strength. It brings a little extra money to the poorer families, but with a huge health risk, said Kolkata-based Barun Kanjilal, a professor retired from the Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) in Jaipur. Long contact with salty water, or bathing in contaminated pond water, gives many poor women skin diseases or reproductive tract infections, the health economist told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.



As he lead research studies in the region, he said, he also found a slightly higher rate of uterine cancer in the Sundarbans than in Indias West Bengal state as a whole. And in the Sundarbans the number of 50-plus women with eye problem is much higher than men, especially from the economically weaker groups, he said.



A 2014 study by the World Health Organization found that salty drinking water in coastal areas of Bangladesh appeared to be linked to pregnant women there suffering high blood pressure and eclampsia or pre-eclampsia, both life-threatening conditions. But scientific research to link the conditions to saline water exposure is lacking, both the WHO study and Kanjilal said, which is holding back efforts to deal with the problem in a region increasingly hit by climate change-related sea level rise and flooding.



Across South Asias coastal deltas, fresh water is in ever-shorter supply as global warming brings wilder weather, more flooding and harsher droughts, and exposure to salty water is increasing, researchers say. In the Sundarbans  the worlds largest delta, created by the confluence of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in Bangladesh and India  the changing conditions are particularly perilous for women, they say.



Goats Drink First



In coastal Bangladesh, storms and sea level rise mean many sources of drinking water are now contaminated by salt, and wells must be drilled ever deeper to find any fresh water. In some areas of southwestern Bangladesh you can dig 2,000 feet deep down but fresh water may still elude, said Khairul Islam, the Bangladesh country director for Water Aid, an international clean water charity.



For Kishore Mandal, who lives in the village of Joymoni, on the edge of Bangladeshs southern tidal forests, that means drinking water is no longer free, except during monsoon months when its captured in rainwater harvesting drums. Every week from November until July I buy three 30-litre jerry cans of water. We keep aside 240 taka ($2.80) for water every month, he said. Women and girls carry the containers the 2 km home, he said.



When drinking water falls short, its also the women who often go without, or are forced to drink from salty ponds nearby, said Mandals wife Tripti. Our goats have priority over womenfolk for the sweet water because salt water causes cattle diarrhea, she said. With goats acting as a form of savings, in a community increasingly hard-hit by extreme weather, keeping them alive is crucial, she said.



Womens hygiene also suffers when water runs short. Women in Dulki, a village on the Sundarbans island of Gosaba, say washing their cloth menstrual pads in salty water turns them hard when they dry, often causing discomfort, lesions and sometimes infections. In neighbouring Sonagoan village, Namita Mandol, 32, recently had a 1.5 kg uterine tumour removed at a private clinic, at a cost of more than $350. She said she knows of at least seven other women in the three surrounding villages who have suffered similar tumours  and all of the women worked long hours in the sea, trawling for baby prawns, she said.



In remote areas like Gosaba island, treating health threats can be a particular struggle, women living there say. The island, for instance, has a lone government primary health clinic that serves 50 villages. A snaking queue is always there. Medicines meant to be free are rarely in stock, said Namita Karmaker 23. Instead, women buy the medicine they need, eating into the familys cash, she said. Others say they instead turn to informal clinics run by rural health practitioners with limited education.



On the Move



Worsening salinity in coastal areas may also become a major driver of migration, warns a report published this month by the International Food Policy Research Institute. It said salt intrusion linked to sea level rise is likely to force 200,000 coastal Bangladesh residents to migrate at some point.



Migration due to salt contamination is already underway and will accelerate, warned Joyce Chen, an author of the study and a development economist at Ohio State University. Many coastal residents right now are coping with the saltier conditions by turning to seafood farming rather than raising crops, said Valerie Mueller, another study author from Arizona State University. For many households, however, the cost of converting crop land to fish or shrimp ponds is prohibitive, the study noted. That is leading families to head to nearby cities within their districts in search of scarce work, it said.
Pakistan: Mubarak village fishermen await rehabilitation measures after oil spill

by Faiza Ilyas

November 02,2018 | Source: Dawn

While there has been no official explanation yet on the source and true extent of a recent oil spill reportedly affecting coastal parts of Sindh and Balochistan, fishermen at Mubarak village  a coastal town worst hit by the disaster  desperately await damage-limitation and rehabilitation measures.



A visit to the village, located some 46km away from the main city at Sindh-Balochistan border and home to about 7,000 people, showed on Wednesday that the air was heavily polluted by hydrocarbon fumes and dark oily patches could be seen covering large parts of the beach. Ignorant of how this disaster might affect their health, villagers were found more concerned about their fishing activities  their only source of income. Its the only month when we get the largest catch. We have been ruined by the disaster, but no one has come to inquire about it. We think it might take a year or so for the whole area to rehabilitate, said Sabir, a fisherman, voicing concerns of villagers, adding that fishermen in the open sea were returning empty handed.



The villagers demanded that the government hold an independent inquiry into the incident as they didnt trust the Balochistan Environmental Protection Agency officials and that the government provide them with alternative employment. This village is deprived of piped water supply, electricity, gas, health and educational facilities for many years. Now, we have lost our livelihood; the disaster is not only killing fish, but also ruining our fishing nets, another villager said, adding that someone must take responsibility for the incident.



He also shared the concern that picnickers wont visit this area for recreation this winter, contributing to fishermens financial woes. According to villagers, the oil spill was initially reported near Churna Island on Wednesday and reached the village the following day. A number of marine animals, including turtles, fish and crabs, they said, were found dead on the beach. Many of these animals, they said, were eaten up by stray dogs while they buried some of them. The oil stench was so intense on Thursday that they found breathing difficult.



Health hazards



Asked about how hydrocarbon fumes affect health, Dr Javaid Ahmed Khan, senior consultant pulmonologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital, said: This could be seriously damaging for health especially for the respiratory system. The elderly having other health complications, for instance asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and children are most vulnerable.



Damage to health due to inhalation of hydrocarbon fumes was well-documented, he said, calling for urgent action to protect the public health. Sharing similar concerns, Naeem Mughal, a senior official of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), said that a Sepa team had visited the site and measures were being planned by the government to contain oil spill damage. There is a need to fix responsibility because then the party concerned would be asked to support rehabilitation measures. Its not a one-time damage. The whole marine ecology has been affected by this incident, he said.



Meanwhile, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency held a meeting on oil spill, which was attended by all relevant officials of government departments and private organisations. According to sources, the meeting remained inconclusive on the source of oil spill and it was suggested that all departments would pool resources to tackle the challenge. Dr Nuzhat Khan representing the National Institute of Oceanography said that data was being collected to determine the scale and damage caused by the oil spill.



We have taken samples of sediments, water and oil from various spots. Its too early to say about the source of the oil spill. However, what I could say is that its emulsified oil, she said. It seemed that there was a large oil patch which broke up due to wind and currents and affected various coastal parts. According to Dr Khan, the spilled oil has reached many locations including Cape Monze beach, Bhit Khori beach and Hawkesbay beach. Sunhera beach, however, was found clean during the visit.



Oil spills have the potential to contaminate sediment, seawater and air due to many volatile compounds emitted by the spilled oil into the air. They have negative impacts on the residents of the affected areas and these effects can aggravate [due to] severe weather conditions, she said. No official of the Balochistan Environmental Protection Agency was available for comments.



Environmental disaster



Expressing serious concern over the devastation caused by the oil spill, the Word Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan issued a statement according to which a major oil spill occurred along the coast of Karachi, spreading from Mubarak village to Manora. It also affected Sandspit beach. The oil seems to have weathered and has converted into semi-solid tar indicating that it might have released a few days back. A WWF-P team visited Mubarak village and Sandspit and found dead animals, including a turtle covered with oil on the rocky shore. The impact of the oil spill on other animals, birds and ecosystem has not been determined as yet but it is likely to have serious implications, it says.



According to Muhammad Moazzam Khan, technical adviser on marine fisheries at WWF-P, the oil spill can have a severe impact on the marine ecosystem of the area as it has affected the rocky beaches. The incidence can lead to mortality of marine animals and plants inhabiting this important ecosystem. It can also have serious consequences for marine birds if they come in contact with this oil, he said.



The oil spill, according to him, has spread to Churna Island, which is one of the most sensitive habitats along Pakistans coast. This island is among a few areas where corals are found and is known to have diverse marine life. It is possibly the most important diving and snorkelling site along Pakistans coast. Cleaning beaches affected by oil spill is extremely difficult as its physical removal or use of dispersant is not easy, he noted.
India and Sri Lanka: Reviving Indo-Lanka relations: Reigning in bottom trawling

by RITIKA V. KAPOOR

November 02,2018 | Source: ORF Online

A study conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) finds out that out of the 600 marine stocks monitored globally, 52% have been fully exploited against a meagre 3% of underexploited fish stock. Mechanised trawlers stand as one of the prominent reasons for depletion of the Indian marine ecosystem. In 2015, the Sri Lankan authorities had claimed to have spotted 40,544 Indian trawlers in their territorial waters, touting them to be solely responsible for the dearth of resources in the Palk Bay region.



The ethnic commonality of Indian and Sri Lankan fisher folk is harmoniously celebrated by these two marine allies. However, frequent poaching in the disputed waters of Katchatheevu, a 285-acre uninhabited island, a rich fishing ground located in the Palk Bay region, has become a source of major conflict between them. One of the reasons of this conflict emerges from the presence of Indian trawlers at the Sri Lankan side of the Palk Bay. Tamil Nadu has 5,887 registered mechanised boats (as of March, 2016) and 4,500 registered trawlers, half of which, depend on Sri Lankan waters for their catch, after having rummaged all resources on their side of the bay.



Trawlers are a source of peril to the Sri Lankans because of their capacity to destroy wide areas of the seafloor. So as to curtail their existence in the bay, bottom trawling must first be regimented. In 2006, the United Nations General Secretary reported that 95 percent of damage to seamount ecosystems worldwide is caused by deep-sea bottom trawling. One of the prominent reasons for such a sweeping impact of this technique is its unselective behavior. Due to a high by-catch to total catch ratio, the practice causes detrimental harm to non-targeted species, and more so to juvenile fish species. Approximately 1,000 by-catch deaths of marine species are witnessed every day through bottom trawling.



The genesis of this Indo-Lankan conflict dates back to late 1960s when the potential of harvesting shrimp resources in the Palk Bay region along with the acquisitiveness for earning foreign exchange from markets of Europe, United States and Japan was realised. The motorised trawlers gradually increased, replacing the old fishing crafts.



Domestic governance: The India-Sri Lanka outlook



Since pervasiveness of deep-sea trawling emerges as one of the impetuses towards the convolution of the fishing rights dispute in Palk Bay, it is believed that the contested issue of demarcation of the mutually acceptable international maritime boundary line (IMBL) would reach a substantial resolution only once the existing trawling fleet is downsized in the region.



In a move to restrict Indian trawlers in the area, the Sri Lankan Parliament (SLP) promulgated a ban on the practice in July 2017 by unanimously passing an amendment to the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act, along with an increase in fines on foreign vessels found poaching in the countrys waters, by passing an amendment to the Fisheries (Regulation of Foreign Fishing Boats) Act, 1979.



While this legislative moves are obviously targeted against the Indian fishing fleet, they have caused collateral damage to Sri Lankas own interests too, as curbing the disparaging impact of bottom trawling has also affected the livelihood of over 2.5 million fishermen, who, as per the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, contributed a share of 1.3 percent to the GDP in 2016.



Alternatively, the Indian government has smartly envisioned a path of regulations over an absolute bar on the practice. With deep-sea fishing being considered as an alternative to bottom trawling, the Centre, under its Neel Kranthi Mission (Blue Revolution Scheme), launched a three-phase (2017-2020) project, to make trawlers switch over to deep-sea tuna long-liner-cum-gill netter boats, a measure expected to provide an alternative source of livelihood to fishermen communities, along with unlocking a potential of 1.7 million tonnes of underexploited and unexploited fish. With Tamil Nadu having a total of 608 marine fishing villages as of 2015, and supporting close to 12 lakh fisher folk (9.64 marine fisher folk and 2.28 inland fisher folk), India could have certainly not afforded this huge loss of livelihood of fisher folk as well as to the industry that contributes1.07 percent to the national GDP, with the present fish production standing at 6.4 million metric tonnes.



A 2015 report suggested how the use of tuna long-liner-cum-gill netter boats could change the fishing method of Rameshwaram fishermen, thereby reducing their arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy. In 2015 alone, 70 trawlers were confiscated with a prosecution of over 450 fishermen. At least 100 deaths were reported in the same year on account of poaching into Sri Lankan waters. While gill nets and long-liners too have their respective shares of impact on the seabed, one of the studies of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) finds that bottom trawl fishing stands out as the most detrimental to deep-water corals and other vulnerable species, diminishing marine diversity and productivity.



National Policy on Marine Fisheries



Aiming to replace as many trawlers as possible, the Indian Government adopted the National Policy on Marine Fisheries (NPMF) in 2017. While seeking to encourage entrepreneurship and public-private partnership in marine fisheries sector, the policy overlooks sea security, an integral part of the social security and development of fishermen and their vessels. It falls short of addressing the real problems of small coastal fishermen. The deterioration of our territorial sea and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) at the hands of the first-come first-take principle wasnt enough that this policy has further brought in relegation of fisheries management and non-delineation of access rights to marine resources. NPMF only adds fuel to the fire by intending to put private investments in deep-sea fishing at the forefront, thereby allowing back door entry for foreign players, and conveniently ignoring the aspect of protection of small artisanal fishermen and fisheries management.



The international diaspora on fisheries conservation is strongly endorsed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) which advocates elimination of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices. The Council of the European Union revised its legislation in June 2016, imposing a ban on deep sea fishing by bottom trawlers below 800 meters in European Union and Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF) waters. Countries like Brazil, Chile, Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa along with most Pacific island nations too stand in stern opposition of the practice. However, with bans inviting loss of livelihood of stakeholders, it is vital to introduce a much pragmatic and holistic alternative prior to pronouncing an enforcement measure.



Many a times, countries embrace unsustainable forms of fishing to meet the exigencies of foreign markets. More often than not, the jeopardy of these reckless techniques are ignored. Changes in terms of introducing scientifically-tested technology, capable of combating the high by-catch to total catch ratio, could be brought in, along with timely modifications of existing fishing gears for their contact with the seafloor. The need for greater people-to-people ties between the two nautical neighbours was pressed during Prime Minister Modis meeting with the Sri Lankan Parliament (SLP) delegation, where the sentiment once again failed to include the fishermen communities. While the Indian government is successfully diverting its fisher folk towards deep-sea fishing, the fate of coastal fishermen stands dicey. A mechanism concentrated solely on new technology which proliferates private sector participation hampers the welfare of artisanal fisher folk. Cross-country partnerships on conservation of marine ecosystem could procure sturdy benefits, while also maintaining the sanctity of international obligations, if only adopted jointly by India and Sri Lanka.
Myanmar: Turning the tide in Asia with aquaculture

by John F. Kerry and Julie Packard

November 02,2018 | Source: Sea West News

Tip ONeill said, All politics is local. It is just as applicable to global environmental diplomacy as it is to local ward politics. You have to go to the source of the problem to solve a challenge as vast as the health of the worlds oceans. Thats exactly what the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Monterey Bay Aquarium are doing  starting in Southeast Asia, the region from which the United States imports most of our seafood. Its ground zero in the struggle to create sustainable fisheries and aquaculture that can provide jobs and food for the planet.



Were partnering in this work knowing that the challenge is bigger than any one region can solve on its own. Its important that the United States return to its traditional role of galvanizing global cooperation, because we have a responsibility to ensure that our market demand for seafood requires an acceptable level of environmental and social performance  so that our market demand does not contribute to environmental degradation and human rights abuses. But government cant do it alone. Buyers and businesses are driving the demand and are a key part of the solution.



The facts demand action. Fisheries support a $500 billion global economy and the livelihoods of up to 12 percent of the worlds people. More than 1 billion people worldwide depend on seafood as their primary source of protein. Most of them live in the poorest, least developed countries, where other protein options are either unavailable or too expensive.



On the high seas, there is scant law enforcement to stop illegal fishing. We are exhausting the living ocean of fish stocks that have sustained life for generations  catching them faster than they can reproduce. Almost one-third of the worlds fish stocks are overexploited, and most of the rest are fished at their limits. Aquaculture is quickly filling the gap, but if its abused or exploited, the environmental consequences could further erode the oceans ability to support us.



The global challenges mirror those weve faced in the United States, from New England to the Pacific coast. There will be no fishing industry if we dont do a better job protecting our oceans  and we cant protect our ocean if people see the choice as between creating jobs or protecting the environment. In truth, protecting the ocean is the path to jobs and economic security.



Thats why were in Bali this week at the Our Ocean conference, to announce new commitments in our initiative to bolster sustainable fisheries and aquaculture across Southeast Asia as a model for what we can accomplish worldwide. Well be joined by all the key players in the region  including governments, activists, businesses and other stakeholders  to solve problems that demand cooperation.



In Southeast Asia, seafood production drives economic growth and development. The region is dominated by small-scale fishermen and fish farmers. Collectively, these small operations are a significant source of seafood for the world. Sustainability must extend from harvest to plate  both providing food for export, and supporting livelihoods within the region.



Through our Southeast Asia Fisheries and Aquaculture Initiative, we are helping to drive sustainable seafood production in five countries: Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Myanmar. This initiative can help meet regional development goals, create jobs, and protect the health of the ocean, now and for future generations.



Over the last year, weve held listening sessions, met with technical experts, and visited the five countries to hear from governments, industry, and small-scale producers. Last March we started right here, at the Boston Seafood Show, where we convened industry leaders who represented the entire supply chain  from end buyers and major restaurant chains to suppliers and importers, and all the way down to processors and producers from Southeast Asia.



Together, we candidly talked about persistent challenges, such as the need for economic incentives, traceability, and the critical role of governments in the region to lead on sustainability and compliance. Weve made great progress, as demonstrated by this weeks announcements, including the launch of SeaChange IGNITE. This $73 million commitment with Thai Union Group and Chicken of the Sea, one of the worlds largest seafood suppliers, will make improvements now and through 2025 to advance new sustainability initiatives and improvements throughout the global supply chain, to help meet the growing demand for sustainable seafood in the North American market.



Were also working in collaboration with Minh Phu Seafood Corporation, SGS, and the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative to bring 20,000 smallholding shrimp farms in Vietnams Mekong Delta to the highest rating for environmental sustainability, according to Monterey Bay Aquariums Seafood Watch program.



Beyond these projects, well keep investing in research to understand the markets, livelihoods, and management of fisheries and aquaculture in each country. Well leverage the strength of our partners, support the right strategies for the right countries at the right time, and bring sustainability in fisheries and aquaculture to scale. Protecting the ocean is an existential issue: The ocean sustains all life on Earth. Finding a practical, pragmatic way to protect the ocean is a must. The tide can turn, so to speak. Our job is to help it in the turning.
Death row inmate Edmund Zagorski died at 7:26 p.m. CDT on Thursday after Tennessee prison officials electrocuted him with the electric chair. He was 63.





He is the 134th person put to death by Tennessee since 1916 and the second person this year after Billy Ray Iricks execution by lethal injection on Aug. 9. He is the first person in Tennessee to die by electric chair since Daryl Horton's execution in 2007.





Zagorski was convicted in the April 1983 murders of John Dale Dotson, of Hickman County, and Jimmy Porter, of Dickson. Prosecutors argued Zagorski lured them into the woods in Robertson County with the promise to sell them marijuana, and then he shot them, slit their throats and stole their money.









RELATED: How Tennessee prison officials test the electric chair before an execution Two minutes before the execution was set to begin at 7 p.m., the U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal from Zagorski on the grounds of the unconstitutionality of choosing between the electric chair and lethal injection.





As dark clouds loomed over Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville and the sunset changed the sky from bright pink to black, a police-escorted van arrived. Eight people believed to be family members of the victims entered the prison to witness the execution.





They waited in front of a large covered window that looked into the execution chamber where, on the other side of the glass, Zagorski sat pinned in the electric chair, held down by buckles and straps with electrodes fastened to his feet.





The blinds opened for the rest of the witnesses to see Zagorski dressed in his cotton clothes, smiling at the group.





Zagorski then said his last words: "Lets rock."





The execution





He sat in the wired chair as prison staff placed a wet sponge that had been soaked in saline solution, and metal helmet on his freshly shaved head. He continued smiling, but grimaced each time drops ran down his face.





Zagorski raised his eyebrows, appearing to be communicating to his attorney, Kelley Henry. She sat while nodding and tapping her heart, looking at Zagorski.





I told him, when I put my hand over my heart, that was me holding him in my heart, Henry told The Tennessean. She said Zagorski smiled, to encourage her to smile back.





Then his head was covered with a black shroud so the witnesses couldn't see his face as electricity jolted through his body.





The warden gave the signal to proceed. Zagorski lifted his right hand several times in what looked like attempts at a wave, before he clenched his hands into fists as the first charge of 1,750 volts of electricity was sent through his body for 20 seconds.





Henry said both pinkies appear to either be dislocated or broken due to the force with which he pulled against the straps. She also said there were signs that Zagorski was breathing during a short pause before the second jolt was administered for 15 seconds.





The doctor overseeing the death appeared in view to check on Zagorski.





Zagorski was dead. The blinds into the chamber closed.





Ten minutes later, the victims' families exited the building and drove away in the van without speaking publicly.





"First of all I want to make it very clear I have no hard feelings. I dont want any of you to have this on your conscience, you are all doing your job, and Im good," Zagorski said before he was taken from his cell to the execution chamber, according to Henry.





"It was very important to him that this not be a day of sadness for us," she said. "He very much wanted a light mood, and he was in a light mood every time I saw him."









RELATED: Tennessee's electric chair protocol: How the state plans to kill Edmund Zagorski Zagorski was set to die three weeks ago.





His request to die by electric chair saved his life  at least for a few weeks, when Gov. Bill Haslam granted reprieve three hours before his scheduled execution on Oct. 11.





The move bought the state time to prep the chair during last-minute legal wrangling.





Zagorski requested death by electric chair with hope that death would come instantaneously  the lesser of two evils compared to lethal injection, argued Henry.





According to a doctor who reviewed Iricks execution, Irick felt searing pain akin to torture before his death. Experts argue that inmates experience the feeling of drowning and burning alive at the same time that reportedly comes with lethal injection.





Questions of if and how Zagorskis death would play out continued to swirl over the past month.





During his 1984 murder trial, the then-28-year-old Zagorski told his defense team he wanted the death penalty and forbid them to contact his family or dig into his past, according to documents from the Tennessee Supreme Court.





But once on death row, Zagorski changed this mind. Thirty-four years and 22 appeals later, he and his new defense team fought for a last-minute court decision to save his life, claiming his trial attorneys made errors in representing him.





On Oct. 10, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay. The state responded the next morning and asked the U.S. Supreme Court to deny a stay and allow the execution to move forward.





Zagorski had asked the federal court to to force the state to use the electric chair for his execution  the state initially refused and planned to move forward with lethal injection but District Judge Aleta Trauger ruled that afternoon that the state could not use lethal injection until Zagorski's claim had been heard.





Trauger's ruling likely triggered Haslams move for reprieve.





The Supreme Courts statement said Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the dissenting voice on Thursday, noting Zagorskis difficult decision in opting for the electric chair.





He did so not because he thought that it was a humane way to die, but because he thought that the three-drug cocktail that Tennessee had planned to use was even worse, Sotomayor said in the statement. Given what most people think of the electric chair, its hard to imagine a more striking testament  from a person with more at stake  to the legitimate fears raised by the lethal-injection drugs that Tennessee uses."





Sotomayor has previously expressed her discomfort with lethal injection as a method of execution.





His eleventh-hour decision to accept the electric chair as a marginally less excruciating alternative does not undermine, as a matter of logic, his contention that both Tennessees lethal-injection protocol and the electric chair are cruel and unusual in violation of the Eighth Amendment.





An unheard childhood





Zagorski grew up poor in Tecumseh, Michigan, about an hour southwest of Detroit, according to an appeal filed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1998.





His father played little role in his life, and his mother, impaired by a brain injury, had wanted a daughter, according to the appeal.





He could not read or write between the ages of 8 and 10. He developed a stutter.





He had no eyeglasses for a time, despite having poor vision.





At an early age, he was exposed to drugs and alcohol.





Zagorski had minor skirmishes with the law as a juvenile and federal drug convictions as an adult, the appeals documents show, but had no convictions for violent crime before the murders of John Dale Dotson and Jimmy Porter in April 1983.





If the jurors had known this, Zagorski and his team argued, it would have kept him from the death penalty.





A 'calculated' murder





On April 23, Dotson was making plans with his friend Porter to meet a man he knew as Jesse Lee Hardin to buy 100 pounds of marijuana.





Posing as Hardin, Zagorski told Dotson hed worked as a mercenary in South America and a stint drilling for oil near New Orleans.





Though not more than acquaintances, the men agreed to meet Zagorski, and authorities later found their bodies in a secluded, wooded area near Interstate 65 in Robertson County.





When her husband didnt return home after the meeting, Marsha Dotson said she knew immediately something had happened. Although search efforts began right away, the bodies of Porter and Dotson weren't found for about two weeks.





There was a national manhunt for Zagorski. He was eventually spotted in Ohio and was apprehended after a shootout with police.





The inmates statements about his time in South America could never be verified, according to Sumner County District Attorney Ray Whitley, who was an assistant district attorney in 1984 who tried the case and sought the death penalty.





Whether he was or not, who knows, the prosecutor said. He was apparently a very convincing person to make friends and get these people to believe enough to go out into the woods with him.





A fight for a 'rehabilitated man'





In the 1984 trial, life without parole was not an option. It's a point Zargorski's attorney Robert Hutton pushed in the petition to commute his sentence.





The jury did not have the option to sentence him to life without parole because their only options in the 1984 trial were death or the life with the possibility of parole.





Six of the surviving jurors in the case agreed life without parole was an appropriate sentence for Zagorski, the clemency request stated. Today, a death sentence would not be given if just one juror wanted life without parole.





And while Marsha Dotson for more than 30 years wanted nothing more than to see Zagorski put to death for his crimes, she has since "softened."





Ive come to realize that its not my place to condemn somebody, to let them die. I cant play God," Dotson said.





Hutton also argued Zagorski has also shown "exemplary" behavior during his prison term as a "rehabilitated man." He never received a single disciplinary infraction and testimonies from officers and volunteers detail his trustworthy, hardworking, respectful and peacekeeping demeanor.





"His extraordinary rehabilitation demonstrates that if you commute Ed's sentence, he will continue to make the prison community a safer place for both officers and inmates," Hutton wrote in the petition.





The Roman Catholic bishops of the Nashville and Knoxville dioceses also spoke out ahead of Zagorski's execution.





What's next for executions in Tennessee?





The debate over capital punishment has burned hot in Tennessee. Like many states, Tennessees death penalty law was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972.





Officials moved quickly to pass new laws governing the punishment in 1975. But legal challenges kept the death penalty on hold, and it wasnt until 2000 that an execution was carried out.





Six men were put to death by lethal injection and one was executed by electric chair through 2009. A hiatus followed until Irick's execution on Aug. 9.





Irick and Zagorski were part of a group of 32 death row offenders suing the state over its lethal injection method. Although medical experts have said the state's controversial three-drug protocol tortures inmates to death, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in a 4-1 majority in October the drugs can continue to be used.





The state in the past has also gone back and forth on whether the electric chair should be used again. It's unclear how Zagorski's request for the chair will impact executions in the state moving forward but experts on executions predicts more death row inmates could follow his lead.





Death row inmate David Earl Miller is set to be executed Dec. 6. Miller, 61, was convicted of killing a disabled woman with a fire poker in 1981. He is the longest current member of Tennessee's death row.

Source: tennessean.com , Yihyun Jeong and Adam Tamburin and Nicole Young and Mariah Timms and Natalie Allison, November 1, 2018

Death penalty opponents at Edmund Zagorski's execution: 'This is about us'

Outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, protesters stood watch, waiting for the scheduled execution of Edmund Zagorski or a stay that would never come.





Two supporters of the death penalty waited in a grassy field Thursday evening outside the prison. A fence separated them from the 50 or so opponents of capital punishment keeping vigil.





By 7:26 p.m. CDT, Zagorski was dead, executed by the electric chair.





He had been on death row for 34 years for the April 1983 murders of John Dale Dotson and Jimmy Porter. Zagorski shot them, slit their throats and stole their money and a truck. The two men had expected to buy 100 pounds of marijuana from him.





Protesters for Irick return for Zagorski





Zagorski is the second inmate the state of Tennessee has put to death this year. Billy Ray Irick died by lethal injection on Aug. 6.





Many of the protesters who showed up Thursday night outside the prison were also there during Irick's execution.





The Rev. John Boylan, who leads a small Ecumenical Catholic congregation in Spring Hill, was one of them. The Franciscan priest, who carried a sign that read "Abolish the Death Penalty," said he has protested the death penalty for about 50 years.





"This is about us. Were the ones doing this," said Boylan, as a cold wind blew across the field. "The execution is done in our name."





Rick Laude, a death penalty supporter from Nashville, also returned to protest on Thursday night. Laude said he showed up for the families of Zagorskis victims, who have waited more than 30 years for closure.





"Today is a very unfortunate day for this man, but he brought this on himself," Laude said.





As the time of Zagorski's execution ticked closer, those protesters opposing the death penalty gathered together in a circle as the light of flameless candles glowed in their hands. Many clergy, visitors to death row and representatives from Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty were among their ranks.





Supporters of the death penalty periodically shouted across the fence: "We're going to kill your boy tonight." "I hope he catches on fire."





The anti-death penalty protesters did not respond to them. Instead, they continued to pray, sing songs and share stories.





The Rev. Joe Ingle, who Zagorski picked to be his spiritual adviser in the final days of his life, spoke to the crowd about leaving Zagorski for the last time at 5 p.m. Thursday.





"I said 'I love you. You're my friend.' He said, 'I love you, you're my friend,'" Ingle said.





Ingle, who opposes the death penalty, is a United Church of Christ minister and leads the visitors on death row program at Riverbend.





Kathy Ingleson, who has been visiting a death row inmate for 18 years, showed up Thursday night outside the prison because she does not believe in the death penalty.





"Most of them have learned from their mistake, are very, very sorry. I still believe that they need to be punished for what they've done, but for the state to kill in my name, I do not believe," said Ingleson, who attends Holy Name Catholic Church in Brentwood. "I believe in redemption."





By 7:35 p.m., word of Zagorski's execution had spread to the protesters. Ingle announced it to those still gathered and encouraged them to sing "Amazing Grace" together.





"Twas grace that taught my heart to fear/And grace my fears relieved/How precious did that grace appear/The hour I first believed," they sang before dispersing into the cold, dark night.

Tennessee murderer Edmund Zagorski is executed after receiving unusual last meal

Edmund Zagorski  the Tennessee death row inmate who chose pickled pig knuckles and pig tails for his final meal  has been executed.





Zagorski, 63, died at 7:26 p.m. CT on Thursday, the Tennessean reported. He was executed by electric chair.





The inmate  who reportedly said "let's rock" before he was pronounced dead  was the 134th person the state of Tennessee put to death in more than 100 years, and was the first inmate since 2007 to have died via electric chair.





In 1984, Zagorski was sentenced to death for killing two men during an April 1983 drug deal. Prosecutors said Zagorski shot John Dotson and Jimmy Porter and then slit their throats after robbing them when they went to him to buy marijuana.





His initial execution was scheduled for Oct. 11, but the courts halted it because Zagorski, according to his lawyer, wanted to avoid the "unspeakable" torture of a lethal injection death.





The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday night denied his appeal, which argued it was unconstitutional to force him to choose between the electric chair and lethal injection.





He reportedly chose not to order a last meal for his originally scheduled execution. At the time, other inmates at Riverbend Maximum Security Institute who are friendly with Zagorski reportedly collected money to get him pizza.





"Should he change his mind and want to have dinner, his meal will be the same as the one provided to the other inmates at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution," the Tennessee Department of Corrections said when Zagorski chose not to select a last meal.





Death row inmates are given $20 for a meal of their choice prior to their execution.





Nationwide, only 14 other people have been put to death in the electric chair since 2000, the most recent being in Virginia in 2013. In Tennessee, condemned inmates whose crimes occurred before 1999 can choose the electric chair  1 of 6 states that allow such a choice.





Zagorski becomes the 2nd condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Tennessee and the 8th overall since the state resumed capital punishment in 2000.





Zagorski becomes the 20th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1, 485th overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977.





The USA carried out 21 executions in 2017; there are 4 more possible/likely executions scheduled in the country this year.

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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
Researchers claimed to have found link between cell phones and cancer. (Photo: Pixabay)

Researchers claimed to have found 'clear evidence' that shows radiation from cell phones does cause cancer, the Daily Mail reported.

According to a 10-year study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it causes various types of cancers from the heart to the brain.

Even though the study was conducted on rodents that were exposed to higher levels than humans, the association between the phones and cancer was evident in male rats.

However, researchers note the evidence was less clear when it came to female rats.

Nevertheless, scientists warn that men especially should be cautious and minimize their exposure particularly in sensitive areas.

Senior scientist Dr John Bucher at the National Toxicology Program (NTP) in Durham, North Carolina told the Daily Mail: "The exposures used in the studies cannot be compared directly to the exposure that humans experience when using a cell phone.

"In our studies, rats and mice received radio frequency radiation (RFR) across their whole bodies.

"By contrast, people are mostly exposed in specific local tissues close to where they hold the phone.

"In addition, the exposure levels and durations in our studies were greater than what people experience."
Case IH Grand Island plant named Large Manufacturer of the Year by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry

CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI /MI: CNHI) announces that its Case IH plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, U.S.A. was recently recognized by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry as the Large Manufacturer of the Year during the State Chambers Manufacturing Summit in La Vista, Nebraska. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts presented the award to Michael Schaefer, Grand Island plant manager on October 30, 2018.

The Grand Island facility employs some 650 employees and produces agricultural equipment including combine harvesters, combine heads, windrowers and stack cruisers.

Manufacturing is part of Nebraskas economic backbone and vital to our future growth, said Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber. Case IH is absolutely an innovation leader in Nebraskas manufacturing sector and we are thrilled to honor them with this award.

Manufacturing is at the heart of the Nebraska economy, with some 1,600 manufacturers employing about 100,000 people. The sector contributes almost $14 billion annually to the states total economic output. To be considered for the manufacturing award from the Chamber, Nebraska manufacturers must successfully implement innovative ways of conducting business through new products, processes, technologies and strategies.

Innovation in our company is driven by World Class Manufacturing, a tool that all of the CNH Industrial facilities use around the world to make the production line safer, efficient and more sustainable, said Michael Schaefer. When you tour our facility, you see the innovation that WCM has brought to our production processes. The logistics changes, the safety features we provide for our operators and the opportunity for employees to provide feedback all contributed to our facility being honored with this award, Schaefer said.



The World Class Manufacturing (WCM) program is one of the global manufacturing industrys highest standards for the integrated management of manufacturing plants and processes. It is a pillar-structured system based on continuous improvement, designed to eliminate waste and loss from the production process by identifying objectives such as zero injuries, zero defects, zero breakdowns and zero waste.

To certify improvements, a system of periodic third-party audits evaluates all the WCM pillars, forming an overall score for each plant that is the basis for three achievement levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Grand Island is currently certified at the WCM Silver Level.

CNH Industrial has 11 manufacturing plants, 12 research and development centers, and a workforce of 9,000 in North America. The Company designs, produces and sells machines for work and is present in all major markets worldwide, giving it a unique competitive position.

Burr Ridge, November 2, 2018

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When it comes to hair extensions, people may think about a quick and easy beauty solution to ladies in a special occasion.

They call it a billion-dollar industry. According to the Guardian newspaper, in Britain sales are up to 60 million ($78.72 million) a year and growing.

But what lies underneath is a global tale of exploitation.

Since the 1900s, when the hair trade boomed in western countries, controversy has surrounded it as to how hair is collected.

Advocates see it as an amicable sale in that where there is demand supply appears. Critics view it as grotesque and controversial.

In developing countries rich in culture and customs such as Vietnam, India, Malaysia, and Cambodia, women really love long and glorious tresses. It should come as no surprise if you see a woman gently combing out a knot and massaging her strands with coconut oil in the early morning. It remains a tradition marker of beauty though it takes time and meticulousness.

A Vietnamese woman named Nguyen Thi Thuy in the series about hair extensions of Refinery29.

More importantly the industry has not grown or been regulated in these places. Therefore, over the years, women like Thuy (pictured above) have been targets for hair traders. She said the highest amount she has ever been offered is VND70,000 ($3) while the cost, as estimated by the Guardian, in an upmarket central London salon is around 900 ($1,180). So, what if she agrees and falls victim to that exploitation?

These foreign collectors target people who are hard up and desperate to sell their hair. They fall victim to this business as they need money to survive.

The invisible chain of labor

Years ago hair extensions were something only celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, that iconic global fashion symbol, knew about. However, these days they are popular among ordinary working women and even teenagers.

For example, an average visit to a hair salon for hair extensions in America costs $500 to $2,000. Whereas the original owner might receive only $40 for one or two bundles of 100 grams. This is enough to buy rice for nearly two months. Economically viewed, it is an amicable exchange.

On the surface, everything seems to be alright since this is the way demand and supply work. However, if you dig deeper, you will find what you discover hard to believe. In fact, hair vendors are scouting every village in the world for virgin hair which has never been dyed, blow-dried or straightened.

This article does not attack the tonsuring or collection of hair in temples since this practice can be seen as a donation rather than a deal. Photo by Jns/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.

In the villages, young girls with beautiful tresses are found, a price is agreed upon and long ponytails are snipped of instantly. This is acceptable in that they depend on this for a living. At least temporarily their desperation is eased though, as we have analyzed, the price is incredibly cheap and it is not a fair deal any more.

However, demand far outstrips supply: up to 10,000 extensions are exported to the U.S. every week enabled by lax regulations. Hence, no one cares about their origins or really knows if the hair is willingly donated or not. Donors become stuck in this chain of labor. In other words, they are essentially invisible.

Hair industry exploits women due to their invisibility

The exploitation results from a shortage of hair to meet the demands of customers out there. To overcome that hardship, hair companies either fake it by chemically processing strands from any source they can find (normally, they would choose two kinds of hair with similar textures and features such as Indian hair and Brazilian hair) or purchase hair from sources that cannot be traced.

For the sake of money, people even resort to armed robbery of hair. It is not very hard to find stories of women and children being attacked for their hair at gun or knifepoint. Take a quick look on YouTube at "Women robbed off hair at gunpoint in Venezuela" on CNN News. Similar incidents also happen in India, South Africa, Ukraine, Myanmar, and so forth.

There is no lack of stories about women and children attacked for their hair. With a click you can see how crazy this industry is. Photo from YouTube.

No action is taken and the door is still left open for this to take place all over the world by criminals with a view to making a quick buck from virgin hair. The industry continues to boom while potential threats are posed and the sufferers are those who are desperate.

Disgusting as it may be, it is worth reporting that there are quite a few incidents of girls trying to run and are dragged back by their parents to finish the deal. Others choose silence in their helpless fight against this traumatic event. On the surface it is an ordinary event without any harm to the child because the families get paid, but if you are in the girls shoes, you might understand how grim it is.

A survey done by the Alternative Daily shows that even though the participants know exploitation is more than likely, there is little they can do while living in a small town and making ends meet by farming or fishing. They just do whatever they can to feed themselves and their families.

"As a way of life, the more disenfranchised the women, the less these dealers will offer for good hair they can easily flip", said Nguyen Dinh, CEO of hair company Ivirgo.

Dream to challenge hair exploitation

With Vietnamese gradually becoming familiar with the concept of selling their hair for money, hair extension start-ups are mushrooming. As a business, they all have to do their best to make profits and remain in business. However, as local hair vendors, what they offer hair sellers is surely superior to what others do.

Take for instance Ivirgo hair, the pioneer in the manufacture and export of Vietnamese hair extensions. In a distorted market where fair price is not well defined, Ivirgo hair desires to make the hair trade scrupulous.

Ivirgo CEO Nguyen Dinh and his dedicated team.

The firm stated that most people do not and cannot know where hair comes from. Therefore, its hopes its appearance will change the situation. At the same time Vietnamese donors can get what they deserve to meet their basic needs in life.

Increasingly in the list of reliable hair vendors in Vietnam, we have the right to expect a promising future in which hair donors can enjoy a reasonable deal. It is also a good thing for the countys economic growth, the firm said.

Photo from Refinery 29.

The emergence of hair companies like Ivirgo does brighten the life of poor women like Thuy. From now on she can sell her hair to a business that will support her family for many years to come.
Logo of Airbus is pictured at the Airbus A380 final assembly line at Airbus headquarters in Blagnac, France. Photo by Reuters/Regis Duvignau

Vietjet is set to finalize a $6.5 billion jet order with Airbus during a visit to Hanoi by French PM Edouard Philippe on Friday.

The order for 50 A321neo jets is part of an aggressive investment in the Vietnamese fast-growing budget carrier Vietjets fleet that has provided lucrative business for both Europes Airbus and its U.S. rival Boeing.

It is also a boost for Airbus as it seeks to turn a raft of provisional orders put together at Julys Farnborough Airshow into hard revenues, narrowing a gap against Boeing this year.

The deal is the biggest economic component of an official visit to Vietnam by Philippe from Nov. 2-4, during which he will oversee deals with French firms and hold talks with Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc, people familiar with the matter said.

Airbus and Vietjet both declined to comment.

Vietnam and France also signed an agreement in September to expand defense collaboration, although details are scant.

VietJet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao told Reuters this week that Vietjet plans to maintain an average fleet age of just three years to keep fuel and maintenance costs low.

It placed provisional orders for the A321neo jets and 100 Boeing 737 MAX jets in Farnborough and has been negotiating to firm them up, with deliveries expected between 2020 and 2025.

The formal signing, to take place on Friday, will help to dispel doubts over the substance of deals announced in Farnborough, which was marked by a rash of vague or incomplete order announcements.

Finalizing such deals can involve tough negotiations as airlines try to squeeze out last-minute concessions.

However, finance industry sources have expressed concerns about a glut of orders in Southeast Asia from airlines like Vietjet, Malaysias AirAsia and Lion Air of Indonesia and question whether all of the several hundreds of planes on order from the Asian low-cost carriers will actually be delivered.

Vietjet told the Airline Economics conference in Hong Kong this week that low-cost airlines have a relatively low market position in Vietnam, and that those most successful in driving down unit costs would ride out any downturn in the market.

Vietnams expansion has also been peppered with trade sensitivities as Vietjet - which says it enjoys government support - juggled Airbus and Boeing procurements: a strategy also designed to win bigger discounts.

Two years ago, Boeing upstaged Airbus by clinching an order for 100 737s during a visit by then-U.S. President Barack Obama.

Until then, VietJet had only bought from Airbus, including an order for 92 jets in 2013.

Philippes visit is the latest example of Western leaders beating a path to Asias low-cost carriers, whose orders have secured thousands of manufacturing jobs, trade experts said.
A cargo ship of Vinalines, Vietnams largest state-owned shipping firm and port operator, is anchored at a port in HCMC. Photo by Reuters/Stringer

The privatization of state-owned enterprises has slowed down with the government unable to attract buyers.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the government has so far managed to privatize only 10 of the 64 companies earmarked to be sold this year.

State-owned Vietnam National Shipping Lines, or Vinalines, Vietnams largest state-owned shipping firm and port operator, said earlier this year that it sought to sell 488.82 million shares, a 34.8 percent stake, and raise around $210 million.

But it only managed to raise a meager VND54.3 billion ($2.33 million) through an initial public offering (IPO).

According to data compiled by Bloomberg, 17 auctions have been canceled this year, with their total deal value being a decade-high $401 million.

Vietnamese companies usually hold auctions to sell their shares.

But as Bloomberg pointed out it is not a case of investors no longer being interested in Vietnam: it is just that they find private firms much more attractive.

Vincom Retail, the shopping mall subsidiary of Vingroup, Vietnams largest private conglomerate, made the biggest ever IPO last year, raising around $700 million.

That record was then eclipsed in April this year by an offering from private lender Techcombank, which was also priced at the top of an indicative range and raised roughly $922 million.

A month later Vinhomes JSC, the residential property development unit of Vingroup, raised about $1.35 billion.

Private company IPOs in Vietnam did well because there was more transparency in the process, management meetings, prospectus, book-building process, Ruchir Desai, a senior investment analyst at Asia Frontier Capital Ltd. in Hong Kong, told Bloomberg.

Some of the SOEs were loss making or had high debt levels, and they are also probably in sectors where there is not much interest.

Vietnam's push to privatize state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is expected to move up a gear this year and the government plans to sell 6.5 times more shares than it offered last year, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue said in an interview with Bloomberg Television last March.

The government had raised VND135.6 trillion ($6 billion) from selling shares in SOEs in 2017.

We need more foreign investment but also want to attract good investors who can help our companies improve corporate governance, Hue said.

The assets the government planned to sell will include leading companies in energy, power and petroleum, he noted.

The government wants to sell stakes in at least 533 companies by 2020 through private placements or IPOs.

Certain restrictions have reduced the appetite for even some of the more attractive state assets like dairy company Vinamilk, Vietnams biggest firm by market capitalization, news agency Reuters said in a recent story.

So the government has begun to ease restrictions like requiring strategic partners to be profitable for only two years prior to acquisition, down from three, and reducing their lock-in period to three years from five years.

It has set up a committee to oversee around VND5,000 trillion ($220 billion) worth of assets in companies managed by various ministries, whose vested interests often play a role in delaying privatization plans.
Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong Friday presented the CPTPP trade pact to the National Assembly for ratification.

Trong said the trade pact shows Vietnam is strongly committed to comprehensive innovation and global integration. It also confirms Vietnams important geopolitical role and position in Southeast Asia as well as the Asia-Pacific region, he said.

With the ongoing rapid and unpredictable political and security changes in the world and in the region, joining the pact will lift up Vietnams position, he said.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a major trade pact between Vietnam and 10 other countries that seeks to boost trade by reducing tariffs.

The pact will enhance Vietnams internal resources to implement its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism and diversification, while consolidating and strengthening national defense and security, Trong said.

When implemented, the pact will strengthen ties between Vietnam and other CPTPP member nations, particularly those with whom it has strategic partnerships, he added.

However, Trong also cautioned that participation in the pact will pose challenges in several areas including socio-economic development, revenue collection, and the adjustment of legal and institutional frameworks.

It will require Vietnam to renew its efforts, to continue to improve the law and increase transparency in the corruption fight, set up management mechanisms to both comply with international treaties and ensure socio-political stability, he said.

Speaking after the president at an ongoing NA session, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said that the CPTPP will benefit Vietnam overall.

Because the trade pact will cover 13.5 precent of global GDP, Vietnams GDP will be able to grow by 1.32 percent, and its exports 4.04 percent by 2035, he added, citing a recent report of by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

With imports growing slower than exports, the trade balance will be advantageous for Vietnam, Minh said.

"Vietnam will have an opportunity to join the global supply chain because of the CPTPP, and can therefore participate in higher value-added production stages."

Commitments in the CPTPP will improve the countrys business environment and attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) capital, the Deputy PM said.

Signing the pact will also increase employment generation, he said, adding that the number of jobs will increase by 20,000-26,000 a year.

Stiff competition

Like President Trong, the Deputy PM also enumerated challenges that Vietnam would face when joining the CPTPP.

Domestic products such as pork and chicken might face strong competition from imports. Other products that can have trouble competing include paper, steel and cars, Minh said.

The reduction of import tariffs might reduce budget revenues, but there wont be sudden impacts as seven out of 10 other CPTPP countries currently have a free trade agreement with Vietnam, he added.

Australia on Wednesday became the sixth nation to formally ratify the CPTPP, setting it on course to take effect on December 30.

Other countries that have ratified the deal are New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Mexico and Singapore.

The five countries still to ratify the deal are Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru and Vietnam.

Originally a 12-member agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the pact was thrown into limbo when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the deal in January 2017.

Following the U.S. withdrawal, the remaining 11 countries renegotiated parts of the TPP, removing some of Washingtons demands. In March, they signed the revised CPTPP, also known as TPP-11.
CZ Slovakias grade A office building in Le Duan Boulevard, District 1 of HCMC, is scheduled to open to tenants in early 2020.

According to a Savills market report for the second quarter of 2018, the total office space in HCMC had reached almost 1.8 million square meters, a 2 percent rise quarter-on-quarter and 10 percent year-on-year, while average occupancy was steady at 96 percent.

Tu Thi Hong An, associate director of commercial leasing, Savills HCMC, said after over 7 percent grade A rental growth in 2017, the momentum is expected to continue with record growth in 2019 and 2020.

It is crucial for office occupiers to carefully analyze their needs, plan ahead and manage future occupancy costs effectively, she said.

Friendship Tower grade A office project in 31 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1, HCMC.

The Vietnamese market has the potential to develop more sophisticated office projects in line with global trends, and so the design, standard and functionality of new projects would likely change in the coming years, she predicted.

By 2020 the market is expected to add some 516,000 square meters of new office space.

Friendship Tower, one of the grade A office buildings, is scheduled to open in early 2020. The 21-storey building is located in a prime location of HCMC and developed by CZ Slovakia Vietnam," An said.

The building will have approximately 13,700 square meters of prime leasable space and an extremely high level of flexibility in configuration, with office sizes varying from 200 sq.m to 1,450 sq.m of usable space.

According to CZ Slovakia, their first ever development in Vietnam aims to attract western firms doing business in Vietnam and Southeast Asia and also Vietnamese companies doing international business.

Various studies have shown that an improvement in the indoor working environment raises labor productivity.

"Being aware of the materials and installation choices in particular has a direct impact on the indoor environment. Friendship Tower devoted into building an ideal workplace with premium materials," The CZ Slovakia Vietnam representativesaid.

Friendship Tower will be a LEED-certified green building, scheduled to open in early 2020.

Built as a traditional office building, Friendship Tower sets its value with an innovative office concept in terms of design, facilities and technology.

The lobby is preceded by a large atrium surmounted by an extensive cantilevered canopy, a distinguishing element of the building.

According to the company, Friendship Tower will be a LEED-certified green building and the curtain wall will be a high-quality unitized system with advanced double glass units able to reduce drastically solar gain with notable benefits in energy costs.

Vertical transportation from the parking area at the basement level to the entrance lobby will be handled separately by dedicated shuttle lifts. This solution offers the highest level of access control while improving vertical circulation efficiency.

The building will have a smart management service of international standards with 24/7 security guards, high-quality natural stone green wall at the entrance hall, seven passenger elevators and one service lift with destination control, and landscaping.

The building will also have a conference centre and cafe with F&B services.

It is within walking distance of key facilities such as business hotels and serviced apartments, consulates, restaurants and shopping malls, and other important business centers.

"Friendship Tower is set to be the perfect choice for discerning tenants seeking high-quality office space in a prime location of HCMC," The CZ Slovakia Vietnam representative said.

For further information about the new grade A workplace, please visit https://friendshiptower.com/. Contact Hotline at 0909369323 or Email tthithuhien@savills.com.vn for leasing inquiries.

An said Friendship Tower also matches the DNA of companies, which require a working environment that serves as a place for meeting, collaboration, community building and exchange of knowledge.

CZ Slovakia believes the building will become a new iconic work hard-live well destination for HCMCs professional white-collar workers.
Homestay services started out in Vietnams rural, remote areas and then became an urban trend; now its going suburban.

They were first introduced as a tourism attraction and a way for rural households to make extra income, allowing visitors to become paying guests and get a feel for daily life in the country.

Then, the global trend of individuals renting out their spaces to visitors via services like Airbnb caught on in Vietnams urban areas, especially in cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Now the service is moving into suburban areas of major cities and the outskirts of Hanoi is in on the act.

According to market research firm AirDNA, the number of Hanoi homestays reached more than 8,100 last year. In the first half of this year, the number has grown to 11,200.

Statistics from Luxstay  a homestay booking platform, shows that the number of residences under this model is growing quite impressively. One representative said that every month, there are several thousand applications to join the system. After screening, Luxstay adds about 300 to 500 qualified rooms per month.

The homestay trend started to flourish in Hanoi two years earlier, but it was concentrated mainly in the inner city, targeting foreign travelers, according to industry insiders.

However, recently the service has migrated to 30-50km outside the city, including neighboring provinces, catering not just to foreigners, but to young Vietnamese seeking to take a few days off.

Hanoi's suburban districts of Soc Son, Ba Vi, and Thach That are areas that are particularly popular for homestay services; and the neighboring provinces of Hoa Binh, Vinh Yen, Vinh Phuc, and Ninh Binh are also beginning to see this model work well.

Duy, the owner of a homestay service in Soc Son, said he had invested more than VND3 billion ($128,900) in the project. He initially bought the land and built a weekend getaway for the family. Later, when some guests asked to rent the place, he realized that it was a business model with potential.

"Weekday holidaymakers are mainly student groups or freelancers, paying about VND 5-6 million ($214  $257) per night (for the whole house)."

Meanwhile, during the weekends, families and office workers, pay up to VND8 million ($343), he said, adding that the average occupancy rate is about 50 percent. The remaining space is left to serve the needs of the family.

Le Kien Trung, head of a homestay chain with about 40 residences in the outskirts of Hanoi, said that as life in the city becomes increasingly crowded and polluted, the need for shared space for relaxation also increases.

This model typically targets families and young, dynamic consumer segments. However, he said that these tenants demand high aesthetics as well as architectural value in homestay facilities.

As many as 21.73 million visitors arrived in Hanoi in the first 10 months of this year, up 9 percent over the same period last year. The citys tourism revenues reached VND63.4 trillion ($2.72 billion) in the period, according to its Department of Tourism.
Man accused of killing two Vietnamese tourists in Las Vegas pleads not guilty, prosecutors to decide on death penalty demand.

Prosecutors have sought time to decide on whether or not to ask for the death penalty in the murder of two Vietnamese tourists last June. They have been given until November 13 to make a decision.

Julius Trotter, 31, showed up at a hearing on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to accusations that he stabbed two Vietnamese tour employees to death while robbing them at a hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, a Washington Times report says.

Trotters attorney declined to comment.

Julius Trotter, charged with killing two Vietnamese tourists in Las Vegas in June this year, in a file photo provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

The victims were Nghia Boi Sang, 38, director of a Ho Chi Minh City-based tourist company and her 30-year-old employee Nguyen Le Ba Khuong, who had arrived at Las Vegas on May 31 and stayed at the Circus Circus hotel and casino. Their bodies were found with multiple stab wounds on the afternoon of June 1.

A week after the murder, on June 7, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Las Vegas police captured the suspect in California after a 5-km car chase. The arrest was based on the hotels surveillance camera footage.

Trotter is being held without bail.

Following the incident, Vietnam's foreign ministry instructed its embassy in Washington and consulate general in San Francisco to coordinate with local authorities in providing assistance to the victims' families so they could come to the U.S. and arrange for their funerals.

The ministry also requested the U.S. police to solve the case and promptly inform Vietnam of the result of their investigation.

Trotter had pleaded guilty last year in Las Vegas to resisting a police officer with a weapon, and had been sentenced to five years' probation for felony.
Danish English

Company Announcement

2 November 2018

Announcement No. 15



NKT confirms turnkey order for Moray East offshore wind farm project



As informed in Company Announcement no. 30 of 13 November 2017, NKT has signed a Preferred Bidder Agreement (PBA) for delivery and installation of export cable systems to the prospective offshore wind farm project Moray East.

Now, NKT and the project developer, MOWEL, Moray East Offshore Windfarm Ltd, owned by EDP Renovaveis S.A., ENGIE and Diamond Generating Europe Ltd., have signed the final binding agreement on the project. For NKT, it means that the order is confirmed.

The Moray East project comprises manufacture of approx. 175 km of 220 kV AC offshore export cables, installation by the NKT Victoria cable-laying vessel and burial of the cables. The order represents a contract value for NKT of approx. EUR 150m (approx. DKK 1,118m) in market prices, equivalent to approx. EUR 140m (approx. DKK 1,043m) in standard metal prices. Installation of the cables is expected to commence in 2020.

The Moray East offshore wind farm is to be situated off the north-east coast of Scotland and will provide electricity for approx. one million UK households when fully commissioned by 2021.

Contact

Investor Relations: Michael Nass Nielsen, Head of Investor Relations, tel: +45 2494 1654

Media Relations: Helle Gudiksen, Head of Group Communications, tel: +45 2349 9098

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Citizens of the Thanh Da Peninsula harvest rice on what should be an eco urban area. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

At least four companies are interested in reviving Ho Chi Minh Citys eco-urban area project thats been abandoned for 26 years.

One of them is willing to spend up to $3 billion on the Thanh Da Eco Urban Area in the Thanh Da Peninsula in Binh Thanh District, not far from downtown HCMC.

Given the complicated nature of the project, the city will not assign investors anymore, but organize a bid to choose investors, Vo Van Hoan, the city's chief of staff, told a meeting on Thursday.

But it will take at least 800 days for city authorities to review the entire project and set more specific criteria for choosing investors and thus, the city will now allow locals in the area to repair their houses as they wish, Hoan said.

He did not reveal further information about the potential investors.

For the past 26 years, thousands of Thanh Da Peninsula residents have lived without any rights in their own houses.

The urban area, spread over of 426 hectares (1,053 acres), was planned to become an eco-urban residential area with natural landscapes, resorts and shopping centers.

Once completed, it was to become a center for knowledge and new technologies. It would have 45,000 residents, three times the current population.

This "super project," as many locals refer to it, was first approved by the city in 1992, and in 2004, the city repossessed land in the Thanh Da Peninsula and allocated it to the Saigon Construction Corporation, which was supposed to be an investor.

After the corporation failed to begin implementing the project, the city asked another company to step in. Nothing happened.

The project was forgotten for another decade until HCMC in late 2015 appointed Vietnam's Bitexco Group and the UAE's Emaar Properties PJSC as joint investors with a capital of over VND30 trillion ($1.28 billion).

Under this new arrangement, the project was supposed to be implemented over 50 years, with primary construction work being completed within five years from the date of signing.

In mid-2017, Emaar Properties PJSC withdrew from the project and the city has asked the government to approve Bitexco as the project's sole investor.

But it took another six months to assess the ability of Bitexco and seek approval from higher authorities. Eventually, the PM wrote to HCMC, concluding that it was very difficult for Bitexco to go on with the project on its own.

In this situation, thousands of Thanh Da people have been caged in confusion and misery for decades.

For 26 years, they have had to live in slum-like conditions, unable to repair their own house or build new homes on their own land, or sell parts of their property to raise much need money to survive.

One resident, Le Van Hai, has said: "It's our house yet we have no right here. We wanted to build a small shack for our children to live in, but even that was not allowed. Not only my family but everyone here wants the project to be implemented soon. We are tired and confused from having to wait for so long."
Hanoi police have detained nine street gang members who were ripping off foreign tourists around the Hoan Kiem Lake.

The arrests were made after local media provided evidence of widespread harassment and price gouging in recent days at the pedestrian walking zone near the Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake.

Police said the group, six men and three women with no stable jobs, gathered around the tourist hotspot to polish shoes and sell snacks, but their modus operandi was to coerce unsuspecting foreigners and charge them exorbitant amounts.

Four of the shoe-shiners had been arrested in 2016 and slapped with fines of $100 each for harassing and overcharging foreigners. They returned to their old ways soon, with the fines proving no deterrent.

Calculated assaults

The young shoe shiners, aged 20 to 30, would wander the area around the Hoan Kiem Lake and chose their prey well, typically targeting single tourists or foreign couples.

They would approach a foreign man or woman suddenly, point at their sandals, and all but yank them off the foreigners feet. They would polish the footwear and do some minor fixes, like inserting extra insoles or reinforcing the sole, and charge VND400,000 ($17.14) to VND800,000 ($34.29), against the normal prices of VND20,000 for polishing a pair of shoes or VND50,000 for minor repairs.

The gang members would even snatch the tourists wallet and take the money, or adopt threatening postures that make the foreigners pay up to avoid further trouble.

Many tourists have shared such stories on social media.

Australian woman Michelle James, who lives in Hanoi, said she was the victim of such a scam.

"A local shoe shiner glued the bottom of my flip flop and then asked me for VND450,000; I could have bought four new pairs for that price. I didn't ask him to do it, he just took off my shoe and started gluing and I kept telling him to stop and hes like 'Its okay,'" she told VnExpress International.

Meanwhile, some female peddlers selling Vietnamese sweets would invite foreign tourists to try the cake for free, and then charge them exorbitant prices.

For instance, for five pieces of a local donut costing VND3,000 each, or VND15,000, they would charge the tourists more than 13 times the price at VND200,000 ($17.6).

Weak enforcement

Such scams have only increased in cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City over the past few years despite occasional crackdowns by local authorities.

Street vending has paved the way for petty crime and disrupted order in the city, a police officer in the Old Quarter, who asked to remain anonymous, told VnExpress International.

Some vendors also tricked foreign visitors into buying things at unreasonable prices, he acknowledged.

Fining people who harass and cheat foreigners does not seem to be an effective deterrent, many people on social media have commented, blaming weak law enforcement for the continued fraud perpetrated on visitors, tarnishing the countrys image and discouraging tourists from returning.
A Vietnamese woman has been fined for bringing 330 quail eggs into Singapore. Photo by Shuttershock/Maurizio Biso

A Singapore court fined a Vietnamese woman S$6,000 ($4,358) Monday for illegally carrying 330 quail eggs with embryos into the island.

Tran Thi Bao Trang, 29, was held at Changi Airport on October 17 after officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority found the eggs in plastic egg trays in her checked-in baggage, the Strait Times newspaper reported.

They referred the case to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), which found that the 330 eggs contained quail embryos.

The court found Trang guilty of violating the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act by importing quail eggs from non-approved sources.

It carries a fine of up to S$50,000 and imprisonment of up to two years. Repeat offenders could be fined S$100,000 and jailed for three years.

The AVA said food imports into Singapore are regulated for safety and keeping out diseases like bird flu.

Travelers to Singapore are reminded not to bring any unlicensed meat products into the country, both the AVA and ICA said.

The AVAs official website and its SG TravelKaki mobile app list the kinds of meat products allowed into the country.

Quail eggs are a popular street food delicacy in Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, boiled quail eggs, or trung cut, are sold on street stalls as inexpensive beer snacks.

Last month, Le Thi Ung, 63, was slapped with a fine of S$7,000 ($5,084) for smuggling 490 duck eggs with fetuses into Singapore.
As chilly November arrives it is the best time to pay a visit to these places.

Photo by VnExpress/Tung Duong

Ha Giang  buckwheat flower festival

Ha Giang Province nestles in the mountains of northern Vietnam. It is home to ethnic minorities like the HMong, Thai and others. Visitors to the province can witness exotic local lifestyles.

The wildness of its nature is the captivating feature of Ha Giang. The province attracts many motorbike riders and trekkers every year. Mother Nature has gifted Ha Giang with diverse scenery with mighty rocky mountains, golden rice terraces and, in November, magnificent white and magenta fields of buckwheat flowers.

Buckwheat is among the staple grains of the locals, and is usually cultivated after the summer-fall rice crop every year. Now buckwheat flowers have bloomed all over mountain slopes in Dong Van District.

This year the annual buckwheat flower festival starts on November 10 with cultural activities, traditional games and a buckwheat flower competition.

1,000-year-old capital, Hanoi

Photo by VnExpress/Trung Vo

November may mark the start of winter in many places, but in Hanoi autumn lingers. This is arguably the best time of the year to visit the city, when it wears a whole new facade with the renowned hoa sua (milk flower) and streets gilded with fallen golden leaves and cuisine specialties.

Photo by VnExpress

In November do not miss a walk through Hanois most romantic streets, Phan Dinh Phung, Hoang Dieu and Tran Phu. The hoa sua (milk flower) have bloomed all over these streets, giving off a glorious aroma.

Visitors can also explore the maze of alleys in the old quarter to find autumn specialties like green rice, green rice cake and ragworm, or sit by an open-air cafe in the cool wind and enjoy a cup of Vietnamese egg coffee.

The ancient citadel of Hue

Photo by Quoc Viet

November heralds autumn in Hue in central Vietnam. Hue typically expects pleasant weather and less rain this month, perfect for tourists to take a trip around the royal citadel and mighty tombs of old kings.

The Hue citadel complex holds in itself the historical legacy of the Nguyen Dynasty, the last imperial rulers of Vietnam. The tombs of the Nguyen kings are situated around Hues suburbs, which can be reached by car or motorbike.

The Hue cuisine is not to be missed. Mussels with rice/noodles, Hue beef noodles, steamed rice cake and tapioca dumplings are among the must-try dishes in the city. In the cool weather of autumn, the spicy mussels with rice can warm your stomach, and a bowl of beef noodles can give you a nutritious fix for a whole day of exploration.

Tree marigold in Gia Lai

Gia Lai museum. Photo by VnExpress

Gia Lai Province is in the Central Highlands and has a tropical highland climate. Tourists should visit the province in the dry season in November or December. This is when the rice terraces on the hill slopes are ripe and marigolds have painted the paths yellow.

Tourists can stay in Pleiku City, the center of Gia Lai. One place to visit is the Gia Lai Museum where cultural and historical relics of the local ethnic groups are preserved.

Photo by VnEpxress/Thanh Nguyen

The Chu Dang Ya volcano is a must-visit place for flower lovers since it has the best scenes of blooming tree marigold. The volcano is situated in Chu Dang Ya Commune, Chu Pah District, 30 kilometers to the northeast of Pleiku. Locals can give you directions, so if you are lost do not worry.

Da Lat, the city of dreams

Da Lat City is among the favorite destinations for tourists visiting Vietnam. The rainy season has ended in early November, so it is a good time to visit this city.

Photo by VnExpress/Trung Vo

In Da Lat, you can visit the Valley of Love, Da Lat train station, Golden Valley, and Langbiang Mountain.

Da Lat is also in the Central Highlands, so tourists can expect to see tree marigold here.

The best floral scenes can be found at Da Lat University, Pham Hong Thai Street and the Minh Hoa seminary.
North Korea is a deeply hierarchical and patriarchal society where traditional values of deference to authority still hold sway. Photo by AFP/Ed Jones

North Korean police and other officials prey on women with near-total impunity, a rights group said Thursday.

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch drew on interviews with more than 50 North Korean escapees to chronicle gruesome details of rape and other abuses perpetrated by security officers such as border guards, but also civilian officials.

The nuclear-armed North, which is accused of widespread rights abuses by the United Nations and other critics, is a deeply hierarchical and patriarchal society where traditional values of deference to authority still hold sway.

But the vast majority of both defectors and market traders in the North are female. Many women have more freedom of movement than men as they are not assigned a state job from which their absence will be noticed.

North Korean women caught fleeing the country to China or who are repatriated from its neighbour face severe punishment including torture, imprisonment and sexual abuse, the report said.

"Every night some woman would be forced to leave with a guard and be raped," said one abuse victim in her 30s who was once held at a border detention centre.

"Every night a prison guard would open the cell. I stood still quietly, acting like I didn't notice, hoping it wouldn't be me," she said.

'At the mercy of men'

Traders who smuggle goods across the border with China to sell at state-sanctioned private markets are forced to pay "bribes" including sexual favours, the report said.

Perpetrators include managers at state-owned enterprises, and gatekeeper officials at the markets and on roads and checkpoints, such as "police, prosecutors, soldiers, and railroad inspectors on trains," it said.

But the concept of rape is different in the North, it added, where it is seen as applying only if violence is used.

One anonymous former textile trader in her 40s recounted being treated like a sex toy "at the mercy of men".

"On the days they felt like it, market guards or police officials could ask me to follow them to an empty room outside the market, or some other place they'd pick," where they forced sexual encounters, she said.

"It happens so often nobody thinks it is a big deal. We don't even realise when we are upset," she added.

"But we are human, and we feel it," she said. "So sometimes, out of nowhere, you cry at night and don't know why."

'Open secret'

Some interviewees talked about rape victims in the North being expelled from university or beaten and abandoned by a husband for bringing shame to the school or their family.

"Sexual violence in North Korea is an open, unaddressed, and widely tolerated secret," said HRW executive director Kenneth Roth.

"North Korean women would probably say 'Me Too' if they thought there was any way to obtain justice, but their voices are silenced in Kim Jong Un's dictatorship," he added.

Kim is the third generation of his family to rule the country, where state surveillance is widespread and dissent not tolerated.

With the authorities imposing total control over the media the global #MeToo campaign against abuse of women has entirely passed North Korea by.

According to data submitted by Pyongyang to an UN panel on gender equality a total of five people were convicted of rape in the North in 2015.

Pyongyang maintains that it protects and promotes "genuine human rights", and says there is no justification for the West to try to set human rights standards for the rest of the world.

It condemns international criticism on the issue as a smear campaign to undermine its "sacred socialist system".

Kim has sought to soften his international image and has engaged with South Korea, holding three summits with Seoul's President Moon Jae-in -- a dove who advocates dialogue to nudge Pyongyang towards denuclearisation.

But Roth warned that human rights were taking a back seat with Moon -- a former human rights lawyer -- staying largely mum on the issue as he seeks reconciliation with the North.

"I think President Moon is naive and short-sighted to pretend that human rights can wait," he said, urging Seoul to "stop accepting negotiations solely on the terms of the North Korean government".

The HRW report quoted another victim -- who also used a pseudonym -- saying she had been raped by a police officer after being denied food for three days in a dark room at a border detention centre.

At the time, she said, "I thought I was offering my body so that I could get out of there and go to my kid. I was not even upset. Rather, I even thought I was lucky."
PM Groysman: Trade between Ukraine and Germany may hit EUR 10 bln per year

The Ukrainian prime minister is going to visit Germany in November.

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On Nov 1, Russia imposed sanctions on 322 Ukrainian nationals and 68 companies from Ukraine. Among the individuals and entities subject to sanctions there are judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of the VIII convocation, major Ukrainian businessmen and their companies, Presidential Administration officials, and heads of executive bodies.

The history of how the sanctions list emerged remains rather strange. Experts say there were several factors that triggered it, but the most important thing is that it appeared after the so-called pension reform in Russia and the defeats the pro-Putin United Russia Party suffered in local elections across Russia's regions. In general, the sanctions were announced against the background of Putin and Medvedev's dropping personal ratings dropping to catastrophic levels (well, that's in their own understanding).

It is worth noting that Russia has always overcome its internal crises through external aggression. If we recall Putin's first election, there erupted the Second Russian-Chechen war, those weird explosions at apartment blocks in the Russian capital... Then, the Crimea annexation also took place ahead of the presidential elections in Russia... In the current situation, Ukraine is the best stimulus, since Putin's entire propaganda machine is working against Ukraine. That is, Ukraine is Enemy No.1.

Plus, it's very interesting that it was Mr Medvedev who drafted and promoted the sanctions list. It was his reputation that suffered the most after the introduction in Russia of "pension reform" (de facto, this is not a reform, but simply the retirement age rise amid a shrinking budget).

Also, let's recall how they presented the list: 'We want to impose sanctions against Ukrainian politicians who act aggressively against Russia; and against those who make money in Russia.' That's if to say that these companies make huge profits in Russia while the situation there is disastrous This was the criteria for targeting Ukrainian businesses, it seems.

Plus, it's very interesting that it was Mr Medvedev who drafted and promoted the sanctions list

Let's take, for example, the Kharkiv Tractor Plant and the Kremenchuh-based AvtoKrAZ. In this case we are talking about the machine-building industry, which is currently on the rise. These enterprises have large sales markets in Russia as they'd had had corresponding production links since the Soviet era: Russia had been close with the two factories. That is, the Russians act logically and pragmatically when they introduce a protectionist policy under the guise of sanctions.

However, in fact, for Ukraine these sanctions are also beneficial. The Kharkiv Tractor Plant and AvtoKrAZ are the main factories restoring Ukraine's military-industrial potential. Now these plants will at the same time focus on domestic market and look for points of entry in foreign markets.

I should recall that the official U.S. trade mission has arrived in Ukraine for the first time in 10 years. These are the delegates from 12 U.S. companies representing American agriculture, energy, infrastructure and the IT sector. So, right now we can talk about expanding our presence in international markets and profiting there. For, in fact, the Ukraine-made military equipment is not only competitive, it also has some advantages  it is being tested in war conditions, which is of course unfortunate for the Ukrainian nation in general. Therefore, the Kharkiv Tractor Plant and AvtoKrAZ could use these sanctions for their own boost.

However, in fact, for Ukraine these sanctions are also beneficial

In general, let's be objective, it was Ukraine who was first to introduce sanctions lists against Russia, although they were never of such a large scale. The Russian list is way more extensive than all of our previous ones. Now, it is quite obvious that Ukraine should, or even must, introduce asymmetric sanctions. In particular, it is necessary to impose sanctions against Russian companies that are still working in Ukraine and making money here. However, our list should be longer, and sanctions  harsher than Russian ones - this is a matter of principle.

Viktor Taran is a chief of Eidos Center, political scientist, candidate of science in public administra
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National Bank believes Russian sanctions no threat to Ukraine's financial system

Only one Ukrainian-based bank, Credit Dnipro, has been included in the Russian sanctions list, Rozhkova said.

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Ukraine reduces gas imports by 22.4% in Jan-Oct 2018

Over the period under review, Ukraine imported gas from the EU countries alone.

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NEW YORK, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Levi & Korsinsky announces it has commenced an investigation of NiSource Inc. (NiSource or the Company) (NYSE: NI) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws.



On September 13, 2018, dozens of gas explosions destroyed homes in Andover, North Andover, and Lawrence, Massachusetts, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen. Andover's Fire Chief subsequently announced that investigators suspected over-pressurization of a gas main belonging to Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, a unit of NiSource. Following this news, NiSources stock price fell sharply during intraday trading on September 14, 2018. To obtain additional information, go to:

https://www.zlk.com/pslra-1/nisource-inc-loss-form

or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972.

Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, California, Connecticut and Washington D.C. The firms attorneys have extensive expertise in prosecuting securities litigation involving financial fraud, representing investors throughout the nation in securities and shareholder lawsuits. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.




Ukrposhta's anti-crisis plan: Dismiss 30% of administrative staff except top managers

The company has time to agree on a new pension delivery tariff, which is expected to be approved before December 1. This would allow dropping job cuts.

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SMITHFIELD, Va., Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc., has announced a $50,000 contribution to Growth4VA , a campaign of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council that supports reform and reinvestment in higher education excellence and workforce development in Virginia.

The contribution from Smithfield will support phase two of the Growth4VA campaign. This investment adds to the more than $100,000 contributed by Smithfield in the past several years to support the Grow by Degrees campaign and phase one of Growth4VA, both implemented by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. The Councils founding principle is that the prosperity of Virginia and well-being of its citizens is fundamentally tied to a strong system of colleges and universities.

We are incredibly thankful for Smithfields longtime support of our continued efforts to elevate Virginias current standing and growth in workforce and educational opportunities, said Donald Finley, president of Virginia Business Higher Education. The involvement from impactful partners like Smithfield is critical to achieving these goals for advancement that we have set forth through the Growth4VA campaign. This collective effort will contribute to the future success of Virginians and lead to thriving communities across the state.

Growth4VA is a campaign launched by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council to promote reform and reinvestment in Virginias top-ranked higher education system. Growth4VA is made possible by Virginias business community, colleges, universities, and community colleges and has been supported by Smithfield since its inception. These organizations, including Smithfield, are stepping up to help grow the Commonwealths economy, expand educational and job opportunities for all Virginians, and regain the states #1 ranking for business.

Headquartered in Virginia, we are passionate about the vitality of our home state, said Keira Lombardo, senior vice president of corporate affairs for Smithfield Foods. Collaborating with community-focused partners like the Virginia Business Higher Education Council is key to our collective success across the state. We are honored to work alongside likeminded businesses and organizations to help achieve great advancements for Virginia.

Understanding that supporting education dramatically strengthens communities, Smithfields participation also aligns with the companys commitment to contribute to the vitality of the communities where its employees work, live, raise and educate their families. Founded in Smithfield, Virginia, in 1936, the company remains headquartered there and employs more than 3,000 local employees.

About Smithfield Foods

Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathan's Famous, Farmland, Armour, Farmer John, Kretschmar, John Morrell, Cook's, Gwaltney, Carando, Margherita, Curly's, Healthy Ones, Morliny, Krakus and Berlinki. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn .

About the Virginia Business Higher Education Council

The Virginia Business Higher Education Council (VBHEC) was founded in 1994 by Virginia business leaders on the principle that the prosperity of Virginia and the well-being of its citizens is fundamentally tied to access to a strong system of public colleges and universities. A nonprofit, nonpartisan partnership between Virginias business community and higher education leadership, VBHECs mission is to enhance the performance of Virginias public colleges, universities, and community colleges and their funding by state government so they can produce the greatest possible positive impact on Virginias economy. VBHEC is committed to educating the public about higher educations crucial role in Virginias economy, and it strives to secure the support needed for the Commonwealths colleges, universities, and community colleges to rank among the nations best.

Media Contact:

Lisa Martin

Smithfield Foods, Inc.

(757) 365-1980

lvmartin@smithfield.com
Energy Secretary Rick Perry will visit Ukraine and Poland next week, The Hill newspaper wrote on Friday.

"Perry will meet with experts on a number of topics, including nuclear energy and cyber security," the newspaper wrote referring to a press release posted by the U.S. Energy Department.

Energy Secretary will visit Ukraine and Poland next week as part of the Trump administration's efforts to entice the two countries into pursuing alternatives to buying coal and natural gas from Russia, it says.

"In recent years, Kyiv and much of Eastern Europe have been reliant on and beholden to Russia to keep the heat on. That changes now," the Hill quoted Perry's last years statement.

"The United States can offer Ukraine an alternative, and today we are pleased to announce that we will," he added.

On his trip Perry will also visit Hungary and the Czech Republic, the department informed.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on members of the Ukrainian parliament not to temp people with a possibility of receiving energy free of charge via the subsidy mechanism.

She said that she has a request regarding the price of energy, which is a controversial and thorny issue. Even if there are different opinions regarding the energy prices, no impression should be given that the population thinks that gas or oil can be received at a zero tariff, Merkel said at a meeting with Chairman of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy and heads of the parliamentary factions in Kyiv on Thursday.

The Chancellor said that Germany was on a difficult path of shifting away from general subsidies to ensure that the subsidies were personal for vulnerable citizens.

"If everyone gets subsidies, even those who can afford [to pay for energy themselves], here you can't talk about success," Merkel said.
Sanctions of Russia against representatives of private joint-stock company Darnitsa Pharmaceutical Firm (Kyiv) would not affect operations of the company and its financial indicators, the company has said.

"Darnitsa has stopped deliveries to the Russian Federation since 2017, so the sanctions will not affect economic activity and financial performance. The strategic goal is to provide Ukrainians with high-quality and affordable medicines. Therefore, most of the Darnitsa drugs are sold on the domestic market," the company told Interfax-Ukraine.

At the same time, the company connects the inclusion of its representatives in the sanctions list with political rather than economic reasons.

"Three representatives of private companies got to the sanctions list of the Russian Federation, along with Volodymyr and Hlib Zahoria, Dmytro Shymkiv was also included in the list. From September 2018 he heads the executive board of the management company of Darnitsa Pharmaceutical Firm. We associate the inclusion of representatives of Darnitsa in the sanctions list with political, not economic reasons," the company said.

As reported, the Russian government imposed special economic measures on 322 Ukrainian individuals and 68 legal entities starting today, including the blockage (freezing) of noncash monetary assets, uncertified securities, and property in Russian territory and a ban on the transfer of money (disinvestment) out of Russia.

Some Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies, their owners and some lawmakers who are members of the parliamentary healthcare committee, as well as acting Health Minister Ulana Suprun, are placed on the Russian sanction list.
Kernel, a large Ukrainian agricultural group, has said that the decision of the Russian government to apply sanctions against the company would not have negative financial consequences for the company and would not affect its operations.

"The sanctions imposed by the government of the Russian Federation dated November 1, 2018 in respect of individuals and legal entities of Ukraine... will not affect the activities of Kernel. The company owns an asset in the Russian Federation through a joint venture, but has not been operating in the Russian Federation for several years," the press service of the group told Interfax-Ukraine.

As reported, on November 1 Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree on the introduction of special economic measures against individuals and legal entities of Ukraine.

The sanctions will apply to 322 individuals and 68 legal entities.

Kernel is the world's largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, a leading producer and supplier of agricultural products from the Black Sea region to world markets with a land bank of 550,000 hectares.

The vertically integrated structure of the company is based on closely related business segments: production, export and domestic sales of sunflower oil; crop production; grain exports; provision of services for grain storage and transshipment at elevators and port terminals.
Naftogaz Ukrainy preparing placement of five-year eurobonds, road show to begin on Nov 5 - source

Naftogaz Ukrainy will hold a series of meetings with investors in the United States and London beginning on November 5, after which it plans to place five-year dollar-denominated eurobonds, a source in the banking circles has told Interfax.

Citi and Deutsche Bank have been appointed the deal organizers.
The fund managed by Horizon Capital has completed a deal to acquire a minor stake in Yarych Confectionary Factory LLC (Stary Yarychiv, Lviv region), the press service of Yarych has reported.

"As we plan to increase production to extend our presence in Ukraine and abroad, partnership with Horizon Capital is the basis of our expansion strategy. In future we will accelerate our growth by strengthening the company's brand position in our main market and develop new segments," Yarych founder Volodymyr Hnatiuk said.

According to the press service of the company, Yarych is the second largest producer of packaged cookies in Ukraine (the trademarks Maria, Petit Beurre and The Crackers) with a market share of 33%.

As reported, in mid-October the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine allowed Cyprus-based Dilbeta Investments Limited from Horizon Capital Group together with Sermola Holdings Limited from Cyprus-based Yarych Holdings Limited belonging to Hnatiuk (owns 100% of Yarych confectionary factory) to buy Yarych confectionery factory.

Yarych Holdings Limited and Sermola Holdings Limited were registered on June 18 of this year.
A plant for processing solid household waste in the city of Derhachi, Kharkiv region, will be commissioned at the end of 2019, Deputy Mayor of Kharkiv on Housing and Utilities Services Andriy Rudenko has said.

"The planned capacity of the complex for processing solid waste is 400,000 tonnes per year. The contractual cost of construction is $26.722 million. Financing is 100% at the expense of the World Bank loan funds in the framework of the Urban Infrastructure Development 2 project," Rudenko told Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, the customer of the project and the plant operator is Municipal Waste Treatment Company. The complex will serve Kharkiv and the territory of the adjacent districts of Kharkiv region: Derhachi, Kharkiv, and Zolochiv.

The plant will produce 16,000 MW of electricity per year in the first year of operation, later it is planned to increase the capacity to 53,000 MW per year (for the tenth year of operation). According to Rudenko, it is planned to increase the capacity by utilizing landfill gas, which will also allow reducing gas emissions equivalent to 58,000 tonnes of carbone dioxide in the first year and 194,000 tonnes in the tenth year of operation.
Russia's hybrid military forces have mounted 20 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another two as wounded in action (WIA), the press centre of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has reported.

"Invaders opened fire on our troops 20 times. Once, the enemy used weapons that are banned by the Minsk agreements. As a result of the fighting, one soldier of the JFO was killed, two more were injured," it said on Facebook on Friday morning.

Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire in the vicinity of Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote, Zaitseve, Avdiyivka, Berezove, Krasnohorivka, Novotroyitske, Starohnativka, Hranytne, Chermalyk, Hnutove, Vodiane, and Lebedynske.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, two militants were killed and four others were injured.
I never had anything in Russia and never will - Liashko on Russian sanctions

Leader of the Radical Party, Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleh Liashko declares that he does not have any property or accounts in the Russian Federation, that in any way could affect him after he was included in the sanctions list by the Russian side.

"I just don't know how to live on after Russia imposed severe sanctions on me. They will block all my accounts in Russia, arrest all of my property in Russia, and forbid money transfers from Russia to me. But let them find it all first!" Liashko wrote on Facebook, commenting on the sanctions imposed by the Russian Federation on him.

"I have never had anything in Russia and never will," the politician emphasized.

At the same time, he wondered why there is no President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in the sanctions list, and also noted that the list of sanctions adopted by Ukraine does not include President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of the Russian Federation. "Birds of a feather flock together?" Liashko wrote.
PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. (Golden Leaf or the Company) (CSE:GLH) (OTCQB:GLDFF), a cannabis company with cultivation, production and retail operations built around recognized brands, today announced that it has changed the date for reporting its financial results for the quarter ended September 30th, 2018 to Monday, November 5th, 2018, after the market close. Golden Leafs management, led by William Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, will also hold a conference call to review the results at 4:30 PM ET on Monday, November 5th, 2018.



Mr. Simpson will be answering shareholder questions at the end of the call. Should you have any questions prior to the conference call, please send an email to IR@goldenxtrx.com with Golden Leaf Question in the subject line.

Please note new dial-in information for the conference call as follows:

Program Title: Golden Leaf Holdings Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results Call

Canada & U.S.: 1-877-423-9813

International: 1-201-689-8573

A live audio webcast will be available online on Golden Leaf's website at goldenleafholdings.com, where it will be archived for two weeks. An audio replay of the conference call will be available through midnight by dialing +1 (844) 512-2921 from the U.S. or Canada, or +1 (412) 317-6671 from international locations, Conference ID: 13684932. To be added to the Golden Leaf email distribution list, please email IR@goldenxtrx.com with "GLH" in the subject line.

About Golden Leaf Holdings

Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. is a Canadian company with operations in multiple jurisdictions including Oregon, Nevada and Canada, with cultivation, production and retail operations built around recognized brands. Golden Leaf distributes its products through its branded Chalice Farms retail dispensaries, as well as through third-party dispensaries. Golden Leafs cannabis retail operations and products are designed with the customer in mind, focused on superlative in-store experience and quality products. Visit goldenleafholdings.com to learn more.

Investor Relations:

Craig Eastwood

Chief Financial Officer

Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd.

503-201-0659

ir@goldenxtrx.com

Media Relations:

Anne Donohoe / Nick Opich

KCSA Strategic Communications

adonohoe@kcsa.com / nopich @kcsa.com

212-896-1265 / 212-896-1206

Disclaimer: This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys future business operations, the establishment of, and the future scope and scale of, the Chalice Farms retail system, the level of funding needed to establish the Chalice Farms franchise model, that the Chalice Farms franchise model will be successful and generate positive cash flows, the opinions or beliefs of management and future business goals. Generally, forward looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "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". 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 the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to general business, economic and competitive uncertainties, regulatory risks including risks related to the expected timing of the Companys participation in the adult use market, market risks, risks inherent in manufacturing operations, difficulties of establishing a successful franchise model and other risks of the cannabis industry. Although the Company 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. There can be no assurance that such information 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 information. Forward-looking information is provided herein for the purpose of presenting information about managements current expectations relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purpose. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration or an exemption from registration.
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine deputy (Petro Poroshenko Bloc) and head of Ukraine's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Volodymyr Ariev has responded to being put in the Russian sanctions list.

"Ok, so there's a list. Do they really think putting my name on it matters to me? I don't have a ruble. I have no property in Russia or business there. I haven't been allowed to travel to Mordor since 2008. Again, Russia is acting like a fool, just like when the Russian State Duma said Ukraine is an aggressor state. They are crazy. Nothing they do surprises me anymore," Ariev said on Facebook on Thursday.
Ukrainian captain whose ship was detained near Crimea in May released from custody

Viktor Novitsky, the captain of a small Ukrainian vessel YaMK-041 who was detained together with his team near Crimea in early May on the suspicion of poaching and put to a detention center in Simferopol, has been released on his own recognizance, a source in the office of Crimean Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmila Lubina told Interfax on Friday.

"He was released at 8 p.m. yesterday. Viktor Novitsky was released on his own recognizance," the source said.

Two more Ukrainian fishermen detained in September for illegally crossing the border have also been released on their own recognizance.

"Nina Karpachova, a member of the Board of the European Ombudsman Institute based in Vienna, has solved the problem of financial support of the Ukrainians in the Crimean territory," the source said citing Lubina.

Lubina, Karpachova, and Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova visited the three Ukrainians earlier this week.

As reported earlier, seven crewmembers of MV Nord (port of registry Kerch), which was detained by Ukrainian border guards in the Sea of Azov in March, returned to Crimea on October 30. Simultaneously, seven crewmembers of Ukrainian fishing ships YaMK-0041 and YaOD-2105 detained by Russian border guards in May and August for poaching, left Crimea.

MV Nord captain Vladimir Gorbenko has been indicted and is staying in Ukraine.

Captain Novitsky was accused of poaching bio-resources in Crimea.

Two Ukrainians who illegally dropped an anchor in Crimea in September 2018 were detained by Russian border guards.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze has said that Ukraine had already managed to advance in gradual harmonization of legislation in the framework of the Association Agreement with the European Union.

"At the moment, we are able to gradually advance to the harmonization of legislation," the deputy PM said at a conference of the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum in Kyiv on Friday.

She also spoke about the priorities of Ukraine in European integration at the moment, in particular, joining the single digital market of the EU, as well as expanding trade opportunities with the EU. Klympush-Tsintsadze added that expanding the advantages of the digital market for the Eastern Partnership countries would contribute to the development of bilateral trade with the EU.

In addition, Ukraine intends to achieve the joint market with the EU within the energy sector.

"Security is an extremely important priority for some countries of the Eastern Partnership, in particular, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova," she said, expressing her belief that the Eastern Partnership countries could become a link between the EU and Asia.

According to Klympush-Tsintsadze, it is necessary to create a working group on the involvement of the Eastern Partnership countries in the implementation of the pan-European strategy on interaction with Asian countries.
The Mejlis of Crimean Tatars decided to convene in Kyiv on November 12, 2018 a conference of delegates of the congress (Kurultaj) of the Crimean Tatar people. Tasks of the bodies of national self-government during occupation of Crimea by Russia will be discussed at the conference.

"In accordance with the results of discussions at a meeting of the Special Meeting of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and consultations held with delegates of the Kurultaj of the Crimean Tatar people of the VI convocation, it was decided to convene a conference of delegates of the Kurultaj of the Crimean Tatar people of the VI convocation in Kyiv on November 12, 2018," Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars Refat Chubarov said Facebook.

"The conference will enable delegates of the Kurultaj of the VI convocation of the Crimean Tatar people to discuss and adopt a decision on the following agenda items during the conference: on the situation in Crimea and the tasks of the national self-government bodies under the temporary occupation of Crimea by Russia; on the implementation of the second extraordinary session of the Kurultaj of the Crimean Tatars from the VI convocation (Bakhchysarai, March 29, 2014) "On the realization by the Crimean Tatar people of the right to self-determination in its historical territory - Crimea," the post says.

Coordination of the organizational work on the preparation and holding of the conference of delegates of Kurultaj is entrusted to the Mejlis Deputy Chairman Ilmi Umerov.

On October 24, Verkhovna Rada deputy (Petro Poroshenko bloc) Mustafa Jemilev and Umerov said that the Kurultaj of the Crimean Tatar people elected in occupied Crimea would be illegitimate.

On October 27, the Kurultaj of the Muslims of Crimea spoke in favor of nationalizing the property of the Crimea Fund, founded by Mustafa Jemilev, and its further transfer to the muftiat of the region. The property includes a hostel, a building in the central part of Simferopol, where the main office of the Mejlis used to be located and a room in a medical clinic in the Simferopol region of Crimea.
The European Union says that Russia's sanctions recently imposed on Ukrainian companies and individuals are groundless and are aimed at aggravating the conflict situation.

"The Russian government's decision to introduce financial measures against Ukrainian individuals and companies is groundless. There is a need to avoid steps aimed at aggravating the situation and undermining the search for a decision for the sake of restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine," the press service of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine told Interfax-Ukraine on November 2.

As was earlier reported, Russia on November 1 imposed sanctions on 322 Ukrainians and 68 Ukrainian companies. Among those affected by the sanctions are judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, officials of the presidential administration of Ukraine, top government officials, and large Ukrainian companies.
Verkhovna Rada's Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmyla Denysova said that the fact that Captain Viktor Novitsky of the Ukrainian fishing vessel YaMK-0041 and two Ukrainian fishermen Ruslan Kondratiuk and Andriy Morozov have been released from a pretrial detention center in the Russia-occupied Crimea is evidence of their use by the Russian Federation in its foreign policy games.

"I would like to say that such actions by the Russian Federation have nothing to do with the real human rights advocacy, and are mere evidence of its use of the Ukrainian citizens in its foreign policy game. Because first Russia violated all the international human rights norms and illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula, and then it started to use the water resources of Ukraine illegally and began to hold back Ukrainian ships. And this exhibition release of the Ukrainian sailors by the Russian authorities is no sincere humanitarian mission at all," she said in a post on Facebook.

She recalled that Novitsky, Kondratiuk, and Morozov were set free from the detention center in Simferopol because a decision had been taken to change their pretrial restriction to the recognizance not to leave. "We are doing all that is possible to protect the Ukrainian sailors' rights and we trust that they will be able to return home soon," Denysova said.

As was reported earlier, there is a criminal investigation against Novitsky in Crimea for the illegal recovery of bioresources (Part 3 of Article 256 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.) He was detained together with his crew near the shores of Crimea in May and was being held in the pretrial detention center in Simferopol.

Also, two more Ukrainians, Kondratiuk and Morozov, were detained by the Russian border guards last September when they moored to a dock in Crimea.
Ukraine to take part in Nov sessions of Conference of States Parties to Convention against using chemical weapons

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has formed a delegation to attend the 23rd session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction and in the fourth special session of this Conference.

The delegation will be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Vasyl Bodnar, according to presidential decree No. 355/2018 of November 2.

The delegation includes Deputy Director and Head of the New Challenges and Threats Division of the Secretariat of Ukraine's National Authority for the Implementation of the Convention of the International Security Department of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Oleksandr Kapustin (deputy head of the delegation) and Ukraine's Ambassador to the Netherlands and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Vsevolod Chentsov (deputy head of the delegation), etc.

The 23rd session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention will be held in The Hague (Kingdom of the Netherlands) on November 19-20, and the Fourth Special Session of the Conference (also in The Hague) on November 21-30.
OSLO, Nov 1 (Reuters)

Norway summoned the Iranian ambassador on Thursday over a suspected assassination plot against an Iranian Arab opposition figure in Denmark involving a Norwegian citizen of Iranian background.

Denmark said on Tuesday it suspected the Iranian government intelligence service had tried to carry out an assassination on its soil. It is now calling for fresh European Union-wide sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

A Norwegian citizen of Iranian background was arrested in Sweden on Oct. 21 in connection with the plot and extradited to Denmark, Swedish security police have said.

"During the meeting we underlined that the activity, that has come to light through the investigation in Denmark, is unacceptable," Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement.

"We see the situation that has arisen in Denmark as very serious and that a Norwegian citizen of Iranian background is suspected in this case," she added.

The attack was meant to target the leader of the Danish branch of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA), Danish intelligence chief Finn Borch Andersen said.

ASMLA seeks a separate state for ethnic Arabs in Iran's oil-producing southwestern province of Khuzestan. Arabs are a minority in Iran, and some see themselves as under Persian occupation and want independence or autonomy.

The Norwegian citizen has denied the charges and the Iranian government has also denied any connection with what Norway suspects is a plot.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche Editing by Nerijus Adomaitis and Richard Balmforth)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

Serious negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are unlikely until the political situation in Armenia stabilizes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, RIA Novosti reported.

"The agreement that was reached [during the talks of the President of Azerbaijan and the Acting Prime Minister of Armenia in Dushanbe] was that contacts should be continued, that foreign ministers will meet, and that, of course, both Armenia and Azerbaijan are ready to work with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. We welcome such an agreement," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow.

"We understand that until such turbulent internal political processes, which we are now observing, are completed, it is hardly possible to seriously consider certain ways out of this crisis and ensure a full-fledged settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he added.

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, Nov. 2

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Baku and Yerevan have desire to continue the dialogue at the highest level on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov told reporters Nov. 2, RIA Novosti reported.

We hope that next month there will be a meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries to discuss key settlement issues and confidence building measures that can be taken considering the development of the situation, taking into account how the relations between the leaders of the two countries will be built, said Popov.

Today our visit comes to an end, we were in Yerevan, in Nagorno-Karabakh, now we are in Baku, he added. We met with the acting prime minister of Armenia, the president of Azerbaijan, the defense ministers of the two countries. We will soon meet with the Azerbaijani foreign minister. The focus is on the issues related to the process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement.

In particular, we discussed the talks that took place among the leaders of the two countries in Dushanbe, the agreements that were reached and which are being implemented, Popov said. I mean the situation on the contact line, at the border, which has more or less stabilized. We also spoke about the communication line that has been established between Yerevan and Baku.

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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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fortress Blockchain Corp. (TSX-V: FORT) ("Fortress Blockchain" or the Company) today announced the appointment of Mr. Sean Ty to the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Company, effective immediately. Mr. Ty replaces David Pais who has resigned as CFO.



Most recently, Mr. Ty served as the Companys Controller, acted as interim CFO for a publicly-listed company, BlissCo Cannabis Corp. (CSE: BLIS) and, prior to that, worked as an accountant for public and private Canada companies with a particular focus on growth industries. Mr. Ty is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Diploma in Accounting from the University of British Columbia.

Mr. Ty succeeds David Pais, who joined Fortress Blockchain as Chief Financial Officer in April 2018. Aydin Kilic, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and the Board of Directors express their gratitude to Mr. Pais for his service and wish him the best in the future. "Mr. Pais has contributed greatly to the completion of our Qualifying Transaction to be a Tier 1 listed company on the TSX-V. Also, Mr. Pais and Mr. Ty have worked closely on the financial reporting of the Company throughout this fiscal year, and we are pleased that Mr. Ty will fulfill the duties of Mr. Pais going forward," said Aydin Kilic.

The Company also announced today that effective November 7th, 2018, Mr. Michael Ages will no longer serve as Fortress Blockchains Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The CEO and Board of Directors express gratitude to Mr. Ages for his service to the Company. Mr. Ages has provided the Company a wealth of knowledge through robust analysis and research in the digital mining space, while overseeing the Company's mining operations. In his work, Mr. Ages has closely collaborated with the CEO, and the CEO will assume the duties of CTO moving forward.

About Fortress Blockchain

Fortress Blockchain Corp. is a technology-oriented blockchain mining company committed to operating in low-cost North American green-energy regions. Fortresss resources are currently dedicated to achieving peak operational efficiency in industrial scale Bitcoin mining to ultimately deliver an industry leading competitive advantage in performance. Fortress has strategically acquired state-of-the-art mining facility in Washington state which has been in continuous operation since 2014, which serves as an R&D facility to optimize and build out the next generation of highly-scalable blockchain mining infrastructure.

For further information, please contact:

Aydin Kilic

Chief Executive Officer

604 477 9997

a@fortressblockchain.io









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 press release.

Forward Looking Statements:

This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws that are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. The information in this release about future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking information. Other forward-looking information includes but is not limited to information concerning: the intentions, plans and future actions of the Company, the status and impact of new electrical power rates and the status of deliberations by the Grant County Public Utility District, as well as the Companys ability to successfully mine digital currency, revenue increasing as currently anticipated, the ability to profitably liquidate current and future digital currency inventory, volatility in digital currency prices and the resulting significant negative impact on the Companys operations, the construction and operation of expanded blockchain infrastructure, and the regulatory environment of cryptocurrency in the United States and other jurisdictions where the Company may operate.

Any statements that involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information.

This forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time it was made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: the status and impact of new electrical power rates and the status of deliberations by the Grant County Public Utility District, risks relating to the global economic climate; dilution; the Companys limited operating history; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; the competitive nature of the industry; currency exchange risks; the need for the Company to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development and need for continued technology change; protection of proprietary rights; the effect of government regulation and compliance on the Company and the industry; network security risks; the ability of the Company to maintain properly working systems; reliance on key personnel; global economic and financial market deterioration impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital; and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance. In addition, particular factors which could impact future results of the business of the Company include but are not limited to: the impact of new electrical power rates which could impair profitably and operating performance; deliberations by the Grant County Public Utility District which could limit the ability of the Company to carry on business on a profitable basis or at all; the construction and operation of blockchain infrastructure may not occur as currently planned, or at all; expansion may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; the digital currency market; the ability to successfully mine digital currency; revenue may not increase as currently anticipated, or at all; it may not be possible to profitably liquidate the current digital currency inventory, or at all; a decline in digital currency prices may have a significant negative impact on operations; the volatility of digital currency prices; the anticipated growth and sustainability of hydroelectricity for the purposes of cryptocurrency mining in the Grant Count of the State of Washington, the ability to complete current and future financings, any regulations or laws that will prevent the Company from operating its business; historical prices of digital currencies and the ability to mine digital currencies that will be consistent with historical prices; and there will be no regulation or law that will prevent the Company from operating its business. The Company has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of the Companys normal course of business. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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 information. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking information other than as required by law.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.2

By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group stressed the importance of sustaining a climate of trust for intensive negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said the statement issued by the co-chairs following their visit to the region.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America), together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, visited the region from 29 October to 2 November.

The main purpose of the visit was to discuss the results of the conversation between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the margins of the CIS summit in Dushanbe in September, outline next steps in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, and review the overall evolution of the situation on the ground.

The Co-Chairs met with Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on 29 October and with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on 1 November.

In both capitals, they held consultations with the respective foreign ministers and defense ministers.

In Baku, the Co-Chairs met with representatives of Azerbaijani communities affected by the conflict.

While in the region, the Co-Chairs discussed the situation with representatives from the ICRC and UNHCR.

In their meetings with the Co-Chairs, the leaders in both capitals confirmed that the level of violence has fallen significantly since they reaffirmed in Dushanbe their commitment to reduce tensions. In their consultations, the Co-Chairs received additional details about the implementation of the Dushanbe understanding, including with regard to the establishment of direct communication links.

The Co-Chairs welcomed these developments, commended the sides for implementing constructive measures in good faith, and expressed support for the leaders readiness to continue their dialogue.

The Co-Chairs stressed the importance of sustaining a climate of trust for intensive negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Foreign Ministers agreed to meet again before the end of the year.

The Co-Chairs will soon travel to Vienna to brief the OSCE Permanent Council and the members of the Minsk Group.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Details added (first version posted on 11:13)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

Armenia is being further isolated in the region, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Committee for International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations Samad Seyidov told Trend on Nov. 2.

Armenias policy does not inspire confidence in anyone, Seyidov, who is also head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, said.

The Pashinyan government is trying to pursue policy that serves the interests of Armenia, however, the more he tries, the more Armenia is being isolated in the region, he said. In fact, Armenias regional ties are being ruined.

"This is a paradox, as no matter how Armenia tries to change the situation in the region in its favour, in reality it only becomes worse for itself. And the reason is that Armenias political course is fundamentally wrong, he said.

Armenia must recognize that all its problems are the result of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their lands as a result of the policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Azerbaijanis," Seyidov added.
Details added (first version posted on 11:13)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Armenia is being further isolated in the region, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Committee for International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations Samad Seyidov told Trend on Nov. 2.

Armenias policy does not inspire confidence in anyone, Seyidov, who is also head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, said.

The Pashinyan government is trying to pursue policy that serves the interests of Armenia, however, the more it tries, the more Armenia is being isolated in the region, he said. In fact, Armenias regional ties are being ruined.

"This is a paradox, as no matter how Armenia tries to change the situation in the region in its favour, in reality it only becomes worse for itself. And the reason is that Armenias political course is fundamentally wrong, he said.

Armenia must recognize that all its problems are the result of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their lands as a result of the policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Azerbaijanis," Seyidov added.

The current processes in the region are in favor of Azerbaijan and the recent events in Armenia create a strong basis for such a conclusion, he added. In this regard, I would like to cite a few specific facts. A few days ago, Istanbul hosted meetings of foreign ministers of the regional countries in a trilateral format. A meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia was held on October 29, while a meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran - on October 30.

Seyidov stressed that respect and support for the principles of international law, in particular, sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of internationally recognized borders, a specific and principled position on resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on these principles have been once again outlined in the Istanbul declarations, signed at both meetings of the trilateral format.

"In these declarations, the regional countries, in particular the Iranian side, expressed open support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, made an appeal to resolve the conflict on the basis of these principles," he said.

Seyidov stressed that Armenia is always trying to harm the Azerbaijan-Iran relations and use it in its own interests.

"However, it is obvious that all the leading countries of the region, namely, Turkey, Iran, Georgia call for resolving the conflict specifically within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and confirm that in the above-mentioned declarations," he said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

The US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills earlier made a special statement on withdrawing Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Committee for International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations Samad Seyidov told Trend Nov. 2.

This statement caused great resonance in Armenia, and some time after that, US National Security Adviser John Bolton made a unique and very important statement during his stay in Armenia, Seyidov, who also heads the Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said.

Bolton repeated to the Armenian leadership the views expressed by the Azerbaijani side, said Seyidov. John Bolton said that if Armenia wants to achieve sustainable development, it should be able to build normal relations with neighbor states. That is, this is the only way out for Armenia, there is no other option.

Seyidov added that Azerbaijan sees the support to its fair position by all countries of the region and the world community.

He said that Armenia, in order to get out of the situation in which the country put itself, needs to build relations with neighboring countries within international laws.

The recent processes taking place in Armenia are perceived with doubt by Russia, added Seyidov.

He stressed that one of the main goals of Boltons visit is to get more detailed information on how the Azerbaijani side views the situation in resolving this conflict.

Earlier, Istanbul hosted the meetings of foreign ministers of the countries of the region in trilateral formats - namely, on October 29, a meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia was held, and on October 30, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran met.

The Istanbul Declaration signed at both meetings of the trilateral format once again reflected the respect and support to the principles of international law, in particular sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of internationally recognized borders, specific and principled position on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of these principles.

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, Nov. 2

Trend:

Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov received Axel Wech, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the Republic of Azerbaijan upon the end of his diplomatic term, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said in a message on Nov. 2.

At the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the current level of bilateral relations and highlighted the potential for further development of cooperation in political, economic, energy and other fields between the two countries.

Wech expressed gratitude for support provided him for fulfillment of his diplomatic activities in Azerbaijan.

Minister Elmar Mammadyarov extended appreciation to the ambassador for his contributions to deepen the relations between Azerbaijan and Austria and wished him every success in his future endeavors.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

The activity is underway to increase the combat readiness and improve social conditions of the military personnel of the Air Force upon the instructions of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a message on Nov. 2.

According to the message, Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and the leadership of the ministry took part in the opening ceremony of a new military unit of the Air Force.

The leadership of the ministry viewed military equipment and other equipment of the air defense units, as well as the headquarters building, the soldiers barracks, the parade ground, the medical post, the laundry room and other administrative premises.

The minister was informed that the conditions created there would have a positive effect on the daily service of the military personnel, its combat readiness, and also ensure the process of carrying out combat duty at a high level for more reliable defense of the airspace.

Then the minister examined the anti-aircraft missile systems that are in use of the military unit and after visiting the Battle Control Center of the Air Force, has set relevant tasks for the command.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

Maciej Lissowski, a citizen of Poland, head of Publicis Sp. z.o.o., addressed a letter to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry requesting for removal of his name from the List of Foreign Citizens who Illegally Visited the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said in a message.

In his letter Lissowski reaffirmed that he fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, inter alia, the laws and regulations of Azerbaijan, and emphasized that his visit to the Azerbaijani territories through Armenia was not intentional and he was unaware about the consequences of this visit.

Furthermore, Lissowski highlighted that his visit to the Azerbaijani territories in no way served to the promotion of the illegal authorities established in these territories of Azerbaijan.

Expressing his apology to the government and people of Azerbaijan for an unauthorized visit, Lissowski noted that he will refrain from such visits in future and requested to remove his name from the List of Foreign Citizens who Illegally Visited the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan, and to give an authorization for his visit to Azerbaijan.

Appeal by Maciej Lissowski was appropriately considered and the decision was made to remove his name from the mentioned list.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

The Paraguayan television channel SNT, which has a wide audience, aired a program about Azerbaijan.

The program provided its Spanish speaking viewers with detailed information about Azerbaijan. The author of the report, Carlos Troche, first shared his impressions of the trip to Azerbaijan.

He noted that Azerbaijan, located on the shore of the Caspian Sea and at the junction of Europe and Asia, is a country with rich energy resources.

Despite the long distance, Azerbaijan is interested in expanding ties with Latin America, in particular with Paraguay.

An Azerbaijani embassy functions in Argentina, and in the future it is planned to open a consulate in Paraguay. Recently, relations between Azerbaijan and Paraguay have been developing intensively. There are a number of topics that attract the attention of both countries.

Carlos Troche said the purpose of his visit to Azerbaijan and the report is to acquaint the peoples of Latin America with Azerbaijan. He pointed to positive aspects of the expansion of relations between Azerbaijan and Latin America.

The author made a brief insight into the history of Azerbaijan, provided information about its favorable geographical location, culture, customs and traditions. It was also noted that at the beginning of the last century, Azerbaijan provided half of all oil supplies in the world market.

The report also provides the opinion of Ali Hasanov, Azerbaijani presidents assistant for public and political affairs, about the development of Azerbaijans relations with the countries of Latin America, in particular with Paraguay.

If you visit Azerbaijani restaurants, I am sure you will see that meat imported from Paraguay is used there, Hasanov said. The agency that controls food security also controls the import of meat. I think we will continue to cooperate in this area.

The author notes that the Azerbaijani side, in turn, creates an opportunity for Paraguayan youth to receive scholarships in the undergraduate and graduate programs in Azerbaijan.

One of the main reasons for the rapid development of Azerbaijan is the investment of part of the profits from the export of oil and gas in the development of education, according to the report.

The countrys poverty rate dropped to 5 percent, and the unemployment rate dropped to almost zero, the author said.

In the report, Hasanov notes that Azerbaijan is the leading country in the South Caucasus in the political, economic and energy fields.

We are committed to the development of our relations, Hasanov said. The deepening of Azerbaijan-Paraguay relations will serve as an impetus for cooperation not only in investments, but also in technology and education.

In response to the show hosts question How can we come to Azerbaijan and resolve visa issues? Carlos Troche said: As I have already noted, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Argentina is operating. In order to come from Paraguay to Azerbaijan, there is no need to go to Argentina. The ASAN Viza system operates in Azerbaijan. Thus, it is enough to follow the link posted on the website of the embassy, and it is very easy and convenient to get a visa online within three hours.

This is incredible, the show host noted with admiration.

Azerbaijani folk songs sound in the background of the report, which features video footage about the sights of Baku.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

Ongoing political turbulence in Armenia is hindering progress in the negotiation process on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said Nov. 2 in an interview with Bulgarias Focus News Agency.

Mammadyarov noted that the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the important issues for the sustainable development and prosperity of the region.

Azerbaijan, which from the first days of its independence faced occupation policy of Armenia, with one fifth of its territory occupied by the Armenian armed forces, and which has more than one million refugees and internally displaced persons, is well aware of the price of peace, security and stability, he said. Namely for this reason our country has been participating in negotiations that last for more than 20 years."

"Azerbaijan has always declared that it is ready for substantive and result-oriented negotiations. The conversation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan during the recent summit of CIS countries is a clear indicator of our countrys readiness to substantive negotiations on the settlement of the conflict.

The Azerbaijani minister also noted that the position of the international community, including the four resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, as well as resolutions of other international organizations related to the settlement of the conflict are unequivocal: Armenia must withdraw its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, and the people expelled from these territories must return to their homes.

Only after that it will be possible to establish peace in the region, to ensure stability and progress, he added. But, unfortunately, the current situation in Armenia and the ongoing political turbulence there are hindering progress in the negotiation process.

Mammadyarov said that in a short time Armenia should demonstrate political will in preparing for substantive dialogue within the existing format and, finally, should understand that the formula of peace that will lead to security in the region, as well as to the economic development of Armenia itself, is in the withdrawal from occupied Azerbaijani territories and the return of local Azerbaijanis to these territories.

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, Nov. 2

Trend:

An international conference titled The Role of Modern Technologies in Election: Improving Standards, Public Confidence ended in Astana Nov. 2, Azerbaijans Central Election Commission (CEC) said in a message.

CEC Chairman Mazahir Panahov, who participated in the conference, met not only with his Kazakh counterpart, but also with heads of electoral structures and other officials to discuss prospects for developing cooperation in various fields related to election, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

A memorandum of understanding between the CECs of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan was also signed Nov. 2 in Astana. The memorandum was signed by Chairman of Azerbaijans CEC Mazahir Panahov and Chairman of Kazakhstans CEC Berik Imashev.

The memorandum of understanding is aimed at intensifying relations between the highest electoral structures of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and further deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in the exchange of experience.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CoreCivic, Inc. (NYSE: CXW) (the Company") announced today that, effective November 6, 2018, Devin I. Murphy will be appointed as a member of the Company's Board of Directors, expanding the size of the Board from ten to eleven directors, including nine of whom are independent. Mr. Murphy will also serve as a member of the Company's audit committee.



"We are pleased to have Devin Murphy join our Board of Directors," said Damon Hininger, CoreCivic's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Devin brings decades of executive leadership, finance and investment banking expertise across global real estate markets. Devin's diverse experience in real estate, operations, capital markets and M&A will be a valuable asset to our Board as we continue to execute our growth strategies; expanding our portfolio that already consists of over 17 million square feet of real estate."

Murphy, age 58, is Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of Phillips Edison & Company, an owner and operator of grocery anchored shopping centers. He previously served as Vice Chairman of Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley. He began his real estate career in 1986 when he joined the real estate group at Morgan Stanley as an associate. Prior to rejoining Morgan Stanley in June 2009, Mr. Murphy was a managing partner of Coventry Real Estate Advisors, a real estate private equity firm, which sponsors institutional investment funds that acquire and develop retail properties. Before joining Coventry, Mr. Murphy served as global head of real estate investment banking for Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. Mr. Murphy was with Morgan Stanley for 15 years before joining Deutsche Bank. He held a number of senior positions at Morgan Stanley including co-head of U.S. real estate investment banking and head of the private capital markets group. Mr. Murphy is an advisory director of Hawkeye Partners, a real estate private equity firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, and of Trigate Capital, a real estate private equity firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Mr. Murphy received a bachelor of arts with Honors from the College of William and Mary and a master of business administration from the University of Michigan.

About CoreCivic

The Company is a diversified government solutions company with the scale and experience needed to solve tough government challenges in cost-effective ways. We provide a broad range of solutions to government partners that serve the public good through corrections and detention management, government real estate solutions, and a growing network of residential reentry centers to help address Americas recidivism crisis. We are a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) and the nations largest owner of partnership correctional, detention and residential reentry facilities. We also believe we are the largest private owner of real estate used by government agencies. The Company has been a flexible and dependable partner for government for more than 30 years. Our employees are driven by a deep sense of service, high standards of professionalism and a responsibility to help government better the public good. Learn more at http://www.corecivic.com/ .

CoreCivic takes no responsibility for updating the information contained in this press release following the date hereof to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date hereof or the occurrence of unanticipated events or for any changes or modifications made to this press release or the information contained herein by any third-parties, including, but not limited to, any wire or internet services.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

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The US Department of the Treasury will put 700 Iranian organizations to the sanctions list on Nov. 5, the Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin told reporters on Nov. 2, RIA Novosti reported.

"On Monday, the Department of the Treasury will add more than 700 organizations to our list of blocked companies. The list will include hundreds of targets that were previously removed from the sanctions list in accordance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as well as more than 300 new names," he said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

A delegation headed by Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, Co-Chairman of the Azerbaijan-China Intergovernmental Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation Shahin Mustafayev will visit China on Nov. 4-8, the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan said in a message on Nov. 2.

The delegation will include officials and businessmen.

The Azerbaijani delegation will take part in the first China International Import Exhibition in Shanghai, where Azerbaijan's stand will be shown, as well as at forums held as part of the exhibition on such topics as "Trade and Investment", "One Belt - One Road. Ecological Agriculture and Food Security, Global Trade and International Logistics".

An Azerbaijani wine house will also open during the delegation's visit to Shanghai.

Bilateral meetings of Shahin Mustafayev with Chinese officials will also be held as part of the visit.
Tehran, Iran, Nov. 2

Trend:

Iran's non-oil exports in the seven months of the current year exceeded $27 billion, reaching $ 27.22 billion, Foroud Asgari, Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said according to ILNA.

"At the same time, the definitive amount of goods imported to Iran was about 18 million tons worth $26 billion," he said.

"Iran's major export items during this period were gas condensate valued at $2.718 billion, liquefied propane worth $1.224 billion, other light oils and products except gasoline worth $980, methanol worth $849 million and Polyethylene film grade was worth $691 million," Asgari said.

According to Iran's Customs Administration, the Major import items during this period included livestock corn, car parts, soybeans, and a coal-fired electrodes for furnaces.

"During this period, the main export destinations of Iran is Iraq, China, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, and India respectively," he said.

This data shows Iran's main import partners in recent 7 months, sorted by their share in total imports are China, the United Arab, South Korea, India, and Germany.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Nov. 2

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

A meeting with the Scott Ticknor, the Acting Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs (CBA) in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB) of the US Department of State has been held at the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (UIET), the UIET said in a statement.

At the meeting, the high technologies, agriculture, and the production of electronic equipment have been mentioned among the promising areas of cooperation.

The interest was noted regarding development of cooperation in the spheres of trade and transport and logistics.

In this context, the guests stressed the importance of holding business forums and other international events to be organized by the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB) of the US Department of State structure on business and trade activities, and inviting the members of the UIET to participate in such events, the message says.

The total trade and economic turnover of Turkmenistan and the United States in 1H2018 has increased by more than 27 percent. Some 156 projects totaling more than $2.5 billion have already been implemented in Turkmenistan with the participation of US companies.

The American companies operate on the Turkmen market in such areas as transportation, the fuel and energy complex, construction of power plants, sphere of telecommunications, software support, and the food industry.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov took part in a joint business forum during his working visit to the United States in September.

The head of state noted then that there are great prospects in terms of attracting American investments and technologies in the development of knowledge-intensive and innovative industries in Turkmenistan, in the field of electronics, computer and logistics services, in the sphere of education and staff development.

The cooperation in the context of creating inter-regional transport and transit corridors along the East-West and South-North lines with access to Asian, European and Middle Eastern markets has been mentioned as a strategic direction of interaction.

The head of state focused on the active development of the maritime transportations system. The construction of the international sea port of Turkmenbashi on the Caspian coast has been completed in the country.

"Today, it is a powerful, multi-profile terminal, ... which creates the most favorable conditions for entering the product and raw material markets of the Near and Middle East and the states of the Indian Ocean basin, allowing for a significant reduction in distance and travel time for large-scale freight traffic. The Turkmenbashi port, without exaggeration, is one of the largest transport hubs of continental significance," the Turkmen head of state said.

The use of the logistical capabilities of this sea hub can be attractive for American business circles, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Romania is actively promoting a project to create a new transport corridor linking the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, Foreign Trade Ministry of Uzbekistan said referring to the statement of State Secretary of the Romanian Foreign Ministry Danut Sebastian Neculaescu at the meeting with the Uzbek Foreign Trade Minister Jamshid Khojaev.

According to Neculaescu, interaction in the field of transport and transit is an important area of cooperation, equally beneficial for economic interests of both countries.

He highly appreciated the changes taking place in the country, and also noted that regional integration processes in Central Asia, as well as the measures taken to normalize the political and economic situation in Afghanistan, form Uzbekistan as a leader in the region.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues of Uzbek-Romanian cooperation, discussed the current state and prospects for the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries.

The sides spoke in favor of further deepening trade and economic ties, strengthening direct contacts between the business circles of the two countries, including representatives of medium and small businesses.

The meetings of the Intergovernmental Commission have been considered by the Romanian side as an effective mechanism to review bilateral issues and jointly take measures to expand trade, economic and investment cooperation.

The Romanian side proposed to hold the first meeting of the Commission in the 2H2019, as well as expert meetings in the 1H2019 to form the agenda.

The trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Romania amounted to $11.98 million in 2017, of which $1.53 million accounted for exports from Uzbekistan, and $10.45 million for imports from Romania.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Hyundai Motor Company Korea will enter the market of Uzbekistan from 2019, Kazakh media outlet kursiv.kz reported citing Director of Hyundai Auto Kazakhstan Denis Kolomatsky.

According to him, the company has already received the distribution rights and is currently carrying out organizational work.

We are completing the internal certification now. We are delivering cars, completing the work on opening the first dealership center and are planning to start full-scale work from the beginning of 2019. Since we will be represented there as distributors, not manufacturers, at the initial stage we will not sell vehicles of Kazakhstan assembly, although negotiations are underway, Kolomatsky noted.

According to him, the decision to enter the market of Uzbekistan is tied with the beginning of political and economic changes in the country.

...The largest world companies rushed there. Hyundai Motor Company also expressed willingness to enter this new and promising market and offered Astana Motors to become a regional distributor. We also see potential in the region and are pleased to accept the offer of the Hyundai Motor Company, Kolomatsky said.

He noted that the company is planning to begin with selling about 1,000 cars.

Astana Motors has been waiting for Uzbekistan to open its borders for car import for several years. The assembly plant in Kazakhstan was originally built keeping in mind the markets of neighboring countries. Uzbekistan commenced on liberalizing the market in back in autumn. In particular, the excise tax rate dropped to 2 percent of the customs value for new cars produced in Kazakhstan.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Kyrgyzstan began to supply potatoes to Uzbekistan, Kabar reported referring to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Industry and Land Reclamation of Kyrgyzstan.

According to the information, in the mid-October a working meeting was held in Tashkent between representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kyrgyzstan and the State Plant Quarantine Inspectorate of Uzbekistan regarding the export of potatoes from Kyrgyzstan. In line with the agreement, the Uzbek side provided a list of 17 companies that are allowed to import potatoes.

A contract was signed between entrepreneurs of the Issyk-Kul region and Namangan Savdo Invest LLC for the supply of 2,000 tons of potatoes. To date, over 66 tons have been supplied to Uzbekistan from the Issyk-Kul region.

Phytosanitary certification has been carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Uzbek side.

In January-September 2018, the trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan amounted to $285.0 million, of which $185.2 million accounted for exports from Uzbekistan and $99.8 million for imports from Kyrgyzstan.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

The issues of development of cooperation between Tajikistan and Azerbaijan in the field of agriculture were discussed in Baku, the Tajik news agency Avesta cited the information department of the countrys Foreign Ministry.

Tajik Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Azerbaijan Rustam Soli met with Azerbaijani Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov.

During the meeting the parties discussed the current bilateral cooperation in the agro-industrial sector.

The sides outlined practical measures for the mutual exchange of experience of specialists and the possibility of establishment of joint ventures.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Matanat Nasibova - Trend:

Amendments to Azerbaijans tax legislation, which should come into force in 2019, are aimed at ensuring transparency in the work of each of the taxpayers, as well as at creating optimal conditions for the development of business climate, Deputy Minister for Taxes Sahib Alakbarov told Trend Nov. 2.

The amendments envisaged in the tax sphere are of a multi-vector nature, he said. They are primarily aimed at ensuring transparency and accounting for taxpayers.

The deputy minister noted that among the Azerbaijani taxpayers there are a lot of those who completely evade paying taxes.

Most entrepreneurs try to hide their incomes, capital turnover, and this mainly concerns people who manage trade and service facilities, he said. There are a lot of entrepreneurs who completely hide their capital turnover and refuse to pay taxes, and there is a category of people who partially pay taxes. Therefore, to solve this problem, we are reviewing our tax policy, and we intend to tighten measures against delinquent taxpayers.

He noted that such measures are necessary because those regularly fulfill their tax obligations suffer due to delinquent businessmen.

He noted that the planned changes in the tax sphere, along with toughening measures against taxpayers who evade paying taxes, also provide for a number of positive aspects.

First, we propose to reduce the number of inspections in business objects, he noted. It is also proposed to amend the terms of tax payment for entrepreneurs engaged in business in Baku. In accordance with the tax rules, fiscal payments under the simplified tax system are 4 percent in Baku and only 2 percent in Azerbaijani districts. There are proposals to equalize these conditions, so that businessmen would pay taxes at a rate of 2 percent both in Baku and in the districts.

The deputy minister noted that this proposal will be considered in the Azerbaijani parliament in the near future.

We envisage a number of other benefits aimed at improving business and business climate in Azerbaijan, and we expect that the implementation of these measures will provide a positive result both for the state and for taxpayers themselves, the deputy minister said.

The package of amendments to the tax legislation, which, together with the budget package, has been submitted to Azerbaijans parliament, provides for a number of benefits for taxpayers.

One of the most significant changes will be related to the income tax payment system - the government plans to exempt from this tax employees in the private sector who are not involved in the oil and gas sector.

Thus, starting from January 1, 2019, for a period of seven years, it is planned to provide 100 percent benefits (in other words, to exempt from paying tax) regarding income tax from an employees salary. This applies to salaries worth up to 8,000 manats. If the salary exceeds 8,000 manats, the income tax exemption will be 44 percent.

Other changes include an increase in non-taxable income from 173 manats to 200 manats, differentiation of social insurance rates, various benefits for stimulating non-cash income, unification of simplified tax, extension of benefits for farmers etc..
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan (AmCham Azerbaijan) applauds the ranking progress of Azerbaijan to the 25th position among 190 countries in the Doing Business-2019 report, which is 32 points higher compared to the last year.

Executive Director of AmCham Azerbaijan, Mrs. Natavan Mammadova, noted that Azerbaijan has implemented a record number of reforms this year  8. This is the highest indicator across all the countries. This is obviously a result of the ongoing reforms being implemented in Azerbaijan with the aim of developing the business environment in our country, as well as another achievement in the fulfilment of the tasks set out in the Strategic Road Maps. Mrs. Mammadova said.

According to Mrs. Mammadova, the reforms carried out to support entrepreneurship paved the way for positive changes in the private sector, particularly for startups running, obtaining of construction permits, increasing access to finance, tax policy, property registration etc.

The results of the report will pave the way for attracting more foreign investments to our country. We believe that economic reforms will be carried out further towards increasing the competitiveness of the Azerbaijani economy and promoting its sustainable development. In the upcoming future, adoption of the Competition Code and the new Law on Investment Activities, as well as the anticipated tax reforms will further contribute to the improvement of the business environment of our country and boost rating of Azerbaijan in international reports. Mrs. Mammadova said.

Mrs. Natavan Mammadova also stated that in this respect, AmCham Azerbaijan remains committed to cooperation with the government and ready to share the experience and expertise of the members of the Chamber.

AmCham Azerbaijan is a leading private, non-profit business association supporting and promoting the interests of foreign and local businesses in Azerbaijan. Established in 1996, AmCham Azerbaijan is composed of over 280 Member-Companies and Associates active in every sector of the Azerbaijani economy. AmCham Azerbaijan represents nearly 80 percent of all foreign investment, as well as a significant portion of local investment in Azerbaijan.
NEW YORK, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Labaton Sucharow LLP (Labaton Sucharow) announces that on September 26, 2018, it filed a securities class action lawsuit on behalf of its client Greater Pennsylvania Carpenters Pension Fund (GPCPF) against Philip Morris International Inc., (Philip Morris or the Company) (NYSE: PM), and certain of its executives (collectively, Defendants). The action, captioned Greater Pennsylvania Carpenters Pension Fund v. Philip Morris International Inc. et al, No. 1:18-cv-08814 (S.D.N.Y.), asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased Philip Morris publicly traded common stock between July 26, 2016 and April 18, 2018, inclusive (the Class Period).



The Complaint expands the class period asserted in the action against Philip Morris captioned City of Westland Police and Fire Retirement System v. Philip Morris International Inc. et al, No. 1:18-cv-08049 (S.D.N.Y.) (City of Westland). Pursuant to the notice published on September 4, 2018 in connection with the filing of the City of Westland action, as required by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, investors wishing to serve as Lead Plaintiff in the securities actions pending against Philip Morris are required to file a motion for appointment as Lead Plaintiff, no later than 60 days from the September 4, 2018 notice (or no later than November 5, 2018).

Philip Morris is one of the largest and most recognizable cigarette and tobacco manufacturing companies in the world.

The Complaint alleges that during the Class Period, Defendants emphasized a wide array of benefits of heat-not-burn products such as IQOS  including the potential to reduce the risk of smoking related diseases and less harmful than cigarettes. However, Defendants statements were materially false and misleading because Defendants failed to disclose that there were irregularities in the clinical experiments underpinning Philip Morris applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for IQOS in the United States. On news of a report detailing irregularities in the clinical trials underpinning the Companys FDA application, the Companys stock price fell $3.75 per share or 3.5 percent, to close at $104.37 per share on December 20, 2017. Then on January 25, 2018, it was reported that the FDA had recommended for the rejection of Philip Morris bid to market IQOS as safer than traditional cigarettes in the United States. On this news, the Companys stock price fell $3.11 per share or 2.81 percent, to close at $107.49 per share on January 25, 2018.

Concurrent with the FDA application for marketing IQOS in the United States, the Company was experiencing negative sales trends due to declining smoking percentages worldwide. During this period, Defendants were reassuring investors that these negative sales trends were being successfully offset by new sales initiatives and touted steady growth mainly attributed to the success of IQOS. However, Defendants failed to disclose (i) that Philip Morris was experiencing a faster decline in overall cigarette and e-cigarette (or heated tobacco) sales volumes than investors had been led to believe, (ii) that its much-lauded sales initiatives had stalled, and (iii) that it was experiencing adverse sales headwinds in key markets. Later, on April 19, 2018, Philip Morris announced disappointing results for the Companys first quarter of 2018. On this news, the Companys stock price fell $15.80 per share, or more than 15 percent, to close at $85.64 per share on April 19, 2018.



If you purchased or acquired Philip Morris common stock during the Class Period, you are a member of the Class and may be able to seek appointment as Lead Plaintiff. Lead Plaintiff motion papers must be filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York no later than November 5, 2018. The Lead Plaintiff is a court-appointed representative for absent members of the Class. You do not need to seek appointment as Lead Plaintiff to share in any Class recovery in this action. If you are a Class member and there is a recovery for the Class, you can share in that recovery as an absent Class member. You may retain counsel of your choice to represent you in this action.

If you would like to consider serving as Lead Plaintiff or have any questions about this lawsuit, you may contact Francis P. McConville, Esq. of Labaton Sucharow, at (800) 321-0476, or via email at fmcconville@labaton.com. You can view a copy of the complaint online at https://www.labaton.com/en/cases/Greater-Pennsylvania-Carpenters-Pension-Fund-v-Philip-Morris-International.cfm

GPCPF is represented by Labaton Sucharow, which represents many of the largest pension funds in the United States and internationally with combined assets under management of more than $2 trillion. Labaton Sucharow has been recognized for its excellence by the courts and peers, and it is consistently ranked in leading industry publications. Offices are located in New York, NY, Wilmington, DE, and Washington, D.C. More information about Labaton Sucharow is available at www.labaton.com.

CONTACT:

Francis P. McConville

(800) 321-0476

fmcconville@labaton.com
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

The Agency for Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) at Azerbaijans Economy Ministry and the Azerbaijan National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation, the ministry said in a message Nov. 2.

The memorandum was signed as part of the international business forum in Baku dedicated to the development of SMEs in the Black Sea region.

The document was signed by Chairman of the Board of Azerbaijans Agency for Development of SMEs Orkhan Mammadov and President of the Azerbaijan National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations Mammad Musayev.

According to the memorandum, the agency and the confederation will cooperate in such areas as the expansion of practical ties between government bodies and the private sector, the organization of joint programs in this direction, the formation of entrepreneurial ideas among young people, the implementation of initiatives, the study of potential trends in the development of entrepreneurs, etc.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) received for storage 400.2 kilograms (12,865.2 troy ounces) of gold from Switzerland, the Ministry of Finance of Azerbaijan reported on Nov. 2.

As the report noted, the gold mined at the Gadabay deposit, after being refined in Geneva, was handed to the CBA to be deposited by the State Service for Controlling Precious Metals and Precious Stones under the Ministry of Finance.

Earlier, the Azerbaijani government received 1,891.7 kilograms of gold bars (60,813.8 troy ounces) of 999.9 fineness.

In general, to date 2,291.9 kilograms (73,679 troy ounces) of gold have been transferred to the CBA for storage. The market value of this gold is $91.7 million.

Based on a production sharing agreement signed with Azerbaijani government in August 1997, Anglo Asian Mining PLC has the right to develop six fields in Azerbaijan: Gadabay, Ordubad, Gosha Bulag, Gizil Bulag, Vejnali and Soyutlu.

The gold produced at the fields is sent to Switzerland for purification. The ingots are delivered to Azerbaijan and are stored in the governments account.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

Azerbaijan hopes that Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) will be implemented soon, Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said Nov. 2 in an interview with Bulgarias Focus News Agency.

The minister said that the energy sector is the economic foundation of relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria and it is important for the further development of cooperation between the two countries.

We hope that the IGB will be implemented soon, and thus, from 2020, it will be possible to transport Azerbaijani gas to Bulgaria. This will create new and additional opportunities for cooperation in both energy and other fields, Mammadyarov noted.

He added that one billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani natural gas to be transported via the IGB, which is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), is one fifth of Bulgarias current demand for natural gas.

Participation of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR in the supply of gas to Bulgaria is on the agenda, the minister said.

He said that on Nov. 6-8, Sofia will host the fifth meeting of the Azerbaijan-Bulgaria joint commission for trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, as well as an export mission and a business forum are planned to be held as part of the meeting with participation of about 30 food companies and wine producers.

The minister added that Azerbaijan intends to deepen and expand cooperation with Bulgaria in many areas, and expressed satisfaction that this desire is mutual.

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.

The Southern Gas Corridor provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

On May 29, Baku hosted the launch ceremony of the first phase of the Southern Gas Corridor, and on June 12, the opening ceremony of TANAP was held in the Turkish province of Eskisehir.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

The cost of the additional agreement signed by Uzbekistans state energy operator Uzbekenergo and South Koreas telecommunications giant KT Corporation on implementation of the project of the "Automated System for Accounting and Control of Electricity Consumption" (Advanced Electronic Metering Systems  AEMS) in Uzbekistan is valued around $27 million, the South Korean company told Trend.

The representative of the telecommunications corporation reminded that the contract for the creation of the AEMS worth of $100 million was signed between the parties in 2015, after Korea Telecom won the tender announced in April 2013.

"We have implemented the AEMS project and completed the pilot testing in Sept. 2018. We will be supplying and implementing the systems in Samarkand, Jizzakh and Bukhara regions. The remote reading and control of the meters for 1.4 million households will be achievable by the end of 2019," the company said.

The project worth $207.4 million is funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the amount of $150 million and own funds of Uzbekenergo. The additional agreement will create conditions for implementation of the project throughout the whole country.

According to specialists, the project will allow to achieve energy savings in the residential sector in the amount of up to 2.75 billion kilowatt/hour annually within the next 10 years, as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the amount of up to 1.935 million tons annually.

The energy consumption in Uzbekistan is 2-2.5 times higher than the corresponding figures in developed countries. Taking into account the population growth, increase in incomes of people, acceleration of urbanization processes and corresponding change in the structure of consumption, the demand for energy resources can increase by 2.5 times in the construction sector by 2030.

The country has introduced standards for energy management of production and labeling of household equipment. Energy-efficient technologies are being introduced in the street lighting system and energy-saving lamps for residential and public buildings.

The sale of incandescent lamps with a power exceeding 40 watts has been stopped in the country. In budgetary institutions, energy-intensive boilers are gradually replaced by energy-efficient boilers. Investment projects are being implemented to introduce modern gas turbine and steam turbine installations in the energy industry.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping requirements only seem likely to grow with impacts on pricing and pipeline politics, Dr. Theodore Karasik, Senior Advisor Gulf State Analytics Washington DC, told Trend.

He noted that global natural gas markets are being reshaped by the development of major emerging LNG buyers led by China, and the rising production and exports form the United States.

"In particular, US LNG is making its mark in Europe as enticement to bring European countries away from sole dependency on Russian gas exports. Poland is already importing its LNG requirements from America and other countries may join," said the expert.

Karasik noted that Germany is contemplating how to mix its energy market instead of being stuck with Russias Nordstream and the political baggage that accompanies such contracts.

Earlier, German chancellor Merkel offered government support to efforts to open up Germany to US natural gas.

Merkel reportedly told a group of lawmakers earlier this month that her government would co-finance a 500 million euros ($576 million) liquefied natural gas shipping terminal in northern Germany, giving a vital boost to a project that has been stalled for years.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

Chevron, a US-based energy corporation, produced 117.3 million barrels of oil in Kazakhstan in the first 6 months of this year, the company told Trend.

"Crude production for the first half of 2018 was 14.7 million metric tons or 117.3 million barrels," the message reads.

The company also noted that last year the crude production in Kazakhstan totaled 28.7 million metric tons, or 229 million barrels.

Chevron is the largest private oil producer in Kazakhstan, holding important stakes in two of the countrys biggest oil fields  Tengiz and Karachaganak.

The corporation holds a 50 percent interest in Tengizchevroil, which operates Tengiz.

In addition, Chevron holds an 18 percent interest in Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V.

Last year, Chevrons net daily production at the Tengiz field averaged 272,000 barrels of crude oil, 401 million cubic feet of natural gas, and 21,000 barrels of natural gas liquids. Meanwhile, the net daily production at Karachaganak averaged 33,000 barrels of liquids and 132 million cubic feet of natural gas.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

The US has included the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project, through which gas from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field will be delivered to Europe via Turkey, to the exception list of the anti-Iran sanctions that will be resumed in the coming days, TASS reported citing a notification of the US Treasury Department, published Nov. 2 in the US Federal Register.

These measures will enter into force on Nov. 5.

The document says that anti-Iran restrictions are not applied to persons who commit or assist transactions related to projects ... aimed at developing (deposits of) natural gas and building and operating a pipeline for transporting natural gas from Azerbaijan to Turkey and Europe.

The document reads that the US excluded from anti-Iran sanctions the projects that ensure energy security and energy independence of Turkey and the countries of Europe from Russia and Iran.

The gas to be supplied through the Southern Gas Corridor will be produced at Azerbaijans Shah Deniz Stage 2. Russia's Lukoil owns a 10 percent share in the project. National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) also has a 10 percent share there.

The Southern Gas Corridor, which costs more than $40 billion, is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, November 2

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

A meeting with Mohammad Homayoun Qayumi, Acting Finance Minister of Afghanistan has been held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

During the meeting, special attention was paid to the implementation of important joint infrastructure projects, such as the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and the use of the first phase of the International Asian Railway Transport Corridor Kerki-Imamnazar (Turkmenistan) - Akina (Afghanistan).

The sides reaffirmed the mutual commitment of the two countries to further intensify the bilateral dialogue, discussed the situation in the region and the priorities for the development of Turkmen-Afghan cooperation in various fields. Among the priority themes, the parties noted the important role of interstate cooperation in the trade-economic, fuel-energy, transport and cultural-humanitarian fields.

"The delegation of the IRA expressed sincere gratitude for the continued assistance provided by Turkmenistan in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, commending Turkmenistans active participation in stabilizing and establishing a peaceful and prosperous life in the neighboring state," the message says.

The meeting of the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Afghan Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation is being held in Ashgabat.
Baku, Azerbaijan, November 2

By Huseyn Veliyev  Trend:

The Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan is preparing to use blockchain technologies and SMART contracts in the housing and utilities sector, the Chairman of the Azerbaijani Internet Forum (AMF) Osman Gunduz told Trend Oct. 30.

Gunduz noted that a meeting was organized Oct. 30, where information was provided about systems and electronic services provided by various structural units of the ministry.

"The agency currently provides over 30 electronic services, and also there are about 15 information systems and registries. The registers of "electronic notary", "electronic courts", penitentiary service, the information systems of non-governmental organizations, the register of population, etc. can be mentioned. The planned project entitled as Mobile notary office, which provides for the accumulation of all notarial documents in one case, has seemed interesting," Gunduz said.

The chairman of the AMF noted that the ministrys plans include, among other things, the implementation of a project related to notarization of an electronic document.

"Especially the fact that the ministry is interested in the introduction of the blockchain technology attracted attention. It was announced that in the future, the SMART contracts will be introduced in the field of public utilities (water, gas and electricity supply). That is, this refers to the switch-over of existing contracts of citizens for utility services to SMART-contracts, which will ensure transparency and will allow to suppress the cases of falsification in this area. The citizens themselves will be able to independently control all these processes," Gunduz said.

In world practice, the chairman of the AMF said, the blockchain technologies is successfully used wherever a registry is formed.

Most of the services of the Ministry of Justice (registries and databases of the population) are based just on such technologies, the chairman added.

Gunduz noted that there are industries where the use of blockchain technology is particularly important.

This refers to electronic courts. So far, the work in this direction is very weak. Taking into consideration that the project itself has been implemented for almost five years, nevertheless the e-government is used in just a few judicial instances yet. According to my estimates, even more support is needed here. As for notarial institutions, a certain progress is observed here. For example, the extracts from the register related to real estate have already been integrated into the online environment," Gunduz said.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @h_veliyev
Baku, Azerbaijan, November 2

By Huseyn Veliyev - Trend:

Next week, the election to the Radio Regulations Board of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) will be held for a group of countries in the "C" region (Eastern Europe and Northern Asia), a source in Azerbaijan's telecommunications market told Trend.

The election will be held in the framework of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, which began its work in Dubai on October 29 and will last until November 16, 2018.

Azerbaijan is represented at the ITU conference by the delegation of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies.

Azerbaijan has put forward the candidacy of Sahiba Hasanova - an engineer by profession, who represents the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, to the ITU Council from the group of countries of the "C" region.

In addition to Azerbaijan, candidates from Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia have also been registered.

The Plenipotentiary Conference is convened once every four years and is moderated by the Administrative Council. The conference is the supreme ITU body responsible for developing the organizations future policy.

The general policy is determined, four-year strategic and financial plans are adopted, and the organizations top management, members of the Administrative Council and the Radio Regulations Board are elected at the conference.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @h_veliyev
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Held at JW Marriott Santa Monica Le Merigot on November 1st, Thai Night 2018  Thailand Where Films Come Alive was one of the most high-profile events of the AFM 2018.



Held last night in Santa Monica, Thai Night 2018  Thailand Where Films Come Alive, a gala hosted by the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce, on the occasion of the American Film Market 2018, was a resounding success, attracting hundreds of international film professionals keen to learn more about the growing appeal of Thailand as a filming destination as well as its state-of-the-art film production and creative services.

Presided by Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi, and with Ms. Chutima Bunyapraphasara, Deputy Minister of Commerce, also in attendance, the gala event registered full capacity attendance, with over 460 attendees from over 16 countries, including many high-profile talent and filmmakers such as special guests Mr. Jerome Paillard Executive Director of Marche du Film, Alain Moussi, the lead actor in Kickboxer: Retaliation (2018), Dimitri Logothetis, the films producer and director and Michael Jai White.

The gala gave the opportunity to the Thai film industry to showcase its talent and world-class production and post-production capacities with the Thai Film Companies Showcase activity, during which eight leading Thai film and animation companies presented their latest work, film lineups and services. The eight companies include Benetone Films Co., Ltd; GDH 559 Co., Ltd; Hollywood Thailand Co., Ltd; Kantana Sound Studio Co., Ltd; M Pictures Company Limited; P.L.H. Holding Co., Ltd; Sahamongkolfilm International Co., Ltd; and The Monk Studios Co., Ltd.

Notable films introduced at this years market and presented during the evening featured KHUNPAN 2 produced by Sahamongkol Films, Homestay produced by GDH Pictures and SAD BEAUTY produced by Bongkod Bencharongkul which is distributed by M Pictures.

Thai creativity extends far beyond directing. The Thai film industry boasts world-class talent in all areas of filmmaking, from concept design  with such artists as Gritsada Satjawatcharaphong, lead sculptor and concept artist on Star Wars, Spiderwick Chronicles, The Shadow King or The Life Aquatic  all the way to setting design, with Nakarin Kamseela, an award-winning furniture designer whose works for design of brand Deesawat have been featured in high-profile international films such as Her and The Gift.

Thai creativity is born out of centuries of a rich and varied culture which is at the same time very unique and universally appreciated. When combined with its beautiful locations and state-of-the-art production, post-production, animation and CGI services, Thailand offers a truly one-of-a-kind film production environment which can satisfy all requirements of world-class international film production.

This explains why, while Thai films are conquering international festivals and audiences, Thailand is establishing itself as one of the most attractive film locations in the world. In 2017, 1,258 foreign audiovisual productions took place in Thailand, generating 145 Million US Dollars in gross foreign production expenditures. Among the upcoming projects shooting in Thailand is Jiu Jitsu, a sci-fi action film to be directed by Dimitri Logothetis, starring Tony Jaa, Alain Moussi and Randy Couture.

According to Ms. Chutima Bunyapraphasara, Deputy Minister of Commerce, these achievements are the direct result of the countrys film industrys four strengths: the talent of Thai film professionals, the quality of the countrys production crews, Thailands beautiful locations and the proficiency of the Thai film industrys post-production, animation and CGI services.

This trend will continue to strengthen thanks to the launch, back in 2017, of a production incentive program offering a cash rebate of up to 20% on qualifying production expenses.

Hence the comprehensive efforts spearheaded by DITP to promote the Thai film industry and its creative services toward the international film community, as part of the Governments ambitious development initiative dubbed Thailand 4.0.

With hundreds of foreign film delegates attending its jam-packed AFM event, DITPs strategy of promoting Thai film entrepreneurship and Thai film content and services is yielding results. While the number of foreign producers selecting Thailand as a shooting destination keep rising, several partnerships between Thai companies and international producers are said to be already in the work, and foreign buyers were particularly keen on snatching the latest Thai titles offered at the market, amounting to record level of sales at the Thai pavilion.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c6086f58-2ab1-4147-8a6f-083ca223e27c

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2b2cb562-16f6-47d1-9e58-914be52fb686

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d051de94-5635-44a1-a9a4-2fabc7fc5f24




Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

The Ministry of Innovative Development of Uzbekistan has signed a $40 million agreement for the creation of the University of the Future, CEO and founder of the University Behruz Hamzaev told Trend.

The document was signed with an angel investor who will invest the $40 million for the creation of the first online University in Central Asia.

People behind the project are currently in active negotiations with the world's leading online universities as well as with Learning Management System (LMS) platform providers and other content creators, such as McGraw-Hill Education, Belouga, Minerva Schools at KGI/Minerva Project, The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, City University of Hong Kong, edX, Udacity and iversity.

In some cases, the parties have already reached agreements and MOUs (Memorandums of Understanding) are being finalized for signing.

The new university project provides for the introduction into the educational process of advanced pedagogical and information technologies and the latest achievements of science and technology.

To get the university up and running, the parties have been creating the necessary conditions for the functioning of a robust electronic information and educational environment. The platform will include resources, courses and degrees that can be accessed in English, Russian and Uzbek languages and will provide programs for about 50,000 students per year, regardless of their location.

The coverage of higher education in Uzbekistan is only 9 percent at the moment. In 2018, roughly 800,000 students applied for university places in the country and sat exams for only 70.000 university places, leaving around 730,000 students to be excluded from higher education. The University of the Future is most scalable and fast solution for this problem.

The University is expecting to attract 50,000 students in the first year and up to 5 million students by 2025.

We understand that this is a very ambitious goal. However, all important prerequisites such as technology, content, platform, know-how and human capital are there. All we need to do is to build the minimum viable product and to carry on with DevOps Hamzaev said.

When assessing students knowledge, their results will be received and stored in a database in New Zealand. This factor will serve as a guarantor to prevent corruption during the exams.

Despite being 100-percent online, the University will have a main campus in Tashkent and branch campuses in all 14 regions of the country. The government of Uzbekistan is graciously providing the university with the premises of one former vocational college in each region so as to assure that the university can realize its vision of multipurpose education.

In fact, all branches will contain test, study and tutoring spaces, as well as makerspaces, co-working spaces, startup incubators and business accelerators, so that students will be better prepared for the real world, Hamzaev said.

All local negotiations have been finalized and it is expected that Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will sign the decree to establish the very first online university in Central Asia by the end of this year.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the first professional Call Center in Azerbaijan, which is associated with Azercell Telecom. Thus, Azercell Telecom LLC launched first Call Center operating on a 24/7 basis for the first time in Azerbaijan on November 1st, 1998. Later in 2008, the mobile operator established the first Regional Call Center in Ganja.

In the modern business world, one can hardly imagine a large company without a call center. It has been 20 years that subscribers contact the company any time during a day and carry out various operations, get relevant information and receive technical support through Azercells Call Center. However, the group, which celebrates its 20th anniversary today, has expanded and provides a number of different services to the customers through Customer Support Line, Online Chat, Social Media and Premium Support Line.

Notably, Call Center has received more than 50 million customer inquiries during past 20 years. Retaining its leading position in the telecom market in the country, introducing technological innovations and making all modern services available for its subscribers, Azercell Telecom LLC intends to further upgrade and expand service channels and types of Customer Support Line. As a result, customer service center will actively communicate with subscribers as a virtual secretary, leading to the solution of inquiries more promptly and easily.

Azercell Call Center which serves the customers on a 24/7 basis is comprised of professional staff. It is proven by the surveys among customers and research organizations. Thus, according to the results of the first half of 2018, 93 percent of the respondents expressed their satisfaction with the services provided by Call Center. The assessment took into account the time taken to reply to the inquiry, manner of interaction with the customer, receipt of the information and immediate solution of the problem.

Azercell adheres to the principles of confidentiality, integrity, impartiality, promptness, and convenience when dealing with the inquiries of its 4, 5 million subscribers. Focused on raising customer satisfaction from the first day of its activity, the company thoroughly studies the proposals and comments of the customers.

The performance and quality of services provided by Azercell Customer Services and Call Center are regularly reviewed and certified by international audit companies. Notably, Azercell Call Center was awarded international quality certificates EN 15838:2009 in 2011 and ISO18295 in 2018. The services provided by the company representatives through social media were also highly evaluated at an international level.

Over the past 4 years, the company received international 100% Socially Devoted certificate many times for the quality of service on Facebook. It is a clear indicator of application of quality management system and organization of customer service at a high level.

The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With 48 percent share of Azerbaijans mobile telecom market Azercells network covers 80 percent of the territory (excluding 20 percent of the occupied territories) and 99,8 percent of population of the country.

Currently, 4,5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, Metro coverage, 24/7 call centre service, 7 day/week Front Office service, M2M services, one-stop-shopping approach Azercell Express offices, mobile customer services, Online Customer Care and Social Media Customer Care services, mobile e-signature service ASAN Imza etc. Azercell deployed first 4G  LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012.

According to the results of mobile network quality and wireless coverage mapping surveys by international systems, Azercells network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. Azercell is the only company in Azerbaijan and CIS region which has been awarded Gold Certificate of International Investors in People Standard.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

On Oct. 31  Nov. 5, 2018, a Malaysian delegation headed by President of Salawak Islamic Council Misnu bin Haji Taha is on an official visit to Uzbekistan, the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan said in a statement.

The delegation consists of 23 people, including state religious authorities.

The Malaysian delegation is planning to hold meetings with the Muslims Office, the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers, the State Committee for Tourism Development and the Center for Islamic Civilization of Uzbekistan, as well as visit the Astronomical Institute and the Maidanak Observatory, which will allow guests to learn about the country's potential in the pilgrim tourism, Islamic cultural heritage and the contribution of Uzbek scientists in the development of astronomy.

On Oct. 31  Nov. 2, 2018, a Malaysian business delegation headed by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry had been on a visit to Uzbekistan.

On Nov. 1, 2018, an Uzbek-Malaysian business forum and B2B cooperation exchange was organized in Tashkent with the participation of businesses of the two countries.

In January-September 2018, trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Malaysia amounted to $79.9 million, of which $2.27 million accounted for exports from Uzbekistan and $77.7 million for imports from Malaysia.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

A new tourist hub opened in the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in Kazakhstans city of Almaty, Kazinform reported.

The center includes a lot of national traits. The hub exhibits samples of petroglyphs, a photo zone, handmade yurt and national souvenirs, commemorative shirts, etc.

Director of the Visit Almaty tourist information center Edige Margulan noted that the city offers tourists to enjoy the atmosphere of neo-nomadism, when in a day one can see both the modern metropolis and feel the ethnic atmosphere.

The tourist hub focuses not only on foreign, but also on local tourists. The center offers free handouts - city maps, guidebooks and albums. One can also buy tourist cards to pay for travel in public transport.

Besides the tourist hub, Almaty has two more information points for tourists, but their number is expected to increase. According to plans, next year the city will have 11 tourist information points.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Nov. 2

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

The Turkmen parliament has adopted the draft law of Turkmenistan On the tripartite commission for the regulation of social and labor relations, the Turkmen government said in a message.

The document defines the legal basis for the formation and activities of the tripartite commission for the regulation of social and labor relations. The commission includes representatives of the Turkmen government  a state body specially authorized by the Turkmen Cabinet of Ministers, the national center of trade unions and other representative body of workers, as well as associations of employers and authorized representatives of entrepreneurs.

The tasks of the commission include conducting negotiations, assisting in settling social and labor relations, coordination of the interests of the parties on the main directions of socio-economic development, holding consultations, government programs in the field of labor relations, employment and social protection of the population, as well as the study of international experience.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

Uzbek Minister for Development of Information Technologies and Communications Shukhrat Sadikov met with a delegation of the German company Siemens led by Vice President Alexander Liberov.

The issues of cooperation between the parties in the implementation of the "Safe City" project were discussed at the meeting.

The minister stressed that in 1990s, the long-term cooperation between Uzbekistan and Siemens was based on mutual trust and readiness for fruitful cooperation.

During the meeting, a decision was made to take into account Germanys best practice in the implementation of the Safe City project.

Liberov stressed that during cooperation in March 2018, a delegation of Siemens company visited Uzbekistan as part of a Siemens workshop on the Safe City held for representatives of ministries and departments.

The working group of Uzbekistan intends to visit London to study and review the implemented projects "Safe / Smart City".

The minister expressed hope for support in the implementation of the pilot project for the year by attracting foreign direct investments and signing the necessary documents and a roadmap in the near future.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

The Uzbek-Malaysian Business Forum and Cooperation Exchange (B2B) has been recently organized in Tashkent, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a message.

According to the message, the business circles of the two countries participated in the forum.

The purpose of the event is further development of bilateral trade, economic and investment cooperation between Uzbekistan and Malaysia through the implementation of promising investment projects and an increase in export of Uzbek products to Malaysia.

Heads of diplomatic missions of both countries, representatives of a number of Uzbek ministries and departments, as well as 12 Malaysian and 70 Uzbek companies took part in the event.

During the event, the Malaysian side was informed about the favourable conditions created in Uzbekistan for doing business, the ongoing large-scale economic reforms, the activity of free economic zones, the trade and economic potential of the country and its regions.

The issues of establishing partnership relations between the business circles of the two countries were discussed during the business meeting.

Malaysian businessmen appreciated the reforms undertaken by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to liberalize and diversify the countrys economy and expressed great interest in further strengthening of cooperation with Uzbekistan.

During the meeting it was stressed that the Uzbek-Malaysian business forum will create an opportunity for the exchange of experience and opinions between the business circles of the two countries.

In January-September 2018, exports of products from Uzbekistan to Malaysia increased by 2.7 times compared to the same period of 2017. Sixteen enterprises with Malaysian capital have been registered in Uzbekistan.

Following the business forum, several agreements were reached.

Among them are an agreement on opening a representative office of an Uzbek company in Malaysia for export of manufactured products; an agreement on the creation of an Uzbek-Malaysian joint venture in the Tashkent region for production of building materials; an agreement on the implementation of an investment project on the production of juice and special additives in the food industry.

An agreement on shooting of a film in Bukhara and Khorezm regions until the end of 2019; an agreement on signing a cooperation agreement on rendering joint logistics services and the sale of containers to the Malaysian side for the transportation of cargo; an agreement on organizing the visit of Malaysian business circles to Uzbekistan, led by the management of Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) in the first half of 2019 were also signed.
Baku, Azerbaijan, November 2

Trend:

An event was held in Uzbekistan's Angren city to lay the foundation for an enterprise for the production of cement, established in collaboration with Swedish entrepreneurs.

The commissioning of the enterprise of the "Aba gts group" LLC will create opportunities for the production of 1,200 tons of products per day. The permanent employment of 400 people will be provided. It is planned to complete the construction of the complex by November next year.

At the solemn ceremony, the organizers stressed that the scale of work aimed at satisfaction of the priority needs of the population in housing, social and road infrastructure is expanding in Uzbekistan.

This, in turn, increases the demand for building materials, in particular for cement. The products of the new enterprise will help to meet this demand in the domestic market.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Elnur Baghishov  Trend:

Trade turnover and trade cooperation between Iran and Turkey are growing, Shata cited Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Reza Rahmani as saying.

Rahmani made the remarks at a meeting with Turkish ambassador to Tehran Reza Hakan Tekin at an event organized by the Turkish embassy in Tehran on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.

He said the Islamic Republic of Iran considers comprehensive relations and cooperation with neighboring countries, Islamic countries, mainly Turkey, as one of the main foreign policy strategies.

Rahmani added that the Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade seeks to create favorable conditions within a win-win strategy for development of cooperation and relations between Iranian and Turkish businessmen as part of a joint Iran-Turkey commission.

The minister stressed that Iran does not see any restriction to development of relations with Turkey.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

After the military coup attempt in Turkey, tensions arose in its relations with the US. The Turkish authorities repeatedly stated that the US stands behind the coup attempt, since Fethullah Gulen, the ideological leader of the FETO terrorist group, is hiding in the US.

Despite all the demands of Turkey to extradite Gulen, the US hasnt yet extradited the organizer of the coup attempt, which killed more than 250 Turkish citizens and injured over 2,000 people.

The arrest of US pastor Andrew Brunson, who was accused of complicity with the attempted coup in Turkey in 2016, was the peak of tensions in relations between Turkey and the US.

President Donald Trump promised to impose large sanctions on Turkey for detaining the pastor.

The United States will impose large sanctions on Turkey for their long time detainment of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, family man and wonderful human being, Trump tweeted. He is suffering greatly. This innocent man of faith should be released immediately!

The sanctions were imposed, and Turkey suffered great economic and financial losses. Sanctions were also imposed on two Turkish ministers.

On October 12, 2018, Turkey released the American pastor, despite all previous strong statements about his proven guilt. The release of the pastor at the request of the US led to Washington's lifting the sanctions on only two Turkish ministers, leaving all the rest. But it did not prevent the Turkish media from interpreting this step of the US as the beginning of a new era in relations between the two countries.

At the same time, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's statement was forgotten.

Cavusoglu, in his statement on October 23, said that relations between Turkey and the US have not deteriorated because of pastor Brunson's arrest.

As the foreign minister noted, there are disagreements between the US and Turkey over the US support for the PYD/YPG terrorists.

"The US must stop supporting the PYD/YPG terrorists in Syria's north," Cavusoglu said.

Cavusoglu's words once again prove that the American "rehabilitation" of the two ministers is just a gesture that does not remove the fundamental contradictions and cannot be considered the beginning of a new era in the US-Turkey relations.

Until the US keeps its promise that the PYD/YPG militants leave Syrian Manbij, full normalization of relations between the US and Turkey is out of the question.

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Rufiz Hafizoglu, deputy editor-in-chief of Trend

Follow him on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
(click to enlarge) After World War II and the Chinese civil war, Mao Tse-tung and the Communist Party took over. For Mao, Chinese nationalism was a necessary step on the way to achieving a communist state. As he saw it, Chinas ethnic diversity was a symptom of class conflict, and once that conflict was resolved, ethnic distinctions would disappear. But China was not quite ready for that yet, so in the meantime Mao tried to use nationalism to the countrys benefit. The party increased the number of government-recognized minzus, from 38 in 1953 to 53 a decade later. Even by the late 1950s, though, Mao thought China was ready for its Great Leap Forward, and, for him, that meant the country was on the verge of becoming a truly communist state and that ethnic minorities were on the verge of obsolescence. Ironically, as China increased the number of recognized minzus, it began an aggressive and sometimes violent attempt to assimilate them. A mythology of national genesis emerged that portrayed the northern Chinese Communists as the rightful heirs to Han Chinas unifying culture and millenniums-old civilization. Ultimately, Maos Great Leap Forward was a failure. Far from overcoming nationalist ideology and ethnic differences, it ushered in a new era of Chinese nationalism, one that emphasized the pre-eminence of the Han in the zhonghua minzu.

After Maos death in 1976, the Communist Party adopted a softer approach to Chinas ethnic minorities. The reason was simple: The Soviet Union and Chinas economic backwardness posed a larger threat than anti-Han sentiments did. China responded by normalizing relations with the United States and opening up to the global economy. This was, in effect, a repudiation of communism, and the emphasis on destroying class distinctions gave way to a renewed sense of nationalism, one that tolerated minorities so long as they saw themselves as part of the broader Chinese nation. Now that China was not fighting for the universal proletariat, but for the advancement of the Chinese people, it became easier to accept ethnic differences. (Since 1984, official Chinese policy has been to grant minority communities a certain degree of autonomy and some benefits, such as tuition subsidies, preferential access to employment and tax breaks.) Moreover, Chinas global prestige began to grow, which had been one of the goals of the zhonghua minzus first Han proponents in the late 19th century. A Revival Some officials and academics used the phrase zhonghua minzu during this time, but since taking office, Xi Jinping has revived the term  as well as the debate over its true meaning. A 2017 Financial Times article claimed that zhonghua minzu is a race-based idea of national rejuvenation, in effect giving voice to the fear that China didnt avoid fascism, but rather was simply a century behind others. According to this line of thinking, China will eradicate non-Han elements of Chinese society and use zhonghua minzu for its expansionist aims, such as uniting Taiwan with the mainland or projecting Chinese rule wherever those of Han blood reside. Other experts dispute this interpretation, seeing zhonghua minzu as inclusive and politically defined  similar to the American melting pot that unites citizens of many ethnicities through their loyalty to the same political system. Still others note that in practical terms, little has changed in Chinas ethnic policies. As one East-West Center study put it, Xis rhetoric is not indicative of yellow supremacism but of a relatively cautious politician hoping to use a benign form of Chinese nationalism to bind the country together .

Its impossible to know which of these interpretations is correct  but the recent evidence doesnt inspire much hope. Xis rise to power followed one of the most intense periods of ethnic conflict in Chinas recent history. It included the 2008 riots in Tibet that targeted Han and Hui citizens and their businesses; the 2009 Shaoguan incident in which migrant Uighurs and Han Chinese clashed over the alleged assault of a Han Chinese woman; and the 2009 Urumqi riots, which at least one study has referred to as Chinas 9/11, and which resulted in the deaths of between 197 and 1,000 Chinese citizens. No doubt these episodes are seared into Xis memory. Just as he was about to take power, the countrys ethnic minorities seemed to convulse with a seething resentment that can only have heightened his awareness of the dangers his presidency would face.

Subsequent changes introduced by Xi have given some indication of his intent. He has made Confucius required reading for Communist officials, an action that would have been unthinkable under Mao , whose ideology was predicated on Chinas throwing off the shackles of its past. Harkening back to a sixth- and fifth-century B.C. philosophers national moral thinking, originally adopted by the Han dynasty, might be thought of as the Chinese equivalent of the National Socialists worship of Teutonic knights in the forest. Since his speech in 2012, Xi has further articulated his Chinese Dream, describing it as filled with glory, hardship, and sacrifice, and as a rival to the American and European dreams. The insistence that the Chinese Dream is unique because it promotes world peace and development fails to distract from the expansionist components of Xis vision for China: He wants to lead the country not just to become a powerful nation but to reclaim its status as the Middle Kingdom, the center of gravity for global affairs.

But perhaps most unsettling are the recent Chinese policies toward Uighurs in Xinjiang province. Over 1 million Uighurs have been detained in vocational training centers and re-education camps. According to the Chinese government, these are facilities devoted to preventing the spread of extremism in Xinjiang. Theres no doubt China has cause to fear Islamist extremism, and perhaps thats all there is to it. Perhaps the Uighur camps are Chinas version of Japanese internment in the U.S. during World War II and not a sign of re-emerging Han chauvinism. Or perhaps the forced detention, re-education and ideological cleansing of people based on their ethnicity and religious beliefs is simply so incomprehensible to this analyst after the horrors of World War II that it strains the bounds of credulity and leads to wishful thinking that it couldnt possibly be a replay of dark times long past.

When in doubt, I have found it best to take someone at his word. Xi has said China has struggled continuously since 1840  when the First Opium War began and Britain humiliated the Middle Kingdom  and that it is now closer to achieving its objective than it has been at any other time in history. (What that objective is exactly is also up for debate.) Xi has said too that this dream reflects the comprehensive interest of the zhonghua minzu  and that the fate of the people will hinge entirely on the future destiny of this minzu. At the very least, it seems clear that when Xi looks at China, he does not see 56 ethnicities, or five races, but a single Chinese people  and that it is the Communist Partys job to unite them under one rule. Xi has also insinuated that Han China will play a dominant role in defining how the unified Chinese people should think. And according to the government, this vision of renewal is one in which U.S. materialism and European colonialism are replaced by world peace and harmony.

All would-be global powers rely on a sense of exceptionalism to justify the sacrifices necessary to enhance their global status. Zhonghua minzu may well be Chinas. Observers can only hope that it will not go the way of the minzoku and the volk and that instead it will lean toward inclusivity, as it did in the early 20th century when the phrase was last in vogue. But Chinas current trajectory and ambitions are unlike anything it has experienced before, so perhaps no hope can be taken from its past. As for the meaning of zhonghua minzu, the best translation the English language can give us right now is Chinese nation  not in the sense of a country, but in the sense of a people with shared language, culture and values. The deeper question is whether the Communist Party can survive the great renewal of the zhonghua minzu. If Confucius, Uighur concentration camps and dictatorship are the best it has to offer , I confess I am more pessimistic about the partys survival and more optimistic about the minzu question than I was when I began.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

Trend:

Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov has been dismissed by the decision of the CSTO Collective Security Council, according to the CSTO website, RIA Novosti reported.

Deputy Secretary General Valeriy Semerikov has temporarily assumed the duties of secretary general.

Special Investigative Committee of Armenia pressed charges against Khachaturov as part of the criminal investigation into the events of March 1, 2008 - the post presidential election crackdown in Armenia during which eight civilians and two police officers were killed.

The criminal case was initiated according Part 1 of Article 300 of Armenias Criminal Code, that qualifies Khachaturovs actions as aimed at overthrowing of constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia.
The UN Security Council members will visit China in November during China's presidency of the council, said Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ma Zhaoxu on Thursday, Xinhua reported.

"We are planning to hold two side events. The first one is the planned visit by the Security Council members to China," Ma told reporters.

The theme of the visit will be peacekeeping operations, he said. "We'll have a chance to visit the stand-by peacekeeping forces near Beijing and so we'll have an opportunity to exchange with the peacekeeping soldiers and officers and to discuss how to improve the work of peacekeeping operations."

The council members will also visit Shenzhen and Guangzhou in the southern Guangdong province -- the pioneer cities of opening up and reform, said Ma.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's opening up and reform, he said. "That would be meaningful for us to go to the southern part of China ... and have an impression of China's development in the past 40 years."

"I have the honor to invite my colleagues in the council to pay a visit to China and to give my colleagues an opportunity to feel China, feel China's development, feel China's opening up and reform," said Ma.

The second side event would be a performance on Nov. 6 in New York City by a Chinese troupe of disabled people, said Ma.

The troupe is well-known across the world. It has toured more than 100 countries and won awards from UN agencies, he said.
Greece and Macedonia have relaunched a passenger flight route between the countries after a 12-year interruption as the nations seek to mend ties after reaching an accord in June to end a decades-old row over the ex-Yugoslav Republics name, Reuters reported.

The roughly one-hour route connecting Athens with Skopje will be operated by Greeces largest carrier, Aegean Airlines, twice a week.

The Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Bujar Osmani, was in Athens for Thursdays announcement. He arrived by car.

Greece will be our closest ally, and now I am heading to the airport as we re-establish an air connection that symbolizes a new strategic partnership in the region, Osmani said after talks with Greek Alternate Foreign Minister George Katrougalos.

The name dispute made for turbulent relations between the two neighbors for years.

Greece has long objected to the tiny landlocked Balkan state being called simply Macedonia, arguing it implied appropriation of Greek heritage.

Aegean operated flights on the Athens-Skopje route over 2003-2006 but stopped after Macedonia changed its main airports name to Skopje Alexander the Great, angering a Greek nation proud of its links to the Macedonian empire-builder.

In January Prime Minister Zoran Zaevs administration changed the name of the airport to International Airport Skopje and renamed a main highway, helping to smooth negotiations that led to the name deal in June.

The accord, in which it was agreed to rename the former Yugoslav republic as the Republic of North Macedonia, was viewed as a national sellout by some on both sides and still requires formal ratification by both countries.
At least seven people were killed and 17 wounded in attack on a bus heading from Sohag province to Coptic Christian monastery in upper Egypt city of Minya, the Archbishop of Sohag told Xinhua on Friday.

"Unknown masked military men opened fire on the bus in route to Samuel monastery," he added.

No group yet declared responsibility for the attack.

Last year in the same place, 28 Copts were killed in a similar attack.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 1

Trend:

Moscow is interested in keeping the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and regrets Washingtons decision to withdraw from it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"We are interested in saving [the INF Treaty] and we regret the US announced intention to withdraw from the treaty; we have expressed our readiness to discuss the present situation, but as we understand it, the US decision is final. It will be announced officially soon, and a six-month countdown will begin, after which the decision to terminate the contract will become a reality," Lavrov said speaking at a press conference after talks with OSCE Secretary General, RIA Novosti reported.

He recalled that the Russian president had repeatedly spoken about Russia's interest in keeping the INF Treaty.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that Washington would withdraw from the INF Treaty. He noted that America will increase its nuclear potential until the rest "come to their senses," then Washington will be ready to stop this process and begin to reduce armaments. He explained that this message is addressed primarily to China and Russia.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty, formally Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles) is a 1987 arms control agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union (and later its successor state the Russian Federation).

The INF Treaty eliminated all nuclear and conventional missiles, as well as their launchers, with ranges of 500-1,000 kilometers (short-range) and 1,000-5,500 km (intermediate-range). The treaty did not cover sea-launched missiles. By May 1991, 2,692 missiles were eliminated, followed by 10 years of on-site verification inspections.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkeys position on Armenia is clear, the Turkish presidential administration told Trend on Nov. 2.

The normalization of relations without the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories is out of the question, the administration said.

As before, Turkey will support Azerbaijan and will also keep the issue of resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the agenda, the administration added.

"If Armenia wants to normalize relations with Turkey, then it must immediately withdraw its armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories," the Turkish presidential administration said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

The administration also said that Armenia must also renounce claims on 1915 events against Turkey.

"Despite all Turkeys appeals to consider the archive files and create a joint commission to investigate the 1915 events, Armenia has not yet taken any steps in this direction," the administration said.

The administration stressed that Armenias refusal from Turkeys proposal to consider the archive files and create a joint commission testifies that there was no "Armenian genocide" in the history of Turkey.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, allegedly carried out "genocide" against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

A terrorist attack was prevented in Turkeys eastern Malatya province, the Turkish media reported on Nov. 2.

As a result of a special operation conducted by the provincial police, a truck loaded with 28 kilograms of explosives was located.

Reportedly, during the operation, three people who were planning to commit a terrorist attack in the city center, were detained.

The names of the detainees, as well as other details of the operation were not disclosed.

A terrorist attack has been recently prevented in Turkeys south-eastern Mardin province.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The 18th session of the D-8 Council of Foreign Ministers will be held in Turkeys Antalya province on Nov. 3, the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Trend on Nov. 2.

During the session, a number of issues, including the development of relations between the D-8 member-states, will be discussed.

The previous 17th session of the D-8 Council was held in Istanbul in October 2017.

Delivering speech at D-8 summit in 2017, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the composition of the Organization for Economic Cooperation must be expanded.

The Turkish president stressed that both economic and political ties between the countries participating in the D-8 summit must be expanded.

Erdogan also said that the member-states of this organization must use their national currency in mutual trade.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
The order to kill Jamal Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said late Friday in an opinion piece in The Washington Post detailing Turkey's stance on the killing of the journalist in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

"Saudi Arabia still has many questions to answer about Jamal Khashoggi's killing," read the title of the piece, published a month after the brutal murder.

"Where is Khashoggi's body? Who is the 'local collaborator' to whom Saudi officials claimed to have handed over Khashoggi's remains? Who gave the order to kill this kind soul? Unfortunately, the Saudi authorities have refused to answer those questions," the president asked.

Calling those behind the killing "puppet masters", Erdogan said it was the international community's duty to uncover the whole truth.

Saying that he didn't believe even "for a second" that King Salman ordered the killing of the dissident journalist, Erdogan said even though Turkey and Saudi Arabia enjoy friendly relations, Turkey will not "turn a blind eye to the premeditated murder that unfolded in front of our very eyes."

"The killing of Khashoggi is inexplicable. Had this atrocity taken place in the United States or elsewhere, authorities in those countries would have gotten to the bottom of what happened. It would be out of the question for us to act any other way," Erdogan added.

Erdogan also warned those planning of committing such acts "on the soil of a NATO ally again," saying the perpetrators will face severe consequences.

"The Khashoggi murder was a clear violation and a blatant abuse of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations," he said, underscoring that . not punishing the perpetrators of the murder "could set a very dangerous precedent."

Khashoggi went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After initially saying Khashoggi had left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later he had died there.

Investigation of the incident suggests a special hit squad came to the consulate to kill Khashoggi and cover up the murder. The international community refused to accept the Saudi claim that the incident was not a premeditated murder.

Turkey is seeking the extradition of 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia over the journalist's slaying. It also is pressing Saudi Arabia for information about who ordered Khashoggi's killing and the location of his remains.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Riyadh many times to disclose the identity of an alleged local collaborator said to have been involved in getting rid of Khashoggi's body.
Hot-headed actor Alec Baldwin was arrested Friday after punching a man in New York City, police said, CNBC reported.

A spokesman for the New York Police Department told CNBC that the 30 Rock star Baldwin was in custody after the incident in the East Village section of Manhattan.

Charges are pending, but Baldwin is expected to be charged with third-degree assault and harassment.

Sources told WNBC-TV in New York that the dispute involving the 60-year-old Baldwin was over a parking spot.

Police told CNBC that officers responded to East 10th Street at about 2 p.m. after someone called 911 to report an assault.

Upon arrival, officers observed a 49-years-old male conscious and alert with injury to his left jaw, police said. EMS responded and transported the aided to Lenox Hill Hospital in stable condition.

Baldwin, who has appeared in such films as Working Girl, The Departed, and Glengarry Glen Ross, more recently has made news for his frequent scathing impersonations of President Donald Trump on NBCs Saturday Night Live.

When Trump was asked by reporters Friday afternoon about the arrest of his nemesis, the president said, I wish him luck.
These are unprecedented times in Europe. The EU is still engaged in unprecedented exit negotiations with the United Kingdom. Less than a year ago, the European Commission took the unprecedented step of triggering disciplinary measures against Poland, and last month the European Parliament triggered the same so-called Article 7 proceedings, this time against Hungary. Then on Tuesday, the European Commission rejected the draft budget of a member state  Italy  for the first time ever.

Though Italys government is unabashedly populist and euroskeptical, theres nothing unusual about an EU country flouting EU budget rules. Whats different this time is that the bloc feels compelled to defend the sanctity of its budget rules but cant risk forcing out Italy, its fourth-largest economy (and after Brexit, the third-largest) and a founding member. Leaving would be a last resort for Italy as well. An Italexit would be extraordinarily painful for both sides  and it could be a mortal blow for the euro. Rome understands, however, that Brussels lacks the instruments to force compliance on its own. The real threat to Italy is that the EU will try to use market pressure to bend the government to its will. This Could Take a While Italys debt has been a problem for years , and the countrys nearly five-month-old government has aimed its spending plans at stimulating consumption to spur economic growth. The budget features a deficit for 2019 that is triple what the previous government had agreed to with Brussels and is unlikely to reduce Italys public debt  already the second-highest in Europe. It would also expand the countrys structural deficit (the nominal budget balance minus one-off expenses and business cycle effects) when, based on prior agreement, the new budget was supposed to decrease it. The commissions rejection of the budget is just one step in a longer process; it merely extends a volley of submissions and rejections between the two parties that could last into early December. And although the Italian government must finalize and pass its budget by the end of the year, that doesnt have to be the end either. In typical, tortuous EU fashion, the affair could easily drag out to the middle of 2019.

But the EU is in no mood to wait. It rejected the budget nearly a week before the official deadline for a decision, and EU officials have said they would also consider moving up a decision on whether to sanction Italy, something that otherwise would wait until more complete economic data becomes available in April. (EU rules permit the commission to fine member states that break budget rules up to 0.2 percent of their gross domestic product  a decent sum for Italy but not enough to force compliance.) The bloc is looking for any way to end this fight quickly and decisively. For Italy, on the other hand, a prolonged spat  particularly in which its defending the interests of its people  will only strengthen its euroskeptic government.

The EUs best weapon, then, is one it can influence but that it doesnt control: the markets. In a peculiar role reversal, its the EU that has been inciting investor fears lately. Last week, German news outlet Der Spiegel ran a report it later corrected that EU budget commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the European Commission, breaking protocol, had rejected the Italian budget out of hand, without giving Rome a chance to justify its plans. The next day, the commission sent a letter to the Italian government seeking clarification on the budget, which it called an unprecedented breach of EU rules. (The claim rings a little hollow; a 2.4 percent deficit wouldnt even have cracked the eurozones top three last year, and France has run larger deficits for years with no penalty.) And on Thursday, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi refused to be drawn in to mediate between his native country and the commission. Draghi, who vowed in 2012 during the eurozone crisis to do whatever it takes to defend the euro, warned the Italian government nearly two weeks ago that the ECB would not come to its rescue if budget talks with the commission failed. He also reaffirmed Thursday that the central bank would end its bond-buying program at the end of the year, a move that should enable yields on long-term government bonds to rise.

The strategy is clear: If the EU wants to push Rome to compromise on the budget quickly, without having to make a decision about sanctions, market anxiety is its friend.

And it has plenty of opportunities to turn up the heat. Eurozone ministers are scheduled to meet Nov. 5 and again on Dec. 3. The ECBs Governing Council meets Dec. 13, and this years final EU summit is set for Dec. 13-14. Each of these meetings is a chance for the EU to draw attention to the supposedly reckless spending plans of the Italian government  not in front of its peers, but in front of investors. Italy Bides Its Time While the EU is emphasizing its differences with Italy, leaders in the country are going out of their way to downplay the dispute. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and his two deputies  the heads of the Five Star Movement and the League, the two parties in the governing coalition  have all said recently that Italy has no intention of leaving the European Union or the eurozone. (This despite the fact that the coalitions first choice for finance minister was Paolo Savona, who has described the euro as a German cage and co-authored a paper in 2015 titled Practical Guide to Leaving the Euro.) Conte said the two sides would sit down around the table and talk, just like any family would do to resolve their differences over the budget. An undersecretary in the League, the party of outspoken Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, said over the weekend that the current 2.4 percent budget deficit was a ceiling that the government may not reach and warned that the 10-year yield spread between Italian and German bonds was a threat to Italys banks that could not be ignored. Salvini himself has hinted in the past that a spread exceeding 400 basis points could force the government to reconsider its spending plans, and Credit Suisse cautioned earlier this month that such a spread would be unsustainable for Italian Banks.
KYODO NEWS - Nov 2, 2018 - 13:55 | Urgent, All, Japan

Japan will tighten rules for drinking by airplane staff following the arrest in London of a Japan Airlines Co. co-pilot for failing a breath test shortly before a flight and recent alcohol problems in the aviation industry, the transport minister said Friday.

"We will use all possible means to ensure flight safety," the minister, Keiichi Ishii, told reporters, adding the government will study the standards of other countries in implementing stricter rules for the industry.

Under the current Japanese system, aviation crew members are prohibited from drinking within eight hours of starting working but there is no law or regulation that sets a legal limit for alcohol consumption.

Breath tests are not even required. Airlines have their own rules and voluntarily carry out them, in contrast to the United States and Europe where legal frameworks are established, according to the transport ministry.

"Although we conduct regular or unannounced safety inspections for airlines, detailed drinking regulations are left to the discretion of each company," said an official at the transport ministry's aviation safety and security department.

Related coverage:

Alcohol in nabbed JAL pilot 10 times U.K. limit

The minister's remarks came after the co-pilot, Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, pleaded guilty to being over the legal alcohol limit at a British court.

The airline said Thursday the 42-year-old had been arrested by police for being about 10 times over the legal limit set under British aviation law after he drank two bottles of wine and more than 1.8 liters of beer over six hours from 6 p.m., the night before the flight on Sunday.

His heavy drinking also forced the company to operate the flight from Heathrow Airport to Haneda airport in Tokyo with two pilots rather than the normal three.

Believing that Jitsukawa might have improperly cleared JAL's own alcohol breath test, the airline said Friday it has changed its internal rules.

JAL said from now on it will involve airport staff in alcohol checks rather than getting pilots to test each other.

JAL had prohibited its pilots from drinking alcohol 12 hours before getting on their flights. Following the arrest, as a temporary measure, it ordered its pilots not to drink 24 hours before they start working.

"We want to review our internal regulations in accordance with the policy of the government," a JAL official said.

The co-pilot will be sentenced on Nov. 29, according to a British court official.

His arrest came after the driver of a Heathrow Airport crew bus noticed the smell of alcohol on the co-pilot's breath and alerted police, JAL said.

Due to the arrest, the flight's departure for Haneda airport scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday local time was delayed by 1 hour and 9 minutes.

The incident came to light after All Nippon Airways Co. on Wednesday apologized for five flight delays in Okinawa last week because a pilot became unwell after a night of drinking.

A number of alcohol problems in the Japanese air industry have become known in recent months. In May, a JAL flight attendant was caught sneaking a beer into a plane restroom and drinking it mid-flight.
KYODO NEWS - Nov 2, 2018 - 22:25 | All, Japan

Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda confessed Friday to a "silly mistake" in following two strangers into Syria in 2015, where he was quickly taken hostage and held for more than three years.

Yasuda told a press conference in Tokyo, eight days after returning to Japan, that he did not know why he made that mistake.

Recounting the days ahead of his abduction, Yasuda said he met a Syrian guide while in Turkey and exploring how to enter neighboring Syria, where he planned to collect first-hand information about the savage civil war there, for stories he would write for sale to Japanese news organizations.

Yasuda, 44, entered Turkey in May 2015, and had decided to go to Syria for about 20 days when he met a Syrian guide who had previously helped other Japanese journalists enter Syria. The two then headed to a Turkish town near the Syrian border on June 22, 2015.

However, the Syrian guide did not accompany Yasuda across the border, but said his brother was waiting for Yasuda on the Syrian side.

The plan was: someone else would lead Yasuda cross the border, where the initial guide's cousin would pick Yasuda up by car and take him to the guide's brother. Yasuda said he was told the guide's brother was a commander of an anti-U.S. armed group and would guarantee Yasuda's safety.

At the time, Turkish authorities had tightened control of the border, and the area where he was to cross into Syria at night had mountain trails used by many Syrians, Yasuda said during a press conference at the Japan National Press Club.

His guide first entered Syria alone, to check whether Yasuda would be safely picked up on the Syrian side, he said. The guide went back and forth across the border twice while he waited in the dark, Yasuda said.

At one point, though, many Syrian people carrying lots of baggage crossed over to the Turkish side from a different direction than Yasuda's guide had taken.

A pair who had led that group then invited Yasuda to accompany them back into Syria, and though totally different from what had been planned, Yasuda followed them and entered Syria on foot.

Once in Syria, Yasuda said, he was surrounded by four men and told to get into a pick-up truck, which took him to a bread factory.

There his luggage was taken away and Yasuda was grilled for two days by his captors, who suspected he was a spy.

On June 29, or about a week after entering Syria, he was moved to a house with all its doors shut and watched by a Yemeni and four Syrians.

"The confinement started then," Yasuda said.

The captors allowed him to keep a diary in Japanese, according to Yasuda.

Yasuda said he converted to Islam during his captivity so he could exercise his body during prayer time, as his captors did not allow him otherwise to move or make any sound.

Yasuda said he went on a 20-day hunger strike at one point to protest his treatment.
KYODO NEWS - Nov 2, 2018 - 22:06 | All

Freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda apologized Friday for involving the Japanese government in efforts to rescue him from Syria where he spent years in captivity, but remained adamant about the importance of providing news coverage from conflict zones.

"I'm sorry for involving the Japanese government in the case," Yasuda 44, said at his first press conference since returning to Japan last week, with controversy still swirling about his decision to travel to a war-ravaged country despite the Japanese government warning against it.

Speaking in front of hundreds of reporters at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Yasuda said he was captured in Syria shortly after he crossed the border with Turkey on foot in June 2015.

He said he headed to Syria because he "wanted to know more about the Islamic State (militant group), whether Islamic local communities can be understood by outsiders and whether we can understand each other."

During the press conference that lasted more than two and a half hours, overrunning his original schedule of an hour, he recounted details of his ordeal, including the violence he suffered at the hands of the militant group that held him. But he said he was never told the affiliation of his captors.

Related coverage:

Japan gov't eager to tout hostage release with eye to elections

Freed Journalist returns to Japan after 3-year hostage ordeal in Syria

Parents rejoice at release of Japanese journalist Yasuda

Wife of Japanese journalist calls on captors in Syria to release him

"Help me, right now": Video likely shows Japan journalist held in Syria

(Still image from online video in July 2018)

"It is natural that people criticize and scrutinize (what I did)...it was difficult for the Japanese government to rescue me and I'm solely to blame for what happened to me," said Yasuda, wearing a dark suit and with his beard trimmed.

He stressed the importance of journalists who cover wars around the world, saying it is "absolutely necessary to have people witness things happening."

As for whether he will continue such coverage, Yasuda, who was formerly a local newspaper reporter but quit his job to cover the 2003 Iraq war, said, "I'm not sure."

The ordeal was not the first time Yasuda had been detained in the Middle East. He was held in the suburbs of the Iraqi capital Baghdad in 2004, but was released three days later.

Journalists and volunteers have often faced criticism after being taken hostage when traveling to work in dangerous countries. In 2004, a terrorist organization kidnapped three Japanese nationals during the Iraq war and demanded Japan withdraw its Self-Defense Forces from Iraq and cease their humanitarian mission.

According to a document distributed at the press conference, Yasuda was held in around 10 locations after entering Syria, including residential homes and a large detention center.

Having first entered Turkey in May 2015, he decided to go to Syria for about 20 days to find out more about the situation in the war-torn country.

When he got to a Turkish town near the border with Syria as advised by a person he hired, two men different from those he had expected to meet led him to Syria, he said.

He felt something was strange but followed them anyway, thinking "That's the way things are there."

Shortly after entering Syria, the two men grabbed his arms and forced him into a pickup truck, he said, adding it was "my silly mistake" to put himself in that situation.

Yasuda said he did not know what his chances were of being freed, but he knew the Japanese government would not pay a ransom even though he was told the militant group was negotiating with Japanese authorities.

"In late July 2015, I was told that (the militant group) would demand money from the Japanese government, and later they said the government answered that they were prepared to pay money...but at the end of December the same year I was told that the Japanese side had cut off communications," said Yasuda.

Since then the militant group members' behavior became abusive toward him, Yasuda said. His captors gave him a notebook and allowed him to keep a diary, he added.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga denied that the Japanese government told the militant group it was prepared to pay a ransom, reiterating that Tokyo paid no money.

Yasuda also said his captors never told him the name of their group.

The Japanese government confirmed on Oct. 24 that Yasuda had been released. He spoke to some media organizations en route to Japan, saying he had faced abusive treatment during his three years and four months of captivity in Syria.

Yasuda has been in hospital for treatment since returning on Oct. 25.
The major demands of the bus owners include increasing the minimum charge from Rs 8 to 12, rate per km from 90 paise to Rs one and minimum charge for students from Rs one to six.
Robust genetic analyses point to South American roots for tiny flightless rails that only live and thrive on Inaccessible Island

EUGENE, Ore. -- Oct. 31, 2018 -- By wings or maybe riding on debris, that's how a now-flightless and rare species of tiny birds likely got to Inaccessible Island, an aptly named small island of volcanic origin in the middle of the South Atlantic.

And it turns out that the bird, a rail, listed scientifically as Atlantisia rogersi, needs a name change, says Martin Stervander, a postdoctoral researcher in the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Oregon. His four-member team has found genetic evidence that ties the bird to a South American species.

Inaccessible Island, the westernmost of three islands in the Tristan Archipelago, is the only place in the world where this species of rail lives. The island, formed by a now-extinct volcano 3 to 6 million years ago, is located roughly 3,600 kilometers (2,250 miles) east of Porto Alegre, Brazil, and about 2,800 kilometers (1,750 miles) west of Cape Town, South Africa.

The birds were first described in 1923 by British surgeon Percy Lowe, a bird-lover who then headed the ornithology collections at the British Museum. He placed the birds in the genus Atlantisia, a reference to mythical Atlantis, and named the species rogersi after the Rev. H.M.C. Rogers, a chaplain on nearby island Tristan da Cunha, who was the first to collect specimens.

Lowe surmised that the birds walked to the island on a since-sunken land bridge from Africa or South America, but the later discovery of plate tectonics ruled out that idea, Stervander said.

"We found obviously that the birds did not walk by foot," he said. "They flew or were assisted by floating debris. Whether they flew all the way or were swept off by a storm and then landed on debris, we can't say. In any case, they managed to make it from the mainland of South America to Inaccessible Island."

Using modern sequencing of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA and phylogenetic methods, Stervander's team tied the island's rail to the South American dot-winged crake, a rail species known as Porzana spiloptera. The split came 1.5 million years ago, with the rail colonizing Inaccessible Island in a single migration, the team concluded in a paper put online Oct. 12 by the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

Their genetics also make them relatives of black rails (Laterallus jamaicensis) found in the Americas and likely the Galapagos crake (Laterallus spilonota), which also has a reduced flight ability.

Stervander's team recommends that the Inaccessible Island rail species be reclassified in the genus Laterallus as are the related species.

"We are sorry to be suggesting that we take away this beautiful name, Atlantisia, which is something we can all love, but we can now say that the closest relatives of this species are American birds that were given their name before the Inaccessible Island rail," Stervander said.

When the birds arrived at the island, they found three predator-free habitats -- grasslands, tree fern bogs and woodland -- and abundant food sources, including worms, moths, berries and seeds. Soon after, the reclusive birds no longer needed strong wings for survival and evolved into a flightless species, he said.

Stervander visited the island once, traveling by ship and helicopter in 2011, while a doctoral student at Sweden's Lund University. His research built on earlier efforts by study co-author Peter G. Ryan of the University of Cape Town.

The genetic analyses began while Stervander was at Lund University and was completed using computational resources at the UO, where Stervander is doing research under a three-year fellowship from the Swedish Research Council.

The island's rail population, Stervander said, is in a delicate situation. While some 5,500 mature birds now thrive on the island, an accidental introduction of rats or other predators could destroy them. Fossils found on other islands suggest that numerous other flightless rail species had been there but fell to predation with the arrival of humans.

The rail is classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of species threatened with extinction.

###

The paper's other two co-authors are Martim Melo of the University of Cape Town and the CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources in Portugal, and Bengt Hansson of Lund University.

The South African National Antarctic Programme, Swedish Research Council and Portuguese Science Foundation supported the research.

Source: Martin Stervander, postdoctoral research associate, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, mste@uoregon.edu

Note: The UO is equipped with an on-campus television studio with a point-of-origin Vyvx connection, which provides broadcast-quality video to networks worldwide via fiber optic network. There also is video access to satellite uplink and audio access to an ISDN codec for broadcast-quality radio interviews.

Links:

About Martin Stervander: http://www.stervander.com/

Institute of Ecology and Evolution: https://ie2.uoregon.edu/
The world's smallest flightless bird can be found on Inaccessible Island in the middle of the South Atlantic. Less than 100 years ago, researchers believed that this species of bird once wandered there on land extensions now submerged in water, and therefore named it Atlantisia. In a new study led by biologists at Lund University in Sweden, the researchers have now shown that the ancestors of the Atlantisia flew to Inaccessible Island from South America about 1.5 million years ago.

The Inaccessible Island rail (Atlantisia rogersi) is endemic and can only be found on Inaccessible Island. It has no natural enemies on the island and runs around like a small rodent in the vegetation. Biologist Martin Stervander, who now works at the University of Oregon, USA, conducted a study together with researchers from South Africa and Portugal during his time at Lund University.

Among other things, they analysed the DNA of the Inaccessible Island rail using modern sequencing techniques. In this way, the researchers were able to determine that the bird's closest now living relatives are the dot-winged crake in South America and the black rail found in both South and North America. It probably also has a relative on the Galapagos.

"It seems that rail birds are extremely good at colonising new remote locations and adapting to different environments. Despite great distances, the environments may be similar and, through convergent evolution, distant relatives may in fact become so similar that taxonomists are tricked into drawing erroneous conclusions", says Martin Stervander.

A theory that proved to be wrong came from Percy Lowe when he described the Inaccessible Island rail almost 100 years ago. Lowe classified the bird in its own genus and drew the conclusion that its inability to fly was a very old trait, and that it colonised Inaccessible Island on foot by walking on land extensions and across continents that later disappeared into the depths of the ocean.

"The fact that Lowe's theory was incorrect came as no surprise. Using DNA, we can prove that the ancestors of the Inaccessible Island rail flew to Inaccessible Island from South America about 1.5 million years ago", says Martin Stervander, continuing:

"The bird has not had any natural enemies on the island and has not needed to fly in order to escape predators. Its ability to fly has therefore been reduced and ultimately lost through natural selection and evolution over thousands of years."

Not being able to fly means that the Inaccessible Island rail does not waste energy on something that is unnecessary in order to survive and propagate.

"Our discovery focuses on the importance of continuing to prevent enemies of the Inaccessible Island rail from being introduced on the island. If that happens, it might disappear", concludes Bengt Hansson, professor at Lund University and one of the researchers behind the study.

###
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Chinese Manufacturing PMI of October slips to 50.2 from to 50.8 in September, putting ETFs in focus.

Chinas manufacturing sector expanded at its lowest pace in over two years. The economy has been hardly hit by the ongoing trade war with the United States. The official Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) which points to business conditions in the country dipped to 50.2 from 50.8 in September. A reading above 50 points toward expansion while below it means contraction. The reading was under the forecast 50.6 in a Reuters poll (see: all the Asia-Pacific (Emerging) ETFs).

Chinas statistics bureau attributed the slump in October's manufacturing activity to the impact of a week-long national holiday and the challenging external environment. Non Manufacturing PMI, mirroring the activities in the construction and services sector also dipped from 54.9 in September to 53.9 in October.

There was a slump in new export orders for the fifth successive month as it fell to 46.9 from 48.0 in September with the pace of this decline estimated to be the fastest in nearly a year. Imports contracted for the fourth successive month (read: Trump's Approval Rises before Midterms: ETFs to Lose/Gain).

Raymond Yeung, chief economist for China at ANZ believes that the PMI numbers confirm broad-based decline in economic activity. He added that conditions for the private sector is much worse than headline data suggest.

A possible contraction in manufacturing could be expected in the coming months as the tariff war is heating up more with time. This data came out after tariffs imposed by the United States on Sep 24 took full effect for at least a month. Trump Administration levied tariffs at 10% on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports on the said date. Exporters are likely to feel further pain when these rates are hiked to 25% beginning next year.

Chinese Yuan fell to a decade-low on Oct 30 triggered by a slowdown in economy and news that President Trump is likely to impose tariffs on a full range of Chinese imports if desired concessions are not received form President Li in the ongoing trade talks. President Trump and Li are supposed to meet in G-20 Summit in Argentina later this month (read: Stimulus Hopes Boost China's Stocks: ETFs Gain the Most).

Story continues

Chinas economy expanded at 6.5% in the third quarter  marking its weakest pace of growth since the first quarter of 2009 and with manufacturing numbers missing estimates, the following Chinese ETFs could expect some unfavorable pricing action:

Chinese ETFs in Focus

iShares China Large-Cap ETF FXI

The fund tracks the FTSE China 25 Index which tracks performance of largest companies in the Chinese equity market. It comprises 50 holdings. AUM is $4.8 billion and the expense ratio is 0.74%. It has lost 15% year to date.

iShares MSCI China ETF MCHI

The fund tracks the MSCI China Index measuring the performance of equity securities in the top 85% in market capitalization of Chinese equity markets, represented by H-Shares and B-Shares markets. It comprises 293 holdings. AUM is $3.3 billion and expense ratio is 0.62%. It has lost 21.2% year to date.

KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF KWEB

The fund tracks the CSI China Overseas Internet Index, which includes publicly traded China-based companies whose primary business or businesses are in the Internet and Internet-related sectors. It comprises 44 holdings. AUM is $1.4 billion and expense ratio is 0.70%. It has lost 32.3% year to date.

SPDR S&P China ETF GXC

The fund tracks the S&P China BMI Index and comprises 641 holdings. AUM is $914.2 million and expense ratio is 0.59%. It has lost 20.9% year to date.

Xtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares Fund ASHR

The fund tracks the CSI 300 Index, reflecting price fluctuation and performance of the China A-share market and is composed of the 300 largest and most-liquid stocks in the China A-share market. It comprises 301 holdings. AUM is $910.8 million and expense ratio is 0.65%. It has lost 21% year to date.

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(Bloomberg) -- A Chinese state-owned company was charged with conspiring to steal trade secrets from U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology Inc. as the Justice Department steps up actions against China in cases of suspected economic espionage.

Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. and Taiwans United Microelectronics Corp. were indicted in California along with three individuals, the Justice Department said Thursday. If convicted, each company faces a maximum fine of more than $20 billion, it said. The U.S. also sued to stop the companies from exporting to America any products that were created using the trade secrets.

Intellectual property theft is among the Trump administrations chief complaints against China as it wages a trade war thats rattled global markets and seen the worlds two largest economies slap tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each others goods. On Monday, the Commerce Department restricted exports to Jinhua, one of several high-profile government-backed companies at the vanguard of Chinas effort to become a major player in global semiconductors.

Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasing, and it has been increasing rapidly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a press conference in Washington. It is time for China to join the community of lawful nations. International trade has been good for China, but the cheating must stop.

Chinas repeatedly denied accusations of trade secrets theft. On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang reiterated that stance and called on the U.S. to provide concrete evidence. A Jinhua representative declined to comment but said the company will make an announcement when the time is right. UMC said it regretted not having the opportunity to discuss the matter with U.S. authorities and will respond to the allegations accordingly, adding it expected no impact from the charges on its finances or business. Its shares fell as much as 2.9 percent.

Story continues

Accusations that China unfairly acquires technology are at the heart of escalating U.S.-Chinese tensions, along with a plan by the worlds second largest economy to achieve supremacy in a plethora of future technologies.

The latest case was made public as the Justice Department announced a new initiative to respond to Chinese efforts to obtain U.S. technology and trade secrets, whether through hacking or theft by insiders. Sessions said the departments National Security Division, led by John Demers, along with the FBI and a group of U.S. Attorneys will step up enforcement.

The charges against Jinhua and UMC follow a string of government cases against individuals accused of attempting to steal information on behalf of China. On Tuesday, the U.S. said Chinese intelligence officers worked with hackers and company insiders to acquire commercial aviation technology.

Chinas trying to reduce a reliance on some $200 billion of annual semiconductor imports -- about as much as it spends on importing oil. It isnt home to even one of the top 10 producers of the crucial electronic components. The memory chip market at issue in Thursdays case has been increasingly concentrated in the hands of Micron and its two Korean rivals, Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc., who have enjoyed record profits from the technology essential to everything from computers to smartphones. China didnt possess DRAM capabilities before the alleged theft but had identified its development as a national economic priority, the U.S. said.

Jinhua is a state-owned enterprise funded by the Chinese government and established to design and manufacture dynamic random-access memory chips, or DRAM. The U.S. actions risks choking off supply of the crucial American components it needs and jeopardizing a $5.7 billion wafer-making factory its building on the countrys southeastern coast.

Billions Invested

Micron has invested billions of dollars over decades to develop its intellectual property, Joel Poppen, Microns general counsel, said in an emailed statement. The actions announced today reinforce that criminal misappropriation will be appropriately addressed.

Micron, based in Idaho, is the only U.S.-based company that manufactures DRAM. Prosecutors said Chen Zhengkun, also known as Stephen Chen, the president of a Micron subsidiary in Taiwan, resigned in 2015 and began working at UMC. While there, he arranged an agreement between UMC and Jinhua in which UMC would transfer DRAM technology to Jinhua to mass-produce, and the technology would be jointly shared by the companies.

Chen recruited numerous employees of the Micron subsidiary to work with him at UMC, according to the U.S., including He Jianting, also known as J.T. Ho, and Wang Yungming, also known as Kenny Wang. He and Wang both stole several Micron trade secrets related to the design and manufacture of DRAM, the U.S. said.

The Chinese governments complicity in intellectual property theft hurts American manufacturers, workers, and consumers, and undermines the ability of U.S. businesses to operate in China, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in an emailed statement.

Micron last year sued UMC and Jinhua, claiming they stole trade secrets. UMC then took legal action against Micron in January, alleging that the company infringed on patents in China related to memory storage and other products. In July, a Chinese court banned Micron chip sales in the country, but the American company said that moratorium affected just 1 percent of its annual revenue.

The criminal case is U.S. v. United Microelectronics Corp., 3:18-cr-00465, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose). The civil case is U.S v. United Microelectronics Corp., 5:18-cv-06643, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose).

(Updates with maximum fine and Chinas response from second paragraph.)

--With assistance from Ian King, Gao Yuan, Debby Wu, Edwin Chan, Peter Elstrom and Dandan Li.

To contact the reporters on this story: David McLaughlin in Washington at dmclaughlin9@bloomberg.net;Chris Strohm in Washington at cstrohm1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Wollman at ewollman@bloomberg.net, Joe Schneider, Heather Smith

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
By Josh Horwitz and Cate Cadell

HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese state-backed semiconductor maker Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co Ltd billed itself as a national leader in the tech industry. It planned to drive a shift toward locally made chips and end a heavy reliance on imports, especially from the United States.

"The era of Chinese chips has arrived," it said in a recent promotional online pamphlet to attract chip industry talent. Underneath was a picture of a circuit board emblazoned with the Chinese flag.

"China once relied on chip imports, but the tireless work of untold numbers of chip experts has meant that from 90 percent imports we have been able to attain localized production," it said, highlighting a high-skilled global workforce harking from the United States, Japan and South Korea.

"Jump with us into an chip era that belongs to China."

That bold ambition now faces major hurdles.

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday indicted Fujian Jinhua and Taiwan-based United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) for industrial espionage.

The indictment said the companies conspired to steal trade secrets from U.S. semiconductor company Micron Technology Inc relating to its research and development of memory storage devices.

Under a technology cooperation agreement signed in 2016, UMC develops memory-related technologies for the Chinese firm.

The charges came after the U.S. Commerce Department banned U.S. companies from selling hardware and software components to the Chinese firm and UMC. The Taiwan firm said shortly afterwards that it will temporarily halt its research and development activities with Fujian.

The Commerce Department action could deal a significant blow to the Chinese semiconductor maker, given its reliance on U.S. supplies, and China's technology ambitions.

Fujian Jinhua declined to comment and its website appeared to have been taken down on Friday.

Chinese government officials have said privately that Fujian is of high strategic importance to China, which is looking to boost home-grown technology under its "Made in China 2025" plan, a bid to catch up technologically in key areas such as semiconductors, where it has long been reliant on imports - notably from America.

"You can't build a fab (fabrication plant) without U.S. equipment companies. You just cannot do it," said Risto Puhakka, a semiconductor industry expert at VLSI Research.

Story continues

The world's most important suppliers of the tools needed to make memory chips - Applied Materials Inc, KLA-Tencor Corp, and Lam Research Corp - all hail from the United States.

TOP THREE CHIP MAKER

China imported $270 billion in semiconductors in 2017, more than its total imports of crude oil, highlighting the country's lack of a true rival to U.S. chip making giants like Micron, Intel Corp or Qualcomm Inc.

To close the gap, analysts said earlier this year money was "raining down" from Beijing and state-backed funds, like the country's state chip "Big Fund", to support firms such as Fujian Jinhua.

The Chinese firm has been working to open a giant $5.7 billion chip factory in October to produce 60,000 semiconductor wafers per month in its first stage of production, and 120,000 in its second stage, according to domestic media.

Fujian is just one of a handful of Chinese semiconductor firms that have in recent years looked to crack the global chip industry. They are working on chips that can be used in smartphones to missile guidance systems.

Two officials at a state-linked semiconductor fund said Fujian Jinhua was working with highly specialized semiconductor materials to make circuits, a high priority for Beijing and the country's chip fund.

"You could consider Fujian Jinhua a top three China chip company in terms of their research and development," one of the people said. Both asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

STATE TIES

Fujian Jinhua was established in 2016 with funding from state-owned Fujian Electronics & Information Co and Jinjiang Energy Investment Co..

Other backers include municipal governments from the southern cities of Quanzhou and Jinjiang. Fujian Jinhua's former board chairman served as a provincial-level party secretary.

The firm's focus was to become a manufacturing leader in DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, a chip commonly used in personal computers, workstations and servers. The sector has been long dominated by U.S. firm Micron and South Korea's SK Hynix Inc and Samsung Electronics.

"Once completed, the project will fill the gap in the field of DRAM memory in China," the company said in a news post last year. It added the factory had been included in a list of the country's top engineering projects supported by the state.

"In the information age, integrated circuits have been a strategic basic industry for China," it wrote. "Future prospects are bright."

(Reporting by Josh Horwitz and Cate Cadell; additional reporting by Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Neil Fullick)
Yahoo News photo illustration; photos: AP (2), Getty Images (2)

In 2013, hundreds of CIA officers  many working nonstop for weeks  scrambled to contain a disaster of global proportions: a compromise of the agencys internet-based covert communications system used to interact with its informants in dark corners around the world. Teams of CIA experts worked feverishly to take down and reconfigure the websites secretly used for these communications; others managed operations to quickly spirit assets to safety and oversaw other forms of triage.

When this was going on, it was all that mattered, said one former intelligence community official. The situation was catastrophic, said another former senior intelligence official.

See also: At the CIA, a fix to communications system that left trail of dead agents remains elusive.

From around 2009 to 2013, the U.S. intelligence community experienced crippling intelligence failures related to the secret internet-based communications system, a key means for remote messaging between CIA officers and their sources on the ground worldwide. The previously unreported global problem originated in Iran and spiderwebbed to other countries, and was left unrepaired  despite warnings about what was happening  until more than two dozen sources died in China in 2011 and 2012 as a result, according to 11 former intelligence and national security officials.

The disaster ensnared every corner of the national security bureaucracy  from multiple intelligence agencies, congressional intelligence committees and independent contractors to internal government watchdogs  forcing a slow-moving, complex government machine to grapple with the deadly dangers of emerging technologies.

In a world where dependence on advanced technology may be a necessary evil for modern espionage, particularly in hostile regions where American officials cant operate freely, such technical failures are an ever present danger and will only become more acute with time.

When these types of compromises happen, its so dark and bad, said one former official. They can burrow in. It never really ends.

Story continues

A former senior intelligence official with direct knowledge of the compromise said it had global implications for the CIA. You start thinking twice about people, from China to Russia to Iran to North Korea, said the former official. The CIA was worried about its network totally unwinding worldwide.

Yahoo News reporting on this global communications failure is based on conversations with eleven former U.S. intelligence and government officials directly familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive operations. Multiple former intelligence officials said that the damage from the potential global compromise was serious  even catastrophic  and will persist for years.

More than just a question of a single failure, the fiasco illustrates a breakdown that was never properly addressed. The governments inability to address the communication systems insecurities until after sources were rolled up in China was disastrous. Were still dealing with the fallout, said one former national security official. Dozens of people around the world were killed because of this.

*****

One of the largest intelligence failures of the past decade started in Iran in 2009, when the Obama administration announced the discovery of a secret Iranian underground enrichment facility  part of Irans headlong drive for nuclear weapons. Angered about the breach, the Iranians went on a mole hunt, looking for foreign spies, said one former senior intelligence official.

The mole hunt wasnt hard, in large part, because the communications system the CIA was using to communicate with agents was flawed. Former U.S. officials said the internet-based platform, which was first used in war zones in the Middle East, was not built to withstand the sophisticated counterintelligence efforts of a state actor like China or Iran. It was never meant to be used long term for people to talk to sources, said one former official. The issue was that it was working well for too long, with too many people. But it was an elementary system.

Everyone was using it far beyond its intention, said another former official.

The risks posed by the system appeared to have been overlooked in part because it was easy to use, said the former intelligence officials. There is no foolproof way to communicate  especially with expediency and urgency  with sources in hostile environments like Iran and China, noted the former officials. But a sense of confidence in the system kept it in operation far longer than was safe or advisable, said former officials. The CIAs directorate of science and technology, which is responsible for the secure communications system, says, our s***s impregnable, but its obviously not, said one former official.

By 2010, however, it appears that Iran had begun to identify CIA agents. And by 2011, Iranian authorities dismantled a CIA spy network in that country, said seven former U.S. intelligence officials. (Indeed, in May 2011, Iranian intelligence officials announced publicly that they had broken up a ring of 30 CIA spies; U.S. officials later confirmed the breach to ABC News, which also reported on a potential compromise to the communications system.)

Iran executed some of the CIA informants and imprisoned others in an intelligence setback that one of the former officials described as incredibly damaging. The CIA successfully exfiltrated some of its Iranian sources, said former officials.

The Iranian compromise led to significantly fewer CIA agents being killed than in China, according to former officials. Still, the events there hampered the CIAs capacity to collect intelligence in Iran at a critical time, just as Tehran was forging ahead with its nuclear program.

U.S. authorities believe Iran probably unwound the CIAs asset network analytically  meaning they deduced what Washington knew about Tehrans own operations, then identified Iranians who held that information, and eventually zeroed in on possible sources. This hunt for CIA sources eventually bore fruit  including the identification of the covert communications system.

A 2011 Iranian television broadcast that touted the governments destruction of the CIA network said U.S. intelligence operatives had created websites for fake companies to recruit agents in Iran by promising them jobs, visas and education abroad. Iranians who initially thought they were responding to legitimate opportunities would end up meeting with CIA officers in places like Dubai or Istanbul for recruitment, according to the broadcast.

Though the Iranians didnt say precisely how they infiltrated the network, two former U.S. intelligence officials said that the Iranians cultivated a double agent who led them to the secret CIA communications system. This online system allowed CIA officers and their sources to communicate remotely in difficult operational environments like China and Iran, where in-person meetings are often dangerous.

A lack of proper vetting of sources may have led to the CIA inadvertently running a double agent, said one former senior official  a consequence of the CIAs pressing need at the time to develop highly placed agents inside the Islamic Republic. After this betrayal, Israeli intelligence tipped off the CIA that Iran had likely identified some of its assets, said the same former official.

The losses could have stopped there. But U.S. officials believe Iranian intelligence was then able to compromise the covert communications system. At the CIA, there was shock and awe about the simplicity of the technique the Iranians used to successfully compromise the system, said one former official.

In fact, the Iranians used Google to identify the website the CIA was using to communicate with agents. Because Google is continuously scraping the internet for information about all the worlds websites, it can function as a tremendous investigative tool  even for counter-espionage purposes. And Googles search functions allow users to employ advanced operators  like AND, OR, and other, much more sophisticated ones  that weed out and isolate websites and online data with extreme specificity.

According to the former intelligence official, once the Iranian double agent showed Iranian intelligence the website used to communicate with his or her CIA handlers, they began to scour the internet for websites with similar digital signifiers or components  eventually hitting on the right string of advanced search terms to locate other secret CIA websites. From there, Iranian intelligence tracked who was visiting these sites, and from where, and began to unravel the wider CIA network.

U.S. intelligence officials were well aware of Irans formidable cyber-espionage capabilities. But they were flabbergasted that Iran managed to extirpate an entire CIA spy network using a technique that one official described as rudimentary  something found in basic how-to books.

But the events in Iran were not self-contained; they coincided roughly with a similar debacle in China in 2011 and 2012, where authorities rounded up and executed around 30 agents working for the U.S. (the New York Times first reported the extirpation of the CIAs China sources in May 2017). Some U.S. intelligence officials also believe that former Beijing-based CIA officer Jerry Lee, who was charged with spying on behalf of the Chinese government in May 2018, was partially responsible for the destruction of the CIAs China-based source network. But Lees betrayal does not explain the extent of the damage, or the rapidity with which Chinese intelligence was able to identify and destroy the network, said former officials.

U.S. officials believe that Chinese intelligence obtained physical access to the transitional, or temporary, secret communications system used by the CIA to correspond with new, unvetted sources  and broke through the firewall separating it from the main covert communications system, compromising the CIAs entire asset network in that country, Foreign Policy reported earlier this year.

Its not clear whether China and Iran cooperated, but the former officials said the communications systems used in both countries were similar. The two governments may have broken the system independently. But Iranian, Chinese and Russian officials were engaged in senior-level communications on cyber issues around this time, recalled one former senior intelligence official interactions that were very suspicious in hindsight.

The CIA declined to comment. The Iranian Mission to the UN did not respond to requests for comment.

Some U.S. intel officials took the interactions as an indicator of enhanced open coordination among these countries, and even a nascent alliance against the U.S. and its Five Eyes intelligence partners, this person said. (U.S. officials also believe Chinese officials subsequently shared information about their penetration of the secret CIA system with their Russian counterparts.)

Our adversaries dramatically upped their game in their offensive hacking operations, including those geared toward cracking the U.S. covert communications platforms, during this period, said another former senior intelligence official. This almost certainly included information sharing between these countries on U.S. covert communications techniques, said multiple former officials  the makings of a real-life axis of evil.

There were discrete signs of potential cooperation. Around the time of the purges of CIA informants in Iran and China, senior counter-espionage officials from Chinas Ministry of State Security visited their counterparts in Tehran, said four former U.S. officials.

Some officials believe the two countries engaged in a trade  perhaps with Iran providing China with the technical information needed to pinpoint signs of online activity on the communications system, in exchange for military hardware, speculated one former official. Thats the spy service way, said another former official.

With dawning horror, U.S. officials realized that once Iranian or Chinese intelligence officials were able to pinpoint CIA assets within their own borders, they were almost certainly capable of zeroing in on similar digital signatures in other countries, former officials said.

Former officials said the fallout from the compromises was likely global in scope  potentially endangering all CIA sources that used some version of this internet-based system worldwide.

You establish these networks that are obviously critical to our ability to really understand what our adversaries are up to  theres a pride in that  and when something that valuable starts to fall apart, the concern is, Are we developing a house of cards? said one former senior official. A lot of bells went off during this time, said this person, because whatever methods and procedures we were using were in jeopardy because of what the Chinese and Iranians had determined. You find that youre blind.

These multiple, overlapping failures of the communication system created systemic problems for the agency. There was a cascade of effects that flowed outward from the initial breaches, said another former intelligence official. Part of the problem was trying to figure out the second and third order of effects.

Repairing this breach had to be approached with extraordinary delicacy because attempted fixes can expose sources. Iran or China could then target and flip those CIA sources, or use information about them as bargaining chips with other intelligence services, former officials said. Around this time, Iranian intelligence officials also began aggressively pitching CIA officers to become double agents meaning that they had somehow identified agency personnel, potentially through this wider compromise, said one former intel official.

One country where the impact appears to have been contained is Russia. CIA officials who focus on Russia knew about the China ordeal and quickly adjusted their communications with sources accordingly, some of the former officials said. Aspects of the CIAs Russia operations have historically been walled off from the rest of the agency, which likely helped minimize the damage. But the issue was so acute in the Middle East that the CIA was forced to suspend its use of internet-based covert communications systems there several times.

The problems were exacerbated by increasingly aggressive Iranian cyber-espionage. The Iranians were very good tactically, one former official said, and were adept at breaking into low-level communications in the field, such as between Iraqi forces and their American counterparts.

Starting around 2013, Iranian cyber experts seemed to be tracking CIA agents outside their own borders, including in Yemen, where Iran eventually compromised the internet-based covert communications system there, said one of the former officials. During this time, emergency meetings had to be scheduled at the agency because the Iranians had hacked into systems outright that had nothing to do with them, said this person  that is, those beyond Iran itself.

Iran was aggressively going out to hunt systems down, the former official said. They werent just protecting themselves anymore.

*****

As Iran was making fast inroads into the CIAs covert communications system, back in Washington an internal complaint by a government contractor warning officials about precisely what was happening was winding its way through a Kafkaesque appeals system.

In 2008  well before the Iranians had arrested any agents  a defense contractor named John Reidy, whose job it was to identify, contact and manage human sources for the CIA in Iran, had already sounded an alarm about a massive intelligence failure having to do with communications with sources. According to Reidys publicly available but heavily redacted whistleblower disclosure, by 2010 he said he was told that the nightmare scenario he had warned about regarding the secret communications platform had, in fact, occurred.

Reidy refused to discuss his case with Yahoo News. But two former government officials directly familiar with his disclosure and the investigation into the compromises in China and Iran tell Yahoo News that Reidy had identified the weaknesses  and early compromise  that eventually befell the entire covert communications platform.

Reidys case was complicated. After he blew the whistle, he was moved off of his subcontract with SAIC, a Virginia company that works on government information technology products and support. According to the public disclosure, he contacted the CIA inspector general and congressional investigators about his employment status but was met with resistance, partially because whistleblower protections are complicated for federal contractors, and he remained employed.

Meanwhile, throughout 2010 and 2011, the compromise continued to spread, and Reidy provided details to investigators. But by November 2011, Reidy was fired because of what his superiors said were conflicts of interest, as Reidy maintained his own side business. Reidy believed the real reason was retaliation.

In his 2014 appeal to the intelligence community inspector general, first published by McClatchy News, Reidy describes the first signs of compromise in stunning detail  though it was unclear at the time, because of what was redacted, what issue he was addressing. As our efforts increased, we started to notice anomalies in our operations  sources abruptly and without reason ceasing all communications with us, he wrote.

Something, he realized, was deeply wrong with the agencys human sources network. The U.S. communications infrastructure was under siege, he wrote. Reidy warned that the problem wasnt limited to a single country  it extended to everywhere the CIA operates. Close to 70 percent of operations at the time were potentially compromised, he noted. In other words, an entire class of CIA agents  those using some iteration of the online system  was in danger. CIA is aware of this, he wrote. The design and maintenance of the system is flawed.

Reidys complaint wasnt fully addressed for many years. But when the wide-scale arrest of sources in Iran happened, the CIA eventually launched an investigation. The deaths in China sent investigators into overdrive. Teams from the CIA, the FBI and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence scrambled to try to figure out what had happened  and how to stem the damage.

Can you imagine how different this whole story wouldve turned out if the CIA [inspector general] had acted on Reidys warnings instead of going after him? said Kel McClanahan, Reidys attorney. Can you imagine how different this whole story wouldve turned out if the congressional oversight committees had done oversight instead of taking CIAs word that he was just a troublemaker?

Irvin McCullough, a national security analyst with the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit that works with whistleblowers, put the issue in even starker terms. This is one of the most catastrophic intelligence failures since Sept. 11, he said. And the CIA punished the person who brought the problem to light.

The roll-up of the CIAs networks reignited debates within the U.S. intelligence community about the merits of high-tech versus low-tech methods of communicating with sources. Within some corners of the intelligence world, there was a widely held belief that technology was the solution to all communications problems, according to one of the former officials. Proponents of older methods  such as chalk marks, burst communications, brush passes and one-time pads  were seen as troglodytes, said this official.

The failure of the communication system was discussed extensively in closed-door hearings at the House and Senate intelligence committees, according to several former officials. Some of the senators and congressman went nuts about this, and they should have, one of them said.

A spokesperson for the Senate Intelligence Committee declined to comment. The House Intelligence Committee did not respond to requests for comments.

One of the central concerns among those familiar with the scope of the breakdown is the institutions responsible for it were never held accountable. Doing a comprehensive investigation isnt easy, but you have an absolute obligation to do that, because if you dont, all youre doing is rolling the dice with future lives, said one former senior official.

Even several years after the breach, the concern within the intelligence community is accountability.

When we continuously allow things like this to happen, and Congress doesnt do anything, and the institutions dont do anything, youre going to have worse issues, said another former official.

People will say, I went to the inspector general and it didnt work; I went elsewhere and it didnt work. People will see it as a game. It will lead to corruption, and it will lead to espionage. When people see that the system is corrupt, it affects everything.

In the end, said the former official, our biggest insider threat is our own institution.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:




LTL Attorneys has hired Vincent Pollmeier, a former rocket scientist at NASA who spent roughly 14 years at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, as a partner in Los Angeles.



Pollmeier joins LTL, formerly known as Lee Tran & Liang, from Karish & Bjorgum, an intellectual property boutique in Pasadena, California, he joined nearly three years ago after leaving Quinn Emanuel.



For me personally, Quinn Emanuel had become larger and bigger than I ideally was looking for, so I wanted someplace smaller and went to Karish & Bjorgum, Pollmeier said. Karish & Bjorgum is a great firm, but I realized that after being there for a couple of years that I need someplace more focused on litigation.



Pollmeier said he found LTL to be a good fit because of the firms size and focus on complex litigation. According to LTLs website, the minority-owned firm has 18 lawyers working on commercial litigation, employment defense and intellectual property matters. (In October, Boies Schiller Flexner hired LTL co-founder K. Luan Tran as a partner in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.)



LTL focuses on a broad range of business litigation, said Pollmeier, adding that he was drawn to the firms emphasis in using the latest technology to make legal services more efficient. As you can tell from my resume, one thing I dont like to do is do the same thing over and over again.





Vincent Pollmeier



Before shifting career gears into the legal world, Pollmeier was an aerospace engineer at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena for nearly a dozen years.



Despite the prominent position as a principal system engineer at the world-renowned facility, Pollmeier said he always harbored dreams of becoming a lawyer.



By the mid-90s, I was managing a research and development program for the space network, and I was finding myself having to deal with a lot of IP, contracting and other issues, he explained. So I became interested in a lot of legal issues.



In 1996, while still working full time at NASA, Pollmeier started attending Loyola Law School in Los Angles in the evenings. On earning his law degree, Pollmeier began working as an associate at Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear. After about two years, he left the IP-focused firm to join Quinn Emanuel, where he was named the latter's chief technology counsel in 2009.



Litigation isnt rocket science, its more difficult than that, Pollmeier said.



As a lawyer, Pollmeier has focused his practice on representing both plaintiffs and defendants in disputes involving a myriad of technological sectors, such as aerospace, communications, computers and electronics. He has handled breach of contract, government investigations, insurance, patent infringement and white-collar defense matters.



Vincents experience with patent and technology litigation will be a boon to our IP practice and to our technology clients. His deep knowledge of technical materials and systems, gained via his education and experiences at NASA, allows him to explain these complex concepts clearly to courts and juries, said a statement from LTL Attorneys managing partner David Ammons, who joined the firm in 2016. Vincents addition, along with a steady influx of associates in recent months, supplements our existing team of talented attorneys and allows us to continue to advance our results-driven, client-first mission.
The logo of Suruga Bank is seen at its branch in Tokyo, Japan, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

By Taro Fuse and Sumio Ito

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's scandal-hit Suruga Bank (8358.T) will receive a credit line for as much as 250 billion yen (1.7 billion) from the country's central bank after seeing two quarters of deposit outflows, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The mid-sized lender in central Japan is reeling from a scandal over retail property-investment loans that has slammed its shares and led to the departures of top executives.

Regulators do not expect Suruga to suffer a liquidity crunch but they have asked the lender to secure funding from the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to be ready for any contingencies, the sources told Reuters. They spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.

Some depositors pulled money out of the bank in the wake of the scandal, with net outflows of 220 billion yen, equivalent to about 5 percent of the lender's total deposits, in the April-June quarter. The sources said outflows continued at roughly that level in the July-September quarter.

That compares with virtually flat levels for deposits between October last year and March.

A BOJ spokesman declined to comment, saying the central bank does not disclose specific collateral conditions. A Suruga spokesman said he could not comment on specific transactions. Officials for Japan's Financial Services Agency were not immediately available for comment.

Shares in Suruga ended 2 percent higher after Reuters reported the move shortly before the close of trade in Tokyo on Friday. That gave the lender a market value of about $1.1 billion.

"The market is closely watching how Suruga will rebuild its business and while there's no actual concern about funding, (the credit line), which is being arranged in spirit of being totally prepared, should be seen a positive move," said Nana Otsuki, chief analyst at Monex Inc.

ONCE AN INVESTOR DARLING

The Shizuoka prefecture-based lender will use a programme introduced in 2016, in which the central bank accepts beneficial interest of a trust in mortgage loans as eligible collateral for funding, the sources said.

If the BOJ lends money to the bank, it would be the first case of "prudential lending" under the scheme, another person with knowledge of the situation said.

Story continues

The scheme is also used by some banks because they are no longer able to offer up government bond holdings as collateral due to the BOJ's massive purchases of bonds for its policy of flooding the financial system with cash to banish deflation.

Suruga's shares have fallen some 80 percent since the start of the year when its troubles surfaced. The scandal has sent ripples through Japan's banking industry where Suruga was a darling of investors and a role model for carving out a niche in a crowded banking market.

Japan's bank regulator last month ordered Suruga to stop making new loans for property investments for six months, after a third-party panel found Suruga had been involved in falsifying documents on loans made to investors who built "share houses" where tenants share bathrooms and other facilities.

The government also found that the bank had made improper loans to businesses related to the bank's founding family, and had allowed "anti-social elements", a euphemism for organised crime in Japan, to open deposit accounts.

The BOJ does not accept mortgage loans directly as collateral, so Suruga's assets will essentially be securitised by a trust bank into beneficiary rights for the loans as a package, which is eligible to be used as collateral with the central bank, the sources said.

Suruga will initially pledge about 300 billion yen worth of loans, which would enable it to receive 150 billion yen from the BOJ, the sources said. It will later increase the pledged collateral to secure up to 200-250 billion yen in funding, they said.

(Reporting by Taro Fuse and Sumio Ito; Additional reporting by Takahiko Wada; Writing by Taiga Uranaka; Editing by William Mallard and Edwina Gibbs)
By Chijioke Ohuocha

LAGOS (Reuters) - HSBC (HSBA.L) and UBS (UBSG.S) have closed their offices in Nigeria, the country's central bank said in a report on Friday as it revealed foreign investment had fallen sharply from a year ago.

The bank said foreign direct investment in Nigeria fell to 379.84 billion naira ($1.2 billion) in the first half of the year from 532.63 billion naira ($1.7 billion) a year earlier.

It did not given reasons for the bank closures.

HSBC was not available to comment and UBS declined to comment.

The central bank said the outlook for the Nigerian economy in the second half was "optimistic" given higher oil prices and production but rising foreign debt and uncertainty surrounding the 2019 presidential election was a drawback.

Investor confidence in the West African country has been shaken since the central bank in August ordered MTN (MTNJ.J) to bring back $8.1 billion to the country, part of profits which the South African telecoms firm sent abroad.

An HSBC research note dated July 18 said a second Buhari term "raises the risk of limited economic progress and further fiscal deterioration, prolonging the stagnation of his first term, particularly if there is no move towards completing reform of the exchange rate system or fiscal adjustments that diversify government revenues away from oil."

LOAN LOSSES

The central bank also said three lenders failed to meet its minimum liquidity ratio of 30 percent, without naming them.

It added that non-performing loans (NPLs) have dropped to 12.4 percent as at June 2018 from 15 percent a year ago, still a long way above its 5 percent threshold.

"To further consolidate on the improvement, the Central Bank of Nigeria directed banks to intensify efforts at debt recovery, realisation of collateral for lost facilities and strengthening their risk management processes," it said in the report.

In September, the regulator withdrew the license of Skye Bank (SKYEBAN.LG) for failing to recapitalise. It then transferred Skye's assets to a "bridge bank" Polaris wholly-owned by the state-backed asset management company AMCON.

Story continues

Nigerian banks have been trying to raise fresh capital after huge loan losses worsened by an economy that has just emerged from a recession.

Diamond Bank (DIAMONB.LG) last week denied it was in talks with investors to raise cash but said it was managing its capital, which borders on the regulatory minimum, to grow.

Another lender Unity Bank (UNITYBN.LG) has been seeking to raise fresh funds to recapitalise.

(Reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Elaine Hardcastle)
As anticipated, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners' (NYSE: BIP) financial results slumped in the third quarter due to a recent asset sale and some other headwinds. That masked the underlying strength of the company's operations, which delivered solid results. Meanwhile, with Brookfield having several expansion initiatives underway, the company's earnings should reaccelerate in the coming quarters.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners results: The raw numbers

Metric Q3 2018 Q3 2017 Year-Over-Year Change Funds from operations (FFO) $278 million $301 million (7.6%) FFO per unit $0.71 $0.81 (12.3%)

Data source: Brookfield Infrastructure Partners.

What happened with Brookfield Infrastructure Partners this quarter?

Some temporary headwinds affected results:

Brookfield's utilities segment generated $130 million in FFO, which was 23.5% less than last year's third quarter. The main culprit was the sale of the company's electricity transmission business in Chile, which closed earlier in the year, though foreign exchange fluctuations also hurt earnings. Those headwinds masked the solid underlying performance of the segment as FFO would have increased 4% if it weren't for those issues due to growth in the company's U.K. regulated distribution business.

The transportation segment produced $119 million in FFO, which was 12.5% lower than in the year-ago period. Several issues hurt results, including lower volumes from its mineral customers, the return of one of its Brazilian toll road concessions to the state, and foreign exchange fluctuations (currency issues alone wiped away $15 million in FFO from this segment's results). That trio of issues offset the positive impacts of higher tariffs charged at each of its operating groups and higher agricultural volumes from its rail group.

The energy segment's FFO surged 23% year over year to $59 million thanks to higher transportation volumes on its gas pipeline in North America and strong results from its district energy operations.

Brookfield's data infrastructure segment once again produced $19 million in FFO, consistent with the year-ago period.

Several foreign currencies laid on top of each other.

Image source: Getty Images.

Story continues

What management had to say

The two main factors weighing on results this quarter were the sale of the company's Chilean business and foreign exchange movements, with the latter alone cutting $40 million from the company's FFO. Those headwinds, however, should go away shortly. In discussing currencies, CEO Sam Pollock wrote in the company's quarterly investor letter that: "we expect this negative trend to reverse in the future, as our average hedge rates for the next two years are over 5% higher than 2018. In addition, we are of the view that the Brazilian real will recover from these near-trough levels, which was impacted in the quarter from the uncertainty surrounding the country's recent elections, which is now behind it."

Meanwhile, he noted that the company had an active year on the strategic front, and is on pace to put $1.7 billion into six new investments. The company has already closed $900 million in deals in recent weeks, which should boost fourth-quarter results. Meanwhile, it expects to close two more by year-end and another by the middle of 2019. These investments should move the needle because they carry very high returns, with the company anticipating that they'll generate an FFO yield of around 11%, or about $190 million annualized.

Looking forward

Pollock said, "Looking ahead, we are very well positioned to generate strong FFO per-unit growth of almost 20% on a run-rate basis, beginning in the second half of 2019," which "makes up for the FFO gap from the recent dispositions of assets."

"More importantly," he continued "the future upside in the acquired assets is expected to be substantial, and this will stand us in good shape to continue to grow our FFO." The company noted at its recent investor day that these investments should organically expand their earnings at a 5% to 7% annual rate, which is a much quicker pace than the 2% to 3% yearly earnings growth expected at its recently sold electric-transmission business in Chile.

More From The Motley Fool

Matthew DiLallo owns shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The US president promoted the reimposition of Iranian sanctions on Twitter on Friday with this image.

US sanctions against Iran are officially snapping back into place on Monday, erasing Americas 2015 agreement to ease harsh restrictions on the oil-rich country in exchange for limits to its nuclear ambitions.

Donald Trump reminded the world about the sanctions on Friday with a tweeted image showing a photo of him overlaid with text saying Sanctions are Coming. The text and typeface riffed off the popular fantasy HBO show, Game of Thrones.

Trumps decision in May to reimpose the sanctions has forced companies around the world to scale back their business dealings with Iran for fear of facing harsh punishments from the US, including the threat of being cut off from the American financial system. Companies have cancelled planned projects and stopped buying Iranian oil.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Friday that eight countries would get waivers to keep buying Iranian oil, but did not give specifics, only noting that countries in the European Union would not get waivers. China, the top importer of Iranian crude, is reportedly in discussions to secure a waiver. Turkeys energy minister Fatih Donmez said his country would get a waiver.

Why is this happening?

Trump called the Obama-era deal to ease sanctions on Iran defective at its core when he pulled out of the agreement in May. The deal had been signed alongside the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia, and was endorsed by the UN Security Council.

It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement, Trump had said.

The decision was met with international resistance and condemnation.

Iran said it was not bothered by the sanctions, which target not only its vital oil and gas sector but also shipping, ship-building and banking industries.

Story continues

America will not be able to carry out any measure against our great and brave nation  We have the knowledge and the capability to manage the countrys economic affairs, Irans foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on state TV.

US sanctions against Iran are being reimposed by the Trump administration on Monday. Photo: Atta Kenare/Getty Images

What does this mean for oil prices?

Iran is a crucial oil producer for the world market, exporting about 2.7 million barrels per day in 2018, according to data from the Federal Reserves Bank of St. Louis. Iranian exports have nearly doubled since 2015, but theyre expected to plunge back down as sanctions force international buyers to look elsewhere for supplies.

Oil prices initially spiked in the wake of Trumps announcement as traders worried that a cut to Iranian supplies could lead to global shortfalls. However, the oil-rich nation Saudi Arabia provided assurances that it could fill the supply gaps and many countries have pumped more oil into the markets. The International Energy Agency reported that global oil supplies in September surged to roughly 100 million barrels per day, up about 3% from last year. Production from OPECs 15 member countries hit a one-year high in September.

The increased production, along with slipping demand from emerging markets, has dragged down prices in recent weeks.

Oil prices have sold off sharply  on growing demand concerns and diminishing fears over Iran supply losses, noted energy experts at Goldman Sachs.

Still, experts expect prices could easily rise again, which could hurt drivers, airlines and a range of energy-dependent businesses.

Crispin Hawes, a director at Idrisi Advisors and an expert in Middle Eastern economics, warned that oil markets will be in a more fragile place in the coming months.

If you take 60% to 70% of Iranian supplies out of the market, prices wont spike, but it means the balance between supply and demand is thinner, he told Yahoo Finance UK.

What does it mean for Europe?

European companies had been keen to sign deals with Iran and export their products to Iranian consumers.

The 28 countries in the European Union exported nearly 11 billion ($12.5 billion) in goods to Iran in 2017, roughly 100 times larger than US exports to the country.

But big European businesses have now pulled back from their plans.

The sanctions dash the hope that exports to Iran could otherwise have risen substantially, so it is a lost opportunity, said Holger Schmieding, a leading economist at Berenberg. Indirectly, Europe is being hurt by high oil prices to which US sanctions against Iran have contributed.

With files from Reuters
* No Indian plan to stop buying Iran oil this fiscal year, official says

* China has sought full waiver; Sept Iran oil imports down a third (Adds comment from Chinese, Indian officials)

TOKYO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Japan said on Thursday it had not yet been granted a waiver from a U.S. plan to reimpose sanctions aimed at cutting Iran out of international markets, while the top two customers for Iranian oil, China and India, were awaiting word on possible exemptions.

The United States has said it is considering waivers on sanctions for countries that are reducing their imports of Iranian oil. The renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran are set to come into effect on Nov. 4.

"Japan-U.S. talks have been conducted four times so far on U.S. sanctions on Iran," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Japan's top government spokesman, told a news conference.

"The Japanese side has asked that the impact would not affect the activities of Japanese companies. I'd like to refrain from further comments on the details of the talks."

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said on Wednesday the Trump administration wants sanctions on Iran's crude exports to strain Tehran, but does not want to harm countries that depend on the oil.

India also hopes to secure a waiver, as it has significantly cut Iranian oil imports ahead of the deadline, officials there said last month.

"The U.S. is aware of our stand. We have told them that we cannot stop buying Iranian oil. We will continue to buy Iranian oil in this fiscal year," an Indian government official said on Thursday.

The Indian official, who is involved in discussions with U.S. authorities, said Washington may announce a waiver on Nov. 4.

A Japanese oil market analyst who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter said Japan's chances of winning a waiver would increase if India were granted one.

The Japanese government and industry officials were hopeful of gaining an exemption, the analyst said.

Story continues

A senior Japanese trade ministry official on Thursday declined to provide further details.

Japan joined South Korea in temporarily halting Iranian oil loadings, but three of Iran's top five customers  India, China and Turkey - are resisting the call to end purchases outright, according to sources familiar with the matter.

While China, Iran's largest oil client, has halted lifting Iranian crude in November, Beijing is keenly awaiting word from Washington on a waiver the country is hopeful of winning.

"China has sought a full waiver, arguing that its refineries are configured to process Iranian oil, which can't be easily and economically replaced by supplies from other producers," said a state oil official with knowledge of the situation.

Japan imported about 172,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude last year, down 24.2 percent from 2016, trade ministry data showed.

Japan has cut Iranian imports significantly from nearly 315,000 bpd in 2011, the year before the previous international sanctions on Iran were imposed.

Japan won waivers from the previous sanctions that allowed it to buy limited amounts of oil from Iran before the restrictions ended in 2016.

Chinese customs data released earlier on Thursday showed China's Iranian oil imports in September fell by a third from a year earlier to 518,300 bpd, and compared to nearly 800,000 bpd in August.

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori and Kaori Kaneko; Additional reporting Nidhi Verma in New Delhi and Chen Aizhu in Beijing; Editing by Tom Hogue and Dale Hudson)
By Fatos Bytyci

PRISTINA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - After decades of relying on lignite, Kosovo has been told it needs to phase the energy source out, despite having 14 billion tonnes of reserves, the fifth largest in the world.

Last month, the World Bank told Kosovo it would no longer support a planned 500-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant. It was supposed to provide a partial risk guarantee to help unlock cheaper loans for its biggest energy project.

"The World Bank has recommended to us to have a 400 MW solar park, a 170 MW wind park and a 350 MW battery storage park," Valdrin Lluka, Kosovo's Minister for Economic Development, said.

"We don't have that luxury to do such experiments in a poor country such as Kosovo. It is a major risk. It is in our national security interest to secure base energy inside our territory," he told Reuters.

Other Balkan countries rely on coal to produce power, with Serbia and Bosnia generating 70 percent and 60 percent respectively in ailing coal-fired plants, and both are in the process of adding new coal capacities.

London-listed power generator ContourGlobal, which won the tender to build Kosovo's new plant and operate it for two decades, is now trying to secure funds elsewhere.

The government committed to buying the total output of the plant at a price yet to be determined.

The two old power plants Kosova A and Kosova B are among Europe's worst polluters. The government said the new plant, to replace Kosova A, would burn 40 percent less coal and release 20 times less emissions.

But power prices in Kosovo, among the cheapest in Europe, would rise 25-35 percent once the plant goes online, mostly due to investment for environmental protection, Lluka said.

By the end of 2018 the best bidder to build the generators at the plant will be picked from China Machinery Engineering Corp., a consortium of ENKA, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems and Tecnicas Reunidas, a General Electric-led consortium and Hyundai.

Story continues

As the lignite debate continues, local brewer Peja Beer invested 5 million euros into Kosovo's first solar park. In a sunny day in late October, the 6 MW park outside the western town of Gjakova was producing 3.6 megawatt hours of electricity.

The feed-in tariff for 1 MWh of solar power amounts to 136 euros while 1 MWh from coal-fired plants is sold for 30 euros.

"We see this kind of investment as a good opportunity and we are planning to invest in more capacity," said Vlera Devolli one of the investors.

The country of 1.8 million people has installed only 50 MW of renewable capacities. It hopes to double them by the end of this or early next year.

"We should not lock ourselves that lignite is the necessary future," said Learta Hollaj, of the Institute for Development Policy. "If you see the costs to health and environment, then we have a lot of reasons to fight such a project". (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; additional reporting by Maja Zuvela in Sarajevo; editing by David Evans)
Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad gives a speech at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad gives a speech at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand October 25, 2018. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/Files

By Joseph Sipalan and Rozanna Latiff

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia unveiled an expanded budget on Friday, and set a higher fiscal deficit target for 2019, as the new Mahathir Mohamad-led government faced up to challenges boosting revenue in a slowing economy, while saddled with large debts left by its predecessor.

Delivering its first budget since winning power six months ago, the coalition government laid out plans for cuts to public investment, and increase revenue from privatising infrastructure assets and a one-off dividend of 30 billion ringgit ($7.20 billion) by state energy firm Petronas.

Mahathir had warned of cuts to spending, blaming the previous administration of Najib Razak for saddling the country with debt of more than 1 trillion ringgit.

His government also had to fill a revenue shortfall from the scrapping of an unpopular consumption tax.

"Although the budget is more than the previous year, you must also remember that we also carry the burden of having to pay our debt that was incurred by previous government," Mahathir told reporters after his finance minister presented the 2019 budget to parliament.

But with Malaysia now forecasting this year's fiscal deficit would be the highest in five years, it will face worries over whether it can avoid a possible credit rating downgrade.

Sagarika Chandra, Associate Director in Fitch Ratings' Asia-Pacific Sovereigns team, said the government's "failure to stick to a more conservative fiscal consolidation path raises some concerns about policy credibility."

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said total revenue is projected to rise 10.6 percent to 261.8 billion ringgit next year, thanks largely to the Petronas dividend.

Expenditure has been budgeted at 314.6 billion ringgit ($75.53 billion), up 8.3 percent from this year's budget as the government recognised certain items not listed in the previous budget.

Mahathir said the government will issue before March a 200 billion yen Samurai bond with low interest rates to pay back some of the "costly" loans taken by the previous administration. More Japanese loans were possible, he said.

Story continues

The government abandoned an earlier fiscal deficit target of 2.8 percent for this year, saying it will widen to 3.7 percent -- the highest since 2013. Najib's government had reduced fiscal deficit for eight straight years to 2017.

It is targeting fiscal deficit of 3.4 pct in 2019 and 2.8 percent by 2021, and 2 percent over the medium term.

The government said it was resetting "its fiscal consolidation path starting from 2019 to account for narrow revenue base, additional provision for off-budget items and tax refunds."

REVENUE MEASURES

In an economic report released on Friday, Malaysia said it will cut public spending sharply despite foreseeing the economy growing more slowly.

Lim and Mahathir blamed the Najib administration for the wider deficits.

Najib is facing multiple charges of corruption, money laundering and abuse of power, mostly related to a defunct state fund, 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

The former leader has denied any wrongdoing, and has accused his successors of trying to belittle his economic successes. Najib had introduced the consumption tax, which Mahathir scrapped, to reduce reliance on oil and gas revenue.

But the new budget shows an increasing dependence on Petronas, which Mahathir said could afford to pay more to the government because of higher oil prices.

Other than the special dividend, Petronas will also pay a regular dividend of 24 billion ringgit. Its dividends alone account for about 20 percent of Malaysia's revenue next year.

Much of Petronas' dividends will go towards settle outstanding tax refunds.

"A heavier reliance on commodity-based revenues presents an additional risk to Malaysia's fiscal accounts in the absence of more structural revenue-raising measures," Andrew Wood, an analyst at S&P Global Ratings, said.

The government will also sell non-core state assets and land, privatise infrastructure assets, review existing tax structures and incentives offered to companies to boost revenue prospects. It is also reviewing several projects awarded by the previous administration.

($1 = 4.1640 ringgit)

(Additional reporting by Liz Lee and Emily Chow; Writing by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
FILE PHOTO: A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran, July 25, 2005. To match Exclusive OPEC-OIL/ REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/File Photo/File Photo

Crude oil (CL=F) has been getting pummeled. The commodity got crushed this week and is on pace for its worst weekly performance in nearly nine months. Crude has fallen 17% from the four-year highs it hit in early October.

Global supply increases, trade tensions between the US and China and a new report stating that the U.S. will be granting Iran sanction waivers to eight nations have put pressure on oil prices.

Helima Croft, RBCs head of commodity strategy, thinks traders are overlooking part of the story. I actually think the market is missing several key points. Every country that gets a significant reduction exemption (SRE) has to make a large reduction in order to secure one and will have to make further import cuts in the coming months. China is apparently included, and many market participants assumed that they would not be making any cuts, she told Yahoo Finance.

The Trump administration slapped sanctions on Iran oil exports in May after ditching the Iran nuclear deal, and the sanctions on Irans energy sector are set to kick in on November 4.

Up until this week, the move to limit Iranian oil exports was seen as a bullish argument for crude oil prices.

Waivers for India, China, Turkey

China is currently the largest importer of Iranian oil, and after it was reportedly revealed that India, China and Turkey would be included in the 8 nations that would be granted waivers, crude oil prices fell to more than 6-month lows on Friday morning.

Croft argues that regardless of these temporary waivers, Iran will see continued export losses into 2019. While we still have to see the percentage reduction for the significant reduction exemptions, it is still likely to see Q1 2019 export losses in the 1.3 to 1.7 million barrels per day range from the spring high, and those losses will likely climb heading into the next significant reduction exemption round in 6 months time.

The waivers are temporary, and participating nations will be held accountable to continue cutting Iranian imports going forward.

Story continues

A Nov. 1 note from Goldman Sachs concurs: Importantly, the granting of waivers does not imply that Iran exports will stabilize near current levels  The U.S. administration remains committed to its stated goal of achieving maximum pressure on Iran and targeting zero exports medium-term, suggesting diminishing waivers over time  As a result, we continue to expect that Iran exports will sequentially decline with our export forecast at 1.15 mb/d into year-end. We expect further declines in early 2019 to 1.0 [million barrels per day], reflecting both a likely goal to bring exports lower than during the previous round of sanctions and a gradual decline to zero imports for OECD countries (EU, Japan, Korea).

Crude oil futures were trading in the $63.60 range Friday at 10:50 a.m. ET.

Heidi Chung is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @heidi_chung.

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Shake Shack sales unexpectedly fall

The death of retail is totally oversubscribed
By Eric M. Johnson and Joey Roulette

SEATTLE/ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk flew to the Seattle area in June for meetings with engineers leading a satellite launch project crucial to his space company's growth.

Within hours of landing, Musk had fired at least seven people on the program's senior management team at the Redmond, Washington, office, the culmination of disagreements over the pace at which the team was developing and testing its Starlink satellites, according to two SpaceX employees with direct knowledge of the situation.

Known for pushing aggressive deadlines, Musk quickly brought in new managers from SpaceX headquarters in California to replace a number of the managers he fired. Their mandate: Launch SpaceX's first batch of U.S.-made satellites by the middle of next year, the sources said.

The management shakeup and the launch timeline, previously unreported, illustrate how quickly Musk wants to bring online SpaceX's Starlink program, which is competing with OneWeb and Canada's Telesat to be first to market with a new satellite-based Internet service.

Those services - essentially a constellation of satellites that will bring high-speed Internet to rural and suburban locations globally - are key to generating the cash that privately-held SpaceX needs to fund Musk's real dream of developing a new rocket capable of flying paying customers to the moon and eventually trying to colonize Mars.

"It would be like rebuilding the Internet in space," Musk told an audience in 2015 when he unveiled Starlink. "The goal would be to have a majority of long-distance Internet traffic go over this network."

But the program is struggling to hire and retain staff, the employees said. Currently, about 300 SpaceX employees work on Starlink in Redmond, the sources said. According to GeekWire, Musk said in 2015 the Redmond operation would have "probably several hundred people, maybe a thousand people" after 3-4 years in operation.

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So far this year, about 50 employees left the company "on their own accord," one of the SpaceX employees said, though the reason for those departures was unclear. Overall, SpaceX employs more than 6,000 staff.

As of Tuesday, there were 22 job openings - including a job making espresso drinks - for the Redmond office, according to SpaceX's website.

SpaceX spokeswoman Eva Behrend told Reuters the Redmond office remains an essential part of the company's efforts to build a next-generation satellite network.

"Given the success of our recent Starlink demonstration satellites, we have incorporated lessons learned and re-organized to allow for the next design iteration to be flown in short order," Behrend said.

She noted the strategy was similar to the rapid iteration in design and testing which led to the success of its rockets.

After this story was published, a second SpaceX spokesperson said two of the managers left the company on their own accord as part of the re-organization within two weeks of the Musk visit in June. The spokesman did not provide additional details about their exit.

Among the managers fired from the Redmond office was SpaceX Vice President of Satellites Rajeev Badyal, an engineering and hardware veteran of Microsoft Corp and Hewlett-Packard, and top designer Mark Krebs, who worked in Google's satellite and aircraft division, the employees said. Krebs declined to comment, and Badyal did not respond to requests for comment.

The management shakeup followed in-fighting over pressure from Musk to speed up satellite testing schedules, one of the sources said. SpaceX's Behrend offered no comment on the matter.

Culture was also a challenge for recent hires, a second source said. A number of the managers had been hired from nearby technology giant Microsoft, where workers were more accustomed to longer development schedules than Musk's famously short deadlines.

"Rajeev wanted three more iterations of test satellites," one of the sources said. "Elon thinks we can do the job with cheaper and simpler satellites, sooner."

A billionaire and Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Inc, Musk is known for ambitious projects ranging from auto electrification and rocket-building to high-speed transit tunnels.

A Musk trust owns 54 percent of the outstanding stock of SpaceX, according to a 2016 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, SpaceX's most recent.

JUNE 2019 LAUNCH GOAL

SpaceX has said it would launch its satellites in phases through 2024. It goal of having Internet service available in 2020 is "pretty much on target" with an initial satellite launch by mid-2019, one of the sources said.

OneWeb aims for a first launch between December and February 2019, while Telesat was targeting 2022 for broadband services.

SpaceX employees told Reuters that two Starlink test satellites launched in February, dubbed Tintin A and B, were functioning as intended. The company is refining the orbital path of the satellites after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which oversees satellites in orbit, approved a request from SpaceX to expand Tintins' altitude range, one of the sources said.

The FCC confirmed SpaceX's modifications, which have not been reported previously, but declined further comment.

"We're using the Tintins to explore that modification," one of the SpaceX employee sources said. "They're happy and healthy and we're talking with them every time they pass a ground station, dozens of times a day."

SpaceX engineers have used the two test satellites to play online video games at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California and the Redmond office, the source said.

"We were streaming 4k YouTube and playing 'Counter-Strike: Global Offensive' from Hawthorne to Redmond in the first week," the person added.

MORE SATELLITES

In March, the FCC approved Musk's plan to beam down Internet signals from 4,425 small satellites launched into standard low-Earth orbit - more than two times the total number of active satellites there presently.

One SpaceX engineer told Reuters the company has studied plans to add roughly 10,000 additional satellites after its first array is live to meet bandwidth demand in the coming 20 years. Behrend declined to comment on the plans and referred to a previous FCC filing, which states an additional 7,518 satellites are under consideration.

Such a move would keep it in the race to expand affordable high-speed Internet access to billions of people in rural or suburban areas globally. The Satellite Industry Association, a lobby group, estimates the global market for satellite-based broadband and television services is worth $127.7 billion, dwarfing the roughly $5.5 billion satellite launch services market.

McLean, Virginia-based OneWeb is working to provide internet service from roughly 900 satellites after raising more than $2 billion from SoftBank, the Coca-Cola Company and others.

Telesat, backed by Loral Space & Communications Inc, said on Oct. 23 it conducted the first-ever live test of in-flight broadband via a satellite in low-Earth orbit, and was targeting 2022 for broadband services from a constellation of some 300 satellites.

SpaceX aims to provide Internet service by linking its satellites to ground stations and mountable terminals about the size of a pizza box at homes or businesses, according to the FCC filing. The U.S. market for broadband is already dominated by several incumbent communications companies, including Comcast Corporation. Comcast declined to comment on the potential new competition.

While SpaceX's model of reusing rockets has generated cash, it is not enough to cover the roughly $5 billion cost to develop its Big Falcon Rocket that Musk wants one day to fly to Mars.

"There had to be a much bigger idea for generating cash to basically realize the Mars plans," said one of the SpaceX employees. "What better idea than to put Comcast out of business?"

(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle and Joey Roulette in Orlando, Florida; editing by Greg Mitchell and Edward Tobin)








With the aggressive pace of technological change and the onslaught of news regarding data breaches, cyber-attacks, and technological threats to privacy and security, it is easy to assume these are fundamentally new threats. The pace of technological change is slower than it feels, and many seemingly new categories of threats have actually been with us longer than we remember. Nervous System is a monthly blog that approaches issues of data privacy and cybersecurity from the context of historyto look to the past for clues about how to interpret the present and prepare for the future.







In 1887, Warden R.W. McClaughry of the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet (now Joliet Correctional Center) introduced a radical new idea. To keep track of recidivist offenders and identify prisoners of extra-special concern due to past crimes, he implemented a database of criminals. The database consisted of a collection of paper-based records containing pictures of prisoners faces, along with a set of facial and bodily measurements. McClaughry got the idea from a French policeman and pioneer of biometrics, Alphonse Bertillon.



As described in Signaletic Instructions Including the Theory and Practice of Anthropometrical Identification, his landmark book of 1885, Bertillon sought to apply a rigorous scientific framework to the then-haphazard practice of tracking and cataloging criminals. The use of photography to document arrests was nothing newin Victorian England, the camera was ironically called the angel copier and was seen as a humane alternative for keeping track of former offenders, as opposed to physically branding them. Bertillons innovation was to pair photography with a set of specific measurements he presumed to be immutable attributes of the person: head length, head breadth, length of the middle finger, length of the left foot, and length of the cubit (the forearm from the wrist to the elbow). Bertillon posited that the combination of these measurements together with his mugshot of face-on and sideways views of the subject would provide a definitive identification of a unique individual.



The photos and biometric measurements would then be printed onto a Bertillon Card to be stored with other Bertillon Cards as a virtual library of criminals. This manually searchable database was an enormous boon to the field of criminology, and the Bertillon System quickly took hold across Europe and the United States. It had a couple of notable drawbacks, however. For one, even Bertillon himself agreed that it was a grueling and time-consuming task to find a single face if you have no other means but your eyes to search for the photograph among the thousands in an ordinary collection. Second, the system was designed to be reactive, to help identify suspects and monitor repeat offenders, but did little to proactively prevent crime.



The computer age offered solutions to both problems. If a machine could become as adept as a person at recognizing faces, that machine could sort and filter its way through a Bertillon-style database faster than any person couldand if such a machine were paired with surveillance cameras, it might be possible to identify known troublemakers in a crowd before they even did anything. Setting aside the many privacy rights concerns about whether such a Big Brother-style surveillance state would be socially desirable, the technical question was: Would it even be doable?



Woodrow Wilson Bledsoe was a gifted computer scientist with a particular knack for pattern recognition. He had previously worked on Defense Department research funded by the Atomic Energy Commission to teach computers to recognize letters, both printed and handwritten (this was early research into what became optical character recognition). In the mid-1960s, Bledsoe led a team of researchers at Panoramic Research to teach computers to try to recognize faces. It was only years later that curious researchers discovered Bledsoes facial recognition work was in fact financed by the Central Intelligence Agency. Much of his work remains classified today.



Following the lead of Bertillon, Bledsoe started by dividing up the human face into subsections to be classified. By measuring details like the distance from the hairline to the eyebrows, the distance between the eyes, or the width of the mouth, he could create a facial map from which to draw statistical conclusions about how closely another photograph matched that dimensional model of a given face. Bledsoes researchers painstaking coded photographs by hand using a grid and a handheld stylus that emitted electromagnetic pulses to mark the coordinates of 20 critical biometric distances.



The software was designed to proceed down a decision tree from larger categories to smallerfor example, deciding the gender of the subject first, and then making broad racial categorizations, before proceeding to analyze more specific details.



Bledsoe published his first study, A Proposal for a Study to Determine the Feasibility of a Simplified Face Recognition Machine, on January 30, 1963the first known work in facial recognition software. In this project, Bledsoe and his team encoded high-quality, high-resolution photographs of various faces taken from the same angle of view. They then fed the new photos of the same faces into the system to evaluate how the program matched them to the known faces.



On March 6, 1964, Bledsoes second paper, A Facial Recognition Project Report, reported the results using photographs taken from a variety of angles and lighting conditions. Glumly, Bledsoe declared picture recognition by machines for a large sample of people is beyond the state of the art of the present pattern recognition and computer technology at this time. The problem was rooted in the variations introduced by different camera angles, lighting conditions, tilt and rotation of the subjects head, and other differences that would exist between pictures irrespective of the differences of the subject face itself. Computing power in 1964 was stretched to the limit to try to account for those differences.



A few years after Bledsoe left the project, Peter Hart continued the research at the Stanford Research Institute in 1966. In the spirit of John Henry pitting his mettle against the steam drill, Hart tested the software against humans in face-recognition trials using a database of 2,000 photographs. Hart found his computer consistently outperformed the humans, exclaiming, It really worked! It should be emphasized, however, that this success rested on the surprisingly poor performance of the human testers, which left a fairly low bar for the computer to clear to do better by comparison.



The inherent challenges in using biometrics and facial recognition for identification is perhaps illustrated by the incident that brought the Bertillon System to an end in 1903. Officials at Leavenworth Penitentiary in Kansas were processing a new inmate, named Will West, and performed the usual Bertillon procedure of capturing mugshots and biometric measurements. Vexingly, his measurements matched exactly an existing Bertillon Card for someone named William West. This was especially puzzling because William West was already incarcerated at Leavenworth and had been for two years serving a conviction for murder. Here were two men, with basically the same name, strikingly similar appearances, and identical Bertillon measurementsyet they were indeed two different people, unrelated and unknown to one another. The prison officers fingerprinted both men to show their fingerprints differed, thereby ushering in a new era of identificationbut thats another story.











David Kalat is Director, Global Investigations + Strategic Intelligence at Berkeley Research Group. David is a computer forensic investigator and e-discovery project manager. Disclaimer for commentary: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, position, or policy of Berkeley Research Group, LLC or its other employees and affiliates.
(Adds Kim's statements according to N.Korean state media, paragraphs 12-13)

By Josh Smith and David Brunnstrom

SEOUL/WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - South Korea's spy agency has observed preparations by North Korea for international inspections at several of its nuclear and missile test sites, the Yonhap news agency said on Wednesday, citing a South Korean lawmaker.

U.S. officials declined to confirm the observations, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Washington he planned to meet his North Korean negotiating counterpart next week and would speak to him about inspections.

Pompeo said in a radio interview that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had committed to allowing U.S. inspectors at two "significant" sites when he met him in Pyongyang this month.

"We hope to get them there before too long," he told the Laura Ingraham show. Pompeo did not identify the sites.

Kim Min-ki of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party told reporters earlier that the country's National Intelligence Service observed North Koreans "conducting preparation and intelligence activities that seem to be in preparation for foreign inspectors visit" at Punggye-ri nuclear test site and the Sohae Satellite launching ground.

The lawmaker added that no major movements had been seen at Yongbyon, the North's main nuclear complex.

North Korea has stopped nuclear and missile tests in the past year, but it did not allow international inspections of its dismantling of Punggye-ri in May, drawing criticism that the action was merely for show and could be reversed.

In September, Kim Jong Un also pledged at a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to close Sohae and allow experts to observe the dismantling of the missile engine-testing site and a launch pad.

At the time, Moon said North Korea agreed to let international inspectors observe a "permanent dismantlement" of key missile facilities, and take further steps, such as closing Yongbyon, in return for reciprocal moves by the United States.

Story continues

Washington has demanded steps such as a full disclosure of the Norths nuclear and missile facilities, before agreeing to Pyongyangs key goals.

American officials have been skeptical of Kim's commitment to giving up nuclear weapons, but the Norths pledge at the summit with the South drew an enthusiastic response from President Donald Trump, who met Kim in an unprecedented summit in June and has been keen on a second meeting.

During an inspection of a large construction project at a tourism resort in Wonsan, Kim told workers that such economic projects are a new "decisive battle" for supporting the ruling party and pushing back against international sanctions over the nuclear program, North Korean state media reported on Thursday.

"The hostile forces are foolishly keen on vicious sanctions to stand in our way toward promotion of people's wellbeing and development and to lead us to change and submission, but they will be made to clearly see over time how our country that has built its strength hundreds of times defying hardship build its own country as a powerful nation by its own strength, technology and efforts," he said on Korean Central News Agency.

Pompeo told Laura Ingraham Washington hoped the second summit would take place early next year "where we can make a substantial breakthrough in taking down the nuclear threat from North Korea."

"Theres a lot of work which remains, and Chairman Kim has made clear to me - just as plain as Im speaking to you, Laura - that he has the intention to denuclearize and well do everything we can to assist him in following through on that commitment."

Pompeo did not name his counterpart, but Kim Yong Chol, a close aide to Kim Jong Un, has led past negotiating sessions with him.

The State Department declined to provide details, but the meeting is expected to take place in New York.

Also in Washington, South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said the United States and South Korea would make a decision by December on major joint military exercises for 2019.

Earlier this month, the two countries suspended Vigilant Ace, one of several exercises that have been halted to encourage dialogue.

"We are not right now concerned with a loss of combat capability," U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters after the meeting with his South Korean counterpart.

"Clearly as we go forward, we'll have to make adaptations to ensure we don't lose that capability. But right now, again this is not a total suspension of all collaboration and military exercises," Mattis added. (Reporting by Josh Smith; additional reporting by David Brunnstrom and Idrees Ali in Washington; editing by Peter Cooney, James Dalgleish and Diane Craft)
FILE PHOTO: A oil pump is seen at sunset outside Scheibenhard, near Strasbourg, France, October 6, 2017 . REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo

By Devika Krishna Kumar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell about 1 percent on Friday and notched a weekly loss of over 6 percent, as investors worried about oversupply after the United States said it will temporarily spare eight jurisdictions from Iran-related sanctions.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the decision in a conference call. The waivers could allow top buyers to keep importing Iranian oil after economic penalties come back into effect on Monday.

Brent crude futures (LCOc1) fell 6 cents to settle at $72.83 a barrel. U.S. crude (CLc1) declined 55 cents to end the session at $63.14 per barrel, a 0.86 percent loss.

Both contracts have fallen more than 15 percent from the near four-year highs touched in early October on worries the looming Iran sanctions could drain supply from global markets.

Pompeo did not name the jurisdictions, but said the European Union as a whole, which has 28 members, would not receive one.

India, Iraq and South Korea were on the list of waivers, said a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. Under U.S. law, such exceptions can only be granted for up to 180 days.

Turkey has been told it will receive a waiver on U.S. sanctions against Iranian oil sales, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said.

Iran said on Friday that it had no concerns over the reimposition of sanctions.

On Twitter, in a message designed to emphasise his "maximum pressure" policy toward Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump included a photograph of himself modelled on a popular television show poster with the headline: "Sanctions are coming November 5."

"It seems as though all the worries about tightening supplies due to the loss of Iranian barrels in the market have dried up," said Gene McGillian, director of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.

"On top of that, concerns regarding reduced global demand has also helped ... the market continues to search for a bottom."

Story continues

Prices have been under pressure as world oil production has been rising significantly in the past two months. Russian Energy Ministry data showed on Friday the country pumped 11.41 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude in October, a 30-year high.

The U.S. believes that global oil supplies will exceed demand next year making it easier for countries to cut Iranian oil imports to zero, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries boosted oil production in October to 33.31 million bpd, up 390,000 bpd and the highest by OPEC since 2016. [OPEC/O]

The United States is challenging Russia for title of top producer, with U.S. crude production (C-OUT-T-EIA) now above 11 million bpd.

The U.S. oil drilling rig count declined this week for the first time in four weeks, with drillers cutting one oil rig in the week to Nov. 2, bringing the total count down to 874, General Electric Co's (GE.N) Baker Hughes energy services firm said in a report on Friday. (RIG-OL-USA-BHI).

Hedge funds and money managers cut their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions in latest week to a fresh one-year low, according to data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

(Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in NEW YORK, Christopher Johnson in LONDON and Henning Gloystein in SINGAPORE; Editing by David Goodman and Chris Reese)
Pennsylvania State Capitol.

Pennsylvania State Capitol. Photo credit: Zack Frank/Shutterstock.com



A Pennsylvania state lawmaker faces the possibility of prison time after a jury last week convicted her of charges she accepted $4,000 in cash from an undercover informant seven years ago.



A Harrisburg jury found Philadelphia Democratic Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown guilty of bribery, five counts of conflict of interest and failing to properly file a financial disclosure form.



Were disappointed in the outcome, said Lowery Browns lawyer, Pat Casey. We will continue to fight on her behalf, and it is a classic case of government overreach.



Casey said he expected to appeal.



The trial pitted prosecutors who argued she took the money in exchange for official favors against Lowery Browns defense team, which argued she had been entrapped into taking the money.



Lowery Brown is unopposed in seeking a sixth term in this month's election. She declined to say what her plans are for her seat.



Prosecutor Mike Sprow said although he was uncertain about the details, if she is



sentenced before the new session begins in December, it may affect her ability to qualify for lifetime health benefits and her pension. Sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 28.



A spokeswoman for the State Employees Retirement System said she was unsure why the Dec. 1 date would be significant, but that after Lowery Brown is sentenced, her case will be reviewed to see if it qualifies for pension forfeiture under state law.



The verdict, Sprow said, is obviously what we believed was appropriate in this case. I think the jurors saw through the entrapment defense.



House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny, said Lowery Brown must relinquish her seat in the House no later than the day she is sentenced. A special election to fill the seat would then be scheduled by the House speaker.



She waged a long legal battle and mounted a defense against the charges, but the verdict rendered today means she must face the consequences, Dermody said.



Sprow said the sentencing range on six of the seven counts is up to nine months, so it is possible Lowery Brown may get state prison time.



Lowery Brown told a grand jury in 2014 she knew taking the money was wrong. She had previously agreed to plead guilty in the case but changed her mind.
This story was published in partnership with the Daily Beast and Yahoo News.

The U.S. intelligence community and the Pentagon have quietly agreed on the outlines of an offensive cyber attack that the United States would unleash if Russia electronically interferes with the 2018 midterm election on Nov. 6, according to current and former senior U.S. officials who are familiar with the plan.

In preparation for its potential use, U.S. military hackers have been given the go-ahead to gain access to Russian cyber systems that they feel is needed to let the plan unfold quickly, the officials said.

The effort constitutes one of the first major cyber battle plans organized under a new government policy enabling potential offensive operations to proceed more quickly once the parameters have been worked out in advance and agreed among key agencies.

While U.S. national security officials have so far reported only intermittent efforts by Russian sources to compromise political organizations and campaigns, they have been worried  in the aftermath of Russias digital contact with U.S. election systems in 2016  that Moscow might unleash more aggressive interference in the hours before voting begins, while the polls are open, or when the votes are being tabulated.

The existence of such a plan means that America is more fully integrating offensive cyber attacks into its overall military planning systems, a move likely to make cyber combat more likely and eventually more commonplace, sometimes without first gaining specific presidential approval. Cyber attacks are now on a more obvious path, in short, to becoming a regular currency of warfare.

The plan for retaliation against Russia is one of the first to be organized since President Donald Trump signed an executive order in August that simplifies and shortens the review for such operations. It has the effect  according to those familiar with the process  of giving the Pentagon additional prerogatives to prepare for strikes. It also preemptively addresses traditional intelligence community concerns that cyber attacks will compromise ongoing or future intelligence-gathering by exposing U.S. data collection operations.

Story continues

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The officials declined to provide details about what the United States will do in response to Russian interference in the election. But administration officials have made clear that the trigger for a broader response would have to be something more than malign influence ... trying to sway peoples opinion or the way people might vote, as a senior administration official put it on a call with reporters on October 31 organized by the White House. This is something that has happened since the dawn of the Republic.

Social media influence operations, widely used by Russia in 2016 and again over the past two years, were the focus of an indictment by the Justice Department of Russian national Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova unveiled October 19, in which she was charged with conspiring with others against the United States.

The senior official clarified that it would be direct interference  efforts to tamper with voting registration and recording votes  that would bring swift and severe action. The reason, the official said, is that fundamentally wrecks the natural process that we have established in this country. That official didnt describe what the U.S. action would be.

In 2016 Russian hackers tried to break into the election systems of at least 21 states, although some were not notified by Washington until September 2017. In at least one state, Illinois, Russian hackers managed to gain access to voter registration data, although state officials said that none of the information was altered. Several other state systems were rumored to have been breached, although none have publicly confirmed it.

Officials say the new Trump cyber operations order, National Security Presidential Memorandum 13 (NSPM 13), is designed to allow Defense Secretary James Mattis and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to approve retaliatory strikes without the approval of others in the government, and in certain cases without White House approval.

It replaces an Obama-era executive order that required more extensive review before cyber weapons could be used offensively, called Presidential Policy Directive 20 (PPD 20). That order was classified but became public when former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked it in 2013, as part of a broader effort by him to expose the scale of American cyber spying.

One of the key, unpublicized consequences of the new directive is that military planners can prepare for cyber strikes  as called for in interagency agreements in advance  by gaining access to the computer systems of potential targets well before any order has been given to attack, or even before a foreign attack has occurred, the officials said. That access is meant to pave the way for deploying and detonating malware  packages of compromising computer instructions  swiftly inside foreign networks and servers, when a decision is made to proceed.

According to the officials accounts, military planners in the past were sometimes held back by the intelligence community from hacking into foreign networks for fear of compromising access that spies considered useful for collecting information, particularly when it was uncertain whether any offensive operation would eventually be approved. With only a small number of skilled military hackers available, they were also hesitant to invest time in gaining access to systems not explicitly part of an approved strike.

Obamas order allowed for emergency defensive actions by the heads of U.S. agencies, but required a much more protracted process for the premeditated deployment of cyber weapons. Major attacks had to be directly approved by the president, while other smaller operations required the sign-off of three committees including a policy coordination committee, the National Security Councils Deputies Committee and the Principals Committee, which military officials complained included agencies without a direct connection to the issues associated with cyber attacks.

The Department of Defense (DoD) would get frustrated when Transportation, or another agency would weigh in on things they wanted to do, a former national security official who worked for both Democratic and Republican presidents said. If DoD wanted to have access and be ready, they were hamstrung.

One of the U.S. officials used an analogy to describe the new approach: Spy agencies, the official said, sometimes try to place an agent in a service position at a facility run by an adversary. That agents assignment would be to learn access codes, map the facility and conduct wide surveillance of its operations, copy sets of keys, and perhaps unlock doors. That information and access would allow the intelligence agency, in theory, to sneak a bomb into the facility when it wants to.

This is what the military is now authorized to do after an interagency agreement has been reached that a particular major threat exists that might warrant a swift and effective cyber response, the officials said. It essentially is meant to ensure that U.S. cyber warriors can quickly drop off weapons when needed. You dont need to pre-position something if you have the right access, said one of the officials.

While some officials and cyber experts have said that certain offensive cyber operations risk violating international law, because of the possibility they might cause collateral damage and harm civilians outside target networks, government lawyers have approved the new approach after deciding that letting the military hack into a foreign system is not an act of war, so long as a cyber weapon hasnt yet been emplaced and the specific system being targeted isnt actually destroyed.

While declining to discuss specifics about the new directive or any potential cyber operations, Grant Schneider, a senior director for cybersecurity at the National Security Council, said in an interview after an appearance at a public event that advance military planning would help speed up cyber responses. It allows for agencies to start making plans sooner, start identifying potential targets sooner, and start being able to have impacts sooner, he said.

NSPM 13, which remains classified, was the backbone of Trumps new National Cyber Strategy, a mostly unclassified public document which was released in September.

That strategy was rolled out with descriptions from National Security Advisor John Bolton of a more aggressive use of cyber weapons, consistent with his general foreign policy stance since taking the job in April. At that time officials declined to provide any specifics on how the new policy would make cyber response faster, or cut down on red tape, but claimed it would do both.

During a press conference on September 20 to roll out the new cyber strategy, Bolton said that for any nation that's taking cyber activity against the United States, they should expect, and this is part of creating structures of deterrence, so that it's publicly known as well, we will respond offensively as well as defensively. During a speech on Oct. 31, he said the United States was right now undertaking offensive cyber operations to safeguard the election, without detailing what those are.

According to sources, the new executive order, NSPM 13, is designed around the idea of pre-approved Concepts of Operations  one of the first of which is the plan to act against Russia if key red lines are crossed. The concepts set the types of targets and the boundaries for types of action through coordination between agencies.

It doesnt require a full meeting of cabinet officials and can exclude some of the decision makers who were part of the PPD 20 process. Most of the coordination will take place between the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Pentagon, and the Department of Homeland Security, according to sources.

The concept is that you would approve a category of activities against a defined adversary, that would be pre-approved by the appropriate people, within some left-and-right bounds, one of the officials said. Once a concept is approved, an agency can scout a target and gain access, and sometimes might go ahead and take action with limited notice to other coordinating agencies.

While several Obama-era officials said that the new approach sounded like a step in the right direction, others cautioned that a procedure providing earlier approval with fewer consulting officials could mean that larger concerns about an offensive cyber operation wont be heard.

Were in a really deep deterrence hole to Russia right now. The costs we have imposed have been flea bites, and so were not affecting [Russias] calculus, Michele Flournoy, a former Pentagon policy chief and co-founder of the Center for a New American Security think tank, said in an interview. They arent feeling very threatened. But she added that where I would be concerned is if authorities [for offensive operations] were delegated down to a low level, and it was absent a larger strategy.

A former senior official who served in the Trump White House separately expressed concerns that the military might not understand that cyber weapons are only one of many tools available for responding to a cyber attack. They have to have some understanding that we dont just build tools to wreak havoc, the official said.

Chris Painter, who served as the top U.S. cyber diplomat at the State Department from 2011 to 2017, said the Obama administration deliberately sought extensive interagency consultation to make sure that we were considering all the different policy aspects. But he agrees that the procedures could have been streamlined.

Schneider, the NSC official, said that the perception was that PPD 20 slowed down the potential use of cyber weapons. The old process, in PPD 20, whether it was in reality or in lore, was that everything was going to have to go to the presidents desk in order to do anything. And getting on the presidents desk is a challenge, and so that sapped time away from what they wanted, he said.

But the biggest fights, according to several former officials, came between intelligence leaders trying to protect streams of information coming from adversarys networks and military leaders looking to strike.

In practice, whenever we came up with a scenario where we wanted to take action, they [intelligence officials] spent most of their time arguing that any action could harm their access, one of the former national security officials said.

Asked about protection against Russian election meddling during the rollout of the new cyber strategy, Bolton pointed to the new executive order as helping unleash U.S. capability. It's one of the reasons why our decision to reverse this PPD 20 from the Obama administration on offensive cyber actions, we think, is so important, Bolton said. Our hands are not tied as they were in the Obama administration.

Heres how the process works: Military planners and cyber experts from the civilian intelligence agencies start by finding weaknesses in software security as part of something called the Vulnerabilities Equities Process.

Its general outlines were disclosed in late 2017, when public documents stated that government hackers tell software makers about roughly 90 percent of the vulnerabilities they find while testing nearly every widely used piece of software. A former official familiar with the program confirmed that figure, noting that there is some monthly fluctuation, and saying that many of the public security fixes included in operating system updates are actually first uncovered by government hackers.

The 10 percent we keep is for our national security purposes, a former White House official said. We keep them for a reason.

The military and intelligence agencies then deploy those vulnerabilities whenever they need to break into systems. The public got a hint of the types of inroads government hackers can make when some pathways stockpiled by the National Security Agency were collected by a group calling itself the Shadow Brokers, which released them publicly beginning in 2016. One of those vulnerabilities served as the backbone of the WannaCry attack, which the Trump administration publicly blamed on North Korean hackers, and which eventually spread to 300,000 computers in 150 countries in 2017.

U.S. officials have never publicly claimed responsibility for the use of cyber weapons, although reports have tied U.S. government hackers to disruption of North Korea and Irans nuclear programs.

READ MORE:

Alex Finley Analysis: Russian money and influence have poured through cracks in the U.S. legal wall

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Copyright 2018 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
Yahoo News photo Illustration; photos: Getty Images

U.S. military hackers have been given the go-ahead to gain access to Russian cyber systems if meddling in Americas 2018 elections is confirmed.

The U.S. intelligence community and the Pentagon have quietly agreed on the outlines of an offensive cyberattack that the United States would unleash if Russia electronically interferes with the 2018 midterm elections on Nov. 6, according to current and former senior U.S. officials who are familiar with the plan.

In preparation for its potential use, U.S. military hackers have been given the go-ahead to gain access to Russian cyber systems that they feel is needed to let the plan unfold quickly, the officials said.

The effort constitutes one of the first major cyber battle plans organized under a new government policy enabling potential offensive operations to proceed more quickly once the parameters have been worked out in advance and agreed among key agencies.

While U.S. national security officials have so far reported only intermittent efforts by Russian sources to compromise political organizations and campaigns, they have been worried  in the aftermath of Russias digital contact with U.S. election systems in 2016  that Moscow might unleash more aggressive interference in the hours before voting begins, while the polls are open, or when the votes are being tabulated.

The existence of such a plan means that America is more fully integrating offensive cyberattacks into its overall military planning systems, a move likely to make cyber combat more likely and eventually more commonplace, sometimes without first gaining specific presidential approval. Cyberattacks are now on a more obvious path, in short, to becoming a regular currency of warfare.

The plan for retaliation against Russia is one of the first to be organized since President Trump signed an executive order in August that simplifies and shortens the review for such operations. It has the effect  according to those familiar with the process  of giving the Pentagon additional prerogatives to prepare for strikes. It also preemptively addresses traditional intelligence community concerns that cyberattacks will compromise ongoing or future intelligence-gathering by exposing U.S. data-collection operations.

Story continues

Secretary of Defense James Mattis. (Photo: Ognen Teofilovski/Reuters)

The officials declined to provide details about what the United States will do in response to Russian interference in the elections. But administration officials have made clear that the trigger for a broader response would have to be something more than malign influence  trying to sway peoples opinion or the way people might vote, as a senior administration official put it on a call with reporters on Oct. 31 organized by the White House. This is something that has happened since the dawn of the republic.

Social media influence operations, widely used by Russia in 2016 and again over the past two years, were the focus of an indictment by the Justice Department of Russian national Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova unveiled Oct. 19, in which she was charged with conspiring with others against the United States.

The senior official clarified that it would be direct interference  efforts to tamper with voting registration and recording votes  that would bring swift and severe action. The reason, the official said, is that fundamentally wrecks the natural process that we have established in this country. That official didnt describe what the U.S. action would be.

In 2016 Russian hackers tried to break into the election systems of at least 21 states, although some were not notified by Washington until Sept. 2017. In at least one state, Illinois, Russian hackers managed to gain access to voter registration data, although state officials said that none of the information was altered. Several other state systems were rumored to have been breached, although none have publicly confirmed it.

Officials say the new Trump cyber operations order, National Security Presidential Memorandum 13 (NSPM 13), is designed to allow Defense Secretary James Mattis and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to approve retaliatory strikes without the approval of others in the government, and in certain cases without White House approval.

It replaces an Obama-era executive order that required more extensive review before cyber weapons could be used offensively, called Presidential Policy Directive 20 (PPD 20). That order was classified but became public when former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked it in 2013, as part of a broader effort by him to expose the scale of American cyberspying.

Edward Snowden in Moscow, December 2013. (Photo: Barton Gellman/Getty Images)

One of the key, unpublicized consequences of the new directive is that military planners can prepare for cyberstrikes  as called for in interagency agreements in advance  by gaining access to the computer systems of potential targets well before any order has been given to attack, or even before a foreign attack has occurred, the officials said. That access is meant to pave the way for deploying and detonating malware  packages of compromising computer instructions  swiftly inside foreign networks and servers, when a decision is made to proceed.

According to the officials accounts, military planners in the past were sometimes held back by the intelligence community from hacking into foreign networks for fear of compromising access that spies considered useful for collecting information, particularly when it was uncertain whether any offensive operation would eventually be approved. With only a small number of skilled military hackers available, they were also hesitant to invest time in gaining access to systems not explicitly part of an approved strike.

Obamas order allowed for emergency defensive actions by the heads of U.S. agencies, but required a much more protracted process for the premeditated deployment of cyber weapons. Major attacks had to be directly approved by the president, while smaller operations required the sign-off of three committees, including a policy coordination committee, the National Security Councils Deputies Committee and the Principals Committee, which military officials complained included agencies without a direct connection to the issues associated with cyberattacks.

The Department of Defense would get frustrated when Transportation, or another agency, would weigh in on things they wanted to do, a former national security official who worked for both Democratic and Republican presidents said. If DoD wanted to have access and be ready, they were hamstrung.

One of the U.S. officials used an analogy to describe the new approach: Spy agencies, the official said, sometimes try to place an agent in a service position at a facility run by an adversary. That agents assignment would be to learn access codes, map the facility and conduct wide surveillance of its operations, copy sets of keys, and perhaps unlock doors. That information and access would allow the intelligence agency, in theory, to sneak a bomb into the facility when it wants to.

This is what the military is now authorized to do after an interagency agreement has been reached that a particular major threat exists that might warrant a swift and effective cyber response, the officials said. It essentially is meant to ensure that U.S. cyber warriors can quickly drop off weapons when needed. You dont need to pre-position something if you have the right access, said one of the officials.

While some officials and cyber experts have said that certain offensive cyber operations risk violating international law, because of the possibility they might cause collateral damage and harm civilians outside target networks, government lawyers have approved the new approach after deciding that letting the military hack into a foreign system is not an act of war, so long as a cyber weapon hasnt yet been emplaced and the specific system being targeted isnt actually destroyed.

National security adviser John Bolton. (Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

While declining to discuss the specifics of the new directive or any potential cyber operations, Grant Schneider, a senior director for cybersecurity at the National Security Council, said in an interview after an appearance at a public event that advance military planning would help speed up cyber responses. It allows for agencies to start making plans sooner, start identifying potential targets sooner, and start being able to have impacts sooner, he said.

NSPM 13, which remains classified, was the backbone of Trumps new National Cyber Strategy, a mostly unclassified public document that was released in September.

That strategy was rolled out with descriptions from national security adviser John Bolton of a more aggressive use of cyber weapons, consistent with his general foreign policy stance since taking the job in April. At that time, officials declined to provide any specifics on how the new policy would make cyber response faster, or cut down on red tape, but claimed it would do both.

During a press conference on Sept. 20 to roll out the new cyber strategy, Bolton said that for any nation thats taking cyber activity against the United States, they should expect, and this is part of creating structures of deterrence, so that its publicly known as well, we will respond offensively as well as defensively. During a speech on Oct. 31, he said the United States was right now undertaking offensive cyber operations to safeguard the election, without detailing what those are.

According to sources, the new executive order, NSPM 13, is designed around the idea of pre-approved Concepts of Operations  one of the first of which is the plan to act against Russia if key red lines are crossed. The concepts set the types of targets and the boundaries for types of action through coordination between agencies.

It doesnt require a full meeting of Cabinet officials and can exclude some of the decision makers who were part of the PPD 20 process. Most of the coordination will take place between the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Pentagon, and the Department of Homeland Security, according to sources.

The concept is that you would approve a category of activities against a defined adversary, that would be pre-approved by the appropriate people, within some left-and-right bounds, one of the officials said. Once a concept is approved, an agency can scout a target and gain access, and sometimes might go ahead and take action with limited notice to other coordinating agencies.

While several Obama-era officials said that the new approach sounded like a step in the right direction, others cautioned that a procedure providing earlier approval with fewer consulting officials could mean that larger concerns about an offensive cyber operation wont be heard.

Were in a really deep deterrence hole to Russia right now. The costs we have imposed have been flea bites, and so were not affecting [Russias] calculus, Michele Flournoy, a former Pentagon policy chief and co-founder of the think tank Center for a New American Security, said in an interview. They arent feeling very threatened. But she added that where I would be concerned is if authorities [for offensive operations] were delegated down to a low level, and it was absent a larger strategy.

Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A former senior official who served in the Trump White House separately expressed concerns that the military might not understand that cyber weapons are only one of many tools available for responding to a cyberattack. They have to have some understanding that we dont just build tools to wreak havoc, the official said.

Chris Painter, who served as the top U.S. cyber diplomat at the State Department from 2011 to 2017, said the Obama administration deliberately sought extensive interagency consultation to make sure that we were considering all the different policy aspects. But he agrees that the procedures could have been streamlined.

Schneider, the NSC official, said that the perception was that PPD 20 slowed down the potential use of cyber weapons. The old process, in PPD 20, whether it was in reality or in lore, was that everything was going to have to go to the presidents desk in order to do anything. And getting on the presidents desk is a challenge, and so that sapped time away from what they wanted, he said.

But the biggest fights, according to several former officials, came between intelligence leaders trying to protect streams of information coming from adversarys networks and military leaders looking to strike.

In practice, whenever we came up with a scenario where we wanted to take action, they [intelligence officials] spent most of their time arguing that any action could harm their access, one of the former national security officials said.

Asked about protection against Russian election meddling during the rollout of the new cyber strategy, Bolton pointed to the new executive order as helping unleash U.S. capability. Its one of the reasons why our decision to reverse this PPD 20 from the Obama administration on offensive cyber actions, we think, is so important, Bolton said. Our hands are not tied as they were in the Obama administration.

Heres how the process works: Military planners and cyber experts from the civilian intelligence agencies start by finding weaknesses in software security as part of something called the Vulnerabilities Equities Process.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, with national security adviser John Bolton. (Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Its general outlines were disclosed in late 2017, when public documents stated that government hackers tell software makers about roughly 90 percent of the vulnerabilities they find while testing nearly every widely used piece of software. A former official familiar with the program confirmed that figure, noting that there is some monthly fluctuation, and saying that many of the public security fixes included in operating system updates are actually first uncovered by government hackers.

The 10 percent we keep is for our national security purposes, a former White House official said. We keep them for a reason.

The military and intelligence agencies then deploy those vulnerabilities whenever they need to break into systems. The public got a hint of the types of inroads government hackers can make when some pathways stockpiled by the National Security Agency were collected by a group calling itself the Shadow Brokers, which released them publicly beginning in 2016. One of those vulnerabilities served as the backbone of the WannaCry attack, which the Trump administration publicly blamed on North Korean hackers, and which eventually spread to 300,000 computers in 150 countries in 2017.

U.S. officials have never publicly claimed responsibility for the use of cyber weapons, although reports have tied U.S. government hackers to disruption of North Korea and Irans nuclear programs.

The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, investigative newsroom in Washington, D.C., supported by public contributions.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
Liuba Grechen Shirley launched her Congressional campaign in October 2017 because she said she felt the 13-term incumbent, Republican Peter King, had grown complacent, and let the interests of his many working class constituents fall by the wayside. The 37-year-old Long Islander and working mother of two has raised over $1.5 million (roughly $300,000 more than King), without the help of corporate donations. She also garnered national attention this past spring, when, with Hillary Clinton's recommendation in hand, she won the right to spend campaign funds on childcare.

Grechen Shirley's candidacy has drawn comparisons to that of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 28-year-old Democratic Socialist who beat longtime incumbent, Rep. Joe Crowley, in the Democratic primary.



(Courtesy of Liuba for Congress)

"So many reporters keep trying to define this moment in politics: Are you part of a blue wave, are you part of a pink wave?" Grechen Shirley told Gothamist in a recent phone interview. "One reporter asked me recently, 'When did you decide to run as yourself?' I laughed and said, 'Who else would I run as?'"

Issue-wise, Grechen Shirley and Ocasio-Cortez do share a few similarities, but their districts are demographically and socio-economically disparate. Grechen Shirley's mostly white District 2 earns an average $120,343 per household, and voted for Donald Trump in 2016; Ocasio-Cortez's District 14, meanwhile, is predominantly Hispanic and Latinx, makes a mean annual income of $75,631 per household, and mostly voted for Hillary Clinton. And while Crowley earned accusations that he'd taken his voters for granted, declining to debate his opponent, King can (and does) leverage his reputation as the House's most bipartisan member. Less than a week out from the election, FiveThirtyEight puts the race 5 to 7 in King's favor.

And yet, as Grechen Shirley is quick to point out, King has expressed support for tax cuts outlined in Trump's banner achievement to date, the GOP tax bill, even if he ultimately voted against the legislation. He also voted to replace Obamacare with a system that made deep cuts to Medicaid. King believes abortion violates a fetus's right to life, and would like to criminalize the procedure for providers.

According to Grechen Shirley, these positions don't sit well with voters in his district.

"We are everyday Americans who've decided enough is enough, and we need voices of the middle class to be heard," she said. "People are sick and tired of career politicians and millionaires who have been there for decades."

Grechen Shirley, a consultant with Global Health Visions who has held global development positions at the United Nations and New York University, spoke to Gothamist about taxes, healthcare, immigration, and King's view that she is not a "legitimate" constituent. (Representative King did not respond to our interview request.)

I want to go back to 2016: I know that your district primarily voted for Trump. I'm wondering what you think appealed to voters about his message at the time, and what has changed in the intervening two years.

I think that people wanted to believe Donald Trump. He gave people hope: He was not a career politician, he was not taking corporate donations, and he told everyone he was going to fight for working people. It wasn't true, but it was what he told people. There are a lot of people who are struggling in my district. There are a lot of people who are working multiple jobs, there are a lot of people who are concerned about how they're going to take their kids to the doctor. I talk to people every day who tell me they can't buy their prescription medicine and their groceries in a week. I think that Donald Trump gave people hope. They wanted a change.

So why do you think voters in your district are dissatisfied with Trump? What's disappointed them?

Half of Long Islanders have seen our taxes go up this year. They just gave massive tax cuts to the top 1 percent of people in this country, at the expense of hard-working Long Islanders. Those of us who did see small tax breaks, they're not permanent, and the corporations got permanent tax cuts. And they're already talking about coming after social security and Medicaid and Medicare to pay for the deficit increase, $1.5 trillion dollars. Our kids are going to pay for that. Our kids are going to be responsible for that deficit. Our deficit, it's double what it was when Paul Ryan took over as Speaker of the House. People are paying attention to that.

Do you feel that King's response to voter criticism and his record in Congress are top of mind for voters?

Peter King hasn't really been challenged in a long time, so a lot of people weren't paying attention to his voting record. They knew his name, he said repeatedly that he's so bipartisan, he always tells everybody that he's the most bipartisan member of Congress, but the reality is that he has an extremist voting record. He voted to take healthcare away from 74,000 people in our district. Despite 25 years in Congress, King couldn't protect us against this tax bill; actually he said he was in basic agreement with cutting taxes on the wealthy, and we all know that when you cut taxes on the wealthy, you have more money in the hands of corporate executives and millionaires, they go out and buy yachts and third and fourth homes. When you have real tax cuts for working Americans, we go out and buy groceries and start businesses.

I mean, Peter King is against a woman's right to choose, even in the cases of rape or incest. He wants to jail doctors who perform abortions. He's voted to let coal companies dump waste into our water, to cut the Environmental Protection Agency. He voted against legislation that would've protected our military bases against rising sea levels. He wanted to privatize social security. He voted to gut Medicaid and Medicare, and people are finally paying attention to that. He's gotten away with his voting record for a really long time because he hasn't been challenged.

In what areas specifically do you think he's become complacent?

He refuses to meet with his constituents. I asked him last year if he would hold a town hall and he told me it would 'diminish democracy.' We had our last debate yesterday [October 24th], and he told me that he meets with everybody. I said, 'I asked you to come to a town hall and you refused, you haven't held a town hall in decades.' He told me that I wasn't a 'legitimate constituent.' And I turned to him during the debate, I said, 'Why was I not a legitimate constituent? I wasn't running for Congress, I wasn't your challenger, I was your constituent and I asked you to come to a town hall.' That's something he tells to a lot of people, that he doesn't consider them legitimate when he doesn't agree with their thoughts.

This is how Peter King views his constituents. This is how he treats us. I will not stop talking about how Peter King's record hurts Long Islandersno matter how many times he interrupts me. pic.twitter.com/egVnY8pJFU  Liuba Grechen Shirley (@liuba4congress) October 26, 2018

What do you think he means by 'legitimate'?

I don't know, I couldn't get an answer from him and I asked. It was ridiculous. We got into an argument after they turned the cameras off. I said, 'Why do you block people on Facebook?' He said, 'Well, if it wasn't an intelligent question, I get to block it.' And I looked at him, I was actually shocked, and I said, 'If someone asks you about your voting record or a policy, why do you get to determine whether or not it's an intelligent question?' And he said, 'Well, I just do.'

He hasn't had a debate with anybody in eight years, he doesn't show up to town halls, he has60 percent of the time he votes against labor. The AFL-CIO has given him a 40 percent rating, and I actually went to the AFL-CIO Congressional night, and I was told that he hasn't shown up in 12 years because the last time he was there, somebody questioned his record and he didn't like it. So he doesn't like to be challenged, and if you challenge him, he deletes your comments off Facebook and he doesn't show up to meetings.

Moving away from Peter King for a second, what do you see as the key issues in your district right now?

When I knock on doors, healthcare is the number one issue that we talk about, then taxes, then education, and then the environment.

I think the most urgent piece of policy is improved and expanded Medicare access for all. I'm fighting for universal healthcare: We're the only developed country in the world that doesn't have access to universal healthcare, we spend more money per person than the rest of the developed world, and we have the worst maternal mortality, the lowest life expectancy rates, and it's not a cost-effective system. Almost half of Americans who are in bankruptcy are there because of medical bills, and most of those people had health insurance. Actually, the Koch brothers recently put out a study that shows that it saves two trillion dollars over the next 10 years and insures 30 million more Americans. So I am fighting for improved and expanded Medicare for all.

You're not in favor of dismantling ICE, and I am wondering how you think the agency can be improved and fixed?

There are two parts of ICE: There's the part that goes after transnational gangs like MS-13, that goes after child traffickers and drug traffickers: that part of ICE is critical. It has a really important job in keeping Americans safe. There's the other part of ICE that is taking breastfeeding babies away from their mothers, and handcuffing their mothers, that part of ICE needs to be drastically reformed. There was a letter that 19 ICE agents put out asking that the two be separated, to have the two parts be separated because the part of ICE that is taking babies away from parents is damaging their reputation and making it harder for them to do their jobs.

So do away with one half of ICE?

I do not support abolishing ICE at all, it just needs to be reformed.

How do voters in your district feel about immigration issues?

We need to support a clean Dream Act. We have 14,000 Dreamers on Long Island. We have 7,100 TPS recipients, Temporary Protected Status, in our district. That's the highest number of TPS recipients of any Congressional district across the country. And these are people who are our neighbors, they're our fellow parishioners, they are business owners, they employ native-born Long Islanders, they pay taxes, they own homes, and they strengthen our economy. Peter King didn't support the extension of TPS. These are people who have been here for two decades, and I actually went into Peter King's office with SEIU [the Service Employees International Union] and a number of TPS recipients twice last year. We brought a stack of petitions from people across the district asking him to help support the extension of TPS. And his staff members said no, he didn't support the extension of TPS, he has security concerns.

Now today, he says that's not true, he supports it, but these are people who strengthen our economy and who frankly help law enforcement in our district combat MS-13. The immigrant population in our district, they're the most preyed upon by MS-13, and if you have people who are afraid to talk to law enforcement because they're afraid that they're going to get deported, law enforcement's job is more difficult. And that is why they're actually going after the gang members. We need comprehensive immigration reform. We also need investment in our communities, we have a lot of amazing community organizations that are working with immigrant youth to integrate them into our community, and we need federal support for those organizations.

The last time you spoke with WNYC, it was for a segment pegged to the Kavanaugh hearings and sentiment toward the #MeToo movement writ large. A lot of the voters WNYC spoke with agreed more with Peter King, that a man had been wronged. I know that a huge part of your platform has to do with women's rights and equality and gender justice. What kind of barriers have you run into when trying to communicate these messages to voters?

Kavanaugh was not on trial. That was not a trial to determine whether or not he was guilty or innocent. It was a job interview to determine if he was the best candidate for the position, and clearly he wasn't. His demeanor during his testimony proved that he was not the best, not the most qualified candidate to be a Supreme Court justice. That's what that testimony about, it was a job interview was about, the fact that he was going after Senators and yelling at Senators and crying and just behaving the way he did, it showed that he wasn't the best candidate to be a Supreme Court justice.

But in terms of the #MeToo movement, it's a much bigger sentiment: Do we believe women, do we trust women, do we respect women? I believe Dr. Blasey Ford and I think for too long, women have been afraid to come forward because look what happens. You end up with death threats, you end up being called every name in the book. Women need to be trusted and believed. Peter King doesn't even trust us to make the best decisions for our bodies. Peter King voted against equal pay for women for equal work. He voted against paid family leave and he's against a woman's right to choose, even in the cases of rape or incest. He voted to defund Planned Parenthood 17 times. I would like to know why he doesn't trust women to make the best decisions for our lives and our families.

Do you get the sense that voters in your district wonder the same thing?

I do, yes.

This is not about parties, this about making sure that working people in our district and across the country have a fighting chance, have the opportunities that they need to succeed. We need someone who's going to be a champion for working people, and I want to be the most accessible representative this district has ever seen. We've got three offices across the district, we're out knocking on doors every day, having town halls and round tables and meet-and-greets, and really just getting to know the stories of people in our district and what they're struggling with. That's what a representative is supposed to do. You can't fight for people in the district if you don't know them.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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Shutterstock, Rafal Pytel



Coinsource, a company that operates Bitcoin ATMs, has been granted a virtual currency license by the New York State Department of Financial Services, DFS announced on Thursday.



It is the first Bitcoin ATM operator to obtain one of the licenses from the state regulator, according to the regulator and the company.



Todays approval is a further step in implementing strong regulatory safeguards and effective risk-based controls while encouraging the responsible growth of financial innovation, DFS



Superintendent Maria Vullo said in a statement.





bitcoin ATM machine

A bitcoin ATM machine made by Coinsource.



Coinsource started the application process for a virtual currency license in 2015 shortly after the company was founded. Its allows for people to pay for bitcoin using cash or to exchange their bitcoin for cash using by scanning their mobile wallet. The company operates 40 kiosks in New York and over 200 machines in 18 other states and Washington, D.C.



This is a landmark day for Coinsource, but an even more important win for New Yorkers. We only hope that this milestone brings further validation to the BTM industry, Coinsource CEO Sheffield Clark said in a news release. It proves that regulators will reward entrepreneurs who combine innovation with a willingness to meet best practices and compliance standards, he said.



A representative from Coinsource was not immediately available for comment.



Companies must take several steps to be granted approval of a license. Those steps include maintaining policies and procedures that protect consumers and address and quickly resolve consumer complaints, comply with the DFSs cybersecurity regulations, and implement controls to prevent money laundering or terrorist financing. Companies must also submit to background checks of all employees and be completely transparent with their earnings, according to the department.



Other companies with a virtual currency license from the DFS are Bitflyer, BitPay, Coinbase, Circle, Genesis Global Trading, XRP II, Square and Xapo.




Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. VSH delivered third-quarter 2018 adjusted earnings of 60 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6 cents. The figure also surged 42.8% on a year-over-year basis and 11.1% sequentially.



Revenues increased 15.2% year over year and 2.6% on a sequential basis to $780.97 million. The figure also comfortably outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $777.65 million.



The companys strong performance in automotive and industrial markets drove year-over-year growth. Moreover, strengthening demand conditions in Americas and Europe aided the top line in the reported quarter.



Additionally, the book-to-bill ratio of the company was 0.95 at the end of the reported quarter. Further, expanding manufacturing capacities across all product segments contributed well to the companys quarterly results.



However, shortage of supply still remains a major concern in the healthy demand market.



Notably, shares of Vishay Intertechnology have lost 12.9% on a year-to-date basis compared with the industrys decline of 4.2%.





Product Segments in Detail



Resistors & Inductors: This product segment generated $253 million revenues (32.4% of total revenues), up 17% year over year. The products robust performance across automotive, industrial, medical and military end markets contributed well to the acceleration of revenues from this product line. Moreover, positive contributions from the acquisition of UltraSource drove the sales of this product. The book-to-bill ratio for this product is pegged at 1.02 during the quarter.



MOSFET: This product line generated $144 million revenues (18.4% of total revenues) which grew 14% year over year. The book-to-bill ratio for this product stood at 0.88% at the end of the reported quarter. The company witnessed sustained performance of this product line in the automotive end market. Further, robust MOSFET transistors continued to aid its market position.



Capacitors: The company generated $116 million revenues (15% of total revenues) from the sale of this product line, up 22% year over year. Continued solid momentum with this product line across Asia, especially in China remained positive throughout the quarter under review. Further, strengthening demand for this product in America and Europe aided sales growth. The book-to-bill ratio for this product was pegged at 1.03 during the reported quarter.



Diodes: The company yielded $187 million revenues (24% of total revenues) from this product segment, surging 16% from the year-ago quarter. The strong momentum of this product in the automotive and industrial sector continued to accelerate its sales. The book-to-bill ratio for this product was pegged at 0.86% during the quarter under review.



Optoelectronics: This product line generated $76 million revenues (9.7% of total revenues) during the reported quarter. The figure inched up 1% from the year-ago quarter. The book-to-bill ratio for this product was pegged at 0.88 during the third quarter. The company continued to benefit from the persistent strong performance of this product line in the automotive applications space.

Story continues

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. Quote

Operating Details

In third-quarter 2018, gross margin came in at 30.3%, expanding 230 basis points (bps) on a year-over-year basis. This is attributable to rising selling prices during the reported quarter. Further, strong performance of resistors & inductors, diodes, capacitors and opto product lines led to margin expansion.



Selling, general and administrative expenses were $98.2 million, increasing 7.3% year over year. However, as a percentage of total revenues, the figure contracted 90 bps from the year-ago quarter.



Per the company, operating margin came in at 17.7%, expanding 360 bps from the year-ago quarter. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 22.4%, expanding 240 bps year over year.



Balance Sheet & Cash Flows



As of Sep 29, 2018, cash and cash equivalents were $928.1 million, declining from $1 billion as of Jun 30, 2018. Short-term investments were $135 million, down from $142.7 million in the previous quarter. Inventories were $500.3 million, up 4.2% sequentially.



In the third quarter, the company generated $70.7 million of cash from operations against $8.7 million of cash that was used in operations in the last reported quarter.



The companys free cash flow in the third quarter came in $21.05 million.



Guidance



For fourth-quarter 2018, Vishay Intertechnology expects total revenues to be in the range of $745 to $785 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $774.15 million.



Further, the company anticipates gross margin to lie between the range of 28% and 29.5%.



Zacks Rank and Other Stocks to Consider



Vishay Intertechnology flaunts a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



Some other top-ranked stocks in the broader technology sector are Upland Software UPLD, Ringcentral RNG and AMETEK AME. While Upland Software and Ringcentral sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), AMETEK carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Long-term earnings growth rate for Upland Software, Ringcentral and AMETEK is currently pegged at 20%, 28.83% and 10.97%, respectively.



3 Medical Stocks to Buy Now



The greatest discovery in this century of biology is now at the flashpoint between theory and realization. Billions of dollars in research have poured into it. Companies are already generating revenue, and cures for a variety of deadly diseases are in the pipeline.



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Zacks Investment Research
LONDON, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VivoPower International PLC (VVPR) (VivoPower), an international solar power company, is pleased to announce that its subsidiary in Australia, Kenshaw Electrical Pty Limited (Kenshaw) has significantly expanded its power services activities with one of Australias leading data center groups, Canberra Data Centres (CDC).

Kenshaws strong track record with CDC for the supply and installation of power generators has resulted in a record volume of new contracts worth US$24 million. As a result of this increased business, Kenshaw has also announced the opening of a new office in Canberra to support CDC, as well other customers and emerging business opportunities in the region.

CDC is the fastest growing data storage and security provider in Australia, delivering secure, reliable, green, sovereign owned and customizable data centre solutions and services. With leading energy efficiency innovations and technology, CDC has the ability to operate in island mode  by using onsite power generators and recycled water to transfer to fully independent, off grid operations if needed. This reliability and resilience is provided, in part, by the power generators supplied by Kenshaw, and has helped CDC to become the largest provider of data storage to the Australian government.

We are very pleased to have been awarded this major contract by a long-time customer, a testament to the commitment of Kenshaw to reliable customer service and delivering value for money. This important success further demonstrates both the leadership of Aevitas and the significant growth opportunities in Australia beyond power generation, which supports our strategy to diversify our business to ensure future growth and sustainability, said Carl Weatherley-White, Chief Executive Officer of VivoPower.

Adam Malcolm, General Manager of Kenshaw, said, We are pleased with how the relationship with CDC has evolved based on our joint commitment to excellence in every aspect of what we do: quality, timeliness, safety, and environmental responsibility. We are privileged to be working with CDC for these projects and appreciate the opportunity it provides to us expand our service geographically within Australia.

Story continues

About VivoPower

VivoPower is an international solar power producer that develops, owns and operates PV solar projects in a capital efficient manner. VivoPower partners with long-term investors, suppliers and developers to accelerate the growth of its portfolio of solar projects. In addition, the Company provides critical energy infrastructure solutions to commercial and industrial customers throughout Australia.

About Aevitas and Kenshaw

Together with J.A. Martin Electrical Pty Limited, Kenshaw is part of the Aevitas Group Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of VivoPower. Founded in 1981, Kenshaw specializes in generator design, turn-key sales and installation; generator servicing and emergency breakdown services; electrical motor service and repair, customized motor modifications; non-destructive testing services including crack testing; diagnostic testing such as motor testing, oil analysis, thermal imaging and vibration analysis; and industrial electrical services.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication includes certain statements that may constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions. The words anticipate, believe, continue, could, estimate, expect, intends, may, might, plan, possible, potential, predict, project, should, would and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include, for example, statements about the benefits of the events or transactions described in this communication and the expected returns therefrom. These statements are based on VivoPowers managements current expectations or beliefs and are subject to risk, uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein due to changes in economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors, and other risks and uncertainties affecting the operation of VivoPowers business. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include changes in business conditions, fluctuations in customer demand, changes in accounting interpretations, management of rapid growth, intensity of competition from other providers of products and services, changes in general economic conditions, geopolitical events and regulatory changes and other factors set forth in VivoPowers filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. VivoPower is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.




A weekly Yiddish newspaper serving Brooklyn's ultra-Orthodox community is once again facing criticism for preventing women from appearing in its pages.

The Forward reports that Hasidic tabloid Di Tzeitung is refusing to print the photographs of women murdered in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre this past weekend. While Friday's cover features images of the eight male victims, the three women who were killed are honored only through a small-print acknowledgment of their names and ages.

Image of ultra-Orthodox newspaper after Pittsburgh.

"America Shocked by Mass Murder of 11 Jews in Their Temple In Pittsburgh"

[their Temple!]



Picture below:

"The Pittsburgh Martyrs" [8 men]



Smallest type below that

"And 3 women" [no pictures]#Misogyny pic.twitter.com/SaDUi8j6Wh  Zackary Berger, MD, PhD (@ZackBergerMDPhD) November 1, 2018

According to the founder and editor of Di Tzeitung, Adam Friedman, the newspaper has a longstanding practice not to print any photographs of women in its issues. "It's about modesty laws," he told Gothamist. "Nobody in our readership, men or women, considers this a negative or thinks it's denigrating women. We write about women very prominently and respectfully."

It's not the first time that the small newspaperwhich was founded in 1988 and has a print circulation of about 9,000has faced criticism over the policy. In 2011, Di Tzeitung made headlines for digitally deleting an image of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from an iconic Situation Room photograph of officials monitoring the Osama bin Laden raid.

In that instance, the newspaper offered "regrets and apologies" for not reading the terms of use on the White House-distributed photo, which explicitly prohibited any manipulation. But alongside that apology, the paper issued a stern defense of its women-excluding practice:

The readership of the Tzeitung believe that women should be appreciated for who they are and what they do, not for what they look like, and the Jewish laws of modesty are an expression of respect for women, not the opposite. The allegations by some, that Orthodox Judaism denigrates women or do not respect women in public office, is a malicious slander and libel.

In a post addressing the controversy, Politico wrote that the Clinton air-brushing had "produced a reasonable debateif one much more often heard about Islamabout whether this is an outrageous instance of a repressive culture, or simply a religious tradition worthy of respect."

On Thursday, Friedman told Gothamist that the policy was common among Orthodox publications, and would not be affected by the anger of those outside the community.

"It's what our readers want," he added.
Denia Perez, Quinnipiac University School of Law graduate. Perez was sworn in Friday for admission to the Connecticut Bar.

Denia Perez, Quinnipiac University School of Law graduate. Perez was sworn in Friday for admission to the Connecticut Bar. Courtesy photo



On Friday Quinnipiac University School of Law graduate Denia Perez participated in a morning ceremony at the Museum of Connecticut History where she took the oath to be admitted to the Connecticut Bar with about 100 other people.



Each person who took the oath from Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Robinson had passed the July bar exam. But many eyes were on Perez for the history she was making.



Surrounded by reporters, her family and friends, 28-year-old Perez became the first beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to be admitted to the Connecticut bar.



The Obama administration created the program in 2012 to protect children of undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. before their 16th birthday.



For Perez, whose parents brought her from Mexico to the United States illegally when she was just 11 months, the road to becoming a lawyer was not easy. She, along with others, fought to change the rules in Connecticut to let people like her practice law in the Nutmeg State.











Related story: This Undocumented Immigrant Just Graduated Law School. Now She Wants to Change Who Can Practice Law











Perez spoke in Hartford in May in favor of amending the state's Practice Book.



The Rules Committee recommended approving the change and then, in June, during the annual meeting of the judges, the Practice Book language was amended. The old language read: "To entitle an applicant to admission to the bar ... the applicant must satisfy the committee that (1) the applicant is a citizen of the United States, or an alien lawfully residing in the United States." The amended language adds the following at the end of the last paragraph: "which shall include an individual authorized to work lawfully in the United States." That language benefits "dreamers" with work permits.



Perez told the Connecticut Law Tribune late Friday the media attention she has received "is kind of strange, but it's important for me to get the message out there, so people know that this is now in effect and that DACA recipients can be admitted to the Connecticut Bar."



While some have called her a role model, Perez, a California native, said, "In the literal sense I guess I can see why some would call me that, because I am paving the way for others. But I don't want to rest my hat on this. It's a good kind of pressure and motivation for me to keep doing good work."



Perez is currently a fellow at Make the Road New York, a community-based organization in New York City that does advocacy work in on housing, immigration and employment issues. She is working primarily on immigration issues, has a two-year fellowship, and will be with the organization through September 2020.



Her job prospects after that are still up in the air. Perez said she'd consider working in Connecticut, but also might stay in New York or even move to California, where most of her family lives. New York and California are among about 10 states that allow DACA recipients to practice law.



"I'd like to eventually move into policy and philanthropy work," she said. "I've never really seen myself at a law firm."



Perez not only works on immigration issues, but has strong feelings on the topic.



"Our entire immigration policy needs to reformed. There are a lot of terrible things happening in immigration right now," she said. "We have arbitrary caps on family and employment and humanitarian-based visas that just do not make sense. We are not going in the right direction."



Perez's mother, Genoveva Noriega, who flew in from California to watch her daughter get sworn in to practice law in Connecticut, said she couldn't be more proud.



"I am thankful, proud and happy. There are a lot of emotions," Noriega said. "I am also excited in knowing she's the first person in our family to be successful and to graduate from college and have a degree."
A decision by a New Zealand government agency to award a grant to a bitcoin startup has been met with condemnation.

The criticism over the decision by Callaghan Innovation to award Vimba a NZ$315,000 grant has largely come from tech executives. Some have questioned the priorities of the innovation agency saying that there were more deserving startups.

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald the chief digital officer of cybersecurity firm Kordia, Aaron Olphert, alleged that the grant would not have a significant impact on the domestic economy as the startup only has a minimal presence. Besides, Olphert argued, Vimba was looking to expand abroad meaning it would be contributing taxes and jobs to other countries.

Priority Mismatch

There were also those in the New Zealand tech community who felt there were more pressing technological challenges and the taxpayer-funded innovation agency should have instead rewarded startups looking to solve those problems.

We have real and hard data which shows the direct and tangible benefit that is achieved through communications enhancement, closing the digital divide which is so prevalent and yet they throw cash at these sorts of things like its Monopoly money! said the business development manager of McKay Boats, John Gell.

Amidst the attacks, Vimba, which until recently was known as MyCryptoSaver, has come out fighting. In a statement, Vimba said it deserved the grant as it met the criteria that Callaghan Innovation had set. Vimba now attributes the controversy generated to the impression created in the media that the government of New Zealand was investing in the firm as a venture capitalist when it was actually a rebate.

NZ$126,156 not NZ$315,000

The cryptocurrency trading platform has also pointed that it will only get 40% of their projects estimated cost:

As we met the above criteria, Callaghan approved our project grant indicating they will supply 40% of the total estimated cost of our project which was $315,000, this amounts to $126,156 NZD, said Vimba in a press release. It is important to note that this money is not just given to us, it is essentially a rebate, we have to spend our own money on the above R&D to receive any money back from Callaghan.

Story continues

As recently reported by CCN the crypto trading platform intends to use the grant to improve its software to enable it scale from serving thousands to hundreds of thousands.

New Zealand Government Issues $330,000 Grant to Local Bitcoin Startup https://t.co/cwtfxKYfed  CCN (@CryptoCoinsNews) November 1, 2018

This is in anticipation of explosive growth in the cryptocurrency space. In the words of the firms CEO, Sam Blackmore, Bitcoin will at least reach the market cap of gold as it is more efficient, more accessible, more secure version of that rare asset. To get to that point, the price of bitcoin would have to rise to US$600,000.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post New Zealand Governments $315,000 Grant to Bitcoin Startup Sees Criticism appeared first on CCN.


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Applegreen has completed the transaction which makes it the second largest motorway service area (MSA) operator in the UK.

In a Stock Exchange announcement it confirmed it had completed the deal it agreed at the beginning of August, which means it has a 50.01% controlling stake in Welcome Break.

The current Welcome Break CEO, Robbie Bell, will be departing the business on 31 December, and John Diviney, managing director of Applegreens UK operations, will take over management responsibility for Welcome Break, reporting to Joe Barrett, chief operating officer of the group.

Applegreen CEO Bob Etchingham said: We are grateful to Robbie for his support during the transaction process. He has been instrumental in providing continuity and stability to the Welcome Break business throughout this period. We wish him well with his future career and acknowledge his progressive leadership and change management abilities.

Bell said: The Welcome Break team should be proud of the business they have helped to build over many years. I look forward to seeing the business achieve further success under an ownership that has years of experience in the sector.

The Stock exchange announcement also revealed that Applegreen had entered into an agreement with Arjun Infrastructure Partners (AIP) Transaction, which owns the other 49.99% of Welcome Break, to transfer UK early stage pipeline assets to Welcome Break.

The statement did not go into detail but the pipeline assets are believed to be MSAs planned by Applegreen. It has applied for planning permission for a site on the M1 at Rotherham, held consultations with residents about a site on the M42 at Shirley, and held discussions with the local authority about a site on the M3 in Hampshire.

In its statement Applegreen said the value ascribed to UK pipeline assets is approximately 7.6m and it will receive additional equity in Welcome Break on or before 31 December 2018 as consideration for the Additional Transfer.

AIP has a right to invest up to approximately 7.6m into Welcome Break on or before 31 December 2018 in order to maintain its current shareholding of 49.99%.

Welcome Break operates 24 motorway service areas, two trunk road service areas and 29 hotels across 35 locations, and employs more than 5,000 people.
As the United States seeks to wind down the longest war in its history in Afghanistan, talking to the Taliban about an eventual end to fighting has emerged as the preferred course in Washington and elsewhere.

In recent months, we have seen the appointment of a U.S. special envoy to carry this process forward while the Taliban and the Afghan government engaged in a brief ceasefire in June. Most of Afghanistan's neighbors have also extended rhetorical support to the peace process.

In recent days, five former Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay have joined the Talibans political office in Doha. This comes on the heels of the news that Mullah Baradar, one of the Talibans founding leaders, has been released from prison in Pakistan after nearly a decade in captivity. These moves have spurred the hopes of some observers that momentum is now building to launch a peace process with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Is reconciliation any less elusive than it has been for the past 17 years? What will it take to bring the Taliban to the peace table when its strong battlefield performance gives it little incentive to stop fighting?

This latest episode of the AfPak File podcast series, jointly produced by RFE/RL and the Wilson Center, discusses these questions and more with Michael Kugelman, the Wilson Centers senior associate for South Asia; Marvin Weinbaum, director of Afghanistan and Pakistan studies at the Middle East Institute; and Abubakar Siddique, editor of RFE/RL's Gandhara website. Muhammad Tahir, media manager for RFE/RL in Washington, D.C., moderates the discussion.

The views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.
In the world of craft beer social media, Im definitely more of a lurker.

Not that I dont admire you for taking the pause to compose suds glamour shots and spot reviews for your virtual audience. Im with you in spirit, as I sit over here sipping my beer and waiting for my dumbphone to reboot for the third time since we arrived.

PintPass, however, might force me to reconsider my digital engagement philosophy, and perhaps even make a long-overdue hardware upgrade.

The free app, launched publicly last month, wants to pay me  and you, and anyone of legal drinking age with a smartphone  to visit breweries. Thats right, pay you to visit breweries and drink beer, so long as you fill out a questionnaire about the experience.

Registered users earn $2 per survey, with a maximum of one check-in a day and monthly cap of $8.

Once theres enough beer money in the PintPass coffer, redemptions are done via a virtual MasterCard on the users phone that works more or less like a traditional debit or credit card. For the transaction to be approved, however, the account must contain at least $10, enough to cover the cost of a beer and a tip, said Jason Trueblood, operations director for the Montana-based company.

Though the company will only pay for one survey a day, it encourages users to log in and opine at as many destinations as theyd like.

This gives them the option to record all their brewery visits and all the beers theyve tried and what they liked, Trueblood said. The app recognizes when theyre in said brewery. Its a great central place to keep track of all that and earn a little beer money too.

The app includes a map and beer locator tool, plus a text a beer feature that lets users tap their PintPass accounts to send a free beer to anyone in their contacts list.

The startup was funded primarily by private angel investors that, for the record, Trueblood said, are not large domestic breweries.

So many people ask that question, he said.

For now, the money to reimburse reviewers comes out of own pockets, he added, but once survey responses reach a critical mass for a given location, the plan is to start generating positive cash flow by marketing the information thats been collected back to the breweries, for help in honing their brands and enhancing patrons experiences.

Comment cards at a brewery might not tell the whole story, Trueblood said. Well provide that feedback back to the brewery so they have the capabilities to make their business better.

The PintPass brewery database includes about 6,400 locations, and the company is seeking members help in growing and honing that list.

Our super small team spent a week canvassing the internet trying to find as many breweries as we could, and put them all on a spreadsheet, he said. Thats an ongoing process for us, adding more, narrowing down what ones are currently in operation, or whos dropped off or added a new location.

A button in the app allows users to propose changes and additions to the brewery or beer lists.

Our entire team loves to drink craft beer and loves the brewery culture, and this started out as the brainchild of founder Ryan Rickert and his desire to know more about breweries across the country without physically visiting them, or to figure out what breweries to visit while in Phoenix or Portland or whatever, Trueblood said. Were incentivizing people who go to taprooms and breweries around the country to provide consumer feedback. While this cant be your full-time job, it can buy you a beer every few weeks.

Download the app through the Apple App Store, Google Play or by getting a link texted to your smartphone, at PintPass.com.
Alec Baldwin was arrested today after allegedly getting into a fight over a parking space in the Village. Update: See comment from Baldwin below.

A police spokesperson told Gothamist that the incident happened around 1:30 p.m. at 28 East 10th Street, near Baldwin's residence. According to the NYPD spokesperson, the fight was allegedly between Baldwin and an unidentified man"someone in another car who got to a spot they were both going for." Baldwin allegedly punched the other person, and was then taken into custody.

Sources told the Daily Beast that "Baldwin had someone holding a parking spot for him and while he was moving his car to the spot, someone else took the space." The News claims that the "two argued and when the victim went to a pay the parking meter, Baldwin ran up and struck him."

The 49-year-old victim was transported to a local hospital. The extent of his injuries is currently unclear.

No charges have been filed yet, but police said they expect Baldwin will be charged with misdemeanor assault. The actor is currently in custody at the 6th Precinct in Manhattan. (Baldwin's podcast, Here's the Thing, is produced by WNYC Studios, which shares the same parent company, New York Public Radio, as Gothamist.)

I wish him luck the president just told reporters who asked about this for some reason https://t.co/4d0C88YH0K  Katie Rogers (@katierogers) November 2, 2018

Update 4:30 p.m.: Baldwin has been issued a desk appearance ticket for misdemeanor assault and harassment. You can see him leaving the 6th Precinct this afternoon below.

BALDWIN ARRESTED: #AlecBaldwin has been charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment after allegedly punching a man over a parking dispute outside his Manhattan apartment. https://t.co/gyaTHdeiaY pic.twitter.com/xFYFdcDIzk  Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) November 2, 2018

Update: Baldwin responded to our request for comment, My comment is that my show airs Sunday at 10 pm on ABC, with Mike Myers and Cecile Richards as my guests.
The Rocky Mountain Womens Film Festival will bring 42 movies to Colorado Springs from Nov. 9 to 11. Its a 31-year tradition that supports women filmmakers.

Documentary, narrative short and animated films that celebrate the diversity of women will be screened throughout the weekend at Colorado College venues: the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Kathryn Mohrman Theatre at Armstrong Hall, and Cornerstone Arts Centers Richard F. Celeste Theater and film screening room.

It has really been extraordinary, said executive director Linda Broker, who started with the festival as a volunteer in 1994. When I first attended the festival 25 years ago, it was opening night at the Fine Arts Center and then films from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at just the one venue. Everyone saw the same films at the same time and had the same experience.

Around year six or seven, we added a second venue, and some people got really unhappy because they had to make choices of which films to see. Gradually, everyone has come along to appreciate the format now.

DETAILS Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival, Nov. 9-11, various locations on the Colorado College campus. Tickets: Saturday and Sunday and Flex (four-block) passes ($50), Weekender pass ($90), and Saturday Night Double Feature ($20) available, goo.gl/JCWqK5; note: Friday night opening gala and full festival pass are sold out. Info: rmwfilminstitute.org/festival

Several options are available every couple of hours, so festivalgoers can choose which films to see when. During lunchtime, they can choose from two Behind the Lens panel discussions with filmmakers. At some screenings, too, filmmakers will be available to chat.

The festival has sold out its Friday night opening gala and full festival passes. Military members can get a free pass for Sundays festival by choosing military discount at checkout at goo.gl/52M4PF. As of this writing, plenty of Saturday tickets still could be had. Broker said Sundays screenings are usually less crowded. Also, some of the films can be seen before the festival  for free  through the Festival in The Community.

Broker said while its impossible for her to pick a favorite or recommend any single film, the surprise film this year is the Saturday night feature This Mountain Life  a spectacular film about people who live in the highest, most remote parts of British Columbia. Theyre mostly off the grid, but not in a freaky way. Throughout the film, theres a story of a mother and daughter who are going to ski from Washington state to Alaska. Theyre great stories, and its just cinematically a beautiful film to watch.

Several films in this years festival have a connection to the Pikes Peak region. Two are Transmilitary and Burning Angel Dust.

Burning Angel Dust

Jackie Stone, director of the short film Burning Angel Dust, is a Colorado Springs native and Sierra High School graduate who now splits her time between New York and Los Angeles. She will talk to the audience after the Sunday showing of her 15-minute 2017 film, a narrative on female genital mutilation.

The film follows a young American girl, Violet, whose mother, a Nigerienne-American, must decide whether she wants her daughter to undergo her native countrys traditional rite of passage, female circumcision.

One of my main goals with the film is just to let people know this practice is happening in this day and age and is similar to the practice in America where we cut little boys genitals and never think twice about it, Stone said.

She said if her film can spur social change by educating even one person, who in turn could educate another and save even one girl from this procedure, she would be a happy filmmaker.

I wanted to set it here in America because people bring their cultural practices here. If you live in a diverse environment, you will know someone whos been cut, though we dont talk about these things in public, she said.

Stone said her intention with the film was to show the brutality of the actual event mixed with beautiful images. I wanted pretty things to be uncomfortable to watch.

TransMilitary

Senior Airman Logan Ireland and his wife, Cpl. Laila Villanueva, of Colorado Springs, are two of four transgender U.S. military members whose stories are told in the 92-minute documentary Transmilitary.

The feature chronicles these service members experience coming out as transgender to top officials at the Pentagon in hopes of attaining equal status. After a ban on transgender troops was lifted in 2016, President Donald Trump proposed this year to reinstate the ban. An estimated 15,500 transgender service members in the U.S. military  the largest transgender employer in the country  would be affected.

It turned into something much larger than we ever expected, said producer Jamie Coughlin, who with her husband, Gabe Silverman, first explored the story for The New York Times in the Emmy-nominated short film Transgender, at War and in Love in 2014 and then expanded that project to become Transmilitary.

The film, co-directed by Silverman and Fiona Dawson, won the 2018 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award in the documentary feature competition.

Coughlin said, We filmed for about two years, and when Trump tweeted about reinstating the ban last summer, went back into production (to update it). Now, with the ban possibly coming back in existence, we think its most important to get the film out there.

Dawson visited Colorado Springs on Oct. 15 to screen the film at the Air Force Academy, where it was very well received. She said the cadets and leaders at the academy were extremely interested in learning more about how they can support transgender troops.

Its our hope as well that the film will inspire a change of heart on reinstating the ban, Dawson said.

By early next year, TransMilitary should be available to view via typical streaming services, Coughlin said.

It also can be seen as part of Festival in the Community at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Pikes Peak Community Colleges Rampart Range Campus.

View the full Rocky Mountain Womens Film Festival schedule at rmwfilminstitute.org/festival/schedule. Theres also an app for that: Download the schedule app at rmwff.sched.com
(CNN) Seven people were rushed to the hospital Thursday after a car struck students at a school bus stop in Tampa, police said. It was at least the fifth time in three days that children were hurt or worse at a bus stop.

The other crashes occurred in Mississippi, Indiana and a second Florida city; in another Thursday incident, a second-grader was found dead on the side of the road by his house after being run over by a vehicle traveling at a slow speed.



In the Tampa crash, witnesses said a Ford Escort driving at a high rate of speed in a residential area hit several pedestrians on the side of the street, Tampa police spokesman Eddy Durkin said. Police later said it was unclear whether the driver was speeding.



Images from the scene show backpacks scattered on the shoulder.
A 20-year-old man convicted in the December 2016 rape of a 13-year-old girl in Colorado Springs has violated his probation, a judge ruled Friday.

The finding by 4th Judicial District Judge Michael McHenry means that Clarence Williams could be sent to prison for a potential life term.

He could also be granted probation again under new terms or sent to a community-based prison alternative.

The judge set a Dec. 18 hearing to decide on a penalty.

Williams is among six males convicted in what authorities described as a gang rape of a teenage girl. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in April to 10 years to life on sex offender intensive supervised probation.

At a two-part hearing last week, a probation officer testified that Williams has missed probation appointments and traveled to prohibited locations, including public parks, a liquor store and Denver International Airport. He also failed to find work, or to submit a travel plan detailing how he will avoid prohibited places.

Clarence Williams brother, Tommy Williams, admitted to similar probation violations in August. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and re-granted probation.

The person identified as the ringleader in the girls assault, Jacolby Williams, is expected to learn his sentence Nov. 16.
Democrat Jared Polis holds an 8-percentage-point advantage over Republican Walker Stapleton in the Colorado governors race, and an even wider advantage among people who have voted, according to a poll from two Colorado firms released Thursday.

The live telephone survey of 517 Colorado adults was conducted Oct. 25-30 by Telluride-based Keating Research and Denver-based OnSight Public Affairs along with Martin Campaigns. Keating and OnSight often work for Democrats running for office.

Fifty percent of those surveyed said they had voted for, or planned to vote for Polis, while 42 percent said they support Stapleton, 4 percent back Libertarian Scott Helker, 1 percent favor Bill Hammons of the Unity Party, and 4 percent said they were undecided.

The pollsters noted that of several public surveys conducted in the 2018 Colorado governors race since the June primary election, all of which showed an advantage for Polis, theirs is the first to show the Democrat with support at or above 50 percent, although that conclusion is within the latest surveys margin of error.

The survey was one of two released Thursday. The other poll, from Republican firm Magellan Strategies, found a narrower, 5-point split among likely voters between the two candidates, with 45 percent favoring Polis and 40 percent for Stapleton. The Magellan survey also found a much larger pool of undecided voters: 11 percent of those polled.

However, David Flaherty, Magellan Strategies CEO, said that, given the trend of higher participation by Democrats this year than in previous midterm elections, we completely understand that the final voter turnout by party may be less Republican than this survey indicates.

Veteran pollster Chris Keating of Keating Research, in releasing the Keating-OnSight-Martin Colorado Polls results, all but declared the election for Polis, the Boulder congressman and internet entrepreneur.

In 23 years of polling in Colorado, a statewide candidate with this type of consistent 7- to 8-point lead in the polls has never lost the election, Keating said, referring to previous Polis-Stapleton poll results as well as his.

Our statistical model gives Jared Polis a 98 percent chance of winning.

It also shows that the pool of undecided voters does not appear to be large enough to cover the spread between Polis and Stapleton, the state treasurer and businessman.

The poll comes as ballot returns show a higher voting rate by Democrats when compared to Colorados last midterm election in 2014.

A report accompanying the new poll says that while Republicans strongly support their partys candidate  87 percent for Stapleton versus 8 percent for Polis  Democrats also overwhelmingly support their candidate, and the weak Republican turnout and robust unaffiliated voter support for Polis (53 percent vs. 32 percent for Stapleton) will drive Polis to victory on election night.

The report also cites nearly 2-1 support for Polis in Arapahoe and Jefferson counties, two bellwether Denver-suburban counties that tend to determine the outcome of Colorado elections.

The poll results show that 54 percent of those surveyed had already voted. Thirty percent of likely voters surveyed said they had voted for Polis, and 19 percent said they had voted for Stapleton.

Twenty percent of the 517 people surveyed said they had not yet voted but planned to vote for Stapleton, while 18 percent said they planned to vote for Polis.

The poll also asked about support for President Donald Trump, whose presidency has been a major election issue in Colorado and across the nation.

Of those Coloradans surveyed, 39 percent said they have a favorable opinion of Trump, while 59 percent said they regard the president unfavorably.

At the extremes, 22 percent of poll respondents said they view Trump very favorably, but more than half  52 percent  said they regard him very unfavorably.

The poll found strong support for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper  a 59-to-33 percent favorability margin. The term-limited Democrat is leaving office in January and signaled Wednesday that he is strongly considering a 2020 run for the presidency.

Hickenlooper has an eight-year track record of bringing Coloradans together, said Curtis Hubbard, an OnSight partner and a former Denver Post editorial page editor. (Hickenloopers last gubernatorial campaign was a client of Hubbards firm.)

Surveyed Coloradans were more split on U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, with 42 percent saying they view the Colorado Republican favorably and 43 percent with an unfavorable impression, while 16 percent said they dont know one way or the other or are unfamiliar with Gardner. He is up for election in 2020.

Asked about their political affiliation, 40 percent of those surveyed said they think of themselves as independent, 30 percent call themselves Democrats, and 29 percent identify as Republicans. But as far as official party registration goes, the voters surveyed came down as 33 percent Democrat, 33 percent Republican and 33 percent unaffiliated.

The Keating-OnSight-Martin Colorado Poll has an estimated margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percent. Live interviewers reached voters by phone: 61 percent on mobile phones and 39 percent via land lines.

Those surveyed were people who voted in November of 2014, 2016 and 2017 and who told pollsters they either already voted or planned to vote in the election that ends Tuesday .
A pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run late Wednesday at a busy North Academy Boulevard intersection was the 44th traffic fatality this year, surpassing the previous record for deaths on city streets, Colorado Springs police said.

Police said the man, later identified by the El Paso County Coroners Office as Christopher Seal, 44, of Colorado Springs was hit by a dark-colored sedan with possibly circular tail lights just after 11 p.m. at Austin Bluffs Parkway and Academy in northeast Colorado Colorado Springs.

The death broke the record of 43 traffic fatalities set in 1986 and was the 11th pedestrian killed in 2018.

As the death toll on city streets this year approached the record, the Police Department announced it had obtained federal funding through the state to crack down on speeding and other dangerous driving. The grant covers overtime for increased enforcement through next fall.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 444-7000. Those who want to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 634-7867 or 1-800-222-8477.
Hours after pulling a gun on friends in jest, a Colorado Springs gang member lashed out for real, police say, fatally shooting a man he had angered with his prank.

Davin Let Loose Carrera, 31, will stand trial for first-degree murder in the Aug. 16 killing of Michael Dewayne Booker, 4th Judicial District Judge G. David Miller ruled Friday at the conclusion of an evidentiary hearing.

Booker, 28, was shot in the abdomen with a single round designed to splinter and disperse upon impact, police testified.

The bullet  known as a radically invasive projectile, or RIP  spread eight arrow-shaped fragments through Bookers intestines. Such ammunition is legal to own in Colorado, though not by Carrera, a repeat felon. According to court records, his criminal history includes a 2006 conviction for aggravated robbery, for which he was sentenced to eight years, and a 2012 conviction for an attempted escape, which led to a four-year prison sentence.

The defendant is also under scrutiny for asking a cellmate how best to kill a witness who had tied him to the crime, police said.

The man Carrera allegedly wanted dead is now in hiding, according to testimony. A fellow gang member, he told detectives that his children have been threatened, and that Carrera is believed to have gotten away with other killings.

In laying out their case, detectives said the trouble began as Booker and two other men were in a sport utility vehicle parked in the witness garage in the 2100 block of Roundtop Drive in northeastern Colorado Springs.

As the three sat snorting cocaine, Carrera allegedly sneaked into the garage and stuck a pistol through the open passenger window, aiming at Booker. He told them, I could have killed you all.

Tensions from the incident simmered for hours, and at one point, as the men were out driving, Carrera again pointed his pistol at the back of Bookers head.

The shooting occurred about 3:30 a.m. outside the Roundtop Drive address, after Booker returned searching for a phone he had dropped in the SUV.

The man who lived at the Roundtop location initially told police he didnt know how his friend ended up dead beside an idling car outside his home. He recounted the nights events only after police arrested him on suspicion of committing the murder.

While in custody, that man spoke of fears for his children, who were being watched at a home of a fellow gang member. During his interrogation, police say he received a coded message that he took as a threat against them.

The case against Carrera was bolstered by a cellmate at the El Paso County jail. He told police that the defendant admitted to the shooting  divulging details that werent public  and discussed killing the witness.

Court-appointed attorneys for Carrera argued that police lack forensic evidence linking him to the killing. In ordering the case to trial, Miller ruled that prosecutors fell short of establishing that he will probably be convicted, making Carrera eligible for bond.

Bond arguments are scheduled for Friday.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the victim's name.
Members of the Coast Guard Academy Class of 2022 pose for their class photo on day one of Swab Summer at the academy in New London, Conn. An official said Thursday that the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security is investigating allegations of racial discrimination.
A candlelight vigil will be held Friday night for the victim of a hit-and-run who commemorated the anniversary of 9/11 every year since the terrorist attacks in 2001 by waving an American flag on Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs.

Christopher Seal, 44, was crossing North Academy Boulevard at Austin Bluffs Parkway when he was hit.
Joe Barrera, Ph.D, is the former director of the Ethnic Studies Program at UCCS, and a combat veteran of the Vietnam War.
Oprah Winfrey speaks to a crowd Thursday during a town hall conversation for gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams at the Cobb Civic Centers Jennie T. Anderson Theatre in Marietta, Ga. Winfrey visited Georgia on Thursday to canvass neighborhoods in Metro Atlanta and show her support for gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
At times it can seem like the 2018 midterm election has been looming forever. It was only four months ago that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated long-time Queens machine politician Joe Crowley in the Congressional primary, shocking the political establishment and giving hope to underdog candidates everywhere.

Her upset brought even greater attention to the critical swing races that will decide control of the Housesome of which happen to be in our areaand continues to serve as an inspiration to many underdog candidates hoping to defeat incumbents on Tuesday. As the election fast approaches, its worth looking again at the amount of public outreach and sweat equity it took for Ocasio-Cortezs upstart campaign to win a contest in which Crowley enjoyed all of the advantages of incumbency, including a reported 10-1 fundraising advantage.



(Clarisa Diaz, WNYC/Gothamist)

In the year leading up to her primary win, Ocasio-Cortez held more than 280 campaign events in addition to debates and town hall meetings. Powered by over 1,000 volunteers, these events were organized in every neighborhood of New Yorks 14th Congressional district, which includes the eastern Bronx and part of north-central Queens. This massive volunteer effort lays the groundwork for a new kind of relationship between an elected representative and [their] constituencyone founded not on favor trading and machine politics, but instead on movement building and radical power sharing, said Gabe Tobias, a field team leader for the Ocasio-Cortez campaign.

Donald Green, a professor of political science at Columbia University, and author of Get Out the Vote!: How to Increase Voter Turnout, has studied the relationship between campaign strategies and voter turnout since 1989. Green has conducted decades of experiments designed to determine which strategiescanvassing, phone calls, receiving print materials, commercial advertisements, and othersare the most effective. The broad conclusion is that the more personal the more effective, he said.

Green's research suggests the most effective tactic is a one-on-one conversation with a potential voter, which was the focus of Ocasio-Cortezs strategy. Green said an authentic interaction with a door-to-door canvasser can increase voter turnout by five to eight percentage points, while messages that only remind people to vote produce an increase of less than a percentage point.

If you're going to win an upset victory, typically the recipe is to hit the pavement and work on a one-to-one basis with voters. And whats interesting about that is that it tends to be doubly effective. Not only is that kind of one-on-one personal campaign likely to produce votes, it's also likely to produce votes among people who are not likely to be surveyed by pollsters, so you then fly below the radar unexpectedly, Green said.



Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez draws listeners at the opening of her Queens campaign office in May 2018. (Photo: Gregory Tedesco)



He added that the typical campaign strategy of incumbents such as Crowley is to rely more on campaign consultants utilizing a strategy of persuasion rather than mobilization.

Most primary elections are not competitive, said Joshua Kalla, a political scientist at Yale. Crowley probably didn't realize how competitive his race was going to be until it was too late to switch strategies.

Crowley told CBS: "The loss, I have to take the responsibility for that. I did not, you know, do as I preach. I talk about all politics being local, I didn't remind folks of my accomplishments. I didn't talk about what I had done to help people in my district."

A search for advertisements of Crowley campaign events leading up to the primary only yielded eight events. This included one get-out-the-vote rally just three days before the election. Its kind of like the Tortoise and the Hare story. As it sometimes is in the case of an incumbent who loses: theyre a bit overconfident. They don't think that they need to have all hands on deck in terms of producing a victory, especially in the primaries, Green said.

Ocasio-Cortezs campaign believes their strategy helped attract the volunteers needed to win the primary and can also serve as the foundation for a larger movement.

"I want everybody to walk out of our campaign office better than when they walked in," Ocasio-Cortez said during an interview at her Queens campaign office this summer. "And that doesn't just mean that we increase our skills in organizing. It also means that we elevate our consciousness around class, our consciousness about economic dignity, our consciousness around issues of justice and immigration, and our consciousness about our neighbors."

We're running with people, that's it, she continued. But that's what's possible when you expand this electorate. Those people are never going to unlearn those skills. Those people are never going to unlearn what they learned about Queens County. Those people are not going to go back to sleep because now they're up, and now they're agitated. There used to be such a tight guard over the people who had those skills. But we knew that if we train people with those skills ourselves then we would be able to really get something done.

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Bronco Billys will open the Christmas Casino and Inn at 279 E. Bennett Ave. on Thursday. The casino features 100 machines and, on the third floor, a Christmas-themed museum and retail shop to celebrate Christmas 365 days a year.
With four urns in the cold ground, the Pikes Peak National Cemetery held its somber opening Thursday as the planned final resting place for generations of veterans.

These are hallowed grounds, the Rev. Bob Kwiatkowski said before the cremated remains of a Marine, sailor, airman and soldier were laid to rest.

The cemetery, off Drennan Road east of the Colorado Springs Airport, will open to the public starting Friday from dawn to dusk.

To inaugurate the cemetery for the opening, someone had to be first in the community of white headstones. Leaders wanted to make sure that no service had sole claim to the honor.

Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Charles Joyner, Army Pfc. James Grant, Navy Seaman Joseph Romero and Marine Corps Master Sgt. Kurt Krause went in together. They would have been joined by a Coast Guard representative, but in land-locked Colorado Springs, none were ready to join the honored dead.

Grant waited the longest for his place. A Vietnam veteran, he died in 2007 and his family waited to put his urn in the veterans cemetery even as Congress argued over its future.

Assigned to Fort Carson after a tour in Vietnam, Grant had a vibrant personality and managed to pack a lot in his 59 years by moving at light speed.

We met and married in a week, June Grant said of her late husband. He was just an amazing guy.

Romero died in 2013, just shy of his 63rd birthday.

His family says he would have liked the gathering. Romero, a San Luis Valley rancher, was fond of parties.

His son, Joseph Romero Jr., said the family waited to put their father to rest in the company of heroes.

Hes finally resting in peace, he said.

Melanie Joyner said the family kept her fathers ashes at her home after his death in 2014 at the age of 78. They wanted someplace special for a man whose generosity was matched by his good humor.

When the Department of Veterans Affairs offered Joyner the chance to be one of the first honored at the new cemetery, the family jumped at the chance.

Melanie Joyner said it will be a place to put flowers and remember the happy times, while acknowledging her fathers 26 years of service to his nation.

Were honored to take part, she said.

Krause, a loving father and grandfather, took great pride in being a Marine.

He was the best Marine there ever was, his wife, Charlotte Krause, said.

Krause died at 74 in January 2017. The family says he had boundless hugs and smiles  he was the life of the party.

But the precision of the military service, which included a pair of rigid Marines in the honor guard would have pleased Krause.

It is a grand closing, Charlotte Krause said.

Cemetery director Paul LaGrange said 300 cases of veterans who want to claim their right to be buried there are in process. An additional 100 families have asked for the remains of veterans to be moved from the Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver to the new location in Colorado Springs.

Any veteran who served honorably can be buried in the National Cemetery as the final installment of their VA benefits.

Getting a cemetery for El Paso Countys more than 80,000 veterans took decades. A group spearheaded by retired Army Col. Victor Fernandez got help from lawmakers including Colorado Springs Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn to get it approved.

There were times that I wasnt sure I would see this day, Fernandez said Thursday.

The first phase opened Thursday and is part of a development that could house up to 13,000 veterans graves.

The 374-acre cemetery is planned to meet the final needs of veterans in the region for the next century.

A lot went into this day, LaGrange said.

Contact Tom Roeder: 636-0240 Twitter: @xroederx
Two Colorado Springs nonprofits on Thursday began chipping away at the citys shortage of homeless shelter beds, adding space at one and lowering barriers at another.

The Springs Rescue Mission added space for about 100 people at its campus at 5 W. Las Vegas St. as a stopgap measure until it can open a bigger, more permanent shelter expansion in December.

And the Salvation Army began changing admission requirements at its R.J. Montgomery facility, 709 S. Sierra Madre St., by allowing up to 120 men to stay each night based on behavior  not sobriety.

Taken together, the moves were the first wave of a highly touted initiative this year aimed at creating an extra 370 low-barrier beds, where admission isnt based on sobriety to persuade more people in camps to come indoors.

The goal is to keep people from freezing to death on the streets, while allowing Colorado Springs police to better enforce ordinances that ban camping on public property, said Andrew Phelps, the citys homelessness prevention and response coordinator. The extra shelter space is key, he said, because police might be sued for violating campers constitutional rights if they issue tickets for camping when no alternative shelter exists.

In terms of short-term goals for our community, we believe that having adequate low-barrier shelter bed capacity is step one for us in our plan to reduce homelessness, Phelps said.

For Joshua, 26, the extra space was a relief Thursday evening.

He arrived in Colorado Springs from Oklahoma with his wife about six months ago. But finding a job took several months, and, on Tuesday night, they were attacked while in a camp southeast of downtown by an unknown group of masked people wielding bats and metal bars. His ankle was broken in the assault.

On Thursday, he was relieved to be indoors and safe.

Its great theyre getting more room, said Joshua, who asked that his last name not be printed, for fear of being attacked again. Its great theres more people who have a chance to sleep comfortable, than freeze to death.

I wont lie, theres problems, but every place has problems, Joshua added. Theyre working on improving, and thats great.

Despite Thursdays moves, the citys stated goal of creating 370 low-barrier beds might overstate the impact.

Only 150 beds will be added to the citys shelter bed count, all at the Springs Rescue Mission.

The other 220 beds existed for years at the Salvation Armys R.J. Montgomery shelter. All of them will be transitioned in the coming months from high barrier to low barrier. Meanwhile, the nonprofit plans to construct space for 40 new beds to house families  where sobriety still will be required.

City and nonprofit officials say that reducing barriers to admission could keep those beds from going empty, as has frequently happened in the past.

One night last winter, for example, many beds reserved for families went unused. Meanwhile, every low-barrier bed was full and 513 people slept outside in camps or on the streets, some of whom might have come inside if a low-barrier bed had been available.

The immediate impact of reducing those barriers at the Salvation Army is unclear. Despite its strict rules for admission, the nonprofits shelter has been at or near capacity lately. On Wednesday, the 220-bed shelter hosted 223 people.

Phelps said the city will know better in a month or two if the extra beds are enough to meet demand. If the shelters continue to fill up, Phelps said he plans to reach out to the faith community and local churches to see if they are willing to help shelter more people.

Simply opening up the extra space on Thursday was a Herculean task, nonprofit leaders said.

At Springs Rescue Mission, almost every square foot at the campus is either being used for shelter or under construction to accommodate the citys growing homeless population.

Its current mens and womens shelters have been housing well more than 300 people a night. During a snowstorm Tuesday night, 323 people stayed there, and on Wednesday night, it hosted 318 people. And during a cold spell in early October, shelter operators had to turn away 20-30 people because they ran out of space.

On Thursday, the nonprofit opened up its extra space for about 100 people by clearing the tables and chairs inside its day center and laying out sleeping mats. Its a stopgap measure intended to shelter as many people as possible until a new, 150-person shelter  its third such building on the sprawling campus  is ready to house people in December.

This will give us some much-needed  hopefully  breathing room, said Travis Williams, chief development officer for Springs Rescue Mission.

The nonprofit is moving its supportive family services program to a new building to make room for more shelter space, and it just finished renovating its womens shelter. An apartment complex also is being erected on the campus.

Meanwhile, the Salvation Armys leader, Capt. David Kauffman, said he had to break one of his organizations policies to make more than half of his beds low barrier by Thursday.

Normally, he said, visitors who arent sober must be separated from children and families. While their sleeping quarters are divided, boys 12 and older must use the same restrooms and showering areas as men staying there under the low-barrier rules.

Thats our challenge, but its necessary, Kauffman said.

We dont want anybody freezing. We dont want anybody going without shelter. Thats where our hearts are.
Jared Polis is far from the only candidate running in Americas midterm elections who wants to transition the U.S. electricity system away from fossil fuels.

More than 1,400 candidates running for every level of government office this November have committed to some form of transition to 100 percent clean, zero-emissions electricity in their state by 2050, according to the environmental group League of Conservation Voters.

The list includes Democratic gubernatorial candidates such as Colorados Polis as well as J.B. Pritzker in Illinois, Tony Evers in Wisconsin, Marylands Ben Jealous, Californias Gavin Newsom, and Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan.

It also includes first-time federal office-seekers in the U.S. House, including progressive sensation Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York and Ilhan Omar in Minnesota. State legislative candidates from Idaho to North Carolina are running on 100 percent platforms.

Candidates recognize voters want someone with a vision, said J.R. Tolbert, vice president of state policy at Advanced Energy Economy, a trade group representing clean energy technologies. They want something they can respond to.

In Polis case, he said last month at his debate with Republican gubernatorial candidate Walker Stapleton that he wants Colorado to get all its energy from renewable sources by 2040, partly by encouraging investment in renewable energy. He recent references to his stance on renewables, he calls the transition a goal, not a mandate.

Stapleton, on the other hand, says he favors an all of the above approach to energy production, and has opposed government subsidies for alternative energy.

A 100 percent carbon-free or renewable energy target has long been a slogan more than an achievable policy goal for Democrats who want to transition the power grid faster to nonemitting sources to combat climate change and diminish the harmful health effects of dirty air.

The nations electricity system is moving from coal to natural gas, which emits half the carbon, and to a lesser extent renewables such as wind and solar that have come down in cost. But a recent United Nations report said emissions should be net-zero by midcentury to avoid the worst outcomes of climate change, heightening the urgency.

Elections or no elections, I want folks to know we are trying to do our part to stop climate change, said Mary Cheh, a Democrat on the D.C. Council running for re-election, who has introduced a bill that would move the district to 100 percent renewable energy by 2032.

Its not pie in the sky, Cheh said in an interview. We are not doing something thats wholly impossible. 100 percent renewables is quite possible.

Some clean-energy advocates welcome the lofty goals, but they worry that candidates in campaign settings are oversimplifying their solutions, and potentially deterring moderate Republicans who want to act on climate change, but may prefer a market solution to an aggressive mandate.

The 100 percent platform distracts from more serious efforts to make progress on tangible policy outcomes, said Shane Skelton, a former energy policy staffer for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.

Tolbert says he worries Democrats embracing 100 percent renewable targets could be vulnerable to criticism from Republican opponents.

For example, Stapleton has repeatedly attacked Polis goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2040 as extreme and costly.

The last thing I want is someone staking out a strong position on advanced energy being seen as something that costs them [politically], Tolbert said.

The other obstacle the 100 percent renewable campaign faces is is proving they know what they are talking about.

Most of those running on 100 percent platforms dont say what generating sources would qualify as renewable, or make a distinction of whether they would permit non-carbon clean energy sources that arent renewable. These include advanced nuclear reactors, or carbon, capture, and storage technologies that can collect carbon emissions from coal or natural gas plants and store it underground.

There is a massive difference between 100 percent renewables and 100 percent clean energy, said Noah Kaufman, an energy economist at Columbia University. Im not sure a lot of politicians fully grasp this distinction.

Last year, renewable energy accounted for about 11 percent of U.S. energy consumption, and 17 percent of electricity generation, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The Energy Information Administration defines renewable energy broadly to include hydropower, which is the most used zero-carbon electricity generating resource; biomass; and geothermal, along with wind and solar.

But some environmentalists have come to associate renewable energy narrowly to be wind and solar, and are pressuring politicians to agree.

Deb Haaland, a Democrat running for New Mexicos 1st Congressional District, is drawing attention for potentially being the first Native American in Congress. She also has an aggressive energy platform, calling for 100 percent renewable energy powered completely by wind, water and sunlight. Haaland mostly emphasizes solar power.

Here in New Mexico, we are already experiencing increasingly severe droughts from climate change, and we have an incredible amount of sun ready to be harnessed by solar farms, Haaland said. Its time to move towards 100 percent renewable energy so that New Mexico, and America, can benefit from the coming wave of clean energy jobs.

Some clean-energy supporters say the intermittency of wind and solar resources make it unrealistic and expensive to depend only on them for electricity until energy storage technologies are more widely adopted which would enable their use when the sun sets and wind is not blowing.

Limiting the toolbox of low carbon technologies makes climate action more difficult and expensive, Kaufman said.

Lawmakers in California recently recognized the limitations of a wind and solar-only approach, passing a bill this summer to require that 100 percent of the states electricity come from carbon-free sources by 2045  allowing nonrenewable sources to qualify.

California joined Hawaii to be the only U.S. states with 100 percent carbon-free electricity mandates required by law.

The grown-ups in the room, the serious actors are moving to the more inclusive, broader clean energy framing, said Rich Powell, executive director at ClearPath, a conservative clean energy group. Its pretty fair to say the 100 percent renewables vision is at best very challenged, and economically unfeasible.

James Smith, the Democratic nominee for governor in South Carolina, has made clean energy a core part of his campaign, and is deliberate in using that framing. On his campaign site, he highlights his work in the state legislature where he sponsored a bipartisan bill that would lift a cap on solar power.

Because of the failures of the past in South Carolina, we are so far behind neighboring states with renewable energy, Smith said in an interview.

I certainly believe in 100 percent renewables as a goal. But we need to make critical changes to make that a realistic goal. Its not like a light switch.
A progressive political event hosted by Broad City's Ilana Glazer was abruptly cancelled on Thursday night, after anti-Semitic messagesincluding "die Jew rats," "Kill all Jews," and "Hitler"were found in the historic Brooklyn synagogue where the conversation was set to take place.

According to police, multiple floors of the Union Temple in Prospect Heights were vandalized with the hateful, threatening messages. The vandalism was discovered at around 8 p.m., just as attendees were arriving for the latest episode of Glazer's Generator Series, a live interview program featuring activists, politicians and cultural figures.

New York state senate candidates Andrew Gounardes, Democracy Now host Amy Goodman, and comedian Jim Gaffigan were all scheduled to appear on the panel, which aims to "humanize policy through storytelling." But at 8:30 p.m., organizers informed the crowd of about 200 people that they'd decided to postpone the event for security reasons.

"Ilana came out visibly upset to let us know what had happened," attendee Shelby Quackenbush told Gothamist. "We heard was that someone had just before the event scrawled anti-Semitic hate speech and slurs on the walls of the synagogue where the talk was to take place and the organizers felt unsafe continuing with the event."



"It's just incredibly upsetting, especially after the events in Pittsburgh," Quackenbush added. "It's why we need to elect good people into office who listen and can respond to incidents of hate with compassion and direction action."

The threatening messages come less than a week after 11 Jewish worshippers were killed in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, and amid a surge of reported anti-Semitic activity both nationwide and in New York City. This week alone, swastikas have been reported in Brooklyn Heights and the Upper West Side.

According to NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea, there's been "an increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes, particularly swastikas, on buildings in part of the city" in the last month. "In last 28 days particularly, which is a little troublesome, we have seen an uptick," he added.

City data shows that complaints of anti-Semitism have soared since 2016, with 142 incidents reported through October 28th of this year, a slight increase from 2017. Anti-Semitic incidents make up roughly half of all hate crimes in NYC, according to the NYPD.

A string of vigils and protests have taken place in the city over the last week in solidarity with the Pittsburgh victims, and to denounce perceived anti-Semitism and white supremacy coming from the Republican party. At 5 p.m. on Friday, a grassroots group called STOP the Hate will host a vigil and demonstration outside News Corp in Midtown demanding the network "stop spreading the hate."



(NYPD)

: The NYPD released an image of the suspect (right) and details of the incident: Around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, "an unidentified individual entered 17 Eastern Parkway, Union Temple, and wrote various anti-Semitic words and statements by black marker in various locations throughout the building. The individual fled the location in an unknown direction."

The suspect is described as a male who is approximately 20 years old, 5'8", and 140 lbs, with black hair and was last seen wearing a red suit jacket.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
Baltimore, MD, Nov. 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- November 1, 2018 - Baltimore, Maryland  ArmadaHealth, a leading provider of consumer healthcare access solutions, announced today that Susan Torroella is joining the ArmadaHealth management team as Chief Operations Officer. Leveraging her experience in the delivery of consumer-facing healthcare services, Torroella will fuel ArmadaHealths mission to improve access to the healthcare system through patient-provider matching data science and services.

Susan Torroella is an accomplished, award-winning healthcare executive whose work has spanned the globe and the healthcare sector, from public health programs in Africa to corporate wellness programs. Most recently, Torroella was Executive Vice President of Wellness Corporate Solutions where she oversaw all strategic partnerships, direct clients, program management and operations. During her leadership, the company experienced exponential growth, new product launches and enhanced operational capabilities. Prior to this, Torroella was President of FrontierMEDEX Medical Assistance Services, where she oversaw the delivery of both healthcare prevention services and treatment coordination for employers' workforces during their international assignments. She was involved in orchestrating rescue operations following the Haiti earthquake, Arab Spring and other international incidents. Torroella served as Vice President of United Healthcare International following the acquisition of FrontierMEDEX.



The addition of Susan to our leadership team will help us maintain world-class service at unlimited scale. Susan will oversee ArmadaHealths expansion to be the starting point for consumers to get and stay healthy, commented Steve Schaefer, CEO of ArmadaHealth.



In her new role, Torroella will manage client relationships, program development and operations including ArmadaHealths Tiered-Advocacy Navigation delivery model. This delivery model uses the latest advances in data science combined with a human touch. White-glove service through an advocacy-on-demand approach is driven by the needs, goals and preferences of the consumer.



Im thrilled to join ArmadaHealth and to continue my professional goal of helping empower consumers with tools to obtain high-quality healthcare, commented Torroella.



Torroella's leadership extends into her work helping others. She is the former president of the Healthcare Business Women's Association (HBA), a global community of 50,000 healthcare leaders dedicated to improving the impact of women in healthcare worldwide and was also founder of the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the HBA. She is on the Board of the American Heart Association and Executive Leadership of the Go Red for Women Mission in Maryland, which is devoted to reducing cardiovascular disease for women.



Torroella is a graduate from Franklin & Marshall College with a Bachelor of Arts degree and earned an MBA from the Thunderbird School of International Management, where she was valedictorian of her class. She has also attended INSEAD (France) and Wharton's executive management programs. Known as a dynamic and successful leader, Torroella has won multiple awards such as FORTUNE Small Business/Wall Street Journal "Boss of the Year," The Daily Record's "Top 100 Women in Maryland," Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist," and PharmaVoice's "100 Most Inspiring Leaders in Life Sciences."

About ArmadaHealth

ArmadaHealth is a rapidly growing health data science and services company. We connect people to the right provider through our consumer offering, SpecialtyCare Connect, providing intelligent and personalized access to the healthcare system facilitating provider and/or healthcare delivery recommendations wrapped in a High Tech, Right Touch consumer experience. Our solutions are powered by our proprietary provider-patient matching platform, ArmadaHealth SIENATM, and can be leveraged through private-labeled services to enhance the consumer experience. The result is improved health outcomes, reduced healthcare expenses, more efficient networks, higher-performing providers and exceptional consumer satisfaction. Please visit ArmadaHealth.com for more information.



Press Contact: Teresa OKeefe, tokeefe@armadahealth.com | (410) 308-6782
SEATTLE, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CFN Media Group (CFN Media), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry, announces publication of an article discussing the emerging Latin American legal cannabis market and Chemesis International Inc.'s (CSE: CSI) (OTC: CADMF) launch of a new subsidiary, Chemesis Latin America.



North America has dominated cannabis headlines over the past several years with the legalization of medical and adult-use cannabis across Canada and a growing number of U.S. states. But over the past couple of years, the Latin American cannabis industry has emerged from the shadows as the next cannabis frontier, with over 500 million adult-use customers and 4.3 million patients drawing in companies and investors.

Underappreciated $12.7 Billion Market

Prohibition Partners believes that the Latin American cannabis industry will grow from $125 million in revenue this year to $12.7 billion by 2028. Unlike the North American markets, the UK-based analyst believes that the medical sector will make up more than two-thirds of the revenue. Uruguay became the first country to legalize all cannabis back in December 2013 and ten other countries have already legalized medical cannabis in some form.

Last year, Mexico garnered international attention when the government moved to legalize medical cannabis. President Enrique Pena Nieto signed a bill into law that officially legalized the cultivation, production, and use of medical cannabis products with less than one percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in June 2017. President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador recently unveiled more detailed plans to overhaul cannabis legislation in a big way.

Columbia could become an even larger opportunity after the government signaled its intent to grow up to 40.5 tons of cannabis per year, which would account for nearly half of the licenses issued around the world. If successful, the country could capture as much as one-fifth of the global market, worth about $40 billion per year. Many Colombian farmers believe that cannabis could be the next coffee in terms of economic potential.

Chemesis Expands into Latin America

Chemesis International Inc., a vertically-integrated cannabis operator with operations in California and Puerto Rico, aims to expand its global footprint into Latin America through its newly launched subsidiary, Chemesis Latin America. Using its networks and existing expertise, the company aims to explore opportunities for cultivation, production, and export across Latin America.

Chemesis Latin America is a big step forward in our global growth strategy, said CEO Edgar Montero in the press release announcing the new subsidiary. We believe that Chemesis has a major advantage in this region, as the recent acquisition of Natural Ventures can be leveraged to quickly capitalize on upcoming opportunities. With progressive regulations, Latin America becomes a key market that will be a major part of our portfolio.

Earlier this year, the company signed a definitive agreement to acquire 80 percent of Natural Ventures PR LLC, a seed-to-sale cannabis firm based in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican company is licensed to cultivate 100,000 sq. ft. of cannabis flower and build out 35,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing floor space to produce extracts. Its currently producing extracts, edibles, and other cannabis products for the local market.

Looking Ahead

Latin America could become a significant global player in the cannabis industry, but many investors dont have meaningful exposure in their portfolios.

Chemesis International Inc. (CSE: CSI) (OTC: CADMF) could be a compelling play in the space following its agreement to acquire Natural Ventures PR LLC in Puerto Rico and its new subsidiary looking for opportunities in the region. Investors may want to keep a close eye on the company as it continues to set up new agreements and expand its presence throughout the globe rather than focusing on just North America.

For more information, visit the companys website or download their investor presentation.

Please follow the link to read the full article: http://www.cannabisfn.com/latin-america-next-cannabis-frontier/

About CFN Media

CFN Media (CannabisFN) is the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the global cannabis industry, helps companies operating in the space attract investors, capital, and publicity. Since 2013, private and public cannabis companies in the US and Canada have relied on CFN Media to grow and succeed.

Learn how to become a CFN Media client company, brand or entrepreneur: http://www.cannabisfn.com/featuredcompany

Download the CFN Media iOS mobile app to access the world of cannabis from the palm of your hand: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cannabisfn/id988009247?ls=1&mt=8

Or visit our homepage and enter your mobile number under the Apple App Store logo to receive a download link text on your iPhone: http://www.cannabisfn.com

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CannabisFN.com is not an independent financial investment advisor or broker-dealer. You should always consult with your own independent legal, tax, and/or investment professionals before making any investment decisions. The information provided on http://www.cannabisfn.com (the Site) is either original financial news or paid advertisements drafted by our in-house team or provided by an affiliate. CannabisFN.com, a financial news media and marketing firm enters into media buys or service agreements with the companies that are the subject of the articles posted on the Site or other editorials for advertising such companies. We are not an independent news media provider. We make no warranty or representation about the information including its completeness, accuracy, truthfulness or reliability and we disclaim, expressly and implicitly, all warranties of any kind, including whether the Information is complete, accurate, truthful, or reliable. As such, your use of the information is at your own risk. Nor do we undertake any obligation to update the items posted. CannabisFN.com received compensation for producing and presenting high quality and sophisticated content on CannabisFN.com along with financial and corporate news.

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Press Release

Outside trading hours - Regulated information*

Brussels, 2 November 2018 (6.15 p.m. CET)

KBC remains adequately capitalised under 2018 EU-wide EBA stress test.

KBC notes the announcements made today by the European Banking Authority (EBA) regarding the results of the 2018 EU-wide stress test. A brief slide set on the KBC data is available at www.kbc.com.

The impact of the stress test on KBCs fully loaded Common Equity Tier-1 ratio (IFRS9 restated CET1 ratio: 15.96% at year-end 2017) increases this ratio by 2.60 percentage points to 18.56% under the baseline scenario. Under the adverse scenario, KBCs fully loaded CET1 ratio would fall by 2.36 percentage points to 13.60%. KBCs IFRS9 restated leverage ratio, which stood at 6.01% at the end of 2017, would increase to 6.88% under the baseline scenario and only decrease to 5.75% under the adverse scenario.

Johan Thijs, KBC Group CEO commented todays announcements: The results of this regular theoretical exercise of the EBA give us additional insights on the capital requirements that KBC must be able to meet in various possible economic scenarios. Our consistent results reassure our stakeholders that our company is and remains well capitalised. The results also show that we have strong foundations: a healthy client-oriented bancassurance model, a solid liquidity position, supported by a very solid and loyal customer deposit base in our core markets Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Ireland, and comfortable solvency. This enables us to actively support the communities and economic environment in which we operate.

KBC was subject to the 2018 EU-wide stress test conducted by the European Banking Authority (EBA) in cooperation with the National Bank of Belgium (NBB), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB).

KBC notes the announcements made today by the EBA on the EU-wide stress test and fully acknowledges the outcomes of this exercise. The 2018 EU-wide stress test does not contain a pass-fail threshold, but is designed instead to be used as an important source of information for the purpose of the supervisory review process (SREP). The results will assist competent authorities in assessing KBCs ability to meet applicable prudential requirements under stressed scenarios.

The adverse stress test scenario was set by the ECB/ESRB and covers a three-year time horizon (2018-2020). The stress test was carried out applying a static balance sheet assumption as at December 2017, and therefore does not take into account future business strategies and management actions. It is not a forecast of KBCs profits.





Background

The 2018 EU-wide stress test is a constrained bottom-up exercise that provides banks with a common methodology and templates to project in a consistent way the impact of common scenarios, allowing stakeholders to homogeneously compare and assess the resilience of EU banks and the EU banking system to shocks. The exercise is conducted under a static balance sheet assumption. No hurdle rates or capital thresholds are defined for the purpose of the 2018 exercise.

The exercise entails analysing how a banks capital position develops assuming a static balance sheet over a period of three years until 2020, under both a baseline and an adverse scenario. The adverse scenario reflects the four systemic risks that were considered by the ESRB to constitute the most material threats to the stability of the EU banking sector: (i) abrupt and sizeable repricing of risk premia in global financial markets  triggered e.g. by a policy expectation shock  leading to a tightening of financial conditions; (ii) adverse feedback loop between weak bank profitability and low nominal growth, amid structural challenges in the EU banking sector; (iii) public and private debt sustainability concerns amid a potential repricing of risk premia and increased political fragmentation; (iv) liquidity risks in the non-bank financial sector with potential spillovers to the broader financial system.

An extensive Q&A, plus details of the methodology and the baseline and adverse scenarios, are available on the EBAs website.



This information is provided only for comparison purposes with other banks and should not in any way be directly compared to KBCs other published information.



For more information, please contact:

Kurt De Baenst, General Manager Investor Relations, KBC Group

Tel. +32 2 429 35 73, E-mail: kurt.debaenst@kbc.be

Viviane Huybrecht, General Manager Corporate Communication/Spokesperson, KBC Group

Tel.: +32 2 429 85 45 - E-mail: pressofficekbc@kbc.be

* This news item contains information that is subject to the transparency regulations for listed companies.



KBC Group NV

Havenlaan 2  1080 Brussels

Viviane Huybrecht

General Manager

Corporate Communication /Spokesperson

Tel. +32 2 429 85 45







Press Office

Tel. +32 2 429 65 01 Stef Leunens

Tel. +32 2 429 29 15 Ilse De Muyer

Tel. +32 2 429 32 88 Pieter Kusse

E-mail: pressofficekbc@kbc.be







KBC press releases are available at www.kbc.com or can be obtained by sending an e-mail to pressofficekbc@kbc.be



Follow us on www.twitter.com/kbc_group



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Attachment
Project Expected to Generate Significant Cash Flow in 2020 High Project Internal Rate of Return with Less than 2 Year Payback

TORONTO, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sprott Resource Holdings Inc. (SRHI or the Company) (TSX:SRHI) is pleased to announce the results from a series of technical studies (the Technical Studies) on its 70% owned Minera Tres Valles Copper Project (MTV or the Project) located in Salamanca in Region IV of Chile which will be reported in a consolidated NI 43-101 compliant technical report (the Technical Report). The Technical Studies were completed by Amec Foster Wheeler, a Wood company (Wood) along with contributions from independent consulting firms.

We are very pleased with the results of the Technical Studies which validates our initial due diligence and investment thesis for the Project, said Steve Yuzpe, CEO of SRHI. The Technical Studies confirm that MTV should almost triple current levels of production achieving a run rate of approximately 18,000 tonnes per annum of copper cathodes, added Mr. Yuzpe. Based on a long-term copper price of US$2.75/lb, the preliminary economic assessment which looked at the total available mineral resources on the Project indicates that MTV could generate US$34 million in project cash flow in 2020 peaking at US$45 million in 2022.

The mine is operating well and crushing more than 100,000 tonnes of mineralized material per month, said Luis Vega, CEO of MTV. With the substantial infrastructure and development built by Vale S.A., the capital cost required to ramp up to full production is low and has resulted in attractive project economics with a short payback period.

We continue to believe in the long-term fundamentals for copper and Chile as a premier mining jurisdiction, said Rick Rule, CIO of SRHI. MTV is a core asset for SRHI and we are focused on building from this foundation.

Table 1. Technical Studies  Economic Analysis Highlights (US dollars)

Base Case PEA Case Pre-tax Net Present Value (NPV) (8%) $87M $129M After-tax Net Present Value (NPV) (8%) $87M $129M Pre-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) 93% 131% After-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) 93% 131% Payback (years) 2.0 1.2 Average Annual Copper Cathode Production (2019-2025) 24M lbs 34M lbs Total Copper Cathode Production (LOM) 177M lbs 250M lbs 2020 Cash Flow $23M $34M Life of Mine 6.5 years 7.5 years Operating Cash Cost (per lb of finished copper) $1.66/lb $1.65/lb Upfront Capital Cost $15M $21M LOM Capital Cost $32M $52M

Notes:

Base Case includes only the Don Gabriel Manto open pit, Papomono Masivo underground and ENAMI tolling revenues. The PEA Case includes the Don Gabriel Manto, Papomono Masivo, Don Gabriel Vetas, Papomono Norte, Manto Norte, Epitermal, Papomono Cumbre, Papomono Mantos Conexion and Papomono Sur. The PEA Case also includes ENAMI tolling revenues. The PEA Case is preliminary in nature and includes inferred resources that are too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them. There is no certainty the PEA Case will be realized. Base Case capital cost estimate was completed at a cost accuracy of +/- 25%. PEA Case capital cost estimate was completed at a cost accuracy of +/- 50%. Based on long-term flat copper price forecast of US$2.75/lb. Includes revenue from long-term tolling contract with ENAMI of minimum of 15,000 t/month and a tolling rate of US$27.50/t of material received. MTV delivers copper cathodes produced from supplied feed material to ENAMI, on the basis of a contractual metallurgical recovery of 78%. MTV has tax losses available to apply that will shelter any tax payable on operating profits, due to capital costs and operating losses sustained by prior operators. MTV is subject to a sliding scale copper royalty payable to the Chilean government. Does not include copper production from purchasing of mineralized material from small scale third party miners and any additional copper production pursuant to excess recovery from the ENAMI toll milled material. NPV is calculated based on monthly discounting using a reference date of July 2018.

Highlights of the Technical Studies include:

Low Capital Cost to Triple Production with Short Payback Period Low project capital requirement of US$15 million for the base case mine plan (the  Base Case ) and US$21 million for the PEA (the  PEA Case ) to ramp-up operation to approximately 18,000 1 tonnes per annum of copper cathodes within 24 months Low capital intensity Short payback of 2.0 years for the Base Case and 1.2 years for the PEA Case

Positive project economics demonstrated by economic analysis confirms SRHIs investment thesis 2 Base Case pre-tax and after-tax NPV (8%) of US$87 million and IRR of 93% based on a long-term flat copper price of US$2.75/lb PEA Case pre-tax and after-tax NPV (8%) of US$129 million and IRR of 131% based on a long-term flat copper price of US$2.75/lb Average annual copper cathode production estimates (2019-2025) of 24 million pounds per annum for the Base Case and 34 million pounds per annum for the PEA Case 6.5 year mine life ( LOM ) for the Base Case and 7.5 year LOM for the PEA Case with opportunity to extend through exploration on 44,000 hectares of land Attractive LOM operating cash costs estimate of US$1.66/lb of finished copper for the Base Case and US$1.65/lb of finished copper for the PEA Case Base Case demonstrates potential to generate cash flow of US$23 million in 2020 with peak cash flow reaching US$45 million in 2022 PEA Case demonstrates potential to generate cash flow of US$34 million in 2020 with peak cash flow reaching US$45 million in 2022 Completion of Technical Studies and related Technical Report is key to advancing currently ongoing project financing discussions



Technical Studies

The purpose of the Technical Report is to consolidate all the NI 43-101 compliant Technical Studies completed over the past 10 months, including:

Mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates for the Don Gabriel and Papomono deposits;

Preliminary Feasibility Study ( PFS ) for the implementation of chloride leaching ( Salt Leach );

) for the implementation of chloride leaching ( ); Feasibility Study ( FS ) for the expansion of the Don Gabriel Manto open pit;

) for the expansion of the Don Gabriel Manto open pit; PFS for the underground exploitation of the Papomono Masivo mine zone; and,

Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on a subset of MTV's mineral resources.

The Technical Studies comprise a Base Case based on the exploitable mineral reserves from the Don Gabriel Manto open pit and the Papomono Masivo incline block cave underground deposit. These studies were completed at a FS level for Don Gabriel Manto and a PFS level for Papomono Masivo and the Salt Leach conversion. Wood has also completed a PEA Case for the exploitation of the Don Gabriel Manto and Papomono Masivo deposits and eight additional mining zones within the Don Gabriel and Papomono deposits which will utilize different mining methods such as sub-level caving and sub-level stopping. These additional eight mining zones will require additional drilling and engineering work to increase the confidence level. The PEA Case illustrates the property-wide production potential for the Project.

The PEA Case mine plan is partly based on inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA Case based on these mineral resources will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Technical Report will be filed within 45 days of this release.

ENAMI and Third Party Material Treatment

As part of MTVs toll processing strategy, MTV purchases mineralized material from third-party miners that operate near and on the MTV property and toll treat mineralized material from Empresa Nacional de Mineria (ENAMI), the Chilean state owned enterprise that supports small and artisanal miners under the provisions of a long-term contract (the ENAMI Tolling Contract). This strategy is expected to continue going forward. Since 2014, MTV has purchased an average of 14,500 tonnes per month of mineralized material with a copper grade of 1.44%. Since SRHIs acquisition in October 2017, MTV has purchased an average of 16,500 tonnes per month at a grade of 1.13% copper. Since 2014, ENAMI has delivered an average of 8,000 tonnes per month of mineralized material with a copper grade of 2.30%. Since SRHIs acquisition in October 2017, ENAMI has delivered an average of 4,300 tonnes per month of copper at the same grade. The mineralized material from ENAMI and the small scale third-party miners has not been subject to any technical study, and is therefore not included in the Base Case and PEA Case mine plan and economic analysis contained in the Technical Studies, apart from the toll treatment revenue which serves to reduce the processing and general and administrative (G&A) unit cost. The economic analysis described in this press release also includes operating costs for the toll treatment.

In 2017, MTV produced 11.3 million pounds of copper cathode which comprised 8.6 million pounds from MTVs own Project and 2.7 million pounds from small scale third party miners and the excess recovery of mineralized material delivered under the ENAMI tolling arrangements.

Next Steps

With the results of the Technical Studies and of the Technical Report, SRHI will be working with MTV to secure the necessary expansion capital. Several parties have submitted term sheets, and the Technical Report is expected to assist in the technical diligence to secure the best terms for financing.

MTV has already commenced the Don Gabriel open pit expansion, and the mining contractor, Vecchiola S.A., and the haulage contractor, Tiex, have brought substantially all of the heavy equipment for the pre-strip and ore movement on site.

MTV have also firmed up quotations for the long-lead time equipment required for the salt-leach project.

With the work completed by Wood on the Papomono Masivo, MTV will advance to detailed engineering based on the PFS study, and have quotations for the required underground equipment in the near-term.

MTV will commence an infill drill campaign on the PEA Case additional deposits to increase the confidence level of the mineral resources, determine and define any additional mineral resources, and also advance geotechnical work on these deposits adjacent to the current operations.

Consolidated Mine Plan

Figure 1 illustrates the Base Case mine plan using mineral reserves from the Papomono and Don Gabriel deposits.

Figure 1. Base Case Forecast Mine and Process Plan

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c0d97365-19e7-43d9-a499-b6fc47284995

Notes: Figure prepared by Wood, 2018. Don Gabriel Manto open pit is the main mine zone from Don Gabriel deposit. Papomono Masivo IBC and Papomono Masivo FC are the zones that will be mined from the Papomono deposit. Dark grey shading indicates additional processing capacity for material anticipated to be delivered under the ENAMI Tolling Contract that could be toll treated. Dark grey shading indicates additional processing capacity for material anticipated to be delivered under the ENAMI Tolling Contract that could be toll-treated.

Figure 2 illustrates the property-wide mine plan based on the PEA Case.

Figure 2. PEA Case Forecast Mine Production Plan

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3da2d43b-83f6-4f94-b31c-694177de2d16

Notes: Figure prepared by Wood, 2018. The PEA Case is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them. There is no certainty that the PEA Case will be realized. Dark grey shading indicates additional processing capacity for material anticipated to be delivered under the ENAMI Tolling Contract that could be toll-treated.

Table 2 and 3 below summarizes the cash flow analysis for the Base Case and PEA Case. The Technical Studies economic evaluation considers cash flows starting in July 2018 (month one). This is consistent with the use of fiscal years (July to June).

Table 2. Economic Results for Base Case

Cathode Total Mine Plant / G&A Opex Pre-tax After-tax Production Cu Capex Opex Opex Total Revenue Cash Flow Cash Flow Year (kt) (t) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) 2018 502 4,291 7,312 8,639 13,381 22,020 22,097 -7,236 -7,236 2019 1,185 7,932 7,968 19,600 27,777 47,377 42,022 -13,322 -13,322 2020 1,426 13,418 2,320 20,844 30,482 51,326 76,169 22,522 22,510 2021 1,593 13,224 4,464 17,876 31,288 49,164 74,983 21,355 21,342 2022 1,781 16,585 1,312 15,742 33,155 48,897 95,582 45,373 45,289 2023 1,775 15,407 497 12,432 32,807 45,239 88,358 42,622 42,564 2024 894 8,958 512 6,733 20,302 27,035 48,836 21,289 21,289 2025 0 301 7,522 204 1,845 2,048 379 -9,192 -9,192 2026 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 9,156 80,116 31,907 102,070 191,036 293,106 448,425 123,412 123,244

Notes:

Assumes a long-term flat copper price of US$2.75/lb Analysis assumes cash flows starting in July 2018. Results were obtained on the bases of a monthly mine plan and cash flows discounted on the same monthly basis. Processing recovery is based on the salt leach process, for all years, except for 2018. Assumptions for 2018 are based on acid leaching without salt. Revenues and operating costs for the ENAMI toll treatment is based on a minimum of 15,000 t/month of feed material and a tolling rate of US$27.50/t of material received. MTV delivers copper cathodes produced from supplied feed material to ENAMI, on the basis of a contractual metallurgical recovery of 78% based on the oxide grade as per the terms of the ENAMI Tolling Contract. Revenue from excess recovery is not included in this analysis. MTV has tax losses available to apply that will shelter any tax payable on operating profits, due to capital costs and operating losses sustained by prior operators. MTV is subject to a sliding scale copper royalty payable to the Chilean government.

Table 3. Economic Results for PEA Case

Cathode Total Mine Plant G&A Opex Pre-tax After-tax Production Cu Capex Opex Opex Opex Total Revenue Cash Flow Cash Flow Year (kt) (t) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) (US$ 000s) 2018 612 4,709 8,628 10,613 9,456 4,613 24,682 24,661 -8,649 -8,649 2019 1,831 12,235 13,362 30,053 23,075 9,226 62,354 68,395 -7,321 -7,321 2020 2,119 17,684 6,483 26,198 25,984 9,226 61,408 102,316 34,425 34,344 2021 2,079 17,406 4,950 24,145 25,668 9,226 59,040 100,615 36,626 36,542 2022 2,129 18,477 4,300 22,408 26,205 9,226 57,840 107,178 45,038 44,919 2023 2,136 16,501 2,002 19,301 25,711 9,226 54,239 95,065 38,824 38,755 2024 2,032 16,819 2,619 21,488 25,264 9,226 55,978 97,014 38,416 38,342 2025 897 8,239 2,664 10,128 13,816 6,882 30,827 44,519 11,028 11,028 2026 74 1,176 7,266 887 1,915 2,114 4,916 4,860 -7,322 -7,322 Total 13,909 113,246 52,273 165,222 177,094 68,968 411,284 644,623 181,067 180,638

Notes:

The PEA Case is preliminary in nature and includes inferred resources that are too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them. There is no certainty that the PEA Case will be realized. Assumes a long-term flat copper price of US$2.75/lb Analysis assumes cash flows starting in July 2018. Results were obtained on the bases of a monthly mine plan and cash flows discounted on the same monthly basis. Processing recovery is based on the salt leach process, for all years, except for 2018. Assumptions for 2018 are based on acid leaching without salt. Revenues and operating costs for the ENAMI toll treatment is based on a minimum of 15,000 t/month of feed material and a tolling rate of US$27.50/t of material received. MTV delivers copper cathodes produced from supplied feed material to ENAMI, on the basis of a contractual metallurgical recovery of 78% based on the oxide grade as per the terms of the ENAMI Tolling Contract. Revenue from excess recovery is not included in this analysis. MTV has tax losses available to apply that will shelter any tax payable on operating profits, due to capital costs and operating losses sustained by prior operators. MTV is subject to a sliding scale copper royalty payable to the Chilean government.

Capital Costs

The total initial capital cost for the PEA Case is estimated to be approximately US$21 million. The total capital cost for the project over the entire life of mine is US$52 million.

A breakdown of the PEA Case capital costs estimate is provided below:

Table 4. Capex Estimates for PEA Case (US$ 000s)

Sustaining / Upfront Development Total Expected Capital Capital Capital Year of Category Costs Costs Costs Expenditure Salt Leach Implementation 7,000 0 7,000 2018 - 2019 Don Gabriel Manto 0 0 0 2018 - 2019 Papomono Masivo 7,783 6,665 14,448 2018 - 2022 Additional Eight Mining Zones 4,622 11,772 16,394 2018 - 2026 Infill Drilling Campaign 2,088 1,884 3,972 2018 - 2021 Plant Sustaining Capex 0 3,494 3,494 2019 - 2025 Closure Costs 0 6,965 6,965 2026 Total Capital 21,493 30,780 52,273

Notes:

Don Gabriel capital costs are associated with pre-stripping which has been included in operating cash costs. Additional Eight Mining Zones includes the mining zones within the Don Gabriel and Papomono deposits which include: Don Gabriel Vetas, Papomono Norte, Manto Norte, Epitermal, Papomono Cumbre, Papomono Mantos Conexion and Papomono Sur. The PEA Case is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them. There is no certainty that the PEA Case will be realized PEA Case capital costs completed at an accuracy of +/- 50%.

Sensitivity Analysis3

A sensitivity analysis on varying cash costs, copper price and capex was completed on the pre-tax and after-tax NPV (8%) and IRR. Results are summarized below.

Figure 3. Sensitivity Analysis (Base Case Pre-tax NPV; US$ millions)

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/eeb7ece6-2ce1-4ec9-8f14-19a6ea7b48a4

Figure 4. Sensitivity Analysis (PEA Mine Plan Pre-Tax NPV; US$ millions)

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b8604104-5306-4972-b3f7-7d538a58fd04

Figure 5. Sensitivity Analysis (Base Case Pre-Tax IRR)

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f209b5dd-4422-4e10-93ac-005446c66427

Figure 6. Sensitivity Analysis (PEA Mine Plan Pre-Tax IRR)

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d88885c1-04f0-47c2-8998-804a77a2e7f8

Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources

Table 5. Mineral Resource Estimate

Mining Tcu Cut- Tonnage TCu Copper Resource Class Method Off (%) (kt) (%) (klbs) Measured Don Gabriel Manto OP 0.20% 983 0.82% 17,857 Don Gabriel Vetas UG 0.64% 0 0.00% 0 Papomono Massivo UG 0.34% 2,449 1.94% 104,796 Papomono Cumbre OP 0.19% 266 0.49% 2,844 Papomono Cumbre UG 0.34% 0 0.00% 0 Mantos Conexion UG 0.59% 262 1.27% 7,312 Papomono Sur UG 0.58% 634 1.28% 17,821 Epithermal UG 0.65% 0 0.00% 0 Papomono Norte OP 0.19% 102 0.96% 2,150 Manto Norte UG 0.58% 834 1.08% 19,894 Measured Mineral Resource 5,530 1.42% 172,674 Indicated Don Gabriel Manto OP 0.20% 5,476 0.83% 99,959 Don Gabriel Vetas UG 0.64% 0 0.00% 0 Papomono Massivo UG 0.34% 891 1.62% 31,881 Papomono Cumbre OP 0.19% 2,388 0.54% 28,429 Papomono Cumbre UG 0.34% 351 0.48% 3,699 Mantos Conexion UG 0.59% 1,287 1.02% 28,856 Papomono Sur UG 0.58% 989 1.00% 21,760 Epithermal UG 0.65% 509 0.98% 10,997 Papomono Norte OP 0.19% 250 1.00% 5,506 Manto Norte UG 0.58% 633 0.97% 13,495 Indicated Mineral Resource 12,774 0.87% 244,581 Measured + Indicated Don Gabriel Manto OP 0.20% 6,459 0.83% 117,816 Don Gabriel Vetas UG 0.64% 0 0.00% 0 Papomono Massivo UG 0.34% 3,340 1.86% 136,676 Papomono Cumbre OP 0.19% 2,654 0.53% 31,273 Papomono Cumbre UG 0.34% 351 0.48% 3,699 Mantos Conexion UG 0.59% 1,549 1.06% 36,168 Papomono Sur UG 0.58% 1,623 1.11% 39,581 Epithermal UG 0.65% 509 0.98% 10,997 Papomono Norte OP 0.19% 352 0.99% 7,656 Manto Norte UG 0.58% 1,467 1.03% 33,389 Measured + Indicated Mineral Resource 18,304 1.03% 417,255 Inferred Don Gabriel Manto OP 0.20% 79 0.70% 1,216 Don Gabriel Vetas UG 0.64% 2,020 1.33% 59,273 Papomono Massivo UG 0.34% 22 2.64% 1,282 Papomono Cumbre OP 0.19% 537 0.66% 7,861 Papomono Cumbre UG 0.34% 298 0.53% 3,482 Mantos Conexion UG 0.59% 117 0.79% 2,043 Papomono Sur UG 0.58% 111 0.95% 2,317 Epithermal UG 0.65% 223 1.01% 4,970 Papomono Norte OP 0.19% 13 2.90% 832 Manto Norte UG 0.58% 37 1.39% 1,131 Inferred Mineral Resource 3,457 1.11% 84,408

Notes to accompany Mineral Resources table:



The Mineral resource estimate has an effective date of January 1, 2018 and is classified in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") "CIM Definition Standards - For Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves" adopted by the CIM Council (as amended) in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). The Qualified Person is Michael G. Hester, Vice President, IMC, M.S. Mining Engineering. Mineral resources were estimated using a copper price of US$3.30/lb. OP means open pit mining, UG means underground mining method. Cutoff grades vary by deposit to reflect likely mining methods, variations in costs and slight variances in expected metal recovery by deposit. The Mineral Resources are in-situ estimates. IMC has not included any dilution or mining loss assumptions in the estimates. TCu is total copper assay, comprised of acid soluble (ACuS), cyanide soluble (CNCu) and residual copper (RCu), each with different metallurgical recoveries. Recoveries based on conversion from existing acid leach method to chloride media acid leaching as described in this announcement and Technical Report to be files within 45 days of this release. Average copper recovery is estimated at about 87% for the Don Gabriel Manto and Don Gabriel Vetas. The copper recovery for the various Papomono deposits range from 85% for the Epitermal to 90% for Papomono Masivo. It is assumed that Don Gabriel Manto, Papomono Norte and a portion of Papomono Cumbre will be mined by open pit methods by a mining contractor. Estimated contract mining costs are $2.35 and $2.15/t for mineralization and waste respectively. The plant feed haulage cost is estimated at $2.21/t for Don Gabriel and $1.76/t for Papomono and is based on a contractor quote. IMC does not believe that there are significant risks to the mineral resource estimates based on environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-economic, marketing, or political factors other than discussed in the described Technical Report. Further information, including key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral reserves and mineral resources will be described in the Technical Report to be published within 45 days of this announcement. Mineral resources are reported inclusive of mineral reserves. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral resources for proposed open pit deposits are constrained within an economic pit shell. Totals may not add due to rounding.

Table 6. Mineral Reserve Estimate from MTV Base Case Mine Plan

Tonnage Grade Copper Category (kt) (%Cu) (kt Cu) Don Gabriel Manto Proven 898 0.80% 7.1 Probable 4,270 0.82% 34.9 Total Proven and Probable 5,168 0.81% 42.1 Papomono Masivo Proven 2,559 1.51% 38.7 Probable 508 1.48% 7.5 Total Proven and Probable 3,067 1.51% 46.2 Total Proven and Probable 8,235 1.07% 88.3

Notes to accompany Mineral Reserves table:

Mineral reserves are reported with an effective date of January 1, 2018 for Don Gabriel Manto and July 1, 2018 for Papomono Masivo. The qualified persons responsible for the mineral reserve estimate are Mr. Michael Hester, FAusIMM, an IMC employee for the Don Gabriel Manto Mineral Reserves and Mr. Alfonso Ovalle, RM CMC, a Wood employee, for the Papomono Masivo mineral reserves. For the open pit mining, all mineral reserves are contained within an optimized pit shell. Mining will use conventional open pit methods and equipment. Direct mining costs are estimated averaging US$2.15/t of material mined and $1.95/t per waste tonne. The overall slope angle was 50. Minimal dilution and ore loss are incorporated into the block model. For mine planning and mineral reserve estimation a diluted model was constructed. Blocks with less than 30% manto solid contained in them were excluded as lost ore. Blocks with between 30% and 99.9% manto solid contained in them were diluted to full blocks with a dilution grade of 0.1% TCu. For the underground mining, all mineral resources within the cave outline have been converted to probable and proven mineral reserves. This includes low-grade indicated mineral resource and inferred mineral resource assigned zero grade that is treated as dilution. A footprint cut-off 0.40% TCu for the inclined block cave and 0.47% TCu for front caving was used define the footprint and column heights. An average dilution entry point of 40% of the column height was used. The NSR calculation assumed metal prices of US$2.75/lb Cu. Metallurgical assumptions in the NSR include recoveries of 89.37% for Cu. The recoveries correspond to the chloride leach process, currently implemented in the process plant. Processing costs for material sent to the heap leach are US$9.64/t for underground mining and US$9.73/t for open pit. G&A costs were assumed as US$0.20/lb Cu and the SX/EW costs were assumed as US$0.19/lb Cu. Tonnage and contained copper are reported in metric units and grades are reported as percentages. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade and contained metal.

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical content contained in this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Dr Antonio Luraschi, RM CMC, Manager of Metallurgic Development and Senior Financial Analyst, Wood, Mr Sergio Navarrete, RM CMC, Mining Engineer, Wood, Mr Alfonso Ovalle, RM CMC, Mining Engineer, Wood, Mr Michael G. Hester, FAusIMM, Vice President and Principal Mining Engineer, Independent Mining Consultants, Inc., Mr Enrique Quiroga, RM CMC, Mining Engineer, Q&Q Ltda, Mr Gabriel Vera, RM CMC, Metallurgical Process Consultant, GVMetallurgy, and Mr Sergio Alvarado, RM CMC, Consultant Geologist, General Manager and Partner, Geoinvestment Sergio Alvarado Casas E.I.R.L. all of whom are independent qualified persons as defined by NI 43-101.

The Technical Report will be filed by SRHI on SEDAR within 45 days of this press release in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101.

Notes on Preliminary Economic Assessments

Please note that the PEA Case is preliminary in nature, that it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA Case will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

About MTV

MTV is a fully permitted operating mining complex located nine kilometers from Salamanca in Region IV of Chile. MTV comprises two main deposits: Papomono (underground) and Don Gabriel (open pit). The mine is currently operating and producing high grade copper cathode. The mine has significant infrastructure in place with a crushing and processing plant with nameplate capacity of 7,000 and 6,000 tonnes per day, respectively. The plant is designed to produce up to 18,500 tonnes per annum of copper cathodes. For more information about MTV, please visit http://www.mineratresvalles.com .

About Sprott Resource Holdings Inc.

SRHI acquires and grows a portfolio of cash-flowing businesses and businesses expected to cash flow in the natural resource sector. Based in Toronto, SRHI is part of the Sprott Group of Companies and seeks to deploy capital to provide our investors with exposure to attractive commodities. For more information about SRHI, please visit www.sprottresource.com .

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

"Cash costs" per recoverable pound is a non-GAAP financial performance measure. "Cash costs" per recoverable pound is based on cost of sales but excludes, among other items, the impact of depreciation. SRHI believes that the use of "cash costs" per recoverable pound will assist investors, analysts and other stakeholders in understanding the costs associated with producing copper, understanding the economics of copper mining, assessing the operating performance of MTV and also its ability to generate free cash flow from its operations. "Cash costs" per recoverable pound is intended to provide additional information only and does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and other issuers may define it differently. This measure should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures prepared in accordance with IFRS. Further details on non-GAAP measures are provided in the MD&A accompanying SRHI financial statements filed from time to time on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this news release, and in particular the "Next Steps" section, contain forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as the "Forward-Looking Statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify Forward-Looking Statements. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, this news release contains Forward-Looking Statements pertaining to: the economic and study parameters of MTV; mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; the cost and timing of development of MTV; the proposed mine plan and mining methods; dilution and extraction recoveries; processing method and rates and production rates; projected metallurgical recovery rates; additional infrastructure requirements or infrastructure modifications; capital, operating and sustaining cost estimates; the projected life of mine and other expected attributes of MTV; the NPV and IRR and payback period of capital; availability of capital; future metal prices; changes to MTVs configuration that may be requested as a result of stakeholder or government input; government regulations and permitting timelines; estimates of reclamation obligations; requirements for additional capital; environmental risks; and general business and economic conditions.

Although SRHI believes that the Forward-Looking Statements are reasonable, they are not guarantees of future results, performance or achievements. A number of factors or assumptions have been used to develop the Forward-Looking Statements, including: there being no significant disruptions affecting the development and operation of the Project; the availability of certain consumables and services and the prices for power and other key supplies being approximately consistent with assumptions in the Technical Studies; labour and materials costs being approximately consistent with assumptions in the Technical Studies; fixed operating costs being approximately consistent with assumptions in the Technical Studies; permitting and arrangements with stakeholders being consistent with current expectations as outlined in the Technical Studies; certain tax rates, including the allocation of certain tax attributes, being applicable to the Project; the availability of financing for MTVs planned development activities; assumptions made in mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates and the financial analysis based on the mineral reserve estimate and in the case of the PEA, the mineral resource estimate, including (as applicable), but not limited to, geological interpretation, grades, commodity price assumptions, extraction and mining recovery rates, hydrological and hydrogeological assumptions, capital and operating cost estimates, and general marketing, political, business and economic conditions. Actual results, performance or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Statements should assumptions underlying the Forward-Looking Statements prove incorrect or should one or more risks or other factors materialize, including: (i) possible variations in grade or recovery rates; (ii) copper price fluctuations and uncertainties; (iii) delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing; (iv) risks associated with the mining industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to mineral reserves, production, costs and expenses; and labour, health, safety and environmental risks); (v) performance of the counterparty to the ENAMI Tolling Contract; (vi) risks associated with investments in emerging markets; and (vii) those risks disclosed in the Corporations filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . See also the cautionary language under Notes on Preliminary Economic Assessments above. The Forward-Looking Statements speak only as of the date hereof, unless otherwise specifically noted, and SRHI does not assume any obligation to publicly update any Forward-Looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be expressly required by applicable Canadian securities laws.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of measured, indicated and inferred mineral resources

This news release may use the terms "measured", "indicated" and "inferred" mineral resources. United States investors are advised that while such terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. "Inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of measured or indicated mineral resources will ever be converted into mineral reserves. United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource exists or is economically or legally mineable.

For further information:

Glen Williams

Managing Director, Investor Relations

T: (416) 943-4394

E: gwilliams@sprott.com

1 Based on preliminary economic analysis (PEA) case study results. See Notes on Preliminary Economic Assessments.

2 See Notes on Preliminary Economic Assessments.

3 See Notes on Preliminary Economic Assessments.
Mon, 11/15 (9am ET): How to Pace yourself during the GMAT Test? | Timing and Pacing Strategies from GMAT Expert
Re: In her account of unmarried womens experiences in colonial Philadelph [ #permalink

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KyleWiddison wrote:

If you want to get this question right, you have to have a solid understanding of the overall point of the passage. This passage is confusing because the point of the passage is to opposes the "point" made by the politicians. Politicians say that maternity leave is a result of labor market forces because public policy didn't exist until 1993. The author counters the politicians' point by saying that businesses started to change their maternity leave policies in 1972 in response to a ruling from the EEOC even though the ruling was struck down by the Court. Therefore, the driving force behind the change was not the labor market forces, but rather the short-lived public policy.



Answer choice C essentially restates the point of the passage. Public policy (the EEOC ruling) still has an impact (on maternity leave) even after eliminated (by the Court).



KW

Hi Kyle, can you please explain the reasoning for the below question from the same passage:The passage suggests that the relationship between the view of the author with respect to maternity leave policy prior to passage of the FMLA and the view of the politicians, business leaders, and scholars mentioned in lines 1-2 can best be characterized by which of the following statements?A. They agree that both the 1972 EEOC ruling on maternity-leave policy and the increasing feminization of the workplace had an impact on employersa creation of maternity-leave programs but disagree about the relative importance of each factor.B. They agree that the EEOC ruling on maternity-leave policy had an initial impact on employers' creation of maternity-leave programs but disagree over whether the Supreme Court's striking down of the EEOC ruling weakened that impact.C. They agree that creating maternity-leave programs was a necessary response to the needs of the increasing number of women workers but disagree about whether maternity should be classified as a disabling medical condition.D. They agree that employers created maternity-leave programs prior to passage of the FMLA but disagree about employers' motivations for doing so.E. They agree that employers created maternity-leave programs prior to passage of the FMLA but disagree about how widespread those programs were.There is lot of discussion going on between B and D, I chose D over B, although OA is B.I find Option "B" wrong as it is clearly mentioned in the passage that "perhaps because the Supreme Court later struck downthe ruling, politicians and scholars have failed torecognize its effects, assuming that employers adoptedmaternity-leave policies in response to the growingfeminization of the workforce."
Much of the attention on the elections next week has been lavished on the House and Senate, where Democrats are trying to seize enough power to meaningfully derail President Donald Trumps agenda. The stakes are incredibly high, but for anyone living in New York City, this Election Day is particularly importantit may well determine the fate of housing as we know it.

The New York State Senate is up for grabs. Republicans hold a one seat majority and are playing defense in nearly a dozen seats. The Independent Democratic Conference, a group of breakaway Democrats who helped keep the Republicans in the majority, are no more. Republicans have defied forecasts to hold onto the Senate beforeits important to remember their districts were gerrymandered to keep them in powerbut this year appears to be different.

Most significant housing policy is set at the state level. New Yorks affordability crisis, ultimately, is in part a function of Albany. Since 1997, when Republicans in the State Senate (following a City Council vote) voted to allow apartments to exit the rent-stabilization program when they reach a certain rent threshold, hundreds of thousands of units of affordable housing have been lost. New Yorks affordable housing program, once far wider reaching, has been cut down considerably.

With one brief exception, Republicans have controlled the State Senate for the last half century, a startling fact few voters are aware of still. There are a variety reasons for the GOPs long dominance of the upper chambergerrymandering, an electorate that used to be more conservative, a coherent state party, complicit Democratsand its eventual end could mean the enactment of more progressive, ambitious housing policies in the five boroughs.

Why? A lot of it dates back to the 1970s, when New York City was on the verge of fiscal ruin. Land was cheap, crime was high, and people were fleeing the city. To both right the ship and increase their power, governors and state legislators enacted new controls to tame a city that had been such a dominant political force in New York State.

In 1971, the Urstadt Law was passed, barring the city from adopting rent limitations that are more stringent or restrictive than those presently in effect. The law, nearly a half century later, remains on the books: the city council and mayor cannot pass any housing law that is stronger than existing law. In essence, this means any new housing law to protect affordable housing, expand rent control, or even protect what exists must be approved by the state legislature and the governor.

The real estate and landlord lobby reviles New Yorks rent stabilization and rent control programs, and would prefer to see them killed altogether. They have pumped millions into the coffers of the Senate Republicans, who have always been staunch allies of the Real Estate Board of New York, the industrys powerful lobbying arm. Governor Andrew Cuomo has also formed a close alliance with REBNY, taking more than $12 million from real estate interests since his first election in 2010.



Now, the real estate lobby is actively panicking. In September, the New York Postalways a Republican-friendly tabloidran a story with the headline Landlords are terrified Democrats could take control over New York.



Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2014 (Governor's Office)

Next year, all of the laws governing the citys rent-stabilized and rent-controlled housing stock are up for renewal in Albany, as well as other key tenant protections. In recent history, they have come up for renewal in four-year cycleseach time legislators have been in session to vote on these regulations, Republicans have sat in the majority.

For affordable housing advocates, repeal of the Urstadt Law has always been a dream, never even worth consideration for the GOP. Several of the State Senate Democrats who won primaries in September, including Zellnor Myrie, Jessica Ramos, and Julia Salazar, campaigned on scrapping the Urstadt Law and handing control of the citys rent laws to the much more liberal city council.

If Democrats have the majority, an increasingly restive caucus with new, New York City members could force debate on Urstadt. Cuomo has never supported such a sweeping change to housing law and will be loath to give up state power. But he also has been tacking left and stoking speculation of a presidential run. On housing, he can prove whether hes had a real change of heart.

There are other fixes Cuomo is more likely to support, or at least not actively scuttle if Democrats are running the Senate. Democrats have long sought to repeal vacancy decontrol, a favorite of landlords who always want the option of making rent-stabilized apartments market-rate, and an end to the ability of landlords to hike rent every time they make capital improvements to apartments or buildings. Democrats in the Senate are also expected to seek to repeal the vacancy bonus, the right of a landlord to raise the rent as much as 20 percent when a rent-stabilized apartment goes vacant, and end the preferential rent loophole.

All of these could greatly stem the loss of affordable housing, but the question a lot of advocates and progressives are asking is how New York can get housing back. Successful, progressive State Senate candidates in the city (along with Cynthia Nixon, who lost her race to Cuomo) campaigned on the idea of universal rent control, which was, at times, ill-defined on the stump.

Any movement toward universal rent controlexpanding the kinds of protections enjoyed by tenants in rent-stabilized units, including regulated rent increases and an offer of lease renewal to every tenant in the city, and a push to re-regulate apartments that were lost to the marketwould face vociferous resistance from the real estate lobby, who could appeal to Cuomo to kill the cause for good.

There are other wrinkles. Airbnb, the home-sharing giant, has fought a losing war with city regulators and the hotel industry, failing to win an argument with many Democratic elected officials that their profit model doesnt create incentivizes for landlords to prioritize housing high-paying tourists over long-term tenants.

In Albany, they have hoped to amend state law to allow apartments to be rented out for less than 30 days if the homeowner is away. One of the Assembly Democrats who co-sponsored a bill to change the law, James Skoufis, is now running in a highly competitive, open State Senate race in Orange County. Airbnbs PAC has spent several hundred thousand dollars on electing Skoufis to the Senate, where he could join a Democratic conference that features one of Airbnbs fiercest critics, Manhattan State Senator Liz Krueger.

Real estate interests traditionally had Republicans in the suburbs and upstate to reply upon to halt progressives in the Assembly and Senate who backed tenant-friendly bills to cut into their bottom line. One of the key questions, if Democrats take the Senate, is if the real estate lobby (with Cuomos tacit approval) will seek to peel off suburban and rural Democrats, even if their districts have affordable housing to protect and struggles of their own.

As New York mutates into an ever more unequal city hostile to the working class, immigrants, and those who must fight for the bare necessities, Albany may offer a glimmer of salvationor more false hope.

Ross Barkan is a political journalist who recently tried his hand at politics: last month he lost the Democratic primary for State Senate in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Read more about his run here.

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kimmyg wrote:

Metal rings recently excavated form seventh-century settlements in the western part of Mexico were made using the same metallurgical techniques as those used by Ecuadorian artisans before and during that period. These techniques are sufficiently complex to make their independent development in both areas unlikely. Since the people of these two areas were in cultural contact, archaeologists hypothesize that the metallurgical techniques used to make the rings found in Mexico were learned by Mexican artisans from Ecuadorian counterparts.



Which of the following would it be most useful to establish in order to evaluate the archaeologists' hypothesis?



(A) Whether metal objects were traded from Ecuador to western Mexico during the seventh century

(B) Whether travel between western Mexico and Ecuador in the seventh century would have been primarily by land or by sea

(C) Whether artisans from western Mexico could have learned complex metallurgical techniques from their Ecuadorian counterparts without actually leaving western Mexico.

(D) Whether metal tools were used in the seventh-century settlements in western Mexico

(E) Whether any of the techniques used in the manufacture of the metal rings found in western Mexico are still practiced among artisans in Ecuador today



OG2017 Diagnostic V69 P34

Step 1: Identify the Question

useful to establish in order to evaluate

Evaluate the Argument

Step 2: Deconstruct the Argument

Step 3: Pause and State the Goal

strengthening

weakening

strengthen

weaken

Step 4: Work from Wrong to Right

(A) CORRECT

strengthen

if they werent trading at all

weaken

strengthen

weaken

"Be challenged at EVERY MOMENT."



Strength doesnt come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldnt.



"Each stage of the journey is crucial to attaining new heights of knowledge."



| Please DO NOT post short answer in your post!



Advanced Search : https://gmatclub.com/forum/advanced-search/ Rules for posting in verbal forum | Please DO NOT post short answer in your post! Signature Read More

Metal RingsThe wordsin the question stem indicate that this is anquestion.Metal rings: 7c W. Mex same tech as Ec 7c + b4Tech complex; prob not dev indHyp: E dev first, M learnAbbreviate heavily. Youll only be on this problem for a couple of minutes; your short-term memory can retain the idea that prob not dev ind means probably not developed independently.The archaeologists mentioned in the argument hypothesize that the Es developed this technology first because the technique was used in E earlier than the period in which the recently-found metal rings were made in M.On Evaluate questions, the goal is to find an answer choice that could swing the argument in two directions, eitherthe argument orit. A choice that can eitherorthe argument gives you a good way to evaluate whether the argument is valid.. If metal objects were traded from E to M in the relevant timeframe, then it is at least somewhat more likely that the Es also passed along information regarding how to manufacture these objects. That wouldthe argument. On the other hand, if such objects were not traded, then it is somewhat less likely that the Es taught the Ms how to manufacture the metal, or if the Ms didnt find the metal rings interesting enough to trade for, then its less likely that the Es would have an opportunity to teach the Ms how to make these rings. This wouldthe argument. Since this choice could eitheror, it is correct.(B) How people from the two cultures may have traveled does not impact whether the Es might have taught the Ms this particular technique. What matters is that they did interact with one another in some way, not by what method they traveled.(C) The Ms could have learned the techniques from Es traveling to M. The Ms also could have learned the techniques by traveling to E. Either way, this choice does not provide additional information to help determine whether the initial hypothesis (that Es taught Ms this process) is valid.(D) The argument doesnt depend upon whether the metal rings were created from metal tools or tools made of other materials. Nor does it specify whether the metal rings were intended as tools or were for some other purpose, such as jewelry. The question of tools is irrelevant to whether the Es taught the Ms the technique in question.(E) The argument does not hinge upon the future use of the techniques in question. It claims only that the Es taught the Ms these techniques at some point in or prior to the seventh century._________________
ODYSSEUS Space is the winner of the SpaceResources.lu challenge of the European Sprace Agency (ESA) Space Exploration Masters competition that awards the best business ideas for space exploration that also benefit society.

Luxembourg Space Agency ODYSSEUS Space wins the SpaceResources.lu challenge of the ESA Space Exploration Masters competition

The award was handed over in Bilbao, Spain on October 30, 2018 within the frame of the ESA Space for Inspiration conference, an international conference organized by the ESA for everyone who is curious about space exploration and why it matters.

Initiated by the ESA, the Space Exploration Masters competition targets participants from all around the world. A total of 7 prizes were awarded in collaboration with international partners, including a 500.000 euros prize by the Luxembourg Space Agency.

ODYSSEUS Space is a startup created in 2016 with the aim to provide innovative technologies and solutions for future deep space and swarm small satellite missions. To date, ODYSSEUS Space team members have participated in over 15 small satellite missions from 7 different countries.

"It was truly inspiring to see so many people from different ages and backgrounds keenly working on technologies and solutions to make space resources utilization possible. But there could only be one winning team," said Marc Serres, CEO of the Luxembourg Space Agency. "We are looking forward to supporting ODYSSEUS developments in autonomous operations and optical communications to enable space resources missions for the benefit of humankind."

ODYSSEUS Space will receive support for a development phase under the Luxembourg national space program that is valued at up to 500.000 euros. The company has started the process of relocating their headquarters from Taiwan to Luxembourg.

Press release by the Luxembourg Space Agency




Everyone is anxious for the midterm electionsthey're just four days away!but we have one race that we can call. After an exciting competition with more than 1,000 candidatesincluding campaigns from cats, dogs, rabbits, turtles, fish, birds, a chicken, a horse, a chinchilla, an alpacathe voters have decided on NYC's Cutest Pet. And it's Shelby.



Shelby!

Shelby is a boxer and pit bull mix from Islip Terrace, Long Island, who rode to victory with the succinct campaign platform "Food, food, food." She was rescued as a puppy in Missouri earlier this year and arrived at her forever home in May. Her humans, Laura and Joseph Morgillo, said that she was only five pounds at first but think Shelby must be around 30 pounds now!

Shelby will use the prize, a $250 Amazon gift certificate, to help Mac's Mission, a non-profit dog rescue organization in Missouri that, yes, rescued Shelby. Mac's Mission works with "pitbulls and underdogs"

We will be meeting Shelby (and Laura and Joseph) soon, but we also wanted to mention some of the top contendersrunner-up Mochi the mixed breed dog from Manhattan and top cat, Shiro of Queens!



Mochi on the left, Shiro on the right

Given that we've enjoyed seeing all the candidates' photographs and reading their platforms, we're also presenting some honorable mentions, too:

Best Platform (About Needing A Literal Platform): Lupo, the mini dachshund from the Upper West Side, who campaigned on "The Couch is Too Damn High"



Lupo is into stairs

Amazing Hero In A Half-Shell: Newman



Newman!

Most Colorful Candidate: Maui the conure.



Rainbow!

Blurriest Photo: Sylvie aka Cindy Crawford (shouldn't that be Cindy Pawford, though?)



Is that a cat or a mound of floof?

Best Pet To Invite To A Party: Paco the bearded dragon



Great hat, too

Best Pet To Host A Party: Penelope the Golden Retriever



When is your next card party, Penelope?

Best Couch: Tikka the plott hound/whippet



What a couch!

Best Cat In A Hat: Malcolm



Malcolm's platform was "nine lives matters"

Best Bird In A Hat: Sky the Indian ringneck parakeet



So stylish

Best Dog In A Hat AND A MATCHING SWEATER: Caesar the Welsh corgi



Those eyes!

Most Cultured: Brigadoon the Newfoundland



This dog gets art

Best Angry Bird: Peter Carlos the Welsummer



Peter Carlos

Awesomest Alpaca: Ronald the Alpaca



Ronald rules

Best Name: Ruth Bader Ginspurrg



Notorious C.A.T.

Best Computer Accessory: Chi Chi the chinchilla



Where's the keyboard vacuum?

Best Catitude: Samson, the semi-feral cat



Totally knows the way around a bodega

Most Resembling A Stuffed Animal: Buckley the cavapoo



Real?

Best Therapy Animal In Training: Mr. Dobbs the Ukrainian Lekvoy



Mr. Dobbs

Best Underbite: It was a tough one but Xena the bulldog



How could you say no to this face?!?

Most Pettable Rodent: Rosie the Guinea Pig



Not your kid's school pet

Best Bowtie: Goobie the lionhead rabbit



Snazzy

Best French Cuffs: Teddy the Norwich



But where are his pants?

Most Relatable: Thomas Jefferson the exotic shorthair



Very "Me in the morning," "Me in the middle of the day," and "Me at night"

Most Likely To See The Cure (Or Call Your Manager): Dylan the Yorkie



Just Like Heaven

Most Ready To Visit The Polling Site: Saltie the lab/dingo mix



Go vote

Most Ready To Welcome Your "I Voted Sticker": Avocado the tortie



Go vote

You can see all the terrific pets that entered the competition hereand you should definitely get ready for the midterms on Tuesday, November 6.
" " People hold a placard saying 'Never gonna give EU up' and march to demand a people's vote against Brexit on Oct. 20, 2018, in London. Hundreds of thousands took part in this protest. John Keeble/Getty Images

In the summer of 2018, the United Kingdom's Prime Minister Theresa May traveled to the south of France to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron at his vacation retreat at Cote d'Azur's Fort de Bregancon. But she wasn't there just to enjoy the view of the Mediterranean. May hoped to get Macron's help with a delicate problem. Two years before, U.K. voters had surprised the world by narrowly deciding to leave the European Union (EU). Now, May wanted to work out a compromise, in which the U.K. technically would leave the EU but would stay in Europe's economic marketplace and not have its exports subjected to customs checks and restrictions [source: Judah].

But Macron wasn't having it. The U.K. was the first nation ever to quit the EU, and it was going to have to do it the hard way. As Macron later told his diplomats, he wouldn't agree to any deal that came "at the expense of the European Union's integrity" [source: Merrick].

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The organization that Macron was so keen on protecting is one that's helped bring peace, stability and prosperity to a continent once full of bitter rivals. The EU is a political and economic partnership of 28 member nations, in which each country keeps its sovereignty but all cooperate closely. The EU nations function as a single market in which capital, goods and services move freely, and share a common trade and agricultural policy. In addition, 19 of the 28 nations have adopted a common currency, the euro, and 22 of them participate in something called the Schengen area of free movement, in which they don't impose any internal controls at their borders. The EU also has been branching out into setting up cooperation in defense and internal security policy [source: Archick].

In some ways, the EU is one of modern history's great successes. Not only has it eliminated strife among countries that fought numerous wars amongst themselves over the centuries, but it's also created an economic juggernaut that produced $19.9 trillion in economic activity in 2017. If the EU was a country, it would have the world's second biggest economy, just ahead of the United States' $19.4 trillion and behind only China's $23.1 trillion [source: Amadeo]. And EU countries have banded together to clean up the continent's environment and to impose stringent privacy policies that the world's tech giants have been obliged to follow.

But in recent years, the EU also has been rocked by growing internal tensions and outside challenges, from dealing with an influx of immigrants and refugees to rising internal opposition from populist and nationalist movements, including those who won the Brexit (the word is a compound of the term "British exit") referendum in the U.K. [source: Archick]. At the same time, the EU has clashed over trade issues with U.S. President Donald Trump, and the longtime relationship between the EU and the U.S. has grown decidedly more tense [source: Rogin].

In this article, we'll look at what the EU does, how it developed, and whether it will survive and prosper in the future.
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Police are searching for a grinning manspreader who allegedly punched a straphanger in the face this week for daring to confront him over the infamous subway etiquette violation.

The NYPD says a 59-year-old man was sitting on a Manhattan-bound M train at Northern Boulevard on Wednesday morning when the aggressive spreader made physical contact with the victim's legs. "The victim asked the unidentified male to move his legs and the unidentified male punched him in his face," an NYPD spokesperson said.

The victim was left with a cut on his nose and broken glasses. The assailant remained on the train after the attack, police said, presumably spreading ever wider and wider, until his knees burst through the emergency doors on either end of the train. He is believed to be around 5' 9" and 150 pounds, and was last seen wearing a black North Face and black hat, looking very pleased with himself.

Yet another reminder that manspreaders are, by their very nature, a petty, defiant, and often violent lot. We may talk a lot of shit from behind our screens, but it's important to take caution while confronting the scourgeenforce spread etiquette at your own risk.
As the cost of local computing rises (for all manner of reasons), everything will end up in the cloud.

Let me start by outlining what I mean by "cost of local computing."

Of course, we have to purchase powerful devices to execute local computing  be they laptops, desktops, servers, mainframes etc. Broadly, I'm thinking of business uses here, but home / personal computing will follow a similar path.

In addition to specific purchase costs (and the capex implications that go along with that), we have to deal with a huge variety of support costs  network infrastructure, firewalls, local security (including, obviously, anti-malware scanning and its ilk), etc.

Most organisations maintain a significant team of specialised support staff who deal with everything from forgotten passwords to obscure DNS issues (and everything in between).

Everyone has to buy and manage their own back-up environments and everything else required to maintain good order.

The big problem here is that the purchase and support costs are high, and the dangers equally high. The IT press is filled with stories of "bad dudes" doing all manner of nasty stuff. Everything from complex hacking, all the way down to ransomware and crypto-jacking.

Take ransomware for example. Almost invariably it is the random low-level employee who opens an attached file, which, rather than being the finance sheet they were promised, will launch the attack and soon enough, much of the organisation's data has been encrypted.

Of course, we blame the employee for not being more vigilant, but they should not be regarded as our primary line of defence  it's NOT their job. Most anti-nasty software seems incapable of detecting or trapping this rapidly evolving family of malware. Sure there are a couple of exceptions  Carbon Black and Cylance spring to mind but as I see it, they're still attacking symptoms.

What if just about all of that went away?

What if the device on your desk was something akin to a Chromebook? (I use this as an example, not as a specific recommendation). This device has no local storage and acts simply as a remote terminal to a Cloud-based server  in effect, some form of remote access to a virtualised environment running somewhere on the Internet.

This gives us a lot of advantages. A combination of automated user support, software-defined networking and highly optimised load management will mean that most of the corporate IT support costs vanish. Remember that in all likelihood, the hugely powerful CPU in the device you're reading this article on is barely averaging 1% utilisation over a 24-hour period

Further, it is a lot easier to deploy universal anti-malware in a co-ordinated fashion when all email and other access is centralised and machine learning systems have access to the entire spectrum of nasties.

Data storage is guaranteed to be safe and fully protected with millisecond scale back-ups available to all users. User security can be more tightly managed from a centralised view.

What do we need to make this happen? Mostly, just "political will" from the senior executives in any organisation  the desire to pass management of their computing infrastructure to someone else. Most will argue that they're not in the IT business, yet will argue in parallel that IT is a core function.

Technically, most current Internet connections will be sufficient to support typical usage  documents, spreadsheets, database work etc. Probably the only users requiring something close to gigabit connections will be image processing workers (PhotoShop et al) and gamers.

Think about a couple of scenarios. As a sales executive, you walk into a client's building, sit your device on the presentation lectern; it automatically connects to your remote workload and you're ready to present your slides in seconds. In this instance, your device may actually be your phone.

Or perhaps, as a contractor, you work with a number of concurrent teams, all on unrelated projects. By executing a context switch on your device, you can swap between environments almost at will.

When could this happen? Actually, it already is.

Many people are making use of cloud storage to ensure they're always connected to their data, no matter where or how they access it. The proliferation of XaaS regimes means that we are already familiar with the concept. Further, organisations such as AWS, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and SalesForce (I'm sure there are lots of others) are already "training" us to accept this new remote-computing paradigm.

As the danger of malware increases, and the ability to defend against it decreases, this solution will become more and more attractive. I'd estimate that within 10 years, the vast majority of workers will be cloud-based, working in offices with zero computing resources, or IT support teams.

I'm very keen to hear feedback on this  please respond in the comments below.
Good Marts, an upscale convenience store which now has a location in NYC, may be opening more outposts here in the near future. Michigan native, PR veteran, and the shop's owner Rachel Krupa says she hopes to open 50 more new Marts in the next 5 years (currently there is one in Los Angeles, as well). When we spoke with her this week she said she's currently eyeing the Lower East Side or Bushwick for upcoming shops.

Krupa didn't grow up with bodegas, so she's mostly using her rural town's Sunoco and grocery store as some nostalgic inspiration for her business. A crucial part of her plan is to create a space to foster community interaction, but at the core, Krupa wants deliver healthier alternatives and essentials to those one may grab at their local corner store. Good Marts swaps out the heavily processed, global-conglomerate-produced beverages, snacks, and staples you find at a normal convenience store with ethically-made, eco-friendly products, usually from small businesses.

Of course, this all comes with higher prices, and some skepticismis Goop Glow (one of the products in the shop) really an essential?



Organic Candy Corn and Goop Glow. (Scott Lynch / Gothamist)

Sunoco inspiration aside, Krupa did express a love for bodegas as well, telling us, "I love bodegas too! And while we might look a little different with our black & white minimalism, we have the same inspired charm and are constantly looking to keep our prices low and selections surprising and local."

While Krupa claims, "We are definitely not upscale or luxurious by any means," some may balk at that. Goop products are definitely a luxury, and while she says it's the most expensive item in the shop, they are selling an $18 maple syrup (from Hudson Valley Harvest), a luxury item by any measure.

"We try very hard at keeping our prices low," says Krupa, "but with these quality products it isnt possible to have the same prices as a 7-Eleven. That said, you can get an organic, local apple here for 50-cents, or a cup of La Colombe coffee for $1.25, and were working toward accepting EBT/Snaps here in NYC like we do in our first store in Los Angeles." Other products include Kombucha, and CBD drinks. Most of the inventory comes at a higher price point than the items on sale at local delis.

"Everyone is looking to be healthier no matter the income level," Krupa told Gothamist. (Which is true, and there is an ongoing effort to bring healthier food into the city's bodegas.) She added, "If we can help provide those products, were happyits our mission." The rules for making it onto the shop's shelves: no GMOs, artificial flavoring, or preservatives allowed.

Krupa also hopes to immerse her stores in the communities they serve. "While we sell physical goods, we are also looking to do good," she says. "There are a few specific things were doing to build the connection amongst everyone. Each month, for example, we donate all of our tips to a local charity that immediately affects our area." The first was the NYC Parks Stewardship Program. She added that they also "organize community events, bringing neighbors together for local volunteer efforts. Were also looking to partner with local charities, so were constantly giving back to existing frameworks, as well as conducting community driven mixers and events."

The Goods Mart also sells ready-to-eat food. There are pre-made sandwiches from the excellent Alidoro; burritos from the team behind the acclaimed, Jonathan Gold-approved L.A. outfit Burritos La Palma, which you can heat up in the microwave near the coffee machines (the Chicken one, though it looked rather uninspired, packed a ton of flavor); and two kinds of organic slushies from Kelvin's. West~bourne and Loosie's Kitchen are among the other local operations with grab-n-go items on offer.

Krupa has big plans for The Goods Mart, and intends to expand in NYC, California, and her home state of Michigan. She hopes to also open a few in institutions like hospitals, where both visitors and employees often have few healthy (or tasty) options.

The Goods Mart is located at 189 Lafayette Street between Broome and Grand Streets (212-226-7641; thegoodsmart.com)
- Former Pres. Benigno Aquino III visited the tomb of his parents, former Pres. Cory Aquino and former Sen. Ninoy Aquino

- With him were only his three sisters Ballsy, Pinky and Viel

- Kris Aquino, along with Josh and Bimb, traveled off

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Former President Benigno Aquino III was seen visiting the tomb of his parents, former President Corazon Aquino and former Senator Ninoy Aquino.

KAMI saw that with Noynoy were his three sisters, Ballsy, Pinky and Viel.

It came as a surprise that their youngest sister Kris Aquino wasn't able to go with them for the November 1 visit.

Kris Aquino goes travel mode, Noynoy and three sisters visit parents' tomb without her

Source: Facebook

There was no indication as to why Kris wasn't with them but a recent post of Kris on IG showed that she traveled with her sons.

She said in her post that she' hopes that Josh and Bimb would remember that even though she's tired, and stressed, she would still go the extra mile for them.

In the caption, she said that she always want to give Josh and Bimb everything for as long as she can afford it and she can manage.

"Luckily, no directors were available and none of my favorite photographers. RB is traveling & Jonathan also accepted other appointments. We resume work full blast on November 5.

This was super LAST MINUTE... i promised myself for as long as we could afford it, and i am physically healthy enough- whatever request kuya josh & bimb make, im 100% going to do it because they deserve as many happy memories as i can possibly give them.

My favorite part of my life is being their MAMA."

Perhaps, Josh and Bimb wanted to take a short vacay somewhere prompting Kris to leave at the last minute.

Kris Aquino is the youngest sister of former Pres. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino. She has been with ABS-CBN for so many years and it was in 2016 when her stint with the Kapamilya network ended. The actress has two sons, Josh and Bimby, with Phillip Salvador and James Yap respectively.

She is also the Queen of All Media of the Philippines.

POPULAR: Read more about Kris Aquino

Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news!

Hilarious optical illusion - kids and adults see different things in this picture. On KAMI YouTube channel Funny how adults and kids differ in terms of perspectives! This is one sure LOL moment!

Source: Kami.com.ph
- Actor Vice Ganda released some statements about him undergoing gender transition

- The confession happened during his recent interview with Boy Abunda

- The comedian talked about his sensibilities and behavior that are suited for one gender

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Kapamilya celebrity Vice Ganda finally ended some speculations about him that he will soon undergo gender transition because he wants to be a woman.

KAMI learned that the promising actor responded to this allegation during his much-talked-about interview in Tonight With Boy Abunda.

The topic was brought up when Tito Boy asked a brave question to Vice if he has plans of undergoing surgery just to become a girl.

The celebrity immediately quashed the rumors and said that it was never his dream to be a woman because he identifies himself as a gay.

He also emphasized that his behavior and sensibilities do not resemble those of a girl but of a member of LGBTQ+ community.

No Im gay. I have always been gay, Vice quipped when asked about being a woman.

Sinasabi ko, hindi ako magta-transition kasi I am not a woman. Im gay. Bakla ako talaga Yung sensibilities ko yung pagkatao ko, hindi pambabae Pang bakla he added.

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Here is the video:

In a previous article by , the Kapamilya comedian unhesitatingly opened up about the depression he experienced recently and the intensity of it.

Vice, or Jose Marie Borja Viceral in real life, was born on March 31, 1976. He is a Filipino celebrity who is a regular host in Its Showtime. He also has an upcoming movie entitled, Fantastica which will be shown this December.

POPULAR: Read more news about Vice Ganda!

Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news!

Many of you had asked us to shoot The Nun prank  and we did it! So, today we are proud to present you an extraordinary lady, Scary Nun! In this episode, she is going to roam the streets of the Philippines and scare innocent people to death! (Laughs evilly)  on HumanMeter!

Source: Kami.com.ph
Friday, November 2, 2018

Mohammad "Mo" Amer is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, Amer sought asylum in the U.S. during the first Gulf War. He was granted asylum, though it took many years to become a U.S. citizen.

His comedy includes bits about on his life as an English-speaking refugee in the U.S. and the hurdles he faced making his way to overseas gigs on an refugee travel document.

Here he is on Colbert last year:

And here's a preview for his Netflix show "the Vagabond."

Lots of great material for class, and just the humor break you need this week.

-KitJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2018/11/immigrant-of-the-day-mo-amer.html
Friday, November 2, 2018

Kathleen Mahoney reports on an important step by the Ohio Supreme Court to address an attorney's obligations in an area of real concern

Ohio attorneys now have access to a resource for understanding, identifying, and reporting elder abuse.

Attorneys admitted to practice law in the state have a duty to immediately report suspected elder abuse to the county department of job and family services where the elderly adult resides. The requirement arises when an attorney has reasonable cause to believe that an adult is being abused, neglected, or exploited, or is in a condition that is the result of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, according to state law.

Attorneys are among several groups with mandatory reporting duties including those working in law enforcement, health care, or financial services. If mandatory reporters fail to report possible abuse, they could face criminal charges and fines of up to $500.

The guide for legal professionals, developed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), can be accessed free of charge from the link below:

Understanding Elder Abuse: A Guide for Legal and Law Enforcement Professionals

The materials also can be obtained on the Ohio Supreme Courts website. For hard copies, visit the Job and Family Services Forms Central website and enter form number JFS 08096.

Elder abuse can include physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, as well as neglect, abandonment, or financial exploitation. In addition to physical injuries, the following are a few of the possible indicators of abuse: being isolated, missing appointments, appearing frightened or avoiding specific people, suddenly withdrawing from usual activities or interactions, changes in mood or temperament, changes in personal hygiene, or being resistant to touching.

For questions about the training materials, email ODJFS at aps_mailbox@jfs.ohio.gov.

Bravo Ohio! (Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/11/ohio-addresses-attorney-obligations-in-confronting-elder-abuse.html
Friday, November 2, 2018

The Louisiana Supreme Court suspended on an interim basis an attorney who was the subject of this December 2017 KTBS-ABC story

A prosecutor for the City of Shreveport has been fired after his arrest on charges he used his position to solicit sex from a woman who was facing charges in the court where he worked.

Andrew Adams, 29, of Shreveport, was arrested by the Shreveport police vice squad Wednesday afternoon and booked into Caddo Correctional Center on charges of malfeasance in office, abuse of office and soliciting for prostitution.

Adams was released Thursday after posting $30,700 bond. He was fired earlier in the day by City Attorney William Bradford.

Authorities said Adams used the offer of leniency in a City Court case to convince the woman to have sex with him. They did not disclose details about the charges against the woman or the disposition of her case.

Adams prosecuted misdemeanor criminal and traffic cases in Shreveport City Court.

(Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/11/the-louisiana-supreme-court-suspended-an-attorney-who-was-the-subject-of-this-ktbs-st-ory-a-prosecutor-for-the-city-of-shrev.html
Friday, November 2, 2018

The Nebraska Supreme Court accepted a convicted attorney's consent to disbarment in State ex rel. Counsel for Discipline v. Lundstrom.

The Omaha World-Herald reported on the crimes

Lundstrom, who had been free on bail, was immediately taken into custody by federal marshals Wednesday. He handed over possessions, including his tie and belt, to his lawyers and family in the courtroom, hugged his wife, and was handcuffed and escorted away.

Connie Benson of Chapman, Nebraska, said she had worked in the Grand Island and St. Paul offices of TierOne. She worked for the bank for 15 years, she said  the best job shed ever had.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/11/the-nebraska-supreme-court-accepted-a-convicted-attorneys-consent-to-disbarment-in-state-ex-rel-disciplinary-counsel-v-lund.html
Friday, November 2, 2018

The New Orleans Advocate reported on an order of the Louisiana Supreme Court dismissing ethics charge against a prosecutor

The Louisiana Supreme Court has dismissed ethics charges against a prosecutor who was accused of failing to disclose the shifting statements of a key witness at a Jefferson Parish murder trial.

The court said Monday that the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board was correct when it dropped claims of legal misconduct against Ken Dohre for his prosecution of Michael Williams, who spent 15 years in prison before a judge overturned his second-degree murder conviction.

An attorney for Dohre said the courts decision is a vindication for his client, who is now a prosecutor under 22nd Judicial District Attorney Warren Montgomery in St. Tammany Parish.

Ken never did anything wrong, and it was the appropriate action for the court to take, Basile Uddo said.

In a two-paragraph, unsigned decision upholding dismissal of the charges, the Supreme Court said it had considered the arguments of both sides.

Of the courts seven justices, only Jefferson Hughes dissented. The high courts ruling ends the appeals process for the nonprofit Innocence Project New Orleans, which along with the state Office of Disciplinary Counsel hoped to suspend Dohre from the practice of law. They said Dohre was careless or worse when he failed to inform the defense about the inconsistent statements of a witness ahead of Williams' trial for the stabbing death of Michelle Gallagher, a 25-year-old prostitute. Gallaghers body was found dumped on River Road in Waggaman in March 1996. Williams defense lawyer never knew that the sole witness, Christopher Landry, had previously given differing statements about where he said Williams dumped Gallaghers body, and whether he knew what Williams was dumping. Williams attorney argued that he was elsewhere at the time Gallaghers body was dumped. After Landry recanted his testimony, Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. dismissed the case in 2011. A committee of the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, which handles cases where lawyers are accused of violating ethics rules, recommended Dohres suspension for a year and a day in a March 2017 report. However, the full board recommended that no action be taken against Dohre. Uddo, Dohres attorney, said his client had turned over all of Landry's statements to the judge overseeing the case before the trial. That judge reviewed the case file in private and found nothing that should be handed to the defense team, Uddo said. Dohre had never before been the subject of a misconduct allegation, Uddo said. The state Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which prosecutes claims of attorney misconduct, appealed the Attorney Disciplinary Boards decision to the Supreme Court. The Innocence Project New Orleans also filed a friend of the court brief, casting the case as part of a larger pattern of prosecutorial misconduct in Louisiana. That pattern has helped contribute to Louisianas unusually high rate of convictions that are overturned on appeal, the group said. Dohre cannot escape responsibility for his misconduct by shifting attention to what the trial court could have known and done in the case he was prosecuting, the group said. (Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/11/the-new-orleans-advocate-reported-on-an-order-of-the-louisiana-supreme-court-dismissing-ethics-charge-against-a-prosecutor-t.html
Friday, November 2, 2018

From CNBC:

A youth charity founded by Saudi Arabia's crown prince just lost an influential backer, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in the latest sign of fallout after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The charitable organization started by the Microsoft co-founder and his philanthropist wife is canceling much of its $5 million pledge to the MiSk Foundation, a Saudi youth empowerment nonprofit chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Last week, a Saudi prosecutor acknowledged for the first time that agents of the kingdom planned Khashoggi's slaying at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. The prosecutor initially said the Washington Post columnist and U.S. resident was unintentionally killed during a physical altercation. The Saudis earlier claimed Khashoggi, a critic of Prince Mohammed, left the consulate unharmed. . . . Virgin Group co-founder Richard Branson, another high-profile philanthropist, has also in light of Khashoggi's killing.

dkj

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2018/11/nonprofits-are-cutting-ties-to-saudi-arabia-in-wake-of-khashoggi-murder.html
Amazon wants to get more young people to consider becoming computer engineers.

The American technology company this week launched a program that aims to teach more than 10 million students a year how to code.

Amazon says it will pay for summer camps and other costs for young people from low-income families. It also will offer teacher training at low-income schools.

The program is called Amazon Future Engineer.

Amazon hopes the programs will help bring more African-American, Hispanic and female students to the field of computer science.

Other technology companies, including Microsoft and Facebook, also have programs that bring coding to schools. There is a shortage of computer engineers. Teaching more students how to code will help strengthen the industry.

Jeff Wilke is Amazons head of Worldwide Consumer. He said he hopes some of the students in the Amazon Future Engineer program will one day work for the company, especially in the development of voice assistant and drone technology.

Wilke said, Were pretty confident that knowing how to code will be as important as knowing how to read for the jobs of the future.

Amazon Future Engineer will provide summer camps and after-school programs for students from kindergarten through 8th grade. The programs will take place in Amazon offices around the country. Volunteer workers will lead the programs. Online classes, lessons and games will be offered by Code.org and Coding with Kids.

Amazon says it also plans to pay for online training in computer science for teachers at 2,000 low-income high schools. In addition, it will offer scholarships and internships for college students.

Amazon said some schools have already been testing the program, including Monsignor Scanlan High School in New York City. Jennifer Tulipano, a science teacher at the school, began taking online coding classes in September.

Last month, she started teaching two computer science classes on how to create games and how to make animated characters. It is the first time that the school has offered computer science classes.

So much is now online, Tulipano said. Its a skill set they (students) need moving forward if they want to go into these fields.

I'm Dorothy Gundy.

Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on Associated Press news reports. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

code - v. to write a set of instructions for a computer program

confident - adj. having a feeling or belief that someone can do something well or succeed at something
On Tuesday, November 6, Americans will choose hundreds of federal lawmakers and state officials. The election is called the midterm because it comes in the middle of the presidents four-year term.

But even though the president is not competing for re-election this year, the results of the midterm will be important to him. They will decide whether his political party, the Republicans, continues to control both parts of Congress.

If the Republicans do, Congress will likely help him reach his policy goals. If the opposition Democratic Party wins a majority in Congress, those lawmakers will likely try to block the presidents goals.

It is also very possible that after November 6 the Republicans will control one part of Congress, and the Democrats another. If that happens, the two groups of lawmakers will probably oppose each other and few changes will advance.

The numbers

Here are the numbers: Congress has seats for 535 voting members. One hundred are in the Senate. The rest are in the House of Representatives.

This month, voters will choose 35 senators and all 435 House members. To win a majority in the House, Democrats would need to keep all their seats and gain 24 more.

Such a gain would be large, but not impossible. Historically, the opposition party makes some gains in midterms. Eight years ago, Republicans gained more than 60 House seats in the midterm after then-President Barack Obama was elected. That election was seen as a check on Obamas efforts to reform health care in America. This year, a gain half as big by Democrats would give them control of those House.

To win a majority in the Senate may be harder for Democrats, although Republicans have only a one-seat advantage now. The reason is because Democrats risk losing some Senate seats they currently control.

For example, ten Democratic senators are running in states that Trump won in 2016. In other words, voters there may now decide they want a lawmaker who is more like the president.

Im Kelly Jean Kelly.

Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
Chinese device maker GPD has made some of the most interesting little computers in the past few years.

The GPD Win line of handheld Windows gaming PCs are unlike anything else currently on the market, and the GPD Pocket line of pocket-sized laptop computers have inspired a series of clones and a bit of a rebirth of the netbook/UMPC market.

Sure, these are all devices that only appeal to a niche audience (which overlaps heavily with Liliputings audience), but GPD seems pretty happy with the way things are going. According to Japanese website Hermitage Akihabara, the company plans to launch a bunch of new products in the next few years.

Details are a bit scarce at the moment, but heres what we know so far:

GPD says its 3rd-gen Win and Pocket devices are coming in 2020.

In 2019 the company will introduce two completely new devices.

In other words, those new devices wont just be new Win or Pocket computers. And it wont just be an update to the GPD XD Plus Android handheld game system either.

GPD has been making handheld devices for a while, with a series of Android models predating the companys more recent Windows-powered devices.

So if the companys truly branching out into new territory that could mean a tablet or phone. Those would both be new for GPD, while old hat for the rest of the industry.

But given GPDs history with outside-the-box products, Im hoping that the company has something more surprising in store for 2019.

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African-Americans caring for loved ones with cancer were less likely than their white peers to report distress and depression, possibly due to stronger social support, according to results of a study presented at the 11th AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held here Nov. 2-5.

"Informal caregivers, generally family members or friends, play an increasingly large role in the care of cancer patients," said the study's co-lead author, Maria Thomson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

"We do not have a good understanding of exactly how burdensome this is, how it affects caregiver health and economic outcomes over time, or which aspects caregivers view as particularly burdensome," she continued.

To compare perceived burden, depression, and distress between African-American and white informal caregivers, Thomson and colleagues enrolled 90 caregivers, 44 African-American and 46 white, all of whom were providing end-of-life care to cancer patients. They surveyed the caregivers on demographics, preparedness for caregiving, and distress, and rated them on the CES-D scale for depression and the Zarit Burden scale for caregiver burden.

The African-American caregivers reported significantly lower distress, depression, and caregiver burden. Overall, older caregivers reported lower levels of distress than younger caregivers.

Thomson said that preparation for the caregiving role was a major factor in the respondents' mental and emotional well-being. She said caregivers of any race who felt they had received adequate information, training, and support regarding the caregiving role were significantly less likely to report distress.

Religiosity also played a role, with African-American caregivers more likely to identify church or faith-based groups as a source of social support compared with white caregivers. The authors said this finding could help inform future interventions to support caregivers.

"Finding that African-American caregivers reported lower levels of caregiver burden and depression, as compared to white caregivers, is important for understanding how to develop effective caregiver supports," said first author Laura A. Siminoff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Public Health at Temple University in Philadelphia.

"This illustrates that there are likely to be important sociocultural differences in the ways in which caregivers experience and attach meaning to caregiving, where they prefer to seek support, and the types of support that would be most helpful," she added.

The authors cautioned that this study represents preliminary findings from a larger, ongoing study. They anticipate that the broader study will provide more complete information on how caregivers fare over time and which factors affect their emotional and mental health.

Thomson and Siminoff added that racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in existing research on cancer caregivers, and future research should aim for more diverse, representative samples.

Explore further Depression linked to physical health decline in cancer caregivers
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Scientists led by Newcastle University have been able to identify the group of children needing more intensive, aggressive chemotherapy treatment for the most common form of brain cancer.

The chromosome signature they have identified in medulloblastoma could allow medics to adapt treatment so that each child is targeted individually, improving the 60% survival rate for high-risk patients.

The study's findings, published today in The Lancet Oncology, also shows that many youngsters with medulloblastoma could avoid unnecessary doses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy with less toxic side effects.

While others, who have the most serious form of the disease, may be targeted with more intensive chemotherapy. Currently all patients receive the same treatment.

Personalised treatment

Professor Steve Clifford, Director of the Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University, UK, led the European study with Dr. Edward Schwalbe, from Northumbria University.

Professor Clifford said: "Our findings provide a new blueprint for the personalisation of treatment in medulloblastoma so that all children are not given the same intensity of therapy.

"This study shows that low-risk patients may receive kinder treatments aimed at reducing toxicity and side effects, while targeting more intensive treatments to the high-risk patients who need it most.

"Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant childhood brain tumour and it is important that we have improved outcomes for patients with this disease.

"Through a greater understanding of brain tumours we hope to increase the cure rate but critically, for those children who survive, we want to make sure their quality of life is good after treatment."

Scientists at Newcastle University's Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre worked with Northumbria University and European collaborators to examine the molecular pathology of the cancer.

The study is part of the largest completed clinical trial of medulloblastoma undertaken across Europe and it is hoped that it will lead to significantly improved outcomes for patients in the future.

Clinical groups

Experts identified that children with the cancer can be split into two clinical groupsabout half of which are low-risk with close to 100% survival, while the other half are high-risk, with 60% survival.

The study analysed data from the PNET4 clinical trial of standard-risk medulloblastoma, which ran from 2001-2006, and was partly funded by Cancer Research UK.

The standard-risk patients involved in the cohort were children with no recognised risk factors for the disease and who would be expected to have a survival rate of around 80% after five years.

Working with the University of Bonn in Germany, the Newcastle and Northumbria team identified recurrent patterns of chromosome gains and losses in medulloblastoma tumours.

The team found a chromosome signature that identifies a group of patients with 100% survival rates, and a high-risk group with just 60% survival.

Dr. Ed Schwalbe, Senior Lecturer in Bioinformatics and Biostatistics at Northumbria University, said: "In this study, we identified an easily testable chromosome signature that predicts excellent outcomes for children with medulloblastoma. Importantly, we also show that this signature works as expected in an independent set of patients.

"Looking forward, we hope that children whose tumours have this signature could be treated less aggressively, reducing the life-long side effects of the gruelling treatments, while maintaining a cure."

Medulloblastoma is the most common high grade childhood tumour, accounting for 15%-20% of all childhood brain tumours.

Current treatment for the cancer is surgery to remove the tumour, followed by radiotherapy and an intensive course of chemotherapy.

Researchers are now working with the European trial group to implement the findings of this study clinically as part of forthcoming trials to adapt therapy in the future.

Case study

Schoolboy Olly McKenna was diagnosed with medulloblastoma less than a year ago and has battled back to health.

The 12-year-old, from Bill Quay, Gateshead, had surgery for nine hours to remove his aggressive tumour and underwent months of gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Today his parents Jason and Jill have welcomed the research being undertaken in the North East into this form of brain cancer.

Jill, 44, a superintendent radiographer, said: "It is incredibly important that as much research as possible is done into medulloblastoma so that patients receive the best treatment options.

"Each child currently diagnosed with the condition is given the same treatment and this level of toxicity makes the youngsters very illfor parents it's awful watching their child go through that.

"To know that research has identified that therapy should be tailored to each individual child is fantastic as it will mean that children will not be given toxic treatment unnecessarily.

"The most important thing is that children have as few side effects as possible so that they can continue to have a good quality of life during and after treatment."

Explore further New insight into life-threatening childhood brain cancer

More information: Prognostic effect of whole chromosomal aberration signatures in standard-risk non-WNT/non SHH medulloblastoma: a retrospective molecular analysis of the HIT-SIOP-PNET4 trial, The Lancet Oncology. DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30532-1 , www.thelancet.com/journals/lan  (18)30585-0/fulltext Journal information: Lancet Oncology Prognostic effect of whole chromosomal aberration signatures in standard-risk non-WNT/non SHH medulloblastoma: a retrospective molecular analysis of the HIT-SIOP-PNET4 trial,
Descriptive summary of participants. Credit: Keisha Fraser Doh

A new study found that a majority of parents and caregivers, including firearm owners, said they were confident their children could tell a real gun apart from a toy gun. The children themselves also said they thought they could recognize the difference. But when shown side-by-side photos of actual and fake (toy) firearms, only 41 percent of children between ages 7 and 17 years old identified both correctly.

The study abstract, "A Comparison of Parental Firearm Storage Patterns and Children's Access to Firearms," will be presented on Monday, Nov. 5, during the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2018 National Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Fla.

"One of the most dramatic findings was how easily caregivers and children can confuse real guns with today's realistic-looking toy guns," said Kiesha Fraser Doh, MD Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine Physician at Emory University School of Medicine. "Especially considering gun owners surveyed were nearly twice as likely as non-gun owners to let their children play with toy guns, safe storage of firearms in homes where children play is critical."

For the study, Fraser Doh and her colleagues surveyed 297 caregiver-child pairs visiting one of three pediatric emergency departments 2 suburban and 1 urbanin the southeastern United States. over a three -month period in 2017. Gun owners represented 25 percent of respondents, and they were significantly more likely to be white, have an annual income of greater than $50,000, and some college education, compared with non-gun owners. Gun owners were also more likely to allow their child to play with toy guns, (51 percent, compared with 26 percent of non-gun owners).

In addition to asking about toy guns, the researchers asked all the caregivers how easily they thought their child could access a real gun. Few caregivers (5 percent, overall) felt their child could obtain a gun within 24 hours. However, results show that 14 percent of the children whose caregivers owned guns and 4 percent of children whose caregivers didn't own a gun, said they could access a gun within a day.

Among the study's firearm owners, most recruited from the suburban hospitals, fewer than half (34percent) stored their gun locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In addition, among children who reported having a gun in the home 53 percent knew where it was stored and 45 percent knew where ammunition was stored.
The soft glow of Amy Alexander's alarm clock in the darkness toyed with her attempt to fall back to sleep. Her thoughts wandered to the job she left on the printer the night before. Knowing she wouldn't rest until she knew it was running smoothly, Amy headed into work early.

As part of the Anatomic Modeling Lab at Mayo Clinic, Amy, a biomedical engineer, pressed print the day before on a life-sized 3-D model of a 35-year-old man's face for a surgeon preparing to repair a misaligned jaw.

The model, which took about 12 hours to complete, ran through the night to be ready in time. It held the key to the surgeon's preparation to restore the man's ability to perform seemingly simple tasks such as eating solid foods.

For this particular craniofacial surgery, the surgeon planned to take three pieces of the patient's leg bone and attach it to the jawa procedure he had done many times before. But, because he had a model of the patient's exact facial anatomy, he was able to rehearse the surgery and knew in advance precisely where to make the cuts and what to expect during the operation, making the procedure quicker and less invasive. This surgical simulation supports better outcomes and faster recovery times.

"Medicine is very visual, and 3-D models represent another way to look inside a patient, look at the disease," says Jonathan M. Morris, M.D., a neuroradiologist and co-director of Mayo Clinic's 3-D modeling lab. "Surgeons can hold, manipulate and see a specific patient's anatomy with a clarity that cannot be replicated in two dimensions on a computer."

Explore further Custom 3D-printed models help plastic surgeons plan and perform rhinoplasty

2018 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

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When rats are exploring their environment, they spend time on all fours  a neutral default position  but also raised up on their hind legs. When researchers at the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience recorded the firing of neurons in rats exploring a two-meter by two-meter box they found that many fewer neurons fired when the rat was in its neutral position compared to when it was in a posture less often visited, such as rearing up on its hind legs. Credit: Goran Radosevic

A team of researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology has isolated a group of neural cells in rat brains that are tuned to posture. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes experiments they carried out with rats while studying their brains in action, and what they found. Guifen Chen with University College London have written a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue.

The ability of animals to orient their bodies is one of the more remarkable feats carried out by the brain. But the mechanism still mostly remains a mystery. In this new effort, the researchers investigate the role of posture in orientation and which parts of the brain are involved.

To learn more about how the brain processes orientation, the researchers set up six cameras around a test rat to view and record its movements in a confined space, and tracked its posture with six degrees of freedom. They also inserted a silicon probe into a test rat's brain to watch as different brain regions became active. This setup allowed the researchers to compare neural activity in different parts of the rat brain with certain physical postures, such as sitting on hind legs.

Scientists explain that in two parts of the brain, the posterior parietal cortex and the frontal motor cortex, more neurons fire when the body is in a specific posture or position than when the body is in a neutral position. Credit: Rita Elmkvist Nilsen/Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience

The researchers identified neurons in the posterior parietal cortex and the frontal motor cortex that were associated with changes in posture. So close were the associations that the researchers could actually predict which posture a rat was assuming by simply watching neural activity in these two brain regions.

In her Perspective piece, Chen suggests the findings by the research team are groundbreakingthey run contrary to the notion that the active areas observed by the team are mostly motion centered. But they also give rise to even more questionssome of which might be answered with further research. As just one example, she wonders if neurons associated with posture become active only when a posture is achieved, or if they continue firing as that posture is held in place.

When a tennis player hits a ball, she moves through a series of postures to ensure that her racquet connects with the ball. The ability to hit the ball requires the brain to be aware of your bodys position in space, a concept called body schema. A new paper published in Science shows that many more neurons in two parts of the brain called the posterior parietal cortex and the frontal motor cortex, fire when the body is in certain postures or positions versus when the body is in a more neutral position. Credit: Goran Radosevic

Explore further Study results suggest improving posture may help reduce depression

More information: Bartul Mimica et al. Efficient cortical coding of 3D posture in freely behaving rats, Science (2018). Journal information: Science Bartul Mimica et al. Efficient cortical coding of 3D posture in freely behaving rats,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/science.aau2013

 2018 Science X Network
A prognostic model developed using a machine learning approach could identify African-American breast cancer patients with increased risk of death, according to results of a study presented at the 11th AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held here Nov. 2-5.

"Using gene expression data, we have developed a machine learning pattern to accurately stratify African-American breast cancer patients with high and low risks of death, which could help inform clinical decision making," said Shristi Bhattarai, Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Ritu Aneja, Ph.D., at the Department of Biology, Georgia State University. "As African-American women tend to have worse breast cancer outcomes, this study will help us to identify race-based differences in this cohort, which could potentially lead to specific therapeutic regimens for African-American women with breast cancer."

While the incidence of breast cancer is similar between European-American and African- American women in the U.S., the age-adjusted mortality rates are 40 percent higher in African- American women with breast cancer, said Bhattarai. "The etiology of this startling outcome disparity is multifactorial, arising from the combination of socioeconomic inequality with inherently more aggressive tumor biology in women of African ancestry," she noted. "We wanted to identify a fingerprint that could stratify African-American breast cancer patients with different prognostic risks."

Utilizing data from The Cancer Proteome Atlas (TCPA), Bhattarai and colleagues analyzed protein expression levels of 224 proteins from 754 breast cancer patients. Of these patients, 620 were of European descent, and 134 were African-American. The algorithm they developed enabled the researchers to identify significant protein combinations that were associated with breast cancer survival, the authors explained.

The deep learning algorithm identified a combination of four proteins for optimal prognostic prediction: Bcl2-like protein (BAX), inositol polyphosphate-4-phosphatase, type II (INPP4B), X-ray repair cross-complementing protein 1 (XRCC1), and Cleaved Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (c-PARP). This combination of proteins could stratify high-risk African-American breast cancer patients with 86 percent accuracy.

"Interestingly, these proteins did not have a significant prognostic value individually," said co-author Sergey Klimov, Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Ritu Aneja in the Department of Biology at Georgia State University. "However, their combined effect within the machine-learning model could identify an African-American cohort that had five times increased risk of death."

After controlling for clinicopathological variables including patients' age and cancer stage, the model could identify African-American women that had nearly 11 times increased risk of death.

The researchers were not able to stratify European-American breast cancer patients into low- and high-risk populations using this specific model, suggesting that this model is only prognostic for African-American breast cancer patients.

"We are moving toward the phase of clinical research where we can identify very specific patterns for understudied demographic groups to find high-risk patients so that they can be recruited for additional therapies," said Aneja. "We are excited that our model has the potential to inform clinicians to prioritize African-American breast cancer patients for appropriate clinical trials and also help patients make decisions about enrolling in specific clinical trials."

Limitations of this study include a lack of validation in other cohorts. "We will need to validate this model in different groups of African-American breast cancer patients," Aneja noted. "We want to make sure that this model is generalizable to different methodologies."

Explore further Breast cancer prognosis of African-American patients may improve with chemotherapy before surgery
Sequencing data from 188 sGBM patients were collected to uncover the mutational landscape of sGBM, which reveals METex14 as a biomarker for predicting patient survival. In Phase I MET-targeted clinical trial, partial response was achieved in selected patients. Credit: HKUST

sGBM is a rare type of brain cancer in adults. The incidence varies from 2 to 5 per million people per year. For example, if Hong Kong's base population of 7.5 million people is taken as a reference, over 15 people will be diagnosed with sGBM tumors annually. sGBM starts off as low-grade glioma (LGG) tumors around nerve cells that surround the spine and brain, and its 5-year survival rate is under 10%.

Currently, sGBM tumors are treated with a chemotherapy drug called temozolomide (TMZ), first developed in Europe and became available for widespread patient use in the early 2000s. TMZ invokes non-specific DNA damage to tumor cells to prevent it from reproducing and spreading.

However, history and patient data show that sGBM patients undergoing TMZ treatment almost invariably have relapses which display mutations that allow the sGBM tumors to evade a second round of TMZ treatment, making it chemo-resistant and pushing researchers to look further afield to seek better treatment options.

For the first time, this study revealed the somatic mutational landscape of sGBM in 188 cases, and showed that a significant proportion (approximately 14%) of sGBM patients displayed a new mutation, METex14 (some of those simultaneously harbor another mutation, named ZM fusion), which led to more aggressive tumor growth. Previous studies were much smaller (typically 20 patients or less) and therefore meant that findings were inconclusive.

Promisingly, a MET kinase inhibitor molecule named PLB-1001 was identified and is able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, a key treatment characteristic. This new molecule shows remarkable potency in selectively targeting sGBM tumors and sGBM tumors that co-display this mutation.

Beijing Tiantan Hospital has given the green light for PLB-1001 Phase I clinical trials. Successfully enrolled patients are those who display this mutation or have a history of sGBM tumors and fall within the right age bracket.

"This clinical trial and its results are quite significant in furthering the knowledge about sGBM treatment. Precision cancer medicine promises to tailor treatments according to personal cancer mutations, but it is complicated by the dynamic changes during cancer evolution. sGBM tumors are high on the list of toughest tumors to treat," said HKUST's Prof. WANG Jiguang, who led this Beijing-Hong Kong collaborative study. "Developing computational models on cancer evolution helps to predict cancer cells' future behavior and prioritize treatment options. In this study, MET is one of the running targets we have identified. By using PLB-1001 as a standalone drug, our collaborators were able to see shrinkage of the tumors over a two-month period in selected patients. More studies need to be done to see if PLB-1001 can be used in conjunction with other drugs to have longer lasting results."

Prof. Wang is Assistant Professor at HKUST's Division of Life Science and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

Prof. Tao Jiang's team at Beijing Tiantan Hospital has been enrolling a large number of Chinese glioma patients for genomic sequencing and running this clinical trial, and initial findings indicate that PLB-1001 is safe to use as a monotherapy for sGBM patients and especially those who have the specified mutation. This may lead to new combinational chemotherapy cocktail treatments for patients later down the line.

Ultimately, this finding offers a new silver lining for both medical researchers and sGBM patients alike, and will continue to shed more light on how to better treat this aggressive tumor type.

Explore further Understanding epilepsy in pediatric tumors

More information: Huimin Hu et al, Mutational Landscape of Secondary Glioblastoma Guides MET-Targeted Trial in Brain Tumor, Cell (2018). Journal information: Cell Huimin Hu et al, Mutational Landscape of Secondary Glioblastoma Guides MET-Targeted Trial in Brain Tumor,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.09.038
Credit: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Unleashing the immune system to fight tumorsan approach enabled by immunotherapyhas led to remarkable outcomes in some cancer patients, but in many more, cancer cells evade the treatment and continue to spread. Now, a team led by researchers from Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has identified a gene expression pattern that human melanoma cells use to resist immunotherapy, and demonstrated a combination therapy approach that could overcome this resistance.

The paper, published today in Cell, appears alongside a companion immunotherapy study led by a separate research team from Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital.

"With additional data, we hope that the methods and specific combination therapy identified in our study could have a real benefit for patients," said co-senior author Benjamin Izar, an instructor in medicine and melanoma oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute. He and Aviv Regev, director of the Klarman Cell Observatory at the Broad Institute, professor of biology at MIT, and an HHMI investigator, are co-senior authors on the paper.

"Our team has mapped out a high-resolution landscape of immunotherapy-resistant melanoma," added Regev. "We've discovered a gene expression program that can help predict resistance to immunotherapy before treatment even begins, and a potential way to reverse this program in order to delay or counter that resistance."

Using single-cell RNA sequencing data, the researchers analyzed thousands of melanoma cells from more than 30 melanoma patients, half of which had exhibited resistance to immunotherapies. The team identified a distinct gene expression pattern that correlated with reduced T cell presence in the tumor and other features of immunotherapy resistance.

By measuring the levels of this "resistance program" before treatment, the team could predict how tumors would respond to immunotherapythereby addressing a major clinical challenge in the field of immuno-oncology. This analysis was done in larger independent cohorts of melanoma patients, assembled in collaboration with colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Essen in Germany. And in another patient cohort, the group showed that cancer cells further amplify this program when exposed to immunotherapy.

The resistance program included signals that are hallmarks of immune system evasion. Abnormal cells typically have substances on their surfaces, called antigens, that enable T cells to home in and destroy them. But the resistant tumor cells are able to reduce their antigen levels and hide from the immune system. They also reduce the enzymes attacked by the T cells, rendering an assault ineffective if it does occur. Other genes expressed in this program include those that cause cells to unduly proliferate.

"We found that multiple immune evasion mechanisms, and other hallmarks of cancer growth, are strongly co-regulated with each other in this resistance program," said Livnat Jerby, a postdoctoral fellow in Regev's lab and first author on the paper. "Certain mutations in these pathways have already been reported to confer immunotherapy resistance, but here we show that there is a shared regulatory program controlling their expression."

Once the researchers understood this molecular strategy, they began exploring ways to suppress it and sensitize melanoma tumor cells to immunotherapy. Mining data across hundreds of human cell lines, the team predicted that a class of cancer drugs called CDK4/6 inhibitors, which are already known to suppress cell proliferation, could in part reverse the resistance program in cells.

In a mouse model of extremely immunotherapy-resistant melanomawhich expressed the newly discovered resistance program at high levelsthe CDK4/6 inhibitors dramatically improved responses to immunotherapy, and the combination approach significantly slowed or eradicated tumors in roughly half the mice.

"It's unclear what all of CDK4's activities might actually be, but our data indicate that it could be a 'master regulator' of this resistance program," said Jerby.

Based on this work, the researchers are pursuing a clinical trial to further test their findings. "Our work, along with that of colleagues studying the effects of CDK4/6 inhibitors in breast cancer and other diseases, provides a rationale for exploring combination therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors," said Izar. "It's exciting to see that our work may actually translate back into the clinic and make a difference for patients with resistant melanoma."

Explore further Specific CD8 T cell states may indicate response to immune checkpoint therapy for melanoma

More information: Livnat Jerby-Arnon et al. A Cancer Cell Program Promotes T Cell Exclusion and Resistance to Checkpoint Blockade, Cell (2018). Journal information: Cell Livnat Jerby-Arnon et al. A Cancer Cell Program Promotes T Cell Exclusion and Resistance to Checkpoint Blockade,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.09.006
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

College students who drink alcohol don't typically intend to drink to the point that they "black out," and they also don't fully grasp what specific drinking behaviors present the greatest risk of blackouts, a new series of studies finds.

Prior research has found that between 30 and 50 percent of young adults who drink regularly report that they have experienced alcohol-related memory impairment in the past year, whether full "blackouts," where they can't remember anything for some period of time, or "brownouts"episodes of on-and-off memory loss, where memories may be recovered with reminders.

"We don't yet know what long-term effects having a blackout or repeated blackouts has on the brain," said Kate Carey, a professor with the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown's School of Public Health. "We do know that having alcohol-related memory impairment is associated with other negative consequences."

Those consequences can range from hangovers or missed classes to fights, overdoses, mental health problems or sexual assault. Given the seriousness of those risks, Carey and her colleagues conducted a series of focus groups to better understand college students' knowledge of what causes blackouts, understanding of the distinctions between blackouts and brownouts, and perspectives on the consequences of both. Their findings were published in three recent papers.

"Studies like these, addressing attitudes toward blackout drinking as well as what students know and do not know about blackouts, give us clues about how we might intervene to reduce this high-risk outcome," said Jennifer Merrill, an assistant professor of behavioral and social sciences at Brown who was involved in the studies. "This work helps us to identify where there is room to correct any misconceptions students have about the causes and consequences of blackouts."

Focus on focus groups

Each of the three studies was based on analyzing transcripts from a series of eight single-gender focus groups of college students who had reported a blackout in the prior six months. The focus groups included a total of 50 students, 28 women and 22 men, from four-year colleges and universities in the Providence, Rhode Island, area.

In the first paper, the researchers report that students were aware that drinking hard liquor, drinking large quantities of alcohol and drinking quickly increased the risk of blackouts. However, Carey said, many students didn't understand that biological factorsthings like biological sex and geneticsplay a role in the risk of blackouts, or that mixing alcohol use with other drugs could increase risk as well.

"The kind of drinking that results in alcohol-related memory impairment is common, but it's also not typically done with the intent of blacking out," Carey said. "And those who regularly drink and report blackout experiences don't have a full understanding of what causes them. The interesting thing is that regardless of how much you drink, there are ways to drink so that you don't black out."

Specifically, drinking in smaller quantities or pacing drinks across a longer period of time can prevent the rapid rise in blood alcohol concentration that is known to cause blackouts, she said.

The focus groups also provided other insights into how best to draw college students' attention to the consequences of blackouts.

The second paper analyzed perspectives from students who were asked: "What is a person's typical reaction when he/ she blacks out?" and "Overall, what makes a blackout a negative, neutral or positive experience?"

Generally, students described blackouts negatively, using terms such as "embarrassing," "annoying" and "scary." But some described the experience as exciting.

"You're a little nervous cuz [sic] you definitely could have done something really stupid, but you don't know and it's kind of like a little bit of fear, but at the same time, you're kind of excited that you did something awesome," a 19-year-old male participant said of blackouts.

The researchers found that social factorswhether a student's friends thought blackouts were common or acceptable and who they were with during the blackout periodinfluenced their perspective. The severity of the memory loss, and learning whether they did anything embarrassing during the blackout, also affected their opinions, Carey said.

In the third study, the researchers found that college students used the phrase "blackout drinking" hyperbolically to describe drinking very heavily, yet without the intent to lose memories. On the other hand, "a blackout" more precisely meant an episode with periods of as much as an hour of complete memory loss. The students called shorter periods of missing memory or fuzzy memories "brownouts," Carey said.

While the free-form conversations gave the researchers new insights into nuances of the blackout experience and the language students use, the focus groups were not designed to provide quantitative data on how common blackouts and brownouts were. For that reason, the research team also conducted an online survey of 350 full-time college students from across the U.S. who reported lost memory after drinking in the past year.

The survey found that students experienced brownouts more frequently than blackouts. Specifically, 49 percent of those surveyed had experienced both blackouts and brownouts in the past month, 32 percent had experienced only brownouts, 5 percent experienced only blackouts, and 14 percent hadn't experienced any alcohol-related memory impairment in the past month.

The surveyed students also voiced less concern about brownout experiences compared to blackouts.

"We found that brownouts were indicators to the students that they were drinking in a manner that could lead to a blackout someday," Carey said. "But they were discounting the earlier signs of memory loss, suggesting that they weren't serving as red flags or even as a yellow light."

Education and interventions

General education on the consequences of heavy alcohol use hasn't been shown to be effective for anyone, including college students, Carey said, but personalized feedback can reduce the riskiest kinds of drinking.

She hopes to use insights from these studies to develop additional education modules for alcohol prevention programs that specifically address the risks of the high-volume, fast-paced drinking that is likely to lead to blackouts. Particularly, that behaviors like "pregaming"drinking before attending a larger event or activity where alcohol will be availableparticipating in drinking games and "chugging" increase the risk of blackout.

The role that biological factors play in the risk of blackout is another area that needs to be addressed with better education, she said.

Walking students through their blackout experiences to reframe them as risky rather than inconsequential and sharing statistics that illustrate that blackouts aren't actually the norm among peers are other targeted ways to reduce behaviors that lead to blackouts, Carey said.

"We hope that focusing in on this one particular consequence of a certain style of drinking will provide lots of opportunities for interventions," she said.

Explore further Drink-fueled memory blackouts among students predict future injury risk
In the study the researchers used zebrafish as a novel testing system for psychoactive substances. Credit: National Institute of Genetics, CC BY 4.0

Researchers at the University of Zurich and Harvard University have developed a new strategy in the search for psychoactive drugs. By analyzing the behavior of larval zebrafish, they can filter out substances with unwanted side effects right from the start. This method has resulted in the discovery of a number of new appetite modulators.

Many drugs that take effect in the brain have unwanted side effects. The appetite suppressant Rimonabant, for example, can cause anxiety, depression or even suicidal thoughts, which is why it was taken off the market. "Brain structures are highly complex, which raises the question of whether it's possible for a drug to trigger only one very specific behavior," says Josua Jordi, researcher at the UZH Institute of Veterinary Physiology. To answer this question, he joined forces with US researchers to develop a novel testing system for psychoactive substances.

Using zebrafish larvae as live measuring tools

Unlike previous biochemical tests, the new testing system instead uses the larvae of zebrafish, which are about four millimeters long. The biology of these tropical fish is well characterized, and they can be bred quickly in large quantities. The researchers established an automated measuring process so that they could analyze the behavior of several thousand larvae at the same time. This involved feeding fluorescent paramecia to the fish in order to quantify their feeding behaviorthe more fluorescence there is in the larva's stomach, the larger their appetite. The researchers also developed similar methods for a number of other behaviors, including the fish's reaction to light and sound, or simple learning tasks. Experiments with known active substances confirmed that the system works. For example, nicotine was found to reduce the larva's appetite while increasing their activity. This is in line with the effects nicotine has on many animals, as well as on humans.

In their large-scale experiment, the scientists searched for appetite modulators and determined the effects of more than 10,000 small molecules on the behavior of larval zebrafish. They found more than 500 substances that either increased or suppressed the appetite of the larvae. However, only about half of these had the specific effect of only modulating the animals' appetite; the other half resulted in additional behavioral changes. "By analyzing several behaviors in parallel, we were able to filter out many substances with non-specific effects from the beginning," says Josua Jordi, first author of the study. "We were very happy to see that right away, our approach had the desired effect."

Same effect in mice

Next, the researchers investigated the biological mechanisms of 22 of the most promising substances. They found that some of these substances had an effect on the activity of key neurotransmitters in the brain, such as serotonin or histamine, which is precisely how many of the existing appetite modulators unfold their effects. "The crucial finding, however, was that most substances didn't interfere with any of these known systems," says Florian Engert, last author of the study and professor at Harvard University. This points towards new molecular mechanisms that regulate appetite.

To demonstrate that this not only works in fish but also in higher life forms, UZH professor Thomas Lutz and his team at the Institute of Veterinary Physiology tested the most promising appetite modulators on mice. The researchers found that these substances had the same effect on the feeding behavior in mice than they did in zebrafish larvae, and that in comparison they worked more selectively than any known appetite modulators.

New candidates to treat eating disorders

Josua Jordi now wants to find out whether these results can be transferred to humans. "As far as we know, there are no comparable psychoactive molecules that have such a strong and specific effect as the ones we tested." He believes this will open the door to a whole series of clinical applications such as treatments for obesity or anorexiaand possibly without the risk of adverse side effects.

Since their search for specific appetite modulators has proven so successful, the researchers now plan to use the new method to look for further psychoactive substances such as antidepressants. To pursue these promising approaches, Jordi and some of his fellow researchers have established the start-up business EraCal Therapeutics.

Explore further Researchers make mice lose weight by imitating effects from cold and nicotine

More information: Josua Jordi et al, High-throughput screening for selective appetite modulators: A multibehavioral and translational drug discovery strategy, Science Advances (2018). Journal information: Science Advances Josua Jordi et al, High-throughput screening for selective appetite modulators: A multibehavioral and translational drug discovery strategy,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav1966
Mount Pleasant, IA - An Iowa jury on Tuesday heard the graphic, heart-wrenching details of the death of a baby found dead in an infant swing last year.

Warning: This story contains extremely graphic details of a childs death.

Sterling Daniel Koehn, 4 months old, was found dead on Aug. 30, 2017, at his parents Alta Vista apartment. According to the medical examiner, evidence showed that the babys parents had not moved him from the swing, bathed him or changed his diaper in more than a week.

He died of diaper rash. Thats right, diaper rash, Coleman McAllister, an assistant Iowa attorney general, told jurors Tuesday in the trial of Sterlings father, Zachary Paul Koehn. According to The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Koehn, 29, and Sterlings mother, Cheyanne Renae Harris, 21, are each charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment.

Harris is being tried separately, the Courier said.

Chickasaw County Chief Deputy Reed Palo, who attended the infants autopsy, described in his testimony how the medical examiner found maggots and their larva as he removed layers of urine-soaked blankets and clothing from Sterlings malnourished body.

As the diaper came off, you could see the skin had broken down, Palo testified, according to the Courier. It just looked like it had been there a long time.

The diaper had been on the boy for nine to 14 days, McAllister told the jury. It was full of feces and had attracted bugs, which laid the eggs that hatched into the maggots found during the autopsy.

Sterling developed diaper rash that became infected with e. Coli bacteria, the prosecutor said. Ultimately, he died of infection, malnutrition and dehydration.

The newspaper reported that several first responders testified Tuesday about what they found when they arrived at the familys home after Koehn, who worked nights as a truck driver, called 911 to report the babys death. Toni Friedrich, with the Chickasaw County Rescue Squad, said the father showed no emotion when he led her to the bedroom, where Sterling was seated in a baby swing.

Friedrich found the baby to be cold and stiff when she touched his arm to check for a pulse, the Courier reported.

His eyes were open, and it was a blank stare, Friedrich said.

She testified that the room was hot and smelled strongly of urine. When she touched the babys chest, his clothes were crusty. Gnats flew around him when she moved his blanket, she said.

Chickasaw County Deputy Jason Rosol testified that when Sterling was removed from the swing, he saw that the seat was stained brown. According to the Courier, Rosol said he found a bundle of fresh diapers in the room but found no dirty diapers.

The formula in a baby bottle found near the swing had begun to separate, Rosol testified. Cans of formula were found in the kitchen.

McAllister told the jurors during his opening Tuesday that it was not inexperience that led to Sterlings death, the Courier said. Koehns 2-year-old daughter also lived in the home but was healthy.

A former friend of Koehns testified Wednesday that despite visiting Koehn and Harris at their apartment, he did not know they had an infant son, the newspaper reported. Jordan Clark testified that he knew about Koehns 2-year-old because Koehn talked about his daughter.

Clark, who ended up dating Harris after the babys death, testified that he sold meth to Koehn on a weekly basis and that the three of them smoked the drug together, the Courier reported.

Jurors also heard from Harris mother, Brandy Harris, who testified that her grandson seemed his normal self when she saw him in early August. She said that Sterling was small for his age, but she attributed it to his premature birth.

He was born in the bathtub at a friends home in May 2017 because he was a couple of weeks early, Brandy Harris testified. She said despite his early arrival, doctors did not have concerns about his health.

The baby had begun smiling when she saw him in mid-July, and Harris testified that she took his picture, according to the newspaper. She told the court she did not take any pictures in August because she did not know it would be the last time she saw the boy.

On cross-examination by Koehns attorney, Harris testified that her daughter was the boys primary caretaker. Though Cheyanne Harris did not work outside the home, Koehn worked nights as a truck driver.

Koehns brother, Danny Koehn, told The Des Moines Register following his brothers arrest that as a truck driver, Zach Koehn would sometimes be gone from home days at a time.

I talked to Zach a lot. He did have concerns about the child being taken care of while he was gone, Danny Koehn told the Register. Hed call and say the baby wasnt changed for a week when he wasnt home.

Sterlings uncle did not negate his brothers responsibility, however.

Its still the responsibility of the parents of the child, so Im not saying hes innocent, Danny Koehn said.

Zach Koehns trial is being held at the Henry County Courthouse in Mount Pleasant because of extensive pre-trial publicity in the case, the Courier said.
Francis Ford Coppola is adding cannabis to his wine and hospitality empire.

The famed film director has inked a licensing deal with the Humboldt Brothers, a Garberville business that owns Humboldt County marijuana farms, to produce a limited edition of three different cannabis flower strains.

The Grower's Series by Francis Ford Coppola will be available at select licensed pot dispensaries in California and through Chill, a Bay Area marijuana-delivery service.

The deal was made through a separate business entity, the Sana Co., which Coppola established earlier this year, rather than the Family Coppola, the Geyserville-based business that comprises his wine brands.

Still, the announcement represents another significant milepost as the wine industry explores whether the emerging marijuana sector is a friend or foe.

"Wine and cannabis are two ancient and bounteous gifts of Mother Nature, linked by great care, terroir and temperateness. Expertise making one applies to the other," Coppola said Thursday in a prepared statement. "As with growing grapes, location matters, and the Grower's Series reflects California agricultural expertise creating a true blend of art and science."

Coppola sees an opportunity to help leverage his other brands in the new endeavor, as Sana would "give life to a progressive vision for pioneering the highest-quality, sun-grown cannabis products through sustainable farming," the company said.

Other companies in the wine and beer sector have ventured into cannabis as they look toward a potential growth market in North America. Constellation Brands Inc., owner of the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa and other local wineries, Thursday closed a deal to buy 37 percent of a Canadian cannabis company. Lagunitas Brewing Co. of Petaluma was the first well-known brand to the market earlier this year, with a cannabis drink made in conjunction with Santa Rosa's CannaCraft. That drink is sold only in California-licensed cannabis dispensaries.

Johnny Deim, Humboldt Brothers founder and chief executive officer, said his small company's deal with Coppola was a "landmark on how the times are changing." He also has had talks with other well-known brands and musicians, but said he was comfortable making Coppola his first deal, given the film director's passion for the product.

The Coppola cannabis unveiling will include a few events with the Herb Somm, a lifestyle brand that focuses on the gourmet side of the marijuana sector. Each 3-gram package will feature three different cannabis strains grown in different microclimates around Humboldt County, taking a page from the wine industry that features various grapes from different appellations in its product selections. Each package is expected to sell for $99 and come with rolling paper and a pipe.

Coppola came to Deim's team about a year ago with the idea. Humboldt Brothers provided marijuana from 15 to 20 different strains that went through a panel of people for testing before selecting the top three strains, which were approved by Coppola, said Kathleen Murphy, innovation director for Sana.

"We are really targeting the cannabis curious," Murphy said. "We are a name you can trust. We are going to help you in that journey."

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Stars, stripes, flames and coffee cherries, all adorned in cheerful shades of red and green.

These are the four designs included in Starbucks's latest batch of seasonally themed cups, which will debut Friday as the company kicks off the holiday season. This year, the coffee-making titan said it wanted to "look to the past" and draw inspiration from its signature Christmas blend.

Straightforward enough, right? Well - for some reason - it isn't.

The cups seem harmless at first, granting consumers a festive way to enjoy their favorite sugary - and sometimes over-the-top - beverages. But in recent years, watching some of Starbucks's seasonal design choices trigger controversy has become a holiday tradition in itself.

In 2015, for example, the company introduced a plain red holiday cup, ending a string of designs that featured more explicit holiday symbols, such as ornaments and reindeer, dating to 1997. Upon introducing the minimalist cup, Starbucks Vice President Jeffrey Fields said it was a way to "usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories."

The biggest story emerged soon afterward, however, when self-described evangelist Joshua Feuerstein posted a now-infamous rant on Facebook, slamming the coffee chain's design choice. He exclaimed in the video, "Do you realize that Starbucks wanted to take Christ and Christmas off of their brand-new cups? That's why they're just plain red!"

Feuerstein wasn't alone in his ire. That same year, at a campaign rally, then-candidate Donald Trump also criticized the cups, suggesting that there was "No more 'Merry Christmas' at Starbucks. No more."

"Maybe we should boycott Starbucks," Trump added.

In 2017, Starbucks went a different route - crafting a white design with doodles that encouraged customers to decorate and color the cup to their liking. But the doodles included two interlocked hands that some interpreted as belonging to a same-sex couple. This upset some, who believed the cup's design unnecessarily promoted a "gay agenda."

Back then, Starbucks told the New York Times that it would leave it up to customers to interpret what was on the cup.

This year, the question from 2015 returns: Is Starbucks truly embracing Christmas?

A CNN article published Thursday morning suggests as much. In the article, titled "Starbucks is doubling down on Christmas with its new holiday cups," Chief Operating Officer Roz Brewer said the company had "listened to customers" and realized they "loved the tradition of Christmas."

Brewer said Starbucks realized that last year's cup design "didn't resonate with some, but it did resonate with others." She also told CNN that this year's cups are "not only retro, but true to who we are."

Beth Egan, an associate professor of advertising at Syracuse University, told The Washington Post that she doesn't think the latest batch of cups reflect Christmas or any one holiday in particular.

"They have a nice array of images that sort of play to Christmas from the red and green standpoint," Egan said. "But if you look at the star, it could just as easily be a Star of David."

Egan said she thinks some groups, such as conservative Christians, may be actively looking to pick fights with Starbucks's designs because of the stances the company has taken on certain issues, such as same-sex marriage.

"I find the ire interesting. I think some people are looking to be angry," Egan said.

On the controversy surrounding the hands on last year's cup, she added: "If you look at the overall design of that cup, they're cartoon hands. . . . How do you make a cartoon hand male or female?"

In a statement to The Post, Starbucks spokeswoman Sanja Gould said that, above all, the company aspires to create a "real sense of community and connection between our baristas and customers."

"As a brand that is intensely personal, we are humbled by how passionate customers are about our holiday cups," Gould said.

And for those who liked the plain red cup from 2015, don't fret: Starbucks is giving out limited-edition reusable red cups to customers Friday while supplies last.
On Oct. 23, the Contractors State License Board and the Lake County District Attorneys Office conducted an undercover sting operation targeting suspected unlicensed contractors near Lake County fire zones.

Ten people, all from Lake County, were cited and could be charged with a misdemeanor count of contracting without a license, according to a CSLB press release. The penalty for a first-conviction includes up to six months in jail and/or up to $5,000 in fines.

Additionally, five of the suspects may also face a misdemeanor charge for illegal advertising. Unlicensed contractors can only advertise if the ad states that they are not a state-licensed contractor, and the type of jobs advertised for are worth less than $500.

The CSLB press release states that during the one-day operation, in a home near Copsey Creek, CSLB investigators invited suspected unlicensed contractors to provide bids for home improvement jobs ranging from painting, tree removal or trimming, to building a deck.

Ten people showed-up and provided undercover investigators bids that ranged from $800 to $4,000, well in excess of the $500 threshold (labor and/or materials) above which a state-issued contractor license is necessary.

Those arrested include:

Jose Angel Gonzalez-Castro, tree service contractor, Nice, also illegal advertising; Shane Lee Boyd, tree service contractor, Nice; Salvador Estrada, tree service contractor, Upper Lake, also illegal advertising; Dave Edward Elliston, Sr., painting and decorating contractor, Upper Lake; Elijah Wesley Forrey, tree service contractor, Clearlake; Contracting without a license: Jorge Manuel Vieira, Sr., painting and decorating contractor, Clearlake; Ronald Dean Ridley, Sr., painting and decorating contractor, Clearlake Oaks; Robert John Rudolph, siding and decking contractor, Kelseyville, also illegal advertising; Jesus Tecpoyot Pantaleon, siding and decking contractor, Finley, also illegal advertising; Ronny Raymond Waddell, painting and decorating contractor, Lakeport, also illegal advertising;

All suspects were ordered to appear in court on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at the Lake County Superior Court in Lakeport.

During the past three years, nearly 2,000 homes have been destroyed in different parts of Lake County by eight wildfires. The CSLB said it has focused on protecting fire survivors from being victimized by unlicensed or unscrupulous contractors trying to take advantage of people during the rebuilding process.

Consumers should be sure to take some simple steps before hiring anyone to work in or around their home, said CSLB Registrar David Fogt. The fastest way is to make sure they have a state license, and to check the license status using CSLBs Instant License Check. Homeowners should also use CSLBs Find My Licensed Contractor feature to download and/or print a list of qualified licensed contractors in their area.
Headquarters Eastern Command celebrated its 98th raising day on Thursday.

The command was formed on November 1, 1920 at Nainital under General Sir H Hudson, with territorial jurisdiction over Delhi, UP, Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Assam.

Thereafter owing to operational commitments, the Command Headquarters shifted to Barrackpore, Ranchi and Lucknow before permanently settling down in Fort William Kolkata post the Sino Indian Conflict in May 1963.

Eastern Command has done the nation proud for its role in spearheading the liberation of Bangladesh achieving a decisive victory against Pakistan in the 1971 War.

Over the years the warriors of the east have time and again proved themselves as a formidable professional force capable of safeguarding the territorial integrity of the nation and leading a highly successful counter-insurgency operation in the volatile regions of the Northeast.

The area of responsibility of the Command encompasses eight states overseeing 63 per cent of the land borders of the country.

Eastern Command as the guardians of the East has been involved at every level to bring in meaningful changes in the lives of the people through Operation Sadbhavana and Operation Samaritan schemes which have a left a deep impact on the lives of the local population.

A total of 350 such projects encompassing all spheres of welfare activities like construction of infrastructure, creating awareness and educating the common masses on various issues including imparting training on skill development have been undertaken this year.

Eastern Command has also been at the forefront of flood relief in Tripura, Manipur and south Assam rescuing and providing assistance to over 4000 people in June this year and rescuing over 300 tourists from the earthquake affected parts of Sikkim.

Be it humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations or as the last bastion to restore law and order, the Command has acquitted itself in an exemplary manner reinforcing the nations faith in the Army.

On this momentous occasion, a wreath laying ceremony was organized wherein Lt Gen M M Naravane, AVSM, SM, VSM, GOC-in-C Eastern Command paid tribute to the martyrs.

He wished all ranks and civilian defence employees on the occasion of 98th raising day and called upon everyone to continue working with dedication and devotion in the true traditions of the Indian Army.
Man, 29, jumps from Yerevan bridge

Armenia MFA confirms PM Pashinyan's readiness to meet with Azerbaijans Aliyev on December 15

Quake shakes coast of Vanuatu

State minister: Nationwide quarantine, specific restrictions planned to be imposed in Karabakh

Artsakh President convenes National Security Service consultation

Opposition MP: Armenia FM stated that Turkey has proposed new precondition: corridor

Armenia military expert: US Embassy warns its citizens to avoid Karahunj-Davit Bek, Kapan-Chakaten road sections

Armenia opposition MP: Air carrier operating flights from Syunik Province cannot have any security guarantees

Singapore is good example for Armenia, says President Sarkissian

Iran seizes foreign ship in Persian Gulf

2 Azerbaijanis injured in anti-tank mine explosion at Karabakh conflict zone

US, Turkey presidential advisors discuss situation in South Caucasus

Synopsys boss pays tribute to Armenian Genocide victims

Russia peacekeepers escort 15 convoys to, from Artsakh in one week

Catholicos Karekin II to Patriarch Kirill: We appreciate your warm attitude towards Armenian Church, people

China fines Alibaba for violating antitrust law

36 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh

UK Premier Johnson considering boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

Artsakh President visits Askeran city, meets with regional capitals youth

President to Russia Patriarch: Armenian people highly value your efforts aimed at achieving peace in our region

870 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

8 injured in tragic accident on Yerevan-Gyumri motorway are discharged from hospital

China, Russia, US agree to promote political dialogue on Iran

Azerbaijan mother, son commit suicide on same day

One pedestrian dies on the spot, other hospitalized after hit by car in Armenia village area

US beauty consultant is accused of killing woman by injecting silicone into her butt

Brazil Amazon deforestation reaches highest level in 15 years

Newspaper: Armenia soldiers are prohibited from filming episodes from their service, posting them on internet

Newspaper: Armenia opposition is forming large-scale resistance network

Armenia President visits National University of Singapore

Gia, wanted by French law-enforcement authorities, found at Armenia's Bagratashen checkpoint

Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia agree to meet in Brussels

European Council: Pashinyan and Aliyev agreed to establish direct communication line at level of defense ministers

Armenia's Representative to OSCE speaks about Azerbaijan's recent attack at Permanent Council's session

Armenia serviceman Meruzhan Harutyunyan, killed in Syunik Province, was buried at Yerablur Military Pantheon

Armenian News-NEWS.am's special report: Drive from Kapan to Tchakatashen is 150 km instead of previous 8 km

3 Armenian servicemen killed during Nov. 16 Azerbaijani attack posthumously awarded presidential medals

Left-wing trade unions hold protest against Turkey's Erdogan in Izmir

Armenia FM presents situation following Azerbaijani attack during meeting with Lithuanian Seimas Vice-President

Armenia delegation covers Azerbaijan's Nov. 16 attack during online meeting of CSTO PA Permanent Commissions

Armenia PM receives delegation led by Vice President of Lithuanian Seimas

Lavrov, Cavusoglu discuss bilateral ties and regional issues

Karabakh: Azerbaijani side, in Shushi, transfers bodies of 3 Armenian soldiers killed on Nov. 16

NEWS.am daily digest: 19.11.21

Armenian Embassy in Russia: Armenia citizens - mother and child - evacuated from Afghanistan

Georgia refuses to be a part of '3+3' format with regard to South Caucasus

The occupied Hadrut of our days (PHOTOS)

Arabologist: Photo of map of Turkic world shown by Erdogan and Bahceli is simply a gift for Armenian diplomacy

Situation is tense in Armenia's Kasakh, residents protesting against acting village head (LIVE)

Opposition With Honor legislature faction MP: No one knows if Armenia petitioned to Russia for military assistance

Armenia opposition MP: There is a threat that Baku will always get what it wants through use of force

Lavrov is certain that the Russia-Armenia-Azerbaijan summit will take place

Ann Linde: OSCE working very closely with Russia to resolve Karabakh conflict

Karabakh FM congratulates newly appointed Abkhazia counterpart

Dollar relatively stable in Armenia

Armenia parliament majority members do not deny possibility of exchange of territories with Azerbaijan

Armenia ruling party MP: Public and competent authorities need to know circumstances behind captures of soldiers

Armenia ruling party MP assures that situation on the border is currently stable

Armenia ruling party MP: Confidentiality of process of preparing for demarcation is strictly necessary

Armenia PM: Citizens of EEU countries will be able to receive loans in all territories of member states

Armenian serviceman, 19, dies in Georgia's Akhalkalaki

Armenia legislature majority faction lawmaker: Russia military intervention is not end in itself

High commissioner: Diaspora is considering ways to help hundreds of Ethiopia Armenians

Opposition With Honor parliament faction: Armenia authorities trying to push territorial losses issue to backburner

Legislature majority faction MP: Armenia authorities do not make any demands on Russia

Opposition Armenia Faction in parliament: Authorities are unable to distinguish between priority and secondary issues

3 more die of coronavirus in Artsakh

Bruno Retailleau: France must support Armenia more firmly against aggressions by Azerbaijan

Armenia parliament majority faction: Border delimitation preparation process will start from point zero

PM: Armenia exports to other EEU countries increased by 27.8%

Armenias Pashinyan: Azerbaijan provocations are aimed at disrupting arrangements reached by trilateral statements

California Armenian couple accused of fraud flee leaving their 3 children behind

799 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Katherine Clark: Azerbaijan must acknowledge and respect Armenian sovereignty

Eurasian Intergovernmental Council enlarged meeting underway in Yerevan

Russia peacekeepers patrol along Karabakh border delimitation line

MOD: According to current data Armenia has 6 military casualties as result of Tuesdays attack by Azerbaijan

Turkish Islamic preachers organization denies reports of his death

Newspaper: What happened to missing Armenia soldiers during recent hostilities?

Armenia MOD dismisses reports about not allowing officers with higher rank than major to go up to combat positions
YEREVAN.- Armenia has sufficient resources and can have a candidate for the post of the CSTO Secretary General, acting Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan told reporters asked to comment on the dismissal of Yuri Khachaturov.

Acting minister, however, did not specify who are possible candidate for the post.

We have candidates who, according to our assessment, can ensure proper work of the secretariat, he said.

Asked whether Armenia is interested in proposing a candidate, Mnatsakanyan said Armenia is interested in efficient work of the CSTO.

He added that the meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council will be held next week.
At a time in which Colombia enjoys an image as one of the most stable countries in the region, with a decrease in crime, narco traffic, and a growing tourism industry, the South American country and its new president, Ivan Duque, is also facing some of the most daunting challenges.

Among those challenges: The Venezuelan economic and political crisis has resulted in more 1 million refugees in the last year fleeing into the country, said Francisco Santos, ambassador of Colombia to the United States, who spoke at the University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas (U-MIA) on Wednesday before a group of academics, students, and community members.

The crisis in Venezuela is already creating a huge strain in the region and will present the biggest challenge in the region for the next five years and beyond, he said. The challenge to our health system, education and to the labor situation is gigantic and we foresee that growing.

He added that Colombia would not stop the flow of refugees because we know what they are escaping. He also warned that the entire Latin American region was undergoing deep political shifts.

Latin America is in flux where democracy has become a swinging pendulum and that is confronting some serious challenges in the future, Santos said, making references to the recent election in Brazil of Jair Bolsonaro, a right wing populist who was elected President in late October and to the election of leftist Andres Lopez Obrador in Mexico.

UM President Julio Frenk spoke at the beginning of the event and welcomed Santos saying, there is no better place than the University of Miami to hold this conversation. It is a function of an exemplary institution to serve and offer a space where multiple perspectives on topics of great importance can be debated.

Felicia Knaul, director of U-MIA, also warmly welcomed the ambassador.

We are thrilled to be able to host the ambassador to the Institute, she said. We have a very strong connection to Colombia at this University. We now have 13 full faculty members who specialize in the study of Colombia and 60 undergraduate students.

Santos, a former journalist and government official who was kidnapped and then released in 1991 by drug lord Pablo Escobars cartel, was asked by Bruce Bagley, professor in UMs Department of International Studies, what was the future of the Peace Accord with the FARC rebels. In 2016, former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed an agreement with the rebel group to end a five decades conflict.

Duque, a former senator, vowed to fight corruption and change the peace deal with the FARC rebel group. Santos said that the government would abide with parts of the agreement, including coming up with $500 million for the coca planters to transform their fields to other crops and continue to reintegrate young FARC rebels into mainstream society. The government will eliminate certain lenient concessions to the drug traffickers, he said

Santos admitted that Colombia is facing one of its largest challenges in combating the growing cocaine trade in certain parts of the countryside where the Mexican cartels have created an organized industry.

Coca is no longer the product of the small peasant that has nothing to eat, he said. There is evidence that many of the Colombians are just hired hands of the Sinaloa cartel.

Another worry for the Duque administration is a burgeoning rise of dissident rebels, many living near the Venezuelan border or on the other side of the border causing increasing violence in different areas of the country, he said.

Santos vowed that the government plans to combat drug traffic at every stage. But he returned to the Venezuelan crisis as one of the main problems the region faces. Venezuela is really a rogue state, he said. We never had that in Latin America but we do now.

He said the United States was the country with the ability to apply the most pressure to Venezuela since it sells much needed gasoline to the country. He anticipates that the U.S. will be much more forceful against Venezuela in the coming months.
Vigil, ceremony highlight annual Veterans Day event on Nov. 11

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the city of Carbondale will host a joint Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11 at the Veterans Memorial Plaza in Carbondale.

Retired U.S. Army 1st Sgt. John P. Okerson of Harrisburg will give the keynote address. The event starts at 2 p.m. and is open to the public. The ceremony honors veterans of all American and foreign wars, conflicts and military operations.

Meera Komarraju, SIU Carbondales interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs will provide opening remarks and Carbondale Mayor John Mike Henry will present the Veterans Day proclamation.

Veterans Memorial Plaza will stage ceremony once again

The Veterans Memorial Plaza is at the intersection of East Main and South Washington streets, just south of the town square. In the event of rain, the ceremony will move across the street to the City Pavilion. The SIU Carbondale Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) will perform an honor salute and presentation of our nations colors.

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Media Advisory

Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to cover the event, including the 24-hour silent vigil that precedes the ceremony. SIU Carbondale Air Force and Army ROTC staff members and participating cadets will be available for interviews at the conclusion of the ceremony. Contact Mary Kappel, U.S. Air Force ROTC office manager at SIU Carbondale, at 618/453-2481 or mkappel@siu.edu to arrange for interviews.

______________________________________________________________________________

Silent vigil at SIU flagpole precedes the ceremony

For the 24 hours preceding the ceremony, a combined operation of nearly 100 members of the universitys Air Force and Army ROTC will conduct a timeless tradition honoring those who have served. Cadets will stand a silent vigil beginning at 9 a.m. on Nov. 10 at the Old Main Flagpole in remembrance of the nations prisoners of war and those who remain missing in action. The guard change occurs every 15 minutes until 9 a.m. Nov. 11.

Keynote speaker deployed six times in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

Okerson retired from the U.S. Army in August 2013 after more than 20 years of service. He held various assignments throughout his career both in the United States and overseas. He was also assigned multiple times for humanitarian operations within the United States and abroad.

Okersons military awards and decorations include:

Bronze Star Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.

Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.

Army Commendation Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters.

Army Achievement Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters.

Humanitarian Service Medal with star.

Iraqi Campaign Medal with three campaign stars.

Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two campaign stars.

Global War on Terrorism Service and Expeditionary Medals.

NATO Medal.

Armed Forces Service Medal.

Volunteers to help veterans in the area

Okerson and his wife Crystal are the parents of three daughters and have a granddaughter. He works for U.S. Postal Service as a letter carrier and also as a part-time fitness instructor at Reform Gym in Harrisburg.

He serves as a volunteer with the Marion chapter of Team Red, White and Blue, an organization that connects veterans to their communities through physical, service and social activities. He is also active with the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois and the Wounded Warrior Project.
A Utah man originally charged with murder for helping a 16-year-old girl hang herself and filming the suicide pleaded guilty to lesser charges this week, but still could be sent to prison for life, PEOPLE confirms.

Tyerell Przybycien, 19, appeared before a judge Tuesday, pleading guilty to first-degree felony child abuse homicide.

A courts spokesman tells PEOPLE Przybycien also pleaded guilty to an additional child pornography charge. Detectives found the incriminating files on his cellphone as part of their investigation into the May 2017 hanging death of 16-year-old Jchandra Brown.

Przybyciens sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 7. According to state mandates, he faces a minimum sentence of five years but the judge has the discretion to send Przybycien away for the rest of his life.

Prosecutors said that Przybycien purchased the rope that Brown used to kill herself. They also said he tied the noose for her, attached it to a tree and provided a stool for her to stand on.

The criminal complaint against Przybycien said he was fascinated with death and expressed excitement about aiding in the girls suicide, sending a text to a friend exclaiming: [Its] like getting away with murder!

RELATED: Utah Teen Charged with Murder After Helping Friend Hang Herself  Even Filming the Suicide

Under the terms of Przybyciens plea deal, prosecutors dropped tampering charges as well as a single count of failure to report a dead body.

Prosecutors say Brown would not have ended her own life on May 5, 2017, without Przybyciens assistance.

Brown was found dead by a turkey hunter on May 6 near Maple Lake in Spanish Fork Canyon. She was hanging from a noose tied to a tree.

Tyerell Przybycien

Next to Browns body were two grocery bags, containing receipts for the rope and aerosol air duster, as well as her phone and a handwritten note saying to watch the video on her phone for answers as to what happened.

Przybycien was found on a nearby trail crying.

Story continues

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

In the video recovered by police, recorded by Przybycien, Brown could be seen standing on a rock and a piece of wood, defense attorney Neil Skousen said in a previous interview with PEOPLE. Przybyciens voice can be heard from behind the camera and then, moments later, Brown inhales the aerosol air duster while wearing the noose.

Video: Utah Teen Helped Friend Commit Suicide (2017)

The video shows Brown giggling and then losing consciousness because of the aerosol. Brown then appears to fall and, as her body hangs, Przybycien continues to film while speaking to her, including saying, Thumbs up if youre okay.

RELATED: Utah Teen Accused of Assisting and Filming Friends Suicide Will Stand Trial for Murder

The video ends with Przybycien saying, I guess Ill just leave this here now.

Police said Przybycien told them Brown confided in him months earlier about wanting to kill herself and in the hours before her death, Przybycien said he picked Brown up from work and drove her to two different stores to purchase the air duster and rope used to tie the noose.

PEOPLE was unable to reach Przybyciens lawyer for comment.

Suicide Prevention: What to Know

Experts say some common warning signs of suicide include discussing a desire to die or feeling anxious or hopeless, like a burden, or trapped or in pain; withdrawing from others; extreme mood swings, including anger and recklessness; and abnormal sleep patterns (sleeping too much or too little).

Many suicides have multiple causes and are not triggered by one event, according to experts, who underline that suicidal crises can be overcome with help. Where mental illness is a factor, it can be treated.

Reaching out to those in need is a simple and effective preventative measure, experts say.

If you or someone you know is showing warning signs of suicide, consider contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK, texting the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or seeking help from a professional.
she's way too young to be so weird and full of hate, everyone else her age is out having fun and being social and shit and she's starting fights with d list celebrities on twitter. girl get a grip, take the hooded robe off, and learn how to have some fun without being an annoying bigot.

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It's the only way people will pay attention to her.

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yeah but how else can she get rich fast? all she has to do is be the new ann coulter and set for life.

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She's probably looking for a way to set herself apart. This is an easy way to get attention and make money.

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she's wasting her life. she makes my twenties look like a sterling success of amazing decisions lol (i mostly backpacked, did temp jobs and played zelda. no racist hatemonging though)

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but what will barron think???

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is it kathy or just a cheap red wig? that's not even her shade Tomi lol

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i actually saw kathy early this year. she stopped being funny the second she became besties with paltrow, but what they did to her because of that picture was complete and utter bullshit. she's a brilliant comedian and i'm happy she said what wbk about andy cohen.

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I just saw her on Monday, and it was funny and horrifying at the same time.

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she lied about anderson, though

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wtf is trump derangement syndrome

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they use it to imply that any criticism of Trump is an overreaction

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What's funny is that originally it was used to describe Trump Supporters. But just like with "Fake News", they took it to twist it around and fit their narrative. It's their way of basically being "I know you are but what am I?"

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she looked like shit



her and crazy candace fighting is so funny.

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Cant wait to see Kath on tour in a few days!

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the funnier thing is, that joke is SO last year.

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I love OP's posts! So witty! I'm serious.



No opinion on...whatever is going on here. They both should know better.

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I was watching a recent interview she gave and the fact that the Orange Turd did everything he could to destroy her life and everyone just stood there watching and offered no support is appalling and utterly disgusting. In the itw, she mentioned how even her sister who was dying of cancer received death threats at the HOSPITAL up until the day she passed away. The photo was of poor taste and Kathy is no angel but no one deserves what she faced and still has to deal with.

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kathy made terrible choices. she says in her nymag feature that jeff zucker had specifically told her to be careful about trump because cnn was being targeted by his supporters. she still did that photoshoot. and cnn got BURIED over that.

then instead of apologizing, she threw anderson under the bus for being forced to make statement, even though she herself had already apologized.



trump sucks but it's not his fault that no one has kathy's back. she treats people like crap.

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Why are republicans so offended easily over everything but she pissy when questioned trump

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Tomi Lahren is a neo-nazi piece of shit but Kathy Griffin is also racist trash

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and a grifter

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Sarah Huckabee Sanders 5 years after getting fired from White House. pic.twitter.com/DBAnaPOrZK  Maggie Resists Trump (@Stop_Trump20) October 17, 2018



tammi in a few years after ppl get tired of her

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lmfao

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the Reba shirt is a LOOK!

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team nobody but God Tony is obnoxious. The day she got hired at Fox was a sad day for me bc she had finally made it and you know that was always her end goal. (she fits the pill perfectly)

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OPEC and the U.S. are together adding enormous volumes of new supply, which together have softened the oil market.

In October, OPEC hiked oil production to the highest level since 2016, back before the oil production cuts went into effect, according to a recent Reuters survey. The higher output, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, come just as Iranian oil is going offline. Also, Libya saw a sharp rebound in production, although the country is not part of the OPEC+ production cuts.

The 15 countries in OPEC produced an average 33.31 million barrels per day in October, the highest since December 2016. That was also up 390,000 bpd from September. Oil producers appear to be successfully offsetting the supply outages from Iran and Venezuela, said Carsten Fritsch of Commerzbank.

Russia, which is not part of OPEC but part of the OPEC+ coalition, continues to produce at post-Soviet record highs.

Iran lost 100,000 bpd in October, due to buyers cutting back as U.S. sanctions near, but the losses were more modest than many analysts had expected. In fact, despite the hardline rhetoric from Washington, the U.S. is poised to grant waivers to several countries that are unable to cut their imports of Iranian oil to zero.

That was largely predictable. Top importers of Iranian oil, including India, China and Turkey, could not slash their purchases to zero without incurring a significant economic cost. The U.S. pressed these countries, but ultimately had to back down. We want to achieve maximum pressure but we dont want to harm friends and allies either, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said on Wednesday. He recognized that some may not be able to go all the way, all the way to zero immediately. The admission is notable since Bolton is widely known as one of the most extreme hardliners when it comes to Iran. Related: Cold Snap Could Send Natural Gas To $5

The waivers, along with efforts by Iran to work around the U.S. sanctions regime, means that the export losses could plateau. It is doubtful whether Iranian oil exports will fall much further from their current level, however. After all, there are reports that India is to be granted an exemption by the US to buy Iranian oil. Without such exemptions, buyers of Iranian oil will risk US sanctions from next Monday, Commerzbank said in a note.

Meanwhile, even as OPEC is boosting production, the U.S. is also adding supply at an impressive rate. The EIA just released U.S. production levels for August, revealing a massive month-on-month increase. The agency estimates that the U.S. produced a whopping 11.346 mb/d in August, an increase of 416,000 bpd from a month earlier. That level makes the U.S. the largest oil producer in the world, just a hair above Russia.

At 11.346 mb/d, the U.S. added 2.1 mb/d compared to August 2017, the largest increase over a 12-month period on record.

But even with OPEC production at a two-year high, and U.S. production surging at a torrid pace, the oil market is not necessarily on the verge of plunging into a new downturn. Despite the flood of new supply, the surge does not seem to have overloaded the market, according to Standard Chartered. Crude oil inventories have climbed significantly, but part of the reason for the increase is that refinery utilization is way down. Refineries tend to go into maintenance after the summer, but Standard Chartered said this has been a longer-than-usual maintenance season. That has led to inventory increases, but still, inventories are right in the middle of the five-year average. That also included a scheduled release of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve, a volume that was previously legislated by Congress. Related: Worlds Cheapest Natural Gas Market Could Be Facing A Shortage

Nevertheless, market sentiment has soured, at least compared to before. Investors have sold off bullish bets on oil futures and the futures curve has flipped from backwardation into contango, a sign of increased bearishness.

Given these (output) numbers, with Russia pumping hard and the United States and OPEC as well, and we are not really seeing a pickup in demand for another month ... it could indicate were back to the good old $70-80 range that persisted through April and August, Saxo Bank senior manager Ole Hansen said, according to Reuters.

John Kemp of Reuters argues that the surge in production this year is the result of the increase in prices in 2017 and the early part of this year. Enormous production increases tend to come 9 to 12 months after a shift in prices. And because prices have moderated since April, the production increases could also level off next year, suggesting that the blistering rate of growth seen in 2018 probably wont last.

But for now, the flood of new supply may have put a cap on oil prices in the near-term, barring any unforeseen outages.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

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Oil prices continued to slide on Friday afternoon, despite a small decline in the U.S./Canadian rig count.

(Click to enlarge)

Friday, November 2, 2018

Iran sanctions are just days away but the market has come around to the idea that Iranian oil exports wont be going to zero, despite months of promises from the Trump administration. New reports suggest waivers are in the offing. Oil prices look to remain under pressure, as fears of global oversupply have returned with a vengeance, Ashley Kelty, oil and gas research analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, told Reuters.

U.S. to grant waivers to eight countries importing Iranian oil. The U.S. has granted exemptions to eight importers of Iranian oil just days before sanctions on Iran take effect. The countries will be allowed to continue to import oil without fear of retribution from the U.S. as long as they continue to make reductions in those purchases, according to Bloomberg. Four of the countries include Irans top buyers  China, India, South Korea and Japan. The other four were not identified in the Bloomberg report, but the decision is expected to be announced on Monday.

U.S. oil production surges. The EIA said the U.S. produced more than 11.3 mb/d in August, a massive jump of over 400,000 bpd from a month earlier. The new record high also made the U.S. the largest oil producer in the world. Record output, combined with higher production from OPEC, has dealt sharp losses to crude oil prices amid mounting fears of oversupply.

Trump admin sees thaw in relations with China. President Trump spoke with Xi Jingping by phone on Thursday, and Trump tweeted that the discussion went well. His economic adviser Larry Kudlow said that there was a thaw in relations. The two leaders are expected to meet later this month at the G20 summit in Argentina, and the conversation by phone this week raises the odds of a breakthrough on trade. Crucially, Bloomberg reports that Trump wants to reach a deal with Xi in Argentina, and he reportedly asked his cabinet to draft terms. However, hours after the phone call, the U.S. Justice Department unveiled charges against two Chinese companies for intellectual property theft, illustrating the difficult task of resolving differences between the two countries.

U.S. seeks to keep Middle East oil flowing. U.S. diplomats have reportedly stepped in to try to resolve disputes in the Middle East to increase oil flows. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. is trying to broker a deal between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over the Neutral Zone oil fields, which have 500,000 bpd of capacity but have been offline for years. The U.S. is also trying to help Iraq export more oil through Kurdistan, which would add another 300,000 bpd or so to global supplies. Washington is trying to ease these burdens at a time when it is seeking to shut in Iranian production.

EOG posts $1.2 billion in profit. EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG) posted an enormous $1.2 billion in third quarter profit, up more than ten-fold from the $100 million profit a year earlier. The performance is a strong vote of confidence in shale drilling, after years of red ink across the industry.

Continental Resources doubles resource estimate. Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR) doubled its estimated recoverable resources to 30-40 billion barrels, up from the previous estimate of 20 billion barrels set in 2011. With today's completion technology we are recovering 15% and potentially 20% of the oil in place on a primary basis, Continentals President Jack Stark said during today's earnings conference call. This is substantially higher than the recoveries that we thought possible back in 2011.

Tanker rates up on higher OPEC production. Tanker rates are rising as OPEC ships more oil, pushing day-rates up to $51,000, up nearly three-fold from the $18,000 rates seen just a month ago.

Oil and gas sector needs consolidation. Top industry executives said that the oil and gas industry needs to consolidate, in order to reach scale, cut costs and streamline services. There's a lot of smaller high-quality companies across industry where synergy and value can be captured by combining, Chesapeake Energys (NYSE: CHK) CEO Doug Lawler said at the Deloitte Oil & Gas Conference, according to S&P Global Platts. This will be a part of [Chesapeake's] strategy going forward. Other top analysts and executives voiced similar sentiments, an indication that a new wave of M&A activity could be coming.

Petrobras could divest $20 billion. New Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has indicated he would not privatize Petrobras for now, but the company might still divest itself of some $20 billion worth of assets, according to a source for Reuters. Related: Whats Behind The Continued Selloff In Oil?

Economists: Brent to average $76 in 2019. A Reuters survey of 46 economists find an averaged predicted Brent crude price of $76.88 per barrel in 2019. The respondents see Iran sanctions putting a floor beneath oil prices, but weaker demand and a slower global economy putting a cap on prices.

OPEC production hits two-year high. OPEC production rose in October to its highest level in nearly two years. Higher output from Saudi Arabia, Libya and the UAE pushed production up 390,000 bpd compared to Septembers levels. The figures gave the market confidence OPEC will be able to supply the market as Iranian production goes offline.

Oil majors post huge earnings. The third quarter earnings for the oil majors were the strongest in years, with a significant jump in profits. Cost-cutting and higher oil prices led to a windfall for the worlds largest oil companies. Most of them are sticking with a plan of capital discipline, with an emphasis on boosting shareholder returns.

Venezuelas refinery utilization plummets, leading to fuel shortages. Venezuelas refineries are operating at low levels as the nation runs short on crude oil. Refineries have averaged a meager 17 percent utilization rate this year, according to Bloomberg, down from 50 percent last year and 70 percent in 2016. Gas shortages have spread quickly and there is no end in sight for the crisis.

By Tom Kool of Oilprice.com

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Washington has granted eight Iranian oil importers waivers from the sanctions that enter into effect next Monday, among them Japan, South Korea, and India, a government official told Bloomberg. Another two sources told Bloomberg China was also on the list but discussions with the U.S. were still ongoing.

The waivers are temporary, the source also said, with Washington expecting the countries on the list will gradually reduce their imports of Iranian crude, the ultimate goal still being cutting to zero the countrys exports to stifle its main source of revenue. However, S&P Global Platts yesterday quoted the chairman of Indias largest oil company, the Indian Oil Corporation, as saying cutting imports to zero was unrealistic and it would harm the market.

Iran has been making the same argument ever since President Trump announced the sanctions. Besides threats to close off the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran said there is simply not enough spare capacity in the world to make up for lost Iranian supply, which would mean price spikes that would not be to the liking of Washington or its allies whose energy industries need more oil than they can produce themselves. Related: U.S. And OPEC Flood Oil Market Ahead Of Midterms

The list with the countries selected for waivers will be announced officially on Monday, the day when the sanctions snap back. In addition, Washington has asked its partners to reduce trade in other goods, not covered by the sanctions, with Iran to maximize the pressure.

Iran, meanwhile, is preparing. Earlier this week media reported that President Rouhani had replaced the economic team of the government and that four cargoes of crude were sold on the Iranian energy exchange. The amount is not great at less than 300,000 bpd, but it could be the start of something regular. At the same time, Tehran is seeking ways to strengthen its relationship with partners including China, India, and the European Union.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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The prospects of Indian refiners cutting their intake of Iranian crude oil to zero are unrealistic, the chairman of Indian Oil Corp. told S&P Global Platts in an exclusive interview this week.

Although the company, the largest oil player in India, has reduced its imports of Iranian crude, Sanjiv Singh said the chances of cutting all the way to zero are pretty slim, adding that the company had booked Iranian oil cargos for delivery this month despite the fact sanctions come into effect next Monday.

"We strongly believe that if Iran goes out of the global market it will destabilize the market -- at least for some time. Personally, I don't think India can afford zero Iran supplies," Singh told S&P Global Platts.

The executive went on to say that IOC had reduced its imports of Iranian crude slightly beginning in October as Washington considers a waiver for India from the sanctions. In fact, the Economic Times, an Indian daily, yesterday reported, citing a source in the know, that the waiver had already been granted on the condition that Indian refiners reduce their combined imports of Iranian crude by 35 percent in fiscal 2018/19 from the previous year.

S&P Global Platts reports Iranian crude shipments to Indian refiners hit 600,000 bpd in September before declining to 500,000 bpd in October, a level expected to be maintained this month as well.

At the same time, imports from the United States had also risen significantly earlier this year, after President Trump announced the sanctions for the first time. In May, S&P Global Platts reported, U.S. exports of crude to India averaged 152,000 bpd, up from 29,000 bpd for January to April, and this jumped further to 261,000 bpd in June. Afterwards, however, shipments began to decline mostly on the back of the higher price of U.S. crude, according to Singh.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Two of the worlds biggest carmakers, Ford Motor Company and Germanys Volkswagen AG, are in discussion to set up a joint venture to develop self-driving cars, and could announce a deal as early as this month, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, quoting people familiar with the issue.

As the legacy automakers clamor for a piece of the future autonomous vehicle market, a potential Ford-VW self-driving car joint venture could rival Silicon Valley car developers such as Tesla and Alphabets Waymo.

In June this year, Ford and Volkswagenwhose combined sales account for around a fifth of all new passenger cars sold in the worldsaid that they are exploring a strategic alliance, including developing a range of commercial vehicles together. The potential alliance would not involve equity arrangements, including cross ownership stakes, the carmakers said in June.

A month later, Ford created in July a separate company, Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, to encompass all aspects of its self-driving vehicle business operations and to accelerate its autonomous vehicles (AV) business.

Now Ford and VW are planning a much wider cooperation than just working together on light commercial vehicles, as they said in June. The two carmakers now want to team up to enter into the electric vehicles (EVs) and self-driving car markets, according to German business daily Handelsblatt, which first reported about the potential Ford-VW venture on Thursday.

According to The Journals sources, one option for the new venture could be Volkswagen taking up to 50 percent in Fords self-driving cars unit, while another could be setting up a new company that could join the autonomous cars units of the two carmakers. The creation of a new company could make it easier for Ford and VW to share the intellectual property and ownership, as well as to open the newly created firm to more partners, the people familiar with the discussions told The Journal.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Russias oil production increased to 11.41 million bpd in October from 11.36 million bpd in September, setting a new post-Soviet record high as the largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, raised their output according to data from Russias Energy Ministry.

Russias oil production in October jumped to 48.262 million tons, the data showed on Friday, or 11.41 million bpd as per Reuters calculations.

Rosneft increased oil production by 0.5 percent month on month in October to 4 million bpd, while Lukoils production rose by 0.3 percent from September to 1.68 million bpd in October.

Russia has been raising its production since OPEC and its Russia-led non-OPEC allies agreed in June to relax compliance rates with the cuts to 100 percent from the previous over-compliance. The respective leaders of the OPEC and non-OPEC nations part of the dealSaudi Arabia and Russiahave been interpreting the eased compliance as adding a total of 1 million bpd to the market.

Russia has already reversed its entire 300,000-bpd cut that was pledged as part of the initial deal and has been adding production in recent months.

Although Russia is smashing post-Soviet records, it doesnt plan to raise output to 12 million bpd by the end of 2018, or in the near term, because this wouldnt fit Moscows economic development plans, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said early last week.

Russias oil production in October was around 150,000 bpd higher than its October 2016 levelthe baseline for the OPEC+ production cut deal, Novak said.

While Russia has been setting post-Soviet records, U.S. crude oil production also broke records, with monthly output exceeding 11 million bpd in August for the first time, the EIA said on Thursday, noting that at 11.3 million bpd, U.S. crude oil production in August was higher than Russias 11.2 million bpd output in the same month, making the United States the worlds top crude oil producer.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Canadas Suncor Energy has pipeline and refinery capacity that largely shields it from the record low Canadian heavy oil prices, so it doesnt need to scale back production as some of its competitors do in response to the steep discounts of Canadian oil, Suncors CEO Steve Williams said on Thursday.

The higher-cost producers are having to pull back because theyre not making any margin on their last barrel. Were not in that circumstance, Reuters quoted Williams as saying on a call with analysts. If we were, we wouldnt hesitate to pull throughput back, Williams noted.

Due to the pipeline capacity constraints, the discount at which Western Canadian Select (WCS)the benchmark price of oil from Canadas oil sands delivered at Hardisty, Albertatrades relative to WTI has severely widened, and WCS has been selling for as low as US$20 in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, Suncor reported a new quarterly production record of 476,100 bpd of oil sands production for Q3, driven primarily by strong operational reliability and record in situ production.

Also on Wednesday, another Canadian company, Cenovus Energy, said in its Q3 earnings release that Cenovus also has the ability to respond to widening differentials and the current environment for Canadian producers by strategically slowing production at Foster Creek and Christina Lake. The company is currently operating both facilities at reduced volumes and is managing production levels to avoid any impacts to its reservoirs.



Related: Cold Snap Could Send Natural Gas To $5

On the earnings call, Cenovus Energys President and CEO Alex Pourbaix urged the Canadian industry to slow down production to ease bottlenecks.

And I want to be clear on this, the industry right now has a production problem. Were going to do our part but we are not going to carry the industry on our back. I think this is something that has to be dealt with on an industry wide basis, Pourbaix said.

In the meantime, were taking additional steps to mitigate our exposure to widening differentials by temporarily ramping down a portion of our production until prices improve, he added.

Pourbaix expects the pressure on the price differentials to ease with U.S. refineries coming back online later this quarter, the ongoing ramp up of crude-by-rail out of Alberta, and the startup of Enbridges Line 3 Replacement project next year.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for OIlprice.com

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TransCanada expects that the Nebraska Supreme Court could reach a decision on the Keystone XL route in the state by the first quarter of 2019, the Canadian pipeline operator which has been trying to build the pipeline for nearly a decade said in its Q3 earnings release on Thursday.

TransCanada first proposed in 2008 to build the Keystone XL pipeline that would run from Alberta in Canada to Nebraska and the U.S. Gulf Coast. After being dumped by the previous U.S. Administration, Keystone XL was revived by President Donald Trump in one of his first decisions after taking office.

Keystone XL has become one of the most controversial oil projects in North America, but it is also one of the most important for Canadian crude oil producers who have been struggling with a significant pipeline capacity shortage that has depressed Canadas heavy oil prices to as low as US$20 in recent weeks.

In todays earnings announcement, TransCanada updated the market on the progress of the legal hurdles still remaining for the Keystone XL project.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) approved an alternative route for Keystone XL in November 2017, but the following month, an appeal was lodged in Nebraskas Court of Appeals against the consent of the commission to the project. Earlier this year, the Nebraska Supreme Court, on its own motion, agreed to bypass the Court of Appeals and directly hear the appeal case, with oral arguments before the Nebraska Supreme Court set for today.



Related: Cold Snap Could Send Natural Gas To $5

We expect the Nebraska Supreme Court, as the final arbiter, could reach a decision by first quarter 2019, TransCanada said.

The company, together with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is actively participating in other pending lawsuits against the permits and environmental assessments of the project. TransCanada believes that the courts decisions on certain elements of those legal challenges may be issued by the end of this year, it said.

However, Keysone XL is facing another, more recent, legal challenge, after two U.S. Native American communities filed a lawsuit in Montana in September, challenging the Keystone XL Presidential Permit.

It is uncertain how and when this lawsuit will proceed, TransCanada said on Thursday.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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TransCanada is considering all options for financing its US$8-billion now nearly decade-old Keystone XL pipeline project, including selling some assets and bringing in joint venture partners, president and chief executive Russ Girling said on the Q3 earnings call on Thursday.

We do have a sizeable portfolio of saleable assets, contracted, that we would be willing to part with to fund part of the Keystone XL program, Reuters quoted Girling as saying on the call. We would entertain JV partners on this project, TransCanadas chief executive added.

TransCanadas managers, however, didnt say on the call what stake the company would want to keep in the Keystone XL project if it would welcome partners, or when it would make the final investment decision.

Executives, however, said that the company continues to work toward construction in 2019.

In its Q3 earnings release earlier on Thursday, TransCanada said it expects that the Nebraska Supreme Court could reach a decision on the Keystone XL route in the state by the first quarter of 2019.

However, Keysone XL is facing another, more recent, legal challenge, after two U.S. Native American communities filed a lawsuit in Montana in September, challenging the Keystone XL Presidential Permit.

It is uncertain how and when this lawsuit will proceed, TransCanada said on Thursday.

TransCanada first proposed in 2008 to build the Keystone XL pipeline that would run from Alberta in Canada to Nebraska and the U.S. Gulf Coast. After being dumped by the previous U.S. Administration, Keystone XL was revived by President Donald Trump in one of his first decisions after taking office.

Keystone XL has become one of the most controversial oil projects in North America, but it is also one of the most important for Canadian crude oil producers who have been struggling with a significant pipeline capacity shortage that has depressed Canadas heavy oil prices to as low as US$20 in recent weeks.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Identification of the first luciferin-producing insect belonging to the order Diptera in the Neotropics paves the way for researchers to investigate other biochemical functions of the molecule in these organisms Credit: Vadim Viviani / UFSCar

An insect larva found in the caves of Intervales State Park, an Atlantic Rainforest remnant in the municipality of Ribeirao Grande, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, was initially of no interest to the research group led by biochemist Vadim Viviani, a professor at the Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar) in Sorocaba. The researchers are investigating bioluminescence, the capacity of living organisms to produce their own light.

Nevertheless, the larva of Neoditomyia, a genus of non-luminescent cave worms, proved to be a promising object of study. Although it does not emit light similar to that of other insects of the family Keroplatidae (fungus gnats) in the order Diptera (true flies), this insect produces luciferin, a molecule indispensable for the bioluminescent members of the family.

The discovery is the first of its kind in the Neotropics and has just been published in the journal Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences.

The other 15 species of Keroplatidae that produce luciferin are found in the Appalachian Mountains (USA, one species), New Zealand (eight), Australia (one) and Eurasia (five). All are bioluminescent.

"If what we found here produces luciferin without emitting light, it's possible that the molecule has another biochemical function of which we're unaware," Viviani told.

The cave worm larva found in the Atlantic Rainforest biome does not emit light because luciferin is only one of the components required to do so. Luciferin is a small molecule that emits light when oxidized. For luciferin to oxidize and emit light, however, an animal must also produce luciferase, an enzyme that catalyzes the bioluminescent reaction. This keroplatid's relatives in the northern hemisphere and Oceania produce both molecules and therefore emit light, as do fireflies, glow-worms, and other insects.

The molecular structures of luciferin and luciferase in dipterans and fireflies are completely different and do not react with each other to emit light. Only luciferin and luciferase produced by the same organism can react to emit light. To determine whether the substance found in the cave worm larva was indeed luciferin, the researchers mixed it with purified luciferase from Orfelia fultonii, the keroplatid species from the Appalachians. To their surprise, the mixture emitted blue light similar to the light emitted by O. fultonii.

Enzymes similar to beetle luciferase have been found in non-luminescent species, but the occurrence of luciferin in terrestrial organisms has so far been limited to luminescent species. Hence, the novelty of this discovery.

In addition to Viviani, the co-authors of the study included postdoctoral researcher Danilo Trabuco do Amaral, and doctoral researcher Vanessa Rezende Bevilaqua, both affiliated with UFSCar and recipients of scholarships from Sao Paulo Research FoundationFAPESP, as well as postdoctoral researcher Rafaela Falaschi, who is affiliated with the University of Ponta Grossa.

Laboratory use

The light-emitting substances produced by bioluminescent organisms are widely used for research in medicine, biotechnology, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. Genetic engineering to mark specific cells with bioluminescent substances allows them to be easily observed under a microscope, for example.

"Bioluminescent substances are used to mark cancer cells, test sperm viability, and detect pathogens and even heavy metals in water samples," said Viviani, who chairs the International Society for Bioluminescence & Chemiluminescence (ISBC).

Once it has been fully characterized, the new luciferin may also be used in analytical applications, including as an indicator of specific cells. "We don't yet know all its potential applications, but its chemical composition has peculiarities that could lead to many other uses," Viviani said.

Biotechnology applications of the luciferin-luciferase combination that produces blue light, he says, differ from applications of the more energetic luciferin-luciferase reaction that produces yellow-green light in fireflies and glow-worms.

Recent evolution

The authors of the study also tested the larvae of two other dipterans to search for luciferin that interacted with luciferase from O. fultonii.

Arachnocampa luminosa, the New Zealand glow worm, emits light to lure prey to its cave webs, but laboratory tests showed the bioluminescence of this species to be different because it did not emit light when brought into contact with the Appalachian species.

The same results were observed with Aedes aegypti, demonstrating that the mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever does not have molecules similar to luciferin, or if it does, they do not interact with the tested luciferase.

Nevertheless, the study contributes to the search for bioluminescent substances in other species. The occurrence of luciferin in a non-luminescent larva may indicate that it has a different but equally important biological function in keroplatids. This finding suggests that bioluminescence is a trait that has evolved more recently in insects that already produced luciferin for other biological purposes.

The researchers do not rule out the possibility of applying knowledge of luciferin and luciferase in bioluminescent insects to the control of disease-bearing mosquitos because these molecules are ideal to mark cells and investigate intracellular processes.

"If dipteran luciferin and related compounds do indeed prove to play an important role in the physiology of the organism, we might be able to interfere with mosquito reproduction," Viviani said.

The next stage of the project involves determining the chemical structure of the novel luciferin. Viviani plans to conduct it in collaboration with Cassius Stevani, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo's Chemistry Institute (IQ-USP), and colleagues at other partner institutions.

More information: Vadim R. Viviani et al, Orfelia-type luciferin and its associated storage protein in the non-luminescent cave worm Neoditomyia sp. (Diptera: Keroplatidae) from the Atlantic rainforest: biological and evolutionary implications, Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences (2018). Vadim R. Viviani et al, Orfelia-type luciferin and its associated storage protein in the non-luminescent cave worm Neoditomyia sp. (Diptera: Keroplatidae) from the Atlantic rainforest: biological and evolutionary implications,(2018). DOI: 10.1039/c8pp00207j
Credit: University of Kansas

The 2015 UN Paris Climate Accords brought energy regulation's role in climate change to the international forefront. And even though the United States has since withdrawn from the agreement, energy development decisions both here and abroad have consequences felt around the globe. A University of Kansas law professor has co-edited a new book that is one of the first to examine energy justice, or how energy policy affects those beyond the decision makers.

"Energy Justice: International and U.S. Perspectives" examines recent energy decisions by both industrialized and developing nations, their effects and how future energy policy, whether regarded as renewable, "green" or part of traditional sources, can be undertaken justly. The book was edited by Raya Salter, principal, Imagine Power LLC and adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law; Carmen Gonzalez, professor of law at Seattle University School of Law, and Elizabeth Ann Kronk Warner, KU professor of law and director of the university's Tribal Law & Governance Center.

The book explores climate change and the intersection of environmental justice and energy. It explores the actions of industrialized nations such as the United States and the "Global North," and how their climate policies have contributed to greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, as well as their contributions to climate change solutions. Those are compared to the "Global South" or third world and developing nations, which historically haven't contributed as much to greenhouse gas emissions, but in many cases are rapidly developing and increasingly consuming such energy sources. The rights and responsibilities of each, the outcomes of past actions and recommendations for future policy for all such nations are examined.

"To my knowledge, this is one of the first books to look at the question of energy justice and what is being done around the world," Kronk Warner said. "We have authors from around the world who have contributed chapters, which I think provides a good global representation."

The authors point out that while transitioning away from fossil fuels is the "cornerstone of any climate change mitigation strategy," the problem is much bigger than that. Developed nations have enacted policies to curb emissions and promote clean, renewable energy, but they must continue to do better. Meanwhile, the nations that have traditionally contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions cannot be simply prohibited from developing such sources. The book explores how such a focus would not allow nations to adapt to a climate that is already changing and how developing nations require energy infrastructure before they are practically able to adapt.

In the book's opening chapter, the editors outline the history and evolution of the concept of energy justice. Subsequent chapters address the intersection of energy and human rights, utility rate-making and energy justice, energy efficiency, equity and the American housing affordability gap; an environmental justice critique of biofuels; energy justice and democracy in practice; energy access on Native American reservations; sacrifice in the energy continuum and the green energy economy; and the future of energy justice. Uma Outka, professor of law at KU and an expert in energy and environmental law, contributes a chapter on fairness in the low-carbon shift. In the chapter, she looks to the environmental justice movement for how it can inform the current energy transition, situating justice concerns as central to new policymaking in this sphere.

"Energy Justice" places focus on energy policy, decisions, development and justice, but it is not a denunciation of any certain type of energy, Kronk Warner said. Rather, it is an exploration of current policy, its effectsespecially on vulnerable populationsand how lessons from those decisions can help avoid missteps while ensuring a just energy future. It would be fundamentally unfair to tell developing nations or indigenous peoples, who often have substantial energy reserves on their lands, that they cannot develop their resources.

"You can still have natural resource development, you just want to be thoughtful about how you accomplish that," Kronk Warner said. "I think it's vital to think of these developments ahead of time and how they will affect the future and how we should consider the impacts of our energy development on future generations."

The book arrives at an opportune time, as nations around the world work to adapt energy policy to mitigate climate change. And even though the Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from the Paris Climate Accords, it has repeatedly claimed it plans to make energy development a central part of its agenda. That can be done in an environmentally just way, Kronk Warner said.

"Energy Justice" will be beneficial to energy and environmental policymakers, both as a reference to efforts currently being made around the world and as a guide to making just future policies, the editors said. It can also be pertinent to legal scholars and academics seeking to learn more about the intersection of environmentalism and energy justice as well as those educating the next generation of environmental lawyers.

The editors and authors of "Energy Justice" bring a wide array of perspectives and expertise from law schools, private practice, energy studies institutes and government institutions in the United States, Canada, Qatar, Maldives, Kenya and the United Kingdom.

Explore further Basic energy rights for low-income populations proposed
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Getting into trouble after succumbing to peer pressure isn't just a human experience.

New research co-led by Brock University shows that a particular species of tropical, air-breathing fish that can survive for weeks on land will delay escaping from hot water if it thinks one of its peers is nearby.

Brock biologist Glenn Tattersall and Acadia University biologist Suzanne Currie studied the mangrove rivulus, a fish living in swamps from the southern U.S. to Brazil.

In previous research, Tattersall and fellow researchers found that the mangrove rivulus, which look like miniature sardines, jump out of water at around 35C as a way of cooling down quickly or else risk dying. They can survive for up to 20 days out of water.

The research, published in 2015, suggested that fish that can take advantage of evaporative cooling may have an evolutionary advantage over fully aquatic fish in coming years as coastal waters warm because of climate change.

But the mangrove rivulus is also known to be highly social. Tattersall and Currie wanted to know if, and to what impact, social behaviour would affect the fish's survival strategy.

The researchers gathered a group of fish in Belize and placed each fish in its own water chamber. Half of the chambers had a mirror to make it appear there was a second fish in the water.

The researchers heated the water at a steady, rapid rate while recording the fish's movements. The experiment ended when the fish jumped out of the water.

Fish that saw themselves in a mirror stayed in the chamber until the water reached 41.8C compared to a water temperature of 40.5C for fish in the chamber with no mirror.

The fish with the mirror also showed less pre-escape behaviours such as swimming to the surface or poking its head out of the water.

Tattersall says the results show that the mangrove rivulus prioritize social interaction over escape until they are "perilously close" to the maximum temperature at which they can survive.

He says the delay could be because the fish is waiting for other members of the group to emerge first.

"Understanding how the social and physical environment interact is important when determining an animal's susceptibility to climate warming," says Tattersall. "This discovery demonstrates that behavioural decisions may push animals to their thermal limits and compromise survival at high temperatures."

The research team's findings are in their paper, "Social cues can push amphibious fish to their thermal limits," published Oct. 31 in the journal Biology Letters.

Explore further Amphibious fish found to use evaporative cooling to overcome hot water

More information: Suzanne Currie et al. Social cues can push amphibious fish to their thermal limits, Biology Letters (2018). Journal information: Biology Letters Suzanne Currie et al. Social cues can push amphibious fish to their thermal limits,(2018). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0492
Comet McNaught over the Pacific Ocean. Image taken from Paranal Observatory in January 2007. Credit: ESO/Sebastian Deiries

Engineers and scientists gathered around a screen in an operations room at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., eager to lay their eyes on the first data from NASA's STEREO spacecraft. It was January 2007, and the twin STEREO satellitesshort for Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatorywhich had launched just months before, were opening their instruments' eyes for the first time. First up: STEREO-B. The screen blinked, but instead of the vast starfield they expected, a pearly white, feathery smearlike an angel's wingfilled the frame. For a few panicky minutes, NRL astrophysicist Karl Battams worried something was wrong with the telescope. Then, he realized this bright object wasn't a defect, but an apparition, and these were the first satellite images of Comet McNaught. Later that day, STEREO-A would return similar observations.

Comet C/2006 P1also known as Comet McNaught, named for astronomer Robert McNaught, who discovered it in August 2006was one of the brightest comets visible from Earth in the past 50 years. Throughout January 2007, the comet fanned across the Southern Hemisphere's sky, so bright it was visible to the naked eye even during the day. McNaught belongs to a rarefied group of comets, dubbed the Great Comets and known for their exceptional brightness. Setting McNaught apart further still from its peers, however, was its highly structured tail, composed of many distinct dust bands called striae, or striations, that stretched more than 100 million miles behind the comet, longer than the distance between Earth and the Sun. One month later, in February 2007, an ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA spacecraft called Ulysses would encounter the comet's long tail.

"McNaught was a huge deal when it came because it was so ridiculously bright and beautiful in the sky," Battams said. "It had these striaedusty fingers that extended across a huge expanse of the sky. Structurally, it's one of the most beautiful comets we've seen for decades."

How exactly the tail broke up in this manner, scientists didn't know. It called to mind reports of another storied comet from long ago: the Great Comet of 1744, which was said to have dramatically fanned out in six tails over the horizon, a phenomenon astronomers then couldn't explain. By untangling the mystery of McNaught's tail, scientists hoped to learn something new about the nature of cometsand solve two cosmic mysteries in one.

A key difference between studying comets in 1744 and 2007 is, of course, our ability to do so from space. In addition to STEREO's serendipitous sighting, another mission, ESA/NASA's SOHOthe Solar and Heliospheric Observatorymade regular observations as McNaught flew by the Sun. Researchers hoped these images might contain their answers.

Now, years later, Oliver Price, a planetary science Ph.D. student at University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory in the United Kingdom, has developed a new image-processing technique to mine through the wealth of data. Price's findingssummarized in a recently published Icarus paperoffer the first observations of striations forming, and an unexpected revelation about the Sun's effect on comet dust.

The first observations of striations forming have revealed new insights on the Sun's effect on comet dust tails. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Genna Duberstein

Comets are cosmic crumbs of frozen gas, rock and dust left over from the formation of our solar system 4.6 billion years agoand so they may contain important clues about our solar system's early history. Those clues are unlocked, as if from a time capsule, every time a comet's elliptical orbit brings it close to the Sun. Intense heat vaporizes the frozen gases and releases the dust within, which streams behind the comet, forming two distinct tails: an ion tail carried by the solar windthe constant flow of charged particles from the Sunand a dust tail.

Understanding how dust behaves in the tailhow it fragments and clumps togethercan teach scientists a great deal about similar processes that formed dust into asteroids, moons and even planets all those billions of years ago. Appearing as one of the biggest and most structurally complex comets in recent history, McNaught was a particularly good subject for this type of study. Its brightness and high dust production made it much easier to resolve the evolution of fine structures in its dust tail.

Price began his study focusing on something the scientists couldn't explain. "My supervisor and I noticed weird goings-on in the images of these striations, a disruption in the otherwise clean lines," he said. "I set out to investigate what might have happened to create this weird effect."

The rift seemed to be located at the heliospheric current sheet, a boundary where the magnetic orientation, or polarity, of the electrified solar wind changes directions. This puzzled scientists because while they have long known a comet's ion tail is affected by the solar wind, they had never seen the solar wind impact dust tails before.

Dust in McNaught's tailroughly the size of cigarette smokeis too heavy, the scientists thought, for the solar wind to push around. On the other hand, an ion tail's miniscule, electrically charged ions and electrons easily sail along the solar wind. But it was difficult to tell exactly what was going on with McNaught's dust, and where, because at roughly 60 miles per second, the comet was rapidly traveling in and out of STEREO and SOHO's view.

"We got really good data sets with this comet, but they were from different cameras on different spacecraft, which are all in different places," Price said. "I was looking for a way to bring it all together to get a complete picture of what's happening in the tail."

The Sun's magnetic field, which is embedded in the solar wind, permeates the entire solar system. The current sheet -- where the magnetic field changes polarity --spirals out from near the solar equator like a wavy skirt around a ballet dancer's waist. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

His solution was a novel image-processing technique that compiles all the data from different spacecraft using a simulation of the tail, where the location of each tiny speck of dust is mapped by solar conditions and physical characteristics like its size and age, or how long it'd been since it'd flown off the head, or coma, of the comet. The end result is what Price dubbed a temporal map, which layers information from all the images taken at any given moment, allowing him to follow the dust's movements.

The temporal maps meant Price could watch the striations form over time. His videos, which cover the span of two weeks, are the first to track the formation and evolution of these structures, showing how dust fragments topple off the comet head and collapse into long striations.

But the researchers were most excited to find that Price's maps made it easier to explain the strange effect that drew their attention to the data in the first place. Indeed, the current sheet was the culprit behind the disruptions in the dust tail, breaking up each striation's smooth, distinct lines. For the two days it took the full length of the comet to traverse the current sheet, whenever dust encountered the changing magnetic conditions there, it was jolted out of position, as if crossing some cosmic speed bump.

"It's like the striation's feathers are ruffled when it crosses the current sheet," University College London planetary scientist Geraint Jones said. "If you picture a wing with lots of feathers, as the wing crosses the sheet, lighter ends of the feathers get bent out of shape. For us, this is strong evidence that the dust is electrically charged, and that the solar wind is affecting the motion of that dust."

Scientists have long known the solar wind affects charged dust; missions like Galileo Cassini, and Ulysses watched it move electrically charged dust through the space near Jupiter and Saturn. But it was a surprise for them to see the solar wind affect larger dust grains like those in McNaught's tailabout 100 times bigger than the dust seen ejected from around Jupiter and Saturnbecause they're that much heavier for the solar wind to push around.

With this study, scientists gain new insights into long-held mysteries. The work sheds light on the nature of striated comet tails from the past and provides a crucial lens for studying other comets in the future. But it also opens a new line of questioning: What role did the Sun have in our solar system's formation and early history?

"Now that we see the solar wind changed the position of dust grains in McNaught's tail, we can ask: Could it have been the case that early on in the solar system's history, the solar wind played a role in organizing ancient dust as well?" Jones said.

Explore further Soho prepares for comet McNaught
New research led by Lijun Song, associate professor of sociology at Vanderbilt University, and graduate student Phillip Pettis suggests that knowing people in high and diverse positions may be good or bad for your health. The culprit? Economic inequality.

Song studies the relationship between a person's health and the socioeconomic status of their social contactswhat's called "accessed" status. The idea is that we all have a personal networkconsisting of family, friends, relatives, neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances and othersand the status of our social contacts can impact our lives through our relationships with them.

She and Pettis analyzed nationally representative data from comprehensive social surveys simultaneously taken in the United States, Taiwan and urban China to see whether a person's accessed status might impact whether they experienced a health issue in the previous year serious enough to keep them from participating in their daily routines for more than a week.

Accessed status can impact our health in interesting ways. Higher-status people tend to be healthier in generalthey often are more knowledgeable and conscious about health, have more time and money to invest in a healthy lifestyle, experience less chronic stress and have greater access to medical care, among other positive things. Those are benefits that can extend to their social contacts, toosomething called social capital theory.

"But we find that accessed status has a dark side, and we want to understand why," Song said. In two of the three societies she studiedthe United States and Chinabeing connected to higher- and diverse-status people was actually associated with more health disruptions, not less. That's an unexpected finding, and one that's not well understood.

To explain it, Song has proposed a new theory to explain the negative impacts of high accessed socioeconomic status on health, called social cost theory. Its main features include negative social comparison, receipt of detrimental resources and networking costs. An example of negative social comparison might be developing negative psychological feelings, such as anxiety or a sense of failure, and poor health habits, such as smoking, when comparing themselves with those in better-off situations, while an example of a detrimental resource might be unwanted intrusion in their affairs. A networking cost is simply the additional effort, such as time, money and energy, that goes into establishing and maintaining valuable high-status relationships.

Social burdens like these may make it harder for a sick person to get the support they need to get better faster.

So why does having higher- and diverse-status connections help in some societies and not in others? Economic inequality appears to play a role. Taiwan has relatively low economic inequality, and of the three societies studied, it is the only one that suggests the good outweighs the bad. The United States and China have much higher degrees of economic inequality, and show the reverse.

Song said it was important to note that the fact that China and Taiwan have different outcomes is interesting because they are both collectivistic societies, while the United States is an individualistic one. This suggests that future research should be cautious when applying collectivism-individualism models to questions of accessed status and health. Song and Pettis also caution that future longitudinal work is needed to understand the causal direction of and the direct mechanisms behind these effects. Additionally, future larger-scale comparative research is also needed to understand variations across different societies and cultures.

Explore further How does it feel to be old in different societies?

More information: Lijun Song et al, Does whom you know in the status hierarchy prevent or trigger health limitation? Institutional embeddedness of social capital and social cost theories in three societies, Social Science & Medicine (2018). Journal information: Social Science & Medicine Lijun Song et al, Does whom you know in the status hierarchy prevent or trigger health limitation? Institutional embeddedness of social capital and social cost theories in three societies,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.09.035
This time-lapse photo from Sept. 10, 2018, shows the flight path of an ozonesonde as it rises into the atmosphere over the South Pole from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Scientists release these balloon-borne sensors to measure the thickness of the protective ozone layer high up in the atmosphere. Credit: Robert Schwarz/University of Minnesota

The ozone hole that forms in the upper atmosphere over Antarctica each September was slightly above average size in 2018, NOAA and NASA scientists reported today.

Colder-than-average temperatures in the Antarctic stratosphere created ideal conditions for destroying ozone this year, but declining levels of ozone-depleting chemicals prevented the hole from as being as large as it would have been 20 years ago.

"Chlorine levels in the Antarctic stratosphere have fallen about 11 percent from the peak year in 2000," said Paul A. Newman, chief scientist for Earth Sciences at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "This year's colder temperatures would have given us a much larger ozone hole if chlorine was still at levels we saw back in the year 2000."

According to NASA, the annual ozone hole reached an average area coverage of 8.83 million square miles (22.9 square kilometers) in 2018, almost three times the size of the contiguous United States. It ranks 13th largest out of 40 years of NASA satellite observations. Nations of the world began phasing out the use of ozone-depleting substances in 1987 under an international treaty known as the Montreal Protocol.

The 2018 ozone hole was strongly influenced by a stable and cold Antarctic vortexthe stratospheric low pressure system that flows clockwise in the atmosphere above Antarctica. These colder conditionsamong the coldest since 1979helped support formation of more polar stratospheric clouds, whose cloud particles activate ozone-destroying forms of chlorine and bromine compounds.

In 2016 and 2017, warmer temperatures in September limited the formation of polar stratospheric clouds and slowed the ozone hole's growth. In 2017, the ozone hole reached a size of 7.6 million square miles (19.7 square kilometers) before starting to recover. In 2016, the hole grew to 8 million square miles (20.7 square kilometers).

However, the current ozone hole area is still large compared to the 1980s, when the depletion of the ozone layer above Antarctica was first detected. Atmospheric levels of man-made ozone-depleting substances increased up to the year 2000. Since then, they have slowly declined but remain high enough to produce significant ozone loss.

NOAA scientists said colder temperatures in 2018 allowed for near-complete elimination of ozone in a deep, 3.1-mile (5-kilometer) layer over the South Pole. This layer is where the active chemical depletion of ozone occurs on polar stratospheric clouds. The amount of ozone over the South Pole reached a minimum of 104 Dobson units on Oct. 12making it the 12th lowest year out of 33 years of NOAA ozonesonde measurements at the South Pole, according to NOAA scientist Bryan Johnson.

Scientists from NASA and NOAA work together to track the ozone layer throughout the year and determine when the hole reaches its annual maximum extent. This year, the South Pole region of Antarctica was slightly colder than the previous few years, so the ozone hole grew larger. Credit: NASA Goddard/ Katy Mersmann

"Even with this year's optimum conditions, ozone loss was less severe in the upper altitude layers, which is what we would expect given the declining chlorine concentrations we're seeing in the stratosphere," Johnson said.

A Dobson unit is the standard measurement for the total amount of ozone in the atmosphere above a point on Earth's surface, and it represents the number of ozone molecules required to create a layer of pure ozone 0.01 millimeters thick at a temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) at an atmospheric pressure equivalent to Earth's surface. A value of 104 Dobson units would be a layer that is 1.04 millimeters thick at the surface, less than the thickness of a dime.

Prior to the emergence of the Antarctic ozone hole in the 1970s, the average amount of ozone above the South Pole in September and October ranged from 250 to 350 Dobson units.

What is ozone and why does it matter?

Ozone comprises three oxygen atoms and is highly reactive with other chemicals. In the stratosphere, roughly 7 to 25 miles (about 11 to 40 kilometers) above Earth's surface, a layer of ozone acts like sunscreen, shielding the planet from ultraviolet radiation that can cause skin cancer and cataracts, suppress immune systems and damage plants. Ozone can also be created by photochemical reactions between the Sun and pollution from vehicle emissions and other sources, forming harmful smog in the lower atmosphere.

NASA and NOAA use three complementary instrumental methods to monitor the growth and breakup of the ozone hole each year. Satellite instruments like the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA's Aura satellite and the Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite on the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite measure ozone across large areas from space. The Aura satellite's Microwave Limb Sounder also measures certain chlorine-containing gases, providing estimates of total chlorine levels.

The total amount of ozone in the atmosphere is exceedingly small. All of the ozone in a column of the atmosphere extending from the ground to space would be 300 Dobson units, approximately the thickness of two pennies stacked one on top of the other.

NOAA scientists monitor the thickness of the ozone layer and its vertical distribution above the South Pole by regularly releasing weather balloons carrying ozone-measuring "sondes" up to 21 miles (~34 kilometers) in altitude, and with a ground-based instrument called a Dobson spectrophotometer.

Explore further Warm air helped make 2017 ozone hole smallest since 1988
Mechanical strain, pressure or temperature changes or adding chemical doping agents can prompt an abrupt switch from insulator to conductor in materials such as nickel oxide (pictured here). Nickel ions (blue) and oxygen ions (red) surround a dopant ion of potassium (yellow). Quantum Monte Carlo methods can accurately predict regions where charge density (purple) will accumulate in these materials. Credit: Anouar Benali, Argonne National Laboratory

Solving a complex problem quickly requires careful tradeoffs  and simulating the behavior of materials is no exception. To get answers that predict molecular workings feasibly, scientists must swap in mathematical approximations that speed computation at accuracy's expense.

But magnetism, electrical conductivity and other properties can be quite delicate, says Paul R.C. Kent of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oak Ridge National Laboratory. These properties depend on quantum mechanics, the movements and interactions of myriad electrons and atoms that form materials and determine their properties. Researchers who study such features must model large groups of atoms and molecules rather than just a few. This problem's complexity demands boosting computational tools' efficiency and accuracy.

That's where a method called quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) modeling comes in. Many other techniques approximate electrons' behavior as an overall average, for example, rather than considering them individually. QMC enables accounting for the individual behavior of all of the electrons without major approximations, reducing systematic errors in simulations and producing reliable results, Kent says.

Kent's interest in QMC dates back to his Ph.D. research at Cambridge University in the 1990s. At ORNL, he recently returned to the method because advances in both supercomputer hardware and in algorithms had allowed researchers to improve its accuracy.

"We can do new materials and a wider fraction of elements across the periodic table," Kent says. "More importantly, we can start to do some of the materials and properties where the more approximate methods that we use day to day are just unreliable."

Even with these advances, simulations of these types of materials, ones that include up to a few hundred atoms and thousands of electrons, requires computational heavy lifting. Kent leads a DOE Basic Energy Sciences Center, the Center for Predictive Simulations of Functional Materials (CPSFM) that includes researchers from ORNL, Argonne National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of California, Berkeley and North Carolina State University.

Their work is supported by a DOE Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiments (INCITE) allocation of 140 million processor hours, split between Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility's Titan and Argonne Leadership Computing Facility's Mira supercomputers. Both computing centers are DOE Office of Science user facilities.

To take QMC to the next level, Kent and colleagues start with materials such as vanadium dioxide that display unusual electronic behavior. At cooler temperatures, this material insulates against the flow of electricity. But at just above room temperature, vanadium dioxide abruptly changes its structure and behavior.

Suddenly this material becomes metallic and conducts electricity efficiently. Scientists still don't understand exactly how and why this occurs. Factors such as mechanical strain, pressure or doping the materials with other elements also induce this rapid transition from insulator to conductor.

However, if scientists and engineers could control this behavior, these materials could be used as switches, sensors or, possibly, the basis for new electronic devices. "This big change in conductivity of a material is the type of thing we'd like to be able to predict reliably," Kent says.

Laboratory researchers also are studying these insulator-to-conductors with experiments. That validation effort lends confidence to the predictive power of their computational methods in a range of materials. The team has built open-source software, known as QMCPACK, that is now available online and on all of the DOE Office of Science computational facilities.

Kent and his colleagues hope to build up to high-temperature superconductors and other complex and mysterious materials. Although scientists know these materials' broad properties, Kent says, "we can't relate those to the actual structure and the elements in the materials yet. So that's a really grand challenge for the condensed-matter physics field."

The most accurate quantum mechanical modeling methods restrict scientists to examining just a few atoms or molecules. When scientists want to study larger systems, the computation costs rapidly become unwieldy. QMC offers a compromise: a calculation's size increases cubically relative to the number of electrons, a more manageable challenge. QMC incorporates only a few controlled approximations and can be applied to the numerous atoms and electrons needed. It's well suited for today's petascale supercomputers  capable of one quadrillion calculations or more each second  and tomorrow's exascale supercomputers, which will be at least a thousand times faster. The method maps simulation elements relatively easily onto the compute nodes in these systems.

The CPSFM team continues to optimize QMCPACK for ever-faster supercomputers, including OLCF's Summit, which will be fully operational in January 2019. The higher memory capacity on that machine's Nvidia Volta GPUs  16 gigabytes per graphics processing unit compared with 6 gigabytes on Titan  already boosts computation speed. With the help of OLCF's Ed D'Azevedo and Andreas Tillack, the researchers have implemented improved algorithms that can double the speed of their larger calculations.

QMCPACK is part of DOE's Exascale Computing Project, and the team is already anticipating additional scaling challenges for running QMCPACK on future machines. To perform the desired simulations within roughly 12 hours on an exascale supercomputer, Kent estimates that they'll need algorithms that are 30 times more scalable than those within the current version.

Even with improved hardware and algorithms, QMC calculations will always be expensive. So Kent and his team would like to use QMCPACK to understand where cheaper methods go wrong so that they can improve them. Then they can save QMC calculations for the most challenging problems in materials science, Kent says. "Ideally we will learn what's causing these materials to be very tricky to model and then improve cheaper approaches so that we can do much wider scans of different materials."

The combination of improved QMC methods and a suite of computationally cheaper modeling approaches could lead the way to new materials and an understanding of their properties. Designing and testing new compounds in the laboratory is expensive, Kent says. Scientists could save valuable time and resources if they could first predict the behavior of novel materials in a simulation.

Plus, he notes, reliable computational methods could help scientists understand properties and processes that depend on individual atoms that are extremely difficult to observe using experiments. "That's a place where there's a lot of interest in going after the fundamental science, predicting new materials and enabling technological applications."

Explore further QMC simulations reveal magnetic properties of titanium oxide material
This map shows wildfire vulnerability across the United States. Wildfire vulnerability takes into account both landscape wildfire risk and socioeconomic factors in determining how likely an area is to adapt and recover from a wildfire. Gray areas on the map correspond to areas where physical risk of large-scale wildfire is unlikely. Credit: Ian Davies

Environmental disasters in the U.S. often hit minority groups the hardest.

When Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans in 2005, the city's black residents were disproportionately affected. Their neighborhoods were located in the low-lying, less-protected areas of the city, and many people lacked the resources to evacuate safely. Similar patterns have played out during hurricanes and tropical storms ever since.

Massive wildfires, which may be getting more intense due to climate change and a long history of fire-suppression policies, also have strikingly unequal effects on minority communities, a new study shows.

Researchers at the University of Washington and The Nature Conservancy used census data to develop a "vulnerability index" to assess wildfire risk in communities across the U.S. Their results, appearing Nov. 2 in the journal PLOS ONE, show that racial and ethnic minorities face greater vulnerability to wildfires compared with primarily white communities. In particular, Native Americans are six times more likely than other groups to live in areas most prone to wildfires.

"A general perception is that communities most affected by wildfires are affluent people living in rural and suburban communities near forested areas," said lead author Ian Davies, a graduate student in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. "But there are actually millions of people who live in areas that have a high wildfire potential and are very poor, or don't have access to vehicles or other resources, which makes it difficult to adapt or recover from a wildfire disaster."

Firefighters work near homes during the Taylor Creek and Klondike Fires in the Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, in 2018. Credit: Kari Greer

This study is one of the first to integrate both the physical risk of wildfire with the social and economic resilience of communities to see which areas across the country are most vulnerable to large wildfires. The approach takes 13 socioeconomic measures from the U.S. censusincluding income, housing type, English fluency and healthfor more than 71,000 census tracts across the country and overlays them with wildfire potential based on weather, historical fire activity and burnable fuels on the landscape.

There aren't many studies looking at the societal impacts of massive wildfires, so the researchers relied on existing literature that examined other environmental disasters, mainly hurricanes, to identify socioeconomic factors that contributed to whether a person recovered from a disaster. Some of these factors include whether a person is above or below the poverty line, has a disability, is elderly, has a vehicle, and owns or rents their home.

All of these factors and additional data went into creating a vulnerability index that the research team used in combination with U.S. Forest Service assessments of wildfire potential to determine the vulnerability of 71,901 census tracts across the country.

"The argument that we and other scientists have made is natural disasters aren't completely naturalthey are products of both an environmental impact and the social, political and economic context in which the impact occurs," Davies said.

Overall, more than 29 million Americansmany of whom are white and economically securelive with significant potential for extreme wildfires. However, within that segment, about 12 million people are considered "socially vulnerable" to wildfires based on the socioeconomic factors assessed in this studyand for whom a wildfire could be devastating.

Battling fire during the Taylor Creek and Klondike Fires in the Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon, 2018. Credit: Kari Greer

Additionally, they found that wildfire vulnerability is spread unequally across race and ethnicity. Communities that are mostly black, Hispanic or Native American experience 50 percent greater vulnerability to wildfires compared with other communities.

In the case of Native Americans, historical forced relocation onto reservationsmostly rural, remote areas that are more prone to wildfirescombined with greater levels of vulnerability due to socioeconomic barriers make it especially hard for these communities to recover after a large wildfire.

"Our findings help dispel some myths surrounding wildfiresin particular, that avoiding disaster is simply a matter of eliminating fuels and reducing fire hazards, or that wildfire risk is constrained to rural, white communities," said senior author Phil Levin, a UW professor in environmental and forest sciences and lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy in Washington. "We can see that the impacts of recent fires were exacerbated for low-income residents facing a shortage of affordable housing, for example, and for Hispanic residents for whom English is not their first language."

As the researchers dug into their results, they corroborated their findings with news reports from specific wildfire events. For example, they found that in the 2017 wildfire season, emergency agencies in cities throughout California struggled to release timely and correct bilingual information. During the 2014 wildfires in eastern and central Washington, language barriers also prevented Hispanic farm workers from receiving evacuation alerts from authorities, and the only Spanish-language radio station in the area reportedly never received the emergency notification.

The researchers hope these broad, nationwide results will spawn more detailed studies focused on individual communities and their wildfire risk. But equally important, they say, is for organizations and municipalities to take these socioeconomic factors into account when helping their communities prepare for wildfires. Offering cost-share programs for residents to prepare their homes for wildfires, distributing evacuation notices in multiple languages and creating jobs focused on thinning local forests or clearing out flammable brush are all ways in which communities can reduce their vulnerability to wildfires, they said.

"I think the question is, how do we take these sorts of activities that are ultimately about building community and make it so they are attractive and useful for people who are busy and would much rather use what spare time they have to spend with their families?" Levin said. "I think ultimately it's about connections, building relationships and breaking down cultural barriers that will bring us to a better outcome."

Explore further Beyond 1984: Narrow focus on wildfire trends underestimates future risks to water security
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A study by an academic from The University of Manchester has found that urban regeneration in poor neighbourhoods can actually backfire, and lead to older people feeling isolated.

As cities regenerate, new homes, residents and facilities are built which can change an area dramatically. A new movement to create 'age friendly cities' is aiming to ensure that regeneration happens in a way which allows older people to actively participate in their communities, stay connected to the people that matter most to them, and remain living in their homes for as long as possibleknown as ageing in place.

Social anthropologist Dr. Camilla Lewis spent a year living in East Manchester, one of the most deprived areas in the UK, in order to understand how local regeneration is affecting the day-to-day lives of older residents. The study focused on women aged over 50 who had lived in the area for their entire lives.

She interviewed and observed residents in places including a community centre, a market cafe and their homes. She found that despite being close to the city centre and benefiting from millions of pounds of investment in their area, people tended to feel separated from the wealth and new identity of the rest of the city. The demolition and rebuilding of new houses had also resulted in a deep sense of uncertainty and isolation.

"Despite the ambitious plans of local government, the rebuilding of houses actually caused a huge upheaval to social ties, with families and neighbours being rehoused away from one another," said Dr. Lewis.

"Many people felt that, compared to the past, there was no longer a close-knit community, no one looked out for anyone anymore, or felt pride in their neighbourhood. They lamented the loss of industry in the area, describing in nostalgic terms how East Manchester used to support proud communities of workers who had a strong sense of local identity."

Her study showed that in order to make sense of the changes taking place around them, older people share memories of the past with strong networks of support. Social settings are vital to these networks, however it was felt that lots of the places that had previously served as community hubssuch as markets, churches and pubshad disappeared, meaning that people no longer had the opportunity to get to know their neighbours.

The research highlights the need to understand the needs and expectations of older people when developing age friendly cities, rather than assuming that one approach will satisfy all.

"My findings show that regeneration processes are only advantageous to certain groups, and for older people are often unsettling due to disruptions to their former ways of life and local identities. It's important to understand the history and identity of neighbourhoods within cities  which differ hugely, from one community to another  as local identity is so important for older people's sense of belonging," says Dr. Camilla Lewis.

Explore further Affecting the well-being of elderly urban residents
Ryanair pilots, including these based in Belgium, in August staged their first simultaneous strike across Europe in a battle for better pay and conditions

Ministers from five European governments warned the Irish low cost airline Ryanair on Friday that it could face legal trouble if it ignores national labour laws.

Employment ministers from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands urged the firm to resolve ongoing disputes with local employees within weeks.

Ryanair has run into trouble in several countries with staff based around the continent angered at being employed on contracts signed under Irish rules.

The European Commission has already warned Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary that he must apply local regulations in each country in which he has employees.

Now national governments are adding their weight to the dispute, siding with labour unions and local regulators over the buccaneering Irish operator.

"Ryanair and its subcontractors are exposed to legal risks by not applying local labour law," the ministers said, in a letter addressed to O'Leary and seen by AFP.

The officials urged Ryanair to agree a timetable with unions to transition existing contracts with pilots and cabin crew to their local labour laws.

"We sincerely hope this materialises in the next few weeks," they said.

"For Ryanair there is now a window of opportunity for concluding an agreement with the trade unions which could become the basis for sustainable social peace."

In a statement, the firm insisted that it already follows EU-wide rules and was discussing how to address local disputes over national rules.

"Ryanair continues to negotiate with our people and their unions across Europe and we have already confirmed that we are offering local contracts and local laws," the firm said.

Explore further Ryanair says cancelling 190 flights over Friday strike

 2018 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The day after Halloween, something scary may still lurk inside your showerhead. Researchers at CIRES have identified Mycobacterium as the most abundant genus of bacteria growing in the slimy "biofilm" that lines the inside of residential showerheadsand some of those bacteria can cause lung disease.

In a new study, they report that mycobacteria are more prevalent in the United States than in Europe, thrive more in municipal tap water than in well water, and are especially common in geographical "hot spots" where certain types of lung disease caused by mycobacteria are also common.

It's important to understand routes of mycobacterial exposure, especially in the household. We can learn a lot from studying the biofilm that accumulates inside your showerhead, and the associate water chemistry," said Matt Gebert, CIRES researcher and lead author of the new study published this week in the American Society for Microbiology's journal mBio. "There is a lot of interesting ecology at work, and it allows us to begin to understand how it can impact human health."

The research team, CIRES Fellow and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at CU Boulder Noah Fierer's group, began this work in 2017, funded partially by an CIRES Innovative Research Program grant. The team analyzed DNA collected from 656 household showers in the United States and 13 countries in Europe. Citizen scientists swabbed the inside of their showerheads with specialized kits, and mailed the "biofilm" samples to Boulder.

By harnessing DNA sequencing technology, the researchers were able to identify which bacterial species that lived in showerhead slime, and how abundant they were. Mycobacteria were far more abundant in showerheads receiving municipal tap water than in those receiving well water, as well as more abundant in U.S. households versus European.

These patterns are probably driven in part by differences in the use of chlorine disinfectants, the team reported. Mycobacteria tend to be somewhat resistant to the chlorine-based disinfectants used more heavily in the United States than in Europeso in Europe, other bacterial species may be better able to thrive and outcompete the disease-causing strains.

Showerhead materials seemed to matter, too, with more mycobacteria in metal showerheads than in plastic onesplastic leaches some chemicals that support diverse bacterial communities, possibly preventing the mycobacteria from becoming too abundant.

When the researchers mapped out where potentially pathogenic mycobacteria thrived, the maps revealed "hot spots" that roughly match regions where a nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease is most prevalentparts of Southern California, Florida, and New York, highlighting the potentially important role of these showerhead bacteria in disease transmission.

There is a fascinating microbial world thriving in your showerhead and you can be exposed every time you shower," Fierer said. "Most of those microbes are harmless, but a few are not, and this kind of research is helping us understand how our own actionsfrom the kinds of water treatment systems we use to the materials in our plumbingcan change the makeup of those microbial communities."

"In terms of what's next, we're hoping to begin to explore, beyond identification and abundance, what is causing this striking geographic variation within the genus Mycobacterium, and what is potentially driving these 'hot spots'," said Gebert.

"And don't worry," he added. "There is definitely no reason to fear showering."

Explore further Researchers find correlation between showerhead bacteria and lung infections

More information: Matthew J. Gebert et al, Ecological Analyses of Mycobacteria in Showerhead Biofilms and Their Relevance to Human Health, mBio (2018). Journal information: mBio Matthew J. Gebert et al, Ecological Analyses of Mycobacteria in Showerhead Biofilms and Their Relevance to Human Health,(2018). DOI: 10.1128/mBio.01614-18
Vietjet annouced plans to buy 50 new Airbus planes

Airbus signed a deal with Vietnamese budget airline Vietjet for 50 new planes worth $6.5 billion in Hanoi on Friday during a visit by the French premier to the fast-growing communist nation where the aviation sector is booming.

The deal for 50 A321neo Airbus planes was part of a raft of agreements signed between Vietnam and France, one of Hanoi's top European trading partners that is eager to boost investments in the former colony.

Vietnamese airlines have been eagerly growing fleets to serve burgeoning passenger numbers, where domestic travel has soared in recent years and international air travel is one the rise.

Vietjet also inked a Memorandum of Understanding worth $5 billion with France's Safran group for 100 engines and equipment maintenance, the document said.

"These contracts reflect the growing intensity of economic ties between the two countries," French Prime Minister Philippe said after the signing.

Vietjet stormed onto Vietnam's airline sector in 2011 when much of the market was dominated by the national carrier Vietnam Airlines.

The country's first budget carrier, owned by Vietnam's only female billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, has raised eyebrows with its racy marketing campaigns featuring nearly-naked models and by staffing inaugural flights with air hostesses wearing bikinis.

In just five years Vietjet quickly caught up with Vietnam Airlines to capture 42 percent of the domestic market in 2016, and 27 percent of the total market, according to data from the CAPA Centre for Aviation.

Over the past two years it has turned its attention to adding more international routes to its roster, including to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, as it seeks to serve Vietnam's growing middle class with a thirstand cashfor travel.

The number of passengers travelling internationally jumped to 30 million in 2017 from 23 million the year before, according to official Vietnam aviation data.

From foes to friends

The French premier is in Vietnam for a three-day visit largely aimed at drumming up business deals with one of Asia's fastest growing economies, which clocked 6.8 percent GDP growth last year.

Both sides signed deals worth a total of nearly $12 billion, including in the energy and IT sectors.

Trade between the former colonial foes has boomed in recent years, and France is now Vietnam's third leading European trading partner after Germany and Italy, with two-way trade hitting $7.6 billion last year, according to the French Prime Minister's office.

Vietnam, an export-driven manufacturing hub with a population of 93 million people, has eagerly courted trading partners in Europe after the United States pulled out of the sprawling Trans-Pacific trade pact that Hanoi stood to gain enormously from.

"France is one of Vietnam's top partners, and is always a priority in Vietnam's foreign policy, we have close and binding exchanges," Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told reporters after the signing Friday.

The French premier sidestepped commenting on thornier topicsincluding Vietnam's dismal rights record and an incoming cybersecurity law that has drawn international scornat the press conference Friday, where journalists were barred from asking questions.

The cyber law set to come into effect in January will increase the government's control over online content and user data, which critics have said will likely be used to further silence dissent in the one-party state.

Philippe is set to visit Dien Bien Phu on Saturday, the site of the epic battle between France and Vietnam in 1954 that would spell the end of France's colonial empire in Indochina and pave the way for Vietnamese independence.

"We share a common past, a tragic past but a common past," Philippe said Friday.

The French premier's trip also includes a stopover in the bustling economic hub Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday where he will inaugurate a French medical centre and host a business forum with French tech entrepreneurs before heading to New Caledonia.

Explore further Google CEO's Vietnam visit gives hope to local startups

 2018 AFP
A laser interacts with Inconel powder inside the EOS DMLS M290 at the Swanson School's ANSYS Additive Manufacturing Research Lab. Credit: Swanson School of Engineering/ANSYS AMRL

Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3-D printing, presents a game-changing opportunity for the space industry to produce complex components with greater efficiency at a lower cost. However, the trial-and-error method currently used to create such parts with limited materials is not suited for components that would need to survive the harsh environment of space.

Thanks to a $750,000 award from NASA, researchers from QuesTek Innovations and the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering will utilize new computer modeling and optimization techniques, combined with a nickel-iron super-alloy, to enable faster adoption of additive manufacturing in various NASA missions.

The principal investigator of the project, "Integrated Computational Material Engineering Technologies for Additive Manufacturing," is Jiadong Gong, Ph.D., technical fellow at QuesTek in Evanston, Ill. Collaborators from the Swanson School's Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science are Assistant Professor Wei Xiong, Ph.D. and Associate Professor Albert To, Ph.D.

The project is one of 20 research and technology proposals funded through Phase II of NASA's competitive Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, which supports NASA's future missions into deep space and benefits the U.S. economy. Selected proposals will support the development of technologies in the areas of aeronautics, science, human exploration and operations, and space technology.

"For as promising as AM is to modern manufacturing, its acceptance by major commercial or government industries like NASA comes down to a lack of confidence in the quality of the part," Dr. Gong said. "The majority of systems are based largely on hand-tuned parameters determined by trial-and-error for a limited set of materials, which is ineffective, costly and can contribute to mission failure."

To offset these problems, QuesTek and Pitt will work together to develop an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) framework for Inconel 718, a commonly used super-alloy preferred for high-temperature environments in aerospace applications. Processing of Inconel will be further designed, and thus better suited for additive manufacturing versus traditional industrial manufacturing techniques, with reduced costs and greater structural integrity than traditional metals.

Drs. Xiong and To will contribute Pitt's expertise in integrated computational mechanical and materials design, supported by AM resources in the Swanson School's ANSYS Additive Manufacturing Research Laboratory and Nanoscale Fabrication & Characterization Facility.

To advance NASA's goal to make these new technologies available commercially, the Pitt/QuesTek team will develop a software tool that can be used by OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to reduce costs and improve AM techniques for other industries such as automotive, biomedical and energy.

"Research partnerships between industry and universities such as Pitt can truly help to advance new technologies, thanks to programs such as those funded by NASA," Dr. Xiong said. "At Pitt, we have focused on process-structure-property optimization and improved computer modeling with advanced alloys to mitigate these issues and improve quality control. Combined with QuesTek's expertise in Materials by Design, we can accelerate the insertion of materials not only for NASA but for commercial industries as well."

Provided by University of Pittsburgh
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Vietnamese workers at Chinese factory in Serbia cry for help

ZRENJANIN, Serbia (AP)  They are shivering in barracks without heat, going hungry and have no money. They say their passports have been taken by their Chinese employer and that they are now stuck in a grim plainland in Serbia with no help from local authorities.

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WASHINGTON -- A court in Uzbekistan has seized a house belonging to a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist, who claims the seizure is an act of political retribution motivated by his work for an independent media outlet.

In an order dated February 12, 2018, a court in the district of Urgench ordered the transfer of Shukrat Babajanovs property to the State, claiming it was uninhabited and citing Article 191 in the countrys Civil Code, which regulates abandoned property. The court also claimed that the property was not listed in the State property registry.

Babajanov has a document showing that the land on which the house is located was granted to him by the State in 1998, when he worked in Uzbekistan as a teacher. He built the house over a number of years, and says that local authorities refused numerous attempts to register it.

The February seizure order was made known to Babajanov only in August, after the six-month term for appealing it had expired.

Babajanov, a Prague-based journalist with RFE/RLs Uzbek Service, says the attempt to confiscate his property follows a pattern of other actions taken by the government against him and his family. He and his brother Khurmat, also an RFE/RL journalist, were stripped of their Uzbek citizenship in 2014, he was designated a persona non grata for artwork offending the State in 2016, and two other brothers, Qudrat and Gayrat, also had their property seized in February.

Despite the late date, Babajanov has appealed the order, and has been informed that the claim is registered with the court and that a preliminary response will be provided the first week of November.

RFE/RLs Uzbek Service, known locally as Radio Ozodlik, has reported about other cases in which Uzbek authorities have confiscated property belonging to dissidents abroad.
My names Will Capers. For almost nine years, Ive blogged on various topics. I blogged as Blaque Ink first, and as Brotha Wolf second. The latter had a mu...

2 years ago
Trying to battle San Francisco housing shortage, developers are building a $8-billion neighborhood  on a former nuclear test site. Tempting fate with a bit too much bravado, the blowback is now becoming nuclear itself.

Developer Five Point dreamed of transforming the abandoned San Francisco Naval Shipyard into a community with 12,000 new homes and some 5 million square feet of office and commercial space, and it won approval to do so in 2010.

But fast forward to the present moment and its a story of delays, scandals and health concerns, and its future is uncertain amid new allegations of a botched cleanup.

According to a pair of reports from academic researchers released earlier this week, the site's poor safety standards could also subject workers and residents to a higher risk of cancer.

A report from the Committee for Bridge the Gap claimed that almost half of the toxic waste-site cleanup was suspect" or has "evidence of potential data manipulation or falsification."

The report said that Navy's cleanup standard for radium, the toxic substance found on the site, is almost 900 times higher than the level permitted by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).

The cleanup is said to have cost $1 billion and was conducted by government contractor Tetra Tech. According to the US Navy, Tetra Techwhich was tasked with testing radioactive contamination at the shipyard from 2002 to 2016--faked soil tests in order to speed up the development project, which is the citys largest.

Tetra Tech whistleblowers first came forward beginning in 2012 with allegations that the cleanup had been faked on the orders of higher-ups at the company.

In May this year, two former Tetra Tech supervisors were sentenced to eight months in prison for falsifying soil tests. For its part, the company admitted in 2014 that it provided fake soil samples, but was allowed to continue working after blaming the problem on low-level employees.

An independent review last December by the EPA found that as much as 97 percent of the cleanup data was unreliable and must be retested.

However, all this Tetra Techs misconduct didnt raised eyebrows at EPA, since agency last year awarded the company with cleanup of Navajo Area abandoned uranium worth $85 million.

Related: Peter Thiels Controversial Big Data Firm Could IPO At $41 Billion

Also in May, a lawsuit was filed against Tetra Tech by 149 residents seeking $27 billion in damages. The suit alleges that the mishandled clean-up exposed residents to toxic materials and put their health at risk. By July, the number of plaintiffs swelled to more than 40,000. The suit is seeking $27 billion in damages.

Late last month, the US government also joined the lawsuit against the company.

Five Point has sold approximately 300-350 newly built homes to current residents, where condos cost up to $1.5 million. The company claims the finished condos are safe because they are built on land that was used for military housing and non-industrial activities.

So far, the neighborhood is home to one of San Francisco's largest developments, including more than 5,000 approved homes and 4 million square feet of commercial space entitled. However, the project has been paused because the Navy won't transfer additional land to the developer until the cleanup is completed.

That so many homes have been sold amid the radiation scare speaks volumes about San Franciscos housing desperation. With the second-highest population density in the U.S. behind New York City, San Franciscos housing market is in a state of crisis.

Demand is growing at an unsustainable clip. Nearly 7,000 people have recently applied to live in a new housing complex that had just 95 units, in one example.

In the Planning Commissions latest Housing Needs and Trends Report, researchers note that San Francisco housing cost burdens have worsened for all but the highest income households.

The median price of a single-family house soared by 11 percent in June compared to a year ago, or by $159,000, to $1.62 million. Median asking rent is $4,680 a month for a 2-bedroom house while median condo price $1.2 million.

All in all, only about 11 percent of San Francisco households can feasibly afford to buy a home at the current price tags.

By Michael Scott for Safehaven.com

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Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community has named Oren Postrel as its new rabbi after the death of Rabbi Lawrence Raphael on March 17, a leader who members say brought a lifetime of teaching and wisdom to the community. Though the Jewish Community has been unable to maintain a full-time rabbi due its smaller sized congregation, they have arranged for the rabbi to visit one weekend a month to lead Sabbath services, teach adult education, and preside over other pastoral duties.
This report was compiled by Lisa Andre. You can reach her at landre@leecentralcoastnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LAndreSYVNews
Education Reporter

Mathew Burciaga is a Santa Maria Times reporter who covers education, agriculture and public safety. Prior to joining the Times, Mathew ran a 114-year-old community newspaper in Wyoming. He owns more than 40 pairs of crazy socks from across the globe.
The Hungarian black comedy Liza the Fox Fairy (read the review) ushered another new talent hailing from the homeland of Bela Tarr, Gyorgy Palfi and Miklos Jancso, in the person of the writer-director Karoly Ujj Meszaros. After the warm reception and award-reaping lap on the international festival circuit, Meszaros finished his sophomore feature x the eXploited, switching gears and trying his hand on a tangled political crime thriller.

Another great talent from contemporary Hungary, director Kornel Mundruczo, surprised lately with a bold stab at the superhero genre, or rather its conventions, embedded within an arthouse drama defined by current socio-political context, Jupiters Moon. Nimrod Antal flew from Hollywood to Hungary to shoot an action-packed thriller adapting the life story of The Whiskey Bandit (read the review) encapsulating the countrys transition into capitalism in a flashy style. Meszaros moved to a slightly different genre department after his feature debut, while acknowledging he would like to continue in the tradition of domestic genre filmmaking, albeit informed by and reflecting ongoing events.

A body hanging in a room on the outskirts of Budapest has been found. Foul play has not been ruled out. Investigative detective Eva (Monika Balsai, who starred as the eponymous Fox Fairy in Meszaros feature debut) is called to examine the scene. She cant stand an actual crime scene and prefers to analyze it through photos. Ambitious detective Zoltan, a recent transplant from the countryside to the capital city corps, strikes a deal with Eva. She found a pattern in a string of suicides, cases that have been smoothly and cleanly closed, never to be unearthed again.

The first 15 minutes of punk titled x the eXploited introduces the established conventions of a murder mystery. Co-written with his regular partner Balint Hegedus, Meszaros forges an unlikely alliance between Eva, a widow with a preternatural talent to analyze crime scenes struggling with her adolescent daughter, mortgage and panic attacks, and cocky Zoltan, who boasts authority mostly because of his gender rather than an actual capacity to burrow through the dirt of crime and corruption in Hungarys capital city.

After re-starting the investigation into a series of fishy suicides examined by Eva, the kind of person who develops an unshakable obsession with the case, sifting through old police documents and materials in the comfort of her humble dwelling in the after-work hours, the plot thickens as the narrative structure swells with a multitude of storylines.

Flashbacks from Eva's happy days lay down a pretext for her panic attacks and an iron will to investigate outside her jurisdiction. A parallel narrative line, about a wealthy man being tortured and left for dead in an upscale villa, seems completely out of context, although it will soon find its relevance to the central plotline along a sideline strand following the hardships of Evas daughter in high school and the painful lack of a father (figure).

Meszaros upends the state of disorder adding regular references to the looming elections, a mysterious figure disseminating an anarchy manifesto, and a shadowy lady who seems to be acting from behind the scenes. The director spends the next 114 minutes folding the many elements and narrative strands into a confluent plotline of personal and national tragedy.

The complexity of the film's structure extends beyond the usual genre conventions, while the influence of Scandi-Noir is easily identifiable from the get-go. What Meszaros is doing is transforming a murder mystery into a political thriller addressing the collective culprit instead of an individual perpetrator. The Whiskey Bandit marked the transition from communism to capitalism and its impact on individuals, while Meszaros approaches the socio-political leitmotif from the opposite perspective, as the echoes and specters of the communist era remain still vitally embalmed and active in the upper echelons under the veil of democracy.

It must have been a daunting quest for Gyula Mozes, who acquired experiences in the editorial departments of Hellboy II, Just the Wind or Metallica Through the Never, to edit Meszaros sprawling vision of a crime mystery, political thriller and socio-psychological drama and its several layers and timelines without appearing too labyrinthine for general audiences to navigate. Meszaros' opus thus wields a cyclical structure and the pattern of repetition, not solely as a structural aspect, but encoded into the ultimate message as well.

Cycles, murder doppelgangers and a host of personal side stories of secondary and tertiary characters fold onto the grand design of the sprawling political murder mystery, incorporating a large scope of different perspectives on the same country in a pivotal moment. Contrary to The Whiskey Bandit, which was run mainly as a one-man-show, Meszaros embraces the plural mode denoting society and the nation in an inter-generational chain.

The diffusive narrative arrangement proves a rich ground for red herrings and a couple of longer build-ups may end up in abrupt anticlimaxes. Such tactics remain understandable from the genre viewpoint of the film, however, some instances seem unnecessarily time-consuming. Evas panic attacks and anxiety as a defining trait of the protagonist turns out to be a plot device to foster a minor twist and a supply of flashbacks tracing its origin.

More elements of x the eXploited comes from this rulebook, when it is not clear whether they were intended to be an inherent part of the narrative fabric or just a more elaborate plot device. Such schizophrenia consumes Evas daughter, who enjoys generous screen time, eventually emerging as a symbol of the young generation. However, the autonomy of the character in the fictional world of x the eXploited gets incrementally suppressed as the plot crescendoes, ultimately winding up merely as a pawn and leverage in political mind games against her mother, thus thwarting the unrolling synecdoche.

Anyhow, Karoly Ujj Meszaros made a timely story, inspired by the rift in society, not only divided by recent Orban iron rule or populist tendencies swirling around Europe and the world. x the eXploited encapsulates fear and anxieties as Meszaros transposes the Nordic Crime formula into Eastern European aesthetics.

The film falls right in between the referential points of genre-driven The Whiskey Bandit and contemplative Jupiters Moon, although the middle ground is not that easy to market. The wide palette of characters and their side-plots makes the film a great fit for mini-series template, although the genre audience might find it a bit too long and spread out for its own good.


Austal, a top Australia defence firm reports also working with the United States Navy has suffered a serious security breach.

Austal, a top Australia defence firm reports working with the US Navy has suffered a serious security breach, hackers accessed to personnel files and that it was the subject of an extortion attempt.

Austal reported the data breach to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on Thursday evening, it also notified affected stakeholders.

Austal Limited (ASX:ASB) advised that its Australian business has detected and responded to a breach of the companys data management systems by an unknown offender. reads the data breach notification published by the company.

Austal Australias Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) team have restored the security and integrity of the companys data systems and have implemented, and continues to implement, additional security measures to prevent further breaches. A small number of stakeholders who were potentially directly impacted have been informed.

Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and the Australian Federal Police have launched an investigation on the security breach.

According to the company the security breach has had no impact on ongoing operations, experts also pointed out the Austals business in the United States was not affected by the incident because it leverages on a separate IT infrastructure.

Austal claimed that the breach doesnt expose information affecting national security or the commercial operations of the company.

No company wants to lose control of its information, but there is no evidence to date to suggest that information affecting national security nor the commercial operations of the company have been stolen: ship design drawings which may be distributed to customers and fabrication sub-contractors or suppliers are neither sensitive nor classified. continues the notification.

Hackers gained access to the personnel email addresses and mobile phone numbers, attackers purported to offer them for sale online and engage in extortion.

Following the breach the offender purported to offer certain materials for sale on the internet and engage in extortion. The company has not and will not respond to the extortion attempts. continues the note.

Australias department of defence declared it can confirm that no compromise of classified or sensitive information or technology has been identified so far.

Austal has manufactured over 260 vessels for more than 100 operators in its 28-year history, it has won a contract to build littoral combat ships for the US Navy.

Defence contractors are a privileged target for hackers, stolen information could be used in targeted attacks or can be resold on the cybercrime underground. Recently experts from the Italian cyber security firm Yoroi uncovered a mysterious hacking campaign aimed at Italian Naval industry companies.

Pierluigi Paganini

( Security Affairs  Austal, data breach)

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 Pew reports on persons on probation or parole in US | Main | "The Biased Algorithm: Evidence of Disparate Impact on Hispanics" 

As reported in this lengthy local article,"inmate Edmund Zagorski died at 7:26 p.m. CDT Thursday after Tennessee prison officials electrocuted him with the electric chair." Here is more:

He is the 134th person put to death by Tennessee since 1916 and the second person this year after Billy Ray Iricks execution by lethal injection on Aug. 9. He is the first person to die by electric chair since Daryl Horton's execution in 2007.

Zagorski was convicted in the April 1983 murders of John Dale Dotson, of Hickman County, and Jimmy Porter, of Dickson. Prosecutors argued Zagorski lured them into the woods in Robertson County with the promise to sell them marijuana, and then he shot them, slit their throats and stole their money.

Two minutes before it was set to begin at 7 p.m., the U.S. Supreme Court denied Zagorski's appeal on the grounds of the unconstitutionality of choosing between the electric chair and lethal injection....

Eight people believed to be family members of the victims entered the prison to witness the execution. They waited in front of a covered large window that looked into the execution chamber where on the other side of the glass Zagorski sat pinned in the electric chair, held down by buckles and straps with electrodes fastened to his feet.

The blinds opened for the rest of the witnesses to see Zagorski dressed in his cotton clothes, smiling and grimacing to the group. Zagorski pronounced his last words: "Lets rock." He sat smiling in the wired chair as prison staff placed a wet sponge, which had been soaked in salt, and a metal helmet on his freshly shaven head.

Zagorski raised his eyebrows, appearing to be communicating with his attorney Kelley Henry. She sat while nodding and tapping her heart, looking at Zagorski. I told him, when I put my hand over my heart, that was me holding him in my heart, Henry told The Tennessean. She said Zagorski smiled, to encourage her to smile back. Then his face was covered with a black shroud.

The warden gave the signal to proceed. Zagorski lifted his right hand several times in what looked like attempts to wave, before he clenched his hands into a fist as the first current ran 1,750 volts of electricity through his body for 20 seconds.

There was a short pause before the second jolt was administered for 15 seconds. The doctor overseeing the death appeared in view to check on Zagorskis vitals. Zagorski was dead. The blinds into the chamber closed....

Zagorski was set to die three weeks ago. His request to die by electric chair saved his life  at least for a few weeks, when Gov. Bill Haslam granted reprieve three hours before his scheduled execution on Oct. 11. The move bought the state time to prep the chair during last-minute legal wrangling.

Zagorski requested death by electric chair with hope that death would come instantaneously  the lesser of two evils compared to lethal injection, argued federal public defender Kelley Henry.
Nov 2 (Reuters) - Itochu Corp on Friday booked a $1.3 billion loss on its investment in China's Citic Ltd , blaming trade tension between China and the U.S. for the writedown on its biggest corporate transaction.

The announcement was made while releasing quarterly earnings as Japan's trading houses sounded a warning about the Chinese economy and the impact of Sino-U.S. trade friction that is being felt far and wide.

"In light of the current status of the trade conflicts between the U.S. and China, Itochu considered the uncertainty of the economic outlook in China, where Citic Ltd, conducts its primary business activities, was increasing," the Japanese trading house said.

An executive said the impact of the trade dispute is likely to be worse next year.

Itochu, along with Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Group, in 2015 invested $10 billion in Citic, taking 20 percent of the Hong Kong-listed unit of China oldest and biggest conglomerate. Itochu's share was the biggest investment made by a Japanese company into China.

The trading house is taking an impairment loss of 143.3 billon yen ($1.3 billion) on the stake because it uses equity accounting for the investment and judged that Citic's share price will not recover in the short term, it said.

It also said profit for the six months through September was up 6.4 percent at 258 billion yen. It maintained its forecast for 500 billion yen profit in the year through March 31, 2018.

Marubeni Corp also sounded the alarm about China, along with tension in the Middle East, during its earnings release in which it reported a 45 percent increase in profit.

"Trade frictions in response to U.S. policy and changes in the Middle East situation increasingly cast a pall of uncertainty over the entire global economy," Marubeni said.

It maintained its forecast for 230 billion yen annual profit.

Sumitomo Corp, which announced earnings on Thursday, highlighted a "lack of transparency in the outlook due to U.S.-China trade issues," while reporting a 16 percent increase in profit for the six months through September.

Mitsubishi Corp on Friday raised its profit forecast due to higher coking coal output and strong commodity prices.

The company also released a new business plan and aims to boost profit to 900 billion yen in the year through March 31, 2022, from a forecast of 640 billion yen for the current financial year. ($1 = 113.0100 yen) (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Writing by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
Singapore is the modern business hub where every investor wants to be. With a rich business scene and many important, smart and innovative people choosing to relocate there to be in the middle of things, there is no wonder that Singapore has become the dream for start-ups. In 2018, in Singapore, there have been many small businesses taking the lead and making a name for themselves in the top industries in this part of the world. With a rich history, Singapore is the proof that with hard work, community involvement, and the desire to move forward, you can turn an unknown place into the trendiest business hub in the world where almost every business is profitable.

With these thoughts in minds, lets see the top most successful small businesses in 2018 in Singapore!

99.co

99.co is a new business on the market that focuses on real-estate markets in Singapore. Singapore is among the top 10 markets worldwide if we talk about real estate. 99.co is an engine that uses algorithms to connect properties and house-hunters and makes the process of finding a home easier. The startup is founded by Darius Cheung, known as an ambitious entrepreneur. It seems that 99.co followed the right business trends and raised $7.9 million from investors. We will probably be hearing more about them in the future.

Active.ai

The second small business on our list is Active.ai, a financial service platform that wants to help customers connect easier with banks through micro-conversations. The startup was founded by Parikshit Paspulati, Shankar Narayanan and Ravi Shankar in 2017 and has grown into a real business ever since. It raised more than $8 million from investors like Dream Incubator, Ventures India, Creditease and Kalaari Capital, to get things going.

Chope

After an artificial intelligence startup, we have something for foodies as well. Chope was founded 7 years ago in 2011, and it seems to be the most preferred system to book restaurant tables in Asia. With this software, you can make a reservation at almost 2000 restaurants in Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta, Phuket or Bali. The small business belongs to Arrif Ziaudeen, and its now on an ascending trend: it raised $13 million from investors such as C31 Ventures, Moelis Australia or Square Peg Capital.

Story continues

CoinPip

CoinPip is an innovative startup that was designed to help businesses make use of blockchain technology to pay remote freelancers. The startup was founded 4 years ago, in 2014, by Alexander Angerer, Anson Zeall and Arseniy Kuckerenko. CoinPip completes transactions between banks in less than 48hrs with a cost of 70pc or less.

Datarama

Datarama is a platform for investors and bankers that make use of an interactive map designed to help financial crime investors and compliance officers tackle vital information. The startup was founded 3 years ago, in 2015 by Raphael Bouzy. The small business processes data from over 600,000 companies and over 700,000 individuals. Datarama gained support from TC Capital.

Greyloft

Greyloft is an innovative start-up that focuses on real estate in our era. The company works with real-estate agents, trying to fix a real-estate model that has some drawbacks. The start-up was founded by Archit Agarwal and Siddhesh Narayanan, two ex-bankers who are looking forward to bring change to this system. The company has raised funds from investors such as Wavemaker, Cub Capital, JFDI or Tigris Capital.

Honestbee

Honestbee is designed to make peoples lives easier. What does this start-up do? It collects groceries and hawker food and delivers it to your door within one hour. Honestbee is a mobile application that works to support local communities and encourage the employment of multiple categories of people  stay-at-home parents, part-time shoppers, students or caregivers. The company was founded 4 years ago, in 2014, and has raised an impressive sum of $15 million from investors, such as Formation 8. Honestbee was founded by Jonathan Low, Isaac Tay, and Joel Sng.

Mighty Bear Games

Mighty Bear Games has an interesting story behind it. It was founded in the same period when king.com office in Singapore was closed and bought by Activision. The company has, as a main focus, multiplayer online games and wants to make mobile usage for games more popular. Mighty Bear Games has been created by game talents from LucasArts, EA, King, Ubisoft, Disney, Jagex, and Gameloft. The small business has risen over $700,000 from investors and will not stop here!

Nugit

Nugit is a big-data company that focuses on gathering marketing insights from the biggest online players in the world, such as Google or Facebook. This innovative business creates reports for marketers with all the necessary data for them, cutting the noise out. The company was founded by David Sanderson, and it already raised over $5 million from investors funds just last year. A small business to watch!

oBike

Another small business that follows trends and has grown a lot since it was founded; oBike is already present in 30 cities in Australia and Asia. The small business focused on bicycle-sharing and created a dockless system for it. The start-up was founded just last year by Edward Chen. How does it work? oBikes bicycles come with built-in locks that work through the Bluetooth technology. You can leave it anywhere you want when you finish your journey. oBike was founded by Grab, which is the main competitor of Uber in Asia. Grishin Robotics also invested in this innovative start-up.

ShopBack

ShopBack is a small company focused on helping shoppers access discounts and deals on their partner merchants. It was founded 4 years ago, in 2014, by Henry Chan, Bryan Chua, and Joel Leong and has already raised over $20 million from Credit Saison, the main investor of the project.

Owning an innovative small business in Singapore is not easy, especially, with such a dynamic market where more and more companies want to earn a profit. Following the business trends and attracting investors with your bright idea is the key to making your business profitable. These start-ups succeeded in the Singapore market and will probably keep on growing in the following years as well.

Here are some other interesting articles you should check out:

(By Taha Khan)

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China has invited the UN Security Council for a visit this month that will showcase its growing support for peacekeeping and include a tour of the modern cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou, the UN ambassador said on Thursday. The visit will highlight China's role as a global player at a time when the United States is pulling back from multilateral institutions like the United Nations. As part of its Security Council presidency for November, China is also planning a debate on strengthening multilateralism and the role of the United Nations. The council trip to Beijing and southern China marks a departure from the usual visits to conflict areas. China's United Nations Ambassador Ma Zhaoxu called the trip a "side event" instead of a formal visit. After the United States, China is the second largest financial contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget, but is the largest troop contributor of the council's five permanent members. About 2,500 Chinese peacekeepers are serving in complex missions in South Sudan, Mali, Sudan's Darfur region and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Council ambassadors will tour a defense ministry training facility near Beijing, established for an 8,000-strong reserve force for UN peace operations. "China is one of the major contributors to UN peacekeeping operations. We are attaching more and more importance to UN peacekeeping operations," both financially and in terms of resources, Ma told a news conference. The stops at Shenzhen and Guangzhou will allow ambassadors to get a feel for China's development and reforms, he added. The visit is expected to take place around November 22 to 25. Next week, China will chair a debate on strengthening multilateralism that follows calls during the UN gathering of world leaders in September to defend global institutions in the face of a US retreat. President Donald Trump's administration has cut funding to the United Nations, pulled out of the UN Human Rights Council and walked away from UN-backed agreements including the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal. The November 9 debate will seek to shore up support for the United Nations. The Chinese ambassador said "international rules and multilateral mechanisms are being undermined", creating a world "filled with uncertainties and destabilizing factors."
Chinas ruling Communist Party sent a strong message on Wednesday that it will significantly alter its economic policy course to respond to growing economic headwinds resulting from the trade war with the United States.

The shift was signalled in a statement after a meeting of the Politburo, the partys top policymaking body, which analysts agreed marked an important change in tone compared to three months ago.

Past Politburo statements emphasised the three battles  of financial risk control, poverty alleviation and pollution curbs  that formed the core elements of President Xi Jinpings economic plan. Reducing debt and excess industrial capacity were also top priorities. But these concerns were not mentioned in the most recent statement.

Instead, it indicated that the immediate economic threat posed by the US trade war was forcing a mid-course correction in economic policy.

Wednesdays statement expressed concerns about growing downward pressure on the economy from a hostile international environment and noted many difficulties with certain enterprises and the emergence of risks accumulated over long periods of time.

We need to attach great importance to this situation and be more forward-looking to respond in a timely manner, it said.

We have to enhance reform and opening up to focus on core problems with targeted solutions  We must get our own things done and firmly seek high-quality growth.

The reference to the three battles, along with a positive reading of the economic situation as stable with good momentum, had been constants in Beijings official documents since December 2015, when Xis supply-side structural reforms concept came into shape at the annual central economic conference.

Since then, there have been nine meetings discussing the Chinese economy and summaries of the first eight included the same economic policy mantra. The change in wording in the statement from Wednesdays meeting, therefore, was very important, economists said.

Story continues

Beijing finally realises the mounting challenges, Nomura economists led by Lu Ting wrote in a note. At the same time, Beijing is yet to make clear statements to address some key barriers.

Chinas most powerful inner circle generally meets behind closed doors to discuss the economy on a quarterly basis  in April, July, October and December  with official media releasing tightly controlled statements afterwards.

These public disclosures are brief and reveal little about the internal debate in the meetings. Still, the wording is carefully chosen, offering some clues for observers to interpret Beijings thinking and to make calls about the outlook for specific policies.

For instance, the Politburo meeting in December 2017, a month after US President Donald Trump visited Beijing, underscored the leaderships buoyant mood about Chinas economic role in the world. China has become an important source of power and stabiliser for global economic growth, and Chinas influence over the world economy and Chinas voice in global governance has greatly improved, the Politburo said in its statement then. This would allow China to focus on its domestic battles and make efforts to keep the leverage ratio under control, the Chinese leaders decided.

But just a few months later, the trade war between China and the US began, with economic growth quickly losing momentum and Chinas stock market becoming one of the worst performing in the world.

Chinese experts filtered trade war advice to Beijing policymakers



Fudan University economics professor Li Weisen said debate was intense among academics and government advisers over the proper course for Chinese economic policy.

The general consensus is that the Chinese economy is facing downward pressure and the pressure will only grow, Li said. But theres no agreement on what to do about this  some are arguing for boosting investment but others may not agree.

Its a very delicate moment.

The latest Politburo statement also included new lines about protecting the private economy and boosting the stock market. And at a symposium on Thursday, Xi assured a group of private business owners that they would be protected by the party.

At the same time, Wednesdays statement left out previous comments about accelerating infrastructure investment and regulating the housing market.

Ding Shuang, chief China economist at Standard Chartered, said Beijing was ready to take a pro-growth stance in setting policy.

Now the priority is to boost infrastructure investment, to cut taxes, and to ease monetary and credit policies ... all will be implemented very quickly, Ding said.

He said deleveraging, a catchphrase that was once at the centre of Chinas economic policy mix, was no longer the priority.

George Magnus, a research associate at the University of Oxford China Centre and author of Red Flags: Why Xis China is in Jeopardy, said the tweaks in monetary and fiscal policies would not be enough to lift the Chinese economy out of its troubles.

Magnus said that while Xi had enhanced the control of the state and party in the economy, the right alternative would be bringing more market mechanisms into play and allowing the state to retreat or lessen so that there could be transfer of wealth from the public to the private sector, a recalibration of the states role, and a greater role for private decision-making.

Thats easy to say but its hugely political and would involve greater reliance on an independent judicial system, neutral contract enforcement, a competition and regulatory environment ... This is simplely not what Xis China is about, he said.

This article China signals big shift in economic course due to US trade war headwinds first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

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United States navy chief Admiral John Richardson on Thursday said China should abide by a code of conduct for unplanned encounters at sea, as this would reduce chances of an incident or potential escalation of tensions if the two navies met.

His comments, made in Australia during his four-country tour of the Indo-Pacific, came a day after his stop in the Philippines, where he made clear the US Navy would continue patrolling the disputed South China Sea as part of its programme of freedom of navigation operations.

Last month, the Chinese missile destroyer Luoyang almost collided with the US warship USS Decatur near disputed islands in the South China Sea. The US described the move by the Chinese destroyer as unsafe, while the Chinese defence ministry said the Decatur had been warned off after venturing into Chinese waters.

China and several Southeast Asian nations have conflicting territorial claims on the South China Sea. While not a claimant in the waterway, the US has repeatedly said it must patrol the waters to maintain freedom of navigation and the peaceful resolution of disputes under international maritime law.

China views the US freedom of navigation activities as an encroachment by an outside power on its territorial waters and a threat to its sovereignty and security. In a statement earlier this month, Chinas defence ministry said it would take all steps necessary to protect its sovereignty.

We steam in the same waters as the Chinese Navy in the South China Sea, and encounters happen frequently. The vast majority are conducted in accordance with the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea. Rarely, there is a departure from that  for example, Chinese ship behaviour with respect to the USS Decatur, Richardson said in a press briefing by telephone from Canberra.

We advocate for a return and consistent adherence to the Code, to minimise the chance for a miscalculation that could lead to a local incident or potential escalation, he said.

Story continues

Richardson has visited Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia, and is heading to New Zealand tomorrow. His tour comes in the wake of the first joint maritime exercise between China and Asean that concluded last week.

Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam sent ships to the exercise, while Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar sent observers. China heralded the exercise as a significant step in promoting a community of common destiny between China and Asean.

Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said he saw two deliberate intentions in the timing of the visit.

The first is to reassure its partners that the US is not a troublemaker as it is being construed by China, that the US is a stabilising power, he said.

Beyond the feel-good generated by the Asean-China joint exercises, Asean states remain wary of China and its long-term intentions. [And the second, the] US is here to reassure its partners that it will continue to maintain its stance on international law and freedom of navigation.

At the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting in Singapore last month, Asean announced its intention to conduct joint maritime exercises with the United States in 2019. Though Richardson did not specify details, he said this exercise would complement Aseans leadership role in regional stability.

We look forward to engaging in this exercise with Asean, he said. This provides a nice completeness in terms of ASEANs engagement in the region.

Richardson characterised the US presence in Pacific waters as a bid to promote its commitment to a set of rules and norms that have created stability on the high seas necessary for global economic growth.

This free and open set of rules and norms have enabled tremendous growth in the region, lifting millions of people out of poverty. [We are here] advocating for those norms and rules that have enabled access to markets and free trade on navigable waterways, he said.

China is a growing nation engaging in strategic expansion, and we should not be surprised that their maritime activity is increasing.

As the US remains consistently engaged in the Pacific, we will continue to see each other on the high seas.

This article China should stick to code of conduct at sea: US Navy chief first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
European ambassadors and foreign business lobbies are calling on China to introduce "bold" and concrete market reforms at a Shanghai trade fair next week that the government touts as proof of its commitment to opening up. President Xi Jinping on Monday formally kicks off the week-long China International Import Expo (CIIE), which will gather more than 3,000 foreign businesses from 130 countries seeking to sell their products in China's market. Xi has raised expectations by saying it will be unlike any trade fair staged in the country and help reduce the massive trading surpluses it runs with other countries such as the United States. In a phone call with Donald Trump on Thursday, Xi told the US president the expo "shows Chinas willingness to increase imports and open further", according to an account by Chinese state media. But trading partners and foreign firms remain sceptical, saying China continually backtracks on promises. The EU Chamber of Commerce in China urged leaders to "move beyond rhetoric" in a position paper released Friday. "The reform deficit has already sparked serious tensions with Chinas major trading partners, so it is imperative that the government makes a concerted effort to address the issue at all levels," it said. Foreign government and business groups complain over preferential treatment accorded to Chinese firms, requirements that foreign companies form joint ventures with Chinese enterprises, forced technology transfer, intellectual property violations and restrictive red tape. Trump has targeted such complaints in his escalating trade battle with China that has seen both sides impose tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods. It remains unknown whether China will unveil any substantive measures next week to address the long-standing complaints. The French and German ambassadors to Beijing said in a commentary published in Chinese media on Thursday that the expo was an opportunity to "level the playing field". French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert and Germany's Clemens von Goetze wrote that the time was right, with China nearing next month's 40th anniversary of its historic shift toward economic reforms, urging Beijing to give that effort "fresh impetus". China is pivoting from an economic model dominated by export manufacturing and investment toward one based increasingly on domestic consumer demand, and the expo purports to welcome more foreign imports. The United States last week said it will not send "high-level" representation to the expo, instead calling on China to "end its unfair trade practices". Kenneth Jarrett, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, said the association wants the expo to be "an event with lasting consequences". "We would like CIIE to mark a turning point in Chinese trade policies. But any measures the Chinese government announces to change its current trading practices must be real and verifiable," Jarrett said. "Experience has repeatedly shown that regulatory obfuscation and foot-dragging become barriers to fair trade, even when the government has purportedly opened sectors to investment."
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Thursday called into question his country's support for a United Nations migration pact set to be adopted in December, following rejections by the United States, Hungary and Austria. "I don't like the pact. It's not clearly interpreted and it could be abused," Babis, whose centre-left cabinet is set to discuss the issue next week, said in parliament. "The United States have pulled out, Hungary too, now Austria, and Poland is debating it as well," he added. The Global Compact for Migration, whose final text was agreed in July after 18 months of negotiations is set to be adopted during a conference in Morocco on December 10-11. It lays out 23 objectives to open up legal migration and better manage migratory flows as the number of people on the move worldwide has increased to 250 million, or three percent of the world's population. The United States quit talks on the pact last December, Hungary's anti-immigration prime minister Viktor Orban rejected it in July and Austria followed suit on Wednesday. Babis, a Slovak-born billionaire, has taken a strict anti-migrant stance, refusing to accept a single refugee despite pleas from western European EU partners.
End the trade war with China or miss out on future growth, ex-World Bank economist warns US

If the United States maintains its trade war with China it will miss out on the benefits of the Asian nations future growth, a former chief economist with the World Bank and senior economic adviser to Beijing said in Hong Kong on Thursday.

Unlike other emerging economies like Russia, India, Brazil and Turkey, China has good investment opportunities to realise its growth potential, said Justin Lin Yifu, who is also a professor at Peking University.

And if the US misses out on those opportunities, they will be snapped up by other players, like Japan, South Korea and the European Union, he said.

As long as China keeps growing, it will have to import more and the market will be available to other economies if the US does not want to compete within it, Lin said in his keynote speech at an event organised by the think tank Our Hong Kong Foundation titled Chinas New Economic Era in the Face of Escalating Trade Conflicts.

He predicted that Chinas economy would continue to grow even if the trade war lasted for decades. For instance, if the trade conflict continued until 2050, he said, Chinas economic growth rate would slip to about 6 per cent from now until 2020, before slowing to 4.5 per cent between 2021 and 2035, and to 3.5 per cent from 2036 to 2050.

The reasons for Chinas strong growth potential is its high savings rate, strong fiscal position and US$3 trillion worth of foreign exchange reserves, Lin said.

A former Taiwanese military officer who defected to the mainland in 1979, Lin is a firm supporter of the Chinese model for economic development and has taken part in many conferences attended by President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. He was chief economist and senior vice-president of the World Bank from 2008 to 2012.

In response to the trade war with the United States, China should continue to deepen its reforms and open up its economy in areas in which it lags, Lin said, adding that China should also seek to stimulate economic growth through investment and consumption.

Story continues

Chinas excess production capacity is in industries that produce goods with low to medium added value, but any future investment should be in high value-added sectors and environmental protection, he said.

Since the trade tensions with the US started to escalate in the summer, Beijing has instituted extensive but modest policy support measures to bolster the economy. These include mild monetary easing and fiscal measures consisting of targeted infrastructure investment and small individual tax cuts.

The Communist Partys top policymaking body, the Politburo, agreed on Wednesday that there was growing downward pressure on the economy due to profound changes in the external environment, Xinhua reported.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers index fell more than expected in October, led by weak export orders, while the Caixin PMI rose slightly but remained at a very low level. Goldman Sachs said the data pointed to an overall softening of growth momentum in the manufacturing sector.

While the worsening data and the Politburos comments suggest further policy measures to come, they have also led to questions about Chinas ability to proceed with the market liberalisation and reform of state-owned enterprises that many analysts say are crucial to solving the underlying problems behind the weakness in the economy and the stock market.

ING Bank estimated that China would come up with an economic stimulus package of between 9 trillion and 10 trillion yuan (US$1.29 trillion to US$1.43 trillion), or about the same as it did in 2009 to combat the effects of the global financial crisis.

However, Zhang Weiying, an economist and professor at Peking University, recently argued that using the China model  which comprises a powerful one-party state, a huge state sector and a top-down industrial policy  to explain the countrys economic success over the past four decades was wrong and dangerous, saying the misconception had inevitably led to antagonism between China and the West.

Continuing to promote such a model would lead to a strengthening of state-owned enterprises, increased state power and an overreliance on industrial policy, Zhang said.

And that in turn would reverse any progress made as a result of the countrys reforms and mean the eventual stagnation of economic growth, he said.

This article End the trade war with China or miss out on future growth, ex-World Bank economist warns US first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
They are demanding Google end its practice of forced arbitration, which prevents its staff from filing lawsuits against the company

Google staff in Singapore stage walkout.

Google employees across all its over 40 offices worldwide are staging walkouts to protest the companys mishandling of sexual misconduct.

The first walkout was held in Singapore, though, it was likely conducted only within the confines of Googles office. The country has stringent rules governing public demonstrations; registered organisers are only allowed to hold them at the Speakers Corner, a small park near the CBD.

Googles employees are in an uproar over their company after an explosive New York Times article found that three cases of senior executives sexual harassing their subordinates  and, in one instance, an interviewee  were covered up.

The most prominent case involved Andy Rubin, the founder of Googles Android platform: a female employee had accused him of forcing her into conducting oral sex in a hotel room.

While her claim was founded to be credible, the company did not fire Rubin; Co-founder Larry Page only asked for his resignation.

In addition, Rubin was given a substantial exit package of US$90 million. He left the company in 2014.

Rubin has refuted the New York Times report, claiming that it contained many inaccuracies and that it was part of a smear campaign by his ex-wife Rie Rubin, an ex-Google employee.

In another case, Amit Singhal, the ex-Head of Google Search, was accused of groping a female colleague at an off-site event in 2015. Once again, the company did not dismiss the offender; it negotiated with Singhal a multimillion-dollar exit package.

Singhal went on to join Uber as Senior Vice President of Engineering, in 2017, but was asked to resign only weeks later when Recode informed Ubers executives about his sexual misconduct case at Google. Singhal has denied any wrongdoing.

Also Read: Todays top tech news, Oct 26: Google fires 48 for sexual harassment over past 2 years

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And finally, in 2013, Richard DeVaul, Head of Alphabets research lab Google X, was accused of asking an interviewee to take off her shirt so he could offer her a backrub. The incident took place at the art festival Burning Man.

The interviewee did not get the job, and reported the incident to Google only two years later. Google assured her that appropriate action was taken but told her not to publicise the matter.

DeVaul has publicly apologised for his error of judgement and resigned from the company on Tuesday, without an exit package.

In all three sexual misconduct cases, Google kept knowledge of them from the public sphere and even its own employees.

Googles employees are now demanding that the company enact these five changes:

An end to Force Arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination (this would enable victims to file lawsuits against Google). A commitment to end pay and opportunity equity. A publicly disclosed sexual harassment transparency report. A clear, uniform, globally inclusive process for reporting sexual misconduct policy safely and anonymously. Elevate the Chief Diversity Officer to answer directly to the CEO and make recommendations directly to the Board of Director. In addition, appoint an Employee Representative to the Board.

In an internal email obtained by Axios, Googles CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledged the companys failure in handling past sexual harassment adequately. He pledged support for the employees who walked out and promised to take a harder line in addressing future cases. Heres the email in full, courtesy of Axios:

Hi everyone, Since last week, Ive heard from many of you. Some of you wrote me personally. Others have shared their thoughts with leaders and fellow Googlers. One thing thats become clear to me is that our apology at TGIF didnt come through, and it wasnt enough. We hear you. So first, let me say that I am deeply sorry for the past actions and the pain they have caused employees. Larry mentioned this on stage last week, but it bears repeating: if even one person experiences Google the way the New York Times article described, we are not the company we aspire to be. I understand the anger and disappointment that many of you feel. I feel it as well, and I am fully committed to making progress on an issue that has persisted for far too long in our society and, yes, here at Google, too. As CEO, its been personally important to me that we take a much harder line on inappropriate behavior. We have taken many steps to do so, and know our work is still not done. Over the past two years, we have terminated 48 people, including 13 senior managers and above for sexual harassment. None of these people received an exit package. And to clarify: in that time, we have also not provided any exit packages to executives who departed voluntarily in the course of a sexual harassment investigation. Some of you have raised very constructive ideas for how we can improve our policies and our processes going forward. I am taking in all your feedback so we can turn these ideas into action. We will have more to share soon. In the meantime, Eileen will make sure managers are aware of the activities planned for Thursday and that you have the support you need.



Image Credit: Twitter

The post Google staff stage walkout to protest sexual misconduct, starting in Singapore appeared first on e27.
Hong Kong prisons to test new CCTV system that can detect suspicious behaviour by inmates

Hong Kong prisons are set to test a new system within the next two months that can detect suspicious behaviour by inmates.

The smart prison project  a move to modernise the citys correctional facilities  was one of the initiatives Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor raised in her policy address last month.

Revealing more details in the Legislative Council on Friday morning, security minister John Lee Ka-chiu said prisons would install a new CCTV system with a video analytics function that could detect erratic and aggressive motions by prisoners, looking out for fights and suicide attempts.

When suspicious movement was detected, the system would send an alert to prison staff.

If there is a fight in the canteen, the motion would be different from the quiet state, like in usual circumstances, Lee said.

Experts gathered lots of data and input it into the system so that the computer can analyse [the captured motion]. The authorities can draw manpower instantly and intervene in a fight if notified about abnormal behaviour.

Prison officers currently monitor inmates via frequent patrols and by watching real-time CCTV footage.

A government source said the upgraded surveillance system did not mean a guard-free prison  the new tool was meant to enhance prison management, not replace staff.

Correctional officers currently sit in front of the CCTV monitors and focus on every image. They will still be in the seat after the systems upgrade. But the super computer would be more sensitive and could pick up abnormal events more quickly, the source said.

It serves as another [set of] eyes and ears.

A spokeswoman for the Correctional Services Department confirmed to the Post that the authority planned to conduct a trial in several night cells of Pik Uk Prison, a minimum security institution in Sai Kung for adults, by end of this year.

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Lee said in Legco that the authorities had consulted the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data and added that the technology would not breach any privacy laws.

Singapore began a trial of a similar surveillance system at Changi Prison earlier this year. The human behaviour detection system, called Avatar, also applies video analytics algorithms to inmate motion.

Another IT upgrade in Hong Kong prisons would be the introduction of smart wristbands in medical wards to keep track of prisoners vital signs.

The trial will commence in early 2019  [the wristband] can monitor the pulse rates of persons in custody admitted to the hospital of Lo Wu Correctional Institution. It will help staff on duty monitor [inmates] physical condition, the spokeswoman added.

This article Hong Kong prisons to test new CCTV system that can detect suspicious behaviour by inmates first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
A Japanese journalist held hostage in Syria for more than three years said the media must continue to take risks covering warzones to keep the world's attention focused on those caught up in conflicts. Jumpei Yasuda, 44, was kidnapped in Syria the same day he entered the country in June 2015, sparking a lengthy ordeal that he described as "hell". The freelance journalist has faced harsh criticism in some quarters of Japan for venturing into an active warzone. But he defended himself on Friday during his first press conference in Japan since his release last month. "When there are things like a violent conflict happening somewhere on earth, there is absolutely a need for journalists who will go there and see what is happening," he said. "You need information from third parties, not just information from governments." Syria's grinding civil war has cost over 360,000 lives since it broke out in 2011 and quickly became hugely dangerous for reporters with dozens kidnapped, some of them murdered by their captors. Yasuda, who had previously reported from Syria's frontlines, said he was not sure whether he would return to the country or cover future warzones. But he said he hoped his high-profile case would draw attention to Syria's civil war. "I hope people will become interested in what's happening there (in Syria) and what will happen in the future," he said. - Beaten and isolated - Yasuda said he was kidnapped as he crossed into Syria from Turkey along a smuggling route by a group of men who pretended they were there to help him enter the country. "It was my basic mistake. An unimaginable mistake," he said. He said he was transferred multiple times during his ordeal, adding his treatment ranged from tolerable to torturous. He described being beaten, prevented from moving or making any sound for days on end and being kept in complete isolation. He even converted to Islam so his captors would let him pray, giving him a rare chance to move around, he said. But at other stages of his captivity, conditions improved and he was was allowed to watch television, keep a journal and was assured he would not be killed. When he was first kidnapped, there was speculation he was in the hands of the group formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate. But he said the interactions he observed between his captors and Al-Nusra members suggested he was not in the hands of the group. Al-Nusra's current iteration, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, denied any involvement in his kidnapping in a statement after Yasuda's release. Yasuda returned home on October 25 after the surprise announcement of his release. There were reports a ransom had been paid for his freedom, in keeping with other hostages freed from Syria. Japan's government has denied that, though Yasuda said his captors told him Tokyo appeared willing to pay to free him. Other Japanese journalists have not been so fortunate. In 2015, militants from the Islamic State group beheaded 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. Yasuda also struck a contrite note, apologising both to Japan's government and his family for the hardship his ordeal put them through. "My parents are getting older and I worried that they might die while I was in captivity," he said. "My actions have caused troubles to so many including the Japanese government," he added.
A Malaysian financier at the centre of a corruption scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB maintained his innocence Friday after the US unveiled criminal charges against him and two ex-Goldman Sachs bankers. Low Taek Jho, commonly known as Jho Low, and the former bankers were accused by the US Justice Department of conspiring to launder billions of dollars from the fund and bribing officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi. Low allegedly played a central role in plundering 1MDB. He was an associate of Malaysia's former leader Najib Razak, whose government lost power in May in large part due to allegations that the then premier was involved in the vast fraud. Since being ousted, Najib has been hit with a barrage of charges linked to the scandal. A spokesman for 36-year-old Low, who held no official position at the fund but was believed to have huge influence over its workings, said that he "maintains his innocence. "Mr. Low held no formal position at 1MDB, nor was he ever employed by Goldman Sachs, or the governments of Malaysia or Abu Dhabi. "The US Department of Justice specifically states that the charges in the indictment are allegations, and that Mr. Low is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. "Mr. Low simply asks that the public keep an open mind regarding this case until all of the evidence comes to light, which he believes will vindicate him." Low's is still at large. His current whereabouts are unknown, although reports have suggested he is in China. The indictments unsealed Thursday against him, ex-bankers Tim Leissner and Ng Chong Hwa, were the first US criminal charges over the huge fraud, which has spawned investigations around the world. Charges were filed in Malaysia in August against Low. Ng was arrested in Malaysia on Thursday, according to the DOJ. Leissner has already pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $43.7 million in restitution of ill-gotten gains. Goldman Sachs underwrote about $6.5 billion in bonds issued by 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a sovereign wealth fund set up to help develop the country, according to the US government. But more than $2.7 billion went to kickbacks and bribes, according to the charges. Goldman Sachs garnered $600 million in fees and revenues from three 1MDB bond transactions detailed in the indictments. Low acted as an intermediary for 1MDB but the ex-Goldman bankers concealed his involvement in the bond offerings, and repeatedly circumvented the bank's oversight tools for countering fraud, according to the charges. The bank says it is cooperating in the probe.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Kiev on Thursday she was determined to uphold sanctions against Russia for its role in the Ukraine conflict. "Unfortunately...the Minsk accords have not been respected, if we move forward it's only a few millimetres at a time, sometimes we move backwards," the chancellor said during a visit to Kiev, referring to the 2015 agreement designed to end the conflict. "Germany will therefore advocate that these sanctions are upheld," she said during a press conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. "Russia must do a simple thing: leave Ukraine, pull out its troops, withdraw its arms and restore the territorial unity of the country," Poroshenko told journalists. He denounced elections set for 11 November in the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in the east of the country. "We have condemned the Russian Federation's organisation of these fake elections," Poroshenko said. "It is a clear sign the Kremlin is not ready for a peaceful solution." Merkel's one-day trip to Kiev was her first since the signing of the Minsk accord, which has so far failed to achieve its aim of bringing peace to eastern Ukraine. The European Union and the US have imposed heavy sanctions on Russia over the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Moscow has also been accused of fuelling a rebel conflict in eastern Ukraine that has cost the lives of some 10,000 people, a charge it denies despite substantial evidence to the contrary. The two leaders also discussed the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The pipeline -- which has been heavily criticised by Kiev, the US and several European nations -- is set to bypass Ukraine to bring supplies direct from Russia to Germany. Nord Stream 2 aims to double the capacity of Nord Stream 1 by the end of 2019.
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For decades, Afghanistans Helmand province has been on the frontline of the countrys conflict, and the landscape bears the scars. Since the departure of US troops in the summer, the remnants of war remain a serious threat to Afghans safety. Since 1989, 41,085 Afghan civilians have been killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance, according to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS). In an effort to prevent any further loss of life, demining NGO the HALO Trust is racing against time to "decontaminate" one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
Santa Claus has already begun his preparations in Lapland -- by protecting himself from winter viruses and making sure he hires enough elves. On Thursday nurse Tiia Kahkonen administered an anti-influenza vaccine to Santa, at his village in the Arctic Circle town of Rovaniemi, northern Finland. The jab is likely to be a sensible precaution, as the flu season coincides with the busiest time of the year by far in Lapland. In December last year 390,000 foreign visitors spent a night in Finnish Lapland, an increase of almost ten percent on the previous Christmas. By far the largest group of Christmas holidaymakers were Brits, followed by Russian, French and German tourists, according to official statistics. Meanwhile a recruitment agency in Finnish Lapland, inside the Arctic circle, has put out a call for Christmas elves to look after the hordes of tourists who come to visit Santa in his natural habitat during the winter months. Prior experience is not essential as the advert, posted by the firm Lapland Staff, promises that training will be provided in "the required elfing and communication skills." Successful applicants will also be given tips on how to deal with the cold in northern Finland where temeratures rarely rise above zero degrees Celsius, and can drop as low as minus 40. Although handling Santa's reindeer is not listed among the job's duties, elves will need to herd groups of visitors on and off buses, as well as keep tourists entertained. "Looking after the fireplace and pouring hot juice" are also required, as is supervising the toboggan hill. Tourism to Lapland has reached an all-time high in recent years, with visitors spending 3.5 million nights in Lapland across the whole year, up from 2.6 million a decade earlier, according to Statistics Finland. Much of the recent growth has been driven by tourism from Asia.
A Sri Lankan court on Friday ordered the arrest the country's top military officer over the abduction and murder of 11 people during the Tamil civil war. Colombo Fort magistrate Ranga Dissanayake reprimanded police investigators for failing to act on a previous order to detain Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne. "The court ordered that the admiral be arrested before November 9," a court official told AFP. "If they fail, there should be action against the police officer handling the case." The order came amid a bitter power struggle between sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former president Mahinda Rajapakse, who was named to replace him. Rajapakse was head of state from 2005 to 2015 when the decades-old Tamil separatist war was brutally crushed -- although the timing of today's ruling appeared to have no deliberate link with the current political crisis. The magistrate wants police to arrest Wijegunaratne, the chief of the defence staff, for allegedly shielding a navy officer responsible for abductions and killings. Police told the court the admiral had protected Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi, a navy intelligence officer who is the main suspect in the killing of 11 men between 2008 and 2009. They are believed to have been murdered while being illegally held by the navy. Their bodies were never found but Hettiarachchi was arrested in August. "There is evidence of Admiral Wijegunaratne allowing the accused to evade arrest," Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigations Department told the court. Police have said Hettiarachchi was also wanted in connection with the 2006 murder of Tamil lawmaker Nadarajah Raviraj. There have been persistent allegations that senior military personnel and figures loyal to Rajapakse were responsible for a number of high-profile murders. Several military intelligence officers face prosecution over the assassination of a newspaper editor and for orchestrating attacks on other journalists and dissidents during Rajapakse's presidency. Rajapakse and several members of his family are being investigated for fraud and murder during his presidency. However, those investigations were put in doubt after he was named prime minister last week. Troops crushed Tamil separatists in 2009 ending the decades-long civil war. The final days of the government offensive, spearheaded by Rajapakse, were marked by major rights violations, according to rights groups. A UN panel has said 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the final stages of the war.
Subaru Corporation (Subaru) has announced two worldwide recalls for vehicles with possible valve springs defects and those with affected multi-information displays and the brands distributor for the ASEAN region, Motor Image, has said that it will reach out to owners of the affected vehicles.

Recall of vehicles with affected valve springs

The recall for those with valve spring issues, involves vehicles manufactured from 16 January 2012  14 May 2013. The affected models are the 2013 Model Year (MY) BRZ, 2013-2014MY Legacy/Outback, 2012-2014MY Forester, and 2012-2014MY Impreza/XV equipped with the FA20 engine or FB20 engine.

The move is a precaution against the possibility that under stress, the valve springs in the affected engines may fracture. This could result in an unusual noise coming from the engine, the engine stalling and not being able to restart.

Motor Image customers across the region, including in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam will be notified about this recall. Motor Image will work closely with affected customers to replace the valve springs and related parts, free of charge.

Recall of vehicles with affected multi-information displays

At the same time, Subaru has also announced a recall of the 2018MY Legacy/Outback vehicles, manufactured before 1 August 2018, for potential issues with multi-information displays.

A programming issue may lead to inaccuracies between what is shown on the multi-information display, with regards to the amount of fuel left, and the actual drivable distance left. Subaru is taking a precautionary measure to ensure that information on the fuel gauge and the amount of drivable distance left is accurate.

Motor Image customers across the region, including in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam will be notified about this recall. Motor Image will work closely with affected customers to update the software in the multi-information display, free of charge.

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Motor Image is committed to the highest safety standards and quality driving experience for all our customers. Motor Image is in constant contact with Subaru Corporation for any further updates and will notify affected customers accordingly, the distributor said in a statement.

The post Subaru PH Recalls Various Models for Defective Valve Spring, Multi-Information Display appeared first on Carmudi Philippines.
SCDF personnel seen at the driveway of the SPH building on 2 November, 2018. (PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore reader)

No harmful substances were detected on a suspicious envelope mailed to The Straits Times (ST) newsroom at 1000 Toa Payoh North on Friday (11 November) afternoon, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Upon SCDFs arrival, the affected area was cordoned off and the envelope was secured within a sealed container.

Several tests were then conducted on the envelope by SCDFs HazMat specialists, added the SCDF in a Facebook post at 7.26pm. The office and nearby areas where it was opened were decontaminated as a precautionary measure.

Three staff members who had opened the envelope were assessed by SCDF paramedics and were found to be well. Yahoo News Singapore understands that they had reported feeling unwell after coming in contact with the envelope.

The trio was instructed to shower and change their clothing as a precautionary measure, said the SCDF.

The article, which was reported by ST to appear to have been sent from abroad with postage stamps from the United Kingdom, has been handed over to the police.

SCDF personnel seen at the driveway of the SPH building on 2 November, 2018. (PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore reader)

An ambulance seen at the driveway of the SPH building on 2 November, 2018. (PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore reader)

According to the same ST article, the incident was first reported by security officers of the building to the police, who later alerted the SCDF.

In it, ST editor Warren Fernandez said that a suspicious package was delivered to the ST newsroom.

It was addressed to The Straights Times and contained several pages of incoherent content, added the article.

Yahoo News Singapore understands that police and SCDF officers were still in the building at 6.25pm, almost two hours after the former was alerted to the case at 4.20pm.

Yahoo News Singapore also understands that ST staff members are continuing with work as per normal.

The police have classified this case as intentionally causing alarm and are looking into the matter.



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A top Australian defence firm with major US Navy contracts has admitted its personnel files were breached and that it was the subject of an extortion attempt. Austral -- which among other things makes small, quick ships for warfare close to shore -- said its "data management system" had been infiltrated by an "unknown offender". In a statement, the company claimed that there was "no evidence to date" that "information affecting national security nor the commercial operations of the company have been stolen". However it said staff email addresses and mobile phone numbers were accessed and the offender purported to offer materials for sale on the internet and "engage in extortion". "The company has not and will not respond to extortion attempts." Australia's department of defence said it "can confirm that no compromise of classified or sensitive information or technology has been identified so far." The company was at pains to point out that the breach hit only its Australian business and did not extend to US projects, because the two computer systems are not linked. Austral has won a controversial contract to build littoral combat ships for the US Navy. The military says it does not need all the vessels paid for, but the project has been aggressively championed by powerful members of the US Congress from Alabama, were Austral's US shipyard is located.
Physics isnt exactly a subject you can broach over dinner, much less the theory of quantum mechanics or nanotechnology. So at first glance, the ArtScience Museums new exhibition on the late Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman may not elicit any curiosity from the general public. At least, not like Future World or previous displays that are universally attractive, such as the recent Marvel Studios: Ten Years of Heroes.

But stay with us, and perhaps by the end youll be intrigued enough to stroll through the showcase. All Possible Paths: Richard Feynmans Curious Life is the museums first curated and self-produced work, done up in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University and Nobel Museum in Sweden.

If youre wondering why the curators chose Feynman over all the other names out there, its because 2018 is his centenary, and conferences across the globe have been celebrating it. But on a more interesting note, the man wasnt your stereotypical scientist  his unconventional life saw him pursuing a hobby in painting and playing the bongo drums, mischievously cracking safes filled with top secret information, and following his fascination with the tiny Russian republic of Tuva.

A Curious Life gallery. Photo: Marina Bay Sands

Of course, theres also the not-so-small matter of his contributions to our understanding of the mechanisms of the universe. Feynman was most known for his influential work in quantum mechanics, which youll (hopefully) gain a better comprehension of after going through the displays. And aside from basic introductions to scientific concepts, the showcase also spotlights his personal items, documents, and letters.

A Million More Discoveries gallery. Photo: Marina Bay Sands

Divided into four themes, All Possible Paths starts by offering a glimpse of Feynman the man, with family photos, a series of paintings done by him, and his famous bongo drums. One highlight is the replica of his blackboard, bearing quotes such as what I cannot create, I do not understand and know how to solve every problem that has been solved, from the day he passed away in 1988.

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After youve read through a quick timeline of his life, take a seat on a beanbag to listen to some of his lectures from the past.

However, if your brain can only process so much science, take a break from theories and check out the artworks that provide a visual for Feynmans work. These installations, most of them mesmerizing, help to introduce concepts like parton theory, weak force, quantum electrodynamics, Feynman diagrams, nanotechnology, and quantum computers in a creative (read: not so dry) way.

Quantum by Jun Ong. Photo: Marina Bay Sands

Japanese artist Eiji Sumis mixed media installation of particles glittering in the light is particularly spellbinding. You may not fully grasp the parton theory behind the artwork, but you can definitely appreciate the art. Also look out for Malaysian architect/artist Jun Ongs newly commissioned work, a quantum computing-inspired installation of laser lights and mirrors that create distorted dimensions and continuous laser paths.

Then there are the LED lights that move in sporadic wave-like patterns done by artist ::vtol:: (aka Dmitry Morozov) to mimic particles taking all possible paths when they move from a point to another.

wave is my nature by ::vtol::. Photo: Marina Bay Sands

Finally, the last section delves into Feynmans scientific contributions and how they helped to re-interpret physics. Before you head out, watch the video of Tuva celebrating Feynman and his legacy, despite him never making it to the republic (he passed away before he had a chance to visit). And just before the exit sits a blackboard with pieces of chalk for visitors to pen down their own questions and thoughts on Feynman or the exhibit.

Interactive blackboard. Photo: Marina Bay Sands

FIND IT:

All Possible Paths: Richard Feynmans Curious Life is on from now till Mar 3, 2019, at ArtScience Museum.

Adults $12-$15, seniors and children $8-$10.

MRT: Bayfront

The post ArtScience Museums new exhibition breaks down the curious life of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman appeared first on Coconuts.
French cinema legend Agnes Varda and photographer and graffiti artist JR co-direct this French documentary in which they travel around rural France in JR's specially-enabled photo truck, discussing their views on the world around them.

As they travel through several towns and villages, the pair acquaint themselves with the locals before JR takes photos of individuals and their surroundings, then transforming them into giant murals to be pasted on houses and communal walls. The locals are then documented as they encounter their own giant portraits.

Faces Places is a funny and heart-warming insight into the power of community, and a life-affirming snapshot of a fascinating cross-generational cultural collaboration and friendship.
In a Nov. 2 Industry, April Glaser misspelled Hillary Clintons first name.

In a Nov. 2 Politics, Jim Newell originally misstated that Texas 32nd Congressional District bends west into the Dallas suburbs of Richardson and Garland. It bends east into those suburbs.

In a Nov. 2 Slatest, Molly Olmstead misidentified the location of Union Temple. It is in Prospect Heights, not Brooklyn Heights.

In a Nov. 1 Politics, Justin Peters misidentified Katrina Pierson as one of two white women; she is biracial.

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In an Oct. 31 Sports, Nick Greene misstated the number of points the Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson scored in a game against the Chicago Bulls. He scored 52 points, not 56.

In an Oct. 30 Slatest, Joshua Keating misstated that Brazil had taken in 736,000 immigrations in 2017, compared with 49,770,000 in the U.S. and 12,165,000 in Germany. These figures refer to total immigrant populations in those countries, not just immigrant intake in 2017.

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In an Oct. 30 Slatest, Matthew Zeitlin misspelled Lynnette Ledermans first name and misidentified the president-elect of the congregation that shares Tree of Life synagogue.

In an Oct. 29 Good Fight, Yascha Mounk misstated that former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was convicted on corruption charges. She has been charged but not convicted.

In an Oct. 28 Sports, Nick Greene misstated there was no news regarding whether any passengers survived the helicopter crash that killed Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. The club had announced there were no survivors.

Slate strives to correct all errors of fact. If youve seen an error in our pages, let us know at corrections@slate.com. General comments should be posted in our Comments sections associated with each article.
Thursday night on The Daily Show, Desi Lydic reminded us of some real-life headlines from the Sunshine State: Florida Man Has Sex With Tree and Calls Himself Thor. Florida Man Disguised in Bull Costume Tries to Burn Down House With Spaghetti Sauce. Florida Man Bites Dog to Establish Dominance. Florida Man Practices Karate on Swans  You get the idea. So many weird things happen in Florida that uttering the phrase Florida Man already feels suspect. So why do so many bizarre and violent things happen in the state and who is Florida Man? An Atlanta episode already answered this question with a pretty dark theory, but with The Daily Show already filming in Miami, Lydic took the opportunity to approach the mystery a different way. She sets out to interview some real Florida men from the headlines. As a future Pulitzer-winning journalist its my responsibility to uncover the truth, explained Lydic, To reveal what lies beneath the swamp. To answer the question: what makes a man a Florida man?

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Hunting for a deeply ingrained conspiracy theory, Lydic has some trouble communicating with the three men she interviews, whose answers range from, I cant really tell you much about that night. There was too much alcohol involved that night to I do the wrong things in the right way. But Lydics mastery of rude, leading questions and the way she uses her eyes to alternate between deadpan expressions of disgusted boredom and sarcastic fascination makes this bit one of her funniest yet.

Or maybe its just how truly odd her subjects are. They have lots of theories for what causes Florida men to do absurd things including alcohol, humidity and women, but Lydics epiphany comes later in an unexpected moment, when she talks to a Tampa Bay Times journalist whos well informed about the issue. Youll have to watch the clip to see how she pulls that off.
Early in the production of The Other Side of the Wind, Orson Welles lead actor, the impressionist Rich Little, was having trouble understanding his part. The scene was a party for the legendary movie director Jake Hannaford, played by the legendary director John Huston, on what would become the last day of Hannafords life. Welles instructed Little and the other actors to behave as if the party had suddenly been invaded by dwarfs. Little, understandably, objected that that would be difficult to do, seeing as there were no dwarfs present. Welles roared back, Were going to put the midgets in later, in Spain!

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That story was first reported in the New York Times in 1976, 42 years before The Other Side of the Wind would be completed and 19 before Welles death, in 1985, at the age of 70. And it shows up again in Morgan Nevilles Theyll Love Me When Im Dead, which will turn up on Netflix alongside a version of Other Side extracted from nearly 100 hours of footage, numerous scripts (one 360 pages long), and assorted directorial memos, alongside Welles own verbal instructions. Its normally inadvisable to watch the making-of before the film itself, but in the case of Other Side, it helps to go in with a sense of the productions monumentally troubled history, as well as the playfully associative logic of Welles later films, especially F for Fake, which begins as a documentary about confidence men and becomes something of a con game itself, with Welles as the trickster and the audience as his knowing, delighted patsies.

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Its normally inadvisable to watch the making-of before the film itself, but in the case of Other Side, it helps to go in with a sense of the productions monumentally troubled history.

Rich Little appears briefly in The Other Side of the Wind, but not as its protagonist. After walking off the set, Little was reduced to an unidentified onlooker in the party scene. Littles character, an eager young cineaste who has gone from idolizing Jake Hannaford to eclipsing him thanks to a burst of sudden success, was transparently modeled on Peter Bogdanovich, so it only made sense for Bogdanovich to step into the role. Thats only one of the ways in which the movie eats its own boundaries. Jake Hannaford is using the party to lure investors for his latest film, also called The Other Side of the Wind, a semiparodic take on the alienated, symbol-driven European art house cinema of the 1960s. (Theyll Love Me When Im Dead reveals that the house where Hannafords party was shot is a neighbor to the one Michelangelo Antonioni blew up at the end of Zabriskie Point.) The Other Side within Other Sideare you still following this?frequently takes over the screen, occupying a good chunk of the larger film, although Jake Hannafords movie, like Welles, is still unfinished because of a dispute with his lead actor (Bob Random), whoand surely you can guess this partwalked off the set in the middle of the shoot. Among the film industry lights who turn up to play themselves are Dennis Hopper, Claude Chabrol, Edmond OBrien, and Mercedes McCambridge, and Welles gets his revenge on Pauline Kael, who penned a book-length New Yorker essay questioning his role in the greatness of Citizen Kane, by casting Susan Strasberg as a petite film critic who pelts Hannaford with sophomoric questions about the latent homosexuality in his movies.

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In Theyll Love Me When Im Dead, Bogdanovich firmly rebuffs the suggestion that Welles, who left over a dozen projects in various stages of incompleteness when he died, preferred shooting movies to finishing them, and the stories of some ill-fated productions almost beggar belief. One of the primary obstacles to The Other Side of the Winds completion was the Iranian Revolution, which nationalized the assets of one of Welles financiers along with much of the film negative. Its to the credit of all involvedBogdanovich and producer Frank Marshall, both of whom were on the set; cinematographer Gary Graver, who shot the film and pressed to finish it for years after Welles death, until he too died in 2006; producer Filip Jan Rymsza, who untangled the legal knots and smoothed over the disputes between the parties with claims to the footagethat The Other Side of the Wind doesnt play like an unfinished film. But its true savior might be editor Bob Murawski, who picked up the pieces Welles had edited over the yearsabout a third of what is now the completed filmand channeled the idiosyncratic style of late-period Welles. If the result can never be the film Welles would have made, its at least one he might have made. (The same, unfortunately, cant be said for Aaron Wickenden and Jason Zeldes editing of Theyll Love Me When Im Dead, which emulates Welles and feels like its punching very much above its weight.)

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That sense of finality doesnt redound entirely to The Other Side of the Winds benefit. Like Sam Peckinpahs Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, it might play better as a mutilated maybe-masterpiece than as a finished-feeling work. Theres a lengthy sex scene in Hannafords movie, starring Welles partner, Oja Kodar, whose acting skills can generously be described as extremely limited, and while shooting it in blood-red light filtered through the rain-drenched windows of a moving car gives the encounter a kind of eerie beauty, its clearly a takeoff on art-film T&A thats trying to have it both ways. But then, thats Welles method: As F for Fake was a fraud about fraud, The Other Side of the Wind is a mess about messes, pretension about pretension, an exhausted movie about artistic exhaustion. And, eerily, its a movie about a director who dies too soon and is survived by his own unfinished work. Whether its great is almost beside the point. That it exists is astonishment enough.
Steve King, the Iowa congressman whose pet legislative project over the years has been trying to make English the official language of the United States, has a new nativist focus to latch onto: taking credit for Trumps talk of ending birthright citizenship. As Samantha Bee pointed out on Wednesday, Kings xenophobia and racism are out in the open, since King kept a confederate flag in his office until very recently. Again, that office is located in Iowa, not even giving King the false southern pride excuse for displaying a white supremacist symbol.

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Bee outlined how Kings beliefs manifest beyond office decorations, including his demonstration of how to electrify a border wall while remarking we do that with livestock all the time. Talking about immigrants like animals might seem unconscionableat least, you would hope sobut as Bee noted, party leadership did punish him with a firm back pat. Republicans havent done much to condemn Kings support of neo-Nazi sympathizers either, beyond an occasional reprimand. Paul Ryan, whose legacy will be as a Trump enabler, has similarly failed to outright condemn King. When Paul Ryan was asked about Kings thoughts on what color our babies should be, he yelled tax cuts, threw a smoke bomb, and disappeared, Bee joked.

While some GOP representatives have finally taken a stand against Kings behavior, Bee notes that conservatives have been much quicker to blame late-night comedians for incidents of violence than they are to blame Trump or King. Which is fair, said Bee. Weve all seen the violent acts inspired by Jimmy Fallons Lip Sync Battles. At least Iowans have an opportunity to oust one of them this Tuesday: Polls show that after seven terms, theres some hope that King might finally lose.
Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Email careandfeeding@slate.com or post it in the Slate Parenting Facebook group.

Dear Care and Feeding,

My daughter just turned 1, and we had a birthday party for her with some extended family. As she munched happily on her chocolate cupcake after we sang Happy Birthday, my mother-in-law jokingly chided, Thats gonna go straight to your hips, girl! Several of the women present chuckled or pitched in affirmative comments. (Of course, no one has ever made a remark like this to my 3-year-old son, who also enjoyed a slab of cake before family at his birthday party recently.)

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I was internally aghast, but I held my tongue. We were in the midst of a festive family moment, they meant no harm, my daughter is too young to grasp what was being said (though I dont know if my son is), etc. But now Im not sure I did the right thing. Should I have said something? Should I say something now, after the fact? (I honestly dont think my mother-in-law will even remember having said it.) When comments like this are directed at my daughter again, what do I say, and with what kind of urgency?

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Let Her Eat Cake

Dear LHEC,

Being a woman is the worst, because of society! I think with a 1-year-old and in this particular context, choosing to say nothing at the time was a perfectly cromulent option. Youve got your radio tuned to the right station is the important thing.

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You can run your mouth from dawn to dusk about loving our bodies and how beautiful and strong they, but you can undo it in an instant by letting your kid hear you talk down about herself or see you step on a scale and wince.

Embarrassing people in public, although sometimes meet and right, is usually not that appropriate with loved ones, and I swear by the quiet word in the hallway a few minutes later:

This may sound silly, but   (its not silly, but I find a bit of self-deprecation helpsIm Canadian). Dont bother doing this now, a week or two after the fact, but as your daughter starts to actually hear people, its really important to do the absolute best you can to postpone and defang the nonsense language of competitive food and Body Hatred.

I am a broken record on this point, but thats because its important: You can run your mouth from dawn to dusk about loving our bodies and how beautiful and strong they are and how food is fuel and fatness is not immorality and so on, but you can undo it in an instant by letting your kid hear you talk down about yourself or see you step on a scale and wince. Women have to walk the walk. We cannot out-teach the reality of how we feel about our own bodies. Fake it to make it, whatever works, but we all really do have to try to do better for the next generation.

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This is hard stuff. Thanks for paying attention to it.

Dear Care and Feeding,

My husband and I have three wonderful boys (aged 16, 14, and 11) who, by most metrics, are great kids. When my oldest was born, my father told me that one of the biggest parenting regrets he had was not assigning regular chores to me and my siblings. My dad yelled at us if the house was messy and on multiple occasions bagged up all of our earthly belongings into garbage bags and threatened to throw them out. Taking this into consideration, I thought regular chores and clear expectations might be the way to go with my kids.

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Since the boys were little, theyve had some form of daily cleaning. As they got older and, ostensibly, more responsible, we assigned additional age-appropriate chores. But my husband and I philosophically differ on the point of chores. Is it to teach the kids that they are part of a family and that being a member of a household carries with it certain responsibilities? Is it to ease the burden on the parents? Should chores be done perfectly, or is the idea to get them used to just doing things on a regular basis and eventually it gets better?

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My basic goal is that when the kids move out, their roommates dont say, Didnt your mom teach you anything?! and I feel we are on our way there. But is that standard too low?

Teach Me

Dear Teach Me,

I think youre doing a great job. Chores are absolutely part of the responsibility of living in a house with other human beings, and you are preparing your sons for adult life in a sensible and useful way. Keep them clear, age-appropriate, and reasonably equitable, and youll be fine. I honestly think you could write a how-to guide for chores, so please pat yourself on the back for learning from your parents regrets!

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In terms of doing them well, theres nothing wrong with having them redo something like hand-washing delicate dishes with closer supervision. You just dont want them to get into the learned helplessness game.

As to your philosophical difference with your husband, youre not really in opposition. You can welcome having your burden alleviated now, while also keeping your eyes on the prize of adult competence.

May your children be a blessing to all their future spouses and lovers and roommates.

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Dear Care and Feeding,

My daughter, Mary, is 15. Her father and I are recently estranged, when he chose to move out of state earlier this year without us. Mary stayed with me to finish the school year, then spent most of the summer with him and came back in August for school, but we have no official co-parenting or custody agreement. Mary wants to get a tattoo, which Ive said is fine for her to do when she turns 18. It is illegal in our state to tattoo a minor, not even with parental consent. When Mary went online to confirm what Id told her, she discovered that the state where her dad now lives allows minors to get a tattoo with parental consent. She is supposed to visit him over winter break, and she says that he is going to sign for her to get a tattoo while shes there. He refuses to talk on the phone with mebecause I refused to allow him to record our callsand he turned off his voicemail, so I cant leave a message. I emailed him last week with a few questions about the winter break logistics, and I also asked point blank about Marys plans for a tattoo and said that Im not OK with any permanent body modifications before shes a legal adult. He sent two replies to that email but never mentioned the tattoo. Short of canceling Marys trip, what can I do to prevent my underage child from being tattooed this winter?

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No Ink Please

Dear NIP,

Oh, my word, what a nightmare. I share your opinion about the wisdom of teens permanently altering their bodies, but I think you have a bigger fish to fry right now: You need to formalize your separation and custody arrangement! Please immediately arrange a consultation with a divorce lawyer.

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People can muddle along doing their own thing for a while, but you and your husband are not those people. You are in it. I am not in any way guaranteeing that lawyering up will result in your kid not somehow getting this tattoothat and the advisability of the winter break visit are questions for the lawyer. I am saying you cannot wait any longer to take this more formal step.

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Dear Care and Feeding,

I have recently become the aunt to two little girls who I am able to see every few weeks. I have developed a close relationship to the oldest, a 4-year old, and it is lovely. I always look forward to seeing her, and we have a great time together. The problem is that when she has to go to bed or I have to leave, she gets extremely upset. I would hate for my visits to be a source of stress for either her or her parents. What are some ways to make my departure less painful?

Agonizing Auntie (at Bedtime, That Is)

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Dear AA,

This is such classic child behavior, and I have a really good strategy: graduated warnings! It can, however, work too well: My cousin and I got so used to being given five- and 10-minute warnings before needing to leave places or watch others leave that to this day we become a little sad and mad at parties when someone just announces her departure. Where was my warning?!

With their parents assistance, check in about a half-hour before leaving to remind her youll have to go at 7, then at the 10-minute mark, then at the five-minute mark. With little kids, more is better, and you can fade this over time with ease. Kids just dont like having things sprung on them, essentially.

Congratulations on being such a marvelous aunt that people weep when you leave rooms!

Nicole
While theres still time for a surprise, this weeks most rage-inducing click will probably be New York magazines roundup of 12 twentysomethings offering reasons why they probably arent going to vote in the 2018 midterms. As Twitter excoriated the group for their laziness and inability to use stamps, and defenders began to emerge, I was dwelling on one detail that cropped up in these youths explanations. Three of the 12 people interviewed expressed some kind of doubt that they were well-informed enough to vote. I plan to vote in 2020, said Laura, the 21-year-old whose parents didnt tell her their party allegiances until the 2016 election, and who ended up googling Republican versus Democrat to find out what each group believed (a true-life Halloween horror story for teachers everywhere). I have a goal set to know more about politics by that time.

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This self-doubt is an underheralded side effect of our burgeoning conspiracy culture. In a 2014 report called The Menace of Unreality, Peter Pomerantsev and Michael Weiss wrote that the intent of Putin-era Russias disinformation efforts, which they trace back to Lenin, is not to persuade but to sow confusion. These young American nonvoters dont seem to actively believe in the kinds of conspiracy theories that brought us Pizzagate and Pittsburgh, but their knowledge of the very existence of so much disinformation apparently has them muddled enough that they now dont trust themselves to vote.

This disenfranchisement is an insidious way that the spread of conspiracy thinking helps the right. From the president on down, conspiracy theorists use terms like fake news or liberal bias and ask readers to judge the evidence yourself, appropriating the language of critical thinking, masquerading as the real truth tellers, and making it even harder to tell whos operating honestly. The uncertainty this creates for some people seems to be crippling. These young voters talk the critical thinking talk, referencing concepts like evidence, argument, and bias, all while deeming their own minds insufficient for the task of voting.

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Young voters knowledge of the very existence of so much disinformation apparently has them muddled enough that they now dont trust themselves to vote.

Maria, 26, said that Catholic school ruined politics for her. Everything we learned had a skew on it, she said. I think that shaped me  to not want to be involved. Reese, age 23, said, There are things that Im aware of where Im certain Im right. But for most things, although I feel strongly, its very probable that theres some aspect of this that I dont understand. Somebody provides a new avenue of thought, and it changes the way I think about something. I never felt certain enough to vote. Theres a shade of anxiety in a reply like this, making me wonder if, to young adults who were raised in teach-to-the-test school environments, the chance to vote might feel like another exam. And with so much confusion in the air, opting out might look like the best choice.

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In one young voters response, you can see the internalization of the widespread idea that the internet is a worse way to get informed about the issues of the day than the media older people consume. My parents are of the generation where they actually watch the news, and they know about candidates via the news, Nathan (28) said, comparing that process with the way his fellow millennials get news through social media. Reading things through social media is snippets, and its not the whole details on everything, you know? It may or may not be strictly true that watching the news informs people better than the internet. In 2012, a survey found that people who watched partisan television news channels like Fox had less knowledge about domestic events than people who watched no TV news at all, so it may depend on what you mean by watch the news. But this young voter still finds his knowledge inherently lacking, and has let that lack dictate his own choice not to vote.

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This is worrying, but are these people representative of their age group? As my former colleague Osita Nwanevu tweeted, we have less anecdotal (but also less clicky) survey information on the reasons why people dont vote, gathered by the Census Bureau. After the November 2016 election, the biggest reason cited by people ages 1824 for staying home from the polls was Did not like candidates or campaign issues, followed by Too busy, conflicting schedule. If any of these young voters considered themselves not informed enough on the issues to vote, there werent enough of them to form a category; they may be lost in the Other reason category, or perhaps subsumed under Not interested or Forgot to vote.

Well have to wait to see whether the 2018 results of this survey register more of this kind of paralyzing epistemological uncertainty. For now, its a good reminder that disinformations project of spreading disempowerment is working, and that telling people to just vote isnt enough to fix the problem.
A doctor who helped a passenger on a Delta flight Tuesday said she believes flight attendants who repeatedly questioned her credentials even after she showed them her medical license did so because she is a black woman.

Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford was on a Delta flight from Indianapolis to Boston when the woman next to her started hyperventilating, according to NBC News. When Stanford started to help the passenger, a flight attendant came up to ask her if she was a medical doctor. She showed the woman her license without being asked because, she told the New York Times, she knows she doesnt look the part. Stanford, a doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical school, said she carries a wallet-sized version of the license at all times for that reason.

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The flight attendant inspected her license and walked away. Then, according to Stanford, a second flight attendant walked up to her and asked to look at her license. Stanford complied, and the second flight attendant walked away. Then the two flight attendants returned, and one of them asked, Are you actually an M.D.? The second woman asked twice, Is this your license?

https://twitter.com/fstanfordmd/status/1057433517179703296

Stanford would later complain to Delta on social media about the experience, and Delta apologized to her on Wednesday. After talking to the company, she wrote on Twitter, she learned that the flight attendants had thought she was a therapist, despite her license making it explicitly clear that she is a medical doctor. On Thursday, a Delta spokesman told the Times that the flight was operated by Republic Air, one of Deltas regional partners, and that as of 2016, flight attendants are not required to verify credentials of people claiming to be medical professionals.

That rule resulted from a 2016 incident in which a black doctor offered to treat a sick patient on a Delta flight and was treated with skepticism after flight attendants demanded credentials. According to NBC, Stanford had just interviewed that doctor, Tamika Cross, on Oct. 19 at a conference on medical bias.
Slates expanded voting rights coverage is made possible by the support of Slate Plus members and readers like you.

In separate rulings on Thursday, two federal courts had the same message for minority voters making credible claims of potential disenfranchisement: Your arguments may be good on the merits, but its too late. These courts, which were examining onerous voting rules in North Dakota and Kansas, took their cues from the U.S. Supreme Court, which has embraced an unfortunate rule that even serious voting problems cannot be remedied in the period before Election Day.

Native American voters in North Dakota filed suit a while back over the state changing its voter-identification law to make it harder for Native American voters living on reservations and lacking a residential street address to be able to vote. A federal court, seeing that this law could disenfranchise up to 2,000 Native American voters, had blocked the requirement for use in the midterm elections, but the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit reversed. In reversing, the court said there was no proof yet that the law would actually disenfranchise Native American voters, who could potentially get residential street addresses assigned to them before the election. (The Supreme Court, over the dissents of Justices Ginsburg and Kagan, refused to intervene.) And the 8th Circuit order came with a promise: If any resident of North Dakota lacks a current residential street address and is denied an opportunity to vote on that basis, the courthouse doors remain open.

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Both of these cases relied heavily upon what Ive termed the Purcell Principle.

That promise has now gone unfulfilled. Native American voters went back to court, after it turned out that it was far harder for these voters to get a residential address than the state represented. As the New York Times reported, North Dakota officials maintain that any voter without a residential address can obtain one easily from their countys 911 coordinator. But the lawsuit identified multiple instances in which people were unable to obtain an address through that process; obtained one but were denied an absentee ballot because election officials deemed the state-issued address invalid; or were denied an absentee ballot because the address they had used for years could not be found in the states database.

On Thursday, the same district judge who issued the originaland subsequently overturnedorder barring the use of the residential addresses for voting denied plaintiffs request for emergency relief. The judge was very disturbed by the new allegations but said that under a 2006 Supreme Court precedent, Purcell v. Gonzalez, it was too late to give relief. As the judge noted, Purcell said that court orders affecting elections, especially conflicting orders, can themselves result in voter confusion and consequent incentive to remain away from the polls. As an election draws closer, that risk will increase. That judge continued:

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Election day is less than one week away. The allegations in the complaint, the motion for a temporary restraining order, and the attached affidavits give this Court great cause for concern.  However, a further injunction on the eve of the election will create as much confusion as it will alleviate, and is foreclosed by precedent 

We saw a similar ruling in Dodge City, Kansas, on Thursday. The city had only one polling place for 13,000 residents (a much higher number of voters per polling place than across the rest of the state) and election officials moved that polling place a mile out of town and far from public transportation because of construction at the regular polling (though that explanation seems dubious). Voting-rights advocates sought to open up another polling place in town.

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The federal judge hearing the case was bothered by evidence that a local election official had forwarded to state officials an ACLU request to publicize a voter help line with the notation LOL.

While the court must evaluate the fully-developed facts governing this claim on a later day, the court notes, for now, its concerns about [the clerks] LOL comment and questions whether it manifests a disregard for the fundamental significance that our Constitution places on the right to vote.

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The court nonetheless declined to open another polling place, citing the closeness of the election:

For the court to insert itself into this process on the eve of the electionby ordering the reopening of the Civic Center either as the only polling location or a second polling locationlikely would create more voter confusion than it might cure. The relief plaintiffs seek is not in the publics interest.

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Both of these cases relied heavily upon what Ive termed the Purcell Principle, which guides courts against making last-minute changes in voting rules out of fear of voter and election-administrator confusion.

The concern about voter and election-administrator confusion is a real one, and certainly courts should consider such factors in deciding whether to grant emergency relief before an election. But the Purcell Principle deviates significantly from how courts usually consider whether to grant emergency relief, which generally involves looking at how likely it is that plaintiffs will ultimately win their argument, the burdens on each side depending upon how the court rules, and the public interest.

In the North Dakota case, for example, the court appeared convinced that voters were being disenfranchised, and the appeals court had explicitly invited these voters to come back if their voting rights were being burdened. In such a case, the risk of confusion is outweighed by the damage of failing to enact a simple rule that would prevent actual disenfranchisement of voters. It is the same with the Dodge City case. The confusion here would appear minimal, and though the state raised the risk of double voting, there was no good evidence that was a problem that could not be solved by having voters cast provisional ballots at the second polling place.

Ultimately, the message that the Purcell Principle sends is this: Sometimes voters are going to face actual disenfranchisement, but when the evidence of a problem comes too close to the election, the courthouse door will be closed.
This article is part of Watching Fox, a Slate series about Fox News.

Tucker Carlson does not actually care if you think he is a racist. He pretends to care a great deal, of course, because thisloudly decrying purported liberal intolerance, that isis his shtick now. Every evening on his Fox News show Tucker Carlson Tonight, the cable news veteran takes exaggerated umbrage at the notion that liberals would dare impute racist motives to conservatives words and policies on immigration. Pushing back on the liberal thought police is Carlsons new bow tie, and it is just as much an affectation as the old one.

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Since Carlsonthe son of a former U.S. ambassador and stepson of a Swanson Foods heiressassumed Bill OReillys old Fox slot a couple of years ago, he has come to assume his predecessors mantle as champion of the aggrieved white middle-class American. Its not as natural a fit for the preppy Carlson as it was for Big Daddy Bill, but Carlson has made it work for him by focusing his energies on two issues: the scourge of illegal immigration and the purported intolerance of the political left. Coverage of the so-called migrant caravan has merged both of these passions into one malignant mega-issue just in time for the midterm elections.

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Donald Trumps GOP is a party of revenge and resentment. Trump and his boosters press hard on those two sentiments in order to motivate their voters to go to the polls and strike back at their critics. For two decades now, and especially since Trump took office, Fox News has been working to convince working-class Americans that their greatest oppressors are the liberal elite. With the midterm elections almost here, Fox News has redoubled its efforts to make this tendentious point.

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The network is boosting the story of the dangerous migrant invasion in part because it knows that liberals will be repelled by it.

The caravanor, more precisely, liberal reactions to the caravanhas been a great boon to these efforts. I suspect a major reason why Trump and Fox News have been making so much noise about the caravan over the past couple of weeksbesides the xenophobia that they come to honestlyis that they want to goad liberals into calling them racist. Liberals say this, of course, because Trump is a racist. But when they call out his evident racism for what it is, Fox News springs into action, devoting hour after outraged hour to reporting on how liberals think Trump and his supporters are racist.

All of the networks opinion hosts have been sounding this tune lately, but Carlsons voice has bellowed loudest. Since I resumed watching Fox News for this Slate assignment, Carlsons show has been almost single-mindedly focused on nurturing and feeding viewers resentments over being deemed racist by the liberal elite. Night after night, especially lately, his opening monologues and subsequent segments all center around the idea that liberals are only crying racist in order to chill free speech and silence conservative objections to their long-awaited open-border socialist utopia. Tucker Carlsons viewers arent racist. Liberals are the real racists for presuming that Tucker Carlsons viewers are racist. This is almost all that Tucker Carlsons show is nowno matter which story is animating the news on a given day.

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Heres how Carlson began his Wednesday night show:

If youve been watching the other channels lately, there is at least one thing you learned about the caravan of Central American migrants currently marching toward our southern border: The whole thing is no big deal. These are nice people, every single one of them. Much better people than you are. They have the deep moral authority that comes from living in a Third World country, unlike you, Mr. Pampered Suburbanite. Theyre not invaders, they are future model Americans. There is nothing at all to worry about, were told. Well, thats been the chorus from politiciansand news anchors who think theyre politiciansfor weeks and weeks now. If you have any concern at all about this caravan, you are a bad person. In fact, you, sir, are a racist.

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Heres Carlson on Tuesday night, discussing Trumps idea to end birthright citizenship by executive order:

The [14th] Amendment was designed to ensure that newly freed slaves would be treated as the American citizens they were. The point was to enfranchise African Americans. The point was not to enable the rest of the world to scam our system, to abuse our generosity. Trumps proposal will get us closer to the purpose of the 14th Amendment, and for that he is being denounced, naturally, as a racist.

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And from Monday night, discussing the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting:

The murderer was angry about illegal immigration. If you oppose illegal immigration, you are very much like the murderer. Even if you never killed anyone, your views have inspired others to kill. You are implicated in this atrocity. You are a monster, just like the lunatic in Pittsburgh. You must change your beliefs. Otherwise, you will be punished. This is how free speech dies and free thought along with it. The range of acceptable opinion mimics the CNN script. Before long, everyone is nodding piously along in unison. There is no disagreement. There is only conformity.

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Carlson isnt alone in stoking these fires. Heres Sean Hannity on his Tuesday night program:

The mainstream media, those on the left, are still going to great lengths, lying to paint a false narrative picture of the president, of Fox News, talk radio, and even many of you, the American people. Racist, condoning and inciting such reprehensible violence night after night, day after day, minute after minute. They paint all conservatives, most Republicans, as cancerous hatemongers.

And heres Laura Ingraham on her Wednesday night show, as the chyron read RACISM IS ONE OF DEMOCRATS FAVORITE TRICKS:

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Racism seems to be one of the most potent forces that the Democrats have in their trick bag this midterm season. Everywhere you turn, the refrain is the same.  Rather than mount credible arguments in the face of Trumps success, its easier to tar him and all Republicans who ever supported him as racists or members of the Third Reich. Theyre completely race-obsessed on the left.

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As it happens, The Ingraham Angle celebrated its one-year anniversary the other daycongratulations, I guess?so I revisited Ingrahams opening monologue from her very first program. The people took their power back on Election Day, and the establishment is mad as hell. Lets face it. They really dont like the American people, not very much at leastor their forefathers. Theres a self-loathing in the air, she said on her inaugural broadcast. One year later, shes still giving much the same speech, as are many of her Fox News colleagues.

Fox News has always been intent on convincing its viewers that liberals hate them and their way of life. The fact that Carlson uses rhetorically fallacious strategies to make these pointsthat he relies on straw men and assumptions and projections and suchis beside the point. The point is to make viewers feel as if they have been personally wounded by the things that Fox News tells them that liberals have said, so that they will then get very angry and stick it to the Democrats on Nov. 6and, of course, keep watching Fox.

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Its a very effective plan, and a cynical one too. The network is boosting the story of the dangerous migrant invasion in part because it knows that liberals will be repelled by it. When liberals take Foxs bait, the network then proceeds to generate content out of their repulsion. And not just a little contentthe liberal intolerance and hypocrisy storyline generates hours and hours of programming for Fox every single day. Its impossible for a Fox viewer to avoid it, and its very difficult to avoid being affected by it. You can have no real opinions about immigration, or the border, or the caravan, and still know that you dont like being told that you, or people ostensibly like you, are a racist. Even if no one is actually calling you a racist, you might easily begin to think that they are, given that Tucker Carlson keeps loudly insisting that its so. Do you think nations need borders in order to be nations? Did you imagine that as an American citizen, you should have some voice on who comes into our country? he asked his viewers on Oct. 24. The cable news geniuses have a message for you. Shut up, racist.

So fear not, all you cable news nongeniuses out there: Tucker Carlson will never shut up. Why would he? Whether you think hes a craven opportunist, an actual xenophobe, or both things at oncethats my guess!he has found a gimmick that works for our truly ugly times. Triggering the libs, its clear, is really about triggering his own audience in turn. Its scary how well it works.
An event hosted by Ilana Glazer of Broad City was canceled after anti-Semitic graffiti was found inside a historic Brooklyn synagogue on Thursday, less than a week after a gunman killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue, the New York Police Department said.

The vandal had written in paint, Kill all Jews, Die Jew Rats We Are Here, and Jews Better Be Ready, according to NBC New York. The Pittsburgh shooting suspect had allegedly yelled, All Jews must die, before the massacre.

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The graffiti was also found just one day after a swastika and racial epithets were found written on a Brooklyn Heights brownstone. On Oct. 14, a man had also been charged with a hate crime for beating a Jewish man on his way to prayer services in the middle of a Brooklyn street.

According to NBC New York, police said a congregant had discovered the graffiti at around 8 p.m. inside Union Temple in Prospect Heights on Thursday. Glazer had been scheduled to moderate a talk with a journalist and state senate candidates. The talk was canceled out of concerns for the safety of the speakers and attendees.
This week, a handful of right-wing conspiracy theorists were exposed trying to smear special counsel Robert Mueller in a plan thats almost too outlandish and poorly executed to be believed. A fake company started by young #MAGA troll Jacob Wohl enlisted Jack Burkmana leading figure in promoting nonsense fictions about Seth Richs murderwho seems to have offered to pay women to make false claims that Mueller sexually assaulted them.

There is no shortage of stupidity to cherish in this incredibly slapdash hoax. Wohl, who writes for the conservative website Gateway Pundit, told reporters he knew nothing about Surefire Intelligence (the company whose email domain was used to ask a Vermont Law School professor to name her price for discussing any encounters with Mueller) other than that Burkman had teamed up with Surefire managing partner Matthew Cohen to investigate Muellers past. But Surefires web domain was registered with an email address associated with Wohl, and a phone number on its website redirected to a number registered to Wohls mother. New Yorker reporter Jane Mayer found a supposed photo of Cohen that was actually a picture of Wohl. As for the rest of the Surefire staff, their LinkedIn profile photos were ripped off from, among other people, supermodel Bar Refaeli and actor Christoph Waltz, who didnt ask for any of this.

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The most important takeaway from the Surefire-Mueller sham is not that Wohl and Burkman are hilariously incompetent or that certain figures on the right are trying to poison the well for all women who report sexual violence, though both of those things are true. Its that when conservatives make false claims about liberals, Democrats, and the media, especially around issues of sexual assault, theyre often talking about themselves.

Consider the concept of fake news. The term was invented to describe far-right conspiracy theories like Pizzagate and the pro-Trump clickbait-fabrication factories that sprung up in the Balkans in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Since then, Trump has employed it as shorthand for all but his few favorite right-leaning media outlets. Meanwhile, check out Wohl, a reporter for a right-wing news site who started a bogus intelligence firm to help concoct phony allegations against the guy investigating Trump, then fed the story to his own site, where it was dutifully reported as the truth on a page that looks like a GeoCities site from 1999. There was no request for comment from Muellers office, no explanation for the Gateway Pundits claims that the accusers story are corroborated or that she is a very credible witness, just documents with headers that say International Private Intelligence, like all confidential intelligence documents do. Its amazing how closely this schemeinvent evidence, advance a phony story for personal and political gaintracks with the most feverish right-wing fantasy of what goes on behind the scenes at CNN and the New York Times.

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What genuine empathy, untethered from political gains!

The right-wing canard that Democratic operatives pay women to invent allegations of sexual assault also looks particularly rich this week, in light of allegations by two women that men who identified themselves as Burkman and an unnamed Surefire employee offered them money to talk about nonexistent encounters with Mueller. Some Trump supporters believed Christine Blasey Ford had received money from Democrats to falsely accuse Kavanaugh; Trump himself encouraged his supporters to buy into that lie when he said, on the day Ford testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that several women got paid a lot of money to make up stories about me. When multiple women alleged that Senate candidate Roy Moore had molested young teens and had sought out older teens for romantic relationships when he was a thirtysomething prosecutor, the Gateway Pundit published, with no evidence, an allegation that Washington Post journalists had paid a woman to add her voice to the chorus of accusations. But the only one paying for fake allegations against Moore was the right-wing Project Veritas, which tried, unsuccessfully, to get the Post to bite on a fabricated tale involving Moore, sex with a teenager, and a resulting abortion.

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Commentators on the right also occasionally say that liberals feign sympathy for alleged victims of sexual assault, when they only see those survivors as pawns in their political games. A piece in the American Spectator that ran the week after Fords Senate testimony accused Democrats of meting out transparently counterfeit compassion for Kavanaughs accuser and fake empathy for the vulnerable. Now, heres how the two guys behind the Mueller smear are talking about their alleged survivor, Carolyne Cass, who (at least according to Wohl and Burkman) pulled out of a scheduled press conference on Thursday at the last minute, just like the previous woman who Burkman had claimed was a victim of sexual assault:

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Some sad news. On Thursday, November 1, at the Rosslyn

Holiday Inn at noon, we will reveal the first of Special Counsel Robert

Mueller's sex assault victims. I applaud the courage and dignity and

grace and strength of my client. pic.twitter.com/wZVQeHD45r  Jack Burkman (@Jack_Burkman) October 30, 2018

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Perhaps courage and dignity and grace and strength is laying it on a little thick. And some sad news doesnt exactly ring with sincerity, considering that Burkman announced the same news on Facebook with Well Bob, by weeks end, our nation will know you as nothing but a sex offender, then followed it up with a meme that imagines protesters claiming that curing cancer is racist after Trump finds a cure. Then theres Wohl, who earlier this week nodded to the woman who was supposedly raped by Mueller with two sardonic tweets mocking the progressive activist slogans #WeBelieveSurvivors and believe women, which he changed to Believe all women. The rest of the time, Wohls been tweeting about the coordinated smear campaign the media has launched against him. What genuine empathy, untethered from political gains!

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Another one of the major right-wing talking points around Kavanaughs nomination was that Democrats didnt care about honestly adjudicating Fords claims. Boy, you [Democrats] all want power. God, I hope you never get it, Lindsey Graham said, his voice quavering, in his barnburner of a question-and-answer session during Kavanaughs testimony. On Tucker Carlsons Fox News show, both he and one of his guests, Trump booster and former U.S. attorney Joseph diGenova, advanced the same theory in a segment on Kavanaugh and Ford. To them, acquiring power justifies anything, Carlson said. This is not about ethics or morality or rightness, echoed diGenova. Its about power.

A few weeks later, on 60 Minutes, Lesley Stahl confronted Trump about his cruel mockery of Fords testimony. He responded by claiming that the Kavanaugh hearings had helped Republicans in midterm-election polls, then defended his personal attack on Ford as a means to an end. You know what? Im not going to get into it because we won, he said. It doesnt matter. We won. Right-wing podcast host Matt Vespa wrote that the best thing to come out of the hearings was that the liberals lost. Whatever happened to preserving due process and clearing an innocent mans name?

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Carlson tried to minimize the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh by likening them to absurd, paranoid conspiracy theories. Perhaps another reptilian porn lawyer will come forward with another discredited client who describes fantasies of, I dont know, gang rape or human sacrifice or child trafficking, he said on his show, referencing Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti and his attempt to turn Julie Swetnicks grievous allegations against Kavanaugh into a political steppingstone for himself. Maybe itll be ritual satanic abuse this time. They havent tried that one in a while. But the only people whove been accusing political opponents of ritual satanic abuse and child trafficking lately are the alt-right racists Carlson promotes on his show. In March, he came to the defense of white nationalist Brittany Pettibone, who described herself as one of the leading authorities on Pizzagate, the right-wing myth that Hillary Clinton and John Podesta ran a child-rape ring in the basement of a D.C. pizzeria.

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Immerse yourself in the ramblings of Carlson, Graham, Wohl, Trump, and their cohort, and youll feel like youve entered an alternate dimension in which every truth is replaced by an equal and opposite untruth. Duplicity and manipulation are rewarded with money and positions of prominence, and no one actually believes the words coming out of their own mouths. If these right-wingers are to be believed, sexual assault isnt a despicable act of gender-based violence but an easily exploitable tool for raising faux panic around enemies in high places. The true believers in this crowd of conservatives see sexual abuse as a game of political one-upmanship, one thats being played by both sides. Theyre so invested in a politics of trickery divorced from its human consequences, they cant imagine anyone doing it any other way.
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On The Gist, Pews analysis of European opinion surveys is out. Lets look at Greece!

In the interview, the American electorate has come to sort itself not just on political issues, but by worldview. Life is either a gauntlet of hazards (say Republicans) or an array of sights to see (as the Dems think). In their latest book, Prius or Pickup?, political scientists Marc Hetherington and Jonathan Weiler warn that these philosophical differences are sharper than what separated the voting blocs of previous generations.

In the Spiel, Trump is out with a racist political ad, surprising precisely no one.

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In the end, maybe the White House and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke should have replaced the departments acting inspector general with a political appointee from Ben Carsons fabulously furnished Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Interiors acting IG, Mary Kendall, has referred one of its several investigations into Zinke to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution, and, the Washington Post reports, the White House is concerned about Zinke, one of its most loyal, and ambitious, Cabinet secretaries.

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Trump told his aides that he is afraid Zinke has broken rules while serving as the interior secretary and is concerned about the Justice Department referral, the Post reported.

The referral is reportedly about a development project funded by the chairman of Halliburton, David Lesar, in Whitefish, Montana, where Zinke and his wife lived and own property. Zinkes foundation agreed in 2017 to provide use of its land for part of the development. The Zinkes also own two companies with land near the project, which could then go up in value when its completed. At the same time, Halliburton, the oil services giant, stands to gain if Zinke and the administration are successful in opening up more federal land for energy development.

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The inspector general started looking into the deal in June after congressional Democrats requested an investigation. Politico reported in June that a foundation founded by Zinke and run by his wife, Lola, was providing crucial assistance to the development project, which would include retail space and a hotel. For one, Lola, pledged in writing to allow the Lesar-backed developer to build a parking lot for the project on land that was donated to the foundation to create a Veterans Peace Park for citizens of Whitefish.

The Post also reported in June that Zinke has continued to meet with Lesar, his son and the lead project developer, Casey Malmquist, since taking office, and a calendar released under the Freedom of Information Action showed that last summer the projects developer wrote the secretary about the development and solicited his input on its design.

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The Whitefish development is the subject of just one of many investigations and probes dogging Zinkes tenure. The inspector general is also reportedly looking at his decision not to grant a permit to two Connecticut tribes to jointly run a casino, despite the fact that career staff had recommended the move, after MGM Resorts International lobbied against it, the Post reported, as well as whether Interior officials redrew the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to benefit Utah Rep. Mike Noel (R), who owns property in the area.

If theres ever a permanent inspector general for Ryan Zinkes Department of the Interior, shell definitely be busyunless he rides his horse out of town.
Yes, sanctions are coming, as President Trump touted in an asinine Game of Thronesthemed tweet Friday. (An allusion to Winter is coming isnt exactly the most reassuring sentiment when it comes to a potential nuclear conflict.) On Nov. 4 at 11:59 p.m., the U.S.

will reapply a slew of sanctions on Iran, including curbs on the key oil and banking sectors, that had been waived under the 2015 nuclear deal.

As BuzzFeeds Hayes Brown notes, the tweet has probably already done what it was intended to dogotten everyone talking about the sanctions. It also elides the fact that these sanctions will not be as tough as what hardliners called for.

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday that the U.S. will grant temporary waivers to eight countries to continue purchasing Iranian oil. The full list, which has not been published, reportedly includes Japan, India, and South Koreaall major importers of Iranian oil. Taiwan and Turkey may have been granted waivers as well. Negotiations on a waiver for China, the top Iranian oil consumer, will reportedly continue through the weekend.

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Pompeo said the waivers were temporary and only granted to countries that had made important moves toward reducing their purchases of Iranian oil. But as Bloomberg notes, the move could also be read as an attempt to ensure that global oil prices dont spikeespecially with the U.S. midterm elections just a few days away. In early October, oil prices hit their highest level since 2014 in anticipation of the expected loss of Iranian supply, but have since eased with growing anticipation of at least some waivers. Prices fell on Friday after the announcement.

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The waivers, along with a decision not to attempt to bar Iranian banks from the global SWIFT financial messaging system, have disappointed Iran hawks who hoped for a more aggressive maximum pressure campaign against Iran and argue that the concessions will embolden Iran to simply wait out the Trump administration. National security adviser John Bolton, who reportedly broke with Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in opposing the waivers, has refused to participate in the rollout of the sanctions, according to Washington Examiner.

Exemptions or no, the threat of sanctions has already prompted buyers to stay away from Iranian oil, and the impact on the countrys economy will likely be significant. But theres reason to be skeptical that this will accomplish the snapback sanctions stated goal: forcing Iran to return to the negotiating table to reach a new deal encompassing not only its nuclear program but also its ballistic missiles and support for militant groups throughout the Middle East. No Iranian regime is likely to accede to the conditions the Trump administration has laid out, no matter how dire economic conditions become. As a new analysis by the International Crisis Group shows, theres little historical data to suggest that Iran curtails its disruptive foreign policy when oil revenues are down. Rather, the extent to which the Islamic Republic feels threatened or senses opportunity in its neighborhood largely defines its conduct, the report reads:

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5| Take the 1980s as an example: Iran was at war, with shrinking oil revenue and GDP growth, yet stayed committed to building up its proxy networks and trying to export the revolution abroad. pic.twitter.com/sGAOTfBin9  Ali Vaez (@AliVaez) November 2, 2018

Thats not to say the pain wont be felt by ordinary Iranians. As Reuters reports, prices of rice, bread, cooking oil, and other staples have soared since the U.S. administration reinstated the first round of sanctions last August, and the Iranian currency, the rial, has plummeted.

The purpose of sanctions is not to make the target countrys population sufferits to change a governments behavior. In this case, however, the former outcome seems a lot more likely. Thats nothing to celebrate, or to brag about.
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During his otherwise news-free immigration speech Thursday, President Trump said that troops amassed at the southern border would treat rocks thrown at them as if they were bullets, raising the possibility that American soldiers could fire on the unarmed migrant caravan if it reaches the border.

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But the more immediate impact may have already been felt in Nigeria.

Earlier this week, the Nigerian Army fired on a group of Shiite Muslim protesters in Abuja, the New York Times reported, killing as many as 40 and wounding 100. The army later posted a video on Twitter (now deleted) pointing to Trumps words about the militarys potential response to migrants who throw rocks but are otherwise unarmed. The video stated, Please Watch and Make Your Deductions, the New York Times reported, and showed Trump saying, Were not going to put up with that.  They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back.

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The video was a response to Amnesty International, which criticized the Nigerian government and said the army had killed at least 45 protesters, an army spokesman told the Times.

We released that video to say if President Trump can say that rocks are as good as a rifle, who is Amnesty International? the army spokesman said. What are they then saying? What did David use to kill Goliath? So a stone is a weapon.

A spokesman for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, the Shiite group that protested this week, told the Times: The use of force is disproportionate. I dont think President Trump is a good exampleeven in America many are critical of him. I am surprised that the Army will use Trump as a role model.
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President Trump wanted to make this the election of the caravan. For red-state Democrats, thats becoming the case. So with only days to go until midterms, how will Trumps immigration rhetoric shape close races? Slates Jim Newell joins us today to discuss the state of red-state Democrats. Plus, BuzzFeeds Caroline ODonovan spent the day in Mountain View, California, at Googles headquarters to cover the walkout of its employees in protest of what they say is the companys lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. She joins us to debrief on the day out West.

Well be piloting What Next in public for the next several weeks. Tell us what you think: whatnext@slate.com.

Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show, our weekend reading lists, and occasional posts about pita chips.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon. Engineering by Terence Bernardo.
Every major media outlet that covers politics is gearing up to cover Tuesdays U.S. midterm elections. And so is Apple.

While Facebooks election war room attempts to stand athwart the inevitable flood of misinformation on the social network, performing triage, Apple will have a news room of professional journalists engaged in a much more familiar task. Their mandate, editor-in-chief Lauren Kern said in a June blog post, is to handpick the most important, rigorously reported news stories from a variety of mainstream media outlets and highlight them for Apple News users in the apps special Midterm Elections section.

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Its a noteworthy editorial project from a 3-year-old platform that is rapidly gaining readership and influence in the news industry amid the well-publicized struggles of its Silicon Valley rivals. Apple doesnt disclose audience numbers for Apple News, but some major news publishers say it has lately vaulted past other platforms to become one of their top traffic sources. Slates Apple News readership has tripled in the past year.

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Apple says the goal of its election-night hub is to be a one-stop destination for all the latest results, stories, and videos. (The company has briefed reporters on the plans in recent weeks.) In addition to live video from ABC News and NBC News and articles from around the web, it will prominently feature the New York Times somewhat controversial election needle, which continually updates its predictions of which party will take the House and Senate. That decision, like all the others, was one made not by an algorithm, but by veteran journalists like Kern, based on their news judgment.

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Launched in June, Apples Midterm Elections project is already in full swing. But starting at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday, the company will launch a redesigned, election-night version. Midterms news will take over the top of both the apps main Today feed and its Digest tab, while also being featured in the widget that appears when you swipe right from the home screen of an iOS device. The section will lead with the latest results based on data from the Associated Press, which will update once a minute without making you refresh the page. And it will pipe in live TV coverage from at least two major networks, along with clips from CNN, Fox News, and others, without requiring users to log in as pay-TV subscribers.

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Top Apple executives have publicly advocated for the companys decidedly editorial approach to picking news stories. We are responsible for whats in there, its chief of apps, Roger Rosner, told the New York Times recently. Thats a responsibility from which Facebook and other internet companies have shied away, professing to be mere tools for their users to communicate with one another.

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Kern, formerly a well-regarded editor of New York magazine, talks about Apple News mission in terms like informed public, functioning democracy, and thriving free press. Her team corresponds regularly with editors at major publications, who pitch stories each day that they hope to see featured in the app. Kern has said her editors seek stories not just on a range of topics, but from a range of viewpoints, including different sides of the political spectrum.

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It sounds almost quaintly high-minded, especially compared with the anything-goes content agnosticism that Facebook and other social networks evinced until the backlash from the 2016 election compelled them to reconsider. Apples effort feels like a vision of an alternate reality in which Silicon Valley tech companies reshaped the news industry thoughtfully and deliberately, rather than rapidly and unintentionally. One in which the prevailing ethos was move slow and improve things rather than move fast and break them.

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There are also pitfalls. Apple has so far played it safe with regard to the publishers whose work it features, preferring established national outlets to upstarts or local media. That crimps the range of perspectives it offers. If theres a great, widely shared post from a little-known blog, or an important scoop from a local newspaper about a Senate race, youre unlikely to find it on Apple News. And there are areas where its curation is evident in its omissions: Apple News regularly features conservative outlets such as the Weekly Standard and National Review, but seems to rarely highlight stories from pro-Trump sites. Far-left sites also rarely crop up among its top picks.

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Apple has also held back from featuring stories whose claims are particularly controversial. That has served it well in some cases, such as when it steered clear of an ABC News report about the Mueller investigation that turned out to be false. More recently, it has given Apple News cover to avoid featuring a hotly debated Bloomberg story about a Chinese espionage effort that allegedly involved Apple itself.

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That, in turn, raises the question of Apples editors human biases creeping into their story selection. The 2016 claim that humans at Facebook were molding that platforms trending news section according to their (mostly liberal) values triggered a nasty backlash from leading conservatives. So far, Apple has not become the same kind of target. It probably helps that the company has been open about its reliance on human value judgments from the start. But if Apple News keeps growing in stature as a news source, it seems likely that it will eventually run afoul of some loud voices on the right.

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Perhaps more relevant to Apples midterm election coverage is the question of whether readers really want or need it. Apple is betting that theres value in bringing together news from multiple sources in a single, easily accessible spot on users phones. But many people who care about the election results will presumably be watching the returns on TV, not swiping around their iOS device. And hardcore news junkies might still prefer the raw, real-time nature of Twitter.

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That said, Apple is well-positioned to reach huge numbers of people when it wants to. The company says it will send out a breaking news push notification the moment the balance of power in Congress is decided. That should bring in a lot of people who werent necessarily planning to follow their elections on Apple News.

Without exclusive content, an editorial ethos, or a distinctive brand, Apple News seems unlikely to dramatically reshape election coverage in this cycle. Still, its effort is worth watching, because there may be no company in the world with more resources or more direct access to an audience of 1 billion-plus people. If it succeeds, Big Techs influence on journalism could begin to look very different than it has up to this point.
The Netizen Report originally appears on Global Voices Advox and offers an international snapshot of challenges, victories, and emerging trends in Internet rights around the world. This report covers the events we tracked in October 2018. Afef Abrougui, Ellery Roberts Biddle, Nwachukwu Egbunike, Rohith Jyotish, Talal Raza, Elizabeth Rivera, Juke Carolina Rumuat, Taisa Sganzerla, Filip Stojanovski, and Sarah Myers West contributed to this report.

Two Indonesian men were arrested for transmitting and spreading electronic information containing immorality, a crime under Indonesias Electronic Transactions and Information Law. The two were running a gay meetup and match-making group on Facebook. On Oct. 18, police raided their apartment and confiscated five mobile phone and 25 condoms.

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Indonesia is not the only Asian country seeing new restrictions on free speech. Three journalists in Myanmar were arrested Oct. 11 and charged with causing fear or alarm to the public after Eleven News Media published an investigation into public spending on Yangons city transit system. The Burmese free speech advocacy group Athan has recorded 43 legal cases filed against journalists in Myanmar since April 2016.

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On Oct. 12, Vietnamese journalist Do Cong Duong was convicted of abusing democratic freedoms and sentenced to five years in prison, over his efforts to report on corruption, land misuse, and forced evictions on Facebook and YouTube. He was sentenced separately in September 2018 for disturbing public order.

Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency has made 209 arrests so far in 2018 under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. Passed in 2016, the law criminalizes some forms of online harassment (which it calls indecent communications). But it also grants the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority significant powers to remove speech from the internet if it considers it necessary in the interest of the glory of Islam, or the integrity, security, or defence of Pakistan.

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Threatened voices in Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Malta

Nigerian journalist Jaafar Jaafar went into hiding after receiving multiple death threats in mid-October after publishing video evidence of a local governor accepting $5 million in kickbacks from private contractors.

It has been one year since the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Best known for her independent news blog, Running Commentary, Caruana Galizia was the first to break the news of Maltese politicians involvement in the Panama Papers in April 2016. Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb Oct. 16, 2017. Her supporters say the investigation of her murder has not been done independently nor impartially and continue to call for justice in her case.

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The internet access gap in Cameroon and beyond

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On the eve of elections, internet service providers in Cameroon slowed down social media and mobile messaging services. This is nothing new for Cameroon, where the countrys anglophone region has sustained more than 230 days of internet shutdowns since 2016. (In 2017, Sophie Ngassa, an activist who teaches digital literacy skills to girls, wrote for Future Tense about the impact of a 93-day internet shutdown in Cameroon.)

Even when the internet is technically available, its out of reach for many. The World Wide Web Foundations latest Affordability Report shows that internet access is unaffordable in 60 percent of countries.

New research

The Kingdom Came to Canada: How Saudi-Linked Digital Espionage Reached Canadian SoilCitizen Lab

How Disinformation Harmed the Referendum in MacedoniaAsya Metodieva, the German Marshall Fund of the United States
Visual artist Luka Brase found success as an artist by washing dishes, sleeping on beaches and embracing his individuality overseas.

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My parents were always telling me stories of how they wanted to leave and be free

I also wanted to see something new, something beyond what we had here. In Ireland, I first started off as a dishwasher and then began working in security. This was at the time when many people from eastern Europe came to do simple jobs in the West.

You came here to steal our jobs and take our money

Thats what my supervisor would tell me. I hated him. I knew why I was there. It was to grow, learn and make an exhibition. This was my mission. He would just laugh and call me a liar. So I tried to explain it to him in a different way: I am working here, but I am also paying taxes. So my money will actually pay for your pension, not mine.

I started living inbetween two countries

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Read Also: Slovak migrant shares the stories of other migrants to understand her own Read more

I began travelling to the Netherlands and totally fell in love. But the Dutch labour market was not yet open to EU-8 nationals, so I started selling my work on the street just to get by. I was sleeping in the park, on a beach, in the central station, anywhere I could lay my head down.

Living abroad taught me that we are all just humans

It doesnt matter where you are from, but what value you bring. Do you do good unto others, or do you cause harm? In my art, I work with these principles of humanity. I aspire to bring these values to Slovakia, because I see them as important.

In the West, they have no information about us

My first break came from a Dutch gallery. They were looking for something new. Their exhibitions were full of western artists. It was also a question of good timing; Slovakia had joined the EU and western Europeans were curious about the East.

I learned how to be an individual, but also how to take responsibility

Outside, you are a stranger. You know no one. You dont speak the same language. You dont share the same mentality. You are far away from your family and friends. It was there that I learned how to rely on myself.

Everybody brings back something closer to his or her personality

Many of my friends continue earning their living abroad, but they bring back to Slovakia new contacts and new ideas. Together, we work on collaborative projects and engage with international galleries.

This is one way we can change the country

When you go abroad, you automatically understand more, because you can better compare. Its also about establishing new friendships. Today, I operate from a much wider context and network.

I did not want to leave Slovakia for good

A lot of us return because we want to help with change. I want to change Slovakia in the field of art.

I am home here

This testimony was originally published in Zuzana Palovics book, The Great Return. You can learn more about the book as well as Palovics own journey as a Slovak migrant that later returned to Slovakia at http://thegreatreturn.eu/.
No one invested a cent in scientific infrastructure between 1989 and when EU funds arrived, says Dusan Galusek.

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Slovak science has not found much success in the world. However, some scientists have added value to global science. One of them is Professor Dusan Galusek.

The chemist came to the scientific profession by accident. He wanted to work in the industrial sector after the 1989 Velvet Revolution. He later, along with an international team, managed to transform the decaying glassworks research centre in Trencin into a centre of excellence recognised throughout Europe.

While the centres infrastructure was built using Slovak and EU funds, the greatest development began after Galusek received money from the EU Horizon 2020 programme. Galusek was one of few Slovaks to receive this type of funding.

Difficult beginnings

Dusan Galusek comes from Trencin Region, where the silicate industry, including glass, lime and cement plants, has always been vital. Thats the reason why he chose to study ceramics at the Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology in Bratislava.

My vision was that I would be employed in some of these companies, even during my studies, Galusek told The Slovak Spectator. I even took a scholarship from one cement plant.
Prosecutor agreed with the fine for the man who broke the nose of his ex-girlfriend.

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University student Edina Varadyova suffered black eyes, a broken nose, cut lip and post trauma when her ex-boyfriend attacked her in March. Despite knocking her down several times and hitting her head against her car the court only fined him 1,500 euros. The state prosecutor agreed, which left Varadyova and her family unable to file a plea against the decision.

Im curious how the prosecutor or judge would behave if I were their daughter, Varadyova told The Slovak Spectator.

Her troubles continued after the beating as the attacker provoked her by explicitly seeking her presence. For example, once this summer he lay right next to her at open air pool.

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Read also: Murdered woman repeatedly approached police Read more

Out of despair she published the story on Facebook on October 17 and received thousands of reactions.

After the media covered the story regional prosecutor office stated that it would review the case and the police started a new prosecution of her ex-boyfriend for stalking.

In general, the courts in our country give the lowest possible penalties for physical attacks of women, such as fines and conditional sentences, Crisis Centre Slnieckos lawyer Sylvia Gancarova told The Slovak Spectator. In the past, she worked as a police investigator.

The beating

Varadyova met her three friends at a local pub in the town of Filakovo, south Slovakia in March and after midnight her former partner arrived with his friend and both sat at Varadyovas table.

Being afraid that the situation might end badly she and her friends left but her ex-boyfriend met them outside. One by one he attacked the group despite several people trying to stop him, including Varadyova.
We are just one short week away from the start of the Los Angeles Coffee Festival (and the RAW WINE Fair LA, which will be covered by our sister site Sprudge Wine; the Sprudge Media Network is going to be in a full-on beverage frenzy). And like any coffee festival worth its salt, there are going to be fun, non-festival happenings outside the 100,000-square-foot Magic Box convention center. One such event that Sprudge is proud to be a part of is bringing some great tastes from the Pacific Northwest to the City of Angels. Taking place Saturday, November 10th, Bellinghams Camber Coffee is taking over Coffee Hall Chinatown for a full-day pop-up of doughnuts, competition, and a splash or two of natural wine.

The day kicks off at 10:00am with a little help from Seattles General Porpoise, who will be providing the doughnut portion of Cambers Coffee + Doughnut (and ping-pong) festivities. With a little help from a few Dayglow baristas, Camber will be offering pairings of a rose cardamom iced latte and vanilla custard doughnut as well as a mulled spice latte with lemon curd doughnut.

Then at 5:00pm, the gloves are coming off and the spoons are coming out for a Guess The TDS cupping. For a $5 buy-in, attendees will be able to participate in the triangulation cupping competition where they will have to pick out which cup of each set of three has a slightly different TDS than the rest. The grand prize for the Guess The TDS cupping is a Ratio Eight brewer, with other prizes including a gold Acaia Pearl scale, a Baratza Virtuoso grinder, a matte white Fellow Stagg EKG kettle, and a ton of goodies from Camber.

Once all the dust has settled from the rip-roaring, sip-slurping action, things are going to get considerable more chill with a natural wine happy hour. Starting at 7:00pm, a donation wine bar featuring a nice list from Amy Atwood Selectionsprovided by Oatlywill take over the space. Wines include Swick Wines WB Pinot Noir, Holdens Pretty Things Rose, Chateau Barouillets Splash!, and Dufaitres Premices 2017. All proceeds from the wine bar will go to Ground for Health, a non-profit organization working to treat and prevent cervical cancer in coffee origins.

After youve tied on one or two, join up with Portlands Deadstock Coffee at 9:00pm for a little karaoke.

There are going to be so many cool things happening the weekend of November 10th in LA, but make sure you stop by Cambers pop-up at Coffee Hall and have a splash with your friends at Sprudge. Because if theres coffee and natural wine, you know well be there.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
The harvest of Zespri Kiwifruit from Northern Hemisphere orchards is well underway, with total volumes expected to reach more than 19 million trays this season.

Zespri Chief International Production Officer Sheila McCann-Morrison says the increased volumes demonstrate the progress being made on Zespris global supply strategy of providing consumers with its kiwifruit for all twelve months of the year.

This years Northern Hemisphere harvest is expected to exceed 19.1 million trays, which is almost 25 percent up on the 15.4 million trays recorded in 2017/18.

This includes close to 10.5 million trays of SunGold compared to 6.3 million trays last year and eight million trays of green kiwifruit versus nine last year.

She says Zespri is looking forward to completing the New Zealand season by the end of the year, while transitioning to supply from Northern Hemisphere locations.

Growth in our offshore supply allows us to meet increasing consumer demand for our premium quality kiwifruit and ensure that our brand remains top of mind in the three-to-four months of the year when our New Zealand-grown kiwifruit is unavailable. Ultimately, this is trying to meet the needs of our consumers and support sustainable long-term returns for our non-New Zealand and New Zealand-grown crop, says Sheila.

Zespri has developed long-term partnerships with non-New Zealand-based growers and suppliers to provide its kiwifruit in Italy, South Korea, Japan and France, says Sheila.

Exports from Italy and France also enable us to serve our consumers in other key markets. All non-New Zealand-grown Kiwifruit must meet Zespris stringent quality standards, with quality managed through the Zespri System.

Europe remains Zespris most significant source of non-New Zealand-grown kiwifruit, with Italy supplying more than 90 percent of its total volumes and more than nine million trays of SunGold, she says.

In addition to expanding our production in current key European locations, particularly in Italy, we are running trials in new growing locations to determine whether we can successfully diversify our supply. We believe this will allow us to mitigate risks like pests and adverse weather events and also bring our supply closer to market, says Sheila.

Outside of Europe, Zespri expects to see continued growth in Asia and is focusing on increasing the supply of SunGold in Japan and South Korea to meet strong demand.

Zespri also continues to explore the potential for a 12-month supply programme in China. A proof of concept trial in China is nearing completion, working with local partners to assess local Chinese varieties to determine whether we can sustainably grow Zespri-quality fruit. Zespri has also started production trials in Oregon and California in the US, which has become one of Zespris most significant new growth markets due to demand for SunGold.

Zespri continues to invest strongly in supporting its partners around the world with technical advice to maximise their returns. Zespri also shares best practice growing techniques, Psa learnings and R&D with grower forums in its offshore production bases.
The notch on smartphones has been the bane of our existence for some ever since last year. Unfortunately, that seems to be the only solution for the ever growing screen ratios on smartphones. Or so we thought, until Arstechnica.com reported about the Nubia X, that decided the only way to remove the notch is to remove the front selfie camera altogether. While this would illicit many gasps of surprise to many selfie enthusiasts all over the world, rest assured that you will still be able to take endless selfies with this smartphone still.

While there are only 16MP + 24MP dual rear cameras on the back, there is now a viewfinder screen on the back as well. Tech specs are impressive with a 6.26 inch, 2280x1080 LCD display and with the notch now gone, it has a 93.6 percent screen to phone ratio. Meanwhile, the viewfinder is a 5.1 inches, 1520x720 OLED display. It runs on Snapdragon 845, with 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, 3800mAh battery capacity, and Android 8.1 Oreo. The device is now available for purchase in China for 3299 CNY (1986 MYR).

The Nubia X isnt the first phone to introduce an innovative way to remove the notch from smartphones. OPPO created the Oppo Find X, which has a motorized top that can flip the camera forward and back, the vivo Nex with its little pop up camera, and Xiaomi's sliding phone, the Mi Mix 3. The Meizu Pro 7 had a similar concept albeit with a smaller and oddly placed screen on the left side of the back of the phone.

To date, this is the most expensive way to remove a notch from your phone. So far, there is no official Malaysia release date for this device yet. What do you guys think? Is this way the most efficient way to purge notches from your smartphones? Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more tech news.
The language researchers at the University of Oslo have conducted field work involving four families with Senegalese background living in Norway. Credit: Nadia Frantsen

Research shows that Snapchat, Facebook and WhatsApp help families with immigrant backgrounds develop their multilingualism.

Professor Jannis Androutsopoulos and Postdoctoral Fellow Kristin Vold Lexander at MultiLing (the Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan) at the University of Oslo have researched the interplay of various languages and media for interpersonal communication.

They have conducted field work involving four Senegalese background families in Norway.

"Our field work shows that the family members use a range of digital communication applications to maintain and expand their communication network in Norway, Senegal and other parts of the world," confirm the researchers.

Five languages in two minutes

They describe a typical situation for one of the informants in the study  anonymised with the name "Rama":

"Rama hangs up after a phone call with her grandmother in Senegal, who only accepts the Joola language in their conversations. She notices that she has received a Snapchat video in Norwegian from her friends from school, and then a Facebook messenger voice message in Wolof from her cousin in France comes in, just as she is reading the usual good night message from her mother, in French and English. In a couple of minutes, Rama uses several parts of her linguistic repertoire to communicate on various media with family and friends in Norway and elsewhere in the world."



Creating a graph of social networks

"We visualise these networks in "mediagrams," a kind of social network graph that represents language and media choices of our informants to various members of their nuclear and extended family as well as close friends.. Rama's mediagram (see picture), for example, shows that she draws on five different languages to communicate with family and close friends in Norway, Senegal and France," explains Kristin Vold Lexander.

Some connections involve only one language (e.g. to her grandmothers), others up to four (e.g. to her mother and uncle in Senegal). Rama uses these languages in both writing and speaking, and maintains most of her contacts by Facebook messenger, whereas phone calls, SMS and Snapchat are reserved to specific partners.

"Such variety of languages and media is the rule rather than the exception with our informants," explains Professor Androutsopoulos.

What determines communication?

The researchers study how the informants' choices of language (Norwegian, Wolof, French or English), linguistic mode (written, oral or both) and media (text message, WhatsApp or Skype) vary according to their competencies and the types of social relationships they maintain with their interlocutors.

Preliminary project findings suggest that our informant's choice of languages is closely related to their choice of whether to write or speak.

Ramasmediagram shows that she uses five different languages when communicating with family and close friends in Norway, Senegal and France.

"This is due to the fact that they have different levels of competencies in the different languages they know. Most of the informants with Senegalese background, for example, have never learned to read or write vernacular languages such as Wolof, as French is the official language of instruction in Senegal," explains Kristin Vold Lexander.

In addition, the decision for a specific language and language mode is also related to the competencies of particular addressees..

"Rama is typical of the families in the study, as Senegalese languages and spoken media are normally preferred when communicating with parents and grandparents in Senegal," explains Professor Androutsopoulos.

In other cases, whether to write or talk depends on the nature and dynamics of each particular social relationship.

"We find that less dense relationships where people communicate just a few times per year are highly likely to be limited to writing, which also is the mode of choice for relationships that involve some form of conflict," explain the researchers.

Correcting each other's Norwegian

During the research project, the two researchers also found that the informants treat digital texts as an opportunity to improve their linguistic skills in Norwegian. The parents in one family, for example, send text messages in Norwegian instead of in French or Wolof, and they correct each other when they make mistakes.

"This couple is aware that they need to improve their written Norwegian if they want to live in Norway, so sending text messages in Norwegian is a way of supplementing other types of training such as language courses," confirms Kristin Vold Lexander.

Safeguarding their languages from home/ New opportunities to use heritage language prevent language loss

The informants not only want to improve their Norwegian skills, they also hope to preserve the languages they learned in their native country.

Immigrants from Senegal arrive in Norway with a number of so-called heritage languages. They speak Wolof  a language used by 80-90 percent of the Senegalese population. They often know another Senegalese language from the village where they lived, their neighbourhood or a language used by their parents' ethnic group.

"Moreover, they have studied French and perhaps also Spanish and English at school and may even have learned Arabic in the Koranic school. There are few spaces in Norway where all these languages can be practiced, and spoken-language media, such as telephone conversations, video conversations and voice messages offer our participants chances to use more Wolof," explain the researchers, adding:

"Digital contact with family members in Senegal is therefore important. not just for our participants' sense of social identity, but also for maintaining their heritage languages and preventing language loss while in Norway."

Professor Androutsopoulos and Kristin Vold Lexander's project is entitled "Multilingualism and mediated communication" and is a research project under MultiLing  the Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan at the University of Oslo.

Explore further Children take longer to learn two languages at once compared to just onedon't fret
Representatives from approximately 100 Japanese companies arrived in the economically vibrant city of Can Tho in Vietnams Mekong Delta on Thursday in search of new investment opportunities.

The representatives, along with many Japanese government officials and organizations, boarded a direct charter flight from Tokyo to Can Tho International Airport, hoping the trip would yield opportunities to enter Vietnams bustling food and produce, IT, traffic infrastructure construction, and financial consultancy industries.

These fields are very new to the Mekong Delta, and the challenge for the regions 17 million people is to show its potential to the Japanese, many of whom are visiting Vietnam for the first time, according to Nguyen Phuong Lam, director at the Can Tho-based office of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an agency supporting domestic corporate growth.

A Japanese corporate representative passes through immigration control at Can Tho International Airport in Can Tho City, southern Vietnam, November 1, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Though the Mekong Delta has a history of poor infrastructure and human resource issues, it has been steadily improving, Lam said, adding that he believes the region will see an influx of Japanese investment in the near future.

The Japanese entrepreneurs will identify investment possibilities and join the fourth Vietnam-Japan cultural and business exchange held locally from November 1 to 4.

The Japanese companies arrival follows a meeting between Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo in early October.

The premiers then attended the tenth Mekong-Delta Summit Meeting, also joined by leaders of countries that the Mekong River crosses: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

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Grab has made another announcement to address problems related to the abrupt change to its payment method that stirred up criticism from ride-hailing travelers.

At a meeting with the media on Thursday afternoon, Nguyen Tuan Anh, head of Grab Financial Group Vietnam, explained the reason prompting the ride-hailing firm to suddenly replace GrabPay and GrabPay Credits with GrabPay by Moca was to comply with a regulation set forth by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) by the imposed deadline of October 30.

GrabPay is the in-app mobile wallet that is linked with users' credit/debit cards while GrabPay Credits is a top-up prepaid account for those who do not want to share their card information with the app.

Currently, SBV regulates that an e-wallet must be linked with a payment account. GrabPay Credits did not meet this requirement.

Grab thus abandoned GrabPay Credits and GrabPay and introduced a new mobile wallet: GrabPay by Moca.

Accordingly, Grab users have to activate GrabPay by Moca, which now functions as the only other payment method besides cash.

However, the activation process was not easy and smooth for Grabs customers.

Hundreds were unable to activate Moca accounts due to various reasons, including limitations according to which only ATM cards could be used on the platform.

Therefore, passengers had to stop using the service or to pay their rides in cash, which is subject to fewer promotions than GrabPay by Moca.

Grab users are also worried if and how their balance in GrabPay Credits accounts would be refunded.

Apology

According to director Anh, Grab had six months to prepare for this replacement, but it has faced several incidents during the time.

Those difficulties included the governments requirement to swap all 11-digit mobile numbers for 10-digit formats in an effort to standardize the national telecommunications system, which affects a range of services registered with phone numbers such as emails, e-wallets, social media and mobile banking accounts.

The complication went further as it is required that mobile numbers provided to Grab were identical with the number registered at users banks, and customers had to also be using SMS banking services to be able to receive an OTP (one-time password) for activation from the bank.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused during the transition, Anh said during the meeting.

If customers want to stop using the service, we will refund customers in two options of cash or promotional codes, the Grab Financial Group director reassured.

The Grab representative guaranteed at the meeting that the new e-wallet will be free of error starting from the middle of this month and the firm will also offer several promotions as compensation for customers.

After the complete conversion of the e-wallet, we will expand its utility to include payment for electricity, water, and phone top-up, Anh said.

From the information collected from the e-wallet service, we will learn users habits and try to provide postpaid expenses, with ride and food ordering in a month being paid at the end of that month.

On the same day, Grab's country head in Vietnam Jerry Lim said at a symposium in Ho Chi Minh City that Grab wants to cooperate and become a technology partner with Vietnamese taxi firm Vinasun.

Were ready to support local businesses to develop and succeed together, the executive said.

In early February, Vinasun took Grab to court, accusing the ride-hailing app of multiple violations in providing taxi services and causing serious losses for the taxi firm.

The verdict for the case was scheduled for Monday, but a court in Ho Chi Minh City announced on that day that the trial would resume on November 22 after more evidence is collected.

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A student at a major college in Ho Chi Minh City has spent months creating an English-teaching robot, and went on to think of a futuristic school where all teachers are robots shortly after his efforts yielded success.

The robot by Nguyen Tran Thanh Phong, a senior from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, uses a number of programs for lessons, exercises and possible conversations with learners.

It is able to move arms, take the roll, recognize the human face and say learners name to elicit their responses, which can be given through the machines touch screen and a wireless microphone.

A child talks with Nguyen Tran Thanh Phongs robot via a wireless microphone. Photo: Tuoi Tre

It can also react to students attitude and answer by an expressive face, while a large screen fixed on the robots front shows what it is teaching.

The robot can do lesson review, teach vocabulary and grammar and provide in-class exercises to facilitate on-the-spot practice and memorization, but it only handles a very small class now.

The robots creator said he will improve the machine so that it can work in a wider space and interact better with users.

The product is inspired by what Phong is passionate about.

I taught English and really love learning English. Im also keen on robotics and invention. Thats why I thought of trying a combination of these two interests, he said.

His wish is strong and may pose a job threat to some people teaching English.

My ambition is to have an English language school where only robots teach.

Nguyen Tran Thanh Phongs robot is tested. Video: Tuoi Tre

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A group of students at a major college in Ho Chi Minh City have taken home first prize from a national design competition for their massage robot.

The robot, affectionately known as Massage Bot, is the brainchild of four students from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, one of the leading higher technological education institutions in southern Vietnam.

The machine was highly praised for its ingeniousness and applicability by the judges of the Student Scientific Research Contest, sponsored in part by the Ministry of Education and Training, at the awards ceremony on October 27.

The Massage Bots design includes two metal arms with a camera mounted on each.

The cameras are used to take pictures of users backs when they are lying in bed. The pictures are then sent to a photo editing program which determines the backs size and the spines coordinates.

The robots built-in artificial intelligence technology then combines that data with given information on each users age and gender to find the best areas to apply pressure.

These are locations on the body that, if pressed, are key to treating health problems, according to acupuncture and acupressure practitioners.

Next, the robot selects a suitable massage technique based on the users case history.

The students have figured out three different massage routines to treat back myositis (or muscle swelling), back pain, and aches in the shoulders and neck, each lasting 20-25 minutes.

The Massage Bot works on a mans back. Video: Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Tran Thanh Phong, one of Massage Bots designers, said his team had to study traditional medicine, anthropometry, and the human bodys physical properties in order to locate acupuncture points.

Sensors attached to the machines arms can determine if the user feels pain during the massage and let the robot know to adjust accordingly.

The cameras can perform real-time calculations of the back coordinates and enable the robots limbs to move correctly, even if the user is restless along the way.

After the service, Massage Bot saves the users information to its memory base in order to establish a case history and put it on the Internet for the user to access.

The robot also uses this information to automatically choose an appropriate massage technique for the same person during future visits.

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The 2018 Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF), themed Cinema-Integration and Sustainable Development, ended its five-day run with a wave of mixed emotions as participants reflected on both their joy and sadness upon leaving the closing ceremony at the Cultural Friendship Palace in the Vietnamese capital on Wednesday night.

The event, held from October 27 to 31, marked the fifth edition of Vietnams flagship film festival.

Event veterans were not shy about admitting that the biennial film festival, founded in 2010, still has a long way to go before it makes a name for itself in the international film scene but they were still proud of the progress it has made in establishing credibility in the Southeast Asian country while promoting local movies and art.

Several of this years entrants had even won recognition at prestigious international film awards and festivals such as the Oscars, Cannes, and Berlinale.

Director Nguyen Hoang Diep commented that the greatest thing about the 2018 HANIFF is its ability to attract hits such as Shoplifter, Ida, A Fantastic Woman to Vietnam.

Unlike previous editions where some feature films that do not meet the quality standards still appeared at HANIFF, this years event included two selection rounds to pick out 147 films of acceptable quality from 45 countries and territories to screen in Hanoi.

Many attendees at the event agreed that although the 2018 HANIFF lacked outstanding entries capable of overwhelming viewers, it introduced many good films with depth, humane meaning, and complex production techniques.

A still cut from The Dark Room

Most of the films screened at the event address family and family-related issues, with Silent Night from Poland, The Dark Room from Iran, and The Signal Rock from the Philippines widely considered as the festivals standouts.

Director Nhue Giang told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that when I watched the films from Iran, China, Poland, and Afghanistan at HANIFF, I admired their producers' bravery to depict tough issues in society.

Drawbacks

While Giang applauded many of the international entries, he shared his regrets that Vietnamese films at the festival were entertaining but lacked the same depth and reflection on local society that the international films had.

According to the National Cinema Center, made-in-Vietnam films won the audiences hearts.

Thanks to local promotions sponsored by HANIFF in the lead-up to the festival, the Vietnamese movies attracted higher audience numbers than their foreign counterparts.

The National Cinema Center also noted that audiences did not seem particularly keen on foreign films, including the Oscars, Cannes, and Berlinale winners, probably due to poor PR planning by HANIFFs organizers.

I felt disappointed that the audiences were so small at so many of the showings, said Diep, adding that HANIFFs media and communications plan was not really effective, the director criticized.

A Philippine actress, on behalf of actor Christian Bables who starred in The Signal Rock, receives the award for Best Actor at the fifth Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) in the Vietnamese capital on October 31, 2018.

In addition, the drawbacks of the event included the hosts' insufficient English and errors in subtitles.

But the most concerning incidents involved a complaint from an Iranian director who said that a HANIFF catalog included misleading information about his country.

Particularly, the catalog claimed that Iran is a small country when it is actually the second largest country in the Middle East and the home of Persian storybooks, instead of the Arabic folk tales One Thousand and One Nights.

Despite its weaknesses, director Diep still believes that HANIFF will continue to improve itself in the future.

Diep told Tuoi Tre after joining a seminar on Iranian cinema achievements within the framework of the festival on Monday that if what were discussed at the workshop are really implemented, the sixth HANIFF will be very different.

After five days, the 2018 HANIFF held its closing ceremony where several prizes were awarded to outstanding films and actors in various categories.

Accordingly, The Dark Room from Iran won the Best Feature Film, the Philippines The Signal Rock brought home the Best Actor award, and the Best Director went to the director of Silent Night from Poland.

Phuong Anh Dao was also awarded Best Actress for her leading role in Summer In Closed Eyes.

Vietnams Phuong Anh Dao wins the Best Actress title at the fifth Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) in the Vietnamese capital on October 31, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe strongly believes that Vietnam and his country should advance their ties in order to turn Hanoi into Paris partner of reference in Southeast Asia, given their current comprehensive cooperation.

In an exclusive interview with Tuoi Tre News this week, the prime minister addresses a broad range of topics, from high-level exchange visits, trade, innovation, to culture, the French language, and history, on the occasion of his visit to Vietnam from November 2 to 4.

PM Philippe did not forget to voice his expectation for the entry into force of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EU, which he believed would ease flows of trade and bring benefits to both nations.

The pact is waiting to be ratified in both Europe and Vietnam after having been adopted by the European Commission on October 17.

One highlight of his stay in the Southeast Asian country is his visit to Dien Bien Phu, the old battlefield of the French during their colonial rule in Vietnam.

Vietnam gained independence from France after the Dien Bien Phu victory in 1954.

PM Philippe says by paying tribute to the combatants of both sides, he expects Vietnam and France will continue strengthening their ties and look forward to a shared future, after the two have been reconciled to their past.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, the year 2018 marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the fifth anniversary of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and France. How do you judge the relations between Vietnam and France, and how do you see these relations in five years time?

With this double anniversary, the year 2018 is indeed a very special year of celebrations. This has been evidenced politically by a level of bilateral visits never achieved before. With the visit to France by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, in March and mine to Vietnam, this is the first time in our history that we have had exchange visits at this level in one same year. This is why 2018 will be a historic year for both our countries.

This reflects the exceptional quality of relations between France and Vietnam. They are today imprinted with great confidence. They are based on a long shared history, on the deep attachment that the French and the Vietnamese devote themselves to. They develop thanks to our cooperation in many areas: economic matters, scientific and academic sectors, defense, health care, the environment, education or culture.

We must now go even further so that Vietnam becomes France's partner of reference in Southeast Asia, and that France becomes the reference partner of Vietnam in Europe. This is the ambition that I nurture, and I am convinced that in five years our two countries will be more than ever side by side facing the challenges of our time: the defense of multilateralism, the respect for international law, the promotion of open economies and the implementation of inclusive, sustainable and environment-friendly development strategies.

How to further advance the economic and trade relationship between Vietnam and France?

Over the past decade, the value of our trade has doubled to more than 6.5 billion euros. French companies have a strong presence in sectors such as aeronautics, health and pharmaceuticals, and urban transport  with the iconic construction project for the Hanoi metro. Frances direct investment in Vietnam today amounts to US$2.78 billion and there are many ongoing projects in industry, tourism, transportation, energy or distribution.

During his visit to France, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, met major French groups, and this helped introduce to our companies the exceptional economic dynamism of Vietnam.

French companies want more than ever to trade with Vietnam and invest there: nearly 80 of them accompany me to Vietnam. And I am sure that, like the more than 11 billion euros in economic agreements that were announced last March, during my visit we will also achieve results which testify to the very strong dynamics in bilateral relations which we are currently finding.

Finally, one of the keys to the future will be the entry into force of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Vietnam. By simplifying market access for many products, lowering or eliminating tariffs, this agreement will make a decisive contribution to two-way trade flows for the benefits of our businesses, consumers and countries.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is seen in this photo provided by the French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.

What are the advantages of French companies for the Vietnamese market?

French know-how and technologies are one of our main assets, as exemplified by the 85 percent market share of Airbus in Vietnam. Quality and image, especially for consumer products, are other important assets  in the luxury goods sector, cosmetics and foodstuffs, for example. Their presence is also reflected, and is often a trademark of our companies abroad, in the training of the local workforce.

Finally, as my travels abroad, I see how much advantage French companies have exhibited in innovation. This is found in Vietnam with the network of the French Tech Viet, which brings together an entire ecosystem of Franco-Vietnamese actors, which I will also meet in Ho Chi Minh City, at one incubator.

Why did you choose to highlight youth during your visit and what is the importance of cooperation between Vietnamese and French youth? What should be the place of the francophone community in Vietnam and how can it be promoted?

France and Vietnam have a common past, in which our relationship comes to plunge its roots. This legacy, we must transmit it to the youth, so that they can take it and participate in the Franco-Vietnamese relationship of tomorrow. And above all, it is the youth who, in many ways, have in their hands the answers to the great challenges of our time.

First is the fight against climate change. The new generations will have to manage the consequences of our action and they are therefore the first concerned. We must mobilize them and reflect with them on the solutions to be implemented. You have known the commitment of France in the fight against climate change. And we also know how important the issue is in Vietnam, one of the countries most exposed to the consequences of these phenomena in the world.

Then there is the digital revolution. The new generations were born with the Internet and grew up with screens in their hands. And it is them who, by their creativity and ability to innovate and undertake, hold the keys of this revolution.

Finally, there is the challenge of cultural and linguistic diversity. This is the challenge of the francophones. Vietnam plays a central role: while French will be by 2050 the third-most spoken language in the world, Vietnam is the pivotal country of the francophones throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Today, 600,000 people speak French, 40,000 students learn it at school, and there are 7,000 young Vietnamese who are now studying in France. I want to get in touch with this vitality during my stay, and that's what I will do when I inaugurate the new French high school Alexandre Yersin in Hanoi.

Why did you choose to go to Dien Bien Phu during this visit?

France attaches particular importance to shared memory. This importance will be expressed, for example, on November 11, when, on the occasion of the centenary of the end of the First World War, we will gather many world leaders around a forum for peace in France.

With regard to Vietnam, the conflict in Indochina between 1946 and 1954 resulted in the death of nearly 80,000 combatants in French uniform. The last battle of Dien Bien Phu represents one of the hardest and most symbolic battles of this war. It marks the attainment of the definitive independence of Vietnam.

I want to pay tribute to the fighters on both sides. That is why I wish to go successively to the French Memorial and the Vietnamese Memorial.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I also want to say that our two countries, because they are reconciled to their past, are looking even more strongly at their shared future. The Franco-Vietnamese ties draw deep into our history.

Thank you, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe!

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Officers in Hanoi have summoned a group of locals who they say pose as street vendors and shoe shiners to rob foreign visitors in broad daylight.

Police in Hoan Kiem District confirmed on Thursday they had summoned nine suspects, aged from 26 to 44, involved in a tourist scam that Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper recently shone the spotlight on.

Tuoi Tres probe revealed that a gang of 20 men and women posed as street vendors and shoe shiners to scam foreign tourists near the iconic Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake.

These robbers often stripped sandals and shoes off the victims without their permission and started cleaning them.

Nine suspects were summoned to the police station in Hoan Kiem District on November 1, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

They then demanded that the foreigners pay an exorbitant price, between VND500,000 (US$21) and VND800,000 ($34), for the service.

Some of the suspects also forced tourists to buy deep-fried glutinous rice balls, typically VND10,000 ($0.43) a piece, for up to VND600,000 ($26) for a pack of five.

Another trick often employed by the group was duping victims into thinking they were testing free snack samples before forcing them to pay a fortune for the food.

A member of the gang, wearing a black cap, takes money from a foreign tourist. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Some others sold low-quality stamps, lighters, or unappetizing street food at outrageous prices.

Tourists reluctant to pay wound up being threatened and robbed.

According to the probe, these scams began popping up about four years ago but they only recently began to spiral out of control.

At the police station, some of the suspects denied their wrongdoing, while others admitted to their crimes, but claimed they had only joined the group in October.

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Seven high school students in the north-central Vietnamese province of Thanh Hoa had already been expelled after school officials caught them talking badly about their teachers in a Facebook group, when the provincial education department stepped in and asked the punishment to be revoked.

Bui Nguyen Tien, principal of Nguyen Trai High School in the provincial capital of Thanh Hoa, confirmed that the school board had disciplined eight tenth-grade students for the incident.

Among them, three students were expelled for one year, while four others were banned from school for a week.

The other student was warned in front of the entire school.

According to the school, D.M.T., a member of class 10A5, was caught using her cellphone in class and had the device confiscated on October 1.

On the afternoon of the same day, Dau Thi Bich, the homeroom teacher of class 10A5, saw a message pop up on T.s unlocked phone.

Bich later found out the message came from a Facebook group named Dong co Bich, (Mrs. Bichs cave), a group used by multiple students to speak ill of teachers and the school.

Bich reported the incident to the school board the following morning and the students were asked to write their own reports on the case.

Their parents were also made aware of the situation.

The disciplinary board later convened a meeting to determine suitable punishments for the students.

Such behaviors are unprecedented at the school and seriously violate the schools regulations, the meeting minutes reads.

These students have shown no sign of remorse and even continued breaking the rules, it adds.

The principal imposed the punishment on the students on October 23, but it took days before the situation hit local headlines.

In a surprising twist, the provincial Department of Education and Training, after being made aware of the case, requested on Thursday that the school board withdraw the decision.

The students violation was not serious enough to deserve expulsion, Pham Thi Hang, director of the education department, explained.

The department will also look into the fact that the teacher looked at the students phone without her consent.

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More than $42.8 million dollars in royalties has been distributed by Screenrights to more than 4,400 rights holders in television and radio in the 2017/18 financial year.

The non profit organisation distributes monies to producers, broadcasters, distributors, writers, composers, music publishers, directors, artists and others.

Over the past year, the organisation has grown the number of titles registered by members to 1.66 million, up 11.4%.

Screenrights Acting CEO James Dickinson said, Screenrights collected over $49.5 million from Screenrights education licences in Australia and New Zealand, retransmission licences, licences for copying by government, international collections and collections from the new disbursement service, Dickinson said.

All of this has been achieved with a collections to expenses ratio of 15.9%.

Other highlights of the year include educational streaming service, EnhanceTV, now reaching 20% of Australian primary schools, the launch of a new Cultural Fund, which will make available up to $200,000 in 2018/19 for initiatives designed to explore innovative approaches to the creation of screen content for the education sector, and a 267% growth in Screenrights Disbursements Administration Service, with $2.1 million collected for distribution to flmmakers and investors in 15 film and television projects.

At its AGM held at the companys office in Sydney, Screenrights also announced Board election results.

Elected to the Screenrights Board are Jonathan Carter, the Head of Legal, Corporate & Policy Division at APRA AMCOS, and Georgina Waite, Head of Business Affairs at the ABC. Jonathan recently filled the casual vacancy that arose when Dean Ormston resigned from the Board.

Re-elected to the Screenrights Board are Kim Dalton OAM, Jack Ford and Chair Jill Bryant.

Screenrights Chair Jill Bryant said: We are delighted to welcome Jonathan and Georgina. The Board represents a broad range of skills and experiences. Together we will continued to advocate for a strong and fair copyright regime that supports the ongoing viability of screen production as well as facilitates access to the content our industry creates.

During the past year, both Dean Ormston and David Anderson resigned from the Board. Dean became CEO of APRA AMCOS and David Anderson is currently Acting Managing Director of the ABC, leaving little time to focus on Screenrights busy agenda. Both have been very valuable members of the Board, bringing considerable industry knowledge and were generous with their time and bringing their skills to the Board and Screenrights. I am grateful to them both and will miss their presence in the Boardroom.

Ms Bryant also acknowledged the contribution of Screenrights long-serving Chief Executive, Simon Lake, who resigned in July 2018 after more than 20 years at the helm.

As Chair, I have worked with Simon for 10 of those years, and I will miss his genuine desire to deliver the very best organisation that members and licensees deserve. He leaves with the very best wishes of the Board and Management, she said.
SKY News has sacked Outsiders presenter Ross Cameron (pictured left) following offensive comments made on air on Tuesday.

The former politician made the remarks while defending China against allegations it was attempting to infiltrate Australias intelligence network.

And I am just saying to you the Chinese civilisation is the oldest continuing civilisation in the world, OK, it is not going anywhere, he said.

1.4 billion people  it has got about a sixth of the worlds population. All of them are studying English.

If you go to the Disneyland in Shanghai on any typical morning of the week youll see 20,000 black haired, slanty-eyed, yellow skinned Chinese, desperate to get into Disneyland, he said.

I have today advised Ross Cameron that his contract with SKY News has been terminated, SKY News boss Paul Whittaker said this afternoon.

SKY News is committed to robust discussion and debate however this language is totally unacceptable and has no place on any of our platforms, nor in modern Australian society.

All content from the episode dated 30 October has been removed from all SKY News platforms.

We apologise for any hurt or offence caused by the remarks made by Ross Cameron on the program.

It follows ongoing headlines with Outsiders, which previously suspended a producer after a news strap reiterated comments by Senator David Leyonhjelm regarding Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, and in April fired another co-presenter, Mark Latham.

Last year Cameron came under fire after making homophobic comments at a fundraising dinner for the Q Society at Manly RSL.

Under news boss Angelos Frangopoulos the show was given an upgrade to a regular primetime slot at the expnse of Heads Up with Janine Perret , but newly-installed boss Paul Whittaker has fired Cameron given the comments were indefensible.

Source: The Guardian
Tail of AirAsia X plane as seen at the Garuda Maintenance Facility AeroAsia in Tangerang, Indonesia, September 20, 2017. Picture taken September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X <AIRX.KL> on Thursday appointed Nadda Buranasiri as its new group chief executive officer to take over from its co-founders.

Buranasiri, chief executive of the Thai arm of AirAsia X since 2014, will replace co-CEOs and co-founders Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun with immediate effect, the company said in a statement.

Fernandes and Kamarudin will become non-executive directors.

In July, Fernandes said AirAsia X was looking to restructure itself into a group holding company along the lines of affiliate AirAsia Group Bhd <AIRA.KL>.

He had also said AirAsia X would focus on flying to countries where it would dominate routes, such as Japan, Korea, Australia, China and India, and remove what he called peripheral routes where no growth was seen.

AirAsia X reported a loss for the June quarter, weighed down by higher fuel prices.

(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
FILE PHOTO: Ryanair aircrafts are seen behind a security fence at Weeze airport near the German-Dutch border during a wider European strike of Ryanair airline crews to protest slow progress in negotiating a collective labour agreement at Weeze airport, Germany, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Ryanair <RYA.I> on Thursday said it would not change plans to shut its base for pilots in the Netherlands next week, despite a Dutch court order blocking the low-cost carrier from moving crew elsewhere against their will.

Ryanair said last month it would shut its base in Eindhoven in November, moving 16 pilots who operate flights from the southern Dutch airport to other locations to cut costs.

The court said Ryanair had abused its powers as an employer by ordering the crew to move abroad.

The district court in Hertogenbosch said Ryanair had failed to explain why the move was necessary and said the decision seemed to be retaliation for the European-wide strikes Dutch pilots had joined in recent months.

"Under the given circumstances, Ryanair had no right to decide to shut down the base in Eindhoven", the court said in its verdict.

The closure of Eindhoven would effectively mean that flights from this airport would no longer be operated by pilots based in the Dutch city.

The court said it could not prevent the closure of the base, because the pilots who brought on the case only contested their forced relocation.

Ryanair said it had no intentions of changing course.

"All pilots and cabin crew have already been offered base transfers," Ryanair said. "But if any crew members wish to choose redundancies over base transfers then we will respect that choice."

The court ordered Ryanair to make sure that all pilots could continue to operate their flights to and from Eindhoven while based in the Dutch city.

The court also ordered Ryanair to continue to pay the Dutch pilots their full wages, while making sure they would make enough flights to keep their licences to operate a Boeing 737.

Europes largest budget airline has struggled with labour relations since it bowed to pressure to recognise trade unions for the first time last December.

The company has tried to limit the power of unions by threatening to shut bases and move staff.

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Ryanair put more than 300 Dublin-based pilots and cabin crew on 90-day notice in July, but withdrew its plans to cut it fleet and staff there two months later when it agreed a deal with Irish unions.

It has also announced the planned closure of two bases in Germany.

Two coordinated walkouts since August in Portugal, Germany, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands hit passenger numbers, bookings and profits, the company said on Oct. 1.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Padraic Halpin; Editing by Edmund Blair and Jane Merriman)
Karen Bradley has called on Northern Irelands political parties to stop grandstanding and take ownership of seeing devolved government return to Stormont.

The UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said: We need to have dialogue, we need constructive engagement, we need, as I say, parties to stop grandstanding and actually do the right thing.

Ms Bradley made the comments following talks between senior Irish and UK government ministers at a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) in Dublins Iveagh House.

Karen Bradley, David Lidington, Simon Coveney and Charles Flanagan speaking during the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (Julien Behal/PA)

She defended as constructive a meeting she held with Northern Irelands main political parties in Belfast on Thursday, which was branded a waste of time by some.

Four of the five parties expressed frustration after the meeting and pressed Ms Bradley to convene multi-party talks.

She said the meeting was initiated to brief the parties on the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill.

Ms Bradley said the most important thing was that she worked constructively with the parties.

Lets stop the grandstanding, lets stop the soundbites, now is the time we get back in the room and we get talking, she said.

I want to see those parties taking an ownership, taking a responsibility and working with me so we can get a process that people can have confidence in and see that they will have devolved government in Stormont again in the near future.

UK Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington said there was no doubt that Brexit remaining unresolved was a factor when it came to trying to restore the Assembly.

But he added: I dont think that needs to stop the efforts of the parties to move back towards power sharing.

Both Mr Lidington and Ms Bradley reiterated the UK Governments absolute commitment to restore devolution.

Ms Bradley said there was no alternative.

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Brexit negotiations and the absence of powersharing in Northern Ireland topped the agenda of the conference.

Irelands deputy premier Simon Coveney said the most challenging item on the agenda was the political stability in Northern Ireland.

David Lidington and Simon Coveney, right, during the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (Julien Behal/PA)

He said both the UK and Irish government ministers had engaged in substantial and serious discussions in particular about how the institutions in Northern Ireland could be re-established.

Were going to keep talking regularly to see how we can put a structure in place that can actually work, that can engage all of the parties and that ensures that in the not-too-distant future we have a structure people can believe in, he added.

North/south security co-operation and bilateral co-operation between the British and Irish governments was also discussed.

Irelands Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said security concerns including the security threat from paramilitary groups on the island of Ireland were discussed.

There is sadly no question of the real and persistent threat to life and community safety, Mr Flanagan said.

Their terrorist intentions are lethal, he added.

The conference coincided with UK Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab arriving in Northern Ireland for a one-day visit to the region.

He visited Stormont on Friday afternoon to meet with local political parties.

Powersharing government at Stormont has been collapsed since January 2017 following a breakdown in relations between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

Established under the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the BIIGC focuses on bilateral agreement between the two countries.

Ahead of the meeting, Mr Coveney said a strong UK-Irish friendship was more important than ever.

Looking forward to welcoming @DLidington + Karen Bradley to Dublin for British Irish Intergovernmental Conf. with me + @CharlieFlanagan. Strong UK/Irish friendship, trust+cooperation more NB than ever. Legacy, Security Coop, East-West relations + NI Pol stability all on Agenda pic.twitter.com/H5fHCpqWCP  Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) November 2, 2018

In a tweet, he said: Looking forward to welcoming @DLidington (and) Karen Bradley to Dublin for British Irish Intergovernmental conference with me (and) @CharlieFlanagan.

He added: Strong UK/Irish friendship, trust (and) cooperation more NB than ever. Legacy, security coop, East-West relations (and) NI political stability all on agenda.
Three years after the disappearance of five Hong Kong publishers, the last bookshop on the island still selling books banned on the Chinese mainland has closed  ending a long tradition of defying the Communist Party.

The closure of the Peoples Bookstore marks the definitive proof of Hong Kongs lack of freedom, Joshua Wong, an activist famous for his role in Hong Kongs 2014 Umbrella Movement, lamented to The Guardian on Wednesday. The British paper interviewed numerous activists in Hong Kong, all of whom are convinced that the bookshop was closed because of pressure from Beijing. The Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong refused The Guardians request for comment.

This small shop  just twenty square metres, in the heart of the citys tourist district  was the most recent victim of the Chinese Communist Partys hardline approach to publishing in Hong Kong over recent years. Perhaps the most striking manifestation of this crackdown was the disappearance of five publishers working for Hong Kongs Mighty Current house.

Many observers regard this episode as evidence that the Communist Party is no longer interested in upholding the special status  formally enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration agreed by Margaret Thatcher and Deng Xiaoping in 1984, and known in China as the One Country, Two Systems framework  that Hong Kong has enjoyed since it returned to Chinese control in 1997.

Chilling effect

However, according to a New York Times inquiry published in April, Beijings crackdown on publishers in the former British colony really began in 2013. This was when Chinese citizens going back to the mainland from Hong Kong with a supply of censored books were no longer just given a slap on the wrist while having their books confiscated  they were forced to pay increasingly hefty fines.

Then in 2015, the disappearance of the five publishers hit Hong Kongs booksellers and publishing houses like a lightning bolt. All were linked to Mighty Current, a Hong Kong-based publisher and the biggest producer of banned books in China. Ergo, slowly but surely, forbidden works vanished from the shelves. The chilling effect from any such case leads to self-censorship, Lisa Leung Yuk-ming, an associate professor in the department of cultural studies at Hong Kong Lingnan University, told The Guardian.

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The Peoples Bookstore was the last bastion of a culture in which publishing was used as a political weapon. Since China became a communist state in 1949, Hong Kong was a safe haven in which opponents of the regime could write about what was going on in the country, without having to sugarcoat it with state propaganda. Thus, the first book banned by the Chinese Communist Party, the memoirs of one of Mao Zedongs traveling companions, was published in Hong Kong in 1960. This vitriolic portrait of the Great Helmsman, showing him as an obsessive paranoid keen to use violence in pursuit of his goals, was an immediate hit.

As long as Hong Kong remained a British colony, it remained a platform from which Chinese political observers could use the written word to provide a dissenting voice on events unfolding inside the country. Perhaps most notably, after the 1989 Tienanmen Square massacre, a plethora of books was published on the ruthlessly suppressed protests, with their own section on bookshelves, marked under the sign liu si, meaning 6-4  a reference to June 4, 1989, the day the brutal crackdown on the student demonstrators started.

After the 1997 handover and the consequent opening of the borders between Hong Kong and the mainland, the Chinese public could access books deemed beyond the pale by the censors in Beijing. Tourists from the mainland became gripped by these works that revealed another China, beneath the veil of Communist propaganda. Books about Chinese leaders and behind-the-scenes accounts of power struggles were especially popular. According to my estimates, about half of the books published in Hong Kong are on politics and cultural topics banned in China, including lurid accounts of the love affairs of senior party leaders and their mistress memoirs, exiled Chinese poet Bei Ling told PEN America.

The end of One Country, Two Systems?

These include such tomes as Secrets of Wives of Chinese Communist Party Officials, The General Secretarys Eight Love Stories and Xi Jinpings Clan, all of which made a fortune for Mighty Current.

This genre reached the zenith of its popularity in 2012, when Bo Xilai  the so-called red prince seen as a rival to Xi Jinping  fell from grace. This star of the Communist Party and his wife were suspected of being responsible for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood earlier the same year.

For Hong Kong publishers, Bos downfall was a dream: a real-life soap opera playing out at the very pinnacle of Chinese power, The New York Times put it. Within a year, more than 100 novels based on Bos alleged exploits were published in Hong Kong. According to PEN America, Gui Minhai, the co-owner of Mighty Current, would have earned more than a million dollars by riding this wave.

In their rumor-mongering, [such books] share glimpses of truth, one Hong Kong publisher told The New York Times. They tell the Chinese people that their leaders arent saints, he said. Theyre just like you and me theyre petty, they make mistakes, they dont act morally.

The closing of Hong Kongs last freethinking bookshop deprives the Chinese of this escape valve from Communist propaganda. As such, the demise of the Peoples Bookstore is, in the words of Hong Kong political commentator Albert Cheng, a clear sign that the idea of One Country, Two Systems promised by Deng is on its way out.

This article was adapted from the original in French
Sri Lanka's newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa waves at the staff after participating in the ceremony to assume his duties as the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs at the Finance Ministry in Colombo, Sri Lanka October 31, 2018. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

By Sanjeev Miglani and Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO (Reuters) - The European Union will consider stripping Sri Lanka of its duty-free access if it backs off commitments on rights, the EU ambassador said, amid worries stoked by the president's replacing of the elected premier by a wartime nationalist.

The European Union is worried the return of Mahinda Rajapaksa, as prime minister, could derail halting progress made towards national reconciliation following a war with ethnic minority Tamil separatists that killed tens of thousands, many during the final stages under his watch as president.

"The government got GSP on the basis of certain commitments, if these commitments are not met, then we would consider withdrawal," EU ambassador to Sri Lanka, Tung-Lai Margue, told Reuters on Thursday.

Margue was referring to Generalised System of Preferences Plus status, under which Sri Lankas top exports of garments and fish get lucrative concessions in the world's largest single market.

Margue was among a group of diplomats who met President Maithripala Sirisena this week for a briefing on the crisis sparked by his sacking of the prime minister.

The EU provides the trade concessions to developing countries, while it also monitors certain conditions including human rights.

Sri Lanka promised the EU in 2016 it would work toward reconciliation with Tamils, who mostly live in the north and east of the predominantly Buddhist nation, through greater political and economic autonomy.

Sri Lanka also pledged to provide justice and reparations to victims of human rights violations committed during the 26-year civil war, many of which were blamed on Rajapaksa and his brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was his defence secretary.

Both say the military only targeted insurgents, not civilians.

Margue said some progress had been made towards human rights by the administration of sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, such as the establishment of a missing persons' office to trace the thousands of Tamils and minority Muslims who disappeared during the war.

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But more needed to be done and there were questions about whether a government led by Rajapaksa would pursue justice for victims as vigorously.

"I don't know what his policy on reconciliation would be like. I have fears it won't be the one we agreed on," Margue said.

Rajapaksa was not available for comment, but his son Namal Rajapaksa, who is a member of parliament, defended the family's record and cautioned against pre-judging policies of the administration.

"Reconciliation has, and always will be, a focal area for us. If there is concern that GSP will need to be withdrawn, these concerns are unfounded and presupposed in error," he said.

Soon after he was appointed prime minister on Oct. 26 Rajapaksa also struck a conciliatory note, saying he would "eschew the politics of hate", protect human rights and the independence of the judiciary and establish law and order".

STRONGEST WARNING

Sirisena suspended parliament last week, after he sacked Wickremesinghe. Wickremesinghe has denounced his removal as illegal.

Both the United States and the EU have called for parliament to be convened at the earliest to let lawmakers decide who should be prime minister of the country of 21 million people.

On Friday, the speaker of parliament said Sirisena had agreed to summon a session on Wednesday next week.

The EU warning on trade is the strongest yet from Western powers which, along with India, the island's nearest neighbour, have urged Sirisena to abide by the constitution.

On the other hand, China, which invested billions of dollars during Rajapaksa's presidency, has called for non-interference and said Sri Lanka could tackle its own problems.

Diplomats said trade was key to Sri Lanka's $87 billion economy and the EU is its biggest export market, accounting for nearly a third of exports in 2017.

Sri Lanka regained the GSP plus preferential treatment in 2017. Its exports to the EU have since jumped 18 percent, and the financial year was not yet over, Margue said.

Fish exports had jumped 100 percent, he said.

China, in contrast, has faced criticism for its big projects that have left Sri Lanka so much in debt it had to hand over control of a port to China.

"It's better to do trade than have friends, friends who give loans," said a Western diplomat referring to China's lending.

Sri Lanka's garment industry is its second-biggest hard currency earner, after remittances, worth about $5 billion a year, with goods supplied to top brands including Victorias Secret, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Marks & Spencer.

(Editing by Robert Birsel)
Armenian acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan speaks during a parliament session in Yerevan Armenian acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan speaks during a parliament session in Yerevan, Armenia November 1, 2018. REUTERS/Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure

By Hasmik Mkrtchyan

YEREVAN (Reuters) - Lawmakers in Armenia triggered an early parliamentary election on Thursday after failing to elect a prime minister, a move sought by acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who quit as premier last month in order to force a new vote.

Pashinyan, a former opposition leader who took power in May after a popular uprising, has long sought a new vote for parliament, which is still made up of members elected before demonstrators pushed the former ruling party out of power.

By quitting and leaving parliament unable to find a successor, he forced parliament to dissolve and hold a new vote.

"After the non-violent, velvet popular revolution in April-May this year, power in Armenia is finally returning to people," Pashinyan told lawmakers on Thursday.

Hours later Armenian President Armen Sarkissian set Dec. 9 as the election date.

Pashinyan is very popular, and public support for parties not affiliated with him is low - not only for the former ruling Republican party but also for other groups represented in parliament, including Prosperous Armenia and Dashnaktsutyun.

The My Step Alliance, which includes Pashinyan's Civil Contract Party, won 81 percent of the mayoral vote in the capital Yerevan in September.

(Writing by Polina Nikolskaya and Margarita Antidze; Editing by Gareth Jones, Peter Graff and Kevin Liffey)
Lyme Regis is an almost obnoxiously gorgeous town in Dorset in the west of England, perched atop the cliffs of the world-heritage listed Jurassic Coast. Thanks to a campaign set off by a local 10-year-old girl and her mother, the people of this town is raising funds to erect a statue to their famous citizen Mary Anning. As an expert on paleontology, I think this is a brilliant idea.

Mary Anning was born in 1799. Her family was poor  and somewhat tragic. She was named after an older sister who had died in a fire. Her father died when she was barely a teenager, leaving her family dependent on selling Lyme Regis abundant ammonites, belamnites and other fossils to tourists. Fossils became the family business  and Mary was the sharpest fossil spotter.

The work was often dangerous: the Jurassic coasts cliffs are treacherous (Marys dog was killed in a mudslide while prospecting). Still in her early 20s, Anning became a legendary fossil hunter. She found the first complete plesiosaur fossil, the first British pterosaur and figured out that coprolites were fossilised dung. In Lyme Regis, she and her family opened Annings fossil depot, where her fossils were purchased for collections in the United States and Europe.

Many of the great geological luminaries of the day bought her fossils and went fossil hunting with her. Her knowledge of fossil anatomy was obvious to those in the know and she became something of a local celebrity. Lady Harriet Silvester marvelled that this poor, ignorant girl could have arrived to that degree of knowledge as to be in the habit of writing and talking with professors and other clever men on the subject, and they all acknowledge that she understands more of the science than anyone else in this kingdom.

The picture we get of Annings personality is of someone who knows what theyre talking about and doesnt mind letting you know. As the Scottish mineralogist Thomas Allen noted: Mary Annings knowledge of the subject is quite surprising  she is perfectly acquainted with the anatomy of her subjects, and her account of her disputes with Buckland, whose anatomical science she holds in great contempt, was quite amusing.

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The Reverend Buckland was an Oxfordian giant of geology and he and Anning often worked closely together, particularly on coprolites. Gideon Mantell, the discoverer of the Iguanadon described Anning (in rather misogynistic terms) as a geological lioness  in a little dirty shop, with hundreds of specimens piled around her in the greatest disorder. She, the presiding Deity, [proved] a prim, pedantic vinegar looking, thin female; shrewd, and rather satirical in her conversation.

Anning, then, was a major contributor to the sciences of geology and paleontology, just as they were gathering steam  becoming established in museums and gaining worldwide interest. Historian Hugh Torrens, in his 1995 presidential address about Anning for the British Society for the History of Science, chose the epithet the greatest fossilist the world has known for the title of his talk. So why is Anning only now getting a statue? Why did she not have a more prominent place in the history of science? There are a number of explanations.

Sexism and classism

The most obvious answer is Annings gender. In Annings time, science was very much a male domain. Even today only 35% of those enrolled in STEM disciplines and only 28% of the worlds researchers are women. Most contemporary descriptions of Anning expressed surprised that a woman could be so knowledgeable, often with the implication that such knowledge in the fairer sex is threatening.

Another factor was class. Science wasnt simply the domain of men, but gentlemen. As the artist and geologist Henry De la Beche wrote in Annings death notice, she was not placed among even the easier classes of society, but who had to earn her daily bread by her labour. Annings research was intimately tied to how she made a living. To the Victorian mind, such reliance was rather distasteful and sullied the pure search for knowledge.

The fact that Anning  despite the fact that she made her living from finding and classifying fossils  was classed as an amateur is a third explanation (she lacked education). Her class and gender denied membership (or even attendance) to the Geological Society. One of the myths about Anning throughout the 19th and 20th centuries was the idea that she was barely literate: a kind of lower-class fossil prodigy who had little real input into the science of paleontology.

Anning was rarely thanked in academic publications  or even credited for her discoveries. Careful work by historians tracking down the many letters between Anning and prominent geologists revealed not only Annings knowledge of fossils, but also of the debates around the long-lost worlds those fossils revealed. Considering the prominent role of amateurs as citizen scientists in paleontology today, Annings example is telling.

Big scientific ideas

Another reason that Anning had little impact during her lifetime and beyond is a bias for grand scientific theories. Scientists who are considered great and heroic  think Charles Darwin or Isaac Newton  all built systematic theories about how the universe worked. Anning, by contrast, collected fossils and prepared them for display (although we now know she influenced the debate as well).

Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris/wikipedia , CC BY-SA

However, Darwin similarly depended on careful breeding experiments and natural observations, while Newton relied on an enormous network of traders, explorers and astronomers to collect the experimental data underlying his work. Anning was a remarkably skilled, knowledgeable field worker and fossil preparator. The science of field work, fossil preparation and so forth  often invisible  is necessary and important in itself.

Anning died of breast cancer in 1847 after a rough decade. In the late 1830s, fossil hunting became more difficult and her last sale to the British Museum is recorded in 1840. She was not forgotten by the geological community who had so benefited from her discoveries though. They helped grant her a 25 annuity in 1838.

The philosopher Derek Turner has mused about how the history of palaeontology might have been different if Anning was given the recognition and support she deserved: What theoretical contributions might she have made? And how might our popular images of the fossil hunter have developed differently? Would we think differently about commercial fossil collecting? Would women be better represented and more visible in palaeontology today?

A statue to Mary Anning doesnt simply commemorate her remarkable achievements  achievements made despite considerable bias  but what she could have achieved had she lived in a world without that bias.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Adrian Currie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide looks on at the scientific research station in the NY-Aalesund on the Svalbard archipelago, Norway September 18, 2018. . REUTERS/Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway summoned the Iranian ambassador on Thursday over a suspected assassination plot against an Iranian Arab opposition figure in Denmark involving a Norwegian citizen of Iranian background.

Denmark said on Tuesday it suspected the Iranian government intelligence service had tried to carry out an assassination on its soil. It is now calling for fresh European Union-wide sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

A Norwegian citizen of Iranian background was arrested in Sweden on Oct. 21 in connection with the plot and extradited to Denmark, Swedish security police have said.

"During the meeting we underlined that the activity, that has come to light through the investigation in Denmark, is unacceptable," Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement.

"We see the situation that has arisen in Denmark as very serious and that a Norwegian citizen of Iranian background is suspected in this case," she added.

The attack was meant to target the leader of the Danish branch of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA), Danish intelligence chief Finn Borch Andersen said.

ASMLA seeks a separate state for ethnic Arabs in Iran's oil-producing southwestern province of Khuzestan. Arabs are a minority in Iran, and some see themselves as under Persian occupation and want independence or autonomy.

The Norwegian citizen has denied the charges and the Iranian government has also denied any connection with what Norway suspects is a plot.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Nerijus Adomaitis and Richard Balmforth)
The order to kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi came from the highest level of the Saudi government, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Mr Erdogan said the international community had the responsibility to reveal the puppet masters behind the death.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Mr Erdogan said he did not believe that Saudi King Salman had ordered the killing of Mr Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate on October 2.

He said Turkeys close ties to Saudi Arabia did not mean that Turkey could turn a blind eye to the killing of the journalist.

We know that the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, Mr Erdogan said.

Mr Erdogan wrote: As responsible members of the international community, we must reveal the identities of the puppet masters behind Khashoggis killing and discover those in whom Saudi officials, still trying to cover up the murder, have placed their trust.

Istanbuls chief prosecutor announced on Wednesday that Mr Khashoggi, who lived in exile in the United States, was strangled immediately after he entered and that his body was dismembered and removed from the consulate.

Turkey is seeking the extradition of 18 suspects who were detained in Saudi Arabia so they can be put on trial in Turkey.

Saudi Arabias crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (Victoria Jones/PA)

They include 15 members of an alleged Saudi hit squad that Turkey says was sent to Istanbul to kill The Washington Post columnist who had written critically of Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Some of those implicated in the killing are close to the prince.

Meanwhile, a Turkish official said he believes Khashoggis body was dissolved in acid or other chemicals after it was mutilated.

Yasin Aktay, a ruling party adviser to Mr Erdogan, said there can be no other formula to explain why Mr Khashoggis remains have not been found a month after he was killed.

Mr Aktay, who was friend of Mr Khashoggi, said he believes that the body was cut into pieces so that it could be dissolved in chemicals.

Story continues

He said: All the findings point to his body parts being melted.

Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of the murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi (John Stillwell/PA)

Mr Khashoggi had entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to collect a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

In Bulgaria on Friday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Mr Khashoggis killing a horrendous act that should be duly dealt with in a way that does not undermine Saudi Arabias stability.

Mr Netanyahu said at a news conference that Iran is a bigger threat than Saudi Arabia and those who want to punish the Middle East kingdom need to bear that in mind.

A way must be found to achieve both goals, because I think that the larger problem is Iran, said the Israeli leader, who attended a meeting of the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania and the president of Serbia at a Black Sea resort.
By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday unveiled an indictment against two companies based in China and Taiwan and three individuals, saying they conspired to steal trade secrets from U.S. semiconductor company Micron Technology Inc <MU.O> relating to its research and development of memory storage devices.

The charges against Taiwan-based United Microelectronics Corp <2303.TW>, China state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co Ltd and three individuals who once worked for a unit of Micron mark the fourth case brought by the Justice Department since September as part of a broader crackdown against alleged Chinese espionage on U.S. companies.

The action is the latest in a long list taken to fight what some in the Trump administration call China's cheating through intellectual property theft, illegal corporate subsidies and rules hampering U.S. corporations that want to sell their goods in China.

The FBI's deputy director, David Bowdich, said that nearly every one of the agency's 56 field offices "has investigations into economic espionage that lead back to the country of China."

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions told a news conference that Chinese espionage has been "increasing rapidly," and the government is launching a new initiative to crack down on Chinese espionage trade cases.

China said on Friday the United States should present evidence to back up its charges.

"If the United States truly has genuine concerns, it should provide real examples to test these remarks that can stand up under evidence and facts," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a news briefing in Beijing.

United Microelectronics issued a response saying the allegations in the indictment and complaint are "virtually the same as allegations in a civil complaint previously filed against UMC by Micron."

"UMC regrets that the U.S. Attorney's Office brought these charges without first notifying UMC and giving it an opportunity to discuss the matter," the company said.

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China and the United States are locked in an escalating trade conflict. The two countries have imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other's goods, and U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on the remainder of China's $500 billion-plus exports to the United States if the disputes cannot be resolved.

CIVIL LAWSUIT

In addition to the criminal case, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit seeking to prevent the two accused companies from exporting any products created using the trade secrets and blocking the further transfer of trade secrets.

Micron said in a statement that it "has invested billions of dollars over decades to develop its intellectual property. The actions announced today reinforce that criminal misappropriation will be appropriately addressed."

The U.S. Commerce Department earlier this week also announced that it had put Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co Ltd on a list of entities that cannot buy components, software and technology goods from U.S. firms.

San Francisco FBI Special Agent in Charge John Bennett, whose counter-intelligence agents led the two-year probe, said China was the largest practitioner of government-backed economic espionage in Silicon Valley, but he noted that some victim companies remained reluctant to come forward to the FBI, for fear of stock price impact or embarrassment.

John Demers, the head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said Thursday that the multi-prong approach by the government has "stopped the harm" before it could manifest itself in a competing product.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, cheered the action, and said the administration should do more to crack down on economic espionage by Chinese businesses and the Chinese government.

Micron filed its own a civil lawsuit against Fujian and United Microelectronics in December 2017 in federal court in California, accusing them of secret infringement of intellectual property related to its DRAM chips after prosecutors in Taiwan charged two Micron employees with stealing trade secrets.

In January, UMC filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Micron in China.

"No country presents a broader, more severe threat to our ideas, our innovation, and our economic security than China," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.

The indictment alleges that China was interested in gaining access to dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM, a type of technology it did not possess. Micron is the only U.S.-based company that manufactures DRAM.

Sessions said the Taiwanese company partnered with a Chinese state-owned company so that ultimately China could steal this technology from the United States and then use it to compete against the United States. "This is a brazen scheme," Sessions said.

According to charging documents and Justice Department officials, Chen Zhengkun, a former Micron employee who worked in Taiwan, left the company in July 2015 to join United Microelectronics.

Chen, who is one of the three individuals facing criminal charges, then recruited other Micron employees to come and bring trade secrets with them. He also allegedly set up a joint venture with Fujian Jinhua, a China-owned company founded in 2016 for the sole purpose of developing DRAM technology.

Taiwan assisted with the investigation, according to Alex Tse, the U.S. attorney for northern California.

The Justice Department's announcement Thursday comes on the heels of several other major Chinese espionage cases in recent months.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; additional reporting by Diane Bartz and David Shepardson in Washington, Joseph Menn in San Francisco, Jess Macy Yu in Taipei, and Michael Martina in Beijing; editing by Leslie Adler)
Dr. Sheri Hardee has been named the new dean of the College of Education at the University of North Georgia (UNG), Dr. Tom Ormond, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, announced Wednesday.

Hardee has served as associate dean of the College of Education since 2015 and has worked at UNG since 2009.

As the College of Education's chief academic officer, Hardee will provide leadership in the planning and implementation of its academic programs, defining the strategic priorities and building strong relationships with private- and public-sector partners to support those priorities.

She will also be responsible for all matters related to the College of Education's internal management, including recruiting and retaining talented faculty and overseeing operations and budgeting.

Hardee replaces Dr. Susan Ayres, who is retiring Jan. 1. Hardee will begin her new role Jan. 2.

"We congratulate Dr. Hardee on this appointment and wish her all the best as she transitions into the role," Ormond said. "We thank Susan for her many years of exemplary service to this institution."

Hardee is looking forward to serving as College of Education dean.

"We have such a talented faculty and staff in the College of Education, and I am truly excited to have the privilege of working with them in this new capacity," Hardee said. "I also look forward to collaborating with our faculty and staff across offices and colleges at UNG to focus on strengthening our already robust programs and developing new initiatives for our students."

Hardee has a doctorate in social foundations in education, a Master of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of South Carolina. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in the social foundations of education and has published articles in journals such as Teaching Education, The Journal of Education Foundations, Critical Questions in Education, and Thresholds in Education.
Alex Byrne in Arc Digital:

In her New York Times op-ed Why Sex Is Not Binary, the biologist and gender studies theorist Anne Fausto-Sterling tries to set the record straight: Two sexes have never been enough to describe human variety. According to Fausto-Sterling, it has long been known that some people are neither female nor male (or, perhaps, both female and male).

Fausto-Sterling is responding to a leaked draft memo from the Department of Health and Human Services that proposes a legal definition of sex under Title IX based on immutable biological traits. The memo appears to be part of a regrettable attempt to remove some legal protections from people who are transgender. Although a transgender person is no less likely to be female or male than someone who is not transgender, activists for transgender rights often cite the alleged fact that sex is not binary to support the idea that being transgender is not a mental health condition, but instead is merely normal biological variation. That sex is a spectrum, or  as Fausto-Sterling wrote in The New York Times 25 years ago  that there are at least five sexes, are claims that are pressed into similar service. Fausto-Sterlings article endorses and reinforces these ideas. But not only are the claimed biological facts far from established, this particular use of biology to guide social and legal issues is completely misguided in the first place. Transgender people, just like anyone else, should be free to live and work without being stigmatized, harassed, or disrespected. Whether sex is binary, a spectrum, or whether there are 42 sexes, makes absolutely no difference.

More here.
Omar Ali in Brown Pundits:

Aasia bibi is a poor Christian woman from a village in Punjab who was arrested for blasphemy in 2009. She got into an argument with some other women from the village while working in the fields (purportedly over her drinking from a cup of water and hence polluting it) and in the course of the argument she allegedly said something blasphemous about the holy prophet of Islam. The details of the case are murky and no one seems to know for sure what blasphemous statement she actually made that day (the most commonly reported one is that she said something along the lines of Jesus died for the sins of the world, what has your prophet done for humanity; other versions exist; the investigating police officer claims that she said much more, but even quoting it wud be blasphemy, so look it up on wikipedia) but whatever the details, a case was registered under Pakistans uniquely harsh blasphemy law (a death sentence is mandatory in case guilt is proven) and she has been in prison ever since.

As usually happens in blasphemy cases, she was sentenced to death by the local court (local judges usually feel it safest to convict any and all accused blasphemers, expecting that the most egregiously wrong verdicts will be reversed by higher courts that have better security). Meanwhile her case had come to national attention and the governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, visited her in prison and spoke of her getting a presidential pardon. He was attacked in the media as a supporter of blasphemers and one of his own body guards shot him dead. The body guard was arrested and eventually hanged, but his grave has become a religious shrine and several ministers (including some in the current Imran Khan government as well as the opposition PMLN) have visited the grave to pay respects to this hero.

More here.
Tom Standage in More Intelligent Life:

You are what you eat. The atoms in your body come from the food and drink you consume  and, to some extent, from the air you breathe. That is not terribly surprising. What few people realise, however, is that about half the nitrogen atoms in your body have passed through something called a Haber-Bosch reaction. This chemical process, invented just before the first world war, did as much to change the world during the 20th century as the atom bomb or the microchip. Its story deserves to be more widely known, because it offers hope today for a fight whose front line is fast approaching: the battle against climate change.

The tale begins with a dispute between two German chemists, which erupted at a conference in Hamburg in 1907. At the time, solidified bird excrement from South America, known as guano, was used around the world as fertiliser. Compared with manure, it contains 30 times more nitrogen, the key ingredient. Why not extract that element from the air, which is 78% nitrogen? Alas, nitrogen molecules are so stable and unreactive that chemists were having great difficulty getting them to combine with other elements. When Fritz Haber, a German scientist, reacted nitrogen with hydrogen to make ammonia, for example, only 0.0048% of the mixture combined. Walther Nernst, another German chemist, took issue with Habers results. The proportion of gas that combined, he calculated, ought to have been 0.0045%. Most people would have thought Habers figure was close enough, but not Nernst, who demanded that Haber withdraw his results. Greatly distressed at this rebuke, Haber concluded that repeating the experiment was the only way to restore his reputation. But when he did so, he discovered that performing the reaction at a higher pressure vastly increased the amount of ammonia produced: 10% of the mixture combined. This suggested that, rather than waiting for birds to do their business, fertiliser could be made directly from the atmosphere.

More here.
Warner rebounds to set up Class B title match against Colman-Egan

Perennial power Warner didn't start well but ended up in a familiar position Friday night in the Class B division of the state high school volleyball tournament.
The New Mexico economy is on a roll. We have the top performing state economy in the country and our unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in a decade. Were also looking at the largest budget surplus in state history.

The states entire general fund budget was $6.3 billion for the current fiscal year and the budget surplus for next year could reach $2 billion according to recent projections. This could mean more than 30 percent additional funding for priorities like schools, roads and public safety.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to boost the entire New Mexico economy that we simply cannot afford to squander.

While much of this opportunity is attributable to oil and gas development, its not just about energy. Numerous industries are expanding their investments in New Mexico, and the revenues from oil and gas are creating a ripple effect that will benefit families throughout the state.

Per-year education spending for K-12 public schools has increased by $450 million statewide in the past eight years, with more money going to the classrooms and increased teacher pay. We have higher high school graduation rates than ever before. Oil and gas production has led the way in generating new revenues for education, even in areas far removed from the well pad. In Bernalillo County alone, oil and gas pumped more than $211 million into public schools in fiscal year 2017.

But there is still more work to be done. Reports have indicated that our states educational infrastructure needs improvement. And while Legislative Finance Committee analysts are wary of overcommitting resources to recurring expenses, the additional revenues from energy are giving New Mexicans options in funding our schools that were unheard of just a few years ago.

Those options extend to health care, recreation, transportation and many other sectors. If managed properly, our elected officials can leverage the surplus to attract new industries, encourage companies with an existing presence to grow their operations and continue to diversify New Mexicos economy. The best news is  we already have some of the tools in place to do so.

The Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) matches state and local funds for private investment throughout the state. Its an example of how a healthy energy sector is expanding growth opportunities across the board. LEDA helped bring Netflix to Albuquerque, Facebooks $1 billion data center to Los Lunas, nearly 1,300 jobs with Stampede Meats in Dona Ana County and a Meow Wolf expansion to Santa Fe. In the past fiscal year, more than 2,600 jobs were created using LEDA. Revenues from oil and gas accounted for about $1.5 million in funding for this program.

The Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) helps companies operating in the state hire and train new workers by funding classroom and on-the-job training for newly created jobs in expanding or relocating businesses. Just last month, JTIP aided in the creation of 67 jobs in Albuquerque with an average wage of $27 per hour.

Finally, infrastructure is a key long-term investment that will lay the groundwork for sustainable economic growth. Repairing and upgrading critical road infrastructure will help every economic sector flourish, be it energy, health care or agriculture. Quality and dependable infrastructure will be a welcome relief for many New Mexicans who commute to work.

With the help of New Mexicos strong economic position, the legislature and our new governor will have many options when they convene for the 2019 legislative session. And thanks to the growth of our energy sector, we have the ability to improve the lives of New Mexicans while keeping our state on the path to long-term economic prosperity.

Approximately one-third of our state general fund comes from oil and gas revenues. As New Mexicos energy industry continues to expand, we can broaden the tax base to insulate the state from financial hardship previously caused by an individual sector downturn. Most importantly, we can continue to create more new job opportunities in new sectors for hardworking New Mexicans.

Kyler Nerison is the executive director of New Mexicans for Economic Prosperity, a nonpartisan economic advocacy coalition. Carla Sonntag is president and founder of the New Mexico Business Coalition. Craig Peterson is president of the National Royalty Owners Association (NARO) Rockies Chapter, a nonprofit established in 1980 to assist U.S. mineral owners.
EL PASO, Texas  Migrants arriving at the U.S. border to seek asylum are routinely subjected to tactics that immigration rights advocates say are designed to drive them away in violation of their rights under federal law.

The tactics include forcing them to wait at the border indefinitely or sending them back into Mexico to join a backlogged list maintained by Mexican immigration officials.

The Trump administration says such measures are necessary because it is not equipped to deal with a large increase in the number of asylum seekers, many of them from Central America. Last year, U.S. immigration courts handled 120,000 asylum requests, a fourfold increase since 2013.

But immigrant advocates contend the government is violating the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, which says any foreigner who reaches the U.S. has the right to apply for asylum.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is violating the law and turning away asylum seekers on Texas bridges, said Shaw Drake, an El Paso-based attorney with the Texas ACLUs Border Rights Center.

He said forcing immigrants to join a long waiting list is tantamount to turning them away.

To turn them away with some amorphous instructions is illegal, he said.

The issue is likely to come to a head when a caravan of several thousand Central Americans now heading north through Mexico arrives at the U.S. border. Many are expected to claim asylum, which they can do based on fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion.

Trump, who has vowed to close the border, said in an interview Monday with conservative TV and radio host Laura Ingraham that the U.S. would allow migrants to file asylum claims, but that they would be forced to live in tent cities while they await court rulings, a process that can take years.

Were not going to build structures and spend all of this, you know, hundreds of millions of dollars, Trump said. Were going to have tents. Theyre going to be very nice, and theyre going to wait and if they dont get asylum, they get out.  They dont usually get asylum.

Last week, after 20 immigrants from Cuba, Honduras, Mexico and Russia arrived at the border bridge in El Paso, U.S. officers stationed in the middle of the bridge  the limit line  told them to wait. And so they did, some for days in the cold and rain. Others stayed at a nearby shelter.

Well wait and see, night and day, because I dont have anywhere to go, said Alexander Narzilloev, 35, who was with his wife and sons, ages 3 and 6.

Narzilloev ran a construction supply business in Moscow, but fled after he was extorted by local mafia and received death threats, including one from a man who called and said he knew where Narzilloevs son attended kindergarten, Narzilloev said.

The family had originally gone to the crossing in Calexico, Calif., where officers told them they didnt have space. After waiting a week and spending what remained of their $8,000 savings on a hotel, Narzilloev and his family caught a bus to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in hopes of entering El Paso.

I heard in the news Trump said close all the borders. Has it happened yet? he said. Thats supposed to be for illegals. We are legal.

Last week, several House Democrats sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen requesting a briefing on why and how asylum seekers were being turned away. Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat, issued a statement calling for fair and orderly processing of asylum seekers.

Any attempts to deny these families and individuals their right to seek asylum are wrong, he said.

The Trump administration has tried a variety of approaches to deter people from trying to reach the United States  most controversially a zero tolerance policy of criminally charging every adult migrant who crosses the border illegally, separating parents from their children.

The policy resulted in 2,654 children being separated and widespread outrage before Trump canceled it in June.

The administration still wants to detain families indefinitely and has been battling immigrant advocates in hopes of overturning a federal judges 1997 order that requires children be held for no longer than 20 days. Federal prosecutors have also fought to narrow the definition of political asylum.

But the government has been flummoxed by what Kevin McAleenan, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, calls the asylum gap: the inability to stop people from making false claims for asylum and living legally in the U.S. for years while their cases proceed.

Immigrant advocates say the new tactics at the border are aimed at discouraging asylum claims. The ACLU of Texas noted Tuesday that Customs and Border Protection, the largest federal law enforcement agency, with a staff and budget doubled in the past 20 years, processed 1.1 million fewer people at the southern border last year than it did in 2000.

Instead of expanding capacity to process asylum seekers at border crossings, officials have forced them to wait. The method varies from crossing to crossing.
Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe became a national figure for a brief time this past summer when his office raided a makeshift compound near the Colorado border and rescued 11 malnourished children from adults who are now accused of plotting terrorism.

But one child, 3-year-old Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, was already dead by the time deputies got there, leaving people to wonder if Hogrefe could have moved in sooner to save the boy.

Now, Hogrefe has a new challenge: Republican Jani Davis, who is competing against Democrat Hogrefe in Tuesdays general election.

Deputies and other state officials raided the compound near the community of Amalia in early August. They had information that young Abdul-Ghani, who had reportedly been abducted in Georgia by his father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, was at the compound and that the five adults living there were plotting terrorist attacks.

The remaining children were taken into state custody and the adults were arrested. Abdul-Ghani, who had allegedly been denied his seizure medication, was found dead on the property soon after the raid.

Hogrefe got a lot of flack for his initial handling of the case because the sheriffs office had received the information that the missing boy could be there back in May. But court documents that were released after the raid, based on accounts from people who were living there, suggest that Abdul-Ghani had died months before, in either December or February.

Hogrefe told the Journal earlier this week that he would not have done anything differently in the case. Im proud we did it the right way and the lawful way, Hogrefe said.

He said in August that local authorities couldnt confirm that the missing boy was at the Amalia compound and thats why they didnt move in sooner. Once police in Georgia got a message that people in the compound were starving, his office finally had enough probably cause to seek a search warrant from a judge and move in, he said.

Taos District Attorney Donald Gallegoss staff subsequently missed critical deadlines for preliminary court hearings for the five arrested adults. That forced Taos District Court judges to drop charges against the Amalia defendants. The adults currently dont have state charges, but are facing federal counts and are now incarcerated.

Hogrefe took to Facebook to express dismay about the rulings and how the case was handled by the DAs office. But he told the Journal he can continue to work with Gallegos, who recently announced that hes not seeking another term in 2020.

Ive known Mr. Gallegos since before he was an attorney, Hogrefe said. I have no big issues with him on a personal level. Theres no strain in that relationship. Hes got a good staff over there.

Police work a calling

Davis didnt get into law enforcement until she was 44 years old, after holding various jobs, including as a Hollywood stunt woman. She says its not a bad thing that she became an officer, which she says is her calling, after getting experience in other fields.

In my opinion, people should get into law enforcement later in life, she said. I can perceive peoples problems and differences a lot better. People with life skills fare better in law enforcement.

She first started working for the Taos Police Department in 2009 and most recently worked for the Questa Police Department until last fall when she decided to go back to school.

Her law enforcement career was derailed three years ago when she was fired from the Taos Police Department after she was accused of using excessive force during a June 2015 arrest of domestic violence suspect Frank Olonia. Davis was tried for one count of misdemeanor battery for the incident, but was acquitted by the jury.

However, the termination led Davis to file a lawsuit against the Town of Taos in June 2016 for gender and age discrimination, as well as violations of the Whistleblower Protection Act. That case was settled out of court in June.

Male officers were at the scene, including one who she said threatened to kill Olonia, and Davis said she was the only one who lost her job.

None of the other officers tried to stop me, Davis recently told the Journal. I just find it interesting that they dont apply that same thinking to other officers that happen to be male. I was found not guilty in under 12 minutes. I fight a system that I believe is unethical and probably sexist.

Davis was also named as one of several defendants in four different lawsuits  one in state court and the others in federal court  over the past eight years that accuse Davis of using excessive force during an arrest and of abusing her position as an officer. The state court suit was dropped because Davis was never served and she said she was dropped from the federal suits before they were settled out of court.

Hogrefe was named as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit in 1994, because, he says, he pulled over a car in Red River and arrested the driver for DUI. A passenger in that car later caused a fatal crash, Hogrefe said. The suit was later dismissed.

TAOS COUNTY SHERIFF CANDIDATES

Jani D. Davis

AGE: 54

PARTY: Republican

EDUCATION: 4.5 years of college. Have AA degree, working on finishing bachelors degree now at UNM

OCCUPATION: Full-time candidate for Taos County Sheriff. Volunteer for various organized and non-organized community functions

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Hired by Taos Police Department in 06/09. Current N.M.-certified police officer. Taos Police Department. New Mexico Special Investigations Division DPS. Village of Questa PD. First female sergeant at TPD and QPD. Extensive extra training in investigations and interrogations. Private sector experience (1987 to present) in supervision/management. Grady Burnette Builders in Wimberley, Texas; site supervisor for custom home builds; San Marcos Toyota internet sales manager; American Window Tint sales and store manager in Denver. Independent contractor in business. Hollywood stunt woman, construction and remodeling, handyman.

Jerry Lynn Hogrefe

AGE: 51

PARTY: Democratic

EDUCATION: High School graduate, plus some College through NAU in business. Over 3,000 hours of job-specific public safety trainings that are too numerous to mention.

OCCUPATION: Public Safety. Ive been a police officer nearly all my adult life, having served for over 22 years in Red River, including as the Town Marshal (Chief) for 6 years, nearly 4 years in the Town of Taos, including serving as the interim chief for nearly a year, and now as your first-term (4 years) sheriff of Taos County. All combined, I have over 30 years of experience.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Public Safety is my life and what Im truly passionate about. Ive been an EMT for 34 years and a volunteer firefighter for 25 years. I began my career in law enforcement in 1985 as a public safety dispatcher, part-time Animal Control, and a reserve deputy. I became a full-time peace officer in 1988. I worked my way to Engine Boss with the Red River/Wheeler Peak Fire Department and obtained my N.M. basic Police Officer certification in 1989 and have since obtained over 3,000 hours of advanced training in public safety. I currently hold an Executive-level Law Enforcement certification (the highest obtainable in N.M.) and have maintained my police instructor certification for over 25 years. Along the way, I have run the Red River dispatch center and our Taos County detention center, as well.

WHY THEYRE RUNNING

Davis: I am running for Taos County Sheriff because of the cultural war within law enforcement, which is reaching a boiling point. Most people who choose to work as a police officer are uniquely selfless. There is no money or glory and seeing the worst of humanity eventually, over time, takes a toll on a persons soul. We are nearing a tipping point on who will enter this profession.

I entered policing at 44, idealistic, with some life experience. That combination has helped me serve the public with wisdom and compassion. I want to influence the thinking of deputies to bring back respect and remove jaded judgment toward the public and each other. The goal is to get deputies back to basics, reframe and remind staff of what our job is as a team. I will lead, not by words, but by example.

The public we serve must be the priority, yet deputy welfare must happen first to get the quality of service the public demands.

 Full staffing of all patrol positions must be filled and active to discourage mental duress and fatigue.

 Additional staffing must be given to implement positive and meaningful change.

 Specific training for our communities unique needs must be assessed.

 Potential modern threats, such as active shooters, must be addressed and training for all deputies implemented.

 The state must start prosecuting all crimes, including all petty misdemeanors and misdemeanors.

When elected sheriff, I will change the course and culture of law enforcement.

Hogrefe: Northern New Mexico has been my home for over 34 years and where I want to continue to serve the community I live in. I am running to continue bringing leadership, experience, accountability and training to the Office of Sheriff. We are a team now that brings a high level of integrity and accountability to the people and positive working relationships with community organizations and other agencies.

In my first term, we have added a K9, motor patrols, a modern policy/procedures manual, immensely improved training and supervision, replaced the aging fleet, added three positions to the office, worked more closely than ever with schools, and brought critical joint training to them and other law enforcement agencies in Taos County. Im most proud of the Sheriffs Response Team (SRT) we developed to help conduct investigations and serve high-risk warrants.

As with most every agency in New Mexico, we struggle with having adequate staffing to be everywhere we need to be. Simply, we need a bigger budget and more deputies to better serve Taos County and Im continually working with the commission to get more. We are currently fully staffed with what is budgeted for.

Repeat offenders now plague our community, as with the rest of New Mexico. To better help us protect our citizens, Id like to enhance our patrol plan with additional staff, and Id like to see offenders held more accountable, and the catch and release detention system changed so there is accountability to crime victims.

BACKGROUND QUESTIONS

1. Have you or your business, if you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?

Davis: No.

Hogrefe: No.

2. Have you ever been involved in a personal or business bankruptcy proceeding?

Davis: Yes. 1997. Personal

Hogrefe: No. My wife and I do own a small jewelry-making business (mostly my wife).

3. Have you ever been arrested for, charged with or convicted of drunken driving, any misdemeanor or any felony?

Davis: No (was charged with petty misdemeanor, but found not guilty, unanimously, by jury.)

Hogrefe: No arrests, convictions, DWIs or felonies. Only a speeding ticket in about 1982 that I deserved.
Los Alamos County voters will elect four county councilors in Tuesdays general elections. The top four vote-getters among eight candidates win seats. Here are the candidates.

DAVID IZRAELEVITZ

AGE: 58

PARTY: DEMOCRAT

EDUCATION: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT

OCCUPATION: Retired research engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: LA County Councilor last 7 years, Council Chair past two years; retired after a career as a Research Engineer and Program Manager at LANL; president, NM Municipal League; LA County Planning and Zoning Commissioner (2004-09); president and co-founder, Los Alamos Community Foundation.

HELEN M. MILENSKI

AGE: 44

PARTY: LIBERTARIAN

EDUCATION: Associate of Science in Pre-Engineering from the University of New Mexico

OCCUPATION: Research Technician with the Los Alamos National Laboratory

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Ive gained leadership experience from forming and organizing various community groups focused on Los Alamos County issues, as well as in my role as Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico. However, I find my most important qualification is considering Los Alamos my home. We fight for what we love.

RANDALL RYTI

AGE: 60

PARTY:

EDUCATION: B.A. Biology, UCLA; Ph.D. Biology, UC San Diego

OCCUPATION: Retired environmental scientist and business owner, currently an independent consultant

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Neptune and Company, Inc. co-founder; Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) Board, 6 years; Transportation Board, 4 years; Los Alamos County District Science Fair, volunteer, 13 years; Graduate of Leadership Los Alamos.

SARA SCOTT

AGE: 59

PARTY: DEMOCRAT

EDUCATION: B.S. Chemistry; Ph.D. Inorganic Chemistry; NATO National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow; Los Alamos National Laboratory Postdoctoral Fellow.

OCCUPATION: Retired/consultant

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Perspective of a 30-year Los Alamos County resident. Leadership experience from my roles as scientist, Division Leader and Program Director at Los Alamos National Laboratory  responsibilities included budgets of more than $100M/year, over 400 staff, diverse facility operations, strategic planning and implementation, and constructive engagement with federal program leaders.

JAMES ROBINSON

AGE: 29

PARTY: DEMOCRAT

EDUCATION: Bachelors of Business Administration: Operations Management

OCCUPATION: Los Alamos National Laboratory

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Third-generation Los Alamos native. Co-founder of a local nonprofit. Chair of Environmental Sustainability Board. Ran the effort to approve the UNM-LA mill levy.

DAWN TRUJILLO VOSS

AGE: 40+

PARTY: REPUBLICAN

EDUCATION: A.S. Biotechnology; A.S. Medical Radiography; B.S. Project Management

OCCUPATION: Performance Assurance at Los Alamos National Laboratory

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: 15 years of work at Los Alamos National Laboratory; Chair of two Worker Safety and Security Teams at Los Alamos National Laboratory; a former volunteer with Stars Rotary Clubs; member of No Labels; resident and taxpayer of Los Alamos County.

BRADY BURKE

AGE: 58

PARTY: REPUBLICAN

EDUCATION: B.S. Computer Science

OCCUPATION: Senior Datacenter Administrator

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Voter and taxpayer

JOHN BLISS

AGE: 67

PARTY: REPUBLICAN

EDUCATION: Masters degree from Texas A&M University in nuclear engineering.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: 22 years in the Army; certified as a fellow of the Health Physics Society; worked at Los Alamos National laboratory for 22 years; trustee at The United Church.

1. Explain why you are running for County Council and what you see as the biggest issues for the county.

IZRAELEVITZ: Los Alamos County is at a crossroads: we have a new management contract at LANL, many new families are moving into town and the economic development efforts of the past 10 years are finally bearing fruit. I am running for re-election because I believe my experience over the past seven years as a Councilor and my clear emphasis on strategic investments to promote Los Alamos as a great place to live, work and recreate is of special value to our community at this critical time.

An immediate critical issue is the question of the taxability of the new LANL management contract. I have been very pro-active in discussions with all our partners, in the legislature, at the federal level, and regionally, to make the case that it is critical for the Federal government to pay its appropriate share of the cost of providing resources to our community that will make Los Alamos, and the region, an asset, not a liability, as LANL seeks about 1,000 new hires per year. With whatever resources we have, we need to keep our schools outstanding, promote a diversified and affordable housing stock, and support other amenities to attract the best and the brightest to our community that will keep LANL productive and competitive. And we need to do this without reducing the key qualities that have made our community one of the best places to live in the country.

ROBINSON: As a Los Alamos native, Los Alamos has always been my home. I was educated in Los Alamos from elementary school all the way through my Associate degree from UNM-LA. Even as I furthered my education at the main UNM campus, Los Alamos remained my home away from home. Many of my milestones in life happened in Los Alamos, my first job, my first apartment and my first purchased home.

Since returning to Los Alamos after my undergraduate degree, I have been an active member of the community. I currently serve as chair of the Environmental Sustainability Board. I co-founded a nonprofit for wildlife rehabilitation, which brought New Mexicos first ever Bear Festival to Los Alamos. I graduated from Leadership Los Alamos and chaired the committee for the UNM-LA mill levy.

My focus on council would be: upgrading and expanding infrastructure and housing, clarification of the county ordinances, expansion of the countys environmental initiatives, and development of tourism and recreation.

Our county has an exciting yet challenging future ahead, and many of these initiatives will be dependent on the path of the LANL contract and GRT funds. The next council will need to hear and effectively communicate with its citizens to make these long-term decisions. I believe I can provide an open channel for the citizens and a unique voice for those decisions.

If you would like to know more, please visit my website at www.vote-robinson.com.

RYTI: Im a first-time candidate running for a seat on the Los Alamos County Council. Ive lived in Los Alamos for more than 25 years; Ive raised a family here and with my partners at Neptune and Company, I helped to start a successful consulting company. Over the years, Ive seen how I can make a difference by being an active participant and leader in my company, as well as local organizations. I sold my ownership in the company, and have the time, interest and enthusiasm to serve as your County Councilor.

One important role for the County Council is to set the budget. The budget addresses basic services (such as police and fire) and continued improvements to or maintenance of our infrastructure. I am in favor of using our core values to define what is funded.

One core value is the stability and long-term viability of our economy. To address this core value, the county should allocate funding to address the availability of housing for a variety of income levels and stages in life. I would like to see us consider ways to redevelop underutilized or develop vacant properties for housing or commercial uses. Expanded housing options should help our current major employer, Los Alamos National Laboratory, attract new hires and also help the county attract new companies. Diversifying and expanding our local businesses, in particular small businesses, provides expanded arrays of goods and services to residents and visitors, and also helps to broaden the tax base.

SCOTT: Living in Los Alamos for close to 30 years has provided me with a broad perspective regarding the many benefits that Los Alamos and White Rock have to offer. It has also provided a perspective on changes the county will be going through in the upcoming years; changes that will present challenges, but also opportunities to make our community stronger. I would like to put my leadership experience to work to help the county thrive as we move forward.

Through knocking on doors, participating in meetings of community organizations, meeting with county staff and business leaders, and attending local events, Ive heard about a wide variety of issues important to many in the community, including: Identifying how to increase the amount and types of housing options; supporting our school system and the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos; growing a few more businesses (from restaurants and shops to tech startups) and amenities; enhancing county support and opportunities for our local businesses; protecting and maintaining our open spaces; addressing long-term building vacancies in key areas of the community; and assuring fiscal responsibility in balancing care for our current infrastructure while investing in the future.

Since my retirement from Los Alamos National Laboratory, I feel I have the time and a duty to commit to our community in a more focused way and help keep Los Alamos County the amazing place that it is today. I look forward to the opportunity to serve.

MILENSKI: I was convinced to run by people who appreciated my community activism in co-creating an oversight board for the Community Development Divisions Code Compliance duties. After the experience of collaborating with other individuals and groups on this and other issues, I felt I could be an effective and fair voice on the council.

Los Alamos is facing unique financial concerns from the LANL contract change and increased hiring, which will lead to higher population growth than the norm in the short term. The community has voiced concerns over the ever-expanding county budget, often overriding the expressed will of the residents. While the new Lab contractor indicated they intend to donate an amount close to what the GRT would have been, this donation appears to be voluntary, and the county has no power to compel those revenues if the Lab contractors change their mind. The county used previous Lab-derived GRT revenue to greatly expand staff and assets that incur ongoing costs. Any payments by the new Lab contractor should be treated as non-baseline revenue, put in a special fun and not considered part of the normal budget.

Los Alamos has serious growing pains; lack of housing and the need for diversity in business. We need someone that can address spending and hold the county leadership to a high standard of integrity. I favor a lean county government that emphasizes discretion in spending while intelligently investing in infrastructure and amenities to support economic diversity in the county.

TRUJILLO VOSS: The spark that prompted me to run for Los Alamos County Council occurred when my 70+ father-in-law was given short notice to remove a carport cover that had been standing for ten years. Notice of Violations such as this sparked outrage among the residents of Los Alamos and White Rock, N.M. The public outcry fell upon deaf ears at Los Alamos County Council meetings. The lack of empathy and willingness from Los Alamos County to work with the groups speaking out was disturbing. The Notice of Violation process is one example of how the county government is operating without communication and public input.

I have found that there is a disconnect between Los Alamos County government and the residents of Los Alamos County. My goal as a counselor is to be an advocate and a voice for the residents of Los Alamos and White Rock, N.M. I want to be part of a new council that is accountable and transparent, an ally to small businesses and fiscally responsible. Most importantly, I want the county government to work for us, the residents of Los Alamos and White Rock, N.M., and not operate with a separate agenda and vision.

BURKE: My platform is simple; the Los Alamos County government has grown so large and the County Council so detached from the voters and taxpayers that they no longer work for or represent the citizens of the county.

As the County Council has become a puppet of county government, the taxpayers can no longer depend on the oversight that the council should provide for citizens. As a result, the county government operates with impunity in raising utility rates, taxes, staffing and overreach.

Our county government paid $2 million to prep the ground in White Rock for the new housing development, then sold the land to the developers for $400K. Those were your tax dollars that the county gave away.

The county sold prime property to an out-of-state firm to build another Starbucks. No alternative uses were presented to council, including a design and use by a local business.

 Recreational Bond spending contrary to voters wishes.

 Cutting back the Sheriffs Office when voters chose to keep it.

 Accusations of illicit spending with off-the-hill organizations.

 Streams of lawsuits against the county and the council by former police officers, the sheriff and citizens.

Our county government grows with almost every council session. Our County Council has failed to reign in the county government. The council has failed us as our elected representatives. We need elected officials that will hold the county government accountable to the voters and the taxpayers. We need a council that puts Los Alamos first.

BLISS: Weve had a lot of controversy on the County Council in recent years. I felt that with my background and experience, I could help. A lot of my work with the Army was with groups trying to reach a consensus and I worked a lot with NATO try to get different governments to reach a consensus.

I think government works best when theres a consensus among various views. It sometimes can help to have consensus to start with, but when people with different views and different experiences work on consensus, you get the best solution, I believe. I think were in danger of having a single party on the County Council and I can bring a set of different views to the council.

I will work to make sure the county makes improvements. Some of the issues are a lack of housing, economic development, broadening the economic base, getting support for small businesses and making county government a friendly place to get help. If you want a building permit, it should be easy.

BACKGROUND QUESTIONS

1. Have you or your business, if you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?

IZRAELEVITZ: No.

ROBINSON: No.

RYTI: No.

SCOTT: No

MILENSKI: No.

TRUJILLO VOSS: No.

BURKE: Declined to answer as intrusive and irrelevant.

BLISS: No.

2. Have you ever been involved in a personal or business bankruptcy proceeding?

IZRAELEVITZ: No.

ROBINSON: No.

RYTI: No.

SCOTT: No

MILENSKI: Over 20 years ago, I filed a joint bankruptcy as part of a divorce agreement.

TRUJILLO VOSS: No.

BLISS: No.

BURKE: Declined to answer as intrusive and irrelevant

3. Have you ever been arrested for, charged with or convicted of drunken driving, any misdemeanor or any felony?

IZRAELEVITZ: No.

ROBINSON: No.

RYTI: No.

SCOTT: No.

MILENSKI: I have never been arrested for any reason.

TRUJILLO VOSS: No.

BURKE: Declined to answer as intrusive and irrelevant.

BLISS: No.
It is not often a female, Native American, New Mexico brewery owner gets invited to the Smithsonian.

At a craft brewers conference last year in Nashville, Tenn., Bow & Arrow Brewing Co.s owner and chief executive officer, Shyla Sheppard, caught the attention of Theresa McCulla, the historian of the American Brewing History Initiative at the Smithsonians National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. Sheppard has now been invited to participate in Last Call on Saturday, Nov. 3. The event is part of the Smithsonians Food History Weekend at the National Museum of American History.

Its this food weekend highlighting agriculture and food throughout the United States, and they were looking for four breweries, and we were one of the four, Sheppard said. I was taken aback because its such an honor to be at that level.

Also on the panel are New Glarus Brewing Co. of Wisconsin, Scratch Brewing Co. of Illinois and Cajun Fire Brewing Co. of Louisiana. Representatives from each brewery will discuss where they are located and the history of the area and give background on their brewery. Bow & Arrow head brewer Ted OHanlan also will be at the event discussing the brewing process earlier in the day.

From the beginning, we wanted to really highlight this special place in the Southwest and the land and the unique indigenous ingredients and how weve even incorporated that into our brand and beers and now that we have packaged product, into our labels, and that sort of careful balance we strike and wanting it to be kind of cool but also not kitschy, Sheppard said.  Even talk about how fermentation has been around with indigenous people across the Americas since before the Europeans.  I think its important to remind people that fermentation has been very present here, so were kind of taking it to this next level and making it contemporary but still drawing from whats already been here.

Bow & Arrow also will be pouring its Denim Tux blue corn lager and its Dream Mesa traditional sour. The sour has not been released but will soon be available on tap and in bottles at the brewery, which has plans to greatly expand its traditional sour program.

Its our first traditional sour, which is a huge deal, because these traditional sour beers take over a year, Sheppard said of Dream Mesa. Its a huge time commitment, investment. We took that and infused it with Navajo tea that we foraged this season, so it will have that regional, very location-specific aspect to that beer, which is really exciting.

Sheppard has extended an invitation to McCulla to visit New Mexico and learn more about its diverse brewery scene.

I just wanted her to know, hey, some really cool things are happening in New Mexico that I think she would appreciate, the things happening around diversity, around women in beer, people of color in beer, Sheppard said.  If youre looking to see who is doing some things right, you know, come see what were doing in New Mexico.  It is unusual because there still isnt a lot of diversity in craft beer from like a owner, operator, higher-level brewer level and its not something I spent a long time thinking about but since its become more of a conversation within the brewing industry, its something Ive been paying more attention to.
Georgia OKeeffe carefully cultivated an image of herself as the strong, independent artist who lived an isolated life against New Mexicos windswept canyons.

Most of the iconic photographs of her reflect the severe persona she was determined to convey: black and white clothing, her hair scraped back from cheekbones as steep as the cliffs surrounding her.

The Candid Camera, opening at the Georgia OKeeffe Museum on Friday, Nov. 2, aims to shatter that image to reveal a woman who laughed, rafted and sketched with her friends.

That circle of friendship included the great photographers Todd Webb, Ansel Adams and Dan Budnik. The images resemble family snapshots, showing the artist relaxing at home with her dogs, visiting Glen Canyon and rafting with her friends.

We went through the portraits and tried to weed out the ones most reproduced, fine arts curator Ariel Plotek said.

OKeeffe developed her public image with her husband, the New York photographer/impresario Alfred Stieglitz.

She became quite aware of how her persona and image were being created by her black-and-white dress, Plotek said. It shaped the way she portrays herself in daily life.

This shows another facet.

Budnik received a magazine commission to photograph OKeeffe. What began as a professional relationship edged into friendship. The photographer captured the artist nuzzling her chow at Ghost Ranch in 1975. She referred to her pets as the little people.

Webb met OKeeffe when Stieglitz asked him to photograph her for a New York exhibition.

He visits her in New Mexico and falls in love with the place, Plotek said. Some of his are the most intimate. He gets pictures of OKeeffe in jeans, which almost no one did. He very much belies the image we have of the stern, serious OKeeffe.

Webb moved to Santa Fe in 1961 and his friendship with the painter flourished. He captured OKeeffe sketching in Glen Canyon, cradling a rock and laughing with friends during a river rafting trip. OKeeffe always stashed drawing materials in her pockets.

The artist joined Ansel Adams in Yosemite, where he served as her guide. The pair had met at Mabel Dodge Luhans Taos home in 1929.

Hes crouching and makes OKeeffe look monumental, Plotek said. She looks as monumental as Half Dome.

Photographers remained a presence in OKeeffes life from the first time Stieglitz photographed her in 1917.

The ultimate New Yorker, he never visited his wife in New Mexico.

He was hypochondriacal, Plotek said. He wouldnt be more than 50 miles from his doctor.
A woman shares the aftermath of being drugged and raped, and the mishandlings of her case in her solo show at the Center for Contemporary Arts tonight. Heather Marlowe, a San Francisco storyteller and playwright, received national attention for The Haze when she debuted it in 2014.

Her one-act tragicomedy resulted in the San Francisco Police Department processing more than 750 untested rape kits, including hers, left untested for years. CCA says the performance comes to New Mexico at a time when the state faces its own cache of at least 5,300 untested rape kits.

The Haze will be performed at 6 p.m. tonight at the CCA Tank Garage, 1050 Old Pecos Trail. A talk-back will follow. Admission is $10.

top picks

HARVEY WEEKEND: Once again, Fred Harvey will be honored through a weekendlong historical celebration in Santa Fe and Las Vegas, N.M. The eighth annual Fred Harvey History Weekend starts today at 1 p.m. at the New Mexico History Museum, and continues all day Saturday and Sunday.

Harvey, a 19th-century hospitality entrepreneur famous for creating a chain of Western hotels and restaurants along the countrys expanding rail lines, has a special legacy in New Mexicos development as a tourist destination. Santa Fes La Fonda Hotel was a Harvey House, as was Las Vegas Hotel Castaneda, which is currently being revived.

The weekend kicks off with a series of free talks at the History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave., from 1-5 p.m. Topics include a look at new Fred Harvey history and an update on developer Allan Affeldts renovation of both La Castaneda and Lamys Legal Tender saloon. Santa Fe Antiques, 1006 Marquez Place, will also hold a Harvey-themed open house at 5 p.m.

Saturdays festivities start with coffee and breakfast at 10 a.m. at Lamys Legal Tender, 151 Old Lamy Trail. RSVP for the breakfast at legaltenderlamy@gmail.com. The free historical talks continue from 1-5 p.m. at the museum. Saturdays presentations include a lecture by Harveys great-great-granddaughter, an exploration of the cooking in Harvey restaurants and railroad dining cars, and a screening of new interviews with former Harvey Girls.

A special dinner with recreations of dishes from Harveys hotels, restaurants and dining cars is at 6 p.m. at La Fonda. Cooking demonstrations will go on between courses. Tickets for the dinner, at $150 per person, are required. They are available at ticketssantafe.org.

Sundays events will all be in Las Vegas, starting with a tour of the former Montezuma Hotel, which is now the home of United World College, from 10 a.m. to noon (reserve your spot at tours@southwestdetours.com). A reservation-only brunch at takes place at The Range Cafe on the Plaza, 230 Plaza Park (reserve a seat by calling 505-425-3591, tickets are $25 per person). At 2 p.m., there will be a tour of La Castaneda and a screening of short documentaries starring Castaneda Harvey Girls.

For a full event list, including a schedule of Friday and Saturdays History Museum talks, go to nmhistorymuseum.org. The talks are open to the public, but you can reserve seats at nmhm.events@state.nm.us.

INTERNMENT HISTORY: Throughout November, Santa Fes Southside library, 6599 Jaguar Dr., will host an exhibition and ongoing talks themed around World War II-era Japanese internment in New Mexico. The New Mexico Japanese American Citizens Leagues (NMJACL) traveling exhibit, Confinement in the Land of Enchantment, includes artifacts and recreations of spaces created to educate the public about what happened at internment camps in Santa Fe, Fort Stanton, Old Raton Ranch and Lordsburg. Prior to the opening reception at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, a forum will feature the projects lead historian Andy Russell; Gail Okawa, a professor and historian whose grandfather was imprisoned in an internment camp; and NMJACL member Nikki Nojima-Louis. The discussion starts at 1:30 p.m. Scheduled events run through Nov. 27 and include more talks and films on the Japanese experience, as well as on the internment of Navajo people at the Bosque Redondo in the 19th century. The Santa Fes Dreamers Project is also hosting talks about past and present migrant detention camps. A full list of events is at santafelibrary.org.

TITLE THE UNTITLED: After success with the idea last year, ViVO Contemporary is once again allowing visitors to name artwork on display. Untitled, which will now be an annual event, opens with a reception tonight from 5-7 p.m. Next to each piece is a piece of paper on which passersby can list their own titles for the artwork, providing a look at how people interpret what they see. The shows offerings are from the gallerys represented artists, including photo mosaic artist Nina Glaser and kiln-fired glass artist Barrie Brown. Untitled will be at ViVO, 725 Canyon Rd., until Jan. 14.
SANTA FE  The Espanola Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is closing its doors.

Residents, family members and staff were informed of the closure during a meeting with corporate officials Thursday, providing them with a 60-day notice, according to Leticia Montez, an Albuquerque resident whose parents have lived in the facility since January.

According to an announcement posted on the facilitys Facebook page, the center will close Dec. 31. As of Thursday, the facility stopped accepting new long-term care admissions. Espanola Valley Nursing and Rehab Center has about 60 patients.

The decision to close was not made lightly, but was truly brought on by circumstances beyond our control, the centers statement reads. We have made every attempt to find an alternate operator but unfortunately, we were unable to do so. The New Mexico Department of Health has approved the closure and is working with Espanola Valley on relocation plans for the remaining residents who still reside in the building. 

The facilitys operator, embattled Texas-based Preferred Care Inc., filed for bankruptcy last year. Last week, another provider announced it was buying Preferred Cares Casa Rael nursing home in Santa Fe and eight other Preferred Care facilities.

Since 2014, the state Attorney Generals Office has been pursuing a lawsuit against Preferred Care, alleging its residents are not getting the care they need and that the state and federal governments have been improperly billed.

A letter Montez received from the center states that facility staff will be reaching out to each residents primary contact to have them work with discharge managers. It says the facility hopes to have everyone moved by the holiday season. The website announcement also says the company will help its staff with finding other employment opportunities.

In an FAQ section of the letter, under the question What will happen if we cannot find a facility or accommodation? the response is, Because Espanola Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation is closing, all patients must discharge.

We are committed (according to the state and federal guidelines) to assist you to the best of our ability in finding a new home. Please utilize all resources possible to assist you with options. Do not delay in making your choices to ensure placement is made as soon as possible.

Everybody is kind of shell-shocked, said Montez, whose mother is a resident and her dad is on hospice care at the facility. She said shes heard from staff that theyd like to see people moving out within the next two weeks.

Montez said that there will likely be more care options for her parents near her home in Albuquerque. But she expressed concerns for residents who may not have as much family support and about how much availability or Medicaid-eligible options there are at nearby facilities.

She worries there will be a race to find new placement. Its almost like every man for themselves now, she said.

Paul Rhein, a spokesperson from the states Aging and Longterm Services Department, said in a statement that it will work with other state agencies to ensure continuity of care and to monitor the safe transfer of residents to other facilities.

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman program will have a consistent presence at the facility during transition to advocate for the residents choices and rights. Residents can contact them at 866-451-2901 to request their support services.

Though Montez feels she may be better off than others because she lives in a large city, she still is stressed about the transition. She said its overwhelming for her mother to deal with both her husband being in hospice care and now the news that she will need to move.

Im feeling frustrated, Im scared, Im really angry because this is how were taking care of our elders, Montez said.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Democratic candidate for governor Michelle Lujan Grisham says the state should do more to help local governments equip their law enforcement officers with the best technology.

Republican candidate Steve Pearce says the state should have camps where criminals could work off their time and turn their lives around.

Crime is a concern for most New Mexicans. A Journal poll in September found that statewide, 96 percent of New Mexicans considered crime to be a very serious or somewhat serious problem.

New Mexico in 2017 had the highest property crime rate per capita and the second-highest rate of violent crime, according to FBI crime statistics.

Both gubernatorial candidates have some creative fixes in their toolbox. Lujan Grisham and Pearce said much of the crime in the state is closely linked to substance abuse and addiction, so treatment is a crucial part of the solution.

And both have said that, if elected, they will re-examine the states pretrial detention rules, which changed as the result of a constitutional amendment that voters approved in 2016. The amendment said suspects shouldnt be held in jail just because they couldnt afford bond, but that judges can order them to remain incarcerated if there is convincing evidence that no release conditions would guarantee public safety and their future court appearances. Critics have contended judges citing the amendment are allowing too many serious offenders out of jail.

But the two candidates also have their own ideas on how to reduce crime and improve the criminal justice system.

Restoration camps

Pearce said he wants to put convicts to work. He said he would create restoration camps, where prisoners, if they so chose, could do manual labor instead of serving their time in prison.

Pearce envisions that convicts who successfully complete their time in camp would avoid having a felony conviction on their permanent record, which would allow them to get jobs and contribute to society.

I want to restore the forest so Im visualizing a lot of labor  People could go to prison or go out here and work pretty hard for a couple years and get out of the restoration camp without a prison sentence and without a criminal record, he said in an interview. That choice to allowing them to reclaim their life at the beginning point is going to be key. Im trying to figure out a way to have some consequence without the full penalty. (Now) you get a two-year (felony) sentence and its like a life sentence.

Lujan Grisham said the state should be a better partner with local governments and make sure they have the best technology to help fight crime. For example, she mentioned funding agencies to buy gunshot detectors, which is a technology that Albuquerque police recently announced it was implementing around the city.

Gunshot detectors are instruments that will alert officers if a round is fired within a one-mile radius or farther.

Thats something a governor can do to lead, she said.

Lujan Grisham said such investments would help the states coffers once crime goes down, and more businesses would be willing to relocate here and more people would be excited to visit.

If this economys doing better because its safer, then theres more money for the state to do investments in a number of areas, she said.

Gun control

Lujan Grishams campaign website offers several gun control policies she would support. Those measures include bans on bump stocks and high-capacity magazines, requiring universal background checks to stop people with domestic violence convictions or a history of serious mental illness from getting a firearm and a crackdown on firearms trafficking and straw purchases.

Pearce has an A rating from the National Rifle Association and a concealed carry permit. He is an outspoken proponent of the right to bear arms. Following school shootings, he has offered to help schools take advanced safety precautions, which could include arming highly trained personnel and securing the entrance points onto school grounds.

Pearce said he is not in favor of reducing sentences or releasing some inmates early, but he wants to improve the states parole system. He said the state should play some role in finding a job and a place to stay for people who are qualified to be released from prison so they could be more successful while on parole.

Lujan Grisham questioned why the state is spending a significant amount of money to keep elderly inmates in jail, inmates who she said are no longer a threat to society.

If we have somebody who is not a danger to the community, why are we doing long-term care for a 90-year-old incarcerated individual who could be in the community for half that cost? she asked.

Marijuana legalization

Lujan Grisham said she supports legalized recreational marijuana, while Pearce said he only supports legalized medical marijuana.

Lujan Grishams campaign website says she would support legalization efforts as long as patients who use cannabis for medical purposes are protected and any plans prioritize public safety. She points to it as a new source of revenue for the state. Regarding medical marijuana, she is in favor of lifting state-imposed limits on how many plants people can grow and expanding qualifying conditions.

Pearce said in a Journal questionnaire that he supports the states medical marijuana program but doesnt want to legalize marijuana, even though some envision it as a revenue-generating opportunity. He said his focus would be on getting more New Mexicans to enter the workforce.

Both candidates, who are giving up seats in the U.S. House of Representatives to make their bids for governor, attended criminal justice-related campaign events this week.

Pearce appeared alongside law enforcement officials from multiple agencies after it was announced he had received endorsements from the Albuquerque Police Officers Association, the largest police union in the state.

They trust directness, he said. They trust honesty.

Lujan Grisham appeared alongside 2nd Judicial District Attorney Raul Torrez at Emerson Elementary when it was announced that Albuquerque had received a $1 million federal grant to help create better relationships between police and community groups in the citys International District, which has some of the highest crime rates in the city.

Lujan Grisham said partnerships such as those, when community leaders and law enforcement work together, can greatly reduce crime.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Olivers unlawful attempt to unilaterally impose straight-party voting was unanimously smacked down by the New Mexico Supreme Court, which found that previous legislative efforts to either ban or require straight-party voting were proof that legislators had not delegated, but rather retained, plenary authority over elections.

Unfortunately, her lawless hyper-partisanship is not an isolated example. New Mexicans are already on the hook for her attack against the (U.S. Rep. Steve) Pearce (gubernatorial) campaign to the tune of $133,000  not including her attorney fees, and the costs associated with the straight-party voting debacle are still undisclosed.

Toulouse Olivers crusade against churches and charities will likely provoke similarly robust legal challenges, given the Supreme Courts reasoning. In 2017, SB 96 (which included campaign finance disclosures), failed to gain sufficient traction in the Legislature to override the governors veto, a defeat that seems stingingly similar to the situation with straight-party voting. Once again undeterred by lack of legal authority, she forged ahead with a rule that is simultaneously unconstitutional at both the state and federal levels and ultimately constitutes a threat not only to free speech but also to public safety. The only thing in doubt is whether state or federal courts will strike it down first.

If your pastor, rabbi or imam even mentions politics in any way, perhaps urging you to vote your values, to vote pro-life, or to vote in support of marriage equality, Toulouse Oliver believes she has the right to force your congregation to turn over the names and home addresses of all its members. Saccharine bromides about transparency and the public interest cannot gloss over the possibility of angry mobs from Antifa or Westboro Baptist Church pursuing donors all the way home to their private residences.

Just as she did with straight-party voting, Toulouse Oliver disregarded any suggestion she might be wrong, including testimony that her proposed rule could lead to threats, harassment, or reprisals against charitable and religious donors. 

New Mexico needs a new secretary of state who recognizes that their role is only to administer the laws as written while putting personal politics on ice. If they want to make laws, as was said at the Supreme Court, they should resign and run for the Legislature.
WASHINGTON  In an interview for Axios on HBO, President Trump announced he will sign an executive order ending birthright citizenship. When challenged on the constitutionality of doing this by executive order, Trump replied, You can definitely do it with an act of Congress. But now theyre saying I can do it just with an executive order.

This is simply untrue. The 14th Amendment, which declares, All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside, cannot be changed by executive order, or even by an act of Congress. It would require a constitutional amendment.

Not long ago, Trump revoked President Barack Obamas Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals because, he correctly pointed out, it was an unconstitutional executive overreach. Now he wants to try to change the Constitution by executive order?

Some conservatives justify his proposed action by taking a loose reading of the 14th Amendment, arguing that the phrase subject to the jurisdiction thereof leaves birthright citizenship subject to interpretation. Funny, just a few weeks ago, many of these same conservatives during Brett Kavanaughs confirmation hearings were defending the originalist approach to the Constitution, which holds we should interpret the plain words of the Constitution according to their original public meaning.

They were right the first time. Many of these same conservatives, correctly, bridle at the idea the phrase A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State in any way undermines the fundamental right of private citizens to keep and bear arms. Apparently, some on the right are strict constructionists when its convenient but suddenly discover their belief in a living Constitution when it serves their policy preferences.

As my American Enterprise Institute colleague John Yoo explains, the originalist reading of the 14th Amendment is the correct one:

The 14th Amendments reference to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof refers to children who are born in US territory and are subject to American law at birth. Almost everyone present in the United States, even aliens, come within the jurisdiction of the United States. If the rule were otherwise, aliens present on our territory could violate the law with impunity.  The original public meaning of the 14th Amendment  which conservatives properly believe to be the lodestar of constitutional interpretation  affirms birthright citizenship. Yoo further points out the high court has upheld this view of the 14th Amendment:

United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) upheld the American citizenship of a child born in San Francisco to Chinese parents, who themselves could never naturalize under the Chinese Exclusion Acts. The Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment affirms the ancient and fundamental rule of citizenship by birth within the territory, in the allegiance and protection of the country, including all children here born of resident aliens. It also explicitly rejected the argument that aliens, because they owed allegiance to a foreign nation, were not within the jurisdiction of the United States. 

The precedent is so clear. So if Trump moves forward, he may find the Supreme Court, in all likelihood with votes of his nominees, declares his action unconstitutional. That would be quite a rebuke.

And even if Trump could change the 14th Amendment in Obama-esque fashion with his pen and phone, that is the last thing Republicans should want,as a matter of law and of principle. Because, as Yoo points out, the 14th Amendment is one of the Republican Partys great historic achievements:

After the Civil War, congressional Republicans drafted the 14th Amendment to correct one of slaverys grave distortions of our law. In Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857), Chief Justice Roger Taney found that slaves, even though born in the United States, could never become citizens. The 14th Amendment directly overruled Dred Scott by declaring that all born in the U.S., irrespective of race, were citizens. It also removed from the majoritarian political process the ability to abridge the citizenship of children born to members of disfavored ethnic, religious, or political minorities.

Republicans should not be seeking to restore any elements of Dred Scott. They should not be weakening the Constitution with the same kinds of loose interpretive doctrines that liberals use to justify their favored policy outcomes. The way to prevent undocumented immigrants from obtaining birthright citizenship for their children is to prevent them from entering the country illegally in the first place. Strengthen border security. Build the wall. But leave the Constitution alone.
RUIDOSO  Members of the wild horse herd of Alto rounded up in 2016 were released over the weekend in the area they have freely roamed.

The decision of a district court judge mandated the return of the horses and redefined the jurisdiction of the New Mexico Livestock Board.

Patience ODowd, president of the Wild Horse Observers Association, who filed the legal action resulting in the return of the horses, said loading the horses that had been roaming free on a ranch near Carrizozo wasnt a problem. By the third load, she was convinced the remaining horses knew where they were headed and wanted to go home. They nearly jumped into the trailer, she said.

A stallion and five mares were browsing in a yard on Monday that had been one of their favorites, ODowd said.

She said her biggest concern now are trucks and larger vehicles that seem to want to endanger the horses. She was told have been clocked at up to 102 mph. Advocates are convinced digital speed signs would alert drivers and cause them to slow down.

This is a safety corridor and fines for speeding are double, she said. We are asking that police monitor speed on N.M. 48 in Alto this week at dusk and during the night. So watch your speed, guys. Its always lawbreakers who have hurt these wild horses.

ODowd is urging residents to call the District 2 office of the state Department of Transportation and ask for digital speed signs for the safety of the horses, cyclists, dogs, elk, deer and others endangered by speeders on N.M. 48 in the Alto area.

Local residents monitored the horses the first night, and ODowd and others were out the second night.

Two horses were hit by vehicles, but they were not members of the newly released herd, she said. Both walked away and she said she had seen one of them running, apparently not bothered by scratches on its shoulder and leg. The collisions were not caused by being blinded by car lights of advocates, she said. A police report on the incident was filed.
TEHRAN, Iran  Iran is bracing for the restoration of U.S. sanctions on its vital oil industry next week, as it grapples with an economic crisis that has sparked sporadic protests over rising prices, corruption and unemployment.

The Trump administration on Friday announced the reimposition of all U.S. sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, ramping up economic pressure on the Islamic Republic.

The oil sanctions, set to take effect on Monday, will target the countrys largest source of revenue in the most punishing action taken since the Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement in May, and will also affect Iranian shipping and financial transactions.

Tehran state TV reported on the sanctions Friday, citing international media outlets and highlighting the U.S. decision to allow eight nations to maintain imports of crude oil from Tehran, calling it a sign of the U.S.s failure to reduce Irans oil exports to nil.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the exemption for eight nations on Friday, saying they would be announced on Monday and will include U.S. allies such as Turkey, Italy, India, Japan and South Korea which had made efforts to eliminate their imports but could not complete the task by Monday.

The governor of Irans central bank, Valiollah Seif, posted on his Instagram account: Today it is clear for all that the U.S. has failed in full sanction and bringing Irans oil (export) to zero.

Economic analyst Sasan Shahveisi told state TV that based past experiences of crude oil sanctions, Irans oil exports will not be heavily damaged since there will be a consequent hike in oil prices. He said regional oil exporters like rival Saudi Arabia cannot quickly increase their oil production since it will damage their capacity.

The United States has already restored sanctions on Iran targeting financial transactions involving U.S. dollars, Irans automotive sector and the purchase of commercial airplanes and metals, including gold.

The White House insists the sanctions are not aimed at toppling the Islamic Republic, but at forcing Iran to dramatically alter its policies in the region, including its support for militant groups across the Mideast and its development of ballistic missiles. The U.N. nuclear agency says Iran is complying with the nuclear deal.

The renewed sanctions have already taken a heavy toll, with the rial losing half its value since April and the prices of fruit, poultry, eggs and milk skyrocketing. Protests erupted across the country in December, with some demonstrators chanting against the government and clashing with police. Sporadic demonstrations have been held in recent months, including strikes by workers, teachers and truck drivers.

The nuclear accord struck under the Obama administration  and also signed by Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia  lifted crippling international sanctions in exchange for Iran curbing its nuclear program. Western countries had long suspected Irans nuclear program masked the covert pursuit of atomic weapons, allegations denied by Iran, which has always insisted its nuclear activities are for energy and other peaceful purposes.

After the agreement took effect in 2016, Iran began exporting its oil more freely and signed billion-dollar agreements with Airbus, Boeing and other Western firms. But the legacy of decades of sanctions and economic mismanagement remained, and the nuclear deals future was thrown into uncertainty with the election of President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly vowed to exit the deal and finally withdrew in May.

Starting Monday, the Trump administration has promised that companies that fail to comply with the sanctions will be barred from doing business in the U.S.

Although Washington might grant waivers to countries like China and India, which are among the biggest importers of Iranian crude, the expectation is that the U.S. will demand substantial curbs on how much is imported.

In recent weeks, Irans President Hassan Rouhani had tried to reassure the public, saying the worst has already come to pass and that the government is working on ways to evade the new sanctions. But in a televised Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, he acknowledged that the situation was hard for people in recent months, and it may be hard in the next several months, too.

The government will utilize its entire capabilities to alleviate the problems, he added.

In an effort to circumvent the sanctions, Iran began selling some of its oil in an energy stock exchange on Sunday. Irans Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said 280,000 barrels were sold on the IRENEX exchange as of Wednesday and that 720,000 barrels will be provided later.

But the 1 million barrels a day Iran intends to sell in the exchange  which foreign dealers can access  is a fraction of the peak 2.5 million barrels a day that Iran sold before the Trump administration announced the re-imposition of sanctions.

European countries, which remain committed to the nuclear deal, have discussed taking measures that would shield European companies from the U.S. sanctions and allow them to keep doing business in Iran. But thus far they have been unable to prevent an exodus of major firms, including Boeing and Airbus, which suspended the aircraft purchases. General Electric, Maersk, Peugeot, Renault, Siemens, and Total have also cancelled business deals in Iran, according to the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

Despite the unraveling of the nuclear deal, Iran is still complying with it, and appears to be waiting out Trump, hoping his successor rejoins the agreement.

In the meantime, the renewed sanctions risk further undermining Rouhani, a relative moderate, and strengthening hard-liners distrustful of the West, the International Crisis Group said in a report this week.

The alternative to both sides taking a step back from the escalatory path is a sanctions regime that penalizes Iran and the Iranian people, but does not enhance peace and security in the region and could well lead to war.

___

Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
LAS CRUCES  As sunset approaches on a recent day, a white-and-silver bus swings into the parking lot of a small Methodist church in central Las Cruces and comes to a halt. Inside the bus, still out of sight, are 23 women, men and children  asylum-seeking immigrants from Central America.

Standing outside the bus at the head of a small, friendly greeting party is Rev. George Miller, pastor of El Calvario United Methodist Church. The church is preparing to receive the group of migrants, wholl stay at least overnight and possibly a couple of days.

The people were housing are refugees, he told the Sun-News. Theyve come to the border and applied legally. Theyre fleeing persecution and violence, and theyve been released by the federal government to us.

A hint of anxiety is apparent among the volunteers as the bus arrives. Thats not because theyre afraid of the immigrants. Rather, the process of feeding, housing and coordinating cross-country travel for a group of strangers whose home countries are thousands of miles away is fraught with logistical challenges. And all manner of problems can and do arise.

The volunteers have been prepping for hours to receive this once-a-week drop-off of immigrants at the church. And, without fanfare, the immigrants begin to file off of the bus. One dark-haired woman cradles a baby. A number of young children can be seen. Some immigrants smile cautiously, as theyre warmly greeted by volunteers. With strands of hair straying from pony tails and clothing showing signs of dirt and wear, most people appear haggard, a consequence of their 2,000-mile (or longer) journeys, as well as their recent time spent in U.S. detention centers.

One migrants story

The group is whisked into the churchs chapel, where a quick prayer service ensues. For many migrants, this is the first haven of sorts that theyve experienced in the United States, and the emotion appeared to overwhelm some of them.

Riccy, a 25-year-old woman who the Sun-News is identifying only by her first name, knelt in prayer. With her 9-year-old son and 14-month-old daughter, she left Honduras on Oct. 16, traveling by car and bus. She walked a small part of the trip.

Meanwhile, in the nearby kitchen, volunteers have a meal of rice, beans, chicken and corn tortillas ready to go. The immigrants are shepherded into the churchs small dining hall.

Wearing a dusty denim shirt and black pants, Riccy now sits at at one of three circular tables occupied by immigrants and a few volunteers who dine with them. Her 14-month-old daughter  a toddler with short, dark curly hair  moves around in a nearby corner of the room, happily playing with other children and a batch of toys.

Speaking to the Sun-News with the help of a translator, Riccy, who speaks Spanish, admits it was difficult traveling with two children. But she says her son helped her care for her toddler as the small family made their way through the interior of Mexico. Shes relieved, she says, to be in the United States.

Not all refugees from Central America speak Spanish. Volunteers at times encounter indigenous people who know little or no Spanish, but rather speak local native dialects.

In another small side room, a volunteer whisks through the paperwork of the new arriving immigrants  making sure its all intact (problems arise for the migrants if its not), tallying numbers of people (for instance, how many families and children are there?), and attempting to arrange their transportation to destinations elsewhere in the United States.

A short-term stay in Las Cruces

Just where are these immigrants going?

Theyre bound for U.S. cities where their legal sponsor families live; most often this is a relative already living in the United States. Once they get there, theyre obligated to appear at a federal immigration court hearing, as part of their asylum cases.

By the time the immigrants reach El Calvario Methodist Church and several other Las Cruces churches participating in temporary shelter projects, these hearing dates have already been set. So, arranging transportation out of Las Cruces for these migrants as quickly as possible is key, volunteers said.

Anselmo Delgado, El Calvario churchs volunteer coordinator, has a sense of compassion for migrants that arose in part from his own experience. Hes from Puerto Rico, which although a territory of the United States, is often looked down upon, he said. As a biracial person, he said he experienced discrimination when first moving to Florida in the 1960s. And for the immigrants arriving from Central America, Delgado said their culture is similar to that of Puerto Ricos. He relates to them.

Some immigrants have experienced trauma and poor treatment on their journeys  not only in Mexico but in the United States, too. And Delgado said hes always on the lookout for people who are extremely withdrawn. He said he tries to lend a listening ear, encouraging them when he can. Delgado is proud of the small effort El Calvario is making to help migrants, which requires a lot of time and dedication.

This has got to be the smallest church with the biggest heart in Las Cruces, he said.

An estimated 35 volunteers each week help run El Calvarios short-term shelter. Some are church members, but others arent religious or are from faiths other than Christianity. Volunteers said they work in shifts, and different volunteers have different roles. Some prepare the food; others dole out donated clothing to migrants. Others launder bedding once all the migrants have left for the week.

Louis Raney, a member of University United Methodist Church, was among the volunteer group receiving immigrants at El Calvario. Hes done charitable missions previously to impoverished communities in Mexico, and said volunteering is a way of life.

Its fun. Its interesting. Its humbling, he said. It makes me appreciate what I have.

With a recent shift in practices by the federal government, asylum-seeking immigrants are likely to be released from detention at a faster rate. Combined with a surge of immigrants to the U.S.-Mexico border, volunteers are expecting more migrants to be in need of short-term shelters. But whether there will be enough shelter capacity to accommodate the migrants remains up in the air.

Reaching their destinations

For the most part, it is family members already living in the United States who pay the travel costs for newly arriving immigrants to get from the U.S.-Mexico border region to other places in the United States. Most depart Las Cruces on buses. But a few are able to fly to their destinations, catching flights out of El Paso. In those cases, volunteers with the Las Cruces churches will drive the immigrants to the airport.

For the 23 people  a total of 10 families  arriving on a recent day at El Calvario Methodist Church, their destinations are wide-ranging: Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Lynn, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Immokalee, Florida; and Panorama City, California, among others.

The same day, another 50 immigrants were housed at two other Las Cruces church facilities that also run short-term shelters.

El Calvario happens to be the last bus drop-off point of the day for asylum-seeking immigrants. That means volunteers from other churches have a head start on booking bus travel for the immigrants in their care. And the outbound buses from Las Cruces fill up quickly. While the churchs volunteers attempt to usher families on their way within 24 hours, immigrants sometimes stay longer at the shelters if theres no available transportation out of Las Cruces.

The fact that many immigrants dont speak English, and some dont speak Spanish either, can pose a challenge in traveling to their destinations. Not only are there language barriers, but the immigrants tend to stand out, Delgado said, which can make them targets for criminals in the United States.

Delgado recounted a migrant woman from Honduras who stayed at El Calvario about a week ago. She left on a bus, and had to stop in Dallas. There, she was robbed.

She was stuck there two days, he said.

Fortunately, she was able to reach her destination in time appear in time at her first immigration court hearing.

In search of opportunity

As Riccy speaks with the Sun-News, a volunteer approaches, asking if its OK for her son to go see a volunteer physician. Riccy agrees. Medical professionals from throughout the community and from different faiths  one volunteer, for instance, is Muslim  lend their expertise to examine newly arriving migrants.

Asked if she experienced any danger in her home country, Riccy says she wasnt afraid of gang violence or other threats. But she is seeking better economic opportunity and better educational opportunities for her children. She worked in a low-paying government job in Honduras. Shes hopeful to earn enough money working in the United States to send some back to help her parents. As Riccy describes her outlook, she says she has a lot of aspirations.

As Riccy talks with the Sun-News, more volunteers pack up tables and start pulling out fold-away cots. Soon, the cots line the room.

Riccy isnt without family in the United States. She has a sister whos lived here about eight years. Shes going to stay with her. Riccy says shes eager for her first immigration court hearing. Shell be disappointed if she has to return to Honduras.

In response to a farewell message of buena suerte, or good luck, Riccy replies, thank you. Luck, she says, is one thing shes going to need.

Diana Alba Soular may be reached at 575-541-5443, dalba@lcsun-news.com or @AlbaSoular on Twitter.



2018 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

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DENVER  The national office of a fraternity has ordered the shutdown of its chapter in Boulder after five University of Colorado students told police they believe they were drugged while attending parties in the collegiate business and residential district across from campus.

The Denver Post reports the fraternitys executive office in Lebanon, Tennessee, ordered the Sigma Pi chapter to cease operations, saying it has launched an internal investigation.

Boulder police say two women were hospitalized last month after unknowingly ingesting drugs while drinking alcoholic beverages at parties on University Hill. Three more women later came forward with similar allegations.

Boulder police spokeswoman Shannon Aulabaugh says the fraternity is not considered a suspect at this time.

Fraternities operate independent of the universitys oversight in Boulder.

___

Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com
WARSAW, Poland  Poland is very likely to stay out of a United Nations pact promoting an international approach to safe and orderly migration, the countrys prime minister said Friday.

Mateusz Morawiecki said during a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Warsaw that national sovereignty and border protection were the issues behind Polands opposition to the migration compact.

Merkel expressed her support for the U.N. pact, which is the subject of an adoption meeting set for Dec. 11-12 in Marrakech, Morocco. Germany worked intensively on the text and it ensures the sovereignty of individual nations, she said.

Immigration was only one issue that separated the two leaders as their governments met in Polands capital, although the tone was friendly. Merkel thanked Morawiecki for a warm reception, calling him dear Mateusz.

A topic the two did not address during a joint news conference was World War II reparations. Polish officials in past months have said Germany owes Poland for invading and occupying the country, leading to the deaths of millions of Polish citizens and massive destruction.

Polish officials have put the bill at $850 billion (743 billion euros) in damages. Germany insists Poland has no legal basis for the claim.

A small group picketed outside government offices Friday with Polish flags and banners demanding reparations.

The Germans must pay for the murder of millions of Polish citizens, one said.

Earlier in the day, Merkel and Morawiecki took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Another key issue straining ties is Nord Stream 2, a German-Russian gas pipeline that Warsaw says will give Russia too much control over energy in Europe, hurting Poland and Ukraine in particular.

Merkel addressed the Polish concerns over energy security. She said she explained that energy diversification is important for Germany and the country therefore would speed up plans to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.

She also said Germany and Poland share the goal of Ukraine continuing as a transit route for Russian gas, a role she said represents a security component for Ukraine.

Merkel did not publicly raise Berlins disapproval of changes by the conservative ruling Law and Justice party to Polands judicial system, which the European Union and others say is eroding judicial independence in Poland. The Polish government says its reforming a corrupt and inefficient system.

Merkel announced Monday that she plans to step down in December as leader of her party, the Christian Democratic Union, but remain German chancellor until the next election, launching a transition that could last three years.

She also was to meet with the leaders of two Polish opposition parties  Civic Platform and the smaller Polish Peoples Party  which together with her CDU party belong to the European Peoples Party in the European Parliament.
Environmentalist groups formally protested a land lease sale to the oil and gas industry in New Mexico, to be held in December by the federal Bureau of Land Management.

The BLM announced the sale in October, which includes 54 parcels in the Carlsbad and Roswell areas.

Parcels are nominated by industry officials after being identified as ideal for oil and gas activities.

A 10-day protest period for the sale ended Wednesday, and BLM spokesperson Cathy Garber said the agency will review all complaints gathered.

A decision will not be made regarding each protest until a thorough internal review has been completed, she said.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and The Wilderness Society (TWS) filed joint complaints about the sale, citing a lack of oversight related to methane emissions as the administration of President Donald Trump aimed to rollback regulations created during the presidency of former President Barrack Obama.

The groups said the ongoing development in the area, expected to result in up to 6,000 new wells in the next 20 years. The development could also result in $16.5 million in lost revenue, records show, over the next 10 years with more than 81,000 tons of air pollution every year.

Jon Goldstein, EDF director of regulatory and legislative affairs, said the BLM has given up its responsibility to protect the environment in New Mexico amid a recent oil boom in the Permian Basin of southeast New Mexico and west Texas.

By allowing for tens of millions of dollars in more waste and hundreds of thousands of tons in increased pollution, the Bureau of Land Management is putting industry interests ahead of New Mexico communities and taxpayers, he said. As BLM abdicates its responsibility to the people of New Mexico, the state must step up to the plate to reduce methane pollution and waste.

The group is not looking to stop the lease sale, Goldstein said, but advocate for adding stipulations to the sales requiring operators to inspect facilities for leaks while implementing technology to prevent leaks and reducing venting and flaring.

He said the Trump administration has created a dramatic shift away from previous efforts to reduce emissions.

Its creating a bid problem for the natural gas industry, Goldstein said. It undermines their branding as a cleaner energy source. The BLM is not doing its job. Theyre doing a disservice to New Mexico.

Chase Huntley, senior director of the Energy and Climate Program at The Wilderness Society, said millions of taxpayer dollars are lost each year from methane escaping from oil and gas facilities.

More methane is wasted from oil and gas production on federal and tribal lands in New Mexico than any other state, and yet the Bureau of Land Management continues to foolishly operate as if this fact does not exist, Huntley said. Failing to include any measure to address waste in the lease terms for parcels in the December sale is a bad deal for taxpayers, public health and the environment.

In the complaint addressed to Jim Stovall, director of the BLMs Pecos District, which comprises land in Eddy, Lea and parts of Chaves counties, the EDF and WTS pointed to inadequate provisions to prevent natural gas emissions.

The Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties and Resource Conservation rule, also known as the Methane Rule, was enacted during the final months of Obamas presidency. It calls on oil and gas producers to provide added infrastructure, studies and funding intended to reduce the venting or flaring of natural gasses.

Major provisions were recently rescinded by the Trump administration, and the complaint also criticized changing regulations at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a lack of gas release related provisions in the BLM Carlsbad Field Offices proposed changes to its resource management plan (RMP).

Currently, there are inadequate measures in place to ensure the minimization of natural gas waste and methane emissions from the proposed lease parcels, read the complaint.

BLM has failed to ensure adequate measures are in place to minimize waste. BLM has the legal obligation and authority to require waste reduction measures and has a mandate to reduce waste.

After the methane rules revision, the complaint alleged several issues related to emissions were left unaddressed by state regulations, the RMP or the revised rule.

This included the prohibition of venting natural gas, requiring operators to report monthly gas capture targets and volumes vented, flared or leaked.

The complaint also called for stricter guidelines for inspections of facilities, and waste minimization requirements that were specified in the 2016 rule.

In the context of this lease sale, BLM had the opportunity to mitigate the impacts from associated methane emissions by incorporating waste minimization stipulations as lease notices in the lease terms, the complaint read.

Specifically, BLM failed to consider or incorporate lease notices to address the six areas we identified as covered under the 2016 final rule but left unaddressed by New Mexicos state regulations, the revised BLM rule or existing RMP stipulations, read the complaint.

Moreover, the complaint accused the BLM of failing to study the actual impact of methane emissions on the environment and public health.

BLM has failed to adequately quantify potential lifecycle methane emissions and analyze impacts from increased methane emissions using the social cost of methane, the complaint read. BLM must develop and include stipulations in the lease terms to reduce natural gas waste and mitigate impacts from associated methane emissions.

The complaint came as the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association touted a decline in methane emissions per EPA data gathered from about 8,000 producers.

The Permian saw a reduction of 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), from 8.4 million metric tons in 2016, to 8.3 million in 2017.

The San Juan declined by about 727,750 metric tons CO2e, down from about 5.4 million in 2016 to 4.6 million in 2017.

Absent any new regulation, oil and natural gas producers are leading the way in decreasing methane emissions, said NMOGA Executive Director Ryan Flynn. Falling methane emissions prove that we can increase production and protect the environment at the same time  it doesnt have to be a choice.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.



2018 the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.)

Visit the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) at www.currentargus.com

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A Missouri bank holding company is acquiring the parent company of Los Alamos National Bank in a merger agreement valued at $213 million.

Enterprise Financial Services Corp. of Clayton Mo., which owns banks in the St. Louis, Kansas City and Phoenix metro areas, is acquiring Trinity Capital Corporation, LANBs parent company. The combined company would have nearly $7 billion in assets, according to a news release from Enterprise.

LANB has offices in Los Alamos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and its parent company has current assets of $1.3 billion. Enterprise has $5.5 billion in assets.

We are pleased to join with Enterprise particularly due to an admiration for their diverse business model as well as their commitment to serving their clients, John Gulas, Trinity president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement.

In a phone interview, Gulas said customers probably wont see any difference in the way LANB does business.

They do a great job of customer service and have the same kind of focus on customer service that we have with ours, he said, adding that their respective mission statements are similar. Our customers will deal with the same people theyve always dealt with.

The same goes for the banks commitment to community involvement.

None of that will change. They believe, like we do, that a community bank must support the community, he said.

Trinity shareholders will receive .1972 shares of Enterprise common stock and $1.84 in cash for each share of Trinity common stock they hold, according to the release. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards Enterprise, Trinity and LANB and is expected to close early next year.

LANB was formed in 1963 by a group of local investors. It has six locations: three in Santa Fe and one each in Albuquerque, White Rock and Los Alamos.
SANTA FE  Activist groups in three states including New Mexico are demanding an environmental review before the federal government ramps of production of the plutonium cores of nuclear weapons called pits.

The groups letter to the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration  the semi-autonomous wing of the Department of Energy that runs the nations weapons labs  says NNSA has made no visible effort to begin the legally required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process for expanding pit production at Los Alamos Nationa Laboratory in New Mexico and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

NNSA earlier this year revealed plans to make up to 80 pits a year, as mandated by Congress, by dividing the job between LANL and Savannah River, as part of a massive modernization plan for the nations nuclear arsenal.

Pits already can be made at Los Alamos. A recent court decision cleared the way for repurposing part of the Savannah River Site for pit production over objections from South Carolina elected officials who wanted to retain a more lucrative but long-troubled nuclear fuel fabrication mission.

Nuclear Watch New Mexico, SRS Watch in South Carolina and Tri-Valley CAREs Livermore, Calif.  home of another weapons lab  say an enviornmental impact statement is required before pit production is increased above a currently sanction 20 per year cap.

The U.S. hasnt made any new pits since 2011, when LANL completed the last of 29 plutonium cores for Navy submarine missiles. The most ever made at Los Alamos in a year is 11. Under NNSAs plan, at least 30 pits a year would be made at LANL and 50 at Savannah River by about 2030.

An NNSA spokeswoman, asked to respond to activist groups assertions, said via email this week, The pit production mission will be carried out in accordance with all applicable environmental and regulatory requirements.

The three groups also say that before it finishes a NEPA process, NNSA cant take actions that would limit alternatives before irreversible resources are dedicated to a project.

Los Alamos is already making plans, including adding work shifts, for increased work in its plutonium facility.

Critics of increased pit production say there is no need to make more because thousands that will remain in good shape for decades remain in storage after industrial-scale production during the Cold War.
In a far-flung corner of Iceland's main international airport, a once-raging strand of the Cold War is being rekindled -- NATO's hunting of Russian submarines.

"They're letting us know that they're out there," Adm. James G. Foggo III, commander of US Naval Forces in Europe, said of Russia's increased submarine presence in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

"They're operating in much greater numbers and in places they have not operated before."

And NATO is keen to respond and send its own message back. Thursday, the alliance begins its Trident Juncture exercise, a so-called Article 5 exercise that tests the readiness of NATO allies to restore the sovereignty of one of its members -- in this case, Norway -- after an act of aggression.

It will be NATO's largest exercise in decades, involving 50,000 troops, 10,000 vehicles, 250 aircraft and 65 vessels, including a US aircraft carrier operating north of the Arctic Circle for the first time in almost 30 years.

Tensions between Russia and the West are at highs not seen since the Cold War, amid the poisoning of former Russian intelligence agent Sergei Skripal in England, allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US election and Western sanctions on Moscow following its annexation of Crimea.

But Foggo, who is overseeing Trident Juncture, said the exercise isn't a threat to Russia, noting that NATO and Russian troops will be more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) apart during the maneuvers. NATO, he added, had invited Russian and Belarusian observers to monitor the exercise.

"I want them to be there because that conveys the strength of the alliance," Foggo said.

As the exercise plays out, it will involve air, ground and maritime operations, including anti-submarine warfare.

Russia not yet NATO's equal

Foggo said he believes Russia has over 40 combat submarines, more than 20 concentrated in its Northern Fleet, capable of operating in the North Atlantic and the Arctic.

To keep track of the Russian subs, NATO planes are making a flight about every other day out of a revived US base at Keflavik International Airport.

Iceland's foreign minister, Thor Thordarson, said in a speech in Stockholm in January that alliance aircraft are operating out of the country with increased frequency, taking off from Keflavik for a total of 153 days in 2017, a steady year-on-year increase from just 21 days in 2014.

Established in 1951, the US Naval Air Station in Iceland was deactivated in 2006, as NATO shifted its focus in Europe south to the Mediterranean. However, the threat posed by a resurgent Russia and its submarine fleet has worried US military commanders and brought the Americans back to this island nation, which sits between Greenland and the United Kingdom.

To get from bases in the Russian Arctic to the open Atlantic, Moscow's submarines need to pass Iceland.

Foggo says those subs are a big headache for NATO's leaders.

"The Russians have continued to invest in research and development and production of very capable submarines. They have been our most capable adversary," said the US admiral, who spoke with CNN in an exclusive interview.

Russia says its sub fleet is defensive and necessary to safeguard the country's security.

At this year's "Submariner Day" in March, Vice Adm. Oleg Burtsev, the former head of Russian naval forces, talked about the importance of beefing up the country's fleet of subs.

"This is because the plans of the leadership of our country and our army are to ensure that we are capable of worthily countering any probable enemy from all directions," Burtsev said, according to Russia's Tass news agency.

And another former top naval commander said Russia has some work to do to match the submarine fleet the NATO allies can muster.

"I believe that the qualitative level of our fleet is quite high now, but its quantity is not yet enough," Adm. Vladimir Komoyedov, the former head of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, told Tass.

Much of NATO's trouble with the Russian sub fleet is of its own making, said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and current Hawaii Pacific University professor.

"Much of (the Russian sub fleet's) current threat is based on the expansion of its operations and operating areas at a time when NATO countries have reduced their fleets and fleet operations," Schuster said, calling it "a serious threat only because NATO ignored it until recently to focus on other security concerns."

A new generation of threat

Foggo says Russia's new generation of submarines is highly capable and dangerous. Among the newest is the Borei class: virtually silent, nuclear-powered vessels capable of launching ballistic missiles. The Borei class is a main pillar of Russia's underwater nuclear deterrent force, similar to the US Ohio class ballistic missile submarines.

"This is beyond any doubt the future of our group of naval strategic nuclear forces," the head of Russia's naval forces, Adm. Vladimir Korolev, said recently at the christening of another new Borei class submarine.

Russia currently has four of these on active duty, with four more expected to enter service by 2020. (https://sputniknews.com/military/20120730174865317/)

But Russia is also in the process of modernizing many of its older submarines, like the diesel-electric Kilo class boats. These can now stay under water longer and are capable of carrying four cruise missiles, which they successfully fired at ISIS targets in Syria, the Russian military says.

"They carry the Kalibr cruise missile, a very capable weapon system. And from any of the places the Russians operate from, they can target any capital in Europe," Foggo said.

"Would they do it? I don't think so, but nevertheless, we need to be cognizant of where they are at all times," he said.

Schuster said that worry gives Russia an advantage.

"Moscow 's aggressive actions and intent will determine the time and place of a crisis while Western nations must be present and ready to respond at all times," he said.

And that's why NATO is methodically ramping up operations in Iceland.

Chess in the ocean

The US is spending $34 million to upgrade facilities at Keflavik, which will enable the Navy to deploy its P-8 Poseidon surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft more frequently.

But even with the twin-engine jets running regular surveillance in the North Atlantic, finding Russian submarines is not an easy task.

"The ocean is big .... It's a chess match between the sub commander and all the assets that are trying to find him," Lt. Cmdr. Rick Dorsey, the tactical coordinator for one of the US P-8 units operating out of Iceland, told CNN. "It's a combination of a lot of work, from a lot of different units."

"We work with ships, we work with other aircraft, we work with other nations to help get the picture," Dorsey said.

It's the sort of team work among allies that Adm. Foggo wants to encourage, applauding the UK and Norway for acquiring their own P-8 aircraft and calling on NATO members to invest in research and development to keep a competitive edge over Russia. "We must continue challenging them wherever they are and knowing where they are," he said.

"We can no longer take for granted that we can sail with impunity in all of the oceans."
ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. - Passengers on a BART train in Oakland got a real scare yesterday when a man pulled out two chainsaws on the train.

A video taken by a nearby passenger shows 47-year-old Patrick Bingham raising a chainsaw and attempting to start it. The first chainsaw would not start, so he took out another one from a box. That chainsaw also didn't start.

Passengers on the train were stunned.

"He's like trying to start it and then he's making all of these noises talking about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre," said Jalina Bluford, the BART passenger that shot the video. "And then he's talking about the BART massacre."

Police arrested Bingham at the next stop and charged him with several crimes including exhibiting a deadly weapon.
DECISION:

Betty Yee - 3,639,618 votes, 62 percent

Konstantinos Roditis - 2,237,897 votes, 38 percent

**REMINDER: These are the unofficial results from the midterm elections. All official results must be certified by the Secretary of State.

---

One of the major races on the ballot on Nov. 6 is for Controller.

Responsibilities:

As the states chief fiscal officer, serves as the states accountant and bookkeeper of all public funds.

Administers the state payroll system and unclaimed property laws, and conducts audits and reviews of state operations.

Serves on the Board of Equalization, the Board of Control, and other boards and commissions.

Candidates:

Betty T. Yee, Democrat

E-mail: info@bettyyee.com

www.bettyyee.com

Twitter: @BettyYeeforCA

"Thank you for the privilege and opportunity to serve as State Controller, Californias independent fiscal watchdog. I am proud of the accomplishments of my office during my first term to safeguard our tax dollars: expertly managing the States cash, avoiding any external borrowing to pay the bills for California; diligently uncovering close to $4 billion in public funds directed towards unallowed uses during state and local agency audits; aggressively improving state and local government financial reporting for increased transparency; and successfully reforming the State Board of Equalization to ensure uniform application of state tax laws and protecting taxpayer rights..."

To read Yee's full candidate statement, CLICK HERE.

Konstantinos Roditis, Republican

E-mail: roditis@cacontroller.com

cacontroller.com

facebook.com/konroditis

"The Controller's office doesnt think you pay enough taxes. They want to tax your doctor's visit, childcare, home and vehicle repairs, haircut, you name it they want to tax it. The result, you will pay hundreds if not thousands more a year in taxes. No on a Service and Labor Tax. We can't afford it. As Controller, I will fight to make California affordable, not seeking new ways to tax you. Yes on Prop 6: Politicians waste billions and only use 20% of gas tax funds towards road repairs. We pay four times more to fix a road than Texas. We have the money..."

To read Roditis' full candidate statement, CLICK HERE.
DECISION:

Dianne Feinstein - 3,413,859 votes, 54.3 percent

Kevin de Leon - 2,871,488 votes, 45.7 percent

**REMINDER: These are the unofficial results from the midterm elections. All official results must be certified by the Secretary of State.

---

One of the major races on the ballot on Nov. 6 is for United States Senate.

Responsibilities:

Serves as one of two Senators who represent California's interests in the United States Congress.

Proposes and votes on new national laws.

Votes on confirming federal judges, U.S. Supreme Court Justices, and many high-level presidential appointments to civilian and military positions.

Candidates:

Dianne Feinstein, Democrat

E-mail: contact@feinsteinforca.com

www.feinsteinforca.com

Facebook.com/DianneFeinstein

"As California's Senator, I work hard every day to be a strong and effective voice for our state's progressive values, and I was proud to win the California Primary election with 70% of the Democratic vote. I'm a consistent advocate for universal health care, women's rights, LGBTQ rights and the rights of immigrants. I've taken on the NRA to get assault weapons off our streets, fought for equal pay for women, and sponsored legislation to protect Dreamers and end the outrageous policy of separating children from their parents at the border. I've championed economic opportunity that lifts all Californians, especially working families who struggle in todays economy..."

To read Feinstein's full candidate statement, CLICK HERE.

Kevin de Leon, Democrat

E-mail: Kevin@KevindeLeon.com

www.KevindeLeon.com

https://twitter.com/Kdeleon

"I am honored to be the California Democratic Party's endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate. The President is hell-bent on dividing our people and demeaning our California ideals. The Washington status quo is either unwilling or incapable of fighting back. Californians deserve a Senator who will fight for their futures with passion and independence. Like many of us chasing the American dream, I understand nothing is handed to you. Only in America could an immigrant housekeeper's son, like me, grow up to lead the California Senate..."

To read de Leon's full candidate statement, CLICK HERE.
The Shasta County District Attorney's Office has filed a lawsuit against a Redding motel in an effort to curb criminal activity on the property.

The lawsuit which was filed Thursday, claims that from March to October of this year, police were called to the Market Street Manor Motel 124 times.

That's a 121-percent increase from last year at the same time before the current owners bought the property.

We've seen a significant increase too, not only drug activity, violent crimes as well as prostitution-type conduct, narcotic sales, district attorney Stephanie Bridgett said. And you name it, that type of stuff is occurring there.

The lawsuit also alleged deplorable living conditions, with certain rooms having an infestation of rats, mice and bedbugs and asks that the owners take measures to improve the conditions at the property.

We talked on the phone with owner Desmond Gumbs who lives in the Bay Area.

He says he agrees with the lawsuit, and he's working hard with his manager to evict problem tenants.

But that process takes time.

I took this place over to improve it, make it a better place, motel manager Dawn Bianco said. And I've been working my butt off hard to improve it room by room. And we're complying as best we can ... It's not all the people here, but there's a few here that need to go that are causing a lot of ruckus ... Currently there's four going and there's another four that are going to start.

Bianco says some of the people they're working to evict have resided at other downtown motels that have been shut down.

She says they've hired security and installed cameras and extra lighting to help deter crime.

But problems with the Market Street Manor have been going on long before the current owner took over.

In the past, we talked with the owners of Kahuna's Mongolian Barbecue who cited numerous problems with guests staying at the motel.

Kahuna's has since relocate to the other side of town.

Gumbs says they're working to fix up the motel and hope to contribute to the revitalization of Redding's downtown.

Nearby business owner Rich Pires says the renovation of the motel would be good thing for the neighborhood.

I think it would be great to have it cleaned up and less people walking by all the time, Pires said. We haven't had too many problems with it, but we do have noise problems and trash problems from it. So I think it will be a good thing.

Gumbs says he's invested a lot of time and money into the property.

And he wants to see it transformed into something the community can be proud of.
Red Bluff, Calif.-- A Red Bluff woman who made the long trip to the U.S. from Honduras as part of a caravan ten years ago is speaking out about what the journey is like.

Finding strength to overcome adversity is something Aledia Reyes does most each day.

A mother and cancer survivor , Reyes is closely watching news of the South American migrant caravan making it's way towards the U.S.

For her, the events unfolding miles away are personal.

Her thoughts of President Trumps' responses:

"Its unfair what he does to the people, because is people. The people who are emigrating are the poorest from over there and they come walking because they don't have money to pay for a bus and they come with kids. Its very hard," said Reyes.

Ten years ago, Reyes made a similar heart-wrenching decision: escape what she says was a life of poverty in Honduras, and to seek a better life here in the United States.

That choice meant leaving her two children behind with a family friend.

"I left two of my kids in honduras.and I came alone... Because of the poverty and to give them a better life to my kids. It was very hard but also because of fear I couldn't bring them with me. It's a very difficult path," said Reyes.

Still, it is a path thousand of migrants are willing to take - despite the tough stance put forth against illegal immigration by the trump administration.

Reyes says those who choose to make such a long, dangerous and even potentially deadly journey are not criminals, only desperate.

"Its not at easy path, you suffer a lot. You have to endure hunger, cold, a lot of foot pain, your shoes get destroyed. Its really hard," said Reyes.

For Reyes, the American Dream is only partially met - She is here in the United States, along with two children born in the U.S.

But Reyes has since been able to bring only one of her two kids left behind in honduras, to the states.

"My dream was to fight against cancer to see if I could reunite my four kids so if I die I can leave them together, the four here. But thank god I beat cancer," said Reyes.
REDDING, Calif. - Redding police say that a man was arrested after attempting to stab a homeowner who confronted him when he tried to steal bamboo off his property.

Last night around 8:30 p.m. police received a call about a man with a knife. When officers arrived, they spoke with 62-year-old Greg Reimann and 68-year-old Paul Young. Reimann said that he and Young confronted a man trespassing in his front yard on Riverside Dr.

He said the subject was cutting and removing bamboo from his property. According to Reimann, when he attempted to speak with the man, he became argumentative and brandished a knife. He said that as he started to retreat back into his home, the man followed and attempted to stab him in the neck. Reimann said the subject also threatened him verbally while holding the knife, before leaving on foot.

Officers checked the downtown area for the suspect, finding 28-year-old William Bailey in the area of California St. and Trinity St. Bailey was positively identified by Reimann and Young.

Bailey was arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail for brandishing a knife, assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats.
Taboola, the worlds leading discovery platform, today announced a new dimension to its multi-year partnership with NDTV, Indias most-trusted news company with more than 170 million unique visitors each month. As of May 2018, NDTV has implemented the Taboola Feed, an infinite scroll of organic and sponsored content on both mobile and desktop pages to build its user engagement and revenue. This huge new feature illustrates NDTVs persistent search for new innovative revenue streams that complement the user experience instead of opposing it.

NDTV is Indias most credible media brand and second largest content destination in the country. NDTV has tapped Taboola to leverage Taboola Feed, an infinite scroll experience that renders a social media experience, serving a mix of sponsored and organic content, videos and third party cards such as IBMs Weather.com. The partnership further illustrates the importance of innovative revenue streams and NDTV is at the forefront of such discovery experiences which drive engagement and generate revenue.

The launch of Taboola Feed on our desktop and mobile sites last quarter has given us a 30% bump in RPM (Revenue Per Mille) from its location. This is very encouraging and we continue to work with Taboola to enhance the experience on the Feed to drive revenue, engagement and other key metrics. Taboola is a perfect partner for NDTV because it understands that user experience must be enhanced, not sold out, to build revenue, said Suparna Singh, Group CEO, NDTV.

Recent adoption of the Taboola Feed has included premium publishers around the world including New York Daily News, Weather.com, Trusted Media Brands, and Bauer Media among others.

We have a lot to learn from social media, and we are excited to bring those best practices to benefit advertisers, publishers and users on the Open Web. I believe were only a few years away from having the entire internet become personalized, enabling people to engage with content that is most relevant to them at any given moment - a web of one, said Adam Singolda, founder and CEO, Taboola. India remains a key market for us and we are thrilled to continue our journey together with our oldest and largest partner, NDTV, to help people discover things they may like and never knew existed.
Times NOW, Indias leading English News channel announces an unmatched programming line-up for the upcoming Assembly Elections under Mandate 2018. With an exclusive association with CNX Media, a leading research consultancy headed by Psephologist Bhawesh Jha, Times NOW will use big data analytics and mathematical models to bring the viewer a holistic news watching experience.

With Mandate 2018, Times NOW, Indias election news headquarters will once again be at the forefront of election news coverage tracking the state assembly elections of five states, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana. Through engaging properties, Times NOW promises to make the election coverage more exciting and captivating for its viewers.

Pre-Poll Surveys: Every Thursday, from 6p.m. to 8p.m., TIMES NOW will broadcast a set of Opinion Polls through its association with CNX Media, for an in-depth analysis of high-quality data on voting, public opinion, and political participation. Inside: A weekend magazine show starting November 03, 2018 at 11:30a.m. that will bring the viewers close to the heat and hustle of the elections and the candidates in the fray will delve in detail about the issues in each of the five states. The show will follow top candidates as they canvass in this crucial election and attempts to bring to the viewers the issues that the voters are facing. Exit Poll: With the final state polling on December 07, 2018, TIMES NOW will broadcast the exit poll 5.30 p.m. onwards. Using state of the art technology and on ground field research in association with CNX Media, the Polls will map 639 seats across 5 states and later, the data will be processed to call a projection for a state. Result Day (LIVE): December 11, 2018, 6.00 am onwards, Times NOW will bring Result Day Live, a new age look at election result analysis, moving away from the traditional analysis like swing and vote patterns. Featuring the countrys top Election Data Analyst & psephologist Jai Mrug, TIMES NOW will bring several unique properties that help viewers understand the sentiments of the voters and why the result has shaped the way it is.

As an established leader in the English News segment, Times NOW, is the viewers preferred channel during elections. Driven by the channels formidable team led by Rahul Shivshankar - Editor-in-Chief and Navika Kumar, Managing Editor, Times NOW, will bring a stellar panel of former journalists and political analysts including, Neerja Chowdhury - Senior Journalist, R Rajagopalan - Senior Journalist, Sanjeev Shrivastava - Political Analyst, Saba Naqvi - Senior Journalist, Shehzad Poonawala - Political Analyst, Rajeev Desai - Political Analyst, Ashutosh Mishra - Senior Journalist, Rashid Kidwai - Senior Journalist, R Jagannathan - Senior Journalist and Abdul Razzak -Political Analyst to analyse every move of the election for the viewers.

This election season, tune into TIMES NOW, Indias election news headquarters for a holistic news watching experience. Starting November 01, 2018 to December 11, 2018.
Facebook hasnt solved its problem with the news.

This week we learned that backers of President Trump were pointing to a photo of a bloodied Mexican policeman as evidence that a migrant caravan heading north was bringing violence with it. The image was spread via a Facebook post shared by tens of thousands, including Ginni Thomas, a conservative activist who is the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

And WE are supposed to believe these are just poor, helpless refugees seeking asylum??? I am 100% behind POTUS deploying our military to protect our border and keep them out, noted one user in a comment.

But there was a problem with the Facebook post. It was misleading in many ways  starting with the photograph itself.

Its not from any incident related to the migrant caravan that has emerged as a potent flash point in the intensifying midterm congressional elections, reported The Washington Post.

In fact, the photo of the bloodied policeman was taken during Mexican student protests in 2012, according to Snopes, a fact-checking website. The post, say several researchers, is just one example of the false content spreading rapidly as the midterm congressional elections near  despite promises by Facebook and other companies to prevent a repeat of the 2016 presidential election, when disinformation and fake news ran rampant across social media, added The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Facebook tried to censor powerful images of famine in Yemen. The images, made by photographer Tyler Hicks for a New York Times report, depicted malnourished, critically ill children, including an emaciated seven-year-old girl named Amal (above). Times editors understood that the images could be disturbing and explained in a separate article why it was important to publish them.

Some readers may feel they want to look away, too. And if experience is any guide, some are going to demand to know why we are asking them to look at all, noted the newspaper. But we are asking you to look.

The Times article went viral on social media. But Facebook users got a message that the image of Amal violated its Community Standards, which bars intimate images or any sexual content involving minors.

After users complained, Facebook reversed the block on Hickss images and issued an apology within a day. It stated that its community guidelines prohibit the display of nude images of minors, but said its algorithms eventually figured out that the Times story is an important image of global significance, noted PDN.

Here are some of the other photo stories we spotlighted this week:

___________________________

1. Zay Yar Lin Wins AP Open 2018 Competition



On Monday we introduced the winner of the American Photography Open 2018 contest: Zay Yar Lin of Sanchaung township, Yangon, Myanmar. Zay Yar's winning image was "Mending Fishing Nets," a beautifully composed photograph shot in a fishing village in Xiapu County, Fujian Province, China. "I was shocked," said Zay Yar when he was told he had won the first-ever American Photography Open competition  a contest open to any photographer at any level using any type of gear.



2. Saving Lives, One Pregnancy at a Time



Regions of sub-Saharan Africa have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world due to geographical obstacles, scarce financial resources and the terrors of political insurrection. While this issue has been covered extensively from a geopolitical vantage, photographer Valeria Scrilatti traveled to three African nations  Sierra Leone, Uganda and Nigeria  to explore its effects on individual woman and those who are fighting to help them. The result, noted The New York Times, is her project Crossing the River.





3. Francesca Woodman's "Italian Works"



In her short life, Francesca Woodman produced over 800 images, but it was only after her suicide in 1981 that she became famous. "It is inevitable that her suicide at 22 years old colors responses to her work, but it is unusual how much it has come to define her as an artist," noted AnOther, which spotlighted an exhibition in Venice looking to expand perceptions of Woodman's artistic interests. The exhibition features Woodmans Italian Work, made when she studied in Rome. We featured images from the exhibition.





4. Randall Ford's Portraits of the "Animal Kingdom"



How do you coax an expression from a armadillo? When the subject is a human, photographers can rely on words to carefully communicate. Not so with beasts. Yet photographer Randall Ford's images of sheep, sloths, giraffes, chickens, lions, horses and cockatoos seem to have been the result of some interplay between artists and subject, we noted. The work is featured in Fords new book Animal Kingdom: A Collection of Portraits.





5. Looking Inside the American Fraternity



Ive waited a long time to bring this book out and between Donald Trump and #MeToo, I dont see how it could possibly be a better moment, says Andrew Moisey, whose new book, The American Fraternity: An Illustrated Ritual Manual (Daylight), looks inside the secretive, ultra-masculine worlds of the fraternity houses that dominate U.S. university life. The project began in 2008, when George W. Bush was president. I was just so angry, he recalls. We had the ultimate frat guy as president, Moisey told the British Journal of Photography.

_____________________

At top: From Randall Ford




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The celebration of Cot Campbells life began with Fabio Mann's rendition of Call to the Post, a bugle fanfare that traditionally is played before the start of horse races.

And it ended with a Barb Rollins solo trumpet performance of When the Saints Go Marching In, which started mournfully, but concluded with a spirited flourish.

In between there were tears, laughter and also applause at Aikens First Baptist Church on Thursday.

Cots widow, Anne, received a standing ovation after she emotionally reminisced about their marriage, which lasted for 59 years.

She introduced herself as the woman lucky enough to share the legendary life of Wade Cothran Campbell.

Anne talked about how they met and became serious soul mates. Even after nearly six decades together, she said, both of our hearts still skipped a beat when we saw each other across a crowded room.

Their union, she continued, was never boring.

He was a boon companion, Anne said. He was the most entertaining human being that Ive ever known.

She added that Cot was also funny, smart and full of, as he called it, gay repartee.

Her late husband, Anne said, was the epitome of class and a true Southern gentleman, who appreciated unsung heroes and spent quality time with his family while enjoying an exciting and often glamorous life.

In conclusion, Anne declared, We will forever be celebrating, in the streets of Aiken, Cots spirit.

Cot died Oct. 27 at the age of 91.

The founder and president of Dogwood Stable was a thoroughbred racing industry legend and one of Aikens leading citizens.

During the celebration of Cots life, there were brief mentions of his recent induction into the National Museum of Racings Hall of Fame in the Pillars of the Turf category and one of Dogwoods best racehorses, 2013 Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice.

But for the most part, Thursdays event focused on Cots devotion as a husband, father and grandfather.

Both of Cot and Annes daughters  Cary Umhau and Lila Campbell  shared their memories, and so did son-in-law Andrew Umhau and two grandchildren  Campbell Glenn and Charlie Umhau.

Cot was very sentimental and always had a telltale tear in his eye when he would reflect on any one of us that he loved the most, Cary said.

She also provided details of Cots commitment as a father.

He was vitally interested in the details of our lives, Cary said, and he celebrated his daughters successes and comforted them when they were hurting.

Dad wanted to make the world right for us, Cary said. He wanted to spare us all of the pain. He couldnt do that  but no father ever tried harder.

Like her sister, Lila praised Cot for his parenting skills.

I always felt so lucky that I got to be one of the only two people in the world who could call this fine, amazing dynamo of a man named Cot Campbell my dad, my hero and one of my very best friends in the world, she said. Call me a daddys girl. Thats OK. Ill wear that with pride for the rest of my life.

In addition, Lila reflected on her experiences with Cot at various racetracks.

I always thought it was cool and fun and exciting to be with my dad and hear all the calls: Cot, youre the man. Go get em, Cot,  she said.

Lila also recalled a visit to Churchill Downs in Kentucky with her father when she was 7 years old.

He made me feel like a million dollars, with his capable hands on my shoulders while he was leading me through this new world, she said.

In the Sport of Kings, Cot was a pioneer in the development of limited partnerships to own racehorses, and Glenn referred to that when she shared her thoughts about her grandfather.

Professionally, he welcomed people into an industry that preferred the Vanderbilts and the Whitneys, creating space for people who would never have had a shot otherwise, she said.

Family members also discussed Cots eccentricities such as his fondness for tanning salons long after the peak of their popularity and how he liked to wear funny and sometimes grotesque masks.

They could appear at any second on any occasion, said Lila of the masks. My father had zany streak that was a mile long.

A crowd that nearly filled the lower level of First Baptists large sanctuary turned out for the celebration. From the thoroughbred racing world outside of Aiken, the attendees included one of this countrys leading trainers, Todd Pletcher; Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners founder and president, Aron Wellman and retired trainer Frank Alexander.

Among the local officials present were S.C. Sen. Tom Young, R-Aiken; S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken; Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon and Aiken County Council Vice Chairman Andrew Siders.

Also there was U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C.

Aiken has lost one of its finest ambassadors, said Osbon following the celebration.
Once again, a South Carolina lawmaker has predicted energy policy to be a major stake for the Legislature in the new year.

"You cannot talk about the 2019 legislative preview without mentioning energy policy," state Sen. Tom Young said Friday.

Young, a Republican member of the Aiken County Legislative Delegation, provided a Legislature lookahead Friday at the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce's monthly breakfast forum.

Energy was the first topic in the senator's presentation.

"We got to deal further with the fallout from the V.C. Summer project," Young said. "I think everybody in this room is familiar with that."

Young later said the Legislature had not "finished the work we had to do" in the wake of the high-profile V.C. Summer fiasco.

Aiken County legislators preview year ahead at North Augusta event There's plenty to tackle in 2019, energy-related projects, local infrastructure and education included, members of the Aiken County Legislativ

Almost everyone in the room raised their hands when Young asked who was a South Carolina Electric & Gas customer. SCANA, the SCE&G parent company, was a partner in the billion-dollar V.C. Summer nuclear venture, which was abruptly abandoned more than a year ago.

Young said the potential sale of Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility also involved in the V.C. Summer project, will be a major hurdle in the approaching legislative session, as well.

"So the big issue is whether or not the sale of Santee Cooper, if that was to occur, would it be in the best interest of not only the ratepayers of Santee Cooper, but also the taxpayers of South Carolina," Young elaborated.

The senator said energy-related topics, solar energy included, keep cropping up and garnering attention because of the shared complexity and related repercussions.

State Rep. Bart Blackwell, another Aiken Republican, agreed with what Young had to say on Friday.

Young's remarks echoed those made by state Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, and state Rep. Bill Hixon, R-North Augusta, during and after a similar presentation in North Augusta earlier this year.

At the time, Massey said "utility issues"  the future of Santee Cooper, for example  would "rank near the top."

A majority of the Aiken County delegation attended the Friday morning get-together.

The next legislative session begins Jan. 8, 2019.
CAIRO  Russia and Egypt are making the most of their bilateral relations in many sectors, which was evident recently during the ninth meeting of their presidents in the past five years.

Russian Ambassador to Egypt Sergey Kirpichenko, speaking at a press conference Oct. 23, noted the countries had signed a comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation agreement when Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Russia on Oct. 15-17. Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin tackled regional issues as well as economic and military cooperation.

Sisi and Putin said during a joint press conference Oct. 17 in Sochi that they had discussed the Palestinian cause and agreed on several issues regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, including the need to achieve a comprehensive and fair two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.

Sisi added, We agreed on the importance of continuing coordination between Egypt and Russia over Syria and supporting a political solution to the crisis.

Egypt and Russia are constantly communicating on the latest developments in Syria, and most recently have intensified efforts to form a constitutional committee in the war-torn country. Meanwhile, Egypt has hosted several meetings between political rivals in Syria, while the Egyptian Foreign Ministry brokered truces between regime forces and Russia on one hand, and the armed opposition on the other.

Putin said during the Oct. 17 press conference that he had informed his Egyptian counterpart about the agreement reached between Moscow and Ankara to prevent a Syrian regime offensive on the rebel stronghold of Idlib.

Rokha Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, said Egyptian-Russian relations are moving in the right direction, and the increasing investments between the two countries attest to that. He cited the Russian industrial zone to be built within the Suez Canal Economic Zone, an investment worth $6.9 billion. The industrial zone will be Russia's first outside the country and is expected to create at least 35,000 jobs.

Russia and Egypt are also cooperating to build a nuclear power station in el-Dabaa area at an estimated cost of $45 billion  $25 billion of which Russia will pay. The station is expected to generate 4,800 megawatts of energy.

The nuclear station project will connect Egypt to Russia during the next 25 years," Hassan told Al-Monitor. "Its construction should take 10 years, and another 10 years during which Russia will have management rights. Russia beat South Korea in winning the project, which stirred US reservations."

On Oct. 24, the day after Kirpichenko's press conference, a delegation representing dozens of US companies, members of the US-Egypt Business Council and the American Chamber of Commerce met with Sisi to discuss possible investments in Egypt. No agreements were reached.

Despite the importance of US-Egyptian ties, their relationship is moving slowly. Hassan said, This is the third time a US economic delegation has visited Egypt since 2014 without agreeing on investments or operations.

Perhaps Sisi was wrong, Hassan said, to put faith in US President Donald Trumps administration. Trump has repeatedly promised Sisi he would visit Cairo, but hasn't. I dont think he will  at least not during his first presidential term, Hassan added.

It seems Trump has been cautious about visiting Egypt, which has been labeled an authoritarian regime by The Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index for 2017.

In 2012, the US Congress issued legislation that includes conditions Egypt must abide by to receive US military aid  mainly, improving its human rights record. The United States withheld $195 million in aid in fiscal 2016 because Cairo failed to make progress in human rights.

Hassan pointed out that US-Egyptian relations are currently cold. The United States hasn't had an ambassador in Cairo since Robert Stephen Beecroft finished his three-year term on June 30, 2017, and left Cairo. "Washington hasn't appointed a new ambassador since, Hassan said. The United States has not given reasons for this decision, though Trump has yet to fill vacancies in dozens of countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey.

On the regional political level, Hassan believes Egypt's perspective aligns with Russia's, especially regarding the Syrian crisis and the Palestinian cause. The US and Egyptian views on those subjects diverge.

Sisi opposes the isolation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia's ally, and rejects the disarmament of regime forces in Syria, which he believes would create more chaos in the Middle East. The United States believes Assad should not remain in power.

Tarek Fahmi, director of the Department of Israeli Studies at the National Center for Middle East Studies, believes the Palestinian cause has become a point of contention between Cairo and Washington, since Trump announced in December he would move the US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Cairo objected to this step.

Fahmi told Al-Monitor, Sisi was excited about coordinating with the Trump administration in the past regarding the Palestinian cause. It now seems [Trump's proposal for peace] will not go through.

He noted Egypt has reservations about the US provisions of the proposal, which have yet to be made public, and said Sisi will not be able to agree with the United States on the Palestinian matter. Fahmi said Egypt's take on the Palestinian cause is closer to Russia's than to the American stance. He noted, This doesn't mean we are now on Russias team though.

He added, Egyptian diplomacy plays a pivotal role in the Arab region, but Sisi has to conduct political maneuvering when it comes to world powers [Russia and the United States]. In the Syrian issue, he moves with Russia, while in the Palestinian cause, he deals with the US. This is because Russia has no significant role in the Palestinian dossier, unlike the United States, which is Israels main ally and largely involved in the peace process. As for the Syrian issue, Russia is more active. So Egypt is in the middle of a balancing act to preserve relations with both world powers, according to Fahmi.

On Oct. 17, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank with roots in the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), published a paper titled Sisis Anti-Israel Rhetoric: New Speeches, Old Problems. In the paper, the institute said the Trump administration needs to convey more signals to tone down the [Egyptian] political leaderships rhetoric against their eastern neighbor [Israel]."

"Such statements will not help the administration promote an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, the report said. The institute believes Cairo is a key component in the potential Palestinian peace process.

Mohammad al-Arabi, a former member of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, told Al-Monitor, Sisi has diplomatic panache, as he separates out the issues he disagrees with Washington on  like the Syrian and Libyan issues  and tries to gain common ground with it [the United States] on issues like the Palestinian cause.

Although Egypt disagrees with the United States on some Palestinian issues, such as the US Embassy move, it can't completely freeze its relations with Washington, which is the main player in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Arabi believes US-Egyptian relations are unstable and constantly fluctuating. He considers the Russian-Egyptian rapprochement to be in part a byproduct of Cairos inability to back Washington completely, since the United States hasn't offered Egypt anything of late.

Arabi continued, Egypts take on the Palestinian cause and the Syrian situation has been the same since 2013. I think it would be difficult to change it now.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  On Oct. 21, the womens preaching and guidance department of the Hamas-run Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in Gaza began a campaign called Be Different targeting high school and university students who do not wear the veil. It started in Gaza City and will expand to other cities in an effort to convince girls to wear the headscarf, which is considered an Islamic religious obligation. The project is set to run until May 2019.

Nadia al-Ghoul, head of the preaching and guidance department, said in an Oct. 21 statement published on the ministrys website, One of the campaigns objectives is to promote the correct concepts of women's dress based on Sharia. She noted that some girls might choose to go unveiled for lack of Islamic awareness, or disadvantages in family upbringing.

Hijab culture prevails among women in Palestinian society. Religious families force girls to start wearing the hijab when they reach puberty as a religious obligation. In religiously moderate families, many girls start wearing the hijab at 16. Meanwhile, a small group of Palestinian families do not observe hijab as either a religious obligation or a social custom, at any age. No official statistics are available on what portion of women wear the veil in the Gaza Strip.

Abeer al-Tartour, the preaching and guidance departments field supervisor, told Al-Monitor, The Be Different campaign includes sermons and lectures given by the department's preachers in schools and universities in Gaza City to spread the hijab culture among non-veiled students. It will also include home visits to talk to their mothers about the importance of wearing the veil.

Tartour added that the campaign began by addressing non-veiled students at Balqees Al-Yaman Secondary School south of Gaza City and then extended to other schools such as al-Shajaiya in eastern Gaza and Mustafa Hafez in central Gaza. Within days or weeks after the school seminars, the ministrys female preachers will visit the students mothers to convince them of the need to wear the hijab.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the directors of these schools, non-veiled students were invited to attend two meetings in each school over the course of two days to convince them to wear veils, Tartour said. She explained the importance of wearing the hijab in terms of social relations, saying, When girls dont wear the headscarf, they risk tempting young Palestinian men who are unemployed, poor and do not have the means to get married. This could lead to sinful extramarital relations.

Wearing the hijab is a religious obligation for women according to many of the Quranic verses and hadiths. Abu Dawood narrated from the hadith of Aisha, one of Muhammad's wives, that the Prophet Muhammad once told Asma, the daughter of Abi Bakr al-Siddiq, O Asma! When a girl reaches the age of puberty, she is only allowed to reveal this and that, pointing to his face and hands.

Rafif Youssef, 17, was one of the nine students who attended the meetings in al-Shajaiya. She told Al-Monitor that she does not wear a hijab because her family does not consider it necessary. Many of the women in her family have never worn a hijab no matter their age.

Youssef explained that the school administration required non-veiled students to attend the two meetings. One of the campaigners summoned them from their classes and asked them to go to the school library to attend the 40-minute meetings, she said.

Youssef said that during the first seminar, the preachers handed them a questionnaire. The following questions were asked: How much do you believe in the hijab? Why arent you convinced to wear the hijab? and Are you not wearing the hijab because of your parents, for keeping up with fashion or because you are not convinced to wear it?

Tartour indicated that the questionnaires show that most respondents were not convinced of the importance of wearing the hijab and considered the decision a matter of personal freedom. At the second meeting, the preachers gave sermons and lectures stressing that wearing the hijab is not a matter of personal freedom, but rather a religious obligation according to Quranic texts. she added.

Tartour asserted that the campaign does not aim to force girls to wear the hijab but to convince them of the need to do so.

Aala Yazji, 17, is a non-veiled 11th-grade student at Balqees Al-Yaman Secondary School. She told Al-Monitor that the campaign did not change her mind about the need to wear the veil. I was not convinced by the sermons and lectures, especially since the preachers made non-veiled students attend the lessons. One of the students who did not want to attend was forced to do so.

Rosalinda al-Ashi, 16, is another non-veiled student in the same school. She says she didn't mind attending lectures but was annoyed by their timing during school hours.

These sermons and lectures made me think about wearing the hijab, she said. But I quickly changed my mind after discussing this with my colleagues who attended the sermons. They convinced me that we were still young to wear the hijab. Also, my father has not encouraged me to wear it at this age.

Adel al-Ashi, Rosalinda's father, told Al-Monitor his family is conservative and all its adult women members wear the hijab, like the vast majority of Palestinian women. However, he disapproves of the pressure this campaign put on Rosalinda, My daughter is too young. She still sleeps with her doll, so why should she wear the hijab at this young age?

Assistant Undersecretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Education in Gaza Anwar al-Barawi told Al-Monitor, The ministry encourages these awareness campaigns. Wearing the hijab is part of Palestinian religious and social values. He went on, I do not find that such campaigns affect personal freedoms, as long as their purpose is educational and without coercion. Yet I do believe women in Palestinian society must wear the hijab out of respect for our environment and our Islamic identity.

Roua al-Sheikh Ahmed, 22, is studying at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. Ahmed did not wear the hijab until she attended one of the campaigns seminars at the university.

I had been thinking about wearing the hijab for many months, because I was no longer a little girl, she said. The hijab is a religious duty for Muslim women. I was reluctant to take this step because most of my close friends were not veiled, but this campaign convinced me that not wearing the veil is disobedience of Allah and deserves punishment, so I made my decision to wear it, Ahmed told Al-Monitor.

She continued, Most of my non-veiled friends at university opposed the campaign. But they respect my decision to wear the hijab as a matter of personal freedom.

Tartour said that the preachers have most recently organized sermons at the Islamic University, Al-Azhar University and Al-Aqsa University. She indicated that the campaign will visit all the relevant schools and universities across the Gaza Strip.

Then, the project will become even more ambitious. According to Tartour, When this campaign ends in May 2019, a similar campaign will target all non-veiled women from all segments of society, such as female workers, to promote the hijab culture.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Gaza University in Gaza City will offer a one-year theater program starting at the beginning of November, but few students have signed up for Gazas first academic drama program.

The theater program is the brainchild of Riyad Saidam, a former actor and the dean of professional diploma programs at Gaza University. He told Al-Monitor that the idea of an academic drama program came to him during his days as an actor in the mid-1980s. Back then, the Palestinian National Theater in Jerusalem  known as El-Hakawati Theater  as well as theater groups affiliated with Birzeit University in Ramallah and An-Najah University in Nablus performed regularly in university theaters. Actors from the Gaza Strip, which did not have any drama schools or theater halls, were forced to join their counterparts in the West Bank so that they, too, could perform at universities and El-Hakawati Theater.

As soon as Saidam became dean in early 2018, he sought to establish a diploma program where professional actors would teach students drama and help them produce an end-of-term play.

Despite high expectations from media and artistic circles, the initial interest has been low. The program will continue to enroll students after courses have started, but, for the time being, there are only 10 students. All of them are men.

Saidam attributed the lack of enrollment to simple economics. People cannot live off acting in the Gaza Strip. Salaries of theater actors in Gaza hardly cover transportation costs to the theaters where they perform. Most plays performed in theaters  such as the Palestine Red Crescent Society Theater, Said Al-Mishal Cultural Center and the Theater Days Productions Theater  are subsidized or funded by international organizations. Tickets are sold at nominal prices to encourage the public, he said.

He noted the program will run, despite the low number of students enrolled. We will pursue the program even with less than 10 people. This [one-year program] may be the first step of a two-year specialization program and then a four-year bachelors degree. But it all depends on the results of the program, he said.

The program is divided into three semesters with 12 hours of academic sessions per semester. The practical sessions will focus on writing, directing and performing a play at the end of the one-year term. This, according to Saidam and the programs other teachers, would attract more students and eventually garner funding from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, as well as local and international groups working on theater, arts and culture.

Yusri al-Ghoul al-Maghari, an actor with 30 years theater experience and a doctoral degree in drama from the University of Gdansk in Poland, has helped develop the program and will teach some of the courses.

He told Al-Monitor that the six teachers in the program are professional actors, some of whom have acting degrees from Egyptian universities and international acting institutes. He noted that a conference hall at the university, which can accommodate up to 200 spectators, will serve as a theater for students enrolled in the program to practice and perform.

We need to teach drama in Gaza, Maghari said. The past three years have witnessed the revitalization of TV and theater acting in the Gaza Strip amid increasing international support provided by nongovernmental organizations."

Ziad Nasr, a member of a small theater group that performs in schools, has enrolled in the theater program. He told Al-Monitor that he discovered his passion for theater when he started attending pre-wedding parties where amateur theater groups or friends perform shows and sing popular and traditional songs.

However, he noted that his poor high school grade point average and his familys financial situation prevented him from attending theater school in Egypt. So instead, he joined a theater group that performs in schools. When he heard about the theater program at Gaza University, he enrolled right away.

All I want right now is to train with professional actors who have an academic degree. I want to work on my acting skills and achieve my goal of becoming a lead actor in Arab productions in the next 10 years, he concluded.
After securing Turkeys release last month of a detained US pastor, the Donald Trump administration is lifting sanctions on two Turkish ministers. But the sanctions relief could disincentivize Ankara from releasing several other American prisoners and Turks locally employed by US consular facilities. In return, Turkey has also removed sanctions it placed on US officials in retaliation.

Why it matters: In August, Trump sanctioned Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu over the detention of Andrew Brunson, a cause celebre among Trumps evangelical base. Ankara was likely expecting todays action as Trump had expressly tied the sanctions exclusively to Brunson and not the other prisoners. Their removal now gives the US less leverage in securing the other prisoners release.

Turkey is still detaining NASA scientist Serkan Golge and has prevented chemistry professor Ismail Kul from returning to the United States. Both Golge and Kul have dual American-Turkish citizenship. Meanwhile, Ankara has detained several locally employed consular staff, including Drug Enforcement Agency employee Metin Topuz.

Iran sanctions: Turkey is also seeking an exemption from pending US oil sanctions on Iran so that it can keep importing Iranian petroleum. Energy Minister Fatih Donmez told reporters today that Ankara may get a waiver amid reports that the United States intends to give waivers to at least eight countries.

Whats next? Trump also doubled steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey in August, citing poor bilateral relations. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the same month that Brunsons release would not result in tariff relief. And in July, Congress advanced a bill intended to cut Turkey off from certain international lending streams until Ankara frees the remaining prisoners. In the meantime, renewed Turkish attacks on US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria threaten to become the next major irritant in the two allies troubled relationship.

Know more: Read congressional correspondent Bryant Harris report on how Trumps singular focus on Brunson helped him rally his evangelical base ahead of next weeks mid-term elections. And for an indication of how Congress may seek to free the remaining prisoners, read his earlier report on the Senates Turkey International Financial Institutions Act.

-Bryant Harris
Official statements by US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the Saudi war in Yemen were not taken for granted by Iranians, who have been anticipating a Vietnam-style quagmire for the Saudi-led coalition in the Middle East's poorest country.

"The Yemeni resistance (a term used in Iran to describe Houthi militia fighting off the Saudi war) will not give in to America's peace-seeking postures," wrote Javan, a hard-line news outlet close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Javan referred to French Defense Minister Florence Parly's comments on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen as an acknowledgment that Houthis have cornered the Saudis into a deadlock.

"The [US] call came only three days after the Yemenis unveiled their high-precision Badr P-1 ballistic missile that targeted a Saudi coalition base," the paper stated, highlighting the Shiite militia's counteroffensive capabilities. Javan lashed out at US media outlets for their failure to turn the spotlight on the plight of the Yemenis as opposed to their widespread coverage of the Oct. 2 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

In other Iranian papers, the Khashoggi crisis played central to a reading between the lines of the US cease-fire call. It is a "policy reversal," According to daily Khorasan, "It is a policy reversal [that] came after pressure mounted on Washington and its allies in the wake of revelations on the Saudi complicity in the journalist's murder." The paper criticized the United States for fanning the flames of the war with its "nonstop flow of arms to the Saudis."

"This war of attrition is further eroding the Saudis and their allies," wrote Reformist paper Ebtekar, which praised the Houthis for preventing a Saudi-Emirati takeover of the strategic port of Hodeidah. "The West is now at a crossroads to decide, as it finds Saudis stuck in the Yemen quagmire." The paper claimed that following the Khashoggi scandal, the Saudi allies are trying to pull the kingdom out of one of the multiple crises it is facing.

Kayhan, a staunch supporter of Yemen's Houthi fighters, called the development a "retreat" by Washington under public pressure and "another defeat" for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "But let's not forget that the US move is [mere] publicity and deception ahead of the upcoming midterm elections," Kayhan wrote. The paper noted that if the administration was sincere, "it would not have rejected calls to stop selling arms to the Saudis."

The US call for peace in Yemen was also met with sarcasm by ordinary Iranians, many of them sympathetic to the plight of fellow Muslims in an impoverished nation. "The Yemen war is no longer a lucrative market. We [Americans] need to find another place or launch another war," tweeted one user. "The Americans made the call only after they realized that there was not an intact building left in Yemen," read another post.

Nearly four years of relentless bombardments have claimed thousands of civilian lives in Yemen. But that's not where it ends. The costs of the Saudi-imposed economic blockade and the man-made famine could be beyond calculation, leaving millions on the brink of starvation and dependent on food assistance. "The blood of thousands of Yemenis did little to [force the West to] stop the war," wrote pro-Reform paper Hamdeli, wondering if "Khashoggi's blood" has now come to the rescue of Yemeni children at a time when they are slipping away one after another.
BEIRUT  Beirut's alleyways and streets are peppered in bright, detailed and provocative graffiti. Street artists use the medium, which exists in a legal grey area, to express their identity and give voice to political frustrations.

Lebanons street art and its political roots are the subject of a new book Drawing Lines, launched on Oct. 25 at the museum and cultural center Beit Beirut, followed by an Oct. 31 exhibition of the artists and photographers featured.

The book, authored by Tamara Zantout, founder of an online platform for urban design-turned-publisher called The Urban Fusion, documents the history of graffiti in Lebanon and how it has influenced and influences Lebanese identity.

Born in Lebanon, Zantout left for the United Kingdom during the civil war and was raised with a nostalgic love of her homeland.

On return to Beirut, she said she lost that love in the chaos of city life. To reconnect with her country, she began to investigate the notion of identity through the medium of graffiti, and she spent two years of interviewing artists and photographing graffiti.

Throughout the book political issues are a consistent subject for the street artists, and the art often addresses issues plaguing Lebanon.

When you are talking about identity in this country, you have to touch on politics, Zantout told Al-Monitor, adding that the graffiti tends to be intensely political without specifically referencing a political party  [or] this party against another.

The first instances of street art in Lebanon appeared during the civil war. Tags, simple artist signatures and the most basic form of graffiti, were common at this time, as the expertise and materials for more complex works were not available. Militias would tag areas of Lebanon to mark territory, and Zantout pointed out this is similar to how graffiti was used by gangs in 1960s New York.

Following the 2008 Doha agreement, the Lebanese government decided to erase and prohibit all graffiti that was deemed to favor a particular political faction or religious sect. However, artists have used this constraint to their advantage, overcoming the laws by addressing broad political issues.

Zantout explained, The level of sectarian partisanship has served to benefit political patrons [and led] to the subservience of the people. What [street artists] are trying to achieve is a revolt from that, without breaking the law.

Said Mahmoud, a graffiti artist featured in Drawing Lines, told Al-Monitor,I think [the laws] get the best out of our creativity, to send a message without harassing someone.  To put the blame on the people is better than to put the blame on someone [specific].

Mahmoud began to paint in the mid-2000s, while he was still in school. His interest in graffiti was piqued following the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a turning point for free speech in the country.

While honing his skills at university, Mahmoud and his partner Karim Tamerji were shocked by a spate of suicide bombings in Beirut from late 2013 to early 2014. These attacks spurred the young artists to create Evolution in the Verdun neighborhood of Beirut.

"Evolution"

Based on the illustration The Road to Homo Sapiens, the final figure in Mahmouds work is not modern man, but a suicide bomber. In the top left of the painting is a question Where's the evolution? Mahmoud told Al-Monitor, There is no evolution if you blow yourself up; you are still an animal.

Within a week the artwork had a large X painted over it, and a message denouncing it not for its depiction of a suicide bomber but for its apparent endorsement of the theory of evolution. Mahmoud, who took care not to characterize the last figure as from any particular religion, was confused, saying I think they didnt get the meaning. However, the work was quickly restored.

It was a turning point for me, Mahmoud said, adding, After the impact of that graffiti we wanted to draw again. In late 2014, they produced Change What the Elders Couldnt, depicting an old man wearing a tarboush, a traditional Lebanese hat, locked in a pillory, a key painted on the pavement.

"Change What the Elders Couldn't"

Mahmoud said, There was a feeling of stagnation" during the presidential vacuum that lasted from 2014 until 2016. "We felt that the Lebanese people were chained and the key was right in front of their eyes. They were chained to their religious status, to their political status.

Zantout said works such as Change What the Elders Couldnt, are emblematic of graffiti in the country that proactively seeks revolt and awareness outside of Lebanon's confessional political system.

As long as graffiti artists avoid focusing on a specific sect or party, they are free to paint. This freedom is unique not only when compared to other countries in the region such as Iran, Egypt and Turkey, but also globally, and has attracted international artists.

A French national who goes by the artist name Mueh commented on the street art culture in the country. While expressing amazement at the freedom to paint in broad daylight, he also spoke of the respect artists show each other.

You dont write over each other's graffiti, Mueh told Al-Monitor, adding this was a common occurrence in other cities with often grim consequences. In Paris I heard about a lot of people getting beaten up over graffiti.  They dont really care about the art.

After moving to Lebanon in 2014, Mueh quickly began painting, often writing questions or phrases next to his art. He and his crew, a group of street artists who often paint together under the name REK, would often write Old Beirut Matters over condemned buildings or districts with high demolition rates to protest the gentrification of the Lebanese capital.

However, even the simple act of writing their name is a political act to Mueh, who said, To go to the streets and paint for absolutely free, to spend your time painting, I see it as political.

This sentiment is shared by Zantout, who said graffiti artists in Lebanon are all about resisting an existing status quo, bypassing the political sphere and the enchainment we are in.
Turkey and Germany have shown they cannot give up on each other economically despite the political tensions bruising their relations. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is happy to welcome guests from Berlin, no matter his harsh accusations against the German government.

Amid charges that Germany harbors suspects wanted in the 2016 coup attempt and abets Kurdish militants, Erdogan has gone as far as to liken German officials to Nazis, while holding several German citizens as virtual hostages who could be used as political bargaining chips for Turkish nationals he wants from Germany.

Yet Erdogan has realized he needs to mend fences with European leaders if he wants to find the money to roll over Ankaras huge debt, stop the flight of foreign capital and break the crisis circle besetting the Turkish economy. Chancellor Angela Merkel made things easier for him when she said in September that Germany has a strategic interest in a sound Turkish economy, signaling her view that Turkeys stability must be maintained despite political spats.

For Turkey, Germany is not only a principal economic partner but also the key to relations with the rest of the European Union. The economic cost of sparring with Berlin bears directly on the real sector, beyond speculative realms. For Germany, meanwhile, any instability in Turkey  a country with a population of 80 million and a gross domestic product of $800 billion  has the potential to affect Europe. Leaving Turkey in turmoil is not something the Germans could risk.

About 7,200 German companies operate in Turkey, employing 120,000 people. In 2017, the bilateral trade volume was $36.4 billion. Germany was the top importer of Turkish goods, amounting to $15.1 billion, and the second largest exporter to Turkey with $21.3 billion. German investments in Turkey total more than $9.3 billion, marked by a downtick mirroring the political climate between the two countries. Last year, German annual investment fell to $295 million as part of a steady decline from $1.9 billion in 2013. Remarkably, 4.5 billion euros ($5.1 billion) were transferred from Turkey to Germany in the second quarter amid Turkeys economic turmoil.

Following Erdogans visit to Germany in late September, German Economic Affairs and Energy Minister Peter Altmaier paid a visit to Turkey on Oct. 25-26 at the helm of an 80-strong delegation that included representatives of German conglomerates such as SAP, Siemens, BASF and EON. A Joint Economic and Trade Committee, agreed upon in 2013 as a means to expedite problem-solving, held its first meeting during the visit, while the Turkish-German Energy Forum convened for the second time.

Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank announced that his ministry would set up a special Germany desk to resolve any problems encountered by German industrialists and investors.

Turkey, which is trying to overcome its economic woes by luring foreign investments instead of seeking aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), aspires to update its 1996 customs union accord with the EU, unfreeze membership talks with Brussels, obtain visa-free travel for its citizens, attract more investment in technology and sectors with high added value such as pharmaceuticals and chemicals and boost cooperation in renewable energy. It also hopes the German Development Bank and other lenders will extend more loans to German investors.

The revived contacts have raised optimism of a new chapter in bilateral ties. No doubt the business community welcomes the two governments resolve to keep economic ties apart from political rows, but the bumps down the road should not be downplayed. The Germans appear rather cautious about investing in Turkey. Altmaier said during his visit that the normalization of conditions would help increase investments. Normalization is the key word here and it covers an array of topics.

To start with, Turkey has lost the confidence of foreign investors. Legislative decrees issued during the state of emergency after the coup attempt bore heavily on the business world, with Ankara seizing hundreds of companies and, at one point, blacklisting German firms for alleged links to terrorism. Confidence-eroding interventions have continued after the end of emergency rule through presidential decrees or other legislation. The independence of the central bank remains in doubt. Grumblings have grown louder that Turkey is violating the customs union, levying compensatory tariffs despite customs exemptions and restricting commercial activity. To ease the impact of the currency crisis, Ankara has required exporters to convert 80% of their overseas revenue into liras within 180 days of receiving payment, stoking further uneasiness. As long as forcible measures remain in place and no structural reform is forthcoming, optimism over foreign investment is unrealistic.

In a meeting with Erdogan during his visit to Berlin, German business giants with investments in Turkey listed five prerequisites for restoring confidence: strengthening legal security, ensuring that democratic institutions function, ensuring central bank independence, respect for customs union rules and improving the framework for new investments.

Asked whether a new page has been turned in bilateral ties, Kenan Mortan, a senior Turkish economist and visiting scholar at EISTI-Paris, said, There is no new page because the page was never closed. They are only separating the economy from politics. Ever since the refugee crisis, Merkel has followed a very patient policy, making sure the page remained open. I dont see how the latest visit could suddenly lead to a leap. The Germans will continue their normal exports, but there will be no big leaps.

According to Mortan, several factors are drawing Germans to Turkey. First, the German economy is an export economy and all countries matter for them. They would not let political issues get ahead of the economy, he told Al-Monitor.

Second, the Germans are now eyeing big tenders [in Turkey]. They are interested in nuclear energy, the defense industry and railroads, he said. Singling out Bosch and Siemens as the principal organizers of the German trip to Turkey, along with the German government, Mortan continued, Siemens, which has assumed all of Turkeys [railroad] signalization projects, has recently taken a strong interest in nuclear energy and railroad projects. Having missed the second nuclear power plant project, Siemens could be invited to the third one. Bosch, meanwhile, is running all of its Middle East operations from Turkey. They have expanded incredibly in the home appliances sector [from their plant] in Cerkezkoy [in Turkeys northwest]. Yet dispatching a big delegation does not mean immediate investments. There is an extraordinary decrease in foreign investments [and] what they want is legal guarantees.

Mortan noted that foreigners have fears over the security of earnings in Turkey. The plan to nationalize 21% of Isbank shares alone is enough to scare them. There is no guarantee this would not be applied to other companies as well, he said. He said the legislative decrees show Ankara could well resort to a suspension regime on issues concerning the laws of commerce, obligations and debt enforcement and bankruptcy. In other words, a sword of Damocles is hanging over the business world, he said.

For Mortan, the thaw with Germany will have no helping effect on Turkeys efforts to secure external funds to roll over a $209 billion foreign debt over the next 10 months, as some tend to believe. No link can be drawn between those visits and the effort to secure funds. The address for that is definitely the IMF, he said.

At the end of his visit, Altmaier expressed hope that bilateral problems would be resolved piece by piece. Turkey and Germany have apparently re-embraced the motto that when Turkey catches cold, Germany sneezes. This motto, in fact, describes the default settings between two nations that joined their destinies together during WWI, then saw their bonds loosen a bit before taking them to a new level in 1961 with a landmark labor agreement that opened Germanys doors to Turkish immigrant workers.

Berlin has shocked Ankara by suspending decisions on the upgrade of Turkeys German-made Leopard tanks and its request to use German technology to make its own Altay tank. This crisis, too, is believed to be transient, just like the political bickering.
WASHINGTON  The United States will exempt eight nations from US secondary sanctions on Irans oil exports, the Donald Trump administration said today.

The sanctions, set to resume Nov. 5, are aimed at depriving the regime of the revenues that it uses to spread death and destruction around the world, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a call with journalists today. Our ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlaw activities and behave as a normal country.

The resumed sanctions targeting Irans energy, banking, shipping and ship-building sectors had been lifted because of Irans compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which Trump withdrew from in May.

Pompeo said the United States will be issuing temporary, six-month waivers for eight jurisdictions that have significantly reduced, though not eliminated, their imports of Iranian oil. He did not announce which countries those are, but indicated they did not include the 28-member European Union as a bloc. Both Turkey and Iraq have announced that they have been notified they will be exempted from the sanctions. It is widely expected that Japan, South Korea and India will also receive waivers.

Pompeo said the US actions have already taken over a million barrels per day of Iranian oil exports off the market even before the sanctions officially go into effect next week.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin defended the decision not to demand an entire cut-off of Iran from the Brussels-based SWIFT global financial network from criticism by anti-Iran deal activists.

We have advised SWIFT that it must disconnect any Iranian financial institution that we designate as soon as technologically feasible to avoid sanctions exposure, Mnuchin said on the call. He also said that 700 Iranian persons and entities would be added to the blocked list on Monday, including 300 of which had been removed from it during the time the United States remained a party to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The United States' European allies expressed regret at the Trump administration actions, and resolved to try to keep the deal if Iran continues to comply.

We deeply regret the further reimposition of sanctions by the United States, due to the latters withdrawal from the  JCPOA, the British, French, German foreign ministers and treasury secretaries and the EU foreign policy chief said in a joint statement.

It is our aim to protect European economic operators engaged in legitimate business with Iran, they said. As parties to the JCPOA, we have committed to work on  the preservation and maintenance of effective financial channels with Iran, and the continuation of Irans export of oil and gas.

Europe had broadly complied with US-pushed sanctions on Irans energy and banking sectors in 2012 to try to get Iran to negotiate a nuclear deal and avoid a possible Israeli-initiated war, former Obama White House Middle East czar Dennis Ross said on a call today. Now, Europe is trying to preserve the deal to avoid a potential war they fear could result if Iran abandons the deal over US actions, he said.

So in 2012, not buying Iranian oil and living up to very tough sanctions  was a way in their mind to avoid a war, Ross said on a call hosted by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy today, referring to the Europeans. The fear they have now is that if Iran walks away from the JCPOA, that greatly increases the prospects of a war.

And thats another reason why I think were going to find its difficult to see them really joining even if their companies are no longer within Iran, he added.

Former US-Iran deal negotiator and sanctions official Richard Nephew expressed similar concerns.

I think we'll still come to regret this decision, even if the sanctions effort bore more fruit than I and others assessed, Nephew, now with Columbia University, wrote on Twitter.

French parliamentarian Delphine O, recently back from a trip to Iran, said she did not hear any threats, veiled or otherwise, from her Iranian interlocutors to leave the JCPOA. But she said she was struck by the sense of despair she heard, in particular from Iranian officials who had promoted international engagement as a way to solve Irans security and economic dilemmas, and their sense that that stance was increasingly hard to sustain.

The population is holding them accountable, O said on a call hosted by the European Center for Foreign Relations on Wednesday. There is no exit for us.

But for now, Iran seemed likely to try to endure the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign, she said. At no point was there any threat made to withdraw from JCPOA, she said. There was a sense of strategic patience  to wait to see what happens.
The U.S. is Mazdas No. 1 priority, a company executive told representatives of Alabamas automotive industry Thursday. Which is why its planned $1.6 billion joint manufacturing plant in Huntsville is only part of a global strategy.

James Lievois, executive vice president for Mazdas North American operations, said the Japanese automakers long-term strategy is still focused on providing an enjoyable, luxury driving experience. And even in an era when the auto industry is looking at electric and autonomous vehicles, Mazda remains bullish on the internal combustion engine.

We believe in the freedom provided by the personal car, Lievois said. At Mazda, driving is alive and well.

The Hiroshima-based company, poised to celebrate its centennial in 2020, represents about 2 percent of the global automotive market. Its U.S. operations are based in California. Selling in 130 countries through 5,000 dealerships, the company has an image of itself as a scrappy, sure-footed, sometimes underdog, producing a quality car thats fun to drive,

Lievois inspired laughter by projecting an image of a sumo wrestler faced down by a child dressed as a sumo wrestler on a screen.

This is how we feel sometimes, he said.

But at the same time, Mazda sells about 1.6 million vehicles worldwide, and sees its American customer taking home about $85,000 a year - a more affluent driver who is willing to pay more for value.

The companys current production sites are in Japan, Mexico, Thailand and China. Of course, it plans to open the Huntsville plant in 2021, which will employ about 4,000. The plant will produce the Toyota Corolla and a crossover that has not yet been unveiled, turning out about 300,000 vehicles per year. The company expects to realign its supply chain and operations to accommodate the plant.

At the same time, Lievois said Mazda is undergoing a push nationwide to revamp its dealer network, upgrading the retail experience for customers. The new dealerships, called retail evolution facilities," grade higher in customer experience through architecture and design, he said. Currently, 47 dealerships have undergone the conversion, with another 25 under construction. The goal is to have 300 completed by 2022.

As the time for construction of the Huntsville plant nears, the two companies - Mazda and Toyota - are working on what their joint operation will look like.

Mark Brazeal, vice president of Mazda Toyota, said the two companies have shared values and are trying to incorporate those into its partnership. What that will look like, with two separate assembly lines, may be a blend of Mazdas inspiring customer loyalty, combined with Toyotas teamwork and ethos of continuous improvement.

However, Lievois said Mazda intends to remain an independent company.
Gov. Kay Ivey tonight told representatives of Alabamas automotive industry that she is still opposed to President Donald Trumps trade policy through tariffs.

Despite having a very good relationship with Trump, Ivey said she still feels the policy is no good for our automotive industry.

I felt it was where I had to draw the line, Ivey said. As long as Im governor, I want to make Alabama great again. Clearly our automotive industry is a major part of who we are.

Pointing a finger from the podium, Ivey said she had made very clear her concerns with Trump in the past, and with Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to Alabama Tuesday.

It was the governors most forceful public comments on the issue since the summer. In June, Ivey told Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in a letter that Alabama could lose approximately 4,000 jobs as a result of automotive tariffs the Trump Administration was considering on foreign built vehicles. She also made several public statements at the time about the proposed tariffs, as reports had the administration considering a 20 to 25 percent tariff on imported automobiles and parts.

Since then, the Trump Administration has announced a renegotiated NAFTA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, back in October, which Ivey said Pence mentioned during his visit. It has also entered trade talks with Germany, while levying tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum, as well as a variety of goods from China.

Ivey said her intention is that the Made in Alabama brand continues to be a brand of excellence.
Metro Diner is opening in Dothan Nov. 13.

The 3,800-square-foot restaurant is located at 2777 W. Main St. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner all day, the diner will serve comfort food favorites like fried chicken and waffles and the diners acclaimed meatloaf plate, to new dinner menu items including chicken parmesan and the pulled pork mac stack  a half-pound of barbecue pulled pork piled over macaroni & cheese and a cheddar cornbread waffle topped with maple butter.

The diner will feature indoor seating for 98, covered outdoor seating for 12 and will be open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Metro Diner is hiring more than 100 Dothan-area residents. Applications to join the team are being accepted for all positions including servers, hosts, cooks and kitchen staff. Interested applicants can complete the online application here.

Metro Diner will host several special pre-opening charity events. All donations will benefit the Wiregrass Humane Society on Saturday, Nov. 10. On Sunday, Nov. 11, all donations will benefit the Wiregrass United Way. Guests who provide a donation will receive a sneak peek of the new diner and enjoy Metro Diner favorites.

Reservations can be made for the fundraisers from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., or 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., by calling the diner reservation line at (813) 591-0969.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund raised new concerns Friday about voter suppression in Huntsville and demanded that students at two universities in the Rocket City be declared active voters.

In a letter dated Friday to Lynda Hairston, chair of the Madison County Board of Registrars, the LDF outlined three areas in which it maintains the students constitutional rights may be violated:

- Voter applications rejected for immaterial reasons.

- Students unlisted for unclear reasons.

- Students listed as inactive because of returned voter ID cards.

Hairston said Friday afternoon she had not seen the letter and would continue to follow procedure that goes back at least 30 years relating to voter ID cards returned by the Post Office as undeliverable.

Our directions come from the (Alabama) secretary of state, Hairston said. If the mail is returned, were supposed to put them on the inactive list.

Hairston said multiple copies of blank reidentification/update forms are available at all polling places. And she said her office has provided extra blank forms to groups helping register students. They can be filled out and taken to the polls just in case the student is on the inactive list. That will let the voters keep their place in line. She released a copy of the form.

This is the form voters must fill out before voting if they arrive at the polling place and find themselves on the "inactive" voter list.

AL.com reported about the returned voter ID cards, but applications being rejected for immaterial reasons or being unlisted were new issues raised with the midterm elections now just four days away.

The states top elections official, Secretary of State John Merrill, said in an interview Thursday with AL.com that students could still cast ballots if they have been listed as inactive but would have to first fill out an updated voter ID card, which is required of any voter who is listed as inactive.

It has come to our attention that many students at the historically Black institutions of Alabama A&M and Oakwood University have been experiencing a variety of troubling issues with registering to vote, the LDF wrote in the letter to Hairston.

Merrill and Tommy Ragland, Madison County probate judge and top elections official, were copied on the letter.

We urge your office to act swiftly to correct these issues and comply with federal law, which requires you to eliminate discriminatory or arbitrary restrictions on the right to register to vote, the letter said.

The letter comes a day after Madison County officials spoke at a press conference speaking out against the practice of declaring some students as inactive voters. Among the prominent voices at the press conference were Walt Maddox, the Democratic nominee for governor, as well as Ragland and Madison County Commissioner Roger Jones.

Greg Bentley, president of the Huntsville chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, also spoke and provided the church he pastors, Fellowship Presbyterian Church, as the site of the event.

Three Oakwood students and one Alabama A&M student also recounted their stories in registering to vote and discovering they were listed as inactive.

The voting registration issues have been a last-minute development leading up to Tuesdays midterms. Merrill and Ragland said they only became aware of the concerns earlier this week.

The LDF said some voting applications were reportedly rejected because students listed their dorm rooms on the first, rather than the second, address line on the voter registration form. Such an error is not grounds to deny the right to register to vote, the letter said, citing the Voting Rights Act.

The LDF called for Hairstons office to review all rejected voter registration forms submitted by students from Oakwood or Alabama A&M Universities over the past two months. If there are any forms that have been wrongly rejected for immaterial reasons, those applicants should be immediately registered to vote.

The LDF also urged Hairstons office to ensure compliance with federal voting laws regarding students who are not listed on the state voter website as having registered.

It is imperative that your office investigate and correct these issues promptly, the LDF letter said. The right to vote is too important for Black students to be left in limbo, at this late date, regarding their eligibility.

And as for the issue of voter ID cards being returned as undeliverable, the LDF said that raises legal questions.

It appears that you have decided that the return is evidence the student no longer resides at the address and that this justifies making the student an inactive voter, the letter said. But we have been unable to find any authority in Alabama state law that would require your office to use the return of a newly registered voters registration certificate as a basis for placing that voter in inactive status. The disparate and arbitrary treatment of newly registered voters is thus inconsistent with both state law and basic principles of due process and equal protection under the United States Constitution.

The letter closes by again calling on Hairston to ensure the registered students are cleared to vote on Tuesday.

We urge you to continue your dialogue with the community and work out a way to resolve these issues without the need for litigation, the letter said.
A federal judge has granted the Alabama Department of Corrections' request to keep sealed part of a consultants report on how it can recruit and retain more correctional officers by increasing their pay.

The ADOC received the report from Warren Averett consulting and accounting firm on Thursday and had a deadline of Friday to file it with the U.S. District Court in Montgomery as part of the ongoing lawsuit over mental health care for prisoners.

Last year, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson found that a shortage of correctional officers was an underlying factor in what he found was the ADOCs horrendously inadequate mental health care for prisoners.

Since the ruling, the ADOC has been submitting plans to the court aimed at fixing the problems, such as by expanding the mental health staff through a new health care contract. The Legislature added $60 million to the ADOCs budget over two years.

In a motion filed in court today, lawyers for the ADOC said that public disclosure of the Warren Averett findings on pay and bonuses for correctional officers would hurt recruitment and retention.

They said the report could create expectations that cant be met if the ADOC does not receive the money to meet the pay levels in the report and could cause officers to feel slighted and leave for other jobs.

At this point in time, ADOC cannot afford to lose correctional officers or take steps which might foster a negative work environment, the ADOCs motion says.

Thompson granted the ADOCs request to file the report under seal. The ADOC said it would file a redacted version for public view.

The ADOC has been short of correctional officers for years. Officials say they have stepped up recruiting efforts. The ADOC announced a year ago that it had hired the Warren Averett firm to help guide those efforts.

Earlier this year, officers at maximum security prisons got 10 percent raises. That boosted starting salary for an entry-level correctional officer with a high school diploma from $28,516 to $31,368 at a maximum security prison

In September, the ADOC opposed a request by lawyers from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which represents the inmates in the mental health case, to unseal quarterly reports to the court on correctional officer staffing. The ADOC said the disclosure of the numbers would pose a security risk.

The ADOC included correctional officer staffing in its monthly public statistical reports before Thompsons ruling last year.

This story was updated at 4:21 p.m. to say that Judge Thompson granted the request to file the report under seal.
Online sales taxes are pumping tens of millions of dollars into the states coffers, according to newly released figures.

According to the Alabama Retail Association, the state collected almost $54.7 million in sales taxes from out-of-state, online-only retailers from January through August of this year. Another $15.57 million was added from September through today, according to the Alabama Department of Revenue.

Birmingham has received the most - $1.277 million. Huntsville received $1.083 million and Mobile $1.074 million.

Alabama collects sales taxes from online merchants through its Simplified Sellers Use Tax Program, which allows merchants to pay a flat 8 percent sales taxes and avoid navigating the more than 200 different city and county sales taxes across the state. Of the 8 percent, 4 percent goes to the state's coffers, 2 percent goes to counties and 2 percent to cities, with the county and city shares prorated for population.

You can see the money paid to each municipality and county here. (Click on disbursement report and then go to dropdown under Simplified Sellers Use Tax.)

There are currently more than 590 participants in Alabamas Simplified Sellers Use Tax program.

Mega-online retailer Amazon began collecting sales taxes in Alabama in 2016 but it wasnt until Oct. 1 of this year that the state made the remittance a requirement for all online merchants. That change came after a Supreme Court decision did away with a decades old law that stipulated that states could not force companies to collect sales taxes unless the retailer had a physical presence in that state, such as an office or warehouse.

Alabama law now requires all online merchants with in-state sales of more than $250,000 to collect sales taxes.
A Huntsville woman today pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2017 DUI crash death of 26-year-old Jacob Heath Marlow.

Alexis Bishop was sentenced to 20 years, split to serve five years on house arrest and another five on probation. As part of a plea deal, Madison County prosecutors agreed to drop a felony assault charge.

The plea deal came about three weeks before Bishop was scheduled for trial. If convicted of both charges, Bishop would have faced up to 40 years in prison.

Bishop, who was seriously injured in the crash, sat in a wheelchair as Madison County Circuit Judge Donna Pate asked whether she had anything to tell the court.

Bishop asked for forgiveness from Marlows family. Its unclear whether the family was in the courtroom.

The deadly crash happened after a night of drinking in Huntsville, said Assistant District Attorney Melissa Heron at todays hearing. Prosecutors said Bishops blood alcohol level that night was just below .20, which is more than twice the legal limit of .08.

Bishop was driving a Toyota Camry that collided head-on with a Kia SUV during the early-morning hours of April 13, 2017, police records show. Jacob Heath Marlow, a passenger in the Camry, died at the scene. Marlow, 26, was from Elkmont.

Bishop's northbound car crossed the center line on Alabama 53 near Ardwall Road, according to a crash report. It happened around 4:15 a.m. that Thursday.

The other driver, a 53-year-old Tennessee woman, suffered serious injuries, including multiple broken bones, according to authorities.

Bishop is also required to pay fines, court costs and attorney fees.

While on house arrest, she is required to wear an electronic GPS monitor, prosecutors said.
A school in a small, unincorporated town in Cullman County captured hearts earlier this year when they unveiled their new Hogwarts-themed classrooms and hallway.

The project, started by a few teachers at Parkside Junior High School, who loved Harry Potter, not only captured hearts in Alabama, but also the heart of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers Pictures, which gave the school a $25,000 check at an assembly Thursday morning.

The cast of the new Fantastic Beasts movie: The Crimes of Grindelwald along with The Today Show and Warner Brothers hosted an assembly at the school for its Wizarding World Day. The visit to the school was part of the promotional tour for the movie, which will hit the theaters November 16.

Members of the cast including Zoe Kravits, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Eddie Redmayne and Callum Turner presented the giant check at the end of the assembly.

Several teachers wiped tears from their eyes as students cheered.

For a small school and the things we do here, this will do wonders to help our kids that have done so much already, said school principal Richard Orr after accepting the check.

He said the school plans to use the money to buy new supplies, including new SmartBoards. Without those funds, replacing the SmartBoards could take at least three years, Orr said.

Wizarding World Day at Parkside School in Baileyton Wizarding World Day with The Today Show, Warner Bros. and special surprise guests at Parkside School in Baileyton! Look for photos and a full-length story soon. Posted by The Cullman Tribune on Thursday, November 1, 2018

Each student at the school got a Fantastic Beasts-themed backpack filled with goodies and school supplies.

Its exciting enough to be part of a film franchise, a world, that came from these books that really does go around the world. And to be in a situation like this where its had a grassroots influence on a community and turning peoples lives around and changing their lives, is incredibly exciting, Jude Law told reporters before the assembly.

While the decorations certainly make the school day a little more fun and interesting, the school has seen other benefits more important than visual appeal.

English teacher Jacy Douglas told AL.com said theyve seen more students become more interested in reading after the middle school hall transformation began last year. Douglas and math teacher Tracey Jones decided last year to decorate their classrooms like Hogwarts.

Parkside was one of 50 Alabama schools recognized for increasing third grade reading scores in the 2017-18 school year. The school was also named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence this year.

Miller said other schools should take note.

Its time for a bunch more schools to do this, he said. Why not cater to childrens interests in the way we educate them. Thats whats important part about learning is learning to love learning.

More than just the increased interest in reading, students also seem to have a little more pride and respect for the school building after the hallways were transformed.

The general culture of the school kind of changed once we switched from that institutional-type look, Orr said. Not just the Harry Potter hallway, but we also have a Bryant Denny classroom and a Disney World classroom. It gives these kids the chance to have this new experience.
Birmingham police say they will not file any charges in the shooting death of 24-year-old Antonio Demond Sanders, who was fatally shot at a McDonalds on Lomb Avenue Saturday night.

Following a review of the information presented to the District Attorneys office by Birmingham Police Department investigators, it was determined that the case will be ruled as a justifiable homicide. No warrants will be pursued in this case, Sgt. Johnny Williams said in a statement released Thursday.

At 10:44 p.m. Saturday, west precinct officers responded to McDonalds at 732 Lomb Avenue on a call of multiple people shot. They arrived and found three people, two black males and one juvenile black male suffering from gunshot wounds. All three were taken to area hospitals.

One of the men, Sanders, later died from his injuries.

Police said the restaurant was closing for the night and the manager was unlocking the door to let out a father and his two teen sons.

As the door was opened, a masked man, now identified as Sanders, entered the restaurant and started shooting. The exiting customer was able to return fire, striking Sanders, who died at the hospital.
If President Trump was at war with Alabama, he would almost have the state surrounded.

In the final days before Tuesdays midterm elections, Trump will be holding rallies in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

The event Sunday at 6 p.m. in Chattanooga will put the president only about 20 miles from Alabama, a place where he has four times held rallies  twice as president.

Trump will also be in Pensacola  only about 25 miles from the Alabama border at the southern end of the state  on Saturday night, an event preceded by a rally in Montana. Then Sunday afternoon, he will rally voters in Macon, Ga., before traveling to Chattanooga on Sunday night.

Trump is holding rallies in West Virginia and Indiana on Friday.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported Friday that Trump is expected to be joined by Vice President Mike Pence at the Chattanooga rally.

Trump will be campaigning on behalf of U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who is running for the Tennessee Senate seat to be vacated by the retiring Bob Corker. Blackburn is in a tight race with Democrat Phil Bredesen, a former governor of the Volunteer state.

The event will take place at McKenzie Arena on the campus of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

As president, Trump held a return rally to Mobile soon after his election. His first mega-stadium rally during the campaign took place in Mobile in 2015.

Trump was endorsed by former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions during a rally in Madison in March 2016. After Trump was elected, Sessions became U.S. attorney general in what has since turned out to be a strained relationship with the president.

And in August 2017, Trump visited Huntsville to campaign for Luther Strange, who lost in the Republican runoff to Roy Moore in the U.S. Senate special election to fill Sessions' seat. Moore eventually lost to Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in the general election.

Click here for tickets to the Trump rally in Chattanooga
The states top elections officials said Thursday that no remedy needs to be put in place for voters who are listed as inactive heading into Tuesdays midterm elections.

Secretary of State John Merrill, in an interview with AL.com, said he and other officials around the state are following state law. And he reiterated AL.coms reporting in a Wednesday story outlining concerns of voter suppression that even those registered voters listed as inactive will still have an opportunity to cast their ballots.

Merrill spoke following a press conference in Huntsville where activists and Madison Countys top elections officials called for the restoration of active voter status to Huntsville area college students categorized as inactive.

Walt Maddox, the Democratic nominee for governor, also joined in that call at the press conference.

Theres no problem, Merrill said. Theres a delay because that person, whomever that person is, did not know or didnt do what they needed to do. And they may not have known.

At issue is the voter identification card sent to registered voters to verify their address as well as inform in which governmental district they can vote. Madison County Probate Judge Tommy Ragland was among those saying as many as 2,000 students have been listed as inactive because their mailed voter ID cards were returned to the board of registrars.

At the press conference held at Fellowship Presbyterian Church -- whose pastor, Greg Bentley, is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference chapter in Huntsville  four college students said they registered to vote in recent weeks but have since learned they have been classified as inactive voters.

The students said they never received or were unaware they had been sent a voter ID card. One of the students, Xavier Lynum, said he received a call from the NAACP on Thursday morning informing him that he had been restored to active voter status. Lynum said he did not know why he received the call or how the NAACP influenced his voter status.

What we see here today and what has been shared is an infringement upon that right (to vote), Maddox said.

Democrat Peter Joffrion, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in next weeks election, spoke out on Twitter late Thursday afternoon.

Since Jan. 1, 2017, Merrill said 1,021 registered voters at the Alabama A&M precinct have been categorized as inactive and 106 of those have occurred since May 1 because of undeliverable mail.

Merrill also referred back to the case of U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who discovered he had been classified as inactive when he went to vote in the 2017 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate special election  a race in which Brooks was on the ballot.

Brooks was required to fill out an updated voter ID form before he was allowed to vote.

So we dont treat a U.S. congressman any differently than we do any other citizen, Merrill said.

Brooks was frustrated with the process, Merrill said, and he added that others likely would be, too. But Merrill said he is only following the law.

That was done to protect the voter and thats required by law, he said. Thats not something that John Merrill says youre going to have to do. Thats something the law says youre going to have to do to participate. And if you dont want to do it, then you dont get to participate.

Merrills perspective did not mesh with those expressed at the press conference, which was also attended by Brooks challenger Peter Joffrion, Madison County Commissioner Roger Jones, Ragland as well as state legislature candidates.

There are three specific reasons I wanted to join this brave group of students, the pastor and the elected officials here, Maddox said. I wanted to bring attention to this very serious matter. Lets be clear: There is no legal mechanism that provided the local board of registrar to move these students from active to inactive. In fact, it runs counter to the law as it relates to moving a person from active to inactive.

Second, Im requesting that Secretary Merrill move these students from inactive to active, where they were supposed to be in the very beginning. And the third and most important thing: I encourage every Alabamian when they go to the polls, if they feel they are being denied that access, that they stay and they vote and we do not walk away at this very important moment in our history. It may be tough. You may have to wait in line a little bit longer. You may have to fill out additional pieces of paper. But its worth it.
Alabamas crown jewel for tourism, a gleaming hotel and convention center at Gulf State Park financed primarily with BPs payouts for its 2010 oil spill, opened Friday with reflections from public officials about its predecessor that was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan 14 years ago.

Coastal politicians, and even those from northern areas of the state, recalled their memories of visiting Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Those recollections included family vacations to the old state-owned lodge and hotel originally built in 1974.

It was terrible to lose something that was part of our history, said Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft.

Indeed, the $140 million new Lodge at Gulf State Park, which includes a 350-room Hilton Hotel, is viewed as a significant upgrade over the old lodging complex that had long been surpassed as a hospitality attraction by the host of towering condos along coastal Alabamas sugar-white sand beaches.

The new Lodge, which is being marketed as having the largest beach view ballroom on the Gulf Coast, includes meeting spaces to accommodate up to 1,000 people; a 5,500-square-foot outdoor terrace; a pool and restaurant facing the Gulf of Mexico.

The complex actually hosted its first overnight stays Thursday. The first large-scale events inside the conference center will occur next week.

Room prices will vary depending on the time of the year, though a king-size bed balcony room for next weekend has been going for around $200. A spokeswoman said that would be about the average rate for rooms.

The project was financed largely by Alabamas earliest settlements from the BP oil spill through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process.

The money was designated under former Gov. Robert Bentleys administration, with approval from the NRDA trustees. It was almost immediately criticized by environmental groups who argued that a new hotel and conference center was not the type of project that warranted settlement money from the oil spill.

Bentleys name wasnt mentioned during Fridays grand opening ceremony. Bentley resigned in April 2017 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor campaign finance and ethics violations that arose from an alleged affair with a top aide.

Instead, officials credited a host of public officials who eyed the development of a beachside conference center for decades. Also credited was Gov. Kay Ivey, the Republican who took over after Bentley resigned, and who is up for election Tuesday against Democratic Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox.

Governor Bentley, he was the governor when we dealt with the BP oil spill money and that was one of the things leading us to a funding mechanism for this project, of course, said Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon. But you have to remember, if you look back over the years, we can name Governor Bentley, but we can also name those who were significant in trying to keep this thing as a point of discussion in the Legislature.

Ivey, who noted that no tax money was spent to develop The Lodge, has long called the complex as crown jewel attraction for tourism. After touring the complex, she called it a cozy place that is not fancy.

It makes you feel relaxed, said Ivey. This is a beautiful facility, very practical and provides every convenience known to man. Its impressive.

Ivey had already become governor after the state agreed to settle a lengthy lawsuit with environmental groups such as the New Orleans-based Gulf Restoration Network (GRN). That settlement, reached about a year ago, enabled the project to move forward and requires Alabama to spend $65.1 million over 15 years to maintain and operate the public amenties at Gulf State Park.

GRN sued the state in federal court four years ago over the use of $58.5 million for the beachside complex.

Cynthia Sarthou, executive director at GRN, said last year that the settlement was a huge win that ensures the BP disaster funds go toward providing free beach and park access to Alabama residents for 20 years. She declined to comment about Fridays opening.

Other environmental groups, though, see a silver lining with the complexs opening, noting that it was built to withstand strong hurricanes, and is considered a model development for sustainability.

Casi Callaway, executive director of Mobile Baykeeper, said she felt that the designers of the project did everything right to build a complex that is at peak energy efficiency. The Lodge, once it receives official certification, will be the only hotel in the world with a combination of three high-end certifications in energy efficiency and fortified construction.

The Lodge was built under strict standards. It has a roof that can handle the strongest of hurricane-force winds, and is built well above flood levels to better protect it against storm surge.

There are a lot of challenges for what this project is and the fact that it is an expensive hotel that not everyone in the state of Alabama will be able to afford to go, Callaway said earlier this week. But as far as I can tell, this is what we want to see in future construction along the coast.

The high-end construction was recognized by an executive with Hilton Hotels, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2019. It will be a model for around the world, said John Koshivos, vice-president of franchise development at Hilton Hotels.

The complexs opening does somewhat cloud the future of the nearby Perdido Beach Resort, which has long hosted the conventions and meetings of a variety of special-interest and professional associations.

Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon acknowledged the competition during his public remarks, but added that he as convinced that there was enough tourism business to go with everyone.

Ivey also acknowledged the competition, saying it will be good for everyone involved.

Kennon also said he was promised that revenues generated at The Lodge will be reinvested into the nearby State Park, which he called a crown jewel for Orange Beach.

Anything less than perfect, shut it down, said Kennon. I expect Disney World to come see us to see how its done, not us going to see them.
Authorities have released preliminary autopsy results for a former Alabama couple found murdered in their Louisiana business earlier this week.

The bodies of Eugene Frank Gurley, 72, and Patricia Gurley, 70, - who attended high school in Birmingham and college in Calhoun County - were discovered Tuesday night at National Pool Builders, which was owned by the couple. Denham Springs Police Chief Shannon Woman on Friday said the preliminary autopsy results indicate the cause of death for both victims was blunt force trauma to the head.

Denham Springs officers responded to the scene in Livingston Parish, not far from Baton Rouge, on a welfare check. Police Chief Shannon Womack said neighbors of the couple reported neither had been seen or heard from since Monday. Officers and the Gurleys son ultimately forced entry into the business and discovered the crime scene. Womack called the crime the most "senseless and heinous" in his career.

The chief said his department is being assisted by the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory, analysts from the Louisiana State Analytical and Fusion Exchange and agents from the Louisiana State Police Fugitive Apprehension Task Force.

Michael T. Collins is a person of interest in the double homicide of a former Alabama couple found dead in their Louisiana business.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Womack announced a person of interest in the case. Michael T. Collins, 45, has an outstanding warrant for simple burglary. He is believed to be in possession of the couples white 2016 Nissan Frontier pickup truck bearing Louisiana license plate Y193507. Womack said Collins may in, or headed toward, Macon County, Tenn.

Woman said Friday Collins is still believed to be in northeast Tennessee and is actively sought by the Louisiana Fugitive Apprehension Task Force.

The couple both attended the old Banks High School in east Birmingham, which was later converted to a middle school before finally closing in 2007. After high school, the couple attended Jacksonville State University.
UPDATE: Authorities reported at 4 p.m. that Thomas Steven Wall had been located in the Tallassee area and has been taken to the hospital for evaluation.

EARLIER STORY: Authorities are searching for a 69-year-old man who has been missing since Wednesday in Coosa County.

The Coosa County Sheriffs Office on Friday said it is asking the public to be on the lookout for Thomas Steven Wall.

Wall could be driving a white 2007 Ford F-150 with damage to the front headlight. The license plate number is Alabama tag 22AH371. He may have a small brown dog with him.

Anyone with information on Walls whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Coosa County Sheriffs Office at 256-377-2211.
There has been a confirmed sighting of an accused sexual predator who was believed to have been in Alabama during his past year on the run.

FBI officials on Friday said 46-year-old Greg Alyn Carlson  who in September was added to the FBIs Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list  was spotted in the Mount Pleasant area of South Carolina where Carlson has known ties. Based on that information, authorities said, investigators believe Carlson is likely still in the southeast and are asking the public to be on lookout for him.

Carlson is believed to be traveling in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Texas. He was last seen in a late-model white Hyundai Accent. The witness was unable to make out the state and number on the license plate, but authorities believe Carlson may have stolen the plate from another vehicle.

Carlson, a D.C. native, is wanted for his alleged involvement in multiple armed sexual assaults. In making the announcement that Carlson had been added to the Most Wanted, FBI officials said Carlson was spotted in Hoover on Nov. 22, 2017 when he led police on an "erratic, high-speed" pursuit.

Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector said on that morning, Hoover police received a lookout bulletin from the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast that Carlson might be in the Hoover area. Officers spotted his vehicle and attempted a traffic stop but he fled.

After a brief pursuit, the vehicle was last seen on John Hawkins Parkway near Interstate 459. About an hour later, around 10 a.m., Hoover police responded to an attempted robbery in the parking lot of Fresh Market on U.S. 280. A female told police she was approached by a white male on foot who demanded her vehicle as he displayed a handgun in his waistband.

She told the suspect that the keys were inside the vehicle as she quickly walked back inside the market and called 911. When the suspect attempted to enter the vehicle, it was in fact locked and the keys were not inside. The suspect then left the area on foot and he was never located. "Carlson was never identified as the robbery suspect,'' Rector said, "but we believed that it was likely him."

Greg Alyn Carlson is believed to be traveling in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Texas. He was last seen in a late-model white Hyundai Accent

Carlson was arrested one year ago in Los Angeles and charged with one count of assault with intent to commit rape. After posting bond and being released on Sept. 26, 2017, he fled to Mount Pleasant, S.C. and later left with a stolen handgun, rental car and significant amount of cash.

He was next seen in Hoover, and then Jacksonville, Fla. on Nov. 28, 2017, and Daytona Beach two days later. On Dec. 12, 2017, a federal arrest warrant was issued in California against Carlson for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Authorities said Carlson should be considered armed and dangerous, as well as a flight risk. A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading directly to his arrest.

Anyone with information on Carlsons whereabouts is asked to contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.
A young woman accused of attempting to provide support and resources to terrorist organization al Qaeda has now been indicted by a federal grand jury in Birmingham.

The indictment was issued this week against Alaa Mohd Abusaad, 22, who was arrested Oct. 23 in Ohio. She was a former student at the University of Alabama and her LinkedIn profile said she was president of the Muslim Student Association. UA officials on Friday said Abusaad has not been enrolled since last year.

Abusaad is charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, a designated foreign terrorist organization, and aiding and abetting others, according to a joint announcement by Assistant Attorney General John Demers of the National Security Division, United States Attorney Jay E. Town and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr.

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.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization has suspended its recognition of Israel for a second time in three years.

On October 30, as I was scrolling through news updates from Palestine, I received a phone call from a friend. Its that time of the year, she said through thunderous laughter, when our self-proclaimed leadership decides to play peek-a-boo and threaten to end security coordination with Israel.

The Palestinian Central Council (PCC) had announced that it authorised the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to suspend recognition of Israel and stop security coordination with Tel Aviv. It argued that the suspensions should remain in place until Israel recognises the Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

We both laughed, but more at the tragedy of the situation than anything else. The PCC made the same announcement in 2015. The repetition was indeed tragic, and telling of the nature of these efforts  that they are mere considerations, nothing more than laughable scarecrow tactics.

The term security coordination is misleading in itself. In reality, its a one-way street: The Palestinian Authority collaborates with Israel at the expense of Palestinians. Never the other way around. This so-called cooperation is one of the hallmarks of the stillborn 1993 Oslo Accords.

The Israeli fear

In many ways, the PCCs decision to declare  once again  that it would end security coordination and revoke the recognition of Israel was not shocking or even noteworthy. One thing that was truly striking about the incident, however, was Israels reaction.

Following the announcement, the Israeli media went into a total frenzy, demonstrating how much Israel fears any prospect of serious confrontation with Palestine. Even a simple statement from the PLO (one which, as proved in the past, is unlikely to be truly enforced) seems to trigger a major freak-out on the Israeli political front.

This reflects internalised Israeli fears about the Palestinians actually aligning their resistance efforts and once again nurturing an empowered sense of confrontation.

We have seen many examples of this before.

Last year, when 16-year-old Ahed Tamimi slapped two Israeli soldiers who were raiding her front yard, the same internalised fear resurfaced in the Israeli media, society and political sphere once again. She was arrested, tried in a military court, and sentenced to eight months in prison alongside her mother, Nariman.

Any behaviour that deviates in any way from the narrative that the Palestinian population is compliant and powerless, whether it is a young girl standing up to soldiers or a usually submissive leadership suddenly claiming that it may end its collaboration with the colonisers, is frightening for Israel.

But when the PLO and the Palestinian Authority takes seemingly bold steps like Tuesdays announcement only to back down the moment their power and the assets (which they have acquired through corruption, authoritarianism, and cronyism) are back in place, they weaken the small leverage Palestinians have against Israel.

They either fail to see how their flip-flops, scarecrow tactics and fake shows of resistance are affecting the Palestinian population, or they are well aware of it and simply do not care.

But there is an even more sinister side to the PCCs latest declaration. It not only undermines the Palestinian resistance with its uncertain, unreliable nature but also carries undertones that highlight the PLO and the PAs total compliance with the colonial system.

By threatening to revoke its recognition of Israel, the Palestinian leadership once again reminds the world that it, in fact, accepts the legitimacy of Israel. It also indicates that it will continue to do so as long as Israel is kind enough to give them a few crumbs. This kind of hypocritical bargaining is nothing but a green light for Israel to continue its colonialist practices, to thrive and persist in its violent plunder of Palestinian lands, resources, and the slaughter of the Palestinian people.

Let us remember that this slaughter is not simply a memory of the past, an occurrence that only took place 70 years ago during the Nakba. Its still ongoing. Since March 30 of this year alone, in a single city  Gaza  at least 218 Palestinians were killed.

The fact that this decision can even be taken (again) exposes the PLOs decades-long complicity in the erasure of Israels crimes. In its recognition of and cooperation with Israel, the PLO ignores the Palestinian refugee crisis and those refugees right to return home or be compensated. Moreover, it completely erases thousands of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship and their struggle to continue living in their own lands as second class citizens.

A desperate attempt to regain legitimacy

If we look closely enough at the PCCs 2015 announcement and its latest one, well see a pattern clearly emerging.

The 2015 announcement came just a year after the Israeli onslaught on Gaza that cost more than 2,100 Palestinian lives  and displaced more than 108,000. Protests were taking place in the West Bank against the Palestinian Authority and its complicity with Israel.

This weeks announcement came as the landmark protest against Israeli colonialism in Gaza entered its 31st week. The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, is rapidly losing legitimacy and turning Palestine into a police state in the eyes of the Palestinians and the world as it continues to invest in its security forces to keep its population in line and please Israel.

It brutally cracked down on Palestinian demonstrators who wanted to protest their leaderships sanctions on the Gaza strip. Additionally, the Trump administration emboldened the Israeli government by moving its embassy in the country from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognising the city as the undivided capital of Israel.

In other words, both announcements came at a volatile time for Palestine and Palestinians, as the Palestinian leadership was on the verge of losing all legitimacy. The announcements, as hollow as they are, are desperate attempts for the PLO and the PA to legitimise themselves in the eyes of the Palestinians and the international community as the only relevant guardians and representatives of the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian struggle was reduced to ink and handshakes in 1993, and the PLO and the Palestinian Authority cant seem to get out of that mindset 25 years later. They want to remain the recognised leaders of the Palestinian cause, at any cost.

Today, Palestinians are forced to navigate the tragic results of their leaderships shameless collaboration, magnanimous failures and destructive political ploys. Despite this, the Palestinian peoples shouts for freedom will not be drowned out by empty declarations and political theatrics.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
While experts and observers speculate on the impact of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on the career of 33-year-old Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (known as MBS), another crown prince, 25 years his senior, has been watching from a distance and must surely be feeling a tad uncomfortable.

Mohammed bin Zayed (known as MBZ), the crown prince of Abu Dhabi has entered into several foreign adventures with MBS, the two most notable being the Yemen war and the air, land and sea blockade of fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Qatar.

Both causes have not fared well: the war in Yemen, now dragging on for a fourth year, is stalemated with horrible consequences for the Yemeni people; and Qatar has ridden out a blockade which was supposed to bring the tiny state to its knees within days. If anything, the Qataris have emerged stronger than when the blockade was launched.

Still, for MBZ, either can be seen as moderately successful efforts. In Yemen, the Emiratis have allied themselves with secessionist forces in the south and have secured the key trading port of Aden for what could become the capital of a South Yemen nation independent of the north, but effectively a client state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

As for the Qatar crisis, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have managed to resist pressure from the US State Department to end the blockade.

In addition, MBZ has pushed for an increasing political and economic rapprochement with Saudi Arabia through an initiative launched in December of last year, which has garnered little attention. The Strategy of Resolve is a bilateral trade and defence agreement with the Saudis that the Abu Dhabi crown prince called an historic opportunity, adding we are the two largest Arab economies, forming the two most modern armed forces.

It was a bold move, all the bolder as it was announced at a GCC summit in Kuwait City. The emir of Kuwait is the last living founder of the GCC (it was set up in 1981) and repairing the rupture with Qatar is a legacy issue for him. The Strategy of Resolve was a stake driven straight through any thought that the GCC would be revived.

Rather than having to deal with the often contrary and bumptious views of five other members, MBZ is now in the position of having to influence only one and the biggest of them all.

He was quick to capitalise with an announcement in June of 44 strategic projects with the Saudis. The first meeting of what was called the Joint Coordination Council took place, not in the Saudi capital Riyadh, but in Abu Dhabi. It was co-chaired by MBZ and his young Saudi protege, MBS.

Intriguingly, the senior Emiratis present were all from MBZs ruling family, the Al Nahyan.

Conspicuous by his absence was Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and the vice president and prime minister of the UAE. (MBZs elder brother, the UAE president, was incapacitated by a stroke in 2014 and MBZ has been the de facto president ever since.)

The inaugural meeting laid out a grand agenda that, in addition to military integration and cooperation, envisions a unified strategy for food security, a joint plan for medical stocks, a common security system and joint investment in oil, gas and petrochemicals  all to be achieved within five years.

In the business world, this is what is referred to as a reverse takeover. Abu Dhabi and its clever and hugely ambitious crown prince have, to steal a line from the president of the United States, done the deal of the century. Consider these figures (as of December, 2017): Saudi Arabia has a gross domestic product (GDP) of $678.5bn, the UAE barely more than half that; the Saudis have reserves of foreign exchange and gold of more than $500bn, the Emiratis less than $90bn; Saudi Arabias revenues stand at $171.6bn, the UAEs is $83.4bn.

While running his reverse takeover, MBZ has escaped much of the opprobrium that has fallen on the shoulders of MBS. Take the Yemen war. Though the Emiratis and their mercenary army stand accused of multiple human rights abuses in their theatre of operations in the south, it is the Saudis who take the global flak for the relentless bombing of civilian targets and non-military infrastructure.

It is the Saudis who are blamed for the blockade that is preventing food and medical supplies from getting to a population on the brink of the worst humanitarian disaster in the world. And it is the Saudis who are primarily stuck with trying to subdue the Houthis, a task which they have signally failed to achieve.

Now, in the wake of Jamal Khashoggis murder, the Americans are putting maximum pressure on the Saudis to halt the bombing campaign. On October 31, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on all participants in the Yemen civil war to agree to a ceasefire in the next 30 days. Thats a little more than a month after Pompeo had signalled continued support for the Saudis.

For months, senators and congressmen from both parties have been pushing to halt Americas support for the war and, with the killing of Khashoggi in the run-up to the mid-terms, the White House has started to listen.

And when Donald Trump wanted to try and mend the Humpty Dumpty that the GCC has become, he put the pressure on MBS. In fact, when he thinks of the Gulf at all, he doesnt really think of MBZ. That suits the Abu Dhabi crown prince just fine. He is happy to have the arrogant and attention-seeking MBS stride the world stage and do the big interviews. Mohammed bin Zayed does his best work in the shadows.

Now, however, with the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, his protege is in a dangerous place. The brutality of the murder, the ineptness of the cover-up attempt, the fact that virtually everyone on the international scene that counts believes that the killing was at the direction of MBS, all of that has enormously weakened the position of the Saudi crown prince.

His uncle Ahmad Bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of the king has arrived in Riyadh. There is some suggestion that he might replace MBS as crown prince. That is an unlikely scenario. Ahmad Bin Abdulaziz is in his mid-seventies and has spent most of the time since Mohammed Bin Salman came to prominence living in London. His role is likely to be that of an elder voice, there to contain the brash impulses of his nephew.

It is still much-debated whether Mohammed bin Salman will survive. My bet is that he will, but with a seriously diminished international reputation and a weakened domestic power base. For MBZ, that is worrying. He has invested a lot in Mohammed bin Salman who has, unwittingly, played the frontman for his ambitions in Yemen and in the Gulf.

Now the frontman is linked to a vicious act that has caused global revulsion. It will be interesting to watch how MBZ plays his cards in the short term. Were he to cut MBS loose, it would be a signal that the Saudi crown prince is in serious trouble indeed.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
From Khashoggis brutal murder to the killing of Daphne Galizia, crimes against journalists still go unpunished.

The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is extraordinary, not because of the brutal way he was killed, nor because those who did it are unlikely to be held to account. It is extraordinary because it has become international news in a world where violence against journalists is increasingly the norm.

In 2017 alone, 78 journalists were murdered, and thousands more assaulted or imprisoned for their work. On average, only one in 10 of those who commit violence against journalists are convicted of their crimes. In countries like Mexico, where 12 journalists were murdered in 2017, virtually no perpetrators are convicted.

Even in Europe, a supposedly safe place for journalists to work, there are worrying cases of murders of journalists. The family of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia are still waiting for justice, one year after she was killed by a car bomb.

Today is the Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists when civil society calls on governments to take action and bring to justice those who are guilty of killing journalists such as Khashoggi and Galizia.

But these violent acts do not occur in isolation, nor are they the only threat facing journalists today.

Among the international leaders who have condemned Khashoggis murder is Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who without apparent irony said: From the person who gave the order, to the person who carried it out, they must all be brought to account.

Since the attempted coup in 2016, Erdogans government has systematically destroyed the independent media in Turkey. Currently, 174 journalists are in prison, including Ahmet Altan and five other media workers whose life sentences were upheld by a Turkish court a few weeks ago, calling into question the fairness of these trials.

US President Donald Trump also commented on the killing of Khashoggi, showing perhaps uncharacteristic self-awareness, when he acknowledged his own criticism of the media. When asked to comment on the implications of the Saudi involvement in Khashoggis murder, Trump said: Theres a lot of stake, maybe especially so because this man was a reporter, theres something, youll be surprised to hear me say that, theres something really terrible and disgusting about that.

Just days later, the US president chose to celebrate violence towards journalists, when he expressed support for Republican Congressman Greg Gianforte, who was found guilty of assaulting a Guardian journalist in 2017. He told a rally in Montana: Any guy that can do a body slam, hes my kind of hes my guy.

Since announcing his campaign for presidency, Trumps vilification of the press has been relentless whether at rallies, White House press conferences or through more than 1,000 critical tweets. He has repeatedly dismissed criticism as fake news, called the press the enemy of the people and even mocked a reporters disability. Trumps response to a bombing campaign that targeted CNN, George Soros and the Clintons, was to blame the media.

Verbal attacks are not the same as violent attacks, but they contribute to a hostile environment that makes being a journalist in 2018 such a dangerous job. The US media have some of the best protections in the world, yet there has been a decline in press freedom in recent years, and this has a global effect.

Trumps embrace of fake news as a defence has been adopted by other leaders to deflect criticism. Aung San Suu Kyis government used it to rebuff accusations of ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used it to dismiss an Amnesty International report into the torture and execution of thousands of detainees. In Bahrain, the head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Nabeel Rajab, was even sentenced to two years in prison for broadcasting fake news.

In September 2018, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a new resolution on the safety of journalists, which called, among other things, for an end to the denigration of journalists by politicians and public officials.

It acknowledges that these attacks undermine the publics trust in the independent media and puts all those who work in this field at risk. In addition to specific calls to protect women journalists, the resolution calls for states to adopt national strategies to combat the appalling rates of impunity that exist today.

It is shocking that a day like today is needed to remind the world that when it comes to journalists, criminals are literally getting away with murder.

Governments are either fully committed to the freedom of the press or they are not. Political leaders cannot pick and choose the journalists whom they think are worthy of protection. They cannot condemn violence, yet denigrate the media at every opportunity. The fight to end impunity for crimes against journalists begins with an end to the rhetoric that dehumanises media workers and their role in civil society.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vows maximum pressure days before oil and gas sanctions kick in.

The US government has announced that it will grant temporary waivers to eight jurisdictions, allowing them to buy Iranian oil beyond November 5, when the second round of sanctions on the Islamic Republic takes effect.

Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, said on Friday the exceptions would allow the unnamed countries to import Irans oil at greatly reduced levels, with the ultimate goal of zero purchase from Tehran.

These concessions are critical to ensure that we increase our maximum pressure campaign and accelerate towards zero, Pompeo said in a conference call with reporters.

The second round of sanctions set to kick in on Monday follows a 90-day period since Washington reimposed the first wave of measures against Iran in the wake of President Donald Trumps controversial decision in May to unilaterally withdraw the US from a landmark 2015 multinational nuclear deal.

Washingtons upcoming move is expected to have a greater impact, as it will target Tehrans main source of export revenue: oil and gas.

In his comments to the media, Pompeo said that Iranian crude oil exports have already been reduced by more than one million barrels.

Iran analysts, however, said the announcement on waivers points to US President Donald Trumps inability to rally the international community and reach a consensus against Tehran.





The Trump administration is waking up to the fact that its Iran policy has strained ties with a wide range of countries, Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Iranian economy website Bourse Bazaar, told Al Jazeera.

Showing flexibility on oil imports may be a way for the US to seek more cooperation on sanctions in other areas.

In Tehran, the decision on waivers is seen as a victory, as it was able to sustain its energy exports after months of US threats that oil sales would be pushed down to zero.

Pompeo did not identify the countries to be granted the waivers. But according to numerous reports, these include India, South Korea and Turkey.

India and South Korea are the second and third biggest buyers of Iranian oil.

Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez also confirmed that his country would be granted a waiver, according to the Reuters news agency. In 2017, Turkey imported 16.7 percent of its gas consumption from Iran.

The reality is that @realDonaldTrump has failed to zero on #oil exports from #Iran on November 4th. A scheme he has been advertising for months; although Iran's oil exports have decreased./2 #OOTT @jzarif  Reza Zandi (@R_Zandi) November 2, 2018

At a forum this week in the Qatari capital of Doha on Iran sanctions, Recep Yorulmaz, a political science professor at Ankaras Yildirim Beyazit University, said that with or without a waiver, Turkey will continue to act on its national interest by covering its energy needs from neighbouring Iran. About 30 percent of Turkeys crude oil imports is from Iran, said Yorulmaz.

Meanwhile, China, the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil, is still reportedly negotiating with the US over the issue. Between July 2018 to September 2018, China bought more than 600,000 barrels of oil per day from Iran, according to Stratfor, a private intelligence analysis firm. In 2017, China bought $11.9bn worth of crude oil from Iran, down almost 30 percent from 2016.

In a step seen as a concession to Trump, Beijing has decided to stop the Bank of Kunlun from handling payments from Iran, according to a Reuters report. Nearly all of Chinas oil payments to Iran go through the bank.

Transactions by foreign financial institutions with Iranian banks will also be sanctioned [File: EPA]

Irans energy sector accounts for up to 80 percent of the countrys income from exports, according to the US Energy Information Administration, so a disruption could bring serious pain to its financial bottom line and its people.

Aside from the energy industry, others outfits and activities being sanctioned include:

Irans port operators and shipping industry, which is also linked to the transport of oil and gas.

Petroleum-related products and transactions from Iran.

Transactions by foreign financial institutions with Irans central bank and other banking institutions.

Insurance and reinsurance institutions, which insure tankers that transport oil and gas.

US-owned or controlled corporations with business activities with Iranian government and individuals.

Individuals, whose named were previously removed from the sanctions list, could also be included.

Iran-related SWIFT transactions could also be flagged.

Hitting the core of Irans economy

Trump has repeatedly promised the highest level of economic hardship against Iran, threatening retribution against countries and companies that will continue to do business with it.





He has said the sanctions will continue until Tehran complies with Washingtons list of steep demands, including, among others, its retreat from military involvement in the Middle East.

Iran has rejected the US conditions, and there are no indications that the Iranian leadership has expressed interest in negotiating with Trump.

On Friday, Pompeo said that the sanctions hit at the core areas of Irans economy, adding that they are necessary to spur changes we see on the part of the regime.

Pompeo also said the sanctions will leave Iran with zero oil revenue to spend on buying arms and funding destabilising activities.

He said the Iranian economy is already feeling the effects of the sanctions, pointing to the drop of the value of Irans currency, the disarray in President Hassan Rouhanis cabinet and protests that have taken place in recent months.

Based on the figures from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Irans petroleum exports hit $52.728bn in 2017. Its crude oil exports stood at 2,125,000 barrels per day during the same year, while its natural gas exports reached 12.9 billion cubic metres.

Those numbers, however, have already dropped in the current year.

In India, for example, crude oil imports from Iran dropped from 690,000 barrels per day in May to around 400,000 barrels per day in August, Vandana Hari, a Singapore-based global oil market analyst, said.

Ahead of the November 5 sanctions, Iran is trying to shore up its alliances with its neighbours [Anadolu]

So effectively, India has more than halved its offtake from Iran, Hari told Al Jazeera.

I would imagine it would want to maintain it at least that level, and perhaps negotiate for more.

Many refiners in India have also curtailed purchases because of insurance issues tied to the sanctions.

Winters coming

As Trumps policy collides with economic and geopolitical realities on the ground, Luciano Zaccara, a foreign policy expert at Qatar University, said the sanctions will not be as effective.

Theres less consensus at this time in the international community, so the sanctions will be less powerful than the previous one, Zaccara said during the Doha forum on Iran, pointing to Europes decision to defy Trump by staying with the nuclear deal.

Under the deal agreement signed in Austrias capital, Vienna on July 14, 2015, by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, UK, the US and the European Union, Tehran cut down its uranium stockpile and scaled back its enrichment programme far below the level required to build a nuclear weapon. It also agreed in perpetuity to notify United Nations inspectors if and when it builds a new nuclear facility.

In exchange, UN-approved sanctions were lifted in January 2016, and Tehran was allowed to resume trading oil and gas on the international market. A total of $100bn in frozen Iranian assets was also released.

Commenting on the second round of sanctions, Reza Khaasteh, a Tehran-based journalist of Iran Front Page, said that Trump cannot abruptly cut Iranian oil from the world market, as this would cause a sharp price increase.

He said that for countries with high demand for oil and gas, their national interests are more important to them than realising Trumps wishes.

The US itself is afraid of the impact of sanctions on the oil price, so it would not be as strict as the Trump administration promised, especially ahead of the midterm elections, Khaasteh told Al Jazeera.

Trump well knows that winters coming and he cant just play with energy prices.

With additional reporting by Zeenat Saberin in India.
With midterm elections approaching, Trump and Republicans are blasted for white nationalists in party ranks.

When Iowa State University student Kaleb Van Fosson confronted Congressman Steve King about his friendly ties to white nationalist groups and anti-Semites, the Republican legislator clapped back in a fury.

At a town hall event on Thursday night, Van Fosson, a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, likened Kings views to those of Robert Bowers, who has been charged with shooting dead 11 Jewish worshipers in a Pennsylvania synagogue.

That attack, which took place at the Tree of Life synagogue, has been described as one of the deadliest anti-Semitic incidents in US history.

You and the shooter share an ideology that is anti-immigration, Van Fosson said.

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But King interrupted him. Do not associate me with the shooter whatsoever, barked the Republican representative, who is currently in a neck-and-neck race for re-election in Iowas 4th Congressional District during the November 6 midterm elections.

I knew you were an ambusher when you walked in the room. Theres no basis for that and you get no questions.

Van Fosson pushed back, asking King why he recently met white nationalists and far-right groups in Austria. But King had the student activist removed from the press conference.

Steve King blows up at questioner who pressed him on the Pittsburgh massacre #IA04 pic.twitter.com/7sFQyY9fOW  Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) November 1, 2018

A day before the Pittsburgh attack, authorities arrested Cesar Sayoc, a Trump supporter they believe mailed more than a dozen pipe bombs several of the presidents critics. Authorities intercepted the packages before they could harm anyone.

And just two days before Sayocs arrest, a white man shot and killed two elderly African American patrons at a supermarket in Kentucky.

Like King, Trump and other Republicans have dismissed allegations that their party has any connections to white nationalism or anti-Semitism.

But with midterm elections slated for Tuesday, activists across the United States are confronting the Republican Party over a slew of openly white nationalist and anti-Semitic politicians within its ranks.

Clearly embraces white nationalism

On Friday morning, dozens of Jewish and Muslim activists gathered outside Republican State Senator Marty Goldens New York City office and called on him to denounce white nationalism.

Held by the Jewish Vote, Yalla Brooklyn and the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, the protest demanded Golden sack Ian Reilly, a staffer with ties to a violent far-right group.

If someone who holds public office cant denounce and distance themselves from someone who so clearly embraces white nationalist ideology, he doesnt deserve that office, and were going to vote him out on Tuesday, said Keren Soffer Sharon, an organiser with the Jewish Vote activist group.

We rise to say the Mourners Kaddish for those murdered by white nationalists like those @SenMartyGolden and @GOP have invited into their party. #EndWhiteNationalism #WeAreHere pic.twitter.com/ofZYE95twm  The Jewish Vote (@TheJewishVote) November 2, 2018

Reilly, the chairperson of the Metropolitan Republican Club, invited Proud Boys leader Gavin McInnes to speak to the club on October 12.

Founded by McInnes, the Proud Boys are an ultra-nationalist, pro-Trump mens club known for violent confrontations during protests.

During the October 12 event, McInness followers attacked a group of anti-fascist protesters outside, punching and kicking them as they screamed homophobic slurs. Police later arrested several Proud Boys members.

In response, Golden rebuked the demands and refused to fire Reilly, according to local media outlets.

Goldens spokesman, Michael Tobman, told the Brooklyn Eagle that the politician had no intention of firing Reilly, adding the campaign manager has capably and professionally [served that role] for months.

Soffer Sharon said that in light of the shooting that happened at Tree of Life this past Saturday, we draw the connections  between all white nationalist violence and the rhetoric espoused by the president himself and by the Republican Party.

Golden denounced the Pittsburgh shooting on Twitter, saying it highlights how much hate and violence are trying to become part of our daily lives.

During that shooting, the suspect reportedly screamed, All Jews must die!

On Gab, a social media network, he had recycled anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that claim Jews are behind immigration as part of a supposed plot to replace white people.

The idea of white genocide has been around for quite some time, and its usually tied to immigrants in the sense that Latinos and others are coming to replace white people, said Heidi Beirich, head of the Southern Poverty Law Centers Intelligence Project.

Whats really scary lately is connecting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories with anti-immigrant hate mongering, and thats a pretty potent mix, as we saw in the synagogue this past weekend.

Mourners visit the memorial outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [Jeff Swensen/Getty Images/AFP]

Earlier this week, protesters rallied in Pittsburgh as Trump arrived amid funerals for the victims. Many political opponents and critics accused the president of inciting violence with his increasingly nativist rhetoric.

The White House rejected the claims, however. The president is not responsible for these acts, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said after the synagogue attack and spate of pipe bombs.

I think its irresponsible to blame the president and members of his administration for those heinous acts.

Anti-Semitism on the rise

But at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise and far-right violence rampant, a worrying number of white nationalists are running for local, state and federal office  and the vast majority of them are Republicans.

The Republican Party has disavowed many of the candidates, such as Illinois House hopeful Arthur Jones, who has a long history of Holocaust denial and formerly headed a neo-Nazi group.

In North Carolinas 48th District, Republican state House candidate Russell Walker has claimed that Jews are descended from Satan and that God is racist and a white supremacist.

In Missouri, Steve West, a Republican candidate for the state House of Representatives, has made a slew of anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic comments on his radio show and website.

In January 2017, West said on his Monday morning radio programme, Looking back in history, unfortunately, Hitler was right about what was taking place in Germany. And who was behind it.

Speaking to the daily Kansas City Star, Wests daughter and son urged voters not to cast a ballot for their father. I cant imagine him being in any level of government, his daughter Emily West told the newspaper.

Andy West, her brother, told the paper, My dads a fanatic. He must be stopped.

REPORTER: Do think somebody is funding the caravan? TRUMP: "I wouldn't be surprised, yeah. I wouldn't be surprised." R: George Soros? T: "I don't know who, but I wouldn't be surprised. A lot of people say yes." pic.twitter.com/U1w9EYHcw6  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 31, 2018

For his part, Trump has escalated his anti-immigrant rhetoric, describing a US-bound caravan of Central American refugees and migrants as an invasion.

When a reporter asked Trump if he believed Jewish philanthropist and billionaire George Soros was bankrolling the caravan of desperate people fleeing war and economic devastation, the president declined to rule it out.

I dont know who, but I wouldnt be surprised, he replied. A lot of people say yes.

With baseless claims about Soros popping up time and again throughout the midterm campaign season, expert Kathleen Belew explains that the rhetoric harkens back to past conspiracy theories claiming Jews controlled the US government.

The way they speak about Soros is almost identical to how they talked about Zionist-occupied government decades ago, Belew, author of Bring the War Home, told Al Jazeera.
Without resolution to ongoing conflict, Yemen could face worlds worst famine for decades, Antonio Guterres says.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has demanded an immediate halt to fighting in Yemen, as he warned that the country stands on a precipice and could face the worlds worst famine for decades if violence continues unabated.

Addressing reporters at the world bodys headquarters in New York on Friday, the secretary-general said the warring parties must seize on the opportunity for peace presented by UN-brokered talks scheduled to be held in Sweden later this month.

First, violence must stop everywhere  with an immediate halt around critical infrastructure and densely populated areas, Guterres said, echoing a similar ceasefire call issued by the United States earlier this week.

We must do all we can now to end human suffering and avoid the worst humanitarian crisis in the world from getting even worse, he added.

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The conflict in Yemen, the Arab worlds poorest country and home to an estimated 28 million people, began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by Houthi rebels, who toppled the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Concerned by the rise of the Houthis, believed to be backed by Iran, a US-backed Saudi-UAE military coalition launched an intervention in 2015 in the form of a massive air campaign aimed at reinstalling Hadis government.

According to the UN, at least 10,000 people have been killed since the coalition entered the conflict. The death toll has not been updated in years, however, and is likely to be far higher. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), an independent watchdog, recently said around 56,000 Yemenis had been killed in the violence.

In his comments to the media, Guterres also called for an increase in foreign aid and for food, fuel and other essentials to be allowed to enter Yemen without restrictions in order to alleviate the suffering endured by the 22 million Yemenis deemed by the UN to be in need of humanitarian assistance.

On Thursday, Yemens internationally recognised government said it was ready to restart peace talks with the Houthis after recent efforts to meet ended in failure.

Discussions between the warring factions were planned for September in the Swiss city of Geneva but fell apart after Houthi representatives refused to attend, saying the UN had failed to meet the groups pre-summit demands.

Following the collapse of the talks, which would have been the first of their kind in nearly two years, the coalition announced it was relaunching an assault on Houthi-held Hodeidah, a strategically important Red Sea port city.

Possible war crimes

On Friday, the AFP news agency reported that a fierce battle between forces loyal to Hadi and Houthi fighters near Hodeidah resulted in the death of at least 34 rebels and six pro-government troops.

The clashes came hours after the Saudi-UAE alliance said it had bombed Sanaa International Airport and an adjoining airbase.

Earlier this week, the coalition sent more than 10,000 new troops towards Hodeidah before a new offensive aimed at securing areas liberated from the Houthis, according to Yemeni government officials.

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Hodeidah is the only port held by the Houthis and serves as the entry point for the bulk of Yemens commercial imports and aid supplies.

The coalition has imposed a blockade on the port, however, allegedly as part of efforts to prevent the Houthis from using it as a landing point for weapons supplied by Iran.

Both Tehran and the rebels deny the port is being used to smuggle arms from Iran into Yemen.

A UN report published in August said the blockade, part of wider coalition-enforced restrictions on access to Yemens other ports and the countrys airspace, may have violated international humanitarian law.

The report was critical of all parties to the conflict, however, and concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe a substantial number of violations of international humanitarian law had been committed by pro-government forces, the coalition and the Houthis.

Possible violations included deadly air raids, rampant sexual violence and the recruitment of child soldiers, it said.
Several reported dead and wounded following assault on vehicle travelling near monastery in Minya, south of Cairo.

At least seven people have been killed in an assault on a bus carrying visitors to a monastery in northern Egypt, according to a Coptic Church official.

The incident took place on Friday as the vehicle was nearby the Saint Samuel Coptic Christian monastery close to Minya, a city about 270km south of the capital, Cairo.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack, via its Amaq website. It did not provide any evidence to support its claim.

The archbishop of Minya, Anba Makarios, told the Reuters news agency that at least seven people were killed and 14 wounded in the attack.

Terrorists opened fire on a tour bus from Sohag province, heading back from the  monastery, Makarios said. He had earlier said the bus was approaching the monastery.

Church spokesperson Bouls Halim told The Associated Press news agency the death toll was likely to rise, while a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry put the number of wounded at 12.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said he was deeply saddened by the attack and vowed to push ahead with Egypts campaign against terrorism.

This incident will not undermine the will of our nation to continue its battle for survival and construction, Sisi said on Twitter.

Fridays assault marked the second attack claimed by ISIL on Christians heading to the Saint Samuel monastery in as many years.

In May 2017, at least 28 people were killed and dozens more wounded when gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying Coptic Christians to the complex.

Copts, a Christian minority that make up about 10 percent of Egypts estimated 99 million people, in recent years, have been repeatedly targeted by ISIL in recent years.
Yangon, Myanmar  The European Union has threatened to impose trade sanctions on Myanmar that could put thousands of jobs in its lucrative clothing industry at risk, if the country does not address severe shortcomings in human rights.

Officials wrapped up a four-day fact-finding mission to Myanmar on Wednesday as the EU considers stepping up its response to the brutal crackdown on the Rohingya, and ongoing conflicts elsewhere in the country.

Trade, done right, is a powerful force for good, the EU commissioner for trade, Cecilia Malmstrom, said in a statement at the end of the visit.

The EU, the worlds biggest trading bloc, is considering whether to add to existing travel bans and asset freezes on certain military officers, by removing the tariff-free access to European markets that Myanmar currently receives via the Everything But Arms (EBA) programme.

We have worked to ensure that trade preferences and access to the EU market are an incentive to promote fundamental human and labour rights, Malmstrom added. We now expect Myanmar to address the severe shortcomings that have been highlighted during this monitoring mission. If they do not act, Myanmar authorities are putting their countrys tariff-free access to the EU market in danger.

The EU officials trip to Myanmar comes after UN investigatorssaid that genocide against the Rohingya was ongoing and that as many as 400,000 Rohingya still remaining in Myanmar live under severe restrictions and repression.





Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled across the border to neighbouring Bangladesh last year amid a crackdown that a UN report said warranted the prosecution of Myanmars top military leaders for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Myanmar has dismissed the UN investigation as biased and politically-motivated. Earlier this week, it reached an agreement with Bangladesh for the Rohingya to start returning home this month.

True story

EU officials met ministers, trade unions, businesses, civil society groups, and international rights organisations to discuss issues including cooperation to investigate and prosecute individuals suspected of having committed crimes against humanity, humanitarian access to conflict-hit Rakhine, Kachin and Shan States as well as the conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to their places of origin.

Aung Ko Ko, an independent economist who also sits on the ruling National League for Democracys economic committee said he was confident that the EU would not restrict access to its markets.

Myanmar isnt doing any harmful actions to EU members, he said. Its not doing any anti-EU activities. Myanmar has welcomed them to see the true story.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay could not be reached for comment.

Some business associations say the EUs withdrawal of Myanmars trade privileges could force half the countrys 450,000 garment workers to find new work, and leave factories facing the prospect of losing 47 percent of their entire export market.

The European Chambers of Commerce  an umbrella group of six business associations  said it was deeply concerned at the prospect of trade sanctions. The withdrawal of EBA would harm the livelihoods of approximately half a million households affecting an estimated 2 million people, it said.

$5bn industry

Under the EBA initiative, the worlds poorest nations can sell anything but arms to the EU tariff-free. Myanmar, Europes sixth-largest trading partner, has been part of the programme since 2012.

Earlier this month, the EU told Cambodia, whose garment industry is worth about $5bn, it had started the process of withdrawing the countrys access to the same programme.

Myanmars preferential exports to the EU were valued at $1.48bn in 2017, from $610m in 2015, with garments accounting for nearly three quarters of exports, according to EU data. European retailers including H&M and Inditex buy clothing from Myanmar.

The US has imposed targeted sanctions against military commanders and army units as a result of the Rakhine crackdown and is said to be considering more. Last week, Australia slapped sanctions on five generals it said were responsible for human rights violations.
Two companies and three individuals are alleged to have conspired to steal computing technology China does not possess.

The US Justice Department indicted two companies based in China and Taiwan and three individuals saying they conspired to steal trade secrets from US semiconductor company Micron relating to its research and development of memory storage devices.

The charges against Taiwan-based United Microelectronics Corp, China state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit, Co, Ltd, and three individuals mark the fourth case brought since September as part of a broader crackdown against alleged Chinese espionage on US companies.

US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions told a news conference that Chinese espionage has been increasing rapidly, adding cheating must stop. He said the government is launching a new initiative to crack down on Chinese espionage trade cases.

In addition to the criminal case, the Justice Department also filed a civil lawsuit seeking to prevent the two companies from exporting any products created using trade secrets.





FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement no country presents a broader, more severe threat to our ideas, our innovation, and our economic security than China.

The indictment alleges China was interested in gaining access to dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM, a type of technology it did not possess. Micron is the only US-based company that manufactures DRAM.

Sessions said the Taiwanese company partnered with a Chinese state-owned firm so that ultimately China could steal this technology and use it to compete against the US.

This is a brazen scheme, he said.

In late September, prosecutors charged Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese national living in Chicago, with acting as an illegal agent by working at the direction of a high-level intelligence officer with the Ministry of State Security to help recruit spies.

The Justice Department also in October for the first time succeeded in extraditing a Chinese intelligence officer, Yanjun Xu, to the US to stand trial for conspiring and attempting to commit economic espionage and steal trade secrets from multiple US aviation and aerospace companies, including GE Aviation, a unit of General Electric.

Earlier this week, prosecutors announced an indictment against 10 defendants, including two Chinese intelligence officers, hackers and co-conspirators, who are accused of breaking into American company computers to steal data on a turbo fan engine used in commercial jetliners.
Government to allow in blue-collar workers as businesses from hotels to construction struggle to find staff.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abes cabinet approved draft legislation on Friday to allow in more blue-collar workers from overseas and deal with severe labour shortages, in a controversial policy shift for immigration-shy Japan.

The revised law would create two new visa categories for foreigners in industries where it has become increasingly difficult to find workers and staff.

While not spelt out, more than a dozen sectors are likely to be included from farming and construction to hotels and nursing care.

Japan has long maintained a strict immigration policy limiting the intake of foreigners, but as the countrys population ages business is battling the tightest labour market in decades.





Despite misgivings within Abes Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), parliament is likely to adopt the revisions in the face of intense pressure from industry, although opposition parties could delay.

More accepting

Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita on Thursday ruled out a numerical cap, but media said 500,000 blue-collar workers could be allowed in over time. There are now around 1.28 million foreign workers in Japan, making up about 2 percent of the workforce.

Workers in the first visa category must have a certain level of skills and Japanese language ability. They would not be allowed to bring family members for a stay of up to five years.

Those in the second category are expected to have more advanced skills and would be allowed to bring their family and eventually get residency.

Japan has grown more accepting of foreign labour, but the focus has been on professionals and the highly-skilled.

For blue-collar workers, employers mostly rely on a technical trainees system and foreign students working part-time, but critics say such loopholes are abused.

Policy shift?

LDP legislators signed off on the bill after heated party debate. Many expressed concerns about crime and the potentially negative effect on wages. Opposition politicians accuse the government of undue haste without protecting foreign workers rights.

Abe has said the changes do not constitute an immigration policy, out of an apparent desire not to upset his conservative backers. Many experts differ.

I think this is a de facto shift to an immigration policy, Hidenori Sakanaka, a former head of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, told Reuters.

A recent survey by the Yomiuri newspaper showed 51 percent of Japanese voters favoured letting in more unskilled foreign workers and about 43 percent backed recognising immigration  about the same percentage as those opposed.
As life returns to Kirkuk, ISIL still threatening residents

People who fled the Iraqi city of Kirkuk are slowly returning, a year after government forces took back control from Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. But the threat of violence still hangs over the city.
Voting advocacy organisations in several US states have sounded the alarm on what they call voter suppression.

With less than a week until midterm elections, civil rights groups and voting advocacy organisations in several US states have sounded the alarm on what they call voter suppression.

Although allegations of voter suppression are often made during elections, the claims are now more widespread than normal.

During the upcoming midterm elections, voters will decide 39 state and territorial governorships, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in Senate, among others.

Since 2010, at least 24 US states have introduced new measures that place tight restrictions on voting protocol. Most of those states are controlled by Republicans.

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In the last eight years, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, 13 states introduced or tightened restrictive voter ID laws, 11 have laws making it harder for citizens to register, seven cut back on early voting opportunities and three moved to make it more difficult to return voting rights to people with criminal convictions.

In most cases, the measures disproportionately affected voters of colour, who are generally considered more likely to vote Democrat than Republican.

Republican supporters of tightening voter restrictions claim that the measures are necessary to prevent voter fraud, but Democrats and other critics point to evidence that suggests voter fraud is rare in the US.

Al Jazeera examines some of the fears voting rights groups have as Americans head to the polls:

Voter applications stalled, rolls purged: Georgia

In the southern state of Georgia, civil rights groups and advocates have issued a slew of voter suppression accusations.

The accusations are at the centre of the governors race, and voting rights advocates tell Al Jazeera that there are concerns over the elections integrity.

Brian Kemp, Georgias secretary of state, is currently running for governor against Stacey Abrams, who hopes to become the nations first female African American governor.

As secretary of state, however, Kemps office is also in charge of processing voter applications. According to an Associated Press report, his office is stalling 53,000 voter applications, nearly 70 percent of which belong to African Americans.

A voting official hands back an early voter his ID in Valdosta, Georgia [Lawrence Bryant/Reuters]

On Tuesday, Abrams lashed out at Kemp on The View, a daytime talk show. We know he has disproportionately purged voters of colour, stopped voters of colour, arrested voters of colour, she said.

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Regardless of his intent, the result is that racial bias has been injected into our system, and that undermines confidence.

The Brennan Center for Justice says the number of voters purged skyrocketed under Kemp, reaching an estimated 1.5 million between the 2012 and 2016 elections. That total is nearly twice the number purged between 2008 and 2012, the group said in a report.

It doesnt require a science fiction mind to see how this plays out, Nse Ufot, executive director of the New Georgia Project, told Al Jazeera.

Ex-felons barred from voting: Florida, Kentucky, Iowa

In nearly every US state, convicted felons are not allowed to vote while in prison. Many also have restrictions on individuals on parole.

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Voting rights groups estimate that this affects about six million people and disproportionately affects people of colour.

Three states  Florida, Kentucky and Iowa  take the restrictions a step further by barring all citizens with a felony conviction from voting for life, unless the right is restored under a certain set of rules. Virginia also has similar rules, but the governor has promised to restore rights on a rolling basis, according to the Brennan Center.

In Florida, an estimated 1.5 million people who were convicted of felonies will not be able to vote unless they receive a pardon from the states governor.

Of that total, it is estimated that roughly one-third are African Americans, leading advocacy groups to lodge allegations that the measure is racist.

The current system was introduced by Governor Rick Scott, who won two gubernatorial races by slim margins and is now running for Senate.

In February, a federal judge ruled that the process by which voting rights are restored violates the US Constitution. An appeals court is not considering the case.

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Meanwhile, Florida residents will have the chance to decide on the issue on November 6.

Among several measures on the ballot is an amendment that, if passed, would automatically restore voting rights for felons, except murderers and sex offenders, once they complete their sentence.

The most recent opinion polls show support for the measure, according to the Sun Sentinel newspaper. The paper notes, however, that a ballot measure requires approval from 60 percent of those who vote on the amendment.

With less than a week until Election Day, the Florida gubernatorial race has boiled down to a neck-and-neck face-off between Democrat Andrew Gillum, who could be Floridas first black governor, and Republican Ron DeSantis.

Gillum supports the ballot measure on voting rights, while DeSantis opposes it.

Limiting Native American votes: North Dakota

In October, state officials introduced a new measure they say was designed to prevent voter fraud in North Dakota.

The new requirement stipulated that voters must have a valid residential address, which presented a problem for thousands of Native Americans living on reservations. Many Native Americans in North Dakota use post office boxes as their official address on the identification cards.

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In the lead-up to Election Day, many Native American North Dakotans have scrambled to have their addresses changed on their identification cards in order to be eligible to vote.

In 2012, Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp won a narrow upset victory after drawing strong support from North Dakotas Native American population.

Given that Heitkamp won by less than 3,000 votes and Native Americans are generally far more likely to vote Democrat, the new measure could have an impact on the upcoming midterm results in the state.

Heitkamp, who is running for election, is trailing her Republican challenger, Kevin Cramer.

Brenda Miller speaks to a voter while canvassing voters in Porcupine, North Dakota before the 2018 midterm elections on the Standing Rock Reservation [Dan Koeck/Reuters]

On Thursday, a judge denied an emergency request that would have prevented the address requirement from applying to this years midterm election.

The judge conceded that the litany of problems identified in this new lawsuit were clearly predictable and certain to occur, but he added that issuing a temporary restraining order was unwarranted given the importance of avoiding further confusion and chaos on the eve of an election.

Polling site moved or closed: Kansas

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Kansas recently objected to the decision of the Ford County Clerk to move Dodge Citys polling site out of the city, which is home to about 13,000 people.

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According to the rights group, the new station is located about a half a mile outside the city limits and not accessible by pavement. There is also no public transportation to the location.

On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that the city does not have to open an additional polling station before the midterm elections.

For the court to insert itself into this process on the eve of the election  by ordering the reopening of the Civic Center either as the only polling location or a second polling location  likely would create more voter confusion than it might cure, Judge Daniel Crabtree ruled.

The relief plaintiffs seek is not in the publics interest.

According to the ACLU, Kansas has lost more than 100 polling places over the past few years. This comes voter registration numbers grow. The rights group noted that there have been several other complaints of voter suppression in the state, including in Wyandotte County, where one polling site in a neighbourhood with a large Hispanic population, is located in the same building as a police station.

Kansas is ranked among the worst states for voter rights, according to a number of studies. The state requires a valid government-issued photo id in order to vote.

The law was championed by Kris Kobach, Kansass current secretary of state, and now a candidate in the gubernatorial race. His race against Democrat Laura Kelly is tight, with polls showing the pair in a dead heat.
Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi as a dangerous Islamist after his disappearance weeks ago, according to US media reports.

The reported phone call with President Donald Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and National Security Adviser John Bolton allegedly took place before Saudi Arabia publicly acknowledged that Khashoggi had been killed in its consulate in Istanbul.

Citing people familiar with the call, the New York Times and the Washington Post reported that the crown prince said Khashoggi belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood  outlawed by Riyadh and its Arab allies  and urged Kushner and Bolton to preserve the US-Saudi alliance.

Saudi Arabia has denied the media reports.

A critic of Mohammed bin Salmans reform programme in Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi was killed after entering the consulate on October 2.

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The kingdom has faced international condemnation for the journalists murder and its shifting official accounts of his disappearance last month.

Saudi authorities initially stated the journalist left the consulate, before backtracking and admitting on October 20 he was killed by rogue operatives.

The attempt to criticise Khashoggi in private, the Post noted, stands in contrast to the Saudi governments later public statement decrying his death as a terrible mistake and terrible tragedy'.

The slain journalists family issued a statement to the paper, stating that the crown princes characterisation of Khashoggi was inaccurate.

Jamal Khashoggi was not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He denied such claims repeatedly over the past several years, the family said.

Jamal Khashoggi was not a dangerous person in any way possible. To claim otherwise would be ridiculous.

Strategic imperative

According to the Post, Kushner has been lobbying on behalf of the heir to the Saudi throne and has emphasised the strategic importance of the US-Saudi alliance.

Some officials at the US State Department however said they are considering a range of disciplinary measures, including a demand to end the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar or wind down the war in Yemen, where a Saudi-UAE military coalition is fighting the countrys Houthi rebels.

Officials cautioned that no decision has been made, and Trump has expressed little desire to significantly alter US-Saudi relations, but there is an interest in a full vetting of the potential options, the Post said.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia alongside the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Qatar, which they accuse of supporting terrorism, including the Muslim Brotherhood group.

Saudi Arabia listed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation in March 2014 alongside Jabhat al-Nusra  currently known as Hayet Tahrir al-Sham  and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

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The late Saudi King Abdullah decreed prison terms of up to 20 years for belonging to terrorist groups and fighting abroad.

But analysts say the relationship between Saudi Arabia  which has at times tolerated and abetted the loosely defined political movement  and the group is more nuanced.

They say Riyadh has historically sought to make use of the movement to advance its interests in the region.

Former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called the classification of the Brotherhood at the time, in its entirety, as a terror group problematic.
Information on the remains of the 59-year-old Saudi journalist are still unknown as joint Saudi-Turkey probe drags on.

Istanbul, Turkey  Its been one month since Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul, but Turkish authorities have still not traced his remains.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was strangled and dismembered soon after he walked into the Saudi consulate on October 2, a Turkish prosecutor revealed on Wednesday in the first official comment in a case that has provoked an international condemnation.

Saudi Arabia initially denied Khashoggi was killed inside its embassy, but following intense international pressure, admitted that Khashoggi  a critic of Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)  was killed in a rogue operation in a premeditated manner.

Turkish media reported that a 15-member assassination squad  many of them linked to MBS  carried out the killing and subsequent dismembering of Khashoggis body.

The kingdom has fired top intelligence and security officers and arrested 18 people following a global backlash against the brutal killing linked to MBS.

A top Saudi prosecutor visited Turkey last week but that has made little headway, with Turkish justice minister accusing the Saudis of not answering questions in connection with the case.

Media leaks over the last several weeks has kept the issue on the boil, but there is still no clue on the whereabouts of Khashoggis body.

The worst cover-up ever

Questions are being asked who was responsible for the murder, what will happen next in the investigation and how this killing will affect Turkey-Saudi relations in the long-run.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development (AK) party have avoided direct confrontation with the oil-rich kingdom depite mounting evidence against Riyadh.

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Sinan Ciddi, Executive Director at the Institute of Turkish Studies at Georgetown University, said that President Erdogans tone has become a bit less combative over the last week, but that does not mean he is willing to let the issue go.

Erdogan has continued putting pressure on Saudi Arabia and he has made it clear that they are not letting go of the issue, Ciddi told Al Jazeera.

He said that part of this is because of the role the United States plays.

Turkey has been a bit more cautious since it has seen that the US will not simply punish the Saudis over this, Ciddi added.

US President Donald Trump, who initially backed Riyadh, later said that Saudi Arabias handling of the Kashoggi case as the worst cover-up ever and a total fiasco.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a radio interview that it would take a handful more weeks before the US has enough evidence to impose sanctions in response to the killing.

But Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has forged close tries with MBS, will likely prevent the US from taking punitive measures against the Kingdom that has emerged as a bulwark against regional power Iran.

No permanent damage to Saudi trade and defence

Perhaps what may be the strangest aspect from this story is how poorly Khashoggis murder was concealed by the Saudis, who probably did not anticipate the level of global backlash that followed the killing.

But for nearly three weeks the media continued to receive leaks of the murder based on voice recordings, including details of Khashoggis fingers being cut off during interrogation.

Lingering questions, however, remain unanswered, such as the location of the body  something the US State Department raised on Wednesday.

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While international pressure has mounted on MBS over the past month, with Germany announcing that it will halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, some have noted that Khashoggis murder wont damage Saudi Arabias trade and defence ties in the long-run.

Ali al-Ahmed, director of the Gulf Affairs Institute and a former Saudi political prisoner, told Al Jazeera that once the news dies down, affairs will most likely be back to usual.

The reason why the murder was so poorly concealed may be due to the fact that there hasnt been much international attention or condemnation to previous crimes such as the Saudi-backed war being waged in Yemen, al-Ahmed said.

They didnt react to [the alleged Saudi state sponsored kidnapping in 2017 of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad] Hariri nor to the crimes in Yemen and they still arent, al-Ahmed said.

Theres no bigger crime than the starvation of the Yemeni people, he continued. They didnt have a reaction there so why would they react about one guy who they describe in the Washington Post [as a dangerous Islamist]. Even if he was, it doesnt make him killable.





The Washington Post reported on Thursday that MBS described Khashoggi as a dangerous Islamist and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in a phone call with Kushner, who is also Trumps senior adviser, days after Khashoggis disappearance and before Saudi Arabia publicly acknowledged his killing.

This stands in contrast to the Saudi governments public statements that decried Khashoggis death as a terrible mistake and a terrible tragedy, the Washington Post wrote.

Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, which was overshadowed by A-list executives pulling out, MBS said that the Khashoggi case was painful and that justice will prevail.

Major Middle East countries, including Israel, have backed MBS, who is under fire over the case. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi have approached Trump administration in support of the Crown Prince, according to the Washington Post.

The reported return of Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of King Salman, to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after a prolonged absence abroad has raised speculations on a possible reshuffle within the Saudi royal family.

Analysts, however, say its unlikely that 76-year-old Prince Ahmad will replace MBS.

MBS is in-charge and I dont think anyone can remove him , al-Ahmed said, noting how the subject of the story has shifted in the media.

I think the Saudis are very clever in creating smokescreens so that people start thinking about something else. They are very good at changing the subject.

So instead of talking about this guy who killed a journalist and cut him up into pieces, now were talking about how  [MBS] is going to be replaced. It gives you false hope and then you forget about the original story, al-Ahmed said.
Friends of slain Washington Post columnist perform a special rite reserved for those whose bodies have not been found.

Washington, DC  Mourners attended a prayer and memorial service for slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Washington, DC, the city where he was based before his killing exactly a month ago.

Fridays memorial included a funeral prayer known as salat al-ghaib or prayer for the absent, which Muslims perform for the deceased when their body has not been found.

The Saudi citizen was killed at the countrys consulate in Istanbul on October 2 and Turkish authorities say his body was dismembered shortly afterwards.





Khashoggis fiancee Hatice Cengiz delivered a recorded message at the memorial, calling on the Saudis to release information about the whereabouts of Khashoggis body, so that he can be buried according to Muslim rite.

Even though a month has passed since Jamals murder, Cengiz said, adding: His body has still not been given to his loved ones and his funeral prayer has still not taken place.

This is the smallest thing that you can do after a loved one has passed away in the religion of Islam.

The Turkish citizen asked US authorities to use their influence to pressure the Saudis to open up about where the body was.

Others present at the memorial included Khashoggis colleagues, US politicians, rights activists, and Saudi dissidents, including Abdullah al-Awdah, whose father, the reformist Islamic scholar Salman al-Awdah, is currently detained by Saudi Arabia.

Al-Awdah told Al Jazeera it was never too late for the US to take a more critical approach towards Saudi human rights violations.

[The US response] was late and it was delayed, we are disappointed that we lost Jamals life in order for the [US] to wake up and realise there is oppression in Saudi Arabia, he said.

While we talk now there are journalist friends of Jamal  who have now been referred to the Saudi courts on terrorism charges.

Mourners perform a funeral prayer for Jamal Khashoggi in Washington, DC [Shafik Mandhai/Al Jazeera]

Saudi Arabia has offered multiple explanations for what happened to Khashoggi since he disappeared, first claiming he had left the consulate, then claiming he had died in a fistfight with the 15-man team sent to kidnap him, and later claiming he died of accidental asphyxiation.

Riyadh has arrested 18 people linked to the killing but it has so far ignored Turkish requests to extradite the suspects to Istanbul so they can be tried there.

Questions also persist over the role Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may have played in the killing, with many analysts arguing that such an audacious killing could not have taken place without his knowledge beforehand.

According to US media reports, the crown prince told Donald Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, during a phone call that Khashoggi was a dangerous Islamist. Saudi Arabia denied the reports.





Such a comment, if true, cuts a sharp contrast with Saudi Arabias public relations effort, which included a photoshoot where Mohammed bin Salman was pictured paying condolences to Khashoggis sons.

The founder of the Justice for Jamal campaign, Ahmed Bedier, said that the US needed to act decisively against the Saudis or other autocratic regimes in the Middle East would also be encouraged to target dissidents living abroad.

Bedier said that if the US did not move to punish the perpetrators of Khashoggis killing, it would send the message to the Saudis that they could do what theyre doing with impunity.

It sends the message to other dictators in the region that you can do whatever you want to journalists, and the US will turn a blind eye.

Clear message

When it comes to the Khashoggi case, there have been loud calls from across the political spectrum in Congress for Saudi Arabia to be brought to account over the killing.

Speaking at Fridays memorial, Democrat Congressman Gerry Connolly, who represents the district where Khashoggi lived, said the case was a test of US values.

Who are we? Are there things that rise above bilateral ties and self-interest? How much is a human life worth? He asked, stressing that the murder cant be a tragic episode we move on from.

Unfinished business is unfinished business, the United States must speak with a full throttle voice on this matter.

Leading Republican figures, such as senators Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio, have also emphatically dismissed the Saudi explanation for Khashoggis death.

We must send a clear message that we will stand for our values, Graham said on Twitter last week, adding: And those who follow the path set by Saudi Arabia will pay a heavy price.

US President Donald Trump has warned of consequences for those found responsible for the killing but has been reluctant to suggest severe sanctions, such as cancelling arms deals, citing the impact on the US economy.

However, Connolly warned the Saudis that he and other US legislators will not forget the killing and would continue to pursue the matter until the truth was revealed and justice was meted out.
Who ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi?

Investigations into the death of Jamal Khashoggi have exposed a series of lies and grisly details, but important questions still remain, including the location of his body and who ordered his murder.
The octogenarian, who was known for his Afghan Taliban support, was found dead at his residence in city of Rawalpindi.

A Pakistani political and religious leader has been killed by unknown attackers at his residence in the northern city of Rawalpindi, according to family members and officials.

Sami-ul-Haq, 80, was stabbed to death in his bed on Friday, his son Hamidullah told local television news channel ARY by telephone.

He was resting in his room  He had been ill, and was a heart patient, said Hamidullah.

His guard had left the room for 15 minutes, when he returned he found Maulana [Haq]s body covered in blood in his bed.

Saeed-ur-Rehman Sarwar, a leader of Haqs JUI-S political party, also confirmed the killing.

Maulana Sami-ul-Haq has been killed, he said from outside the government hospital where his body was taken.

Who was Sami-ul-Haq?

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A divisive figure, Haq was known as the Father of the Taliban.

He led the ideological fight that led to the formation of the mujahideen force that first fought the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and later morphed into the Afghan Taliban.

Haq was the chief of the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in the northern Pakistani town of Akora Khattak, the alma mater of several senior leaders of the Afghan Taliban, including former chief Mullah Omar and Mullah Akhtar Mansour.

He openly backed the Afghan Taliban in its fight against the Afghan government and the United States-led NATO forces in Pakistans northwestern neighbour.

Within Pakistan, Haq was considered a hardline right-wing religious leader, but his party contested elections, rather than outright backing armed struggle against the state, as was undertaken by the Pakistan Taliban.

He was a former senator, having served in Pakistans upper house of parliament for multiple terms in the 1980s and 1990s, and again from 2003 to 2009.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, in China on a state visit, issued a statement condemning the attack on Haq.

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With Maulana Sami-ul-Haqs martyrdom, the country has lost an important religious and political leader, he said on Friday.

The prime ministers Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) entered into a pre-election alliance with Haqs JUI-S, although the two later parted ways before Pakistans July general vote, which Khans party swept.

In 2016, the PTI had also issued a grant of 300 million rupees ($2.24m) to the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary, with Khan arguing that the seminary sector needed to be brought closer in line with Pakistans education policies and syllabi.

Reporting by Asad Hashim, Al Jazeeras digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim
Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a rare meeting with American evangelical Christians as the conservative kingdom seeks to open up more to the world and repair an image of religious intolerance.

The delegation was led on Thursday by communications strategist Joel Rosenberg and included former US congresswoman Michele Bachmann, according to an emailed statement from the group, as well as heads of American evangelical organisations, some with ties to Israel.

It was an historic moment for the Saudi crown prince to openly welcome evangelical Christian leaders to the palace. We were encouraged by the candour of the two-hour conversation with him today, the statement said.

The delegation also met Saudi officials including Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Khalid bin Salman, and secretary-general of the Muslim World League Mohammed al-Issa.

A visit by such prominent non-Muslim leaders, who estimate they represent about 60 million people, is a rare act of religious openness for Saudi Arabia, which hosts the holiest sites in Islam and bans the practice of other religions.





Some of the figures support for Israel, which the kingdom does not recognise, is also striking. For instance, Mike Evans, founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, describes himself on his website as a devout American-Christian Zionist leader.

Shared interests

Saudi Arabia has maintained for years that normalising relations with Israel hinges on its withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war  territory Palestinians seek for a future state.

But increased tension between Tehran and Riyadh has fuelled speculation that shared interests may push Saudi Arabia and Israel to work together against what they regard as a common Iranian threat.

Bin Salman, who in recent years has loosened strict social rules and arrested Saudi Muslim leaders deemed extremists, said in April that Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land. A month earlier, Saudi Arabia opened its airspace for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel.

Several members of the delegation, which met Abu Dhabis Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in the United Arab Emirates earlier in the week, have also advised US President Donald Trump on faith issues.
More than 20 raids target the al-Dulaimi airbase in Sanaa after the US demands warring parties enter into peace talks.

The Saudi-UAE military alliance at war with Yemens Houthis says it bombed Sanaa International Airport and an adjoining airbase which were allegedly being used to launch drone and ballistic missile attacks.

Colonel Turki al-Malki, the alliances spokesman, said on Friday that aviation at the airport and international aid efforts were not affected.

He told the kingdoms al-Ekhbaria TV that a press conference would be held later in the day to provide evidence that the airport was being used by the Houthis to launch attacks.

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The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah news outlet did not address the alliances claims, instead reporting that more than 30 raids targeted the al-Dulaimi airbase in Sanaa and its surrounding areas.

Sources in the capital, however, told Al Jazeera that the number of attacks was closer to 20.

The air raids came just hours after Yemens internationally recognised government said it was ready to re-start peace talks with Houthis.

The Yemeni government said on Thursday that it welcomed all efforts to restore peace after the US and UN called on the warring parties to enter into negotiations planned for Sweden later this month.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded an end to the war, including air strikes, in an implicit acknowledgement that the alliance was involved in the bombing of civilians.

Nasser Arrabyee, a Yemeni journalist based in Sanaa, said the USs 30-day deadline for the resumption of the talks was being interpreted by the Saudis and Emiratis to intensify their bombing campaign and reclaim territory from the rebels.

If the US wanted to stop the war, it could stop it within a minute, Arrabyee told Al Jazeera.

Right now, the Houthis are willing to enter into negotiations because any negotiated solution is a victory for them.

But its up to the Saudis  its up to the US to end the fighting  as the Houthis will continue defending themselves, he added.

Hodeidah offensive

On Tuesday, the Saudi-UAE alliance sent more than 10,000 troops to the port city of Hodeidah in a new offensive aimed at securing so-called liberated areas.

Hodeidah port is the main gateway for commercial imports and relief supplies into the country, and also carries strategic importance for the alliance.

Saudi and Emirati officials have alleged it is the main entry point for Iranian arms shipments to the Houthis, a charge Tehran and the rebels deny.





The port of Hodeidah is a lifeline for millions of children throughout Yemen, particularly in the northern parts, Geert Cappelaere, the regional director of UNICEF, told Al Jazeera.

Today, 1.8 million children under the age of five are facing acute malnutrition, and 400,000 are affected by severe acute malnutrition.

So any offensive on Hodeidah is putting the lives of children at risk, he said.

According to the Yemen Data Project, the Saudi-UAE alliance carried out at least 335 air raids on Hodeidah province between June 1 and September 30, with civilians frequently bearing the brunt.

At least 15 people were killed in September when raids hit a highway linking the city of Hodeidah with the capital, Sanaa.

The Saudi-UAE military alliance has acknowledged mistakes in its air operations but has mostly defended its record.

It has denied deliberately targeting civilians but the kingdoms narrative over its actions in Yemen has faced mounting criticism following the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist.

Earlier this week, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), an independent watchdog, said around 56,000 Yemenis had been killed in violence, a death toll five times higher reported by the UN.
Call by prosecution office before trial is followed by the state attorney asking for shorter sentences.

Spanish prosecutors have called for former Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras to be imprisoned for 25 years on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds, the highest prison term being sought for separatist leaders who pushed for the regions independence last year.

In a statement in advance of an upcoming Supreme Court trial, the prosecution service on Friday said it was seeking fines or imprisonment for 22 politicians, activists and civil servants accused of organising the move to break away from Spain, including holding a banned referendum.

But in a sign that Spains socialist government disagreed, the attorney generals office later announced it would ask for just 12 years in prison for Junqueras, accusing him of sedition and misuse of public funds rather than the more serious charge of rebellion.

This is not an issue of gestures, its a judicial and technical issue of applying the law, Justice Minister Dolores Delgado told reporters after the cabinets weekly meeting.

Asked whether the government planned to issue a pardon for Catalan leaders once they are sentenced, Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo only said that it would be a measure that the Spanish constitution allows.

Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has lived in exile in Brussels for over a year [Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters]

The sensitive trial is expected to start in early 2019  more than a year after Catalan leaders attempted to break from Spain in October 2017 by staging the referendum despite a court ban and subsequently proclaiming independence.

Spains then conservative government moved swiftly to depose the Catalan executive, dissolve the regional parliament and call snap local elections in December.

Some Catalan leaders such as deposed regional President Carles Puigdemont fled abroad, while others like Junqueras remained and were put into custody pending the trial.

The central government in Madrid changed in June 2018, when current Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez received support from anti-austerity and nationalist parties to depose Mariano Rajoy, whose right-wing Peoples Party had ruled Spain since 2011.

Qim Torra, the current president of the regional Catalan government, on Friday said the Spanish government had missed a golden opportunity to move the conflict over Catalan secessionism from the courts to the realm of politics.

Sanchez had decided not to act, which is the same as being complicit in oppression, Torra said.

Controversial charge

Apart from Junqueras, prosecutors want two influential Catalan civic leaders, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, and former regional Parliamentary Speaker Carme Forcadell imprisoned for 17 years.

In a separate case, they said they were also seeking sentences of four to 11 years jail against former regional police leaders, including Catalonias then Police Chief Josep Lluis Trapero, whom they also accuse of rebellion.

In its statement, the prosecution service said pro-independence leaders planned to use all possible means to achieve secession, including  knowing that the state wouldnt accept this situation  any violence needed to secure this criminal result.

It said separatist leaders had instigated big citizen mobilisations that represented an intimidating force and had also used the regional police force, with its 17,000 agents, which followed their orders.

The charge of rebellion has caused controversy in Spain, not just among those who support Catalan independence but further afield among legal experts.

According to Spanish law, rebellion is rising up in a violent and public manner, to among other things breach, suspend or change the constitution or declare independence for part of the (Spanish) territory.

Military officers behind a 1981 attempted coup in Spain were found guilty of rebellion, for instance.

But many legal experts contest the use of rebellion in the Catalonia case, saying there was no violence during the secession bid, bar that waged by Spanish police on October 1, 2017, as they tried to stop people from voting in the banned referendum.
Antonio Guterres says assembly must meet to resolve constitutional crisis amid accusations of bribery to back new PM.

Colombo, Sri Lanka  The United Nations chief has urged Sri Lankas President Maithripala Sirisena to reconvene parliament and allow legislators decide between the two men claiming to be the South Asian countrys rightful prime minister.

A statement from Antonio Guterres office on Friday said the secretary-general called on Sirisena to revert to parliamentary procedures and allow the parliament to vote as soon as possible during a phone conversation a day earlier.

The appeal came as Sri Lankas week-long political crisis showed no sign of abating, with legislators from Wickremesinghes United National Party (UNP) accusing members of newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksas party of offering them millions of dollars in bribes to switch support.

Sri Lanka has been gripped by constitutional chaos since October 26 when Sirisena fired Wickremesinghe in a shock move and replaced him with Rajapaksa, a former president he had defeated in a 2015 election.

While the president has the authority to appoint the prime minister, he does not have the power to sack the incumbent, legal experts have said, citing constitutional amendments passed three years ago.

The deposed prime minister denounced his sacking as illegal and demanded a vote in parliament to prove his majority.

Sirisena promptly suspended the 225-member House until November 16 in an apparent plan to allow Rajapaksa, who did not appear to have the majority required to remain in the post, to tempt legislators to his side.

In his phone conversation with Sirisena, Guterres also offered the president his help in facilitating talks between the two opposing sides.

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Western countries have yet to recognise Rajapaksas appointment but Sirisena has so far resisted calls from the United States, European Union, United Kingdom and Canada, as well as tens of thousands of protesters in Sri Lankas capital, Colombo, to reconvene parliament.

In a Twitter post, Sirisena said he assured Guterres that Rajapaksas appointment was done in keeping with Sri Lankas constitution.

Defections and bribery allegations

Analysts said Sirisenas suspension of parliament was appearing to pay off.

A sixth legislator from the UNP, which had the support of 106 members prior to the crisis, crossed over to the Sirisena-led United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and took up a cabinet post on Friday afternoon.

A member of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) also defected to Sirisenas side, becoming the first legislator from the coalition of parties representing the Tamil minority to do so.

The UPFA, which insists parliament will remain shut until November 16 despite contradictory statements from political leaders this week, now has the backing of 104 legislators and claims more parliamentarians will switch sides in the coming days.

The defections, however, have led to allegations of bribery.

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Palitha Range Bandara, a UNP member, on Friday alleged a systematic attempt from the opposite camp to buy the support of legislators.

I got many calls. They offered me 500 million in Sri Lankan rupees and when I asked how much that was in dollars they said $2.8m. I have the evidence, he told reporters, pledging to file a criminal complaint at an anti-corruption watchdog.

Namal Rajapaksa, the newly appointed prime ministers son and a member of parliament, said his party was unaware of any such incidents.

Bandaras claim was a serious allegation that must be investigated, he said in a Twitter post.

Earlier in the week, another UNP member also accused China of funding Rajapaksas alleged effort to bribe legislators  a claim Beijing dismissed as groundless and irresponsible.

During his 10-year rule, Rajapaksa moved Sri Lanka closer to China, borrowing millions of dollars to fund a huge infrastructure drive.

No-confidence motion

Meanwhile, frustrated by Sirisenas refusal to lift the suspension of the legislature, politicians, lawyers and human rights activists have urged Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to defy the presidents orders and recall parliament.

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On Friday morning, more than 100 legislators from the UNP, the TNA and the Peoples Liberation Front (JVP) met Jayasuriya, who previously warned of a bloodbath if the crisis dragged on, at the parliament house in Colombo and submitted a petition imploring him to resume sessions.

The UNP said the motion had the backing of 118 legislators and said the figure indicated that Rajapaksa did not have the majority of 113 that is required to remain in the post.

It also said it submitted a no-confidence motion against Rajapaksa on Friday and said the vote will be put on the agenda as soon as parliament reconvenes.

Leaders of the TNA and the JVP, which together command the support of 21 parliamentarians at present, have previously denounced Sirisenas actions as unconstitutional. But it is not clear if members of the two minority parties would back either of the rival leaders in a confidence vote.

Wickremesinghe, meanwhile, remained holed up at the prime ministers official residence in Colombo, ignoring calls from the UPFA to vacate the premises.

Wimal Weerawansa, an aide to Rajapaksa, vowed on Friday to file charges of misusing public property against the deposed leader.

Wickremesinghe cannot hold on till November 16, he told a news conference. We have no intention of making life easy for him.
The UN General Assembly backed a resolution for an end to US embargo on Cuba by 189-2 in a slap to Washington.

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly backed a resolution condemning the US economic embargo on Cuba after rejecting proposed US amendments criticising the communist nation on its human rights record.

Out of the 193-member body, 189 countries voted in favour of the resolution at the 27th annual General Assembly meeting, with only the US and Israel voting against. Moldova and Ukraine did not vote.

The resolutions are unenforceable, but they reflect world opinion and the vote has given Cuba an annual stage for the last 27 years to demonstrate the isolation of the US on the embargo imposed in 1960.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley slammed the UN, saying the body has lost, it has rejected the opportunity to speak on behalf of human rights.

Youre not hurting the United States when you do this, she told those supporting the resolution. Youre literally hurting the Cuban people by telling the regime that their treatment of their people is acceptable.

US has no moral authority to criticise Cuba

In earlier separate votes on the proposed US amendments, Ukraine and Israel were the only countries to join the US in voting yes on all eight measures while 114 countries voted against and 65 abstained.

The proposed amendments expressed serious concern at the lack of freedom of expression and access to information in Cuba and the prohibition on workers right to strike.

US sanctions were imposed in 1960 following the revolution led by Fidel Castro and the nationalisation of properties belonging to US citizens and corporations.

Cubas Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the US embargo a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of the human rights of Cuban men and women and denounced what he called the politicised US amendments.

The embargo is a violation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of international law, he said before the vote.

The government of the United States doesnt have the least moral authority to criticise Cuba or anyone when it comes to human rights, he added.

The decision by the administration of US President Donald Trump to call for a vote on each of the eight amendments represents an escalation of its action last year and reflects worsening US-Cuban relations.

Former Cuban President Raul Castro and then President Barack Obama officially restored relations in July 2016 after 54 years.

But Ambassador Haley and others have sharply criticised Cubas human rights record. In 2017, the US returned to voting against the resolution condemning the American economic embargo after the Obama administration abstained in 2016, a first for the US in 25 years.

Troika of tyranny

Thursdays vote came shortly before Trumps national security adviser John Bolton announced in Florida that the administration is imposing new sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela and soon on Nicaragua, calling the three countries a troika of tyranny.

Speaking at the Freedom Tower in Miami, a building where Cubans fleeing the revolution led by Castro received US government documents in the 1960s and early 1970s, Bolton condemned what he called the destructive forces of oppression, socialism and totalitarianism that he said the three countries represent.

Bolton blamed Cuba for enabling Nicolas Maduros government and he urged the nations of the region to let the Cuban regime know that it will be held responsible for continued oppression in Venezuela.

The United States now looks forward to watching each corner of the triangle fall in Havana, in Caracas, in Managua, he said.

The troika will crumble, the people will triumph and the righteous flame of freedom will burn brightly again in this hemisphere.

According to Bolton, the Department of State has added more than two dozen entities owned or controlled by the Cuban military and intelligence services to a restricted list of entities with which financial transactions by US persons are prohibited.

Bolton said the goal is to prevent money from reaching the Cuban military, security and intelligence services.
Wickremesinghe: Sri Lanka democracy under threat

Deposed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tells Al Jazeera that he believes the future of Sri Lankas democracy is at stake in the nations ongoing constitutional crisis.
On January 27, 2017, U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres delivered remarks at the International Day of Commemoration at the U.N. in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The world, he said, has a duty to remember that the Holocaust was a systematic attempt to eliminate the Jewish people and so many others. He warned that anti-Semitism was alive and kicking, that irrationality and intolerance are back.

Nothing could better illustrate the warning of Guterres than the murder by the 46-year-old Robert Bowers of eleven Jews and injury of seven others at the Tree of Life, or L'Simcha, synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa., on October 27, 2018 during Shabbat services. It is probably the deadliest such incident in U.S. history. Its significance is crucial and vital. As Jeffrey Myers, rabbi of the Tree of Life, remarked in view of heated political differences in U.S. politics, hate does not know religion, race, creed, political party. It is pure evil.

In spite of those political differences, the message could not have been clearer. The brutal murderer Bowers proclaimed, "All Jews must die." Jews, he alleged, are committing "genocide to my people. I just want to kill Jews." The brutal murder of middle-aged and elderly pillars of the Jewish community in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh was an echo of the tragedies of the past suffered by Jews, the culmination of millennia of hatred and discrimination.

It should be clear. One can understand the existing strong political differences on a number of issues between President Donald Trump and opponents. But the massacre had nothing to do with so-called political rhetoric by President Trump that has supposedly fueled the increasing anti-Semitism in the U.S., as in many parts of Western Europe. Indeed, it was a national disgrace that the simple ceremony by Trump, paying respects and offering condolences to the victims, the placing according to Jewish ritual of a small stone on the memorials to the eleven victims by the President and his entourage, was not honored as such and that he was regarded by political opponents as not welcome. Many of those opponents of the president disgraced themselves by signing an open letter, up to 70,000, denouncing his supposed policy of "white nationalism."

Shamefully, the New York Times on October 31, 2018 gave equal prominence to the "solemn marches of protest" as to the honoring of the dead Jews. The paper emphasized not the carnage, but the visit of Trump, which "laid bare the nation's deep divisions." As Adam Schiff, the indefatigable searcher for Russian collusion in 2016, remarked, with no apparent relation to Pittsburgh, "the president's modus operandi is to divide us." He appeared to be less dismayed about the victims than about the political dimensions of the event.

The opponents and disrupters of the event should have remembered a number of pertinent things. Anti-Semitism has a long history in the U.S. and is still present. Peter Stuyvesant, governor of New York, New Amsterdam, 1647-64, tried to block Jews from entering the city, stopped a synagogue, prevented Jews from joining the local militia, confiscated Jewish property, and imposed a special tax on Jews. In December 1862, General Ulysses Grant issued Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. It was revoked by President Lincoln in January 1863.

The list of American anti-Semites over the last century or so is considerable and ugly: Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, Charles Coughlin, Joseph Kennedy, General George Patton, Louis Farrakhan, Mel Gibson, John Galliano, Roald Dahl, and the list of Holocaust-deniers and advocates of hate crimes. The current trial at Harvard is a reminder of the 1920s, when the university imposed a quota on Jewish admission. Present figures show that anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. in 2017, rose 57% from 2016.

Anti-Semitism is well organized. A significant number of anti-Semitic messages on Twitter, 30%, come from automated accounts, bots.

Jeffrey Myers was in the synagogue when the murders took place, had a phone, and called 911 to get police help. What is relevant here is that carrying a phone in synagogue is unusual, but he was advised to do so in August 2018 by a security adviser. There was no relation to current political discourse.

Pittsburgh now is in the general context of murders of Jews: Hyper Cacher, Copenhagen, Toulouse, and the Jewish Museum in Brussels, and in the ongoing anti-Semitism among the members of the British Labor Party and the continuing refusal, unwillingness, or inability by the party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to address the issue in forthright fashion. What is interesting here is that according to a Populus poll, 38% believe that Corbyn is anti-Semitic. The poll was carried out when the issue of anti-Semitism in the Labor Party was no longer being reported in the press.

A third issue is the impact of hatred and ensuing violence in the world. The prevalence of anti-Semitic myths and tropes has consequences. Jews may be hesitant to participate in Jewish traditional gatherings or participate in public sphere as Jews. Jewish organizations may be spending heavy security costs, leaving less for cultural and educational activities. In all, they may be obliged to lead a less full communal and individual Jewish life.

Political liberals in the U.S. currently hold nearly all cultural power positions, in universities, art institutions, musical events, and the media. As the elite, they should make clear the real meaning of Pittsburgh. Anti-Semitism is here in the U.S. and must be ended, whatever the existing political differences on other issues.

There should be no room for anti-Semitism and murder of Jews in the 21st century. All political forces should be on the frontline in the battle against this evil, rather than bypassing it as a simple derivative of other more important issues.
In July 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed by Iran and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. A large majority of Iranians living in Iran and in the diaspora embraced this agreement for two major reasons. One, having been the first direct high-level diplomatic contact between Iran and the United States since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, JCOPA insinuated the prospect of further diplomatic reconciliation between the two countries. Two, the agreement was presumed to bring about economic prosperity that would ultimately trickle down to the Iranian people. Neither expectation materialized. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ali Khamenei, asserted that this agreement was the limit to which the regime will go in terms of direct negotiations with the United States. This effectively eliminated any possibility for future diplomacy between the two countries. Moreover, the assets that were unfrozen as a result of the agreement were quickly channeled to finance Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) regional hegemonic adventures and various business enterprises. Millions more were given to terrorist factions such and Hezballah and Hamas, or spent on IRGCs proxy wars in Syria and Yemen, and supported IRGCs ballistic missile program.

The signing of this agreement was a triumph for the Iranian regimes so-called "reformists" (or moderates) who at the time enjoyed the presidency of one of their own, Hassan Rouhani. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was cheered as he arrived in Tehran from Vienna, where the JCPOA was signed. For weeks, reformist newspapers boasted this victory on their front pages. Soon however, the agreement was proven financially meaningless to the Iranian people. As wars in Syria and Yemen intensified, the Iranian society continued to suffer economically and social gaps widened. Abysmal economic and sociopolitical conditions eventually culminated in widespread protests in December of 2017. One of the earliest iconoclastic slogans bellowed by the protesters was Principalist! Reformist! The saga is over. This was the first public pronouncement by the Iranian people validating the realization that reforms in Iran had proven futile.

F or years, reformists had put all their efforts into creating a formidable structure that imparted the only hope for Irans transition to a liberal democracy. They had even managed to create networks in the United States in an aim to persuade (or lobby) the Obama White House into accepting their cause as the single pathway to democracy in Iran, and their faction as the sole contingent the Obama administration could negotiate and come to terms with. Still haunted by the controversy of his lackadaisical posture to mass protests in 2009, and intent on leaving a legacy prior to concluding his second term in office, Obama succumbed to this scheme. His naive presumption was that dealing with reformists who illusorily portrayed themselves as elected officials was congruent to diplomacy with the regime in its entirety. Yet, Obamas administration failed to realize that the Iranian regime consists of two parallel governances: the reformist camp, and the faction led by Khamenei and the IRGC. The latter, which is considered Irans deep state, has complete dominance over the countrys political affairs. Khameneis ideologically-driven policies pertaining to defense, international relations, and the economy supersede any contract or agreement enacted between Irans government and other countries, and is subject to impromptu modification -- even violation -- by the deep state.

With Trump administrations withdrawal from the JCOPA, reformists sustained an agonizing defeat. In order to stay relevant to the Iranian people and the international community, and maintain a semblance of the JCPOA, reformists felt the need to devise a new strategy. They embarked on a campaign trying to influence public sentiment in the U.S. and within the Iranian diaspora. Just recently, Facebook and Twitter dismantled hundreds of accounts tied to an alleged Iranian regime propaganda operation. These campaigns promoted the JCOPA and disseminated disinformation, as well as attacking President Trump and fostering anti-Israel and anti-Saudi themes. Deeply infiltrated by reformist elements, Persian-language media platforms in Europe and the U.S. published cherry-picked news reports that portrayed the regime and the reformist camp in a more favorable light. Correspondents and anchorpersons working for these networks presented their reports in a fashion that depicted the Iranian regime as a victim of Trump Administrations policies, and expressed the same as personal opinions on their social media accounts. Pundits were selectively invited to discussion forums to ensure a steady flow of praise for the reformists.

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC), the reformist camps mouthpiece and alleged lobby in the U.S., used social media, targeted emails, and other means of communication to sustain a campaign of sabotage against the Trump Administration, conservative legislators, and essentially any opponent of the JCPOA, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. Journalists and self-proclaimed activists subscribing to NIACs mission and ulterior agenda relentlessly published opinion articles in widely-circulating newspapers dismissing the protests and commending the reformists.

Fortunately, the reformists campaign of spreading fake news, character assassination, and social media harassments failed. The Iranian people, both inside and outside Iran, uttered their final words in December. The regime is not amenable to reform. Even if the reformists intentions were sincere, they possess little power to effectuate meaningful sociopolitical change in Iran. Thus, in order to end Irans systematic destruction and reestablish stability in the Middle East, the most rational strategy for the Trump administration is to pursue regime change. To that end, the Trump administration should embrace opposition groups that advocate secular democracy in Iran, specifically dissident organizations not involved in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought this misery upon the Iranian people in the first place. When it comes to dealing with the Iranian regime, the international community and particularly the Unites States must maintain a strong and shrewd posture. Because to think that Irans regime is reformable is to believe one could kill a roaring beast by politely asking it to swallow a bullet, instead of shooting it in the heart.
For more than two and a half centuries, human kind has lived under an irreconcilable dichotomy  the benevolent revolution we call the enlightenment, and the inevitable reactionary counter-revolution that followed it  a dichotomy that has continued to our days.

The enlightenment introduced a number of revolutionary concepts that demolished the church dogma that had dominated the Middle Ages. It established reason and empirical knowledge as the source of authority leading to the scientific revolution beginning with Copernicus and the heliocentric theory of the universe. In government, the enlightenment brought about the radical idea of individual liberty with John Lockes call for life, liberty and property. The revolution reached its apotheosis in the late 18th century with the American Constitution and its idea of inalienable rights given to us by our Creator and of a government based on the consent of the governed. All of this was based on the unshakeable belief in progress driven by man and the Judeo-Christian civilizations fundamental belief in the primacy of man over nature.

Yet no sooner did these radical ideas gain wide currency in the West than the reactionary counter-assault materialized. It started with Jean-Jacque Rousseau, considered by many the father of the totalitarian temptation, and his idea of an all powerful state using coercion as means of imposing an imaginable general will. Since then, humanity has struggled to reconcile two ideologies that are fundamentally at odds: one based on the rights of the individual, the other espousing the unlimited power of the state. The latter one found its culmination in the bloody totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century, best expressed in Mussolinis dictum everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state. And it is this veneration of the coercive powers of the state that fundamentally unites Nazism, fascism and communism despite other marginal differences.

The assault in the belief in progress that underpinned the enlightenment continued in the late 18th century with Thomas Malthus reactionary idea of excessive population as a burden to civilization, expressed in our days in the bogus population bomb scares of Paul Ehrlich and the coercive and inhuman one-child policy in China. This assault on reason veered off into the racist eugenics theories of the first half of the 20th century and ultimately found its highest expression in the cult of nature over homo sapiens on which all modern green ideology is based. First expressed in 1913 in a proto-Nazi manifesto by notorious anti-Semite, Ludwig Klage, called Man and Earth, this has remained the central belief system of the pioneer German Green Party since its founding in 1980 and all the green movements that were to follow since. Indeed, in 1980, the Green Party reissued Man and Nature without any reference to its reactionary authorship.

But it would be a mistake to consider this cult of nature an innocent manifestation of the earning to restore natures presumed paradise lost. Its most consequential current incarnation  global warming -- is a barely disguised assault on capitalism. It is for many, the last and best chance of the Left to do away with the hated free enterprise system. Why this is so is not difficult to understand. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the American socialist, Robert Heilbronner, admitted that the capitalist system had proven economically superior to the socialist model, but urged his co-religionists -- for this is what they really are -- not to despair. It was still possible to achieve socialist goals, he argued, by using the ecological movement. And so they have.

With its bogus claims of ever greater triumphs of renewable energy, government mandates and exorbitant subsidies, the global warming scam closely resembles Stalinist Lysenkoism and the erstwhile Soviet propaganda of the glorious achievements of socialism.

Unfortunately, reality tends to wreak havoc with the fantasies of socialist charlatans and so it has with renewable energy, the putative solution to global warming.

There are at least three problems with renewable energy (wind and solar), which are not surmountable. First, it is intermittent i.e. not reliable, because there are times when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine. In fact, the Germans have invented a word for it, they call it Dunkelflaute (dark doldrums). This means that there must be a base, non-renewable, grid load maintained at all times. This is hugely expensive, apart from making a mockery of the whole concept of 100% renewable energy.

Secondly, renewable energy depends on government subsidies and is not feasible without them. As Warren Buffet has put it succinctly, the only reason to invest in renewable projects are government subsidies. The subsidies, of course, are paid by electricity users which makes rates skyrocket. In Germany, the self-anointed world leader of renewable energy, a kilowatt hour (kWh) now costs 30 euro cents, more than twice the average for Europe. In order to maintain the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries, Germany makes the ratepayers subsidize industry, which is socialism pure and simple. In California, current rates are $0.18 cents per kWh, which is at least 40% higher than the rest of the country and ultimately will lead to deindustrialization. California no longer produces any microchips, nor are there many data centers left in the state, despite the fact that all of the high-tech behemoths are headquartered here. The green charlatans running that state wont tell you that, but it does not make it any less of a reality.

Third, the efficiency of solar and wind tech, despite being heavily subsidized, is rapidly approaching the limits of physics, which means that there are no great efficiency improvements to be expected, as expert Mark Mills has eloquently argued. Current wind turbines capture 40% of the energy of the wind, while the maximum possible according to the law of physics (Betz Limit) is 60%. Similarly, modern solar cells, says Mills, capture 26% of the suns energy, while the physical limit of conversion (Shockley-Gueisser limit) is 33%. Compare this to American natural gas production, which, according to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), has 500% gap between todays productivity and what is possible.

The renewable energy emperor has no clothes and it wont be long before everyone can see it.

Photo credit: Pixabay

Alex Alexiev is chairman of the Center for Balkan and Black Sea Studies (cbbss.org). He could be reached at alexievalex4@gmail.com.
The Public Education nomenklatura boost their credibility by inventing for themselves a glorious pedigree implying that public schools (P.S.) have been around forever. They also claim that going to school longer will boost a young person's lifetime income.

Wrong on both counts.

New York State, liberal and wealthy, passed its first P.S. law in 1874. Michigan, where I live, passed its first P.S. law in 1871. It wasn't fully implemented until 1900.



I photographed this plaque at Fayette State Park on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The statement that those who get more schooling will be happier or earn more is based on selection bias. People who graduate from high school are smarter than, have better family support systems than, have more money than, and are more ambitious than dropouts. The same goes for college grads when compared to those who only finish high school. The smarter, moneyed, family-supported and ambitious kids will do better irrespective of whether they go to school or not.

Public schools and factories were developed at about the same time. The pattern adopted was that of an assembly line with parts  or, in the case of schools, subjects, being bolted on as the child moves on an assembly line, stations one, two, grades three, four. There is no recognition of differences of personalities or of the individual needs of the students. The lack of respect for privacy, the kids' expectations of being told what to do, the regimenting and promotions based on politics rather than merit, destroys whatever joy children gain from learning and self-improvement. Coursework is unrelated to adult needs or to lifetime work. The public schools don't work very well, are expensive, and can do profound damage. What to do?

Let's look at other school models. Take the Amish, who attend one-room schoolhouses through seventh grade and then, at age thirteen, are treated like working adults who need to find their role in life. During "rumspringa," they can experience "Englisher" lifestyles and are free to make mistakes. Eighty-five percent remain in the religion, marry, have an average of seven kids, and run remarkably successful small businesses. I regard the Amish as well educated.

In Germany's schooling, ten-year-olds have to decide the level of schooling they will undertake at the end of fourth grade, selecting from any of five kinds of training available. Some will become vaunted German engineers  the less zealous, skilled craftsmen. The system works.

Homeschooling isn't schooling at all. Soon enough, the formal curriculum is adhered to only superficially. Questions occur to the young scholars, and they seek answers. Homeschoolers learn answers to questions they actually have, and that is the essence of the education an adult needs. By the time these kids become adolescent, they wander around their towns, talking to experts or doing original research. Many start businesses; others win national spelling and geography contests or are welcomed eagerly at Ivy League schools.

I'm going to promote two examples from here in Michigan. Thomas Alva Edison grew up in Port Huron, where he went to school for a few months. His mother encouraged his learning, and he read scientific books voraciously. He began as a businessman, sold food on a train, got into telegraphy, started and ran four newspapers  all this before age 19, when he sold up and moved to Louisville, Ky. There he worked for the Associated Press, did more experiments, and patented an early electric vote-recorder at age 22. The rest is history.

My favorite student-individualist has been termed Michigan's Radioactive Boy Scout. Reading the 1998 Harper article first got me thinking about adolescence as a time of hormone-induced hyperactivity. His real name was David Hahn. Born in 1976, he lived with his mother in Clinton Township outside Detroit. He acted normal until age ten, when he got a book on chemical experiments. By fourteen, David had fabricated nitroglycerine and at fifteen, believing that one day we'd run out of oil, he pursued and earned a Boy Scout atomic energy merit badge. David got himself a Geiger counter, happened to find a bottle of radium in an antique clock, hoodwinked scientific supply houses into sending him unpronounceable chemicals, worked odd jobs to support his obsession, did poorly in school, retreated to a shed in his mother's yard, and built himself a breeder nuclear reactor, all before he was eighteen. He realized that he was being radiated, and he and his mother flushed much of the material down the toilet. His experiments came to the attention of the law, but he was not charged with any crimes. The backyard was cleaned up by the EPA as a Superfund site.

I used the Wikipedia article to follow up on this Michigander. His later life was not a happy one, but that does not deter from his fame for doing the unconventional at an early age. Hahn continued to try to get into nuclear engineering. He did poorly when he tried college; served in the Navy and later in the Marine Corps; developed mental illness; took to theft; and, tragically, died of alcohol poisoning two years ago at age 39.

My point in citing the Amish, homeschoolers, Edison, and Hahn is that youthful energy, that burst of sex hormones that causes all the physical and emotional changes with which we are familiar, also leads to the oblivion to danger that we value when we send young men into combat and, the tirelessness when our teenager does an all-nighter  and, occasionally, rises to levels of achievement beyond anything the P.S. could possibly plan. Adolescents face adult responsibility and advance relentlessly toward the challenge.

Our factory-model schools blithely obliterate this explosion of self-awareness, of boundless ambition, and of the student's growing ability to fulfill his potential, which is to achieve what he is passionate about within his range of options.

These effects are most marked in young men. Teachers regard this assertion of self and of ambition as aggression that will disrupt the bland and mind-numbing drills they conduct in their classes. They prefer the more docile female students. School policy lately has tried to feminize the men to make them conform. The result is that students' zeal is deflected from attempts at possibly heroic accomplishments. They are instead yoked to the mediocrity and sameness of high school and college life from which they will be, in due course, excreted. Many students leave schools apathetic toward learning. Others fall for the fallacy that getting a diploma entitles them to a fulfilling job working for the Man.

The dynamism of our youth is being wasted in factory model schools. I propose that we recognize adolescent hormones as a powerful force for good and let it loose to drive students to seek their own individual happiness. Allowing adolescents to become responsible for their own individual future is understood in other educational models, and it works.

Erwin Haas was a flight surgeon in Vietnam, a Kentwood city commissioner, and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Michigan State. He is running as a Libertarian for Michigan's 26th state Senate district. He blogs here.
What has to happen for Latin American leaders to understand that Venezuela is a regional matter and humanitarian crisis?

The latest is that Peru may be done helping Venezuelans, as Sabrina Martin just wrote:

Oscar Perez, president of the NGO Union Venezolana in Peru, will ask the Peruvian government to extend the expiration date for the Temporary Permit to Stay (PTP) and implement a humanitarian visa for vulnerable Venezuelans. In an interview with the PanAm Post, Perez added that the decision of the Vizcarra government not to extend the timeframe for the PTPs term should be of concern to all Venezuelans, adding that it was a surprising decision to close the doors to migration. Oscar Perez, president of the NGO Union Venezolana in Peru, will ask the Peruvian government to extend the expiration date for the Temporary Permit to Stay (PTP) and implement a humanitarian visa for vulnerable Venezuelans. In an interview with the PanAm Post, Perez added that the decision of the Vizcarra government not to extend the timeframe for the PTPs term should be of concern to all Venezuelans, adding that it was a surprising decision to close the doors to migration.

So Peru is saying "no mas"  no more. I get it. Peru wants Peruvians to have the jobs.

We saw something similar with Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia, the other three countries facing this border issue. In other words, these countries are saying there are limits to "continental generosity."

Nevertheless, the real issue goes unresolved. The problem is the Maduro dictatorship and the mess in Venezuela. We are all watching a sinking ship and people desperately looking for survival.

The latest is a health crisis or something that Venezuelans in Dallas have been telling me about. Then I saw this in the Washington Post:

The economic and social crisis in Venezuela is increasingly spilling over its borders, with disease becoming the newest symbol of the disaster. Venezuela's health-care system has virtually broken down, allowing once-eradicated illnesses such as measles and diphtheria to reemerge in a population facing acute shortages of food and medicine. Now, a historic outflow of migrants is helping spread infections to other countries. "Venezuela's crisis has become our own," Manaus Mayor Arthur Virgilio Neto said.

So true. "Tu problema es mi problema"  your problem is my problem.

Again, the problem lives in Caracas, and his name is Maduro. When are Latin American leaders going to call for change in Venezuela?

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Karma finally has caught up with Bill Clinton, more than a quarter-century after he and his wife Hillary joyfully celebrated his election victory in 1992, at the Old State House of Arkansas in Little Rock. Now Arkansas Democrats  even his defenders  are shunning his help in the electoral quests for victory. Lisa Lerer reports in the New York Times:

When a Republican state legislator in Arkansas pushed last year to rename the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Clarke Tucker stood up for the former president. "The argument was that the people of Arkansas don't support the Clintons," said Mr. Tucker, a Democratic member of the state House of Representatives. "My thought at the time was, well, the people of Arkansas voted for Clinton eight times."



Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end...

But now, as the Democratic nominee in the tightest congressional race in this state, Mr. Tucker is happy for the former president and his wife to remain a plane ride away. Mr. Clinton, who was governor and attorney general of Arkansas, was once a near-ubiquitous presence helping Democrats in tough races back home, but the former president hasn't been asked to appear on the trail for Mr. Tucker. There are no plans for him to do so. Or, for that matter, appear publicly with any Democrat running in the midterm elections. ... As Democrats search for their identity in the Trump era, one aspect has become strikingly clear: Mr. Clinton is not part of it. Just days before the midterm elections, Mr. Clinton finds himself in a kind of political purgatory, unable to overcome past personal and policy choices now considered anathema within the rising liberal wing of his party. The former president, once such a popular political draw that he was nicknamed his party's "explainer-in-chief," has only appeared at a handful of private fund-raisers to benefit midterm candidates, according to people close to him. He added one more last week, headlining a Wednesday evening fund-raiser in New York City last week to benefit the campaign of Mike Espy, Mr. Clinton's former agriculture secretary who is running for Senate in Mississippi. Mr. Espy's campaign declined to comment on the event. The hard turn to the left by Dems has left Clinton's "triangulation" approach in the dust, and his record of sexual predation on less powerful women has caught up to him. [And] Hillary's corrupt capture of the Democrats' nomination in 2016 has left a lot of sore feelings toward the couple, made worse by the ignominious loss that Dems were assured was impossible.

Face it: even though Hillary continues to tease a possible run on 2020, the Clintons are toast.

First order of business next year in the Arkansas State Legislature is renaming Little Rock Airport. It may not pass until there is an actual indictment of one or the other of the Clintons, but making it a regular feature of Arkansas politics can't hurt.

Next in line: Barack Obama, whose presidency produced much worse real results economically and diplomatically than Clinton's. If 26 years is what is required, that would date his pariah-hood as starting around 2036  that is, assuming that the mullahs are not overthrown and their archives thrown open, in which case disgrace might come earlier.
Okay, America, time to party in the streets, for Elon Musk, the $5-billion government man, has made a profit! Cue the confetti and pop the champagne.

Tesla just reported positive earnings in the third quarter, reversing a seven-time losing streak.

So is a celebration in order? Of course! Elon Musk  the genius himself  has referred to this last quarter as "truly historic." Rightfully so.

The last time Tesla reported a profitable quarter was in 2016, and this marks just the third time in history that Tesla has made money.

Given its rarity, why wouldn't we celebrate this milestone feat for Musk's electric car company and his daydream of the magical wonders that the next infusion of $5 billion in government support to good old Elon may bring to the table?

So what's next  SpaceX? Will Musk's aerospace company that is nearly entirely reliant on the government for contracts become more profitable as well?

A Wall Street Journal report suggests that the company, which is prone to accidents and explosions, hasn't made much, with operating profits potentially as low as 0.2 percent just years ago. The Motley Fool summed it up best: "[c]urrently, all indications suggest that SpaceX is not profitable, but losing money."

But hey, if Tesla just made some money, maybe SpaceX will do better, too.

Maybe the subsidy-receiving Falcon Heavy, which the government seems to have little use for, will magically find a substantial purpose.

Maybe the BFR, Musk's other rocket created with government help, will put something else on its agenda aside from sending a Japanese billionaire on a joyride around the Moon.

Let's not get so caught up in countless possibilities of improvement Musk might make next with SpaceX. Now that it just made money, the sky is the limit with Tesla, too.

At this rate, perhaps the days of Musk missing production target after production target will come to a halt. Perhaps the company will find a way to use its government support to craft affordable vehicles for the average consumer rather than ones only for the financially blessed  really blessed!

Perhaps SolarCity, which merged with Tesla last year in an ostensible attempt to save it from financial ruin, will become a net asset rather than a net liability for the electric car company.

Perhaps pigs will fly, too.

No matter what the future has in store, Musk and his pals in the mainstream media are right: this sure is a magical moment, and we should all feel honored to have witnessed it.

If we keep Elon's subsidy wheel flowing, we can celebrate again soon! Save some of that champagne and confetti!

Even if it takes another two years, it will sure be worth it. Right?

Who's up for more magical thinking and magical math?

Tron Simpson is host of the nationally recognized Tron Simpson Show, heard on KVOR 740 AM in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Find out more at www.tronshow.com.
After going to great pains to assure his media allies that his unconventional Netflix deal was all about inspiring and telling uplifting stories, former president Obama got down to business with what he really had in mind: Getting Trump.

Apparently, that's what passes for "uplifting" for the embittered ex-president. When he said "uplifting," he meant uplifting himself.

Here's what the New York Times is reporting:

Former President Barack Obama's production company has bought the rights to the Michael Lewis book "The Fifth Risk," its first known acquisition since it signed a deal with Netflix in May. Lewis made the announcement on a Katie Couric podcast episode that aired on Thursday. Deadline reported the acquisition earlier this week. "The Fifth Risk" tracks the messy transition from the Obama administration to the one headed by President Trump, as inexperienced appointees take over important bureaucratic jobs. In particular, the book examines what Lewis says was the bungling of day-to-day operations at the Agriculture, Commerce and Energy departments.

This is amazing, when you think about it. Not only has Obama broken the established and sweetly first-world democratic custom of previous presidents not criticizing their successors, but he's out there making movies about it, with his first project a movie about how bad his successor is, all as a means of showing how great he was by contrast. Is there a better way of drawing sympathy for President Trump than this sort of stunt? Don't think so.

Don't say there wasn't a heaping helping of deception in getting to this sorry place.

Less than a year ago, when the trial balloons were being floated out there about the deal, Obama was promising this:

Mr. Obama does not intend to use his Netflix shows to directly respond to President Trump or conservative critics, according to people familiar with discussions about the programming. They said the Obamas had talked about producing shows that highlight inspirational stories.

Then, after he pocked the big-bucks deal, we got this...

Netflix said in a statement that the Obamas would "produce a diverse mix of content  including docu-series, documentaries and features" under their imprint, Higher Ground Productions. "Michelle and I are so excited to partner with Netflix  we hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world," the former president said in the Netflix statement.

...and this:

Obama explained that the Netflix deal was going to be focused on telling people's stories. He said he hopes these stories will help people see and better understand one another and ultimately help us move past the divisive political discourse that has mired Washington for so long.

So much for that claptrap. Promote greater empathy and understanding between people? Moving past "divisive political discourse"? To heck with that. Getting Trump is more like it. It's always all about politics with these people; it's all they know. Why did they even try to fake it? Do they lie just because they like to lie? Or did some cronyism that affects shareholders in the big-bucks deal prompt the disposable kumbaya crap?

As I wrote here last March, very skeptical of the New York Times claim that Obama wanted to "inspire" with his film deal:

Apparently, it wasn't enough to take taxpayer funds (and some were taken) to build a monument to himself in his non-library presidential library to loom big over the south side of Chicago, expropriating a historic Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park for this purpose. He needs to be on television all the time, the better to keep stirring the pot as President Trump sweeps out all of his bad executive orders, high taxes, massive regulations, vast expansions of the bureaucracy, bows to dictators, and nightmare of Obamacare. And while undoubtedly making millions (at what point has he made enough?), he wants to build an electronic monument to himself, in the same pharaonic tradition. And like a dictator, he seeks to control history. You can bet there won't be any self-criticism in this Netflix series; it will be about how great he was. As Obama's minions themselves tell it to the Times, it will be about "narratives." And "inspirational stories," he says. This is nonsense  think of all the astroturf "inspirational stories" he laid out during his administration. What were they done for? To sell horrors like Obamacare to the public and make them think something good was in store. That was all, and we expect that these new inspirational stories will be to sell other socialist programs, as well as do their darnedest to attack President Trump. We know that's going to happen.

He's amazingly predictable, isn't he?

Image credit: Global Panorama, via Flickr, after logo, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Readers of AT are likely to have seen the many, many clips of deranged leftists who spew their anti-Trump venom 24-7 on CNN and MSNBC. No reason to name them all  they all say exactly the same things. Each one of them morphs seamlessly into the next one.

It is hard to imagine the level of their rhetoric being worse than it was throughout the 2016 campaign, but it is. They have gone off the rails, out of their minds. While the published polls show most races in the midterms as very, very close, they may suspect that they are going to lose badly. So bedeviled by Trump's success in all aspects of the government except illegal immigration, thanks to the Democrats and RINO republicans, they are melting down like the Wicked Witch of the West.

The left's accusations have ramped up beyond calling Trump Hitler, Stalin, tyrant, dictator, etc. They call him racist a thousand times a day, even though the man has never said or done a racist thing in his life. You can Google him with Rosa Parks and countless other African-American leaders with whom he has had long and close relationships. These people who are pontificating all day long about Trump's "racism" are idiots spewing talking points with which they've been up-armored in order to turn Americans against the man.

It's not working. The more they spout their groundless allegations of racism, homophobia, etc., the more they alienate the Americans who are gladly aware, day after day, of how much Trump has accomplished in just under two years. Their lives are better. The formerly jobless have jobs. The tax cuts have let workers keep more of the money they earn.

Trump's detractors are embarrassing themselves, and most Americans are paying no attention to them. These talking heads of the left have rendered themselves irrelevant. So invested in destroying the president, they've lost their minds and any sense of journalistic ethics they might once have had.

There are only four days left before the midterm elections, and the bad behavior of the left media has escalated: fake mailers, fake threats (if you're a hunter, don't vote), etc. There is no end, no low too low, for the Democrats; they mean to win by any means necessary. Will all their dirty tricks (false allegations against Kavanaugh as a last-ditch effort to derail his nomination, find a dupe to charge with fake mail bombs) help them win on November 6? Let us hope to God that Americans are not that gullible. Let us pray they realize that the left today hopes for Trump's failure. His successes are killing them. They are horrified by every economic triumph. These wins make them angrier and more desperate.

We now know one thing for certain: The left does not care one bit about the daily lives or the prosperity of the 300-plus million American citizens who actually work for their livings, who are happy but not wealthy, who love their families and their country. So desperate now, they are encouraging, fomenting the invasion of thousands of migrants from Central America. This invasion has been organized, choreographed, and funded by leftists, here, there, and everywhere, including the ubiquitous George Soros, whose mission it has been for decades to destroy capitalism.

It was not so long ago that these same Democrats opposed exactly what they are promoting now  Clinton, Harry Reid, Feinstein, all of them. Desperate now, they've changed their tune in order to create a permanent underclass and guaranteed votes. These people, our leftists, are loathsome, and they are anti-American.

Those of us who are horrified by what the American left has become are terrified by the possibility that the Democrats retake the House. They have made clear their plans for the destruction of Trump, the economy, and the country; they want revenge for his electoral victory.

Oleaginous Adam Schiff is still stuck on stupid regarding the claim that Trump colluded with Russia. Maxine Waters, the most corrupt and moronic member of the House, is planning all manner of Trump harassment once head of the Banking and Financial Services Committee. Demented Nancy Pelosi? One can only speculate as to her plans to prevent Trump from governing.

If this possibility does not send voters toward an all Republican ticket, then we are fatally gullible. These Democrats who are salivating at the prospect of wreaking havoc on the Trump administration are enemies of the state. What they plan, if they win, will negatively affect all of our lives. They want to undo the tax cuts and increase taxes on all of us. They want to bring back all the purposefully destructive regulations Obama imposed on businesses across the board that hamstrung the economy. They will make worse the damage already done to our health and medical care by Obamacare. Trump has eased some of that pain; they want to make it painful again. They will again engage with the worst actors on the world stage, as Obama did. They will torment Israel, as Obama did.

Every bit of their campaign promises and slogans is a lie. The left, as demonstrated by all the videos posted by Project Veritas, prove that the Democrats dissemble, lie, and cheat to win, and they are proud of their fakery. They must not prevail, must not win on Tuesday. They mean to ruin America as founded. They mean to turn us into something the Founders meant to preclude: a class-based tyranny of the elite. They mean to control every aspect of our lives, especially how we vote.

Don't fall for their treachery. Let them flounder like the fish out of water they are.
"Open" and "border" are mutually exclusive. You either have a border or you don't. If a border is open, it doesn't exist.

"No border!" is what the left is really shrieking. They might as well join the Iranian mullahs and chant, "Death to America!"

So let's stop using the term "open borders." As President Trump has said, we have no country if we have no borders.

Indeed.

The left wants to turn this great nation into a land mass and nothing more. There may be an outline on a map that defines the United States of America (at least for now), but that's all it will be. The border around us will be as strong as a pencil outline on a piece of paper.

Perhaps no one sums up the one-world order view better than Dominic Chacon, the field manager in one of Beto O'Rourke's campaign offices, when, in an undercover Project Veritas video released yesterday, he said: "No one is illegal in this world."

What a genius! I'd like to nominate him for Leftist Poster Child of the Year. And there's no need for him to dress up for the photo shoot. I think he's perfect just the way he is  lying on the filthy floor like a toddler.



Screen grab: Project Veritas.

Election Day is around the corner. Vote as if your life depends on it. Because it does.
Currant has just launched a brand new smart plug. Its the WiFi Smart Outlet, which costs around $60. That is substantially more than most other smart plugs on the market right now. But there is a good reason for that. Currant is using artificial intelligence in this smart plug to help save you money on energy costs, and cut down on energy waste. It will use artificial intelligence to identify usage patterns and then suggest changes to how you use what is plugged in, to lower your energy costs. Which is going to result in a lower energy bill. Not to mention, itll be better for the environment.

With the included app, Currant allows users to monitor their energy usage, so you can see what is using energy and how much energy is being used. It will also give you the cost by hour, day, month and year. It does feature Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, so that you can connect to your smartphone and control what is plugged in. Additionally, it supports Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant, so you can control it with your voice. Most people have a lamp plugged into a smart plug like this, so that you can use Alexa to turn off that lamp using your voice. Of course, you can also set up a schedule to have it turn off at a specific time.

Background: Smart plugs have been around for a while, and are an easy way for users to get into the smart home world. That is because they are usually pretty inexpensive, and will work on just about anything that needs to be plugged in. Smart plugs have pretty much always been able to track energy usage (except for the really cheap ones), but the difference here is that Currant is giving you a way to cut down on your usage and save money. Thats something that other smart plugs dont do. Current is also offering up two outlets in one smart plug, instead of needing to buy two for each wall receptacle. So while the $60 for this smart plug may seem like it is double the price of something from Amazon, TP-Link or Wemo, its actually about the same price.

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Impact: While many love smart home products for how easy they are to use, and being able to control everything using your voice or through an app. One of the big things that people love about smart home products is them saving money. Smart thermostats are pretty popular for this feature, as it is able to keep the home the same temperature all day, while outside temperatures may fluctuate. But now that we are starting to see this crop up for other smart home products, its going to mean good things, especially for those that are looking to save some cash on their electric bill. Currant says that Americans spend about $19 billion on energy, that is essentially wasted. And Currant wants to help. Its unclear how long it may take you to make your money back on each smart plug here, but it shouldnt take long, if it works as advertised. You can purchase the new Currant WiFi Smart Plug from Amazon using the link below.
Foldable Android smartphones are set to debut in a big way early next year, one known industry insider from China said this week. Besides Samsung, whose ambitions to launch a bendable handset are a well-documented affair the company itself already confirmed, three more manufacturers will be introducing their own foldable smartphones in the first quarter of the year, the source claims. The announcements will all take place at either Las Vegas-based Consumer Electronics Show in January or the next iteration of Mobile World Congress which will be returning to Barcelona in late February.

No other details on the matter have been given, though LG is already widely expected to be one of the three manufacturers in question. The sole fact that numerous foldable handsets will be announced in the coming weeks doesnt necessarily guarantee any one of them will become available for purchase in the immediate future. As MWC is a more smartphone-focused show than CES, its likely to host more such product debuts than the January trade show.

Background: Besides Samsung, several other phone makers already confirmed their ambitions to launch foldable smartphones in the near future; LG, Huawei, and OPPO are all seeking to do so next year but not all of them may necessarily introduce such products in the first three months of 2019. Huawei is understood to have delayed its bendable handset project on several occasions by now, as did Samsung, though the latter is now expected to be the first company in the world to commercialize a mainstream foldable phone. Huawei almost certainly wont be announcing its foldable device in the first quarter of the year as thats when its seeking to debut the P30 series of Android flagships that it intends to make the sole focus of its first-quarter marketing efforts in the premium segment of the market. Furthermore, the Chinese company already confirmed its first foldable device will also have 5G capabilities, whereas it separately said it isnt planning on debuting a 5G handset prior to mid-2019.

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LG Electronics was sending similar signals up until recently, claiming it isnt pressured to be among the first OEMs to commercialize foldable smartphones and instead wants to deliver some truly meaningful innovations with such a seminal device. However, reliable industry insider Evan Blass recently claimed the South Korean manufacturer will be unveiling its first bendable handset at CES. The device will likely be an early prototype and may not end up hitting the market until the second half of the year. The summer of 2019 is also the approximate launch window of OPPOs first foldable smartphone, though little details about that gadget are currently known.

Manufacturers are presently pursuing two basic design concepts with such handsets  one that seeks to emulate booklets and has already been used (on a rudimentary level) by the ZTE Axon M, and another one thats more akin to an evolution of the flip phone form factor, using a single screen that can be bent in half. The latter philosophy is most notably being used by Samsung whose Galaxy F is expected to resemble a wallet when fully folded. Its drawbacks are twofold; one, such display panels still have questionable durability and no amount of quality-assurance control can replace bringing a product to the masses and seeing how it performs over time.

A low level of wear-and-tear tolerance already delayed the Galaxy F project on at least one occasion, according to previous reports. The second issue comes in the form of low manufacturing yield rates as bendable display panels remain tricky to produce on a large scale. As the worlds largest and most advanced maker of OLED modules, Samsung Display is understood to have somewhat addressed this concern over the last year but its presently unclear whether any one of its rivals is close to doing so itself. Huawei is working on its foldable smartphone project in collaboration with Chinese panel maker BOE and reportedly wants to deliver a device thats akin to a tablet but has the added benefit of being more compact due to its bendable nature. Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh recently said the Seoul-based technology juggernaut wants its first foldable mobile device to be much more than a tablet as it believes it would have a hard time pitching it to consumers otherwise.

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Xiaomi, ZTE, and even Google are currently also exploring bendable handsets but are believed to be much further away from commercializing them than Samsung, Huawei, OPPO, and LG. While most of the worlds major smartphone manufacturers already voiced a high level of optimism about the commercial prospects of such devices, analysts believe consumers wont be quick to embrace them until developers start delivering a massive volume of apps taking advantage of their unique form factors. Another likely deterrent is the price of foldable smartphones as the first generation of those products is expected to venture far beyond the four-digit territory.

Impact: While still widely seen as more of a hi-tech fantasy than a commercially viable product category, foldable form factors are already being positioned as the golden standard for premium smartphones. Even as many issues related to their durability and manufacturing scalability remain, virtually all of the worlds largest handset makers are already committing significant resources toward their commercialization and see them as a feasible growth engine for the next decade and beyond.

None of that means foldable smartphones will be enjoying mainstream popularity anytime soon, especially as the first several generations of those devices will likely have massive price tags attached to them, once again pushing the boundaries of whats considered standard flagship pricing. While a scenario wherein consumers accept prices in the ballpark of $1,500 isnt entirely unfeasible, its more likely that bendable handsets will start gaining traction once technologies enabling the thereof become more affordable, allowing manufacturers to pass some of those production savings on to consumers. How long will it take for such a development to run its course remains to be seen but one thing is certain  following years of research and development, the world will be given its first proper look at foldable smartphones in a matter of weeks.
Googles CEO has been in the spotlight quite a bit in the past couple of weeks, and that is due to a number of protests going on over at Google. The most recent one, was over how the company handled sexual assault cases in the past. With the New York Times having a very detailed expose about what has happened at Google, particularly with Andy Rubin. Rubin resigned from Google back in 2014, but it was actually a forced resignation after a sexual assault case against him was brought up. That wasnt the damning part of the whole thing though. Google decided to give him an exit package of $90 million that was paid out over four years. Which made women at Google upset, and stage a walkout yesterday. Now, there is another major protest going on at Google, revolving their intent on creating a search engine for China. While Googles CEO, Sundar Pichai has been siding with the employees and allowing them to have their voices heard, Pichai did reaffirm that he was the boss and that Google would not be swayed by staff uprisings within the company.

Pichai noted at a conference in New York on Thursday that we dont run the company by referendum. There are many good things about giving employees a voice, out of that we have done well. Pichai also noted that internal dynamics are not as chaotic as might appear to those outside of the company. Pichai is looking to strike a happy medium between giving his more than 50,000 full-time employees a voice, but also not letting the inmates run the asylum, so to speak. Pichai is still going to take staffs points under advisement before he makes any decisions, like a CEO should, but that doesnt mean that his staff is always going to get their way.

Background: With that expose from the New York Times last week, Pichai was forced to apologize, alongside Google co-founder, Larry Page at the companys weekly TGIF meeting in Mountain View. Pichai also noted to his employees that the company was going to support the walkout that happened yesterday around the world. He felt that employees had the right to protest how Google had handled those sexual assault cases, and needed to do better. Since Pichai took over at Google, they have done better, though. Pichai noted that about 48 people were let go due to sexual assault complaints and not a single one (which included a handful of senior executives at the company) received an exit package. So Pichai is making changes at Google, even before this information was made public. Which is a good thing for Google, but theres still change to be made. Google wants a few other things to change at Google, like pay transparency. Now that is likely going to take a while to actually change at Google, and in Silicon Valley as a whole. But it is because women are paid much less than men, for doing the same job, having the same responsibilities and having the same education. This isnt just an issue at Google, but at many companies in the US and around the world.

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The other big issue for Google recently has been around the search engine that it is reportedly building for China. In that country, there are some pretty heavy censorship laws  which is what forced Google to leave the country back in 2010. So the search engine that it is building for China is heavily censored, and a lot of the search results are being copied from other search engines in the country. Thats not a huge surprise, but a number of employees at Google feel that it is unethical to build that type of a search engine for China. Pichai hasnt said that they are going to ditch the idea, but is taking the feedback from his employees under advisement. China is very important to Google. After all, it is the largest country in the world (by population), so it desperately wants to be in that country. Especially since there isnt much room left to grow in the rest of the world now.

Impact: Pichai is still the CEO at Google, and it doesnt look like he is going anywhere, anytime soon. Pichai has made a lot of changes at Google since taking on the roll back in 2015. He has changed the atmosphere at Google, and focused more on revenue streams outside of just search and ads, which is important for Google, as that industry does start to plateau for the company. Google does, of course, still make the majority of its money from search and ads. That includes around 90-percent of its revenue from ads alone. That makes it a really big part of the company. Pichai is also changing things behind the scenes, like how it handles sexual assault and harassment. Itll be interesting to see what changes following the walkout yesterday at Google. There were some demands that employees wanted and so far, it doesnt look like Pichai and the upper-management at Google has adhered to them just yet.

Theres a lot of turmoil over at Google, and its something we really dont see too much. So its good to see that Pichai is reaffirming that he is the one running the show there in Mountain View, though that wasnt really up for discussion anyways. As a good leader should, Pichai has taken responsibility for what happened in the past at Google, in regards to Rubin and a few other upper-management employees. He has also pledged to do the right thing and make sure that they are let go, without getting an exit package  which was likely the biggest issue for everyone, that read that New York Times piece. On top of the sexual assault and Chinese search engine, Google has also been taking some heat from the government for killing one of its military contracts with its AI division. But Google reaffirms that it is still working with the government, in other areas. The AI contract with the military was killed because Google felt it was unethical.
Samsung will be scrapping whats widely seen as its worst screen unlocking method with the Galaxy S10 lineup, South Korean ETNews reports, citing industry insiders close to the worlds largest smartphone manufacturer. The Galaxy S10 series is said to do away with the iris scanner found on the last several generations of the product family and go all-in on in-display fingerprint readers, as per the same source. The under-screen sensor will be of the ultrasonic variety, meaning it will be capable of rivaling traditional fingerprint scanners and have the potential to be both faster and more accurate (i.e. secure) than optical readers used by the likes of the Huawei Mate 20 and OnePlus 6T.

The Seoul-based manufacturer is reportedly viewing the new biometric authentication technology as sufficiently advanced to replace both traditional fingerprint readers and Intelligent Scan, its screen-unlocking solution thats been evolving for several years now but is still being criticized by consumers as clumsy. Removing one of the front-facing sensors found on all of its Android flagships since late 2016 will not only allow Samsung to save on some production expenses (i.e. offset the cost of ultrasonic fingerprint readers) but also facilitate the companys continued efforts to continue shrinking the bezels of its handsets in pursuit of a truly bezel-free design. Its still unclear how the company intends to advertise its in-display fingerprint reader but the functionality is likely to get a name of its own given how it should come in the form of an industry-first technology, at least as far as consumer-grade applications are concerned.

Background: Iris scanning has been part of Samsungs Android flagships since the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 launched in late summer of 2016. Over the following two years, the company worked on improving the capabilities of its infrared sensor and even ended up pairing them with facial recognition in order to improve its reliability, though the end result of that effort has still been described as underwhelming by both critics and consumers alike. Consistency and response times remain the two biggest issues of Samsungs Intelligent Scan, with the mechanism itself hence being seen as the worst available method of unlocking the companys Galaxy devices.

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Even as Samsungs screen-unlocking tech improved since its 2016 debut, its still heavily crippled in regards to the type of input it can accept, which likely played a major role in the companys reported decision to scrap it altogether. Even the Intelligent Scan capability of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 lines  which combines facial recognition and iris scanning  requires users to hold their devices almost in perfect parallel to their faces, hence being significantly less convenient than depth-sensing solutions used by the Xiaomi Mi 8 or Apples last two iPhone generations. Seeing how users were already expected to pick up their handsets to unlock them with Intelligent Scan, Samsung presumably decided they might as well do so to interact with the new in-display fingerprint reader instead of awkwardly waiting for the handset to attempt to recognize them.

The new screen-unlocking mechanism will rely on ultrasonic authentication, a technology that has already been available to manufacturers for close to a year but has yet to be commercialized on any scale. Compared to the first generation of in-display readers, ultrasonic modules are both faster and more secure, i.e. have a significantly lower percentage of false positive readings (none in practice). They also do a better job at recognizing wet fingertips, which is something that even traditional sensors struggle with. Qualcomm, the worlds first company to offer an ultrasonic authentication solution to OEMs, already touted the technology as a game-changer and a massive quality-of-life improvement.

The Galaxy S10 line is said to consist of three models, with all of them being expected to feature ultrasonic fingerprint readers. The new report pointing toward the discontinuation of Samsungs mobile iris scanners isnt entirely unexpected as rumors about that move have been floating around the industry since June. Following what Samsung described as soft sales of the Galaxy S9 line, the company is believed to be going all-in with its next series of Android flagships; the handsets are expected to deliver unprecedented screen quality, 7nm chips, triple-camera setups, and even 5G capabilities, though support for next-generation of mobile networks is said to be reserved for the most premium Galaxy S10 Plus model. One of the smaller two devices is also rumored to feature a non-curved screen, marking Samsungs return to flat flagship displays after three whole years.

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Impact: While Samsung pioneered many a mobile technology and has set countless trends in the smartphone industry since the beginning of the century, other manufacturers may not be as quick to embrace ultrasonic fingerprint readers as they were to copy some of its other innovations such as 18.5:9 screens. The South Korean technology giant is still believed to be far ahead in the calibration race and can implement such readers below mobile panels much more efficiently than its rivals can, primarily because its sister company  Samsung Display  is the one making the Super AMOLED modules that will be used in conjunction with fingerprint sensors.

The fact that part of Samsungs reasoning for ditching the iris scanner from the Galaxy S10 has to do with its ongoing ambitions to commercialize a handset with a 100-percent screen-to-body ratio also suggests the upcoming lineup of ultra-premium devices may not have a 3D camera. While the company is understood to have already found a competitor for Apples Face ID in technology developed by Israeli startup Mantis Vision, its dubious whether it would be able to implement it while still delivering a series of devices with larger screen-to-body ratios than what the Galaxy S9 family offered. The main selling point of Mantis Visions tech is said to be its ability to function inside a slim bezel, which would eliminate the need for a display notch. Samsung criticized such cutouts as unbecoming on numerous occasions in the past and isnt expected to commercialize them on any scale in the future. One known industry insider recently even claimed the Galaxy S10 lineup will end display notches, suggesting Samsung managed to achieve some kind of a major design breakthrough which other manufacturers are likely to follow.
A new Daydream-based VR experience called The Right Choice means to show the horrors of living in a war-torn country. The VR experience centers around a family in Syria, thrust headlong into the nightmare that is being a citizen in a war zone. Cast as a member of a family in a city ravaged by war, youre presented with choices to try to guide your family to safety. Some of those choices have better outcomes than others, but none could really be called good, which is an aspect of the experience meant to bring awareness to the fact that war often leaves civilians desolated no matter how they handle themselves. The Daydream-powered experience is best seen in VR, but can be seen without a headset, if you dont have one around. Its worth noting that if you tell the app you have a Daydream headset lying around and have a Cardboard one, or dont have a Daydream controller, you may run into problems. Its available for free in the Play Store right now.

Background: Developed jointly by the International Committee of the Red Cross, creative studio Dont Panic London, and the staff behind Googles Daydream Impact Project, The Right Choice was filmed entirely in Lebanon. The realistic short film gets many of the details of its accurate depiction of the effects of war on civilians from a very direct and knowledgeable source; consultants, friends, and colleagues of the International Committee of the Red Cross who happen to live right in Syria, experiencing the conflict and its effects on everyday life firsthand. These local knowledge sources helped to direct the path of the video from start to finish, including informing the storyline and small details that make the family on show that much more real and relatable to an international audience who may otherwise not have such a direct way to put their minds into the conflict.

Impact: In another example of VR being used for universal good, the target this time is humanitarian efforts. Bringing awareness to global issues is half the battle in many cases; when leaders in rich, faraway countries like the United States begin to notice that their constituents care deeply about the horrors of war far from their own backyards, after all, they begin to act on those issues on the world stage. Syrias case is especially dire, and this film is meant to drum up not just awareness, but empathy. Syria, and other areas under the oppression of urban warfare, see countless casualties each day. They are in constant need of all sorts of aid, from refugee intake and supplies to military assistance. Another factor is that war in one place is an issue everywhere. The bloody unrest in Syria has already had a shocking effect on the worlds economic and international dealings, and its almost certain that pattern will continue. Fostering empathy for victims of war is not the first or only good deed that VR has done recently, not by a long shot, but its certainly one of them more ambitious and less common things that the medium has been used for in recent memory.
Posted on: October 8, 2018 1:48 PM

The global Anglican mission agency Mothers Union has elected Sheran Harper as its new Worldwide President  the first person from outside the British Isles to hold the position. Mrs Harper, from Guyana, part of the Anglican Church in the Province of the West Indies, will represent and lead the 142 year old movements four million members in 84 countries from January next year when she takes over from Lynne Tembey, who steps down in December.

I am delighted to accept the role of Worldwide President for the new triennium, Harper said. I feel very excited and privileged and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our members who voted to make this dream a reality.

Mothers Union is as relevant today as it was 142 years ago as the call to support families globally is now even greater. We are working alongside governments and other organisations in tackling issues which affect families wherever they are. In remote areas, where there is no access to social services, it is often Mothers Union that is leading the way.

Born in the United Kingdom, Harper grew up in Guyana where she studied at the University of the West Indies School of Physical Therapy. She undertook her Clinical Practice at Guys Hospital in London and then worked with the Ministry of Health in Guyana where she opened and managed new physiotherapy departments in hospitals throughout the country and lectured on the rehabilitation therapists programme.

She stopped working in this area 17 years ago to focus on her calling of serving Mothers Union. She has served as a volunteer at all levels from parish, diocese and province and is currently a Worldwide Trustee.

Until recently, she was the worldwide parenting trainer where she rolled out Mothers Union parenting programmes in 23 countries across the globe. Her expertise is often called upon and she has been a spokesperson in her region for Mothers Union on various interfaith, and international panels and forums.

She has been married to Roger Harper for 31 years and the couple have two grown up sons, Richard and Reginald.

Harpers election was announced by Mothers Union Chief Executive, Bev Jullien during a Facebook Live session at 12.15pm GMT today (Monday). In addition to Mrs Harper, Mothers Union members also elected 11 trustees  five from the Provinces within Britain and Ireland; and six from the rest of the world. In addition to the first non-British Worldwide President, the ballots also saw the election of the Mothers Unions first male trustee: Paul Hindle, representing Scotland.

Mothers Union Chief Executive, Bev Jullien, announced the election results on Facebook Live video.

Photo: Mothers Union on Facebook

We are extremely excited with the results, Jullien said. Not only will Sheran bring her global expertise, but we have a Board that is rich in diversity with eight different nationalities and also for the first time includes a man.

The election took place under new constitutional arrangements, overseen by Tembey. Operating around the globe, the Mothers Union is a British registered charity established through a Royal Charter  an ancient legal structure overseen by the Privy Council. The Privy Council, the highest level of the British Government responsible for matters reserved to the Monarch, approved the new constitution when it met in April this year, chaired by Queen Elizabeth.

I thank God for his abundant blessings and his unfailing loving guidance, Tembey said. I pray that the Lord will continue to guide members and leaders everywhere and especially Sheran and the new Worldwide Board as they take up leadership of the Worldwide Mothers Union for the coming three years.

Sheran Harper (right) facilitating Mothers Union Parenting training in Argentina.

Photo: Mothers Union

Under the new constitution, the board has the flexibility to appoint four trustees with specific skills to compliment the experience and expertise of the elected members.

The newly elected and re-elected international trustees are: Roshini Mendis (Sri Lanka), representing Zone A (Korea, Myanmar, North India, South India, Sri Lanka); Kathleen Snow (Canada), representing Zone B (Brazil, Canada, South America, USA, West Indies); Libbie Crossman (Australia), representing Zone C (Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia, Australia,Melanesia, Papua New Guinea); Mary Muchai (Kenya), representing Zone D (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Jerusalem and The Middle East); Thembsie Mchunu (South Africa), representing Zone E (Central Africa, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Southern Africa); and Marie-Pierrette Bezara (Madagascar), representing Zone F (Burundi, Congo, Indian Ocean, Rwanda, West Africa).

The newly elected and re-elected British Isles trustees are: Nikki Sweatman (Canterbury); Catherine Hilton (York); June Butler (All Ireland); Paul Hindle (Scotland); and Jenny Barton (Wales).

Watch the announcement of the election results:
Posted on: November 2, 2018 3:36 PM

Bishops from three Anglican Provinces have called for solidarity from the Anglican Communion as a caravan of migrants makes its way through the region from El Salvador to the US. The plight of the people making the journey has been reported around the world after US President Donald Trump said that he had mobilised the military to prevent them crossing the American border. Bishops from Honduras, in the US-based Episcopal Church; Guatemala and El Salvador in the Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America; and North and South East Mexico, in the La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico, have responded to the situation in a joint letter.

In their letter, they say that, in the name of God, they are using their voice and position in a call of solidarity to the authorities of Central America, Mexico and the USA, United Nations and civil leadership with respect to the caravan of people who are travelling towards the United States in search of opportunities of decent work.

They describe it as a new exodus of a marginalised people, enslaved in their respective countries through a reality of social and moral, neo-liberal economic sin which takes away their lives with injustices and violations of their human rights. They are a people of faith in God, who He has promised to care for and accompany.

President Trump has been vocal in his opposition to the caravan, which has been a hot-topic issue in the US midterm elections. Our military is being mobilized at the Southern Border. Many more troops coming, he Tweeted. We will NOT let these Caravans, which are also made up of some very bad thugs and gang members, into the U.S. Our Border is sacred, must come in legally. TURN AROUND!

And in another Tweet he said: The Caravans are made up of some very tough fighters and people. Fought back hard and viciously against Mexico at Northern Border before breaking through. Mexican soldiers hurt, were unable, or unwilling to stop.

But in their letter, the bishops appealed for more compassion to be shown towards those on the journey. As God always hears the cry of his people, the Churches do the same and we cry out for the weak and most vulnerable, they said. For example, in this new Exodus, many are girls and boys, young people, women and men, victims of death threats, victims of unemployment, victims of irresponsible governments which are indifferent to the needs of their inhabitants.

They say that the movement of people has been a permanent part of history, and that the caravans draw attention to the crisis of migration and the difficulties in their countries of origin.

In this context we remember the forum on migration which was held in San Salvador, which affirmed that these people: are in principal good and many have been victim of death threats, of hard conditions of vulnerable social and economical conditions; others have been victims of violence of either gangs or the agents of state of their countries of origin.

They say that the people in the caravans have nothing except for the gift of life and their hope in their faith in God, and add: For them, in the name of Christ and Saint Romero, we request the solidarity of the authorities of the countries on their route and destination to recognise their dignity and human rights; for a just humanitarian reception; for reasonable opportunities to identify options to legalise their transit and accommodation in the countries of destination, whether that be the US, Mexico or Canada.

They also call for programmes to be created to cater for the needs of migrants and those who request refuge and asylum  with support from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration.

They complete their list with a call for a guarantee for the special protection for children, adolescents and family unity and that the migrants be provided with the basic necessities of food, healthcare safety and security.

And they include a call to the Anglican Communion for solidarity with this tragedy, saying: we urge the unity of Christians to create a culture of hospitality, we call to the governments of the Northern Triangle to work to generate conditions for the development of human life in our countries, but above all we demand the migration is not criminalised because migration is a human right and nobody is illegal within the creation of God. We ask that they try peaceful means with dialogue, mediation and pro-humanitarian principals.

The letter was signed by Archbishop Julio Murray, Primate of Central America and Bishop of Panama, Archbishop Francisco Moreno, Primate of Mexico and Bishop of Northern Mexico, Bishop Lloyd Allen from Honduras; Bishop Juan David Alvarado from El Salvador; Bishop Silvestre Romero from Guatemala; Bishop Benito Juarez from South East Mexico.
Posted on: November 2, 2018 5:04 PM

The historic Agreed Statement between Anglican and Oriental Orthodox theologians on the Procession and Work of the Holy Spirit has been published. The statement was signed last October after lengthy discussions by members of the Anglican Oriental-Orthodox International Commission (AOOIC). It was published at this years meeting of AOOIC, which took place last week in Lebanon. The agreed statement is part of a series of work which has helped to heal the oldest continuing division within Christianity, a schism that goes back centuries. At the core of Agreed Statement is the controversial Filioque clause  appended to the Nicene Creed by the Latin Western tradition causing a schism between the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the western Churches that was inherited by the Anglican tradition. The clause says that the Holy Sprit proceedes from the Son (Jesus) as well as the Father. The Agreed Statement says that Anglicans should omit the clause.

This years meeting took place just weeks after the death of Metropolitan Bishoy, the Oriental Orthodox Co-Chair of the dialogue. Metropolitan Bishoy co-signed the statement at last years meeting alongside the Anglican Co-Chair, the Bishop of St Asaph Gregory Cameron. The published Statement has been dedicated to Metropolitan Bishoy, monk, bishop, theologian, champion of the Orthodox faith and unity of the Church.

At this years meeting, the Coptic Archbishop of London, Archbishop Angaelos, was unanimously elected as the Oriental Orthodox Co-Chair  a move welcomed by the Anglican members.

This years meeting was dominated by work on Authority in the Church with discussions on bishops and synods (councils), and the Ecumenical Councils. It seeks to draw on established ecumenical agreements in the framework of this Commission, and the distinctive characteristics of the two families of Churches, the communique said. The Commission hopes to finalise and make available the fruits of its work on Ecumenical Councils in 2019.

Two bishops of Aleppo abducted in April 2013, Metropolitan Mor Gregorios Youhanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi of the Greek (Rum) Orthodox Church of Antioch, continue to be missing. The Commission remembered the two in their prayers.

Metropolitan Mor Gregorios Youhanna Ibrahim, of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi, of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, were kidnapped in Aleppo in April 2013.

Photo: Archbishop Angaelos / Coptic Orthodox Church (via Twitter).

They heard about the present critical situation of Christians in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria, from Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia.

The Commission was acutely mindful that its meeting took place in Lebanon, itself home to over a million of refugees from war and conflict in the region, the Communique said. The Commission holds before the wider oikumene the costly witness of the Churches in this country, offered in love and service to the dispossessed and the victims of war.

And in an expression of the global nature of Church communions, the communique said that members of AOOIC recognise that it is no longer a question of speaking of the Churches of the East or of the West, as we have become truly global communities.

Moreover, today we experience one another in different regional contexts and share together in Christian witness and civic engagement in a wide range of countries where Anglicans and Oriental Orthodox are living together.
Posted on: November 2, 2018 2:26 PM

The United Nations Environment Programme has formally recognised the Anglican Consultative Council and granted accreditation to the UN Environment Assembly. The move extends the Anglican Communions existing status at the UN. The Communion enjoys Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council  this gives it access to a number of UN bodies, including the Human Rights Council. The UN Environment Programme operated a separate recognition process and this confirmed the new status for the Anglican Communion.

The Anglican Communions permanent representative to the UN, Jack Palmer-White, said that he was delighted by the move, saying: As Anglicans, we are called to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth. With opportunities like this, it becomes easier for Anglican voices to be heard and included in global decision making.

I look forward to working with colleagues around the Anglican Communion to ensure that the real, grassroots experiences of  and responses to  environmental issues are taken seriously at the UN level.

Accreditation to UN Environment grants observer status to the Environment Assembly and its subsidiary bodies and is the main entry point for major groups and stakeholders into policy dialogue at UN Environment, the UN said.

As an accredited observer, the Anglican Communion is now able to participate in regional consultation meetings and to contribute in the preparation of regional civil society statements towards UN Environment and the Assembly. It can also distribute written contributions to unedited working documents as part of the drafting process; and circulate written statements to Governments.

The Anglican Communion has offices at the UN in New York and Geneva. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is a member of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation and recently became the first ever Archbishop of Canterbury to address a meeting of the UN Security Council.
The first three awards for Best Long-Haul Airline, Best Business Class and Best Middle East Airline, were presented to the airline at the global Business Traveller Awards 2018, held in London on 15 October.

This was followed by a further five awards for the Middle East and Africa region from global travel site, Kayak, including Best Airline, Best Boarding, Best Comfort, Best Crew and Best Food.

Finally, the national carrier for the State of Qatar rounded off the month with two further honours. The first, a High Commendation for the Global Excellence Award at the 2018 CJ You Awards, in California, U.S., followed by third place in the Top Airlines  International category in the Conde Nast Travelers 2018 Readers Choice Awards.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: We are delighted to have been presented with 10 awards from such a variety of prestigious titles. These accolades are a reflection of our commitment to providing unparalleled service to our passengers.

As an airline, we constantly strive to provide the best service to our passengers and we are honoured to be recognised through the volume of awards presented to us this year by prestigious industry leaders. We will remain committed to offering our award-winning service and to further enhancing our customers flying experience.

The five awards presented to the airline by travel metasearch website, Kayak, are based on passenger ratings and reviews; the Business Traveller Awards, voted for by the readers of the renowned magazine, are a benchmark of excellence in the aviation industry; whilst the CJ You Awards recognised the airline for its well-executed global strategy for its affiliate program; and the Conde Nast Travelers 2018 Readers Choice Awards were based on the votes of more than 420,000 global travellers.

The 10 accolades received by the national carrier of the State of Qatar in October are the latest in a host of other honours that have recently been bestowed on the airline.

In September, Qatar Airways won three awards  Best Food and Beverage, Best Cabin Service and Best Seat Comfort  for the Middle East region in the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Awards held in Boston, U.S.

Later that month, the airline was named Best Middle Eastern/African Airline at the Business Traveller Asia Pacific Awards held in Hong Kong, as well as Best Inflight Service provider at TTG Travel Awards 2018.

Qatar Airways was also named Worlds Best Business Class, Best Business Class Seat, Best Airline in the Middle East and Worlds Best First Class Airline Lounge in the 2018 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax.
Serving coffee and special long drinks made by the Sotos passionate bartender, the venue welcomes visitors in a daylight-filled space designed by 441 Design Studio in close collaboration with its owners. The studio found inspiration in combining an austere, industrial aesthetic with a touch of Wes Anderson deep blue that embodies the establishments bold and positive attitude towards art. Located in the heart of the Creative Neighborhood frequented by locals and tourists alike, Soto wants to be a place where artists can find support, being more like a cafe-bar-gallery, an unusual mix that can bring people towards art.

Soto is the kind of project where space dictated 60% of the design proposal. Being a wagon type space, the designers had quite a lot of constraints. They kept and restored the terrazzo mosaic floor, a typical feature of Romanian 70s architecture, harmoniously blending together the industrial and the modern minimalist design. This dual aesthetic is further enhanced by the black-painted metallic window frames, the visible electrical wires on the ceiling and the retro round glass wall lamps.

Starting from this material we chose to play more with textures than with colours in a style with industrial influences. Hence the desire to have all the electric cables in sight that is also an easy to implement solution when you are pressed for time.

The owners had the desire to host creative events and curate exhibitions in the venue, designers thought of the possibility of changing the space constantly. This led to the deep blue "shutters" that can be closed or opened, creating a different colour game on the wall and an art display system.

Although the predominant colour palette is neutral, an eclectic selection of contrasting materials and textures was used to further animate the design. Construction metal slate was used for the cafes walls and for the bathroom as well in order to create interesting sculptural patterns.

Undoubtedly, the 441 Design Studios most playful elements can be found in the bathroom that was inspired by a space capsule. The mirror that continues on the ceiling helps to open the space and creates an exciting reflection game.

The venue is completed by the sensibility given by the function of the space and the unusual amalgamation of elements that make its laid back, casual and artistic character.

Design by 441 Design Studio

www.441designstudio.com

Team- Arh Anca Dumitrescu, Arh Octavian Cazacu, Arh Cristiana Moisanu
Cambodia is strategically located in the heart of Southeast Asia. The country is bordered by Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, and has the Gulf of Thailand to its south-west. The country is popular for providing a low-cost manufacturing base for several industries. Among the many advantages that the country offers to investors are duty-free access to some large and developed markets, a stable economy, and several government incentives. Additionally, there are several special economic zones exclusively established to promote manufacturing across the country. In this article, we briefly discuss the chief characteristics of the garment manufacturing industry in Cambodia and the advantages it offers to foreign investors.

Cambodias garment manufacturing industry  a key driver of growth

Cambodias garment manufacturing industry is largely export-oriented and highly integrated into global supply chains.

The European Union (EU) represents the largest market for Cambodian garment exports, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the total manufacturing, followed by the United States ( 30 percent), Canada (9 percent), and Japan (4 percent). Many companies in the country operate as contract manufacturers for major multinational brands such as Adidas, Gap, H&M, Marks & Spencer, and Uniqlo.

In the early 1990s, the Cambodian government took various measures to boost the industrys competitiveness in the international market, which prompted foreign investors to direct their attention to the country. Additionally, the countrys industrial development was supported by the Multi-Fiber Arrangements (MFA) quotas and other preferential trade agreements implemented by developed countries like the US and EU.

Two decades later, the garment industry continues to drive the Cambodian economy through human capital development, employment generation and foreign direct investment (FDI). Currently, the industry employees over 600,000 people, making the sector the biggest employer in the country.

Further, the garment industry accounts for 16 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 80 percent of Cambodias export earnings. In 2016, the total number of garment factories in the country stood at 589 factories.

Cut-make-trim model

Cambodias garment factories are generally based on the principle of cut-make-trim (CMT) model. Under this method of production, the raw material, machinery and the design of the garments are imported from abroad, while the assembly of the product is outsourced to the labor-intensive factories in Cambodia. The CMT implies cutting and sewing of material according to the clothing brands specifications.

The garment industry is essentially dominated by foreign owned firms, mainly from the neighboring countries such as China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Republic of Korea. The association with foreign-owned garments firms or brand names provide Cambodias garments industry an important channel into the garments global value chain.

Low-skilled workforce

The garment industry in Cambodia is essentially based on low-skilled, labor-intensive activities. Cambodia has a significant proportion of its population living below the poverty line with low levels of education. As a result, the country has a large pool of low-cost, and low-skilled workers. The vast majority of workers employed in the garment factories are women with minimum skills. Only a small proportion of the workforce includes higher skilled workers and professionals; these are mostly managers, supervisors, or members of the operations department.

Geographical distribution

Over 60 percent of Cambodias garment factories are located within or in close proximity to the capital city  Phnom Penh. The finished products are transported from the factories in Phnom Penh by train to the seaport of Sihanoukville where the garments are shipped to other countries.

Other key locations of garment factories are Kompong Som, Kompong Speu, Kompong Cham, Kompong Chhnang, Svay Rieng, Takeav and Kandal provinces.

Advantages of Cambodia

Strategic location

Cambodia is strategically located in the center of the east-west corridor of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), providing access to key world markets. This helps businesses take advantage of low-cost manufacturing in Cambodia as well as huge demand for its products in Asia.

Competitive labor force

Labor in Cambodia is cheaper than most regional competitors, except Laos and Myanmar. In 2017, Cambodias monthly minimum wage of workers in its garment industry increased to US$153, a double of the 2012 level. Yet, the countrys monthly minimum wage remains the most competitive when compared to Thailand (US$250) or Vietnam (US$166).

Preferential market access

Cambodia is a member of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA)  a regional economic integration pact wherein Cambodia benefits from the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) agreement that reduces or eliminates tariffs on the manufactured goods traded between the 10 ASEAN member countries. The rapidly integrating ASEAN makes Cambodia an attractive investment destination because of its low-cost manufacturing, large regional markets and easier sourcing of raw material within the ASEAN Economic Community.

Cambodia has also been a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2004; this has increased its trade integration with the US and the EU.

Cambodia benefits from the EUs Everything but Arms Scheme (EBA), which allows low developing countries such as Cambodia duty-free access to the EUs market for all export goods. The EU has however, in October 2018, announced that it has launched the procedures for the withdrawal of Cambodias benefits under EBA over the countrys allegedly poor human rights record. According to the EU, Cambodian exports might lose their duty free access to the EU market unless significant improvements are made on the human rights front. Europen diplomats have indicated that it will take at least one year for a final decision to be made.

Supportive government policies

Some of the many incentives offered by the government of Cambodia include 100 percent foreign equity ownership, tax holidays of up to 9 years, and exemption from import duty on machinery and equipment. In addition to that, Investors can repatriate profit freely and reinvestment of earnings is encouraged with special depreciation allowances.

Conclusion

Over the years, Cambodia has had a steady flow of foreign investment in its garment manufacturing industry demonstrating the many opportunities that the country offers to its foreign investors. Though certain challenges remain while doing business in a developing country like Cambodia  such as infrastructural gaps, and high energy costs  the considerable competitive advantages that the country offers cannot be ignored.

Editors Note: This article was first published on November 8, 2017 and is updated on November 1, 2018, as per latest developments.
A Trip Down Cynical Lane With The Watch Snob

Should You Spend $200 Or $2,000 On That New Timepiece? The Watch Snob Weighs In

A Tough Nut To Crack

I am looking for a travel watch with a world timer function. Looking for one which is slightly casual/sporty with a water resistance of 5 ATM. My budget is 2000 USD, although I can wait it out and push it to 3500 USD as well. I know there arent many options at this price for a mechanical watch, but no harm in asking.

Since I live in India, I am looking for one which displays one of the Indian cities [doesnt have to display a major city in every timezone though]. Its 5 hr 30 mins ahead of GMT. There are watches by Vacheron [Overseas World Time] and De Bethune [DB25], both of which are way out of my budget.

Related: Can't Decide On A New Timepiece? The Watch Snob Has Some Advice

As you have clearly discovered, this is a rather tough nut to crack. Mechanical multi-time zone watches generally content themselves with the ability to show a second time zone, only in full-hour increments and the addition of half-hour or fifteen minute increments requires considerably greater complexity and cost. In your price range I am afraid there are not a great many possibilities  in fact I cant think of a single true Cottier-style world time watch anywhere near that, that also offers the functionality you seek. Given the increasing importance of your illustrious sub-continent for mechanical watchmaking perhaps the dearth of choices in this price range, is something someone will at some point address.

The only partial solution I can suggest is a wristwatch with a hand for a second time zone and  here is the key feature  an inner rotating bezel; the Bremont Alt1-ZT is an example. After resetting to local time upon arrival at your destination, you can use the inner bezel to read off home time to any offset you like.

Of course, if you were willing to accept something in a quartz watch, there are any number of them which will happily show you the time in every time zone there is for about a tenth of your minimum budget or less. Time zones are always an amusing thing to see watch brands struggle with  all it takes is one impulsive decision on the part of an attention-seeking despotic government and lo and behold, we have a new time zone (or a change to an existing one) which renders every attempt to make a comprehensive world time mechanical watch obsolete at a stroke.

Best Buds Birthday On A Budget

I stumbled upon your blog while searching for watches, and I decided to send you a message in hope I'll get an answer for my question.

My friend's birthday is near, and I wanted to offer him a watch. But I absolutely have no knowledge when it comes to watches. So I was hoping you could help me with some suggestions.

From what I could see on your blog, you always opt for big brands. But as I'm a 22 years old who just recently started working, I can't afford anything for more than 200 Euros (maybe a little bit more). My friend has a Casio Edifice and a Lotus (in case this can help more).

I read your query with some amusement. A Casio Edifice and a Lotus  one assumes you mean a Lotus watch but I like to think that you might have meant the flower, or possibly the car. Either would be an interesting juxtaposition with the watch, though perhaps less informative in terms of your chums tastes.

In any case, at $200 and under there are actually a number of interesting choices  nothing with any pretensions to haute horlogerie, you understand, but then you probably dont know what that means anyway (and I urge you, both in the interests of your peace of mind, and purse, to probe no further). From Casio we have of course the legendary, world-renowned timepiece extraordinaire known to all and sundry as the G-Shock, which has the glorious distinction of being the only wristwatch in history to have been tested by being repeatedly thrown out of a fourth floor bathroom window (which is how its inventor tested the prototypes).

Your chum appears to have nothing in their possession that emits that seductive siren song known as ticking and may I commend to you, therefore, the ever-delightful and reliable wristwatch known as the Seiko 5, which has started many an unsuspecting watch enthusiast down the royal road to financial and mental ruin. Generally available online for less than one hundred dollars, and capable of running for many years without any human intervention.

Or you can do as many who love watches have done when trying to decide between two watches, and just buy both  one of the beauties of the Seiko 5 and the G-Shock is that for two hundred dollars, you can do that and still have enough left over for a bottle of something to celebrate.

Is It Hip To Be Square Again?

I honestly find your column entertaining, but I miss your thoughtful cynical answers recently. My wife and I are thinking to buy watch for our daughter who will soon enter into college for communication and also photography. She loves square watches and sometimes happily wears my wife's JLC Revero (small) or Cartier Tank in certain occasions. But she wears none for her daily and let her Citizen Eco Drive Square collecting dust on her table. If we have to find a decent budget friendly square watch to "substitute" for the Reverso or Tank for her daily use what is Snob recommendation? Thank you and we appreciate your recommendation.

Cynicism for its own sake is a mere pose which exists only to inflate the ego of the writer, and to persuade those who prefer stereotypes to thinking that the writer is sincere. It is a plague of discourse on the internet that to be rude by default denotes authenticity, and that to be thoughtful and measured shows at best spinelessness, and at worst, an undisclosed conflict of interest. I have always been, and remain, more than happy to deplore the deplorable but rewarding reader stupidity with attention, and shoddy watchmaking with the same, has over the last few years increasingly seemed to me to merely encourage the very same idiotic and unapologetically unthinking discourse and watch design which we would all be far better off without.

Also, the NOMOS Tetra is a very nice watch indeed and is, in fact square. It is an under appreciated model from the firm, and underexposed; should your daughter abjure the Eco-Drive (which is a perfectly fine watch, by the way) for not being mechanical, the Tetra should fill the bill nicely.

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This is what conditions looked like on CO 82/Independence Pass last night. Crews will keep the safety closure in place on Independence Pass through Sunday night and will reassess on Monday morning. High winds and poor visibility are expected to continue until then.

Be safe out there and for updates on road conditions please visitwww.COTRIP.org and click on the Statewide Alerts tab.
The eviction of Amanda Tucker from her unit at the Aspen Country Inn is now on hold following a judges order to stay all lower court proceedings while Tucker pursues an appeal.
Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
Ashursts former global IT chief resurfaces at magic circle firm

Bruna Pellicci, the former global IT director at Ashurst, is joining Linklaters as its chief technology officer.

She left Ashurst after a decade in technology roles earlier this year and will be starting her new job at Linklaters on Monday 5th November, reporting to global COO Matt Peers.

Her experience prior to joining Ashurst included roles at legacy firms Pennington and Nabarro.
In an effort to streamline processes and provide more effective and efficient services to their clients and lawyers, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has recently unveiled its global Legal Operations function.

The new function will merge HSFs legal project management, pricing, legal process improvement, innovation, and automation teams into a single operations unit, creating a single point of access for clients and lawyers.

The Legal Operations function will be led by Ian Gilbert, director of legal operations, with a global team of 50 people in major hubs in Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, and Sydney.
A New York City lawyer sued over a private censure, only to eventually agree to be publicly censured.

David Evan Schorr was privately censured for secretly recording a court hearing during his divorce, the American Bar Association Journal said. He rejected the private censure, which prompted the New York Attorney Grievance Committee to re-open an investigation into him.

Schorr then sued the committee, alleging officials punished him by reopening the investigation.


(Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com) (Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com)

Visa changes in Australia could see skilled workers sponsored by employers favoured rather than those who seek to arrive and find work on their own, says the nation's new Immigration Minister.David Coleman also indicated in a speech in Sydney that the likelihood of the number of student visas being cut dramatically is small as they and their relatives contribute a large amount to the economy.Speaking at the Migration Institute of Australia's national conference, he said that Australia should be proud of her history of immigration but he confirmed that there will be extensive changes to the regional migration programme.'Every town, every suburb, every sporting club, every church in our nation has immigration success stories. We should celebrate these successes. There is no question that our economy would be weaker, and our living standards lower, if we had not embraced immigration,' he said.He also pointed out that migrants create a lot of businesses, quoting what he described as 'powerful' figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics that in 2016 one in three owner/managers of small businesses were born overseas and that migrant business owners have been estimated to employ more than 1.4 million people across Australia.'By adding workers, migration offsets the impacts of an aging population and helps enable us to pay for the essential services we all need,' he explained, but added that not all elements of the skilled programme are equal.'The best results in the programme come from employer-sponsored applicants. There is an opportunity to increase the focus here, leading to direct and substantial economic benefits,' he explained.He emphasised the advantage of encouraging younger migrants because taxpayers have to cover the cost of those who are closer to retirement age. 'The best economic results generally come from migrants who are skilled and young. Our policies should reflect that fact,' he told the audience.He indicated that the Government is currently not in favour of bowing to demands for cuts to more than 500,000 overseas students now studying in Australia, noting the education sector now earns four times as much export revenue as beef.And it is not just the students themselves that contribute. He pointed out that last year over 230,000 international visitors came to Australia to visit an international student, spending $994 million.Around 56,000 international visitors came to Australia to attend an overseas student graduation in 2014, contributing $208 million to the economy, he added. 'Students support high skill, high wage jobs in the education sector, a big positive for our economy,' he said.On the subject of attracting more people from around the world to move to regional Australia, he indicated that the current Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) scheme will be used more.He has asked officers of the Department of Home Affairs to visit Orana in central northern New South Wales, Cairns in the far north of Queensland and Warrnambool on the Victorian coast to meet with local representatives to accelerate DAMA negotiations.'These agreements are a practical way of addressing skills gaps in regions, and I expect to finalise a number in the coming months. In addition to DAMAs, the Government is closely examining other options to increase the flow of economic immigrants to regional areas,' he added.
Image: Aleksander Markin  CC BY-SA 2.0

The Trouble With Trainers

Interesting, Pauls correlation of lack of trainer sales to the alleged pilot shortage. The lack of interest by producers (or former) of trainers just another indication to me how overblown the pilot shortage is. As far as Cessna building piston powered planes, I agree that I think they want to eventually discontinue production of those. Cessna has made little effort to come up with new piston products other than covering their behinds on product liability issues. Look at where Cessna has put their money in product development. When you go to most FBO chains look at where most piston planes get parked. I dont like it any more than AOPA does but piston aircraft are not as profitable as turbine aircraft and a lot of aviation businesses are going where the money is to survive. Whether this will really generate a pilot shortage is yet to be seen, something that I will not see in my lifetime.

Matthew Wagner

Certified fixed-wing era is over. When reporting 150 units produced per year, its time to face the simple facts, its over. People of all ages want to takeoff and return to their driveway. More and more the rich are buying helicopters to fly them to the airport to catch their chartered jet. Track the cost of helicopter charter prices over the decades. Youll see the price/demand charts at work. All the big money is going into removing the skill from flying. Removing the need to judge altitude and distance to flare for landing. P.S. You forgot one of the other next Cessna 172/177 killer the Tecnam P2010.

Klaus Marx

Historically the biggest market for trainer aircraft has been the USED aircraft market. Its almost impossible for a flight school (or leaseback owner) to make any money with a new aircraft; they cant charge a high enough hourly rate to cover the payments on a new $300-400K aircraft. Due to availability, the most popular and readily available used aircraft for training is therefore the 172. However an emerging market for trainers is airlines that are establishing their own flight training academies. A good example is Lift Academy (of Republic Air) that recently purchased 50 new Diamonds (42 DA40 NG singles and 8 DA42-VI twins, all diesels burning JetA) with options for more. 4-seater DA40s have effectively replaced 2-seat DA20s in many flight schools, since the DA20 isnt IFR-capable. But about 10 years ago when I took a discovery flight thinking I might learn to fly, I forced the reluctant CFI to split the flight so that I could ride in both a 172 and a Diamond DA20. It was no contest; I went on to solo and got my PPL in the DA20. Since then I bought a used DA40, traded up to a new DA2 twin, and now own a DA62 twin. So maybe theres something to the idea that manufacturers still need a trainer in their product line to entice pilots to eventually purchase their more advanced aircraft.

Dave Passmore

This idea of trainer is from the 1930s (its outdated and frankly its ludicrous). An RV-6A is affordable, fun, modern, reliable, economical, low maintenance, strong, AND affordable. Its time we dropped this notion that we need $300,000 trainers because thats living in the past.

Mark Fraser

Tiedown Tales

Good article. To your point about tying down an aircraft during short-term rest stops, I have another reason. A couple years ago, while flying home from Sun n Fun, a friend and I landed at a small airport to refuel and grab something to eat. We parked the planes and went inside for lunch. We had inserted the gust locks, but only set the parking brakes  no reason to tie down for a short lunch stop. What we didnt know was that the airport was a frequent lunch stop for helicopter crews from a nearby military air field. While we were eating, a Cobra helicopter came in to land. As it taxied by our plaes, hoveirng a few feet off the ramp, the downwash from the blades kicked up a lot of wind. Fortunately they were in front of our planes so the wind did not side load our control surfaces and they kept enough distance to prevent excessive turbulence. But, it served as a quick lesson in what can happen, even on a short stop-over.

John McNamee

In the very early 1980s I landed/taxiied-in and tied-down my dads Thorp T-18 at a GA airport in San Diego CA. I was proud, nervous and keyed-up on my first solo X-C in his pride-n-joy.

As I was walking down the long tie-down row, to the FBO office I heard CLEAR PROP and instinctively looked toward the call. It took me ~1-second to throw-up my hands in a X over-my head looking directly at the pilot of a V-tail bonanza about 40-feet to my right. The pilot did as I hoped and put-both his hands in-sight on the glare-shield, with a puzzled look as I kept my hands in an over-head X and approached the prop of his acft.

I then picked-up a molded black plastic milk-bottle crate sitting right in-front of his prop he had obviously used as a make-shift step-up and as storage for his rags and oil. I tied-the crate up in the right tie-down chain and secured it tightly with the snap-hook. I looked all-around-for any other obvious problems then stepped-back into full view with a circling thumbs-up. He gave me a look that was disbelief-fear-relief-thanks. After that I just walked-on to the FBO office, to make this a sorta-no-big-deal since his wide-eyed-PAX were watching intently. He took a few seconds to breathebefore I heard CLEAR PROP once again and then the smooth sound of this 6-cylinders starting and running smoothly behind me.

W.K. Taylor

Can NASA Build a Quiet Supersonic Transport?

After retiring from the USAF, I went to work for Northrop cum Northrop Grumman. My last 7 years were at their St Augustine, FL facility supporting Navy flight test. The last flight test program I worked on as an instrumentation engineer was the NASA/Navy/DARPA SSBD  Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstrator  aircraft  a highly modified (shaped) F-5E fighter circa 2003. By careful modification to shape the airplane, it was found that the shock waves could be reduced somewhat but not eliminated. In tests at NASA Dryden at Edwards AFB, this airplane was flown across a test area alongside an unmodified F-5E flying the exact same path. Using microphones in the air and on the ground, comparative measurements were taken.

At Airventure 2018, I attended the NASA forum on the (now) X-59 low boom flight demonstration aircraft. I challenged the project pilot as to why they were (apparently?) re-testing the concept. The pilot was surprised that someone knew about the SSBD work 15 years earlier. He stammered but then said that they were trying to see if they could further minimize the shock waves. I aint buying it BUT  OK  Ill give them the benefit of the doubt. Im looking at the NASA litho of the proposed airplane. In the data, theyre saying they wont be flight testing until 2022. The design is borderline ridiculous  it sure as heck isnt going to work to carry bizjet passengers anyways. The nose is SO long that video cameras have to be mounted to help the pilot see forward. NUTTY.

My bottom line is that Aerion is claiming theyll be building an airplane and itll fly in 2023. No way. And, I believe that Lockheed Martin is just capitalizing on Government test $$ and not much more.

Larry Stencel

ATC Wasnt All Fun, Just Mostly

Funny how when you look back on those early jobs (on the way to bigger things) how they were actually some of the best times. I was an avionics tech at a mid-sized FBO in the 70s and best part about it was the wide variety of people and aircraft you got to meetand sometimes a few celebs as well. Every day was different, and you worked both inside and outside. I still remember the new-car smell of fresh new C-210s delivered to our ramp from Wichitathose were the days!

A. Richie

While Paul was having fun, in the early 70s a Navy tower controller at Moffet Field cleared our NASA Convair 990 to land on top of a Navy P3, killed my office mate, test pilot Pat Riley and about 12 more.

Then in early 80s a girl tower controller cleared my friendly USAir Captain to land on top of a turbo prop at LAX, copilot lived to tell us all about it, they could hardly find the Metroliner nor the 21 bodies.

Just another day at the office guys. Hey! Theyre only human, what do you expect, dammit!

Jon Addison

Good story; funny comments and all. I have toured the Houston Center a couple times and your comments on its appearance are spot on. That includes the furniture which still has the tasteful orange and peach colors from the disco era. I think some of the more senior guys are still wearing leisure suits.

John McNamee

Laughed all the way through his story. Please please write more. We all need more laughs in this day and age. (PS: to all the Flight Following controllers out there: love you guys and gals. Keep up the great work and thanks for your patience for students like me!)

Philip Vardara
A Florida-based operation made millions of dollars by claiming to sell comprehensive health insurance plans that were actually bare-bones discount programs with almost no coverage, according a complaint from the Federal Trade Commission.

By the numbers: The FTC says the alleged scam pulled in more than $100 million and left tens of thousands of people uninsured.

Details: The FTC is going after Simple Health Plans LLC, its owner, and a network of five other companies.

That operation opened websites with names like TrumpCareQuotes.com, purporting to sell comprehensive insurance that covered pre-existing conditions and prescription drugs, according to the FTC. It charged premiums as high as $500 per month.

But, according to the FTCs complaint, customers were actually getting a simple discount program that didnt cover drugs or pre-existing conditions and would only pay out a maximum of $3,200 in benefits per year.

A federal judge has temporarily halted all operations of Simple Health Plans and its related companies. The court also ordered the seizure of more than $100,000 in jewelry and three luxury cars  a Lamborghini, a Range Rover and a Rolls-Royce  it says were purchased with the companies money.
Google's top U.S. public policy official is stepping down from the role, the company confirmed on Friday.

Why it matters: The departure of former Republican Congresswoman Susan Molinari as Google's Vice President of Public Policy for the Americas and head of its D.C. office comes as the company faces unprecedented pressures in Washington. In a new role, she'll advise the company on building external relationships.

Details:

She'll continue to serve in her current role for the rest of the year, and advise the company on external relationships after that.

Earlier this year, the company hired GE executive Karan Bhatia to lead its global policy efforts. Bhatia said in an email to policy employees working on the Americas that Molinari "will focus on the critically important goal of strengthening our relationships with key external constituents" and will report to him.

What they're saying:
Outside lobbying groups and competitors are ramping up their attacks on T-Mobile's proposed merger with Sprint.

The big picture: Wednesday marked a key deadline for comments at the Federal Communications Commission about the merger, which would bring the number of major U.S. wireless carriers from four to three.

Details:

The Communication Workers of America, the union that represents many wireless industry employees, launched a website featuring their case that the merger will cost jobs.

A non-profit group called Consumer Choice Alliance is launching a digital campaign arguing that the deal "could give countries like Saudi Arabia, China, Germany, and Japan direct access to our networks through the use of foreign-made networking equipment and billions of foreign money." Sprint is owned by Japanese powerhouse SoftBank, which has extensive connections to Saudi Arabia.

Yes, but: Consumer Choice Alliance would not disclose the source of its funding to Axios.

What they're saying: Opponents used a round of reply comments at the FCC to advocate against the deal.

A coalition of progressive organizations, led by Public Knowledge, said in a filing that the merger would "substantially reduce competition in the wireless market and harm consumers."

DISH Network said in its comments that the merger would lead to higher prices for consumers.

The companies have said that the deal will help them compete in the next generation of mobile technology and boost an American wireless industry trying to keep up with Chinese players.

Whats next: The FCC continues to evaluate the deal to see whether it meets the agencys public interest standard. The Department of Justice, which considers the effect mergers will have on competition, is also reviewing the deal.

Editors note: The story has been corrected to indicate a group filing reply comments is led by Public Knowledge (not Open Markets Institute).
Between 2009 and 2013, Iran compromised a CIA system used to talk to operatives in Iran by using Google to identify the websites that concealed communications, according to Yahoo News' Zach Dorfman and Jenna McLaughlin.

The big picture: We already knew a similar system was uncovered by the Chinese around the same time, possibly due to alleged double agent Jerry Lee. It's unclear if the Iranian and Chinese compromises involved any collaboration.

In 2009, Iran was roiled to find that the U.S. had discovered internal secrets about its nuclear program. According to the Yahoo News piece, the country launched a mole hunt.

After discovering a first website used to hide messages, possibly by planting its own agent into the CIA network, Iranian intelligence Googled markers from that site to find other similar sites.

That technique is known to hackers as "Google dorking."

In May 2011, Iran claimed to have broken up a ring of 30 CIA spies, an apparent consequence of breaking into the communications.

Before Iran discovered the communications platform, a contractor named John Reidy may have reported these and other vulnerabilities in the communications platform to the CIA, per Yahoo.

Reidy did not talk to Yahoo for the story; his name was mentioned by other sources.

Reidy, who was later reassigned, asked the CIA Inspector General to look into his reassignment in 2014 as retaliation for notifying the agency of vulnerabilities in CIA systems. That was first reported by McClatchy. But a heavily redacted complaint makes it tough to tell if those vulnerabilities are linked to this case.

The CIA updated its communications to protect sources in 2013.

What they're saying: When these types of compromises happen, its so dark and bad, said one former official interviewed for the story. They can burrow in. It never really ends."
A federal judge ordered that Georgia must allow new U.S. citizens to vote if they show proof of citizenship at polling locations, per the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Why it matters: More than 3,000 U.S. citizens who have been newly naturalized have been turned away from early voting locations in the state when their citizenship status hadnt been updated in government computers.

The details: Citizenship status is not updated on Georgians state drivers license records until they renew their licenses, per the AJC.

Georgia operates under an "exact match" law that flags such issues.

Between the lines: Georgias Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is running for governor in the state, had argued there was already a process in place to allow new citizens to vote; poll workers are supposed to issue provisional ballots to people whose citizenship may not be verified with their licenses.

What they're saying: "Clearly, mistakes are madeNobody here is trying to suggest we should make it harder for new U.S. citizens to vote  quite the opposite," Cris Correia, a senior assistant attorney general who represented Kemp, said of the case.

The bottom line: The state has an interest in ensuring only U.S. citizens are voting, and the latest ruling allows that to happen while taking the burden off of individuals whose voter registrations have been flagged, the judge, U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross, wrote.
Merck is ending a long-term agreement to supply a lifesaving vaccine for children in West Africa, NPR reports. At the same time, the company has started sending the vaccine to China, where it will likely be sold for a much higher price.

Merck has been supplying a vaccine for rotavirus, which kills about 200,000 children per year, as part of a long-term agreement with UNICEF and Gavi, a public-private partnership that provides vaccines in low-income countries.

But the company plans to scale back its West African supply by a third this year and next, and then stop delivering it entirely in 2020.

As a result, according to NPR, more than 500,000 kids will go without the vaccine in 2019 and as many as 2 million wont have it in 2020.

Details: Merck sold its rotavirus vaccine to Gavi for $3.50 per dose in Africa. It costs $70 per dose in the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu today spoke publicly about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi for the first time and backed the Saudi government, which is trying to fend off international pressure over the crisis.

Why it matters: Israel had been working mainly behind the scenes and refrained from speaking publicly on the Khashoggi affair. Netanyahu's statements show Israel still has the back of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman  its secret ally over the last few years.

During a press conference in Bulgaria, Netanyahu said: What happened in the Istanbul consulate was horrendous and it should be duly dealt with. Yet the same time, I say it is very important for the stability of the world, for the region and for the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable".

Netanyahu stressed that the larger problem in the region is not Saudi Arabia but Iran. He said: "We have to make sure that Iran does not continue the malign activities that it has been doing over the last few weeks in Europe. We have helped uncover two terrorist attacks  one in Paris, and the other one in Copenhagen  organized by the Iranian secret service. Blocking Iran is uttermost on our agenda for security, not merely for Israel but I believe for Europe and the world as well."
4. Middle East: Trump drops "zero" oil exports position on Iran

Days before U.S. secondary sanctions against Irans central bank and oil industry go back into effect, U.S. officials are conceding that they will allow certain countries to continue to import Iranian oil, Barbara Slavin of the Atlantic Council writes for Axios Expert Voices:

Why it matters: After six months of fearsome demands that foreign countries completely stop importing Iranian oil by Nov. 5, the Trump administration is bowing to the hard realities of geopolitics and economics. Bolton said Wednesday, We want to achieve maximum pressure, but we dont want to harm friends and allies either.

The administration has granted India a waiver to continue to import about 1.25 million tons of oil a month from now until March.

to continue to import about 1.25 million tons of oil a month from now until March. South Korea, Turkey and Iraq have sought and are expected to receive similar exemptions.

have sought and are expected to receive similar exemptions. China bought a huge quantity of Iranian oil  20 million barrels  in October, to tide it over for several months.

Between the lines: The more successful the Trump administrations maximum pressure campaign is against Iran, the higher oil and gasoline prices will rise, along with the incentives for the EU and others to find ways to work around the U.S. financial system.

The bottom line: Trump's sanctions against Iran will be less successful than those imposed in 2012, when the Obama administration had near universal international support and the sanctions were backed by both the UN Security Council and the EU. Iran will try to wait out the Trump presidency in hopes that a successor will return to the 2015 nuclear deal or seek new negotiations based on more realistic premises.
All U.S. sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal will be reimposed on Monday, however, "eight jurisdictions" will receive exemptions allowing them to continue to import Iranian oil in the short term, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said during a call with reporters on Friday.

Why it matters: This is the second and most significant round of sanctions to be reimposed on Iran, targeting its energy, financial and shipping sectors. The announcement both underlines the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" approach to Iran, and the degree to which it has divided the international community. Some Republican hardliners now believe Trump is going soft by not using all the tools at his disposal.

Between the lines: The reimposition of these sanctions was long expected, but one major question mark was whether Trump would cut Iranian banks off from SWIFT, the network for global financial transactions.

Politico's Eliana Johnson reports that national security adviser John Bolton favored doing so, but Mnuchin's more conservative position ultimately won out. She reports that some GOP hawks, including Ted Cruz, now want to pass legislation to cut Iran off from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).

that national security adviser John Bolton favored doing so, but Mnuchin's more conservative position ultimately won out. She reports that some GOP hawks, including Ted Cruz, now want to pass legislation to cut Iran off from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). It's a high-stakes debate. Mnuchin argued, per Johnson, that it was "necessary to keep humanitarian aid flowing into the country and to prevent a number of European nations, which opposed the U.S. exit from the Iranian nuclear deal, from forming an alternative network to SWIFT that could include Iran, Russia, China  and to which the U.S. would have no visibility."

The bottom line: Pompeo and Mnuchin said that their goal is to "change the behavior" of the Iranian regime, that the pressure in Tehran is already rising, and that it will only rise higher as they "aggressively enforce" the sanctions. Iran's posture, for now, seems to be to wait out the Trump regime and hope the winds in Washington begin to blow in a different direction soon.

Go deeper: Trump administration blinks on "zero" oil exports from Iran.
The creator economy has produced thousands of social media entrepreneurs who have built mega-audiences in the millions  larger than many media companies. Often, they operate in parallel universes, with little overlap between platforms.

Why it matters: What differentiates social platforms is no longer their features, but their values and communities. What makes one person popular on one platform may not make them remotely interesting or influential on another.
Armenians will go to the polls to elect their next parliament on December 9 after a formal dissolution of the National Assembly has been confirmed in the South Caucasus country.

President Armen Sarkissian signed a decree late on November 1, calling early elections after lawmakers failed for a second time, in accordance with a prior political agreement, to elect a new prime minister.

Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced last month he was resigning from the post of prime minister in order to dissolve the parliament still dominated by the former ruling party and force early elections. He will continue to perform his prime-ministerial duties until a new parliament and prime minister are elected.

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.

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) on Friday unanimously approved the schedule and timetable for the main events of the December 9 elections.

Thus, in accordance with the CEC decision, the maximum number of candidates for political parties or alliances is to be determined within 10 days after the appointment of the elections.

Political parties or alliances are to submit their documents for registration no later than 25 days before the vote  i.e. until the end of the working day on November 14.

The registration of the lists of candidates submitted by political parties or alliances is to take place on November 14-19 and the election campaign will be held from November 26 through December 7.

The political team of acting Prime Minister Pashinian, who came to power on the wave of anti-government demonstrations last spring, is tipped to win the upcoming polls by a landslide.
Yuri Khachaturov, who headed the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty (CSTO) as part of Armenias rotating presidency in the organization, has been relieved of his duties.

Earlier, Yerevan formally recalled Khachaturov, who is charged with overthrowing Armenias constitutional order when he was deputy defense minister in 2008.

The CSTO on Friday said the procedure of Khachaturovs recall from the post had been completed and he was relieved of the post of the organizations secretary-general.

Valery Semerikov, who served as Khachaturovs deputy, will act as CSTO secretary-general in the interim, according to the organizations official website.

The CSTO is a Moscow-based regional security grouping that includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

Khachaturov was officially charged in July of involvement in the overthrowing of Armenias constitutional order during an investigation into the crackdown that followed a disputed March 2008 presidential election.

The same charges were brought against former President Robert Kocharian, who was accused of ordering the use of the army for the violent repression of the protests, in which eight demonstrators and two police officers were killed.

Khachaturov, who is 66, was born in Georgia and was chief of the General Staff of the Armenian armed forces from 2008 to 2016. At the time of the protests, he was also deputy defense minister.

The leaders of the CSTO member-states are due to meet for a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on November 8.

The issue of the appointment of a new CSTO secretary-general is likely to be on the agenda of the summit.

Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian told RFE/RLs Armenian Service on Friday that, in particular, discussions on the topic are planned during the meeting of CSTO foreign ministers that will also be held in Astana next week.

He said that Armenia does have possible candidates for the post of the CSTOs secretary-general, but gave an evasive answer to the question on whether Yerevan will eventually maintain the post in the organization.

This issue is on the agenda now We are confident that we can perform this function. If we decide to nominate a candidate, then we do have sufficient resources in Armenia to have a candidate who can perform this function, Mnatsakanian said.
International mediators promoting a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have commended Armenia and Azerbaijan for implementing constructive measures in good faith, and expressed support for the two countries leaders readiness to continue their dialogue as they issued a press statement after completing their five-day regional tour on Friday.

The statement published on the official website of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europes (OSCE) said that the Minsk Groups co-chairs Andrew Schofer, of the United States, Igor Popov, of Russia, and Stephane Visconti, of France, together with the personal representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk visited the region from 29 October to 2 November.

The main purpose of the visit was to discuss the results of the conversation between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan [acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and President Ilham Aliyev] on the margins of the CIS summit in Dushanbe [Tajikistan] in September, outline next steps in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, and review the overall evolution of the situation on the ground, the statement said.

Besides meeting with political and military leaders in Yerevan and Baku, the international mediators also met with the de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh and visited the districts of Kelbajar and Agdam.

On October 31, the Co-Chairs participated in an OSCE ceasefire monitoring mission along the Line of Contact near Agdam. In Baku, the Co-Chairs met with representatives of Azerbaijani communities affected by the conflict. While in the region, the Co-Chairs discussed the situation with representatives from the ICRC and UNHCR.

In their meetings with the Co-Chairs, the leaders in both capitals confirmed that the level of violence has fallen significantly since they reaffirmed in Dushanbe their commitment to reduce tensions. In their consultations, the Co-Chairs received additional details about the implementation of the Dushanbe understanding, including with regard to the establishment of direct communication links. The Co-Chairs welcomed these developments, commended the sides for implementing constructive measures in good faith, and expressed support for the leaders readiness to continue their dialogue.

According to the statement, the Co-Chairs stressed the importance of sustaining a climate of trust for intensive negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

It said that the foreign ministers [of Armenia and Azerbaijan] agreed to meet again before the end of the year.

The Co-Chairs will soon travel to Vienna to brief the OSCE Permanent Council and the members of the Minsk Group, the statement concluded.

Nagorno-Karabakh, populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, declared independence from Azerbaijan amid the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, triggering a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

A cease-fire was called in 1994, but decades of internationally mediated negotiations with the involvement of the OSCEs Minsk Group have not resulted in a settlement yet.
By Narmina Mammadova

Russia, India and Iran are planning to restructure their logistics in the Asian region and launch a new international transport corridor, which will be an alternative to the Suez Canal. This is stated in the message of the Indian Ministry of Trade and Industry, TASS reported.

The launch of the North-South international transport corridor will be discussed by the representatives of Russia, India and Iran at a meeting on November 23. The new transport corridor will stretch for 7,200 km and connect the Indian Ocean with the Russian Federation and Europe. In 2014-2017, test launches were already carried out along this route.

Goods will be shipped by sea from India to the Iranian port of Bandar-Abbas, then the goods will be delivered to the largest port of Iran, Bandar-Enzeli, then they will go to Astrakhan and be shipped by rail to Europe.

It is noted that the corridor will become a cheaper and shorter alternative to the Suez Canal: the time and cost of freight will decrease by 30-40 percent. Thus, the average delivery time of cargo to Moscow from Mumbai should be reduced by about 20 days.

It is planned that 20-30 million tons of goods will pass via the new route per year.

The Suez Canal, one of the world's most important artificial waterways, crosses the Suez Isthmus, stretching from Port Said (on the Mediterranean Sea) to the Gulf of Suez (on the Red Sea). The construction of the Suez Canal was one of the most adventurous and revolutionary projects of the XIX century. As usual, at first few people believed in the success of the grand event. However, according to the latest estimates, the annual operation of the canal brings the Egyptian treasury up to $1.5 billion in revenue.

The Suez Canal connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea was built in 1859-1869 under the guidance of the French consul in Alexandria Lesseps. The Suez Canal was built in just 10 years. In November 1869, the Suez Canal was opened with great solemnity.

The implementation of the most complex technical plan was financed by French shareholders. British industrialists, on the contrary, found it unpromising and unprofitable.

In the first year of its existence, the channel, as the skeptics suggested, turned out to be unprofitable. England took advantage of its poor financial condition, having bought all its shares from Egypt. The control package passed into its possession. A few years later, France bought the right to receive 15 percent of the income from the use of the canal from Egypt. Only 4 years later, in 1952, Egypt nationalized the canal. In 1974, the channel was closed, Egypt began its restoration and reconstruction. On June 5, 1975, the Suez Canal was reopened for navigation.

In 1999, a large bridge (with a length of 4 kilometers and a height of 70 meters) was commissioned through the Suez Canal, built by Japanese, German and Egyptian firms. The bridge connected Asia and Africa and made it possible to significantly facilitate road and rail links.

In May 1999, it was decided to expand the territory of the channel. For this, 280 million square kilometers were provided.

Every day, the canal transmits about 50 vessels of various purposes, and annually more than 600 million tons are shipped through the canal.

The Suez Canal turned out to be a very profitable project. He brings annually $2 billion in profits. The minimum fee for which a small ship can pass the channel is 6-10 thousand dollars. The cost of the passage of the channel by a large tanker or aircraft carrier comes to $ 1 million.

In August 2014, construction on a parallel canal with a length of 72 kilometers began, in order to ensure two-way traffic. Trial operation of the second stage of the channel began July 25, 2015. The financing involved the population of Egypt.

August 6, 2015 there was a solemn opening ceremony of the new Suez Canal.

"New Suez" runs parallel to the old shipping route, laid 145 years ago and is the shortest water route between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The new channel, as the old one, is state property.

It is noteworthy that initially five years were allotted for construction, then three years, and as a result, the canal was built in a year.

The new channel, along with the old one, allows ships to pass in both directions on a larger number of sections, which makes it possible to reduce the average waiting time from 1012 to 3 hours.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Trend

The success of the Azerbaijani economy is a good indicator of a sound state policy of the country's leadership, the well-known Ukrainian expert Oleksandr Okhrimenko told Trend commenting on the latest indicators of the Azerbaijani economy reflected in the World Banks Doing Business 2019 report.

He noted that the fundamental reforms, consistently carried out in Azerbaijan in recent years, have contributed to the growth of the Azerbaijani economy.

"It is obvious that Azerbaijan has embarked on improving the business environment, which is of great importance in a market economy. The fact that optimal conditions are being created in Azerbaijan for conducting private business shows that the state is seriously interested in improving the investment climate in the country and improving the welfare of its citizens. Of course, such an approach by the state can only give positive results," Okhrimenko said.

He stressed that the latest World Bank report also confirmed this.

Azerbaijan has significantly improved its positions in the World Bank Group's Doing Business ranking.

Thus, Azerbaijan ranks 25th among 190 countries in Doing Business 2019, while it was 57th in Doing Business 2018.

According to Doing Business 2019, Azerbaijan has entered the list of countries with the most noticeable improvement in the economy.

Doing Business authors said that Azerbaijan has carried out a record number of reforms aimed at simplifying doing business in 2017-2018 among 10 economies that have shown significant improvement.

Doing Business is annually published by the World Bank Group, which assesses regulatory standards in entrepreneurial activity.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Trend

Azerbaijan will put an end to the work of illegal real estate brokers, Head of the Real Estate State Register Service of Azerbaijan Hikmat Mustafayev said Nov. 1 during the signing of a memorandum of cooperation with the National Archive Department of Azerbaijan.

He said that from now on, when citizens apply to the State Register for obtaining records, the availability of archival documents will be checked online at the National Archive database.

Mustafayev noted that citizens can be completely sure that the falsification of archive documents by illegal real estate brokers will be completely prevented.

At the same time, Mustafayev stressed that in the Doing Business 2019 rating, in terms of real estate registration, Azerbaijan advanced by four positions and ranked 17th among 190 countries.

In turn, Head of the National Archive Department of Azerbaijan Asgar Rasulov noted that the majority of citizens appeals to the national archive are related to real estate issues.

Over the past year, more than 47,000 appeals of citizens to the National Archive Department of Azerbaijan were registered, said Rasulov. Approximately 19,000 (41 percent) of these appeals are related to real estate issues.

He added that the signed memorandum will make it possible to significantly reduce the time of receiving a record from the National Archive Department.

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By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan has been consistently carrying out reforms to improve the business climate since 2006.

The World Bank (WB) expert Hulya Ulku told Azerbaijani reporters during a video link with the WB headquarters in Washington DC.

She went on to say that Azerbaijan can be attributed to the list of countries conducting an incredible number of reforms.

The expert stressed that according to Doing Business 2019, Azerbaijan entered the list of countries with the most noticeable improvement in the economy.

Azerbaijan has implemented a record number of reforms (eight) aimed at simplifying business among 10 economies that have shown significant improvement.

In particular, Ulku noted that Azerbaijan has simplified the process of obtaining building permits, connecting to power grids, registering property, obtaining loans, taxation, international trade and also carried out reforms in the labor market and reforms aimed at protecting minority investors.

Azerbaijan ranked 25th among 190 countries in Doing Business 2019, while it was 57th in Doing Business 2018.

Doing Business is annually published by the World Bank Group, which assesses regulatory standards in entrepreneurial activity.

Azerbaijan joined the World Bank Group in 1992. Since then, commitments to the country totaled over $3.78 billion for 50 projects.

Founded in 1944, the WB has 189 member countries, staff from more 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations.

Today the Bank Groups work touches nearly every sector that is important to fighting poverty, supporting economic growth, and ensuring sustainable gains in the quality of peoples lives in developing countries.

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By Sara Israfilbayova

The use of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway by the Black Sea countries can help them not only increase trade turnover, but also expand cultural and social ties.

This was stated by President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of Azerbaijan Mammad Musayev at the international business forum dedicated to the development of small and medium entrepreneurship in the Black Sea region.

As a result of the purposeful economic policy of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, our country has achieved rapid development in recent years. This year is very important for our country. We solemnly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The foreign and internal policies, the governance practices defined by national leader Heydar Aliyev and successfully continued today by President Ilham Aliyev can serve as an example for many countries, said Musayev.

Touching upon energy and infrastructure projects, he noted that the use of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway by the Black Sea countries can help not only to increase trade turnover, but also expand cultural and social ties.

He stressed that the successful socio-economic policy of the President of Azerbaijan created conditions for dynamic economic development of the country.

Over the past 15 years, under conditions of macroeconomic stability, the formation of a socially oriented economy was fully ensured, the diversification of economy and the development of non-oil sector were intensified, the government support for entrepreneurship increased. As a result, over 1.6 million new jobs were created, poverty and unemployment were reduced to a minimum, and also the improvement of the material status of citizens was successfully implemented, Musayev underlined.

On October 30, a solemn ceremony on the occasion of the opening of the BTK railway was held at the Baku International Sea Trade Port. Two trains from Kazakhstan to Turkish Mersin have already been sent via this route. The first train, consisting of 30 containers, on November 4, delivered 600 tons of wheat to the Turkish city of Mersin. The second freight train left Kazakhstan on November 27. The train has already reached Georgia.

The BTK railway was constructed on the basis of the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey intergovernmental agreement. The main purpose of the project was to improve economic relations between the three countries and attract foreign direct investment by connecting Europe and Asia.

In fact, the BTK railway route is the shortest way to deliver cargo from the Russian regions located in the Volga, Ural and Siberian Federal Districts to the Mediterranean ports of Turkey, and further to the countries of Africa and the Middle East.

The project implementation began in 2007 and construction began in 2008. The line is intended to transport one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of freight at the first stage. This capacity will then reach 3 million passengers and 17 million tons of cargo.

In turn, Chairman of the Board of the Agency for Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Development under the Economy Ministry Orkhan Mammadov stressed that there is a huge potential for business cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Black Sea countries in the field of small and medium entrepreneurship (SME).

In order to fulfill this potential, the members of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation should make more efforts and promote the SME development. Although our agency is a new institution, we are ready to cooperate with similar agencies of the BSEC countries and we invite everyone to cooperate with us, Mammadov said.

Mammadov noted that the sustainable development of SME is a priority of the economic policy of Azerbaijan, the successful reforms are being carried out in this direction.

Despite the fact that not much time has passed since the establishment of our agency, we are already implementing many economic initiatives. First, we are working on the creation of SME Houses, where G2B (government to business) and B2B (business to business) services will be provided. We are also working on the creation of the Centers on the development of SME, some of which have already opened in Imishli, Masalli and Bilasuvar regions, he said.

The head of the agency said the entrepreneurs showed great interest in the centers from the very first days of their functioning, further adding that the agency is ready to share its experience in this area with other countries.

In late 2017, the Agency for Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises under the Ministry of Economy was created by presidential decree, in accordance to which the Agency is a public legal entity that supports the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the country, provides a range of services to the SMEs, coordinates and regulates the services of state bodies in this field.

Small and medium-sized entrepreneurship houses will operate at the ASAN Service centers. These houses will operate at the regional departments of the Economy Ministry in those districts of the country where the ASAN Service centers are not available. The SME houses will be controlled by the Agency for Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.

The SME houses will render a range of services, including training, consulting, information, financial and other services.

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By Narmina Mammadova

The capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, is a dynamic, fast-growing city in which Islamic, Soviet and postmodern architecture merge into a beautiful and unified whole. It is a chaotic, but at the same time energetically charged interlacing of medieval streets of the Old City and modern projects on the embankment.

Beautiful architectural ensembles were created in the most prominent places in Baku, new beautiful modern buildings defined the appearance of the capital.

The absolute majority of these buildings were built on the initiative and with the active control of National Leader Heydar Aliyev. He made an invaluable contribution to the preparation and approval of the master plan for Baku. Having shown real foresight from the point of view of urban planning, he played an important role in the long-term development of the capital of Azerbaijan. The numerous industrial enterprises, infrastructure facilities and transport system created at that time in Baku and around it laid a solid foundation for strengthening the present independence of Azerbaijan and its economic development.

The Azerbaijani government continues to take measures to improve urban planning nowadays.

The implementation of the second stage of the development of the General Plan of the Baku City starts in Azerbaijan, the deputy chairman of the State Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning Dovlathan Dovlathanov told Trend.

The Chairman of the State Committee noted that the first stage of the General Plan, which implies a development concept, has already been completed.

"Initially, the development of the General Plan of the Baku City was divided into several stages. Now the State Committee is finalizing the selection of a consultant for the second stage. We plan to choose a well-known international urban organization with extensive experience in this field. We will have an open tender for this. We are working with a consultant to the Boston Consulting Group presently. This organization helps us in preparing tender documentation for the selection of a consultant in the second stage," Dovlathanov said.

He said that a tender announcement on the choice of an international consultant for the development of the General Plan of Baku will be announced in November.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is one of the three most respected strategic consulting companies in the world, called The Big Three. It was established in 1963.

Today, BCG has a global network of more than 90 offices in 50 countries, and BCG clients and partners are organizations from the private, public and non-profit sector in all regions of the world. BCG has a huge experience in implementing projects in various areas of urban development: over the past 5 years alone, more than 550 projects have been implemented on urban development planning and zoning, development of a comfortable urban environment, urban mobility, employment transformation, infrastructure development, transport and tourism, social spheres and industry clusters. Recently, this company has successfully implemented projects for such large cities as Moscow, Kiev, Beijing, Stockholm, Boston, New York, etc.

The development of the General Plan of Baku is conducted by the State Committee together with the BCG in two stages.

At the first stage, diagnostics of the relevance and completeness of the already developed documents of the city planning and territorial planning of the capital, primarily the projects of the Regional Development Plan for Greater Baku and the Plan for the Use of the Territory and Zoning of the City of Baku, is carried out. The concept of development of the Baku City is refined, taking into account international practices and experiences of different cities of the world.

It is emphasized that this joint work takes into account the development priorities of the country, the need to improve the infrastructure, the requirements for the development of priority sectors. Also, at the first stage, an assessment of the need to clarify the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan in terms of town planning norms and rules is made.

Along with this, sectoral plans for the development of the Baku City are studied. They are prepared by the relevant government departments that participate in the implementation of the master plan, and work will be carried out on their integration and relevant clarifications.

According to the results of the work carried out at the first stage, relevant project tasks and requirements will be prepared to attract highly qualified foreign and local organizations and experts in urban planning and architectural planning, protection of monuments, engineering communications, social infrastructure, environmental issues and other areas to refine the General Plan of the Baku City.

At the second stage, the Committee, together with BCG, will finalize the capital master plan with the assistance of reputable urban planning, architectural, engineering companies and experts based on the requirements developed at the first stage.

In accordance with the requirements of the current legislation, after coordination of the master plan of the city of Baku with the relevant state bodies and holding its public discussions, the document will be submitted for approval to the Cabinet of Ministers.

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By Laman Ismayilova

The Festival of Cultural Heritage "Fantaziya" is taking place in Azerbaijan's capital on November 1-10 as part of the Year of Cultural Heritage in Europe.

The Embassy of France in Azerbaijan and Institut Francais dAzerbaidjan invites you to enjoy a documentary "The Last Days in Shibati" by Hendrick Dusollier on November 4 as part of the festival.

In the Chinese city of Chongqing, only one old neighborhood, Shibati, has survived the governments drive to demolish and rebuild. But not for long: here too, the narrow alleyways are being replaced by vast shopping centers. To document what will soon have disappeared for good, filmmaker Hendrick Dusollier spends several months in the neighborhood. Initially he's viewed with suspicion, with the locals regularly asking him, "Why to film shabby Shibati when just 100 meters away you could find far more positive images to show?" But eventually he befriends two extraordinary people: Zhou Hong, a curious boy who dreams of one day visiting the nearby Moonlight City Mall; and Mrs. Xue Lian, a sprightly old lady who is a beacon of optimism and openness despite the fact she has to leave her "house of dreams", as she says. Assisted by these local guides, the film paints a moving portrait of a rapidly changing world, where slums are making way for gleaming high-rises, and traditions are equally being dismantled without compunction.

The film won numerous prizes at international various festivals including Cinema du Reel Festival, special award at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam and other festivals.

Hendrick Dusolliera is a graduate of the University of Sorbonne and National School of Decorative Arts of Paris. His debut film "Obras" (2005), dedicated to the deconstruction of the old quarter inBarcelona, was awarded prizes at thirty festivals.

His next work "Babylon" (2010) - an allegory of what shocks Facing modern China. In "The Last Days of Shibati" Dusolliera traces the destruction of the quarter of Chongqing - the last working quarter in China, bearing historical value.

The movie will be screened in Landmark CineClub in Cantonese language with English subtitles and the entrance will be free of charge. The film screening starts at 18:30.

For further information, please visit:

https://sizinavropa.az/fantazia/program

http://www.ifa.az/fr/

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Laman Ismayilova

The Festival of Cultural Heritage "Fantaziya" solemnly opened in Baku on November 1.

The event is organized by the European Union Office in Azerbaijan in cooperation with the embassies of Germany, France, Greece, Poland, Croatia, the Netherlands and Hungary, with the participation of diplomatic missions of Mexico, Moldova and Morocco and the support of United Cultures.

Azerbaijani national dances were presented the guests of the festival, Trend Life reported.

Addressing the event, head of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas said that the festival is held as part of the Year of Cultural Heritage in Europe.

In his speech, Kestutis Jankauskas stressed that one of the directions of the festival is the ancient architecture, historical sights and preservation of cultural heritage, which plays an important role in building the future.

The festival received its name from the architectural landmark of Baku - the Fantazia bathhouse, which was built at the end of the 19th century, and closely intertwined Eastern and European traditions.

Various concert programs, seminars, tours, film screenings, exhibitions and a number of other events will be held during the festival.

2018 is declared the Year of Cultural Heritage in Europe. The slogan for the year is: "Our heritage: where the past meets the future".

During this year, projects devoted to a diverse cultural heritage, both at the level of the European Union and at the national, regional and local levels are underway. The aim of the European Year of Cultural Heritage is to encourage more people to discover and engage with Europe's cultural heritage, and to reinforce a sense of belonging to a common European space.

The official partners of the festival are the State Tourism Agency, Administration of the State Historical-Architectural Reservation Icherisheher, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, Maksud Ibrahimbayov Creative Centrer, Yarat Contemporary Art Center, Ca Foscari University of Venice, ADA University, Azerbaijan National University of Culture and Arts, The Landmark Hotel and Baku Business Center.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.az, Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Trend

The activity is underway to increase the combat readiness and improve social conditions of the military personnel of the Air Force upon the instructions of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a message on Nov. 2.

According to the message, Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and the leadership of the ministry took part in the opening ceremony of a new military unit of the Air Force.

The leadership of the ministry viewed military equipment and other equipment of the air defense units, as well as the headquarters building, the soldiers barracks, the parade ground, the medical post, the laundry room and other administrative premises.

The minister was informed that the conditions created there would have a positive effect on the daily service of the military personnel, its combat readiness, and also ensure the process of carrying out combat duty at a high level for more reliable defense of the airspace.

Then the minister examined the anti-aircraft missile systems that are in use of the military unit and after visiting the Battle Control Center of the Air Force, has set relevant tasks for the command.

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By Sara Israfilbayova

In Azerbaijan and other Caspian countries, aquaculture needs to be developed and people should be attracted to a new type of activity - mariculture.

Director of the Scientific-Research Fish Hatchery Institute of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mehman Akhundov made the remarks at a press conference.

He went on to say that it can prevent the risk of depletion of biological resources in the Caspian Sea, poaching, and also improve the ecological state of the sea.

He stressed that the production of fish products and bringing it to the market is of a spontaneous nature in Azerbaijan, adding that the ministry has already begun activities in this area.

Currently, a state program is being prepared for the development of this area, according to Akhundov.

Akhundov stressed that the sustainable development of the aquaculture and mariculture areas could lead to the creation of new jobs and alternative sources of income in the rural areas of Azerbaijan, to have a positive impact on the social situation of the population, health, and food safety issues.

Earlier, it was reported that employees of the regional department of ecology and natural resources of the Ministry detained three citizens of Saudi Arabia in the territory of Uzunbala village of Neftchala region, trying to engage in illegal hunting.

Three hunting rifles and 50 cartridges were seized. Each of the guilty under an administrative order was fined in the amount of 2,000 manats ($1,170).

Moreover, the Ministry reported that a review was conducted on the information received about the creation of conditions for poachers in the Caspian Sea from Nabran to Baku.

During the eight months of 2018, the departments staff identified 18 unauthorized fish facts in the area.

One legal entity and 65 individuals were granted permits to engage in industrial fishing with a fishing ticket from the Nabran part to Baku.

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Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

SOCAR State Company of Azerbaijan holds talks on developing an oil field in Russia.

This was stated by SOCAR Vice President for Investments and Marketing Elshad Nasirov in Minsk on November 1, Reuters reports.

Nasirov also said that SOCAR had proposed extending its gas contract with Gazprom to 2020. It is assumed that the volume of purchases will be determined on the basis of commercial interests, and will not exceed one billion cubic meters per year.

The previous contract was concluded in 2017 and expires at the end of 2018.

SOCAR is a wholly state-owned national oil company headquartered in Baku, Azerbaijan. The company produces oil and natural gas from onshore and offshore fields in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea.

The company includes three production associations, one oil refining and gas processing enterprise, an oil flotilla, a deep-water base plant, two trusts, one institute, and 23 structures.

SOCAR established joint companies (including Georgia and Turkey), alliances, operating in various sectors of oil and gas spheres. It has representative offices in Georgia, the U.S., Turkey, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Great Britain, Iran, Germany, Ukraine, Belgium and Canada.

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.

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By Trend

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping requirements only seem likely to grow with impacts on pricing and pipeline politics, Dr. Theodore Karasik, Senior Advisor Gulf State Analytics Washington DC, told Trend.

He noted that global natural gas markets are being reshaped by the development of major emerging LNG buyers led by China, and the rising production and exports form the United States.

"In particular, US LNG is making its mark in Europe as enticement to bring European countries away from sole dependency on Russian gas exports. Poland is already importing its LNG requirements from America and other countries may join," said the expert.

Karasik noted that Germany is contemplating how to mix its energy market instead of being stuck with Russias Nordstream and the political baggage that accompanies such contracts.

Earlier, German chancellor Merkel offered government support to efforts to open up Germany to US natural gas.

Merkel reportedly told a group of lawmakers earlier this month that her government would co-finance a 500 million euros ($576 million) liquefied natural gas shipping terminal in northern Germany, giving a vital boost to a project that has been stalled for years.

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By Trend

Energy prices gained 3 percent in 2018 (q/q), partly in response to the impending re-imposition of sanctions on Iran by the United States along with continuing declines in production in Venezuela, John Baffes, Senior Economist with the World Bank's Development Prospects Group said in his article.

Oil prices are expected to remain near their current levelsaveraging $72 per barrel in 2018 and $74 per barrel in 2019, said Baffes.

He pointed out that the World Bank Energy Price Index rose by 3 percent in the third quarter of 2018 (q/q) and is more than 40 percent higher than the same period in 2017, with strong gains across oil, coal and natural gas.

"For crude oil, prices have been supported by a combination of robust demand and several supply concerns. Production continues to decline in Venezuela, while the impact of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil exports is expected to be larger than in 2012," the author believes.

He noted that oil prices are expected to increase to $74 per barrel in 2019 from a projected $72 per barrel in 2018, before easing to $69 per barrel in 2020.

"Prices are particularly vulnerable to additional supply shocks at present, given limited spare capacity among OPEC members and declines in stocks. These shocks include faster than expected declines in output in Iran and Venezuela, geopolitical events, additional sanctions, or natural disasters," said the article.

Baffes noted that coal and natural gas prices have been supported by strong demand resulting from unusually high temperatures in Europe and Asia, which boosted demand for electricity, but prices are expected to moderate in 2019.

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By Trend

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has talked on the phone with his US counterpart Donald Trump, a source in the Turkish presidential administration told reporters, TASS news agency reported.

During the conversation, issues of the bilateral agenda, developments in Syria and settlement of issues in Manbij and Idlib were raised, said the source.

Erdogan and Trump expressed their determination to take constructive measures to improve and strengthen bilateral relations.

The source noted that the parties also agreed to continue contacts on the necessary bilateral and regional topics in the near future.

In addition, the Turkish president conveyed his condolences to the relatives and friends of those killed during the attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

It was earlier reported that the Turkish and US servicemen started to jointly patrol Syrias Manbij city on Nov. 1.

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By Trend

A meeting with the Scott Ticknor, the Acting Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs (CBA) in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB) of the US Department of State has been held at the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (UIET), the UIET said in a statement.

At the meeting, the high technologies, agriculture, and the production of electronic equipment have been mentioned among the promising areas of cooperation.

The interest was noted regarding development of cooperation in the spheres of trade and transport and logistics.

In this context, the guests stressed the importance of holding business forums and other international events to be organized by the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB) of the US Department of State structure on business and trade activities, and inviting the members of the UIET to participate in such events, the message says.

The total trade and economic turnover of Turkmenistan and the United States in 1H2018 has increased by more than 27 percent. Some 156 projects totaling more than $2.5 billion have already been implemented in Turkmenistan with the participation of US companies.

The American companies operate on the Turkmen market in such areas as transportation, the fuel and energy complex, construction of power plants, sphere of telecommunications, software support, and the food industry.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov took part in a joint business forum during his working visit to the United States in September.

The head of state noted then that there are great prospects in terms of attracting American investments and technologies in the development of knowledge-intensive and innovative industries in Turkmenistan, in the field of electronics, computer and logistics services, in the sphere of education and staff development.

The cooperation in the context of creating inter-regional transport and transit corridors along the East-West and South-North lines with access to Asian, European and Middle Eastern markets has been mentioned as a strategic direction of interaction.

The head of state focused on the active development of the maritime transportations system. The construction of the international sea port of Turkmenbashi on the Caspian coast has been completed in the country.

"Today, it is a powerful, multi-profile terminal, ... which creates the most favorable conditions for entering the product and raw material markets of the Near and Middle East and the states of the Indian Ocean basin, allowing for a significant reduction in distance and travel time for large-scale freight traffic. The Turkmenbashi port, without exaggeration, is one of the largest transport hubs of continental significance," the Turkmen head of state said.

The use of the logistical capabilities of this sea hub can be attractive for American business circles, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said.

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By Trend

Trade turnover and trade cooperation between Iran and Turkey are growing, Shata cited Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Reza Rahmani as saying.

Rahmani made the remarks at a meeting with Turkish ambassador to Tehran Reza Hakan Tekin at an event organized by the Turkish embassy in Tehran on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.

He said the Islamic Republic of Iran considers comprehensive relations and cooperation with neighboring countries, Islamic countries, mainly Turkey, as one of the main foreign policy strategies.

Rahmani added that the Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade seeks to create favorable conditions within a win-win strategy for development of cooperation and relations between Iranian and Turkish businessmen as part of a joint Iran-Turkey commission.

The minister stressed that Iran does not see any restriction to development of relations with Turkey.

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By Trend

The 18th session of the D-8 Council of Foreign Ministers will be held in Turkeys Antalya province on Nov. 3, the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Trend on Nov. 2.

During the session, a number of issues, including the development of relations between the D-8 member-states, will be discussed.

The previous 17th session of the D-8 Council was held in Istanbul in October 2017.

Delivering speech at D-8 summit in 2017, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the composition of the Organization for Economic Cooperation must be expanded.

The Turkish president stressed that both economic and political ties between the countries participating in the D-8 summit must be expanded.

Erdogan also said that the member-states of this organization must use their national currency in mutual trade.

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By Trend

Turkey and France will discuss regional issues during the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to France, the Turkish media reported citing a diplomatic source on Nov. 2.

Reportedly, Erdogan will visit France on November 10-11, 2018.

Among the issues to be discussed during the visit is Turkeys accession to the EU.

Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Ankara intends to develop relations with the EU.

An association agreement between the EU and Turkey was signed in 1963. Ankara filed an application for membership in the EU in 1987, but accession negotiations were launched in 2005.

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By Trend

Chevron, a US-based energy corporation, produced 117.3 million barrels of oil in Kazakhstan in the first 6 months of this year, the company told Trend.

"Crude production for the first half of 2018 was 14.7 million metric tons or 117.3 million barrels," the message reads.

The company also noted that last year the crude production in Kazakhstan totaled 28.7 million metric tons, or 229 million barrels.

Chevron is the largest private oil producer in Kazakhstan, holding important stakes in two of the countrys biggest oil fields  Tengiz and Karachaganak.

The corporation holds a 50 percent interest in Tengizchevroil, which operates Tengiz.

In addition, Chevron holds an 18 percent interest in Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V.

Last year, Chevrons net daily production at the Tengiz field averaged 272,000 barrels of crude oil, 401 million cubic feet of natural gas, and 21,000 barrels of natural gas liquids. Meanwhile, the net daily production at Karachaganak averaged 33,000 barrels of liquids and 132 million cubic feet of natural gas.

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A few days ago the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued yet another interesting judgment, which - albeit not directly related to IP - might be nonetheless relevant for the interpretation and application of public policy/morality exclusions, especially in the case of blasphemous and offensive subject matter.

E.S. v Austria, Application No 38450/12. The decision is the one in





Background





disparaging religious doctrines (Articles 188 and 283 of the Austrian Criminal Code) , and her claim that this violated her freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The case related to the applicant's criminal conviction in Austria for(Articles 188 and 283 of the Austrian Criminal Code)



More specifically, the conviction resulted from a series of public seminars entitled 'Basic Information on Islam' that the applicant had delivered at the right-wing Freedom Party Education Institute .



One of these seminars was attended by an undercover journalist, whose publication requested that a preliminary investigation be instituted against the applicant.



Eventually, the applicant was convicted due to her statements suggesting that Muhammad -

because of his marriage to a six-year old child (Aisha)

-

had paedophilic tendencies, and would not be, as such,

a worthy subject of worship. Austrian courts found that it

could not be established that the applicant had intended to decry all Muslims. Rather, she had meant to criticize the unreflecting imitation of a role model. According to the courts at first instance and on appeal, it would not be correct to consider child marriage as akin to

paedophilia. In particular, b

ecause paedophilia is behaviour which is ostracized by society and outlawed, it would be evident that the applicants statements were capable of causing indignation. According to the first instance court,

the applicant had intended to wrongfully accuse Muhammad of having paedophilic tendencies. Even though criticising child marriages was justifiable, she had accused a subject of religious worship of having a primary sexual interest in childrens bodies, which she had deduced from his marriage with a child, disregarding the notion that the marriage had continued until the Prophets death, when Aisha [with whom the marriage was consummated when she was 9] had already turned eighteen and had therefore passed the age of puberty. In addition, the court found that because of the public nature of the seminars, which had not been limited to members of the Freedom Party, it was conceivable that at least some of the participants might have been disturbed by the statements.

According to the Austrian courts, freedom of expression is not limitless, and is subject to duties and responsibilities, such as refraining from making statements which hurt others without reason and therefore do not contribute to a debate of public interest. A balancing exercise between the rights under Article 9 ECHR (religious freedom) on the one hand and those under Article 10 ECHR on the other needs to be carried out.



The Austrian Supreme Court also sided with the lower courts, holding that the aim of the interference with the applicant' freedom of expression had been to protect religious peace and the religious feelings of others and was therefore legitimate. The court concluded that the applicant:

had not aimed to contribute to a serious debate about Islam or the phenomenon of child marriage, but merely to defame Muhammad by accusing him of a specific sexual preference, based on the assumption that he had had sexual intercourse with a prepubescent child, in order to show that he was not a worthy subject of worship.

Having exhausted all internal remedies, the applicant decided to bring her case before the ECtHR, claiming that her conviction under Austrian law had violated her Article 10 ECHR freedom of expression by wrongfully considering her statements are value judgments. Furthermore, she submitted that Austrian courts had overlooked to consider that religious groups have to be regarded as public institutions and therefore have to tolerate severe attacks, including those based on untrue facts, insofar as said attacks do not incite to violence.





The ECtHR analysis





The ECtHR admitted that the applicant's criminal conviction had interfered with her freedom of expression. However, any such interference would not violate Article 10 ECHR if it is

prescribed by law [which was the case here] ,

pursues one or more of the legitimate aims referred to in Article 10(2) ECHR [in this case, the aim would be to protect religious peace] , and

is necessary in a democratic society in order to achieve the aim or aims in question.

"Necessary in a democratic society"





With particular regard to the latter, the Court highlighted how, on the one hand, those who choose to exercise the freedom to manifest their religion under Article 9 ECHR cannot expect to be exempt from criticism; on the other hand, freedom of expression does not extend to gratuitously offensive and profane remarks addressed at objects of veneration [readers might recall that the ECtHR made these very remarks in the recent decision in Sekmadienis Ltd v Lithuania , discussed here]:

Where such expressions go beyond the limits of a critical denial of other peoples religious beliefs and are likely to incite religious intolerance, for example in the event of an improper or even abusive attack on an object of religious veneration, a State may legitimately consider them to be incompatible with respect for the freedom of thought, conscience and religion and take proportionate restrictive measures . . . In addition, expressions that seek to spread, incite or justify hatred based on intolerance, including religious intolerance, do not enjoy the protection afforded by Article 10 of the Convention.

The discretion of individual contracting parties





All this said, individual states enjoy a wide margin of appreciation when regulating freedom of expression in relation to matters liable to offend personal convictions within the sphere of morals or religion. In any case, they also have a positive obligation under Article 9 ECHR to ensure the peaceful coexistence and mutual tolerance of all religions and those not belonging to a religious group.



Statements of fact and value judgments



The ECtHR then recalled that a distinction should be made between statements of fact and value judgments. As regards the latter,

the proportionality of an interference may depend on whether there exists a sufficient factual basis for the impugned statement, since even a value judgment without any factual basis to support it may be excessive.

Conclusion





In light of all these principles, the ECtHR concluded that, although Austria would enjoy a wide margin of appreciation, the fact that the applicant had made her statements in public in the context of seminars entitled in such a way as to convey the impression of objectivity, meant that the seminars were attended by different groups of people. As such, she should have been aware that " her statements were partly based on untrue facts and apt to arouse (justified) indignation in others."



As such, Austrian courts did not unduly interfered with the applicant's freedom of expression.








To a growing extent, the productivity gap between technologically advanced firms and laggards suggests anti-competitive behaviour rather than the superior innovative capacity of top firms. Productivity-enhancing innovations are supposed to spread, raising growth and incomes. That they no longer seem to accomplish this reflects barriers to competition that are supported by powerful firms, including non-compete clauses, overly tight intellectual-property rules and an accommodating attitude to acquisitions by market leaders. It seems ever clearer that, when corporations open their wallets to politicians, the public loses.

And [ Merpel writes: didnt her primary school teacher admonish never to begin a sentence with a conjunctive? ] the network effects underpinning the dominance of platforms such as Facebook and Amazon ensure that they play an important social and economic role: the more people rely on them, the more attractive it becomes for others to do the same. This naturally draws regulators gaze, particularly as the effects of such dominance become clearer. Tech firms then seek to defend themselves in turn.

Dangling at the end of a column that appeared in the October 6th issue of(Bought and paid for) are the following provocative words--I say dangling because most of the piece (relying in part on a report from the National Bureau of Economic Research by Ufuk Akcigit Salome Baslandze , and Francesca Lotti ) is devoted to the question of what happens when big business and government (aka politics) come into increasing contact. Sometimes lobbying can provide positive benefits, e.g., in removing excessive regulation. Too often, however, corporate lobbying simply leads to outsized benefits to companies who successfully bend the ear of receptive bureaucrats and legislators, what the column describes as  rent-seeking  behavior that benefits the private actors involved but contributes little or nothing to the greater commonweal.As well are lobbying efforts geared at enabling companies to protect their business model against (over)zealous public scrutiny and even regulation by the shrewd exploitation of opportunities created by innovation. Thus, in the words of the column--Whatever the precise context of the lobbying taking place, it is probably the notion that a dollar spent on lobbying is a dollar not spent on innovation that underlies the cautionary conclusions set out above. What do we make of this?First is the suggestion that the gap in technology between an industry leader and the also-rans is less owing to innovation per se than behavior by the leader that makes it much more difficult for others to compete. Stated otherwise, it is not first and foremost innovation, but rather other factors, which ultimately enable one to enjoy and maintain a dominant position in various industrieseven where that industry is technologically driven. Once the technological level of such an industrial leader is adequate, then the attention of such an industry leader turns, at least in part, from innovation to measures (and the deployment of resources in support of such measures) that are likely to preserve ones market dominance.What are such measures? The column points to non-compete clauses, overly tight intellectual-property rules and a loose view of what constitutes an anti-competitive acquisition involving market leaders. This Kat, already in the 1980s, was taught that the law is wary of anti-competition clauses and tends to enforce them in a restrictive manner. At that time, however, the term innovation was far less central in the way that we viewed industrial organization and, as such, even if non-compete clauses were disfavored, the impact was not viewed at the level of markets and industries. Put innovation front and center, as we now do, and the anti-competitive potential of such clauses takes on potentially greater policy significance.Moreover, the image of changing ones job without changing ones car pool came to symbolize high tech mobility and innovation. When such a dynamic comes to be viewed by an industry leader as a competitive threat, the counter-measure of enhanced use of non-compete clause becomes even more attractive. The reference to overly tight intellectual property rules is curious, however, if only for the reason that nothing further is offered to explain what it means. Even given this silence, however, one can discern, lurking in the background, a clear preference for the low protectionist orientation that is forcefully promoted by some IP academics. If there is a wedge issue dividing the IP community, this is certainly it.The professional conversation between low protectionist and high protectionist advocates has, like so many contentious issues in todays public discourse, become increasingly strident. Still, the contours of the debate are more nuanced than often portrayed, which questions the seemingly unconditional acceptance of the low protectionist orientation in the column. The debate on this basic issue is not going away soon.By Neil WilkofThe picture on the upper right is by Tatoute and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License and the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.The picture on the lower left is by Santeri Viinamaki and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
To learn more about the University Office Center, a new development on the Cal State Bakersfield campus from Gregory D. Bynum and Associates Inc., visit uocbakersfield.com .

BC SouthWest

Bakersfield College has operated its southwest center in the Fresno Pacific University building since 2015 and before that at Stockdale and Bakersfield Christian high schools.

The college said the satellite campus was created after officials noticed a growing number of students from the southwest area were taking classes at the main campus on Panorama Drive. To help make taking classes more convenient for those students and to ease the burden on the main campus, the college piloted a handful of courses as part of a southwest center.

During its first full school year, 2015-16, a total of 582 students enrolled, according to the college. For the 2017-18 school year, enrollment was 1,739. The center is seeing record enrollment of 2,010 students for the current fall semester, according to the college.

Most courses provided at the center are those required for many university degrees, such as English, communication, art and history.
Joseph Luiz can be reached at 395-7368 or by email at jluiz@bakersfield.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @JLuiz_TBC.
You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415 or smorgen@bakersfield.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.
How to find your voting location: The Kern County Elections Division has an online tool available to look up your polling location using your address. Go to https://www.kernvote.com/Voting/ and click on "Go to a Polling Place." Then type in your address.








[ dust bowling ] 11.01.18 Five Shorts

They Say Its Drier Now than the Dust Bowl Years

Im hammered drunk after I see the banker, and my brother calls to say that preachers on TV again. You know, he says, the slapper. I flip around until I find him, and hes so ridiculous and rotten he actually has money in his name. Hallelujah, hes saying, Jesus gonna give you all this. He stood Abraham atop the mount and told him far as your eye can see. Thats yours. My brothers laughing. I stand up, nearly kick the dog trying to get by her, and pour another drink. Come back and turn the TV off and pick the phone back up. Hes still laughing. The sunset burns the fields and forests and streams and sky dead, glints off the black screen of my set. I squint against it a little. So what do you see? he wants to know. I swirl my glass and look, but its all behind me. I tell him its over.





The Gentle Fall of Empire Viewed with Time and Distance

She lied about the Louisiana Purchase. Van Buren, she said, or Jackson. She knew the difference, had to, and thats where things turned south. We spent weeks crisscrossing ploughed and flooded fields between Shreveport and Baton Rouge. Each morning her father sent new maps, the names of real-estate agents with put-on Cajun accents, and instructions to visit hamlets where they bred certain coon dogs or brewed a particular liquor. We woke, brayed against the day stumbled against the light. Every drained-clear catfish farm and leveed out backwater patch of land promised a fortune, but we couldnt be sure. We kept driving. Jackson was the Devil you left alone because he bartered for what you had to have. I never said that to her, because she must have known. When we reached New Orleans and the end of it all we stood in his rainy, empty square, and she talked about his defeating the British in 1815, war already over. All the motions of life and death, conflict and demise, carried out for nothing. Made him a saint. Isnt that how it goes, she asked me, and I agreed that it was exactly how it went. We stood there as long as we could and left no different than we had been, headed the same direction. The rain grew steadier and blew in with the taste of salt and a darker day still ahead. I couldnt have told you the first thing about Van Buren. Neither could she.





This Other Life

In this other life she takes up the guitar and gunsmithing. She buys a Gibson with a faded and chipping sunburst finish, replaces the pickups and joins a bluesy band. She tells them they sound like theyre playing Aerosmith and Zep but slowed down too much. Theyre in Mississippi, so she expects someone to notice. In and out of dives and honky-tonks up and down the Delta no one ever says a word. She trades the Gibson for an old Strat in Hattiesburg and starts pushing for clean, fast riffs. Her tall, black boots settle into that alluvial clay. She struggles free and leaves in the night. Out the coast pushing toward Houston, she buys her first pistol. Its a slim, silver Ruger she marries to six rounds at a time, and she takes to center mass like her birthright. Thats why women so dangerous with a gun, the man in the shop tells her when she exits the range. You girls line it up and squeeze and dont think nothing of it. Husband comes home late, rattles around and startles in the dark, and bang. Hes dead. She shakes a little with his storytelling, but in this other life shes not the sort to care. A couple years later she thinks of going north again and winds up along the bank of a windswept and frozen city flatter than she can spread her hand. She climbs the steps of the tallest tower she can find and looks over the land. Turrets of God and steeples of men, sleeping gables and tireless cornices. She hasnt come as far as she thinks, maybe. She tiptoes onto the rail of her perch and looks harder, strains. She takes up fortunetelling and calligraphy. She studies birdwatching and astronomy. Out there around her the world shifts all about. Shes very still.





<4 Would Be Too Much, But <3 LOL Okay

A small red hatchback skids through the curve in front of our house, what they might call a drift in a certain kind of movie, and then it shoots on into our rainy neighborhood. Like an arrow or a bomb, an argument of dream that wont fade. Youre still at work. Kids safely at school. Ive demolished our home top to bottom, or at least Ive cleared clothes and papers and bottles and dishes and mess from every surface at every height. You wont recognize the place. I wash all the towels and sheets and go for groceries. Ill grill tonight. Out in the traffic, in the cold and wet and the world a little too slow between afternoon and evening, I think about that other car and lean onto my own gas pedal. My rear tires spin a moment and the catch, no drift or slide beyond stop and go for me. Later I retell the whole story on your wall. A little red car spinning by . . . It wheeled and went . . . I cant find a video that suits me, to show you what I mean. Its all Hollywood and drama, fake. I tell you all Ive done, all Ive tried to do. What youll see now and what you can expect. I cant say it will be perfect, but I can say that I <3 you. I <3 you with all my <3. Everything will be okay.





Amytis, Tiring

She watches him cross the yard to the small garden edging the pasture but doesnt have the energy to chase this time. He drops among the tomatoes and scoots, an enormous rushing baby. At least hes half dressed. Soon his bare arms and legs and chest turn chalky brown. He shifts against the sun so she sees his profile and holds his fingertips to his lips and licks. That reddish clay enters and fills him, and then he rounds the tomatoes, past the yellow and green squashes to disappear in a square of sunflowers. She lights a cigarette and walks her mind through each room of the house. There are dishes in the kitchen and his bedroom, laundry, a sticky spot on the hardwood before his recliner. That she hasnt figured out yet. Its caught a little dust, fuzz or lint floated from the air. At first she thought ice cream, hell sometimes get himself ice cream from the freezer, but its clear and scentless and she cant imagine. Maybe some new part of him melted loose of his body, something else he leaves for her to bend and kneel and curate with cleaner and effort and love. Its close, small, but she cant move from the couch. She wont. Out the window he reappears, head bobbing red and nervous through the low-cropped fescue. Hes cleared the single string of electrified wire, still probably running hotwhod have thought to unplug the box?though there are no more cows to enclose, nothing to catch him unawares and pin his skull between ribs and wooden corral rail. Addle him forever or make him something new. Soon hes veering from sight, the woods and creek and neighbors farms beyond, but even if she rises now she knows theres nothing she can do.
In preparation for the first Sabbath following the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, Jewish leaders signaled that they do not plan to close off their communities out of fear.

Instead, many were encouraging Jews and non-Jews alike across the country to attend services on Friday night or Saturday, spreading the hashtag #ShowUpForShabbat on social media as an invitation to all.

The campaign, started by the American Jewish Committee, is meant to offer a space for people to express grief over the massacre and show solidarity with the victims.

Last Saturday, a holy day of rest in the Jewish faith, a man shouting anti-Semitic slurs stormed into the Tree of Life synagogue in the Jewish enclave of Squirrel Hill, killing 11 congregants. The rampage was among the deadliest against Jews in the United States.

"We want to send a powerful message to anti-Semites that Americans are outraged, whether these Americans are Jewish or non-Jewish," Harris said. "It was not only an assault on the Jewish community, it was an assault on American values."

On the Sabbath, which starts at sundown Friday, the Jewish tradition is to say a prayer while lighting two candles, attend synagogue and have dinner with family, along with prayers over wine and bread. On Saturday morning, Jews return to synagogue for services.

Harris said he saw no better place for people to show support for the Jewish community than at a synagogue, a space meant for peace and community that was turned into one of brutal violence in Pittsburgh last week.

Since Saturday's shooting, religious people outside the Jewish faith have found other ways to demonstrate their solidarity with Jews.

For example, two Muslim organizations have raised more than $200,000 to help victims and their families following the massacre.

And Greg Zanis, a retired carpenter who has made thousands of wooden crosses to memorialize the dead, traveled to Pittsburgh from Illinois to install 11 Stars of David near the Tree of Life synagogue. Zanis, who has been constructing such memorials for about 20 years, said he tried to honor all faiths  as well as those who did not subscribe to one during their lives.

While welcoming all to attend services, Jewish leaders are also bolstering security at their synagogues while continuing to discuss how to ensure congregants still feel comforted and free in the space.

On Friday, David Harris, the chief executive of the American Jewish Committee, said the campaign was not meant to spread Judaism as a religion, but to send a message of strength against anti-Semitism.

"We're not going to be cowed into silence," he said. "We're not going to stay home. We're going to show up."
On September 6, the Supreme Court of India ruled that homosexuality is no longer against the law. While it has finally given recognition to a community long suppressed, the ruling also raised theological questions for the different faiths in India including the Indian Orthodox Church, which has seamlessly blended Indian culture with its Oriental Orthodox and Apostolic Christian faith. Also called the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, it is believed to have been founded in AD 52 by Apostle St. Thomas, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ. By virtue of its life in ancient India for centuries, it is no surprise that it has been conservative in its response to some controversial topics of our times.

I wanted to know how the church, with 3.5 million faithful worldwide, including 2,500 families in two dioceses in North America, responded to the decision by India's highest court. To find out, I spoke with one of the Metropolitans of the church, Bishop Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, who leads the Northeast American Diocese, under whose jurisdiction my parish  St. Paul's Church in Niskayuna  falls.
Step back and marvel at this fact: The economy is in some ways doing as well as it has in decades, and yet not only are the president's approval ratings around 42 percent and his party is poised to suffer huge losses in the midterm election, they're barely talking about the economy on the campaign trail.

As President Donald Trump so eloquently put it in another context: What is going on?

Today we got the latest job numbers, which show that 250,000 new jobs were created in October and the unemployment rate has fallen to 3.7 percent. On one hand, this is just a continuation of the last couple of years of the Obama administration: Trump has now seen the creation of 4.1 million jobs in his first 21 months in office, while 4.5 million were created in Obama's last 21 months in office. But on the other hand, which policies helped produce the results doesn't much matter in politics; what matters is that the economy is doing well while Republicans in charge.

Yet while Trump touts the good economic news regularly and candidates do sometimes mention it, the economy is nothing like the centerpiece of the Republican campaign. What are they running on instead?

There are two deeply contradictory messages, and that contradiction encapsulates the problem they now face.

The first message, pitched to voters in liberal, swing, and even some conservative districts and states, is this: "I'm kinda like a Democrat!" Republican candidates across the country are promising to protect people with pre-existing conditions, despite the fact that they've been trying to take those protections away for almost a decade and are still trying to as we speak. They're saying Democrats are a threat to Medicare and Social Security. In other words, they want voters to believe that the GOP is caring, compassionate, and committed to a strong role for government in protecting your welfare.

Spectacularly dishonest though that message may be, it has worked before. The problem, though, is that another very message is competing for voters' attention: the message of terror coming from the president and his allies in conservative media, all about how dark-skinned immigrants are coming to destroy your country and threaten your family.

If you look around you see that those messages vary by district; while the pro-safety-net message dominates in most places, many Republicans are also mounting some pretty vile racist attacks against their opponents. The problem is that you can't keep that stuff contained when the president is working hard to make the election about fear and hatred of non-whites.

This gets to a fundamental feature of contemporary politics that was already true to a degree, but has been exacerbated by the Trump presidency. We used to say "All politics is local," meaning that even senators and members of the House had to be concerned with local concerns; you can tell a voter that you worked on an arms control treaty, but if they can't get the pothole in front of their house fixed they'll still be angry. Today, it's almost the opposite: What's happening at the national level affects every race down to the most local level.

It's the result of party polarization and modern communication technology, since nobody can avoid national politics and we can learn quickly about what's happening anywhere in the country. But it's also about Trump. Not just because he's a big personality who seizes the news agenda, but because his theory of politics is that the way for him to win is to be as outrageous and offensive as possible in order to make his enemies angry and his core supporters cheer.

There's a common impulse to assume that if Trump has managed to make everyone talk about something he said or did, then that means he's winning. He certainly believes it, but it isn't necessarily true. All you have to do is look around at the swing districts, particularly those in the suburbs, where Republican candidates are trying to present themselves as moderate and reasonable but can't do it because of the stream of bile coming from the Oval Office. Here's how the New York Times describes the situation:

In Republican-leaning districts that include diverse populations or abut cities that do - from bulwarks of Sunbelt conservatism like Houston and Orange County, California, to the well-manicured bedroom communities outside Philadelphia and Minneapolis - the party is in danger of losing its House majority next week because Mr. Trump's racially-tinged nationalism has alienated these voters who once made up a dependable constituency.

Democrats stand to make some of their most significant gains in districts like these, dominated by people who are doing well economically and with an ordinary Republican president would be happy to vote for Republican members of Congress as an affirmation of their satisfaction. But they're being repelled by Trump's hateful white nationalism, and the closer we get to the election, the more Trump is ratcheting up precisely the rhetoric that is already driving these voters away. It's hard to say you're a sensible candidate when the leader of your party is fantasizing about gunning down asylum-seekers.

All this shows that the bargain Republicans made when Trump got the GOP presidential nomination in 2016 contained the seeds of their party's coming defeat. They said to themselves, "Sure, he's a buffoon and a liar and a race-baiter. But he'll bring out working class white voters, and if we win we'll get the policies we want and a boatload of conservatives judges. It'll work out fine."

They were right about the policies and the judges, but they were wrong if they thought they could they could maintain the party's identity as something that could be differentiated from Trump. He is the GOP now. That means that local candidates have to answer for him whether they want to or not, and young people are utterly disgusted by the party, a feeling they'll carry with them for years or even decades.

And it means that even if the economy is doing well, Republicans can't convince voters to give them credit for it. Imagine what will happen if there's a downturn.
Facebook and Twitter aren't just trying to drive people to the polls -- they're racing to battle back bad actors who seek to deter their users from voting.

With the 2018 midterms days away, both social media platforms are waging a quiet war against fast-spreading falsehoods about how, when and where to vote -- including posts containing inaccuracies about how to mail in ballots, or doctored photos that show long lines at polling stations. To do so, they're taking new, aggressive steps to scan, vet and remove content that they see as a direct threat to democracy.

For Facebook and Twitter, the challenge is to ensure that false information about voting -- potentially seeded by foreign governments or malicious domestic actors, then amplified by web users unwittingly -- doesn't serve to deter or intimidate voters on November 6. Typically, these web giants shy away from correcting or removing some false comments on their platforms, arguing they aren't arbiters of truth.

For example, Twitter users in recent weeks have fueled a rumor that federal immigration agents might be stationed at polling places across the country checking voters' citizenship status. "I hear ICE agents will be at polling stations on election day, looking to deport illegals trying to vote," read an Oct. 28 tweet.

The post, which had gained little traction, was removed after The Washington Post contacted Twitter about it on Thursday. Experts fear such tweets might scare immigrants who have obtained citizenship and are allowed to vote from casting ballots, and could go viral. (The Trump administration has said -- on Twitter -- that it does not conduct "enforcement operations at polling locations.")

But both tech companies are proceeding cautiously, trying to find the right balance between combating perceived voter suppression and preserving free expression. "STOP VOTER FRAUD WEAR A ICE HAT ON ELECTION DAY," suggested another tweet that was still viewable on Twitter as of Friday.

Facebook and Twitter say they have fine-tuned their policies -- and their algorithms -- in a bid to thwart threats and misinformation around voting. Government officials also stress they are keeping watch, and many state-election leaders and voting-rights organizations say have reported problematic posts to the companies.

Monitoring for misleading messages, however, is not an easy task -- and the stakes for tech giants are sky high after suspicious accounts with possible Russian ties used similar tactics during the 2016 election. On Twitter, they targeted their inaccurate voting information specifically to Hispanic, African-American and LGBT voters, according to documents released by congressional lawmakers.

"We're concerned there's going to be misinformation," said Jim Condos, the secretary of state for Vermont and the leader of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

The heightened oversight complements the get-out-to-vote reminders and other tools that will be available atop Facebook's News Feed and Twitter's timeline come Election Day. On Friday, Twitter announced it would display an election countdown and links to resources for users to learn more about their local candidates. Other companies like Snap and Spotify similarly are encouraging their users to vote.

Attempts to depress turnout are hardly new: For decades, government officials have battled back anonymous snail-mail flyers and robo-calls that misled voters on the locations of their polling places or the date of the election. But voter suppression increasingly has become more of a digital scourge -- from robo-texts en masse to viral photos and videos in the age of Facebook and Twitter.

"Technology has made that information delivery more efficient and cheap, therefore potentially much more widespread," said Wendy Weiser, the director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. "And it has made it more difficult for people to detect."

Facebook this year has set up a special reporting channel for state election officials to flag voting misinformation for review and removal. Behind the scenes, it's also implemented its machine-learning tools to scan for obviously duplicitous content, including posts that share the wrong date of the election, a company official said Friday.

Under rules it revised in October, Facebook has banned an even broader swath of content, including posts that wrongly claim that people can vote online. And the company has said it would send some posts -- like incorrect claims about long lines at polling places -- for fact checkers to review, an official explained Friday. If they're found to be false, Facebook has said it will limit their reach in users' news feeds.

Twitter has adopted a different approach: It has partnered with the National Association of Secretaries of States (NASS) and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED). Both organizations, along with the Democratic and Republican Parties, are supposed to funnel reports of voting disinformation through a web portal for Twitter employees to review for potential removal, the groups said this week.

Company executives said they already took action against multiple tweets involving immigration agents at polling places. Another meme, purporting to be from the Democratic Party, suggested men stay home on Election Day to amplify the votes of women. Twitter also required the user to remove that one.

"In order to make sure that we are prepared to counter and combat things like attempting to spread mis- or disinformation about elections or voting, or registering to vote . . .we've really been trying not just to tighten our policies, but our enforcement capacity," said Del Harvey, vice president for trust and safety at Twitter.

State-election regulators also have taken advantage of these tools. In Nevada and Oregon, for example, officials flagged tweets that wrongly suggested Democrats are supposed to turn in their ballots on Nov. 7, the day after the election. Twitter has since taken the posts down. Organizations like NASED reported the tweets, even though they gained limited traction, to prevent the misinformation from going viral -- and because they can't tell who's behind the posts in the first place.

"We don't know on front end if something is an innocent mistake. We don't know on the front end if someone thinks they're being funny. We don't know on the front end if it's part of a larger misinformation campaign," said Amy Cohen, the group's executive director. "But we're focused on addressing the misinformation, regardless of the messenger."

To state election officials, voting-rights advocates and academics, the new systems represent an important start. Those companies also are working alongside the Department of Homeland Security and FBI to monitor online threats. But fears linger that social media companies won't respond quickly enough on Election Day. Other watchdogs fret they have limited visibility into what people are sharing on Facebook, Twitter and other sites in real time. Misinformation can easily spread across social-media sites, making it more difficult to track coordinated campaigns.

Election Protection, a coalition of voting-rights organizations, said it received a report in recent days about a post on Facebook -- bearing the logo of the Department of Homeland Security -- that was similar to the tweets about ICE agents at polling stations. The group since has shared it with Facebook, which said such posts violate its policies.

"Falsely claiming that ICE or law enforcement will be at polling places is a common voter suppression tactic," said David Brody, senior fellow for privacy and technology at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, one of the organizations that comprises Election Protection.

In Vermont, Condos said his state is one of many that lacks the staff, expertise and money to devote an entire team to monitoring election misinformation.

"We just rely on people contacting us and letting us know," he said.

Experts stress it's hard to gauge the broader effects of these posts, tweets and other content on voters' behaviors -- absent more data. On Facebook, in particular, the site's efforts to limit the reach of content designed to dissuade voters makes it hard for researchers to track what's happening there.

"Right now, all we see are anecdotes about bad action -- but we have no sense of the prevalence or how effective it might be," said Nathaniel Persily, a professor at the Stanford Law School.

For social media sites, though, one test came Tuesday, when conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza told more than 1 million followers on Twitter, "Felons can't vote. But pardoned ones can @realDonaldTrump @tedcruz."

D'Souza previously pled guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws but was pardoned by President Donald Trump this year. His tweet had been shared more than 6,000 times by Friday, and D'Souza posted a similar version on Facebook that picked up more than 2,700 shares. While the post may have been meant as a joke, it's also false: In many states, ex-offenders can vote -- pardon not required.

Both posts remain in public view.
Fallout from tropical flooding and allegations of homophobic bigotry have made this an unusually busy political season in the Mid-County bedroom community of Groves.

Voters on Tuesday will decide their first contested mayoral election in a decade. Theyll also decide the fate of a 19-year-old councilman who is the subject of a recall election.

Cross Coburn, the openly gay Ward 1 councilman, came under fire earlier this year when nude screenshots of him on a dating app were anonymously mailed to people in City Hall and others. A local resident then successfully petitioned for the recall vote, which Coburn sued to stop.

He and his supporters attribute the effort to his sexuality, though Coburn also acknowledged that his progressive political agenda may not be popular in the conservative community of 15,769.

Coburns is not the only political fight on the ballot. In the mayors race, two political outsiders are hoping to replace nine-term mayor Brad P. Bailey.

Bailey, 53 and a lifelong Groves resident, was first elected in 2000. He has been challenged only once before.

He faces Suzanne Williamson and Kaelan Ramos on the ballot this year.

Williamson, a 51-year-old Groves native, would be the towns first female mayor. Ramos, 21, would be one of the youngest on record.

Williamson said she never had political aspirations before January, when her Harvey-hit home came close to flooding after one heavy day of rain.

She became a fixture at Groves City Council meetings, regularly speaking out, and attending Drainage District 7 commissioner meetings to learn the intricacies of the drainage system.

Williamson later launched a Keep Groves Beautiful Facebook page that she regularly updates with photos of debris-clogged ditches and drains.

She said she learned so much that she felt compelled to run for mayor.

I couldnt look myself in the mirror otherwise, she said.

Williamson, who has a background in business development, said she hoped to improve the citys drainage system whose problems have only been exacerbated by Harvey, increase financial transparency and attract new businesses to Groves.

Williamson said she planned to tackle common sense fixes, such as excess spending on office equipment, the budgets low-hanging fruit. The citys finances should also be more transparent, she said, adding that she plans to post a detailed budget online with exact expenditures and to whom theyre paid.

Things stay the status quo whenever theyre not challenged, she said.

The citys latest annual financial report shows Groves with a fund balance of negative $958,127 at the end of the most recent fiscal year.

If elected, Williamson said she would look to add or change existing city ordinances, one of which allows the city manager to approve purchases of $5,000 or less without City Council approval. Council members should also have consecutive term limits, she said.

She is taking on Bailey, who comes from a large Groves family. Baileys father and his 15 brothers and sisters were all raised in Groves. His wife, Darla, grew up four streets from him.

Bailey did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Thursday.

Bailey served in the U.S. Army infantry and was active during Operation Desert Storm. His LinkedIn profile lists his current position as director of business development at HydroChem LLC.

When he first ran in 2000, Bailey told the Enterprise that the city needed new ideas, and younger people needed to get involved. He was 32. Kimbra Lowery, who has been city clerk since 2000, said she believes Bailey is one of the citys youngest mayors.

Ramos could change that.

Ramos, who moved from Port Arthur to Groves in 2006, said he decided to run for mayor because he feels the citys current leadership has lost its touch with the Groves community.

Everything just seems like its going downhill, Ramos said, pointing to Harvey which he said he believed exposed the problem with the citys water system.

Even after Harvey, the city continues to experience drainage problems and street flooding, said Ramos, who has spoken with neighbors who say Groves is flooding more than it has in years past.

A sales associate at Great American Cookie Co. and an H-E-B night stocker, Ramos said his work ethic and business training through H-E-B are reasons why voters should pick him.

Age, in regard to running for mayor, doesnt really really matter, Ramos said. Its about how you are, the mind set and commitment youre willing to put in front of you to get the job done.

At 21, Ramos isnt the youngest person to aim for the citys top elected seat.

In 2000, Baileys opponents included Douglas B. Bledsoe III, then a 19-year-old Lamar student.

Ramos said he was inspired to run after hearing about the leak of the Coburn photos. He said he originally planned to run against Coburn, but determined he was misinformed about the facts surrounding the recall petition.

Ramos said he signed the petition because he wanted to set a higher standard, but he now regrets that decision. As more details about the petition emerged through Coburn, his attorney and local media, Ramos said he began to sense the petition was fueled by homophobic behavior.

Groves resident William L. Howlett, who launched the recall effort against Coburn in May, said in the petition that Coburn had demonstrated actions unbecoming a public official and fractur(ed) the trust of the citizens of Groves.

Ramos said he believes the City Council needs someone to set a standard that says whether youre gay, straight, Christian, Arabic, Muslim, wherever you come from, youre welcome in this community.

Raised by a Catholic mother and Muslim father, Ramos said he is able to look past religious and political disagreements, an essential part of politics, he said.

Coburn filed suit in August to stop the effort to oust him, but a Jefferson County judge ruled on Oct. 1 that it was too late to stop the November recall election because ballots had already been mailed out.

Earlier this week, the judge, who had originally dismissed Coburns lawsuit with prejudice, issued a new order saying the lawsuits claims can be brought back to court.

If Coburn loses the recall election, his attorney Jill Pierce said they plan to file an election contest based on the numerous deficiencies found within the petition. If Coburns team, which includes a handwriting expert, is able to prove the petition was wrongfully certified, Pierce said a judge could throw out the recall issue and essentially reinstate the councilman.

She said three people so far have signed an affidavit saying their signature on the recall petition was forged.

But on Tuesday, instead of running against an opponent, Coburn said he will be running against corruption and bigotry.

phoebe.suy@beaumontenterprise.com

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A Pakistani cleric known as the "father of the Taliban" was stabbed and shot to death Friday in his home outside Islamabad, his family and aides said, amid ongoing violence days after a Christian woman was acquitted of blasphemy charges.

It was not immediately clear whether the slaying of Maulana Sami ul-Haq, 82, was related to the unrest.

But it added another volatile element during nationwide protests by Muslim groups angered at a ruling Wednesday by Pakistan's Supreme Court that acquitted a Christian woman on charges of blasphemy. Some protesters have called for a military uprising and for judges to be killed.

Aides to Haq said he had attempted to join the protests after weekly prayer services but returned home because roads were blocked. Videos posted on social media showed protesters smashing and burning cars stranded on a major highway.

A government negotiating team announced it had reached an agreement with protest leaders to call off further demonstrations, but the situation remained tense.

Haq was an admired and complex figure in Pakistan's highly religious democracy as both a fervent Islamist and a pragmatic two-time senator. He headed a deeply conservative Sunni party but was aligned with the new, liberal-leaning government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and had been working with officials to develop religious reforms.

Haq was best known as the founder and director of a seminary near the Afghan border that trained hundreds of young men to join Afghan religious fighters - first against invading Soviet forces in the 1980s and later as part of the anti-Western Taliban.

As news spread of the murder, a range of Pakistani officials and religious figures, including the army chief and the leaders of the Pakistani Taliban, expressed shock and sorrow.

"I have great respect for Maulana Sami, and his death is a huge loss to Pakistan," said Maulana Fazl-Ur Rehman, a leading religious politician who heads another conservative Sunni party.

Pakistan's interior minister, Shehyar Afridi, said that he "shared the pain" of Haq's family and that Haq's religious and political service to the country would be long remembered.

Haq's eldest son, Maulana Hamid ul-Haq, said that his father, who had a heart condition, was resting in bed and his bodyguard and driver were out when the attackers came. Haq's body was taken to the Rawalpindi district hospital, where it was shown in social media photos covered with savage stab wounds.

The news also brought a fresh outbreak of demonstrations on the darkened streets of Islamabad, where protests against the high court's acquittal of Asia Bibi had erupted Friday, as well as in other cities, for the third day in a row. The protesters view the court decision as an insult to Islam and the prophet Muhammad, and they have called for Bibi to be put to death.

The peasant woman, now in her early 50s, was charged with blasphemy in 2010 after arguing with some Muslim women in a field. She was convicted and sentenced to death. The high court overturned those rulings, drawing praise from rights groups and fury from the main anti-blasphemy group.

The government tried to end the ensuing violence peacefully. Khan, now on a visit to Beijing, addressed the nation Wednesday night and appealed to the protesters not to challenge state authority. He stressed that he and all Pakistani Muslims revere Muhammad, and he called the protesters' actions "deplorable."

On Thursday, a government negotiating committee met until late at night with anti-blasphemy leaders. The anti-blasphemy leaders demanded that Bibi be barred from leaving the country, but the government refused, and the talks broke off.

By Friday night, with the stakes much higher, the government had accepted a list of demands that included preventing her from leaving Pakistan, even though her family said she would be in danger here. It also agreed to release any arrested protesters and allow opponents to file an appeal of the high court verdict.

Earlier in the week, some commentators had chided the government for trying to appease the protesters. On Friday evening, the criticism was sharper and more urgent.

"This is a very dangerous time," analyst Amir Rana said. He urged the government to gather all religious leaders and tell them to issue a joint statement to call off the protests. He also said the security forces " need to move swiftly and control the volatile security situation," or risk the outbreak of widespread sectarian strife.

Khan's government, which took office in August, has been torn over how to handle the unrest.

The army has said it is reluctant to intervene and regrets being "dragged" into such matters, where it may be forced to repress a religious movement that has millions of supporters.

- The Post's Haq Nawaz Khan and Shaiq Hussain contributed to this report.
Tacos La Bamba hosted its annual Dia De Los Muertos celebration in concert with First Thursdays last night. Our cameras were there - did we see you?
Californias chief prison psychiatrist has issued a scathing report on management of mental health care in the prisons, saying officials are misrepresenting the care given to thousands of prisoners and are jeopardizing the health of inmates  including a woman who, in a horrifying 2017 incident, pulled out her eye and swallowed it.

A large majority of patients are not getting psychiatric care when scheduled or otherwise when they need it, Dr. Michael Golding said in a 161-page report to a federal judge in Sacramento who oversees the prison mental health system.

A central problem, Golding said, is that medical decisions, on the drugs inmates need and the type and frequency of care they receive, are assigned to psychologists and other non-physicians rather than psychiatrists, who are medical doctors. This group has created a biased and inaccurately positive picture of what is actually a troubled system of care, Golding said.

The report comes at a critical time for the prison system, which a federal court said in 1995 was violating inmates constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment by providing poor mental health care. The system has been under court supervision since then, with a court-appointed monitor. But, improvements in recent years led both sides in the case to anticipate a return to state oversight.

Goldings report changes the whole ballgame, Michael Bien, a lawyer for the 30,000 state prisoners receiving mental health care, said Wednesday. He said he and his clients were about to accept the prison systems proposal to reduce psychiatric staff positions by nearly 20 percent  from 405 to 326  but backed away after seeing the report.

The prisons have made tremendous progress in recent years, Bien said, but if their own statistics on patient care are false, we really dont know whats going on.

Vicky Waters, spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said the department strongly disagrees with (Goldings) allegations, and looks forward to a fair and thorough review and hearing of all the facts. ... Our dedicated and well-trained staff will continue to provide appropriate care and treatment.

The next hearing, before U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller, is scheduled for Monday.

Golding said the dangers of failing to involve trained psychiatrists in medical decisions were illustrated gruesomely at the California Institution for Women in Chino (San Bernardino County) in April 2017.

A woman who had been refusing to take medications was diagnosed as gravely disabled by a staff psychologist and placed in a prison hospital on suicide watch, attended by a nurse, the report said. After screaming periodically for four hours, the woman, while lying on the floor, pulled out her left eye, and then, after guards arrived, put her eye in her mouth and swallowed it.

Prison psychiatrists reviewing the incident agreed that the woman should have been medicated, by force if necessary, Golding said. But he said the supervising psychologist decided not to forcibly administer medication or to contact the on-duty psychiatrist. Later, Golding said, a prison safety committee, whose members had no medical training, found no connection between the patients self-mutilation and the lack of medication.

Prison administrators and managing psychologists appear to discount expert medical opinion and make decisions allowing, and even mandating, non-medically-trained individuals to override doctors medical orders, Golding said.

His report also accused the prison system of greatly exaggerating its administration of mental health care.

For example, Golding said, in describing the number of mental health appointments provided each month to the most severely ill patients, the department classified as appointments a staff members brief encounters with inmates in a prison yard, surrounded by other prisoners, as well as an inmates phone conversations with a psychiatrist through a laptop computer held outside the cell door.

Golding also said the state reported that less-seriously-ill inmates were seen at their scheduled appointments 95 percent of the time, but failed to count appointments that were canceled because of the patients refusal, a scheduling error or other reasons  which would have reduced the number to 46 percent or less.

Likewise, he said, when a mentally ill inmate is transferred to another prison, the prison system restarts the clock on health care appointments, so that an inmate who was due for treatment within a week at the former institution might have to wait another 90 days or longer.

As a result, he said, the departments reports to the court significantly overstate its compliance with health care standards while understating the need for more staff psychiatrists.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Everett Johnson said his former neighbor's face grew stern when he asked how she was doing during a chance encounter around the start of October in Fairfax County, Virginia. The mother from Saudi Arabia offered a surprising reply.

"I don't know where my daughters are," the woman told Johnson. "I haven't seen them in a long time."

Johnson said the mother told him that she didn't know why Rotana Farea, 22, and Tala Farea, 16, had disappeared or where they were, and that she hadn't communicated with them recently. The distraught mother asked Johnson what to do.

"I told her, 'Call the police,' " Johnson said.

The unusual encounter came roughly a month before the sisters' bodies were found on the banks of the Hudson River in New York City on Oct. 24, police said.

The bodies, which were bound together with duct tape around the waist and ankles, had washed ashore near 68th Street and Riverside Park in Manhattan. A passerby found the bodies lying on rocks beneath a pier. They were fully clothed in black leggings and fur-trimmed jackets and showed no apparent signs of trauma. A photo from the scene shows silvery duct tape tangled up with the girls legs and wrapped around their shoes.

The mystery surrounding what befell the sisters has only deepened over the last week. New York City police said they are trying to piece together a two-month gap in the sisters' lives after they disappeared in late August, while a medical examiner is still determining the cause and manner of their deaths. CBS News reported that the examiner's office, which has declined to answer questions, has determined that the sisters were alive when they entered the water.

Police have not revealed whether they know how the sisters got to New York City, whether they believe their deaths are murder or suicide, or why they went missing in the first place. For young women in the social media age, the sisters had little obvious online presence. No photos of the sisters could be found before police released images from the family on Wednesday.

But Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea of the New York Police Department said investigators have begun "unraveling" some questions about the deaths after interviewing family members and other people in Virginia this week.

"There has been what I will call significant progress trying to get the complete picture of what ultimately led to the two young ladies' being discovered," Shea said.

The sisters were reported missing Sept. 12 but were last heard from on Aug. 24, the Fairfax County police said. Still unclear is why family members waited nearly three weeks to file a missing-person report, but police said neither sister was believed to be in danger at that time.

The sisters were previously reported missing on Dec. 1, 2017, but were found after a day, Fairfax County police said. Authorities said the sisters were referred to county services but also said privacy rules precluded the release of additional details.

Neither parent of the Fareas responded to requests for comment. Friends have remained silent as well.

A New York City police spokeswoman declined to comment on the sisters' immigration status. The New York Post, citing unnamed police sources, reported that detectives learned that the day before the bodies were found, the mother received a call from an official at the Saudi Embassy in Washington saying the family may have to leave the United States because the sisters had applied for political asylum.

The Saudi Embassy did not respond to a request for comment, but the Saudi Consulate in New York City issued a statement saying that it had retained an attorney to "follow the case closely" and that the embassy had offered assistance to the Farea sisters' family.

New York police on Wednesday appealed to public for information about the sisters, who police said may have been staying in the New York City metro area. Shea said authorities do know some of what the sisters had been doing.

Media outlets in New York initially reported that police were investigating the case as a suicide pact, with the girls possibly leaping from the George Washington Bridge, but investigators backed off that theory because such a long fall would have produced trauma to their bodies and motorists would have been likely to see the pair on the bridge.

The Arab News, citing unnamed family members in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, reported that the family has rejected the idea that the sisters committed suicide. The Arab News said family members said Tala missed her sister and had run away from home to be with her in New York City, where Rotana was attending college.

The family members told the Arab News that relatives were concerned about Tala Farea's disappearance but called off their search after discovering that the teen was with her sister. The veracity of those reports could not be confirmed.

Johnson, the neighbor, said the younger sister lived in a Fairfax, Virginia, apartment with her mother and a brother, who was around 12, and possibly an older second brother. Johnson said he thought Rotana was living away from home at college and saw her less frequently. He said the sisters' father lived in Saudi Arabia and may have worked for the government there. He would visit periodically.

He said that the family moved out over the summer and that he had seen no obvious problems in the household.

"They were always pleasant," Johnson said.

Johnson said a succession of Saudi exchange students had lived in the apartment before the Fareas. George Mason University spokesman Michael Sandler said Rotana had attended the school but left in the spring.

"The news of her death is tragic," Sandler wrote in an email. "University officials are cooperating with police and will assist in any way we can."

Tala attended Fairfax High School for part of the 2017-2018 school year, but a spokesman for the Fairfax County Public Schools said he could offer no other details because of student privacy restrictions.

"On behalf of all members of the Fairfax High School family, we extend our deepest condolences to family, friends, and all those impacted by this event," Principal Erin Lenart wrote in a message to school families last week.

Fairfax County court records show the family may have been in financial distress. In 2016, family members were evicted from an apartment in Falls Church's Skyline Towers after failing to pay nearly $1,700 in rent, according to court records. After the family moved to the apartment in Fairfax, another management company initiated eviction proceedings over a failure to pay rent, but the case was ultimately dropped.

Police said the family came to the United States in 2015.
100 days, and still no justice for Nirmala Pant

Four things stand out as investigations into the horrific rape and murder of Nirmala Pant make no headway on the 100th day since the 13-year-old went missing on July 26lapses in DNA tests, conclusion of the post-mortem report that the girls vocal cord was broken, the lost CCTV footages of the nearby Hotel Opera, and the Army barracks close to the crime scene.
President Donald Trump's more sophisticated supporters in places such as Washington and New York claim that his presidency is a raging success because he has appointed conservative judges, cut taxes and turbocharged the economy. Trump himself evidently disagrees, because he is not running the midterm campaign based on his supposed achievements. Instead, Trump and his fellow Republicans are closing the election with the most naked appeal to racial prejudice since the dark days of Jim Crow when Democrats in the South would compete to display their fervor for segregation.

On Halloween, the Trump campaign released a commercial featuring a cop-killing undocumented immigrant named Luis Bracamontes. It has been compared to the 1988 Willie Horton ad. But that is unfair. This is much worse. "Democrats let him into our country," the ad says. "Democrats let him stay." Actually, Bracamontes entered the United States when George W. Bush was president, and he was arrested and released by Trump's favorite sheriff, Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona

The ad goes on to show hordes of unidentified people rushing a fence. It looks like a scene of a zombie attack from "World War Z" and is meant to convey the impression that the United States is being overrun by hordes of illegal immigrants. In reality, apprehensions of illegal migrants along the southern border are down more than 80 percent since 2000. There is no immigration crisis. There has been an increase in illegal border crossings from 2017 to 2018, but that's not Democrats' fault, since Republicans control all three branches of government. And there is no crime wave by illegal immigrants. They commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans.

But Trump acts as if a caravan of perhaps 3,500 bedraggled, impoverished refugees is an invading barbarian horde that he says might be paid for by Jewish billionaire George Soros - precisely the conspiracy theory that motivated a white supremacist in Pittsburgh to slaughter 11 people in a synagogue. "If you don't want America to be overrun by masses of illegal aliens and giant caravans, you better vote Republican," Trump said Thursday.

The real threat to America comes not from the caravan but from Trump's assault on our democratic norms. He has declared a "national emergency" where none exists. He has talked of sending as many as 15,000 troops to the border - more than we have in Afghanistan or Iraq - even though they are not needed and have no authority to arrest anyone. He has even said that the troops would be expected to shoot people throwing rocks - a violation of the laws of war. The Pentagon is calling this Operation Faithful Patriot. Operation Political Stunt is more like it.

Trump is politicizing the military, leading old soldiers to cry out in protest. Retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tweeted, "A wasteful deployment of over-stretched Soldiers and Marines would be made much worse if they use force disproportional to the threat they face. They won't." Former defense secretary Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam veteran, said that Trump is using our troops as "political pawns" and that this is "really wrong."

Also wrong is Trump's assault on the Constitution. He claims to appoint judges with a commitment to the "original intent" of the Constitution. Well, nothing could be clearer than the language of the 14th Amendment: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside." Yet Trump pretends that somehow by executive order he could deny citizenship to children born here if their parents aren't citizens or possibly permanent residents.

Why Trump would try to do this is unclear save for his unrelenting animus against immigrants who come from "shithole countries" rather than from majority-white countries such as Germany (like his grandparents) or Slovenia (like his wife). There is no problem with too many people claiming U.S. citizenship. It's not as if America is overcrowded: The United States has 35.6 people per square kilometer, compared to 272 people per square kilometer in the United Kingdom. And it's not as if immigrants are dragging us down economically - Trump himself brags about how our economy is the greatest ever. Like the "crisis" of illegal immigration, the "crisis" of birthright citizenship is concocted out of whole cloth by nativists - and that appears to be precisely the constituency that Trump is pandering to.

It is not shocking that Trump would stoop so low. With him, there is no bottom. What is shocking, if no longer entirely surprising, is that the Republican Party would so readily follow him into the gutter. The prominent Republicans denouncing his hate-mongering are mostly those such as Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio who are not seeking reelection. The rest of the GOP is complicit in this disgraceful demagoguery. Republicans who do not denounce Trump's racist tactics - and even imitate them - will never escape the stench of this year's campaign as long as they live.
Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.
The following hospitals announced or completed plans in the last week to expand, upgrade or renovate their facilities.

1. UW Health to build $255M specialty clinic

Madison, Wis.-based UW Health plans to build a $255 million specialty care clinic on the far east side of Madison.

2. Atrium Health to get 2 new medical office buildings

Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health plans to invest more than $200 million into a multiphase development in Charlotte. Phase one will provide patients with an additional 280,000 square feet of medical space.

3. Banner University Medical Center to open 16-story tower Nov. 6

Phoenix-based Banner University Medical Center will open its 16-story, $417.9 million patient tower Nov. 6.

4. NYC Health + Hospitals to build 3 one-stop shop ambulatory care centers

New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals plans to build three community healthcare centers that will provide comprehensive, one-stop ambulatory care services to patients in underserved communities.

5. Penn Medicine breaks ground on $200M outpatient center

Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine broke ground Oct. 26 on its Advanced Patient Care building, which will serve as a $200 million replacement outpatient center.

6. Norton Healthcare unveils $38M cancer center

Louisville, Ky.-based Norton Healthcare held a ceremonial ribbon cutting Oct. 24 for the completion of Norton Cancer Institute-Brownsboro.

7. Acadia Healthcare wants to build $21M hospital in Cincinnati

Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare, which operates 600 facilities in 40 states, has proposed building a $21-million hospital in Cincinnati.

8. U of Central Florida, HCA break ground on $175 million teaching hospital

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare and Orlando-based University of Central Florida broke ground Oct. 25 on a new $175-million teaching hospital.
The following hospital and health system credit rating and outlook changes or affirmations occurred in the last week, beginning with the most recent:

1. Fitch downgrades UF Health Jacksonville's rating to 'BBB-'

Fitch Ratings downgraded its rating on UF Health Jacksonville (Fla.) to "BBB-" from "BBB." In addition, the credit agency assigned the health system an issuer default rating of "BBB-."

2. Fitch upgrades Cullman Regional Medical Center to 'BBB'

Fitch Ratings upgraded its rating on Cullman (Ala.) Regional Medical Center to "BBB" from "BBB-." Concurrently, the credit agency assigned the medical center an issuer default rating of "BBB."

3. Fitch assigns 'AA-' rating to Munson Healthcare

Fitch Ratings assigned its "AA-" rating to Traverse City, Mich.-based Munson Healthcare's proposed $18.7 million series 2019A and $14 million series 2019B revenue bonds.

4. S&P assigns 'BBB' rating to Beebe Medical Center's outstanding bonds

S&P Global Ratings assigned a "BBB" rating to Lewes, Del.-based Beebe Medical Center's outstanding bonds.

5. S&P revises Virginia Mason Medical Center rating outlook to negative

S&P Global Ratings revised its rating outlook for Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center from stable to negative.

6. S&P downgrades NorthShore University HealthSystem's rating to 'AA-'

S&P Global Ratings lowered its rating for Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem's revenue refunding bonds to "AA-" from "AA."

7. Moody's assigns 'A2' rating to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital's proposed bonds

Moody's Investors Service assigned an "A2" rating to Jackson, Tenn.-based Jackson-Madison County General Hospital's proposed revenue bonds, affecting $265.7 million of debt.

8. Moody's withdraws ratings on Montefiore Medical Center's prior bond

Moody's Investors Service has withdrawn its ratings on Bronx, N.Y.-based Montefiore Medical Center's prior bonds because their full outstanding balances have been legally defeased or redeemed.

9. Fitch assigns 'A+' issuer rating to Hunterdon Medical Center

Fitch Ratings assigned its "A+" issuer default rating to Flemington, N.J.-based Hunterdon Medical Center.

10. Moody's downgrades rating for King's Daughters' Medical Center to 'Baa3'

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Ashland, Ky.-based King's Daughters' Medical Center's revenue bond rating to "Baa3" from "Baa2," affecting $177 million of rated debt.

11. Moody's affirms 'A2' rating for Harris County Hospital District

Moody's Investors Service affirmed Harris County (Texas) Hospital District's "A2" revenue bond rating, affecting $263 million of debt.

12. S&P upgrades Aspirus' rating to 'AA-'

S&P Global Ratings upgraded its long-term rating on Wausau, Wis.-based Aspirus from "A+" to "AA-."

13. Fitch assigns 'AA+' issuer rating to Ascension Health Alliance

Fitch Ratings assigned an "AA+" issuer default rating to St. Louis-based Ascension Health Alliance and affirmed its "F1+" short-term rating to the system's variable rate demand bonds.

14. Moody's downgrades Capital Region Medical Center's rating to 'Baa2'

Moody's Investors Service downgraded the bond rating for Jefferson City, Mo.-based Capital Region Medical Center from "Baa1" to "Baa2."
The following hospital and health system rating and outlook changes or affirmations took place in October, starting with the most recent.

1. S&P assigns 'BBB' rating to Beebe Medical Center's outstanding bonds

S&P Global Ratings assigned a "BBB" rating to Lewes, Del.-based Beebe Medical Center's outstanding bonds.

2. S&P revises Virginia Mason Medical Center rating outlook to negative

S&P Global Ratings revised its rating outlook for Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center from stable to negative.

3. S&P downgrades NorthShore University HealthSystem's rating to 'AA-'

S&P Global Ratings lowered its rating for Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem's revenue refunding bonds to "AA-" from "AA."

4. Moody's assigns 'A2' rating to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital's proposed bonds

Moody's Investors Service assigned an "A2" rating to Jackson, Tenn.-based Jackson-Madison County General Hospital's proposed revenue bonds, affecting $265.7 million of debt.

5. Moody's withdraws ratings on Montefiore Medical Center's prior bond

Moody's Investors Service has withdrawn its ratings on Bronx, N.Y.-based Montefiore Medical Center's prior bonds because their full outstanding balances have been legally defeased or redeemed.

6. S&P upgrades Aspirus' rating to 'AA-'

S&P Global Ratings upgraded its long-term rating on Wausau, Wis.-based Aspirus from "A+" to "AA-."

7. Fitch assigns 'AA+' issuer rating to Ascension Health Alliance

Fitch Ratings assigned an "AA+" issuer default rating to St. Louis-based Ascension Health Alliance and affirmed its "F1+" short-term rating to the system's variable rate demand bonds.

8. Moody's downgrades Capital Region Medical Center's rating to 'Baa2'

Moody's Investors Service downgraded the bond rating for Jefferson City, Mo.-based Capital Region Medical Center from "Baa1" to "Baa2."

9. Moody's affirms North Memorial Health's and Maple Grove Hospital's 'Baa1' rating

Moody's Investors Services affirmed the "Baa1" ratings for Robbinsdale, Minn.-based North Memorial Health Care and Maple Grove (Minn.) Hospital's outstanding revenue bonds, affecting a combined $162 million of debt.

10. Moody's downgrades Fairfield Medical Center's rating to 'Baa3'

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Lancaster, Ohio-based Fairfield Medical Center's revenue bond rating from "Baa2" to "Baa3," affecting $90 million of debt.

11. Moody's downgrades Gwinnett Hospital System revenue certificates to 'Baa1'

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Lawrenceville, Ga.-based Gwinnett Hospital System's revenue certificates from "A3" to "Baa," affecting $132 million of rated debt.

12. Fitch assigns 'BBB+' rating to various series of ProMedica Health System debt

Fitch Ratings assigned a long-term "BBB+" rating to various series of debt for Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica Health System.

13. Fitch downgrades Erlanger Health System's rating to 'BBB'

Fitch Ratings assigned a "BBB" issuer default rating to Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System and downgraded its rating on a series 2014A bond from "BBB+" to "BBB."

14. Fitch affirms Regional West Health Services' 'BBB+' rating

Fitch Ratings assigned Scottsbluff, Neb.-based Regional West Health Services a "BBB+" issuer default rating and affirmed its "BBB+" rating for a series 2016A bond.

15. Fitch affirms Carson Tahoe Health System's 'BBB+' rating

Fitch Ratings assigned Carson City, Nev.-based Carson Tahoe Health System an issuer default rating of "BBB+" and affirmed its "BBB+" ratings for outstanding bonds issued by Carson City.

16. Moody's affirms Temple University Health System's 'Ba1' rating

Moody's Investors Service affirmed Philadelphia-based Temple University Health System's "Ba1" bond rating, affecting $478 million of debt.

17. Moody's affirms Forrest County General Hospital's 'A2' rating

Moody's Investors Service affirmed Hattiesburg, Ms.-based Forrest County General Hospital's "A2" bond rating, affecting $104 million of outstanding bonds.

18. Moody's affirms Holland Community Hospital's 'A2' rating

Moody's Investors Service affirmed Holland (Mich.) Community Hospital's "A2" bond rating, affecting $36.5 million of debt.

19. S&P lowers Integris Health's bond rating to 'A+'

S&P Global Ratings lowered its long-term rating for Oklahoma City-based Integris Health's series 2015A bonds from "A+" to "AA-" and its series 2015B bonds from "AA-/A-1+" to "A+/A-1."

20. Fitch assigns PeaceHealth 'F1+' short-term rating

Fitch Ratings assigned an "F1+" short-term rating to the state of Oregon, Oregon Facilities Authority refunding revenue bonds for Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth and revised the bonds' long-term rating to "AA-."

21. Fitch revises Edward-Elmhurst's long-term rating to short term

Fitch Ratings revised its "A" long-term rating for Naperville, Ill.-based Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare's series 2018 bonds and assigned the bonds an "F1" short-term rating.

22. Fitch assigns 'AA-' issuer default rating to Johns Hopkins Health System

Fitch Ratings assigned an "AA-" issuer default rating to Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Health System.

23. Moody's assigns 'A1' rating to UnityPoint Health's proposed bonds

Moody's Investors Service assigned an "A1" rating to West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health's proposed revenue bonds, affecting $929 million.

24. S&P revises TJ Samson Community Hospital outlook to positive

S&P Global Ratings revised its outlook on Glasgow, Ky.-based T.J. Samson Community Hospital from stable to positive.

25. Fitch Ratings upgrades Benefis Health System rating to 'A+'

Fitch Ratings upgraded its rating for Great Falls, Mont.-based Benefis Health System's outstanding revenue bonds from "A" to "A+."

26. Moody's affirms 'A3' rating for Calvert Health System

Moody's Investor Service affirmed its"A3" rating for Prince Frederick, Md.-based Calvert Health System's Series 2013 bonds, affecting $30.43 million of outstanding debt.

27. Moody's affirms Trinitas Regional Medical Center's 'Baa2' rating

Moody's Investor Service affirmed its "Baa2" rating for Elizabeth, N.J.-based Trinitas Regional Medical Center's outstanding revenue bonds, worth $89.6 million.

28. Moody's assigns 'Aa3' rating to University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics bonds

Moody's Investor Service has assigned an "Aa3" rating to Madison-based University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics' proposed revenue bonds, affecting $450 million of debt.

29. Moody's assigns 'A1' rating to Christus Health bonds

Moody's Investor Service assigned an "A1" rating to Irving, Texas-based Christus Health's proposed bonds and affirmed an "A1" rating on the system's parity debt.

30. Moody's assigns 'A1' rating to Phoenix Children's Hospital

Moody's Investor Service has assigned an "A1" rating to Phoenix Children's Hospital's outstanding bonds, affecting $552 million of debt.

31. S&P downgrades St. Charles Parish Hospital District long-term rating to 'B'

S&P Global Ratings downgraded St. Charles Parish Hospital District No. 1's long-term rating from "A" to "B."

32. Moody's affirms 'Ba3' rating on MaineGeneral Medical Center

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "Ba3" rating on Augusta-based MaineGeneral Medical Center's outstanding bonds, affecting $280 million of debt.

33. Moody's affirms 'A1' rating on Vidant Health

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A1" rating on Greenville, N.C.-based Vidant Health's bonds, affecting $430 million of debt.

34. S&P revises Holy Name Medical Center's outlook to stable from negative

S&P Global Ratings affirmed its "BBB" long-term rating on Teaneck, N.J.-based Holy Name Medical Center, affecting $55.3 million of debt. Concurrently, S&P revised the medical center's outlook to stable from negative.

35. Moody's affirms 'Ba1' rating on Oaklawn Hospital

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "Ba1" rating on Marshall, Mich.-based Oaklawn Hospital, affecting $63.5 million of outstanding debt.

36. Moody's assigns 'Aa3' to Mercy Health

Moody's Investors Service assigned its "Aa3" rating to St. Louis-based Mercy Health's proposed $230 million series 2018A-B. Concurrently, Moody's affirmed its "Aa3" rating on the health system.

37. Moody's downgrades East Jefferson General Health to 'Caa1,' maintains negative outlook

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Metairie, La.-based East Jefferson General Health's rating to "Caa1" from "B3," affecting $142 million of rated debt.

38. Moody's affirms 'A2' rating on Bellin Memorial Health System

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A2" rating on Green Bay, Wis.-based Bellin Memorial Health System's outstanding bonds, affecting $53 million of debt.

39. Moody's affirms 'A1' rating on Memorial Hermann Health System

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A1" rating on Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System, affecting $1.1 billion of debt.

40. Fitch assigns 'A+' rating to Baystate Medical Center

Fitch Ratings assigned its "A+" issuer default rating to Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Medical Center.

41. Moody's upgrades Johns Hopkins Health System's rating to 'Aa2'

Moody's Investors Service upgraded Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Health System's outstanding bond ratings to "Aa2" from "Aa3."

42. S&P upgrades Renown Regional Medical Centers' rating to 'A+'

S&P Global Ratings upgraded its long-term and underlying rating on Reno, Nev.-based Renown Regional Medical Center to "A+" from "A."

43. Fitch affirms 'AA' rating on Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Fitch Ratings affirmed its "AA" rating on Minneapolis-based Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota's outstanding bonds. Concurrently, Fitch assigned its "AA" issuer default rating to the children's hospital.

44. 9-notch upgrade: S&P gives Centegra Healthcare 'AA+' rating after acquisition by Northwestern Medicine

S&P Global Ratings upgraded its rating on Crystal Lake, Ill.-based Centegra Healthcare's series 2012 and 2014 bonds to "AA+" from "BB+."

45. Fitch upgrades PeaceHealth's bonds to 'AA-'

Fitch Ratings upgraded Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth's outstanding debt rating to "AA-" from "A+." Concurrently, Fitch assigned its "AA-" rating to PeaceHealth's series 2018A&B bonds and gave the health system an issuer default rating of "AA-."

46. Fitch assigns 'AA-' rating to Willis-Knighton Medical Center

Fitch Ratings assigned its "AA-" rating to Shreveport, La.-based Willis-Knighton Medical Center's $300 million series 2018 bonds. Concurrently, Fitch affirmed its "AA-" issuer default rating and "AA-" rating on the medical center's outstanding debt.

47. S&P assigns 'AA+' rating to OhioHealth's bonds

S&P Global Ratings assigned its "AA+" long-term rating to Columbus-based OhioHealth's $125 million series 2018A and $50 million series 2018B. Concurrently, S&P assigned its "AA+/A-1+" dual rating to the health system's $37.5 million series 2018C and $37.5 million series 2018D.

48. S&P assigns 'AA-' long-term rating to Atrium Health's bonds

S&P Global Ratings assigned its "AA-" long-term rating to Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health's series 2018A-E bonds. Concurrently, S&P affirmed its "AA-" underlying rating on the health system's existing bonds.

49. S&P revises Mercy Health Services' outlook to positive

S&P Global Ratings revised Baltimore-based Mercy Health Services outlook to positive from stable.

50. Fitch assigns 'BBB+' issuer rating to ProMedica

Fitch Ratings assigned its "BBB+" issuer default rating to Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica. Concurrently, Fitch assigned its "BBB+" long-term rating to ProMedica's $300 million series 2018A bonds and $1.15 billion series 2018B taxable bonds

51. Fitch assigns 'BBB+' issuer rating to ProMedica

Fitch Ratings assigned its "BBB+" issuer default rating to Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica. Concurrently, Fitch assigned its "BBB+" long-term rating to ProMedica's $300 million series 2018A bonds and $1.15 billion series 2018B taxable bonds.

52. Fitch upgrades St. Francis Healthcare System to 'AA'

Fitch Ratings upgraded Cape Girardeau, Mo.-based St. Francis Healthcare System's rating to "AA" from "AA-," affecting $139.3 million of debt. Concurrently, Fitch assigned the health system its "AA" issuer default rating.

53. S&P downgrades South Georgia Medical Center's rating to 'BBB+,' assigns negative outlook

S&P Global Ratings downgraded its long-term rating on Valdosta, Ga.-based South Georgia Medical Center's certificates to "BBB+" from "A-."

54. Fitch assigns 'A' rating to Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare's bonds

Fitch Ratings assigned its "A" rating to Naperville, Ill.-based Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare's series 2018 bonds, affecting about $249.74 million of debt. Concurrently, Fitch affirmed its "A" issuer default and revenue bond ratings.

55. S&P revises PeaceHealth's outlook to positive for improved operations

S&P Global Ratings affirmed its "A" long-term and underlying rating on Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth and assigned its "A" rating to the health system's series 2018A bonds. Concurrently, the outlook was revised to positive from stable.

56. S&P revises SSM Healthcare's outlook to stable

S&P Global Ratings affirmed its "A+" long-term and underlying rating on St. Louis-based SSM Health. Concurrently, the outlook was revised to stable from negative.

57. S&P downgrades Crawford Memorial Hospital's rating to 'BBB'

S&P Global Ratings downgraded Robinson, Ill.-based Crawford Memorial Hospital's long-term and underlying rating to "BBB" from "A."

58. S&P downgrades Lexington Medical Center to 'A' after error correction

S&P Global Ratings downgraded West Columbia, S.C.-based Lexington Medical Center's series 2011, 2016 and 2017 revenue bonds to "A" from "A+."

59. S&P assigns 'AA-' rating to Parkview Regional Medical Center

S&P Global Ratings assigned its "AA-" rating to Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Regional Medical Center's series 2018 and 2019A bonds, affecting about $162 million of debt.
In a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the American Hospital Association argued a recent claim that contract negotiations between hospitals and commercial payers lead to increases in healthcare costs does not consider that hospital prices are at historically low growth rates.

The Oct. 22 letter responds to an inquiry Mr. Grassley sent to the Federal Trade Commission Oct. 10 asking the agency to investigate contracts between hospital systems and insurers, according to The Wall Street Journal.

At the time, Mr. Grassley asked the FTC to examine whether contracts between health systems and payers are limiting competition and causing healthcare costs to rise. He cited a recent article in The Wall Street Journal that documented secret contract terms barring health insurers from excluding market-dominant providers from their network and prohibiting insurers from steering patients toward less-expensive rivals.



However, the AHA said the article "misconstrued the dynamics between hospitals and commercial health insurers as it pertains to contract negotiations."

"The overwhelming majority of hospitals and health systems are not the drivers in contract negotiations with commercial health insurers," the AHA continued. "When evaluating the relative bargaining power between commercial health insurers and hospitals and hospital systems, it is highly relevant that these insurers typically operate in markets where they have high market shares and face little competition."
Sturgis (Mich.) Hospital will close its home health service Dec. 31, according to the Sturgis Journal.

The looming closure comes after the hospital closed its urgent care center in May, and its wound clinic and pain management center in December 2017.



"We continue to close non-profitable departments and are having to look at every facet of our operation for savings to help weather this decrease in activity and decreasing payments," Sturgis Hospital President and CEO Rob LaBarge told the Sturgis Journal.



The hospital said that during the past 18 months, Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance payments have shrunk as operational costs mount. The hospital has also experienced volume declines as changes in technology, medical practice and insurance benefits take place, according to the report. Sturgis Hospital is actively seeking a partner to strengthen the hospital's finances.



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Art Papier, MD, CEO of diagnostic clinical decision support system company VisualDx, and practicing dermatologist at University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medicine, discusses his 30 years of experience in medical informatics and shares advice for CMIOs.

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Question: What do you consider a CMIO's No. 1 priority should be? How can they ensure success?

Dr. Art Papier: CMIOs have a very difficult job because there are so many competing priorities. On the one hand, they have to make sure the EHR is a success in the eyes of their users. And at the same time, they have to concern themselves with security of the network, EHR uptime and all the imperatives of upgrades and technical issues. There is always a backlog of work to be done.

CMIOs can ensure success by focusing on clinical workflow and engaging and listening to the physicians very carefully. In medicine in general, if you focus on what is good for the patient you usually end up doing the right thing. Unfortunately, too much of what the industry does is for the business of healthcare, not for what drives quality, safety and excellence in the exam room.

Q: How did you become CEO of VisualDx? What is your background and why did you set out to start this company?

AP: I'm a physician that has been involved in medical informatics since the 1980s. I had the great fortune to meet Larry Weed, MD, the founder of the Problem Oriented Medical Record and SOAP notes, during medical school. [Dr. Weed] told me in 1984 that medicine relied too much on the human brain, that complex systems require tools to augment the brain, and infected me with his passion to change the system. His critique of the inherent problems in medical education and care delivery from the 1970s is as relevant today as it was back then.

After working for [Dr. Weed], I ended up in dermatology and brought together his ideas around problem orientation, patient work-up questionnaires and visualization. We started VisualDx at the beginning of graphical displays. We just don't think people want textbooks online. Decision support needs to be highly visual.



Q: How do you feel about the use of voice recognition technology, such as Amazons 'Alexa' and Google Assistant, in healthcare? Is there a place for its use within the EHR?

AP: Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri will for sure all play a role with people in their homes. We have already built Siri into our new app for patients, Aysa. The idea is that people will be able to talk into their phone or assistant and describe their symptoms. Aysa will be able to guide and teach them and ask them the right questions. Who wouldn't want a copilot for their health?

The use of these tools in the EHR by the professional is a little more difficult due to patient confidentiality. It remains to be seen whether clinicians can maintain patient privacy while speaking into a device in a clinic with other people nearby.



Q: Where do you see the biggest need for innovation to improve clinical informatics in healthcare systems in the future?

AP: Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence and machine learning. Certainly, deep learning of imagery will move expertise into the hands of non-experts. Image recognition is going to make the patient and professional smarter and will augment our brains in ways unimaginable from just a few years ago.

There is tremendous hype along the lines of man vs. machine and AI replacing doctors. These are typical attention-grabbing headlines but not real. As long as there is grayness, ambiguity and great unknowns in medicine, the informatics equation will be 'brain + computer > computer.' In the near term, we should think of these tools augmenting what we do, not replacing us.

The greatest need for innovation centers around integrated systems and platforms. There will be too many applications and too many competing products in the marketplace. There will be difficulty integrating disparate tools into workflow and keeping it simple enough for professionals to be trained on and use daily.

It seems that the greatest innovation will be a unified platform to keep it simple and easy, and able to unload what the brain is poor at, and to optimize what the brain is good at. Highways have universal road signs, stop signs are red and octagonal  What are the universal design idioms that will ease understanding and communication in medicine? We need common formats to innovate on top of. [Substitutable medical applications and reusable technologies criteria] on [fast healthcare interoperability resources] is a start, but we have to go further.

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.
A Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital physician claims she was racially profiled by two Delta Airlines staff members while trying to stabilize a patient mid-flight, according to CNN.

Fatima Stanford, MD, who also works at Boston-based Harvard Medical School, told CNN she was flying from Indianapolis to Boston on Oct. 30 when a passenger next to her started shaking and hyperventilating. She said she was approached by a flight attendant during the incident who asked to confirm whether Dr. Stanford was a physician.

She said she was later approached by a second flight attendant who asked to view her medical license. A short time later, both flight attendants returned and began questioning Dr. Stanford's credentials and allegedly asked if her medical license belonged to her.

"The validity of me as a physician [was] being called into question," Dr. Stanford told CNN, adding that she later took to social media to explain the incident.

Dr. Stanford told CNN Delta reached out to her on social media, email and through a phone call. Delta is investigating the incident. The airline told CNN the flight attendants "initially misread the credentials offered by the doctor and went to reconfirm her specific medical discipline."

"We are following up with the crew to ensure proper policy is followed. Dr. Stanford's care for the passenger remained uninterrupted throughout the duration of the medical issue," the Delta spokesperson said.

Delta has dealt with similar issues in the past. In 2016, Tamika Cross, MD, wrote a viral Facebook post discussing how Delta flight attendants discriminated against her by refusing to let her help a man who was unresponsive. The post helped spur the online #WhatADoctorLooksLike movement.

In December 2016, Delta updated its policy during in-flight emergencies, stating flight attendants no longer need to verify an individual's medical credentials.

To access the full report, click here.
Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health Care CEO William Roper, MD, was appointed interim president of the university system on Nov. 1, according to The News & Observer.

Here are five things to know:

1. The UNC board of governors held an emergency meeting Nov. 1 and appointed Dr. Roper to the role, beginning Jan. 1. Dr. Roper currently serves as dean of the UNC School of Medicine, vice chancellor for medical affairs at UNC and holds professorships in the school of public health and medical school.

2. Current UNC President Margaret Spelling is under contract with the university until March 1, 2019, but will step down from her current role Dec. 31. She will also stay on for two weeks in January to aid in the transition.

3. As part of the transition, Dr. Roper, 70, will leave his dual roles as CEO of the health system and dean of the medical school. He previously announced plans to retire from the positions in May 2019. Dr. Roper has served as CEO of UNC Health Care for 14 years.

4. UNC President Margaret Spellings revealed plans last week to step down from the role March 1, 2019, three years after she assumed the position. She reportedly told officials it was the right time to leave and the board agreed with her decision.

5. Dr. Roper will be paid a base salary of $775,000  the same salary Ms. Spelling received. His compensation will also include a $77,500 retirement contribution and the possibility of up to $125,000 in an annual performance bonus. Upon the completion of his interim president duties, he will be eligible for a one-year research leave and paid $837,720. He will then be eligible to return as part of the medical school faculty with an annual salary of $402,106, the report states.

To access the full report, click here.
Bending the knee

If we continue to imagine our culture as unchanging, we will remain entombed in imagined hierarchies
From a Pennsylvania hospital facing a class-action lawsuit over improperly cleaned equipment to a cardiologist sentenced to prison for healthcare fraud, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines.

1. UPMC hospital to face class-action suit over improperly cleaned equipment

New Castle, Pa.-based UPMC Jameson Hospital will face a class-action lawsuit over improperly cleaned ultrasound probes that put more than 200 patients at risk of infection.

2. Feds claim Kansas physician involved in $30M billing fraud scheme

A Kansas physician and Hutchinson (Kan.) Clinic are defendants in a False Claims Act case the federal government recently intervened in.

3. Missouri behavioral health center faces $10M suit over patient-on-patient violence

A Missouri man filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Center for Behavioral Medicine in Kansas City, claiming the facility failed to protect him from another patient's violent behavior.

4. Physician charged for alleged role in Medicaid billing scheme

A New York physician was arrested and charged for allegedly taking part in a billing scheme to defraud the state's Medicaid program.

5. Cardiologist sentenced to prison for implanting unnecessary pacemakers, healthcare fraud

A Kentucky physician was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for implanting medically unnecessary pacemakers in his patients to defraud government and commercial insurers.

6. UnitedHealth, CVS, Express Scripts, Prime must face lawsuit over EpiPen prices

Four pharmacy benefit managers  UnitedHealth's OptumRx, CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and Prime Therapeutics  must face a lawsuit over their roles in the skyrocketing price of EpiPen, a federal judge ruled Oct. 26.

7. Abbott, AbbVie pay $25M to resolve long-standing kickback case

Abbott Laboratories and AbbVie will pay a total of $25 million to resolve allegations that Abbott paid kickbacks to physicians and employed unlawful marketing tactics to bolster prescriptions of its cholesterol drug TriCor.

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A Kentucky physician was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for implanting medically unnecessary pacemakers in his patients to defraud government and commercial insurers, according to the Department of Justice.

U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove sentenced Anis Chalhoub, MD, to 42 months in prison Oct. 30. A federal jury found Dr. Chalhoub guilty of healthcare fraud charges in April 2018.

According to evidence presented during Dr. Chalhoub's trial, the cardiologist implanted more than 230 pacemakers in patients at Saint Joseph London (Ky.) hospital, part of Louisville-based KentuckyOne Health. Between 2007 and 2011, Dr. Chalhoub implanted medically unnecessary pacemakers in dozens of patients, with some patients accusing him of presenting the pacemakers as a life or death option, according to the evidence. However, the patients were diagnosed with sinus node dysfunction, a nonfatal condition.



As a result, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurers paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in claims for Dr. Chalhoub's unnecessary procedures, according to the Justice Department. In addition to prison time, Dr. Chalhoub must pay a $50,000 fine and repay the defrauded insurers more than $250,000.



Following his release from prison, Dr. Chalhoub will be placed on a three-year probation, during which he will be unable to practice cardiology.



The charge against Dr. Chalhoub was the result of a larger investigation into practices at Saint Joseph London. The hospital and physicians at the institution were accused in more than 300 lawsuits of performing medically unnecessary heart procedures before the hospital's parent company at the time, Saint Joseph Health Systems, entered into a $16.5 million settlement with the federal government in January 2014. Roughly 180 of the 300 lawsuits were settled confidentially, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.



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For years, providers viewed opioids as the go-to pain therapy for patients. However, many hospitals are now rethinking pain management protocols amid the ongoing opioid epidemic.

"Opioids are like putting a Band-Aid over a stab wound," said Stephanie Vanterpool, MD, MBA, Director of Comprehensive Pain Services at The University of Tennessee Medical Center, based in Knoxville, Tenn. "Effective pain management is more than just putting a Band Aid over the pain."

Seeking to reduce opioid use and improve patient safety at UTMC, Dr. Vanterpool and her colleagues implemented pain management pathways to standardize and streamline acute pain management at the hospital, which were innovative healthcare delivery system strategies initiated by Jerry Epps, MD, UTMC's CMO, and the medical clinical pathways development team.

Since implementing the pathways in 2016, UTMC has seen significant improvements in patient safety, staff communication and clinical accuracy. In addition, the pathways helped UTMC achieve another huge milestone: cutting morphine and hydromorphone use by more than 50 percent.

During an interview with Becker's Hospital Review, Dr. Vanterpool spoke about the acute pain pathways, how they benefited the organization and key challenges associated with their implementation.

How the acute pain management pathways work

The pathways aim to promote the accurate assessment of pain, along with safe and effective pain management practices.

The health system's EHR contains four different workflows that each have a predefined order to streamline the prescribing process. There is a non-opioid pathway, a low-opioid pathway, a high-opioid pathway and an individualized opioid pathway.

"A pathway is chosen based on a patient's baseline level of need, as well as the experience of the provider. To increase patient safety, the high-opioid pathway and individualized pathway are only available to providers and clinicians with more training," Dr. Vanterpool said.

To ensure the pain management is effective, and patients report improved pain within three hours, the organization uses a three-strike approach.

"If we tried one pathway and patient pain doesn't improve, that is strike one and the medication is administered again. If the medication was retried, and the pain was still not controlled, that is strike two. A nurse would then escalate the case to a provider who would use the information presented by the nurse to determine the next step. The third strike is if the first two attempts fail, and the escalation strategy selected by the provider doesn't work," Dr. Vanterpool explained.

The pathways also contain safeguards the ensure the accuracy of clinical pain diagnoses, according to Dr. Vanterpool. These safeguards come as three red flags that serve as critical thinking prompts. The first two red flags are pain outside of the affected area or pain out of proportion to the expected diagnosis.

"The third red flag is just a catch-all," Dr. Vanterpool said. "It is your clinician saying something is just not right. This red flag is easiest to pull when you have an inexperienced care team ... But it is important to empower your care team to pull the trigger on it if something just seems off with a patient."

She added that if any of these red flags are present, a nurse will stop administering pain medication and involve a physician to reevaluate the pain diagnosis instead of covering the pain with narcotics.

Patient safety is also a critical component of the pathways. UTMC uses an opioid sedation scale to help clinicians assess patients to prevent respiratory arrest from excessive opioid administration. The scale is consistently used to observe the degree of respiratory rate, quality of respiration and opioid-induced sedation to inform next steps.

Throughout the entire pathway, there are communication scripts that help nurses outline all pertinent information to the provider. These scripts contain information such as patient pain level, respiratory rate, the observed sedation scale, medications given, and pain red flags. The information helps physicians quickly select the appropriate escalation strategy if previous therapies were unsuccessful.

The results: Decreased opioid use, increased staff communication and more

Pain management can be complicated for even the most experienced staff. As a teaching facility, many of UTMC's providers had fewer than five years of experience and were at different stages of their residency at the time of the pathways' rollout.

To mitigate any issues that could arise from a well-trained, but inexperienced workforce, UTMC placed safeguards in the pathways, including the pain red flags, opioid sedation scale and communication scripts to prompt critical thinking, explained Dr. Vanterpool.

"We wanted to ensure nothing was missed as our providers gained experience," Dr. Vanterpool explained.

Another obstacle was getting nurses on board with the pathways and helping them understand how the process worked. To promote nurse engagement, UTMC presented the pathways to nurses during grand rounds and shared an informative webinar staff could reference prior to the rollout.

Despite these initial challenges, the acute pain pathways made staff more cautious while administering opioids and more aware of the quantity of opioids given to patients, Dr. Vanterpool said. Two years after implementing the pathways, clinicians administered 53 percent less morphine, 54 percent less hydromorphone, 29 percent less acetaminophen-oxycodone and 20 percent less acetaminophen-hydrocodone.

By cutting narcotics use and implementing the opioid sedation scale into the pathways, patient safety was also improved because staff were more aware of a patient's level of sedation. In addition, communication improved between nurses and physicians because of the standardized communication scripts, Dr. Vanterpool said.

Overall, UTMC was ahead of the curve, rolling out the pain pathways and a targeted pain treatment program two years before The Joint Commission made a similar recommendation in 2018 that the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation later adopted.

Read more about UTMC's pain management department here.
Five years after Kingsport, Tenn.-based Wellmont Health System shuttered Pennington Gap, Va.-based Lee County Regional Medical Center, the hospital plans to reopen under a new operator, according to a WYMT news report.

Wellmont closed the medical center in 2013, citing a lack of patients and declining reimbursements for patient care. It was the only hospital in Lee County.

In 2017, a Florida-based startup. Americore Health, purchased the medical center for $2 million, with plans to reopen the hospital as a 25-bed inpatient facility.



The Lee County hospital has been under construction since January and was initially slated to reopen in July, but the project was delayed until December.

Now, the hospital authority is holding Americore to a reopen date of Dec. 27, according to Jeanette Filpi, CEO of the Lee County hospital.

"We continue to push on this [deadline] daily. We don't intend to give up," Commissioner Howard Elliott on the Lee County Hospital Authority told WYMT.
Illinois lawmakers demanded an independent investigation of Chicago Lakeshore Hospital Nov. 1, citing a ProPublica Illinois report outlining allegations of sexual assault, safety violations and abuse among pediatric patients at the facility, according to ProPublica Illinois.

Here are five things to know:

1. In a letter addressed to the head of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, three Illinois lawmakers supported the recommendation of DCFS acting Inspector General Meryl Paniak to nominate an independent reviewer to investigation the incidents at Chicago Lakeshore Hospital.

2. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois gave DCFS until end of day Nov. 2 to respond to a list of demands, including an independent investigation of the hospital. The ACLU observes DCFS as part of a federal court decree. ACLU will return to court sometime next week if DCFS does not offer an adequate response to the group's requests.

3. The ACLU investigated 16 allegations of abuse and neglect at the hospital since January 2018. The Illinois Department of Public Health has also conducted several inspections of Chicago Lakeshore Hospital on behalf of federal agencies since July and found the hospital failed to guarantee the safety of its suicidal patients and gain patient consent before administering potent medications. The lawmakers said concerns over Lakeshore also highlight a broader problem about children who remain in psychiatric hospitals after they have been cleared for discharge.

4. David Fletcher-Janzen, CEO at Lakeshore Hospital, attributes a portion of the hospital's difficulties to funding cuts for mental health services in Illinois, indicating Lakeshore Hospital is struggling with a "systemic problem of disinvestment in mental health, neonatal and other social services in Illinois that have resulted in one of the weakest social safety nets in the country."

5. The hospital declined ProPublica Illinois's request to comment on specific cases.

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The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution Oct. 31, urging all armed rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo to abide by international law and immediately halt attacks in outbreak zones, according to an update from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota.

The U.N. council's safety measure seeks to "ensure full, safe, immediate and unhindered access for humanitarian and medical personnel, and their equipment, transport and supplies to the affected areas," according to a U.N. news release, cited by CIDRAP.

In the resolution, the U.N. officially condemned attacks by armed groups in the Congo.

The Security Council, which comprises 15 U.N. members, also encouraged the Congolese government and neighboring countries to address political, security, socioeconomic and humanitarian outcomes of the Ebola outbreak and to continue public health response efforts.

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Four spine surgeons who are on the front ends of their careers discuss their biggest practice concerns.

Question: What are the biggest concerns for your practice today? What keeps you up at night?

Andrew Schoenfeld, MD. Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston): In my practice as a clinician scientist, I have concerns that span both patient care and the research realm. Some of these involve the ways in which healthcare reform efforts may impact patient access to certain types of spine surgical interventions or the way external pressures might alter the delivery of care in the context of spinal disorders. For example, how does the implementation of ACOs alter the availability of spine surgical care, affect the types of interventions offered or restrict access to spinal healthcare? This also happens to be one of the particular areas of interest for my research.

Samuel Joseph Jr., MD. Spine Surgeon (Tampa, Fla.): It will be extremely important to consider creative ways to make services more appealing to insurance carriers, such as outpatient procedures. We will need to incorporate technology into the care of patients that reduce overall costs. Perhaps utilizing wearables, augmented reality and artificial intelligence in the practice for more efficiencies [will] lower overall costs of certain procedures. Two other concerns are the increasing control insurance companies have on delivering care to patients as well as malpractice premiums.

Kris Radcliff, MD. Rothman Institute (Philadelphia): One of my biggest concerns is the rising cost of spine care and the absence of good literature about the value of spine care. Although I believe that spine surgery has a significant financial and functional value to patients' lives, there is a misperception about the outcomes of spine surgery that we have not yet overcome with research. I am concerned that the preponderance of misinformation available to patients on the internet may result in unfortunate delays in care and poor outcomes of spine care.

Tobias Mattei, MD. SLUCare Physician Group (St. Louis): The mission of providing excellent care in complex spine surgery certainly involves many challenging aspects, ultimately requiring utmost dedication from the whole multidisciplinary team involved in the integrated care of such patients. Such efforts are not exclusively related to the technical aspect of performing complex spinal operations, but involve a constant strive for efficiency and cost-effectiveness at every step of the care of patients with spinal disorders, from the referral process to initial evaluation, ordering of ancillary tests, proper coordination of initial conservative care with other healthcare members such as physical therapists and pain management, timely processing of authorizations for tests and surgeries as well as postoperative rehabilitation and coordination of follow-up in a multidisciplinary fashion. The responsibility of playing a central leadership role in such a complex and integrated process unquestionably involves a significant amount of time as well as personal efforts and concerns.

Learn more about the latest trends in spine technology at the Becker's 17th Annual Future of Spine + The Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference, June 13-15, 2019. Click here for more information. To learn more about exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities, contact Maura Jodoin at mjodoin@beckershealthcare.com.
Norfolk, Va.-based Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters added Kimberly Mackey, MD, to its neurosurgery team, according to the Suffolk News-Herald.

Dr. Mackey comes the CHKD from Albuquerque-based University of New Mexico, where she served as the only practicing neurosurgeon in the state. She was also the first fellowship-trained neurosurgeon to practice in New Mexico.

With interests in advancing pediatric neurosurgery, Dr. Mackey has worked in Kenya, Uganda, South and Southeast Asia.

After earning her medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Dr. Mackey completed her residency at the University of Pittsburgh. She underwent fellowship training at Memphis, Tenn.-based St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Three spine surgeons weigh in on the trends they are seeing in the spinal trauma arena.

Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses.

Next week's question: What is your best advice for improving time management in your professional life?

Please send responses to Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com by Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 5 p.m. CST.

Question: What are some key trends in spinal trauma surgery?

Christian Zimmerman, MD. Spinal Neurosurgeon at Saint Alphonsus Medical Group and SAHS Neuroscience Institute (Boise, Idaho): Undoubtedly the state of reimbursements has affected all facets of spinal surgery and cranial-spinal trauma cases are not excluded. Whereby, acute structural abnormalities demand immediate attention, and better representation in any billing practice, there is a definitive leaning to some past methodologies; for example, the management of incomplete spinal cord injuries. These seem to warrant a more 'sit and wait' attitude thus declaring the injury extent versus more acute multi-level decompressions, which characteristically and [according to] literature-based recommendations for vigilance, demonstrate potentially better outcomes for patients over time.



Brian R. Gantwerker, MD. Founder of the Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles: In the realm of trauma spinal surgery, the key trend, by far, is robotics. With the advent of mechanically guided screw placement and fairly soon Mako-style decompressions, we will see surgeons able to more precisely and safely treat patients. Soon, I imagine, commercial payers and Medicare will stop paying for take-backs for malpositioned hardware. That, along with increasing public knowledge of how things can go wrong in surgery  for example, the unfortunately named and rightly vilified 'Dr. Death'  there will be more demand for these services.

Another empirical trend (insurance-based mandates) surrounds the overwhelming delays partisan to the multi-level lumbo-sacral fusion procedures. The committee-consensus approach to the approval process of these large implant procedures also seems to be the preoperative approach to management with both neurosurgical/orthopedic surgery oversight in place.

Vladimir Sinkov, MD. Spine Surgeon at New Hampshire Orthopaedic Center (Nashua): Percutaneous screw placement with intraoperative fluoroscopy or computer navigation allows for less traumatic fixation of unstable spine fractures. A lot of research into new medications and stem cell technology is currently under way for spinal cord injury with some promising early results.
IT was once described as the city's most fashionable promenade, a place for the well-heeled merchant class of Belfast to do their shopping.

Now the former splendour of Queen's Arcade, Belfast's last surviving Victorian arcade, is to be restored by its owners, family-run jewellers Lunn's, who have applied for planning permission for a 2m refurbishment.

The elegant structure was designed and built in the 1880s by James McKinnon on behalf of client George Fisher.

In the 1930s the arcade was renovated to fit gentleman's tailor Austin Reed, while shopfronts were redesigned by Frederick Sage & Co, whose other clients included Harrods and Selfridges.

The arcade, between Fountain Street and Donegall Place, is now home to well-established businesses like Lunn's flagship store, gift shop Little Heart and Queen's Cafe Bar and Inn.

Lunn's said the businesses will be able to remain open during the work, which is likely to overlap with the refurbishment of the historic Bank Buildings, which was ravaged by fire at the end of August.

Lunn's chairman Peter Lunn said the refurbishment of the arcade would bring hope to the city centre after the Primark blaze.

"Queen's Arcade has been a much-loved part of Belfast for almost 140 years and this 2m restoration will ensure that it remains a popular Belfast landmark for generations to come.

"While modern alterations have helped obscure what an architectural gem the arcade is, the proposed restoration will recapture its Victorian splendour and reputation as a home to specialist retailers.

"The recent destruction of the Bank Buildings has been a horrendous experience for city centre retailers, but this city and its people are resilient and we have a vision for its future.

"We believe Queen's Arcade has a big role to play in bringing people back into the city centre."

The arcade is around 80% full, and a spokesman said two luxury brands, which cannot yet be identified, were due to open soon.

It is also to become home on a temporary basis to Abacus Beads, an independent retailer inside the safety cordon of 14 shops surrounding Bank Buildings that had to close following the fire.

Expand Close Artists impression of how Queens Arcade will look / Facebook

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Lunn's plans to restore original iron signage and the old facade at Donegall Place, as well as putting down a new Italian terrazzo floor and creating new shopfronts.

But the company said it will also strip out less sympathetic additions made to the arcade dating back from the 1970s and 1980s, and restore the arcade's vaulted ceiling.

The project is being led by a designer who has worked on the K Club in Co Kildare, and architects Consarc, which worked on historic buildings like Belfast's Grand Opera House.

Mr Lunn added: "This restoration has been a long-held ambition and we have worked hard with heritage architecture specialists Consarc to develop sympathetic proposals.

"Our aim is to enhance what already exists and much of our inspiration has been drawn from photography dating back as far as 1885.

"Our ambition is to make sure Queen's Arcade is synonymous with elegance, providing a beautiful space that restores its purpose as a home for luxurious but also accessible retail."

If the project gets planning permission, work is expected to take place outside trading hours between January and May next year.
Drunk Japanese pilot arrested at Heathrow Airport

A Japanese pilot who was arrested at Heathrow Airport for being drunk has admitted being more than nine times the legal alcohol limit.
A rescue fund to address the short-term impact of the Primark fire is 1.5m short, the Lord Mayor of Belfast has said.

Deirdre Hargey said 6m will be needed to support the city council's business 'critical' support and regeneration plan up until the end of March 2019.

It emerged as the Lord Mayor disclosed that it could be next spring before pedestrian access to Castle Street is reopened. An access tunnel is expected to be installed between Donegall Place and Royal Avenue in early December.

The Budget allocated an additional 2m to the 2.5m pot already committed by Belfast City Council and Primark to deal with the fall-out from the blaze at Bank Buildings.

But Aodhan Connolly from the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium said the allocation was "less than we expected or indeed needed".

Speaking as she met with city centre traders yesterday morning, Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley defended the sum.

"I have been struck by the impact on Belfast city centre by the fire. It was a tragedy," she said.

"I am really pleased that the Chancellor has put forward 2m in the Budget which is for in-year spending. This is to help with the regeneration of the city centre in the immediate aftermath of the fire."

The cordon thrown around the charred remains of Bank Buildings has left 22 organisations unable to open.

The council's own economic assessment estimates that the city centre is losing up to 3m a month, with around 300 businesses feeling the impact.

Among the worst-hit has been CastleCourt shopping centre, with footfall down 50% in the four weeks after the fire.

Yesterday, Ms Hargey confirmed pedestrian access is expected to reopen between Donegall Place and Royal Avenue in early December, once the dangerous upper tier of Bank Buildings is removed by contractors.

A metal-based access tunnel will be installed to allow the public to walk in front of the site and will enable some businesses to reopen, with access points along the structure.

However, pedestrians will not be permitted to access Castle Street until a protective brace is installed around Bank Buildings.

She said: "We're envisaging early into the new year, into the first quarter for the steel brace to be built around the building, which would allow us to take the cordon in further.

"But until we have the design solutions presented to us from Primark, then our building control officers will assess that, because public safety has to come first. We are pushing that it's done sooner than later."

She also claimed that the demolition of Bank Buildings would not speed up the process.

Businesses inside the cordon have already received up to 20,000, with up to 5,000 offered to some businesses in the immediate surrounding area.

The Lord Mayor said the 6m fund would provide more direct support up to Christmas and into early next year and extend the payments to businesses further out from the Primark site.

"We stressed this morning that the short-term is critical, we need to find the additional 1.5m in order to meet that 6m budget that we have envisaged," she said.

SDLP Councillor Tim Attwood has said government departments in Northern Ireland should make up the shortfall.

"Business rates from Belfast city centre contribute 40m per year to central government and therefore, the effect of this is much further reaching than simply Belfast," said the councillor.

Ms Hargey added: "Obviously the bill went through the other day in terms of giving the civil service more powers around decision-making and we know there will be in-year underspends at this point and they need to be prioritising this as a critical issue.

"This is about whether shops will be open or closed by Christmas and whether people will be in work or not."
The owner of one of Northern Ireland's biggest house builders has vowed to construct 2,000 new homes in a 300m investment in the next decade - without relying on bank funding.

James Hagan, the founder and chairman of Ballyclare-based Hagan Homes, said he would build around 200 homes every year for a decade, creating and sustaining hundreds of construction jobs .

And he said he had "no intention of relying on bank funding" for his project, which he announced as the company celebrates 30 years in business.

He said his plan's viability is helped by the relative affordability of sites for building firms, as well as the affordability of homes for buyers.

"We paid off the banks six years ago, and I'm not going down that road again. We can do what we want. We're cash-rich at the minute and not paying too much for sites.

"My method in the past has been to build in the middle of housing estates and rundown areas, and it always helps bring the areas up."

And he said he felt confident that there would not be another property crash in the next 10 years - after the last crash of 2007-08 put many other builders out of business.

"The world over the last 100 years has had peaks and troughs of housing and property and probably in 10 years time there will be another correction, as they call it in the City.

"But it won't be like last time as the banks have learnt a lot.

"Houses are affordable, and annual price increases of 2% or 3% or 4% a year means they stay affordable. If they go up too much people can't afford them."

Hagan Homes has around a dozen sites, in areas ranging from Derriaghy to Newcastle, as well as Belfast, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Lisburn.

"There'll be other sites in the next 10 years, and there's others we're in the process of buying. We'll be buying away continually," added Mr Hagan.

And he said Hagan Homes had avoided going bust in the crash, partly because it had stopped buying building sites in 2005 - around two years before the market for sites peaked.

"Even with ones we bought before that were much too expensive we battled our way through and paid the banks and got through it."

He said the price of sites remained less than 50% of what they had been at market peak.

Mr Hagan said he was pleased his son Jamesy - formerly his managing director - had set up his own housebuilding company. Another son Stephen is a successful actor working in London.
Danske Bank has reported growth of nearly 30% in new mortgage lending for the first nine months of the year as the recovery in the housing market continues.

But pre-tax profits at the lender were down 16.4% from 80m to 67m on last year, according to accounts released by the bank yesterday.

However, income was up from 169m to 175.4m, while lending to businesses was up 15%.

Danske Bank has topped the Belfast Telegraph Top 100 of Northern Ireland's most profitable companies for the past four years. But the lender's branch network continues to shrink, with the latest closures in Larne and Ballynahinch during October, leaving its local portfolio at 42, around half its network of 10 years ago. Despite the slump in pre-tax profits, Kevin Kingston, chief executive of Danske Bank in the UK, claimed "good progress" had been made over the nine months, with operating profit rising from 62m to 70.1m.

"The underlying performance of the bank is strong, with lending up 8% year-on-year," he said.

Danske Bank's personal banking performance has been underpinned by a resurgent housing market here.

Data released by the National House Building Council (NHBC) this week revealed that 1,205 new housing units were registered here during the third quarter of 2018 (July to September) compared to 686 for the same period last year.

"In personal banking it has been a record nine months for our mortgage business, with new mortgage lending up 29% year-on-year," said Mr Kinsgton yesterday.

"In the Northern Ireland mortgage market, the latest research indicates that Danske Bank is now providing one-in-four first time buyer mortgages, and one-in-five of all mortgages."

The total loans for the nine months to the end of September were 5.3m at the bank, up from 4.9m on last year. Deposits were also up from 6.6m to 6.9m.

"With regards to support for business customers, lending is up 15% compared to the same period in 2017," he added.

"We are pleased to be piloting and rolling out digital credit decisions in this segment.

"This has been very well received so far, transforming the credit journey for both business customers and our business relationship managers.

"In most cases credit decisions using the digital facility are being made in minutes, as opposed to days."

Danske Bank's Donegall Square headquarters also underwent a transformation this year, with its ground floor turned into a new fintech hub.
The NTR deal is the first transaction for the fund, set up to invest in onshore wind and solar assets across European markets. (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Irish investor NTR Renewable Energy Income Fund (II) has acquired nine solar assets in the UK for 61.3m (53.8m).

The deal includes a sum of 2.6m (2.28m) to be paid on the completion of certain conditions.

It comes as Northern Ireland's Simple Power, which owned 52 wind turbines, was acquired last week by London-based investment fund Foresight.

The NTR deal is the first transaction for the fund, set up to invest in onshore wind and solar assets across European markets.

An earlier renewable energy infrastructure fund launched in 2015 is now fully invested.

The assets now being bought are so-called ground-mounted panels that have a total capacity of 38.4 megawatts.

"Our strategy for the fund is to acquire both pre-construction and operational European onshore wind and solar assets, with the operational assets providing immediate yield on investment while the pre-construction assets are being built out," Rosheen McGuckian, chief executive of NTR, said.

"We are very pleased with this, our first acquisition for the fund, which consists of a well-diversified portfolio."
A leading GP has assured older people that they will receive their flu jabs in time, despite some reports of delays. (stock picture)

A leading GP has assured older people that they will receive their flu jabs in time, despite some reports of delays.

A number of readers have told the Belfast Telegraph that they have been unable to get vaccinated due to supply issues in medical practices.

When pressed again yesterday, the Public Health Agency insisted that there was no delay and repeated assurances that the final batch of 90,000 Fluad doses will arrive this month.

One man, who is in his 80s, has been told that he must wait until December 4 for his jab at the Regency Medical Centre, Newtownards.

When another 74-year-old man called into his local health clinic in Eglinton last week about his flu jab, there were none left.

"I was told that hopefully they would get more in November and they would let me know when they would be available but so far, no word," he said.

A 73-year-old woman, who is a patient of Lisburn Health Centre, said: "So far we have not been given our flu injection.

"We know of a family where one person got theirs while the other was told there wasn't enough and it would be November before more supplies of vaccine would be available."

Dr George O'Neill has acknowledged that there are some supply problems with the injections, but says older people should not to be alarmed by the delay.

"I think every GP practice could do with more supplies but older people should be reassured that it's down to a European-wide supply problem which sometimes happens. The most appropriate vaccine has to be identified and while this was done some months ago, it may have had to be modified if the flu virus changes," he said.

"I appreciate that elderly people may be anxious but it's not a disaster." Dr O'Neill said he anticipated most people would have the injection by the end of this month, before the flu season begins.

The Public Health Agency confirmed that vaccination has been taking place as planned in a phased manner since September.

"To date 138,000 doses of Fluad have been received and the majority of these will have already been used to vaccinate eligible individuals," it said.

"There is no delay. There is no shortage. Everyone who is eligible for the vaccine will receive it in time to get maximum protection against flu this winter."

However, Ulster Unionist MLA Rosemary Barton said the response from the PHA was "far from good enough".

"This is unacceptable when there is clearly a widespread supply problem throughout Northern Ireland and we need to know why this has happened," she said.

Gordons Chemist has confirmed that it is witnessing a significant uptake in customers paying for the private vaccination service, costing 12.99.

The chemist chain said that around 660 customers have paid for flu injections since September.

Boots Pharmacy has confirmed that there is a "temporary shortage of stock" in some areas but expects to be fully available by the end of next week.
Irelands deputy premier has said he believes a Brexit deal could be reached by the end of November.

Simon Coveney said a lot of progress had been made by negotiating teams in recent weeks.

UK Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington said negotiators were very close, and that he hopes and expects that a deal will be secured in the next few weeks.

Very constructive meeting of the BIIGC today in Iveagh House. The issues around legacy, security co-operation, East-West matters and political stability were discussed. pic.twitter.com/mzdYR5Xadf  Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) November 2, 2018

The pair were speaking at a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin.

On the same day, the UKs Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab was tight lipped about how negotiations were going when he was questioned by the media during a visit to Belfast.

Mr Coveney said the EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has shown flexibility and imagination to overcome some of the political challenges that are clearly there.

I think a deal can be done, but I think its important that the commitments that have been made are followed through on in full, he said.

If that happens, I think its possible to ensure that we get a withdrawal agreement that can be sold on both sides of the Irish Sea.

I think it is possible to get a deal in November.

Mr Lidington said he believed they were very close to resolving the outstanding issues, and he reiterated the UK Governments commitment to getting over those final difficulties in the Brexit negotiations as soon as possible.

I cannot emphasise strongly enough that the Prime Minister feels absolutely committed to her pledge not to have under any circumstances a hard border on the island of Ireland, Mr Lidington said.

Mr Coveney continued: This border issue is complicated to resolvebut I think were very close to resolving it. I certainly hope we are.

David Lidington replied by saying: Were certainly, as Simon said, very close to resolving it.

In Belfast, Mr Raab pledged that his Government will not sign up to any deal which could threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK.

Expand Close Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab arrives at Stormont House in Belfast during his visit to Northern Ireland (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab arrives at Stormont House in Belfast during his visit to Northern Ireland (Brian Lawless/PA)

Mr Raab made the comment following a one-day visit to Northern Ireland.

He visited two sea ports before meeting a number of local political parties.

Valuable day in #NorthernIreland visiting the border, @PortWarrenpoint, @LarneHarbour and meeting local businesses & political leaders from the main parties. Im confident we can agree a Brexit deal that works for all communities here - that is our goal over the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/05IbkzoWUu  Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) November 2, 2018

Mr Raab heard opposing views from the two biggest parties, the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

The DUP urged that there be no additional barriers between the Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK after Brexit.

Expand Close Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (right) and deputy leader Michelle ONeill speaking to the media in the Great Hall at Stormont, Belfast, following a meeting with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (right) and deputy leader Michelle ONeill speaking to the media in the Great Hall at Stormont, Belfast, following a meeting with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (Brian Lawless/PA)

Sinn Fein told him that the UK government must agree to a backstop plan which could see Northern Ireland effectively remaining in the customs union and single market.

However, Mr Raab insisted he is confident the Government can get a good deal.

We have made it very clear we would never sign up to anything that would threaten the economic, the constitutional, let alone the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom, he told the BBC.

We are engaged in negotiations, I need to protect the integrity of those negotiations, but we are confident we can get a good deal, good for all corners of the United Kingdom and good for every community here in Northern Ireland.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said her party wants a deal that is good for Northern Ireland, adding: it can only be good for Northern Ireland if we remain a full part of the United Kingdom.

Expand Close DUP leader Arlene Foster (right) and deputy leader Nigel Dodds speaking to the media in the Great Hall at Stormont, Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp DUP leader Arlene Foster (right) and deputy leader Nigel Dodds speaking to the media in the Great Hall at Stormont, Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA)

However, Sinn Fein President Mary-Lou McDonald accused the UK government of acting in bad faith.

We have reminded him that he and his government last December signed up to that, understood that the north of Ireland is a particular scenario with a need for a bespoke and particular solution, she said.

We have told him that he and his government are acting in bad faith, that they have stepped back from the commitments that they made to protect the Good Friday Agreement in all of its parts, to ensure no hardening of the border on our island and to ensure no loss of rights for our citizens.

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann expressed disappointment that Mr Raab had not stayed longer, pointing out such visits were particularly important in the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive to speak for the region.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood and Alliance Party leader Naomi Long also pressed Mr Raab for a backstop plan.

Mr Raab started his day in Northern Ireland with a visit to Warrenpoint Port in Co Down.

He was criticised there for not meeting with public representatives and local people.

Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard said: Dominic Raab is like a thief in the night coming in and out, not providing opportunity, not just me personally but the people I represent.

Mr Raab also visited Newry Police Station and the port of Larne in Co Antrim.
A Sinn Fein MP has accused Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab of running away from people living in a border town during his visit to Northern Ireland.

The Tory minister arrived in Northern Ireland on Friday for a one-day visit to the region.

During his first stop to Warrenpoint Port, Mr Raab was criticised for not meeting with public representatives and local people.

The port, on Carlingford Lough which forms part of the Irish border, ranks second in Northern Ireland behind Belfast in terms of tonnes handled in 2017.

In a private engagement closed to media, Mr Raab met workers in the port.

South Down MP Chris Hazzard said he was not given the opportunity to engage with Mr Raab.

The Sinn Fein man accused him of coming in like a thief in the night.

I think this is the perfect illustration of the cynicism and the disrespect that the Tory government is showing towards the electorate here in South Down and Ireland in general when it comes to Brexit, he said.

We have some serious concerns around Brexit, the local community here are very anxious, the local business community are very anxious about what the next number of months and years is going to hold for them.

The fact we have yet again another Tory minister not providing an opportunity to meet and engage and listen to those concerns is absolutely unacceptable.

Dominic Raab is like a thief in the night coming in and out, not providing opportunity, not just me personally but the people I represent, and the media should have the opportunity to be able to ask the hard questions.

The fact the Tories run away from this every time is telling in itself.

Mr Raab is also believed to have met with senior officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland at Newry Station just a few miles from the Irish border.

SDLP MLA Sinead Bradley said she got just a few hours notification that Mr Raab was visiting Warrenpoint in her constituency. She described the lack of engagement with local politicians as disgraceful and said it needs to be called out. pic.twitter.com/XJWhR9VcUN  Rebecca Black (@RBlackPA) November 2, 2018

SDLP South Down MLA Sinead Bradley criticised Mr Raabs lack of engagement with local elected representatives as disgraceful.

She said she received only a few hours notice that Mr Raab would be visiting Warrenpoint in her constituency.

Ms Bradley told Press Association: Brexit will affect rural communities and especially border communities the most.

For the Brexit Secretary to visit and essentially adopt the attitude of we will talk about you but not to you really just amplified the attitude that has been used by this Executive and the Tory government.

Its absolutely disgraceful and must be called out.

Later, Mr Raab will visit Stormont to meet with local political parties.

In a statement Mr Raab said: I valued the opportunity to see the border first-hand, and hear from local businesses and the port authorities at Larne. We will not accept any Brexit proposals that threaten the economic or constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom. The deal we strike with the EU must avoid a hard border and work for all parts of the the community in Northern Ireland.
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has pledged that the Government will not sign up to any deal which could threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK.

Mr Raab made the comment following a one-day visit to Northern Ireland.

He visited two sea ports before meeting a number of local political parties.

Mr Raab heard opposing views from the two biggest parties, the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

Expand Close Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (right) and deputy leader Michelle ONeill speaking to the media in the Great Hall at Stormont, Belfast, following a meeting with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (right) and deputy leader Michelle ONeill speaking to the media in the Great Hall at Stormont, Belfast, following a meeting with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (Brian Lawless/PA)

The DUP urged that there be no additional barriers between the Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK after Brexit.

Sinn Fein told him that the UK government must agree to a backstop plan which could see Northern Ireland effectively remaining in the customs union and single market.

However, Mr Raab insisted he is confident the Government can get a good deal.

We have made it very clear we would never sign up to anything that would threaten the economic, the constitutional, let alone the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom, he told the BBC.

Asked twice whether it had ruled out any new regulatory checks at the Irish Sea border, he said: We are engaged in a negotiation process.

We have made it very clear that whether its the customs regime for the UK as a whole, or the wider economic integrity of the UK as a whole, we will not allow any proposals to be accepted that would jeopardise that, and that is the crucial thing here.

Valuable day in #NorthernIreland visiting the border, @PortWarrenpoint, @LarneHarbour and meeting local businesses & political leaders from the main parties. Im confident we can agree a Brexit deal that works for all communities here - that is our goal over the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/05IbkzoWUu  Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) November 2, 2018

Of course we want to maintain frictionless trade with our EU partners, but the internal market within the UK is absolutely crucial too.

They are not binary choices, we want to preserve both and also enhance and increase our opportunities for global trade which would be good for the UK and good for Northern Ireland too.

We are engaged in negotiations, I need to protect the integrity of those negotiations, but we are confident we can get a good deal, good for all corners of the United Kingdom and good for every community here in Northern Ireland.

DUP leader Arlene Foster welcomed Mr Raabs visit.

I am glad that he took the chance to visit the ports today because he would have been able to see what happens at the ports, she said.

Good to have @DominicRaab in Belfast today. Northern Ireland must not be put in a position which undermines the constitutional or economic integrity of the UK. pic.twitter.com/C2oAc7cHd1  Arlene Foster #WeWillMeetAgain (@ArleneFosterUK) November 2, 2018

We are engaged in an ongoing process, we want to be as helpful as we can in these negotiations, we want to get a deal on exiting the European Union that is good for Northern Ireland and it can only be good for Northern Ireland if we remain a full part of the United Kingdom.

However, Sinn Fein President Mary-Lou McDonald accused the UK government of acting in bad faith.

We have reminded him that he and his government last December signed up to that, understood that the north of Ireland is a particular scenario with a need for a bespoke and particular solution, she said.

We have told him that he and his government are acting in bad faith, that they have stepped back from the commitments that they made to protect the Good Friday Agreement in all of its parts, to ensure no hardening of the border on our island and to ensure no loss of rights for our citizens.

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann expressed disappointment that Mr Raab had not stayed longer.

As we do not have an Executive in place to ensure that Northern Irelands case is made in the Brexit negotiations, it is all the more important that senior figures such as Dominic Raab should come here and meet with local businesses and political parties, he said.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood and Alliance Party leader Naomi Long also pressed Mr Raab for a backstop plan.

Mr Raab started his day in Northern Ireland with a visit to Warrenpoint Port in Co Down.

He was criticised there for not meeting with public representatives and local people.

South Down MP Chris Hazzard said he was not given the opportunity to engage with Mr Raab.

Dominic Raab is like a thief in the night coming in and out, not providing opportunity, not just me personally but the people I represent, and the media should have the opportunity to be able to ask the hard questions, the Sinn Fein man said.

SDLP South Down MLA Sinead Bradley said: For the Brexit Secretary to visit and essentially adopt the attitude of we will talk about you but not to you really just amplified the attitude that has been used by this Executive and the Tory government.

Its absolutely disgraceful and must be called out.

Mr Raab also visited Newry Police Station where he met with officers before travelling to the port of Larne in Co Antrim  currently the only approved port of entry for livestock imports into Northern Ireland.
The Brexit secretary Dominic Raab is in Northern Ireland on a "fact-finding" trip to the border, drawing criticism for his refusal to meet with politicians, business representatives and some members of the Press.

Sinn Fein accused the minister of "coming like a thief in the night". His office said he had a packed schedule meaning he could not meet everyone.

The secretary of state has travelled to Warrenpoint to meet with politicians and business representatives, a spokeswoman said. The port, on Carlingford Lough which forms part of the Irish border, ranks second in Northern Ireland behind Belfast in terms of tonnes handled in 2017.

In a private engagement closed to media, Mr Raab met workers in the port.

His office has said his schedule is packed and as such only has the time for broadcasters the BBC and UTV. The Press Association was briefly allowed to take part in the Warrenpoint port visit until it was realised their reporter was from the media.

- @ChrisHazzardSF has just turned up outside Warrenpoint port to ask why he wasnt invited to engage w/ @DominicRaab on his visit to constituency. Tells @RBlackPA - who briefly got in but was then asked to leave when they realised she was media - that situation is unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/wYFBbgo5x7  David Young (@DavidYoungPA) November 2, 2018

South Down MP Chris Hazzard said he too was not given the opportunity to engage with Mr Raab. He accused Mr Raab of "coming in like a thief in the night".

"We have some serious concerns around Brexit, the local community here are very anxious, the local business community are very anxious about what the next number of months and years is going to hold for them," he said

"The fact we have yet again another Tory minister not providing an opportunity to meet and engage and listen to those concerns is absolutely unacceptable.

We simply do not have the ability to absorb cost rises because of Brexit. NI Retail Consortium

"Dominic Raab is like a thief in the night coming in and out, not providing opportunity, not just me personally but the people I represent, and the media should have the opportunity to be able to ask the hard questions. The fact the Tories run away from this every time is telling in itself."

He did meet with the chief executive of Newry Chamber of Trade and Commerce who highlighted the importance of an open border to trade.

The Greater Newry Area is a region that has been transformed from one of high unemployment in the late 1980s to virtual full employment today," said Colm Shannon.

"Peace, an open border and access to markets has contributed greatly to that prosperity.

"The port handles approximately a 1,000 ships per year and 40% of the freight originates in or is delivered to the south of Ireland. An open border and freedom to trade east west are essential for this trade to continue," said Colm Shannon.

"Key concerns included supply and access to labour and raw materials, regulation of products, no delays at borders or ports and the maintenance of existing trade North- South and East -West.

SDLP South Down MLA Sinead Bradley also criticised Mr Raab's lack of engagement with local elected representatives as "disgraceful".

"Brexit will affect rural communities and especially border communities the most," she said.

"For the Brexit Secretary to visit and essentially adopt the attitude of 'we will talk about you but not to you' really just amplified the attitude that has been used by this Executive and the Tory government. It's absolutely disgraceful and must be called out."

The Department for Exiting the EU has been asked for a comment.

After leaving the port, Mr Raab visited with senior officers at Newry police station.

Mr Raab will later go to Stormont and meet the political parties. His office described the visit as a "fact-finding" exercise.

It comes amid reports the EU is preparing to offer a compromise on the Irish border issue, which has become the major sticking point in the Brexit talks.

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Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has outlined plans to offer Prime Minister Theresa May a UK-wide customs arrangement while a new trade deal is being negotiated.

Mr Raab's visit is his first since he was appointed to the ministry in July after predecessor David Davis resigned.

Sky News Ireland correspondent David Blevins asked why cabinet ministers "sneak to and from the border" without facing questions from journalists.

Why do cabinet ministers try to sneak to and from the border without facing journalists? If you really believe in Brexit, defend it! #Journalism  David Blevins (@skydavidblevins) November 2, 2018

Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, also expressed his frustration at not meeting Mr Raab.

"We would have loved to have asked him about how NI consumers are going to better off in the short term or the medium term," he said, "because we simply do not have the ability to absorb cost rises because of Brexit.

"Questions have to be asked if he is only meeting reps who play to his narrative. Not acceptable."

Mr Raab's office said he had a packed schedule and would only be able to accommodate broadcasters UTV and BBC for "clips". A spokeswoman also said there would be no availability for the Belfast Telegraph to pose questions to the minister.

David Davis also did not meet the media when he visited the border for the first time in April.

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The issue of the Irish border has become the major sticking point in the Brexit talks.

The EU wants a backstop which would see Northern Ireland remain in the EU customs union and part of the single market in order to avoid creating infrastructure on the border. However, the Prime Minister has rejected this arguing a sea border would harm the integrity of the UK.

Mr Raab has indicated he expects a deal to be reached with the EU by the end of the month.
Samuel Chhetri is an online reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering a wide range of issues, including politics, society, sports, arts and entertainment.
A Co Armagh schoolboy has become the youngest person to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro by one of the most difficult routes, following in the footsteps of his famous father.

And in doing so, 11-year-old Conor Bannon - son of Terence 'Banjo' Bannon - has helped to raise over 4,000 for the NI Children's Hospice.

'Banjo' Bannon was awarded the freedom of his native Newry after becoming the second Irishman to conquer Mount Everest, reaching the summit in 2003.

Conor, a pupil at Killean PS in Jonesborough, tackled the formidable Lemosho route to reach the highest peak in Africa, with mum Lauren O'Malley, herself an accomplished mountaineer, helping him along.

They completed their trek over a gruelling seven nights and eight days.

Conor's climb is all the more impressive as he lives with Common Variable Immune Deficiency, meaning he needs fortnightly blood infusions at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

"Conor visited the hospice after feeling down about his own illness, and said he wanted to raise funds," Mr Bannon said.

"We were talking after he visited the hospice and he said, 'you know there are children much worse off than me' and that's where the idea first came from.

"He's only 11, but planned and fund-raised by himself, Lauren said that a few times during the climb she asked did he want to turn back.

"Near the summit there's only 30% oxygen and that takes it out of your body, but even though he was being sick and struggling at times he said he didn't want to let the hospice children down.

"He's an extraordinary young lad - I'm so proud of him."
DUP MLA Christopher Stalford blasted as "arrogant" a Sinn Fein assertion Martin McGuinness "sacked" Arlene Foster as First Minister.

He was responding to MLA John O'Dowd.

The Upper Bann MLA told the BBC's The View programme his party would be content for Arlene Foster to become First Minister again should there be a deal to restore power sharing.

Sinn Fein has previously stated it would not return to an Executive with Mrs Foster in the post during the RHI inquiry.

"Two years after Arlene Foster was effectively sacked as First Minister by Martin McGuinness," Mr O'Dowd said, "who the DUP chose as their leader if and when we get to a position where we have an Executive in a rights-based society then if Arlene Foster is nominated as the joint first minister by the DUP it is not up to Sinn Fein to object at that stage."

He was asked to confirm if a deal was done and the DUP nominated Arlene Foster as first minister, Sinn Fein would be happy to accept that.

"Two years on from the situation, yes we are," he added.

Chrisopher Stalford responded: "'Effectively sacked'... Don't be so arrogant."

He said there was "no vacancy" and Mrs Foster would "continue to lead the unionist community".

"The fact that there are people in other parties who don't like Arlene just proves that she is doing her job right."

The South Belfast MLA, said Sinn Fein should look for the support of the Assembly, adding that rights were not the same thing as its "wish list".

"If you've got the numbers, why don't you rock up to Stormont and vote them through?" he asked.
Three DUP MPs are due to meet Civil Service boss David Sterling to discuss the allocation of Northern Ireland's 1bn boost from the Budget.

Nigel Dodds, the party's Westminster leader, Gavin Robinson and Emma Little-Pengelly said they would use this week's meeting to ensure that various measures - including support for small businesses, high street regeneration and investment in mental health provision - are rolled out across the region.

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In a joint statement, the DUP MPs said the almost 1bn allocated to Northern Ireland was additional spending on top of the 1bn Confidence and Supply Agreement.

"We are committed to ensuring the ambitious announcements made in the Budget are introduced in Northern Ireland given the transformative impact they could have," they said.

"Our small business sector is the backbone of our economy and it is vital that they benefit from the Rates Relief Scheme announced by the Chancellor.

"At a point when our high streets face uncertain times, the Future High Street Fund will provide redevelopment opportunities across Northern Ireland to support and boost our retail sector."

Read More

The DUP said the major investment announced by the Chancellor in mental health "provides Northern Ireland with the opportunity to develop greater service provision".

"Mental health is a top priority of the DUP and that is why we secured an additional 50m in our C&S Agreement," they said.

"We will be pushing strongly for the Civil Service to introduce similar measures in Northern Ireland."

They added that Executive departments also have "an important role to play in other announcements we secured in the budget" adding that it is imperative for them to "allocate the necessary resources to deliver this once in a generation opportunity".

"In relation to the Belfast City Centre Relief Fund, it is incumbent upon Executive departments to make a financial contribution to support the 2m we delivered from the Treasury," they said.

"We will be pressing hard that further support is offered to our city centre.

Read More

"The record level of investment we secured for the Belfast Region City Deal was a great start to the overall funding package.

"Local councils, the private sector and our universities have all stepped up to the mark to support the 1bn deal."

Mr Hammond said the measures contained in his Budget will mean additional spending of 320m for Northern Ireland government departments.

The Treasury will also put 350m into a 15-year investment plan for the Belfast region, known as a city deal, while a one-off 2m payment to help Belfast city centre recover from the major fire in August was also promised.

An additional 300m was pledged for integrated and shared education initiatives.

Earlier this month, the DUP said that it was prepared to block the Budget and potentially topple Prime Minister Theresa May if the party did not receive sufficient reassurances that there would be no Irish Sea border post-Brexit.
An image of the Pages Of The Sea art project

The haunting images of a First World War soldier and nurse will appear at two of three local beaches chosen as part of a special art project to mark the centenary of Armistice Day.

A portrait of John McCance from Dundrum, Co Down, will emerge from the sand at Murlough Bay on Sunday, November 11 at 8.20am to mark 100 hundred years since the end of the Great War.

It is part of the Pages Of The Sea project spearheaded by Hollywood director Danny Boyle, who was commissioned by 14-18 NOW to mark the centenary.

Mr McCance enlisted as a rifleman in Downpatrick and died at Passchendaele.

He has no known grave, and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot memorial along with 35,000 others.

That same day at 2pm a huge artist's impression of First World War nurse Rachel Ferguson will be displayed at Downhill beach.

Ms Ferguson, from Moneymore, died in 1918 while working for Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.

She is buried in Bordighera British Cemetery.

Murlough will be the first beach in the UK to host the project.

The project is being organised locally by the National Trust and the Nerve Centre.

It will also includes Portstewart Strand at noon where actors dressed as WWI soldiers will walk through the Co Antrim town.

Also taking part in the project will be Port Ban Beach in Co Donegal.

It was there that the body of Co Cork seaman John Buckley washed up.

He, along with 353 others, was on a Belfast-built liner that went down in Lough Swilly in 1917.

SS Laurentic, which transported gold during the war, sank after it struck mines laid by a German U-Boat.

A poem by Carol Ann Duffy will also be read out.

Mr Boyle said the events will be a "unique moment" to honour the "millions of men and women who left these shores to fight and serve during the war, many never to return".

"Beaches are truly public spaces, where nobody rules other than the tide," he added.

"They seem the perfect place to gather together and say a final goodbye and thank you to those whose lives were taken or forever changed by the First World War."
Dominic and Gemma Capparelli were told their right of permanent residence had expired

A Belfast woman who applied for a residency document for her US husband has been told by the Home Office that she needs to prove she has the right to live in Northern Ireland.

Gemma Capparelli (36), who identifies as Irish, said she has been left in limbo after her 38-year-old Chicago-born husband Dominic's application was turned down. The couple recently arrived in Northern Ireland with their 10-year-old son, after living abroad for a decade, and Dominic applied for residency as the family member of an European Economic Area national living in the UK

He was refused, however, on the grounds that his wife showed no evidence of permanent residency - even though she had included her birth certificate that proves she was born in the UK in 1981.

Gemma said she can't believe the authorities are questioning her right to live in her native Belfast just because she married an American.

"It's causing us a lot of stress," she told The Guardian.

"I never thought coming home would cause such angst."

Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, all citizens born in Northern Ireland have the unique right within the UK to have Irish or British citizenship or both.

Gemma also renounced her British citizenship, at a cost of 400, because she was concerned the Home Office would consider her British and force her husband to go through the more onerous and expensive route for non-EU nationals married to Britons.

The Home Office told the couple that their right of permanent residence had expired due to the fact that they had been out of the country for over two years.

"We were floored by the letter which essentially said you have no right to be in Northern Ireland," Dominic said.

Gemma added: "I feel The Home Office really are not living up to the Good Friday Agreement.

"They are saying I'm not even a resident in my own country. It is mind-boggling. You feel like you are in limbo."

The Home Office ruling comes months after a court told another Northern Irish woman, Emma de Souza, who identifies as Irish that her US husband should be allowed to live with her in Londonderry without going through immigration procedures.

Kim Vowden, an immigration lawyer at Kingsley Napley, said the issue had arisen because permanent residency is a legal concept for immigration purposes and not a birthright.

He told the Belfast Telegraph: "It's an EU law concept for somebody who has moved to another EU country and has lived there for five years."

Senator Niall O Donnghaile criticised the Home Office's insistence that Gemma provides proof that she is entitled to permanent residency in Belfast.

"It is simply ludicrous that the British Home Office is insisting that Gemma Capparelli who was born in the north provides proof that she is entitled to permanent residency in Belfast," he said.;

"This is a matter of some significance because the Good Friday Agreement, which is endorsed by the Irish and British governments, makes it clear that people born in the north can 'identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may choose and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both Irish and British citizenship is accepted by both governments.

"It is high time the British Home Office, recognised the core legal components of the Agreement, instead of forcing Irish citizens in the north to endure months of trauma and uncertainty simply for exercising their rights as Irish and EU citizens."

Under British law, non-EU citizens married to British citizens are required to go through an immigration and visa entry system that is both expensive and onerous.

Under EU law, EU nationals who move to Britain or return to Britain after living in the EU are, by contrast, free to have a non-EU spouse enter the country without going through third country immigration procedures.

Dominic's lawyer has written to the Home Office asking them to reconsider the application and they have also lodged an appeal against the decision with a tribunal.

It is understood the Home Office is contacting the family to assist them in finding the right route for residency papers.
A man who admitted tampering with the braking system of a parked lorry, causing it to career down a city centre street before it crashed to a halt into the side of the Foyleside Shopping Centre, was jailed for 18 months.

As a result of the actions carried out by Ryan Doherty (23) from Durrow Park in the Bogside area of Derry, just over 200,000 worth of damage was caused to properties and to a parked car.

As well as admitting tampering with the lorry's braking system, Doherty also pleaded guilty to causing damage to the Foyleside Shopping Centre, to the Primark Store, to a car, to fittings owned by Derry City And Strabane District Council and to property owned by Northern Ireland Transport.

At Londonderry Magistrates' Court on Friday, a solicitor for the Public Prosecution Service told District Judge Barney McElholm that on September 11, 2016, the driver of an articulated lorry with a trailer attached parked in Linenhall Street to carry out deliveries to the nearby Poundland Store in Ferryquay Street.

The lorry was facing downhill in the direction of Newmarket Street. The driver was standing beside the vehicle waiting for his helper to return from the Poundland Store when he saw the lorry moving downhill.

The driver, who is the subject of a separate prosecution in relation to the same incident, ran after the lorry as it turned into Newmarket Street where it hit street furniture as well as a parked car before crashing to a halt into the side entrance of the Foyleside Shopping Centre.

Investigating police officers viewed CCTV footage of the incident. The footage showed three youths approaching the parked lorry.

One of them, the defendant, was seen pushing a button inside the lorry's cab and the vehicle then rolled down hill. As part of their evidence gathering the police officers compiled photographs of the three youths, one of whom was later identified as the defendant. He was arrested and interviewed on November 15, 2016, and he made a no comment interview.

The prosecutor said damage caused to property owned by the council amounted to 2,558. Damage caused to the Primark Store amounted to 9,365 and the damage caused to the parked car totalled 1,400.

The damage caused to the entrance of the Foyleside Shopping Centre totalled 59,000 and 2,400 worth of damage was caused to the lorry and 4,200 of damage caused to the trailer. An additional 96,000 worth of damage was caused to property owned by Transport Northern Ireland.

Defence barrister Stephen Mooney said the financial damage caused by Doherty was colossal.

"This is jail, immediate jail, every day of the week. He knows he is going to jail and he has come to court prepared for that", he told the District Judge.

Mr Mooney said the button pressed by Doherty was the primary braking system of the lorry and he said the back up system had not been applied by the driver.

"One can only have sympathy for the driver," he added.

"This was an act of utter recklessness I do not think the defendant could have foreseen the consequences of his actions. It was not his hope and desire that the lorry would end up embedded in the Foyleside Shopping Centre", he said.

The defence barrister said in mitigation Doherty had pleaded guilty to the offences, days before his contested hearing which would have involved 15 prosecution witnesses and two expert witnesses. He said Doherty, who was jailed in March 2017 for six months for public order offences, did not brazen it out.

Mr McElholm said he would give Doherty a 25% discount for pleading guilty and he jailed Doherty for eighteen months and fined him 500.

"This was an absolutely disgraceful thing to do. He could have killed somebody," he said.

"If anybody had been in the path of this lorry they would have been mown down. It had the impact of causing over 200,000 of damage but he did not think about that when he let the brake off.

"Obviously he thought it was funny but it was not in the slightest bit funny", the District Judge said.
Jean McConville with three of her children

Veteran republican Marian Price has said she "vehemently denies" allegations contained in a new book that link her to the 1972 murder of Jean McConville.

New York Times journalist Patrick Radden Keefe claims in Say Nothing that Price was the mystery third member of an IRA team that shot dead Mrs McConville, one of the highest-profile victims of the Troubles.

Marian Price's older sister Dolours, who died in 2013, and Brendan Hughes, who died in 2008, both previously gave interviews to Boston College project director Ed Moloney, copies of which were later passed to the PSNI following a lengthy court battle.

Dolours Price had admitted being part of the three-person IRA squad involved in the murder of Mrs McConville.

That interview with journalist Mr Moloney featured in the controversial documentary film I, Dolours earlier this year.

She said they left the widow with an IRA unit in Dundalk, but were called back four or five days later to shoot her. She denied firing the fatal bullet, instead saying an unnamed member of the unit had been responsible.

Piecing together evidence from two interviews by Moloney and from a third unnamed source, the author now claims Marian Price fired the shot that killed Mrs McConville.

In his book he alleges that a member of the team had been offered a job as Gerry Adams' personal driver and that Keefe discovered Dolours Price revealed her younger sister had been offered this role "and refused because it was such a boring job".

Keefe said he also interviewed a person in whom Dolours Price confided before her death.

"I asked whether she had ever mentioned Marian playing a role in the McConville killing," he writes.

"The person confirmed she had - that Dolours had said the execution of Jean McConville was 'something sisters had done together'."

Responding to the allegations, Marian Price's solicitor Peter Corrigan of Phoenix Law told The Irish News: "My client Marian Price vehemently denies any involvement in the murder of Jean McConville.

"She outright refutes any assertion to the contrary. We have now been instructed to review the publication in question, and the appropriate action will follow if necessary."

In the book the author recalls that when Dolours Price died in 2013 Marian Price, who was in prison, wanted to be released for the wake and the funeral.

She was allowed to attend the wake.

He read the court papers where her lawyers and a psychiatrist made the valid argument that "when you lose a family member you really need to properly grieve".

Keefe notes that the McConville family did not know what happened their mother until her body was found in Shelling Hill beach, Co Louth, in 2003.

He also claims that police have known since 2013 that, according to her Dolours Price, Marian Price was alleged to have been involved in the murder.

Mrs McConville's son Michael called that "awful and shocking" and has asked for a face to face meeting with PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton.

"My brothers and sisters and I want to know why Dolours Price was not interviewed after her admissions that she drove my mother to her death?" he said.

"And if Marian Price has been interviewed by the PSNI why have we not been informed, and if she hasn't been interviewed from 2013 to the present day, why not?"
John Forrest with his wife Pamela. He died shortly after retiring from his 40-year job as a BT engineer

A Moneymore man who died suddenly shortly after retiring from his job of more than 40 years has been described as a "hard-working family man who always helped others".

Father-of-three and grandfather-of-five John Forrest (65) died while working at a house on Cookstown's Drum Road on Monday.

His funeral will take place at Donaghey Congregational Church this afternoon.

Eldest daughter Kyra Jones (41) said initial speculation he had fallen from a roof was incorrect.

"I don't think we will ever truly know what happened," she said.

"My dad was doing a bit of work clearing guttering on the first frosty morning of the year and the ladders were secured and tied up.

"He was working outside by himself and the home owner returned from a walk with her husband and found him on the ground."

She said it was initially believed he had fallen from the roof.

But the findings of a post-mortem examination were not consistent with that.

She explained: "It says that the cause of death is undetermined.

"There is a history in his family of healthy men who went out to work and just died."

Having worked as a BT engineer, he had recently retired and was enjoying spending time with his wife of 43 years Pamela (62), children Kyra, Philip (38) and Karyn (35), and grandchildren Nathan (18), Alex (13), Sienna (8), Joe (4), and Ella (2).

Kyra added: "He had worked for the company for over 40 years and he was very active, a very hard-working man who liked to get things done and was a perfectionist.

"Joe said that God had a job which needed to be done so he asked grandad, and grandad has gone to help him with a few jobs.

"He was a really hard-working family man, very proud, who always helped others.

"He was so proud of his five grandchildren and he loved them very much. It was such a special relationship.

"Family was the most important thing to him.

"He was a quiet man, but he always had a joke."

Mr Forrest, a born again Christian, was originally from Tullyhogue.

"His death has left a void that will be very difficult to fill. As a family we are just devastated, but we are finding strength together," added Kyra.

"Since he died the house has been full and people are telling us so many stories about how he helped them.

"He is with his Lord and Saviour."

The PSNI said: "On Monday, October 29, police attended the sudden death of a man aged in his 60s at a property in the Drum Road, Cookstown.

"His death is not being treated as suspicious at this stage."

Mr Forrest's funeral will take place at 1pm today at Donaghey Congregational Church, followed by interment in the adjacent graveyard.
The picture of a pair of Schnauzer dogs posted days after men in Ku Klux Klan outfits sparked outrage after posing outside an Ards Islamic centre

Representatives of the Muslim community have condemned a picture on social media of a white dog dressed in a Ku Klux Klan-style hat accompanied by a black dog with a noose around its neck.

The picture of the pair of Schnauzer-type animals was posted on Wednesday night, just days after a group of people sparked outrage for posing outside a Newtownards Islamic centre in Ku Klux Klan outfits.

The man who posted the picture of the dogs described people who complained about the image he had shared online as "snowflakes".

He wrote: "Islamic community (all 40 of them) will be looking compensation if they see this picture."

The man told the Belfast Telegraph yesterday that he was not the owner of the animals, saying that they belonged to a man from Belfast.

And he added that he believed the dogs' owner had intended to create "humorous" costumes for Halloween.

"I think it's funny. I don't think it was in any way connected with the Newtownards incident," he said.

"I think it was a guy trying to have a laugh, and he sent it to his friends.

"Now that the image has gone viral, I think he is having second thoughts.

"I had the photo sent to me from someone who said it was his friend's dogs."

The man claimed that the majority of people who had viewed the image found it "funny".

"I believe that no hurt was meant towards Islam, black people or Jews," he continued.

"I don't think it was meant to be offensive.

"Is dressing dogs up a hate crime? I don't think so."

The Belfast Islamic Centre said the picture "shows a disturbing lack of concern and awareness of the history of the KKK and racism/xenophobia in the current climate".

Police have opened an investigation into the Newtownards incident, after a group was seen wearing the distinctive KKK-style costumes and carrying crosses.

The PSNI has confirmed that it is treating that incident, which attracted widespread condemnation, as a hate crime.

Churches in the town have appealed for the people responsible to come forward and explain themselves.

"Hate has no place in our town," they said in a statement.
Former AIG Kayastha is Province 2 security adviser

Province 2 government has appointed Bijay Lal Kayastha, the former additional inspector general (AIG) of Nepal Police, as a security adviser.
The cars that were destroyed by arsonists at the car repairs business in Carrickfergus

The burnt out cars that were destroyed by arsonists at the Car repairs business in Carrickfergus late on Wednesday. Pic by Peter Morrison

The owner of a car repair business in Carrickfergus who lost five vehicles in an arson attack yesterday revealed that he had also been given a death threat.

The businessman, who asked not to be named, told the Belfast Telegraph that the UDA had given him 48 hours to get out of the town.

He said that he believed a similar threat had also been issued to a young woman in the Carrick area.

The car repairer - who was still busy at his Dunlop Motors workshop last night when he spoke to the Belfast Telegraph - said he had lost vehicles worth thousands of pounds in the arson attack at his business, which is located on the town's Woodburn Road.

Blaming the South-East Antrim UDA for the attack and intimidation, the businessman said: "It's the first time anything like this has happened.

"I've had no dealings with the UDA whatsoever."

He said that the names of the people involved in the attack had already been given to the police "but no one has been arrested."

"The police have been no help," he said.

"They just took my name and told me about the UDA death threat."

Asked what he thought of the people who had targeted his business, he said: "They're scumbags. What else could you say about people like that?"

PSNI Chief Inspector Stephen Humphries said: "Those who carried out this attack do not represent the people of Carrickfergus and I would ask anyone who has any information, or anyone who witnessed this incident, to contact the police on 101."

Asked about the two alleged death threats, the PSNI said: "We do not discuss the security of individuals and no inference should be drawn from this.

"However, if we receive information that a person's life may be at risk we will inform them accordingly. We never ignore anything which may put an individual at risk."

Loyalist factions have been blamed for a number of incidents in Carrickfergus in recent days.

DUP MLA David Hilditch called for calm and condemned the "sinister" attack on the business.

"It's heartbreaking for the owners of the firm, and local residents are also shocked.

"There have been difficulties in Carrickfergus over two criminal gangs who are at each other's throats," the MLA said.

"A number of other premises - into double figures - have been attacked in just the last week in the town.

"This is the most serious incident since the feud erupted after the murder of UDA man George Gilmore in March 2017," he said.

"Most of it has been pretty low-level, but now, that low-level street confrontation stuff is turning into something more sinister."
A 15-year-old boy has been assaulted in south Belfast.

The incident happened in the area of Benburb Street/ Connaught Street in the early hours of Friday morning.

Police received a report just after 12.20am that a boy had been walking when he was assaulted by a number of people and sustained a number of cuts and bruises.

Chief Inspector Gavin Kirkpatrick said: I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the assault or anyone with information that can assist with our investigation to contact detectives at Musgrave Police Station on 101 quoting reference number 11 of 2/11/18.

"Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime."
Police in Northern Ireland have made an appeal for the driver of a white Audi to contact investigators examining the circumstances around a fatal crash in August.

Eamon McCafferty (58) died after he was hit by a car near Claudy in the early hours of Saturday, August 18.

Constable Joanne Boyd said: Mr McCafferty was a pedestrian who was struck by a blue Hyundai I10 on the Foreglen Road around 2am that Saturday.

We are appealing to the occupant(s) of a white-coloured Audi A4 which was travelling on the Foreglen Road from the direction of Dungiven towards Claudy between 1.55am and 2.10am to contact us as we believe they may have seen Mr McCafferty / the blue Hyundai car prior to the collision.

We would also ask drivers who have dashcam fitted in their cars or motorcyclists with helmet cameras who may have been on this road at the time of the collision to get in touch with us on 101, quoting reference 154 of 18/08/18."
Detectives remain in Burnside Park, in the Four Winds area, and part of the street is cordoned off after the discovery on Friday morning.

Police are investigating the sudden death of a young woman in south Belfast.

Officers are at Burnside Park, in the Four Winds area.

It is understood the young woman was discovered in in a wooded area close to a stream dividing Burnside Park and Colby Park.

A PSNI spokesman said: "Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a female in the Four Winds area of Belfast this afternoon.

"A post mortem is due to be carried out and there are no further details at this stage."

A spokesperson for the Ambulance Service said: "The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 11:40 on Friday November 2 2018 following reports of an unconscious person in the Saintfield Road area of Belfast.

"One Paramedic Officer and one Rapid Response Paramedic were despatched to the incident.

"No one was transported from the scene."
A rouge trader who tried to charge a pensioner almost 7,000 to tarmac her drive was yesterday ordered to complete 200 hours' community service.

District Judge Amanda Brady also ordered 26-year-old Dean James Winder to pay 4,000 compensation to his victim and imposed fines totalling 800.

Sentencing him at Downpatrick Magistrates' Court, the judge told Winder his fraud and aggressive commercial practices were "mean-spirited offences to say the least".

At an earlier hearing, Winder, from Holms Avenue, Dreghorn in Ayrshire, pleaded guilty to five offences he committed in February this year.

The court heard how trading standards officers contacted the PSNI to report that a pensioner and her partner had been taken advantage of, in that a tarmacing job which was supposed to initially cost 2,000 increased to cost 6,900.

Outlining how the couple had already handed over a 4,000 deposit, a police officer told the court that when police went to the victim's home, Winder was arrested in the couple's driveway, which had been left "with uneven parts on it".

The court heard that while Winder claimed to be working as Unique Style Driveways from Newtownabbey, the registered address was in Blackburn in England and it had only been registered with Companies House in the few months preceding the fraud.

He confessed to one count of fraud by false representation in that he provided his elderly victim "false details and documentation of a company named Unique Style Driveways".

Winder admitted to engaging in aggressive commercial practice by "the use of harassment, coercion or undue influence".

The charges also stated that he convinced the victim to pay over the odds for the work and he "repeatedly increased the price charged to her while the work was being carried out, and required her to pay cash to you before completion of the work."

Other charges to which Winder admitted were engaging in misleading commercial practice by not providing full information, omitting the fact that his business only had a postal address in England, and engaging in unfair commercial practice.
The dig site at bogland in Co Monaghan (Richard McCarthy/PA)

The brother of a teenager murdered by the IRA has spoken about the painstaking search for his remains as the first half of a dig draws to an end.

The family of Columba McVeigh, who is one of 16 murder victims known as the Disappeared, travelled to Co Monaghan where investigators and searchers have suspended the dig because of bad weather.

They were joined by families of the other victims after they took part in a silent walk on All Souls Day in Belfast.

The 19-year-old from Donaghmore, Co Tyrone, was abducted, shot and secretly buried in November 1975.

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Republicans with knowledge of the crime have told the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR), in confidence, that he was buried across the border in Bragan bog near Emyvale.

Four previous searches in the bog have not uncovered his remains.

His brother Oliver said that while he is not happy the dig has been suspended, he has to be realistic about the conditions of the search site.

The Archbishop of Armagh and the Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin met the family, including Mr McVeighs brother and sister, Eugene and Dympna, at the site where he blessed the ground with holy water.

Mr McVeigh said: It was very poignant to have Archbishop Martin there and show support for us on Columbas anniversary and All Souls Day.

The family really appreciate that he went out of his way to come to the site.

We have to be realistic about the conditions  we are not happy but we have to be realistic about the ground and the weather.

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We want the dig done right rather than half done.

Archbishop Martin said that people across Ireland were hopeful that Columbas remains would be found after a new search started six weeks ago.

Speaking at the site, he said: That hope remains and we continue to pray for Gods guidance for the search team as they go about their painstaking work.

You can see from what lies behind us is that its an amazing task, its the sort of work that no-one really wants to have to do.

When people come to the bog to dig, they are coming to get fuel to heat their homes and to bring warmth into sitting rooms and into their hearts, they dont come to do this type of work.

In many ways we are shocked to come way up here into such a bleak place, such a lonely place and realise that this gruesome task continues.

He said that he hoped todays visit would inspire someone who has information to come forward.

Members from the ICLVR team and forensic archaeologists have searched part of an area measuring about 100 metres by 50 metres.

Jon Hill, senior investigator for the ICLVR, said the search is made difficult by unstable ground.

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He said: We started the search six weeks ago and we are roughly halfway through and we are fast approaching that time when we are going to stop for the winter time and come back at the spring time.

There is no reason to think we are successful or unsuccessful until we find what we are looking for and theres no reason to believe that the first part or second part is more hopeful.

We are stopping because it becomes more dangerous and less productive.

Its more possible that you could miss something when the weather conditions are bad and the lighting is bad.

Mr Hill said it is disappointing not to have located Columbas remains.

He added: Its as likely that youll find them on the first day as you are on the last day.
Karen Bradley faced fierce criticism last night after a meeting with the local parties was described as "embarrassing".

The Secretary of State made a quick getaway to catch a flight after spending just 45 minutes with representatives of the DUP, Sinn Fein, Alliance and the SDLP.

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She said that the session was simply a briefing on new legislation passing through Parliament to allow civil servants to take decisions in the absence of the Executive, but some parties called the gathering a waste of time.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long warned that the relationships between the parties and with Mrs Bradley are now in a worse state than ever.

"This briefing was not just a pointless exercise, but I would argue it was actually counterproductive in that relationships between the parties and indeed with the Secretary of State are possibly now at an all-time low," Ms Long said.

"The reality is, the longer this process continues the further we drift from restoration of the institutions."

She said the parties were now further away than they were when the talks collapsed in February and the gap is growing "with every day that passes".

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Ms Long said: "The responsibility now lies with the Secretary of State to make a decision to convene the talks and to get us back in the room, and put it up to the parties.

"If parties are not willing to participate, then let them be held accountable by the public who are sick to the back teeth of this nonsense."

Voicing his frustration at the outcome of the meeting, Ulster Unionist Leader Robin Swann MLA called on the Government to reintroduce direct rule if it cannot get political agreement to restore devolution at Stormont.

He said: "I regret to say it, but the meeting was badly organised and badly handled, with no clear purpose or direction. She was badly advised to hold it at all," he said.

"What little trust there was has now gone completely.

"We need a proper talks process but we are also in no doubt that if we cannot get political agreement the Government has no alternative but to bring in direct rule.

"Sadly, this meeting has done more harm than good and it's now up to the Secretary of State hands to take ownership of the process. DUP and Sinn Fein agreement on the basis for talks will never happen.

"The people of Northern Ireland need her to show some backbone, face down the parties causing the blockage. If those parties don't like what a talks process looks like that's up to them."

DUP MLA Christopher Stalford, who attended along with party colleague Peter Weir, said they were invited to be briefed about the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill introduced by Mrs Bradley to grant decision-making powers to civil servants.

He said: "This Bill is another symptom of the Sinn Fein boycott of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive. It is far from ideal.

"The Secretary of State should have gone much further in terms of decision-making powers.

"The Bill is not ambitious and it does not deliver good governance for Northern Ireland."

But said overall blame for the impasse should rest with Sinn Fein and not Mrs Bradley.

He said: "Whilst parties are lining up to blame the Secretary of State, Sinn Fein collapsed devolution and is the only party refusing to form an Executive until certain items on its wish-list are checked off.

"The real problem lies at Connolly House rather than Stormont House.

"The DUP stands ready to enter an Assembly and Executive immediately. We have no preconditions. It's high time Sinn Fein stopped holding Northern Ireland to ransom."

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood called the meeting "a complete and utter waste of time."

"It is quite clear that the British Government are totally unprepared to take the necessary next steps to get power-sharing restored," he said.

"Today is an embarrassing day for the Secretary of State. Quite simply, it is not her job to wait for a 'consensus', her job is to kick-start the talks process.

"I think I probably should have stayed in Derry,"

Sinn Fein MLA John O'Dowd accused the Government of "treating large sections of this society with utter and complete contempt".

"We attended this meeting to establish if there was basis for going forward with a rights based society with accountable government for all. Unfortunately that was not the case," he said.

"It is quite clear that the British Government is treating large sections of this society with utter and complete contempt."

Mrs Bradley said it had "always been clear" the meeting with the parties was a briefing about her bill and nothing more:

"I have always been clear that this was a briefing for the parties on the bill that will become an Act of Parliament next week so that they can understand what the debates were in parliament last week and this week in the House of Lords, and so they can see now that it is going to be an Act of Parliament in the next few days and what that will mean," she said.

"They have to do the right thing, come back into government, and I want to see them do that as soon as possible."

A UK Government spokesperson confirmed: "The Secretary of State's key priority is the restoration of devolved government at Stormont.

"Following the passage Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 through Parliament, the Secretary of State was keen to meet the parties at the earliest opportunity to look ahead to implementation of the legislation and next steps.

"Her engagement with the parties, and with the other key stakeholders in Northern Ireland, will continue in the weeks ahead."
A mother-of-three allegedly stabbed a man four times after being told to "pick a knife" from a set in her kitchen, the High Court has heard.

Ursula Louise Logue is accused of inflicting deep wounds to his leg and arm during a drinking binge at the house in Derry.

The 34-year-old, of Bealachmor Lower in the city, faces charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and possessing an offensive weapon over the incident on Monday.

During a bail application prosecutors said police alerted by the ambulance service found the wounded man on a living room sofa.

He claimed Logue had stabbed him with a knife.

Officers found five knives in the room, but the accused was not present at the scene.

Instead, the court heard, she was located a short time later on the nearby Ringfort Road.

Crown lawyer Kate McKay said that following her arrest Logue stated: "There's a knife set I own, there was an argument. He said, 'pick a knife' so I stabbed him."

Later, the defendant claimed to have acted because she was in fear for her life.

Both her and the wounded man were said to have been drinking heavily a period of days.

Logue, whose three children live with another relative, alleged that he had grabbed her by the hair, pulled her to the ground and punched her.

She was unable to give further details of the stabbing, but claimed a knife from the kitchen had been used, according to the prosecution.

Referring to the alleged stabbing, Mrs McKay continued: "She said she was shocked by the level of injuries inflicted, and said she was disgusted by herself."

It was also suggested that Logue may have difficulties in establishing self-defence, due to the number of wounds she allegedly inflicted.

Her barrister argued, however, that she has a workable case.

The court was also told the alleged victim has not provided a statement to police.

Adjourning the application, Mr Justice Colton requested a report on Logue's level of cooperation with relevant authorities in unrelated matters.

The judge stressed: "I'm not closing the door (on bail)."
Government moves to establish electricity commission

The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI) has initiated the process to set up a commission to regulate the energy sector, more than a year after an act was passed for its establishment.
The coffin of Darren Gallagher is carried from St Patricks Church, Cranagh, after Requiem Mass

A young man killed in a weekend road crash was yesterday laid to rest beside his mother.

Darren Gallagher (23) died on a stretch of the A5 near Omagh in the early hours of Sunday.

Hundreds attended his wake at his father's house in Rousky near Gortin this week ahead of his funeral in St Patrick's Church, Cranagh, yesterday.

Mr Gallagher's mother Martina passed away 11 years ago after an illness. He was buried beside her following yesterday's Requiem Mass.

Ahead of the funeral, Darren's sister Pauline spoke of the family's devastation.

"Darren was so young and full of life. He had his whole life ahead of him," she told the Ulster Herald.

"He was a great baby brother and a fantastic uncle to all his nieces and nephews.

Mr Gallagher had been driving a blue Opel Astra when it crashed at around 4.20am, close to the junction of Drumlegagh Road.

He was returning from his cousin's stag party in Letterkenny, and died only a mile from his home.

A past pupil of Sacred Heart College in Omagh and South West College in Enniskillen, he had worked as a builder alongside his father Eunan McGarvey.

Mr Gallagher, who would have turned 24 on December 19, was a former youth player with Gortin St Patrick's GAA club.

He is survived by his father, brother Anthony, sisters Pauline and Kathleen, partner Shannon Thompson, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and wider family circle.

Sunday's tragedy sparked fresh concerns about the A5, one of Northern Ireland's most dangerous roads.

Around 40 people have been killed on the stretch since 2006.

An upgrade was announced in 2007.

But, more than a decade on, work has still to get under way because of legal challenges.

The PSNI urged anyone who was travelling on the Beltany Road on Sunday morning and witnessed the crash to contact police on 101, quoting reference 434 for October 28.
Karen Bradley has called on Northern Irelands political parties to stop grandstanding and take ownership of seeing devolved government return to Stormont.

The UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said: We need to have dialogue, we need constructive engagement, we need, as I say, parties to stop grandstanding and actually do the right thing.

Ms Bradley made the comments following talks between senior Irish and UK government ministers at a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) in Dublins Iveagh House.

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She defended as constructive a meeting she held with Northern Irelands main political parties in Belfast on Thursday, which was branded a waste of time by some.

Four of the five parties expressed frustration after the meeting and pressed Ms Bradley to convene multi-party talks.

She said the meeting was initiated to brief the parties on the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill.

Ms Bradley said the most important thing was that she worked constructively with the parties.

Lets stop the grandstanding, lets stop the soundbites, now is the time we get back in the room and we get talking, she said.

I want to see those parties taking an ownership, taking a responsibility and working with me so we can get a process that people can have confidence in and see that they will have devolved government in Stormont again in the near future.

UK Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington said there was no doubt that Brexit remaining unresolved was a factor when it came to trying to restore the Assembly.

But he added: I dont think that needs to stop the efforts of the parties to move back towards power sharing.

Both Mr Lidington and Ms Bradley reiterated the UK Governments absolute commitment to restore devolution.

Ms Bradley said there was no alternative.

Brexit negotiations and the absence of powersharing in Northern Ireland topped the agenda of the conference.

Irelands deputy premier Simon Coveney said the most challenging item on the agenda was the political stability in Northern Ireland.

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He said both the UK and Irish government ministers had engaged in substantial and serious discussions in particular about how the institutions in Northern Ireland could be re-established.

Were going to keep talking regularly to see how we can put a structure in place that can actually work, that can engage all of the parties and that ensures that in the not-too-distant future we have a structure people can believe in, he added.

North/south security co-operation and bilateral co-operation between the British and Irish governments was also discussed.

Irelands Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said security concerns including the security threat from paramilitary groups on the island of Ireland were discussed.

There is sadly no question of the real and persistent threat to life and community safety, Mr Flanagan said.

Their terrorist intentions are lethal, he added.

The conference coincided with UK Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab arriving in Northern Ireland for a one-day visit to the region.

He visited Stormont on Friday afternoon to meet with local political parties.

Powersharing government at Stormont has been collapsed since January 2017 following a breakdown in relations between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

Established under the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the BIIGC focuses on bilateral agreement between the two countries.

Ahead of the meeting, Mr Coveney said a strong UK-Irish friendship was more important than ever.

Looking forward to welcoming @DLidington + Karen Bradley to Dublin for British Irish Intergovernmental Conf. with me + @CharlieFlanagan. Strong UK/Irish friendship, trust+cooperation more NB than ever. Legacy, Security Coop, East-West relations + NI Pol stability all on Agenda pic.twitter.com/H5fHCpqWCP  Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) November 2, 2018

In a tweet, he said: Looking forward to welcoming @DLidington (and) Karen Bradley to Dublin for British Irish Intergovernmental conference with me (and) @CharlieFlanagan.

He added: Strong UK/Irish friendship, trust (and) cooperation more NB than ever. Legacy, security coop, East-West relations (and) NI political stability all on agenda.
Simon Coveney says a strong friendship between the UK and Ireland is now more important than ever (Niall Carson/PA)

Irelands deputy premier has said strong UK-Irish friendship is more important than ever ahead of talks between senior Irish and UK Government ministers in Dublin.

Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and the countrys Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan are set to welcome UK Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley at a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) in Dublins Iveagh House.

In a tweet Mr Coveney said: Looking forward to welcoming @DLidington [and] Karen Bradley to Dublin for British Irish Intergovernmental conference with me [and] @CharlieFlanagan.

He added: Strong UK/Irish friendship, trust [and] cooperation more NB than ever. Legacy, security coop, East-West relations [and] NI political stability all on agenda.

Looking forward to welcoming @DLidington + Karen Bradley to Dublin for British Irish Intergovernmental Conf. with me + @CharlieFlanagan. Strong UK/Irish friendship, trust+cooperation more NB than ever. Legacy, Security Coop, East-West relations + NI Pol stability all on Agenda pic.twitter.com/H5fHCpqWCP  Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) November 2, 2018

The conference comes as Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab arrived in Northern Ireland on Friday morning for a one-day visit to the region. He was due to visit Stormont to meet with local political parties.

Powersharing government at Stormont has been collapsed since January 2017 following a breakdown in relations between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

A meeting between Ms Bradley and Northern Irelands main political parties in Belfast on Thursday to discuss the re-establishment of formal powersharing was branded a waste of time by SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.

Four of the five parties expressed frustration after the meeting and they pressed Ms Bradley to convene multi-party talks.

Established under the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the BIIGC focuses on bilateral agreement between the two countries.

Brexit negotiations and the absence of power-sharing in Northern Ireland are set to be top of the agenda of this conference.

North/South Security Co-operation and bilateral co-operation between the British and Irish Governments will also be discussed.

The last meeting of the BIIGC took place in July.

In a statement ahead of the meeting, Mr Coveney said it showed the shared determination of both governments to get all of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement operating effectively again as soon as possible.

It also demonstrates that, despite the current challenges, both the Irish and UK governments are committed to developing the relationship between our countries and looking at ways to maintain and deepen our engagement, Mr Coveney continued.

Mr Flanagan said the meeting represented an important opportunity for the two governments to discuss their shared security concerns.

We have common cause in combating the threat from paramilitaries who continue to reject the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Flanagan said.

While considerable progress has been made on the security front, the need for continued action against paramilitaries and ongoing vigilance remains.

Minister @CharlieFlanagan will, with the Tanaiste Simon Coveney, be representing the Irish Government at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Iveagh House tomorrow. The conference will include discussions on North/South Security Co-operation https://t.co/Cop9NvrC2D  Department of Justice  (@DeptJusticeIRL) November 1, 2018

Earlier this week Ms Bradley told the House of Commons that she was actively considering how and when an external mediator could play a constructive role in attempts to re-establish talks. She told MPs she would raise the idea with the Irish Government during Fridays conference.
A wreath and photographs of the three men whos remains are yet to be recovered Columba McVeigh (left) Joe Lynskey (centre) and Robert Nairac, on the steps of Stormont during the 11th annual Silent Walk for the Disappeared in 2017. (PA/Brian Lawless)

An annual silent walk will take place today for those who were killed and secretly buried during Northern Irelands troubled past.

In total 16 people were classified as disappeared.

Three remain missing to this day.

A search is ongoing for Columba McVeigh, 19, from Donaghmore, Co Tyrone.

Former monk Joe Lynskey and soldier Robert Nairac also remain missing.

For the last 11 years, the families of the disappeared have taken part in a silent walk on All Souls day at Stormont.

The 12th silent walk will take place on Friday morning.

Members of the families of the disappeared will walk from Carsons Statue to the steps of Parliament Buildings where they will lay the black wreath with three white lilies representing those who have yet to be found.

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Prayers will be led by Father Paul Turley from Clonard Monastery.

Sandra Peake, chief executive of the Wave Trauma Centre which has supported the families since the 1990s said every year that passes makes the loss even more painful for the loved ones of those who remain missing.

As each year passes and the immediate family of those still missing grow older it becomes more difficult for them to take the unimaginable pain of knowing that their loved ones lies in some barren and desolate place when they should be resting in consecrated ground, she said.

They draw huge comfort from knowing that they have the continuing support of those families who have had loved ones returned to them for Christian burial and they know that the thoughts and prayers of those who cannot come to Stormont today are with them always.

As we gather here today we will be thinking especially of the McVeigh family as the search for Columba continues in Bragan Co Monaghan.

Mr McVeigh was abducted, shot and secretly buried in November 1975.

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Republicans with knowledge of the crime have told the commission, in confidence, that he was buried across the border in Bragan bog near Emyvale.

Four previous searches in the bog have not uncovered his remains.

The fifth search commenced in September.

A team of forensic archaeologists and technicians are combing an area measuring about 60 metres by 20 metres, a task that could take months.

Following the ceremony at Stormont, members of the McVeigh family will travel to the site of the dig.

They will be met there by the Archbishop of Armagh and the Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin.

Anyone with information about any of the three outstanding cases should contact the ICLVRs confidential telephone number on 00800-55585500, email secretary@iclvr.ie or write to ICLVR, PO Box, 10827, Dublin 2.
Pubs could run out of Guinness following Brexit, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable has said.

He warned an extreme scenario caused by a no deal or a very bad deal could lead to the supply drying up.

The MP was speaking after he and party colleague, Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine, met executives from global drinks giant Diageo in Edinburgh and discussed the impact of Brexit.

The firm, one of the worlds biggest distillers whose brands include Guinness, Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker and Baileys, stressed its products would still be available regardless of the Brexit outcome.

He said: Its a global business, it depends on having frictionless borders. Anything that screws up their trade is a problem for them.

There are some specific issues, the supply chains in Ireland, for example, go across the Irish frontier  youve got whisky going one way and cream going the other to make Baileys.

If the Irish border is a problem then they have a serious problem as a company.

You can envisage a situation in which Guinness and Baileys, which are the two brands which are the most affected, are seriously disrupted.

In an extreme scenario, where there is no deal or a very bad deal, you could see these favourite products drying up.

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Any friction at the border which did not stop supplies would result in increased costs, he added.

He said these concerns were put across in the briefing from the company and stressed the firms importance to both the Scottish and UK economy.

Scotch whisky accounts for 20% of UK food and drink exports, according to the Treasury.

The company is very anxious to avoid anything that closes borders. Thats the key message from the company, not just me, Mr Cable said.

Questioned on a Brexit deal being struck within weeks, he said there is a lot of smoke and mirrors and European diplomats were playing down expectations of any imminent deal.

He said there is widening cross-political backing for a so-called Peoples Vote on the final Brexit deal, which his party is campaigning for.

A Diageo spokesman said: Weve made it clear that a frictionless border in Ireland is the best outcome for every business large and small.

Regardless of the outcome, rest assured we will ensure Guinness, the worlds favourite stout, is available to be enjoyed throughout the UK and Ireland for decades to come.
A rare work by sculptor Antonio Canova could be sold overseas unless a buyer can find more than 5 million to keep it in the UK.

Arts Minister Michael Ellis has put a temporary export bar on the white marble Bust Of Peace in an effort to find a new British home for it.

The bust, one of a handful of original works by the Italian neoclassical artist that remain outside museum collections, was sold to a private buyer at Sothebys in July 2018 for 5.3 million, a record price for a Canova.

#AuctionUpdate: New auction record established for Antonio Canova with 'Bust of Peace', sold for 5.3 million pic.twitter.com/wwlLtb3dBs  Sotheby's (@Sothebys) July 4, 2018

The work was created between 1814-15 and has been seen to symbolise the peace in Europe after the fall of Napoleon.

Mr Ellis said: Canova is widely recognised as one of the greatest sculptors of his, or any, era.

The Bust Of Peace combines a crucial moment in our history with beauty and elegance, pointing to a more peaceful future ahead.

Therefore it is essential that we do our best to save this superb item for the benefit of the nation.

The bust may have been given to John Campbell, Lord Cawdor, in part to thank him for his help in repatriating art looted from Italy by the French armies during the Napoleonic Wars and was on show at the Royal Academy summer exhibition in 1817.

It remained in Lord Cawdors family for five generations at Stackpole Court in Pembrokeshire but was sold in 1962, apparently without anyone being aware of its significance as it was listed without attribution to Canova, and then reappeared at auction in 2012.

The decision to issue a temporary export bar on the piece follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee On The Export Of Works Of Art And Objects Of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council.

As a testament to the special relationship between a brilliant and innovative British patron and statesman and the greatest artist of his day, every effort should be made to retain the Bust Of Peace in the UKAidan Weston-Lewis

Committee member Aidan Weston-Lewis said: This outstanding bust was probably given by Canova as a token of friendship and gratitude to his most loyal British patron and champion, Lord Cawdor.

Over nearly three decades, Cawdor commissioned several of Canovas most celebrated works, including the reclining and standing versions of Cupid and Psyche, both now in the Louvre.

He added: As a testament to the special relationship between a brilliant and innovative British patron and statesman and the greatest artist of his day, every effort should be made to retain the Bust Of Peace in the UK.

A decision on the export licence application for the sculpture will be deferred until February 1 2019 and could be extended until July 1 2019 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at 5,303,500 (plus 160,700 VAT).
The woodland where the bodies of Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows were found in 1986

Two murdered girls dubbed the 'Babes in the Wood' appeared to have been "thrown or tossed" together when their bodies were found in a den 32 years ago, a retired senior police officer has told jurors.

Former Superintendent David Tomlinson was in charge of the extensive operation to find nine-year-olds Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway after they went missing while out playing in Wild Park, Brighton on October 9, 1986.

Police officers had joined forces with local residents in the search, including murder-accused Russell Bishop and his Jack Russell dog Misty, the Old Bailey heard.

The girls were found dead in a clearing amid undergrowth near steps known as Jacob's Ladder the following day.

Bishop had rushed ahead of PC Paul Smith after one of two 18-year-olds who made the discovery had raised the alarm, jurors heard.

Giving evidence in Bishop's second trial, Mr Tomlinson said he received word of the find at about 4.20pm on October 10, 1986. When he arrived in the area, he came across PC Smith, Bishop and the two teenagers.

PC Smith pointed to a small clearing about 20ft away, the witness said.

The former Sussex Police officer said his view of the bodies was obscured by a slight curve so he moved forward about 10ft to get a better look.

He said: "I was able to see the two bodies but they were not in a comfortable position.

"I got the impression one body had been almost thrown or tossed against the other.

"Karen was wearing a grey pleated skirt, a type of school uniform. Nicola had a checked-type skirt."

One of the teenagers who found the bodies became pale and looked as if he was about to pass out but Bishop "did not seem to be affected", Mr Tomlinson said.

The retired officer said he ordered the whole scene to be sealed off.

Bishop was acquitted of the murders in 1987 but was ordered to stand trial a second time in light of new evidence following advances in DNA testing. The court heard that a blue Pinto sweatshirt - allegedly worn by Bishop - was found beside a path behind Moulsecoomb railway station.

The blue crew-neck sweatshirt, which smelt strongly of sweat and had red stains on it, was handed in to police at Wild Park on the afternoon of October 10, the court heard.

It was put in a brown paper bag and taken to Brighton police station before later being transferred to a clear sealed bag, jurors were told.

Retired chief superintendent Christopher Bentham gave evidence about how the key prosecution exhibit was handled.

Explaining the tests that would be carried out, he said: "They would be looking for blood. They would also be looking for fibres."

Sealed exhibits were later sent off to Aldermaston Forensic Laboratory for testing, jurors were told.

Bishop, a former roofer, who is now 52, has denied the murders.

The case continues.
Gurkha forum raises equal rights pitch

Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemens Organisation (GAESO) on Thursday urged Nepali and British governments to address its demands by forming a panel immediately.
Jeremy Corbyn speaking to the media about anti-Semitism (Ben Birchall/PA)

Scotland Yard is investigating allegations of anti-Semitic hate crimes within the Labour Party.

Here we look at the background to the probe:

 Why have police become involved in the Labour anti-Semitism row?

A leaked internal Labour dossier obtained by LBC that detailed 45 cases of alleged anti-Semitism was passed to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick in September.

Among the cases were messages posted by party members on social media, including one which read: We shall rid the Jews who are a cancer on us all.

Another involved a reference to a Zionist Extremist MP  who hates civilised people, about to get a good kicking.

Former senior police officer Mak Chishty saw the documents before they were handed over and said that 17 instances should have been reported to the police for investigation, and another four were potential race hate crimes.

 Is anti-Semitism a big problem in the Labour Party?

That depends on who you ask. The issue has plunged the party into turmoil, with critics of Jeremy Corbyn claiming he has allowed hatred towards Jews to escalate under his leadership while supporters insist the matter has been exaggerated and is being used by opponents as a way to damage him.

A report by Baroness Chakrabarti in 2016 found the Labour Party is not overrun by anti-Semitism but it was condemned as a whitewash by critics.

 Why has the issue flared up since Mr Corbyn took over?

The Labour leader, like many on the left of the party, has a long history of supporting the Palestinian cause and criticising the government of Israel for alleged human rights abuses.

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Some of those who share Mr Corbyns political sympathies have crossed the line from attacking the Israeli government to smears aimed at Jews  including Holocaust denial.

In March, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council used an open letter to claim that Mr Corbyn is repeatedly found alongside people with blatantly anti-Semitic views, but claims never to hear or read them and rightly or wrongly, those who push this offensive material regard Jeremy Corbyn as their figurehead.

 Has Mr Corbyn tried to calm tensions?

At Labours autumn conference, the party leader said he would fight anti-Semitism with every breath that I possess.

But he has also faced intense scrutiny over some of his past comments and associations, and in August apologised for appearing at a 2010 event at which a Holocaust survivor compared Israel to Nazism.

 What action has been taken by the Labour leadership to tackle anti-Semitism?

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In September it agreed to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism and its accompanying examples.

But the decision came only after tensions flared up with the partys backbenchers because the ruling National Executive Committee had initially excluded four of the illustrations of prejudice towards Jews.

 Has anyone quit over the row?

Veteran Labour MP Frank Field cited the partys handling of anti-Semitism when he resigned the party whip.
There are fresh hopes of a Brexit deal as EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier offered the UK an olive branch on the Irish border.

Mr Barnier briefed EU ambassadors on Wednesday during a meeting in Paris on plans to offer Prime Minister Theresa May a UK-wide customs arrangement while a new trade deal is being negotiated.

The offer would see an invisible border maintained in Northern Ireland while also removing the need for customs check-in ports or airports either side of the Irish Sea.

The proposal would be welcomed by business owners and farmers who fear the introduction of trade tariffs will severely damage their profit margins.

It also opens up the possibility of a deal being struck before the end of the month with November 21 being tipped as a possible date for an EU summit on Brexit.

However, there are concerns Mrs May will not be able to sell the deal to hardline Brexiteers who fear such an arrangement would permanently tie Britain to the EU.

Negotiators in Brussels and Dublin hope the deal would appease the DUP who adamantly oppose any border down the Irish Sea.

The tentative proposal - which the Irish government is supporting - would see Northern Ireland remain in a full customs union with the EU and adhere to single market rules on goods and agriculture.

Meanwhile, the rest of the UK would sign up to what is being described as a 'bare bones' customs arrangement involving tariffs being charged on goods coming in from outside the EU.

The exact legal details of the proposed arrangement have yet to be negotiated, but Britain may be able to enter into trade talks with other countries while it also discusses its future relationship with the EU. This would be a major step forward in negotiations but EU negotiators are anxious to maintain the integrity of the custom union and are eager to ensure the UK is not given an advantage over remaining member states on trade.

The proposed fall back customs arrangement or what is known as the 'backstop' would remain in place until the EU and the UK agree a post-Brexit trade deal. However, Brexiteers fear the deal would tie Britain indefinitely to the EU.

Meanwhile, a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference will be held in Dublin today. The UK Government will be represented at the event by Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley, who will meet Tanaiste Simon Coveney and Irish Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan.

The group will discuss efforts to restore the Stormont institutions along with talks on security cooperation on both sides of the border. Officially, Brexit is not a topic for discussion. However, it is likely ministers will use the opportunity to discuss the negotiations with their Irish counterparts.

Last night, Mr Coveney said the talks "demonstrates that, despite the current challenges, both the Irish and UK governments are committed to developing the relationship between our countries and looking at ways to maintain and deepen our engagement".
Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Paddy Ashdown is being treated for bladder cancer.

Lord Ashdown, who led the Lib Dems between 1988 and 1999, said he had been recently diagnosed with the disease.

The ex-Royal Marines officer, 77, told Somerset Live: I have known for about three weeks that I am suffering from a cancer of the bladder.

Im being effectively and wonderfully looked after by everyone at Yeovil Hospital, in whom I have complete confidence.

My best wishes for a speedy recovery to Paddy Ashdown, one of the great British political figures of the past 30 years and the man who built the Lib Dems into a Parliamentary force. Love to Paddy, Jane and their family  Vince Cable (@vincecable) November 2, 2018

We must see about the outcome, which as always with things like this, is unpredictable.

Ive fought a lot of battles in my life.

This time I am lucky enough to have the magnificent help of our local hospital, and my friends and family, and that gives me great confidence.

Prime Minister Theresa May said: Im very sorry to hear that Lord Ashdown is being treated for cancer.

I wish him all the best for a speedy recovery.

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable tweeted: My best wishes for a speedy recovery to Paddy Ashdown, one of the great British political figures of the past 30 years and the man who built the Lib Dems into a Parliamentary force. Love to Paddy, Jane and their family.

Ex-Lib Dem leader Tim Farron tweeted: Paddy has been a hero and mentor of mine for many years. He saved the party during its darkest hour and led it to its greatest successes. My love and warmest wishes are with Paddy, Jane and the whole family at this time.

Born in India, Lord Ashdowns family returned to the UK when he was four, settling in a farm in Ulster.

He saw active service as a commando in Borneo and the Persian Gulf.

And after special forces training, he joined what was then called the Special Boat Section in the Far East.

He entered Parliament as MP for Yeovil in 1983 and became party leader five years later.

Lord Ashdown is credited with making the Lib Dems a significant third force in politics during the 1990s.

After leaving the Commons, Lord Ashdown served as High Commissioner for Bosnia Herzegovina between 2002 to 2006.
The terrorist was planning an attack outside the Disney store on Oxford Street (Sean Dempsey/PA)

A Muslim convert nicknamed The Eagle is facing years in jail for a plot to kill 100 people in a terror attack near the Disney Store on Oxford Street.

Lewis Ludlow, 27, swore allegiance to Islamic State as he prepared to drive a van through Londons shopping district or Madame Tussauds.

He bought a phone under a false name and wrote down his attack plans, which were later found ripped up in a bin.

The defendant, who called himself The Eagle and The Ghost, also researched potential targets around the capital.

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He identified Oxford Street as an ideal target, writing: It is expected nearly 100 could be killed in the attack.

Ludlow, from Rochester, in Kent, formulated his plan after being stopped by police at Heathrow Airport in February as he attempted to board a flight to the Philippines.

It was alleged he also set up a Facebook account called Antique Collections as a front to send money to south-east Asia for terrorism.

He pleaded guilty to plotting an attack in the UK and funding IS abroad and will be sentenced on Friday by Old Bailey Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC.

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According to a prosecution summary, Ludlow first came to the attention of police in 2010 when he attended a demonstration led by radical preacher Anjem Choudary and his banned Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) group.

When he was arrested in 2015, IS material was recovered from his electronic devices but no further action was taken.

In January this year, he bought a ticket to fly to the Philippines on February 3 but was stopped at the airport and had his passport seized.

Spoken to by police, he claimed he was going to the country as a sex tourist, but in a search of his home, officers found he was in communication with a man named Abu Yaqeen in an area with a significant IS presence.

In March, Ludlow sent him money by PayPal and created the Facebook account Antique Collections.

It purported to be an antiques business in Maidstone but, the prosecution alleged, was really a front to raise money for IS in the Philippines.

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On March 21, police recovered torn-up scraps of paper from Ludlows bin detailing his plans.

They were pieced together to reveal potential attack sites including Madame Tussauds, Oxford Street, St Pauls Cathedral and a Shia temple in Romford.

It added: Further locations scouted for the kil.

He detailed a potential attack on Oxford Street using a van mounting the pavement, noting the lack of safety barriers.

It said: Wolf should either use a ram attack or use on the truck to maximise death it is a busy street it is ideal for an attack. It is expected nearly 100 could be killed in the attack.

On April 13, Ludlows mobile phone was retrieved from a storm drain and found to have videos of the defendant swearing allegiance to IS and pictures of crowded areas, said to be evidence of hostile reconnaissance.

Undercover officers engaged Yaqeen in online chat, in which the IS fanatic called for lone wolf attacks and funds to be sent to the Philippines.

Yaqeen put an undercover officer in touch with Ludlow, implying they could work together on an attack in Britain.

Ludlow was arrested by counter-terrorism police on April 18 but refused to explain himself when he was interviewed.
Victims of "serious media intrusion" were told by David Cameron the second part of the Leveson Inquiry would go ahead, the High Court has heard.

Senior judges were told the then Prime Minister made a "clear and unambiguous commitment" at a meeting in November 2012 that Leveson II would proceed

The meeting was with Christopher Jefferies, Kate McCann and Jacqui Hames, who are all bringing a legal challenge against the Government's decision to cancel part two of the inquiry, along with Gerry McCann. Helen Mountfield QC, representing the four, told the High Court yesterday: "It is common ground that the claimants have been caused huge pain and harm by the misconduct of the media.

"The pain is ongoing... although none of them are here today, it is a painful thing to keep going over and over these things."

Leveson II was due to look into unlawful conduct within media organisations as well as relations between police and the press. But Culture Secretary Matt Hancock announced in March that reopening the "costly and time-consuming" inquiry - which reported on press regulation and ethics in 2012 - was not "the right way forward".

The decision was taken jointly by Mr Hancock and then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Lawyers for the Government argued whatever Mr Cameron said at the meeting "cannot and does not give rise to a binding obligation" to proceed with the second part of the inquiry.

Bristol landlord Mr Jefferies, who was libelled by the press when he was wrongly accused of the murder of Joanna Yeates in 2010, told the inquiry he was "vilified" by the media.

The McCanns complained of press intrusion into their lives after their daughter Madeleine went missing in Portugal in 2007.

Former detective and Crimewatch presenter Ms Hames received apologies and damages from News Group Newspapers, part of News UK, and Trinity Mirror over phone hacking and other illegal activity.

Speaking after Mr Hancock's announcement, Ms Hames said the Conservatives had broken a promise by former Prime Minister Mr Cameron to finish the inquiry and she had "no confidence" in the Government.

Sir Brian Leveson heard the first part of the inquiry, which cost the taxpayer 5.4m, over 17 months and delivered his report in 2012.
Vince Cable will discuss trade on his visit to global drinks giant Diageo (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Vince Cable will discuss trade in post-Brexit Britain on a visit to drinks giant Diageo.

The Liberal Democrat leader will speak to company executives at Diageos Edinburgh office on Friday afternoon, joined by local MP Christine Jardine.

The firm, whose brands include Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, is one of the worlds biggest distillers.

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Mr Cable will address this weeks Budget and underline his partys call for a vote on the Brexit deal.

He is expected to say: This Budget has neither ended austerity nor addressed the fundamental problems in the economy.

Instead it is overshadowed by the damaging impact that Brexit will have on the UKs public finances.

Scottish spirits make a huge contribution to the UKs exports and in Diageo we have a true titan. But to businesses like these it makes absolutely no sense to put barriers in the way of frictionless trade across the EU.

Liberal Democrats are demanding better for British business with fairer taxes, a skilled workforce and a final say on the Brexit deal.

Scotch whisky accounts for 20% of UK food and drink exports, according to the Treasury.

Industry body the Scotch Whisky Association welcomed Chancellor Philip Hammonds decision to continue a freeze on spirits duty in Mondays Budget statement.
President Donald Trump has said asylum seekers must go to ports of entry in order to make a claim.

He says he will issue an executive order next week on immigration.

In a lengthy speech on Thursday, Mr Trump said migrants are abusing the asylum system and making a mockery of immigration laws.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, migrants claiming asylum are allowed to do so at the border crossings, but also if they cross illegally.

Mr Trump reiterated that he wanted to set up tent cities to hold people coming to the US, including those seeking asylum.

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But there currently is not enough detention space to hold families who are coming across the border.

The military is working to create space, but nothing has been finalised.

Laws prevent children from being detained beyond 20 days.

The president made his speech amid mid-term election campaigning and with caravans of migrants making their way towards the US border.
Cathrina Cahill has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her fiance David Walsh

A newly-engaged Irish woman who has admitted killing her fiance in Sydney stabbed him in the back of the head more than 18 months before his death, a judge has been told.

Former housemate Isobel Jennings testified that the couple were arguing before she saw Cathrina Cahill come up the stairs with her hand behind her back and then suddenly stabbed David Walsh in the head three or four times.

Ms Jennings was giving evidence yesterday at the New South Wales Supreme Court sentencing hearing of Cahill, from Wexford.

Cahill (27) pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to the manslaughter of Mr Walsh (29) on the basis of substantial impairment. She had originally been charged with murder but the charge was subsequently downgraded.

Cahill, who is known as Tina, admitted unlawfully killing Mr Walsh - also from Wexford - between February 17 and 18 last year in the suburb of Padstow.

She gave psychiatrists a history of being in a traumatic relationship with Mr Walsh, hallmarked by physical, emotional and verbal abuse over a period of time.

Under cross-examination from Cahill's barrister James Trevallion, Ms Jennings denied lying about the incident in which she said Cahill had stabbed Mr Walsh in October 2015.

The court was told Cahill was charged with one count of reckless wounding of Mr Walsh in relation to him being injured after she threw a large candle at him in November 2015.

She was convicted of the offence in her absence and placed on a two-year bond in April 2016 at Waverley Local Court.

According to the agreed statement of facts, the couple argued on the night of February 17, 2017 when they were drinking with others. They parted before Cahill, two female friends and Matthew Hyde - a man they had socialised with at one of the pubs - arrived back at the Padstow address where they found Mr Walsh either asleep or partially asleep on a couch.

Soon after Mr Walsh repeatedly attacked Mr Hyde wanting to know who he was and, during the ensuing chaos, Cahill screamed: "Stop it Davey, get off, get off... he's with Grace."

She tried to get a grip of her fiance's arms when he swung his arm back and she fell to the ground, the facts said.

She moved towards him and punched him in the face with a closed fist, before Mr Walsh pushed her again and tried to punch her in the face.

Eventually, "the offender opened and closed the cutlery drawer quickly taking out a large, very sharp, bladed knife".

One witness said over and over again "put it back" but Cahill replied: "No, he needs to be taught a lesson. It's not fair. Look at poor Matthew."

The hearing is continuing before Justice Peter Johnson.
Khokana, Bungamati residents complain to visiting lawmakers

Residents from Khokana and Bungamati, two key locations of the proposed Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway, have poured out their grievances to visiting parliamentarians over the project for encroaching their farmlands and heritage sites.
Jamal Khashoggis fiancee has called for Donald Trumps help in pressuring Saudi Arabia to reveal the location of the murdered journalists body.

Hatice Cengiz made the appeal in a video message to a memorial in Washington, where friends and activists marked one month since Mr Khashoggis death.

Ms Cengiz said that without his body, Mr Khashoggis loved ones had been unable to hold funeral prayers. She said: Our pain is still as fresh as the first day.

She urged the US president to support Turkeys request for Saudi Arabia to extradite those detained in the kingdom over the murder.

Istanbuls chief prosecutor says Mr Khashoggi was strangled immediately after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, and that his body was dismembered and removed from the site.
Palau will soon ban many types of sunscreen (Myung Jung Kim/PA)

The Pacific nation of Palau will soon ban many types of sunscreen in an attempt to protect coral reefs.

President Tommy Remengesau Jr last week signed legislation that bans reef-toxic sunscreen from 2020.

Banned sunscreens will be confiscated from tourists who carry them into the country, and merchants selling the banned products will be fined up 1,000 dollars (760).

Mr Remengesau said in a statement that the penalties find the right balance between educating tourists and scaring them away.

The law defines reef-toxic sunscreen as containing any one of 10 chemicals, including oxybenzone, and states that other chemicals may also be banned.

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The legislation also requires tour operators to start providing customers with reusable cups, straws and food containers.

Mr Remengesau said a big impetus for the ban was a 2017 report which found that sunscreen products were widespread in Palaus famed Jellyfish Lake, which was closed for more than a year due to declining jellyfish numbers before being recently reopened.

The president noted legislative findings that plastic waste, chemical pollution, resource overconsumption, and climate change all continue to threaten the health of our pristine paradise.

Palaus ban comes after Hawaii in July banned the sale of sunscreen containing the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate from 2021 in an attempt to protect its reefs.

In Hawaii, however, tourists will still be able to bring the banned sunscreen with them into the state or buy it there if they have a doctors prescription.

Scientists have found that some chemicals in sunscreen can be toxic to coral reefs, which are a vital part of the ocean ecosystem as well as a popular draw for tourists.

But some critics say there are not enough independent scientific studies on the issue while others worry that people will suffer from too much sun exposure if they stop using the products.

Some manufacturers, meanwhile, have already started selling reef-friendly sunscreen.

Palau, located east of the Philippines and north of Indonesia, is home to 21,000 people and has an economy that relies on tourism and fishing. It has a compact of free association with the US.
Protests by radical Islamists have apparently delayed the release of a Christian woman in Pakistan who was acquitted eight years after being sentenced to death for blasphemy.

Islamists who want Asia Bibi publicly hanged held rallies across Pakistan on Friday to denounce Wednesdays Supreme Court ruling that overturned her 2010 conviction for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Her family have always maintained her innocence and say she never insulted Islams prophet.

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Since the landmark ruling, radical Islamists have blocked major roads and damaged or set fire to dozens of vehicles to pressure the government to stop Ms Bibis release from an undisclosed detention facility.

On Friday, 5,000 Islamists rallied in the capital Islamabad and nearly 4,000 staged a sit-in in Lahore, demanding that the verdict be overturned. Similar rallies were also held in the north-western city of Peshawar.

More than 2,000 demonstrators blocked a key road linking Islamabad with the garrison city of Rawalpindi, causing traffic jams. Hundreds also blocked another key motorway connecting Islamabad with other major cities. No violence was reported during the rallies.

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On Thursday, a lawyer representing a local cleric who had raised the initial blasphemy charges against Ms Bibi petitioned the Supreme Court to reverse its acquittal.

Pakistan shut down schools and colleges after cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, announced that talks between his deputies and the government about Ms Bibis fate had failed.

Before dawn on Friday, Mr Rizvi told an emotionally charged rally in the eastern city of Lahore that one of the government negotiators threatened his deputies during the talks that security forces would kill them if they did not disperse peacefully.

He asked his supporters to continue sit-ins as authorities summoned paramilitary troops to restore order.

We are ready to die to show our love for the prophet, he said.

Mr Rizvis envoys had demanded that Ms Bibi be barred from leaving the country but information minister Fawad Chaudhry rejected the demand, saying the government will not accept any demands.

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Ghulam Mustafa, a lawyer representing a provincial cleric in Punjab who filed the initial blasphemy charges, petitioned the Supreme Court, requesting the judges review her acquittal.

The court has set no dates to take up the petition, but Ms Bibis release could be further delayed by the process. Pakistans Supreme Court has not been known to reverse decisions but court reviews typically take years.

Interior minister Sheharyar Afridi said officials were trying to persuade Islamists to disperse the rallies peacefully.

Authorities also stepped up security near an undisclosed detention facility where Ms Bibi is being held for her safety. On Thursday, prison officials said two inmates were arrested last month for planning to kill Ms Bibi by strangling her. They said the men were still being questioned.

Bibis family had expected her release by Thursday night. Her husband Ashiq Masih returned from Britain with their children in mid-October and was waiting for her release so they can fly out of Pakistan.

The family has not disclosed the country of her destination but France and Spain have offered asylum.
US President Donald Trump, right, chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

Chinas foreign ministry says a phone conversation between President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, about trade and other issues was extremely positive.

The ministry said the two leaders agreed to strengthen economic exchanges but gave no indication whether they made any progress on settling an escalating tariff war over Beijings technology policy.

Mr Trump said earlier on Twitter that he and Mr Xi had a very good conversation.

A foreign ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, said: I agree, this phone conversation was an extremely positive phone conversation.

Mr Trump has imposed penalty tariffs of up to 25% on 250 billion US dollars (191 billion) of Chinese goods in a dispute over Beijings plans for state-led development of technology industries.

Washington, Europe and other trading partners say those violate Chinas market-opening obligations and some American officials worry they might erode US industrial leadership.

Mr Trump said he and Mr Xi plan to meet during a gathering of the Group of 20 major economies this month in Argentina.

Both leaders attach great importance to China-US ties and economic ties, Mr Lu said. President Xi Jinping also stressed that China-US trade has long been serving as ballast and a stabiliser for China-US relations.

The two leaders agreed the trade dispute should be handled properly through substantial consultation, Mr Lu said.
The political stalemate at Stormont took another surreal twist yesterday when a meeting between the parties and the Secretary of State lasted 45 minutes.

While Karen Bradley was keen to point out that the meeting was convened to brief the parties on the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018, which is aimed at giving civil servants greater decision-making powers in the absence of devolved government, the local politicians who attended were totally underwhelmed at the outcome.

There was a feeling among the smaller parties - the SDLP, Alliance and Ulster Unionists - that there would be some indication of how she intended to kickstart talks on restoring devolution.

When that did not materialise they rounded on her in quite angry mood and said that the prospect of meaningful talks now appeared further away than ever.

It was noticeable that the leaders of the two big parties did not attend, instead sending representatives.

Their comments afterwards were very predictable - the DUP blaming Sinn Fein for collapsing the institutions and the continuing political stasis, and Sinn Fein pointing the finger at the British Government for inaction and ignoring the will of a significant part of the electorate here.

It is not clear at the time of writing why Mrs Bradley had to leave so abruptly.

It would have been excusable if there was some pressing vote in the House of Commons which required her attendance, given the Government's paper thin majority.

She might also claim that there was important constituency business that demanded her attendance.

Of course, Mrs Bradley works to an agenda set by her officials, and those who drew up her calendar were ill-advised to pencil in such a short meeting.

Many political observers have drawn unflattering comparisons between recent Secretaries of State and previous incumbents of the post such as Mo Mowlan, who pursued a peace deal while battling cancer, or Peter Hain, who introduced several reforms here while simultaneously holding down a similar post for Wales.

This Secretary of State is fortunate to have a functioning constituency in England to return to every week while the people of Northern Ireland see their public services wither on the vine through political inaction.
Sara Hossain, a lawyer representing photographer Shahidul Alam, talks to reporters after he lost a bail hearing at the High Court in Dhaka, Nov. 1, 2018.

A High Court panel denied bail to Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam on Thursday, despite saying evidence submitted by police did not support allegations of online defamation of the government.

The decision by the two-judge panel ended Alams fifth attempt at securing bail, one that was delayed several times since early October. The 63-year-old award-winning photographer has languished in jail without being charged since his arrest in early August despite protests from human rights and press freedom advocates.

Judge S.M. Mozibur Rahman on Thursday rebuked a police investigator because evidence of a Facebook post he submitted in court did not show Alam making statements that were cited in a First Information Report (FIR) produced in court following his arrest.

You know nothing, Rahman told police investigator Arman Ali, raising his voice after viewing the evidence at Alams hearing on Thursday.

Why does the link mentioned in the FIR not match the allegations [of online defamation]? he asked, summoning the police official in front of the judges podium.

Nevertheless, without providing a reason, the judges announced they would no longer hear the case, effectively declining to grant bail to Alam, whose petition had been pending since Oct. 7.

Back then, the court gave state prosecutors one week to present its argument for why Alam should be not be released, but government officials did not stick to the deadline.

Alam has been incarcerated since Aug. 5 after an interview with Al Jazeera television and after he posted live updates on Facebook about a government crackdown on student protesters, who demanded improvements in road safety after two classmates were killed by a speeding bus.

The high court bench, which comprised Justices A.K.M. Asaduzzaman and Rahman, heard the case in line with the FIR, which alleged that, through Facebook, Alam had criticized the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as unelected.

But Facebook links presented as evidence showed no connection to an interview Alam gave to Al-Jazeera television, the court determined. In the interview, he described the government as non-elected and said it had no mandate to rule the country. He also alleged that the government and its associates had been looting the banks.

Today, the court gave its decision that they would not hear the bail hearing anymore, Mahbubey Alam, the attorney general who opposed Shahidul Alams bail petition, told BenarNews.

He claimed the prosecution correctly presented a video clip, which confirmed the photographer had propagated false news about the government to foment a safe road protest movement against the government.

After Thursdays hearing, defense lawyers said they would apply for a new bail petition before a different High Court.

The judges told the court that the links and the prosecution allegations did not match. But they did not give bail. This is frustrating, Sara Hossain, Shahidul Alams lawyer, told BenarNews.

Of course, we will apply for hearing the petition before another bench, Hossain said.

This bench heard the case for three weeks. But now they say they would not hear it again. This is regrettable, Shahdin Malik, another defense lawyer, told BenarNews.
A small group of people rally in support of jailed Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam, outside U.N. headquarters in New York, Sept. 27, 2018.

Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines were among dozens of countries that moved toward digital authoritarianism this year by embracing a Chinese model of extensive censorship and automated surveillance, an independent watchdog group said in its annual report.

The Asian nations were among 36 worldwide that exhibited dwindling freedom online, Washington-based democracy monitor Freedom House reported.

Democracies are struggling in the digital age, while China is exporting its model of censorship and surveillance to control information both inside and outside its borders, Freedom House President Michael J. Abramowitz said in a statement, which accompanied the online release this week of the groups 2018 Freedom on the Net report.

The group monitored 65 countries to produce the study, which encompassed 12 months up to May this year.

Beijing, according to the report, was the most effective censor of the internet and it did not taper off moves to export its standards around the world.

The report effectively propped up claims from online freedom advocates that China was continuing its Great Firewall, which, according to analysts, involved the countrys most sophisticated system of conducting online surveillance and internet censorship.

China was once again the worst abuser of internet freedom in 2018, Adrian Shahbaz, Freedom House research director for technology and democracy, wrote in his report.

A cohort of countries is moving toward digital authoritarianism by embracing the Chinese model of extensive censorship and automated surveillance systems, he said. As a result of these trends, global internet freedom declined for the eighth consecutive year.

As part of its multilateral efforts, Beijing is cultivating media elites and government ministers around the world to create a network of countries that will follow its lead on internet policy, the report said.



Chinese officials have started seminars on new technology and begun training other countries on how to impose its model, the report said.

Media officials and prominent journalists from the Philippines visited China for two weeks in May 2018 to learn about new media development, Freedom House said. A similar conference for senior media staff from Thailand was described by Chinese news outlets as an opportunity for visitors to learn about the Chinese Dream, it said.

It is not always clear what transpires during such seminars, according to Freedom House, as it underscored that months after Beijing hosted a training for Vietnamese officials in April 2017, Hanoi introduced a cybersecurity law that closely mimics Chinas own law.

During the past year, according to the report, rumors and hate speech that quickly spread on social media helped fuel deadly riots and violence in several countries, including Myanmar, Sri Lanka and India.

A number of governments are moving to regulate social media users as media outlets in order to legitimize further crackdowns on online speech, the report said, citing the arrest of Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam only hours after he live-streamed a video report on Facebook about a government crackdown on protesters in August.

If found guilty, Alam could receive up to 14 years in prison under Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act (ICT), which criminalizes online defamation.

On Thursday, the Bangladeshi High Court declined to grant Alams fifth bail petition since his arrest nearly three months ago.

Internet freedom was improving in Bangladesh after a break in a years-long trend of violence targeting secular bloggers and less arrests  until early 2018, when the government approved the draft of the Digital Security Act 2018, which is more draconian than its predecessor, the 2006 ICT Act, Freedom House said.

The coverage period saw fewer reports of violence in reprisal for online speech, although there was a resurgence in a disturbing trend of unknown actors manipulating Facebook posts to instigate attacks on religious minorities, the report said.

Changes in privacy policies felt worldwide

In response to fears about insecurity of personal data, many countries are enacting legislation that grants individuals the right to control how their data is collected and shared, Freedom House said, citing that at least 35 nations had already adopted laws on data protection.

Internet freedom in Indonesia, the worlds largest Muslim-majority nation, improved slightly in the past year due to decreasing violent attacks and threats against citizens for their online activities compared to the previous year, the report said.

Jakartas proposed laws on collection of personal data online bore a strong resemblance to the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into effect in May 2018.

It is not a silver bullet for digital rights, the report said, explaining that the regulation does not apply to matters of national security and defense, thus failing to curtail rampant data collection by governments.

Nevertheless, censorship of online content remained prevalent, it said. Over the past year, more social media platforms suffered from blocking under the pretext of countering fake news, terrorism, and pornography.

Thailands internet freedom improved slightly

Despite remaining Not Free for the fifth year in a row, internet freedom improved slightly in Thailand due to increased access and less direct violence against online journalists and other online users, the report said.

The junta-led government of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, which took power after a military coup four year ago, continued to consolidate its control over telecommunication infrastructure despite increased internet access for Thais, it said.

It cited the establishment of the state-controlled National Broadband Network Company and National Gateway and Data Center, which were both established during the past 12 months.

Thailand implemented the amended Computer Related Crimes Act (CCA) in May 2017, despite significant opposition from internet freedom activists.

After overthrowing the government of Yingluck Shinawatra on May 22, 2014, Prayuth, who was then the army chief, dissolved parliament, detained political leaders and imposed a curfew while promising to bring Thailand back to democracy within 18 months.

Prayuth has yet to provide a concrete timeframe for a general election, although the 64-year-old leader has announced plans for a vote in February 2019.

A recent Human Rights Watch report said that the junta had repeatedly failed to fulfill pledges made to the U.N. General Assembly to respect human rights and democratic rule. Instead, it said, Prayuth curtailed peoples rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.

As of March, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), as the junta is formally known, has also prosecuted at least 94 people since taking power on charges of violating Lese-Majeste, a royal defamation law under which offenders can be sentenced to as many as 15 years in prison for sharing a story on Facebook, according to iLaw, an advocacy group for online law education.

Freedom House urged governments around the world to enact strong laws and protect personal data, ensuring all web-related legislation and practices were in line with international laws and standards on human rights.
Millions of Filipinos traveled to cemeteries on Thursday to remember their deceased relatives in an annual tradition in the predominantly Catholic Philippines.

The country observes All Saints and All Souls days on Nov. 1 and 2, respectively. Days before the holidays people flock to the cemeteries to clean tombs, paint them in festive colors, bring flowers and candles.

In Barangka Cemetery in suburban Marikina, east of the capital Manila, Filipinos move through maze-like rows of tombs stacked atop each other in what is commonly referred to in this impoverished section of the city as apartments to house their dearly departed.

The Philippine National Police barred personnel from taking a day off so they could guard cemeteries and manage crowds. At the Manila North Cemetery in another part of the city, Filipinos faced strict inspections where items such as cigarettes, alcohol, bladed weapons and loud radios are banned to allow for a solemn observance.

The annual cemetery pilgrimage often turns into impromptu family reunions, allowing long-lost relatives to meet near the tombs of dead relatives serving as silent witnesses.
Malaysia govt raises minimum wage, workers will get Rs 1100 ringgit from next Jan

The Malaysian government has raised the minimum wage for private sector workers in what would bring cheers to the Nepali migrant workers. Malaysia is one the most preferred destinations for Nepali migrant workers.
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Meditate on that

The decision to take back the religious forest is welcome
Nepali man found buried after murder on Indian side of border near Jhapa

A Nepali man was found buried after his murder at Nepal-India border near Jhapa on Friday morning.
PM Oli discharged from hospital

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been discharged from the hospital on Friday, five days after he was admitted to the hospital. He was discharged from the hospital at 7:35 pm today.
PM Oli will be discharged shortly

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who had been hospitalised since Monday, has recovered well and is all set to be discharged from the hospital on Friday evening.
Province 3 Minister Keshav Sthapit sacked

Chief Minister of Province 3 Dormani Poudel on Friday sacked Physical Infrastructure and Development Minister Keshav Sthapit after consulting with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli twice.
Smooth the way

Re-energising investments, especially Indian investment, should be the top priority
Unfilled vacancies and funding shifts helped Prairie Mountain Health trim $20 million from its budget last year, the regions vice-president of finance says.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 2/11/2018 (1114 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Unfilled vacancies and funding shifts helped Prairie Mountain Health trim $20 million from its budget last year, the regions vice-president of finance says.

The most recent annual report from PMH shows the region capped off the 2017-18 fiscal year with a $2.27-million surplus and reduced its budget by approximately $20 million from the previous year to $601.3 million.

Speaking by phone from Winnipeg, PMH vice-president of finance, capital and support services Brian Schoonbaert said a number of positions in home care, health-care aide and therapy services, such as occupational and physiotherapists, among others were not filled this past year, meaning the region had budgeted for more jobs than it was able to hire.

He said the region does want to fill those positions, but it can be difficult, especially in rural areas.

Vacancies in certain areas also fluctuate from month to month and between communities, he added.

"So its a constant task to fill positions, and sometimes were successful and sometimes were not, but even the fact that we maybe have had a few positions unfilled, it doesnt suggest at all that we havent done major efforts to make sure we fill all of our positions," he said.

The region, meanwhile, was able to reduce its expenses in other areas, Schoonbaert said, including cutting travel costs by holding more business meetings through Skype, leaving certain administrative positions vacant and saving $880,000 in nurse overtime.

This is on top of a 15 per cent reduction in management that was mandated by the provincial government last year to all of the regional health authorities.

"Subsequent to that, we might have reduced some positions in non-clinical areas, but we did not reduce any clinical positions that Im aware of," Schoonbaert said.

But the main reason for the drop in the budget was the transfer of funding for rural lab and imaging out of PMH and into Diagnostic Services Manitoba, now known as Shared Health.

The transfer happened to all of the regions, Schoonbaert said, and accounted for approximately $19 million in the budget.

Other factors include retroactive pay increases that came into effect in the 2016-17 budget year, but not this past budget season, as well as the transfer of funding into PMH from other regions for the Medical Transportation Co-ordination Centre in Brandon, Schoonbaert said.

Earlier this year, the provincial government reduced ambulance fees from $425 to $340, after dropping them from $522 the year before.

Schoonbaert said Manitoba Health will compensate the region for the difference in ambulance fee revenue.

Acute care and personal care home services made up the majority of PMHs expenses, with acute care costing the region $225.6 million, or 37.5 per cent of the budget, while personal care home services cost $141.6 million, or 23.6 per cent of the budget.

Administrative expenses, meanwhile, made up 4.06 per cent of total expenses, compared to 4.14 per cent in 2016-17 and 4.35 per cent in 2015-16.

As for major construction projects, PMHs consolidated financial statements show the Brandon Regional Health Centre redevelopment has cost $11.8 million to date and is expected to cost $16.9 million once completed.

The Dauphin Emergency Expansion has cost $9.1 million so far and will cost an estimated $23.4 million once finished.

Dauphins new MRI, which arrived in the city last week, has cost $4.8 million to date and is expected to cost $7.1 million when completed.

 mlee@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @mtaylorlee
Vigilance exposes teachers avarice

A National Vigilance Centre study exposes the anomalies and irregularities prevailing in Tribhuvan University (TU).
Joe Dermody

Irish SMEs have a lot to gain from being more invested in their mobile online presence, says John Brennan, director at ePresence Online Marketing.

Mr Brennan, who also lectures on Digital Marketing at CIT, said: In the US, 45% of all online sales are expected to be on mobile by 2020. Looking at our top clients, 50% to 70% of their traffic can already be traced back to a mobile device, with approximately half of all revenue generated on mobile devices.

With over 90% of the country having access to a smartphone, and 87% of smartphones owners using it as their first resource for information  it is a critical source of business for Irish SMEs

The ePresence founder says that the importance of immediacy has spiked. In the last two years, Google has seen a 120% rise in mobile searches related to same-day shipping, a 150% increase in travel searches for today and tonight, and three times as many open now searches.

According to PayPal, Irish online shoppers spent 2.7billion overseas last year. Almost half-a-million people, 19% of all online shoppers, solely bought from websites outside of Ireland.

The shift is not exclusive to retailers, said Mr Brennan. Business to business is not immune with recent statistics reporting that 71% of B2B researchers beginning their research with generic Google searches. Without ensuring that each interaction with your company is positive and seamless  crossing mobile, desktop and offline interactions  organisations will lose customers who will not return.
By Ann O'Loughlin

A financial fund is entitled to summary judgement of 1.32m against a Dublin businessman, the High Court has ruled.

Mr Justice Seamus Noonan ruled that Launceston Property Finance Designated Activity Company was entitled to summary judgment against John Walls, a businessman of Coney Hill, Balbriggan, Co Dublin.

The judge said that Mr Walls had failed to establish he had a fair or reasonable probability of raising a bona fide defence to the claim.

In this case, the Judge said, "it is clear to me that Mr Walls has no defence."

In 2014 Launceston acquired a portfolio of loans from IBRC, including loans of approximately 1m that the now defunct Anglo Irish Bank advanced to Mr Walls in 2008.

Launceston made a demand for repayment of the loans in November 2016 seeking 1.32m from the businessman.

When the demand was not satisfied Launceston launched High Court proceedings seeking summary judgment from Mr Walls.

Mr Walls opposed the fund's application for summary judgement on the basis he had an arguable defence against the claim and the court should remit the matter to a full plenary hearing.

Mr Walls' grounds included that the demand had been the subject of a binding agreement entered into between the parties in 2016.

He claimed that the compromise had been negotiated between his solicitor Mr James Flynn and an asset manager with Pepper Finance Corporation who acted as agents for Launceston.

Launceston, which rejected all grounds raised on Mr Walls' behalf, denied any binding compromise between the parties had been entered into.

In his judgment, Mr Justice Noonan said all that had been raised in regards to the alleged compromise were "mere assertions," that were "not supported by any evidence."

Nothing had been advanced to the court by the defendant that would allow it come to the conclusion that an arguable case had been raised on this point.

Mr Justice Noonan also dismissed further arguments raised on Mr Walls' behalf including that because Anglo Irish Bank's decision to advance monies to Mr Walls without any adequate investigation or inquiry into his capacity to repay the amount borrowed gave rise to a defence of contributory negligence.

Mr Justice Noonan said that argument was misconceived, adding that a claim for money due and owing cannot be regarded as a claim for "damage".

Mr Justice Noonan further rejected Mr Walls claim that Launceston's proofs were not in order because the loan transfer deed evidencing the transfer of his loan to the fund was heavily redacted.

The Judge said he rejected that submission and said it is now "well-settled" that in claims of this nature it is accepted that plaintiffs are entitled to redact documents for reasons of commercial sensitivity and privacy rights of third parties.
By Padraig Hoare

The small numbers of women within the Irish apprenticeship system is a glaring weakness, an EU report on the future of manufacturing within the bloc has found.

The report by Eurofound, the Dublin-based EU agency tasked with examining working conditions, was carried out here, as well as in Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, the US, and Australia.

It examined the wider economic and labour market context in which the national apprenticeship system operates within the seven countries, as well as the links between education, training and industrial policies. The national apprenticeship system, including the regulatory framework, the governance structure, and financing was also researched.

The report on Ireland said that while positive measures have been taken since the recession in a reform of the system, there was a large gap when it came to women in apprenticeships.

One glaring weakness of the Irish apprenticeship system is the extremely low participation of young women, and it is clear that this extension of types of apprenticeship will in itself not deal with the challenge of increasing female participation. Other measures will be needed, beyond the grant of 2,667 for each female apprentice recruited to a designated craft apprenticeship.

Relatively quick progress has been made in upskilling apprentices in the changes in technology, but needs to be maintained into the future, Eurofound said.

In terms of apprenticeship training, it is however important to note that future skills requirements have been identified, and the sector has moved (relatively) quickly to revise designated craft apprenticeships in the light of technological developments, for example for mechanical fitting, and propose some new apprenticeships, notably polymer processing, engineer and manufacturing technician.

These developments will only bear fruit, of course, if economic growth and a certain economic optimism are maintained, the report said.

More parents and students combined needed to be persuaded of the career prospects after an apprenticeship, according to Eurofound, as well as more commitment from employers to invest in apprentices.
By Elaine Loughlin, Political Correspondent

The Communications Minister Richard Burton has refused to give any commitment on when rural broadband will be delivered.

Mr Burton would not provide a timeline for the roll-out of high-speed broadband to more than 540,000 homes and businesses around the country who are still without the service.

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) has been plagued by delays and controversies including the recent resignation of former Minister Denis Naughten over his meetings with businessman David McCourt who is part of the one remaining consortium bidding for the multi-million contract.

Mr Bruton said that in 2012 just 30% of homes had high-speed broadband. That has now increased to 74% of households.

He said a final evaluation of the bid would be delivered to him in the coming weeks and it would then be evaluated by Cabinet

"I am not going to preempt and make commitments in relation to a project until we have that project evaluated and a decision by Government, then we will be in a position to say when will be the roll-out time."

Mr Bruton said he had not spoken to Junior Minister Pat Breen about his meetings with Mr Court as it could be seen as "interfering" with the work of Peter Smyth, who has been tasked with carrying out an examination of the NBP tendering process to date.

"It would be off if I was seeking to interview people who ought to be interviewed by Peter Smyth who is an independent auditor."

Speaking on RTE radio, Mr Bruton also would not give a timeframe for the appointment of a digital safety commissioner.

He said the Government has published a digital strategy which includes new legislation for criminal offences in the area.

Referring to a Bill calling for the establishment of a digital safety commissioner, Mr Bruton said: "This Bill has been presented to the Oireachtas by Sinn Fein. It passed, no one opposed the Bill, so the digital safety commissioner and its remit is being examined.

"I have asked the attorney general to advise on how we can do this in a robust way because there will be boundaries that have to be explored between the responsibility of the gardai - who have a role in taking down illegal material - and what a digital safety commissioner will do.

"I can assure you that Government is taking the lead in this."

The Minister also warned that Government will be increasing carbon tax in the future.
Update 11.15am: Emma Keating has been located safe and well.

Earlier: Gardai appeal for help in finding missing Meath woman

Gardai in Meath are looking for help in finding a missing woman.

54-year-old Emma Keating - who is 5 foot 9 inches in height, of very thin build with blonde hair and blue eyes - was reported missing yesterday.

Ms Keating's family are anxious to locate her.

She also has access to a grey coloured Renault Scenic with a partial registration of 11-MH.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Navan Garda Station on 046-9036100 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.

Digital Desk
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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Update 11.10am: Gardai investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of 34-year-old David Boland have arrested two men.

A man in his mid-20s was arrested this morning.

He is currently detained at Naas Garda Station.

Another man in his late 20s is currently detained at Kildare Garda Station.

Gardai are appealing in particular to motorists and drivers of white delivery vans who were in the vicinity of Duke St at approximately 5.30am on the morning of the 1 November to contact Athy Garda Station on 059-8634210, the Garda Confidential line on 1800-666-111 or any Garda Station.

Earlier: Man arrested as part of investigation into Athy murder

A man has been arrested as part of the investigation into the murder of David Boland in Co Kildare.

The 34-year-old Nurney businessman was stabbed in an incident on Duke Street in Athy at 5.30am yesterday morning.

He later died at Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise.

Gardai investigating the circumstances surrounding his death detained a "young man" from the Carlow area yesterday.

He is being questioned at Kildare Town Garda Station.

Gardai at the scene of a fatal stabbing on Duke Street in Athy, Co Kildare. Pic: Laura Hutton/Collins Photo Agency

Earlier: Gardai looking to speak to men seen running from Athy murder scene

Investigations are continuing into the murder of David Boland in Athy, Co. Kildare.

The 34-year-old from Nurney was stabbed to death during a row in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Gardai are appealing to motorists who may have dash cam footage from the scene to come forward.

David Boland. Photo via Facebook

David Boland suffered multiple stab wounds following the altercation on Duke Street at around 5.30am.

He was rushed to hospital but died from his injuries a number of hours later.

Mayor of Athy Martin Miley says he knew the victim: "I know the deceased, I know the family from the wider community in Athy.

"Extreme tragedy for the family themselves and for the community here and our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this point.

"A terrible, terrible tragedy."

A murder inquiry into the stabbing has been launched and Gardai say they are following a number of lines of inquiry.

They are looking to speak to a group of young men seen running from the area around the time of the incident.

The victims car was also taken from the scene and burnt out nearby.

They are asking anyone with information to contact Athy Garda Station.

Digital Desk
An Irish woman who killed her fiance in Sydney has told a judge of his repeated violence, including punching strangers and biting her all over her body, and how he accused her of sleeping with other men.

Cathrina Cahill said she could not look at other men when she was out with David Walsh, nor could she look in the mirror when driving as there might be a male driver behind.

If she did, she said Mr Walsh would say: "I hope you got a good look, slut".

The 27-year-old was giving evidence in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday at her sentencing hearing for the manslaughter of Mr Walsh, 29, who was stabbed once in the neck in the early hours of February 18, 2017 at their home.

The couple shared the property in Padstow, south-west of Sydney, with two other Irish nationals.

Cahill, from Wexford, was originally charged with murder but the Crown accepted her plea to the less serious charge on the basis of substantial impairment due to an abnormality of the mind at the time.

When asked about the death by her barrister James Trevallion, she said: "There is not a day that goes by when I don't think about David's family.

I loved him so much. He told me no matter what I did I would never get away from him and if I ever got with anybody else he would make my life hell.

She testified that Mr Walsh blocked people from her Facebook account, deleted texts and numbers from her phone and was convinced she was having an affair with her boss.

He would come to her work to wait for her and make a gesture - which she demonstrated in court - of running a finger across his throat, she said.

Cahill told the judge of a string of incidents when Mr Walsh punched men - including his friend, Paul Mulligan, who had just arrived to stay at their house.

"I was in my bedroom and David came and out of nowhere started accusing me of being with Paul Mulligan which was totally untrue," she told the court.

"David came out and just hit Paul", who then moved out.

The court was told of an incident when Cahill was with a female friend at a hotel when a man started talking to the other woman.

"David came in and hit the guy so hard he landed on the floor," she said.

"He said 'he won't look at my missus again'."

Mr Walsh punched numerous holes in the house walls, threw a glass bottle through a new TV and "would constantly break things in the house", the court heard.

He would grab her face "and constantly bite me, that was his thing", she said.

A former housemate testified that she saw Cahill stab Mr Walsh in the back of his head on October 3, 2015.

But Cahill said they had argued in their bedroom and she went to the door, but he blocked it and had a knife in his hand.

She went to grab it, he ran out and she cut the back of his head with the knife, the court heard.

Prosecutor Nanette Williams suggested Cahill was lying because she knew the housemate's evidence was very "damning" about her purposefully going downstairs to get the knife and attack her partner in the head.

"That isn't true," Cahill replied.

The hearing will continue on November 9 before Justice Peter Johnson, who said he expected to sentence Cahill before December 14.

PA
By Liam Heylin

Despicably mean was how a judged described a jewellers action in conning an 84-year-old Cork woman in the sale of her valuable Cartier brooch in Switzerland.

Michael Wall, 38, with an address at 2 Marionville, Alexandra Road, St. Lukes, Cork, was given a three-year suspended jail sentence for the crime today at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

He spent several weeks remanded in custody following his conviction at the end of a trial by judge and jury.

The victim previously described how she had experienced sleepless nights and terrible shock at being duped.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain said Wall got the trust of the owner of the brooch and her family and the piece of jewellery was entrusted to him to sell at auction.

The judge said that it was somewhat unusual in that the accused presented himself as a jeweller but arrived by bus to Mallow and showed them other jewellery which he produced from his pocket which was wrapped in sheets of the Waterford News and Star newspaper.

He had exaggerated notions causing him to get into this kind of trouble. They were florid at that time, the judge said.

Judge O Donnbhain referred to psychiatric evidence of Walls disassociative episodes and said this was clear from the defendants presentation in court during his own trial.

When the accused was on bail he came to the attention of gardai in October 2017.

The particulars of that incident were outlined in court. A guard was taking photographs to gather evidence at the scene of a traffic accident when Wall repeatedly stood in front of him to prevent him from doing so. He was deemed to have been obstructive on the occasion.

Wall was convicted by a jury on fraud-related charges. The main counts related to giving the elderly owner of a Cartier brooch about 17,000 less than it made at auction in Geneva and giving her a false document from the auction house.

Detective Garda Padraig Reddington read the victim impact statement on behalf of the 84-year-old woman.

I did not bring this case for the attention of the gardai originally for money, it was to get justice for being wronged by someone I trusted and welcomed into the family home to help me.

"I have had so many sleepless nights. I now feel very vulnerable in dealing with people."

"It has, after 84 years of life, changed how I view and interact with people.

"I am now, more than ever, aware that you can no longer take someone at their word and that trust needs to be earned.

"I am at a financial loss of over 17,000 due to the dishonesty and deceit of the guilty party, Michael Wall.

My solicitor looked up the brooch on the internet and that is the first time I had heard the true value of the sale of the Cartier brooch. I felt I could have died with the shock and couldnt believe someone could be so dishonest.

I was under a lot of stress due to this case and the proceedings and I felt stupid for trusting someone who has now so clearly, in hindsight, done me so wrong.
By Ruaidhri Giblin

Lawyers for a man jailed for repeatedly raping his daughter are seeking to adduce "new evidence" which, they say, shows the victim allegedly recanted and admitted telling lies during the trial.

In February, the 47-year-old man was found guilty of three counts of rape, five counts of anal rape and six counts of sexually assaulting his daughter in the west of Ireland and abroad on dates between 2006 and 2010 when she was aged between seven and 11.

The Central Criminal Court heard that the first rape took place on the day the man took his daughter back into his home after the death of her mother. He referred to her by her dead mother's name and continued to do this during subsequent attacks.

There was evidence he raped her in the toilets of the family home and, on one occasion, in her bedroom when he found her trying to hang herself from a light fixture.

Describing his offending as depraved, Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment with the final year suspended. The man had pleaded not guilty to all offences and continues to maintain his innocence.

Opening an appeal against conviction today, the mans barrister, Micheal P OHiggins SC, said he would be seeking to adduce "new evidence" concerning the complainant's alleged "recanting" and admission that "she told lies during the trial". A motion to adduce new evidence will be heard next week.

Mr O'Higgins said an incident occurred before the complainant began giving evidence, which didn't "speak well for my client. The accused was "adjudged to have shouted" at his daughter and a Garda as the victim was walking out of court.

The trial judge took an "extremely dim view" of this and "matters went somewhat downhill after that, Mr OHiggins said. The accuseds bail was revoked and he was "locked up" for a period.

"The mood music in the courtroom altered after that," Mr O'Higgins said.

He submitted that the trial judge failed to hold the scales of justice evenly between complainant and accused. There was mollycoddling and cosseting of the complainant which was objectively unfair, he said.

Mr O'Higgins said the book of evidence, when it was first served, contained an allegation of sexual assault against an elder sister. But on the eve of the trial, the DPP indicated that this other allegation would not be proceeding and the only complainant would be the younger sister.

It emerged, Mr O'Higgins said, that both sisters had made "demonstrably false allegations" of sexual abuse and rape against "completely innocent" third parties in the period December 2014 to January 2015.

It was disclosed that when both sisters were interviewed by gardai, under caution, they admitted having made false allegations against those third parties. It was "very disturbing", Mr O'Higgins said.

He said the family moved to Ireland after a "breakdown" in the accused's relationship with their mother. They were taken into care in Ireland on foot of allegations their father had been physically abusive and was a "chronic alcoholic".

During the complainant's time in care, Mr O'Higgins said she was in contact with her father on Facebook and her communications were "inconsistent" with her allegations. She "maintained a dialogue of warmth and reciprocity".

It was "fair to say" the dialogue was "father led" for the bulk of the time, counsel accepted, but it was necessary to challenge the complainant on her credibility and motivation for all of these reasons, Mr O'Higgins said.

"Unfortunately" she was cross examined for an unusually lengthy period of time - five days. Mr O'Higgins said the complainant was "testy, difficult to manage from everybody's point of view, given to outbursts" and frequently declined to answer questions.

From his client's point of view, she was "clever" and "tactical", Mr O'Higgins said, and the trial judge was "openly supportive of the belligerent position".

The Central Criminal Court heard that the complainant had prepared a draft letter to send to the Children's Ombudsman, Emily Logan, and when it was "deployed" by the defence in cross examination, the complainant "exploded" and "tore up what was a defence exhibit".

Mr O'Higgins said it was "beyond acceptable" but the trial judge sided with the view that the letter breached the complainant's privacy rights. The phrase "no blow too low" came to the trial judge's mind when she referred to the letter, in the absence of the jury.

Counsel further submitted that allegations of a completely different complaint were introduced into the case by the prosecution which was grossly prejudicial and of no probative value.

Further grounds of appeal related to the decision to allow the complainant give evidence via video link, the trial judge's refusal to direct the jury to find the accused not guilty and a legal ruling regarding extraterritoriality (a number of the offences were said to have occurred outside Ireland).

The hearing continues on Wednesday before Mr Justice John Edwards, Ms Justice Maire Whelan and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Alex Owens SC, will say the trial judge was determined not to allow proceedings "capsize".
By Gordon Deegan

The convicted killer of a Co Clare school teacher is back behind bars after a judge said that Harry Dinan has "nil regard for the laws of the land".

At Ennis District Court today, Judge Patrick Durcan made his comment after jailing Mr Dinan (aged 37) of Waterpark Heights, Ennis, for five months after he pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and driving without insurance on September 15 last.

Judge Durcan said that Mr Dinan has an appalling record in terms of his commitment to society, including a conviction for manslaughter".

In November 2015, Mr Dinan was released from prison after spending six years in jail for the manslaughter of Lissycasey school teacher, Brian Casey.

On December 26, 2009, Mr Casey (aged 26) died after being victim to what Mr Justice Liam McKenchie described as an utterly unprovoked, cowardly, brutal and grossly violent assault by Harry Dinan and his nephew, Kevin Dinan (aged 29), on the man.

Mr Justice McKenchie said that Mr Casey was a totally innocent bystander in the unprovoked assault and was caught off guard by a severe haymaker punch inflicted by Harry Dinan.

Mr Dinan today began his five-month jail term after Judge Durcan rejected an independent surety for Mr Dinan that would have allowed him to remain on bail pending an appeal to the circuit court.

When detected driving without a driving licence on September 15 last by Garda Barry Comber, Mr Dinan was serving a nine-year driving ban.

Judge Durcan said: We have someone who is driving without insurance - that is a serious offence and driving while disqualified.

Judge Durcan also pointed out that Mr Dinan has seven previous convictions for driving with no insurance.

Along with the prison term, Judge Durcan also banned Mr Dinan for driving for five years and imposed a 750 fine.

Solicitor for the accused, Tara Godfrey said that Mr Dinan has instructed her to apologise.

She said: It is a serious matter and my client understands that it is a serious matter.

Ms Godfrey said that Mr Dinans home is in the process of being repossessed and this has brought a lot of pressure on himself and his small family.

Ms Godfrey asked that Judge Durcan not impose a custodial sentence and instead require Mr Dinan to carry out community work.
By Alison ORiordan

A third person has been found guilty at the Special Criminal Court of murdering Gareth Hutch over two years ago.

Mother-of-five Regina Keogh, 41, colluded with her brother Jonathan to cause serious injury to Mr Hutch, the three-judge court heard.

Regina Keogh, 41, with an address at Avondale House, Cumberland Street North, Dublin 1 had denied murdering Mr Hutch, 36, who was shot dead as he was getting into his car outside Avondale House flats on North Cumberland Street in Dublin on the morning of May 24, 2016.

Gareth Hutch

Mr Hutch, nephew of Gerry The Monk Hutch, died as a result of four gun shot injuries; two to the back of the neck, one to the lower back and one to the right of the upper chest.

Earlier today, guilty verdicts were handed down to Reginas brother, Jonathan Keogh, 33, with an address at Gloucester Place, Dublin 1 and Thomas Fox, 31, with an address at Rutland Court, Dublin 1.

Both had also denied murdering Mr Hutch.

Fox was also convicted of unlawfully possessing a Makarov 9 mm handgun on May 23, 2016 at the same place.

It was the States case that Regina Keogh was instrumental in planning the murder of Gareth Hutch.

The prosecution contended that key prosecution witness Mary McDonnell, 45, was encouraged by Regina Keogh, her best friend and neighbour of 16 years, to allow Jonathan Keogh use her flat as a base to wait for Mr Hutch prior to the attack as her kitchen window had a view into his flat.

Mary McDonnell testified that Regina had said to her: Thats the only way it is going to happen, if not Jonathan is going to be shot.

It was also the State's case that Regina Keogh went up to Mary McDonnells flat on the night prior to the shooting and gave her rubber gloves to be used by the attackers the following day.

Patrick Gageby SC, defending Regina Keogh, said her case rested entirely in Mary McDonnells evidence and it would be dangerous to convict his client on Marys account.

Key prosecution witness Mary McDonnell was initially arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Hutch and later charged with withholding information.

However, that charge was subsequently withdrawn and she has been given immunity from prosecution.

Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt, sitting with Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Michael Walsh at the non-jury court, spent a half an hour reviewing the evidence that led to the guilty verdict.

Delivering judgement today, Mr Justice Hunt, said the case against Regina Keogh depended substantially on the evidence of Mary McDonnell.

Convicting Regina Keogh, the judge said she was guilty due to her involvement with her brother's affairs.

Mr Justice Hunt said the court was satisfied that when Regina brought the gloves to Mary McDonnell's flat the night before the murder she had "specific knowledge that something was afoot in relation to Gareth Hutch".
Renting a property close to a Luas stop costs over 3,000 a year more than average Dublin rents.

Details from Daft.ie found that renters are paying a premium of 15% to live within one kilometre of a Luas line.

Nearly 8,000 properties were surveyed over the first nine months of this year as part of the research.

Spokesperson for Daft.ie Martin Clancy outlines the price differences: "On the Luas Green line the average monthly rent is nearly 2,300 and that's for any property on the Green line and that's a 412 monthly premium compared to the Dublin average.

"On the Red line it's a little bit cheaper overall even though the most expensive stop is on the Red line.

"The average rent on the Red line is 2,081 and that's nearly 200 more expensive per month than the average in Dublin which at the moment is 1,884."

Speaking on some of the pricier areas, Mr Clancy said: "So the most expensive stop is Spencer Dock which is right in the city centre.

"The average rent for a two or three bedroom property around Spencer Dock is 2,793.

"Then looking elsewhere, the most expensive stop on the Green line is Charlemont -again pretty much in the city centre - and that's 2,646."

Digital Desk
A senior Garda has been appointed to carry out a review of bail conditions following yesterday's conviction in the Central Criminal Court.

Eoin Berkeley, previously of Hamptonwood Way in Finglas, was sentenced to 14 years in jail for the repeated rape of a young Spanish student in Dublin in 2017.

In a statement, Gardai say an Assistant Commissioner has been appointed to examine the policing issues raised during the court case.

They will examine communication issues between the Garda divisions and the monitoring of bail conditions of Berkeley to see if changes to processes are needed.

Commenting on yesterday's sentencing, Fianna Fail Justice Spokesperson Jim O'Callaghan TD said: The conviction of Eoin Berkeley for a crime of the most depraved and serious nature, committed while he was on bail, once again highlights the dangers associated with the violation of bail conditions.

In this particular instance, one of the terms of bail was that this individual would stay away from Dublin City centre. This was breached.

He also has a series of serious previous convictions and had consequently been identified by the justice system as dangerous; breaching a term of bail should have meant that his bail was revoked.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that failure to enforce bail conditions has resulted in tragic consequences.

Fianna Fail introduced legislation last year to make our bail laws stricter so that the presumption would be that a person who had already been convicted of a serious offence would not get bail if charged with another serious offence.

The Irish people voted overwhelmingly for this by way of referendum in 1996. Unfortunately, the Government opposed this legislation.

"It needs to look again at this issue to recognise the publics legitimate concerns and the need to strengthen our bail laws."

Digital Desk
By Ann O'Loughlin

A woman in her 80s who denies indecently assaulting a teenage girl in an orphanage around 45 years ago has withdrawn a High Court challenge to her criminal trial.

The alleged offence occurred in the early 70s in an orphanage the woman had been sent to when she was around 18 or 19 to have a baby which she later gave up for adoption.

She remained in the orphanage where she had made friendships and was later put in charge of girls between the ages of 13 and 14.

She later left, married and had children of her own.

Some 45 years later, her counsel Peter Finlay told the court, one of the girls in the orphanage, now a woman living in Canada, alleged after receiving therapy and counselling that the woman who had been in charge at the orphanage had indecently assaulted her.

The woman was charged and strenuously denied the allegations.

She brought a High Court challenge claiming she would not get a fair trial on grounds including lapse of time.

Mr Finlay said his client suffered extreme distress as a result of the allegation and she herself required mental health help. Her condition was such that she was unable to give proper instructions to her lawyers, he said.

However, her condition improved as did her ability to give instructions.

Then in the last few weeks, the Supreme Court issued a judgment which affirmed a previous decision that antiquity of allegations is no bar to a fair trial, Mr Finlay said. It also affirmed a previous test laid down by the superior courts which is to be applied when deciding whether a trial should be prohibited, he said.

In those circumstances, she decided, on legal advice, to withdraw the challenge to her trial but she will still be strongly contesting the charges at the criminal trial.

Mr Finlay was opposing an application against his client by the DPP for the costs of that challenge. He pointed out his client was on legal aid for her trial and counsel urged that no order on costs be made.

Tom O'Malley BL, for the DPP, said his client was still seeking the costs.

Mr Justice Seamus Noonan said while the court has discretion in relation to costs, it is not unfettered and can only be exercised in limited circumstances. While he had a great deal of sympathy for the woman, impecuniosity was not something he could take into account.

He granted the DPP an order for costs but noted there was a certain "reality to all that" which he hoped would be something the DPP would bear in mind.
Hundreds of Google employees in Sydney walked off the job on Friday to protest against how the company has treated executives accused of sexual harassment.

Despite the hot weather, Google workers gathered in Metcalfe Park in Pyrmont for half an hour in solidarity with thousands of other Google employees across the globe who walked off the job on Thursday and Friday.

Google employees shared stories of harassment as well as their anger at the way complaints had been handled in the past. Credit:Louie Douvis

Nadia, who declined to give her surname, said she joined the walkout in Sydney to protest against the culture at Google.

"I'm protesting against harassment, bullying, and a culture in which we are supporting our executives when junior employees make a claim against the company," Nadia said.
WA will be able to produce precursor chemicals for battery cathodes but won't be able to drive the production process much further, a new report into the lithium battery supply chain claims.

The report, released in Perth on Friday by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA and Australian Venture Consultants, hosed down suggestions WA could become a hub of battery manufacturing.

The Mt Marion lithium mine in Western Australia.

The report said WA mines most of the metals needed for the nickel-manganese-cobalt lithium-ion batteries emerging as the dominant design for electric vehicles.

However, because countries like China, Japan and South Korea have been making lithium-ion batteries for two decades at a lower cost than Australia it was unfeasible it could break into the global market.
Alice Pung. But when we arrived in Queensland, I realised that people did not take their holidays in Slacks Creek. I realised this when I saw the house next to ours. It had 4 cars parked out the front, with grass growing between some of the wheels. A father and his scruffy-haired child came out and watched Dad back the car into our driveway. I watched the bewilderment on our new neighbour's face when he noticed the Europcar sticker on the windscreen. What the fig? What kind of neighbour hires a silver Tarago? We got out and looked up at the three-bedroom unrenovated Queenslander that had been rejected by three tenants. "The houses in the Cambodian countryside were built like this," my father told us, "and they kept buffaloes below." We had never seen a Queenslander before. We marvelled at the wooden beams beneath the house, while my mother beamed because she had four kids and did not need to pay for a hotel. This would be our home for the next 10 days. As we helped Mum unload supplies from the car, my brother and I secretly felt like refugees for the first time in our lives.

We drove to Woolworths and bought food, a mop and spider-killer spray. When we returned, we tied Chux wipes to our feet and skidded along the floorboards in the living room. My sister Alina crawled around like a labrador, with cleaning cloths on her hands and knees. My brother, Alexander, wiped the windows with Windex. He looked out. "The neighbours are still watching us." "Don't worry," said my dad. "We just look like a hard-working migrant family." He had said a similar thing when someone once chucked a stone through our front window in Braybrook. It left a large crack and we didn't get it repaired until we sold the house. "Don't worry. We're just living humbly," he would say. We never opened that window again, and kept the blinds drawn. Bit by bit, the house of my childhood grew darker as the trees grew larger outside with no one to prune them. "Don't worry. We're just living privately," said my dad. But before we were completely closed in by all this private humility, and to get away from the fumes, we moved. My parents had worked for two decades to buy our birthday cake of a mansion on the hill.

After we moved, we lost our asthma and gained a greater appreciation for the genteel lifestyle. My mother also discovered White King, the household bleach that could disinfect anything. She had brought the White King to Slacks Creek. She rolled up her trousers and scrubbed the bathtub, because it would also become our laundry basin for the holiday. There were no beds but we had enough sleeping bags and blankets to spread out on the floor of the living room. We all lay on the floorboards that first night, happy and exhausted. The warmth of the Queensland evening felt good. "Haven't been this way for ages," said Dad. "What way?" asked Mum.

"The sleeping-on-the-floor way." My parents had walked across Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand before they were accepted to come to Australia. They had slept on many floors. "It's nice to get back to one's refugee roots," sighed Dad. "Make sure those roots don't get head lice," warned my mother. "Mum, we haven't had head lice for years," I protested. "Those sleeping bags are clean." "When we were in the Thai refugee camp," Dad continued, "we slept on a straw mat about this size." He indicated an area the size of one of our sleeping bags. "You were manufactured on that mat. Manufactured in Thailand, but assembled in Australia."

"Ewww!" I said, but he liked telling that story about how I came to be. The next morning, we woke up early to begin our drive to the first theme park: Movie World. Mum was already up. She had washed and hung out our clothes from yesterday's cleaning spree and was rummaging through our supplies of food. Coming from years of war and starvation, my family were parsimonious with everything except food: we ate lychees and abalone, prawns and mangoes in our house. My siblings and I couldn't say "we're starving" to parents who knew what it was like to starve. We couldn't say "I'm dying of boredom" to parents who knew what death in decomposing multitudes was like. So we could never really be hungry or bored on holidays. Every day Dad would drive us out to do the usual things holidaying families did in Queensland. We visited the Big Pineapple and the Sunshine Coast. My brother bought my sister a furry white toy seal at Sea World, and we had our pictures taken at Wet'n'Wild, howling down a waterslide on a floaty round raft. But we'd return to the house in Slacks Creek every evening, where local children walked barefoot to the Woolworths with a fistful of coins and bought icy poles. We'd sit on the verandah after Mum had made dinner and spray on the Aerogard.

We were lucky that we were not refugees and that this was all a game. Dad did not gather us round, wave his arm over our property in Slacks Creek and say, "Someday, this mortgage will all be yours," but we knew. One evening Mum said, "Someday you will all have families and you will take them on holidays like this one." But I also knew that we would probably never take our families on such trips. We were not really brave like our parents. We would just book hotels, because we would never be as resourceful and self-sacrificial to the next generation. Dad and Mum had arrived in Australia with one suitcase, and there was nothing in it. This probably explained why they packed so much on holidays. On the last day, Dad called the real estate agent to arrange for repairs to the house. Mum told me to pop over to the neighbours and give them our remaining theme park tickets. As we loaded our frypans and cleaning supplies into the back of the rented Tarago, the neighbour and his daughter stood outside watching us, the Sea World tickets still in their hands. We must have been the weirdest tenants they'd ever met. We waved to them as we drove off, and they waved back. Edited extract from Close to Home (Black Inc.) by Alice Pung, on sale now.
An associate judge has ruled members of the territorys powerful sentence administration board, including former integrity commissioner Philip Moss AM, were biased in their decision to refuse a man parole.

A hot mic had recorded what was supposed to be a private conversation between the three members of the board when they were discussing the convicted sex offender's release.

When the comments were later transcribed they showed one member, Janine Bromwich, had described the man as a "back of the neck hair boy". The associate justice hearing the man's review took that as a reference to the man being someone that made her shudder or fearful.

Mr Moss said there would be "no point" hearing from the man's mother on the question of his parole.

The third member Don Malcolmson expressed concern that if they did not hear from the man's mother there might later be a question of procedural fairness.
Wind conditions in Canberra will ease slightly on Saturday and Sunday after strong winds played havoc with efforts to contain a fire in the capital's south on Friday.

A fire that started near Pierces Creek on Wednesday grew more than 100 hectars by Friday afternoon, aided by dry conditions and erratic, strong winds.

The Bureau of Meteorology is expecting average wind speeds of up to 30 km/h until Tuesday, a slight reprieve from the 40 km/h averages and 90 km/h gusts buffeting firefighters at the end of last week.

The view from the National Arboretum on Friday afternoon. Canberra battled smoke, strong winds and rain. Credit:Lawrence Atkin

Meteorologist David Wilke said Saturday will see a top of 27 degrees on Saturday and 28 degrees on Sunday, both with generally sunny conditions.
Kramer hates any focus on her age. She doesn't care about the maths. She cares about what she's creating. Still, it's hard not to be impressed that this articulate woman who's demonstrating her expressive dance moves, waving her arms like pond weed in a current before wafting them down to her cheek, is nudging 104. "It's only in Australia that I've encountered the word 'age'," Kramer insists. "In America, people don't say 'Oh, at your age' or 'an older lady'; that kind of thing. You are what you are as an artist. Providing you make progress and are true to it, age doesn't exist." Her skin is fine, her beautiful face still sculpted  although she'd have plastic surgery on the bags under her eyes if she could find the right surgeon  her movements strong and graceful. Only her voice has the halting constriction that comes with age. She's wearing rings and bracelets and a stretchy dress she made in look-at-me neon orange. Her feet are tucked into silver ballet flats. She's like a fluorescent angel. Annoyingly, she can not only remember what she did when she was five, she can recall what she did last week. And she has more to remember than most of us. How she posed as a life model for the artist Norman Lindsay. Joined Australia's first modern dance troupe. Performed gypsy dances in India; steamed down a river in Kashmir. Saw Louis Armstrong in France. Bumped into Ella Fitzgerald. Wore Lanvin in Paris and fell for a filmmaker. Made films. Fell for a landowner in West Virginia. Joined a dance troupe when most people are looking at funeral plots. And that's leaving out entire decades. Kramer seems to have lived as if knowing she had time at her disposal. Born in 1914 and raised in Sydney's Mosman Bay to an English mother and a father she now thinks may have been Jewish, she didn't take up dance until the unheard-of age of 26. She didn't meet her first de facto husband until she was 42. She didn't return to Australia, after decades in India, Europe and the US, until she was 99. As she likes to say: "I started late but I didn't rush." On a bright day in the autumn of 1936, 22-year-old Eileen Kramer went looking for a new place to live. Her mother, who had run away from Eileen's loving but alcoholic father when Eileen was 13, was about to marry a man with seven children and move out of town. Single girls weren't generally encouraged to live on their own but Eileen was studying singing at the Conservatorium of Music, in Sydney's Macquarie Street. It made sense for her to find lodgings nearby.

Eileen Kramer in 1952: Women often say to me, Oh, I wish I could have done what youve done, and I say, Well, you could have, if youd wanted to. Credit:Noel Rubie She wandered a Sydney that no longer exists. The city, stretching up to Kings Cross, still had plenty of residential pockets, from grand old houses turned into rented rooms, to small colonial cottages. It was cheap enough, and seedy enough in parts, to attract aspiring artists and brooding bohemians. "Our landlady in Coogee took me to find a place," Kramer recalls. "Everywhere in Sydney then you'd see 'Rooms to Let' signs hanging in windows or on gateposts. A lot of people couldn't afford a whole apartment. This particular room opened onto a courtyard, with the front of the house facing [the CBD's] Phillip Street. That first day, I saw a girl dragging a huge canvas across the courtyard and the landlady said, 'She's an artist. We're all artists here. I hope you are, too.' I was studying singing so I confessed to being an artist. That girl with the canvas was Rosaleen Norton. Roie." Norton would later develop that rather sinister and sordid reputation for pantheistic rituals and "unusual" sexual practices. It wasn't hard to scandalise provincial Sydney society in the 1950s and this notorious and unconventional figure was charged with obscenity more than once. But that is not the woman Kramer remembers, even if Norton herself insisted she was a witch from an early age. Was she? "Well, none of her spells worked," Kramer says, laughing. "She tried to make a spell for me once. Later on, when we'd all moved out, I'd rented the apartment of [actor] Peter Finch and his wife, [ballerina] Tamara Tchinarova. They went away to England but then threatened to come back. So Roie said, 'I'll put a spell on them. They won't come back.' They came back the next week."

Kramer sees this memoir, of those four years in the courtyard, as a chance to record her very different impressions of Norton, "such a sweet girl". Even so, there was sex. A torrid encounter with Norton one evening. "She gave me a drink and I lost myself completely. There we were rolling around the bed together, madly making love. It was a new experience for me. Afterwards Roie said, 'Oh, Eileen, you're a born les.' Sometime later she came to see me  we'd moved from Phillip Street  and it was obvious she wanted to go on with that but it was not my style at all. Or maybe it is and I won't admit it. Who knows?" The sex itself was not really the point. "It was a kind of revelation to me that she was so gentle and sweet. She had a tenderness that I didn't have and she was able to express herself tenderly, which I couldn't. It made me realise that maybe I was a little held back, a little tight with my expressiveness to people." Then as now, Kramer had a hunger for new experiences. She was drawn to artists and thinkers, to new ways of living freely and understanding the self, from the teachings of Theosophical guru Krishnamurti, who visited Australia, to Freudian analysis, still pretty hot off the press from Vienna. Freud himself was alive then. Kramer's own sessions ended in a very Freudian way, when her psychoanalyst, Richard Want, became her first lover, in 1936. "Sexually, we couldn't quite make it," Kramer explains, "but it was a very interesting experiment. We were always experimenting. Not in weird acts of sexual contortions or anything like that but we'd talk about it often and whether I was all right or not. Because he was my analyst, I'd opened up to him a lot. He was like a father figure." She had broken off with Want by the time her mother offered to take her to a charity concert at the Conservatorium, one life-changing evening in 1940. On the program was the Bodenwieser Viennese Ballet, the first professional modern dance company in Australia. Its founder, Gertrud Bodenwieser, an Austrian Jew, had been a significant figure in the Viennese dance world in the 1920s and '30s, before fleeing Europe in 1938 and ending up here, where her main dance troupe was touring. (Her husband wasn't so fortunate  he would die in Auschwitz.)

Bodenwieser had developed her own style, influenced by German Expressionism as well as pioneers of modern dance such as Isadora Duncan. Bodenwieser wanted to break with the "mere virtuosity" of classical ballet and, as she put it, "motivate the most primordial powers of human sensibilities". Australia had never seen anything like it. Kramer was smitten from the very first moment the graceful dancers unfolded like flowers to the opening bars of Strauss's Blue Danube. "I was sitting in the audience and thinking, 'Yes, that's what I want to do.' The next day, I went looking for Madame. She said, 'Ah, yes, perhaps you could train to be a teacher.' I said, 'No, I want to be a member of your company.' She just smiled. Three years later, I was given that part in The Blue Danube." For the next decade, Kramer travelled with the company, touring rural Australia, South Africa and India, where she managed to fit in a brief but passionate romance with a French diplomat. After India, however, she and the Bodenwieser company parted ways. It was 1953. "Madame's work began to change. She began to do group dances with storytelling, like Martha Graham's Errand into the Maze. It required much more difficult dancing than I could do. I just felt that one day they mightn't want me." She asked for a year's leave and took a boat to Europe, but stepped off in India instead. There she made a living by solo dancing  gypsy dances, light dances of her own devising  at hotels. By then she was in her late 30s, lithe and gorgeous. She also danced in Pakistan, travelled to the Khyber Pass and painted the walls of a hotel restaurant in Karachi. As you do. Halfway into our interview, there's an alarming moment when it looks as if I might have indirectly brought about Kramer's premature demise, not long out from her big launch. We've met in the elegant inner-city terrace house of renowned dancer, choreographer and filmmaker, Sue Healey, one of Kramer's many admirers and collaborators. Healey has brought us coffee and a plate of pastries and explained to an interested Kramer that one is called a cronut. "A cronut? I see."

Healey disappears upstairs. Kramer takes a few bites and starts discreetly choking, flakes and sugar catching in her throat. She's still talking, in between the coughing, so that's encouraging, although possibly making things worse. Having once had to carry out the Heimlich manoeuvre, I feel prepared if it comes to that, but also hesitant to offer any help, in case it implies she's 103. She takes a sip of coffee, recovers, sails on. It's vaguely appropriate  the croissant element, anyway  as we've shifted to 1950s Paris, where Kramer picked up work as an artist's model. In a cafe there one day in 1956, she met the man she would spend three decades with, not always blissfully. She was 42, he was 36, an intense, imperious and womanising Polish/ Israeli filmmaker called Baruch Shadmi. "Soon after we met, he had to go to Israel. He said, 'I don't know when I'm coming back but I want you to wait for me and be mine forever.' So I fell for that. I didn't believe him really. But he came back and got me. We lived together in a hotel and then went to a casino and spent three weeks playing roulette. That's where I saw Satchmo [Louis Armstrong]. He was playing in the ballroom and eyed me suggestively from the stage. Everybody else was off gambling." She and Shadmi moved to New York. In the early '60s, they began collaborating on an animated dance film, with Kramer dancing and making hundreds of the models. In the midst of it, Shadmi had a stroke. His health kept declining and, for the only time in her life, Kramer gave up dancing to look after him. For the next two decades. He was so difficult and demanding, doctors and social workers advised her to live elsewhere during the week and hire a professional carer. Shadmi died in 1987. "My mother used to say Jewish men make good husbands," Kramer remembers. Was he? "Well, he was controlling and he used to go with other women. He always felt a man wasn't a man unless he could have other women. Sometimes they'd phone him. But I was the one he always came back to. He was a good husband in that way."

Her view of their long relationship is pragmatic. "We did get along well together. I think he recognised in me somebody he could live with. That's usually the case. You wonder why certain people marry each other. It's not always this great romance. Unconsciously they see somebody they can live with." The Bodenwieser Viennese Ballet performs The Blue Danube in 1953. Credit:National Library of Australia&amp;nbsp; But a great romance lay ahead. A few years later, she moved to the US to live with a friend in Lewisburg, West Virginia. In time, the friend introduced her to a local called Bill Tuckwiller. He was in his 80s, she was 77. They fell for each other, passionately, in every way. "He was the exact opposite of Baruch. A fifth- or sixth-generation West Virginian. They don't take kindly to outsiders but he took kindly to me." The next year, she found the courage to join The Dance Troupe in Lewisburg. She was back. Tuckwiller died in front of the television one night while Kramer was out looking for their lost cat. She thought about coming home to Australia then, but stayed on. She didn't return to her homeland for good until she was 99. "I wanted to hear a kookaburra," she says. "Smell a gumtree." It should be obvious by now that Kramer has led  is still living  the kind of glamorous, flamboyant life that makes your own seem timid and proscribed. You make a choice, she says. "Women often say to me, 'Oh, I wish I could have done what you've done,' and I say, 'Well, you could have, if you'd wanted to.'"

On the day we meet, she's full of enthusiasm for the book launch at the Art Gallery of NSW on November 7. She'll be performing, of course. She's also making plans to revive a dance piece she worked on in America, about Isis and Osiris and the underworld. Does she ever think about death? Death? Yes." She pauses. "I think about it, but not about life after death. I'm not afraid of it. I expect to die fairly soon. You don't go on forever." She has thought about her final exit. All in white. "I won't be like Baruch when he was dying. He would never talk about love or anything like that very much. He called me one night and said, 'Come back. I'm dying.' So I got a taxi in the middle of the night. The carer opened the door and I went into Baruch's bedroom. I thought he'd say he had always loved me, or whatever. Instead he said, 'You left me alone with that idiot!'" She confesses she's still taking lessons herself in saying the things that matter.
French tourists Philippe Jegouzo and his wife Aurelie Chorier had been in Australia barely a week when an awful twist of fate brought them into contact with Pande Veleski.

The couple stopped in a rest area near Alice Springs to make coffee after driving down from Darwin on November 30, 2016.

They were alone until a car pulled up and Veleski got out.

Pande Veleski has been found not guilty of murder due to mental impairment. Credit:

He approached 33-year-old Mr Jegouzo from behind and stabbed him in the neck more than 20 times with scissors in front of a horrified Ms Chorier.
A Caboolture man has been charged after a bomb hoax forced the evacuation of 600 people from the Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday.

Police allege Beau Levi Kennedy made a threatening phone call to the court complex shortly before 9am before the bomb squad and sniffer dogs were called to search for any suspicious items.

The Brisbane Supreme Court was evacuated on Monday because of a bomb threat.

Following the evacuation that lasted almost three hours, police deemed the threats to be unsubstantiated.

The 31-year-old Caboolture man has been charged with several serious offences including using a carriage service to menace or harass.
Up to six men have smashed their way into a house in Brunswick West wielding knives and hammers the day before a violent 10-hour crime spree that spanned six suburbs on Halloween night.

Investigators have been told the group forced their way into a house on Yarrabin Street about 4.30am on Tuesday.

Images from CCTV cameras of the youths allegedly involved in the bashing of chefs from Donovans restaurant in St Kilda. Credit:Victoria Police

Once in the house, they confronted two victims and demanded money and jewellery before fleeing with stolen items, including a black Jeep Cherokee, police said.

The stolen car was found in Deer Park the following day.
Bhumchu Zangmo does not know many English words  but the mother of conjoined twins Nima and Dawa is rapidly getting accustomed to a certain phrase.

"Heavy," she says, as she lifts the girls into her arms, bringing them into a hug.

Bhumchu Zangmo hugs her twin girls Nima and Dawa. Credit:AAP

Since the toddlers arrived in Melbourne a month ago, they have put on two kilograms and now weigh in at a combined 14 kilograms.

Initial concerns over their health are abating by the day.
Crime is back in the spotlight in the Victorian election after a gang of youths engaged in "vicious, unprovoked, ugly" assaults outside St Kilda's popular Donovans restaurant without a single arrest being made.

As many as 15 youths of African appearance were roaming St Kilda's foreshore on Thursday night before setting upon a young chef and another innocent man.

The violent incident spilled onto Jacka Boulevard blocking traffic as it escalated into a melee involving other kitchen staff.

It came as Opposition Leader Matthew Guy renewed his push to talk tough on crime ahead of the November 24 election, saying Premier Daniel Andrews "makes excuses for those who break the law".
According to some academics, there is a generational difference.

Students Sinali Hapu Arachchige, left, and Apoorva Sajja of Narrabundah College, who have different views from their mothers. Credit:Steve Evans.

The stream of high-profile cases like the current dispute in the courts between Geoffrey Rush and his co-star Eryn Jean Norvill over what constituted sexual harassment has brought the issue into sharp focus.

The difficulty is that those views on what's permissible seem to differ between men and women and between old and young.

Everybody has a view on what's acceptable behaviour by men towards women.

Dr Lauren Rosewarne, an expert on sexuality, gender and feminism at the University of Melbourne, said, for example, that her mother would have seen some behaviour by men as simply what happens. "Let it go. It's part of the rough and tumble of life," as Dr Rosewarne described her mother's attitude.

Younger people aren't so tolerant. Female students to whom Fairfax Media talked at the campus of the Australian National University all agreed they wouldn't put up with what their elders suffered.

One said that her grandmother wouldn't even go to the police when a serious sexual assault had been committed - "Don't make a fuss", was the view, according to Sinali Hapu Arachchige.

She and her friend, Apoorva Sajja, agreed that men making sexual jokes in their presence was completely unacceptable, particularly if the men weren't friends.

But a man calling a woman "love"? That wasn't as forbidden as you might imagine. The students on the ANU campus (admittedly a small sample) didn't mind - it depended on tone and context.
The Liberal Party has promised to remove three of the level crossings in Pakenham, but ruled out building the controversial sky rail like its Labor counterparts.

One day after Labor promised to remove four level crossings in Pakenham and build sky rail, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said he would remove three of the same crossings at McGregor Road, Main Street and Racecourse Road in Melbourne's south-east.

At each crossing, the rail line would be lowered beneath the road in a trench, the Opposition Leader said.

"We wont put a blight on Pakenham with sky rail," Mr Guy said.
Victorias union movement is mounting its biggest effort yet to help the Andrews government win the state election, co-ordinating a massive phone call and door-knocking offensive in key marginal seats.

The Victorian Trades Hall Council is leveraging the powerful and trusted brands of teachers, nurses and paramedics to urge their fellow union members to put the Liberals last when they vote in November.

Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari at a phone-banking session as part of the campaign to put the Liberals last. Credit:Simon Schluter

More than 350 union members gathered at the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federations CBD headquarters last week for Trades Hall's largest "phone-banking" exercise ever, dialling fellow members to influence their vote.

The campaign follows on from the 2014 election when the paramedics, firefighters and nurses unions mounted strong public campaigns to help topple the Napthine Coalition government after drawn-out disputes over pay deals.
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Mayor DeBlasio shot down Borough President Adamss call for off-duty and retired police officers to bring their weapons to their houses of worship.

A DeBlasio spokeswoman told this paper that Hizzoner does not believe that having more firearms in places of worship will solve the problem, and that he trusts the citys police department to keep congregants safe.

While we strongly agree with the borough president that all New Yorkers deserve to pray in peace, the mayor doesnt believe more guns in our houses of worship will make us safer. We trust the security experts at the NYPD to keep our city safe, Olivia Lapeyrolerie said in a statement.

Borough President Adams called on off-duty and retired police officers to bring their weapons to their places of worship at a press conference in Midwood on Oct. 28, in response to a mass shooting that killed 11 worshippers and wounded several more at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27.

I used to carry my gun all the time when I went to church, said Adams, an ex-cop, adding that the rising threat against places of worship demanded a realistic response.

We have to live in this real universe that we are in, he said. If we have officers that are trained on how to respond to emergencies, how to move people to safety, how to properly use a firearm, if they are leaving their firearms at home, I am now saying to them, stop leaving your firearms at home,  Adams said.

The Pittsburgh shooting came less than a week after a man fatally shot two black people in a Kroger grocery store in Kentucky on Oct. 24 after trying unsuccessfully to get into a nearby predominantly black church. And days after the gunman shot up the synagogue, a vandal tagged several Brooklyn Heights homes with swastikas, and wrote a racial slur on another residences stoop.

Councilman Chaim Deutsch (DMidwood), the son of Holocaust survivors, joined Adams to denounce the attacks and went further the next day by advocating for armed guards at houses of worship.

When I walked into City Hall this morning, I passed armed security officers, Deutsch tweeted on Oct. 29. Our high profile institutions and houses of worship should be protected the same way.

The councilman asked the Councils legislative division to examine whether the city could reduce the cost of having paid police department details at houses of worship on Oct. 29, according to spokeswoman Tova Chatzinoff-Rosenfeld.

On the day of the Pittsburgh shooting, Trump suggested reporters that an armed guard could have stopped the killer, while rejecting the idea that gun control could curb such attacks.

This has little to do with [gun laws], he told CNN. This is a case where if they had an armed guard inside, they might have been able to stop him immediately.

When asked by a reporter whether all churches and synagogues should have armed guards, Trump said it was certainly an option.
By Ritah Kemigisa.

AS the world marks the International day to end impunity against journalists,the European Union has called for a robust legal system that can protect media houses and journalists around the world to work independently.

According to the unions High Representative Federica Mogherini, the space for free journalism is currently shrinking something that weakens their work.

Mogherini says Journalists need an environment where they are able to work in safety and security, both online and offline, without fear of harassment, political pressure, censorship or persecution.

She adds that in an era where disinformation is on the rise, the safety of journalists must be guaranteed to allow them promote accurate reporting.

She further says the EU will continue using appropriate external policy and financial instruments to enhance the quality of journalism, access to public information and freedom of expression.
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Governments worldwide are stepping up use of online tools, in many cases inspired by China's model, to suppress dissent and tighten their grip on power, a human rights watchdog study found Thursday.

The annual Freedom House study of 65 countries found global declined for the eighth consecutive year in 2018, amid a rise in what the group called "digital authoritarianism."



The Freedom on the Net 2018 report found online propaganda and disinformation have increasingly "poisoned" the digital space, while the unbridled collection of personal data is infringing on privacy.

"Democracies are struggling in the digital age, while is exporting its model of censorship and surveillance to control information both inside and outside its borders," said Michael Abramowitz, president of Freedom House.

"This pattern poses a threat to the open internet and endangers prospects for greater democracy worldwide." Chinese officials have held sessions on controlling information with 36 of the 65 countries assessed, and provided telecom and surveillance equipment to a number of foreign governments, Freedom House said.

The accusations made by Freedom House are "without basis, unprofessional, irresponsible, and have ulterior motives," said Chinese foreign ministry official spokesman Lu Kang at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Cyberspace is complex, he added, and requires "the global community, including governments, businesses, think tanks and media to adopt a constructive attitude to maintain it."



The report found 17 governments approved or proposed laws restricting online media in the name of fighting "fake news," while 18 countries increased surveillance or weakened encryption protection to more closely monitor their citizenry.

According to the researchers, declined in 26 countries from June 2017 to May 2018. Gains were seen in 19 countries, most of them minor.

One of the greatest threats, Freedom House said, is efforts by to remake the digital world in its "techno-dystopian" image.

It cited a sweeping Chinese cybersecurity requirement that local and foreign companies "immediately stop transmission" of banned content, and compels them to ensure that data on Chinese users is hosted within the country.

This has been followed by "hundreds" of new directives on what people can and cannot do online, and tighter controls on the use of VPNs to evade detection.

The report said leaked documents and other evidence suggest as many as a million Muslims may be held in internment camps in Xinjiang, many as a result of nonviolent online activities.

appears to be using its big tech firms involved in telecom infrastructure to extend its dominance and gain an edge in surveillance, according to Freedom House.

Companies such as Huawei -- largely banned from contracts in the US and Australia -- are building infrastructure in many parts of the world including Africa and Latin America, according to Freedom House board chairman Michael Chertoff, a former US secretary of homeland security.

"This opens up a potential for exploiting information in these countries by having technological backdoors that can be used by the Chinese government to collect intelligence," Chertoff said.

The researchers said online freedom is facing threats in democratic and authoritarian states.

India led the world in the number of internet shutdowns, with over 100 reported incidents in 2018 so far, claiming that the moves were needed to halt the flow of disinformation and incitement to violence.

Similar actions were taken in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. "Cutting off internet service is a draconian response, particularly at a time when citizens may need it the most, whether to dispel rumors, check in with loved ones, or avoid dangerous areas," Freedom House researcher Adrian Shahbaz said.
in neighbouring states and local pollution sources worsened Delhi's to near "severe" level, with Thursday seeing the three most polluted cities from the Capital Region (NCR).

The politics over pollution also intensified, as Ministers from neighbouring states quality skipped a crucial meeting called by Union Ministry, with the claiming the latter to be "not serious".

Pollution is set to worsen until at least November 4, with high moisture trapping the pollutants and calm wind not allowing them to disperse, according to the System of and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

The in Punjab and Haryana has about 30 per cent impact on Delhi's air quality, say experts from (CPSB).

The Index (AQI) on Thursday was 393 in Delhi, considered "very poor" or near "severe". Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh saw a slight improvement with an AQI of 377.

Haryana's Gurugram had an AQI of 427, while Faridabad and Noida had 407, making them the three most polluted cities in the country on Thursday.

The government has imposed a ban on construction activities, coal and biowaste-based industries, and brick kilns across NCR till November 10.

The appointed EPCA said that it is considering imposing more restrictions including a ban on truck entry in Delhi, if the air quality falls further.

"300 water sprinklers are being used across Delhi to tap down the particle pollutants," said Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain.

However, the politics and verbal spat intensified as Ministers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan skipped a crucial meeting on held here by Union Environment Ministry.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, and Delhi Minister Hussain blamed the Centre for the absence of Ministers from these states.

"Why didn't ministers from other states attend? It's a collective problem and I urge everyone to please work together. Only then can we find a solution," tweeted

Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain, who attended the meeting, said the meeting should have been taken seriously.

Union Environment Minister said that concerned ministers are in touch.

"Let there be no politics on this matter. We have talked to the Ministers from Punjab and Haryana and they sent their representatives here," told reporters here.

He said that the had reduced by 30 per cent over last year, which was good but not enough.

and Imran Hussain also flagged off five buses fitted with air-filters at the top to tap particle pollutant, under a pilot project to ply 30 such buses.

The ministers also launched an Asthma manual for schools to help schools build better management plans for emergencies and recognise symptoms among children, especially in cities like Delhi with at least four to five months of poor air quality every year.

On Thursday, business venture Blueair collaborated with East Delhi Municipal Corporation to distribute 5,000 N-95 mask among the municipal workers.

Delhi on Thursday saw a rise in particle pollutants with average dispersion of PM2.5 and PM10, or particles with diameter less than 2.5mm and 10mm, being 241 and 437 microgrammer per cubic meters -- about 4 times the permissible limit.

Chandni Chowk, Dwarka sub-city, Rohini, R.K. Puram, Narela and Punjabi Bagh were among the 18 regions out of 36 which reeled under 'severe" air quality with PM2.5 above 400 units.

The permissible limit for PM2.5 and PM10 is 60 and 80 units by standards and 25 and 50 units by international standards.

Meanwhile, SAFAR advised people to avoid all outdoor physical activities and those with asthma to keep relief medication handy.
By Moses Ndhaye.

Police in Kabalagala has embarked on a company to sensitize bar owners on the tobacco control Act 2015.

According to the police commander Kabalagala police station George Omony says, the intention of the sensitization campaign is to allow the residents understand the law before, the operations to arrest those violating the law kicks off.

He says, they have partnered with the Uganda National health consumers organization to carry put the campaign.

Its estimated that over 5000 people die each year in Uganda due to diseases emanated from tobacco smoking.

And its also said that 75% of the cancer Cases reported at the Uganda cancer institute are due to tobacco smoking.
After the stated that President cannot come to India next year as chief guest for the celebrations, a senior official here said on Thursday that New Delhi and Washington are in discussions to fix a mutually convenient time for Trump's visit to India.

"We believe that as far as high-level exchanges are concerned, it is an inseparable part of our strategic partnership," said spokesperson

"Both India and the US are discussing a mutually convenient time for President Trump's visit to India," Kumar said.

Earlier in the day, US Ambassador to India said that Trump's inability to participate as the chief guest at India's celebrations next year was a "purely scheduling issue".

has declined India's invitation to be the chief guest at the parade citing pressing engagements, including his State of The Union address, around the time India will celebrate its Republic Day on January 26.

Asked if declining India's invitation had something to do with India signing a deal with on S-400 missile defence systems in the face of Washington's sanctions on Moscow, Juster, speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event here, said: "No, that is a purely scheduling issue."

Earlier this week, a spokesperson, when asked about Trump's decision, had said: "President Trump was honoured by Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi's invitation to him to be the chief guest of India's Republic Day on January 26, 2019, but is unable to participate due to scheduling constraints."
Two motorists riding into the area, called Hakki Pikki Colony, swiftly park their bikes and join the chorus of people asking what has brought us to their settlement. Have you heard about our boys? asks a woman. They had gone to Mozambique and havent been able to come back. Its difficult to make sense of things at first since everyone is speaking at the same time. By the time I understand ...

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Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

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Manipur Chief Minister N has said it is time the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or the AFSPA, in the northeastern state is reviewed but added security concerns over the state sharing borders with foreign countries should also be considered.

The Army said that though the situation in the state was now under control, the is a requirement to ensure peace.

"Manipur is a peaceful state now, but the country's security must be a priority... The financial health and arms supply by foreign countries cannot be ruled out," Singh told a group of visiting journalists here on Wednesday.

Major General V K Mishra, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 57 Mountain Division of the Army, which spearheads counter-insurgency operations in Manipur, said the is a prerequisite for the Army to operate for maintaining peace in the militancy-affected state.

Citing the example of seizure of sophisticated arms from an insurgent camp, he said it takes two months of efforts and lengthy operations -- from intelligence gathering to locating and search of suspects -- to recover arms and ammunition. Such operations can be carried out only with the in place.

"If we do not have AFSPA, how do we do this?... It is not just an enabler, it is a prerequisite. AFSPA is a requirement for the Army to function."



He said that the situation is under control but pressure needs to be maintained on the insurgent groups to ensure peace in the northeastern state, which has been been hit by militancy for several years.

Advocating a review of the act that gives wide powers to the security forces, the chief minister, however, admitted that the situation in Manipur was very complex.

"It's not like Kashmir, where Pakistan is involved. Here it is our own people and as such it is very difficult for the security persons also. I am not supporting the security forces, but it is a very critical and complex issue and has to be solved."



"Time has come to review AFSPA, but since we share our border with foreign countries when the review takes place this point has to be considered also," he said.

Asked about extortions by insurgent groups, he said that talks are on with these entities and once these are completed, the problem will be solved, he said.

He said that there has not been any major insurgent attack in the state since his government took over one-and-a-half years ago.

"There is peace in the state. Night life has started in Imphal and there is lot of activity in the evenings unlike in the past," the chief minister said about the state capital from where the stringent AFSPA has been lifted.

He also expressed confidence that a solution to the vexed Manipur insurgency problem will be arrived at soon.

Regarding allegations of human rights violations by the force in the state, GOC Mishra said that the Army is very sensitive on the matter.

"Right from training, our conditioning, in our process of equipping, human rights are in-built. We are sensitive on human rights," Maj Gen Mishra said.

The Supreme Court is hearing a PIL seeking a probe into alleged cases of extra-judicial killings in Manipur and had on July 14 last year constituted an special investigation team (SIT) to probe such cases.

Over 300 Army personnel have also petitioned the apex court challenging the registration of FIRs against them for operations in areas where the AFSPA is in force.
A former Tata Group executive has alleged that the salt-to-software conglomerate did not hear her pleas against sexual harassment she faced at the hands of a CEO of a group firm, a charge that the group denied saying it always took "decisive action on evidence of inappropriate conduct."



Writing for a leading English daily, Anjuli Pandit, a former executive assistant to ex-MD & CEO of Taj Hotels, Rakesh Sarna, claimed she reached out to Taj board members, Tata Group Executive Council members, the chairman and the senior-most HR official with her complaint against Sarna.

"The only resolution they could find was to ask me to resign from Taj, immediately," she wrote, adding she "lost trust in Taj's process" as the company's Internal Complaint Committee, comprised "Sarna, four people within two reporting lines of him and an external member from one of Tata's closest law firms".

Responding to queries on the issue, a Tata Group spokesperson said Pandit's case was "investigated by an appropriate independent committee".

"The findings were informed to Pandit by a former director of IHCL. We hear her and others, and we recognise the opportunity to raise the bar," the spokesperson added.

Stating that 'each matter is investigated' under the Tata Code of Conduct, the spokesperson said:"We have always taken decisive action on evidence of inappropriate conduct in the organisation."



A spokesperson of IHCL, that owns the Taj Hotels, said, "the matter referred to in your mail was investigated anddealt with by an appropriate independent committee constituted for this purpose."In the article published Thursday, Pandit claimed that after she put in her papers in November 2015, the same law firm approached her on behalf of Tata Sons to sign a letter guaranteeing she wouldn't speak about the issue to the Press.

"When I refused, Taj constituted a new inquiry committee to prove due diligence. The committee failed to find any resolution and, to this day, have ignored my requests to share their process and final report for which I have legal rights to review or appeal," she said.

Pandit, a US citizen and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holder, had joined the Group in 2009 and had taken a break to pursue further studies in Paris.

Later in January 2014, she joined back in then Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry's office, managing government relations with Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Then she moved to Taj Hotels as Sarna's Executive Assistant on his request, Pandit claimed.

Alleging sexual harassment by Sarna, she said,"the sexual advances started with comments about the worth of my physical appearance during our salary discussions.

"Over the seven months he remarked on my looks, his attraction to me and his desire to have an affair. His advances were always verbal. And I was always clear I was not interested," she said.

Pandit further said: "Whether I deflected, professionally requested, or burst into tears in frustration, he persisted. The environment became intolerable as we both lost our patience."



She said after she raised the issue with the Taj board members, Tata Group Executive Council members and the chairman, she was offered "a mediocre role in a Tata Sons back office, relegated to a desk without a phone, and no assurance of my career prospects".

"When I said I felt I was being unfairly sidelined for speaking up, the chairman told me this was the 'best we can do'. I felt as though they had nailed a glass ceiling over my head. Devastated, I quit," she wrote.

Last month, Tata Sons had severed ties with brand consultant Suhel Seth who was accused of sexual misconduct by several women.
Anil Ambani-led on Friday trashed Rahul Gandhi's allegations against it on the multi-billion dollar deal and charged the Congress with "distorting" facts to mount an "unwarranted" campaign against the company for political gains.

In a statement, Reliance said that the company and its chief Ambani were continuously being dragged into a political battle in view of the impending state and general elections.

"The Congress Party has today once again resorted to blatant lies and distorted facts to mount an unwarranted campaign of calumny and falsehoods against the and its Chairman personally," it alleged.

Gandhi Friday alleged that Dassault Aviation, the makers of jets, paid Rs 284 crore to Reliance Defence as the "first installment of kickbacks" and claimed Prime Minster Narendra Modi was having "sleepless nights" fearing action if a probe was conducted into the aircraft deal.

He also alleged that CBI chief Alok Verma was removed as he wanted to investigate the deal.

Dassault Aviation has chosen Reliance Defence as one of its partners in India to fulfil the offset obligations of the Rs 58,000 crore deal.

Congress has been alleging that the government had put pressure on Dassault Aviation to make Reliance its offset partner for the deal.

Both Reliance and Dassault Aviation rejected the charges.
The Friday dismissed the CBI's appeal against the Delhi High Court's 2005 verdict discharging all the accused, including Hinduja brothers, in the politically-sensitive Rs 640 million Bofors pay-off case.

A bench headed by rejected the CBI plea seeking condonation of the 13 year delay in filing the appeal against the May 31, 2005 judgement of the

It said it was not convinced with the grounds of the CBI to condone over 4,500 days' delay in filing the appeal. The CBI had filed the appeal on February 2 this year.

The apex court, however, said the CBI can raise all grounds in the appeal against the same verdict filed by advocate Ajay Agrawal who has also challenged the judgement.

The top court has already admitted the petition filed by Agrawal who had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election against then Congress president Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareilly.

Attorney General K K Venugopal asked the top court to make it clear in its order that dismissal of CBI appeal would not preclude the probe agency from carrying out investigation in the case.

The apex court, however, did not mention anything in its order on this issue.

The in its 2005 judgement had quashed all charges against the three Hinduja brothers -- S P Hinduja, G P Hinduja and P P Hinduja -- and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

After the NDA government came to power, there were speculations that the CBI would take a call to either respond as respondent in Agrawal's petition or prefer a separate appeal.

After lot of deliberation, the CBI this year got the nod from the NDA government to file an appeal in the apex court.

The filing of the appeal assumes significance as Attorney General K K Venugopal in January had advised the agency against moving a petition against the high court verdict after a delay of more than a decade.

Later, after consultations, law officers were in favour of the appeal as the CBI came out with "some important documents and evidence" to challenge the high court order.

Sources in February had said the agency swung into action after the attorney general orally gave it a go-ahead to file the appeal in the case in which it cited the October 2017 interview of private detective Michael Hershman, who alleged that the then Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government had sabotaged his investigation.

Hershman, who is the president of the US-based private detective firm Fairfax, had claimed in television interviews that Rajiv Gandhi was "furious" when he had found a Swiss bank account "Mont Blanc".

He had also alleged that the bribe money of the Bofors gun scandal had been parked in the Swiss account.

The CBI in its appeal stated that further investigation was necessary in view of the reports relating to Hershman's interviews.

Before the 2005 verdict of Justice R S Sodhi (since retired), another judge of the Delhi High Court, retired Justice J D Kapoor, had on February 4, 2004, exonerated Rajiv Gandhi in the case and directed the framing of charge of forgery under section 465 of the IPC against Bofors company.

The Rs 14.37-billion deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 units of 155 mm Howitzer guns for the was entered into on March 24, 1986.

Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987, had claimed that the company had paid bribes to top Indian politicians and defence personnel.

The CBI on January 22, 1990, had registered the FIR for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then president of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Hinduja brothers.

It had alleged that certain public servants and private persons in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy between 1982 and 1987 in pursuance of which the offences of bribery, corruption, cheating and forgery were committed.

The first charge sheet in the case was filed on October 22, 1999 against Chadda, Ottavio Quattrocchi, the then defence secretary S K Bhatnagar, Ardbo and the Bofors company.

A supplementary charge sheet was filed against the Hinduja brothers on October 9, 2000.

A special CBI court in Delhi on March 4, 2011, had discharged Quattrocchi from the case, saying the country could not afford to spend hard-earned money on his extradition which had already cost Rs 2.5 billion.
Scarborough Leader

The Oak Hill Players are performing the musical 'Honk!', their first live performance since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former Union Minister M J Akbar on Friday refuted rape charges levelled against him by a former Asian Age employee saying they were in a consensual relationship.

The journalist, Pallavi Gogoi, has accused of raping her at a hotel in Jaipur over two decades ago. Gogoi, who is presently based in United States, has also claimed that she faced harassment at the hands of the former minister while working as the editor of the publication's op-ed page at the age of 23.

She narrated her alleged ordeal in a detailed column for the Washington Post, published on November 1.

"On 2 Nov, 2018, the Washington Post ran a piece written by Ms. Pallavi Gogoi, detailing false allegations of rape and violence against me. I have had occasion to read this article and it has become necessary, at this point in time, to bring certain facts to light," told ANI.

"Somewhere around 1994, Ms. Pallavi Gogoi & I entered into consensual relationship that spanned several months.This relationship gave rise to talk &would later cause strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on best note," he added.



In a separate statement, his wife Mallika Akbar also dismissed Gogoi's accusations, as a "lie".



In her statement, Mallika said "more than twenty years ago, Pallavi Gogoi caused unhappiness and discord in our home. I learned of her and my husband's involvement through her late night phone calls and her public display of affection in my presence." "I don't know Pallavi's reasons for telling this lie but a lie it is," she added.

Recounting the details of the alleged incident, Gogoi claims that she was once in Jaipur after covering an assignment in a remote village, when called her to his hotel for discussing a story. Upon reaching there, she was raped by the former editor of Asian Age, the woman alleged.

"In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me. Instead of reporting him to the police, I was filled with shame. I didn't tell anyone about this then. Would anyone have believed me? I blamed myself. Why did I go to the hotel room?" she wrote.

She further claimed that the incident left her broken and destroyed and she couldn't muster courage at the time to share it with her immediate colleagues.





ALSO READ: MJ Akbar records statement in defamation case, junks #MeToo allegations

"What was worse was that after that first time, his grip over me got tighter. I stopped fighting his advances because I felt so helpless. He continued to coerce me. For a few months, he continued to defile me sexually, verbally, emotionally," she asserted in her written account.

Gogoi further wrote that, years later, she shared the story of her alleged sexual assault with her friends and her to-be husband.

In the detailed piece about her experience with Akbar at the Asian Age, she has also alleged that before being raped, she resisted two of Akbar's attempts to forcibly kiss her.

She had joined the Asian Age at the age of 22 when Akbar was the editor.

Recalling the first incident from 1994, Gogoi claimed that Akbar first lunged to kiss her when she was getting an op-ed vetted by him. The incident, which she claims happened at the Asian Age office, left her red-faced, confused, and ashamed. She also asserted that she immediately confided in one of her colleagues.





ALSO READ: Shiv Sena attacks Centre for not taking action against MJ Akbar

The second incident, she wrote, happened at a posh Mumbai hotel, where Akbar called her to his room to see the layouts of a magazine. She claims to have fought another attempt of forced kissing by Akbar at this place, which resulted in scratch marks being left behind on her face.

While returning back to Delhi after the incident, Gogoi claimed to have been threatened by Akbar to be kicked out from the job. It was few months after these two incidents that the reported sexual assault in Jaipur took place, she added.

The American daily, in which the column was published, also reached out to MJ Akbar's lawyer for his client's version of the said incident.

"We reached out to Sandeep Kapur, M.J. Akbar's lawyer, for comment on the accounts laid out in this piece. The response: 'My client states that these [incidents and allegations] are false and expressly denied,'" the Washington Post said.
on Friday reportedly agreed to provide $6 billion in aid to Pakistan, which is going through a "low point", to minimise the cash-strapped country's dependence on an IMF bailout package as Prime Minister held talks with Chinese President

Khan, who is here on his maiden visit, met Xi in the Great Hall of People where the two leaders also held one-on-one meeting besides delegation-level talks, Pakistani media reports said.

Pakistan is expected to receive $6 billion economic package from during the visit, Geo TV quoted sources as saying.

A loan of $1.5 billion is also expected to be offered, along with an additional package of $3 billion for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the report said.

The loan and the investments were reportedly part of the $6 billion package.

There is no official comment from Beijing yet on the report.

Pakistan's government has "inherited a very difficult economic situation," Khan told Xi.

"Unfortunately our country is going through a low point at the moment with two very big deficits, a fiscal deficit and a current account deficit," he said.

Xi assured Khan that considers its relations with Pakistan a "diplomatic priority".

"China has always placed Pakistan as a diplomatic priority for China, supported Pakistan's safeguarding of national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and supported the new Pakistani government's smooth running of the government and advancement of national construction," the Chinese President said.

China's expected assistance is the second $6 billion package which Khan has managed to obtain in the last few weeks as Pakistan reeled under severe financial crisis.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia last month, Riyadh committed $6 billion funding which included $3 billion deferred payment for oil imports.

Finance Minister Asad Umar, who is accompanying Khan, earlier told media in Islamabad that Pakistan's strategy was to seek loans from multiple sources instead of asking the (IMF) alone to plug the entire gap in the country's financing needs.

He said Pakistan faced a deficit of $27 billion which included $9 billion debt repayment this year.

"After taking monetary and fiscal measures, in my opinion, our financing gap for this year will be around $12 billion," he said.

According to a report in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on Friday, Pakistan borrowed $6 billion from China last year to increase its dwindling foreign reserves.

Pakistan has already approached the IMF for a bailout package which it apprehends will come with stringent conditions of austerity besides scrutiny of $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects whose terms till now remained confidential.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has expressed opposition to using IMF money to repay Chinese loans.

An IMF delegation is due to visit China next week and the Khan government wants to minimise the bailout package it seeks from the international lender.

"Khan has posited that Chinese and Saudi financial assistance will reduce the amount Pakistan needs to borrow from the IMF, mitigating Pakistan's susceptibility to the US demands that its CPEC debt be transparent.

"China wants to avoid such transparency because exposing the terms of the CPEC project agreements could validate the US criticism of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a debt trap for emerging economies," the Post report said.

Khan is accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Umar, Advisor on Commerce and Trade Abdul Razzak Dawood, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed among others.

He would hold talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday after which both the countries would sign several agreements.

His visit here was regarded as significant as it is taking place amid critical remarks made by some ministers in Khan's Cabinet on the CPEC which had caused consternation among Chinese leaders considering the "all-weather" relations.

While Commerce Minister Dawood told the Financial Times that some of the CPEC agreements were unfair to Pakistani companies and should be put on hold for a year, Railways Minister Rasheed said that Pakistan wants to cut the size of the $8 billion Karachi-Peshawar rail line, the biggest project of the CPEC, by $2 billion.

The statements evoked serious concerns in China as the CPEC is the flagship project of President Xi's pet multi-billion BRI.

The CPEC has also become a major irritant in India-China relations with New Delhi voicing its opposition to the infrastructure project as it traverses through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

China also agreed to address his concern that the CPEC projects were mainly benefitting the dominant Punjab region and the new projects will focus on the western region of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

From Beijing's point of view, Pakistan's criticism of the project was a shocker, especially after China's takeover of Sri Lanka's Hambantota port on a 99-year lease as a debt swap.

In an interview to the Chinese state-run media ahead of his visit, Khan said the CPEC has given Pakistan a great opportunity to bring in foreign investment and to get out of the difficult economic situation it is facing.

He said Pakistan could learn more from China than any other developed country to tackle its various socio-economic challenges, including poverty and corruption.
Oil prices slipped further on Friday, heading for a weekly loss of more than 6 per cent, after a report that Washington has granted several countries sanction waivers allowing them to continue to import Iranian crude. Brent crude oil was down 10 cents a barrel at $72.79 by 1400 GMT. The contract has fallen by almost 12 per cent since the beginning of October when it reached its highest since 2014. US light crude weakened by 30 cents to $63.39, down more than 13 per cent since hitting four-year highs a month ago. Investors are concerned about the prospects for oil supply when ...
Welcoming efforts to unite opposition parties against the BJP, the DMK Friday pledged its support to the initiative of chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister to defeat the saffron party in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"Corrupt, autocratic and divisive forces are destroying the democratic fabric of our country. It is the need of the hour for all non- parties to come together on a common platform," DMK president M K Stalin tweeted.

"I congratulate @rahulgandhi and @ncbn for initiating steps towards this. They have my support," he said.

In a series of tweets, he said "Rahul Gandhi's opinion that all opposition parties should work together to defeat the is significant."



Corrupt, autocratic and divisive forces are destroying the democratic fabric of our country.



It is the need of the hour for all non- parties to come together on a common platform.



I congratulate @rahulgandhi and @ncbn for initiating steps towards this. They have my support.  M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) November 2, 2018

In Tamil Nadu, is a key ally of the DMK besides other opposition parties like the IUML.

Stalin, who is the leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu assembly, said he seconded Naidu's "save nation," slogan.

He alleged that the BJP led government at the Centre "snatched away state autonomy."



On issues like NEET, the DMK had opposed the Modi government, saying the centralised test was against social justice and took away the powers vested with the states.

The main opposition party had also opposed Governor Banwarilal Purohit's tour of districts on similar grounds.

While DMK has been steadfast in opposing the BJP and the Centre, the ruling AIADMK has been maintaining cordial ties with the saffron party, saying such an approach was needed to get funding and projects for the state.

Stalin had also months ago endorsed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's efforts to bring various parties together to oppose and defeat the BJP.

had said Thursday that the primary challenge before all the opposition forces was to work together and defend India's institutions and democracy.

Naidu had asserted that the need of the day was to save the nation and democracy. "That's why I discussed with Rahulji also. In-principally we have agreed," he had said.

"Some of you have doubt about our past. It is a democratic compulsion now, we are joining together to protect this country," Naidu had said.




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.
As the Assembly elections in are inching closer, residents in Damoh's Jabera are staging protests over the lack of clean drinking water in the village.

Protesting villagers have warned the local administration of boycotting polls over the unavailability of clean drinking water.

Urging the government to address the issue at the earliest, one of the villagers told ANI, "We are facing the problem of inadequate clean drinking water since 30-40 years. We have approached the district administration several times demanding a pond from where we (villagers) can fetch clean water for domestic use, but our demands have gone in vain. We won't vote if safe drinking is not provided to us. We have pledged to boycott the elections this time."

Meanwhile, a girl, who was seen carrying a water container on her head and walking down a pothole-ridden road in the scorching heat, revealed that as the villagers have no proper water facility, they are compelled to travel at least two to five kilometres each time to get clean water for drinking or domestic purposes. The girl also said that due to this, children are bound to miss classes.

Expressing the ordeal, another villager claimed that with the onset of summer, the situation takes a turn for the worse as villagers are bound to leave to the village due to lack of clean water.

"We have raised this issue several times in front of Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Collector, and Member of Parliament (MP) but this has borne no fruit. We are suffering a lot. We have decided to boycott elections this time if no action is taken. We will also not vote for 2019 Lok Sabha elections if the situation remains persistent," the villager said.

Banners were also seen installed outside one of the polling booths which read "we will boycott elections if safe drinking water not provided to us".

Assembly elections will take place on November 28 to elect members to the 230 constituencies in the state. The result of the polls will be declared on December 11.

The election is being perceived as a direct political battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. While incumbent Chief Minister is looking to secure his consecutive fourth term, the Congress will fight for regaining power after being overpowered in 2003.
The European Union will consider stripping Sri Lanka of its duty-free access if it backs off commitments on rights, the EU ambassador said, amid worries stoked by the president's replacing of the elected premier by a wartime nationalist. The European Union is worried the return of Mahinda Rajapaksa, as prime minister, could derail halting progress made towards national reconciliation following a war with ethnic minority Tamil separatists that killed tens of thousands, many during the final stages under his watch as president. "The government got GSP on the basis of ...
When John Vrionis and Jyoti Bansal set out to raise money this year for their first venture capital fund, Unusual Ventures, industry peers advised them to go after the easy money  sovereign wealth funds like those managed by Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, which have become major investors in Silicon Valley. People would say, Its really easy  theyll give you as much money as you want, Vrionis said. But the pair said they didnt feel comfortable making investments on behalf of repressive governments. Instead, they sought investments ...
President Trumps closing argument is now clear: Build tent cities for migrants. End birthright citizenship. Fear the caravan. Send active-duty troops to the border. Refuse asylum. Immigration has been the animating issue of the Trump presidency, and now  with the possibility that Republicans could face significant losses in the midterm elections on Tuesday  the president has fully embraced a dark, anti-immigrant message in the hope that stoking fear will motivate voters to reject Democrats. In a rambling speech on Thursday afternoon that was riddled with ...
An enormous plot of land in the Nevada desert  bigger than nearby Reno  has been the subject of local intrigue since a company with no history, Blockchains LLC, bought it for $170 million in cash this year. The man who owns the company, a lawyer and cryptocurrency millionaire named Jeffrey Berns, put on a helmet and climbed into a Polaris off-road vehicle last week to give a tour of the sprawling property and dispel a bit of the mystery. He imagines a sort of experimental community spread over about a hundred square miles, where houses, schools, commercial ...
US has suggested that the military deployed at the southwestern border with could fire on the caravan if people throw stones at the soldiers.

Currently, an estimated 5,000-7,000 people from three Latin American countries --El Salvador, Honduras and -- are marching towards the US through has deployed more than 5,000 military personnel on the southwestern border to stop them from entering.

Responding to a question from reporters after he announced changes in the current catch-and-release policy, hoped that the does not has to open fire at these illegal immigrants.

"I hope not. I hope not. It's the military. I hope there won't be that," he said.

But, Trump added, anybody throwing stones and rocks, like they did in Mexico, that would be considered as a firearm, because "there's not much difference when you get hit in the face with a rock".

Trump alleged that these immigrants were throwing rocks, viciously, and violently. "You saw that three days ago, really hurting the military. We're not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back," he said.

"We're going to consider -- and I told them consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks like they did at the military and police, I say consider it a rifle," he added.

"They broke in to Mexico. And you look at what's happening in along with El Salvador and Honduras. It's disgraceful that those countries aren't able to stop this because they should be able to stop it before it starts.

"And the pays them a fortune and we're looking at not doing that anymore because why should we be doing that when they do nothing for us?" he asked.
The United States has said that while their goal remains to completely put an end to Iran's oil exports, it is considering exemption of certain nations, that purchase oil from Iran, from their proposed sanctions.

"The United States is in the midst of an internal process to consider significant reduction exceptions for individual countries. We are working with countries on a case-by-case basis," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told ANI.

"Our goal remains to get to zero oil purchases from Iran as quickly as possible," she added.

Nauert had earlier said that the import of Iranian oil and the signing of the recent S-400 Triumpf air defence missile deal are not helpful for the ties between India and the United States.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan had stated that despite the possibility of US sanctions, Indian companies have made nominations to purchase oil from Iran.

"Two days ago, two of our companies made nominations to purchase Iranian oil in November. We do not know if we will get a waiver (from US sanctions) or not. Isn't it new diplomatic power and recognition of the new leadership of India?" Pradhan said earlier this month.

November 4 is the deadline for the US announcements regarding
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet approved draft legislation on Friday to open the door to more overseas blue-collar workers in sectors grappling with labour shortages, a controversial policy shift in immigration-shy Japan. Japan's immigration debate is heating up even as U.S. President Donald Trump puts the topic front and centre for next week's Congressional mid-term elections. Immigration has long been taboo as many Japanese prize ethnic homogeneity, but the reality of an ageing, shrinking population is challenging such views. Despite misgivings in ...
The news that the Americans recently held face-to-face talks with the Taliban suggests that the longest war in US history may have reached a turning point. But the road to such a peace is long, rocky, and plagued with as many improvised explosive devices as the highway from Kandahar to Kabul. That the 17-year old war has reached a tipping point seems clear.

The Taliban now controls more territory than they have since the American invasion in 2001. Casualties among Afghan forces are at an all-time high, while recruitment is rapidly drying up. In spite of last years ...
The US has agreed to temporarily allow eight "jurisdictions" to continue buying Iranian after it reimposes crippling sanctions on on November 5, Secretary of State said on Friday.

The US has told various countries, including India, to cut imports from the Persian Gulf nation to "zero" by November 4 or face sanctions.

The US is to issue temporary exemption to eight "jurisdictions" from Iranian sanctions recognising their significant reduction in imports of from Iran. The names of the jurisdictions would be released on Monday, Pompeo said.

India, which is the second biggest purchaser of Iranian oil after China, is willing to restrict its monthly purchase to 1.25 million tonnes or 15 million tonnes in a year (300,000 barrels per day), down from 22.6 million tonnes (452,000 barrels per day) bought in 2017-18 financial year, sources in New Delhi said.

In May, US pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark nuclear the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) terming it as disastrous". Under the Obama-era deal, involving five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany, Iran agreed to stop its nuclear programme in exchange of relief from economic sanctions.

After the US' withdrawal from the deal, Trump signed fresh sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with on its controversial nuclear weapons programme.

"The United States is in the midst of an internal process to consider significant reduction exceptions for individual countries, but that is only on a case-by-case basis," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Paladino said on Thursday.

He was responding to questions on the news reports from South Korea and that they are getting waivers from the US on the punitive Iranian sanctions.
Crisis-hit Jet Airways on Friday announced that complimentary access to the luxury lounge at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport will be "temporarily unavailable" for its passengers.

"Jet Airways wishes to inform that access to the GVK Lounge at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai Terminal 2 is temporarily unavailable. The airline sincerely regrets the inconvenience to its loyal guests and seeks their understanding in the interim, even as it works to reinstate the complimentary access soon," the airlines' official statement mentioned.

The announcement by the cash-strapped airline came after a notice reportedly posted at the GVK, which is the first airport lounge to have made luxury accessible to only First class and Business class travellers, informed passengers that complimentary access to the lounge is not available for Jet Airways customers only.

Jet Airways, on Thursday, had said that they would pay the second 25 per cent installment of September salary to pilots, engineers and senior management on Friday.

"We would like to inform you that another 25 per cent of your September 2018 salary is being remitted tomorrow. We sincerely acknowledge your unwavering support and commitment to the organisation and remain hopeful of overcoming these challenging times soon. Please be reassured that every possible effort is being made to release the remaining amount at the earliest and the Company remains committed to honour its obligations," an official statement read.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) will conduct an inquiry into the Amritsar train tragedy in which at least 60 people were killed earlier this month.

The matter has become a matter of great public discourse, especially raising concerns regarding the safety of people trespassing on railway tracks. Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla held a meeting with Union Minister of Railways and Coal, Piyush Goyal and handed over a letter, requesting an inquiry by the CRS in the incident.

The Ministry of Railways has considered the request and other facts, circumstances and legal provisions. As per the law, it is not mandatory, in such cases, for an inquiry to be conducted by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS), but it is not impermissible either.

In the past, CRS inquiries have been conducted in incidents where people have been run over by trains on railway tracks.

Although the Railways does not appear to be responsible in this incident, the issue of inquiry conducted by an independent and technically competent authority, not reporting to Ministry of Railways, was considered and a request was made to the CCRS to conduct an inquiry in this matter.

Considering this, the CCRS has ordered a statutory inquiry into the incident.

On October 20, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had ordered a magisterial inquiry under the Divisional Commissioner of Jalandhar to ascertain the cause of the accident.

The accident took place at the Dhobi Ghat ground in Choura Bazar near Jhoda Phatak area in Amritsar on October 19 after a speeding train ran over a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto the railway tracks while watching the burning of a Ravana effigy.
Three days after a 38-year-old teacher in Bawana area of the capital was shot at in broad daylight, the Delhi Police have arrested three accused, including the husband of the deceased.

Following an investigation in the case, Delhi Police on Thursday arrested 38-year-old Manjeet, husband of the deceased and a resident of Bawana village who is accused of hatching the murder plot of his wife.

As per initial investigation by the police, the deceased's husband was in an extramarital relationship with a model. The woman named Sunita, who was a teacher by profession, was allegedly killed for opposing her husband's illegitimate relationship.

Police have also arrested the 26-year-old model and a man, Rajeev, a co-conspirator in the case, who is reported to be the model's father.

A search operation is underway to nab the persons who were hired to kill the teacher.

On October 29, Sunita was killed after being shot by unknown assailants while she was on her way to school in the morning. She received three bullet injuries- two in the chest and one in the stomach- and died on the way to the hospital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Pune Sessions Court on Friday rejected bail plea of advocate Shoma Sen, who has been accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case.

Sen moved the bail application in the Pune Sessions Court on September 14.

Shoma Sen and four others-- Mahesh Raut, Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale and Rona Wilson, were arrested for "Maoist" links in June.

The five were accused of their alleged involvement in the violence that erupted earlier this year during the 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle.

Apart from this, five activists, namely poet Vara Vara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj, activists Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, and Gautam Navlakha, have also been put under house arrest since August 29 for their alleged involvement in the violence.

One person was killed and many were injured in the clashes which took place on January 1, 2018.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government, in an affidavit, had told the Supreme Court that the activists were "members of banned terrorist organisation Communist Party of India (Maoist)".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two security personnel were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off during a demining operation in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Friday.

"Two security personnel were injured in an IED blast during a demining operation in the Kanker district," Special Director General of Anti-Naxal Operations, DM Awasthi said.

He also informed that an encounter with the Naxals is underway in Bijapur district.

"In Bijapur encounter is underway with Naxals, a body of a Naxal and a 303 rifle has been recovered," Awasthi informed.

Assembly elections are scheduled in Chhattisgarh in two phases- November 12 and 20.

Security agencies are on their toes to ensure that polling goes smoothly in the Naxal-affected state.

On Tuesday, a cameraperson of public broadcaster Doordarshan and three police officers were killed in an ambush in a poll-bound Dantewada district- a Maoist hotbed. Police, however, say the attack was not related to upcoming polls in the state.

Earlier on October 27, four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel lost their lives in an IED blast by Naxals in Bijapur, while two jawans were injured in the blast.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With assembly elections in the state inching closer, the political battle has intensified, not only among political rivals but within the parties as well.

On Thursday, Congress party workers created ruckus at the district party office in Bilaspur and protested against an alleged anomaly in ticket distribution for the upcoming assembly polls. In a similar incident, the party office in Raipur witnessed the wrath of aggrieved workers, who vented out their anger against ticket allocation for one seat.

At the Bilaspur party office, Congress workers raised slogans against one of the party candidate who was given a ticket for one of the constituencies of the district. Slogans were also raised against senior party leader and Chhattisgarh Congress in-charge PL Punia.

Some protestors also broke chairs and ransacked the office of the Congress district president, while a large group staged a sit-in outside the district party office.

Following the ruckus, district Congress President Vijay Kesharwani said, "If party workers have a grievance over ticket distribution, they have a right to raise an objection and we will be taking their concerns to the party leaders. There is some resentment among party workers but we want to assure that all will fight together to defeat Bharatiya Janata Party."

District party functionary Narendra Bolar added, "From last 15 years we are out of power but have been struggling for the party. We believe that workers who have been dedicatedly working for all these years must be considered for the candidature of the party. There is some angst among some workers and we will be bringing their concerns to the notice state leadership of the party."

Later in the day, ruckus ensued at the Congress office in Raipur following arguments over the Raipur South seat.

Speaking about the incident in Raipur, party leader R Tiwari said, "It is Congress workers' sentiments for the seat as they have the right to speak. They had a discussion with state in-charge PL Punia. There may be some resentment on any issue among party workers but their voice will be heard."

Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in two phases- first on November 12 and second on November 20. The high stakes political battle will conclude on December 11 with the counting of votes.

In the 2013 polls, BJP had won 49 seats, Congress bagged 39, while Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and an Independent candidate had won a seat each.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Renu Jogi, wife of former chief minister Ajit Jogi, on Thursday penned a letter to United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi after the Congress party denied her ticket to seek re-election from Kota seat in Chhattisgarh in the upcoming state elections.

Renu is a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Kota constituency. The Congress party has instead opted to field Vibhor Singh from the seat this time.

Unhappy with the decision, Renu Jogi, in the letter to Sonia Gandhi, stated that she has been facing criticism from various political leaders in and outside Congress ever since her husband Ajit Jogi left the party and formed Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) in 2016.

"I feel sad to inform you that there is no conscience in the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Party to examine the self-esteem and sacrifice of a loyal and senior woman worker. Perhaps you are constrained, so you delayed in making the right decision," Renu Jogi wrote in the letter.

Giving not many details about her further actions, she further stated that she will contest from Kota only in the upcoming state elections.

"I will contest from Kota only to prove that truth might remain silent, but it cannot be defeated. I believe that in the end, truth will win," she wrote.

Later addressing a reporters in vilaspur, Renu said, "got the info that Vibhor Singh was given Congress ticket from Kota. This decision was unexpected, but I welcome it. I expected that Congress would give me due recognition for my dedication towards it," she said.

"Tomorrow is the last date of filling nomination and till then I will take time to decide my future course of action, she added.

The Congress party on Thursday announced its final list of candidates comprising of 19 names for the upcoming assembly polls in the state.

The party has fielded Vibhor Singh from Kota, Kuldeep Juneja from Raipur City North and Kanhaiya Agarwal from Raipur City South.

Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in two phases, first on November 12 and second November 20. The results will be announced on December 11.

.
A former Asian Age employee has accused MJ Akbar of raping her at a hotel in Jaipur over two decades ago. The journalist, who is presently based in United States, has also claimed that she faced harassment at the hands of the former minister while working as the editor of the publication's op-ed page at the age of 23.

The journalist, Pallavi Gogoi, narrated her alleged ordeal in a detailed column for the Washington Post, published on November 1.

Recounting the details of the alleged incident, Gogoi claims that she was once in Jaipur after covering an assignment in a remote village, when MJ Akbar called her to his hotel for discussing a story. Upon reaching there, she was raped by the former editor of Asian Age, the woman alleged.

"In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me. Instead of reporting him to the police, I was filled with shame. I didn't tell anyone about this then. Would anyone have believed me? I blamed myself. Why did I go to the hotel room?" she wrote.

She further claimed that the incident left her broken and destroyed and she couldn't muster courage at the time to share it with her immediate colleagues.

"What was worse was that after that first time, his grip over me got tighter. I stopped fighting his advances because I felt so helpless. He continued to coerce me. For a few months, he continued to defile me sexually, verbally, emotionally," she asserted in her written account.

Gogoi further wrote that, years later, she shared the story of her alleged sexual assault with her friends and her to-be husband.

In the detailed piece about her experience with Akbar at the Asian Age, she has also alleged that before being raped, she resisted two of Akbar's attempts to forcibly kiss her.

She had joined the Asian Age at the age of 22 when Akbar was the editor.

Recalling the first incident from 1994, Gogoi claimed that Akbar first lunged to kiss her when she was getting an op-ed vetted by him. The incident, which she claims happened at the Asian Age office, left her red-faced, confused, and ashamed. She also asserted that she immediately confided in one of her colleagues.

The second incident, she wrote, happened at a posh Mumbai hotel, where Akbar called her to his room to see the layouts of a magazine. She claims to have fought another attempt of forced kissing by Akbar at this place, which resulted in scratch marks being left behind on her face.

While returning back to Delhi after the incident, Gogoi claimed to have been threatened by Akbar to be kicked out from the job. It was few months after these two incidents that the reported sexual assault in Jaipur took place, she added.

The American daily, in which the column was published, also reached out to MJ Akbar's lawyer for his client's version of the said incident.

"We reached out to Sandeep Kapur, M.J. Akbar's lawyer, for comment on the accounts laid out in this piece. The response: 'My client states that these [incidents and allegations] are false and expressly denied,'" the Washington Post said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has opined that over 80 per cent of jobs in the private sector of the state should be for the local youth.

Addressing the gathering at an event on Thursday, Rupani asserted that the state government is making all efforts to provide job opportunities to local youth and arrangements are being made for making technical and soft skills available to them.

"This is the land where trade and tradition, commerce and culture, Entrepreneurship development and grit are blended together. We are making most efforts for providing job opportunities to youth. We want more than 80 per cent jobs in the private sector for local youth and good local workforce for industries. We are making arrangements for technical and soft skills to be made available to local youth."

Furthermore, Rupani shared statistics related to development in Gujarat and emphasised on the state's contribution to the overall growth of the country.

"Gujarat constitutes 5 per cent of the population and we form 6 per cent of land area, however, our contribution to India's GDP is 7.6 per cent. Gujarat contributes 22 per cent of total export of country; in capaitalisation of stock market Gujarat has 30 per cent stake and in total production of the country, the state has 19 per cent contribution. In terms of foreign investment coming to India, Gujarat's share is 8 per cent,

said the Chief Minister.

Rupani further gave details of the foreign investment received by the state. "From April 2000 to June 2018, Gujarat has received 20 billion dollars of foreign investment. Gujarat boasts of excellent urban infrastructure, business-friendly environment and zero unrest, which makes it an ideal state for migration today," he said.

Rupani also termed Gujarat as one of the leading investment destinations in the world and said, "In ease of doing business and banking sector, Gujarat has always been on top. In the chemical and petrochemical sector, the state is a leader. Gujarat is a automotive hub and global pharmacy hub. In 38 indicators of development, Gujarat is one of the top 3 states in the country. Gujarat is today one of the top 10 investment destinations in the world."

On October 9, Gujarat Energy Minister Saurabhbhai Patel had invited private players of the energy sector to invest in renewable energy in the state. He had also said that the aim of his government is to provide energy at a cheaper rate to farmers and citizens while appealing to private entities to invest in this sector.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Himachal Pradesh is all set to make new DNA technology upgrades to its State and Range Forensic Science Laboratories (RFSLs) that will increase the number of cases being analysed.

The FSL in Junga is the first in the country to initiate well-equipped DNA facilities in all its labs across the state. The aim here is to accelerate the DNA profiling process that will lead to quicker investigation and trial, thus fast-tracking the criminal justice system.

According to a data shared by the Himachal Pradesh State FSL, sexual assault/rape makes up for 44 per cent of the total cases received for DNA profiling. An unfortunate number of 900 cases are still pending for DNA analysis and 14 per cent of this number are samples from victims of sexual assault. These new DNA technology upgrades will essentially bring down the number of unsolved sexual assault crimes in the state.

Addressing a media briefing in Shimla, Dr. Arun Sharma, Director, State Forensic Science Laboratory, Himachal Pradesh said, "In light of the state of heinous crimes in Himachal Pradesh, we are already working on upgrading our systems. To start with, we have invested over INR 1.50 Crore on a new 24 Capillary DNA sequencer that will replace the older four-capillary sequencer; Rs 30 lakh on a Robotic DNA Extraction System that enhances the quantity and quality of DNA extraction; and Rs 1.25 crore on purchasing automated DNA sequencers for our Range FSLs."

"Additionally, the lab has a training plan in consonance with ISO: 17025 standard and the same is being implemented effectively. We have already recruited three trained DNA experts and are in the process of training two more along with four new support staff," he added.

Sharma further said the new upgrades are already in the process of procurement and are in the final stages of monetary bid evaluation with the suppliers. These new equipments will be a part of FSL inventory within the next 4 - 8 weeks, he added.

Emphasising on crime situation in the state, Dr. Vivek Sahajpal, Asst. Director (DNA), State Forensic Science Laboratory, Himachal Pradesh said, "A DNA database is crucial to solve crimes involving repeat offenders. For example, serious crimes such as the rape and murder of a teacher in Poanta Sahib and the infamous Gudiya case reported recently indicate that a DNA Database would have helped to fast-track these cases. In fact, if we had a DNA database, cases such as the recent Navi Mumbai rape and murder case that took eight years and 900 DNA profiles to nab the criminal could have been solved in a shorter period, thus saving many lives in the process."

From a legal perspective, DNA evidence can have a massive impact on the investigation-proving beyond reasonable doubt if the accused is the culprit or has been falsely implicated and is in fact innocent; it can connect unrelated crimes and even prevent crime itself. DNA profiling if managed effectively can be a turning point in investigation as well as the trial.

Highlighting his thoughts on the new DNA facility upgrades, Tim Schellberg, Founder and President, Gordon Thomas Honeywell-Governmental Affairs (GTH-GA) said, "Himachal Pradesh has taken a great step forward by upgrading its forensic facilities. This amazing initiative is in the right direction, aiding to facilitate more DNA casework, and create more DNA yield in a really short span of time, thus reducing backlogs and pendency in cases of heinous crimes. This successfully creates a strong premise towards DNA databasing in India."

The Indian government has already taken numerous steps towards initiating a successful databasing system and using DNA evidence to solve crime. The 'Human DNA Profiling Bill' has already been introduced in the Parliament and is all expected to be discussed in the Winter Session. Maneka Gandhi, Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development has already written to the Chief Minister of every state to seek funding for their forensic facilities through the Nirbhaya Fund.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Home Affairs has released a set of guidelines/standard operating procedures on how to collect, preserve and transport crime scene DNA. These guidelines have been adapted from International processes and customised to suit the Indian laws and regulations. A much-needed initiative, these guidelines enable the law enforcement to do their job more effectively, leading to a decrease in contaminated DNA being sent to the FSLs, thus resulting in a valuable DNA sample that can enable successful investigation and trial.

On the matter of the DNA database, there have been several associated privacy concerns. However, contrary to popular belief, DNA database store profiles of convicted criminals who've committed serious crimes only. Furthermore, the unique DNA profile created does not reveal any information on genetic health or other characteristics such as hair, color, age, built, height, intelligence, except gender.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested one member of the Al-Badr terror outfit in Handwara town of Kupwara district.

The incident took place on Thursday. Arms and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorist.

The terrorist identified as Sajjad Ahmad Dar is a resident of Rohumu in Pulwama. Dar was missing from his home since October 3, this year.

The police received special information and nabbed Dar at a check-post at Chutipora crossing. A pistol and two grenades were also recovered from him.

Deputy Inspector General (North Kashmir), Atul Kumar Goel said, "Around 2:30 pm, Handwara police arrested a person and recovered a pistol and two grenades during the search at a check post at Chutipora crossing. His identity has been established as Sajjad Ahmad Dar. He was missing from his house since October 3 and had joined Al-Badr."

A case has been registered against him at Police Station, Handwara and the investigation has been initiated.

In the last 24 hours, one terrorist was gunned down by security forces during an encounter in Handwara, while two terrorists were holed up in Sopore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Japan Airlines pilot was on Thursday arrested shortly prior to his scheduled flight from London to Tokyo as alcohol in his bloodstream surpassed the legally permitted levels by almost ten-folds.

42-year-old Katsutoshi Jitsukawa pleaded guilty to the offence at the Uxbridge Magistrates' Court, CNN reported citing UK Press Association reports.

Blood tests conducted a mere 50 minutes before Japan Airlines flight JL44 was scheduled for takeoff confirmed that First Officer Jitsukawa had 189 mg of alcohol per 100 ml blood in his body, with the law capping off the permitted limit at 80 mg.

Jitsukawa was apprehended as a crew bus driver caught whiffs of alcohol and informed the police, CNN cited Japanese broadcaster NHK as confirming. He confessed he drank two bottles of wine and a pitcher of beer the night before his flight.

The pilot was due to fly a Boeing 777 aircraft, which can accommodate 244 flyers. He is currently in custody and will be sentenced on November 29 at the Isleworth Crown Court.

Japan Airlines issued a statement of apology, saying "safety remains our utmost priority" and that they will "implement immediate actions to prevent any future occurrences."

After over an hour's delay, the flight departed under the charge of the two remaining pilots.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actors Kate Mara and Simon Pegg are all set to treat their fans as they are in talks to star in the independent thriller 'Inheritance'.

British director Vaughn Stein will be helming the thriller, while Richard B. Lewis is producing the film alongside David Wulf, Dan Reardon and Santosh Govindaraju. Matthew Kennedy is writing the script for the flick, reported Variety.

The film is based on what happens when the patriarch of a wealthy and influential family suddenly passes away, leaving his wife and daughter with a shocking secret inheritance that threatens to unravel and devastate their lives.

Mara's credits include Ridley Scott's 'The Martian', 'Meagan Leavey' and 'Chappaquiddick'. She has earned an Emmy nomination for her work on 'House of Cards'.

Pegg recently reprised the role of Benji Dunn, alongside Tom Cruise in the Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout', and was also seen in Steven Spielberg's 'Ready Player One' earlier this year. He will next appear in the horror action comedy 'Slaughterhouse Rulez', which he will also executive produce alongside Nick Frost under the pair's Stolen Picture banner.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
To mark the 100th anniversary of the end of Anglo-Kuki war of 1917-19, the Kuki tribes of Manipur recently observed the centennial with the unveiling of a Monolith in Manipur's Churanchandpur district.

The theme for the centennial ceremony was "war heroes who valiantly fought for Kuki rights and freedom".

During the centenary commemoration, gun salutes were given as a mark of honour to the leaders who died while defending their ancestral land and freedom. Cultural items were also performed as part of the commemoration.

The Kukis consider the day as one of the biggest uprisings by the tribe against the colonial power as in 1917, the British had demanded recruits to their Labour corps, but Kuki chiefs refused to join and instead declared war on the colonisers in 1917.

Letzamang Haokip, Chairman of the Anglo Kuki War Celebration Committee, said, "It's not only important for the Kuki community, but it is important for the whole state of Manipur and some parts of other states including Burma (in Myanmar) because we were fighting the British force in protection of our ancestral land and also our free self-government."

On the sidelines of the event, Dr. Sailen Haokip Kuki Organisation's (KNO) spokesperson expressed happiness over the positive development on the ongoing talks with the Centre and Manipur government.

Kuki outfits, under KNO and United People's Front (UPF), have been holding talks with the Centre since June 2016 after signing a Suspension of Operations agreement for stopping counterinsurgency operations against Kuki militants in the state.

"KNO and UPF have united on a political platform for the particular Kuki community we would envision a similar kind of unity may be a political platform with our Meitei brothers and the Nagas also. We have to provide security due to certain elements, we don't want to blame the whole community for these things, they are specific and we have specified also. Our main social objective is that we co-exist with all our neighbours," said Haokip.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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A nine-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped after being abducted by three men, who also robbed her house in Balisahi area of Odisha's Ganjam district on Wednesday night.

The incident took place when the victim and her parents were asleep inside their house. The robbers allegedly broke into the house, stole the valuables and abducted the girl.

Narrating the incident, victim's father said, "Three persons barged into our house with an intention of robbery. They looted gold ornaments and cash. Before fleeing the spot, they abducted my daughter."

The trio took the minor victim to a nearby farm and allegedly raped her. She was later rescued and hospitalised by her family members. As her health condition was serious, she was shifted to Maharaja Krishna Chandra Gajapati Medical College.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Ganjam, BK Rai said, "A case has been registered. Police have started an investigation into the incident. We have launched a manhunt to nab the culprits.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The banned outfit, Communist Party of India (Maoist) has said that it had no intention to kill Doordarshan News cameraman Achutyanand Sahu in the recent attack that took place in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada on October 30. The Naxals also claimed that they were unaware of the fact that Sahu was a media person.

However, Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Pallav punctured their claims and questioned why Naxals looted Sahu's camera if they did not intend to target media. The cop also detailed how gravely Sahu was injured.

"Why was the camera looted? For the first time, while running away, they left two automatic weapons but did not throw a video camera. Why? Because it has recorded evidence of what happened in the first few minutes of targeted media ambush? Multiple bullet wounds and multiple fractures of skull bones sustained by the cameraman in no ways indicates it was by mistake, Naxals saw him shooting posters with a camera for 10 minutes and then ambush started," Pallav said.

Condemning the killing of the DD cameraman and the soldiers, the SP said, "I salute my thirty brave soldiers who repulsed this barbaric PLGA ambush in which more than 200 Naxals were forced to flee leaving weapons and saved two media personnel. Intelligence reports of three Naxals also being killed and cremated yesterday are coming while one Naxal has sustained injuries on the hand."

The CPI (Maoist), in its statement, also warned media not to visit the Red Corridor area along with the security forces.

"We never attack media intentionally. DD Cameraman Achutyanand Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and we had no intention of targeting the media. We appeal media persons and officers who are assigned or deployed by the Election Commission for polls preparations to visit the area without the security forces," Secretary of Darbha Division Committee CPI (Maoist), Sainath said in the letter.

Sahu, along with three police personnel, were killed in an ambush in poll-bound Dantewada district, a Maoist hotbed in the heavily forested central Indian state.

Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in two phases, first on November 12 and second November 20. The results will be announced on December 11.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has returned home after a five-day long treatment in a hospital.

Oli was admitted to Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center on Monday morning after having an infection in the chest.

"Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has recovered fully and has been discharged from the hospital. All his tests and reports are normal," the hospital said.

Even though the hospital had deemed Oli's health condition as normal, the doctors waited till Friday evening for his kidney reports.

He was discharged at around 8:30 pm (local time).

The Nepal premier had undergone a kidney transplant in 2007 and is said to have a weak immune system. He was taken to hospital in the wee hours of Monday as he had a respiratory problem.

Following his discharge from the hospital, Prime Minister Oli is expected to get back to his work by Monday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Investigation Agency (NIA) special court has issued non-bailable warrants against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahudeen in connection with Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case.

The probe agency charged the two with offences under Section 120B, 121 and 121A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39 and 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The NIA approached the court for issuing non-bailable warrants against the two for their active involvement in terror funding for creating unrest in the Kashmir valley and other parts of India.

"They mobilised Pakistan trained terrorists and pushed them into India from Pakistan in connivance with secessionist and separatist leaders for waging war against Government of India with the nefarious design of seceding Jammu and Kashmir from Union of India," read the statement issued by the NIA.

The probe agency said that they have already filed charge sheet in the instant case on January 18 against 12 accused persons, including Saeed and Salahudeen.

Further investigation in the matter is underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has condemned the killing of former senator and Jamiat Ulema Islam-Sami (JUI-S) chief Maulana Sami ul Haq.

Khan thanked Haq for his service to the nation and said that his death has deprived Pakistan of an important religious leader, reported Geo News.

The Pakistan premier also sought a report into the incident and directed that an investigation should be carried out immediately to find the assailants.

Khan is currently on his maiden visit to China.

Denouncing the assassination of the JUI-S chief, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar sought a report from the Inspector General Punjab Police.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat took to Twitter to confirm Haq's killing.

"Maulana Sami ul Haq has been assassinated. Small protests have erupted in Aabpara chowk. Everyone is advised to please stay at home for a while. We will take control of the situation in a while," he tweeted.

Maulana Samiul Haq was stabbed to death at his residence in Rawalpindi on Friday. He was known as 'Father of Taliban' for his radical views and patronage to terror groups, including Taliban.

ARY TV quoted JUI-S chief's son Maulana Hamid ul Haq as saying that Samiul Haq was ill and was taking rest at home when he was attacked.

Maulana Samiul Haq was elected as a Senator in 1985 before holding the post again in 1991.

His death has come at a time when Pakistan is already going through a volatile religio-political crisis over the Supreme Court acquitting Asiya Bibi, a Christian woman, in a blasphemy case.

Most recently, Haq was aligned with Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and sought to work closely with him.

A few days ago, a high-level delegation from Afghanistan had met him at his seminary, Darul Uloom Haqqania in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and urged him to mediate between different groups of Taliban as they considered him as a father figure.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Pakistan senator and Jamiat Ulema Islam-Sami (JUI-S) chief Maulana Samiul Haq was stabbed to death at his residence in Rawalpindi on Friday. He was known as 'Father of Taliban' for his radical views and patronage to terror groups, including Taliban.

ARY TV quoted JUI-S chief's son Maulana Hamid ul Haq as saying that Samiul Haq was ill and was taking rest at home when he was attacked.

More details into the incident are awaited.

Maulana Samiul Haq was elected as a Senator in 1985 before holding the post again in 1991.

His death has come at a time when Pakistan is already going through a volatile religio-political crisis over Supreme Court acquittig Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, in a blasphemy case.

More recently Haq was aligned with Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and sought to work closely with him.

Few days ago, a high-level delegation from Afghanistan had met him at his seminary, Darul Uloom Haqqania in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and urged him to mediate between different groups of Taliban as they considered him as a father figure.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is on his maiden visit to China.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pallavi Gogoi, the former Asian Age journalist who has levelled rape allegations against former Union Minister of State for External Affairs M. J. Akbar, on Thursday quashed the latter's claims that their relationship was consensual.

In a statement, Pallavi said, "Rather than take responsibility for his abuse of me and his serial predation of other young women who have courageously come forward, Akbar has insisted - just like other infamous serial sexual abusers of women - that the relationship was consensual. It was not."

She further stated that "a relationship that is based on coercion, and abuse of power, is not consensual," adding, "I stand by every word in my published account. I will continue to speak my truth so that other women who have been sexually assaulted by him know it is okay for them to come forward and speak their truth too."

In an article published on November 1 in the Washington Post, Pallavi narrated how Akbar had allegedly raped her in a Jaipur hotel around 23 years ago, back when the two were colleagues at the Asian Age. She also made claims of several other incidents of sexual harassment by Akbar during their time at the publication.

Pallavi was 22 when she joined the Asian Age, where Akbar was the editor.

This was the first instance of a rape allegation being levelled on the former Minister, although a number of cases of sexual harassment surfaced against him as part of India's #MeToo firestorm.

In response, Akbar denied the allegations and said that he and Pallavi had "entered into a consensual relationship that spanned several months," adding that their relationship caused "significant strife in his" personal life as well.

Akbar's wife, Mallika, corroborated his version of the story, stating that his relationship with the scribe caused a lot of discord and unhappiness in their marital life as there were a number of late night phone calls and public display of affection between the two.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Additional Director General (ADG) of Telangana Police Jitender on Friday emphasised that the entire police force is fully geared up to ensure free and fair assembly elections in the state which is due on December 7.

Elaborating about preparations and arrangements done so far, Jitender told ANI, "We have completed vulnerability and criticality mapping of the poll booths and accordingly 'bandobast' plan has also been chalked out."

He further informed that 24 companies (paramilitary forces) of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have already arrived in the state for maintaining law and order. "These forces are conducting regular flag march in different parts of the state and carrying out confidence-building exercises" especially in critical places which are infested with Naxals, he explained.

On security arrangements in Naxal hit districts, Jitender said that they have issued guidelines to the security personnel on how to retaliate the Naxals and what measures they must take while being posted in such difficult areas.

"We have over 32,500 polling booths across the state out of which 5000 have been identified as 'critical' which are hit by Naxals or are affected by other factors. There are high chances that Naxals will create a ruckus in the state during the election time as they have been dissipated from the past 10 years from the region. Places such as Asifabad district, some parts of Ramagundam, Bhadradri Kothagudem are some of the major areas which had been affected by Naxals in the past," he elucidated.

Giving out more details about the preparation undertaken in the state, the senior officer further said that the police have installed many check posts along the four bordering states (Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh) in order to keep an eye on the moving vehicles breaching the model code of conduct.

"Till today, the police accompanied by the Incom Tax department have seized 1 lakh litre of liquor and Rs 5 crore in cash from the vehicles. Total goods, cash and other material worth Rs 35 crore have been seized by us. We have also filed 9000 cases against the defaulters," Telangana ADG added.

In his concluding statement, he said that the forces are in direct contact with the Election Commission of India and also holds meeting with the commission on a regular basis.

The counting of votes will take place on December 11.The elections were originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, but K Chandrasekhara Rao-led cabinet decided to dissolve the assembly on September 6. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Congress, Telangana Jana Samithi and Telugu Desam Party are considered to be the main political contenders in the fray.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A student leader of the Allahabad University, named Sumit Shukla, was shot dead at a party in the varsity hostel on Thursday.

Shukla reportedly had a reward of Rs 25000 on his head and had a number of cases registered against him.

"The main accused, who killed Shukla, is a student leader of the CMP Degree College. Teams have been deployed to nab him and two others," said Superintendent of Police Brijesh Srivastava.

Further investigation in the case is currently underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Qatar Airways has clarified that their plane, which was parked at Kolkata's Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport, was hit by a water-servicing truck on Thursday.

Earlier, the officials had reported that the plane hit a water tanker during its arrival from Doha.

However, in an official statement, Qatar Airways specified that the aircraft was parked at its designated gate when a truck hit it

The statement read, "Qatar Airways flight QR 541, scheduled to fly from Kolkata to Doha on 1 November, was stationary and parked at its designated gate when a water servicing truck came into contact with the aircraft prior to boarding."

No passenger or crew member was injured in the incident. "All passengers and crew were accommodated in hotels and are being assisted to ensure smooth onward connections to their final destinations. We regret any inconvenience caused and are doing our best to have passengers on their way," the statement further added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 443824

11-02-2018 03:48 PM











Post: #1 something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

Advertisement





U.S. Moving ARTILLERY to Border with Mexico





With a so-called "migrant caravan" moving north inside Mexico toward the U.S. southern Border, President Trump has ordered the deployment of armed military troops to prevent the invasion. Strangely, in addition to troops deploying, video obtained days ago showed trainloads of M1A2 Abrams TANKS heading south (Story Here).



Today new images from California show trainloads of Armored Personnel Carriers (APC's) and . . . vast quantities of ARTILLERY.



A nation does not use tanks and artillery on migrants. Clearly, something else is up. Something far more serious.



The President has the authority - and obligation - to stop the migrant mob from invading the USA pursuant to Article 4, Section 4 of the US Constitution, which provides that the federal government will ". . . protect them (states) from invasion . . ."



The deployment of troops is one thing, the deployment of tanks and artillery signals that something ELSE is going on . . .



Here are photos taken from a video published by the Los Angeles Times.



The LA Times made the video as part of a story they did on an underground geyser that is moving, and it's movement is bringing it dangerous close to main railroad tracks, Highway 111, an underground oil/fuel pipeline, and the main Fiber Optic backbone for most of southern California's Internet.



While interviewing the Chief of California's office of emergency management, the train load of APC's and Artillery passes in the background behind him. Moving south. Toward the US Border with Mexico.



Intelligence information coming to me from my former colleagues in the Intelligence community indicated days ago that both China and Russia have begun massing troops inside Venezuela.



With the election of a new President in Brazil last weekend, there is now open talk between Brazil, Colombia and the US of using military options to oust Venezuelan President Maduro because so many people in his country are literally starving. Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country in desperate attempts to survive. The situation in the Socialist Paradise of Venezuela is so dire, citizens in its capital city, Caracus, are eating out of garbage dumpsters, and slaughtering cats and dogs for food.



So are the trainloads of Tanks, APC's and Artillery heading for the US Border because of the so-called "migrants" - - - or is it going there because an invasion of the United States is being planned, with China and Russia using Venezuela as a base of operations?



Stay tuned. . .



referenced videos at link...



http://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/...ith-mexico An invasion to Venezuela?U.S. Moving ARTILLERY to Border with MexicoWith a so-called "migrant caravan" moving north inside Mexico toward the U.S. southern Border, President Trump has ordered the deployment of armed military troops to prevent the invasion. Strangely, in addition to troops deploying, video obtained days ago showed trainloads of M1A2 Abrams TANKS heading south (Story Here).Today new images from California show trainloads of Armored Personnel Carriers (APC's) and . . . vast quantities of ARTILLERY.A nation does not use tanks and artillery on migrants. Clearly, something else is up. Something far more serious.The President has the authority - and obligation - to stop the migrant mob from invading the USA pursuant to Article 4, Section 4 of the US Constitution, which provides that the federal government will ". . . protect them (states) from invasion . . ."The deployment of troops is one thing, the deployment of tanks and artillery signals that something ELSE is going on . . .Here are photos taken from a video published by the Los Angeles Times.The LA Times made the video as part of a story they did on an underground geyser that is moving, and it's movement is bringing it dangerous close to main railroad tracks, Highway 111, an underground oil/fuel pipeline, and the main Fiber Optic backbone for most of southern California's Internet.While interviewing the Chief of California's office of emergency management, the train load of APC's and Artillery passes in the background behind him. Moving south. Toward the US Border with Mexico.Intelligence information coming to me from my former colleagues in the Intelligence community indicated days ago that both China and Russia have begun massing troops inside Venezuela.With the election of a new President in Brazil last weekend, there is now open talk between Brazil, Colombia and the US of using military options to oust Venezuelan President Maduro because so many people in his country are literally starving. Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country in desperate attempts to survive. The situation in the Socialist Paradise of Venezuela is so dire, citizens in its capital city, Caracus, are eating out of garbage dumpsters, and slaughtering cats and dogs for food.So are the trainloads of Tanks, APC's and Artillery heading for the US Border because of the so-called "migrants" - - - or is it going there because an invasion of the United States is being planned, with China and Russia using Venezuela as a base of operations?Stay tuned. . .referenced videos at link... GrimShaw

Asinus Asinum Fricat

User ID: 470470

11-02-2018 03:49 PM



Posts: 32,590









Post: #2 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

Something else better be up. That kind of logistical usaf movement costs lots of taxdollars. If Trump is doing that just to pander for votes for midterms then he's way more pathetic than I ever imagined LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 264831

11-02-2018 03:51 PM











Post: #3 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

Live Report From Mission TX.

At local Gun Store, The Line at 8:30 Am is OUT The DOOR!

Going Over to McAllen Tx Then Weslico TX!



People Look Worried!

The Crowd Conversation Is uneasy and troubled.



I will swing by the shooting range on the way home latter this afternoon.

I bet it is FILLED to Capasity with waiting room only. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 443824

11-02-2018 03:51 PM











Post: #4 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

GrimShaw Wrote: (11-02-2018 03:49 PM) Something else better be up. That kind of logistical usaf movement costs lots of taxdollars. If Trump is doing that just to pander for votes for midterms then he's way more pathetic than I ever imagined

They could be preparing to invade Venezuela. Much of that has been talked about and given the new President of Brazil is actively calling for the destitution of Nicolas Maduro, it wouldnt surprise me if they proceed with it. They could be preparing to invade Venezuela. Much of that has been talked about and given the new President of Brazil is actively calling for the destitution of Nicolas Maduro, it wouldnt surprise me if they proceed with it. Hamburgerwagon

lop guest

User ID: 464072

11-02-2018 03:51 PM











Post: #5 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

Full invasion and occupation of Mexico. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 443824

11-02-2018 03:52 PM











Post: #6 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

Hamburgerwagon Wrote: (11-02-2018 03:51 PM) Full invasion and occupation of Mexico.

Of Venezuela, OIL bro, OIL. Of Venezuela, OIL bro, OIL. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 264831

11-02-2018 03:53 PM











Post: #7 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

And WHY in the HELL are there so MANY Doing the OPEN CARERY Thing?

CANT we JUST TRUST our TRUST Worthy GOVERNMENT To Handle This Situation? LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 471545

11-02-2018 03:53 PM











Post: #8 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

GrimShaw Wrote: (11-02-2018 03:49 PM) Something else better be up. That kind of logistical usaf movement costs lots of taxdollars. If Trump is doing that just to pander for votes for midterms then he's way more pathetic than I ever imagined

No. It's the other way around. You are more pathetic than you ever imagined.



No. It's the other way around. You are more pathetic than you ever imagined. GrimShaw

Asinus Asinum Fricat

User ID: 470470

11-02-2018 03:57 PM



Posts: 32,590









Post: #9 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

LoP Guest Wrote: (11-02-2018 03:51 PM) GrimShaw Wrote: (11-02-2018 03:49 PM) Something else better be up. That kind of logistical usaf movement costs lots of taxdollars. If Trump is doing that just to pander for votes for midterms then he's way more pathetic than I ever imagined

They could be preparing to invade Venezuela. Much of that has been talked about and given the new President of Brazil is actively calling for the destitution of Nicolas Maduro, it wouldnt surprise me if they proceed with it.

Some looting and pillaging would really revitalize the economy. Death and destruction, RA RA RA! MAGA! Some looting and pillaging would really revitalize the economy. Death and destruction, RA RA RA! MAGA! LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 396953

11-02-2018 03:58 PM











Post: #10 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

It isn't uncommon for bases to move things between one another. Where I live, you see it all the time on the highway. That said, the timing is quite a coincidence. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 264831

11-02-2018 04:15 PM











Post: #11 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

The INVADERS Robbed Grocery Stores and

HOMES all the way across Mexico!



They are RAPPING And Robbing their

way all the WAY to The USA BORDER!



But it's NOT an INVASION Says the DNC!

Love the Immigrants So they DONT have to RAPE You! LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 471565

11-02-2018 04:17 PM











Post: #12 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

trains moving military vehicles and doom around the corner has already been posted hundreds of times the past few decades. like other posts this to is Altra repeated for decades LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 397180

11-02-2018 04:17 PM











Post: #13 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

Well that's only half of it. I hear they are also laying minefields and loading B52's with napalm canisters. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 462867

11-02-2018 04:18 PM











Post: #14 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

Its the temporary wall till they finish the new one. He was getting it, one way or another. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 397180

11-02-2018 04:21 PM











Post: #15 RE: something Big Is Going Down..US Moving TANKS, APC's and ARTILLERY To Border..Repo

Boston Dynamics has a new version of their "Spot" robot that has chainsaw teeth and will be testing it for the US Army at the Mexican border. Advertisement



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Stepping up attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday reiterated the alleged Rafale scam is an "open and shut" case, adding that if the inquiry is initiated "Prime Minister Modi is not going to survive".

The Congress chief asserted that the alleged Rafale scam is a "PM Modi-Anil Ambani partnership".

"Dassault invested Rs 284 crore in the company of Anil Ambani. Anil Ambani bought land with the same money. This is clear that CEO is lying. Why did they invest Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company? Rafale is an open and shut case. It is simply a PM Modi-Anil Ambani partnership," he said.

Sharing the details of the alleged scam, Gandhi explained reasons as to why the Rafale deal was bagged by Reliance Defense.

"The Dassault CEO said that the reason HAL wasn't given the contract and Anil Ambani was given the contract because he had land, now, the things turned out that the land Anil Ambani had was purchased for him with money that he got from Dassault. For some reason, which is hard to understand Dassault gave Rs 284 crore to a loss-making company with the valuation of Rs 8 lakh thirty thousand. This is one of the many trenches of money that Dassault has paid in kick-back," the Gandhi scion detailed.

Gandhi continued to target the Prime Minister, and said the latter will not survive if an inquiry is initiated into the alleged irregularities

"If an inquiry starts on this Prime Minister Modi is not going to survive it. Guaranteed. One, because of corruption. Two, because it's very clear who the decision maker was. It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it was a deal done by him to give Anil Ambani Rs 30,000 crore," Rahul alleged.

A controversy over Rafale jet deal has been on the boil over the last few months with the Congress and other opposition parties alleging loopholes in the high-profile pact signed between India and France in 2016.

The Congress has been accusing the Centre of irregularities in the Defence fighter jets' contract, alleging that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

The Congress has time and again asked the government to reveal the price details of the aircraft and how the sum being paid for each has shot up. However, the government has refused to share the details, citing a secrecy clause of a 2008 pact between India and France.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Rana Daggubati has started shooting for the upcoming Bollywood laugh riot 'Housefull 4'.

The 'Ghazi Attack' actor took to his official Twitter handle and shared the news with his fans, writing, "Heading to the sets of Housefull 4. Shooting in Mumbai after a very long time!!"

Daggubati was not a part of the cast earlier, this development comes weeks after Nana Patekar decided to step out of the project after facing sexual harassment allegations by Tanushree Dutta.

The 67-year-old actor's son Malhar Nana Patekar had announced the veteran actor's exit from the film. "Nana saheb thought of the convenience of everybody as he wishes the best for the producer and the crew and hence felt that stepping out of the project would be an appropriate thing to do at this point of time," read his statement.

Director Sajid Khan, who was helming the film earlier, had also stepped down following allegations of sexual harassment by three women, namely actor Rachel White, assistant director Saloni Chopra and journalist Karishma Upadhyay.

Sajid Khan was replaced by Farhad Samji, who is now directing the fourth installment of the 'Housefull' franchise. He had also helmed the third part of the film.

The multi-starrer comedy features Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Bobby Deol, Kriti Sanon, Kriti Kharbanda and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles. It also stars Chunky Pandey, Johnny Lever, and Boman Irani. Based on the theme of reincarnation, the fourth film of the 'Housefull' series is slated to hit the big screens on Diwali 2019.

Rana Daggubati is also prepping for another upcoming film - a biopic on Telugu actor-turned-politician Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) - in which he will play Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. He had also met Naidu as part of preparations for the film.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of the economic sanctions on Iran set to be imposed on November 5, United States President Donald Trump on Friday tweeted a "Game of Thrones"- image of himself with the words "sanctions are coming".

Earlier, the White House confirmed the re-imposition of toughest sanctions on Iran, which were lifted by former president Barack Obama under the 2015 nuclear deal. Washington declared the sanctions on Tehran's shipping, financial and energy sectors. The sanctions are targetting the crude oil exports of the country.

The Iran nuclear deal was signed between six countries in 2015 - Iran, US, Britain, Germany, Russia, France and China for lifting economic sanctions on Tehran in exchange for limitations to the country's nuclear programme. Trump, however, walked out of the deal and reinstated sanctions citing Iran's support to ill-governance and Middle-East uprisings in May.

The Trump administration will also penalise countries for importing oil and foreign companies that do business with certain Iranian entities.

Reflecting on the same, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo underscored that the "ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlaw activities and behave as a normal country."

"On November 5th, the US will reimpose sanctions that were lifted as part of the nuclear deal on Iran's energy, shipbuilding, shipping, and banking sectors. These sanctions will hit at the core areas of Iran's economy. They are necessary to spur changes we seek on the part of the regime. These economic sanctions are just a part of the US government's total effort to change the behaviour of Ayatollah Khomeini, Qasem Soleimani, and the Iranian regime," Pompeo told reporters in a teleconference.

He added that Washington has been working closely with other countries to cut off Iranian oil exports as much as possible. "We expect to issue some temporary allotments to eight jurisdictions, but only because they have demonstrated significant reductions in their crude oil and cooperation on many other fronts and have made important moves towards getting to zero crude oil importation. These negotiations are still ongoing. Two of the jurisdictions will completely end imports as part of their agreements. The other six will import at greatly reduced levels, Pompeo elaborated, without naming the eight countries, who are expected to get waivers to buy Iranian oil.

Pompeo asserted that the sanctions were "aimed at depriving the Iranian regime of the revenues that it uses to spread death and destruction around the "

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who also participated in the conference call with Pompeo, said that his department has been committed to putting a stop to Iran's destabilising activities across the

"We've engaged a massive economic pressure campaign against Iran, which remains the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. To date, we have issued 19 rounds of sanctions on Iran, designating 168 targets as part of our maximum pressure campaign. We have gone after the financial networks that the Iranian regime uses to fuel its terrorist proxies and Hizballah and Hamas, to fund the Houthis in Yemen, and to support the brutal Assad regime in Syria," Mnuchin said.

He elucidated, "The 180-day wind-down period ends at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, November 4th. As of Monday, November 5th, the final round of snapback sanctions will be enforced on Iran's energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and financial sectors. As part of this action on Monday, the Treasury Department will add more than 700 names to our list of blocked entities. Sanctions lifted under the terms of Iran's nuclear deal will be reimposed on individuals, entities, vessels, and aircraft that touch numerous segments of Iran's economy. This will include Iran's energy sector and financial sectors. We are sending a very clear message with our maximum pressure campaign that the US intends to aggressively enforce our sanctions. Any financial institution, company, or individual who evades our sanctions risks losing access to the U.S. financial system and the ability to do business with the United States or U.S. companies. We are intent on ensuring that global funds stop flowing to the coffers of the Iranian regime."

Pompeo said that the administration was confident that the sanctions on Iran will be "incredibly effective".

"We're counting on the Iranian people to have the opportunity and we are working towards allowing the Iranian people to have the opportunity to have the government they want, a government that doesn't take wealth from their country and spend it on malign activity around the world," he further said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four Chief Justices of different High Courts were appointed as Supreme Court judges on Friday following an approval by President Ram Nath Kovind last night.

The judges who took oath today included Justice Hemant Gupta, Justice R Subhash Reddy, Justice MR Shah and Justice Ajay Rastogi. With their appointment, the working strength of the apex court is now 28 against sanctioned strength of 31 judges.

The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi recommended the names on Wednesday. Hemant Gupta was the Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court; R. Subhash Reddy was the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, MR Shah was the Chief Justice Patna High Court and Ajay Rastogi was the Chief Justice Tripura High Court.

"I am in the awe with the historic speed of the central government of clearing the way of the swearing-in ceremony of four judges to the apex court within 48 hours after the SC Collegium sent their names," CJI Gogoi said while addressing the media.

The Supreme Court is planning to translate judgments in Hindi language and later in regional languages for the benefit of litigants, he added.

CJI Gogoi also stressed that the possibility of providing a one-page summary of voluminous judgement would be considered for the easier understanding of litigants.

On Thursday, CJI Gogoi established an in-house think tank to strengthen the knowledge infrastructure of the Supreme Court and initiate the process of enhancing its knowledge needs.

"The knowledge needs of the judiciary is rapidly expanding. The range, content, and complexity of issues that are adjudicated in our court are growing exponentially. To meet these knowledge needs, the judiciary requires a strong knowledge and intellectual infrastructure," CJI Gogoi had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) petition challenging a 2005 High Court verdict in the Bofors case.

The petition was dismissed as the appeal is time-barred, the court said.

The CBI, which is the prosecuting agency in the case, failed to file an appeal before the apex court within the stipulated 90 days time period after the Delhi High Court's 2005 judgment in which it had discharged Hinduja brothers in the Bofors payoff case.

The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, said that since an appeal against the same court judgment filed by advocate Ajay Aggarwal is pending, the CBI can raise all its grounds and objections to the closure of the Bofors case when Agrawal's appeal is taken up.

Commenting on the court's refusal to entertain the appeal filed by the CBI, Supreme Court lawyer and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ajay Aggarwal, said that the court did not comment on the merits of the case and only pointed out the inordinate delay while refusing the petition.

Aggarwal is also a petitioner in another Bofors pay off case which he had filed ahead of the CBI against the same Delhi High Court verdict. His Special Leave Petition (SLP) was admitted by the apex court and a further hearing is pending on the same.

Sharing details of today's decision and its connection with his case, Aggarwal told ANI, "CBI always works under the order of the central government. At that time the government was of UPA and the UPA did not give CBI permission to file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) at that time. Hence, as a third party and a private citizen, I filed a petition in public interest. The SC admitted my SLP and it became a criminal appeal. When the CBI was going to file an SLP, I wrote a letter to the attorney general and CBI director that it will delay the things further and the Supreme Court may not accept it on account of inordinate delay."

"CBI is already a fourth respondent in my petition; they have to file a reply and a number of documents in my case," he added.

Aggarwal further highlighted that the CBI can file the papers in his petition and the same will be listed for hearing by the apex court in the near future.

"They are already a party in my criminal appeal which is Ajay Aggarwal vs Union of India which is pending since 2005. The court has directed them to file the papers in that petition and the matter will be heard by Supreme Court as early as possible," he said.

On October 12, the hearing of the Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case in the Supreme Court was surprisingly deleted from the top court's cause list late on the previous day's evening.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday urged Chief of Indian Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba, to push for enrollment of women sailors in the Indian Navy.

Sitharaman, who participated in the bi-annual Naval Commanders' Conference here, was briefed by top naval commanders on various issues.

According to sources, Lanba confirmed that the decision to include women sailors was on the agenda of the conference.

The three-day conference, which aimed at outlining the maritime vision of the government, saw the top brass of the Navy brainstorming on the themes of 'Optimisation' and 'Emerging Technologies'.

Apart from new ideas and technologies, the commanders also deliberated on the operation preparedness, combat readiness of units and optimisation of resources in which manpower plays a pivotal role.

The discussions were also held over 'Indian Naval Indigenisation Plan 2015-30', including induction of aircraft carrier, ships, nuclear-powered submarines, conventional submarines, re-vitalisation of aviation and sub-surface assets at the Naval Commanders Conference.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jitendra Singh Gurjar, a security guard stationed at a private firm in Surat, has been writing letters to families of bravehearts for the last two decades.

On the postcard that he sends, Gurjar carefully sketches the Indian flag and writes 'Satyamev Jayate' (truth triumphs) next to it.

Gurjar, while speaking to ANI, said the sacrifice and valour of Indian soldiers killed in the 1999 Kargil War spurred him to write the letters. "This is the 20th year since the Kargil was fought. Several soldiers and officers from my village were martyred in it. I saw and heard the stories of their bravery which motivated me to send letters to families of every one of those martyrs," he added.

A native of Bharatpur district in Rajasthan, Gurjar said he is often overwhelmed when he receives a reply for his letters. "Many families laugh and cry while most of them delve into memories of their kin on receiving these postcards. I have visited houses of 40-50 soldiers. Their families treat me like a son. I also bring sand from the compound of their houses to build a 'shaheed samarak' (martyr figurines)."

The 37-year-old continued: "I read up stories of martyrs in newspapers and channels and record their data. Several of these stories are heart-wrenching. A story that I still etched in my mind is of 95-year-old Chuni Singh, who got his pension after 65 years. Another is of Lachhman Singh, whose three sons, all of whom were officers, lost their lives on the battlefield."

Gurjar maintains a register containing records of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the country. The stationery that he has garnered over the years weighs a massive nine quintals.

Divulging about the challenges he had to face, he said, "In 2004, the rates of postcards were increased by 66 per cent. I was a working at a small private school. This unprecedented increase in rates forced me to write to the Prime Minister. I still write a monthly letter to the Prime Minister urging him to reduce the prices of postcards. But no action has been taken in this regard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday assured strict action against United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) terrorists who killed five people in Assam's Tinsukia district yesterday.

"I have talked to the Chief Minister and asked him to investigate the matter. I have told him that strictest action should be taken and culprits should not be spared," Singh told reporters here.

Reacting on the incident, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said: "Organisations, (political) parties, people's representatives, media and social media make inflammatory statements and give hate messages. Hence, I want everybody to restrain themselves. Otherwise, the government will have no alternative but to take action against them. I appeal to all sections of people to maintain peace and tranquility in Assam."

He further said, "Whoever it is, no one will be spared. I have already directed my police department to start taking action against the culprits involved in the killing," he added.

Yesterday, Sonowal had directed the law enforcement agencies to take stern action against the perpetrators.

The attack took place around 7 pm on Thursday in Bishnoimukh village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Tinsukia district. The victims were identified as Ananta Namasudra, Abinash Namasudra, Subal Das, Dhanai Namasudra and Syamal Biswas.

This comes after Paresh Barua's faction of ULFA claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in Guwahati on October 13, in which five people were injured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In order to commemorate the police forces for their commendable services, the Manipur and Tripura government observed the 127th Raising Day Parade and Police Commemoration Day respectively.

The Raising Day Parade event was attended by Chief Minister of Manipur N. Biren Singh, the Council of Ministers, MLAs and top brass police officials.

Marking the day, a parade was held at the parade ground of first Manipur Rifles Battalion in Imphal that saw the participation by officials of different ranks of the state police department. In total, 17 contingents including women police personnel participated in the march past.

During the function, Singh inspected the march past parade and distributed commendation certificates to various police officers for their outstanding contributions in different fields.

While accolading the police forces, Singh said, "The first thing individuals, dignitaries and tourist and other observe when they visit Manipur is the dress and uniform worn by the personnel and also attitude and discipline. The government is proud of the achievements the Manipur police for being a people friendly force."

In a similar kind of event, the Tripura government celebrated the contribution and sacrifice made by police forces on the Police Commemoration Day.

Alike Manipur, a Smriti Parade was organised at Column in the police line in Tripura's capital Agartala, during which names of 414 personnel, martyred from all Police and CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) all over the country were read over.

After that, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb along with the DGP A. K. Shukla, and other senior officials paid homage to all the martyrs by a special guard of honour.

"During this special day, I pay my heartfelt tribute to the martyrs and their families. I believe in every border of the state of the country we have our soldiers who are always vigilant to protect the nation's integrity. On the behalf of the Tripura Government I bow down for all the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation," said Deb at the event.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Assam's Water Resource Minister Keshab Mahanta on Friday announced compensation of Rs 5 lakhs to the family of the people killed by the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) terrorists.

Five people, identified as Ananta Namasudra, Abinash Namasudra, Subal Das, Dhanai Namasudra and Syamal Biswas, were killed by the ULFA terrorists on Thursday in Bishnoimukh village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Tinsukia district of Assam.

Earlier in the day, Mahanta and Assam Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, accompanied by Director General of Police, Kuladhar Saikia, visited the spot to take a stock of the situation, even as some local women blocked the Dhola-Tinsukia highway and burned tyres in agitation.

In the wake of the same, the All Assam Bengali Youth Students Federation called for a 12-hour shutdown in Tinsukia town as a sign of protest against the killings.

Yesterday, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had also condemned the attack in Tinsukia and directed the law enforcement agencies to take stern action against the perpetrators.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Brazil's newly elected zionist president pledges allegiance to Rothschildistan. Larry Jewis

lop guest

User ID: 471564

11-02-2018 04:05 PM











Post: #1 Brazil's newly elected zionist president pledges allegiance to Rothschildistan.

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[quote



The controversial right-wing politician, who swept to power in Sundays presidential runoff, had vowed to move the embassy during the election campaign, but confirmed in an interview with an Israeli newspaper on Thursday that he would proceed with the move once he's taken office(...)



Bolsonaro also suggested that he would close the Palestinian Embassy in Brasilia, saying the diplomatic building was built too close to Bolsonaros future residence.



No embassy can be so close to the presidential palace, so we intend to move it.



He went on to question Palestinians' right to even possess a diplomatic mission, telling the paper: "Palestine first needs to be a state to have the right to an embassy."[/quote]



Can't make this sh*t up, barely elected and already supporting the unlawful counterfeit murderous Rothschildistan and their ethnic cleansing apartheid regime, which will probably be implemented in South America soon.[quote https://www.rt.com/news/442905-bolsonaro...erusalem/] Brazils President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has reaffirmed his commitment to move his countrys embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, saying no other country has the right to tell Israel where its capital should be.The controversial right-wing politician, who swept to power in Sundays presidential runoff, had vowed to move the embassy during the election campaign, but confirmed in an interview with an Israeli newspaper on Thursday that he would proceed with the move once he's taken office(...)Bolsonaro also suggested that he would close the Palestinian Embassy in Brasilia, saying the diplomatic building was built too close to Bolsonaros future residence.No embassy can be so close to the presidential palace, so we intend to move it.He went on to question Palestinians' right to even possess a diplomatic mission, telling the paper: "Palestine first needs to be a state to have the right to an embassy."[/quote] LoP Guest

lop guest

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11-02-2018 04:07 PM











Post: #2 RE: Brazil's newly elected zionist president pledges allegiance to Rothschildistan.





The controversial right-wing politician, who swept to power in Sundays presidential runoff, had vowed to move the embassy during the election campaign, but confirmed in an interview with an Israeli newspaper on Thursday that he would proceed with the move once he's taken office(...)



Bolsonaro also suggested that he would close the Palestinian Embassy in Brasilia, saying the diplomatic building was built too close to Bolsonaros future residence.



No embassy can be so close to the presidential palace, so we intend to move it.



He went on to question Palestinians' right to even possess a diplomatic mission, telling the paper: "Palestine first needs to be a state to have the right to an embassy."[/quote]





[/quote] [quote = https://www.rt.com/news/442905-bolsonaro...erusalem/] Brazils President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has reaffirmed his commitment to move his countrys embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, saying no other country has the right to tell Israel where its capital should be.The controversial right-wing politician, who swept to power in Sundays presidential runoff, had vowed to move the embassy during the election campaign, but confirmed in an interview with an Israeli newspaper on Thursday that he would proceed with the move once he's taken office(...)Bolsonaro also suggested that he would close the Palestinian Embassy in Brasilia, saying the diplomatic building was built too close to Bolsonaros future residence.No embassy can be so close to the presidential palace, so we intend to move it.He went on to question Palestinians' right to even possess a diplomatic mission, telling the paper: "Palestine first needs to be a state to have the right to an embassy."[/quote][/quote] LoP Guest

lop guest

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11-02-2018 05:12 PM











Post: #3 RE: Brazil's newly elected zionist president pledges allegiance to Rothschildistan.

You really think he would have been allowed to run for pres if he didn't have at least a few of 'their' agenda items on his platform?



The only politicians who don't wear a white hat sometimes and a black hat other times are the ones who only wear the black hat. Time will reveal all. Strategos

Against Dystopia

User ID: 455233

11-02-2018 05:27 PM



Posts: 9,914









Post: #4 RE: Brazil's newly elected zionist president pledges allegiance to Rothschildistan.

All political leaders in the Western Hemisphere must be pre-approved by AIPAC, Israel, and the Sanhedrin before they are allowed to advance.



Hence the choice in 2016 was between Trump and Hillary.



Two sides of the same coin. Fu King

Registered User

User ID: 430765

11-02-2018 05:51 PM



Posts: 3,346









Post: #5 RE: Brazil's newly elected zionist president pledges allegiance to Rothschildistan.

Strategos Wrote: (11-02-2018 05:27 PM) All political leaders in the Western Hemisphere must be pre-approved by AIPAC, Israel, and the Sanhedrin before they are allowed to advance.



Hence the choice in 2016 was between Trump and Hillary.



Two sides of the same coin.

5*'s TRUTH 5*'s TRUTH

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The All Assam Bengali Youth Students Federation has called for a 12-hour shutdown in Tinsukia town as a sign of protest against the killings committed by the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) terrorists on Thursday.

Five people, identified as Ananta Namasudra, Abinash Namasudra, Subal Das, Dhanai Namasudra and Syamal Biswas, were killed at around 7 pm on Thursday in Bishnoimukh village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Tinsukia district.

"The incident has hurt us. The Union government had promised to protect the Bengalis. But, these claims are in vain. Big leaders must provide us with adequate security, and the guilty should be awarded rigorous punishment," said Shubhankar Dev, the leader of the Student Union.

Ministers Keshab Mahanta and Parimal Suklabaidya, accompanied by Director General of Police, Kuladhar Saikia, also reached the spot, even as some local women blocked the Dhola-Tinsukia highway and burned tyres in agitation.

Dev further refuted reports of a divide among the Assamese community.

"Some people have been spreading lies about a rift between people of Lower and Upper Assam. We are Assamese, born on Assam's land and will die on this very land. People who were murdered on Thursday were locals, not Bangladeshi. Armament is not a solution to peace. Assam government should hold talks and apologise to the Bengali ethnic community in Assam. The police are ineffective and have failed to protect Bengali completely," the student union leader added.

Sanjay Kishan, a local Bharatiya Janata Party MLA, also criticised the attacks and condoled the killings. "The unity between us can never be broken. Some outfits are trying to break down this unity. We will visit the scene of the attacks. It is not sure whether ULFA is behind this attack or not. We will weed out the perpetrators and the government will conduct operations to identify them," he said.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has condemned the attack in Tinsukia and directed the law enforcement agencies to take stern action against the perpetrators.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Friday said that Washington should provide concrete examples to substantiate its allegations of economic espionage and theft of trade secrets from US companies by Chinese companies and individuals.

On Thursday, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that a Chinese government-owned company along with a Taiwanese company and three individuals had been charged with alleged economic espionage aimed at stealing over $8.7 billion worth of technology secrets from US Micron Company.

"We have repeatedly stated our stand on the issue that you have raised; I recommend that you explore the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. If the US side does have concerns over this issue, the United States should provide real evidence with specific examples," Lu told reporters at a briefing.

The United States has repeatedly accused China of unfair trade practices, including theft of US companies' intellectual property and technology. Since the beginning of the year, several Chinese companies and individuals have been charged with stealing trade secrets from US-based companies. In late October, the United States also claimed that Beijing was purchasing advanced weapons from Russia for the sole purpose of making copycats and selling them at lower prices in the future.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday failed to appear before the one-man commission conducting an inquiry into the Amritsar train tragedy in which 60 people were killed on October 19.

Sidhu's wife, Navjot Kaur, who was also summoned by the commission, however, appeared on Friday and gave her statement.

Sidhu, who was present in Amritsar on Friday, later held a press conference and justified his absence.

"I wrote to him (probe commissioner) that I was not in Punjab from October 16-20. So there are no inputs that can actually add to your proceedings," Sidhu told the media.

Senior IAS officer B. Purushartha, who is conducting the magisterial inquiry in Amritsar, had asked the Sidhu couple to appear before the commission on November 2.

Regarding Sidhu not appearing before the inquiry commission, Navjot Kaur told the media after appearing before the commission at the Improvement Trust building that "He is at home only. He had a programme to distribute cheques (to families of victims of the train tragedy). He has sent whatever statement he wanted to make (to the commission)."

Navjot Kaur, a former legislator and ex chief parliamentary secretary, was the chief guest at the Dussehra festival near Joda Phatak when the DMU (diesel multiple unit) train crushed those standing on the railway tracks.

Sixty people lost their lives and an equal number were injured in the train tragedy.

Opposition leaders and locals alleged that Navjot Kaur fled the scene after the train mowed down the people.

There are allegations that the event was organised without mandatory permissions, which had to be given by the municipal corporation which falls under the local government department headed by Sidhu.

The main organiser of the event, Saurabh Madan Mithoo, is a close political aide of the Sidhu couple.

Mithoo, his family members and other organisers were questioned by the inquiry commission in Amritsar, over 250 km from here, on Tuesday for over four hours.

The commission has been asked to submit its report within four weeks.

--IANS

js/ahm/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aimed at promoting the untapped tourism opportunities in Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday announced the launch of the states tourist police spreading across seven different districts.

The concept of tourist police is a first in the northeast and 15th overall in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Khandu expressed his government's commitment to turn the hill state into a tourist hub and create more employment opportunities for the state's youth.

"Arunachal Pradesh is popular among tourists for its splendid beauty and serene landscapes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in February this year steered us to work more seriously on making Arunachal one of the best tourist destinations, not only in India but worldwide," Khandu said after the launch.

"Our Himalayan mountain ranges stretching across the entire state offer one-of-its-kind experiential road trip options."

"Our government is committed to promote tourism in the state including adventure tourism as we understand the role that the sector plays in generating employment and attracting investment," he added.

The Tourist Police with its distinctive vehicles, uniform and specialised training in soft skills, languages, rules and regulations and most importantly people friendly attitude aims to dispel any inhibitions a tourist may have while approaching them.

Tourist police personnel will be specially trained about crime against women and how to professionally respond to various situations concerning tourists.

They will also be educated about the local tourist attractions and modes of transportation, accommodation, hospitals etc.

On the occasion the tourist police's mobile app Arunachal Suraksha was also launched.

--IANS

tri/ajb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Strongly condemning the killing of five Bengalis in Assam's Tinsukia district, West Bengal Congress leadership on Friday announced that the party will observe "Black Day" across the state on November 3 and urged the Centre to dismiss the BJP-run Assam government.

"We have no words to condemn the brutal killing that took place in Tinsukia yesterday (Thursday). Congress will observe 'Black Day' across Bengal on November 3 in protest against the killings. We also demand the Centre immediately dismiss the barbaric Assam government, otherwise many more people will lose their lives," state Congress president Somen Mitra told reporters here.

Referring to the 1983 genocide in central Assam, known as the Nellie massacre that claimed more than 2,000 lives, Mitra said a similar sentiment of provincialism is being instigated by the state government as well as by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre.

"An incident like this is not only terrorising the people of Assam but also terrorising us as a neighbouring state. The way provincialism led to genocide in Assam in 1983 ... a similar sentiment of provincialism is being incited there. We think it is not just the Assam government, but the BJP-led Central government is also behind this," Mitra alleged.

"There is no place for provincialism and religious intolerance in India. Congress has always fought against any signs of provincialism in the country and would continue to do so in future," he said.

The veteran Congress leader also said the party will write a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh requesting him to visit the place where the killing took place and immediately order a probe to identify and punish the offenders.

When asked whether the Congress suspects United Liberation Front of Assam's (ULFA) involvement in the killing of five Bengalis, Mitra said the separatist outfit might have been encouraged by the actions of BJP-RSS in the state.

--IANS

mgr/ssp/nir

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a dialogue with leaders of a newly-formed opposition alliance over the general elections slated for December, authorities said on Friday.

The much-hyped dialogue ended at about 11 p.m. on Thursday which had started four hours earlier at Hasina's official residence here, reports Xinhua news agency.

Her ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) party on Tuesday invited the alliance called "Jatiya Oikya Front" (United National Front) for the talks.

The alliance was formed in October by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

However, BNP spokesman Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, while leaving Hasina's residence, told the media that the dialogue was not fruitful.

The alliance's leader Kamal Hossain, a former foreign minister and a prominent lawyer who drafted Bangladesh constitution after the country's independence, said the meeting went "good", adding that "It will bear fruit".

The alliance has demanded that the upcoming 11th national election be held under a non-partisan government and the immediate release of all political prisoners including Khaleda, who has been in jail since February in a corruption case.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than 300 constables went on a rampage here damaging properties and attacking officers after a woman colleague who had been reportedly refused leave died early on Friday, leaving at least one officer in a serious condition.

Three police officers and two journalists were injured as the protesting trainee constables, including a large number of women, attacked and ransacked officers' quarters at the Patna Police Lines.

The constables complained that they were forced to put in long hours of work without being provided basic facilities.

"We work without food, water and toilet facility. It is impossible to get leave even for genuine reasons," one of them told the media. Others echoed him.

They said the woman constable died due to sheer negligence and the "inhuman and authoritarian stance of her seniors".

She reportedly had dengue and had sought leave. However, despite repeated requests, she was not granted leave, a constable complained.

Bihar Director General of Police K.S. Diwedi, who was in Delhi on Friday to attend a meeting, reacted sharply to the unrest in police force.

Videos on social media showed policewomen rampaging through police stations, shattering LED television and furniture.

When a senior officer, Mohammad Maslehuddin, tried to pacify them, they hit him with a baton on his head.

Deputy Superintendent Maslehuddin's family told IANS that he had been admitted to a private hospital and his condition was serious.

"He was first attacked in the office and beaten. When he tried to escape and reached his official quarter, they forcibly entered it and tried to kill him.

"However, his young daughter saved him by standing at the door and challenging the mob. The house was also ransacked," a family member said.

Diwedi said in New Delhi that such indiscipline would not be tolerated.

"The protesters will be punished and trained to follow discipline."

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asked Diwedi to submit a report at the earliest. A probe headed by Inspector General N.H. Khan has been ordered.

Additional Director General S.K. Singhal told the media that the situation had been brought under control.

--IANS

ik/in/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a relief to the BJP chief, the Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a petition questioning the CBI's decision of not challenging a lower court order discharging Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case.

A division bench comprising Justice Ranjit More and Justice Bharati Dangre, rejected the plea by the Bombay Lawyers Association (BLA) and said it could not grant the relief sought in the PIL filed in January.

The BLA has questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation's move not to challenge the discharge granted to Shah in 2014 by a Special CBI Court here.

The PIL counsel Dushyant Dave had contended that the CBI changed its stance after the change of government at the Centre in 2014. He asked if the CBI could challenge the discharge of two police officers in the same case then why not Shah's.

Additional Solicitor-General Anil Singh, representing the CBI, argued that there was no law making it compulsory for the CBI to challenge every discharge given by a court.

He also asked that when Shah was discharged in 2014, why had the BLA taken nearly four years to approach the court for relief.

"We are dismissing the petition. We are not inclined to grant any relief, especially when the petitioner is a body which has no locus standi in the case," the judge said in Friday's ruling.

A wanted criminal Sheikh and his wife Kausar Bi were killed in an alleged fake encounter in November 2004 by the Gujarat Police near Gandhinagar, which became sensational owing to some of the high-profile politicians and IPS officers involved in it.

An aide Tulsiram Prajapati, who was the prime witness to the killings was arrested by the police and later killed in an encounter in December 2006 after the law enforcers claimed he tried to escape from custody.

Later, the police had named 38 persons as accused in the case, including Shah, who was Gujarat Home Minister at the time in 2005. Subsequently the trial was shifted from Gujarat to Mumbai.

In December 2014, Special CBI Judge M.B. Gosavi in Mumbai discharged Shah and 16 other co-accused, citing either lack of sanction for prosecution or insufficient evidence against them.

--IANS

qn/in/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Man Booker Prize "cares very much about diversity" and the Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood, is confident that the Prize is selecting the best fiction from what is submitted to it every year. But the submissions, in the first place, are imperiled by the restriction of being published in the UK. Can a truly global literary award, as it is regarded, ignore all the novels not published in the UK and yet claim to recognise "the finest in fiction"?

In "an elimination of the premise of citizenship", Wood told IANS, the rules were recently amended, opening the doors to Irish publishers to submit their works so that anyone writing in English and published in the UK could be considered.

"The writers themselves could be Turkish, Chinese, etc; the books, in a literal sense, had to be British -- that is, published here. So it wasn't really an expansion, it was an elimination of the premise of citizenship. The parameters regarding publication have remained the same: All books submitted must have UK or Irish ISBNs, and 'UK and Ireland' is a common delineation in those terms, so it made sense for that particular amendment to be made," Wood said.

She was appointed the Literary Director of the Booker Foundation "after a careful selection process" in April 2015, following the death of her predecessor Ion Trewin, an editor, publisher and author.

Wood maintained that the Man Booker Prize is designed to reflect the experience of the British reader. She said that in considering all that is available to readers in the UK, the design of the Prize is such that it corroborates with the unlikeliness of a reader standing in a bookshop and judging a book based on the passport of its author.

But even according to the existing rules, a novelist from a country like India, which is now the second-largest publishing market in English language worldwide, hailed by several prominent literary stalwarts as the emerging capital of global literature, hosting more literary events and selling more books than most other countries, still requires to be published in the UK to compete for the award.

On this being pointed out and on being asked whether she, in her capacity as the Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, felt a need to re-look at some of the rules to make the Prize truly global in its character, she said it's something they "think about" but maintained that the restriction of being published in the UK is the "most coherent one".

"It's interesting you should raise this question, though, because, of course, it's something we think about. It's important to view the Man Booker Prize for Fiction alongside its younger sibling, the Man Booker International Prize, which rewards fiction translated into English. We think this offers a good global span, but it has to have some parameters, or the judging process would be impossible. The restriction of being published in the UK and available to UK readers is the most coherent one we've thought of," she added.

Wood acknowledged that fiction written in English but not published in the UK, or fiction written in other languages but not translated in the UK, can't be considered under the current rules.

"But we hope that the openness of Man Booker judges to reading books from all over the world will encourage British and Irish publishers to take on more fiction from elsewhere," she said.

And as for India, she said that she would love to have more Indian authors on the judging panel. "But when I ask, they are mostly too busy writing to take part -- which I think is, in its own way, a good thing for literature," she shared.

Wood pointed out that each year, the Frankfurt Book Fair takes place just before the Man Booker winner is announced. "And each year we're reminded that many writers on the shortlist establish lifelong relationships with international publishers as a result. So although the Prize sheds direct light on one book by each author, it will lead those authors to publishers who will go on to publish all of their books, all over the world, in the future," she added.

Wood, who, as the head of books at the Daily Telegraph, "reinvigorated the paper's literary coverage", is an accomplished author and is published widely. In continuation with her prior accomplishments, as the Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, she has had a ringside view of literature globally. All of this (and more) at a time when there has been a parallel rise of social media, platforms like Netflix, studies suggesting that human attention span is shrinking and the closing down of physical bookstores across the globe at a fast pace.

"Without question, books are here to stay. They may shift shape, but reading will remain, and fiction will always allow people to expand their capacity for imagination and empathy. You see this everywhere, from primary schools to prisons. But I also think of books as being part of the whole world, not just part of the book world, and I worry that we can get blinkered. If people's attention spans change, if films or TV series create new structures for telling stories, if social media generates a new language: Those are all things from which fiction can benefit," she said in response to a question on what the future holds for books.

Wood added that sometimes there is too much interest in the creation of a "finely crafted novel" and not enough interest in "reflecting various forms of reality or thought".

"If the nature of reading changes, then writing can too, and in this way we all move forward. The 2018 Man Booker winner, 'Milkman' by Anna Burns, is a case in point. Some people have found it difficult to read, others have found it to be coruscatingly true to life. The fact is, it is like life, a certain kind of life, but it is not like very many novels. Of course, an old-fashioned novel can still come out as the strongest, but we can't want all novels to be alike. We have to be open to hearing voices that affect us, however they go about it," she said.

(Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)

--IANS

ss/vm/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The standoff between the Centre and Reserve Bank of India continued on Friday with Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg dismissing RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya's comments about incurring the market's wrath if the central bank's independence was harmed.

Garg was sarcastic as he mentioned the recent macroeconomic developments -- the performance of rupee, oil and stock markets -- that did not reflect any "wrath".

"Rupee trading at less than 73 to a dollar; Brent crude below $73 a barrel; markets up by over four per cent during the week and bond yields below 7.8 per cent. Wrath of the markets," he tweeted.

Garg's remarks came after Acharya, during a lecture last week, made out a strong case for the central bank's autonomy, saying that governments that do not respect its independence "will sooner or later incur the wrath of financial markets, ignite economic fire, and come to rue the day they undermined an important regulatory institution".

On Thursday, he said that Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore, the rupee appreciating by 40-50 paise and the performance of crude and bond yields were "very good developments essential for sound macroeconomic performance of India".

Acharya's remarks brought into spotlight the differences between the RBI and the government, as reports also suggested that the Centre has invoked a never-before-used section of the RBI Act to make the central bank fall in line.

--IANS

vv/in/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Curfew continued in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Friday, a day after unidentified gunmen shot dead BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother, with authorities calling the Army to help maintain calm.

The district administration imposed the curfew soon after the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and his brother Ajit were fired from close range in Tappal Gali area of Kishtwar town on Thursday night while they were returning home after closing their shop.

They were declared dead at a hospital.

Two security guards who worked for Anil Parihar have been detained for questioning, the police said.

Angry protesters clashed with the police demanding the killers' arrest.

BJP state President Ravinder Raina said the incident was a result of frustration and to disturb peace in the area.

Authorities have also suspended mobile Internet services as a precautionary measure.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after the killing of five people in Assam's Tinsukia district, Sahadev Namashudra recalled the terror he went through the previous day when gunmen said to be militants shot dead five civilians.

Namashudra is the sole survivor of the bloody incident that took place at Kheraibari in Tinsukia district late on Thursday evening.

"A group of people in Army fatigue came to our shop around 7.45 p.m. They called us outside and took us to a nearby place. They asked us to line up and said they wanted to ask us something," said Namashudra, who miraculously survived the massacre.

"We had to line up. Suddenly I heard gunfire. I jumped towards a low land. There was some smoke and I could hear more rounds of gunfire. There was chaos. I remained lying down for five to 10 minutes in the dark.

"When I looked for others who were in the group, I saw someone lying on the ground.

"I started running towards my house. I called the others, only to find five bloodied bodies."

According to him, when the killers who he feels were militants left the scene, they were conversing in Assamese.

"But with us they spoke in Hindi. I am alive because I jumped on the other side of the place where we were lined up. It was dark and perhaps they did not see me when I jumped."

On Friday, the ULFA denied it carried out the killings.

Bengali Hindu groups in Tinsukia district have called a shutdown in Tinsukia district to protest against the killings.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi University student and his accomplice were arrested for killing a youth following an argument over opposition to their vulgar dance moves while celebrating Valmiki Jayanti in central Delhi, police said on Friday.

According to the police, the accused identified as Rishabh, 22, and Chaitanya, 21, are the residents of JJ Colony in Shakurpur and Rohini -- both in north-west Delhi. They were arrested on Thursday night from Vijay Vihar area of Rohini following a tip-off.

"Rishab used to take part in cultural events like Ramleela and Jagrans. He worked as a delivery boy in a courier company, while Chaitanya was pursuing B.A from Delhi University," Deputy Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma said.

"During interrogation, Rishab and Chaitanya revealed that they on October 24 had gone to celebrate Valmiki Jayanti in Mandir Marg area. During the competition, Rishab started doing vulgar moves which was opposed by the deceased, later identified as Avinash Sangwan. Following an argument, Rishab gunned down Sangwan and fled the spot," Verma said.

The accused were identified with the help of CCTV footage captured by some revellers that later went viral on social media.

"A resident of Lajpat Nagar, Sangwan was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead," Verma said.

--IANS

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Maulana Samiul Haq, a former Pakistani Senator more widely known as the "Father of Taliban", was stabbed to death on Friday while resting in his room in Rawalpindi city, his family said.

The influential religious leader's son Maulana Hamidul Haq told Geo News that his father's

driver had gone out. On his return, he saw that Maulana Sami was sprawled on his bed in a pool of blood. "He was no longer alive."

The news of Maulana Sami's death comes at a time when religio-political parties are protesting the Supreme Court's acquittal of a Christian woman in a blasphemy case.

According to Hamidul, Maulana Sami, a close ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan, was unable to take part in the protest against the woman's acquittal due to road blockades and had returned home.

"He was stabbed multiple times," he said.

Maulana Sami's driver and bodyguard had both left the room for some 15 minutes when he was stabbed.

Maulana Sami, said to be around 83 years old, headed the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Akora Khattak area.

He was a Senator between March 1991 and March 1994. He was elected on an Islami Jamhoori Itehad ticket.

He was aligned with the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of Imran Khan in the July 25 parliamentary election.

Last month, a high-level delegation from Afghanistan called on Maulana Sami at Darul Uloom Haqqania and urged him to play a role in resolving the Afghan crisis.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maulana Samiul Haq, a former Pakistani Senator more widely known as the "Father of Taliban", was stabbed to death on Friday while resting in his room in Rawalpindi city, his family said.

The influential religious leader lived in Rawalpindi with his son Maulana Hamidul Haq.

"His driver Haqqani had gone out. On his return, he saw that Maulana Sami was lying on his bed in a pool of blood. He was no longer alive," Hamidul Haq told Geo News.
First Lady of South Korea, Kim Jung-sook, will be visiting the temple town of Ayodhya on November 6, a state government spokesman said on Friday.

She, along with other dignitaries from South Korea, would be participating in a grand 'Deepotsava' organized by the ruling BJP government.

Bihar Governor Lalji Tandon, his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Ram Naik, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and many other Central ministers would also be present on the banks of the Saryu when a million earthen lamps will be lit to mark the 'Choti Diwali'.

There would be processions and tableaus about Ramayana. A cultural fest will be organized in which local artists from Trinidad, Russia and Korea would take part, the spokesman said.

The dignitaries would inaugurate 'Ram Bazaar' at the Shilp Gram and view the sand art made by Sudarshan Patnaik from Odisha.

The First Lady will lay the foundation stone for the Queens Memorial along with the UP Chief Minister. The characters playing Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman would then arrive in a chopper where after landing, the Chief Minister will welcome them with full rituals.

Hectic arrangements are under way in Ayodhya ahead of the high-profile visit and many buildings in the temple town have been lit up in red, purple and green.

--IANS

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Enter a world of technology breakthroughs, with the real story of starting up and unadulterated entrepreneurship; get an enormous amount of practical advice, tips and ideas to make a student brilliant; flick through a moving personal story and the ultimate guide to making the 50s the most fabulous decade of your life yet.

Finally, let go of outdated and traditional ways of closing the skills gap, and embrace the urgency of "re-skilling" and "upskilling" the workforce as seniors in business organisations.

The IANS bookshelf, for another weekend, offers guides on diverse issues.

1. Book: Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks; Author: Alok Kejriwal; Publisher: Westland; Price: Rs 299; Pages: 192

By the time he was 20, Alok Kejriwal had his life pre-planned for him. He would inherit the family business of manufacturing socks and be the hard-working, money minting, quintessential Marwari businessman, forever.

Except that it didn't turn out that way. A few years after surviving the family set-up, something turned up that sent Alok on a completely different career path: The Internet!

A crazy business idea Alok had turned out to be a winner and contests2win.com was born. Soon, Alok was fighting and thriving in a world completely different from the one he had grown up in. A world where technology breakthroughs, VCs and out-of-the-box thinking decided the real winners.

"Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks" is Alok's story of starting up and unadulterated entrepreneurship. It traces his roller-coaster ride as an aspiring entrepreneur; traversing through a variety of business ideas in the family business up to his big breakthrough as one of India's first entrepreneurs to tap the power of the internet.

It details the amazing success of contests2win.com and Mobile2win, a venture eventually acquired by The Walt Disney Company. The chapters in the book are actual stories, throbbing with memorable anecdotes, that conclude with crisp learning for the readers.

2. Book: The Art of Being a Brilliant Teacher; Authors: Gary Toward, Chris Henley and Andy Cope; Publisher: Scholastic; Price: Rs 250; Pages: 206

Teaching is an art. With the right techniques, guidance, skills and practice, teachers can masterfully face any situation the classroom could throw at them. With their fresh perspectives, sage advice and humour, Andy, Chris and Gary show teachers how to unleash their brilliance. For any teacher who has had a classroom full of angels who suddenly turn into devils for some unknown reason, or who realise too late that their best-laid lesson plans will go nowhere, or who is that teacher who has had their energy sapped by a negative colleague, this book will help rescue them. These problems and many others can be helped by reading this book which contains an enormous amount of practical advice, tips and ideas to make anyone brilliant.

3. Book: Feisty at Fifty; Author: Sudha Menon; Publisher: Pan Macmillan; Price: Rs 350; Pages: 234

If you ever thought that women in their 50s must lead dull, boring lives, Sudha Menon is here to bust your myths and show you that life indeed begins at 50.

Join this wise and witty 50-something in pursuing middle-aged sexiness, nailing the work-life balance, taking on the FOMO (fear of missing out), celebrating mid-life discoveries and generally feeling great about ourselves.

Hilarious yet poignant, "Feisty at Fifty" is both a moving personal story and the ultimate guide to making the 50s the most fabulous decade of your life yet.

4. Book: The Expertise Economy; Author: Kelly Palmer and David Blake; Publisher: Hachette; Price: Rs 499; Pages: 213

Keeping people's skills in sync with fast-changing markets is the biggest challenge of our time. For companies and their employees to succeed, they need to focus on building skills for the future. "The Expertise Economy" shows how the most forward-thinking companies big and small are transforming their employees into experts and ultimately, creating their biggest competitive advantage.

The authors provide the latest scientific research on how people really learn and concrete examples from companies in both Silicon Valley and worldwide who are driving the conversation about how to create experts and align learning innovation with business strategy. It includes interviews with people from top companies like Google, LinkedIn, Airbnb, Unilever, NASA, and MasterCard; thought leaders in learning and education like Sal Khan and Todd Rose; as well as Thinkers50 list-makers Clayton Christensen, Daniel Pink, and Whitney Johnson.

"The Expertise Economy" dares you to let go of outdated and traditional ways of closing the skills gap, and challenges CEOs and business leaders to embrace the urgency of "re-skilling" and "upskilling" the workforce.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
State-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will roll out more Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas from its new production facility at Nashik in Maharashtra, a top official said on Friday.

"We are setting up a new facility at Nashik to double the production of Tejas fighters to 16 from 8 per year," HAL Chairman and Managing Director R. Madhavan told reporters here.

The company is investing Rs 1,300-crore for the Tejas fighter production augmentation, he said.

The defence behemoth has two production units in Bengaluru where the advanced fourth generation multi-role light fighters are built for the Indian Air Force (IAF) combat fleet.

The new facility is expected to be operational by 2020.

Going forward, the additional capacity will augment the LCA production to 20 units per annum.

The city-based company has an order book of Rs 64,000 crore.

"We certainly like to have a better order book position. Generally, an order book covers 5-7 years of our sales, but what we have covers four years. It is slightly on the lower side, but we have pending orders which should make up," said the Chairman.

An order of 83 LCAs for the IAF is pending, he said.

Fresh orders are expected for the defence major within the next 3-6 months.

"We are looking at orders for 83 LCA Mk-1s and 15 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH)," Madhavan said.

Over the last six months, HAL received an order worth Rs 950 crore for the upgrade of 17 Dornier aircraft from the Indian Coast Guard.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
State-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was "unaware" of the previous Rafale fighter deal being scrapped by the NDA government, a top company official said on Friday.

"We were not aware of the earlier deal being scrapped. We do not want to comment on Rafale as we are no longer a part of the deal," city-based HAL Chairman R Madhavan told IANS at a media interaction here.

The multi-billion dollar deal, the UPA government did not finalise with French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation envisaged HAL manufacturing 108 of the 126 Rafale under licensed production, and 18 delivered in a fly-away condition to the Indian Air Force (IAF) from the French aerospace major.

The Narendra Modi-led government signed another deal in 2015 with the French government to buy outright 36 Rafale in flying condition for an estimated $54 billion.

"We are not into that business now (referring to making). Rafale was one of the projects that we were into and not the only project. HAL makes helicopters, engines etc.," Madhavan said.

As the deal was a direct purchase by the government, the company cannot comment on the specifics of it, HAL chief said.

"As it (Rafale contract) is a direct purchase by the government, we cannot make any comment on the pricing or the policy changes in the deal," Madhavan added.
The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea for allowing entry of women of all ages at temples, mosques and Zoroastrian fire temples.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Rajendra Menon rejected the plea observing that none of the temples mentioned in the petition is within the territorial jurisdiction of this court.

The court was hearing a petition filed by advocate Sanjiv Kumar who pleaded that women in all age groups from every religion be allowed to enter and pray at all shrines.

The petitioner had also sought a declaration that prohibiting Hindu and Muslim women from observing fast and offering prayers during menstruation was "unconstitutional".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Stepping up the attack on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that if there was nothing to hide Modi would have ordered an inquiry into the decision to purchase fighter jets from France.

"If an inquiry starts on this (Rafale deal), Modi is not going to survive it. guaranteed," Gandhi said at a press conference at the party headquarters.

Citing two reasons for his claims, the Congress chief said, "One, because of corruption. Two, because it is very clear who the decision maker was...nobody would be able to say that some general in th Air force, or someone else. It was a deal done by Narendra Modi to give Anil Ambani Rs 30,000 crore," he said.

Hitting out at the BJP government, Gandhi claimed that the French firm Dassault invested Rs 284 crore in the private Indian company. And the same money was used to buy the land," he said.

The Dassault CEO Eric Trappier had recently said that the reason why the Anil Ambani company was given the contract was because it had the land near an airport.

"The CEO is lying, the big question is why a company would invest Rs 284 crore in a company with a capital of just over Rs 8 lakh and is loss making. It is clear cut that this (investment) is the first instalment of kickback given by Dassault," said Gandhi citing a media report that the French defence major invested approximately 40 million euros or Rs 284 crore to buy stakes in a loss making company of Anil Ambani.

"So why is Dassault CEO lying, because he is trying to protect one person the person who runs this country...Modi," said Gandhi.

Gandhi also accused Modi of "removing" CBI chief Alok Kumar Verma because he was looking into documents pertaining to the deal that could "nail" the prime minister.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived here on Friday on a four-day visit to China which comes at a time when Islamabad has shown misgivings about Beijing's connectivity project, the CPEC.

During his visit, Khan is likely to seek fresh loans for his country's limping economy from China which is Islamabad's biggest lender.

Khan will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. He will also attend China's International Import Expo on Sunday in Shanghai.

The new government under Khan has expressed concerns over the Chinese debt under the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key project of Beijing's Belt and Road initiative.

In fact, it slashed the budget for a railway project under the CPEC from $8.2 billion to $6.2 billion, citing Islamabad's financial constraints.

Khan's invitation to Saudi Arabia to join the Chinese-funded CPEC, which he retracted later, would have irked Beijing. Saudi Arabia is a US ally and enemy of Iran, largest exporter of oil to China.

Beijing has, however, rubbished reports of Pakistan being worried over the CPEC, saying that the two countries were "all-weather friends".

Beijing might given fresh loans to Pakistan after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) asked Islamabad to divulge the financial details of the CPEC if it wanted fresh loans for a bailout.

Khan, who has already secured a $6 billion loan from the Saudis, has some friendly nations that are ready to help Pakistan.

Beijing would be averse to the US-dominated IMF to know about the financial details of the CPEC.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Japanese government approved a bill on Friday to revise the immigration control law to allow more foreign workers to undertake work in a variety of sectors.

The move comes as the nation grapples with a serious labour crunch caused by its rapidly aging and shrinking society.

Due to the rapidly greying population and declining birthrate, the bill, which was approved by the Cabinet, will allow eligible foreign workers to apply for newly-created visas spanning a variety of sectors from agriculture and construction to daycare and nursing, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Labour shortages are starting to become a major factor hampering economic growth. We will create a proper system," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was quoted as saying at a parliamentary committee.

The bill indicated a significant shift in Japan's previous tight restrictions for foreign workers entering and working in the country. The change in policy on foreign labour had met some reservations by opposition parties who voiced concern about the shift in Japan's famously cautious immigration stance.

The Japanese market is in dire need of more foreign labourers, experts say.

Under the proposed legislation, the first status will allow five-year working visas to foreigners with applicable vocational skills in certain fields, but they will not be allowed to bring their families.

For foreign workers eligible for the second status, who have more advanced skills, the length of their stay will be open-ended and they will be allowed to bring their families with them.

Japan's government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that foreigners coming to work in Japan will be treated equally to their Japanese peers and be made to feel comfortable living and working in Japan.

"We want to create a country where foreigners feel that they want to live and work," Suga said.

The government and the ruling coalition are aiming to begin deliberations on the bill next Thursday with Abe keen to see it enacted.

Opposition parties, however, warned that the bill is lacking in detail and should not be rushed through Parliament.

--IANS

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With the Sabarimala temple set to open for a day on Monday, the Congress on Friday accused the Kerala government of "creating trouble" over the temple issue.

Addressing the media here, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said that instead of dousing passions, it was most unfortunate that the Left government was trying to create frictions.

"The BJP and Sangh Parivar have one agenda. The Vijayan government should have come out with a proper plan to avoid any trouble. Their decision to appoint 1,500 party workers on temporary basis in the temple town for the two month long pilgrimage season is a challenge to peace in the temple town," said Chennithala.

"The government has no business to interfere in the pilgrimage," he added.

Ever since the Supreme Court ruled that women of all age can visit the Sabarimala temple, the Kerala government has said it will uphold the verdict, angering traditionalists. The Kerala High Court has patted the state government.

In a related development, an organisation of the Hindu Nair community which has taken a stand against the Left government had three of its offices attacked, forcing its General Secretary Sukumaran Nair to warn the CPI-M on Friday "not to play with them".

"We know who is behind the attacks," said Nair, adding that the need of the hour was to resolve the Sabarimala issue.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Maoist was killed in an encounter here on Friday and a rifle was seized from his possession, police said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Ratanlal Dangi said security forces had gone on patrol in Kamkanar jungle when the Maoist was killed. A search operation is continuing in the area.

The Maoist has not been identified yet.

--IANS

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A Maoist commander carrying Rs 10 lakh reward was arrested in Palamau district of Jharkhand on Friday.

Chotelal Yadav was arrested when he was coming from Ramgarh district to Palamau, said Indrajeet Mahta, the Superintendent of Police of Palamau.

"We had information of his movement. A team was formed and he was arrested from Chainpur area," he said.

Chotelal joined the Maoist outfit in 2009. He is accused of killing more than 10 policemen. In one case, he was accused of burning a police officer to death when he set his vehicle on fire.

--IANS

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Security forces shot dead a militant in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, police said on Friday. In his hometown Sopore, security personnel used tear gas to break up street protests on Friday against his killing.

A police officer said that tear gas shells were lobbed to disperse those who took to stone pelting on hearing about the death of Naseer Teli late on Thursday.

He was killed by the Para Regiment in Sagipora village, the officer said.

As the militant's identity was established on Friday, a spontaneous shutdown was observed in Sopore town. Authorities closed schools and colleges to maintain law and order in the area.

All shops and business establishments were shut and public transport went off the roads as authorities imposed restrictions and suspended mobile Internet services in the area.

--IANS

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Alleging French defence major Dassault Aviation of paying "kickback" to secure the Rafale deal, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not survive if the "huge corruption" in the purchase was probed.

"If an inquiry starts on this (Rafale deal), Modi is not going to survive it, guaranteed," Gandhi said at a press conference at the party headquarters here.

Citing two reasons for his claims, he said: "One, because of corruption. Two, because it is very clear who the decision maker was... Nobody would be able to say that some general in the Air Force or the Defence Minister or some bureaucrat from the Defence Ministry. It was a deal done by Narendra Modi to give Anil Ambani Rs 30,000 crore," he said.

Gandhi also said that if there was nothing to hide, Modi would have ordered an inquiry into the decision to purchase the fighter jets from France.

"If the Prime Minister was not involved, he would have said 'let there be an enquiry by the CBI or the Supreme Court'. But he is silent. He has lost his sleep because of tension because he knows he will be caught."

Referring to Dassault Aviation investing Rs 284 crore in a "loss making" Indian company, Gandhi said it was the "first instalment of kickback" that was paid by the French defence major to secure the deal.

"Dassault CEO (Eric Trappier) had claimed his company chose Reliance as its offsets partner because it had land available next to an airport. But now it has been revealed that the land was bought by the money that was invested by Dassault.

"The CEO is lying. The big question is why a firm would invest Rs 284 crore in a company with a capital of just over Rs 8 lakh and is loss making? It is clear cut that this (investment) is the first instalment of kickback given by Dassault," said Gandhi.

The Congress President alleged that Trappier was "lying" to save Modi who in April 2015 had announced the inter-governmental deal to buy 36 Rafale jets in "complete violation" of defence procurement policies.

He also alleged that Central Bureau of Investigation Director Alok Kumar Verma was "removed" because he was looking into documents pertaining to the deal that could nail the Prime Minister.

"The CBI chief was looking into all these papers it is obvious that there is enough material in public domain to nail Modi," said Gandhi, alleging that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's recent visit to France was a part of a cover-up which the Modi government was indulging in to prevent the truth from coming out.

While asserting that his party would continue demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the deal, Gandhi said: "Modi is terrified and will never agree for a JPC."

Reiterating that French President Emmanuel Macron had told him that there was no secrecy clause about the price factor in the Rafale deal, Gandhi said: "Pricing cannot be part of the secrecy clause.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With a dip in the mercury, the people of Nagaland's Longleng district have started welcoming their annual winged guests, the Amur falcon.

The residents of Yaongyimchen, Alayong and Sanglu villages in Longleng district have ensured the Amur falcons, during their month-long sojourn, could roost there without any threat of poaching. They are likely to stay in the area for about a month before taking off for their wintering grounds in southern Africa.

The Amur falcons are the longest travelling raptors in the world and come to these areas in Nagaland in the hundreds of thousands, say ornithologists.

Until recently, Naga tribesmen would hunt thousands of these raptors for meat. However, after a vigorous campaign by wildlife activists and some local and international NGOs, they pledged to protect the bird and since then their hunting in the area has been minimised.

"The first batch of Amur falcons has arrived at their roosting site. We have noticed about three to four lakh birds, and more will arrive in the days to come," said Alex, an intern from Dehradun's Wildlife Institute of India (WII), who is doing his internship in Longleng this year.

These amazing raptors travel one of the longest migration routes of all birds, doing up to 22,000 km in a year and they arrive in Nagaland from Siberia en route to their final destination.

"The Amur falcons take off in the third week of September and start reaching the roosting sites in Nagaland from early November. This year they have started arriving early," said Y. Nuklu Phom, Chairman and team leader of the Lemsachenlok Society, responsible for protecting the roosting sites in Yaongyimchen, Alayong and Sanglu villages.

The villages are part of the Yaongyimchen Biodiversity Conservation Zone.

"The falcons stop here for food. Flying termites and other insects come out at this time and the falcons get their nutrition from these insects before reaching their final stop," Phom said, adding that Nagaland is the final stop for these birds before reaching their final destination.

Phom and other volunteers will be on their toes for this whole period to protect the avian guests. All the volunteers will be deployed in shifts across the villages so that not a single bird can be harmed before their departure towards the end of the month.

The local community performs the conservation and protection effort entirely voluntarily and does not receive any money from the government.

"There are other roosting sites in and around Longleng area as well. However, those were not officially recognised by the Nagaland government," Phom said, adding that birds from the Arctic region have also been spotted roosting at the site.

"The Amur falcons make up most of the migratory birds but there are many others which are yet to be identified. More study is needed to identify the birds," he added.

According to conservation organisation BirdLife International, till five years ago, hundreds of thousands of migrating Amur falcons were being slaughtered annually in northeast India. Today, they are celebrated.

The falcons were trapped, slaughtered or taken to local markets alive and sold as fresh food.

Pangti, the largest hunting village in the area, recently declared a total ban on airguns -- a very significant development as it was a common hunting method, said the world leader in the bird conservation.

Furthermore, the village council put a seasonal ban on the hunting of all wild birds, fulfilling another one of the goals of the Bombay Natural History Societyin the area, it added.

(Aditya Baruah can be contacted at aditya.assam@rediffmail.com)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Signalling that women could be inducted as sailors, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba has said that inclusion of women in warships was also being considered in the near future, sources said here on Friday.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who addressed the Naval Commanders Conference which concluded here on Friday, urged the Navy to give impetus to women enrolment, sources said.

The sources said Lanba stated that enrolment of women in the sailor's rank (equal to jawan in the Indian Army) was on the agenda of the three-day conference.

Lanba said inclusion of women in sea-going cadre "is also being looked in near future but not immediately."

The sources said that the new warships are being designed in a way that they could accommodate women officers. Sea-going cadres are deployed on warships, submarines and other vessels.

At present, all non-sea going cadre are open to women and there are 639 officers, including 150 medical officers.

The sources said that women are at present being deployed as "observers" on patrol aircraft such as P-8Is and IL 38 aircraft.

They said Sitharaman also urged the Navy to optimize the use of budget allocation by "proactive and innovative means."

She also said that Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman, COSC (Chiefs of Staff Committee) would be part of the tri-services commanders conference.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Navy has inducted a submarine rescue system with a Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) along with associated equipment, it said on Friday.

This system has a 'Side Scan Sonar' for locating the position of the submarine in distress at sea, providing immediate relief with the help of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and thereafter rescuing the crew of the submarine using the DSRV itself, as per a release.

"To ensure early mobilisation, the system has been procured in a Flyaway configuration which permits rapid transportation of the rescue system from the base to the exact location of the distressed submarine by transportation using air/land/sea vessel"," said the release.

The Indian DSRV has the capability to rescue personnel from a distressed submarine (DISSUB) up to a depth of 650 m and it is the latest in terms of technology and capabilities.

The Navy said the system has been designed and supplied to meet unique requirements of the submarines by James Fishes Defence, UK.

"We have ordered two systems which shall be based on the West and East Coast of India respectively to provide redundancy, high operational availability and early response to deal with a submarine contingency," it said.

"With this capability, India has joined a select league of nations which have this unique capability and we are now in a position to not only provide rescue cover to our own submarines but also to other friendly nations in the IOR (Indian Ocean Region) and beyond."

The DSRV is likely to be inducted in the Indian Navy by end of this year.

--IANS

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Talk show host-producer-philanthropist Oprah Winfrey returned to the campaign trail for Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who is running for Governor of Georgia in the upcoming midterm polls, saying "all the noise", "crazy talk" and "vitriol" was now part of political discourse.

"You know what? They are designed to confuse and confound you with fear. They are not designed for people with discernment," she told a crowd on Thursday at the Cobb Civic Centre in Georgia, reports variety.com.

Winfrey did not mention US President Donald Trump's name or reference Abrams' Republican opponent, Brian Kemp. But she called for woman to do the right thing.

"Women, people. We have discernment... When you can feel what is the right thing to do, you can't be influenced by propaganda and fear," she said.

This was Winfrey's first foray into midterm politics this year, after largely sitting out the 2016 presidential campaign.

In January, when she gave a speech at the Golden Globe Awards, it ignited speculation that she too may be looking to run for president in 2020.

At the event on Thursday, Winfrey again dismissed those prospects.

"I'm not here because I'm making some grandstand, I'm thinking about running myself," Winfrey said. "I don't want to run. I'm not trying to test any waters."

She touched on one of the major issues of the Abrams-Kemp campaign: voting rights.

"I'm here today because of the men and because of the women who were lynched, who were humiliated, who were discriminated against, who were suppressed, who were repressed and oppressed. I refuse to let their sacrifices be in vain," Winfrey said.

Kemp, Georgia's Secretary of State, has been challenged for his decision to freeze some 50,000 voter applications.

Abrams' campaign has called on him to resign, while he has said that it is a manufactured problem at a time when registration is at a record high.

She told the crowd that she was registered as an independent.

Winfrey added: "Nobody paid me to come here. Nobody asked me to come here. I came for myself, and I approve this message."

She said that she called Abrams up and offered to make campaign appearances for her. Winfrey said to Abrams: "You keep standing strong for the values that matter to me, and the values that matter to Georgians all over this state."

Winfrey's first dive into the political arena came in 2007, when she endorsed Barack Obama and campaigned for him in South Carolina and other states.

The midterm election are slated to take place on November 6.

--IANS

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The leader of the protests against the acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, on blasphemy charges urged his followers on Friday to go on strike as negotiations with the Pakistan government to end the demonstrations failed.

Cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi of the radical Islamist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party -- which supports strong blasphemy laws and had earlier threatened the judges with dire consequences if Asia Bibi was acquitted -- said talks with the government had failed, Efe news reported.

It said the government and the country's main intelligence agency had threatened to open fire on them. "All the lovers of the Prophet and Ahle Sunnat public should gear up to embrace martyrdom for the honour of the Prophet," Rizvi said on Twitter.

The Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday set off violent protests and sit-ins by hardliners. The government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan decided on Thursday to engage in talks with the TLP, a day after urging the radicals not to go against the state.

Army spokesperson Asif Ghafoor, in an interview with state broadcaster PTV, urged the protesters not to defy the law.

"It is a legal matter and it will be better if the law is allowed to run its course on the matter," Ghafoor said.

Pakistan on Friday faced another day of protests with several roads cut-off throughout the country, most educational institutions closed, and mobile services suspended.

Thousands of TLP members continued to protest on the streets.

Asia Bibi, a mother of five, was accused by two women of insulting Prophet Muhammad in 2009 and a court sentenced her to death in 2010, with the verdict being upheld four years later by the Lahore High Court.

The anti-blasphemy law was introduced in British colonial times to avoid religious clashes, but in the 1980s several reforms promoted by the dictator Zia-ul-Haq led to the abuse of the law.

Since then, there have been around 1,000 accusations of blasphemy, a crime that in Pakistan can lead to capital punishment, although nobody has ever been executed for it.

--IANS

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The railways on Friday ordered a probe into the Amritsar train tragedy in which 60 people were killed while watching a Dussehra function on October 19, officials said.

A senior official said an inquiry would be conducted by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS), Lucknow.

The official said the probe was ordered after Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla met Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on October 23 and demanded such an investigation.

The official pointed out that the ministry considered Aujla's request and other facts, circumstances and legal provisions.

"As per law, in such cases, it is not mandatory to conduct an inquiry by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, but it is not impermissible either," he said."

He said in the past, a CRS inquiry was conducted into incidents involving trains running over persons on the tracks.

"Though prima facie, railways does not appear to be responsible in Amritsar incident, the issue of inquiry by an independent and technically competent authority not reporting to Railway Ministry was considered and a request was made to the CRS," he said.

At least 60 people died and dozens injured after people watching the burning of effigy of Ravan on Dussehra were mowed down by a speeding train near Joda Phatak in Amritsar.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has already ordered a magisterial probe.

--IANS

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The recce for the upcoming film "Sadak 2", to be directed by Mahesh Bhatt, has begun.

Actress Pooja Bhatt on Friday shared a photograph of herself along with her father Mahesh in front of a helicopter and with mountains as the backdrop.

"And our recce for 'Sadak 2' officially begins! Time to fly into the skies with Mahesh Bhatt. Here's to the start of a great journey and life changing experience for us all," Pooja captioned the image.

"Sadak 2" is the sequel of Pooja's and actor Sanjay Dutt's 1991 hit film "Sadak" and will release on November 15, 2019.

Sanjay had said that "Sadak 2" will deal with the issue of depression.

The sequel will star Mahesh's youngest daughter and actress Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapoor along with Pooja and Sanjay.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Building further pressure on the government, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday hinted at a fresh "mass agitation" akin to 1992 for constructing a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

"We are confident that the Ram Mandir will be built soon. We have already waited too long for it and cannot wait indefinitely. If needed, we shall launch a 'jan andolan' (mass agitation) for the temple," declared RSS General Secretary (Sarakaryavyah) Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi.

He responded to mediapersons when questioned what would be the RSS stance if the issue was prolonged in the court or a law could not be enacted soon.

Joshi also urged the courts to take up sensitive cases like the Ram temple on priority and expressed confidence that all legal hurdles would be removed soon in this regard.

He reiterated the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's demand of October 18 that the government should consider enacting a law or promulgating an ordinance to pave the way for constructing the temple.

Pointing out that the Supreme Court has to give its ruling on the title suit, he said the RSS was expected "some good news before Diwali", but rued that the apex court pushed the matter further till early 2019.

"The Supreme Court has hurt the feelings of Hindus by observing that it was not a matter of priority and deferring the case hearing to January. This is a matter of deep anguis," Joshi said.

Highlighting the delays of nearly six-seven years, he referred to the Supreme Court ruling of 1994, the Allahabad High Court verdict in 2010, the appeal before the apex court in 2011 and the findings of Archaeologial Survey of India (ASI).

However, he made it clear that on the promulgation of an ordinance or enacting a law, "that is something the government only can decide".

Touching on the Sabarimala temple controversy, Joshi said that while the RSS was in favour of entry of women in all temples, the customs and traditions of individual temples must be respected.

"We do not support discrimination of women in places of worship. But some temples have restrictions and rules which need to be honoured. The society has beliefs and views of all stakeholders must be considered. Peoples' faith is supreme," Joshi said.

The RSS leader's remarks came at the end of a three-day RSS Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal conclave held near Uttan Beach of Bhayander town, and shortly after Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah called on the RSS brass including Bhagwat.

Reacting sharply to Joshi's statements, Antar Rashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) founder-president Pravin Togadia said it implies that the RSS-associated party (BJP) was now ruling the nation but the RSS was talking of a "1992-style agitation" as if it (BJP) was still in the opposition.

"The RSS remembers Ram when its government has failed miserably on all fronts in past four-and-half years. All true Hindus who sacrificed their lives for the organization kept demanding for a law on Ram temple but were humiliated," Togadia said in a statement from Ahmedabad.

--IANS

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The Supreme Court on Friday allowed viewing of G.D Agarwal's body, the environment engineer and activist who died in Rishikesh following indefinite hunger strike for a clean Ganga.

Former IIT Professor and public officer, Agarwal, also known as Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand, died on October 11 due to starvation following 109 days of hunger strike. His body, according ot his wish, was donated to AIIMS Rishikesh.

The activist's followers have been demanding viewing of his body since his death, leading to a petition in Supreme Court.

On Friday, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi allowed viewing of his body for ten consecutive Sundays in a batch of 10 people.

According to the court's order, only five batches, every Sunday will be allowed to view his body at AIIMS Rishikesh mortuary.

The noted environmentalist and professor turned activist, had been observing fast unto death since June 22. He died at the age of 87. He was associated with Matri Sadan Ashram in Haridwar.

Agarwal, who had also worked with Uttar Pradeh's irrigation department, Central Pollution Control Board and taught at IIT Kanpur, had earlier also held several fast and protests to save the Ganga.

--IANS

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The Supreme Court on Friday declined to interfere with the ordinance making triple talaq an offence, telling the petitioners to wait for the coming winter session of Parliament where it will come up for ratification.

"Suppose we issue notice but not stay it, what purpose would be served?" asked the bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice K.M. Joseph and Justice Hemant Gupta, telling the petitioner: "challenge to ordinance, we are not inclined to interfere."

The court asked the petitioners to wait for the winter session of Parliament and that there was no use of a piecemeal challenge as senior counsel Raju Ramachandran told the bench that "prosecutions are taking place after the (promulgation of) ordinance."

Later, the court dismissed the petitions by Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema, Sayyed Farooq and Muslim Advocate AssociationA as withdrawn.

The Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema had moved the top court on September 25 challenging the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, 2018, also known as triple talaq ordinance, on the grounds that it invokes penal provisions against a class of people based on their religious identity.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, 2018 abolishes the 'triple talaq' and makes its punishable.

Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema had contended that the triple talaq ordinance was violative of Article 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution and has national ramification as it has introduced penal provision punishing a class of persons based on their religious identity.

The petitioner organisation had taken exception to the word "unabated" in the ordinance which says that despite Supreme Court holding the practice of triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) as unconstitutional, it was continuing "unabated".

Describing the use of word "unabated" as "entirely whimsical", the petitioner Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema had termed it "misleading, inept and improper."

It had contended that it was doubtful that anybody, including the Central government, had any idea of all-India statistics on the occurrence of triple talaq across te country prior to the Supreme Court judgement.

--IANS

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Sahara India Commercial Corporation (SICCL) on Friday said that market regulator SEBI's order to refund Rs 14,000 crore to the company's investors with annual interest of 15 per cent goes against the spirit of natural law.

In a statement here, SICCL said that it has "already discharged all its Optionally Fully Convertible Debentures (OFCD) liabilities except for Rs 17 crore as outstanding OFCD liability towards 54,804 members".

The tax deducted at source (TDS) on interest paid has been deposited with the Income Tax Department, it added.

"We consider the recent order passed by SEBI as totally against the spirit of natural law. While taking the decision, SEBI once again has overlooked the hard facts and situations that very much prevailed at the time when SICCL issued OFCDs in 1998," it said.

The company also said that it would take up the matter at the "appropriate platform".

In an order dated October 31, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said the company had raised Rs 14,000 crore in violation of rules and ordered SICCL and its then directors, including Subrata Roy, to refund the money along with 15 per cent annual interest.

The regulator also barred the company and its then directors and associated entities from the markets and from associating with any public entity.

--IANS

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Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Friday informed lawmakers that President Maithripala Sirisena was likely to convene Parliament on November 7.

Jayasuriya, in a meeting with political party legislators, said that Sirisena had in a telephone conversation informed him that Parliament would convene on November 7 and a gazette notification would be issued on either Friday or Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Last week, Sirisena had prorogued Parliament till November 16.

Parliamentarians, including ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, had urged for an urgent parliamentary session, to identify which party held the majority in the House.

Newly-appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was sworn in last Friday after the President sacked Wickremesinghe, earlier said that Sirisena had informed him that the Parliament would convene on November 5 in order to settle the ongoing political crisis.

According to a government official, Sirisena had also informed the decision to convene the Parliament on November 5 to the new foreign envoys who presented their credentials to him on Thursday.

However, on Thursday evening, General Secretary of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Susil Premajayantha told journalists that no such announcement was made by the President and Parliament would convene as announced on November 16.

Sirisena is the leader of the UPFA.

Premajayantha said that Parliament needed time to prepare to meet and there was not enough time to meet on November 5.

However, there has been no statement from Sirisena or Rajapaksa since then.

A political crisis erupted in Sri Lanka last Friday when Sirisena, in a shocking move, dissolved Cabinet and sacked Wickremesinghe and appointed former President Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister.

Wickremesinghe and his party maintained that the move was illegal as they still held a majority in the House.

Sirisena formed a new Cabinet since then with several ministers, state and deputy ministers already sworn in.

--IANS

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DMK President M.K. Stalin on Friday welcomed the meeting between Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP leader N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Stalin tweeted that he "happily" welcomed the meeting, adding that all opposition parties should join together to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

According to Stalin, all regional parties have to unite to defeat the Modi government which he alleged curbed the autonomy of states.

Naidu and Gandhi met in New Delhi on Thursday, ending decades of political enmity.

--IANS

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For around six decades he has been mesmerising both adults and teenagers with his vivid and varied characterisation, gripping plots, and impeccable story telling. A deep love of humanity and humane values, wit and humour are the hallmarks of his short stories and novels, where those in teens love to get lost in a world of fantasy and funny ghosts and the equally lovable good and bad people.

Meet Sahitya Akademi awardee Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, rated as one of the finest and popular writers of modern Bengali literature. As he stepped into his 84th year on Friday, Mukhopadhyay is least bothered about his advancing age, and has adapted magnificently to a new world of laptops and tabs.

"I am not at all concerned about my age, or that I am growing old. I consider myself young. I still play pranks on my grandchildren.

"I face no issues with the change in technology as I am in favour of the change. I myself use new gadgets and devices and practise writing on them. I have been using laptops for a long time. Currently I am writing stories on my new tab," Mukhopadhyay told IANS in an interview.

Mukhopadhyay, who has penned nearly 100 books of short stories and novels for the adult readers, and 34 for teenagers - most of them best sellers - does not believe that emergence of e-books would put writers in trouble.

"I believe e-books are the future. We can get almost 40 to 50 novels within one small portable device and read them any time we want. It is of great convenience to the readers." said the author, who won the Sahitya Akademi in 1989 for his novel Manabjamin.

He himself uses various social media platforms.

"Social media allows free interaction between the author and readers. It has opened up new horizon for the writers as they can reach out to more people easily and also use the platform to advertise their books if needed. I have accounts on various social media platforms like Facebook and Whatsapp but I do not use them a lot as I don't get time but the impact of social media on writers have been positive," he said.

Mukhopadhyay, who was massively influenced by the works of Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, rued that great translations comissioned by the Sahitya Akademi remain unsold as people do not know about them. He suggested Sahitya Akademi set up its own retail shops to get more visibility among the literature enthusiasts.

Born in Mymensingh (now in Bangladesh) in 1935, his family migrated to Kokata during the partition. However, Mukhopadhyay spent his formative years shuttling between various places as his father had a transferable job.

"I came across a great variety of people, This obviously helped me in portraying a wide array of characters. The experience of staying in different mofussil and rural areas greatly shaped backdrop of my novels and stories," said Mukhopadhyay, whose first published story was "Jol Torongo" in 1959. The first novel "Ghunpoka" came out in the mid-sixties.

A deep undertone of spirituality runs through his works. They add to the depth, but never hinder the flow.

Mukhopadhyay credits this to the influence of his guru (spiritual guide) Thakur Anukulchandra.

"I believe, to portray some idealism in one's writing, it is important to first assimilate the ideals. Otherwise it would sound like an advertisement. I could do it successfully. The reference to Thakur in my writings comes from my belief in his philosophy," he said.

Mukhopadhyay's magnificent ouvre of adult fiction includes such evergreen books like "Kagojer Bou", "Durbin", "Ujaan", "Akranta" and "Parthibo". He has also come out with thrillers like "Kalo Beral" and "Shada Beral" and even started a series with detective Shabor Dasgupta as the protagonist.

Many of his works have been translated into various languages.

Mukhopadhyay delved into the world of children's literature much later, in the mid- 1970s, and got instant success with the novel "Manojder Adbhut Bari".

"I don't face issues in writing for the children and the grown ups simultaneously. I have been doing it for many years. But the truth is there is no secret formula behind this. I won't be able to explain how I do it. May be, it is something within me."

His treasure trove of children's literature is enriched with elements like thrill, suspense, humour, colloquialism and often the not-at-all-scary supernatural entities. His "Goshaibaganer Bhoot", "Goynar Baksho" and "Chhayamoy", all of which were turned into movies, have the presence of ghosts.

"I believe in ghosts. But what's more significant, I feel the ghosts too believe in me. They come to grace my writings whenever I need them. I have a mutual relationship with them," Shirshendu said in his trademark humorous style.

(Milinda Ghosh Roy can be contacted at milinda.r@ians.in)

--IANS

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Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said those responsible for the killing of five people in Tinsukiya on Thursday will be brought to justice.

Condemning the killing of innocent people and terming it as an act of cowardice, Sonowal said the state police have been directed to nab the culprits involved in the incident.

"Assam is marching ahead towards prosperity, taking everybody belonging to Barak-Brahmaputra, hills and plains on board. However, some anti-social elements are hell-bent on creating disharmony to disturb the progress," Sonowal said.

He said inflammatory statements and hate speeches made by leaders of certain organizations and political parties also led to the killing of innocent lives in Upper Assam.

He appealed to people to nurture the age-old bonding with those belonging to Barak-Brahmaputra, hills and plains in the state.

He said the government will not remain a mute spectator to lawlessness and will come down heavily on evil forces out to disturb harmony in the state.

He said top police officers are camping in Tinsukia district to deal with the situation and apprehend the miscreants who carried out the senseless killing.

--IANS

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Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) leader M. Kodandaram on Friday called on Congress President Rahul Gandhi and demanded 17 seats for the party in next month's Assembly elections in Telangana.

A day after the Congress announced that it will leave 24 seats for its three allies in the grand alliance, Kodandaram urged Gandhi to formalize the alliance and finalise seat sharing among its constituents.

Kodandaram told reports after the meeting in New Delhi that the seat sharing talks among the allies had not concluded.

Claiming that TJS was strong in at least 25 constituencies, he said the party was keen to field candidates in 17 constituencies. He said the delay in giving a shape to the alliance and finalizing the candidates could affect the prospects of the alliance.

Congress' Telangana unit president Uttam Kumar Reddy announced on Thursday that the party had decided to contest 95 seats in the 119-member Assembly. It has left 24 seats for allies - 14 seats for Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and 10 for TJS and Communist Party of India (CPI).

Kodandaram, a former professor of Osmania University, was one of the prominent faces of the Telangana movement.

He headed the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC), comprising various groups fighting for the separate state. After formation of Telangana state, he fell out with Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrshekhar Rao.

Earlier this year, Kodandaram turned TJAC into a political party and vowed to end what he calls dictatorial rule of TRS.

Assembly elections in Telangana are scheduled to be held on December 7.

--IANS

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US President Donald Trump has said that Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the State Department, is "under very serious consideration" for the post of the country's ambassador to the UN.

Trump told the media at the White House, "She is under very serious consideration" to replace Nikki Haley for the job, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

"She's excellent. She's been with us for a very long time. She's been a supporter for a long time," Trump said. "We'll probably make a decision next week," he added.

US media outlets reported a few days ago that Nauert had been offered the job, but it remained unclear whether she would take it.

Reuters quoted a source familiar with the selection process as saying that Nauert was "at the top of the list," while Bloomberg reported that Trump met with Nauert on Monday.

Nauert has not attended any press briefing recently, and her deputy Robert Palladino has chaired three briefings this week.

Asked about the nomination on Thursday, Palladino said "any announcement like that is the prerogative of the White House."

Nauert, 48, a former anchor at Fox News Channel, has worked for the State Department as a spokeswoman since April 2017. She was named acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs earlier this year.

Haley announced in early October she would step down from her position by the end of the year, saying she needed a break after decades of public office.

The appointment of Nauert, if confirmed, would be unorthodox, given that she had no prior political or foreign policy-making experience before joining the State Department.

However, she has reportedly gained the trust of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and is also close to Trump's daughter and son-in-law.

Nevertheless, the US media have complained about the falling frequency of the State Department's press briefings under Nauert.

"In keeping with broader administration practice, Nauert has cut back State Department briefings from almost every day to, at most, twice a week," Bloomberg noted.

US media earlier reported that Kelly Craft, the US ambassador to Canada; Dina Powell, a former White House aide; Kay Bailey Hutchison, US ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Jamie McCourt, US ambassador to France and Monaco; and Nancy Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, were among the candidates being considered.

--IANS

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Keithair Misquitta is on a mission along with Aarohi Pandit to become the first Indian women to circumnavigate the globe in an ultra-light motor glider. She says it is not an easy mission.

Pandit and Misquitta are flying a Light Sport Aircraft from the Tropic to the Arctic -- India to Greenland. Their journey in a tiny single engine, two-seater plane weighing less than 500 kg, over deserts, mountains, plains and oceans, is part of a daring circumnavigation attempt in the world.

Phase 1 of the Colors-WE! Expedition has now been completed and the circumnavigation will resume soon.

Talking about the journey so far, Misquitta told IANS: "It was incredible. We had a chance to fly to places no one has ever been to, met so many kind and wonderful people. The journey wasn't always easy, but we had the experience of a lifetime."

What are the lessons they stumbled upon?

"The most important lessons were to keep going, and wait for your turn. The weather may not always be supportive, but if you are patient enough you will find a way out," Misquitta said.

Pandit, 22, and Misquitta 24, both Indian CPL and LSA licence holders, set course westward on July 30 from Patiala, flying a Pipistrel Sinus 912 aircraft across Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat stopping in Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Serbia, Slovenia, Germany, France, UK, Iceland and Greenland and overflying Croatia, Bulgaria and Austria.

Misquitta says the challenges have revolved around the weather and unfamiliar terrain.

"We had to be extra prepared since this was the first time either of us had flown like this. We spoke to other pilots at airports, looked through various apps to anticipate the terrain and weather, and did as much studying and research as we could rather than be at the mercy of the forecasts which can change really fast."

--IANS

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked District Magistrates and police chiefs to ensure Diwali passes off peacefully without any untoward incident, an official said on Friday.

The District Magistrate of Faizabad has been asked to ensure the temple town of Ayodhya was clean for the 'Choti Diwali' when 'deepotsav' is held on the banks of river Saryu.

Adityanath held a video conference session with the officials late on Thursday.

He was expected to lead the devotees in lighting up lakhs of lamps on the ghats of Saryu river and has ordered the police to manage patrolling on foot.

The Power and Water departments must ensure uninterrupted supply during the festival of lights, he said.

The Fire Department, community health centres (CHCs), primary health centres (PHCs) and district hospitals have been asked to be on stand-by for any eventuality.

--IANS

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After several women accused former Union Minister M.J. Akbar of sexual harassment in the wake of the #MeToo campaign, an allegation of rape has now surfaced with a US-based journalist narrating her ordeal of working under him when he was the editor of The Asian Age.

Pallavi Gogoi, Chief Business Editor at National Public Radio, in an article written under her byline for The Washington Post published on Friday (Thursday, India time), narrated her detailed account and described the incident of rape and various others incidents of sexual assault on her 23 years ago as "the most painful memories of my life".

Akbar's lawyer, Sandeep Kapur, told the Washington Post that his client "states these (incidents and allegation) are false and expressly denied." When contacted by IANS, Kapur said the same thing adding that "any further course of action would be decided by the evening."

After two incidents in Delhi and Bombay where Akbar had sexually molested and assaulted her, she said, one news story took her to a remote village a few hundred miles from Delhi.

"The assignment was to end in Jaipur. When I checked back, Akbar said I could come discuss the story in his hotel in Jaipur, far from Delhi."

"In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me. Instead of reporting him to the police, I was filled with shame," said Gogoi.

"I didn't tell anyone about this then. Would anyone have believed me? I blamed myself. Why did I go to the hotel room?" she added.

She said after the Jaipur incident, "his grip over me got tighter".

"I stopped fighting his advances because I felt so helpless. He continued to coerce me. For a few months, he continued to defile me sexually, verbally, emotionally," she added.

After several women journalists charged Akbar with sexual harassment and assault in the past one month, he resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs on October 17. He has filed a defamation case against one of the first accusers.

In her 1,800 word article, Gogoi attacked the ruling BJP for letting Akbar continue as its member.

"He's still today a member of the Indian Parliament and a member of the ruling party, which prides itself on advancing rights for young girls," she wrote.

Gogoi added that he would burst into loud rages in the newsroom if he saw her talking to male colleagues of her age. "It was frightening."

Later, when Gogoi was posted in London, she felt that the abuse would stop because she would be far away from Delhi office "except the truth was that he was sending me away so I could have no defenses and he could prey on me whenever he visited the city where I would be posted."

She also alleged that Akbar was hit her when he saw her speaking to a male colleague in London office and "went on a rampage, throwing things from the desk at me -- a pair of scissors, a paperweight, whatever he could get his hands on", she said.

"I was in shreds -- emotionally, physically, mentally..." she wrote

She said it was difficult to explain why she didn't fight him back then.

"I cannot explain today how and why he had such power over me, why I succumbed. Was it because he was so much more powerful than I was?..."

She said over the years, she did not bring up Akbar in conversations as "I've always felt that Akbar is above the law and justice doesn't apply to him. I felt he would never pay the price for what he had done to me."

"But I am writing this because I know what it is like to be victimized by powerful men like Akbar. I am writing this to support the many women who have come out to tell their truth."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump's administration's isolation at the UN because of its strident policies has been highlighted again with a near-unanimous vote by the General Assembly against Washington's economic embargo on Cuba.

India joined 189 members who voted on Thursday to urge the US to end the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba.

Only the US and Israel voted against the resolution, and two other countries stayed away from the 193-member General Assembly.

Last December, the US was also isolated when the Assembly voted to criticise its decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move its embassy to the disputed city sacred to three faiths.

As they did on Thursday, its closest European allies deserted the US on the vote on that resolution.

Although this was the 27th time the resolution on Cuba has been voted by the General Assembly, it took on new significance with US threats of sanctions against countries buying Iranian oil looming this Sunday.

The resolution, as before, also reiterated in general terms the principles of the sovereign equality of states and non-interference in their freedom of international trade and navigation in accordance with the UN Charter.

India, which faces prospects of US sanctions over buying oil from Iran and signing a deal to buy Russian anti-missile defence system valued at about $5 billion, spoke out during the debate on the resolution against countries unilaterally imposing sanctions.

Tanmaya Lal, India's Deputy Permanent Representative, declared on Wednesday that "India stands in solidarity with this Assembly in its unambiguous rejection of domestic laws having extraterritorial impact".

The US proposed eight amendments amendments to the resolution criticising Cuba's human rights record and the absence of women in senior government positions and demanding the release of political prisoners.

All of them were defeated.

US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley dismissed the resolution as a waste of time, saying: "It's one more time that countries feel they can poke the United States in the eye. But you're not hurting the US when you do this. You are literally hurting the Cuban people."

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the US sanctions "an act of economic war" and an "aggression" that violated the UN Charter.

Former President Barack Obama began a process of normalising ties with Cuba in 2015 by restoring diplomatic relations cut off in 1961 and relaxing travel and some economic and financial restrictions.

But Trump changed course and reinstated some of the restrictions.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Journalist-turned-politician M.J. Akbar, who quit as Union Minister after charges of sexual harassment by many journalists, has now been accused of rape by US journalist Pallavi Gogoi. Akbar said they had a "consensual relationship" even as his wife accused Gogoi of lying.

In a first person account in The Washington Post published on Friday, Gogoi, now the Chief Business Editor at National Public Radio, gave a detailed account of how she was allegedly raped by Akbar and narrated her ordeal of working under him when he was the Editor of The Asian Age years ago.

After two incidents in Delhi and Mumbai where Akbar "molested and sexually assaulted her", Gogoi, now a US citizen, narrated how she was raped in a hotel in Jaipur.

"In his hotel room, even though I fought him (Akbar), he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me. Instead of reporting him to the police, I was filled with shame," wrote Gogoi.

She said after the Jaipur incident, "his grip over me got tighter".

"For a few months, he continued to defile me sexually, verbally, emotionally.

With over a dozen journalists accusing him of sexual harassment and assault, Akbar quit as Minister of State for External Affairs on October 17. Denying the charges, he filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani who was the first to accuse him.

Gogoi also attacked the BJP for letting Akbar continue as its member.

Later, when Gogoi was posted in London, she felt the abuse would stop because she would be far away from Delhi. But "the truth was that he was sending me away so I could have no defenses and he could prey on me whenever he visited the city where I would be posted".

She said she did not bring up Akbar in conversations as "I've always felt that Akbar is above the law and justice doesn't apply to him.

"But I am writing this because I know what it is like to be victimized by powerful men like Akbar. I am writing this to support the many women who have come out to tell their truth," she added.

Both Akbar and his wife Mallika trashed Gogoi's allegations.

Akbar claimed his relationship with Gogoi was "consensual".

"Somewhere around 1994, Gogoi and I entered into consensual relationship that spanned several months. This relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on best note," he said in a statement.

He said that "at no stage did the behaviour of Pallavi Gogoi give any one of them impression that she was working under duress".

Coming out in his defence, Mallika, who has been silent so far on the charges against her husband, said: "More than 20 years ago, Gogoi caused unhappiness and discord in our home. I learned of her and my husband's involvement through her late night phone calls and her public display of affection in my presence. In her flaunting the relationship, she caused anguish and hurt to my entire family.

"At an Asian Age party at our home, crowded with young journalists, I have watched with mortification and pain as they danced close. I had confronted my husband at the time and he decided to prioritize his family."

She said Gogoi would "happily drink and dine at our home with us and did not carry the haunted look of victim of sexual assault... I don't know Pallavi's reasons for telling this lie but a lie it is."

Meanwhile, The Editors Guild said it was writing to Akbar and would wait for his response before deciding on his membership.

--IANS

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The US military has apologised for including discriminatory language in a manual offered to troops deployed in Saudi Arabia.

The June 2018 guide, designed to inform newly deployed troops about the Kingdom's culture and customs, said in one paragraph a "mixture of N***o blood from slaves imported from Africa" can be found in some of the Kingdom's population.

Bill Urban, a spokesman of the Central Command, said in a statement on Thursday that "we regret that inappropriate material was posted to our website without a more fulsome review and apologise to anyone who took offence".

"We removed the document as soon as we were notified of the content, and it was returned to the originating office for revision," Urban said.

The Central Command will review other training material for inappropriate content, he said.

The offensive wording was brought to light by comedian Hasan Minhaj, who joked on his show that "Oh America, even in boring, technical manuals you somehow manage to be racist."

The US Central Command is a Unified Combatant Command headquartered in Florida.

Its Area of Responsibility includes parts of North Africa and Central Asia, most notably Afghanistan and Iraq.

--IANS

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Filmmaker and "Urban Naxals" author Vivek Agnihotri has put together a budget of Rs 250 crore for a trilogy on the history of Hindu civilisation. The ambitious project will be rolled out over the next five years.

The project has begun with extensive research. A 10-member research panel, led by Agnihotri, has been formed with eminent and award-winning scholars, historians, archaeologists, astrologists and anthropologists. Casting for the project will begin after the release of Agnihotri's next "The Tashkent Files", read a statement issued on behalf of the filmmaker.

Agnihotri said in the statement: "'The Tashkent Files' in itself was a humongous project to pull through. After 3 years of intensive research, finally we are in post-production and looking at an early 2019 release. As for my trilogy, I would say we have just laid the foundation.

"The project is gigantic in terms of scale and we will cover the Vedas, Mahabharata, Indus Valley and the various forces of nature that have been central to the Hindu civilisation's existence.

He said the project was conceived and the funding came to fruition while he was on the US-UK leg of his book launch tour for "Urban Naxals".

"I was conducting sessions at Purdue and Oxford University and more recently was called for speaking at the World Hindu Congress at Chicago where 125 years ago Swami Vivekananda made his historical speech. Enthusiasts and academicians took note of my work and came forward to fund the project," he added.

The trilogy, he said, will be funded by a newly formed consortium of donors, Karmandya Studios based in Houston, Texas and will closely monitor the production also, especially the research.

"This is a very ambitious projects and needed deep pockets. Most importantly I wanted a larger body to associate because it gives you confidence that people believe in your concept," said Agnihotri, who has earlier helmed "Buddha in a Traffic Jam".

The trilogy will trace the start of Hindu civilisation, with the first instalment spanning from Brahma to Buddha.

--IANS

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With India jumping 23 ranks on Ease of Doing Business index, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim on Friday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to congratulate him for the 'historic rise' in the rankings.

According to a PMO release, Kim said this has been made possible, in large measure, due to the unwavering commitment and leadership of Prime Minister Modi. He described this as a historic, and unprecedented achievement.

Kim called it 'remarkable' for a nation of over 1.25 billion people to have achieved a rise of 65 ranks in a short period of 4 years.

He also promised the World Bank's unflinching and continued support to India's initiatives on ease of doing business.

Modi thanked Kim for the Bank's continued guidance and support in India's efforts to improve ease of doing business.

India leapfrogged 23 places to 77th rank in the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' ranking, released on Wednesday.

--IANS

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Alleging massive corruption in the procedure for government jobs, Yuva-HallaBol on Friday organised 'youth panchayats' across the country on the rising unemployment in the country.

In the panchayats, the youth representatives deliberated on the way forward and decided to organise Yuva-HallaBol rallies in more cities.

The Yuva-Hallabol is a nationwide youth movement against corruption and lack of job opportunities.

"Yuva-Hallabol has in the past protested against SSC (Staff Selection Commission) scam and also organised a rally at Parliament Street. Noted activist and Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan is now handling the SSC case in the court," said Yuva-HallaBol leader Anupam.

He said youth panchayats were organized in various cities today to discuss the roadmap for the nationwide movement against unemployment. The cities included Delhi, Kolkata, Patna, Jaipur, Bhopal, Allahabad, Rewari, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune.

"Youngsters have a deep sense of insecurity for their future, which casts a shadow on the country's future. The anger among the youth is beacuse of the failure of the government to even acknowledge the problem," he said.

He said there are over 24 lakh sanctioned but vacant posts in various government departments. Instead of filling these positions, the government has ordered to scrap 4 lakh such posts, he added.

--IANS

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Heres something that the Congress partys spokespersons should be mindful of: there has not been a single governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)  with the exception perhaps of K R Puri during the Emergency  with whom the government has not had differences of opinion. Given that the party was in power for 60 of the 71 years since 1947, it should not claim any special virtue in dealing with the RBI.

Another thing they should keep in mind is that a government doesnt actually have to use an enabling provision in the law to have its way. Thus, when ...
The afternoon azaan of the Toot Serai mosque near my home serves as an alarm every day. As the imam starts calling the faithful to prayer, I am pulled out of my mid-morning torpor.

This is how it has been for the past five years since I moved into Malviya Nagar. Not being too religious, I have never had any desire to find out where this mosque is  nor have I visited any of the gurdwaras or temples that dot the narrow roads of this congested, but very popular, south Delhi neighbourhood. Yet, I am acutely aware of the chequered demography of the area, and have enjoyed its many ...
Nearly a decade ago, Sanjiv Bajaj met us for lunch in a spruced up dining room in the Bajaj group headquarters in Akurdi, Pune. The compound is picturesque  lined with trees and with a waterfall right next to the entrance that opens into a spacious lobby.

He had just taken on the responsibility of running the groups financial services business, but the business was puny compared to the flagship Bajaj Auto led by his elder brother Rajiv, which churned out most of the profits for the group. Back then, Sanjiv had predicted that in the next five years, the financial services ...
Are Chinese expansionism and aggressiveness, noticeably ramped up in recent years, beginning to cost the country? So it would seem. For many years Beijing had got away with combining technology theft with a mercantilist trade and currency policy, following it up with a new assertiveness in foreign policy.

That period as a free-rider has ended with Donald Trumps frontal tariff assault on Chinese exports to the US. The US too will hurt as American consumers pay higher prices, but some producing units may move out of China. The yuan this year has fallen more than many Asian ...
Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will Saturday stage a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in the national capital seeking justice for the families of those killed in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the party said.

The ruling Congress in Punjab, however, described the proposed demonstration that will be led by SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal as a "political gimmick".

In a statement issued here, SAD's senior vice president and spokesperson Daljeet Singh Cheema said the protest will be held against the the massacre of Sikhs "orchestrated" by the Congress in New Delhi and other parts of the country between November 1 and 4 in 1984.

"The protest will open the eyes of the Congress party to the reality that oppressors cannot muzzle the voice of truth," Cheema said.

Lambasting Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar for calling it a "political gimmick", Cheema urged all party leaders and workers to participate in large numbers to give a befitting reply to the Lok Sabha MP.

He also accused Jakhar of "rubbing salt on the wounds of the Sikh community" by opposing the protest and also proving that even after 34 years of the massacre, the Congress still stood behind the culprits.

"By opposing the dharna (protest), Jakhar has tried to gratify Rahul Gandhi (Congress president). Why the Congress party is so upset?" Cheema said.

"Is seeking justice for thousands of innocent Sikhs butchered by an unruly mob apparently instigated by Congress higher ups a crime," he added.

However, in a statement here, Jakhar said that the agitation reflected the "political hypocrisy" of the Akali Dal.

The Congress leader said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre, of which the SAD is an ally, must expedite the probe into the riots.

Jakhar said that the SAD must quit the NDA alliance before launching an agitation.

Sukhbir Badal should pressurise the Narendra Modi government to expedite the investigation in the pending cases and reach a conclusion before the 2019 general election, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court hearing a case against policemen accused of opening fire at Suleman Bakery during the 1993 Mumbai riots has ordered that recordings of police wireless messages be heard to check if their transcription is correct.

Seven policemen are accused of opening fire indiscriminately inside the Suleman Bakery in South Mumbai on January 9, 1993, killing nine persons.

As part of the evidence, the prosecution has produced two audio cassettes containing recordings of wireless messages received by the police control room from the areas where riots took place on that day.

In 2016, defence lawyers claimed discrepancies in the recordings and the transcripts submitted by the prosecution.

They demanded that the recordings be played in the court or the accused be provided copies of the cassettes.

The actual recordings showed that police had fired in retaliation, defence claimed.

The trial court ordered Thursday that the concerned official in the court registry should compare contents of the cassettes with the transcripts in the presence of lawyers from from both sides.

"A report shall be submitted stating whether the transcripts are in line with the contents of the cassettes," the court said, adjourning the hearing to November 21.

While the incident took place in 1993, an FIR was registered only in 2001 after witnesses, including some bakery workers, teachers and students of a nearby madrassa gave statements before Justice B N Srikrishna Commission which probed the Mumbai riots.

Initially, 17 policemen including then joint commissioner of police R D Tyagi were named in the case.

But Tyagi and nine others were discharged by the trial court for lack of evidence. The order was upheld by the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court.

Seven police personnel -- Kalyanrao Vidhate, Sahebrao Phad, Sudhir Bane, Mohan Bhise, Purshottam Naik, Chandrakant Mohite and Ramakant Motling -- are facing trial on various charges including murder.

The policemen's defence is they fired only in retaliation when there was firing from inside on the police team raiding the bakery.

Around 900 people died in riots in Mumbai following the demolition of Babri masjid in Ayodhya in December 1992.

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Malaysia's extraordinary 1MDB corruption scandal allegedly saw top officials loot billions from a government fund and go on a worldwide spending spree, buying up super-yachts, Van Gogh artwork and financing a Hollywood blockbuster.

The controversy had a huge impact in Malaysia, contributing to the ousting of a coalition that had ruled the country since its independence from Britain in 1957. On Thursday the US Department of Justice unveiled its first criminal charges over the scandal with the indictments of two ex-Goldman Sachs bankers and a shadowy international financier.

1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) is a state investment fund which Najib Razak launched in 2009 shortly after becoming Malaysia's prime minister.

Its portfolio has included power plants and other energy assets in Malaysia and the Middle East, and real estate in Kuala Lumpur.

The fund was closely overseen by Najib.

Whistle-blowers say Low Taek Jho -- commonly known as Jho Low, a jet-setting Malaysian financier close to Najib but with no official positions -- helped set up 1MDB and made key financial decisions.

Concerns escalated in 2014 as 1MDB slid into an $11 billion debt hole, and the intensifying public scrutiny led to a string of revelations concerning missing funds.

The issue exploded in July 2015 when the Wall Street Journal published documents showing Najib received at least $681 million in payments to his personal bank accounts.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) then piled on the pressure by filing lawsuits to seize some $1.7 billion in assets it said were purchased with stolen 1MDB money.

As allegations mounted, Najib purged 1MDB critics from his government, curbed domestic investigations into the fund and enacted a tough new security law.

The DOJ started investigating due to claims that huge sums of stolen Malaysian public money were laundered through the US financial system.

In its civil suits, the department said that more than $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB by high-level officials at the fund and their associates between 2009 and 2015.

Tens of millions of dollars in stolen money were used in 2012 by Najib's stepson Riza Aziz, an aspiring film producer, to fund the Hollywood film "The Wolf of Wall Street" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Hundreds of millions were used, mainly by Riza and Low, to purchase high-end real estate in Beverly Hills, New York and London, a Monet painting for $35 million, a Van Gogh for $5.5 million, a $35 million Bombardier jet and a $100 million stake in EMI Music Publishing.

Low, who has been photographed partying with the likes of Paris Hilton and DiCaprio, allegedly used more than $250 million of stolen 1MDB cash to buy a 300-foot (90-metre) luxury yacht.

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After Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Friday blamed inflammatory speeches by individuals and organisations for the killing of five people in Tinsukia district, police arrested two pro-talk ULFA leaders for making provocative statements on various occasions.

The two pro-talk faction United Liberation Front of Assam leaders Jiten Dutta and Mrinal Hazarika were arrested from separate places, police said.

"We have arrested Jiten Dutta and Mrinal Hazarika for making provocative statements," Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia told PTI.

He said police would take strong action against anyone making insensitive comments.

Police said Hazarika was arrested after interrogation at Panbazar police station in Guwahati, while Dutta was picked up from Sivasagar.

Police suspect anti-talk ULFA (Independent) was behind the killings, though the faction has denied involvement in the incident.

Unidentified gunmen in battle fatigue shot dead five persons, including three members of a family, near Kheronibari village after taking them there from their homes in the village.

The ruling BJP said the killing was a result political parties, the media and individuals continuously making provocative statements on sensitive issues such as the NRC and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Chief Minister Sonowal too blamed "inflammatory statements" by a section of political parties and the media for the killing on Thursday night.

The NRC was being updated in Assam and over 40 lakh applicants were left out in its complete draft published on July 30. The NRC was meant to include the names of all Indian citizens who have been residing in Assam before March 25, 1971.

Assam has been facing influx of people of Bangladesh for many years.

Assam government has been appealing to the people not to make inflammatory statements on such sensitive matters.

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Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken lashed out at Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government on Friday, saying it had "failed" to provide corruption-free governance.

Quoting the findings of two recent reports by Transparency International and Centre for Media Studies (CMS), Maken said 64 per cent Delhiites are caught in the trap of "corruption" under the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) regime.

"Corruption in Delhi jumped from 40 percent in 2016 to 64 percent in 2018," he said.

The Congress leader claimed this upward trend continued despite corruption in Delhi Police and municipal corporations declining in recent years, as suggested by reports.

Maken also attacked the AAP for not fulfilling its promise of bringing the Jan Lokpal Bill.

"The AAP, which, before coming to power, used to blow its trumpet by saying that it will bring the Jan Lokpal on assuming power, has forgotten it," he said.

Maken said the Congress will fight against corruption in Delhi through various means, including RTI queries.

No immediate reaction was available from the AAP.

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Haryana Roadways employees have assured the Punjab and Haryana High Court that they will call off their strike by 10 am on Saturday.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Palli on Friday asked the state government to take back all the suspended and dismissed employees immediately, said senior advocate Anupam Gupta, who was appointed as amicus curiae to assist the court in the matter.

The assurance to call off their strike was given by four employee union leaders, including Hari Narayan Sharma.

While fixing November 14 as the next date of hearing in the matter, the bench directed the Haryana government not to take any action against the striking employees.

Haryana Advocate General B R Mahajan assured the court that the government will resolve the matter with the protesters amicably.

Earlier, the bench had detailed discussion with the union leaders.

The bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Arvind Sethi on Thursday.

The roadways buses will start plying across the state from 10 am on Saturday, union leader Sharma said.

The employees are on strike since October 16 against the government's decision to hire 700 buses from private owners. There are about 19,000 employees in the Haryana Roadways.

The Haryana Roadways employees' coordination committee had Thursday decided to hold a 'Save Roadways, Protect Employment' rally at Jind on November 4.

The roadways, having a fleet of 4,100 buses, cater to about 12 lakh passengers daily.

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The Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety will probe the Amritsar tragedy in which 60 Dussehra revellers were mowed down by a passing train, the Indian Railways said Friday, nearly two weeks after it had ruled out any investigation in the tragedy.

A day after the accident on October 19, the railways had termed it a "case of trespassing".

In a statement Friday, the railways, however, said since the CCRS can conduct an inquiry even in those cases where it is not mandatory as per law and rules, it will do the same in this case as well.

It said the accident has "become a matter of great public discourse", especially raising concerns about safety of people trespassing on railway tracks.

"Gurjeet Singh Aujla, MP from Amritsar, met Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal and personally handed over his letter dated October 23 and requested for an inquiry by Commissioner of Railway Safety in this incident. Ministry of Railways has considered this request and other facts, circumstances and legal provisions," the railways said.

It said according to law, it is not mandatory to conduct an inquiry by Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety in such cases, but it is not impermissible either.

Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, Lucknow, has ordered a statutory inquiry into the circumstances that led to the accident, the railways said but added that prima facie the transporter does not appear to be responsible for the accident.

The Commission of Railway Safety, working under the administrative control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, deals with matters pertaining to safety of rail travel and train operation. It is charged with statutory functions as laid down in the Railways Act (1989), which are of an inspectorial, investigatory and advisory nature.

Sixty people were crushed to death by a train coming from Jalandhar on October 19, when they were watching an effigy of Ravana burn at a ground near railway tracks at Joda Phatak.

Railways had washed its hands off the matter, saying that it had not been intimated about the Dussehra event in advance and had pointed out that the spectators on the tracks were trespassers.

It had neither ordered a probe nor paid any compensation in the case.

Days after the accident, the railway board and Manoj Sinha, the minister of state for railways, had termed the tragedy a case of trespassing.

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Airtel Africa, a subsidiary of telecom major Bharti Airtel, Friday announced the appointment of its new board of directors, close on the heels of the $1.25 billion primary equity issuance to prominent global investors and ahead of an intended public offering.

"The constitution of the company board follows recent successful primary equity issuance of $1.25 billion to six leading global investors comprising of Warburg Pincus, Temasek, Singtel, SoftBank Group International and others," the company said in a statement.

The board of -- which is the holding company of over a dozen African operating -- has representatives from Airtel and the investors, it said.

It includes Sunil Bharti Mittal, his son Shravin Bharti Mittal, Raghunath Mandava, Akhil Gupta, Vishal Mahadevia, Alok Sama, Arthur Lang, and Richard Gubbins.

Airtel Africa's operations span Nigeria, Chad, Congo B, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Niger, Kenya, Malawi, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Rwanda.

The Tanzanian government has reportedly raised objection to the ensuing IPO, asserting its rights with regard to company's unit in Tanzania, where it holds 40 per cent stake.

When contacted, an Airtel spokesperson said, "It is to be noted, the shareholding of Airtel Tanzania is and will continue to be held between Government of Tanzania (40 per cent) and Bharti Airtel Tanzania BV (60 per cent). There has been no change in the shareholding of either Airtel Tanzania or Bharti Airtel Tanzania BV and the control of Airtel Tanzania will continue to be exercised by Airtel as earlier."



The company is in a dialogue with the Government of Tanzania for clarifications, the spokesperson added.

"Airtel has communicated to the Tanzania Regulator on 24 October, the intent to undertake an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on an International Stock Exchange for Ltd...This includes as an intermediate step, the completion of a pre-IPO primary equity round with six major global investors," the spokesperson said, responding to an e-mail questionnaire.

Airtel has not sold any of its existing shares and will continue to control the operations in Africa, the spokesperson said, adding that funding by investors will be used to pay off debt, enable expansion of network coverage, and expansion of mobile money operations across 14 countries including Tanzania.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the company said the equity allotment to the global investors by Airtel Africa Limited (a UK incorporated company) has now been completed, following the receipt of full issue proceeds.

Airtel Africa has been experiencing healthy revenue growth in voice and data services and had posted strong performance in its Airtel Money business. The financial showing continues to improve, having turned positive in terms of net profit and operating free cash flow.

"The newly constituted Board together brings extensive experience across industry verticals including Telecom and ICT (information and communication technologies), financial markets as well as in technology, software development and consultancy.

"Additionally, the combined strength of the Board of Directors also brings wealth of industry and governance experience to further drive Airtel Africa business," the company said.

During the just ended quarter, Africa revenues grew by 10.8 per cent year on year in constant currency terms, led by strong growth in data and Airtel money transaction value. The revenue from Africa business rose to Rs 56.47 billion during September quarter from Rs 52.03 billion in the same period of the previous year.
Renu Jogi, wife of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, on Friday announced that she will contest the upcoming state assembly election from Kota as a candidate of her husband's party.

The announcement comes after the Congress released its final list of candidates Thursday and her name was missing from it.

Former police officer Vibhor Singh has been fielded from Kota in Bilaspur district by the Congress.

Miffed over the party's decision, Renu filed her nomination papers from Kota as the candidate of the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J), a political party launched by her husband Ajit Jogi in 2016.

"I had full faith in the Congress and (UPA chairperson) Sonia Gandhi ji. I have been a committed and dedicated worker of the Congress party," she said.

"But for the last two-and-a-half years, I was pained to see the treatment (by party leaders) towards me," Renu told reporters after filing her papers at Bilaspur collectorate.

Asked whether it was painful for her to quit the Congress, Renu replied in the affirmative, but maintained that there is a possibility they will be part of the 'mahagathbadhan', a possible grand alliance of opposition parties that is being talked about to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"Finally, when I was denied ticket, I thought I was being insulted. Therefore, I quit the party. I have been connected to the people of Kota during my entire life (as a politician) and this will continue," she said.

"Today, I filed nomination from the party of my family JCC (J) and am confident that I will win," she added.

Interestingly, Ajit Jogi has so far never hinted that his fledgling outfit will be part of any anti-BJP grand alliance at the national level.

Renu was accompanied by her son Amit Jogi, the sitting MLA from Marwahi constituency, while filing her papers. This time, Ajit Jogi will contest from Marwahi.

After she was denied ticket, Renu, in a letter to Sonia Ganhi, had explained how she was being ignored by the present Congress leadership in the state.

In the letter, she wrote that she was removed from the post of deputy leader of opposition in the assembly and local Congress leaders tried to tarnish the image of her husband and son through "fake" CDs.

Despite all this, Renu said she continued to be a loyal soldier of the party.

Ajit Jogi's party, the JCC (J), has forged an alliance with the Mayawati-led BSP and the Communist Party of India (CPI) for this month's elections.

He has been nominated as the chief ministerial candidate of the three-party coalition.

In 2015-16, a feud ensued between the Jogi family and the local Congress leadership over an audio tape containing conversations about the 2014 Antagarh bypoll.

In the wake of the row, the Congress had expelled Amit Jogi from the party. Later, Ajit Jogi quit the Congress and floated his own outfit.

Elections to the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly will be held in two phases on November 12 and November 20. The counting of votes will be held on December 11.

In the 2013 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 49 seats, the Congress 39, the BSP 1 and Independent 1.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Army staged a flag march in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town where curfew was imposed after a senior BJP leader and his brother were killed by suspected terrorists Thursday night, officials said Friday.

District Magistrate Kishtwar Angrez Singh Rana told PTI the situation was tense but under control.

"The Army staged a flag march in Kishtwar town in order to maintain law and order," District Magistrate Kishtwar Angrez Singh Rana told PTI.

He said the curfew, which was imposed in the town late night Thursday, was strictly in place and additional security personnel were deployed in sensitive areas of the town.

Rana said there were no reports of any untoward incidents.

SSP Kishtwar Rajinder Gupta said a hunt was launched to track down those involved in the case.

Following the killing of BJP state secretary Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother, Ajeet Parihar, 55, by terrorists, people had staged angry protests in the communally-sensitive town and manhandled senior police officials.

The district magistrate had requested the Army in the town and its adjoining areas to control the internal security situation that arose due to the killings.

He took the decision as he apprehended that violence might erupt and result in law and order problem, endangering the life and property of citizens of Kishtwar town.

Kishtwar district had witnessed communal clashes in the past. Terrorists had attempted to create communal tension in the region by targeting Hindu community, especially in higher reaches. In 2001, the terrorists killed 17 Hindu nomads.

The killings of Parihar brothers drew severe condemnation from all quarters.

The senior BJP leader and his brother were killed when were returning home after closing their stationary shop located outside old DC office complex, officials said.

As two were walking towards their home in Parihar mohalla through a dark lane in Tapal Mohalla, they were fired upon from a close range by suspected militants around 8.40 pm, they said.

The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home, they said.

The people rushed to the spot after hearing gunshots and rushed them to the district hospital in Kishtwar where they were declared brought dead, they added.

As the spread locals rushed to hospital and the brothers' house, where they held protests against the alleged failure of the administration and the police.

Angry people manhandled policemen, including the SSP, after arguing with them. They also clashed with the police and forced them to leave the hospital.

The angry mob raised anti-Pakistan slogans demanding arrest of those involved in the killings. The protestors later also took to streets and held a protest near the Kishtwar Police Station.

Anil Parihar was active in politics for over 25 years and had unsuccessfully contested the 2008 Assembly elections on a Jammu and Kashmir National Panther Party (JKNPP) ticket.

Ajeet Parihar was an employee of the State Forest Corporation (SFC).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hope and anxiety hang over Asia and north Asia in particular ahead of Tuesday's US midterm election.

President Donald Trump has shaken up Asia, as he has much of the world.

Now Beijing, Seoul and other Asian capitals are waiting to see if the Democrats wrest control of at least one house of Congress from the Republicans and whether that would significantly alter US foreign policy and trade initiatives.

In South Korea, the concern is that Trump might sour on North Korea after months of bold engagement.

For China, the hope is he might be forced to ease off on trade.

A look at how the election is being watched in China, South Korea and Japan



While the Chinese public does not focus much on US congressional elections in most years, it is now, thanks to Trump's policies toward China, said Yu Wanli, an expert on US studies at Beijing Language and Culture University.

"People are hoping that the result of the election could change China-US relations," Yu said.

The world's two biggest economies have been throwing escalating import tariffs at each other since March, unnerving global markets.

Trump accuses Beijing of trying to steal US intellectual property and unfairly protecting its domestic market and state-run companies.

Speaking at the United Nations in September, Trump even alleged Beijing was seeking to meddle in the midterm election, saying it doesn't want the Republicans to do well because of his hard line on trade.

Trump did not provide evidence for his allegation, which was rejected on the spot by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

There's hope in China that a political setback for Trump could soften some of his policies toward Beijing.

But Su Hao, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, said a Democratic victory wouldn't bring fundamental changes to Trump's policies on China beyond a level of containment.

"The Republican Party and Democratic Party share similar attitudes and views on China," Su said.

If the Republicans fail to win ... it could possibly create some kinds of containment to Trump, but it definitely won't have a fundamental impact on relations."



Likewise, Japanese expert Hiro Aida doesn't see a significant change in trade policy.

Japan has been forced to enter trade talks with the United States following Trump's threat to impose tariffs on imported cars and auto parts, which alarmed Japanese automakers.

A Democratic victory "would come with more leftist Democrats," said Aida, a global studies professor at Tokyo's Aoyama Gakuin University.

"They may be as protectionist in trade matters as Trumpist Republicans."



Trump could lose the political capital to push ahead with his North Korea policy if the Democrats gain control of the House and the Republicans keep only a slim majority in the Senate, some South Korean experts believe.

Democratic congressmen have criticised Trump's outreach to North Korea and his flattery toward leader Kim Jong Un as a counterpart, saying he gave the gift of legitimacy to Pyongyang without getting any tangible return on denuclearisation.

A House controlled by Democrats might investigate Trump's North Korea policies and demand more information about the North's nuclear program and motivations.

Trump is already showing signs of slowing the pace of his diplomacy with North Korea, and anything short of a huge Republican victory could force him to pivot closer to the party's mainstream on North Korea issues, said Du Hyeogn Cha, a visiting scholar at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy.

While Trump continues to issue bullish predictions about his North Korea policy, he recently said he won't play a "time game" with the North over a denuclearisation deal, and his national security adviser, John Bolton, said a second summit with Kim would be pushed back to 2019.

"Trump seems to think that time is on his side as long as he maintains a firm hold on sanctions (against North Korea) and his new approach is more in sync with the Republican mainstream, which wants a tougher approach on the North," Cha said.

"The midterms could force Trump to take things even slower."



A tougher US stance on North Korea could create complications for South Korea, which has been desperate to produce the impression that progress is being made toward denuclearisation, despite growing doubts.

Kim has yet to provide a convincing sign that he's willing to deal away a nuclear arsenal that he may see as the strongest guarantee of his survival.

Aida, the Japanese professor, said that heightened interest in the election is not just because of trade and North Korea, but also reflects a broader hope for a recovery of what he called "US moral leadership."



"It is not only matters related to or affecting ourselves, but also the prospects of the future of the US with this unusual president that concerns us," he wrote in an email.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday described the killing of five people in Tinsukia district as "an act of cowardice" and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased and a government job for a family member.

Sonowal held "inflammatory statements" by a section of political parties and the media responsible for the attack that took place on Thursday night.

He appealed to the people to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state and promised stern action against the culprits.

Unidentified gunmen in battle fatigue shot dead five people, including three members of a family, beside a bridge near Kheronibari village after taking them there from their homes in the village.

"For this situation today, I hold responsible a section of political parties, organisations, media, social media and people's representatives for their inflammatory statements," Sonowal told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting here.

He, however, did not identify any person or organisation.

"In the interest of the people, we will be forced to take strong action against inflammatory statements and hate speech by people's representatives, groups, parties or a section of media," the chief minister warned.

"All these have adversely affected the peaceful environment in the state. I want to warn these forces that the state government will take strong measures against them in the interest of the people of Assam," he said.

Police have been asked to arrest the culprits involved in the killings, Sonowal said, adding that those seeking to pollute the peaceful environment of the state by making inflammatory statements would also be booked.

"The people want peace. I appeal all to maintain peace. We are all together. Nobody can destroy this age-old friendship, feeling of brotherhood and our understanding with each other," he said.

All the people of all the places of Assam from Barak Valley to Brahmaputra Valley, from the hills to the plains are safe, the chief minister said.

People from all communities across the state wanted the BJP-led alliance government to establish peace in the state and everyone wanted Assam to move forward in the path of development and progress, he said.

Meanwhile, Water Resources Minister Keshav Mahanta and Minister of State for Power Topon Kumar Gogoi, who visited the affected village, said Rs 5 lakh would be given to families of those killed and a government job would be provided to a family member of each of them.

The chief minister had sent Mahanta and Gogoi to the village to take stock of the situation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two pro-talk ULFA leaders were arrested in Assam Friday for their "provocative remarks" as a massive combing operation was launched to nab those behind the gunning down of five persons in Tinsukia district with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal blaming "hate speeches" by political parties for the killings.

The Assam government announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a job for the next of the kin of the deceased.

Though the police suspect that the gunmen belonged to the ULFA (Independent) faction as they were dressed in battle fatigue, 'publicity department' member of the outlawed group Romel Asom, in an e-mail statement, however, denied its involvement in Thursday's incident.

In neighbouring West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress organised protest marches and sought a court-monitored inquiry into the killing of the five Bengali-speaking individuals.

They also called for the resignation of the Assam chief minister over the incident. Left parties, too, took to the streets in Kolkata to protest the killings.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep anguish over the incident and said "a sense of sadness descended on my mind seeing innocent and poor persons being killed in a village in Assam".

She changed her display picture to black on Twitter along with other leaders of her party. "I don't know why these people were killed, but one thing is for sure, the ominous signals have started surfacing," she said.

The TMC also sought to link the attack as a "fallout of the draconian NRC exercise".

Over 40 lakh people are facing deportation from India as their names have been excluded in the NRC draft, TMC Youth Congress president and MP Abhisekh Banerjee told a rally in Kolkata.

He sought a court-monitored inquiry into the incident.

On Thursday night, a group of assailants called out six villagers of Kheronibari. They then took them to the edge of Dhola-Sadiya bridge in the area and opened indiscriminate fire, killing five of them on spot, police said, adding one of them survived the firing.

Sahadeb Namasudra, in his early 20s, said he had a "providential escape" as he fell off the edge of the bridge, where the gunmen had lined them up.

Though he did not sustain injuries, he fell unconscious out of fear and nervousness. On regaining consciousness, he found one of the five persons still alive beside him, Namasudra claimed, adding the man died before any arrangement for help could be made.

Chief Minister Sonowal warned of strong action against those who make inflammatory statements.

"The perpetrators of this dastardly violence will not go scot-free. We will not tolerate such cowardly act," he said.

"For this situation today, I hold responsible a section of political parties, organisations, media, social media and people's representatives for their inflammatory statements," Sonowal told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting in Guwahati.

Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia said several operations were underway to nab the culprits. He said pro-talk ULFA leaders Jiten Dutta and Mrinal Hazarika were arrested for making provocative statements.

Asked about the involvement of ULFA factions in the killings, the DGP said, "It isn't about taking random names. We will take action as per law."



Political parties and organisations across Assam condemned the killings and demanded that the culprits be immediately nabbed.

A bandh, called by All Assam Bengali Federation, was observed on Friday in Tinsukia district. Vehicles were off roads and shops were closed. No untoward incident was reported in the morning, a police officer said.

The ruling BJP said the incident was a result of the Congress party continuously making provocative statements on sensitive issues such as the NRC and the Citizenship Bill.

Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass also criticised a section of the media for broadcasting provocative statements uninterruptedly, thereby vitiating the atmosphere.

He asked the Assam government to set up a judicial probe into the incident.

Countering the BJP leader's claims, veteran Congress leader and former chief minister Tarun Gogoi said the Sonowal-led government has failed to maintain law and order in the state.

He also sought a CBI probe into Thursday's incident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The West Bengal unit of the Congress Friday blamed the "divisive politics" allegedly being pursued by the BJP as the main reason behind the killing of five Bengali-speaking people in Assam.

State Congress president Somen Mitra announced that the party would observe "black day" tomorrow to protest the killings in Tinsukia district of the neighbouring state.

Unidentified gunmen in battle fatigue shot dead five Bengali-speaking persons including three members of a family beside a bridge near Kheronibari village on Thursday night.

"This is not the first time we are witnessing such kind of barbaric attack on Bengalis in Assam. In the '80s too we witnessed such planned attacks on Bengalis," Mitra said.

"We will observe black day across the state tomorrow," he said.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh should immediately visit the spot and talk to the bereaved family members, Mitra said adding that the government should take steps to ensure safety and security of the Bengali speaking citizens living in Assam.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Friday sought a court-monitored inquiry into the killing of five Bengali-speaking people in Assam's Tinsukia district and called for the resignation of the neighbouring state's chief minister over the incident.

Three members of a family were among the five people who were gunned down by a group of assailants on Thursday evening at Kheronbari village, at the edge of Dhola-Sadiya bridge, in Tinsukia.

One person, who fell off the edge of the bridge, survived the firing.

TMC Youth Congress president Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, took out a rally Friday morning from Jadavpur 8B bus stand to Hazra crossing, in south Kolkata, to protest against Thursday's incident.

"We demand Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal's resignation and a court-monitored inquiry into the killing of five Bengalis. We don't have any faith in the CBI, as it is busy with its power tussle," the TMC leader said while addressing the rally here.

The party organised similar protest rallies across the state to condemn the killings.

The attack on Bengali-speaking people in Assam is "fallout of the draconian NRC exercise", which omitted 40 lakh people from the citizenship draft, Abhishek claimed.

The complete draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), touted to be a proof of Assamese identity, was published in July with names of 2.9 crore people.

More than 40 lakh people, including Bengali-speaking individuals, did not make it to the list.

"Thursday's attack on Bengalis is also an attack on West Bengal, our culture and heritage. The people of the country are fed up with this anti-people government," he contended.

Over 40 lakh people are facing deportation from India as their names have been excluded in the NRC draft, the TMC Youth Congress president said.

"Who are they (the BJP) to decide on citizenship? The people of this country want a pro-people and secular government at the Centre. We should all fight together to defeat the BJP in the next election," he said.

Abhishek also asserted that the ruling TMC would not allow a similar NRC exercise in West Bengal.

"As long as the TMC is in power, there would be no NRC exercise in Bengal, as we don't believe in divisive We should all vow to ensure that the BJP loses the Lok Sabha election," he added.

The chief minister, in a Twitter post on Thursday, wondered if the attack was related to developments surrounding the National Register of Citizens (NRC) draft.

"Is this the outcome of the recent NRC development," she had questioned.

The CM also strongly condemned the incident and offered condolences to the families of the deceased.

"Terrible coming out of Assam. We strongly condemn the brutal attack in Tinsukia... We have no words to express our deep sorrow to the grieving families. The perpetrators must be punished at the very earliest," she had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after eminent historian Ramchandra Guha announced that he won't take up a teaching offer at the Ahmedabad University, the ABVP, which was opposing his appointment, claimed victory, even as the varsity asserted that it had no role in Guha's decision and dismissed suggestions that it had acted under pressure from the RSS' student wing.

The Ahmedabad university (AU) had announced Guha's appointment on October 16 and soon after, on October 19, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had submitted a memorandum to varsity authorities asking them to reconsider Guha's appointment as his writings were "against Indian culture and traditions".

Guha, who was to join AU as Shrenik Lalbhai Chair Professor of Humanities and director of the Gandhi Winter School, had Thursday tweeted that he shall not be doing so due to "circumstance beyond his control".

"Due to circumstances beyond my control, I shall not be joining Ahmedabad University. I wish AU well; it has fine faculty and an outstanding Vice Chancellor. And may the spirit of Gandhi one day come alive once more in his native Gujarat," Guha had said on Twitter.

On Friday evening, he tweeted, "As a biographer of Gandhi, I argue with words, not weapons. I am willing to debate and dialogue with anybody, and fear nobody. It is for the good people of Ahmedabad (the Board of AU among them) to make this possible, and feasible."



Speaking on the issue Friday, AU Registrar Bhupendra Shah said the varsity does not act under any pressure and has not done so in this case either.

Shah said, "Students of ABVP had come and given a memorandum to us against his (Guha) appointment as a faculty. AU has not and will not act under any such pressure and neither it has acted in this case, when a few students gave a memorandum."



He added, "The decision was announced by a tweet from Guha. From the AU side, we have not told him anything (to quit). He can only say why he declined after accepting the offer. He has made no communication to us regarding the matter."While Guha had not given any reason for his decision Thursday, he hinted at something amiss Friday when a person named Sushil Aaron took to Twitter to rue that "it's come to a stage that an accomplished historian of modern India can no longer teach where he wants to in the country".

Replying to Aaron's tweet, Guha said on Twitter, "Or, more precisely, a biographer of Gandhi cannot teach a course on Gandhi in Gandhis own city."



Guha has penned a number of books--the latest being "Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World, 1914-1948"--which have received widespread critical acclaim.

Speaking to PTI Friday, ABVP Ahmedabad unit secretary Pravin Desai said, "We gave a memorandum to the AU listing his writings against Indian culture and traditions. We will say that what we did was in the interest of students."



Desai said the students' outfit believed its representation was "considered" in this regard.

"Five of our members had gone to the AU and given a memorandum on October 19. As the final outcome has come in our favour, we think that the AU might have considered our representation on the issue," he claimed.

The AU is a private, non-profit university that offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programmes in areas including engineering, business management, science and the humanities.

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The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) is organising an auction of select artworks, the proceeds of which would go to the Kerala government for rebuilding the state after the August floods and landslides.

Paintings, sculptures and installations of more than 40 artists living in the country and abroad would go under the hammer at the event in the city on January 18 next year amid the fourth edition of the Foundation's Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), a KBF release said here Friday.

Named ARK, as the acronym for Art Rises for Kerala, the auction would feature modern and contemporary works by reputed artists such as Dayanita Singh, Subodh Gupta and Anish Kapoor, organisers said.

By bringing together the Indian and global art communities to help rebuild Kerala, the auction would have its proceeds directed to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund meant to benefit those affected by the region's worst calamity in a century, KBF founder-president Bose Krishnamachari said.

"The power of art in disaster recovery is significant," co-curator of the first KMB, Bose said.

"Our endeavour reinforces the fact that art goes a long way in re-laying the foundations for a state in its troubled times," he said.

The CM's relief fund is being used for distribution of essential commodities as well as reconstruct and improve the state's infrastructure that suffered damage in the floods and landslides that ravaged Kerala during the south west monsoon, which claimed 493 lives.

The fourth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale would begin on December 12 and conclude on March 29 next year.

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Hitting out at the RSS over the Ayodhya issue, MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi Friday said the Supreme Court cannot take decisions on the basis of sentiments.

He was referring to RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi's comments urging the Supreme Court to take into consideration "sentiments of Hindus" on the Ayodhya issue.

"The Supreme Court cannot take decisions on the basis of 'Hindu bhavna'.

He's (Joshi) still in denial that there is something called Constitution of India. Aastha, bhavna, etc isn't relevant, only insaaf is," Owaisi tweeted.

The RSS on Friday said Hindus were feeling "insulted" by the Supreme Court's declaration that the Ayodhya issue is not a priority and insisted that an ordinance would be needed if all options run out.

After a three-day RSS conclave at Uttan in Maharashtra, its general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said the organisation "will not hesitate to launch an agitation for Ram temple, if needed, but since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there are restrictions."



He said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was "not putting pressure" on the government as "we respect the law and the Constitution, which is why there has been a delay."



"We respect the Supreme Court and urge it to take into consideration sentiments of hindus," Joshi had said while addressing a press conference after the Executive meeting of the RSS at Uttan on the outskirts of Mumbai.
President Donald Trump has claimed that the provision of birthright citizenship has created an entire industry of birth tourism in the US with Chinese people benefitting a lot from this "crazy, lunatic policy".

Birth tourism refers to the practice of people travelling to another country solely to give birth there. Most leave for their home countries right after.

In his latest hardline immigration rhetoric, the US President on Tuesday expressed his intention to take the path of an executive order to deny automatic citizenship to children born of non-American parents in the US.

"This policy (birthright citizenship) has even created an entire industry. It's called birth tourism, where pregnant mothers from all over the world travel to America to make their children instant lifelong citizens with guaranteed everything," Trump told his supporters at an election rally in Columbia, Missouri.

Trump alleged that the opposition Democrats want to continue giving automatic birthright citizenship to every child born to an illegal alien. "Even if they've been on our soil for a mere matter of seconds," he said.

"Hundreds of thousands of children born to illegal immigrants are made automatic citizens of the United States every year because of this crazy, lunatic policy that we can end," he said amidst applause from his supporters.

"We need support, but we can do it. They're all made instantly eligible for every privilege and benefit of American citizenship. You get nothing more than they do. They're full citizens," he said.

This is costing US many billions of dollars a year.

"You don't realise what a big industry -- it's an industry. Many come from China. You'll be surprised. China now is number one. We're not talking just South America, Latin America. We're talking about China, parts of Asia. It's crazy," he said.

"Think of it. You're an enemy of our country. You're a general with war on your mind. You're a dictator who we hate and who's against us. And that dictator has his wife have a baby on American soil. Congratulations. Your son or daughter is now an American citizen. Does anybody think this makes sense?" he asked the audience.

"It's crazy. But we're getting it all worked out," he said assuring his supporters that he will work to end birthright citizenship.

Birthright citizens in turn can then bring their entire extended family into the country through chain migration. Trump wants to end chain migration too.

"You come into the country, you're like two months old, and you're going to take your brother and your sister and your mother and your father. You're going to bring them all, aunts and uncles and grandfathers, and lots of people," he said.

"It's a disgrace. We have got to change our laws. The Democrats refuse to do it. And it's not because they don't know right from wrong. They think it's good politically for them to make us all go through hell to get those laws changed. We're going to get them changed," Trump said.

Opponents say that Trump cannot sign an executive order. Any changes in citizenship requires a constitutional amendment. Trump argues that he is empowered to make changes with an executive order.

"It is not covered by the 14th Amendment because of the words "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." Many legal scholars agree...," Trump has said.

The 14th Amendment, added after the US Civil War, grants citizenship to anyone born on the US soil and was intended to give constitutional protection to former slaves. But Republicans such as Trump say it creates an incentive for people to come to the country illegally to have children.

The president asserted that the US is the only country granting birthright citizenship. However, about 30 others, including America's neighbours Canada and Mexico, also grant birthright citizenship.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari Friday issued a show cause notice to party MP Ramesh Bidhuri in connection with alleged thrashing and misbehaviour with party workers during a 'Run for Unity' event on October 31.

Bidhuri, the BJP MP from South Delhi, and his supporters were accused of "assaulting and misbehaving" with party worker Chandan Chaudhary and others during the event held at Sangam Vihar in his constituency to commemorate 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

"An allegation of misbehaviour and assault on partymen has been levelled against you and your family members and supporters. Show cause as to why action should not be taken against you over the serious allegations," Tiwari said in the notice.

Bidhuri has been given 10 days time to give his version of the incident.

Latching onto the incident, both the Congress and AAP have hit out at the BJP alleging "insult and attack" on Purvanchalis in the party.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, leading activists of Purvnachal Morcha of the party, Friday staged a protest at the BJP office on Pandit Pant Marg.

The Congress will not tolerate any "misbehaviour" with the people of Purvanchal by the BJP leaders in Delhi, Maken asserted.

"Unless the MP, who misbehaved with the Purvanchalis, tenders his apology and resigns, Delhi Purvanchal Congress will stage protests in all the 70 Assembly constituencies," he said.

AAP senior leader and party's incharge for North East Lok Sabha seat, Dilip Pandey questioned Tiwari why no action was taken against Bidhuri.

"The Purvanchali voters in Delhi will take revenge with BJP for this insult and attack, in 2019 elections," Pandey said.

Bidhuri termed the incident as a "political conspiracy" against him saying it was being given "hype" to defame him and asserted he has always kept welfare of Purvanchalis in his constituency in mind.

"The AAP and Congress are playing a dangerous game by inviting divisive in Delhi," he said.

The allegation has come as a challenge for the BJP, as both Congress and AAP have mounted sharp attack on it, in view of a sizeable population of Eastern UP and Bihar natives, loosely termed as Purvanchlis, settled in Delhi.

Independent estimates claim the population of Purvanchalis in Delhi to be around 40 lakh.

Chaudhary who was allegedly assaulted during the "Run for Unity" event, is a native of Khagaria in Bihar. He had contested municipal polls on BJP ticket from Sangam Vihar in 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BJP Friday launched its "Booth Mahasampark" campaign with the slogan "har booth, BJP majboot" ahead of the Assembly election in Rajasthan due on December 7.

During the three-day campaign, party leaders and workers will establish door-to-door contact with the people, a party statement said.

As a part of the drive, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje met people in Jhalawar, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in Bikaner and state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria in Udaipur, it added.

In Jaipur, BJP state election in-charge Prakash Javadekar spoke to people on the public welfare schemes of the Centre and the state in the Hawa Mahal Assembly area and urged the people to vote for the party.

On the other hand, BJP spokesperson Satish Punia slammed the Congress for copying BJP for seeking online suggestion for its election manifesto.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The ruling BJP in Assam Friday indirectly blamed the Congress for the killing of five people in Tinsukia district, saying the incident was a result of the opposition party continuously making provocative statements on sensitive issues such as the NRC and the Citizenship Bill.

Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass also criticised a section of media for broadcasting provocative statements uninterruptedly, thereby vitiating the atmosphere.

Dass asked the Assam government to set up a judicial probe into incident on Thursday night, when five people, including three of a family, from a linguistic minority community were killed by gunmen.

Police suspect the gunmen belonged to the ULFA (Independent) faction as they were dressed in battle fatigue, but the outfit has denied its involvement in the attack.

Asked about his own party MLA Shiladitya Dev making provocative statements on communally and linguistically sensitive matters, Dass said he has been asked twice to refrain from making such statements or else the Assam BJP will write to the Parliamentary Board for action against him.

"A section of people and some groups are continuously making provocative statements on sensitive matters like NRC and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Yesterday's incident is an outcome of that," Dass said at a press conference in Guwahati.

"We doubt that some political parties are behind this. It is done with an aim to hamper peace and derail the development work of the government, but they will not be successful," Dass said.

He said Congress leaders have been making "provocative statements" on National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Bill.

Asked categorically if the BJP sees Congress's involvement in the Tinsukia incident, Dass said: "I am not saying Congress is behind this. An inquiry will disclose it. But Assam's main issue is the foreigners issue. Who created this (situation)?"



Expressing dissatisfaction over the reporting by a section of media, he said the media's role is to be a bridge between the government and the people.

"We must restrain in playing the provocative statements in the media and should not repeat those. But a section of media is continuously playing those, creating misconceptions. We have to discuss the role of some media if they are not changed and leave provocative stand," Dass said, without elaborating on what he meant by "we have to discuss".

He also said that the BJP believes in "Indian nationalism" and a beautiful Assam can be built only on the foundation of this.

"Today's situation proves that there is no other way than Indian nationalism. If anyone challenges the peace process of the Indian government, then he has to face the consequences. We will not compromise on a single inch of Assam land," Dass said.

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BJP on Friday released its second list of 28 candidates for the coming Telangana assembly elections.

Baddam Bal Reddy and Endala Lakshminarayana, MLAs in the undivided Andhra Pradesh assembly, are among the prominent in the list.

Bal Reddy, who had earlier represented Karwan in Hyderabad, would contest from Rajendranagar. The assembly segment mainly comprises areas on the periphery of Hyderabad.

Lakshminarayana would test his fortunes from Nizamabad Urban constituency, which he had represented earlier.

BJP, which is going it alone in the December 7 elections to the 119-member assembly, has earlier released its first list of 38 nominees on October 20.

The latest list was finalised by the Central Election Committee of the BJP which met Thursday under the presidentship of party chief Amit Shah in Delhi.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders and members of the committee, a BJP release said.

The announcement of candidates triggered protests by supporters of aspirants who failed to get the party ticket.

While the party named G Yoganand, who is into construction business, as the nominee from Serilingampalli assembly segment in Hyderabad, the supporters of an aspirant for the ticket held protest at the BJP office here.

In Nizamabad, a group of people, stated to be the supporters of an aspirant, damaged furniture at the party office after their leader was denied the ticket.

Shah had kicked off the party's campaign for the Telangana polls on September 15 at Mahabubnagar and addressed another rally at Karimnagar lat month.

BJP had five MLAs in the recently dissolved state assembly.
Bank of America Friday said that it has committed a USD 2-million grant to Water.org over the next three years to provide safe water and sanitation to over two lakh people in southern India, taking the total commitment to the charity body to USD 4.25 million since 2011.

Water.org has empowered over 8.9 million women, children, and men with access to improved water and sanitation in the country so far.

The service will be provided through Water.org's microfinance solution WaterCredit, which enables people in need to access small loans for water connections and toilets, the bank said in a statement issued from Kansas City.

The American lender also said it will give USD 1 million to Brazil for the same purpose.

"This builds on previous grants which, including this announcement, total USD 4.25 million to Water.org since 2011 from the Bank of America's Charitable Foundation," it said.

The new grant will also enable Water.org's local implementing partners to mobilise USD 21 million in local capital that they will use to provide water and sanitation loans to the under- and un-served, the bank added.

"With this new support from Bank of America Charitable Foundation, we'll be able to reach more than a quarter of a million more people in India and Brazil," said Gary White, co-founder, Water.org.

The grant will advance the key objectives of accelerating market-based financial approaches for expanding water and sanitation access for the poor, and leveraging the remaining years of the Swachh Bharat Mission to accelerate access in one of the largest and most advanced markets for microfinance solutions to the water and sanitation crisis.

Water.org is an international non-profit that has transformed over 13 million lives around the world through access to safe water and sanitation.

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In a significant development, Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) Friday restored powers of R P Marathe and R K Gupta as managing director and executive director of the bank with immediate effect.

They were divested of their responsibilities in June this year following their arrest by the Economic Offence wing of the Pune Police in an alleged cheating case.

According to sources, they were reinstated as Pune Police decided to take back all charges and withdraw cases against them.

The Board of Directors of Bank in its meeting held on November 2 has "decided to restore/reinstate the functional responsibilities of R P Marathe, Managing Director and CEO and R K Gupta, Executive Director of Bank with immediate effect," the bank said in a filing to stock exchanges.

Earlier, the Board on June 29, 2018 had divested them of all their functional responsibilities.

Economic Offence Wing of Pune police arrested them in connection with a cheating case lodged against D S Kulkarni and his wife Hemanti. In May, the city police had filed a 37,000-page chargesheet against DSK and his wife in the case.

According to the chargesheet, the total "scam" is worth Rs 2,043.18 crore, wherein the accused floated nine different firms to siphon off funds collected from 33,000 investors and fixed-deposit (FD) holders, who were promised good returns on their FDs.

Former Chairman and Managing Director Sushil Muhnot who was arrested in the case too was granted bail.

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The on Friday refused to stay work on the Rs 36 billion Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial in the Arabian Sea being built by the

A division bench of Chief Justice N H Patil and Justice G S Kulkarni refused to grant interim stay on the project work as sought by three public interest litigations which raised questions on the government's decision to spend so much money on a statue.

"We may observe that the decision to have a project of this nature is a policy decision taken by the state. We are sure that the state government has given appropriate consideration on all the financial issues before taking a policy decision to undertake the project in question," the court said in its order.

From the government's affidavit, it is clear that proper financial provision has been made and normal expenditure, which would be incurred by the state government on other necessary requirements, are not affected, the order said.

"Also, the state government contemplates a scheme which would be worked out to recoup the cost of the project which may include fees which would be charged from the visitors," the court said.

It added that priorities of public need are matters which lie completely in the domain of the state government.

The petitions had criticised the government for spending Rs 36 billion on the memorial even though the state was reeling under a drought-like situation and facing several other more important issues which needed attention.

The government, in response, had said the expenses of the Chhatrapati statue was a capital expenditure and the statue would be an asset to the state.

Senior counsel V A Thorat, appearing for the government, had earlier told court that the government has examined each and every aspect, including safety and environmental issues, before beginning the work on the project.

He said a disaster management and evacuation plan was also in place.

"All environmental clearances have been given for the project. In fact, on June 15 this year, the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) authority had given the government permission to increase the height of the statue from 192 metres to 210 metres," Thorat said Thursday.
District judge N K Jauhri on Friday rejected the bail plea of Nishant Agrawal, a senior system engineer of BrahMos Aerospace in Nagpur, arrested for allegedly providing technical information to Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.

Turning down his plea, the court said that it is a serious matter relating to the safety and security of the country and since investigation in the case is still going on, he is not entitled to bail as of now.

It was pleaded on behalf of the accused that he was innocent and he was being falsely implicated due to a conspiracy.

Opposing the bail plea, public prosecutor Manoj Tripathi argued that important evidence has been collected from his laptop with regard to the charges.

The Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad nabbed Agrawal on October 8 from Nagpur.

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Two Border Security Force (BSF) jawans were injured on Friday when an improvised explosive device (IED), suspected to have been laid by naxals, went off in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, police said.

The blast occurred in the forest of Koyalibeda police station area, when a team of BSF's 35th battalion was out on an 'area domination' operation, Kanker Superintendent of Police K L Dhruv told PTI over phone.

Two BSF personnel sustained minor injuries in the explosion, he said.

Soon after being alerted, reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured were shifted to a local hospital, he said adding that a search operation was still underway in the region.

Three days ago on October 30, three police personnel and a cameraman of national broadcaster Doordarshan were killed in a Maoist attack in Aranpur area of Dantewada district.

Three days before that incident, four CRPF personnel belonging to 168th battalion were killed and two others injured after Maoists blew up their bullet-proof bunker vehicle in Awapalli area of Bijapur district.

The naxals have called upon voters to boycott the this month's Assembly polls in the state.

The first phase of polls covering 18 constituencies in eight naxal-affected districts Bastar, Kanker Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon will be held on November 12, while the remaining 72 constituencies will witness polling on November 20.

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Mumbai Police on Friday arrested eight persons allegedly involved in cheating US citizens by promising to supply banned drugs including Viagra.

The racket, operating from a call centre in suburban Kurla for the last two years, is suspected to have cheated thousands of people in the United States, a police official said.

Unit-5 of city police's Crime Branch raided the call centre and arrested its manager Ekrama Mukadam (26), sales executive Arbaz Gafar Shaikh (20) and tele-callers Shahrukh Ansari (20), Junaid Shikh (22), Kadir Sayyad (20), Atif Shaikh (20), Ahad Khan (21) and Salman Khan (23), the official said.

The accused called people in the US by posing as representatives of a pharmaceutical firm and offered to sell banned drugs including Viagra, said Dilip Sawant, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection).

If the person showed interest in buying, the tele-callers sought payment in US Dollars. The buyers would find later that they had been cheated as they received no drugs and could not contact the so-called sellers again.

The accused are suspected to have cheated gullible buyers in the US of lakhs of dollars but the exact amount was yet to be ascertained, DCP Sawant said.

The calls were made through the Internet, using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), he said.

Police seized a laptop, 11 hard disks, mobile phones and some other equipment during the raid, Sawant said.

A case under IPC section 420 (cheating) and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act has been registered and further probe was on, he said.

In the recent years, police in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane have busted several similar 'call-centre' rackets which targeted people in the US.

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Self-styled preacher Daati Maharaj, accused in a sexual assault case, told the Delhi High Court on Friday that the CBI has lodged a fresh FIR in the matter against followed norms.

His lawyers made the submission before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao while seeking review of the high court's October 3 order transferring the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from the Delhi Police's Crime Branch.

Delhi Police, represented by additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose, told the bench that its probe into the case was not partisan as alleged by the victim and added that the preacher was interrogated eight times during the investigation.

Police, however, said it was not challenging the transfer of probe to the CBI.

The victim's lawyers said that the court was right to transfer the case to the CBI as Delhi Police had not arrested the accused despite the seriousness of the allegations.

After hearing all the sides, the bench reserved its order on Daati's plea for review of the court's October 3 decision.

Senior advocate N Hariharan, appearing for the preacher, urged the bench to review its order, arguing that the victim had concealed from the high court information regarding pleas filed earlier on the same issue.

Hariharan also contended that it was the trial court's discretion to decide whether the investigation carried out till then was lacking or not and the high court ought not to have taken away that power under Article 226.

The plea against the October 3 order was initially filed in the Supreme Court which had asked the self-styled preacher to approach the high court with his grievance.

CBI had earlier submitted before the high court its status report of the probe in a sealed cover. The agency had registered a case of rape and unnatural sex against Daati on October 26.

The bench was also hearing two pleas, one by the complainant, and another seeking transfer of the case to the CBI.

The court had earlier allowed the complainant woman's plea to transfer the matter to the CBI, saying the manner in which the Delhi Police carried out the probe "casts a shadow on the investigation".

The bench had said the police did not arrest the accused in the case even after recording the complainant's statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The Crime Branch on October 1 had filed a charge sheet in the trial court which was hearing the matter.

The complainant's plea was earlier being heard by a single judge bench of the high court, but was transferred to the division bench after a PIL on the issue was filed.

A complaint was filed against Daati Madan Lal alias Daati Maharaj on June 7 and an FIR was registered on June 11. On June 22, police questioned the accused, who has been charged with rape of a disciple at his ashrams in Delhi and Rajasthan.

The accused has claimed that he was being framed.

The complainant has filed the case against the preacher, his three brothers and a woman at Fatehpur Beri police station in South Delhi. The case was later transferred to the crime branch.

The complaint said the FIR against him has been registered for alleged heinous offences of rape, unnatural sex, molestation and common intention under the IPC.

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China poses a long-term challenge to the United States across every front including trade and intellectual property rights, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

The US will demand a fair and reciprocal trade from China and President Donald Trump is determined to achieve it, he said.

"China is a long-term challenge. This challenge is across every front," Pompeo told American radio host Tony Katz on Thursday.

Stating that the US President has begun taking on the challenge of unfair trade, Pompeo said that America had very unfair trade with China and have had many administrations.

He said that the US has other sets of challenges, including China's continued efforts in the South China Sea.

Pompeo also informed of the Chinese being indicted for stealing intellectual property.

"Just this week, ten Chinese were indicted for stealing intellectual property, aviation-related intellectual property," he said.

"These are not the types of actions that countries that truly want to be part of the global community engage in, and we're pushing back against China across every one of those fronts to try and achieve that on behalf of the American people," Pompeo said.

Pompeo said that Russia also poses a challenge due to its large nuclear arsenal that threatens the entire world.

"Russia is a much smaller economy, but still maintains an enormously large nuclear arsenal, which threatens not only the United States but the world. President Trump has been really tough. We have done things to put pressure on Vladimir Putin and Russia in a way that no previous administration has," he said.

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China is engaging in a behaviour that is troubling a lot of nations in the region, including India and Japan, especially through its belligerent policies on the South China sea, US National Security Advisor John Bolton has said.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.

China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are also vital to global trade.

"China's current policies, like in the South China Sea, are nearly belligerent in many respects. It is also engaging in a behaviour that is troubling to Japan, Taiwan, India and the Central Asian Republics," Bolton said in response to a question at the Alexander Hamilton Society on Wednesday.

Bolton said that the arguments for China joining the World Trade Organisation was that it would become a more market-oriented rules-based society.

Instead, for 20 years, China has continued to steal American technology, discriminated against foreign trade investment, and against internal economic systems.

Bolton said that China can no longer get away with this.

For all the other disagreements that the US has with European countries on economic issues, they feel the same pain from Chinese behaviour on Intellectual Property and technology transfer, he said.

The recent policy of the Trump administration to act against China has taken the Chinese by surprise and hoped that this will cause changes in their behaviour, he said.

Bolton, who was in Russia recently, held talks with the Russian leadership and urged them to talk to China.

Even though Russia and China as of now appear to be friendly, the interests of the two countries do not match, he said.

While Russia is an exporter of hydrocarbons, China is a major importer. Russia sells advanced weapons systems and China buys them, he said.

He said that the Chinese are doing to the Russians the same thing they do to many American products and businesses, which is stealing their intellectual property, copying it and duplicating it.

And soon the Chinese will sell the same items for less than what the Russians sells to the world, he said.

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China on Friday reportedly agreed to provide USD 6 billion in aid to cash-strapped Pakistan to minimise its dependence on an IMF bailout package as Prime Minister Imran Khan on a maiden visit here held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Khan, who arrived here in the early hours on Friday on a four-day visit, met Xi in the Great Hall of People where the two leaders also held one-on-one meeting besides delegation-level talks, Pakistan media reports said.

Pakistan is expected to receive USD 6 billion economic package from China during the visit, Pakistan's Geo TV reported.

A loan of USD 1.5 billion is also expected to be offered, along with an additional package of USD three billion for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the report said.

The loan and the investments were reportedly part of the USD six billion package.

There is no official comment from Beijing yet on the report.

This is the second USD 6 billion package which Khan has managed to obtain in the last few weeks as Pakistan reeled under severe financial crisis.

Earlier during his visit to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh committed USD 6 billion funding which included USD 3 billion deferred payment for oil imports.

Pakistan Finance Minister Asad Umar, who is accompanying Khan, earlier told media in Islamabad that his government's strategy was to seek loans from multiple sources instead of asking the International Monetary Fund (IMF) alone to plug the entire gap in the country's financing needs.

Khan's visit evoked considerable interest here as it comes in the wake of his past criticism of the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and remarks by his ministers to cut down some of the projects over debt concern.

Khan's visit to China will provide an "opportunity" for the two countries to open a "new chapter" of bilateral relations "under the new circumstances," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Monday.

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China is following a recipe of what it takes to become a dominant currency, but currently the yuan remains far behind the US dollar in international financial transactions unrelated to trade, according to prominent Indian-American economist Gita Gopinath.

Gopinath, who would become the first woman chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in January, is currently the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at the prestigious Harvard University.

"China is following a market recipe of what it takes to become a dominant currency," Gopinath said in response to a question at the 19th Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference on 'International Spillovers and Cooperation' organised by the IMF here.

China is trying to convince its trading partners invoicing in renminbi, the official Chinese currency, but it does not have the financial institutions as is the case with the US dollar, she said, adding that it has to be both trade and finance.

So, if one does not have financial institutions, free capital flows, free exchange rate mobility and free convertibility, it would be difficult for it to become a dominant currency, she said.

In her research presentation 'Banking, Trade, and the Making of a Dominant Currency', Gopinath said that China is now one of the largest economies in the world, and the biggest exporter, it appears that Beijing is making tremendous effort to internationalise the renminbi.

Similar to the US interventions in the early 20th century, they have proceeded by encouraging the use of the renminbi in international trade transactions. Following this push, between 2010 and 2015, the renminbi's share as a settlement currency in China's trade has gone from zero per cent in 2010 to 25 per cent in 2015.

Also, renminbi has now surpassed the euro as the second most widely-used currency in global trade finance, Gopinath said.

But renminbi currently remains far behind other major currencies in international financial transactions unrelated to trade, she said.

Giving an insight into her research, Gopinath said in the medium term, the self-reinforcing mechanisms in her model might lead one to predict that the US dollar's dominance would continue largely undisturbed, and that the renminbi would have a hard time gaining much traction in international banking and finance.

"However, in the longer run, if the gap between Chinese and the US shares in the world exports widens far enough, we could eventually get to a point where a renminbi-dominant equilibrium becomes inevitable," she said in her paper, adding that at this point, the US dollar's share in global trade and finance could potentially decline quite sharply.

While the US dollar continues to be the dominant currency and there is no visible challenge to it, Gopinath warned that in the longer run, if the gap between the US and one of the other economies widens far enough, the US dollar may potentially fall on the world stage to a very substantial extent, much as the British pound sterling did in the early part of the 20th century.

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The Trump administration on Friday accused China of trying to influence Americans ahead of the November 6 midterm polls.

"The Chinese have a very sustained, persistent campaign through foreign influence techniques to change the way in which Americans think about China and particularly to change our policies with respect to China," US Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen told a Washington audience.

"We see that in a lot of ways. We see that through news, but we also see that through the purchase of businesses. We see that through the co-opting of officials throughout the world. We've seen them very active in investment schemes in different parts of the world where then that country's beholden for decades of debt," she said at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank.

So there's a "very prolonged" attempt by China in this regard, she said.

"What I would say the difference between the Chinese and the Russians, the Russians are much more brazen. They're much noisier about this. They want to affect something here and now to disrupt American democracy and to give them an edge. The Chinese are playing a long game. They're in this for the long haul," Nielsen said.

However, Nielsen said that unlike Russia, the US has not seen any direct effort by the Chinese to interfere in American elections, but it is through their campaign to influence the policy making.

"We just met with our Five Eyes partners in Australia a couple months ago. The conversation we have here about Russia, they have about China. They're very concerned about China doing what Russia did in our 2016 election in their election," she said.

"So again, China has the will. They have the capability. We haven't seen it on election infrastructure, but we have seen a very wide-ranging campaign very much targeted at the United States," the secretary said.

On the other hand, she acknowledged that Russians probably attempted in 2016 to gain access to voting systems in all 50 states.

The Trump administration, she said, has launched a massive effort to prevent any outside influence in the elections. "We want to make sure that everyone's vote is counted, but is also counted correctly," she said.

"There were concerns that proved unfounded, but as we see throughout the rest of the world with some of the attempts to hack the election infrastructure, there's also concern about the integrity. So we want every vote to count, we want it counted correctly," Nielsen said.

"So as of today, we don't have any indication that a foreign government has a sustained effort or a sustained plan to hack our election infrastructure. But having said that, the moment it changes, we, of course, will let our state and local partners know," she said.

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The Centre's clearing of names of four chief justices of high courts for elevation as Supreme Court judges within 48 hours of the recommendation has left Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi awe-struck.

The apex court collegium, headed by the CJI and comprising its four-senior most judges, had on October 30 recommended to the Centre the names of the four judges for the elevation, and they took oath of office on Friday.

"We sent the recommendations at about 11 o'clock on Wednesday and on Wednesday evening, when I was informed that the medical (test of the judges to be elevated) has been done, I myself was very shocked. I couldn't believe it. I said what you are saying. I am as much in awe as you are," the CJI said in an informal chat with journalists covering the apex court.

When a senior journalist asked Justice Gogoi that he has created history as he was the first person from the north-east zone to become the CJI and he got cleared the names of judges from the Centre within 48 hours, he said that the best person would be the Law Minister to answer this.

The CJI, who on Thursday inaugurated the Centre for Research and Planning, an "in-house think tank" also made an important announcement that the apex court would provide translated copies of its judgments to litigants in their mother tongue if they are unable to understand English.

"To start with, we may do it in Hindi," the CJI said.

The CJI, who was accompanied by fourth senior most judge Justice S A Bobde and his successor during his interaction with the scribes, dismissed the query as to how he was sure that Justice Bobde would succeed him.

"Yes of course. There can be no doubt on that," Justice Gogoi said and outlined his idea to tackle the cases by the benches of different strength in future.

He said that on Mondays and Fridays, the court takes up miscellaneous cases and there was no need of many three-judge benches and this would increase number of courts, he said.

He also made light of the recent controversy in which second senior most judge Akil Kureshi of the Gujarat High Court could not become the Acting Chief Justice as the Centre notified his junior Justice AS Dave to the post.

The post of Acting Chief Justice in the Gujarat High Court had fallen vacant due to the elevation of Justice Subhash Reddy to the Supreme Court.

"We all make mistakes and we correct ourselves. Kureshi is the senior most judge. There is no mystery in it," the CJI said, adding that a second notification corrected the mistake.

Now Justice Kureshi will reman the Acting Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court till November 14 and he would be joining the Bombay High Court a day later.

In response to the query that the Centre has not honoured the recommendations of the collegium to appoint nearly 40 judges in high courts, the CJI said, "I did not say it has not been honoured by the government. I will not say it has not been honoured. It has been kept pending. So that's around 40. May be it could be a little more."



On the issue of "in-house think tank", the CJI said, it will help in "judicial reforms, judicial jurisprudence and judicial education".

"We have to evolve. Nobody is denying the fact that there is need for judicial reforms. I have ideas. I have ideas which are being implemented from time to time but these are the people which will be doing the research on the prevailing system in so many jurisprudence and so many jurisdictions," he said.

The think tank would give the judges inputs, and academician Mohan Gopal and his small team will give us the "inputs and the inputs will be debated by the jurists. If they are fine we will implement it".

The CJI said that it wanted to help the litigants who lose their properties after a prolonged legal battle and have been given a judgement in English which they cannot even understand.

He stressed on the need for providing judgements in vernacular languages but rued manpower crunch and other resources in implementing the idea.

"At this moment it is very difficult to say whether it will be translated in other languages as well. We have a gross deficiency of resources," he said.

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A Class 8 student who was injured in celebratory gunfire died at a hospital here, police said Friday.

Adil, 17, was hit by a bullet on October 27 when someone fired in the air. He was admitted in the hospital where he succumbed to injuries Thursday, said Station House Officer at the Bhopa police station BP Singh.

A case of murder has been registered against four people from Belda village in the district, he said.

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The Committee of Administrators (CoA) in all likelihood will be holding a workshop especially for the North-Eastern states to help them become fully "Lodha Compliant" with their respective constitutions.

According to the 10th Status Report submitted by the CoA to the Supreme Court, there are 17 state units which are substantially compliant, 10 which are partially compliant and seven which are non-compliant.

"The CoA is likely to hold a workshop to explain us the finer details which we need to address in order to become fully Lodha Compliant. The workshop is set to be held in Mumbai," a senior office bearer of a North-Eastern state told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

He then went on to cite an example.

"Like in new BCCI constitution, the CEO needs to have earlier managed a company with a turnover of Rs 100 crore. Now, why would such a corporate want to work in North-Eastern state. I was told that Rs 100 crore turnover is only for BCCI. So these are little things that we need to sort out," the official said.

Then there is Kerala, where for becoming president of the state association, a person needs to attend six Annual General Meetings, which is not required as per new constitution.

Non Compliant: Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh



Partially Compliant: Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Manipur, Maharashtra, Vidarbha



Substantially compliant: Andhra, Assam, Baroda, Mizoram, Puducherry, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Mumbai, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.

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The Assam Police Friday launched a massive combing operation to nab those involved the killing of five people in Tinsukia district Thursday even as the ULFA (Independent) denied its involvement in the attack.

Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia and Additional DGP Mukesh had rushed to Tinsukia to review the law and order situation.

A massive combing operation was launched to nab the accused, police said.

All the possible hideouts were being combed and senior officials were directed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to remain alert.

A bandh, called by the All Assam Bengali Federation, was also being observed Friday in the district protesting against the attack.

Vehicles were off the roads and shops were closed. No untoward incident was reported till 9 am, police said.

The five people, including three of a family, were killed and two others injured at Kheronibari village under Dholla police station limits while they were playing a game of Ludo at a roadside dhaba, they said.

The police had Thursday expressed suspicion that the ULFA (I) was behind the incident but the organisation denied its involvement.

Publicity Department member of the ULFA(I) Romel Asom in a statement e-mailed to PTI here said, "The ULFA (I) would like to make it clear to all concerned authorities that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident last night.

In view of last night's attack, security has been beefed up in the state with the chief minister directing all deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to remain alert.

Condemning "the killing of innocent people", Sonowal had said, "Strong action will be taken against the perpetrators of this dastardly violence. We will not tolerate such cowardly act."



Water Resource Minister, Keshav Mahanta, and Minister of State for Power, Tapan Gogoi, are in the district to take stock of the situation.

Political parties and organisations across the state condemned the killing and demanded that the culprits be immediately nabbed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress and the NCP are finding it difficult to have an understanding on contesting eight out of 48 Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra, even after reaching a consensus on distribution of other seats among the two parties and their other allies, according to sources.

Leaders of the Congress and the NCP met here Friday to iron out differences on 8 constituencies but put off the matter till after Diwali on November 7.

The two parties said a few days back that they had reached consensus on 40 seats at stake in next year's polls.

The eight Lok Sabha seats, over which the differences persist, are Pune, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Jalna, Raver, Jalgaon, Yavatmal and Shirdi.

According to a source, the NCP wants to contest from the Pune seat, with demands in the party that its chief Sharad Pawar should enter the fray from there.

But, traditionally, the Congress has been contesting the Pune seat. Last time, the BJP had won the seat.

Pawar, the former union minister and Maharashtra Chief Minister, had declared in 2014 that he would not contest Lok Sabha polls again and reiterated it last month.

The 78-year-old NCP chief, who has represented Baramati and Madha constituencies in the past, is at present a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Asked about the possibility of Pawar contesting from Pune, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik ruled it out.

"No, nothing like that. Such a possibility was denied in the past too," he said.

Malik said the workers had demanded that Pawar contest the Lok polls again but he had refused.

"The two parties want to swap some seats. The Congress has been contesting from Shirdi, while NCP has traditionally been contesting from Ahmednagar. This time, the Congress is demanding Ahmednagar," a source in the Congress told PTI.

The NCP contested Raver constituency last time but now, the Congress wants to field candidate from there, the source added.

Another source said senior Congress leaders would meet the party's ticket aspirants and workers, particularly from the eight seats concerned, for three days beginning November 15 to know their view point and gauge ground realities.

After that, the Congress and NCP leaders may meet once again on November 18 and November 19.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the NCP had won four seats while the Congress could manage to win only two.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil said he was confident that differences would be sorted out soon and the two parties would take decision unanimously.

He said the two parties would discuss the seat-sharing issues again later this month.

"Leaders of the Congress and NCP may meet again for one more time. There are not too many differences between the parties. If the differences persist we will meet again and present the situation before the central leadership," he added.

Meanwhile, the Haatkanangale constituency is likely to go to Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana led by Raju Shetti, according to the understanding in the opposition camp.

The source added that the Akola constituency too may go to the Prakash Ambedkar-led Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) if it joins the alliance.

The BBM has already announced its decision to join hands with the Asaduddin Owaisi-headed AIMIM, but efforts were still on to bring the Ambedkar-led party into the alliance led by Congress and NCP.

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Supporters of some Congress leaders allegedly ransacked the party offices in Raipur and Bilaspur districts alleging unfair distribution of tickets for the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly polls.

The incidents took place on Thursday evening, a party leader said.

The party, however, chose to play down the incidents calling them "minor protests", and claimed that there was no discontent among the workers.

Several supporters of Congress leader Ejaz Dhebar, who was eyeing a ticket from Raipur City South constituency, entered the party's state office in the capital late Thursday evening and raised slogans against the leadership.

According to the party leader, they allegedly broke chairs, window panes and flower pots during the protest and tried to storm inside the office room of AICC state incharge P L Punia.

The protesters, however, later told media persons that they were enraged after Dhebar was denied a ticket. They also said that they spoke to Punia, who assured to take up the issue.

The protesting workers also said they have full faith in the party leadership and they have apologised for their act (of ransacking the party office).

The Congress has fielded Kanhaiya Agrawal, a new face, from Raipur City South seat against sitting BJP MLA and minister Brijmohan Agrawal.

A similar incident was reported from the party's Bilaspur district office, where supporters of a ticket aspirant created a ruckus on Thursday evening.

The party has fielded Shailesh Pandey from Bilaspur seat against incumbent minister Amar Agrawal.

Congress's Bilaspur unit spokesperson Abhay Narayan Rai sat on a protest in front of the party office, saying that Pandey was an outsider. Rai is a supporter of senior Congress leader Atal Shrivastav, who was aspiring to fight the election from this seat.

"Had any local leader of Bilaspur been selected, they would have accepted him and the party leadership did not even discuss the name of Pandey," Rai said.

Talking to reporters, Pandey said he was nominated by the Congress leadership and he will try to convince the party workers so that they can fight together against the BJP and win the seat.

Congress spokesperson has ruled out discontent among the party leaders and accused the BJP of trying to cash in on a "minor" protest over ticket distribution.

"There is nothing like discontent among Congress leaders. The ruling BJP is trying to publicise and cash in on a minor protest (by some Congress leaders' supporters). By doing this, BJP is trying to hide its shortcomings, dissent within BJP, its failures and mistakes," state Congress communication wing head Shailesh Nitin Trivedi told PTI.

There is anger among the BJP leaders in the entire state over the ruling party's ticket distribution. BJP's rebel leaders are contesting election from various seats and in at least 15 seats, the BJP will lose because of their own leaders only, he claimed.

The Congress on Thursday released its final list of 19 candidates for the second phase of polling on November 20.

Wife of former chief minister Ajit Jogi, Renu Jogi who was a congress MLA from Kota seat, was denied a ticket. Former policeman, Vibhor Singh, has been fielded from Kota by the party.

November 2 is the last day of filing of nominations for the second phase.

Chhattisgarh has 90-member Assembly and the polls there are being held in two phases this month on November 12 and November 20. The counting of votes will be held on December 11.

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Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress chief Nana Patole Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to convene a special session of the Lower House of Parliament for discussing and solving "problems" being faced by the farmers across the country.

In separate letters to Prime Minister Modi and Mahajan, he said the farmers were grappling with various problems such as lack of water and irrigation-related issues.

Citing that earlier also a special session was convened for rolling out the GST, he said there was an urgent need to call a special session to deal with the farmers' problems.

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The upcoming winter session of the Maharashtra legislature would see the Congress highlight the BJP-led government's "failure" in dealing with issues like drought, price rise, law and order, a party leader said Friday.

A strategy in this regard was worked out at the meeting of the party's core committee here, Congress MLA and former state minister Naseem Khan said after the meeting.

Khan said the opposition party was also upset with the short span for which the session has been convened as it would be difficult for the legislators to raise concerns of the people of the entire state during the period.

The session, beginning here in November 19, is set to be a two-week-long affair.

"We will aggressively take up issues relating to farmers, drought, price rise, law and order, corruption in Mumbai's development plan and others during the session," he added.

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The outlawed CPI (Maoist) Friday claimed responsibility for the October 30 attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district in which a Doordarshan camera-person and three policemen were killed, but said it did not intend to target the media.

In a statement, purportedly issued by the group and circulated on social media, the Maoists also asked media persons not to be escorted by police while visiting the conflict zone.

Police said the authenticity of the statement is being verified.

"On October 30, the Doordarshan team was caught in the ambush near Nilawaya village. It is sad that camera-person Achyutanand Sahu was killed in the attack. We had no intention to target media personnel," the CPI(Maoist) said.

The two-page statement was issued in the name of Sainath, secretary of the Darbha division committee of Maoists, which has allegedly been instrumental in executing several deadly attacks in south Bastar, including the Jhiram valley massacre in Bastar district on May 25, 2013, in which top Congress leaders were killed.

The Maoists alleged in the statement that police was forcibly carrying out road construction work between Aranpur and Burgum (Dantewada), although it was opposed by local villagers.

The ultras have also called for a boycott of the upcoming Assembly polls in

"The authenticity of the Naxal pamphlet is being verified," Special Director General (anti-Naxal operations) D M Awasthi told PTI.

"If Naxals did not want to attack media persons, why did they open fire on Sahu who was holding a camera. Later, they even looted his camera. Besides, two other members of the media crew were attacked," Awasthi said.

The policemen, he added, want development of the area and the road was being constructed for the convenience of local villagers.

On October 30, Maoists attacked a police patrolling party accompanying a three-member team of broadcaster Doordarshan for election-related coverage, near Nilawaya village under the Aranapur police station limits of Dantewada district.

Sub Inspector Rudra Pratap Singh, assistant constable Manglu and the cameraperson of Doordarshan Achyutanand Sahu were killed on the spot.

Two policemen were injured. One of them, Assistant Constable Rakesh Kaushal, died at a private hospital here on Wednesday morning.

The statement comes at a time when the attack on media persons by Naxals is being condemned across the country.

Assembly polls in will be held in two phases on November 12 and 20. Eighteen constituencies spread across eight Naxal-hit districts will go the polls in the first phase, and the remaining 72 seats in the second phase.

The votes will be counted on December 11.
The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail for a week to former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zahur Haider Zaidi, an accused in a case relating to the custodial death of a man who was among those arrested on charge of gang-raping a minor school girl in Kotkhai in Shimla district last year.

Zaidi had moved the apex court against the Himachal Pradesh High Court order refusing to grant him bail in the case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi allowed the application of Zaidi for interim bail on the grounds that he has to attend the rituals of Chhehalum to be held from November 6 to 8, 2018 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

The counsel appearing for Zaidi said his mother had passed away while he was in jail and he seeks to participate in the post-death rituals.

"Taking into account the grounds on which the limited/ interim bail has been prayed for we are of the view that the same should be allowed. We order accordingly. The accused petitioner will be released from Kanda jail, Shimla where he is presently lodged in the morning of November 4, 2018 and will report back to the Jailor/Superintendent concerned on November 11, 2018 in the course of the day," the bench said.

The regular bail application of Zaidi is scheduled to come up for hearing on November 13.

The apex court had earlier sought response from the CBI on the appeal of Zaidi against the January 19 order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

The High Court had dismissed Zaidi's bail plea, saying it would not be appropriate to release him on bail at this stage as the alleged crime was of serious nature and a detailed investigation was required in the case.

Zaidi and seven others were arrested in the custodial death case of Suraj, who was found dead in the Kotkhai police station on July 18.

The CBI has already filed the charge sheet against the accused.

A 16-year-old girl had gone missing in the Kotkhai on July 4, last year and her body was found from the Halaila forests on July 6, last year.

The post-mortem report had confirmed rape and murder and a case was registered.

Amid huge public outcry in the state, an SIT headed by Zaidi was constituted by the then Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government.

The SIT arrested six persons, one of whom died in police station, following which the High Court handed over the investigations of both cases to the CBI on July 19.

The CBI had arrested the then IGP Zahur Haidar Zaidi and DSP (Theog) Manoj Joshi alongwith six other policemen with regard to the custodial death.

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Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group said Friday that French firm Dassault Aviation's investment in another Reliance firm has no link with the fighter jet deal, and accused the Congress of resorting to "blatant lies" for political gains.

Launching a fresh offensive, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has alleged that Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of jets, paid Rs 284 crore as "first instalment of kickbacks" to Ambani's company.

"Dassault's investment in Reliance Airport Developers Limited (RADL) has no link whatsoever with the contract between the government of India and government of France," the Reliance Infrastructure Ltd said in a statement.

"This investment is an independent arms-length transaction based on fair market valuation of the land and other assets of the company, and the future business potential in the airports and related infrastructure sector," it added.

The company said the RADL transaction was completed in full compliance with applicable FDI and all other rules and regulations and the information has been disclosed in public domain since December 2017 onwards.

The company also termed as "factually incorrect and preposterous" allegations that Dassault's investment in RADL was used to pay for the land in Mihan near Nagpur where Reliance Defence Ltd and the French company are setting up a manufacturing unit for aerospace components.

"We repeat it is a blatant lie to state that land at Mihan was bought from funds provided by Dassault," it said.

The Congress has accused the government of forcing Dassault Aviation to make Reliance Defence its offset partner for the Rs 580 billion deal to purchase 36 Rafale jets. It alleged that the government helped the Anil Ambani group get a contract worth Rs 300 billion from the deal.

"It is deeply unfortunate that the Reliance Group and its Chairman, Anil Ambani, are continuously being dragged into a political battle in view of the impending state and general elections in the country," the Reliance statement said.

"The Congress Party has today once again resorted to blatant lies and distorted facts to mount an unwarranted campaign of calumny and falsehoods against the Reliance Group and its Chairman Mr Anil Ambani personally," it alleged.

The company said the investment by Dassault in RADL and purchase of land by Reliance Infra for setting up a manufacturing facility in Mihan under a joint venture between Reliance Defence Ltd and Dassault are two different and independent transactions.

The foundation stone of the manufacturing facility under the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) was laid in October 2017.

"The Dassault investment in DRAL and RADL are two independent and stand alone business investments and in both cases, funds have been received by the companies and not a single rupee by Mr Anil Ambani in his personal capacity," the company said.

"Therefore, any suggestion of any payment to Anil Ambani is absolutely false and mischievous," it said.

The Reliance statement also said that the Indian Government, French government, Dassault and Reliance have clarified on multiple occasions that there is no offset contract for Rs 300 billion to Reliance as alleged by the Congress.
A 49-year-old man presumed dead by his family showed up near here much to the shock and delight of his kin, a fortnight after they performed his 'funeral' mistakingly identifying a decomposed body as that of his.

Saji, who used to be away from home for days in search of odd jobs, was not in touch for the last few months and the family had recently 'wrongly' identified the unclaimed body found in Karnataka to be that of his going by a similar scar, police said Friday.

The body was then brought home and the final rites were performed at a cemetery here on October 16, they said.

However, Saji returned home two days ago and was shocked to learn that he was believed dead and his funeral was held.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Police had been informed and a probe was underway find out the relatives of the man, whose funeral was held in Kerala.

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The Friday dismissed a petition seeking a direction to ensure that women of all ages and religions are allowed to enter and pray at temples, mosques and Zoroastrian fire temples.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and VK Rao refused to entertain the plea saying it lacked "territorial jurisdiction".

"Petitioner has not indicated which of the temples mentioned in the petition is under the jurisdiction of this court. None of the temples indicated here are within the territorial jurisdiction of this court. We are not inclined to entertain it. The petition is dismissed," the bench said.

The petition filed by advocate Sanjiv Kumar also said women should be ordained as "pujari", imam or priest of their respective temples, mosques or churches to lead prayers.

It also sought that women of menstruating or non-menstruating age from every religion be allowed to enter and pray at all times at all temples in India.

A similar order was sought in favour of the entry of men in women-only temples such as Attukal, Chakkulathukavu, Santoshi Maa "Vrat", Lord Brahma, Bhagwati Maa Temple and Kamrup Kamakhya.

It sought orders declaring as unconstitutional the prevalent practice of denying Muslim women the right to observe fast and offer prayers during menstruation.

The petition also urged the court to direct the Centre to put in place norms allowing menstruating Hindu women to enter the kitchen as well as observe fasts, offer prayers and go to any place, and said denying this should be deemed "unconstitutional".
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam chief T T V Dhinakaran Friday dubbed as "sadism" the arrest of his party cadres on charges of destroying some banners during the death anniversary of freedom fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar days ago.

He also denied that his partymen were involved in tearing the banners.

Dhinakaran, who continues his political battle with the ruling AIADMK over the legacy of late Jayalalithaa, said some people had torn the banners out of sheer anger against the government.

"We have nothing to do with it..our functionaries and cadres were not involved in it," he told reporters here.

On Thevar's 111th birth anniversary and 56th 'guru puja' (death anniversary) Tuesday at Pasumpon near Ramanathapuram some people had torn up flex banners that featured the images of chief minister K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam.

Against this background, Dhinakaran said rather than taking action against those who tore up the banners, slapping cases against his party men was not acceptable.

The AMMK deputy general secretary said his party would approach the court and claimed that over 100 of his supporters were arrrested.

"This is sadism...political vendetta and misuse of power," he said, adding his supporters were arrested just ahead of Diwali celebrations.

Even some cadres of his party who had not attended the event were being taken into custody by police, he alleged.

He said 21 of his partymen have obtained anticipatory bail from the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.

Police had registered a case under several sections of the IPC in connection with the incident.

Dhinakaran ridiculed the "claim," as reflected in the police case that he "instigated" the tearing up of banners.

He said he has not lodged anticipatory bail plea and dared police to arrest him.

The AMMK leader took potshots at Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, saying they were only present in the banners while his party was in the people's hearts.

Dhinakaran said he had even directed his functionaries to stop tearing flex banners by some people.

He pointed out that the banners had images of "Thevar Ayya and Amma" (Jayalalithaa) and told people not to tear it up.

He asked why police constables deployed in the vicinity of flex banners did not stop the vandalism.

The AMMK leader reiterated that the ruling party would not even get back deposits in the 20 constituencies where bypolls are expected.

"Why so many people are agitated that we are not going to file an appeal against the High Court verdict," he asked.

All the 18 disqualfied AIADMK MLAs backing him hold the same view and are ready to face the bypolls, he asserted.

Asked if his party would forge electoral alliance for the next year's Lok Sabha election, he said alliances would be decided during the run-up to the polls.

No national party, however, has approached him for electoral ties, he said, answering another question.

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As a bonanza, the government Friday announced 30-day bonus to its 14.02 lakh employees, incurring an additional expenditure of Rs 9.67 billion on its exchequer.

The government also announced Dearness Allowance (DA) at enhanced rates with effect from July 1, 2018, incurring another burden of Rs 7.89 billion for the remaining eight months of the financial year, a government spokesman said.

The state government has issued orders for disbursal of bonus for 30 days for the 2017-18 fiscal to employees of the state government, aided educational and technical institutes, local bodies and daily wagers, the spokesman said.

Like the previous years, 75 per cent of the bonus amount will be deposited in the PF account, he added.
The Election Commission (EC) on Friday directed the Mizoram government to remove a principal secretary-level officer on charges of interfering with the poll process.

Election to the 40-member Assembly will be held on November 28 and the EC issued the notification for it earlier in the day. The results will be out on December 11.

"... the Election Commission is satisfied that the continuance of Mr. Lalnunmawia Chuaungo as Principal Secretary (Home), in State Government of Mizoram will have adverse impact on conduct of smooth, free and fair election process in Mizoram," the EC order said.

The EC also directed that Chuaungo shall be relieved of his present responsibilities with immediate effect and his services placed at the disposal of Ministry of Home Affairs.

He would not be assigned any work relating to Mizoram, or deputed to Mizoram till the process of elections is over, the EC's order No. 23/MIZ/2018 said.

The order came after reports appeared in a section of the media that state Chief Electoral Officer SB Shashank has complained to the EC that Chuaungo was interfering with the election process.

Chuaungo has been working in Mizoram on inter-cadre deputation on loan from Gujarat since April this year.

The EC said the order followed "a series of incidents" that took place in Mizoram "causing concern to the commission regarding the successful completion of summary revision of Electoral Rolls and also successful conduct of free and fair election in Mizoram."



It mentioned six incidents mainly related to the arrangements to enable Bru refugees staying in camps in Tripura take part in the voting process. Thousands of Bru community people had fled Mizoram in the late 1990s following ethnic clashes.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday expressed anguish over the killing of five Bengali-speaking people in Assam and said an "environment of violence" is prevailing in the country.

In the time of the festival of lights, sadness descended on the minds of the people because of the killing, Banerjee said while inaugurating a Kali Puja in north Kolkata on her return from Cooch Behar.

"I don't know why these people were killed. But one thing is certain that ominous signals are being sent (by the killings)," the chief minister said.

Biharis were being driven out of Gujarat and the people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh from Assam, Banerjee, also the ruling Trinamool Congress supremo, said.

"Such a situation never prevailed in the country. Suddenly an environment of violence has spread everywhere," she said.

Unidentified gunmen in battle fatigue shot dead five Bengali-speaking persons including three members of a family near Kheronibari village after taking them there from their homes in the village in Tinsukia district of Assam on Thursday night.

Banerjee also slammed the Centre for its various decisions starting from demonetisation, which have affected the country's economy.

"If you ask any businessman about the situation in the country, he cannot reply. He is under threat by various agencies," Banerjee claimed.

The Trinammol Congress and Left parties took to the streets to protest the killings in Assam.

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Family members and top BJP leaders on Friday bid emotional goodbye to BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet, who were shot dead by suspected terrorists here.

A small procession was taken out from their house in Parihar Mohalla after top BJP leaders, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh, paid rich tributes to the duo.

Mortal remains of the duo were consigned to flames in Kishtwar district at around 3 pm.

During the Friday congregational prayers, Imam of Kishtwar Jamia Masjid Farooq Kitchloo appealed to the Muslim community to join the funeral ceremony of the Parihar brothers as a mark of unity between the two communities.

Anil and his brother Ajeet on Thursday were returning from their shop in the district when they were fired upon the close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, officials said.

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The Delhi High Court on Friday declined to grant interim bail to the in-laws of a flight attendant, who had allegedly committed suicide in July, to be with their family on the occasion of Diwali.

Justice Mukta Gupta issued notice to the Delhi Police on the bail petitions of the in-laws, who had surrendered Thursday and asked the agency to file a status report.

"No interim relief, not possible," the judge said and listed the bail pleas for further hearing on November 16.

Flight attendant Anissia Batra's parents-in-laws R S Singhvi and Sushma Singhvi approached the high court after their bail applications were rejected by a trial court on Thursday.

Anissia (39), wife of Mayank Singhvi, worked with a German airline. She allegedly jumped from the terrace of her house in Panchsheel Park in South Delhi on July 13. Mayank rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead. Mayank, who was married to Anissia for over two years, was arrested on July 16.

Anissia's family has alleged that her husband used to physically abuse her and often demand money. The family has claimed before the trial court that it was not a suicide, but murder.

Senior advocates A M Singhvi and Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the in-laws, said they were not living with their son and daughter-in-law and have no role in the alleged offence.

The counsel orally prayed for interim bail for a week for R S Singhvi and Sushma Singhvi to be with their family on the occasion of Diwali and said the couple would surrender thereafter.

The counsel said the couple were in advanced age and the woman has to undergo breast cancer surgery in January.

When the advocate said that two charge sheets have already been filed and no investigation was required at this stage and they have fully cooperated with the probe agency, the court said, "That is okay, but there is something called seriousness of the offence".

The couple, who was yesterday sent to one-day police custody, was remanded to judicial custody Friday by a trial court, the counsel said.

Mayank's parents were earlier denied anticipatory bail by the high court.

Before jumping off the terrace, she had sent a message to her husband that she would kill herself, police had said earlier.

The husband, a software engineer in Gurgaon, had told the police that they had regular fights due to "compatibility issues". They had an argument on the day of the incident as well, following which she jumped from the terrace, police had said.

The victim's family had also given a complaint to police on June 27 saying that if anything happens to their daughter, Mayank would be responsible, police had said.

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A Madhya Pradesh Congress leader joined the BJP Friday, a development described by the ruling party leaders as an indication of the falling fortunes of the opposition in the poll-bound state.

Premchand Guddu, a Dalit leader who was an MLA and MP, joined the saffron party in the presence its senior leaders from the state, including Narendra Singh Tomar, Thaawarchand Gehlot and Kailash Vijayvargiya, and hit out at the Congress as a party of "raja and maharaja".

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan have been working for the poor, the Congress is being run as an "elite class" with no concern for Dalits and the downtrodden, he said.

That a Congress leader of over 30 years has decided to join the BJP underlines the falling fortunes of the opposition party, Vijayvargiya said.

Guddu was considered close to Congress leader and former chief minister Digvijay Singh and had been feeling sidelined in the party, sources said.

He or his son may be fielded by the BJP in the assembly polls.

Tomar said his joining the BJP would strengthen the party.

Madhya Pradesh, which has a 230-member Assembly, will have a single-phase polling on November 28.

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Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said extortion rackets are active in the state but assured people that the problem will be solved once talks with militants and insurgent groups are completed.

The menace of extortion by insurgent and fringe groups hinders the state's development. Extortion and smuggling are major sources of fund generation for militants and insurgent groups in the state.

Singh said a few local goons also pose as insurgents and try to extort money from people.

"I can assure that once talks with various militant groups are completed, the problem (extortion menace) will be solved," he told a group of visiting journalists Wednesday.

"Many insurgent groups are under Suspension of Operations (SOO), but there are others (who are active)," he said.

In many cases, some in the SOO camps sneak out and indulge in extortion or get others to indulge in the same, Singh said.

An official, however, said security forces have recovered smuggled goods worth Rs 96.3 crore in 2018 till date and stress has been laid on border patrol to neutralise insurgents trying to cross over.

The recoveries include gold worth Rs 23.67 crore, illegal drugs having a market value of Rs 66.85 crore, while wildlife products and forest products accounted for Rs 4.15 crore and Rs 1.67 crore respectively, he said.

In 2017, the recoveries were worth around Rs 50 crore.

"While smuggling of gold and contraband drugs have gone up, that of wildlife and forest products have gone down in recent years," he said.

Manipur shares a 398-km-long border with Myanmar.

The chief minister said, "We want railways in the state as that will ensure cheaper goods."



The railways is working on Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal project that would provide rail connectivity to the capital of land-locked Manipur.

The 111-km long project was sanctioned in 2008 and has a deadline of December 2020 to be operational.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A delegation of BJP leaders from Goa Friday met party president Amit Shah and Union Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi and pushed for early resumption of iron ore mining in the coastal state.

Two BJP Members of Parliament Vinay Tendulkar (Rajya Sabha) and Narendra Sawaikar (Lok Sabha MP from South Goa) - along with Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Pramod Sawant met Shah in Delhi.

"We had a meeting with our national president for almost 20 minutes during which the issue of resumption of mining was discussed," Sawant told PTI talking over the phone from the national capital.

A Group of Ministers is looking into Goa's mining issue.

Sawant, quoting Shah, said he has requested the members of the group to take up the issue during the next session of Parliament.

The delegation also met Tomar and demanded resumption of mining activity, a key source of revenue for the government and also livelihood for lakhs of people in the tourist state.

The mining industry in Goa came to a standstill after the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases in February this year.

Following this, the state government, with support from all parties in the Assembly, had requested the Centre to issue an ordinance in order to restart mining in the state.

The Goa Mining People's Front, an umbrella outfit of those dependent on the sector, has launched an agitation to demand immediate restart of mining activity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi on Friday demanded a CBI enquiry into the killing of five persons by unidentified gunmen at Dhola in Tinsukia district.

Addressing a press conference here, the former chief minister said the Assam government has totally failed on the law and order front and a fear psychosis has gripped the entire state.

There is doubt over the state government's capability to nab the culprits, he said.

"We demand a CBI enquiry into the incident. We doubt whether the government will be able to nab the culprits," he said.

"Who is responsible for it? Is it the ULFA(I) or somebody else?" he asked.

Condemning Thursday's incident strongly, Gogoi demanded that the perpetrators should be apprehended and brought to book without any delay.

"The current government is equally to be blamed for what happened. It has failed to protect the lives of innocent people and this clearly points to the failure of law and order. People of Assam are living in fear and anxiety," he added.

Stating that the home department failed to discharge its duties, Gogoi said the incident is a result of failure of the central and state intelligence services.

"So we doubt how successful the government will be. Even the local MLA of Sadiya constituency Bolin Chetia has admitted today that the police have failed. The police is under the chief minister, who is also in charge of the home department," he said.

"We want to know if there were any intelligence inputs. If yes, was the government informed and what actions were taken to prevent such an incident?" he questioned.

Gogoi also blamed the state government for not taking action against people, who have, in recent times, made provocative statements in the public.

"We condemn Shiladitya Dev (BJP MLA), Jiten Dutta (pro-talk ULFA member) and all others who have made provocative comments. They are all responsible for the current situation. It is unfortunate that the government took no action against them all this time. What has happened now is due to the government's failure to act against such elements," he added.

Meanwhile, Congress workers staged a protest outside the state headquarters Rajiv Bhawan here on Friday afternoon against the Dhola incident.

A delegation from the state Congress also visited Dhola and met the families of the victims.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government could bring a law for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya even when the dispute is before the Supreme Court, as there have been instances of the court's decisions being scuttled legislative process, former judge Jasti Chelameswar said Friday.

His comments came when the clamour for the enactment of a law to pave the way for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was growing within the

Justice (retired) Chelameswar was speaking at an interactive session hosted by the All India Professionals Congress, an organisation affiliated to the Congress party.

Earlier this year, Justice Chelameswar was among the four senior judges of the who went public with their objections about the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra's style of functioning.

When asked at Friday's programme whether Parliament can pass a law for Ram temple while the matter is in the Supreme Court, Chelameswar said it could happen.

"Legally if it can happen (or not) is one aspect. Whether it will happen (or not) is another. I'm aware of instances that happened in the past where decisions of the were scuttled by the legislative process," he said.

He cited the example where the passed a law to overturn the SC order on the Cauvery water dispute, and another similar instance related to inter-state water dispute between Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.

"The nation should have opened up to these things much earlier... This (a law on Ram temple) is possible as we did not stop it then," he said.

Incidentally, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said earlier Friday that Hindus were feeling "insulted" by the Supreme Court's declaration that the Ayodhya issue is not a priority and insisted that an ordinance would be needed if all options run out.

After a three-day RSS conclave in Maharashtra, its general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said the organisation "will not hesitate to launch an agitation for Ram temple, if needed, but since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there are restrictions.
The government is making efforts with an integrated approach and has initiated "multiple reforms" in order to achieve the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022, Additional Principal Secretary to the prime minister, P K Mishra has said.

He also emphasised the need to analyse as to "why the past initiatives could not accomplish the desired results" in the agriculture sector.

"The present government has for the first time ushered in a paradigm shift in the approach, from growth of production to increase in farmers' income," Mishra said while addressing the 78th Annual conference of the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics Thursday.

Some of the initiatives taken to address price and yield risks in the last four years include setting up of electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM), upgradation of rural haats, new scheme Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

This is a major shift in the approach -- a clear focus on farmer and farmer welfare rather than simply production and productivity, he said.

"For this purpose, a holistic strategy for the agriculture sector was visualised. Efforts are being made to follow this with an integrated approach by initiating multiple reforms and programmes with an overall objective of doubling farmers income," Mishra said.

In February 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said farmers' income would be doubled by 2022 to mark 75 years of India's independence.

He further noted that, there is a need to analyse as to why the past initiatives could not accomplish the desired results and highlighted the need for agricultural research.

"Policymakers and practitioners need to look at how one could address the farmers' risk -- that affects his income and welfare and linking activities of non-agriculture sector. This is also an area of agriculture research," he said.

The senior PMO official said that Indian Society of Agricultural Economics (ISAE) should focus its research on topics like why does farmers distress happen in areas where there is high agricultural growth and how to modernise agriculture.

"Agricultural growth has a strong correlation with poverty reduction. In order to alleviate rural poverty, we need to focus on agricultural productivity and farmers' income."



The academic research should also be done on why crop yields are languishing and why there is yield gap between experimental farm and farmers' fields as also on topics like why youth is not interested in agriculture and why new knowledge is not reaching all farmers and they continue to follow conventional methods.

These are some of the areas which may be considered for empirical research by members of ISAE in the coming months and years, he added.

ISAE, was set up in 1939, anchors and channelises efforts of professionals and researches in the field of agricultural economics.

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Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) of the 14 police districts in the national capital have been directed to ensure no temporary licenses are issued for sale of firecrackers till the PESO approved crackers are available in the market, an official said Friday.

In a meeting held on Thursday, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik directed all DCPs to ensure that the Supreme Court guidelines are implemented fully.

The apex court had on October 23 said 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.

"The DCPs have been instructed to not issue temporary licenses for sale of firecrackers till PESO approved firecrackers are available. They have been asked to ensure that station house officers of police stations are on patrolling duties to ensure old stocks of firecrackers are not sold," the official said.

In 2016, the Delhi Police had issued 968 licenses for temporary sale of firecrackers and this year the limit has been fixed at 50 per cent of the number, he said.

Officers have also been instructed to initiate awareness campaigns among resident welfare associations to make them aware about the Supreme Court guidelines for bursting of firecrackers.

They have also been directed to coordinate with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh police to ensure illegal firecrackers are not brought to Delhi through border areas, the official said.

The Cyber Cell units at district levels and the Cyber Crime Cell have been asked to ensure that online sale of firecrackers does not take place, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A survivor of the indiscriminate firing incident in Assam's Tinsukia district in which five people were killed said Friday that the assailants had come in two groups and carried out the attack.

The man, identified as Sahadeb Namasudra, told reporters he had a providential escape as he fell off a bridge where the gunmen had lined him up along with five others before opening fire at them.

Namasudra along with two others had been called out from a shop below the Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Kheronibari village on Thursday evening by three men in battle fatigue and their faces were covered with cloth.

Three more villagers were brought to the same spot by another group of three gunmen between 7.30 pm and 8 pm, Namasudra said.

The second group of assailants came in motorcycles and spoke with them in Hindi.

The gunmen ordered all the six men to sit in a row on the bridge, Namasudra said, adding they also took away his mobile phone.

The gunmen then opened fire but Namasudra who was sitting at the end of the bridge fell below.

Though he was not injured he became unconscious out of fear and nervousness.

When he regained consciousness, Namasudra found one of the five men to be still alive. He asked Namasudra to straighten his injured leg and inform his family and asked for water. But then he passed away.

The family of three of the victims said they were called out from their homes by the gunmen and taken towards the bridge.

The locals alleged negligence by the police in providing security, adding that the nearest police outpost 200 metre away had switched off their mobile phones after the incident.

Senior police officials, visiting the area, said a similar complaint was also made to them and the allegation will be investigated.

Meanwhile, several roads in Tinsukia district were blocked with burning tyres, while shops, markets, educational institutions and banks remained closed during the 12-hour district bandh called by All Assam Bengali Federation since 5 am Friday.

The demonstrators raised slogans and took out rallies demanding security for Bengali people in the state.

On being told by journalists that the ULFA (Independent) has denied involvement in the killings, the protestors said, "If it has not been done by the ULFA(I), then we demand that the government orders a CBI enquiry".

Sounds of wailing rent the air with bereaved family members and villagers mourning the death of the five locals.

Several empty AK-47 cartridges have been recovered from the site and a search was on for the attackers, police officials said.

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Makkal Neethi Maiyam party president Kamal Haasan Friday hit out at the Tamil Nadu government for allegedly converting agricultural lands for other purposes and said it has caused "distress" to farmers.

While Odisha and Telangana are allocating land for agriculture, Tamil Nadu is doing just the opposite, the actor-politician said.

Haasan was taking questions from students at a private engineering college here.

Asked about remedies for farmer suicides, Haasan said "like air is for survival, land is essential for a farmer.

Destroying agriculture under garb of creating jobs cannot be justified. Telangana (government) has allocated 20 lakh hectares for agriculture, while Odisha has set aside 10 lakh hectares," he said.

"Tamil Nadu and some other states are doing the opposite which is causing distress to farmers and resulting in suicides," he added.

Haasan has opposed the Rs 10,000-crore Chennai-Salem expressway that seeks to acquire over 500 acres including farmlands, saying such projects should not be "forced" on people.

On the simmering #Metoo campaign, Hassan appealed to everyone to encourage the movement, that has seen women opening up to reveal their bitter experiences.

"Some people are questioning women opening up after several years. Irrespective of when it is said, let those bold voices raise. Do not mock them," he said.

Haasan has been touring various colleges across the state which, he claimed, is a campaign for drawing youths into politics.

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The Madras High Court Friday allowed firms involved in online sale of medicines to be impleaded in a petition seeking a ban on their business.

Justice R Mahadevan, who has granted an interim stay on sale of medicines online by those not having required licence, impleaded the petitioners, including New Delhi-based 1MG Technologies Private Limited, as party to the petition filed by the Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association (TNCDA).

He impleaded the petitioners after hearing arguments by senior counsels for them and also the TNCDA and adjourned the matter to November 9 for further hearing.

The Judge had on Wednesday granted an interim order restraining online sale of medicines, but clarified Thursday that his order was applicable only to those firms which do not have valid licences.

TNCDA has sought a ban on online sale of medicines



contending that purchasing drugs from unlicensed online stores can be risky as they may sell fake, expired, contaminated or unapproved drugs that are dangerous to the health of patients.

A battery of senior lawyers appearing for the impleading petitioners submitted their clients were only intermediaries, providing a platform between the customer and the pharmacies, and not involved in online sale of medicines and drugs of any sort.

E-pharmacy was an initiative to help the caregivers select the most appropriate health care services at the best possible price, the counsels said.

The e-pharmacists have entered into facilitation agreements with various third party pharmacies across the country and they neither stocked medicines nor were having any shop. The orders were placed on the basis of prescription issued by the doctors, they said.

Hence the online firms were not obligated to procure a license under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1955, they reasoned.

Arguing on behalf of the TNCDA, senior counsel A R L Sundaresan submitted that even for exhibition and offer of sale itself the online companies needed licence.

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Aditya Birla Group company Hindalco Industries Friday posted 21.4 per cent decline in standalone profit to Rs 308.6 crore for the quarter ended September 2018.

The company had posted a profit of Rs 392.8 crore in the year-ago period, Hindalco Industries said in a filing to the BSE.

However, total income during the quarter increased to Rs 11,034.3 crore, over Rs 10,500.6 crore in the year-ago period, it said.

"The company delivered yet another strong quarterly results, despite the challenging business environment, rising input costs and surge in imports," Hindalco said in a statement.

"The company continues its focus on strengthening its balance sheet, resource securitisation and its strategy to grow in the downstream businesses to deliver long-term shareholder value," the company added.

Novelis, it said, will continue to play a crucial role in supporting the next generation of automotive innovation and design, as the market demand for lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles grows.

The applications for acquisition of the US-based aluminium producer Aleris filed with the concerned authorities were at various stages of approval, it added.

"We expect the transaction to close in about 9-15 months from the date of the announcement of the transaction. Novelis has secured firm commitments from banks for financing the Aleris acquisition," it said.

Hindalco had earlier said it will acquire Aleris Corporation for USD 2.58 billion through its wholly-owned subsidiary Novelis.

Utkal Alumina's brownfield capacity expansion was on schedule and was expected to be operational by 2020-21, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The RSS on Friday said hindus were feeling "insulted" by the Supreme Court's declaration that the Ayodhya issue is not a priority and insisted that an ordinance would be needed if all options run out.

After a three-day RSS conclave here in Maharashtra, its general secretary BhaiyyajiJoshisaid the organisation "will not hesitate to launch an agitation for Ram temple, if needed, but since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there are restrictions."



He said the RSS was "not putting pressure" on the government as "we respect the law and the Constitution which is why there has been delay."



He said the Ram temple issue was among the various matters discussed when BJP President Amit Shah met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat here earlier in the day.

"We respect the Supreme Court and urge it to take into consideration sentiments of hindus," Joshi said while addressing a press conference after the National Executive meeting of the RSS here on the outskirts of Mumbai.

"The wait for the (Supreme) court's verdict has been too long. Since the matter was listed on October 29, we felt hindus would get good before Diwali. But the Supreme Court deferred the hearing," he said.

The Supreme Court on October 29 fixed the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case for the first week of January before an "appropriate bench", which will decide the schedule of hearing.

"We have our own priorities. Whether the matter will be heard in January, February or March, the appropriate bench will decide," a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, had said while deferring the matter.

Commenting on this, Joshi said, "it is a matter of pain and anguish that an issue which Hindus consider their faith and sentiment is not in the priority list of the court... Hindus are feeling insulted."



He said sensitive issues like this should be prioritised and that delay in giving verdict is not good.

"The Supreme court should respect hindu sentiments and we respect the apex court," he said.

The RSS expected the court to decide on the issue, "taking into consideration the sentiments of the hindu community," Joshi said.

The RSS leader said a legal sanction is required to pave way for construction of the temple.

When asked about the demand for an ordinance, he said it is the right of those asking for it.

"The government should consider this option if all other options run out... it is up to the government," Joshi said.

At the same time, he added, "Unless the Supreme Court takes a decision on the title suit, it is difficult for the government to take any decision."



Joshi was asked if the RSS was putting pressure on the government and why the temple issue was not being decided by the government since it has a majority.

"We are not putting pressure. But we will build consensus. We respect the law and the constitution which is why there has been delay," he added.

To a queryabout Congress President Rahul Gandhi questioning the hindutva of RSS, Joshi said he should not be taken seriously.

On the issue of the Supreme Court seeking Rafale deal papers, the RSS leader said it is up tothe government to take a call.

Speaking on the Sabrimala controversy, Joshi said the RSS supports the demand for restriction on women's entry into the temple.

"We don't support discrimination against women at hindu places of worship, but some temples have certain restrictions and people may think it is against their rights. One has to consider rules of the temple as people's faith is supreme, he said.

"The society doesn't function always on laws but also on beliefs and faith. There should have been discussions with all stakeholders before the sabrimala verdict," he said.

On the conclave, he said the meet deliberated on various organisational matters and a structure plan for water conservation and environment protection will soon be put in place.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The RSS on Friday said Hindus were feeling "insulted" by the Supreme Court's declaration that the Ayodhya issue is not a priority and insisted that an ordinance would be needed if all options run out.

After a three-day RSS conclave here in Maharashtra, its general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said the organisation "will not hesitate to launch an agitation for Ram temple, if needed, but since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there are restrictions."



He said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was "not putting pressure" on the government as "we respect the law and the Constitution which is why there has been delay."



Joshi added that the Ram temple issue was among the various matters discussed when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat here earlier in the day.

"We respect the Supreme Court and urge it to take into consideration sentiments of hindus," Joshi said while addressing a press conference after the National Executive meeting of the RSS here on the outskirts of Mumbai.

"The wait for the (Supreme) court's verdict has been too long. Since the matter was listed on October 29, we felt Hindus would get good before Diwali. But the Supreme Court deferred the hearing," he said.

"We will not hesitate to launch an agitation for Ram temple if needed. But since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there are restrictions," he added.

On October 29, the SC fixed the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case for the first week of January 2019 before an appropriate bench, which will decide the schedule of hearing.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said the appropriate bench will decide the future course of hearing in January on the appeals filed against the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case.

"We have our own priorities. Whether the matter will be heard in January, February or March, the appropriate bench will decide," it had said when Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government and deity Ramlala respectively, sought early listing of the appeals in the case.

As many as 14 appeals have been filed against the 2010 High Court judgement that suggested that the 2.77 acres of disputed land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

Joshi Friday said the matter had been pending before courts for too long and pointed out that the apex court said their priorities were different when an early hearing of the long-pending issue was sought.

Joshi said the temple issue is closely linked to the faith and sentiments of Hindus and it is painful to hear that it does not figure on the priority list of the court.

"It is a matter of pain and anguish that an issue which Hindus consider their faith and sentiment is not in the priority list of the court... Hindus are feeling insulted."



The RSS expected the court to decide on the issue, "taking into consideration the sentiments of the Hindu community," Joshi said.

The RSS leader said a legal sanction is required to pave way for construction of the temple.

Asked about the demand of various Sangh Parivar outfits for an ordinance for early construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, he said, it was the right of those asking for it.

"The government should consider this option if all other options run out... it is up to the government," Joshi said.

At the same time, he added, "Unless the Supreme Court takes a decision on the title suit, it is difficult for the government to take any decision."



Joshi was asked if the RSS was putting pressure on the government and why the temple issue was not being decided by the government since it has a majority.

"We are not putting pressure. But we will build consensus. We respect the law and the constitution which is why there has been delay," he added.

To a query about Congress President Rahul Gandhi questioning the Hindutva of RSS, Joshi said he should not be taken seriously.

On the issue of the apex court seeking Rafale deal papers, the RSS leader said it is up to the government to take a call.

Speaking on the Sabarimala controversy, Joshi said the RSS supports the demand for restriction on women's entry into the temple.

"We don't support discrimination against women at hindu places of worship, but some temples have certain restrictions and people may think it is against their rights. One has to consider rules of the temple as people's faith is supreme, he said.

"The society doesn't function always on laws but also on beliefs and faith. There should have been discussions with all stakeholders before the Sabarimala verdict," he said.

Joshi said the three-day meet deliberated on various organisational matters and a plan for water conservation and environment protection will soon be put in place.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: The city police Friday said they would allow bursting of fire-crackers between 8 pm and 10 pm for three days from Diwali which falls on December 6.

The noise-level from the fire-crackers during the two hours should not exceed the permissible limits prescribed by the Pollution Control Board, a press release from the police said.

Citing the recent ruling of the Supreme Court, the release said the order would be in force for three days beginning from November 6.

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Swedish furniture giant Ikea is planning to hire 10,000, both direct and indirect, in Maharashtra over the next two to three years, a senior company executive has said.

The company opened its first store in Hyderabad in August this year and the Navi Mumbai will be the second store in the country.

"Next year, we are opening the Navi Mumbai store, for which we are planning to recruit 5,000 directly and an equal number will be hired indirectly over the two to three years," Ikea India's people and culture manager Anna-Carin Mansson told PTI here.

This will include directly hiring 1,000 by mid-next year and 1,500 indirectly for services, including assembly among others, she said adding as per the Ikea policy, 50 per cent of this recruitment will be of women at all levels.

"We believe in equality and providing a balanced, safe and secure work environment for all employees. We are also open for recruiting from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities," she added.

The world's largest furniture chain is looking to hire people in ecommerce, sales, logistics, digital and Human Resource's and mostly they hire locals, she said.

"With our employee friendly policies, we are expecting to keep the attrition levels very low. We believe in value- based recruitment, where the core values of an individual is considered and not what is said in the CV. We provide equal opportunities to all our co-workers, help them grow and enable them to follow their passion," she added.

Ikea has several employee friendly policies, such as day care facilities, parental leave policy, transport policy, competence development, mentoring, pension plan among others.

"Maharashtra is an important market for us. We have been sourcing from the state for many decades and now we are ready to enter the market in 2019 with our full offer to be able to serve all the customers," Ikea India market manager for Maharashtra Per Hornell said.

Ikea opened its first store in the country in Hyderabad in August, where it employs 1,000 people.

The company is the first major single brand retailer to get FDI approval and plans to open several stores and multiple touch points across the main cities over the next 10 years.

Ikea has four land sites in Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi/NCR, and continues to look for more in other major cities.

Ikea operates 423 Ikea stores in 50 countries with a sales volume of 38.3 billion euros.

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The Bombay High Court Friday issued notices to four political parties -- the NCP, BJP, RPI and the MNS -- asking them to explain why their workers put up illegal hoardings and banners on public roads.

The office bearers of these political parties had last year filed undertakings in the high court assuring that their workers would not put up hoardings and banners on public roads and places without requisite permission from the authorities concerned.

The undertakings were part of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Suswarajya Foundation raising the issue of large number of illegal hoardings and banners put up by political parties.

The high court has in the past passed several orders holding that such illegal hoardings deface public roads and places and had directed civic bodies to take strict action in such cases.

The court had then sought the political parties to submit undertakings.

Following this, office bearers of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Republican Party of India (RPI) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) submitted undertakings.

Last week, the court was informed by the petitioner that, despite the assurances and orders from court, there are large number of hoardings put up everywhere. In support of the claim, the petitioner submitted photos of the hoardings.

The bench took note of this and issued notices to the office bearers of the four political parties.

"We call upon the said political parties to disclose as to why large number of hoardings are displayed by their party workers. We also want them to explain what action they have taken against their workers for indulging in such illegal activities," the court said.

The bench has posted the petition for further hearing on December 7.

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President Donald Trump has said illegal immigrants trying to enter the United States would now be apprehended at the border and, unlike the current practice, would no longer be released.

Announcing a significant change in the current catch-and-release policy for illegal immigrants, Trump said Thursday these illegal immigrants would be released only after a US court pronounces its judgement on their asylum application. If negative, they would be deported to their original country.

"We are not releasing them into our country any longer. They will wait for long periods of time. We're putting up massive cities of tents; the military is helping us incredibly well," Trump said in a major policy speech on illegal immigrants.

The policy speech days ahead of the crucial midterm poll comes because of a caravan, estimated to be comprising between 5,000-7,000 people, from three Latin American countries, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. Trump has deployed military at the Southwestern border to stop them.

"At this very moment, a large well-organised caravan of migrants are marching towards our southern border. Some people call it an invasion. It's like an invasion. They have violently overrun the Mexican border. You saw that two days ago," he said.

Trump said such caravans would not be allowed and they should turn back as they were "wasting their time", suggesting they should apply to come into the country. "We hope nothing happens, but if it does, we are totally prepared," he added.

Observing that the current policy of catch-and-release is a laughing stock all over the world, Trump vowed that he would not allow them any longer. "We're not allowing them in and we're not releasing and we're not doing any of the things that were done for so many years that really are terrible for our country."



"We have thousands of tents. We have a lot of tents. We're going to hold them right there. We're not letting them into our country. And then, they never show up, almost, it's like a level of three per cent.

"They never show up for the trial. So, by the time their trial comes, they're gone... Nobody knows where they are. But we know where a lot of them are and they're going to be deported," the president said.

Trump said there were around 700,000 people inside the country awaiting adjudication of their claims. "Most of these people we have no idea how they got there, why they got there, and the number is actually going to be a much larger number as we look at all of the data," he said, adding that the overall number could be between 10-20 million people.

Asserting that there has been a "staggering" increase in asylum claims since 2010, Trump attributed it to the smugglers and traffickers, who know how to game the system.

"There's a lot of professionalism taking place. And there seems to be a lot of money passing. And then, all of a sudden out of the blue, these big caravans are formed and they start marching up. They've got a long way to go.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
World Bank president Jim Yong Kim Friday described India's jump in the ease of doing business index as a "historic and unprecedented achievement".

Kim made these remarks during a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said here.

Kim congratulated the prime minister for India's "historic rise" in the ranking.

He said it is remarkable that a nation of over 1.25 billion people has achieved a rise of 65 ranks in a short period of four years.

He also that this has been made possible, in large measure, due to the unwavering commitment and leadership of Prime Minister Modi. He described this as a historic, and unprecedented achievement, the statement said quoting him.

The World Bank chief also recalled the recent honours received by the Prime Minister, including the UNEP Champions of the Earth Award and the Seoul Peace Prize, and congratulated him for the same.

Kim promised the World Bank's "unflinching and continued support" to India's initiatives on ease of doing business.

Modi thanked the World Bank president for the institution's continued guidance and support in India's efforts to improve ease of doing business.

He added that the World Bank's rankings are a source of inspiration for India, in its quest to improve ease of doing business, the statement said.

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Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd Friday announced plans to sell 50 per cent stake in two office assets in Gurugram to a global investment firm.

In a regulatory filing, the Mumbai-based developer said it has "entered into a non-binding term sheet with a globally renowned real estate investor to divest its 50 per cent stake in two office assets in Udyog Vihar, Gurugram, aggregating 7,84,000 sq ft leasable office space".

The company did not name the global investor and disclose the deal value.

Market experts said that deal value could be at an enterprise value of Rs 500 crore.

Earlier this year, Indiabulls had sold 50 per cent stake in its two prime commercial assets in Mumbai to Blackstone for an enterprise value of Rs 9,500 crore.

Indiabulls has an equal joint venture with global private equity firm Blackstone. The JV has 3.3 million sq ft completed asset with annuity income of Rs 670 crore, while 0.8 million sq ft is under construction with expected rental income of Rs 172 crore.

Moreover, the company in July executed definitive transaction documents with the entities controlled by Blackstone Group by which the company will divest 100 per cent stake in the non-core commercial assets in Chennai. It earns a rental income of Rs 85 crore from 1.9 million sq ft leased area in 'One Indiabulls Park' project at Chennai.

On rental business, the company has said in an annual report that it would continue to sell owned and completed office properties to investors as it has done with Blackstone. The funds raised will be used to acquire assets.

Recently, Indiabulls Real Estate Tuesday said it will acquire 140 acre land at Manesar in Gurugram to develop an integrated township and commercial building.

Indiabulls Real Estate recently reported a 23 per cent increase in its consolidated net profit at Rs 75.91 crore for the quarter ended September 30. Its net profit stood at Rs 61.64 crore in the year-ago period.

Net sales jumped more than two-fold to Rs 1,040.41 crore for the second quarter of this fiscal from Rs 470.77 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Indiabulls Real Estate has fully paid land bank of 1,046 acres in key cities across India, of which more than 95 percent is in high-value super-metro cities Mumbai (MMR), National Capital Region (NCR) and Chennai. In addition, the company also possesses 2,588 acres of SEZ land in Nashik, Maharashtra.

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French Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler Friday said that 12 agreements worth 200 million euro have been signed between French and Indian firms and these had the potential to create 3,000 jobs in Maharashtra.

Addressing business delegates at the Indo-French Conclave here, Ziegler said economic partnership between the two nations has been dynamic in the past few years.

"Our trade relations have grown by 20 per cent from last year and has doubled since 2009," he said, adding that his country saw India not as "revenue" or "market" but as a "true and precious" partner.

The French Ambassador informed that 600 companies from his country have operations in India, employing 4 lakh people and investing around one billion euro annually.

"The Indo-French relationship goes beyond these figures and the potential is huge. We collectively need to work towards increasing the investment of French companies in India," said Ziegler.

He expressed happiness at India achieving 77th position, a jump of 23 places, on World Bank's 'Ease of Doing Business' ranking.

The 12 agreements signed include French multinational Thales Group signing pacts with seven Indian firms, namely Godrej Precision Engineering, Bharat Forge, Amphenol Interconnect India, Larsen & Toubro, Solar Explosives, Mahindra Defence Systems and Coriolis.

Other agreements included one between energy firm Technique Solaire and the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency as well as between aeronautical firm Turgis & Gaillard and the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC).

French ropeway firm Poma presented letters of intent for two projects in Nagpur and Tadoba, both in the state's Vidarbha region.

French hospitality major Accor Hotels also exchanged a letter of intent with Gurugram-headquartered Interglobe Hotels Limited.

Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry secretary general Payal Kanwar expressed delight at being able to organise an Indo-French business event of this size in Nagpur.

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The Indian Police Service Association of Kerala Friday condemned the verbal and digital attack against certain police officers in the state in connection with the recent Sabarimala incidents.

In a resolution passed at a meeting here, the association said attempt has been made to "vilify" and "intimidate" police officers who carried out their duties during the recent violent protests held against the entry of women of all ages into the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.

Attempts have been made to intimidate through public speeches and social media the police officers carrying out law enforcement duties, an association statement said.

"Statements have been made questioning independence and impartiality of senior police officers by implying their actions are based on their community. Vile and abusive language havebeen used against these officers," it said.

Civil society should condemn such attempts against the officers, it said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Thursday cautioned against alleged attempts by some people with vested interests to create "communal divide" in the state police force.

Addressing police personnel at a function here to mark the formation day of state police, he said certain people were trying to attack and isolate efficient officials in the force in the name of religion and caste.

Vijayan was apparently referring to the cyber attack against senior IPS officers, Manoj Abraham and S Sreejith, who had coordinated security arrangements in and around Sabarimala as part of implementing the Supreme Court verdict allowing entry of women of all ages into the Lord Ayyappa Temple.

According to police, cases have been registered against 13 people who were allegedly involved in the cyber attack against Abraham.

BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan was recently booked for allegedly using abusive language against Abraham while addressing party workers as part of the stir against the entry of women of menstrual age into the hill shrine.

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The West Bengal government on Friday suspended the headmaster and assistant headmaster of North Dinajpur's Daribhit High School, which has remained shut since the death of two students in a firing on September 20, state Minister Partha Chatterjee said.

The school management committee has been "disbanded" and an administrator recruited to start the normal functioning of the school, he said.

"Headmaster Abhijit Kundu and deputy headmaster Nurul Huda were called to the department on Thursday as their reply was not satisfactory about their roles in tackling the situation on September 20. They have been suspended and issued a show-cause notice," Chatterjee told reporters here.

He, however, clarified that Kundu and Huda might be reinstated if their showcause reply was found to be "acceptable and satisfactory".

Trouble broke out on September 20 at Daribhit High School premises, in Islampur, over the recruitment of Urdu and Sanskrit teachers as a mob clashed with the police and blocked roads. Two students - Tapas Barman and Rajesh Sarkar - were killed in the clash.

Attempts to re-open the school have failed in the past 1.5 months as the families of the deceased students resorted to a sit-in protest outside the school, demanding a CBI inquiry into the case



"We want the school to reopen by November 12. This uncertainty will not serve anyone's interest. For the sake of the students, we wish the school reopens and academic activities resume," Chatterjee said.

The minister also rued the deaths of the two students and said anyone found to guilty of the crime will face strict action.

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Delhi based journalist Abhijit Iyer Mitra failed to submit his affidavit on his alleged derogatory remarks on Odisha and the Konark temple on Friday, the scheduled day, and a House Committee of the Odisha Assembly allowed him one more day to do so.

Iyer Mitra had earlier been asked by the panel to appear before the House Committee on November 2 and submit the affidavit.

"As he (Abhijit) could not submit his affidavit on the day and requested the House Committee to give him one day more, the Committee took note of this and gave him the last chance to submit his affidavit tomorrow," chairperson of the Committee Narasingha Mishra told reporters.

Odisha Assembly Speaker P K Amat had set up the House Committee on September 20 for an inquiry into the alleged breach of privilege by the journalist following his alleged derogatory remarks against the state, its culture and the lawmakers.

On October 23 Iyer Mitra appeared before the panel and tendered unconditional apology. He was asked to submit an affidavit.

Mishra, also Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, had then said the committee would decide whether to accept his apology after examining his affidavit.

Iyer Mitra was arrested soon after his appearance before the House panel on October 23.

The journalist was charged under various sections of the IPC on September 20 allegedly for hurting religious sentiments of the people of Odisha.

Iyer-Mitra is currently lodged at the Special Jail at Jharpada in Bhubaneswar.

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Infibeam Avenues President Jason Kothari has stepped down from his position "due to personal reasons", the company said in a regulatory filing on Friday.

"...we wish to inform you that Jason Kothari who is serving the company as a president has informed the company that he is required to spend more time abroad due to personal reasons," Infibeam Avenues said in the BSE filing.

It added that Kothari will continue to be associated with the company in the capacity of a senior advisor. The filing, however, did not divulge any details of the transition plan.

In June this year, the Ahmedabad-based firm had named Kothari, a former Snapdeal executive, as its president.

Kothari's role at Infibeam entailed leading strategy, corporate development, international operations and investor relations. A statement issued by Infibeam at that time had said that he will help drive the company's next phase of growth with the leadership team.

The June statement had also quoted Infibeam Managing Director Vishal Mehta as saying, "At Infibeam, we will leverage his valuable experience to help realise our global plan and drive the next era in the company's evolution."



Kothari had previously served as the chief strategy and investment officer at Snapdeal.

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Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio in September added over 13 million subscribers to its network, while its rivals Bharti Airtel, Idea and Vodafone together lost over 10 million customers, as per industry reports.

Jio's subscriber base was 239 million in August this year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai) data for August showed.

In its financial earnings report for the quarter ended September 2018, the company had claimed its subscribers' number at 252 million -- showing a rise of 13 million from August.

The industry body (COAI), however, does not release data on Reliance Jio's subscriber base. Also, it does not include numbers of BSNL, MTNL and other firms that are not the members of the COAI.

But, in the case of other operators, COAI data showed that the subscriber base of Bharti Airtel declined to 343.5 million in September from 345.8 million in August -- losing 23.58 lakh customers.

Idea Cellular's user base fell to 213.1 million in September from 217.1 million in August, showing 4.061 million subscribers left the network.

Vodafone had 224.4 million users in September as against 221.8 million in August, losing 3.761 million subscribers, COAI data showed.

Vodafone and Idea, though they merged at the end of August, have submitted their subscribers' data separately to the industry body.

"All the operators have expanded their services across the country, and have begun heavily diversifying their services beyond voice and data for the consumer," COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said.

COAI report said that India's private telecom service providers (COAI member telecom operators) have a total of 1.0177 billion including subscriber figures of as of August 2018.
The much-awaited Signature Bridge on the Yamuna is set to open for public on November 5, with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia inspecting the infrastructure project Friday.

As per the project plan, the bridge, which will reduce the travel time between north and northeast Delhi, will have designated selfie spots.

Delhiites will be able to enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the top of the bridge, where they will be taken in four elevators with a total capacity of carrying 50 people.

The elevators area likely to be operational in two months, an official said.

He said the bridge will serve as a tourist destination with the 154-metre-high glass box giving a bird's-eye view of the city to visitors.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to inaugurate the bridge on November 4 and it will be thrown open for public on November 5.

Talking to reporters during the inspection, Sisodia said the bridge will become a tourist spot.

Announced in 2004, the bridge has missed several deadlines since 2011.

The proposal for the bridge, mooted in 2004, received approval of the Delhi Cabinet in 2007. It was initially expected to be completed at a modified estimate of Rs 1,131 crore for the Commonwealth Games, held in Delhi in October 2010.

In 2015, the cost of the project rose to Rs 1,594 crore. Reportedly, the bridge was proposed for the first time as early as in 1997 at an initial cost of Rs 464 crore.

The bridge will share the burden of vehicular traffic currently borne by the Wazirabad bridge.

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People in Kolkata can brace for a 45-minute cosmic journey as the M P Birla Planetarium on Friday introduced a new show to take the audience on a spaceship ride across the universe.

The show - 'Our Universe' - will take people into the stellar worlds, beyond the Milky Way, he said.

"The custom-made journey promises to give a never-before, unique feel of a spaceship ride," Debiprasad Duari, the director of the planetaurium, told PTI.

The show, to be held at 6:30 pm everyday, will give a comprehensive, educative and entertaining experience, as the imaginary spacecraft fly past the planets, Duari said.

"When the countdown begins, the dome of the planetarium will appear to take off like a spacecraft, leaving the city behind. All information and images about the planets will be up to date, keeping in sync with the latest observations," he said.

On its return journey, a huge parachute will open up, allowing the audience to glide down to the planetarium.

"The projector used for the show has been sourced from a German firm. As of now, we have scheduled just one show of 'Our Universe'. The frequency might be increased, depending on the response of the audience," Duari said



Since its reopening almost 15 months back, the planetarium has attracted 8 lakh viewers for its other show "Cosmic Collisions", in Hindi, Bengali and English, the director said.

Following the success of 'Cosmic Collisions', the management has decided to introduce the spaceship sojourn.

"Initially the show will be held in English, but there are plans to run commentaries in Bengali and Hindi, too, at a later stage.

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In a boost for newly-appointed Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, a lawmaker from the main Tamil party defected to the premier's side and was made a minister on Friday even as President Maithripala Sirisena agreed to summon Parliament on November 7 for a floor test to end the political turmoil.

Rajapaksa claims he now has enough numbers to prove his majority and at least five of ousted premier Ranil Wickremasinghe's men have defected to his side.

The current suspension of Parliament is seen as key to Rajapaksa negotiating for enough defections.

Rajapaksa was further bolstered by the defection of TNA MP S Vilenthiriyan from the eastern district of Batticaloa, who was made the deputy minister of eastern development.

Wickremasinghe's United National Party said they have handed over a motion of no confidence against new Prime Minister Rajapaksa.

Senior UNP member Lakshman Kiriella said Secretary General of Parliament was informed of the motion.

The Rajapaksa-Sirisena combine has 96 MPs in the 225-member assembly, which is 17 short of the 113 required working majority.

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said that Sirisena has agreed to summon the legislature on November 7, in a fresh twist to the ongoing political crisis after former strongman Rajapaksa replaced Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

There was confusion since Thursday on the date when the parliamentary deadlock would end as Sirisena had suspended the sittings until November 16.

Controversially-appointed Prime Minister Rajapaksa said Thursday that Parliament would be convened on November 5. This was later denied by Rajapaksa loyalists.

Sirisena's party said on Thursday night that Parliament will not be convened before November 16, contradicting Rajapaksa's office.

Harsha de Silva, a Wickremesinghe supporter, said that 115 Members of Parliament belonging to different political parties including Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), the main Tamil party Tamil National Alliance (TNA), and the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) -- People's Liberation Front -- met Jayasuriya Friday morning and urged reconvening of Parliament.

Wickremesinghe has refused to accept his dismissal, claiming to be the country's legitimate premier. He argues that he cannot legally be removed until he loses the support of Parliament and called for a floor test to prove his majority.

The President was under increasing political and diplomatic pressure to reconvene Parliament.

One UNP lawmaker has also offered support to Rajapaksa taking his tally to 101.

On Tuesday, angry protests rocked Sri Lanka's capital as thousands of demonstrators gathered for a rally organised by Wickremesinghe's party against what it said was a "coup" by President Sirisena.

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In a relief to embattled Congress leader P Chidambaram, the Madras High Court Friday quashed criminal prosecution against his family members in a black money case, holding that no such offence was made out against them.

The issue relates to alleged non-disclosure of overseas assets and bank accounts held by Chidambaram's wife Nalini, his son Karti and daughter-in-law Srinidhi.

According to the I-T Department, the three had not disclosed a property they jointly owned in Cambridge in the UK worth Rs 5.37 crore in their returns which amounted to an offence under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) Act and Imposition of Tax Act.

When their petitions came up before a division bench of justices S Manikumar and Subramania Prasad, the judges said no case was made out and quashed the criminal prosecution.

The family members of the former union minister had filed writ petitions challenging the criminal prosecution.

On October 12, the high court had extended its interim order dispensing with their appearance before a special court here till Friday.

The department has also alleged that Karti Chidambaram had not disclosed an overseas bank account he holds with Metro Bank in the UK and investments he had made in Nano Holdings LLC, USA.

He had also "failed" to disclose investments made by Chess Global Advisory, a company co-owned by him, which amounted to committing an offence under the Black Money Act, the department said in its complaint in the special court in May.

Contesting the prosecution order, the three had approached the high court. As a single judge bench refused any relief, they moved in appeal.

On June 27, the first bench headed by the then Chief Justice Indira Banerjee had reserved its order on the appeal.

However, as Justice Banerjee was later elevated to the Supreme Court, the order could not be pronounced.

The appeal was then referred to the bench headed by Justice Manikumar for fresh hearing but no relief was granted.

The Enforcement Directorate had on October 25 listed in a charge sheet former union finance minister Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case, accusing him of conspiring with foreign investors to clear their venture.

The nine accused in the case are alleged to have laundered Rs 1.16 crore they got in return for alleged illegal approval by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in March 2006 to the foreign investor Global Communication and Services Holdings Limited, Mauritius.

The investigating agencies have claimed that Chidambaram, who was then the finance minister, was not empowered to grant FIPB approval to the firm which, given the quantum of the proposed investment, should have been accorded by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

Chidambaram and his son have both denied the allegations levelled against them by the CBI and the ED.

The court has fixed November 26 for consideration of the charge sheet but extended till then the protection granted to them from arrest.

If found guilty, they would be liable to a jail term of up to seven years besides fine.

The senior Congress leader's role has come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal besides the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said here Friday that the state government has requested the Defence Ministry to declare Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway as a defence industry corridor.

He also announced that the contract for expansion of the Nagpur airport will be awarded within a month.

Addressing a gathering of Indian and French business delegates at Indo-French Conclave here, Fadnavis said, "Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway will be one of the most vibrant and economically viable corridors in India, on the lines of corridors in Seoul and Busan (in South Korea).

"I have also requested the defence minister to declare Samruddhi Expressway as a defence industry corridor," he said.

The Union government is selecting certain areas for encouraging defence manufacturing and Maharashtra hopes to turn the Vidarbha region (through which the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway will pass) as a defence industry hub, the chief minister said.

"We have already started the work on this 700-km greenfield road, and hopefully it will be completed in next two years,"he said.

It is not a mere road but an economic corridor which will connect the industry in Vidarbha with JNPT Port in Mumbai, Fadnavis said.

Reducing the duration of Nagpur-Mumbai journey to six hours, it will open up entire Vidarbha for business and industry, he said.

On the much-awaited expansion of the Nagpur airport, he said the contract will be hopefully awarded within a month.

"We want to make Nagpur airport better than Mumbai airport with a dedicated airstrip for cargo which will be a big advantage for logistics," the chief minister said.

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The Delhi Police Thursday arrested a man from Haryana who is accused of robbing cash and jewellery amounting to over Rs 84 lakh from the house of a property dealer in August this year.

The Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of the Delhi Police, which was investigating the case, received a tip that accused Narender Singh (33) was staying with his family at Haansi in Haryana's Hisar district and subsequently, arrested him, a senior officer said.

One illegal countrymade pistol with one 8mm bullet was seized from him, he added.

The officer said the accused was living in a rented accommodation to escape the police dragnet.

According to police, on the morning of August 8, a gang of six robbers, led by the accused, barged into the house of a property dealer at Dabri near Dwarka in southwest Delhi.

The gang had held the entire family at gun point and decamped with cash and jewellery amounting to over Rs 84 lakh, they said.

The property dealer, Pradeep Kumar Gupta, was stabbed by one of the robbers when he resisted on being asked to hand over the keys to almirahs, police said.

They added that while the six gang members were plundering cash and jewellery inside the house, six other members of the gang were keeping watch outside the house.

The AATS had arrested two other accused in the case, while the remaining nine had been arrested by local police, officials said.

Singh, alleged to be the mastermind and gang leader, was absconding and was declared a proclaimed offender by a trial court and a reward of Rs 25,000 was announced for his arrest, they said.

His interrogation revealed his involvements in other robberies and his plan to rob a businessman in west Delhi before Diwali for which he had visited Uttam Nagar here a week earlier, police said.

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A 28-year-old man was Friday injured after the septic tank of a public toilet in neighbouring Navi Mumbai exploded due to accumulation of toxic gases, a Fire Brigade official said.

The 28-year-old man was using the facility when the explosion in the septic tank occurred, the official said, adding that the impact was such that the roofs of the toilet and of a house nearby were blown off.

The man has sustained severe injuries in the incident which took place in Sector 7 of Rabale area and is undergoing treatment at Vashi general hospital, he said.

This is the third such incident in the last few days.

Five people, including two Fire Brigade personnel, were killed Thursday due to toxic gases in a well in Kalyan in neighbouring Thane district.

On October 26, three workers choked to death due to poisonous gases while cleaning a manhole in Dombivli MIDC area in Thane.

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Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said time had come to review the the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

Singh told a group of visiting journalists here Wednesday that while reviewing the AFSPA, the security concerns of the state sharing borders with foreign countries should also be considered.

"Time has come to review the AFSPA, but since we share our border with foreign countries, the security aspect has to be considered," he said.

"Manipur is a peaceful state now, but the country's security must be a priority...financial help and arms supply by foreign countries cannot be ruled out," Singh said.

Major General V K Mishra, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 57 Mountain Division of the Army, which spearheads counter-insurgency operations in Manipur, said the AFSPA was a prerequisite for the Army to maintain peace in the militancy-affected state.

Citing seizures of sophisticated arms from camps of insurgents, he said "If we do not have AFSPA, how do we do this... It is not just an enabler, it is a prerequisite. The AFSPA is a requirement for the Army to function."



He said the situation was under control, but pressure was required to be maintained on the insurgent groups to ensure peace in the north eastern state, which was affected by militancy for several years.

While advocating a review of the act that gives wide power to the security forces, the chief minister admitted that the situation in Manipur was very complex.

"It's not like Kashmir, where Pakistan is involved. Here it is our own people and as such it is very difficult for the security persons too. It is a very critical and complex issue and has to be solved," he said.

He said there was no major insurgent attack in the state since his government took over one-and-a-half years ago.

"There is peace in the state. Night life has started in Imphal and there is lot of activity in the evenings unlike in the past," the chief minister said about the state capital from where the stringent AFSPA has been lifted.

He also expressed hope that a solution to the Manipur insurgency problem would be arrived at soon.

Regarding allegations of human rights violations by the force in the state, GOC Mishra said the Army was very sensitive on the matter.

"Right from training, our conditioning, in our process of equipping, human rights are in-built. We are sensitive about human rights," Maj Gen Mishra said.

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A Pune court on Friday turned down the bail application of Nagpur University professor Shoma Sen who was among the five activists arrested in June this year for alleged Maoist links.

The court, last week, had refused bail to activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, arrested in the same case.

District and Sessions Judge Kishor D Vadane rejected Sen's bail plea on Friday.

Defence lawyer Rahul Deshmukh said the judge denied her bail holding that prima-facie (on the face of it) there is a case against her as her name figures in letters exchanged between Maoist leaders, allegedly seized by police.

Sen, writer-activist Sudhir Dhawale, lawyer Surendra Gadling, Rona Wilson and Mahesh Raut were arrested in June this year in connection with the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31 which had allegedly triggered violence at Bhima Koregaon next day.

According to Pune Police, the conclave had Maoist backing.

Later, in August, the police arrested Bharadwaj and four others in the same case.

The court is expected to deliver the order on the bail application of Gadling on Saturday.

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Massive protests rocked Jammu division Friday against thekillings of senior BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother ina terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district.

Protests were reported in Jammu, Reasi, Udhampur,Ramban, Kathua, Bhaderwah and Samba areas of the region.

In Jammu city, BJP and Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers thronged various roads in Kachichawani, Trikuta Nagar, Rehari and Bohri areas and blocked traffic for brief periods.

They set ablaze tyres and raised anti-Pakistan slogans demanding elimination of the terrorists involved in the killings.

Protests were also reported in Bhaderwah, Udhampur,Reasi, Katra, Chenani, Samba, Kathua, Akhnoor, R S Pura andBasholi areas.

There was a shutdown in old Jammu city and variousother places in the region.

"The protests were held at several places in theregion, but they were peaceful. There was no untoward incidentreported from anywhere," a police offical said.

Earlier in the day, the Indian Army staged a flag march in Kishtwar town of the state where suspected militants killed BJP secretary Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother Ajeet Parihar, 55, on Thursday night.

"The Army staged a flag march in Kishtwar town in order to maintain law and order," District Magistrate Angrez Singh Rana told PTI.

He said that a curfew imposed in the area on Thursday night was still in place and additional security personnel had been deployed. Rana added that no untoward incidents had been reported.

Following the killings, people had staged protests in the communally-sensitive town and manhandled senior police officials.

The district magistrate had requested the Army to control the security situation in the town and its adjoining areas.

He took the decision as he apprehended that violence might erupt and result in law and order problem, endangering the life and property of citizens of Kishtwar town.

Kishtwar district had witnessed communal clashes in the past. Terrorists had attempted to create communal tension in the region by targeting Hindu community, especially in higher reaches. In 2001, the terrorists killed 17 Hindu nomads.

The killings of Parihar brothers drew severe condemnation from all quarters.

The senior BJP leader and his brother were killed when they were returning home after closing their stationary shop located outside old DC office complex, officials said.

As two were walking towards their home in Parihar mohalla through a dark lane in Tapal Mohalla, they were fired upon from a close range by suspected militants around 8.40 pm, they said.

The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home, they said.

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Over 90 per cent of new personal computers purchased by Microsoft from India have a high-level of pirated software, according to an analysis by the software-giant.

Nine Asian countries, including India, have a high-level of pirated software loaded on personal computers.

Microsoft purchased the personal computers between May and July this year, and then tested them, which showed that more 83 per cent of them acquired from the nine countries were loaded with pirate software, according to the analysis of newly purchased systems.

The tests showed that India had 91 per cent of the new personal computers loaded with pirated software, followed by Indonesia 90 per cent, Taiwan 73 per cent, Singapore 55 per cent and the Philippines 43 per cent.

The worst were South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, all with 100 per cent of the purchased personal computers loaded with pirated software.

Out of the 166 personal computers bought from nine countries, 22 were purchased from Indian shops at random, 20 of which were loaded with pirated software when tested out by experts, said Mary Jo Schrade, Assistant General Counsel and Regional Director of Digital Crimes Unit in Asia at the Microsoft in Singapore.

Calling on consumers to make a choice for genuine software when buying computers, Schrade said 17 units had malware out of the 20 acquired in India for the tests.

Overall, the 166 personal computers acquired from Asian countries, 137 or 83 per cent were loaded with pirated software.

In her efforts to educate people, Schrade cautioned: "Think! Free software is not really free."



Pirated software, initially cheaper, will lead to extra time and costs as it comes with embedded virus such as Trojan.

Compromised personal computers performance is not only slowing the computer but stealing information and access to the system for there are malware allowing Bitcoin mining among other illegal activities, said the Microsoft executive.

"We saw that in every step of this whole process you encounter malware," said Biplap Sikdar, associate professor at department of electrical and computing engineering at the National University of Singapore.

Sikdar, who analysed the computers, also cautioned about the time and cost of a compromised system.

Sensitive information such as personal, family pictures and banking, is stolen while the system is encrypted and locked, in some cases ransom is demanded as a way to unlock.

Schrade warned, "Cybercriminals are constantly evolving their techniques to evade security measures and embedding their malware into pirated software is one of their tactics as it allows them to compromise large numbers of personal computers and access the amount of stolen credentials with ease."



"When vendors sell pirated software containing malware in their personal computers, they are not only fueling the spread of malware in the region but are also putting their customers' personal information and digital identity at the mercy of cybercriminals," she pointed out.

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Security forces Friday arrested a militant belonging to Al-Badr outfit from Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Acting on an intelligence input, security forces set up a checkpoint at Chutipora crossing in the Handwara area of Kupwara in the afternoon, a police spokesman said.

He said during checking, the security forces apprehended one suspect and recovered arms and ammunition from his possession.

He was identified as Sajad Ahmad Dar, a resident of south Kashmir's Pulwama district, the spokesman said. Dar was reported missing on October 3 from his home, he added.

"He had recently joined the Al-Badr terrorist organisation," the spokesman said.

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The Supreme Court said on Friday that residential premises in Delhi which are being misused for commercial purposes should be sealed within 48 hours if their owners do not furnish permission documents or licence for running the business.

A bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur, A M Khanwilkar and R Subhash Reddy observed that the Centre has adopted a "non-cooperative" approach in dealing with the issuance of advance notice to the owner of a property being misused before sealing it.

It took into account the suggestions given on Thursday by senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the Delhi sealing matter, that persons misusing residential premises for unauthorised activity be asked to produce the licence within 48 hours.

"However, in the event the persons are unable to produce any permission or licence, the premises will be sealed due to the unauthorised misuse," the court had noted in its Thursday order.

The amicus had also suggested that if the owner of the property being misused would give an undertaking, which would be video recorded, that the misuse would be stopped and he or should would file an affidavit before the concerned authority that the same would not be misused, then another 48 hours time could be given for this.

During the hearing on Friday, the bench also dealt with the issue of joint survey of houses conducted in south Delhi area by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and the Land and Development Office (L&DO) in August.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A N S Nadkarni, appearing for the Centre, said that 2,354 houses were surveyed in the survey conducted in Amar colony, Motia Khan and two other areas.

He said that report of survey would be ready within two weeks after the Diwali holidays.

The ASG told the court that 400 houses in the areas where survey was conducted were sealed by the court-mandated monitoring committee and they should be de-sealed so that survey could be done.

"You give the report first. Give it to the amicus also. After you will give the report, we will see," the bench said.

The amicus told the court that monitoring committee has filed a report regarding the SDMC's policy for holding social functions in motels and also in farmhouses.

"The monitoring committee is saying that under which law, they (SDMC) has permitted this," the amicus said.

The bench then told the ASG, "These lands were taken from the farmers, genuine farmers. The DDA (Delhi Development Authority) had acquired these lands. Keep that in mind."



The bench asked the SDMC to respond to the monitoring committee's report within three weeks.

"Lot of these problems are due to the inefficiency of DDA and MCD (municipal corporation of Delhi) since 2006. These bodies blame each other. Monitoring committee is a soft target for them," the bench observed.

The apex court had Thursday came down heavily on DDA and other civic agencies for keeping "their eyes closed" on misuse of residential premises for commercial purpose since 2006 and had said this has led to a "mess" in the national capital.

The court had in July said that a show-cause notice should be issued to the owner of building where unauthorised construction or misuse was found and 48 hours time be given to him or her respond to it as to why action be not taken.

The committee had thereafter told the court that issuing advance notice creates more problem as people "hoodwink" with agencies which perpetuates corruption.

The top court is dealing with the issue of validity of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislations which protect unauthorised constructions from being sealed.

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Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has hailed demonetisation saying the move has led to money stashed in "the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows" coming into the banks.

Naidu, who is in Botswana on an official visit, said the southern African country is also following India's efforts to curb black money.

He said reformative measures like demonetisation "may be painful but are meant for public good".

"Paisa joh bedroom, bathroom aur pillow ke neeche tha, woh bank mein pahunch gaya. Pata ke saath, pita ke saath aur pati ke saath (The money that was in the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows reached banks due to demonetisation)," the vice president said.

Interacting with the Indian community in Botswana here on Thursday night, he said measures like demonetisation were "temporary pain for long term gain".

"Now how much (of this money) is white, how much is tax-paid money that will be known. It is the duty of the Reserve Bank of India and income tax people to verify and see to it that everybody falls in line," the vice president said.

"You are aware that Government of India has launched several flagship schemes for making India a skilled and knowledge society and manufacturing hub. Measures like the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) have also been taken to make it a transparent and integrated market with greater ease of doing business," he said.

India has taken a major leap towards financial inclusion by encouraging 330 million people to open bank accounts, Naidu said. The tax base has widened by 26 per cent in the last one year with nearly 68 million tax payers paying taxes, he said.

Naidu termed Botswana as a land of god-gifted serenity and natural beauty.

He asked Indians everywhere not to forget their mother tongue and motherland. "I am not against other languages. One must learn as many languages as possible, but should not forget the mother tongue," he said.

"I know that many of you have been living here for several decades and have made Botswana your second home. The Indian diaspora in Botswana has not only well-integrated into its pluralistic, free and democratic society, but, also have immensely contributed to the economy of Botswana," he said.

"I am glad that you have contributed hugely to the successful story of Botswana's economic growth," he said.

He thanked the Indian community here for contributing to flood relief in Kerala.

Naidu, who is on an official trip to the African nations of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi, said India is changing rapidly.

"The business environment is changing for the better. The archaic regulations are being dismantled. Seamless processes are being introduced," he added.

If the talented enterprising Indian diaspora can lend its active support, the pace and quality of transformation in India can be considerably enhanced, he said.

Naidu hoped that Indians abroad will continue to cherish their Indian roots and nourish the socio-economic and cultural life of Botswana and other countries with which they are connected.

"You are India's cultural ambassadors and the world sees you as the representatives of Indian values and way of life," he said.

Naidu also expressed satisfaction that the Swachh Bharat initiative, launched when he was Union urban development minister, has become a people's movement. Four crore toilets have been built under the scheme, he said.

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Amid the Rafale row, state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited CMD R Madhavan Friday said the morale of the company's employees is still high.

The Supreme Court recently asked the Centre to place before it in a sealed cover within 10 days the pricing details of 36 Rafale fighter jets India is buying from France.

Seeking clarity on Rafale deal, Madhavan said HAL was completely out of Rafale deal, but at one point of time, it was part of it, which did not kick-off.

"The morale of our employees is still high. As far as, our own unions are concerned, it has not given any statement on any issue surrounding Rafale deal. The statements have come from unions which have not been recognised," he told reporters here.

"We are not in that (Rafale) business now. We were in it at one point of time. It is a direct purchase by the government and (I) cannot make any comments on pricing and policy changes," he said.

Escalating his campaign against the Modi government over the Rafale deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi last month accused it of destroying the "strategic asset"state-run aerospace company HAL and told its employees that "Rafale is your right."



In an interaction, Gandhi sought to reach out to present and former HAL employees, alleging that "temples of modern India are being attacked and destroyed; we cannot allow it to be done."



Congress, which has been accusing the government of benefiting Reliance Defence Ltd of Anil Ambani from the deal, has also been demanding answers on why the state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA regime.

The party had been accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of snatching jobs of people of Karnataka by taking away the contract from HAL.

However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed all the allegations as false.

Madhavan Friday said the company is in talks with Bangalore International Airport Limited to reopen old HAL airport which has been defunct since 2008.

"We want the airport reopened. We have initiated talks with BIAL, but we haven't reached at any agreement. We have discussed about the remuneration HAL will get among other things," he said.

Madhavan clarified reopening of the airport would not affect the ongoing military aircraft testing.

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The Congress accused the BJP government in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh Friday of furnishing inflated figures of agricultural production to get the Union Government's 'Krishi Karman Award'.

The BJP dismissed the allegation, calling the opposition party's claim as a mere jugglery of data.

"Madhya Pradesh got the Krishi Karman Award five times....False data were furnished to the Centre to get this award," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said at a press conference here.

The state government told the Centre that agricultural production in Madhya Pradesh in financial year 2012-13 was 287 lakh tonnes, but in the data furnished next year (2013-14), the production for 2012-13 was shown as 234 lakh tonnes, he claimed.

Such discrepancy was seen in later years too, Surjewala added.

The Krishi Karman Award was instituted in 2010-11 by the Congress-led UPA government to encourage agricultural production growth, he said.

The Congress leader however parried the question when asked why the UPA government did not notice the discrepancy in the data provided by the state.

Agriculture census released in September this year showed that the area under cultivation in Madhya Pradesh shrank by 1.66 lakh hectares between 2010-11 and 2015-16, he said.

State BJP vice president Vijesh Lunawat said the Congress was trying to mislead people.

"Congress wants to fight through the media while the BJP is working for the welfare of farmers. This is a jugglery of data. Congress-led UPA government had also given the Krishi Karman Award to Madhya Pradesh," he said.

The Congress has lost ground in the state and the BJP will retain power in Madhya Pradesh for the fourth consecutive term in November 28 election, Lunawat said.

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Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday met CEOs of Indian companies in Botswana and visited the world's largest rough diamond sorting and valuing operation.

The Diamond Trading Company (DTC) Botswana is a 50-50 joint venture partnership between the government of Botswana and the De Beers Group. It sorts and values the Debswana mining company's rough diamond production. It is the second largest diamond trading company in the world.

The company has made invaluable contribution to country's economy and employment creation, Naidu said.

Earlier, addressing a roundtable of India and Botswana CEOs, Naidu said he was happy to know that companies operating in Botswana have very few problems.

He said he will take up the issues raised by them with the president of Botswana when he meets him later on Friday, before leaving for Zimbabwe on the second leg of his three-nation Africa visit, which also includes Malawi.

"We have a whole new set of opportunities that are opening up in India. There can't be a better time than now to invest in India. I invite you all to utilise this and invest in your motherland," he said.

"I would urge you to look at the transformation that India is undergoing. The results from the World Bank's 'Doing Business 2019' report published recently have a powerful message that all Indians should feel very happy about," he said.

"You are a living bridge connecting our two countries. The transformation in the India-Botswana relationship was largely led by the Indian community and the private sector, the two governments have only tried to keep the pace, reflecting your aspiration," he said.

Naidu said Indian pharmaceutical companies can come to Botswana and explore investment opportunities in the southern African country.

He said he has spoken to Botswana's vice president to involve RITES in the expansion of railway network in that country.

RITES Limited is an engineering consultancy company, specialising in the field of transport infrastructure. Established in 1974 by the Indian government, the company's initial charter was to provide consultancy services in rail transport management to operators in India and abroad.

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Dawn, a NASA spacecraft that launched 11 years ago and studied two of the largest objects in the asteroid belt, has ended its mission after running out of fuel, officials have said.

Scientists have known for about a month that Dawn was essentially out of hydrazine, the fuel that kept the spacecraft's antennae oriented toward Earth and helped turn its solar panels to the Sun to recharge.

When the spacecraft missed scheduled communications with NASA's Deep Space Network on Wednesday and Thursday, the space agency formally declared it dead.

"The fact that my car's license plate frame proclaims, 'My other vehicle is in the main asteroid belt,' shows how much pride I take in Dawn," Marc Rayman, mission director and chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said Thursday.

"The demands we put on Dawn were tremendous, but it met the challenge every time. It's hard to say goodbye to this amazing spaceship, but it's time."



Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the NASA science mission directorate in Washington, hailed Dawn's "vital science" and "incredible technical achievements." Dawn became the only spacecraft ever to orbit a cosmic body in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter in 2011 when it began circling the asteroid Vesta.

Then it moved on to the dwarf planet Ceres in 2015, becoming the first spacecraft to visit a dwarf planet and the only spacecraft to orbit one, NASA said. The unmanned spacecraft has travelled 4.3 billion miles (6.9 billion kilometers) since launching in 2007. It is expected to remain in orbit around Ceres for decades, but will no longer be able to communicate with Earth.

Zurbuchen said the scientific learning from Dawn's mission will go on. "The astounding images and data that Dawn collected from Vesta and Ceres are critical to understanding the history and evolution of our solar system," he said.

Dawn's demise is the latest in a series of spacecraft troubles for NASA. The Kepler space telescope ran out of fuel earlier this week, as expected, ending its nine-and-a-half-year mission of hunting for planets outside our solar system.

NASA's Opportunity rover is stalled on the surface of Mars following a major dust storm that struck in late May and June. The Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory experienced technical problems last month that have since been fully repaired.

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Top commanders deliberated on the enrolment of women as sailors in the Navy during a three-day conference that ended Friday and even looked at them being deployed as "sea going cadres" in the near future, official sources said.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also pushed for greater enrolment of women in the Navy in her address to the top naval brass at the Naval Commanders Conference.

"The defence minister urged the Navy to give an impetus to the enrolment of women in the Navy. To this, the Navy chief (Sunil Lanba) confirmed that enrolment of women in the sailor rank was one of the agendas in the conference. Inclusion of women as sea going cadres is also being looked at in the near future," the sources said.

At present, women are deployed in different branches of the Navy but are not sent to sea. They, however, work as observers in Navy's IL-38 and P-8i reconnaissance aircraft.

There are over 639 women personnel in Navy, including 148 medical officers and two dental officers.

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Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu Friday held a meeting with NEEPCO officials to discuss the status of two upcoming hydro electric projects in the state.

The projects are 110 MW Pare Hydro Electric Project and 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project.

In the meeting, the chief minister sought to know the issues related to the status of these power projects and offered to render all possible help for their early commissioning, an official communiqu informed.

Officials of the Indian Army, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and top officials of the state government also attended the meeting, it said.

The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) officials assured the chief minister that the Kameng project would become operational by March next year.

The officials also told the chief minister that the Pare Hydro Electric Project is almost ready.

Saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been enquiring about these two projects, Khandu urged the NEEPCO officials to complete the projects as per schedule, the communiqu added.

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A special NIA court has issued non-bailable warrants against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin for their involvement in terror funding activities, officials said Friday.

"NIA approached the special NIA court for issuing non-bailable warrants against the above accused for their active involvement in terror funding for creating unrest in the Kashmir valley and other parts of India," NIA's spokesperson said here.

The two mobilised Pakistan-trained terrorists and pushed them into India in connivance with secessionist and separatist leaders for waging war against India with the nefarious design of seceding Jammu and Kashmir from India, the agency said.

The NIA has already filed charge sheet in the instant case on January 18 against 12 accused people including Saeed and Salahuddin.

The probe agency had filed the 12,794-page charge sheet against Saeed and Salahuddin for conspiring to wage war against the government (Section 121 of Indian Penal Code) by carrying out terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the NIA, the case was registered on May 30, 2017 and the first arrests made on July 24 last year.

The agency said that during the course of investigation, its teams conducted searches at over 60 locations spread across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Delhi and seized over 950 incriminating documents and over 600 electronic devices.

Over 300 witnesses were examined during the probe, it said.

The NIA said the scrutiny and analysis of the documents and digital devices established that the accused Hurriyat leaders, the terrorists and the stone-pelters were carrying out terrorist attacks and orchestrating violence in Jammu and Kashmir as a part of their "well-planned" criminal conspiracy.

It said that conspiracy was hatched with active support, connivance and funding from terrorist organisations based in Pakistan and its agencies to achieve their objective of secession of the Jammu and Kashmir by waging war against the Indian government.

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Pakistan Army on Friday warned hundreds of radical Islamists hardliners not to test their "patience" and asked them to end the standoff peacefully to avoid the use of force as the mass protests against the acquittal of a Christian woman for blasphemy entered its third day.

Asia Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. She always maintained her innocence, but has spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.

The apex court's judgement, which was pronounced last Wednesday, triggered protests across Pakistan with protestors led by Islamic political party Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan and other groups blocking major highways and roads in different parts of the country.

Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told state-run channel PTV that a government team, including a representative of ISI was holding talks with the protestors.

He said the Army had seen statements of protest leaders against the military but it was showing tolerance as its focus was on militancy and to get the country out of the security problems.

"We have shown patience. We have no link with the case (of Bibi) but we want that justice should prevail. We also want that the Army should not be forced to take action (against protestors) which it is empowered under the law to take," he said.

He said the Army was close to winning the war against militants and it was not interested to be side tracked by any incident.

The protest entered the third day and several major roads in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and other cities were blocked, according to police.

The education institutions were also closed in Punjab, while private schools were closed in Khyber-Pakhtukhwa provinces as well as in cities like Karachi and Islamabad.

The mobile phone and internet services also remained suspended in major cities.

However, hospitals across Pakistan were put on high alert as fears mounted that the government would have to use force to disperse the protests if talks failed.

So far there were no reports about success of negotiations despite indications by the officials that a breakthrough might be reached.

Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi said talks had failed and asked for complete shutter down on Friday.

"The talks with the government have completely failed," he said on Twitter, as local media almost completely ignored his and other leaders' speeches and interview.

Information minister Fawad Chaudhry said that there was complete peace and people should show any panic.

"The patience shown by the state should be interpreted as ITS weakness. It is in the interest of the people to fully implement law and order in the country and we will fulfill this responsibility," he said on twitter.

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Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Friday alleged that people are annoyed due to misgovernance of BJD government which has deprived them of basic facilities and encouraged corruption.

"People of Odisha are annoyed and suffocated due to misgovernance of BJD for more than 18 years. They are deprived of basic facilities, while the party in power is looting thousands of crores in the name of development schemes," OPCC President Niranjan Patnaik said in a statement.

Hitting out at the ruling BJD, he said people are aware of the manner in which the state government handled the situation during and after of cyclone TITLI.

Though crores of rupees are spent for food security, many in the rural areas have no ration card yet and those who have do not get foodgrains regularly, Patnaik claimed.

Huge amount is spent for healthcare schemes, but many people are suffering from various diseases and have no money for better treatment, he said.

A recent survey carried by C-voter showed BJD popularity is drastically decreasing and if Lok Sabha election is held now, BJD will get only 6 out of 21 seats in the state, the PCC chief claimed.

On the other hand Congress is slowly regaining its ground in the state, while BJP is losing its ground all over the country, Patnaik claimed.

According to the survey, in Uttar Pradesh if SP-BSP alliance becomes a reality, then NDA tally will go down to 261 in lok sabha. But, popularity of Congress President Rahul Gandhi is growing, he said adding this is a warning bell both for BJD and BJP.

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The office of caste-based outfit NSS, which is opposing the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple, was vandalised early Friday, police said.

The office situated in Nemom near here was allegedly pelted with stones by some miscreants destroying its flag mast and breaking the window panes of a memorial of saint-reformer Chattampi Swamy, located in front of the building, they said.

A wreath with the name of Nair Service Society (NSS) president G Sukumaran Nair on it was left behind by the miscreants, police said.

The attack on the NSS office, an outfit of the influential Nair community in the state, assumes significance in the wake of its strong stand against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's decision to implement the apex court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.

Nair had on Wednesday said the NSS stood firmly with the devotees opposing entry of women in the menstrual age group into the hill-shrine.

NSS has also filed a petition seeking review of the top court's verdict.

The attack came to light after local residents informed the police about it, police said, adding that a case has been registered and investigation is on.

Meanwhile, the devotees have vowed to intensify their protests against the state government during the upcoming annual three-month long pilgrimage season.

Besides the NSS, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have also extended support to the protesting devotees.

Attempts by some women in the 'barred' age group to reach the temple last month came to a naught after protesting devotees prevented them enroute to the shrine.

The SC would hear the review petitions on November 13.

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Former Lok Sabha MP Baijayant Panda has sought the Odisha DGP's intervention for release of the helicopter sealed by the police saying the DGCA has given him a clean chit over charges that he had flown dangerously low over the Chilika lake.

In a letter to DGP R P Sharma, Panda said the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has conducted a probe and concluded that "there was no violation of DGCA rules and regulations" by the chopper used by him.

Panda, an industrialist-turned politician, quit the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in May following his suspension for "anti-party activities".

Panda's chopper was seized by the police on September 17 for allegedly flying dangerously over the Chilika Lake, an eco-sensitive zone in the coastal belt of Odisha.

"Based on fact and evidence, it could not be established that the helicopter has flown dangerously below the assigned altitude or have landed at Chilika Lake on September 15, 2018," the DGCA said in a letter to the director of the Bhubaneswar Airport last month.

The helicopter belonged to Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys Ltd (IMFA), a company owned by the Panda family.

Panda said the DGCA, the statutory body in India for aviation matters, had provided copy of its investigation report to the Puri Police, authorities of the Biju Patnaik International Airport and Odisha government on October 25.

The Puri Police had sealed the hangar of the IMFA in Bhubaneswar airport following a complaint that his chopper flew at low altitude over Chilika Lake on September 15.

Though allegation was made against one helicopter (VT-BDP), other two choppers (VT-ILA & VT- BBI) inside the hangar were also sealed.

Despite repeated requests that the helicopters require periodic check-ups for cleaning and maintenance, no step was taken by the police, Panda wrote in his letter dated October 31.

He said though the hangar was unsealed and two helicopters were released, the VT-BDP chopper was again sealed on October 29 three days after submission of the DGCA report.

This time the helicopter was sealed on the pretext of seeking clarification from the DGCA regarding the altitude of the flying, the former Kendrapara MP said.

"I urge you to personally intervene and give appropriate direction to end this type of blatant harassment and release the helicopter VT-BDP immediately," Panda said in the letter.

He said any further delay would result in financial implications on the chopper's maintenance costs, its future safety and would attract financial liabilities as well as charges of malafide intent on the police and the state government.

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Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Friday said the state produces high quality bamboo and the flutes used by music maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia are made from the bamboo available in the state.

The BJP-IPFT government in Tripura has decided to plant bamboo in 2,500 hectare land in the state, Deb said.

"The bamboo used for making flutes played by Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is sent from North district and Dhalai districts of Tripura," Deb said.

He was speaking on the occasion of launching the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Support and Outreach Programme here.

The CM joined a large gathering there to hear Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address through video telecast during which the PM inaugurated 12 schemes related to MSME support and outreach programme in New Delhi.

In his address before the PM's video telecast, Deb encouraged people to develop new ideas and explore marketable themes and concepts and said Tripura has a huge scope for working on exploring talent and quality in people.

Deb also said the erstwhile Left Front government failed to popularise its schemes and activities among people, and so the schemes failed.

He also said entrepreneurship helps people develop a sense of responsibility.

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City-based Parvathy Hospital Friday said it proposed sign an agreement with the Government of Bahamas for setting up a health facility in the archipelago in the West Atlantic.

The health care provider had drawn up plans to expand across the country and overseas to add 500 beds by 2020, Parvathy Hospital Chief Executive Officer Sujay Sambamoorthy said in a release.

"We are signing up with the Government of Bahamas and its operations will roll up by first week of December 2018. With these thoughts in place, we have drawn up plans to spread our wings across India and other countries to add 500 beds by 2020", he said.

The city-based hospital recently inaugurated a new 40 bedded 'Parvathy Jeevan Hospital' at Mahindra World City in Singaperumalkoil near here.

Sambamoorthy said it was the first of their expansion plan. "We have planned to open new hospitals in Alwarpet, Koyambedu, Valasarawakkam and Oragadam," he added.

The hospital at Singaperumalkoil is spread on a 6,000 square ft site and would have Centres of Excellence in accident and emergency care, critical care, cardiology among others, the release added.

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Actor and Jana Sena party president Pawan Kalyan Friday slammed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababdu Naidu for allying with the Congress, terming it as " of convenience" and said it has "killed the Telugu self-respect."



The coming together of the Telugu Desam Party and Congress was not even for benefit of TDP or AP, he claimed.

"In fact, the TDP-Congress alliance has caused a sense of deep hurt' and killed the Telugu self-respect.

It is not even for the benefit of the TDP or Andhra Pradesh," Kalyan said.

He said he differed with his own brother, former Union Minister K Chiranjeevi, when the latter joined the Congress only to protect the state's interests.

"We have to safeguard our self-respect. Our stand should, hence, be in a measured manner," he added.

Aiming to forge an anti-BJP front ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Naidu Thursday met heads of several opposition parties, including Rahul Gandhi, and termed his party's alliance with the Congress a "democratic compulsion" to protect the country.

In an informal chat with newsmen onboard the Janmabhoomi Express proceeding to Tuni from Vijayawada Friday, Kalyan claimed that there was no chance of realignment of political parties in the state in the wake of the TDP's move.

"There is no chance of a realignment (of parties). What Chandrababu Naidu did was only to protect his (political) existence. If any realignment happens...from our side, it will be for the sake of the people," Kalyan asserted.

"When I supported the TDP (in 2014), majority of people agreed with me. Rather, I echoed their thoughts. But now, (safeguarding) power is their ultimate objective while our aim is bringing about a change," he said.

Asked about the general feeling that he might again support the TDP, post-2019 elections, he remarked that people have a right to think like that.

"I can't help it," he said, stressing that he would not indulge in of deception.

"Our party will never do it. Whatever I do, I will be open about it," he asserted.

"I will officially announce if there is anything," he added.

On the TDP-Congress alliance, the actor likened it to the hype prior to the release of a movie.

"During a film's pre-release, there will be a lotof advertisement that its going to become a big hit. Eventually, however, it will end up as a failure. Thats how we look at it," he said.

"Deep down, in the long term, it's only of convenience but it has caused a deep hurt," Kalyan observed.

Alleging that the two national parties (Congress and BJP) had always "looked down at us", Kalyan said he always wanted to be wary of them.

"There should be no slavery (to the national parties)," he added.

Kalyan said there was seething anger among youth and they were seeking an alternative, not opportunistic politics.

"That 23 lakh youth enrolled as new voters reflects the anger. ... They will show their anger in the elections," he cautioned.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab minister O P Soni on Friday took exception to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's statement in which he had blamed Punjab for rising pollution levels in the national capital.

During his visit to Chandigarh on Thursday, Kejriwal had said stubble burning in Punjab was the sole reason behind the rising pollution levels in the national capital.

A day later, Soni asked Kejriwal to see "facts and logic" before holding Punjab farmers responsible.

He said Kejriwal shouldrather look for the internal reasons of Delhi air pollution as mentioned by the National Green Tribunal in its directions in Vardhaman Kaushik case.

The minister advised Kejriwal that he should see the scientific facts and logics before blaming hardworking farmers of the Punjab, who he said have opted various means offered by the government to manage paddy stubble and shunning the old practice of burning it in open fields.

Soni claimed that the average air quality index (AQI) of Punjab in the month of October remained below 170, while in Delhi it remained above 350.

"The average wind velocity remained below 1.5 km per hour and wind direction was from South East and going to North West but not towards Delhi," he said.

"How can air pollutants reach Delhi, which is about 250 km from Punjab border and that too crossing whole of Haryana, which is burning its stubble in open fields," he asked.

Soni said paddy was sown in 65 lakh acres in Punjab and till date about 21,000 fire incidents had been reported which were "just" 323 fire incidents per one lakh acre.

"If the average is calculated per village, it is just less than two fire incidents per village," he said.

"Kejriwal must not blame Punjab farmers without going through the scientific facts, figures and logics," the minister said, adding that due to awareness among farmers, this year fire incidents reduced by nearly 35 per cent as compared to last year, while average AQI of the state improved to 170 as against 275 the previous year.

Soni advised Kejriwal not to indulge in "blame game" but to find out the reasons of air pollution within Delhi and try to take measures so that Delhites may breathe in fresh air.

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Plans are afoot to install a statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya, according to BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh.

Rishikesh Upadhyay, the mayor of Ayodhya Municipal Corporation, told PTI, "There is a proposal to install a 151-metre-tall statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya.... Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath may make an announcement on this on the occasion of Dev Deepawali."



"The place where the statue will be installed will be finalised after the soil is tested. The statue is likely to come up in the vicinity of Sant Tulsidas Ghat. Officials are looking at two-three sites, after which they will pick the best one," Upadhyay, a BJP leader, added.

The BJP leader's remarks came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated an imposing 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the country's first home minister, in Gujarat.

The Uttar Pradesh unit chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mahendra Nath Pandey, said, "Yogi Adityanath, in addition to being the chief minister, is the 'peethadheeswar' (head) of a prominent 'peeth' and sant. He must have made some plans pertaining to Ayodhya, which is a place of religious interest, pilgrimage and also the birthplace of Lord Ram."



"Let Diwali come and you will get good news," he told reporters.

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Firing a fresh salvo, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Friday alleged that French company Dassault Aviation paid Rs 284 crore as "first instalment of kickbacks" to Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not be able to survive a probe in the Rafale jet deal.

He claimed that the prime minister was spending "sleepless nights" fearing action against him if a probe was conducted into the Rafale deal and that CBI chief Alok Verma was "removed" as he wanted to investigate the deal. Gandhi, however, gave no evidence or documents to substantiate his allegations.

Reliance Group rejected Gandhi's charges as false and said Ambani and his company are being continuously dragged into a political battle in view of upcoming polls.

"The Congress Party has today once again resorted to blatant lies and distorted facts to mount an unwarranted campaign of calumny and falsehoods against the Reliance Group and its Chairman Mr Anil Ambani personally," the group alleged a statement.

There was no reaction from the government or the BJP on the fresh charges, though they have previously rejected all allegations over the Rafale deal.

Gandhi, who has persistently attacked the prime minister over the Rafale deal, said at a press conference that "if an inquiry starts on this, Narendra Modi is not going to survive that inquiry, guaranteed".

The Congress chief claimed that one of the reasons for it is corruption as it is very clear who the decision-maker was. He said nobody will be able to say that it was some top Air Force officer or the Defence Minister or a bureaucrat in the Defence Ministry who finalised the Rafale contract.

"It is clear that it was Narendra Modi and it was the deal done by him to give Anil Ambani Rs 30,000 crore," he alleged.

The Congress chief quoted Dassault Aviation CEO ric Trappier in media reports saying the reason Ambani's firm was given the offset contract and not state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was that it had land for the project. Gandhi alleged that the land was purchased by Ambani's company with the money that Dassault gave.

However, Reliance group said that the Congress party has "falsely alleged" that the funds invested in Reliance Airport Developers Limited (RADL) have been used for the purchase of land at Mihan, Nagpur for the Dassault-Reliance 49:51 pc joint venture.

Gandhi told reporters that "Dassault gave Rs 284 crore to a loss-making company with a valuation of Rs 8.3 lakh. This is the first instalment of kickbacks that has been given to Anil Ambani."



"It is a clear cut case of corruption and the truth will come out and it will be proven that the Prime Minister and Shri Anil Ambani have stolen Rs 30,000 crore," he alleged.

He said Dassault CEO clearly said that Anil Ambani got the contract because of land. However, Gandhi claimed that HAL has more land available.

"Why is the Dassault CEO lying? Who is he protecting? There is only one person Dassault CEO is protecting and that is the person who runs this country, that is Shri Narendra Modi," he alleged.

He added that Dassault CEO is trying to save two people - Modi and Ambani, who he alleged are in "partnership".

Terming it an "open and shut case", Gandhi alleged that "Rs 284 crore has gone into Ambani's account and for absolutely no logical reason other than a kickback".

The Congress chief claimed the CBI chief was "removed" because he has information in this regard.

He said if the Prime Minister was not involved, he would have allowed a probe into the deal by the CBI or the court.

"But he is silent. He has lost his sleep because of tension, because he knows he will be caught," Gandhi claimed.

"CBI chief has been removed because he has information of this type and he wants to start an enquiry and the Prime Minister is terrified....

"Obviously CBI chief was looking at these papers. It is obvious that there is enough material in the public domain to nail Shri Modi and the CBI Chief was removed. So, clearly it is a cover up taking place," he alleged, claiming that this is the reason the defence minister flew to France.

The Congress president said his party would continue to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the Rafale deal. He claimed that the opposition parties were also fully in favour of it, but Modi will never agree for it as he is "terrified".

He also questioned why the government is not revealing the price of the aircraft purchased as Dassault Aviation's annual report clearly shows the price of the deal. Gandhi said when he met French President Emmanual Macron, he had clarified that the price cannot be part of the secret pact.

He said Rafale deal was negotiated for a decade and involved several procedures, but Prime Minister Modi "changed everything and gave the offset contract to Anil Ambani".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 68-year-old priest of Sai



Baba temple here died, days after he was attacked by a Muslim neighbour following a quarrel over the use of loudspeaker at the shrine, police said Friday.

The priest's death has triggered protests by BJP and VHP.

Satyanarayana Sharma who was attacked on October 26, succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Hyderabad Thursday, police said.

Bharatiya Janta Party and Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanded stringent action against those responsible for the priest's death.

Sharma was allegedly assaulted by Sadiq Hussain, 32-year-old unemployed man, after he "refused" to turn off or reduce the volume of the loud speakers at the temple, they said, adding the accused was arrested on the same day and later remanded.

Hussain had asked the priest to lower the volume saying it was causing disturbance to his mother, police said.

Sharma was initially admitted to a Government Hospital here but later shifted to Hyderabad as his condition worsened, a police official said.

A case under Sections 452 (trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) and 302 (murder) was registered against the accused, the official said.

Describing the incident as an "attack on Hinduism," Swamy Paripoornananda, who recently joined BJP, demanded an inquiry by CBI into the incident.

BJP senior leader N Indrasena Reddy alleged the state government failed in providing necessary medical care to the deceased.

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has called on tech companies to treat privacy as a human right, with political and business leaders working together to protect people from cyber threats.

The Indian-origin boss of one of the world's biggest software giants was delivering a keynote address at the Microsoft Future Decoded conference in London on Thursday when he focussed his speech on privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) among the key aspects of an increasingly digital landscape.

"All of us will have to think about the digital experiences we create to really treat privacy as a human right," Nadella said.

"We need to use our collective prowess and power to protect these most vulnerable of populations, and it requires not just our industry but also nation states to be part of that," he said.

The 51-year-old tech whiz was all praise for Europe's recently-implemented General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which impose stringent online privacy standards.

"GDPR as a piece of legislation, a piece of regulation is a great start. We think about it as something that sets the standard, the bar, for how people need to think about privacy worldwide," he said.

The Microsoft boss covered a range of issues during his keynote address, including the scope offered by AI to impact modern day lives and moving the cloud under water.

"When you have some AI capability and it's trained for one purpose but used for another purpose, that's an unethical use of it," he warned.

As a positive impact AI could have, he used one of Microsoft's biggest UK clients the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) as an example of how it could cut costs in the future with the use of artificial intelligence.

He said: "If you talk about any improvement of the economy here (Britain), there's no way you're going to think about it without taming the ever-increasing costs of healthcare.

"New tools could change how care is given, how the patient is informed and most importantly the trajectory of healthcare costs going up."



On Thursday, the company announced it has struck a deal to supply all of NHS Scotland's 161,000 employees with Office 365 and Windows 10 E5.

Nadella also touched upon underwater server farms are part of the American giant's plans for future data centres.

Under "Project Natick", Mictosoft has deployed a 40-foot waterproof data centre pod on the seafloor off the coast of Scotland.

"Since 50 per cent of the world's population lives close to water bodies, we think this is the way we want to think about future data centre expansion," he said.

The senior executive opened his speech by congratulating his company for "building out Azure as the world's computer". He highlighted the 54 regions around the globe in which the cloud infrastructure operates, highlighting that the number was "more than any other provider".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A probe was ordered into alleged clicking of a selfie by a doctor in an operation theatre (OT) of a government hospital in Odisha's Koraput district and circulation of the photo on social media, officials said on Friday.

A woman in labour was rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) at Jeypore for delivery on Wednesday and a woman doctor clicked a selfie inside the OT with a group of doctors conducting operation in the background, they said.

It is illegal to carry mobile phone and clicking photos inside an OT. The circumstances in which the photo was taken and how it got circulated in social media are being inquired," said Lalit Mohan Rath, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) of Koraput.

After getting the inquiry report, necessary action will be taken, he said.

However, as the selfie photo started doing the rounds in social media, the district health administration drew flak from different quarters.

The OT is not a tourist spot to click photographs. How could the doctors be so negligent. Strict action should be taken against those responsible for clicking and circulating the photo. Also, strict instruction should be issued to prevent recurrence of such incident, said Ajit Sahu, a Jeypore based activist.

When contacted, the woman doctor Sasmita Das said it was a collective decision of all the doctors present inside the OT to take the photo and to upload it in the DHH WhatsApp group as operation took place for the first time at the hospital's OT after it was shifted to its new building at Phulobado, situated on the outskirts of Jeypore on October 15.

We were excited as operation started in the new DHH building and the photo was uploaded in out DHH WhatsApp group. I dont know how it got leaked to other groups and circulated in social media, she said



I had never thought that it will create problems and I am apologetic for it, she said.

It may be recalled that after the sub-divisional hospital of Jeypore was upgraded to a DHH on August 22, 2017, the DHH was shifted to Jeypore from Koraput on October 15 and is functioning inside the premises of mother and child ward situated at Phulobado.

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Prominent Pakistani cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, who was also known as the godfather of Taliban, was killed in a gun attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Friday, according to media reports.

Haq, 82, was the head of the Islamic religious seminary Darul Uloom Haqqania in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Akora Khattak town and also the chief of the hardline political party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Sami (JUI-S), the Geo reported.

He was killed by unidentified attackers in a house where he was staying, his son was quoted as saying by the report.

JUI-S's Peshawar president also confirmed Haq's death following an assassination attempt in Rawalpindi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Pakistani radical Islamist political party, which was leading a nationwide protest against the acquittal of a Christian woman convicted for blasphemy, late Friday night called off its agitation following an agreement with the government that assured initiation of a legal process to place the woman on the exit control list that will prevent her from flying abroad, officials said.

The government will also not oppose a review petition filed against the Supreme Court's judgement in the Asia Bibi blasphemy case, they said.

The Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) has in turn apologised if it "hurt the sentiments or inconvenienced anyone without reason".

Informing reporters that an agreement has been reached between the government and the TLP, Federal Religious Minister Noorul Haq Qadri said it was a good for the people who have been suffering from the last three days due to the protests.

Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. She always maintained her innocence, but has spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.

The apex court's judgement, which was pronounced last Wednesday, triggered protests across Pakistan with agitators led by Islamic political party Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) and other groups blocking major highways and roads in different parts of the country.

"As per the agreement, the government will immediately initiate a process to place the name of Asia Bibi on the no-fly list (exit control list)," an official said.

The government has also promised to take appropriate legal action to redress any deaths that may have occurred during the protests against the verdict and to release all people picked up in connection with the agitation starting October 30.

The agreement was signed in Lahore between Punjab Law Minister Basharat Raja and a three-member TLP group led by Pir Afzal.

Soon after the signing of the agreement, TLP leader Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi announced the ending of the protests.

"Pakistan is saved from bloodshed. It is the government's success that a breakthrough was made. We are happy that this matter has been resolved amicably," Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hasan Chohan said.

During the three-day nationwide protests, several major roads in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and other cities were blocked. The education institutions were also closed in Punjab, while private schools were closed in Khyber-Pakhtukhwa provinces as well as in cities like Karachi and Islamabad.

Many universities across Pakistan also announced cancellation of papers due to the ongoing tense situation. Business and trade activities were also badly affected and mobile phone and internet services also remained suspended in major cities.

Over 50 policemen were also injured in Punjab on Friday during clashes with the protestors.

According to a source in the government, Pakistan's military establishment has played a vital role in persuading the TLP to end the protest.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told state-run channel PTV that a government team, including a representative of ISI was holding talks with the protestors.

He said the Army had seen statements of protest leaders against the military but it was showing tolerance as its focus was on militancy and to get the country out of the security problems.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Making fresh charges, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday accused Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation of paying "first tranche of kickbacks" of Rs 284 crore to businessman Anil Ambani, citing investments made by the French firm in a "loss-making" Reliance group company.

In a statement, the Reliance Group said Dassault Aviation's investment in Reliance Airport Developers Limited (RADL) has no link with the Rafale fighter jet deal, and accused the Congress of resorting to "blatant lies" for political gains.

Addressing a press conference, Gandhi repeated his allegations of "huge" corruption in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal and said "if an inquiry starts on this, Narendra Modi is not going to survive that inquiry, guaranteed".

"Dassault gave Rs 284 crore to a loss-making company with a valuation of Rs 8.3 lakh. This is the first instalment of kickbacks that has been given to Anil Ambani," he alleged.

In a tweet later, he said "Rs 284 crore of Rafale kick-back money has been traced to an Anil Ambani owned company. The stench of corruption is leading straight to the gates of Race Course Road."



There was no reaction from the government or the BJP on the fresh charges, though they have previously rejected all allegations over the Rafale deal.

In its statement, the Reliance group completely rejected the allegations and said the RADL transaction was completed in full compliance with applicable FDI and all other rules and regulations and the information has been disclosed in public domain since December 2017 onwards.

"Investment by Dassault Aviation in RADL, to acquire 34.8 per cent equity stake for Rs 309 crore, was made by way of FDI in September 2017 - nearly 14 months ago, in a transparent manner and in full compliance of applicable laws, keeping in view the management and development of Airport Infrastructure at five locations by RADL," it said.

The company also termed as "factually incorrect and preposterous" allegations that Dassault's investment in RADL was used to pay for the land in Mihan near Nagpur where Reliance Defence Ltd and the French company are setting up a manufacturing unit for aerospace components.

"We repeat it is a blatant lie to state that land at Mihan was bought from funds provided by Dassault," it said.

The Congress has accused the government of forcing Dassault Aviation to make Reliance Defence its offset partner for the Rs 58,000 crore deal to purchase 36 Rafale jets. The Congress alleged that the government was helping the Anil Ambani group get a contract worth Rs 30,000 crore from the deal.

"It is deeply unfortunate that the Reliance Group and its Chairman, Anil Ambani, are continuously being dragged into a political battle in view of the impending state and general elections in the country," the Reliance statement said.

"The Congress Party has today once again resorted to blatant lies and distorted facts to mount an unwarranted campaign of calumny and falsehoods against the Reliance Group and its Chairman Mr Anil Ambani personally," it alleged.

The Congress chief also quoted Dassault Aviation CEO ric Trappier in media reports saying the reason Ambani's firm was given the offset contract and not state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was that it had land for the project.

Gandhi alleged that the land was purchased by Ambani's company with the money that Dassault gave.

However, Reliance said the investment by Dassault in RADL and purchase of land by Reliance Infra for setting up a manufacturing facility in Mihan under a joint venture between Reliance Defence Ltd and Dassault are two different and independent transactions.

The foundation stone of the manufacturing facility under the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) was laid in October 2017.

"The Dassault investment in DRAL and RADL are two independent and stand alone business investments and in both cases, funds have been received by the companies and not a single rupee by Mr Anil Ambani in his personal capacity," the company said.

"Therefore, any suggestion of any payment to Anil Ambani is absolutely false and mischievous," it said.

The Reliance statement also said that the Indian Government, French government, Dassault and Reliance have clarified on multiple occasions that there is no offset contract for Rs 30,000 crore to Reliance as alleged by Congress.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday took a swipe at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's comments about the Rafale deal, saying he is 'a confused man' as he has been saying different things about it over time.

She was responding to questions from reporters here on Gandhi's comments over the issue, that the Rafale deal was between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and businessman Anil Ambani.

"You don't get confused...Rahul Gandhi is a confused man. He talks about different rates over the deal at different times. Besides, he has been saying at different places that we (government) had helped many persons...sometimes he says it is Adani and sometimes Ambani," she said.

The Congress has accused the government of forcing Dassault Aviation to make Reliance Defence its offset partner for the Rs 58,000 crore deal to purchase 36 Rafale jets.

The Congress has alleged that the government was helping the Anil Ambani group get a contract worth Rs 30,000 crore from the deal.

However, the Reliance Group, in a statement, has said Dassault Aviation's investment in Reliance Airport Developers Limited has no link with the Rafale fighter jet deal, and has accused Congress of resorting to "blatant lies" for political gains.

The minister declined to comment on AIADMK MP and Lok Sabha deputy Speaker M Thambidurai's charge that the Centre has not released Rs 18,000 crore pending funds for Tamil Nadu for various schemes,saying that she did not know what he had specifically said.

Sitharaman said she however had a letter from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami, thanking her for helping the state secure the release of amount.

She declined to take further questions on the Rafale issue.

Thambidurai had said in response to union minister Pon Radhakrishnan's comment that he should 'self introspect' when he asked for speedy disbursal of the amount, that the centre might announce schemes, but it was the state government which implements them.

Funds are essential for implementation of any scheme, he had said.

The minister, who was here to participate in the announcement of 12 schemes as support and outreach for MSMEs by the Prime Minister through videoconferencing, said 182 applications had so far been uploaded, seeking loans and in principle approval given for Rs 47.50 crore for MSMEs in Coimbatore.

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Joining the chorus for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Union Minister Vijay Goel said Friday it should be done at the earliest even if a legislation is required.

Goel, the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, said a campaign, 'Ek Diya, Ram ke Naam', for the construction of the Ram temple would be launched on Saturday.

Under the campaign, BJP workers will light a lamp at their homes dedicated to Lord Ram. Goel appealed to people to light a lamp dedicated to Lord Ram this Diwali, the festival of lights.

"It is a wish of crores of people that Ram temple should be constructed. The temple should be built at the earliest through any way, be it constitutional or legislation or court or through dialogue between all the parties. The temple should be constructed," Goel told PTI.

Goel's demand for early construction of the Ram temple came just a day after his party MP Rakesh Sinha had announced that he would bring a private member's bill on this issue in Parliament's upcoming winter session.

Goel said if the opposition feels it is a political issue, they should end it by allowing the construction of the Ram temple.

Goel is perhaps the first Union Minister to suggest legislative route for the construction of the temple.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court had fixed the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case for the first week of January 2019 before an appropriate bench, which would decide the schedule of hearing.

Following which, the Visva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have demanded an ordinance to acquire land for the temple in Ayodhya.

Earlier on Friday, the RSS, the ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Hindus were "insulted" by the apex court's observation that Ram temple is not a priority.

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The release of a Christian woman who was acquitted after being sentenced to death for committing blasphemy has been delayed after talks between Pakistan government and radical Islamists hardliners have "completely failed".

Asia Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. She always maintained her innocence, but has spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.

The Supreme Court's judgement, which was pronounced on Wednesday, triggered protests across Pakistan with protestors led by Islamic political party Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) and other groups blocking major highways and roads in different parts of the country.

A Twitter account associated with Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi has claimed that "the talks with the government have completely failed", Dawn reported.

Rizvi also asked for complete shut down on Friday after talks were failed.

According to the tweet, the talks were attended by the representatives of the government as well as security agencies.

Bibi plans to leave Pakistan, her family was quoted as saying by the report.

She remained at an undisclosed location on Thursday where she was being held for security reasons, awaiting her formal release, her brother, James Masih said.

He said Bibi simply would not be safe in Pakistan.

"She has no other option and she will leave the country soon," he said. Masih would not disclose the country of her destination but both France and Spain have offered asylum.

Since the landmark ruling, radical Islamists have blocked highways and damaged or set fire to dozens of vehicles to pressure the government to stop Bibi's release from an undisclosed detention facility.

The protest entered the third day and several major roads in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and other cities were blocked, according to police.

Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, had returned from Britain with their children in mid-October and was waiting for her to join them, the brother added.

The family is in hiding for fear of attacks by those angry at the court's ruling, and still waiting to be reunited with Bibi, the report added.

With Bibi soon to be free, her family is struggling to make plans. They would prefer to leave the country to be safe, but there are plans in place.

"We haven't got any contact yet either from Pakistani authorities or anyone from outside," her brother-in-law Nadeem said.

Meanwhile, her lawyer says he is facing the wrath of extremists and wonders who will save him.

But despite the threats against him, Saiful Mulook says he regrets nothing, and will continue his legal fight against intolerance.

"The verdict has shown that the poor, the minorities and the lowest segments of society can get justice in this country despite its shortcomings," he said after the verdict.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) said Friday it will not hesitate to launch an agitation for Ram temple at Ayodhya, if needed, a remark that came amidst a growing clamour for a law to clear the way for its construction at the disputed site in Uttar Pradesh.

RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi while outlining the organisation's stand on the Ram temple issue at a conference also said Hindus were feeling "insulted" by the Supreme Court's declaration that it had priorities other than the Ayodhya issue, as he insisted for an ordinance if all options run out.

"We will not hesitate to launch an agitation for Ram temple, if needed, but since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there are restrictions," Joshi said when asked by a newsman whether the Sangh will launch an agitation for Ram temple construction like in the 1990s.

Joshi was interacting with the media after the conclusion of the National Executive meeting of the RSS in Uttan town in Thane district on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Joshi said the RSS, which is the fountainhead of the ruling BJP, was "not putting pressure" on the government as "we respect the law and the Constitution which is why there has been delay."



The RSS leader added that the Ram temple issue was among various matters discussed when BJP president Amit Shah met Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat here earlier in the day.

The 1992 agitation being referred to by the RSS was the rath yatra undertaken under the leadership of BJP veteran L K Advani that provided a base for the larger Ram temple movement and which led to the destruction of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.

"We respect the Supreme Court and urge it to take into consideration sentiments of hindus," Joshi said



"The wait for the (Supreme) court's verdict has been too long. Since the matter was listed on October 29, we felt Hindus would get good before Diwali. But the Supreme Court deferred the hearing," he said.

Joining the chorus for the construction of Ram temple, Union Minister Vijay Goel said it should be undertaken at the earliest even if a legislation is required.

Goel is perhaps the first union minister to suggest exploring a legislative route for the construction of the temple.

Goel, the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, said a campaign, 'Ek Diya, Ram ke Naam', for the construction of the Ram temple would be launched on Saturday.

Under the campaign, BJP workers will light a lamp at their homes dedicated to Lord Ram. Goel appealed to people to light a lamp dedicated to Lord Ram this Diwali, the festival of lights.

"It is a wish of crores of people that Ram temple should be constructed. The temple should be built at the earliest through any way, be it constitutional or legislation or court or through dialogue between all the parties. The temple should be constructed," Goel told PTI in Delhi.

Goel's demand for early construction of the Ram temple came just a day after his party MP Rakesh Sinha announced he would bring a private member's bill on this issue in Parliament's upcoming winter session next month



Reacting to Joshi's remarks on the agitation for a Ram temple, estranged BJP ally Shiv Sena said the RSS should bring down the Modi government if it felt the need to launch such a stir.

"The issue of Ram temple was sidelined after the Modi government assumed office. When the Sena took up the issue and decided to insist on the construction of the temple, the RSS now feels a need for agitation to press the demand," Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray told reporters in Mumbai. Thackeray is going to Ayodhya later this month in support of the Ram temple.

"If you (the RSS) feel the need for agitation despite having a strong government in place, why don't you pull down this government," he said.

At his conference, Joshi said the temple issue is closely linked to the faith and sentiments of Hindus and it is painful to hear that it does not figure on the priority list of the court.

"It is a matter of pain and anguish that an issue which Hindus consider their faith and sentiment is not in the priority list of the court... Hindus are feeling insulted."



The RSS expected the court to decide on the issue, "taking into consideration the sentiments of the Hindu community," Joshi said.

The RSS leader said a legal sanction is required to pave way for the construction of the temple.

Asked about the demand of various Sangh Parivar outfits for an ordinance for early construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, he said it was the right of those asking for the Hindu shrine.

"The government should consider this option if all other options run out... it is up to the government," he said.

At the same time, he added, "Unless the Supreme Court takes a decision on the title suit, it is difficult for the government to take any decision."



Joshi was asked if the RSS was putting pressure on the government and why the temple issue was not being decided by the government since it has a majority.

"We are not putting pressure. But we will build consensus. We respect the law and the constitution which is why there has been delay," he added.

Joshi said the RSS has been agitating for 30 years to have a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"The hindu society wants all hurdles to be cleared to pave the way for temple construction. The wait has been too long," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court Friday dismissed the CBI's appeal against the Delhi High Court's 2005 verdict discharging all the accused, including Hinduja brothers, in the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi rejected the CBI plea seeking condonation of the 13 year delay in filing the appeal against the May 31, 2005 judgement of the high court.

It said it was not convinced with the grounds of the CBI to condone over 4,500 days' delay in filing the appeal. The CBI had filed the appeal on February 2 this year.

The apex court, however, said the CBI can raise all grounds in the appeal against the same high court verdict filed by advocate Ajay Agrawal who has also challenged the judgement.

The top court has already admitted the petition filed by Agrawal who had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election against then Congress president Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareilly.

Attorney General K K Venugopal asked the top court to make it clear in its order that dismissal of CBI appeal would not preclude the probe agency from carrying out investigation in the case.

The apex court, however, did not mention anything in its order on this issue.

The high court in its 2005 judgement had quashed all charges against the three Hinduja brothers -- S P Hinduja, G P Hinduja and P P Hinduja -- and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

After the NDA government came to power, there were speculations that the CBI would take a call to either respond as respondent in Agrawal's petition or prefer a separate appeal.

After lot of deliberation, the CBI this year got the nod from the NDA government to file an appeal in the apex court.

The filing of the appeal assumes significance as Attorney General K K Venugopal in January had advised the agency against moving a petition against the high court verdict after a delay of more than a decade.

Later, after consultations, law officers were in favour of the appeal as the CBI came out with "some important documents and evidence" to challenge the high court order.

Sources in February had said the agency swung into action after the attorney general orally gave it a go-ahead to file the appeal in the case in which it cited the October 2017 interview of private detective Michael Hershman, who alleged that the then Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government had sabotaged his investigation.

Hershman, who is the president of the US-based private detective firm Fairfax, had claimed in television interviews that Rajiv Gandhi was "furious" when he had found a Swiss bank account "Mont Blanc".

He had also alleged that the bribe money of the Bofors gun scandal had been parked in the Swiss account.

The CBI in its appeal stated that further investigation was necessary in view of the reports relating to Hershman's interviews.

Before the 2005 verdict of Justice R S Sodhi (since retired), another judge of the Delhi High Court, retired Justice J D Kapoor, had on February 4, 2004, exonerated Rajiv Gandhi in the case and directed the framing of charge of forgery under section 465 of the IPC against Bofors company.

The Rs 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 units of 155 mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army was entered into on March 24, 1986.

Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987, had claimed that the company had paid bribes to top Indian politicians and defence personnel.

The CBI on January 22, 1990, had registered the FIR for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then president of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Hinduja brothers.

It had alleged that certain public servants and private persons in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy between 1982 and 1987 in pursuance of which the offences of bribery, corruption, cheating and forgery were committed.

The first charge sheet in the case was filed on October 22, 1999 against Chadda, Ottavio Quattrocchi, the then defence secretary S K Bhatnagar, Ardbo and the Bofors company.

A supplementary charge sheet was filed against the Hinduja brothers on October 9, 2000.

A special CBI court in Delhi on March 4, 2011, had discharged Quattrocchi from the case, saying the country could not afford to spend hard-earned money on his extradition which had already cost Rs 250 crore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Slapped with a fresh Rs 140 billion refund order from Sebi, embattled Sahara group on Friday said it would amount to "double payment" as investors have already been paid all their dues except about Rs 170 million.

In a detailed reaction to the capital markets regulator's order against group firm Sahara India Commercial Corporation Ltd (SICCL) and others including Subrata Roy, Sahara said the directive was against the "spirit of natural law" and it would raise the matter at the appropriate platform.

Sahara is already engaged in a long-running legal dispute with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) with regard to an earlier order passed in 2011 for refund of over Rs 240 billion by two other firms -- Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Ltd (SIRECL) and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation Ltd (SHICL).

While Sahara has already deposited a significant portion in a Sebi-Sahara account for refund to investors under a Supreme Court-monitored mechanism, the group has maintained it had refunded more than 98 per cent of the investors' dues directly to them. As per the last update, had refunded about Rs 1 billion to the investors after verifying their details.

Now in the SICCL case, which involves collection of over Rs 140 billion from nearly 20 million investors through certain bonds between 1998 and 2009, Sahara has again said the refund ordered by the regulator would be a case of double payment.

" SICCL has already discharged all its OFCD (optionally fully convertible debentures) liabilities except for Rs 170 million as outstanding OFCD liability towards 54,804 members. The TDS deducted on interest paid has been deposited with Income Tax Department. Hence the order makes it a case of double payment for the liability, which SICCL has already discharged," the group said.

said SICCL engaged in fund mobilising activity from the public, through the offer of OFCDs and has contravened the provisions of the Act.

However, the group said that in 1998, SICCL had taken the written permission from ROC, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, for the first time, for issuing OFCDs.

"On our part, everything was done as per law and with all the necessary permissions from the government authorities," Sahara group said.

According to the group, its OFCD "issue opened on July 6, 1998 while first proviso to section 67(3) (where there was no restriction of 50 and above issue) of the Act, 1956 was inserted through amendment with effect from December 13, 2000 with prospective effect".

"In view of this position of law, the Supreme Court in its order dated August 31, 2012 observed that OFCD issue by SICCL was made in 1998 and it was before the amendment of section 67(3) by Amendment Act, 2000, hence, ROC and not had jurisdiction in respect of the said OFCDs. That was the valid reason that the Supreme Court did not act anyway against SICCL," the embattled group said.

"So this order of Sebi is against the observation and conclusion drawn by the Supreme Court," it added.

Countering the regulator's objection that all payments are to be done through banking channel, Sahara Group said it must be recalled here that, till 4 years back, as per the statement of World Bank and Reserve Bank, 50-60 per cent of Indians did not have bank accounts.

"In Sahara, we have all very small depositors who have never gone to banks and banks have never come to them. They deposit small small amounts in cash and take the repayments in cash. After all, as per the law of the Government of India, then anybody and everybody were allowed to deposit or take repayment in cash up to Rs 20,000 and our all payments were strictly as per law. Now the limit is of Rs 10,000," the group noted.

Sebi, in an order dated October 31, found SICCL to have raised over Rs 140 billion in violation of rules and has ordered the company and its then directors including Subrata Roy to refund the money with 15 per cent annual interest. Also, it barred SICCL as well as its then directors and associated entities from the markets and from associating with any public entity.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav Friday filed a petition seeking divorce from his wife of six months citing incompatibility issues, his lawyer said.

The separation has been sought invoking Section 13 A of the Hindu Marriage Act under which either spouse can unilaterally seek divorce, said lawyer Yashwant Kumar Sharma, who filed the petition on behalf of Tej Pratap at a civil court here.

"I cannot give much details. I was only told by my client that he and his wife were not compatible and hence he wanted divorce," Sharma said.

Tej Pratap, a sitting RJD MLA and a former Bihar minister, had tied the knot with Aishwarya Rai on May 12. The grand wedding ceremony for which Prasad, serving sentences in fodder scam cases, had flown in from Ranchi after obtaining parole from a court, was attended by political leaders from virtually all political parties including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

While leaving the civil court premises, Tej Pratap's cavalcade was stopped by waiting journalists eager for response from the RJD leader, who wore a small bandage over his forehead.

He, however, rushed to the airport without taking any questions to leave for Ranchi, where his father is admitted in a hospital, only to return to the residence of his mother Rabri Devi on being persuaded by close family members.

No member of the family was available for comments. Journalists and cameramen made a beeline outside the 10, Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi where Aishwarya Rai along with her father Chandrika Rai visited in the evening while refusing to take questions.

They were later joined by Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti, the eldest of Lalu-Rabri's nine children.

Granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Rai, Aishwarya is a management graduate.

There have been rumours that the couple did not get along well.

Tej Pratap has been also dropping hints that he did not get along well with his younger brother Tejashwi who has emerged as the party's de facto leader in their father's absence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Social media posts carrying purported pictures of a Kashmiri boy, who went missing from a private university in Uttar Pradesh days ago, on Friday claimed that he has joined militant ranks in the Valley.

Ahtesham Bilal Sofi (17), a resident of downtown Srinagar, was a first year graduation student at Greater Noida's Sharda University.

He went missing on October 28 after he left the varsity with official permission to go to Delhi, days after he was mistakenly roughed up during a scuffle between Indian and Afghan students in the campus.

A missing complaint was registered in the case at the Knowledge Park police station in Greater Noida as well as at Khanyar police station in Srinagar, officials said.

The pictures on social media showed Sofi dressed in a black outfit and claimed he had joined militant group ISJK, an outfit influenced by ISIS ideology.

The UP Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) said it has been tracking the case since October 28 and has taken cognisance of the photos.

"We are in touch with Jammu and Kashmir police. We are tracking the footprints of the boy from Greater Noida to Kashmir," Inspector General, ATS, Asim Arun told PTI.

The Jammu and Kashmir police said they were "ascertaining" Sofi's presence in the Valley.

The Gautam Buddh Nagar police, who had traced the last location of Sofi's mobile phone to militancy-hit Pulwama district in South Kashmir, is also probing the matter.

"A missing complaint was registered and police teams are working on the case," a senior official told PTI.

According to the police here, Sofi had left for Srinagar from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport in the afternoon of October 28 and reached Pulwama a few hours later.

They said his mobile phone details showed that he last spoke to his father, who lives in Srinagar, at 4.30 pm, when his location was traced to Pulwama.

However, he had told his father that he was is Delhi and was returning to the university by metro, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Friday dismissed a public interest litigation against the CBI's decision to not challenge a 2014 trial court order discharging BJP chief in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case.

A division bench of justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre said it was not inclined to grant relief sought in the petition.

The petition was filed by Bombay Lawyers Association questioning the CBI's decision not to challenge the discharge granted to Shah in the case.

"We are dismissing the petition. We are not inclined to grant any reliefs...especially when the petitioner is a body which has no locus in the case," the court said in its judgement.

A special had in 2014 discharged Shah in the case. Sohrabuddin Shaikh and his wife Kausar Bi were killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2005 by the Police.
Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said Friday that President Maithripala Sirisena has agreed to summon the legislature on November 7, in a fresh twist to the ongoing political crisis after former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa replaced Ranil Wickremesinghe as the prime minister.

There was confusion since Thursday on the date when the parliamentary deadlock would end as Sirisena had suspended the sittings until November 16.

Controversially-appointed prime minister Rajapaksa said Thursday that Parliament would be convened on November 5. This was later denied by Rajapaksa loyalists.

President Sirisena's party said on Thursday night that Parliament will not be convened before November 16, contradicting Rajapaksa's office.

Harsha de Silva, a Wickremesinghe supporter, said that 115 Members of Parliament belonging to different political parties including Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), the main Tamil party Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) -- People's Liberation Front -- met Jayasuriya Friday morning and urged reconvening of Parliament.

Sirisena replaced Wickremesinghe with Rajapaksa in a dramatic turn of events last Friday and suspended Parliament after the sacked premier sought an emergency session to prove his majority.

Wickremesinghe has refused to accept his dismissal, claiming to be the country's legitimate premier. He argues that he cannot legally be removed until he loses the support of Parliament and called for a floor test to prove his majority.

The President was under increasing political and diplomatic pressure to reconvene Parliament.

Prior to the crisis, Wickramasinghe's UNP had the backing of 106 parliamentarians while Rajapaksa and Sirisena combine had 95 seats.

Rajapaksa has so far managed to rope in five lawmakers from Wickramasinghe's party to bolster his strength to 101. One UNP lawmaker has offered his support to him.

It was, however, not immediately known if Rajapaksa has managed to secure 113 votes required to prove the majority.

On Tuesday, angry protests rocked Sri Lanka's capital as thousands of demonstrators gathered for a rally organised by Wickremesinghe's party against what it said was a "coup" by President Sirisena.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Broadcasting firm Sun TV Network Friday reported a 23.41 per cent increase in standalone net profit at Rs 351.32 crore for the September quarter, against Rs 284.67 crore in the same period last year.

Its total income increased to Rs 811.67 crore, from Rs 713.13 crore in the year-ago period, an official release said.

The subscription revenues for the quarter stood at Rs 339.79 crore, against Rs 280.05 crore last year.

Meanwhile, the company said its board of directors have declared an interim dividend of Rs 2.50 per share on a face value of Rs 5 per share.

********************** Kalburgi Cement expands footprint across Maharashtra *



Kalburgi Cement Company, a 100 per cent subsidiary of VICAT France, Friday said it has expanded its footprint across Maharashtra through its flagship 'VICAT' brand.

The company had recently launched brand 'VICAT' in the Mumbai market with the inauguration of 1.2-MTPA bulk cement terminal here.

"Excited with the good response of VICAT brand in Mumbai, company has decided to launch the brand to serve all the market of Maharashtra," it said in a statement.

VICAT entered India in a joint venture with a local partner, with a proposal to establish an integrated plant in 2008. In 2014, VICAT took 100 per cent stake of the joint venture and renamed it as Kalburgi Cement.

********************** BSE launches delivery-based copper futures contract *



BSE Friday commenced trading in copper futures contracts on its newly launched commodity derivatives segment.

The one-metric-tonne copper contract is first of its kind delivery based base metal futures contract in India. Existing exchanges offers trading in cash settled copper contracts, it said in a release.

BSE copper contract start day is the first day of the contract launch month and the final trading day is the last day of the contract expiry month. The contract is a monthly settled contract. The trading session will be from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 11.30/11.55 pm. The delivery centre of copper contracts will be the exchange-designated warehouse at Bhiwandi, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: T-Works, a Hardware prototyping centre promoted by the Telangana Government will host the city's first and the country's largest 'Maker Faire' from November 9 to 11 here, a top company official said Friday.

According to an official release, Maker Faire, started over a decade ago in the USA, is a celebration of invention, creativity and curiosity, showcasing the best of the global 'Maker Movement'.

"The three-day event is an attempt to make Hyderabad the hub for maker movement as well.

The Hyderabad edition of Maker Faire is the largest in India.

Though couple of smaller versions held before, this is the first time the large version of Maker Faire is happening in India at Hyderabad," Sujai Karampuri, CEO of T-Works said.

Last year, as many as 191 Maker Faires were held in 38 countries, attracting 1.4 million people, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Brazil's far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has confirmed the country will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, making the Latin American country the largest after the United States to make the controversial switch.

The move from Tel Aviv, which will defy Palestinians and most of the world, is the latest controversial announcement by the former army captain, who has wasted no time implementing his hardline conservative agenda since his election win Sunday.

"As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that," Bolsonaro tweeted Thursday.

He also made waves on the domestic front, naming the judge who has upended Brazilian with a massive corruption investigation, Sergio Moro, to be his justice minister.

Moro is a hero to many Brazilians for his unrelenting "Car Wash" investigation, which uncovered the large-scale looting of state oil company Petrobras.

But for opponents, the move fuelled accusations that the judge was politically motivated -- especially against leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whom polls showed would have beaten Bolsonaro in the election had he not been jailed 12 years for corruption.

Bolsonaro promised in his victory speech to "change Brazil's destiny", and the four days since the election have given a glimpse of the magnitude of the change he has in mind.

The president-elect has doubled down on his vow to roll back gun-control laws so "good people" can take justice into their own hands, lashed out at the media and begun lining up a cabinet of political outsiders, including an army general and an ultra-free-market economist.

A favourite with the market, Bolsonaro's election has seen Brazilian stocks gain 3.9 per cent in the week since the vote, closing at a record high Thursday. The Sao Paulo stock exchange's Ibovespa index added 1.14 per cent for the day to close at a record of 88,419 points, after breaking through the 89,000 barrier for the first time ever earlier in the day.

On the diplomatic front, the embassy move squarely aligns him with US President Donald Trump, and bolsters his image as a "Tropical Trump". Israel considers all of Jerusalem its capital, while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

"I congratulate my friend Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro for his intention to move the Brazilian embassy to Jerusalem, a historic, correct and exciting step!" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

Reversing long-standing US policy, the Trump administration transferred the American embassy on May 14. Guatemala and Paraguay followed suit, though the latter announced last month it would return its embassy to Tel Aviv.

Bolsonaro's first foreign trips as president will be to Israel, the United States and Chile -- countries that "share our worldview", according to the president-elect's future for chief of staff, Onyx Lorenzoni.

Bolsonaro has outraged many with his derogatory comments against women, gays and blacks, and his support for the torture used by Brazil's brutal military regime (1964-1985).

He did, however, back down from one controversy on Thursday: a plan to merge the agriculture and environment ministries. The plan had drawn warnings from activists that he was selling out Brazil's natural resources to his backers in the agrobusiness lobby.

Bolsonaro said industry insiders themselves had urged him to reconsider, fearing trade sanctions on their products from countries worried over the health of the Amazon rainforest.

"To avoid international pressure, among other things, I said I was ready to reverse the decision. But the one who's going to decide the environmental question will also be Mr Jair Bolsonaro. And (the future minister) will not be someone put there under pressure from NGOs," he said, referring to himself in the third person.

He repeated his oft-used line that environmentalists are "Shiites," a word he uses to imply extremism.

"We want to preserve the environment, but not in the way it's been done lately," he told journalists.

Anti-corruption crusader Moro said it was an "honour" to accept Bolsonaro's offer to head a "super ministry" combining the justice and public security portfolios.

His investigation has taken out a Who's Who of politicians and executives who colluded to pump billions of dollars from Petrobras into their own pockets or the coffers of their political parties. That has endeared him to many Brazilians fed up with endemic corruption.

But although politicians of all stripes have fallen, Moro has been accused of being particularly merciless on the left -- especially Lula, Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010.

Moro sentenced Lula -- a hugely divisive but enduringly popular figure -- to jail for taking bribes from a Petrobras contractor. That led the courts to bar Lula's presidential candidacy, dashing his hopes of making a come-back.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Top Pakistani cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, who was also known as the 'godfather of Taliban', was stabbed to death at his residence in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Friday, his family said.

Haq, 82, was the head of the Islamic religious seminary Darul Uloom Haqqania in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Akora Khattak town and also the chief of the hardline political party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Sami (JUI-S).

Haq, a heart patient, was killed by unidentified attackers while he was resting in his room, his son Maulana Hamidul Haq was quoted as saying by Geo

His personal guard had gone out to the market and when he came back he saw Haq lying "in a pool of blood" on the bed, Hamidul added.

JUI-S's Peshawar president also confirmed Haq's death following an assassination attempt in Rawalpindi.

Initially there were conflicting reports about how Haq was killed. Some Pakistani media had reported that he was killed in a gun attack.

Haq's son has clarified that the cleric was attacked with knife.

Mulana Abdul Majid Hazarwi, a close associate of Haq, also confirmed that he was attacked with knife.

So far, no outfit has claimed the responsibility of the killing.

Haq was elected twice to Pakistan's parliament on Islami Jamhoori Itehad ticket.

He was also the chairman of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council -- an umbrella coalition of more than 40 groups, including Hafeez Saeed-led Jamat-ud Dawa (JuD) and the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba.

Haq's madrassa in Akora Khattak is known for having several top Afghan Taliban leaders among its alumni, including Mullah Omar who had received an honorary doctorate from the seminary.

Haqqani Network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AIQS) leader Asim Umar and slain Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor were also among the alumni of the seminary which is dubbed as the "University of Jihad".

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior, Sheryar Afridi, condemned Haq's killing and said, "The political and religious services of the Mualana will be remembered forever."



Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam- Fazl (JUI-F), also condemned the attack. "I am with the family of the Maulana at this difficult hour," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tata Chemicals said Friday its consolidated profit grew by 17 per cent to Rs 408.82 crore during the quarter ended September 30, 2018, helped by higher income from operations.

Its consolidated profit from continuing operations stood at Rs 349.59 crore during the same quarter a year ago, the company said in a BSE filing.

During the said quarter, total income also jumped to Rs 3,084 crore from 2,740 crore in July-September of 2017-18, Tata Chemicals said.

The company's total expenses were at Rs 2,592.45 crore, higher from Rs 2,256.62 crore in the year-ago period.

In a separate statement, Tata Chemicals said that "the company's results by reporting segment showed income from operations for basic chemistry products at Rs 2,033 crore, up by 7 per cent, consumer products segment at Rs 460 crore, up by 22 per cent, and specialty products Rs 669 crore, up by 12 per cent."



The company's Board of Directors also approved a capital expenditure of Rs 2,400 crore which would be deployed towards de-bottlenecking of Mithapur facility that could enhance soda ash capacity by about 1,50,000 tonne, salt production by 4,00,000 tonne and upgrade turbines for higher efficiencies and reduction in the carbon footprint to support the plant's sustainability road map.

In line with the company's strategy to grow their specialty business, Tata Chemicals is also considering entry into the lithium-ion battery sector to develop cell chemistries to meet Indian applications, the statement said.

The company recently entered into a pact with CSIRCECRI (Central Electrochemical Research Institute), Karaikudi to explore collaborative technology for scaling up of manufacturing cathode materials for lithium-ion cells.

R Mukundan, Managing Director, Tata Chemicals Ltd said, "India's basic chemistry products business continues to register a robust performance, due to operational efficiencies, a robust product mix and better realisations.

"The chemicals business has been the key pillar of the company and the announced soda ash facility expansion aims to lend further strength and sustainability to the business. With the intended expansion at Mithapur, we would substantially raise our manufacturing capacity of soda ash and edible salt by 20 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively."



The company's consumer products business continues to be led by growth of iodised salt, pulses and spices coupled with entry into new categories.

Revenue from the new food platforms launched early this year also registered a substantial increase, he said.

"We are excited at the opportunities in the specialty business and are exploring a foray into lithium energy storage solutions. The market in India for these applications could be 40-60 GWh by 2025, and we are in discussions with multiple technology and equipment providers. The nutraceuticals plant in Nellore and the silica facility in Cuddalore is on schedule. These together with the intended capacity expansion at Mithapur would bring into operation company's overall investments of approximately Rs 2,800 crore," Mukundan said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Telangana is making elaborate security arrangements for the coming assembly polls and chalking out strategies to foil any attempts by Maoists to disrupt the democratic exercise.

"Entire machinery is geared up to conduct free, fair and peaceful polls," Additional Director General of (Law and Order) Jitender told PTI.

Nearly 55,000 police personnel would be deployed to ensure peaceful polling, while 24 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) had already arrived, he said.

Police officers have been sensitised to the possible plans of Maoists to carry out blasts and killings to trigger violence as has been their practice in the past.

Replying to a query, Jitender said, candidates have been asked to inform the police in advance about their campaign programmes in Maoist-hit areas so that security could be strengthened.

Noting that there was some presence of ultras in the areas such as Kothagudem and Bhupalpally, bordering Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, the official said it was a matter of concern for the police.

Out of 32,500 plus polling stations, around 5,000 have been identified as sensitive and hyper-sensitive.

Central paramilitary troops have been conducting flag marches and covering critical places and were engaged in confidence-building measures, he added.
Thousands of conservative Muslims are protesting in the Indonesian capital after a flag linked to a banned Islamic organisation was burned by members of a rival group.

Waving black flags bearing the Islamic declaration of faith, several thousand demonstrators, many wearing white Islamic robes, filled a major thoroughfare in Jakarta after Friday prayers.

Video last month of members of a mainstream Muslim organisation's militia burning the Hizbut Tahrir flag has sparked allegations of blasphemy because the flag is emblazoned with the Islamic declaration of faith.

Hizbut Tahrir, which seeks a global caliphate, has been banned by the Indonesian government.

Indonesia's moderate reputation was undermined last year when Jakarta's minority Christian governor was imprisoned for blasphemy following street protests against him that drew hundreds of thousands.

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Three persons, including a seven-month-old child, have tested positive for Zika in Madhya Pradesh, a central expert team, which had gone to the state Thursday to assess the cases, has confirmed.

The central team comprising of experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Emergency Medical Response (EMR) are in the state following information about three persons being detected with Zika virus, a Health Ministry official said.

The seven-month-old child was found positive in Sehore district and a 14-year-old girl in Char Imli locality in Bhopal. The details about the third person were not immediately available, he said.

"Because the symptoms of Zika infection are similar to that of dengue and spreads through mosquito bites, it raises concerns," the official said.

The central expert team is assisting the Madhya Pradesh government to replicate the measures and action plan, implemented in Jaipur and Ahmedabad, in the state to contain the Zika outbreak, he said.

The official said the state health department has been asked to keep a close watch on people suffering from symptoms of the mosquito-borne disease.

Meanwhile, an intensive screening exercise is being undertaken and vector control measures have been intensified at Ahmedabad after the first case of the mosquito-borne disease was detected this year in Gujarat.

Also, an advisory has been issued to district administrations to take measures to check mosquito breeding.

The state health department has advised pregnant women not to visit the affected areas.

Zika virus, transmitted through the aedes aegypti mosquito, causes fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain. It is harmful to pregnant women, as it can lead to microcephaly, a condition in which a baby's head is significantly smaller than expected, in newborn children.

During the latest outbreak of the virus in the country, the first case surfaced on September 22, when an 85-year-old woman with no recent travel history tested positive for the virus in Jaipur. Since then, the number of Zika cases have risen to 153 in Rajasthan.

In India, the first outbreak of Zika virus was reported in Ahmedabad in January 2017 and the second in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district in July that year. Both these outbreaks were successfully contained through intensive surveillance and vector management.

The disease is under surveillance of the Union Health Ministry although it is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern under the WHO notification since November 18, 2016.

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The ruling BJP in Assam Friday indirectly blamed the Congress for the killing of five people in Tinsukia district, saying the incident was a result of the opposition party continuously making provocative statements on sensitive issues such as the NRC and the Citizenship Bill.

Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass also criticised a section of media for broadcasting provocative statements uninterruptedly, thereby vitiating the atmosphere.

Dass asked the Assam government to set up a judicial probe into incident on Thursday night, when five people, including three of a family, from a linguistic minority community were killed by gunmen.

Police suspect the gunmen belonged to the ULFA (Independent) faction as they were dressed in battle fatigue, but the outfit has denied its involvement in the attack.

Asked about his own party MLA Shiladitya Dev making provocative statements on communally and linguistically sensitive matters, Dass said he has been asked twice to refrain from making such statements or else the Assam BJP will write to the Parliamentary Board for action against him.

"A section of people and some groups are continuously making provocative statements on sensitive matters like NRC and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Yesterday's incident is an outcome of that," Dass said at a press conference in Guwahati.

"We doubt that some political parties are behind this. It is done with an aim to hamper peace and derail the development work of the government, but they will not be successful," Dass said.

He said Congress leaders have been making "provocative statements" on National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Bill.

The NRC was being updated in Assam and over 40 lakh applicants were left out in its complete draft published on July 30. The NRC was meant to include the names of all Indian citizens who have been residing in Assam before March 25, 1971.

Assam has been facing influx of people of Bangladesh for many years.

The Assam government has been appealing to people to not make inflammatory statements on such sensitive matters.

Asked categorically if the BJP sees Congress's involvement in the Tinsukia incident, Dass said: "I am not saying Congress is behind this. An inquiry will disclose it. But Assam's main issue is the foreigners issue. Who created this (situation)?"



Expressing dissatisfaction over the reporting by a section of media, he said the media's role is to be a bridge between the government and the people.

"We must restrain in playing the provocative statements in the media and should not repeat those. But a section of media is continuously playing those, creating misconceptions. We have to discuss the role of some media if they are not changed and leave provocative stand," Dass said, without elaborating on what he meant by "we have to discuss".

He also said that the BJP believes in "Indian nationalism" and a beautiful Assam can be built only on the foundation of this.

"Today's situation proves that there is no other way than Indian nationalism. If anyone challenges the peace process of the Indian government, then he has to face the consequences. We will not compromise on a single inch of Assam land," Dass said.

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Condemning the killing of five persons by suspected militants in Assam's easternmost Tinsukia district, the CPI(M) Friday alleged that the incident was part of a larger campaign of hate and violence.

"Apart from the state government failing to ensure the protection of law and order, these killings are part of a larger campaign of hate and violence. This must be put a stop to," the party said in a statement.

It alleged that the "environment of hate created and fanned by the BJP" in Assam "lies at the root of the murders".

The party demanded that the Assam government discharge its constitutional responsibilities by providing adequate security to protect the life and properties of religious and linguistic minorities.

Five people from a linguistic minority community were shot dead and two others were injured by gunmen at Kheronibari in Tinsukia district on Thursday night.

Police suspect the gunmen belonged to the ULFA (Independent) faction as they were dressed in battle fatigue, but the outfit has denied its involvement in the attack.

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: Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) chief M Kodandaram Friday held talks with Congress president Rahul Gandhi on firming up an alliance for the December 7 assembly elections in the state.

TJS is a partner in the proposed "grand alliance" (comprising Congress, TDP, CPI and TJS) for the polls.

Kodandaram, who met Gandhi in Delhi, told reporters that the proposed alliance has created confidence among people that change and a democratic rule over an "autocratic rule" (of TRS) is possible.

"Since it (grand alliance) created such a strong confidence, we said better results can be achieved if it is formed early and it starts functioning.

So, formation of alliance should be expedited. (We) should work together for a joint action plan," he said.

Gandhi assured complete cooperation and asked Congress leaders to take steps for early formation of the alliance, he said.

TJS would continue talks with state Congress leaders in Hyderabad and try to form the alliance at the earliest, he said.

Though the alliance partners have had several rounds of discussions on seat-sharing and other issues, they have not reached a final agreement.

"TJS has sought 17 assembly segments (total number of seats is 119) and the party feels that it can contest 15," Kodandaram said.

Kodandaram was Chairman of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) which spearheaded the separate Telangana agitation.

During the agitation, the JAC had comprised several political parties, including TRS, and various people's organisations.

However, differences cropped up between Kodandaram and TRS after the party formed the government in separate Telangana in 2014.

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A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation will visit the families of the people who were killed in Assam's Tinsukia district by suspected militants, the party said Friday.

"In the next couple of days, a delegation of Trinamool MPs/MLA will visit the families of those brutally killed in Tinsukia. Humbly, our party will stand by the grieving families and assist them at this difficult time," the party said in a statement here.

Unidentified gunmen in battle fatigue shot dead five individuals, including three members of a family, near Kheronibari village in Tinsukia district of Assam on Thursday night.

On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed anguish over the killing and said an "environment of violence" was prevailing in the country.

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee sought a court-monitored inquiry and called for the resignation of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over the incident.

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The Trinamool Congress will organize protest rallies across West Bengal Friday to protest the "brutal killings" of five people in Assam.

Five people were shot dead and two others were injured by gunmen at Kheronibari in Assam's Tinsukia district Thursday.

"In protest against the brutal killings in Assam @AITCofficial will organise protest rallies tomorrow ( Fri Nov 2) in different parts of north and south Bengal including Siliguri and Kolkata," West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said in a tweet Thursday night.

TMC youth Congress president and MP Abhishek Banerjee will lead one of the protests from Jadavpur 8B bus stand to Hazra crossing in south Kolkata.

NBanerjee, in a Twitter post Thursday, wondered if the attack was related to developments around the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

"Is this the outcome of recent NRC development," she had questioned.

"Terrible coming out of Assam. We strongly condemn the brutal attack in Tinsukia... We have no words to express our deep sorrow to the grieving families. The perpetrators must be punished at the very earliest," she added.

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The Arunachal Pradesh Police on Friday launched the Arunachal Pradesh Tourist Police and the Arunachal Suraksha App to help the citizens during emergencies.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu launched the tourist police and the app at a function held at Dorjee Khandu Convention Centre here, as part of the 46th Raising Day celebration of the Arunachal Pradesh Police, which began on Friday, and would culminate on November 8.

After launching the app, Khandu said that it is an effort under Prime Minister's Digital India initiative to make the state police more efficient.

"The app will drastically decrease the crime rate in the state and the tourists visiting the state will feel secured with the tourist police around," Khandu said.

The state government is making efforts to woo tourists to the state through several initiatives, he added.

"The inflow of tourist to the state has increased significantly since 2011," the chief minister said.

The chief minister said he hoped that the tourist police will discharge their duties effectively and with dedication.

Users can download the Suraksha App and through it can know the nearest police station and use a button to make direct call to police, an official said.

The mobile app, first of its kind for the state police, would help users to find the nearest police stations and the contact details.

It has also the capacity to send SOS message to emergency contacts.

One can send a message through, by pressing the 'Save Me' button and the message would be sent to the nearest police station.

Chief Secretary Satya Gopal while giving details of various measures undertaken by the state government for modernisation of police, informed that the state government has already sanctioned 32 posts for deputy superintendent of police, 80 posts for inspectors and 50 other posts.

"The Centre has already sanctioned an amount of Rs 156.20 crore for establishment of 11 new police stations along with upgradation of existing nine police stations in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts to manage law and order more effectively," Gopal added.

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Several police personnel were beaten up, the entire police line here vandalised and a few rounds of fire opened on Friday as trainee constables went berserk over the death of a lady constable from dengue.

As the of the death reached the police line, trainee constables smashed furniture and threw stones at seniors who came in sight.

Vehicles, including those belonging to officers, were damaged and overturned as two officers of SP rank and a Sergeant Major-cum-DSP became special target of their ire while some media personnel were also beaten up.

Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj, donning riot gear, was dissuaded by juniors from entering the police line as the situation was on the boil. He later entered the police line while jawans of the STF, ATS and Bihar Military Police were summoned to bring the situation under control.

After an hour-long disturbance, DIG, Patna Range, Rajesh Kumar said the situation was now under control.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought a detailed report on the incident from Director General of Police K S Dwivedi.

Dwivedi told a channel over phone that the trouble-makers had hardly undergone training for a few days. They were not yet familiar with police work culture and discipline, he added.

Attempts would be made to reform them but those who had indulged in violent acts will be punished. It was also evident that they were instigated by some others. They would be identified during inquiry and stern action would be taken against them, the DGP said.

As to the allegation that the deceased constable had been refused leave, he said she died while undergoing treatment for dengue in a hospital and so any refusal of leave was not the reason for her death.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, while reacting to the incident, said Nitish Kumar has lost control over the law and order machinery.

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The Bank of England on Friday asked the public to submit nominations of prominent British scientists to appear on a new 50 pound note.

Governor Mark Carney said the figure can come from any field of science but "I have ruled out economists."



The current 50 pound note (worth USD 65) features steam-engine pioneers Matthew Boulton and James Watt.

The UK's highest-denomination note is the last to be redesigned and switched from paper to more secure and durable polymer.

There's no shortage of individuals to nominate. From physicist Stephen Hawking, who died in March, to Dorothy Hodgkin, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964.

Suggestions can be made on the bank's website until December 14.

A committee will create a shortlist from the recommendations, and Carney will make the final choice next year.

The bank says the individual must be dead, and real to avoid a repeat of the process that saw the public choose "Boaty McBoatface" for a new research ship.

The bank is converting its notes into plastic to make them harder to counterfeit.

A new 10-pound note with author Jane Austen went into circulation last year, and a 20-pound note featuring artist JMW Turner will be produced in 2020.

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An ultra having allegiance with the outfit Jharkhand Jan-mukti Parishad (JJMP), who was carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakhs on his head, was arrested from Ramgarh locality of Palamau district on Friday, a senior police officer said.

Chotelal Yadav was the self-styled Sub-Zonal Commander of the outfit and was arrested by the police from a locality under Ramgarh police station of naxal-affected Palamau district, said Superintendent of Police, Indrajeet Mahatha.

Mahatha said police was in search of him in connection with over half-a-dozen naxal-related incidents and was also an accused in an encounter incident with police and attack on the former MLA (RJD) of Garwah, Girinath Singh.

Yadav had joined CPI (Maoists) in 2008 and later switched over to JJMP in 2012.

The SP said the arrest was made when Yadav was on his way to meet his relatives Ramgarh police station area.

No firearm was recovered from his possession.

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Pallavi Gogoi, a US-based editor, has accused M J Akbar of raping her while working under the "brilliant journalist" in India, an allegation denied by the former Union minister who claimed that he had a "consensual relationship" spanning several months with her but it ended "perhaps not on the best note".

Akbar, 67, who recently resigned as junior foreign minister after multiple women came out with accounts of alleged sexual harassment, has filed a criminal defamation case against one of them amid the raging #MeToo campaign in India.

"Somewhere around 1994, Ms Pallavi Gogoi and I entered into a consensual relationship that spanned several months," Akbar said in a statement in New Delhi after her article appeared in The Washington Post.

In a separate statement, his wife Mallika Akbar also dismissed Gogoi's accusations as a "lie".

Gogoi, the chief business editor of National Public Radio (NPR), a Washington-based American media organisation, has detailed the "most painful memories" of her life in the Post article.

She said that Akbar, the editor-in-chief of the Asian Age newspaper at that time, was a "brilliant journalist but used his position to prey" on her.

"What I am about to share are the most painful memories of my life. I have shelved them away for 23 years," she said, detailing how Akbar physically and mentally harassed her for years while working at the Asian Age newspaper from New Delhi to Mumbai to Jaipur to London.

Gogoi said she was 22 when she joined the Asian Age. She was star-struck working under Akbar. She was mesmerised by his use of language, his turns of phrase and took all the verbal abuse.

At 23, Gogoi became the editor of the op-ed page which was a big responsibility at a young age, she said.

"But I would soon pay a very big price for doing a job I loved.

"It must have been late spring or summer of 1994, and I had gone into his office his door was often closed. I went to show him the op-ed page I had created... He applauded my effort and suddenly lunged to kiss me. I reeled. I emerged from the office, red-faced, confused, ashamed, destroyed," she alleged.

The second incident was a few months later when she was summoned to Mumbai to help launch a magazine, she claimed.

"He called me to his room at the fancy Taj hotel, again to see the layouts. When he again came close to me to kiss me, I fought him and pushed him away. He scratched my face as I ran away, tears streaming down," she wrote.

When she got back to Delhi, Akbar threatened to kick her out of the job if she resisted him again. But she didn't quit the paper, she said.

While she was in Rajasthan on an assignment, Akbar said she could come to discuss the story in his hotel in Jaipur, she claimed.

"In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me," she alleged, adding that instead of reporting him to the police, she was filled with shame.

Gogoi claimed Akbar's grip over her got tighter. For a few months, he continued to defile her sexually, verbally, emotionally... "I died a little every day," she said.

Akbar said he would send her either to the US or the UK as a reward for excellent work on covering the 1994 polls, she recalled.

"I thought that finally, the abuse would stop... Except the truth was that he was sending me away so I could have no defences and he could prey on me whenever he visited the city," she said.

Gogoi alleged that Akbar once worked himself into a rage in the London office after he saw her talking to a male colleague. He hit her and went on a rampage, throwing things from the desk at her a pair of scissors or whatever he could get his hands on. She ran away and hid in Hyde Park.

"I was in shreds emotionally, physically, mentally," she said.

Akbar summoned her back to Mumbai after which she left the job.

Responding to Gogoi's allegations, Akbar said several people who worked with him knew about his relationship with her and at no stage did her behaviour give any one of them the impression that she was "working under, or in any way, under duress".

"This relationship (with Gogoi) gave rise to talk and would later cause significant strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on the best note.

"In the past few weeks, I have been subjected to a barrage of false and fabricated accusations, which I am now addressing," Akbar said.

In her statement, his wife Mallika admitted that she knew about the relationship between her husband and Gogoi, and the relationship caused unhappiness and discord in her family.

Gogoi, in an earlier tweet, thanked the "journalists who have spoken out before me. I stand on their shoulders".

In the Post article, Gogoi said: "Today, I am a US citizen. I am a wife and mother. I found my love for journalism again. I picked up my life, piece by piece... Today, I'm a leader at National Public Radio. I know that I do not have to succumb to assault to have a job and succeed.

"Over the years, I have not brought up Akbar in conversations. I've always felt that Akbar is above the law and justice doesn't apply to him. I felt he would never pay the price for what he had done to me".

He has called these allegations "baseless and wild" and has filed a lawsuit against one of the journalists who have spoken out, she said.

"It doesn't surprise me. He feels he is entitled to make up his own version of 'truth' today, just like he felt entitled to our bodies then," Gogoi added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A top congressional rights body on Friday praised Pakistan's Supreme Court judges who acquitted a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy.

Asia Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. She always maintained her innocence, but has spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.

"We also strongly applaud the Pakistani judges who have taken a stand for justice and religious freedom in this (Asia Bibi's) case despite death threats against them," Congressmen Randy Hultgren and Jim McGovern, co-chairs of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC), said in a joint statement.

Bibi was listed as a prisoner of conscience under the TLHRC's 'Defending Freedom' project. The former co-chair of the commission, Joe Pitts, advocated on her behalf.

"We are grateful that the Pakistani government has released Asia and secured protection for her, and we urge public officials in the country to protect religious minorities from dubious charges such as these in the future," the statement said.

"We wish Asia the best and hope that the overturning of her conviction encourages Pakistan to rethink its laws criminalising blasphemy," it added.

The Supreme Court's judgement, which was pronounced on Wednesday, triggered protests across Pakistan with protestors led by Islamic political party Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) and other groups blocking major highways and roads in different parts of the country.

"Asia lost eight years of freedom for charges she was eventually cleared of...The country's discriminatory blasphemy laws against religious minorities have resulted in sectarian violence and a culture of impunity for perpetrators of that violence," the two top American lawmakers said.

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Editor in chief of Lebanese Al-Diyar daily has to face a legal action after Justice Minister lodged a lawsuit against him for calling Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MbS) killer of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was botched in the Saudi consulate in the Turkey city of Istanbul on October 2.

Acting Justice Minister Selim Jreissati on Tuesday demanded legal action against Charles Ayyoub of Al-Diyar daily for a column in which he pinned the mastermind role of the killing of Khashoggi on MbS.

Charles Ayyoub also castigated Saudi diplomacy as he asked the Saudi ambassador to leave Lebanon, and used the terms dogs and pigs 22 times in describing the two Saudi officials, The New Arab reports.

Saudi Arabia is Lebanons premium regional ally. Prime Minister Saad Hariri is a dual Lebanese and Saudi citizen.

The Prime Minister surprisingly announced in November last year his resignation during a trip to the kingdom. Diplomatic sources and Lebanese officials then charged Riyadh for detaining and coaxing Hariri to resign.

Saudi Arabia has admitted Khashoggis demise at international pressure after several weeks of denials. Khashoggi, a US resident and contributor for The Washington Post disappeared after entering the consulate for some official divorce document. He never came out.

Turkey has said the 59-year old journalist who fled the kingdom last year and who had been very critical of MbS was killed savagely inside the consulate in a premediated plot.

In the first official confirmation from Turkeys government about how the journalist died, Istanbuls top prosecutor Irfan Fidan said Jamal Khashoggi was strangled to death and then dismembered in a preplanned attack inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

In a statement released to the Turkish press on Wednesday, Istanbuls top prosecutor Irfan Fidan described the killing as premeditated and categorized recent meetings with Saudi Arabias prosecutor about the ongoing investigation as less than helpful.

The Saudi Prosecutor Saud al-Mujeb had spent three days in Istanbul conferring with Turkish authorities and was scheduled to head back to Saudi Arabia later Wednesday.

Despite all our good intentions and efforts to unravel the truth, a concrete outcome was not reached from the meetings, with the Saudi Prosector, Fidans statement said.

The Saudis maintain that Khashoggi died as the result of a rogue operation gone awry and have detained 18 people in connection to the case.
The Trump administration on Friday announced it would impose "toughest ever" sanctions on Iran beginning November 5 that it said are targeted at Tehran's economy with the intention that the authoritarian Iranian regime would change its behaviour.

"On Monday, the Treasury Department will add more than 700 names to our list of blocked entities. This includes hundreds of targets previously granted sanctions relief under the JCPOA, as well as more than 300 new designations. This is substantially more than we ever have previously done," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters.

Sanctions lifted under the terms of Iran's nuclear deal will be reimposed on individuals, entities, vessels and aircraft that touch numerous segments of Iran's economy. This will include Iran's energy sector and financial sectors, he said.

"We are sending a very clear message with our maximum pressure campaign: that the US intends to aggressively enforce our sanctions. Any financial institution, company or individual who evades our sanctions risks losing access to the US financial system and the ability to do business with the United States or US companies. We are intent on ensuring that global funds stop flowing to the coffers of the Iranian regime," Mnuchin asserted.

Describing it as a massive economic pressure campaign against Iran, which he alleged remains the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, he said to date the US has issued 19 rounds of sanctions on Iran, designating 168 targets.

"We've gone after the financial networks that the Iranian regime uses to fuel its terrorist proxies in Hezbollah and Hamas, to fund the Houthis in Yemen, and to support the brutal Assad regime in Syria," he said.

Asserting that SWIFT is no different than any other entity, Mnuchin said that the US has advised SWIFT that the US Treasury will aggressively use its authorities as necessary to continue intense economic pressure on the Iranian regime, and that SWIFT would be subject to US sanctions if it provides financial messaging services to certain designated Iranian financial institutions.

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication or SWIFT Code is a standard format of Bank Identifier Codes (BIC) and is a unique identification code for a particular bank. These codes are used when transferring money between banks, particularly for international wire transfers.

"We have advised SWIFT that it must disconnect any Iranian financial institution that we designate as soon as technologically feasible to avoid sanctions exposure," Mnuchin said.

At the same time, he said, humanitarian transactions to non-designated entities will be allowed to use the SWIFT messaging system as they have done before, but banks must be very careful that these are not disguised transactions, or they could be subject to certain sanctions.

The White House in a fact sheet said that together with the "unprecedented" action by the Trump administration, these will be the "toughest" sanctions regime ever imposed on Iran.

Sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran's economy, such as its energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and financial sectors, Mnuchin said.

Over 700 individuals, entities, vessels, and aircraft are going back onto its sanctions list, including major Iranian banks, oil exporters, and shipping companies, the White House said. The sanctions also target transactions with the Central Bank of Iran and designated Iranian financial institutions.

Sales of food, agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical devices to Iran have long been - and remain - exempt from US sanctions, the White House said, adding that reimposing sanctions will cut off revenues the regime uses to "bankroll terrorist groups, foment global instability, fund its nuclear and ballistic missile programme, and to enrich its leaders".

The White House asserted that the administration intends to fully enforce all US sanctions on Iran and will target those who attempt to violate or circumvent them.

"Those who have failed to wind down sanctionable activities with Iran risk severe consequences," it warned.

The US, it said, is confident that energy markets will remain well supplied despite Iranian oil export reductions. From August 2017 to August 2018, US crude oil production increased by 2.1 million barrels per day and exports increased by over 700,000 barrels per day, adding to market liquidity.

Over the next year, US production will increase by one million barrels per day or more, the White House said.

"We are working with oil producers around the world to increase their supply as well. As a result of this increased production, respected forecasters like the United States Energy Information Administration expect global oil supply to keep pace with demand in late 2018 and exceed demand in 2019," the White House said.

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The police have booked Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) workers for disrupting a Christian group's meeting at a hotel here, officials said.

No arrests have been made in the case so far, they said.

SHO of Tajganj police station Vinod Kumar said a case has been registered against VHP workers and a probe is underway.

The case was registered on a complaint lodged by a member of the Christian group alleging that VHP workers assaulted people at the meeting and misbehaved with women, the police said.

The VHP has threatened a stir if the complaint is not withdrawn.

Uttar Pradesh VHP vice president Sunil Parashar said if the matter is not dismissed, the workers of the group will take to the streets.

The meeting of the Christian group was held at a hotel on Fatehabad road here on Tuesday.

Sources said VHP leaders and workers disrupted the meeting, accusing the Christian group of trying to convert Dalits.

Seven pastors were arrested from the spot after VHP members filed a complaint at Tajganj police station. The pastors were later granted bail, they said.

A counter complaint was lodged by Pastor Ravi.

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Airbus signed a deal with Vietnamese budget airline Vietjet for 50 new planes worth $6.5 billion in Hanoi on Friday during a visit by the French premier to the fast-growing communist nation where the aviation sector is booming.

The deal for 50 A321neo Airbus planes was part of a raft of agreements signed between Vietnam and France, one of Hanoi's top European trading partners that is eager to boost investments in the former colony.

Vietnamese airlines have been eagerly growing fleets to serve burgeoning passenger numbers, where domestic travel has soared in recent years and international air travel is one the rise.

Vietjet also inked a Memorandum of Understanding worth $5 billion with France's Safran group for 100 engines and equipment maintenance, the document said.

"These contracts reflect the growing intensity of economic ties between the two countries," French Prime Minister Philippe said after the signing.

Vietjet stormed onto Vietnam's airline sector in 2011 when much of the market was dominated by the national carrier Vietnam Airlines.

The country's first budget carrier, owned by Vietnam's only female billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, has raised eyebrows with its racy marketing campaigns featuring nearly-naked models and by staffing inaugural flights with air hostesses wearing bikinis.

In just five years Vietjet quickly caught up with Vietnam Airlines to capture 42 per cent of the domestic market in 2016, and 27 percent of the total market, according to data from the CAPA Centre for Aviation.

Over the past two years it has turned its attention to adding more international routes to its roster, including to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, as it seeks to serve Vietnam's growing middle class with a thirst -- and cash -- for travel.

The number of passengers travelling internationally jumped to 30 million in 2017 from 23 million the year before, according to official Vietnam aviation data.

The French premier is in Vietnam for a three-day visit largely aimed at drumming up business deals with one of Asia's fastest growing economies, which clocked 6.8 percent GDP growth last year.

Both sides signed deals worth a total of nearly $12 billion, including in the energy and IT sectors.

Trade between the former colonial foes has boomed in recent years, and France is now Vietnam's third leading European trading partner after Germany and Italy, with two-way trade hitting $7.6 billion last year, according to the French Prime Minister's office.

Vietnam, an export-driven manufacturing hub with a population of 93 million people, has eagerly courted trading partners in Europe after the United States pulled out of the sprawling Trans-Pacific trade pact that Hanoi stood to gain enormously from.

"France is one of Vietnam's top partners, and is always a priority in Vietnam's foreign policy, we have close and binding exchanges," Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told reporters after the signing Friday.

The French premier sidestepped commenting on thornier topics -- including Vietnam's dismal rights record and an incoming cybersecurity law that has drawn international scorn -- at the press conference Friday, where journalists were barred from asking questions.

The cyber law set to come into effect in January will increase the government's control over online content and user data, which critics have said will likely be used to further silence dissent in the one-party state.

Philippe is set to visit Dien Bien Phu on Saturday, the site of the epic battle between France and Vietnam in 1954 that would spell the end of France's colonial empire in Indochina and pave the way for Vietnamese independence.

"We share a common past, a tragic past but a common past," Philippe said Friday.

The French premier's trip also includes a stopover in the bustling economic hub Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday where he will inaugurate a French medical centre and host a business forum with French tech entrepreneurs before heading to New Caledonia.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre here signed an MoU with ICT Academy of Kerala Friday for a skill development course on Finite Element Analysis, using software developed by it for engineering academia.

A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed between VSSC and the Information and Communication Technology Academy of Kerala (ICT Academy of Kerala) here F



"The LoI also proposes an ICT academy to identify resources for technical improvement in the field of engineering academia and technical start-up missions for capability enhancement of the software package developed by VSSC," a VSSC release said.

Deputy Director of VSSC, S Sridhar handed over the LoI to Santhosh Kurup, CEO of ICT Academy in presence of Shashi Tharoor MP during the International Conference on Skills, Engineering & Technology organised by the Academy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Women and Child Ministry Friday directed the Madhya Pradesh government to immediately shut down a specialised adoption agency that was involved in giving a girl for adoption to a Spanish couple who later abandoned her, saying the Bhopal-based institution deceived them over her age.

The Spanish couple abandoned the 13-year-old girl after they were allegedly deceived by the institution, which reportedly told them that she was seven-years-old at the time of adoption earlier this year.

The Udaan institution has been accused of defaulting under various provisions and not responding to show-cause notices. An inquiry was initiated and its in-charge, Apoorva Sharma, was asked to appear before the ministry on September 6, an official said.

The inquiry committee found gross violations by adoption agency Kilkari (Udaan) of the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and the Adoption Regulations, 2017 pertaining to the sourcing, care and placement of children in adoption.

Following the inquiry, the WCD Ministry has directed the Madhya Pradesh government to shut down the agency and immediately transfer the children from it, the official said.

The official added that there were other complaints against the agency from couples based in the country and abroad.

"Taking due cognisance of the matter, the WCD Ministry has issued order to the Madhya Pradesh Government recommending immediate closure of the Specialised Adoption Agency, Kilkari (Udaan), and transferring of children from the agency with immediate effect," the WCD Ministry said in a tweet.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: The CPI, a partner in the proposed 'grand alliance' of opposition parties for the December 7 Legislative Assembly elections in Telangana, Friday expressed dissatisfaction over the attitude of Congress.

The 'grand alliance' comprises the Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS).

"We express dissatisfaction over the attitude of the Congress party for leaking to the media that two or three seats will be given to the CPI. The Congress is behaving in a manner that creates disappointment in our rank and file of workers," Telangana secretary of CPI Chada Venkat Reddy told reporters here.

However, he said the future course of action of the CPI would be decided at a meeting of the state executive of the party on November 4 for which its general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy has been invited.

Reddy said the party would not walk out of the alliance and continue to make efforts to achieve its political objectives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the (ED) why it was not arresting former Chief Minister in connection with a multi-crore money laundering case, when the agency was opposing bail granted to a businessman in the matter.

Questioning the "selective approach" of the agency in arresting those involved in the case, Justice R K Gauba asked the ED whether it will withdraw its plea challenging bail granted to Vakamulla Chandrasekhar, the director/ promoter of Tarini Group of Companies, or should the court pass an order.

In the first half of the day, the court asked ED's lawyers to take instructions from the agency on the issue of arresting the senior Congress leader.

Later, agency's counsel Amit Mahajan and Nitesh Rana told the court that the officer investigating the matter was not senior enough to "take a call" on the issue of arresting Singh at the moment and sought more time to take a decision.

The lawyers also sought more time to take instruction from ED on whether to press for their plea challenging Chandrasekhar's bail or withdraw it.

The judge said if ED was not withdrawing the plea, then the court will dismiss it.

Thereafter, the lawyers told the court that the ED has decided to withdraw the petition, and it was dismissed as withdrawn.

Chandrasekhar was granted bail by a trial court in March 9, noting that no purpose would be served by keeping him in further custody.

The ED had earlier argued that it was a case of economic offence which has to be kept at a higher pedestal and the allegation against the accused were of serious nature.

It had contended that Chandrasekhar had helped in laundering crores of rupees and its investigation was still in progress.

Chandrasekhar was arrested on February 15 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was in judicial custody before getting bail.

The ED had alleged that Chandrasekhar "had provided an amount of Rs 5.9 crore to Singh and his family members through his three personal bank accounts".

It had claimed that when the source of funds was enquired into, it came to light that the amount was received through a web of firms indulging in accommodation entry operations.

The trial court had on February 12 summoned Singh, his wife and three others as accused in the case, after taking cognisance of the ED charge sheet against them and others, saying there was "prima facie" enough evidence against the accused persons.

The ED, in its charge sheet, named 83-year-old Singh, accusing him of projecting around Rs 7 crore "proceeds of crime" as agricultural income in connivance with his wife and others and invested them in purchasing LIC policies.

Besides Singh and his 62-year-old wife Pratibha Singh, the trial court had summoned Universal Apple Associate owner Chunni Lal Chauhan and two other co-accused, Prem Raj and Lawan Kumar Roach.

The final report also named as accused Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) agent Anand Chauhan, against whom a charge sheet was earlier filed by the agency.

All six have been named in the charge sheet under relevant provisions of the PMLA. A disproportionate assets case, lodged by CBI, is also going on against Singh and others.
Western Railway Friday withdrew its order to cancel halts of six suburban trains at Jogeshwari station in northern Mumbai following protests from commuters.

The halts were cancelled as part of a new suburban train timetable that came into effect Thursday.

The decision had upset commuters who lodged complaints with the Jogeshwari station master as well as divisional authorities.

Following a meeting between BJP Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar and WR Mumbai divisional railway manager Sanjay Mishra, the decision to cancel the halts was revoked Friday.

When contacted, Shelar said, "Jogeshwari needs more train halts due to increase in passengers, especially due to the metro and the Bombay Exhibition Centre nearby. I mediated on behalf of the commuters and resolved the issue."



"As passenger representatives showed dissatisfaction at the cancellation of halts, we decided to pull it back," said Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer, WR.

Ratan Poddar, a member of the newly-elected Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) panel set up WR, slammed the earlier order and said railway officials should not take such decisions arbitrarily without consulting commuters.

In the new timetable, WR has added 10 services and extended 122 others, besides changing the routes of 56 services.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Activists of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) were detained by police on Friday during a protest against the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale fighter jet deal.

IYC president Keshav Chand Yadav and vice president Srinivas along with several other workers of the outfit were marching towards the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) when they were detained near the Tughlaq Road.

"It has been proved by Rahul Gandhi today that the Modi government has indulged in corruption over the Rafale deal," Yadav claimed.

IYC national spokesperson Amrish Ranjan Pandey alleged that the Modi government is "crushing" constitutional bodies "to hide lies on the Rafale scam".

He said the Youth Congress will launch a series of protests across the country over the issue.

The detained activists were taken to the Mandir Marg police station, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Michael HirtzerCHICAGO (Reuters) - Since the mid-2000s, North Dakota farmer Paul Thomas has planted more of his land with soybeans as China's demand for the oilseed grew. The shift culminated this year when Thomas planted 1,600 of his 5,000 acres with soybeans - the most ever.But Thomas and many farmers like him plan to return to the old U.S. farm belt staples in 2019: corn and wheat. The change will reverse a trend that saw U.S. farmers plant more acreage this year with soybeans than corn for the first time in 35 years.The expected shift to other grains comes as farmers struggle to sell ...
Saudi dissident prince and former interior minister Ahmad bin Abdulaziz has returned home to challenge the ascension of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MbS) who is being viewed as toxic and suspected for masterminding the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdoms consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

Prince Ahmad has returned to the kingdom from his London exile, with US and British guarantees, in view of replacing or help find a less controversial figure to replace MbS, who has begun losing support in Washington and London, London-based Middle East Eye (MEE) reports.

He and others in the family have realized that MBS has become toxic, a Saudi source close to Prince Ahmad told MEE.

The prince wants to play a role to make these changes, which means either he himself will play a major role in any new arrangement or to help to choose an alternative to MBS.

Ahmad, according to the Saudi source, received security guarantees from the US and the UK that he will not be harmed and that they would not let him down.

The 33-year old current Crown Prince has been described as toxic to American interest after reports that he is connected to the killing of Khashoggi in Istanbul.

Khashoggi disappeared October 2 after he entered the diplomatic mission for some official paperwork. He never came out. Saudi Arabia confessed, under international pressure, that he died in a brawl.

Turkey blamed a team of Saudi rogue killers for Khashoggis death. Ankara also believes the killers who came from the kingdom received orders from the Saudi top leadership establishment but stopped short to blame the Crown Prince.

Ahmad, the younger brother of King Salman is an open critic of MbS. His pedigree as former interior minister and as grandson of the founding father of the kingdom, King Abdulaziz, grants him some sort of shield against being attacked.

Sons of King Abdulaziz were spared last year in November during MbS-led anti-corruption campaign in which 11 princes were locked.
By Taro Fuse and Sumio ItoTOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's scandal-hit Suruga Bank will receive a credit line for as much as 250 billion yen ($2.2 billion) from the country's central bank after seeing two quarters of desposit outflows, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.The mid-sized lender in central Japan is reeling from a scandal over retail property-investment loans that has slammed its shares and led to the departures of top executives.Regulators do not expect Suruga to suffer a liquidity crunch but they have asked the lender to secure funding from the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to be ...
JAKARTA (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier on Friday called for the formation of a global alliance in favor of a market economy in the face of rising protectionism around the world."Let's form a global alliance in favor of market economy, this is what the world needs, not protectionism," Altmaier said at the Asia-Pacific Conference on German Business in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.Altmaier has called for swift implementation of an EU-U.S. tariffs deal reached earlier this year to solve the transatlantic trade conflict.The minister also said Germany would support efforts ...
By David ShepardsonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Google's top lobbyist in Washington is stepping aside as the U.S. technology company faces criticism on Capitol Hill on issues including privacy protections and its investment plans in China, the Alphabet Inc unit said on Friday.Former U.S. Representative Susan Molinari, who has run Google's Washington office and its Americas Policy team for nearly seven years, will move to a new job as senior advisor in January, the company said in a statement. Google is seeking a new head of Americas policy, it added."I am comfortable in making the transition," ...
India's Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) fears significant default from large non-banking finance companies (NBFC) and housing finance companies in the next six weeks if no additional liquidity support is provided to these firms, business news website MoneyControl said on Friday. The DEA, in a letter to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, described the financial situation as "still fragile" when discussing the financial stability impact of the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Service Ltd's (IL&FS) default, the website said. A string of defaults at IL&FS ...
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's September tea production was up 5.5 percent year on year at 160.65 million kg, helped by a bigger harvest in Assam, the state-run Tea Board said on Friday.Production in Assam, the top-producing state, jumped 7.7 percent to 92.04 million kg in Septmber, the board said.India, the world's second-biggest tea producer, exports CTC (crush-tear-curl) grade mainly to Egypt, Pakistan and the United Kingdom, with the orthodox variety exported to Iraq, Iran and Russia. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by David Goodman)(This story has not been edited by Business Standard ...
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Hitachi Chemical Co has found improper tests were conducted on nearly 30 more products, accounting for about a tenth of revenues, the firm said on Friday, deepening a compliance crisis that has battered its shares.The Hitachi Ltd unit said the items included material used in lithium-ion batteries and affected about 1,900 companies. That was in addition to the roughly 500 companies affected by the initial finding of improper tests on lead-acid batteries in June, the firm said in a statement. No defects, safety issues or illegal conduct have been found so far, it ...
By Devika Krishna KumarNEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell about 1 percent on Friday and notched a weekly loss of over 6 percent, as investors worried about oversupply after the United States said it will temporarily spare eight jurisdictions from Iran-related sanctions. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the decision in a conference call. The waivers could allow top buyers to keep importing Iranian oil after economic penalties come back into effect on Monday.Brent crude futures fell 6 cents to settle at $72.83 a barrel. U.S. crude declined 55 cents to end the session at $63.14 ...
By Henning GloysteinSINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday as surging output by the world's three largest producers outweighed supply concerns from the start of U.S. sanctions next week against Iran's petroleum exports.Front-month Brent crude futures were at $72.60 per barrel at 0441 GMT on Friday, down 29 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last close.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 24 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $63.45 a barrel.Brent has fallen by over 12 percent since the beginning of October, while WTI has lost more than 13 percent in value."More ...
By Henning GloysteinSINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday as surging output by the world's three largest producers outweighed supply concerns from the start of U.S. sanctions next week against Iran's petroleum exports.Front-month Brent crude futures were at $72.56 per barrel at 0109 GMT on Friday, down 33 cents, or 0.5 percent, from their last close.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 26 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $63.43 a barrel."Crude oil prices took a severe hit as investors were unnerved on rising global inventories and record high output in 2018," said ...
Indonesia Wednesday said it protested to Saudi Arabia the execution of an Indonesian house worker, without being noticed in advance.

President Joko Widodo said the government lodged a complaint with the Saudis over the execution on Monday of Tuti Tursilawati, AFP reported.

The Indonesian leader also said his country requested better protection of Indonesian workers in the country.

The foreign ministry condemned the act as it complained that it was not informed beforehand.

The execution of Tuti Tursilawati was done without notification to our representatives, either in Riyadh or Jeddah, said Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, director at the foreign ministrys Indonesian citizens protection department, at a press conference.

Tursilawati, condemned seven years ago for killing her employer, was, according to the Indonesian foreign ministry, executed in the city of Thaif.

The Indonesian house worker reportedly told the judiciary then that she acted in self-defense because her employer allegedly wanted to rape her.

A civil society group, Migrant Care advocating for the rights of Indonesian workers abroad, urged the government to take diplomatic actions against the Saudi kingdom.

The execution took place three years after the Asian country decided to ban the recruitment of its citizens in 21 countries in the Middle East. The ban was put in place after two Indonesians were executed the same year.

Jakarta however has still allowed a limited number to work in Saudi Arabia.

Indonesian house workers also are recruited in the other parts of Asian continent including Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia where Jakarta has also complained about bad treatments on its citizens.

A Hong Kong woman was jailed for six years for beating and starving her Indonesian maid and keeping her prisoner, in a high-profile case that drew attention to the abuse of domestic helpers in the financial hub, AFP reports.
By Henning GloysteinSINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices seesawed on Friday as markets were lifted by hopes the United States and China may resolve their trade disputes soon, before being weighed down by a report Washington had granted several countries waivers on Iran sanctions.Front-month Brent crude futures were at $72.88 per barrel at 0737 GMT on Friday, 1 cent below their last close. They first fell on Friday on surging supplies, before rising with global markets and then dipping again on the back of the reported Iran sanctions waivers.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were ...
(Reuters) - Punjab National Bank (PNB) reported a third straight quarterly loss on Friday as it set aside more money to account for a massive fraud, potentially frustrating the lender's plan to return to a profit for the year.Net loss came in at 45.32 billion rupees ($622.74 million) for the three months ended Sept. 30, compared with a profit of 5.61 billion rupees a year earlier, and much bigger than an estimated average loss of 14.38 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv data.PNB said earlier this year that staff at a Mumbai branch issued fake bank guarantees between 2011 and 2017 to help ...
By Andrea ShalalBERLIN (Reuters) - Europe's Airbus on Friday delivered the "powerhouse" for NASA's new Orion Spaceship that will take astronauts to the Moon and beyond in coming years, hitting a key milestone that should lead to hundreds of millions of euros in future orders. Engineers at the Airbus plant in Bremen, Germany on Thursday carefully packed the spacecraft into a special container that will fly aboard a huge Antonov cargo plane to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a first step on its way to deep space.In Florida, the module will be joined with the Orion crew module built by ...
On a side street near a darkened shopping arcade full of abandoned storefronts in southwestern Japan, the Sushi Ko restaurant is unusually busy on a weekday. Balancing a tray full of drinks, Sachiyo Ozaki said most of her restaurant's customers were there because of an industry shunned elsewhere: nuclear power. "He drives a minivan to take workers to the plant," she said, gesturing towards a man sitting at the counter. Pointing to another man sipping a beer, she added, "And he works in construction, so they've been busy too." "We're all ...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that a lot of progress had been made with China on trade, and he predicted the world's two largest economies would reach a very good deal.Speaking to reporters at the White House before departing for a campaign event, Trump confirmed that he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping when they are in Argentina for a Nov. 30-Dec. 1 summit of the Group of 20 nations."We've had very good discussions with China. We're getting much closer to doing something," Trump said. "They very much want to make a deal.""I think we'll make a ...
By Arshad Mohammed, Lesley Wroughton and Patricia ZengerleWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it will temporarily allow eight jurisdictions to keep importing Iranian oil when U.S. sanctions come back into force on Monday, sparing them for now from the threat of U.S. economic penalties.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who announced the decision in a conference call, did not name the jurisdictions, but said the European Union as a whole, which has 28 members, would not receive one. Turkey's Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said his country had been told it would get a ...
The benchmark indices are likely to focus on movement in rupee, crude oil and other global factors on Friday.

Market sentiment is expected to be positive after rupee, on Thursday closed at Rs 73.45 to a US dollar from its previous close of 73.95.

Amid stock specific action, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, HDFC wiil be in focus today. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) posted a 37 per cent fall in its net profit for the second quarter of the financial year at Rs 10.92 billion, owing to a rise in crude oil prices and exchange rate fluctuations. However, Housing Development Finance Corporation's (HDFC) September quarter (Q2) numbers, announced on Thursday, are in line with the Street's estimates to some extent. Net profit grew 24.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 24.7 billion, against a Bloomberg analysts poll of Rs 24.3 billion.

That apart, over 200 companies including IOC, Hindalco, PNB, Reliance Power and SAIL are likely to announce their September quarter earnings later in the day.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian equity markets rose on Friday as China and the United States expressed optimism about resolving their bruising trade war, though a warning from tech giant Apple Inc on holiday sales amid emerging market weakness could weigh on technology shares.

MSCIs broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.46 per cent, adding to the previous sessions strong gains. Japan's Nikkei stock index was up 1.27 per cent.

In fresh trouble for the Sahara group, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has directed its group firms and directors, including Subrata Roy, to pay back Rs 141 billion with 15 per cent annual interest to investors, saying the fundraising was in contravention of norms laid down under the Sebi Act and the Companies Act on public issue of securities.

The markets regulator said Sahara India Commercial Corporation (SICCL) raised the amount from 19.84 million investors by way of optionally fully convertible debentures (OFCDs) between 1998 and 2009.

Goods and services tax (GST) collection crossed the trillion mark for the second time in 2018-19. The mop-up touched Rs 1.01 trillion in October, up 6.6 per cent from Septembers collection of Rs 944 billion.

Experts attributed this to pick-up in demand in the run-up to the festival season, and the closing of input tax claims for 2017-18. In April, Rs 1.03 trillion was collected.

The monthly target of Rs 1 trillion for the current financial year was missed for five consecutive months  May to September  followed by the uptick in October.
Two weeks ago, Deputy Governor Viral Acharya warned government of 'wrath of financial markets' if the independence of the central bank was curbed. Today, in a clear reference to Acharya's remark, Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg tweeted that the economic parameters continued to remain strong with no backlash from markets.

In his tweet, Garg wrote: "Rupee trading at less than 73 to a dollar, Brent crude below $73 a barrel, markets up by over 4% during the week and bond yields below 7.8%. Wrath of the markets?"

Rupee trading at less than 73 to a dollar, Brent crude below $73 a barrel, markets up by over 4% during the week and bond yields below 7.8%. Wrath of the markets? - Subhash Chandra Garg (@SecretaryDEA) November 2, 2018

Garg's rebuttal comes close on the heels of a truce between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the government, and could potentially escalate things. Reports suggest that senior government officials are reportedly upset with the RBI for publicly talking about a rift with the government, fearing it could tarnish the country's image among investors.

While disagreements between the central bank and the government are nothing new, they do not spill into public domain like they have this time. It began when Acharya warned of catastrophic consequences if the autonomy of a central bank was undermined on the grounds of myopic government policy. The North Block was not exactly tickled after hearing Acharya's views, and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley retaliated by holding the central bank responsible for irresponsible lending between 2008 to 2014.

For the time first time in independent India, government had initiated consultations under the Section 7 (1) of RBI Act. The Finance Ministry has reportedly written three separate letters in the past few weeks to the RBI on issues ranging from Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework to liquidity management and sought consultation under Section 7 of the RBI Act.

One of the letters pertained to use of the RBI's capital reserves for providing liquidity to the market and another was for relaxing constraints on banks for loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The government wants RBI to carve out exemption for power companies under the PCA framework that outlines triggers for declaring a loan account as stressed or NPA.

Asked if the government has invoked the never-used provision under Section 7 of the RBI Act, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said communications and layers of consultations between the government and the RBI haven't ever been disclosed. "Final decisions arrived at are only communicated," he said.

Edited by Vivek Punj
In a conference in New York, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that there are positive aspects of letting the company's employees protest but that he was still in charge and won't be constantly swayed by staff uprisings. At the conference that was conducted around the same time walkouts were held globally by Google employees, Pichai said, "We don't run the company by referendum. There are many good things about giving employees a lot of voice, out of that we have done well."

"At Google we set a very, very high bar and we clearly didn't live up to our expectations," he said, as mentioned in a report in TIME, further adding, "Sexual harassment is a societal problem... We are definitely doing our best."

Pichai also said that it might appear to outsiders that the company's internal dynamics is in chaos but it is not as intense as some have characterised it to be.

On Thursday, November 1, Google employees globally staged a walkout to protest against the company's response to sexual harassment scandals. The protests followed a New York Times report last week that revealed that Senior Vice President Andy Rubin was given a $90 million exit package after he was accused of sexual harassment.

The walkouts took place in batches starting from Asia and moving across Europe and North America and finally at Google's Mountain View, California headquarters.

The organisers of the protests demanded the following changes:

1. An end to Forced Arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination.

2. A commitment to end pay and opportunity equity.

3. A publicly disclosed sexual harassment transparency report.

4. A clear, uniform, globally inclusive process for reporting sexual misconduct safely and anonymously.

5. Elevate the Chief Diversity Officer to answer directly to the CEO and make recommendations directly to the Board of Directors. In addition, appoint an Employee Representative to the Board.

Rubin denied the allegations and said that reports about his exit package were "wild exaggerations".
The Security Council has unanimously extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Sahara MINURSO by six months, while expressing its full support for the decision of the Secretary General and his Personal Envoy, Horst Kohler, to initiate a new negotiation process before the end of this year.

Kohler has invited the foreign ministers of Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania and a representative of the Polisario Front to a round-table meeting in Geneva, on December 5 and 6, the first such direct engagement since 2012.

In resolution 2440, adopted on Wednesday by a large majority of its members, the Security Council hailed Kohlers decision to hold this initial round-table meeting, without preconditions and in good faith, in order to make an assessment of the latest developments, examine regional issues, and discuss the next steps in the political process relating to the Sahara issue.

The resolution said, for the first time ever, that Algeria is a main party to the process seeking to find a realistic, practical and durable political solution to the Sahara issue.

In its second paragraph, the resolution urged Algeria to take part in the Geneva round-table talks and to work constructively with the personal envoy (of the UN Secretary General for the Sahara) in a spirit of compromise during the whole process to ensure its success.

The resolution called on the parties to show political will and work in an atmosphere conducive to dialogue with a view to making headway in negotiations, thus ensuring the implementation of UNSC resolutions since 2007 and the success of talks.

The resolution also reaffirmed, again, the pre-eminence of the Moroccan autonomy initiative to solve the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

The resolution on the other hand swept aside the false allegations concerning the existence of so-called liberated territory, maintained by Algeria and the separatist movement.

Actually, the Resolution slams the Polisarios destabilizing actions in the region and urges the separatists to adhere fully to its commitments to the Personal Envoy not to return to Bir Lahlou, Tifariti and the buffer strip at Guerguerat and not to transfer any civilian or military structure east of the defense berm. This paragraph clearly shows that there are no liberated territory by the Polisario.

Moroccos envoy to UN, Omar Hilale, said in a press briefing in New York following the vote, that Resolution 2440 consecrates, for the first time, Algeria as the main party in the political process.

The adoption of this resolution after resolution 2414 of last April, constitutes a major development in the management of the Moroccan Sahara issue by the Security Council, he pointed out.

He insisted that the peacekeeping missions mandate and the peace process needed to be de-linked.

The political process is something, the MINURSO mandate is something else, he said, explaining that the missions mandate deals with supervising and monitoring the ceasefire, helping in confidence building measures, and de-mining. The political process doesnt depend on MINURSO, doesnt depend on whats going on on the field. It depends on the political will of all the parties, he said, insisting that what is most important is to give a chance to the personal envoy to work quietly, in serenity and to give him time.

Resolution 2440 welcomed the initiatives taken by Morocco and the role played by the National Council on Human Rights Commissions operating in Dakhla and Laayoune as well as Moroccos interaction with Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

It also reiterated the Security Councils request for consideration of a refugee registration in the Tindouf refugee camps and emphasizing efforts be made in this regard.
By Vilas Tokale Gaborone, Nov 1 (PTI) Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has invited companies in Botswana to seize business opportunities in India, which he said is moving rapidly on the path of economic transformation.Addressing business leaders at the 13th Global Expo Botswana 2018 on Wednesday, Naidu said Botswana and India enjoy a longstanding and enduring partnership as the two countries share common values of democracy and strong people-to-people ties.Naidu, who arrived here on Wednesday evening on the first leg of his three-nation visit to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi, inaugurated the expo along with his Botswanian counterpart Slumber Tsogwane. Twenty-five Indian companies have taken part in the expo, the largest participation from a single country. "India commends Botswana's significant role in integrating its regional partners and promoting inclusive growth for Africa, he said."I come from a country that has, from time immemorial, believed that the entire world is one large family. It is a country that has espoused peaceful co-existence among nations. It is a country that believes that all the countries should work together to improve human lives," he said.India's engagement with Africa over the last four years has been unprecedented, Naidu said. "Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set out 10 guiding principles to take our relationship with Africa to even greater heights," he added."In the India-Africa Forum Summit in 2015, India pledged overall lines of credit of USD 10 billion for Africa, in addition to USD 600 million as grant and 50,000 scholarships. We are well on our way to fulfilling these pledges," he said. India-Botswana business ties have been growing steadily over the years, he said. "Our bilateral trade is valued at USD 1.75 billion in 2017-18. It is impressive to note that our trade has increased by 26 per cent during 2017-18."India is moving rapidly on the path of economic transformation with an annual growth rate of over 7 per cent and presents multiple opportunities for Botswana entrepreneurs in various sectors, he added."Transformative taxation reforms like the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) has made India a transparent and an integrated market with greater ease of doing business," he said. "Aiming to make India the third largest consumer market in the world, we are moving forward to build a five-trillion-dollar economy by 2025," he said. "Today, in India, there is a new enthusiasm, a new dynamism and a new quest for excellence in all spheres," Naidu said.The vice president said the Modi government has launched flagship schemes like Swachh Bharat, Make in India, Skill India, Digital India, industrial corridors and smart cities development programmes and asked Botswana companies to "seize these current and emerging" business opportunities.Naidu's six-day Africa visit is aimed at boosting bilateral ties with Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi.During the visit, Naidu's official engagements include meeting presidents of the countries, holding bilateral meetings with his counterparts and delegation level talks, and interacting with business groups and Indian communities. PTI VT PMS KUNKUN
The leader of the DUP Arlene foster said the UK and the EU are close to a deal that will work for Northern Ireland.

"Goodness, we have been here on a number of occasions and I think we are close a deal that will work for Northern Ireland, that is what we want," she told reporters after meeting with Britain's Brexit minister Dominic Raab. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
1.U.S. Justice Department Charges Chinese Companies With Economic Espionage

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that a federal grand jury has indicted the state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. Ltd., its Taiwan partner United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), and three Taiwanese individuals, charging them with a conspiracy to commit economic espionage.

The U.S. government also filed a civil lawsuit seeking to prevent the further transfer of the technology. The indictment was filed Sept. 27, and unsealed Nov. 1. The civil lawsuit was filed today.

The Justice Department accused these companies and individuals of stealing trade secrets from the U.S. semiconductor company Micron to build dynamic random access memory (DRAM) products in China. According to the indictment, three Taiwan residents who were Micron employees in Taiwan brought Micron files to UMC. The indictment is announced three days after the U.S. Department of Commerce banned Jinhua from buying U.S. components and software. (Official press release)

2.Baidu Partners with China FAW Group to Deliver Driverless Red Flag Vehicles in 2020

Chinese search engine Baidu announced at Baidus annual tech summit on Nov. 1 a partnership with the state-owned China FAW Group Corp. to mass produce autonomous cars. The two companies plan to produce a few fully autonomous passenger cars at the end of 2019 and begin mass production in 2020.

The car brand Baidu and FAW Group chose is Hongqi or Red Flag, an iconic line of luxury sedans often used by high-level Chinese officials.

Baidu has also announced a partnership with Volvo Cars, which is owned by China's Geely Holding Group, to mass produce robo-taxis in China. (Caixin, link in Chinese)

3.Tencent Announces WeChat and Mini Apps for Cars

Chinese social media giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. unveiled a version of its popular social media app WeChat designed for cars. Drivers can only interact with this version of WeChat with their voice to reduce distraction.

Tencent founder Pony Ma said that there is a strong demand for in-vehicle WeChat. But Tencent wants to make sure it doesnt cause any traffic accidents before they release the platform.

The WeChat for cars also works with Tencents own mini apps, which allows users to access services through WeChat. Tencent said that when cars drive to gas stations, parking lots and tourist destinations, mini apps developed for those places will be available for drivers to use through voice interaction.(Caixin, link in Chinese)

4.Alibaba Signs MOUs with Rwandan Government to Promote Trade

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group signed three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with the government of Rwanda to promote trade and tourism between Rwanda and China. Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma attended the signing ceremony in Rwandas capital Kigali.

In the MOUs, Alibaba promised to help Rwandan companies to sell products, including coffee, tea and handicrafts, to Chinese consumers through Alibaba's e-commerce platforms. Alibabas online travel agency Fliggy will also promote Rwanda as a tourist destination to Chinese tourists. (The New Times)

5.After Rebuff, Top Chinese Marketing Firm Takes Second Shot at North America

BlueFocus, Chinas largest public relations and marketing firm, said it will buy U.S. peer Eleven Holdings Inc. for up to $80 million, moving ahead with a global expansion despite Washingtons veto of a similar proposed purchase earlier this year.

If successful, the deal would be one of the largest ever for a Chinese media company, since much of Chinas outbound investment has been concentrated in the commodities, manufacturing and technology sectors.

BlueFocus has been relatively active in foreign acquisitions, saying in 2014 that it planned to make $300 million in purchases in the U.S. and Europe. However, last year, BlueFocuss plan to purchase 63% of Canadian firm Cogint for $100 million failed because it failed to get approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. (Caixin)

6.Pinduoduo Beefs Up for Online Health Sales

Chinese discount e-commerce site Pinduoduo Inc. is moving into online health care sales, following similar moves by Amazon.com Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

Pinduoduo has been on a hiring spree of employees who have an online pharmacy background, according to Chinese media reports, and the company now features a health care section at the bottom of its search pages.

However, Caixin found certain products in Pinduoduos health care section, such as creams that claim to treat skin diseases, hadnt received certification and were also not offered by certified third-party pharmacies. (Caixin)

Compiled by Zhang Erchi
The board of directors of Bahraini national carrier, Gulf Air, have cast aside previous plans to lay off Bahraini staff as the airline edges towards profitability following few years of losses.

At an important meeting held Thursday, the carrier decided to reinstate Bahraini staff at the airline, which is going through a restructuring program.

The chairman of the airline, Zayed bin Rashid Alzayani, according to reports, said the state-owned airline will continue to embrace national efficiencies and invest in the development of Bahraini staff capabilities.

Gulf Air posted losses over the past few years and has begun implementation of a new business strategy.

After appointing a new board of directors for a three-year term to support the management team last year, the airline has targeted 5.5 million passengers this year, up from 5.3 million in 2017 and is looking to increase its fleet from 28 to 35 aircraft.

Also, this year, the carrier expects to add eight new destinations to its routes and reach the target of over 60 destinations by 2023. North American cities are among those being courted.
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A bushfire burning out of control at Pierces Creek was on the northern boundary of Michael Shanahan's property on Friday morning, with an ember attack expected later Friday afternoon the big concern. Michael Shanahan, who survived the 2003 bushfires, said the current fire was close to his sheep property on Paddy's River Road. "It's on our northern boundary,'' he said. "It's all right at the moment, there are plenty of resources here. We're reasonably well-prepared. We mobilised all our firefighting gear last night and cleaned up this morning. "So now we're just sitting back and waiting. Our worry is really an ember attack later on today.'' Mr Shanahan said the ACT Rural Fire Service had fire trucks at the houses on his two properties and graders building fire breaks. "They're doing a fantastic job,'' he said. Mr Shanahan was on the same property in 2003. It was burnt out in the January 18 firestorm nearly 16 years ago. "The conditions at the moment are nothing like that," he said. "The ember attacks are a worry though. It's so indiscriminate, an ember attack. It's extremely dry at the moment, so if an ember lands in the wrong place, it could be a bit of a nightmare. "But otherwise, it's not like 2003 where it's going to come screaming through the paddocks or anything. I don't believe so, anyway. "The firefront is nowhere as big as 2003, it's tiny in comparison. But if the wind blows the wrong way and lights up the bush, because the bush is extremely dry, and we end up with a fairly big ember attack front, that would be a worry. But we're not at that stage at the moment." Mr Shanahan had 10,000 sheep on his properties, moving the sheep under immediate threat to a safer paddock. "All the sheep on the north-west of the property, we've moved," he said. It's understood some of his neighbours have evacuated. Mr Shanahan felt prepared enough to stay and protect his property. "We're not going to leave,'' he said. "There's too much at stake."

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An out-of-control fire to the west of Tuggeranong is moving towards the southern suburbs, with fears Canberrans have become complacent since the 2003 firestorm and need to act now. The 134-hectare blaze is seven kilometres from the closest suburbs - Kambah, Greenway, Bonython and Gordon - and remains at a "watch and act" alert. No evacuations have been ordered and no property was under threat. Firefighters have been focused on property protection, unable to attack the blaze at Pierces Creek directly due to its erratic nature, with tree-top flames even in the early hours of the morning. The ACT Emergency Services Agency says the watch and act alert means that "conditions are changeable and residents should consider how you should protect you and your family if the fire were to spread''. It has warned embers could fly into the suburbs of Canberra, saying the risk to Tuggeranong was "pretty evident'' and urged residents to get ready now. At 6am on Friday and throughout much of the day, the Pierces Creek fire was 8km from the nearest suburbs, but had closed in to being 7km away by 4pm. Agency personnel are doorknocking between 400 and 700 homes from Kambah to Gordon along the urban fringe, ie those homes closest to bushland. That includes homes also in Greenway and Bonython. It says no evacuations have been ordered for residents, horses or other animals. "There is currently no threat to property,'' the agency says. The ACT Education Department denied rumours on Facebook that Tuggeranong public schools were being evacuated and instead said they were operating as usual. But the Emergency Services Agency later advised, "ACT Schools should refer members of the public to Access Canberra on 13 22 81 or www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au for information on temporary school closures.'' A map of the fire is available at www.esa.act.gov.au. The agency says the doorknocking in Tuggeranong is "an education activity''. "Emergency personnel are conducting this exercise to educate people about what the fire threat alert levels mean," it says. Residents can download the bushfire survival plan here. The fire is burning erratically and is heading in a southeasterly direction in steep terrain. Emergency Services Commissioner Dominic Lane said increasing winds would make it difficult for firefighters battling the Pierces Creek blaze on Friday. Commissioner Lane told ABC Radio "the risk is pretty evident" to Tuggeranong residents. "If you live in the Tuggeranong Valley and look to the north-west you will no doubt see that fire," he said. "It is heading towards the Tuggeranong Valley based on the weather conditions. And while we don't want people to panic, we do need people to start planning." Commissioner Lane later told a lunchtime press conference that due to the extremely dry conditions, the firefighters were facing conditions similar to the 2003 firestorm when four people died and close to 500 homes were destroyed. He feared people had become complacent in the ensuing nearly 16 years since the firestorm, but now was the time to act. "So this is a strong reminder to our community, to the ACT citizens  nows the time to get ready,'' he said. "Download your bushfire survival plan from the ESA website, take notice of the information, keep up-to-date with the ESA website in terms of warnings and alerts and download the Fires Near Me app. "This fire remains uncontrolled. We are very fortunate to have our firefighters onscene from Parks and Conservation, the Rural Fire Service, and ACT Fire and Rescue as well as supportfrom our interstate colleagues in NSW to protect the local area. "But we remain concerned in these extremely dry conditions theres still a chance that this fire could be subjected to spotting activity and spot over the mountains to east and into the suburbs of Canberra.'' Commissioner Lane said the fire was uncontrolled and not being attacked directly. "This fire is being fought during the day in property protection mode. We are not in a position todirectly attack this fire because the fire behaviour is just too erratic,'' he said. "We saw overnight even at two o'clock in the morning, flames at tree-top height. Firefighters tried bravely to get in and contain the fire. It was just too dangerous. "Those conditions still exist down there at the moment so our main strategy is around property protection and preparing our community The ACT Government has closed Kambah Pool and Kambah Pool Road. Camp Cottermouth is also closed until further notice. On direction from the Emergency Services Agency, the Australian National University has closed its Mount Stromlo site to visitors "and are working closely with those remaining onsite''. "At 11.45am today, emergency services started door-knocking residential areas in Kambah and Gordon along the urban corridor, providing advice on what to undertake in the event fires move into the Tuggeranong area,'' a statement from the university read. "Any students or their immediate families that reside in those areas, are welcome to return home and make any necessary preparations. "Students whose examinations may be affected may make arrangements for deferred assessments through: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/deferred-examinations.'' The fire started from a burnt-out car. Its focus has been at Pierces Creek, a former forestry settlement, that was also burnt to the ground in the 2003 bushfires. More than 20 crews from ACT Fire & Rescue and ACT Rural Fire Service are on site. Throughout the day five helicopters have conducted water bombing operations to assist and the LAT (Large Aeroplane Tanker) has dropped retardant over the site. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the ACT and surrounding region Friday afternoon with the potential for damaging winds over the next several hours. They also advise that the haze over Canberra is not smoke but dust from inland NSW. It is likely to get thicker throughout the evening. The Health Directorate advises that people with asthma, other chronic respiratory and/or chronic cardiac diseases should not perform vigorous exercise and should stay inside if affected by the dust.People with asthma in particular should continue their medication and consult their general practitioner if they have any difficulties.

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Six helicopters and 23 ACT Rural Fire Service units continue to battle the Pierces Creek fire on Saturday afternoon as they work to bring the blaze under control. The fire had on Saturday afternoon burnt 202 hectares and was seven kilometres from Canberra's south-west fringe, but posed no threat to property or life. A large amount of the fire activity on Saturday was in the north west, where backburning operations had contributed to the size of the fire. ACT Emergency Services Agency commissioner Dominic Lane said he was confident the fire would be brought under control on Saturday after favourable conditions overnight helped firefighters strengthen containment lines. In addition to water bombing the area, firefighters are using bulldozers and heavy plant machinery to further strengthen containment lines, and backburning "as a minor tactic" where it is safe to do so. "We've had the fortune of the storm that hit Canberra," Mr Lane told a media contingent on Saturday morning. "Whilst that brought significant damage with I think 150 calls to the SES to assist our residents of the ACT, it did help our firefighters. "It allowed for milder conditions overnight and allowed firefighters to more safety get in and start establishing containment lines. "They've done that by using bulldozers... and today that's supported by helicopters actually waterbombing the fire edge to help bring this fire under control." Firefighters worked overnight backburning in the area to control the fire, which remains at alert advice level. Shortly after 11am on Saturday, Mr Lane said while the fire had "appeased for the moment", it still posed a risk and could continue to grow if not brought under control in the next 24-48 hours. "Theres still a lot of work to do," he said. "This is very steep and inaccessible terrain, and while we still have significant active fire on some of those edges, we cant get in there as close as wed like just yet." An ACT Emergency Services Agency spokesperson said there had been no evacuations and there was "no immediate danger to the community". On Friday, more than 1440 homes were door knocked in suburbs from Kambah to Gordon. They were reminded to be prepared for the upcoming bushfire season. Ten crews remained on the firefront overnight Friday to put in containment lines and attempt to bring the fire under control. Westerly winds were expected to reach 26km/h in the area and blow smoke over the ACT on Saturday. The fire danger rating remains very high in the ACT. Kambah Pool, Camp Cottermouth, Bullen Range Nature Reserve and Pierces Creek forrest remain closed. Kambah Pool Road from Kambah Pool to Mount Vernon Drive is closed. Paddy's River Road has been reopened. The Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve remained closed on Saturday afternoon but was expected to reopen on Sunday. Firefighters on Saturday morning investigated reports of a second fire south east of the main firefront, but determined it to be smoke from the Pierces Creek blaze. An Emergency Services Agency spokeswoman said helicopters would continue to monitor the area. The Health Directorate has advised people with asthma, other chronic respiratory or chronic cardiac diseases to not perform vigorous exercise. "People with asthma in particular should continue their medication and consult their general practitioner if they have any difficulties," they said. Speaking to reporters, Mr Lane said that, due to the extremely dry conditions, firefighters were facing conditions similar to the 2003 firestorm when four people died and close to 500 homes were destroyed. He feared people had become complacent in the nearly 16 years since the firestorm, but now was the time to act. "This is a strong reminder to our community, to the ACT citizens nows the time to get ready," he said. "Download your bushfire survival plan from the ESA website, take notice of the information, keep up-to-date with the ESA website in terms of warnings and alerts and download the Fires Near Me app. "If this is a taste of what were dealing with its going to be a very long summer for our firefighters."

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The ACT State Emergency Service has responded to about 150 calls for help since 4pm on Friday, following a thunderstorm and winds so fierce part of the roof was ripped off an aircraft hangar. Seven ACT crews, assisted by five from NSW, worked through the majority of the calls overnight. The calls came mostly from the Tuggeranong region and generally involved fallen trees and branches, an Emergency Services Agency media release said on Saturday morning. ACT Fire and Rescue and Transport Canberra and City Services also helped to clear fallen trees and branches from roads. At 1.40pm on Saturday there were seven outstanding jobs, which were mostly trees on roads or footpaths and roof tiles lifted by the wind, and were expected to be completed by 4pm on Saturday. No further requests for assistance had been made after 9am on Saturday. Friday afternoon's storm was so fierce, the wind ripped off part of the roof of a special purpose Royal Australian Air Force hangar at Fairbairn. The storm also temporarily grounded aircraft used to monitor and fight a large bushfire at Pierces Creek. Emergency Services Agency commissioner Dominic Lane said "erratic wind behaviour" had made it difficult for firefighters to predict the direction of the fire, which had grown to 175 hectares in size on Saturday morning. Anyone needing storm and flood assistance should call the ACT State Emergency Service on 132 500.

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The Dutch embassy in Kuwait City will display for the first time in the Arab world, the worlds first commercial flying car, several months after its debut at Geneva International Motor show.

Built by PAL-V, the PAL-V Liberty will be on display on November 12 for the pubic. The manufacturer said it is taking last steps for pre-production certification and with compliance demonstration.

It takes a lot of testing to prove that the PAL-V Liberty complies with the regulations, said Mike Stekelenburg, PAL-Vs chief engineer.

We deliberately chose to design, engineer and manufacture our flying car with proven instead of immature technologies, complying with existing road and air regulations (EASA and FAA).

This approach focuses on safety and enables a realistic and imminent product delivery date, he said.

Interest for the model in the Arab world and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in particular has been growing and the region offers a possibility of great market where the flying car can be used for different purposes.

Its the perfect region to demonstrate the versatile employment of the PAL-V Liberty, said Ir Robert Dingemanse, CEO of PAL-V.

In recent years, many government institutes and private persons in the Middle East region expressed particular interest in the PAL-V Libertys capabilities and advantages, he added.

PAL-V expects to begin selling its flying car model by 2020 upon receiving certification.

The PAL-V Liberty Pioneer can be booked at $25,000 while the PAL-V Liberty Sport can been booked at $10,000. The fees are nonrefundable.
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A juror who was involved in shaping Canberra's new compulsory third party insurance scheme says an inquiry into the bill is his last chance to address "significant flaws" in the model. Bill Browne will be one of the first witnesses when an ACT Legislative Assembly inquiry looking into a bill to reform the scheme begins on Friday. He was one of 39 jurors involved with the deliberative democracy exercise earlier this year and co-authored a minority report that expressed concerns the chosen model would harm people in Canberra. Since the jury concluded, Mr Browne said he had remained involved in the process, including attending a briefing on the legislation. "It is this continued involvement that has convinced me that the committee inquiry, and the Legislative Assembly as a whole, represent the last chance to address significant flaws in the proposed new motor accident injuries scheme," Mr Browne wrote in a submission. Mr Browne said while the decision to use a citizens' jury was "brave and bold", it was not conducted perfectly. He said the jury had never been given the chance to consider a model that was high in compensation and with high defined benefits. He believes that model would have been best, and he is deeply concerned the new scheme expanded the pool of people eligible for compensation by two-thirds while cutting overall compensation by 20 per cent. Mr Browne said the committee should investigate ways of keeping the level of compensation payouts the same as they are now. "All throughout the citizens' jury, the majority of jurors strongly emphasised that the current fault-based compensation system seems unfair, inefficient or even arbitrary," Mr Browne said. "lt is not surprising that the citizens' jury subsequently chose the model with the highest defined benefits for those injured in motor vehicle accidents, regardless of fault. "However, because only four models were presented to the jury, we could only ever choose between models with high compensation but low defined benefits and models with low compensation but high defined benefits. "The jury was not given the opportunity to consider a model that introduced a high level of defined benefits while also keeping overall compensation roughly in line with what it is now. If such a model had been presented to us, l know I would have enthusiastically supported it - and I suspect others would have as well." Mr Browne said the lack of a cap on insurer profits in the legislation meant the efficiency gains promised by the proposed scheme may not eventuate and could even end up more wasteful than the status quo. He said while the model chosen by the jury - and supported by the insurance industry - was technically the most efficient, it depended on insurer profits dropping from $42 per premium to $30. "This suggests that insurers - out of naivety or generosity - supported a model that will reduce their profits by 29 per cent - or $3 million per year. I think it is more likely that insurers do not expect their profits to go down, or they would not have supported this model in the first place," Mr Browne said. "The only way to guarantee that the proposed scheme is more efficient than the old scheme is to place a cap on insurer profits." The NSW scheme has a cap, brought in after long-term insurer profits averaged 19 per cent per year. Mr Browne noted ACT's insurers did not report what their final profits were. The ACT Bar Association, listed as a witness on Friday, also struck out at insurance companies in its submission. "Unlike other at fault schemes such as the Transport Accident Commission scheme in Victoria, it is proposed that the scheme be privately underwritten. It is also proposed that claims will continue to be managed by private insurers," the association said. "This proposed method of administering claims gives insurers overwhelming power in relationto the provision of compensation to injured motorists."

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Jakarta: Indonesia's former top diplomat in Canberra was "shocked" by the Morrison government's decision to consider moving Australia's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and has urged Australia to adopt a more independent foreign policy from the US. Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, who served as ambassador to Australia from 2012 to 2017 under Indonesian Presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, said the Australian government should "distance yourselves a bit" from the United States. The comments from the recently-retired veteran diplomat underscore the deep disquiet in Jakarta over the proposal, which has led to suggestions the signing of the Indonesia-Australia free trade agreement could be delayed. The Indonesian government has publicly dismissed that idea, so far, but with the presidential election in April next year that could change if the opposition, led by perennial presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, decides to use the issue to politically wedge Mr Widodo. Mr Nadjib's comments come after former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison were publicly at odds over the issue this week, following Mr Turnbull's critique of the proposal after his meeting with Mr Widodo in Bali. The possible move of the embassy, he said, and diplomatic recognition of Jerusalem as the nation's capital was a very difficult issue for Indonesians as the status of the Palestinian people, and state, was an issue most held dear to their heart. "The [potential] move of your embassy of course makes people - many people and many organisations - think that this is not a friendly move towards Indonesia. Australia should, Mr Nadjib said, differentiate itself from the United States, a reference to President Donald Trump's decision this year to move that country's embassy to Jerusalem, which angered the Muslim world. "If Australia wants to play a more important role among the countries of Asia and ASEAN, I think now it is time to show a little bit of difference with the United States," he said. "Australia is always considered by the countries of this region as part of us, as part of ASEAN plus six, you are part of so many dialogues in the region. So its time to play a more important role in the region by maybe distancing yourself a bit from America and becoming more part of Asia." Earlier this week in a major foreign policy speech, Mr Morrison promised deeper co-operation with Japan, Indonesia, India and South Korea "to help forge a balance in our region" as strategic competition between the United States and China heats up. Evi Fitriani, an international relations academic at the University of Indonesia, said the issue had the potential to damage bilateral relations. "I dont think it will go as far as cut off diplomatic ties but it could somehow push the signing of IA-CEPA [the free trade agreement] until after the presidential election," she said. The former ambassador said while every prime minister of Australia spoke about the importance of Indonesia, "the warmness of Jokowi-Turnbull, I can say that this was on a personal basis". While Mr Widodo had warmly welcomed Mr Morrison to the Presidential Palace in Bogor soon after he was installed as Prime Minister, the potential embassy move had cast a shadow over the bilateral relationship. It is not yet clear when the Morrison government, which is reviewing the status of Australia's Israeli embassy, will make a decision on the potential move but it is expected to be by the end of the year. The Turnbull government had considered moving the Australian embassy, and the matter was discussed informally - but dismissed - by the National Security Committee of cabinet months ago. Meanwhile, the Morrison government opened a new argument on the policy on Friday by suggesting the embassy move could be matched by the opening of an Australian embassy to recognise Palestine. Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said the policy was entirely even-handed because it would help a two-state solution in the region. If we were to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and when there is a Palestinian state  we would then open an embassy in East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, Mr Pyne said on Sky News. So its an entirely even-handed approach, and why shouldnt we consider the very simple matter of whether our embassy should be in Israels capital city, which is Jerusalem? Theres far too much hyperventilating going on over this issue. If Mr Morrison went ahead with the embassy move, his position would be in line with US President Donald Trump, the government of Guatemala and the just-elected conservative president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. with Karuni Rompies

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RAK Gas of Ras Al Khaimah emirate will take part in the production of oil and gas for the government of the Tanzanian semi-autonomous territory of Zanzibar.

A sharing agreement to this effect, according to Ras Al Khaimah government, has been signed between RAK Gas and the Zanzibar government.

RAK Gas was represented by its subsidiary, RAK Gas Zanzibar located on the semi-autonomous territory of the African country.

The agreement covers production of oil and gas at Pemba Zanzibar Block that stretches over 11,868 square km.

The project is first ever for the Zanzibar government.
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Jordanian Ministers of education and tourism have resigned as pressure mounts on the cabinet to investigate the death of at least 20 people, mostly junior secondary school students, during an excursion to Al-Miyah al-Sakhina near the Dead Sea, last week.

Azmi Mahafzah of the education and her colleague Lina Annab of tourism stepped down Thursday, an official told AFP.

The two cabinet members came under harsh criticism after an excursion to Al-Miyah al-Sakhina near the Dead Sea by a group of secondary school students and their teachers turned tragic. The group according to authorities was taken by surprise and washed away by a flood caused by torrential rains.

At least 20 people have died and dozens were injured. The flood carried away on several kilometers some of the victims. Those who survived clung to rocks.

Several members of parliament called earlier this week for the two ministers to be dismissed because the outing had been authorized despite warnings of bad weather, The New Arab reports.

Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz pledged to commission an investigation into the accident to determine why the trip went ahead despite weather forecast warning of heavy rains.

The Premier vowed to punish people that the probe will hold responsible.
From 2022 it will not be allowed to have a cell phone while drivingThe only way to communicate with the...
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said it summoned Denmarks envoy and protested against the naming of the Iranian state in an alleged assassination plot that targeted a Danish citizen of Iranian origin who has been very critical of Tehran.

In this meeting, the official strongly denied the biased reports on a foiled attack plot on an Iranian dissident in Denmark and its attribution to the Islamic republic of Iran, foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said in a statement.

Tuesday the European country finger-pointed Iran in connection with an assassination plot which targeted on the Danish soil a member of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (ASMLA), an Arab opposition in Iran seeking to break away and form their own country.

An Iranian intelligence agency has planned an assassination on Danish soil. This is completely unacceptable. In fact, the gravity of the matter is difficult to describe. That has been made crystal clear to the Iranian ambassador in Copenhagen today (Tuesday, oct.30), said Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen.

According Danish authorities, a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin was arrested early this month in connection with the plot. The arrested individual reportedly received orders from an Iranian intelligence agency.

We are dealing with an Iranian intelligence agency planning an attack on Danish soil. Obviously, we cant and wont accept that, Danish intelligence chief Finn Borch Andersen said.

Denmark, in protest against the alleged plot, recalled its ambassador for consultation.

I have decided to recall Denmarks ambassador in Tehran for consultations Denmark can in no way accept that people with ties to Irans intelligence service plot attacks against people in Denmark, Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen told reporters.

The top diplomat singled out the Iranian state in the affair. He received support from his US counterpart, Mike Pompeo who called on the US allies in Europe to rally and defeat Iran who he said poses threats to peace and security.

We congratulate the government of Denmark on its arrest of an Iranian regime assassin. For nearly 40 years, Europe has been the target of Iran-sponsored terrorist attacks. We call on our allies and partners to confront the full range of Irans threats to peace and security, Pompeo wrote on Twitter.
The combination of rituximab and Hu5F-G4 has previously been shown to work well in fighting human cancers in animal models, but this is the first published result of a clinical trial of this therapy in humans. The clinical trial builds upon previous studies of CD47 and its role in cancer that were conducted in Weissmans laboratory and funded by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.

For this clinical trial, participants were administered a combination of Hu5F-G4 and rituximab at 10 clinical centers. All the patients in the study had failed to respond to or relapsed after at least two previous types of therapy. Hu5F-G4 was administered to the patients at slowly increasing dosages to test for adverse reactions to the antibody.

Of the 22 patients enrolled in the trial, 11 showed a clinically significant reduction in their cancers. In eight of those patients, all signs of cancer were eliminated, Advani said. Three other patients in the trial did not respond to the treatment and died due to disease progression.

Although there are many things that can kill cancer cells, the real test of a therapy is whether it can kill the cancer cells without harming normal cells. Advani said she was particularly pleased that the researchers observed only minor side effects in the participants.

Its very exciting to have a potentially new class of immunotherapy like this, said Advani, who is the Saul A. Rosenberg, MD, Professor of Lymphoma. For the first time we have an antibody that activates macrophages against cancer and appears to be safe for use in humans.

Miracle and devastation

Clinical trial participant Michael Stornetta, a retired Santa Rosa businessman who said he had never previously been sick with anything worse than colds, flus and the usual childhood maladies, was hit with follicular lymphoma over five years ago. He said that after attempting multiple therapies with varying degrees of success, he was referred to the Hu5F9-G4 trial at Stanford.

In October of 2017, he drove with his wife and son to Stanford to view the first scans that would reveal whether the experimental treatment was working. The scans showed that his cancer was significantly reduced. By strange coincidence, the very day that he learned that the treatment was working, he also learned that his house had burned to the ground in the Sonoma County fires. It felt like a miracle on one side and devastation on the other, Stornetta said.

Weissman and Ravindra Majeti, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at Stanford, are co-authors of the paper. Weissman is a founder of Forty Seven, and he and Majeti are board members of the company. Other Stanford-affiliated authors are instructor of medicine Mark Chao, MD, PhD, and clinical research coordinator Thu Tran. Chao is a founder of Forty Seven and its vice president of clinical development.

In addition to being members of Stanfords stem cell institute, Weissman and Majeti are also members of the Stanford Cancer Institute and of the Stanford Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Medicine. Advani also is a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute.

Researchers at the City of Hope, Sarah Cannon Research Institute/Tennessee Oncology, the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Washington University in St. Louis, Levine Cancer Institute, the University of Chicago, the National Cancer Institute, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the University of Oxford also contributed to the study.

Stanfords Department of Medicine also supported the work.
Nepal to be self-sufficient in cement production in 2019

02 November 2018

The Cement Manufacturers' Association of Nepal claims that, while the import of clinker has increased due to high production demands, it expects the country to be self-reliant on clinker production from next year.



According to Dhurba Thapa, president of Cement Manufacturers' Association Nepal, cement factories in Nepal are now producing 8.5Mta of cement. Currently, there are 53 cement factories operating in the country that annually produce 160m sacks of cement. Mr Thapa also said the two new cement factories currently under construction are expected to enter operation soon.



The association revealed that NPR125bn (US$1bn) has been invested into the domestic cement industry to raise production capacity. Cement manufacturers claim that the Nepali cement market is growing by 10-15 per cent YoY.



Domestic production now meets 70 per cent of the market demand while the remaining 30 per cent is fulfilled through imports. Cement imports have been declining in the past few years. According to import data from the Trade and Promotion Centre (TEPC), Nepal imported cement worth NPR1.03bn in the fiscal year 2017-18 compared to NPR1.14bn in the previous fiscal year.



While Nepal is looking to be self-reliant in cement production, cement exports from the country are also being hindered by to high production costs, said the association. In addition, cement is sold in neighbouring countries at a more competitive prices than in Nepal's domestic market.



The import data of TEPC shows that Nepal imported clinker worth NPR30.21bn in the FY17-18 compared to PKR24.96bn in the previous FY16-17.



Capacity expansion plans

Jagdamba Cement has been producing 1.2Mta of cement from its two plants, said Sunil Paudel, senior manager. The company holds a 15 per cent market share in the domestic cement sector. According to him, Jagdamba plans to expand its production capacity and is in the process of setting up a cement factory in Nawalparasi. Similarly, the company also plans to establish its own clinker production unit in the future.



Meanwhile, Hongshi Shivam Cement, which opened its greenfield plant earlier this year, plans to double its output to 12,000tpd in the next two years.

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End of Yemeni conflict could provide lifeline for Saudi exporters

02 November 2018

CNBC reported that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have called for a cessation of hostilities in Yemen and the start of a conflict resolution  if it is indeed one  could open up an opportunity for regional cement players.



According to World Bank estimates, Yemen would need over many years and some US$85-90bn for its reconstruction process. According to initial estimates, this would translate to cement demand in the range of 8-10Mta (assuming a 10-year reconstruction) and the bulk of cement requirement would be met through imports, reports EFG Hermes.



Saudi Arabia would be the main beneficiary due to proximity to Yemen (can even access through roads) and availability of large excess capacity, as well as being a low-cost cement producer. Yemen demand will still not be enough to consume the entire excess capacity (KSA currently has an excess cement capacity of 34Mt), but it would relieve some pain and help ease the pricing pressure.



Southern Province Cement and Najran Cement would be direct beneficiaries, as these firms have close proximity to Yemen and can access the country by road. Eastern Cement also has a 32 per cent stake in a cement plant in Yemen worth SAR124m.



Surprisingly, despite the limited access, Jouf Cement from the northern region has reported cement exports to Yemen during September albeit at a low level (9000t).



Other countries that may benefit

Oman's Raysut Cement used to export 250-300,00tpa of cement prior to the Yemeni Crisis and owns cement silos in Aden and Mukalla ports. Hence, Raysut should be a key competitor in southern Yemen. Moreover, cement players from countries with excess cement supply like UAE, Iran and Egypt could hunt for market share as well



Cement prices in Yemen

Cement prices in Yemen would be at least in the range of US$80-100/t (by assuming US$50/t ex-factory price for KSA cement and the transportation cost). EFG Hermes assume only marginally higher ex-factory price from exports for Saudi Arabian players (US$50/t vs US$40/t in the local market), as the competition in Yemen's market will also be significant from the other regional countries.

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FLSmidth's new O&M manager sees cement in the fast lane

02 November 2018

At first glance, racing high-tech cars at 300km/h and operating cement factories would seem to have little in common. But dont tell that to Anders Benfeldt, the new head of FLSmidth Operation & Maintenance. Benfeldt sees plenty of parallels between racing supercars and making cement.



With a sterling resume that includes senior positions at Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor, DGtek A/S and Babcock & Wilcox Vlund, earlier this year FLSmidth tapped Benfeldt to lead its growing subsidiary of 1100 employees comprising 16 nationalities and with operations in Angola, Egypt, Libya, Kuwait and Tunisia.

So far, Benfeldt likes what he has seen from Operation & Maintenance (O&M) and foresees few changes on his watch. "My job is to be curious," he says. "I am here to listen to clients to find out what we are doing very well so we can build on that  and find out what we are doing not so well so we can do better."



Benfeldt makes it clear that people  even more than machines  are vital to the division's continued success. Even when discussing the inner workings of a plant in Kuwait or demonstrating an iPhone app to monitor production at two Egyptian plants, Benfeldt punctuates virtually every sentence with 'people'. He says, "Machines can be built and optimsed, but ultimately O&M is about people. We need to train and empower people to work as a team to create results.

"The team that eventually wins is the one where everyone knows exactly what to do and they do it perfectly." Benfeldt hopes to instill the same sense of teamwork that defines successful Formula One teams into Operation & Maintenance. "Its simple. Without teamwork, we cannot grow," he says.



A marine engineer by training who got his start working in the engine rooms of an ocean-going container vessels, Benfeldt is a proponent of using technology to increase productivity, reduce costs and make workers' jobs easier. For example, he plans to aggressively pursue more condition-based maintenance, which he sees as offering outstanding potential for greater optimisation and lower costs. "If we know that wear-parts really lasts 18,000 hours, why not operate it until 18,000 hours? With the insights, we get from the digitalisation of processes, we can do more of those things, which is a big benefit to us and our clients."



A native Dane, Benfeldt is thrilled to now reside a mere 5km from FLSmith's headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark  a welcome change for someone who has spent much of his career working overseas. And when it comes to his morning commute, there's not a supercar to be found. In an interesting twist for a Formula One fan, after dropping his children off at school Benfeldt prefers to ride his bicycle to work.

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Residents of Anchorage, Fairbanks and other large Alaska cities will respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone or mail in mid-March like the rest of the country. People living in areas with low internet connectivity will receive a paper questionnaire on the first mailing, and all nonresponding households will receive a questionnaire on the fourth mailing.

After my time in Alaska, I visited Denver, Colorado, to meet with the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). During my visit to each state, I got the chance to speak with local leaders and learn about issues that affect American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and discuss how the Census Bureau can partner with them to better serve their constituents.

I am enthusiastic about our ongoing government-to-government relationships with American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. We continue to work hand-in-hand with countless tribes across the nation to plan a 2020 Census that will count everyone on tribal lands once, only once, and in the right place.
Models shows the fashion work of Kemi

Models shows the fashion work of Kemi

Models shows the fashion work of Kemi TANZANIAs fashion designer, Kemi Kalikawe, has gone next level in fashion designing showbiz after her brilliant performance in many world class events. The just ended International Young Fashion Designers Tour at Hyatt Kilimanjaro Hotel in the city proved the designer is now a force to reckon as she parades her designs on the global arena. The feat earned the designer a huge international appeal, especially in Panama where her rare designs applied to the mixed Central American audience and has drawn a huge number of fans. The Tanzanian rose high above the huge names in designing during the International Young Fashion Designers Showcase Tour of Dar es Salaam that attracted many internationally acclaimed designers.





Kalikawe, who showcased her designs under Naledi Tanzania banner, has also participated in the previous fashion shows of Iceland and Panama prior to the Dar es Salaam fashion gala and will go to China for the last show. Her 2 central designs are made from Barkcloth also called 'The Cloth of Kings' a sustainable cloth made from a tree in her home town Bukoba. These center pieces of her collection have stood out in their architectural and yet feminine cuts, inspired by her interior design background.





Others who paraded their designs alongside Kalikawe included Tony Vergara and Veronica Angel from Panama, Hildur Yeoman from Iceland. Others were Junne Liu and Jarel Zhang from China, Lina Yingzi and Yuzhu from Kanoe while Mary Yu, Kenny Li, Singchin Lo and Mountain Yam were from Hong Kong. Also attended the International Young Fashion Designers Showcase Tour of Dar es Salaam had government officials with the guest of honour being Hon. Mizengo P. Pinda, former Prime Minister of Tanzania. Other officials were Ambassador Ramadhani M. Mwinyi, Mr. Xu Chen, Charge d'affaires ad interim of the Embassy of China in Tanzania, Mr Godfrey Lebejo Mngerza, director of BASATA, Hon Rtd Judge Thomas Mihayo, Chairman of Tanzania Tourists Board (TTB), Mr Joseph Kahama, Secretary General of Tanzania China Friendship Promotion Association and various stakeholder of designing and modeling sectors from in and outside the country. Kalikawe used this rear international platform to give a chance to upcome designers to also showcase their work at the opening cocktail event.





This opportunity helped to focus on talented youth who can later be promoted to the international level as well. Delighted with early success, Kalikawe said the international events have promoted her and her works very much and given her a confidence in her career. The international level events have opened doors to showcase my designs to the world. I am getting calls from people in Hong Kong interested in buying my work. I feel honoured since I will be able to shine a light on the talent of Tanzania in the design sector. More over each trip has been a journey of sight seeing, cross culture friendship building with fellow designers and wonderful memories.




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 []
Ive wondered why Phil Bredesen would leave the comfort of his Nashville mansion to run for the U.S. Senate. Ive seen his clever ads where he eats a fake lunch with actors reading lines or heard about his applying for the job and supporting whats good for Tennessee. This all sounds comforting in a time of turmoil. But the turmoil didnt just suddenly start with Hillarys loss.

Recently at a rally held for Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the audience was asked to observe a moment of silence for those tragically murdered in Pennsylvania. During that silence, the dignity and respect of that moment was deliberately interrupted by a presumed Bredesen supporter screaming Marsha Blackburn is a white supremacist. It was so like the maniacal screaming in the U.S. Senate Chamber during the Kavanaugh vote. And if anyone speaks out against their issues they will get called vicious names or lectures on civility from the subjective media experts.

Where has Phil been in all of this turmoil? Has he condemned the bullying and even rioting by masked mobs? Did Phil condemn Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhans reference to Jews as termites shortly before the Pennsylvania shooting? (Nazis often referred to Jews as termites). I guess Phil, and people like Howard Dean, who is no stranger to maniacal screaming himself, hope weve forgotten about Farrakhan. They hope weve forgotten about Michael Sanford, an illegal who tried to kill Trump during the campaign in Las Vegas or the Bernie Sanders volunteer who shot and nearly killed Rep. Steve Scalise because he was a Republican.

And has anyone wondered why gun control is not their mantra right now? Its because theyre gleefully pushing the climate of hate scenario, only minus the dangerous and vicious things theyve said and done for more than the last two years.

As time passed weve learned a little more about what Phil really believes and his motives for running. He opposes a border wall. He calls his solution to the migrant caravan a chance to show we are grown ups. He even revealed a plan for dealing with those who in the caravan who show up at our border seeking asylum.

The problems with his plan include additional judges to hear the cases of the thousands showing up at the border which he doesnt address. Statistics tell us only 20 percent of those seeking asylum actually receive it. So if 7,000 arrive 1,400 are let in. If its 14,000, thats around 2,800 given asylum. So then whats Phils plan for the other 5,000 to 10,000 hungry and weary people? Grown ups would have thought that one through to its logical conclusion. But he needed a quick press release.

Democrats desperately want to control the senate so they can resist Trumps federal judge and Supreme Court Justice appointees and his legislation. Thats why a man who will be 81 years old when his term ends could be coaxed into running right now. That explains why Phil will dance around some issues or say what he thinks independents and moderate Republicans want to hear from him. He doesnt have to keep promises especially if hes not running again in six years.

What Phil might consider is seriously looking at whats happening with his party and his nation. Im still wondering if he has a fence around his stately Nashville mansion. Maybe he needs to sit on his porch there behind his fence, if he has one, and allow the President to continue making our nation safe and prosperous.

Ralph Miller

* * *

Ralph,

I read your piece with an optimistic mind and I can't help but notice that you seem colorblind. No, not the kind of colorblind that blocks out all colors, but the kind where the red has overtaken your ability to see any other color.

I feel sorry for you based on your outlook of this race. You see, your whole approach to politics is "NOT HIM." You've spent nearly 600 words telling us why not to vote for Phil Bredesen, but did not use one word to triumph your de facto candidate. Everything that you detest in Mr. Bredesen is similar, but in a different color, to your candidate. If we boil down partisan politics, we can see that both the Red and the Blue candidates are equally unpalatable and for the same reasons.

I would encourage you to go back and rewrite your opinion piece to praise the good things in Marsha Blackburn. After all, the old saying goes, "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar." We saw this play out with Hillary when the blue folks used the same script you are using and...well... look how that turned out!

If you find that you cannot write 600 words praising your candidate, I would suggest your reevaluate your support.

Tim Giordano

* * *

Thanks Mr. Miller. I have said Bredesen is nothing but a politician claiming to work with both sides to resolve issues. If it smells, go around it. His ads are easy to see through and phony as well. He also allowed thousands of illegals to obtain Tennessee driver's licenses.

He and Al Gore need to set around their campfires and dream on about playing educated people as fools.

Jack Varner






Get ready for some "high-flying family fun" Saturday (Sunday rain date), when the skies at the 33-acre Sculpture Fields will be filled with colossal and colorful kites, stunt kites and Rokkaku battle kites at the Sculptures in the Sky event. Sculpture Fields is partnering with River City Kites, Chattanooga Presents River Rocks and Gallery Hop for this free event, which takes place from noon-6 p.m. at 1800 Polk St., which turns off of Main Street on the Southside.In addition to kites, visitors will also enjoy performances, local food trucks and a beer tent.And itll be Chattanooga police officers vs. firefighters, with volunteers from the public battling it out and above with Rokkaku fighting kites.Some kites will be massive, spanning 20 feet, which are so large they must be anchored to the ground. Kids will be able to race parachute-like kites (bols) in what fliers call Running with the Bols. Visitors also will be able to make their own kites for free.Organizers for the event said they are hoping for ideal kite-flying weather. The best wind is a stable 10-12 mph.Kites originated in China where someone might have seen a leaf blowing down the path and thought to attach a string, said Chuck Jones, owner of the River City Kites. Kites have developed into a true art form and are now flown all over the world.For further information about Sculpture Fields, email anne@sculpturefields.org or call 423-266-7288.
The Arts at Erlanger program will present the Chattanooga Ballet performing excerpts from The Nutcracker in the Erlanger Medical Mall on Monday beginning at noon.

Patients, staff, guests and members of the public are invited to attend this free performance where Chattanooga Ballet dancers will perform some of the most iconic performances from this holiday favorite.

Five Chattanooga Ballet artists will perform Blackberry Blossom, an excerpt from Illusion de Eden, Snow pas de deux, Arabian, Russian, Sugar Plum solo and a finale, among others. Performers include Caroline Blair, Dillon Davis, Kirsten Hyde, Samantha Sole and Nena Widtfeldt. The choreography was created by artistic director Andrew Parker along with Dillon Davis and Maggie Pelton.

After Mondays performance, the Sugar Plum Fairy will visit patients in Childrens Hospital at Erlanger.

For more information about the Arts at Erlanger programs, please visit www.erlanger.org/artsaterlanger.
With the recent release of Tennessee's ACT scores, Cleveland High School and the Class of 2018 have plenty to celebrate, said officials.

Cleveland High School's Class of 2018 jumped above the state average, scoring an overall composite of 20.4, up 0.6 points from the Class of 2017.

Principal Autumn O'Bryan said, "Every day our sophomores and juniors spend 30 minutes a day on ACT preparation. Our teachers are committed to work with individual students to not just get accepted to the college they choose, but also be competitive for scholarships both locally and nationally."

Director of Schools Dr. Russell Dyer said, Im so proud of the effort put forth by our students and teachers. Our academic growth shows the strength of our strategic plan and commitment to high levels of education in all grade spans. 

Looking deeper, every subject area noted an increase, the largest being Mathematics, where the school average jumped 0.8 points to 19.6. In other areas, Science scored 20.7 (up 0.7), English measured at 19.5 (up 0.4), and Reading topped out at 21.2 (up 0.4).
Sometimes when I take I-24 west from downtown Chattanooga to the exit at Browns Ferry Road, I think about the town where I grew up. It too was a city of rivers and bridges. I-24 hugs the shore of the Tennessee River as it skirts Moccasin Bend, and once in a while you might see barges being moved on the river. It all reminds me of Allegheny River Boulevard or maybe Ohio River Boulevard back in Pittsburgh where I was born and raised.

There are a lot of other similarities between Chattanooga and Pittsburgh. Both were industrial cities that had to adapt to a changing environment. The economic challenges were obvious. But I think that both cities needed to hang on to the security of their cultural heritages during times of change. Chattanooga is a Southern city, and Pittsburgh is one of the most culturally diverse cities you could imagine. Both cities maintain a neighborhood identity. In Pittsburgh, I lived in Morningside, or East End. In Chattanooga, I live in Tiftonia or Lookout Valley.

On a more personal note, both cities are friendly places. People from Chattanooga and Pittsburgh always have time to talk and exchange welcomes. I think you can ask most people for help in either city and they will stop what they are doing and see what they can do for you. Strangers are simply people you havent met. Both cities are wonderful places to live.

And now this week we have another commonality: the heartless shooting of innocent people at U.S. military sites in Chattanooga, and the synagogue in Pittsburgh. How does this happen in two great places in America? We really have to answer this question for ourselves. But the demonstrators in Pittsburgh have told us that hate is not the answer, and I think they are right.



Robert Gillien
A new canine officer will be joining the Soddy Daisy Police Department that already has two dogs, a black lab and a Belgian Malinois that is trained as a dual purpose search and drug dog. Until the lab is retired because of age, three dogs will be at work for the city. The newest dog is a three and a half year old female Belgian Malinois named Djanga. She is a single purpose drug dog, trained to detect five narcotic odors. The cost of $6,500 that will include the canine plus training with the officer who will handle her, was approved by the commissioners at the Thursday evening commission meeting. The money will come from the Soddy Daisy drug fund.

The commissioners also approved paying $13,831 to Higgins Construction for work that was done after the recent flood in Soddy Daisy. The repairs included stabilization. There is no expectation that the city will be reimbursed by FEMA.

Wal-Mart was given a new certificate of compliance and a retail food store wine license at the meeting. The state of Tennessee requires recertification every two years to sell wine. All background checks were performed by the city and came back clean, said Police Chief Jeff Gann.

The commissioners started planning for the citys annual event, Christmas in the Park, 2018. It will take place in Poes Tavern Park next door to city hall, on the first Saturday in December from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.
The Rotary Club of Chattanooga Hamilton Place recently hosted Summer Lewis with the Institute for Economics and Peace Partnership and Positive Peace Workshops.

"Hosted by Rotary clubs and districts around the world, Positive Peace Workshops bring together diverse groups of community leaders and peace builders to discuss and design the practical, impactful and measurable investments that can be made in communities to strengthen the Pillars of Positive Peace," officials said.

The 2019 Pillars of Positive Peace Workshop will be held in Mexico and is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Chattanooga Hamilton Place.



The Rotary Club of Chattanooga Hamilton Place also announces Simon Ionashku as their newest Rotary Club member.










The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has informed the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA) that it must implement a moratorium on new connections in the Ooltewah area due to continued sewage overflows.

TDED said there have been 29 overflows since October 2017, including more than five overlows at three specific manholes.

The report says thousands of gallons of sewage have been going into Rogers Branch.

WWTA is currently seeking approval for a new sewage treatment plant for Ooltewah at a site on Mahan Gap Road, but is meeting strong citizen opposition.

The county earlier set aside $45 million for the new treatment facility.

The WWTA currently pipes its effluent to the city's Moccasin Bend Sewage Treatment Plant.



Here is the TDED letter to WWTA:

Dear Sirs:

In a review of the Monthly SSO reports you submitted this year, there have been 29 SSOs in the Ooltewah basin from October 2017 to present. Our review also found that more than five overflows occurred at three (3) specific manholes. To maintain compliance with your permit, you must implement a self-imposed moratorium in this area.



Permit Verification



Hamilton County Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA) has coverage under the State Operating Permit Tracking Number SOP-89044 which became effective on October 1, 2014 and expires on July 31, 2019. This permit authorizes the operation of a municipal wastewater collection system. The Hamilton County Water & Wastewater Authority is authorized to collect and transport untreated municipal wastewater to the Chattanooga interceptor sewerage system.



Review of Monthly SSO Reports

WWTA reports its SSOs via email and sends a summary to DWR each month. The following SSOs were reported in the Ooltewah area. Each SSO is a separate violation of Part C.3.b. of your permit.



Ooltewah MH04307-02



 September 4, 2018 MH 04307-02 discharged 500 gallons to Roger's Branch



 August 20, 2018 MH 04307-02 discharged 1,875 gallons to Roger's Branch

 August 17, 2018 MH 04307-02 discharged 37,531 gallons to Roger's Branch

 August 12, 2018 MH 04307-02 discharged 7,875 gallons to Roger's Branch

 August 2, 2018 MH 04307-02 discharged 3,500 gallons to Roger's Branch

 July 21, 2018 MH 04307-02 discharged 36,875 gallons to Roger's Branch

 June 29, 2018 MH 04307-02 discharged 15,000 gallons to Roger's Branch

 April 24, 2018 MH 04307-02 discharged 14,438 gallons to land

 October 9, 2017 MH 04307-02 discharged 107,376 gallons to Roger's Branch

Ooltewah MH04307-03

 September 24, 2018 MH 04307-03 discharged 223,500 gallons to Roger's Branch

 September 10, 2018 MH 04307-03 discharged 9,250 gallons to Roger's Branch

 August 20, 2018 MH 04307-03 discharged 1,875 gallons to Roger's Branch

 August 17, 2018 MH 04307-03 discharged 25,053 gallons to Roger's Branch

 August 12, 2018 MH 04307-03 discharged 12,000 to Roger's Branch

 August 2, 2018 MH 04307-03 discharged 3,500 gallons to Roger's Branch

 July 21, 2018 MH 04307-03 discharged 36,875 gallons to Roger's Branch

 April 24, 2018 MH 04307-03 discharged 49,109 gallons to land

Ooltewah MH04307-04

 September 24, 2018 MH 04307-04 discharged 921,938 gallons to Roger's Branch

 September 10, 2018 MH 04307-04 discharged 18,500 gallons to Roger's Branch

 September 4, 2018 MH 04307-04 discharged 5,000 gallons to Roger's Branch

 August 20, 2018 MH 04307-04 discharged 18,750 gallons to Roger's Branch

 August 12,2018 MH04307-04 discharged 73,750 gallons to Roger's Branch

Ooltewah MH04307-01B (Snow Hill Pump Station)

 October 28, 2018 Snow Hill Pump station malfunctioned and discharged

 September 4, 2018 MH04307-01B 100 gallons

 April 24, 2018 MH04307-01B 25 gallons to land

Ooltewah MH99326-A09 and A09X (8402 Streamside Dr.)

 September 24, 2018 MH99326-A09 discharged 490,750 to Roger's Branch

 August 26, 2018 MH99326-A09X discharge 500 gallons to Roger's Branch

 August 13, 2018 MH99326-A09 discharged 38,000 gallons to Roger's Branch

 October 16, 2017 MH99326-A09X discharge 29,250 gallons to Roger's Branch

Your permit also requires that you specify what actions, if any, are taken to prevent adverse impacts to Waters of the State.



Violations:



 29 SSOs in the Ooltewah Basin during 2018. Each SSO is a violation of Part C.3.b. of your permit.



 9 of the SSOs occurring in Ooltewah from MH 04307-02 resulted in a discharge to Roger's Branch. Each discharge to Waters of the State is a violation of TCA 69-3-114 (a).



 8 of the SSOs occurring in Ooltewah from MH 04307-03 resulted in a discharge to Roger's Branch. Each discharge to Waters of the State is a violation ofTCA 69-3-114 (a).



 5 of the SSOs occurring in Ooltewah from MH04307-04 resulted in a discharge to Roger's Branch. Each discharge to Waters of the State is a violation ofTCA69-3-114 (a).



 3 of the SSOs occurring in Ooltewah were from Snow Hill Pump Station and MH04307- 01B



 2 of the SSOs occurring at MH 99326-A09 (8402 Streamside Dr.) which resulted in a discharge to Roger's Branch. Each discharge to Waters of the State is a violation of TCA69-3-114 (a).



 2 of the SSOs occurring at MH 99326-A09X (8402 Streamside Dr.) which resulted in a discharge to Roger's Branch. Each discharge to Waters of the State is a violation of TCA69-3-114 (a).



 On SSO reports, WWTA does not specify what actions, if any, are taken to prevent adverse impacts to Waters of the State. This is a violation of Part C.4. of your permit.



Required Actions:

 According to Part C.3.c. of your permit, you must enact a self-imposed moratorium for this basin. Please provide documentation within 30 days of receipt of this letter that this requirement has been met.



 According to Part F. of your permit, you must place signs any bypass/overflow point that has discharged five (5) or more times in the last year. Please provide documentation within 30 days of receipt of this letter that this requirement has been met.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Angela Oberschmidt at (423) 634-5708.

Here is a statement of response from Mike Moon, board chairman of the Hamilton County WWTA:

Our mission of providing reliable, courteous and low-cost sewer service is one we take seriously. Weve been working for several years with the EPA as well as TDEC and others on a comprehensive plan to address the issues surrounding bypasses that occur during significant weather events at the Signal Mountain Treatment Plant. We self-report these instances to the appropriate agencies. This particular plant is handicapped by size as well as geography, but infiltration and inflow from the collection system is the real issue. We will continue to do all we can to address these issues while minimizing the effect on the customers we serve.

"If the intent of the lawsuit is to bring attention to the issue, we applaud the action to raise awareness. However, if the intent is for a financial settlement for the Riverkeepers, we find this counterproductive to fixing the problem and it would place an undue burden on our rate payers. We will always vigorously fight to minimize the cost to our customers from such actions.


On Thursday, Nov. 8, Erlanger representatives and members of Erlangers Employee Veterans Group will honor all veterans beginning with a free breakfast in the POB Dining Room from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and a ceremony in the Medical Mall at 11 a.m. at the Erlanger Baroness Hospital. Members of the United States Armed Forces, veterans and their families are welcome to attend.The University of Tennessee Chattanooga ROTC Color Guard will begin the ceremony, Presenting the Colors, followed by a performance of the National Anthem by James Ballou (Navy, petty officer 2nd class), a prayer by Navy Chaplain Adam Boggess, and conclude with remarks from Sean Turner (Air Force, senior airman) and Terry Ellis (Army Reserve, SFC).RSVP is requested by calling 423-778-5538.
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke presented Hardy Elementary School kindergarteners with their first Chattanooga Public Library cards.

On Friday, Mayor Berke visited Hardy Elementary School and had a read-along with students to promote the HCDE Library card program along with The Chattanooga Public Library.

This initiative comes in partnership with the Chattanooga Public Library and Hamilton County Schools in an effort to provide every student in the Hamilton County School system with a free library card. Students will work with their school library to receive their library card, which can be renewed every year as part of the program. Since the program began in 2014, more than 36,000 students have received a library card.

We are excited to be partnering once again with Hamilton County Schools to be able to provide students with free library cards, said Corinne Hill, Chattanooga Public Library Executive Director. Our goal is to make sure every public school student has a library card and give them access to the tools we offer for lifelong learning.

With their library cards, students have access to all four library branches throughout the city and the over 275,000 items in the librarys collection. They can also explore their creative minds and take advantage of the Downtown Branchs Studio, a place with state of the art studio equipment and the 4th floor Maker Space, a floor that gives access to the myriad of hi-tech tools the library has to offer, anything from a 3D printing machine to virtual reality equipment. The Downtown Branch also offers a whole floor dedicated solely for kids, tweens, and teens with various programs and events throughout the year.

To view a schedule of events, learn more about the services the library offers, and learn how to apply for your own library card, please visit www.chattlibrary.org.
Cleveland States Student Wildlands Adventure Program (SWAP) was nominated for and recently won the southwest section (Region 3) of the U.S. Forest Services Gifford Pinchot Award for Excellence in Interpretation and Conservation Education. It is now a finalist for the national award to be presented at the National Association of Interpretations annual conference at the end of November.



The Gifford Pinchot Excellence in Interpretation and Conservation Education Award is a national accolade given to Forest Service employees for achievement in environmental interpretation and conservation education. The annual award is named in honor of the first Forest Service chief.

It is a great honor to be recognized for the work we are doing, stated Robert Brewer, CSCC Associate Professor of Biology / Advisor for the CSCC Wildlife Society. The partnership between The Greg A. Vital Center for Natural resources and Conservation and The U.S. Forest Service has been nothing short of amazing. I am very grateful and humbled by this recognition and hope we can continue to find support to continue the program in the future.






National Adoption Day gives permanent homes to 3 Pueblo County kids

When Pueblo County celebrated National Adoption Day on Nov. 19, three families got bigger as foster children were welcomed into permanent homes.
Jair Bolsonaro, Brazils far-right president elect, recently disclosed plans to move Brazils embassy to Jerusalem.

As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem, Bolsonaro stated in a Facebook post on Thursday. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that.

In an interview with Israel Hayom, Bolsonaro said, When I was asked during the campaign if Ill do it [relocate the embassy] when I was president, I said yes, and that youre the ones who decide on the capital of Israel, not other people.

U.S. president Donald Trump, who moved the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel as well, weighed in on Bolsonaros decision on Twitter writing, Had a very good conversation with the newly elected President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonsro, who won his race by a substantial margin. We agreed that Brazil and the United States will work closely together on Trade, Military, and everything else! Excellent call, wished him congrats!

Had a very good conversation with the newly elected President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, who won his race by a substantial margin. We agreed that Brazil and the United States will work closely together on Trade, Military and everything else! Excellent call, wished him congrats!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018

I praise my friend the incoming Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, for his intention to move Brazils embassy to Jerusalem, stated Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu.

The quarrelsome transition from Tel Aviv was not well-received by many Palestinians, as well as by a few Western allies who have apprehensions that the switch will only further weaken the region and impede the peace process.

In the case of recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, for example, it would be throwing away $6 billion per year in poultry sales to Arab countries, stated Rubens Barbosa the former Brazilian Ambassador to the U.S. There will be people to advise him on the impacts and he will listen, he added.

Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison also recently announced that he is considering moving the Australian embassy of Israel to Jerusalem as a part of the two-state solution which aims to separate warring parties.

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Buda Mendes/Staff
Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out on Friday about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's.

According to the Jerusalem Post, while speaking at a conference of Balkan states called the Craiova summit this week, Netanyahu said, what happened in the Istanbul consulate was horrendous and it should be duly dealt with. Yet the same time I say it, it is very important for the stability of the world, for the region and for the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable."

Khashoggi disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. After pressure for an explanation from Saudi officials rose, officials eventually admitted that the journalist was killed.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Saudi officials tried to blame Khashoggi's "savage" killing on rogue operatives, but Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is insisting that whoever ordered the hit "be brought to account."

Netanyahu also commented on the situation in Iran.

According to the Jerusalem Post, news broke earlier this week confirming that Mossad had provided Denmark with pertinent information that derailed an Iranian plot to assassinate an Iranian separatist leader in the country. This led Denmark to call its ambassador back to the Scandinavian country from Iran and to introduce new sanctions against Tehran.

In June, Israel helped France uncover an Iranian plot as well.

Netanyahu commented on this situation saying, "I think that a way must be found to achieve both goals, because the larger problem is Iran and we have to make sure that Iran does not continue the malign activities that it has been doing over the last few weeks in Europe. We have helped uncover two terrorist attacks - one in Paris, and the other one in Copenhagen, organized by the Iranian secret service."

"Blocking Iran is uttermost on our agenda for security, not merely for Israel but I believe for Europe and the world as well," Netanyahu concluded.

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Stephanie Keith/Stringer
Pakistani Muslim radicals have blocked off streets in Pakistan and are calling for the murder of the Supreme Court justices who approved the release of Christian mother, Asia Bibi, from death row earlier this week.

Bibi was arrested in 2010 and was put on death row after being accused of blaspheming the Islamic prophet Muhammed in an argument with several Muslim women. Bibi has denied the claims, but still she was sentenced to hanging.

According to The Christian Post, insulting Islam or the prophet Muhammad in Pakistan is considered blasphemy and is a crime punishable by life in prison or death. The Christian Post notes that the law is frequently abused to target religious minorities.

When the court decided to release Bibi on Wednesday, protestors took to the streets with outrage. According to Reuters, a panel of three-judge moved to reverse the courts earlier ruling against Bibi noting that their simply was not enough evidence to convict her of the crime. After this announcement was made public, Reuters reports that Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan supporters staged street protests and blocked off several major roads.

Reportedly, by mid-afternoon the protests had grown so large that they immobilized parts of major cities including Islamabad and Lahore.

At a rally in Lahore, near Bibis hometown, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan co-founder Muhammad Afzal Qadri reportedly called for the death of Supreme Court Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and the two other justices on the panel that set Bibi free.

"They all three deserve to be killed," Qadri reportedly said. "Either their security should kill them, their driver kill them, or their cook kill them," he continued.

The Christian Post reports that Qadri called that anyone who has "access" to the three justices should "kill them before the evening."

Photo courtesy: Aa Dil/Unsplash
NEW DELHI, November 2, 2018 (Morning Star News)  Three acts of aggression against Christians in Assam state, India in one month have raised concerns among Christian leaders.

We have seen sporadic incidents happen in Assam in the past  but three incidents of violence within a month against the Christian community has built a sense of insecurity among the Christians of Assam, said Allen Brooks, spokesperson for the Assam Christian Forum and a member of the Assam State Commission for Minorities.

Brooks said the attacks in Assam, which borders Bhutan in northeastern India, were not random.

A systematic pattern can be seen in these incidents, he told Morning Star News. Different denominations have been targeted within a months time. The three places are all key places.

In Bongaigaon District, a radical Hindu mob on Oct. 2 assaulted three Christians in Dhaligaon village, an area previously free of persecution.

Although district authorities called the villagers assault objectionable and communal, the hard-line Hindus refused to yield to orders to commit in writing that they would stop attacking Mahindra Brahma and his family or keep them from their duties, sources said.

Brahma and his family, who became Christians 10 years ago, saw their house surrounded as villagers demanded that he return to his prior religion or leave the area.

The villagers agitated and argued with Mahindra twice before they attacked the three Christians on Oct. 2, Enash Basumatary of the Boro Baptist Association told Morning Star News.

Three guests from Amguri, Sahen Narzary, Lohen Narzary and Fabian Narzary, visited Brahma's house that evening. After dinner, as they left by car for their village, some villagers noticed and informed the Hindu extremists, who stopped their car and assaulted them with iron rods and stones flung from sling shots.

The Christians suffered various injuries, and their car was damaged.

Police patrolling in the area caught the mob as they assaulted the Christians, arresting three persons while the others fled.

The Christians received hospital treatment and later filed a case against the three assailants, whom police jailed, sources said.

The villagers continued to threaten Brahma and his family, demanding that they leave the area if they did not comply with their demand of One village, one faith, sources said.

Only two Christian families in that village are financially sound, and thus they stood up to the attack, said Brooks. They took up the matter with the higher authorities, which resulted in a meeting with the deputy commissioner.

The official called the two parties together the next day and strongly instructed them that law and order must be maintained. Although the villagers and their leader, Upendra Brahma, insisted that the Christians leave because of their faith, the official asserted that India is a secular country, and that Upendra Brahmas views were highly objectionable, sources said.

The situation continues to remain tense as Mahindra Brahmas family is living under tremendous duress and fear, Brooks said.

Basumatary noted that such an incident in the area was without precedent.

There are certainly some forces behind this opposition, he said. Mahindra was not a recent convert. It has been 10 years. If objections had to be raised, why now?

Attempted Demolition

In Majuli District, a mob led by a Hindu priest of the Dakhinpat Satra temple attacked Believers Eastern Church property on Oct. 15 in Raidangoni village.

Arriving in two four-wheeled vehicles and on 20 motorbikes, the Hindu extremists desecrated a cross and broke the churchs sign board. They attempted to demolish the building, but local villagers intervened and stopped them from doing so, said Pastor Rakesh Dutta, 29.

Media personnel with cameras accompanied the mob and recorded the attack, which later aired on local news channels and on social media.

Pastor Dutta said the local media were biased against the Christians.

If we approach the media and tell the truth to them, they will not publish the news, he told Morning Star News.

Video footage shows the Hindu priest warning Christians and Muslims to leave Majuli or face consequences.

They said in the video that they will come again, Pastor Dutta said. They said, If the government does not take action of eliminating the district of the Christians and Muslims, we will do it ourselves. Those who become Christians will be thrown out of the village. All those who are already will be thrown out as well. They will be physically assaulted.

The pastor had built the bamboo structure for his 30-member congregation with his own hands.

Following the television news broadcast, police filed a First Information Report (FIR) the same day and have arrested five Hindus, but not those who publicly made open threats, Pastor Dutta said.

We have demanded the arrest of the two people who have threatened openly, even on media, and requested the police to let the others free, he said. Even after there is enough proof to arrest the two men whose statements were broadcasted by the news channels, the police are slow to take any action.

Pastor Dutta said he has never faced opposition before, though he has led the church for several years. A convert from Hinduism who became the only Christian in his house, the pastor faced much opposition and persecution from family members. They told him to leave home because of his faith two years ago.

A masonry worker who lives with his wife and 2-year-old daughter less than two miles from the church site, Pastor Dutta has begun leading worship and prayers in three other villages.

All the villagers give their offerings in the form of grain [if they are farmers] or in whatever form they can, to the priests of the Hindu temples, he said. Once the villagers become Christians, they stop giving their offering to the temples, and this is making the Hindu priests angry, because they lose their revenues.

Brooks of the Assam Christian Forum again wondered how Majuli, a prominent area, became targeted. It is the constituency of present Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who also is the first chief minister of the state to come from the Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

How can such a thing take place, where a mob marches towards the church in full view of the people, and the administration does nothing? Brooks said.

Pastor Dutta said there was no service the Sunday (Oct. 21) after the attack due to the threats, but he resumed leading a service last Sunday (Oct. 28).

Ten people came for the service, he said. People are scared of physical assault, especially those who are not very strong in their commitment.

Statue Desecrated

In Tezpur, Sonitpur District, unidentified people desecrated a statue of Don Bosco (19th century Italian priest and educator John Bosco) near a Catholic cathedral after midnight on Sept. 29.

Catholic leaders in Tezpur said this was not the random work of miscreants but a well-planned vandalization.

These people must have come prepared, because they used some weapons to break the statue, Jimmy Gotthrop, principal of Emanuel Christian School in Tezpur, told Morning Star News. It is certainly not the work of a drunkard or a mischief.

Brooks of the Assam Christian Forum expressed shock over the desecration, which he said had intentional symbolic significance.

Don Bosco schools are no ordinary schools, he said. The school is a state school under an international body. Such incidents send a very wrong signal to the society.

Don Bosco has 267 schools in India, besides 50 colleges and one university, and 3,221 schools worldwide, along with 590 technical schools and 774 social service institutes.

Police filed an FIR the same day, and concerned parties submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner of police, local block president and superintendent of police. Gotthrop added that they sent a letter to the chief minister of Assam and the minority cell chairman in Guwahati.

This was the third incident of desecrating the Don Bosco statue, he said. About four years ago, some people tried to burn the statue, but they failed in their attempt. Around two years ago, some people tried to break the statue.

Police claimed to have picked up two or three people, but school authorities have not been updated about investigation progress, Gotthrop said.

There is an atmosphere of fear among the Christian people, reasoning as to why this has happened, he said.

Brooks emphasized that Tezpur is a key city that has been intentionally targeted.

Tezpur is the cultural capital of Assam, and such an incident has raised several questions and suspicions, he said.

The hostile tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, against non-Hindus, has emboldened Hindu extremists in several parts of the country to attack Christians since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in May 2014, religious rights advocates say.

India ranked 11th on Christian support organization Open Doors 2018 World Watch List of countries where Christians experience the most persecution.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews. org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.
Recently, Google hit the pause button on a military artificial intelligence project amidst thorny ethical questions raised by its own employees. Increasingly in new drone and surveillance systems, human knowledge and actions are augmented and soon might be sidelined altogether. Should we shirk our responsibility and pass authority onto these machines? For Christians, the complex conversation about how AI should be developed as weapons centers on a biblical understanding of human dignity and responsibility.

For Google employees, protest began in April 2018 over involvement in a program to continue work on an AI-based image recognition program for the Department of Defense arguing that Google should not be in the business of war since the companys historic slogan has been Do no evil.

The program, simply referred to as Project Maven, is designed to be used in identifying enemy targets on the battlefield. The research would improve an AI system, which processes a massive amount of video data captured every day by US military drones and reports back to military and civilian analysts with potential targets for future military engagement. The New York Timesreported that the Pentagon has spent billions of dollars in recent years to develop these systems and often partners with leading technology firms.

Yet, thousands of Googles employees, including many senior engineers, signed a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai in protest of the firms involvement in Project Maven. In June, Google announced that it would not renew the government contract for Project Maven. Employees rejoiced at this decision, but Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos and others have criticized the move arguing that dropping the research will increase the likelihood of war and civilian deaths.

Even with more precise computer-aided targeting, the United States Pentagon said earlier this year that no one will ever know how many innocent lives have been lost during the fight against the Islamic State and Syria. These tools are not 100 percent accurate and do fail, but they are more accurate than previous weapons systems. Even as specific numbers vary on the number of innocent lives lost, many argue the number of human casualties is less than it would be without the drones because ground troops are not needed as much and the systems are more accurate than previous target systems driven in large part by fallible humans.

But in July, 2,400 AI researchers signed a pledge to block the development of fully autonomous weapon systems because of the massive moral and ethical implications of the technology.

Many people, including Christians, will understandably disagree on the best means and tools to be used in warfare. However, real human lives are at stake. So how might we go about navigating these issues as a society and apply wisdom to the implementation of artificial intelligence on the battlefield?

The dignity of all people

Christians believe that all people are created in the image of God and that our dignity is based solely on that reality (Gen. 1:2627). This dignity extends even to our enemies because they too are created in the image of God. Because of our sin and rebellion against God, we ushered in the age of destruction, death, sickness, and brokenness, and the natural order of things is turned upside down. Gods creation also turned on each other, committing murder and devising war.

Googles employees protested their companys involvement in Project Maven because many did not want to be involved in the killing of other human beings. Soon after Google pulled out of the project, they released a set of AI principles to guide them in artificial intelligence work. It commits to not designing AI as weapons or other technologies whose principal purpose or implementation is to cause or directly facilitate injury to people.

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Even though the company does not use the Christian understanding of human dignity, they were reflecting the God-given dignity and worth in which all people are created. This is common grace.

While the Scriptures teach that killing of other humans is not the way that God designed our world to work, we are called to seek justice for wrongs committed because the taking of the life of another image-bearer is such a serious matter. We dont seek to engage in war or bloodshed, but we are to seek justice for those oppressed and downtrodden (Isa. 1:17).

This approach to a just war was first promoted by Augustine of Hippo based on his understanding of Romans 13:4. Just war theory explains that the only just cause for war is the protection of peace and the punishment of the wicked.

So, artificial intelligence can be used in ways that magnify our dignity but can also be used in ways that minimize our dignity in the name of efficiency, profits, and even military victory. AI is neither good nor bad, but a God-given tool to use with wisdom.

In line with just war theory, AI can strengthen targeting systems so that they are more accurate when used in long-range missiles and drones preventing accidental killings of the innocent.

Human in the loop

But just war theory also prohibits the use of indiscriminate force in war, meaning that weapons should be not used that cannot be controlled or contained. A nuclear bomb is an example of this type of weapon because we cannot precisely target enemies, and the bombs blast will affect anyone present including innocent men, women, and children.

We pursue justice, which can include war, because our God is a just God, but the human role in the use of these AI weapons raises valid questions about who is responsible and in control of them.

The role that humans play in decision making for these weapon systems was operationalized by military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd in a loop called OODA. This loop has four stages: (1) observe, (2) orient, (3) decide, and (4) act. As decision making for identifying and engaging potential targets is increasingly automated and augmented, humans will naturally become less and less involved in the decision-making loop because of the speed at which life-altering decisions will have to be made.

At least for the time being, US military engagement will have a human in the decision-making loop per a directive from the Department of Defense in 2017, which aims to minimize the probability and consequences of failures that could lead to unintended engagements or to loss of control of the system. But that directive may not last if other countries and groups start to use more autonomous weapons because we may not be able to adequately defend against them based upon the speed and accuracy that the AI will achieve.

By shirking our responsibility to enact justice for wrongs committed and passing it to these automated systems, our true motivations are often revealed that show less of a concern for the human beings affected by our decisions and more of our desire for a quick ending to combat.

Our Brothers Keeper

Humans are uniquely positioned by God to be morally responsible for those who are facing injustice. But humans also have the grave responsibility to care for and love even our enemies.

A major and often overlooked danger of AI-empowered weapons is a tendency to dehumanize our enemies. Soldiers may not come even close to them in combat, which can lead them to not think of these men and women as humans with families, livelihoods, hope, and dreams. Our enemies become mere pieces of data on the virtual battlefield. They become blips on a screen rather than flesh and blood human beings. AI can desensitize us to the realities of war where real human lives are lost.

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So how should we think about the use of automated weapon systems in todays military? While dangerous and potentially dehumanizing, the development of these AI tools should be pursued if we have any hope of defending the oppressed. We must seek to use these tools for good and not evil, to protect the innocent, and to fight for what is righteous. We should champion the dignity and worth of all people, including our enemies. But we must do so with eyes wide open, recognizing their limitations and the responsibility that we hold for how that justice is enacted.

Jason Thacker serves as the creative director and associate research fellow at The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is the author of a forthcoming book with Zondervan on artificial intelligence and human dignity. He is married to Dorie and they have two sons.
What could possibly possess a Bible church to file a lawsuit against three outspoken critics of their ministry?

Harvest Bible Chapel has not strayed from its 30-year commitment to the unapologetic preaching of Gods Word, nor have we forgotten the explicit teaching of 1 Corinthians 6:1-9. Wed like to share our biblical rationale for reluctantly deciding to take our critics to court.

A Deeper Understanding of Scripture

Throughout church history, cultural happenings have forced a more carefully nuanced consideration of biblical application. In the first centuries, major areas of Christology were refined to combat error. In recent decades, the charismatic movement brought a more nuanced study of the scriptural teaching on spiritual gifts and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Many of us remember the near unanimous evangelical stance on divorce prior to the 1970s, when most churches held strictly to no divorce, no remarriage. Then with the rise in divorce rates and a few high visibility Christian leaders getting divorced, all were pushed back into the Scripture for a view that considered all biblical teaching on the subject.

In just a few years, the prevailing view changed to include exception language from the teaching of Jesus (Matt. 19:9) and Paul (1 Cor. 7:15). The Scriptures had not changed, but cultural trends had again caused a more careful study of all biblical passages on divorce, versus the more simplistic the Lord God  hates divorce (Mal. 2:16).

The perfection of Gods holy Word is best seen in the way all relevant passages work together to form a consistent unity. Reductionism is the logical fallacy of making the main thing the only thing. As Christians we can make this error by forcing one passage to speak with finality on a more broadly covered biblical subject.

In a culture that is far too litigious, Christ followers should be loath to go into civil court for any reason. 1 Corinthians 6:1-9 pleads for caution: Can we not judge ourselves? This before unbelievers, Law suits among you means that you have been completely defeated, Why not rather be wronged? and This is shame to you. Its such a clear teachingbut not the totality of biblical teaching that some try to make it.

What if allowing yourself to be wronged is a greater wrong because of the many others that would be wronged? What if that matter is not a trivial case, as in 1 Corinthians 6? What if the brothers are from different churches, one of which refuses to bring significant detrimental behavior into line? What if the matter is demonstrably illegal and would bring immense suffering to your family?

1 Corinthians 6 deals with two brothers in a single church dealing with a trivial matter that should just be let go. That size teaching does not fit all situations, and it is somewhat reductionistic to try to make it so.

When The Elephants Debt began posting their criticism, we dug deeply into personal and organizational reflection. We have repeatedly tried to meet with them, and if the bloggers let their reasonableness be known to all men (Phil. 4:5) and simply sat down with us, they would learn of the positive changes that initially came from their critical approach. Ongoing appeals have yielded no fruit, though we remain open to meeting in person and ending the legal case.

In the meantime, by assuming the right to influence our church while refusing to listen to the authority of our church leaders, they forfeit the protection given to brothers in 1 Corinthians 6. According to Matthew 18:17 their refusing to hear the church requires that they be related to as non-believers, as gentiles and tax collectors.

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Protecting the Church

Still some ask, Wasnt Jesus lied about and spat upon? Arent we called to the same? Yes, on a personal level we are to turn the other cheek when offended, and Christ in his passion, when they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate (1 Pet. 2:23).

A conversation with Wayne Grudem, the widely respected theologian and my seminary professor, helped me understand that we should model our response to criticism after Christs ministry (John 8:49) not his road to the cross, when his total silence was a unique fulfillment of prophecy.

I accept criticism as part of my calling; some of it is deserved, most of it well intentioned, and all of it used by the Lord to sanctify myself and our churchs leaders. However, a real turning point for our church leadership was the realization that our first responsibility was to protect the church when that criticism went on to impact them.

In the wake of what was being published online, innocent people didnt just leave our church, but too often left the church. We saw the effects not just in Chicago, but worldwide, wherever our broadcasts and church plants had spread. Friends lost their sons to the faith. New believers who struggled to trust Christ and any authority too often jumped to fears confirmed and retreated into unbelief.

People who were saved through our ministry and feeling first time joy in Christ were devastated to read the vitriol. Treasured staff who supported us fully, resigned saying, We love you, we believe in this ministry, but we must find a place of peace.

So much damage to so many innocent people  that is what, after six years, prompted us to study the Scriptures afresh regarding established authority, ordained by God to punish wrongdoers (Rom. 13:1-6).

In America, free speech is not universal. You cant yell, Fire! in a crowded theater because negligently causing a dangerous stampede of people is not protected speech, but a breach of the law with serious consequences. We have called on authorities, in this case, the court in Cook County, to look carefully at the actions of these bloggers and rule on whether their publications against our church for six years have broken multiple civil laws.

We are not trying to do Gods job; we are asking the authorities Gods established to do theirs. We are not seeking vengeance or retribution. We have not filed this suit because we fear something big will be uncovered or to gain any damages. (The cost of our lawsuit is covered by two of our elders, not from church family offerings.)

We love the body of Christ, and stand ready to give grace and forgive, for in many ways God used the bloggers in the beginning but there is no righteous role remaining for them. We want them to move on and leave the governance of our church to our biblical eldership and congregation.

We pray for the bloggers peace and for a new season of freedom from outside interference for the people of Harvest Bible Chapel. Over and over we have asked God to protect our churchand we now believe he has, through the government authorities he ordained (Rom. 13:1-6).

James MacDonald is founding and senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel.

Speaking Out is Christianity Todays guest opinion column and (unlike an editorial) does not necessarily represent the opinion of the magazine.
The tanks dont always stop in China, as they did when the world watched a lone, brave man stand in Tiananmen Square and face down tanks designed to quell opposition to the government.

Few were watching in 2016 when the Reverend Li Jiangong and Ding Cuimei, his wife, stood before a bulldozer ordered by the government to demolish their church.

Bury them alive for me, an angry member of the demolition team reportedly said.

The bulldozer did. Li managed to scratch his way out. But his wife didnt make it.

That turned out to be a step too far even for the Chinese government at the time, which soon hauled the demolition team in for questioning. But the deed was doneand whether politically intentional or not, it is a symbol of a brutal repression of the Chinese church that is only gaining momentum.

Since the Communist takeover, the church has always been subject to repression by authorities. But slowly since 1982, the government had been giving the church space to breathe. As late as the spring of 2011, Chinese officials were saying publicly that religion is good for development, according to a 2012 report in Foreign Policy. The government donated land, built churches, and authorized research on positive Christian contributions to society.

Under the current administration of President Xi Jinping, however, the government is tearing down some churches (like the 50,000-member Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi Province in January) and closing others (most notably, Zion Church, Beijings largest house church). The Chinese government is working furiously to recreate the church in its image. Regulations announced last year formalized policy that has, in practice, been in effect for some ...

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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.
Earlier this week, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interrupted by a Methodist minister in a clerical collar who shouted verses from Matthew 25 during a religious liberty event in Boston.

Brother Jeff, as a fellow United Methodist, I call upon you to repent, to care for those in need, to remember that when you do not care for others, you are wounding the body of Christ, said Will Green, pastor of of Ballard Vale United Church in Massachusetts.

Greens remarks, followed by another outcry from a Baptist pastor, led both clergy to be escorted from the event. The Trump cabinet member briefly responded, Thank you for those remarks and attack, but I would just tell you we do our best every day to fulfill my responsibility to enforce the laws of the United States.

In a news clip gone viral, Green said to Sessionss face what some members of the nations second-largest Protestant body have articulated in statements, tweets, and casual conversation: Theyre unsettled to see a fellow member of the United Methodist Church (UMC) enforcing policies their tradition opposes, specifically, the White House directive to apprehend and separate families crossing the US border.

United Methodist leaders have adopted resolutions in favor of comprehensive immigration reform and declared Sessionss own zero-tolerance stance as unnecessarily cruel. More than 600 clergy and laypeople filed an official complaint against him with the UMC, though it was ultimately dismissed by his district this summer.

I don't believe there's anything in the Scripture or anything in my theology that says a secular nation state cannot have lawful laws to control immigration, said the attorney general, the highest-ranking Methodist politician.

The denominational groundswell against Sessionsan Alabama Republican and a member of Ashland Place United Methodist Church in Mobile continues to raise questions over when and how the church should discipline one of its own.

We deeply hope for a reconciling process that will help this long-time member of our connection [Sessions] step back from his harmful actions and work to repair the damage he is currently causing to immigrants, particularly children and families, read a letter from UMC leaders filed July 18.

The complaint, which cited chargeable offenses of child abuse, immorality, racial discrimination, and dissemination of doctrines contrary to the standards of doctrine of the United Methodist Church, was quashed over the summer by the district superintendent of the Alabama-West Florida UMC Conference, which oversees Sessionss home church. The justification for dismissing the complaint? Duty-bound politics is not personal.

Backlash upon Backlash

A political action is not personal conduct when the political officer is carrying out official policy, read the dismissal, offered in a statement from Bishop David W. Graves, resident bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, who concurred with the decision.

According to the dismissal notice, Sessions simply carried out the official program of the president and the Department of Justice, so his behavior didnt constitute an individual act and therefore was not covered under the UMCs Book of Discipline.

His Methodist critics have not been so willing to separate the two, going on to push back against Sessionss appeal to the Biblethe oft-cited, oft-ignored opening of Romans 13to defend the policy.

While I could fully understand the informal complaints about Sessions, and though I didnt expect much success for the formal complaint...I dont understand the rationale for the dismissal of the complaint, said Will Willimon, a Methodist theologian, UMC bishop, and Duke Divinity School professor, in a response to CT.

Political actions are not personal conduct? Whats that supposed to mean? Whats the basis in Scripture for that statement? I know nothing in our Book of Discipline that bifurcates personal behavior from public, politically motivated behavior. Whatever happened to, We must obey God rather than human beings (Acts 5:29)?

William B. Lawrence, a former president of the UMCs judicial council, called the reasoning behind the dismissal problematic. I do not follow the logic that grants someone, even the president of the United States, the right to superior orders with regard to church law, he stated to the Religion News Service.

Still, such complaints are rare, and laity usually meet with their pastor or district superintendent to resolve, he said in a United Methodist News Service article.

Essentially, there is no precedent for the denomination disciplining lay members in a situation like Sessionss, and perhaps no need.

No Methodist to my knowledge in history has been ecclesially punished for political views or actions, Mark Tooley, a Methodist and the president of the Institute of Religion and Democracy, told CT. Church members were sometimes disciplined for owning slaves, which Methodism opposed. But Methodist laity werent punished for politically supporting slavery or, if in government, for upholding it.

Should they have been? Should members of any church be punished and potentially excommunicated for participating in political or state acts violating church teaching? What church does so? said Tooley, who supported the dismissal, but disagreed with the rationale. Some Catholics argue the Eucharist should be withheld from pro-abortion rights Catholic lawmakers, but it almost never happens.

Tooley pointed out that, though a historically liberal denomination, United Methodism maintains conservative stances against same-sex marriage and abortion in certain cases, and members of his denomination have not been proactive in filing charges against liberal politicians whose positions oppose those.

Methodists are the second most popular Protestant denomination in Congress, with 17 Democrats (7%) and 27 Republicans (9.2%), and politicians Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush are both Methodists.

What Place for Discipline?

The majority of Protestant senior pastors in the United States (55%) were not aware of members in their churches ever being formally disciplined, according to an April survey from LifeWay Research. Only 16 percent said their church had disciplined a member within the past year.

Of all denominations surveyed, Methodists were the least likely to say a church member had been disciplined in the previous year (4%). By contrast, 29 percent of Pentecostal pastors, 19 percent of Baptist pastors, and 9 percent of Reformed/Presbyterian pastors said the same.

When asked about the responsibility to administer church discipline, responses varied as to who should take the lead. Few said the responsibility belongs solely to the church elders (14%), the pastor (9%), trustees or board members (4%), or deacons (1%).

Just over half (51%) said two or more of these groups must come to an agreement for discipline to be enacted, and 18 percent said there was no formal discipline process at their churches. Mainline pastors (24%) were more likely to say there was no formal discipline policy than their evangelical counterparts (15%).

Methodists like Sessions are, according to LifeWays findings, the least likely to see church leaders administer discipline to its members. Regarding their own churches, 85 percent of Methodist senior pastors agreed with the statement, A member has not been formally disciplined since I came as pastor nor prior as far as I know. Methodist pastors are also the most likely to say they have no official policies in place for disciplining church members (37%).

The denomination does, however, have its Book of Discipline, which explicitly permits church trials and even the expulsion of members, though pastoral steps like a conversation between the charged member and the members pastor and district superintendent would be the first step.

I hope [Sessions] pastor can have a good conversation with him and come to a good resolution that helps him reclaim his values that many of us feel hes violated as a Methodist, regional conference elder David Wright told UM News, adding, I would look upon his being taken out of the denomination or leaving as a tragedy. Thats not what I would want from this.

Over the summer, a Justice Department spokesperson said Sessions would not comment on the matter, and representatives of the Alabama-West Florida Conference also declined to comment.

Its not immoral, not indecent, and not unkind to state what your laws are and then set about to enforce them, in my view, Sessions said on Monday. I feel like thats my responsibility and thats what I intend to do.
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When I was in high school, I felt dumb around my friends. I had only recently become a Christian and didn't know any of the Bible stories like everyone else did. So I started reading the Bible on my own for an hour and a half a day, and one day something clicked. I realized the Bible was alive and spoke to me as a young person.

That once-common experience is becoming more and more rare. If you're a millennial, you're part of an entire generation that is losing touch with the Bible, even though it could do great things in all our lives.

According to recent Barna Group research, nearly three out of five young Christians will leave church life, either permanently or for an extended period. I believe that's driven at least in part by a lack of engagement with Scripture. One-third of millennials say that they never read the Bible, according to another study, and nearly half say they read the Bible fewer than twice a year, far higher percentages than any other generation.

If you, as a young person, feel your problems and stories are unwelcome in church and feel the Bible has little to tell you, it's natural that you'd begin to disengage. Faith, including Bible study, falls by the wayside. It's not that life is without its problems  after all, who doesn't worry about relationships or money. However, if you're under forty, it's likely that you or your peers might not believe the Bible holds the solutions.

I am convinced that biblical teaching and study are relevant to all our problems and challenges, and they're critical for a fulfilled life. The Scripture not only provides the story of creation and the gospel, but it contains lessons that instruct the reader in how to live well and find purpose. Even if you aren't sure what you think about the Bible, dive into it for yourself and discover how it speaks to you.

By "feasting" on the words of the Bible, readers get to know the Word of God firsthand, understanding Him in a new way. In my work at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship I have seen it again and again  once students start studying God's word intently, they begin to understand the world from God's perspective, and their life and faith find new meaning.

This isn't just an American phenomenon. All over the world, Wycliffe Bible Translators is translating the Bible into every human tongue so people everywhere can read it in their native language. I have seen people read a translation for the first time, and the proverbial light bulb clicks on in their head. There is no substitute for deep, serious study of the Bible. Everywhere the Bible spreads, it has a transformative effect.

That's why efforts like #WhyBible, Wycliffe's annual campaign to promote conversation about the relevance of the Bible to modern life, are so important. Each year the campaign sparks online discussion about how the Bible changes lives. #WhyBible 2018 - held last month on September 30, International Translation Day - saw participants from all over the world and raised thousands of dollars to fund Bible translation. In conjunction with #WhyBible 2018, Wycliffe released a free e-book detailing six of the most effective techniques that introduce and guide people in studying Scripture. One is the inductive method, which helps you interpret Scripture with the original audience in mind and then see its relevance to your own life.

Our culture may take it for granted that we have 24/7 access to a Bible in our native language, but it's important to remember that access is a privilege, one that can help all of us find fulfillment in our lives. When people turn to Scripture for guidance, it changes their lives for good. Visit Wycliffe.org/whybible to learn more about reminding the world that the Scriptures are more relevant than ever. There you can also find articles, Bible study help and devotionals to help you dive deeper into the Scriptures.

Lindsay Olesberg is a renowned Bible study teacher and trainer with more than 25 years of experience in ministry. She's a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators' board of directors, Scripture Engagement Director for InterVarsity and author of "The Bible Study Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to an Essential Practice."
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Nadal and her husband knew it was only a matter of time before ISIS descended upon their village just outside of Qaraqosh, Iraq.

As Christians, they knew they couldn't stay in the area. They had heard of the atrocities ISIS had committed against other Christ-followers. Nadal shuddered when she thought of what had happened to children the same age as her own three daughters.

No evil was beyond ISIS  they were capable of virtually anything. But Nadal trusted God.

Then one day without warning, ISIS members arrived in the village. They went from door to door checking for weapons, but assured Nadal they would not disturb her family.

"You are Christian people. We will not hurt you," they promised.

Still, they would not allow the family to leave the village until they received orders from their superiors, and Nadal knew the ISIS occupation could only stay peaceful for so long. They had to flee before it was too late.

About a month after ISIS arrived, Nadal and her family discreetly traveled to a local checkpoint leading to the major route they must take toward safety  praying with all of their might they would be allowed to pass. Miraculously, they were approved ... but trouble was far from over. There was one more checkpoint several miles away that they would still need to pass through.

Shortly after arriving at the second checkpoint, they were arrested along with another family, and their IDs and cell phones were confiscated. Just when they thought they were about to make their final escape, their hopes were dashed.

"You will be Muslim people. You will convert to Islam!" an officer barked at her family.

"No. We will stay Christian," Nadal declared resolutely.

Tensions were high as the parties deliberated. In a heated moment, one of the militants grabbed Nadal's 7-year-old daughter and brutally shoved her into a wall causing her to scream in pain and terror.

After negotiating with the officers, they were given an ultimatum. If Nadal and her daughters wanted to live, her husband would have to stay behind as an ISIS prisoner. Their daughters began to wail with fear upon hearing their father was not leaving with them.

Nadal could only sob in horror. Yet she knew ISIS was capable of much worse  if they stayed, she and her daughters might be killed or sold as brides to militants.

She had no choice but to trust her husband's life to God's care and continue their journey to safety without him.

Today, Nadal and her family live in a refugee community in Iraq. She hasn't seen her husband in years but has heard rumors of his death. "The children cry every night, begging for their father to return," she said.

Despite everything her family has endured, Nadal told us she still has hope. She has not lost her faith in God. And like so many Iraqi Christians, their faith alone sustains them.

Nov. 4 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. On this important day, will you stand in prayer for believers like Nadal who have suffered greatly for their faith.

Pray for the strength, comfort, and steadfastness of these brothers and sisters in the face of such evil and adversity. Pray for our own eyes and ears to be opened to their cries for help ... that an army of prayer warriors will rise up in response. Pray that God will be magnified through their situations, and the hearts of oppressors will be radically transformed by the love of Christ.

Click here to learn more about the upcoming International Day of Prayer and how you can get involved. For those who are suffering for the sake of Christ, your involvement is an answer to prayer.
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"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD." Psalm 37:23

God is never taken by surprise.

Acts 12 records that in the days of the early church, Herod Agrippa sought to bolster his standing as Rome's king over Judaea and took action against two of the apostles. Though Herod intended death for both James and Peter, God orchestrated Peter's escape from prison and execution. For James, however, God allowed fulfillment of the prophetic words of Jesus (Matt. 20:23) and permitted him to suffer martyrdom. Both men served among the leaders of the early church, and God used both the escape of Peter and the blood of James to help the church to thrive. In fact, the same chapter that reports Herod's ill intent toward Judean Christians records that the Word of God grew and multiplied (Acts 12:24).

Recently, in the troubled provinces of Cameroon, the same God who kept a number of veteran missionaries from bodily harm allowed the newest of their number, a missionary of just twelve days, to be martyred. Last Tuesday, October 30, Charles Wesco traveled into the city of Bamenda with his wife, one son, and a fellow missionary. He may have been targeted in the area's ongoing civil conflict and was killed when shots were fired at their vehicle.

While we may not understand God's providences, we must rest in His Providence. We live in time. God lives in eternity. For James and Peter, it's all in eternity now. God was glorified in James's faithfulness unto death as well as in Peter's supernatural escapeand He will be glorified in the death of Charles Wesco.

Charles loved the Lord along with his wife Stephanie and their eight children. He had given his life to serve as a missionary declaring the good news that Jesus saves from sin. I have known Charles and Stephanie since before they were married. Endowed by God with a brilliant mind, Charles desired to do God's will. When they were on deputation, raising support to go to Cameroon, Charles brought his family three consecutive years to a conferencewe hosted on accessing Christ as your life. He loved the truth of the Spirit-filled life and desired to be a channel of Christ's life to those in need.

One thing is certain. God is powerful enough to use the life and death of Charles Wesco for His glory, and He will. Our hearts go out to Stephanie, the children, and other relatives and friends at the loss of this dear man. He will be missed. Concerned for others and desiring God's glory, Stephanie has been, by God's grace, a picture of grace. May the God of all comfort bring peace and His all-sufficiency to Stephanie and the family as they go forward, and may the Lord of the harvest use this perplexing turn of events to further His cause and Kingdom.

John Van Gelderen is an evangelist, author of eight books and president of Revival Focus Ministries (revivalfocus.org). He and his wife, Mary Lynn, also run Gentle Praise, a Christian music publishing ministry. They are based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but frequently travel to speak at churches throughout the US.
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C.S Lewis' legions of fans will remember his fierce opposition to vivisection. In his prescient book God in the Dock, he includes a chapter on experimentation on animals, in which he concludes that vivisection of beasts marks a triumph of "ruthless, nonmoral utilitarianism over ethical law...We choose the jungle and must abide by our choice."

Lewis added that experiments on animals lends a justificatory framework for the vivisection of human beings:

"But the most sinister thing about modern vivisection is this. If a mere sentiment justifies cruelty, why stop at a sentiment for the whole human race? There is also a sentiment for the white man against the black, for a Herrenvolk against the non-Aryans, for "civilized" or "progressive" peoples against "savage" or "backward" peoples. Finally, for our own country, party, or class against others. Once the old Christian idea of a total difference in kind between man beast has been abandoned, then no argument for experiments on animals can be found which is not also an argument for experiments on inferior men. If we cut up beasts simply because they cannot prevent us and because we are backing our own side in the struggle for existence, it is only logical to cut up imbeciles, criminals, enemies, or capitalists for the same reasons. Indeed, experiments on men have already begun. We all hear that Nazi scientists have done them. We all suspect that our own scientists may begin to do so, in secret, at any moment."

Of course, Lewis, who wrote the above after the exposure of the horrors of the Third Reich, was completely correct that Nazi scientists experimented on humans.

In a heartrending YouTube video, 84-year-old Eva Mozes Kor, a survivor of the infamous twin experiments performed by Dr. Joseph Mengele, relates her and her twin sister's experiences of having undergone vivisection and poisoning. Mengele's goal was to find out how to increase the Aryan population by enabling the birth of more twins, but he also was caught up in experimenting with developing Aryan characteristics by such means as injecting dye into brown eyes in order they become blue. Eva recalls that in one particularly gruesome experiment, Mengele sewed two Romani twins together back to back in order to create conjoined twins. The screaming children died of gangrene after three days of hideous suffering.

Less well known than his attempts at making brown eyes blue is the fact Mengele performed sex change operations, operating on victims without anesthesia. All his experiments were done in complete secret, with the only witnesses to his demented research being the few twins who survived his vivisectiontwins like Eva Kor.

Today's mad scientists are not doing vivisection of humans in secret. In fact, vivisection is being performed quite openly and routinely in full view of the public. But now experimentation on human beings goes by the name of human "rights" advocated by the transgender movement. The cult of transgenderism, in which vivisection is done on mere children in order to satisfy the fantasy that one can become other than the sex with which they are born, has an entire religious-political rationale that provides a justificatory framework for what is actually Mengele type experiments on children and youths.

The truth is that the world views of transgenderism and Nazism share a similar rationale concerning experimentation on human beings. Both see vivisection and disfigurement of the body as a way to improve humanity, asserting by surgery transformative power over basic characteristics of the human race. The deliberate infliction of pain and torture, including drugs that produce sterility, is considered by both ideologies as a necessary good in order the human race move toward mastery of its inherent and natural structural limitations, including sex as assigned by birth.

For Nazism, a master Aryan race could be achieved. For transgenderism, elevation above the natural limitations of being male or female can be achieved. For both, control of a human being's physical material will transform the person who undergoes vivisection into something better than they were before. For both, a type of redemption from mere mortality is achieved by manipulation of the physical body. Indeed, some churches have already considered acknowledging the new trans doctrines of redemption by developing liturgies celebrating the "transition" from one sex to another. It is worth noting that the current paroxysms of the Catholic Church, while centered on the child abuse and homosexual issues, are due in part to the transgender revolution--whether or not that revolution is acknowledged. The "T" in the LGBTQ movement that has infiltrated the Catholic church does, after all, stand for "Transgender," and thus for the ersatz redemption by mutilation the cult endorses. In consequence, the Catholic church might face another child abuse scandal as children become targets for mutilation and sterilization.

In both ideologies, any method is justified by the supposition that the person who undergoes mutilation and sterilization is an improved version of the human race; that he or she has transcended the ordinary limitations of this mortal coil by shuffling it off for another version. The fact "transitioning" is posited as voluntary choice by mere children does not mitigate the horror of what is happening to them. In fact, in many ways the canard that children can choose to be mutilated makes the whole transgender movement even more prurient, as parental and state protective cover and guidance of the young minds vanishes. Unprotected children are as sheep led to the slaughter, firmly believing that they can be anything they want to be; that mutilation and sterilization are the ultimate self-improvements. In actuality, they are sacrificial lambs being led to the dissection table.

At the bottom of the Nazi and transgender ideologies is the idea that all natural human characteristics, including sexual distinctions, can be tinkered with and even eliminated by a ruling elite who have taken the position of the gods. The transformer may, by surgery and experimentation, change mere malleable flesh into something that is more than human. Both believe in the reconstruction of physicality in order to create a new man; a new woman.

The two ideologies are closely allied with the Frankensteinian notion that man alone is the creator and destroyer of man. Transgenderism, with its embrace of vivisection and manipulation of human material, is the same ideological impulse that has given us abortion on demand, euthanasia, surrogacy, the cloning of human beings and the manipulation of human genetic material. Man is seen as being in charge of human material and thus human destiny, individual and societal.

It is imperative that the Christian Church realize the ideological agenda that drove the actions of the Third Reich now drives transgenderism. Both ideologies assault the deeply Christian idea of man as created imago dei. Both see man created and manipulated by man alone. Both seek to mold the human being into any image the more powerful wish.

Both thus seek to destroy the rights attendant to the human being as made in the image of the creator, male and female, and so worthy of dignity and of the natural rights attendant to each and every human being.

The Church must resist the idea that we may be re-formed by lesser gods; gods who are mere human beings. She must reclaim and proclaim the gospel of Christ, which asserts that we may by God's grace become sons and daughters of most High God.

Fay Voshell holds a M.Div. from Princeton University, which awarded her its prize for excellence in systematic theology. Her thoughts have been published in many online magazines, including American Thinker, National Review, RealClearReligion, CNS, Russia Insider, and The Christian Post. She may be reached at fvoshell@yahoo.com
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We've compiled the top stories of the week. Here's what you need to know:

Asia Bibi acquitted

After eight years on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan, Asia Bibi was acquitted by the country's highest court.

The Christian mother, whom hundreds of thousands have prayed for, was shocked by the verdict.

"I can't believe it," she said.

The acquittal has sparked major protests as radical Islamists want to see Bibi hanged.

American missionary killed

Charles Wesco, who has eight children, was killed in Cameroon when shots were fired at the car he was traveling in with his wife and one of their sons.

Cameroonian Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo placed blame for the crime on four "terrorists."

Many are showing support through donations to the Wesco family, who had moved from Indiana to Cameroon as missionaries in October.

Megachurch pastor was involved with multiple women

Bishop Victor Couzens of the 5,000-member Inspirational Bible Church  City of Destiny in Ohio was revealed to have been involved in "multiple" extramarital relationships.

After being made aware of this, Bishop Paul S. Morton of The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International said he confronted Couzens, who allegedly "repented" and resigned.

Couzens was still leading the church this week.

Christians support asylum seekers in US

With thousands of troops being deployed to the country's border with Mexico, some Christians have come out against President Donald Trump's move and in support of asylum seekers.

"We affirm that seeking asylum is not a crime. We urge all governments to abide by international law and existing domestic laws that protect those seeking safe haven and ensure that all those who are returned to their home country are protected and repatriated safely," said a group of Catholic organizations.

Meanwhile, a recent survey revealed that white evangelicals were the only religious group to view the trend toward America becoming a minority white nation as a negative thing. Fifty-four percent said they view it as negative, while majorities of other religious groups said they view the trend as positive.

Pray for

Safe release of Asia Bibi as protesters try to block her from leaving the country

Family of Charles Wesco

New releases

Albums:

Wild by Sean Feucht of Bethel Music (Nov. 2)

The Beginning & Everything After by The Afters (Nov. 2)

Books:

I Declare War: Four Keys to Winning the Battle With Yourself by Levi Lusko (Oct. 30)

Fixing My Eyes on Jesus: Daily Moments in His Word by Anne Graham Lotz (Oct. 30)
10,000 prize for Tonbridge church in Ecclesiastical volunteering competition

The 10,000 grand prize in Ecclesiastical Insurance's 'Little Deeds, Big Difference' competition for church volunteers has gone to St Stephen's Church in Tonbridge as volunteer Betty Keywood was crowned overall winner.

Ecclesiastical, the UK's leading church insurer, ran the competition to celebrate the role of church volunteers who devote their time and energy to support their local communities and church.

Betty's tireless efforts, which include counselling and organising craft groups, have transformed the lives of countless vulnerable people in her community. During the last 60 years she has dedicated her time to supporting elderly and disabled people, those recently bereaved and people suffering from depression.

Ecclesiastical's judging panel was particularly impressed with the longevity and breadth of her commitment to volunteering and the significant number of people she has reached.

Betty was named as the overall winner of the competition at a celebration lunch yesterday, which took place in St Martins-in-the-Field Church, London. Five other winners also attended collecting 2,000 each in prize money for their churches.

Now 87, she has served as a vicar's secretary and set up the church office, was part of a team supporting a local school, and set up a craft group. She said after the presentation: 'I've learned such a lot. I've loved working with old people; they're often pushed aside as though they're too old to do anything.'

In his letter nominating Betty for the competition, Mark Barker, vicar at St Stephen's, referred to her 'incredible gifts of love, care, wisdom and support'.

Michael Angell, church operations director at Ecclesiastical and one of the judges, commented: 'As soon as we read about Betty's tireless contribution to her community, we were immediately heartened. She has had a profound effect on the lives of so many people, many of whom have been in need and Betty has been there as a friend throughout. She has done this with grace, dedication and a zest for life.'

Alongside Betty and representatives from St Stephen's Church, the other winners present at the celebration lunch were representatives from:

 Holy Trinity Church, Combe Down, Somerset and winning volunteer Sharon Blair

 St Mary and St John's Church, Lamyatt, Somerset and winning volunteer Freda Gibbons

 St Michael and All Angels Church, Bishop's Cleeve, Cheltenham and winning volunteer Mary Hughes

 Christ Church, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire and winning volunteer group The Friday Men

 All Saints Church, Kettlestone, Fakenham, Norfolk and winning volunteer Roger Townsin

The Little Deeds, Big Difference competition was designed to raise the profile of church volunteers and highlight the difference that they make to communities around the country. More than 340 thank-you notes were also displayed at the celebration lunch, each one representing a church volunteer nominated for the competition.

To find out more about this year's competition click here.
7 Coptic Christian pilgrims reported dead in terror attack

At least seven people have been killed after unknown gunmen shot at a bus transporting a group of Coptic Christians in Egypt's Minya governorate on Friday, according to Ahram Online.

The group was heading to the monastery of St Samuel the Confessor.

Archbishop Angaelos of London, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, tweeted, 'Praying for casualties, survivors mourners and all those affected, as well as safety on all our faithful brethren in #Egypt.

While no further deals of the attack have been released, reports appear to indicate it echoes a similar attack in May 2017 in which 28 people were killed by Al-Qaeda-affiliation terrorists. Twenty-two other were injured.

The victims from today's reported attack were also heading to St Samuel's Monastery.

Last year's attack took place only a month after the Palm Sunday bomings of St George's Church in the northern Egyptian city of Tanta and St Mark's Cathedrals in Alexandria.

Christians in the region are particularly vulnerable to Islamist violence, with attacks on churches and individuals regularly reported.

Minya was home to the 21 Christians beheaded on a beach in Libya by Islamic State in 2015 during the anarchy that followed the ousting of President Muammar Gaddafi.
American evangelicals in rare meeting with Saudi Arabian leaders

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a rare meeting with American evangelical Christians on Thursday, as the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom seeks to open up more to the world and repair an image of religious intolerance.

The delegation was led by communications strategist Joel Rosenberg and included former U.S. congresswoman Michele Bachmann, according to an emailed statement by the group, as well as heads of American evangelical organizations, some with ties to Israel.

"It was a historic moment for the Saudi Crown Prince to openly welcome Evangelical Christian leaders to the Palace. We were encouraged by the candor of the two-hour conversation with him today," the statement said.

According to CBN, the delegation also included Christian communications specialist, Rev Johnnie Moore, and National Religious Broadcasters President Jerry Johnson.

The delegation also met Saudi officials including Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Khalid bin Salman, and secretary-general of the Muslim World League Mohammed al-Issa.

A visit by such prominent non-Muslim leaders, who estimate they represent about 60 million people, is a rare act of religious openness for Saudi Arabia, which hosts the holiest sites in Islam and bans the practice of other religions.

Some of the figures' support for Israel, which the kingdom does not recognize, is also striking. For instance, Mike Evans, founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, describes himself on his website as "a devout American-Christian Zionist leader".

Saudi Arabia has maintained for years that normalizing relations with Israel hinges on its withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war - territory Palestinians seek for a future state.

But increased tension between Tehran and Riyadh has fueled speculation that shared interests may push Saudi Arabia and Israel to work together against what they regard as a common Iranian threat.

Prince Mohammed, who in recent years has loosened strict social rules and arrested Saudi clerics deemed extremists, said in April that Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land. A month earlier, Saudi Arabia opened its air space for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel.

Several members of the delegation, which met with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in the United Arab Emirates earlier in the week, have also advised U.S. President Donald Trump on faith issues.

Reporting by Stephen Kalin; Editing by James Dalgleish
Church Mission Society takes major step in goal of impacting 50 million families across Africa

Church Mission Society Africa reached a major milestone as it celebrated its 10th anniversary this week with the opening of new international headquarters in Kenya.

The 13-storey building in Nairobi is three years in the making. It contains office space and conference facilities, and will serve as the central hub for CMS-Africa's work across the region.

The opening ceremony was attended by 200 guests, including the former Archbishop of Tanzania, the Most Rev Donald Mtetemela, and former Archbishop of Rwanda, the Most Rev Onesphore Rwaje.

Also present were CMS-Africa's outgoing international director, Dr Dennis Tongoi, and his successor Canon Moses Bushendich.

The opening of the building is a major milestone in fulfilling CMS-Africa's vision of impacting 50 million families across the continent by 2050.

CMS-Africa is focusing on training, women's empowerment, families, young people, and business owners and leaders.

Canon Moses said the new building was a 'miracle of faith, belief and trust in God'.

'The new building will provide a base for CMS-Africa, a place where Africans can pray for mission and the means to make CMS-Africa sustainable,' he said.

Canon Philip Mounstephen, executive leader of Church Mission Society, said the new headquarters was a 'significant step' towards the fulfilment of CMS's vision for mission in Africa.

'Over 10 years CMS-Africa has grown and matured, and is now at the vanguard of mission, not only for Africa, but elsewhere in the world. Through Canon Moses and his team, I believe CMS-Africa can be a catalyst to renew mindsets and transform communities for millions of Africans,' he said.

Since its founding 10 years ago, CMS-Africa has grown to include country coordinators and missionaries in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.

These teams have worked together to develop business as mission, financial freedom and youth training programmes. Some 20,000 people have taken part in these training programmes, which teach people how to manage their money and run ethical businesses among other life skills.

Summing up the vision for whole life discipleship, Dr Tongoi said: 'We believe in church on Monday.'

Dr Tongoi, who is retiring after 10 years at the helm of CMS-Africa, added, 'As I come to the end of my tenure as director of CMS-Africa, the overriding emotion I feel is joy at seeing people that God has raised up and I have had the privilege to work alongside, impacting countless lives as God works through this ministry.'
Churches called to mark Adoption Sunday

Churches across the country will use this Sunday's service to mark Adoption Sunday.

One of the church leaders marking the occasion is the Bishop of Rochester, James Langstaff, who is also the Bishop for Prisons. He will use his Sunday morning sermon to raise awareness of the need to ensure vulnerable children grow up in loving, stable homes in order to stem the flow of children from the care system entering prison. At present, 49 per cent of young men aged under 21 who are in contact with the criminal justice system have spent time in care.

Other churches will show a short film produced by fostering and adoption charity Home for Good, or interview foster carers or adopters in their congregation.

The campaign comes at a time when there is a need for a further 8,100 foster carers to meet the need in the UK. In England, the children on the Adoption Register outweigh the families waiting to adopt by almost three to one. In all parts of the UK, there is a shortfall of families open to caring for children with additional needs, in sibling groups, over the age of four or from black and minority ethnic communities.

Dr Krish Kandiah, founding director of Home for Good, which initiated Adoption Sunday, said: 'In the same way we have been welcomed into God's family, not by birthright but by radical hospitality, we are calling people to offer children a loving welcome and a home for good. Adoption Sunday is an opportunity for individual Christians to reflect on the way God cares for the vulnerable and consider how they too might care for the children in their time of need.'

Shadow Children's Minister, Emma Lewell-Buck said: 'This Adoption Sunday I want to pay tribute to foster carers and adopters and to the many churches who support them in their care for vulnerable children. Sometimes in the face of real adversity, these families are doing something amazing for those in need and today is an opportunity to publicly express our thanks.'

Click here for Adoption Sunday resources.
Heckling Jeff Sessions: Lessons about patience from a pastor's protest

We've recently had to start a new list in our house. It's not my son's letter to Santa, that started back in March. This is a list of 'banned words'.

Like anything with a toddler, we know that the best way to deal with these things usually is to ignore them. It's like when they're just learning to talk and stumble into the most obscene swear words with no idea what they're saying or what the words are but then just start shouting them loudly around the house just as you prepare for your great grandma to arrive for lunch or you're heading to a christening. You can't say 'stop' or mention it, that'll only make them want to say it more. The best thing to do is hope they've got sick of saying it before anyone else can hear them.

But we've realised that these particular words aren't accidental or stumbled upon (and thankfully not obscene). The list so far is short but includes:

STUPID

HATE

IDIOT

Like all good parents, we have no idea where he learnt these words and are currently blaming school. There's just one problem, having banned the words, we've not just ensured that he is aware that he shouldn't be saying them, he's also very aware that we shouldn't be saying them either. In fact, having started the list it's fair to say that I've found myself reminding him of it it far less than he has reminded me of it. Most weeks are unable to pass without a shout of 'BANNED WORD!' coming my way with all the passion this particular four-year-old can muster.

I think if someone had asked me how often I said any of these words I'd have been optimistic in my outlook. Very rarely, almost never, if at all, but the truth is, I use words like stupid, hate and idiot far more than I'm comfortable to admit, so thankfully I have a two-foot-tall walking swear jar accompanying me through life at the moment to point out my failings.

Earlier this week US attorney general Jeff Sessions was heckled at an event in Boston.

This is no longer really a surprising headline. The heckling of American politicians is becoming more and more commonplace. From theatre stages to restaurant tables, all those involved in the current US administration are increasingly being met with citizens unhappy with their politics and letting them know about it. At political rallies all over America, protesters are removed by police and guards to allow things to carry on as normal. This incident was no different. The two hecklers were removed from the venue by police while the remaining crowd jeered.

Religious leaders interrupt Attorney General Jeff Sessions' speech: "Brother Jeff, as a fellow United Methodist I call upon you to repent, to care for those in need."



Sessions: "Well, thank you for those remarks and attack but I would just tell you we do our best everyday" pic.twitter.com/NUq5HSZZMg  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 29, 2018

What made this particular incident interesting was that both the removed men were wearing dog collars.

Sessions was speaking at the Boston Lawyers chapter of the conservative Federalist Society when United Methodist minister Will Green began to speak out words attributed to Jesus from the book of Matthew: 'I was hungry and you did not feed me. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. I was naked and you did not clothe me.' He stood to his feet and went on to say 'Brother Jeff, as a fellow United Methodist, I call upon you to repent, to care for those in need, to remember that when you do not care for others you are wounding the body of Christ.'

As police officers moved towards him, Sessions responded: 'Well thank you for those remarks and attack but I would just tell you we do our best every day to fulfil my responsibility to enforce the laws of the United States...'

At this stage Rev Darrell Hamilton II stood to defend Green. 'That is a person that represents the Christian tradition, the faith that everyone here professes to believe in, actually sharing the words of Jesus.' He too was quickly removed accompanied by a chorus of boos and cries of 'Go home!'

What was perhaps even more striking was that the event at which Sessions was speaking at was a conference called The Future of Religious Liberty. According to reports, he went on to talk about what he called a 'total cultural war' on people of faith and his belief that 'respect for religious liberty and for people of faith has eroded significantly in recent decades'. He also promised that the Trump administration will continue to defend religious liberty in the face of 'liberal secularism' and 'hostility' to religious freedom.

Jeff Sessions is no stranger to religious controversy. In June he famously quoted scripture when asked about the children being separated from parents at the US border. Later that month, over 600 United Methodist clergy and members brought church law charges against Sessions accusing him of 'dissemination of doctrines contrary to the standards of doctrine of the Church'. The charges were later dropped. In August, he announced a new religious task force warning that the USA had become 'less hospitable to people of faith'.

It's hard to miss the irony and Hamilton didn't. As he was removed he said: 'I thought we were here to protect religious liberty, sir...I am a pastor of a Baptist church, and you are escorting me out for exercising my religious freedom.' Words met with more boos and jeers from the other attenders.

I have a strange sympathy for those present. I'm learning what it's like when you think you've found a problem to be solved and a way to do it, only to realise that you're actually more a part of the problem than you thought.

I'm learning what it's like to have the person I thought I was meant to be showing the way instead show me the error of mine.

I'm learning what it's like to have to try and fully understand the implications of the limits I'm trying to enforce.

Because if I want my son to stop using words like 'stupid', 'hate' and 'idiot' it means I'm going to have to make sure that they're not part of my vocabulary either.

If I want to ensure that he understand the reasons why those words aren't edifying or encouraging, why they don't breathe life or bring joy then I'm also going to have to understand that when he does understand that, then he'll then want the same for me and my words.

I truly hope Jeff Sessions does want to defend religious freedom, and not just freedom for his own particular brand of religion. Because while it might feel like the right thing, and get a room full of similar people to clap, cheer, boo or yell in agreement, sooner or later, someone will point out the inconsistency, and take it from me Jeff, that's never a comfortable place to find yourself.

In his remarks at the conference Sessions said something that perhaps sums it up best, and might actually, beyond task forces and conferences, hold something of the answer. 'Maybe what we need is not more litigation but more tolerance, or simple patience, for others.'

'Patience for others': three words that might just hold the key and most certainly should never be banned.

Matt White is a Northern Irish TV producer living in Essex and working in London. Follow him on Twitter @mattgwhite
Pakistan Christians fear for their safety as Islamists block roads to protest Asia Bibi acquittal

Pakistan's ultra-Islamist party blocked roads in major cities for a third day on Friday in protest against the acquittal of Asia Bibi, the Christian woman on death row for blasphemy allegations.

Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) said talks with the government have failed, and called upon its followers to get ready for a showdown.

'Talks have completely failed, Federal and provincial representatives and an Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) General Faiz took part in talks,' Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of TLP said in a tweet early on Friday morning.

'Government has warned, "we will finish you off",' Rizvi said in his tweet.

Knots of protesters from TLP blocked roughly 10 roads in the southern city of Karachi and others in eastern Lahore, Goer TV and other channels said. Private schools in both cites were shut, as well as in the capital.

Groups of about 200 protesters from TLP sat under large tents, listening to speeches on two blocked roads in Karachi, a Reuters witness said.

In one speech, a TLP speaker exhorted supporters to light new fires if the police managed to douse burning tyres and other objects they had already set ablaze.

Christians in Pakistan expressed fears for their safety in view of the temperature of the protests. Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS, said: 'While we are rejoicing the acquittal of the Asia Bibi, at the same time we are very concerned about the ongoing security situation in Pakistan.

'Christians who are a beleaguered community and are living under constant fear for their lives are further threatened because of the present situation.'

He said that Christians' miseries will not end until the blasphemy law is reformed, and steps are not taken to stop the ongoing misuse of the blasphemy law.

In a statement reported by UCA news, Samson Salamat, the Christian chairman of the interreligious Rawadari Tehreek (Movement for Tolerance), said after the verdict that TLP should be banned. 'This is a highly tense and threatening situation for religious minorities, especially for Pakistani Christians, and there is fear of persecution of Christians and attacks on their churches and other properties,' he said.

'Therefore, we call upon the government of Pakistan and the Supreme Court to take notice of the threats made by [TLP leader] Khadim Rizvi and his group prior to the announcement of the Asia Bibi verdict.

'We also call for a ban of Tehreek-e-Labaik and all similar extremist groups who are involved in hate speech and use religion as a tool to promote violence in society.

'We also call upon the government and law enforcement agencies to beef up security and ensure the deployment of military troops to safeguard the lives and property of religious minorities, especially the Christian community.'

The demonstrators were protesting the court's decision on Wednesday to free Asia Bibi, a mother of four, who had been living on death row since 2010, as the first woman sentenced to death by hanging under Pakistan's tough blasphemy laws.

She was accused of making derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim.

But a three-judge panel set up to hear the appeal, headed by Chief Justice Sahib Nissan, ruled the evidence was insufficient.

The case has divided Pakistan, where two politicians who sought to help her were assassinated, and outraged Christians worldwide, with Pope Francis saying he personally prayed for her.

In a televised national broadcast late on Wednesday, Prime Minister Inman Khan warned the protesters the government would act against any prolonged blockade.

'We will not allow any damages. We will not allow traffic to be blocked,' Khan said. 'I appeal to you, do not push the state to the extent that it is forced to take action.'

Khan's broadcast followed comments by a senior leader of TLP, calling for Chief Justice Nissan and the other two judges to be killed.

'They all three deserve to be killed,' TLP co-founder Muhammad Fatal Badri told a protest in Lahore. 'Either their security, their driver, or their cook should kill them.'

He also called for the ouster of Khan's new government and urged army officers to rise up against powerful military chief General Lamar Jawed Baja.

Hafiz Sae, an influential Islamist whom the US accuses of being the mastermind of attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that killed 166, has called for protests after Friday afternoon prayers.

Another Islamist group, the Millie Yakjehti Council, is also meeting on Thursday to discuss Asia Bibi's case and may launch protests.

Her whereabouts and that of her family are unclear, and speculation is growing that she will leave Pakistan with her family, who have been in hiding for much of the past eight years.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Traitors or Russian agents? Clergy caught in Ukraine church row

Priests like Metropolitan Oleksandr face a choice: join Ukraine's new independent church and be labeled a renegade by supporters of his own church, or stay away, and risk being branded a Russian agent.

It is a decision facing thousands of clerics as Ukraine prepares to sever ties to the Russian Orthodox Church going back to 1686.

For the Ukrainian authorities it is an essential step to tackling Russia's malign influence on its soil, four years after Russia annexed Crimea and backed separatists in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people.

It may also help President Petro Poroshenko, who championed the split, shore up support in a tight election race next year.

But the move is opposed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church, which compared it to the Great Schism of 1054 that split western and eastern Christianity.

It may also help President Petro Poroshenko, who championed the split, shore up support in a tight election race next year.

But the move is opposed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church, which compared it to the Great Schism of 1054 that split western and eastern Christianity.

Metropolitan Oleksandr, a member of the traditionally dominant Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), wants to join the new church because of what he calls its poisonous association with the Russian state.

The Moscow Patriarchate has labeled those wanting to join the new church as "schismatics". A high-ranking official, Metropolitan Antoniy, said joining the new church would be a betrayal.

In May, the Moscow Patriarchate censured Oleksandr for "obscene" behavior and told him to stop making public statements that could lead his followers into temptation.

Separately a video, watched more than 100,000 times on YouTube, called him a "traitor" and portrayed him as corrupt, soft on gay rights and involved in the abduction of two nuns.

Oleksandr, who regularly puts up photos and videos of his services on Facebook, reposted the video to his 12,000 followers to show what his opponents were up to.

POLITICAL GAME

Ukraine in October secured approval to set up an independent church from the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul, the global spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians.

The next step is for Ukraine's various church strands to meet to decide the make-up of the church and who will lead it.

The Russian Orthodox Church retaliated by breaking off all ties with Istanbul and accused the United States of engineering the split behind the scenes. President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday warned of "painful consequences".

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow called the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's support for an independent Ukrainian church "shameless".

He said Orthodox unity could be preserved only through the "resistance of our people, our clergy, our episcopate, to every mean trick, to every heresy, to every schism".

Ukraine and Russia trace their Orthodox Christian roots to Volodymyr the Great, the prince whose baptism in 988 in Kiev led to the christianization of the region known as the "Kievan Rus".

The Moscow Patriarchate, which is aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, earlier dominated in Ukraine but has been challenged by a rival known as the Kiev Patriarchate formed after the 1991 break-up of the Russian-dominated Soviet Union.

Support for the Kiev Patriarchate swelled after the annexation of Crimea. It supports church independence and Ukraine's closer integration with the West.

Oleksandr estimates between 40-70 percent of Moscow Patriarchate churches will join the new church, though his parishioners have mixed views. Some support it, while others, like Anna Trofimova, oppose it as a "political game".

Archbishop Kliment, spokesman for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), said in an interview that only a tiny fraction of his church's believers wanted to switch across.

Asked about the attacks on Oleksandr, Kliment said his church was itself the victim of a smear campaign.

As an example, he cited Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin's statement that his church had no place in Ukraine and suggested it root out Russian agents in its ranks.

Kliment said support for independence had not risen but the authorities were pushing for it "because in six months there will be presidential elections."
5 minutes with A gilt-bronze Bodhisattva containing hidden treasures

Chinese Works of Art specialist Cecilia Zi describes her delight at discovering the mysteries within this rare Xuande-period gilt-bronze figure of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Almost 600 years old, it will be offered in London on 6 November

My first impressions were, Is this right? Is this too good to be true?, reveals Cecilia Zi, Chinese Works of Art specialist at Christies in London. She is referring to the first time she encountered this rare Xuande-period, gilt-bronze seated figure of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Zi and her colleagues spotted the sculpture when they were doing a valuation visit at the property of Soame Jenyns, the former Keeper of Asian Art at the British Museum. Little did they know then that there is more to the bronze than meets the eye. As our specialist quickly discovered, the figure is hollow inside and the base is sealed with a copper plate.

The sculpture, which is a presentation of Avalokiteshvara (the bodhisattva of compassion who works tirelessly to helps others to reach nirvana) and will be offered in our Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art auction in London  dates to the reign of Emperor Xuande (1426-1435) during the Ming dynasty in China. Both the Emperor Xuande and his grandfather, Emperor Yongle, were supporters of Buddhist art and sculpture, and Chinese Buddhist art with Tibetan influence evolved considerably during the period covered by their reigns. The bodhisattvas broad shoulders, smooth torso, and long legs derive from Indian traditions. By contrast, the large circular earrings; the broad, somewhat square face with high cheekbones and elegant, curved eyebrows; and the prolific use of inlays stem from Nepali and Tibetan traditions. Engraved to the top of the base of the sculpture is Emperor Xuandes reign mark Da Ming Xuande nian shi, which translates as Bestowed during the Xuande era of the Great Ming [dynasty]. Inscriptions on such Tibeto-Chinese-style bronzes typically read from left to right, as seen here, and end with the verb shi, in this context meaning bestow, rather than with the verb zhi, meaning made, which is commonly seen in the imperial marks of porcelains of the same period.



Judging by the condition of the baseplate, this Bodhisattva has not been opened for hundreds of years  Cecilia Zi

Figures like this gilt-bronze bodhisattva would have been consecrated in a Buddhist ceremony during which dedicatory objects were placed inside. Such hollow-cast sculptures were then sealed, with the base plate kept in place by a combination of friction and red wax.

Radiographic scans of the seated figure of Avalokiteshvara reveal the auspicious objects that have been placed within it, and which are likely to have remained sealed since the 15th century

When our specialist took the sculpture for a radiographic examination, the test showed several objects inside: a short scroll, possibly from a sutra; various fragments of textiles; and what seem to be four small beads. This discovery is really exciting because it shows for certain that this figure was consecrated in the 15th century, Zi says. The condition of the baseplate strongly suggests it is the original, which would mean that the Bodhisattva has not been opened for hundreds of years.

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What makes this Serpico y Laino Patek Philippe reference 2499 so rare and so important?

Horological writer and watch collector Dr. Andrew Hildreth has the answers on a watch that sold for almost $3.3 million in Geneva

If John Reardon, renowned Patek Philippe expert and Head of Watches at Christies, declares on social media that he is excited about a watch, you can bet there is something truly unique and special about it. Reardon recently posted about The Serpico y Laino reference 2499 that it set a new benchmark in my excitement of seeing a complicated 1950s Patek. He then went on to describe the watch as fresh to market, untouched, and preserved in truly original condition. Given the watch sold for CHF 3,252,500 (almost $3.3 million) in the Rare Watches sale in Geneva, let us consider each of the elements that make this timepiece truly exceptional. Reference 2499  the benchmark grand complication for Patek Philippe By the middle of the 20th century Patek Philippe was at the top of its game in the development and refinement of the Grand Complication that included a perpetual calendar and a chronograph. What had started with the design elements of the reference 1526 perpetual calendar, and the grand complication perpetual calendar chronograph reference 1518, was now being refined both in terms of aesthetics and the mechanics. The dial design layout set by the reference 1518 was to carry through to later references with the same set of complications, and still does to this day (just look at this years release of the reference 5270P). It has the now classic layout of twin apertures under the 12 for day and month, chronograph subdials at 3 and 9, and with a moonphase at 6. No other watch manufacturer was making such complicated watches at the time, and would not do so for more than half a century. Quite simply, Patek Philippe was in a realm of its own.

The watch offered in Geneva in November 2018 is the only known reference 2499 across its complete 35-year production run to have Serpico y Laino Caracas on the dial

As the reference 1518 started to wind down in 1951, the reference 2499 was started up alongside it, but whereas the 1518 only lasted 13 years (from 1941 to 1954), the 2499 would last a remarkable 35 years in the Patek Philippe line-up, becoming the companys benchmark grand complication. The first series of the newer reference 2499 shared some common features with the 1518: the square pushers, the hands, the dial and the applied Arabic numerals. The case design, however, was altered to a more avant-garde form  augmented dimensions giving the reference 2499 a more modern aesthetic and greater presence on the wrist. With Patek Philippe confirming that this example reference 2499 was produced in 1952, case-making by Wenger for the reference can be backdated before the reference 1518 was ended, demonstrating that Patek had decided to adopt a more modern stance in terms of aesthetics for the new perpetual chronograph reference. The rarity factor The 2499 reference went through four iterations, and the level of rarity depends on which of the series you are looking at. For example, the tachymeter scale was omitted from the dial on the series 3 and series 4, which is unusual given the fact that there is chronograph function to the watch. Other factors to consider for the reference 2499 include the type of gold or metal used in construction, and whether or not a retailers name appears on the dial. A first series 2499 is often described as the rarest and most desirable. This is because the same set of talented watchmakers would have been finishing the reference 1518 and starting the new reference 2499 at the same time, meaning that fewer of the new reference watches were made. The movement The reference 2499 shared the same movement with its older sibling: the 13130 based on a Valjoux base ebauche. However, Patek developed the base ebauche to contain a straight line lever escapement, Cotes de Geneve decoration, a self-compensating overcoil and a swan-neck regulator. The movement was erudite in form: the chronograph and perpetual calendar, as well as the watchs other mechanical functions, were completed with only 23 jewels.

The 13130 movement is based on a Valjoux base ebauche

Just 349 watches made across 35 years In total, across four iterations and 35 years, just 349 examples of the 2499 reference watch were made, which equates to around 10 watches a year. The first and second series each lasted for only four or five years, making them the rarest of all. The most common reference 2499 is the third series (1960 to 1978), which accounts for approximately half of the watches made. The fourth series, which rounded out the reference up to 1985, accounts for approximately a quarter of the total, with some carrying the reference 2499/100. A Patek retailer from a lost world You have to earn the right to put your name on a Patek Philippe dial. It is an honour given to a small number of retailers who were prominent in either their country or region. Tiffany & Co is arguably the most famous, and to this day its name still appears on the dial of a few Patek Philippes. A number of reference 2499 watches have appeared over the years with different retailers on the dial; these include a fourth series 2499/100 with Beyer, a fourth series with Tiffany&Co, and a third series with Gobbi Milano. The importance of a singular retailer with a special case is evidenced by Christies selling a reference 2499 (first series) with Cartier on the dial for $2.75 million in May 2012. The watch offered in Geneva in November 2018 is the only known reference 2499 across its complete 35-year production run to have Serpico y Laino Caracas on the dial.

The dial still has the original finish, as evidenced by the accent applied over the E in Geneve, and the raised hard enamel signature and scales

Serpico y Laino Caracas Vicente Laino was born in Italy and emigrated to Venezuela in the 1920s. Settling in Caracas, he went into business with Leopoldo Serpico, a fellow Italian immigrant. With wealth levels in the country rising on the back of the post-war oil boom, Serpico y Laino set about looking for watches to sell to the newly affluent sections of the population, and went into business with Patek Philippe. As trained goldsmiths, both Serpico and Laino would have appreciated the design and manufacture of the Wenger case with this reference 2499.

The design and manufacture of the Wenger case with this reference 2499 are exceptional

While Serpico y Laino did not sell at the same scale as Gondolo y Labouriau in Brazil, it was a prominent and important enough firm to have its name added to the dial. In some senses the fortunes of Serpico y Laino are reflected in those of Venezuela  the name of the firm still exists, and the same watch brands are represented, but as with the fortunes of the country at large, Serpico y Laino has largely squandered all that its founding fathers strived and planned for.

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Truly original condition In the vintage watch world condition is of paramount importance, and can result in significant differences in price. Two watches can be, for all intents and purposes, identical, but the watch in the more original condition will always have greater appeal to the more discerning collector.

There are no cosmetic touch-ups on this reference 2499. It is in the original condition that serious collectors prize most
California energy giant Chevron reported a $4 billion quarterly profit that more than doubled its result last year of just less than $2 billion.

Revenues jumped 24 percent to $42 billion from $34 billion last year, the company said.
Cliff Owen, FRE / Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Energy Secretary Rick Perry will be travelling to Poland, Ukraine, Hungary and Czech Republic next week in what the administration described as an effort to "expand the energy cooperation between the United States and our European allies."

"On this trip, Secretary Perry will engage with government officials on a variety of topics from nuclear energy to cybersecurity and coal and LNG exports," the Energy Department said in an email.
More Information

How Houstonians feel about their jobs this year compared to last year. The percentage of responders who agreed with the following statements:

Statement 2018 2017 Percent change

My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful 81.3% 79.0% 2.8%

There is good inter-departmental cooperation at this company 65.7% 64.1% 2.4%

Senior managers understand what is really happening at this company 62.8% 61.6% 1.9%

My manager makes it easier to do my job well 80.5% 79.2% 1.7%

I believe this company is going in the right direction 75.9% 74.7% 1.7%

At this company, we do things efficiently and well 69.4% 68.3% 1.6%

I have confidence in the leader of this company 76.0% 75.2% 1.1%

This company operates by strong values 83.3% 82.4% 1.1%

I get the formal training I want for my career 67.9% 67.2% 1.1%

New ideas are encouraged at this company 74.8% 74.0% 1.0%

I would highly recommend working at this company to others 78.2% 77.5% 1.0%

I feel well-informed about important decisions at this company 64.5% 63.9% 0.9%

This company encourages different points of view 70.6% 70.0% 0.9%

This company enables me to work at my full potential 72.9% 72.4% 0.6%

This company motivates me to give my very best at work 77.1% 76.7% 0.6%

My manager helps me learn and grow 74.9% 74.8% 0.2%

My manager cares about my concerns 78.7% 78.5% 0.2%

I feel genuinely appreciated at this company 77.7% 77.8% -0.1%

I have not considered searching for a better job in the past month 58.0% 58.9% -1.6%

This job has met or exceeded the expectations I had when I started 67.7% 69.4% -2.3%

I have the flexibility I need to balance my work and personal life 74.6% 77.3% -3.4%

My benefits package is good compared to others in this industry 53.5% 57.0% -6.1%

My pay is fair for the work I do 55.3% 60.6% -8.6%

How Houstonians feel about their jobs compared to their counterparts in the U.S. in 2018. The percentage of responders who agreed with the following statements:

Statement Houston National Percent change

My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful 81.3% 80.7% 0.7%

I get the formal training I want for my career 67.9% 68.1% -0.3%

My manager makes it easier to do my job well 80.5% 82.0% -1.7%

At this company, we do things efficiently and well 69.4% 70.7% -1.9%

This company operates by strong values 83.3% 85.2% -2.2%

I would highly recommend working at this company to others 78.2% 80.0% -2.3%

There is good inter-departmental cooperation at this company 65.7% 67.2% -2.3%

This company enables me to work at my full potential 72.9% 74.9% -2.8%

I feel well-informed about important decisions at this company 64.5% 66.4% -2.8%

New ideas are encouraged at this company 74.8% 77.2% -3.1%

This company motivates me to give my very best at work 77.1% 79.8% -3.3%

My manager helps me learn and grow 74.9% 77.9% -3.8%

I feel genuinely appreciated at this company 77.7% 81.1% -4.2%

My manager cares about my concerns 78.7% 82.3% -4.4%

I have not considered searching for a better job in the past month 58.0% 60.7% -4.5%

I believe this company is going in the right direction 75.9% 79.6% -4.6%

This company encourages different points of view 70.6% 74.1% -4.8%

Meetings at this company make good use of my time 61.4% 64.8% -5.3%

I have confidence in the leader of this company 76.0% 80.5% -5.6%

This job has met or exceeded the expectations I had when I started 67.7% 71.8% -5.7%

Senior managers understand what is really happening at this company 62.8% 66.7% -5.8%

I have the flexibility I need to balance my work and personal life 74.6% 80.2% -6.9%

My benefits package is good compared to others in this industry 53.5% 58.9% -9.1%

My pay is fair for the work I do 55.3% 63.0% -12.2%
More often than not, the first part of an earnings call is filled with dull, number-laden monologues read by company executives.

Camden Property Trust starts its calls with trivia.

In the minutes before the calls begin, the company plays a song or series of songs for the participants waiting on hold. The first listener to email the company with the song title and artist or correctly guess what the songs have in common gets to help pick the music for the following quarters call.

TOP WORKPLACES: See the winners of the 2018 Top Workplaces competition

Ric Campo, the companys chairman and CEO, believes in having fun at work. Its part of the Camden ethos.

Treating employees with fairness, trust and respect, Campo said, is a key part of why the Houston-based apartment developer is regularly voted as a top workplace among local and national surveys.

This year, Camden claims the No. 1 spot among large companies in the Houston Chronicles annual Top Workplaces survey.

Employees say theyre encouraged to be innovative and are given opportunities to grow. They say they feel valued and trusted.

On a recent Friday, about a dozen employees sat around a conference table eating Tex-Mex with the companys president, Keith Oden.

They had gathered for one of the companys regular lagniappe lunches where employees from different departments get together to share a meal with a top executive.

They definitely take care of their employees, said Thomas Marmolejo, an employment manager who has worked at the company for about 20 years.

Camden employs 500 people in Houston and 1,626 across the United States. The company operates 158 apartment complexes across the country.

Benefits include a matching 401(k), a discount stock purchase plan, tuition assistance, adoption benefits, clothing allowance and apartment discounts. Camdens vacation suites program provides employees fully furnished apartments when they are visiting cities where the company operates apartments.

Lately, the company has been focused on financial literacy.

Were spending more time trying to do our own curriculum: How do you buy a house? How do you buy a car? How do you save money? Campo said. We want our employes to be financially secure.

New hires are automatically enrolled in the 401(k), and everyones contribution increases 1 percent each year until a certain level is reached.

An employee relief fund provides financial assistance to employees experiencing financial hardship due to a natural disaster, family emergency or other unexpected event.

When 22 Camden employees were displaced from their homes after Hurricane Harvey last year, the company provided them fully furnished apartments, including utilities, cable and internet at no cost for three months. Employees who stayed longer received rental discounts, and the free utilities, cable, internet and furniture rental continued.

For the past eight years, Camden has paid annual bonuses to all employees. This year, everyone received $1,000.

The company gives incentives around health care, too, to encourage people to eat right, exercise and see the doctor for preventive visits.

You get a $25 gift card if you get a physical and we pay for the physical, Campo said.

Katie Pucek, a senior team lead in the contact center, appreciates the ability to healthy a good work/life balance.

I have a little one at home, she said, so I like the flexibility and support I have as a working mom.

nancy.sarnoff@chron.com

twitter.com/nsarnoff
Jose Rodriguez arrived to Shell Federal Credit Union 25 years ago  well before the financial crisis and the digital push that would soon reshape his industry.

He became CEO just before the market crashed in 2008, the first in a string of challenges that would demonstrate his commitment to keeping operations thriving no matter the circumstances. It was also the first in a series of opportunities to prove his commitment to establishing a workplace culture that, day in and day out, made employees feel valued professionally and personally.

Ten years later, Shell Federal Credit Union, based in Deer Park, has earned the No. 1 spot this year among midsize companies in the Houston Chronicle's annual Top Workplaces survey. The company, established in 1937, employs about 275 people in the Houston area.

TOP WORKPLACES: See the winners of the 2018 Top Workplaces competition

Being in an environment where you feel supported and appreciated is wonderful, one employee wrote in an anonymous survey. The family atmosphere is unlike any other workplace I have been.

Credit unions are nonprofit, membership-based institutions that offer loans, mortgages and other financial products. They generally charge lower fees and interest than conventional banks.

Shell Federal has grown quickly under Rodriguez, who began working at the institution as a part-time teller in the 1990s. He rose through the ranks and became CEO at a time when the company had only three branches.

Now, it serves more than 83,400 members in 10 Houston-area locations. The institution last year began managing more than $1 billion in assets, Rodriguez said, a milestone within the credit union industry.

Its an especially significant achievement as other credit unions shrink or close, challenged by the increasing costs of regulatory compliance in the wake of the financial crisis and pressure to offer new technology to better compete with larger banks.

Rodriguez said he and his team remained focused on finding new growth opportunities and enhancing operations with digital services. But he believes that the credit unions high level of service is the single most important factor in distinguishing it from its peers, and he and his team have continually invested in building a staff committed to that objective.

A lot of our business is based upon relationships, and it takes human interaction to have those relationships, he said.

About six years ago, Rodriguez attended a program offered through Discover Leadership Training, a Houston-based organization focused on business development. Rodriguez said it had such an effect on his perspective that he and the board chose to enroll the management team in a program and bring a classroom-style lesson to the credit union offices.

Thats the type of investment weve made in our staff, he said. Its been a springboard for the huge amount of growth and success that weve had.

Employees agree. More than 100 of them submitted comments explaining why they loved their jobs, emphasizing the positive, family-like workplace culture.

I have been given everything that I need to succeed at Shell Federal Credit Union, one employee wrote. I feel valued here, because I know that my opinion will be heard.

katherine.blunt@chron.com

twitter.com/katherineblunt
Hurricane Harvey left some Morgan Group employees without homes. The property management company, with 207 employees, provided those in need with places to stay at one of its 25 area properties at no cost.

It didnt matter who you were, whether maintenance or corporate, Morgan Group recruiting manager Karen Thomas said. Everybodys helping each other. Its like were trying to win the World Series together.

Its founder, Bill Morgan, a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor, said the 30-year-old companys culture of care makes for a welcoming work environment. The company ranked No. 2 in the midsize Top Workplaces category.

TOP WORKPLACES: See the winners of the 2018 Top Workplaces competition

Make them feel good. Its what we strive for everyday, Morgan Group marketing manager Joe Melton said. We recognize that people on the field help drive what we do.

The quarterly peer-driven Circle of Excellence Award for exceeding expectations is one of the ways the Morgan Group shows esteem for its employees. At the end of the year, the Bill Morgan Award is presented to one individual for going above and beyond, Melton said.

The companys comprehensive training, which Melton described as robust, includes in-house training and web and video conferencing. A recent hire commented to Melton how involved and supportive everyone was in making his transition into the company such a welcoming experience.

More Information morgangroup.com morgangroup.com/careers.php See More Collapse

Thomas and Melton credit the company in attention to personnel for the Morgan Groups retention success rate.

We feel a part of the Morgan family, Thomas said.

I am blessed to be working with a group of outstanding individuals. Everyone is a team player, and the happiness in the departments shows through, one employee commented in the Top Workplaces survey.

Another said, The people at Morgan are some of the best people I have ever met in my life.

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

twitter.com/jrgzztx
At Newmark Homes Houston, success is defined by customer satisfaction.

Nearly one out of every five sales comes to Newmark Homes Houston through word of mouth.

The highest measure of our success is when a Newmark homeowner refers us to those they care about, Newmark Chief Executive Officer Mike Moody wrote in a survey conducted for the Chronicle by Energage.

Newmark Homes Houston ranks No. 2 among small businesses in this years Top Workplaces list. This is the companys seventh consecutive year on the list.

Newmark Homes Houston traces its roots to the financial crisis in 2008. As the housing market collapsed, the national homebuilder Tousa, parent of Newmark Homes, filed for bankruptcy. In 2009, Newmark Homes Houston announced it was purchasing most of Tousas Houston assets.

TOP WORKPLACES: See the winners of the 2018 Top Workplaces competition

Since then, the company has grown. While the private company, named top builder of the year by the Greater Houston Builders Association, does not disclose its revenue, its payroll has expanded from 59 to 70 employees. Many cite their relationships with co-workers as the best part about their job.

We celebrate each other on a regular basis, Moody wrote in an email sent via his human resources officer. We sponsor various social events away from the office/field throughout the year. This type of open communication and fellowship allows us to stay connected not only as managers and employees, but also as people.

Newmark Homes Houston operates throughout 11 Houston area locations and offers its employees benefits including short- and long-term disability coverage. By taking care of employees, Moody says the company can take better care of customers.

We are dedicated in our commitment to customer satisfaction, Moody said.

rebecca.schuetz@chron.com
Appraisals, amortization and escrow are some of the many terms bandied about the offices of Cornerstone Lending.

But theres one word you wont hear at the Houston-based company: employee.

We banned the word, CEO Marc Laird said. We use team members, because were all on the same team helping families with the biggest asset theyre going to buy.

Cornerstones focus on the team and its mission has helped the company earn its No. 4 ranking among large businesses on this years Top Workplaces list, based on an employee survey conducted for the Chronicle by Energage.

TOP WORKPLACES: See the winners of the 2018 Top Workplaces competition

Started in 1988 with five employees in one small office, Cornerstone today is one of the largest mortgage lenders nationally, with 1,575 employees across 175 offices in 23 states. Cornerstone annually issues about $8 billion in home loans averaging $280,000 each.

Cornerstone employs a higher ratio of underwriters to loan officers, which allows the the company to have faster home closings. The company has 250 loan officers and 100 underwriters who, with other support staff, close 8.8 homes per month, exceeding the industry average of 4.5 homes per month.

It also helps that Cornerstones loan officers have an average experience of 12.3 years in issuing mortgages.

To retain employees and encourage productivity, Cornerstone rewards longtime employees with anniversary presents and monthly raffles. On the 25th anniversary with the company, Laird rewards his staff with Rolex watches and diamond bracelets. Every month, everyone in the company has a chance to win a gift card worth $50 for every year of service.

Thats our No. 1 opened email, Laird said of the monthly giveaway. It does cost the company money, but its important to create a happy workplace.

Smaller gestures matter, too, Laird said. Cornerstone hosts a number of fun events every year, such as a Halloween costume contest, holiday luncheon and an employee talent show. For more than 30 years, Laird has sent annual birthday cards or emails to everyone in his company.

Its a personal touch that says when youre here, youre family to us, Laird said.

The support goes beyond a birthday card or anniversary present. Since 1994, Cornerstone has managed the Cornerstone Cares Fund, which collects donations from employees to help co-workers in need. Employees can receive up to $5,000 to pay for emergencies, such as funeral costs for a family member.

When Hurricane Harvey flooded the homes and cars of 36 Cornerstone employees, the company fund paid out more than $200,000 to affected workers, Laird said.

Were more than just a company or a job. Were a family that cares for each other, Laird said.

paul.takahashi@chron.com

twitter.com/paultakahashi
The business philosophy at Louetta Automotive is that maintaining cars requires well-maintained workers.

That thinking landed the growing auto repair partnership in fifth place among Houston-area small companies on the Top Workplaces list.

The mantra is take really good care of the employees and they take really good care of the customers, said Phil Tringali, director of operations for Louetta Automotive.

The company has 10 locations, seven clustered in northwest Harris County, with a total workforce of 77. Another store is under construction, and groundbreaking on another site was in the planning stages in late August. Its grown quickly since its 1999 founding, especially in the last eight years.

TOP WORKPLACES: See the winners of the 2018 Top Workplaces competition

Growth, however, wont be determined by how quickly Louetta can build locations, but how quickly it can hire the right people. Its also what company leaders said helps them keep a positive workplace culture.

Who they are as a person matters more than anything, Tringali said of current and future employees. Were looking for good character people. We have passed on good people who had the skill set but not the character.

Once people are hired at Louetta, they also tend to stick around. Glenn Piccolo and Kevin Bratton, the companys two area directors with five locations each, were store managers before being elevated. Many of their managers started as service advisers.

I think the biggest thing about working here is the opportunity to reach goals, whatever those goals are at the company or in life, Piccolo said, adding that workers see there is a growth potential here.

All workers and family have a chance to attend company-sponsored training  not on the latest repair techniques, but lifestyle skills such as leadership and interpersonal skills. If theres room for improvement in the workplace culture, Tringali said, it is luring more workers to the sessions.

Employees at all levels are also active in organizing and participating in the companys charitable efforts.

I think everyone from the top down feels that family atmosphere, Bratton said.

dug.begley@chron.com

twitter.com/DugBegley
Devlin Liles is an example of his companys drive to mentor and foster internal leaders.

He started with Improving as a consultant in its Dallas office. After a variety of positions and many hours of training, he was promoted to president of the software development and consulting companys Houston office, Improving  Houston.

Liles discussed the companys mission, culture and leadership during an interview with the Chronicle.

Q: Why is Improving  Houstons mission to change the perception of IT professionals?

A: Technology drives the world, but we dont treat it that way. These are complex systems doing really tough things, but its either understood as bottled magic or just a really advanced Excel spreadsheet. And being able to change from, Youre just a cost I have to pay because the world is now driven by technology to No, were a partner who could actually revolutionize how you do business, is about building that reputation and that trust. So when the conversation comes up, technology is one of the first pieces  not the last.

Q: Why do you call employees Improvers?

A: We truly think its a difference of perspective. Improvers dont have to be pulled into growth. Theyre pulling for growth as fast as it can possibly happen. They are actively looking at ways to get better and help the people around them. Employees, theyre just there to produce whatever theyre there to produce and walk out the door. Improvers are the ones that are coming early, staying late, investing in the people around them.

Q: Improving has grown a lot through mergers and acquisitions. How have you maintained company culture?

A: Because its the first and only conversation that matters at the beginning of any of those engagements. Every Improver that comes on as an employee sits down with me, and its an entire conversation about culture and values. Are they going to be a good Improver? The same thing is true in acquisitions. The first thing we look for is somebody in our space that matches our culture. The first conversation is: Hey, heres who we are. Were a conscious capitalism business. What are your values? What matters to you? Are those in alignment? And we go through a lot of due diligence.

Q: What are some effective leadership skills for developing company culture?

A: My willingness to talk openly about my own mistakes, things that Ive messed up, opens the door of none of us are perfect. How we respond to trouble is more important than whether the trouble exists. So vulnerability is one. Being able to act in a way that builds trust is another.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com

twitter.com/andrearumbaugh
More than 80,000 Houston-area employees assessed how they feel about their jobs for this years Top Workplaces section.

They rated their companies in areas such as potential for advancement, flexibility of work schedules, communication, pay and benefits, and leadership.

Energage, a Philadelphia-based research and consulting firm, invited 2,297 local companies to participate and surveyed 253 of them, then tallied the results.

Anyone, such as an employee or a customer, could nominate a workplace for consideration. The Chronicle ran articles and ads about the contest earlier this year. The surveys were done over a three-month period beginning in mid-April.

The Chronicle is one of 50 media partners for which Energage compiles workplace rankings. In 2017, the company surveyed 2.5 million employees at more than 6,000 organizations to generate the Top Workplaces lists.

The local list, which made its debut in 2010 with 100 companies, was expanded to 150 companies in 2012. In total, 10 employers have earned spots on the list all nine years. This year, 35 companies are new to the list.

The local survey participants employ 138,852 people in the area; 138,587 of the employees received surveys, and 80,698 responded.

The organizations on the list included public and private entities and nonprofit groups.

Energage reached out to companies with at least 50 employees.

Included in the Houston Top Workplaces rankings:

A Top 35 Large (out of 49 participants with 500 or more employees in the region)

A Top 50 Midsize (out of 73 participants with 150-499 employees in the region)

A Top 65 Small (out of 131 participants with 50-149 employees in the region)

NOTES ABOUT THE SURVEY:

Energage required a response rate of at least 35 percent for employers based in the area.

For employers with 85 or fewer employees, at least 30 responders were required. For larger employers, surveys could be sent to employees in a random sample. For those with 2,500 or fewer employees, surveys were sent to at least 500 employees. For employers with more than 2,500 but fewer than 5,000 employees, surveys were sent to at least 20 percent. For employers with 5,000 or more, at least 1,000 surveys were sent.

Employers are ranked by size bands because smaller employers tend to score higher than midsize employers, which in turn tend to score higher than large employers.

katherine.feser@chron.com

twitter.com/kfeser
Thanks to a upcoming Mobile Health Village event, hosted by Harris County Public Health (HCPH) and Harris County Precinct 4, residents of all ages can enjoy a roster of services and activities -- for free.

Flu and child vaccines, children's dental services, and wellness screenings will be provided at no cost.
Thanks to more than a trillion dollars of prospective investment  led by Chinas $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 its 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 Houston-based 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 six weeks to three months. Here, a few locations to prioritize if your vacation days arent quite that plentiful.

FOR FOOD LOVERS: XIAN, CHINA

The heart of the original Silk Road was inarguably the central Chinese city of Changan, or modern-day Xian. 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, Xian is reclaiming its former glory as the eastern terminus of the Belt and Road  perhaps no surprise, considering its the hometown of President Xi Jinping.

How much time youll need: Three to five days.

What to see and do: Though most visitors know Xian 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, its a shopping bonanza where youll 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 worlds biggest displays of relics from all sides of the Silk Road. Then make your way to the citys Muslim quarter, where narrow alleyways are lined elbow to elbow with traditional shops and street-food stalls.

Be adventurous and try foods youve never tasted: spicy camel skewers, wholesome quarter-inch-wide biang biang noodles and delicately sweet persimmon doughnuts. Want a glimpse of the citys modern edge? Head to Chanba Ecological Zone, a landfill thats been converted into a sparkling new urban area. Its the epicenter of Xians Belt and Road endeavors and features a massive wetland park thats perfect for boating and birdwatching.

Where to stay: The five-star Gran Melia Xian 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

Uzbekistans 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, Bealby says. Theres 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. Theyre on par with anywhere in Paris, London, India, whatever you choose to look at, he exclaims.

How much time youll need: Seven to 10 days.

What to see and do: Though youll fly in via Tashkent, its best to connect straight through to Samarkand, a 2,500-year-old city 200 miles to the capitals 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 its off to Bukhara, a city studded with glistening turquoise domes, ornate mosques, ancient forts and layer upon layer of living history. Its one of the regions 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 have time left, Khiva is your last stop. Its 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 theyre more likely drilling for oil or shopping at fashionable boutiques than trading wares. The capital, Baku, is somewhat like Dubai: Its ripe with Old World charm and modern-day glitz, but its the adventurous day trips waiting just outside the city that you might remember most.

How much time youll need: Three to five days.

What to see and do: Bakus architecture spells the capitals 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 youre 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 hours 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 Greats 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 Europes busiest marine hubs  more than quadrupling the ports container traffic since 2010.

How much time youll 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 Thessalonikis contemporary culture on a stroll through Modiano, the citys 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, Greeces 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 youre done with that, you can see the silk trade springing back to life in this charming town, where modern workshops now supply Greeces 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.
Bethel Town Clerk Lisa Bergh and her staff began preparing absentee ballot applications in May, putting together 300 packets that, by their guess, would be enough to get through a gubernatorial and midterm election year.

But they soon realized, Bergh said, that this year was different.

The office has issued 489 absentee ballots  376 of which had come in by Friday  as compared to the 243 ballots they processed in 2014, the last gubernatorial and midterm election.

Its blown us so far out of the water were scrambling to make more packets, Bergh said on Friday. Were inundated. This might be record-setting for Bethel.

And Bergh and her staff arent alone.

Most Danbury-area town clerks said this week that they either have, or are expecting, the number of absentee ballots to be about double what they were in 2014. A few said the numbers seemed more in line with a presidential election year, than a midterm.

In the last (gubernatorial) election we had a little over 700, in this one were up to almost 1,350  its been a big jump, said Caitlin Bortolo, Ridgefields deputy town clerk.

The surge reflects a trend around the country of huge increases in early and absentee voting, especially among young voters.

By the Numbers Bethel 2014: 243 2018, as of Friday: 376 processed, 489 issued Brookfield 2014: 250 2018, as of Friday: 350 processed, 500 issued Danbury 2014: 745 2018, as of Thursday: 1,200 processed New Milford 2014: about 400 2018, as of Thursday: 600 processed Newtown 2014: around 600 2018, as of Friday: 1,200 processed Ridgefield 2014: about 700 2018, as of Friday: 1,350 processed See More Collapse

Danbury-area clerks said that although theyve seen increases across the board, more young voters sending in a ballot from college has definitely been a trend this year.

Theres an increase in college students for sure, said New Milford Town Clerk Noreen Prichard, who said she expects double the nearly 400 ballots the office usually gets for a midterm year. (Theres been) a lot of advertising by different people saying get out and vote so theyre coming of age where they know their vote is important.

Bergh said she has found that parents seem to be encouraging their college-aged children to vote this year and have come into the office inquiring about absentee ballots for their son or daughter.

The youth absentee vote increase also seems to align with earlier reports that more young people were registering to vote, both nationally and in Connecticut.

A count over the summer showed that more than 43,000 18-to-25-year-olds have registered to vote in Connecticut since Donald Trump was elected president  a 210 percent increase over the same 20-month-period after the 2012 general election, according to the state Board of Elections.

Observers at that time said it likely has to do with increased interest in issues such as school safety and immigration, dedicated campaigns to register youth voters and recent changes to make registration easier.

Some of the town clerks added that the increase, in absentee ballots for all ages, could be attributed to a distaste for in-fighting in national politics or the current governor and the fact that this years gubernatorial race has an open seat.

I dont think its just young (people), I think its a lot of people who are ready to have their voice heard, said Brookfield Town Clerk Andrea DiStephan. People are excited and were looking forward to the results on Tuesday.

aquinn@newstimes.com
The Connecticut Childbirth & Womens Center in Danbury is a 50-minute drive from Evelyn DeGrafs home in Westchester, N.Y. Pregnant with her second child, the 37-year-old didnt hesitate to make the drive  she wanted her birth to be attended by a midwife, not a doctor.

DeGraf believed midwifery care to be more personal and less rushed than that delivered by obstetrics/gynecologists. She also knew an OB/GYN would deem her relatively advanced maternal age and previous Cesarean section history too high-risk to attempt a VBAC, or vaginal birth after cesarean section.

But she had to drive roughly 35 miles to find a midwife because there arent many of them.

Despite the fact that an estimated 85 percent of women are appropriate for midwife care, midwives attend about 11 percent of births in Connecticut, said Holly Kennedy, professor of midwifery at Yale School of Nursing. Kennedy sees a direct correlation between lower use of midwives and higher maternal mortality.

If you scaled up midwives, you would avert over 80 percent of maternal deaths, Kennedy said. In Connecticut, there are 211 licensed nurse-midwives, compared to 945 licensed OB/GYNs, according to state Department of Health records. Unlike some other states, which employ midwives who do not require nursing degrees, Connecticut recognizes only nurse-midwives, who hold advanced degrees in nursing and additional training in midwifery.

The United States has the highest rate of pregnancy- or childbirth-related deaths in the developed world. According to United Health Foundation, in 2018 the maternal mortality rate for the country is 20.7 deaths per 100,000 births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy, excluding accidents. In Connecticut, the maternal mortality rate is 13.2.

Also, in Connecticut and nationwide, black women and their infants suffer disproportionately worse pregnancy-related health outcomes than white women.

Babies born to black women are more than twice as likely to die in the first year of life than babies born to white women, and black women are 243 percent more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DeGrafs second child was born vaginally at Danbury Hospital, assisted by a nurse-midwife employed by the Connecticut Childbirth Center. Her low-intervention delivery is common of births attended by midwives who, statistically, use fewer intervention than physicians during labor and delivery.

Cesarean sections, considered major surgery, carry well-established risks  higher rates of hemorrhage, transfusions, infections, and blood clots. All of these are primary causes of maternal mortality, whose rates increased nationwide (with the exception of California) by 26.6 percent between 2010 and 2014, according to a study supported by The National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Midwives are also linked to higher rates of physiologic birth and fewer adverse neonatal outcomes, according to a nationwide 2018 study, which ranked states by how well midwives are integrated into regional health care systems. Connecticut fell into the bottom third. Experts say the low ranking is due in large part to a lack of access to midwives. Many would-be nurse-midwives never get the chance to train for the position in Connecticut.

At Yale, I get at least 100 applicants for our (nurse-midwife) program. Most are highly qualified, but I can only accept 25 percent, said Kennedy, an author of the 2018 study. She explained that most federal health education dollars are directed to schools of medicine, thereby limiting resources for midwifery education, including the ability to reimburse preceptors who oversee clinical training of nurse-midwife students.

Those who do find spots in one of Connecticuts two nurse-midwife programs (Fairfield University offers a doctor of nursing practice in midwifery) may confront challenges to practicing upon graduation. Many face high debt hurdles, Kennedy says, and search the country for employers willing to repay their student loans. Those who do find jobs in Connecticut may be stymied from practicing to the fullest extent possible.

Cathy Parisi is director at the Connecticut Childbirth & Womens Center, the states only freestanding birth center. She says that while Connecticut legislation authorizes its nurse-midwives to practice to full scope care, which includes admitting privileges at hospitals that credential nurse-midwives, not all hospital bylaws reflect current state statutes; therefore, some hospitals in Connecticut do not grant admitting privileges.

Little things like that are terribly irritating, said Parisi, who suggested several possible reasons why hospitals wouldnt allow a nurse-midwife to practice within the full scope of her license, including pressure from physicians, medical staff or the hospital legal department or, simply, resistance to change.

Nurse-midwives follow the same standards of care as OB/GYNs, but the difference in how they deliver care has an increasing number of women gravitating to the midwifery model. The Connecticut Childbirth & Womens Center, which at its inception about 25 years ago delivered five or six births per month, now facilitates up to 35 per month and has increased its staff accordingly, from two to five full-time nurse-midwives.

With rare exceptions, all insurances cover midwifery services, including HUSKY/Medicaid, though some plans reimburse midwifery services at 90 percent of the physician rate, said Stephanie Welsh, vice president of the American College of Nurse-Midwives Connecticut affiliate.

While the cost to patients is typically the same whether they use a nurse-midwife or an OB/GYN, they may feel like theyre getting a better deal with a nurse-midwife.

By seeing only two to three patients an hour a midwife has time to spend with her client. Physicians simply do not have the time in their schedules to accommodate such lengthy visits for a low-risk woman, Parisi said.

In contrast, their midwife practice schedules only two to three patients per hour.

Midwifery is a relationship-based profession. One of the reasons we probably do have better outcomes is because we listen to women, Yales Kennedy said.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting. (c-hit.org).
BRIDGEPORT - Charged with sexually assaulting a hospital employee, Alexie Garcia took exception to being told by judge that he would have to undergo a mental health examination.

I just got out of mental health, he protested in Superior Court Friday afternoon.
MIDDLETOWN  Linda Szynkowicz, the Republican candidate for the 33rd District state House seat, is challenging the validity of hundreds of absentee ballots.

Her complaint, which she said she had taken to the FBI, comes just five days before Election Day. While she touches upon the two registrars of voters, the main target of her complaint is the town clerks office, which issues absentee ballots.

In a news conference outside City Hall Thursday afternoon, Szynkowicz charged that more than 400 absentee ballots she reviewed were invalid for one or more of 17 reasons.

This is about the integrity of the town clerks office. She is the only person who can issue the forms for absentee ballots, she said.

It has been a difficult year for the city clerks office. Longtime and beloved town clerk Linda Bettancourt died Jan. 30. Her deputy, Ashley Flynn, served in an interim role as acting clerk until her appointment as city clerk was approved by the Common Council Sept. 6.

Flynn was not immediately available for comment Thursday evening.

Mayor Daniel Drew staunchly defended Flynn, calling her as an extraordinarily capable employee and one of the highest integrity. Drew said he was very confident Flynn acted in full compliance with the requirements of the state law.

Turning his attention to Szynkowicz, Drew described her as a serial complaint filer, noting she had made other inflammatory charges at the late stages of previous campaigns. She does so to raise her profile, Drew said, rebuttingwhat he said was an attempt to besmirch Flynns good name.

Because federal officials (a senator and five House members) are on the ballot Tuesday, Szynkowicz said she had reached out to the FBI about her concerns. Without revealing the name of the agent to whom she spoke, Szynkowicz said the agent told her to bring her concerns to the State Elections Enforcement Commission, saying the bureau works in cooperation with the SEEC.

Szynkowicz was joined by Tony Gennaro, a Middletown school resource officer who is running for the 100th House District seat as a Republican.

He praised Szynkowicz for her thoroughness and diligence in reviewing the absentee ballot request forms.

Szynkowicz, who acknowledged she would much rather have been out knocking on doors and meeting voters, said she had spent over 100 hours in the past week compiling the data. As a result, she said she had produced an Excel spreadsheet on steroids. I was not expecting what I had found, she added.

During her news conference, Szynkowicz ticked off a number of reasons that raised her concerns about the validity  and integrity  of the absentee ballot process. Absentee ballots are intended to be used to enable people to vote early if they are on active duty with the military, will be away on vacation, or are ill or infirm, and cannot easily leave their homes to vote in person.

Reviewing 614 absentee ballot request forms, Szynkowicz said she found instances of handwriting discrepancies/evidence of someone or multiple people assisting a voter, yet not signing as being supervised; the incorrect date of the election; some with the election day section blank; no reason for the absentee ballot request filled out; multiple reasons checked and potentially forged signatures; no record of absentee ballots request forms being signed out.

Describing Szynkowicz as deeply unscrupulous, Drew said the city will vigorously defend Flynn.

Based on the evidence ... by default, the absentee ballots sent to voters never should have be sent or given to the voters and are invalid, Szynkowicz said. She also claimed a Burgundy Hill Road resident was able to take out more than five absentee ballot request forms without having to show his ID as required.

Szynkowicz said the man later told her he had taken out more than 150 requests, and, in doing so, he was working.

Szynkowicz said Flynn was notified of these actions, and was required to report them to the SEEC. However, Szynkowicz said Flynn took no action, which she said amounted to a clear case of political bias.

I would gracefully lose if it was a legitimate race, but not if it was bamboozled, Gennaro said. As a police officer, Gennaro said he acts in accordance with a strictly enforced code of conduct. After reviewing Szynkowiczs charges, Gennaro said, This is very bothersome to me.

If nothing is done to correct the issues Szynkowicz has highlighted, Theres going to be collateral damage from this, Gennaro said.
When Merry Wise and her sister were growing up in San Antonio, their father hardly ever spoke of his World War I service.

A few of Charles Frederick Martins citations were on the wall of their home, and occasionally the girls would ask questions like Did you shoot anybody? only to be given a vague answers and then have the subject changed.

It wasnt until years later that Wise and her sister discovered his collection of well-preserved memorabilia that her dads family and her own mother kept from his service so many years ago.

The collection has been passed down through the family and this month, during the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Wise will give presentations to local history groups showcasing the collection.

Among the items are his uniform which is still in immaculate condition, a ticket to Versailles, France, two German soldiers belt buckets, a few medals, souvenir coins, pictures, newspapers and postcards and an extensive collection of letters that were sent back home to his family in Kenedy, Texas that described what he was experiencing overseas in France in 1918-19.

Wise is using the letters to create a memoir of his experiences to paint a picture of what all that these young men went through in war 100 years ago.

Early life

Charles Frederick Martin went by Fred and he was born on Jan. 24, 1899 on the familys ranch in Kenedy, Texas between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.

His grandfather, Jacob Absolem Martin, owned the ranch and was a prominent man of the town being involved in the town bank.

His grandfather had six children and his wife died giving birth to the seventh. He married a widow who had two children and the couple went on to have six more children.

Her father grew up having a tutor for all of the children on the ranch. At some point he did begin attending Kenedy High School and was the 1917 valedictorian for his class of three members.

Entering military service

Following high school graduation, he went to work in nearby San Antonio.

At age 19, he joined the US Marine Corps in San Antonio on May 4, 1918 along with several of his friends.

At the time, there was a tremendous push to increase the forces, Wise said. And the Martins were a very patriotic family.

From San Antonio, he went to training in Quantico, Virginia and then Parris Island, South Carolina.

According to Wise, he trained six weeks in Parris Island and then his unit was sent straight to the front of fighting in France. Military records show he was sent overseas on Aug. 25, 1918.

She cant imagine what this trip was like for him as hed never been farther away from home than San Antonio up until this.

Before he left, his grandfather presented him with a gold pocket watch.

He also carried a small notebook with a metal covering.

Wise had possession of the notebook in the collection, but up until late September, shed never opened it.

When she she did, what she found inside gave her chills.

The notebook included hand-written notes from her father of what happened to him when he arrived in France.

He participated in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel Sept. 12-15 in France according to his military record and was in the Champagne region Oct. 1-9 according to notes in the notebook.

Then, Wise said things must have gotten bad in late October 1918 to early November 1918, because there were no letters.

At some point in one of his letters, he sent the gold pocket watch that his grandfather had given him back home. Wise said she thinks he feared at that point he would not return home.

He also participated in the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge that occurred in the Champagne region. This was a crucial battle in the war that resulted in driving the Imperial German Army from the Champagne region.

Of the 256 in his unit, only 26 returned home.

Stories from war

When her father did speak of the war, he said the worst was when the Germans were in the trees and picking off American soldiers.

He said in one battle, they fought for hours and hours without stopping. He finally fell down and fell asleep. When he woke, he was on top of a dead German soldier, he said.

He also had trouble with his feet all his life as a result of his time overseas.

They called it trench foot which was common then because of marching through the cold and the mud and the muck, she said.

He also had two scars from shrapnel that were said to come from the boy next to him being blown up.

She suspects that his letters back home didnt really paint an accurate picture of what was going on at the front of the fighting.

Most of his letters reassured the family that he was doing well and they had plenty to eat and were staying in good conditions.

She doubts this was the case.

But each letter carries a censor stamp where his letters home were read to make sure they did not divulge any critical information.

He told a story of when theyd run out of supplies, theyd steal chickens off of the local farms in France to have something to eat.

In the leisure time they did have, Martin once visited a European castle. He picked a flower and sent the pressed flower back home in his letter as a souvenir. Wise still has that letter with the flower today.

Returning home

He returned to the United States on July 25, 1919 and was in a military parade in New York before returning to Texas.

He officially exited from the service on Aug. 13, 1919 with excellent marked next to his character.

He returned to San Antonio and worked in his parents store.

Martin later went into the car business and worked for the same Ford dealership in San Antonio for 44 years.

He met Wises mother, Addie Adams, while working in the car business. They married in 1929.

After his return from the war, the fighting continued to impact him.

Her mother said hed wake up screaming at night and he still shook even 10 years after the war.

When they came back, there was no psychologist, no VA and no college help, Wise said. They relied on their family and friends to deal with their shell shock now known as PTSD.

Her father also began smoking during the war and at age 72, died of emphysema and heart disease in San Antonio.

When Wise was a teacher, shed often bring in the collection to show her history students.

And although her father is now gone, she still has his well-preserved collection to continue telling the story of these young men who fought for our country a century ago.
After making its local debut in March in Rosenberg, Gordmans will open a new branch in the Lake Houston area. The grand-opening event is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Thursday at 7063 FM 1960 E. in Atascocita Town Center.

There will be games, item giveaways and deals to celebrate the occasion for attendees.

The first 100 guests, from Thursday to Sunday, will receive a free gift. Those who are approved for a Gordmans credit card will get an additional 20 percent discount. Other items on sale include designer apparels, cosmetics, shoes and housewares, and all with a price tag that is friendlier to wallets than usual stores.

Gordmans will also present to each of its two local partners, Klein Collins High School and Humble ISD, a $5,000 check donation.

Visit Gordmans' store finder for more details such as opening times and brands carried. Or call 281-319-4588.

Say aloha to Kealohas new bar

More love is coming to The Love  a translation of the restaurants Hawaiian name, Kealoha  when the bar has its grand opening from 10 p.m. Saturday to midnight.

With that, Kealohas Hawaiian Kitchen, located at 8790 FM 1960 Bypass Rd. W., Suite 100A, Humble, will now have on its menu an assortment of pupus (appetizers) and specialty drinks (like the pineapple mojito) on top of authentic plates and desserts.

Ive got big dreams to take Hawaiian food and spirit across Houston, said owner Shantell H. Kanehailua-Leleo in September.

See more of the restaurant and read what customers are saying on Kealoha's Hawaiian Kitchen Facebook page. Or call 346-616-5784.

Fall market to go with New Leaf Chiropractics re-opening

The wellness center, located at 23830 Hwy 59 N., Kingwood, will have its grand re-opening 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Vendors will also be on-site for attendees to do a little shopping after learning about the places services.

New patients will receive special-priced consulting, current ones will get adjustments at discounted rates (good only for the day).

For more information visit New Leaf Chiropractic's official page or call 281-540-2225.

New Comfort Inn & Suites to open in Humble

A new branch of the hotel chain will have its grand opening ceremony from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. next Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7014 Will Clayton Parkway, Humble. After the ribbon-cutting event, attendees will get to tour the hotel, enjoy food and beverages, and take part in a giveaway that includes items like airline miles, an Amazon Alexa device, free night stays and more.

Check out the hotel at its website or call 281-446-9997.

nguyen.le@chron.com
Mayra Beltran

A new collaboration between the University of Houston and Hewlett Packard Enterprise will aim to use data science for solving problems in health care, energy and other local industries.

The two organizations on Friday announced that Hewlett Packard Enterprise will give $10 million to the university's Data Science Institute, which will be renamed the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Data Science Institute.
Midnight on Sunday will mark a dividing line in the world of oil. Beyond that point, anyone unloading a tanker from Iran risks the full wrath of the U.S. government.

The Middle Easts third-biggest oil producer has already seen many buyers flee, with sales tumbling 37 percent since President Donald Trump announced that hed reimpose sanctions. Once those restrictions formally kick in on Nov. 5, the overall supply disruption could become the biggest since Libya erupted in civil war at the start of the decade.

There are signs the impact will be mitigated, as some buyers win partial exemptions while other producers -- particularly Saudi Arabia -- pump more to fill the gap. Still, there are doubts about their capacity to do so and the global nature of the oil market means nobody is fully insulated. Even U.S. drivers, whose engines havent seen a drop of Iranian crude for decades, have felt pain at the pump.

PRODUCTION: U.S. passes Russia to become world's biggest oil producer

U.S. oil futures climbed to a four-year high near $77 a barrel last month on growing concerns there could be a shortage as sanctions bite deeper. While those fears have eased along with prices in recent weeks, significant risks remain.

Irans oil exports are falling rapidly, and perhaps more and more in the weeks to come, Fatih Birol, executive director at the International Energy Agency, said in a Bloomberg television interview.

The Trump administration has sent mixed signals, swerving between saying itll send Iranian oil exports to zero and dangling waivers that could allow some to keep buying. A senior administration official said this week that the U.S. has agreed to let eight countries -- including Japan, India and South Korea -- keep buying Iranian oil, but only temporarily.

While analysts dont expect a complete halt, theres a growing consensus that Trumps tough stance means crude exports will plunge further than during a previous round of sanctions under Barack Obamas administration in 2012. Back then they were sliced in half to 1 million barrels a day, according to the IEA, which advises industrialized countries on energy policy.

This time, 1.1 million barrels a day have already been cut from Irans shipments -- a combination of crude and a light oil called condensate that was spared from curbs in 2012 -- according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The corresponding drop in production has been smaller as some of that output went into storage. That takes total exports to about 1.76 million barrels a day in October -- more than is pumped from the North Sea.

MAKING BANK: Shell churns out cash like oil's above $100 again

A large part of the impact has not happened yet, said Mike Wittner, head of oil-market research at Societe Generale SA. Price-wise, theres still some upward pressure to come -- possibly a big wave of upward pressure. Things are going to tighten up.

Europe Retreat

After Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions, European governments vowed to do their utmost to preserve the agreement and find ways to continue trading. That hasnt stopped the regions intake of Iranian crude from wilting. Companies like Total SA and Royal Dutch Shell Plc have halted purchases because the risk of being frozen out of the U.S. financial system is simply too great.

While the Trump administrations goal remains to choke off revenue to Irans economy, some waivers are being granted in exchange for continued import cuts so as not to drive up oil prices, according to an official who asked not to be identified before Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announces the number of exemptions later on Friday.

China -- the leading importer of Iranian crude -- is still in discussions with the U.S. on terms, but is among the eight countries permitted to keep buying Iranian oil, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

Iran says its confident sales will hold above 1 million barrels a day. Indeed, with U.S. gasoline prices still relatively high and midterm elections just days away, Trump has some incentive to soften his offensive.

Midterms Approach

The U.S. will take its foot off the gas on sanctions and ease pressure in getting to zero right at the start in order to not cause a rise in oil prices in the lead-up to elections, said Robin Mills, head of Dubai-based consultant Qamar Energy. Then they will pick up pressure towards the end of the year to cut Irans sales.

Benchmark Brent crude -- currently trading around $73 a barrel -- is still set to hit $80 by the end of 2018 as the U.S. waivers wont be enough to prevent a global supply shortage, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

SUPPLY: Venezuelans face gasoline shortages amid refinery breakdowns

The granting of waivers does not imply that Iran exports will stabilize near current levels, Goldman analyst Damien Courvalin wrote in a note. The global oil market will be in deficit.

Saudi Ramp-Up

The impact of the sanctions has already been cushioned by other oil producers, notably some of Irans counterparts in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Saudi Arabia has increased production by 780,000 barrels a day since April, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The extent to which the kingdom can keep this up in the coming months depends on how many idle oil fields its able to tap. The IEA sees Saudi Arabia having about 1.3 million barrels a day of spare capacity. Others such as Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq could potentially squeeze out a little more as well.

If the U.S. does in the end follow through on its strongest threats, choking off Iranian supplies entirely, that spare capacity could be completely exhausted, leaving almost nothing left to cover unexpected disruptions in other trouble spots.

If theres almost no cushion left and something happens in Libya or Nigeria, then youre stuck, said Societe Generales Wittner. Thats where the market could see a big price reaction.

(Updates with waivers granted, starting in sixth paragraph.)

--With assistance from Anthony DiPaola and Julian Lee.

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Billy Calzada /San Antonio Express-News

Magellan Midstream Partners may try to build its own crude oil export terminal capable of loading some of the world's largest tankers on the same island where a similar project is moving forward.

The Oklahoma pipeline and storage company said in its third quarter 2018 earnings call that it is evaluating the possibility of an oil export terminal on Harbor Island capable of loading very large crude carriers or VLCCs, some of the largest oil tankers with 2 million barrels of capacity.
A Spring family is mourning the loss of a teenager who was fatally shot by deputies from the Harris County Sheriffs Office on Wednesday.

Jose Centeno rushed to the site of where his 17-year-old son, Jose Luis Centeno Jr., was killed after receiving a phone call from the teens coworker. He didnt know at the time that police shot and killed the boy after a high-speed chase.

By the time Centeno said he reached Stuebner Airline Road, near Brightwood Drive, the teens body had been taken away.

They didnt tell us exactly what it was, but we went to take a look and found him, Centeno Sr. said in Spanish. All I know is that he was killed at the scene, but I dont know everything about what happened. Im really bewildered because I cant find a reason for this.

Centeno Jr. sped past a stopped school bus unloading students on Stuebner Airline Road near Spring Cypress Road, which set off a car chase that reached up to 70 miles per hour, according to the sheriffs office. The chase eventually led to the car crashing into a ditch.

The teenager then rolled the window down and allegedly brandished a pellet gun that deputies initially believed was a semiautomatic pistol, authorities said. The five deputies involved in the chase then opened fire on the driver, killing him.

RELATED: Harris County deputies kill teenager who fired pellet gun after pursuit

Centeno Sr. said his son had never been in trouble with law enforcement. A senior at Klein Oak High School, Centeno Jr. was slated to graduate in the spring.

In a statement, Klein ISD spokesman Justin Elbert shared his condolences to Centeno Jr.s family on behalf of the school district and referred additional questions to the Harris County Sheriffs Office.

On Thursday, Centeno Jr.s aunts and uncles joined his parents and six siblings at their home to await the official results of the investigation from the sheriffs office.

None of the family members have seen the body yet or begun planning the funeral.

Until we know when theyre going to give us the body, then well see what we can do, Centeno Sr. said. Because really, right now Im not in my right mind for that.

Harris County Sheriffs Office spokesman Jason Spencer declined to identify the five deputies involved in the shooting. Each of the deputies have been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an internal review, he said.

Jay R. Jordan contributed to this report.

mayra.cruz@chron.com
Houston restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day 2018 For those opting to eat out and skip the post-Thanksgiving meal cleanup on Thursday, Nov. 23, get ready to choose between plenty of local restaurants open for dine-in meals.

Among the spots is a modern French outpost -- as well as its downtown counterpart -- and a Cajun-infused classic and many other choices. Here's a snapshot of local establishments offering Thanksgiving Day dine-in meals.
Stephen Brady of Katy came home from the Vietnam War in June 1973. He got welcomed home 45 years later.

I had memories. Now I have better memories of being honored as a Vietnam veteran by my fellow Americans, said Brady who participated in Honor Flight Houstons first All Vietnam Veteran Honor Flight on Oct. 19-20.

That flight included Sonja Edgington of Katy who served as a nurse in the Vietnam War. Like Brady she talked about the sights they saw, the people they met and the experiences they shared on their trip.

One of those shared moments includes a mail call on the return flight from Washington, D.C. to Houstons Hobby Airport.

Schoolchildren and friends and relatives had written notes and letters, said Edgington. It was really emotional. Even men were all crying.

Brady said Honor Flight Houston had contacted family members and asked them to write a letter or send a card.

I got cards from Utah, Montana, California, Georgia as well as from people from schools around here. My wife, son-in-law and daughter. Jamie and her kids. (Jamie Wilson, Seven Lakes High School history teacher). Friends and neighbors. It was a moving experience. It was great.

Brady served in the U.S. Air Force from 1970-77 and in Vietnam from 1972-73. Edgington served 15 years in the U.S. Army, including one year, 1968, in Vietnam.

Edgington and Brady talked about a pilot on the flight home who read the 2012 President Barack Obamas Presidential Proclamation  Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. Obama proclaimed May 28, 2012 through Nov. 11, 2025 as the commemoration of that anniversary and called upon people to honor Vietnam veterans and their families.

That was kind of emotional, too, said Edgington. One of the stewardesses sang God Bless America and had everyone in tears. It gave me a sense of pride. It really increased my patriotism . . . not that I lost it. It raised it to another level. It made everyone proud they had served in Vietnam, which wasnt the case in years past.

Both Edgington and Brady called the trip incredible and expressed surprise at how much they were able to do during their two days in Washington, D.C. A police escort cleared their way when they traveled from site to site. They singled out the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery as special. Brady noted more than 400,000 men and women are buried there.

It was very impressive. They did their jobs to perfection. They had to be the cream of the crop, said Edgington, who also singled out the Vietnam Women's Memorial, which commemorates the 265,000 women that served in the Vietnam War, many of them who were nurses like Edgington.

As a nurse, we were all grouped kind of together at each hospital. We did not see what the guys went through except when they came in wounded. We didnt get too much fire. Some mortars. No one was hurt.

Brady called the memorials heart-rendering. Visiting the memorials was an emotional experience, agreed Edgington, especially at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. I didnt realize how many young men had been killed . . . 58,272. I knew the wall was big. Its much bigger in person than I had imagined in pictures, she said.

Brady brought a picture of his best friend Joseph Kiwi A. Matejov and placed it on the wall.

People visiting the wall asked about the picture. It was just a tremendous time, he said. Brady dedicated his flight to Matejov who was shot down over Laos on Feb. 5, 1973.

Though Brady had visited the wall on an earlier trip to the capital, he said, This was more personal and much more touching with brothers and sisters who served together. I wanted to recognize Kiwi and honor his ultimate sacrifice. I had not done it before in such a visible way. I think about him all the time. It doesnt bring closure. It meant a lot to me.

He observed that the bus of Vietnam veterans upon leaving the wall was very quiet. Everyone was back in their memories. Hopefully, memories are better because theyve been there (The Wall). Its quite moving.

What also meant a lot was the welcome home that Houston gave the veterans when they returned.

Said Edgington, When we got home we had the biggest crowd there to greet us that they had ever had. Schoolchildren come up and shake your hand. You dont think kids do that anymore. It was really nice.

Brady describes firetrucks streaming water over the aircraft as it approached the gate at Hobby Airport. Once inside, hundreds of people greeted the veterans, he said, calling it a tearful event.

All and all it was just unbelievable, he said. It was great. I do not think they (Honor Flight Houston) could do it any better. Visit http://www.honorflighthouston.org/ for information.

We need to be more patriotic, Edgington said. We need to support our troops and our president . . . try to get peace throughout the world if possible. I do not know that it will be. It would be wonderful thing if they could.

karen.zurawski@chron.com
Sen. Marco Rubio recently introduced a bill that would impose severe sanctions on Russia if it continues to meddle in American elections.

The senator means well. But the sanctions are so broad theyd damage Americas economy  even more so than Russias. Our oil and natural gas industry would bear the brunt of this damage.

Lets hope Sen. Rubio is willing to return to the drawing board and design a sanctions package that pummels Putin  not Floridians from Pensacola to Palm Beach.

Sen. Rubios bill, which he is co-sponsoring with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), is known as the Deter Act  short for the Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines Act. It would require the Treasury Department to impose sanctions on Russia if the U.S. Director of National Intelligence detects election meddling.

The Act targets key Russian industries  especially the oil and gas sector. The sanctions would force any American firms involved in joint ventures with Russian companies to exit those projects.

American companies that manufacture pipeline equipment, for example, wouldnt be able to work on projects with even minimal Russian involvement. Forbidding joint Russian-American energy ventures would cost the American energy sector up to $100 billion over the next decade.

Take ExxonMobils joint venture with Rosneft, a government-owned Russian oil company. The project, known as Sakhalin 1, could extract more than 2 billion barrels of oil and 17 trillion cubic feet of natural gas off Russias eastern shore. If the Deter Act becomes law, Exxon may have to abandon the project and forego billions in revenue  money that could otherwise be invested in the American economy.

The sanctions wouldnt simply prohibit American companies from operating within Russia. They would jeopardize any project  no matter its location  if it involves Russian companies or passes through Russian territory.

The consequences of killing American energy projects would reverberate throughout Floridas economy.

Thanks to fracking and increased offshore drilling, the United States is now the global leader in oil and natural gas production. The glut of natural gas has driven down prices. In 2017, Floridas power plants paid $4.31, on average, per 1000 cubic feet of gas. A decade earlier, the same amount of natural gas cost more than $9.

If American companies are blocked from embarking on new energy ventures, production would eventually drop and prices may spike once again.

The Deter Act could also kill jobs. The oil and natural gas industry supports more than 250,000 Florida jobs  many of which would be lost if energy firms are forced to pull out of projects.

Worst of all, theres no evidence such sanctions would actually deter meddling.

The United States and its allies levied sanctions on Russia in 2014 for invading Crimea. Russian hackers responded by infiltrating German, Dutch, Ukrainian, and Finnish databases. And of course, they attempted to influence the U.S. 2016 election.

What can Congress do to counter Russian aggression without hurting Americans? One solution is a narrower set of sanctions introduced last year. The Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017, which has yet to be fully implemented, would make exceptions for certain energy export pipelines and railways that cross Russia and only affect future oil projects.

Its time for Congress to find a more targeted way to push back against Russian aggression.

Jennifer S. Carroll served as the 18th lieutenant governor of Florida. This piece originally ran in the Orlando Sentinel.
Beto O'Rourke's loss to Sen. Ted Cruz gained national attention online Tuesday and Wednesday in Houston, and around the country, but there were also several major Houston-area suburban elections that also saw huge upsets.

In Fort Bend County, Republican incumbent Robert Hebert, who has served as county judge since 2003, was unseated by Fort Bend ISD board member and Democrat KP George. The Fort Bend County district attorney race also saw an upset with Democratic candidate Brian Middleton defeating Republican opponent Cliff Vacek.
After moving to the Cy-Fair area, Misha Chakraborty could not find a STEM educational program in Cy-Fair that she felt was appropriate for her daughters, Arja Chakraborty and Aadya Chakraborty.

After searching, she brought a program to Houston and decided to head the operation herself while making education more accessible.

STEM for Kids launched in the Cy-Fair community in September. The educational program focuses on teaching science, technology, engineering and math to children from an early age with a focus on applicable projects. Chakraborty said she decided to bring the franchise  started by Moni Singh  to the Cy-Fair area after observing how the program introduces STEM concepts to children in a more intuitive way.

In this area all I could find was Lego-based robotics and computer coding, she said. If you know computer coding it can be really monotonous and if you think from a kids perspective. I know if Arja goes there and she knows that thats supposed to be STEM, she will want to stay away from STEM.

Chakraborty herself earned a masters degree from the University of Houston and a PhD from Texas A&M, both in human resource development, and she assisted in writing a book on technology integration in higher education. Chakraborty said she determined STEM education to be important for children to learn at an early age.

Chakraborty said she wants the programs shes teaching, along with five other instructors, to show children there is more to STEM than mathematics. As an example, Chakraborty said students will build machines, like a candy grabber, while learning about the concept of a lever and applying the knowledge. Students will also practice fine arts to apply to projects like designing, she said.

[Math] is a portion of STEM, but STEM is not just about computational skills, Chakraborty said. Its about developing the overall cognitive skills. Thats what were trying to do, not just calculation.

STEM for Kids has a broad range of programs for students of all ages, including in-school and after school programs teaching STEM entrepreneurship, invention, biomedical engineering and more. Students are given hands-on projects rather than worksheets or tests, Chakraborty said.

We try to provide very personalized, individualized, customized learning to each and every kid., she said. For example, we may have one hour of game-making. So, they try to create their own virtual world then they make their own game. Their parents or their grandparents can access it at home and they can play what they made.

Accessibility to the program was a major priority for Chakraborty. The program is not only accessible on weekends and after school, but also affordable, she said. Classes range from $30 per class to $120 for a month of classes, according to the STEM for Kids website.

I want to make STEM available, accessible and affordable to the masses, Chakraborty said. We are working in this area to close the gap in early childhood. We are trying to introduce proper STEM to the kids, not just for the sake of saying it but actually doing something to their mind, developing their cognitive skills.

Along with the Cy-Fair classes, Chakraborty also started STEM for Kids courses in Katy, Richmond and Sugar Land. She said her end goal is to create an environment where children can gain knowledge to better their world.

My goal is to build something where they can be safe, they can have the basic necessities and theyll get education, Chakraborty said. I can see the appreciation when they get to know about the classes, the courses and they way were are offering them  If you give them education, knowledge, skills and good behavior, you make them employable. Thats my goal.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
Work is set to begin on a project to improve Richey Street on Pasadenas north side between Texas 225 and Southmore Avenue.

Funded through $6 million contributions by both the city and Harris County Precinct 2, the project aims to improve drainage to protect nearby homes from flooding and to ease traffic at a main entry point into Pasadena.

Work on the 1.5-mile segment is set to begin immediately and is expected to be finished by early 2020 if weather is favorable, Mark Gardemal, deputy director with Pasadena Public Works Department, said in an Oct. 30 written statement.

No road closures are expected on Richey during the work except for some side streets, he said.

Enhancements to the four-lane road will include a dedicated left-turn lane in the center of the road in places, wheelchair-accessible sidewalks on both sides and a detention pond west of Richey and south of Harris Avenue, Gardemal said previously.

New storm sewers, additional street lights, replacement of some traffic signals and repaving parts of the road are also in the plan.

Pasadena City Council members Felipe Villarreal and Bruce Leamon, who represent districts where the work is being done, were on hand during a recent ground-breaking ceremony for the project.

Villareal, who represents District A, where most of the improvements will occur, pointed to uneven and cracking concrete on Richey Street at the site of the ceremony, Sunset Park near West Ellaine Avenue.

Villarreals District A spans from just north of Texas 225, south to West Ellaine and Southmore avenues.

In my district its even worse, Villarreal said of flooding in the area. During Hurricane Harvey, residents around Jackson and Harris avenues saw significant amounts of flooding, he said.

Leamon, who represents District B, said he and Villarreal had been talking about investing resources into Richey Street improvements for some time.

Its going to make a big difference in Pasadena, Leamon said.

Richey is going to get done. Its a great day for Pasadena, Mayor Jeff Wagner said at the ceremony, where he was joined by Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Jack Morman and other members of City Council and the Pasadena Economic Development Corp..

In August, Harris County officials agreed to pay half of a $12 million improvement project. The contractor for the project is SER Construction Partners LLC of Pasadena.

Corporation board member Marilyn Wilkins said Pasadena Boulevard is next on the agenda, with a groundbreaking slated for next year for infrastructure improvements.

Gardemal urged drivers to be cautious in the Richey Street area as the project proceeds.

Please be safe and do not text and drive in the project area where there is also a school zone north of Harris, he said.

Cristina Womack, president of Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, said an improved Richey could spur economic development since beautification of the corridor is likely to follow.

Its the little things, she said. Its the convenience of having more routes for work. Itll provide more convenience for everybody.
Eight young women ranging in age from 19 to 31 years old were arrested Thursday in Spring after Harris County Precinct 4 Constable deputies said they responded to a call regarding a weapons disturbance.

According to a release from the precinct, upon arriving at the 13800 block of Ella Boulevard in Spring the suspects attempted to flee officers by escaping into two separate vehicles.
Willowbrooks sweet new store

Stocked full of sugary creations, Lolli & Pops grand opening was celebrated in Willowbrook Mall on Thursday, Nov. 1.

The community joined the Houston Northwest Chamber to welcome the new business, which sells a variety of sweets, including French macarons, marzipan fruits and an array of variously flavored gummy bears.

Willowbrook Mall is located at 2000 Willowbrook Mall in Houston.

Fitness facility coming to CityPlace at Springwoods Village

A new location of 24 Hour Fitness is slated to open in Springs CityPlace development in late 2019 according to an announcement by Springwoods Village stakeholders on Oct. 29.

The approximately 38,000-square-foot facility will include a pool, group exercise rooms, weights and cardio equipment, and locker rooms.

Springwoods Village is located west of Interstate 45 between the Grand Parkway and Springwoods Village Parkway.

Gordmans welcomed to the neighborhood

Gordmans new location in Spring held a ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 1, marking their membership with the Spring Klein Chamber of Commerce.

During the ribbon cutting, Gordmans presented a $5,000 check to Klein Collins High Schools Student Leadership Team.

Gordmans is a department store selling apparel, decor and houseware products.

Gordmans is located at 21356 Kuykendahl Road in Spring.

Montessori school Blossoms in Spring

A grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the new Blossoms Montessori School in Spring on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

School started at the new facility on Oct. 1. Blossoms Montessori provides a Montessori curriculum for children 1 to 6 years old.

Blossoms Montessori School is located at 3700 Louetta Road in Spring.
The Woodlands Township oversees all aspects of the community. Residents with questions or concerns regarding anything from parks to safety measures to covenants can stop by the township office for information.

We are the local unit of government for the residents and businesses of The Woodlands. We have approximately 115,000 residents and approximately 2,000 businesses. We are established to provide services which range from things like public safety to covenants and then also with creative programming things to do within our park systems and recreational programs, Nick Wolda, director of community relations for The Woodlands Township, explained.

The Woodlands Township moved into its current office at 2801 Technology Forest Blvd. in 2010. It hosts the majority of township departments  the Environmental Services and Parks and Recreation departments are set up in outlying offices  and its where the townships Board of Directors meet twice monthly.

Angel Nicks, the assistant director of Parks and Recreation, oversees the Residential Care Center, which is the primary point of contact for residents seeking information regarding the township.

Its the first point of contact for residents. It can be people walking in, phoning in or through the app. The Resident Care staff will handle the service request or make sure it gets routed to the correct department, Nicks said.

Nicks noted that in 2017, the department assisted more than 4,500 walk-in visitors, answered more than 42,000 phone calls and processed about 1,600 service requests through the township app  TheWoodlands311.

The township serves residents through electronic media outlets such as its website and social media pages. Wolda said residents are also highly encouraged to use TheWoodlands311 mobile app.

It creates a tracking system. So we have responsibility on it. If somebody sees a broken street light or sees a curb thats broken or sees something in the park (such as) trash cans overflowing  from that app you can take a picture, send it to us and then it starts a whole process to be corrected, Wolda said.

Social Media Statistics: The Woodlands Township Facebook (main) 15,495 followers and likes 473 posts 2,409 comments 2,753 shares Twitter 3,109 followers 412 tweets 409 direct messages and mentions received Instagram 1,831 followers 229 posts 6,389 engagements (likes and comments) Nextdoor This site is used as need for posting important township events and urgent information. Nextdoor was essential for communicating to residents during Hurricane Harvey. The platform has an audience of 27,200+ residents. Source: The Woodlands Township. Statistics are for the year of 2018 through Oct. 30. See More Collapse

Although the township is not responsible for fixing broken street lights or downed power lines, township officials act as a liaisons for residents and inform the appropriate companies or entities that are responsible for repairs. The app also lists important information about township services, events, public facilities and more.

Residents are always welcome to stop by the township office or make a quick phone call with any questions they may have. Whether it be a request to rent a park for a birthday party  the township has 140 parks, 68 of which can be rented  or a question about a permit for home renovations, someone on staff will be available to discuss residential concerns.

We really pride ourselves on being able to help our residents, Wolda said. Even though were the local government, we pride ourselves in being very customer service friendly so that (residents) can reach a live human being by one simple phone call. Our residents are very important to us. They have questions, they have concerns and we want to be able to help.

Nicks added that the staff are, very passionate about helping people.

Many of them do live in The Woodlands. They have a lot of experience as a resident to help people get the answer they need Nicks said. If they may not be able to get the answer somebody is looking for, theyre finding out for them and making sure they follow back up.

The Woodlands Township has approximately 430 employees, including those within The Woodlands Fire Department, which make up the majority of personnel employed by the township.

For questions and more information, call 281-210-3800 or visit http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov.
The dockless bicycle-sharing company MoBike has suddenly ended its run in The Woodlands after only 10 months of operations, township Communications Director Nick Wolda confirmed Friday.

As of Friday, none of MoBikes signature orange bicycles were still in circulation in the Town Center or Hughes Landing areas. A Woodlands Villager reporter drove to four areas where the popular ride-sharing bicycles were routinely located and found no bikes. The bikes had been in use as recently as the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 2, as other Villager staff members had seen users riding the bicycles in The Village of Grogans Mill.

What happened to the company and its bicycles is unknown.

In a Friday interview, Wolda told The Villager that the management team responsible for the close to 100 bikes in The Woodlands had seemingly changed in July. And, he added, MoBike management has become increasingly difficult to reach since that time period. Wolda also said township officials were never notified by company officials that they intended to pull operations and bicycles out of The Woodlands.

None of us really have much information, Wolda said Friday. They had given us a different manager (in July). The thing is, in August, we were rocking and rolling and ridership numbers were good. Then, all of the sudden, the bikes started leaving. We were starting to field calls from residents about them, asking where they were.

In early August, the Villager interviewed Wolda about the bike-sharing service, and he said operations at the time were going smoothly and he also added that township officials were  at the time  happy with the MoBike service. Wolda also said in the August interview that the township was keen to keep the arrangement with the private, China-based company.

For that August article, The Villager also interviewed James Liao, the operations head for MoBike USA, who is based in California.

Liao said in the August telephone interview that the company operated about 100 bicycles in The Woodlands and that MoBike had a small warehouse type facility in the township. However Liao refused to provide the location or number of employees at the facility, again citing company privacy concerns. He did not mention a management change or any other alterations to the program at the time.

The Woodlands has been great, Liao said in the August interview, referring to the first six months of the program. It has been amazing. We want to promote mobility for people. Weve seen amazing ridership.

Attempts to contact Liao on Friday, Nov. 2, were unsuccessful despite repeated messages sent to the companys email address.

Another official who had been associated with MoBike in The Woodlands, Will Rub  who was interviewed in January when the program was unveiled and was described as the MoBike manager of operations for Houston  wrote on his personal Linkedin profile that the Chinese company had decided not to pursue the Houston market and that his position had been eliminated as of July 2018.

Attempts to contact Rub were also unsuccessful.

Wolda said the bike-sharing company was welcomed into The Woodlands in mid-December 2017 on a six-month trial program. The township did not invest any funds into the company, and had no financial ties to the program in any manner, Wolda stressed.

The company had a large presence in Washington, D.C., Dallas and Charlotte, North Carolina, and expanded its North America presence to The Woodlands shortly before Christmas 2017, making The Woodlands the first city in Texas to host the China-based bikeshare.

According to a Dallas Morning News article dated Aug. 2, the company had announced it was pulling all bikes and operations out of the Dallas market. In that article, Liao was quoted as saying any customers who had remaining balances on their MoBike app would get a refund.

Wolda said on Friday that township officials had become aware of problems with the service in other cities.

We did our own research and saw that other cities were experiencing similar problems (with MoBike), Wolda said.

The dockless bikeshare program operated through a digital, smartphone app that users were required to download. The app required customers to deposit at least $5 into a digital wallet which then unlocked the bikes for use for $1 every 30 minutes of use. The bright orange bicylces included a GPS tracking locator and were auto-locking to prevent theft or misuse.

The app, which allowed the company to activate a users cellphone microphone, camera and GPS locator, had drawn criticism from some in the community who viewed it as a security risk in light of the companys connection to the Chinese government. Those claims have never been proven true, however.

Wolda said the township has yet to release final use numbers for the bikeshare, but he maintained that it was a popular program and that the township is actively looking for a similar replacement service. MoBike was the second company township officials had worked with, agreeing to bring the ride-sharing program to the community after discussion with a different firm in the fall of 2017 did not pan out.

Wolda did say that township employees are still finding the bright orange bicycles in obscure locations around the township.

Any strays we find  we found one the other day by a village center  we are collecting them and keeping them in a township location. If the company wants to come get them, thats fine, Wolda said. We really dont know what is happening. Were as puzzled as anyone.

Marialuisa Rincon and Jane Stueckemann contributed reporting to this article.

mrincon@chron.com
Just before reaching its northern terminus at the Canadian border, the Pacific Crest Trail runs through the Glacier Peak Wilderness, an unforgiving stretch of rugged timberland in Washington state's Cascade Range. With its steep, winding switchbacks and alpine elevations, Glacier Peak is considered one of the toughest sections of the grueling 2,650-mile trail.

Waist-deep snow is not irregular for late October, and most people who complete the entire Pacific Crest Trail try to finish by September. So when Nancy Abell went for a day hike last week and spotted a late northbound hiker from Munich, Germany, she asked the woman if she had snowshoes.

Katharina Groene did not. The 34-year-old Groene had been hiking since May, with a three-week interruption when she had to leave the country to renew her visa. Inspired by the 2014 film "Wild," which was based on Cheryl Strayed's best-selling book about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Groene was determined to make it all the way to Canada.

Abell, an experienced backpacker who lives in nearby Sultan, Washinton, hiked alongside Groene for two hours. As they swapped stories and got to know each other, Abell tried to convince Groene to turn around. But Groene was insistent that she had to keep going: With less than 200 miles to go, she was so close to making it to Canada.

Eventually, they parted ways. Abell went home, but kept an eye on the weather in the mountains. When she saw forecasts predicting that a winter storm would bring two to three feet of snow over the weekend, she couldn't stop thinking about the blond woman in the red jacket who had stubbornly insisted that she would be fine without a pair of snowshoes.

"I'd been through a storm up in the same area and we couldn't go anywhere for three days," Abell said at a Wednesday news conference. "It was just terrifying. And I was there with a friend and a dog, and it was still terrifying. I just kept thinking of her being up there alone."

After four days had passed, Abell posted on a local hiking forum on Oct. 26 and asked if anyone had met a woman named Katharina from Munich. One hiker had seen Groene on Oct. 22, the same day Abell met her. But no hikers reported seeing her since.

Over the weekend, the temperature dropped and snow blanketed the Cascades. By Sunday night, Abell was so worried that she couldn't sleep. She called 911 the next morning, telling the dispatchers that she was worried Groene might not make it out of the backcountry alive.

Her intuition was correct: Groene had tried to call for help the day before, but her cellphone had no service. Her clothes and sleeping bag were soaking wet, one of the tarps that she used to keep her tent dry had blown away and she had rationed her food to one Pop-Tart per day. There was a ranger station about 30 miles away, but she was struggling to make her way through the snow with a heavy pack and had been traveling at a rate of only seven miles a day. On Sunday, she woke up to a whiteout. It had taken her an hour to walk 100 feet, she told reporters on Wednesday.

Groene was dehydrated and disoriented, and thought she might have frostbite. She kept falling down and having to will herself to get back up, a sign of hypothermia. Surrounded by evergreens that were sinking under the weight of the snow, she screamed for help. No one heard her. She got out her phone and began recording messages for the friends and family who she hadn't seen for months, apologizing for dying on the trail.

By then, it had been a week since Abell and Groene went their separate ways. But Abell knew that Groene was planning on covering 15 miles per day. Factoring in the weather and the amount of weight that Groene was carrying, Abell figured out how far along the trail where she might be.

"She told us she would probably be north of Mica Lake and south of the Suiattle River," said Sgt. John Adams of the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Unit at Wednesday's news conference, "which ended up being right on."

The Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team weren't sure if the weather would even allow them to make it Mica Lake, but they decided to give it a try. Hovering just below the clouds, they located the Pacific Crest Trail, and, eventually, a set of footprints. Amid snow and sleet, they followed Groene's tracks through the jagged mountains. Finally, they spotted her bright red jacket.

By then, the helicopter was running low on fuel. The rescue team tried 10 times to land, but couldn't find a flat surface. Determined to make one last attempt, one of the two pilots jumped out of the helicopter and crafted a makeshift landing pad out of logs.

At Wednesday's news conference, Groene thanked Abell and the search-and-rescue team for saving her life. "I still don't feel my fingertips fully," she said.

The sheriff's office credited Abell on Facebook for saving Groene's life. "If Nancy had not taken action Katharina would have most likely died in the mountains," the office wrote.

Groene told reporters that she had initially set out to hike the trail because she had started losing faith in humanity.

"My faith in humanity is definitely restored, so box checked," she said.
It is the most iconic and macabre murder of the L.A. noir era, a beautiful aspiring actress found sliced in half, her body drained of blood. From the moment she was found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles on Jan. 15, 1947, Elizabeth Short became synonymous with Hollywoods dark side. And although the mystery of who killed and mutilated the Black Dahlia will likely never be definitively solved, one investigator thinks hes damn close.

Retired Los Angeles police department detective Steven Hodel believes hes found a chilling clue pointing to a longtime suspect: his father.

Dr. George H. Hodel has been a Black Dahlia suspect since 1949, when he was arrested for allegedly raping his 14-year-old daughter. The case brought him into LAPDs sphere, and they were soon suspecting him of several murders, Elizabeth Shorts included. When police bugged Hodels house in 1950, he was caught saying, Supposin' I did kill the Black Dahlia. They couldn't prove it now. They can't talk to my secretary anymore because she's dead.... They thought there was something fishy. Anyway, now they may have figured it out.

Hoping to clear his father of suspicion, Hodel began digging into the case in the 1990s. By 2003, hed come to the opposite conclusion, publishing a book claiming his father was the infamous murderer. On Tuesday, Hodel told the South Pasadenan hed acquired a letter from a former police informant. In it, the man claimed the Black Dahlia was killed by a man called GH. The letter was recently unearthed by the mans granddaughter, who sent it to Hodel after learning of his interest in the case.

"It becomes obvious that the ... letter was not intended for public consumption," Steve Hodel told the South Pasadenan. "It was written to be read by law enforcement only if either of his daughters came to foul play."

Over the decades, countless suspects have emerged. Even famed mobster Bugsy Siegel was considered a suspect by authorities. But Hodel has long been a favorite of law enforcement and amateur investigators alike. There's no doubt, Black Dahlia aside, he was a frightening character.

Steve Hodel believes his father met Short at his venereal disease clinic in downtown L.A. and may have seen her outside the office as well. In 1950, the district attorney's office was told Hodel "did associate with Beth Short."

Elizabeth Shorts life was, by all accounts, as brutal as it was brief. When she was six years old, her fathers car was found on the Charlestown Bridge in Boston. Although his body wasn't found, the family assumed he had jumped into the Charles River. Young Elizabeth, often crippled by asthma attacks, was sent to live in Florida with family friends during the cold Massachusetts winters. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she dropped out of high school her sophomore year.

In 1942, the family got a piece of shocking news: Elizabeths father wasnt dead at all. He had abandoned his wife and five daughters in order to start again in California. Eighteen-year-old Elizabeth must have had a forgiving heart  or a desperate desire to leave town. She moved to Vallejo, joining her father who was working at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The arrangement didnt last long; she moved out a month later.

By 1946, she had moved to Los Angeles. She made ends meet by waitressing and had a series of unsuccessful relationships, all of which would come under intense scrutiny after her murder. The night of her death, Elizabeth was last seen at a cocktail lounge near the Biltmore Hotel. In the morning, her body was discovered by a mother and her three-year-old child.

Along with being severed at the waist, there were strange, ritualistic aspects to the crime. She had been posed, hands over head, and her mouth had been slit up to her ears. Because the body was so pale and clean, police speculated the killer has washed her. An autopsy confirmed she had died from hemorrhaging after being struck in the face and head. Her identity was found via fingerprints; shed been arrested in 1943 for underage drinking.

When the gruesome investigation was done, Elizabeth was at last interred in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.

Dr. Hodel left California in 1950 and moved to Manila shortly thereafter. He returned to the U.S. in 1990, moving to a penthouse in San Francisco's Financial District. He died in 1999 at the age of 91.
Alimuddin Ansari, a van driver, knew the risks. Smuggling beef in India, where the slaughter of cows is illegal in some states, is dangerous work, and Ansari eventually attracted the notice of Hindu extremists in Jharkhand.

One hot day in June 2017, they tracked him to a crowded market. When he arrived with a van full of beef, the lynch mob was waiting.

Reports of religious-based hate-crime cases have spiked in India since the pro-Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, according to new data from IndiaSpend, which tracks reports of violence in English-language media. The data shows that Muslims are overwhelmingly the victims and Hindus the perpetrators of the cases reported.

The government of India does not record religious-based hate crimes as separate offenses and so does not provide data on the category. The government does monitor incidents of communal violence - between ethnic groups or communities, like castes- and has data that shows such incidents rose 28 percent between 2014 and 2017.

Some of the violence in the reported cases centers on cows because Hindus - nearly 80 percent of India's population - believe the animals are sacred, and many states have laws that protect them from slaughter. Violent "cow vigilante" groups patrol the roads, beating and killing those suspected of smuggling beef.

Modi has said that state governments should punish these vigilantes and that his administration is committed to upholding the law, but critics say his party has emboldened Hindu extremists across the country. And the data supports that trend: More than half of the cases reported this year through October came from three states in northern India - Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand - where Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, enjoys strong support.

BJP spokesman Sudhanshu Trivedi said the government acts promptly if tensions occur between groups. He noted that India has suffered only "minor incidents" in the last four years, and there were no large-scale religious riots.

"Our objection is that the political class and a certain section of media want to highlight the [religious] angle in order to malign the image of government," he said. "This is not happening for the first time. It has been happening for years."

- - -

The vigilantes had been tracking Ansari for over a week. Early on the morning of June 29, 2017, a tea stall owner who had been working as an informer for the vigilantes called with a tip that Ansari was headed to the market in a white van full of beef, according to the judge's ruling in the case and suspects' statements to police. Deepak Mishra, a Brahmin priest, sent a WhatsApp message to a group of vigilantes calling them to the scene, court documents show.

The vigilantes trailed the van on their motorbikes, then stopped Ansari at the crowded market, pulling him from the driver's seat, according to court records. They beat him with bamboo sticks and a fiber rod.

"I started hitting him with my fists and kicking him," Mishra recounted, according to his statement to police. "I hit him in the stomach and on his chest."

A video of the scene shows the mob jeering, kicking and slapping a dazed Ansari. Eventually, they overturned his van and set it ablaze, spilling raw beef across the road. The sight of the meat only seemed to inflame the mob, the prosecutor said. They shouted "Beat, beat beat him more!"

When police arrived, the men scattered, but it was too late for Ansari. He lost consciousness in an ambulance and was pronounced dead on the way to a hospital. The postmortem report said Ansari died of shock as a result of multiple injuries.

- - -

Ansari's killing played out in almost real time on WhatsApp, the global messaging platform that is widely used in India, its largest market, and has increasingly become a vehicle for the spread of hate speech and incendiary fake news there and elsewhere.

His wife, Mariam Khatoon, and son watched the killing unfold on the phones of their neighbors, who had gathered in a shocked group outside the family's modest concrete dwelling in the town of Ramgarh that morning.

"My father was a good man. When money was scarce, he did not eat so we could eat," said his son Shahzad Akhtar, 22, a student. "Seeing him killed right in front of us, on screen, was agony."

Harsh Mander, director of the Center for Equity Studies in New Delhi, said the perpetrators film these lynchings and post online to communicate a threatening message to the victims, who are often minorities or from lower-caste communities.

- - -

Modi's career has been shadowed by allegations of religious intolerance since 2002, when he, as the chief minister of the state of Gujarat, was accused of failing to do enough to stop Hindu-Muslim riots that killed more than 1,000. For this, he was denied a visa to visit the United States on religious-freedom grounds, making the trip only after he became prime minister in 2014.

In an interview with The Post in 2012, Modi showed little regret for what happened in Gujarat. "I have not done anything wrong," he said, "and I am committed to the human cause."

Now, in a string of incidents, his party members have been accused of supporting or even inciting violence against Muslims, leaving many in the country's Muslim community of 172 million - the third largest in the world - fearful.

In some of the lynching cases, members of Modi's party or its right-wing affiliates incited or organized the mobs or praised the killers after the fact.

In Ansari's killing, Nityanand Mahto, spokesman for the BJP in Ramgarh district, was released in early July on bail pending appeal after being jailed for a year for his role in inciting the mob. He denies involvement, saying he was in the crowd because he was trying to stop the violence. The prosecutor said he took part in the beating. "I was framed," he said.

- - -

Eleven men and one juvenile suspected in Ansari's death were arrested and charged with murder. In March, the adults were convicted and sentenced to life in prison, prompting protests; their supporters claim Ansari died because he was beaten in police custody. All but the juvenile have since been released on appeal; one of the convicted men has died in an unrelated accident.

The high court judge who ordered the release of the first seven men noted that although they were members of the mob, there was a lack of evidence against them in the assault. Later, even those convicted of the conspiracy were released on bail.

In July, some of the accused perpetrators went to the home of Jayant Sinha, a member of Modi's council of ministers. Sinha fed them sweets and hung marigold garlands around their necks, prompting an international firestorm.

Sinha said he believes they are innocent but said he feels regret for honoring the men.
21:09

Giving credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modis forceful campaign, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday confirmed that India is among the countries that have been granted a waiver from the US sanctions on Iran.





Honble Prime Ministers forceful campaign has been that you cant ignore interests of consuming countries. Understanding geo-political situation, India has been able to get its way. The US has given waiver to some countries including India, Pradhan told reporters.





I give credit of this to emerging acceptance of world leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From this campaign, not only India but other consuming nations will be benefitted. The nitty-gritty of this will come gradually, he added.





The United States, however, has not yet named the eight countries which would be exempted from the sanctions. The names of the eight jurisdictions would be released on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had announced on Friday. Pompeo had said that the US has agreed to provisionally allow eight jurisdictions to keep buying oil from Iran since they have made significant reductions in oil imports.





US sanctions on Iran will kick in November 5. President @realDonaldTrump is reimposing all sanctions lifted under the unacceptable Iran deal. The U.S. is reimposing the toughest sanctions ever on Iran, targeting many of the corrupt regimes critical sectors, the White House tweeted.





Pompeo had said that countries like India, if granted exemption, would be asked to bring down oil imports from Iran to zero in six months. Negotiations are still ongoing, he said while explaining the reasons for not revealing the names of the countries to be exempted.
A Japan Airlines copilot was arrested by British police after he was found to have alcohol levels more than 10 times Britain's legal limit immediately before a flight from London's Heathrow Airport to Tokyo's Haneda Airport, the airline announced Thursday.

JAL will investigate the case and suspects the male copilot, 42, cheated a pre-flight alcohol test conducted by the company, as it did not detect any abnormalities.

According to the the company, the copilot and two captains were supposed to operate JAL Flight 44 scheduled to depart Heathrow at 7 p.m. Sunday local time. However, a bus driver noticed the smell of alcohol while transporting flight crew to airplanes and other destinations and notified a relevant airport official. Police then arrived at the scene, conducted a breath test and arrested the copilot that night when the test revealed a reading of 0.93 milligrams of alcohol per liter of breath - about 10 times the limit under British transport safety laws and regulations.

Under Japan's Road Traffic Law, drivers are considered to be driving under the influence if they have an alcohol-per-liter-of-breath reading of 0.15 milligrams or higher.

The copilot was released after taking a blood test at a British police station, but was detained again on Wednesday when the test confirmed his blood alcohol content was 9 times Britain's statutory limit. In an interview conducted by JAL just after his release, the copilot said he consumed more than two bottles of wine and more than 1.8 liters of beer by himself at a bar and in a hotel room where he stayed for about six hours until 20 hours before the flight.

Under company rules, pilots are prohibited from drinking alcohol within 12 hours before a flight. Drinking is banned more than 12 hours before departure if it could affect one's ability to operate a flight. Before boarding the bus, the copilot and the two captains took a company-administered breath test at JAL's Heathrow office. The copilot breathed into a device in front of the two captains but did not test positive for alcohol, according to the airline.

When queried about his physical condition, the copilot reportedly said he felt a little sluggish. When asked if he took the breath test properly, he apologized, saying, "I'm sorry."

The device used for the breath test requires users to breathe into its main body. "There is no doubt the copilot did not correctly measure his breath," a JAL official said. The two captains said they had not noticed the smell of alcohol or the copilot's intoxication, according to the company.

The copilot joined JAL in 2000 and has worked as a pilot for about 15 years. Copilots are normally in charge of such tasks as checking meter gauges and conducting external communications, but they sometimes operate aircraft.

After the copilot's intoxication was detected, Flight 44 was operated by only the two captains and departed at 8:09 p.m. Sunday - about an hour behind schedule - with 235 passengers onboard.

At a news conference Thursday in Tokyo, JAL Director and Senior Management Executive Officer Toshinori Shin said, "We feel responsible for failing to detect [the copilot's inebriation] through our company's test and that this was reported by a third party." The airline said that within the month, it would start using a new detection device used at Japanese airports at all airports worldwide.

The incident is "deeply deplorable as it may undermine people's confidence in aviation security," Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Toursim Minister Keiichi Ishii said at a press conference on Friday after a Cabinet meeting.

In a separate incident, it was revealed Wednesday that a captain of an ANA Group company was unable to operate a flight due to the influence of alcohol, resulting in delays to five flights. Following these incidents, the transport ministry plans to introduce tougher rules regarding such criteria as alcohol limits for pilots.
The end was near for Tala and Rotana Farea when the man happened upon them in Manhattan's Riverside Park, police said. The sisters had run away from Virginia to New York and maxed out a credit card shopping and staying at high-end hotels.

Now, early on Oct. 24 in a scene the man would later describe as "haunting," the sisters from Saudi Arabia, had their heads lowered and appeared to be praying loudly about 30 feet from each other on a playground near the Hudson River.

Just hours later and dozens of blocks south, another passerby would find their bodies on the Hudson's rocky shore, loosely bound together with duct tape after having washed ashore, police said.

New York City police began to unravel the mystery of what happened to Tala, 16, and Rotana, 22, saying at a news conference Friday they had no indication the sisters had been killed, even as they await an official cause of death from the medical examiner. The case has generated nationwide attention.

Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said the sisters had alleged they were abused by family members and sought asylum on those grounds in the United States. He said sources in Virginia told detectives, "they would rather inflict harm on themselves than return to Saudi Arabia."

He added later: "Everything that we've seen thus far is pointing to other than a crime taking place."

Shea said detectives were filling in a murky two-month period after the girls disappeared from Fairfax County (Virginia) around Aug. 23. He said electronic records, including Uber receipts, showed the sisters took various forms of transportation, arriving in New York City around Sept. 1.

Shea said over the next seven weeks, they stayed at various upscale hotels, including the Knickerbocker in Times Square where rooms rent for more than $400 a night. The sisters were captured on surveillance video appearing with each other and in good health. They went shopping. Records showed a pattern of them ordering two meals during the period.

But it soon came to an end.

"The money started to run out - that's what we believe started to happen," Shea said.

The sisters were found on rocks beneath a pier on the Upper West Side. They were fully clothed and bore no signs of trauma. Silvery duct tape was wrapped around their ankles and torsos, leading to speculation they might have been killed and dumped.

But Shea said the duct tape was loose, more like it was meant to keep them together rather than bind them. He said police had every indication that the Fareas were alive when they entered the water.

Shea began the story of what led the sisters to the Hudson over a year earlier, filling in some of the scant details known about their lives. The sisters had little presence online and no photos of them could be located before police released some this week.

Shea said the last time family members had seen both sisters was on around Dec. 1, 2017, when they left their home in Fairfax, Va. The sisters were located within a day, but transferred to a shelter because of abuse allegations. Shea and Fairfax County police declined to give the shelter's name, citing privacy restrictions.

Over the next eight months, the sisters lived at the shelter and family members had no contact with them, Shea said. The sisters then left the shelter on Aug. 23 or Aug. 24 and made their way to New York City.

Shea said detectives had not corroborated the sisters' allegations of abuse, but they were "between the brother, the mother and father" and were some time in the past. Shea described the abuse as physical, but it also involved other things he said he would not describe.

Shea said initial reports that the Fareas might have jumped from the George Washington Bridge were likely not true, since their bodies had no signs of a fall from a high place. Likewise, reports that their bodies were found crosswise on top of each other were also inaccurate.

Shea said he could not confirm a report based on unnamed police sources in the New York Post, saying the mother of the sisters received a phone call from a Saudi Embassy official who told her she might have to leave the United States because the sisters had applied for asylum. The call reportedly came the day before the sisters' bodies were found.

A Saudi official said Thursday that was inaccurate, saying they had only communicated with the mother about her expired immigration status in the United States. For privacy reasons, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday they could not reveal whether the sisters had applied for asylum.

The mother of the sisters declined to comment when reached by phone Friday.

"I can't talk about it," she said.

Rotana had attended school at George Mason University before dropping out in the spring, school officials said. Tala was a student at Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Virginia, for part of the 2017-2018 school year.

In 2016, family members were evicted from an apartment in Falls Church, Va., for unpaid rent.

A woman whose niece attended school with the sisters in their hometown of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, said they were inseparable and had been hopeful before arriving in the United States.

"They were very much looking forward to going to the US, and had always encouraged my niece to do the same. . . . 'Study hard and get out to the US!' " the woman wrote in a text message.
Political scientist discusses early voting trends

Daniel A. Smith, chair of the Political Science Department in the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, shares his expertise on the importance of mid-term elections, and the trends he has seen this year.

For more political season expertise from UF, visit https://experts.ufl.edu/uf-political-season-experts/
United Nations

In a slap to the United States, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution Thursday condemning the American economic embargo of Cuba and rejected proposed U.S. amendments strongly criticizing the lack of human rights in the island country.

Resolutions adopted by the 193-member world body are unenforceable, but they reflect world opinion and the vote has given Cuba an annual stage for the past 27 years to demonstrate the isolation of the U.S. on the embargo.

It was imposed in 1960 following the revolution led by Fidel Castro and the nationalization of properties belonging to U.S. citizens and corporations, and two years later it was strengthened.

The General Assembly's vote on the Cuban-sponsored resolution on the "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba" was 189-2 with no abstentions.

The U.S. and Israel voted "no" and Moldova and Ukraine did not vote.

In earlier separate votes on the proposed U.S. amendments, Ukraine and Israel were the only countries to join the U.S. in voting "yes" on all eight measures while the Marshall Islands backed one amendment. Some 114 countries voted against the amendments and about 65 abstained.

The proposed amendments expressed concern at the lack of freedom of expression and access to information in Cuba and the prohibition on workers' right to strike. They called on Cuba to fully grant its citizens "internationally recognized civil, political and economic rights and freedoms," to establish an independent civil society and to release people detained for exercising their human rights.

Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the U.S. embargo "a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of the human rights of Cuban men and women" and denounced what he called the politicized U.S. amendments.

Rodriguez accused the U.S. government of committing "crimes against humanity," pointing to its dropping of the atom bomb in Japan in World War II, waging wars that "caused the death of millions, many of them innocent," and carrying out what he claimed were "extrajudicial executions, kidnapping and torture."

He also accused the U.S. of violating the human rights of its citizens, singling out African-Americans, Hispanics, minorities, refugees and migrants.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley stressed before the votes that "our reason for the embargo is and has always been Cuba's denial of freedom and the denial of the most basic human rights for the Cuban people."

She urged the General Assembly to use its "megaphone" and "send a moral message to the Cuban dictatorship" that could help improve the lives of the Cuban people.
WASHINGTON - The United States will allow eight countries to temporarily keep importing Iranian oil after sanctions are reimposed next week, when it will blacklist hundreds of companies and individuals, U.S. officials said Friday.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration decided to grant the eight waivers on oil sanctions, which will reimposed Monday, because those countries agreed to continue slashing their oil purchases from Iran. Six countries agreed to "greatly reduced" levels of oil purchases, he said, and two said they would soon end their imports of Iranian oil.

"Some of these will take a few months to get to zero," he told reporters in a conference call on the reimposition of sanctions. "We will give them a little longer to wind down. Weeks."

The United States is trying to force a worldwide ban on Iranian oil as it reimposes the sanctions that were suspended as part of the 2015 nuclear deal that the U.S. withdrew from in May. U.S. officials have vowed to aggressively block efforts to evade the prohibition by going after offenders with secondary sanctions.

Pompeo did not identify the countries and jurisdictions that will get waivers, other than to say the European Union is not among them. South Korea, Japan and India are expected to get a reprieve, however. All are among Iran's biggest oil customers, and they have argued that stopping their purchases immediately would cause oil prices to spike worldwide.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the United States is prepared to sanction Swift, a financial messaging system used by banks for international transactions, if it allows Iran to use it for any purpose other than humanitarian transactions. Under sanctions, Iran will still be able to purchase goods like food, agricultural commodities, medicine and medical devices.

"But people need to be very careful these are real humanitarian transactions," Mnuchin said.

After President Donald Trump withdrew in May from the deal he had lambasted on the campaign trail, the United States gave countries and private businesses around the world 180 days to stop importing Iranian oil or face the U.S. sanctions.

Since the Trump administration came to office, it has imposed sanctions on 168 Iranian individuals, companies and groups 19 times. On Monday, Mnuchin said, it will add 700 names. Most of them are being relisted, though 300 of them are new to the list, he said.

Though only a handful of countries support the U.S. withdrawal, unilateral sanctions are highly effective because so many oil and financial transactions are conducted at least partially using U.S. dollars.

This round of sanctions targets Iranian oil, which provides the government with 80 percent of its revenue. It also affects shipping, insurance and financial transactions.

In August, the United States resumed sanctions prohibiting transactions using U.S. dollars, Iranian automobiles and the purchase of commercial airlines.

The administration says it does not seek a coup against the Islamic government, but aims to pressure Tehran to renegotiate the nuclear deal and change its policies, including support for militias elsewhere in the region and the development of ballistic missiles. But Pompeo has outlined a dozen demands, most of them unlikely to be met by Tehran and seen by critics as a demand for Iran to capitulate.

On Friday, Pompeo said the United States seeks a change in Iran's behavior to its own people.

"We are working toward the Iranian people having the opportunity to have the government they want," he said, "a government that does not take their money and spend it on malign activities around the world."

The renewed hostility has pushed the Iranian economy to the brink of collapse, as its currency has lost about 70 percent of its value. Iran's oil imports have shrunk by about a million barrels a day, from a peak of 2.5 million. China has stepped up its purchases in recent months, apparently keeping them in storage.

Iran is expected to resort to subterfuge to keep its economy going. Some of its tankers already have turned off the electronic identity tags that keep track of where oil tankers are heading. The Europeans are establishing a special system that will essentially allow trade to continue with Iran through a form of barter, though they have had trouble getting a country to agree to host the exchange and risk U.S. sanctions.

Much of the impact of the renewed sanctions has already been baked in. Virtually all multinational corporations that do business in the United States have already stopped doing business in Iran so as not to run afoul of the sanctions.

Mnuchin said he expects the European attempt to develop an alternative system, allowing trade with Iran to continue, will ultimately fail. He and Pompeo said the United States will attempt to thwart any efforts to circumvent sanctions.

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Video: Under President Trump, United States-Iranian relations have taken a decisive turn for the worse. Here's a brief history of the tumultuous relationship.(Joyce Lee/The Washington Post)

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Months after a Texas prisoner accused corrections officers of planting drill bits in his cell, investigators have closed the case without any arrests.

But, according to the Office of the Inspector General, the primary suspects are among the officers already facing charges for planting evidence in another inmate's cell.

"The case is closed only because we couldn't make an affirmative link to the planting of the drill bits," said Joseph Buttita, deputy director for the Office of the Inspector General. With the exception of one person who ultimately did not cooperate, he said, "everybody else that was involved wouldn't answer our calls because they're already indicted."

The trouble at the Ramsey Unit in Brazoria County began to emerge in May, when the Houston Chronicle revealed a short-lived disciplinary quota system apparently put in place by prison officials who ordered officers to write-up inmates or face consequences themselves.

As officials probed the matter, an inmate's mother read about the claims and came forward with her own allegations that some of the same officials had planted screwdrivers in her son's cell and then wrote him a disciplinary case. The Office of the Inspector General investigated, and four officers were indicted for felony tampering and misdemeanor official oppression.

READ MORE: 4 Texas prison officials indicted after alleged screwdriver-planting incident at Brazoria lockup

It's still not entirely clear what motivated the alleged set-up.

One of the prison officials facing charges  former Major Juan Jackson  was also part of a leaked email thread discussing the quotas. His lawyer on Wednesday did not respond to a request for comment.

As the case surrounding the screwdriver-planting allegations began winding its way through the courts, another evidence-planting claim  this time involving drill bits  sparked a second investigation.

The inmate at the center of those claims, Johnny Reyes, had already been disciplined and transferred, but some men still at Ramsey reached out to the Chronicle, recounting what they'd seen and heard and asking for an investigation.

Another man also wrote state Rep. James White, R-Hillister, who forwarded the matter to the Office of the Inspector General, which opened an investigation only to close it in July. But after "acquiring sufficient information," officials confirmed in August that they'd opened another case.

In recent weeks, that investigation also came to a close, but investigators said they'd open the matter again if they could find a witness willing to talk or a new lead.

"The MO was the same (as the screwdriver case), but we just weren't able to make that affirmative link in this one," Buttita said, "because the major players in that are under indictment and would not cooperate."

But even with the criminal case closed, the inmate apparently targeted with the planted hardware had his disciplinary case tossed, prison officials confirmed. But his family said he's still facing disciplinary charges in connection with unrelated cases that weren't thrown out.
The husband of a former county deputy on trial for murder could learn his fate Friday if a jury can reach a verdict in the high-profile death of a young Houston father who was fatally choked at a Crosby-area Dennys.

Closing arguments by prosecutors and defense attorneys are set for Friday morning in the murder trial of Terry Thompson, 42, who faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder for restraining 24-year-old John Hernandez in a chokehold that left him brain dead.

It will be the second time the notorious case has gone to a Harris County jury to decide. In June, a mistrial was declared after jurors in the first trial said they were deadlocked on whether Thompson was acting in self-defense when he strangled Hernandez outside the family restaurant.

The case made national headlines last year after cell phone video of less than a minute of the fight surfaced, showing Hernandez face down on the concrete with Thompson on his back, his arm wrapped around the younger mans neck.

Thompsons wife, former Harris County Sheriffs deputy Chauna Thompson, can be seen on the video holding Hernandez down yelling at him to stay down. She arrived after her husband and was in civilian clothes. She was fired days after the video surfaced.

As in Thompsons first trial, if jurors do not reach a verdict after a day of deliberations, they will be sequestered overnight so they can continue working through the weekend.

Pack an overnight bag, state District Judge Kelli Johnson told the jury. Sequestering a jury is an unusual occurrence in Harris County, even in murder trials.

Thompsons attorneys are expected to argue that Thompson was defending himself against deadly force when he put Hernandez in a chokehold during a 15-minute fight that ended when Hernandez stopped breathing. The defense is expected to ask that jurors be allowed to decide between only two choices: not guilty or guilty of murder.

The medical examiner said it was an intentional act, attorney Scot Courtney argued to state District Judge Kelli Johnson.

Prosecutors lobbied to let jurors decide between murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

The first trial ended in a mistrial when 11 jurors voted not guilty on the murder charge. Ten voted not guilty for the lesser charge of manslaughter, and eight agreed Thompson was not guilty of criminally negligent homicide.

Community activist and FIEL director Cesar Espinosa, who has often acted as a spokesman for the Hernandez family, said Thursday the family believes it was murder.

Wed like to see him found guilty of murder, Espinosa said. He took the law into his own hands and he made that decision that night.

Both sides have said Hernandez was intoxicated when he arrived at the diner with his common-law wife and 4-year-old daughter after 11 p.m. on May 28, 2017, the Sunday night before Memorial Day.

Hernandez was apparently urinating in the parking lot when Thompson, a railroad worker, arrived with his teenage daughter and her friends. Thompson allegedly confronted Hernandez and the two ended up in a chest-to-chest confrontation.

Thompsons defense team said Hernandez threw the first punch giving Thompson a black-eye before the two ended up scuffling on the ground. It was then that Thompson placed his arm around Hernandezs neck, and held it there despite several patrons shouting at him that the young man had stopped breathing.

The trial is in its second week. If Thompson is convicted, the trial will move to the punishment phase next week.

brian.rogers@chron.com
The mother of the 2-year old child reported missing on Sunday in College Station and the woman's boyfriend have been charged with fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, records show.

Tiaundra Kae Christon, 21, the girl's mother, and her boyfriend, Kenny Hewett, 32, were both charged in Galveston County. Christon was already in custody in Brazos County Jail charged with child endangerment and filing a false report to police. She is being held in the Brazos County Jail on $750,000 bond and he is being held in Galveston County on $500,000 bond.

Hewett was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety on Thursday. He waived his right to an attorney after his arraignment, according to Galveston County court records.

Law enforcement officials announced Wednesday night they had recovered the body of a small child near State Highway 146 in Texas City.

It was not yet clear whether the child was the 2-year-old who the College Station Police Department has been searching for since Sunday morning.

College Station Police Chief Scott McCollum told reporters at a Wednesday evening press conference in College Station that his department had been working with Houston investigators to find the remains of 2-year-old Hazana Anderson, but would not confirm whether Anderson was the child found in Texas City.

"Efforts will continue to positively identify the remains and these efforts will take several weeks," McCollum said.

The Texas Rangers, College Station Police Department, Bryan Police Department, and Galveston County Sheriff's Office are working the case, according to DPS.

Hazana Anderson's mother, who lives in Bryan, called College Station police at around 9 a.m. Sunday to report Hazana missing. Christon reportedly told police she went to her vehicle to get a bottle for her daughter, then returned and found Hazana was no longer in her stroller.

Christon was arrested on Monday and accused of making false statements to police.

Police found clothing and an object in a black bag in a nearby dumpster as they were searching Gabbard Park, according to an affidavit. The clothes were the same ones that Hazana was reportedly wearing when she went missing.

Nick Powell covers Galveston County for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and send him tips at nick.powell@chron.com
In the wake of the worst attack against a Jewish congregation in American history, a group of Houstons interfaith leaders came together Thursday and called on residents to stand up against hate and division.

About two dozen religious leaders from Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths met at the Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, urging communities to unite in light of a recent massacre at The Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. As they spoke, the man charged with opening fire with a semiautomatic rifle leaving 11 Jewish worshipers killed and more wounded entered a plea to the charges in a courthouse across the country.

Lets show the world that in Houston, the most diverse city in the country, we are a role model of how to lift each other in times of concern and anxiety, said David Lyon, rabbi of the synagogue that hosted the event in Houston. Lets make a photo (of this) that can be seeing everywhere, as the religious leaders in attendance held hands in a gesture of unity.

There were calls to take action against hate by using words of love, and encouragement for citizens to vote in next weeks midterm elections to defeat leaders who engender evil and division.

In memorializing the Pittsburgh massacre, Lyon said that the country is facing many fragile moments recently, referring to the Pittsburgh mass shooting as well as to other recent events.

Lyon cited the explosive devices sent by a President Donald Trump supporter to Democratic leaders and members of the media last week, heightened anti-immigration rhetoric from the administration, characterization of migrants escaping from violence and poverty in Central America as an invasion,  and proposals to eliminate the birthright citizenship established by the U.S. Constitution.

We leaders of faith can build bridges of peace and understanding; we need to lift all of us up for the sake of a bright and blessed future, Lyon said.

Words matter and people of faith, Christians, Muslims, Jews, other religions, must combat the kind of hatred that has become standard on the internet, in our society and between each other, said Bishop Scott Jones, with the United Methodist Church.

Many people have expressed outrage in social media about recent events, expressions of racism and hate crimes, such as mass killings at synagogues, churches and schools. Hate crimes increased by 12 percent in 2017 alone, according to a report from the California State Universitys Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

John Ogletree, pastor of the First Metropolitan Church in Northwest Houston, said the reason hate is heightened at this moment in the country is because it comes from the top and goes down. He explained that both negative values like hate and positive ones like love are learned just as taught by parents at home, by teachers at schools, by religious leaders at community temples.

Right now, people need to hear a message of love and anti-hate, and thats why we have to raise up as pastors, as civic leaders, as politicians to stand up against hate, Ogletree said.

Daniel Hernandez, the Iman of the Pearland Islamic center that opened as a shelter during Hurricane Harvey, agreed with Ogletree. He said that to understand what is happening today with racial and ethnic tensions We have to look from the top down, we have to look at the rhetoric that our leadership and our president is passing on to the people in regards of immigration and sometimes generalizing about (negative) qualities of some people.

Hernandez explained that words from leaders provide guidance for people, and hateful rhetoric serves as fuel for loners that are just looking for that motivation to spark actions, he said.

Several of the faith leaders observed that many people are confused when it comes to how to react or what to do against expressions of hate and divisions in society.

Hernandez suggested that hate should be eradicated with justice,  explaining that one of the ways to demand justice is by being civically engaged, by learning about candidates, learning about the political process, being part of the election cycle, casting a vote, educating our children and families about the vote.

Ogletree, from the First Metropolitan Church, said that one simple thing that people can do is to listen to the message emanating from the national leaders.

I recommend two things. One, speak out against hate, and two, vote. Thats your American privilege, to look at whos at the top and ask if that person has a message of love and unity, or of hatred and division. Ogletree added that You have the choice to decide who is going to be the person at the top. Its time now for us to stand up and voice our objection to hate. Its time now to vote against hate.

Bishop Jones, with the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, advised people that if they are directly attacked by a person of hate, remember that Martin Luther King said that you cannot drive out hate with hate, you can only drive off hate with love.

Jones added that you must verbally respond to those people with words of love and appeal to the highest values.

In trying to appease social anxieties during the current national tensions, Michael Rinehart, with the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, advised that people remember that waves of hate come and go depending upon changes in society, fear, and often fear is what drives a lot of hatred.

Houston can continue to be a model, like we are doing now, coming together and proposing our common vote for higher values for our communities, Rinehart said.

olivia.tallet@chron.com

Twitter.com/oliviaptallet
A Harris County jury will return to court Monday after failing on Friday to deliver a verdict in a high-profile murder trial of the husband of a former Harris County Sheriffs deputy in a case that has stoked racial tensions for a year.

Prosecutors on Friday argued that 42-year-old railroad worker Terry Thompson wanted to murder the 24-year-old Hispanic man he strangled at a Crosby-area diner.

Terry Bryan Thompson didnt kill John Hernandez because he had to, prosecutor John Jordan said during the closing arguments of Thompsons second murder trial. He killed him because he wanted to.

It was a explosive assertion in the retrial of a case that has centered on whether the burly Thompson, 43, was acting in self-defense. The strangulation death prompted protests after Hernandez was initially charged, triggering accusations of preferred treatment for law enforcement. Jurors did not reach a verdict Friday after deliberating for seven hours and were told by the trial judge to return Monday.

Jordan told jurors Hernandez could be seen tapping out of the choke hold 3 minutes and 36 seconds before he stopped breathing. The prosecutor insisted Thompson knew what he was doing and continued the strangle grip after he knew Hernandez could not breathe.

The prosecutor said Thompson was angry at Hernandez, 24, for urinating in the parking lot late night on May 28, 2017. However, attorney defending Thompson maintained that the rail road worker was only defending himself after he was punched in the face.

He never submitted, defense attorney Scot Courtney said of Hernandez. Not until he passed out.

The altercation began when Thompson confronted a combative and intoxicated Hernandez, who was urinating outside the restaurant as Thompson arrived with his teenage daughter and her friends.

The two immediately began fighting with Hernandez delivering a punch to Thompsons face that left him with a black eye. But the older man quickly gained the advantage, taking Hernandez to the ground and sitting on his back while keeping him in a chokehold despite cries from onlookers that Hernandez could not breathe..

Hernandez lost consciousness and died days later at a hospital after he was taken off of life support without regaining consciousness.

Jurors were sent to begin deliberating immediately after closings arguments were delivered by both state prosecutors and defense attorneys. The closing came on the last day of the second week of the high- profile trial in state District Judge Kelli Johnsons court.

If they vote to find him guilty, the jurors have three choices, murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

If he is convicted of murder, he face a maximum of life in prison. If the verdict is manslaughter, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison. If he is found guilty of criminally negligent homicide, his punishment will be capped a two years.

It is second time the notorious case has gone to a Harris County jury to decide. In June, a mistrial was declared after jurors in the first trial said they were deadlocked on whether Thompson was acting in self-defense.

The case has made international news since last year when cell phone video of less than a minute of the struggle surfaced, showing Hernandez face down on the concrete with Thompson on his back, his arm wrapped around the younger mans neck.

Thompsons wife, former Harris County Sheriffs deputy Chauna Thompson, can be seen on the video holding Hernandez down yelling at him to stay down. She arrived after her husband and was in civilian clothes. She was fired days after the video surfaced, and charges against her are pending.

Unlike Thompsons first trial, if jurors do not reach a verdict after a day of deliberations, they will not be sequestered overnight. They will resume deliberations Monday.

brian.rogers@chron.com
A state attorney on Friday told a judge that road rules should have prevented a Metro bus driver from passing another parked bus before he hit and killed a pedestrian in northwest Harris County this week.

The bus operator, Octavio Martinez, appeared in a county criminal court for his arraignment on a felony charge of criminally negligent homicide.

DANGEROUS TRACKS: Metro train kills pedestrian in north Houston

Assistant District Attorney Ryan Volkmer told Judge Brad Hart that Martinez was driving a bus on Wednesday morning when he chose to make a wide right turn from Red Oak onto Peakwood in order to go around another bus that was loading and unloading passengers.

Rosario Barillas-Molina was attempting to cross the street behind the bus she'd just disembarked when she was hit and killed, police said.

While Metropolitan Transit Authority officials previously said that bus drivers are allowed to pass other buses, Volkmer said Friday that passing isn't allowed on Peakwood as shown by a double yellow line in the road.

Prosecutors said that Martinez, who has been an operator with a Metro for 27 years, was in the left lane when he came to a stop, facing the wrong side of traffic.

In response to the prosecutor's statement on Friday, Metro spokeswoman Tracy Jackson said that that the transit company's policies require the following of road rules.

"METRO bus operators are required to follow all traffic safety laws, including those that permit or prohibit passing another vehicle," Jackson said. "METRO's policies and guidelines for bus operators are in accord with those safety regulations."

Martinez's attorney, Steve Shellist, said after the arraignment that the crash was an accident that took place on a dark road.

Shellist said that he's never heard of a homicide charge in a case like Martinez's.

"Prayers are with the family, but it doesn't solve anything to file criminal charges against someone when there's just an accident," Shellist said at the Harris County Civil Courthouse Friday. "To criminalize it, I've never seen that happen before."

Barillas-Molina was a cook at Little Stars Academy daycare at 17214 Red Oak, a few blocks north from where she was struck and killed.
A bicyclist died Thursday after veering into the path of a car in southeast Houston.

The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. in the 6500 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard, just south of the South Loop.

The bicyclist, a man, was riding southbound in the middle lane of Martin Luther King Boulevard when the driver of a Ford Mustang revved its engine, spooking the bicyclist, according to Houston Police Department Lt. Thurston Roberson.

IN FLORIDA: Houston woman fatally shot while helping with Hurricane Michael recovery

The man on the bike veered into the left lane and into the path of a black Dodge Charger, which hit him from behind.

The force of the impact blew one of the man's shoes of his foot. He was pronounced dead on scene.

The driver of the Ford Mustang did not stop, but the driver of the Dodge Charger did, Roberson said.

Officers are not likely to charge either drivers, Roberson said.

Police originally believed the crash was a hit-and-run but later determined that not to be the case.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
A Texas sheriff's deputy is in critical condition Thursday night after being shot while serving a warrant in La Grange.

The Fayette County sheriff's deputy was serving a warrant at a Dollar General near East Travis Street and Ellinger Road in La Grange around 5 p.m. when the suspect resisted and fled authorities, according to a press conference by La Grange Police Chief David Gilbreath on KVUE-TV.
A mailer sent by a non-profit group focusing on increasing voter registration is using an interesting tactic to get Texans to the polls.

"Public records indicate that you are eligible to vote in 2018," begins The Voter Participation Center mailer. "Who you vote for is private, but whether or not you vote is public record."

The letter goes on to list the names of the recipient's neighbors and whether or not they voted during the past four general elections.

"We will be reviewing these records after the election to determine whether or not you joined your neighbors in voting," the mailer continues. "... If you do not vote this year, while we will be disappointed, we'll be interested to hear why not."

READ MORE: While U.S. troops deploy to Mexico border, photos show it's not a war zone

In another mailer received by a Texan voter, conservative non-profit political group Club for Growth uses a similar method to get voters to the polls.

"Your neighbors are excellent voters!" reads the mailer, which awards a letter grade based off the homeowner's voting record.

Bettie

While there's no doubting the mailers could feel intrusive to some, the information used to personalize them is gathered from publicly available federal data.

Hopefully, given this year's stunning voter turnout which has already surpassed 2014 levels, few Texans will have to worry about their civic engagement being graded poorly during the next general election.

What do you think about the mailers? Tell us in the comments below.

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.
Bobby Martinez was named the Water Reclamation Superintendent and Ada Russell received her Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Class C Water System Operator license.

The city of Plainview recognized both individuals with a Facebook post on Tuesday morning.
David Hernandez testified Thursday he hasnt seen or spoken to his daughter, Dominique, since July 2014.

She was the oldest of three children Hernandez had with his ex-wife, Deborah Hernandez, he said at a sentencing hearing for Daniel Moreno Lopez, 32. Two witnesses have testified that Lopez killed Dominique Hernandez two months before he beat to death a man with whom he had argued, then dismembered and incinerated his remains.

Hernandez said his daughter and her three children lived with him until she left and never came home.

She just got up and left. She had her clothes, her bed, all of her items (at home). She said nothing about leaving, he testified before state District Judge Ron Rangel, who is expected to sentence Lopez on Friday after the defense rests its case.

RELATED: Witness: Convicted San Antonio killer chopped up girlfriend

Hernandez said he tried everything to find his daughter, but it was as if she had vanished.

There was a time nobody knew anything, he told the court. I knew her mom was trying to reach out, (but) why wasnt she calling?

Months later, Hernandez was contacted by the Pleasanton Police Department and was asked to provide a DNA sample.

They swabbed me, he told the court.

Few details on Dominiques case were discussed in court, but on Thursday, a DNA expert testified that it was highly likely that blood samples taken from a couch at a Pleasanton apartment were from a biological child of Hernandez and his ex-wife.

Hernandezs testimony followed that of a second witness who testified Lopez shot Dominique, known as Nikki, then chopped up her body and burned her remains on a barbecue grill, as he would with Jose Luis Menchaca, 35, two months later.

RELATED: SAPD: Suspect's forehead tattoo helped link him to armed robbery

The second day of testimony in the sentencing hearing again saw a dozen armed Bexar County sheriffs deputies and SWAT officers with tactical gear and rifles surrounding Lopez, who was convicted in June of killing Menchaca, known as PeeWee, on Sept. 30, 2014, in retaliation for a stabbing tied to a botched drug deal.

Vanessa Gonzales testimony Thursday was similar to that of Sabrina Cavazos, who testified Wednesday that Lopez killed Dominique in Cavazos apartment in Pleasanton and moved her body to San Antonio to chop it up and burn the remains in the outdoor grill.

Gonzales, who was dating Lopezs sister at the time, said she and Lopez were close. She testified that he arrived at the home she shared with Lopezs sister on the West Side with dark suitcases that contained the head, torso and limbs of Dominique, his girlfriend at the time.

Gonzales said she looked inside the suitcases, opened the plastic bag and saw the womans remains.

Her hair, her barrettes, it looked like her, she testified, referring to Dominique.

Gonzales said the remains were moved to the backyard, and she watched from the kitchen window while Lopez burned the remains on the barbecue pit for a couple of hours, with Cavazos and his cousin and co-defendant Gabriel Moreno at his side.

She told the court that on the next day she saw the barbecue pit had been moved to the garage.

I saw bones, a skull, Gonzales told the court. They broke the bones with a hammer.

Gonzales testified she did not know where the remains were taken, but that Lopez told her he and Moreno drove around on the highway, throwing the ashes out the window.

Earlier Thursday, defense attorney J. Charles Bunk continued his cross-examination of Cavazos, again asking what kind of deal she had made with the district attorneys office in exchange for her testimony.

As she had Wednesday, Cavazos insisted she had not made a deal.

I was concerned for my safety because I knew more things than other people did, Cavazos said during testimony Wednesday.

So you helped them solve two murders, Bunk shot back, questioning why she was being so cooperative.

He noted that Cavazos has not been charged in Menchacas death, although according to her testimony, she was at the scene when he was killed and later dismembered, along with several family members and friends of Moreno and Lopez.

On the day (the woman was killed), you helped clean up just like you did with PeeWee, Bunk said, referring to Menchaca by his nickname.

The state rested its case Thursday; the defense is expected to put on a couple of witnesses before closing its case Friday. The hearing is being held in the 379th state District Court.

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
President Trump this week ratcheted up his rhetoric on illegal immigration, threatening to send as many as 15,000 troops to the US-Mexico border in response to a caravan of people traveling north from Central America. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has fully embraced the president's argument along with other Republicans who say the threat is real even though these immigrants are more than 900 miles from the United States.

Meantime, there was a bomb scare at the Texas Capitol after a suspicious package was received by a Democratic state lawmaker.
In 2011, Congress passed the America Invents Act and took strong steps against a prolonged wave of abusive patent litigation. That legislation arose because by the early 2000s, patent troll litigation spiraled out of control, increasing 6-fold over the rate in the 1980s, and affecting almost 5,000 unique defendants each year. Researchers found that patent trolls cost defendant firms $29 billion per year in direct out-of-pocket costs; in aggregate, patent litigation destroyed over $60 billion in firm wealth each year. These losses were caused in part by abusive litigations practices, but mainly by poor-quality patents passed by the PTO.

Thanks to the AIA and certain court decisions, the patent troll problem has diminished

The AIA allowed parties to petition the PTO to take a second look at patents that were reasonably likely to have been mistakenly issued. That second look occurs through an inter partes review process allowing a challenge to patent validity on the limited grounds of novelty and nonobvious subject matter. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board reviews these patents administratively, without the expense of full-blown federal litigation.

In addition, the Supreme Courts decision in Alice clarified the meaning of unpatentable subject matter, prohibiting patent claims for merely doing things like arbitrage or meal planning on a computer. The new standard says that if an inventor proposes to use a computer or an app or a website to implement an abstract idea and nothing more, it's still an unpatentable abstract idea. The AIA and Alice are a one-two punch: the review procedures were important to clear out old bad patents, the new Supreme Court standard promised to dry up the flood of bad quality patents that had fueled the patent troll litigation binge.

The poor-quality patents issued by the patent office are still in the wild, and the practices of trolls still remain a problem. For several years, the PTO vigorously implemented these new procedures and successfully weeded out low-quality patents that never should have been granted. Patent trolls got the message and began to shift away from the bigger companies who could use these new review procedures.

But these abusive practices are a long way from gone

In 2018, trolls have accounted for more than 80 percent of all patent suits involving small and medium-sized companies. If you think patent trolls have gone away, talk to David Selzer of Azure Farms in Oregon. He farms 2000 acres and sells his produce through a website. Hes in court for ignoring what seemed like a nuisance letter from a company he never heard accusing his website of infringing an obscure 2001 patent that would appear to apply to every website in the world. He has no money to hire an expensive lawyer to defend himself and so the patent troll simply assumed he would settle.

For Mr. Selzer, the bald assertion in a recent speech by Andrei Iancu, the head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, that the troll problem is imaginary must be surprising. His further comments that safeguards are no longer needed is disappointing, ill-advised and uncomfortably at odds with reality. His comments were uniformly hostile to the PTAB processes mandated by Congress, saying that they have over-corrected and risk throwing out the baby with the bathwater. He urged those who continue to suffer from patent troll abuses to stop scaring inventors, entrepreneurs and government officials with their fairy-tales of abuse. He urged those who want to continue to use Congressionally-mandated patent review processes to stop attacking the patent system.

The current system is working

Heres the problem: theres no evidence that the current system is broken. Innovation has flourished in the presence of the AIA and Alice decision. The U.S. patent system is resoundingly healthy. Political and business leaders recently celebrated the granting of patent number 10,000,000. Since 2014, venture capital funding for startup software and internet companies is up by 88% compared to the three years prior. And in 2016, venture capital raised $41.6 billion for startups, the highest amount in 10 years.

There is no question that some parties want to undermine the Supreme Court standard and the PTO processes that improve patent quality. Companies that make their living off of patent licensing have proposed statutory changes to the U.S patent law that would return us to the bad old days when patent trolls could take advantage of low-quality patents to engage in litigation hold-ups of genuinely innovative U.S. companies. Indeed, its a bit concerning that the case made by some groups to Congress for curbing the AIAs procedures consisted of alleged facts that do not exist, as shown in this study from the Computer and Communications Industry Association. Evidence of the harm caused by the AIA seems to be so badly lacking that some advocates are just making it up.

Its as if he were arguing that a minimum wage law is no longer necessary because everyone is making above that amount now. The PTO Directors argument that we no longer need good patent quality and review programs anymore because the troll problem is much diminished has the same air of swallowing its own tail. He appears to want to dismantle the very programs that have led to the decline of the troll problem.

Heres an example. He recently established a new standard for claim construction in PTAB proceedings, shifting from the broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim to the Phillips standard in which the words of a claim are generally given their ordinary and customary meaning. The BRI standard has been used, and will continue to be used, by patent examiners at the PTO. Its purpose is to reduce the risk that the words in a granted patent will be interpreted later in court more broadly than is reasonable. If PTAB must use the narrower Phillips standard in its review, they will be less likely to catch an overly broad patent. The reason for the change was explained as potential unfairness. There are plans afoot to weaken the process further by allowing patent owners extensive rights to amend their claims once theyve been challenged.

Moreover, his leadership on Alice is taking us in the wrong direction. PTOs initial guidance to examiners for how to interpret the improved standard under Alice was effective in focusing attention on the need for there to be something genuinely innovative about a new process or method before granting a patent. But the PTO Directors recent statements on revising the guidance seems more focused on undermining the Supreme Court standard than interpreting it.

Congress should stay the course in the wise direction it set out in the America Invents Act. If it considers permitting alteration in what has been a successful policy, we encourage it to require reliable and verifiable evidence before doing so. As part of its PTO oversight function, we urge it to enquire into the facts behind these recent attempts to weaken the AIA processes. The existence of the patent troll problem cannot be wished away or dismissed as a fairy tale. And now the PTO Directors own contribution to the troll problem should become an important part of the conversation.
When choosing a cloud service, many companies simply opt for one of the largest providers. But that doesnt always make sense if youre seeking maximum return for your investment.

For example, a recent independent survey found that Expedient  a cloud provider with 11 datacenters east of the Mississippi  is outperforming major vendors in terms of RAM, CPU, and network performance.

We talked with Jonathan Rosenson, Expedients Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, about how the right vendor can help companies achieve successful business outcomes  without having to sweat all the details by yourself.

Transformation and its knock-on effects

Many organizations today simply dont have time to manage a cloud migration on their own.

I would say the general pace of technology change is the No. 1 challenge facing our customers, Rosenson says. They are transforming their businesses and their industries, all while trying to keep up with their competitors.

As they migrate to cloud to take advantage of its transformational benefits, companies and IT leaders are hitting another wall  finding they must address multiple issues including security, compliance, and privacy concerns, as well as disaster recovery, backup, and storage decisions.

Its quite an undertaking. Thats why organizations should seek providers with a full stack of capabilities to operate the optimal infrastructure-as-a-service environment, Rosenson says. We're not managing business applications; were giving our clients the ideal environment for those applications to run effectively with a high level of performance and business resiliency.

We provide not only public or multi-tenant solutions, we also provide private solutions that are attractive to companies that have really strong security and compliance requirements. Or they might have workloads that cant yet be moved to the cloud but they need a way to keep those workloads physically close enough, for example, to reduce the latency that may create an adverse effect on the user experience, he says.

Verifying compliance and security

Its also important to work with a cloud services provider that helps customers meet compliance requirements like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR, and gain alignment with security frameworks.

There are nuances to all of them that are specific to the type of data companies are protecting, Rosenson says.

So, how do you know what to look for? Rosenson suggests seeking third-party validation of a providers capabilities. For example, on an annual basis, we publish attestation reports  called Service Organization Control or SOC reports  from a third-party firm that audits the nuts and bolts of our operation, including our policies and procedures. These reports demonstrate that our infrastructure platform is in alignment with compliance and security frameworks.

Another key factor is the technology partnerships that cloud providers maintain. For example, Expedient is a VMware Cloud Verified partner. Being Cloud Verified means the provider delivers a service that is compatible and interoperable with VMwares environment, enabling a more seamless transition to the cloud, saving the customer time and money.

Rosenson explains: We've been working with VMware technologies for more than a dozen years, so we felt Cloud Verified was a no brainer for us. We wanted to demonstrate our competency and commitment to the software-defined datacenter strategy as a complement to the multi-cloud approach that organizations are taking in today's market.

In partnering with VMware, we can offer clients all the tools, capabilities, and solutions in the VMware ecosystem, he says. That gives our customers the ability to embrace new technologies with confidence, while focusing on their strategic initiatives.

Click here to learn more about Expedients partnership with VMware.
Back in the mid-1980s, many observers considered Donald Manes, Queens borough president and chairman of the Queens County Democratic Party, a leading contender to succeed Ed Koch as mayor of New York. But in 1986, after a bizarre incident in which he was discovered bleeding in his car, apparently having attempted suicide, Manes was implicated in taking payoffs to fix contracts with the Parking Violations Bureau. A few months later, he took his life. Manes was not the only corrupt city official of his day. In the end, a dozen top city officials, including two other county leaders, and about 100 minor government employees were convicted of bribery scams and other crimes during Mayor Kochs third term, creating the impression of thoroughgoing rottenness in city government.

Responding to public demand to crack down on corruption, the New York City Council passed the Koch-backed Campaign Finance Act in 1988. Subsequently approved by voters in a referendum, the law established New York Citys small-donor matching-funds program, in which the government offered a dollar-for-dollar match for campaign contributions of up to $1,000 (the match applies only to contributions from individual New York City residents). Participating candidates had to abide by new limits on spending and contributions. In 2004, New York extended the contribution limits to all candidates. City officials have also amended the law to make the match ratio more generous and the qualifying expenditure smaller. Candidates today reap $6 for every $1 they raise, up to the first $175 of each donation. In 2013, 79 percent of all candidates for office participated in the public-financing program.

Now its Albanys turn. Across New York State, lawmakers from both parties have been swept up in scandals involving everything from bribery to domestic violence to looting government-backed nonprofits to marriage fraud. Much of the states political establishment has united behind a simple cure for the corruption plague: replicating New York Citys campaign-finance reforms at the state level. Public financing, they insist, will limit corruption by increasing the amount of clean money in the system, and it will also help democracy, they say, by encouraging greater participation in the political process and by sparking more competitive races because better candidates will want to run.

The current enthusiasm for public financing far surpasses evidence of its merits, however. Under the citys program, public corruption continues to be endemic, while voter-turnout levels have dropped to record lows and incumbents remain nearly unbeatable. Extending such a system statewide would waste money, overregulate the electoral process, and create new potential for abuse.

Just how sleazy is Albany? Recent Justice Department data show that, on a per-capita basis between 1976 and 2008, New York had the tenth-most federal public-corruption convictions and the 12th-most relative to the number of government employees. Government officials can, of course, contribute to a public impression of corruption without actually getting prosecuted for anythingand that certainly has been happening in New York. According to a July tally by the good-government group Citizens Union, ethical or criminal issues have forced 26 New York legislators out of office since 1999.

The malfeasance has come in many forms. In the past two years, sexual harassment accusations caused state assemblymen Dennis Gabrysak and Vito Lopez to resign from office and influenced the decision of Micah Kellner, another assembly Democrat, not to run for reelection last fall. Three other former assembly members have been caught fraternizing with interns over the last decade: Democrats Ryan Karben (who resigned in 2006) and Sam Hoyt (who stayed in office and now serves in the administration of Governor Andrew Cuomo); and Republican Michael Cole (who lost a primary in 2008). In October 2014, Queens assembly member William Scarborough was arrested and charged with abuse of per diems, the daily payments that legislators can collect for food and lodging in Albany. Former state senator Hiram Monserrate assaulted his girlfriend with a broken glass in 2008 and, in 2010, got caught having used a social-services agency for which he had secured government funds as his political piggy bank. Four former members of the Senate leadership have been indicted in recent years: Pedro Espada, for tax evasion and looting a government-backed medical center that he founded (convicted); the recently reelected John Sampson, for obstruction of justice and witness tampering (awaiting trial); Malcolm Smith, who lost in the 2014 primary, for trying to bribe his way to the 2013 Republican nomination for mayor, despite being a lifelong Democrat (awaiting a new trial after a mistrial); and Joseph Bruno, for taking millions in consulting fees from a businessman in pursuit of state grants (acquitted). First-term assembly member Gabriela Rosa, born in Santo Domingo, resigned last June from office after pleading guilty to two felonies: marriage fraud, in a scheme to help her establish legal residency; and bankruptcy fraud.

Its true that some of the scandals have had a campaign-finance dimension. In addition to Monserrate, Rosa, for example, was also charged with accepting illegal campaign contributionsin her case, from a foreign donorand Sampson was indicted earlier for allegedly embezzling more than $400,000 from sales of foreclosed properties for which he was a court-appointed referee and putting some of the funds toward his 2005 campaign for Kings County district attorney (those charges were eventually dropped). But for the most part, political contributions havent been central to these headline-grabbing incidents, which have sent the legislatures approval ratings plummeting. A July 2014 Siena poll found that two-thirds of New York voters believe that Albany legislators do whats best for them and their political friends and that it never surprises me when another one gets indicted.

Nonetheless, public financing and, more generally, campaign-finance reform have become the main focus of the push for ethics reform in Albany. A majority of the members of Governor Cuomos Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption recommended public financing, and all leading state Democrats back it: Cuomo, who reiterated his support for the idea in his election-night victory speech; Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver; State Comptroller Thomas di Napoli; coSenate Majority leader Jeff Klein; and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Vocal support has come from editorial pages such as the Albany Times-Union and the New York Times ([the matching funds] program . . . is the crown jewel of New York Citys political life) and from good-government groups such as Common Cause, the New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG), and Citizens Union. In the 2015 budget bill, Cuomo and the legislature established a pilot public-financing program for the 2014 comptrollers race, but it went nowhere. Di Napoli didnt participate, saying that the program was too watered-down to be effective; he also boasted a strong campaign war chest, its worth noting. His Republican opponent, meanwhile, Onondaga County comptroller Robert Antonacci, attempted to participate in the program but failed to raise enough money to qualify.

The main opponents of public financing for New York State have been Senate Republicans, who picked up three seats in the 2014 elections, giving them a slight majority. Their gains could dim, at least for now, public financings state-level prospects. But the Republicans hold on the Senate is far from secure: two senators are over 80, and the Senates Number Two Republican, Tom Libous, is currently under indictment and battling terminal cancer.

The problem with public financing begins with its cost, which Republican opponents estimate would top $300 million over a four-year election cycle. Supporters put the price tag at somewhat under $200 million. Though both projections represent a small fraction of the states $140 billion annual budget and $64 billion general fund, the cost is still significant. And as campaign spending keeps rising, pressure will surely build to boost currently proposed matching ratios. Moreover, what governments spend taxpayer dollars on is as significant as how much they spend. Unlike public financing for, say, cleaner streets or better schools, public financing of elections provides a private benefitserving the needs of officeholders, staffers, and consultants engaged in politics as a career.

No evidence supports advocates claims that public financing strengthens democracy. Even if the offer of a taxpayer match encourages more people to give money to campaigns, as some studies have suggested, donor participation remains low compared with the total voting population. In 2013, 136,370 unique donors to all candidates participated in the matching-funds program; 100,746 of these were small donors (contributing less than $250). These figures represented 3.2 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively, of all registered voters in that years election. And voter turnouta more robust indicator of democratic participationhas been declining in New York City. Just 26 percent of voters participated in the 2013 general election, the lowest figure in 50 years. More people voted for Rudolph Giulianis losing bid for office in 1989, the first election with matching funds, than for Bill de Blasios winning one in 2013, even as New York Citys population grew by more than 1 million (and even as the matching ratio increased during that time). Further, studies of contributions to national campaigns show that small donors tend to be as extreme in their views as large donors, and perhaps more soa sobering fact for those who worry that political polarization is harming democracy.

Public financing has done nothing to spur competition in New York City elections, notwithstanding claims from some former candidates that the availability of matching funds influenced their decision to run or helped them prevail. As Citizens Union foundin a report arguing for public financingincumbent city council members get reelected at a rate close to 95 percent. To date, the only mechanism that ensures turnover in city offices is term limits, which went into effect in 2001. (Mayor Michael Bloomberg got the city council to revise the law in 2008, allowing him to serve a third term, but voters adopted term limits again in 2010.)

Even more discouragingly for campaign-finance proponents, public financing has done little or nothing to curb corruption in city government. Many participants in the matching-funds program have been implicated in one scandal or another. Public financing has even been the source of corruption. Sheldon Leffler, a former city council member, was convicted in 2003 of trying to break up a $10,000 contribution into smaller, and thus match-eligible, contributions in his campaign for Queens borough president. Council Member Ruben Wills was indicted last May for appropriating $11,500 in public matching funds by means of a shell company and nonprofit that he controlled.

Advocates stress that, when combined with other measures, such as lower contribution limits, public financing could thwart so-called legal corruptionby which they mean the power of political money, especially that donated by wealthy business interests, to purchase access to policymakers. New York State currently has the nations highest contribution limits (aside from the five states that allow unlimited contributions), and a NYPIRG analysis of Cuomos war chest released shortly before the 2014 elections found that almost half of the $45 million he raised for his reelection came from donors contributing $40,000 or more. Its striking, though, how little influence business interests seem to wield in New York. The real-estate industrys massive campaign contributions to Cuomo and other officials, for example, have failed to win repeal of the sidewalk scaffold law, which imposes near-total liability on developers for worker injuries, driving up insurance premiums and the cost of building throughout New York. In most state rankings of business-friendly environments, New York ranks near the bottom. In every year but one since 1977, the Tax Foundation has deemed New Yorks tax regime the nations most burdensome. New York trails only Wyoming and Alaska in total government spending on a per-capita basis. According to unionstats.com, New York boasts a higher unionization rate than any state in both the private (15 percent) and public (70 percent) sectors. And despite the states abundant reserves of shale gas, which has driven extraordinary growth in North Dakota and parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio, New York has now banned fracking. Legal corruption appears to be a bad deal for the purported corrupters. Why the need for public financing, then?

Graph by Alberto Mena

One thing is for certain: state campaign-finance reform would mean bigger government, in the form of more regulation enforced by an expanded bureaucracy. Advocates envision a new state agency modeled on the citys Campaign Finance Board (CFB), which administers the matching-funds program and enforces the campaign-finance law. They see the New York Board of Elections, a state body, as hopelessly incompetent. The BOEs record is indeed hard to defend. Most egregiously, it has failed to stop lawmakers from widespread and illegal use of campaign funds for personal purposes. But the proposed remedy of a state-level CFB would lay a foundation for bureaucratic mission-creep and perhaps even worse abuses.

Consider the record of New York Citys five-member CFB. The board is officially nonpartisan: the mayor and city council speaker each appoint two members, who cannot be from the same political party, and the mayor appoints the chair in consultation with the speaker. Members serve staggered five-year terms. Despite its public obscurity and small budget relative to many other city departments, the CFB wields enormous power. Many past and future candidates for office prefer to speak off the record about it, for fear of reprisal. But what they do say tends not to be flattering, even among public-financing boosters. Peter Vallone, Sr., former city council speaker and one of the founders of the matching-funds program, charges the CFB with losing sight of its original mission, which was, in his words, to level the playing field and keep the bad guys out of it and encourage the good guys to go into it. An agency created to bring ordinary candidates into the system has, he says, become an obstacle to that goal because of its over-officious enforcement of campaign regulations. But what Vallone describes as the CFBs gotcha disposition toward candidates is no accident. Public funding, by its nature, raises the stakes for oversight, and the CFB tends to err on the side of aggressiveness.

The most serious abuse-of-power allegation against the CFB regards its denial of matching funds to John Liu, city comptroller and mayoral candidate in 2013. Lius campaign treasurer and another staffer had been convicted on charges relating to a scheme involving straw donorscontributors who give money to campaigns in someone elses nameprompting heightened scrutiny of the candidates fund-raising and leading to what the CFB claimed was evidence of other suspected violations. Liu was not accused of wrongdoing himself, but the CFB nevertheless voted not to grant his campaign $3.8 million in matching funds just weeks before the primary. With that money, Liu could have cut into front-runner de Blasios support, forcing a runoff between de Blasio and the centrist former city comptroller, Bill Thompson. Liu subsequently sued the CFB, which he called a nitpicking, imperious bureaucracy, for denying him the matching funds based on unreasonable compliance demands.

Some worry that the CFB, in addition to its pattern of overzealousness, could also begin to abuse its power in a more partisan way. This board was appointed by Bloomberg, who didnt have any partisan impulse at all, says state Republican Party chairman Ed Coxbut what about a more partisan mayor? Think of the power they have to eliminate people, Cox says. As the recent IRS scandal shows, no agency can be insulated from the risk of politically motivated enforcement actions. In his appointments, Mayor de Blasio has not always shown appropriately arms-length distance in selecting officials to perform oversight roleshe nominated Mark Peters, his former campaign treasurer, for instance, to head the citys Department of Investigations.

If New York Citys experience is any indication, tighter campaign-finance regulations wont open up Albany politics but will instead reinforce the already-formidable power of unions in the state. Over the last 25 years, New York Citys political leadership has become more liberal, and unions stronger, with each new wave of campaign-finance reform. This isnt surprising when you look at how the campaign-finance rules have been designed. Union contributions to campaigns in the city are legal, and each union local is recognized as a separate contributor. Corporate contributions, by contrast, have been banned since 1998. The CFB has always objected to unions special dispensation under city law, but politicians write the laws. Labor has the upper hand in New York State as well, so unions will likely enjoy favorable treatment in any state-level campaign-finance overhaul.

Even if state politicians disallowed New York Citystyle deference to unions, labor would have other means to flex its mightmost notably, through independent expenditures. In todays campaign-finance landscape, so-called Super PACs and politically active nonprofits operate outside the regulated system of campaigns and parties. The best-known outside groups are directed by Karl Rove (GPS Crossroads) and Charles and David Koch (Americans for Prosperity)but many exist on the left, too, often with strong union backing. They emerged in the wake of the Supreme Courts 2010 Citizens United decision and related rulings, which struck down restrictions on nonparty organizations while leaving in place those imposed on campaigns and parties. Deep-pocketed special interests thus have a powerful incentive to pursue their agendas outside the system, thereby avoiding many of the disclosure regulationsand all the spending and contribution limitsto which parties and candidates are subject.

In New York Citys 2013 elections, the first of the Citizens United era, unions accounted for over half of total independent expenditures, spending 40 percent more than business-backed groups, Common Cause reports. According to Governor Cuomo, the reason that the legislature failed to pass public financing for all state races in the last session was that the unions wouldnt agree to Senate Republicans requirement that they stop accepting independent expenditures. That objection may have been a Republican gambit, but it cast doubt on unions commitment to campaign-finance reform. Both business and labor-backed outside groups were active in 2014s closely fought battle for control of the New York State Senate, collectively spending about $14 million.

Rather than replicating New York Citys ineffective system, Albany should pursue more modest measures to fight corruption, such as focusing exclusively on legislators personal use of campaign funds and addressing the disclosure problems associated with the so-called LLC loophole, through which corporations circumvent state contribution limits by donating through obscure subsidiaries. Both critics and advocates of campaign-finance reform should be able to agree on stronger disclosurethe best way to fight influence-peddling through campaign donations. The Moreland Commission urged greater transparency for discretionary grants to nonprofits, or member itemsa long-standing source of corruption at both the state and local levels. (See Unchartered Territory, Special Issue 2013.) Though Cuomo has cut off funding for new member items, previously authorized funding continues. The relationship between grant recipients and legislative sponsors should be more clearly highlighted, the Moreland Commission argued, and sponsors should be required to attest, under penalty of perjury, that they have no conflicts of interest connected with the appropriation and that the funds are being directed for a lawful purpose.

Ultimately, though, Albany needs a change of culture. The quality of people in politics was a hell of a lot higher years ago, says former lieutenant governor Richard Ravitch. The problem is that no good people want to run for office. Ravitch is right. Government policy alone cant solve the problem of public corruption.

Research for this article was supported by the Brunie Fund for New York Journalism.

Top Photo: U.S. attorney Loretta Lynch explains the embezzlement charges against Democratic New York State Senator John Sampson. (Anthony Lanzilote/The New York Times/Redux)
With the midterm election just days away, two of New Yorks tightest and most closely watched congressional races are playing out upstate, in the 19th and 22nd districts. In both races, incumbent Republicans are facing strong challenges from Democrats hoping to help flip the House.

In partnership with Global Strategy Group, we analyzed the impact of each candidate in an arena that is becoming increasingly important in elections: social media.

Check out the full breakdown below, and keep scrolling for the previous months analyses.

Conversation driver

Rep. Claudia Tenney, the incumbent Republican representing New Yorks 22nd District, is outperforming her Democratic challenger, Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, with over 4,000 more overall mentions on Twitter. The social media conversation in the 19th District shows an even wider margin, however, with Antonio Delgado racking up nearly 18,000 more mentions than incumbent Rep. John Faso.

Follower growth

The Democrats in both districts are coming into Election Day with more follower growth than their opponents  Delgado, in particular, is blowing all three candidates away, with over 4,000 new followers, rounding his total to 13,800.

Most retweeted

Tenney comes out on top again for garnering more retweets than Brindisi  her tweet celebrating a campaign stop with Eric Trump racked up a few more retweets than Brindisis best. Delgado also beat out Faso in retweets, his third victory over the incumbent. Maybe Delgado can thank his decade-old rap career, after all, for a surfeit of fans.

Trump-o-meter

Tenney  who has made a string inflammatory, Trumpian comments, like claiming most mass murderers are Democrats  is heading into Election Day carrying the presidents endorsement proudly, with 5 positive mentions of Trump in her tweets in October. Faso actually mentioned Trump more times than Tenney, but some of those tweets werent explicitly positive.

September 2018

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August 2018

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July 2018

All eyes are on Novembers congressional races as Democrats fight to gain control of the House. Here in New York, two races in particular, in the 19th and 22nd districts, have been making headlines. In both cases, the Democratic challengers appear to winning the social media game.

To assess the social media buzz generated by each of the contenders for the House posts, City & State is partnering with Global Strategy Group to provide analysis based on Twitter metrics such as the most mentions, the increase in followers and the most retweeted tweets.

And in July, 19th Congressional District candidate Antonio Delgado was the clear winner, receiving nearly twice as many Twitter mentions as incumbent Rep. John Faso and increased his follower count by 1,328  14 times Fasos increase in the same month.

In the 22nd District, Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi performed more modestly against his incumbent GOP opponent, Rep. Claudia Tenney, in July. Brindisi slightly outpaced her in mentions and gained more followers, growing his Twitter lead over Tenney to nearly 2,000 followers.

Delgados and Brindisis most popular tweets outperformed their opponents as well. In both cases, the Democrats were introducing their campaign videos, and the Republicans were attacking Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Somewhat surprisingly, President Donald Trump has not made much of an appearance in either race so far, receiving only one mention per race.
Dogs Trust has paid tribute to Adrian Burder, its "one-of-a-kind" chief executive, after his sudden death.

Burder, who has led the charity since November 2014, died on Wednesday following a short illness, at the age of 53. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Jim Monteith, the charitys finance director, is now acting chief executive. He said: It is with great sadness that we can confirm that our much loved CEO, Adrian Burder, has died unexpectedly following a short illness. Our thoughts are with his family at this most difficult time.

Adrian was one of a kind - his passion for animal welfare changed the lives of millions of dogs in the 24 years he was at Dogs Trust.

He will be terribly missed by staff, trustees and volunteers past and present and we are so grateful for his immeasurable contribution to making the world a better place for mans best friend.

We are all still letting this tragic news sink in. Adrian has been an integral part of our charity for so many years, as a hugely successful fundraiser and then as CEO since 2014. Adrian is Dogs Trust and we will continue our work in his memory.

Burder joined National Canine Defence League as marketing director in 1994, during which time he was instrumental in the charitys rebrand to Dogs Trust.

Since joining the charity, Burder has seen its annual income grow from just over 3m to more than 100m in 2017.

Burders work, alongside others, helped make microchipping mandatory. Prior to this legal requirement dogs would often become strays and end up at local pounds where they may have been put down unnecessarily.

He also played a big part in the success of the charitys dog sponsorship idea, which revolutionised the charitys fundraising and encouraged more people to leave legacies to the charity.

Before joining the charity, Burders early career included roles at the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, and at the TV licensing department of the Post Office.
A housing charity, Alternative Housing, which was exposed as the UKs most prosecuted landlord by the Guardian newspaper, has closed.

The Charity Commission announced today that it had opened a statutory inquiry in July 2017  two months after the Guardians investigation was published  but had been unable to make it public until today to avoid prejudicing other investigative work.

Alternative Housing has been removed from the register of charities because it has ceased to operate, but the Commission will continue its investigation into the extent of any misconduct, whether charity law was broken and if charity property or beneficiaries were placed at risk.

It is expected to publish the findings of the inquiry once completed.

In May 2017 the Guardian reported that Alternative Housing, a Bristol-based charity, had been fined 40,000 in relation to housing offences over the previous two years.

Its sole trustee and director Ghulam Mohammed was described by the paper as elusive. The Guardian said that Bristol council had decided he was not a fit and proper person to provide social housing.




Social care charities will be forced to cut staff wages after a county council decided to only fund sleep-in shifts at a flat rate.

The council wrote to social care providers last month saying it planned to cut their funding after a Court of Appeal hearing in March involving Mencap ruled that sleep-in shift workers were not entitled to the full minimum wage.

Previous hearings for the Mencap case in 2016 and 2017 ruled that sleep-in shift workers should be entitled to the full minimum wage instead of the lower flat rate fee that most received for a night shift.

These previous rulings led to many local authorities increasing their funding for social care charities to pay their sleep-in shift workers top-up fees in line with the minimum wage.

However, since the Court of Appeal ruling the council has now told its social care providers that from next year it will only provide enough funding to pay their sleep-in shift workers 4 an hour, in line with what the council will pay its own sleep-in shift workers.

The letter says: From 1 April 2019 we will pay service providers a sleep-in fee that is aligned with the council's own employees' sleep-in payment arrangements.

For 2019/20 this is set at 36.08 staff payment and equates to 47.43 provider payment; allowing for national insurance and pension costs.

Others likely to follow

The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) warned that many other councils are likely to follow suit by cutting their funding for sleep-in shift employees and called for central government intervention.

Steve Scown, chair of VODG, said: We know that when one local authority makes changes to its payment practices, others may soon follow.

For providers to be put on notice that the salaries of their staff could be reduced, at a time when the sector is still waiting for official guidance, cannot be right.

We call on government, and the responsible ministers, to acknowledge the sectors concerns and urgently deal with the situation. This issue will not go away and is set to intensify if left unaddressed.

In September, HM Revenue and Customs told social care providers that the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy was considering the implications of the Mencap judgment and would update their guidance, Calculating the Minimum Wage, in due course.

Meanwhile, workers union Unison has lodged an application to appeal the latest Mencap ruling in the Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, Turkish Public Prosecutor Irfan Fidan announced major new developments in the Jamal Khashoggi murder investigation. The dissident Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist was strangled and dismembered almost immediately after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2 as part of a pre-planned operation, Fidan claimed.

Another senior Turkish official also offered an explanation as to why Khashoggis body has not yet been found: His remains may have been dissolved in acid, and dumped down a well on the grounds of the Saudi consulate. All of this new information was made public soon after a top Saudi prosecutor departed Turkey after two days of meetings in Istanbul which Turkish officials described as frustrating.

In the weeks following the Khashoggi murder, an unprecedented wave of media coverage fueled global outrage. It also put intense pressure on the Trump administration and ultimately the Saudi leadership, which after a series of lies was forced to acknowledge its role in Khashoggis murder (they still claim it was a rogue operation).

The latest developments announced by Turkish authorities this week also received extensive media coverage. But with pipe bombs being sent to prominent political figures along with CNN; with a Nazi sympathizer murdering 11 worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh; and with midterm elections approaching, the Khashoggi story has been blasted off the front pages, at least in the US.

The changing media focus means that justice in the Khashoggi murder will depend less on global indignation and more on a methodical, systematic investigation into the crime. While Turkish authorities have done a credible job thus far, they are too conflicted to bring the investigation to a successful conclusion. Ultimately, justice depends on an impartial, international investigation led by the United Nations.

RELATED: The challenge of reporting the Khashoggi story

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To be sure, what we know about the Khashoggi killing has for the most part come from Turkish authorities. Essential details about the crime were leaked to pro-government Turkish media, and subsequently confirmed by journalists themselves. These include the arrival and departure in Istanbul of a 15-man hit squad that included members of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans security detail and a forensic doctor. Journalists have also reported on the extensive cover-up, including the use of a body double whose role was to make it appear that Khashoggi left the Saudi Consulate alive.

Turkish authorities have been adept at using sensational leaks to drive global media coverage and ratchet up the pressure on the Saudis. The Trump administration has also felt the heat. It has been unable to stake out a consistent position. President Trump initially said he did not like hearing about the killing; he then pledged to get to the bottom of it before affirming that Saudi arms sales could not be put in jeopardy; he said he believed the Saudi denials; he then called the murder bad stuff and expressed support for the investigation. Finally, Trump seemed to throw up his arms in exasperation at what he described as the worst cover up ever (no argument there).

The Turks have their own motivations for pushing forward the investigation, and while these are far from transparent, we can safely bet they have nothing to do with a concern for press freedom or the rights of journalists. In fact, Turkey is the worlds leading jailer of journalists, according to information compiled by CPJ, and Erdogan has overseen a ruthless crackdown on the Turkish media that has gone on for years.

Instead, Turkeys aggressive investigation of the Khashoggi murder seems driven in part by a power play against a regional rival, although some have speculated that Erdogan has a personal antipathy toward the Crown Prince, who he views as reckless. Turkeys ultimate goal may be to compel the Saudis to reach some sort of agreement, which could include a recognition of responsibility and a commitment to invest in the Turkish economy, which has been on the skids following the devaluation of the Turkish lira. One signal that the Turks may be looking for a deal is that they have been holding back their most compelling piece of evidence, an audio tape purportedly of the murder itself recorded in the Saudi consulate. That recording has not been made public, although the Turks did allow CIA director Gina Haspel to have a listen.

It is precisely because of the possibility that the Turks may be willing to play ball with the Saudis that a credible international investigation is essential. CPJ, along with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders, has called for a UN-led effort. This can be initiated with approval from the Turkish government, which has said it is willing to consider international assistance but has thus far failed to make a formal request. Media coverage is still vital to keeping pressure on Turkey to accept an international cooperation.

One way the Turkish government could legitimately use the attention from the Khashoggi murder investigation to enhance its international standing would be take its foot off the neck of the Turkish media, easing the crackdown and releasing the dozens of Turkish journalists who are unjustly jailed. But for the time being only one thing is certain: an investigation of one the worlds worst press freedom violatorsSaudi Arabiacarried out by anotherTurkeyis unlikely to produce justice.

RELATED: Why Trump doesnt care about Jamal Khashoggi

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Joel Simon is the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the author of We Want to Negotiate: The Secret World of Kidnapping, Hostages and Ransom.
The struggles of Americas local press are well-documented, but what effect that might have on Tuesdays midterms is less clearly established. As voters prepare to go to the polls, researchers at the University of North Carolinas Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media want to show the scale of the problem. In a recent report on Americas news deserts, they update prior research to calculate that at least one in five newspapers has shuttered over the past 15 years, with a net loss of nearly 1,800 local titles nationwide.

Speaking on Brian Stelters Reliable Sources podcast this week, Penelope Muse Abernathy, the reports lead author, was explicit about the potential electoral impact of the findings. Theres been a huge diminishment of what is available, especially in terms of public service journalism, the very sort of journalism that you need as youre going into a very crucial election and need to decide what issues are important, she said. When Stelter asked her if there is a possibility a lot of people really dont know whats on the ballot, she replied, Theres a good chance of that.

ICYMI: Americas growing news deserts

Ken Doctor of Nieman Lab reported yesterday that, at least partially to cut costs, Gannett titles in 109 markets across the United States will not print comprehensive election results on Wednesday morning. Gannett websites will drop their paywalls to let visitors see results online, but the impact of decisions like this should not be downplayed: according to a Pew Research Center study published in January 2016, around half of US newspaper readers only consume a printed product.

Over several weeks, CJR has published more than a dozen dispatches from across the country focusing on local midterms stories that have not gotten the attention they deserve. Several contributions contrast perceptive local reporting with less insightfulor, worse, non-existentnational coverage.

Writing from California yesterday, Jean Guerrero credits KQED, the local NPR affiliate, and San Diego CityBeat, an alt-weekly, with exceptional reporting amid inadequate coverage of Republican Congressman Duncan Hunters xenophobic attacks on Ammar Campa-Najjar, his Democratic challenger, who is Latinx-Arab-American. With local newspapers disappearing, insightful local journalism of this type is fast becoming a defiance of the troubling norm.

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Below, more on the crisis in local news and the midterm elections:

States of the Union: Click here to read all of CJRs dispatches from Montana, Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, Virginia, Iowa, Washington, Indiana, New Mexico, Florida, Oklahoma, and California.

Click here to read all of CJRs dispatches from Montana, Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, Virginia, Iowa, Washington, Indiana, New Mexico, Florida, Oklahoma, and California. News deserts: Last year, CJR compiled this county-by-county map of Americas news deserts to highlight parts of the country under-served by local news.

Last year, CJR compiled this county-by-county map of Americas news deserts to highlight parts of the country under-served by local news. Its doing fine: Yesterday, when The New York Times posted healthy subscriber and financial figures, Nieman Labs Joshua Benton urged readers to Take 98 percent of whatever energy you devote to worrying about the future of the Times and re-channel it into worrying about your local daily, which is very likely approaching existential crisis.

Yesterday, when The New York Times posted healthy subscriber and financial figures, Nieman Labs Joshua Benton urged readers to Take 98 percent of whatever energy you devote to worrying about the future of the Times and re-channel it into worrying about your local daily, which is very likely approaching existential crisis. Not so fake news: The same President Trump whos busy stoking a nationwide immigration panic has also been engaging local outlets on local matters ahead of the midterms. Politicos Jason Schwartz and Christopher Cadelago reported on October 22 that Trump had done at least 10 local interviews tied to his rallies, chatting about nuclear-waste disposal in Nevada and soybean trade in Kansas.

The same President Trump whos busy stoking a nationwide immigration panic has also been engaging local outlets on local matters ahead of the midterms. Politicos Jason Schwartz and Christopher Cadelago reported on October 22 that Trump had done at least 10 local interviews tied to his rallies, chatting about nuclear-waste disposal in Nevada and soybean trade in Kansas. What fills the void, I: Not all local news is retrenching, of course. Having acquired stations in battleground states, Sinclair, the conservative TV conglomerate, is mobilizing its properties behind the Republican cause as the midterms approach. According to Media Matters for Americas Pam Vogel, Sinclair has been beaming Trump booster Boris Epshteyns midterm message into homes across the country for weeks.

Not all local news is retrenching, of course. Having acquired stations in battleground states, Sinclair, the conservative TV conglomerate, is mobilizing its properties behind the Republican cause as the midterms approach. According to Media Matters for Americas Pam Vogel, Sinclair has been beaming Trump booster Boris Epshteyns midterm message into homes across the country for weeks. What fills the void, II: The past year has seen a nationwide boom in hyper-partisan conservative news sources, many of which look and feel like traditional local outlets despite lobbying for a candidate, party, or cause. In April, Politicos Schwartz dubbed such sites Baby Breitbarts. And in May I took a closer look at one of them, The Idahoan for CJR.



Other notable stories:

MSNBC declined to broadcast an immigration briefing by Trump yesterday. Having trailed a new asylum policy, the president instead served up reheated fear-mongering and falsehoods. The presidents relish for lies is unchanged, and live television is absolutely no match for the fury with which his falsehoods tumble forth, The Washington Posts Erik Wemple wrote afterward. Theres no excuse for any US television network to take his appearances live, at any time. The question now is: Which network will be the first to declare that it will not provide a live airing of next years State of the Union address?

CNN did carry the briefing, with Jake Tapper fact-checking it on-air once it finished (I could spend three hours doing this, he said). Politico reported yesterday that CNN President Jeff Zucker will stop hiring as talking heads ex-administration staffers who cant be counted on to tell the truth. But the network wont be toning down its Trump coverage as a whole. Zucker told Vanity Fairs Joe Pompeo: People say all the time, Oh, I dont want to talk about Trump. Ive had too much Trump. And yet at the end of the day, all they want to do is talk about Trump. Weve seen that, anytime you break away from the Trump story and cover other events in this era, the audience goes away.

A Politico/Morning Consult poll conducted last week and released yesterday asked whether Trump and the media, respectively, had done more to unite or divide the country since Trump took office in January 2017. Fifty-six percent of respondents said Trump had stoked division; 64 percent said the same of the media.

Technology website Recode is folding into Vox.com, The Wall Street Journals Benjamin Mullin reported yesterday. Vox Media acquired Recode three years ago.

Following the murder of its contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post yesterday announced a new Press Freedom Partnership. The paper will join with the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reporters Without Borders, and other groups to champion fearless reporting around the world. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower went dark for a minute last night in tribute to Khashoggi and other murdered journalists.

Journalist and activist Shaun King is relaunching The North Star, an abolitionist newspaper founded in 1847 by Frederick Douglass and Martin Delany.

Bill Keller will retire from his role as editor-in-chief of The Marshall Project next year. A former editor of The New York Times, Keller helped found the criminal justice-focused website in 2014.

ICYMI: Where did Robert Mueller go?

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
In a ruling published this week, Wisconsins highest court reversed and remanded a court of appeals decision that found a fire loss constituted multiple occurrences. At issue, was whether a $2 million aggregate limit or $500,000 per occurrence limit applied to the property damage loss.

In May 2013, the Germann Road Fire ripped through a forest owned by the Lyme St. Croix Forest Company. Over three days it burned 7442 acres and caused both residential and business property damage. The flames spread from a grass pile to a recently cut jack pine tree and then through more of the forest, crossing several property lines. An investigation determined that the fire began in the cutting head of a piece of logging equipment known as a feller buncher, owned by Ray Duerr Logging, LLC. Duerr was insured by Secura at the time of the loss and held both a commercial general liability (CGL) policy and an umbrella policy. There was a $2 million general aggregate policy limit under the CGL policy and a $1 million per occurrence limit. In addition, the CGL policy contained a Logging and Lumbering Operations Endorsement that reduced the per occurrence limit to $500,000 for property damage due to fire, arising from logging or lumbering operations

In the underlying case, the circuit court found that even though there was one uninterrupted fire, the seepage of fire to each new property constituted a separate occurrence. Thus, it found the $2 million aggregate limit applied to the damages sought. The circuit court did concede the umbrella policy afforded no coverage for the damages resulting from the fire.

Secura appealed the circuits decision regarding the CGL policy limit and Lyme St. Croixs insurer, Hanover Insurance Company, filed an appeal as well, questioning the courts ruling in finding the umbrella policy did not apply to the loss because of an exclusion that stated the liability policy did not apply to Property damage arising out of injury or damage to or destruction of standing timber or timberlands, including the loss of use thereof, caused by fire and arising out of operations performed by or on behalf of any insured.

The court of appeals agreed with the lowers courts finding that there was an occurrence each time the fire spread to a new piece of real property and caused damage. As a result, the appeals court affirmed the circuit courts finding that the $2 million aggregate limit under Securas commercial general liability policy applied to the loss, rather than the $500,000 per-occurrence limit under the logging and lumbering endorsement. However, it reversed the lower courts decision finding that the umbrella policy didnt apply. The court of appeals asked the lower court to determine what damages occurred to a 30-40-yard segment of real property that burned prior to the fire becoming a standing timber fire to determine umbrella policy coverage.

Secura appealed the court of appeals decision, citing that under the cause theory, there was only once occurrence that resulted from the fire.

The high court did not address the issue of the umbrella policy, since it was not brought up by either party that petitioned the court for its review.

Wisconsins highest court reviewed the principles of the cause theory  where a single, uninterrupted cause results in all of the injuries and damage, there is but one accident or occurrence.' According to the opinion, By following the cause theory, Wisconsin courts disavow the opposing effect theory. The effect theory suggests each accident should be construed from the damaged property owners point of view.

Following both state law and out of state decisions, the court found that because the fire burned continuously for three days it was a single occurrence.

The case is Secura Insurance v. Lyme St. Croix Forest Company, LLC et al 2016AP299
A utility-location worker failed to properly mark a natural gas line in a Madison, Wis., suburb this summer, leading to an explosion that leveled more than half a dozen buildings and killed a firefighter, according to court documents.

A search warrant request recently unsealed in Dane County Circuit Court states investigators are looking for evidence that would support a homicide charge in Sun Prairie firefighter Cory Barrs death.

The explosion occurred July 10 after a subcontractor installing fiber communication lines in a downtown Sun Prairie intersection struck a gas main. One of the diggers called 911 to report he could smell gas in the air.

Firefighters and police rushed to the intersection and evacuated dozens of people before the gas ignited, sending a towering fireball into the night sky that burned for hours, casting the downtown in a hellish orange light. Six businesses and a home were destroyed. Barr was killed in the blast and several other emergency workers were hurt.

Investigators filed the search warrant request July 19 and asked that a judge seal it to keep their progress a secret, stating that theyre looking for evidence that would bolster a second-degree reckless homicide charge. Judge Shelley Gaylord agreed to seal the documents until Oct. 17.

An affidavit accompanying the warrant request states that an employee with Indiana-based USIC, a company that specializes in protecting utility infrastructure during excavations, failed to correctly mark the gas line in the street and instead targeted a spot beneath a sidewalk 25 feet (7.5 meters) away.

The company refused to identify the worker short of a court order. Investigators learned his identity after one of the workers who ruptured the line overhead the workers first name while a supervisor was speaking to him on the phone on the day of the explosion.

Police approached the worker six days after the blast but he refused to speak to them. Investigators received a letter from his attorney two days later saying he wont be speaking to law enforcement. The affidavit didnt name the attorney.

USIC attorney Traci Martinez and the worker didnt immediately return voicemail messages from The Associated Press on Friday morning. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne also didnt immediately return a message.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[November 02, 2018] Wpromote Wins Google Premier Partner Award for Mobile Innovation and is Recognized for Industry Leadership EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Wpromote, the nation's leading independent digital marketing agency, today announced it has received two prestigious industry awards. Wpromote was named winner of the Google Premier Partner Award in the category of Mobile Innovation. The company beat out 19 other agencies for the honor. Additionally, it has also been named one of the 2018 winners of the Oracle Excellence Award . The Google Premier Partner Awards honor excellence in digital marketing across search, mobile, video, display, shopping, and growing businesses online. The award was based on Wpromote's work connecting paid search and mobile app results for client Providence St. Joseph Health. Wpromote showed true value, with a 96% decrease in Cost Per Action (CPAs), a 158% increase in conversions and 7,145 app installs in the first few months. "We are thrilled to receive accolades from such prestigious organizations as Oracle and Google," said Wpromote Founder & CEO Mike Mothner. "At Wpromote we pride ourselves on the ability t demonstrate measurable value to our customers, and it's great to be recognized for our efforts. We work with brands that are challengers, pushing the status quo and bringing disruption to their respective industries. Helping them achieve their goals is always incredibly satisfying." Oracle named Wpromote a winner in the category Oracle Cloud Platform Innovation. This honor was given to customers and partners who used Oracle Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to accelerate innovation and drive business transformation by increasing agility, lowering costs and reducing IT complexity. Wpromote was chosen based on a submission that improved client ROI with predictive lifetime value models. About Wpromote

Founded in 2001 by Michael Mothner, Wpromote is an award-winning, rapidly expanding digital marketing firm with eight offices across the United States, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Dallas. Named one of the Best Places to Work in the US by AdAge two years running, Wpromote and its 385 employees have helped hundreds of clientsfrom startups to Fortune 500 companiesgrow their businesses online with end-to-end digital solutions. As the agency of choice for major brands like Marriott, Bayer HealthCare, Verizon, Z Gallerie, Wienerschnitzel, Shutterstock, J.D. Power, and Forever 21, Wpromote utilizes integrated search, mobile, and social marketing tactics to challenge its clients' top competitors. With unmatched experience in multi-channel, content-centric campaigns and unrivaled dedication to clients' results, Wpromote helps companies big and small act and move like large enterprises online. For more information, visit https://www.wpromote.com/?utm_source=pr+newswire&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=google+oracle+awards . Contact: Whitney Wells

BAM Communications

whitney@bamcommunications.biz

C: 541-530-1677 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wpromote-wins-google-premier-partner-award-for-mobile-innovation-and-is-recognized-for-industry-leadership-300742891.html SOURCE Wpromote

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AKRON, Ohio -- A 16-year-old male walking was shot in the leg Wednesday while walking along a street in the Lane-Wooster neighborhood, according to police.

The teen was taken to Akron Childrens Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police say the teen was walking along Manchester Road near Roselle Avenue at about 5 p.m. when he heard shots fired. One of the shots hit him in the leg.

No description of a suspect was available but a silver Pontiac was seen leaving the area, police say.

No information on a possible motive was released. The shooting remains under investigation.

To comment on this story, go to the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
BEREA, Ohio -- Assault, Eastland Road: A worker in a haunted house at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, 164 Eastland, was arrested at about 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 after he punched his boss several times.

According to the victim, the worker, an 18-year-old Cleveland man, arrived at the haunted house's ticket booth and asked for his pay. The victim told the worker that pay isn't issued until the end of the night. The worker again asked for his pay, and the victim repeated his answer.

The worker then punched the victim in the mouth. The worker threw four to five additional punches, connecting on at least some of them. The victim grabbed the worker's hoodie. The worker slipped out of the hoodie and punched the victim another three to four times.

Another haunted house worker ran over to assist the victim. All three men fell to the ground. The victim held the worker to the ground until police arrived. Two witnesses corroborated the victim's story.

The arrested worker told police that after he had asked for his pay, the victim approached him with a "threatening demeanor." The worker said he asked the victim not to approach him in that manner and that he was "scared for his life."

According to the worker, the victim believed the worker had bragged about making love to the victim's wife. The victim and two other haunted house workers then started punching him, the worker said. The worker said he ran away, but his coworkers and the victim chased him and kept beating him.

Animal at large, West Street: A Fair Street woman was bitten by a pit bull at about 1 p.m. Oct. 28 while walking her two dogs on West Street.

The pit bull belonged to a North Olmsted man who was walking the dog, along with a second pit bull, past the woman and her dogs. The pit bull that attacked slipped out of its collar and darted toward the woman and her dogs.

The woman picked up her dogs to protect them. The pit bull jumped toward the dogs and bit the woman's hand. She screamed for help.

Witnesses ran toward the woman to assist her. A driver opened his car door and allowed the woman and her dogs to enter his vehicle. The driver called 911. The pit bull's owner gained control of the pit bull.

Paramedics arrived to assess the woman's injury. She refused transport to a local hospital. The dog's owner said he had just adopted the pit bull from the Cleveland Animal Protective League. He said he would return the dog to the APL because of the incident.

Burglary, Abbyshire Drive: Coins totaling up to $100 were stolen between 8 a.m. Oct. 26 and 11:30 a.m. Oct. 27 from a home.

Someone forced open a rear door to get inside the house. The victims were not home at the time.

Theft, Eastland Road: A vape pen was stolen between 2 and 3:20 p.m. Oct. 28 from a Jeep parked at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, 164 Eastland.

Someone smashed the Jeep's front passenger window to get inside. Police found a piece of brick on the front passenger floorboard.

The victim said his son had driven the Jeep to the fairgrounds to help him set up a display at the Vintage Fair Show.

Marijuana possession-obstructing official business, North Rocky River Drive: A Cleveland woman, 36, was arrested at about 2 a.m. Oct. 28 after police checked her license plate number and determined that her driver's license had been suspended.

After police stopped the woman's car, they smelled marijuana in the vehicle. The woman and her male passenger admitted that they had smoked marijuana earlier. Police found a small amount of marijuana inside a dollar bill in the man's wallet. Police confiscated the marijuana, but didn't charge the man.

The woman tried to hide part of a pill in her bra, but the pill fell to the ground. She told police that the partial pill "might have been" ecstasy, a psychoactive drug.

Animal noises, Sprague Road: A resident called police at about 9:45 a.m. Oct. 27 and said that two German shepherds in a Sprague yard had been barking since 4 a.m.

The owner of the dogs told police that neighbors intentionally walk their dogs past her yard to antagonize her dogs. But police saw no other dogs in the area. Police told the woman they would cite her if they were called again about her barking dogs.

Operating a vehicle under the influence, Ohio 237: A Newburgh Heights man, 36, was arrested at about 12:30 a.m. Oct. 28 after police saw his Kia Optima straddling the northbound lanes of North Rocky River Drive near Sheldon Road.

The Kia ended up speeding on 237, and it changed lanes twice without signaling. Police stopped the car on 237. The man smelled like alcohol and failed field sobriety tests.

Operating a vehicle under the influence, North Rocky River Drive: A Lakewood woman, 34, was arrested at about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 27 after police caught her driving drunk on North Rocky River near Grayton Road.

The woman's Honda Civic was weaving, and it drove straight after entering the left-turn lane. The woman smelled like alcohol. She denied drinking, but admitted having marijuana in her purse.
BROOK PARK, Ohio -- Aggravated burglary, Middlebrook Boulevard: Two 19-year-old Oberlin men broke into a Middlebrook home at about 12:30 a.m. Oct. 12 and robbed the residents at gunpoint.

The two men entered through an unlocked sliding patio door. They demanded money and pills from the residents. The robbers also ended up stealing the residents' wallets and cell phones.

One of the robbers accidentally shot himself in the leg inside the house. The robbers left the house and drove away without harming the residents.

Later that day, the Ohio Highway Patrol pulled the men over for speeding near University Hospitals St. John Medical Center in Westlake. They were identified as the robbers, and were arrested and charged with aggravated burglary and kidnapping.

Theft, West 130th Street: A Brook Park woman, 57, stole an unknown number of energy drinks from Speedway, 5764 W. 130th Street, then returned later to pay for the drinks.

It happened on Oct. 17. A customer saw the woman take the energy drinks and told a store clerk, who called police. After police wrote an initial report, the woman returned to the store and paid. The store did not want to press charges.

Breaking and entering, Snow Road: About $3,000 in cash and 10 cell phones were stolen between 7:15 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. Oct. 4 from MetroPCS, 13395 Snow.

An unidentified male suspect broke into the store. Security video showed him kicking out the glass in the front door. The store was closed at the time.

Burglary, Robert Drive: Necklaces were stolen between 7:10 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. Oct. 12 from a house. Someone broke through a rear bedroom window to get inside. No one was home at the time.

Attempted burglary, Rademaker Boulevard: Someone tried to break into a Rademaker home Oct. 21 while the victims were at church. A window was found broken in the home's side door. A deadbolt lock prevented the would-be burglar or burglars from entering.

Theft, Brookpark Road: A car stereo, two speaker boxes and hand tools were reported stolen at about 6:40 a.m. Oct. 3 from an unlocked vehicle parked outside America's Best Value Inn, 14043 Brookpark.

Theft, Snow Road: Two cases of Red Bull energy drink were stolen at about 5:15 p.m. Oct. 20 from GetGo, 14600 Snow. A customer saw it happen and told a store clerk. The theft was later confirmed on security video.

Operating a vehicle under the influence, Brookpark Road: An Olmsted Falls woman, 33, was arrested at about 2:30 a.m. Oct. 17 after police saw her vehicle drift left of center on Brookpark at Interstate 480. She was drunk.

Operating a vehicle under the influence, Brookpark Road: A Cleveland man, 23, was arrested at about 2:30 a.m. Oct. 21 after police saw him fail to signal a turn on Brookpark near Henry Ford Boulevard. He was drunk.
LYNDHURST, Ohio -- The father of the boy hospitalized after trick-or-treating Wednesday in Lyndhurst said his 13-year-old son and a 12-year-old friend were tackled from behind by a group of four men in a completely unprovoked attack.

The four males passed my son and his friend as they were walking eastbound on Meadow Wood Boulevard just east of Winchester Road, said the father, who wished to remain anonymous for his sons safety. Soon after that, the men tackled the two boys from behind.

The assailant was on top of my son and punched him two times in the face, breaking his nose, he said. The other child was tackled and held down - nothing happened to him except being extremely shaken up.

His son told the men to take what they wanted, after which they stole an iPhone, pieces of a Halloween costume and both of the boys' candy, the father said. The assailants ran west toward Richmond Road, while my son and his friend ran east toward Brainard Road," he said.

The father wants to ask the assailants about why they attacked the boys. What were you trying to achieve?" he said. "Do you feel stronger today as men to beat up two young kids that were out on Halloween just having fun?

"You caused physical harm to my son by breaking his nose which will require surgery tomorrow to fix. That will heal, he said. What you didnt do is cause him emotional harm. As my son sat bleeding from his face in the ER bed, all he said was, Im just glad my friend didnt get hurt. Thats the kind of child you beat up.

The boys family wanted to thank their Lyndhurst neighbors, police and first responders. They ask any Lyndhurst residents in the area of the attack with surveillance footage to contact the Lyndhurst Police Department.

Some Lyndhurst residents are collecting leftover candy to donate to the boys so they see the good in our neighborhood as well and know how many people want them to enjoy the fun holiday," organizer Julie Johnson said.

Anyone who wants to donate candy or money toward a new cellphone is asked to contact Julie at julie.johnson@my.wheaton.edu.

To comment on this story, visit Thursdays crime and courts comment section.
cleveland.com file photo

FEATURED STORIES

Euclid NAACP calls for reform within police department (WEWS Channel 5)

Couple file lawsuit against Akron Fright Fest owner, employees (Akron Beacon Journal)

Akron parents plead guilty to child endangering; toddler died after being found in freezing weather (Akron Beacon Journal)

Ohio Boy Scouts of America employee charged with secretly filming boys changing (cleveland.com)

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cleveland.com file photo

CRIME

Lyndhurst father says attackers broke son's nose during Halloween attack (cleveland.com)

Notorious Cleveland landlord gets 6 months in jail (cleveland.com)

Cleveland police officer convicted in split verdict in case involving sexting of juvenile (cleveland.com)

Reputed Cleveland gang member sentenced to 6 years on gun charge related to 2017 shootout (cleveland.com)

Man killed in shooting in Cleveland's Collinwood-Nottingham neighborhood (cleveland.com)

Carjackers take Cleveland woman's car at gunpoint in city's Lee-Harvard neighborhood (cleveland.com)

Shooting in Akron wounds 16-year-old male in leg, police say (cleveland.com)

Rocky River businessman C. David Snyder sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding employees, IRS (cleveland.com)

Rocky River man sentenced to prison (Lorain Morning Journal)

North Ridgeville man indicted on child pornography charges (Lorain Morning Journal)

Akron man found sleeping in van accused of driving into officer (Akron Beacon Journal)

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J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press file photo

Cleveland is one of the most Democratic cities in America. So why is Donald Trump coming here before the election?

President Donald Trump is returning to Ohio on Monday one last time before the 2018 midterm elections. But instead of going to a swingier area like Cincinnati or Dayton, the president is coming to Cleveland, the most Democratic city in the most Democratic part of the state. Why Cleveland and why now? Why come to Ohio at all, given that none of the congressional districts seem primed to flip -- largely because they are gerrymandered exactly that way. Why come to Ohio when the Senate race looks so lopsided? There are some simple answers to those questions. (cleveland.com)

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cleveland.com file photo

CLEVELAND / CUYAHOGA COUNTY

See how the NRA grades Ohio politicians who denied Cleveland the right to make its own gun laws (cleveland.com)

How the Ohio legislature wrestled gun control away from cities like Cleveland (cleveland.com)

A step-by-step look at how Ohio's pro-gun lawmakers stripped away cities power to write their own rules (cleveland.com)

Do the Ohio lawmakers who stripped away local gun laws still think it was a good idea? (cleveland.com)

As Ohio gun deaths continue to increase, action in local communities is limited by a 2006 state law (cleveland.com)

Cleveland moving ahead on $16.8 million pedestrian bridge across North Coast Harbor (cleveland.com)

PJM sees future power grid failure under extreme, but unlikely, circumstances (cleveland.com)

Progressive to open downtown Cleveland 'strategy' office, staffed with up to 40 people (cleveland.com)

Cleveland Metroparks to build playground at Edgewater Park (cleveland.com)

Cleveland looking for entrepreneurs to be first in Glenville incubator project to grow small businesses (cleveland.com)

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Jeff Piorkowski, special to Sun News

LOCAL NEWS EAST

Shaker Heights schools place high school principal on administrative leave (cleveland.com)

Newburgh Heights hopes to attract new homeowners by paying off student loans (cleveland.com)

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

LOCAL NEWS WEST

Put-in-Bay 'Christmas in July' canceled after unruly crowds overtook island this past summer (WOIO Channel 19)

State Route 18, swamped with floodwaters, shut down in Lorain County (WOIO Channel 19)

Police: Lorain teen not ill from tainted candy (Elyria Chronicle-Telegram)

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AKRON / CANTON AREA

Accused priests spent time in Stark County parishes (Canton Repository)

Akron Children's Hospital names new CEO (cleveland.com)

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cleveland.com

STATE

Poll on Donald Trump, John Kasich, governor's race, other topics shows geographic political divide in Ohio (cleveland.com)

New poll shows tied Ohio governor's race and public souring on Republican candidates (cleveland.com)

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren rallies student vote for Richard Cordray near Ohio State (cleveland.com)

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says Trump administration needs to take action 'sooner rather than later' on Saudi Arabia (cleveland.com)

Ohio commission delays Lake Erie protections ordered by Gov. John Kasich (cleveland.com)

Absentee ballot requests up in Ohio's Republican-leaning counties, but suburbs, independents remain major wildcard (cleveland.com)
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The school district has placed the principal of Shaker Heights High School on administrative leave, effective immediately.

A letter sent to parents and guardians from interim Superintendent Stephen Wilkins did not say why Principal Jonathan Kuehnle has been removed from his position, saying it is a personnel matter.

A spokesman with the school district, Scott Stephens, said Thursday night that school officials would not comment because its a personnel matter. Stephens did say the high school does not expect any disruptions in operations.

David Glasner, the districts former middle school principal and currently the executive director of curriculum and instruction, takes over as interim principal on Friday.

The letter says Glasner will remain as principal pending conclusion of the review.

Wilkins says in the letter that Glasner and he will meet with the schools faculty and staff on Friday.

Kuehnle has been principal at the high school since July 2016. He previously was campus director at Springfield High School in the Springfield City School District in west-central Ohio. He also was district grants administrator for the Pickaway County Educational Service Center for the Circleville (Ohio) City Schools.

He has a bachelors degree from Miami University, a masters from the University of Cincinnati and his superintendents license from Ohio State University.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Daniel Best, a pharmaceutical executive from Bay Village who was appointed in March to lead U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiatives to lower prescription drug prices, has died, HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced Thursday.

Azar said said the 49-year-old former CVSHealth and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals executive agreed to work at HHS "out of a desire to serve the American people by making health care more affordable."

"He brought his deep expertise and passion to this task with great humility and collegiality," Azar's statement said. "All of us who served with Dan at HHS and in the administration mourn his passing and extend our thoughts and prayers to his wife Lisa and the entire Best family at this difficult time."

HHS official Daniel Best

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma described his death as "a loss to our country and to all of us personally who had the great privilege of working with Dan." Health insurance trade group CEO Matt Eyles of AHIP called Best "a dedicated leader who brought warmth, compassion and an unmistakable dedication to the American people to his work every single day."

In a September speech before a pharmacy industry group, Best discussed lowering costs, making it easier for generics and biosimilar drugs to enter the market and rethinking drug rebate programs that drive up prices.

"Today, in the marketplace, everybody except the patient wins when price goes up," said Best.

Best grew up in the Erie, Pennsylvania area and graduated from the University of Dayton, his brother, Tim, told GoErie.com.

Washington, D.C., police said Best was found "unresponsive" near the garage door exit of an apartment building in the city's Navy Yard neighborhood at 5:25 A.M. on Nov. 1, and was pronounced dead by medical personnel who responded to the scene.

His death comes a week after President Donald Trump announced a new drug pricing initiative that would allow Medicare to determine the price it pays for some drugs, based on the cheaper prices charged for the drugs in other countries. Trump said drugs in the United States frequently cost many times more than they do abroad.

"At long last, the drug companies and foreign countries will be held accountable for how they rigged the system against American consumers," Trump said.

Survivors include his wife, Lisa Campbell Best, and three sons. Calling hours will be at the McGorray-Hanna Funeral Home of Westlake from 1 to 7 P.M. on Thursday, Nov. 8. His funeral will be at 11 A.M. on Friday, Nov. 9, at St. Raphael's Church in Bay Village.
MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio -- At a contentious early morning meeting today, Middleburg Heights City Council fired Law Director Gary Ebert and human resources legal consultant Jazmyn Stover.

Council members voted 6-1 to terminate their services, with Councilman John Grech opposing the action.

In addition, council instructed the finance director to not authorize payment of any future work done by Ebert and Stover. Both attorneys work for Seeley, Savidge, Ebert and Gourash Co., LPA, in Westlake.

"I am concerned about not having a law director," Grech told cleveland.com when explaining his vote. "I thought they did a great job for us. I saw no reason to terminate them."

Mayor Gary Starr appointed Ebert to the position in April after firing longtime law director Peter Hull in January without explanation. Stover had been under contract with the city since June 2017.

City Council had requested since March that Ebert provide copies of unredacted legal documents related to a now-settled $380,000 lawsuit that former police chief John Maddox waged against Starr and the city. Ebert cited attorney-client privilege, which he said never expires. It kept him, he said, from disseminating the documents directly to City Council; instead, he provided council members access in the finance director's office to various private investigators' reports and law firm invoices.

"To date, more than six months later, no member of council has contacted the finance director to review those bills," Ebert said in a memo provided to cleveland.com just prior to the meeting.

Starr defended Ebert and Stover, saying they performed their duties "with full transparency." He expressed concern about navigating through legal issues and economic development projects without a law director.

A former assistant recently accused Starr of multiple incidents of sexual harassment, which could result in a lawsuit. An $80,000 out-of-court settlement to former longtime safety director Sandra Kerber was paid after Starr terminated her in June 2017.

Council President Matt Castelli agreed that Ebert and Stover "did a wonderful job for the mayor."

"But we need to have a law director that represents all of us and that we can confide and trust in," Castelli stressed. "There have been several times that I have been misled."

Starr became loud and argumentative during the meeting, claiming that council had not reacted to past and recent situations that he has brought to them involving himself, his family and former city employees. Castelli urged Starr to consult with the police chief if he feels crimes have been committed.

"Mr. Mayor, what have you done except get us into lawsuits that we've had to settle?" Castelli asked. "I do not believe it is your responsibility to investigate crimes, neither City Council."

Starr later asked Castelli if they could meet one on one to discuss moving forward. Castelli said he would have council's special counsel, Joe Diemert, in attendance if they did.

"I feel concerned that sometimes I have been taped, to be very candid with you," Castelli told Starr, citing a feeling of "mistrust" that now exists in the city.
CANTON, Ohio -- Eric Trump views Tuesday's midterm election as a referendum on his father's presidency, he said Friday morning during a campaign stop in Canton.

"My father is 100 percent on the ballot," Trump told a crowd of about 100 people at Peoples Services, a Canton warehousing company just off Interstate 77. "He's 100 percent on the ballot because if we don't hold the House, if we don't hold the Senate, it's going to be so much harder to get anything done. They will make his life miserable."

Trump was in Canton to attempt to boost Rep. Jim Renacci, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Ohio, as well as Rep. Bob Gibbs, who's running for re-election. He's making the rounds in Ohio and elsewhere as President Donald Trump's political team tries, as best as they can, to reassemble the coalition of voters who propelled Trump to the White House in 2016, and convince them to vote for other Republican candidates on Tuesday. Political observers generally believe Democrats are likely to re-take the House while the Senate is viewed as likely to remain in Republican hands.

Renacci is not expected to defeat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown on Tuesday. Gibbs is favored in his district where Trump won by 30 points in 2016, but he's facing an uncharacteristically tough challenge from Democrat Ken Harbaugh, a former naval pilot. A Gibbs loss, as unlikely as it seems, would be a symptom of a severe "Blue Wave" scenario Republicans are hoping to avoid.

During his remarks, Trump cited the positive economic and employment figures as his primary arguments that his father, as he put it," had "accomplished more in the last two years than any president in history." He also touched on some of the socially conservative flash-points Trump likes to discuss at rallies, like illegal immigration and whether people can say "Merry Christmas" or stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. He avoided bashing the news media.

Afterward, Trump was asked if Republican losses should be interpreted as a rejection of his father's administration. He said that voters, for whom the midterms may not hold the attention of a presidential race, may just fail to make the connection between their local race and the larger political stakes.

"It doesn't always transfer over," he said. "I hear from people every single day that say, 'Hey, my guy's not on the ballot so I'm not going to go out and vote.'"

Both Renacci and Gibbs spoke Friday, touting Trump's presidency, as did Ohio Republican Party Chairman Jane Timken. Before the rally, Trump, Gibbs and Renacci held a roundtable discussion at a Massillon roofing company focusing on the effects of the Republican tax-cut plan.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Renacci would not commit to spending the $4 million he loaned his Senate campaign in April. Renacci consistently has maintained a cash balance in his account of at least $4 million while spending less than $1 million on TV advertising, a fraction of what's typical in a major Senate campaign.

"We continue to spend the money necessary to win, and we're going to continue to do that," Renacci said.

Eric Trump's visit comes amid a flurry of visits by surrogates for Republican and Democratic candidates in Ohio. Among those who have visited Ohio this week are former Vice President Joe Biden, current Vice President Mike Pence and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

The ultimate Republican political surrogate, President Trump, has an appearance scheduled in Cleveland on Monday as he criss-crosses the nation before Tuesday's election.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Nov. 6 midterm election is just four days away now.

But what will happen? Will Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine succeed term-limited Gov. John Kasich, or will Democratic former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray flip the state for the Democrats? Does Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown get reelected in a landslide, or does his Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci have any sort of chance at winning?

Will the "blue wave" make its way to Ohio, or is the Buckeye State a breakwater for a Democratic surge?

We won't know all of the answers to those questions until after Tuesday night, but in the meantime, Kyle Kondik, a political handicapper and managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, joined the Ohio Matters podcast to provide some insight.

"I think for a long time it seemed like Mike DeWine had a small lead within the margin of error," Kondik said of the governor's race. "My sense now is that it's just a total tie and I'm anticipating a pretty close result."

Polling has consistently shown a near toss-up in the gubernatorial contest. Kondik said the race between DeWine and Cordray could be decided by a similar margin to their 2010 attorney general race. DeWine won in 2010 by barely more than 1 percentage point, but Kondik said the seat appears to be up for grabs.

Republican President Donald Trump probably realizes this, which is why he is coming to Cleveland on Monday to stump for DeWine. How much a boon - or burden - Trump might be for the Republicans in the final days isn't clear, Kondik said.

"I would think that for as many people as he engages, he probably turns off an equal number," Kondik said. "It seems like the last days of this election are becoming more and more about Trump, and I don't know if that's the right place for Republicans to be, at least in a lot of states."

As for the Senate race, Kondik said that outcome seems much more clear.

"Brown does seem in a pretty good position to win," Brown said. "I'm curious about the eventual margin. I think some of these polls have indicated it could be double digits. I guess I'd be surprised if it's double digits because Ohio is a center-right state."

Ohio Matters is the weekly politics podcast from cleveland.com. Each week, reporters Andrew Tobias, Mary Kilpatrick and Seth Richardson sit down for in-depth interviews with political figures in the Buckeye State.

Past episodes can be found here and include DeWine, Cordray and Brown. Renacci was invited on the show, but declined.
"So we can learn more from China than any other country", he maintained.

The prime minister thanked the Chinese President as well as the government and people of China for their warm sentiments. He conveyed his desire to work with the prime minister for strengthening Pakistan-China strategic cooperative partnership for shared future. China is also looking for Pakistan's support to becalm unrest in Xinjiang-a vast region of mountains and deserts, through which the BRI is routed.

President Xi Jinping congratulated PM Khan on his election to the office of Pakistan's chief executive.

LAHORE: A bus service linking Pakistan with China that was to get operational on November 3 has delayed its launch due to the security situation in the country.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is accompanying the PM, met his counterpart, Wang Yi and discussed measures to further bolster bilateral relations in diverse fields, Radio Pakistan reported. They reviewed the progress on CPEC, expressed satisfaction on its achievements, and expressed determination for its early completion to maximize the benefits for Pakistan.

Observers point out that it is likely that both sides would agree on minimising Islamabad's reliance on an International Monetary Fund loan package. President Xi accepted the invitation.

Both sides discussed bilateral ties and matters of mutual regional and global interests, and reviewing all aspects of the Pak-China strategic partnership. The two sides are likely to sign a number of MoUs for the goal.

Imran Khan's visit evoked considerable interest in Beijing due to his past criticism of the United States dollars 50 billion so-called "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor" or "CPEC" projects and remarks by his ministers to cut down some of the projects over debt concern.

The prime minister separately told Chinese journalists that he hoped the scale of Chinese partnership would help Pakistan bridge its current account deficit and build foreign exchange reserves. "The people of Pakistan have always looked upon China very positively as a friend", he observed.

PM Imran Khan thanked the Chinese President, government and the people of China for their warm sentiments and also congratulated them on the 40th anniversary of "Reform and Opening-up", which has resulted in China's meteoric rise. Agreements with Chinese power companies to supply much-needed electricity to energy-starved Pakistan have also been loudly criticized over the revolving debt costs to Pakistan.

The premier is expected to visit Shanghai to participate in the First China International Import Expo in Shanghai, where Pakistan is exhibiting a wide range of export products.
CLEVELAND -- We are just days away from the most anticipated, the most fiercely contested and, potentially, the most consequential midterm election in our lifetimes, and I, for one, can't wait for it to get here.

That's partly because I'm exhausted, and I just want it to be over. (Of course, it will never really be "over"... the 2020 presidential campaign begins Wednesday. A depressing thought, but true.)

But mostly it's because I'm curious how it will all turn out.

I've been exhausted for a while, but I've been only recently curious.

I had thought I knew. I had been watching the approach of Nov. 6, 2018 with something akin to dread, because I had bought into the unrelenting drumbeat from the left that began within minutes of Donald Trump's unforeseen victory in 2016: A "blue wave" was coming next time.

We were caught napping, our liberal friends said, as they protested and screamed and disrupted traffic and hounded conservatives off college campuses and out of restaurants, and marched around wearing pink, uh, knit hats. They circled Nov. 6 on their calendars and vowed that it would be different next time.

And I believed them.

History was on their side: Midterm elections have historically been unkind to the party of the incumbent president.

Passion was on their side: The #MeToo movement was tailor-made for an anti-Trump outpouring of anti-Republican votes at the next opportunity.

And the largest media outlets were on their side: Led by The New York Times and The Washington Post and MSNBC and CNN, they gleefully reported every baby step taken by the long-running, mostly unproductive Mueller investigation, and appended a frowning "however" to any positive outcome from administration and congressional policies or decisions.

It seemed clear that Trump and the Republicans had better make the most of their two years in power.

In many ways they have - with two new Supreme Court justices leading a host of judicial appointments that could help return the judiciary to its constitutional role; a booming economy bolstered by business and personal tax cuts and reduced regulations; a stricter approach to immigration; and a pugnacious approach to international trade that might finally level the economic playing field after decades of fighting uphill.

It seemed a foregone conclusion that the economic, judicial and legislative rebirth would all come to a crashing end with the midterm elections.

But now I'm not so sure.

I'm guessing that all but the bluest of left-wingers - the independents and the conservatives who just couldn't bring themselves to vote for Donald Trump two years ago - have been having second thoughts.

These are the people whom Democrat candidates have to persuade in order to make the "blue wave" happen, but these are people who have to be wondering if they really want to put Democrats in charge of their future.

The Democrats have been trying to make the coming election all about Trump. And The Donald, narcissist that he is, does not disagree.

But it's not about him. It's about the direction in which we want our country to go, and which party we want in charge.

In March 2016, I wrote that Trump was "a boorish, dissembling, profane braggart and bully" who was "singularly unfit to occupy the office of Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan."

He has done little since then to give me cause to regret or amend that description. But the country is in far better shape today than it was in March 2016, and the reason is the men and women who represent the party that has been in power for the last two years.

And we need to ask ourselves: Do those of us who couldn't abide Trump, and voted against him two years ago, want to undo all that?

In addition, do we want to align ourselves with the leadership that concocted the politically motivated character assassination ambush that marked the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh?

Do we want to encourage the tactics of people who had to be forcibly removed for disrupting the hearings, and then banged on the closed door of the Senate chambers?

Do we want to support the people who immediately blamed Trump for the horrific mass murder in Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue just last week?

Do we want to line up with the Pittsburgh mayor and the Pennsylvania governor, both Democrats, who put politics ahead of principle by refusing to join Trump - whose daughter and son-in-law are Jewish - as he paid his respects? I'd rather cast my lot with Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who said the president of the United States is always welcome in his synagogue.

"I'm a citizen, he's my president," Myers said. "He is certainly welcome."

Do we want to not be able to call ourselves "nationalists" without being accused of being Nazis? Do we want to be marked as anti-Semites if we dare disagree with George Soros?

Do we want to spend the next two years in an impeachment debate?

You don't have to love or defend Donald Trump - that chance will come in 2020 - in order to vote to maintain Republican control of Congress over the party of hate, anger and disruption, which is what the Democrats have become.

We will find out Tuesday just how many people have reached that conclusion.

Ted Diadiun is a member of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

To reach Ted Diadiun: tdiadiun@cleveland.com

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- At times in his young life, Hayden Scanlon has had difficulty maintaining a beat, at least in his heart.

On Saturday, the four-year-old shouldn't have any trouble with the beat as he and his drum join the Ohio State Marching Band for a special day.

Hayden was diagnosed at nine months old with Dravet syndrome, a life-threatening illness that can be equated to a catastrophic case of epilepsy. He has endured seizures that can last up to three hours, forcing him to re-learn how to walk and talk.

Through his pain and suffering, Hayden has kept going, thanks in part to his love for music and marching bands -- particularly the marching band at Ohio State.

"He has always been very passionate about music and it's actually really what motivates him in some of his challenges," Lisa Scanlon, Hayden's mother, said. "His face just lights up when you put it on the TV. Nothing else is going on in the world around him."

This Saturday, thanks to A Special Wish Cleveland and Ohio State, Hayden will join and watch the game with the band at Ohio Stadium as the Buckeyes take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Hayden," Lisa Scanlon said. "It is just a complete dream come true."

Hayden Scanlon, 4, will join the Ohio State Marching Band Saturday.

When approached with Hayden's story, the executive director for A Special Wish Cleveland, Eileen Lane, knew that she had to get to work.

The mission of A Special Wish Cleveland to grant the wishes of children under the age of 21 who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening disorder.

Lane wanted to make to Hayden's dream a reality.

"We are beyond excited for Hayden," Lane said. "[We're] grateful to the entire OSU Marching Band for making this amazing wish come to life."

Though Hayden has difficulty communicating, his excitement was on display days before the moment. For Halloween, Hayden dressed as if he was in a marching band.

The result was a smashing success, so much so that he intends to wear the outfit when he joins "The Best Damn Band in the Land."

It should be easy to spot Hayden when watching the Ohio State Marching Band perform on Saturday.

Just look for the member with the biggest smile.

Through everything that hes been through, Hayden is the happiest child you will ever meet, his mother said. His smile and his hugs make it all OK.
In view of the sizes of enterprises, the PMI of large-sized enterprises was 51.6 percent, decreased 0.5 percentage point from last month, and continued to maintain its expansion generally; that of medium-sized enterprises and small-sized enterprises were 47.7 percent, 49.8 percent, which decreased 1.0 percentage point and 0.6 percentage point respectively from last month, lower than the threshold.

New export orders contracted for the fifth straight month. A reading above 50 on the index denotes expansion, while a reading below that reflects contraction.

China's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), which measures manufacturing growth, stood at 50.2 percent in October, the lowest since July 2016 and slightly down from 50.8 percent in September, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced on Wednesday.

Raymond Yeung, chief economist for China at ANZ, said: "All the numbers from China's PMI release today confirm a broad-based decline in economic activity", said adding that conditions for the private sector was "much worse" than headline data suggested.

While China's exports have been pretty resilient largely as firms front-loaded shipments to dodge stiffer United States duties, analysts see pressure building in coming months. "Besides an expected reserve requirement ratio (RRR) cut next January, we expect future supportive policy actions to be measured".

Some of that is due to exporters rushing to fill orders ahead of duty increases, but producers of higher-value-added goods such as factory and medical equipment have expressed confidence they can keep their USA market share even with higher prices.

The China Satellite Manufacturing Index, which the USA -based firm SpaceKnow Inc. compiles using satellite imagery to track activity levels across thousands of industrial sites, slipped below 50 in October for the first time since June 2017. Washington and Beijing slapped additional tariffs on each other's goods on September 24.

October has seen fluctuating supply and demand across the manufacturing sector due to external uncertainties and the National Day holiday in early October, NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said in a statement (link in Chinese), analyzing the reasons for the PMI drop.

Manufacturers have come under pressure from the escalating trade war between the USA and China.

Japan's factory output also declined last month after a series of natural disasters, but the weakness clouds forecasts for third-quarter economic growth.

On the fiscal side the government is stepping up stimulus through infrastructure projects, and has also pledged more tax cuts next year to support growth.
A U.S. Embassy spokesperson said Thursday in Beijing that the Trump administration had no plans to send a high-level representative to the expo, adding that China needed to make the necessary reforms to end what the U.S. says are unfair trade practices.

"Opec and other major producers appear to have gotten the message from US President Donald Trump and increased production, but there are still questions on how much will the sanctions actually impact Iranian exports", said National Australia Bank senior forex strategist Rodrigo Catril.

"There is a long way to go", on negotiations, the unnamed official told CNBC's Eamon Javers, according to his tweet. Trump said trade talks were "moving along nicely" and that meetings were "being scheduled" at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires.

The news agency said it was not clear if Trump was easing up on demands that China has resisted, and it cited one person as saying intellectual property theft was a sticking point on a possible deal.

"President Xi Jinping also stressed that China-U.S. trade has always been serving as ballast and a stabilizer for China-U.S. relations". "We talked about many subjects, with a heavy emphasis on Trade", he wrote.

Stock markets in China gained on Friday after US President Donald Trump said trade talks with Beijing were "moving along nicely".

Xi responded to the call by saying he hopes China and the US will be able to promote a steady and healthy relationship, Chinese state media reported Thursday.

"What they've done to our country is take out anywhere from $300 billion to $500 billion a year".

The possible warming of relations comes after months of escalating tensions over trade that are threatening to spill into other areas of disagreement, including freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee told Li that the delegation was there "to show our respect to a great country and a great people", and that the two countries "are competitors but not adversaries".

Alexander said he would be discussing trade with Li, though neither of them mentioned the ongoing tariff war in remarks in front of reporters. And they're having a hard time, and they'll be fine, ' Trump said Wednesday.

On Thursday, the USA accused a Chinese state-owned company of conspiring to steal trade secrets of U.S. chip maker Micron Technology as part of a Justice Department crackdown against China in cases of alleged economic espionage.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China was probably Washington's biggest long-term security challenge and the United States was engaged in a "multi-pronged effort.to convince China to behave like a normal nation on commerce" and respect global law. What's helping to provide real backing to this rally here is that we're seeing foreigners flock back to Chinese markets and they appear to be in a hurry to do so.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said at an event in Washington that Mr Trump and Mr Xi might be able to break the logjam on issues during the summit.
Google reportedly paid Android creator Andy Rubin a $90 million exit package. Ruth Umoh

Several protesters we spoke with said Google's handling of sexual harassment claims was the final straw after a series of company policies that have received internal backlash, including a leaked plan for a censored search app in China. "It was just like ... how much more are we going to find out?" said Google software engineer Jon Cohen. Others were simply surprised. "There was a little bit of regret there that I didn't know a lot of what had been going on at the higher levels like that," said Julian Bardin, a Google account manager. "I was caught off guard," he said, "but motivated to do something about it."

Google employees walked off the job in New York to protest the company's handling of sexual misconduct allegations. Ruth Umoh
The Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, said that he had called the Saudi foreign minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, to protest and demand to know why Indonesia had not been informed about the execution of Tursilawati.

Tuti was charged with the premeditated murder of her employer's father, who she beat to death with a stick.

We have called Saudi Arabia's foreign minister and conveyed our protest.

Migrant Care, an Indonesian advocacy group, said the mother of one was defending herself during from being raped during the time of the killing.

The office of the cabinet secretary cited the Migrant Care assertion.

"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has ignored principles of human rights, including a right for everyone to live", said Abidin Fikri, a member of Indonesia's parliament.

The Saudi embassy has not responded to Jakarta calls.

The execution of Indonesian maid Tuti Tursilawati has sparked outrage in Jakarta.

Tursilawati's controversial death comes in the wake of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an outspoken and high profile critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

During the meeting, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi emphasised the importance of having a mandatory consular notification before carrying out death penalties.

"For umpteenth time Saudi Arabia has hurt the diplomatic ethics of both countries that should have put forth the respect for human rights", said Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid in a statement, as quoted in Tempo.

Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest destination for Indonesian maids and earlier this month the two countries signed a new agreement to jointly "supervise, monitor, and evaluate" the workers.

The maid's execution marked the fourth such case of Saudi Arabia killing an Indonesian migrant worker without telling diplomats or the family of those on death row before carrying out the death sentence, reports the Telegraph.

"It turned out that Indonesia's request [to protect the rights of migrant workers] was ignored by executing Tuti", said Susilo.

Mr Susilo condemned the execution and urged the President to take "serious" diplomatic steps to prevent future uninformed executions.

"Jokowi" Widodo, Indonesia has executed 18 death row inmates convicted of drug-related offenses, including foreigners, in three batches since 2015.

The majority of Indonesian female migrant workers head to Saudi Arabia, with an estimated one million Indonesian women working in Saudi Arabia in 2014, the vast majority of them employed as domestic workers.
Across the country, Americans are quitting their jobs. According to the most recent Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), American workers are quitting at the highest rate since 2001. It's a trend that can be seen across all age and wage brackets, including those who earn six figures.

Confidence in the labor market is sky-high thanks to a low national unemployment rate of just 3.7 percent. In fact, workers are feeling so sure of themselves that when Ladders surveyed more than 50,000 workers earning over six figures, they found that 67 percent see themselves quitting in the next six months and 35.4 percent would actually quit a job they didn't like without another job lined up.

"The job market swings every decade between fear and greed. Currently, with more than one job open for each unemployed person, professionals have their pick of jobs to choose among," Ladders CEO Marc Cenedella tells CNBC Make It. "Very favorable employment markets, and a sense that your pot of gold is just over the rainbow, are leading many Americans to have great confidence [in] their ability to make it their own way."

It's a gamble, but it could pay off in the current labor market. Brian Kropp, vice president at research firm Gartner, says that quitting might be workers' best chance to snatch that "pot of gold" that Cenedella describes.

According to Kropp, the average increase in compensation for a worker who quits their old job for a new one in today's tight labor market is about 15 percent. "You're never going to get that 15 percent [increase] by staying at your current job," he tells CNBC Make It. "That's just not going to happen."
Health-care counselors help clients navigate the second round of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act in Manassas, Va.

Nancy Sobin knows her way around paperwork. She started her own business three years ago, helping small business owners and elderly clients manage their finances. That's when she turned to the Obamacare exchanges for health coverage.

"I was fortunate enough, because I was just starting my business, to get a subsidy  and it was pretty good insurance" for about $300 a month, said the owner of Professional Paperwork Services in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

But as her business improved, her insurance options changed last year.

"I didn't get the subsidy anymore, because my business went well," Sobin explained. So, she switched plans to "the least expensive one I could get  and it was $750 a month."

With the Nov. 1 start of 2019 open enrollment on the Affordable Care Act exchanges, the New Jersey native says it looks like she may have to change coverage again.

"My same plan looks like it's going to be about $150 more per month" in 2019, or $900, she said.

Yet, she may find savings if she switches plans again. President Donald Trump's administration says on average prices for 2019 are 1.5 percent lower than they were last year on the federal health exchange, healthcare.gov.

After years of regulatory uncertainty which led to double-digit price hikes on exchange plans, health insurers are starting to turn a profit on the ACA exchanges. For 2019, there are more carriers getting back into the market and offering new plan options.

"Our view is (that) the marketplace for the individual exchange business is more competitive in 2019 than it has been ... there's more competitors entering the space," said Cigna CEO David Cordani on the company's earnings conference call Thursday.

Cigna is expanding its exchange footprint to a seventh state for 2019, returning to the Arizona market and saying that it is on track to make a profit on its ACA plans this year.

Six-year-old start-up Oscar Health is also expanding into Arizona, and will be offering plans in Michigan and Florida for the first time, bringing its exchange footprint to nine states.

"This is a special open enrollment for us. We feel great about going into more markets," said Oscar CEO Mario Schlosser. "We increasingly are in the markets that have found stability."

A big reason for more stability in the exchange open enrollment was the pause this year in the GOP's legislative push to repeal Obamacare. Still, one big change could prove disruptive during this fall's open enrollment period, which runs through Dec. 15 on the federal exchange.

The Trump administration extended the length of cheaper, short-term plans with fewer benefits to provide up to 12 months of coverage. Some analysts predict those cheaper plans could attract healthier members.

Online insurance brokerage eHealth boosted its staffing this fall to help consumers navigate all of the new alternatives. CEO Scott Flanders says for those who receive subsidies, Obamacare remains the best option. But for those who earn too much to qualify for tax credits, the new plans could be a viable alternative.

"UnitedHealth is coming with some really innovative products for the individual short-term market ... so there's just a lot more choice," Flanders said. "Now, the negative to that is there's more complexity."

He says that will make it even more important for people to shop and compare their options this year. Short-term plans are cheaper because many come with coverage limits and can deny coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Sobin says it's important to do your homework. She's glad she did after considering a short-term plan that claimed her doctors would be covered in-network.

"I called my doctors, and they said they don't take those plans," she said. "It would have been a good savings, but I don't really trust that it would have covered anything."

Another factor that could be disruptive in 2019 is the repeal of the ACA individual mandate penalty. Americans won't have to pay a fine for being uninsured, as a result of the GOP tax plan.

It could lead to even lower enrollment for younger people, but insurers say they're confident people will still sign up.

"Members in this market have started to become educated to the point where they realize it isn't just about premiums, it's about the service you get," said Schlosser.

Polls show health-care affordability remains a top campaign issue for most Americans.

Flanders says it may be good for the health insurance market if Democrats take the House and the Republicans keep control of the Senate after the midterm elections Tuesday.

"I don't think it's realistic to expect major legislative change heading into 2019  so we think we'll have a more stable environment over the next two years," he explained, "and predictability is good for the private sector, because then they can make plans."

 Follow Bertha Coombs on Twitter: @coombscnbc


An all-out trade war between the world's two largest economies would hurt the U.S. stock market and thousands of American companies that do business in China, Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai told CNBC on Friday.

"Nobody wants to have a trade war and that's because China and the United States are very symbiotic in terms of the economic relationship," the Alibaba executive vice chairman said.

China buys about $200 billion in goods and services from the U.S., Tsai said on "Squawk on the Street," estimating about 68,000 U.S. companies do business in China, generating about $600 billion in revenue and $40 billion in profits.

"If that all gets shut off, I think you'll see that reflected in the stock market in the Unites States," he argued, ahead of White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow shooting down a report that a China deal was in the works.

However, Kudlow said President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping do plan to meet at the G-20 summit later this month and discuss trade.

Thus far, the impasse between Washington and Beijing has seen both sides enacting import tariffs against each other, with Trump recently threatening levies on the rest China's imports.

Despite the trade overhang, Alibaba's Tsai said Chinese consumers are feeling pretty good. "We think the consumers are still fundamentally healthy because ... over the last years, they have a lot of savings."

"Where we see a little bit of, maybe, hesitation to move is in the consumer durables; heavy ticket items like cars and heavy consumer electronics," he argued after the firm reported mixed quarterly results. "But we think that's a cyclical thing."

Before the bell on Friday, China-based Alibaba reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue, another sign of slowing momentum for the e-commerce giant's platforms and the Chinese economy.

Alibaba shares, under some pressure on Wall Street on Friday, has dropped about 12 percent for the year on concerns about the impact of the U.S.-China tariffs. Alibaba has a stock market value of around $380 billion.

Gil Luria, director of research at D.A. Davidson, recently told CNBC that Alibaba represents a "compelling investment in the Chinese consumer as the Chinese economy becomes ever more focused on consumption growth."

"[But] if this conflict persists and exports from China to the U.S. diminish, the Chinese economy could slow, dampening consumption and thus putting Alibaba's core business at risk," Luria said.

 Reuters contributed to this report.
British lawmakers have called on the government to curb the "threat" of internet giants to the U.K.'s public service broadcasters (PSBs).

The Guardian newspaper published a letter Friday to Jeremy Wright, the U.K. minister for digital, culture, media and sport, in which a group of nine cross-party politicians warned that if action was not taken "the enormous power of the global internet giants is going to sweep traditional PSB television away."

Public service broadcasting is made of up five core television channels in the U.K., including the BBC, and has been developed over several decades by the country's parliament. BBC television is the only one of the five services funded entirely by British tax-payers.

The signatories of the letter accused internet giants like Netflix and Amazon of "finding ways to circumvent" rules introduced by the 2003 Communications Act, a law that sought to protect British PSBs. They argued that this was being done in various ways, including the building of smart TVs with a Netflix button and burying PSB programs in digital on-demand platforms.

"If we keep allowing them to be pushed out and viewers pushed towards global pay TV services, the PSBs will not be able to (sustained) and we will lose the content that has defined so much of this country for the best part of a century," the letter said. "If the situation is bad now it will only get worse as new TV services are launched by other internet giants. We cannot afford a delay.

"We urge you: recognize the threat and help Ofcom to act to preserve our precious PSBs."
Tesla "probably would not" take money from Saudi Arabia in the wake of the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Chief Executive Elon Musk said.

Musk and his electric car manufacturer hit headlines in August after the billionaire put out a tweet saying that he was considering taking the firm private at $420 per share.

Later explaining his tweet in a blog post, Tesla's boss said he had been approached by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund "multiple times" about the prospect of taking Tesla private, and that it has bought a nearly 5 percent stake in Tesla through the public market. Plans for a take-private deal were subsequently shelved.

In an interview with Recode's Kara Swisher, which was published early Friday morning, Musk was asked directly about his thoughts on the death of Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime.

"Yeah, I mean, that sounds pretty bad. So ... that is not good. That is bad," he said.

Asked whether he would accept Saudi money now, following Khashoggi's death, Musk said: "I think we probably would not."

Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor last week acknowledged for the first time that Khashoggi's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey was "premeditated," deviating from previous claims that his death was unintended.

The Arab kingdom initially denied any involvement in his disappearance, saying the Washington Post journalist had left the consulate unharmed. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said he is cooperating with Turkey over Khashoggi's killing, and that those found guilty will be brought to justice.
Shares in Europe jumped on Friday on hopes of a trade agreement between China and the United States.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed provisionally 0.33 percent higher with the bulk of sectors in positive territory at the last check. After a tricky October, the benchmark is reportedly now having its best week since December 2016. Autos and banks were among the best-performing sectors.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that there has been progress in trade talks with China. He also said that trade "discussions are moving along nicely."

Looking across the European benchmark, Luxury retailers were among those leading the gains, with Moncler and Kering both finishing up by more than 5 percent.

At the same time, investors are monitoring further corporate results. Erste Group Bank reported third quarter results with a beat on net profit. However, the stock had dropped 1.2 percent by the close of Friday.

There is also quite a lot of focus on European banks, with the European Banking Authority is due to release its latest stress test results at 5 p.m. London time. The Italian lender Banco BPM rose above 3 percent, ahead of the results and Ubi Banca was also higher by 3.3 percent. The Italian banking system is under special scrutiny on the back of the recent turmoil in the country's politics.

Another bank in focus is Deutsche Bank. The embattled German lender also awaiting results of the stress tests. On Friday, Jamie Dimon, J.P. Morgan's chief executive officer has said it has no interest in buying Deutsche Bank, Handelsblatt reported.

In terms of data, the euro zone saw factory data growing at the weakest pace in more than two years in October, due to lower export orders.

Meanwhile in the U.S., jobs numbers beat expectations in October and year-over-year wage gains jumped past 3 percent for the first time since the Great Recession.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testifies before a House Financial Services Committee hearing on the Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress," at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, U.S., July 18, 2018.

The head of the U.S. central bank has some concerns about reducing immigration to the U.S.

Doing so could stunt growth the labor force and therefore hurt the U.S. economy long term, Fed Chairman Jay Powell said in a letter to a Democratic senator, seen by Bloomberg News.

Sen. Catherine Cortez, D-Nev., asked if Powell agreed with his colleague, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, on the topic. Kashkari wrote in a January Wall Street Journal column that immigration is "as close to a free lunch as there is" for the U.S. economy. Kashkari's parents came from India and his wife is from the Philippines.

"From an economic growth standpoint, reduced immigration would result in lower population growth and thus, all else equal, slower trend economic growth," Powell wrote in the letter, according to Bloomberg.

The comments are a stark contrast from President Donald Trump's take on immigration, a divisive issue ahead of midterm elections next week. Since campaigning in 2016 to build a wall with Mexico, the president has categorized immigration as a threat and a burden to taxpayers.

His latest hard-line proposal was a plan this week to do away with birthright citizenship for children born to noncitizens and undocumented immigrants. The White House deployed U.S. troops to the border to support Customs and Border Protection agents preparing for the arrival of a caravan of an estimated 4,000 migrants. Trump said the total U.S. troops could reach 15,000  roughly double the number the Pentagon said it currently plans for a mission.

 Read the full Bloomberg report here.

WATCH: Trump vs. Obama: Here's who inherited the better economy
HBO isn't happy that President Donald Trump used "Game of Thrones" imagery and language to promote sanctions against Iran.

An image of Trump posted Friday featured a text overlay reading "Sanctions are coming." The font of the text is a near-match of the style used in HBO's mega-popular fantasy television series. The text itself appears to imitate "Winter is coming," one of the show's most popular slogans.

Trump tweet

In a statement to CNBC, HBO said, "We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes."

HBO's official Twitter account followed up soon after, asking, "How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?" referring to a fictional language used by one of the groups in the show.

HBO tweet

Asked if HBO planned to take legal action, network spokesman Jeff Cusson told CNBC there were "no further steps."

The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on HBO's statement.

It was not immediately clear from Trump's tweet which sanctions he was referring to. But the White House's official Twitter account appeared to clarify in a follow-up shortly after Trump's tweet that the image was intended to reference sanctions on Iran.

WH tweet 1

WH tweet 2

Trump's tweet also noted that the sanctions were "coming" on Monday, Nov. 5, when the administration says it will reimpose all U.S. sanctions on Iran that had been relaxed under the 2015 nuclear deal brokered during the Obama administration.

This isn't the first time Trump has run afoul of HBO's parent company, Time Warner. The president has repeatedly hammered news network CNN, and his Justice Department opposed AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner, which was cleared by a federal judge in June.

Some stars of "Game of Thrones," which is set to air its eighth and final season in 2019, responded to Trump's allegedly unauthorized use of the show's likeness.

Maisie Williams, who portrays Arya Stark on the show, responded, "Not today."

Maisie Williams tweet

Sophie Turner, who plays Arya's sister Sansa, was even more succinct: "Ew," she said.

Turner tweet

While HBO objected to Trump's photo, the show's themes and catchphrases have often shown up in politics.

Business Insider reported that Trump's 2016 rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, compared herself to another character, Cersei Lannister, in her memoir, "What Happened."

"Crowds at Trump rallies called for my imprisonment more times than I can count," Clinton reportedly wrote. "They shouted 'Guilty! Guilty!' like the religious zealots in 'Game of Thrones' chanting 'Shame! Shame!' while Cersei Lannister walked back to the Red Keep."

WATCH: Trump and Kudlow send mixed messages
Search and rescue workers carry wreckage from Lion Air flight JT 610 to a truck to be transported to a warehouse for further investigation at the Tanjung Priok port on November 2, 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The pilot of a Lion Air flight from Indonesia's Bali island on Sunday made a radio alert minutes after take-off due to technical problems, but they were overcome and he pushed on to Jakarta. The same jet crashed on another flight hours later, killing all 189 people on board.

Herson, chief of the airport authority for the Bali-Nusa Tenggara area, told Reuters that after the alert the pilot updated the control tower to say that the plane was flying normally and he would not return to the airport as requested.

"The captain himself was confident enough to fly to Jakarta from Denpasar," said Herson, who goes by one name, speaking by phone from Bali and referring to the resort island's airport.

The pilot of another plane that was approaching Bali just after the Lion Air jet had taken off said he was ordered to circle above the airport and listened in to a radio conversation between the Lion Air pilot and air traffic controllers.

"Because of the Pan-Pan call, we were told to hold off, circling the airport in the air," said the pilot, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

"The Lion plane requested to return back to Bali five minutes after take-off, but then the pilot said the problem had been resolved and he was going to go ahead to Jakarta."

Pilots use "Pan-Pan" calls to flag urgent situations. They are a step down from "Mayday," which signals severe distress.

The Denpasar-Jakarta flight landed at the Indonesian capital's airport at 10:55 p.m. local time on Sunday.

The same Boeing 737 MAX jet took off at 6:20 a.m. the next morning, bound for Bangka island, off Sumatra, and plunged into the sea 13 minutes later. Just before the crash, the pilot had made a request to return to base.
European equities lost ground in October despite solid third-quarter results for most companies across the region. Europe's benchmark Stoxx 600 index fell 6 percent for the month, despite a strong 1.7 percent rally on the final session of trade. This comes as revenue and earnings-per-share (an important metric used by traders to gauge a company's value) growth remained healthy and most companies in Europe have maintained their full-year guidance to the market. However, investor sentiment has remained fragile. "Slower Chinese demand for euro zone exports, escalation of trade tensions, and Italy have weighed on European growth and sentiment. There is scope for recovery, but something would need to change," said Nandini Ramakrishnan, a global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, said in emailed research to CNBC.

Ralph Orlowski | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Cyclical sectors, which are affected by the ups and downs of the global economy, have sold off materially, while defensive stocks have generally outperformed. As of October 30, 125 companies on the Stoxx 600 index reported earnings for the third quarter, according to I/B/E/S data from Refinitiv. Of these, 48 percent beat market expectations. In a typical quarter, 50 percent of companies beat estimates and 41 percent miss. The estimated earnings growth rate for European stocks for this period is 14.2 percent with six of the 10 sectors in the index poised to see an improvement in earnings, relative to one year earlier. Technology, health care, and consumer cyclicals have seen the highest number of earnings beats with 92 percent, 64 percent and 62 percent respectively, surpassing expectations. Meanwhile, telecommunications and basic materials saw the highest number of misses with 71 percent and 57 percent companies in each sector coming up short, respectively. On the revenue side, of the 140 companies on the Stoxx 600 which have reported revenues, 51.4 percent beat analyst expectations compared to 54 percent for a typical quarter.
We will remind, earlier it was reported that the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Denmark summoned the Iranian Ambassador in Copenhagen after it became known about the preparation of Iranian intelligence of a terrorist attack in Denmark.

"We are going to reach out to our European allies in the coming days to try to find a united response", Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters during a meeting of Northern European leaders in Oslo.

The plan was foiled in late September following a "comprehensive police operation" across Denmark that saw bridges shut down and train operations suspended, the statement said.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen expressed his concern over the incident via Twitter, stating that "it is totally unacceptable that Iran or any other foreign state plans assassinations on Danish soil", reiterating that "further actions against Iran will be discussed in the European Union".

The Danes were consulting with allies about possible sanctions against the Islamic Republic, though Rasmussen said, "We want to preserve the nuclear agreement", referring to the 2015 worldwide accord on Iran's nuclear program.

"In fact, the gravity of the matter is hard to describe", Foreign Minister, Andres Samuelsen said, adding that has been made crystal clear to the Iranian ambassador in Copenhagen.

A Norwegian citizen of Iranian background was arrested on October 21 on suspicion he was aiding an unknown Iranian intelligence service "to act in Denmark" and for involvement in planning to kill an opposition member. The Iranian government also denied any connection with the alleged plot.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Tuesday that his country fully supported Denmark's move in the face of illegal Iranian intelligence activities.

"We want to preserve the nuclear agreement", Lokke Rasmussen said, referring to how possible sanctions would approach the 2015 worldwide accord on Iran's nuclear program.

On Twitter, the us secretary of State Mike Pompeo had "welcomed" Tuesday, Denmark, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member, for the arrest "an assassin of the iranian regime". He denies any wrongdoing, said Borch Andersen, adding that intelligence agencies in Sweden and Norway cooperated in the connection with the arrest.

He called for Iran's European allies to act vigilantly.

According to the Danish security service PET, three members of AMSLA are still under police protection because the "threats have not been eliminated".

This movement is suspected by Tehran of having participated in an attack on a military parade which had killed 24 people on September 22, in Ahvaz, capital of the iranian province of Khuzestan has a majority arab, near the iraqi border.

Last week, diplomatic and security sources said France had expelled an Iranian diplomat over a failed plot to carry out a bomb attack on a rally in the Paris area by an exiled Iranian opposition group.
The midterm elections Tuesday have huge stakes not only for the future of health care, taxes and immigration, but also for the U.S. economy and investors. Polls and forecasters suggest Democrats have a good chance of taking control of the House, while Republicans are favored to keep a slim majority in the Senate. But deviations from the expected outcome could have massive implications for investors. Experts consider the GOP holding control of both chambers the second most likely outcome, followed by a Democratic sweep of Congress. It would be virtually impossible for Democrats to win the Senate without also gaining control of the House. Each of those results would lead Congress to pursue different policy initiatives  and potentially block any progress toward those goals. Here we break down the likelihood of each scenario playing out, as well as what they mean for the overall market and individual stocks.

Scenario 1: Democrats take House, GOP keeps Senate

Overall stock market: Modestly bullish

Winners: Drug stocks, defense stocks Top forecasters consider Democrats flipping the House and Republicans retaining the Senate the most likely outcome. Projections from data journalism site FiveThirtyEight give Democrats about an 85 percent chance of taking House control by flipping at least 23 seats, and the GOP about the same chance of holding the Senate. It would lead to a divided Congress, likely with a somewhat narrow majority in both chambers. That may lead to more gridlock than bipartisan cooperation. While a divided government would make it hard for policy initiatives to move forward, stocks usually do well when there is a stalemate in Washington.

"Historically stocks have thrived in gridlock," said Joseph Song, U.S. economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "Under a Republican president, a split Congress has been the best outcome, yielding 12 percent average annual returns for the S&P 500." Lori Calvasina, head of U.S. equity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, said in a note the market has been expecting this scenario and clarity on this front will be bullish. "Equity investors have been expecting a split Congress," she said, noting few believe "a sweep by either party is probable." The potential for impeachment: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi  the favorite to become speaker in a Democratic House  and other Democratic leaders have so far sworn off talk of impeaching President Donald Trump in order to avoid stoking fury in the Republican base. But if their investigations into the administration or special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe reveal new information, Democrats could pursue it more aggressively. Even the higher possibility of a Trump impeachment could spark more market volatility. "If impeachment proceedings are considered, as they might be today, this would represent a macro 'shock,'" Song said. "The market has generally recovered much of the initial sell-off from historical shocks, in many cases due to central bank policy responses. In today's case, one key risk under potential impeachment would be that of reversing tax reform, which has contributed double digit earnings growth to S&P 500 companies." Still, even if the House impeaches Trump, a GOP-controlled Senate likely will not vote to remove him from office. The war over health care: On the policy front, Democrats and Republicans may struggle to find common ground. Both parties, including Trump, have stressed the need for an infrastructure overhaul. But since Trump became president, lawmakers have struggled to reach a consensus on exactly what an infrastructure plan would look like and how it would be funded. The situation may not change with split control. On health care, Democrats want to shore up the Affordable Care Act to curb rising premiums  and some want to take even more action to expand the government's role in health care. They may not find common ground with Senate Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the GOP could move again to repeal Obamacare if it gains enough Senate seats. Impact on Big Pharma: While Trump recently unveiled a proposal intended to cut Medicare drug prices, he has shied away from his campaign promise to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies. Democrats also support that proposal and expressed dismay when Trump appeared to abandon it. Investors have already priced in a lack of meaningful drug-price reduction legislation being passed, according to David Kostin, chief U.S. equity strategist at Goldman Sachs. The S&P 500 health care sector has climbed more than 7 percent this year and is one of the best performers of 2018. "The performance of Pharma stocks has tracked the prediction market likelihood of a Democratic victory in the House, suggesting investors believe a divided Congress would reduce the likelihood of major regulatory changes regarding drug pricing," Kostin said. Some stocks that could benefit from this scenario are Celgene, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Amgen. Celgene and Regeneron are down for the year, while Amgen is up more than 10 percent for 2018. Kostin included them in Goldman's Government Exposure basket, which is made up of companies with at least 20 percent revenue exposure to government spending. Gains for defense: With Trump and the GOP fixated on boosting defense spending, funding for the Pentagon would also likely go up again with divided control of government. Democrats just agreed to a Defense Department budget increase for fiscal year 2019. This could give defense stocks a boost after the election. The iShares U.S. Aerospace and Defense ET is up more than 4 percent this year, outperforming the S&P 500.

Scenario 2: GOP keeps both, but narrower House majority

Overall stock market: Very bullish

Winners: Tax cut beneficiaries, refiners, consumer discretionary While Democrats have the inside track to gaining control of the House, Republicans could keep a majority if only a handful of toss-up races break their way. The GOP has a small  but still realistic  chance of holding the House. The political data website FiveThirtyEight pegs it at about 15 percent. While the chance of Republicans holding both chambers is slimmer than the prospect of Democrats winning the House, the outcome would likely have bigger implications for economic policy. The return of tax cuts and Obamacare repeal: Unified GOP control would inject more life into the Republican push to repeal and replace Obamacare. Aside from McConnell, Vice President Mike Pence has also said the party could try again to overhaul the health care law if the elections go well. Republican control of Congress also could affect tax policy  particularly if the GOP can expand its Senate majority past the current 51-49 seat edge. In September, the House passed three bills known collectively as "tax reform 2.0." McConnell has said the Senate would take up the plans  the most notable of which would make the individual tax cuts passed last year permanent  if he sees support for them. Trump also recently floated an additional 10 percent tax cut for middle-income Americans. The proposal came a couple weeks before the midterms and appeared to catch many Republicans and even White House officials off guard. While it is unclear now whether such a plan could pass even in a GOP-controlled Congress, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said he wanted to work toward drafting a tax bill if his party holds control of Congress. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, called it "highly unlikely" that such a bill would pass this year in the current Congress. A boon for refiners and retailers: Still, Republicans fending off the Democrats' so-called Blue Wave would be the best outcome for stocks, at least for a moment. "In the short term, U.S. equity markets could perhaps benefit from renewed hopes on taxes and deregulation," said Johannes Mueller, head of macro research at DWS. "In the longer term, the risk of the U.S. economy overheating would increase." Trump signed a bill late last year that slashed the federal corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. This has contributed to double-digit earnings growth for the S&P 500. Expectations of lower corporate taxes also boosted stock prices all throughout 2017, with the and Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 19.4 percent and 25.1 percent, respectively. S&P 500 and Dow in 2017 Source: FactSet RBC's Calvasina said a Republican sweep would benefit refiners. The VanEck Vectors Oil Refiners ETF is up only 2.5 percent this year and has fallen more than 8 percent in the past six months. She also said shares of Exelon, a nuclear power company, could benefit from a Republican sweep. Goldman's Kostin, meanwhile, says companies with higher taxes would get a boost if Republicans hold a majority in both chambers as their taxes would go lower. Lower taxes would also benefit consumer discretionary shares  which include retailers like Amazon  according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, as consumer spending gets a lift. The immigration factor: One policy area will still challenge Trump even if Republicans keep control of the House: immigration. Democrats are virtually guaranteed to cut into the GOP's majority even if they fail to take control of the chamber. The more moderate members of the House Republican caucus  at least some of whom would have to hold their seats for the GOP to defend its majority  do not support the president's immigration priorities. With a smaller Republican majority, passing a GOP-led immigration overhaul would still likely prove daunting.

Scenario 3: Democrats take the House and Senate
A Honduran migrant couple and their five kids taking part in a caravan heading to the US, wait to cross the border from Ciudad Tecun Uman in Guatemala, to Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on October 22, 2018. Orlando Sierra | AFP | Getty Images

Six Honduran migrants walking in a "caravan" to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border filed a class-action lawsuit against President Donald Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other key figures, arguing the administration's immigration proposals are "shockingly unconstitutional." The civil suit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., claims Trump "continues to abuse the law, including constitutional rights, to deter Central Americans from exercising their lawful right to seek asylum in the United States." The migrants' attorney, John Shoreman, argues that some of Trump's policy proposals violate the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment, which holds that "no person shall ... be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." Even undocumented immigrants have due process rights under U.S. law, though that can vary depending on the legal precedent being applied, PBS reported.

The six Honduran nationals and their children are asking the federal court to declare a number of Trump's recent policy proposals to be in violation of the supreme law of the land "to end this case and controversy." Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol, and Citizenship and Immigration Services are also included as defendants in the suit. Ahead of the midterm elections, Trump has ratcheted up both his rhetoric and policy proposals on immigration issues, zeroing in on the caravans. The president has repeatedly described the groups as an "invasion," and on Wednesday said he might deploy up to 15,000 military personnel to the border to keep the migrants out. Shoreman said in a court filing that "the plaintiffs are seeking asylum, and Trump simply cannot stop them from legally doing so by using military, or anyone." The lawyer did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for an interview. Trump has also floated the possibility of an executive order to end the longstanding policy of birthright citizenship for people born to noncitizens within the U.S.  an action many legal experts say would violate the Constitution. On Thursday, the president said he planned to block arrivals from making asylum claims outside of designated ports of entry, in spite of current asylum law. "The fact that innocent children are involved matters none to President Trump," Shoreman said. The lawsuit arrives with less than a week before the midterms, even as the caravans remain weeks away from America's southern border.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Mongolian government have signed loan and grant agreements relating to renewable energy and the improvement of tax administration and public investment management. The total cost for both the projects amounts to $85.6 million.



In an announcement Friday, the ADB said that the renewable energy loan would help Mongolia develop a 41-megawatt distributed renewable energy system that uses solar photovoltaic and wind power. It will also use advanced battery storage technology and energy management systems. Photovoltaic refers to a way of directly converting light from the sun into electricity.



The ADB said the project would supply clean electricity to around 260,000 people living in "remote and less-developed towns in western Mongolia." It added that, at the moment, these communities were reliant on expensive and "high-polluting carbon-intensive electricity."



The ADB's funding of $40 million is being backed by grant co-financing, with $14.6 million coming from the Strategic Climate Fund under the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program in Low-Income Countries.

A further $6 million will come from the Japan Fund for the Joint Crediting Mechanism, which is a single-donor trust fund set up in 2014. It is supported by the Japanese government and managed by the ADB. The Mongolian government is making a contribution of $5.6 million.



"These projects will support the government's efforts to raise the share of renewable energy, decrease carbon dioxide emissions, and improve public financial resource mobilization and management," Yolanda Fernandez Lommen, the ADB's country director for Mongolia, said in a statement Friday.



Headquartered in the Philippines, the ADB was set up in 1966. Its operations in 2017 amounted to $32.2 billion, with $11.9 billion in co-financing.



In November 2017, the ADB approved a $44.76 million grant to finance the construction of a 20-megawatt on-grid solar photovoltaic plant in Afghanistan.



At the time, the ADB said the new facility would boost renewable energy generation and supply in the country, producing at least 43,000 megawatt hours of solar power.
Oil prices fell on Friday, posting a fourth consecutive weekly loss, as investors worried about oversupply after the United States said it will temporarily spare eight jurisdictions from Iran-related sanctions.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the decision in a conference call. The waivers could allow top buyers to keep importing Iranian oil after economic penalties come back into effect on Monday.

U.S. light crude ended Friday's session down 55 cents at $63.14, falling 6.6 percent this week.

Brent crude oil was up 2 cents a barrel at $72.91 by 2:26 p.m. ET. The contract has fallen 6 percent this week and 16 percent since the beginning of October, when it reached its highest since 2014.

Pompeo did not name the jurisdictions, but said the European Union as a whole, which has 28 members, would not receive one.
President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Hertz Arena on October 31, 2018. Joe Raedle | Getty Images

WASHINGTON  Fighting to preserve the all-Republican government, President Trump and his party have wielded a closing election message of fear. But the upstairs-downstairs split within the Republican coalition requires more than hype about imagined threats of "invasion" from a bedraggled immigrant caravan. GOP strategy involves two distinctly different kinds of fear. For the party's base of conservative white voters  especially older, less-educated ones in small-towns and rural areas  it's fear for their personal safety. So Trump and his allies warn baselessly that impoverished Central American immigrants may bring crime, terrorism and exotic diseases into the U.S. The crudest expression is the nakedly racist video Trump tweeted this week linking Democrats with a chortling Latino murderer. But Republicans aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan deploy less-raw versions of the same idea against various Democratic candidates, portraying an ex-CIA agent as a teacher of Islamic jihadis, a black Rhodes scholar as a frightening hoodie-clad rapper and an Ohio county official of Indian-Tibetan descent as linked to Libyan terrorism.

But race-based messages aimed at working-class Republicans can backfire with better-educated, higher-income voters and donors more comfortable with America's growing diversity. Throughout the Trump presidency, Republicans have hemorrhaged support from white college graduates, especially women. For those voters, Republican leaders highlight fear for their pocketbooks. That means warnings of Democratic tax increases and, more ominously, seizure of private property from the rich. Last month, the White House Council of Economic Advisers issued a report highlighting "The Opportunity Costs of Socialism." Invoking Lenin's Russia, Mao's China and Castro's Cuba, it likened Democratic criticism of the gap between rich and poor to Marxism. The twin assertion of cultural and economic threats makes an oddly dystopian message for a time of strong economic growth. With America's recovery from recession and financial crisis in its ninth year, Friday's strong employment report showed rising wages and labor force participation in addition to 250,000 new jobs. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan fashioned similar data into an upbeat "Morning in America" re-election campaign. But 21st century Republicans have not, for reasons that go beyond Trump's truculent personality. The continuing march of income inequality undercuts broad appeals to prosperity. Candidate Trump recognized the issue's potency with his vow to eliminate special tax breaks for the rich, such as "carried interest" for financial executives that he accused of "getting away with murder." During the Obama presidency, such proposals for higher taxes on the wealthy terrified Wall Street. "It's like when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939," Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman complained in 2010. But with Republicans controlling Congress and the White House, Schwarzman had little to fear. The Trump/GOP tax cut did not eliminate carried interest. It delivered the greatest benefits to the wealthy.
The SEC, which just settled its securities fraud investigation against CEO Elon Musk and the company, has separately subpoenaed Tesla for Musk's statements about production rates regarding its popular Model 3 sedan, the company said. DOJ prosecutors have also asked for the same information, although it stopped short of issuing a formal subpoena, the company said in a filing with the SEC.

The filing confirms much of an Oct. 26 article in The Wall Street Journal that said FBI agents were looking at whether Tesla misled investors about production of its Model 3 sedans. The FBI is the principal investigative arm of the Justice Department.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department are investigating Tesla's Model 3 production projections, the company said in a regulatory filing Friday.

The WSJ said the U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco was handling the criminal probe.

Musk denied the validity of the article in an interview with Kara Swisher of Recode that was posted Friday.

"The amount of untruthful stuff that is written is unbelievable. Take that Wall Street Journal front-page article about, like, 'The FBI is closing in.' That is utterly false. That's absurd," Musk told Swisher. "To print such a falsehood on the front page of a major newspaper is outrageous. Like, why are they even journalists? They're terrible. Terrible people."

Tesla previously confirmed that DOJ was investigating its production numbers, saying it hadn't received a formal subpoena from the department. The company never mentioned anything about the SEC's subpoenas until Friday's filing.

We receive requests for information from regulators and governmental authorities, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the SEC, the Department of Justice ("DOJ") and various state agencies. We routinely cooperate with such regulatory and governmental requests. In particular, the SEC has issued subpoenas to Tesla in connection with (a) Mr. Musk's prior statement that he was considering taking Tesla private and (b) certain projections that we made for Model 3 production rates during 2017 and other public statements relating to Model 3 production. The DOJ has also asked us to voluntarily provide it with information about each of these matters and is investigating. Aside from the settlement with the SEC relating to Mr. Musk's statement that he was considering taking Tesla private, there have not been any developments in these matters that we deem to be material, and to our knowledge no government agency in any ongoing investigation has concluded that any wrongdoing occurred. As is our normal practice, we have been cooperating and will continue to cooperate with government authorities. We cannot predict the outcome or impact of any ongoing matters. Should the government decide to pursue an enforcement action, there exists the possibility of a material adverse impact on our business, results of operation, prospects, cash flows, and financial position.

The news came out of a filing in which Tesla also said it plans to spend up to $6 billion in 2019 and 2020 on factories and equipment.

WATCH: Three experts on the future of Tesla after Elon Musk settled with SEC
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to kick off a week-long expo on Monday that promotes his country's status as a major consumer of the world's goods.

The opening speech comes a day before Americans head to the polls for midterm elections, and amid growing bipartisan criticism of China, particularly over its treatment of foreign companies and intellectual property. The major Chinese event, however, will seek to position the country as an importer of goods, drawing in top executives in the process.

Although plans for the China International Import Expo were announced more than a year ago, the event will stand in contrast to Beijing's ongoing trade fight with the United States: President Donald Trump has targeted his country's $375 billion goods trade deficit with China by levying tariffs on an extensive list of products. China, for its part, unsuccessfully tried to negotiate on tariffs by offering to buy more U.S. goods, but ultimately responded with duties on products from the U.S.

"It's about the Chinese being able to take ownership over the approach to these discussions," said Peter Alexander, head of consulting firm Z-Ben in Shanghai. He noted that if Trump and Xi come to an agreement behind closed doors at the G-20 meeting in Argentina later this year, it will appear the Chinese conceded to the U.S.

Such a G-20 outcome is anticipated by some, but China can use the expo  and the 40th anniversary of reducing state control on the economy  to tell the world it is still moving forward with plans to buy more, Alexander said. Then, he noted, the Trump administration will need to respond.

The expo is set to draw more than 2,800 companies from more than 130 countries to Shanghai from Nov. 5 to Nov. 10, according to official figures.
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Nov. 9, 2017.

For a brief moment Friday, there was optimism in the market that the Trump administration was getting closer to a trade deal with China. But administration officials are telling CNBC that there is no indication of an imminent agreement.

On Friday, a report that said President Donald Trump had asked U.S. officials to prepare a draft trade agreement with China sent the market higher. Then, after it became clear that the reported progress might not materialize, the Dow went negative.

Three senior administration officials told CNBC on Friday that there is no indication of an imminent trade deal, despite some progress being made behind the scenes. Later Friday, Trump's top economic advisor Larry Kudlow told CNBC's "Halftime Report" that Trump had not asked his Cabinet to put together a draft trade deal.

Another senior official said that the president is preparing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the upcoming G-20 summit in Argentina  and that includes discussing the potential terms of a deal. But that official cautioned against reading too much into the preparations, noting that there is a standing weekly interagency meeting on trade at the White House to discuss specific policies.

Some investors have stressed the need for caution, noting that the administration's boasts of trade progress are coming just days before the midterm elections. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

"I think it's maybe temporary, because Tuesday is Election Day," said Richard Bernstein, CEO of Richard Bernstein Advisors, Friday on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "We will see what happens Wednesday."

For his part, the president has made a rhetorical turnaround regarding the trade talks. A week ago, Trump told a crowd at the White House that he had a message for Xi.

"They want to make a deal so badly. And I said, 'You're not ready yet. No, you're not ready. No.'" Trump said he told Xi. "I told him, 'You're not ready.'" China has blamed the U.S. for escalating trade tensions,

But just a few days before Election Day, the president changed his tune  and it seemed to buoy the stock market right on schedule.

Just a day after Kudlow said that the administration has not engaged the Chinese in "intense talks lately," Trump said Thursday that trade discussions "are moving along nicely."

Investors hopeful for a trade deal are skeptical about the recent change in rhetoric, suggesting it could be heavy on politics and short on policy.

"In my opinion, will all due respect to the president, he's talking up the stock market before the midterm elections," said Howard Ward, chief investment officer of Gamco Investors.

"There have been no discussions taking place between China and the U.S.," Ward said. "There will be no deal next month."

For months, administration officials have said that talks with China were stalling. The president has maintained the country is not ready to come to the table. Just over two weeks ago, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC that talks were on "hiatus."

Ross also cast doubt on the idea that a deal could be advanced during talks at the G-20 summit this month.

"You can't do a multi-thousand-page trade agreement in an hour," he said at the time.

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This week is not the first time that the market has risen on reports that the U.S. and China were nearing a deal. A similar situation played out over the summer. Ultimately, those talks came to nothing  with an official telling CNBC that there had been "zero" engagement between the two countries.

The off-and-on nature of the negotiating process has left a sour taste in the mouth of some investors.

"I challenge the White House to bring us a deal which we will then celebrate," Ward said. "It's not going to happen."

The trade gambit comes as Trump has floated a number of other last-minute policy proposals that experts say are unlikely to come to pass, at least on the timeline the president has offered.

Trump said last month that his administration was working on a "resolution" that would cut taxes on the middle class by the midterm elections, despite lawmakers having left Washington. That resolution has yet to materialize.

He has also pledged to sign an executive order doing away with birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, which experts say would amount to a broad reinterpreting of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution  something that is outside of the president's executive authority. Trump has said the issue will be resolved by the Supreme Court.

WATCH: This trade deal may be what Trump needs to take on China
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listens during a cabinet meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House, July 18, 2018 in Washington, DC. Olivier Douliery | Getty Images

The Trump administration will grant eight jurisdictions special exceptions to continue importing oil from Iran after U.S. sanctions on the country snap back into place on Monday, according to cabinet members. President Donald Trump gave oil buyers 180 days to wind down purchases of Iranian crude when he pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in May. The eight waivers will allow the jurisdictions to more gradually reduce their purchases after the Nov. 4 deadline. Oil market watchers have been closely monitoring the situation to determine how forcefully the Trump administration will enforce the sanctions. State Department officials initially said importers must cut their purchases to zero by November, but administration officials subsequently telegraphed that some exceptions would be made. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Friday declined to name the eight jurisdictions during a conference call with reporters. The officials said all of the countries or territories have significantly reduced their purchases and will be given more time to further reduce their imports.

Two of the countries have almost entirely stopped buying Iranian oil, and could be to zero within a few weeks, Pompeo said. Japan, India and South Korea are among the countries, and China is still negotiating a waiver, Bloomberg News reported earlier on Friday, citing a senior administration official. Pompeo confirmed on Friday that the European Union is not one of the jurisdictions that will receive a waiver. The revenue from Iranian oil purchased through waivers will sit in foreign accounts and can only be used by Iran to purchase humanitarian goods and non-sanctioned items, Pompeo said. The sanctions on Iran's energy sector, shipping, ship-building and financial industries will officially go back into effect after 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday. Shortly after the secretaries' conference call with reporters, President Donald Trump tweeted a photo of himself captioned "Sanctions are coming," a play on the "Game of Thrones" theme "Winter is coming." See the tweet Pompeo said the threat of sanctions will have cut Iranian oil exports by more than 1 million barrels per day by the time they are officially restored on Monday. That is larger than many analysts initially expected. "We exceeded our expectations for one simple reason: Maximum pressure means maximum pressure," he told reporters. The sanctions were first implemented by the Obama administration to exert pressure on Iran's leadership to negotiate limits on its nuclear program. The United States  along with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia  clinched a deal with Iran in 2015 that paved the way for sanctions relief the following year. The Trump administration says the deal was flawed and is refusing to abide by it. It is restoring the sanctions in an effort to convince Iran to concede to a list of 12 demands.

Oil price impact
Turkey lifted sanctions on Friday on the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and Attorney General, the foreign ministry said, minutes after Washington removed two Turkish ministers from its sanctions list.

The ministry said in a statement the sanctions on Kirstjen Nielsen and Jeff Sessions, which include a travel ban into the country and freezing of assets in Turkey, had been lifted in response to the U.S. move.

The United States had imposed sanctions on Turkey's justice and interior ministers in August over Turkey's detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was released last month.
An article published in the ruling partys official newspaper calls on the regime to change its centrally planned model and open up to free enterprise. As a result of the fall of world communism and cooler relations with Beijing, Pyongyang must show that it can support itself.

Pyongyang (AsiaNews)  North Korea should change its economic policies to expand the autonomy of enterprises and ensure the responsibility of workers. This would improve their business management, writes Ri Ki-song, a professor at the Institute of Economy of North Korea's Academy of Social Sciences, in an article published in Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers Party of Korea.

"It is important to take strong and practical measures so that the socialist enterprises, the basic units of production and management, can demonstrate their responsibility, initiative and creativity, with the socialist system of responsibility and management of enterprises having effects," Ri wrote.

These conditions must be applied first of all to industries including coal, thermal power, machinery, metal, chemical and light industry. This must be followed by the modernisation of advanced technologies such as information technology, nanotechnology and biotechnology, while creating new high-tech sectors.

The scholar goes on to suggest that a new phase in North Koreas economic development should start. Since it was founded, the Workers' Party has been in charge of the economy. In effect, this means the Kim family, which has ruled the country since 1953.

This model has been disastrous. Several famines occurred in the 1990s as a result of a structural weakness that the regime has always denied, but that it could paper over thanks to aid from Russia and China.

With the fall of world communism and the cooling of bilateral relations with Beijing, Pyongyang now seems ready to radically change its economy, effectively opening the doors to capitalism and free enterprise.
Japan Airlines Co said Thursday one of its pilots was arrested by British police for exceeding the alcohol limit before a flight from London to Tokyo, leaving the airline to operate the flight with two pilots rather than the normal three.

Japan Airlines pilot failed his breath test an hour before the departure.

Jitsukawa had nearly 189 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood in his system, which nearly 10 times the permissible 20 mg for a pilot.

A spokesman for the London police said a test on the co-pilot taken 50 minutes before the flight's scheduled departure revealed 189 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his system - nearly 10 times the 20-milligram limit for a pilot.

The flight was delayed by more than an hour. The limit for drivers in Britain is 80 milligrams.

He was ordered detained until he is sentenced on November 29.

Pilot Katsutoshi Jitsukawa acknowledged he had two bottles of wine and a pitcher of beer the night before he was scheduled to fly the aircraft.

Julian Monaghan drank three double vodkas in his hotel room on an empty stomach before he was due on board a flight from Gatwick Airport to Mauritius on January 18.

The incident came a day after another Japanese carrier apologised for multiple delays after a hungover pilot called in sick.

JAL said the co-pilot was arrested Sunday for violating British aviation law.

The Japan Times reported that the London case comes after All Nippon Airways apologized for five flight delays in Okinawa last week because a pilot became unwell after a night of drinking. It also announced it would roll out a more sophisticated breathalyzer system to monitor its pilots' alcohol overseas later this month, according to NHK.

JAL subsequently apologized for the breach and admitted that an in-house breath test was not conducted properly.

"The company sincerely apologises to the passengers and to all affected by the employees actions", JAL said in a press release.

The Transport Ministry has been requiring airlines to take measures to prevent alcohol-related incidents.
Twilio co-founder and CEO Jeff Lawson has had a charmed 2018. Even after the recent stock market slump, shares of his cloud software company have tripled in value this year, bolstering Lawson's net worth by hundreds of millions of dollars.

But while it's been a good year for Twilio, whose technology powers text and video-based communications systems, Lawson is distressed by what he sees among his Silicon Valley peers.

He can't understand why it's so hard for companies to stand up to hate speech and cut off abusers.

"It's an easy decision to make," Lawson said in a phone interview this week while in Europe meeting with customers. "There's a responsibility that we all have to help ensure we're not just building a good company but a better society around us."

Lawson wrote a blog post on Monday titled, "Words matter, and they're destabilizing the American tribe." The post came after a mass shooting in Pittsburgh, where a gunman stormed the Tree of Life synagogue and killed 11 Jewish worshippers, and after another person mailed explosive devices to prominent Democrats (none exploded).

In both cases, the people accused of these crimes shared their violent hate speech on social media networks.

Lawson criticized the current "power-holders" in America for allowing white nationalism and other once-extreme views to be discussed and debated openly. But he also slammed "social media companies who go out of their way to ensure that extreme right wing views are treated fairly."

Lawson told CNBC he understands there could be murky situations requiring tough judgment calls.

But he said that far too many business executives use that struggle as an excuse to do nothing.

"That's a facade that some leaders hide behind to say we're not going to try," Lawson said. "Yes, sometimes it is hard. There is a gray area."

He noted that business leaders have to deal with complicated decisions all the time.

"All day, every day we make decisions with imperfect information, whether it's hiring people, making investments or entering new regions."
Twitter deleted more than 10,000 automated accounts posting messages that discouraged people from voting in Tuesday's U.S. election and wrongly appeared to be from Democrats, after the party flagged the misleading tweets to the social media company.

"We took action on relevant accounts and activity on Twitter," a Twitter spokesman said in an email. The removals took place in late September and early October.

The number of accounts removed is modest, considering that Twitter has previously deleted millions of accounts it determined were responsible for spreading misinformation in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Yet the removals represent an early win for a fledgling effort by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, or DCCC, a party group that supports Democrats running for the U.S. House of Representatives.

The DCCC launched the effort this year in response to the party's inability to respond to millions of accounts on Twitter and other social media platforms that spread negative and false information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and other party candidates in 2016, three people familiar with the operation told Reuters.
President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping make joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017.

U.S. President Donald Trump has asked officials in his administration to start drafting the terms of a possible trade deal with China, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing four unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

A major remaining issue is intellectual property theft by Chinese companies, one of the sources told Bloomberg, which reported that multiple agencies are involved in the effort.

European futures, which were already largely pointing to the upside, moved higher following the report.

The report of a potential deal draft came after Trump said Thursday he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping amid concerns about escalating trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.

In a tweet, the president said he had a "long and very good conversation" with the Chinese leader, "with a heavy emphasis on trade." He added that "those discussions are moving along nicely" ahead of planned face-to-face meetings at the G-20 summit in Argentina later this month.

Experts have tried to read the recent trade "smoke signals" coming from the White House of late, but Rob Carnell, ING's chief economist and head of research for Asia Pacific, questioned the intention behind Trump's Thursday Twitter post. He told CNBC's "Street Signs" that the timing "feels a little bit too coincidental" given that midterm elections stateside are a few days away.

Read more about the reported new development in the U.S.-China trade war on Bloomberg.

WATCH: This trade deal may be what Trump needs to take on China
Despite ramping up his complaints about Beijing and lobbing new threats of additional tariffs on Chinese imports, U.S. President Donald Trump wants to seal a trade deal with China, according to one expert.

Trump's Thursday Twitter post is evidence of that, Lanhee Chen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, told CNBC on Friday. In fact, he said, the tweet  about a "long and very good conversation" with China's president  is one of several "smoke signals" that show the White House truly hopes to resolve its ongoing dispute with the world's second-largest economy.

"I tend to think that the president actually wants to get to a deal on China at some point," Chen told CNBC's "Squawk Box."

Beyond the Twitter post, Chen pointed to the White House playing up Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires later this month. In fact, the U.S. leader highlighted that summit in his recent tweet, saying trade discussions "are moving along nicely" ahead of the planned face-to-face meetings.

Trump tweet: Just had a long and very good conversation with President Xi Jinping of China. We talked about many subjects, with a heavy emphasis on Trade. Those discussions are moving along nicely with meetings being scheduled at the G-20 in Argentina. Also had good discussion on North Korea!

"I tend to think that they are looking for something as a pathway to progress. They're looking to be able to say: 'Look, we have reached even a very small measure of agreement on something,' and use that as a catalyst to get some additional resolution on the U.S.-China trade issue," said Chen, who is also director of domestic policy studies in the Public Policy Program at Stanford University.

In fact, a few hours after Chen spoke with CNBC, a report said Trump had asked officials to begin drafting terms of a potential agreement.
A container ship at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California.

The U.S. goods and services deficit increased more than expected in September amid escalating tensions with its global trading partners.

The shortfall rose to $54 billion for the month, a 1.3 percent increase, or $700 million, from August and reflective of a 10.1 percent increase year to date, according to government numbers released Friday. Economists surveyed by Refinitiv had been looking for a gain of $53.6 billion.

The goods deficit stood at $76.3 billion, the highest on record on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Exports increased to $212.6 billion, a $3.1 billion gain from August, while imports rose $3.8 billion to $266.6 billion.

Those numbers come as the Trump administration moved forward with a plan to tax $200 billion worth of Chinese imports and as China countered. In recent days, President Donald Trump has expressed hope that upcoming talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping can yield fruits on the impasse between the two nations.

Trump has expressed disdain for trade imbalances and has vowed to use tariffs as a way to reduce deficits and get agreements that are fairer to the U.S.

For all of 2018, the global trade deficit has increased $40.7 billion, a result of a $143.8 billion increase in imports and a $184.5 gain in imports.

On a three-month average, the goods and services shortfall rose 5.6 percent from the same period a year ago.

In China's case, the goods and services deficit increased to $40.2 billion, the highest on record on a non-seasonally adjusted basis Year to date, the U.S. is running a $301.4 billion deficit with China. The closely watched soybean trade was reflective of the trade tensions, with the decline in September exports at $744 million from the previous month.

The goods and services deficit with Russia rose to $1.7 billion, the highest since May 2013.

The goods deficit with Mexico showed a sharp decline, falling $1.1 billion to $7.6 billion, a 12.6 percent slide. The move came almost entirely due to exports, which rose $1.1 billion to $22.5 billion. Imports were little changed, falling less than $100 million to $30.1 billion.

WATCH: Twelve US execs explain how Trump's trade war affects their bottom lines
A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Gulf.

The U.S. government has agreed to let eight countries, including close allies South Korea and Japan, as well as India, keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes sanctions on Tehran next week, Bloomberg cited a U.S. official as saying.

Iran's biggest oil customers  all in Asia  have been seeking sanctions waivers to allow them to continue buying some of its oil and have argued that a total ban would spur a further rally in the price of crude.

Bloomberg reported on Friday that South Korea and Japan had received waivers along with India, which relies heavily on Iranian supplies.

A list of all countries getting waivers was expected to be released officially on Monday, Bloomberg said.

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

The United States is preparing to impose new sanctions on Iran's oil industry after Washington withdrew from a nuclear deal between Tehran and other global powers earlier this year.

But the move has backfired on U.S. President Donald Trump as it led to a steep rally in oil prices, including the cost of gasoline, ahead of U.S. mid-term elections.

It was unclear how much crude those eight countries would be allowed to buy from Iran, whose oil exports have plummeted from an average of more than 2.5 million barrels per day to around 1.5 million bpd in recent weeks.

Goldman Sachs said it expects Iran's crude exports to fall to 1.15 million bpd by the end of the year. During a previous round of sanctions at the start of the decade, Iranian oil exports declined at times to below 1 million bpd.

Iran said on Friday the report on waivers showed that the market needed the country's crude.

"The waivers granted to these eight countries show that the market needs Iran's oil and it cannot be pulled out of the market ... I don't know whether these waivers are permanent or temporary," state TV quoted Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Ali Kardor as saying.

Oil prices rallied this year to a four-year high above $85 per barrel on fears Washington may want to cut Iranian oil exports to zero.

But the rally petered out in recent weeks amid market fears about a slowing global economy and as expectations grew that Iran would be allowed still to export significant amounts.

On Friday, Brent futures traded flat at around $73, having fallen 12 percent since the beginning of October.

Waiting for Notifications

A Chinese official told Reuters that discussions with the U.S. government about waivers were ongoing and that a result was expected over the next couple of days.

"We think Trump will agree to China importing some volumes, similar to the treatment that India and South Korea receive," Clayton Allen of Height Securities said in a note on Friday.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry declined to comment, and Japanese officials were not immediately available for comment.

Another country that has been seeking a sanctions waiver is Turkey. Turkey's Energy Ministry said on Friday it had not received written notification of any exemption.

Analysts said, however, that waivers would likely be only temporary.

"The U.S. may use waivers to slow-walk implementation, but these will not apply indefinitely," Allen said.

Among other countries closely connected to Iran's energy system is Iraq, which imports gas via a pipeline. The United Arab Emirates imports large amounts of Iranian fuel oil to power ships and Egypt imports oil from Iran for the Sumed pipeline.

Russia has been planning to import oil from Tehran but no major projects have materialized.






The yield on the benchmark 2-year Treasury note rose to its highest level since 2008 after the government's monthly jobs report showed the U.S. economy adding jobs at a brisk pace and wages rising at the fastest pace since April 2009.

Nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 250,000 in October, the Labor Department said Friday, well ahead of the 190,000 expected by economists polled by Refinitiv. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was higher at 3.212 percent, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was higher at 3.452 percent, a level not seen since 2014. For the week, the 10-year Treasury yield has climbed approximately 12 basis points, while the two-year note yield is up more than 9 basis points.

The yield on the two-year Treasury note yield hovered at 2.912 percent after hitting its highest level since 2008 at 2.92 percent. Bond yields move inversely to prices.

With all signs pointing to a robust labor market and persistent hiring, wage pressures have finally begun to gather steam as companies offer fatter paychecks to attract new workers.

Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers increased by 5 cents  or 0.3 percent  last month to $27.30. October represents the first month since April 2009 that the closely watched pay metric rose more than 3 percent from a year earlier.

Wages are up 3.14 percent over the past 12 months through the end of October.
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The kingdom has faced intensifying global pressure to be transparent about the death of Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who was a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"Khashoggi's body was not in need of burying", the official told the U.S. newspaper on the condition of anonymity.

The two sides discussed a wide range of topics including Israel, Palestine and Saudi Arabia's relations with the US. We have to ensure stability [in Saudi Arabia]. "It would affect the entire region".

The body of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was dismembered after he was strangled as soon as he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the chief prosecutor's office in Istanbul said Wednesday. The murder has drawn withering criticism of Riyadh from around the world.

The crown prince stated Khashoggi was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, prior to Saudi Arabia formally acknowledging it was responsible for the journalist's death.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made the allegation during a phone call with US President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and another official, the Washington Post reports. "He denied such claims repeatedly over the past several years", the family said. "To claim otherwise would be ridiculous".

The chief prosecutor's office in Istanbul said that during those meetings, Turkey and Saudi Arabia had "agreed to investigate, search and uncover all details of the event from all angles and to bring those who carried out and planned it to. justice".

After the journalist disappeared, Saudi Arabia initially insisted Khashoggi had walked out of the consulate after visiting the building on October 2.

There have also been reports - citing an unnamed Saudi official - that the team handed the body over to a local Turkish collaborator, who then disposed of it. It is also pressing Saudi Arabia for information concerning Khashoggi's remains, which still haven't been found, as well as who ordered the journalist's slaying.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says a 15-person team came from Riyadh for the premeditated hit.

Reports had indicated the kingdom was planning to blame Khashoggi's death on rogue agents before it ultimately acknowledged he was killed in the consulate. A critic of the Saudi royal family, Khashoggi had been living in exile in the United States.
In its 5 am update, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said "Rosita" will bring light to moderate rains to northern and Central Luzon. It is now moving north northwest at 15 kilometers per hour (km/h) after being nearly stationary or hardly moving early morning.

The typhoon continues to have maximum winds of 200kph near the center and gustiness of up to 245 kph. "They readily moved from the mountainsides and away from the river after our police declared it was time to evacuate", said Mayor Victorio Palangdan of Itogon, a gold-mining mountain town, where more than 90 villagers died mostly due to landslides set off by Mangkhut. In Natonin, Mountain Province, four people have died and twenty-nine people, mostly workers and displaced persons who sought shelter, are missing due to a landslide that buried a Department of Public Works and Highways building.

Separate landslides in the upland provinces of Kalinga and Mountain, near Ifugao, killed a 40-year-old man and a young girl, according to Regional police Chief Superintendent Rolando Nana.

Those living in high-risk areas such as coastal towns, mountainous and hilly zones and river banks were told to prepare for possible evacuation to safer ground.

This photo was taken on 25 October 2018, shows a resident (C) clearing up in Saipan after Super Typhoon Yutu caused widespread destruction across the islands of Saipan and Tinian. There was serious damage in the province. The storm whipped through the Sierra Madre mountain range, the longest in the Philippines, before heading west through Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet and La Union provinces.

Cloudy skies with isolated rain showers was expected over Batanes, Babuyan group of Island, Ilocos region, and the Cordillera Administrative Region. Larger vessels should watch out for big waves.

School classes were suspended in at least five provinces and fishermen in Luzon and the eastern seaboard advised not to go to sea, with warnings of storm surges of up to three metres in six provinces.

Based on Rosita's latest forecast track, it will leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Wednesday afternoon.

The Category 2 equivalent storm hit areas already impacted by Typhoon Mangkhut in September of this year.

PAGASA said it does not expect any other tropical cyclone for the rest of the week.
Sources

Cooper, Betsy and Kevin ONeil. Lessons from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Policy brief. Migration Policy Institute, 2005.

Email interview with Robert Suros, professor at the University of Southern California Annenburg School for Communication and Journalism and director of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute. Oct. 11, 2018.

Phone interview with Stephen Legomsky, John S. Lehmann University Professor Emeritus at the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. Oct. 10, 2018.

Phone interview with Edward Alden, senior fellow at the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations. Oct. 10, 2018 and Oct. 30, 2018.

Phone interview with Kate Voigt, associate director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Oct. 29, 2018.

Phone interview with Sarah Pierce, policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. Oct. 29, 2018.

Roll call vote summary. U.S. Senate bill 744 (Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act). 113th Congress. June 27, 2013.

Sherman, Amy. Was Adam Putnam, candidate for Florida governor, for amnesty on immigration? PolitiFact Florida, July 24, 2017.

Senate Leadership Fund. Campaign advertisement. Sep. 11, 2018.

Text of U.S. Senate bill 744(Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act). 113th Congress. Introduced April 16, 2013.

Text of U.S. Senate bill 1244 (Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986). 99th U.S. Congress. Passed Nov. 6, 1986 (Public Law No: 99-603).

Tobias, Manuela. Did Indiana's Joe Donnelly vote to grant amnesty to criminals? PolitiFact. Sep. 12, 2018.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
U.S. President Donald Trump said he talked with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, especially about ongoing trade disputes between the world's two biggest economies. "We talked about many subjects, with a heavy emphasis on Trade".

Trump said trade talks were "moving along nicely" and that meetings were "being scheduled" at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. 'Also had good discussion on North Korea!'

The push for a possible deal with China was prompted by the president's telephone call with Xi on Thursday, the people said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Asian shares have surged on reports that Donald Trump wants to reach an agreement with Chinese president Xi Jinping about the trade dispute that has dogged markets for months. He said further meetings with Xi are being scheduled for the G-20 summit of the world's biggest economies, set for November 30 in Buenos Aires, the first ever such summit in South America.

In the phone call with Trump, Xi also said he and Trump hoped to expand bilateral trade cooperation, he was quoted as saying on CCTV state television.

He has also emphasized the need to reduce the US trade deficit with China.

The two countries already have imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other's goods and Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on the remainder of China's $500 billion-plus exports to the United States if the disputes can not be resolved.

But within hours of the upbeat assessments, the US Justice Department took aim at another Chinese firm it accused of unfair practices, part of an across-the-board pressure campaign by the Trump administration targeting Beijing.

Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray said the USA has filed a civil lawsuit seeking to prevent the two indicted companies, Taiwan-based United Microelectronics Corp. and China's state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit, from exporting any products created using US trade secrets and blocking the further transfer of trade secrets.

Meeting a group of Republican lawmakers in Beijing, China's Li noted the China-U.S. relationship's "ups and downs" over the past four decades of diplomatic ties. "China would love to make a deal", Trump told Breitbart at the time.

The US and China's tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's goods have rumbled on for months as Trump pledges to help create more US manufacturing jobs. And we're changing them'.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said at an event in Washington that Trump and Xi might be able to break the logjam on issues during the summit.
George Freeman MP is Chair of the Conservative Policy Forum and The Big Tent Ideas Festival, and is MP for Mid-Norfolk.



On Monday, the Chancellor announced that austerity is coming to an end. Politically, there was a lot to cheer in this Budget  some good news and headlines for struggling high streets, our crucial Universal Credit reform, NHS workers and the vast majority of constituents who rely on public services. Furthermore, there were many helpful retail pledges for colleagues in marginal seats. Given the Brexit divisions and infighting, we badly needed some good news.

But if we are going to end the biggest squeeze on disposable incomes since the war, the central question for our future is this: how can we get back to the 2.5-3 per cent growth that we enjoyed pre-Brexit? Before the EU Referendum, we were one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe and the G7. Now were one of the slowest-growing.

The Budget invites the public to judge us on different metrics  no longer on our commitment to balance the books (abandoned) or reduce the debt (still growing), but on our ability to end austerity. People will now need to feel tangible improvements and see how Brexit can be a catalyst for much higher growth and prosperity.

Because this Budget wont be decided on the comment pages of broadsheets. It will be decided on the ground. By parents chatting at the school gates. Families looking after their ageing relatives in care homes. Commuters stuck in traffic jams because the housing has come, but the infrastructure hasnt. Or the millions standing on trains every morning whove shelled out 2,000 for a season ticket and feel ripped off.

I no longer advise the Prime Minister, but heres what Id say if I still did. We need to remind people that every public sector pound has to be earned before it is spent, and that we need a more inspiring programme of business-led growth to drive prosperity and opportunity. This means some big changes.

First, accelerating our transition from a service economy to an innovation nation. Innovation is key to our driving up productivity, prosperity, inward investment and exports. We wont escape debt with growth at 1.5 per cent and low productivity. We need a renaissance of enterprise and innovation. Such buccaneers as James Dyson and Richard Branson have done more to transform this countrys prospects than any government department ever will. We need to stop the business-bashing and promote entrepreneurship and innovation. While the UK is still a crucible of start-up entrepreneurship, the engine is not yet humming: we have too many start-ups that are never scaled up, too little of our innovation funded by the City and too little that is taken global by British companies. We need a new national mission. We must be the innovation nation.

Second, tangible access to new markets for our innovation.We cant just do research. We need to innovate, manufacture and trade. If Brexit means anything, it surely means an opportunity to go global. But that cant mean importing cheap food and cheap clothes from sweatshops. We need to be exporting our innovation. The UK should be using every tool possible to unlock access to the fastest emerging markets in Africa and Asia.

For 40 years our whole economy has been geared to our being a European services economy. Why dont we make Brexit the moment to embrace a new global strategy for higher growth through exporting technology and innovation into emerging markets? If the opportunity is properly seized, we could use our Industrial Strategy and public sector innovation to make Britain a crucible of new technology scale up and financing through the City.

We could then use our aid budget and global soft power in emerging markets to grow our exports and trade links with the fastest growing economies. Why dont we offer some of the fastest emerging countries where we have a strong historic links a deeper Aid, Trade and Security Development Partnership?

Third, harnessing the public sector as a test bed of innovation. Well never export our innovation if were not using it ourselves. Innovation cant be just about making a lucky few in the City rich beyond their wildest dreams. In order for us to be a test bed for new technology, we need to put enterprise and innovation at the heart of the public sector. If we want to lead the world in digital health, we wont do it unless the NHS is already a pioneer. You can have as many digital health clusters in Shoreditch as you like. But if the NHS isnt testing and buying it, we will never become the innovation nation we need to be. Building, financing and growing these little start-ups into serious businesses of scale. The problem of the austerity era was thinking that our problems could be solved by cutting things. Actually, the only way our problems can be solved is by growing things.

Fourth, empowering local leaders to innovate more. Innovation cant be ordered from on high. It comes from people having the power to make decisions themselves. Thats why we need to embrace bolder economic localism. Lets remember that our national economic performance is made up of hundreds of local economies, all of which need to be growing faster. Another five years of ever-tighter spending controls from the Treasury risks undermining local growth and innovation. Instead of delaying essential local infrastructure holding our growth hubs back, why not let them raise infrastructure bonds in the international capital markets and embrace bold ideas like integrated track and train mutuals which invests users money into better services?

Fifth, a new model of Treasury incentives. Too often, Whitehalls funding orthodoxy rewards failure. If you deliver more for less in the public sector we give youless! And give more to those failing. If you ran a business like that it would be bust. And depressing to work in. Its no wonder that public sector leaders are so dispirited. Many are leaving. We need them to stay. So why dont we send a signal to encourage them, be bold and embrace a new model of incentives-based funding which rewards successful local service leaders for delivering efficiency and productivity? We need a new approach based on a radical idea: if an area reduces the deficit quicker than Whitehalls average we should let them keep 50 per cent of the savings to re-invest. Why not the same on growth? If councils grow their tax base, why not let them keep 50 per cent for local services?

Our choice as a nation is clear. Do we timidly manage our decline? Or do we set out a bold plan a brighter future? At the moment we are treading water and appear to be relying on popular support for Brexit, and the threat of Jeremy Corbyn, to keep us in office.

For a majority of voters, keeping Corbyn out and delivering Brexit are not good enough answers. We need to show voters that this is the path to something more inspiring. We need to start setting out a bold vision for Conservatism in the twenty-first century.
Syed Kamall is Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group and is an MEP for London.

Two things let you know when Brussels is hosting one of its frequent summits.

Overhead the security helicopters buzz continually across the city, often quite late into the evening depending on the world leader in attendance.

On the ground, the citys traffic becomes even more gridlocked than normal as lanes are closed to ensure swift passage for the motorcades, the size of which is not always a reliable indicator of the occupants importance.

So anyone planning an early night, or hoping for a stress-free drive to work, was well advised to take some time off and head out of town as the European Union staged no fewer than seven summits in four days.

From Tuesday 16 October to Friday 19 October, the EU held: a Tripartite Social Summit; European Council summits discussing Brexit, the Eurozone plus a session on migration and security; the Asian-Europe Meeting; the EU-Republic of Korea Summit; and the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting. The latter, held over two days brought together the leaders of 54 European and Asian countries representing 55 per cent of global trade, 60 per cent of the worlds population and 65 per cent of global GDP.

While these summits were an impressive show of the EUs internal and external diplomacy, many will ask what was achieved?

The flagship event was the set piece signing of free trade, investment, and partnership agreements with Singapore. When I was the rapporteur (lead MEP) guiding the EU-Singapore FTA through the European Parliament in 2013, I and MEPs across the political spectrum urged the Commission and Council to send it to us for ratification before the June 2014 European elections. In the event, the EU insisted on re-opening the agreement to change the rules on investment protection, even though the agreement had been signed off.

The Singaporeans were naturally annoyed, but felt they had no choice, and are of course relieved that it will be sent to us before the 2019 elections. However, this incident damaged the EUs credibility in keeping its word on a signed off agreement. Maybe a warning to other future partners?

A trade accord was also signed with Vietnam. The great hope was to use the focus on these two agreements and the Asia-Europe Meeting to persuade China to ease restrictions on foreign investment, goods, and services. But talks failed to deliver a breakthrough, and a final communique omitted a call for an end to trade distortions after China insisted on changes.

Otherwise there was precious little to show for such intense diplomatic activity beyond warm words and general declarations. That was certainly true of two major challenges facing the EU: migration and Brexit. Despite both featuring on the EU Council agenda, no concrete action had been agreed when the red carpet was eventually rolled up on Friday evening.

On migration, at least the Council appears to be finally getting around to considering the policies put forward by Conservative MEPs and our colleagues in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group at the height of the crisis in 2015.

After the EU spent two years trying to force refugee quotas on often reluctant member states, EU leaders have now agreed that the way forward lies in improving the processing of arrivals to distinguish between genuine refugees and economic migrants, speeding up returns, securing borders, and seeking enhanced arrangements with third countries to stem the flow of migrants.

Meanwhile, my colleagues in the ECR group continue to push for member states to be asked how they are willing to help, rather than telling them how many people they should accept. Some countries will take in genuine asylum seekers, others will choose to help refugees closer to their homes and some will provide money to help front line countries.

If these common sense policies had been adopted sooner, and not dismissed as antiEuropean or populist, then the system would now be in better shape and perhaps more lives could have been saved.

The failure to make progress on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement was disappointing, but came as no real surprise. Before the summit there was no real sense that we were approaching the negotiating end game, and this was confirmed when leaders of the EU27 spent just 90 minutes discussing Brexit over dinner and had little interest in listening to Jean-Claude Junckers briefing on preparations for no deal. Rather than negotiating into the early hours of the morning and seeking to emerge with a compromise, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and two other Prime Ministers took themselves off for a post-dinner beer on the Grand Place.

Of course intense negotiations continue behind the scenes, and my discussions with diplomats have revealed more understanding that Theresa Mays position on the Irish backstop is not simply a negotiating stance or a bluff. It is a Prime Minister defending the constitutional sovereignty and geographical borders of a nation, and protecting a hard won peace.

These talks were always going to go the distance, and the pressure of having to reach a deal before the end of the year in order to give the British and European parliaments time to consider the agreement will focus minds. In seeking a legal text that satisfies both sides, the negotiators may look to their lawyers to turn the seemingly impossible into the possible, just as they did with the Danish opt outs in 1992 and Protocol 36 with the UK in 2014.

Most people I speak to in Brussels expect a deal to be agreed by the end of the year, or at the very latest in January. There are concerns any agreement may not be approved at Westminster or in the European Parliament, but for now the biggest fear is that we are running out of time.
David Cameron is in a horrible bind as he perseveres with writing his memoirs. Remainers boo him for losing the EU referendum. And Leavers dont cheer him for calling it  because he was on the wrong side, as they see it, and oversaw a Project Fear campaign whose apocalyptic predictions were swiftly disproved. He cannot believe that the decision to call the poll which, in effect, pitched him out of Downing Street was the right one. But he must go on claiming that he was correct to give the British people the choice: to come clean would be an admission of failure. Cameron has escaped from many a trap in his time, but this one holds him fast.

Furthermore, he surely cant return to Parliament, at least for the moment. The Brexit negotiation is arduous, and he would be blamed, not without reason, for failing to make preparations for leaving. If, in the short-term, Brexit is turbulent, because it comes with an acrimonious and disruptive No Deal, he would be held responsible for harm. If, on the other hand, the economy manages just fine  either because there is a deal, or because No Deal works out better than some expect  he would scarcely be able to take the credit. So for the moment he has little option but to plug away at his book, while actors knock him for relaxing in France with his trotters up.

The medium-term could be different. Cameron is young enough to be able to look forward to it (he is 52), and the passing of time is a wonderful thing. If Brexit turns out well and the Conservatives win in 2022, he would be able to construct a case which, while tortuous, might not be beyond the reach of his powers of persuasion. Of course he didnt want Britain to leave the EU but, look, the countrys steaming ahead now and, you know, that wouldnt have happened if he hadnt had the courage to call that referendum  whatever the cost to himself.

That would be the first part of his pitch. We appreciate that it is less than full and frank. But the second part would be less easy to dismiss  namely, that he still has something to offer, and wants to put something back in. Having urged Cameron not to leave the Commons, we are scarcely in a position to argue that he shouldnt return. He ran a government which, for all its ups and downs, ground the deficit downwards and delivered a remarkable run of public service reform. Think Iain Duncan Smith. Think Michael Gove. Think Francis Maudes work in Whitehall, or Steve Hiltons drive for transparency. For all that, Cameron must ultimately take the credit.

If Cameron really does want to become Foreign Secretary, he will be well aware that there is a precedent  well, of sorts. Alec Douglas-Home, having been succeeded as Conservative leader by Ted Heath, went on to serve him as Foreign Secretary from 1970 to 1974. He had left the Lords because it wasnt believed practicable to run the country from the Upper House, and we cant quite see the Foreign Office being run from it in this day and age, either. So the Commons it would be. No Association would have him, some will say. We disagree. He would persuade his way in somewhere, somehow. The chance to select a former Prime Minister would be irresistible.
They may be thriving right now, but Britains professional contractors are going to come under intense pressure thanks to the chancellors Budget 2018 plan to impose the public sectors IR35 tax reforms on all of them who work on behalf of large and mid-sized businesses, writes Lee Murphy, founder of contractor cloud bookkeeping software Pandle.

Outlining his plan on Monday, Philip Hammond at first appeared to offer a reprieve to the contracting sector, delaying implementation of the new IR35 regime until April 2020 and exempting small firms.

Well, he may have pushed it further down the line but make no mistake, private sector IR35 reform based on the 2017 off-payroll rules will impact the majority of contractors who rely on medium and large businesses for their income.

Under the envisioned private sector rules, which have a foundation in the public sector that the government already admits needs refining, large and medium-sized companies will be forced to review all their contractor agreements to ensure that freelance, independent consultant are being taxed in the right bracket. Effectively, if a contractor is deemed suitable for IR35 taxation, the company is liable for deducting income tax and employee national insurance contributions (NICs), as well as paying employer NICs.

What we have here is that instead of helping Britains freelancers and contractors to be as strong and flexible as possible, in preparation for Brexit and the years ahead, Mr Hammond has weakened the independent labour market by hitting it in the pocket. Forget giveth and taketh away as chancellors usually do at Budgets, this is just plain taketh away. Its something that, whether theres a delay or not, has the ability to end up stifling innovation for the entire tech sector -- where contractors are most prevalent.

Just look at whats happened in the NHS -- another sector reliant on temporary expertise where the inspiration for the 2020 rules has been in force since April last year. Due to organisations trying to game the system and simplify the obligations it imposes on them (roughly the same obligations we can expect in April 2020), NHS bodies have neglected to review every contract and instead insisted that all freelance workers signed up to umbrella companies.

This has happened in a sector extremely fond of thousands of contractors, given that it forked out 2.9bn on contractors and locums in 2016 and 2017. After the IR35 reforms were implemented however, the NHS simply placed all independent workers inside IR35, regardless of their working arrangements.

The locums group IHPA and others have calculated that those deemed inside IR35  so almost all contractors supplying our health service -- have seen their income slashed by as much as 50%. The result? Many contractors can simply no longer afford to work for the health service, leaving it with a skills gap it cannot close.

And the situation is likely to get worse. A massive 98% of independent healthcare professionals said they would look for alternative work, in response to a real-terms pay cut caused by blanket implementation of IR35 tax reforms.

Translate this to the IT sector. If tech companies working in the commercial sector opt for the same blanket IR35 approach to all contractors (one leading agency has already guaranteed that they will), they could also find top talent hard to come by. So this really is something that could be disastrous for the economy. Oh, and its scheduled to happen just after the UK leaves the EU, just when well need all hands to the pump in the engine room of the economy.

Id like to remind the chancellor that its no mean feat to create a successful career as a contractor. These are sought-after, highly skilled individuals, who tend to work for larger and medium-sized companies on a project basis. They are entrepreneurs who make meaningful contributions to UK Plc, effectively managing their own business and paying all the running costs that entails without the luxury of holiday and sick pay. The same entrepreneurs who, on Monday, Mr Hammond paid tribute to. He claimed: Encouraging entrepreneurs must be at the heart of our strategy.

So the chancellor has failed to consider the many sacrifices made by contractors, putting them in the same tax bracket as the employed. These currently independent, agile business-owners will likely be forced to join umbrella companies and become employees, paying more tax and national insurance.

To give some insight into just how much contractors can expect to lose, we did a few sums. If you expect to earn 50,000 in the current financial year, your take-home pay -- after tax and national insurance -- should be around 43,670. Fast-forward two years and, having joined an umbrella company where your revenue contributions are now calculated by your latest employer, your income (after tax and NI) will drop by 13.5% from 43,670 to 37,696.

For a contractor earning 90,000, the financial hit is even worse. Their take-home remuneration will fall from 70,037 in the current financial year to 60,949 after April 2020.

To prepare for the changes, all businesses  including the targeted PSCs -- will start taking steps now. For non-contractors, these steps are to assess who is inside, and whos outside IR35. Contractors should expect this process to begin in the near future, at places they work.

For these currently self-employed strivers -- people who Mr Hammond also claimed his Budget is designed to support, it may be time to do a few sums. Youll need to assess how the IR35 reforms will impact your own income. The reality is you will likely be expected to move into an umbrella company, so nows the time to start researching what is available and gauging their relevance to your business, as well as asking other contractors whos good.

Or can you make the reform work for you? Perhaps consider your own customer base and whether you could move away from larger employers. How feasible is it to work with smaller businesses instead? Could this sustain your business in the long term?

The extension of IR35 reform is an unwelcome change, and the delay for many will be seen as a distraction. After all, its still incoming in the next fiscal year. Only by preparing for the changes can you give your business its best chance of success because, unfortunately, theres currently little sign that the government will rest until its implemented.
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CORNWALL, Ontario  The Cornwall Community Police Service Criminal Investigation Division is requesting the publics assistance regarding an ongoing attempt murder investigation.

The incident occurred on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, shortly after 1:00 a.m., in the area of Edward St. (between Montreal Rd. and Lennox St.). (Please see media release for Oct. 29, 2018 for more details).

Police are asking anyone who may have information concerning this incident to contact Detective Cst. P. Huygen at (613) 933-5000 ext. 2785 or ext. 2404 to leave anonymous information.
Fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low and two former Goldman Sachs bankers were indicted in Brooklyn federal court for a money laundering scheme that involved bribing public officials, authorities announced Thursday.

The men were charged with conspiring to launder billions of dollars from 1 Malaysia Development Berhad, a strategic development fund set up for the benefit of the development of the country, and conspiring to bribe officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi, violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

The third person, the financier popularly known as Jho Low, remains at large.

One of the former Goldman bankers, Roger Ng, was arrested in Malaysia on Thursday and he or his lawyers are yet to issue a statement.

A spokesman for Goldman Sachs, which the indictment says raised about $6.5 billion through bond offerings for the fund, said the firm "continues to cooperate with all authorities investigating this matter".

An estimated $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB by high-level officials of the fund and their associates between 2009 and 2014, the U.S. Justice Department has alleged.

The 1MDB scandal has roiled politics in Malaysia, leading to criminal charges against former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Mr Low has previously denied charges filed in Malaysia, adding that it would be "impossible" for him to receive a fair trial there. It has previously denied any wrongdoing.

These are the first criminal charges brought in the case, and the indictment accuses the men of laundering dirty money through the USA financial system by purchasing luxury New York City real estate, artwork from an unnamed New York-based auction houses, and by funding unspecified major Hollywood productions.

The three-count indictment charges Low Taek Jho, who is also known as Jho Low, with misappropriating money from the state-owned fund and using it for bribes and kickbacks to foreign officials, to pay for luxury real estate, art and jewellery in the United States and to fund Hollywood movies, including The Wolf of Wall Street.

Goldman acted as the primary bond underwriter for the fund. Funds from 1MDB that were raised for development projects were used to pay for luxury real estate, art, lavish parties and more, United States investigators say.

Since the election, Malaysian authorities have brought 38 charges against Najib.

The other, Tim Leissner, has pleaded guilty to the charges and agreed to forfeit just under 44 million dollars.

Low's whereabouts aren't publicly known and Malaysia has sought Interpol's help to locate and arrest him.
Public libraries everywhere are a reflection of their communities. They design their programs, collections and services around the unique needs of the people they serve. For this to work well, libraries must listen to the people in their community to know what they want. Sometimes this is do
I have the unique privilege to visit the people of Thomazeau, Haiti on a regular basis. Thomazeau is one of the poorest regions in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. And yet, as I approach Thanksgiving each year, I ponder over all that Ive learned from my Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ.

Finding Joy In Small Things

One of my very best friends in Haiti is a middle-aged woman named Sofie. The very first day I met her, she was organizing a group of men to build a rock wall. She was doing this as a volunteer (not for pay), and she was carrying the rocks that most of the men couldnt lift. To say she is a strong woman is an understatement!

Sofie soon got a job working for LiveBeyond  the nonprofit I also work for. She managed a team of women to clean the house and do laundry for the resident missionaries. Her job could be considered by some to be tedious. She does the same things from week to week with little variation. But Sofie is full of the joy of the LORD. She takes pride in the work that she does. When I lived in Haiti, I loved to hear her sing as she went about her daily duties. I sometimes joined her. Sofie was not able to go to school as a child. Since I am a teacher by trade, she asked me to teach her to read and write. My favorite memory of Sofie was helping her sign the certificate of her baptism  the joy on her face expressed her gratitude far more than any words ever could.

When I feel myself wanting to complain and starting to feel ungrateful, I try to emulate Sofie. I sing the songs that she taught me, and I attempt to imitate her joyful and thankful attitude. I look to her as a spiritual mentor  a pillar of strength who finds much to appreciate even in a sometimes-difficult environment. And I know that the power that sustains her is the joy of the LORD.

Finding Joy In the Face of Hardship

One of my other good friends in Haiti took years to make the decision to accept Jesus as her savior. She seemed to really want to be a Christian, tears of repentance streaming down her face at nearly every church service  but we couldnt figure out why she hadnt committed yet. Rumors circulated that she was a local prostitute. Pretty regularly, one of us would ask her if she wanted to get baptized, and she always answered poko, poko meaning not yet, not yet.

The day finally came when she decided to be baptized. When people are baptized in Haiti, it is customary for them to share their testimony about how they came to Christ. As she began to give her testimony we learned that she was not just a regular, run-of-the-mill prostitute. She was a temple prostitute at the local voodoo peristyle. Her services were a regular part of the cult worship of spirits!

The day before, she told the man she was enslaved to at the peristyle that she was leaving the prostitution business, and leaving voodoo for good. He was outraged. He told her he would kill her. Her conversion to Christianity meant that he would be losing a major source of profit. And yet, as she stood before the church telling us about the sins of her past, there was a lightness in her eyes that wasnt there before  a relief at finally casting her burden onto Jesus shoulders and taking Him as her own.

Accepting Jesus was a mortal risk for her. But she was so grateful to be welcomed into the community of love and fellowship with her fellow Christians  even if that meant dying for her faith as soon as she left the church building. I still see this joy in her each time I go to Haiti. Thankfully, the voodoo priest decided to spare her. She sits near the front in our daily chapel services, and she sings and prays with all of her might. Her faith is real and powerful. I will never know the sacrifice that she made for her faith. When I start to feel that life is unfair because of some hardship I must face, I remind myself of the joy my Haitian friend exuded when she was facing the hardship of becoming a Christian.

Remembering the Gratitude of an Impoverished Woman

There is an elderly woman, Regina*, who lives in a remote village near the Haitian base for LiveBeyond. She and her family are very poor. She lives in a tiny hut that has often been ravaged by hurricanes and heavy rains. I think she has had to rebuild or significantly repair it at least 3 times in the few years that Ive known her. She lives with some of her children and grandchildren as well as her husband  a local voodoo priest. She is and has always been a very kind woman who welcomes anyone and everyone with LiveBeyond into her home  even as her husband runs for the hills to escape us!

One day, a few years before we had begun construction on our own hospital to serve the area, we were running a medical clinic out of an open-air pavilion. It was a particularly hectic day  we had families pushing and shoving for their place in line, and children sneaking their way past temporary barriers for the coveted piwili yo  lollipops.

About mid-afternoon  just when most of the volunteers were hitting the point of fatigue  a motorcycle came speeding up. Ever security conscious, my husband went over to investigate. The driver of the motorcycle looked very nervous, and a young woman sitting on the back was obviously pregnant and in enormous pain. We quickly sectioned off a portion of the pavilion with bed sheets, so that my father-in-law, Dr. David Vanderpool, a trauma surgeon by trade, could examine her. I assisted with the exam, and my mouth nearly fell to the floor with what I saw.

This poor mother was having a late-term miscarriage. I will spare you the details, but this miscarried baby was already unfortunately deceased and it was stuck. Without intervention, this mother would die with her child. Dr. Vanderpool and my husband jumped into action. They got the mother into the back seat of a truck and sped off towards the closest hospital  only a few miles distance, but a 2  hour drive on the rocky, unpaved roads. They were racing the clock for the mothers life.

When they made it to the nearest hospital in the town of Mirebalais, it was pouring down rain. Dr. Vanderpool had called his friends at that hospital on the drive, alerting them of the situation. They carried the woman on a military cot into the hospital where doctors were barely able to save her life. This incident only confirmed our plans to build a hospital on the LiveBeyond base with a fully-operational surgical and obstetrics ward. The woman stayed at the hospital overnight, so after checking on her one last time after surgery, Dr. Vanderpool and my husband David headed back home.

The next day we began clinic as usual. Early in the day, we noticed that Regina was at the clinic. My mother-in-law offered to see her for medical care but she politely declined. She sat there waiting patiently  but for what? All day long she waited, despite our constant barrage of questions. When we were finally packing up for the evening, Regina approached my in-laws. She didnt want money or medicine or a job or anything. She simply wanted to properly express her thanks for taking care of the young woman  who happened to be her daughter.

She knew that her grandchildren would be motherless if we hadnt been able to take her daughter to the hospital because her family didnt have the money to take her the whole way via tap-tap (taxi service). She knew that we had been able to offer something in that moment that she could never repay. So she did the one thing she knew she could do  she kindly and generously expressed her deepest thanks.

None of us wanted or even expected gratitude from anyone for what happened. Dr. Vanderpool was just doing what he was trained to do. But Reginas gesture meant more to all of us than we can express. I still think of that every time I see Reginaand every time I see her daughter with her children. Thankfully she has since delivered two healthy babies with no complications through our Maternal Health program. I am often reminded of Reginas efforts to express her gratitude, and it encourages me to make sure I tell others how much I appreciate them whenever I have the opportunity.

Seeing Gratitude Prompt Generosity

Hurricane Harvey ravaged through so much of south Texas, leaving destruction and terror in its wake. The loss of what people went through was tremendous. Im still wrapping my mind around what I saw in the weeks following the disaster. I was on demolition teams that tore moldy drywall from destroyed homes. And our hours of toil brought relief for just one family  out of millions affected by the hurricane.

Dr. Vanderpool and his wife Laurie shared what was happening back home in Texas with the Haitians gathered in church the following Sunday. They told them that some of the Americans who came down to Haiti to help in the medical clinic were among those affected. They asked the Haitian people in the church to pray for their friends in Houston. But the Haitians did something that they didnt expect.

They offered money. The people that work for LiveBeyond in Haiti raised over $1,000 to give to Hurricane Harvey relief. They gave out of their paychecks. They volunteered to work extra hours and donate that money to the cause. They even asked around their neighborhoods to see if anyone else wanted to send a donation. People from the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere voluntarily gave money to people in the richest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Just to give you some perspective: In Haiti, the minimum wage is set at approximately $3.13 per day (225 Haitian Gourdes). In the US, the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. $1000 is more than the average Haitian makes in a year. And yet many of them said that they wanted to give because they cared about the American friends who visited them on mission trips, and they remembered the overwhelmingly kind American response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that killed about 300,000 people.

Their gratitude became their generosity. The Haitian people have so much more to teach me about gratitude, and I am glad I have these stories to remind myself of when I start to feel an ungrateful attitude coming on. I am so thankful for every opportunity to share these experiences with others, and I pray it helps you to become more thankful and grateful for the blessings in your life, as well.

Devin Vanderpool is the Director of Communications for LiveBeyond, a non-profit humanitarian organization founded by David & Laurie Vanderpool in 2005 dedicated to providing clean water, medical care and adequate nutrition to the poorest of the poor. To learn more about how LiveBeyond is transforming lives in Thomazeau, Haiti, see http://livebeyond.org/blog/.

Photo credit: Thinkstock/La_Corivo
The Chinese cruise industry is working on initiatives to stabilize its business environment including negotiating pricing agreements, said Qiang Wu, co-chairman of the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association (CCYIA) and former president of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, speaking at China Cruise Shipping 13.

Wu said the market was temporarily in a transition and readjustment stage, which was necessary for future success.

Helen Huang, president Greater China for MSC Cruises, said the market was in a critical point in time.

She noted cruise lines responding to challenges in the market with varying strategies. For MSC Cruises, a gradual build up with see the Splendida stay for the 2019-2020 winter, offering new homeports, including Shenzhen. The new MSC Bellissima will enter the market in 2020.

Cherry Wang, vice president and general manager, China, Princess Cruises, said that after a decade of growth, cruise lines will now need to focus on quality over quantity, noting challenges with pricing.

Bernie Ye, vice president of sales and commercial for Costa China, also painted a picture of a readjustment period, and said other cruise lines in the market were not spending enough on advertising.

We have to advertise cruise as a lifestyle and spend time and effort building and differentiating our brands, said Ye.

When Chinese passengers leave the cruise vessels, they dont even know the ships name, he continued. We have to work on the branding of the vessel, and providing diversified choices.

He said Costa has been adjusting its sales model, but still relies mainly on travel agents in China.

Of note is an expanded effort to add more mixed itineraries.

Early next year the company will offer a round-trip China sailing over 53 nights in partnership with Caissa, a major tour operator.

Simon Zhang, senior vice president and head of sales for Genting Cruise Lines, said that Dream Cruises entered into the South China market when the Genting Dream debuted in 2016, avoiding the charter model.

We started without the charter model, Zhang said. Instead we involved more travel agencies and other players, accepting small bookings of three or five staterooms. By doing so we distributed the risk. Of course, this model involves a lot of work as we need to follow up with many travel agencies.

Tong Jiangfeng, chief port operation officer, Royal Caribbean International, said that Royal Caribbean aims to have 25 to 30 percent of its passengers in China sourced directly in 2019, up from 20 percent this year.

This year we did not have many charters and next year it will be zero, he said. We are working hard to acquire more distribution channels  the sales channels have to be diversified.

Jeff Bent, managing director, Worldwide Cruise Terminals, which runs Kai Tak in Hong Kong, said that he hoped cruise lines and ports would better work together in building offerings, including working with port cities of neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.
What services does your agency provide, and who generally does it serve? We're an organization that matches a mentor and mentee that get together one hour a week on school grounds. It's meant for the mentee to have a positive role model in their lives. Mentees are children from grades 3-12.
The cruise industry in South China is playing an increasingly important role for Costa Cruises, said Mario Zanetti, president of Costa Group Asia.

Zanetti was speaking at China Cruise Shipping 13 in Shenzhen, China, and pointed out that Costa had added new homeport options in 2017 in Xiamen and Guangzhou.

We know the potential is there, he said, noting that the industry was moving from a previous model of fast growth to a new environment of sustainable growth.

He said Chinas consumers were changing, and Costa was focusing on a consumer-centric product.

We must evolve from a supply-driven market to a consumer-centric market, he said.

New innovations include partnerships with leading international brands, as well as welcoming Chinese payment solutions onboard such as Alipay.

Other innovations let Costa receive feedback from guests in real-time onboard its ships through a mobile app.

A new 53-day, 15-country itinerary is on tap for the start of 2019 in partnership with Caissa, a major Chinese tour operator.

The new 4,132-guest Costa Venezia will debut in Shanghai in 2019, and a second newbuild, also designed for China, will follow her in 2020.

The two new ships represent our commitment and belief in the market, Zanetti added.

The Fortuna will head back to Europe in early 2019 as the Venezia takes her place.

In addition, the Serena and Atlantica remain in the Chinese cruise market on a year-round basis for the Italian brand.
If youre a green entrepreneur, chances are you have strong opinions on how marijuana should be classified under law. Now, you have a chance to make that opinion known, at least when it comes to international law.

The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has opened a small window of opportunity in the month of October for citizens to comment on whether marijuana should be reclassified under global treaties that the United States participates in. Comment can be made through the federal government site that allows for citizen comments on public policy issues. In this case, the issue is international drug rescheduling, which includes cannabis plant and resin, according to the FDA.

Comments were accepted through Oct. 31.

Related: What Will Happen if the U.S. Legalizes Pot Like Canada? A Mind-Boggling Economic Boon, That's What.

International Cannabis Law

The FDA is seeking public comments ahead of its report to the World Health Organization (WHO) on whether international restrictions should be placed on a variety of drugs, including cannabis. The U.S. report to WHO will address the abuse liability and diversion of these drugs.

In the U.S., marijuana currently is considered a Schedule I illegal drug, placing it among drugs such as heroin and cocaine. A Schedule I listing means the federal government regards a drug as having no medical use and a high probability of abuse by users.

More than half the U.S. states have passed legalization for either medical or adult-use marijuana that runs contrary to the federal government position. Internationally, both Canada and Uruguay have now legalized marijuana nationwide, while the Supreme Court of Mexico has ruled prohibition of marijuana use by adults is unconstitutional, opening the way for legalization there.

U.S. officials are making comments regarding marijuana and other drugs so that their opinions can be considered along with those from other nations by the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, which will meet in November in Geneva. The committee will review psychoactive substances on their potential to cause dependence, abuse and harm to health, according to the FDA.

That committee is charged with making recommendations to the United Nations secretary-general on the need for international control of these substances.

Related: Facebook and Google Are Not So High On Cannabis

Canada and Uruguay Blaze New Trail

Much like in the U.S., where voters in Colorado, Oregon and Washington, among other states, have made their own decision on the legalization of marijuana, both Canada and Uruguay have legalized adult-use marijuana nationwide. No directive from the U.N. is likely to change that fact.

Mexico also has legalized medical marijuana nationwide. Columbia has done the same. In both countries, part of the argument for legalization rested on the idea that a legal, regulated market could cripple the drug cartels that operate in those countries. Chile and Iceland also are considering legalization.

Related: Italy Accidentally Legalized Pot and Now the Mafia Is Losing Big Money

WHO already has acknowledged the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis. Information on the WHO website lists benefits including effectiveness in lessening nausea and vomiting for those in the advanced stages of cancer and AIDS. Other conditions WHO lists as treatable by marijuana include asthma and glaucoma.

Follow dispensaries.com on Instagram to stay up to date on the latest cannabis news.

Related:

FDA Welcomes Public Comments on Marijuana

Dear Cannabis Entrepreneurs: Enjoy Ruling Your Small Pond While You Can

What Will Happen if the U.S. Legalizes Pot Like Canada? A Mind-Boggling Economic Boon, That's What.



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NORWALK  Each year on Halloween, Rich Young has a goal: to scare people, just a little, but not so much it terrifies them.

For 13 years, hes hosted a community haunted house, an idea that formed while renovating his previous home on Gregory Boulevard. When his family outgrew the house and moved into to their current residence, 38 Toilsome Road, in 2001, he decided to keep up the October tradition.

Young said it took him and his family 10 hours to prepare for this years act. Every year, he takes the day off on Halloween  and tries to stay within a budget of under $300.

I try to scare people on a budget, Young said on Wednesday, wearing a hillbilly costume. I like to scare my kids. Thats how I keep them in line.

His kids were among the eight people on Wednesday who helped turn his 1963 raised ranch into a spooky setup.

They put up strobe lights, fog machines and possessed animatronics. They bought candy, helped each other get dressed and came up with creative ways to scare people. One of his helpers sat in front of a door that led into the backyard, offering candy to children and parents who filed past.

Rich Youngs wife, Kathie, said she takes her mask off for younger children. She and others will alert those running the event when younger children come in.

But when we get the older ones, we try to really scare them, Rich Young said.

As excited as the Youngs get for Halloween each year, October is memorable for them for another reason: They got married on Oct. 27, 2001.

If Halloween had been on a Saturday that year, (Rich) wouldve wanted to have a costume wedding, Kathie Young said.

For much of their marriage, Rich Young organized the haunted house on his own, but as time has passed, the event grew, but luckily, so have his helpers. Rich, his wife, their children, and family friends have continued to show up each year. Their goal has always remained the same: to give the community a good scare.

This years theme was wolf inspired. The Youngs are considering a future clown theme for next year and, in the past, have set up a pretend insane asylum.

The haunted house is a big part of the homes history, said Rich Young, but there are other non-Halloween-related aspects he is also proud to show off.

Rich Young said he insulated the homes single floor and gutted the kitchen in 2013. The ranch also boasts four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a raised basement, a fireplace and a basement garage  coming in at 1,400 square feet.
When it comes to credit union website design, there are a lot of questions. Whats the best way to promote things on the website? How can you make the site ADA compliant? Should you put up pictures of Selena Gomez, in hopes of attracting more millenials?

Heres another one that always stirs debate: Should you put the online banking login front and center on your homepage? Or, should you hide it behind a login button? If youve ever completed or considered a site redesign, this question probably came up.

A front-and-center login (with name and password fields) provides seamlessly convenience to your regular members, which make up about 60-70% of your website traffic. On the other hand, the login is irrelevant to nonmembers. Attracting new members is important to the growth of your credit union and the full login takes up space you could use to establish your brand, sign up new members, and boost your websites ROI.

With a traditional approach to credit union website design, you have to pick your poison: you can place the full login straight on your homepage, or not. But with new technology, you can have the best of both worlds.

Thanks to personalization technology, you have the option of showing different versions of your homepage to different people.

What is personalization?

Personalization is two things, a concept, and the technology to implement that concept. Its also a powerful marketing tool, with results that have been proven again and again.

If youre in marketing, you probably know the concept of personas. A persona is a fictional person with traits that are meant to represent a larger group of people that you want to market to. For example, a fast food restaurant might have these personas, based on their customer data.

Family buyer: mom with kids, comes about once a week, orders several items, but all low priced

Dedicated commuter: orders the same sandwich for breakfast, every single work day

Late-night student studier: Orders a big ticket, high calorie item, every once in a while, always on the weekends

These personas can help the restaurant make valuable marketing decisions. On a website, personalization technology enables you to implement the concept at another level. Rather than trying to target every persona you have with a single homepage, you can show multiple versions of the homepage, depending on the visitor. The technology tracks the initial behavior of the website user to determine which version to show them. Lets say, for instance, your credit union website visitors include these three personas:

Prospective auto-loanee: someone who has searched auto loans or visited your auto loans page

Online banking user: a website user who goes straight to your online banking login

First time site visitor

In this case, an Online banking user would definitely find it convenient to have the login straight on the homepage of your credit union website design. If thats the number one reason they use your site, then you can deliver them a great experience by minimizing the effort required to login.

You can take this to another level by customizing other chunks of content on your homepage. For example, you could show a visitor who has previously visited the auto loans page content related to auto loans, such as blog posts and product promotions. A prospective home buyer could see content related to mortgages right on the homepage.

This type of personalization is incredibly effective, and could significantly drive up the number of applications you receive for loans and deposits. In an A/B test with HFSFCU.org, we found that personalization led to a 31% increase in visitors taking action. Furthermore, according to Marketo, 79% of consumers report they are only likely to engage with an offer if it has been personalized to reflect previous interactions with the brand.

Personalization in action

At BloomCU, we call our personalization technology Persona (we like to keep things straightforward). Below is an example of it in action, on the Diamond-Award-winning site we designed for Kelly Community FCU. The first time you visit the page, the prompt for online banking is only a small Login button in the upper right corner:

However, if you click that button, the next time you visit Kelly Communitys homepage, youll see a different experience thats designed for login-ers (thats our very technical term for people that login to online banking):

Personalization just makes senseand it increases engagement. Thats why we believe its part of a bright future for credit union website design.

Interested in more ways to improve your credit union website design? Start with a solid foundation by downloading our strategy guide.
STORY LINK Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) Exchange Rate Fluctuates amid Positive Trade Headlines

Australian Dollar (AUD) Exchange Rates Bolstered by Trump Trade Remarks

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Steady Following Construction PMI

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Forecast: RBA To Strike More Upbeat Tone in Light of Trade Optimism?

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The Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate traded in a wide range on Friday as markets react to reports the US and China may be close to resolving their trade dispute.The Australian Dollar (AUD) leapt higher during the Asian session on Friday as the risk-sensitive currency strengthened amid reports US President Donald Trump had asked his cabinet to draft a possible trade agreement with China.According to Bloomberg, Trump is hopeful that a trade agreement can be reached with China at the G20 summit of nations in Argentina later this month.The report came hot on the heels of a tweet from Trump in which he spoke of a long and good phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping with an emphasis on Trade.This led to investors shunning safe-haven currencies such as the US Dollar (USD) and flocking to riskier currencies, particularly the trade sensitive Aussie.However the Australian Dollar began to relinquish some of these gains with the start of the American trading session following the release of the latest US labour figures.The US Bureau of Labour Statistics reported that US non-farm payrolls leapt from 118,000 to 246,000 in October, blasting past forecast of a more modest rise of 183,000 and helping US unemployment hold at a 49-year low.This resulted in the US Dollar recouping some ground on Friday afternoon, prompting risk-appetite to ease and prompting the Australian Dollar to slip back.Meanwhile Following Thursdays surge, trade in the Pound (GBP) was more subdued at the end of the week following the release of the UKs latest construction PMI.According to data published by IHS Markit, the UK saw a jump in construction activity last month, with Octobers index rising from 52.1 to 53.2, beating forecasts of a modest slide to 52.0.However while the headline numbers beat expectations analysts warned that some weak fundamental point to a possible contraction in the months to come.Duncan Brock, Group Director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said:Optimism was at its lowest level for six years, as the sector remained stifled by client hesitation, fears about the health of the UK economy and continued Brexit uncertainty, resulting in slower growth of new orders and purchasing.These results point to the sector getting stuck in the mud as we approach March 2019, and with ongoing supplier delays and stock shortages, the sector may not be able to respond quickly enough anyway should there by a sudden upturn in fortunes.Looking ahead to next week, movement in the Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate through the first half of the session looks set to be dominated by the Reserve Bank of Australias (RBA) latest rate decision.No policy changes are expected form the bank this month but the meeting may still result in the Aussie opening the week on strong footing if the bank is willing to strike a more hawkish tone as in light of a more stable trade outlook.Meanwhile the release of the UKs latest Services PMI might give Sterling a slight boost at the start of the session in activity in the UK largest wealth generating sector ticked higher in October as expected.However the main catalyst for the Pound next week looks set to be the release of the UKs third quarter GDP figures in the tail end of the session.This may ultimately see the GBP/AUD exchange rate accelerate next week, if the jump in consumer spending over the summer is reflected in stronger economic growth in the third quarter.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

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The Pentagon Prepares A Cyber-Attack On Russia

US military hackers have been given the go-ahead to gain access to Russian cyber systems as part of potential retaliation for any meddling in Americas elections.

The US intelligence community and the Pentagon have quietly agreed on the outlines of an offensive cyber-attack that the United States would unleash if Russia electronically interferes with the 2018 midterm election on Nov. 6, according to current and former senior US officials who are familiar with the plan.

In preparation for its potential use, US military hackers have been given the go-ahead to gain access to Russian cyber systems that they feel is needed to let the plan unfold quickly, the officials said.

The effort constitutes one of the first major cyber battle plans organised under a new government policy enabling potential offensive operations to proceed more quickly once the parameters have been worked out in advance and agreed among key agencies.

While US national security officials have so far reported only intermittent efforts by Russian sources to compromise political organisations and campaigns, they have been worried, in the aftermath of Russias digital contact with US election systems in 2016, that Moscow might unleash more aggressive interference in the hours before voting begins, while the polls are open, or when the votes are being tabulated.

The existence of such a plan means that America is more fully integrating offensive cyber-attacks into its overall military planning systems, a move likely to make cyber combat more likely and eventually more commonplace, sometimes without first gaining specific presidential approval. Cyber-attacks are now on a more obvious path, in short, to becoming a regular currency of warfare.

The plan for retaliation against Russia is one of the first to be organised since President Donald Trump signed an executive order in August that simplifies and shortens the review for such operations.

It has the effect, according to those familiar with the process, of giving the Pentagon additional prerogatives to prepare for strikes. It also pre-emptively addresses traditional intelligence community concerns that cyber-attacks will compromise ongoing or future intelligence-gathering by exposing US data collection operations.

The officials declined to provide details about what the United States will do in response to Russian interference in the election.

But administration officials have made clear that the trigger for a broader response would have to be something more than malign influence ... trying to sway peoples opinion or the way people might vote, as a senior administration official put it on a call with reporters on October 31 organized by the White House. This is something that has happened since the dawn of the Republic.

Social media influence operations, widely used by Russia in 2016 and again over the past two years, were the focus of an indictment by the Justice Department of Russian national Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova unveiled October 19, in which she was charged with conspiring with others against the United States.

The senior official clarified that it would be direct interference, efforts to tamper with voting registration and recording votes, that would bring swift and severe action. The reason, the official said, is that fundamentally wrecks the natural process that we have established in this country. That official didnt describe what the US action would be.

In 2016 Russian hackers tried to break into the election systems of at least 21 states, although some were not notified by Washington until September 2017. In at least one state, Illinois, Russian hackers managed to gain access to voter registration data, although state officials said that none of the information was altered. Several other state systems were rumored to have been breached, although none have publicly confirmed it.

Officials say the new Trump cyber operations order, National Security Presidential Memorandum 13 (NSPM 13), is designed to allow Defense Secretary James Mattis and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to approve retaliatory strikes without the approval of others in the government, and in certain cases without White House approval.

It replaces an Obama-era executive order that required more extensive review before cyber weapons could be used offensively, called Presidential Policy Directive 20 (PPD 20). That order was classified but became public when former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked it in 2013, as part of a broader effort by him to expose the scale of American cyber spying.

One of the key, unpublicised consequences of the new directive is that military planners can prepare for cyber strikes, as called for in interagency agreements in advance, by gaining access to the computer systems of potential targets well before any order has been given to attack, or even before a foreign attack has occurred, the officials said.

That access is meant to pave the way for deploying and detonating malware  packages of compromising computer instructions, swiftly inside foreign networks and servers, when a decision is made to proceed.

According to the officials accounts, military planners in the past were sometimes held back by the intelligence community from hacking into foreign networks for fear of compromising access that spies considered useful for collecting information, particularly when it was uncertain whether any offensive operation would eventually be approved.

With only a small number of skilled military hackers available, they were also hesitant to invest time in gaining access to systems not explicitly part of an approved strike.

Obamas order allowed for emergency defensive actions by the heads of US agencies, but required a much more protracted process for the premeditated deployment of cyber weapons. Major attacks had to be directly approved by the president, while other smaller operations required the sign-off of three committees including a policy coordination committee, the National Security Councils Deputies Committee and the Principals Committee, which military officials complained included agencies without a direct connection to the issues associated with cyber-attacks.

The Department of Defense (DoD) would get frustrated when Transportation, or another agency would weigh in on things they wanted to do, a former national security official who worked for both Democratic and Republican presidents said. If DoD wanted to have access and be ready, they were hamstrung.

One of the US officials used an analogy to describe the new approach: Spy agencies, the official said, sometimes try to place an agent in a service position at a facility run by an adversary. That agents assignment would be to learn access codes, map the facility and conduct wide surveillance of its operations, copy sets of keys, and perhaps unlock doors. That information and access would allow the intelligence agency, in theory, to sneak a bomb into the facility when it wants to.

This is what the military is now authorized to do after an interagency agreement has been reached that a particular major threat exists that might warrant a swift and effective cyber response, the officials said. It essentially is meant to ensure that US cyber warriors can quickly drop off weapons when needed. You dont need to pre-position something if you have the right access, said one of the officials.

While some officials and cyber experts have said that certain offensive cyber operations risk violating international law, because of the possibility they might cause collateral damage and harm civilians outside target networks, government lawyers have approved the new approach after deciding that letting the military hack into a foreign system is not an act of war, so long as a cyber weapon hasnt yet been emplaced and the specific system being targeted isnt actually destroyed.

While declining to discuss specifics about the new directive or any potential cyber operations, Grant Schneider, a senior director for cybersecurity at the National Security Council, said in an interview after an appearance at a public event that advance military planning would help speed up cyber responses. It allows for agencies to start making plans sooner, start identifying potential targets sooner, and start being able to have impacts sooner, he said.

NSPM 13, which remains classified, was the backbone of Trumps new National Cyber Strategy, a mostly unclassified public document which was released in September.

That strategy was rolled out with descriptions from National Security Advisor John Bolton of a more aggressive use of cyber weapons, consistent with his general foreign policy stance since taking the job in April. At that time officials declined to provide any specifics on how the new policy would make cyber response faster, or cut down on red tape, but claimed it would do both.

During a press conference on September 20 to roll out the new cyber strategy, Bolton said that for any nation that's taking cyber activity against the United States, they should expect, and this is part of creating structures of deterrence, so that it's publicly known as well, we will respond offensively as well as defensively. During a speech on Oct. 31, he said the United States was right now undertaking offensive cyber operations to safeguard the election, without detailing what those are.

According to sources, the new executive order, NSPM 13, is designed around the idea of pre-approved Concepts of Operations, one of the first of which is the plan to act against Russia if key red lines are crossed. The concepts set the types of targets and the boundaries for types of action through coordination between agencies.

It doesnt require a full meeting of cabinet officials and can exclude some of the decision makers who were part of the PPD 20 process. Most of the coordination will take place between the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Pentagon, and the Department of Homeland Security, according to sources.

The concept is that you would approve a category of activities against a defined adversary, that would be pre-approved by the appropriate people, within some left-and-right bounds, one of the officials said. Once a concept is approved, an agency can scout a target and gain access, and sometimes might go ahead and take action with limited notice to other coordinating agencies.

While several Obama-era officials said that the new approach sounded like a step in the right direction, others cautioned that a procedure providing earlier approval with fewer consulting officials could mean that larger concerns about an offensive cyber operation wont be heard.

Were in a really deep deterrence hole to Russia right now. The costs we have imposed have been flea bites, and so were not affecting Russias calculus, Michele Flournoy, a former Pentagon policy chief and co-founder of the Center for a New American Security think tank, said in an interview.

They arent feeling very threatened. But she added that where I would be concerned is if authorities [for offensive operations] were delegated down to a low level, and it was absent a larger strategy.

A former senior official who served in the Trump White House separately expressed concerns that the military might not understand that cyber weapons are only one of many tools available for responding to a cyber-attack. They have to have some understanding that we dont just build tools to wreak havoc, the official said.

Chris Painter, who served as the top US cyber diplomat at the State Department from 2011 to 2017, said the Obama administration deliberately sought extensive interagency consultation to make sure that we were considering all the different policy aspects. But he agrees that the procedures could have been streamlined.

Schneider, the NSC official, said that the perception was that PPD 20 slowed down the potential use of cyber weapons. The old process, in PPD 20, whether it was in reality or in lore, was that everything was going to have to go to the presidents desk in order to do anything. And getting on the presidents desk is a challenge, and so that sapped time away from what they wanted, he said.

But the biggest fights, according to several former officials, came between intelligence leaders trying to protect streams of information coming from adversarys networks and military leaders looking to strike.

In practice, whenever we came up with a scenario where we wanted to take action, they [intelligence officials] spent most of their time arguing that any action could harm their access, one of the former national security officials said.

Asked about protection against Russian election meddling during the rollout of the new cyber strategy, Bolton pointed to the new executive order as helping unleash US capability. It's one of the reasons why our decision to reverse this PPD 20 from the Obama administration on offensive cyber actions, we think, is so important, Bolton said. Our hands are not tied as they were in the Obama administration.

Heres how the process works: Military planners and cyber experts from the civilian intelligence agencies start by finding weaknesses in software security as part of something called the Vulnerabilities Equities Process. Its general outlines were disclosed in late 2017, when public documents stated that government hackers tell software makers about roughly 90 percent of the vulnerabilities they find while testing nearly every widely used piece of software. A former official familiar with the program confirmed that figure, noting that there is some monthly fluctuation, and saying that many of the public security fixes included in operating system updates are actually first uncovered by government hackers.

The 10 percent we keep is for our national security purposes, a former White House official said. We keep them for a reason.

The military and intelligence agencies then deploy those vulnerabilities whenever they need to break into systems. The public got a hint of the types of inroads government hackers can make when some pathways stockpiled by the National Security Agency were collected by a group calling itself the Shadow Brokers, which released them publicly beginning in 2016.

One of those vulnerabilities served as the backbone of the WannaCry attack, which the Trump administration publicly blamed on North Korean hackers, and which eventually spread to 300,000 computers in 150 countries in 2017.

US officials have never publicly claimed responsibility for the use of cyber weapons, although reports have tied US government hackers to disruption of North Korea and Irans nuclear programs.

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Back in May, a delegation of 50 monks handed Pope Francis the translations of a Buddhist sacred text. For Fr Daniele Mazza, PIME missionary, Dialogue is thus made concrete by the encounter.

Bangkok (AsiaNews)  A delegation from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) will visit Bangkok, Thailand to take part in a ceremony on 9 November to mark the 230th anniversary of the Royal Temple of Chetupon (Wat Pho).

PCID secretary Mgr Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot and Mgr Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku, PCID undersecretary with responsibility for Buddhism, accepted the invitation of the Venerable Phra Thepweeraporn, abbot of Wat Phra Chetupon.

The Holy See delegation will be joined by Mgr Paul Tschang In-Nam, apostolic nuncio to Thailand and Myanmar, Fr Dario Pavisa, secretary of the nunciature in Bangkok, as well as several members of the local Church.

One of the latter will be Fr Daniele Mazza, a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) who has dedicated his mission in Thailand to interreligious dialogue.

Parish priest at Mary Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Nonthaburi, 25km north of Bangkok, he is the first missionary to have obtained a Master's Degree in Buddhism from the prestigious Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya (MCU) University, a point of reference for the training of Buddhist clerics in the Theravada and Mahayana tradition.

On 16 May, Fr Mazza guided a delegation of 50 Buddhist monks in the Vatican, including the Venerable Phra Rajaratanasunthon, representative of the patriarch, and some scholars of the temple of Chetupon. During a private audience with Pope Francis, they gave the Holy father the translations in Thai and Pali of the Phra Malai, an ancient sacred Buddhist text that King Rama VII gave to Pius XI in 1934.

"The tome has been kept in the Vatican Museums for years until the administration asked the Thai Church to find someone able to translate it, Fr Mazza said. The Venerable Prof Phra Rajapariyattimuni, deputy abbot of the temple of Chetupon and dean of the Faculty of Buddhism of MCU, as well as my professor, took on the job. Whilst some Thai universities asked for a fee, he decided to work for free. He set up an ad hoc commission and completed the assignment.

The official return of the text to Pope Francis, which took place last May, was highly significant because it was a reminder of the visit of the Venerable Somdej Phra Wanaratana to Paul VI in 1972, the first time a Buddhist delegation visited the Vatican. At the time of that meeting, the monk was still abbot of Chetupon, but he later became patriarch."

According to Fr Mazza, the invitation of the temple authorities "renews the deep relations between Thai Buddhism and the Vatican". At the media level, the announcement of the next meeting between the Vatican delegation and the religious authorities of Chetupon has had received great coverage.

In Thailand, national newspapers and media talked about it. People are very happy and proud of the precious help Buddhist monks provided for the translation of the sacred text, the missionary noted.

"Informed by Mgr Guixot, Pope Francis expressed great joy for this initiative, which is an important opportunity for dialogue. I am convinced that every time one experiences such moments of openness, it is possible to go beyond bias or hearsay. Dialogue is thus made concrete by the encounter between people and is no longer limited to abstract ideas."
The threats to use surface to air missiles against civilian aircrafts by the Polisario puts the Algerian-backed separatist front in the same rank as ISIS and Al Qaeda, said Moroccos representative to the UN, Ambassador Omar Hilale.

If the Polisario carries out such an action it will move from a band of armed separatists into a terrorist group similar to ISIS and Al Qaeda, said Hilale at a press conference after the adoption by the UN Security Council of Resolution 2440 extending the mandate of the UN mission in the Sahara, MINURSO, for six months.

He threatened of a Moroccan firm response in case the Polisario ventures to take such a suicidal attempt using the weapons it has acquired in connivance with its mentor, host and protector Algeria.

Resolution 2440 rebukes the Polisario for its destabilizing actions east of the Morocco-built security wall, such provocations have been described by the UN Security Council as unconducive to the relaunch of the negotiation process.

The resolution stressed the need for Algeria to take part in the direct talks in December in Geneva in which other parties to the Sahara conflict will take part.
Local Problems, Global Tech Photo: BeatBots

In a special-needs primary school in Qatars capital, Doha, a 3-year-old girl on the autism spectrum has a new friend called Keepon. The bond has been five months in the making, since, like many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Ghalia is wary of strangers. Keepon has been patient with Ghalia, weathering tantrums when they were first getting to know each other and not taking it personally when she wouldnt make eye contact at first. Now, its clear Ghalia is fond of her new friend: She tops Keepons head with a knit cap and offers a kiss. The fact that Keepon doesnt have a mouth or eyebrows doesnt deter Ghalia. Its actually by design. Keepon, yellow, snowman-shaped, and engineered by Hideki Kozima in Japan, is one of almost two dozen socially assistive robots deployed into Dohas classrooms to help autistic children engage, interact, and learn. For the past five years, bio-roboticist Dr. John-John Cabibihan and colleagues at Qatar University have been at the forefront of developing culturally sensitive robotics for the Middle Easts growing autism population.

Cabibihan points to the rising rates of autism across the globe as the driver for his work. About 1.1 percent of children in Qatar are estimated to have ASD. Though theres tremendous variability case to case, autistic children generally struggle with social cues and interpreting facial expressions. They may be resistant to holding eye contact and become easily frustrated. Their sensitivities can become disruptive to their education. Social robots, he believes  and research supports  can help.

The goal is to get the autistic child to engage, interact, imitate, and play. That might be as simple as meeting a robots eyes, or mirroring a movement the robot performs. Since the robot is less complex in its appearance, nonverbal behavior, and movements than a human, the child is attracted to it. Then, that can be an entry point for the therapist to introduce the behavior she wants the child to learn, says Cabibihan, who leads the universitys program in Doha. Autistic children respond better to technical toys than simple ones, and Cabibihans work takes those findings a step further: His robots act as tools or mediators between the teacher and the child, helping them meet in the middle and communicate in a language one another can understand.

Hifza Javed, an engineer who worked with Cabibihan on dispatching the robots to special-needs classrooms in Doha, says that their robots bypass a sort of neurological traffic jam. As humans, when we communicate with each other, we tend to use multiple channels of communication simultaneously,  raised eyebrows, gesturing hands, a vocal emphasis on a specific syllable meant to convey sarcasm. This complex communication is often overstimulating for children. This is exactly where social robots can be instrumental: They are small-size and friendly, and they communicate simply with uncomplicated words and easy-to-interpret instructions.

The robots, which are usually about the same size as the children, lack facial features like eyebrows and mobile cheekbones, which make their signaling and instructions more approachable and straightforward to those on the autism spectrum. The children tend to form quick bonds with the robots and treat them as their social peers. This is the basis of social robots as intervention tools, says Javed.

So what does this look like? Since many autistic children experience oral hypersensitivity, Cabibihan and Javed programmed Nao, a humanoid robot, to lift a toothbrush and brush its teeth, while delivering encouraging instructions for children to do the same. With Keepon, Ghalia mimicked the robots dancing movements, which required her to watch and follow instructions. A robot might be programmed to kick a ball, and a child must wait his turn among a group of peers to kick it back. All of these illustrate important behavioral and educational milestones for autistic children.

While Cabibihans work is not singular (similar research initiatives are underway in the U.K., at Yale, and in Luxembourg), there is a need for cultural sensitivity, even when it comes to robotics. We are all getting similar results regarding robotics benefits as a therapeutic intervention for ASD, he says. However, language and different cultures must be considered. Robots must be accessible to children who do not speak English but speak Arabic, for example.

Then, theres what he calls the form factor. For some who may not be familiar with the Middle East, they might introduce pigs or dogs  something that has religious or cultural implications for the region, he says. That can get you into hot water. To address this issue, Javed programmed the tooth-brushing robot to perform a traditional Arab dance, clothed in a thob and headgear, while holding a sword. It went over so well that researchers want to use the robot in further imitation exercises.

Robotics as a meaningful intervention for autism has progressed within the last decade, but is not widely available. With the exception of Keepon, which retails for $100, the cost is exorbitant: The tooth-brushing, sword-dancing humanoid Nao costs $7,990 and furry seal Paro is $6,400. Its something that Dr. Uvais Qidwai, a colleague of Cabibihans at Qatar University specializing in robotic teaching toys, is mindful of. One of my students once commented on my work, Does this mean that your solutions will be available only for the rich ones? and ever since, I have been trying to make robotic solutions that are lower in cost, so parents can afford them. A bright spot is that since this technology is new, we can make discoveries every day, says Cabibihan.

He envisions a future where his assistive technology can help autistic people live independent lives by making everyday tasks more accessible, such as navigating public transportation and withdrawing money from ATMs. We want children to get integrated into society. However, the discoveries go both ways: Qidwai and Cabibihan express implicit support for a neurodiversity perspective, wherein autism is considered just one of the many normal ways human brains can be wired. Having autism is not bad. We can help them introduce their world to others, and at the same time, they give insights as to whats possible for innovation, says Cabibihan.

Perhaps the most futuristic element of this research is the hope the researchers feel, and in turn, witness in the therapists, parents, and students. In one session, there was one child, [whose] teachers were very skeptical that he would cooperate in the activity, remembered Qidwai. The boy wasnt listening and was walking around, flapping his hands in a self-stimulating behavior common among people on the spectrum. As soon as the teacher turned the robot on and it made a yawning sound for waking up, the childs eyes were glued to it. The boy played with the robot for half an hour without assistance, hugged it, and greeted it in a traditional style where two people touch their foreheads together as a sign of love and respect.

Qidwai was watching with the boys teachers over closed circuit in a different room. When I looked at them, they had tears in their eyes! They said that it usually takes them 20 minutes to get the student to his desk. We decided to leave that robot at the school. Of his work, Cabibihan mused: One thing I have observed, learning about robots, is that the more you try to learn about them, the more you learn about humans.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Hifza Javeds degree status. At this time, she is pursuing her Ph.D., but has not yet received it.
Suzy Lamplugh disappeared on a Monday afternoon in July 1986 - no trace of her was ever found

You have to wonder sometimes how people cope with the rotten lot that life throws at them.

Suzy Lamplugh's family have endured three decades of grief, of confronting the terrible unknown, of staring into the endless abyss that was once the vibrant life of their sister and daughter. And there is still no closure for them.

Not a trace of Suzy has ever been found since she vanished on a Monday afternoon in July 1986.

Eight years later, she was officially declared dead, presumed murdered. A body has never been found.

And now, 32 years after going off for her fateful meeting with Mr Kipper, poor, doomed Suzy is back in the spotlight.

This week, police have been searching the grounds of a West Midlands home once owned by prime suspect John Cannan's mother. Now behind bars for rape and murder, he has always denied any involvement in this case.

No news yet from the police, but one desperately hopes this fresh investigation will bring a scrap of comfort for her blighted family.

Estate agent Suzy was 25 at the time and her disappearance has always had a powerful resonance for women like me, who were around the same age when she went missing.

I remember that summer so well  a blameless time when Prince Andrew had just married fresh-as- a-daisy Fergie, Madonna was at the top of the charts and Britain was booming.

Suzy was snatched in broad daylight, on a street not far from where I lived, in the middle of one of the safest cities in the world. If it could happen to her, it could happen to anyone.

John Cannan (left) told his girlfriend Gilly that Suzy Lamplugh (right), the woman police believe he murdered, was strangled and buried in concrete

Her vanishing marked the end of an age of innocence, at a time when ambitious career girls just like her were making their way into male-dominated professions in large numbers.

She was doing a job that didn't seem to have any particular safety concerns  back then, it wouldn't have crossed her mind that she needed an escort or an alarm, or to be super-vigilant.

There she was, without a care in the world, bombing around London in her Ford Fiesta, living a life of independence and fun. Things changed after she disappeared. We all became more safety-conscious at work, always leaving a forwarding address, making sure that someone knew where you were at all times.

Most men do not have to bother with these kinds of safeguards and it was certainly the first time many of us had to confront the issue.

That is perhaps one reason why the case is so memorable.

Young working women had to start taking responsibility for themselves and acknowledge that they could never be totally carefree, especially if their job involved lone working practices.

Suzy was snatched in broad daylight, on a street not far from where I lived, in the middle of one of the safest cities in the world. If it could happen to her, it could happen to anyone

This is not a concept popular with feminists, then or now, because it encourages women to moderate their own behaviour and to take responsibility for their personal safety, instead of merely blaming some men for being psychopaths in the first place.

Suzy's parents, to their enormous credit, somehow managed to quench their grief to launch the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. They couldn't keep their own daughter safe, but they wanted to make sure that other daughters had more than a fighting chance of survival.

Over the years, their charity has helped to raise safety awareness for women, fought to criminalise stalking and insist upon licensing for mini-cab drivers.

Has all of this made the country a safer place for us? Let's hope so.

Young working women had to start taking responsibility for themselves and acknowledge that they could never be totally carefree, especially if their job involved lone working practices

However, a male friend recently made an appointment to view a property at the edge of a village in a remote part of Cornwall.

He turned up alone, to be met by a female estate agent who showed him around the two-bedroom, detached home.

The only personal detail he gave before this meeting was his mobile phone number.

The company didn't insist on an email but, even if they had, what good could that have done?

Perhaps the woman had a rape alarm or a lone worker device concealed about her person, or maybe she was skilled in self-defence techniques. Still, it was worrying to note that the practice of sending a lone woman to meet a complete stranger in an empty building is flourishing  gender laws probably make sure of that.

But where is the victory for feminism in a young woman's body lying in an unmarked grave?

Suzy's brother told Sky News of his hopes that the dig would uncover her remains because, at last, they could 'bury her where we choose to bury her, rather than where someone else chose to bury her'.

The simple humility and dignity of that tiny hope is truly heartbreaking. Especially when one considers that Suzy's parents both went to their graves without discovering what happened to their daughter.

All of the Lamplughs had to learn, over the years, how to curb their dreams of a happy ending.

And all they want now is to give their long-gone girl a decent burial at last. Let's hope their last wish comes true.

n John Cannan, the man who is suspected of murdering Suzy, is now 64, and has been behind bars for 30 years.

A relative has said he will not give up his secrets until his mother dies. Apparently, he fears upsetting his 96-year-old mother, Sheila. She used to visit him in prison every week of her life, until she became a prisoner  of advanced dementia.

Despite her motherly devotion, admirable in the circumstances, surely she can have few tears left to shed for her wicked son?

After all, he has a history of sexual violence and is behind bars after being found guilty of murder, rape and attempted kidnapping.

Yet her story is a reminder that every tragedy has multiple victims and that the ripples which spread out from a vortex of evil can capsize all involved.

Glitter for the girls? Pull the other one...

Well, that's my Christmas party outfit sorted courtesy of J.Lo (pictured).

Don't you just love her outrageous pair of glitter curtains, which look as if they were nicked from the panto hamper backstage at the London Palladium?

Who else but Jenny From The Block (of vintage cheddar) would dare to wear such a cheesy outfit?

Jennifer Lopez, 49, caused a stir with this look. Jan Moir asks: Don't you just love her outrageous pair of glitter curtains, which look as if they were nicked from the panto hamper backstage at the London Palladium?

J.Lo, 49, is leading the way in festive outrage for 2018 but, over the years, this diva's dedication to the outre and the outrageous has been second to none.

She has stunned in see-through palm print and she has enthralled with her passion for luxe trimmings, ensuring that no ostrich ever died in vain.

For her accompanying interview in InStyle magazine, J.Lo expounded on feminism: 'It has taken time, but I think we're in a very powerful moment.'

Recently, the mother of twins sobbed on U.S. TV that she was 'just trying to make the world a better place for my kids'. Pull yourself together, girl.

For her accompanying interview in InStyle magazine, J.Lo expounded on feminism: 'It has taken time, but I think we're in a very powerful moment.'

Not the bedroom, mom

Still suffering from Bodyguard withdrawal symptoms? Take heart from the fact Jed Mercurio's recent hit television series is being shown in the U.S., where it is going down a storm.

Of course, everyone is madly in love with Richard Madden, the handsome actor who plays the role of protection officer David Budd (above, with Keeley Hawes as Julia Montague), in case you'd forgotten, but I know you haven't.

However, his Scottish accent is causing a few problems. Some American reviewers call it 'melting'.

Others think he is Keeley Hawes's son, as he keeps calling her 'mom'. Which is what 'ma'am' sounds like to American ears once it's been through a Glasgow hot rinse. Oh, mother. Wait until they get to the bedroom scenes.

Bodyguard is a hit in the US but some think Richard Madden plays Keeley Hawes's son, as he keeps calling her 'mom'. Which is what 'ma'am' sounds like to American ears

We know you're in love, but holding hands is SO uncool

Oh my, it really is Cinderella and Prince Charming all over again.

Yes, their tour of Australasia has been deemed to be a huge success, with the Duchess of Sussex wowing the crowds in a variety of expensive dresses and Prince Harry managing to look very Richard Gere in his military whites.

There were no terrible mistakes, no Prince Philip-esque gaffes with the natives, and no wardrobe malfunctions, give or take a label fluttering from the hem of one of Meghan's frocks.

I wish, I wish, I wish Harry and Meghan (pictured in Australia) would STOP HOLDING HANDS at official events, writes JAN MOIR

On their first official overseas tour, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex acquitted themselves well and made us proud. Apart from one thing. Which is driving me insane.

They are a sweet couple of pregnant newlyweds and their romance is drenching and pungent. However  and please don't hate me for saying this  I wish, I wish, I wish they would STOP HOLDING HANDS at official events.

It's so unstately, so uncool and so unroyal. They look like a couple of dopes sloping off to their local cinema, instead of globally recognised representatives of Queen and country.

I get that they love each other, but isn't it just a touch too much?

Vegans... you are not just what you eat

It was World Vegan Day yesterday, when meat-eaters were encouraged to reduce their global 'foodprint'.

One man who took this to heart was William Sitwell, the editor of Waitrose Food magazine, who reduced his own foodprint  by leaving his job.

Sitwell had to step down after rudely responding to an email pitch from a freelance journalist who had suggested a feature on plant-based recipes.

Instead of encouraging hundreds of words on the glory of turnips, he suggested 'killing vegans, one by one'.

Sitwell, who is also a critic on the BBC's MasterChef, apologised for any offence caused when the email was made public, saying it was an 'ill-judged joke'.

It certainly was, but who can know what kind of stress, belligerence or momentary spark of simple old-school arrogance made him respond in such a way?

William Sitwell (left) resigned after he told vegan freelancer Selene Nelson (right) in response to her story pitch: 'How about a series on killing vegans, one by one'

Unlike many, I don't see this as an issue of free speech or power or entitlement. Surely, Sitwell had to go because the main thrust of his job entails being enmeshed in a commercial relationship with Waitrose.

Their business is his business, too  and that affiliation overrides everything. Especially at a time when they are keenly promoting their own vegan ranges.

Still, any writer or editor knows the dangers of annoying vegetarians or vegans. They are quick off the mark to divine any slights, unintended or otherwise, in the dairy-and-egg-free omelette of life.

Among the myriad food tribes who inhabit our planet, only militant veggies choose to define themselves by what they eat, rather than who they are or what they think. Heaven knows why.

Perhaps it's the lack of lamb chops that makes them so furious all the time.
She wore over 40 outfits on the royal tour, but Meghan kept coming back to one colour in particular: navy.

In fact, the Duchess of Sussex, 37 - who is expecting her first child in the Spring - wore a total of eight dark blue outfits over the course of the 16-day tour in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand

Her love of navy became particularly apparent when she opted for two dark blue ensembles for her final day of the tour, stepping out in a 1,526 dress by Stella McCartney and a bespoke jumper and pleated skirt by Givenchy, estimated to have cost 2,210.

Experts say her choice of navy on the royal tour may have been to help her communicate her 'professionalism', while remaining 'approachable'.

Meghan wore multiple navy outfits during her first overseas tour last month. The Duchess of Sussex, 37, wore a custom navy jumper and pleated skirt during a walkabout in Rotorua, New Zealand, on the final day of the tour on Wednesday

Meghan also wore a 1,526 midi dress by Stella McCartney as she and Harry donned traditional Maori cloaks in Rotorua on the last day of the tour

Karen Haller, the UKs leading Applied Colour Psychology Specialist, told FEMAIL: 'When it comes to the psychology of colour, blue relates to the mind. Darker blues relate to trust, logic and knowledge.

'It communicates duty and professionalism and given its a more approachable colour than black, maybe why she wore this hue often on her recent 16-day royal tour down under.'

She added: 'Subconsciously wearing darker blues might suggest that - this being her first major royal tour - she wanted to maintain her focus and concentration during her royal duties.'

Meghan's first outing in navy was in Melbourne, when she opted for a sleeveless blue midi dress by Australian designer Dion Lee for a reception at Government House.

Meghan also re-wore a navy ruffle midi dress by Antonio Berardi while in Auckland earlier this week. Experts say her choice of navy on the royal tour may have been to help her communicate her 'professionalism'

The Duchess of Sussex also re-wore a navy cape dress by Stella McCartney for the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony in Sydney during the first week of the royal tour

Meghan's first outing in navy was in Melbourne, when she opted for a sleeveless blue midi dress by Australian designer Dion Lee (left). She also showed off another navy midi dress by British designer Roksanda in Sydney (right) during the first week of the tour.

The Duchess showed off another navy midi dress by British designer Roksanda, this time featuring a pale blue border at the hem, in Sydney, as well as re-wearing a navy cape dress by Stella McCartney for the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony.

She also re-wore a navy ruffle midi dress by Antonio Berardi while in Auckland earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Meghan showed off two navy jackets while in New Zealand this week - a raincoat by Cornish brand Seasalt and a blazer by Karen Walker.

The Duchess also opted to wear a navy coat and dress by Givenchy for Princess Eugenie's wedding, shortly before her pregnancy announcement.

Her recent love of navy comes after Meghan opted to wear a number of blush pink ensembles shortly after her wedding in May.

Experts at the time said her choice of pink was to 'sub-consciously communicate through colour that she's clearly in love'.

Meghan showed off two navy jackets while in New Zealand this week, including a blazer by Kiwi designer Karen Walker

Meghan also wore a navy raincoat by Cornish brand Seasalt for a visit to the Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand this week

The Duchess also opted to wear a navy coat and dress by Givenchy for Princess Eugenie's wedding, shortly before her pregnancy announcement
A Texas elementary school teacher has baffled social media users with her very creative Halloween costume.

Shay Diez, 36, is a physical education teacher at Sycamore Springs Elementary School in Dripping Springs.

To celebrate Halloween with her students this year, she dressed up as an 'illusion,' making it look like her body was cut in half.

Clever! Texas elementary school teacher Shay Diez created an illusion costume that looks like she was cut in half

Shay's head-scratcher of a costume clearly took some clever DIY.

In pictures she posted on Twitter, she is seen wearing a baggy blue gym shirt and smiling for the camera while giving a thumbs-up with her right hand.

Her left hand and arm, though, are wrapped around what looks like her own hips and legs, which appear to have been severed from her body and standing upright.

The mind-boggling costume appears to show the bottom of her torso and the top of her legs completely separated from one another.

Though she wouldn't reveal the secret to her creepy costume, a bit of Googling reveals a couple other people who have tried similar stunts, and seem to be bending their bodies at very odd angles to make it work.

Learning: She did it for her school's 'vocabulary parade,' in which students and teachers dress up as vocabulary words

Yikes! The mind-boggling costume appears to show the bottom of her torso and the top of her legs completely separated from one another

In Shay's pictures, she is also standing next to signs with the word 'illusion' and its definition, 'something that is not what it seems to be.

Shay's school, Sycamore Springs, is one of many schools that hosts a 'vocabulary parade' on Halloween.

The purpose of a vocabulary parade is to combine language learning with the holiday, and students are encouraged to dress up as a vocabulary word.

The tradition was inspired by the book Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier.

Creepy... and cute! A little girl named Maya in the Philippines walked around looking like her head was chopped off

While Shay's illusion costume certainly stood out, she wasn't the only DIY-er to come up with a costume that was more than met the eye this year.

A two-year-old girl from Paranaque City, Philippines went viral for her creepy headless costume, which was designed to make it look like she was carrying her own chopped-off head in her hands

The little girl, named Charlie, walked beside her sister Maya, who was supposed to have done the head-chopping.

Their mom, Krystel Hwang, dressed them up, and posted video of them on Facebook, where it has racked up tens of millions of views.
Controversial vegan blogger, Freelee the Banana Girl, has slammed the trend of 'huge butts and lips' on 'modern females'.

Freelee, whose real name is Leanne Ratcliffe, fled Queensland in 2017 to live in a jungle in Ecuador and regularly blogs about a 'natural' lifestyle free of technology and materialism.

The YouTuber, who now spends most of her days nude in the jungle, has commented on how damaging society is for women - and why she regrets the breast augmentation surgery she had when she was 21.

'We're starting to turn into plastic things from out of space. The message is clear, being f***able is more important than being a good human,' she said in a YouTube video.

Freelee, whose real name is Leanne Ratcliffe, fled Queensland in 2017 to live in a jungle in Ecuador

The YouTuber, who now spends most of her days nude in the jungle, has commented on how damaging society is for women

'These oversized lips and colossal a***s, and I'm not talking about the normal ones, I'm taking about the artificially pumped up ones, women are starting to look like horses not humans.

'Don't get me wrong, I love horses, but sh** is getting weird. There is barely a normal lip left in the YouTube beauty community.'

Although Vogue Magazine has said society is in the era of the 'big booty' Freelee said she thinks we're in the era of a 'beauty virus'.

She went on to say young women are being encouraged to pout and over arch their backs in photos to create the perfect 'belfie', which is a selfie of their butt.

'We're starting to turn into plastic things from out of space,' she said

The blogger said that women as young as 16 are mutilating their bodies to try and fit with societies 'unrealistic' and 'unattainable' definition of what it means to be sexy.

Kylie Jenner is a prime example as she had lip fillers done when she was at this tender age.

The 38-year-old explained that teenagers are now being graded on how 'f***able' they are, not who they are as a person or what they can achieve.

She said all of this is a symptom of a 'very sick society'.

'It's disgusting the expectations, the desirability rating and the f***ability rating that is put upon young women,' she said.

'We need to bring back human and we need to normalise the human condition because we're starting to turn into plastic things from out of space.'

The blogger said that women as young as 16 are mutilating their bodies to try and fit with societies 'unrealistic' and 'unattainable' definition of what it means to be sexy

The 38-year-old explained that teenagers are now being graded on how 'f***able' they are, not who they are as a person or what they can achieve

Freelee explained that women's bodies are being broken down into body parts and the focus is on how much these parts can make for the beauty industry.

She said that there has also been a 500 per cent increase in cosmetic surgery since she was 17 and 90 per cent of these procedures are performed on women.

The jungle-dweller expressed that this was because women are being encouraged to dissect their faces and their bodies so that they see flaws and inadequacy.

'Society continues to slice women up into lips, tits and a***s for profit and power,' she added.

Freelee said media is helping society and men think this is normal, which has led to the fetishisation of these fake features.

Freelee explained that women's bodies are being broken down into body parts and the focus is on how much these parts can make for the beauty industry

'Many of us are working in jobs that we hate to buy things that numb us to impress people that don't even respect us,' she said.

'Remember we need to present our natural selves because that will repel the people from your life that are there for superficial reasons.'

Freelee explained that she is personally able to talk from experience because she had breast augmentation surgery done when she was 21.

The blogger calls it a 'mutilating' experience that she wishes she hadn't had done.

She said that the beauty industry is 'out of control', which is why she wants to speak out about it.

'It wasn't so much for me to feel sexy or fit that sexy ideal but it was more for me to feel normal,' Freelee explained.

'Many of us are working in jobs that we hate to buy things that numb us to impress people that don't even respect us,' she said

She said that the beauty industry is 'out of control', which is why she wants to speak out about it

'I was culturally conditioned to think that my young body and my chest wasn't woman enough so I had to go mutilate myself to fit that ideal.'

This is what has resulted in her not wanting any other young women to go through the same pain she did.

People have asked the blogger why she doesn't have her breasts removed but she said she doesn't want to have to go through another 'mutilating surgery'.

She also explained that when she was young, inflated chests and small bottoms were in, which has now changed.

'These days you have to have huge ti**, a minute cartoon character waist and a colossal a**e, and you've also got to have a permanently pouting face and ripped abs,' Freelee said.

People have asked the blogger why she doesn't have her breasts removed but she said she doesn't want to have to go through another 'mutilating surgery'

'All of this is breaking women down into parts so the industry can make the cash, women can feel bad about themselves and get caught up in this desperate cycle of trying to be this perfect feminine women and they lose themselves.'

'If you're considering surgery I understand that shame and inadequacy, I just want you to know you are human you are perfectly acceptable as you are.'

Freelee said that every time women buy these products or have these procedures done they're saying all of this is okay.

She wants people to stop seeking the validation of strangers and stop trying to be sexy for men 'who aren't even on your level'.

'Your small flat a**e is awesome and your skinny lips are perfect, there's nothing you need to change about yourself,' she said.
With statistics showing that two out of three Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer before their 70th birthday, sun-lovers are stepping up their skincare routine right in time for summer.

For those in search of a natural, complexion enhancing SPF, look no further than Aldi Australia where a cult sunscreen by mineral-based brand Invisible Zinc is currently on sale for just $19.99.

Usually retailing at $32, Aldi is offering the 50g tube for more than $12 less - but you'll have to stock up quickly because the deal only runs for this week.

Tinted Daywear SPF 30 is the go-to sun protection of former Home and Away star Pia Miller, who called the product her 'favourite natural beauty buy'.

Aldi Australia is currently stocking a cult sunscreen by mineral-based brand Invisible Zinc for just $19.99

Tinted Daywear SPF 30 is the go-to sun protection of former Home and Away star Pia Miller (pictured) who called the product her 'favourite natural beauty buy'

The Sydney-based actress told whimn: 'I have been using Invisible Zinc for years. I love the factit is a mineral sunscreen that provides a protective shield from the sun.'

Pia has modelled for Maybelline and was announced as the first ever Australian ambassador for Gillette's Venus brand in 2017.

The Chilean-born beauty is known for her love of organic self-care products and a natural beauty look.

The Chilean-born beauty is known for her love of organic self-care products and a natural beauty look

The zinc-rich formula of Tinted Daywear provides a three-in-one solution for sun-drenched skin, providing UVA and UVB protection, light coverage and hydration.

The tinted moisturiser is suitable for all skin types and dries clear on the body.

Invisible Zinc's formula is light, non-greasy and gives a sheer tint to complexions.

For the fairest sun-worshippers, Invisible Zinc also have a tinted moisturiser with SPF 50 which costs $34.
As with most things in life, each person has their own unique style when it comes to parenting.

While discipline and interactions vary drastically from one household to the next, a universally discussed subject among parents is the age old question: 'When is it okay to leave your child home alone?'.

Queensland-based parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson is a father-of-six with a wealth of experience in family dynamics.

He recently shared advice on Happy Families Australia about gauging if your child is ready to be home alone.

A universally discussed subject among parents is the age old question: 'When is it okay to leave your child home alone?' (stock image)

Dr Justin Coulson (pictured) is a Queensland-based parenting expert and father-of-six

In terms of the right age to start leaving kids alone, Dr Coulson admitted there is no one answer.

'As your first step, check how your child feels about being home on [their] own,' he said.

The author and radio commentator advised discussing your little one's potential fears, as well as laying out clear instructions for what to do if there is a knock at the door.

'If your child feels ready consider the context. How long will you be gone? Where will you be? Is it day or night?,' he said.

'It might be reasonable to leave a 10-year-old for a few minutes while you pop next door but maybe not to leave the same child for two hours while you go to dinner in the evening.'

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN LEAVING KIDS HOME ALONE  Is your child tall and/or strong enough to open doors and turn locks?  Can they organise whatever food they might need, even if it doesn't require turning on appliances?  Would they know who to call in the event or emergency?  Is there a neighbour or family member in the area who could stop by to check in?  Do you have a pool or any other child hazardous space in your home?  Are friends allowed over if the child is of a certain age? Advertisement

If you have more than one child, you should also consider whether the eldest is ready to take care of a younger child as well as themselves.

Dr Coulson stressed the importance of keeping promises and supporting your children if you choose to leave them alone.

'Once you decide it's the right time for both you and your child, get home when you say you will and arrange to phone them or have a friend check on them.

'When your child feels confident and safe, you will too.'

Dr Coulson stressed the importance of keeping promises and supporting your children if you choose to leave them alone (stock image)

THE AUSTRALIAN LEGAL VIEW ON LEAVING CHILDREN ALONE In Queensland, the Criminal Code declares it unlawful to leave a child under the age of 12 unsupervised for an 'unreasonable time'. Queensland is the only state to offer an explicit minimum age, and the term 'unreasonable' is open to judicial interpretation. In all other Australian states, no age is prescribed but legal experts have determined that all areas of the country still hold an implicit requirement over parents to provider their children with adequate care, safety and supervision. Parents and caregivers risk monetary fines and even prison sentences for leaving children unattended for too long, the severity of which is governed by factors including the age of the child, how long they were left alone, the reason for doing so and the independent capacity of the child themselves. Advertisement

Earlier this year, Dr Coulson spoke on the Today Show to share advice on disciplining your children without raising your voice.

If you find yourself relying on yelling to communicate with your kids, Dr Coulson said you should stand beside your children when speaking to them in order to create an atmosphere of respect and calm between you.

He also said we are more inclined to shout over negative things or something we are displeased about, and recommended calling out for children's attention in a positive way by saying things like 'I love you'.
The husband of late BBC radio presenter Rachael Bland's has announced he has found a publisher to turn the memoir she wrote for their son Freddie, 3, into a book.

Steve Bland took to Instagram on Thursday to make the announcement, admitting that while he was overjoyed at the news, his joy was tinged with sadness that Rachael would never see the published version.

Rachael, presenter of award-winning podcast You, Me and The Big C, which documented her battle with breast cancer, tragically died on September 5, aged just 40.

Just six weeks after she passed away, Rachael's podcast won the Best New Show award at the Audio, Radio and Industry Awards (ARIAs).

Steve Bland took to Instagram on Thursday to announce he had found a publisher for his late wife and BBC radio presenter Rachael Bland's memoir, and it would be turned into a book in February

Steve Bland took to Instagram on Thursday to make the announcement, admitting that while he was overjoyed at the news, his joy was tinged with sadness that Rachael would never see the published version.

Throughout her journey Rachael had been keeping a memoir including letters for her young son to open on milestone days such as his eighteenth birthday.

And this week Steve took to Rachael's Instagram to share a picture of Rachael raising a glass of champagne, revealing her memoir would be published in February 2019.

He wrote: 'Hi folks, its Steve. Just wanted to share some wonderful news with you all.

'Were raising a glass to our beautiful girl today because we have found a fantastic publisher for her book.'

Expressing his joy and sadness, he added: 'She worked so so hard on it before she died and while were beyond heartbroken that shell never get to see it in print, were sure the brilliant team at Omara Books will do her proud.

Throughout her journey Rachael had been keeping a memoir including letters for her young son to open on milestone days such as his eighteenth birthday (Rachael seen with Steve and Freddie, 3)

The book will be published by independent publishing house Michael O'Mara Books. Steve concluded: 'Keep an eye out for it in Feb 2019! Steve'.

And the post quickly gathered over 12,000 likes and hundreds of comments.

'Thats fantastic! I cant wait to read it', one follower wrote congratulating him.

Another added: 'Will buy it in Feb. Often think of Rachael. Miss hearing her on the radio. Thoughts with you , Freddie and of course Bodie!'

Shortly before her death Bland poignantly revealed she had wrapped 18 years worth of birthday presents for three-year-old son Freddie so he had a gift from her until he was 21.

The BBC 5 Live newsreader had also built up a collection of handwritten notebooks, perfume and other personal items so the little boy would grow up knowing how his mother wrote, smelled and sounded once she was gone.

And the post quickly gathered over 12,000 likes and hundreds of comments. 'Thats fantastic! I cant wait to read it', one follower wrote congratulating him.

Another added: 'Will buy it in Feb. Often think of Rachael. Miss hearing her on the radio. Thoughts with you , Freddie and of course Bodie!'

Last month Rachael's husband Steve collected the Best New Show award and said it would have 'meant the world to her' in an emotional speech.

Joining Steve on stage were Rachael's show co-hosts Lauren Mahon and Deborah James, as well as the show's producer Mike Holt, who touchingly dedicated the award to Rachael's husband and their three-year-old son Freddie.

Rachael had won praise for You, Me and the Big C and its honest portrayal of the realities of living with cancer.

Radio presenter Rachael Bland's podcast 'You, Me and The Big C' has won an award just over a month after she lost her battle with cancer. Her husband Steve (seen centre with the show's co-stars Lauren Mahon and Deborah James, as well as the show's producer Mike Holt) collected the award on her behalf and admitted it would 'mean the world to her'

Taking to the stage to accept the award, Steve said: This award would mean the world to her.

But more than that, shed be filled with utter pride by the impact You, Me and The Big C has had on others. Thats exactly what she wanted to achieve.

Taking to his Instagram stories later in the evening he shared a picture of them on stage, writing: 'What a night! So, so, so proud of Rachael and these beautiful people'.

Meanwhile Mike Holt shared the picture to his Twitter praising his colleagues before writing: 'This is dedicated to Steve and little Freddie.

Taking to his Instagram stories later in the evening he shared a picture of them on stage, writing: 'What a night! So, so, so proud of Rachael and these beautiful people' (Rachael and Steve seen together previously)

Alongside friends Deborah James and Lauren Mahon, Bland (seen)documented her cancer from first discovery, to being told it was incurable in May of this year, to finally being warned there were just days left

Reposting the snap to her Instagram, Lauren added: 'Today Our Podcast Won An Industry Award.

'Very Few Words For Once Other Than PROUD. Proud To Be Part Of This Game Changing Pod.

'Proud To Have Friends Like this. Proud To Be Changing The Cancer Conversation. This Isnt Just For Rach, Freddie and Steve.

'This Is For Everyone Who Has, Has Had Or Been Affected By. Now Its Time To Celebrate... Tequila!'

The show following the trio's journey won the Best New Show award at Thursday nights Audio, Radio and Industry Awards (ARIAs)

Rachael Blands poignant final recording was released shortly after her death at the beginning of September, with the podcaster discussing how her future was taken away (seen with Deborah James and Lauren Mahon)

'Putting the Can in Cancer': Rachael Bland's battle with deadly disease Rachael Bland is pictured in hospital about to undergo chemotherapy November 22 2016: Rachael Bland is diagnosed with primary triple-negative breast cancer that had spread to four lymph nodes under her right arm December 28 2016: She begins four and a half months of chemotherapy May 2017: She has a lumpectomy and auxillary node clearance July 2017: The mother-of-one undergoes a mastectomy August 2017: Bland has a re-excision of her lumpectomy and starts 15 sessions of radiotherapy October 2017: CT and biopsy shows cancer had spread to the lymph nodes under her arm on the opposite side to the primary cancer May 2018: She is told the cancer is terminal and she has 'less than a year to live' September 2018: Bland announces she has just days to live in a poignant social media post. She died today. Advertisement

Alongside friends Deborah James and Lauren Mahon, Bland documented her cancer from first discovery, to being told it was incurable in May of this year, to finally being warned there were just days left.

She spoke to HuffPost UK before her announcement at the beginning of September which confirmed she only had a few days to live.

In a heartbreaking interview, she said: 'It is as a mother that I have to employ my strongest skills of denial.

'I'm too scared to ask the doctors how long I've got left  it would be a guesstimate number that would hang over me. So we make plans, knowing it's not very long.

'I have a Whatsapp group with Steve's sister where I send her things I want for Freddie and his future. The things that might overwhelm and upset Steve now but she will make sure happens.

'The main thing is that, while he's so young, I want him to remember me in some way.'

Rachael died at the beginning of September aged 40, following an inspirational two-year public battle with cancer.

The mother from Cheshire, who had triple negative breast cancer, moved thousands of people who hailed her bravery and dignity as she fought terminal illness.
A mother with dwarfism - and half of 'Britain's shortest couple' - has given birth to her second baby.

Laura and her husband, Nathan Phillips, who met while performing in Snow White, welcomed their son, Jax, into the world on September 5 2018.

The parents from Newcastle have different forms of dwarfism, Laura has Achondroplasia and stands at 4ft 1, whereas Nathan has Pseudoachondroplasia and is 3ft 11.

Four years ago, Laura gave birth to their first son, Nathan Junior. Miraculously, Nathan Jr was named as a 'double-dwarf' as he has both of his parent's dwarfism, which is a extremely rare and was not expected to survive more than a few hours..

Britain's 'shortest family' has welcomed a new addition in the form of newborn Jax. Pictured: Baby Jax with his mother Laura Phillips, father Nathan and brother Nathan Junior

And now, Laura, 28, and Nathan, 38, have received the news that their new baby boy, Jax, was born with Achondroplasia only  following in his mother's proud footsteps.

Laura told Barcroft TV: 'I'm so proud. Nath is as well. You know, he walked into the room and he just wanted to see him straight away. It was lovely. He adores him.

'I had to have a planned C-section and I chose Wednesday 5 September out of three possible options.

'We didn't really know with Jax and the pregnancy and whether he would have dwarfism or not.

'We knew he was quite little after 20-something weeks, but we didn't know which condition he had exactly.

Newborn Jax has Achondroplasia following in the footsteps of his mother who has the same condition

'It was then revealed that he had my condition, Achon.'

Laura arrived at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle, at half past seven in the morning on the day of her pregnancy.

Dr Therese Hannon, who works as a consultant obstetrician, was tasked with delivering Laura's child  the same doctor who successfully brought Nathan Jr into the world four years ago.

Although Laura was feeling much more relaxed this time round, not everything went as smoothly as they would have liked.

WHAT IS DWARFISM? Restricted growth, sometimes known as dwarfism, is a condition characterised by short stature. There are two main types of restricted growth: Proportionate short stature (PSS)  a general lack of growth, where the length of the trunk and limbs are in proportion

Disproportionate short stature (DSS)  where the limbs are shorter or out of proportion with other parts of the body As well as having short stature, some people with restricted growth also have other physical problems, such as bowed legs or an unusually curved spine. However, most people don't have any other serious problems. They can often live a relatively normal life and have a normal life expectancy. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

Laura said: 'So at half past seven, when I entered the first room, I met every single person who was helping with the birth.

'I was a bit more relaxed because we had Therese operating on us who had delivered our first baby.

'I wasn't scared or nervous or anything, it was really nice.

'But then after it all happened, I remember waking up and looking to the side and my baby wasn't there. Nathan explained why, and I didn't feel like a new mum.'

Because of Laura's condition and the risks involved with the pregnancy, she had to receive a general anaesthetic.

Dr Therese Hannon said: 'General anaesthetic that can sometimes make the baby a little bit sleepy when they're first born.

'With the safety of anaesthetics and the amount of drugs that we use, there are certain things about her (Laura's) condition that make some of the anaesthetic slightly riskier than it would be for someone with a more normal stature.

'And so, the baby didn't breathe quite as often as we would have liked him to when he first got here.'

Laura continued: 'The anaesthetic had gone to Jax, so when he was born, all he wanted to do was sleep.

'It got to his breathing, he wouldn't breathe on his own. He had to have oxygen and stuff. It then turned out he had an infection and he had to stay in intensive care and couldn't be in the room with us.

Meanwhile Jax's brother Nathan Junior, was named as a 'double-dwarf' as he has both of his parent's dwarfism,

Laura's anesthetic had initially got to Jax who couldn't breathe unaided when he was first born and was put in intensive care with an infection

Doctors worked quickly to resolve Jax's breathing issues, much to the relief of Laura and Nathan

'Even though I went and visited him, it was hard for me because I didn't get that bond straight away. It was horrible, it wasn't nice at all.'

Doctors worked quickly to resolve Jax's breathing issues, much to the relief of Laura and Nathan.

Nathan said: 'When I got down to the operating theatre with Laura, it was a 'here we go again' kind of feeling. It was exciting, you know  our second son is about to be born.

'It was lovely to think here comes number two, here comes the next light in our lives. But it just didn't work in relation to that. The question was, is the light going to stay lit or is it going to go dark?

Jax was able to return home with Laura, Nathan and Nathan Jr just a few days after Laura's C-section

'You know off your child goes to special care and you're at the end of a tender hook for however many days until they're better.'

Laura added: 'Exactly. The waiting was the worst part.

'But, thankfully, he's fine now and we have another lovely little boy in this world.'

Jax was able to return home with Laura, Nathan and Nathan Jr just a few days after Laura's C-section.

Laura and Nathan continue to thank the work of the doctors at Royal Victoria Infirmary for their tremendous work and care with Jax.
Local Problems, Global Tech Photo: Peter Garritano/REX/Shutterstock

Like any network, the internet is made up of nodes and edges. One of the largest nodes in the world lives in an old Art Deco building on Hudson Street in downtown New York City, two-and-a-half blocks west of Broadway. Over 70 million feet of cables fill racks that run up the walls and across the ceilings of this internet carrier hotel. Its the single densest connector in NYC to the transatlantic cables that send data to Europe.

To get from New York to Europe, packets of data flow through fiber cables that snake under the Atlantic Ocean. The datas transoceanic trip starts on a beach, in an unmarked building called a cable landing station. Theres an important cable landing station in a small town on the Jersey Shore called Manasquan. Here, data connect to a submarine cable called TAT-14.

TAT-14 is 9,587 miles long  thats over three times the width of the United States. Data travel across it in a matter of milliseconds. When TAT-14 opened for business in 2001, Telia boasted that it could carry the content of over 200 DVDs per second. The cable is heavily armed and reinforced with steel to prevent any trawlers, sharks, or other sharp deep-sea objects from disrupting internet traffic.

Only four pairs of fiber run through the cable. Each pair is made up of one optical fiber and one amplifier. The optical fiber carries data across the Atlantic Ocean via waves of light, and the amplifier powers the light. Only two of the fiber pairs are active. The other two are backups.

Cables like these are responsible for transmitting 99 percent of all data that travels overseas. They carry emails, texts, photos, videos, and websites over fractions of nanometers of light. After leaving the beaches of New Jersey, TAT-14 crosses the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and loops north of the United Kingdom. It surfaces on the beaches of Nrre Nebel.

Beaches, Rye Bread, and Internet

Nrre Nebel is a small town on the western coast of Denmark. A little over 1,300 people live there, but that number swells in the summertime, when tourists come to enjoy the wide sandy beaches.

Nrre Nebel is the last town where vacationers can stock up on provisions before hitting the beach. Theres a butcher, an electronics store, clothing stores, pizzerias, and four supermarkets. Hardys Bakery sits at 40 Bredgade, the main street that means Broadway in Danish. Hardys Bakery has world-famous rye bread and 22 different kinds of rolls.

Jacob Askham-Christensen grew up in the Hardys Bakery after his dad bought it in 1980. He remembers the old factory buildings that used to be clustered on a street behind Bredgade. One of the old factories has been replaced by a new, unmarked brick building with a fence around it. This is the landing station for TAT-14.

Its a strange building because theres a fence around it, Askham-Christensen says. In Denmark, we dont use fences because we are really equal in terms of economics. So we dont need fences.

Askham-Christensen found out that the strange brick building was a major internet node when he read about it in a Danish newspaper. But he doubts that many people know about Nrre Nebels role as the internets gateway to Scandinavia. Askham-Christensen explains that Danes are more likely to know Nrre Nebel for their rye bread.

People from Copenhagen, from the totally opposite side of the country, come here to buy rye bread, says Askham-Christensen.

Under normal circumstances, the cable station in New Jersey and the cable station in Nrre Nebel power about half of TAT-14 from each end, meeting in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in a kind of ethereal transatlantic handshake. But if anything goes wrong on either end of the cable, each station is prepared to power the entire cable alone using fuel from huge diesel reserve tanks that can run for weeks without resupplying.

When the TAT-14 cable stations in New Jersey lost power during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the station at Nrre Nebel powered all of TAT-14 from coast to coast. Only a few employees manage the station at Nrre Nebel, but when something goes wrong, they run 24-hour shifts to keep their stretch of the undersea network afloat.

A Self-healing Ring

The global internet cable system is redundant. Data is simply rerouted to a different cable if one cable goes down. But there are a finite number of cables. TAT-14 is one of about 18 submarine cables that carry data directly from the Northeastern Seaboard to Europe. Damages to a major cable artery have caused notable latency, and sometimes total blackouts.

But under normal circumstances, if anything were to happen to a leg of TAT-14, its unlikely that even the most impatient of emailers would notice. TAT-14 runs in a self-healing ring. The northern leg connects Manasquan, New Jersey, to Nrre Nebel. Then a southern leg connects Nrre Nebel to Germany, the Netherlands, France, and the U.K., before traveling back across the ocean floor and completing the ring in Tuckerton, New Jersey.

The cable station in Tuckerton, New Jersey, has a faux exterior that makes it look like a cluster of townhouses, helping it blend into the surrounding residential neighborhood. But signs of its true nature are everywhere. The building lives on a street called Cable Drive and a nearby sign says, WARNING: Transcontinental Cable Route.

In total, there are seven cable stations across six countries that keep TAT-14 running. They lie among us, behind fences and high-security checkpoints. The people who work there maintain the global internet, stewarding our data safely ashore.

Contrary to common belief, our emails dont travel as radio waves, through space, from satellite to satellite. They travel as light, through mud, from beach to beach.
It's the most wonderful time of the year  when retailers give us all that festive feeling with their Christmas ads.

Asda has yet again become the first supermarket to kick off its Christmas campaign with the launch of its 'Bring Christmas Home' TV ad  which will hit screens tonight.

The adrenalin-fuelled ad sees Santa launch a flaming Christmas pudding into the air before an avalanche of dancing skiers, Santas on motor bikes, cowboys riding Christmas trees and even stunt driving Yetis descend down a snowy mountain to bring Christmas home to an excited young girl.

Set to the classic festive song 'Christmas (baby please come home)' the 60 second ad captures the spirit of excitement that is bringing Christmas home.

Asda is the first supermarket to launch its festive advert encouraging customers to 'Bring Christmas Home'

According to Asda's Chief Customer Officer Andy Murray, the inspiration for the ad was that sense of Christmas being a time when people focus a huge amount of energy and effort on bringing people together and 'coming home'.

He said: 'We really wanted to hone in on a universal feeling about Christmas that people could relate to.

'The one thing we all kept coming back to was the sense of excitement that comes from preparing to bring your nearest and dearest together, how crazy and chaotic it can feel, but ultimately how all the effort results in something wonderful when you bring Christmas home.

'Our ad really captures the energy and excitement - as well as showcasing the range of products we have on offer that mean you can get everything you need to bring Christmas home at Asda.'

The commercial begins with Santa launching a flaming Christmas pudding into the air

This is followed by an avalanche of dancing skiers, Santas on motor bikes, cowboys riding Christmas trees

The avalanche is witnessed by a little girl who watches it from her living room window

Hundreds of Asda and George products are featured in the ad, with the supermarket showcasing a number of their hero products for the festive season including: Extra Special Macarons, Extra Special Raspberry and Pistachio Wreath and the Extra Special Pork, Turkey, Apple and Cranberry Sausage Roll Wreath.

And of course, no Christmas would be complete without a selection of Christmas jumpers and novelty nightwear from George.

The ad even features some of Asda's colleagues after the supermarket held open auditions for the chance to be part of the campaign.

The advert features both products and staff from Asda store who auditioned to take part

'Bring Christmas Home' will launch on ITV at 7.15pm and will also play out on Channel 4 during the centre breaks of both Gogglebox and Great British Bake Off: Extra Slice

Murray said: 'Our colleagues play such a vital role in bringing Christmas home for our customers, it was only right that they were part of our festive cavalcade - and Sara and Daniel have done us proud.'

'Bring Christmas Home' will launch on ITV at 7.15pm and will also play out on Channel 4 during the centre breaks of both Gogglebox and Great British Bake Off: Extra Slice.

In addition to the 60 second ad, Asda will also air three 30 second adverts throughout the festive period, showcasing more of Asda's food, gifting and party offering across both Asda and George.

Asda is the first supermarket to release its Christmas advert following on from Argos that launched theirs earlier today and Currys PC World who was the first last night.
The Duchess of Sussex made headlines with her jewels on the royal tour, but the Duchess of Cornwall proved she is not to be outdone when she stepped out with Prince Charles in The Gambia.

Camilla, 70, dazzled in a pair of 38,500 earrings from luxury label Van Cleef & Arpels as she joined her husband, 69, for a glittering black tie dinner on Thursday.

The Magic Alhambra Earrings feature three white gold four leaf clovers - a symbol of luck - set with a total of 158 individual pave diamonds and fastened on a delicate link chain.

Camilla, 70, dazzled in a pair of 38,500 earrings from luxury label Van Cleef & Arpels as she joined her husband, 69, for a glittering black tie dinner in The Gambia on Thursday

The Magic Alhambra Earrings feature three white gold four leaf clovers - a symbol of luck - set with a total of 158 individual pave diamonds and fastened on a delicate link chain

The Duchess of Sussex drew widespread attention for her own royal tour jewellery collection, which is thought to have cost 400,000. Pictured, Meghan in 13,082 sapphire earrings by Canadian jeweller Birks at the Invictus Opening Ceremony in Sydney last month

The duchess has worn the stunning accessories on a number of formal occasions, including to a dinner on the royal tour of France and Greece earlier this year.

The royal also owns them in a 7,800 yellow gold and malachite version, which she sported hours before the state dinner on Thursday.

It comes after the Duchess of Sussex drew widespread attention for her own royal tour jewellery collection, which is thought to have cost 400,000.

Charles and Camilla donned their glad rags for a state dinner at the Coco Ocean Hotel on Thursday night as they wrapped up the first full day of their west African tour.

The Duchess of Cornwall looked resplendent in a pistachio green kaftan-style gown for the state dinner at the Coco Ocean Hotel in The Gambia on Thursday night

The Duchess of Cornwall's beautiful earrings were on display as she enjoyed a drinks reception ahead of the meal. The royals are currently on a nine-day tour of West Africa

The Duchess of Cornwall looked resplendent in a pistachio green kaftan-style gown, while her husband was dapper in a double-breasted navy suit.

The couple arrived at the State House in The Gambia on Thursday morning for a meeting with President Adama Barrow, as they began their first full day of engagements as part of their west African tour.

The Prince of Wales congratulated The Gambia for turning its back on 'autocratic' rule at home and returning to the Commonwealth fold in February, after the country's exiled authoritarian former leader Yahya Jammeh fled the country last year.

Charles said: 'We are friends and partners, and once again we are both members of the Commonwealth family of nations.

The royal also owns the earrings in a 7,800 yellow gold and malachite version, which she sported hours before the state dinner on Thursday, pictured

The earrings come in the same four-leaf clover design but in yellow gold and Malachite instead of white gold and diamonds. The earrings are significantly cheaper at 7,8000

Gambia's President Adama Barrow sits with Prince Charles and Camilla at McCarthy Square during an official welcome ceremony in Banjul, The Gambia, on Thursday

The royal added that The Gambia was 'turning its back on 20 years of autocratic rule in order to embrace a new beginning.'

Following the welcome ceremony, Charles and Camilla visited a medical research facility run by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Charles then went to an armed forces training centre, where Gambian troops are preparing for a peacekeeping mission in Sudan.

The couple will also visit Ghana and Nigeria on behalf of the British government on their nine-day tour.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands became emotional during a visit to a suicide prevention hotline today - five months after her sister took her own life.

The Dutch royal, 47, toured the Amsterdam headquarters of 113 Suicide Prevention, an organisation that provides support for people in crisis across the country.

The cause is one incredibly close to Maxima's heart. Her younger sister Ines Zorreguieta, 33, was found hanged at her apartment in Buenos Aires in June after reportedly battling with depression and mental health issues.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands became emotional during a visit to a suicide prevention hotline today (pictured) - five months after her sister took her own life

The Dutch royal, 47, visited the Amsterdam headquarters of 113 Suicide Prevention, an organisation that provides support for people in crisis across the country

The cause is one incredibly close to Maxima's heart after her younger sister Ines Zorreguieta, 33, took her own life in June this year. Pictured, Ines in 2007

Maxima, known for her broad smile and enthusiasm at public appearances, appeared solemn as she arrived for the engagement today.

Dressed in a clay coloured dress and matching wrap coat, Maxima flashed only the slightest smile as she made her way inside.

The queen consort, who is married to King Willem-Alexander, 51, spent time speaking to volunteers and touring the facility.

At one point she appeared to wipe something from her eye as she took part in a round table discussion.

Maxima, known for her broad smile and enthusiasm at public appearances, appeared solemn as she arrived for the engagement today, pictured

At one point she appeared to wipe something from her eye as she took part in a round table discussion

The queen consort, who is married to King Willem-Alexander, 51, spent time speaking to volunteers and touring the facility, pictured

Maxima's sister was a psychologist who worked for an office on social policies at the president's office.

Ines was also godmother to Queen Maxima's 11-year-old daughter Princess Ariane.

Following news of her sister's death, Maxima cancelled all engagements and flew to Argentina to be with her family.

The following month she broke her silence to say: 'My sweet and talented younger sister Ines was also ill. She was unable to find happiness and sadly couldn't get better.

The royal lowered her head as she made her way inside the headquarters of 113 Suicide Prevention for a visit marking the organisation's 10th anniversary

Dressed in a clay coloured dress and matching wrap coat, Maxima flashed only the slightest smile as she made her way inside

She added: 'Our only consolation is to think that she has finally found peace.'

Ines was the youngest daughter of government minister Jorge Zorreguieta and his second wife Maria del Carmen Cerruti Carricart's children.

The Zorreguieta family have been landed gentry, professionals, politicians, and statesmen for generations.

Ines and Queen Maxima have two brothers as well as three half-sisters; Maria, Dolores and Angeles.

Following news of her sister's death, Maxima cancelled all engagements and flew to Argentina to be with her family. Pictured, the Dutch royal today

For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local branch. See www.samaritans.org for details
Ghana rolled out the red carpet for Prince Charles and Camilla on Friday, as the jetted into Accra on day three of their royal tour of West Africa.

The royals stepped onto the tarmac at Kotoka International Airport to the sounds of a military parade, and the Duchess of Cornwall, who shielded herself from the powerful African sun with a parasol, was presented with a colourful bunch of flowers on the red carpet.

Charles and Camilla were officially welcomed by the Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo, and the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, at the presidential palace, Jubilee House.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were welcomed to Accra by the Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo and First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo at Jubilee House in Accra on Friday, on the third day of their royal tour of West Africa

Charles and Camilla were presented with colourful bunches of flowers as they were welcomed to Ghana on Friday. The Duchess of Cornwall shielded herself from the sun with a parasol

The couple touched down in Ghana from The Gambia, where a glittering black tie reception was held in their honour at the Coco Ocean Hotel on Thursday night.

The Duchess of Cornwall was resplendent in a pistachio green kaftan-style gown for the event, while her husband was dapper in a double-breasted navy suit.

Earlier on Thursday, the couple were given the VIP treatment with a personalised number plate on their car.

On Friday Camilla had opted for a floaty cream dress, nude heels and a basket-effect bag to make the trip to Ghana, while Prince Charles wore a khaki suit and military badges.

Both wore Remembrance poppies to mark the upcoming Armistice Day.

Later Charles was joined by his brother Prince Edward where they laid a wreaths at The Christiansborg War Cemetery.

Their Royal Highness were escorted through the Memorial Garden and received by The President where they paid their respects to the fallen.

Later Charles was joined by his brother Prince Edward where they l laid a wreaths at The Christiansborg War Cemetery

Their Royal Highness were escorted through the Memorial Garden and received by The President

Both Camilla and Charles laid tributes at the graves of the fallen during their time in the memorial garden

It was a day of pomp and pageantry in Accra, with the royals disembarking their plane to be greeted by a military parade and a red carpet on the tarmac at Kotoka International Airport

Charles and Camilla are part way through their official tour of West Africa, having flown to Accra from The Gambia

The couple's nine day tour of West Africa on behalf of the British government will also take them to Nigeria.

While in The Gambia, Charles delivered a speech congratulating the country for turning its back on 'autocratic' rule at home and returning to the Commonwealth fold in February, after the country's exiled authoritarian former leader Yahya Jammeh fled the country last year.

Charles said: 'We are friends and partners, and once again we are both members of the Commonwealth family of nations.'

The couple will return to London just in time for Prince Charles' landmark 70th birthday on November 14.

The couple looked in high spirits on their arrival in Ghana, having flown in from The Gambia, where a glittering black tie reception was held in their honour on Thursday night

The Prince of Wales shares a laugh with the Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo, at Jubilee House in Accra, Ghana, on Friday

Charles and Camilla were formally welcomed to Ghana by the President and First Lady on day three of their visit to West Africa on behalf of the British government, which will also take in Nigeria

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall step out for a glittering evening reception at the Coco Ocean Hotel in The Gambia on Thursday evening

Charles and Camilla were joined by President Adama Barrow and his wife arrving for a state dinner and reception at the Coco Ocean Hotel on Thursday night
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively never miss an opportunity to troll each other online, but the actor has taken his roasting to a whole new level by accusing his wife of cheating on him  with 20 ghosts.

Like many people this week, the 42-year-old Deadpool star stumbled across a story about Amethyst Realm, a 30-year-old British woman who went viral for claiming to be engaged to a ghost after having sex with 20 spirits.

The blonde happens to bear a resemblance to 31-year-old Blake, and Ryan couldn't resist acting like a scorned lover after learning his 'wife' was engaging in some paranormal activity.

Hard not to laugh! Ryan Reynolds, 42, jokingly accused Blake Lively of cheating on him with 20 ghosts after his wife's British lookalike Amethyst Realm claimed to have sex with spirits

Ghosted: On Thursday, the actor retweeted the headline, 'Woman who had sex with 20 ghosts is now engaged to a spirit,' and added: 'THIS is how I find out?'

 Slide me  What are the odds? Amethyst (slide right) happens to bear a resemblance to 31-year-old Blake (slide left)

On Thursday, Ryan retweeted the New York Post's tweet with the headline, 'Woman who had sex with 20 ghosts is now engaged to a spirit,' and added: 'THIS is how I find out?'

His clever Twitter response received more than 46,000 likes, and he wasn't the only one who thought Amethyst could pass for Blake.

'Omg she realllly looks like blake!' one person tweeted, while another commented: 'I thought I was the only one who though she looked like Blake Lively Reynolds lol i guess you do too.'

However, not everyone was on board with the comparison. One avid Blake Lively fan seemed genuinely offended that people would suggest Amethyst looks like the actress.

Lookalikes: Amethyst and Blake both have blonde hair and similar bone structure

Honest mistake? Ryan wasn't the only one who thought Amethyst could pass for Blake

'Dying'': A Twitter user name Megan admitted that she was initially confused as well

Vindicated: Someone named Kayci admitted she thought she was the only one who saw the resemblance

'This bish looks like walmart Blake, who went through a "2007 Britney Spears" phase,' one person hit back. 'Blake Lively on the other hand, looks like a legit Goddess, and might even be the finest woman alive. So no lol chill the f**k out.'

Blake has yet to publicly respond to the accusation, but Ryan is known for poking fun at his wife from time to time.

When the actress took to Instagram in September to share a photo of herself posed between the legs of a seemingly naked man holding a martini, Ryan took it in stride.

'He seems nice,' the father of two replied in the comments.

Photographed by Tim Palen, the image of Blake and athlete-turned-model Thomas 'The Boxer' Canestraro was part of a sexy shoot promoting her new film A Simple Favor.

Not having it: Although they have similar features, not everyone was on board with the comparison

Get out of here: One avid Blake Lively fan seemed genuinely offended that people would suggest Amethyst looks like the actress

Jokester: Ryan is known for poking fun at his wife. When she posted this racy snapshot on Instagram in September, he commented: 'He seems nice'

Early voters: The couple revealed last month that they sent out their absentee ballots on the actor's 42nd birthday

Blake and Ryan celebrated his 42nd birthday on October 23 with some early voting. They both shared a photo of themselves holding their absentee ballots while posing in front of some balloons.

'What a birthday! I just smoked a huge bowl of early voting. #JustVoted @whenweallvote,' he captioned the image, while she wrote: 'Happy Birthday to 2018s Sexiest Voter Alive @vancityreynolds #justvoted #absenteeballot party!'

Ryan, who was born in Canada, is now a dual citizen, having recently been naturalized in the United States.

'I feel the compulsion to vote,' he told The New York Times. 'Especially now.'

Blake and Ryan, who married in 2012, are parents to two daughters, James, three, and Inez, two. They celebrated their six-year anniversary in September.
One of the world's biggest condom manufacturers has today launched a campaign encouraging people to 'have sex to save lives'.

Durex announced it will donate a fraction of its sales from its new range of red-packaged condoms towards the fight against HIV.

The firm claimed it will give a minimum of 10 per cent towards a campaign educating young girls in South Africa, where millions of people have HIV.

Swedish pop sensation Zara Larsson has backed Durex's campaign, for which she was pictured wearing a t-shirt saying 'have sex save lives'.

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International pop sensation Zara Larsson has backed Durex's campaign, for which she was pictured wearing a t-shirt saying 'have sex save lives'

Commenting on the campaign, 20-year-old Larsson said: 'For the first time ever, you can literally "Have Sex and Save Lives".

'It is empowering that we can all help to protect ourselves by having safe sex, and at the same time, join the fight to end AIDS through helping girls in South Africa who really need our support.

She added: 'Its so important my generation use their voices to encourage others to "give a f**" to stop this happening.'

Durex revealed the money raised from its new range of condoms would go directly towards the 'Keeping Girls in School' campaign in South Africa.

Figures estimate there are around 7.2million people currently living with HIV in the African nation  approximately a fifth of all people in the world with the disease.

The programme aims to reduce new HIV infections and pregnancies among young women by improving access to sexual health services.

Swedish superstar Larsson features alongside other stars in video designed to promote the campaign, including actress Thandie Newton.

WHAT IS HIV? HIV - human immunodeficiency virus - reduces the body's ability to fight infection. It is most commonly spread through unprotected sex, but also through contaminated needles and breastfeeding. HIV is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where it still affects millions of people. If left untreated, HIV can develop into AIDS - acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - which can be fatal. People particularly at risk of HIV are men who have sex with men, Black Africa heterosexuals, and people who share needles or syringes. Medication can successfully suppress the virus to stop it from spreading, but it cannot completely cure it. Figures estimate nearly 37 million adults and children across the world have the lethal virus including at least 100,000 in the UK. Source: NHS Advertisement

The minute-long clip encourages viewers to give a f*** about AIDS by sharing online using #GAF.

Durex also announced it would make a 3.9million ($5m) donation to The Global Fund, which gives grants for initiatives to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has fought for years to improve health and reduce poverty in deprived countries, has promised to match the contribution.

The condoms will cost 9.99 for a pack of 12 and 14.99 for a pack of 20, meaning either 99.9p or 1.49 will be donated to Keeping Girls in School.

Figures estimate nearly 37 million adults and children across the world have the HIV virus, including at least 100,000 in the UK.

HIV progressively damages crucial cells in the immune system, weakening the body's ability to fight infections.

Left untreated, this leads to AIDS  the collective name for a series of deadly infections which the weakened immune system cannot tackle.

Ben Wilson, global category director at Durex, part of the Reckitt Benckiser Group, said: 'Thirty-seven million people are living with HIV around the world.

'This ground-breaking new partnership with (RED) allows everyone to play a role in helping end AIDS.

The condoms will cost 9.99 for a pack of 12 or 14.99 for 20, meaning between 99p and 1.50 will go to charity for each box which is bought

'We hope to make a huge difference to young women who are disproportionately affected by this devastating disease in South Africa.'

Durex joins the list of some of the worlds most iconic brands who have partnered with (RED) since it was founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006.

Beats by Dre, Apple and Vespa have all sold products alongside the fund to raise money.


Half as many children are killed by guns in US states where laws governing the sale, purchase and use of the weapons are stricter, a new study reveals.

In the last two decades, more than 26,000 children and teenagers have been killed by guns, accounting for more pediatric deaths than heart disease and cancer combined.

Guns are the second-leading cause of pediatric death in the US. The figure is distressing, but has done little to drive broad-sweeping gun reform.

But like so many other issues in the US, Americans are divided when it comes to how tightly gun ownership should be restricted - and the safety of children, too, divides along those lines, the new Stanford University study demonstrates.

In the Midwest and South where gun laws are lax (dark red), far more children are injured or killed than in states in the West and Northeast (light red, where gun laws are stricter

After Nikolas Cruz shot and killed 17 of their classmates in February, the students of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida became the stirring, young faces of gun violence in the US - and tireless advocates for better regulation of weapons.

Three months later, 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis killed 10 of his classmates at Santa Fe High School in Dallas, Texas.

Those are only two of the 37 school shootings that have taken place in the US so far this year.

Horrifying though these acts of premeditated violence are, the 27 children killed in those incidents are just a fraction of the 560 children that Gun Violence Archive estimates have been killed or injured by guns in 2018 alone.

School shootings attract enormous (and warranted) media attention, but that coverage is far from telling the entire story of guns and kids in US.

While undoubtedly Americans as a whole would like to stop violence against children, opinions on how to do that vary - as do our laws.

Firearm ownership in the US is broadly protected by the Second Amendment and about a dozen federal laws.

But every state has its own legislation and regulation on gun ownership, registration and use. From coast to coast, gun laws differ in number and strictness.

California has 107 laws regarding guns and Massachusetts has 101.

On the other end of the spectrum, Missouri, Idaho and Mississippi each have just two laws each pertaining to guns on the books.

Researchers and pediatricians at Columbia University wanted to evaluate the relationship between this legislation and the number of children injured or killed by gunfire in each state.

Though the study is ongoing, the results presented in a paper abstract at the American Academy of Pediatrics paint a clear picture of the relationship.

In regions of the US where gun laws are stricter - the West and Northeast - 7.54 out of every 100,000 children's injuries are caused by guns.

But 8.3 out of every 100,00 children injured in states with looser gun restrictions - those in the South and Midwest - are harmed by firearms.

Perhaps even more telling, half as many children are killed by guns in the stricter regions than in those where gun laws are lax.

'We found a clear discrepancy in where those deaths happen that corresponds with the strength of states' firearm legislation,' said lead study author, Dr Stephanie Chao, a Stanford pediatrician.

'In states with lenient laws, children die at alarmingly greater rates.'

Dr Chao noted that the study's finding of discrepancy might point policymakers in toward the most productive avenues for firearm reform.

'While federal legislation on firearms remains a contentious and gridlocked issue, we found that state legislation may be an opportunity to prevent pediatric deaths from firearms,' she said.

In 2012, former President Barrack Obama pushed for the Senate to pass a set of federal gun reforms in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that claimed the lives of 20 young children.

None of the bills made it far. By 2013, the legislation was dead in the water.

After Parkland, President Trump promised 'big, beautiful' gun legislation, focused on limiting access to automatic weapons. But passage anytime soon seems unlikely.

Florida, on the other hand, moved swiftly after the Parkland massacre, passing a bill to raise the minimum age requirement to purchase a gun to 21, banning certain firearm modules that allow for faster, more continuous shooing and, controversially, allowing teachers to be armed, with the agreement of local police.

The bill passed just one month after the shooting.

It's too soon to say how effective the law will be at preventing pediatric gun deaths, but it shows promise in light of the new study.

'Our study demonstrates that state-level legislation prevents children from dying from guns,' Dr Chao said.
Millions of women could be spared the ordeal of having smear tests after the age of 55, a major study suggests.

At the moment British women are invited for regular cervical screening between the ages of 25 and 64.

But research indicates that a sensitive new test being brought in by the NHS could make testing past the age of 55 unnecessary.

Women who had a negative test at age 55 had only a 0.05 per cent chance of developing cervical cancer in later life, results published in The Lancet Oncology medical journal concluded.

The new 'sensitive' cervical cancer screening could save millions of British women from undergoing tests after their 55th birthday (file photo)

The study, led by McGill University in Canada, used data from 200,000 women to calculate lifetime risk of cervical cancer.

British officials confirmed that scientists on the Governments screening committee, which advises the NHS, would look at the findings.

Experts, however, stressed that more research is needed  and said women over 55 should continue to attend their screening appointments.

Robert Music, of Jos Cervical Cancer Trust, said: Regardless of your age, please dont ignore your invitation when it comes through.

At the moment women are invited for cervical cancer screening 12 times between the ages of 25 and 64: Every three years until age 50 and then every five years.

The frequency of the tests is thought to be contributing to falling uptake, with nearly a third of women  1.2million last year alone  neglecting to take part.

The study, led by McGill University in Canada, used data from 200,000 women to calculate lifetime risk of cervical cancer (file photo)

Screening takes place until retirement because cervical cancer commonly appears in old age.

But the McGill scientists found screening could be stopped earlier thanks to the rollout of a new way of testing for HPV  the virus which causes 95 per cent of cases of cervical cancer  which means doctors can be more confident women are at low risk.

In the past a smear test involved testing for abnormalities in the cells on the cervix, known as cytology screening.

But the test is being changed to test first for the HPV virus, and then following up if the virus is present.

By December 2019 all women in England will be able to have the test.

Study leader Dr Talia Malagon said: For countries that use HPV testing as part of their screening, it might be possible to stop screening earlier than we are currently doing, provided women have a negative HPV test.

Around 1,000 British women die with cervical cancer every year.
Britain's first double hand transplant patient can now open his own door for the first time in five years.

Chris King, 58, lost both his hands - except the thumbs - in an accident involving a metal pressing machine at work in 2013.

But following a pioneering operation in July two years ago, he has once again been able to re-use his hands, which come from a donor.

Until now, he struggled to open his front door - even though he has penned a thank you note to his surgeon, raised a pint and held his niece's hand.

Yet Mr King said he has finally got his 'freedom back' after managing to navigate the key into the lock to open the door for the delivery man.

Chris King, 58, lost both his hands - except the thumbs - in an accident involving a metal pressing machine at work four years ago (pictured with his donor hands)

Mr King, from Rossington, South Yorkshire, recalled how he spent three years getting used to having no hands and resigned himself to living an adapted life (pictured after the accident)

He is keen to stress the importance of people stepping forward as potential donors and was tearful when he was asked about the donor who helped him (pictured after the accident)

He told The Mirror: 'The reason it's taken so long is the key pushes against my index finger and it was painful.

'But the other day Amazon came with some parcels and I thought "I'm going to give it another go".

'I tried the key and it worked. I screamed, "I've done it. I've done it for the first time."

'The delivery man seemed a bit taken aback. I told him I lost my hands in 2013 and got new ones on 2016 and he just said "Wow, that's brilliant".'

Mr King underwent the procedure to replace both his hands at the UK's specialist centre at Leeds General Infirmary.

Recovering after the surgery, he said that he 'couldn't wish for anything better' and described it as being 'better than a lottery win'.

Mr King underwent the procedure to replace both his hands at the UK's specialist centre at Leeds General Infirmary

Recovering after the surgery, he said that he 'couldn't wish for anything better' and described it as being 'better than a lottery win'

In the weeks following the 12-hour procedure, he was able to pour a pint of his favourite Yorkshire ale from a bottle (pictured writing a letter)

How the painstaking surgery was performed, step by step. Mr King said the operation was a complete success as he already had some movement straight after the procedure

WHAT HAPPENS IN A HAND TRANSPLANT? After successful operations, with time and expert after care, the donor hand will move with strength and dexterity. It will even feel warm to touch and heal itself when injured - but the operation is a long and complex one. During the six to 12-hour procedure, teams of surgeons work to remove the donor hand while separate teams work on the recipient. Bones are joined with titanium plates and screws. Just as with a typical broken bone, they should eventually heal together, but the plates remain in place to ensure stability. Surgeons then connect key tendons and muscles, before blood vessels are connected. Once blood is circulating, remaining nerves, tendons and muscles are attached - as the feeling in the hand should then come back. A single hand transplant costs around 50,000 with a further 2,000 to 3,000 a year in rehabilitation and drug costs. Advertisement

In the weeks following the 12-hour procedure, he was able to pour a pint of his favourite Yorkshire ale from a bottle.

Nine months on, he revealed he had written a letter to thank his surgeon Professor Simon Kay, who conducted the operation with eight other medics.

Pub landlord Mark Cahill, from Yorkshire, became the first person in the UK to have a hand transplant in 2012 - performed by the same surgeon as Mr King.

But Mr King, from Rossington, South Yorkshire, whose sister Amanda is now his full-time carer, was the first person to have both hands replaced.

Mr King, an avid supporter of the Leeds Rhinos, said he can remember his horror ordeal perfectly but said there was no pain and no trauma.

He revealed he was trapped for six minutes at his workplace - Eaton Lighting, in Doncaster, before first-aiders arrived.

He was close to death in the ambulance after the terrible incident, but a team of 'unsung heroes' at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital managed to save his life.

They also managed to save enough of his lower limbs to enable the later transplant surgery at LGI - which has proved to be a complete success.

The trust running the hospital was awarded a contract to become the UK's specialist centre for hand transplants by NHS England in 2016.

Mr King returned back to work shortly after the surgery to attach the donor hands - and previously said his firm had been 'brilliant'.

Last year, Professor Kay, who hopes the procedure will become as routine as a kidney transplant, said he was incredibly pleased with Mr King's progress.

Mr King, an avid supporter of the Leeds Rhinos, said he can remember his horror ordeal perfectly but said there was no pain and no trauma

Professor Simon Kay, who conducted the operation alongside eight other medics, praised Mr King's recovery
Leading medics have hit back at a controversial Twitter hashtag that saw doctors being ridiculed for being 'd***heads'.

Social media erupted with dozens of angry patients telling their horror tales of how their conditions went undiagnosed for years.

But in a strongly worded response to the outpouring, two doctors have attacked the hashtag and said: 'Doctors are not d***heads'.

Dr Matt Morgan, an honorary senior research fellow at Cardiff University, penned the response with Professor Peter Brindley, of the University of Alberta.

In their retaliation piece in the British Medical Journal, they wrote: 'Nobody gains by leveling harsh accusations at fallible humans, regardless of their proximity or salary

Dr Matt Morgan (left), an honorary senior research fellow at Cardiff University, penned the response with Professor Peter Brindley (right), of the University of Alberta

Doctors are not d***heads. We are just heads, and, like our patients, these heads are connected to hearts.'

The provocative hashtag erupted when YouTuber Stevie Boebi posted a video slamming the time it took for her to be diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Hundreds of angry Twitter users jumped on the opportunity to reveal they also had to battle with their doctor to get a diagnosis for a range of conditions.

Dr Morgan and Professor Brindley accepted that many of those airing their frustrations, including Ms Boebi, had suffered from medicines imperfections.

However, the pair added how they take umbrage with the overly convenient cause and effect of blaming individual doctors inadequacies.

In their piece, which was published yesterday, they added: Has any situation ever improved by calling someone a d***head?

Emily, whose Twitter handle is @revolverbunny, spoke of how a doctor blamed being in love for her chronic fatigue and pain when she was 14

Beth Paige told a similar tale. She said teenage girls battling chronic pain are too often told it could be 'growing pains' or 'in your head'

Karrie Higgins, who claims to have previously work in two clinics with doctors, said she had seen them make fun of patients behind their backs

Ophelia Brown, of Ottawa in Ontario, claims she was 'making up' her symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome

Laura Ashley, from Colorado, told of how her gynaecologist 'laughed and said there was no possible way' when she raised concerns over her Essure device

Instead, this sort of language leads to an arms race of finger pointing, excessive shouting, and inadequate listening.

Dr Morgan and Professor Brindley also spoke of their concerns about doctors who took the bait to jump in and point the finger back at the patients.

They added: Medical errors - or what can be better understood as human errors in a medical environment - can be truly awful and sometimes lethal.

To wrongly attribute the root cause to a fallible individual, however, is to squander the opportunity to meaningfully improve.

Although we get the human need for blame, more important is what is the collective plan going forward?

This should start by accepting how complicated healthcare can be. Next lets encourage behaviour that builds rather than tramples.

They added: Humans and their myriad of presentations are eye wateringly complex. This is why up to half of our medical diagnoses may be ultimately wrong or incomplete.

Medicine is as much a philosophy for dealing with uncertainty and managing probabilities as it is anything else. It is not, however, an exact science.

Emily, whose Twitter handle is @revolverbunny, spoke of how a doctor blamed being in love for her chronic fatigue and pain when she was 14.

She claims it took her 11 years before she was eventually diagnosed with EDS - which can cause the crippling symptoms.

Dr Bobby Chiong responded to the 'DoctorsAreD***heads' hashtag and admitted he 'completely' understood why it was trending

June, from Portland in Oregon, said her cardiologist ridiculed her for suggesting she had a condition after researching it online

Beth Paige told a similar tale. She said teenage girls battling chronic pain are too often told it could be 'growing pains' or 'in your head'.

Ophelia Brown, of Ottawa in Ontario, claims she was 'making up' her symptoms of complex regional pain syndrome.

She blamed the lack of care and competence from her doctors that saw her wait years for a diagnosis, by which time her condition became 'untreatable'.

June, from Portland in Oregon, said her cardiologist ridiculed her for suggesting she had a condition after researching it online.

She added how she later diagnosed her with the same condition, dysautonomia - a disorder of the nervous system.

Laura Ashley, from Colorado, told of how her gynaecologist 'laughed and said there was no possible way' when she raised concerns over her Essure device.

The controversial contraceptive launched onto the global market in 2002, with more than 34,000 women across the world complaining of side effects in the years since.

Karrie Higgins, who claims to have previously work in two clinics with doctors, said she had seen them make fun of patients behind their backs.

Other tweeters said they 'guaranteed' the real harm done in the experiences behind the hashtag are 'worse than the hurt feelings' of doctors.

Dr Bobby Chiong responded to the 'DoctorsAreD***heads' hashtag and admitted he 'completely' understood why it was trending.

He tweeted: '[It's] a good hashtag to checkout if you need to be reminded what it's like to be on the other side of the exam table [sic].'

Twitter user @ArticDragoness spoke of how her mother suffered at the hands of one doctor when she gave birth

Twitter user @1c75a tweeted a mock-up situation of patronising behaviour from a medic

Other tweeters said they 'guaranteed' the real harm done in the experiences behind the hashtag are 'worse than the hurt feelings' of doctors
Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Whatever else it will be, Tuesday will be a relief. We will finally find out where we are in the surreal dystopia of the last two years. We will see, in a tangible way, what America now is.

These years have been overwhelmed and saturated by a single figure with no political experience, who won almost 3 million fewer votes than his opponent, has had consistently lower approval numbers than any of his recent predecessors, and speaks and acts in ways no previous president ever has. He has cast a staggering spell over a hefty segment of the population, and he has earned the intense loathing of the rest. And for these very reasons, it has been tortuously hard to see what is in front of our noses.

Is this the new normal? Or has this been a detour into the freak zone, with a president accidentally elected, a major party temporarily hypnotized, but with a population still aware of something called reality? Weve tried and tried these past two years to figure that out, and there are many layers of meaning here, but we havent had a clear test of anything. Polls are not elections. Only elections are elections. We are entering the human phase of the trials.

There are few historical guides. It is hard to think of a precedent for a president who endorses violence against political foes, sees the Justice Department as his own personal prosecutor, calls the press the enemy of the people, tears children from parents, brags of multiple sexual assaults, threatens to lock up his opponents, enthuses about war crimes, falls in love with the foulest dictator on the planet, refuses to divest of personal holdings in office, lambastes allies, treats the Treasury as a casino, actively endorses the poisoning of the environment, destabilizes NATO, baits minorities, lies incessantly, and oversees a resurgence of the white nationalist right. Any single gesture in any one of these areas would have been political death for most previous presidents. But we live in a time when we have come to expect that all this can now empower and even reward an American politician, rather than ruin him.

Next Tuesday will tell us whether that expectation is misplaced. Our polarization is so strong a real wave will be hard to achieve. But a president with this record and of this character can still be rebuked, repelled, and rejected, and, more importantly, so can his party. I know no more than anyone else, and yet I feel in my bones the opposite of what I felt two years ago. Then, it seemed obvious to me that Hillary Clinton had not sealed the deal, or come close to it, and that the freshness of the underdog and the populist tenor of the times could easily give us a Trump presidency. Now, it feels like the opposite. My instincts tell me that every single person whom this president has dismissed, insulted, or demonized will show up to vote. If they do, they will pierce the Trump bubble. They were a majority two years ago, after all, before this nightmare of governance began. They could be a bigger majority next Tuesday.

Delivering a defeat to Trump will not, of course, be a defeat of Trumpism. White anxiety and discomfort in the face of mass immigration is not going to disappear. As I argued last week, it will likely intensify. The global pressures that suppress wages are not waning. The despair in so much of left-behind America cannot be blotted out indefinitely with fentanyl. The collapse of local communities is not going to turn around overnight, and automation is unstoppable. Fear of change is correlated to the pace of change, and the latter shows no sign of deceleration.

You can describe the new divide  and the forces propelling Trump  in many ways: open versus closed, fluid versus fixed, liberal versus conservative, anywhere versus somewhere. Its healthy and natural that a new alignment would form given our new circumstances. But this new alignment is organized less around policy or the role of government, than on the feelings of security and confidence in the modern world. And in our current crisis, the closed, fixed, fearful view of the world is, understandably, in the ascendant. Putin, Brexit, Trump, Xi, Salvini, Alternative for Germany, Duterte, Bolsonaro, Orban  we know the deal by now. Tom Edsall made a vital point yesterday in the New York Times, citing a new study. In America, a center-right country, those with fixed views are 42 percent of the electorate; those with fluid views are 32 percent; and those hybrids in the middle (which is where I find myself) are 26 percent. More to the point, the hybrids are more like the fixed than they are the fluid.

Trumpism, in other words, is the new normal. It is not going away. And there is no going back. The challenge for the center-right and center-left across the West is to accommodate this new normal in ways that do not empower authoritarianism, provoke constitutional unraveling, or incite civil unrest. And it seems to me that the lesson of the last two years is that the Republican Party is unable and unwilling to perform that function. It has turned itself into a cult behind a figure hostile to liberal democratic norms, responsible government, and any notion of moderation. It is less a political party than a mass movement sustained by shame-free, mendacious propaganda around a man whose articulated values place him more in the company of Putin and Duterte than Merkel and Macron.

The GOP cannot be talked out of their surrender to this strongman. With each rhetorical or policy atrocity, they have attached themselves more firmly to him. The dissenters are leaving; the new members of Congress will be even Trumpier than the old. They have abandoned any serious oversight role. Their singular achievement has been supplying judicial ranks who will not stand in the way of executive power. That was the real issue in the Kavanaugh nomination, as Newt Gingrich blurted out last week. A subpoena for the president from the special counsel would be fought, he promised, all the way to the Supreme Court, which is when we would see whether or not the Kavanaugh fight was worth it. This is a party bent on enabling authoritarianism, not restraining it.

Thats why I will vote Democrat next Tuesday. I have many issues with the Democrats, as regular readers well know. None of that matters compared with this emergency. I dont care, in this instance, what their policies are. I am going to vote for them. I cant stand most of their leaders and fear their radical fringe. I am going to vote for them anyway. Because it is the only responsible thing there is to do.

This president is quite clearly unfit for his office. If he is checked by the Congress, he will still be a danger  to the rule of law, the Constitution, and civil peace. But if he remains unchecked  and even vindicated by a midterm Republican success? After the themes he has involved and exploited  especially in this final week? After the massive lies he has told, in greater frequency these past few weeks than ever before? What he will learn from all that beggars belief.

It is time  way past time  for the opposition to be other than the press. It is time for it to be the Congress where it rightly belongs. Trump loves the unelected press as a foil; he has had a huge success in pivoting off it. It is harder to pivot off an elected opposition.

More to the point, the press doesnt have subpoena power. The Fourth Estate can present fact after fact and it will not deter Trump telling lie after monstrous lie. But Congress has real power. The press cant get his tax returns. Congress can. The press cant truly discover the depth of the corruption in his administration. Congress can. The press cant publicly cross-examine Cabinet members, order functionaries to answer questions, kill proposed legislation, and air everything where it should be aired  on Capitol Hill. By delivering the House to the opposition, we are doing one small thing to rebalance the scales.

And that balance is desperately needed. Trumps danger to the Constitution is clear, not least in his looming assault on the special counsel. There are only two resorts in the face of it: elections and impeachment. The former is far preferable to the latter. In this instance, a divided government again will provide another advantage. One-party rule has strained this democracy. The Electoral College, gerrymandering, the structure of the Senate, and demographics have given us a government actively indifferent and even hostile to half the country. That single party has now taken firm control of the Supreme Court as well. It will very likely retain control of the Senate in January. Capturing the House is the only way the republic can strike back.

It may be a critical path to preventing civil unrest. As this past tragic week has again shown, this president has enabled bigots and cranks. The flourishing of white nationalism, the rebirth of hideous anti-Semitism, the dehumanization of the brown and the black, the deployment of cruelty against children, the celebration of violence  we have had politicians like this before, but we have never had a president like this. The power of words delivered with authority, especially from the White House, should not be underestimated. Trump has brought about a great, mass disinhibition. And when it has murderously erupted into violence  from Charlottesville to Pittsburgh  he has shown himself incapable of restraining it. That he unleashed the most racist ad since Willie Horton days after a terror attack on Democratic leaders, a hate murder of two African-Americans, and a mass shooting of Jews at prayer by a far-right bigot reveals who he is. He doesnt care about the stability and cohesion of this country. He cares only about himself. If we survive another two years of this man we will all be lucky. If he remains utterly unchecked, we may very well not be.

The Italian leftist, Antonio Gramsci, famously wrote, The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear. We live in such a time, and we have in front of us one of those morbid symptoms: the current Republican Party. You know what to do.

Leave the Groups Out of It

At what point is it legitimate to make sweeping negative generalizations about whole classes of people? I was brought up to believe the answer to that was never. But Im beginning to feel painfully naive about that.

Its endemic on the Trump right and in Trumps own diseased psyche. Generalizations about immigrants, African-Americans, Latinos  well, you know the list by now. But its also percolating on the left. This week, CNNs Don Lemon went there. He said we need to realize the biggest terror threat in this country is white men, most of them radicalized to the right, and we have to start doing something about them. There is no travel ban on them. There is no ban  you know, they had the Muslim ban. There is no white-guy ban. So what do we do about that?

Challenged on this, he doubled down. On the facts, he insisted, he is not wrong about domestic terrorism. Right-wing terror is at least as dangerous as Islamist terror, maybe more: Since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, far-right violent extremists have killed 106 people in 62 attacks in the United States, while radical Islamist violent extremists have killed 119 people in 23 attacks. Hes right about that  and, with Pittsburgh, there are now 11 more victims on the far-right side of the ledger. It is important to note, I think, that the first mass casualty event at a synagogue in America was not carried out by a Muslim.

But thats not quite the point Lemon was making, was it? He was being deliberately provocative in his original remarks: the biggest terror threat in this country is white men. He suggested we have to do something about them, and referred to the Muslim ban as an analogy. Its a dumb analogy, since its about immigrants from a select number of Muslim-majority countries, while white men is clearly about American citizens. But the Muslim analogy works in another way. We go out of our way  and rightly so, in my view  not to associate Islamist terrorists with American Muslims. And we do so because its grotesquely unfair to generalize from a tiny few to an entire population. If its unfair to do that for Muslims, why is it okay for white men?

This impulse to generalize is human and I dont want to beat up on Don Lemon for an off-the-cuff riff. But it seems to me important to keep the denigration of entire classes of people in check. Its morally wrong, and its politically counterproductive. The issue is not the far-right terrorists whiteness or their maleness, but their extremism and psychology.

Part of this is the corruption of the mind and soul that identity politics brings with it, especially on the right; part of it is the eternally dark part of the human psyche that fears an out-group. And, yes, generalizations about some groups  Jews, blacks, gays  are more troubling than generalizations about others  straight white men  because these minorities have been historically targeted, often brutally. And an exception should be made, I think, for humor, where all bets should be off. But all such generalizations rest on a principle that a free and multicultural society must reject if it is to succeed in hanging together. In a liberal society, we dont judge the individual by the group or the group by the individual. Its worth resisting the urge to do so when you feel it (as we all do from time to time). Especially when you believe your motives are good ones.

Boots Switch

The most striking thing about Max Boot, the former neocon who has become one of the most passionate Never Trumpers, is his naivete. After decades of diligence in the ranks of the conservative movement, it took the emergence of Trump to make him see that almost everything he previously trusted and believed in could disappear overnight. Im glad he has seen the light on this, and enjoyed his book, The Corrosion of Conservatism, as a memoir of that naivete. Its a devastating dissection of conservatisms degeneracy in America. But I think people have missed one of the key sources of his earnestness and disillusionment.

Hes a first-generation immigrant, just like me. And we tend to idolize America. Unlike most people, we chose it. For us, America will always be an escape and a vision of a life made new. We look past its flaws, blur over its past, miss the racial backstory, rationalize foreign interventions in ways many native-born Americans would balk at. We immigrants are the ultimate American idealists, the way gays were the ultimate enthusiasts for the right to marry. You love what you cant have.

If you are also a conservative, and came here in the twilight of the Cold War, you will also have been swept away by what appeared to be the triumph of your set of ideas, the total defeat of Soviet Communism, the collapse of collectivism, and the spread of freedom around the world. And the last two decades of the 20th century, when Boot and I came of age, were as intoxicating for a conservative immigrant to America as the first two decades of the 21st have been profoundly disillusioning. And because the faith was so deep for Max, a Soviet refugee no less, the loss of faith is so much more catastrophic.

My faith was never quite as deep, and so the disillusion was never quite so complete or sudden as Maxs. I was able to endorse Clinton and Blair, for example, and found in Obama the moderate Republican Id always admired. My breaking point was the revelation that the GOP backed the brutal torture of prisoners, the total abnegation of a politics of freedom. If you didnt recognize the barbarism that lay just beneath the Republican surface then, you were blinded by something pretty powerful. Some of my hostility to the right thereafter was tinged with excess, hyperbole, and a sense of betrayal. I became a nonperson on the right before it happened to the Never Trumpers. Maybe I was too harsh. Or emotional.

But theres a danger to Damascene moments. Its so very tempting to replace one tribe with another, one fixed ideology for its opposite, and to make that conversion the central part of your identity. Theres an American tradition of this, from Whittaker Chambers to David Brock. When I read Jennifer Rubin, I see the same trope. On the other end of the spectrum, I think of Mickey Kaus  whose slide to the right tribe seems to have no limiting principle  or the transformation of someone like Irving Kristol over the years.

But the full switcheroo is usually worth resisting. Dont get me wrong. Im thrilled Boot and Rubin are fighting the good fight right now. But one form of blindness can lead to another. And the point of this troubling, opaque time  if you are a writer or thinker  is to see.

See you next Friday.
Llamas may hold the key to a long-lasting flu vaccine, research suggests.

Laboratory tests showed a protein produced by the fluffy animals, as well as camels, fought off the virus in mice.

Rodents were even protected against 60 strains of flu, which cause fever, headache and fatigue in humans, for more than nine months.

Currently, flu jabs protect against a maximum of four strains - meaning people can still be struck down by strains that were not predicted to be active.

The Belgian study has even raised hopes of a flu nasal spray, after the mice were equally protected when the vaccine was injected or inhaled.

Llamas may hold the key to a long-lasting flu vaccine, research suggests (stock)

Researchers collected antibodies - proteins used by body's immune system to neutralise pathogens - from llamas.

The team, from the pharmaceutical giant Janssen, Beerse, injected the animals with a vaccine that contained three different flu viruses.

The viruses included the H1N1 pathogen that caused the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 and killed up to five per cent of the world's population.

The scientists then collected four antibodies circulating in the llamas' blood and combined them to create a 'super protein'.

When this protein was given to mice - either via a nasal spray or an injection - they were more likely to survive influenza A and B than untreated rodents.

Influenza A, which includes bird flu, affects both animals and humans. This virus is constantly changing and is responsible for widespread epidemics.

Influenza B meanwhile is only found in humans and tends to be less severe than A. However, it was blamed for severe outbreaks in the UK and US last winter.

'It's been quite hard to find an antibody that neutralises both A and B,' biologist Professor Ian Wilson, from the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, said.

Professor Wilson, who has published more than 50 studies on flu antibodies, helped work out how the super protein binds to flu viruses.

WHERE CAN YOU GET A FLU JAB? Flu can be a serious illness. If you become very ill with it, it can cause complications such as pneumonia, kidney failure and inflammation of the heart, brain or muscle. People at most risk of serious illness or death if they get flu are offered the vaccine on the NHS. Ideally you should have this before the end of December, when flu peaks (it takes around two weeks after the jab for antibodies to develop completely). At-risk groups include anyone aged 65 and over, people living in long-stay residential care homes, carers and pregnant women. The vaccine is also offered to anyone aged six months to 65 years with certain conditions, such as diabetes. It is available via your GP's surgery. All children aged two to eight (on August 31, 2017) are also offered the vaccine as a nasal spray. The UK introduced the child vaccination programme in 2013. Last year, the vaccine had 66 per cent effectiveness. Australia does not have a similar programme. If you do not qualify to have the jab on the NHS, you can pay to get it at a pharmacy. Well Pharmacy charges 10, Superdrug from 9.99, Lloyds Pharmacy 10, Boots 12.99 and Tesco 9. Older children who fall outside the NHS scheme can get the nasal spray vaccine from some pharmacies such as Well (23 for those aged between two and 18; this may involve a second dose at least four weeks later for another 23) and the injection for those 12 and over for 9. Boots offers the jab to those aged 10 and over at 12.99. Tesco offers it to those 12 and over at 9. Advertisement

The study, published in the journal Science, also showed the jab protected rhesus macques monkeys for four months.

The challenge with creating flu vaccines is that the virus is ever evolving to avoid detection.

Therefore, scientists must predict which receptors they should make the jab target ahead of a winter outbreak.

But the protein developed from llamas is made up of many different antibodies that latch on to markers found across numerous flu strains.

It is also smaller than the average antibody due to it not containing as many protein chains.

This means it is able to penetrate deeper into a flu virus, reaching crevices that larger antibodies cannot touch.

Research suggests these crevices do not evolve as fast as receptors on the surface of flu viruses and may therefore be easier to target.

It is thought many people put off flu jabs due to a fear of needles, with a nasal spray potentially being more appealing.

This may help persuade the 29 per cent of over 65s who do not get vaccinated in the average year despite being eligible for a free jab on the NHS.

'This is a great story and shows the power of antibody engineering,' flu vaccine researcher Professor Antonio Lanzavecchia told Science.

Professor Lanzavecchia works at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona, Switzerland, and was not involved in the study.

The researchers, who were led by Joost Kolkman, stress it may be many years before a nasal flu vaccine is available for adults.

Flu antibody specialist Dr James Crowe, from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, also warned a human's immune system may see a llama protein as a foreign substance.

It could, therefore, launch an immune response against it, he added. Dr Crowe was not involved in the research.

A nasal flu spray is already available for children aged between two and eight years old in the UK.

Elderly people and pregnant women are among the most at risk because the virus can lead to pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis and brain inflammation.

Flu is also a very common infection in babies and children, who may require hospital treatment, with some even dying from the infection.

Earlier this week, a report revealed millions of at-risk patients in the UK have yet to get their flu jab this winter because of delivery problems to GP practices.

Just 33.8 per cent of over-65s have been vaccinated, compared to 53.7 per cent this time last year, according to a Public Heath England national flu report.
Children as young as two are developing mental health problems because of smartphones and tablets, scientists warn.

Just an hour a day staring at a screen can be enough to make children more likely to be anxious or depressed.

This could be making them less curious, less able to finish tasks, less emotionally stable and lowering their self-control.

Although teenagers are most at risk from the damaging devices, children under the age of 10 and toddlers' still-developing brains are also being affected.

But research shows 'zombie' British children spend nearly five hours every day gawping at electronic devices.

Children as young as two are suffering anxiety and depression because of how much time they spend on smartphones, researchers from the US have warned, and parents and teachers should do more to curb how long they're online

Researchers from San Diego State University and the University of Georgia say time spent on smartphones is a serious but avoidable cause of mental health issues.

'Half of mental health problems develop by adolescence,' professors Jean Twenge and Keith Campbell said.

'There is a need to identify factors linked to mental health issues that are [able to be changed] in this population, as most are difficult or impossible to influence.

'How children and adolescents spend their leisure time is [easier] to change.'

Parents and teachers must cut the amount of time children spend online or watching television while they're studying, socialising, eating or even playing sport.

Professor Twenge said her study, one of the biggest of its kind, backs the American Academy of Pediatrics' established screen time limit  one hour per day for children aged two to five.

It also suggests a similar limit  perhaps two hours  should be applied to school-aged children and adolescents, she added.

The researchers analysed data provided by the parents of more than 40,000 US children aged two to 17 for a nationwide health survey in 2016.

The questionnaire asked about the youngsters' medical care, any emotional, developmental or behavioural issues and their daily screen time.

TEENAGERS SWAP LIBRARIES FOR LIKES One third of teenagers have not read a book in the past year, research suggested in August. With social media taking up more and more of an adolescent's time, just 16 per cent of those aged between 17 and 18 read a book for pleasure every day, compared to 60 per cent in the late 1970s, a study found. In addition, just two percent of 15 to 16-year-olds read a newspaper daily, a decrease of 31 percent from the early 1990s, the research added. Results further suggest social media use among teenagers increased from an average of one to two hours a day between 2006 and 2016. Lead author Dr Jean Twenge, from San Diego State University, said: 'Compared with previous generations, teens in the 2010s spent more time online and less time with traditional media, such as books, magazines and television. 'Time on digital media has displaced time once spent enjoying a book or watching TV.' The researchers worry declining reading rates among teenagers will affect their performances at school as they lack the concentration to understand text books. The researchers analysed the results of the Monitoring the Future study, which surveys approximately 50,000 students aged 13-to-18 every year in the US. Advertisement

Adolescents spending more than seven hours a day on screens are twice as likely to have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression as those who spent an hour.

Links between screen time and wellbeing are stronger among adolescents than young children, the study found.

Professor Twenge said: 'At first, I was surprised the associations were larger for adolescents.

'However, teens spend more time on their phones and on social media, and we know from other research that these activities are more strongly linked to low wellbeing than watching television and videos, which is most of younger children's screen time.'

Even moderate use of four hours is also associated with lower psychological well-being than one hour a day.

Pre-schoolers, or under fives, who are high users are twice as likely to often lose their temper  and are 46 per cent more prone to not be able to calm down when excited.

Among 14 to 17 year olds, more than four in ten (42.2 per cent) of those in the study who spent more than seven hours a day on screens did not finish tasks.

About one in eleven (9 per cent) of 11 to 13-year-olds who spent an hour with screens daily were not curious or interested in learning new things.

Writing in the journal Preventative Medicine Reports, the professors said they were particularly interested in links between screen time and diagnoses of anxiety and depression in youngsters, which have not yet been studied in great detail.

They said: 'Previous research on associations between screen time and psychological well being among children and adolescents has been conflicting, leading some researchers to question the limits on screen time suggested by physician organisations.'

The US National Institute of Health estimates children and adolescents commonly spend an average of five to seven hours on screens during leisure time.

Evidence is growing of the adverse effects this has on health.

This year the World Health Organisation decided to include gaming disorder in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases.

And in December 2017 a team of Oxford University researchers found UK 'zombie' children's average daily screen time has leapt in a generation from just under three hours to four hours and 45 minutes.

Experts warn 'addicted' children risk sleeplessness, obesity and falling victim to cyber-bullying, while losing valuable social skills through a lack of face-to-face contact.
Fears plane travel could one day transport a deadly disease into your country have been debunked by researchers.

Scientists now claim the ease of global travel may be protecting humanity from the next pandemic - instead of making one more likely.

The spread of killer bacteria and viruses across the world strengthens the immune systems of millions of people, researchers believe.

This means diseases may never have enough time to mutate into unbeatable strains because people will already have learnt how to fight them.

Constantly spreading germs around the world could be building up people's resistance to a wide range of bacteria and viruses, meaning they are more likely to have some level of immune protection when a deadly disease eventually breaks out, Oxford researchers say

Experts from the University of Oxford have come up with the theory which they say is 'like a natural vaccination', the New Scientist reports.

When people are exposed to bacteria or viruses, their immune systems often find a way to fight them off, and remember how to do it in the future.

This is how vaccines work  a weak form of a disease is injected into the body so the immune system can practise fighting it to be prepared against the real thing.

And strains of illnesses that cause pandemics  like swine flu in 2009  all evolve from earlier, weaker strains of themselves.

So the more these early strains are spread around, the more people will develop an immunity which could protect them against mutated strains.

This, Dr Robin Thompson says, could stop humanity suffering another pandemic like the 1918 outbreak of Spanish flu, which killed at least 50million people in two years.

'We may have been thinking about air travel all wrong,' said Dr Thompson. 'Its like a natural vaccination.'

Dr Thompson said his theory of air travel spreading the ability to fight an infection does not mean one won't eventually break out and put lives in danger.

But it may mean fewer people become infected when that does happen, and that those who do catch it are less likely to die.

The theory means it is less likely that a virus or bacteria will have enough time isolated away from people to become completely unbeatable.

However, it's still possible that a disease currently only affecting animals will one day make the jump to humans  the same way HIV did from monkeys in the 1900s.

Dr Thompson and his colleagues' theory was published on the website BioRxiv.

Experts say the world is overdue a deadly disease outbreak, and one warned in July a fatal, untreatable outbreak could kill 900million people, if it started tomorrow.

Leaders from the G20 countries all met in Argentina last month to test their abilities to stop an outbreak of a 'superbug' which is resistant to antibiotics.

Dr Eric Toner, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, held a similar exercise in May. He said: 'It [a pandemic] will happen, but I don't know when.'
Barbra Streisand is so upset by the state of American politics that she's taken to stress-eating pancakes and it is making her gain weight, she told the New York Times in a recent interview.

And according to a new survey, she's not alone.

People who identify as Democrats - which Streisand adamantly does - said they are 'eating their feelings' to cope with the political climate in response to a new survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of the health tracker app, Daily Burn.

Democrats were also about twice as likely to admit to drinking more as they look ahead to the polls.

But left-leaning coping mechanisms weren't all bad. While Republicans were less likely to indulge their vice, Democrats were 40 percent more likely to be letting off steam and stress by working out.

Streisand describes the album she released today, Walls, as 'anti-Trump.' Eating and singing have both been outlets for the musical icon's political stresse

Stress affects each of us in different ways, but it seems that political stress is affecting all of us in some way.

Earlier this year the American Psychological Association (APA) published the findings of its 2016 survey on stress.

Two thirds of Americans said that politics was fraying their nerves, no matter which side of the aisle they sat on. Even teenagers and youth in the US cite politics a stressor.

As a society, we're more stressed than ever, and we've learned that stress is damaging to our brains, bodies and long-term health.

But there are plenty of immediate symptoms and signs of stress, and we tend to act out in particular ways as a result.

And one of the first behaviors to change is appetite. Some people lose all desire for food in tense times, while others have trouble controlling themselves.

Barbra Streisand falls unabashedly into the latter category, as she first confessed to Twitter in March.

'Donald Trump is making me gain weight. I start the day with liquids but after the morning news, I eat pancakes smothered in maple syrup!' she tweeted in March 2017.

And it's an ongoing problem.

Streisand has been so incensed by the Trump administration that she released a Walls, a new album protesting the President, today - and continues to (possibly over-) eat pancakes.

Streisand has long been engaged pancakes and politics alike. In this 1994 photo, the musical icon serves herself soup at a political luncheon (file image)

If Democrats don't win a majority of the House of Representatives in next week's elections, Babs told the New York Times she'll either flee to Canada, or keep right on with the pancakes.

'I'm so saddened by this thing happening to our country. It's making me fat. I hear what he said now, and I have to go eat pancakes now, and pancakes are very fattening,' she said.

But, reassuringly, she added that she makes them 'with healthy flour, though - almond flour, coconut flour.'

Researchers think that the stress hormone may increase general appetite.

And sugary and fatty foods seem tickle our brains into releasing the feel-good neurochemical, dopamine, which has the opposite effect of stress.

So the comfort food effect is real, but that doesn't mean Democrats (or you) should rely too heavily on it in these final days before the midterm elections.

Emotional eating can become the start of a vicious cycle and, as Babs noted, the weight you might gain doesn't come off nearly as easily as the pancakes go down.

Harvard University advises meditation, social support and (as Daily Burn would undoubtedly be glad to hear), exercise to combat stress and keep the comfort food cravings in check.
WhingEing motoring chiefs continue to make the most noise about Brexit. But it is financial services which had the most to lose from no deal.

So there should be great comfort in the fact that Brussels is reported to have agreed a deal for the City which should help preserve the 68bn global trade surplus it achieved last year.

The eurocrats broadly have accepted an equivalence regime, under which the EU recognises British financial regulation and rules are compliant with their own.

The UK, as the worlds biggest financial centre, has done much of the past rule making and its standards pervade across the EU. There have been disputes such as the UK preference for bonuses rather than fixed pay at banks. Mostly, Brussels and Frankfurt have gone along with the approach.

Renmin, meaning "the people's currency", is the currency used in China with yuans as units

Britain could still be a leader by setting rules ahead of everyone else. Earlier this week, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority broke new ground on the regulation of crypto-currencies, leaning towards the view that most are no better than Ponzi schemes.

They recognised there might be value in the blockchain/distributed ledger system. The difficulty will come when the eurozone starts creating rules which impinge on the Citys freedom of action. At some point arbitration will be needed but preferably not the European Court of Justice, a long time bugbear of citizens anxious to re-establish sovereignty.

For the moment, Britain has safeguarded most of its wholesale markets from challenges by the rest of Europe. This is as much to do with the parlous state of European banking as anything else, and the view in Berlin/Frankfurt is that it may not be wise to take on derivatives risk.

But no one should underestimate the wish of the EU to reclaim euro-denominated trading for itself. Paradoxically, the biggest beneficiary from this could well be JP Morgan and other American banks as they have the balance sheets and risk management to establish bridgeheads in the eurozone.

They eventually could leach euro-denominated trades from London. The City needs to lift its game and make sure it dominates new markets such as the rapidly expanding renminbi trade. An equivalence deal is only the starting point.

Luke duped

It is only too easy to pillory Luke Johnson. The arrogant tone of his suspended media column and his spiky personality make him an easy target.

As the victim of a uncivil attack at a dinner where I was guest speaker, I have as much reason as many to be critical.

The truth is that, as painful as the dilution of Patisserie Valerie shares may be for private investors when the black hole in the accounts appeared, Johnson stepped up and injected 20m of his own cash. As the largest shareholder and chairman of the audit and pay committees, he cannot escape personal responsibility for the mess.

But unlike the slippery bosses of Carillion, House of Fraser, Evans Cycles and other zombie firms, which have slipped beneath the waves, Patisserie Valerie at least received a lifeline robust enough to bring big battalion shareholders aboard. That does not excuse the way in which Johnson and the advisers approached the special meeting which approved the bailout.

An initial decision, later reversed, to ban reporters from the meeting was bizarre given Johnsons own role as a columnist and the unimpeachable reputation of his journalist father Paul Johnson.

At the investors meeting, Johnson had the perfect chance to lance the boil by explaining how the crisis occurred and how governance failed so cataclysmically.

Instead he took the legalistic route of claiming he couldnt speak because of official probes. Private investors locked out of the rescue have a right to be furious. If the boot were on the other foot, Johnsons would have been the ugliest voice in the room.

Ringing farewell

After all the criticism, Gavin Patterson leaves BT on a high note, with revenue and earnings beating targets.

Fascinating that the main reason for the uplift was the willingness of customers to pay a premium for broadband and connected service offering extra speed and extra data. If Patterson had focused on ultra-fast broadband instead of TV, he might still be ruling the roost.
BHP sold its US onshore oil and shale gas assets in July

MINING BONANZA Shareholders in BHP Billiton were feeling flush as the mining giant promised to return 8billion to them.

Half would come through buying back investors shares, while 4billionn would be through a dividend in January.

It comes after BHP sold its US onshore oil and shale gas assets in July.

It has returned 16billion to shareholders over the last two years. Shares climbed 3 per cent, or 46.6p, to 1609p yesterday.

DIGITAL SWOOP Events company Ascential has bought Flywheel Digital, which offers software and tools to help companies selling on Amazon boost their sales.

It will pay 46million for the US firm, but depending on performance could pay between 36million and 151million more over the next three years.

Shares in Ascential rose 6.8 per cent, or 25.6p, to 402.4p.

HEDGE STAKE A New York-based hedge fund has taken a stake in Deutsche Bank as the German lender tries to revive its flagging fortunes.

Hudson Executive Capital, run by former JP Morgan finance chief Douglas Braunstein, now has a 3.1 per cent stake.

ELECTRIC TEAM Car maker Volvo has partnered with Chinese tech giant Baidu to make self-driving electric vehicles as manufacturers scramble to strike deals to widen access in the lucrative Chinese market, where demand is growing.

FAIRNESS CODE Discount chain B&M and online supermarket Ocado will be required to treat grocery suppliers fairly under Government rules.

The two are now subject to the Groceries Supply code of practice because their annual turnover exceeds 1billion, meaning they are governed by the same rules as the big four supermarkets  Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons.

SERVICE DEAL Petrol station owner Applegreen has completed its purchase of Welcome Break. It paid 7.6million for a 50 per cent stake in the service station operator.

TWO APPOINTED Pet care retailer Pets at Home has appointed former Bestway Retail managing director David Robinson as its chief operating officer of retail.

It has also recruited Jane Balmain as interim chief executive of veterinary practice First Opinion.

FISH BONANZA Food packer Hilton Food Group reported a pick-up in sales in the second half of the year, due to its purchase of fish supplier Seachill.
Former Goldman Sachs bankers Tim Leissner and Roger Ng are accused of diverting 3.5bn from 1Malaysia Development Berhad

Two former Goldman Sachs bankers were last night charged in the US with laundering billions of dollars from a Malaysian state fund.

Tim Leissner and Roger Ng are accused of diverting 3.5billion from 1Malaysia Development Berhad and using it to buy luxury property, art, a yacht and even to invest in films such as The Wolf of Wall Street.

Ng, 51, was arrested in Malaysia yesterday, US officials said. He is said to have flouted accounting rules while working under Leissner, a former Southeast Asia chairman at Goldman.

Officials said Leissner, 48, had pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money and other offences. He has agreed to give up nearly 34million.

An estimated 3.5billion was misappropriated from the fund by officials and their associates between 2009 and 2014, say US justice officials.

Separately, Goldman has reportedly placed its former co-head of Asia investment banking, Andrea Vella, on leave pending a review of the case.
Assurances from Carpetright that its turnaround is on track have done little to shore up investor confidence.

Shares slipped 2.1 per cent, or 0.4p, to 18.5p as the flooring company said it continued losing money in the six months ending October 27.

The troubled retailer has been axing stores to stem heavy losses. For the year to April 28, Carpetright posted a loss of 70.5million.

This disruption heavily affected trading, though it added it had expected this and that there was improvement in its performance after the shake-up. Chief executive Wilf Walsh said: This is a transitional year as we work through our restructuring plan.

Carpetright shares slipped 2.1 per cent, or 0.4p, to 18.5p as the flooring company said it continued losing money in the six months ending October 27

This activity is firmly on track and has started to yield benefits.

After nearing collapse earlier this year, Carpetright decided many of its shops were too expensive or too large to run.

It has closed 67 over the last six months  65 in the UK and two in Europe  and expects to shut another six before the end of December.

It still expects to make the 19million of annual savings it has promised and will also lose its independent director Andrew Page, who will stand down from the board at the end of December to focus on other commitments.

A former chief executive of The Restaurant Group, he has come under fire for holding too many board positions.

Stock Watch - 4imprint 4imprint, which sells promotional products such as branded mugs for corporate events, has reaped the rewards of its advertising, according to analysts. The business has upped its spend on TV and radio ads, and announced yesterday that its full-year revenues would be at the top end of market expectations. Targeting revenue of 770million by the end of 2022, it said it is on track to hit this goal. Last year it pulled in 483million. Shares rose 12.7 per cent , or 230p, to 2040p.

Activist investor Crystal Amber, which owns 6.3 per cent of Northgate, where he is chairman, has previously criticised Page for his lack of strategic leadership and called for him to stand down.

On the FTSE 100, shares in Just Eat surged 6.3 per cent, or 38.4p, to 646p as the takeaway firm set its sights on an expansion in Latin America. It also reported a 16 per cent rise in British orders to 30.3m in the three months to September 30, with group orders around the world climbing 27 per cent to 54.7m. Sales rose 41 per cent to 195.3million.

However, investments in Brazil and Mexico will push 2018 profits to the lower end of the 165million to 185million range.

Analysts at Liberum concluded that the strategy of investing was the right one. But Peel Hunt earlier this week advised investors to sell Just Eat shares, saying that stiff competition from the likes of Uber Eats and Deliveroo could kill the business.

Smith & Nephew, the FSTE 100 medical equipment manufacturer, also received a thumbs-up from investors as it announced revenue for the third quarter of the year was up 2 per cent to 901.1million.

Shares jumped 6.6 per cent, or 83.5p, to 1357p as growth proved particularly strong in the US and emerging markets.

The UK remained challenging, Smith & Nephew added, but it wasnt unduly worried about Brexit. Housebuilders climbed on reports that the Government could be close to a Brexit deal.

Investors had feared that leaving the EU with no deal could hit the economy, causing the market to slump.

On the FTSE 100, Barratt Development edged up 3.1pc, or 15.8p, to 529.8p, Persimmon by 3 per cent, or 69p, to 2363p, Taylor Wimpey by 2.9 per cent, or 4.75p, to 166.25p and Berkeley by 2.3 per cent, or 79p, to 3580p.

But none of these gains was enough to haul the FTSE 100 into the black, as it ended down 0.19 per cent, or 13.44 points, at 7114.66.

On the FTSE 250, Indivior, which creates drugs to treat heroin addiction, said profits fell 12 per cent in the first nine months of the year to 208.5million.

It has been squeezed by late roll-outs of new drugs, and competition from rivals which it alleges are infringing its patents.

But investors, already warned of the poor results, seemed willing to take a punt as shares climbed 2 per cent, or 3.8p, to 192.1p.
Patisserie Valerie boss Luke Johnson was accused of being 'arrogant' and not listening to the concerns of ordinary shareholders

Patisserie Valerie boss Luke Johnson has been lambasted by angry shareholders at a crunch meeting to save the stricken cafe chain from collapse.

More than 99 per cent of investors in parent firm Patisserie Holdings voted in favour of a 15.7million share placing to secure its future.

But they lashed out at management accusing directors of 'holding a gun to our heads' in the wake of an accounting scandal that has brought the company to its knees.

At a meeting in London, Johnson was accused of not listening to the concerns of ordinary shareholders or answering their questions.

In one heated exchange with the 56-year-old tycoon, shareholder Angus Forbes, a former fund manager, said: 'Don't talk over me sir, you are in the dock, I have the floor.'

Kristof Neys, also an individual shareholder, said of Johnson's performance: 'He's quite arrogant.'

Johnson, who is executive chairman of Patisserie Holdings and its largest shareholder, said the chain was three hours away from bankruptcy when he plunged 20million into the firm last month.

He will get 10million back once the 15.7million worth of shares have been issued, with the remaining 10million on loan to the company interest-free for three years.

But investors were angered by proposals which they said will dilute the value of their own shares.

The shares will be sold for 50p each, compared with 433p before trading was suspended. Johnson told shareholders: 'At the time we decided on this resolution we were three hours from going to bankruptcy and this was agreed to be the best solution.

'Quite a few companies in our situation aren't saved, they go into administration.'

In a stock exchange announcement two hours before the meeting, the group said that it would not be providing any new information.

The Serious Fraud Office is investigating potential fraud at Patisserie Holdings which has seen the arrest and subsequent resignation of finance director Chris Marsh.

Storm in a cake shop 'We were three hours from going into bankruptcy' Luke Johnson, Patisserie Valerie 'Don't talk over me sir, you are in the dock, I have the floor' Angus Forbes, shareholder 'We've got a gun to our heads. What's going on?' Chris Boxall, fund manager 'I didn't feel any questions were answered' Heather Goddard, shareholder

Stock market filings reveal that Marsh and chief executive Paul May received twice as many share options as expected, which allowed them to cash in a combined 4.6million.

Johnson refused to disclose whether it had appointed lawyers to look into the share options.

Many smaller shareholders left the meeting feeling their questions were unanswered. Heather Goddard, an individual shareholder, said: 'I felt when Johnson came in and started the meeting saying 99 per cent of the votes in by proxy were in support of them, what he was saying to me was, 'You don't count.'

She added: 'When I asked him why there was there a gun to our head for this deadline he didn't provide me with an answer I understood.'

Forbes, 53, added: 'This decision is not right, it's immoral. I have shares in a company that has been subject to fraud, bad management, and malgovernance.'

Chris Boxall, co-founder of Fundamental Asset Management, which invests in Patisserie Holdings, said: 'We've got a gun to our heads  but we really want to know what's going on.' He added: 'I know the bakery business well, I was an auditor of one, they're easy to understand.

'What I don't understand is how we still don't know any more than we did three weeks ago.'

Roger Lawson, another investor, said: 'There was no good reason not to answer those questions as they could not possibly prejudice the investigations by the legal authorities.

'This is an abuse of company law and I will be making a complaint about it.'

Johnson has been criticised for presiding over the scandal while having more than 40 directorships at other companies. He is understood to have stepped down from four board roles since the troubles emerged.

He is also chairman of the remuneration and audit committees, prompting calls for him to step down over conflict of interest.
Apple last night revealed annual profits of nearly 46billion as it prepared to push a blockbuster line-up of products for Christmas.

The US tech giant raked in sales of 204billion over the 12 months to the end of September, defying Wall Street predictions.

The haul included 48billion in the last three months as it sold 47million iPhones.

But shares fell more than 4 per cent in after-hours trading in New York as investors expressed disappointment the figures were not better.

Apple sold around 47 million iPhones in the months from September 2018 to September 2019

Even though Apple sold fewer handsets than expected, its sales were lifted by a higher average selling price per phone  around 610 each. Apple now predicts it could hit sales of more than 71billion in the final three months of 2018.

It is pinning its hopes on new versions of its iPad tablet, Macbook Air laptop, Apple Watch and iPhone, which have all been given upgrades and bigger price tags.

Tim Cook, Apples chief executive, said: Were thrilled to report another record-breaking quarter that caps a tremendous fiscal 2018.

Over the past two months, weve delivered huge advancements for our customers, and we enter the holiday season with our strongest line-up of products and services ever.

Apple has turned to price increases as the number of iPhones it sells continues to slow. For example, the average selling price of an iPhone climbed to around 557 in June compared to 466 a year previously.

The rise was partly thanks to the 1,000 price tag of the iPhone X launched last year. It is expected to continue with even more expensive models, costing up to 1,449.

There had been concerns that the iPhone X would cause sales to plummet as consumers baulked at the price tag.

The company has also turned to paid-for services to boost revenues, including iCloud digital storage, Apple Music and its App Store.

It emerged yesterday that Apple had held talks about taking a stake in American radio company iHeartmedia.

The early discussions could see Apple make an investment worth millions of dollars, according to the Financial Times. Based in Texas, iHeartmedia owns more than 850 radio stations across the US.
To really match the right-wing tea party, the left would need more than just grassroots activism. Photo: Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Is 2018 the year of the tea party of the left? The midterms are still days away, but the question itself is a popular one, with some progressive insurgents who bested Democratic establishment figures appearing on the ballot in state and federal elections. In May, Max Berger wrote for Splinter News that a left-wing tea party had been much slower to materialize than the conservative uprising of the right, with mixed electoral results up to that point. Weeks later, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist, unseated Joe Crowley, one of the Democratic Partys most powerful figures, and the conversation shifted again. Weve been here before. The tea party, like the progressive movement that produced Ocasio-Cortez, developed in opposition to the leadership of its own party, wrote Geoffrey Kabaservice of the libertarian Niskanen Center. Representative Dan Lipinski, a conservative Democrat, later blamed a tea party faction for his own tough primary, which pitted him against a more progressive candidate, Marie Newman. (Lipinski, who opposes abortion rights, eventually won.)

If tea party describes any ideological, anti-establishment movement, then sure, theres a tea party of the left. But that definition is a limited one, premised on the right-wing tea partys self-description as an authentically populist movement. In fact, the tea party was largely Astroturf, bankrolled principally by Americans For Prosperity, a libertarian group. Progressives had no equivalent, and neither, really, did the center-left  perhaps until recently. A New York Times report suggests that the Hub Project may be able to do for the left what Americans for Prosperity did for small-government conservatives. The Washington, D.C.-based Hub Project is on track to spend nearly $30 million since 2017 pressuring members of Congress in their districts, through a number of affiliated organizations, according to the Times.

Run by Leslie Dach, a veteran of the Obama administration, and Arkadi Gerney, who previously worked for the Center for American Progress and for former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Hub Projects origins can be traced to the spring of 2016, according to an earlier report from USA Today. Its the thing that has been missing in the movement, Zach Silk, who advises Hub donor Nick Hanauer, told USA Today in 2017. There hasnt been a central coordinating organization that was able to do strategy, message, distribute it across the movement, and allow others to go out and focus on the winning and the hard organizing.

The Times reported that the great bulk of the projects funding comes from dark money  meaning that it doesnt have to disclose certain donors. But USA Today named the American Federation of Teachers as a donor, along with the Wyss Foundation, which funds conservation causes. Websites for some front groups, including Keep Iowa Healthy and New Jersey for a Better Future, are thin on information, listing no staff or detailed platforms. The average voter would, upon visiting either website, perhaps understand that the groups generally oppose Republican attacks on the Affordable Care Act and support a higher minimum wage  but thats probably it. A website for Tax March, another Hub Project affiliate, provides more details; the March describes itself as a growing national movement opposed to the Trump administrations recent tax cuts, an opposition it intends to promote through on-the-ground organizing nationwide, representation in town halls, and amplification on social media and in the press.

The Times notes that the Hub Project is a much smaller-scale endeavor than Americans for Prosperity. But it still clearly shares DNA with the libertarian powerhouse, at least in terms of strategy; the Hub Project appears focused on pocketbook issues, and on framing the GOP as a clear and present danger to working Americans. Thats the tea party message, deployed against the same interests responsible for shifting both the GOP and the American political establishment more broadly to the far right.

Progressives need to accomplish a similar shift in order to realize their political goals. That means building power outside of the deep blue districts that will send democratic socialists like Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib to Congress  and that will require money. With Medicaid expansion polling well in the four red states set to vote on the issue next week, theres clearly some political will for progressive reforms, even in states the Democratic Party had largely written off as GOP territory. Theres space for something like the Hub Project, in other words; some way for left-leaning donors to channel excess money to issue-specific groups. There are dumber strategies.

But progressives who welcome entities like the Hub Project will have to reckon with certain weaknesses. Like its conservative counterparts, the Hub Project appears reliant on wealthy donors and special interests. Granted, the American Federation of Teachers has little in common with the Koch brothers; the AFT is a union, and is thus ultimately responsible to its rank-and-file members. The Koch brothers, meanwhile, have no such check on their agenda. But as long as Hub depends on big donors, those donors will hold sway over the organizations work. And as any democratic socialist candidate could explain, wealthy benefactors have class interests in conflict with those of working Americans.

The Kochs exemplify the risks of dependence on dark money. Though they denied formal ties to the Tea Party movement in 2010, David Koch founded Americans for Prosperity, the movements primary institutional engine, and was, until June, the chairman of the related Americans for Prosperity Foundation. In fact, the Kochs had poured obscenely high sums into libertarian causes and institutions for decades, creating fertile ground for tea-party candidates to come. But money doesnt just buy influence; it buys control. As Donald Trump found out earlier this year, the Kochs think he needs them more than they need the president. Tea-party Republicans are beholden to the Kochs, not vice versa.

The Koch brothers gave the money that founded [the tea party]. Its like they put the seeds in the ground. Then the rainstorm comes, and the frogs come out of the mud  and theyre our candidates! one Republican campaign consultant told The New Yorkers Jane Mayer in 2010. Progressives need candidates, and for voters to hear left-wing messages. But theyll have to decide which hands should plant the seeds.
Swedish furniture giant Ikea is sitting pretty in the UK as investment in new stores and improvements to its online offer are starting to pay off.

The firm claimed that Brits are still splashing out on home improvements despite the well-documented 'tough economic environment'.

Nearly 6 million customers visited Ikea in its last financial year, helping it to generate a 5.9 per cent rise in annual sales rise to 1.96billion.

Ikea has 21 big box stores in the UK, but is also testing out a tranche of smaller shops

The sales, and a large jump in market share, were spurred by the opening of two new 'big box' stores - in Exeter and Sheffield - as well as significant improvements to its website and delivery options.

Ikea recorded a 13 per cent jump in visitors to its website and a 14 per cent increase in online sales. Website sales now represent more than 15 per cent on Ikea's total.

Javier Quinones, Ikea's new UK boss, acknowledged the 'tough economic environment' that is currently weighing on traditional furniture firms, such as Carpetright, Homebase and DFS.

A decline in housing market activity and consumer uncertainty in the run up to Brexit is taking its toll on the firms that specialise in home furnishings and DIY products.

He said: 'Whilst we're pleased with our performance, we recognise that a challenging retail and economic environment means we need to continue to respond to our customers' needs and invest in an Ikea that is here for people, whenever and wherever they need us.

'In a tough economic environment, our homes provide a sanctuary and we know that consumers continue to update them with soft furnishings, textiles and decorations.'

Ikea now has 21 superstores in the UK, and is set to open an outlet in Greenwich in spring 2019.

It has also just opened the doors to its first ever 'Planning Studio' in central London - the first step in what it describes as a 'city centre approach'.

Ikea told This is Money last month that there was potential for 'lots' of these smaller format stores in the near future.

Ikea's first planning studio recently opened on Tottenham Court Road in London

Today, Quinones said: 'Our stores will always be an important part of the Ikea brand when it comes to inspiration.

'However, we know that the role of the store is changing. People want to shop in a number of different ways and count on brands to offer them services that reflect the way they live.'

In May the group ditched plans to build a store near Chorley amid uncertainty on the British high street as retailers are hammered with soaring costs.
A man who took three bullets while saving two strangers and his girlfriend during the Mandalay Bay terror attack last year married his lover in Vegas on the anniversary of the shooting, DailyMailTV can reveal.

The couple were wed on October 1 at Vegas' Chapel of the Flowers, exactly one year after they were caught up in the horrific chaos at the Route 91 Harvest music festival that claimed the lives of 59 people.

In the hours after the mass shooting, DailyMailTV exclusively revealed the heroic story of California Corrections officer Todd Wienke, who was shot three times while saving others.

One year on, he described how that night still haunts him, and how his wedding was intended to turn October 1 into a date of happy memories rather than tragedy.

Todd Wienke took three bullets while rushing girlfriend Oshia Collins-Waters and two strangers to safety during the Las Vegas shooting last October 1. Exactly one year later, Wienke married Oshia at Vegas' Chapel of the Flowers to reclaim the day of tragedy

Wienke said part of the reason for getting married on the anniversary of the shooting was to turn the date into something positive. 'We can remember our wedding as being that date,' he said. 'It's important for us but also for our children'

In the hours after the mass shooting, DailyMailTV exclusively revealed the heroic story of California Corrections officer Todd Wienke, who was shot three times while saving others

When Wienke heard the automatic gunfire spraying into the crowd around him at the festival, he immediately pulled his girlfriend to the floor and threw himself over her.

As they lay there amid the panic, using his body as a human shield, a bullet slammed into Wienke's side.

Unphased by the searing pain, his first reaction was to check for an exit wound, to see if the bullet had gone through him and hit his girlfriend, Oshia Collins-Waters.

Seeing she was unharmed, Wienke pulled her up and ran with her to safety, and was shot again while they ran.

Once she was safe, Wienke then turned and sprinted out into the exposed arena again, littered with bodies.

He managed to pull two other women under cover away from the hail of bullets, and after rounding up a group of walking wounded, he helped get them medical attention on the casino floor of a nearby Hooters.

Still anxious to help, Wienke took off his blood-soaked shirt and began working with off-duty medics, bandaging others' wounds and triaging victims.

He later was taken to Henderson hospital in an ambulance with the two women he helped save. Doctors found shrapnel and bullet fragments in his body and recommended he stayed, but instead he gave up his bed for other shooting victims.

Back home in California City two weeks later and with a new perspective on life, Wienke decided to pop the question to Collins-Waters.

'The whole Route 91 thing, and the emotions after that, it just seemed like the right time and the right place,' Wienke told DailyMailTV. 'We were at dinner with some friends who had driven to Vegas when they found out what happened to us'

Inspired by Wienke's heroic story, local businesses donated a limousine, food, booze and 'policeman blue' table linen for the wedding

Country music star Sam Riddle offered to sing for the couple on their big day (pictured)

'The whole Route 91 thing, and the emotions after that, it just seemed like the right time and the right place,' he told DailyMailTV. 'We were at dinner with some friends who had driven to Vegas when they found out what happened to us.

'Instinctively I asked her to marry me. I didn't have a ring, I hadn't planned to propose until December 12. I think her quote was ''You'd better not be playing with me'.

'We knew right away that we wanted to get married on the 1st, and we wanted to get married in Vegas,' he said.

Inspired by Wienke's heroic story, local businesses donated a limousine, food, booze and 'policeman blue' table linen for the wedding, and country music star Sam Riddle offered to sing for the couple.

Somerpointe Resorts also donated a week's stay anywhere in the world for their honeymoon, which the newlyweds are planning to spend in Italy, visiting their oldest son, a soldier who is stationed at a US base there.

The Wienkes were wed at the Chapel of the Flowers in Vegas, before spending a few days partying in the city and staying at Tahiti Village Hotel, where the corrections officer spent the days after the shooting recovering.

When Wienke heard the automatic gunfire spraying into the crowd around him at the festival last October, he immediately pulled his girlfriend to the floor and threw himself over her. Pictured:

The horrific chaos at the Route 91 Harvest music festival that claimed the lives of 59 people and injured hundreds more

Wienke told DailyMailTV that as well as pain from the shrapnel embedded in his back, memories of the shooting still haunt him and his wife. 'It's something that you're always going to think of, it's always going to cross your mind'

Both husband and wife referred to the traumatic attack in their vows.

Wienke told Collins-Waters: 'I will always remember this day as one of the best days of my life because I am blessed to be alive, to see us joined together.'

She told him in return: 'You're the calm within my storm. When a fiery hell rained down upon us, you were the only voice I heard.'

Wienke told DailyMailTV that as well as pain from the shrapnel embedded in his back, memories of the shooting still haunt him and his wife.

'It's something that you're always going to think of, it's always going to cross your mind. Things are going to happen that are going to bring back that night. But we worked through it together, myself and Oshia, and then with the friends that we've made.

'Fireworks are triggering for Oshia. She has nights when she can't sleep, she has anxiety,' he added. 'The other thing is when you go into an arena or an outdoor venue, you look for alternate exits.

'When we go into a restaurant I try to sit facing the door or the point of payment because if someone's going to come in and hold the place up that's where they're going to go.'

Wienke said part of the reason for getting married on the anniversary of the shooting was to turn the date into something positive.

'We can remember our wedding as being that date,' he said. 'It's important for us but also for our children, our two daughters. Any time that it's mentioned, they have some problems thinking about the fact that I was shot that night and that our lives were in danger, and hopefully this will help them also.'

Wienke said the attack has also given him greater faith in the American people, saying: 'We don't allow evil to live for long'

Earlier this year, Wienke was awarded the Medal of Valor by the State of California, the highest medal they offer, for his bravery during the attack (pictured)

Earlier this year, Wienke was awarded the Medal of Valor by the State of California, the highest medal they offer, for his bravery during the attack.

He described the ceremony as 'surreal', but 'definitely an honor'.

'You have a lot of mixed emotions about it, due to the fact that our training tells us to do things, and it's more instinctive, the things you do in those events. You don't know how you're going to react until you're faced with that type of a situation.

'However it definitely is an honor and it's humbling to be in the same room as other people who were in the same place you were and acted similar.

'To hear their stories, and friendships I've made with these individuals over the last year, it's a blessing to have those relationships. I probably would have never met them if it weren't for that tragic evening.'

Despite their trauma, the shooting hasn't stopped the Wienkes going to country music concerts.

Country star Jason Aldean was in the middle of his set at Route 91 when the shooting began, forcing him to flee the stage.

The Wienkes fulfilled their vow to 'finish what we started' last month, when the couple joined a group of Route 91 survivors at an Aldean concert in San Bernardino.

Wienke said the attack has also given him greater faith in the American people.

'This country has those types of events far too often,' he said. 'But as Americans I believe we bounce back. We do the vigils, we donate, give our own blood, and stand in line to do whatever we can to help as we search for answers and closure. We don't allow evil to live for long.'
Glenn Antony Dylan Hartland lured women into his evil web under the guise of being an athlete, a snowboarder and an all-round nice guy.

On Tinder, Hartland appeared to be quite the catch. Mature, successful, and he would argue good looking.

On one profile he called himself Dylan - a 6'2, 41-year old who owned a snowboarding company.

kiwi_glenn, aka Glenn Antony Dylan Hartland, lured women into his web on Tinder

One of Glenn Antony Dylan Hartland's many Tinder profiles

On another he called himself Hendrick - a bookworm who described himself as a 'sapiosexual'.

'But let's be frank, looks count too!', he advertised.

He also used names such as Kiwi Glenn and most recently Glenn Potter.

In one profile under the user name Glenn, Hartland actually listed his full name.

'But you can call me Dylan,' he wrote.

It would be a name his lawyer would later try to have removed from the court record.

For Hartland was not a nice guy at all. In reality, Hartland was a monster who last month pleaded guilty to raping three women and sexually assaulting another he met on Tinder.

In one profile picture he appears wearing a suit his victims later dubbed 'the rape suit'.

Glenn Antony Dylan Hartland in yet another Tinder profile

Glenn Antony Dylan Hartland wearing what victim's claim is his 'rape suit'

He walked free from the County Court of Victoria to reappear in March next year without so much as a whimper from police or prosecutors.

They had not applied to revoke his bail.

It was a similar story in February, when Hartland pleaded guilty to breaching his bail conditions by approaching a prosecution witness - a victim of one of his rapes.

He was sentenced by Magistrate Andrew McKenna to two months in jail after pleading guilty to the charges.

But with time served he walked.

Hartland has admitted to raping two women in 2014, raping a third woman in 2016 and indecently assaulting a fourth woman in 2015.

Glenn Antony Dylan Hartland as Hendrick - the rapist snowboarder.

The many faces of Glenn Antony Dylan Hartland

One of his victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, described Hartland as a 'shape shifter,'.

'One minute hes a lawyer, the next hes a pro snowboarder.'

His arrest was among the first to come from Victoria Polices Family Violence Taskforce, which has come under fire for failing to apply to revoke Hartland's bail.

Glenn Antony Dylan Hartland hams it up as kiwi-glenn

Glenn Antony Dylan Hartland protests his innocence on Facebook before pleading guilty

In a letter sent to the office of Victorian Attorney General Martin Pukula, and seen by Daily Mail Australia, the victim pleads for Hartland to be locked up.

The woman has also lodged a complaint over the Taskforce's inaction with Victoria Police's Professional Standards Command.

'We are not safe from this man, and the Taskforce have never indicated that they are taking the victims' concerns about our safety and the poor handling of this case and our rights as victims seriously,' she wrote to Mr Pukula.

'The victims of the accused have not been afforded proper justice  in fact being told by the informant to step away from pursuing the OPP, 'be happy that he pleaded guilty', and 'just go and recover,'.

She has further asked that Mr Pukula launch an immediate inquiry into Hartlands bail fiasco and the Taskforces handling of the case.

Meanwhile, Hartland continues to protest his innocence, despite admitting his guilt in open court.

'I pleaded guilty because I had no choice,' he wrote in an email.

In an earlier Facebook post, Hartland claimed he wouldn't hide from justice.

'As for me, All I will say is that if i was guilty of rape I wouldn't try and hide it. I would say I was sorry and take my punishment,' he wrote.

For his victims, Hartland's punishment will suffice.
It's now six years since the world's last surviving First World War veteran died, but the memories of those who fought for our freedom a century ago live on today.

And the vivid stories told by hero veterans - who have all now died - will be brought to life as Britain prepares to mark the 100th anniversary of the conflict ending.

New BBC documentary The Last Tommies features 200 archive interviews with the last survivors from the battlefields and the home front, filmed over the past 25 years.

Among those interviewed in The Last Tommies is George Littlefair, a farm worker in the 18th Durham Light Infantry who signed up aged 18 and saw his best friend die in the trenches

Mr Littlefair, pictured right with his best friend Joe Coates, left, who died in the First World War. Mr Littlefair, who died in 1998, said: 'You went up the line wondering 'Will I come back?''

Among those featured are George Littlefair, a farm worker in the 18th Durham Light Infantry who signed up aged 18 and saw his best friend die in the trenches.

Mr Littlefair, who died himself in 1998 aged 102, tells the programme: 'You went up the line wondering 'Will I come back?' All that went through your mind.'

The men and women - filmed in their 90s and 100s  emotionally recall life and death in the main theatres of war like the Somme and Passchendaele.

Another of the veterans featured tells the programme in horrifying detail: 'You could feel the machine gun bullets flying past you - you had to keep on going.'

Stories from the front line are combined with those from wartime women and children who recall what they did and the devastation of their relatives dying.

Among them is Florence Billington, whose sweetheart was killed in battle. She said: 'I'd wait for him to eternity - that was the promise he went away with in his heart.'

Florence Billington, whose sweetheart died in battle, is among the wartime women featured. She said: 'I'd wait for him to eternity - that was the promise he went away with in his heart'

The series also features First World War footage digitally restored into high definition from the Imperial War Museum, British Film Institute and Pathe.

Many of the stories of Britain's last First World War veterans have been previously told in 2005 in a three-part BBC documentary called The Last Tommy.

However, the new documentary has been produced by a different team and features completely original content in terms of testimonies and archive footage.

The first of three episodes in the new series, on BBC Four next Monday at 9pm, tells the story of the first years of war in 1914 and 1915, culminating in the Battle of Loos.

This saw the Pals Battalions witness their first taste of the horror of mass industrialised warfare, after having enthusiastically volunteered to serve.

It looks at how the Tommies survived and kept their spirits up in the trenches, and how families at home faced up to the absence and death of their loved ones.

The second episode, next Tuesday, will look at the Battle of the Somme (pictured) in 1916 through its last survivors and families and communities at home who lost loved ones

But the documentary also looks at how those on the home front still had to work long hours in munitions factories and 'keep the home fires burning'.

The second episode, next Tuesday, will look at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 through its last survivors and families and communities at home who lost loved ones.

The third and final episode, due to be shown next Wednesday, tells the stories of battles in 1917 and 1918, including Passchendaele and the Spring Offensive.

Florence Green, who joined the war effort in September 1918, was the world's last surviving First World War veteran when she died in Norfolk in 2012 aged 110.

She was the last surviving person to have seen active service in the war following the death of British-born sailor Claude Choules in Australia in 2011 aged 111.

Britain's last survivor of the First World War trenches, Harry Patch - known in his later years as 'The Last Fighting Tommy' - died in 2009 aged 111.

The third and final episode, due to be shown next Wednesday, tells the stories of battles in 1917 and 1918, including Passchendaele (pictured) and the Spring Offensive

The new series was produced by Testimony Films and will be shown as the BBC marks Remembrance Week 2018 and the end of the war across its formats.

Its other programmes include the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance 2018 along with specials on BBC Two of Antiques Roadshow and Countryfile.

In this centenary year of the Armistice of November 11, 1918, the Royal British Legion launched its annual poppy appeal last week, with a target of 50million.

Last year the appeal raised 46.6million to help support members and veterans of the British Armed Forces and their families.

More than 40million poppies will be distributed by 40,000 volunteers. For this year only, seven million special poppies with '1918-2018' in gold leaf will be among them.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that the Treasury would make a 10million donation to mark the centenary by supporting veterans with mental health needs.

Florence Green (left) was the world's last surviving First World War veteran when she died in 2012 aged 110, following the death of British-born sailor Claude Choules (right) in 2011 aged 111

Britain's last survivor of the First World War trenches, Harry Patch (pictured) - known in his later years as 'The Last Fighting Tommy' - died in 2009 aged 111

Yesterday, two life-sized Tommies were unveiled at the US embassy in London to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.

The 6ft statues were revealed by US Ambassador to the UK Robert 'Woody' Johnson and General Lord Dannatt, former chief of the general staff in the British Army.

The unveiling of the Soldier Silhouettes commemorated British soldiers and soldiers from the US, known as Doughboys, who served together in the war.

One Tommy will guard the embassy foyer and the other will be placed in the consular entrance for the Remembrance period.

The Last Tommies will be shown on BBC Four next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - with all three episodes running from 9pm until 10pm each evening
A Brazilian judge who jailed popular ex-President Lula for corruption, knocking him out of the election and helping far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro win the race, has been appointed the country's new justice minister.

Sergio Moro is wildly popular among conservatives but loathed by many on the left for his role at the centre of one of Brazil's largest ever corruption investigations.

His appointment will feed suspicion that the judge was politically biased in jailing ex-President Luiz Inacio da Silva, known as Lula, which that forced the poll-leading leftist out of the presidential race.

After meeting Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro yesterday Moro promised to 'implement a strong agenda of anti-corruption and anti-organized crime'.

Sergio Moro, pictured outside Bolsonaro's home in Rio de Janeiro, is wildly popular among conservatives but loathed by many on the left for his role in a huge corruption probe

Brazil follows Trump in moving Israel embassy to Jerusalem Brazil will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the country's incoming far-right president has announced. The move will make Brazil the most prominent country after the United States to declare Jerusalem as Israel's capital, after Donald Trump moved the U.S. embassy earlier this year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the plan, which Bolsonaro had promised during the election campaign. Netanyahu, who has called Bolsonaro his 'friend' and invited him to visit Israel, called it a 'historic, correct and exciting step'. In a tweet yesterday Bolsonaro said: 'As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. 'Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that.' It was the first time since his election victory on Sunday that Bolsonaro referred to his plan to move the embassy. If Bolsonaro follows through on his pledge, Brazil would become the third country to have an embassy in Jerusalem, after the U.S. and Guatemala. Trump broke with decades of precedent in December when he declared Jerusalem Israel's capital and announced the embassy would move there. Advertisement

Moro said it would be hard to give up being a federal judge after 22 years, but he saw an opportunity to 'implement a strong agenda of anti-corruption and anti-organized crime' in his new role.

'In practice, this will mean consolidating the advancements against crime and corruption the last years and remove any risks of going backward,' he wrote.

He added that the sprawling 'Car Wash' investigation would continue in the hands of local judges in the southern city of Curitiba, where Moro lives and many of the cases have been tried. He also said he would provide more details on his new role next week.

Launched in 2014, the 'Car Wash' probe uncovered elaborate schemes in which construction companies received bloated contracts and then kicked back billions of dollars in bribes to politicians and other government officials over more than a decade.

The level of corruption was breathtaking for Brazilians long inured to graft, and the scandal has reverberated across several Latin American countries where Odebrecht, one of the companies at the center of the scandal, did business.

The investigation has led to the jailing of many of the country's biggest names. That list includes da Silva, convicted by Moro of corruption for trading favors with construction company Grupo OAS for the promise of a beachfront apartment. Da Silva began serving a 12-year sentence in April.

The cases made Moro a wildly popular figure with Brazilians exhausted by numerous stories of politicians plundering government coffers; Earlier this year, he tracked highly in presidential polls even though the judge, quiet and wonky, never expressed interest in running.

However, many of his tactics have been highly controversial, such as the use of extended pre-trial detentions and plea bargains, both aimed at getting high-profile suspects to talk.

On social media Thursday, many Brazilians shared a 2016 story in daily Estadao, which quoted Moro saying he had no political ambitions.

'No, never. Never,' he said when asked about running for office or getting into politics. 'I am a man of the justice system.'

Moro has been accused of being partisan, with supporters of da Silva and the left-leaning Workers' Party claiming Moro was at the center of a conspiracy to keep da Silva, who Brazilians call Lula, from running for president this year. Even after being jailed, da Silva led preference polls. In September, his candidacy was barred.

'Moro will become Bolsonaro's minister after having a decisive role in his election (victory) by impeding Lula from running,' tweeted Gleisi Hoffman, chairwoman of da Silva's Workers' Party, adding: 'He helped elect. Now he'll help govern.'

In reality, Moro has convicted politicians from across the political spectrum. But he has also made decisions that many interpret as biased, such as releasing wiretapped conversations between da Silva and then President Dilma Rousseff in 2016.

A supporter of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro holds an inflatable doll of Judge Sergio Moro as the judge leaves Bolsonaro's home following a meeting in Rio de Janeiro

For Bolsonaro, a former army captain who ran on promises to crack down on graft and rising crime, landing Moro is a huge boon. Moro, who studied law in Brazil and did a special program at Harvard University, has received numerous awards and honorary degrees related to his work. He frequently speaks in the United States and other countries, and is arguably the world's most famous anti-corruption crusader.

Bolsonaro told reporters outside his home late Thursday that Moro had asked for 'total liberty' to operate, and he would have it.

Still, the decision comes with huge risks, both for Moro personally - he now will become 'political' as part of an administration - and the future of the 'Car Wash' investigations.

Members of the 'Car Wash' task force have said much work remains, but it's hard to imagine any judge having the gravitas of Moro, who rose to fame because of his ability to sort through complicated white-collar crimes and write decisions that are rarely overturned.

In leading the combined ministries of justice and public security, Moro will be ultimately responsible for areas that include intractable problems, such as security. Last year, nearly 64,000 people were killed in Brazil, a record for the country that has long been the world leader in annual homicides.

Moro will oersee the federal police, highway police, the penitentiary system, immigration and several other agencies that in total encompass thousands of employees.

'Moro is making a complicated bet' in taking on a political role, said Mauricio Santoro, a political science professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. 'Every government in the world has corruption. How will Moro deal with that? What will he do?
A new photo has emerged of the accused MAGAbomber posing in a black tasseled thong and knee-high boots, as his former stripper friend revealed to DailyMailTV that he never used to talk about politics.

Cesar Sayoc, 56, is accused of mailing more than a dozen pipe bombs to high profile Democrats including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Before becoming obsessed with President Donald Trump, the suspected bomber spent years touring the country as a stripper.

In a new unearthed photo, Sayoc is seen posing with three other muscle-bound, oiled-up dancers at a Hunkamania event at the Big Apple Pub & Grill in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in 1997.

A source who stripped with Sayoc and wishes to remain anonymous told DailyMailTV that he never talked about politics when they worked together from 1996 to 1998 and members of the crew had nicknamed him the 'Gentle Giant'.

A new photo has emerged of accused MAGAbomber Cesar Sayoc from his days as a touring stripper in 1997, posing in a tasseled thong and knee-high white boots (pictured)

In a new unearthed photo, Sayoc is seen posing with three other muscle-bound, oiled-up dancers at a Hunkamania event at the Big Apple Pub & Grill in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in 1997

The 56-year-old, who is accused of mailing 14 pipe bombs to top Democrats around the country, was revealed to be a Trump fanatic. But the source says Sayoc never talked about politics when they worked together as strippers

The source said: 'We traveled all around from North Carolina to Florida to Wisconsin.

'He was never a violent person around me. We always called him the Gentle Giant.

'He kept to himself. He was a loner, a quiet person. I don't have anything bad to say about the guy.'

Responding to reports that Sayoc was hooked on steroids, the source argued that 'all strippers' were in the 1990s.

He added: 'All the strippers did steroids. But Cesar never drank or smoked. He didn't talk about politics.

'We had a good time. We'd practice our routines in the gym for an hour each day, we worked out, we traveled and we talked about girls.

'I couldn't believe he ended up sending bombs to these big names. Something must have happened to him when he left the stripping world.'

On Monday, Sayoc's former roommate also revealed to DailyMailTV that Sayoc had dreamed of becoming a WWE wrestler and obsessed about women.

Dancer and booking agent Joseph Nunn, 51, shared a Florida apartment with Sayoc two years.

The Tim McGraw impersonator admitted that while he believed his roommate was 'shady,' he never suspected he could capable of such a crime.

Nunn spent six years touring as a male stripper with the suspected bomber and the two were pictured together in their dancing group, Hollywood's Hottest Bodies at a now-closed nightclub, Yesterday's in Hickory, North Carolina, between 1996 and 1997.

Suspected 'MAGAbomber' Cesar Sayoc (pictured in a white thong and necklace) toured with fellow male dancer Joseph Nunn while working for Hollywood's Hottest Bodies for six years

Trump fanatic Sayoc, 56, who is accused of mailing 14 pipe bombs to top Democrats last week, dreamed of being a WWE wrestler and was always after 'the bigger better deal,' Nunn said

Nunn, an MC at the event, is seen wearing a cowboy hat, while Cesar, squatted on his right is in a white thong, cowboy boots and a necklace.

Nunn, who splits his time between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Summerlin, Nevada, said: 'He did a lot of steroids and he was always in a weird frame of mind. He was 320 pounds and he wanted to be a WWE wrestler.

'He was in the gym for up to four hours day while the rest of the dancers only went for an hour.

'He gained forty or fifty pounds and I asked myself, 'how the hell did he gain this much weight?'

'This was the nineties and I didn't know much about steroids. His dream was to be a WWE wrestler, but he never made it happen.

'He always wanted to be a different guy, not a male stripper.

'He was shady and there was always drama around him but I would never have thought he'd send a bomb to the former President of the United States.'

Nunn first met Cesar, who he knew as Caesar Anthony, between 1993 and 1994 when they were both male dancers in Hollywood's Hottest Bodies.

'He was one of the five dancers and I was the MC. The show was in Las Vegas but we toured all over,' he said.

Dancer and booking agent Joseph Nunn, 51, said he lived with Sayoc for two years in Fort Lauderdale and described him as being 'shady,' 'a hustler' and always in a 'weird frame of mind'

Nunn, a Tim McGraw impersonator, was the MC for the show while Sayoc was one of the five dancers who toured all over the country

'We traveled all 50 states and 14 countries together. Every night we were in a different casino, theater or night club and we shared a room.'

Cesar lived with Nunn in an apartment in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, between 1999 and 2001.

Nunn said: 'He was always a go-getter, a hustler. He was always after the BBD - the bigger better deal.'

Cesar was quick to pull money-making tricks during the tour, Nunn noticed.

He said: 'He was shady. Back in the day, at our Chippendale shows we had a Polaroid camera to take snaps with customers.

'We charged six dollars a picture. If the picture didn't come out clearly, we'd take another one.

'But Cesar saved all the blurry pictures and put them in a briefcase. After a couple of months, he'd have 400 or 500 of them. He'd stick them back in the polaroid case and take them back to KMart, saying that the film was faulty.

'I heard he was scamming money from management. If he was supposed to turn in $2,000, he would only give $1,000 saying that his tire blew out and he needed to get it replaced or he got towed. He made up so many excuses.'

Despite noting Cesar's 'shady' behavior, Nunn insisted that he was also a stand-up guy, protective of his fellow dancers.

He said: 'He was a great guy in some ways. He always protected me when we went out because he was really big. I'm 5ft7in and 175 pounds.

Nunn says Sayoc was 320 pounds and always wanted to be a WWE wrestler, spending at least four hours a day at the gym and taking steroids. Despite his 'shady' demeanor, the former dancer was described as being very protective of his fellow dancers because of his size

Sayoc was revealed to have a lengthy rap sheet and has been arrested multiple times over the years

'He was always the biggest guy in the group. If a fight broke out, he would always stick up for us and say: 'Don't mess with my guys.''

Nunn also said that Cesar never showed much of an interest in politics, despite his later obsession with President Trump.

He said: 'I never heard him say that he was a Republican or a Democrat. He never even talked about politics.'

Cesar was, however, always possessive with women, quickly getting obsessed with new girlfriends who were often female dancers at gentlemen's clubs.

Nunn said: 'He would stalk girls. I never saw him put his hands physically on a woman, but he was obsessive. Once he got his claws into a girl, he was very possessive.

'If a girl agreed to go to dinner with him, the next thing you know he was telling me: 'I love her.' I'd say: 'You only met her two days ago.'

'Then I'd hear girls in the clubs saying that he had been in four evenings in a row and bringing flowers and making them feel uncomfortable.

'I think it was down to insecurity. He was always talking about his mother, saying that he loved her. There was always some drama with his mother.

Cesar Sayoc's van is seen in Boca Raton, Florida on October 18 this picture obtained from social media

'He would lie about where he was from. One time he told me he was from Cuba. But then he told everyone he was Italian.'

The first time that Nunn realized his former roommate stood accused of sending potentially lethal bombs to figures including Obama, Clinton, Joe Biden and the broadcaster CNN was when he saw the news on television.

He was shocked and said that he did not realize Cesar could be capable of such a crime.

He said: 'The last time we met was two years ago when we went for sushi in Fort Lauderdale. He was asking me for help finding investors for a female dancing club he wanted to set up in Florida.

'Hell no, I never thought that he would send bombs. I knew he was capable of being shady and weird, but not sending pipe bombs through the mail to more than a dozen people.'
An ABC reporter has been suspended after Malcolm Turnbull's son lodged a formal complaint against him for leaking an interview.

Senior correspondent Peter Lloyd will be the subject of a two-month investigation into allegations from Alex Turnbull, the son of the former prime minister, that he leaked unaired portions of an interview in August.

The ABC denied on Wednesday that a formal complaint had ever been made to former chairman Justin Milne.

But it has now been revealed that he did in fact receive a call from the younger Mr Turnbull, demanding answers as to how off-the-record comments became public, Fairfax reports.

Embattled ABC senior journalist Peter Lloyd (pictured) has been suspended following accusations of leaking an off-the-record interview to the media

The senior correspondent will be the subject of a two-month investigation into allegations from Alex Turnbull (left), the son of the former prime minister (right), that he leaked un-aired portions of an interview in August

The leaked comments were originally published in the Australian Financial Review.

The discussion between Alex Turnbull and presenter Emma Alberici was in regards to mining executive Gina Rinehart's influence within the Liberal Party.

The newspaper wrote that Mr Turnbull 'stumbled' through his words and was 'uncharacteristically cautious'.

Mr Turnbull asked for his response not to go to air, concerned he would be liable for defamation.

But somehow his words made their way to the media, with Alex Turnbull accusing Mr Lloyd of providing them.

Mr Lloyd vehemently denies he leaked a copy of the audio, though he did admit to forwarding the interview it to his personal email so he could refer to it at home.

Mr Turnbull says he reached out to former chairman Justin Milne (pictured) personally

Alex Turnbull told Fairfax he called Mr Milne personally and threatened to lodge a complaint if the matter wasn't investigated.

'I wanted it dealt with but I didn't want to start World War III,' he said.

He said whoever was responsible was 'not too bright, and technically illiterate'.

Alex Turnbull says he also reached out to Ms Alberici, who assured him the ABC would investigate his concerns.

The incident was initially probed by the broadcaster's human resources team.

However, the ABC have now assigned in-house counsel Loch van den Berg to complete it.

The comments in question were made during an interview with presenter Emma Alberici (pictured)

Mr Lloyd has since been suspended by the broadcaster.

An ABC spokeswoman told Fairfax that management had not been contacted by Mr Milne on the allegations and were unaware he had an interest in the matter.

She also said the ABC had received no editorial complaints related to the interview or any resulting reporting on it.

Ms Alberici told Fairfax to 'do some real news' and said the subject was 'bulls***'.

ABC News refuted Fairfax's report and the implication that editorial interference occured in the company's management.

A spokesman for ABC News said: 'ABC News management was at no time contacted by the former Chairman on this issue, nor was aware he had any interest in the matter.

'The former ABC Managing Director also did not raise this as an issue.'

The spokesman said management became aware of the publication in the Financial Review by reading the initial story.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Peter Lloyd and Alex Turnbull for comment.
A single mother who posed as a lonely heart on an Islamic dating site to extort money from a Muslim man looking for a wife walked free from court today.

Zulaikha Bibi, 21, used a false name and fake promises of marriage to lure the besotted victim into sending her cash plus intimate pictures of himself.

Over a two month period, the unnamed man - who is in his 20s - paid a total of 6,900 to Bibi after she said she need the cash to pay rent arrears plus a flight to Pakistan where she claimed her her grandmother was seriously ill.

Zulakiha Bibi, pictured, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation after targeting her victim online and convinced him to sent intimate photographs which she later used for blackmail, claiming if he did not continue sending cash she would forward the images to his very religious family

The man sent Bibi a total of 6,900 - although she later repaid 1,100. She was handed a 18-month jail sentence suspended for two year. She was also ordered to repay her victim 5,500 and was banned from contacting him over the next two years

Bibi established a fake profile on SingleMuslim.com claiming she was called Marion Bhukari from Chorley, Manchester. The court heard Bibi claimed she needed the cash for rent arrears and money to visit her sick grandmother in Pakistan

The man eventually became suspicious about Bibi and said no more money was due - but she vowed to expose him and threatened to distribute the explicit pictures to his devout Muslim family.

He called police when he realised he had been the victim of a 'cyber honey trap' scam but later refused to give a further personal statement about the impact on his life - for fear he would bring shame on his relatives.

Bibi was tracked down and later repaid 1,100.

A Manchester Crown Court she pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and blackmail but escaped with 18 months jail suspended for two years after it emerged she was the primary carer for her three year old daughter.

The court heard the scam began on July 25 last year after Bibi, of Beswick, Manchester set up a fake profile under the name 'Marion Bhukari from Chorley' on the dating website SingleMuslims.com

Prosecuting, Duncan Wilcock, said: 'The complainant joined SingleMuslims.com and soon after engaged in conversations with Marion Bhukari who gave him an address in Chorley.

'While speaking on that website, discussions took place about a longer relationship and he believed that they were working towards a long term relationship.

'It's now conceded that Marion Bhukari was this defendant. She asked firstly whether the conversations could take place on WhatsApp so that her family wouldn't be aware of them.

'There was mention of love and marriage between both parties. But then the defendant began to make requests for money, saying that she had, for example, rent arrears.

'So the defendant provided him with bank details and he put 200 in. She asked for further payments saying her grandmother was ill in Pakistan and asking for money for flights out there.

'Over a few weeks, he paid in the region of 6,900 towards requests made by this defendant. Then, the complainant made a final payment on September 18 last year and he told the defendant, at that stage, said that would be the last payment he was going to make.

'It was at that stage that the defendant became aggressive and said that she wanted more money from him, and said that if he didn't she would send sexual photographs to his family of the complainant pleasuring himself.

'Rather than respond as the defendant wanted him to do, he contacted the police. As a result of that, it was established through bank statements that the defendant was responsible and her true identity was revealed.

'It would appear that the defendant got in touch again and told the complainant that repayments would be made. Once the police became involved, he was asked not to take further payments.

'I have not got a specific figure of what the defendant was repaid but it's about 1,100. The defendant was interviewed. Once the bank statements had been received, she appeared to make further denials, saying she didn't blackmail the defendant.

'The complainant was asked to provide a victim personal statement, but he has declined to do so. I would say on his behalf that he would find himself in trouble with his family and community.'

In mitigation defence lawyer Ronan Maguire, said: 'She is the primary carer for her three year old daughter and she is concerned about what will happen to her. The concerns have been raised as a consequence of this process, but prior to this there was no concerns by social services.

'The child is currently in the care of her father, but she is concerned about what will happen - she doesn't want to be away from her three year old child. Perhaps her best mitigation is her guilty plea and the fact that she has never been in trouble before.'

Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Thomas Ryan said: 'You created false details to start an online relationship with a man but with the intention to obtain money. You did it because you were in debt.

'It was sophisticated and a man was targeted by you and you got just short of 7,000. When he said that you would no longer get money from him, you threatened to send sexual pictures to his family. These pictures were on Snapchat so it was a hollow threat, but he didn't know that.

'You deliberately targeted a victim who was vulnerable because he believed your lies and was into a false intention of love and marriage. You carries it on for months to get money on a drip. It's a serious case which crosses the custody threshold but I also consider that you are only 21 and this is your first offence. You are a single mother and you have had a difficult background.

'You are sadly in debt and I give you credit as you have attempted to repay some of the money to the victim. So, I will not be sending you to prison today.'

Bibi was also ordered to pay 5,500 in compensation to the victim and complete 100 hours unpaid work. She was also banned from contacting the victim for two years under the terms of a restraining order.

MailOnline has approached SingleMuslim.com for comment.
A majority of children can't tell a real gun apart from a toy gun, according to a new study.

In fact, 59 percent couldn't correctly identify which was which, despite a nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of parents and caregivers telling researchers that their children would know the difference, according to new research being presented next week during the American Academy of Pediatrics annual conference.

'Considering (that) gun owners surveyed were nearly twice as likely as non-gun owners to let their children play with toy guns, safe storage of firearms in homes where children play is critical,' said Dr. Kiesha Fraser Doh, of Emory University School of Medicine.

Nearly a third (32 percent) of children surveyed were allowed to play with toy guns.

This chart illustrates how many children believed they could distinguish between a toy and real gun, and those who accurately determined which was which

The study's authors surveyed 297 pairs of children age 7-17 along with their parent or caregivers during visits to pediatric emergency departments in the Southeastern United States. Their work spanned a three-month period in 2017.

The research comes as at least a dozen states and the city of Boston have passed laws restricting fake guns.

The research is relevant because toy guns can come with their own risk, particularly when children brandish them in front of police  who often have a hard time distinguishing the difference.

Since 2011, police officers have shot and killed at least six people brandishing real-looking fake guns.

That includes the death of 13-year-old Tyre King in 2016 when police shot him after he was spotted with a BB gun that officers said looked nearly identical to their own weapons.

Gun owners accounted for 25 percent of the survey base, and were significantly more likely to be white, middle class and college educated.

The research revealed that a narrow minority (5 percent) of caregivers believed their child could obtain or access a firearm within 24 hours.

However, 14 percent of children who lived in a gun-owning house and 4 percent of children in gun-free households said they could, in fact, obtain a firearm in that span of time.

Among the caregivers who owned firearms, less than half (34 percent) stored their gun locked, unloaded and separate from their ammunition.

Additionally, more than half (53 percent) of children in gun-owning households said they knew where it was stored, while 45 percent knew where to find bullets in the home.

A majority (85 percent) of caregivers said that parents should be required to store firearms safely.

Since the late 1980s it's been a federal offense 'for any person to manufacture, enter into commerce, ship, transport or receive any toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm unless such firearm contains, or has affixed to it, a marking approved by the Secretary of Commerce.'

An orange safety tip at the end of the barrel was adopted by some manufacturers to help officers recognize a fake, but they can generally be removed or painted over fairly easily.
A father whose four-month old son died of extreme diaper rash has launched his defense in court, which centers on how the family adhered to traditional gender roles in which the mother cares for the children while the man goes out to work.

Zachary Paul Koehn, 29, is charged with murder and child endangerment after his son Sterling's maggot-infested body was found in the diaper that had been on for nine to 14 days.

Koehn had told investigators that Sterling's mother Cheyanne Harris, 21, was a stay-at-home mom who normally looked after Sterling.

Zachary Koehn, center, is flanked by attorneys Les Blair III and Steven Drahozal, as he sits in court Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa

The court heard on Thursday from Koehn's relatives, who are conservative Mennonite Christians.

Much of their testimony tried to absolve blame from Koehn because they claimed he and Harris had separate responsibilities within the home.

Older brother Danny testified that Koehn had questioned the ability of Harris, who he met in 2014, to care for Sterling.

Zachary Koehn sits in court Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, 2018 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. A medical examiner testified Thursday that a 4-month-old infant Sterling Koehn, found dead and maggot-infested in a baby swing last year, weighed only a few ounces more than his birth weight at the time of his death

Medical examiner Dr Dennis Klein testifies in court Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa

'With her being a new mother, he got some questions if she was capable,' Danny said.

Danny also said Koehn had sometimes looked after his own children when they were young, and so would have been capable of feeding and diapering his son.

The defense also called Greg Nightingale, who worked the same trucking routes as Koehn and is his third cousin, who testified about Koehn's work schedule.

Koehn, a truck driver of Alta Vista, in Iowa, has an older son who is cared for by his parents because of alleged mental health issues with the child's mother, who is not Harris.

Medics were called to the Koehn and Harris's apartment around 1pm on August 30, 2017, where they found Sterling Koehn dead in a baby swing.

Four-month-old Sterling Koehn had been in the same diaper for nine to 14 days when his body was found in the swing August 30, 2017, at his parents' apartment in Alta Vista

A coroner's report showed the baby died of malnutrition, dehydration and an infection.

The autopsy also uncovered maggots on the childs skin and clothes, indicating he hadnt been washed, changed or removed from the swing in more than a week.

Dr. Dennis Klein, chief medical examiner for the state, testified that the baby weighed just under 7lbs during the autopsy. Klein said the boy should have weighed about 11lbs.

Klein ruled out heart defects, bowel obstructions and organic brain issues.

'Nothing natural would have done this,' Klein said.

Sterling's parents,29-year-old Zachary Koehn (L) and 21-year-old Cheyenne Harris (R) are both charged over the four-month old baby's death last year

Klein then laid out graphic details of the baby's suffering in the last days of his life - details that contradicted Koehn's statements that he had played with the baby and had heard him crying the day before his death.

Klein said the infant was so dehydrated and ill that he would not have been able to cry or respond to stimuli.

In opening statements on Tuesday, Koehn's attorney said the baby's death was a tragedy, but not a crime.

Assistant Iowa Attorney General Coleman McAllister denied the defense's claims, saying Koehn was an experienced parent, noting that Koehn's two-year-old daughter was also in the apartment and was healthy, and that Koehn had money to buy food and baby supplies.

McAllister stated Koehn was a drug user. After the couple's arrest in October last year, it emerged that both have a history of drug use including meth.

Department of Correctional Services reports indicated Koehn, an over-the-road trucker who had just started a new job, was in substance abuse treatment.

Koehn, a truck driver of Alta Vista, in Iowa, has an older son who is cared for by his parents because of alleged mental health issues with the child's mother, who is not Harris

Harris, who had moved to live with a relative in Riceville after Sterling's death, was also in treatment for substance abuse when she was arrested, the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reported at the time.

Harris, who had moved to live with a relative in Riceville after Sterling's death, told officials she was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Courier.

Nurse and county rescue squad EMT Toni Friedrich testified on Tuesday that she was the first to arrive at the apartment after Koehn called 911 to report the baby had died.

Koehn's brother Danny testified that the defendant had questioned the ability of Harris (pictured together) who he met in 2014, to care for their son Sterling

Friedrich said Koehn showed no emotion when he led her to the dark, hot bedroom where the baby's body was.

The baby's 'eyes were open, and it was a blank stare,' she said.

Friedrich said when she touched the baby's chest, his clothing was crusty. When she moved his blanket, gnats flew up, she said.

According to reports, Koehn told police and medics that Harris fed the baby at 9am that morning and the child was fine.

But he claimed that when he checked on his son at around 11am or 11.30am, he found the baby dead.

Koehn's trial was moved from Chickasaw County to the Henry County Courthouse in Mount Pleasant because of extensive pretrial publicity surrounding the case.

The child's mother, Cheyanne Harris, also is charged and will be tried separately.
Mitch McConnell could have more, not less, power after a midterm election when his party loses races everywhere other than in the Senate. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The bulk of the attention political observers have paid to congressional elections this year has been devoted to the House, and when its focused on the Senate, the big debate has revolved around Democratic odds for taking over the chamber.

Now that we are down to the final days of the midterm cycle, though, Democratic hopes of winning the net two seats theyd need for control have faded somewhat, according to most projections. And thanks to the unbelievably pro-Republican nature of the Senate landscape, a very different scenario has reemerged: the possibility of sizable Republican gains, even if Democrats reclaim the House and win a bunch of governorships.

The basic reality is this: Using Cook Political Report ratings, there are eight competitive Senate races for seats currently held by Democrats, six of them in states carried by Donald Trump in 2016, and five competitive Senate races in states currently held by Republicans, four of them in states carried by Donald Trump in 2016. To put it another way, Trump carried 10 of the 13 states with competitive Senate races this year, and Democrats are defending significantly more of those seats than are Republicans. But that actually understates the challenge to Democrats. Trump carried four of these competitive Senate states (Montana, North Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia) by more than 20 points, and another three (Indiana, Mississippi, and Missouri) by more than 15 points. Two of the three states in this group won by Clinton (Minnesota and Nevada) went for her by less than three points. The one solidly Democratic state on the list (New Jersey) has a scandal-plagued Democratic incumbent with terrible favorability numbers. This map is about as red as it could be.

So while FiveThirtyEight projects theres a 10 percent chance Democrats pick up more than the two net seats theyd need to flip the Senate, it projects an equal probability that Republicans will net five or more seats. This isnt a matter of some improbable Republican counter-wave. It could happen even if Democrats do well at other levels simply as a product of exploiting a favorable landscape and winning a lot of toss-ups or near toss-ups. If the GOP won the races Cook calls toss-ups (plus those that lean in their direction), theyd come out of the elections with 56 senators. There would not be any more votes in the Senate where one or two or three defectors could thwart Donald Trumps plans. And if Republicans did lose the House, Mitch McConnell would walk tall in Washington.

A strong GOP Senate performance would also have potentially large implications for 2020, when the landscape will be far more favorable to Democrats, as Nathaniel Rakich notes:

Democrats have two obvious targets in 2020: Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, the only two Republicans up for re-election in blue states. Four more Republicans sit in states that lean Republican by no more than 12 points, and so might be beatable in a favorable election environment or with the right candidates. Of course, its not a given that Democrats will add any seats at all to their total in 2020: Sen. Doug Jones faces an uphill fight in deep-red Alabama. Whats more, six more Democratic seats are also plausibly vulnerable.

Lets say for the sake of argument that Donald Trump manages to get himself reelected in 2020. Control of the Senate in 2021 could have enormous consequences for the shape of the federal judiciary, including the U.S. Supreme Court. So on November 6, its not just who wins the Senate, but the margin by which that party wins that could matter most in the long run.
Arron Banks is now the focus of a criminal investigation which could unfold into a grave political scandal

Arron Banks, the bad boy insurance tycoon, was the financial powerhouse behind the Leave.EU referendum campaign.

The biggest individual donor in British political history, his apparent generosity  at least 8million  helped deliver a Brexit victory; the greatest seismic shift in post-war British life.

But two years on there is a further superlative which could still be attached to his name.

Banks is now the focus of a criminal investigation which could unfold into a grave political scandal.

One which involves the illegal undermining of UK democracy as well as the EU by agents of a state which is hostile to both.

Leave.EU was founded by Banks in 2015. He said it would campaign for Brexit outside the Westminster Bubble.

How far outside the SW1 postcode his Leave.EU donations were originally sourced  Vladimir Putins Kremlin and his oligarch allies loom large in this story  is now the business of the National Crime Agency.

Banks denies any wrongdoing.

Indeed he has always been bullish towards those who have accused him of being a Russian straw man.

His critics are sore Remainer losers, he insists; his Twitter feed is headed with the injunction Get Over It.

Sceptical MPs have been treated by him with public contempt and he is appealing the Electoral Commissions decision earlier this year to fine the Leave.EU campaign for overspending.

In truth the watchdog has enforcement powers akin to those of a toothless chihuahua  a view shared not least by its former chief executive who resigned last month.

But having found reasonable grounds to suspect the tycoon was not the legal true source of the 8million loans he made to Better For The Country  the company which ran the Leave.EU campaign  and that he could have committed multiple other suspected criminal offences, the commission has passed the case on to the National Crime Agency.

Far from being toothless the NCA, founded to fight serious and organised crime, is the investigatory equivalent of a great white shark.

And there is much for its agents to explore, little of which is mundane.

Bankss known Brexit money trail stretches from diamond mines in southern Africa via companies in the offshore tax havens of the Isle of Man and Gibraltar, to the coffers of Leave.EU.

Mr Banks and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage at a party together in 2014

But the NCA will no doubt explore further, delving behind the opaque network of his offshore companies.

This will include allegations of Russian-orchestrated business sweeteners which involved Banks being offered a cut of gold mines in Siberia, Armenia and Guinea.

These inducements were reportedly made to him at the start of the Brexit campaign.

Such questions would not be asked if Banks  who claims a fortune of 100million  was indisputably a member of the global super-rich.

He is undoubtedly wealthy. But for the last 12 months his ability to give away such a large sum of cash to the Brexit campaign has come under scrutiny.

He has said his fortune was built on a raft of business successes. Critics  and yes many of them are pro-Remain campaigners  argue that the figures simply dont stack up.

His four diamond mines in South Africa and Lesotho  a region where he has spent considerable time since 2014  are said to be ailing if not moribund, for example.

His insurance companies have owed millions; his bank on the Isle of Man was performing poorly; his stake in a law firm was far smaller than advertised.

One investigation calculated the money he had supposedly donated to the Brexit campaign constituted half of his lifetimes total earnings, which did not make sense.

Official action has been slow in coming, if not apathetic.

Mr Banks with his Russian wife Katya (centre) and his mother-in-law

The Mail understands that in early 2016 the then home secretary Theresa May declined a request by one of the security services to investigate Banks.

The topic was simply too explosive in the run up to the referendum.

The Mail has also seen a letter which Ben Gummer MP, at that time minister for the cabinet office, wrote to the Labour MP Ben Bradshaw in February 2017.

It was in response to Mr Bradshaws expressed fears of external interference in the referendum campaign.

I can assure you there is no evidence or reasonable grounds for suspicion concerning foreign interference in UK elections or the EU referendum, wrote Mr Gummer.

I am confident that there is negligible risk of a foreign government or agency being able to influence the operational delivery of electoral events in the UK.

Until 2017, stories about Russian influence on Mr Banks extended no further than the fact he was married to Ekaterina Paderina, with whom he has had three children. Miss Paderina, his second wife, originates from the Urals.

But there were whispers behind the scenes at Westminster.

In early 2017 Banks demanded an apology from a Tory MP who, he claimed, told key figures in the team of President Trump  with whom Banks is close  that he had improper relations with the Kremlin.

A number plate reading 'MI5 SPY' on Mr Banks' purple Range Rover

Then, in the summer of 2017 Banks announced he expected to be called to give evidence to the US Senate about alleged ties between the Kremlin, Brexit and Trumps presidential campaign.

That autumn saw Mr Bradshaw go on the attack in the Commons, following the publication of a detailed examination of Bankss fortunes by the Open Democracy website which questioned his professed wealth.

Mr Bradshaw called for an official investigation into Bankss true worth and the use of dark money in the referendum campaign.

The following month the Electoral Commission began its investigation.

While this was ongoing, a number of highly damaging allegations appeared in the press concerning his close ties with senior Russian officials.

In June this year the Observer said it had seen leaked emails which suggested multiple meetings between Banks and figures linked to the Russian government, from November 2015 when Leave.EU launched its Brexit campaign, to last year.

Far more contact than Banks had previously admitted.

Of particular importance was the role of the Kremlins London ambassador Alexander Yakovenko, who at their first meeting treated Banks and his business associate Andy Wigmore to a six-hour boozy lunch at his residence.

What is the law on political donations? Donations to electoral candidates and political campaigns are governed by the Representation of the People Act 1983. The act gives a list of 'permissible donors' which include: An individual registered on a UK electoral register, including overseas electors.

A Great Britain or Northern Ireland registered political party UK-registered companies, trade unions or building societies.

A UK-based unincorporated association that carries on business or other activities in the UK. What isn't allowed: The law is that loans and donations to registered campaigners can only come from certain permissible sources, which essentially excludes overseas or foreign funding

The Isle of Man is considered as being outside the UK because it is a British Crown dependency so donations via there are not allowed either Advertisement

The leaked documents suggested that the day after the Leave.EU launch Banks and Wigmore visited the Russian embassy and were introduced by the ambassador to a Russian businessman with extensive business interests in Russian gold mines.

The Britons were reportedly offered the chance to invest in a scheme which would see the merging of six Russian gold firms into a 6.2billion conglomerate.

Russia has the second largest gold reserves in the world.

The mining amalgamation went through in early July 2016.

A week later Banks tweeted: I am buying gold at the moment & big mining stocks, though it is unclear if his purchases were linked to Russia.

Other leaked emails suggested a proposed financial tie-up with the Russian diamond firm Alrosa.

The question is, why would the Russians be so anxious to enrich an obscure British businessman?

In the wake of these allegations Banks and Wigmore came out fighting. It proved an extraordinary spectacle.

Days after the newspaper revelations the pair appeared before the House of Commons culture select committee which was ostensibly investigating fake news  much of which originated from Russian troll factories.

During their three-hour interrogation Banks was flippant, combative and dripping with disdain for his inquisitors.

Of the fake news claims made against Leave.EU, Banks said: We certainly werent above leading journalists up the country path, making fun of them; same with politicians.

He added: We were running a campaign deliberately aimed at making fun of people.

When questioned about ties with Russian officials Wigmore claimed his initial contact was at the Ukip conference at Doncaster racecourse in 2015 when, as a diplomat accredited to the small central American state of Belize, he discussed the banana industry with someone from the Russian embassy.

Wigmore said it was he who instigated the conversation which led to him and Banks dining at the ambassadors residence.

They thought it would be nice for Bankss Russian wife.

Asked whether Leave.EU was funded by Russia, Wigmore replied nyet - Russian for no.

Banks told the committee that while he had met the gold magnate he had no business interests in Russia  too risky.

He had however given a telephone number for President Trumps transition team to the Russian ambassador .

It was the only thing of significance that came out of the meetings  because the Russians wanted to get hold of the transition team.

The grilling ended abruptly when Banks and Wigmore simply walked out. Weve got places to be, Im afraid, Banks told the MPs.

I really have to insist. I was told a certain time and weve got a lunch appointment that I dont want to be late for. The committee was not impressed.

Damian Collins, the its Tory chairman, said last night: Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore have misled the committee on the number of meetings that took place with the Russian embassy and walked out of the committees evidence session to avoid scrutiny of the content of the discussions with the Russian embassy.

He added: From the emails that we have seen, it is evident that Arron Banks had many meetings with Russian officials, including the Russian Ambassador, Alexander Yakovenko, between 2015 and 2017.

The meetings involved discussions about business deals involving Alrosa, the Russian diamond monopoly, the purchase of gold mines, funded by Sberbank, the Russian-state bank, and the transferring of confidential documents to Russian officials.

'Mr Banks seemed to want to hide the extent of his contacts with Russia... Mr Wigmore is a self-confessed liar and, as a result, little significance can be attached to anything that he says.

'It is unclear whether Mr Banks profited from business deals arising from meetings arranged by Russian officials.

We understand that the National Crime Agency is investigating these matters. We believe that they should be given full access to any relevant information that will aid their inquiry.

Last month in a committee room at the House of Commons before a cross party audience including former home secretary Amber Rudd and Stephen Kinnock MP, the Atlantic Council think-tank launched a report titled Democracy in the Crosshairs: How Political Money Laundering Threatened the Democratic Process.

Arron Banks figured heavily in the paper which stated: When weaponised by hostile states with billions of dollars in offshore centres and large, efficient intelligence services, money laundering poses a grave threat to democratic integrity.

This includes: the use of opaque offshore centres to obscure funds origins, the use of fabricated business transactions to transfer funds or covertly enrich individuals and... the co-opting of straw men who count as permissible donors.

Neil Barnett, one of the reports authors, said last night: The NCAs initiation of a criminal investigation into Arron Banks and his various companies and groups is long overdue.

It has been apparent since 2016 that Banks has nowhere near the necessary wealth to donate about 8million. When invited to explain the origin of the funds he has offered various conflicting stories, before settling on my bank account.

'The law forbids donations from impermissible donors, and only an investigation with legal powers can uncover the truth. Everyone who values democratic integrity should be pleased today.

During his ill-judged select committee appearance, Banks declared: I like to think Im an evil genius with a white cat that controls the whole of western democracy but clearly thats nonsense. Typical Banks.

But the new allegations wont be so easily dismissed.

This week against a background of heightened tension with the Kremlin, the largest Nato exercise since the Cold War has been taking place in Norway.

The frontline of the new hostilities is no longer the preserve of soldiers and tanks, however.

Eight million pounds is a small price to pay for a military superpower for the break-up of the EU, a rival alliance.

The question is, whos paying? Arron Banks insists it is him alone.
Homeowners have taken another beating with new data revealing the worst property slump in three decades, with some areas suffering a 14 per cent plunge in a year.

Sydney was home to eight of Australia's 10 worst performing areas, real estate information group CoreLogic has revealed.

Ryde in northwest Sydney topped the charts with a 14.4 per cent tumble. Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury values fell 10.8 per cent and while Parramatta suffered a 10.3 per cent decline.

According to a CoreLogic report, eight of the top 10 worst performing areas across the country in the past 12 months are in Sydney

Sydney's Ryde topped the charts with a 14.4 per cent tumble. Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury followed closely behind with a 10.8 per cent dip and Parramatta (pictured) came in tow with a 10.3 per cent decline

Sydney's median house and apartment prices dived by 7.4 per cent in the year to October, marking the steepest annual plummet since 1990, when prices fell by a record 7.9 per cent.

Property prices in Sydney and Melbourne continued to dive despite record-low interest rates.

CoreLogic is forecasting a 15 per cent plunge in house prices in Australia's biggest cities, from their 2017 peaks.

This would be worse than the 11.6 per cent plunge that hit Sydney from 1988 to 1991.

During the last double-digit property market plunge, interest rates in Australia were at a record high of more than 19 per cent and the economy was in recession.

This time, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's crackdown on investor loans has hit the Sydney and Melbourne property markets the hardest.

Melbourne's (pictured) inner east suburbs that includes places like Camberwell, Hawthorn East and Mont Albert took out the gong for the worst performing area in the city, after a 10.3 per cent drop

'With such broad-based weakness in housing market conditions, its clear that tighter credit availability is acting as a drag on housing demand and impacting adversely on the performance of housing values across most areas of the country,' CoreLogic's head of research Tim Lawless said.

Melbourne's inner-east suburbs including Camberwell, Hawthorn East and Mont Albert took out the gong for the city's worst performing areas, with a 10.3 per cent drop.

House and unit prices in Melbourne have fallen by 4.7 per cent during the past year.

'Sydney and Melbourne are now the primary drag on the national housing market's performance,' Mr Lawless said of the cities that comprise 60 per cent of Australia's housing market.

Housing prices in Perth and Darwin showed no signs of recovering since their markets began to fall in mid-2014.

Perth prices dropped by 3.3 per cent dip in one year, with Darwin experiencing a 2.9 per cent drop over the same period.

Outback Queensland prices dived by 11.1 per cent.

Prices in southern Queensland's Darling Downs and Maranoa regions fell 4.3 per cent.

AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver told the Daily Telegraph the worst wasn't yet over, with forecasts for a 20 per cent drop up by 2020

Western Australia's Bunbury sank by 9 per cent, while the Wheat Belt region dropped by 5.9 per cent.

AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver told the Daily Telegraph the worst wasn't yet over, with forecasts for a 20 per cent drop up by 2020.

'If anything the risks are on the downside, particularly if negative gearing and capital gains tax arrangements are changed.'

Though it's not all bad news with Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra values increasing.

Tasmania's capital Hobart led the trend with a 9.7 per cent jump, while Canberra followed behind on 4.3 per cent.
A paedophile priest who sexually abused 27 young boys has had his appeal for a shorter sentence rejected after claiming he deserved one because he was hit with a loaf of bread in prison.

Former New South Wales Marist Brother Darcy John O'Sullivan, 80, was jailed for six years in 2016 for 22 historic child sex offences between 1971 and 1983.

O'Sullivan has always maintained that he is the true victim and told the court he feared for his safety in jail because he had already been 'assaulted'.

He alleged another inmate had hit him in the head with a loaf of bread and argued it was an indication of the future he faces in prison.

Former Marist Brother Darcy O'Sullivan (pictured) had six year jail sentence extended after appealing his original sentence, his abuse of 15 more students was revealed

However in the Sydney District Court Judge Kate Traill not only rejected his appeal but added another eight years to his sentence after more offences were uncovered.

Judge Traill told the court O'Sullivan exhibited no remorse, no empathy for his victims, and 'no insight into his offending', the Newcastle Herald reported.

'(He) shows a total lack of understanding of the magnitude of his predatory offending,' she said.

O'Sullivan pleaded guilty in 2016 to the charges of child sex crimes against 12 students from the Marist Brothers College in Hamilton and at the St Marys High School in Casino.

However he contradicted his initial guilty plea during his most recent trail date.

'I absolutely deny to this court, to her honour, that I have ever indulged in that sort of behaviour in all of my life,' O'Sullivan told the court.

But O'Sullivan also detailed times he had 'fondled boys genitalia' inside the classroom, the school halls and the playground.

He described his actions as being 'in a kind of semi-affectionate manner to a number of my students'.

However in the Sydney District Court Judge Kate Traill not only rejected his appeal but added another eight years to his sentence after more offences were uncovered (pictured while still a priest)

Judge Traill imposed the extra eight years on his sentence after his crimes against a further 15 students were detailed.

O'Sullivan denied to the court that he had any sexual attraction to boys and said he gained no sexual gratification from his actions.

'I know and understand my own sexuality. I know when I've been physically attracted to women. I know when I've been in love with women. That doesn't make me someone as you describe,' he said.

O'Sullivan did not garner sympathy from Judge Traill for being hit in the head with a loaf of bread, an incident she described as 'relatively minor'.

After the court ruling the Facebook page for the Marist Brothers College in Hamilton posted a status condemning their abuse.

'To the brothers of Hamilton Marist Brothers high school, I have a question ... 'Why',' the status read.

'Why were some (of) you such b******* to us kids and such hypocrites in what you were supposed to be standing for in the Catholic Church system?'
President Trump is concerned enough about his interior secretary's ethics cloud that he has asked aides for information about how deep his troubles are.

Ryan Zinke faces misconduct allegations related to a Montana land deal that the Justice Department is scrutinizing. Trump, according to The Washington Post, fears Zinke has broken rules and worries the DOJ investigation will hamstring him. He has not decided whether to let him go.

The Interior Department's internal watchdog referred its own investigation of Zinke to the Justice Department, two people familiar with the investigation told the Associated Press.

Zinke faces a number of probes, the most significant of which appears to be centered on a Montana land deal involving a foundation he created and David Lesar, the chairman of Halliburton, a prominent energy services company that does significant business with Interior.

President Donald Trump is reportedly asking aides for information about a Justice Department probe that could put his interior secretary in hot water

Secretary Ryan Zinke is facing multiple probes from his actions at the agency, but Trump is worried about one issue involving perks he stood to gain from a Montana land deal

The commercial development's management group reportedly was prepared to offer Zinke and his wife their own microbrewery in exchange for his sign-off on the project

Zinke is one of several members of Trump's administration being questioned over his handling of his department

A management group headed by Lesar reportedly planned to offer Zinke and his wife a microbrewery to own and run as part of a commercial development deal it was pursuing near his hometown of Whitefish, Montana.

Investigators also are reviewing Zinke's decision to block two tribes from opening a casino in Connecticut and his redrawing of boundaries to shrink a Utah national monument.

Zinke has denied wrongdoing, and his lawyer said Zinke has not been notified of any Justice Department investigation or inspector general referral.

'It is disappointing that unsubstantiated and anonymous sources have described an IG office referral to members of the media, as this violates DOJ and IG policy direction. The secretary has done nothing wrong,' lawyer Steve Ryan said in a statement.

Nancy DiPaolo, a spokeswoman for Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall, said she cannot comment on ongoing investigations.

Spokeswoman Nicole Navas Oxman said Justice 'generally does not confirm, deny or otherwise comment on the existence or non-existence of an investigation.'

Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said if Democrats win a House majority next week, Zinke will be called to testify 'on why his conduct in office merited referral to the Justice Department, whether that referral was related to the recent attempted firing of his inspector general, and his many other failures and scandals.'

Grijalva was referring to a short-lived bid by the Trump administration to reassign a political appointee at the Department of Housing and Urban Development to replace Kendall as acting head of the inspector general's office.

HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in an Oct 12 email that then-assistant HUD secretary Suzanne Israel Tufts would take over the watchdog role. Tufts ultimately was not tapped for Interior and resigned from the administration.

Zinke is said to be considering leaving the administration after next week's midterm election

President Donald Trump, front left, gestures as former boys scouts, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, left, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, right, watch at the 2017 National Boy Scout Jamboree

Grijalva and other Democratic lawmakers called for an investigation this summer after reports that a charitable foundation created by Zinke and run by his wife, Lola, was allowing a company co-owned by Halliburton chairman David Lesar to use the foundation's land for a commercial development.

Zinke also met Lesar, Lesar's son and Montana developer Casey Malmquist in his Washington office last year, according to emails the Democrats received in a public records request.

Zinke has come under scrutiny for his travel practices and other actions as secretary. He has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.

The inspector general's office said in a report last month that Lola Zinke was allowed to ride in government vehicles with him despite a department policy that prohibits nongovernment officials from doing so. The report also said Interior spent more than $25,000 to provide security for the couple when they took a vacation to Turkey and Greece.

Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift said the report shows Zinke 'follows all relevant laws and regulations' and that his travel was reviewed and approved by career ethics officials and department lawyers.
The mother of a 23-year-old nurse who was stabbed to death in her bed by a homeless man has faced her daughter's killer in court as he was sentenced to life in prison.

'You didn't have to hurt her,' Angie Vaughn said of her daughter Tiffany Ferguson in a Nashville courtroom Thursday.

'You are such a coward, a coward to take my child's life while she's sleeping in bed,' she tearfully told Christopher Drew McLawhorn, 26, as he stared emotionless.

McLawhorn was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of premeditated murder and burglary for the grisly 2017 killing of Ferguson, an Intensive Care Unit nurse at Saint Thomas West Hospital.

Authorities allege that on the night of February 28, 2017, McLawhorn walked through the unlocked front door of Ferguson's Wedgewood-Houston condo while she was sleeping, stole jewelry and electronics, and then stabbed her nine times - including 5.5 inches deep into her heart - when the 23-year-old confronted him.

Christopher McLawhorn, 26, was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for fatally stabbing Tiffany Ferguson, 23, in her Tennessee apartment in 2017

Ferguson's mother tearfully called McLawhorn a 'coward' in court before sentencing

McLawhorn broke into the home of Ferguson and fatally stabbed her nine times

'This particular situation makes no sense at all, that a person would be senselessly killed over a laptop and jewelry,' the judge said at the sentencing, according to the Tennessean.

McLawhorn, a homeless man, was found guilty of murder and burglary in September

'She was a bright life in a dark world,' Molly Cox, Ferguson's older sister, said Thursday. 'On the morning of February 28, my sister came face-to-face with evil.'

'She was the one you called when you needed a shoulder to cry on,' Cox added. 'Her heart was as big as her smile. She loved to call shotgun in the car and drive around singing off-key, and dancing so hard she sometimes shook the whole car.'

Ferguson's roommate, Melissa Thorniley testified in late September that she was asleep in her bed the morning of February 28 and was woken up by screams.

She testified that after she heard the screams, she ran to the front door and looked outside, according to The Tennessean.

Thorniley, a 26-year-old accountant, said that when she saw nobody outside, she shut the door and locked it.

'I started screaming for Tiffany, yelling her name,' she said.'I wasn't even sure she was in there, it was so quiet.'

Thorniley said she went to Ferguson's room and found her lying in bed on her back and badly wounded.

As Thorniley described how she called 911 and started CPR on Ferguson, she began to break down in tears.

Prosecutors revealed that the door was likely left unlocked by a man who spent part of the night with Ferguson and then left just hours before her murder. The man has been identified as Michael Sanborn (above)

Sanborn (left) is a registered nurse and co-worker of Ferguson's. They both worked at Saint Thomas West Hospital in Nashville. Prosecutors say Ferguson had a crush on Sanborn, which is why she went out on the night before her death

While Thorniley was giving her chest compressions, she testified that Ferguson let out 'one short breath.'

Prosecutors revealed that the door was likely left unlocked by a man who spent part of the night with Ferguson and then left just hours before her murder.

Pam Anderson, the Assistant District Attorney for Davidson County, told the court that on the night before her death, Ferguson finished work.

She left the hospital at around 8pm and met up with coworkers - one of whom was a man that she had a crush on, Anderson said.

Ferguson had gone out that night because she hoped he would be there - and he was, according to the prosecutor.

After their evening out, Ferguson and her crush went to her home together. He then left at around 3:15am.

McLawhorn was also seen by other homeless men with scratches on his neck, leading police to believe that Ferguson resisted her attacker in the final moments of her life

Friends and family of Ferguson were heard sobbing in the courtroom as the medical examiner detailed the gruesome killing. Ferguson is seen right in this undated file photo

Surveillance footage shows a man matching McLawhorns description going back and forth in front of the apartment carrying items he had stolen

It is believed that he left the front door unlocked behind him.

Sanborn also testified at the trial in September. He told the court he was 'haunted' by the fact that he did not make sure the door was locked after he left the home.

With Ferguson asleep, a man entered her home in the Wedgewood-Houston section of Nashville.

Ferguson and Thorniley were asleep, while their other roommate was out of town.

McLawhorn took a number of items, including jewelry and a laptop, according to Anderson.

Surveillance footage shows McLawhorn going back and forth in front of the apartment carrying items he had stolen.

After Ferguson was stabbed, police said they were able to track the killer's path to nearby railroad tracks, where they recovered Ferguson's jewelry, laptop, and a blood-stained kitchen knife that had gone missing.

Ferguson's condo in the Wedgewood-Houston section of Nashville is seen in the above stock image

Anderson told the court that McLawhorn also took a ring which Ferguson's other roommate later reported missing days after the stabbing.

Police zeroed in on McLawhorn as the suspect after two homeless men who knew him say he told them about how he had 'killed someone.'

McLawhorn was also seen by other homeless men with scratches on his neck, leading police to believe that Ferguson resisted her attacker in the final moments of her life.

Nicholas Dalrymple, one of the homeless men who testified in a preliminary hearing in March 2017, said that on the night before Ferguson's death, he called police to alert them that McLawhorn was seen trying to break into people's cars.

Surveillance footage corroborated Dalrymple's allegations, according to Anderson.

Police also said that McLawhorn did an internet search on his cell phone including 'can rain wash off fingerprints' and 'just how incriminating is a fingerprint really.'

These web pages were visited on the afternoon after Ferguson's death. McLawhorn also appeared to have read internet news reports about the stabbing.
A 20-year-old Melbourne woman has been left shaken after a fellow train passenger allegedly leaned against her with his elbow as he played porn on his phone.

The woman claims the male passenger positioned his phone on his lap and played porn videos for about five minutes while they were in the same train carriage.

Police are now looking to speak with an Indian commuter who was seen at Northcote station shortly after the alleged incident at 3.16pm on July 7, as the city-bound train passed Preston's Bell station.

Police would like to speak to this man in relation to the alleged incident

The woman told police she could see the man's eyes shifting between her and the screen, before he eventually alighted the train at Northcote railway station.

He was wearing a black jacket and navy pants, and is described as being of Indian appearance with black, wavy, short hair.

Daily Mail Australia spoke to Victoria Police, who said: 'The investigation remains ongoing. No updates at this stage.'

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Brazil will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the country's incoming far-right president has announced.

The move will make Brazil the most prominent country after the United States to declare Jerusalem as Israel's capital, after Donald Trump moved the U.S. embassy earlier this year.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the plan, which Bolsonaro had promised during the election campaign.

Netanyahu, who has called Bolsonaro his 'friend' and invited him to visit Israel, called it a 'historic, correct and exciting step'.

Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, pictured waving at supporters after his election victory, has announced he will move the country's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

Judge who jailed ex-President Lula gets justice role A polarising judge who jailed former President Luiz Inacio de Silva - knocking 'Lula' out of this year's election - has been named Brazil's new justice minister. Sergio Moro is wildly popular among conservatives and loathed by many on the left. After meeting Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro he promised to 'implement a strong agenda of anti-corruption and anti-organized crime'. As a judge he was at the centre of the sprawling 'Car Wash' investigation, one of the largest corruption probes in history. The investigation uncovered the large-scale looting of state oil company Petrobras. But many on the left felt the probe which brought down ex-President Lula was politically motivated. Polls suggested Lula would have beaten Bolsonaro in the election had the ex-president not been jailed 12 years for corruption. Advertisement

In a tweet yesterday Bolsonaro said: 'As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem.

'Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that.'

It was the first time since his election victory on Sunday that Bolsonaro referred to his plan to move the embassy.

Netanyahu issued a statement saying: 'I congratulate my friend Brazilian President-Elect, Jair Bolsonaro, for his intention to move the Brazilian Embassy to Jerusalem, a historic, correct and exciting step!'

If Bolsonaro follows through on his pledge, Brazil would become the third country to have an embassy in Jerusalem, after the U.S. and Guatemala.

Trump broke with decades of precedent in December when he declared Jerusalem Israel's capital and announced the embassy would move there.

Palestinian leaders cut off contact with Trump's White House following the declaration.

Paraguay briefly moved its embassy to Jerusalem only to move it back to Tel Aviv after its new president, Mario Abdo Benitez, was elected.

Ivanka Trump unveils an inauguration plaque during the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, after the U.S. President broke with decades of precedent to move it there

The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, as the capital of a future state.

Israel claims all of the city, including the eastern sector, home to Jerusalem's most important religious sites, as its eternal capital.

Most countries maintain embassies in Tel Aviv, saying the final status of Jerusalem must be determined through negotiations.

Some Brazilians have raised concerns about the idea, saying it would hurt Brazil's relations with Muslim nations.

Former Brazilian Ambassador to the U.S. Rubens Barbosa has warned that such a move could hurt Brazil's poultry exports.

Brazil 'would be throwing away $6 billion per year in poultry sales to Arab countries' by making the move, he said.

Bolsonaro has outraged many with his derogatory comments against women, gay people and blacks, and his support for the torture used by Brazil's brutal military regime which ruled from 1964 to 1985.
A father who is accused of shaking his infant daughter so hard she was left with serious brain injuries has been charged.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his children, was arrested on Thursday morning following a four month investigation by Gold Coast detectives.

Further investigations also revealed the girl's twin brother had allegedly sustained injuries at the time of the assault, Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

At the time of the injuries, the father posted on Facebook: '(Name) worrying us all pretty much dying in my arms can say was the worst feeling I've ever experienced I love you my girl I will not leave your side'

Further investigations also revealed the girl's twin brother had allegedly sustained injuries at the time of the assault

The 29-year-old was charged with grievous bodily harm and was granted bail without facing court.

At the time of the injuries, the father posted on Facebook: '(Name) worrying us all pretty much dying in my arms can say was the worst feeling I've ever experienced I love you my girl I will not leave your side.'

The family was being investigated by Child Safety back in July, when the publication reported that the seven-month-old girl had sustained serious and unexplained head injuries.

The child was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital suffering from seizures and unexplained head injury where she was then placed in the hospital's intensive care unit.

This lead to the Department of Child Safety searching the family home and finding the girl's twin brother who also allegedly had a head injury.

The department had also previous removed another child from the family and all three children are no longer living with the family.

The man cannot be named to protect the identity of his children was arrested on Thursday morning following a four month investigation

The child was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital suffering from seizures and unexplained head injury where she was then placed in the hospital's intensive care unit

Police will allege in court that the baby's injuries are consistent with being shaken.

'Detectives from the Gold Coast Child Protection and Investigation Unit have charged a man over the alleged assault of a baby girl,' the statement reads

'The baby sustained serious head injuries and was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital. A police investigation was commenced.

'It is alleged the baby's injuries are consistent with being shaken.'

The man is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on November 13.
The family of a man who was shot dead by a Los Angeles police officer have released the shocking body camera footage of the killing.

The City of Los Angeles initially refused to release the video that shows officer Eden Medina shooting dead Omar Gonzalez, 36, and telling officers to 'choke him out' as he lay dying on the ground on July 28, 2016.

But the Gonzalez family released the footage to the public at a news conference Thursday after the family filed a civil lawsuit and the motion was granted by the court.

The family's lawyers pointed out at the news conference that after Gonzalez's killing, Officer Medina went on to shoot dead a 14-year-old boy less than two weeks later.

Body cam footage shows LAPD Officer Eden Medina shooting dead Omar Gonzalez, 36, on July 28, 2016

The Gonzalez family released body cam footage of the shooting Thursday

A group of officers were attempting to stop a suspected stolen vehicle in Boyle Heights when a pursuit ensued, ending in Gonzalez fleeing from the scene.

Police say Gonzalez was carrying a loaded .25 caliber handgun when he began struggling with officers.

Gonzalez's ex-wife said he was a 'great father' and 'a great person'

In the video, an officer is heard saying, 'Get the gun, It's right there,' after he had been shot.

The Gonzalez family's attorneys Luis Carrillo and Humberto Guizar say the evidence shows that the victim's gun was not present when he was killed.

'This evidence will show clearly that Omar Gonzalez did not have a gun when the officer shot him in the back,' Guizar said.

'I want to point out the importance of this, that whenever a gun is alleged to have been involved in a situation where someone is shot by a police officer, you want to, as a police investigation, find out exactly where it is, measure, and see if it is true that the person could have had the gun or been able to reach for a gun,' he added.

The lawyers said that officers appeared to be tampering with evidence when the cop said to 'get the gun.'

'By tampering with it in this way, without a gun, in violation of LAPD protocol, clearly shows that they didn't want anyone to see that,' Guizar said.

'Apparently, he had a gun, but not at the moment he was shot in the back,' Carrillo said.'

Medina was identified in the video saying, 'Choke him out, dude,' after Gonzalez had been shot and was laying on the ground.

'To tell someone to choke someone when they're dying is just horrific,' Guizar said.

Two weeks after Gonzalez's death, Medina also killed 14-year-old Jesse Romero

It also took two years for the family, who is suing the city over the shooting, to retrieve the footage of Romero's death, pictured is Medina

Less than two weeks later, Medina fatally shot 14-year-old Jesse Romero after the teen and his friends were approached by officers for doing graffiti behind and apartment building.

Prosecutors claimed Medina shot Romero after he allegedly fired at officers, but witnesses said that Romero had thrown his gun over a fence while fleeing.

Prosecutors declined to file charges against Medina and an LAPD investigation found that he had used 'reasonable force' to defend himself because Romero was armed.

It similarly took Romero's family two years to obtain the body camera footage that they say proves Medina shot Romero after the teen disposed of his gun. Following his death, many protested the killing and police brutality in the area.

'We also want to point out that this LAPD officer that killed our client, Omar Gonzalez, he was not given desk duty. He was not removed from patrol, and twelve days later he kills a 14-year-old teenager,' Carrillo said.

'We fault the LAPD for keeping him on patrol when clearly, he should have been fired, or he should've been retrained, or he should've been given a medical leave so that he can sort out the issues of killing a man who at the time was not posing a threat to him.'

Gonzalez's ex-wife said he was a 'great father' and 'a great person'.

'We want justice. We want answers,' Carrillo added. 'If the LAPD followed their training, instead of escalating this situation they de-escalated, we wouldn't have these tragedies.'
A Liberal MP may be ineligible to remain in federal Parliament after he bought shares in a small pharmaceutical company that receives Commonwealth taxpayer funds.

Chris Crewther could be forced to resign from his marginal seat, threatening the survival of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government, which no longer has a majority in the House of Representatives.

In September Mr Crewther, who holds the seat of Dunkley in Melbourne's south-east, disclosed that he and his wife Grace Do bought 50,000 shares in Gretals Australia for $25,000.

Labor is demanding he be referred to the High Court, which could spark a by-election in his marginal seat, which he holds by a slender 1.4 per cent margin.

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Liberal MP Chris Crewther (pictured) may be ineligible to remain in federal Parliament after he bought shares in a small pharmaceutical company that receives Commonwealth funds

The 35-year-old former lawyer could be in breach of Section 44 of the Constitution because the pharmaceutical company has just 19 shareholders, which is below the 25-shareholder threshold.

In October 2017, the first-term backbencher told Parliament Gretals was 'another fantastically innovative company' on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne.

He told the chamber how he had even met with Gretals chief executive Alistair Cumming to 'discuss how they will benefit' from a $50,000 grant from the federal government's Global Connections Fund.

'I congratulate Gretals Australia on their work and on the receipt of their grant,' he said a year ago.

Chris Crewther (centre), who holds the seat of Dunkley in Melbourne's south-east, disclosed that he and his wife Grace Do (right) bought 50,000 shares in Gretals Australia for $25,000

'I look forward to their continued success and advances.'

He told Daily Mail Australia on Friday he was confident he had not breached the Constitution.

'I have fully complied with my disclosure obligations and I am confident they do not raise any concerns,' he said in a statement.

After making a parliamentary speech praising Gretals's new 'soil analysis system', he tweeted that he was 'proud to tell my colleagues'.

Mr Crewther faces being referred to the High Court, with the Morrison Government no longer commanding a majority in the House of Representatives following the Wentworth by-election loss in October in Sydney's east.

Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus, who holds a neighbouring electorate to Mr Crewther, is demanding he be referrred to the High Court, along with Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton who has a stake in a taxpayer-subsided childcare centre.

'Any time a serious doubt arises about the eligibility of an MP, it should immediately be referred to the High Court,' he told reporters on Friday.

The 35-year-old former lawyer (pictured with Prime Minister Scott Morrison) could be in breach of Section 44 of the Constitution because the pharmaceutical company has just 19 shareholders, which is below the 25-shareholder threshold.

Professor George Williams, a constitutional law expert from the University of New South Wales, said the MP was potentially ineligible to remain in Parliament.

'What I can say is that if money has been paid to this company, in which he is one of a few shareholders, as part of an agreement with the Commonwealth, then that could give rise to disqualification under Section 44,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'I am yet though to see evidence of that.'

University of Sydney constitutional law expert Professor Anne Twomey said Gretals did not have a direct contract with the public service of the Commonwealth and pointed out the University of Melbourne received the grant and not the company.

After making a parliamentary speech praising Gretals's new 'soil analysis system', he tweeted that he was 'proud to tell my colleagues'

'So to trigger constitutional disqualification, you would have to argue that Mr Crewther, by holding shares in a company that may benefit in the future through intellectual property rights from a research project conducted by a university which is partly funded by the Commonwealth, holds an indirect pecuniary interest in the funding agreement between the university and the Commonwealth,' she said.

'This seems to me to be quite a remote connection, and it is therefore unlikely to result in disqualification, unless other relevant facts arise.'

While Mr Crewther's Dunkley electorate has been held by the Liberal Party since 1996, he won the seat for the first time in 2016 with a bare 1.4 per cent margin.

Since July 2016, 15 federal MPs have been forced out of Parliament for breaching section 44 of the Constitution.
No illusions. Photo: Justin Lane/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

The Bergen County Democratic Party headquarters are on the sixth floor of a squat 1970s-era office building across from a graveyard in Hackensack, New Jersey. Its elevators are rickety and slow, and Senator Bob Menendez, now running for his third term, starts singing to pass the time with a clutch of aides. Its a long, long road, he croons. The aides laugh. The elevator still hasnt come. Menendez starts to hum. Dooo-dooh-dooh-daah. Fewer aides laugh. The elevator still hasnt come.

When it finally does, it carries Menendez up to a press conference, where, surrounded by female supporters, the senator launches into a blistering counterattack on an ad his Republican opponent, Bob Hugin, released the day prior, in which Hugin accused Menendez of having sex with underage prostitutes in the Dominican Republic.

The ad centered around an anonymous tip to the F.B.I that made it into the bureaus affidavit for a search warrant  which was helpfully passed out by Hugin aides outside the Democratic Party headquarters. The warrant involved Menendez and Salomon Melgen, a wealthy Florida opthamologist and a longtime Menendez friend currently serving 17 years in prison for Medicare fraud.

Dressed in a pinstripe suit that made him look a bit like the protagonist of the childrens book Whos Got the Apple?, Menendez said at the outset of the news conference that he intended to keep his remarks short out of concern that he might say something he would later regret; he then proceeded to call Hugin, a wealthy pharmaceutical executive, a desperate man who was trying to distract voters from his [own] shameful record, which, Menendez says, includes killing off cancer patients in order to make a quick buck.

This deceitful, despicable attack ad tells you everything you need to know about Republican Bob Hugin, Menendez said. That hes a slimeball, hes a misogynist, and hes a liar.

In any other year, it is easy to imagine Bob Menendez facing a much steeper climb to reelection. In 2015, Menendez was indicted, along with Melgen  who, it should be noted, is not a resident of New Jersey  for acting as his friends personal senator, pushing relevant government agencies to expedite the visa application approval process for several of Melgens foreign girlfriends, reaching out to then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to help Melgen settle an $8.9 million Medicare dispute, and at a Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee hearing, pushing Obama administration officials to increase security at Dominican ports, which would have benefited a company Melgen owned to the tune of $500 million.

In exchange, the government alleged, Menendez received gifts of nearly $1 million in campaign contributions and gifts, including private plane trips around the world and a Paris hotel stay for the senator and his girlfriend which featured, according to an email from Menendez to Melgen that was revealed in the indictment, a king bed, work area with Internet, limestone bath with soaking tub and enclosed rain shower, [and] views of courtyard or streets. Menendez neglected to include these perks on Senate disclosure forms.

The Justice Departments opening statement was brutal. Prosecutors said that Menendez sold his soul for a lifestyle he couldnt afford.

He went to bat when Dr. Melgen asked, and Dr. Melgen asked frequently, said the Justice Departments attorney. Theres no friendship exception to bribery. Theres no friendship exception to breaking the law.

As soon as that opening statement ended, I thought he was done for, said one senior New Jersey Democrat. You have to go back to the Nixon era to find another sitting senator indicted by a Justice Department helmed by said senators own party. The DOJ doesnt lose. Just look at New Jerseys history with public corruption cases  when the government puts you on trial and says you are dirty, you get locked up. Everybody thought he was going to plead guilty and resign his seat. But he didnt. He took it to the max. The man has balls the size of boulders.

Some in New Jersey, a state whose political corruption scandals form a list as long as its coastline, shrugged.

He goes to the Dominican Republic with a friend. I go to the Dominican Republic with friends, and, yeah, sometimes they take me out to dinner. What is wrong with that? This country is getting too into scrutiny and forgetting the big picture, said West New York mayor Felix Roque, who himself faced legal issues when he was arrested in 2012 for hacking into the website of a political opponent. (He was later acquitted.)

The reality of being an elected official is that you help everybody. I have people who come into my fundraiser and they say, I am having an issue with my permits, and you help him because you help everybody else. You go to a hotel, you are the mayor, they know you. You go to the airport and they put you in first class. Its just one of the perks of being an elected official. Its like going into a shop and they give you a cup of coffee because you are a policeman. Is that a bribe? Give me a break.

Menendez was likewise and persistently defiant, and he caught a lucky break in 2016 when the Supreme Court drastically circumscribed the definition of official bribery. The trial ended with a hung jury.

Afterwards, one would expect Menendez to have emerged chastened; to say something to the effect of, This has been a humbling experience. I pledge to learn from it and earn back the trust of the citizens of New Jersey. The facts, after all, had not much been in dispute  it was only a question of whether or not they constituted quid pro quo, or if Menendez had lobbied on behalf of his buddy out of his own goodwill.

Instead, Menendez announced on the courthouse steps, For those who were digging my political grave so they could jump into my seat, I know who you are, and I wont forget it.

Thats just Bob Menendez being Bob Menendez, said Congressman Albio Sires, a longtime friend of Menendezs, who, like the senator himself, hails from Hudson County, a rough-and-tumble stretch of turf across the Hudson from New York which is known for its political brawls. There were a lot of people out there singing his demise, and ready to run for that Senate seat themselves, and Bob caught on to it. This is not an easy place to do politics.

Indeed, anytime you ask somebody in New Jersey about their senator, they always first mention his home county, an otherwise unremarkable jurisdiction that is home to scrappy cities like Jersey City, Bayonne, and Secaucus. Menendez climbed its political ranks one unforgiving rung at a time.

The son of Cuban immigrants  his father, a carpenter, committed suicide when Menendez was in 20s  he ran for the school board of Union City at 19, when his high school forced him to buy his own extra textbooks for an honors program. He won, and went on to serve as aide-de-camp to William V. Musto, Union Citys mayor. When Musto and other city leaders were eventually indicted on federal corruption charges, his one-time protege testified against him, and started wearing a bulletproof vest to protect himself.

Menendez then ran against Musto, lost, then won after Musto was sentenced to prison. He rose up the ranks of the state legislature. When a sitting member of Congress retired, the legislature redrew the district as majority Hispanic to elect Menendez. He quickly rose in the ranks in Washington, too, becoming the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and he let his intentions to run for the Senate be known for years.

Bigger names like Robert Torricelli and Jon Corzine pushed him out of the way until Corzine was elected governor and named Menendez his successor.

Before the trial got under way, Torricelli, who declined to run for reelection in 2002 after he was rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for doing favors on behalf of a millionaire campaign fundraiser of his, let it be known that he was interested in the seat. Backers of Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop pushed him to run, too.

But Menendez has developed a reputation in Jersey as the kind of politician other politicians dont want to cross. It was the fear factor, said Ray Lesniak, a former state senator. He is such a fearsome fighter, no one wants to take [him] on. Even if you lost to him, that would be sacrificing your entire political career. Bobs from Hudson County. This kind of politics just comes with the territory.

(Perhaps this is why Fulop  who has been eyeing higher office for years  when asked by The Jersey Journal if he had any interest in the seat, responded, Zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero.)

New Jersey is one of the few places in America where there remains a Democratic machine; where candidates run as a slate and county leaders control who gets on the ballot. No sooner had the jury reached its decision than top aides to Menendez were on the phones to Democratic leaders throughout the state. The big Democratic county chairs soon lined up behind him, making the path to the senatorship almost impossible for anyone else.

Still, it is hard not to wonder what might have happened if some young reformer had taken a flyer on the race. An unknown community newspaper publisher named Lisa McCormick scarcely campaigned, raised almost no money, and still got nearly 40 percent of the vote.

Hugin has already spent over $23 million in the race  nearly four times what Menendez has, battering him on TV, targeting lefty channels like MSNBC in particular, often splicing the anchors own words about Menendezs alleged misdeeds into his commercials. Menendez has maintained a lead in the mid-to-high single digits, while last week the Senate Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC, announced they were sending $3 million to New Jersey to help out Menendezs campaign  a move that enraged national Democrats, as valuable resources had been diverted to what would be an easy election with another candidate.

Menendez has been a reliable liberal vote over the years, championing immigration reform and stricter gun control laws  his record has given Democrats something to rally around. Still, there remains a distinct sense that many wish there were a better option out there. The point of this blue-hued resistance, after all, is not just  or not merely  Democratic gains, but rather forging a new kind of politics, one that gets away from political machines and lobbyist-financed vacations.

In her own speech in support of Menendez at the Bergen County headquarters, Elizabeth Meyer, the lead organizer of the Womens March of New Jersey, acknowledged some of those misgivings. She described conversations with friends in which they said they would cast a protest vote, or leave the Senate ballot blank. Considering the circumstances, its a reasonable point of view, she conceded. There are two candidates in this race that can win it: Senator Menendez and Bob Hugin. It may be a choice some disagree with it, but its the choice we have, she added.

We cannot cast aside what is good in pursuit of what is perfect.
A high school teacher recently arrested for sexual assault and his girlfriend were found shot dead inside their home in a suspected murder suicide.

Police say Dustin Altshuler, 37, shot his girlfriend Laura Cole, 35, before turning the gun on himself on Wednesday in Kennewick, Washington.

The victims - both teachers in the Pasco School District - were found by relatives at around 3pm.

According to police records Altshuler had been arrested over the weekend for allegedly groping a female taxi driver while drunk on Saturday.

Dustin Altshuler, 37, is believed to have shot his girlfriend, 35-year-old elementary school teacher Laura Cole, before turning the gun on himself in Kennewick, Washington, on Wednesday. Altshuler (pictured), a high school computer science teacher, was due to appear in court on Thursday after he allegedly drunkenly groped a female cab driver over the weekend

Altshuler was hit with felony charge of indecent liberties on Wednesday and was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Earlier on Wednesday a relative had requested that police check on the house because they were worried that they couldn't get in contact with one of the victims.

However, when officers passed by the home at around 1.30pm, nothing appeared suspicious so they had no reason to go inside.

Altshuler, a computer-assisted drafting and robotics teacher who'd worked at Pasco High School since 2016, was placed on administrative leave on Tuesday.

Cole was a teacher at Whittier Elementary School.

The school district issued a statement after the victims were identified by police on Thursday.

'We are deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of two Pasco School District staff members,' the statement said.

'We will have counselors available at both schools this week to support the students and staff members who knew and worked with these teachers. Counselors will also be available to support students and staff members at other schools who have worked with these teachers previously.'
The family of an Ohio woman who suffered a brain injury after being administered the opioid overdose drug for an asthma attack is demanding answers from police who are insisting they did nothing wrong.

Tammy Cione suffered a respiratory attack the morning of October 14 at her Cincinnati home.

Her husband, Louis Cione, frantically awoke after he heard his wife collapse. While Louis assisted Tammy, he ordered his son to call 911.

Louis told Cincinnati.com this week that a responding officer with the Pierce Township Police Department first arrived to the home and asked his son if his mother was taking any drugs.

His son informed the officer that she was not, adding that his mom suddenly collapsed and he didn't have an answer as to why.

Without asking further questions, the responding officer assumed Tammy had overdosed and administered her two rounds of Narcan.

Tammy Cione (pictured) is currently in the ICU with a brain injury after she was given Narcan when she collapsed October 14 in her Cincinnati home following an asthma attack

Her husband, Louis Cione, frantically awoke after he heard his wife collapse. While Louis assisted Tammy, he ordered his son to phone 911

Tammy's family is demanding answers from the Pierce Township Police Department. Tammy is pictured with her daughter, Heather Matson

'I just watched him and he was shaking her and shaking her and calling her name. I told Matt, my son, "hes not even doing CPR,"' Louis recalled, while speaking to the local outlet.

'Hes just calling her name and shaking her, so I stuck my head in and I said, "Excuse me do you know how to do CPR or do I need to help?" I said I dont know how, but Ill help if I need to. He said, "I know what Im doing, Im getting a response, step out of the room, sir.'"

Roughly ten minutes later, Louis said emergency officials arrived and his wife was transported to the hospital.

Doctors confirmed Tammy had an asthma attack which led to her cardiac arrest.

Tammy has been in the hospital ever since - after her loved ones learned she suffered a brain injury from lack of oxygen during the episode last month.

A responding officer with the Pierce Township Police Department assumed the woman had overdosed when he administered her two rounds of Narcan

Louis is pictured sitting next to Tammy in the ICU this week

Louis and the couple's daughter, Heather Matson, are now demanding answers from the Pierce Township Police Department.

Police Chief Jeff Bachman, however, said his officer did nothing wrong, and likely 'saved' the woman's life, according to Cincinnati.com.

'It has now been over two weeks since my mom has been in ICU with an anoxic brain injury from lack of oxygen... my dad does not leave her side. We will not know what the extent of the damage is for months,' Heather said in a Thursday Facebook post.

She posted a photo that shows her father sitting next to Tammy in the ICU.

Heather added in the post: 'This could have been avoided had it not been treated as an overdose.

'The Pierce Township Police Department needs to be held accountable. I am sad and I am angry. 2 weeks and it has already felt like months.

'My soul has been crushed and I am exhausted. I drive 3 hours everyday to see her and my dad. I want answers. I want the body cam footage.'
A press conference staged by pro-Trump activists that was meant to air allegations that Special Counsel Robert Mueller sexually assaulted a woman ended up being a flop when the alleged victim failed to show.

Jack Burkman, a conservative lobbyist, and Jacob Wohl, a right wing conspiracy theorist, spoke to reporters in a Washington D.C. Holiday Inn on Thursday.

They had previously promised that a California woman in her 30s would be speaking alongside them to reveal what they claimed were allegations of sexual assault by Mueller from 2010.

But at the last minute they backtracked and said the woman - who they named as Carolyne Cass - 'panicked' and feared for her life when she arrived in D.C. so took another flight to an undisclosed location.

Jack Burkman (left), a conservative lobbyist, and Jacob Wohl (right), a right wing conspiracy theorist, held a bizarre press conference in a Washington D.C. Holiday Inn on Thursday

As Burkman and Wohl's press conference started trending on Twitter, Hollywood's Chrissy Teigen asked for help understanding what was happening.

'Can someone break down with jacob wohl did in one tweet. like a cliffs note please - my timeline is a mess I don't have the energy,' she tweeted.

The 20-year-old social media personality responded by posting a graph of Google trends that showed how many people searched his name compared to Teigen.

'I became more famous than you. That's what happened,' he tweeted.

Teigen fired back: 'This is literally just a graph proving people had to google your dumbass to figure out who you are'.

During Burkman and Wohl's 45-minute press conference, the pair struggled to divulge basic details about the accuser and even spelled her name wrong repeatedly.

In the absence of the alleged victim, the pair said they had a signed affidavit from the woman alleging that Mueller raped her in a New York hotel room on August 2, 2010.

During Burkman and Wohl's 45-minute press conference, the pair struggled to divulge basic details about the accuser and even spelled her name wrong repeatedly

As Burkman and Wohl's press conference started trending on Twitter, Hollywood's Chrissy Teigen asked for help understanding what was happening

The 20-year-old social media personality responded by posting a graph of Google trends that showed how many people searched his name compared to Teigen, which prompted her to label his a 'dumbass'

The pair did not give any other proof of the alleged assault and said she had not reported her claims to New York police.

They also contradicted themselves and gave cryptic answers to questions as they bizarrely dished out compliments to each other.

At one point, Burkman called Wohl a 'child prodigy who has eclipsed Mozart'.

Earlier this week, Mueller's team has asked the FBI to look into claims that women were offered money to fabricate sexual assault allegations in a bid to discredit him.

The scheme was uncovered after a woman who said she worked for Mueller decades ago told several journalists she had been offered $20,000 to accuse him of sexual misconduct.

'When we learned last week of allegations that women were offered money to make false claims about the special counsel, we immediately referred the matter to the FBI for investigation,' Mueller's spokesman Peter Carr said.

Carr's statement came on the same day that Burkman announced plans to 'unveil the first of the sex assault victims of Robert Mueller' in D.C. on Thursday.

Burkman said he was speaking to five women who claimed they were assaulted by Mueller. He denied paying them for the information.
Patients were warned yesterday not to inundate GPs with requests for medicinal cannabis as rules on the drug were relaxed.

Doctors are now able to prescribe cannabis products  but GPs have been advised to refer patients to a specialist instead of handing out prescriptions.

The new rules follow several high-profile cases  including those of epilepsy sufferers Alfie Dingley, seven, and Billy Caldwell, 13  in which patients' conditions appeared to have been helped by cannabis oil.

Doctors in the UK are now able to prescribe cannabis products  but GPs have been advised to refer patients to a specialist instead of handing out prescriptions. File image used

NHS guidelines say prescriptions should only be made when other treatment options have been exhausted.

They are only likely to be granted for those with nausea from chemotherapy or muscle stiffness caused by multiple sclerosis, or rare and severe forms of epilepsy.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, head of the Royal College of GPs, said: 'The treatments that have become legal today will only be able to be prescribed by specialists, for example consultant neurologists or paediatricians, if they have a patient with an unmet clinical need.'

She said the changes 'will affect a relatively small number of patients, many of whom will likely already be known by their specialist doctor', adding: 'GPs will not be able to prescribe patients medicinal cannabis.'

The new rules follow several high-profile cases  including those of epilepsy sufferers Alfie Dingley, seven, and Billy Caldwell, 13 (pictured with his mother Charlotte)
Britain has the worst work-life balance in western Europe, research has revealed.

A study has found that the UK has the highest proportion of employees working more than 50 hours a week.

It means Britons spend 325 more hours at work than their German counterparts every year  giving them less time to relax and unwind.

Scandinavian countries top the list of the world's industrialised nations with the best work-life balance, while the United States, Japan and South Korea are languishing at the bottom.

Britain has the worst work-life balance in western Europe, research has revealed. File image used

The work-life index was compiled by online retailer Mahabis, whose founder Ankur Shah said: 'The stresses and strains of modern life has seen people's work-life balance suffer, and this is particularly true in the UK.

'A healthy, happy workforce can drive productivity and creativity, but these figures reveal that Brits are among the most guilty of committing more time to their jobs rather than finding time to switch off.

'We can all do more to recognise the importance of downtime, which can benefit individuals, businesses and society as a whole.'

Mahabis ranked 20 industrialised nations on seven individual measures, then combined them into an overall ranking.

Britain came 16th, beating only Greece, the US, Japan and South Korea. Denmark topped the list, followed by Norway and Sweden.

More than one in eight Britons (12.7 per cent) work more than 50 hours a week  a figure exceeded only by Japan and South Korea.

In France, the figure is just 7.76 per cent and in Germany 4.6 per cent. Only 0.45 per cent of workers in the Netherlands and 1.1 per cent of workers in Sweden work more than 50 hours.

The average UK employee worked 1,681 hours in 2017  far more than Germans (1,356) or Danes (1,408).

The work-life index takes into account a range of factors which contribute to a healthy balance, including the average number of hours worked each year, statutory leave available to employees, time dedicated to leisure and personal care, and overall happiness.

Scandinavian countries top the list of the world's industrialised nations with the best work-life balance. File image used

The only indicator where the UK performs highly is paid maternity weeks. The 39 weeks in Britain is fewer than in Norway, but well ahead of the 14 weeks in Germany and 16 in France.

There are only 20 paid statutory days off a year in the UK, compared to 25 in France and 30 in Spain.

And Britain has only eight days of public holidays. Only one country, Switzerland, has fewer, with seven. However, workers in the US do not have a single day of paid statutory leave.

Mahabis based its rankings on figures collated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Labour Organisation.

The issue of work-life balance came to the fore at the Trades Union Congress this year. Labour said it would look into introducing a statutory four-day week.
Electronic music fans were left devastated after the cancellation of the country's biggest rolling rave.

Wild half-naked dancing, screaming women being led away in handcuffs and the overwhelming smell of smoke - common traits of Australia's Stereosonic festival.

The cancellation of the popular music festival in 2016 left Stereo-heads having to make do with the range of dance-themed raves on offer.

But another music festival is coming to town in 2019, promising hard-style music fans something bigger and better than any other festival.

Scroll down for video

Dozens were arrested by police in a drugs blitz at Stereosonic in Brisbane, pictured is one young reveller being led away by police

A girl in a bikini was seen being wrestled to the floor by another reveller at Stereosonic in Brisbane

Two young women were seen lying up against a wall at the festival after taking a break from dancing

Worldwide music festival Ultra will debut the full-blown EDM multi-day production in February with 'Ultra: Australia'.

But with the implementation of the electronic music festival, experts are warning party goers to be safe when it comes to drugs.

President and Co-Founder of Harm Reduction Australia Gino Vumbaca said it's almost impossible to stop the use of drugs at festivals, so it's best to promote safety.

'Ideally people don't use drugs, but Harm Reduction Australia operates in what happens in the real world, not what people want to happen in the world,' Mr Vumbaca told Daily Mail Australia.

'The reality is that people attending music festivals, there'll be a proportion who will take drugs and consume drugs at that festival and there's an inherent risk in that because there's no quality control or information available on what they're going to ingest.'

Thousands gathered for the last Stereosonic event in Brisbane in December 2015, amid tight security and a warning from organisers who told festival-goers: 'Do not gamble with your life today'.

But these grave warnings did nothing to deter wild behaviour at the event as a spokesman for Queensland Police said there had been 14 people charged with drugs offences when stopped inside the festival.

In a statement released following the festival, Queensland Police said: Police operations for the event included patrols external to the venue by officers from local Criminal Investigation branches and Tactical Crime squads, with police arresting 116 people on 144 charges... Of these, 125 were drug related charges, with five offenders charged with the supply of dangerous drugs.'

The woman was seen being led away by police near the main stage at the Brisbane Showgrounds site at around 4pm

Two men were seen rolling around on the floor at the Brisbane Showgrounds site at the end of the festival

The organisers of the festival posted a stern warning on Facebook about the dangers of drug use

The statement also said officers found up to 100 MDMA pills.

Video footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia even captured a woman with purple hair yelling 'I don't have drugs' as she was carted away by police.

Paramedics from St Johns Ambulance Service were pictured helping crumpled and emotional young men and women who had either taken or drank too much.

And armed police wearing bullet proof vests were also seen patrolling the grounds, often in groups of two or three.

But despite the heavy police presence and security, a number of punters joked about how their substance of choice had been smuggled inside in bags, pockets and elsewhere.

Revellers were seen writhing around on the ground together in front of other festival-goers at the Brisbane Showgrounds site

A spokesman for Queensland Police said there had been 17 drugs arrests in the surrounding area

One woman was photographed by Daily Mail Australia fumbling with a small, plastic packet containing an unknown substance near the main stage.

It was the same year the festival was marred with tragedy, as the deaths of 19-year-old Stefan Woodward and 25-year-old Sylvia Choi sparked calls for safety improvements.

Mr Woodward died of a suspected drugs overdose at the Adelaide festival at Bonython Park on Saturday just one a week after Sylvia Choi from Sydney passed away after allegedly taking ecstasy.

The following year, the festival was 'put on hold' with the promise of returning a year later, but it never happened.

Now a new festival, Ultra Australia, run by different organisers are planning to set the bar high.

'Over the past few years, Ultra Worldwide has ventured to many locations across the globe,' organisers said online.

'We are thrilled to announce that Ultra Worldwide will now be expanding to Ibiza, China, India, and Australia!'

It came as the organisers of the dance festival posted a stern warning on Facebook about the dangers of drug use, saying: 'Do not gamble with your life today'

Pictured: a girl is carried out of the Melbourne Stereosonic festival by paramedics

SA police released this image of two pills, saying they may be related to the death of a man at the Adelaide Stereosonic music festival on Saturday afternoon

Following the deaths of two revellers at Sydney's Defqon. 1 festival earlier this year, the government is pushing for a stop for festivals altogether.

With festival season creeping up, Mr Vumbaca says there's definitely concern related to drug use.

'People who do consume drugs at festivals are unable to actually discover what it is they've purchased and what the ingredients are, the contents are of the substances they've purchased and what they're about to consume,' he said.

'So people need to be careful, some of the advice we give people is to try a bit first, make sure what you've got is what you think it is and it doesn't have contaminants in it that can cause problems or the potency can't cause problems.'

Mr Vumbaca says that if drug taking can't be stopped, they urge people to use them safely: try a bit first, don't use it alone, and seek help immediately if something goes wrong.

'There's no repercussions from people seeking help from paramedics at festivals. Every festival has paramedics or a first aid tent or medical staff available and not to delay if there's an adversary action,' he said.

'We deal with people that have managed to get drugs into the festival, what we say is pause, come see us and find out what it is you're about to take. Be careful about what you take and come and see us first.'

He said that Harm Reduction Australia does not condone the use of drugs, but he understands people go to festivals wanting to have a good time.

Partygoers are wanting to have a pleasurable experience, and Mr Vumbaca said they aren't there to have an adverse reaction to drugs.

After conducting the first ever pill testing service at Groovin the Moo in Canberra, he found hundreds of patrons were more than happy to come forward for advice.

'There were a few instances that there were toxic substances they were about to consume and our experience is that people disgard those drugs that aren't what they want,' Mr Vumbaca said.

'We're very careful about what information we give people and we don't want to see people get hurt. We don't cross boundaries and tell people it's okay to use drugs and it's safe to use drugs. We don't do that.'
Disgraced businessman Rodney Adler has been spotted kissing a younger woman after the pair enjoyed a mid-week lunch together.

Adler, who has four children with his long-term wife Lyndi, spent Thursday afternoon with the glamorous young brunette at Alfredo's underground bar in Sydney's CBD.

The 59-year-old was jailed for two-and-half-years in 2005 alongside fellow directors Ray Williams and Brad Cooper after the $5.3 billion collapse of HIH Insurance.

Adler, known within the business community by his nickname 'Rocket', spent several hours with his glamorous date drinking and canoodling, before the pair left hand-in-hand.

Disgraced businessman Rodney Adler (pictured) has been seen kissing a young and glamorous brunette during a boozy mid-week lunch

Adler, who has four children with his long-term wife Lyndi, spent Thursday afternoon with the woman at Alfredo's underground bar in Sydney's CBD

The former director of HIH Insurance spent several hours drinking with the woman before he walked her to a waiting taxi

The pair enjoyed several drinks together over a meal, before the restaurant closed at the end of lunch trade.

Adler returned to the bar alone shortly before 4.30pm. Within a few minutes his much younger friend returned to the bar and followed him in, and the pair resumed their intimate catch up.

Witnesses said the pair spent the next hour-and-a-half sitting side by side at a table in the bar - laughing, chatting and kissing in between drinks, until suddenly leaving together shortly after 5.30pm.

The pair left arm-in-arm and walked to a nearby taxi rank where Adler kissed and hugged his friend goodbye, before she hopped into a cab.

The once respected businessman then chased the taxi up Pitt Street until he caught it at a red light.

Waving her goodbye once more through the window, Adler then walked off among a crowd of business workers hurriedly heading home.

Daily Mail Australia has been told Adler is still in a relationship with his wife Lyndi.

The pair laughed, chatted and kissed away in between drinks until suddenly leaving the bar together shortly after 5.30pm

Both Adler and his date appeared to be in good spirits as they left the Italian restaurant and bar

The young woman hugged Adler tight as they left the bar, before moments later departing in a taxi

Walking arm-in-arm to a nearby taxi rank, Adler then farewelled his date with a kiss and a hug

Adler spent several moments standing at the door of the taxi, bidding the woman goodbye

The once respected businessman then chased the taxi up Pitt Street until he caught it at a red light, before waving goodbye through the window once more

Adler took over the role as CEO of FAI from his father Larry in 1988, at just 29.

The group was founded by his father, who went on to became one of the nation's top businessman despite arriving off a boat from Hungary in 1950 without a dollar to his name.

He was educated at Sydney's prestigious Cranbrook school where he counted James Packer and Jodee Rich among his classmates.

RODNEY ADLER AND THE HIH COLLAPSE: - Adler took over the role as CEO of FAI from his father Larry in 1988, at just 29 - In 1998, Insurance giant HIH made a takeover bid for FAI - Adler became director of HIH after the takeover officially went through - At its peak HIH had $8billion in assets, but when Adler took over the helm HIH was in a poor financial state - The company collapsed in 2001 and it was later revealed Adler had pocketed up to $2 million for himself - In 2005 he and other directors were jailed - The total collapse of HIH is estimated to have cost $5.3 billion Advertisement

Packer and Rich would go on to be involved in the creation of communications firm One.Tel, a company of which Adler later became a director.

In 2001 One.Tel was placed into administration.

Three years earlier in 1998 Adler oversaw the takeover of FAI by HIH, before going on to take up the role as director of HIH just months later.

But his world came tumbling down in the early 2000s when HIH collapsed, losing up to $5.3 billion for investors while pocketing $2 million for himself.

In 2005 Adler pleaded guilty to four charges relating to the company's collapse and despite facing up to 20 years in jail, spent the minimum two-and-a-half behind bars.

He also paid a total of $8.9 million in fines for himself and Ray Williams.

Up until this point Adler and wife Lyndi were regulars on Sydney's social scene, often making large philanthropic donations - particularly within the Jewish community.

Mrs Adler and the couples four children - Jason, Romi, Natlaie and Charlotte - stuck by the disgraced businessman throughout his time in prison.

Earlier this year it was revealed the couple was renovating their multi-million dollar mansion in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Vaucluse.

Mr and Mrs Adler walk out of the NSW Supreme Court during his sentencing hearing in 2005

Adler (pictured after being sent to jail in 2005) declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail Australia

In a rare interview in 2015, Adler spoke of his time behind bars and told how he felt he was continuing to pay for his crime.

'Punishment for white-collar crime is the punishment that keeps giving and giving... if I were a blue-collar criminal I'd go home and people would forget,' he told The Australian.

'No one remembers me for the good things I did and still do. Philanthropy is a big part of Lyndi's and my life.'

The businessman currently operates a money-lending business and works out of an office in Sydney's CBD.

He was banned from sitting on the board of any companies until 2021 as part of his 2005 punishment.

Mr Adler declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail Australia.
Edmund Zagorski, 63, was electrocuted in the chair at a maximum-security prison in Nashville on Thursday night after his last meal request of pickled pig knuckles and pig tails

A Tennessee man who was convicted of a 1980s double murder grimaced, waved goodbye and said 'let's rock' just moments before he was executed in an electric chair.

Edmund Zagorski, 63, was electrocuted at a maximum-security prison in Nashville on Thursday night after his last meal request of pickled pig knuckles and pig tails.

Zagorski's official time of death was 7.26pm.

Asked if he had any last words just moments before the execution, Zagorski said: 'Let's rock'.

Witnesses to his execution said Zagorski, who had insisted on the rarely used method rather than lethal injection, mostly looked ahead but did glance around the death chamber in the minutes before his death.

He smiled at witnesses, including members of his victims' families, as they stood behind a glass window in the chamber.

Zagorski was strapped in the electric chair with buckles and had electrodes fixed to his feet.

He alternated between grimacing and smiling as a large sea sponge soaked in saline was put on his shaved head. Guards wiped his face clear of water before his face was shrouded with a large black cloth and a metal helmet was placed on his head.

Witnesses noted that his fists clenched when the first 1,750 volts of electricity was applied for 20 seconds and he raised up in his chair when each jolt of electricity went through him.

Zagorski did not move once the electricity stopped flowing.

He is the first inmate in five years to be put to death by electrocution in the United States. Pictured above is the electric chair Zagorski was electrocuted in on Thursday

Zagorski had opted for the electric chair over a lethal injection after arguing it would be a quicker and less painful way to die

His attorney, Kelley Henry, told reporters it appeared he was still breathing before a second charge was applied for a further 15 seconds.

She said both of Zagorski's pinkies appeared to dislocate or break when the electricity surged through him because of how strongly he pulled down on the straps.

He had opted for the electric chair over a lethal injection after arguing it would be a quicker and less painful way to die.

His attorneys then launched a last minute appeal on Thursday to the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution, saying it was unconstitutional to force him to choose between the electric chair and lethal injection.

He is the first inmate in five years to be put to death by electrocution in the United States. He became only the second person to die in the electric chair in Tennessee since 1960.

Nationwide, only 14 other people have been put to death in the electric chair since 2000, including a Virginia inmate in 2013.

The state came close to administering a chemical injection to Zagorski three weeks ago, but the plan was halted by Tennessee's governor when the inmate exercised his right to request the electric chair.

In Tennessee, condemned inmates whose crimes occurred before 1999 can choose the electric chair. It is only one of six states that allow such a choice.

Witnesses, including family members of the victims, are pictured leaving the Zagorski's execution on Thursday night. They watched him die from behind a glass window in the death chamber

His attorney, Kelley Henry, told reporters after the execution that it appeared Zagorski was still breathing before a second charge was applied for a further 15 seconds

Vigils were organized outside the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Thursday night ahead of Zagorski's execution

People form a circle and pray against the death penalty just before the execution of Edmund Zagorski at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution

Zagorski was convicted of the April 1983 slayings of two men during a drug deal.

He shot victims John Dotson and Jimmy Porter and then slit their throats after robbing the two men after they came to him to buy marijuana.

Zagorski has been on death row for 34 years.

Tennessee's electric chair was inspected on October 10 and found to meet the criteria for an execution, according to state documents.

The device was originally rebuilt in the late 1980s by a self-taught execution expert, Fred Leuchter, who feared the device would malfunction on Thursday.

It's only been used to execute one person before: Daryl Holton, in 2007.

Leuchter had a successful career in the execution business before his reputation was tainted by his claim that there were no gas chambers at Auschwitz. He is no longer welcome in the prison system.
The policies championed by Margaret Thatcher have won a permanent place in the minds of the young, a Government-funded report says.

It found two in three voters in their twenties and thirties either support or accept the 1980s Thatcherite view on trade unions, selling council houses and economic reform.

But researchers found there are greater doubts among the young over whether Mrs Thatcher made Britain great again and over her perceived bias in favour of the rich.

Government funded report suggests young people agree with certain Margaret Thatcher policies (pictured)

The findings challenge the assumption that young people lean towards Labour and many are persuaded by the arguments of the Corbynite Left.

Professor Stephen Farrall, of Sheffield University, said: Changes in values that the Thatcher regime set in motion appear to have come to fruition  albeit a generation and a half later ... we are still living in her shadow.
United States Ambassador to Russia Jon Hunstman Jr. revealed he is battling stage 1 skin cancer.

The 58-year-old diplomat confirmed the melanoma diagnosis to Salt Lake City-based newspaper, The Deseret News.

Huntsman Jr. said in a September interview published Thursday: 'It's just stage 1... so we'll probably get it taken care of, and we'll be fine.'

His father, billionaire industrialist and philanthropist, Jon Huntsman Sr., passed away in February from the deadly disease.

United States Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. (pictured September 21 in Moscow, Russia) revealed he is battling stage 1 skin cancer

Jon Huntsman Jr., right, and his father, Jon Huntsman Sr., tour the State Capitol in Salt Lake City in January 2008. Huntsman Jr. lost his father to cancer in February

Huntsman Jr. said he initially noticed two small mole discolorations - one behind his ear and another, on his thigh.

He visited the Salt Lake City Huntsman Cancer Institute, founded in 1995 by his father, to get the spots checked out.

Huntsman Sr., who also lost both of his parents to the disease, has donated more than $400million to oncology research.

The family as a whole has given away more than $1.4billion for philanthropic purposes, including funding to the cancer institute.

The former Utah governor said in the interview he recently underwent a several-hour long surgery to treat the malignant moles.

He will be required to get regular check-ups over the course of the next several months.

'It kind of puts things in perspective,' Huntsman Jr. added.

Huntsman Jr. assumed his position as ambassador to Russia in October 2017. He served as the United States Ambassador to China during Obama's term.

Huntsman Jr. learned of the cancer diagnosis at the Salt Lake City Huntsman Cancer Institute, (pictured) founded in 1995 by his father
In Trumps preelection video, Democrats are deliberately destroying the country, utilizing criminal aliens. Photo: Screenshot via Twitter

The presidents steadily increasing campaign to make a caravan of Central American refugees slowly making their way through Mexico a big pre-midterm deal suddenly metastasized today, as Trump delivered a speech (if thats the right term for frequently incoherent remarks that were often just slogans strung loosely together) from the White House treating the development as a crisis deliberately generated by Democrats and requiring a military response. It was apparently part of a one-two punch launched earlier today when Trump issued a tweet accompanied by a new, scurrilous campaign video identifying asylum-seekers and Democrats with cop-killers. But it had its own startling moments, from the suggestion that the president had the power unilaterally to change the laws governing asylum procedures to the promise of violence:

President Donald Trump says he told the U.S. military mobilizing at the Southwest border that if migrants try to throw rocks at them, the troops should act as though the rocks are "rifles."  Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) November 1, 2018

The whole caravan meme has been embarrassingly obvious as part of Trumps transparent midterm strategy of getting his nativist base riled up into a hate-rage. But the lengths to which the president has gone in promoting this twisted fantasy are amazing. As Lucian Truscott IV pointed out, this is a fake invasion of a few thousand unarmed people  mostly women and children  who may never get to the U.S. border, and who have broken no laws, but will nonetheless be used to justify a larger troop deployment than the U.S. made in response to 9/11. All Trumps warlike rhetoric seems wildly off base:

When people speculated about October Surprise/Wag the Dog scenarios with Trump, I don't think the one that came to mind was going to war against families walking on a highway in southern Mexico.  Monika Bauerlein (@MonikaBauerlein) November 1, 2018

In fact, this is no surprise at all. Its simply an intensification of the rhetoric of alien invasion that Trump has been using since he first decided to run for president, and another example of the flirting-with-authoritarianism remedies he reaches for whenever he chooses to make a gesture against racial and cultural threats to Fortress America. Once again, hes the no-nonsense Faithful Patriot (the official monniker for his troop deployment) who wont let constitutional or legal or moral niceties stand in the way of whats necessary to protect Americans from the swarthy murderers and rapists and terrorists pouring over our borders, as deliberately planned by Democrats who want to give them free health care, free welfare, free education, and the right to vote.

If Trumps regular nativist thematics are like the low rumbling of an engine that endlessly idles, this latest nativist explosion is like that engine being revved up into a high-pitched chattering whine, encouraging near panic as a stimulant to participation in the midterms. Had the caravan not existed, or had it been too small to blow up into a old white mans nightmare, one suspects some other symbol of impending national disaster (one not attributable, of course, to current management) would have been contrived. And perhaps the most cynical part of the whole exercise was Trumps accurate expectation that the mainstream news media, his favorite punching bag, would faithfully carry and cover his pithy remarks on the immigration crisis, even though it was clearly a preelection shuck loaded with disinformation. He may have even pushed them too far for his own good:

It has become irresponsible for news organizations to broadcast any live event during which President Trump speaks. The lies flow so steadily that they cant do their jobs in real time. They are news channels and radio stations, ostensibly, not propaganda spigots.  Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) November 1, 2018

If it works and Republicans do better than expected on November 6, you know Trump will take credit and the cycle of cynical demagoguery about The Border will get even worse. As Paul Waldman has pointed out, theres no telling what the president would be willing to do in the pursuit of his own reelection, with the full resources of the federal government at his disposal:

What will he do? Its hard to tell this far in advance, but weve seen over and over again that Trump believes playing to his base  and making it as angry and fearful as possible  is the only way for him to win. That means heightening divisions, playing up xenophobia and appealing to white racial resentments.

It will have to be big and dramatic, in a way thats impossible for voters to ignore. It will probably be profoundly anti-democratic, in a way guaranteed to generate outrage not just from Democrats but also from the news media and anyone else Trump can characterize as the elite. That way Trump will be able to pose as the rebel taking on powerful forces in the service of his regular-guy supporters.

If the latest travesty is, in fact, just a dress rehearsal for what Trump and his party might do when their entire grip on power is at stake, Lord help us all.
Gerard Manley Hopkins's (pictured) work had an influence on poets such as T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas and W.H. Auden

Regarded as one of the greatest and most innovative poets in the English language, Gerard Manley Hopkins's revolutionary work had an influence on T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas and W.H. Auden  despite being completely unknown to the wider public in his lifetime.

Now a priceless archive of his work and hand-written notes and letters has been saved for the nation.

Kept by his friend, the then much more celebrated poet Robert Bridges, one document in the trove suggests he did not rate Hopkins's work as first class at the time.

The collection also includes Hopkins's so-called 'A' manuscript of 74 of his poems, many of them written in Hopkins's own hand.

Tragically, he died young  of typhoid, in Dublin, aged just 44 in 1889  whereas his friend Bridges lived on well into the 20th century, becoming Poet Laureate.

The literary gold mine has been acquired by the nation through the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme (AIL), which allows people to hand over artworks to cover inheritance tax.

This also frequently prevents such items from being sold and ending up abroad or in private hands.

Michael Ellis, a minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism said: 'As one of a distinguished group of British poets, we are fortunate to acquire this rich archive of Robert Bridges for the benefit of the nation.

Poet Robert Bridges (left) kept a treasure trove of letters, notes and poems written by his friend Gerard Manley Hopkins (right) who died at the age of 44 in 1889

'We can now share and learn from these documents for the benefit of people today and future generations.'

The Bridges archive has been allocated to one of the world's greatest libraries  the Bodleian at the University of Oxford.

So revered is Hopkins's 'A' manuscript that one librarian there said just to open it made her 'go weak at the knees'. The archive was previously well catalogued by Bridges's son, Edward, and the Bodleian Library, where some of the collection has been cared for since 1969.

Richard Ovenden, on behalf of the Bodleian, said: 'We are hugely grateful to the Bridges family and to the AIL scheme for entrusting this outstanding material to the Bodleian.'

Hopkins's most famous poems, such as The Windhover, demonstrate what he called 'inscape', which is the uniqueness of every physical thing.

The archive also contains all Bridges's major manuscripts. It was acquired from the executors of Bridges's grandson, Thomas Edward Bridges, 2nd Baron Bridges. A retired diplomat, from Shaftesbury, Dorset, he died aged 89 in May 2017.

By A.N Wilson

The collection includes Hopkins's so-called 'A' manuscript of 74 of his poems, many of them written in Hopkins's own hand

Has any poet in the English language ever so exuberantly celebrated the beauty of Nature in all its variety as Gerard Manley Hopkins?

'Glory be to God for dappled things,' he cries in one poem, marvelling at the multi-coloured palette of the natural world. 'Look at the stars! Look, look up at the skies!' he instructs us in another, echoing an impulse none of us can resist when out on a clear night.

Hopkins was always looking, always observant. No one who has read his poem The Windhover will ever forget its evocation of a bird of prey in flight, hovering over the landscape just as all of us have seen. It is one of the most amazing word pictures in any language.

Hopkins was, moreover, perhaps the most English of our poets. He wrote in one of his letters: 'If the English race had done nothing else, yet if they left the world the notion of a gentleman, they would have done a great service to mankind.'

He is one of the finest writers this country has ever produced, a creative force who ranks alongside his predecessors in the 19th century, Wordsworth, Shelley and Keats.

Yet the paradox is he was completely unknown in his lifetime. Indeed, he would never have been known at all, had not one of his friends  a figure totally forgotten to us now, though famous in his own lifetime  chosen to publish these wonderful poems after Hopkins's tragically early death.

And this friend, Robert Bridges, did not even value Hopkins's poetry very highly himself!

It is Hopkins's brilliance  along with his intense relationship with Bridges  that makes today's announcement about the archive of Bridges' letters and papers being left to the country so exciting.

He is one of the finest writers this country has ever produced, a creative force

Hopkins today is so important that his poems are taught to every student of English literature and find their way into all the anthologies.

Yet in his lifetime he was simply a priest whose poetry had never been printed or published.

In contrast, Bridges was one of the few poets to be made a peer. He was awarded the Order of Merit. His collected poems sold in their tens of thousands and when Bridges died, in 1930, he was the Poet Laureate.

Today he is out of print and more or less unheard-of. Has the history of literature ever known such a reversal in fortunes as the story of these two friends?

The Bridges archive has been left in the care of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, and is full of documents that give us an unvarnished insight into Hopkins's life. Amid the dozens of boxes containing letters from the great and famous literary figures of the day  letters from the Irish poet W.B.Yeats, or from the Prime Minister Herbert Asquith  there is one treasure beyond price: it is known as Manuscript A.

It is an almost complete collection of the poetry of Hopkins, written in the poet's own hand, and corrected in red ink by his friend ... Bridges. Bridges had these poems, which were sent to him over the years through the post, bound into a handsome volume  Manuscript A.

Hopkins (right) today is so important that his poems are taught to every student of English literature and find their way into all the anthologies yet he wasn't known widely in his lifetime. Bridges (left) kept the collection of work after his friend's death

The librarian who showed me the treasure said that merely to open it made her go weak at the knees. It had the same effect on me. Indeed, when I opened it and turned its pages, I found tears coursing down my cheeks. All these poems were written in obscurity, and without any hope of being published. Yet they are among the most magnificent things written in English.

Why did the tears run? I think, three reasons. First, Hopkins was one of the most innovative and original poets in our language, and here were his poems, written by his own hand, and now held in mine. It was as if I were touching him personally.

Second, the poems were remarkably quirky and modern for their day. Not for the sake of impressing anyone, though  no one except Bridges and two or three others ever read them during the poet's lifetime.

But it is not for their style alone that we value them, it is also for their passionate intensity.

Whether he was mourning the loss of 'Binsey Poplars' near Oxford, vandalistically hacked down in 1879: 'My aspens dear, whose airy cages quelled,/ Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun,/ All felled, felled, are all felled.'

Whether he was contemplating the life of his working-class parishioners and penitents  Felix Randal the farrier, or the bugler boy to him he gave First Communion  Hopkins felt things, and conveyed experiences with an intensity rarely expressed.

And third, I think, the tears came because one is immediately conscious, when reading Hopkins, either his poetry or his journals, of the tragedy of his life.

The price he paid for being able to convey, so freshly, the reality of things, was having a vulnerable, ultra-sensitive temperament.

Despair came often, especially near the end of his life when he wrestled with mind-torturing depressions, as in such sonnets as 'I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day/What hours, O what black hours we have spent/This night' or, 'We hear our hearts grate on themselves'.

The little volume of calligraphed leaves in Hopkins's handwriting is a witness to miraculous creativity, and also an intensity of inner suffering rarely so well articulated.

Yet were it not for Bridges, none of us would have known any of this.

Their friendship began at Oxford University, where they made an odd couple: Manley slight and little over 5ft; Bridges big, muscular, handsome, sporty and good at rowing.

After Oxford their paths diverged. Bridges, a natural conservative in politics, married and qualified as a doctor.

To Bridges's horror, Hopkins become not only a Roman Catholic, but a Jesuit priest. Worse, Hopkins, who had worked in some of the poorest areas of Liverpool and Birmingham, became a Lefty.

Hopkins was innocent enough to hope that he might one day convert Bridges to his own opinions.

He wrote something he later nicknamed his 'red letter' to Bridges on August 2, 1871. 'I am afraid some great revolution is not far off. Horrible to say, in a manner I am a Communist.'

Bridges was appalled, and did not correspond with Hopkins for months, but somehow their friendship survived.

Most of the letters Hopkins wrote, now in the archive, were about poetry. Presumably the same was true of the letters Bridges wrote back, though only one letter of his survives. The others he destroyed.

This one Bridges letter concerned Hopkins's health. Father Hopkins was ill in Dublin, aged 45  an English priest who had been sent to teach at the new Catholic University there.

He was desperately homesick, and suffered from crippling inner sorrows: 'To seem the stranger lies my lot  I am in Ireland now'.

Never a strong man, he had developed typhoid fever. Bridges wrote to him. 'Dearest Gerard, What is this fever?...' he asked. 'I wish I could look in on you and see you for myself.'

Alas, Hopkins died before Bridges could, killed by the typhoid. Bridges was a good doctor. Perhaps he would have been able to save his friend. In the event all he was left with were his letters  and poems.

These Hopkins poems are of course the prize of the collection. But almost the most remarkable document I read on my visit to the Bodleian was a note from Bridges himself about those poems.

It was to a minor poet, a clergyman called Canon Dixon, who was another of Hopkins's friends. Bridges wrote, after Hopkins died 'dear Gerard was overworked and unhappy.

But how much worse [his death] would have been had his promise or performance been more splendid'.

In other words, Bridges thought his friend's poetry odd, and interesting, but certainly not in the first rank.

In some ways it makes his patient labour of editing Hopkins and persuading the Oxford University Press to print the poems, all the more generous.

The Bridges papers have come to the Bodleian Library through a scheme known as Acceptance in Lieu, in which the Arts Council and HM Revenue, Customs and Excise accept some literary or artistic treasure from a family in lieu of paying death duties.

Recent acquisitions in the Bodleian include the papers of the late Denis Healey, an invaluable treasure-trove of letters, speeches and diaries revealing the life of a man who was at the heart of politics in this country for 50 years.

They have also got the papers of the poets Stephen Spender and Philip Larkin, and the novelist and travel-writer Bruce Chatwin. Some writers have been generous enough to donate their archives  Alan Bennett's is perhaps the most famous.

I believe it is absolutely vital to our national life that we preserve and expand our archives.

All of the ones in the Bodleian and other great national libraries, such as the British Library in London or the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh, are very far from being just dead piles of paper.

The Bodleian is at the forefront of training graduates in the archival skills needed to put manuscript material online.

One of the most exciting developments of recent years was the Royal Archives' decision to put all Queen Victoria's Journals on line.

The sour-faced old lady you see in statues of Queen Victoria erected after her death is instantaneously transformed, when you read her journals, into a fascinating human being, full of passion and intelligence.

Thanks to the archivists' diligent work, history is fizzing to life on our computer screens. There has never been a time in history when history itself was so available.

The Bridges donation to the Bodleian is therefore not just an act of depositing a set of manuscripts, however precious, in some air-conditioned storage where it will scarcely be seen or used.

They are unedited, unvarnished records of history  and in the case of Gerard Manley Hopkins, an extraordinary insight into a tortured but effervescent mind who brought Nature to life on the page as never before.
Underworld figure Mick Gatto has penned a heartfelt tribute to his 'kind, gentle and beautiful' son who was was found dead next to an apartment complex this week.

Justin Gatto, 34, died near a Spencer Street apartment building in Melbourne's CBD just after midnight on Tuesday. Police said his death was not being treated as suspicious.

A page-long letter, headlined Gatto, Justin Christopher: Our Beautiful Boy, featured messages from his mother Cheryle, brother Damien, sister Sarah and other family members, Herald Sun reported.

Underworld figure Mick Gatto (pictured) has penned a heartfelt tribute to his 'kind, gentle and beautiful' son who was was found dead next to an apartment complex this week

Mr Gatto's son, Justin Gatto (pictured), has been found dead next to an apartment building in Melbourne's CBD

'Justin we still cannot believe you have gone. We remember the amazing strength you exhibited in the first days of your fragile life having been born eight weeks early,' Mr Gatto wrote.

'Your kindness and generosity of spirit touched all who met you and for this you were so loved. As your father I am so grateful for all the times we spent together.

'Inseparable at times and this gives me so much comfort and is something I will never forget.'

'We know the personal challenges you faced daily were insurmountable at times and you tried your hardest to deal with them but eventually they just overwhelmed you.'

The apartment block near where Justin Gatto was believed to have died

This is the last photo Justin Gatto (left) posted on Facebook on October 22

Justin had reportedly been suffering from personal problems and had recently come home to Melbourne after holidaying in Bali.

It's unclear what he was doing near the building, but his brother owns a construction company nearby.

Investigators are preparing a report for the coroner.

Friends took to social media on Tuesday afternoon to express their condolences.

'R.I.P brother so sad. You will be missed my friend,' one wrote.

Justin worked at his father's crane company as a rigger.

Justin's father, Mick Gatto (pictured) was the leader of the infamous 'Carlton Crew'

In 2008, he narrowly escaped death in a horror car crash which saw him end up intensive care.

A court heard he lost control of his BMW and crashed head-on into an oncoming four-wheel-drive following a long day at work. His licence was suspended for a month.

Justin was the youngest of Mick and wife Cheryle's four children.

His father had written an autobiography I, Mick Gatto, where he wrote that he would always be grateful for the work of the Royal Children's Hospital, where Justin was born two months premature.
President Donald Trump continued his barrage on illegal immigration at a campaign appearance Thursday night, arguing his party will stop the masses at border while Democrats 'want to invite caravan after caravan into our country.'

'Republicans want strong borders, no crime, no chaos and no caravans,' Trump told the cheering crowd, who responded with chats of 'build the wall, build the wall.'

He added of Democrats: 'They want to invite caravan after caravan into our country.'

Trump addressed the crowd in an airline hanger draped with American flags and Air Force One sitting behind him in the background. Supporters waved campaign signs: 'Make America Great Again,' 'Build The Wall,' 'Women for Trump,' 'Tigers for Trump,' among them.

His speech in Columbia, Missouri, which came on day 2 of a six-day, 11 rally campaign swing ahead of Tuesday's midterm election, focused heavily on the state's competitive Senate race - a seat Republicans want to flip to the red.

US President Donald Trump addresses the crowd during a campaign rally in Columbia, Missouri on Thursday night

'I see these signs all over the place Tigers from Trump. I love it,' Trump said. 'I love Missouri and it's good to back'

President Trump is on day 2 of a six-day, 11 rally campaign swing

But his remarks also had the kind of red meat his supporters love to eat up and focused heavily on the caravan of migrants from Central American headed for the U.S. border.

Trump has sought to make illegal immigration a major issue in the midterms and has repeatedly hammered away at it.

His has brought a new charge into the arena - asserting the caravan is mostly young men and hinting they would cause problems in the United States.

'Did you see how tough these young men, mostly young men, strong tough and what they did to the Mexican police in breaking through the boarder?' he said.

'These are not angels. These are not little angels. And we're not letting them in our country,' he said.

He also made the surprising and unverified claim that dictators want to come to America to take advantage of birthright citizenship for their children.

President Trump arrived at his rally in Hollywood style with Air Force One rolling up to the cheering crowd

Supporters waved signs for the president. 'Make America Great Again,' 'Build The Wall,' 'Women for Trump,' 'Tigers for Trump,' were among them

Trump will be back in Missouri for another rally on Monday

Trump said that 'crazy' and 'lunatic policy' was the result of Democrats that has created a 'birth tourism' industry.

'The Democrats want to continue giving automatic birthright citizenship to every child born to an illegal immigrant, even if they've been on our soil for a mere matter of seconds,' he said. 'Hundreds of thousands of children born to illegal immigrants are made automatic citizens of the United States every year because of this crazy, lunatic policy that we can end.'

He said that America's enemies could take advantage of it.

'You're an enemy of our country, you're a general with war on your mind, you're a dictator who we hate and who's against us, and that dictator has his wife have a baby on American soil. Congratulations, your son or daughter is now an American citizen. Does anybody think this makes sense?' he asked the crowd.

'This policy has even created an entire industry, it's called 'birth tourism,' where pregnant mothers travel from all over the world to America to make their children instant lifelong citizens with guaranteed everything, everything, everything that you have is guaranteed: welfare, public benefits, right? Birthright citizens in turn can then bring their entire extended family into the country through chain migration,' he said.

And he warned the crowd: 'If you don't want America to be overrun by masses of illegal aliens and giant caravans, you better vote Republican.'

President Trump arrived at his rally in Hollywood style with Air Force One rolling up to the cheering crowd and jumped right into his script, coming out swinging at Democrats.

The president arrived in Columbia to shouts of 'Trump, Trump, Trump'

His speech focused heavily on the state's competitive Senate race

He attacked Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill straight off the bat.

'She'll say nice things about me but she won't vote with me,' he said.

He touted the candidacy of Republican candidate Josh Hawley, who's running neck-and-neck with McCaskill in his bid to unseat her.

'I need everyone to show up and vote. You gotta vote for Josh,' he said.

He handed over the stage to Hawley, who sought to link McCaskill to Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who lost the state in 2016 by nearly 19 points.

'When I look at Sen. McCaskill's record, I have to say it reminds me of another career politician that you recently defeated,' Hawley said. 'It reminds me of the person Claire thinks should be president  Hillary Clinton.'

'Claire McCaskill has spent her lifetime in politics just like Hillary,' Hawley said. 'Claire McCaskill wanted us to call Hillary Clinton 'Madam President.' On Nov. 6, we're going to call Claire McCaskill 'fired.''

Trump won Missouri in the 2016 election and has made multiple visits to the state. He's scheduled to hold another rally in Missouri on Monday in Cape Girardeau.

'I see these signs all over the place Tigers from Trump. I love it,' he said. 'I love Missouri and it's good to back.'

The mascot of the University of Missouri at Columbia is the tiger.

He kept his focus of his remarks on the midterm election, which is five days away.

'The choice in this election could not be more clear. The Republican agenda is now the agenda for the American people,' he said. 'The Democratic agenda is the agenda of the extreme far left.'

He kept up the attacks, repeating his attack line that Democrats are 'crazy' and 'loco': 'They've gone crazy. They're gone loco.'

But after his tough talk he pledged to remain nice.

'We're being so nice. We'll stay being nice,' he said. 'We're as tough as hell but we're going to stay nice.'

He added: 'We want to be nice. We're much tougher. We're much smarter. We're much more sane.'

Trump expressed optimism for the midterm elections, even though he noted Republican momentum had been blunted in recent days by 'two maniacs' - a reference to a mail bomb scare to his political rivals and a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

'We don't care about momentum when it comes to a disgrace like just happened to our country,' he said.

But, he added: 'It did nevertheless stop a certain momentum. And now the momentum is picking up.'

Trump arrived at his rally in Hollywood style with Air Force One rolling up to the cheering crowd

Trump is helping Senate candidates like Josh Hawley (left) who is trying to defeat Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill (right)

Trump's rally got off to a rainy start but the rain stopped shortly before Air Force One touched down

Trump's rally got off to a rainy, slow start.

Limited parking at the Columbia Regional Airport left attendees walking up to two miles in the rain to reach the rally site in one of the airport hangers.

Shuttle buses were provided but several chose to make the haul on foot, leaving their umbrellas outside at the security gate as they were not allowed inside.

People packed in to stay under the hanger's roof instead of sitting on the bleachers outside the sheltered area.

A campaign staffer came to the stage to urge the crowd to spread out or he warned the fire marshal would shut down the entrances.

'Ladies and gentlemen I need you to shift over so we can pack the house for the president,' he said.

'Do it for the president,' he implored the crowd, encouraging cheers for the few who shifted.

The rain started to let up - trickling to a drizzle - about 90 minutes before the president was scheduled to touch down and had finished by the time he arrived.

And the hanger - and the bleachers outside - slowly filled so a packed room could welcome the president.

The early speakers worked to warm up the shivering crowd before the president arrived.

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft - who was also a governor of the state and a former senator from Missouri - led the crowd in singing the National Anthem.

The president's arrival was a crowd pleaser.

'Columbia Tower, Air Force One on final approach,' came over the loud speakers as the crowd roared. Followed by: 'Columbia Tower, Air Force One is wheels down.'

The crowd cheered as Air Force One with its distinct blue and white coloring rolled by, as the theme music from the film 'Air Force One' played.

'Trump, Trump, Trump,' the crowd called out while waiting for him to deplane.

Trump touted the candidacy of Republican candidate Josh Hawley, who's running neck-and-neck with McCaskill in his bid to unseat her

President Donald Trump listens as Republican Senate candidate Josh Hawley speaks during the campaign rally

Trump is on Day Two of six day campaign swing that features 11 different stops as he rallies Republicans ahead of the midterms.

The president is working to keep his party in power on Capitol Hill amid declining hopes the Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report on Wednesday predicted that Democrats gain 30-40 seats on Election Day, up from 25-35 seats previously forecast.

Democrats need to net 23 seats to win control of the House and indications are a 'blue wave' is heading across the country.

And the president is focusing his time on the Senate.

The president will campaign the red states he won in 2016 that feature hard-fought Senate races as Republicans shift their hopes to the upper chamber and hope it can act as a counter-balance to a Democratically-controlled House.

Trump's first rally of his final push took place in Florida Wednesday night, where he touted Republican Senate candidate Rick Scott.
The convicted Mexican cop killer featured in a Trump campaign attack ad that sparked outrage this week was actually let back into the country under President George W Bush's administration, it has been revealed.

Trump made his most audacious attempt yet to turn a sea of approaching Central American migrants into a midterm voting issue by tweeting a video linking them to a death row inmate Luis Bracamontes on Wednesday night.

Bracamontes, who killed two Sacramento police officers after being deported from the US twice and returning both times, famously grinned and swore his way through his trial and sentencing this year, vowing to escape and kill more police officers.

Trump's new ad features video of Bracamontes in the courtroom, overlayed with the declaration: 'Democrats let him stay!'

It ends with the message: 'It is outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country. Vote Republican now!'

However, the ad neglects to mention that the second time Bracamontes came back into the country after being deported was in 2002, under the Republican Bush administration.

Luis Bracamontes, the convicted Mexican cop killer featured in a Trump campaign attack ad that sparked outrage this week, was let back into the country under President George W Bush's administration after he'd already been deported twice, according to US Immigration records

The video ad tweeted by Trump on Wednesday night accused Democrats of allowing Bracamontes to stay in the country, despite the fact that he came back to the US under the administration of fellow Republican President Bush

Trump's message has been met with widespread backlash as critics slam it as racist

Bracamontes was first deported to his native Mexico after being busted for drug dealing in 1997, during Bill Clinton's presidency.

He then managed to return to the US before being deported for a second time in 2001 when it was discovered he was in the country illegally, according to US Immigration officials.

By 2002 Bracamontes was back in the US once again having married a US citizen.

When Bracamontes shot and killed the two deputies more than a decade later in 2014, he had been deported once under a Democratic president and once under a Republican.

He had been back in America for at least six years during the Bush administration and five years under the Obama administration. Meanwhile, both administrations had been deporting undocumented people at record rates.

Bracamontes stunned the jury in his case by admitting his guilt, declaring: 'Only thing I f***ing regret is that I f***ing just killed two. I wish I f***ing killed more of those motherf***ers'

Bracamontes was convicted in February 2018 of killing Placer Sheriffs Deputy Michael Davis Jr. (left) and Sacramento Sheriffs Deputy Danny Oliver (right)

Trump's 55.5 million Twitter followers saw his own take on the case, a recap of the Bracamontes trial's most shocking moments titled: 'Illegal immigrant Luis Bracamontes killed our people!'

CNN editorialized through its website: 'Trump campaign releases racist ad.'

Network host Don Lemon, under fire for declaring that 'white men' are the greatest threat to the United States, complained Wednesday night during his show about 'how the ad depicts Latinos and immigrants generally. Why is this blatantly racist ad his closing argument before the midterms?'

April Ryan, a CNN contributor who doubles as a White House correspondent for a network of black radio stations, claimed Trump was playing to a 'base that he understands has a certain kind of feeling or misconception or perception, whatever, about minorities  particularly right now Mexicans or those who are coming from the southern border.'

CNN host Chris Cuomo described the ad as 'Willie Horton redux,' a reference to the famous 1988 presidential campaign ad that helped sink Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis.

Dukakis had supported a prison weekend furlough program that allowed Horton, a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, to participate. Instead of returning to prison, Horton escaped and raped a woman the next year, stabbing her fiance in the process.

'This may be the most desperate and vile ad since Willie Horton,' Clinton administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted Wednesday.

The video's footage includes the killer Bracamontes telling Judge Steve White: 'They're f***ing dead. I don't f***ing regret that s**t. ... I will break out soon and I will kill more.

Bracamontes stunned the jury in his case by admitting his guilt as a prosecutor described the crime scene, declaring: 'Only thing I f***ing regret is that I f***ing just killed two. I wish I f***ing killed more of those motherf***ers.'

That moment, too, is in the video on Trump's Twitter feed.

The convict was ultimately banned from attending the rest of his trial and watched the remaining days on video after he screamed 'F*** you, judge!' during a late January hearing.

CNN, two of its hosts and many of its guests complained Wednesday night that the ad Trump promoted is flatly 'racist'

CNN host Don Lemon (left) and commentator April Ryan (2nd right) agreed Wednesday that the ad on Trump's twitter feed was about race, not crime

Former Clinton administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich vented that the Bracamontes ad is 'desperate and vile,' and compared it with the infamous 1988 'Willie Horton' ad

Jamie Weinstein, a former journalist known for a National Review podcast, declared the video 'without question, a racist ad'

Trump featured Bracamontes in an ad nine months ago, timed to coincide with the first anniversary of his inauguration.

'Democrats who stand in our way will be complicit in every murder committed by illegal immigrants,' said the ad, which argued for his long-promised border wall.

The new effort, though, connects the condemned man to the thousands of people streaming slowly on foot toward Texas and California

Scenes from the northward-advancing caravans show hundreds of Hondurans and Guatemalans streaming past video cameras and breaking down border-fences on their way into Mexico.

One migrant, interviewed late last week by a Fox News Channel reporter, is seen admitting that he was deported fom the U.S. after a conviction for 'Intento de matar'  attempted murder.

'WHO ELSE WOULD DEMOCRATS LET IN?' reads the video's final caption, before claiming that Trump and the GOP are 'Making America Safe Again.'

Trump has made political hay over what he considers a crime spree attached to illegal immigration, and already used the Bracamontes case nine months ago in a separate ad

The digital ad includes no information identifying who created or paid for it, meaning it's not officially a Trump campaign ad or a Republican Party product.

But the ease with which video can be attached to tweets means the President of the United States can circulate practically anything without acknowledging its source.

Bracamontes killed Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Danny Oliver and Placer County sheriff's Detective Michael Davis Jr. in 2014 while he was high on meth.

A third victim, Anthony Holmes, was shot five times but survived.

When Judge White read his guilty verdict, Bracamontes smirked and softly said, 'Yay,' before warning that he would 'kill more cops soon.'

'It is outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country,' Trump tweeted Wednesday along with the video. 'Vote Republican now!'
A trainer who allowed a teenage aspiring jockey to ride a horse with limited experience has pleaded guilty to negligence, and faces a $300,000 fine.

Trainer Stephen McKee pleaded guilty to letting Sophia Malthus, now 21, ride a horse in Auckland, New Zealand in July 2016 despite her lack of experience.

He claimed Ms Malthus' hours of private lessons would have sufficed as enough training, Newsroom reported.

The incident left Ms Malthus paralysed from the neck down.

She has undergone multiple surgeries, and requires 24-hour care.

Sophia Malthus was an aspiring jockey and had several lessons with placid, slow moving horses before the incident

An aspiring jockey was left a tetraplegic after she came off the back of a galloping horse

Her previous training sessions had only dealt with old and subdued horses, and she had never experienced a horse galloping before.

Ms Malthus lost control of the horse, who was reaching high speeds, and only galloped faster when she began to scream.

She fell and hit a fence, which broke her spine in multiple places.

Despite the setbacks, Ms Malthus has remained in high spirits and is constantly in rehabilitation with the hopes of one day regaining more of her autonomy.

'I am currently going through rehab at the Auckland Spinal Unit which is teaching me how to live with being in an electric wheelchair and some very basic self-help skills but on the whole, I require full time round the clock care.'

Despite the setbacks, Ms Malthus has remained in high spirits and is constantly in rehabilitation with the hopes of one day regaining more of her autonomy

'I have high hopes of gaining enough recovery to lead a full life again and to achieve this I will need to pursue many alternative treatments which are not currently funded by the health system here,' she wrote on her GiveALittle fundraising page.

'These include but are not limited to Peptide/Hyperbaric Oxygen and Stem Cell therapy and even virtual reality running/walking therapy.'

Her hope is to one day educate others who are also in her position, concluding the message by saying she 'would love to share the knowledge she gains with others in the same position.'

She sustained a C4-5 level spinal cord injury in the fall - causing quadriplegia, leaving her with almost no sensation or motor skills from the collarbone down.

Ms Malthus lost control of the horse, who was reaching high speeds, and only galloped faster when she began to scream

'Something I definitely struggle with on Instagram is how honestly I should be portraying a spinal cord injury,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I know that my Instagram account gets shown to other young girls who have just had a spinal cord injury and I want them to know that you can still have a happy and fulfilling life.

'But people should also realise that I didn't just break my neck and go back to life  I haven't been to school or work in two years.'
A 'sweet and caring' teenager was stabbed to death with a machete following a row outside a chicken shop, witnesses have claimed.

The 15-year-old, named locally as Jai Sewell, stumbled into the takeaway and collapsed after he was knifed shortly after 5pm in Bellingham, south London.

Paramedics fought to save him but he died in hospital about three hours later, police have confirmed.

Friends and family said today that Jai - who lived with his grandmother 100 yards away - had gone out to buy dinner when he was attacked.

He is believed to be the 20th teenager murdered in the capital this year, and the 119th person killed.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said today that forces must prioritise violent crimes, following a debate about the best use of resources in recent days.

Friends and family have paid tribute to 15-year-old Jai Sewell after he was stabbed to death in south London yesterday afternoon

Friends and family members brought floral tributes to the scene of the attack this morning

Describing what happened, witness Thomas Coffie, 23, said: 'I was just on my way home from work and I stopped to get something to eat from the chicken shop.

'I heard a bang behind me and turned around and saw him run into the shop. I knew he had been stabbed because of all the blood on his jacket. The boy said to me; 'man is going to die'.

'He fell on the floor, I couldn't stop him falling - I tried to put some pressure on the wounds just to keep him alive until the ambulance arrived.

'I was just holding him, I couldn't see because of all the blood.

'Staff grabbed paper tissues and tried to mop up the blood from his body, but there was just too much.

'He had been cut in his stomach and his chest. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't stay there - I do not feel safe here anymore.'

Jai's aunt Rochelle said that the youngster - who wanted to become a cartoonist - lived with his grandmother and was not involved with gangs.

She told the Evening Standard: 'He said he was going out to get some food and he never came back.'

The floor of the takeaway was littered with paramedics equipment after they tried to save him

Police at the scene where a 15-year-old schoolboy was stabbed to death yesterday afternoo

Tayla Ann Warwick said she grew up with Jai, who lived on the same road as her grandmother, and said he used to 'love roller skating' and regularly rode his bike around the area.

The 19-year-old said: 'It's so shocking, I spoke to him the other day.

'He was the kindest person, he was so loving and thoughtful, he was well known with everyone.'

A woman who lives in the same area as Jai, but asked not to be named, said: 'I don't know if he was involved in a gang but I live here and I never thought Bellingham was coming to this.

'It's getting rougher around here.

'I'm just upset because the first thing I thought was that it was my son, I was on my way to the Morley's to get food for my kids, I thought it was my son but it wasn't.'

Police forensics experts were scouring the scene this morning after yesterday's stabbing

Deanne Wright, 36, lives in the area and often saw Jai with his grandmother.

She said: 'He was very close with his nan - she raised him. I often saw him out and about or on the bus, he was a sweet and caring boy.'

His next-of-kin have been made aware of his death as the Met Police's murder detectives begin investigating.

This morning, police forensics experts were working at the scene .

Medical equipment used by the paramedics as they battled to save the boy's life could be seen scattered across the floor of Morely's chicken shop.

Locals expressed their shock and anger online.

The boy was rushed to hospital at around 5.30pm but was later declared dead at 8.15pm

Footage shows police cars rushing to the scene of a stabbing in southeast London that saw a 15-year-old boy killed

One resident tweeted: 'It's getting ridiculous! The world we live in now is a joke! I'm a father of 2 boys and their teenage years are gonna be effected by events like these cuz I'm gonna be on them 24/7! RIP young lad'

Another added: 'Another family planning a funeral instead of the future of their son! This year really has become murder London! Knives cont to destroy lives!'

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'At this early stage officers are working to establish the circumstances. No arrests have yet been made and a crime scene remains in place.'

The killing came amid a debate over the best use of police resources.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said today 'stretched' forces must prioritise violent crimes, including drug gangs fighting turf wars on the streets of towns and cities across the country.

London police commissioner Cressida Dick said police should focus on violent crime today

She indicated that other offences, including online fraud, were lower priorities for her officers.

Ms Dick backed National Police Chiefs' Council chairwoman Sara Thornton, who warned that forces could not take on all 'desirable and deserving' issues, such as logging misogyny reports even when no offence has been committed.

There have been calls for misogyny to be treated as a hate crime and the Government has commissioned a review to examine whether laws should be extended to cover offences motivated by hostility towards a victim's sex or age.

Ms Dick said: 'My officers are very busy, they are very stretched. We have young people in London subject to stabbings and other serious violence, getting involved in drug gangs and things, lots of priorities.

'We can't go on increasing the scale of the mission through enforcing new laws unless we are given more resources or the public are prepared for us to just do some things not as well.'
An angry woman terrified a group of kids with an anti-gay rant during a Drag Queen Story Time event at a California bookstore.

Genevieve Peters went to the Cellar Door bookstore in Riverside on Wednesday to protest the Halloween event where three drag queens were reading books to children.

When bookstore owner Linda Sherman-Nurick noticed Peters recording in the audience, she asked her to stop seeing as the children's parents had not given permission.

Peters refused to put down her camera as she launched into a searing anti-gay rant to the horror of the young audience.

'She has invited the public to watch this perversion with these homosexuals,' Peters says in a video recorded by a bystander. 'This is our nations children, you have no right to tell us about our children.'

Genevieve Peters, left and right in sunglasses, went on an anti-gay rant during a 'Drag Queen Story Time' Halloween event for children at a bookstore in Riverside, California, on Wednesday

Peters is seen above wearing pro-Trump garb in a photo posted on Facebook. In a video of the rant, she can be heard decrying the 'homosexual agenda'

She continued: 'For the last 30 years, the homosexual agenda has been first and foremost wanting to desensitize our communities, our children, our families.'

Peters refused to leave the store at the request of a security guard so Riverside police eventually arrived to escort her out.

Before she left Peters vowed that she would be back every time drag queens were featured at a bookstore event, according to NBC4.

One of the event's readers, drag performer Jovani Morales, said: 'Im used to this negativity and hate.

'Theyre screaming hateful things and negative comments that kids shouldnt be hearing to begin with.'

Despite Peters' disturbing outburst, Sherman-Nurick said the store will continue to hold similar events in hopes that 'the generation that comes up will not have these kinds of fears, hatred and ugliness'.

Peters refused to leave the story at the request of a security guard and was ultimately escorted out by Riverside police. She vowed to return the next time a drag queen event is held
An Italian vegan has to pay her mother 500 (440) after threatening to kill her for making Bolognese.

The newly unemployed daughter, 48, had recently moved back in with her mother - who was cooking a traditional ragu for dinner, complete with meat sauce.

By March 2016 the conflicts between the two - which always centred around food - had been escalating, a court in Modena heard.

The Telegraph reported that after smelling the meat sauce simmering for hours in their small apartment, the daughter grabbed a knife and said: 'If you won't stop on your own then I'll make you stop.'

An Italian vegan has to compensate her mother 400 after threatening to kill her for making Bolognese

She then said: 'Quit making ragu, or I'll stab you in the stomach,' according to the mother's civil complaint.

Justice of Peace Nadia Trifilo fined the vegan 400 and ordered her to pay her 69-year-old mother 500.

The two-year-long dispute could not be solved through peaceful mediation; the judge close the case by ruling in favour of the mother.

The mother, who asked not to be named, cooked in the tradition of rezdore - a term for housewives in the Emilia Romagna dialect.

The vegan told the 69-year-old 'quit making ragu or I'll stab you in the stomach,' according to the mother's civil complaint (file photo)

Irreconcilable conflicts between her and her daughter had arisen due to the stark differences in the pair's food cultures, the court was told.

The daughter said that she had 'no sensory nor olfactory contact' with animal products before she moved back in with her mother.

In northern Italy ragu typically features minced meat- typically beef - cooked with sauteed vegetables in a liquid.

In southern Italy ragu is usually made from large cuts of beef and pork, and occasionally sausages, cooked together with vegetables and tomatoes.
Amber Rudd (pictured) took full responsibility for the mistake made in front of MPs when she resigned but a new report says her civil servants repeatedly gave her the wrong information

Amber Rudd today accused Home Office officials of 'deliberately' leaking embarrassing material about her at the height of the Windrush scandal that forced her resignation.

The former home secretary said a report into what happened had been 'sat on' by officials for nearly six months.

And she claimed there had been a 'series of leaks' against her by officials.

Senior figures at the Home Office have been condemned in an official Whitehall probe into Windrush that has exonerated Ms Rudd.

While the inquiry clears the way for the Hastings MP to return to Government, it raises huge questions about the role and responsibility of senior civil servants.

The most senior mandarin at the Home Office, Sir Philip Rutnam, sent an email to staff today praising their handling of Windrush and 'regretting' the publication of the report.

The former home secretary resigned after giving false information to MPs about targets for the removal of illegal immigrants.

Though in her resignation letter she took full responsibility for the mistake, reports last night suggested that officials repeatedly gave her the wrong information.

They then failed to clear up the problem in time for her to correct the record, according to an internal report seen by the Times.

Despite the failings, the paper reported that the two leading officials who came under criticism have been moved to senior positions elsewhere in Whitehall.

Downing Street said the Home Office would 'learn from this' but that while the recommendations would be accepted, there was no claim of 'misconduct' or demand for further inquiry into the behaviour of senior civil servants.

Ms Rudd said today: 'There are elements of this report which just show that, unfortunately, that area of the department did not have a grip on what was going on.

'I hope that there will be changes made as a result of this report so that people get a better service from Immigration Enforcement.'

On BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she questioned why the report had been 'sat on for nearly six months' and claimed she had been targeted by a series of leaks while she was home secretary.

'There were a series of leaks during the past year at quite a high level that were definitely intended to embarrass me,' she said.

The former home secretary resigned after giving false information to MPs about targets for the removal of illegal immigrants during the Windrush scandal

The report examining the reasons for Ms Rudd's resignation will reportedly be published today, and was published by Sir Alex Allan, the Prime Minister's independent advisor on ministerial standards.

It is said to conclude that Ms Rudd 'was not supported as she should have been' by her officials.

It follows a series of errors made before, during and after her appearance at the Home Affairs select committee on April 25.

'In preparations immediately before the hearing, the home secretary asked: 'Are there removals targets?' and was told 'no'. This led to her denial in the hearing,' he writes in an executive summary.

He adds: 'I cannot establish why she was given this reply: the most likely explanation is crossed wires between her special advisor and her private office.'

What is the Windrush scandal and how did the fiasco develop? June 22, 1948 - The Empire Windrush passenger ship docked at Tilbury from Jamaica. The 492 passengers were temporarily housed near Brixton in London. Over the following decades some 500,000 came to the UK. Many arrived on their parents' passports and were not formally naturalised as British citizens. 1973 - A new immigration Act comes into force putting the onus on individuals to prove they have previously been resident in the UK. 2010 - The Home Office destroyed thousands of landing card slips recording Windrush immigrants arrival dates in the UK. The move came despite staff warnings that the move would make it harder to check the records of older Caribbean-born residents experiencing residency difficulties, it was claimed 2014 - A protection that exempted Commonwealth residents from enforced removal was removed under a new law. Theresa May was Home Secretary at the time. Under a crackdown on illegals, Windrush immigrants are obliged to provide proof they were resident in the UK before 1973. July 2016 - Mrs May becomes Prime Minister. April 2018 - Allegations that Windrush immigrants are being threatened with deportation break. Theresa May issued a grovelling apology to Caribbean leaders after major backlash April 29 - Amber Rudd resigns after inadvertently misleading Parliament by wrongly claiming there were no deportation targets Advertisement

Although an official reportedly tried to alert civil servants with Ms Rudd that MPs had been told about the targets during an earlier session of the hearing, they did not tell her 'due to misunderstandings amid the pressures of dealing with other urgent issues'.

'After the Home Secretary had given her answer in the hearing there were confused email exchanges trying to establish the position on targets,' Sir Alex writes.

'The initial line that there were no targets was undermined when it emerged there had been a target until a few weeks earlier.

'The home secretary [was] never provided with a briefing that might have allowed [her] to put the correct position on the record.

'The Home Secretary returned to her room in the House of Commons after the hearing. Hugh Ind [director general of immigration enforcement] repeated the line that there were no targets but when pressed was not able to bring clarity to the issues being raised.'

Though Sir Alex concluded that no official should be investigated for professional misconduct he criticises Mr Ind for a 'less than satisfactory' performance.

Immediately after the report was submitted to Sir Philip Rutnam, the Home Office permanent secretary, Mr Ind was moved to the Cabinet Office to 'take forward public sector apprenticeships strategy', according to the paper.

The report adds that Patsy Wilkinson, permanent secretary, should have played a 'more proactive role'.

Her records note she has left the Home Office, but do not include her current role.

Ms Rudd and the Home Office declined to comment.

But in his letter to staff today, Sir Philip wrote: 'There are lessons to be learnt following these events but I remain very proud of the way the department responded to Windrush and served the public in working to put this right.'

The reports release was delayed for months and Sir Philip told staff that many would be disappointed by the decision to publish at all.

He added: There are lessons to be learnt following these events but I remain very proud of the way the department responded to Windrush and served the public in working to put this right.

But Miss Rudd questioned the tone of Sir Philips email, telling the Daily Mail: I dont understand why anyone would be disappointed by the decision to release this report.

It should have been published months ago. We need more transparency, not less.

Miss Rudd accepted she had made mistakes and said she was right to resign over the scandal which saw many people who had lived in Britain for decades  and had every right to do so  labelled as illegal immigrants.

But the findings will heighten speculation of a return to government. And last night she told The Daily Telegraph: If the opportunity comes up, I would like to serve in office again.

Stephen Doughty, a Labour member of the home affairs committee, described Sir Philips email as utterly extraordinary. Mr Doughty said the committee would be very interested in seeing a full version of it and examining why it was sent.
A fake Tahitian prince who stole $16million dollars from the state government continues to cost taxpayers thousands of dollars as he remains in jail two years after his parole eligibility date.

Kiwi-born Joel Morehu-Barlow defrauded his employer Queensland Health in a four year span where he roped in almost $17million.

Before his arrest in December 2011, Morehu-Barlow would tell friends and colleagues he was a Polynesian prince.

Kiwi-born Joel Morehu-Barlow (pictured) defrauded his employer Queensland Health in a four year span where he roped in almost $17million

Before his arrest in December 2011, Morehu-Barlow would tell friends and colleagues he was a Polynesian prince

This allowed him to life an extravagant life where he would splash on exorbitant branded goods, gifts for friends and a multimillion-dollar luxury New Farm unit, the Courier Mail reported.

Morehu-Barlow was handed a 14-year jail sentence in 2013, with parole eligible in December 2016.

Since eligible for parole, he has cost taxpayers almost $130,000 while remaining locked away in Wolston Jail, near Brisbane.

According to official Queensland Corrective Services prisoner prices, it would cost a minimum of $65,000 to house and feed him for a year.

The first request for parole in February 2017 was denied by the parole board while a second request in November 2017 was deferred.

The outcome of the request was unclear but it is understood the board previously decided he would be an 'unacceptable risk to the New Zealand community'.

In 2013 luxurious items seized from Morehu-Barlow's were auctioned in Brisbane, raising money for Queensland Health (pictured)

Morehu-Barlow was handed a 14-year jail sentence in 2013, with parole eligible in December 2016

Despite authorities claiming they have recovered about $11.88 million, Morehu-Barlow owes the state an increased amount of $11.6 million - due to more than $50,000 of interest accumulating each month.

Morehu-Barlow's visa was automatically cancelled under the Migration Act and if released he will be deported to New Zealand.

The act, which was updated in 2014, aims to target foreign nationals convicted of crimes with a minimum one-year jail sentence.

When eventually released in New Zealand, Morehu-Barlow will face 'parole-like' conditions.

The State Government can continue to pursue him for the money by applying to register his debt.

In 2013 luxurious items seized from Morehu-Barlow's were auctioned in Brisbane, raising money for Queensland Health.

The auction included dozens of items from his one of his favourite designers, Louis Vuitton, as well as art, designer alcohol and appliances.
A Yemeni man carries his child, who is suffering from malnutrition, into a treatment center at a hospital in Sanaa on October 6, 2018. Photo: MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images

The remarks by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday calling for a speedy ceasefire in Yemen appeared to mark a turning point in the Trump administrations approach to the three-year-old war, in which thousands have died and millions have been harmed. It remains to be seen, however, how much force the administration will put behind these officials words; with past as prologue, there is little reason for optimism.

For one thing, the timing of these statements is transparently self-serving. Its not as though the State Department and the Pentagon just discovered that this was a problem in urgent need of solving, or that we have the ability to help solve it. Since 2015, both the Trump administration and the Obama administration before it looked the other way as the conflict wore on, making, at most, perfunctory attempts to stop it. The administration is only paying attention to Yemen now because Congress and the American public are.

The killing of Saudi Arabian dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month has invited long-overdue public scrutiny of our problematic relationship with Saudi Arabia, including our support for its war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Last week, the New York Times published a heartbreaking series of photos showing some of the Yemeni children who are starving to death in the famine caused by the ongoing blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition. The enormity of this disaster and our complicity in it have become impossible to ignore.

Goodness knows, the Trump administration has tried its best to have us look the other way. In this years defense spending bill, Congress demanded that Pompeo certify that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were taking meaningful steps to reduce civilian casualties, facilitate the influx of humanitarian aid, and work toward a diplomatic resolution to the conflict  otherwise, Congress would require the administration to cut off support to the Saudi campaign.

At the time, Trump indicated that he intended to ignore that demand if and when it came. Nonetheless, Pompeo and Mattis assured Congress in September that the Saudis were doing everything they could not to bomb any more school buses. On Wednesday, Mattis stressed that the U.S. was currently providing training to coalition forces to achieve a level of capability  that they are not killing innocent people.

These assurances are preposterous even if they are accurate. When all is said and done, the vast majority of the deaths attributable to this war will have been from starvation and disease, not bombs. The Saudi coalition has blockaded Yemen for more than three years, creating shortages of food, fuel, and potable water. Predictably, thats left half of Yemens population  14 million people  in what the U.N. calls pre-famine conditions, and 1.1 million people affected by a massive cholera epidemic. Birth defects and child cancers are also on the rise, the Times reported this week  as is child marriage.

Just as the millions of Iraqis who died nonviolent deaths as a result of the Iraq War are not included in its body count, the millions of Yemenis who die quietly or live stunted lives because of this blockade will not be counted in the death toll from this war. Thus Mattis and Pompeo can say with straight faces that the Saudis are no longer killing innocent people, while innocent people suffer and die by the thousands as a direct consequence of Saudi Arabias ongoing military actions.

When Pompeo issued that certification in September, he did so for the sake of preserving arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which President Donald Trump sees as a pillar of the U.S. economy that he can take credit for expanding. Likewise, Tuesdays calls for peace were at least as much about protecting Saudi Arabia and these arms deals as they were about protecting Yemenis.

Thats because Congress is beginning to take a closer look at U.S. support for the Saudi intervention in Yemen, which Vermont senator Bernie Sanders (among others) wants to end. Sanders and California representative Ro Khanna are preparing to submit resolutions to that effect in both chambers of Congress this month. Sanderss resolution is certainly something thats weighed on the administration, a senior congressional aide told CNN. In other words, Tuesdays statements were likely intended to help convince other senators to vote it down.

Mattis says he wants to see a cease-fire within the next 30 days, but its not clear whether the administration will actually put tangible pressure on the Saudis to achieve that goal. Trump is clearly dead-set against any course of action involving the cancellation of arms sales, taking a major source of leverage off the table. Any leverage we might have had over Iran and its proxies went out the window when he unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in May. If the administration plans to enforce this call for peace, it hasnt left itself many options for doing so.

Also, Mattiss description of his vision for a cessation of hostilities (a cease-fire, based on a pullback from the border and then based on ceasing dropping of bombs) suggests that the U.S. may demand that Houthi ground forces abandon their frontline positions before the Saudis halt their bombing campaign. Absent some intensive confidence-building measures, its hard to envision such a chain of events. It will not be surprising if, in a few weeks, the administration claims that the Saudis are really trying to make peace, but the Houthis and their financiers in Tehran are proving intransigent.

But lets imagine for a moment that all parties are acting in good faith here, that the U.S. is taking this seriously, that the Khashoggi scandal has got the Saudis scared enough to do what we tell them, that a cease-fire is in effect by December, the blockade lifted immediately, and a peace deal signed by next summer. What then? Yemen is in ruins, millions are already starving, and cease-fires dont cure cholera. Alleviating this humanitarian catastrophe and rebuilding Yemens infrastructure while maintaining peace would require a massive international effort under the auspices of the U.N.

Will the Trump administration participate in this effort? Trump and his National Security Adviser John Bolton openly despise the U.N., while Trump has committed himself to the argument that the U.S. cant afford to keep giving aid to foreign countries. Rehabilitating Yemen will cost many billions of dollars; if the U.S. declines to contribute, others will be reluctant to fill the gap. Without American dollars and diplomacy supporting an extensive reconstruction campaign, a U.N.-brokered cease-fire will inevitably fall apart eventually.

In fact, the situation is even scarier, because it is entirely possible that Yemen cant be put back together again at all  both in the sense of being hopelessly fractured politically, and in the sense that it is fast becoming uninhabitable. Yemen is literally running out of water, due to a combination of rapid population growth, overuse, mismanagement, and climate change. Repairing the damage done to Yemens infrastructure over three-and-a-half years of bombardment wont be enough to address the mounting water crisis, which threatens in turn to motivate future conflicts and amplify their human costs.

Yemen may not yet be too far gone to escape this vicious cycle, but it does not have much time left before it becomes an irreparably failed state. The water supply in its capital, Sanaa, is projected to dry up as early as 2025, creating over 4 million climate refugees from that city alone. That projection was from 2013, by the way, before the ravages of the current war took their toll. Unfortunately, the looming disaster in Yemen requires the kind of concerted international response that Trump and other world leaders today are disinclined to pursue.
The Labor Party has plans to completely axe the Work-for-the-Dole program if they win the next election.

One of former prime minister Tony Abbott's key policies, the compulsory program requires long-term unemployed people to do 25 hours of unpaid work each week.

But now Bill Shorten's party is arguing that the hours of work prevents unemployed people from applying for jobs.

Labor's employment services spokeswoman Terri Butler (pictured with opposition leader Bill Shorten) said the party is questioning whether it's worth spending $65 million each year

The opposition is arguing that if they're forced to do 25 hours of community based work per week it's preventing them from looking for a job

Many have also argued the controversial program fails to represent value for money.

Labor's employment services spokeswoman Terri Butler said the party is questioning whether it's worth spending $65 million each year, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Ms Butler said seeing these people work is a complete waste of time.

'Every hour someone spends doing Work-for-the-Dole is an hour not spent looking for work,' she said.

Labor leader Bill Shorten agreed, saying the party's primary concern would be to make sure not only do people find a job, but also that they encourage them to work.

There are also allegations some involved in the program have been placed in unsafe workplaces.

Chris Smith from Radio 2GB and 4GB opposes these views, saying it's rewarding for people involved in the program to prove their work ethic.

One of former Primer Minister Tony Abbott's key policies, the compulsory program requires long-term unemployed people to do 25 hours of unpaid work each week

'You're putting people in a situation where they've got to prove their work ethic, they've got to prove they're reliable,' he told Sunrise on Friday morning.

Mr Smith believes by having people work for 25 hours, they will then be able to 'get themselves work ready'.

'This business about not having time to look for another job, what does the rest of the workforce do when they move on to another job from a previous job. There's always time to look for a job.'
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The first 100 troops have arrived at the US-Mexico border to await the arrival of the migrant caravan slowly making its way north from Central America.

On Thursday, 109 troops from the 591st Military Police Company were taken from Fort Hood, Texas, to to Lackland Air Force Base to help with operations there.

Separately, troops stationed at the Fort Huachuca base in Sierra Vista in Arizona were seen setting up tents for comrades who are due to arrive over the weekend and in the coming weeks.

President Trump has vowed to send as many as 15,000 troops to tackle the three migrant caravans which are snaking their way through Mexico towards the U.S.

He said he will make 'tent cities' to keep migrants once they are detained but it is not yet clear where those will be.

The plan, he said, is to 'end catch and release' by keeping the migrants there to face trial once they are caught.

'Were going to catch, were not going to release,' he said on Wednesday in a lengthy speech where he also threatened that any migrants who throw stones at soldiers will be shot.

They are still 900 miles away and weeks from getting close but the president has bolstered his promise to stop them.

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Troops unravel barbed wire at the border in Hidalgo, Texas, as Trump ramps up his rhetoric on stopping migrants from entering the US

US troops prepare to install barbed wire on the border in Hidalgo, Texas, on Friday

US Army soldiers from the 309th Military Intelligence Battalion and the 305th Military Intelligence Batallion positions their tents at Fort Huachuca in Arizona on November 1

Soldiers erect tents at Fort Huachuca in Arizona during Operation Faithful Patriot. They will sleep there during the operation. These tents are separate to the 'tent city' Trump has said he will build to house migrants while they search for political asylum

Members of the 309th Military Intelligence Battalion and the 305th Military Intelligence Battallion erect a tent at Fort Huachuca in Arizona

This map shows the latest positions of the four Central American caravans making their way to the US border

A US Army soldier helps build a tent at the Fort Huachuca base in Arizona. They are a tiny fraction of the 15,000 soldiers Trump has threatened to send to meet the migrants when they eventually get to the border, if they do

Some 7,000 military members will be arriving at the border through the weekend as President Donald Trump has said he's willing to send as many as 15,000 troops to provide support to Border Patrol agents.

The migrants, of which there are now are still at least 900 miles away.

Trump issued a dire warning to the would-be immigrants with the caravan in a fiery speech at the White House on Thursday, saying that the troops would return fire if rocks are thrown at them.

With their eyes set on Texas, the 4,000-strong caravan will depart from Matias Romero, Mexico, early Friday and make their way up the Gulf coast toward Veracruz, likely stopping in Donaji or Sayula de Aleman.

Salvadorean migrants cross the Suchiate River from Guatemala to Mexico on Friday

Thousands are making their way to the US border despite Trump's promises that they will not be allowed in

Meanwhile, Mexican federal police have been fairly tame in their efforts to stop the determined group.

The first group of troops to arrive at the port of entry in McAllen, Texas, have begun initial assessments, a Department of Defense official told Fox News on Thursday evening.

The official confirmed there are some 2,600 troops now at staging bases, largely in Texas, as several thousand more are expected to arrive through the weekend, moving into California and Arizona.

When asked at the White House if he envisioned the military personnel opening fire on the caravan, Trump replied: 'I hope not. I hope not. It's the military. I hope there won't be that.

'But I will tell you this: Anybody throwing stones, rocks, like they did to Mexico and the Mexican military, Mexican police  where they badly hurt police and soldiers of Mexico  we will consider that a firearm.'

Troops at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texasm are briefed on how they will support Operation Faithful Patriot on Wednesday October 31st

Soldiers from the 89th Military Police Brigade, the 41st Engineering Company and the 19th Engineering Battalion make their way to the border

An Army HMMWV is loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster at Fort Knox, Kentucky, to be taken to the border on Wednesday October 31st

Troops board a plane at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to be taken to the southwest border on Tuesday

TRUMP'S BORDER ARMY POLICE AND INTELLIGENCE 309th Military Intelligence Battalion and 305th Military Intelligence Battalion Two battalions from the military's intelligence branch have been sent to the border to assist with Operation Faithful Patriot. They are often the first boots on the ground and are tasked with training other officers later once they arrive. They are stationed out of Fort Huachuca in Arizona. 89th Military Police Brigade The brigade was activated during the Vietnam war. Its troops have provided assistance during disaster relief and at Guantanamo Bay. Its soldiers operate out of Fort Hood, Texas. 591st Military Police Company The 591st Military Police Company are also known as the Iron Spartans. They operate out of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. They are already perfectly positioned near the border for Operation Faithful Patriot. Officers from the company served in the Iraq war. ENGINEERS 41st Engineering Company The 41st Engineer Company is a Route Clearance Company. Its soldiers have previously been deployed to Afghanistan to clear routes for bridge combat teams. They are stationed in Fort Riley, Kansas. 19th Engineering Battalion The 19th Engineer Battalion O/O deploys engineer forces in order to provide mission command and general engineer support to decisive action in support of Expeditionary, Army, Joint, or Combined Military Operations world-wide. They operate out of Fort Knox in Kentucky. 541st Sapper Company The 541st Sapper Company performs a variety of military engineering operations; such as bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, demolitions, field defenses and general construction, as well as road and airfield construction and repair. They are also trained to serve as infantry personnel in defensive and offensive operations. They operate out of Fort Knox in Kentucky. Advertisement

'Because there's not much difference. When you get hit in the face with a rock. Which, as you know, it was very violent a few days ago. Very, very violent,' he added.

The president evoked a potentially violent confrontation at the border, and referenced clashes that have occurred in Mexico with Mexican authorities.

'This is an invasion and nobody's really questioning that,' the president added.

Trump issued the threat after he delivered a long rant about illegal immigration from the White House on Thursday, blasting a clogged court system, calling out people who jump the line of legal immigrants, and blasting what he called 'endemic abuse of the asylum system.'

The White House had touted the policy change, but the president was unable to deliver any new executive order, legislation, or other formal action.

Asked at one point about current obligations via U.S. law and treaties to consider asylum claims, the president curtly responded: 'They're going to court, as crazy as it sounds.'

The president once again said the US would build tent cities to manage the problem of would-be asylum seekers, and said: 'We'll be holding the family and the children together' in the tents.

Troops from the 541st Sapper Company, an engineering battalion stationed out of Fort Knox, Kentucky, board a plane to take them to the border on Wednesday, October 30th

Army Lt Ge. Jeffrey Buchanan briefs Joint Forces Land Component personnel and Air Force attorneys at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas on Thursday

The first 100 troops have arrived at the US-Mexico border to await the arrival of the migrant caravan slowly making its way north from Central America, according to the Department of Defense. Pictured: Members of the Air Force unload in Harlingen, Texas, on Thursday

'We have other facilities also. But what's happened is, we are holding so many facilities, so many people that our facilities are overrun.

'They're being overrun. And we are putting up temporary facilities. Eventually people will not be coming here anymore when they realize they cannot get through,' Trump said.

Asked if the children will be held in tent cities, Trump responded: 'We will be holding the family and the children together. Remember this: President Obama separated children from families. And all I did was take the same law, and then I softened the law. But by softening the law, many people come up that would not have come up if there was separation.'

In the caravan on Friday, migrants were giving each other tattoos to commemorate the journey

Asked what would happen to the children, Trump gave a lengthy answer where he mentioned President Barack Obama three times.

'We're working on a system where they stay together. But I will say that by doing that, tremendous numbers  you know, under the Obama plan you could separate children.

'They never did anything about that. Nobody talks about that. But under President Obama they separated children from the parents.

We actually put it so that didn't happen. But what happens when you do is you get tremendous numbers of people coming. It's almost like an incentive to  when they hear they're not going to be separated, they come many, many times over.

Members of the first caravan board a truck in Matias Romero, Mexico, before sunrise to get to their next stop. They are still 900 miles at least from where the troops are setting up . On Friday, they will trek 30 miles, to the town of Donaji

El Salvadorian migrants walk towards the border of Guatemala and Mexico. They are far behind the first group

Migrant children hug while playing in a playground in Juchitan, Mexico, on Wednesday. There are more than 5,000 migrants making their way to the US. Most are from Honduras

A 4,000-strong caravan set out before dawn from Juchitan to Matias Romero, at La Ventosa, Oaxaca State, Mexico, after being denied buses on November 1

The migrants were hoping to compel Mexican authorities to provide transportation for them to Mexico City, but it did not happen, prompting them to continue walking

'But President Obama separated the children from the parents and nobody complained. When we continued the exact same law, this country went crazy. So we are going to continue and try to continue what we're doing. But it is a tremendous incentive for people to try. But it's going to be very, very hard for people to come into out country.'

With the election just days away, the president complained about a 'catch and release' immigration system he said failed because people are choosing not to show up for their court appearances.

'Were going to catch, were not going to release,' he said. 'They never show up at the trials. They never come back, they're never seen again,' the president vented.

The president vowed to 'take every lawful action at my disposal to address this crisis,' and emphasized asylum in particular. But he was vague on providing any details.

He said he was 'finalizing a plan to end the rampant abuse of our asylum system.' He complained about drugs, crime, and a caravan of immigrants making its way toward the border.

'We're not releasing them into our country any longer. They'll wait long periods of time.' In one of many tangents, he vented: 'Fentanyl is killing our youth.'

The president said members of the caravan would not be getting asylum. 'We will be doing an executive order some time next week ... it'll be quite comprehensive.'

TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION STEMWINDER: HIS GREATEST HITS Some of the more memorable moments from the president's November 1, 2018 immigration speech and the Q&A with reporters that followed: ON WHETHER THE MILITARY WILL FIRE ON MIGRANT CARAVANS AT THE BORDER: 'I hope not. I hope not. It's the military. I hope there won't be that. But I will tell you this: Anybody throwing stones, rocks, like they did to Mexico and the Mexican military, Mexican police  where they badly hurt police and soldiers of Mexico  we will consider that a firearm. Because there's not much difference. When you get hit in the face with a rock. Which, as you know, it was very violent a few days ago. Very, very violent.' (AND LATER) 'We will consider that the maximum that we can consider that. Because they're throwing rocks viciously and violently. You saw that three days ago, really hurting the military. We're not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military? Our military fights back. We're going to consider it  I told them, "Consider it a rifle." When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexico military and police, I say, "Consider it a rifle".' ON WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO MIGRANTS' CHILDREN WHEN THEIR PARENTS ARE HELD IN 'TENT CITIES': 'We're working on a system where they stay together. But I will say that by doing that, tremendous numbers  you know, under the Obama plan you could separate children. They never did anything about that. Nobody talks about that. But under President Obama they separated children from the parents. We actually put it so that didn't happen. But what happens when you do is you get tremendous numbers of people coming. It's almost like an incentive to  when they hear they're not going to be separated, they come many, many times over. But President Obama separated the children from the parents and nobody complained. When we continued the exact same law, this country went crazy.' ON WHETHER FAMILY UNITS WIL BE KEPT TOGETHER IN TENTS: 'We will be holding the family and the children together. Remember this: President Obama separated children from families. And all I did was take the same law, and then I softened the law. But by softening the law, many people come up that would not have come up if there was separation.' ON WHETHER A HARD LINE ON IMMIGRATION IS A PRE-ELECTION PLOY: 'There's nothing political about a caravan of thousands of people, and now others forming, pouring up into our country. We have no idea who they are. All we know is they're pretty tough people when they can blast through the Mexican military and Mexican police. They're pretty tough people. Even Mexico said, "Wow. These are tough people." I don't want them in our country. And women do not want them in our country. Women want security. Men don't want them in our country. But the women don't want them. Women want security. You look at what the women are looking for. They want to have security. They don't want these people in our country, and they're not going to be in our country. It's a very big thing.' ON WHETHER THE CARAVANS ARE BEING ORGANIZED FROM THE OUTSIDE: 'They understand the law better than the lawyers understand the law. You have a lot of professionalism there, you have a lot of professionalism involved with setting up the caravans. You take a look at the way that's happening. Even the countries  you look at Honduras and El Salvador. And you look at what's happening at the different levels and different countries, or what's happening on the streets. There's a lot of professionalism taking place. And there seems to be a lot of money passing. And then all of a sudden, out of the blue, these big caravans are formed and they start marching up. They've got a long way to go.' Advertisement

'These migrants are not legitimate asylum seekers. They're not looking for protection because if they were, they'd be able to get it from Mexico.'

He called human traffickers 'The lowest scum on earth.'

Trump once again went after the people comprising the caravan.

'These are tough people in many cases. A lot of young men, strong men. And a lot of men that maybe we don't want in our country,' Trump said.

But he also acknowledged that many of those drawn to the U.S. were coming to reap the benefits of the U.S. economy.

'We right now have the hottest economy anywhere in the world,' Trump said. 'In some cases they want to take advantage of that,' he allowed.

In give-and-take with reporters, Trump rejected the suggestion he was just making a political move for the elections. Early voting has already begun and Election Day is Tuesday.

'There's nothing political about a caravan of thousands of people, and now others forming, pouring up into our country. We have no idea who they are,' Trump said.

'All we know is they're pretty tough people when they can blast through the Mexican military and Mexican police. They're pretty tough people. Even Mexico said, 'Wow. These are tough people.' I don't want them in our country.'

With the views of female voters holding a potentially decisive role in control of the House with multiple toss-up suburban races, Trump said: 'And women do not want them in our country. Women want security. Men don't want them in our country. But the women don't want them. Women want security. You look at what the women are looking for. They want to have security. They don't want these people in our country, and they're not going to be in our country. It's a very big thing.'

In one of many odd features of his remarks, Trump appeared to thank the crowd when he first entered the Roosevelt Room, even though only reporters and photographers and a few aides were there, and no one had applauded him, which would have been out of the ordinary if it did happen.

'Thank you very much everyone. Appreciate it,' Trump said to the silent room.

The White House in advance touted a coming directive denying asylum to migrants who try to enter the country illegally this afternoon as he takes action to thwart migrant caravans heading toward the United States' southern border.

Trump also said this week that he wants to get rid of birthright citizenship to discourage migrants from coming to America to giving birth to children who will automatically become United States citizens.

'Birthright citizenship' is derived from the 14th Amendment. Trump says that wording of the amendment leaves room for him to exercise his authority as the nation's executive to keep children born to illegal immigrants for immediately becoming citizens.

The Immigration and Nationality Act similarly requires the federal government to follow asylum laws. However, Trump is expected to push the boundaries of his authority on immigration anyway, just like he did with extreme vetting.

It took him three tries, but the proposal was eventually held up in a watered-down form by the Supreme Court. Trump said he barred legal residents of countries with ties to terror from temporarily coming to America, because their entry was a national security threat, not because they were from majority-Muslim nations.

This week, as he plotted executive actions that would make massive changes to the immigration system days before the mid-term elections, he pointed to Barack Obama's 2012 decree that illegal immigrants who were brought to the country as children could stat in the U.S. indefinitely through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Trump made his most audacious attempt yet on Wednesday night to turn a sea of approaching Central American migrants into a midterm voting issue, tweeting a video linking them to a death row inmate who killed two Sacramento, California police officers after being deported twice from the United States and returning each time.

Convicted cop killer Luis Bracamontes famously grinned and swore his way through his trial and sentencing this year, vowing to escape and kill more police officers.

He screamed 'F*** you, judge!' during a late January hearing and was banned from attending the rest of his trial in person, watching the remaining days on video monitors.

Trump's 55.5 million Twitter followers saw his own take on the case, a recap of the trial's most shocking moments titled: 'Illegal immigrant Luis Bracamontes killed our people!'

CNN editorialized through its website: 'Trump campaign releases racist ad.'
An Iranian migrant who fatally stabbed his wife 60 times during a frenzied attack likely driven by jealously has been jailed for at least 15 years.

Amir Homayoun Darbanou, 44, used a large knife to stab Nasrin Abek in the face, chest, throat and arms before leaving her body in their unit in Sydney's Potts Point in September 2016.

Supreme Court Justice Julia Lonergan noted his early guilty plea on Friday, when she jailed him for 21 years with a non-parole period of 15 years and nine months.

Amir Homayoun Darbanou (right), 44, used a large knife to stab Nasrin Abek (left) in the face, chest, throat and arms before leaving her body in their unit in Sydney's Potts Point

Supreme Court Justice Julia Lonergan noted his early guilty plea on Friday, when she jailed him for 21 years with a non-parole period of 15 years and nine months (Ms Abek pictured)

But she threw out attempts by Darbanou's counsel to reduce the sentence because of mental health issues related to alcohol and delusions.

'Jealously and rage and a sense of entitlement over a domestic partner ... is an ugly and abhorrent feature of (crimes of this type),' Justice Lonergan said.

'It was a frenzied and purposeful attack on the deceased, likely driven by jealously.'

The couple from Tehran arrived in Australia via Indonesia in 2013 and were granted refugee status within months.

The judge threw out attempts by Darbanou's counsel to reduce the sentence because of mental health issues related to alcohol and delusions

Ms Abek (pictured) was stabbed more than 60 times in the face, chest, throat and arms

Justice Lonergan said their 12-year marriage was marked by issues of domination and control and Ms Abek had spoken about how her husband didn't allow her to attend medical appointments alone.

The part-time hairdresser confided in a work friend that her husband had told her he wouldn't divorce her and would kill her first, Justice Lonergan said.

On the day of her murder, Ms Abek was out to lunch with that friend when Darbanou approached them and said he'd been 'walking in the area'.

Darbanou was allegedly enraged that Ms Abek (pictured) had recently converted to Christianity and killed his wife in a frenzied knife attack

He then waited for his wife to return to their apartment before stabbing her to death, abandoning her body, lying to police and claiming his wife had been unfaithful.

Ms Abek's mother, Rahimeh Bagheri, earlier told the court she has felt as though her 'heart is on fire' since her daughter's horrific murder.

'He took my daughter by force. She did not even want to leave Iran and after a few years he sent her lifeless body back to me,' she said in a statement.

With time already served Darbanou will be eligible for parole in mid-2032.
An Aboriginal activist who admitted assaulting police for the fourth time this year has been described by a magistrate as a 'wonderful' young person with a bright future.

Leilani Clarke has now pleaded guilty to spitting on police officers three times in less than 12 months and has a history of calling them 'white dogs'.

The 20-year-old walked free from Downing Centre Local Court on Friday without so much as a conviction for another assault upon police.

Magistrate Erin Kennedy said assaulting police was an 'extremely serious offence' but accepted Clarke had mental health issues and had possibly been self-medicating with illegal drugs.

Aboriginal activist Leilani Clarke has pleaded guilty to spitting on police officers three times this year and has a history of calling them 'white dogs'. She is pictured at court on Friday

Former university student Leilani Clarke, 20, walked free from Downing Centre Local Court on Friday without so much as a conviction after her fourth offence of assaulting police this year

Magistrate Erin Kennedy said assaulting police was an 'extremely serious offence' but accepted Leilani Clarke had mental health issues and had possibly been self-medicating

'The worst thing we see happening to wonderful people like you who have a great future ahead of them is if you don't get the proper treatment and you start taking something to self-medicate and we lose you,' Ms Kennedy said.

'Let's not see you back in here.'

Clarke, who was studying environmental science at Sunshine Coast University but now lives in Sydney, has spent much of this year in and out of courts after repeatedly assaulting police.

She is a member of the Butchulla indigenous community on Queensland's Fraser Coast and has previously aspired to organising a festival of her culture.

Clarke claims to suffer from self-diagnosed 'transgenerational trauma' passed down through the indigenous part of her DNA.

Two days before she most recently spat on a policeman she had kneed another officer in the testicles.

Clarke is a member of the Butchulla indigenous community on Queensland's Fraser Coast and had previously aspired to organising a festival of her culture. She is pictured outside court

'The accused has a previous charge for assaulting police and resisting arrest,' a statement of facts about Clarke's latest offence warned.

'At the time of the offence the accused was on bail for similar offences for assaulting police and resisting arrest.'

Police last encountered Clarke when they attended reports of a domestic disturbance at Forest Lodge in the city's inner-west about 1.40am on June 28.

They found Clarke outside a terrace on the footpath in an agitated state and noted she had enlarged pupils.

'Police were at the time of a firm belief that the accused was affected by an illicit substance which may have sent her into a drug-induced mental health episode,' the statement of facts aid.

An ambulance arrived and when officers told Clarke she would be taken to hospital involuntarily under the Mental Health Act she became more aggressive.

Leilani Clarke claims to suffer from 'transgenerational trauma' passed on through the indigenous element of her DNA. She has spat on police officers three times so far this year

'The accused attempted to walk away from police and ambulance officers and started screaming, requesting to speak to an Aboriginal Liaison Officer,' the statement of facts said.

As she was being secured to a stretcher Clarke spat on the shoulder of a policeman.

Two days earlier Clarke had kneed another officer in the testicles and spat at police when she was caught stealing a $7 chicken curry from a 7-Eleven store at Marrickville.

Police at that scene described Clarke's behaviour as highly erratic and unpredictable. She called them 'white dogs'.

In April Clarke pleaded guilty in Queensland's Hervey Bay Magistrates Court to assaulting and obstructing police, drug possession and being a public nuisance.

In March she assaulted a paramedic and screamed 'F*** you, white dogs' after being found asleep outside a shop in Annandale about 4am.

While being restrained in an ambulance she spat on a police officer's forearm.

Magistrate Erin Kennedy allowed Leilani Clarke to walk free from Downing Centre Local Court on Friday without conviction after she pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer in Sydney

And in January Clarke attacked police and security guards in a Hervey Bay nightclub while dunk, later telling a female officer 'F*** off you s**t'.

Clarke had wanted an adjournment on Friday to seek medical reports but Ms Kennedy said she was ready to sentence her.

'She was clearly having a psychotic episode,' Ms Kennedy said. 'She's getting some help.'

Clarke told the court she had recently completed a hospitality course, having deferred her university studies.

'That all seems amazing but you've got to stay on top of your mental health,' Ms Kennedy said.

'Do not self-medicate. You need suport. Just make sure you say no, you won't take illicit substances.'

Ms Kennedy put Clarke on a 10-month good behaviour bond without recording a conviction.
An African gang attacked a group of chefs outside an exclusive restaurant, who fought their way to safety with a shovel.

A 23-year-old man was assaulted by a group of up to 15 men outside Donovans in St Kilda, Melbourne on Thursday night.

A witness said he saw the brawl scenes spill out onto the road as he drove past the Donovans restaurant at about 10pm.

An African gang (pictured) that allegedly attacked a group of chefs outside an exclusive restaurant have been captured on CCTV

Pictured: Injuries suffered by one of the chefs at Donovans after he was attacked by the gang

Speaking to 3AW Mornings on Friday, the witness called John said he thought he was watching a Halloween stunt and was forced to swerve to avoid hitting those involved.

He said: 'I saw a man wearing chef's gear and he was swinging this shovel around trying to protect himself from around 10 to 15 black Africans.'

John added he saw another group of about 10 Africans standing in the car park as he looked back, half of which were girls.

The wife of a Donovan's worker told The Herald Sun six of the African youths attacked chefs who had just finished their shifts with metal poles they had hidden inside their clothing.

She said one worker was so badly beaten his skull could be seen.

She added the shovel was used by other chefs to fight the gang off and drag their colleagues to safety.

The incident occurred outside Donovans restaurant in St Kilda about 10pm on Thursday night

A Donovans worker said the tensions began after a group of girls allegedly refused to move from a seating area reserved for customers

The Donovans worker said the tensions began after a group of girls refused to move from a seating area reserved for customers.

Victoria Police said the victim suffered minor injuries and had his mobile phone stolen.

Donovans declined to comment on the incident when approached by Daily Mail Australia.

Officers are also investigating whether the attack is linked to another incident in the same area around half-an-hour later.

A 25-year-old man was assaulted by a group of youths in that incident, who was left with minor head injuries.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A second suspect has been named in the violent murder of notorious Boston mobster James 'Whitey' Bulger.

Paul J. DeCologero, who was a member of a North Shore mob in Massachusetts, is suspected as the inmate who helped beat Bulger to death with a padlock stuffed in a sock.

He is believed to have helped Mafia hitman Fotios 'Freddy' Geas kill Bulger less than 11 hours after the 89-year-old arrived at USP Hazelton in West Virginia, according to the Boston Globe.

DeCologero is serving a 25-year sentence for racketeering and conspiracy to murder and dismember a 19-year-old girl to stop her co-operating with police in 1996.

Why he may have wanted to kill Bulger is not clear. It is thought that, like Geas, he disliked informants because some, including his father John, helped to convict him.

DeCologero and Geas became friends after they met in prison, the Globe reported.

Paul J. DeCologero (left), who as a member of a North Shore mob in Massachusetts, has been identified as a second suspect in the murder of James 'Whitey' Bulger. Mafia hit man Fotios 'Freddy' Geas (right) was first named as a suspect on Tuesday

Some officials speculate whether prison guards allowed the inmates to beat James 'Whitey' Bulger to death. He was found dead on Tuesday after being transferred a day earlier to the high-security Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia. He is pictured above in 2011

When DeCologero was sentenced, lawyers said he would do anything his gangster uncle Paul wanted.

'Paul J. was one of Paul A.'s primary foot soldiers, available at Paul A.'s beck and call to be involved in drug dealing, robberies, burglaries, and ultimately, the killing of Aislin Silva,' prosecutors wrote.

DeCologero's lawyer said he was never armed in any robberies and was driven by drug addiction. He was physically abused by his drug addict parents as a child, lawyers said.

Some Boston officials believe prison guards allowed the inmates to attack Bulger, who was moved to Hazelton because he was reportedly a troublemaker at his former jail.

Even though he was moved to the high security prison, the 89-year-old wasn't kept under a watchful eye.

Bulger was not closely watched at Hazelton as at least two inmates were caught on surveillance camera pushing him a corner of his cell outside of camera view

His killers were caught on surveillance cameras pushing Bulger in his wheelchair to the corner of his room outside of the camera's view just moments before they launched their brutal attack, officials said on Wednesday.

Despite the disturbing video footage in Bulger's cell, no alarm was raised.

He was so horrifically whacked to death his face was beated beyond recognition, his eyes dislodged, and his tongue cut out.

He was discovered profusely bleeding at 8.20am on Tuesday morning.

'They apparently tuned him up to the point where he was unrecognizable,' a anonymous senior law enforcement official said to the New York Times.

It's not clear why Bulger, a notorious killer and FBI informant, was allowed to be placed in general population with low security measures and wasn't under careful and constant watch.

'I'm not surprised that he got hit; I'm surprised that they let him get hit,' former Boston police commissioner Ed David said.

According to TMZ four inmates were caught on surveillance camera walking into Bulger's cell then walking out with bloodied clothes. None of the attack was caught on video.

DeCologero is serving a 25-year sentence for racketeering and conspiracy that led to the murder of a 19-year-old girl in 1996. His motive in killing Bulger is not clear

Bulger poses for a mugshot on his arrival at the Federal Penitentiary at Alcatraz on November 16, 1959 in San Francisco, California

David said he was shocked they prison officials didn't keep Bulger 'away from a convicted organized crime hit man from Massachusetts.'

Geas, 51, a Mafia hit man from West Springfield, Massachusetts, with a vendetta against snitches, is under investigation for his murder and was named a suspect on Tuesday.

Two inmates were sent to solitary confinement after Bulger was assaulted. Geas was one of them.

His lawyer Daniel D. Kelly said Geas 'has a particular distaste for cooperators' and when he was given the chance to avoid life in prison in exchange for ratting out mobsters, he refused.

A prison official from Bulger's last detention center - USP Coleman II in Florida - says that he was booted out on Monday because he was a troublemaker.

The entrance to USP Hazelton in West Virginia is seen in a file photo. Bulger had been transferred to the facility Monday when he was killed

Prison officials say he was moved from USP Coleman II in Florida because he had disciplinary problems. According to prison documents he was moved because he had completed medical treatment

He was moved there in September 2014 and received multiple disciplinary actions. He once masturbated in front of a male staff member and in February threatened a female medical staff member.

Prison documents indicated he was transferred not for his troublesome behavior but because he had completed medical treatment.

He had been in a wheelchair for several years, according to his lawyer Henry Brennan and damaged his hip during his two years of pretrial incarceration in solitary confinement.

'He could stand up by himself, but he could not walk. He was looking forward to getting out of solitary confinement to try to teach himself how to walk again,' Brennan said to the Times.

'He was continuously falling off the bed and injuring his hip,' he added saying Bulger was unable to exercise which led to his physical decline.

Still, an official who insisted on anonymity told Associated Press that he caused problems at the Florida federal prison, where he was serving two life sentences for participating in 11 murders.

An investigation is taking place to see how he was murdered at the secure facility.
Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr are joining the campaign trail in a final push to rally Republican support ahead of the midterm elections.

Making a rare appearance on the trail, the first daughter stopped in Reno, Nevada, Thursday to praise Republican Sen Dean Heller for his role in passing the 2017 GOP tax bill and predicted he will win his tight battle for re-election against Democratic Rep Jacky Rosen.

'I don't do a lot of campaigning,' Ivanka Trump told about 80 supporters at the GOP field office. 'But I really wanted to do it for him. This is our first stop and our most important stop. I know he's going to win.'

Meanwhile, Don Jr stopped in Sun City, Arizona, Thursday with girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle to campaign for Republican Senate Candidate Martha McSally.

'You don't want to wake up next Wednesday morning with (House Minority Leader) Nancy Pelosi having the gavel and (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer in charge of the Senate,' Don Jr told a packed room of supporters.

Their appearances come as the likelihood of a Democratic 'blue wave' looms - with the Democrats gaining as many as 40 seats in the House of Representatives in next week's elections, a leading political analyst said Thursday.

Ivanka Trump stopped in Nevada Thursday to campaign for Republican Dean Heller who is battling Democratic Rep Jacky Rosen in a close race

Don Jr went to Arizona in a last-ditch effort to gain Republican votes before the midterm election

Meanwhile, the president slammed Democrats at a rally in Missouri Thursday

The Cook Political Report said that it is predicting a gain of between 25 and 40 seats for the Democrats, giving the party's House leader Nancy Pelosi the potential to have a comfortable majority.

But it is not predicting a matching sweep in the Senate, where the 35 seats which are in play favor the Republicans so heavily that they could gain five of the seats, according to FiveThirtyEight.com.

David Wasserman, the House Editor for The Cook Political Report, said that current trends put the Democrats on track for victory.

'Polls are flying across social media, ads are saturating airwaves and it's hard to keep up with a large battlefield of races,' he said.

'But one week out, the overall House outlook is fairly stable: Democrats are the clear favorites for the majority and appear poised to gain between 25 and 40 seats. Today, we're shifting a half-dozen race ratings, four towards Democrats and two towards the GOP.'

Don Jr campaigned for Martha McSally alongside girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle in Sun City, Arizona

Ivanka Trump made the rare campaign appearance in a last-ditch effort to gain Republican votes before the midterm election

Heller, considered perhaps the most vulnerable incumbent GOP senator as the only one running for re-election in a state Hillary Clinton won in 2016, cautioned the faithful against becoming complacent in the final days of the campaign.

'Let me assure you this is a close race,' Heller said. But he said he believes the 2,000 GOP volunteers knocking on doors and making calls on his behalf will make the difference.

'I've never seen the state of Nevada this well organized, especially in a non-presidential year,' he said.

But Nevada Democratic spokeswoman Sarah Abel said Thursday Nevadans won't forget that Heller flip-flopped on health care under pressure from the president.

'Dean Heller continues to get political rewards from the Trump administration and a parade of visits from Trump family members after he broke his promise last year to protect Nevadans' health care and sold out our state,' she said in an email to The Associated Press.

Don Jr is also scheduled to appear with Heller and others in Nevada on Friday, in a state considered a toss-up in two key open House districts in the swing state.

President Donald Trump addresses the crowd during a campaign rally Thursday in Columbia, Missouri

'Republicans want strong borders, no crime, no chaos and no caravans,' Trump told the cheering crowd in Missouri Thursday

President Donald Trump declared the Democratic blue wave 'dead' on Wednesday and went further on Thursday.

'I think we're going to do very well in the election, even though history says that whoever the president may be, it trends the other way,' Trump said at the end of an immigration address.

'It certainly does seem that way, but nobody's ever been president that has the greatest economy in the history of our country.'

He predicted: 'I think we'll win the Senate. I think we'll do well in the House.'

Although the results are still in doubt and won't be known until Election Day, Trump has reason to worry control of the House is slipping out of reach.

The latest New York Times statistical analysis gives Democrats a six out of seven chance of taking it.

The latest NPR / Maris poll gave Democrats a nine-point advantage on the 'generic' question  the type of rating, which if sustained on election day, could signal a wave that would more than bring about the needed 23-seat gain. It has Democrats leading 52 to 43 per cent nationally.

Donald Trump Jr. planned campaign stops Friday in Carson City and Reno with Heller, Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Laxalt  who is running against Democrat Steve Sisolak  and Kimberly Guilfoyle.




Former federal Liberal MP Ross Cameron has been sacked from Sky News for making racist comments about Asians.

The former member for Parramatta in Sydney's multicultural west, who co-hosted the Outsiders program with conservative commentator Rowan Dean, was fired for describing Chinese people as 'slanty-eyed' and 'yellow skinned'.

Mr Cameron is the second former federal politician to be fired from the right-wing Sky News program since former Labor leader Mark Latham was last year sacked for describing a Sydney schoolboy as 'gay'.

Former federal Liberal MP Ross Cameron (pictured) has been sacked from Sky News for making derogatory comments about Asians

'If you go to Disneyland in Shanghai on any typical morning of the week, you'll seen 20,000 black-haired, slanty-eyed, yellow-skinned Chinese desperate to get into Disneyland,' he told Sky News on Tuesday.

Sky News chief executive Paul Whittaker confirmed on Friday the 53-year-old conservative commentator's contract had been terminated.

'Sky News is committed to robust discussion and debate however this language is totally unacceptable and has no place on any of our platforms, nor in modern Australian society,' he said in statement.

'We apologise for any hurt or offence caused by the remarks made by Ross Cameron on the program.'

The former member for Parramatta in Sydney's multicultural west was fired for describing Chinese people as 'slanty-eyed' and 'yellow skinned'

Mr Cameron, who held the seat of Parramatta for three terms from 1996 to 2004, is now the second Outsiders host to be sacked in little more than 18 months.

In March 2017, Mark Latham was dismissed for asking on air if a Sydney Boys High School student was 'gay' during a segment about an International Women's Day video.

A month earlier, Daily Mail Australia revealed Mr Cameron had signed an anti-Muslim cartoon at a fundraiser for the far-right Q Society, which featured 'a surf-lifesaver girl' kicking 'Sheik Sharia out of Australia'.

'I signed the cartoon in defence of the right to peaceful dissent and free speech,' he told Daily Mail Australia in February 2017.

In March 2017, former federal Labor leader Mark Latham (left with Ross Cameron) was sacked for asking on air if a Sydney Boys High School was 'gay'

The image, which was auctioned off, featured an Islamic man depicted with a pig's snout, in a bid to offend Muslims who consider pigs to be haram, or sinful.

During that same month, he had described the Liberal Party as a 'gay club' in a dig at the moderate faction's homosexual members.

Mr Cameron lost his marginal seat of Parramatta at the 2004 election after it was revealed he was cheating on his former wife Genevieve, who was pregnant with twins.

The bombshell had contradicted his image as a Christian, family values politician and saw the parliamentary secretary booted from Parliament, even though there was a swing against the Labor Party Opposition led by Mark Latham.

Daily Mail Australia revealed last year Mr Cameron had signed a cartoon at a fundraiser for the far-right Q Society, which featured 'a surf-lifesaver girl' kicking 'Sheik Sharia out of Australia'

Sky News chief executive Paul Whittaker confirmed on Friday his contract had been terminated

A year ago, Mr Cameron and Mr Latham emceed British-born right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos's Australian tour.

Like Yiannopoulos, Mr Cameron is an outspoken support of U.S. President Donald Trump.

A month before the American presidential election of 2016, he defended the Republican candidate against accusations of sexism, after video surfaced of the former Celebrity Apprentice host boasting about grabbing women by the 'p****'.

'I respond to this tsunami of sanctimony that we are getting from the greatest bunch of hypocrites who ever walked and breathed, and I am exactly where I was, except even stronger,' he told Sky News two years ago.
Australians are being urged to stay alert after an email scam for a major bank began circulating on Friday morning.

An email purporting to be from ANZ Bank is being sent to customers telling them that their accounts have been suspended.

They are then linked to a separate page where they're asked to enter in personal information to 'verify' their account to re-active it again.

The scam email looks scarily like an official ANZ Bank email, in an attempt to make the email look more credible it has the same logo, colouring and fonts

In a screenshot uploaded to Reddit, the email looks scarily like an official ANZ email.

It even has the same logo, colouring and fonts to make itl look credible.

The email says 'Your account is suspended due to ANZ major terms being changed.'

'To re-activate your account you need to complete the ANZ security page to verify the legitimate account holder.'

The email says 'Your account is suspended due to ANZ major terms being changed.' 'To re-activate your account you need to complete the ANZ security page to verify the legitimate account holder.' (stock image)

It then asks customers to click on a 'verify my account' link, saying that their account will be 'automatically activated after security details are confirmed'.

The email scam comes after ANZ were caught in the middle of an app scam two months ago.

HOW TO LOOK OUT FOR SCAM EMAILS - Misspellings and poor grammar - Patchy graphics or design - Asking for personal information, usernames or passwords - Not addressing you by name at the start of message - A sense of urgency, claiming that your immediate attention is needed - An email address that doesn't look quite right - Links to click on or attachments to open Advertisement

More than a thousand bank customers had downloaded fake ANZ and Commonwealth Bank apps in September.

Before the glitch was eventually discovered, some unsuspecting users were potentially revealing their personal login credentials and credit card details to fraudsters.

All the downloaded fake apps were through Google Play store, and customers of all financial institutions have been urged to check their bank statements.

ANZ confirmed a customer made them aware about a fraudulent app which was circulating two months ago.

After informing Google Play, the fake app was removed.

ANZ have listed out several clues to look out for if you believe you have a suspicious email.

Typical signs include mispellings or poor grammar, patchy graphics or design and a sense of urgency, claiming that your immediate attention is needed in the subject bar.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted ANZ for comment.
A suspended L-plate driver who was high on ice when she killed a nurse in a car crash has been jailed for just two years and will take her baby behind bars with her.

Bianca Harrington was 20 when she was driving her Holden Commodore from Sydney to the Central Coast, when she clipped another car about 6am.

The incident which occurred on September 3, 2016, resulted in the death of Kay Shaylor, a 62-year-old aged care nurse.

On Thursday, the judge sentenced Harrington to four years jail with a non-parole period of two years

The incident which occurred on September 3, 2016, resulted in the death of Kay Shaylor, a 62-year-old aged care nurse

In a horrific and senseless act, the victim's wallet was robbed from her car as she laid dying inside its wreckage (pictured Ms Shaylor's Mitsubishi)

In a horrific and senseless act, Ms Shaylor's wallet was robbed from her car as she laid dying inside its wreckage.

Harrington, who is now 22, was taken to hospital for compulsory blood and urine samples at the time of the incident.

The court previously heard that she had smoked 'five bongs' earlier, and had not been to sleep the night before the crash.

Harrington, who has since given birth, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death.

But she pleaded not guilty to a more serious charge of aggravated driving occasioning death under the influence of drugs.

The more serious charge carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

Acting Judge Rodney Madgwick had found Harrington not guilty of the more serious charge

Acting Judge Rodney Madgwick had found Harrington not guilty of the more serious charge because the Crown had not proven beyond reasonable doubt she was 'very substantially affected' by the drugs, Daily Telegraph reported.

The judge said any impairment seen by police after could potentially be attributed to shock and that Harrington could have built up a tolerance to any drugs found in her system.

In a police interview Harrington admitted she was smoking pot daily in the lead up to the crash.

She said she smoked four or five bongs before the crash.

On Thursday, the judge sentenced Harrington to four years jail with a non-parole period of two years.

She will be eligible for parole on October 31, 2020.

Harrington is also disqualified from holding a licence for three years.
Most of us want to be good genealogists. We want to do our best to find our ancestors. We want to find the facts,and know that what we found...
A North Carolina single mother has been charged with child abuse after she abandoned her nine-year-old daughter and 19-month-old baby son on the side of a road.

Jennifer Westfall, 38, of Wake County, cried as she recounted how she regretted leaving her children on the campus of Reedy Creek Elementary on October 2 because she couldn't continue caring for them alone.

But she may never be able to get them back following her charges.

'I feel terrible about what I did. I've always had my kids' back no matter what. I was just so tired. Absolutely tired,' she said to WAFF48.

Scroll down for video

North Carolina single mother Jennifer Westfall, 38, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse after she abandoned her nine-year-old daughter and 19-month-old son on the side of the road of Reedy Creek Elementary on October 2

'I know that it was wrong but I've always fought for my kids my whole life. I always fought for them. I fight no matter what. I always tried to do it on my own. But I just can't do it on my own,' she added.

She said that after she abandoned her children she saw a woman, another parent who was taking her children to school, scoop them up and take them into the school.

Westfall said she knew her kids were safe with the stranger and drove off. She claimed she believed it was a legal way to abandon children.

She said she left them on their own because she couldn't financially support them as she does not have a job.

'I have the strength to do what I need to do but I don't have the skills to make the income that I need to take care of my family, and nobody will hire me,' she said.

She justified her actions saying: 'I always tried to do it on my own. But I just can't do it on my own'

She tearfully said 'I feel terrible about what I did' and believed it was legal to abandon the kids and see another adult pick them up

She abandoned her kids in front of Reedy Creek Elementary in Wake County, North Carolina on October 2. A parent found the children and brought them into the school. The school pictured above

But in North Carolina only infants a few days old can be left with another adult legally.

School administrators then alerted the school resource officer who called Child Protective Services (CPS).

CPS and Cary police launched an investigation and Westfall was arrested on Monday in her Fuquay-Varina home.

She was charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse. She was released that night and is due in court next month.

Her children were taken into CPS custody and are now safe in foster homes.

'I've been around everywhere. And with these charges I just don't see how I'm ever getting my kids back,' she said.
An Irish woman who stabbed her tradesman fiance to death has detailed how the pair's relationship was one hallmarked by abuse and control.

Cathrina 'Tina' Cahill, 27, last week pleaded guilty to manslaughter after it was downgraded from murder, for David Walsh's stabbing death at their home in south-west Sydney in February 2017.

She told the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday that the father-of-four constantly accused her of being unfaithful and attacked several men for being in her company.

Cathrina 'Tina' Cahill, 27 (pictured), last week pleaded guilty to manslaughter after it was downgraded from murder, for David Walsh's stabbing death at their home in south-west Sydney in February 2017

Cahill told the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday that Mr Walsh (pictured) constantly accused her of being unfaithful and attacked several men for being in her company.

In one instance Cahill claimed her then-boyfriend king hit another Irishman who she and another female friend struck up a conversation with, while on a night out near their home in Sydney.

'He won't look at my missus again,' Cahill told the court of Mr Walsh's words to the man.

Months later, when Cahill and another female housemate brought a 21-year-old family friend back to their home 'for drinks', Walsh 'took him outside and punched him' because he was 'looking at (Walsh)'.

On Australia Day 2017, Cahill said Mr Walsh was adamant he would 'slap the head off someone tonight' before engaging in a bloodied street fight with a man who asked him for a lighter.

She also detailed prolific verbal and emotional abuse throughout their two-year relationship.

'Everyday he'd accuse me of having an affair with someone else,' she told the court.

'When we'd be driving and if I looked in the rear view mirrors he'd say ''I hope you had a good look you sl*t''.'

'He had it in for every male in my vicinity.

'And would say I only had my job because I was sucking my bosses' d**ks.'

The court also heard how Cahill found pictures of herself asleep with semen on her face on Mr Walsh's phone and would regularly wake up undressed.

'He laughed at me and told me if I was going to have sex with him he'd get it anyway,' she said.

On Australia Day 2017, Cahill said Mr Walsh (pictured) was adamant he would 'slap the head off someone tonight' before engaging in a bloodied street fight with a man who asked him for a lighter

The former traffic controller told the court how she suffered from panic attacks and insomnia for the duration of their two-year relationship.

Days before his violent death on February 17, 2017, Mr Walsh gifted Cahill flowers for Valentine's Day with the attached message reading: 'I know I can be a c***, but I can be a good c***.'

In court on Thursday, Judge Peter Johnson admitted the pair's relationship had been 'volatile' on 'both sides'.

It was then revealed Cahill had a previous conviction for being violent toward the father-of-four.

In April 2016, Cahill (pictured) was convicted of recklessly wounding Mr Walsh, 29 (pictured), following an incident at their Sydney home and placed on a two-year good behaviour bond

In April 2016, Cahill was convicted of recklessly wounding Mr Walsh, 29, following an incident at their Sydney home and placed on a two-year good behaviour bond.

Cahill was due to face a murder trial in the NSW Supreme Court on October 23, but the charge was downgraded to manslaughter.

She then pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis of substantial impairment by abnormality of the mind.

She fatally stabbed Mr Walsh in the neck with a bottle following an argument outside their home in Padstow, in Sydney's south-west on February 17 last year.

The pair had been engaged for just five weeks.
Edmund Zagorski, 63, was pronounced dead on Thursday at 7.26pm at a Nashville maximum-security prison after being electrocuted

In the chilling final moments before a Tennessee murderer was executed in the electric chair, he alternated between grimacing and smiling as he prepared for the volts of electricity to go through his body.

Edmund Zagorski, 63, was pronounced dead on Thursday at 7.26pm at a Nashville maximum-security prison after being electrocuted.

Eight people believed to be family members of Zagorski's two victims, as well as a reporter, were led into a room to bear witness in the moments prior to his execution.

They stood outside the execution chamber and stared through a glass window to where Zagorski was seated in the electric chair with buckles and straps pinning him down.

Electrodes were already fixed on the 63-year-old's feet.

Witnesses said Zagorski, who was dressed in cotton clothing, smiled at them from beyond the glass.

Asked if he had any last words, Zagorski only replied: 'Let's rock'.

He alternated between grimacing and smiling as prison officials sponged his shaved head with saline solution.

Zagorski was seated in the electric chair (pictured above) with buckles and straps pinning him down. Electrodes were also fixed on the 63-year-old's feet and a metal helmet on his head

Zagorski was convicted of a April 1983 double slaying. He shot John Dotson and Jimmy Porter and then slit their throats after robbing the two men after they came to him to buy marijuana

While Zagorski mostly looked ahead, he did look around the death chamber briefly and raised his eyebrows at his lawyer before a black shroud was placed over his head.

The shroud was to ensure witnesses could not see his face during the electrocution.

A metal helmet was then placed over his head before the prison warden signaled for the execution to commence.

Witnesses noted that his fists clenched and arms turned red when the first 1,750 volts of electricity was applied for 20 seconds.

He raised up in his chair when each jolt of electricity went through him.

His attorney, Kelley Henry, told reporters it appeared he was still breathing before a second charge was applied for a further 15 seconds.

NewsChannel 5 reporter Chris Conte, who was not inside the building, relayed on Twitter what witnesses described seeing

Associated Press reporter Kimberlee Kruesi witnessed the execution, and thanked other reporters for checking she and other witnesses were ok

She said both of Zagorski's pinkies appeared to dislocate or break when the electricity surged through him because of how strongly he pulled down on the straps.

Zagorski did not move once the electricity stopped flowing and a doctor confirmed soon after that he was dead.

His attorney had been nodding, smiling and tapping her heart in the moments before the execution got underway.

When asked about her actions, she said afterward: 'I told him when I put my hand over my heart, that was me holding him in my heart.'

She said Zagorski told her the last thing he wanted to see was her smiling face, and so she made an effort to smile at him before the shroud was put over his face.

The convicted double murderer had insisted on being electrocuted, a rarely used method, rather than lethal injection for his execution.

He had argued that it would be a quicker and less painful way to die.

Witnesses, including family members of the victims, are pictured leaving the Zagorski's execution on Thursday night. They watched him die from behind a glass window in the death chamber

Vigils were organized outside the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Thursday night ahead of Zagorski's execution

Zagorski, who had a last meal request of pickled pig knuckles and pig tails, was put to death shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday evening denied the inmate's request for a stay.

His attorneys had argued it was unconstitutional to force him to choose between the electric chair and lethal injection.

The state came close to administering an injection to Zagorski three weeks ago, a plan halted by Tennessee's governor when Zagorski exercised his right to request the electric chair.

Zagorski was convicted of a April 1983 double slaying. Zagorski shot John Dotson and Jimmy Porter and then slit their throats after robbing the two men after they came to him to buy marijuana.
A serial road offender has been jailed a second time for injuring a young female passenger through shocking driving.

Joshua Bonjour was previously imprisoned for killing 18-year-old Jodie Maree Worthington in a quad bike crash on sand hills in Lancelin, Western Australia, in 2012.

At the Perth Magistrates Court on Friday Bonjour, who has already served three-and-a-half years behind bars, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing bodily harm and having no authority to drive, Perth Now reported.

Joshua Bonjour (pictured) has been jailed a second time for injuring a young female passenger through shocking driving

In September, Lily Davis (pictured), 25, was Bonjour's passenger when his car crashed into a light pole on Roe Highway in Canning Vale, Perth

In September, Lily Davis, 25, was Bonjour's passenger when his car crashed into a light pole on the Roe Highway in Canning Vale, Perth.

Bonjour fled the crash and left an injured Ms Davis trapped in the wreckage.

The court heard on Friday that before the crash, Bonjour was tailgating drivers, speeding and aggressively overtaking.

Prior to Bonjour losing control of the vehicle, Ms Davis begged him to slow down.

Joshua Bonjour was previously imprisoned for killing 18-year-old Jodie Maree Worthington (pictured) in a quad bike crash on sand hills in Lancelin, Western Australia, in 2012

Bonjour's driving record was described as appalling and Magistrate Stephen Wilson told him his driving on the night of the accident showed 'signs that a catastrophe was coming your way'.

When 18-year-old Ms Worthington was killed in the quad bike crash in 2012, Bonjour was serving a suspended sentence for a number of driving offences and crimes.

Bonjour had been out of prison for less than a year when he injured Ms Davis and left her for dead.

He was sentenced a one year jail term for his latest crash - to be served on top of his previous sentence.

Bonjour was sentenced to eight months in jail for driving under suspension as well as a 30-month driving ban.
Toyah Cordingley, 24, was farewelled on Friday in a heartbreaking funeral service, little more than a week after she was murdered on Wangetti Beach in far north Queensland

The boyfriend of Toyah Cordingley wrote a heartbreaking tribute to the 'most beautiful person' in his life, as the 24-year-old was laid to rest on Friday.

Ms Cordingley was found murdered on Wangetti Beach in far north Queensland on October 22, after going missing while walking a dog along the sand the day before.

Her partner, Marco Heidenreich, wrote a tribute to the beloved pharmacy worker and animal activist, which was read out for him at the service, The Cairns Post reported.

'To the most beautiful person I've ever had the pleasure of sharing my life with,' he wrote.

'You captivated me with your beautiful soul.

'Each moment I spent with you made me love you more. I will always love you with all that I am.

'You will forever be in my mind and in my heart as you always were before.'

When she died, Ms Cordingley had been walking a dog, believed to be named Jersey and to belong to Mr Heidenreich.

The animal was seen outside the funeral parlour on Friday morning, sniffing guests as the grieving man held it on a leash.

More than 400 people gathered at the Cairns Funeral Directors Chapel in Manunda on Friday, where Ms Cordingley was remembered as a 'beautiful, wonderful, caring' devoted animal advocate, Nine News reported.

Pallbearers wore orange and Toyah Cordingley's casket was covered in sunflowers as hundreds gathered at the Cairns Funeral Directors Chapel in Manunda

The chapel was decorated with balloons on the outside, and sunflowers, which were her favourite flowers

The dog Ms Cordingley was walking when she was killed was in attendance (pictured) handled on a leash by the 24-year-old's boyfriend, Marco Heidenreich

Toyah Cordingley was killed in the sand dune area of Wangetti Beach on October 21. Her body was found the next morning by her father, Troy

Her father, Troy Cordingley, addressed the violence his daughter, who he called 'bright eyes', had faced in her final moments.

'To Brighteyes  Love Daddio,' he began.

'What do you say at a time like this. What can I tell you all.

'I can tell you how beautiful, wonderful and caring she is, and of her loving soul.

'Of her compassion for all creatures great and small, but you all know this.

'I could tell you of the horror, pain, injustice and unfairness of what has occurred, but you know this also.

'So, I will say this to my little girl.

'I know that you are with me now and will forever be with me, until one day we will be together again.

'My love for you is boundless and cannot be surpassed. My brightness, my Toyah.'

Toyah Cordingley's father Troy (pictured together) dedicated a moving tribute to his daughter, who he referred to as 'bright eyes' and said his love for her was 'boundless'

Sunflowers played a big part in Ms Cordingley's service, as they were her favourite flower

Ms Cordingley's killer is still on the run, and police are yet to announce any persons of interest or make any arrests

Marco Heidenreich (right) had 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

Ms Cordingley's service ran for about 70 minutes and was attended by more than 400 people. She was remembered as a beautiful, kind and compassionate person, with a life 'full of love'

In the service, which ran for more than an hour, celebrant David County said Friday was 'not a day to be angry'.

'Today is not a day to hate,' he said.

'Her life was cut short, but was full of love. Today is a day to love and reflect on how Toyah impacted our lives.'

Vanessa Gardiner, Toyah's mother, told the grieving crowd she believed her daughter was in safe hands.

She said her own mother had predicted the 24-year-old would be born with wings, because of Mrs Gardiner's own fascination with fairies.

'Spread your wings my little Toyah and fly away with those fairies,' she said.

'I know you'll be forever safe in their arms. We love you.'

Ms Cordingley's death has sent shock waves through Cairns and its surrounding areas.

In an attempt to find justice for the young woman, more than 1500 locals are expected to hit the beach on Sunday to help look for clues that would help bring her killer to justice.

Family friend David 'Prong' Trimble and 'at least' 1,500 others will scour Wangetti Beach from northern end to southern end, looking for the 24-year-old's phone, wallet, keys, and items of her clothing.

Ms Cordingley's mother, Vanessa Gardiner, said her own mother had predicted the 24-year-old would 'be born with wings'

On Sunday, more than 1500 people are expected to help comb Wangetti Beach for Ms Cordingley's wallet, phone, keys and items of her clothing

They will use metal detectors, nets, and drones, and will be accompanied by officers from Queensland Police and SES volunteers.

'The northern and southern car parks are four kilometres apart, so it's a fair stretch,' Mr Trimble explained. 'We're expecting about 1500 people minimum, it's really blown these coppers here out.'

Mr Trimble, who is now retired but an active charity fundraiser in the area, said people were keen to jump on board because, like him, they felt helpless and were desperate to see Ms Cordingley's killers caught.

'I've been retired nine months,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'I knew this girl and I know her family. And I was sitting on my front deck, doing nothing.'I thought: "bugger this", and got on my bike to go have a look.

'I got to Ellis Beach, rang a couple of mates to see if they wanted to come, and had a chat to some people at the bar about it, and it snowballed from there.

'There's a lot of people who haven't been doing anything and we all wanted to do something, so we got this walk together.'

People taking part in the walk will meet at Ellis Bar and Grill at 7am on Sunday for a complimentary breakfast, before Amazing Grace plays on the bagpipes and a minute's silence is held.

Wangetti Beach is about 40 kilometres north of Cairns. On Sunday, more than 1500 people are expected to help comb the beachfront and surrounding areas for Ms Cordingley's personal effects

They'll travel 15km to the beach, and split equally between the northern and southern ends.

'You never know what comes out of it,' Mr Trimble said. 'I said to the coppers, "[I hope] we're not tripping on your feet", but they're really on board.'

After the walk, the group will return to the bar and grill, and later in the day a tattoo artist will be raising money for Ms Cordingley's family in Cairns city by selling flash tattoos designed in memory of the beloved young woman.

A lot of mysteries surround Ms Cordingley's death, and police are yet to publicly identify any suspects in her murder.

Locals have said vagrants and 'odd-bods', some who take hard drugs, populated the sand dunes area where Ms Cordingley was found.

Mr Trimble says these people have been moved on by Queensland Police, and the area is currently free of campers as locals and investigators search for answers.
Australia is infamous for breeding some of the most dangerous animals in the world, and this week social media users got to see exactly what happens when two of them come up against each other.

In footage shared online by Queensland tour agency Unique Fraser, an angry goanna squared up against a sneaky red-bellied black snake.

The video shows the goanna violently shaking the snake, with one Facebook observer commenting that it was 'like a dog with a toy rope'.

In footage shared online by Queensland tour agency Unique Fraser, an angry goanna squared up against a sneaky red-bellied black snake

Earlier this year Fraser Island resident Steven Sykus told The Gympie Times that while snakes and goannas were prolific on the island they did not usually attack each other.

The video of the savage fight has been shared on Facebook close to 3,000 times, with most awarding the winning prize belt to the physically much-larger lizard.

The red-faced, red-bellied serpent is yet to confirm whether he will request a rematch.
A 26-year-old woman who went missing while out celebrating Halloween was found dead in a Colorado creek the following morning.

Vail police put out a missing person alert for Margo Khalili on Thursday, and confirmed her body had been discovered in Gore Creek not far from where she lived just hours later.

According to authorities there were no signs of suspicious circumstances or foul play, but no cause of death has been identified.

Margo Khalili, 26, went missing after a Halloween party on Wednesday night and was found dead in a creek in Vail, Colorado, the following morning. Police had put out a missing person alert for Khalili, pictured right in a purple Halloween ensemble, early on Thursday afternoon

Police have said Khalili had left a party in Vail Village around 10.30pm Wednesday night and took the bus home to East Vail.

However, it is still unclear what happened after she got off the bus.

'We don't know if she got lost in the dark and ended up falling or not. We are not sure if hypothermia played a role in it, but she did end up in the creek,' Vail Police Commander Ryan Kenney told ABC7.

'There was new snow this morning so footprints were covered over and there is not a lot for us to go on right now.'

The investigation is being carried out by Vail police and the Eagle County Coroner's Office.

The Vail community has been left stunned by Khalili's death particularly given the sparse amount of details currently known.

'People are shocked. They don't know what do do. They don't know what do think,' Cornelius Nienaber, whose friends knew Khalili, told ABC7.'You just feel sad, obviously, for her, her family.'

He added: 'Nobody really knows right now what happened. Everybody is in the dark.'

Video courtesy of ABC7.
A woman has broken into a bar in a sheep onesie.

A stolen car was used to smash the glass window of the Bishop Brothers Public House bar, in Christchurch, New Zealand, about 2.40am on Friday.

CCTV footage shows the woman and her male accomplice directing the car into backing into the bar before they're seen running into the premises.

CCTV footage shows the pair directing the car into backing into the bar (pictured)

The woman can be seen grabbing several bottles of alcohol (pictured)

The woman, who is dressed in the sheep onesie, can be seen grabbing several bottles of alcohol.

The man is at the other end of the bar and is also grabbing bottles of alcohol and then approaches the woman and snatches more bottles.

As he leaves he also opens the till to see if there's any money but it appears to be empty.

A man and a woman were arrested later that day.
President Donald Trump has blamed last week's two domestic terror ordeals for slowing down the Republican 'momentum' ahead of the midterm election.

During a campaign rally in Columbia, Missouri on Thursday night, Trump said the 'maniacs' behind the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre and the mailed pipe bombs targeting Democrats had taken attention away from the election.

'We did have two maniacs stop a momentum that was incredible, because for seven days nobody talked about the elections,' Trump said in his closing remarks to the rollicking crowd of supporters.

'More importantly, we have to take care of our people, and we don't care about momentum when it comes to a disgrace like just happened to our country.

'But it did nevertheless stop a certain momentum, and now the momentum is picking up.'

During a campaign rally in Columbia, Missouri on Thursday night, Trump said the 'maniacs' behind the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre and the mailed pipe bombs targeting Democrats had taken attention away from the election

Florida man Cesar Sayoc, 56, is accused of sending 15 improvised explosive devices to numerous Democrats, Trump critics and media outlets last week.

Meanwhile, Robert Bowers, 46, is accused of fatally shooting 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue during Sabbath prayers on Saturday.

Trump's comments came during the rally in which he implored voters to reject Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill and to instead install a Republican in her seat who would fully back his agenda.

The rally, held in an airline hangar draped in American flags, was Trump's second rally in an 11-stop, eight-state tour designed to boost Republican turnout ahead of Tuesday's crucial midterm elections.

The president, accompanied by McCaskill's Republican challenger, Josh Hawley, declared that Hawley 'will be a star.'

Hawley, the current attorney general, sought to link McCaskill to Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who lost the state in 2016 by nearly 19 percentage points.

'Claire McCaskill has spent her lifetime in politics just like Hillary,' Hawley said. 'Claire McCaskill wanted us to call Hillary Clinton 'Madam President.' On Nov. 6, we're going to call Claire McCaskill 'fired'.'

With four days to go until midterm elections that determine control of Congress, Republicans are optimistic they could make gains in the Senate, but they might struggle to maintain a majority in the House.

McCaskill is among a number of vulnerable Democrats running in red states. She is a top target for Republicans seeking to expand the party's slim 51-49 edge in the U.S. Senate.

Trump blamed last week's two domestic terror ordeals for slowing down the Republican 'momentum' ahead of the midterm election on Tuesday

Cesar Sayoc (left) is accused of sending 15 improvised explosive devices to Democrats, while Robert Bowers (right) allegedly shot dead 11 in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre

She is pitching herself as a moderate as she seeks to hold onto her seat. She has sought to distance herself from 'crazy Democrats' and said in an appearance on Fox News that she supports Trump's efforts to secure the southern border.

Hawley has dismissed her efforts and argues that she is not the right fit for an increasingly conservative state.

Trump said that McCaskill has been 'saying nice things' but that she 'wants to get elected and then she'll always vote against us'.

A check of her record, however, shows that McCaskill votes with the president about half the time, though she has opposed him on some key issues, including his tax cuts and the recent confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The president, who this week threatened to end a constitutional right that automatically grants citizenship to any baby born in the United States, railed against the 14th Amendment during the Thursday rally, calling it a 'crazy, lunatic policy' supported by Democrats.

'The Democrats want to continue giving automatic birthright citizenship to every child born to an illegal immigrant, even if they've been on our soil for a mere matter of seconds,' Trump said.

'Hundreds of thousands of children born to illegal immigrants are made automatic citizens of the United States every year because of this crazy, lunatic policy that we can end.'

The president will return to Missouri before Election Day, rallying voters Monday in Cape Girardeau.
A mother-of-four is stunned to be facing criminal charges after accusations she stole money from her local Woolworths store.

Mount Gambier woman Belinda Howell, 42, told The Advertiser an alleged mix-up could cost her a future in nursing.

Mrs Howell has been called before the courts after claims she stole almost $1000 from a Mount Gambier Woolworths store.

Mrs Howell says she was at the self-service checkout and requested $1100 cash out.

A mother-of-four is stunned to be facing criminal charges after accusations she stole money from her local Woolworths store (stock image)

She said she intended on using the money to pay for some home renovations and to pay the wages of her son's carers.

Her oldest son, Jesse, is afflicted with cerebral palsy and needs around the clock care.

When the self-service checkout only gave her some of the requested $1100, Mrs Howell alleges a Woolworths staff member quickly tended to her.

She claims the staff member returned with a 'wad of cash' and handed it over.

Mrs Howell said she did not count the cash as she assumed it was the correct amount.

However two months later Mrs Howell got a knock on her door and was shocked to see South Australian Police waiting for her.

All they told her was that she was required in court 'relating to an incident at Woolworths'.

'I didn't sleep at all that night, all sorts of thoughts were going through my head. Maybe I backed into another car in the carpark or had one of the kids stolen a lolly, I had no idea,' she told The Advertiser.

She had been charged with dishonestly deceiving another to benefit herself.

A Woolworths spokeswoman said: 'Following an internal investigation we referred this matter to the South Australia Police

Mrs Howell said she was a proud person who put a lot of stock in being an honest person and that the whole saga had shaken her faith in the retail giant.

'I was (at Woolworths) later that night and the next day, they know me as a regular so I don't know why they didn't just say 'our till was down and we think you might have it', I wouldve happily repaid it and I still would,' she said.

A Woolworths spokeswoman said: 'Following an internal investigation we referred this matter to the South Australia Police.

'We assisted the police with their investigation and understand they decided to proceed with the prosecution.'

The case will return to Mt Gambier Magistrates Court this month for a pre-trial hearing.
Technology, security concerns or profit seeking should not limit our vision. "It would not be enough even to concentrate exclusively on biodiversity and ecosystems, if the role of the human person were left aside.

Bali (AsiaNews)  The Indonesian government hosted this week (29-30 October) the fifth international Our Ocean Conference (picture 2) on the island of Bali titled Our Ocean, Our Legacy to promote the protection of the oceans.

Archbishop Piero Pioppo (picture 1), apostolic nuncio to Indonesia, headed the Holy See delegation to the event. In his address, he said that In the management of marine and ocean resources, it is necessary to employ responsible behaviors, as well as to facilitate the necessary assistance and cooperation for the development of the most vulnerable communities.

Indeed, oceans require our attention and a willing collaboration for the implementation, on the one hand, of a serious interdisciplinary approach and, on the other, of the principle of subsidiarity, involving the local, national and regional contexts, as well as the international level. The common objective is to ensure a real protection of what the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea describes as the common heritage of mankind.

Underlining how the issue of the seas is imported to the Holy See, the archbishop mentioned the initiatives undertaken by the Catholic Church. In particular, he noted the various types of assistance offered to sailors, such as support for the development of fishing communities and the protection of their rights, the incessant work with and in favour of migrants, activities carried out with communities threatened by rising seas, programmes for the protection of the seabed.

The nuncio on those present to focus on issues such as migration flows resources, exploration and exploitation, as well as issues related to trade and transportation.

In order for these interests and activities to be truly at the service of the common good, of the whole human family and of the integral and harmonious development of each person and of each community, it is important that they be guided by just ethical principles. In particular, a healthy anthropology must illuminate our relationship with this marvelous and impressive gift - the oceans.

One must not be limited to a vision of the oceans that is framed solely by technology, by concerns of security, or by the search for profits. [. . .] It would not be enough even to concentrate exclusively on biodiversity and ecosystems, if the role of the human person were left aside, Mgr Pioppo warns.

Instead, we must address the threats to our oceans in a courageous and adequate way. Often, the causes of these threats are found on land: dangerous and forced migration, the scourge of various forms of criminal trafficking and the pollution of the seas.

Citing Pope Franciss Our Ocean 2017, the archbishop noted that the oceans remind us of the need to educate for the covenant between humanity and the environment (cf. Laudato Si', 209-215).

Finally, In this regard, efforts should be made to train young people to care for the oceans but also, wherever possible, helping them to grow in knowledge, appreciation and contemplation of their vastness and grandeur. For the contemplation of creation can teach us valuable lessons and be an unending source of inspiration (cf. Laudato Si', 85)".
A raging fire that broke out at the edge of a major New South Wales highway has caused disruption for commuters traveling home Friday afternoon.

The bushfire came dangerously close to the Pacific Highway in Freemans Waterhole, a small town west of Lake Macquarie, about 3pm.

The NSW Rural Fire Service issued a Watch and Act alert for people passing through the the area, and closed Palmers Road to traffic as they battled the blaze.

A raging fire that broke out at the edge of a major New South Wales highway has caused disruption for commuters traveling home Friday afternoon

As conditions eased the fire was downgraded to Advice alert level, however smoke was still visible from the M1.

Cessnock Road remained closed in both directions between the M1 and Cozzie Lane as the final peak hour before the weekend encroached.

Motorists heading north towards Toronto were told to exit at Mandalong Road and to take the Wangi Road alternative.

While the M1 remained open, drivers heading south were unable to access Palmers Road from Wakefield Road.

The bushfire came dangerously close to the Pacific Highway in Freemans Waterhole, a small town west of Lake Macquarie, about 3pm

As conditions eased the fire was downgraded to Advice alert level, however smoke was still visible from the M1

Crews in aircraft were also called in to help fight the fire from the sky.

Scary footage showed giant plumes of smoke towering over a roadside barrier, with firefighters appearing tiny in comparison the the massive clouds.

The natural disaster came as a 'killer heat wave' hit the east coast causing a complete fire ban to be declared for the entire state of New South Wales.

The NSW RFS also issued warnings Friday afternoon ahead of a forecast lightening strikes, which have the potential to cause more fires as they move across the state.
A former mafia hitman and primary suspect behind the shooting death of a Liberal politician has died, taking the secrets of the killing to his grave.

James Frederick Bazley, who is long suspected to have executed Donald Mackay in 1977, died aged 92 at a Melbourne nursing home on Thursday.

Bazley, known as the 'Iceman', was the last of three men alive charged with conspiring to murder Mr Mackay in Griffith, in the New South Wales Riverina.

He was sentenced to nine years jail in 1986 - but he always denied pulling the trigger.

Former assassin James Frederick Bazley (right), who was the prime suspect in the Donald Mackay (left) killing in 1977, died aged 92 at a Melbourne nursing home on Thursday

While the former hitman refused to shed any light on the matter, an associate of Mr Mackay's killer now claims he knows the whereabouts of his body.

The informant, who hasn't revealed the location, said he knows where the body was buried but was sworn to secrecy until after Bazley's death, 9News reported.

The assassination was Australia's first political killing and led to multiple inquiries and a royal commission into the illegal drug trade in New South Wales.

Mr Mackay was an up and coming politician, renowned for his stance on drugs and was allegedly shot after he led a protest against the illegal cannabis trade.

On July 16, 1977, Mr Mackay vanished from the car park of the Griffith Hotel after having drinks with friends following the cannabis trade protest, ABC News reported.

Following his disappearance, police found bullet casings and blood stains on the door of his van but his body was never recovered.

Mr Mackay's disappearance was one of the largest police investigations at the time, with more than 3,500 people being interviewed.

The 43-year-old previously helped police bust a large marijuana crop in nearby Coleambally, and detectives believe this may have led to his murder being plotted.

On July 16, 1977, Mr Mackay vanished from the car park of the Griffith Hotel (pictured) after having drinks with friends following the cannabis trade protest

James Frederick Bazley (pictured), who was known as the 'Iceman', was believed to have gunned down the prominent Liberal anti-drugs campaigner in Griffith in 1977

Bazley - along with Gianfranco Tizzoni and George Joseph - was charged with conspiring to murder Mr Mackay two years after his death but he was never tried over firing the gun.

The former hitman was also contracted to kill drug runners Isabel and Douglas Wilson and their dog in 1986, but as a dog lover he refused to shoot their poodle.

Retired police officer Brian McVicar, who worked on the case in the '70s, told ABC News it was also difficult to get people to talk about Mr Mackay's death.

He said even after a $200,000 reward was offered in 2013, people were still reluctant to come forward and discuss what happened all those years ago.

'There was a lot of money offered in the past and nothing ever came out from that,' Mr McVicar said.

The former police officer said he is hopeful that Bazley's death will encourage other people who have information to come forward.

'The information has always been fairly tight with the Victorian connections and it's taken a long time to get to this stage and maybe there will be closure,' he said.
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Thousands of Australians took to the nation's beaches in full force on Friday as temperatures soared past 40C in an early summer preview.

Those eager to make the most of the sunshine headed to Bondi Beach in Sydney as the harbour city baked in 39C heat.

Surfers and sunseekers flocked to the iconic beach as the latest low pressure front brought clear skies and perfect tanning weather.

Records were smashed across New South Wales, as Green Cape in the state's far south-east broke its November record by six degrees and Woolongong's highs of 36C represented its highest ever early Spring mark.

Australians took to the nation's beaches in full force on Friday as temperatures soared past 40C in an early summer preview

Those eager to make the most of the sunshine headed to Bondi Beach in Sydney as the harbour city baked in 39C heat

The thermostat rose even further in western parts of the state with temperatures near Broken Hill tipping 41C on Friday

Victorians enjoyed slightly cooler levels dipping into the high 30s as the eastern states received the benefits of a cold front sweeping in from central areas

The intense heat in New South Wales, meanwhile, sparked bushfire fears with the Illawarra region south of Sydney placed under a severe warning heading into the weekend.

The thermostat rose even further in western parts of the state with temperatures near Broken Hill tipping 41C on Friday.

Victorians enjoyed slightly cooler levels dipping into the high 30s as the eastern states received the benefits of a cold front sweeping in from central areas.

Beachgoers were seen escaping the heat at Coogee Beach as temperatures soared to 41C in western parts of the state on Friday

NSW Ambulance chief superintendent Alan Morrison said people needed to look out for those who are most vulnerable

Weatherzone forecaster Tom Hough said temperatures would continue to remain high in eastern NSW on Saturday.

He said: 'We expect temperatures to stay above 30 degrees on Saturday as the cold pressure front passes through, but that will be followed by cooler temperatures on Sunday.'

Coupled with the intense heat are 'vigorous' winds which will lash parts of the state over the next few days.

Weatherzone forecaster Tom Hough said: 'We expect temperatures to stay above 30 degrees on Saturday in Sydneyas the cold pressure front passes through, but that will be followed by cooler temperatures on Sunday'

Weatherzone forecaster Tom Hough said temperatures would continue to remain high in eastern NSW on Saturday before cooling off on Sunday

The warm air has been sitting over the interior of Australia, and will settle in over Sydney and eastern parts of NSW on Friday and Saturday

Authorities are warning people to be wary of the danger of heat exhaustion as the temperatures continue to climb heading into summer

An unseasonable heatwave has seared Australia - as experts warn the scorching temperatures mixed with 'vigorous' winds mean there is a high risk of devastating fires

Sydney reached 38C on Friday while parts of New South Wales hit a high of 41C as summer set in early in parts of the eastern states

Surfers and ray-seekers were present on the iconic beach as the latest low pressure front brought clear skies and perfect tanning weather

Hot air is being pushed from the centre of the country towards the east coast by a cold front.

The warm air has been sitting over the interior of Australia, and will settle in over Sydney on Friday and Saturday.

Authorities are warning people to be wary of the danger of heat exhaustion as the temperatures continue to climb heading into summer.

NSW Ambulance chief superintendent Alan Morrison said people needed to look out for those who are most vulnerable.

'Heat can kill which is why it's so important to stay hydrated and look out for the elderly, the young and pets,' he said.

Tibooburra and White Cliffs in NSW's north-west will feel the worst of the heat with temperatures in the low 40s expected.

Very high fire danger warnings have been issued by the Bureau of Meterology for most of NSW.

The Illawarra region south of Sydney has a 'severe' risk of bushfires, while total fire bans remain in place for the greater Sydney area, Southern Ranges, and Greater Hunter areas.

NSW Ambulance chief superintendent Alan Morrison said people needed to look out for those who are most vulnerable

The Illawarra region south of Sydney has a 'severe' risk of bushfires, while total fire bans remain in place for the greater Sydney area, Southern Ranges, and Greater Hunter areas (stock image)

'Vigorous' and 'damaging' winds of up to 110km/h will whip alpine areas in NSW and the Australian Capital territory.

Thredbo Top Station recorded a gust of 104km/h about 2am on Friday.

BOM is warning people to move vehicles under cover or away from trees, secure loose items around their houses and keep away from fallen power lines or fences.

Meanwhile in Victoria, a thunderstorm asthma warning has been issued for Friday.

People who develop systems are urged to avoid exposure to storms or strong winds and have someone who can help them close by.

BOM is warning people to move vehicles under cover or away from trees, secure loose items around their houses and keep away from fallen power lines or fences

Hot air is being pushed from the centre of the country towards the east coast by a cold front, which will pass through by Sunday

Ten people died due to thunderstorm asthma in Melbourne in November 2016.

The warm weather will be followed up by rain, threatening to impact the Melbourne Cup.

Melbourne reached 30C on Friday, but showers are likely for Tuesday's great race.

'For the moment, we believe there'll be a few showers particularly in the first half of the day and temperatures in the low 20s,' meteorologist Chris Godfred said.

Melbourne reached 30C on Friday, but showers are likely for Tuesday's great race, threatening to impact the Melbourne Cup

Authorities in Tasmania are no longer issuing burn permits and revoking others due to 'very high' fire danger warnings.

Regional fire chief Jeremy Smith said thunderstorms and strong, dry winds are expected on Friday.

'In these conditions only one strong gust of wind or nearby lightning strike could pose a risk,' he said.

An 'erratic' bushfire continues to grow west of Canberra, stretching to 54 hectares by Friday morning.

The inferno started from a care fire on Laurel Camp Road about 6pm on Thursday.

More than 25 fire trucks are struggling to contain the blaze, and airplanes will be using buckets to dump water on it on Friday.

'The fire is burning erratically and is heading in a south-easterly direction,' an Emergency Services Agency spokesperson told the Canberra Times.

Authorities in Tasmania are no longer issuing burn permits and revoking others due to 'very high' fire danger warnings (stock image)
Students at a prestigious Sydney university are being told to complete a consent and sexual behaviour course otherwise they won't be given their final results.

At universities around the country, students must complete an online 90-minute test called 'Consent Matters' before beginning their studies.

The University of Technology implemented the four modules earlier this year, and told its staff and students they must have it completed by November 23.

Designed at Oxford University by London-based company Epigeum, each module has a series of videos, stick figure cartoons and infographics.

Students at a Sydney university must complete an online 90-minute test called 'Consent Matters' before beginning their studies. The course (pictured) aims to help students understand consensual sexual activity, which it defines as including kissing and touching

The one and a half hour long animated course touches on how levels of intoxication would affect each person's ability to give consent to sexual activity

Modules explain different aspects of sexual consent, including the age of consent and the difference between 'active' and 'passive' bystanders

The course aims to help students understand consensual sexual activity, which it defines as including kissing and touching.

Modules explain different aspects of sexual consent, including the age of consent and the difference between 'active' and 'passive' bystanders.

The one and a half hour long animated course touches on how levels of intoxication would affect each person's ability to give consent to sexual activity.

News.com.au reported that students need to get a result of 100 per cent once they've completed the 90-minute module to receive their marks for the semester.

UTS managed to make the test compulsory for all students, with the only exception being those who 'have experienced trauma'.

Students are also schooled on boundaries, misconceptions about consent and how others should intervene if they see sexual harassment occurring.

Designed at Oxford University by London-based company Epigeum, each module has a series of videos, stick figure cartoons and infographic scenarios

The University of Technology (pictured) is one of many universities around Australia where students are being forced to complete a consent and sexual behaviour course

The test has also been rolled out at other prestigious universities, including the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne and residential students at the Australian National University.

CONSENT MATTERS The test is divided into four key sections, including 'Thinking about consent', 'Communication skills and relationships', 'Looking out for others' and 'Support'. Students who have to complete the module must get 100 per cent on every section in order to pass. Some questions require multiple answers and can lead to fail marks. Those who complete the test will have to wait up to 72 hours for their end of year results to appear. Advertisement

Some have slammed the the idea of the test, as honours student at the University of Sydney Claudia Reed told The Daily Telegraph it's not likely it will work.

'It is the university's way of saying, 'we've done our part, we look good', but it's not actually going to fix anything,' Ms Reed said.

Eleni Vellios, a Medical Science student at the university, said requiring an 'enthusiastic 'yes'' before kissing could take place was impractical.

Contrastingly, Desiree Cai, University of Melbourne's student union president, praised the move for being an important first step in addressing sexual harassment.

'Discussions about what consent is didn't exist a couple of years ago,' Ms Cai said.

'There has been a real shift but we would like to see more action in the future.'
An Irish woman who stabbed her tradesman fiance to death has spoken for the first time about her thoughts on the brutal killing.

Cathrina 'Tina' Cahill, 27, last week pleaded guilty to manslaughter after it was downgraded from murder, for David Walsh's stabbing death at their home in south-west Sydney in February 2017.

In an emotional cross-examination at the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday, Cahill revealed her frame of mind before and after the father-of-four's stabbing.

'He made my life hard but he was someone who I loved and adored,' she told the court.

Cathrina 'Tina' Cahill, 27 (pictured), last week pleaded guilty to manslaughter after it was downgraded from murder, for David Walsh's stabbing death at their home in south-west Sydney in February 2017

Cahill told the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday that Mr Walsh (pictured) constantly accused her of being unfaithful and attacked several men for being in her company

'I stayed with him because I loved him so much. He told me no matter what I did, I'd never get away from him and if I got with anyone else he'd make their life a living hell.'

The comments came following questioning by Crown Prosecutor Nanette Williams and saw Cahill express remorse for the violent killing.

'There's not a day that goes by when I don't think about his family and his three girls,' she said.

'If I had a time machine I would get into it. That's why I pleaded guilty to manslaughter and I'm willing to do my time.'

Earlier in the day, Cahill detailed to the court how the pair's relationship was one hallmarked by abuse and control.

This included claims Mr Walsh constantly accused her of being unfaithful and attacked several men for being in her company.

In one instance, Cahill claimed her then-boyfriend king hit another Irishman who she and another female friend struck up a conversation with, while on a night out near their home in Sydney.

'Don't look at my missus again,' Cahill told the court of Mr Walsh's words to the man.

Cahill (pictured) had earlier detailed to the court how her and Mr Walsh's relationship was one hallmarked by abuse and control

The court also heard how Cahill found pictures of herself asleep with semen on her face on Mr Walsh's phone and would regularly wake up undressed

Months later, when Cahill and another female housemate brought a 21-year-old family friend back to their home 'for drinks', Walsh 'took him outside and punched him' because he was 'looking at (Walsh)'.

On Australia Day 2017, Cahill said Mr Walsh was adamant he would 'slap the head off someone tonight' before engaging in a bloodied street fight with a man who asked him for a lighter.

She also detailed prolific verbal and emotional abuse throughout their two-year relationship.

'Everyday he'd accuse me of having an affair with someone else,' she told the court.

'When we'd be driving and if I looked in the rear view mirrors he'd say ''I hope you had a good look you sl*t''.'

'He had it in for every male in my vicinity. And would say I only had my job because I was sucking my bosses' d**ks.'

On Australia Day 2017, Cahill said Mr Walsh (pictured) was adamant he would 'slap the head off someone tonight' before engaging in a bloodied street fight with a man who asked him for a lighter, the court heard

In April 2016, Cahill (pictured) was convicted of recklessly wounding Mr Walsh, 29 (pictured), following an incident at their Sydney home and placed on a two-year good behaviour bond

The court also heard how Cahill found pictures of herself asleep with semen on her face on Mr Walsh's phone and would regularly wake up undressed.

'He laughed at me and told me if I was going to have sex with him he'd get it anyway,' she said.

The former traffic controller told the court how she suffered from panic attacks and insomnia for the duration of their two-year relationship.

Days before his violent death on February 17, 2017, Mr Walsh gifted Cahill flowers for Valentine's Day with the attached message reading: 'I know I can be a c***, but I can be a good c***'.

In court on Thursday, Judge Peter Johnson admitted the pair's relationship had been 'volatile' on 'both sides'.

It was then revealed Cahill had a previous conviction for being violent toward the father-of-four.

In April 2016, Cahill was convicted of recklessly wounding Mr Walsh, 29, following an incident at their Sydney home and placed on a two-year good behaviour bond.

Cahill was due to face a murder trial in the NSW Supreme Court on October 23, but the charge was downgraded to manslaughter.

She then pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis of substantial impairment by abnormality of the mind.
The close bond forged between two young boys who watched their father murder their mother in a house fire, pushing her back into the blaze he'd started before closing the door, has left a judge on the verge of tears.

Justice David Davies choked up as he read the statement of the eldest son, now 11, which says his brother 'is pouring all his feelings' onto him 'because he has no one else to lean on' after the October 2016 blaze.

'It was clear to me from seeing the boys give their evidence... that they are very close to each other,' the New South Wales Supreme Court judge said with a quavering voice.

'That may be the one thing which will help to minimise the damage to them from this terrible crime.'

A court has heard two young boys watched on as their father murdered his wife in their burning family home (pictured)

The 45-year-old man - who cannot be named - was found guilty by a jury in July and jailed in Sydney on Friday for 36 years with a non-parole period of 27 years.

Justice Davies described the murder as 'confronting, shocking and gruesome to a marked degree'.

'It's difficult to imagine the horror the deceased must have experienced in her last minutes alive when she was unable to escape the fire in her room, with the knowledge that it was her husband preventing that,' he said.

The man stopped his eldest son, then aged nine, from trying to save his mother while the younger boy testified he'd told his father 'get mum out and let her go outside'.

The victim made a triple-zero call from her burning bedroom at 3.34am, lasting four minutes and 13 seconds, while her husband waited until her screams had stopped before making a call at 3.38am.

'He must have known by the time he made that call his wife was either dead or incapacitated,' the judge said.

The offender also 'made no effort to rescue the boys' until his wife stopped screaming and attempting escape.

Her burnt body was found in rubble between a bed and a window with metal bars.

The mother's burnt body was found in the rubble of her and her husband's bedroom

Justice Davies said the married couple's relationship had deteriorated in the preceding years, and she had complained to family and friends that he was 'restrictive of her freedom and movements'.

She met another man through a dating app and had made arrangements the day before she died to move out.

The pair argued about her use of the messaging app Viber that night.

'It needs to be made quite clear that marriage or a similar relationship gives no right to one party to control another,' Justice Davies said, adding that he is 'certain the offender knew the deceased was going to leave him'.

He cited the prevalence of women across Australia being murdered at the hands of their spouse or partner.

'Those murders and other acts of violence occur because the woman will not bend her will to the man. This is what happened here,' the judge said.

The man will be eligible for parole in October 2043.

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A 55-year-old teacher who groomed his 16-year-old student will lose his teaching licence for five years, but will face no criminal charges.

Shane Osmond, developed 'romantic feelings' for his student at a northeast Melbourne high school and at one point flooded his Facebook inbox with 1,650 explicit messages and gifted him with a 'soulmate necklace'.

Despite the allegations, Osmond will not face any criminal charges but has been banned from classrooms, The Victorian Institute of Teaching confirmed on Friday.

Shane Osmond, developed 'romantic feelings' for his student at a northeast Melbourne high school and at one point flooded his Facebook inbox with 1,650 explicit messages and gave him a 'soulmate necklace' (stock image)

Osmond, who taught at a public high school in Melbourne's northeast, has been suspended by the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT), where a hearing was told he sent his student up to 20 Facebook messages a day over 17 months.

They included links to chronic masturbation posts where Osmond told his student, 'read this and thought of you, LOL' and a Christmas image of elves making phallic shaped sex toys.', the Herald Sun reported.

The hearing also heard that Osmond referred to his penis as 'champ' and named the student's penis 'Theo'.

Evidence was also submitted that Osmond took the student out for an expensive lunch at a bar for the boy's 17th birthday where he also gifted the teenager a drone, socks, green tea and a Captain America USB.

When the student finished school, the hearing was told Osmond gifted him a photo album of pictures of them together.

The teacher resigned after being confronted by the school principal about his behaviour and subsequently the institute was notified in April 2017.

'Osmond's behaviour (was found) to be characterised by a pattern of growing familiarity to the point of obsession, loss of objectivity and a desire to create what he himself described as 'an indestructible friendship',' the institute's statement read.

Despite the evidence, Osmond will escape criminal charges.

'Osmond's behaviour constituted a substantial departure from the expectations of a member of the teaching profession and therefore amounted to serious misconduct,' institute CEO Peter Corcoran said in a statement (stock image)

Under Victorian law, there is no offence of grooming a child over the age of 16, even if it's by a teacher considered in a position of power.

Victims of Crime Commissioner Greg Davies said the oversight in the law was 'more than a loophole'.

'It's a clear gap in the legislation that leaves children vulnerable,' he said.

Osmond will be eligible to reapply for a new teaching licence in 2022.
A schizophrenic killer thought he was 'saving the world' when he stabbed a French tourist to death in an unprovoked attack at a truck stop in the Australian outback.

Panda Veleski, 37, pleaded not guilty to murdering Philippe Jegouzo, 33, on the grounds of mental impairment but is currently being held in a Darwin prison.

The father-of-one from Melbourne was sentenced to 20 years in custodial supervision under the care of the chief executive of the Health Department.

The attack eerily happened on the same stretch of highway where British backpacker Peter Falconio vanished in 2001.

The court heard that Panda Veleski (pictured) had gone off his anti-psychotic medication and told psychiatrists he thought he would 'save the world' by killing a French backpacker

Mr Jegouzo, was sitting with his wife Aurelie Chorier at a folding table at a truck stop 100km north of Alice Springs on November 30, 2016 when Veleski pulled up in his car and stabbed the Frenchman up to 20 times in the neck with scissors.

Veleski fled into bushland on foot and was arrested naked the next morning following an overnight manhunt by police.

Veleski had gone off his anti-psychotic medication prior to the attack and told two psychiatrists he thought he would 'save the world' by killing Mr Jegouzo, the Northern Territory Supreme Court heard.

Mr Jegouzo was taking a break with his partner at a truck stop (pictured) 100km north of Alice Springs on November 30, 2016 when he was fatally stabbed in the neck

Veleski was unable to reason whether his conduct was wrong according to psychiatrists Dr Lester Walton and Professor David Greenberg, The NT News reported.

Chief Justice Michael Grant said the actions of Veleski, who has schizophrenia, caused 'immeasurable anguish' to Mr Jegouzo's family.

Members of Mr Jegouzo's family had travelled from France to be in Darwin on Friday to read victim impact statements to the court.

Melbourne father-of-one Panda Veleski (pictured) has been sentenced to 20 years in custodial supervision for the 2016 murder of a French backpacker in the Australian outback

'When they arrived in Australia we all felt reassured because for us they were in a safe country,' his sister Sylviane Chatry told the court.

'I miss my brother, my kids miss their uncle,' she said.

Mr Jegouzo and his wife has stopped their 1998 Toyota RAV4 at a truck stop about 100km north of Alice Springs in 2016 when he was fatally stabbed

Mr Jegouzo's twin sister, Isabelle Jegouzo said she can no longer celebrate her birthday.

'This person, whom I don't know, hasn't just killed someone, he has devastated an entire family,' she said.

But it was Ms Chorier who has been most devastated by her partner's death, who the court heard 'feels her life no longer has any meaning'.
Jamal Khashoggi's body was cut up and dissolved in acid after he was strangled inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey, and adviser to President Erdogan has said.

Yasin Aktay, an official in Turkey's ruling party, said on Friday that it appears Khashoggi's body was dismembered so it would be easier to melt.

The theory would explain why, a month after his murder, Saudi Arabia has not handed over the journalist's remains and no trace of his body has been found.

Elsewhere on Friday, it was claimed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Khashoggi a 'dangerous Islamist' to Trump officials shortly after he vanished.

Salman told Jared Kushner and National Security Adviser John Bolton that Khashoggi was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood during a phone call a few days after the journalist went missing, but before Saudi acknowledged he was dead.

Jamal Khashoggi's body was dissolved in acid after he was strangled inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey, and adviser to President Erdogan has said

Elsewhere it was claimed that Mohammed bin Salman called Jared Kushner and John Bolton and branded Khashoggi a 'dangerous Islamist'

The kingdom's de-facto ruler also urged Kushner and Bolton to maintain US-Saudi relations in the face of the growing scandal.

Khashoggi's family have repeatedly denied that the reporter - a Saudi regime insider turned critic - was a member of the Brotherhood, calling suggestions that he was dangerous 'ridiculous'.

Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official, told the Washington Post: 'This is character assassination added to premeditated murder.'

Salman's remarks to Kushner and Bolton also stand in stark contrast to his public statements since acknowledging that Khashoggi was killed by his officials.

Speaking at a business summit in Riyadh, in which he managed to sign business deals worth $50billion despite the killing, Salman said the killing was 'very painful, for all Saudis.'

Saudi Arabia hosts Christian summit Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a rare meeting with American evangelical Christians on Thursday, as the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom seeks to open up more to the world and repair an image of religious intolerance. The delegation was led by communications strategist Joel Rosenberg and included former U.S. congresswoman Michele Bachmann, according to an emailed statement by the group, as well as heads of American evangelical organizations, some with ties to Israel. 'It was a historic moment for the Saudi Crown Prince to openly welcome Evangelical Christian leaders to the Palace. We were encouraged by the candor of the two-hour conversation with him today,' the statement said. The delegation also met Saudi officials including Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Khalid bin Salman, and secretary-general of the Muslim World League Mohammed al-Issa. Advertisement

His regime has tried to paint the murder as the work of rogue elements within the Saudi state, which he has pledged to reform, and he called it 'not justifiable'.

Saudi Arabia initially denied having anything to do with Khashoggi's disappearance after he entered their consulate in Turkey, saying he left through a back entrance.

Their story then changed to say he had accidentally died during a fist fight with officials inside, before they admitted his killing was 'premeditated'.

Turkish prosecutors have since said they believe Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he walked into the building before his body was dismembered and disposed of.

Khashoggi's friends and Salman's critics believe the prince personally ordered the journalist's killing, and have called for him to be removed from office in its wake.

Trump has publicly and privately fumed about the murder, calling it the 'worst cover-up ever' and suggesting that Salman bears ultimate responsibility.

However, he has also said he is loathe to tear up arms agreements with the kingdom totalling billions of dollars on which thousands of American jobs rely.

So far the West's response has been muted, with leaders condemning the killing but taking only token action against Saudi - one of their closest allies in the Middle East.

America has placed travel bans on 21 Saudi officials implicated by the kingdom in the killing, and has begun calling for an end to the war in Yemen.

Salman ordered Saudi troops into the country, the Middle East's poorest, in 2015.

John Bolton and Jared Kushner, who took the call, were urged not to abandon US-Saudi ties in the face of the growing scandal

The news comes as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mulls what action to take against Saudi, and suggested on Friday that sanctions could be ready in a couple of weeks

Since then the country has been at the centre of a cholera outbreak as conditions deteriorated, with half the population now facing pre-famine conditions according to rights groups.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it would take 'a handful more weeks' before the US has enough evidence to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia.

However, he said the sanctions would focus on individuals responsible for Khashoggi's death, suggesting that the US is following Salman's line and holding 'rogue elements' responsible, rather than the kingdom and its leadership as a whole.

'We're continuing to understand the fact pattern,' Pompeo said Thursday during an interview with Missouri-based KMOX news radio.

'We are reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals that we have been able to identify to date that have - that were engaged in that murder.

'It'll take us probably a handful more weeks before we have enough evidence to actually put those sanctions in place, but I think we'll be able to get there,' he said, adding that President Donald Trump had vowed accountability for all involved in the 'heinous crime'.

The top US diplomat has previously said the killing 'violates the norms of international law.'

But Pompeo emphasized, as Trump has, that 'not only do we have important commercial relationships, but important strategic relationships, national security relationships with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we intend to make sure that those relationships remain intact.'

Speaking at a journalism awards ceremony Thursday, Fred Ryan, Publisher and CEO of the Washington Post which Khashoggi wrote for, urged the Trump administration to take a tougher line.

'When officials of our government are asked about consequences for Jamal's murder, they often talk about 'balancing our interests in the area,'' he said.

'The 'Khashoggi incident' is viewed in some respects as a 'complication' in a far more important strategic relationship.

'But Jamal's death is more than a 'complication.' It is vicious, state-sponsored murder of an innocent journalist,' he added, calling on the government to suspend arms deals with Riyadh and not resume 'business as usual' with the kingdom.

'If those who persecute journalists get away with their crimes - and are allowed to continue with business as usual - it only invites more of the same,' he said.

Khashoggi's fiancee says killing 'cannot be forgotten' Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, wrote a new opinion piece in The Washington Post on Friday She said: 'It has been exactly one month since my fiance, the celebrated journalist Jamal Khashoggi, entered Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul never to return. 'Today is also United Nations International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. The coincidence is tragic and painful Hatice Cengiz urged Trump to take strong action against Saudi after Khashoggi's death 'As we witness the international outrage at his killing, the perpetrators should know that they can never erase his vision for his beloved country. They have only emboldened it. 'It is now up to the international community to bring the perpetrators to justice. Of all nations, the United States should be leading the way. 'The country was founded on the ideals of liberty and justice for all, the First Amendment enshrining the ideals personified by Jamal. But the Trump administration has taken a position that is devoid of moral foundation. 'Some have approached this through the cynical prism of self-interest - statements framed by fear and cowardice; by the fear of upsetting deals or economic ties. 'Some in Washington are hoping this matter will be forgotten with simple delaying tactics. But we will continue to push the Trump administration to help find justice for Jamal. There will be no coverup. 'I am not naive. I know that governments operate not on feelings but on mutual interests. 'However, they must all ask themselves a fundamental question: If the democracies of the world do not take genuine steps to bring to justice the perpetrators of this brazen, callous act - one that has caused universal outrage among their citizens - what moral authority are they left with? Whose freedom and human rights can than credibly continue to defend? 'At the consulate, I was left at the door alone. I am the one story Jamal did not complete. Now everyone, together, must help finish it and carry the torch of Jamal's soul until his dream is realized. READ THE FULL PIECE HERE Advertisement

Saudi loses swagger on world stage after Khashoggi crisis

By AFP

Saudi Arabia's crown prince retains an iron grip on power at home, but the growing outcry over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder has diminished his stature - and leverage - on the global stage, analysts say.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old heir to the most powerful throne in the Middle East, won international plaudits for his drive to remake the conservative petrostate while he amassed power to a degree unseen by previous rulers.

But last month's killing of Khashoggi - a critic of the crown prince - inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has tainted his global image, even though the kingdom strongly denies its de facto ruler was involved.

Mohammed bin Salman won friends and funding from around the world by promising to reform Saudi Arabia, but his image has now been badly tarnished

'There's an atmosphere right now where Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government and the prince personally are seen as somewhat radioactive,' said Hussein Ibish, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

'It's not clear how long that's going to continue, but right now Saudi Arabia is, if not exactly an international pariah, at least a tainted entity,' Ibish told AFP.

The global fallout over the murder so far has not threatened to unseat the prince, especially after his domestic crackdown on dissent, effectively neutering his political rivals, and his tightening grip on military and security agencies.

In the kingdom, an absolute monarchy, only 82-year-old King Salman - the prince's father - is in a position to oust him, and he has indicated he wants him to stay.

US President Donald Trump, a strong ally, has accused the Saudis of a massive 'cover up' but has stopped short of rupturing ties with the prince, who diplomats predict could rule the kingdom for a half-century to come.

'He is going nowhere,' Ali Shihabi, chief of the Arabia Foundation think tank that is said to be close to the kingdom's leadership, told AFP.

The threat of US sanctions still hangs over the kingdom, but analysts expect little punitive action against the world's top oil exporter that is also a major buyer of American weapons and a key ally against regional rival Iran.

'Even if this leads to more severe penalties should Prince Mohammed's responsibility for the crime be proven, he will not only survive, but will also use the backlash to entrench himself further domestically,' said Yezid Sayigh, a fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut.

The crisis has placed pressure upon the Saudi regime and calls for Salman to stand down, but this does not appear likely as he has an iron grip on power (pictured, the Saudi consulate)

'When under pressure, autocratic rulers do not relinquish power, they double down, no matter what the cost, and Mohammed bin Salman is in a better position than most.'

There were rumblings of intrigue with the return this week to Riyadh of senior Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who recently courted controversy after appearing critical of the king and crown prince.

His return after several months in London indicated possible royal family efforts to shore up support for the monarchy amid the crisis.

'Something is happening in the ruling Al Saud family circles,' said Gregory Gause, Saudi specialist at Texas A&M University.

'The return of Prince Ahmed from London signals that. But just what is happening is opaque.'

As outrage over Khashoggi's murder builds globally, world leaders could try to leverage Saudi Arabia's defensive position to wrangle concessions or seek an upper hand in diplomatic negotiations.

'He (the prince) is weakened. And Saudi Arabia is weakened,' said Ibish.

'There's now an added cost to... cooperating or partnering with Saudi Arabia in general, the government in particular and, especially, the crown prince.'

The Khashoggi crisis has shone a harsh spotlight on other issues such as Saudi Arabia's intervention in neighbouring Yemen, where its bombing campaign has led to a military stalemate and what aid workers call a humanitarian catastrophe.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week demanded a ceasefire within a month, including a halt to air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition.

There is also growing speculation of a behind-the-scenes engagement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who earlier vowed to reveal the 'naked truth' about Khashoggi's killing but has so far failed to produce any smoking gun.

Stoking such speculation last week was Prince Mohammed's surprisingly conciliatory tone on Qatar - allied with Turkey - after Saudi Arabia and its allies spent more than a year enforcing an embargo against the tiny gas-rich emirate.

Analysts say that may well be the first step in acceding to Erdogan's wishes that Saudi Arabia end its crippling blockade on Qatar.

Back home, Saudi nationalists have sought to rally around the prince with adulatory poems on social media as officials project it is business as usual with public events such as a glitzy wrestling extravaganza in the capital on Friday.

To many Saudis Khashoggi's killing seems remote, and their views appear influenced by suggestions in local media that this was all a foreign conspiracy to malign the prince.

But many others are shocked by the global backlash.

'The killing of a journalist naturally should be met with outrage, but many of the kingdom's critics seem bent on dragging Saudi Arabia through the mud,' a Saudi political analyst told AFP.

'This murder is an aberration that will inevitably lead to serious introspection.'
Residents have been left baffled after it was revealed the roof of their homes has was graffitied with the silhouettes of a giant penis and breasts.

Birds-eye photographs published on a local Facebook group revealed images of a penis on the roof of one of the apartment blocks in northern Stockholm.

A couple of doors down from the phallus-adorned roof, another building appears to be decorated with a pair of breasts.

Google Earth photographs show a giant penis on the top of one building while a pair of breasts have been painted onto the other

The images of the 'private' housing have now gone viral after being shared on social media and among the Swedish press.

Maria Sjogren, a resident in one of the apartment blocks in Blackeberg, Bromma, said she found out about the bizarre features after a friend shared the Google Earth images on Facebook.

She told The Local: 'Our family lives in the penis house. I don't have any immediate opinions, but it's quite fun. We would like to know the background and reason for the artwork.

'I haven't had contact with the landlord myself, but heard that neighbours have, I don't know what their answer was.'

The two buildings in the Swedish suburb were designed by architect Dinell Johansson and completed in 2016. There is no detail on the website which suggests the unique artwork was part of the plan.

The company said they would not comment on who was responsible for the artwork or whether it was planned. They told The Local: 'We have chosen not to comment on the decor of any of our buildings.'

Photographs of the buildings have been widely shared on Facebook and in the Swedish media

It is not the first time a rogue graffiti artist has turned their attention to scribbling genitalia on buildings in Sweden.

A blue penis was painted onto the side of a building in Kungsholmen, central Stockholm, as part of a mural on homes.

The artwork typically remains in place for a six month period but it was taken down due to the high number of complaints.

Authorities in the Varmland region appealed to the public for information after a large wooden penis was found in a tree.

But perhaps the most famous work in the genre was the Gothenburg snow phallus that appeared on a frozen moat in the western city. A cleaning company removed the offending artwork, prompting a backlash and a new, even bigger snow penis to be created in its place.
A criminal investigation has begun into allegations of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party, police said today.

Scotland Yard has launched a formal probe after an internal Labour Party dossier was leaked including details of 45 cases.

The document, obtained by radio station LBC last month, had been reviewed by a former Met Police commander who said four could be hate crime.

The allegations include an activist who posted on Facebook that a female Jewish Labour MP should get a 'good kicking', and threats to throw two MPs off a building.

A serving Labour councillor was also accused of inflicting 'ten years of hell' on a child, including calling him a Jew Boy.

The Board of Deputies said the latest development underlined the 'deeply embedded' culture of anti-Semitism in the party - insisting Jeremy Corbyn was to blame for failing to tackle the problems.

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured in the Commons this week) has been struggling to control a wave of allegations about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party

Asked about the investigation today, Met chief Cressida Dick told BBC Radio 4's Today programme police had a 'duty' to examine evidence put to it

In a statement this morning, Scotland Yard said it had reviewed the dossier of evidence.

'The contents have been examined by specialist officers,' the statement said.

'A criminal investigation has commenced into some of the allegations within the documentation.

'Early investigative advice is being sought from the Crown Prosecution Service.

'The MPS will not comment further on the details of our investigation.'

Mr Corbyn has been struggling to get a grip on a wave of allegations about anti-Semitism by left-wing activists in Labour since he became leader.

The party insists it has overhauled its processes and is now on top of a backlog of cases that had built up.

What are the claims in the Labour dossier? The allegations in the Labour dossier include a post on social media stating: 'We shall rid the Jews who are a cancer on us all.' There were also claims about sharing of a link to an allegedly anti-Semitic blog, and an entry referring to 'a Zionist Extremist MP ... who hates civilised people, about to get a good kicking'. The fourth related to a party member being accused of putting a child through '10 years of hell', using racial slurs against him and referring to him as 'Jew boy'. It was also alleged that the member had chased a girl, aged six or seven, around with air freshener, saying she smelled of curry and calling her 'a chocolate monkey'. LBC passed the leaked material to former senior police officer Mak Chishty, who said that 17 instances should have been reported to the police for investigation, and four were potential race hate crimes. Advertisement

But the handling of the crisis has been condemned by Labour MPs.

Asked about the investigation today, Met chief Cressida Dick told BBC Radio 4's Today programme police had a 'duty' to examine evidence put to it.

'We are now investigating some of that material because it appears there might have been a crime committed,' she said.

Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson said the news was 'depressing' but 'not surprising'.

'If it does one thing, it will dispel the myth that has been propagated by some people in my own party and beyond it that there is an anti-Semitism in my own party and we are determined to root it out,' he told BBC Radio Scotland.

'I've not seen the details within the dossier, I just know it exists.

'I don't know how it ended up in the hands of the police but I'm very pleased it has done because we've not just said that we want to root out anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, but if people have crossed the line on criminal behaviour through hate crime, and I'm afraid it doesn't surprise me that some have, then I'm very pleased that this is being taken seriously by the police.'

The Board of Deputies Vice President Amanda Bowman said there was a 'deeply embedded' culture of anti-Semitism in the party and demanded an apology from Mr Corbyn.

'This comes as no surprise to us. There is a deeply embedded culture of antisemitism in parts of the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn has done close to nothing to address it, to the extent that some cases may now even meet a criminal threshold,' she said.

Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson (pictured today) said that the news was 'depressing' but 'not surprising'

'We have repeatedly set out what Labour needs to do, including taking firm disciplinary action against antisemites and making its opaque processes transparent. Jeremy Corbyn must also apologise for his personal failings to confront racism.'

The Labour Party has not been contacted by the police but is ready to co-operate with the investigation.

Protection: Luciana Berger MP at the Labour conference

A spokesman said: 'The Labour Party has a robust system for investigating complaints of alleged breaches of Labour Party rules by its members.

'Where someone feels they have been a victim of crime, they should report it to the police in the usual way.'

Jennifer Gerber, Labour Friends of Israel director, said: It represents another dark day for Jeremy Corbyn. It serves as a reminder, if one were needed, of the scale of the problem and the leaderships complete inability to deal with the scourge of anti-Semitism that is devouring the Labour Party.

Mr Corbyn, a lifetime critic of Israel and supporter of Palestinian campaigners, has insisted that he is no racist.

In August, he apologised for the hurt caused to many Jewish people and said: People who use anti-Semitic poison need to understand: you do not do it in my name or the name of my party.

The 80-page dossier detailed 45 cases involving messages posted by party members on social media, including threats to Jewish MPs and Holocaust denials.

Among them was a message that read: We shall rid the Jews who are a cancer on us all and links to an anti-Semitic blog.

Sickening rants that shame party A Labour member posting on Facebook that a Zionist extremist MP who hates civilised people [believed to be Luciana Berger] was going to get a good kicking.

An activist saying a prison sentence for a former Nazi SS guard at Auschwitz was a disgusting travesty of justice.

A serving councillor calling a child Jew boy.

Two MPs threatened with being thrown off the top of a building.

A Labour Party member writing: We shall rid the Jews who are a cancer on us all.

Sharing of a link to an anti-Semitic blog. Advertisement

Last night, the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said the file was just one of many that have not been passed to police or made public. Spokesman Joe Glasman highlighted how Labour did not even warn its own MPs who were being threatened.

He said: It is absolutely right that police officers have opened a criminal investigation, which we hope will encompass both the anti-Semitic hate crimes and the Labour Partys complicity by concealing its evidence.

Under Jeremy Corbyns leadership the once fiercely anti-racist Labour Party has become institutionally anti-Semitic and an existential threat to British Jews.

Dame Margaret Hodge said: This is important and appropriate action by the police  but the Labour Party should have referred the cases to the police themselves. In the wake of the terrible murder of Jo Cox they have a duty of care to their members.

Confirming the launch of a criminal inquiry, Miss Dick insisted that the Labour Party itself is not under investigation. She said: We have been assessing some material that was passed to me... about two months ago and we are now investigating some of that material because it appears there may have been crimes committed.

A Labour spokesman said: The Labour Party has a robust system for investigating complaints of alleged breaches of Labour party rules by its members.
Nearly 70,000 children have been wounded in stabbings and beatings in just one year as violence on the streets of 'Wild West' Britain continues to spiral.

Jackie Sebire, assistant chief constable of Bedfordshire police, revealed the shocking statistic yesterday as she lamented the 'constant torrent' of murders and knife attacks unfolding in the UK.

Mrs Sebire said police forces face a 'constant and sustained' demand, adding: 'Wild West? It can be... it's happening in broad daylight, they're in public spaces.'

Police at the scene where a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death in south London yesterday

In the year to June there were 69,000 child woundings, where a youngster aged 10 to 15 was stabbed or seriously injured, a rise of 4,000 on the previous year, The Times reported.

Mrs Sebire, the National Police Chiefs Council spokesman for serious violent crime, said: 'I've worked in some really challenging London boroughs. This is different, this level of violence, this constant torrent of every single day there is another stabbing, that we can't seem to get ahead of.'

Police chiefs believe they are at a turning point, after years of struggling to meet high public expectations and soaring demand.

Recorded crime has risen by 9 per cent  including rocketing levels of knife crime and robbery  as 22,000 officers were lost from the frontline.

Statistics released earlier this month show the number of homicides nationwide is up from 630 to 719, with overall recorded crime up by almost 10%.

The number of offences registered as involving a knife or sharp instrument, 39,332, was the highest since 2011, when comparable records started.

Stats released earlier this month showed a wide range of offences showing dramatic increases

Mrs Sebire spoke of the rising tide of youth violence as a string of police chiefs backed calls for a 'back to basics' approach to crime-fighting.

Sara Thornton, chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council, sparked a debate earlier this week when she said police should be allowed to get back to tackling burglary and violence rather than wolf-whistling.

Senior officers queued up to echo 'chief of chiefs' Miss Thornton, a former Thames Valley chief constable yesterday.

Senior policing figures insisted that vulnerable victims, including those singled out because of their race, religion or sexuality, will always be treated as a priority.

But West Midlands Chief Constable Dave Thompson said there is a 'limit' to what police can do.

'I think the police service takes violence against women very, very seriously,' he said. 'We think hate crime is important. But we've also got to be careful how many things we begin to add to that list.'

Bedfordshire Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Sebire spoke of a 'constant torrent' of stabbings
A man has been dubbed the 'world's funniest' flight attendant after a viral video shows him leaving 150 passengers in stitches with his snarky safety announcement.

Frontier Airlines flight attendant, Daniel Sandberg, started his announcement by introducing the flight attendant at the front of the plane as his wife and the one in the back as his mistress - before taking off on his three-minute comedy routine.

Rows of passengers are heard in the video laughing hysterically as the flight attendant put his witty spin on what are normally passenger safety instructions before take-off.

Cindy Kuhn, 55, captured the hilarious moment a flight attendant took to the plane's tannoy to read out his hilarious, unique take on the safety announcement.

Cindy felt 'lucky' to have been on the 11pm flight from Orlando to Colorado Springs, on October 22, and quickly pressed record when she realised this was not your typical safety announcement.

Cindy, from Colorado Springs, said: 'He must be the world's funniest flight attendant. He was so personable and had us all in stitches - hook, line and sinker.

'When he started his spiel, he introduced the air hostess at the front of the plane as his wife and the one at the back as his mistress and that's when I knew I was in for a fun flight.

Daniel Sandberg has been dubbed the 'world's funniest' flight attendant after a viral video shows him leaving 150 passengers in stitches with his snarky safety announcement

'It was fun to experience something like this first hand, just being there and having such a rare and hilarious moment happen. I felt lucky to be there, considering you normally only see these things in viral videos.

'When he started his announcement it really perked people up and we all expected it to escalate in humour, which it did.

'Some people can be in a mood when flying so I think this was really great because it made everyone feel happy.

'I've never experienced anything like this in my life. The chances of seeing something like that are so minute, so I'm glad to have been a part of it.

The Frontier Airlines flight attendant started his announcement by introducing the flight attendant at the front of the plane as his wife and the one in the back as his mistress

'It tickled me to listen to him go on and on, it was the perfect way to end my trip.'

The sassy flight attendant clearly stuck his landing as passengers responded with a thunderous applause at the end of the announcement.

In the video, he is heard instructing passengers on how to help their 'favourite child' put their inflatable life jacket and that oxygen is only provided for passengers who 'paid the extra $49.99'.

Grandmother-of-two Cindy nearly missed out on the seven-mile-high comedy club as she was meant to travel back home from her holiday in Orlando two weeks earlier, but opted to stay longer as she was thoroughly enjoying her trip.

Cindy, a photographer, said: 'I was supposed to go back to Colorado after two weeks but ended up staying a whole month.

Rows of passengers are heard in the video laughing hysterically as the flight attendant put his witty spin on what are normally passenger safety instructions before take-off

'I was visiting old friends as I needed a break from work, and I couldn't leave after two weeks - they'd pretty much adopted me.

'I'm so glad I stayed the extra couple of weeks because I would have missed out on being on a flight with Daniel.

'I've had people say they wished they were on my flight, and that their flight attendants were like him.

'My daughter is quite jealous that I got to be there because she's never had a flight attendant like him.

'It's been so overwhelming since I posted the video, the outpour of positivity is so nice to see.

One passengers Cindy Kuhn, 55, felt 'lucky' to have been on the 11pm flight from Orlando to Colorado Springs, on October 22

'It's a great feeling when you can bring positivity to people all around the world.

'It was absolutely hilarious, refreshing and I think it was cherished too. I know I'll always cherish that moment.

'The attendant on my next flight has a hard act to follow - if I could I'd request to have Daniel on every one of my flights.'
Asylum seekers must be taught that Germany has zero tolerance for sex crimes, its migration commissioner said, following outrage over the rape of an 18-year-old woman that led to the arrest of seven Syrians.

All asylum seekers must receive signposting courses on co-existence in Germany as soon as they arrive in the country, or at the initial reception centre, and that includes zero tolerance for sexual abuse and other acts of violence,' said Annette Widmann-Mauz, minister of state for migration, refugees and integration.

'Men who have been living here for a long time need to talk clearly about sexuality and equal rights in Germany to men who have just arrived  if necessary in their native language,' she added.

'The perpetrators must be brought before a court and punished severely,' Ms Widmann-Mauz told the RND news organisation.

Annette Widmann-Mauz, Germany's minister of state for migration, refugees and integration (left), with Chancellor Angela Merkel, has demanded that migrants be taught about the country's zero tolerance towards sex crimes as soon as the arrive in the country

In her role as minister of state for migration, Widmann-Mauz works in the chancellery under Chancellor Angela Merkel.

German police arrested the seven Syrian men, aged 19 to 29, along with a 25-year-old German man last month on suspicion of raping the woman in the southwestern town of Freiburg.

One of the suspects, identified only as 21-year-old Majd H., allegedly orchestrated the rape of the teenage girl.

German newspaper BILD reported that an arrest warrant for the suspect, who was known to police and had a prior conviction for assault, had been issued on October 10.

According to BILD, the warrant clearly noted how dangerous Majd H is and categorized him as a multiple offender.

The picturesque centre of the historic city of Freiburg has been the scene of clashes between far right and hard left protesters following the gang-rape of an 18-year-old girl

It went on to say that there was a high probability he might commit other significant, similar offenses, including grievous bodily harm, sexual coercion and exhibitionism.

Finally, it issued a stark warning: To prevent worse, arrest him urgently.

Another man is suspected of drugging the woman's drink in a Freiburg nightclub before they all took turns at sexually assaulting her in a thicket outside.

The crime has shocked Freiburg, a picturesque university town, and risks stirring up anti-refugee sentiment across the country as the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) seeks to cement itself as the leading opposition party.

The AfD's rise is attributed in part to a public backlash against the arrival of more than a million migrants since mid-2014, many of them from Middle East conflict zones.

Alleged chief suspect Majd H., 21, poses in his homeland with a large machine gun, his father told local media his son became 'more aggressive' after they fled the Syrian civil war

AfD supporters and counter-protesters clash with police in the centre of Freiburg, Germany, as the mayor calls for 'peace'

As hundreds of people took to the city's streets to protest against the migrants, Freiburg's Mayor Martin Horn urged the AfD-organised protesters to remain 'peaceful' and refrain from 'further violence.'

The front of the 500-strong AfD protest holding a sign which says, 'Protect borders - save lives,' last night in Freiburg

'I hope the demonstrations will be peaceful and will not lead to further violence and hatred,' he told DPA news agency. 'In Freiburg, there is no room for criminals and such terrible crimes.'

Around 1,500 counter-protesters turned out to demonstrate against the AfD whom they accuse of exploiting the tragedy, according to DW.

German politicians have been facing tough questions about migrants' attitudes towards women and sexual violence since mass sexual assaults in Cologne during the New Year celebration some three years ago.
A small part of Japan may have been wiped off the map as officials fear an island off the country's northern coast has been washed away.

The island of Esambe Hanakita Kojima was only officially surveyed and registered by Japan's coastguard in 1987, who could not even say exactly how big it was.

Until recently it rose less than five feet (140cm) above sea level, and was visible from the very northern tip of Japan's northern Hokkaido island.

But authorities now fear the Japanese island has gone, ever-so-slightly shrinking the country's territorial waters.

The island of Esambe Hanakita Kojima - once visible from the coast - may have been washed away, officials say. Pictured: the coast of Sarufutsu near the island

A map showing the location of the island of Esambe Hanakita Kojima, which was only officially surveyed by Japan's coastguard in 1987, who could not even say exactly how big it was

'It is not impossible that tiny islands get weathered by the elements,' a coastguard official told AFP.

The disappearance of the island 'may affect Japan's territorial waters a tiny bit,' she added, but only 'if you conduct precision surveys'.

Coastal dwellers in the village of Sarufutsu reported last month they could no longer see the island, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK World.

A fishing group sent out a team of boats to check on the island but they reportedly could not find it.

Japan pours resources into protecting its outer islands, particularly the remote Okinotori islands in the Pacific, which secures a significant portion of the nation's exclusive economic zone.

It is also locked in disputes with neighbours, including China and South Korea, over the sovereignty of several islands in the region.

Prone to earthquakes and severe weather, Japan has found itself not only losing, but sometimes gaining territory thanks to natural disasters and extreme weather.

In 2015, a 300-metre strip of land emerged from the sea and attached itself to the coast of Hokkaido.

Initially, the phenomenon raised fears of mysterious seismic activity, but geologists said it was probably the result of a landslide that pushed the underwater surface up.

And in 2013, a volcanic island appeared around 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of Tokyo, engulfing an existing island and continuing to grow.
Aubrey Lane (pictured) says she was raped by a drunk man who was seated next to her on a flight from Phoenix to New York City in 2017

A mother who says she was raped by a drunk man in a plane bathroom is suing American Airlines, claiming they over-served the man alcohol and failed to protect her.

Aubrey Lane, 32, has described how she was allegedly assaulted on a flight from Phoenix to New York City on June 16, 2017.

The airline says it will 'thoroughly review' her claims but earlier dismissed them as a 'nuisance' complaint.

Mrs Lane says she was traveling to the Big Apple for a family trip when a drunk passenger who was sitting next to her on the overnight flight allegedly followed her into the bathroom and raped her.

She claims in the lawsuit that she told staff but they simply moved her to another seat at the back of the plane. When the flight landed she was taken to hospital but her alleged attacker, whose name she does not know, was not arrested.

Mrs Lane claims that before the alleged attack another woman sitting in the same row warned staff about the man's inappropriate behavior but they did nothing and continued to serve him drinks.

She was forced to sue after American Airlines failed to take her case seriously by offering her only a $5,000 payout for a 'nuisance' claim, she says.

In the lawsuit filed Wednesday in a federal court, Lane's lawyers wrote: 'Knowing the clear dangers of intoxication and the sexual assault threats, especially on red eye flights, American offered no protection to Aubrey Lane... despite the verbal warnings of Passenger 12C and the obvious obnoxious, aggressive, threatening and intoxicated behavior of Passenger 12B.

An American Airlines spokesman said that the company is yet to receive her lawsuit, but will 'thoroughly review it' when they do.

A spokesman said: : 'We are deeply troubled by any allegation of misconduct onboard our aircraft or at any of our facilities.'

'If our crews discover or are told about any alleged illegal misconduct that may occur on the aircraft, law enforcement is contacted and will meet the aircraft upon arrival... It is up to law enforcement to determine what, if any, criminal activity took place.'

Lane claims the passenger appeared drunk the moment he took his seat next to her, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

'My first thought was this guy's drunk. He was super chatty,' Lane said in an interview with the Dallas Morning News. 'I've flown a lot. I'm used to people saying hello. This is the most anyone has sat down and started talking to me.'

Despite this, she says the flight attendants continued to serve him alcohol throughout the flight.

A few hours into the flight, Lane says she got up to use the restroom. She told the Dallas Morning News in March that the man got up and followed her into the bathroom where he raped her. Her lawsuit says she was sexually assaulted.

Lane immediately reported the incident to flight attendants, who moved her to a seat at the back of the plane.

American Airlines tried to pay Lane $5,000 to settle her lawsuit. She did not take the offer (stock image)

'I was feeling overwhelmed ... all of a sudden, I was thrown in a middle seat, bawling. On top of being sad and hurt and scared, I was also embarrassed,' Lane said.

When they landed at JFK Airport, authorities were called to meet the plane at the gate, but only to take Lane to the hospital.

Her alleged attacker was not taken into custody and to this day she still doesn't know his name.

Because the incident happened in the air, it is up to the FBI to investigate and prosecute.

Agents were dispatched to the hospital where they interviewed Lane, but she says the case had got nowhere.

The FBI's New York Field Office did not immediately return a call from DailyMail.com inquiring about the status of the investigation.

Paul Hudson, the president of the consumer advocate group Flyers Rights, says the apparent lack of progress is not surprising, since the FBI doesn't consider assaults a priority.

It's caused stress on every level. It's affected every single part of my life

'What we're hearing from people is the US Attorneys don't want to prosecute [and] don't have time for these things,' Hudson said.

'Often they are misdemeanors or are 'he said, she said.' That's not what they do. They're into terrorism and drug cases.'

Frustrated with the response, Lane decided to sue American Airlines.

Her attorneys say the airline was negligent for letting the drunk man board the plane and continuing to serve him drinks.

Last year American spokesman Ross Feinstein refused to comment on the specifics of the case, but issued this statement: 'We want all of our customers to feel safe on our aircraft. We care deeply when we hear of these types of cases... our team offers investigative support as needed to federal, state and local law enforcement.'

He later added that the airline was sorry for not reaching out to Lane immediately after the assault to assure her they were taking the investigation seriously.

'We want to apologize that we missed the mark on assuring Ms Lane how seriously we take her complaint,' Feinstein said.

Lane is speaking out in hopes that American Airlines and other carriers improve their policies for addressing in-flight assaults.

'I'm coming out now because [American] hasn't made it evident it wants to change this,' Lane said. 'What's going to stop this from happening again unless I make a big fuss about it?'

Lane's family picked her up at the hospital after the assault, and her husband even flew out to comfort her on the trip - getting a last minute babysitter for their two-year-old son.

Lane said she had been inundated with bills for counselors and she stopped working as a real estate brokers' associate because she doesn't want to be alone with strangers.

She has also moved across the state to be closer to her husband, who is in the military.

'It's caused stress on every level. It's hurt my job, my homelife,' she said. 'It's affected every single part of my life.'
Days before John Macris was gunned down in Athens, bodyguards shielding the notorious underground figure were seen scouring dumpsters outside his home, suggesting they feared a potential bomb attack.

It was not immediately clear whether the 46-year-old convicted drug dealer had received death threats ahead of his shooting late Wednesday local time, when unknown assailants ambushed Macris outside his seaside villa, shooting him multiple times in the chest, stomach and shoulder.

The assassination, as police here have billed it, took place hours before a security guard took post for a nighttime shift at Macris' four-story home in the posh residential district of Panorama, Voula, about 13kilometres south of Athens.

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John Macris (pictured right with wife Viktoria Karida), a leading Sydney underworld figure, was shot dead as he sat in his car outside his home in Greece on Wednesday night, local time

John Macris, 46, was shot multiple times before his assassin yelled: 'I'm going to finish him off'

'When we saw his bodyguards checking rubbish bins outside his home, we thought it was odd, but did not make much of it at the time' said a female neighbour living along the cliff-side road where the killing took place.

'But now, in hindsight, it all makes sense. They [the guards] were probably looking for bombs.'

The killing has sent shock waves across the posh, tranquil and secluded neighbourhood which the Sydney gangster chose years ago, to start up a new, crime-free life with his wife and model Viktoria Karida and their two children.

'He finished building the home in record time,' said Gabriel Parastatides, a neighbour and among the oldest residents along the tree-lined Troias Street.

'We would see fancy cars parked outside, super tight security measures but we coughed it all open to another uber rich person who's moved in the block.'

'We were truly shocked to hear of his previous life. We had no clue we were living next door to a mobster. He never gave us that impression,' Mr Parastatides said.

'He was a very low profile bloke; not too friendly but always polite with all of us here.

'He also seemed like a great dad.'

Mr Parastatides was in his home at the time of the attack.

'No one saw anything. No one heard anything. We just walked out and saw the John's body in a pool of blood. It was horrifying.'

After dating PR queen Roxy Jacenko, John Macris settled down with former playboy model Viktoria Karida (pictured)

Police say they have launched a massive manhunt for Mr Macris' killer. They said investigators had yet to obtain footage from a rash of security cameras fixed along the front entrance of the Macris estate.

Still, footage obtained from other CCTV cameras along Troias Street have spotted the killer, the Athens-based Alpha television network reported.

The identity of the assailant, the report said, had not been identified but the image showed a tall man, around 180cm, dressed in dark clothes.

Police have refused to comment.

'It is too early to make any statement,' said Police Spokesman Theodore Chronopoulos.

'We are in the first steps of this investigation.'

Since the shooting, police have gone door to door, taking testimonies of neighbours. Many of them contacted on Friday refused to speak.

'Everyone has seen something, heard something,' said Joanna Parastratides. 'But everyone now has clammed up because of the violent shooting.

'Wouldn't you?' she quipped.

John Macris had been alternating between living in Greece and Australia for the past seven years

Alex Macris (pictured at his wedding to ex-wife Jessica Ingham) has made a mercy dash from Sydney to Athens following the execution style shooting of his gangster older brother John

His funeral was expected to be held on Friday in Athens, but a source close to the family said they were waiting for his brother Alex to arrive before the service goes ahead.

Alex Macris, 37, was in Sydney on Thursday when he got the news his brother had been shot dead.

At the time he got the dreaded phone call Alex was visiting the young daughter he shares with his ex-wife and heiress to the chicken fortune, Jessica Ingham.

Like his brother, Alex also splits his time between both Sydney and Athens, following the breakdown of his marriage.

Alex and Jess tied the knot in an elaborate ceremony in November 2013 rumoured to have cost in excess of $500,000.

Among the guests was Jess' close friend Roxy Jacenko, who previously dated John Macris.

Alex (right) was with the daughter he shares with ex-wife Jessica Ingham, a close friend of PR queen Roxy Jacenko (left), when he got the call telling him his brother had been gunned down

Alex Macris married Jess Ingham (right), the heiress to the Ingham chicken fortune, in an extravagant wedding in 2013. Pictured with her mother Sue Ingham and model Adam Williams

The killer had been waiting for Macris and shot him from the passenger side seat of his car, the Greek City Times reported.

Witnesses to the brutal murder say they heard the gunman shout, 'I'm going to finish him off' before firing a final, fatal shot, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Two of his young children were reportedly inside the house when he died.

Macris was known to both Australian and Greek authorities, and was nicknamed was 'Australo'.

Greek authorities believe Macris had been involved in a drug deal and are hunting three gunmen.

John Macris and Karida (pictured), who stars on reality show My Style Rocks, have two kids
A girl from Yemen whose graphic starvation shone a global spotlight on the country's long-running conflict has died at the age of seven, her 'heartbroken' mother has said.

Amal Hussain became a symbol for the bitter proxy war when a picture of her emaciated body was broadcast around the world last week.

Yesterday her family said she had died at a refugee camp four miles from the UNICEF clinic in Aslam where she was pictured, according to the New York Times which first featured the story.

The fresh attention on the war comes as Saudi Arabia, which is leading anti-rebel forces in Yemen, faces ongoing global pressure over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Amal Hussain at a UNICEF clinic in Aslam, Yemen, last month where she suffered from severe acute malnutrition amid Yemen's long-running war. Her family said she had died aged seven

Amal's mother Mariam Ali told the newspaper: 'My heart is broken. Amal was always smiling. Now I'm worried for my other children.'

At the UNICEF-run hospital Amal was vomiting and suffered from diarrhoea while doctors gave her milk every two hours.

She was suffering from severe acute malnutrition, three years after her family had fled their home to escape Saudi airstrikes.

Her mother was also reportedly ill with dengue fever spread by mosquitoes in the camp's stagnant water.

The family did not have enough money to take Amal to a Doctors Without Borders hospital 15 miles away, her mother said.

Yemen's war has been particularly devastating for the country's children, over seven million of whom now face food insecurity, according to the UN children's agency.

Some 1.8 million children under the age of five are facing acute malnutrition, and 400,000 are affected by severe acute malnutrition, UNICEF said.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen is fighting rebel forces who are seen as allies of Iran, which is Riyadh's major rival in the region.

Washington backs the coalition, which is fighting alongside Yemen's government against Houthi rebels.

A Yemeni woman holds her malnourished child at a malnutrition treatment centre in Sana'a, Yemen, last week. The war is a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and its rival Iran

An emaciated boy sits on a hospital bed at the Aslam Health Center in Hajjah. The picture of a starving girl and the row over Jamal Khashoggi have sparked fresh scrutiny of the war

A woman holds a malnourished boy at the Aslam health centre. UN agencies are warning that at least 3.5 million others might slip into the pre-famine stage

A malnourished child lies on a bed as she receives treatment at a hospital amid worsening starvation in Sana'a, amid fresh scrutiny over Saudi Arabia's role in the Yemeni conflict

A severely malnourished boy rests on a hospital bed at the Aslam Health Center, Hajjah

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week called for an end to the Yemen war.

They called for an end to air strikes, acknowledging that the Saudi-led coalition was involved in the bombing of civilians.

The death of Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul last month - and the kingdom's repeatedly changing versions of what happened - have led to calls for the West to scale back its arms dealings with Riyadh.

Many suspect that the kingdom's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was involved in a plot to kill him but Saudi Arabia denies he had any knowledge of it.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed that Berlin would not export arms to Saudi Arabia until the murder of the journalist is clarified.

But French President Emmanuel Macron has dubbed such a move 'pure demagoguery' and Britain has urged caution.

Merkel also said last week that 'Saudi Arabia must do everything to solve the urgent humanitarian situation in Yemen'.

'There are currently millions of hungry people, we are witnesses of one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes,' she said.

A Yemeni walks among the debris of a building allegedly targeted by a Saudi-led airstrike in Sana'a. Western governments are facing pressure to reduce arms sales to Riyadh

A Yemeni woman holds her malnourished child as he receives treatment in Sana'a.

A child receives treatment at the emergency unit of a malnutrition treatment center in Sana'a

A doctor measures the arm of malnourished girl at the Aslam Health Center, Hajjah

A Yemeni woman holds her malnourished child at a hospital in Sana'a last month
The European Union has moved to suppress everyday phrases such as 'manpower' and 'mankind' and replace them with gender-neutral terms.

Staff in Strasbourg have been told to reduce references to 'women or men' in a new rule book called Gender Neutral Language In The European Parliament.

The new guidelines are aimed at EU translators tasked with converting documents between the different languages spoken and written by the 28 member states.

The online document suggests words such as 'chairman' be replaced by 'chairperson', and 'policeman' or 'policewoman' by substituted for 'police officer'.

Staff in Brussels have been told to reduce references to 'women or men' in a new rule book called Gender Neutral Language In The European Parliament (pictured)

The new guidelines (shown) are aimed at EU translators tasked with converting documents between the different languages spoken and written by the 28 member states

It also recommends the word 'stewardess' by avoided in preference of 'flight attendant', and 'principal' by used instead of 'headmaster' or 'headmistress'.

'Humanity' should replace 'mankind' and 'man-made' should be substituted for 'synthentic' or 'artificial', it adds.

The book goes as far as to suggest the avoidance of gender-specific pronouns such as 'he' or 'she', adding that a 'complete rephrasing may sometimes be necessary'.

It states: 'Gender-neutral or gender-inclusive language is more than a matter of political correctness.

Outlawed words and their EU alternatives Mankind Man-made Stewardess Headmaster Fireman Layman Chairman Spokesman Humanity Artificial Flight attendant Principal Firefighter Layperson Chairperson spokesperson Advertisement

Language powerfully reflects and influences attitudes, behaviour and perceptions.

'In order to treat all genders equally, efforts have been employed since the 1980s to propose a gender-neutral/gender-fair/non-sexist use of language, so that no gender is privileged, and prejudices against any gender are not perpetuated.'

'The use in many languages of the word 'man' in a wide range of idiomatic expressions which refer to both men and women, such as manpower, layman, man-made, statesmen, committee of wise men, should be discouraged.

'With increased awareness, such expressions can usually be made gender-neutral.'

The secretive text has finally been revealed after Conservative MEP Rupert Matthews tabled a parliamentary question.

He told the Daily Express: 'The Eurocrats have imposed their own version of politically correct language on to the approved English.

This secretive guidance that I have managed to unearth shows the nonsense that the EU translators have to deal with when trying to make different languages intelligible.'

The document can be viewed here.
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Parts of Britain will be hit by heavy downpours and high winds from tonight as the country is lashed by the tail end of ex-Hurricane Oscar.

The tropical weather system formed in the Atlantic south east of Bermuda last weekend and has been building as it crosses the ocean, with forecasters issuing a rain warning for western Scotland from midnight tonight.

The storm's course is likely to take it north towards Iceland instead of making a direct path for the UK  but as it moves past Britain and Ireland, it is expected to bring severe gales and torrential downpours to Scotland.

The Met Office has issued a yellow 'be aware' warning of intense rain for the full 24 hours of tomorrow, for up to two inches (50mm) of rain on lower ground, and more than three inches (80mm) on higher ground.

Heavy rain will also fall in Northern Ireland, Wales and North West England tomorrow - although the rest of England outside Cumbria and Lancashire should escape the downpours, with sunny and cloudy conditions expected.

Frost covered Holme Park in Windsor, Berkshire, as the UK wakes up to further cold weather this morning

A light frost covers the banks of the River Test near to Stockbridge in Hampshire this morning

Deer in Windsor Great Park are pictured as the cold weather brings a morning frost across parts of the country today

A light frost covers berries on the banks of the River Test near Stockbridge in Hampshire this morning

A bull stands in a frosty field at Corfe Castle in Dorset today as temperatures plunged below freezing in some areas overnight

The sunshine streams through the woods on a cold but sunny morning at RSPB Arne in Dorset today

An atmospheric natural light show in Northumberland this morning along Hadrians's Wall at the iconic Sycamore Gap

A folly and autumn foliage are reflected in the lake at Stourhead gardens in Wiltshire today

The sun rises behind Tower Bridge in London this morning as the country faces another cold day

The lowest UK temperature over the past four nights was -4.7C (23.5F) in Sutherland yesterday, -6.5C (20.3F) in Aberdeenshire on Wednesday, -7.3C (18.9F) in Cumbria on Tuesday and -5.9C (21.4F) in County Down on Monday.

But overnight temperatures will be rising as the country heads into the weekend - with up to 6C on Friday night and 11C on Saturday night expected in the South West, and most parts of Britain unlikely to go below 0C.

Last night, CalMac put many of its services in western Scotland on notice for delay or cancellation and there were warnings of widespread traffic chaos. It also warned that various Saturday sailings are under threat.

Speaking about Scotland's weather, Met Office forecaster Bonnie Diamond said: 'Friday afternoon and evening will start to see rain arriving and it all goes downhill after that. Winds will strengthen late on Friday and on Saturday.

'It really doesn't stop raining the entire day. It is all to do with ex-Hurricane Oscar. The main low pressure system surrounding it will make for Iceland, but unfortunately Scotland will get the remnants.'

Today will bring sunny conditions for eastern areas, although will still be some rain in western Scotland

Tonight will see temperatures dip to 2C in South East England, but conditions should be fine for fireworks in most areas

Tomorrow will bring heavy rain to western Scotland, with a Met Office warning imposed for up to 3in (80mm) to fall

Tomorrow night will be much milder, with 11C possible in the South West - although the weather will become windier

Drivers are being warned that spray from vehicles and possible flooding are expected to make journey times longer. Areas affected by the deluge include Central, Tayside, Fife, Lothian and Borders and Strathclyde.

Tomorrow's combination of wind and rain could provide a major test of the repair work carried out on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful near Arrochar, Argyll, which was closed for a week last month after a series of landslides.

Motorists faced a 60-mile detour while work was carried out to clear the road and stabilise the hillside above it.

The rain is expected to ease in time for Bonfire Night on Monday when much of the country will be dry but cold. Miss Diamond said: 'Sunday will see rain clearing in the early hours, producing a much better day than Saturday.

'It will still be windy, with a mix of sunshine and showers. Guy Fawkes Night on Monday looks pretty decent, with sunny spells and the odd shower.'
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The V&A Museum has unveiled its multi-million pound vision for a second venue at Londons Olympic Park inspired by the design of a Balenciaga dress.

Architects said the main venue, a five-storey museum, will be swathed in a layer of metal like a dress designed by the famous couturier - the subject of an exhibition at the V&A's South Kensington base last year.

The museum will host an inaugural exhibition in partnership with the Smithsonian, after which the Washington DC-based institution will present one in four future ones.

Architects said the main V&A venue at the Olympic Park, a five-storey museum, (left and right) will be swathed in a layer like a dress designed by Cristobal Balenciaga. The Spanish designer was the subject of an exhibition at the V&A's South Kensington base last year

The second Olympic Park site, a museum store, collection and research centre, is described as an 'immersive cabinet of curiosities'.

Visitors will be able to learn about objects from creation to conservation and see staff 'at the V&A working on real stuff in real time', including preparing for exhibitions.

It will be home to 250,000 'treasures', unlocked from storage, of which many will go on display.

Both sites are expected to open at the park in Stratford, East London, in 2023.

'The collection and research centre will bring treasures out of storage and into public view for the first time in generations', the museum said.

V&A deputy director Tim Reeve said: 'V&A East will for the first time illuminate the entire lifestyle of museum practice.'

The second Olympic Park site, a museum store, collection and research centre, (pictured) is described as an 'immersive cabinet of curiosities'

Visitors will be able to learn about objects from creation to conservation and see staff 'at the V&A working on real stuff in real time', including preparing for exhibitions

Mr Reeve added: 'From the moment of an object's acquisition, through its conservation, the research, enquiry and debate that follow, to its display ... this will revolutionise how people experience and are inspired by our collection.'

The other interconnected site, a new, five-storey museum at Stratford Waterfront, will feature curated exhibitions as well as commissions and performances.

Its first exhibition will be a co-production with the Smithsonian Institution.

Plans were announced in East London after the V&A recently opened a museum in Dundee.
The fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has accused President Trump of 'taking a position that is devoid of morals' over the killing.

Hatice Cengiz hit out at western leaders, but in particular the US President, for prioritising economic ties with Saudi over getting justice for her husband-to-be.

She accused 'some in Washington' of delaying action against the Saudi regime 'in the hope this matter will be forgotten' but pledged to keep fighting for justice.

Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has appealed for western leaders to take stronger action against Saudi Arabia over his death

Hatice was particularly scathing of President Trump, who she said has taken a position 'devoid of moral foundation' when he chose to prioritise trade deals over human rights

Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 as he went with Hatice to collect papers that would allow them to marry.

She waited outside while he went inside, but never came out.

Turkey has since said that Khashoggi was strangled the moment he entered before his body was dismembered and disposed of. It has not been recovered.

Saudi Arabia hosts Christian summit Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a rare meeting with American evangelical Christians on Thursday, as the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom seeks to open up more to the world and repair an image of religious intolerance. The delegation was led by communications strategist Joel Rosenberg and included former U.S. congresswoman Michele Bachmann, according to an emailed statement by the group, as well as heads of American evangelical organizations, some with ties to Israel. 'It was a historic moment for the Saudi Crown Prince to openly welcome Evangelical Christian leaders to the Palace. We were encouraged by the candor of the two-hour conversation with him today,' the statement said. The delegation also met Saudi officials including Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Khalid bin Salman, and secretary-general of the Muslim World League Mohammed al-Issa. Advertisement

Saudi Arabia initially denied he was missing, then admitted he died inside the consulate in an accidental fist fight, before finally saying he was killed and that the crime was premeditated.

However, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues to deny he had any involvement in the death and instead blamed 'rogue elements' within the state.

Salman's critics and Khashoggi's friends lay the blame squarely at his feet, and have called for him to be kicked from office.

Writing in the Washington Post on Friday, Hatice said: 'It has been exactly one month since my fiance, the celebrated journalist Jamal Khashoggi, entered Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul never to return.

'Today is also United Nations International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. The coincidence is tragic and painful

'As we witness the international outrage at his killing, the perpetrators should know that they can never erase his vision for his beloved country. They have only emboldened it.

'It is now up to the international community to bring the perpetrators to justice. Of all nations, the United States should be leading the way.

'The country was founded on the ideals of liberty and justice for all, the First Amendment enshrining the ideals personified by Jamal.

Khashoggi was strangled as he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul a month ago today to collect papers that would have allowed him to marry Hatice

'But the Trump administration has taken a position that is devoid of moral foundation.

'Some have approached this through the cynical prism of self-interest - statements framed by fear and cowardice; by the fear of upsetting deals or economic ties.

'Some in Washington are hoping this matter will be forgotten with simple delaying tactics. But we will continue to push the Trump administration to help find justice for Jamal. There will be no coverup.

'I am not naive. I know that governments operate not on feelings but on mutual interests.

'However, they must all ask themselves a fundamental question: If the democracies of the world do not take genuine steps to bring to justice the perpetrators of this brazen, callous act - one that has caused universal outrage among their citizens - what moral authority are they left with?

'Whose freedom and human rights can than credibly continue to defend?

'At the consulate, I was left at the door alone. I am the one story Jamal did not complete. Now everyone, together, must help finish it and carry the torch of Jamal's soul until his dream is realized.

Trump has condemned the killing and Saudi's subsequent explanations as 'the worst cover-up ever' while also suggesting that Salman could bear responsibility.

However, the US has only imposed travel bans on 21 people directly implicated in Khashoggi's killing so far.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that additional sanctions are being prepared and could take a couple more weeks to come into effect.

However, he said the sanctions will focus on individuals responsible for Khashoggi's death, suggesting the US is buying into Salman's 'rogue elements' line, rather than holding the prince or state responsible.

Trump has said he is loathe to tear up arms agreements with Saudi, worth billions to the US economy and upon which thousands of US jobs rely.
Police in China has dropped an investigation into a man who was accused of molesting his five-year-old daughter on a train, sparking public outrage.

A viral video posted by a witness on Saturday night showed a 30-year-old man repeatedly fondling a girl seated on his lap on a train in Jiangxi province.

The girl had been calling out to her mother and grandmother who were sitting nearby, the witness told reporters, but neither responded. They were travelling on the G1402 high-speed train from Guangzhou South railway station to Shangrao in Jiangxi.

A viral video posted by a witness on Saturday night showed a 30-year-old man repeatedly fondling a girl seated on his lap on a train in Jiangxi province (file photo)

The female passenger, identified as Xiaoyu, said she noticed the 'inappropriate act' as the train arrived in Changsha, Hunan province at about 4pm, according to City Express.

In the footage, the man was seen lifting the girl's shirt and caressing her back. He also tried to kiss her on the mouth several times. Xiaoyu said the girl addressed the man as her father and had asked him to stop.

The video, which was widely circulated on social media, saw the man heavily criticised, prompting the authorities to investigate.

On Wednesday, the Nanchang Railway Police concluded that the man in the video, a 30-year-old man by the surname Zhou, was the father of the girl, aged five.

The police said in the statement on Weibo: 'Zhou's behaviour shown in the video does not constitute molestation and could not be deemed illegal. We sincerely thank citizens for their concern.'

The female passenger, identified as Xiaoyu, said she noticed the 'inappropriate act' of the father as the train arrived in Changsha, Hunan province at about 4pm on Saturday (file photo)

The incident saw the father and the police heavily criticised by net users on Weibo (file photo)

However, the statement prompted further anger from net users, with many questioning the police's 'illogical conclusion'.

'So just because they are father and daughter, it's not molestation? Are you police blind to the law?' read one comment.

'As a father myself, I find the man's actions unacceptable,' a user said.

'This is clearly molestation regardless of their relationship,' another commented. 'The police's report is hugely misleading.'

State broadcaster CCTV criticised the police's investigation as perfunctory in a commentary today.

'The Nanchang Railway Police should not have given such a simple and rough conclusion in response to boiling public opinion,' it said,adding that 15 per cent of cases of sexual assault against children last year were committed by their family members, including (father, brother, stepfather and grandfather).

The Nanchang Railway Police should not have given such a simple and rough conclusion in response to boiling public opinion, state broadcaster CCTV said in a commentary (file photo)

Domestic abuse has long been seen as a private matter in China despite the scale of the problem.

In September, a video circulated online shows a man attacking a woman on a bus in Guangxi province. However, he was released after five days of detention after police concluded the man was the woman's long-time partner and father of her child.

China passed its first national domestic violence law in 2015, which includes protections for children and mandatory reporting of cases of abuse against children. In the country's criminal code, molesting children is punishable by a minimum of up to five years in jail.
Dreamworld is sinking $17million into a new ride as it attempts to recover from the Thunder River Rapids disaster which killed four people.

The Gold Coast theme park's new virtual reality ride, named Sky Voyager, will take passengers on a journey across Australia.

The flying simulator will 'travel' from Surfers Paradise to Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tully River, in Far North Queensland.

Sky Voyager is one of a number of new rides and attractions being opened at the park this year in an attempt to draw crowds back to Dreamworld.

Dreamworld's new virtual reality ride, named Sky Voyager, will take passengers on a journey across Australia

The park has struggled with visitor numbers following the horrific deaths of four people on a ride in 2016.

Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi died when the Thunder Rapids ride malfunctioned.

The park's owner Ardent Leisure reported a $88.6 million loss for the past financial year, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Its theme park division was tipped as the main contributor behind the loss.

Dreamworld chief executive Craig Davidson said they were confident the new attraction would generate significant interest from locals, as well as visitors to the Gold Coast 'looking for a unique, world-class experience for all ages'.

The ride features an electrical motion platform with six gondolas of 10 seats each suspending in front of a giant dome screen.

The ride experience will be similar to global installations like FlyOver Canada in Vancouver and Voletarium in Europa Park, Germany.

Sky Voyager will open at Dreamworld this summer. The Play School Wheel, a ride for pre-school aged children, opened in February. It also opened the Trolls Village in August.
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The fine line between life and death was captured beautifully in these stunning images of a wildebeest inches away from safety - only to be snared in the jaws of a hungry crocodile.

Incredible action shots taken in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, Africa, showed a panicked herd rushing across the river as gang of crocodiles lurk in the water.

Author John L Crawley, 56, from Utah, took the photographs as the wildebeest took part in their annual migration.

He said: 'To see this event in person is amazing! It was hard to keep focused on photography.'

Hundreds of wildebeest are spotted as they make their way through the murky waters in the Maasai Mara Kenya, Africa. Once they make their way into the water they jeopardise their safety as they enter the natural habitats of crocodiles and other dangerous predators

Four wildebeest are just inches away from making it out of the water and onto land when a crocodile manages to grab a hold of one in its jaws. Photographer John L Crawley said: 'To see this event in person is amazing! It was hard to keep focused on photography'

The powerful creatures are photographed as they leap from the land into the river and swim across to the other side. Photographer John L Crawley said: 'Once a lead animal begins, they all surge into the water in a frantic attempt to cross as quickly as possible'

Three wildebeest who are slightly adrift from the rest of the herd are pictured as they leap and wade through the brown water. Over two million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move through the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystems in search of green pasture

A wildebeest leaps out of the water as it swims through the dangerous crossing. Wildebeest typically inhabit the Serengeti plains of southeastern Africa. For most of their lives, wildebeest graze in the grassy savannas and open woodlands of the plains, which straddle the nations of Tanzania and Kenya

A crocodile pops its head out of the water during the crossing of the wildebeest. The predators use the crossing as an opportunity to snatch prey as they make their way from one side to the other

Dust is kicked up from the ground as the wildebeest make their way through the Maasai Mara in Kenya. More than 1.5 million wildebeest migrate in an enormous loop every year
Chele Garris' first call to police

Dispatcher: Do you need police, fire or medic

Chele: I'm in front of my home, my car is dead and I am calling AAA. You hear this lady? She is bothering me in front of my door. (inaudible) please call the police?!

D: You are talking to police

C: And do you hear this? She is calling us names. I don't understand why you are kind of yelling at me while this lady is responding to me and hitting me.

D: Because you weren't listening to my questions as I was asking for your address and you were continuing to say some police but not giving me the information that I needed. Now that I have that information, if I could ask you a couple of questions, we can get them in route to you.

C: That's ok. The lady (inaudible). But what questions do you need.

D: Ok she is yelling at you, do you know this person

C: No mam, I am standing here outside of my car and she got out of her car and starting calling us names and asking us where we lived. I told her where I live and she got in my face, got in my sister's face. My sister started recording her and I told her not to worry about it and I was calling the police. She said go ahead and call it whatever you want to call it. But I am waiting on AAA to come and she bothered us.

D: Is she black, white, hispanic or asian? What color clothing does she have on.

C: I don't know. I can't even remember what she had on. What did she have on? Was she Caucasian? She asked if she was black, hispanic or what. She's Caucasian and we are African American minding our own business.

D: I am asking for a description so that the officers can locate her when they get there, if they see her running down the street or something. Do you know what color clothes she had on?

C: I can't remember.

D: That's ok Mam. What's the color and make of your vehicle.

C: My car is a Ford Focus 2013.

D: And what color is it?

C: Gray.

D: Ok well you have a call for service and our officers will be there as soon as possible for you.

Chele Garris' second call to police

D: Do you need police fire or medic

C: The reason I am calling back and I called at 11.57 and I am still waiting for police. The lady keeps harassing me still and I don't know what to do at this point.

D: Yes mam we do have officers that are on route to you now

C: And before the other lady that I spoke to said I was over talking her but that's because the lady was pushing me in my face and I am a resident just like she is. It surprised me and I have been living here for a year and have never been treated this way. So when I told her to have a nice day, she ended the call. Just like that. So I don't know what that means.

D: Mam, I understand. Were you hoping to speak to a supervisor or something

C: No I just didn't understand and I was hysterical because this lady was bothering me and calling me out my name. All I'm doing is standing here and waiting for AAA.

D: No, mam. I can understand that but we do have officers that are on their way to assist you now.

C: Thank you very much.

D: Thank you

Susan Westwood's call to 911

D: Do you need police fire or medic

S: Police. There are folks that are trying to break into an apartment

D: The thing is I am trying to do it but in a very quiet and clandestine manner because its actually on Fairview road. They are actually people that I've never seen here before, but they are African-American

S: So hold on

D: I am walking

S: Can I make a statement. They've been hanging out here for a while and they are photographing me because I think they are going to try to get me. They've been going into that apartment and it is really strange. I live here but I don't live in that particular building.

D: Ok now we have a call for service at that exact address.

S: You do, that's interesting.

D: And we have an officer already on scene and another on the way.

S: That's interesting because there is nobody here.

D: I don't know where he is at the apartment complex but he is...

S: But there is a bunch of people here but I don't think they actually lived here because if they lived here, they would have a key and they would be in their apartment. As far as I am concerned but I don't know about you. It's just a weird situation and strange and I have lived here for almost a year and 15 months. But this is really strange to me for this part of town.

D: We have a call for service from a female whose car broke down and other people are upset that she's there, so that's possibly what's going on.

S: Well if you want to know my personal opinion, there is no car broken down. There is somebody trying to cause problems. There is no car that is down. Nobody breaks down their car in the best part of society. I'm sorry to have to do that out loud but nobody breaks their car down on purpose unless they are looking for money. Now that's just my personal opinion and I know that is very odd and awkward but we need to get them out of here because they are causing problems. Right now they are causing problems because they are begging for money and we need to get them out of here. I don't mean to be mean and rude and awful but we need to get them out of here because when I pulled into my parking space, it is just weird to me. They just made me feel intimidated and awful. So whatever you need to do and charge me back, just do it. Because they don't belong here. They are causing problems.

D: Do you know they don't belong there. Do you know if they are visiting anyone out there.

S: Well I wouldn't know that but why would you photograph somebody and put your camera on them to try to intimidate. Just get them out of here. I'll pay for whatever.

D: We are going to get officers out there but if they live there or are visiting residents that live there, we can't remove them from the property.

S: I understand that but why would they photograph me. They are taking people's picture.

D: It is not illegal to take people's pictures.

S: They are trying to cause a problem

D:It's not a crime to take anyone's picture

S: 'I'll tell you what, I'll pay $2,500 to get them out of here. Right now, I will. This is, this is, get them out of here. They're trying to cause a problem. I am not going to stand for it
A man who was caught in bed with his neighbour's pregnant goat is facing jail after he was found guilty of bestiality.

Feselani Mcube, 33, spent the night with the animal after it disappeared from its pen in Winterveldt, South Africa.

The goat's horrified owner, Knowledge Khumalo, said he had heard the animal making 'strange noises' and thought it was about to give birth.

But when he examined the animal and found it was unwell a neighbour told him they had found the goat in Mcube's bed.

The goat, pictured with animal welfare Mishack Matlou who helped to rescue it, suffered a horrific attack from bricklayer Feselani Mcube in Winterveldt, South Africa

The owner admitted he was horrified to find the goat in a visibly dreadful state after her vile ordeal.

'I felt I should have done something to protect her,' said Mr Khumalo.

The goat is recovering after receiving medical treatment from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals while Mcube will be sentenced later this month.

Animal welfare inspector Mishack Matlou confessed it was the 'highest form of animal cruelty' he had seen.

'As the SPCA, we want to call on the judiciary to take tough action against cases of cruelty against animals,' he said.

Mr Khumalo said he had heard the animal making 'strange noises' around eight at night on August 9 before finding her missing the next morning.

He said: 'I did not take it seriously.I thought maybe it was about to give birth since it was pregnant.

'I went around the community looking without any success Later, when I returned home, I found the goat was back. However, it looked unwell.'

Feselani Mcube, 33, spent the night with the animal after it disappeared from its pen. He will be sentenced later this month

Mr Khumalo said that as he examined the animal a man approached and asked if he was the owner.

'He then told me that he had been at Mcube's shack that morning and had found the goat in his bed,' he said.

Locals swooped on Mcube and confronted him about the sickening sex attack.

'Initially he denied raping the goat, but later he confided that he raped her because he found her at his shack,' said Mr Khumalo.

Mcube was later arrested and held on a bestiality charge, said police Captain Samuel Sebola.

Bricklayer Mcube will be sentenced on November 20 after he was found guilty of the crime at Ga-Rankuwa magistrates court.
This is the 25,000 cannabis farm police found at the family home of Towie acid attacker Arthur Collins.

Police raided his Collins' father's 1million Hertfordshire home in the wake of the nightclub attack which left 16 people with chemical burns.

Rather than find Collins, they uncovered a sophisticated cannabis growing operation which was being run by Collins Sr's son-in-law.

This is the cannabis factory uncovered at the family home of acid attacker Arthur Collins

The 30 plants housed in the outbuilding could have made their owners up to 25,000

Arthur Collins Snr (left), whose son (right) carried out one of Britain's worst ever acid attacks, has avoided jail after the drugs farm was found on his property

There were 30 cannabis plants - 27 mature and three saplings with a yield of between 9,000 and 25,000, prosecutors said.

Collins was later arrested and jailed for the acid attack before his family faced court over the cannabis farm.

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 building to which he did not have access.

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.

The 55-year-old scaffolder was handed a 12-month community order, with four months on electronic tag.

At an earlier hearing, his younger son Thomas pleaded guilty to possessing a CS gas canister an electric stun gun and cannabis.

He was hit with a six month prison sentence which was suspended for 18 months at the same hearing on Wednesday.

Collins Snr's son-in-law, who was not prosecuted over the find, was not named in court.

The drugs were found in an outbuilding of the Collins family home in Hertfordshire

Collins' brother Thomas was also prosecuted over the cannabis and weapons find

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.

He went on the run following the attack before being arrested at Higham Ferrers in Northamptonshire.

In January he was jailed for a further eight months for using a smuggled mobile phone to call Ferne McCann from his cell.
Inspectors have found faults on two other Boeing 737 MAX jets including one which mirrors a problem reported on board the Lion Air plane which crashed on Monday.

Indonesian ministers ordered inspections on all MAX jets after the nearly-new Boeing, which is also used by the likes of United, Norwegian and Ryanair, came down killing all 189 people on board.

The transport ministry said on Monday that it had looked at over half a dozen jets so far and discovered that one had a problem linked to its cockpit display while another had a glitch in a jet stabilisation system.

Both planes are owned by Lion and will require new components to fix the issue.

Government inspectors have found faults on board two Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets after an identical model owned by the same airline (pictured) crashed on Monday, killing 189

The Boeing 737 MAX became the fastest-selling jet in history when it came into service last year, and is also used by the likes of United, Norwegian and Ryanair

Rescue workers lay out body bags containing remains found near the crash site at the Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta on Friday

Large amounts of debris, including clothes and bags taken aboard the aircraft by passengers, have been pulled from the ocean

Search crews had been hoping to find parts of the plane intact to help concentrate their efforts in a specific area, but the craft appears to have disintegrated

An engineer and a technician from Boeing have joined inspectors in Indonesia to help with the probe. So far, no other country is carrying out wholesale inspections.

Aviation analyst Dudi Sudibyo said the cockpit display issue could include a speed-and-altitude glitch reported in the doomed jet the day before it crashed.

'They can be minor issues but they have to be fixed,' he added. 'With airplanes, even if there is a single, tiny fault it should not fly.'

The inspection comes as questions swirl about why a plane that had gone into service just months ago crashed into the sea minutes after takeoff.

The single-aisle jet, en route from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang city, is one of the world's newest and most advanced commercial passenger planes.

Budget carrier Lion Air's admission that the doomed jet had a technical issue on a previous flight - as well its abrupt fatal dive - have raised questions about whether it had mechanical faults specific to the new model.

Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee said it was interviewing people who flew on the plane the day before the fatal crash.

Some have reported a frightening, erratic trip, an assertion that appears to be backed up by flight tracking data.

Divers have begun hauling smashed pieces of the crashed Lion Air jet off the sea bed, five days after it nose-dived into the ocean near Jakarta killing 189 people.

Seats, wheels and other pieces of the fuselage were found 'totally destroyed' on the sea bed, thwarting hopes that a large portion of the aircraft might be found intact.

Haryo Satmiko, deputy chairman of the National Transport Safety Committee, said evidence shows the jet hit the water at 'tremendous speed' before breaking apart.

Seats (pictured) from the Lion Air jet which crashed on Monday have been pulled from the sea 'totally destroyed' by the force of the impact

The landing gear was also torn from the plane and shredded after it hit the water at 'tremendous speed', investigators said

Wheels from the crashed jet are hauled out of the ocean and on to a waiting ship

Officials say the aircraft hit the water at 'tremendous speed', hampering efforts to find victims as their bodies did not remain intact (pictured, a body bag is brought ashore)

The impact is hampering efforts to find victims' bodies even as their teary-eyed loved ones wait anxiously on shore for news of their fate.

Satmiko said divers had found few intact bodies and were instead finding individual body parts.

Isswarto, commander of the Indonesian navy's search-and-rescue division who only uses one name, said: 'They're scattered everywhere and some may have been washed away by the current.'

Dozens of body bags containing remains have been recovered from the site so far.

Search teams are also still looking for the plane's second block box recorder, after the first was located on Thursday.

Commercial airliners are required to carry two boxes, one which records flight tracking data and another which records conversations from the cockpit.

Analysts are working to extract data from the first box in the hopes it will explain how the nearly-new aircraft crashed, but are not sure which of the boxes they have.

Government officials inspect one of the black box recorders found in the ocean

Government ministers have warned that victims' body parts may have been washed away by the current as more parts of the doomed aircraft were recovered

Search teams haul a tarpaulin containing parts of the destroyed Lion Air jet which crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday

Rescuers are still looking for the plane's second black box recorder having discovered the first one on Thursday (pictured, a shipping container filled with debris)

Satmiko said the base-plate of the box had been torn away in the crash, giving further evidence of how hard the plane hit the water.

Television images showed divers tying ropes to twisted plane parts scattered along the seafloor, as navy personnel hauled a pair of wheels from the jet aboard a ship.

Search teams have also determined the location of part of the plane's engine, authorities said.

The single-aisle Boeing plane, en route from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang city, is one of the world's newest and most advanced commercial passenger jets.

Boeing and US National Transportation Safety Board officials have joined the Indonesian team in sifting through twisted metal plane parts and piles of passengers' torn clothing, shoes, wallets and phones.

Passengers' remains are being sent to hospital for DNA identification, with the first funeral for one of the passengers held on Thursday.

Many other victims have yet to be found although there are hopes more can be recovered from the bulk of the wreckage, including those who may still be strapped to their seats.

Shoes recovered from the debris field around where the plane crashed are seen at Tanjung Priok port after being brought ashore by divers

Medics sift through destroyed seats from the doomed aircraft, which crashed on Monday

Hope are fading of finding any significant part of the jet intact, which is hampering search efforts for victims' bodies

Lion Air's admission that the jet had a technical issue on a previous flight - as well its abrupt fatal dive - have raised questions about whether it had mechanical faults such as a speed-and-altitude system malfunction.

The accident has also resurrected concerns about Indonesia's poor air safety record which until recently saw its carriers facing years-long bans from entering European Union and US airspace.

Indonesia has had nearly 40 fatal aviation accidents in the past 15 years, according to the Aviation Safety Network.

Lion Air, Indonesia's biggest budget carrier, has been involved in a number of incidents including a fatal 2004 crash.

In 2014, an AirAsia crash in the Java Sea during stormy weather killed 162 people.

The worst disaster in Indonesia's aviation history left 234 dead in 1997 when an Airbus A-300B4 operated by national carrier Garuda Indonesia crashed in a smog-shrouded ravine in North Sumatra, just short of the airport.
Blackpool's David Schwimmer look-alike thief whose mugshot went viral on Twitter last week is in fact a holidaymaker from London.

Last week, Blackpool police posted a CCTV image of a man with dark bushy hair as he leaves a shop carrying a crate of beer.

The show went viral online as some social media users noticed the similarity between the man and the American actor.

Days later the Hollywood star, 52, posted a parody video reconstructing the police CCTV snap, also hauling a beer crate.

Now, Lancashire police have revealed the David Schwimmer lookalike is not a Blackpool resident, but a holidaymaker from London.

The police said: 'We believe the person captured on the CCTV images is from the London area.

'We are working with colleagues in the Metropolitan Police to trace and arrest him.'

After the mugshot was posted on Twitter, David Schwimmer wrote: 'Officers, I swear it wasn't me!

Blackpool Police posted a CCTV image of a man carrying a crate of beer in a shop, asking anyone who knows him to get in touch to help the investigation

'As you can see, I was in New York. To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation.'

The alleged theft took place at Mr Basrai's restaurant in Blackpool.

The suspect has allegedly stolen a jacket, a wallet and a mobile from the restaurant.

On the same day, the man was caught on CCTV buying the crate of beer, using money or a cash card from a nearby shop.

The Hollywood actor David Schwimmer posted a parody video of him also carrying a crate of beer in a shop, which reconstructed the police CCTV snap

The force's 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.'

After social media users pointed out the similarities with the US actor, Lancashire Police officially ruled out the actor as a suspect.

They said: '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!'

Married father-of-one Schwimmer, born and based in New York, starred in Friends from 1994 to 2004.

In 2016, he won acclaim by starring as lawyer Robert Kardashian in American Crime Story, receiving his second Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor.




Paedophile hunter teams across Britain are aiming to form a national federation to work more responsibly within the law, it was revealed today.

The UK groups have formed over the past decade out of a perceived lack of action against child abusers - but face criticism amid claims they are lawless vigilantes.

However, most of the teams insist they work within the law and pass on all their details to police, before leaving cases to the legal system after an arrest is made.

Four teams from the Midlands and North of England have joined together on a job in Birmingham to track down and confront a suspected paedophile

Volunteers posed as underage girls in online chatrooms, had conversations with the man and claimed he sent them explicit photographs and videos

Now, four teams from the Midlands and North of England have joined together on a job in Birmingham to track down and confront a suspected paedophile.

Volunteers posed as underage girls in online chatrooms, had conversations with the man and claimed he sent them explicit photographs and videos.

Footage broadcast on Sky News showed the teams confronting him in the city centre, saying they were making a citizens' arrest due to his 'online activities'.

The man apologised, but was told: 'No, no, no, we've listened to your conversations, we've seen your chats. Do you know what damage it can cause a child?

'You can damage these children for the rest of their lives. Don't start with the crocodile now, we're not interested.'

Footage broadcast on Sky News showed the teams confronting him in the city centre, saying they were making a citizens' arrest due to his 'online activities'

Hunters from the groups Justice4Kids and Undercover and Exposed were involved in the sting, which saw police turn up later on and take the man away for questioning.

Just yesterday, a sheriff in Scotland warned paedophile hunters may need to be regulated after vigilantes caused an angry mob to besiege a sex offender's home.

It came after Kenneth Long was exposed as a child sex predator in an online sting in Armadale, West Lothian, orchestrated by a group known as the Wolf Pack.

When they turned up at Long's home in June, it attracted a large mob of locals -and one broke into his house, confronted his partner and set fire to a car outside.

Hunters from the groups Justice4Kids and Undercover and Exposed were involved in the sting, which saw police turn up later on and take the man away for questioning

Sheriff Peter Hammond suggested that the activities of paedophile-hunting groups may 'require scrutiny and regulation' in light of the 'deplorable' scenes.

Also yesterday, Tyneside-based paedophile hunters Dark Justice said that the issue is getting worse despite four years of their efforts to entrap would-be abusers.

The duo who started in October 2014 said agencies were overwhelmed and sentences passed down to the men they caught out were becoming softer.

But having survived a serious legal challenge, the group insisted they will carry on their actions which have seen 163 people arrested, 82 convicted and 44 jailed.
Arron Banks, pictured with his wife Katya, has been dogged by his links to Russia and this will be probed by police

Russian offers of gold and diamond deals to Arron Banks and his six-hour boozathon with Putin's London ambassador where they downed Stalin's vodka will be investigated by police probing his funding of the Leave campaign.

The millionaire insurance broker, 52, is accused of hiding the 'true source' of 8million in loans linked to campaign group Leave.EU.

On Thursday Britain's FBI launched a criminal probe and will consider whether the 'Bad Boy of Brexit' was handed Russian money to influence the Brexit referendum, which he says is 'b******s'.

Last night the Brexit donor boarded a scheduled British Airways flight to Gatwick, cutting short his holiday in Bermuda.

The millionaire left the paradise island to face questioning over financing of the EU referendum by the British FBI.

The insurance millionaire, 52, who has a Russian wife, has been dogged by the claims after three meetings with the Kremlins London ambassador Alexander Yakovenko.

In 2015 they famously got catatonically drunk over a six-hour lunch where they shared a bottle of Joseph Stalins very own and extremely rare vodka.

After the cosy lunches he also met businessmen and allegedly discussed the prospect of investing in gold and diamonds mines in Russia, which he turned down saying any deal was 'fraught with difficulties'.

Mr Banks is also said to have given Russian officials telephone numbers for members of Donald Trump's presidential transition team, just days after he and Mr Farage visited Trump Tower in the wake of the shock US election result, according to leaked emails that emerged this year.

Arron Banks (pictured in Doncaster in 2015) met the Kremlins London ambassador Alexander Yakovenko (right) three times

Liz Bilney, CEO of Leave.EU, pictured in 2015 at a London press conference, is also being investigated by detectives looking into whether the source of funds was concealed

The leaked documents suggested that the day after the Leave.EU launch Banks and Wigmore visited the Russian embassy and were introduced by the ambassador to a Russian businessman with extensive business interests in Russian gold mines.

The Britons were reportedly offered the chance to invest in a scheme which would see the merging of six Russian gold firms into a 6.2billion conglomerate.

A week later Banks tweeted: I am buying gold at the moment & big mining stocks, though it is unclear if his purchases were linked to Russia.

What is the law on political donations? Donations to electoral candidates and political campaigns are governed by the Representation of the People Act 1983. The act gives a list of 'permissible donors' which include: An individual registered on a UK electoral register, including overseas electors.

A Great Britain or Northern Ireland registered political party UK-registered companies, trade unions or building societies.

A UK-based unincorporated association that carries on business or other activities in the UK. What isn't allowed: The law is that loans and donations to registered campaigners can only come from certain permissible sources, which essentially excludes overseas or foreign funding

The Isle of Man is considered as being outside the UK because it is a British Crown dependency so donations via there are not allowed either Advertisement

Other leaked emails suggested a proposed financial tie-up with the Russian diamond firm Alrosa.

But Banks insists he never done the deals or passed on any information to the Russians, and was certainly never remunerated for doing so.

A report by the Commons digital, culture, media and sport select committee in July called for the NCA to be brought in to verify the funding for Leave.EU was not sourced from abroad.

It said: Arron Banks is believed to have donated 8.4million to the Leave campaign, but it is unclear from where he obtained that amount of money. He failed to satisfy us that his own donations had, in fact, come from sources within the UK.

At the same time, we have evidence of Mr Bankss discussions with Russian Embassy contacts, including the Russian ambassador, over potential gold and diamond deals.

At a hearing of the committee, Mr Banks laughed off questions from MPs about his links with the Kremlin, before strolling out of the meeting and heading straight to the Commons bar.

He also has ready answers about his not infrequent visits to Russia. They were, he says, family trips to visit his mother-in-law: his second wife, Katya, 45, the mother of his three youngest children, is Russian.

Mr Banks even claims to have talked with a senior CIA agent in London on his contacts with the Russian ambassador at 5 Hertford Street, a Mayfair club.

There he and colleague Andy Wigmore briefed the official 'on everything' pertaining to a meeting with the Russian ambassador in November of 2016, reported the Telegraph.

Arron Banks has put down his regular Russian visits to seeing his mother-in-law with his wife Ekaterina (pictured together)

Who are Britains FBI and what happens next? The National Crime Agency (NCA) also known as Britains FBI, target serious and organised crime throughout the UK. They have 4,200 all over the country dedicated to eradicating varied threats such as modern slavery, cyber-crime and organised immigration crime. Today, the NCA confirmed they have started an investigation into Aaron Banks, as well as Better for the County (BFTC), Leave.EU and also Elizabeth Bilney and other individuals. What happens now? The NCA has officially launched an investigation so will now start collecting evidence, analysing what has been given to them by The Electoral Commission. They will pass on the outcome of their investigation to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who decide what cases should be prosecuted. The CPS can at times, also assist law enforcement in determining the appropriate charges in more serious or complex cases. The CPS will then determine if a person should be charged for a criminal offence on the evidence available, and if so, what the offence should be. Those charged by the CPS must then appear in court and answer the charges put to them. What happens if criminal proceedings are proven? If criminal proceedings are proven in regards the 2016 EU Referendum it does not necessarily mean the result is voided or there will be another referendum. The Electoral Commission oversee the electoral process in the United Kingdom but could not prevent the UK leaving the EU if someone is convicted of criminal proceedings in relation to the 2016 EU referendum. They regulate political finance and have confirmed it would be up to the government to make decisions about the UK's withdrawal from the EU. In fact there is no legal remedy currently available to stop Brexit, the buck stops with the government. If criminal wrongdoing was found in relation to the referendum politicians would have to decide the next steps. Advertisement

Banks, who is said to be worth more than 100million, was raised by his mother in Basingstoke while his father managed sugar plantations in Africa.

He was kicked out of school before his A-levels and started selling vacuum cleaners and houses before moving to an entry-level job at insurance market Lloyd's of London; from there to Norwich Union.

He later co-founded insurance company Brightside, which was sold five years ago for 130 million, and more recently GoSkippy, which is now worth an estimated 100 million.

Much of his fortune, though, is held offshore in Belize, the Isle of Man, the British Virgin Islands and Gibraltar, making it difficult to value.

He is married to Russian Ekaterina Paderina and has five children.

Katya, a former gymnast, ice skater, pianist and occasional model who speaks six languages, was once dragged into a parliamentary row about suspected spying involving a Lib Dem MP and his Russian female parliamentary aide.

When a journalist had asked Katya if she had ever had any contact with MI5, she replied: I have never shopped in MFI.

After that, Arron bought her a car with the number plate FBI 5PY and one for himself: X MI5 5PY.

Mr Banks, who has always denied any claims of Russian influence, yesterday insisted the allegations against him were ludicrous and 'b*****s'.

The outspoken businessman, who was on a fishing trip in Bermuda before flying back to the UK last night, claimed the election watchdogs decision to refer him to the NCA was the result of intense political pressure from anti-Brexit supporters.

He said he was confident the investigation would put an end to the issue and exonerate him  before tweeting a picture of himself on holiday with the caption: Gone fishing!

Opposition MPs last night called for the process of leaving the European Union to be suspended while the allegations are investigated. Labour MP David Lammy said Brexit must be put on hold until we know the extent of these crimes against our democracy.

Downing Street insisted that the countrys departure would not be halted.

Leave.EU was a separate campaign from the official Vote Leave organisation. However, Mr Banks was a prominent face in the referendum, particularly on social media and online where his videos were watched more than a million times.

He donated 1million to Ukip in 2004, and Leave.EU was linked to former Ukip leader Nigel Farage. The Electoral Commission moved after concluding a review into a 2million loan by Mr Banks and his insurance companies and a 6million donation to Leave.EU he made alone.

It said that as well as suspicions he was not the true source of the cash, the investigations found parties involved in the transactions included Rock Holdings Ltd, a company majority-owned by Mr Banks, which is incorporated in the Isle of Man. Under electoral law, companies based outside the UK are not allowed to donate or loan to political campaigns.

Arron Banks responded with this tweet of himself relaxing in Bermuda yesterday and the caption: 'Gone fishing!'

In June he risked the wrath of MPs by walking out of his committee grilling over Russia because he had a lunch date in a Commons bar

The watchdog said it suspected Mr Banks, the Leave.EU chief executive Elizabeth Bilney and others involved in the organisation that ran it, Better for the Country, had concealed the true details of the finance.

The commissions legal chief Bob Posner said: We have reasonable grounds to suspect money given to Better for the Country came from impermissible sources and that Mr Banks and Miss Bilney, the responsible person for Leave.EU, knowingly concealed the true circumstances under which this money was provided.

This is significant because at least 2.9million of this money was used to fund referendum spending and donations during the regulated period of the EU referendum.

An NCA source last night said it would follow the money to establish whether it had originated from a foreign source.

Miss Bilney took to the airwaves to insist that none of the money had come from Russia.

She told Radio 4s The World at One: We dont have any transactions that are from Russia. I am completely comfortable that we have done everything above board.
Ireland has introduced new drink-driving laws but many fear they will ruin social lives in rural parts of the country, according to a Sinn Fein councillor.

The legislation was brought into effect last week and automatically disqualifies any motorist who is found to be over the alcohol limit.

All drink-drivers will now be disqualified from driving for a minimum of three months, and replaces previous legislation which provided for penalty points for some drivers instead of a disqualification.

But the new legislation has been attacked by Cllr Seadhna Logan, who told the Leitrim Observer: 'This October Bank holiday weekend locally has highlighted the anti-rural, anti-business consequences of a zero-tolerance approach to alcohol.'

Shane Ross, the minister for transport, tourism and sport, said the measures were a 'significant step in clamping down on the scourge of drink driving' (stock image)

Cllr Logan added: 'While I do not condone driving with a blood alcohol level above that which is legally permitted, I feel the enforcement of zero-tolerance will instill an unnecessary fear in already marginalised rural dwellers who are dependent on driving for independent living.'

The Garda has had a crackdown on drink-driving offences, with superindendent Kevin English confirming there had been a number of checkpoints over the weekend.

Prior to the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018 coming into force on October 25, a driver detected with a blood alcohol concentration of between 50 and 80 milligrams was punished with a 200 fine and three penalty points.

Leitrim Garda superintendent Kevin English said he welcomed the change, adding that 'if the law saves one life it is worth it'.

Prior to the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018 coming into force on October 25, a driver detected with a blood alcohol concentration of between 50 and 80 milligrams was punished with a 200 fine and three penalty points (stock image of Garda in Dublin)

Shane Ross, the minister for transport, tourism and sport, said the measures were a 'significant step in clamping down on the scourge of drink driving'.

He added: 'There are few more irresponsible and dangerous things people can do in everyday life than drink and drive.

'It was always wrong to give people the mild slap on the wrist of three penalty points for such potentially lethal behaviour, and it is a great satisfaction to know that in future people who behave this way will face a disqualification from driving for three months.'
This is the shocking moment a 15-year-old driver crashes into a group of people chatting on the street after being accidentally shot in the head by his cousin in the back seat.

The incident took place in the Miguel Hidalgo area of the central Mexican capital Mexico City.

According to local media, the motorist was shot in the head while driving four other people in the car.

Reportedly shot by his cousin sitting on the back seat, the 15-year-old lost consciousness and the vehicle slammed into a parked car and hit several people standing by the side of the street, as seen in the footage.

One of the injured men, Ignacio Cardenas, told local media that the vehicle crashed into a taxi.

He added: 'The car crashed into us and someone got trapped underneath. I was worried because one of the group members was pregnant and had to be taken to hospital.'

According to local media, most of the people chatting on the street received injuries and needed medical treatment, however the driver's condition is currently unclear.

A 15-year-old drove crashed into a group of people and parked cars while driving four people in central Mexican capital Mexico City

Prosecutor Edmundo Garrido Osorio told local media that the investigation is ongoing to establish the cause of the shooting.

According to reports, adults were also present in the vehicle. The minimum legal age to drive in Mexico city is 15 if accompanied by an adult.
Rail passengers are set for further misery in the run up to Christmas as union bosses announced workers will stage five fresh strikes on consecutive Saturdays.

Workers on Arriva Rail North will now walk out for seven Saturdays in a row between tomorrow and December 15 as part of the long-running row over train guards.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash claimed German-owned Northern Rail 'continue to bury their heads in the sand regardless of the impact on the travelling public'.

Arriva Rail North workers will stage five fresh strikes on Saturdays in the run up to Christmas

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said today that members will now walk out for 24 hours on November 17 and 24, and on December 1, 8 and 15.

The new action will take the number of strikes against the company to 41 since the bitter row over the role of guards on trains flared.

Strikes had already been announced for tomorrow and next Saturday, leading to huge disruption to services for people trying to do some early Christmas shopping.

The RMT also announced that it will ballot workers on Great Western Railway for industrial action over the sacking of a guard based at London's Paddington station.

The new action will take the number of strikes against Arriva Rail North to 41 since the bitter row over the role of guards on trains flared

Mr Cash said: 'RMT continues to make every effort to get serious and meaningful talks going with Northern but the company are not interested and would prefer to continue to bury their heads in the sand regardless of the impact on the travelling public.

'German-owned Northern Rail want to run nearly half a million trains a year without a safety critical guard on board in a move that would wreck both safety and access to services and they should listen to their front-line staff and pull back from that plan immediately.

'RMT has secured agreements on other English franchises that enshrine the guard guarantee. Similar agreements have also been reached in Wales and Scotland. Arriva Rail North need to do the right thing and come to an agreement that secures a guard on their trains too.

When will the Arriva Rail North strikes be? Tomorr ow (November 3)

Saturday, November 10

Saturday, November 17

Saturday, November 24

Saturday, December 1

Saturday, December 8

Saturday, December 15 Advertisement

'We thank the public for their support and understanding throughout this dispute over rail safety and access and the union remains ready for genuine and serious talks.'

David Brown, managing director of Northern Rail, said; 'In a recent letter to the RMT General Secretary, I called on the union to reconvene talks. RMT will need to demonstrate that they are serious about making progress by suspending industrial action and agreeing to discuss the options that they themselves put forward during the first ACAS talks in September. To date, we have not received a response to this proposal.

'During those talks, the RMT changed its mind about what it would discuss between the first and second meetings, making it impossible to progress. We have offered to explore all options, including those RMT has agreed with other train operators, but they refuse to discuss these with Northern. I am still waiting for a response to my call to them asking them to get back round table and find a solution to their dispute.

'Instead, they have responded by cynically targeting the weekends in November and December to hit Christmas markets and important seasonal events. Not only will this include the 19th consecutive Saturday of RMT strike action but also 42nd day of strike action. RMT's strikes are causing more and more unnecessary difficulty and inconvenience for our customers and significant loss of earnings for their members.

'Our offer to resume ACAS talks remains open and we will meet the union anytime, anywhere. We challenge the union to suspend their action and come back to the table.'

Rugby fans will be caught up in travel disruption on Saturday as another strike in the bitter dispute over guards on trains disrupts services.

Members of the RMT on South Western Railway (SWR) as well as Arriva Rail North will walk out for 24 hours in ongoing industrial action which is causing travel misery.

Rugby fans travelling to Twickenham for England's international game against South Africa were advised to allow extra time, especially those based in western England.

SWR said it will run reduced services, with buses replacing trains on some routes including Salisbury to Exeter, Ascot to Aldershot and Surbiton to Guildford, while other areas will have no trains or replacement buses.

Engineering work will cause further disruption to some late night trains. Further strikes are planned on November 17 and 24.

An SWR statement said: 'We would like to make it completely clear that we will continue to roster a guard on all our trains, including our new suburban fleet to be introduced from late 2019 and that our future plans require more, not less guards.

'We have guaranteed to roster a guard with safety critical competencies on all our services.'

Northern said it expected to run around 30 per cent of services, with replacement buses on some routes. The strike will hit football fans going to a number of games across Northern England.

It comes as London Underground passengers were given early warning of the disruption they face because of a planned strike which will hit three Tube lines.

Members of the RMT and drivers' union Aslef will stage a 24-hour walkout next Wednesday on the Central and Waterloo & City, which will have no services all day.

RMT members on the Piccadilly line, which serves Heathrow Airport, will strike from noon on the same day, affecting services for the rest of the day and on the morning of November 8. The disputes involve a breakdown in industrial relations.
A Ryanair customer services worker who called a passenger a 'fat slob' after he made a complaint has apologised and left the airline.

Lauren Coupland aimed the shocking insult at David Bookbinder after Ryanair staff refused to let his wife Wang Yi board a flight from East Midlands Airport to Tenerife.

When an article about Mr Bookbinder's complaint appeared on Facebook, Miss Coupland commented underneath: 'I bet his wife was hoping deep down that she wouldn't get on the flight and he would carry on his journey without her.

'I mean waking up to that fat slob every morning!'

Lauren Coupland, from Derby, went on a Facebook rant after David Bookbinder took Ryanair to task for how they treated his wife

Miss Coupland left a comment under a local newspaper article where Mr Bookbinder complained about Ryanair's treatment of his wife

But Miss Coupland, of Derby, has now apologised to the couple in a letter. She wrote: 'I would like to unreservedly apologise for, and retract the statement I made.

'The comment I made is untrue, deliberate and without cause or justification. I do not know Mr David Bookbinder or Mrs Wang Yi. My comment was judgemental, unjustified and unsubstantiated.

'I now understand that my comments have greatly upset both Mr David Bookbinder and Mrs Wang Yi and have caused great distress to their families, especially Mrs Wang Yi's elderley parents in China.

'I acted without thinking about the impact my comments would have.'

Miss Coupland, who issued the statement through Mr Bookbinder and Mrs Yi's lawyers Gellards, added that she 'should have known better'.

She also said she would donate money to a charity of their choice.

Mr Bookbinder, 78, and his wife were strangded at East Midlands Airport after they were refused entry onto the plane

Miss Coupland, who gave her job as a 'customer services supervisor' on Facebook, has now left Ryanair. It is not clear if she quit or was sacked from her role.

Mr Bookbinder and his wife, who were heading to Tenerife, said visa issues stopped them from getting on the plane.

Mr Bookbinder, a former leader of Derbyshire County Council, said Ryanair staff refused to allow Wang Yi to fly because she did not have a visa for travel in the EU Schengen zone of countries.

But he claimed that because she was travelling with him on his British passport, she did not need one.

Mr Bookbinder, 78, and Wang Yi said: 'We found her comments to be hurtful and damaging, but she has done the right thing in the end and we wish her well.'

He said that the couple were still deciding on a charity to donate Miss Coupland's money to. Mr Bookbinder is still pursuing Ryanair for his original complaint.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: 'It is each customers own responsibility to ensure they have the correct travel documents for their journey, as stated in our terms & conditions at the time of booking.

'Our records confirm that the customer in question was not in possession of a valid travel visa and was correctly denied boarding.'
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Armed police stormed the London HQ of Sony Music as terrified office workers cowered under tables when a fight broke out between two canteen workers in which one man was stabbed.

Sony employees heard screaming coming from the canteen on an upstairs floor of the office on Derry Street in Kensington, West London, which also houses Simon Cowell's entertainment company. It is not thought he was there at the time.

A man was arrested and two people were injured, with one the casualties taken to a hospital and the other to a major trauma centre. His condition is not thought to be life-threatening.

Footage from the scene shows a casualty being wheeled away in a stretcher, while in another video shows a man being led away in handcuffs.

A Sony Music spokesman said: 'Two members of the catering team were involved in a violent altercation. The incident is now in the hands of the Metropolitan Police.'

A casualty is wheeled out of the Sony office in Kensington, West London, after firearms officers stormed the building at around 11am

Footage later this morning showed officers leading a man away in handcuffs following what was believed to be a fight between two chefs

Shocked members of staff inside the Sony building told of the unfolding chaos as police ordered everyone to evacuate.

A Sony employee, who did not want to be named, said: 'We just heard screaming and running and people slamming doors.'

The men, who are employed by a catering company, were 'running round chasing each other' and 'slashing each other up', he added.

A worker inside the building tweeted at just after 11am: 'Under tables in a locked office in the Sony building and there's banging and screaming downstairs. Freaking out!!!'

She later added: 'There was a stabbing downstairs. All our remaining in our locked rooms but we think police are now here.'

Another Sony worker told the Standard: 'It was between two kitchen staff. They were in uniform.

'There was a lot of shouting and commotion. It looked like they were having a fight. One had fallen over and was on his back and the other was standing over him. I thought he was raining punches down, but then I saw the knife.

'It was about six or seven inches long, and he was standing over him trying to get him, stabbing downwards as the other man put his arms up to defend himself.

'He was going nuts. There was a lot of shouting. Other staff were standing around - they didn't want to get too close because he had a massive knife.'

He said he saw the victim, who worked for a catering contractor, stabbed in the upper thigh, before the pair were separated.

'The guy with the leg injury had a towel wrapped around his leg, and the attacker was sitting down on the floor, still obviously very angry, with people trying to calm him down, and paper towels wrapped around his arm.'

Photos showed a large number of police cars and ambulances in front of the building in the upscale neighborhood.

The witness said there were two areas of blood on the floor, while another woman appeared to have been slightly hurt after apparently falling over in the melee.

Armed officers sprint towards the building on Derry Street, which is just off Kensington High Street. The building was quickly evacuated

This aerial view shows 10 police cars and three ambulances lined up along Derry Street and at the intersection with Kensington High Street

Shocked members of staff inside the Sony building told of the unfolding chaos as police (pictured) ordered everyone to evacuate

This Sony employee tweeted to say that her colleagues were hiding under tables before they were evacuated

Derry Street is a short road of under 100 yards off Kensington High Street, an upscale shopping street in London's richest boroughs.

London's knife crime epidemic has seen 116 murders this year The number of murder investigations opened by the Metropolitan Police reached 116th last night after a wave of knife-related killings. Jai Sewell, 15, (pictured) had left his home in Bellingham, south-east London, to buy a meal when he was followed by two men in a minicab who jumped out and stabbed him. There were 40,147 knife-related offences recorded from March 2017 to April 2018  an increase of 16 per cent on the 35,547 recorded in 2016/17 and the highest level since comparable records began in 2011. Advertisement

It ends in a cul-de-sac before a footpath joins Kensington Square Garden, one of the capital's oldest garden squares.

One onlooker said: 'Large crowds of people began exiting the building's front door at around 11 o clock.

'Most were running, all towards Kensington Square Garden. Several were visibly panicked and some were screaming.'

Another Sony staff member told MailOnline: 'I heard people screaming and everyone literally legged it, people started pouring out the emergency exits.

'I don't know the ins and outs but it was scary. I know there's lots of knife crime but you don't expect it to happen around here.'

Another added: 'We just heard screaming in the canteen. Then we ran for the fire exit.'

Employees of the company were being interviewed by police outside the office.

By 2pm, there were several police cars still present and officers standing outside the building's front door.

This image shows the moment armed officers entered the building. It was taken from an upstairs floor in the office opposite

Dramatic images showed emergency vehicles and a large cordon that was set up around the scene while police stormed the building

The incident comes amid a surge in knife crime in the capital, with 40,147 knife-related offences recorded from April 2017 to March 2018

Violence in 'Wild West' Britain has seen 69,000 children hurt Nearly 70,000 children have been wounded in stabbings and beatings in just one year as violence on the streets of 'Wild West' Britain continues to spiral. Jackie Sebire, assistant chief constable of Bedfordshire police, revealed the shocking statistic in October 2018 as she lamented the 'constant torrent' of murders and knife attacks unfolding in the UK. Mrs Sebire said police forces face a 'constant and sustained' demand, adding: 'Wild West? It can be... it's happening in broad daylight, they're in public spaces.' Stats released earlier this month showed a wide range of offences showing dramatic increases In the year to June there were 69,000 child woundings, where a youngster aged 10 to 15 was stabbed or seriously injured, a rise of 4,000 on the previous year. Mrs Sebire, the National Police Chiefs Council spokesman for serious violent crime, said: 'I've worked in some really challenging London boroughs. This is different, this level of violence, this constant torrent of every single day there is another stabbing, that we can't seem to get ahead of.' Police chiefs believe they are at a turning point, after years of struggling to meet high public expectations and soaring demand. Recorded crime has risen by 9 per cent  including rocketing levels of knife crime and robbery  as 22,000 officers were lost from the frontline. Statistics released earlier this month show the number of homicides nationwide is up from 630 to 719, with overall recorded crime up by almost 10%. The number of offences registered as involving a knife or sharp instrument, 39,332, was the highest since 2011, when comparable records started. Advertisement

Other witnesses who saw the incident unfold from outside the Sony HQ described hearing shouting before dozens of people poured out after police arrived.

A construction worker said: 'I saw lots and lots of police arriving and I told my colleague to go take a look ad he said he saw a man dragging a woman from the building by the arm, she look scared. But he could be protecting her, I can't say.'

Trish Ellis, a personal assistant at the Mail on Sunday, said: 'It started opposite our building in Derry Street, usual sirens and racket but then we heard shouting, and more and more sirens.

'A few people came out, then armed police were going in six-plus at a time, and more and more of them, but they seemed to be keeping people in the building.

'Gradually they started to release people in tens, twenties, and a stretcher turned up with all the medical kit on it, but just stayed outside.'

Police, who are seen here on Kensington High Street (left) and on Derry Street (right), said the incident was not terror related

Derry Street is just off Kensington High Street, which is at the centre of the capital's richest borough

The Metropolitan Police said: 'Officers were called at approximately 11:00hrs on Friday, 2 November to reports of an incident in Derry Street, W8.

'Officers, including firearms officers, and London Ambulance Service are in attendance. Evacuations are in place as precaution.

'At this time we believe two people have suffered injuries. Officer remain on scene and the incident remain ongoing.'

The building at 9 Derry St. contains the offices of Sony Music and associated music companies, including Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We were called at 11:01 today to Derry Street, W8, to reports of an incident.

'We sent an incident response officer, two single responders in cars and two ambulance crews to the scene.

'We treated two people at the scene. We took one to hospital and one to a major trauma centre.'

Police and an ambulance on Kensington High Street where the road meets Derry Street. The Metropolitan Police said: 'Officers were called at approximately 11:00hrs on Friday, 2 November to reports of an incident in Derry Street, W8'

Security and police officers standing near the door of the Sony offices following this morning's incident
NATO troops are battling against the elements in Norway as Europe and America hold training drills in extreme weather amid growing threats from Moscow.

Some 50,000 troops, 65 ships and 250 aircraft from the military forces of 31 countries are being deployed in Norway, which shares a border with Russia.

The U.S. troops, many of whom are not accustomed to the cold conditions, bundled up against the cold and wearing thick white boots with one saying it was only their second time seeing snow.

Moscow has now announced plans to test fire missiles in international waters off Norway in its own show of strength.

Spanish soldiers in a Pizarro tank during an exercise to defend an airfield as part of the Trident Juncture 2018 exercises, in response to Moscow's 'unpredictable' behaviour

Norway insisted on hosting Exercise Trident Juncture, in Tynset, Hedmark county, amid fears about the 'unpredictable' behaviour of the Kremlin.

Russia has sparked fresh tensions with Western governments with its annexation of part of Ukraine in 2014 and the Novichok nerve agent poisonings earlier this year.

Moscow has also been accused of attempts to influence elections including the 2016 U.S. presidential race and the UK's Brexit referendum.

Corporal Josye Martinez, who was flown to Norway for the exercises, said: 'This is my second time seeing snow, so it's a rather new experience.

'When I first landed in Norway, I was really cold, my body went into shock.... But as the time has gone by I've actually adapted to it.'

For the Abrams tanks teams, based in North Carolina and more used to desert manoeuvres, operating their 60-tonne behemoth in the snow and ice is a challenge.

The military vehicle's colour and camouflage patterns stand out starkly in Norway's icy north.

Already U.S. Marines have decided to deploy around 700 troops on rotation in Norway, independent of the current NATO exercises.

Lance Corporal Joaquin Medina, an ammunition loader aboard one the tanks, said: 'The driver has to be very careful because we can't always stop when we need to.

'Two days ago, when it was very snowy and very icy, our tracks would just pedal. When we tried to stop, the tank would keep moving.'

U.S. Marines - many of whom were said to come from warm states in the South or West Coast - prepare their M1 Abrams tank to take part in an exercise in the cold of Norway

A German soldier having a warm meal during the Trident Juncture exercises at Tynset in Norway yesterday. Donald Trump has called on Germany to make a greater contribution

A Leopard 2a4 tank next to a barn during a Trident Juncture exercise in Engerdalen yesterday

An Engineer battalion in Brigade Nord were led across a river with the help of the 'Ferry 2000' system, with a tank seen emerging from the water during the military exercises in Norway

US Marines listen as Platon Commander Luis Penichet gives a briefing ahead of an exercise

A member of the British Army Royal Irish Regiment Commanding Officer's TAC team is seen through a barbed wire defence during the military exercises in Norway

Janar Ploompuu, of the second armoured reconnaissance battalion, said a 'lot of people are from the southern states and in California where the coldest is usually around 70F (21C).'

Several European armies are following suit to acclimatise their forces to operating in freezing conditions.

In a fictional 'Battle of Oppdal' U.S. Marines are pitted against Spanish and Italian troops over control of an airfield, very few of them accustomed to the biting cold.

The Lepanto mechanised battalion of the La Reina regiment, usually stationed in Cordoba, in sunny southern Spain, has been preparing in temperatures of -20C (-4F) for the NATO exercises.

On the 'battlefield' the thermometer shows relatively mild conditions for the time of year: 6C (42F) minus one degree with the windchill factor.

Their commander Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Villalonga said: 'We have been training in the Pyrenees.

'We have been taking driving lessons on snow, we have been in contact with our mountain school and have received lessons on how to move and live in such weather conditions.

'We are ready to defend any NATO country or whatever country that needs our help.'

A landing craft assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4 (ACU 4) and attached to the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New York in the Norwegian Sea

U.S. Marine Platon Commander Luis Penichet loading blank rounds on an M1 Abrams tank ahead of an exercise to capture an airfield as part of the Trident Juncture drills

US Marines drive the LAV-25, an eight-wheeled amphibious armored reconnaissance vehicle to take part in an exercise in the Norwegian drills

A Telemark battalion's Leopard 2A4 tank is equipped for the snow amid freezing conditions

US Marines react during a briefing ahead of an exercise to capture an airfield in Norway
Professors Stephen Hawking and Dorothy Hodgkin, the only British female to win a Nobel prize for science, are among early proposals for the face of the new 50 note.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney opened the public nominations today, with the requirement of them being no longer living and from fields such as medical research, biology and astronomy.

Professor Brian Cox was quick to nominate Prof Hawking, the renowned theoretical physicist who died in March, for inspiring 'thousands of scientists' and 'millions' of others.

Royal Society president Venki Ramakrishnan said he would choose 'remarkable individual' Prof Hodgkin, the chemist who died in 1994.

Dorothy Hodgkin, the only British female to win a Nobel prize for science, is among early proposals for the face of the new 50 note

Stephen Hawking (left) and Anne McLaren (right), a leader in test tube fertilisation, are also among the names being put forward for consideration

Governor Mark Carney (pictured at the Science Museum) announced this morning that the new polymer note will celebrate UK achievement in science

'We can thank Dorothy for revealing the three-dimensional structures of many biologically important molecules such as penicillin, insulin and vitamin B12, as well as inspiring several generations of leading crystallographers,' Dr Ramakrishnan added.

Prof Hodgkin won the coveted prize for advancing the technique of X-ray crystallography, which is used to determine molecules' 3D structures.

Others suggestions for a female scientist included Anne McLaren, a leader in test tube fertilisation.

While many will not have a 50 note burning a hole in their pocket, the Bank says some 330 million are in circulation.

The scientist will feature on the other side of the note to the Queen, who can be the only living person on bank notes.

The Bank was keen to stress it must not be a non-fictional character, warding off another 'Boaty McBoatface' scenario where the fictional name for a research vessel attracted the most votes.

Steam giants Matthew Boulton and James Watt are currently the faces of the 50 note in circulation

William Morgan (left), who is considered the father of modern actuarial science, and Scottish bacteriologist and surgeon Alexander Fleming (right) have also been suggested

Francis Crick (left), most noted for being a co-discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953 with Rosalind Franklin (right)

Making the announcement at the Science Museum in London, Mr Carney added: 'So, I'm afraid, no Time Lords from whatever gender are eligible.'

Who are the faces of current British notes? 5: The polymer 5 note featuring Sir Winston Churchill entered circulation on 13 September 2016 10: The new polymer 10 note, featuring Jane Austen, entered circulation on 14 September 2017 20: The current 20 note features the economist Adam Smith. It will be replaced by one featuring landscape painter JMW Turner in 2020 Advertisement

The public has six weeks to register their nominations on the Bank's website, with Mr Carney making the selection to be announced next year.

He said he remained 'open-minded' about what his choice will be, and celebrated the successes of British scientists from the steam engine to the telegraph for powering industrial revolutions.

'In medicine and biology, the discoveries of penicillin, X-rays and the double helix by British scientists afforded people healthier and longer lives,' he added.

The roll-out date of the note to replace the current one featuring industrial revolution pioneers Matthew Boulton and James Watt is yet to be revealed.

It will be the last of note to be upgraded from paper to a plastic polymer.

The current paper 20 will be replaced with a polymer version from 2020. It will feature artist JMW Turner.

The 50 in circulation now was introduced in 2011, but its continued existence was called into question with concerns over money laundering and tax evasion.

But the new issue will feature fresh security features.

Among those on the advisory committee creating a shortlist for the governor are scientists Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Dr Emily Grossman, Professor Simon Schaffer and Dr Simon Singh.

Nominations close on December 14, and Mr Carney said the announcement should be made by next summer.
A young lion won in a game of cards by a wealthy businessman has been found suffering from malnutrition with its paws 'twisted from rickets'.

The big cat, called Simba, was kept in the yard of a half-built house in one of the world's coldest regions.

A police probe is underway into the lion's 'neglect'.

The 14-month-old lion had been 'abandoned' by the owner who had gone abroad from his Russian home, say reports.

Simba the lion was found with 'paws twisted with rickets' and suffering from malnurition

Simba, who was won in a card game, had been fed dog food despite needing at least 10kg of meat to survive. The lion hadn't been fed for three days

Now the starving beast - not fed for three days - has been taken into care by a stray dog rescue service from the yard of a house in Smolenschina village near the icy Siberian city of Irkutsk.

Vyacheslav Savin, who saved the predator, said: 'He was so exhausted that he could hardly stand... He is dying.

'Soon there will be hard frosts - minus 20C - and he will just die.

'This is why we had to take him away from here.'

The owner and his servants had fed the lion on dog food, before its last meal three days earlier.

'A large lion needs at least 10kg of meat each day, but this lion has rickets.'

Local reports say the big cat has 'shabby hair, its bones stick out.'

The lion's paws are 'twisted from rickets, and its muzzle is covered in abrasions'.

The wealthy owner - named only as Sherzad - had flown to his native Uzbekistan, in Central Asia, and refused to talk by phone to local journalists on the lion's condition.

After being rescued by Vyacheslav Savin, Simba was wrapped up warm, since the temperature in the Irkutsk region, where he was found, can plummet to minus 20C. Savin said: 'Soon there will be hard frosts - minus 20C - and he will just die. This is why we had to take him away from here'

Savin said Simba was 'so exhausted that he could hardly stand. He is dying'

The wealthy businessman who won Simba - named only as Sherzad - had flown to his native Uzbekistan and refused to talk by phone to local journalists about the lion. One of his servants doubted Sherzad intended to return 'and had stopped feeding the lion'

One servant doubted he intended to return 'and had stopped feeding the lion'.

The businessman's friend Elnur Mikhailiev said: 'All lions are so slim at this age.'

Reports say he had won the beast in a game of cards with another businessman.

Wild animals have become popular pets for the wealthy in Russia.

Residents in Smolenschina had alerted police after hearing a 'loud roaring noise' in the village.
A Catholic priest has claimed he is being punished by the church after he launched a petition calling for the resignation of a cardinal over his handling of child sex-abuse cases.

Reverend Pierre Vignon's online petition demanding Philippe Barbarin step down has so far gathered more than 100,000 signatures.

The 64-year-old blamed the Archbishop of Lyon for mishandling the case of a notorious alleged paedophile priest suspected of abusing Lyon boy scouts in the 1980s.

Father Pierre Vignon holds a letter in Saint-Martin-en-Vercors, France. A Roman Catholic priest says he's been punished by church leaders in France

The 64-year-old priest urged a powerful French cardinal to resign in an online petition that has now gathered more than 100,000 signatures

Since the petition launched, Vignon claimed he was told he is no longer being considered for service on a church court where he has officiated as a judge since 2002.

Vignon has received dozens of letter of supports, including from people who have been abused by predatory priests.

Vignon's parish is in the mountainous region of Vercors, an area pivotal in the French fightback against the Germans in World War II.

The priest said the region's freedom-fighting history inspired his own decision to break ranks and call for the resignation of Barbarin.

'I have always been unmanageable,' Vignon says proudly. 'There comes a moment when one has to say 'No! No more, that's enough!' That's what I said: 'Enough.'''

Vignon said: 'I don't know if Cardinal Barbarin will forgive me this joke, but he has such colossal energy, which I don't have, that he is often nicknamed 'the 100,000-volt cardinal.' Now, unfortunately, he's going to become the 100,000-vote cardinal.'

Barbarin and other church officials are due in court in January to answer questions from victims. He will be asked whether he was aware of the Lyon priest's alleged history of abuse and did not inform authorities.

French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, archbishop of Lyon, attends to a mass for the Feast of the Assumption at the sanctuary of Lourdes, southwestern France

Barbarin has denied any attempt to cover up the case and has been supported as 'brave' by Pope Francis.

While there has not been widespread calls for Barbarin to resign, it has exposed rifts within the French church.

Those who have spoken in support of Barbarin include Vignon's own boss, Valence bishop Pierre-Yves Michel.

Michel and another French bishop wrote in church newspaper La Croix that Barbarin shouldn't resign and described attacks against him as an 'ideological settling of scores.'

Speaking about the petition, Vignon said: 'I have violated the unwritten law that one shouldn't make waves. Because of that I've received quite a bit of criticism from some colleagues and somewhat traditional and conservative churchgoers.'
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A near-perfect replica of a notorious Salem Witch Trial's Judge's house has gone on sale for $725,000 in Cape Cod.

The original all-black home belonged to Puritan Judge Jonathan Corwin, who sent accused witches to the gallows at the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

The modern property was built in 1984 in Sandwich, Massachusetts, - around a two-and-a-half hour drive from the original.

The black painted wooden slats of the house's exterior are a near-perfect replica of the original Salem property which is a two-and-a-half hour drive away

A spooky sign says 'The Witch Is in' at the Sandwich, Massachusetts house which is on the market for $725,000

The original in Salem - the only house left from the era - belonged to Jonathan Corwin who sent 19 to the gallows at the trial where more than 200 were accused of witchcraft in the 1690s

It features the same black timber exterior, low ceilings of wooden beams, three peaked roofs, and a stone fireplace.

The successful buyer will get fully modern furnishings as well as a secret closet hidden behind a bookshelf.

Corwin's original home is the only structure still standing in Salem which dates back to the horrifying period of their history.

The low wooden beams of the master bedroom at the house in Barnstable County, Massachusetts - Cape Cod's oldest town, dating back to 1639

The replica is extremely accurate but does feature modern necessities like alarm systems and electric lighting as seen here

The large replica brick fire place where Corwin would sit for hours in deep deliberations over the defendants accused of witchcraft

From the winter of 1692 until May of the following year, 19 people were hanged for allegedly being witches, and overall more than 200 people were accused.

There were rumors that Corwin carried out chilling interrogations of accused witches at his house and demanded defendants be brought to him, but there is little historical evidence to support the claims.

The Salem house was featured in episode four of 'Ghost Adventures,' a TV series on the Travel Channel which investigated whether it was haunted.

Broad beams show the higher roof of the luxurious dining room which is a stunning example of 17th century New England architecture

A large office fitted with modern technology has paneling which provide bright electric lights to provide for any present day worker

The kitchen is complete with modern appliances amid the old fashioned wooden paneling of the counters

Tori Harrison, Sotheby's home's listing agent said: 'I've had a lot of interest.

'I think it's perfect for someone who's looking for a unique property because there's so much character.

'Everyone wants to see it because it's so unique.'

The rear of the house featuring a brick patio with access to the basement and an outdoor dining area

For any history fans this could be an ideal purchase as Sandwich has many museums and old houses which record it as Cape Cod's oldest town

The three peaked roof of the black-beamed house is a fantastic example of the First Period style which was rooted in the tastes of Georgian England

Corwin was born November 14, 1640 in Salem to George and Elizabeth, nee Herbert, Corwin.

His father had arrived there two years before and married the English daughter of Northampton mayor John Herbert.

A leading member of the local gentry, the judge's father was a merchant and shipbuilder who brought his son into the trade when he came of age.

Corwin worked as a magistrate and married widow Elizabeth Gibbs in 1675 and they had ten children.

A spooky Halloween wreath on the door of the witch Judge's replica home at 33 Tarragon Drive

The living room features rugs and furniture upholstered in the style favored by the New England gentry of the late 17th century

When the Salem trials began Corwin became an integral part of initial proceedings in gathering evidence against the accused in 1692.

He presided over the first set of proceedings when three were accused of witchcraft and continued throughout, although scant records make his precise role difficult to establish.

The trials were the result of vicious rumors - indeed, Corwin's own mother-in-law was accused by a servant girl - as the town consumed itself with misguided Puritan fervor.
This is the dramatic moment more than 50 firefighters battled a huge blaze at an idyllic thatched holiday cottage.

Peony Cottage, in the picturesque village of Affpuddle, Dorset, caught alight at around 7.20pm last night.

Two families, thought to be on holiday from America, were inside the historic five-bed property and didn't realise the blaze had broken out in the roof.

But the flames were spotted by a passing motorist who sounded his horn to try and alert the occupants.

When he got no response he stopped, got out and banged on the windows of the Grade II listed cottage.

More than 50 firefighters battled a huge blaze at Peony Cottage, pictured, in the picturesque village of Affpuddle, Dorset, last night

The 830-a-week holiday cottage was being used by two families from the US who did not realise the flames had broken out on the roof

The four adults and two children escaped the fire safe and well.

The exact cause of the blaze is not yet known but smoke could be seen billowing from the 830-a-week cottage's thatched roof for miles around.

Around 20 fire crews from across Dorset were called to the scene with 50 officers battling through the night to bring the flames under control.

At the height of the blaze there were a total of nine water pumps at the scene alongside an aerial ladder platform, a water carrier and a command support vehicle in attendance.

Firefighters remain at the detached house this morning and are damping the area down.

Around 20 fire crews, pictured, from across Dorset were called to the scene with 50 officers battling through the night to bring the flames under control

The families holidaying in the cottage, pictured during the blaze, were alerted to the flames by a passing motorist

A spokesman for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: 'We immediately mobilised two fire engines and an aerial ladder platform.

'The first crew then requested the attendance of three more fire engines due to to the thatch on the property being alight.

'These were sent from Dorchester, Blandford and Poole.

'A water carrier was also requested shortly after which was sent from Poole.

'At the height of the blaze, we had a total of nine pumping appliances, an Ariel ladder platform, a water carrier and a command support vehicle in attendance.

'The fire was brought under control after several hours of work and we remain at the scene this morning damping the area down.'

Police also attended the cottage and closed closing a nearby road before telling locals to avoid the area.
Charleston Prentice Goodman, 26, was last seen by his mother and family at his Durham home on January 28

A North Carolina man who was kidnapped in January was most likely killed and fed to hogs, according to court documents.

Charleston Prentice Goodman, 26, was last seen by his mother and family at his Durham home on January 28.

'He kissed me on my forehead like he always does and said, "Mama, I love you, I'll be back," I said, "I love you, too, baby, be safe,"' Tammie Goodman told WNCN about the day he was taken.

She shared that Charleston had been leaving to pick up his five-year-old daughter when he went missing. Less than ten seconds after he kissed her goodbye, Ms Goodman heard her son screaming.

When she ran outside, Ms Goodman was shocked to see her son being taken into a light-colored van.

Police would later identify the vehicle as a 2005-2008 Honda Odyssey.

Tammie Goodman (right) said that her son was leaving to get his daughter when a van came and suspects shoved him inside (with his father at left)

Police identified the vehicle as a 2005-2008 Honda Odyssey

'I saw my son being shoved into the van,' she added. 'He was fighting with everything he had. He was saying, "Who are you, what do you want with me?" and then when he realized I was out there he started saying, "Mama, go back in the house, lock the door, lock the door."'

Investigators stated that he hasn't been seen since that moment, except a possible sighting by a witness who said that she saw a man's body in the back of a van.

It is believed that the missing man was involved with drug trafficking before his death.

An informant told the FBI that Charleston was caught on video stealing cocaine from a dealer in January.

He is said to have converted that cocaine into cash before he was kidnapped, according to court documents.

An informant told the FBI that Charleston was caught on video stealing cocaine from a dealer in January

Another informant told police that the man was fed to hogs in an unknown location (file)

Another informant told police that the man was fed to hogs in an unknown location.

Police are still looking for details surrounding the kidnapping and Charleston's death.

For Ms Goodman, that last moment with her son will always be etched into her memory.

'Lord, have mercy. That's all I could think,' she said. 'I just started saying, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus."'
With coyote sightings on the rise, Ohio pet owners scared of having their small dogs and cats snatched by hungry predators, have started outfitting their beloved pets in heavily-adorned, protective Kevlar vests.

Made by a California couple who watched as their own dog was killed by a coyote, CoyoteVest Pet Body Armor is an unsubtle mix of an old school punk rocker's studded jacket and colorful Mohawk hairstyle, and a school crossing guard's hi-vis vest.

Ohio dog owners Carlton Ross and girlfriend Cassie Smith told WJW that they bought two of the lightweight, flexible Kevlar vests for their pair of Jack Russell terriers after spotting coyotes near their home.

Ohio pet owners fearful of coyote and bird of prey attacks have turned to colorful CoyoteVest Pet Body Armor to help ward off predators looking to make a meal of their beloved pets

Ohio dog dad Carlton Ross (with his Jack Russell terriers) called the vests 'crazy looking' but noted that predators wouldn't want to attack the dogs while wearing them

'Its so nerve-wracking cause you can hear them howling from here,' Smith said of the encroaching coyotes.

The standard CoyoteVest  made for both dogs and cats  come with two rows of sharp plastic spikes along the spine area. Additional spikes at the back of the neck are meant to protect the most common coyote bite point, while the optional CoyoteWhiskers, long colorful nylon bristles, are aimed at warding off bird of prey strikes. The Kevlar portion of the vest can withstand sharp canine teeth and bird talons.

Neither the spikes nor the bristles are 'dangerous to handle,' the company says.

Ross said that he thought the vests 'were crazy looking for sure,' but added that 'nothing's gonna want to bite that.'

The vests feature hard plastic spikes and sprays of nylon bristles in strategic areas

The vests are designed to be worn by small dogs and cats at risk of predator attacks

The vests are made of Kevlar, which can withstand canine and talon punctures

CoyoteVest was started by Californians Paul and Pam (left) Mott and Nicole Mellom (right) after the Motts saw a coyote kill their dog in front of them

Ann Nerone, meanwhile, said that she bought a CoyoteVest following two incidents in which red-tail hawks swooped down on her miniature pincher, Gracie.

Fortunately, Nerone said, she had been 'right there' when the hawks attacked. Now, she said, when Gracie wears the protective armor, the hawks appear to ignore the little pooch.

Wildlife experts suggest making loud noises to scare coyotes away the first time they're seen, as they are generally frightened of people

'I cant imagine watching your pet get taken that way,' Ann said, noting that the vests are 'an alternative to doing nothing.'

Vet Dr. Gretchen Zarle, of Becksville, Ohio's Bartels Pet Hospital said that the vests are 'designed to slow down the attacks, so the human has time to react which might be a golden lifesaving few minutes.'

Although the neck is the most common attack point for coyotes and the back area is favored by raptors, the vests do leave the head and leg areas open, meaning that the vest wouldn't stop a wily coyote from grabbing a limb and absconding with a pet that way, she said.

'Its always a crime of opportunity,' Zarle said.

Wildlife experts advise pet owners not to leave pets alone and offleash when outside, particularly at night. It's also a good idea to keep yards clean and make sure that trash bins, pet food and grills are completely secured at night so as not to tempt coyotes, since they are also scavengers.

When confronted with coyotes, experts say that people should clap, yell, use air horns or otherwise make loud noises to scare them off as they are generally frightened of people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday called the slaying of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi a horrendous act that 'should be duly dealt with' in a way that doesn't undermine Saudi Arabia's stability.

In his first comments on the affair, he stressed the need for any punishment not to cause too many waves in Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu said at a news conference in Bulgaria that Iran is a bigger threat than Saudi Arabia and those who want to punish the Middle East kingdom need to bear that in mind.

'What happened in the Istanbul consulate was horrendous and it should be duly dealt with,' Netanyahu told reporters during a visit to Bulgaria.

'Yet the same time I say it, it is very important for the stability of the world, for the region and for the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable.

The death of Jamal Khashoggi (pictured) must not be allowed to destabilise the region, warned Netanyahu

'A way must be found to achieve both goals because I think that the larger problem is Iran and we have to make sure that Iran does not continue the malign activities that it has been doing over the last few weeks in Europe,' said the Israeli leader, who attended a meeting of the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania and the president of Serbia at a Black Sea resort.

Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime, was murdered inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last month, and Turkish officials are still searching for his remains.

After at first denying the murder, Saudi officials eventually admitted he had been killed in the consulate, blaming a 'rogue operation' and arresting 18 people.

Riyadh's international standing has been damaged by the affair and the Turkish authorities have made it clear they will keep investigating the matter.

Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations, but both nations have strong links with the United States - and all three countries share a common enemy in Iran.

Israel considers Iran to be the main threat to its safety and has backed the United States in its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

Israel has been quietly courting Gulf Arab states which share its suspicion of Tehran.

Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu (left) meets Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov (right) at Euxinograd Residence in Varna today. Nitanyahu called the killing of Jamal Khashoggi 'horrendous'

Netanyahu held surprise talks with Oman's Sultan Qaboos in Muscat last month - accompanied by the head of Israeli intelligence service Mossad, according to Netanyahu's office.

On Friday, the foreign minister of Bahrain, a close Saudi ally, praised the Israeli premier's stance.

Khalid bin Ahmad tweeted that 'despite the ongoing dispute, (Netanyahu) has taken a clear position on the importance of stability in the region and Saudi Arabia's role in consolidating that stability.'

Netanyahu also called on other countries to support US sanctions against Tehran.

New US sanctions go into effect on Monday.

He said sanctions so far had forced a marked decrease in the amounts Iran had devoted to 'aggressive and terrorist' activities.

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has been widely condemned over the hit on Khashoggi

Oman's Sultan Qaboos, left, receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Muscat, Oman, earlier this week

Netanyahu was in the Bulgarian city of Varna to meet southern Balkans leaders at a regional summit.

Netanyahu said Israel was involved in French and Danish investigations this year of alleged plots by Iranian intelligence agencies to attack Iranian opposition figures in Europe.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

Also on Friday, Bulgarian authorities said they detained three Iranian citizens who allegedly tried to enter Bulgaria with forged Israeli passports on Wednesday.

The Interior Ministry said the three men, ages 21, 28 and 32, arrived by bus from Turkey. The ministry said border police established that the Israeli passports they carried were counterfeit.

Police did not provide other details and there was no evidence the arrests were related to Netanyahu's visit.
Mario Arnold Segale (pictured), the man who the famous Nintendo character 'Super Mario' was named after, died on Saturday at the age of 84 in Washington

The man who the famous Nintendo character 'Super Mario' was named after has died at the age of 84 in Washington.

Mario Arnold Segale passed away while surrounded by his family on Saturday in Seattle.

'While he was the inspiration for the name of Nintendos "Super Mario" from when they were tenants in his business park in the 1970s, he always ducked the notoriety and wanted to be known instead for what he accomplished in his life,' his obituary read.

The character of 'Super Mario' was originally to be called 'Jumpman' before the tenants of Segale Business Park in Tukwila decided to honor their landlord with the moniker, the BBC reported.

Segale joked that he was 'still waiting for [his] royalty checks' in an interview with the Seattle Times in 1993.

The character of 'Super Mario' was originally to be called 'Jumpman' before the tenants of Segale Business Park in Tukwila decided to honor their landlord with the moniker

'While he was the inspiration for the name of Nintendos "Super Mario" from when they were tenants in his business park in the 1970s, he always ducked the notoriety and wanted to be known instead for what he accomplished in his life,' his obituary read

As the only son of first generation Italian immigrant farmers, Louis and Rina Segale, the husband and father-of-four was an innovator in the construction industry.

'His passion was figuring out how to do things in new and better ways, which often included drawing things on the backs of napkins and placemats,' his obituary read.

Segale started his own construction company with just a single dump truck in the early 1950s, before marrying his wife, Donna, in 1957.

Later, he continued his parents' property investment strategy to become a successful Italian-American real estate developer.

It was that move that earned him everlasting, albeit quiet, notoriety, after Nintendo took up residence in one of his warehouses in the 1970s.

Minoru Arakawa, the person in charge of getting Nintendo of America up and running, delivered the news to Segale that he had inspired the name of their most popular character.

The decision to transition into commercial real estate proved to be so lucrative for Segale that even without royalty checks from Nintendo, he was able to sell his heavy construction contracting business, M.A. Segale, Inc., in 1998 and focus entirely on his property holdings.

In his limited spare time, Segale loved 'hunting, fishing, his airplane, a good joke, the color red, great Italian food (with no cheese!), an excellent cigar and his view of Puget Sound.'

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Donna, his four children, Lisa Atkins (Robert), Mark Segale (Keri), Tina Covey (Todd), Nita Johnson (Brian), and nine grandchildren.
A man who allegedly made death threats against Ray Hadley has been ordered to stay away from the controversial radio host.

Rohat Anand Sharma, 53, was arrested at his western Sydney home this week and charged in relation to a flurry of threats which were posted on the website of Hadley's high rating 2GB program in October.

The posts allegedly first appeared on the Ray Hadley Morning Show website shortly before midnight on October 24 and continued for several hours, The Daily Telegraph reported.

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A man has been charged after he allegedly made a series of online death threats against high rating 2GB radio host Ray Hadley (pictured) on his program's website

The posts threatened Hadley and his 2GB headquarters with one message claiming there was no need to get a contract killer because 'I'm a sniper'.

'I have 10 Mosin Nagant rifle  google, even the Military don't have them,' one post police allege came from Sharma said.

Another post allegedly said he lived four doors away from Hadley, 64, according to the publication.

'yaa building wont have enough guards to sustain us and you know it _ i will call,' the post allegedly read.

A NSW Police spokesman confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that a man, 53 was arrested at a home in Aquamarine Street, Quakers Hill on Monday afternoon in relation to alleged messages against a Sydney radio announcer.

Rohat Anand Sharma, 53, has been ordered to not go near or contact Ray Hadley (pictured) as part of his bail conditions. The case will return to court in December

The man was taken to Riverstone Police Station, where he was charged and spent the night in custody.

'He was charged with sending threatening documents,' the spokesman said.

Sharma faced Blacktown Local Court on Tuesday, where he was freed on bail.

Magistrate Brett Shields imposed strict bail conditions, where Sharma can't 'go near or contact Raymond Hadley or any prosecution witness, not to contact 2GB or any employee of 2GB'.

A man, 53, was arrested at a home in Aquamarine Street in Quakers Hill on Monday afternoon

Sharma is also not allowed to drink alcohol or take non-prescription drugs.

The case was adjourned for mentioning in court on December 11.

Hadley and 2GB wouldn't comment on the matter as it is before the courts.

It's been a tough few months for Hadley after his son Daniel was arrested at a pub in Sydney's north-west in August over an alleged drug deal.

An emotional Hadley publicly broke down in tears at a press conference the morning after his son's arrest, where he revealed he felt 'inadequate' as a parent for failing to notice his son's mental health problems.

It's alleged the threats against the radio host (pictured) were posted on the Ray Hadley Morning Show website last month

'When I was first told I was angry and perplexed. I had no idea that my son, a respected police officer, would be involved in such a matter,' Ray told reporters.

'My son revealed to me he's been having mental health issues for some time. He was also injured at work some time ago.

'My son had been seeing his GP about these issues without my knowledge.'

'I feel particularly inadequate as a father and a spokesman for R U OK Day when in fact my son is not OK.

'This is going to be a long slow process for my son, I love him dearly, and I wish to God he'd come to me before this morning to tell me what he was battling.'

His son will face court on December 12.
A 15-year-old alleged asylum seeker student is being investigated by the Home Office over claims he may actually be a 30-year-old man.

The schoolboy, from the Middle East, started at Stoke High School in Ipswich, Suffolk, having arrived in the UK unaccompanied earlier this year.

The pupil, who is now in Year 11 and studying for his GCSEs, is alleged to have told classmates that he is far older than his age on his documents.

This Snapchat post has led to the school referring the 15-year-old boy (pictured) to the Home Office to check his age after students claimed he had said he was 30

One pupil posted a picture of the 'boy' in uniform in a classroom on Snapchat with a message saying: 'How's there a 30-year-old man in our maths class?'

Today the boy, who is claimed to have a bearded selfie on a now-deleted Facebook profile, has been pulled out of school after the headteacher referred him to the Home Office.

This has sparked an investigation by immigration officials who want to determine his age.

Mother Stacey Bonner, 31, wrote on Facebook before he was removed: 'The school have confirmed to me by phone this morning that he is still attending school and there is nothing they can do until the Home Office prove his age.'

The teenager is at Stoke High in Ipswich (pictured) who have now pulled him out of class today

Lee Northcott added: 'I am shocked and outraged that this has happened when my son and nephew attends this school.

How young asylum seekers are aged by height, facial hair and voice - but many are 'given benefit of doubt' Asylum seekers must be treated as an adult if their physical appearance and demeanour 'very strongly suggests that they are significantly over 18 years of age'. Assessments of physical appearance can include indicators of age such as height, build, facial hair and voice pitch. When assessing demeanour, officials can take into account observations on the individual's mannerisms, body posture and eye contact. Instructions state age assessments cannot always provide the same degree of confidence about treating an individual as an adult or a child as can be provided by reliable documents, adding: 'To allow for this, the principle of 'the benefit of the doubt' is applied.' Earlier this year, a watchdog report revealed some local authorities had raised concerns the 'benefit of the doubt' policy was being applied 'too readily' in relation to unaccompanied asylum seeking children. The report, published in March by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, cited data indicating that from the start of July 2016 to the end of June 2017, the Home Office had raised 705 age disputes. Of the 618 resolved, 402 (65%) claimants were found to be over 18 and 216 (35%) were found to be children. Age verification processes came under scrutiny in 2016 when teenagers were transferred to the UK from Calais following the closure of the 'Jungle' refugee camp. Controversy erupted when Tory MP David Davies claimed some arrivals 'don't look like children to me'. Advertisement

'They need to get to the bottom of this and get it resolved as soon as possible.'

A woman whose younger brother is at the school told MailOnline the pupil looks more like one of the parents than a 15-year-old boy.

She said she was stunned how he got a place at the school when he had facial hair.

She said: It's quite worrying for us, how this has been allowed to happen. We aren't being told anything. The school has been really secretive about it'.

The woman added: 'I am amazed he managed to get a place at the school in the first place. He looks more like one of the parents'.

Parents of other pupils have called for him to be removed from the school, saying it is obvious that he has lied about his age to stay in the UK and get an education.

Some have threatened on social media to withdraw their children from the 680-pupil school in protest.

The pupil is believed to have had his age assessed by being asked question by immigration officials when he apparently arrived in the UK without paperwork after travelling via Germany.

As a result of concerns expressed by parents, the school which is run by the Ormiston Academies Trust has now asked the Home Office to investigate.

Lewis Forte, whose stepdaughter is a pupil at Stoke, said: I went to the school to raise concerns and the teacher tried to shut me down by saying all his documents were correct, which they probably were.

When you come into the country as an asylum seeker, youre asked your name and age and, if theyre satisfied youre an asylum seeker, then youre given the papers you need to get a job and go to school. The school has been naive.

The pupil is said to have now taken down his Facebook page which allegedly showed a profile picture of him with a beard, taking a selfie.

One mother, whose son is in the same year, said: 'Parents at the school have been pulling their children out of school left right and centre. Looking at photos of this man, he is clearly older than 30.

'How can someone like this be eating with children, changing with children and learning with our children while pretending to be a teenager?

'He could be harmless but he could also be a dangerous man. I am terrified to think what would happen if he started a relationship with a young girl who thought he was her age.

Stoke High School has today pulled the boy out of class as they try to determine his age

'My son has always said that he looks older and he says the man does not even speak English. He sits in the class but cannot speak or learn

'What makes it worse is that the school has made no contact with any of the parents or called us in for a meeting yet we are all up in arms and worried about our children's health and safety.

'Something needs to be done and soon because this is likely to be happening all over the country and the Home Office is doing very little to help.

'Undocumented people are being let into our country and no tests are being done to find out their age. I won't have my son studying with a 30-year-old man.'

Mothers commenting on the case included Stacey Bonner (left) and another calling herself Hollie Dayinn (right)

Others took to social media to share their views.

Caroline Wilson is the executive principal of Stoke High School  Ormiston Academy, which has 668 students

One mother, calling herself Hollie Dayinn, said: 'So my son's school now let's (sic) in '30 year old men' claiming to be a 14 year old.

'He's been there since the start of last term. That's some huge security breach, apparently he sits on a bench at break times close to where a group of girls hang out just looking.

'Stoke High School, Ipswich, I applaud you. The school have failed to even send a email regarding this even though it's all over.

'So unless you contact the school and wait for a call back it's basically trying to be swept under the carpet.

'I'm p****d off with the school and the authorities for their inability to address this. It is a huge security breach these situations should be looked at closely.'



Stoke High School is an co-educational academy in Ipswich, Suffolk with 668 students.

The school which is rated 'requires improvement' by Ofsted gained Academy status in 2013.

The boy was offered a place at the school after claiming to be a teenager when he arrived in the UK earlier this yea

A statement from Stoke High School spokesman said: 'This is a matter for the Home Office. They are looking into this after we contacted them.

'The student is not attending the school at this time.

'We do not comment on individual cases but we have followed government and local authority policies and guidance, as we do for any asylum admissions matter.'

A Home Office statement said: 'We do not routinely comment on individual cases.'

A Suffolk Police spokesman said he did not believe its officers were involved in the case.
A Chicago man has been jailed for 60 years for stabbing his girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter to death.

Alexis Stubbs could be heard on voicemail screaming "daddy don't" while she was repeatedly stabbed by John Singleton in June 2017.

The 32-year-old man was sentenced this week after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Other charges were dropped, including aggravated kidnapping and aggravated battery involving a police officer.

Murderer: John Singleton stabbed Alexis Stubbs to death while she screamed 'Daddy don't!'

Prosecutors said Singleton, from South Side, and Alexis's mother had been arguing over the phone before the girl's cries were recorded.

He then sent the mother a text message saying: 'See wat u made me do ... u gon pay for this,' according to the Chicago Tribune.

Police say Singleton has already served jail time for attacking Alexis' mother. The pair had kept in touch while he was in prison, and had apparently reconciled.

He was released with an electronic tag on June 7 and came to stay with the mother and daughter in their North Side apartment.

The three spent the day together on Sunday, June 11, before an argument about buying cigarettes escalated into a fight about Singleton's living situation, prosecutors said.

As the little girl walked out of the building a short time later, Singleton was seen on CCTV pushing her into the vestibule, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her to the ground.

Jail: Police say Singleton has spent time behind bars for attacking Alexis's mother

He pulled a hammer out of his pocket, grabbed the girl by the hair and pushed her upstairs into the apartment, prosecutors say. In a voicemail to her mother, Alexis is heard screaming, 'Please Daddy, don't.'

Alexis had been stabbed more than 11 times all over her body.

A lawyer for Singleton has said his client has a history of mental health problems and suicidal thoughts.
Donald Trump scoffed at Democratic efforts to bring home Georgia, saying in an interview that he doesn't believe his predecessor and talk show host Oprah Winfrey have the juice to get gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams elected.

'Oprah can go and Obama can go, I dont think its going to make a difference,' he told The Washington Times on Thursday afternoon.

Trump had declined in front of cameras to disparage Winfrey, whose reputation as an actress, talk show host and businesswoman outshines his own. He tore into Abrams, instead, saying she's not 'qualified' to hold higher office.

Donald Trump scoffed at Democratic efforts to bring home Georgia, saying in an interview that he doesn't believe his predecessor and talk show host Oprah Winfrey have the juice to get gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams elected

President Trump will campaign in Georgia for Republican Brian Kemp this weekend

Abrams would be the first black woman elected to the governor's mansion in Georgia if she out campaigns Republican Brian Kemp.

Vice President Mike Pence made an appearance for Kemp on Thursday, where he quipped that his own star power is as big as Democratic stars like Barack Obama, Oprah and Will Ferrell. President Trump will follow in his footsteps on Sunday.

Winfrey has been suggested as a possible 2020 challenger against the president, but made it clear when she was in Georgia on Thursday to campaign for Abrams that she was not there to lay the groundwork for a presidential bid of her own.

'I want to make it very clear to all the press  everyone - I'm not here making some grand stand and I'm thinking about running for myself. I don't want to run,' she told the crowd.

The megastar insisted as she shook her head and waved her finger: 'I'm not here to test any waters. I don't wanna go in those waters.'

'I'm here today because of Stacey Abrams,' she asserted.

If Stacey Abrams wins, she would be the first black woman governor in the nation

Speculation about Winfrey as a presidential candidate began after she accepted an Cecile B. DeMille award at the Golden Globes in January, when she called for a time no woman would have to say 'me too' again as America went through a national reckoning on sexual assault.

But she made it clear on Thursday that her mind is on the 2018 midterms and, particularly, the Georgia governor's race, which has exploded into the political spotlight.

Lines wound around the block to see Winfrey, who focused her remarks on getting out the vote in a contest that polls show is tied between Abrams and Kemp.

She shocked a voter in Georgia when she knocked on her door before the rally to ask for her vote during a canvassing event.

Identified in a video Winfrey posted to Instagram as 'Denise,' the woman was shocked to find the 64-year-old billionaire at her door. Exactly where the canvass took place was unclear but it was before two rallies in the Greater Atlanta metro area.

Oh my god,' Denise said, clapping her hands over her mouth in shock after she opened her door to find Winfrey there. 'Surprise, surprise,' Winfrey said. 'Surprise, I am shocked,' the woman replied, grasping Winfrey's hand.

Pence was in the state on Thursday to campaign for Kemp and counter Winfrey.

'I'd like to remind Stacey and Oprah and Will Ferrell, I'm kind of a big deal too,' he said. 'This ain't Hollywood. This is Georgia.'

Former President Barack Obama is coming to Atlanta on Friday for Abrams and President Donald Trump will campaign Sunday for Kemp.

In Washington, Trump declined to go head-to-head with the fellow billionaire on Thursday as he spoke to press after an immigration address.

'I was on Oprah's last week of her show, Oprah liked me very much. I've always liked Oprah. Oprah's very good,' he said, after a speech on immigration. 'But the woman that she's supporting is not qualified to be the governor of Georgia by any stretch of the imagination.'

He said, 'She is not qualified to be governor of Georgia. Take a look at her past, take a look at her history, at what she wants to do. That state will be in trouble quite quickly.'

Trump did not explain why Abrams is wrong for Georgia or why she is unqualified.

Winfrey, in her remarks, revisited the struggles that African-Americans faced to earn the right to vote. She stressed that no one paid her or asked her to come and help the Yale Law School grad and former minority leader in Georgia's House of Representatives.

'I wasn't asked, I just called Stacy up three days ago. Yes. I didn't even know her,' Winfrey said, noting she had to ask around for Abrams' number.

She also said repeatedly that she is a political independent who has voted for both Republicans and Democrats.

'I am an independent woman. I have earned the right to do exactly what I want to do. I've earned the right to do what I want to do when I want to do it. I've earned the right to think for myself and vote for myself,' she said.

Winfrey said she was not asked or paid to campaign for Abrams - she had to ask around for her number

Polls show Abrams' gubernatorial race with Republican Brian Kemp is tied

Trump says that Abrams is unqualified but hasn't said why he believes that

Winfrey said she wasn't in Georgia to campaign for herself but she sounded like a candidate as she rallied the crowd, stressing the importance of voting, talking about the oppression of black voters in American history, and urging people to vote as a way to honor their family legacy.

'Every single one of us has the same power at the polls. Every single one of us has something that, if done in numbers too big to tamper with, cannot be suppressed and cannot be denied,' she said.

She said that everyone is equal when they are at the polls no matter the color of their skin, their religion or their sexual orientation.

'It doesn't matter when you are there at the polls. What god we pray to, it doesn't matter who we choose to love. Whether or not we graduated high school or went to college or how much money you have in the bank or whether or not you have a preexisting condition or whether you are elderly or not. Whether you are developmentally disabled. Doesn't matter at the polls. We are all equal in power,' she added.

'We have this incredible opportunity to make history. We have our inalienable right to vote because the place where we are all equal is, where is it? At the polls! I'm here today because I know you know that. I came to remind you of the power. I'm here because I want you to remind others of the power,' Winfrey said as the crowd roared.

STAR POWER: Vice President Pence was campaigning for Brian Kemp on Thursday while President Trump will campaign for him on Sunday

It was a rare campaign appearance for Winfrey, who came out for Obama but has not been a huge presence in politics, despite her influence on pop culture.

Winfrey recounted the history of suppression of black voters as she urged people to go to the polls on Election Day.

'I'm here today I'm here for the men who were lynched and humiliated and discriminated against and suppress,' she said.

Winfrey admitted she didn't take voting seriously until her 20s, when she heard a speech from the Rev. Otis Moss Jr. on how his father was denied the right to vote in the state of Georgia.

The senior Moss went to polling station after polling station, only to be told he was at the wrong one and to go to another location. He was unable to vote before polls closed.

'When I go to the polls and I cast my ballot, I cast it for a man I never knew. I cast it for Otis Moss Sr., who walked 18 miles one day just for the chance to vote. When I go to the polls, I cast the vote for my grandmother who died in 1963 before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and never had a chance to vote,' she said.

'For anybody here who has an ancestor who didn't have the right to vote and you are choosing not to vote wherever you are in this state or this country, you are dishonoring your family,' she said. 'Honor your legacy and honor your right to citizenship in this, which is the greatest country in the world.'

She advised the crowd to ignore the campaign ads, which she called 'propaganda' and fear mongering.

'All the vitriol in the ads, they are designed to confusion and confound you with fear. That's why they are done. They are designed to confound you with fear. They are not designed for people with discernment,' she said. 'When you know the right thing and you can feel it, you can feel what is the right thing to do, you can't be influenced by propaganda and fear.'

More than 1.5 million Georgians already have cast ballots in early voting, according to the Associated Press.
The man suspected of providing pregnant reality star Lyric McHenry with a fatal dose of heroin and cocaine before helping dump her body on a sidewalk, has fled New York for Florida, DailyMailTV can exclusively disclose.

The man, who appeared in security footage released by cops two weeks after McHenry was found dead on August 14, was traced to a Sunshine State apartment complex but ran before he could be arrested, her father Doug, 66, said.

The night before she died, Lyric celebrated her birthday at a Manhattan club with her friends and her younger sister Maya but left with three men later the same night.

The director and producer also revealed the suspects could face second-degree murder charges over the death of McHenry, who overdosed on a lethal mix of cocaine and heroin and then was dumped in the Bronx.

'They believe there were three males in the car with Lyric,' the grieving father told DailyMailTV.

'They identified the guy on the videotape, and discovered that he had fled to Florida. They made arrangements to arrest him down there and bring him back to New York.'

The man suspected of leaving pregnant Lyric McHenry (pictured) to die on a sidewalk was traced to a Florida apartment complex but he fled before he could be arrested

The man, who appeared in security footage (pictured left and right) released by cops two weeks after McHenry was found dead on August 14, was traced to a Sunshine State apartment complex but ran before he could be arrested, her father Doug, 66, said

Alexis Mejia-Ramirez, 29, was taken into custody last week. Pictured: Mejia-Ramirez is seen giggling as her leaves court with a female friend in the Bronx on Wednesday

Doug continued: 'But by the time they showed up to his residence, they found that he had been evicted several days earlier, because he had been writing bouncing checks to maintain his lifestyle down there.

'They didn't know where he was so they couldn't put their hands on him. They're continuing to search for him.'

The man in the footage is understood to have provided McHenry, who is thought to have been around five months pregnant, with the heroin-laced cocaine that killed her.

Doug said: 'These guys were so scared and disinterested in the welfare of my daughter, they decided the best thing to do would be to drive all the way to another borough and dump her on a desolate sidewalk'

But he is not thought to be the mystery man she was dating at the time of her death, with former roommate Rob Franklin  who had met him  telling cops he does not recognize him.

One man has already been arrested in connection with McHenry's death: Alexis Mejia-Ramirez, 29, who was taken into custody last week and charged with concealing a human corpse and tampering with evidence, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com.

A source close to the investigation said a third man is also being sought. The NYPD have so far refused to name the two men who are still on the run.

Doug said: 'They may well, as the investigation continues, add additional charges. This is certainly a case that may involve what they call ''depraved indifference'', which is second degree murder.

'It's an unintentional killing, but as a result of your depraved indifference. In other words, you were the last person in the last position to do something reasonable to save someone's life, and you chose not to.

'These guys were so scared and disinterested in the welfare of my daughter, they decided the best thing to do would be to drive all the way to another borough and dump her on a desolate sidewalk. That is a crime.'

The 29-year-old was charged with concealing a human corpse and tampering with evidence, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com

McHenry had spent the previous evening celebrating her birthday with her friends and younger sister Maya but left with three men later the same night. Pictured: Map of Lyric's whereabouts the night before she was found dead

He added: 'All they had to was drive her to an emergency room and just leave her there, and not be involved if they didn't want to be identified.

'She might have been revived. But instead they decided they had to get rid of her, because they didn't want to be connected to it. They drove all the way from Manhattan and dropped her off in the Bronx on the sidewalk.

'Then she lay there for three hours before she was discovered by the police. They brought her to the hospital, they thought there was a chance to revive her. They used Narcan, but it's ineffective for oxygen deprivation.'

McHenry, who found fame on E! reality show EJNYC in which she starred alongside Magic Johnson's son EJ, had spent the previous evening celebrating her birthday at an upscale club in Manhattan with her friends and younger sister Maya but left with three men later the same night.

Bronx-based Mejia-Ramirez, one of the three allegedly in the car, was charged on October 15 by Detective Andre Smith.

He is thought to have collected McHenry from the Dream Downtown nightclub, along with two friends  both of whom are now on the run.

DailyMail.com can also disclose that the 26-year-old came within inches of avoiding the fateful car ride and was captured on security footage with 'disgust' on her face as she spied the three men.

Doug said: 'This is certainly a case that may involve what they call ''depraved indifference'', which is second degree murder. It's an unintentional killing, but as a result of your depraved indifference.' Pictured: Lyric (right), Lyric's younger sister Maya (left) and Doug

McHenry found fame on E! reality show EJNYC in which she starred alongside Magic Johnson's son EJ (pictured together)

'There were three people in that car. They have footage outside the front of the hotel, of Lyric going to the car,' a source close to the investigation said.

'She looks into the car, into the back seat, because she was getting ready to get in. And then she turns away. You could see the disgust on her face.

'But then a couple seconds later she turns around, walks back to the car, gets in the back seat and it drives away.

'She thought first about not getting in that car. If she'd kept walking, she may be alive today.'

The car is understood to be a white BMW but the NYPD refused to confirm that description when approached by DailyMail.com.

According to Mejia-Ramirez's arrest warrant, cops used 'video surveillance from different locations, review of phone records, and interviews with witnesses known to the Police Department'.

The charges say the 29-year-old was 'acting in concert with two other male individuals', hiding her body by dumping it on a sidewalk in the Bronx.

But Mejia-Ramirez's arrest came as a surprise to those who know him, with Renner Villamar, the owner of the shabby Bronx apartment block where he lived until a year ago, describing the suspect as 'nice' and 'hard working'.

Villamar, 48, said Mejia-Ramirez had been the ideal tenant and had shared the apartment with his now ex-wife Luisamna Vasquez, 24.

The landlord told DailyMail.com: 'I had no idea he's in jail. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be involved in that.

'For as long as I knew him, he was a nice man who was always very welcome. He was a hard-working guy. He was working at a grocery store, a supermarket or something like that

'He got divorced from his wife about a year ago and after that he moved out.'

McHenry is understood to have been in a casual relationship with a man from the Bronx at the time of her death, although he is not thought to be either Mejia-Ramirez or the man captured in the security footage.

Her former housemate, Rob Franklin, is the only friend to have met the man - described to DailyMail.com by other pals as 'a drug dealer'.

Franklin is understood to have told cops that the man pictured in security footage is not the boyfriend he met.

Another friend told DailyMail.com: 'She had been seeing someone who lived in the Bronx. But I don't think it was a serious relationship by any means.

'I don't know if he was her regular dealer or what the deal is. Because nobody knows much about him other than the fact she had slept with him a few times.'
Nashville, Tennessee remembered Friday the father-of-two who was shot to death while apprehending thugs breaking into cars in his Bellevue neighborhood.

A service was scheduled at St. Matthews Church in Franklin for Erik Helffenstein, 45, who was gunned down Monday while chasing suspects outside his home along Meadow Ridge Circle.

It was in advance of a memorial service to be held at a later date in Buffalo, New York where he was from. Meanwhile his suspected killers are still at large.

Nashville neighbors and family of Erik Helffenstein, 45, held a church memorial Friday morning after he was killed Monday apprehending thugs breaking into cars in Bellevue

The victim and father of two children was described as a 'truly a gentle giant'

A service was scheduled at St. Matthews Church in Franklin (pictured). A memorial service is to be held at a later date in his native Buffalo, New York

Described as a 'truly a gentle giant, one who died as he lived, protecting his family', Helffenstein's community rallied together after he was killed to raise funds for his wife and two children, aged nine and 11 years old.

Going toward their future and education, a GoFundMe page that had raised $40,745 of a $50,000 goal by Friday morning, remembered him as having 'a larger-than-life personality and an even bigger heart'.

Helffenstein had chased after the men in his car and they reportedly fired at him, causing him to crash just after 2am on the day he died. Police said 'several rounds' hit the vehicle.

Police said Helffenstein's wife saw that two men wearing hoodies were breaking into one of their cars outside. The suspects were also breaking into other vehicles parked on the street.

According to Metro Nashville police, officers were patrolling an area east of Trace Creek Drive early Monday morning, when they found an SUV several yards off the roadway.

When they looked in his Nissan Pathfinder, officers found Helffenstein who had been shot inside. Officers performed CPR, but were unable to revive him.

Police said Helffenstein's wife saw that two men wearing hoodies were breaking into one of their cars outside

A GoFundMe page had raised tens of thousands of dollars for Helffenstein's wife and children aged nine and 11 years old by Friday. Funds will go towards their education

Neighbors described Helffenstein as a good man, who was often seen working in his garage workshop and and was ready to lend a ladder or a hand to anyone on the street.

'He was a working man, an engineer, and was happiest around friends and family, including in his workshop where he made things for others to enjoy, like furniture for his extended family, go-karts for his kids and unique pieces of art for people's homes,' a message on the GoFundMe page stated.

'His passion for woodworking, biking, kayaking, canoeing and sailing were all shared pieces of his family life. And his love of life, his easy smile, his laid-back nature and his sense of humor will never be forgotten.'

Neighbors say they've seen an upsurge in car thefts and break-ins lately. They are pushing for a precinct or more officers for their area.

A community meeting was held Thursday at 7pm at the Bellevue YMCA on Highway 100. Representatives of the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) West Precinct and members of Metro Council attended.

Council members Sheri Weiner and Dave Rosenberg agreed the wage for law enforcement officers needs to be higher in order to recruit more for the area and suggested an additional precinct in Bellevue.

'His love of life, his easy smile, his laid-back nature and his sense of humor will never be forgotten,' the crowd funding page said about the victim (left)

The family man had two children who are now nine and 11 years old

'He was a working man, an engineer, and was happiest around friends and family, including in his workshop where he made things for others to enjoy,' says his GoFundMe page

The tow truck has arrived, but HWY 100 in Bellevue remains closed while police continue their investigation into the shooting death of Erik Helffenstein. pic.twitter.com/5Km7AjFvKQ  Alexandria Adams (@AlexandriaaTV) October 29, 2018

MNPD said there were 981 extra patrols in the neighborhood during October however some cars weren't noticeable as they were unmarked.

They encouraged residents to join neighborhood watch groups and report any suspicious goings on.

However a friend of the victim was seemingly not convinced the plan would be enough.

'Instead of the reactive phase, we need to be in the active phase of trying to prevent this from happening, not reacting after it's happened, so we would like to see a real plan that maybe would put an end to this,' Mark Quales told News 4.

According to the publication the meeting was so packed that many residents had to stand outside the room, showing Helffenstein's death really had a big impact on the community.

Helffenstein was shot dead while apprehending car thieves in his neighborhood

Officers found Helffenstein slumped over in his car after perpetrators fired several rounds in his direction as he was apprehending them for suspected car theft

According to Metro Nashville police, officers were patrolling an area east of Trace Creek Drive early Monday morning, when they found an SUV several yards off the roadway

Neighbor Matt Lowney previously told the Tennessean: 'Erik was a really good dude,' Lowney said.

'You hate to see this happen to anyone, but especially him. When I heard he went after them, it didn't surprise me. He's that kind of guy. He'd defend what's his'.

Lowney's car was also ransacked overnight, he said. Police finished dusting it for prints around 2pm, not long after a Metro police Crime Scene Unit van left the Helffenstein home in the 7000 block of Meadow Ridge Circle.

He saw Helffenstein Sunday night at a small fall festival the neighborhood put on.

'You never think it's going to be the last time you see someone,' he said.

Lowney, who has lived in the neighborhood for approximately five years, said any crime he can remember was mostly 'piddly kids stuff, teens messing around.

'Like these pumpkins (on the porch) will probably be in the road on Halloween, but nothing like this,' he said.

Helffenstein crashed at the 7700 block of Highway 100 (pictured) when the suspects shot at his car

Council member Rosenberg called the death 'senseless' in a social media post Monday morning.

The community is 'suffering an insurpassable loss this morning, and our hearts are broken,' Rosenberg said.

The suspects were in a dark SUV. Police are asking anyone in the Traceside subdivision of Highway 100 whose vehicle was broken into or who has video of their driveway to call 615-862-8600.

Metro Police are asking anyone in the Traceside subdivision off Highway 100 whose vehicle was tampered with, or who has home video of the outside, please call 615-862-8600.
Forty years after a young married couple and their toddler son were brutally murdered inside their New Jersey home, the State Police are resubmitting DNA and ballistic evidence for testing and asking the public to help them solve the cold case.

On October 30, 1978, the New Jersey State Police responded to a triple homicide at a residence on Mays Landing Road in Folsom.

Responding troopers discovered the lifeless bodies of Gary Deal, his wife Joan, both 26, and their 3-year-year old son, Jason.

Justice for the Deals: The New Jersey State Police have resubmitted DNA and ballistic evidence for testing in the hope of solving the 1978 cold-case murders of Gary and Joan Deal, both 26, and their three-year-old son, Jason (pictured)

Gary Deal was found lying on the floor near the front door. He was shot in the head multiple times and his throat was slashed.

Joans naked body was discovered on their bedroom floor. She was also shot in the head multiple times and had her throat cut.

Their toddler son was found lying on his bed in his pajamas with his throat slashed.

During the investigation, detectives learned that the last time someone had contact with the victims was in the evening hours of October 26.

The savage slayings of the young family sent shockwaves throughout New Jersey and across the country, with numerous local and federal law enforcement agencies assisting with the case.

Although police considered numerous potential suspects, no one was ever charged. The case has remained under investigation over the past four decades and new leads are still being sought.

Although police have never disclosed a motive, rumors have been circulating over the years that the triple homicide was possibly drug-related, or had something to do with biker gangs or an unpaid debt.

The husband and wife were shot multiple times each and had their throats slashed inside their Mays Landing Road in Folsom, while their son was killed by having his throat slit

In a 2013 post on the social media forum Topix.com, a man claiming to be Gary Deal's best friend in 1978 wrote that the married dad did ride a Harley Davidson with friends but was not a member of any motorcycle club.

The commenter went on to say that the 26-year-old had financial difficulties and would often borrow money from him to make his monthly $300 mortgage payment, but that he would always pay him back.

Garys erstwhile friend described him as a gifted, positive and energetic person who loved life, said that his wife Joan was an angel, and insisted that the young family were good and wholesome people.

The New Jersey State Police on Wednesday announced that the DNA and ballistic evidence collected from the crime scene in 1978 have recently been resubmitted for additional testing in the hope that new technological advances would shed new light on the case.

Anyone with information on the murders os being asked to contact Detective Mario Nocito, of the New Jersey State Police Homicide South Unit, at 609-561-1800 ext. 3354. Anonymous tips are welcome.
Courtney, in Year 9 at the Norfolk high school, had worn the poppy with pride on Tuesday only to be told by principal Smith to remove it

One of Britain's strictest schools has banned a pupil from wearing a knitted Remembrance Day poppy because it was 'too big'.

Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, which previously saw controversy when staff began measuring the length of girls' skirts, told 13-year-old Courtney Dougal to take off the knitted tribute.

Headteacher Barry Smith banned the symbol as it was 'too large' and broke the school's rigorous dress code - despite it being less than half an inch bigger than the traditional paper poppy.

Courtney, in Year 9 at the Norfolk high school, had worn the poppy with pride on Tuesday only to be told by principal Smith to remove it.

Her father Raymond Dougal, 69, said he was 'absolutely disgusted' by the school's tough stance.

He said: 'I am absolutely disgusted that they have made her take the poppy off. It is a little bit on the larger side but that is what makes it.

'If it was huge and looked ridiculous I would not have sent her in it. As it is it looks lovely. She is only little so that probably makes it look bigger than it is.

Headteacher Barry Smith banned the symbol as it was 'too large' - despite it being less than half an inch bigger than the traditional paper poppy

He added: 'I said to Courtney to just go in and wear it but she didn't dare.'

Mr Dougal bought the poppy in his local pub The Sportsmans Arms in Great Yarmouth, with contributions going to the Royal British Legion.

Landlord John Vale said the school 'overstepped the mark' this time, branding the ban 'disrespectful.'

Charter Academy defended the move.

A statement said: 'Poppies are available in school and we encourage pupils and staff to wear them; unfortunately in this case we felt that the large knitted poppy was not appropriate to wear in school.

'We are keen that pupils recognise and respect the sacrifices made in war, and pupils are being encouraged to learn the poem In Flanders Field. Many will be taking part in the town's Remembrance Day service on November 11.

Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, which previously saw controversy when staff began measuring the length of girls' skirts, told 13-year-old Courtney Dougal to take off the knitted tribute

'We are also refurbishing and relocating plaques commemorating former pupils of the Great Yarmouth Grammar School that served in battle, as a permanent reminder of that important heritage.'

Last month, furious parents hit out after the school called in 'uniform police' to measure the length of girls' skirts.

Experts from a nearby uniform shop were consulted after pupils started turning up in short skirts.

Don't meet me at McDonalds: Earlier this year Great Yarmouth Charter Academy wrote to parents to ban this haircut, which had been nicknamed the 'Meet me at McDonalds' online for its association which 'chav' culture.

What is the 'Meet Me At McDonalds' haircut? The hairstyle dubbed the 'Meet me at McDonald's' originated from a social media trend poking fun at 'chavvy' attire worn by teens who meet up at the fast food giant. In 2015 a Twitter page posted an image of four youngsters with the cut, captioning it 'the Meet us at McDonald's haircut'. There is also a 2016 Facebook page dedicated to the trend, called 'meet me at mcdonalds hair cut.'[sic] The page posted an image of the 'starter pack' for the trend, featuring the hairstyle, an Adidas tracksuit and Nike trainers. Advertisement

It comes after a report found one in three schoolgirls had experienced some form of unwanted sexual attention while wearing their uniform.

A poll of 1,004 girls aged 14-21 found 35 per cent had received unwanted sexual attention or contact such as being groped, stared at, catcalled or wolf-whistled.

One in eight of respondents said they first received such unwanted attention before they turned 13.

Great Yarmouth Charter Academy has previously been criticised by some parents for its strict new rules on uniform and haircuts, banning one style called 'Meet Me at McDonald's'.

The curly-on-top, short-at-the-sides look has been compared to the eighties' New Romantic movement. It features shaved sides and a long tousled top with a floppy fringe.
Bulger was not closely watched at Hazelton as at least two inmates were caught on surveillance camera pushing him a corner of his cell outside of camera view

New details have emerged in the murder of notorious Boston mob boss James 'Whitey' Bulger, including a timeline of his final hours and the plot to pose his body as if he were sleeping.

Investigators are combing though the events surrounding Bulger's death on Tuesday just hours after he was transferred to USP Hazelton, a high-security federal prison in West Virginia.

Two suspects have been named so far: Paul J. DeCologero, who was a member of a North Shore mob in Massachusetts, and Mafia hitman Fotios 'Freddy' Geas.

Bulger's body was wrapped in a blanket and put in bed with his head on the pillow to make it look like he was sleeping after being choked and fatally beaten with a lock in a sock inside his cell, multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the case told NBC News.

The killers also gouged out the 89-year-old Bulger's eyes and attempted to cut his tongue out.

Some officials speculate whether prison guards allowed the inmates to beat James 'Whitey' Bulger to death. He was found dead on Tuesday after being transferred a day earlier to the high-security Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia. He is pictured above in 2011

Paul J. DeCologero (left), who as a member of a North Shore mob in Massachusetts, has been identified as a second suspect in the murder of James 'Whitey' Bulger. Mafia hit man Fotios 'Freddy' Geas (right) was first named as a suspect on Tuesday

Bulger, who ran a largely Irish mob in Boston in the 1970s and '80s, ratted on his rivals, the New England Mob, to the FBI while simultaneously running his own crime ring responsible for loansharking, extortion and a string of murders.

Timeline of Whitey Bulger's murder October 29, 6.45pm: Bulger arrives at USP Hazelton. He is seen in a wheelchair. 9.53pm: Bulger is placed in his new cell in general population. The block is already on overnight lockdown. October 30, 5am: Overnight lockdown ends and prisoners proceed to the mess hall. 6am: Surveillance cameras capture multiple inmates entering Bulger's cell and wheeling him into a corner out of the camera's view. 8.20am: Prison officials discover Bulger's body in his cell. Advertisement

Investigators are now digging into why Bulger was transferred to Hazelton, which has a track record of inmate violence, and tracing his final hours alive in a painstaking process to solve the murder.

Bulger had been incarcerated at USP Coleman II in Florida since 2014, but had racked up multiple disciplinary infractions that led to his transfer.

In 2015, Bulger was cited for masturbating in front of a male prison staffer. Then, in February of this year, he was cited for threatening a nursing supervisor, according to prison records reviewed by NBC.

'Your day of reckoning is coming,' he told the worker, according to a law enforcement source.

After that incident, Bulger was placed in solitary at the Florida prison until October 23, when he was moved to a transfer facility in Oklahoma.

The entrance to USP Hazelton in West Virginia is seen in a file photo. Bulger had been transferred to the facility Monday when he was killed

On Monday, he was moved from the Oklahoma facility to USP Hazelton, arriving at 6.45pm, according to prison records.

A prison staffer told NBC that Bulger arrived at Hazelton in a wheelchair.

Records show that he was placed in his cell at 9.53pm The housing facility was already locked down at that time, according to a prison staffer.

Bulger agreed to be placed in general population, sources said. When he was rolled down the cell block in his wheelchair, inmates took notice, as they always do. 'It's almost like you see in the movies,' the staffer said.

Hazelton's overnight lockdown is lifted after the 5am prisoner count. Inmates are then let out of their cells to head to the dining hall, providing a window of opportunity for a prisoner seeking to attack a fellow inmate.

At around 6am, surveillance cameras caught a group of inmates pushing Bulger in his wheelchair to the corner of his room outside of the camera's view just moments before they launched their brutal attack, officials said on Wednesday.

Bulger is seen in FBI photos from the 1980s. He was killed in his cell at USP Hazelton Tuesday

Despite the disturbing video footage in Bulger's cell, no alarm was raised.

He was so horrifically whacked to death that his face was beaten beyond recognition, his eyes dislodged, and his tongue cut out.

The body was discovered in a pool of blood at 8.20am on Tuesday morning.

'They apparently tuned him up to the point where he was unrecognizable,' a senior law enforcement official said to the New York Times.

Meanwhile, new details are emerging about the second man to fall under suspicion in Bulger's murder.

Paul J. DeCologero is believed to have helped Mafia hitman Fotios 'Freddy' Geas kill Bulger, according to the Boston Globe.

DeCologero is serving a 25-year sentence for racketeering and conspiracy that led to the murder of a 19-year-old girl in 1996. His motive in killing Bulger is not clear

DeCologero is serving a 25-year sentence for racketeering and conspiracy to murder and dismember a 19-year-old girl to stop her co-operating with police in 1996.

Why he may have wanted to kill Bulger is not clear. It is thought that, like Geas, he disliked informants because some, including his father John, helped to convict him.

DeCologero and Geas became friends after they met in prison, the Globe reported.

When DeCologero was sentenced, lawyers said he would do anything his gangster uncle Paul wanted.

'Paul J. was one of Paul A.'s primary foot soldiers, available at Paul A.'s beck and call to be involved in drug dealing, robberies, burglaries, and ultimately, the killing of Aislin Silva,' prosecutors wrote.

DeCologero's lawyer said he was never armed in any robberies and was driven by drug addiction. He was physically abused by his drug addict parents as a child, lawyers said.

Some Boston officials believe prison guards allowed the inmates to attack Bulger, who was moved to Hazelton because he was reportedly a troublemaker at his former jail.

Even though he was moved to the high security prison, the 89-year-old wasn't kept under a watchful eye.

It's not clear why Bulger, a notorious killer and FBI informant, was allowed to be placed in general population with low security measures and wasn't under careful and constant watch.

'I'm not surprised that he got hit; I'm surprised that they let him get hit,' former Boston police commissioner Ed David said.

According to TMZ four inmates were caught on surveillance camera walking into Bulger's cell then walking out with bloodied clothes. None of the attack was caught on video.

David said he was shocked they prison officials didn't keep Bulger 'away from a convicted organized crime hit man from Massachusetts.'

Geas, 51, a Mafia hit man from West Springfield, Massachusetts, with a vendetta against snitches, is under investigation for his murder and was named a suspect on Tuesday.

Two inmates were sent to solitary confinement after Bulger was assaulted. Geas was one of them.

His lawyer Daniel D. Kelly said Geas 'has a particular distaste for cooperators' and when he was given the chance to avoid life in prison in exchange for ratting out mobsters, he refused.

Bulger poses for a mugshot on his arrival at the Federal Penitentiary at Alcatraz on November 16, 1959 in San Francisco, California

A prison official from Bulger's last detention center - USP Coleman II in Florida - says that he was booted out on Monday because he was a troublemaker.

He was moved there in September 2014 and received multiple disciplinary actions. He once masturbated in front of a male staff member and in February threatened a female medical staff member.

Prison documents indicated he was transferred not for his troublesome behavior but because he had completed medical treatment.

He had been in a wheelchair for several years, according to his lawyer Henry Brennan and damaged his hip during his two years of pretrial incarceration in solitary confinement.

'He could stand up by himself, but he could not walk. He was looking forward to getting out of solitary confinement to try to teach himself how to walk again,' Brennan said to the Times.

'He was continuously falling off the bed and injuring his hip,' he added saying Bulger was unable to exercise which led to his physical decline.

Still, an official who insisted on anonymity told Associated Press that he caused problems at the Florida federal prison, where he was serving two life sentences for participating in 11 murders.

An investigation is taking place to see how he was murdered at the secure facility.
A teenage boy today appeared in court charged with the murder of an esteemed academic doctor who died from a severe head injury at his home.

Dr Barry Hounsome, who lectures at universities, was killed at the house he shares with his wife Natalia Hounsome, a fellow academic who lectures in economics.

Today the 16-year-old boy, who legally cannot be identified due to his age, appeared at a youth court charged with 54-year-old Dr Hounsome's murder.

The health science expert had been hit over the head 'with a device'.

University lecturer Dr Barry Hounsome (left) was found dead at the 200,000 home where he lived with economist wife Natalia (right)

Photographs at the scene reveal how a French window at the back of the house had been smashed in the incident

The boy, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address during the 20-minute hearing at Portsmouth Youth Court, Hants.

Police were called to the 200,000 bungalow in Gosport, Hants, on Monday and the boy was arrested and questioned by detectives over the course of four days.

The property, which Dr Hounsome lived at with his wife, was taped off while detectives investigated the death.

A grey Skoda Octavia was removed from the drive and photographs show the bungalow's glass door at the back of the house was smashed.

Dr Hounsome previously worked at the University of Southampton - a Russell Group university.

He has also worked at Bangor University, Wales, lectured in health science and has conducted studies into diseases including Parkinson's and dementia.

The property remained taped off this morning as detectives investigate Dr Hounsome's death

A retired neighbour said the 'very intelligent' couple have a teenage son who studies at college

His wife, a mother of one who is believed to be Russian, has worked at several universities in the UK having completed her PhD in Moscow, Russia, in 1996. She did not attend today's hearing.

The dark-haired boy has been remanded into youth detention accommodation and will next appear at Winchester Crown Court, Hants, on November 5.

Prosecutor Alicia Keen said the boy faces a 'very serious' charge.

Magistrate Ruth Dash said: 'We have considered your remand and you are going to be remanded into youth detention accommodation until November 5 when you will appear at Winchester Crown Court.'

Hampshire Constabulary said this was an 'isolated incident' which poses no risk to members of the public.
A son has been praised for an outstanding act of filial piety when he let his elderly mother sit on his back while waiting at a hospital in south-east China.

The pair were spotted waiting to pick up the woman's prescriptions at a busy hospital in Nanchang, Jiangxi province and there were no available seats at the lobby, according to Chinese media.

The son, later identified as a police officer at the local Donghu bureau, said he didn't think twice to let his 84-year-old mother rest on his back, saying: 'She used to carry me on her back, too, when I was little.'

A son has been praised for an outstanding act of filial piety when he let his elderly mother sit on his back while waiting at a hospital in Nanchang, south-east China's Jiangxi province.

The son, later identified as a police officer at the local Donghu bureau, said he didn't think twice to let his 84-year-old mother rest on his back at the busy hospital

Footage of the September incident shows the frail mother and son waiting patiently at the Jiangxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The man, named as Xiong Shuiyuan, said he was just 'doing his part as a son', according to a Jiangxi Network Radio and TV Station report today.

He had just gotten off a overnight shift at the police station and had been accompanying his elderly mother for a regular checkup at the hospital.

Xiong said his mother was feeling tired from standing, so he immediately squatted down and asked her to sit on his back as there were no empty seats around.

Xiong Shuiyuan said his mother was feeling tired from standing too long, so he immediately squatted down and asked her to sit on his back as there were no empty seats around

'I spotted an empty seat after several minutes and helped my mother to it,' he told reporters, admitting that he couldn't feel his legs after.

'My mother used to carry me around on her back when I was a child, so I'm doing the same. I didn't expect the overwhelming reaction,' he said.

'She took care of me, now it's my turn to take care of her. It's that simple,' he added.

Video of the incident was circulated online and saw the young man widely praised.

'Such an filial son! Good for him,' one comment read.

'Spreading positive energy!' another user said.
Amsterdam could let prostitutes operate outside the city's famed red-light district in a bid to clean up the area and keep them away from gawking tourists with cameras, officials have said.

Prostitutes in glass-fronted booths in the Dutch capital have complained that the presence of camera-wielding visitors in the district deters potential clients.

Under the plans sex workers could be allowed to work in safe, hotel-style purpose-built brothels insteads.

The plan is being pushed by Amsterdam's first female mayor, Femke Halsema.

Amsterdam could let prostitutes operate outside the city's famed red-light district in a bid to clean up the area and keep them away from gawking tourists with cameras (file photo)

It has been formally proposed by three of the parties in the city's governing coalition - Groenlinks, the progressive D66 and the Socialist Party.

'The idea is that sex workers will have more choices than either working from home or in the touristy area where they have much less anonymity,' said D66 councillor Alexander Hammelburg.

'Secondly, it will solve the problem of a shortage of legal workspaces for sex workers,' he told AFP.

Speaking to Dutch news outlet Het Parool he said: 'There they can work in anonymity, freed from tourists who constantly take pictures.

'The Wallen is simply no longer the ideal place.'

The 'Wallen' (Dutch for 'canal banks'), is the inner city's red light district and includes its infamous red-framed windows where prostitutes ply their trade.

Amsterdam is taking a series of steps to ease the pressure from tourism.

Some 18 million tourists flock to Amsterdam every year - more than the entire population of the Netherlands.

The city has taken major steps to push back against unruly visitors, mainly groups of young men who roam the Wallen at weekends, on pub crawls or to celebrate stag parties drawn by easy access to drugs and prostitution.

It has instituted stiff fines and penalties for breaking public disturbance laws, while in August it announced compulsory clean-up breaks in streets and monitoring of crowds.
A University of St. Thomas freshman student fatally fell from the 10th floor of an apartment building while she was attending a Halloween party early Thursday morning, according to local authorities.

The St. Paul university identified the student as 19-year-old freshman Joia Simpson. At the time of the incident, the first year student had been visiting the residence located near the University of Minnesota.

Local authorities responded to the Bridges Apartments at 930 University Avenue SE. just before 1am.

The University of St. Thomas identified the student as 19-year-old Joia Simpson

She had fallen from the 10th floor of the Bridges Apartment near the University of Minnesota just before 1am on Thursday

Simpson had fallen from the 10th floor, Fire Department Assistant Chief Bryan Tyner explained to the Star Tribune.

Tyner added that audio from the emergency dispatch revealed that the woman had fallen over two side-by-side rails during the function.

The details surrounding Simpson's death are still being investigated and are currently unknown, he continued.

Minneapolis police spoke with at least seven people in connection to the fall, a heavily redacted police report revealed.

They were all between the ages of 18 and 20.

The university said that the Bayside, California, native was interested in studying business. Her family 'wants people to remember her beautiful smile'

Simpson's death is the second student death to rock the university in two weeks

Reverend Larry Blacke, chaplain and director of St. Thomas' Campus Ministry, said that the school is offering support for those who were friends with the student.

The university said that the Bayside, California, native was interested in studying business. Her family 'wants people to remember her beautiful smile.'

At the moment, a memorial hasn't been planned for the student.

'I am grateful we have such a supportive community here,' Blake added. 'Students caring about one another, faculty and staff who care for the students, but also one another as colleagues.'

Katherine Mullen, a sophomore, was found unresponsive in her bed on October 19

Simpson's death is the second student death to rock the university in two weeks.

Katherine Mullen, a sophomore, was found unresponsive in her bed on October 19.

St. Paul police said that they didn't believe the woman's death to be suspicious. They added that drugs and alcohol did not appear to be a factor in Mullen's death.

'Katie was a native of Andover, Minn., a dean's list student who worked in Academic Counseling & Support and a cherished friend,' the university said on its website. 'She will be deeply missed.'
Model and Bollywood actress Angel Gupta has been arrested along with her lover Manjeet and father Rajeev on suspicion of hiring a hit team to kill her lover's wife, Sunita

A Bollywood star and model and her married lover were arrested today in New Delhi on suspicion of hiring a hit team to murder the lover's wife, a primary school teacher.

Half-British actress and model Angel Gupta was arrested together with lover - named only as Manjeet - and her father Rajeev, who had helped them in the conspiracy, the police said.

Teacher Sunita, who has a 16-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son, was shot dead in broad daylight three days before the arrests after she found out about the affair between Gupta, also known as Shashi Prabha, and Manjeet.

An investigating officer, who did not want to be named, told theHindustan Times, 'We had recovered Sunita's diary, which contained crucial details of her husband's affair. Sunita's daughter knew about the diary. She had told us about it.'

Angel Gupta (right) and Manjeet (left), the husband of Sunita,who was shot dead in the Delhi suburb of Bawana. Sunita was found with bullet wounds lying next to her scooter

The 28-year model says in her online portfolio that she is Indian-born but grew up in the UK.

Her father, 'who loves her madly' is Indian and her mother British.

Angel Gupta's portfolio describes the actress model as 'magnetic very beautiful... full of confidence', whose father 'loves her madly. She is a big time shopaholic'

The portfolio describes Gupta as 'magnetic very beautiful... full of confidence'.

It also says that she is inspired 'by her mom. Her magical sparkling smile wins billion [sic] hearts. Angel Gupta is a correct example of beauty and style her father loves her madly.

'She is a big time shopaholic.'

Sunita, 37, was was shot three times on Monday morning in the Bawana area of Delhi while she was on the way to her school.

Her body was found by a passer-by as it lay next to her scooter.

She was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital.

The police dismissed a theory that it was a robbery gone wrong because nothing of her possessions, including cash and mobile phone, had been stolen.

The Hindustan Times reported that Sunitas family members alerted the police to their fears that the husband could have been involved in the murder, saying they knew about Manjeets affair with Angel.

Angel Gupta was born in India to an Indian father and British mother. She has settled in the UK
The 2018 midterm elections are now just days away.

The upcoming election, seen by many as a referendum on US President Donald Trump, will see the Democrats try to cut into the current Republican congressional majority, with the stakes being high for both parties as the Democrats seek to deliver a rebuke to Trump and Republicans look to hold on to as many seats as possible to help advance the Presidents agenda.

Heres all you need to know about Election Day 2018.

Democrats and Republicans will soon battle for control of Congress in the upcoming election

When is Election Day 2018?

Election Day 2018 in the US will be held on Tuesday, November 6.

Poll closures vary by state, with information available here.

Where to vote on Election Day 2018

To cast a ballot and make your voice heard, prospective voters need to know where their specific polling place is for the 2018 midterm elections, which are assigned by residential address.

Polling place locators can be found on websites such as Rock the Vote, the National Association of Secretaries of State and Vote.org.

How to vote on Election Day 2018

Voting can be done in person on Election Day at your specified polling place, mailing in an absentee ballot if youre unable to reach your polling place physically or, in some states, by early voting.

Voting in the 2018 election can be done in person, by mail or, in some states, by early voting

Election Day 2018 early voting

37 US states and the District of Columbia offer some form of early voting, which has become increasingly popular among Americans in recent years.

Early voting time periods vary by state, with some starting as early as 45 days prior to the election and some as late as the Friday before the election. Typically early voting ends a few days before the election in most states.

The following states offer early voting in the US:

Idaho

Minnesota

South Dakota

Vermont

Wyoming

New Jersey

Illinois

Iowa

North Dakota

Maine

California

Nebraska

Montana

New Mexico

Arizona

Indiana

Ohio

Georgia

Kansas

Tennessee

North Carolina

Washington

Nevada

Alaska

Arkansas

Colorado

Massachusetts

Texas

Wisconsin

Hawaii

Louisiana

Utah

West Virginia

Maryland

Washington, D.C.

Florida

Oklahoma

More information about early voting can be found here.

Documents needed for Election Day 2018

Specific documents needed to vote vary on a state-by-state basis.

34 states currently require voters to show some form of identification upon showing up to their polling place to vote. The remaining 16 states employ other methods to verify the correct identification of voters.

Some states with strict voter ID laws require that voters bring a valid photo ID in order to vote, with these being a drivers license, state-issued identification card, passport or military ID. Many currently offer free voter identification cards with photo ID for voters who currently lack a valid photo ID.

Other states also accept some forms of non-photo ID, such as Social Security cards, birth certificates, utility bills and bank statements.

Documents required to cast a ballot on Election Day 2018 all vary on a state-by-state basis

The following states have the current voter ID laws:

Strict photo ID

Georgia

Indiana

Kansas

Mississippi

Tennessee

Virginia

Wisconsin

Non-strict photo ID

Arkansas

Alabama

Florida

Hawaii

Idaho

Louisiana

Michigan

Rhode Island

South Dakota

Texas

Strict non-photo ID

Arizona

North Dakota

Ohio

ID requested, photo no required

Alaska

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Iowa

Kentucky

Missouri

Montana

New Hampshire

Oklahoma

South Carolina

Utah

Washington

West Virginia

No documents required to vote

California

Oregon

Nevada

Wyoming

New Mexico

Nebraska

Minnesota

Illinois

Maine

Vermont

Massachusetts

New York

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

Maryland

Washington, D.C.

North Carolina

Additional information about specific voter ID laws and documents required to vote can be found here.

34 states in the US currently require at least some type of valid identification form to vote

Election Day 2018 voter registration deadlines

Voter registration deadlines also vary by state in the US.

The deadlines for the 2018 election are as follows:

Alabama: October 22

Alaska: October 7

Arizona: October 9

Arkansas: October 9

California: October 22

Colorado: November 6

Connecticut: October 30

Delaware: October 13

Washington, D.C.: November 6

Florida: October 9

Georgia: October 9

Hawaii: November 6

Idaho: November 6

Illinois: November 6

Indiana: October 9

Iowa: November 6

Kansas: October 16

Kentucky: October 9

Louisiana: October 9, online October 16

Maine: November 6

Maryland: October 16

Massachusetts: October 17

Michigan: October 9

Minnesota: November 6

Mississippi: October 9

Missouri: October 10

Montana: November 6

Nebraska: October 26

Nevada: October 18

New Hampshire: November 6

New Jersey: October 16

New Mexico: October 9

New York: October 12

North Carolina: October 12

North Dakota: None, ID required to vote

Ohio: October 9

Oklahoma: October 12

Oregon: October 16

Pennsylvania: October 9

Rhode Island: October 7

South Carolina: October 17

South Dakota: October 22

Tennessee: October 9

Texas: October 9

Utah: October 30

Vermont: November 6

Virginia: October 15

Washington: October 29

West Virginia: October 16

Wisconsin: November 6

Wyoming: November 6

Voter registration deadlines all across the US also vary on a state-by-state basis nationwide

How to register to vote in the US

To vote in the US, eligible voters must be 18 or older by Election Day and meet other specific requirements as set forth by the state they reside in. Convicted felons and noncitizens are currently ineligible to vote in the United States.

All states, with the sole exception of North Dakota, require voters to register in advance of Election Day. The US Voter Foundation is a great resource for information about registration deadlines and other crucial information.

To register, prospective voters should visit Vote.gov to complete a brief voter registration form. The site can also be used to record any name or address changes and offers absentee ballot services for Americans living abroad and US armed services members stationed abroad.

Voter registration can also be done at armed services recruitment centers, local Department of Motor Vehicles offices and also at local election offices which can be located here.

In addition, those looking to register to vote can also complete and mail in a National Mail Voter Registration Form.

Election Day 2018 polls

Polls show many close races as Democrats attempt to pry at least one house of Congress from Republican hands. Many pollsters peg them as favorites to retake the House of Representatives, though the odds of them recapturing the Senate are currently seen as slim.

As of November 2, Democrats have an 85 per cent chance to retake the House of Representatives, according to FiveThirtyEight. However, they only have approximately a 15 per cent chance of winning a majority in the Senate.

Key races that could determine the outcome of who controls the Senate include the Ted Cruz versus Beto ORourke matchup in Texas, the Kyrsten Sinema versus Martha McSally race in Arizona, the Claire McCaskill versus Josh Hawley contest in Missouri and the Bill Nelson versus Rick Scott race in Florida among others, all of which appear to be too close to determine a clear leader in the polls.

Democrats could be poised to gain more governorships across the US, according to Real Clear Politics. Key races unfolding include the tight Ron DeSantis versus Andrew Gillum content in Florida and the Brian Kemp versus Stacey Abrams race in Georgia, where Abrams is locked in a close battle as she aims to become the first African-American woman to be elected governor of a US state.
Tim Cook is the CEO and shareholder of Apple, the worlds first trillion dollar company.

Hes the man that oversaw the release of Apple products such as the iPhone 5, iPad Pro, the Apple Watch and most recently iPhone Xs and iPhone XR, taking over the Cupertino company after the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.

Here is all you need to know about Tim Cook including who he is and what is his net worth.

Tim Cook became Apple CEO in August 2011 after Steve Jobs resigned due to ill health

Who is Tim Cook?

Tim Cook was born on November 1, 1960 in Robertsdale, Alabama to a shipyard worker father and a mother who worked at a pharmacy. He studied as an undergraduate at Auburn University, graduating in 1982 with a degree in industrial engineering before quickly joining IBMs PC Division.

In 1994, he left IBM to join Intelligent Electronics as the COO of the Reseller Division. However, after three years he jumped ship and joined Compaq as the VP of Corporate Materials. Six months later he was approached by Steve Jobs, who had just returned as Apples CEO. Cook joined as the SVP of worldwide operations

Cook admitted that the decision to join Apple was irrational, saying: Any purely rational consideration of cost and benefits lined up in Compaq's favor, and the people who knew me best advised me to stay at Compaq

Thank you @MichelleObama for sharing your views on diversity & innovation, and for encouraging developers to make the world a better place. pic.twitter.com/IlJRBcb5Di  Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 6, 2017

However, he revealed that his intuition told him that Apple was on track to become something special.

I wanted to throw caution and logic to the wind and join Apple. My intuition already knew that joining Apple was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for the creative genius, and to be on the executive team that could resurrect a great American company.

Rising through the ranks, Cook became the companys Chief Operating Officer in 2005 and was responsible for all of the companys worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apples supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries.

Steve showed meand all of uswhat it means to serve humanity. We miss him, today and every day, and well never forget the example he set for us. pic.twitter.com/fsdeOIl6LB  Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 5, 2018

In 2009 he became the interim Apple CEO while Steve Jobs was on a leave of absence to receive a liver transplant.

Two years later, in January 2011 he again was named the interim CEO after Jobs announced he would be taking extended medical leave.

In August of that year, he was officially named the CEO of Apple after Steve Jobs resigned.

20 years ago today, Steve introduced the world to iMac. It set Apple on a new course and forever changed the way people look at computers. pic.twitter.com/GbKno7YBHl  Tim Cook (@tim_cook) May 6, 2018

As CEO, he led Apple to become the company with the worlds largest market capitalization and the most profitable business in the United States.

In October 2014, he publicly came out as gay, becoming the first ever openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

This is what inspires us  after so much hard work by so many, getting to share Apples latest innovations with you. Hope you love them as much as we do! pic.twitter.com/PLgg0pfmb9  Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 12, 2018

What is Tim Cooks net worth?

Tim Cooks net worth is estimated to be at least $625 million, according to Equillar. That was based on a 2017 assessment that also said his net worth could be nearly $100 million higher at $701 million.

The majority of Cooks money derives from his Apple stock. As Apple CEO, Cook has collected over $650 million in Apple stock.

In August 2018, Cook received an additional 280,000 shares worth $120 million. Cook also earns an extra $3 million a year through his CEO salary.

A further $3.4 million is generated by Cooks presence on Nikes board of directors.

Despite his extreme wealth, Cook is famous for his relative frugality. He owns a $1.9 million house in Palo Alto, where the median home value is now $3.3 million.

There are even reports suggesting he buys his underwear at Nordstroms half-yearly sale.

Cook said that he would give away all of his wealth after providing for his 10-year-old nephews education.
Former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson has written a heartfelt letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison urging him to ban live animal exports.

In the letter, which was sent to Mr Morrison on Friday, the Hollywood star and former Playboy Playmate congratulated him on his appointment and asked for a favour.

She explained how after reading his maiden speech, she realised they shared the same strong 'principles of justice and compassion' so she asked him for his help.

Former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson (pictured), 51, has written a heartfelt letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison urging him to ban live animal exports

'Today, I'm writing to ask that you put your compassion into action by ending the live-animal export industry,' Ms Anderson wrote.

The 51-year-old is a well known animal activist and has previously shared her passionate views on animal rights and appeared in multiple anti-fur campaigns.

She is also an honorary director of People for the Ethical treatment of Animals and famously taken her clothes off and posed for several PETA campaigns.

Ms Anderson said by putting an end to the live export trade it would be 'honouring' his role as the official representative of the Australian people.

She also stated that if he banned the 'barbaric trade', the PM would be showing his support for the 238,000 Australians who recently signed a petition sent to his office.

Ms Anderson said Mr Morrison was in a position of influence and urged him to use his 'expertise in economics and tourism' to make a difference to the export industry.

The 51-year-old (pictured) is a well known animal activist and has previously shared her passionate views on animal rights and appeared in multiple anti-fur campaigns

Ms Anderson (pictured) is also an honorary director of People for the Ethical treatment of Animals and famously taken her clothes off and posed for several PETA campaigns.

'Surely you can see that this industry is on shaky ground and a stain on Australia's global reputation,' she wrote.

'You now have the power to make the compassionate and logical move that your predecessor did not.

'The people of Australia believe that live export must end, and I fully support them. Please ban this cruel industry.'
At least seven people have been killed in a gun attack on a bus near a Coptic Christian monastery inEgypt, the Church has said.

At least 14 people had also been wounded in the assault, the archbishop of Minya said, with officials saying the death toll was likely to rise.

Gunshots were fired on pilgrims travelling to the remote desert monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor, 160 miles up the River Nile from Cairo.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the bus but security officials said it bore the hallmarks of Islamic militants, who have previously targeted the site.

Egypt's Coptic priest Agathon (centre) speaks to a woman, who was wounded after gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians, at the Sheikh Fadel hospital in Beni Mazar

The Christians were on the way to Monastery of St Samuel the Confessor (pictured in file photo) in Minya Province when they were attacked on Friday

Church spokesman Bouls Halim said the death toll in Friday's attack, in the Minya governorate south of Cairo, is likely to rise.

ISIS militants have for years been fighting security forces in the Sinai Peninsula and along Egypt's porous desert border with Libya.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he mourned the victims as martyrs and vowed to push ahead with a campaign against militants.

'I assert our determination to fight dark terrorism and to pursue the perpetrators,' he said on Twitter.

Egypt's Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of its population, have come under attack by Islamist radicals several times over the past years.

In December last year ISIS claimed responsibility for a gun attack on a Coptic Christian bookshop and church in Cairo that killed nine people.

The same monastery targeted today was previously hit by a terror attack in May 2017 when ISIS jihadists shot dead 29 Christian worshippers.

The attack prompted Egypt to unleash air strikes on jihadist camps in Libya.

On that occasion last year a group of up to 10 masked attackers dressed in military uniforms stopped a convoy as the group headed towards the monastery to pray.

In December 2016 a bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo killed 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass.

Egypt says fighting Islamist militants is a priority to restore security after the years of turmoil that followed the 'Arab Spring' protests.

Egypt's Copts are the Middle East's largest Christian minority. They trace their history to the dawn of Christianity, when Egypt was integrated into the Roman and later the Byzantine empire.

At least seven people have been killed in an attack on a bus heading towards a Coptic Christian monastery in upper Egypt

Several churches and monasteries in Egypt are built on sites Copts believe were visited by the Holy Family.

The word 'Copt' comes from the same root as the word for 'Egyptian' in ancient Greek.

The community's decline started with the Arab invasions of the 7th century and the progressive Islamisation of the country, which today is largely Sunni Muslim.

Most adhere to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, headed since 2012 by Pope Tawadros II. A minority is divided between Coptic Catholics and various Coptic Protestant branches.

Tawadros, who succeeded pope Shenuda III, was chosen by a blindfolded altar boy picking his name from a chalice, according to tradition.

The Vatican says some 165,000 Catholic Copts lived in Egypt in 2010.

Poorly represented in government, Copts complain that they are sidelined from many posts in the justice system, universities and the police.
A man in east China was filmed taking his two children out for a 'stroll' by putting them in plastic baskets and dragging them behind his tuk tuk.

The father in Dezhou, Shandong province had attached the white containers to the back of his small truck with ropes after placing his toddler sons in them.

Footage of the October 25 incident has gone viral online, which saw the careless father heavily criticised.

A man in Dezhou, east China's Shangdong province was filmed taking his two children out for a 'stroll' by putting them in plastic baskets and dragging them behind his tuk tuk

Footage of the incident shows the two boys, appearing to be around the age of two, calmly sitting in their 'assigned' baskets.

They were seen being slowly dragged along the road behind their father's tuk tuk in front of stunned pedestrians.

The man seemed oblivious to the danger he was putting the children in as he rode on.

Local police condemned the actions of the parent.

Footage of the incident shows the two boys, appearing to be around the age of two, calmly sitting in their 'assigned' baskets while being dragged along a road in Dezhou, Shandong

Many users even suspected if the ignorant man was really the children's birth father

The man seemed oblivious to the danger he was putting the children in as he rode on

'The father placed this two children in two separate plastic baskets and took them out for a walk,' officer Xu Longteng at the Dezhou bureau told video news site Pear.

'This kind of behaviour is extremely dangerous and irresponsible,' Xu said.

'Children are not objects and must not be treated this way. We would like to remind all parents to act responsibly and not endanger your children's lives due to carelessness,' he added.

'Are you taking your children's lives as some sort of joke?' questioned one net user on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo.

Many users even suspected if the ignorant man was really the children's birth father.

'It's hard to believe that a father would put his birth children in this sort of danger,' read one comment.

'This parent should be fined and jailed! How ridiculous,' said another.
A Brexit deal can be finalised this month, Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney (file) insisted today after talks with Theresa May's deputy

A Brexit deal can be finalised this month, Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney insisted today after talks with Theresa May's deputy.

Raising hopes the impasse in Brexit talks could finally be crossed, Mr Coveney said a 'lot of progress' has been made in recent weeks - but insisted the UK still needs to give ground.

The intervention in Dublin came as Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab was warned in Belfast by the DUP not to make any further concessions on the future of Northern Ireland.

The focus will move to France next week as Theresa May meets French President Emmanuel Macron at Albert before Armistice commemorations.

Mr Coveney spoke in Dublin tonight after meeting David Lidington, Mrs May's deputy, and Karen Bradley, the Northern Ireland Secretary.

He said: 'I think it is possible to get a deal in November, but of course this requires a number of things.'

'We have made a lot of progress. Michel Barnier has shown flexibility and imagination to try to help overcome some of the political challenges, but we are not quite there yet. In my view there is some movement needed still on the UK side.

'Where Ireland cannot be flexible and Michel Barnier in my view will not be flexible is around the issue of the border infrastructure.'

Speaking north of the border in Belfast, Mr Raab repeated Britain would not sign up to anything 'that would threaten the economic, the constitutional, let alone the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom'.

Mr Raab (centre) posed with DUP politicians including Mr Dodds (left) and Mrs Foster (second left) following his talks today

Dominic Raab arrived at Stormont today for talks with both the DUP and Sinn Fein

Asked twice by the BBC whether it had ruled out any new regulatory checks at the Irish border, he said: 'We are engaged in a negotiation process.

'We have made it very clear that whether it's the customs regime for the UK as a whole, or the wider economic integrity of the UK as a whole, we will not allow any proposals to be accepted that would jeopardise that, and that is the crucial thing here.

'Of course we want to maintain frictionless trade with our EU partners, but the internal market within the UK is absolutely crucial too.

'They are not binary choices, we want to preserve both and also enhance and increase our opportunities for global trade which would be good for the UK and good for Northern Ireland too.'

Earlier, following talks with Mr Raab, DUP leader Arlene Foster said she had reiterated to Mr Raab her party's opposition to any additional checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Speaking to the media afterwards alongside her deputy Nigel Dodds, Mrs Foster said: 'From the constitutional point of view but also from an economic point of view that it is very important that as well as not having any customs barriers, we cannot have any regulatory barriers.'

Prime Minister Theresa May (right) and the French president (left) are due to have lunch in the town of Albert before they take part in Armistic commemorations

DUP leader Arlene Foster (pictured with her deputy Nigel Dodds today) said she had reiterated to Mr Raab her party's opposition to any additional checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK

The Pound surged yesterday amid claims a deal had been reached safeguarding financial services ties.

The blueprint was said to involve the UK and EU having 'equivalent' regulations - with an arbitration system for any disputes and a notice period for diverging.

Mr Raab also sparked a wave of optimism earlier in the week by saying he 'expects' a divorce deal to be settled by November 21.

However, officials have been scrambling to play down the chances of a swift resolution, insisting there is still a major sticking point over the Irish border backstop.

Downing Street has warned that those speculating about a breakthrough needed to 'take a deep breath'.

Mr Macron has been one of the most strident critics of Mrs May's Chequers plan, and has warned he will not agree anything that risks undermining the single market.

Meanwhile, France has been working hard to lure business from the City of London.

Mrs May and Mr Macron will meet in the town of Albert, close to where British Tommy George Robertson - Mr Macron's Bristol-born ancestor - was in the trenches.

They will also lay flowers at the Thiepval Memorial to thousands lost in the 1916 Battle of the Somme, but current day politics will not be forgotten.

'There will be a working lunch during which the topic of Brexit will of course be on the agenda,' said a French government source.

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington (left) and Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley (right) are in Dublin today for discussions with the deputy PM Simon Coveney
Donald Trump says he was right to link a caravan of migrants to a brutal killer in a video that's been characterized as 'racist' and compared to the Willie Horton ad that haunts former President George H.W. Bush's campaign.

Trump told the Washington Times that the video he shared featuring a convicted cop killer and illegal immigrant named Luis Bracamontes, is not at all like the one that Bush supporters ran in 1988 against Democratic nominee for president Michael Dukakis.

'I dont view it as the Willie Horton ad at all,' the president told The Washington Times on Thursday. 'I think its just an ad where somebody is a bad guy, came in illegally, twice, and we cant do that.'

Donald Trump says he was right to link illegal immigrants to a brutal killer in a video that's been characterized as 'racist' and compared to the Willie Horton ad that haunts former President George H.W. Bush's campaign

Trump says he video he shared featuring a convicted cop killer and illegal immigrant named Luis Bracamontes, is not at all like the one that Bush supporters ran in 1988 against Democratic nominee for president Michael Dukakis that showed African-American rapist Willie Horton

Like Horton, a convicted murderer who raped a white woman after he was furloughed from prison in Massachusetts, Bracamontes was let loose in America after run-ins with the law. He was deported twice before he committed the murders.

Horton was an African-American. Bracamontes is Hispanic. Both ads have been deemed racist.

Bracamontes famously grinned and swore his way through his trial and sentencing this year, vowing to escape and kill more police officers.

He screamed 'F*** you, judge!' during a late January hearing and was banned from attending the rest of his trial in person, watching the remaining days on video monitors.

Trump's 55.5 million Twitter followers saw his own take on the case this week, a recap of the trial's most shocking moments titled: 'Illegal immigrant Luis Bracamontes killed our people!'

CNN editorialized through its website: 'Trump campaign releases racist ad.'

Network host Don Lemon, under fire for declaring that 'white men' are the greatest threat to the United States, complained Wednesday night during his show about 'how the ad depicts Latinos and immigrants generally. Why is this blatantly racist ad his closing argument before the midterms?'

April Ryan, a CNN contributor and a White House correspondent for a network of black radio stations, claimed Trump was playing to a 'base that he understands has a certain kind of feeling or misconception or perception, whatever, about minorities  particularly right now Mexicans or those who are coming from the southern border.'

CNN host Chris Cuomo described the ad as 'Willie Horton redux,' a reference to the famous campaign ad that helped sink Dukakis.

How he tweeted it: Trump's message which has been called racist and accused of being worse than the notorious Willie Horton advertisement used against Michael Dukakis

President Donald Trump, pictured Wednesday night in a Florida campaign rally, is making the Republican Party's closing midterm argument a fear-based one, promoting a video that links the coming waves of Central American migrants with a twice-deported Mexican cop-killer

Luis Bracamontes, pictured in court in February, was sentenced to death for the murders of two Sacramento, California law enforcement officers; the twice-deported Mexican national is now the poster-boy for Trump's view of the dangers caused by unchecked illegal immigration

Bracamontes stunned the jury in his case by admitting his guilt as a prosecutor described the crime scene, declaring: 'Only thing I f***ing regret is that I f***ing just killed two. I wish I f***ing killed more of those motherf***ers.'

Bracamontes was convicted in February 2018 of killing Placer Sheriffs Deputy Michael Davis Jr. (left) and Sacramento Sheriffs Deputy Danny Oliver (right)

Dukakis had supported a prison weekend furlough program that allowed Horton, a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, to become a participant. Instead of returning to prison, Horton escaped and raped a woman the next year, stabbing her fiance in the process.

'This may be the most desperate and vile ad since Willie Horton,' Clinton administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted Wednesday.

The video's footage includes the killer Bracamontes telling Judge Steve White: 'They're f***ing dead. I don't f***ing regret that s**t. ... I will break out soon and I will kill more.'

Over pounding percussion, the video's graphics proclaim: 'DEMOCRATS LET HIM INTO OUR COUNTRY.'

Bracamontes stunned the jury in his case by admitting his guilt as a prosecutor described the crime scene, declaring: 'Only thing I f***ing regret is that I f***ing just killed two. I wish I f***ing killed more of those motherf***ers.'

That moment, too, is in the video on Trump's Twitter feed.

And the words on the screen continue: 'DEMOCRATS LET HIM STAY.'

Trump featured Bracamontes in an ad nine months ago, timed to coincide with the first anniversary of his inauguration.

CNN, two of its hosts and many of its guests complained Wednesday night that the ad Trump promoted is flatly 'racist'

CNN host Don Lemon (left) and commentator April Ryan (2nd right) agreed Wednesday that the ad on Trump's twitter feed was about race, not crime

Former Clinton administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich vented that the Bracamontes ad is 'desperate and vile,' and compared it with the infamous 1988 'Willie Horton' ad

Jamie Weinstein, a former journalist known for a National Review podcast, declared the video 'without question, a racist ad'

'Democrats who stand in our way will be complicit in every murder committed by illegal immigrants,' said the ad, which argued for his long-promised border wall.

The new effort, though, connects the condemned man to the thousands of people streaming slowly on foot toward Texas and California

Scenes from the northward-advancing caravans show hundreds of Hondurans and Guatemalans streaming past video cameras and breaking down border-fences on their way into Mexico.

One migrant, interviewed late last week by a Fox News Channel reporter, is seen admitting that he was deported fom the U.S. after a conviction for 'Intento de matar'  attempted murder.

'WHO ELSE WOULD DEMOCRATS LET IN?' reads the video's final caption, before claiming that Trump and the GOP are 'Making America Safe Again.'

Trump has made political hay over what he considers a crime spree attached to illegal immigration, and already used the Bracamontes case nine months ago in a separate ad

The digital ad includes no information identifying who created or paid for it, meaning it's not officially a Trump campaign ad or a Republican Party product.

But the ease with which video can be attached to tweets means the President of the United States can circulate practically anything without acknowledging its source.

Bracamontes killed Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Danny Oliver and Placer County sheriff's Detective Michael Davis Jr. in 2014 while he was high on meth.

A third victim, Anthony Holmes, was shot five times but survived.

When Judge White read his guilty verdict, Bracamontes smirked and softly said, 'Yay,' before warning that he would 'kill more cops soon.'

'It is outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country,' Trump tweeted Wednesday along with the video. 'Vote Republican now!'
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Fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho has been charged with conspiring to launder billions of dollars that he embezzled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a investment fund whose goal was to promote economic development in the country, and conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by paying bribes to various Malaysian and Abu Dhabi officials. He also used the billions to put himself in the orbit of famous celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a representative for Low stated that he maintains his 'innocence.'

That statement also notes: 'Furthermore, the bond offerings detailed in the indictment were undertaken openly and lawfully between experienced, well-regulated financial institutions and government entities.The US Department of Justice specifically states that the charges in the indictment are allegations, and that Mr Low is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.'

It is unclear where Low is residing at this time.

Friends in high places: Low Taek Jho is accused of laundering billions of dollars that he embezzled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad over the course of five years (above with Leonardo DiCaprio in 2013)

Hadid it: He then used that money to make close to $2 billion worth of purchases in the United States alone, picking up hotels, mansions, penthouses and art (Low above with Gigi Hadid in 2014)

Goldman hit: Tim Leissner (ABOVE IN 2013), the husband of Kimora Lee Simmons, has entered a guilty plea already for his role and been ordered to forfeit $43.7 million as a result of his crimes

On the park: Low's biggest purchase by far was the $654,316,305 he spent on the Park Lane Hotel, located on Central Park in New York City

Sea fare: He also needed a vessel for the sea, and dropped $250 million on his very own yacht, Equanimity (above)

Westward ho: Lows real estate interests were not confined to just the East Coast, with the financier also picking up a stake in the Viceroy L'Hermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills for just shy of $200 million

High in the sky: After spending millions to rent jets, Low finally dropped $35 million to purchase a Bombardier (interior above)

Low, along with Ng Chong Hwa and Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner allegedly conspired to launder the proceeds of their criminal conduct through the U.S. financial system by purchasing, among other things, luxury residential real estate in New York City and elsewhere, and artwork from a New York-based auction house, and by funding major Hollywood films.

As a result, Low soon managed to score invites to exclusive social events and galas, where he dined and danced alongside Hollywood beauties like supermodel Gigi Hadid.

Art: Low had a desire to own a number of famous art pieces, and snapped up a Rothko for $70 million (left, Untitled Yellow and Blue) while gifting DiCaprio a Jean-Michel Basquiat (Redman on right) for a little more than $9 million

Tranquil: Low went to Sotheby's to purchase the classic Nympheas avec reflets de hautes herbes by Claude Monet (above), which set him back $57.5 million

Big spender: At a Christie's auction in 2013, Low paid a record $48,843,750 for Jean-Michel Basquiat's Dusthead (left), and got Picasso's Tete du Femme for a somewhat cheaper $40 million (right)

Etch and sketch: The drawing of Vincent Van Gogh's La maison de Vincent (above) was purchased at auction by Low for $5.485 million

Gifts: A Pablo Picasso piece, Nature Morte au Crane de Taureau, was bought for $3.38 million (above) by Low

Installations: Low also bought two pieces by Calder at auction for prices that greatly exceeded estimates (Six White Dots on left bought for $5,387,750, Tic Tac Toe on right bought for $3,035,750)

Leissner, who is married to former model Kimora Lee Simmons, has already entered a guilty plea to charges of conspiring to launder money and conspiring to violate the FCPA by both paying bribes to various Malaysian and Abu Dhabi officials and circumventing the internal accounting controls of the Financial Institution.

He has been ordered to forfeit $43.7 million as a result of his crimes.

High in the sky: Low purchased the penthouse apartment at the Walker Tower in New York City (above), on the border of the West Village and Chelsea, for $50,912,500.

Low acquired a Soho penthouse atop the fashionable Louis Vuitton store for $13.8 million (above)

Bey and Jay: Low moved into the same building as Beyonce and Jay Z, where he bought a $30 million penthouse (above)

On the park: Another penthouse just a few blocks away set Low back $23.98 million, and offered clear views od Central park (above)

With billions at his disposal, Low quickly began to find ways to spend the money, and his biggest purchase by far was the $654,316,305 he spent on the Park Lane Hotel, located on Central Park in New York City.

That move got him an 85 percent stake in the property back in 2013, with the other 15 percent owned by Steven Witkoff, a developer in New York.

This was the best site in New York City and maybe the world. We designed what the entire partnership thought was a beautiful building, witkoff told the New York Times after learning about his partners alleged crimes. Little did we know wed face circumstances like this.

Central London: A grand total of $98 million was spent on apartments across three buildings on Stratton Street (above) in Mayfair

London calling: Low also purchased a Qentas townhouse for $41,799,886 in the upscale Belgravia neighborhood (above)

Beverly Hills: For a home on Oriole Way in Los Angeles (above), Low splashed out $38.98 million a few years into his scheme

Views: Low paid $31 million for this Los Angeles home, with sweeping views of the city (above)

Fighting back: In a statement to DailyMail.com, a representative for Low stated that he maintains his 'innocence' (LA mansion above)

Standing guard: The properties purchased by Low all afforded him a great deal of privacy, including this Hillcrest mansion he picked up for $17.5 million

The owners of the Park Lane agreed to cooperate with the Department of Justice and sell the hotel while placing Lows share in escrow. The hotel, which was on the market for $1 billion, has struggled to find a buyer.

He also needed a vessel for the sea, and dropped $250 million on his very own yacht, Equanimity. That boat is currently on the auction block.

Lows real estate interests were not confined to just the East Coast, with the financier also picking up a stake in the Viceroy L'Hermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills. He paid $194.7 million, and soon began hosting celebrity galas at the venue.

The hotel was just part of his real estate portfolio, as at the same time Low was also busy buying up massive properties in Los Angeles.

Auction block: The Claude Monet work Saint Georges Majeur (above) was also part of Low';s portfolio after he offered up $35 million for the painting

Bliss: At an auction hosted by his friend DiCaprio to benefit charity, Low picked up this Ed Ruscha for $380,000 (above)

Queen Bee: This Mark Ryden work (above) was also bought at the DiCaprio auction by Low for $714,000

Friendly fire: The iconic photograph Child with Hand Grenade by Diane Arbus (above) was gifted to DiCaprio by Low

Yellow brick road: Low became one of only two people in the world believed to own the original movie poster for The Wizard of Oz, which he got for $75,000 (above)

He had at least five mansions in and around Beverly Hills, one of which was just down the street from his friend DiCaprio.

Those mansions have since been seized by the Department of Justice, who are finding it difficult to sell the properties.

Back on the East Coast, it was penthouse apartments that caught Low's eye, and he bought them all across the city.

There was one in Soho, one in the West Village and two on Central Park - including the same building where Beyonce and Jay Z live in the city.

Across the pond there are multiple residences that are not part of the DoJ seize, but equally impressive.

These include a string of residences across three buildings in Mayfair that were purchased for $98 million and a townhome in Belgravia that he got for $41.8 million.
A US Army veteran and avid Second Amendment rights supporter says he was ejected from the Indianapolis Zoo this week for wearing a sweatshirt featuring the image of a bullet and a sexual innuendo.

Anthony Edmonson, 31, tells the Indianapolis Star that he was enjoying a day at the zoo with his family and friends on Sunday when after two hours, a staffer walked up to him and confronted him about his attire.

The man was sporting a black hooded sweatshirt with a large white bullet printed on the front and words that read: 'Just The Tip I Promise.'

Missed the mark: Anthony Edmonson was kicked out of the Indianapolis Zoo Sunday for violating its dress code by wearing this sweatshirt

The zoo worker informed Edmonson that another guest had complained about his sartorial choice.

Edmonson was then asked to cover up the sexually suggestive message, take off the sweatshirt all together, or turn it inside out to hide the picture and words from view.

When Edmonson refused on First Amendment grounds, he was asked to leave and was promptly escorted off the premises by off-duty police officers working security at the zoo.

Indianapolis Zoo spokeswoman Judy Palermo said the zoo, being a private institution not funded by the federal government, had the right to ask Edmonson to leave for violating its dress code, which prohibits visitors from wearing clothing with offensive language or graphics.

'We respectfully ask that you use modesty with regard to your wardrobe,' it reads on the zoo's website.

Edmonson is a US Army veteran (pictured left) who is passionate about guns and motorcycles

Edmonson was asked to either cover up or take off his hoodie, but he refused and was escorted out of the zoo

Edmonson said he was surprised by the strong reaction to his sweatshirt.

I wear that hoodie on a daily basis, he told the paper. One hundred percent of the time, most people think it's a hilarious joke. Somebody probably didn't understand that it was a picture of a bullet. That, or they're very anti-gun.

Edmonson is an Army veteran who currently works as a welder. On his Facebook page, he writes of himself: 'i love cars,guns and have an unhealthy obsession with my motorcycle.'

After being thrown out of the zoo, a hot-under-the-collar Edmonson posted a photo of himself in the controversial hoodie, accompanied by a foul-mouthed rant directed at the Indianapolis Zoo and the anonymous visitor who raised the alarm about his getup in the first place.

His screed quickly went viral and drew a litany of negative comments, which ultimately prompted Edmonson to delete it from his social media page on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old motorcycle and gun enthusiast said he never meant for any of this to happen: he simply wanted to see the dolphins exhibit.
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Euromillions winner Gillian Bayford today revealed she has sold a designer bungalow for 1.45m  just days after she put a waterfront flat on the market.

Gillian told MailOnline she decided to sell the four bedroom house as she looked to 'tighten up' her expanding property empire.

It comes as her ex-husband Adrian has put his 6.5m mansion on the market and is planning to move to Australia because the fortune made him miserable, friends say.

Gillian made The Bee House in Balsham, near Cambridge, the house one of the first purchases after her divorce from Adrian following their win of 148m in 2012.

Euromillions winner Gillian Bayford today revealed she has sold this designer bungalow for 1.45m as she looks to 'tighten up' her expanding property portfolio

Gillian made The Bee House in Balsham, near Cambridge, the house one of the first purchases after her divorce from Adrian following their win of 148m in 2012.

Explaining the sale, Gillian told MailOnline: 'I would use Bee House as a place to stay when I brought the children down from Scotland to stay with Adrian. The children are older now and I no longer need to come down with them, so I decided to sell'

Ex-hospital cleaner Gillian separated from Adrian 15 months after their big win in 2012 (pictured) and are thought to have split their 148m fortune equally

She told MailOnline: 'I would use Bee House as a place to stay when I brought the children down from Scotland to stay with Adrian.

'The children are older now and I no longer need to come down with them, so I decided to sell.'

The Bee House was sold in September for close to its asking price of 1.45m after being listed by estate agents Savills.

Set in half an acre of land, the bungalow, or colonial villa, features a dazzling living room with an octagonal ceiling.

The sale last month comes as she listed another of her homes, a spectacular waterfront property on the River Tay near Dundee in Scotland, for 735,000, which Gillian said was a business decision.

I have never lived in the property and it was bought as a long-term rental, she said.

Im selling now as Im tightening my property portfolio.

Built into a rocky outcrop overlooking the River Tay, the house was bought by her former husband for 725,000 in 2015. It was later sold it to Gillians property company A&G Properties for 625,000.

Gillian's ex-husband Adrian has put his 6.5m mansion - called Horseheath Lodge in Linton, Suffolk - on the market and is planning to move to Australia because the fortune made him miserable, friends say

Adrian's magnificent Georgian mansion has which has two driveways, a workshop and several garages, the plans show

A&G Properties, based in Carnoustie where Gillian grew up, has over 90 properties on its books with latest accounts filed at Companies House in London showed Gillian pumped 10m into the business.

Ex-hospital cleaner Gillian separated from Adrian 15 months after their big win and are thought to have split their 148m fortune equally.

She moved back to Scotland with their two children re-married earlier this year to Brian Deans.

Meanwhile Adrian is said to be selling his mansion and moving to Australia after his millions made him miserable.

Gilliam added: Hes not sure yet what to do, but selling up here is the first step.

Adrian, 48, has instructed estate agents to market the rambling Grade II listed house and 189 acres of parkland, fields and woods in Linton, Suffolk, he bought for 6.5m.

After their split Adrian remained in the house which dates back to 1815 and stamped his fun-loving personality on the property, installing statues of knights in shining armour in the grounds.

Gillian has also put her spectacular waterfront property on the River Tay near Dundee in Scotland, for 735,000, which she said was a business decision as she looks to make changes to her 10m property businesses which owns 90 addresses

Built into a rocky outcrop overlooking the River Tay, the house was bought by her former husband for 725,000 in 2015. It was later sold it to Gillians property company A&G Properties for 625,000

Adrian has had a turbulent love life with two failed romances since his divorce.

In January he faced heartbreak in January last year when his stable girl fiancee Samantha Burbidge, 30, walked out on him.

She reportedly took horses and a luxury horsebox that he had bought her during their romance so she could indulge in her horse riding hobby.

Like his wife he has used his millions to invest in the property market and set up his own buy-to-let property empire through a company called St Just Housing.

Companies House records confirm that Bayford is in overall control of St Just Housing and latest accounts reveal it has assets worth nearly 10.2 million.

Among the portfolio are 900 acres of arable farmland surrounding the southern tip of Cambridge, worth as much as 10million.
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House hunters are being offered the chance to snap up a medieval Scottish castle on land once owned by Robert the Bruce.

Mains Castle, a 15th century pile in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, which once sparked the interest of pop superstar Michael Jackson, has been put up for sale for offers over 495,000.

The A-listed turreted building, built in 1450, has five floors which are protected by 10ft thick walls built to withstand cannon fire.

Mains Castle in East Kilbride, pictured, which was built on land once owned by Robert the Bruce has been put up for sale for 495,000. Michael Jackson is believed to have expressed an interest in buying the castle

The castle was refurbished in the 1970s and retains a medieval style - with a distinct lack of windows and natural light

The 10ft thick walls were designed to protect those inside from cannonballs in the event of an attack

In the 1970s it was restored from a derelict wreck and is now fully refurbished in its medieval style.

The property, which sits in 3.8 acres of countryside overlooking a loch, is said to have caught Jackson's eye when he came to Scotland more than 20 years ago with the intention of buying a castle.

Mary Queen of Scots is said to have spent a night there before the Battle of Langside in Glasgow. The building boasts a banqueting hall with first floor minstrels gallery for musicians, a great hall and parapet.

Other features include a stone spiral staircase, 'cunningly designed' to turn in a clockwise direction, giving a right-handed swordsman the advantage over an intruder trying to fight his way up.

The original guardroom has been converted into a toilet with stone clad cistern and handmade copper sink. Beneath the toilet lay the castle's original pit prison.

The third floor houses the original ladies' quarters which has a hand painted ceiling and en suite toilet and shower.

A sales brochure for the property reads: 'Rising approximately 40 feet from the fields that surround James Hamilton Heritage Loch stands Mains Castle, a splendid example of a 15th century keep and arguably Lanarkshire's most romantic residence.

The property features a stone staircase which spirals around to clockwise to give an advantage to a right handed swordman

Inside the bathroom, there is a large copper bath as well as a solid wood and stone furniture suitable for the castle's design

The castle was built in 1450 and fell into disrepair following the Battle of Bothwell Brig in 1678 - shortly before Scotland fell once again to English rule

'Mains Castle is one of South Lanarkshire's most familiar landmarks and the oldest inhabited residence in East Kilbride.

'This Category A Listed tower house was winner of a Saltire award for its reconstruction and renovation. Mains Castle is steeped in Scottish legend with features including flagstone floors, open stone fires and a winding spiral staircase.'

The castle was built in 1450 and first occupied in 1478 by Lord Lindsay, the Provost of Glasgow, and his new bride, Princess Euphemie Stewart.

It fell derelict after being fired on by the cannons of the Claverhouse Dragoons in a skirmish after the Battle of Bothwell Brig in 1678.

The estate on which the castle sits taken over by Robert the Bruce in the 14th century after he killed John Comyn, who owned the land. It was later passed to the Lindsays as one of the family had helped in the killing of Comyn.

It was restored in 1883 when the Victorians built a new roof, but the roof collapsed during the Great Storm of 1922. It lay derelict again until 1977, when the local historian Michael Rowan carried out an award-winning restoration. He lived there until 1985.

It was last sold to a Glasgow couple for 300,000 in 2002 but has now been put back on the market.

Peter Gillespie for Savills told MailOnline:

'Mains Castle is the real thing: a 'proper' fairytale castle that has been brilliantly and sympathetically restored without losing any of its imposing and powerful ambiance. For anyone dubious about modern living in a castle, this property proves how it can be done. In its parkland setting and with an easy commute into central Glasgow, Mains Castle is well worth consideration by a buyer seeking their very own slice of Scottish history.'
A street that was home to 56 First World War soldiers has been transformed into a 'Poppy Road' with thousands of decorations spread all over to commemorate the centenary of Armistice Day.

Hundreds of houses along Station Road in Aldridge, Walsall, in the West Midlands, have been turned into tributes to the fallen soldiers with red poppies and statues.

Some of the houses also feature black silhouettes of soldiers, to symbolise that a soldier who died in the Great War lived there.

Station Road in Aldridge, Walsall has become Poppy Road with locals decorating their houses with thousands of poppies

Residents have been erecting memorials to previous residents of their houses who fought and died in the First World War

The true scale of the decorations is highlighted by incredible footage that pans down the entire street.

Station Road was home to 56 serving WWI soldiers with 16 of them dying in action.

As well as the black silhouettes of fallen soldiers, some houses have posters indicating there was a person living in that house who served in the war.

Station Road was home to 56 serving WWI soldiers with 16 of them dying in action. Now residents are marking the centenary of Armistice Day

Hundreds of houses on Station Road have been proudly transformed with red poppies and statues of soldiers

Some of the houses also feature black silhouettes of soldiers, to symbolise that a soldier who died in the Great War previously lived there

Pensioner Geoff Talbot, 74, was one of those who decorated his home and said the tradition has been in place for decades.

He said: 'We were doing this on Remembrance Day since I was a child.

'It is the perfect way to do something special for all the people who lost their lives in the Great War.

'Lots of people have put a lot of effort to do this - we have a very nice community here.

Resident Geoff Talbot, 74, outside his house with the memorial to a previous resident of the property, Rifleman Alan Stirling

Mr Talbot hailed the effort and said that residents had always marked the day: 'We were doing this on Remembrance Day since I was a child'

Station Road was chosen to represent the whole village was because it was the street people used to take the train to go to war in 1914

Incredible video footage shows the true length of the Poppy Road as it pans down the road to show just how residents are paying tribute

Aldridge Great War Project and Aldridge Local History Society organised the community project together, working with hundreds of people and businesses

'In those days Aldridge was only a village, but a lot of local young men left and never came back.

'It is an absolutely nice way to do a tribute for them.'

Aldridge Great War Project and Aldridge Local History Society organised the community project together, working with hundreds of individuals and businesses.

Mr Talbot added: 'It is the perfect way to do something special for all the people who lost their lives in the Great War'

The tribute seems to have captured the attention of almost every resident in the street with breathtaking decorations everywhere

Unsurprisingly, the tributes have caught the eyes of passers-by, such as this woman who stopped to get a photo

With poppies draped over windows, plastered on doors and places on walls, the tributes caught the eye of many passing by

One reason Station Road was chosen to represent the whole village was because it was the street people used to take the train to go to war in 1914.

The station was also used as a place where the sick were taken before being transferred to the military hospitals in the area.

The tribute comes as police officers in Dorset reveal that they areset to patrol the streets in cars decorated in a shower of red poppies ahead of Armistice Day.

Station Road's residents have paid tribute to the fallen for decades but took the commemoration up a notch this year

As well as black silhouettes, some residents put up posters in their homes explaining how past residents served

Thousands of red poppies were used to make the tribute and they could be seen spread all over the houses

This black silhouette tribute is to Private Sydney Hill, who used to live at the house before dying in the First World War

Dorset Police's 'poppy car' will hit the roads around the county to demonstrate the force's support of the British Legion's annual appeal.

The specially branded car will be attending a service in West Bay on 1 November and will be part of the Bournemouth Remembrance Service on 11 November.

From November 12, the vehicle will be back out on patrol across North Dorset and will continue to hold the poppy design for the next three weeks.

Lord Lieutenant of Dorset Angus Campbell poses with Dorset Police's specially-commissioned poppy car at West Bay

Dorset Police's 'poppy car' will hit the roads around the county to demonstrate the force's support of the British Legion's annual appeal

Officers from across the county will also be attending ceremonies and laying wreaths to remember those who died in conflict.

Dorset Police Chief Constable, James Vaughan, said: 'Each year the support for our poppy car has grown and we receive hundreds of positive comments from serving and retired army personnel, and the public.

'We hope that the car will encourage people to go out and buy a poppy ahead of this year's Remembrance Day and actively engage with the Royal British Legion's campaign.'

More than 40 million poppies will be distributed by 40,000 dedicated collectors during this year's appeal.

The money raised in Dorset will go towards the Legion's record national fundraising target of 50million, the highest ever set.

These funds will help the Legion continue to support today's armed forces community through hardships, injury and bereavements.
The widow of Pablo Escobar has revealed her heartbreaking secret about how the Colombian drug lord raped her and forced her to get a back-alley abortion when she was only 14 years old.

In her memoir, Mi Vida y Mi Carcel con Pablo Escobar (My Life and My Jail with Pablo Escobar) due November 15, Victoria Eugenia Henao details how she has come to terms with the fact that she was assaulted by her husband, 25 years after his death.

Henao, 57, makes the shocking revelation in the epilogue of her book titled, The secret I've hid for years,' in which she describes confessing to her two children, Sebastian, now 41, and Manuela, 34, for the first time.

Victoria Eugenia Henao will disclose her lifelong secret in her new memoir, Mi Vida y Mi Carcel con Pablo Escobar (My Life and My Jail with Pablo Escobar)

'I had to connect with my history and immerse myself in the depths of my soul, to build up the courage to reveal the sad secret that I have harbored for 44 years,' she writes.

It was a secret, she says, she thought she would take to the grave, and is a truth that she knows will 'worsen the perception' the world has of the man who was her husband.

Mi Vida y Mi Carcel con Pablo Escobar (My Life and My Jail with Pablo Escobar) will be released November 15

Henao, states she was 14 and Escobar, her boyfriend at the time, was 25 when he one day 'hugged' and 'kissed' her, leaving her 'paralyzed' in fear.

'I was not prepared, I did not feel sexual malice, I did not have the proper tools to understand what that intimate and intense contact meant,' she says.

Henao says three weeks later, she began to feel 'strange,' but at such a tender age, she explains it never occurred to her that she could be pregnant.

Escobar visited her a few days later to ask how she was feeling and if she would accompany him to a woman's house located in a remote and desolate area of Medellin, Colombia.

'Almost immediately, an elderly lady, who barely greeted me, told me to lie down on a stretcher and immediately inserted several plastic tubes into my womb, the ones [tubes] that are used to channel veins, and merely said that they would serve as prevention.

Henao, 57, makes the shocking revelation in the epilogue of her book titled, The secret I've hid for years,' in which she describes making the confession to her two children, Sebastian and Manuela (pictured)

Henao says finding out this secret about their father was devastating for her children because they learned they had the wrong perception of their dad

'Prevention of what?' Henao says she asked.

'She answered with certainty, "that you could be pregnant." She then told me to be very careful and instructed me to take the tubes out once I started to bleed.'

Henao says that while she did not understand what was happening, she silently obliged.

Following the procedure, which she describes as an 'intervention,' Escobar dropped her off home and advised her follow the instructions and to keep him updated about her condition.

But Henao later realized hiding her situation would be a challenge in a household of eight siblings and one bathroom.

'The following days I slept with those strange tubes inside me and I was forced to go to school that way so that my mother would not suspect anything.

'I was in intense pain, but I couldn't say anything to anyone. I would just pray to God that it would be over soon.'

Pablo Escobar, pictured with his wife Victoria Eugenia Henao, was killed by Colombian National Police after they found him hiding in a house in Medellin on December 2, 1993

Pablo Escobar was killed by the Colombian National Police on December 2, 1993 during a gun battle in Medellin after his hideout location was discovered

Henao said undergoing the procedure left her with questions that she was never able to ask because of her religious background.

For years she stayed quiet about being sexually active and having an abortion, something that was considered a 'taboo' in the 70s and an 'unforgivable sin' in the eyes of the church.

It wasn't until years later when she attended therapy and counseling, she says, that she learned her experience was considered rape.

She explains that in Colombia, sexual relationships can constitute as sexual abuse if there is a five-year age gap between the assailant and the victim. Escobar was 11 years her senior.

Henao states that revealing her painful, lifelong secret to her children forced her to confront her past and led her to realize she still did not have all the answers.

Escobar's life is depicted on Netflix drama, Narcos, where he is portrayed by Brazilian actor Wagner Moura. Above he is pictured with wife Victoria, who is portrayed by Mexican actress Paulina Gaitan

'Manuela's reaction was very strong because she asked several questions that I could not resolve about why Pablo did what he did without asking me, and why he did not warn me about the risks of getting an abortion in those conditions.

'To her, Pablo's behavior seemed even more reprehensible because it put my health at risk and could have affected my ability to have more children.'

Henao admits that telling her story allowed her to take responsibility for her past and she confesses she had been 'totally detached from reality.'

'I seek to face my past and take responsibility; I do not feel comfortable portraying myself as a victim of my husband because of the great respect I owe to his other victims,' she writes.

Henao says that despite her pain, she has forgiven Escobar because she feels there is at least one good thing that came out of the relationship.

'We have two kids who were born out of that union, with which we honor their lives. I am grateful for them, because they give me the strength to continue living.'

Henao reveals she first learned of Escobar at 12 years old and he was 23.

She writes that Escobar had expressed a romantic interest in her to her friends, but the pair did not begin a relationship until she was 13.

The two were married in 1976, when she was 15, until his death 17 years later.

Escobar was killed by the Colombian National Police on December 2, 1993 during a gun battle in Medellin after his hideout location was discovered.




A Silicon Valley-based firm has released a futuristic smartphone that can fold up.

The FlexPai is billed as the world's first foldable smartphone by its developer Royole and has a super flexible screen which can be bent from the middle.

With a thickness of just 7.6mm, the duel-camera handset was launched in China this week and is now available for pre-order online.

The FlexPai (pictured) has a thin and flexible screen that can be bent back from the middle

A demonstration video released by Royole shows the dual-camera phone being folded up

When the phone's 7.8in (19.8cm) screen is fully bent back from both sides, it provides three display screens - instead of two - for the user.

In addition to the front and back displays, the spine will become a third albeit small screen showing incoming calls, messages or emails when they are received.

Depending on the specifications, the phone's price ranges from 8,999 yuan (1,005) to 12,999 yuan (1,452) in China for either a consumer model or a developer model.

However, only the developer model has been released outside of China at 1,209 for a 128G edition and 1,349 for a 256G edition.

The phone weighs just 320g and has two cameras at the top.

When the phone's screen is fully bent back from both sides, it provides three display screens - instead of two. The spine will become a third albeit small screen, showing calls and emails

With a large 7.8in (19.8cm) screen, the phone is available for pre-order online from 1,005

The cutting-edge handset was unveiled in Beijing on Wednesday by Bill Liu, the 35-year-old founder and CEO of Royole.

Liu is a Chinese entrepreneur with a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He established his company six years ago with offices in the United States and China.

Liu has given the screen a poetic name, Cicada's Wings, to highlight its light weight, flexibility and durability.

According to Liu, the screen was developed solely by his team and contains more than 20 million flexible high-precision devices, bendy integrated circuits and nearly 100 micro and nano structured thin film materials.

Liu said his team had run tests on the screen for around three years and owned more than 2,000 intellectual property rights.

Experts previously told Wire that flexible screens were more resilient and durable than glass-fronted touchscreen displays used in most current smartphones.

Foldable screens cannot be broken when they are dropped and are also lighter and cheaper to produce.

Bill Liu, the 35-year-old founder and CEO of Royole, unveils FlexPai in Beijing on Wednesday

An interested customer try to play with the bendy smartphone during its launch in Beijing

The launch of FlexPai has caught many industry observers by surprise.

It had been widely speculated that Samsung or Huawei would be the first company to launch a foldable phone.

DJ Koh, Samsung's mobile CEO, previously told CNBC that such a device was in the works, adding that the company was trying to differentiate the experience from a tablet once it is unfolded.

The Korean tech giant is expected to hold a developer conference in San Francisco next Wednesday that could give the public a preview of the technology.

Huawei CEO Richard Yu said in September that the Chinese company was working on developing a phone with a foldable display, adding that it would be out within the next year. The new phone would also support super-fast 5G network speeds.

FlexPai was also released as Chinese smartphone users switch their focus from cheap prices to high quality and more eye-catching designs.

According to a new report released by Internet Data Centre, around 105 million smartphones were sold in China in the second quarter of this year.

Although the figure is a 5.9 per cent decrease from the same period last year, consumers expressed desire to buy handsets with newer technology they had not seen before.
The owner of a landmark home at a beauty spot which has been filmed for a future episode of Channel 4's Grand Designs has apologised for its unfinished state.

Edward Short, 50, who is behind the ambitious Chesil Cliff House in Croyde, Devon, insisted he was working hard to get it finished and asked residents for patience.

The luxury home features a huge circular tower based on a lighthouse design and will also boast a spectacular glass edge infinity swimming pool.

Chesil Cliff House is still unfinished eight years after planning permission was granted

Construction work on the ambitious property in Croyde, Devon, began four years ago

Plans for the development were submitted and approved in 2010 but have been subject to several delays and amendments meaning the house is still not finished.

The project, which will also feature a home cinema and a sauna and steam room, has been widely debated locally with the design dividing opinion.

Among those on Facebook unimpressed with the design was one person who said: 'From the water it looks like a North Korea missile bunker. Total eyesore.'

The location at Down End Point boasts panoramic views across Croyde Bay to the north as well as to Saunton beach and Braunton Burrows to the south.

Plans for the home (artist's impression) have been subject to several delays and amendments

The home has been filmed for Channel 4 show Grand Designs, presented by Kevin McCloud

The man behind the development said he could 'only apologise for the delay in completing' it

A further critic said: 'I don't mind the house, just it's location. It's not too intrusive from the road but from Saunton beach it's a total eyesore in my opinion.'

But another said it 'looks just like a lighthouse, fabulous in my opinion'. And one added: 'Wow! How awesome would the views and sound of the waves be! I'd love it.'

Others feel that the building project which got underway in 2014 has taken too long, but Mr Short has now spoken out to address the comments made on social media.

Mr Short told the North Devon Journal: 'We can only apologise for the delay in completing the build which are aware is currently an eyesore.

The home (artist's impression) has been widely debated with the design dividing opinion

The location (artist's impression) at Down End Point boasts panoramic views across the bay

Some critics feel that the building project which got underway in 2014 has taken too long

'The fencing around the site is stipulated to be there by health and safety and can not be removed which would also invalidate any insurance.

'We are working hard with all involved to finish the build as soon as possible and limited works are taking place.

'We can only hope for some patience with the complexities of the location.'

MailOnline has also contacted Mr Short for comment. A spokesman for FremantleMedia, which is behind Grand Designs, declined to comment.
Zamira Hajiyeva, pictured, 55, has had 49 items of jewellery worth 400,000 confiscated by the National Crime Agency

The wife of a controversial former banker who spent 16million at Harrods over the course of a decade had 400,000 of jewellery seized by police under new anti-corruption laws.

Azerbaijani Zamira Hajiyeva, 55, had 49 items confiscated by the National Crime Agency after officers raided an auction house.

Christie's, which was valuing the jewellery, gave police a pearl necklace, worth 20,000, as well as a Boucheron sapphire necklace valued at around 100,000.

Under the terms of the UK's first ever Unexplained Wealth Order, Mrs Hajiyeva, 55, must now provide the National Crime Agency with a clear account of how she and her husband could afford to splash tens of millions of pounds on luxuries.

The NCA took the jewellery on Tuesday, and yesterday a judge allowed officials to keep hold of the gems for six months while they determine where the cash came from.

In a statement, the NCA said: 'District Judge Snow at Westminster Magistrates Court granted detention of the assets for six months to allow further investigation of the property, to determine whether it is recoverable.

'The items were seized from Christie's auction house, where they were being valued for Zamira Hajiyeva's daughter, Leyla Mahmudova.

'Christie's auction house cooperated with the investigation, complying with a formal request for information regarding the listed assets.'

Ex-banker Jahangir Hajiyev, bought the jewels, including a pearl necklace, in San Moritz in 2008, for 320,000 euros.

One of the items seized by the National Crime Agency was this Magic Alhambra bracelet worth around 20,000

Pictured: This Boucheron sapphire and ruby pendant is worth around 120,000 and was also taken by the NCA, which has been given a court order to keep the items up to six months

Unexplained Wealth Orders are an attempt to force the rich to tell authorities how they made their money.

Mrs Hajiyeva was recently pictured kitted out in designer gear worth 8,500 while walking her Pomeranian dog near her 11million Knightsbridge mansion.

She wore 625 Gucci Ace sneakers, 530 Gucci striped jersey track pants, and 290 Miu Miu sunglasses.

Her handbag, a 6,500 Hermes Constance, was by far the most expensive part of the ensemble, which was completed with a black jacket from an unidentified brand estimated to have cost around 800 based on its style.

Pomeranians have been estimated to cost on average around 1,500 a year to look after  so Mrs Hajiyeva, 55, could have paid for her pets upkeep for nearly six years with the 8,745 that her outfit is thought to have cost in total.

Her husband is the former chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan.

A diamond Panthere pendant by Cartier, left, worth around 9,000 and a diamond cluster and bar necklace, right, worth about 6,000 were also taken

He was jailed in 2016 for 15 years after being convicted of embezzlement in Azerbaijan.

Mrs Hajiyeva was put on a wanted list by police there, but by then she was living full-time in Britain.

The identities of Mrs Hajiyeva and her husband were revealed earlier this month after a judge ruled that it was in the public interest.

In the decade up to 2016 she spent 16.3million at Harrods. In one visit alone she blew more than 150,000 on Boucheron and Cartier jewellery.

She paid for the purchases using the 35 credit cards issued to her by her husbands bank.
A young girl was shocked to find a needle hidden in her Three Musketeers candy bar that she had taken a bite out of after going trick-or-treating in New Mexico.

The girl, 12, had been trick-or-treating in the Chelwood Park area of Northeast Heights in Albuquerque on Wednesday, according to local police.

'It's pretty ridiculous. It's very cruel and this child got hurt, so it's very upsetting that that happened,' Officer Simon Drobik, with the Albuquerque Police Department, said to KRQE.

The girl, 12, had been trick-or-treating in the Chelwood Park area of Northeast Heights in Albuquerque on Wednesday

She was pricked in the mouth and injured the roof of her mouth when she ate the Three Musketeers candy bar (stock)

The girl was pricked by the needle after taking the bite, injuring the roof of her mouth.

Her mother - Christina Robinson - rushed her to a local hospital where she has since been released. Police stated that the girl is doing fine.

Robinson told police that she had seen people in a vehicle at a park handing out candy, the Albuquerque Journal reported. She wasn't able to remember what it looked like.

Authorities are waiting for DNA test results to come back from the candy wrapper. They hope the results will give them a lead

'This seemed strange to her, but she also noted it was not the only car doing this,' a police report stated. 'Christina said she and other members of the family immediately began to eat some of the candy from this family group in the car and none reported finding anything out of the ordinary.'

Authorities are waiting for DNA test results to come back from the candy wrapper. They hope the results will give them a lead.

According to the APD, this was the only incident of such nature that they know of.

Parents in the area, however, are disheartened by the occurrence.

'It's so sad how things have gotten that we have to worry about, you know, going to the neighbor's house for candy. I mean, it's ridiculous,' said Katie Petts, a parent in the area.
Charles Geier (pictured) from Houston was caught on camera harassing Janet Espejel with a racist, profanity-laced rant while her daughter was in the car with her on Saturday after she had just voted

A Texas man missing one of his front teeth was caught on camera harassing a Hispanic woman with a racist, profanity-laced rant while her daughter was in the car with her on Saturday in Houston.

Janet Espejel, the victim, had just returned from voting when the man who has been identified as Charles Geier began shouting things including, 'It's my country, b***!' and 'Trumps deporting your stupid cousins today, b****!' at her through an open window from the driver's seat of his vehicle.

Espejel recorded the hateful tirade as it was happening and posted the video to Facebook, where it's been viewed more than four million times.

Geier apologized after the clip went viral and blamed his actions on bipolar disorder, according to the New York Post.

Espejel told DailyMail.com on Friday: 'I hope that if it's true that he suffers of bipolar disorder, he gets the right medical treatment to behave in a proper manner especially now that he's in the public eye.'

Houston police are investigating whether any crimes were committed during the incident.

Geier could not immediately be reached for comment.

Janet Espejel recorded the hateful tirade as it was happening and posted the video to Facebook, where it's been viewed more than four million times; Espejel is shown here in a photo posted to Facebook on September 15

Even though Espejel was gracious with her reaction to Geier's explanation, she told DailyMail.com the incident was frightening for her at the time.

'This experience made me feel afraid and sad over how someone can treat a human being the way I was treated,' she said.

'Racism and bullying are NOT OK. I wish all the hatred in the world goes away.'

In her brief interaction with Geier, the video shows him calling her the b-word 12 times.

Espejel pulls up beside Geier's car as it's parked at a stop light while she's already filming and Geier says, 'You're driving in two lanes, you stupid b****.'

He continues: 'That's not how we drive in America. Trump's deporting your illegal cousins today, b****.'

'Really? Alright' Espejel reponds, to which Geier replies, 'Yes, b****. He is, b****.'

After the video went viral, Geier, who is missing a tooth, apologized and said he did it due to bipolar disorder; Even though Espejel was gracious with her reaction to Geier's explanation, she told DailyMail.com the incident was frightening for her at the time

She then asks him, 'Did you go to vote?' which Geier doesn't answer.

He then says, 'Learn English, b***,' despite the fact that Espejel is speaking English to him.

Geier then says, 'It's my country, b****,' to which Espejel replies, 'Yeah, it's not mine, right?'

'Get out,' Geier says back, before adding, 'Stop driving in two lanes anyway, Miss Thing, OK?'

As Espejel records the interaction, Geier says, 'Take all the pictures you like, b****. You're ugly. You need a gay friend to help you with makeup and clothes,' before erupting into a sinister cackle.

At one point, Geier says, 'It's my country, b****,' to which Espejel (pictured) replies, 'Yeah, it's not mine, right?' before Geier says, 'Get out;' Espejel is shown here in a photo posted to social media on April 9, 2015

As Espejel continues recording, Geier says, 'Take all the pictures you like, b****. You're ugly. You need a gay friend to help you with makeup and clothes,' before erupting into a sinister cackle.

'Ugly b****,' he says. 'Ugly, tacky, stinky, skanky b****.'

As the traffic light turns, Geier then peels off into the parking lot of a gas station to his right.

As the video made its way around the internet, a tweet containing the clip posted by a family friend of Espejel caught the eye of Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo

Houston police are investigating whether any crimes were committed during the incident

As the video made its way around the internet, a tweet containing the clip posted by a family friend of Espejel caught the eye of Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo.

'This happened to my moms friend in Houston and honestly its so disgusting,' Twitter user @itzel0403_ wrote.

'She had just finished voting and this guy approached her and started screaming at her, in front of her daughter. Its sad how theres so many people like this out there.'

Acevedo quoted her tweet, and wrote:

'The @houstonpolice Department is aware of this incident and investigators have been assigned to determine what, if any, crime was committed. Regardless of our finding, the behavior exhibited is abhorrent. #RelationalPolicing'

Presently, President Donald Trump has vowed to send as many as 15,000 troops to the US-Mexico border to intercept three migrant caravans which are making their way towards the US.

Trump issued a dire warning to the would-be immigrants with the caravan in a fiery speech at the White House on Thursday, saying that the troops would return fire if rocks are thrown at them.

With their eyes set on Texas, the 4,000-strong caravan was set to depart from Matias Romero, Mexico, early on Friday and make its way up the Gulf coast toward Veracruz, likely stopping in Donaji or Sayula de Aleman.
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These images show dozens of inscriptions made by America's World War One 'doughboys' soldiers inside twelve miles of secret tunnels in the forests of northern France.

America deployed more than one million troops to Europe, and they were known as doughboys because disparaging European cavalrymen thought the large brass buttons on their uniforms looked like the flour dumplings or dough cakes.

116,516 Americans died on the blood-soaked battlefields of Europe in the USA's first military deployment to defend foreign soil.

Among them were the young men of Boston's 26th Infantry Division who arrived in Saint-Nazaire, France, on September 27, 1917, to support British and French forces and helped hold the Aisne line - the Allied Front beyond Chemin des Dames.

By the end of the war 100 years ago, 1,587 Yankees would be killed and 12,077 wounded.

The ridge over Chemin des Dames would change hands several times during the course of a series of ultimately fruitless battles. In the second battle of Aisne alone 400,000 troops died in a matter of weeks in early 1917.

When US troops were not on the front line some of them took shelter in a quarried out cave at Froidmont, where they whiled away the hours by carving their names and graffiti into the walls.

After the war that cave was preserved and has been a tourist attraction for decades, access to which is controlled by the local historical association - who opened the cave to a Reuters photographer to mark the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day.

Creative: Inscriptions left by American soldiers of the 26th Division are seen in the Froidmont quarry in Chemin des Dames. Boston's 26th Infantry Division arrived in Saint-Nazaire, France, on September 27, 1917, to support British and French forces and helped hold the Aisne line - the Allied Front beyond Chemin des Dames. The ridge would change hands several times during the course of a series of ultimately fruitless battles. In the second battle of Aisne alone 400,000 troops died in a matter of weeks in early 1917.

Troops from the 26th Infantry Division used the Froidmont quarry in Chemin des Dames to shelter from relentless German artillery. Pictured: Photos of the two of troops - RA Best and LE Williams - who used the quarry have been placed near their inscriptions. The Froidmont quarry has been a tourist attraction for decades, and over the years local enthusiasts have been able to use military records to match the names on the wall of the quarry with their photographs. However it is not known if these two soldiers survived the war

Gilles Chauwin, President of the Chemin des Dames association and WW1 enthusiast, displays a portrait of U.S. soldier F.A. Hoyt of the 26th Infantry Division next to graffiti he left in the 12 mile-tunnel complex 100 years ago. Mr Chawin's historical association was able to match Hoyt's service record with his graffiti in the tunnel. He survived the war

Soldiers of Company F of the 26th division, including Joseph Bridges, (centre with glasses). All their recruits were from New England so they were given the nickname 'Yankees'. The Yankees were the second division the US deployed in the First World War in what was the first US intervention in a European conflict. America deployed more than one million troops to Europe and they were known as doughboys because European cavalrymen thought the large brass buttons on their uniforms looked like the flour dumplings or dough cakes.

This picture shows an opening to one of the tunnels in Northern France, with American soldiers standing outside the capture dug-out. All their recruits to the 26th Division were from New England so they were given the nickname 'Yankees' - which describes someone from the state

A carving representing a dog with a German helmet. New pictures of the inscriptions taken by Reuters photographer Charles Platiau have been released in the run up to the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day

A graffiti representing a French soldier. While on break from front-line duty, recruits carved 250 military insignias and portraits of themselves and their horses into the stone as they holed up the quarry which was equipped with artificial light and drinking water

US Corporal Earle Madeley of Plainville, Connecticut wrote this barely legible message which included his age, 20. In total, after 210 days of combat during World War One, 1,587 members of the Yankee Division were killed and 12,077 were wounded

A drawing representing William Frederick 'Buffalo Bill' Cody in seen in the Froidmont quarry where the soldiers sheltered. The survivors from the Yankee Division returned to the USA on May 3 1919 at Camp Devens, Massachusetts

The 'Yankee Division' The 26th Division was formed on 18 July 1917 and activated on 22 August 1917 at Camp Edwards, MA. The division's commander selected the nickname 'Yankee Division' to highlight its geographic makeup. Sent to Europe in World War I as part of the American Expeditionary Forces, the division saw extensive combat in France. In WWII, the division again fought through France, advancing into Germany and liberating the Gusen concentration camp. Advertisement

While on break from front-line duty, recruits carved 250 military insignia and portraits of themselves and their horses into the stone as they holed up the quarry which was equipped with artificial light and drinking water.

New pictures of the inscriptions taken by Reuters photographer Charles Platiau have been released in the run up to the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day.

The carvings are rarely seen because people need a special appointment to view them, but they have been preserved since the war.

Boston's 26th Infantry Division arrived in Saint-Nazaire, France, on September 27, 1917, to support British and French forces and helped hold the Aisne line - the Allied Front beyond Chemin des Dames.

All their recruits were from New England so they were given the nickname 'Yankees' - which describes someone from the state.

The Yankees were the second division the US deployed in the First World War in what was the first US intervention in a European conflict.

The action heralded a newly interventionist US foreign policy from that time on, which later saw them come to the aid of the allied forces against the Nazis.

The division received six campaign streamers (military honours) for combat throughout northern France.

In total, after 210 days of combat, 1,587 Yankees were killed and 12,077 were wounded. The survivors returned to the USA on May 3 1919 at Camp Devens, Massachusetts.

The Froidmont quarry, nicknamed the quarry of the Americans, is managed by an association and may be visited by appointment only.

The only way to enter the quarry is via a ladder through a hole in the ceiling, which is closed with a hatch.

A caricature of Kaiser Wilhelm, the Emperor of Germany is seen in the Froidmont quarry where US soldiers hid out in WWI

Portrait of Wilhelm II (1859 - 1941), early 20th century. He was he last German Emperor and King of Prussia who ruled from 15 June 1888 until the end of World War I (November, 1918). He was the grandson of Queen Victoria of England

Gilles Chauwin, President of the Chemin des Dames association and WW1 enthusiast, descends a ladder. The Froidmont quarry, nicknamed the quarry of the Americans, is managed by an association and may be visited by appointment only

Gilles Chauwin, President of the Chemin des Dames association and WW1 enthusiast, walks in the Froidmont quarry

Gilles Chauwin, President of the Chemin des Dames association and WW1 enthusiast, climbs down into the Froidmont quarry

Gilles Chauwin, President of the Chemin des Dames association and WW1 enthusiast, points at American graffiti in the Froidmont quarry

Visitors climb down into the Froidmont quarry, a complex network of tunnels which became a refuge for US soldiers

Graffiti by an anonymous soldier, in Latin and blue ink reads: 'Hail Caesar, we who are about to die salute you'

Carvings left by American soldiers of the 26th Division are seen among 1,000 inscriptions discovered in the Froidmont quarry
Amazon India is back with its Diwali Special Great Indian Festival sale with offers and discounts on smartphones, LED TVs, electronics, appliances and much more.

Amazon India has teamed up with HDFC Bank to offer 10 per cent, up to Rs 1,500 discount for the bank's credit and debit card users. Amazon Pay users are also eligible for 10 per cent cashback up to Rs 1,000. This sale will run from November 2 to November 5 in competition with Flipkart's Big Diwali Sale. However, Flipkart 's sale kicked off a day before Amazon's festive Sale.

All customers shopping on Flipkart's Diwali sale get 10 per cent additional discount on State Bank of India credit cards, no cost EMI available through Bajaj Finserv and different banks and 10 per cent cashback via PhonePe, among others. Flipkart's sale offers up to 75 per cent discount on TVs and home products, up to 80 per cent off on electronic gadgets and clothing. The company had also given early access to all offers to its Flipkart Plus members from October 31st night.

Amazon festive Diwali sale introduces many new and also some previous offers from the last sale. Apart from great deals, customers who shop for the amount more than Rs 500 through making an online payment on the first day of the sale, could get a free movie ticket, meal and mobile recharge voucher.

Here are some of the best deals available on the first day of the sale:

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus (6GB+256GB) priced at Rs 69,900, against its MRP of Rs 79,000. And with an addition of Rs 999, Amazon is also providing a pair of noise-cancelling earphones.

Samsung Galaxy A8+ (6GB+64GB) is down to Rs 23,990 from its MRP of Rs 41,900. There's also an exchange offer through which a customer can avail additional discount of up to Rs 18,000 on this smartphone.

The Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II wireless headphones with features such as Bluetooth and NFC connectivity is available for Rs 26,424 instead of Rs 29,363.

The Harman Kardon Omni 20+ speaker with built-in Chromecast support is available for Rs 9,999 down from Rs 21,990.

The 2018 variant of Sony Bravia 55 inch 4K smart LED TV with Netflix recommendation tag to stream 4K Netflix content on is down to Rs 99,990 from Rs 144,900.

The latest 49 inch Panasonic 4K smart LED TV is available at a discounted price of Rs 52,990 from Rs 99,000

(Edited By Vivek DUbey)
A selfie-taker caused thousands of pounds worth of damage after trying to take her picture with a Salvador Dali painting.

One of the young women in the exhibition tried to take a selfie at an exhibition in Yekaterinburg,Russia.

As she stood beside an exhibition dedicated to the Spanish surrealist it suddenly crashed to the ground.

The woman appeared to be taking a picture of the artwork (left) when it crashed to the floor

In the footage, a person can be seen standing next to right hand side of the white board where the art pieces were adorned on as it crashes to the ground.

A Dali artwork was slashed by a four-inch gash caused by broken glass.

Other visitors gathered round the damaged exhibition following the smash.

Police have not said whether the damage was caused on purpose but the young woman was in a group that had not been behaving 'appropriately' at the exhibition.

Among the damaged artwork includes that of Francisco Goya and Dali. They had been featured as part of the Los Caprichos exhibition.

A police statement said: 'A group of four girls were not behaving very appropriately and, as a result, two works were damaged in the exhibition.'

A source said: 'Two works have broken frames and glass, while Dali's picture still has a deep cut from glass some 10 centimetres long.

'It will have to be restored if it is, of course, possible to do.

The woman was left stunned after a piece of artwork in the Dali exhibition crashed to the floor

'Requests for restoration have been sent to museums in Yekaterinburg, Moscow and Germany, where these paintings were purchased. The damage costs several thousand euros.'

Another source said: 'The works of art are being examined by specialists.'

Police said the extent of the damage was 'still being established'.

Despite this the authorities declined to press charges saying there was no criminal intent.

Police in Russia have released a photograph of what the artwork appeared like before it was damaged

'Police decided not to open a criminal case due to the absence of a crime in the actions of the visitor,' said a statement.

The identity of the young woman involved and her friends has not been disclosed although she is from the city of Chelyabinsk, west-central Russia.

The woman tried to inform a security guard about the damage although no-one was around. She left her phone number before leaving the venue and was later contacted by police.

The owner of the damaged artwork is believed to be Russian.
President Donald Trump on Friday announced the reimposition of all U.S. sanctions on Iran that the Obama administration lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal  and delivered the message by tweeting a 'Game of Thrones' meme.

Trump tweeted: 'Sanctions are coming November 5' imposed on a stylized picture of him, with the words in the same typeface the HBO series uses in its promotional materials and on-screen titles.

HBO hit back before the mullahs did, tweeting a reference to the fictional language Dothraki which features in the show saying: 'How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?'

The sanctions will take effect Monday and cover Iran's shipping, financial and energy sectors. It's the second batch of penalties that the administration has reimposed since Trump withdrew from the landmark deal in May.

With limited exceptions, the sanctions will penalize countries that don't stop importing Iranian oil and foreign companies that do business with blacklisted Iranian entities, including Iran's central bank, a number of private financial institutions and state-run port and shipping companies.

Foreign policy by meme: Trump used a 'Game of Thrones'-inspired Tweet to announce his crackdown on Iran

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani will be allowed to sell petroleum products to a list of eight countries for a short while but Washington will sanction all other commerce with his rogue regime

Meme time: 'Game of Thrones' promos like this one inspired Trump's tweet

Clapback: HBO, which makes Games of Thrones, hit back with a quip about the fictional language spoken in the show by the Dothraki people

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the sanctions are 'aimed at fundamentally altering the behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' He has released a list of 12 demands that Iran must meet if it wants the sanctions lifted.

They include ending support for terrorism, ending military engagement in Syria and completely halting its nuclear and ballistic missile development.

'Maximum pressure means maximum pressure,' he said.

Pompeo said eight nations, which other officials identified as U.S. allies such as Italy, India, Japan and South Korea, will receive temporary waivers allowing them to continue to import Iranian petroleum products for a limited period as long as they end such imports entirely.

He said those countries had made efforts to eliminate their imports but could not complete the task by Monday's deadline.

Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said 700 more Iranian companies and people would be added to the sanctions lists under the reimposed sanctions.

Iran hard-liners in Congress and elsewhere probably will be disappointed in the sanctions because they were pushing for no oil import waivers as well as the complete disconnection of Iran from the main international financial messaging network known as SWIFT.

Mnuchin defended the move to allow some Iranian banks to remain connected to SWIFT, saying that the Belgium-based firm had been warned that it will face penalties if sanctioned institutions are permitted to use it.

Pompeo and Mnuchin both said the sanctions will have exceptions for humanitarian purchases.

But the European Union, backed by France, Germany and Britain, said they 'deeply regret' the reimposition.

In a joint statement Friday, they said they aim to protect European firms 'engaged in legitimate business with Iran.'

They added that their 'collective resolve to complete this work is unwavering.'

Their statement called the 2015 nuclear deal 'crucial for the security of Europe, the region, and the entire world' and said it 'is working and delivering on its goal.'

Iran is grappling with an economic crisis that has sparked sporadic protests over rising prices, corruption and unemployment. The oil sanctions will target the country's largest source of revenue

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the sanctions are 'aimed at fundamentally altering the behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran'

WHAT THE IRAN SANCTIONS ARE OIL Sanctions on state run shipping firms and ports to make oil exports impossible

Relief in the form of six-month waivers for eight countries which are currently heavy importers on the basis that they cut imports BANKING Iranian central bank and named private institutions which include most of the country's banks are sanctioned

Global financial network SWIFT -- which enables secure bank-to-bank communications and transactions -- will also be subject to sanctions if it provides services to financial institutions on the US blacklist PEOPLE 700 named officials are sanctioned meaning anyone doing business with them will be subject to legal action Advertisement

With limited exceptions, the reimposed U.S. sanctions will hit Iran as well as countries that do not stop importing Iranian oil and foreign firms that do business with blacklisted Iranian entities, including its central bank, a number of private financial institutions, and state-run port and shipping firms, as well as hundreds of individual Iranian officials.

'Our ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlaw activities and behave as a normal country,' Pompeo told reporters in a conference call with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. 'Maximum pressure means maximum pressure.'

Pompeo said eight nations will receive temporary waivers allowing them to continue to import Iranian petroleum products for a limited period as they move to end such imports entirely. He said those countries, which other officials said would include U.S. allies such as Turkey, Italy, India, Japan and South Korea, had made efforts to eliminate their imports but could not complete the task by Monday.

The waivers, expected to be announced Monday, will be valid for six months, during which time the importing country can buy Iranian oil but must deposit Iran's revenue in an escrow account. Iran can spend the money but only on a narrow range of humanitarian items. Pompeo said two of the eight countries would wind down imports to zero within weeks.

Mnuchin said 700 more Iranian companies and people would be added to the sanctions rolls. Those, he said, would include more than 300 that had not been included under previous sanctions.

'We are sending a very clear message with our maximum pressure campaign: that the U.S. intends to aggressively enforce our sanctions,' he said.

Israel, which considers Iran an existential threat and opposed the deal from the beginning, welcomed Friday's announcement.

'Thank you, Mr. President, for restoring sanctions against an Iranian regime that vows and works to destroy the Jewish state,' Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer said in a tweet.

Some Iran hawks in Congress and elsewhere, however, were disappointed in the sanctions as they had been pushing for no oil import waivers as well as the complete disconnection of Iran from the main international financial messaging network known as SWIFT.

One group that has been highly critical of the deal welcomed the new sanctions but said there should be no exceptions.

'We encourage the Trump administration to fulfill the promise of a maximum pressure campaign - no exceptions - until Iran permanently and verifiably changes its behavior,' United Against a Nuclear Iran said in a statement.

'Oil and gas firms, including those from friendly countries like India, South Korea and Japan, should not be granted sanctions waivers. Similarly, financial entities - including SWIFT - must sever ties with Iranian banks and financial institutions.'

Mnuchin defended the decision to allow some Iranian banks to remain connected to SWIFT, saying that the Belgium-based firm had been warned that it will face penalties if sanctioned institutions are permitted to use it. And, he said that U.S. regulators would be watching closely Iranian transactions that use SWIFT to ensure any that run afoul of U.S. sanctions would be punished.

Pompeo, meanwhile, defended the oil waivers, saying U.S. efforts to cut Iran's petroleum revenue had already been successful. He noted that since May, when the U.S. began to press countries to stop buying Iranian oil, Iran's exports had dropped by more than 1 million barrels per day.

Pompeo and Mnuchin both said the sanctions will have exceptions for humanitarian purchases, although Iran deal supporters said the people of Iran would suffer because companies will be reluctant to do any business in the country for fear of being excluded from the U.S. financial system.

They point to the fact that the Iranian economy is already reeling from the earlier sanctions with the currency losing half its value since April and the prices of fruit, poultry, eggs and milk skyrocketing.
A Muslim cleric known as the 'Father of the Taliban' after his university helped to launch the Islamist movement has been assassinated in Pakistan.

Sami ul-Haq, whose Darul Uloom Haqqania university in Pakistan counts much of the Afghan movement's leadership among its former students, was killed on Friday although details are not yet clear.

His son Maulana Hamidul Haq said the religious leader had been stabbed to death in his room in Rawalpindi, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported.

But the cleric's nephew and a deputy said unknown attackers had shot the prominent cleric as well.

Sami ul-Haq, who earned the name for having taught some of the Afghan Islamist movement's leaders, was killed on Friday although details are not yet clear. He is pictured in 2017

They said he was visiting the capital Islamabad this week but some local media said Haq was in the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi when he was shot and killed.

Police said they have transported Haq's body to a hospital and officers are still investigating.

Yousaf Shah, Haq's spokesman, said the attacker's identity and motive were not immediately known.

His nephew said: ''When the assailants entered his house ... They first started hitting Mullah Sami ul-Haq with knives and daggers and then shot him dead.

His death comes at a fractious moment in Pakistan as thousands of people have taken to the streets this week to protest a Christian woman's acquittal of blasphemy.

The cleric's Darul Uloom Haqqania university in Pakistan - nicknamed the University of Jihad - helped to launch the Taliban and is still often described as the incubator for radical Islamists.

The school's clerics teach a hard-line curriculum based on a radical strain of Sunni Islam and preach jihad, or holy war, to nearly 4,000 students.

Many of the university's graduates in the 1980s joined Mujahideen groups to fight against Soviet invaders.

Sami ul-Haq's students included Mullah Mohammed Omar, who was the de facto leader of Afghanistan under the Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001.

Haq has publicly spoken up in support of the Afghan Taliban and justifies their war against the United States and NATO allies.

The cleric's Darul Uloom Haqqania university in Pakistan - nicknamed the University of Jihad - helped to launch the Taliban. He is pictured in Akora Khattak, Pakistan, in 2013

The Taliban imposed an extreme version of Islamic sharia law on Afghanistan until it was overthrown by a U.S. invasion in 2001.

It included forbidding women to leave home without a male relative, imposing minimum lengths on men's beards and banning sports, radio and television.

The school, founded by his father was implicated in the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

The prosecution said the suicide bomber in the assassination and his two accomplices had studied at the school.

Pakistani authorities have previously been accused of assisting the seminary with public funds.

Haq was believed to be close to the Pakistani security forces - a legacy of an era when Pakistan sponsored movements and supported militants.

They included Osama bin Laden, who was fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan before he became leader of al-Qaeda.

The university is located in the town of Akora Khattak in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.
Veronica Lee King, 41, was charged with felony DUI on Halloween night

A mother who crashed her SUV into a ditch on Halloween while driving six young children to go trick-or-treating has been accused of drunk driving.

Veronica Lee King, 41, was charged with felony DUI after the crash on Halloween night in Buckey, Arizona. Police say she had a blood alcohol of 0.165 per cent, more than twice the legal limit.

The car was filled with young children, five of them under the age of 10, but fortunately nobody was injured in the crash.

Citizen volunteers who were taking part in the Buckeye Police Department's 'Operation Safe Halloween' were the first to spot the SUV in a ditch at around 8.30pm.

Citizen volunteers out patrolling for Halloween spotted King's SUV in the ditch (above). Fortunately, none of the six children in the back were injured

Officers raced to the scene near Miller and Baseline Roads, and said they observed King with 'bloodshot, watery eyes, swaying, slurred speech and having a moderate odor of alcohol.'

As police were taking King into custody, they said they discovered an open fifth of whiskey in her clutch purse.

On Thursday, King was bonded out of county jail and returned home, where she admitted her fault to cameras from AZFamily.

Asked if she had made a mistake, King said: 'I did, absolutely did, 100 per cent.'

King was told in court (above) that she had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit

King said she had no idea she was intoxicated as the breathalyzer indicated, claiming she had just 'half a shot' at a friend's house an hour or so before trick-or-treating.

'How my blood results, or my breathalyzer results, came to that high, I have no idea,' she said.

Asked why she took the drink, King said: 'I was calming myself down, and we were just having a little fun over at my friend's house.'

King said her case should serve as a warning to other parents: never drink and drive.

Facing the news cameras after bonding out, King (above) admitted she had made a mistake

'Just don't do it. Just don't take that bottle... It's not worth it,' the contrite mother said.

Buckeye's police chief praised the alert citizen volunteers who spotted the crash for assisting the department in the case.

'Last night's arrest is a great example of the crucial role of BPD's Citizens on Patrol program,' said Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall in a statement.

'Having those volunteers out and about, being extra eyes and ears for our officers, is key in helping keep our city safe.'
Pubs could run out of Guinness following Brexit, claims Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable.

He warned an extreme scenario caused by a no deal - or a very bad deal - could lead to the supply 'drying up'.

The MP met with executives from global drinks giant Diageo in Edinburgh, alongside party colleague MP Christine Jardine, where they discussed the impact of Brexit.

The firm, one of the world's biggest distillers whose brands include Guinness, Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker and Baileys, stressed its products would still be available regardless of the Brexit outcome.

Pubs could run out of Guinness following Brexit, claims Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable

Sir Vince said that Guinness would be affected if there was friction at the Irish border caused by Brexit.

He said: 'It's a global business, it depends on having frictionless borders. Anything that screws up their trade is a problem for them.

'There are some specific issues, the supply chains in Ireland, for example, go across the Irish frontier  you've got whisky going one way and cream going the other to make Baileys.

'If the Irish border is a problem then they have a serious problem as a company.'

Sir Vince said that Guinness would be affected if there was friction at the Irish border caused by Brexit

'You can envisage a situation in which Guinness and Baileys, which are the two brands which are the most affected, are seriously disrupted.

'In an extreme scenario, where there is no deal or a very bad deal, you could see these favourite products drying up.'

Any friction at the border which did not stop supplies would result in increased costs, he added.

He said these concerns were put across in the briefing from the company and stressed the firm's importance to both the Scottish and UK economy.

Scotch whisky accounts for 20% of UK food and drink exports, according to the Treasury.

He warned an extreme scenario caused by a no deal or a very bad deal could lead to the supply 'drying up'

Sir Vince said: 'The company is very anxious to avoid anything that closes borders. That's the key message from the company, not just me.'

Questioned on a Brexit deal being struck within weeks, he said there is 'a lot of smoke and mirrors' and European diplomats were playing down expectations of any imminent deal.

He said there is widening cross-political backing for a so-called People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, which his party is campaigning for.

A Diageo spokesman said: 'We've made it clear that a frictionless border in Ireland is the best outcome for every business large and small.

'Regardless of the outcome, rest assured we will ensure Guinness, the world's favourite stout, is available to be enjoyed throughout the UK and Ireland for decades to come.'
Actor Stephen Graham has hit out at far-right thugs who have been using the image of his character Combo from This is England to represent their political views.

Graham, from Kirkby, launched the angry fightback on Twitter today in a string of politically charged tweets against the 'racism and hatred' his character displayed.

The 45-year-old, who found Hollywood acclaim through his portrayal of Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire, said he had become aware of extremists using photos of him from the Shane Meadows series along with racist comments and slogans.

Graham, from Kirkby, launched the angry fightback on Twitter today in a string of politically charged tweets against the 'racism and hatred' his character displayed

The 45-year-old, who found Hollywood acclaim through his portrayal of Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire, said he had become aware of extremists using photos of him from the Shane Meadows series along with racist comments and slogans

'I am aware that some individuals are using my image of a fictional character I played to represent their political views. I would like it to be known that these views are the exact opposite of everything I stand for and believe in!' the actor wrote.

This is England tells the story of a young boy who lost his father in the Falklands War and makes friends with a motley gang of skinheads who take him under their wing.

But when a dark character from the gang's past in Combo arrives on the scene expressing white, supremacist views, Shaun - played by Thomas Turgoose - becomes torn over his beliefs.

Combo goes to a National Front meeting, and he is involved in a number of racist assaults before the film ends with Shaun throwing his St George's Cross into the sea.

This is England tells the story of a young boy who lost his father in the Falklands War and makes friends with a motley gang of skinheads who take him under their wing

Graham followed up on his initial tweets with several others in which he spoke out against hateful ideas.

'It sickens me and saddens me that we are still fighting against racism and blatant hatred for human beings,' he said.

The actor also quoted Buddha, writing: 'Teach the triple truth to all: a generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.

'You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.'
Cesar Sayoc (pictured in his mugshot) is to be transferred from Florida to New York City to face charges

MAGAbomber Cesar Sayoc will be sent from Florida to New York City to face charges for mailing homemade pipe bombs to prominent Democrats, a judge ruled on Friday.

The 56-year-old's lawyers waived a bond hearing on Friday, saying they agreed that it was in his best interest if the case played out in New York court.

Sayoc remain in custody in Miami, Florida.

It is not yet known when he will be transferred.

He will obtain new lawyers in New York who may still seek bail for him once the case is taken there.

'We wanted to make sure that all of his constitutional rights were preserved,' said lawyer James Benjamin after the hearing. We feel we've done all we can.'

Sayoc was charged with five counts on October 26.

They are; interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of explosives, threats against former presidents and certain other persons, threatening interstate communications and assaulting federal officers.

He faces more than 50 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

The timing of Sayoc's transfer to New York is uncertain. It can happen quickly or take weeks, and is not usually announced ahead of time by the US Marshals Service, Mr Benjamin said. Even defence lawyers are not informed.

'Your guess is as good as mine,' he said. 'The government wants to get him up there as soon as they can.'

FBI agents with the van in Plantation, Florida. He was arrested last week after being traced to the sunshine state

Sayoc is accused in New York of sending 15 improvised explosive devices to numerous Democrats, Trump critics and media outlets.

He was arrested a week ago outside a south Florida car parts store in a white van in which he had been living, which was covered with stickers of Mr Trump and images of some of the president's opponents with red crosshairs over their faces.

No bombs exploded and no one was injured, but Sayoc faces nearly 50 years in prison if convicted on five federal charges that were filed in New York because some of the devices were recovered there.

The decision by his lawyers not to seek release on bail came after federal prosecutors released a letter outlining more evidence against him, including DNA linking him to 10 of the explosive devices and fingerprints on two of them.

Sayoc is depicted in courtroom sketch this week. No cameras have been allowed in the courtroom when he has appeared

Other evidence includes online searches Sayoc did on his laptop and mobile phone for addresses and photos of some of his intended targets, which included former president Barack Obama, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, former vice president Joe Biden, California senator Kamala Harris and New Jersey senator Cory Booker. Packages were also mailed to CNN in New York and Atlanta.

The laptop also has a file with the address in Sunrise, Florida, of the office of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

That office was used as the return address on the packages containing the pipe bombs, according to the FBI.

Mr Benjamin said the prosecution letter does not prove anything, and noted that it refers to 'possible' DNA matches to Sayoc.

'The word flimsy actually still applies,' he told reporters.

'We can't do anything but speculate now. And it's too early.'
A heavily armed man who led police on a high-speed chase across two counties ended when he was shot multiple times.

The unidentified male crashed on Thursday afternoon after exchanging gun fire with officers in Oakland, California, according to KTVU.

He was rushed to hospital after being hit with multiple shots as he wore a bullet-proof vest.

The suspect's black Ford Explorer can be seen with bullet holes through its body after multiple police vehicles chased the suspect on Thursday November 1

The suspect is seen being wheeled into an ambulance as a long line of police cars are positioned around the SUV

Vallejo Police Captain Lee Horton told the broadcaster they had received a call from a 'credible person' that the suspect was outside their house in his car with weapons.

As police moved in to intercept the SUV the shooter made off at high-speed, clocking over 120 miles per hour in the 30 mile chase.

The Ford Explorer tried to ram officers on I-80 as it approached Oakland before he smashed into a pole and bullets were sent flying at 4.25pm.

Cpt. Horton told KTVU, 'he was heavily armed with rifles, assault weapons, a handgun and the caller was fearful and he let our officers know that.'

Officers begin marking out evidence which is strewn across the road at 22nd Avenue and International Boulevard, Oakland, California

Another aerial shot shows the aftermath of the chaos caused by the heavily armed suspect

He continued: 'We have reports that the suspect did fire at our officers during the pursuit.'

The police say he had multiple assault weapons and was alone in the black SUV.

No pedestrians were injured as the chase ended in carnage in broad daylight.

Cpt. Horton told the broadcaster the decision to chase the suspect into a heavily populated area would not have been taken lightly.

'Of course pursuits are dangerous but so is a person with assault rifles and pistols, putting more people in danger,' he said, 'and so it's a judgment call, a difficult decision officers have to make on their own.'

The suspect is in hospital with no report on his condition.

It is not yet known why he was parked so heavily armed outside the house in Vallejo.
Police probing the discovery of a woman's bones at the Vatican embassy in Rome are investigating whether they belong to a custodian's wife who lived there in the 1960s.

The custodian was known to be unhappy in his marriage with neighbours hearing frequent fights until his wife suddenly disappeared.

At the time, the custodian told people that she had left him but investigators are now disputing that account.

Officers launched their probe after bones were discovered under the floor of the janitor's lodge earlier this week.

Detectives probing the discovery of a woman's bones under the janitor's lodge of the Vatican embassy in Rome are investigating whether they belong to a former custodian's wife

Other theories include that the bones belong to one of two teenage girls who went missing in the 1980s.

Corriere della Sera reports that the floor of the embassy was last refurbished in the 1980s, meaning the bones were likely placed there afterwards, casting doubt on whether they could belong to the missing wife.

The last custodian, Anna Mascia, who lived there from 2003 until her retirement a few months ago, said she did refurbish the house when she moved in but the floor was merely covered, not stripped back, according to Il Messaggero daily.

The bones are also said to be small, lending credit to the teenage girl theory, but an initial inspection of the jaw revealed wisdom teeth, suggesting a woman instead.

Forensic scientists hoping to extract DNA from the remains will also be studying whether the bones could have been moved after death.

One of the teen girls being theorised about is Emanuela Orlandi, who vanished aged 15 in 1983. The other is Mirella Gregori, who went missing in Rome in the same year.

The two girls' disappearance has sparked a range of theories over the years, especially surrounding Emanuela's case and its links to the Vatican.

Other theories about the bones' origin include 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi, who went missing in 1983

Cold War politics, the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II, alleged Vatican links to the Italian criminal underworld and claims of satanic orgies by prelates have all been blamed for the girl's disappearance.

Emanuela, who was last seen on a street in Rome, disappeared after leaving her family's Vatican City apartment to go to a music lesson in Rome. Her father was a member of the Holy See police force.

Rome's chief prosecutor has been called in to investigate the find.

Today researchers said the tests on pieces of pelvic bone which were found at the site revealed the skeleton belonged to a woman, BBC News reported.

Emanuela's brother played down hopes of finding her body saying the family had suffered disappointments in the past.

He said: 'I was amazed the Vatican police immediately came up with the idea that it could be the remains of Emanuela and Mirella Gregori. How did they make the connection?'

One theory suggests she was kidnapped by hostage-takers trying to have Mehmet Ali Agca, who shot the Pope in St Peter's Square in 1981, freed from prison.

Shortly after she disappeared the police are claimed to have received anonymous calls, which said Emanuela would be freed if the Turkish gunman was released.

Forensic investigators are working to determine the age of the bones as well as the date of death.

The Vatican statement did not mention the missing girls but Italian media immediately linked her unsolved disappearance to the discovery of the bones.

The Rome embassy is in the upscale residential neighborhood of Parioli, near the city's Villa Borghese museum.

The last major twist in the case came in 2012, when forensic police exhumed the body of a reputed mobster from the crypt of a Roman basilica in hopes of finding Emanuela's remains too.

However, that search turned up no link.

More recently, a leading Italian investigative journalist caused a sensation when he published a five-page document last year that had been stolen from a locked Vatican cabinet that suggested the Holy See had been involved in Orlandi's disappearance.

The Vatican immediately branded the document a fake, though it never explained what it was doing in the Vatican cabinet.

The document was purportedly written by a cardinal and listed supposed expenses used for Orlandi's upkeep after she disappeared.

The Vatican has repeatedly maintained that it has co-operated fully with police investigating the Orlandi case.
Republican Congressman Steve King unloaded Thursday at a town hall at a young man compared him to the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter.

An unidentified questioner told the congressman 'you and the shooter both share ideology that is anti-immigration' as he asked a question that King interrupted to vociferously distance himself from the anti-Semite and mass murderer.

'No, dont you do that. Do not associate me with that shooter. I knew you were an ambusher when you walked in the room. But theres no basis for that. And you get no questions and no answers,' King, who has been accused of harboring racial animosity for years, told the young man.

Republican Congressman Steve King unloaded Thursday on a constituent at a town hall who compared him to the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter

The unidentified questioner told the congressman 'you and the shooter both share ideology that is anti-immigration' as he asked a question that King cut off

As the national media picked up King's rant at the town hall, he doubled down on the comments in a tweet

King is facing his a serious challenge in Iowa from Democrat J.D. Scholten, who has put $1.4 million toward ads in the last couple weeks, in a cycle in which Trump has played to the very same voters that put the right-wing Republican congressman in office.

The president visited Iowa earlier and sang the incumbent congressman's praises.

Trump's support may not be enough to keep King in office this year, however. A poll published by Change Research last week gave King a one-point lead in the combative race that the campaign arm of the GOP has totally abandoned.

On Thursday, the congressman exploded as a young man who asked him at a Des Moines campaign event to differentiate his views from those held by a man who slaughtered 11 people at a synagogue last Saturday.

'Youre done. You crossed the line. Its not tolerable to accuse me to be associated with a guy that shot 11 people in Pittsburgh,' King told him. 'This is over, if you dont stop talking.'

King did answer speak to the issue at the heart of the question, though- saying that he can't be like the anti-Semitic murdered because he's a strong supporter of Israel.

'I am a person that has stood with Israel from the beginning. The length of that nation is the length of my life,' he stated. 'And I've been with them all along, and I will not answer your question and I'll not listen to another word from you.'

Asked point blank, 'Do you identify as a white supremacist?' He asked for the young man to be removed from the event.

Video online ends with the questioner packing up to leave.

According to CNN, the exchange continued for several more seconds.

'Sorry that you couldn't answer my question,' he said as he left. 'I was hoping to get a sincere answer.'

King told him, 'Stop it! Nobody is going to listen to you, you're gone.'

'We don't behave like that in this country,' he asserted.

A Democratic tracking site, Starting Line, said the questioner was a member of the public and not an plant as King had suggested.

As the national media picked up King's rant at the town hall, he doubled down on the comments in a retweet of Starting Line's post.

'Leftist Media Lies have reached Peak Insanity and compared me to the evil Pittsburgh murderer of 11 Jews! Here is my reaction,' he said in a re-share of the video.

The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee had already said it was yanking its funding for King following his endorsement of a Canadian candidate who was assailed as a white nationalist after appearing on a Neo-Nazi podcast.

After the national media picked up King's rant at the town hall, he doubled down on the comments in a tweet

In an afternoon tweet on the day that the poll was published showing King in danger, NRCC chair Steve Stivers threw his colleague to the wolves.

'Congressman Steve Kings recent comments, actions, and retweets are completely inappropriate,' he tweeted. 'We must stand up against white supremacy and hate in all forms, and I strongly condemn this behavior.'

Hours prior, Land OLakes had withdrawn its endorsement of King. The company had donated $2,500 to his reelection campaign in June and was facing a boycott of its products. Intel and Purina also pulled their support for King.

Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo told MSNBC that day that King's 'comments and his actions are disgusting' and he wouldn't vote for the fellow Republican representative if he lived in Iowa.

'I would never cast a ballot for someone like Steve King,' he said.

That evening former Vice President Joe Biden told Iowans they are 'better than this' at a campaign event in Cedar Rapids for a Democratic congressional candidate.

King was slow to back Trump in 2016, throwing his weight behind Sen. Ted Cruz in the Hawkeye State's caucuses. He endorsed Trump later in the year after then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed on as the Republican nominee for president's running mate.

Still, Trump gave King his full-throated backing this fall at a Oct. 9 rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he joked about the congressman's far-right views.

'I wish he could get a little bit more conservative,' Trump jested. 'Can you believe this guy?...He may be the world's most conservative human being.'

The president said at the rally that he'd been a backer of King before he ever ran for higher office.

The race is rated as 'leans Republican' by the Cook Political Report. It downgraded King's seat from safe Republican after Stivers distanced the NRCC from him.

President Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the state by nearly 150,000 votes.
Army have nothing to do with Asia Bibi case: DG ISPR

Director General (DG) of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor on Friday said that Asia Bibi had been acquitted by the courts, and that the army had nothing to do with the case.



Speaking to PTVNews, the DG ISPR advised religio-political parties protesting against the Supreme Court judgement on Asia Bibi's appeal to seek a legal solution to their grievances. He referred to a review petition, filed by Qari Muhammad Salam, and said that they should wait for the court to decide the matter.



"Unfortunately, the army is dragged into every matter," he said when asked about anti-military statements issued by protesters. "This is a legal matter and it is sad that negative statements are being issued against the army."



"We are tolerating a lot," he added, pointing out that there are certain limitations imposed by the Constitution, and that action could be taken in case of violation of these.



He urged the protesters not to divert the army's attention to other matters since the forces are fighting to defeat terrorism.



"The armed forces, along with the rest of the country, have fought a war that we are about to win," said Maj Gen Ghafoor. "Our goal is long-lasting peace. We have established peace and we are headed towards stability but there is still a lot left to do," he said.



"The armed forces hope that this matter is resolved without disruption of peace," he said, urging the people to unite so that the country can move forward.



The DG ISPR added that "even though the army had nothing to do with [Asia Bibi's] case", the forces still wish for the matter to be resolved peacefully. At the same time, he warned that action would be taken as per the Constitution if matters escalate.



In answer to a question about Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi's statement, where he had alleged that the armed forces had threatened to "destroy" his party, Maj Gen Ghafoor explained that members of the Inter-Services Intelligence were part of the delegation that was sent to negotiate with the protesters. "During negotiations, discussions can get heated," he said. "These decisions are very difficult, you have to tackle law and order situations like the current one."
The Vatican is weighing up whether to cap the number of visitors to its museums after tour guides claimed up to ten people a day were fainting due to overcrowding.

Policies inside the 54 galleries could be changed amid unrest among tour guides and concerns about security.

Currently there is no daily limit on visitors to the attractions, which is estimated to make around 100m (88m) a year, half of which goes to the Vatican state.

Antonio Paolucci, the previous director, estimated six million visitors made their way to the site every year and hinted a cap would be needed if the situation worsened.

Visitors throng a gallery in the Vatican Museum that leads to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City on October 27, 2016 in Rome, Italy. Rome is among Europe's major tourist destinations

Temperatures in the summer months can hit as high as 40C - but only the Sistine Chapel has air conditioning.

The building contains a number of emergency exits, but along the mile-long Sistine Chapel passageway, there is only one at either end.

One tour guide told The Guardian: 'Safety is the main problem, because when inside you feel completely trapped, you can barely see your feet.

'Crowds are one of the most dangerous things; look at what happened in Mecca. It might never happen at the Vatican, but then again it might. That's what scares me.'

Around 3,000 guides pay 250 a year to carry out tours of the museums. One was weighing up whether to sue the Vatican but was told it was impossible as the state has its own set of rules for building security.

Currently there is no daily limit on visitors to the attractions, which is estimated to make around 100m (88m) a year, half of which goes to the Vatican state

Barbara Jatta, who was appointed by Pope Francis as the director of the museums in 2016, told the Guardian: 'Together with the Vatican governorate, we are strongly working towards fixing the right number from 2019.'

She confirmed improving ticketing systems were being implemented and work to install air conditioning in the Raphael Rooms and Borgia Apartments would begin this month.

In the past, the church has been reluctant to implement measures which could limit the number of visitors as it may exclude pilgrims who travelled to Rome for the trip but had not booked tickets.

Typically tickets cost up to 20, with a guided tour around 70. Private tours can cost up to 400 per person.

The Sistine chapel is the only venue among the museums tour which is fitted with air conditioning

According to a source at a tourism association in Rome, museum custodians who previously complained about the cramped conditions had previously been reprimanded.

Jatta added: 'I understand how difficult it is for tour guides but all our efforts are focused on giving them the best [conditions] in the museums, as it's also in my interest that they work well and securely.

'We are strongly working towards this.'
The Long Island man who on Halloween unearthed skeletal remains he believes are those of his missing father in his parents' basement has revealed that a psychic led him to the knot of twisted bones.

George Carroll, a Korean War veteran, vanished without a trace in 1961 - six years after moving into the house on Olive Street in Lake Grove with his wife and four children.

Mike Carroll, now aged 57, says his mother, Dorothy, provided vague details about how his father just left one day 'to do something' and never returned.

Mike Carroll is pictured standing on the porch of his parents' old home, where on Wednesday he discovered skeletal remains he believe are his missing father's

Mr Carroll, now 57, says he used the services of a psychic to locate the skeletal remains in the basement of his family's Lake Grove home

Carroll and his two grown sons found remains in the basement of this Lake Grove, New York, home on Halloween

Suffolk County police department locked down the scene as they examined the remains, they said there was no record of George Carroll ever being reported missing

A grisly family rumor suggested the father was buried in the basement of the residence where his wife went on living until the 1990s.

'In my mind, I always thought that I was going to find that,' Mike said Wednesday. I'm glad this is over and I don't have to break up my house anymore.'

Mr Carroll began excavating the basement of the house three or four years ago but had to abandon the process when it became too dangerous.

But the process resumed recently after better technology was employed to scan deep into the earth beneath the property.

Speaking to the New York Post, Carroll said that at one point, he invited a paranormal expert to the basement, where the man zeroed in on a certain spot and told him: 'the energy is here.'

Mike, assisted by his two sons, initially dug elsewhere in the cellar but this week returned to the spot pointed out by the psychic, leading to the grim discovery.

He said the bones were found 'twisted in a knot' and appearing 'weird' in a dirt hole several feet deep under the concrete floor.

Carroll, who works in the medical field, said he instantly recognized the remains as human.

George Carroll vanished when Michael, the youngest of the family, was just eight months old and his siblings were five, seven and nine. After their mother, Dorothy, died in 1998, the Carroll children inherited the home.

Steven Carroll talks to reporters outside the home where the remains were found

Dorothy Carroll (center), pictured with daughter Patricia and one of her brothers, passed away in 1998

Michael Carroll's grown sons, Michael Jr (right) and Christopher (left), helped with the macabre excavation

Mr Carroll said there had always been a grim lore that his father's body was interred deep in the basement.

'It didn't just come up overnight, it's something that's been talked about for years,' he told ABC 7. 'This is something as we grew up, you know. We heard multiple stories.'

If it does turn out to be his father's skeleton, he said he has an idea who might be responsible, but would not elaborate any further and said that person was long dead.

Authorities said they had not been able to find any record of George Carroll being reported missing.

This Olive Street has been in the Carroll family since 1955, and Mike and his siblings inherted it in 1998

Mike's older brother Steven expressed confidence that the skeleton is that of his long-lost father.

'I feel great that my dad is free from that crappy hole,' he said.

Steven wants his father to be laid to rest honorably at the Calverton National Cemetery in New York, saying: 'I want him to be a soldier. I want him to get what he needs.'

DNA testing will be performed on the remains to prove whether or not they are George Carroll's, and the county medical examiner will determine a cause of death.
Longtime Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen has leveled extraordinary claims of racism at his former boss, claiming he used racist language and attacked countries with black leader as 's***holes.'

In just one example Cohen confided to Vanity Fair, he described how he told Trump during the 2016 election that one of his rally crowds was mostly white.

'I told Trump that the rally looked vanilla on television. Trump responded, 'That's because black people are too stupid to vote for me,' Cohen told the magazine.

Cohen also referenced a conversation he says he had with Trump after Nelson Mandela's death.

Longtime Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen recounted a series of racist and offensive comments he claims his former boss made during mutual conversations. He also is urging people to 'GetOutAndVote' and essentially endorsed Democrat Andrew Gillum in the Florida governor's race. Trump campaigns in Florida Saturday

Abuse: Michael Cohen alleges that Trump said Kwame Jackson could not win The Apprentice because he was a 'black f*g'. Jackson posed with during Melania Trump as she unveiled the 2007 Cadillac Escalade in a stunt in New York

'[Trump] said to me, "Name one country run by a black person that's not a s***hole," and then he added, "Name one city,"' Cohen said.

That remark recalls earlier reports that Trump as president referred to 's***hole countries' in reference to African nations.

At the time, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders denied the incendiary remark, then added: 'No one here is going to pretend like the president is always politically correcthe isn't.'

In yet another stunning claim, Cohen told the publication about a conversation about Season One 'Apprentice' contestants Bill Rancic and Kwame Jackson.

According to Cohen, Trump explained his difficulty selecting a winner and not selecting Jackson, an African-American Harvard business grad. 'He said, "There's no way I can let this black f*g win,"' according to Cohen.

Jackson told the magazine he was aware of the comment, although he did not say when he knew about it, and used a line from Black Panther in response: 'Not today, colonizer!'

In yet another Cohen account, pegged to the late 2000s, he recalled a conversation with Trump en route to Chicago from a Trump hotel board meeting, when the men entered a rough neighborhood.

'We were going from the airport to the hotel, and we drove through what looked like a rougher neighborhood.

'Trump made a comment to me, saying that only the blacks could live like this,' according to Cohen.

Cohen also referenced a conversation he says he had with Trump after Nelson Mandela's death in which he said black leadership led to countries being 's***holes'

Former White House aide and 'Apprentice' contestant Omarosa Manigault-Newman claimed on MSNBC's 'Hardball' while promoting her book this year that she heard Trump using a racial slur on a tape regarding Kwame Jackson.

The astonishing allegations, to which the White House has yet to respond, are the latest episode in Cohen turning on his one-time master.

He told Vanity Fair he was clearing his conscience after years of being at Trump's side.

Cohen has previously spoken about his father being a Holocaust survivor, and he linked that to his decision to level such specific - and potentially explosive - charges at the president.

The attorney - who has pleaded guilty to felony federal charges which will almost inevitably send him to prison - claimed that in hindsight he wishes he had left Trump's organization when his boss used racist terms.

Instead he said, he was numb to the language and forgave Trump.

He claimed that he had thought that being president would change Trump - instead, he said, it has made the language and tone worse.

Trump turned on Cohen this summer as it became clear that the longtime loyalist was considering a plea deal or cooperating with prosecutors.

Trump tweeted in August: 'If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don't retain the services of Michael Cohen!'

Trump also went after Cohen in July after the emergence of a tape of the two men discussing a payment to a woman claiming to have an affair with Trump.

'What kind of a lawyer would tape a client?' Trump said.

Cohen revealed the anecdotes as he jumped into the Florida governor's race, tweeting out support for the Democrat in his latest move to put distance between himself and his former boss.

Cohen, who recently registered as a Democrat and who pleaded guilty to multiple counts of campaign finance and tax violations, twice retweeted Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum.

Gillum would be the first black governor in the state's history if he defeats Trump-hugging Republican Ron DeSantis.

In one tweet, Cohen simply retweeted Gillum, who wrote: 'I believe that we will win  but only if we vote.'

In another, Cohen, using the same Twitter account he used to use to praise Trump and skewer his opponents, wrote: 'GetOutAndVote.'

President Trump has called Gillum a 'stone cold thief,' in a remark critics immediately called racist. Trump also called Tallahassee, where Gillum is mayor, one of the nation's 'worst run cities.'

Trump didn't back up the 'thief' claim, but he may have been referring to an FBI probe of Florida politicians. Gillum is not a target of the probe but was revealed to have accepted 'Hamilton' tickets from an undercover FBI agent conducting a sting operation, text messages obtained by a state ethics commission revealed.

Voter turnout is critical in Tuesday's elections, where Democrats hold a polling edge, but where their own base of supporters is known to turn out in far less force than those backing Republicans.

For example, in a new Washington Post poll of battleground House districts, Democrats hold a 58 to 37 edge among younger voters under 39  but they turn out in lower percentages than older voters. Many students also run into voter registration issues if they are living away from home.

Likewise, Democrats hold a huge 66 to 26 edge among minorities. But whites prefer Republicans in the battleground districts by 51 to 47 per cent.

Cohen told CNN earlier this month that if people should vote against Trump, otherwise there would be two to six more years of 'craziness.'

'Listen, here's my recommendation. Grab your family, grab your friends, grab your neighbors, and get to the polls, because if not, you are going to have another two or another six years of this craziness,' he said, in remarks he tweeted.

Cohen also tweeted last month that the mid-terms 'might be the most important vote in our lifetime'

Cohen during his guilty plea said he was 'directed' to violate campaign finance laws. He arrange a non-disclosure agreement with porn star Stormy Daniels, who alleges she had a sexual affair with Trump. As part of the deal, she got a $130,000 payment that Cohen paid from a home equity line, but later got reimbursed by the Trump Organization.

Trump has denied the affair and tried to distance himself from Cohen. The president strongly backs Gillum's opponent, DeSantis, and travels to Pensacola Saturday night in an effort to boost his candidacy, along with that of Florida Senate candidate Gov. Rick Scott.

Cohen served as deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) during 2016, when he was a close Trump confidante. But he gave up the post following his indictment.

The fresh racism allegations come after an explosive week of claims Trump has stirred up racial tensions.

On Friday he said he was right to link a caravan of migrants to a brutal killer in a video that's been characterized as 'racist' and compared to the Willie Horton ad that haunts former President George H.W. Bush's campaign.

Trump told the Washington Times that the video he shared featuring a convicted cop killer and illegal immigrant named Luis Bracamontes, is not at all like the one that Bush supporters ran in 1988 against Democratic nominee for president Michael Dukakis.

'I dont view it as the Willie Horton ad at all,' the president told The Washington Times on Thursday. 'I think its just an ad where somebody is a bad guy, came in illegally, twice, and we cant do that.'

Trump says he video he shared featuring a convicted cop killer and illegal immigrant named Luis Bracamontes, is not at all like the one that Bush supporters ran in 1988 against Democratic nominee for president Michael Dukakis that showed African-American rapist Willie Horton

Like Horton, a convicted murderer who raped a white woman after he was furloughed from prison in Massachusetts, Bracamontes was let loose in America after run-ins with the law. He was deported twice - once under the Bill Clinton administration, and one under that of George W. Bush - before he committed the murders.

Horton was an African-American. Bracamontes is Hispanic.

Bracamontes grinned and swore his way through his trial and sentencing this year, vowing to escape and kill more police officers.

He screamed 'F*** you, judge!' during a late January hearing and was banned from attending the rest of his trial in person, watching the remaining days on video monitors.

Trump's 55.5 million Twitter followers saw his own take on the case this week, a recap of the trial's most shocking moments titled: 'Illegal immigrant Luis Bracamontes killed our people!'

CNN host Don Lemon, under fire for declaring that 'white men' are the greatest threat to the United States, complained Wednesday night during his show about 'how the ad depicts Latinos and immigrants generally. Why is this blatantly racist ad his closing argument before the midterms?'

April Ryan, a CNN contributor and a White House correspondent for a network of black radio stations, claimed Trump was playing to a 'base that he understands has a certain kind of feeling or misconception or perception, whatever, about minorities  particularly right now Mexicans or those who are coming from the southern border.'

CNN host Chris Cuomo described the ad as 'Willie Horton redux,' a reference to the famous campaign ad that helped sink Dukakis.

How he tweeted it: Trump's message which has been called racist and accused of being worse than the notorious Willie Horton advertisement used against Michael Dukakis

Bracamontes was convicted in February 2018 of killing Placer Sheriffs Deputy Michael Davis Jr. (left) and Sacramento Sheriffs Deputy Danny Oliver (right)

Dukakis had supported a prison weekend furlough program that allowed Horton, a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, to become a participant. Instead of returning to prison, Horton escaped and raped a woman the next year, stabbing her fiance in the process.

'This may be the most desperate and vile ad since Willie Horton,' Clinton administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted Wednesday.

The video's footage includes the killer Bracamontes telling Judge Steve White: 'They're f***ing dead. I don't f***ing regret that s**t. ... I will break out soon and I will kill more.'

Over pounding percussion, the video's graphics proclaim: 'DEMOCRATS LET HIM INTO OUR COUNTRY.'

Bracamontes stunned the jury in his case by admitting his guilt as a prosecutor described the crime scene, declaring: 'Only thing I f***ing regret is that I f***ing just killed two. I wish I f***ing killed more of those motherf***ers.'

That moment, too, is in the video on Trump's Twitter feed.

And the words on the screen continue: 'DEMOCRATS LET HIM STAY.'

Trump featured Bracamontes in an ad nine months ago, timed to coincide with the first anniversary of his inauguration.

'Democrats who stand in our way will be complicit in every murder committed by illegal immigrants,' said the ad, which argued for his long-promised border wall.

The new effort, though, connects the condemned man to the thousands of people streaming slowly on foot toward Texas and California

Scenes from the northward-advancing caravans show hundreds of Hondurans and Guatemalans streaming past video cameras and breaking down border-fences on their way into Mexico.

One migrant, interviewed late last week by a Fox News Channel reporter, is seen admitting that he was deported fom the U.S. after a conviction for 'Intento de matar'  attempted murder.

'WHO ELSE WOULD DEMOCRATS LET IN?' reads the video's final caption, before claiming that Trump and the GOP are 'Making America Safe Again.'

The digital ad includes no information identifying who created or paid for it, meaning it's not officially a Trump campaign ad or a Republican Party product.

But the ease with which video can be attached to tweets means the President of the United States can circulate practically anything without acknowledging its source.

Bracamontes killed Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Danny Oliver and Placer County sheriff's Detective Michael Davis Jr. in 2014 while he was high on meth.

A third victim, Anthony Holmes, was shot five times but survived.

When Judge White read his guilty verdict, Bracamontes smirked and softly said, 'Yay,' before warning that he would 'kill more cops soon.'

'It is outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country,' Trump tweeted Wednesday along with the video. 'Vote Republican now!'
Two Kentucky high school girls were suspended Thursday after dressing as the boys who killed 13 people at their Columbine, Colorado school 19 years ago  and re-enacting significant moments of the tragedy.

Both Adair County High School students featured in images posted on social media that were reminiscent of the April 20, 1999 incident for Halloween on Wednesday.

Now the unidentified girls have reportedly been receiving death threats after donning black outfits that resembled the same attire Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris wore as they carried out the horrific slayings.

Two unnamed Adair County High School students featured in images posted on social media portraying Columbine killers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris

Columbine shooters Eric Harris (left) and Dylan Klebold appear on surveillance tape in the cafeteria at Columbine High School on the day of the shooting

The girls are show splayed on the library floor in a picture reminiscent of the moment after the killers shot themselves

Video courtesy LEX18

At one point the girls are show splayed on the library floor in a picture reminiscent of the moment after the killers shot themselves. The Columbine High School library is where 10 victims died.

In another picture they made it clearer who they mimicking, writing the caption: 'Dylan and Eric 2018.'

An additional photograph of one of the girls was captioned: 'Bang bang brother'.

The school is now investigating the matter after the duo's controversial photographs were shared online alongside the real images.

'We take the situation very seriously and our personnel are continuing to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding this matter,' Pamela Stephens, Adair County Schools Superintendent, said in a statement. 'The students are currently suspended.'

A photograph of one of the girls, who have received death threats, was captioned: 'Bang bang brother'

Stephens said they will have no further comment while the investigation is still ongoing.

However the father of one of the girls the school 'blew the whole situation out of proportion'.

He told LEX 18 that both students know they made a mistake and now they are receiving death threats.

Klebold and Eric Harris killed 13 people at their Columbine, Colorado school 19 years ago

Parents who have children at the school were angry about the current punishment of three days out of school.

'Even though it's fakeit's something that could happenand it's very real,' Erin Pineur told LEX 18.

Another said that the incident is no laughing matter with parents all over the country concerned about what will happen to their children at school on a day-to-day basis.

Fourteen students (including the killers) and one teacher died April 20, 1999. Pictured is Columbine High School April 20, 2009

The pair was suspended for three days but the father of one of the girls the school 'blew the whole situation out of proportion'

'It's ridiculous,' Amy Tarter, mother of another student at the school who she says was outraged by the social media posts, said to Whas11.com.

'I think any child that does that should be expelled and any parents who [support] their child [doing that] should have charges brought against them.

'You worry every day about sending your kid to school, and now you have people joking about it.'
A mother-in-law blamed for nagging an Italian so much that he fled to Edinburgh and faked amnesia said today: 'I'm furious, after everything I've done for him!'

Salvatore Mannino, 52, was found wandering around Edinburgh Castle in Scotland miles from his home in a village outside Pisa, Italy.

He later confessed to police that he had pretended to have lost his memory to get away from his overbearing mother-in-law, Sandra Bocelli.

Now furious 75-year-old Mrs Bocelli has hit back saying it's not her fault Mannino vanished and left his wife Francesca, 48, and their four children 'crying for days'.

Sandra Bocelli (pictured), blamed for nagging her son-in-law so much thathe fled to Edinburgh and faked amnesia said today: 'I'm furious, after everything I've done for him!'

Salvatore Mannino (right) was found wandering around Edinburgh Castle in Scotland miles from his home in a village outside Pisa, Italy, having left wife Francesca (left) and their four kids

Police called Mannino's wife Francesca, 48, who flew over to Scotland to collect her husband who is now staying in a hospital in Pisa where he told police he faked memory loss

'I'm not the reason for his flight,' Sandra told a family friend. 'My daughter and my grandchildren are the victims. I'm really angry but I'm ok with my conscience.

'I will respect whatever my daughter's decision about whether to take Salvo back or not. We certainly cannot stay living in the same house.'

She added: 'I'm really surprised at what he has said about me after everything I have done for them.'

Mannino, 52, was found in Edinburgh's St Giles Cathedral by police in a seemingly confused state and suffering from memory loss.

His disappearance from his native Pisa soon raised suspicion when concerned Italian police officers tracked his searches on his computer, which showed that he had looked up terms such as 'how to disappear' and 'how to fake memory loss'.

Eventually the father-of-four was forced to drop his facade, admitting to British police: 'I did it to get away from my nagging mother-in-law. I never lost my memory. I wanted to show my family I was important to them.

'I wanted to regain my position as a husband and father as I felt my mother-in-law had taken that from me.'

Mannino escaped from Pisa and travelled to Scotland in mid-September.

Before leaving the family home, he left a briefcase with 10,500 (9,350) and a sheet of paper with a numerical sequence - a code which was deciphered by his eldest son, 18.

Back home and still reeling from the betrayal, Sandra said she signed over her worth 250,000 share of the family farm in the idyllic Tuscan hill-top village of Lajatico, near Pisa, to her only daughter and her husband.

She then left her home in Pisa to move with the family five years ago to help bring up the kids because Mannino was 'never there' and Francesca had a demanding job as a teacher.

Revealing the background to their bitter falling-out, family lawyer Ivo Gronchi told MailOnline: 'Sandra can be a bit of a Grinch but she has given everything to the family. She had her own flats in Pisa and used to love going to the theatre.

'She had always helped with the children but when Francesca became pregnant with her fourth child she moved in to help.

'She had already signed over her share of the family farm and when Salvatore wanted to set up his own company she invested her savings in it.

'Sandra has a strong character and likes to speak her mind. But Salvatore and Sandra are very similar.'

Originally from Sicily, Mannino met future wife Francesca on a church retreat near Palermo. The couple got together after he moved to Tuscany to go to university.

However, he became an absent husband and father after he got a job managing a shopping centre some 50 miles from home.

Originally from Sicily Salvatore met future wife Francesca on a church retreat near Palermo

And the couple got together after Salvatore moved to Tuscany to go to university in Pisa

'Salvatore was never at home,' cousin Antonio Falossi.

'He would get up at 5am every morning to open up the centre and wasn't home until late at night. He worked almost every day as the shopping centre is only closed for five says a year  Christmas Day, New Year's, for example.'

But family began to grow when Mannino started his own medical services business 4Service and spent more time at home.

'For ten years Salvatore was never at home,' Mr Gronchi explained.

'And then suddenly after he opened the business he would spend five hours a day with Sandra.

'He has complained about her interfering but in reality he did nothing to help around the house. When he was at home he just sat on the sofa watching TV.

'And they began arguing, mostly about the children.'

Italian police have charged Mannino with abandoning his family.

Mannino left this house he shared with his wife and his mother-in-law to prove how important he is to the family. He remains in a psychiatric clinic in Pisa under observation.

But his shock admission about his reason for disappearing has sparked anger among his family and friends.

'There's nothing wrong with him,' Mr Gronchi told MailOnline.

'When I met him at the airport he pretended not to recognise me but it was all an act.

'Francesca is furious but she has will wait until the doctors give a diagnosis before deciding whether she has a future with him.

'His oldest daughter Marta is livid. She cried for days when he first went missing  the whole family did. But now she doesn't want to see him for the hurt he has caused.'

Cousin Antonio Falossi added: 'Everyone was so happy when Salvo was found safe and well.

'But now everyone is confused. Their emotions go from happiness to anger to sadness. No one can understand why he did what he did.'

Francesca has refused to talk publicly about the embarrassing scandal that has split her family.

But she has praised the medical staff at the hospital in Edinburgh who looked after missing husband.
A UPS employee in Ohio who had been with the company for 25 years was fired on Wednesday after arriving to work dressed in blackface.

A photo of the woman was first shared on Facebook on Halloween morning by a co-worker, whose name is not being revealed by DailyMail.com at this time.

She was dressed as the mammy character, a caricature that promotes the racist and dehumanizing belief that black women are only fit to be domestic servants.

'Did they allow her to stay her shift dressed that way?' asked one person.

The person who shared the photo responded: 'No they marched her a** right out of there.'

No: A UPS employee of 25 years in Sharonville, Ohio was fired on Wednesday after arriving to work in blackface for Halloween (woman pictured above)

Cincinnati.com was the first to report the story.

That co-worker captioned the photo by writing: 'HEYYYY EVERYBODY I JUST WANT YA'LL OPINION ON THIS, SHE'S A WHITE WOMAN AND SHE CAME TO WORK AT UPS IN SHARONVILLE, SHOULD SHE BE FIRED????'

Shortly thereafter the person added: 'UPDATE SHE FIRED.'

In the comments section the worker went on to reveal that the woman was dancing around in the costume and kept stating: 'I AIN'T YO MAMA.'

The woman was dressed in a red dress and polka-dot headwrap, with an apron that read: 'GET IN MY KITCHEN.'

It also appeared that the woman had covered her hands with black makeup, and exaggerated the size of her lips.

There was also talk that the woman may be trying to get her job back through the union, something that her co-workers thing she may be able to do.

'That's the word the union working on it now,' said one woman.

'But it's up to us to call [redacted] and let him no she knew better.'

The original post also claims that the woman later went on the radio to try and defend her costume.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, UPS said:

This decision came in the wake of a national conversation about blackface, which was initiated when NBC host Megyn Kelly elected o defend the practice on national television.

Kelly, who has been a journalist for over a decade and holds a juris doctor, later claimed to be unaware of the racist history behind the practice.

A claim that it was acceptable where she lived during her childhood years was later declared false by current residents of the town in upstate New York.
A father who was jailed for violently shaking his baby son twenty years ago has been indicted on murder charges this week after the son, who was 20 years old, died of injuries sustained in the 1998 attack.

Olin Tannery, 39, of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, was sentenced to 13 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to first degree assault on his 6-week old baby son Dominic Pittsenbarger.

Dominic suffered rib fractures, a fractured vertebra, subdural bleeding and head injuries at the time, which are all consistent with shaken baby syndrome after Tannery threw him to the ground and squeezed him.

Olin Tannery, 39, was indicted on murder charges Tuesday after his 20-year-old son, whom he was convicted of assaulting at 6 weeks old, died in April

Dominick Jordan Pittsenbarger, 20, of Smithville, Missouri passed away April 13, 2018, twenty years after being shaken by his father as a six-week old baby and sustaining serious injuries that left him with brain damage

Although doctors said he would not survive, Pittsenbarger lived until April 13 this year, albeit with permanent brain damage.

He was adopted by Wendell Pittsenbarger and grew up in Smithville, graduating from Smithville High School last year.

Dominic used a wheelchair life, and his death was deemed to have been a result of the injuries he suffered when he was shaken two decades earlier.

'I love that boy and still miss him dearly. I think about him all of the time,' his adoptive father told a news outlet.

Following Dominic's death, Tannery, who was released in 2007, was indicted on second-degree murder charges.

Online reports indicate he remains in the custody of the Clay County Sheriff's Office and is scheduled to appear in court Friday.
The United Parcel Service has fired an employee in Ohio for wearing blackface as part of her Halloween costume on Wednesday.

UPS took action after the unnamed woman was pictured in the controversial theatrical makeup on her face and hands, with a red scarf tied over her head and large lips.

The offensive look portrayed the 'mammy' stereotype often seen in minstrel shows of the 19th century.

An unnamed United Parcel Service employee in Ohio wore blackface as part of her Halloween costume on Wednesday. She covered her hands in the theatrical makeup and faked large lips

The initial image shared on Facebook said: 'She's a white woman and she came to work at UPS in Sharonville.'

An anonymous employee told FOX19 that the woman arrived to her place of work in the costume, jumped on a conveyor belt, and started dancing.

Media relations manager Kim Krebs cited the company rules as she confirmed the dismissal on Thursday.

A Facebook post said: 'She's a white woman and she came to work at UPS in Sharonville'

UPS fired the worker Thursday and said in a statement: 'The company has strict policies against harassment and discrimination'

UPS declined to name the employee.

'The company has strict policies against harassment and discrimination, and has terminated this individual's employment with the company,' she told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Krebs said the statement: 'UPS has no tolerance for hatred, bigotry or prejudice.'

Some UPS employees told FOX19 they were happy the woman had been let go.

Kansas City hospital officials said Tuesday that an employee who posted photos of herself in blackface no longer works for them. She dressed as Beyonce

It came days after Kansas City hospital officials said Tuesday that an employee who posted photos of herself in blackface no longer works for them.

The woman was dressed as Beyonce in a photo on her now-removed Facebook page.

Morning show host Megyn Kelly was fired from NBC last month after suggesting it was okay for white people to wear blackface at Halloween.
A 2.5billion contract for new trains on the London underground will go to a Siemens after a High Court ruling today.

Judge Mrs Justice O'Farrell opened the way for London Underground Ltd to award the contract to Siemens Mobility Ltd, the British subsidiary of German firm Siemens.

Under the deal, Siemens will make, supply and maintain 94 new trains to replace rolling stock on the Piccadilly Line, which dates back to the 1970s.

TfL has previously said the contract will lead to a new factory being built in Goole, east Yorkshire, employing around 700 people.

A court ruling has paved the way for Siemens to provide new Piccadilly Line trains

Siemens will have options to supply a further 50 trains on the Bakerloo and Waterloo & City Lines, and the contract, which is due to last 40 years, is said to be worth up to 2.5billion.

The ruling is a setback for Derby-based train maker, Bombadier Transportation UK Ltd, who tendered for the contract in a joint venture with Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd.

Bombadier, Hitachi and Alstom Transport UK Limited, which also put in an unsuccessful bid, say that the tendering process was fundamentally flawed.

There were, among other things, 'manifest errors' in the way rival bids were marked, they claimed.

Under European rules, the award of the contract was automatically suspended when the disappointed bidders launched legal action.

But that was today lifted by Mrs Justice O'Farrell, with the result that the deal between London Underground and Siemens can be signed on November 8.

Lawyers for Bombadier, Hitachi and Alstom said the award of the highly prestigious contract to their rival would harm their global reputations.

The contract to build trains to replace the current trains, some of which are decades old

They said the contract was 'a once in a generation opportunity' and the award to Siemens created 'a risk that employment at UK facilities may be reduced.'

But the judge said: 'It is likely that alternative opportunities will be found for their employees and facilities in the UK.'

The court was told that trains on so-called 'deep tube lines' came into service in 1975 and are already well past their 40-year design life.

Although there were no concerns about safety, LUL was 'aware of the vulnerability' of the old trains, some of which will continue in service until 2026.

'The Picadilly Line upgrade will deliver substantial benefits to its daily users and the London economy,' the court was told.

'Any delay to the introduction of Picadilly Line trains will delay the programme for new trains on other lines, thereby delaying benefits to customers on those lines.'

The disappointed trio can still press ahead with their complaints about the tendering process.

But their claims are not scheduled to be heard in court before January 2019 - by which time the contract with Siemens will have been in place for over a year.

A Hitachi spokesperson said: 'Failings with London Underground's procurement, which has been challenged in the court by three different manufacturers, mean that Londoners will be paying a higher price for an inferior tube train, if the contract is awarded.

'The train we put forward offered a more advanced design and better value for money, and would therefore have provided a greater boost to the economy in London and the rest of the UK.

'We will vigorously pursue claims for damages against London Underground in the court.'
A 23-year-old African convicted of robbing a 'lone female' while armed with a knife when in his teens is in line for damages after winning an immigration detention fight with Home Office ministers.

Chernor Dede Bah, who comes from Sierra Leone and arrived in the UK eight years ago, was wrongly held in immigration detention for about five weeks, a judge has concluded.

Mr Bah had complained that he was unlawfully held in immigration detention after completing a custodial sentence.

A judge ruled that the final five weeks of Chernor Dede Bah detention following an arson conviction were illegal as it was unlawful for immigration authorities to keep the 23-year-old from Sierra Leone in custody. Bah, who was living in south London, had been involved with a drugs gang. Home Office official released Bah on March 1 after they decided there was no realistic chance of deporting him quickly

He said he suffered from mental health difficulties and that medical assessments had not been properly carried out.

Home Office ministers disputed his claims.

They accepted that he suffered mental health difficulties but said those considerations were outweighed by the risk he posed to the public and the risk that he might abscond.

Deputy High Court Judge Andrew Thomas made a finding in Mr Bah's favour after analysing evidence at a High Court hearing in London.

He gave no indication of the size of the payout Mr Bah might get.

Judge Thomas outlined detail of the case in a written ruling delivered on Friday.

He said Mr Bah had lived in south London and became involved in a gang which was selling drugs.

In 2012, he admitted 'robbing a lone female with a knife' and taking 100. He was convicted of attempted robbery and given an 18-month detention and training order.

Three years later he was convicted of arson and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered and sentenced to 18 months' detention in a young offender institution.

Mr Bah had been held in immigration detention with a view to deportation between March 2016 and March 2018.

He was released on March 1, 2018 after Home Office officials concluded that he was unlikely to be deported with a 'reasonable timeframe'.

Judge Thomas concluded that Mr Bah's detention had been lawful between March 2016 and January 25 2018 but then became unjustifiable and unlawful.

He said evidence showed a 'change in circumstances' from November 2017 when there had been a change in Mr Bah's mental health diagnosis.

Lawyers representing Mr Bah argued that his detention was either unlawful throughout or became unlawful as a result of a failure to act upon a change of circumstances.
To better support the broad, interdisciplinary field of astrobiology - the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe - NASA is announcing a new programmatic infrastructure for the Astrobiology Program.

By the end of 2019, the Astrobiology Program will establish several virtual collaboration structures called "research coordination networks" (RCNs) that will replace the Program's virtual institute, the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). With this shift, NASA's overall investment in the Astrobiology Program is not changing. Astrobiology is an important part of NASA's portfolio and Congress formally added Astrobiology as one of NASA's ten objectives in 2017. This will only change how this interdisciplinary research is coordinated between researchers.

The new infrastructure is consistent with the findings of two recent congressionally-requested studies by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. The science community's Exoplanet Science Strategy, released in September, recommends continuing to build on the RCN model to support cross-divisional research. Additionally, a number of the research areas highlighted in the Academies' Astrobiology Science Strategy, released in October, directly align with the goals outlined for the new RCNs. The result is expected to be an increase in the scientific return from this investment.

The NAI, a major element of the agency's then-new Astrobiology Program, was established in 1998 as a "research institute without walls" to bring together researchers from across disciplines such as astronomy, biology, geology, and planetary science regardless of their geographic location. Managed by NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley and currently staffed by 3 full-time civil servants, the NAI has been successful in developing a large cadre of leaders in the astrobiology community who have been inspired and trained through the efforts of the Institute over its 20 years of service.

"The NAI has been incredibly successful at fulfilling its original mandate of creating and building an interdisciplinary community of astrobiologists from the ground up," said Lori Glaze, acting director of NASA's Planetary Science Division in Washington, which oversees the Astrobiology Program. "The new structure of the Astrobiology Program will build on this success and empower the science community to enter a new era of discovery."

The RCNs were designed to enable the research community to self-organize, collaborate, communicate, and network across organizational, divisional, and geographical boundaries. These new RCNs were inspired by an NSF model, and have been proven successful through the Astrobiology Program's prototype RCN, the Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS), organized in 2015 as a new way to aid the growing community of exoplanet researchers. The new infrastructure of self-managed interdisciplinary networks is better suited to the current astrobiology community, which has matured significantly in the past 20 years.

The RCNs will not themselves be a source of research funding for the community. Instead, participation in an RCN is voluntary and open to awardees funded under the established research programs in Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES). Thus, researchers supported by multiple NASA divisions -- or perhaps even other government funding agencies -- can participate in any RCN. The openness and flexibility of the RCN makes it the ideal structure for organizing the dynamic and highly interdisciplinary field of Astrobiology. These new networks will each focus on a key challenge identified in the 2015 Astrobiology Science Strategy, a document prepared by the broad Astrobiology science community in consultation with NASA.

"The RCNs are a means to better coordinate our researchers, but they do not alter the way NASA funds astrobiology research," said Mary Voytek, senior scientist for NASA's Astrobiology Program. "Astrobiology proposals will be reviewed and selected for funding through the usual competitive grants-selection process, described in ROSES."

In addition, NASA's Astrobiology Program plans to issue a new solicitation in 2019 for large geographically-distributed teams with multi-year interdisciplinary research plans to address focused questions in Astrobiology.

"We are proud of the accomplishments NAI has made over the past 20 years in fostering the community, training multiple generations of astrobiologists, integrating research with a large impact on the field and influencing space missions," said Eugene Tu, director of Ames. "NASA Ames looks forward to continuing our leadership role in the astrobiology community, and significantly contributing to the Astrobiology Program's evolved RCNs in the next decade of astrobiology research, exploration and discovery."

NASA Ames has been established as the lead center for the Agency's core capability in astrobiology research. Ames is collaborating with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center on the Center for Life Detection Science (CLDS), which was established in 2017 to focus the expertise of NASA scientists on the agency's emerging emphasis on life detection. The CLDS team, along with two new competitively selected research teams led by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgetown University, will subsequently be a part of the Astrobiology Program's second RCN, called the Network for Life Detection (NfoLD). Three additional astrobiology RCNs are anticipated by the end of 2019: Ocean Worlds (Habitable Worlds), Prebiotic Chemistry and the Early Earth, and From Early Cells to Multicellularity.

"Given NASA's objective to understand the distribution of life beyond Earth, astrobiology will be the focus of a growing number of NASA's science missions," said Voytek. "These new RCNs will contribute to fulfilling the program's goals including enabling future missions to find habitable worlds and life."

For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions on astrobiology.nasa.gov https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/astrobiology-program-faqs/

Please follow Astrobiology on Twitter.
How can court punish someone if there is no proof against them: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Thursday commented on the Asia Bibi case and said they (judges) were ready to sacrifice their lives for Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) but how could the court punish someone if there was no proof against them.



The top judges remarks came as he heard the federal governments plea regarding the appointment of a new Islamabad inspector general of police (IGP) in light of the current security situation following the top courts verdict acquitting Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death over blasphemy allegations.



We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), Justice Nisar said. But if there is no proof against someone then how can we punish them? the chief justice remarked.



The top judge further said, Blasphemy is not acceptable to anyone. No ones faith is any less and we do not love the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) any less than anyone else but we are not just the qazis (judges) of Muslims.



Referring to the 56-page judgment on Asia Bibi case, Justice Nisar said, We started the judgment with the Kalima and constantly referred to the Holy Quran.



Love does not mean that even if a case cannot be formed we make one. We uphold the Finality of the Prophethood and without it our faith is not complete. We have judges on our benches who are always reciting the Durood Sharif. We published the verdict in Urdu as well so the nation can read it, he added.



Speaking about the ongoing protests following the top courts verdict acquitting Asia Bibi, Justice Nisar said, The state should fulfil its responsibility to maintain peace in the country like the prime minister said last night.



A day earlier, the Supreme Court acquitted Bibi and ordered her immediate release. Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday fully backed the Supreme Courts decision in the Asia Bibi case and warned protesters against clashing with the state. Im here only because a Supreme Court verdict was announced today. The way a small section reacted to it and the language that they used, I am forced to address you, PM Imran said.



The decision of the judges is according to the constitution and Pakistans constitution is according to the Holy Quran and Sunnah, he said, referring to Bibis acquittal by the apex court.



They are inciting you for their own political gain, you should not get trapped by them for the sake of the country, they are doing no service to Islam, he said in the televised broadcast. The prime minister noted that because of Pakistans efforts, the European Court of Human Rights was forced to agree that disrespect of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is unlawful.
Theresa May has signed up to fortnightly interviews on Sky News - carried out by children.

Every two weeks, the Prime Minister will answer two pre-recorded questions from Downing Street.

Eight-year-old Zak got the first opportunity, quizzing Mrs May about her relationship with US President Donald Trump.

Theresa May has signed up to fortnightly interviews with children on Sky News (pictured is the first edition)

The interviews will go out on Saturday and Sunday mornings, starting from next week, on a children's show called FYI.

Mrs May will hope to get a political boost as parents are likely to watch alongside their children.

The alternate weeks will feature other politicians with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier already booked.

Lucy Murphy, the head of Sky Kids, said: 'I hope FYI doesn't just answer kids' questions, but that it gets them asking more.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured yesterday in Essex) has also been booked to appear on the show

'Kids make up 20 per cent of the population but they are 100 per cent of the future, so it's vital we invest in them and give them a voice.'

Mrs May has come under fire for giving limited access to Sky News journalists.

She has not appeared on the channel's flagship Sunday morning politics show Sophy Ridge on Sunday since its first edition in January 2017.

Sky Newss director of news gathering, Jonathan Levy, was among those who signed a public letter complaining about the limited access given to some broadcasters during the Conservative party conference.
Vladimir Putin has called for the GRU to be restored to its full name after the word 'intelligence' was deleted from its title in 2010.

Russia's military intelligence agency changed its name to the GU eight years ago but the old name is still widely used and has come to wider prominence in the West in recent months.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark 100 years of the agency Putin praised the skill and 'unique abilities' of Russia's military spies.

The agency has come under the spotlight this year amid claims it was responsible for the Novichok poisonings and Moscow's efforts to influence Western elections.

Vladimir Putin, pictured at a centenary event today, has called for the GRU to be restored to its full name after the word 'intelligence' was deleted from its title in 2010

Putin vows to expand Russia's ties with Cuba The leaders of Russia and Cuba have vowed to expand what they called their 'strategic' ties and urged the United States to lift its blockade of Cuba. Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel pledged today to develop political, economic and military cooperation between their nations. Diaz-Canel, who replaced Raul Castro in April in a historic changing of the guard in Cuba, hailed the 'brotherly' ties between Russia and Cuba on his first official visit to Moscow. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union poured billions of dollars in supplies and subsidies to Cuba, its staunchest Latin American ally. But ties withered after the 1991 Soviet collapse as Russia, hit by an economic meltdown, withdrew its economic aid to Cuba. Putin, who visited Cuba in 2000 and 2014, has sought to revive ties with the old Caribbean ally. Moscow is close to agreeing a 38-million-euro loan to Cuba to help it buy Russian-made arms, officials said. Advertisement

It has also been accused of carrying out large-scale cyber attacks including a foiled attempt to hack into the computer system of the global chemicals watchdog.

'I'm sure of your professionalism, personal courage and decisiveness, that each of you will do anything for Russia and our people,' Putin, a former KGB agent, said in comments likely to be seen as provocative in the West.

He said: 'It's not clear where the word Intelligence went - the Main Intelligence Directorate - this should be reinstated.'

Putin praised the GRU for carrying out 'daring special operations' for the 'motherland' and said they provided a model for a future generation.

Despite Putin's praise the agency has been widely mocked this year for a series of blundering attempts to spread Moscow's influence in the West.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said in September police had issued international arrest warrants for the two Salisbury suspects, identified as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov.

She said they were members of Russian military intelligence and acted on orders from a 'senior level'.

The GRU was 'highly disciplined', so the Novichok attack in Salisbury was likely to have been officially sanctioned rather than a 'rogue operation', she said.

The Kremlin denies any involvement in the poisoning.

In September, the men gave an interview to a Kremlin-controlled television channel in which they said they were in Salisbury as tourists.

The GRU has also been accused of launching a cyber attack on the global chemical weapons watchdog which was investigating the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark 100 years of the agency Putin praised the skill and 'unique abilities' of Russia's military spies, despite a series of mishaps this year

Officials in the Netherlands where the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is based said four Russians had been expelled in the wake of the alleged cyber strike.

The Dutch released photos of the men's sequentially numbered diplomatic passports, electronic snooping equipment in the trunk of their car and displays of euros and $100 bills.

Among the most damning pieces of evidence was a taxi receipt showing an April 10 trip from GRU headquarters in Moscow to the capital's international airport.

U.S. officials believe the GRU was 'almost certainly' to blame for hacking the Democratic National Committee during the U.S. presidential election in 2016.

Washington's Justice Department last month indicted seven GRU agents over a series of major hacking plots attributed to Moscow.

The GRU is one of Moscow's three spy agencies along with the FSB security service and the SVR foreign intelligence agency.

It was was founded as the Registration Directorate in 1918 after the Bolshevik Revolution.

Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin insisted on its independence from other secret services, which saw it as a rival.

Putin is a former head of the FSB, the main successor to the Soviet Union's notorious KGB and served as a KGB agent in East Germany.

The GRU military intelligence has an extensive spy network abroad and its highly-trained 'spetsnaz' special forces have fought in various conflicts, including in Afghanistan and Chechnya.
A new ad featuring an undocumented immigrant is setting off a firestorm of controversy just days before the 2018 midterm elections.

On October 31, US President Donald Trump uploaded a new campaign ad on Twitter linking undocumented immigrant Luis Bracamontes, who was sentenced to death earlier in 2018 for killing two police officers in Sacramento, California in 2014, to the Democratic Party, saying they let him in and let him stay in the US.

But just who is Luis Bracamontes, the convicted murderer featured in the explosive ad? Heres all you need to know about him as well as the controversial new ad hes featured in.

Luis Bracamontes was convicted and sentenced to death for killing two police officers in 2014

Who is Luis Bracamontes?

Luis Bracamontes is an undocumented US immigrant from Mexico who was convicted of killing two police officers in Sacramento, California on October 24, 2014 and subsequently sentenced to death. Hes recently been the subject of a controversial new campaign ad promoted by US President Donald Trump.

According to reports, Bracamontes grew up in a rural community in Sinaloa, a state in northwestern Mexico. Per his lawyers, he grew up in a two-bedroom house with seven siblings who had no electricity, running water or indoor or outdoor toilets.

One of Bracamontess lawyers, Norm Dawson, also noted: He grew up in a family with an alcoholic father and a mother who was continually sliding into depression.

Afterwards, Bracamontes entered the US illegally but was deported in 1997 after being convicted of possessing narcotics for sale in Arizona. After reentering the US without authorization again, he was deported for a second time in 2001.

Sometime between May 2011 and February 2012, he is believed to have reentered the US illegally and married his wife Janell Monroy while also moving to Arizona and then Utah to work in Salt Lake City with his brother Hector in a landscaping business.

However, according to his lawyers, Bracamontes and his family were swindled out of their money by a landlord who failed to make payments to a bank while his wife started to have numerous extramarital affairs. The financial and marital problems caused Bracamontes to fall into a depression and begin using methamphetamines, per his lawyers.

During a road trip where he is believed to have frequently used methamphetamines and committed several crimes, Bracamontes traveled to Sacramento, California on October 24, 2014 where he shot at three sheriffs deputies, killing Detective Michael Davis and Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver while also injuring a third officer and nearby civilian.

He was soon arrested and discovered to be using a false name, Marcelo Marquez, at the time.

On February 9, 2018, Bracamontes was convicted in the deaths of the two police officers and later sentenced to death and later sentenced to death on April 25, 2018.

Luis Bracamontes ad

Bracamontes was extensively featured in a new ad promoted by US President Donald Trump on social media just days before the 2018 midterm elections.

The ad, uploaded to Twitter on October 31, 2018, shows Bracamontes laughing in court, bragging about killing two police officers and hurling expletives.

Text atop the ad reads: Illegal immigrant, Luis Bracamontes, killed our people!

Democrats let him into our country. Democrats let him stay, the narrator in the ad states.

The ad then cuts to images of the migrant caravan currently advancing from Central America through southern Mexico before ominously asking: Who else would Democrats let in?

Commenting on the ad, Trump posted: It is outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country. Vote Republican now!

The explosive new ad quickly ignited controversy, with many Democrats and even some Republicans alleging it harbors explicitly racist overtones and is xenophobic, with many comparing it to the infamous Willie Horton ad used in the 1988 US Presidential election.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez blasted the ad as fear-mongering from distracting, divisive Donald at his worst.

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, who served during the Bill Clinton administration, also sharply criticized it as desperate and vile while also comparing it to the Willie Horton ad.

Even some Republicans strongly criticized the ad, notably Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who said it was sickening while Governor John Kasich of Ohio rebuked the fear, hatred and division and called on all Americans to reject it.

What was the Willie Horton ad?

The controversial ad quickly drew comparisons to the notorious Willie Horton ads used back in the 1988 US Presidential election, saying it plays on racial fears and seeks to create division and distrust.

Willie Horton is a convicted felon born on August 12, 1951 in Chesterfield, South Carolina currently serving life in prison for murder.

Willie Horton, above, was a central figure in the 1988 US Presidential campaign between former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and former President George H.W. Bush

Horton, an African-American, robbed and fatally stabbed a gas station attendant on October 26, 1974 in Lawrence, Massachusetts and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. While released on a weekend furlough program on June 6, 1986, he failed to return to prison and later sexually assaulted a woman on April 3, 1987 and pistol-whipped and stabbed her fiance.

After a car chase, he was captured in Maryland and once again sentenced to life in prison in October 1987.

Horton soon became a key figure in the 1988 US Presidential election, as former Massachusetts Governor and Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, who supported the furlough program Horton had used to escape prison, believing it was crucial for criminal rehabilitation.

Dukakiss opponent, then-Vice President George H. W. Bush, sharply criticized the Massachusetts governor for supporting the furlough program and brought up the Horton case in particular in many campaign speeches.

On September 21, 1988, the Americans for Bush arm of the conservative National Security Political Action Committee, released an ad entitled Weekend Passes which brought up the Horton case and linked it to Dukakiss support of the furlough program in Massachusetts.

On October 5, 1988, the Bush campaign itself released the infamous Revolving Door ad, produced by the late political consultant Lee Atwater and future Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, again linked Dukakis to the furlough program, though it never mentioned Horton by name.

Many people, especially various civil rights groups and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, denounced the ads as racist, designed to play into white voters fears of African-Americans and associate them with violent crime.

Despite the criticisms of the ads, most political analysts believe they were brutally effective in sinking Dukakiss Presidential bid, allowing George H.W. Bush to coast to victory.
The vicar of a 13th century church has told of her 'shock and distress' to find half the lead roof had disappeared in an audacious overnight raid.

The theft from St Mary the Virgin Church in Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire, is the latest in a worrying trend for church leaders across the UK.

A rise in the price of lead had brought about a surge in roof thefts from organised criminal gangs who arrive equipped with the tools and vehicles to remove huge amounts of lead and spirit it away in the hours of darkness.

The overnight raid at the Grade I-listed church on October 24 will cost around 100,000 in repairs and the church council is in discussions with its insurers.

The Reverend Hilary Young (right), vicar of the Gamlingay church (left), said: 'We had hoped we weren't quite as vulnerable as we're surrounded here'

The theft is the latest in a worrying trend for church leaders across the UK following the rise in the price of lead

The Reverend Hilary Young, vicar of Gamlingay, said: 'We had hoped we weren't quite as vulnerable as we're surrounded here.

'It was really quite shocking to walk in to the building and see the half the roof basically open to the sky - it's highly distressing.

'We're hugely grateful a firm came at short notice to make the building waterproof short-term but a repair may cost over 100,000.

'People have been brilliant. I've been inundated with offers of help and condolences and that helps a lot. I'm so grateful for that support.'

The church is awaiting the outcome of an insurance assessment.

It follows a raid in early October on the 14th-century All Saints' Church, in Houghton Conquest, Bedfordshire, which was entirely stripped of every scrap of lead on its roof, costing an estimated 400,000 to replace.

The overnight raid at the Grade I-listed church on October 24 will cost around 100,000 in repairs and the church council is in discussions with its insurers

An ecclesiastical insurer says large scale lead theft from organised gangs has rocketed since 2015.

Ecclesiastical Insurance operations director Michael Angell said: 'Opportunistic theft of lead from churches has reduced significantly compared to the high volumes we were seeing during 2008-2011.

'We believe that this is due to a combination of improved general premises security and greater public and customer awareness.

'However, since 2015 we have seen an increase in large thefts perpetrated by organised gangs, which involved the removal of entire church roofs.

An ecclesiastical insurer says large scale lead theft from organised gangs has rocketed since 2015

The Gamlingay church said that church services will continue as usual and once the final figure for the damage is known they will start a fund

'This trend has not declined, and as the value of lead continues to increase, it is fair assume that the volume and severity of incidents of metal theft will also increase.'

Cambridgeshire Police said: 'We were called at 08:32 BST on Thursday [October 25] to reports of a theft of lead from the roof of St Mary The Virgin Church in Gamlingay.

'Two vehicles containing lead were recovered nearby a short while later.'

The Gamlingay church said that church services will continue as usual and once the final figure for the damage is known they will start a fund.

Its website reads: 'As you will probably know by now a considerable amount of lead was stolen from St. Mary's Church roof last night (Wednesday 24th October).

'Many thanks to all those people who have expressed their support and offered help. The cost of the repairs to the building and replacement of the lead will be considerable.

'A fund will be started once the full costs are known, we hope everyone will support our fundraising efforts.

'There will be temporary weather proofing in place very soon and church services will continue as usual.'
Passengers being shuttled from the parking lot to a haunted ship event in California were derailed and seemingly kidnapped by the driver who wouldn't let them off the bus.

The incident occurred Thursday night in Long Beach, California, and began when dozens of thrill seekers boarded a shuttle bus to take them from the overflow parking lot at the Aquarium of the Pacific to the nearby Queen Mary for its Dark Harbor event.

Instead of the less than 10 minute, one mile trip, the passengers wound up being driven around for half an hour in the opposite direction of the ship.

Passengers thought they were being kidnapped by shuttle driver, James Lee (right), when he refused to stop the bus or speak to them, and drove them miles away from their destination

About 30 minutes into what was supposed to be a one-mile ride, passengers started confronting Lee and demanding that he pull over and let them out

The passengers said that they begged the driver, identified as James Lee, according to KTLA, to stop and let them off, but that he ignored them and kept driving.

'He wasn't responding to anybody,' Ashia Souder told ABC 7. 'And I was like, "We're getting kidnapped."'

At about the 30 minute mark, when the shuttle bus crossed into Carson, California, the passengers said they confronted Lee.

'I told him straight up, "At this point it's kidnapping. You can't hold us like this,"' Brian Corbitt said.

In response, Corbitt said, Lee 'just whipped around and nailed me in the stomach and knocked me back into a seat.'

Video, recorded by Souder, shows passengers pleading with the driver and escaping from the bus by opening windows and climbing out.

When Lee refused to open the doors, passengers escaped the bus by climbing out the window

The shuttle bus involved in the incident, which passengers were said to have been stuck on for hours after boarding it at the aquarium parking lot

The passengers had gotten on the shuttle bus so that they could ride from the overflow parking lot to the Queen Mary for its Dark Harbor event (pictured) on Thursday night

The Queen Mary, a former world-class ocean liner-turned-hotel moored in Long Beach

The parking structure outside the Aquarium of the Pacific where the wild ride began

Eventually, Lee relented and opened the shuttle's doors, at which point the remaining passengers were able to escape.

Carson authorities  alerted by frightened passengers mid-ride  then arrested Lee on suspicion of kidnapping.

The passengers were said to have been finally able to exit the shuttle bus after for four hours fro the time they boarded it in the aquarium's parking lot.

Lee told ABC 7 that he had been trying to find a safe place to stop the bus, but passengers refuted that notion, stating that they had asked him to stop the bus miles before he pulled over in Carson.

Souder told KTLA that Lee seemed odd from the very beginning, starting with when he didn't greet passengers as they boarded. She said that she was most concerned with how he refused to respond to passengers, even when they screamed at him.

'I didn't know if he was going to pull out a gun,' Souder said.

Authorities said it was unclear why Lee went to Carson, but that it appeared as though the ride went haywire after he took a detour to get around a stopped train.

Friday, the Long Beach Police Department tweeted that 'Last nights bus incident was NOT a kidnapping and is only being investigated as a battery between driver and single passenger.'

No injuries were reported during the incident.

The Queen Mary said that they would be refunding the passengers' tickets and offering them a free fast pass on November 2, the last night of the haunted ship event.
A get-out-the-vote event moderated by comedian Ilana Glazer was canceled on Thursday after the historic Brooklyn synagogue hosting it was desecrated with vile anti-Semitic graffiti, including 'Die Jew Rats.'

The New York City Police Department says several messages of hate, among them 'Kill All Jews'; 'Jews Better Be Ready'; 'Hitler' and other similar epithets were found written with a black marker in the halls and stairwells at Union Temple of Brooklyn in Prospect Heights at around 8pm.

According to police, the culprit also drew the Puerto Rican flag and wrote 'Free PR.'

Comic Ilana Glazer is seen addressing a crowd at the Union Temple in Brooklyn on Thursday after her get-out-the-vote event was cancelled following the discovery of anti-Semitic scrawls. Police are now searching for the man caught on surveillance video (right)

Several messages of hate, among them 'Kill All Jews'; 'Jews Better Be Ready'; 'Hitler' and other similar epithets were found written with a black marker in the halls and stairwells

New York state Senate candidates Andrew Gounardes, whom Glazer was supposed to interview, tweeted a message of defiance

On Friday, the NYPD released a screenshot from surveillance video inside the synagogue showing the alleged suspect. If caught, he will face charges of aggravated harassment.

The audience made up of about 200 people was sent home shortly after Glazer, the star of Comedy Central's Broad City, was to start interviewing activists and politicians at the synagogue's theater.

The 31-year-old actress and stand-up comic briefly addressed the crowd to talk about the vandalism and assured those present that there will be other such events in the near future.

Glazer was slated to interview journalist Amy Goodman, of Democracy Now ! and New York state Senate candidates Andrew Gounardes and Jim Gaughran as part of The Generator Series, in which she talks to activists and politicians.

Gournades later tweeted: 'we will not be cowed. We will not be intimidated. We will not turn to hate.'

Glazer, 31, assured those present that there will be other such events in the near future

The vandalism happened days after a gunman killed 11 Jews inside Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue. Similar graffiti including swastikas was found at Brooklyn Heights homes Tuesday night.

Also on Thursday night, a pair of swastikas were found spray-painted on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, reported the New York Times.

Police will be out in force citywide for Friday and Saturday services.

City Councilman Brad Lander says Jews won't be deterred by 'thuggish and hateful people.'

Mayor Bill De Blasio slammed the unidentified perpetrator's sentiments expressed in the graffiti as 'the vilest kind of hate' and vowed to fight anti-Semitism 'with every fiber of our being.'

The 11-story building on Eastern Parkway housing the Union Temple congregation - one of the oldest in Brooklyn - was built in 1929.

Galzer and her Broad City co-star Abbi Jacobson are currently filming the final season of their comedy show, which launched in 2014 as a web series before migrating to Comedy Central.
Vincent Potter (pictured), 60 and from Mayfield in East Sussex, was today jailed for 18 months at the Old Bailey in London for sending a hoax letter to the Prime Minister Theresa May

A schizophrenic man who sent a hoax letter to the Prime Minister addressed 'dear B****' and supposedly containing anthrax has been jailed for 18 months.

Vincent Potter included alongside his brief typed correspondence to Theresa May some biscuit crumbs - which he hoped would be mistaken for the deadly substance.

The 60-year-old, who entered the Old Bailey courtroom with a walking stick, said in the letter that it had come from the 'Brothers of the Right Hand' and would be a 'little surprise' for the whoever who came across it.

It read: 'Dear B****, heres a little surprise for your officers. The powder in this envelope is ANTHRAX. This comes from the Brothers of the Right Hand.'

The threat never reached its intended target after specialist postal workers intercepted the malicious mail in August last year - and no anthrax was found inside.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said that while the person who opened the letter, postmarked August 19, 2017, said they felt a trace of a biscuit-like substance that seemed to disappear, scientific testing had shown no powder present.

Potter, from the village of Mayfield, in East Sussex, last month admitted a charge of making a noxious substance hoax.

His DNA was found on the stamp and a typewriter thought to be the one used to write the letter was discovered at his home, Mr Emlyn Jones said.

Potter (pictured) was seen making an offensive hand gesture when he arrived at the Old Bailey for sentencing this afternoon. He wore a shirt, striped tie and cream jacket as he sat in the dock

He was arrested by counter terrorism officers after the letter was intercepted by specialist postal workers on August 23 of last year.

It was addressed toThe Prime Minister Theresa May, Houses of Parliament, London and aroused suspicion because of its strange typeface and incomplete address.

The prosecutor added that there was no evidence of any specific terrorist motivation by the letter's author, who wore a shirt, striped tie and cream jacket as he sat in the dock.

Sentencing Potter to 18 months in prison, her honour Judge Rebecca Poulet QC said: 'In my judgment the person sending this frightening letter to the Prime Minister intending them to fear for their safety must be punished by immediate custody.'

She acknowledged that Potter, who was convicted 13 years ago for making an explosive, which the court heard related to a dispute with a neighbour, has suffered for many years with schizophrenia but said he presents a danger to the public.

She said: 'I find this fact (the previous conviction) a very troubling aspect of this case and it is because of that background that I find myself unable to say that you do not present a risk or danger to the public.'

The letter was sent to Prime Minister Theresa May (pictured earlier this week) and addressed 'Dear B****'. It was found to contain biscuit crumbs, which Potter had claimed was anthrax

The judge said a neighbour and friend of Potter's had said in a letter of support to the court that he had described the offence as a 'moment of madness'.

Potter, who has 14 previous convictions for 25 offences including criminal damage and burglary, still has 'no real recollection of the events', Paula Bignall, mitigating, said.

She told the court her client, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 19, had not been taking his medication at the time of the incident and described his state of mind as having 'degenerated quite significantly' in the months leading up to it.

He had no political affiliation and said he did not know why Mrs May became the target of the letter, Ms Bignall added.

She described him as being 'filled with remorse, regret and to some extent a lack of understanding and comprehension as to how he committed the offence'.

'He still has no real recollection of the events,' she said.

'At the time it seems he may well have been in the grips of delusional episodes.'

When questioned, Potter told police he had never heard of anthrax, or the 'Brothers of the Right Hand' and said the letter was 'nasty, unpleasant and wicked'.
The harrowing 911 call of a mother who called for help when her one-year-old daughter was attacked by a pit bull reveals how slit the animal's throat and hit it over the head trying to save the child before she died.

Triniti Harrell died in the hospital after being attacked by her family pet in the front yard of their home in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, last Monday.

Her mother Miranda called 911 as she was being attacked and was given a string of instructions to try to save her but none worked.

Triniti Harrell, one, died in hospital a week after being mauled to death by her family's pit bull in North Carolina. Pictured right is the dog believed to have committed the attack - Kilo

Triniti's mother Miranda Harrell was who called 911. She is pictured with the child's father, Mike Gurganus

For nine minutes, she begged the dispatcher to 'hurry up' and send help. The call begins with Harrell saying the pet was 'attacking' her daughter.

THE 911 CALL Mom: I need some help. My dog is attacking my daughter. Hurry, she's dying. Please hurry. Dispatcher: Can you get a hold of anything to try to get the dog off her? Can you try to get something to separate them? I've got everybody I can get en route to you. (Dispatcher tells her to get a pan) Hit him with it. Hit him right in the center of the top of his head. If you hit him hard enough, you'll knock him out. Mom: I'm hitting him as hard as I can Dispatcher: Can you run in the house and grab a steak knife or something? Go into the house and get a knife, I will tell you how to get him off her. Mom: I can't leave her out here Dispatcher: It'll take you 30 seconds to run in the house and grab it (Mother continues to yell at dog) Dispatcher : Ma'am, yelling at him is not going to change anything. I need you to find something sharp, and I'll explain to you how to get the dog off of her... (Mom retrieves knife) Dispatcher: Cut him across the bottom of his neck. It's going to release his jaw muscles. He won't have a choice but to let go Mom: I'm trying. The blade isn't sharp enough Dispatcher: I need you to do anything you can do with that to make that dog let go. The dog's life is not a concern to me at this point Call drops off Advertisement

'Hurry, she's dying. Please hurry,' she said.

'Can you get a hold of anything to try to get the dog off her?

'Can you try to get something to separate them? I've got everybody I can get en route to you,' the dispatcher said.

The male dispatcher then told the mother to put a stick in the dog's mouth to try to separate them.

He then instructed the mother to use a shovel or pan to hit the animal with and knock it out.

'Hit him with it. Hit him right in the center of the top of his head. If you hit him hard enough, you'll knock him out,' he said.

The mother replied that she was hitting the animal as hard as she could but that it was not working.

That is when the dispatcher instructed her to go inside and retrieve a kitchen knife to slit the animal's throat.

'Can you run in the house and grab a steak knife or something?

'If you will run in the house and get a knife, I will tell you how to get him off her,' he said.

The mother pleaded that she could not go inside and leave the child alone, but he persisted: 'It'll take you 30 seconds to run in the house and grab it,' he said.

She ignored him and continued to scream at the dog, prompting him to tell her: 'Ma'am, yelling at him is not going to change anything.

'I need you to find something sharp, and I'll explain to you how to get the dog off of her.'

When she finally went to get the knife and bring it back outside, the dispatcher instructed her: 'Cut him across the bottom of his neck.

'It's going to release his jaw muscles.

Triniti was taken to hospital and remained on life support for a week but she died on Monday

'He won't have a choice but to let go.'

Harrell said she was trying but that the blade was not sharp enough.

'I need you to do anything you can do with that to make that dog let go.

The dog's life is not a concern to me at this point,' the dispatcher went on.

Afterwards, the call dropped.

An off-duty police officer arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and shot the dog but had to fire his gun twice before the animal died.

Triniti was taken to the hospital but died on Monday, a week after the incident.
Anna Soubry MP outside Southwark Crown Court today to give evidence in the trial of fellow Conservative Craig Mackinlay

Conservative MP Anna Soubry said she found being interviewed under caution for an allegation of election expenses fiddling 'extremely difficult'.

The politician told the trial of her fellow parliamentarian Craig Mackinlay, 52, that she was investigated by the Electoral Commission and then Nottinghamshire police three years ago.

Mackinlay, the MP for South Thanet, is standing trial alongside his election agent Nathan Grey, 29, and senior elections strategist Marion Little, 63, for allegedly faking election expenses returns.

Mrs Soubry, MP for Broxtowe and a former criminal barrister, told a jury that she was investigated following a visit to her constituency by the Conservative battlebus.

It ended up with me being accused of fiddling my expenses, which I took very seriously along with my agent, she said.

There was an allegation in the media - it was a good story, I used to be a journalist myself.

We were investigated, apparently by the Electoral Commission, that went to the Nottinghamshire police.

I was actually interviewed under caution by the police, for me, I found that extremely difficult.

That thing about being interviewed under caution, if my electorate had known that, everybody says, no smoke without fire.

That thing about being interviewed under caution, if my electorate had known that, everybody says, no smoke without fire,' Mrs Soubry said

I thought it was absolutely disgraceful, we hadnt done anything wrong.

Prosecutor Michelle Nelson asked: 'This issue of you being interviewed by Nottinghamshire police really only related to the battlebus?

'Yes, replied Mrs Soubry.

The now-defunct battlebus was a strategy for shipping in young Conservative activists into the marginal constituency.

Mrs Soubry told the jury that the strategy became a hindrance for her campaign just days before Election Day.

Not only was it of no use to me to have the battlebus, actually it was a nuisance to use.

Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court to face charges over 2015 general election expenses

She said the bus would arrive at around 9:30am and activists would start knocking on doors at around 10am.

By that point, she explained, most constituents would be out at work.

Nobody was going to be in, I think I met about four people that day. I was going to have a little to do with this enterprise as I possible could.

She also told how there were no local or national leaflets for them to deliver. Instead, they were attempting to carry out a vast survey covering most of the constituency.

I had got nothing for them to deliver, absolutely nothing for them to deliver.

She told how she was required to give them lunch in a local pub before getting local activists to drive them from one side of Nottingham to another to avoid the bus having to be declared on her own expenses.

I couldnt understand why we had to ferry them because, if we didnt ferry them, it would fall as an expense for me. It was a nuisance.

When I found out we had to pick them up, my attraction to this enterprise diminished even further.

She added that most of the visits by big names from the party made little impact on her local electorate.

Mrs Soubry said: Theresa May turned up as our Home Secretary, she turned up, we took a photo of her and tweeted it out.

Turning to the accusations against Mackinlay, she said: Your job as a candidate is not to be involved in the minutiae of the campaign, your job is to get out there.

Mackinlay secured a majority of just over 2,800 in South Thanet, Kent, after seeing off the Ukip vote in the 2015 general election.

Mackinlay's election agent Nathan Gray (pictured), and senior Tory campaign director Marion Little allegedly spent more than double the legal limit of 52,000

But the MPs election agent, Nathan Gray, and senior Tory campaign director, Marion Little, allegedly spent more than double the legal limit of 52,000.

Ukips support was on the rise prior to the EU referendum and the Tory party put extra resources into the campaign to win the Kent seat, Southwark Crown Court has heard.

The jury heard that even though South Thanet wasnt an official target seat, the Conservative Party offered to pay for Gray, who was a councillor in the local area, to work as a campaign director.

Mackinlay, of Ramsgate, Kent, denies two counts of a candidate knowingly making a false declaration of his election expenses.

Gray, of Red Oak, Hawkhurst, Cranbrook, Kent, denies making a false declaration in relation to his role as Mackinlays agent and using a false instrument.

He was acquitted of using false instruments on a point of law.

Little, of New Road, Ware, Hertfordshire, denies two charges of aiding and abetting Mackinlay in his alleged wrongdoing, and one like charge relating to Gray.

The trial continues.
A mother in Brazil allegedly beheaded and dismembered her baby, before leaving the remains stuffed in plastics bags on a dining room table because voices told her he was an 'evil dragon'.

Domingas Carvalho, 40, decapitated her 17 months old son 'voices ordered' her to kill the child because if she didn't he would 'turn into an evil dragon and eat people', police claimed.

Baby Jhony's remains were found in two plastic shopping bags. One of them contained the little boy's head, the other had the body parts.

The horrific discovery was made last Friday morning around 9am by the suspect's mother-in-law, Lucia Maria Carvalho, 67, who lives next door in Manaus, north Brazil.

The grandmother initially thought the bags on the table contained discarded fish and threw them out on wasteland beside the property without first looking inside.

Police say Domingas Carvalho decapitated her 17 months old son 'voices ordered' her to kill the child because if she didn't he would 'turn into an evil dragon and eat people'

When she checked the contents about half an hour later she noticed a small hand protruding from the sacks.

Several videos of police making the grim find were filmed by local residents who did not want to be named.

Footage shows forensic officers, in full view of a crowd gathered to watch, piecing together the dismembered parts, inspecting the body and taking photographic evidence.

The alleged child murderer was reportedly found by police at 6pm the same day following a tip off.

She was said to be sitting at a watermelon market stall in the town centre reading a bible in blood-stained clothes.

The stand was apparently a familiar sight to shoppers who had been customers on previous occasions.

Forensic officers piecied together the dismembered parts and inspected the body while taking photographic evidence in full view of a crowd which had gathered to watch

Baby Jhony's remains were found in two plastic shopping bags, one of bag contained the little boy's head, while the other had the body parts

Two other children found living in the house were unharmed. The youngsters, both under the age of five, were apparently asleep when the tragic crime occurred.

Detective Miguel Ribeiro said: 'According to the grandmother, Domingas' door was left after open in the morning which she found strange. She went inside the house expecting to find her daughter-in-law with her children.

'Instead she found Domingas' two other children on their own and noticed there were a lot of flies in the kitchen.

'She found the sink covered in blood and a bloodied knife on the worktop. She thought Domingas had been cleaning fish, so she washed out the sink and wiped down the knife.

'She thought the fish remains had been put in the bags on the dining table and threw them out on a vacant lot beside the house.'

The grandmother believed the baby was with his mother.

It was only when she noticed flies were still buzzing around the sacks that she decided to check inside and fainted after making the heartbreaking discovery.

Her teenage foster daughter heard her screams before she passed out and called police upon opening the bags.

Domingas Carvalho was said to have been found by police sitting at a watermelon market stall in Manaus town centre in blood-stained clothes reading a bible

A resident, who did not want to be identified, told local media she had seen the suspect around 8am leaving the house.

A neighbour claimed: 'She left with the baby in her arms, as she did every morning, and went to the bakery.

'When she returned, she went inside and locked the door. That was the last time I saw the child alive.'

It's believed the single mother, who is separated from the children's father, has been suffering from depression since giving birth last year.

She had allegedly been prescribed medication but had stopped taking the drugs three months ago and reportedly refused help from relatives.

Her state of mind could have led to a mental health crisis, investigators said.

Tearful neighbours who knew the mum of three described her as a 'good woman and loving mother' who was very religious but was going through some 'tough times'.

Domingas reportedly confessed to the gruesome killing at a preliminary court hearing yesterday and a judge will rule if she will be sent for trial or committed to a mental health institution

Det Ribeiro added: 'When we arrested the suspect she said she believed the blood on her dress was from her menstruation.

'But then she claimed she had killed her son. She appeared very calm as she told us but it was delivered in disjointed answers as if she was in a trance.

'She claimed she had been told to do so by voices because [her child] was an evil dragon and she needed to take the boy's life to prevent him from doing harm to her and from eating others.'

Domingas Carvalho reportedly confessed to the gruesome killing at a preliminary court hearing yesterday.

The suspect has been detained in custody and could be charged with murder once police complete their investigation by the end of this month, when a judge will decide whether a psychiatric examination should to be carried out.

The outcome of this ruling will determine whether she is tried for the crime or committed to a mental health institution.
Imran Khans sister submitted reply to FIA

Prime Minister Imran Khans sister, Aleema Khan, on Thursday submitted a reply in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) regarding owning properties abroad.



According to sources, Aleema contacted FIA Lahore and told the inquiry officer that she had sold the property she owned in Dubai.



I had mentioned the Dubai property in my tax returns and will disclose the source of income for the purchase as soon as I reach Pakistan as I am currently out of town, she was further quoted as telling the inquiry officer. On October 27, the FIA had submitted in Supreme Court the details of 44 close relatives of prominent political personalities, who owned properties in the United Arab Emirates. The list submitted by FIA mentioned Aleema Khans benaami property. The agency had told the apex court that the premiers sister had been sent a notice.
Famous for its cute meerkat advertisements, comparison site Comparethemarket.com has found itself in hot water after regulators condemned its prohibitive clauses that may have broken competition law.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also said that the site may have denied consumers better insurance deals and could be fine millions of pounds after an investigation found that the site had 'provisionally found it had broken the law by preventing home insurers from offering lower prices elsewhere'.

It said its findings were provisional and it would make a final decision after considering Comparethemarket's response.

Many UK consumers could be out of pocket following the findings from the CMA

The regulator found 'most favoured nation' clauses in Comparethemarket's contracts with insurance companies, which effectively banned them from selling their home insurance at cheaper prices on rival websites.

This is the latest move from regulators to put a stop to big internet platforms such as hotel booking sites that promise 'best prices', largely by banning companies from offering discounts through other websites, The Guardian reported.

Andrea Coscelli, the CMA's chief executive said: 'Our investigation has provisionally found that Comparethemarket has broken the law by preventing home insurers from offering lower prices elsewhere. This could result in people paying higher premiums than they need to.'

The price comparison website has rose to fame following the use of cartoon meerkats

Aleksandr the Meerkat has been the face of the price comparison website which claims to give consumers and 'easy way to save on car insurance'

At present, Comparethemarket is the only major comparison site that the CMA has rebuked for this practice, with similar clauses not found at rival providers.

The CMA added that the practice not only meant that rivals were unable to offer discounts, but also that it was more likely to lead to higher commission rates paid to the sites, with the costs being passed on to consumers.

Comparethemarket contacted home insurers in late 2017 to tell them the contracts would no longer be enforced, but the CMA said it remains concerned that the effects of the clauses could continue.

In a statement, Comparethemarket said: 'We are disappointed by the CMA's provisional findings. We will carefully review the evidence once we have access to it, and look forward to working with the CMA over the coming months to ensure a satisfactory outcome.'

While Comparethemarket is the trading name of the comparison site, the CMA's formal 'statement of objections' has been sent to its owners, BGL (Holdings) Limited, BGL Group Limited, and BISL Limited.

Latest financial results for BGL (Holdings) posted at Companies House show that it made a profit of 14.5m on turnover of 132.3m in 2017. T

he parent company of Peterborough-based BGL is the South African-based insurance group BHL, majority-owned by family trusts of Douw Steyn, the founder of BGL.

More than 20million UK households have home insurance and more than 60% of new policies are found on price comparison sites.
Sir Philip Green 'groped, threatened and bullied' his staff who worked in a 'climate of fear', allege Arcadia employees who reject the tycoon's claims it was just 'banter'.

Employees who worked under Sir Philip claim that the office environment was 'a culture of secrecy' where workers were subjected to expletive-ridden verbal attacks.

The Topshop owner, 66, said last week that he had indulged in nothing more than 'banter' with his staff, claiming he had a good relationship with those who worked for him.

Sir Philip Green 'groped, threatened and bullied' his staff who worked in a 'climate of fear', allege Arcadia employees who reject the tycoon's claims it was just 'banter'

But current and former employees of Arcadia Group have come forward to reject Sir Philip's claims.

One employee told The Guardian: '"Banter" suggests some kind of exchange, or jocular language, but it isn't. It's one-way, it's intense, you have to keep your mouth shut.'

Employees reportedly witnessed Sir Philip fly off the handle in 'unpredictable fashion' on numerous occasions but were expected to 'grin and bear it' when under attack.

On one occasion, more than a decade ago, the fashion tycoon allegedly sent an employee out of a meeting onto a balcony in the pouring rain. He would also 'take delight' when people would cry.

Sir Philip with top models in 2014. There is no suggestion that anyone pictured is involved in any of the allegations against him

Those who worked closely with the mogul would reportedly 'turn a blind eye' to his verbally abusive and surreal behaviour.

One worker said the reason Sir Philip had not been previously exposed was because he was the boss and staff were scared to speak out.

They said: 'The large part of why he's never held to account  he's seen as the owner, that's the beginning and end of it. If you don't like it you know where to go.'

Sir Philip was identified as the man who had taken out an injunction preventing publication of allegations about his harassment of staff, which he strenuously denies.

The fashion tycoon (pictured walking in Arizona) claims he had a good relationship with those who worked for him

The Mail on Sunday spoke to Sir Philip at a spa resort in Arizona, where he had holed up since the accusations broke.

He said: 'I've been in business for more than 40 years. There has obviously from time to time been some banter, but as far as I'm concerned that's never been offensive.

'I've got a good relationship with all my staff. In all that time, until the recent issues, I've not had one litigation or complaint.

Sir Philip said: 'I'm very, very, very upset. I'm being used as target practice when there is zero [evidence] that anyone has turned up with. It's injuring my business, all the people potentially working in the business, and it's injuring me and my family.' Above, in Arizona

'If anything I've said has caused offence, I'm happy to apologise. Nothing I've said was ever meant to be offensive.

'Many people have worked for the family for many years and I've never had any problems.'

But one source who spoke to The Guardian claimed that working for Sir Philip was entirely different.

They said: 'I saw so much bullying behaviour,'

Sir Philip had reportedly been known to toss money at people in meetings, and had threatened to throw a worker out of a window.

He would reportedly refer to women as 'love' or 'darling' and allegedly groped female employees bottoms.

On another occasion, a source claimed Sir Philip saw an advertising campaign featuring young male models and reportedly ripped down the posters and while saying: 'Take down this gay s**t, this isn't the gay s**t I want in the building.'

The Topshop boss and former owner of BHS had initially prevented the Daily Telegraph from reporting the allegations against him by taking out an injunction.

Sir Philip pictured with Karen Brady. Sir Philip had reportedly been known to toss money at people in meetings, and had threatened to throw a worker out of a window

The billionaire Arcadia group owner got complainants to sign controversial Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAS) in a bid to silence their claims - but he was outed in the House of Lords by peer Peter Hain.

When asked by The Guardian as to why staff had not spoken out about Sir Philip's behaviour, workers claimed they feared losing their job.

One source said employees did not want to be named 'because no one is willing to lose their jobs.'

Another source said: 'People who worked closely with him turned blind eyes.'

Sir Philip's legal team did not respond to a request for comment.
Travellers have been warned to collect papers proving their identity or risk being deported after Brexit.

The Government has promised all EU nationals who live here legitimately will be able to qualify to stay permanently.

But they will have to prove their right to stay and pay a 65 fee to get their 'settled status' in Britain.

The Traveller Movement national annual conference was warned this week the process could lead to deportations of travellers unable to pass the tests.

Travellers have been warned to collect papers proving their identity or risk being deported after Brexit (file image of a camp in Essex)

Lawyer Christopher Desira said travellers should start gathering paperwork such as tax documents, education certificates, bank statements or employment contracts, the Sun reported.

Barriers including poor literacy, the inability to use computers, the cost of applying and distrust of the state among traveller communities were all highlighted.

Charity worker Sarah Zawacki added: 'Our work found that there was also a very low awareness of the need to apply to secure their position in the UK.

'Now they know there is this application, but it's 65 - many are on very low incomes and have very large families and it's just unfeasible.

'Then there is the language barrier - many speak some English but it's not the level needed to access this application.'

Around 300,000 members of the Roma community are believed to live in the UK.

Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes was forced to admit to MPs this week the system for registering EU nationals is barely up and running with just five months to exit day.

While EU citizens have been told they can stay regardless of whether there is a deal there is no current system for them to prove their right to be here before they have secured settled status.
Some in James 'Whitey' Bulger's inner circle are wondering if the notorious Boston mobster may have requested placement in general population as a way to end it all, sources tell DailyMail.com.

'He might have been tired of it all, didn't want to see being shipped to other places, and wanted his life over already,' a source close to Bulger's inner circle told DailyMail.com.

Bulger, 89, was killed on Tuesday just hours after arriving at USP Hazelton in West Virginia, where he was placed in general population despite his high profile and known history as an informant.

Suspected in the murder are two inmates: Paul J. DeCologero, who was a member of a North Shore mob in Massachusetts, and Mafia hitman Fotios 'Freddy' Geas.

Some in Bulger's inner circle are speculating that the notorious mob kingpin requested transfer to general assignment as part of a death wish. He is seen above in 2011

The entrance to USP Hazelton in West Virginia is seen in a file photo. Bulger had been transferred to the facility Monday when he was killed

Paul J. DeCologero (left), a member of a North Shore mob in Massachusetts and mafia hit man Fotios 'Freddy' Geas (right) have been identified as suspects in Bulger's murder

Talk among Bulger's confidantes is that 'he was transferred because the guards couldnt stand him. And that he asked to be put in the general population,' the source said.

While questions remain about why Bulger was placed in general population rather than a special management unit, law enforcement sources have said he agreed to the assignment to gen pop.

Bulger was wheelchair bound and in poor health when he arrived at Hazelton, and had just spent eight months in solitary confinement at USP Coleman II in Florida after threatening a nursing supervisor.

The chance to switch to general population may have simply been a welcome relief from solitary - or it could have been a final exit strategy for the notoriously Machiavellian crime boss.

John 'Red' Shea, a former lieutenant in Bulger's Winter Hill Gang, told DailyMail.com that suicide-by-hitman would be in line with Bulger's character.

'He wanted to go out with a bang, I'm sure,' said Shea, who said that Bulger's 'ego' would have driven him to seek a sensational end.

'I've said his peers should be the real judge and jury,' Shea added. 'Didn't take long.'

Shea served 12 years in prison after refusing to turn informant on the other members of the crew - and bitterly disavowed Bulger after it turned out that the criminal kingpin had been working with the FBI the whole time.

He chronicled his experiences in Rat Bastards: The South Boston Irish Mobster Who Took the Rap When Everyone Else Ran.

Even if Bulger did request general population, the decision to place him there would have been made high up the chain of command, prison workers say.

'That decision would have been far above us,' Richard Heldreth, the president of the union representing employees at Hazelton, told NBC News.

Heldreth called the decision to place Bulger in general population 'unusual' given 'the level of violence and the type of inmates housed there'.

'In general population, you're in a housing unit with 120 inmates and they have full access to you,' Heldreth said.

'I know how he's been labeled in the court system and that's not something that goes over well with our inmate population.'

Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger, Jr. poses for a mugshot on his arrival at the Federal Penitentiary at Alcatraz on November 16, 1959 in San Francisco, California

Robert Hood, a former warden at the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, said Bulger's age alone would put him potentially at risk in the prison's general population.

Add to that Bulger's notoriety, and Hood said he could not imagine housing him with other inmates.

'A known snitch in almost every prison is in jeopardy,' Hood told the AP. 'I don't think it was intentional. I just think they gave too much credit to the age of the inmate, thinking: 'He's old, he's not going to hurt anyone,'' he said.

A spokesperson at USP Hazelton referred an inquiry from DailyMail.com about Bulger's placement in general population to the Bureau of Prisons, which did not immediately return a request for comment.

The FBI has declined to comment on the investigation. Federal officials have only said they are investigating Bulger's death as a homicide.

Earlier on Friday, it emerged that Bulger's body wasn't discovered for nearly two hours, after his killers hid the body by wrapping it in blankets as if Bugler was sleeping.

Investigators are now digging into why Bulger was transferred to Hazelton, which has a track record of inmate violence, and tracing his final hours alive in a painstaking process to solve the murder.

Bulger had been incarcerated at USP Coleman II in Florida since 2014, but had racked up multiple disciplinary infractions that led to his transfer.

In 2015, Bulger was cited for masturbating in front of a male prison staffer. Then, in February of this year, he was cited for threatening a nursing supervisor, according to prison records reviewed by NBC.

'Your day of reckoning is coming,' he told the worker, according to a law enforcement source.

After that incident, Bulger was placed in solitary at the Florida prison until October 23, when he was moved to a transfer facility in Oklahoma.

On Monday, he was moved from the Oklahoma facility to USP Hazelton, arriving at 6.45pm, according to prison records.

Timeline of Whitey Bulger's murder October 29, 6.45pm: Bulger arrives at USP Hazelton. He is seen in a wheelchair. 9.53pm: Bulger is placed in his new cell in general population. The block is already on overnight lockdown. October 30, 5am: Overnight lockdown ends and prisoners proceed to the mess hall. 6am: Surveillance cameras capture multiple inmates entering Bulger's cell and wheeling him into a corner out of the camera's view. 8.20am: Prison officials discover Bulger's body in his cell. Advertisement

A prison staffer told NBC that Bulger arrived at Hazelton in a wheelchair.

Records show that he was placed in his cell at 9.53pm The housing facility was already locked down at that time, according to a prison staffer.

Bulger agreed to be placed in general population, sources said. When he was rolled down the cell block in his wheelchair, inmates took notice, as they always do. 'It's almost like you see in the movies,' the staffer said.

Hazelton's overnight lockdown is lifted after the 5am prisoner count. Inmates are then let out of their cells to head to the dining hall, providing a window of opportunity for a prisoner seeking to attack a fellow inmate.

At around 6am, surveillance cameras caught a group of inmates pushing Bulger in his wheelchair to the corner of his room outside of the camera's view just moments before they launched their brutal attack, officials said on Wednesday.

Despite the disturbing video footage in Bulger's cell, no alarm was raised.

He was so horrifically mutilated that his face was beaten beyond recognition, his eyes dislodged, and his tongue cut out.

The body was discovered in a pool of blood at 8.20am on Tuesday morning.
Hotheaded actor Alec Baldwin is speaking out following his arrest for allegedly punching a New Yorker who stole his parking spot in a expletive-filled outburst on Friday.

Hours after he was taken into the New York Police Department's 6th Precinct near his Greenwich Village home, he was released and returned to his penthouse. Then the 60-year-old actor took to Twitter to clear his name, claiming he never threw any punches.

'Normally, I would not comment on something as egregiously misstated as todays story. However, the assertion that I punched anyone over a parking spot is false. I wanted to go on the record stating as much,' he wrote Friday evening.

'I realize that it has become a sport to tag people w as many negative charges and defaming allegations as possible for the purposes of click bait entertainment. Fortunately, no matter how reverberating the echos, it doesnt make the statements true,' he added.

Following his release from the New York Police Department's 6th Precinct after a parking dispute, Alec Baldwin took to Twitter to clear his name claiming he never punched anyone

He said: 'The assertion that I punched anyone over a parking spot is false. I wanted to go on the record stating as much'

Alec Baldwin was arrested in New York City after allegedly punching someone in a dispute over a parking spot on Friday; Baldwin is shown here leaving the 6th precinct after his arrest

The incident unfolded at a parking spot on E. 10th St near the intersection with University Place, a block east of Fifth Avenue at 1.30pm.

Sources say one of Baldwin's family members was holding the spot when Wojciech Cieszkowski, 49, of Pearl River, New York, driving a black Saab station wagon pulled into the spot, according to Page Six.

Baldwin lives in a multi-million dollar penthouse on the same street with his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, and their four young children.

The two men got into an argument and when Cieszkowski headed to the meter to pay, Baldwin allegedly bolted up to him and punched him. Police said the two pushed each other before Baldwin got aggressive.

A witness told DailyMail.com that Baldwin yelled, 'F*** off' during the fight.

'He was minding his business and all of a sudden, [Baldwin] just punched him,' the witness said.

Baldwin was arrested and charged with assault in the third degree, which is a misdemeanor, and harassment, police told DailyMail.com.

Baldwin was stone faced as he left the precinct flanked by reporters and returned home Friday evening.

Hours after Baldwin's arrest an unidentified man was spotted driving the Saab away from the disputed parking spot. It's not clear if it was the victim or a man acting on his behalf.

President Donald Trump - who Baldwin frequently mocks and portrays on Saturday Night Live - weighed in on his arrest saying 'I wish him luck' at a campaign rally in West Virginia.

Donald Trump Jr tweeted about Baldwin's scuffle calling the actor a 'piece of garbage'.

Hours after Baldwin's arrest an unidentified man was spotted driving the Saab away from the disputed parking spot

It's not clear if the man behind the wheel was 49-year-old Wojciech Cieszkowski who allegedly pulled into the parking spot Baldwin wanted, or if it was a man acting on his behalf

According to a police spokesman, Baldwin may have not thrown any punches after all.

'They're out there saying he punched him in the face - I don't know if that's necessarily the case. The victim is just saying "he hit me, he hit me,"' the spokesman said to the New York Daily News.

Cieszkowski was taken to Lenox Health's Greenwich Village Emergency Room to be be checked out following the incident, complaining of physical pain in his jaw.

The police spokesman said he also had redness on his neck. He told cops that Baldwin hit him with his hand but wasn't sure if it was a punch of a slap.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Baldwin's team for a comment.

The Saab and Baldwin's car - a black Cadillac Escalade - were ticketed when their respective owners left for the hospital and police station, respectively.

Following the incident Baldwin's nanny moved his ticketed Cadillac SUV to a nearby parking garages, this one on the same street as his home.

After moving the vehicle, Baldwin's nanny replaced it with a different Cadillac, owned by the star.

Baldwin looked ahead, moving swiftly before getting into an SUV waiting to pick him up

Baldwin did not respond to reporters asking him questions about the incident but later took to Twitter to say he never punched anyone

Baldwin instead kept his lips pursed with an agitated expression on his face as he left

Wojciech Cieszkowski allegedly pulled into a spot that was being held by a relative of Baldwin, and then was punched as he got out of his car to feed the parking meter

After being processed a silent Baldwin was released from custody and left the police station two hours after his arrest.

Baldwin looked straight ahead, and moved swiftly before getting into an SUV that was waiting to pick him up.

He did not respond to reporters asking him questions about the incident, but instead kept his lips pursed with an agitated expression on his face.

His demeanor was more of the same as he arrived back to his home on East 10th Street, this time with his head slightly titled downwards, avoiding eye contact with the crowd of photographers lining the path to his building.

Baldwin has been charged with assault in the third degree, which is a misdemeanor, and harassment, police told DailyMail.com

His demeanor was more of the same as he arrived back to his home on East 10th Street

He arrived back to his lavish residence with his head slightly titled downwards

Baldwin will be given a Desk Appearance Ticket, which means for now hes been brought in and processed and will be given a date to appear in court at a later date

He was able to avoid eye contact with a crowd of photographers lining the path to his building

Shortly after the incident photographers on the scene also caught Baldwin on camera outside of his home, while he was being arrested.

Baldwin was taken to the NYPD precinct located at 223 West 10th Street. He arrived there in handcuffs at around 1.45pm Eastern.

The incident happened right down the street from Baldwin's home in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

Baldwin will be given a Desk Appearance Ticket, which means for now hes been brought in and processed and will be given a date to appear in court at a later date.

Photographers on the scene after the incident caught Baldwin on camera outside of his home, and while he was being arrested; Baldwin is shown circled in red

Baldwin will be given a Desk Appearance Ticket, which means for now hes been brought in and processed and will be given a date to appear in court at a later date

The vehicle that was being driven by Cieszkowski is shown here, parked along the street very near the entrance to Baldwin's home on 10th Street in the West Village

Baldwin was taken to the NYPD precinct located at 223 West 10th Street. He arrived there in handcuffs at around 1.45pm Eastern

DailyMail.com was at the scene after the incident and captured audio of an eye witness being interviewed, who said of Cieszkowski, 'He was minding his business and all of a sudden, [Baldwin] just punched him'

Baldwin lives in a multi-million dollar penthouse right just down the block from where the incident took place with his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, and their four young children; The location of Baldwin's home is shown on this map with a red dot and the locations of parking garages are noted with markers showing the letter 'P'

The incident happened right around the corner from Baldwin's home in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, which is shown here

ABC confirmed to DailyMail.com that Baldwin's new show, , The Alec Baldwin Show, will air as scheduled on Sunday at 10pm. The show premiered on ABC on October 14.

DailyMail.com was at the scene after the incident and captured audio of an eye witness being interviewed.

'He said, "Shut the f*** up" and all that. Ya know, he angry. He got all that money ma. What are you so angry for?' the witness said.

'They took him in the cop car.'

Baldwin posed on the roof terrace of their 10th Street penthouse for the cover of Hola! magazine, out this week, with wife Hilaria (left) and their four young children

ABC confirmed to DailyMail.com that Baldwin's new show, The Alec Baldwin Show, will air as scheduled on Sunday at 10pm; Baldwin is shown here with Robert De Niro on set of his show

Baldwin has a history of run-ins with law enforcement as well as outbursts; Baldwin is shown here talking with police outside of his New York home in November of 2013

Baldwin is shown assaulting a photographer in New York City on August 27, 2013

The witness said he told Baldwin to calm down, as the actor was talking to the person he was fighting over the parking spot with.

'He was like, "Yo, what do you think you're doing, man? Don't you see me parking here?"' the witness said.

'He was minding his business and all of a sudden, [Baldwin] just punched him,' the witness said.

The witness said he didn't think the other person involved in the fight knew that it was Baldwin who punched him.

Baldwin is shown here on the set of Saturday Night Live portraying President Donald Trump

On the White House lawn on Friday, President Trump said, 'I wish him luck,' after learning of Baldwin's latest arrest

Baldwin has a history of run-ins with law enforcement as well as outbursts, and assaults against photographers and reporters.

In one such instance, Baldwin was photographed assaulting a photographer in New York City on August 27, 2013.

Following that altercation, after the police arrived to the scene, both parties admitted to pushing and shoving each other, and both parties decided not to press charges and walked away.

Baldwin also seems to get particularly hot-tempered when people don't know who he is, as the eye witness on Friday said Cieszkowski appeared unaware that he was dealing with Baldwin.

Donald Trump, Jr. later tweeted on Friday, sharing a link to a story about Baldwin's arrest, with the comment, 'Is anyone shocked at this piece of garbage anymore?'

In May of 2014, Baldwin was arrested for disorderly conduct after cops didn't recognize him when he failed to produce a license after being stopped for cycling the wrong way on a one-way street in New York City.

In April of 2007, a voicemail left by Baldwin for his daughter was made public, where he can be heard calling her 'a rude, thoughtless little pig.'

And as early as October if 1995, Baldwin allegedly assaulted a photographer outside of his Los Angeles home for photographing then-wife Kim Basinger and their three-year-old daughter.

On Friday, President Trump said, 'I wish him luck,' after learning of Baldwin's arrest.

Donald Trump, Jr. later tweeted, sharing a link to a story about Baldwin's arrest.

'Is anyone shocked at this piece of garbage anymore?' Trump, Jr. wrote.

'As if the phone calls to his daughter werent bad enough. Hes a lib so he gets chance after chance to be decent but always fails!'

Responding to one Twitter user who said Baldwin 'is a tolerant, loving and civil progressive who punches people for parking spaces', Trump Jr wrote: 'Dont forget the homophobic slurs. Other than all of those things and all of those chances hes been given he seems wonderful.'

In a New York Magazine interview in 2014 Baldwin said he was ready to leave the city.

'I just can't live in New York anymore. Everything I hated about L.A. I'm beginning to crave. L.A. is a place where you live behind a gate, you get in a car, your interaction with the public is minimal. I used to hate that. But New York has changed,' he said.
A 15-year-old boy stabbed with a machete near his home was attacked in a case of mistaken identity, his friends have claimed.

The murder of Jai Sewell, in Bellingham, south London, was followed by the stabbing and killing of another 17-year-old boy outside Clapham South Tube station, less than 24 hours later.

Jai had been on the way to a chicken shop when he was stabbed with a machete after a group of men jumped out of a car.

A friend of the 15-year-old now claims that he was killed in a 'case of mistaken identity' and that there would be 'reprisals'.

Friends and family have paid tribute to 15-year-old Jai Sewell after he was stabbed to death in south London yesterday afternoon

'Sweet and caring' teenager Jai was stabbed outside a chicken shop.

Jai, also known as Jay Hughes, stumbled into the takeaway and collapsed after he was knifed shortly after 5pm in Bellingham, south London.

Paramedics fought to save him but he died in hospital about three hours later, police have confirmed.

A friend of Jai's said Thursday afternoons attack in Bellingham, south-east London, was a case of mistaken identity linked to tit-for-tat gang violence.

The boy was rushed to hospital at around 5.30pm but was later declared dead at 8.15pm

He also claimed that Jais cousin was a drill rapper and said: This situation is going to spiral  there will be reprisals.'

Jai's death was followed by the murder of a 17-year-old boy less than 24 hours later.

Officers were called to Clapham South Tube Station in southwest London at 4.35pm on Friday, where they found a 17-year-old boy with a stab wound.

Friends and family members brought floral tributes to the scene of the attack this morning

He was taken to a south London hospital where he died less than an hour later.

London has been struck by several violent incidents over the last few days.

Earlier on Friday, a man suffered gunshot wounds in Barnet, north London and a 16-year-old boy was stabbed in Southwark.

Both are believed to be recovering and in a stable condition.

The 17-year-old killed outside Clapham South station is believed to be the 21st teenager murdered in the capital this year, and the 120th person killed in total.

A 17-year-old boy has died after being stabbed outside Clapham South Tube Station in southwest London

The Tube station and roads around it have been closed with police remaining on scene.

Police officers have confirmed that no arrests have been made yet and they have now launched a murder investigation.

His next of kin have been informed.

Charity director Robin Pritchard was nearby when the stabbing occurred and said he moved through a crowd and saw the victim lying in a pool of blood while someone provided CPR.

Police officers have confirmed that no arrests have been made yet and they have now launched a murder investigation

After the stabbing, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan took to Twitter to share the following statement about the recent killings

The 47-year-old told the Press Association: 'I saw the guy on the floor, a pool of blood like he'd been stabbed in the stomach, his clothes were soaked.

'It was strangely calm and quiet. I think everyone was in shock. Lots of kids there from the local college

'All I really registered were grey tracksuit bottoms which were soaked with a pool of blood coming from his waist like he'd been stabbed in the stomach.'

Another witness who did not want to be named said he saw a man carrying a large knife in a 'bunch of guys' who were shouting and appeared agitated.

He added that the area is usually noisy after students leave nearby Saint Francis Xavier College.

Forensic officers could be seen combing bags and belongings left at the scene for clues as the area remained closed

The station is expected to remain close for the next few hours with road closures causing gridlock

A photo taken from a nearby building seemed to show the aftermath of the stabbing, with items strewn over the road

He said: 'I had no idea it was different to any other time the students get a bit noisy, until I saw the knife as I was literally passing them.'

Following the news, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted: 'My heart goes out to the family and friends of the two teenage boys fatally stabbed in the last two days: a 15 year old in Bellingham and a 17 year old outside Clapham South Tube Station. I am in contact with senior police officers and local representatives in both cases.

'Anyone with information about these incidents should call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Violent crime devastates communities and we're working tirelessly with the Met and others to tackle it.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police were called at approximately 16:35hrs on Friday, 2 November to reports of a stabbing outside Clapham South Tube Station.

'A 17-year-old male was found suffering from a stab wound. He was taken to a south London hospital where his life was pronounced extinct at 17:23 hours.

'Formal identification has not yet taken place and a post-mortem examination will be held in due course.'

Any witnesses or people with information should contact police on 101 quoting CAD 5291/02 Nov. To remain anonymous please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police forensic teams close off the area around Clapham South underground station to sweep for evidence

Scotland Yard is bracing itself for further violence over bonfire night weekend and has imposed a Section 60 order across the borough of Lewisham.

This allows officers to stop and search without suspicion. Jais murder took place hours after a police chief compared some of Britains streets to the Wild West.

Jacqueline Sebire, of the National Police Chiefs Council, said 69,000 children aged between ten and 15 suffered stab wounds or other major injuries in the year to June, an increase of 4,000 on the previous year.

She said the constant torrent of murders and knife attacks suggested young offenders had total disregard for the consequences of their actions.

Jai lived with his grandmother Sophie Sewell in a three-bedroom house in Bellingham.

Describing what happened to Jai, witness Thomas Coffie, 23, said: 'I was just on my way home from work and I stopped to get something to eat from the chicken shop.

'I heard a bang behind me and turned around and saw him run into the shop. I knew he had been stabbed because of all the blood on his jacket. The boy said to me; 'man is going to die'.

'He fell on the floor, I couldn't stop him falling - I tried to put some pressure on the wounds just to keep him alive until the ambulance arrived.

'I was just holding him, I couldn't see because of all the blood.

Roads around the area were still closed off late into the night as police investigated the scene

Clapham South station was closed followed the stabbing, as were several nearby roads as police cordoned off the scene

'Staff grabbed paper tissues and tried to mop up the blood from his body, but there was just too much.

'He had been cut in his stomach and his chest. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't stay there - I do not feel safe here anymore.'

Jai's aunt Rochelle said that the youngster - who wanted to become a cartoonist - lived with his grandmother and was not involved with gangs.

She told the Evening Standard: 'He said he was going out to get some food and he never came back.'

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Soole, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: 'At this early stage officers are working hard to establish the full circumstances. We know that this was an awful premeditated attack on a young boy who sadly lost his life as a result.

The floor of the takeaway was littered with paramedics equipment after they tried to save him

'I would appeal to anyone with information to get in touch with us. Those responsible must be caught and brought to justice. Any information passed to police will be treated with the strictest confidence.'

Tayla Ann Warwick said she grew up with Jai, who lived on the same road as her grandmother, and said he used to 'love roller skating' and regularly rode his bike around the area.

The 19-year-old said: 'It's so shocking, I spoke to him the other day.

'He was the kindest person, he was so loving and thoughtful, he was well known with everyone.'

Police at the scene where a 15-year-old schoolboy was stabbed to death yesterday afternoo

A woman who lives in the same area as Jai, but asked not to be named, said: 'I don't know if he was involved in a gang but I live here and I never thought Bellingham was coming to this.

'It's getting rougher around here.

'I'm just upset because the first thing I thought was that it was my son, I was on my way to the Morley's to get food for my kids, I thought it was my son but it wasn't.'

Deanne Wright, 36, lives in the area and often saw Jai with his grandmother.

She said: 'He was very close with his nan - she raised him. I often saw him out and about or on the bus, he was a sweet and caring boy.'

His next-of-kin have been made aware of his death as the Met Police's murder detectives begin investigating.

This morning, police forensics experts were working at the scene .

Medical equipment used by the paramedics as they battled to save the boy's life could be seen scattered across the floor of Morely's chicken shop.

Police forensics experts were scouring the scene this morning after yesterday's stabbing

Locals expressed their shock and anger online.

One resident tweeted: 'It's getting ridiculous! The world we live in now is a joke! I'm a father of 2 boys and their teenage years are gonna be effected by events like these cuz I'm gonna be on them 24/7! RIP young lad'

Another added: 'Another family planning a funeral instead of the future of their son! This year really has become murder London! Knives cont to destroy lives!'

Footage shows police cars rushing to the scene of a stabbing in southeast London that saw a 15-year-old boy killed

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'At this early stage officers are working to establish the circumstances. No arrests have yet been made and a crime scene remains in place.'

The killing came amid a debate over the best use of police resources.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said today 'stretched' forces must prioritise violent crimes, including drug gangs fighting turf wars on the streets of towns and cities across the country.

London police commissioner Cressida Dick said police should focus on violent crime today

She indicated that other offences, including online fraud, were lower priorities for her officers.

Ms Dick backed National Police Chiefs' Council chairwoman Sara Thornton, who warned that forces could not take on all 'desirable and deserving' issues, such as logging misogyny reports even when no offence has been committed.

There have been calls for misogyny to be treated as a hate crime and the Government has commissioned a review to examine whether laws should be extended to cover offences motivated by hostility towards a victim's sex or age.

Ms Dick said: 'My officers are very busy, they are very stretched. We have young people in London subject to stabbings and other serious violence, getting involved in drug gangs and things, lots of priorities.

'We can't go on increasing the scale of the mission through enforcing new laws unless we are given more resources or the public are prepared for us to just do some things not as well.'
New information has emerged about the two sisters who were found taped together on the shore of the Hudson River.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea revealed during a press conference on Friday that sisters Tala and Rotana Farea had been in New York City for close to two months prior to their death, arriving on September 1 and staying at a Hyatt and Hilton in the city.

They were in good health according to surveillance footage reviewed by the detectives, but had run into financial troubles as their credit cards began to reach their limit.

Things changed however in the days before their death.

Tala, 16, and Rotana, 22, had reportedly applied for political asylum a week before their bodies were discovered, and had stated a desire to take their own lives rather than return to Saudi Arabia.

'We also have the sources that the detectives have developed from this investigation thus far; statements made that they would rather inflict harm on themselves and commit suicide than return to Saudi Arabia,' said Detective Shea.

He also noted: 'Everything we have seen thus far is pointing to something other than a crime took place.'

New details: Tala (left) and Rotana Farea (right) had arrived in New York City on September 1 and maxed out their credit cards staying in luxury hotels police revealed on Friday

Bodybag: The two were found taped together on the shore of the Hudson River on October 24, with no signs of foul play and no evidence they jumped from a high point

On October 23, one day before their death, their mother claims that she received a call from the Saudi consulate ordering the family to return home.

That claim was shot down by a Saudi official however who said that the mother was contacted about expired immigration documents.

DailyMail.com called the number where the girls' mother is believe to live and was told by an individual answering the found that no one wished to speak.

Meanwhile, a witness has come forward and revealed that he believes he saw the two women praying in a park on 158th Street on the morning of October 24, just a few miles upstream from where their bodies were found later that day.

Police said that credit card records show Tala and Rotana first stopped in Washington, D.C. and then Philadelphia before arriving in Manhattan.

The sisters were last seen in Fairfax on August 24, but had not been living at home since November of 2017 after reportedly being abused by their mother, father and brother.

Those allegations have not been corroborated, but they do make it unclear who would have reported the girls missing on September 12 in Fairfax.

Police said there were no signs of trauma and it appeared that they were alive when they went into the water.

It was also noted that the girls were loosely taped together and did not appear to have jumped from a great height prior to entering the water.

The New York Police Department said there is no evidence the sisters went anywhere else after arriving in New York, and took various forms of transportation while making their way to the city.

Once in New York City, the sisters did the same things that most girls their age would do in the city, going out shopping and ordering two meals a day.

They also used Ubers to travel around the city.

Both girls had been in contact with their mother despite fleeing home a year ago, at which point they went to live at a shelter.

Tala had attended Fairfax High School for part of the 2017-18 school year while her older sister was enrolled at nearby George Mason University.

It is not known what prompted the girls to leave Fairfax however, and set off for New York,
Ainsley Francis, 57, of Maidstone, Kent, was today jailed for 45 months at Maidstone Crown Court. He admitted an offence of stalking, involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress at an earlier hearing

A Metropolitan police officer who secretly recorded his ex-wife having sex with her new boyfriend has been jailed for three years.

Ainsley Francis, 57, of Maidstone, Kent, tracked the movements of former wife Barbara Stokoe through a voice activated recording device he bought on eBay and placed in her bedroom.

Over a three-year period he allegedly sent threatening messages to Ms Stokoe and entered her home at will when she was on holiday.

Police found 187 audio recordings on Francis's mobile phone of Ms Stokoe making phone calls, using the bathroom and even having sex.

A judge at Maidstone Crown Court sentenced Francis to 45 months in prison on Friday, saying his 'malicious' actions were 'breathtaking'.

Francis, who has served as a police officer for 29 years, admitted an offence of stalking, involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress at an earlier hearing.

Prosecutor Richard Job on Friday told the court that the offences took place between May 1 2014 and March 16 2017.

The couple first met in 1988, later separating in 2012 before enduring protracted and 'acrimonious' divorce proceedings.

Each went to live in separate properties, one of four owned by the pair, but Francis would continue to visit his wife and their son William.

Francis appeared at Maidstone Crown Court today (pictured) to be sentenced after admitting an offence of stalking - said to have taken place between May 1 2014 and March 16 2017

The divorced couple's relationship soured after Ms Stokoe began a new relationship with a man named Anthony Lock.

Over a long period Francis began bombarding Ms Stokoe with emails and phone calls, including asking her for 'compromising' photos of herself.

Mr Job said: 'It was clear from the messages that Mr Francis was sending to Ms Stokoe at this time that he was familiar with her movements'.

Francis would repeatedly drive past Ms Stokoe's home, could describe Mr Lock's bedding and even threatened him with violence.

Once when Ms Stokoe and her partner went on holiday to India they returned to find someone had been in her house and letters had gone missing.

Francis also falsely accused Ms Stokoe of taking a second lover of a man named only as R, which could have been a reference to her plumber.

Mr Job added that the most 'sinister' aspect of his offending was placing a secret recording device by her bed.

'An item that might be described in espionage movies or novels as a bug,' Mr Job said.

Ms Stokoe, who attended court on Friday, confronted her ex-husband who admitted he regularly entered her house in her absence.

Following his arrest, Francis said he had placed the device because he was 'seeking to prevent the commission of crime'.

Mitigating, Mr Edmund Gritt said Francis had been commended for his 'bravery' as a police officer by colleagues.

His career had been affected by a heart condition and a spinal injury sustained in a serious car crash in the 1990s.

'He apologises to his former wife and Mr Lock for his disgraceful treatment of them,' Mr Gritt said.

Sentencing, Judge David Griffith-Jones QC, said Francis's actions had been 'devious, malicious and extraordinary to the point of being breathtaking'.

'You seek to advance a form of explanation for your behaviour over that extended period of time by saying you had lost perspective,' he said.

'That seems to me an understatement and frankly inappropriate sanitisation of what amounts to criminal behaviour.'

Mr Griffith-Jones said Francis had been driven by a 'twisted determination' to control his ex-wife and should be 'ashamed' of his actions.

He added: 'Your actions completely change her life and she now questions whether she will ever recover, referring to her feelings of violation, helplessness and intimidation.

'I very much hope the culmination of these proceedings will draw a line in the sand for her.'

Francis, who has no previous convictions, was sentenced to 45 months in prison for the offence of stalking, involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress.

He will also be subject to a restraining order preventing him from contacting Ms Stokoe.

The prosecution had previously requested that a separate charge of possessing a prohibited weapon for the discharge of noxious liquid be laid on file.
An abuse victim at a children's orphanage in the 1970s says he believes a paedophile ring may have been operating inside the home.

David Whelan, who waived his right to anonymity, said he believed he was being groomed to be 'passed on' while he was at Quarriers Village children's home in Scotland.

The witness, who first went to the facility aged 11 in 1969 and stayed until 1974, said he was abused at the late-19th century development in Renfrewshire.

Quarriers Village was made up of dozens of orphan homes which were run by 'house mothers' and 'house fathers'.

Mr Whelan said during his time at the home he was beaten with a 'military parade' baton, a belt and being told he was unwanted by his parents.

David Whelan told the Child Abuse Inquiry today he feared a paedophile ring was operating at Quarriers Village children's home in Renfrewshire

It was also said punishment included hair-pulling and being made to stand outside in a shed, sometimes until dawn.

Mr Whelan spoke of strict rules and carers who would lash out with violence, often leaving him 'petrified' in what was described as 'Victorian-era' degrading treatment.

Speaking at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in Edinburgh today, Mr Whelan spoke of physical and emotional abuse he suffered at the hands of his carers.

He told the hearing: 'I believe I was being groomed to be passed on.

'At the time, you try and understand what was going on here, try to read what's going on here.

'I'm as clear as daylight - I was going to be passed on.

'I just wonder if there was a paedophile ring operating out of Quarriers, with some former residents.'

In 2002, John Porteus was convicted of sexually abusing Mr Whelan while in his care.

The offences took place in the village on a number of occasions.

Quarriers Village in Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, where allegations of child abuse have been made by former residents who stayed at the orphanage as children

Other alleged abusers cannot be named for legal reasons.

Mr Whelan also described physical abuse as being 'normalised' and went unchallenged by those in higher authority at the orphanage.

He said: 'This was supposed to be a care home. From start to finish it was like being in a military establishment.

'They used derogatory language just to demean you, to belittle you. We weren't soldiers - we were children.

'There was no affection. It was like from a Victorian era, where the child was seen and not heard.'

Another witness described at an earlier hearing how the chilling regime saw children forced to eat their food and if they were sick were even forced to eat their own vomit, while bed-wetters had to sleep on the floor.

Children who ran away were beaten when they were returned, leaving them screaming and badly bruised, while physical 'punishments' were routinely meted out, the inquiry heard.

One man told the inquiry earlier this month how he was raped by his housefather while clearing up after dinner one evening, an attack that left him 'screaming in agony' and was repeated a further three times over his years at Quarriers, robbing him of his 'dignity'.

Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry chair Lady Smith speaking at the inquiry in Edinburgh which is currently hearing victim's witness statements

The inquiry is examining historical allegations of the abuse of children in care and began taking statements from witnesses in the spring of 2016.

Chair Lady Smith is currently hearing from representatives and former residents of establishments run by providers Quarriers, Aberlour and Barnardo's.

Quarriers has apologised to residents who were abused while in its care.

Mr Whelan added: 'Bruises heal, but what happens with the psychological stuff is it stays with you.

'It was beyond the bounds of what was reasonable. It was brutality and cruelty.'

The inquiry continues next Tuesday.
Ashley Talbot, 15, was killed when he ran into the path of a minibus on school grounds, after Bridgend County Borough Council failed to address concerns

A council has been fined 300,000 for health and safety failings which led to a 15-year-old boy being run over and killed by his school's minibus.

Ashley Talbot was killed when he ran into the path of the vehicle on school grounds, after Bridgend County Borough Council failed to address concerns over pupils crossing a road to catch their bus home.

A court heard the schoolboy's death in December 2014 could have been avoided if council officials applied changes recommended by its own safety adviser six years before the fatal collision at 1,100-pupil Maesteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend, South Wales.

Health and safety adviser Steven Nelson identified issues regarding the school's design before it opened its doors in September 2008, which related to drop-off points, safe walkways and limited parking space for school buses.

But Cardiff Crown Court heard his warnings 'fell on deaf ears', with project manager Christopher Davies telling him it was 'too late' to change the design of the school grounds just weeks before it was due to open.

The school later came up with a 'solution' involving some buses being parked either side of a road further down from the school's bus bays, with traffic allowed to move along the road in the space between them.

Teachers and school bus drivers later witnessed several 'near misses' involving children running into traffic when crossing from one side of the road to the other, but none were officially reported.

Ashley was killed on December 10, 2014, after being hit by a minibus driven by PE teacher Christopher Brooks who was travelling between the parked buses.

CCTV stills show the moments before the white minibus, which was driven at a safe speed, collides with Ashley, who died from his injuries.

Another boy, who cannot be named, was also injured but survived. No action was taken against Mr Brooks.

Bridgend council admitted its failings following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive, and representatives of the council appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday where it was punished with a 300,000 fine.

Prosecutor Simon Morgan said the period of time over which the breached occurred over was 'excessively long'.

A CCTV still of the moment schoolboy was hit by a school minibus at Maesteg Comprehensive School (HSE)

He said: 'There were huge amounts of guidance available at the time and the council failed to comply.'

Anthony Vines, representing the Bridgend council, said it expressed its 'deep regret for the circumstances which led to Ashley's death.'

Mr Vines said since the incident, the council had reviewed health and safety risks at all council-owned sites.

Recorder of Cardiff Judge Eleri Rees said Ashley's death 'could have been avoided', adding safety concerns had fallen 'on deaf ears'.

She said: 'This was far from an isolated occurrence. There were over 1,100 children leaving school every afternoon. A large number of children were at risk.'

Solicitor Graham Balmforth read a statement outside court on behalf of Ashley's parents Jon and Melanie Talbot, which said Bridgend council had still yet to apologise for their son's death.

He said: 'In spite of the years of investigations by the HSE, the coroner, and the police, there has still not been any apology to the family for the death of their only son.

'It would appear it's easier for those who hold office to pay a fine rather than act with human decency.'

Lindsay Harvey, corporate director for education and family support at Bridgend council, said: 'We deeply regret the tragic circumstances which led to the death of young Ashley Talbot.

'The council acknowledges it should have done more to make sure pupils were safe from the risk posed by moving vehicles as they approached buses at the end of the school day.'
India to let Pakistan inspect its hydropower projects

LAHORE: India to fulfill its commitment of getting its two hydropower projects -- 1,000MW Pakal Dul and 48MW Lower Kalnal  inspected by Pakistani experts next month after the local (Punchayat) elections in the held Kashmir end by Dec 15.



On the other hand, Islamabad is also set to send a reminder in-writing to New Delhi in a day or two, urging it again to fulfill its promise of allowing Pakistani experts inspect the projects at Chenab and Jhelum basins, according to a senior official of the ministry of water resources.



We approached Indias Commissioner for Indus Waters Pradeep Kumar Saxena by phone a couple days ago and urged him to give us schedule for our tour to the Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnal projects. He replied that it is not possible during first or second week of December due to local Punchayat elections in the state, Pakistans Commissioner for Indus Waters Mehar Ali Shah told Dawn on Thursday.



Following conversation with my counterpart, I am of the view that they (India) will surely get the projects at Chenab basin inspected by us after the elections. I am still very optimistic since India is legally and morally bound to do this under the treaty. So they cannot ignore this, the commissioner maintained. About Kishanganga inspection, the official said it might be possible during next year.



Under the Indus water Treaty, both Pakistan and India are bound to inspect projects, share data related to water flow, storage and releases, floods.



The treaty also empowers the two countries to mutually resolve their water related issues on their own or through arbitration and appointment of independent experts and other relevant forums.



India had earlier agreed during 115th meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission held between the two countries from Aug 29 to 30 in Lahore to allow Pakistani experts inspect the projects at Chenab basin by end of September last. It also agreed to schedule visit of Pakistani experts for inspection of the Kishanganga project at a later stage.



Similarly Islamabad had agreed to allow New Delhi to carry out inspection of the Kotri barrage over the Indus after September. As a result, India agreed to a scheduled programme (Oct 7 to 11) for the visit of Pakistani experts. But, later, it postponed the same on the pretext of some local bodies elections.



Pakistan had also asked India during last months first week to immediately share the data showing inflow and discharge of water at the Kishanganga dam and water flows in different rivers. However, India is yet to do so.
Republican voters in Tennessee were left outraged after a dummy wearing a 'GOP' shirt and invoking the name of conservative US Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn was found hanging from a tree near a school Thursday.

Bedford Countys GOP Chairwoman Sandy Still shared photos of the controversial Halloween display on Facebook.

In the images, the humanoid figure with a pumpkin-shaped bucket for a head is dressed in a white dunce cap and a dark-blue tank top with the letters 'GOP' written across the front.

This effigy targeting the GOP in general and a local candidate in particular was found in Shelbyville, Tennessee, on Thursday

The display featured a crossed-out sign for Republican US Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn

And two signs are suspended from the dummy's feet: one reads 'Marsha Marsha Marsha' with the names crossed out three times and the other says 'Stop The Hate.'

Still said in a status update that the stunt was carried out at the intersection of Highway 130 West and Snell Road in Shelbyville, not far from Liberty Elementary School.

I didnt want the children or the school to have to see that type of thing, neighbor Bill Grimes, who lives a mile from where the dummy was found, told Fox 17.

Grimes also shared photos of the political dummy on his social media page, writing: 'using an effigy of lynching GOP members is nothing short of a projection of Klan tactics. This is very disturbing knowing the dark history of lynching in the South.'

The people who own the parcel of land where the anti-GOP decoration was put on display do not live in the area and told the station they do not know the identity of the prankster.

Rep Blackburn is running against former two-term Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen in one of the most hotly contested races in the midterm elections.

Still said that in years past, dummies portraying former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Donald Trump were also suspended from the same tree.

Republican Rep. Blackburn is currently running against former two-term Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen in one of the most hotly contested races in the midterm elections.

In 2016, Trump won Tennessee by 26 percentage points.

Blackburn would be the state's first female senator if elected. She has served eight terms in the House and is viewed as one of the more conservative members of that chamber.

She and Bredesen, a centrist Democrat, are seeking to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican who has frequently clashed with Trump.
James Rackover, (pictured in 2017) the surrogate son of a Manhattan jeweler, was found guilty on four counts on Friday for the death of Joseph Comunale

A Manhattan playboy has been found guilty of slicing a man's throat and dumping his body in a shallow New Jersey Grave after a night of partying in 2016.

James Rackover, 27, was found guilty on four counts on Friday for the death of Joseph Comunale.

Rackover, Comunale and his friend Larry Dillione had been at Rackover's Upper East Side apartment after a night of drug-fueled partying.

The pair met Comunale at a Greenwich Village nightclub and the trio had returned to Rackover's home but got in a fight in an apparent row over cigarettes.

Other reports indicated at the time that it was because Comunale had rejected their sexual advances.

Comunale, a Hofstra graduate, was stabbed multiple times, strangled and beaten.

His body was found in a shallow grave in Oceanside, New Jersey, after being burned.

Police were led to Rackover and Dilione after reviewing surveillance cameras which picked up Rackover's car. His EZ Pass also showed him traveling through tolls which led to the site.

They first threw the body out the window of Rackover's 2nd floor apartment and left it in a garbage bag outside the building but thought better of their plan, drove it to New Jersey, set it on fire and buried it.

Rackover's defense was that it was Dillione who beat Comunale to death and that he only helped him dispose of the body the next day in New Jersey.

Victim: Joseph Comunale's body was found in a wooded area behind a flower shop in New Jersey in November 2016

A jury rejected that version of events on Friday and convicted him of second degree murder, hindering prosecution and concealment of a human corpse.

He now faces life behind bars and will return to court to be sentenced on December 5 and faces 25 years to life behind bars.

Comunale's trial is yet to begin. He is due in court in 2019.

After the verdict, which was delivered in four hours over two days, Comunale's father said: 'These guys dont deserve to be on the streets ever again.'

The conviction comes days after the jury was told by the son of Good Day New York anchor Rosanna Scott that Rackover confessed to the killing in 2016.

The victim's father Pat Comunale broke down in tears during jury deliberations on Friday. He said afterwards that neither Dilione nor Rackover deserved to walk the streets again

The victim's mother Lisa is pictured in court on Friday during jury deliberations which lasted four hours over two days

Louis Ruggiero testified on Monday that Rackover confessed not only to killing him but to driving his body out to New Jersey afterwards then coming home and ordering pancakes from a diner.

'I slit his throat and I stabbed him and we wrapped the body up in a comforter and threw it out the window so the cameras wouldnt see,' Louis Ruggiero recalled James Rackover saying.

'James looked at me and said, I did something really bad,' Louis Ruggiero testified Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Ruggiero,the District Attorneys star witness in the murder trial, said Rackover told him that Lawrence Dilione, one of the other men in his apartment during the incident, got into a fight with Comunale and knocked him unconscious.

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

The clothes Rackover was wearing were also submitted as evidence this week

Rackover blamed his friend Larry Dilione (left), saying he only ever helped dispose of the body but it was Dilione who killed him. Dilione is awaiting trial. They are shown together in a pretrial hearing in June 2017

The men first threw the body out of the window of Rackover's 2nd floor apartment and it landed, in a garbage bag, next to other piles of trash. They then moved it to New Jersey

I gave [Comunale] a few lickings as well, and I didnt want a dead body in my living room, so I slit his throat and I stabbed him and then we wrapped the body up in comforters and threw the body out the window, Ruggiero testified, quoting what Rackover told him.

James was described as the unofficially adopted son of jeweler Jeffrey Rack (pictured)

The jury was also shown evidence including the bloody clothes he was wearing on the day of the attack.

The attack, Dilione said, happened after a fight over cigarettes.

Claiming that he was responsible only for punching the young man, Dilione told a court in March how he watched Rackover stab him once the fight got out of hand.

'I turned around and thats when I saw the knife being pulled out of Joeys head,' he said.

Dilione claimed that the fight started when Comunale accused him of taking free alcohol and drugs from him and Rackover without paying his way.

He allegedly said: 'James is bringing cocaine, Ive got cigarettes, what the f*** are you bringing to the table.'

It was previously reported the fight was over Comunale rejecting the pair and their sexual advances.

Furious, he lunged at him and began beating him, he said.

'I said, "Ill take the blame," but he said "Look at my hands," and they were covered in blood. At that point [Rackover] started to strangle him,' he said.

Rackover was arrested in November 2016 after police traced him to the crime. They found surveillance footage of his car in New Jersey and were able to track his EZ Pass through the tolls

Rackover was born James Arthur Beaudoin and is a Florida native.

He had been arrested multiple times for burglary, armed robbery, and drug possession before Comunale's death.

At some stage afterwards, he met Rackover and moved to New York City where they each held apartments in the same building.

'Jeffrey never had children, he developed a relationship with this young man and introduced him to his family,' private detective Bo Dietl, a friend of 30 years, told DailyMail.com in 2016.

'Jimmy was a troubled young man and Jeffrey hoped to get him back on his feet.'

Jeffrey even got James a job at Willis Towers Watson insurance company along with his own apartment.

'Jeffrey was on the 32nd floor and James on the fourth floor,' said Dietl.

'They first met, I believe, at a health club about three-and-a-half years ago.

'Jimmy moved into the apartment about a year ago. Jimmy changed his name to James Rackover because Jeffrey liked this kid so much.'
President Donald Trump insisted Friday that when he instructed military commanders to treat rock-throwing migrants on the U.S.-Mexican border the same way they would rifle-bearing criminals, he didn't mean for them to return fire.

'I didn't say shoot!' Trump told DailyMail.com as he fielded questions before leaving the White House for campaign rallies in West Virginia and Indiana.

'No, they won't have to fire,' he predicted, when asked if he was comfortable having soldiers shoot at foreign civilians.

Minutes later, he sidestepped a request from DailyMail.com to guarantee that American armed forces would never open fire on foreign civilians.

'Well, I hope they won't,' he replied, suddenly less certain. 'We're going to see. I hope they won't.'

President Donald Trump seemed to step back on Friday from his suggestion a day ago that if members of migrant caravans were to throw rocks at U.S. military, soldiers should open fire

The president has cited clashes that occured five days ago at the Mexico-Guatemala border, saying that he won't put up with rock-throwing migrants

Trump has ordered a deployment of up to 15,000 military personnel, many of whom will be armed as they patrol the U.S.-Mexico border in a bid to keep the caravans from crossing into the United States

This map shows the latest positions of the four Central American caravans making their way to the U.S. border

Trump otherwise picked up where he had left off on Thursday, forecasting a zero-tolerance attitude toward any attacks on American personnel.

'I don't want these people throwing rocks,' the president insisted, reflecting on violence that erupted on Mexico's southern border as the first of four caravans of Central Americans made their way north last week.

'What they did to the Mexican military is a disgrace,' he said. 'They hit them with rocks. Some were very seriously injured, and they were throwing rocks in their face. [If] they do that with us, they're going to be arrested. There's going to be problems.'

'I didn't say shoot. I didn't say shoot! But they do that with us, they're going to be arrested for a long time,' he warned.

The U.S. military is forbidden by law from making arrests or otherwise performing domestic law enforcement functions.

Asked who would be making arrests, Trump said: 'ICE and Border Patrol is there with the military.'

'Anybody throwing stones, rocks ... we will consider that a firearm,' Trump warned at the White House on Thursday, leading most observers to conclude he meant the military would fire back when fired upon

Central American migrants crossed the Suchiate River on Friday, the natural border between Guatemala and Mexico, on their way to the United States

Some in the caravans get rides on semi flat trailers liks this one in Donaji, Oaxaca state, Mexico, on Friday

The group arriving in Oaxaca on Friday had already made a grueling 40-mile trek Thursday after they failed to get the bus transportation they had hoped for

The president announced Thursday that he would send up to 15,000 troops, many of them armed, to repel what he has termed an 'invasion' of thousands of migrants who aim to take up U.S. residence by making asylum claims.

During a fiery speech delivered from the Roosevelt Room, he said that 'anybody throwing stones, rocks, like they did to Mexico and the Mexican military, Mexican police  where they badly hurt police and soldiers of Mexico  we will consider that a firearm. Because there's not much difference.'

'When you get hit in the face with a rock. Which, as you know, it was very violent a few days ago. Very, very violent,' he added.

The president evoked a potentially violent confrontation at the border, and referenced clashes that have occurred in Mexico with Mexican authorities.

'This is an invasion and nobody's really questioning that,' the president added.

Trump issued the threat after he delivered a long rant about illegal immigration from the White House on Thursday, blasting a clogged court system, called out people who jump the line of legal immigrants, and blasted what he called 'endemic abuse of the asylum system.'

A group of Salvadorans, part of a caravan travelling to the U.S., gathered near the border gate between Guatemala and Mexico on Friday

The White House had touted the policy change, but the president was unable to deliver any new executive order, legislation, or other formal action.

Asked at one point about current obligations via U.S. law and treaties to consider asylum claims, the president curtly responded: 'They're going to court, as crazy as it sounds.'

The president once again said the U.S. would build tent cities to manage the problem of would-be asylum seekers, and said: 'We'll be holding the family and the children together' in the tents.

'We have other facilities also. But what's happened is, we are holding so many facilities, so many people that our facilities are overrun. They're being overrun. And we are putting up temporary facilities. Eventually people will not be coming here anymore when they realize they cannot get through,' Trump said.

Asked if the children will be held in tent cities, Trump responded: 'We will be holding the family and the children together. Remember this: President Obama separated children from families. And all I did was take the same law, and then I softened the law. But by softening the law, many people come up that would not have come up if there was separation.'

Asked what would happen to the children, Trump gave a lengthy answer where he mentioned President Barack Obama three times.

'We're working on a system where they stay together. But I will say that by doing that, tremendous numbers  you know, under the Obama plan you could separate children.

Salvadoran migrants headed into Mexico, part of a group of more than 1,700 who entered Guatemala on Wednesday

'They never did anything about that. Nobody talks about that. But under President Obama they separated children from the parents. We actually put it so that didn't happen. But what happens when you do is you get tremendous numbers of people coming. It's almost like an incentive to  when they hear they're not going to be separated, they come many, many times over.

'But President Obama separated the children from the parents and nobody complained. When we continued the exact same law, this country went crazy. So we are going to continue and try to continue what we're doing. But it is a tremendous incentive for people to try. But it's going to be very, very hard for people to come into out country.'

With the election just days away, the president complained about a 'catch and release' immigration system he said failed because people are choosing not to show up for their court appearances.

'They never show up at the trials. They never come back, they're never seen again,' the president vented.

The president vowed to 'take every lawful action at my disposal to address this crisis,' and emphasized asylum in particular. But he was vague on providing any details.

He said he was 'finalizing a plan to end the rampant abuse of our asylum system.'

Honduran girls hug while waiting in line for a chance to play on the playground at a camp set up by a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants in Juchitan, Mexico, Wednesday

Rules of engagement are on everyone's mind as soldiers from Fort Riley, Kansas arrive in Texas to conduct missions on the southern U.S. border

He complained about drugs, crime, and a caravan of immigrants making its way toward the border.

'We're not releasing them into our country any longer. They'll wait long periods of time.'

In one of many tangents, he vented: 'Fentanyl is killing our youth.'

The president said members of the caravan would not be getting asylum.

'We will be doing an executive order some time next week ... it'll be quite comprehensive.'

'These migrants are not legitimate asylum seekers. They're not looking for protection because if they were, they'd be able to get it from Mexico.'

He called human traffickers 'The lowest scum on earth.'

Trump once again went after the people comprising the caravan.

'These are tough people in many cases. A lot of young men, strong men. And a lot of men that maybe we don't want in our country,' Trump said.
This is the woman believed to have slit the throat of a 70-year-old Manhattan copywriter who was found dead in her apartment last month, in what cops speculate was a neighbor dispute turned deadly.

Anya Johnston, 24, was arrested Wednesday on charges of murder and burglary for killing Susan Trott, 70, who lived in the unit just one floor below her in a luxury Upper West Side apartment.

Johnston could be seen on the court monitor Friday as she pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder in the second degree from Elmhurst Hospital in Queens.

Anya Johnston, 24, made a court appearance via video from Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York on Friday

Johnston could be seen on the monitor with a distressed facial expression as she sat handcuffed with a team surrounding her

The suspect pleaded 'not guilty' during her arraignment and does not get bail because she was held in remand

The suspect appeared wearing a baggy sweater and loose-fitting pants as she pleaded not guilty. She wore her brunette hair in an unkempt loose style

She was remanded after her plea so does not get bail as she awaits trail.

During the video appearance Johnston sat with a distressed facial expression and was bound by handcuffs.

The suspect wore her brunette hair in an unkempt loose style and donned a baggy sweater with loose-fitting pants.

She had been previously hospitalized at Mount Sinai St. Lukes and to undergo psychiatric evaluation prior to being questioned, according to ABC.

Trott was found with her throat slashed inside her bedroom on the morning of Sunday October 21.

Authorities reported no signs of forced entry, no murder weapon at the scene, and the apartment was not ransacked. The apartment also has a doorman.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said after Trott's murder NYPD believed 'all the pieces of that puzzle are within that building'.

The motive for the killing is still under investigation. But according to locals, Trott got into many spats with her neighbors who tried to boot her out of the co-op.

Victim: Police announced they arrested Anya Johnston, 24, on Wednesday as the suspected killer of Upper West Side woman Susan Trott, 70, (pictured above) who was found with her throat slit in her luxury apartment on October 21

Cops believe Trott and Johnston may have had arguments in the past, although it's unclear what their conflicts were.

Trott's friend said that she had gotten into altercations - at times physical - with with neighbors over the past decade.

She was attacked her over her apartment and love of animals, her longtime business partner and friend Eric Boscia, who is based in London, said to the New York Post.

'I said it would be someone in the building. I said if anything looks foul, it was someone in the building...the people that abused her most were her neighbors,' he said.

The first fight ensued when she purchased a vacant apartment next to her own and would have friends stay there. Some neighbors complained that she was illegally renting the apartment out, spurring the board's anger.

'She would say, 'They're my friends, they're from Australia, they're from Japan, they're staying for like three to four weeks. [The board] were giving her issues with that,' Boscia said.

Another fight ensured over her rescue dogs who were both near death.

'She was taking them out in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. And when they couldn't walk anymore because they were so sick, she would carry them,' he said.

Yet neighbors complained she didn't use leashes and that the dogs were aggressive.

Another fight was over how she carried a loaf of bread or a bag of birdseed around to feed pigeons on the corner of West End Avenue and in Riverside Park.

NYPD suspected a neighbor may have been behind the slaying as the apartment has a doorman and there was no sign of forced entry in the apartment. Johnston lives in the unit directly above Trott's in the Upper West Side luxury apartment (above)

Residents complained that the birds attracted rats.

To others, she was just a kind local bird lady.

'She was very prominent person, who in retirement was going around the neighborhood, feeding the birds and the squirrels,' a local retiree named Stefan told the Post.

'She was just trying to do good in her later days. Whenever she was in my presence, she was very respectable. I've seen her do nothing but good,' he added.

Despite the fights, she refused to move.

Boscia said residents were writing anonymous letters to the board about her and neighbors started harassing her. In one instance her clothes were strewn about the laundry room after she put them in the machine.

'She had neighbors harassing her. I've witnessed it. They'd be outside yelling at her for things, for feeding the birds. They would say something to her about the dog, like, 'Get your dog back!'' Boscia said.

'And I think it got very serious this summer. A lot of times, she wouldn't want to leave the apartment,' he added.

Trott was a successful copy writer and major player in the advertising industry for decades, working for firms including BBDO, J Walter Thompson, McCann-Erickson, Satchi & Satchi and Y&R and for brands like Levi's, Nickelodeon, Ambien, Virgin Atlantic, and Air Canada.

She was running her own ad company out of her apartment.

Trott was married twice but single at the time of her death and had no children according to her records.

She split her time between London and New York and owned an apartment in Manhattan as well as a home upstate.

Johnston faces charges of murder and burglary and is currently hospitalized at Mount Siani St. Lukes to undergo psychiatric evaluation prior to being questioned

Her death shocked the Upper West Side.

Police conducted a welfare check after a friend and colleague notified authorities after she failed to show up to work and hadn't been heard from in days.

Once police entered the resident they found a trail of blood leading into the bedroom.

Upon arrival police observed an 'unconscious and unresponsive 70-year-old female with a laceration to her neck,' an NYPD officer told DailyMail.com.

There was initially no suspect and police believed Trott may have been dead for 24 hours by the time her body was discovered.

Her last correspondence was four days before she went missing.
Prince Harry and Megan Markles Royal tour is over, but fans wont have to wait long to see the Royal couple again.

They plan to make an appearance at the Festival of Remembrance Service at Royal Albert Hall on November 10, according to People. Theyll likely be joined in attendance by Kate Middleton and Prince William.

The event, set to take place one day before Remembrance Sunday, commemorates all those whove lost their lives in battle. This year marks 100 years since the end of World War I, which makes the occasion all the more special.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Royal tour is over, but the couple will return to the public eye with an event on November 10

Itll be Prince Harrys first time attending the Festival of Remembrance Service, hosted by the Royal British Legion. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge regularly attend.

In the days leading up to the main event, Prince Harry will visit the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey.

The Duke of Sussex will visit the Field of Remembrance at @WAbbey on Thursday 8th November.



This will be the 90th year of the Field of Remembrance, which is organised by @PoppyFactory, and the 6th time that HRH has attended the event. pic.twitter.com/mE0y2OdeW7  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) November 1, 2018

Meghan wont join him on that trip, taking place November 8. It'll be Prince Harry's sixth year visiting the Field of Remembrance.

Prince Harry and Meghan havent joined Kate and Prince William at an official Royal outing since July. The family attended the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force Celebration at Buckingham Palace.

The couples saw one another recently at Princess Eugenies wedding as well.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to join the Royal family once more for a celebration marking Prince Charles's 70th birthday.

The Queen has organized a large party for the future King at Buckingham Palace. According to Hello! Magazine, a reception and dinner will be held in the castle's State Rooms on November 14.

Close family and other European royals will attend. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark confirmed their attendance.

Further details about the party are being carefully guarded.
Tiffany White (above) resigned from her teaching job in Grand Prairie, Texas this week

A special education teacher has resigned after video footage showed her spitting on a student.

Tiffany White resigned from her teaching job in Grand Prairie, Texas after shocking cell phone video of the incident emerged this week, CBS 11 reported.

The video appears to be shot by the student who was spit upon, and does not show what sparked the altercation.

Strangely, White herself appears to be filming as she expectorates upon the student, though footage shot from her vantage point has yet to emerge.

'Due to the nature of that interaction, the teacher was immediately placed on administrative leave and will not be returning to the classroom,' said Grand Prairie Independent School District in a statement.

The video (above) appears to be shot by the student who was spit upon, and does not show what sparked the altercation

'The safety and dignity of our students is paramount to providing a nurturing environment where students can learn and be successful.'

Grand Prairie Police told CBS 11: 'The parents had the option to file charges but decided not to pursue it.'

Other parents at the school expressed their shock at the incident.

Strangely, White herself appears to be filming as she expectorates upon the student, though footage shot from her vantage point has yet to emerge

'To me being the parent of a special needs son, I have an autistic son who is in the 7th grade, any parent who is taking care of or working with those children,' parent Doris Brown told the CBS affiliate.

'You have to have patience and understanding and to spit on them would portray the wrong type of behavior to that individual,' Brown said.

She continued: 'I think that person should be removed from that position and they need to offer more training on how to communicate and display appropriate behavior to those type of children.'
There can be few novels that better capture the essence of old-fashioned Britishness than The Wind In The Willows, with its gentle arcadia of friendship, fellowship and a simple life.

Much loved by millions of readers young and old since it was first published in October 1908, Kenneth Grahames tale of Mole, Ratty and Badger and the comeuppance of bumptious Toad is as enchanting as ever.

A winsome snapshot of bucolic upper-middle-class life before the First World War, it enthrals even 21st century audiences. It is something of a shock, then, to discover in a new biography that his tale of innocence was the product of unending personal horrors  sudden death, a loveless childhood, a bleak and sexless marriage and the very worst of family tragedies.

Reading Eternal Boy  author Matthew Dennisons compelling account of Grahames life  you long for him to find the comforts and peace of mind that the creatures who populate the river bank and the Wild Wood enjoy.

Marital woe: Kenneth Grahame (right) and wife Elspeth (left). Grahame was stalked by misfortune at every turn

But in vain. Grahame was stalked by misfortune at every turn.

Born in 1859, the son of an Edinburgh lawyer, he spent his early days in the idyllic West Highland countryside beside Loch Fyne in Argyll. A dreamer of a boy, even then he loved the water, boats, animals and birds.

He was just five when the happy-go-lucky mother he doted on succumbed to scarlet fever and died at the age of 27, her parting words were poignant: Its all been so lovely. It wasnt for Kenneth from that point on.

His father, already a problem drinker, hit the bottle even harder and unable to cope with his grief, let alone his children, farmed out Kenneth, sister Helen, brother Willie and baby Roland to their grandmother in her Thames-side house in Berkshire, England, 500 miles away.

It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement but  apart from a few months when their father tried to make a home for them again in Scotland but failed and exiled himself to France  they never lived with him again.

Mary Inglis, their mothers mother, was a 60-year-old widow, stern of nature, always short of money and affection and totally unsuited to take on four youngsters.

Reading Eternal Boy  author Matthew Dennisons compelling account of Grahames life  you long for him to find the comforts and peace of mind that the creatures who populate the river bank and the Wild Wood enjoy. From left to right: Ratty, Badger, Mole and Toad

Feeling unwanted and unloved, the orphan boy withdrew into his own imagination. He watched the world from a position of self-containment, writes Dennison, as an observer, not even bothering much with his siblings.

And thats how he stayed, keeping his emotions in check. Only his imagination ran wild.

When he was sent off to a boarding school in Oxford, he thrived there, became head boy and hoped in his heart to go on to the university. Instead he was hoicked out at 16  lack of funds  and sent to work as a clerk in an office, a pale-faced quill-driver as he described himself.

Joining the Bank of England as a gentleman clerk, he knuckled down to the tedious work of cash-books and ledgers, a serious-minded young man, but one who also enjoyed the rituals and camaraderies of office life.

He got on well there professionally, too, rising up through the ranks over the next 30 years until he was Secretary, one of its top three positions. That, though, was only half of his life. In his spare time, he amused himself by writing erudite essays, which he sent to magazines and newspapers.

Troubled: Grahame's only son Alistair

A regular contributor alongside W. B. Yeats, J. M. Barrie, Rudyard Kipling and H. G. Wells, he was quietly making a name for himself in London literary circles.

He wrote stories too about childhood, laced with nostalgia for the pleasures that had been snatched away from him. They were published in book form, to considerable acclaim, as The Golden Age, and Dream Days.

He shared a sequence of homes in London, flats and houses in Chelsea and Kensington with various male friends  as Victorian and Edwardian gentlemen of his generation and class often did without a hint of impropriety.

Later know-alls in a culture hooked on sex might conclude that he must have been homosexual  repressed, at the very least. The fact is that he was totally (and cheerfully) ignorant of sex and women: he couldnt care less. He had his male friends  his Ratties, Moles and Badgers  with whom he spent his leisure time in London, drinking, talking, chugging on his pipe. And he had his passions  his writing at home and his holidays to the countryside.

And in that masculine, if somewhat childlike, contentment he could  should  have stayed. Women were a mystery to him. He kept away from them.

But then in 1897, the ferociously strong-minded Elspeth Thomson came into his life.

In her mid-30s, she, like him, was desperately naive and emotionally unfilled. She had literary pretensions: as a girl she had known giants like Mark Twain and Alfred Tennyson, had aspired to be a novelist and a poet but had not made the grade. She latched onto Grahame. Her pursuit, writes Dennison, was single-minded and unwavering, by turns assertive and submissive, pathetic, frustrated, loving.

Grahame, until now gauche around the opposite sex, was flattered by her attention. In the end, he succumbed. It was as if, nearing 40, with his position in the City secured and a position in society to uphold, he told himself he needed a wife.

Theirs was a strange courtship, carried out almost entirely by letter. They gave each other fictitious names  he was Dino, she was Minkie  and he pledged his devotion and physical ardour in faux-Cockney and baby talk while she responded in the language of a West Country milkmaid. The correspondence was mawkish, coquettish and cringe-making.

At times he drew back, suggesting they live together rather than go the whole hog. But Elspeth was having none of that. She wanted a ring on her finger and a future with a man she undoubtedly loved.

And so they married, almost casually, after Grahame couldnt bring himself to tell Elspeth he had changed his mind. The wedding was a low-key affair in Cornwall.

He regretted the marriage from almost the moment it began, as indeed did Elspeth. For her part, the problem was sex  or, rather, the lack of it. He was cold, and barely came near her.

A winsome snapshot of bucolic upper-middle-class life before the First World War, it enthrals even 21st century audiences

Within weeks she was complaining of her disillusion to a friend, Emma, the wife of Thomas Hardy, who was similarly thwarted by her husband. Emma advised her that love proper and enduring was simply not in mens nature.

Grahame, equally unhappy, had come to the same conclusion. Hed worried all along about the act of sex, promising himself that, when it came to it, he would try and be depraved  a clue to how he visualised it.

His child-like imagination cast women as storybook fairies and princesses. He couldnt cope with the distasteful reality and recoiled from Elspeth, preferring to re-read Treasure Island for the 20th time and play with his collection of toys and china dolls.

From the outset, they led separate lives in the house they shared in Kensington, he retreating gratefully to the solitude of his study, which, a friend recalled, resembled a nursery.

Bewildered by the rejection, Elspeth put on a brave face, kept up an appearance of marital contentment for their many visitors but became bitter inside. In poems she wrote of his cold eyes and her broken heart.

The surprise, though, is that, despite the rapid disintegration of their married life, they must have been physically close at least once, probably on their honeymoon in St Ives. Within weeks she was pregnant, and in May 1900 gave birth to a son, Alistair, known as Mouse.

It is something of a shock, then, to discover in a new biography that his tale of innocence was the product of unending personal horrors  sudden death, a loveless childhood, a bleak and sexless marriage and the very worst of family tragedies

In this new human being, was there some hope for them after all? Not a chance. Unsuccessful partners and unsuccessful lovers, writes Dennison grimly, they became unsuccessful parents.

Poor Mouse was born half-blind and, sadly, dull-witted. But his parents chose to consider him remarkable, a prodigy born for some high purpose, and, as he grew up, they encouraged him in this mistaken belief, to the point where he became a braggart, all conceit and boasting  rather like Toad would turn out, in fact.

Not that his parents played a huge part in his upbringing. Elspeth, traumatised by the birth, lapsed into semi-invalidism, Kenneth was preoccupied by work and the boy was left with nannies and maids for weeks on end.

Yet in the little time he spent with his son, Grahame entertained him with made-up bedtime stories, about a mole, a water rat, a badger and their attempts to rein in the lazy, self-important Mr Toad, bringing to life their personalities and their adventures.

When he was away from the boy, he wrote letters continuing the tale. After five years, they would coalesce into the draft of a book. By then he had left the Bank of England, his health not good, the work over-demanding. He had been subjected to an unsettling incident when a madman with a grievance against the bank came to Threadneedle Street and fired three pistol shots at him, all of which fortunately missed.

He regretted the marriage from almost the moment it began, as indeed did Elspeth. For her part, the problem was sex  or, rather, the lack of it. He was cold, and barely came near her

He resigned, taking a modest pension, though there is some suggestion that he had also fallen out with the new governor and may well have quietly been sacked.

Liberated, the family abandoned their London home for a cottage in the Berkshire country, close to the Thames. He went back to lazily messing about in boats, while the increasingly shrewish Elspeth went downhill  becoming mean, ill-kempt in grubby cardigans, domineering, strident and hectoring.

In this suffocating atmosphere, Grahames riverbank stories might not have been written and published had it not been for an American writer, Constance Smedley. She knew and admired his previous writings and visited on the spur of the moment.

There she eavesdropped on his bedtime ritual with Mouse, spotted the potential for a best-seller and pressed him to write. As a publishing venture, it was a slow-burn.

Grahames usual publisher, Bodley Head, turned it down, as did several magazines who were offered individual chapters to print. Eventually Methuen accepted the manuscript, but with reservations. There would be no advance paid, just royalties on sales  a risk for any author if it didnt do well.

And at first it didnt. The reviews were rotten, with the august Times Literary Supplement dismissing it as a negligible contribution to natural history. Bit by bit, though, it took off. Not only was its writing lyrical but, in the increasing political, social and economic turmoil of the post-Victorian era, it also caught peoples nostalgia for a safe and settled past.

Dennison dubs The Wind In The Willows an exercise in denial.

Grahame poured his own yearning into it  excising all the bad bits of life in general and his own life in particular. Here is a cosy male world, devoid of weary sex problems (as he phrased it), confrontation and unpleasantness.

It was, he told the president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, a fan of his, an expression of the simplest joys of life. And yet there was one more joy to be snatched away from him. The troubled boy Mouse grew into an even more troubled teenager.

He lasted just six miserable weeks of schooling at Rugby. A year at Eton followed before he had a nervous breakdown and left there, too. A private tutor took him on and, after a word in the right places from his father, he was found a place at Christ Church, Oxford. That too went wrong. He failed to make friends, ploughed his exams and in 1920, on the verge of his 20th birthday, laid his head on a railway line and ended it all.

This time there was no escape for Grahame into a concocted fantasy world. He and Elspeth  still tied together in their self-destructive non-marriage but united at last in grief  left England for Italy, stuffing themselves with food and wine and visiting hundreds of churches.

Returning to England after four years, they chose a house close to the river in Pangbourne, where they lived an almost hermit-like existence until in 1932 he died in his sleep from a brain haemorrhage, aged 73.

Elspeth lived on for another 14 years, devoting herself to the memory of the husband who couldnt stand her and totally re-writing the history of their dismal marriage in misleadingly saccharine tones.

In righting the wrongs of the past, she also put herself forward as the real inspiration behind The Wind In The Willows, when in fact shed had nothing to do with it.

But, if that was her escape from the truth, then it was in keeping with her husbands life and philosophy. His habit of mind, he admitted after his sons suicide, was to take refuge from the rubs and disappointments of a life where things go eternally askew, in our imaginary world, where we have things exactly as we want them.

From his escapism, he created a book, as he himself wrote, for those who keep the spirit of youth alive in them; of sunshine, running water, woodlands, dusty roads, winter fire-sides.

On its 110th anniversary, The Wind In The Willows, continues to weave its welcome spell of fantasy  perhaps needed more now than ever.
While shopping for a violin, folk musician Sam Sweeney was enchanted by the really pure and melancholic tone of one particular instrument.

So he bought it and, after taking it home, looked inside the fiddles body and saw it bore a signature.

The name was Richard S Howard of Leeds, and the date 1915. But it looked like it hadnt been around for that long, said Mr Sweeney, 29, who was BBC Radio 2s folk musician of the year in 2015 and is artistic director of the National Youth Folk Ensemble.

Sam Sweeney (pictured) said he was enchanted by the violin which he discovered was made by a hero soldier

The violin which was built by Richard S Howard propped up against his grave stone

Intrigued, he researched the violins history and, with the help of his genealogist father Chris, discovered that it had been made by Richard Spencer Howard, a music hall performer who had begun crafting it before being called up  and was killed before the violin was completed or he had had a chance to play it.

Richard Howard (pictured) had been a music hall performer who was called up in 1916 and joined the Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment

Private Howard joined the Duke of Wellingtons Regiment (West Riding) in 1916 and was killed on the first day of the Battle of Messines in Belgium on June 7, 1917.

He had a wife, Martha, and a young daughter Rose. But he had not yet put together the carved pieces of the violin he had made at their home in Leeds.

Mr Sweeneys father was assisted in his research because the 1911 census was filled in by the head of the household in his own handwriting: the signature matched that on the violin. They also found out when and where Private Howard died, his grave and his granddaughter Mary Sterry, the daughter of Rose, who was unaware of her grandfathers poignant story.

Last year, Mrs Sterry and other relatives gathered at Private Howards graveside in Ypres and Sam Sweeney played the violin on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the soldiers death.

Mr Sweeney, a former member of the folk band Bellowhead, said: Playing over the grave was incredibly emotional. We were all just stood there sobbing.

He was unknown, and all of a sudden there I was playing his fiddle to him.

Now he has recorded his debut solo album, The Unfinished Violin, using the instrument to play traditional tunes which the Army marched to and an original composition, Rose Howard.

Mr Sweeney found the violin (pictured) in Roger Claridges violin shop in Oxford ten years ago and paid around 2,500 for it

Mrs Sterry, 74, who lives in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, with her husband Dudley, said: Its a beautiful story. As a child, Id heard nothing but your grandfather died in the First World War. It was in that era when people just didnt talk about those sort of things.

Mr Sweeney found the violin in Roger Claridges violin shop in Oxford ten years ago and paid around 2,500 for it.

Mr Claridge had bought it when it was in pieces at an auction and completed it earlier that year.

The Unfinished Violin album was released yesterday by Island Records.

The violin featured an inscription of Richard F.Howard's initials
Alhaji Grunshi was a lance corporal in the Gold Coast Regiment

In all the many histories of the Great War, its safe to say that Alhaji Grunshi rarely makes much of an appearance.

But he should. For the little-known lance corporal in the Gold Coast Regiment has the distinction of being the first member of His Majestys forces to fire a shot in 1914.

And last night the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall helped commemorate the occasion far from the poppy fields of Flanders.

The royal couple dined in the High Commission in Accra in Ghana  formerly the Gold Coast  and paid tribute to L/Cpl Grunshi.

While most of the attention as the centenary armistice nears is on the Tommies in France and Belgium, the fighting across the then vast British Empire is sometimes neglected. Three days after Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914, L/Cpl Grunshi, fired his shot at a squadron of German-led armed police in Togo, which adjoined the Gold Coast.

The first British bullet in France was not fired until more than a fortnight later.

The little-known tale from Togo  then known as Togoland, Germanys sole West African colony  was last night recounted to Charles and Camilla by Britains leading female black architect, Elsie Owusu.

She dined with the couple, and gained their help in promoting the set of medals she has produced to mark L/Cpl Grunshis shot. Ghana-born Miss Owusu has worked to link artists and goldsmiths in Britain and Ghana in the project.

Sir Peter Blake  who created the Beatles Sgt Pepper album cover  designed the medals using traditional West African symbols, and pure Ghana gold. The medals will be on display this month in London jeweller Cox and Power.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall paid tribute to the hero as part of their visit to Ghana

Miss Owusu said: People sometimes forget the contribution made to Britains First World War by soldiers and others from across the Empire. L/Cpl Alhaji Grunshi certainly played his distinguished part alongside other soldiers from the Gold Coast.

L/Cpl Grunshi fought on until the end of the war. He was Mentioned in Despatches, was promoted to sergeant, and received the Military Medal in 1919 for his exploits in the East Africa Campaign. Togoland did not hold out for long in 1914, surrendering after just a few weeks.
A judge won't halt legal proceedings in a case that accuses President Donald Trump of violating a constitutional ban on federal officials accepting benefits from foreign or state governments unless Congress had approved it.

The Justice Department was turned down by U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte in Maryland. His one-page order Friday means that Trump's critics may soon gain access to financial records related to the Trump Organization's hotel near the White House.

Bringing the case are the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia. Their legal teams have said they plan to move forward quickly with legal discovery, and will try to seek information and financial records that may include Trump's long-hidden income tax returns.

Trump has been fighting multiple lawsuits that argue that foreign representatives' spending money at the Trump International Hotel is a violation of the U.S. Constitution's emoluments clause, which bans federal officials from accepting benefits from foreign or state governments without congressional approval.

Sued: The attorneys general of the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia are pursuing Trump over his ownership of his Washington D.C. hotel

FILE - This Dec. 21, 2016 file photo shows the Trump International Hotel at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in Washington. The Justice Department is asking a federal judge to let them file a legal appeal that could, for now, keep President Donald Trump's critics from gaining access to financial records related to his Washington hotel. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

In a sally to prevent the case moving on to legal discovery - which would potentially unearth financial records such as Trump's income tax returns - Justice Department lawyers had asked Messitte to put the case on hold while they appeal his decision to a higher court in Richmond, Virginia.

The plaintiffs, the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia, have said they plan to move forward quickly with discovery - for example, seeking information from the hotel, a Trump hotel steakhouse and the General Services Administration as well as the president's financial records.

In court documents, the Justice Department objected to any discovery on a sitting president in his official capacity because of separation of powers concerns, in order to avoid a 'constitutional confrontation' between two branches of government.

Justice lawyers had argued that the 'public interest is decidedly in favor of a stay because any discovery would necessarily be a distraction to the President's performance of his constitutional duties.'

The emoluments clause has never been fully tested in an American courtroom. Two other lawsuits accusing the president of violating the emoluments clause are also being heard in other federal courts. Neither has reached the discovery stage.

Messitte's earlier ruling in July that an emolument 'extends to any profit, gain or advantage' was the first time a federal judge had defined the term's application to the president.

It is that definition, and the argument that the plaintiffs have suffered actual harm and have a right to sue, that the Justice Department wants reviewed by a higher court.

The plaintiffs have argued that Trump - who has declined to divest from his assets as president - is capitalizing on the presidency and causing harm to businesses trying to compete with his Washington hotel, which is just steps from the White House.

The Justice Department has said earnings from business activities, including hotel room stays, don't qualify as emoluments. Its attorneys have argued that under Maryland and D.C.'s interpretation, no federal official would even be able to own stock from a foreign company that provides profits or collects royalties.

The case raises important questions and should provide 'clarity on the boundaries of what a president can do while in office,' said Ted Boutrous, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP who's been keeping an eye on all the cases, but isn't involved.

'The discovery would be interesting too,' he added with a laugh.
Opp parties assured govt full cooperation to deal with protesters: Fawad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government Thursday approached the opposition parties to take them into confidence on the strategy being formulated to deal with the elements holding protests in several cities across the country against acquittal of Asia Bibi by the Supreme Court in a high-profile blasphemy case.



A government delegation, upon Prime Minister Imran Khans directives, met with Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto and took them into confidence regarding the future course of action, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told reporters, adding that the opposition had assured the government of full cooperation on its strategy to deal with the protesters.We will move forward with the oppositions support, he said, adding that any steps taken by the government would be in accordance with the wishes of the parliament.All state institutions and opposition parties are supporting the governments stance on the issue, he added.



Fawad said the government had also entered talks with protesters.Negotiations are ongoing in Lahore and Rawalpindi and I will be able to say something about them later, he said, but warned that any attempts to incite violence would not be allowed.All those found involved in defying the writ of the state will have to pay the price, he maintained.



Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister of State for Interior Sheheryar Afridi, Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Minister Noorul Qadri and Minister for National Food Security and Research Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan are part of the committee formed by the prime minister to finalise a strategy on the future course of action, including dialogue with the protesters.



Later, speaking at a press conference following an emergency meeting of the federal cabinet, Fawad Chaudhry made it clear that the government intends to avoid use of force against the protesters, saying the States leniency should not be mistaken for weakness.The States intent to avoid use of force to remove protesters must not be construed as a sign of weakness, he said.No one can be allowed to dictate the government, he said. Such elements must not pose a challenge to the government or clash with the state.The minister advised the protesters to choose the path of the constitution and the law. Those challenging the government shouldnt be under any wrong impression. The kind of fight that Pakistans forces have fought at the borders  nobody should be under the impression that the state is weak. You cannot fight the state. You will not even know what happened to you, the minister warned.



Fawad said the government, the prime minister and the ministers have immense love for Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), saying no one should have any doubt about that. Institutions, army and judiciary work under the constitution, he said. Prime Minister Imran Khan has so much respect for the city of Medina Munawara that he landed bare foot at the airport and then went to the Masjid-e-Nabvi, offered prayers and prayed for the progress and prosperity of the country, he added.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that the order to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi's came from the highest levels of the Saudi government.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post on Friday, Mr Erdogan said: 'We must reveal the identities of the puppet masters behind Khashoggi's killing.'

However, the Turkish president said he did not believe that Saudi King Salman had ordered the killing.

Erdogan says does not believe 'for a second' that King Salman had ordered 'the hit' on Khashoggi and he also refrained from directly accusing the crown prince.

In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) says that he believes the order to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi's came from the highest level of the Saudi government

He also said that Turkey's friendship with Saudi Arabia did not mean that it could turn a blind eye to the killing of the journalist last month in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

An adviser to Erdogan said last week that MbS, as the crown prince is informally known, had 'blood on his hands' over Khashoggis killing.

The comments were the bluntest yet from someone linked to Erdogan about Riyadh's de facto ruler's role in the death.

In a warning, Erdogan added: 'No one should dare to commit such acts on the soil of a NATO ally again. If anyone chooses to ignore that warning, they will face severe consequences.'

Earlier, an advisor to the Turkish President Erdogan said that Khashoggi's body was cut up and dissolved in acid after he was strangled inside the Saudi consulate.

Yasin Aktay, an official in Turkey's ruling party, said on Friday that it appears Khashoggi's body was dismembered so it would be easier to melt.

The theory would explain why, a month after his murder, Saudi Arabia has not handed over the journalist's remains and no trace of his body has been found.

Elsewhere on Friday, it was claimed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Khashoggi a 'dangerous Islamist' to Trump officials shortly after he vanished.

Salman told Jared Kushner and National Security Adviser John Bolton that Khashoggi was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood during a phone call a few days after the journalist went missing, but before Saudi acknowledged he was dead.

Jamal Khashoggi's body was dissolved in acid after he was strangled inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey, and adviser to President Erdogan has said

Elsewhere it was claimed that Mohammed bin Salman called Jared Kushner and John Bolton and branded Khashoggi a 'dangerous Islamist'

The kingdom's de-facto ruler also urged Kushner and Bolton to maintain US-Saudi relations in the face of the growing scandal.

Khashoggi's family have repeatedly denied that the reporter - a Saudi regime insider turned critic - was a member of the Brotherhood, calling suggestions that he was dangerous 'ridiculous'.

Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official, told the Washington Post: 'This is character assassination added to premeditated murder.'

Salman's remarks to Kushner and Bolton also stand in stark contrast to his public statements since acknowledging that Khashoggi was killed by his officials.

Speaking at a business summit in Riyadh, in which he managed to sign business deals worth $50billion despite the killing, Salman said the killing was 'very painful, for all Saudis.'

Saudi Arabia hosts Christian summit Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a rare meeting with American evangelical Christians on Thursday, as the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom seeks to open up more to the world and repair an image of religious intolerance. The delegation was led by communications strategist Joel Rosenberg and included former U.S. congresswoman Michele Bachmann, according to an emailed statement by the group, as well as heads of American evangelical organizations, some with ties to Israel. 'It was a historic moment for the Saudi Crown Prince to openly welcome Evangelical Christian leaders to the Palace. We were encouraged by the candor of the two-hour conversation with him today,' the statement said. The delegation also met Saudi officials including Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Khalid bin Salman, and secretary-general of the Muslim World League Mohammed al-Issa. Advertisement

His regime has tried to paint the murder as the work of rogue elements within the Saudi state, which he has pledged to reform, and he called it 'not justifiable'.

Saudi Arabia initially denied having anything to do with Khashoggi's disappearance after he entered their consulate in Turkey, saying he left through a back entrance.

Their story then changed to say he had accidentally died during a fist fight with officials inside, before they admitted his killing was 'premeditated'.

Turkish prosecutors have since said they believe Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he walked into the building before his body was dismembered and disposed of.

Khashoggi's friends and Salman's critics believe the prince personally ordered the journalist's killing, and have called for him to be removed from office in its wake.

Trump has publicly and privately fumed about the murder, calling it the 'worst cover-up ever' and suggesting that Salman bears ultimate responsibility.

However, he has also said he is loathe to tear up arms agreements with the kingdom totalling billions of dollars on which thousands of American jobs rely.

So far the West's response has been muted, with leaders condemning the killing but taking only token action against Saudi - one of their closest allies in the Middle East.

America has placed travel bans on 21 Saudi officials implicated by the kingdom in the killing, and has begun calling for an end to the war in Yemen.

Salman ordered Saudi troops into the country, the Middle East's poorest, in 2015.

John Bolton and Jared Kushner, who took the call, were urged not to abandon US-Saudi ties in the face of the growing scandal

The news comes as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mulls what action to take against Saudi, and suggested on Friday that sanctions could be ready in a couple of weeks

Since then the country has been at the centre of a cholera outbreak as conditions deteriorated, with half the population now facing pre-famine conditions according to rights groups.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it would take 'a handful more weeks' before the US has enough evidence to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia.

However, he said the sanctions would focus on individuals responsible for Khashoggi's death, suggesting that the US is following Salman's line and holding 'rogue elements' responsible, rather than the kingdom and its leadership as a whole.

'We're continuing to understand the fact pattern,' Pompeo said Thursday during an interview with Missouri-based KMOX news radio.

'We are reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals that we have been able to identify to date that have - that were engaged in that murder.

'It'll take us probably a handful more weeks before we have enough evidence to actually put those sanctions in place, but I think we'll be able to get there,' he said, adding that President Donald Trump had vowed accountability for all involved in the 'heinous crime'.

The top US diplomat has previously said the killing 'violates the norms of international law.'

But Pompeo emphasized, as Trump has, that 'not only do we have important commercial relationships, but important strategic relationships, national security relationships with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we intend to make sure that those relationships remain intact.'

Speaking at a journalism awards ceremony Thursday, Fred Ryan, Publisher and CEO of the Washington Post which Khashoggi wrote for, urged the Trump administration to take a tougher line.

'When officials of our government are asked about consequences for Jamal's murder, they often talk about 'balancing our interests in the area,'' he said.

'The 'Khashoggi incident' is viewed in some respects as a 'complication' in a far more important strategic relationship.

'But Jamal's death is more than a 'complication.' It is vicious, state-sponsored murder of an innocent journalist,' he added, calling on the government to suspend arms deals with Riyadh and not resume 'business as usual' with the kingdom.

'If those who persecute journalists get away with their crimes - and are allowed to continue with business as usual - it only invites more of the same,' he said.

Khashoggi's fiancee says killing 'cannot be forgotten' Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, wrote a new opinion piece in The Washington Post on Friday She said: 'It has been exactly one month since my fiance, the celebrated journalist Jamal Khashoggi, entered Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul never to return. 'Today is also United Nations International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. The coincidence is tragic and painful Hatice Cengiz urged Trump to take strong action against Saudi after Khashoggi's death 'As we witness the international outrage at his killing, the perpetrators should know that they can never erase his vision for his beloved country. They have only emboldened it. 'It is now up to the international community to bring the perpetrators to justice. Of all nations, the United States should be leading the way. 'The country was founded on the ideals of liberty and justice for all, the First Amendment enshrining the ideals personified by Jamal. But the Trump administration has taken a position that is devoid of moral foundation. 'Some have approached this through the cynical prism of self-interest - statements framed by fear and cowardice; by the fear of upsetting deals or economic ties. 'Some in Washington are hoping this matter will be forgotten with simple delaying tactics. But we will continue to push the Trump administration to help find justice for Jamal. There will be no coverup. 'I am not naive. I know that governments operate not on feelings but on mutual interests. 'However, they must all ask themselves a fundamental question: If the democracies of the world do not take genuine steps to bring to justice the perpetrators of this brazen, callous act - one that has caused universal outrage among their citizens - what moral authority are they left with? Whose freedom and human rights can than credibly continue to defend? 'At the consulate, I was left at the door alone. I am the one story Jamal did not complete. Now everyone, together, must help finish it and carry the torch of Jamal's soul until his dream is realized. READ THE FULL PIECE HERE Advertisement

Saudi loses swagger on world stage after Khashoggi crisis

By AFP

Saudi Arabia's crown prince retains an iron grip on power at home, but the growing outcry over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder has diminished his stature - and leverage - on the global stage, analysts say.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old heir to the most powerful throne in the Middle East, won international plaudits for his drive to remake the conservative petrostate while he amassed power to a degree unseen by previous rulers.

But last month's killing of Khashoggi - a critic of the crown prince - inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has tainted his global image, even though the kingdom strongly denies its de facto ruler was involved.

Mohammed bin Salman won friends and funding from around the world by promising to reform Saudi Arabia, but his image has now been badly tarnished

'There's an atmosphere right now where Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government and the prince personally are seen as somewhat radioactive,' said Hussein Ibish, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

'It's not clear how long that's going to continue, but right now Saudi Arabia is, if not exactly an international pariah, at least a tainted entity,' Ibish told AFP.

The global fallout over the murder so far has not threatened to unseat the prince, especially after his domestic crackdown on dissent, effectively neutering his political rivals, and his tightening grip on military and security agencies.

In the kingdom, an absolute monarchy, only 82-year-old King Salman - the prince's father - is in a position to oust him, and he has indicated he wants him to stay.

US President Donald Trump, a strong ally, has accused the Saudis of a massive 'cover up' but has stopped short of rupturing ties with the prince, who diplomats predict could rule the kingdom for a half-century to come.

'He is going nowhere,' Ali Shihabi, chief of the Arabia Foundation think tank that is said to be close to the kingdom's leadership, told AFP.

The threat of US sanctions still hangs over the kingdom, but analysts expect little punitive action against the world's top oil exporter that is also a major buyer of American weapons and a key ally against regional rival Iran.

'Even if this leads to more severe penalties should Prince Mohammed's responsibility for the crime be proven, he will not only survive, but will also use the backlash to entrench himself further domestically,' said Yezid Sayigh, a fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut.

The crisis has placed pressure upon the Saudi regime and calls for Salman to stand down, but this does not appear likely as he has an iron grip on power (pictured, the Saudi consulate)

'When under pressure, autocratic rulers do not relinquish power, they double down, no matter what the cost, and Mohammed bin Salman is in a better position than most.'

There were rumblings of intrigue with the return this week to Riyadh of senior Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who recently courted controversy after appearing critical of the king and crown prince.

His return after several months in London indicated possible royal family efforts to shore up support for the monarchy amid the crisis.

'Something is happening in the ruling Al Saud family circles,' said Gregory Gause, Saudi specialist at Texas A&M University.

'The return of Prince Ahmed from London signals that. But just what is happening is opaque.'

As outrage over Khashoggi's murder builds globally, world leaders could try to leverage Saudi Arabia's defensive position to wrangle concessions or seek an upper hand in diplomatic negotiations.

'He (the prince) is weakened. And Saudi Arabia is weakened,' said Ibish.

'There's now an added cost to... cooperating or partnering with Saudi Arabia in general, the government in particular and, especially, the crown prince.'

The Khashoggi crisis has shone a harsh spotlight on other issues such as Saudi Arabia's intervention in neighbouring Yemen, where its bombing campaign has led to a military stalemate and what aid workers call a humanitarian catastrophe.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week demanded a ceasefire within a month, including a halt to air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition.

There is also growing speculation of a behind-the-scenes engagement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who earlier vowed to reveal the 'naked truth' about Khashoggi's killing but has so far failed to produce any smoking gun.

Stoking such speculation last week was Prince Mohammed's surprisingly conciliatory tone on Qatar - allied with Turkey - after Saudi Arabia and its allies spent more than a year enforcing an embargo against the tiny gas-rich emirate.

Analysts say that may well be the first step in acceding to Erdogan's wishes that Saudi Arabia end its crippling blockade on Qatar.

Back home, Saudi nationalists have sought to rally around the prince with adulatory poems on social media as officials project it is business as usual with public events such as a glitzy wrestling extravaganza in the capital on Friday.

To many Saudis Khashoggi's killing seems remote, and their views appear influenced by suggestions in local media that this was all a foreign conspiracy to malign the prince.

But many others are shocked by the global backlash.

'The killing of a journalist naturally should be met with outrage, but many of the kingdom's critics seem bent on dragging Saudi Arabia through the mud,' a Saudi political analyst told AFP.

'This murder is an aberration that will inevitably lead to serious introspection.'
Beaming with joy, Marie Neal, 49, cradles the baby she never thought she would have.

More than ten years ago, the legal secretary was told she had been through the menopause at 36 and would not be able to have children.

But after spending 60,000 and enduring nine rounds of IVF  including two miscarriages and three life-threatening ectopic pregnancies  she has confounded doctors who warned her not to risk trying again by giving birth to a daughter.

Essie arrived on August 10, weighing a healthy 7lb 13oz.

Her mother said: It has been such a long and emotional journey that, even now, I cant quite believe I am finally a mum.

Marie Neal suffered two miscarriages and three life-threatening ectopic pregnancies before she confounded doctors who warned her not to risk trying again by getting pregnant

Marie and Dale beat the odds and were delighted to welcome Essie who was born on August 10, weighing 7lb 13oz

Mrs Neal, who lives with her husband Dale, also 49, a hairdresser, in Nelson, Lancashire, added: I keep looking at Essie and thinking this is just a wonderful dream. Dale and I are living in a baby bubble. We savour every special moment.

The couple, who have been together for 12 years and married eight years ago, began trying for a baby in their late 30s.

They were devastated when, after she failed to conceive, doctors said she had already gone through the menopause.

The consultant said Id probably gone through it aged 36, she said. Id always imagined Id have children, but it wasnt until doctors told me I couldnt have any that I realised how important having a family was. It was a terrible shock because with no more eggs, it meant Id never have a biological child of my own.

The couple decided to go ahead with IVF using a donor egg and Mr Neals sperm.

Marie and Dale Neal went through nine round of IVF costing 60,000 before Essie was born

Mrs Neal said: I keep looking at Essie and thinking this is just a wonderful dream. Dale and I are living in a baby bubble. We savour every special moment

After a year waiting to be matched with a donor, at 42, Dale and Marie had their first IVF cycle, but it failed

Mrs Neal said: After reading how donor egg babies take in much of the pregnant mums DNA while growing in the womb, I felt happy about it.

After a year waiting to be matched with a donor, at 42, they had their first IVF cycle, but it failed.

Six months later, she became pregnant on a second IVF attempt. Devastatingly, at six weeks she miscarried.

A third attempt also resulted in a pregnancy, but it was ectopic. It was terrible knowing I was pregnant but the baby wouldnt survive as it moved into the fallopian tube, Mrs Neal said.

A fourth attempt also resulted in another ectopic pregnancy, and a fifth attempt proved negative.

Mrs Neal said: That was due to be our final go. We had decided if we hadnt had a baby by the age of 45, we would try to content ourselves with a life without children.

After having two miscarriages and three ecoptic pregnancies, doctors said trying again would be risking her life, but Maris could not face a future without a child

Six months after the first round of IVF failed, Marie became pregnant on a second IVF attempt, but devastatingly, at six weeks she miscarried

The couple's third attempt at IVF also resulted in a pregnancy, but it was ectopic, as was the fourth round

I even bought books about making a life without kids but, at the same time, friends were having babies. I was so happy for them but, at the same time, I wanted to experience that joy myself. I couldnt accept not being a mum.

So in January 2015, the couple went to a clinic in Prague which Mrs Neal had researched online. Their first attempt there resulted in a positive test, but once again Mrs Neal had a miscarriage.

In July 2016, they tried again in Prague, but she experienced an incredibly rare and dangerous type of ectopic pregnancy and had to have the embryo removed. Six months later, an eighth attempt proved negative.

The clinic had some frozen embryos left from the Neals previous attempts and offered them a final IVF round for free  but it was still a difficult decision. UK doctors warned it could be dangerous because of her age.

Marie said when she was told by doctors she went through the menopause at 36, 'it was a terrible shock because with no more eggs, it meant Id never have a biological child of my own'

Yet I was still desperate, she said. Forty-nine was the cut-off age for the clinic in Prague. I knew if I got to 50 that would be the end of the journey. The final attempt was successful.

Mrs Neal said: From the first scan to when she was born, it was a textbook pregnancy. I had a small, neat bump and felt great.

Essie was born by caesarean section. Everyone in the delivery room was in tears. Many of them knew what wed gone through, Mrs Neal said.

When we tot up how much it cost, it comes to over 60,000 but she was worth all the heartache and worth every penny.
By the autumn of 1918, eight million men had lost their lives in World War I.

One by one Germanys allies were being defeated  Bulgaria in September, Turkey in October and Austria-Hungary in early November.

On October 29, refusing to mount what would inevitably have been a suicidal attack on the Royal Navy, sailors of the German Grand Fleet mutinied and their revolution quickly spread to the army and to German cities.

In Berlin, crowds broke into Kaiser Wilhelms apartments and stole his clothes.

The German people are a bunch of pigs! the monarch responded angrily. He had no choice but to abdicate and flee to Belgium.

Fighting on: Corporal J.E. Brigs and Private P.J. Martinemiko man an Allied anti-Aircraft gun in Raucourt, France, just four days before the signing of Armstice

On the evening of November 7, with their army facing defeat on the battlefield, a German government delegation made its way through the French front lines with a white towel flying from their car.

They were taken to the Compiegne Forest north of Paris, to the private train of Marshal Ferdinand Foch, the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied armies, to begin negotiations for an armistice  an agreement to stop fighting so that a peace treaty could be agreed.

Meanwhile the killing continued.

Sunday, November 10, 1918

3am: Kaiser Wilhelms chauffeur is busy scratching off the painted imperial crown from the side of the vehicle, to make it as anonymous as possible.

The Kaisers aides have decided that neutral Holland will be the best place for him to seek asylum, and that to avoid areas held by hostile revolutionary German soldiers the journey should be made by a combination of royal train and limousine.

Nearby on the royal train, the Kaiser is getting dressed. He is unsure about Holland as a sanctuary, only too aware of the brutal murder of his first cousin Tsar Nicholas in July.

What happens if they turn Bolshevik as well?

Its over: Allied Commander-In-Chief Marshal Ferdinand Foch, front row, second right, oversees The Armstice signing at a railway siding in the Compeigne Forest on November 11, 1918

5am: On Marshal Fochs train in the Compiegne Forest, armistice negotiations are continuing into their second day.

Sentries stand guard among the trees. When, two days earlier, Foch had first seen the six-strong German delegation led by the head of the Catholic Centre Party, Matthias Erzberger, he thought they looked tired out, like hunted animals.

He had said bluntly to Erzberger, What do you want? Do you wish for an armistice? If so, say so!

Erzberger replied: We ask for an armistice.

A German delegate wept as the Allied terms were read out, but Foch was unmoved  he told them they had 72 hours to agree to the terms.

In Belgium, the Kaiser has finally been persuaded that he has no other option but to leave for Holland as soon as possible.

As the royal train pulls out of the station it has an armed officer next to the driver, ready to shoot anyone who tries to stop them. Twenty-five soldiers are standing guard in the carriage corridors.

5.10am: All along the 400-mile Western Front from Switzerland to the Belgian coast, rumours are spreading that an armistice is imminent.

Troops are starting to imagine a different future.

Captain Eric Bird of the British 2nd Division says to his colleagues: Do you realise that we shall probably live to be old men?

But first they must survive the next few hours, as Marshal Foch has ordered them to fight on.

Kaiser Wilhelm wearing his ceremonial uniform with his second wife Princess Hermine of Reuss

There is still plenty of danger for both sides and anxiety among the more experienced soldiers is increasing.

Georg Bucher, a German infantryman since 1914, said: We ducked at the sound of every explosion, which we had never bothered to do before. The old hands fought for the deepest, safest dug-outs.

5.30am: It isnt safe for the royal train to pass through the Belgian city of Liege as it is still held by mutinous German soldiers, so the Kaiser must transfer to his limousine at a small station ten miles away.

The stationmaster leads the Kaiser and his entourage out of the station, but to the Kaisers fury, his chauffeur and the other official cars arent there  they are waiting at another station down the line. He stands fuming in the dark.

7am: The men of the American 321st Infantry Regiment are being taken by truck to Verdun, where one of the bloodiest battles of the war had been fought in 1916.

The Americans have recently arrived in Europe and its their first day on the front line.

They look at the devastated countryside in shock  nothing has been left standing and on the hills they can see the bones of the French dead, bleached white by the elements.

The Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany visits HQ of his son the ex-Crown Prince Wilhelm who commands the the 5th Army Corps

The village of La Bascule on the outskirts of the Belgian town of Mons is in the middle of a battle zone.

For the past 24 hours, German guns in the village have been firing at the advancing Allied armies, which are now only a mile away.

Schoolboy Georges Licope has opened all the windows of his house fearing that if they are closed, the vibrations from the guns will shatter them.

His familys home has been requisitioned by German artillery officers who are meeting there to decide what to do next.

After four years of occupation, Licope and his family are desperate to be liberated.

Kaiser Wilhelm lived the rest of his life in exile at Doorn after his abdication at the end of the Great War

7.30am: Kaiser Wilhelm has finally been reunited with his limousine and they have arrived at the Dutch border near Eijsden.

The German border guards, now revolutionaries, are suspicious of this impressive limousine with evidence of its scratched-off insignia.

The soldiers look inside but dont recognise their former monarch or spot the rifles between the knees of his aides.

One of the Kaisers entourage tells the guards impatiently they are on important business, which they take to mean talks about The Armistice; eager for peace, they wave the convoy through.

Near the Belgian village of Sevry, Private Frank Dunk of the Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment knocks on a farmhouse door.

A woman answers and immediately puts her fingers to her lips, then points inside and whispers: Boche!

Dunk and his unit carefully walk in to the kitchen, guns ready, but the Germans flee by the back door and run across the orchard, leaving their breakfast on the table.

With the permission of the farmers wife, Dunk and the others settle down to finish up the welcome meal of bread, pork and coffee.

8am: In the Compiegne Forest, a French railway worker shows the morning newspapers to the leader of the German delegation, Matthias Erzberger.

He is shocked to see on the front pages that the Kaiser has abdicated  its the first hes known about it.

8.30am: Although the Kaiser has successfully crossed the Dutch border by limousine, he is not yet safe.

He is now on a station platform just inside Holland waiting for the royal train to arrive. The train will be his base while the Dutch government decide if they will grant him asylum.

Kaiser Wilhelm drinking to the health of Doorn residents after they presented him with a summer house

As the Kaiser blows on his hands to keep warm, workers from a nearby factory shake their fists at him and shout: Vive la France!

Finally the train pulls into the station and the Kaiser climbs aboard. The blinds are immediately drawn in case the workers start throwing stones.

9am: At the German prison camp of Rastatt by the River Rhine, it is the morning roll call.

Second Lieutenant George Coles, whose RAF bomber had been shot down in September, takes his usual position on the parade ground.

Coles and the other Allied PoWs are exhausted and half-starved as food is scarce and the camp commandant runs a strict regime.

After a while, Coles notices in amazement that the commandant and his officers are, in fact, standing with the PoWs on parade, looking sheepish and dressed in civilian clothes.

During the night they had been arrested by their own men, who have joined the revolutionary cause, and were forced to surrender their weapons.

Coles and the other PoWs jeer at the commandant as he is led away to the cells.

Near the French-Belgian border, Captain Frank Hitchcock of the Leinster Regiment is leading his men through waterlogged lanes. Since the start of the month it has rained almost every day.

An officer gallops up to Hitchcock shouting: The war is over! The Kaiser has abdicated! Hitchcocks men are too weary to react.

10am: In La Bascule, Georges Licope runs from his house at the sound of aircraft engines.

RAF planes are flying over the village on a reconnaissance mission and they are so low that Licope can see the pilots.

Kaiser Wilhelm and Konig Eduard at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

The German soldiers who have taken over his familys house run out with their rifles and start taking pot-shots at the planes.

An officer shouts at his men to stop  they are unlikely to hit them and are giving away their position to the British.

10.15am: Most of Berlin, by now, is in the hands of Left-wing revolutionaries. Many German army officers have ripped off their epaulettes and the pavements are littered with discarded Iron Crosses.

In the centre of the city an English priest, Reverend Henry Williams, is blocking the path to St Georges, the only Anglican church allowed to remain open in Germany because the Kaiser, Queen Victorias grandson, is its patron.

A gunfight has broken out nearby and Williams is worried that his congregation might get killed taking this route to the 11 oclock service, so he is directing them another way.

In the past four years Williams has survived anti-British hostility and food shortages  now he is having to dodge bullets.

10.30am: The church in the village of Auboncourt in north-east France is full  but not with its usual Sunday congregation.

Marshal Ferdinand Foch was a French soldier and military theorist, and an Allied Generalissimo during the First World War

An infantry regiment of the German 7th Division has assembled here for news of the political situation back home, and the building is full of blue smoke from the soldiers pipes and cigarettes.

An officer reads out a statement saying that a revolution has taken place in Germany, an armistice will soon be signed and they must march home today in good order. The soldiers are stunned by the news.

In London, Sunday morning crowds are surrounding 400 captured German guns that line the Mall from Buckingham Palace to Admiralty Arch.

The news of the Kaisers abdication has created an air of excited anticipation that an armistice is imminent.

Yesterday the German weapons were dragged through the streets by tractors as part of the Lord Mayors Procession.

Children are climbing all over the guns and are trying to get them to work.

11.30am: Captain Frank Hitchcock and his men of the Leinster Regiment trudge into the village of Arc-Ainieres.

The locals come out of their houses carrying bread and butter and fruit for the soldiers.

Not all Belgians have been able to be so generous: Hitchcock has seen villagers so hungry they were tearing flesh off a dead mule with knives and forks.

In Berlin the congregation of St Georges Church are in the middle of singing the hymn Peace, Perfect Peace when there is suddenly a burst of gunfire outside. Reverend Williams smiles at the irony.

Midday: In La Bascule, despite the artillery barrage coming from the German guns, Georges Licope and his family are having lunch almost as calmly as in peacetime.

On the veranda outside, the German officers who have commandeered the house are looking at maps spread out on a table.

Kaiser Wilhelm II and his son ex-Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany at the Chateau des Tilleuls

Suddenly there is an enormous explosion and the dining room windows shatter, sending shards of glass into the room, narrowly missing Georgess father.

The Allied guns have found their target. The Licopes family run for the safety of their cellar.

The walls of the house shake as more shells land and two anxious German soldiers join the family underground; one is crying in shock: Zwei kameraden kaputt!

12.15pm: As the Leinsters enjoy their bread and fruit in the village square, a German shell explodes a few hundred yards away.

They do say the war is over, Private Flaherty says sarcastically to Captain Hitchcock.

2.30pm: Brussels is still occupied by German troops, but an extraordinary mass evacuation is taking place.

Thousands of unarmed German soldiers and sailors are leaving the city, carrying red flags and singing revolutionary songs.

Miss J. H. Gifford, an English teacher who remained at her finishing school when the Germans invaded, watches them pass.

What a dishevelled, ragged, hungry-looking mob they were.

One dared hardly lift an eye as they passed. Such a contrast to that magnificent, invincible-looking force of 1914!

Across France and Belgium the retreating German forces are leaving a deadly trail: leaking gas cylinders are being left under floorboards in houses likely to be used by Allied soldiers as billets; delayed-action mines are buried under roads; booby-trapped helmets, pistols and wine bottles have been left on the battlefield.

5pm: In La Bascule, the German officers are finally moving out of the Licopes home. They call to the family: Tomorrow your English friends will be here. Weve been beaten by a coalition of the whole world!

A few miles away the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII, is writing to his mother Queen Mary.

Although the prince had joined the Grenadier Guards in 1914, as heir to the throne he had been forbidden to fight, but has visited the front line as often as he can.

Earlier the prince had watched the Canadians slowly advance into the town.

I wish they would hurry up and conclude The Armistice as I feel that its such a shame on our troops in the line who are getting killed...what rotten luck to be killed or wounded the last few days of the war!!

6pm: On his train in the Compiegne Forest, Marshal Foch is losing patience with the German delegation who are still prevaricating over terms; they will have to reach agreement soon to meet tomorrows planned 11 oclock deadline.

He sends an impatient message to their railway carriage, asking if they have heard from Berlin whether The Armistice terms have been accepted.

6.15pm: In Belgium, the American 89th Division is beginning an assault on the eastern bank of the River Meuse.

Some officers think its foolish to continue so close to peace, but many American generals have newly arrived in France and are keen to prove themselves in battle.

As one major-general put it: Fighting was our concern and our only concern until we were ordered to stop.

Kaiser Wilhelm II with Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg and Erich von Ludendorf at German Headquarters

As rafts and pontoons carrying troops move across the Meuse they are hit by German shells.

Some men are swept away and drowned. Major-General John Lejeune, commanding the 2nd Division, wrote: It was pitiful for men to go to their death on the evening of peace.

7.30pm: The German delegation finally receives a wireless confirmation from Berlin that the new head of government, Friedrich Ebert, agrees to the conditions.

9.30pm: In London and major cities across the country, pubs are closing for the night.

Since August 1914 opening times have been restricted because of fears that wartime production might be harmed by drunkenness.

Other restrictions have included a reduction in the strength of alcohol and a No Treat Order to stop people buying drinks for others.

In March 1916 a man was fined for buying his wife a glass of wine in a Southampton pub; she was fined for drinking it and the barmaid was fined for selling it.

At the outbreak of the war, the King set an example by saying no alcohol would be consumed in the royal household until fighting ceased.

11pm: The Allied delegation have gone to their sleeping quarters on Fochs train, but remain fully awake and dressed, waiting to see if the Germans will finally sign.

11.45pm: Kaiser Wilhelm is still waiting on his train at Eijsden station when he receives the news that the Dutch government has agreed to grant him asylum.

They have persuaded a Dutch aristocrat, Count Godard Bentinck, to let the Kaiser stay for three days at his 17th-century castle in Utrecht.

The Kaiser looks up Count Bentinck in an aristocratic almanac and isnt impressed with his pedigree.

Monday, Nov 11, 1918

Midnight: In the cellar of a house near Aulnoye, Private Frank Richards of the Royal Welch Fusiliers is getting ready for a game of pontoon with his unit.

Over the past few months they have had little opportunity to spend their army pay and this will be a perfect opportunity.

Richards knows that if he loses, he has some German field glasses and automatic pistols he can sell to give himself more funds.

In 1914 he had his picture taken with his arm around a German soldier during the Christmas truce. He reckons that only two of his comrades from that remarkable day are still alive.

2.15am: The German delegates leave their train and walk 200 yards through the rain and cold across duckboards to Marshal Fochs carriage  a restaurant car adapted for face-to-face discussion.

The leader of the German delegation Matthias Erzberger wants to squeeze some last-minute concessions from the Allies.

5am: In the Belgian town of Mons where the British Expeditionary Force fought its first battle in August 1914, the mayor Victor Maistrau looks out of his bedroom window.

The Ex-Kaiser Wilhelm, former Emperor of Germany on Friday January 27 celebrated his 80th birthday in his exile home at Doorn house, Holland

He sees Allied soldiers in the gloom heading towards the German lines and a glint of a bayonet. I knew this was liberation! he said later.

To the surprise of the German delegation, Foch agrees to some of the German demands.

Fewer planes, lorries and machine-guns will have to be surrendered and the Germans are given 31 days rather than 25 to evacuate the right bank of the Rhine.

So the German delegates agree to The Armistice terms.

5.19am: Some of the delegation are in tears as Matthias Erzberger picks up a pen to sign The Armistice document.

He grinds his teeth in anguish as he writes his name  he knows how unpopular this agreement will be in Germany.

Reproduction of the scene which ended the greatest war in history. Painting depicting the signature of the armistice in the railway carriage

It is decided that the world will be told the signing took place at 5am and that the cease-fire should start six hours later at 11am.

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month has a ring to it that pleases the Allied negotiators.

Erzberger has a final warning: The carrying out of this agreement may plunge the German people into anarchy and famine.

He then ends with a note of defiance: A nation of seventy million suffers, but does not die. In three years Matthias Erzberger will be assassinated for signing The Armistice.

After 1,560 bloody days, the Great War is officially over but there are fewer than six hours to communicate the news to the soldiers on the front.

Jonathan Mayo is the author of D-Day: Minute By Minute, (Short Books, 8.99).
President Trump abruptly called off a trip to Colombia for the second time this year, citing scheduling conflicts.

An email obtained by Politico alerted White House staff that the president's 'planned travel to Bogota, Colombia 2-3 December has been canceled.' The internal email indicated that the cancellation could affect Trump's travel to Buenos Aires, too.

This afternoon as he left the White House for a two-day campaign swing President Trump said he intends to have dinner in Buenos Aires at the G20 with China's Xi Jinping, however.

Only after the email leaked did the White House acknowledge publicly that the trip to Colombia had been called off.

President Trump abruptly called off a trip to Colombia for the second time this year, an internal planning email on Friday revealed. He was supposed to travel there for a meeting with Colombian President Ivan Duque

It did not provide a reason for the change of plans, aside from Trump's busy schedule during the Lame Duck congressional session, when little legislative activity usually takes place.

'President Trumps schedule will not allow him to travel to Colombia later this month. Colombia is one of our closest partners in Latin America and the two countries cooperate on counternarcotics, regional security, and mutual economic prosperity,' a statement from the White House press office read.

It went on to note that Trump 'looks forward to future opportunities to engage' with the Colombia president, as he did in September at the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump was scheduled to meet with newly-elected President Ivan Duque in Colombia during a trip to South America to attend the G20 at the end of this month. The meeting of world leaders runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1.

When Trump met with Duque in New York, they got along well enough, and it was wasn't clear on Friday evening why the president was calling off his trip to Colombia.

Trump told his counterpart in brief remarks during a bilateral at the UN that he was 'very, very powerful against drugs and drug trafficking' and had a large margin of victory.

'And youve been a friend to the United States, and we look forward to working with you, Mr. President,' Trump told him in brief remarks.

Trump cancelled a trip to South America earlier this year, as well, calling off a planned stop in Colombia then and sending the vice president to the Summit of the Americas.

The reason given at the time for the postponement was the possibility that Trump could bomb Syria in retaliation for Bashar Al-Assad's illicit use of chemical weapons. He joined the UK and France that weekend in bombing several targets.

No reason was explicitly provided on Friday for the trip that was called off in the leaked email.

This afternoon as he left the White House for a two-day campaign swing President Trump said he intends to have dinner in Buenos Aires with China's Xi Jinping

Xi said Thursday after speaking with Trump that he hopes China and the United States will be able to promote a steady and healthy relationship, Chinese state media reported

Trump indicated that he's still traveling to Argentina that week for the G20 meeting, where he says he's planning a dinner with Xi.

'Weve had very good discussions with China. Were getting very much closer to doing something. They very much want to make a deal,' he told reporters as he left the White House to campaign in West Virginia on Friday.

He noted that he spoke on the phone with Xi on Thursday - a call that he said on Twitter went very well.

'I think well make a deal with China and I think it will be a very fair deal for everybody,' he said of the high-stakes trade negotiations.

Trump has hit China with $250 billion in tariffs this year and has threatened more.

'We want to make a deal if we can and a lot of progress has been made,' he said on Friday. 'They understand that if a deal isnt made were doing very well the way were doing everything right now.'

In his tweet on Thursday, Trump said of the call, 'We talked about many subjects, with a heavy emphasis on Trade. Those discussions are moving along nicely with meetings being scheduled at the G-20 in Argentina.'
President Donald Trump said this week that he will move forward with his plans to draft an executive order that would end the practice of granting citizenship to children born in the U.S. to non-citizens.

Speaking at a rally Thursday in Columbia, Missouri, Trump said that Democrats are behind the 'crazy' and 'lunatic policy, which has created a 'birth tourism' industry.

'The Democrats want to continue giving automatic birth right citizenship to every child born to an illegal immigrant, even if they've been on our soil for a mere matter of seconds,' he said. 'Hundreds of thousands of children born to illegal immigrants are made automatic citizens of the United States every year because of this crazy, lunatic policy that we can end.'

Trump supporters argue that one key phrase in the first section of the amendment - 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof' - offers the president legal room to assert that people in the country illegally cannot give birth to U.S. citizens.

The issue of birth right citizenship hasn't been tested by the U.S. Supreme Court for 120 years, when justices issued a ruling allowing children of legal aliens to automatically gain citizenship status.

President Trump doubled down on his vow to deny U.S. citizenship to children born of unauthorized immigrants at a rally in Estero, Florida on October 31

However most Constitutional scholars say an executive order would violate the 14th Amendment.

Since it was adopted July 9, 1868, the U.S. government has held that the 14th Amendment confers the right of citizenship to all children born on U.S. soil.

What does the 14th Amendment say about birth right citizenship?

The amendment covers a number of issues  including defining how political representation would be apportioned among the states  however, the first section is most critical, as it defines what constitutes a citizen of the United States.

The key passage reads: 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.'

The amendment goes on to define the rights of those citizens: 'No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.'

That language is 'pretty explicit,' said George Rutherglen, a professor at University of Virginia's School of Law.

'It's very hard to get around that constitutional language,' he told DailyMail.com. 'I don't see any way around it.'

What are the arguments against birth right citizenship?

Nonetheless, Trump has said that he can do just that through an executive order.

'We're the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States ... with all of those benefits,' Trump told Axios in his interview announcing the proposed policy change. 'It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. And it has to end.'

It is worth noting that more than 30 countries  including Canada and Mexico  do allow for birth right citizenship.

A minority of experts have made the case that the 14th Amendment's line that reads, 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof' refers to people who owe an allegiance to the U.S. (for example, green card holders and citizens), said Sheldon Gilbert, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Donald Trump tweeted his opposition to birth right citizenship on October 31

'The opposing argument is basically that  if you do not owe allegiance to the United States, you do not have citizenship,' Gilbert told DailyMail.com.

Trump has also zero-ed in on the jurisdiction line of the 14th Amendment, though he hasn't specified what his legal argument is.

'The overwhelming balance of legal scholars and historians argue that the 14th amendment requires birth right citizenship,' Gilbert said.

Most scholars also agree that the line about jurisdiction was originally included to distinguish the lack of a birth right for children of diplomats visiting the United States, as well as for Native Americans - who at that time were considered under the authority of the United States but members of a sovereign nation.

Michael Anton, one of Trump's former national security officials, recently argued in The Washington Post that the president had the authority to use an executive order to 'specify to federal agencies that the children of non-citizens are not citizens' just by merit of being born on U.S. soil.

Still, a majority of constitutional scholars reject that notion.

'There's also a very deep practical problem,' Rutherglen said. 'Suppose Congress or the president repealed this provision. How would I prove I'm a citizen? I've got my birth certificate, but it doesn't say my mom and dad were citizens. And theirs don't prove that they were citizens. So you would have this chain of inquiry that would go back for generations.'

What is the history behind the 14th Amendment and citizenship?

The 14th Amendment was adopted July 9, 1868 as part of the Reconstruction effort following the American Civil War. It was a controversial action at the time, and bitterly opposed by states that had been part of the defeated Confederacy.

'It was specifically put in to first handle the problem of slavery; what to do with the citizenship status of the slaves freed by the 13th Amendment and what to do about the increasing presence of Asians, Chinese in particular, on the West Coast,' Rutherglen said.

The ratification of the amendment put an end to prior legal precedent  established through the 1857 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Dred Scott case, which held that black people, whether enslaved or free, could not be American citizens.

While Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1868 freed slaves in the southern states, African Americans still didn't have the same constitutional rights as citizens.

'Any tampering with (the 14th Amendment) looks like an endorsement of Dred Scott,' Rutherglen said. 'I do not know of any constitutional scholar who wants to go back in that direction. That's the worst decision in U.S. Supreme Court history.'

What has the Supreme Court said about birth right citizenship?

In 1898 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in a case entitled the United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which cited the 14th Amendment in its ruling that a Chinese immigrant's child was an American citizen.

That decision has stood for 120 years, but was decided before the concept of 'illegal aliens' was commonplace in this country.

Draft of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution

Some opponents of birth right citizenship have argued that the decision failed to address people in the country illegally, as the child in Wong Kim Ark was born to immigrants who were legally in the country  so they were bound by an allegiance to the U.S., Gilbert said.

To that point, the Supreme Court has never tested birth right citizenship and the 14th Amendment when applied to the children of immigrants who are in the country illegally.

More recently, at a dinner party in 2010, then-Justice Antonin Scalia said that the inclusion of the words 'and subject to the jurisdiction thereof' suggested that people born in the U.S. weren't automatically citizens, especially if they were 'subject to the jurisdiction' of some other nation. He thought the words were included to rule out a large number of people.

Scalia, who died in 2016, allowed at the time that the way the modern U.S. court interprets dual citizenship could also mean many people are be 'subject to the jurisdiction of' more than one country.

What happens if Trump signs an executive order?

If the president orders that the federal government must treat children of illegal immigrants born in the U.S. as non-citizens, it would almost certainly face major legal challenges.

Most likely, civil rights groups would seek out a 'poster child' to bring a lawsuit against the government  perhaps a child born in this country to illegal immigrants who was denied a U.S. passport, or access to public benefits only offered to American citizens, Rutherglen said.
President Donald Trump campaigned on Friday night against Sen. Joe Manchin in spite of the West Virginian's vote to put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

Trump said that Manchin took too long to cast his vote in favor of Kavanaugh, waiting until it was clear that the GOP would get the number it needed to cross the aisle and support the appointment.

'I have to say, I like Joe. The problem is, I'm just not going to get Joe's vote. Just not gonna get it,' Trump said. 'I like him, he's a friend of mine. I'm just not gonna get his vote.'

President Donald Trump campaigned on Friday night against Sen. Joe Manchin in spite of the West Virginian's vote to put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court

The president's West Virginia audience told him in response, 'Joe's gotta go,' at the rally in support of the GOP's nominee for the U.S. Senate

Trump said that Manchin took too long to cast his vote in favor of Kavanaugh, waiting until it was clear that the GOP would get the number it needed to cross the aisle

The president's West Virginia audience told him in response, 'Joe's gotta go,' at the rally in support of Patrick Morrisey, the GOP's nominee for the U.S. Senate.

Unlike he has done at other rallies when he's campaigning against incumbent Democrats, the president didn't give the senator an unflattering nickname. For the most part, he avoided laying into him at all.

Instead, he brought up Manchin's support in 2016 for Hillary Clinton, suggesting that the attempt to knock his self-identified 'friend' out of office is fair game for that reason. He also spent several minutes dissecting Manchin's last-minute decision to support Kavanaugh.

'Even with Justice Kavanaugh, you know I called Joe, I said Joe, do me a favor, I'd like you to vote,' Trump said disclosing calls to the senator that the White House had refused to confirm at the time.

He said that Manchin told him he 'may' cast a vote for the judge. 'But, I was like, you gotta vote before I win, not after we have the vote,' Trump said that he told him. 'Because nobody has ever been treated worse than Judge Brett Kavanaugh.'

Manchin challenger Patrick Morrisey declared: 'President Trump needs a staunch ally in the U.S. Senate. I will be that ally'

Trump argued as he often does that 'nobody' has ever been treated as badly as Kavanaugh.

'He got blindsided like nobody ever got blindsided. What happened to him is disgraceful. And what the Democrats did, and the way they played that was a disgrace.'

Manchin skipped his turn during a procedural vote and offered his support to Kavanaugh only after the GOP reached him 50 senators, making him vote 51 on the motion that the vice president could have played tie breaker on for the final vote if it came down to it.

Trump claimed that Manchin waited 'one-tenth of a second' by his count to cast his vote.

'So we didn't need Joe's vote. And he pressed that button. I think it was about one-eighth of one second after we had the final vote from Susan Collins,' the president stated.

He says that he told Manchin after, 'But Joe, I said, "Joe that doesn't count. That doesn't count." Because if we would have needed the vote, it was not going to happen.'

Disappointed, Trump says he told him, 'Do it before we have the vote.'

'But I was watching for that one-eight of a second, I was watching, and he didn't do it. He didn't do it,' the president said.

The audience of West Virginians, Ohioans and Kentucky residents attending the rally inside of an airport hanger responded to an invocation of Clinton by chanting, 'Lock her up!'

After Manchin's challenger, Morrisey, took the stage and knocked Manchin around for supporting Hillary Clinton, the president took the mic back and noted that the Democratic senator had endorsed the former first lady and Democratic nominee for president in 2016.

'He was all for Hillary Clinton. He was for Hillary Clinton. 'Trump said. 'She was against coal. She was against he miners. She got no support in this state, and yet Joe was totally in her camp. So that sort of, that sort of tells you.'

The audience of West Virginians, Ohioans and Kentucky residents attending the rally inside of an airport hanger responded by chanting, 'Lock her up!'

Morrisey claimed during his remarks on stage that Manchin had attacked him for supporting the president.

'I will never apologize for defending President Trump, nor will I kneel to the alter of Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi,' he asserted to cheers. 'President Trump needs a staunch ally in the U.S. Senate. I will be that ally.'

At the end of the rally the president said that he'd take Manchin to dinner still, if he wins, and that his endorsement of Morrisey wasn't personal, it was just politics.
Mr Gambaccini at The Savoy Hotel in London in 1998

Paul Gambaccini has won hefty damages from prosecutors in a botched sex abuse probe.

The BBC radio veteran spent a year on bail over false allegations that he molested two young men in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

But when he was cleared the Crown Prosecution Service wrongly suggested his accusers had been underage.

It also suggested there was insufficient evidence  whereas Mr Gambaccinis lawyers insist the claims should never have been taken seriously.

Mr Gambaccini, 69, began legal action against the CPS last year and has now reached an out-of-court settlement giving him a five-figure payout and full apology.

His legal costs are also being paid.

The case is a final setback for Alison Saunders, who stepped down as Director of Public Prosecutions this week after an ill-fated five-year reign.

And it is another disaster for Scotland Yards Operation Yewtree, which was set up in the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile scandal and led the Gambaccini case.

Comedians Jim Davidson and Freddie Starr also had their lives ruined when false allegations were taken seriously by the squad.

The Mail can reveal that one of Mr Gambaccinis accusers described him to police as a light skinned Asian.

Sources with knowledge of the police investigation said there were other howling factual errors in the accounts of the two fantasists who made easy to disprove allegations against the music presenter.

Despite this, police kept Mr Gambaccini on bail for a year before prosecutors announced in October 2014 that there would be no charges.

Mr Gambaccini said last night that he was continuing a separate damages claim against the Metropolitan Police Service.

Mr Gambaccini, 69, began legal action against the CPS last year and has now reached an out-of-court settlement giving him a five-figure payout and full apology

The legal dispute with the CPS centred on a press statement that it issued in October 2014, which said: Having carefully reviewed this case, we have decided that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute in relation to allegations of sexual offences made by two males believed to be aged between 14 and 15 at the time of the alleged offending.

Each allegation was considered on its own merits and we have concluded that the available evidence does not offer a realistic prospect of conviction for any of the alleged offences.

Mr Gambaccini, pictured this week. The BBC radio veteran spent a year on bail over false allegations

However, the CPS now accepts the wording of the statement was wrong, in particular the reference to the supposed ages of the DJs accusers.

Mr Gambaccinis ordeal began in October 2013 when police arrested him at his home following allegations from two men who he does not recall ever meeting.

In his diary, serialised in the Mail on Sunday, he wrote: The accusations, which involve a variety of sexual acts that supposedly took place between 1978 and 1984 when my accusers were aged between 14 and 17 Ive never seen so much horse manure in all my life.

Mrs Saunders claimed in her final interview as DPP that Britains criminal justice system was unable to cope with the huge amounts of data being generated by technology.

She also said police were failing to investigate thousands of cases efficiently and she admitted feeling bruised by her five-year tenure in the job.

Asked to comment on the settlement with Mr Gambaccini, a CPS spokesman would only say: We have reached an agreement without admission of liability.

Sources said the CPS was unable to provide further details due to confidentiality clauses within the agreement with the DJ.
The couple's two other children have since been removed from their care

A five-month-old baby was inflicted with devastating injuries that left him 'close to death', a court has heard.

Parents Jeremy Neil Capper, 31, and Ebanee Gayl Coad, 30, from Port Pirie, were charged with criminal neglect on Thursday after an investigation by South Australia Police and Department for Child Protection.

Their son was suffering from severe dehydration, kidney failure, broken bones and a fractured skull, it has been alleged.

Jeremy Neil Capper (pictured) has been charged with criminal neglect after an investigation by South Australia Police and Department for Child Protection.

Ebanee Gayl Coad (pictured) has two other children which have been removed from her care by the Department for Child Protection

The court heard how the couple took their baby to the Port Pirie Hospital on September 13 where doctors found him 'very close to death'.

The prosecutor said the baby had sustained multiple injuries over a number of weeks which included a fracture on the left side of his skull and broken ribs.

He was also suffering from nappy rash and dermatitis.

After intensive medical treatment, the boy is recovering well.

The couple have two other children who have since been removed from their care by the Department for Child Protection.

The court heard how the baby had sustained injuries between May and September this year.

They were refused police bail and will appear before Port Pirie Magistrates Court again next week.

The couple's lawyers say they will deny all charges.
Donald Trump went head-to-head with Barack Obama on Friday evening.

'I heard President Obama speak today. I had to listen, I was in the plane. I had nothing else to do,' Trump said in West Virginia as he spoke from an airport hanger.

Obama had accused Trump of telling 'lies' about health care as he spoke at a Florida campaign event.

Trump threw the remark back in his face in Huntington, telling the former president he had no business lecturing him on truth-telling after all the 'lies' he told about health care reform when he was in office.

He also said Obama doesn't have any credibility when it comes to promoting a free press. 'Nobody was worse to the press than Obama, nobody,' he told his West Virginia audience.

Donald Trump went head-to-head with Barack Obama at a rally on Friday evening

Trump said Obama had no business lecturing him on truth-telling at a Florida campaign event after all the 'lies' he told about health care reform when he was president

'I heard President Obama speak today. I had to listen. I was in the plane. I had nothing else to do,' he began as he spoke from an airport hanger in Huntington

Obama was campaigning in Miami on Friday while Trump was making his way to Huntington for a late afternoon rally that he slipped in before a joint event in Indianapolis with the vice president.

He explicitly rejected 'a politics based on division' and mocked Trump's promise to 'drain the swamp.'

The two-term Democratic president said that his successor's administration had so many indictments they could 'fill a football team' during the remarks in which he took aim at Republicans for making what he described as false claims about their desire to protect pre-existing conditions.

'That's some kind of gall. That's some kind of chutzpah. Let's call it what it is. It's a lie. They're lying to you,' he said. 'Im hopeful that we will cut through the lies, block out the noise and remember who we are called to be.'

Trump said that he caught the part of the ex-president's remarks that were apparently aimed at him.

He mocked Obama as having had a 'very small crowd' that was significantly less than the audience he drew in Houston as he spoke before his own crowd of a couple thousand people at the Tri-State Airport in Huntington

'I heard him talk about telling the truth. He was talking about you have to tell the truth,' Trump said. 'And yet, 28 times he said, you can keep your doctor, if you like your doctor. You can keep your plan, if you like the plan,' Trump said.

'They were all lies. Over and over again you heard that. Just used it to pass a terrible healthcare plan that we are decimating strike by strike,' he asserted.

Reliving the time that the GOP nearly reversed the Democratic president's signature health care legislation, Trump said: 'And we actually had Obamacare killed, except for one Republican vote, and any Democrat, one Democrat, and we would have had it obliterated and you would have had great healthcare.'

'Then I heard him talk about the freedom of the press, we have to maintain the press, we have to love those people - except that nobody was worse to he press than Obama, nobody.'

Trump reminded the crowd that Obama, who had spoken up earlier in defense of the First Amendment, allowed his Justice Department to prosecute and spy on reporters.

'But he's talking about how I should be nice to the fake news,' Trump said. 'No thank you.'

Several hours later, in Indiana, he did the shtick again but left out his comment showing solidarity with the media.

He said Obama had a 'very small' rally in Miami earlier in the day 'and in the rally, he talked about honesty, how he has to be honest.'

Trump brought up Obama's 'if you like it, you can keep' it promise that Politifact dubbed its 'Lie of the Year' in 2013 and asked, 'How many times did he say that? Twenty-eight times.'

He went a little further, deriding Obama's foreign policy, but quickly changed subjects without challenging his predecessor's other combative remarks.

'We could go into that, but let's stay pleasant, right, let's stay pleasant,' Trump said as he moved on.
Barack Obama has blasted Trump's deployment of thousands of active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border as a 'political stunt' in a fiery speech on Friday.

The former President slammed Republicans for their aggressive stance against migrants trying to enter the United States during his speech rallying for Florida Democrats in Miami.

'They're telling you the existential threat to America is a bunch of poor refugees a thousand miles away,' he said on Republicans.

'They're even taking our brave troops away from their families for a political stunt at the border. The men and women of our military deserve better than that. So they're just constant fear mongering to distract from the record,' he added.

Barack Obama has blasted Trump's deployment of thousands of active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border as a 'political stunt' in a fiery speech on Friday

He slammed Trump's announcement to send out 7,000 troops to the border

Obama was heckled as he rallied for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum (left) and Senator Bill Nelson (right)

His rebuke comes as some 7,000 military members are set to arrive at the border through the weekend. Trump says he's willing to send as many as 15,000 to support Border Patrol agents.

On Thursday the first 109 troops from the 591st Military Police Company were taken from Fort Hood, Texas, to to Lackland Air Force Base to help with operations there and on Friday the troops began to set up barbed wire on the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge.

The troops that continue to trickle will likely meet the third caravan of 1,000 to 1,500 migrants who trekked from El Salvador and waded over the Suchiate River into Mexico on Friday.

On Thursday Trump sparked outrage when he told reporters that if migrants throw rocks at troops or border patrol officers, the U.S. will retaliate.

'I don't want these people throwing rocks,' the president said on Thursday, reflecting on violence that erupted on Mexico's southern border as the first of four caravans of Central Americans made their way north last week.

'What they did to the Mexican military is a disgrace,' he said. 'They hit them with rocks. Some were very seriously injured, and they were throwing rocks in their face. [If] they do that with us, they're going to be arrested. There's going to be problems.'

'I didn't say shoot. I didn't say shoot! But they do that with us, they're going to be arrested for a long time,' he warned.

Speaking at the Miami rally wasn't easy for Obama, who was heckled by protesters.

Obama was bombarded with fans as he went out and about in Miami, stopping at Coyo Taco restaurant and urging locals to vote

The former U.S. president greeted people as he arrived for lunch at the Coyo Taco, a brief stop on his rigorous campaign trail four days ahead of the midterm elections

During his stop in Florida he blasted Republican's deployment of troops to the border saying: 'They're even taking our brave troops away from their families for a political stunt at the border'

But he handled the angry shouts and boos with grace saying: 'This is what I look forward to - is having a few hecklers to get me back in the mood. I enjoy that. You always got to have a few in order to know that you're on the campaign trail.'

At one point he addressed one heckler saying: 'Here's the deal. If you support the other candidates, then you should go support the other candidates. Don't be here.'

'One of the things I never understood was why if you're supporting the other guy, you come to my rally. Go to their rally,' he added.

He was campaigning for Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, and Andrew Gillum, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

Obama is ramping up his campaign trail stops to push voters towards the polls as the midterm elections are four days away.

After his stop in Miami, Obama headed to Georgia rallying for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams who is in a deadlock race with Republican Brian Kemp, saying: 'I'm here for one simple reason: To ask you to vote'.

After Miami, Obama headed to Atlanta, Georgia Friday evening to encourage people to vote

He rallied for gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams who is in a deadlock race with Republican Brian Kemp, saying: 'I'm here for one simple reason: To ask you to vote'

He greeted the fans that gathered at Morehouse College on Friday and said: 'Georgia, be unafraid. If they try to take away your right to vote, theres only one way to take it back: Vote', touching on Kemp's voter suppression accusations

'The consequences of any of us staying home are profound because America is at a crossroads ... The character of our country is on the ballot,' he added.

He also accused Republicans of using 'scare tactics' in the election.

'Theyll try to disenfranchise people and take away their right to vote...Staceys opponent has already been caught multiple times,' he said.

Abrams has accused Kemp of voter suppression, accusations he calls 'farce'.

'Georgia, be unafraid. If they try to take away your right to vote, theres only one way to take it back: Vote,' he said.

On Friday Trump was campaigning for Republicans in West Virginia.

As the campaign trail heats up ahead of the elections, tensions are rising at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The third caravan just entered Mexico on Friday. They were not allowed to cross the bridge from Guatemala to Mexico so the group waded across the Suchiate River to enter Mexican territory.

By Thursday 109 troops arrived to aid Border Patrol agents and on Friday they were put to work, placing barbed wire at McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge in McAllen, Texas

Some 7,000 troops are set to arrive at the border this weekend. Trump said he's willing to send as many as 15,000

Pedestrians pass members of the U.S.military working to place razor wire along the U.S.-Mexico border on the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge on Friday

While troops are trickling into the border, a third caravan of 1,500 migrants from El Salvador made it into Mexico after crossing the Suchiate river, the border between Guatemala and Mexico on Friday

The new caravan tried to cross the bridge between Guatemala and Mexico, but Mexican authorities told them they would have to show passports and visas and enter in groups of 50 for processing. The Salvadorans expressed misgivings that they would be deported, so they turned around and waded across a shallow stretch of the river to enter Mexico

They are the third caravan to make it into Mexico. The first group of almost 4,000 entered Mexico almost two weeks ago and is now in Donaji, Oaxaca

The troops at the border and the three caravans will inevitably meet. Trump said that if migrants throw rocks at border patrol agents they will be arrested

This map shows the latest positions of the four Central American caravans making their way to the US border. On Friday the fourth caravan made it into Mexico

The first caravan - and largest group of almost 4,000 - entered Mexico almost two weeks ago and is now in Donaji, Oaxaca.

The second caravan of 1,000 to 1,500 people is now in Mapastepec, Chiapas.

It's unclear whether the first caravan will make a turn east to Mexico City to head to a stretch of the border.

As the journey goes on, many migrants have decided to remain in Mexico rather than try to enter the U.S. Mexico's Interior Department said on Thursday that nearly 3,000 migrants have applied for refuge in Mexico while hundreds have returned home.

At its peak, the caravan had about 7,000 people.

Active-duty military troops are preparing for the flood of migrants and on Friday spent the day installing coils of razor wire on a bridge and a riverbank across Texas' Rio Grande Valley.

The Pentagon said on Friday more than 3,500 troops have been deployed to staging bases along the border, including about 1,000 Marines in California.

Still, there were only about 100 troops at the border on Friday, working at and near a bridge leading to McAllen, Texas, the Rio Grande Valley's second-biggest city, with about 140,000 people.
President Akufo-Addo insists his Ghana Beyond Aid agenda is achievable.



He explained that his recent comment that government would continue to borrow meaningfully does not mean the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda would be abandoned.



My governments vision of moving our country to a situation beyond aid, i.e. Ghana Beyond Aid is aligned with Germanys compact with Africa programme.



Under my leadership, we are determined to discard the mindset of dependence on aid, charity and handouts and aim towards becoming self-reliant within the context of strong global cooperation.



President Akufo-Addo was addressing the 2018 G20 compact with Africa conference in Berlin, Germany.



It is expected that the premise on which this conference is being held will enable Germany and the compact with African countries to reshape our economies and chart a new path of growth and development in freedom.



He said his government is creating an enabling environment for investments in Ghana to thrive.



That is why my government has spent the last 21 months period of our stay in office to improve the fundamentals of the Ghanaian economy because we believe that an improved macro-economy is a basic requirement for stimulating the investments we need for the significant expansion and growth of the national economy and the generation of wealth and jobs.



The Ghanaian leader added that additionally, we have initiated and implemented policies that are encouraging and empowering the private sector to grow the Ghanaian economy within the framework of macroeconomic stability.



We believe that when the private sector flourishes and when our enterprises become competitive not just on the continent but also in the global marketplace then we can create thousands of jobs for the teeming masses of unemployed youth.



He lauded the decision of German automobile giant, Volkswagen to establish an assembly plant, as well as Siemens intention to set up a base in Ghana.



He said the move is a testimony to his administrations efforts to create an enabling environment for the private sector to flourish.



We will continue to work hard to attract investments, domestic and foreign into Ghana so that we can unleash the sense of enterprise creativity and innovation of the Ghanaian people and help build a progressive, prosperous Ghana whose citizens live in harmony. Together we can help make life meaningful and worth living for our people like others have done.



President Akufo-Addo commended the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, for her exemplary leadership.



Let me use this occasion as we take account of the sad news of her departure from the German political scene to congratulate Angela Merkel on her exceptional leadership of Germany and Europe this last decade and more.



The Ghanaian people and I will regret her departure very much for she is being one of the most outstanding leaders of modern times.



Today, the President will deliver the keynote speech at the 18th International Economic Forum on Africa of the influential Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) simultaneously in Paris, France.



Critical topics for discussions at the International Economic Forum are growth, employment, migration and development in the wake of Africas historic decision for closer integration.

Source: Daily Guide









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Featured Video
Is this foal a zebra or a donkey? The answer is not black and white  for he is Zippy the zonkey, one of only two zebra-donkey crossbreeds in Britain.

Zippy was born on October 2 on Kristine Turners 25-acre farm in South Barrow, Somerset. His mother Ziggy, a six-year-old zebra, shares the fields with nine donkeys.

Miss Turner, 39, has made several attempts to produce an ultra-rare zebra crossbreed by introducing various randy stallions to the herd.

Zippy was born on October 2 on Kristine Turners 25-acre farm in South Barrow, Somerset

Ziggy, a six-year-old zebra, shares the fields with nine donkeys. Miss Turner was astonished to wake up one morning to discover that Ziggy had given birth in the night

Over the years I kept thinking Ziggy was pregnant, she said. But as time went on I thought it would be less and less likely.

She had all but given up hope of Ziggy becoming a mother  until Rag, a four-year-old donkey, did the deed.

Miss Turner was astonished to wake up one morning to discover that Ziggy had given birth in the night. I looked out on to the field and there was a baby zonkey led next to her, she said. I couldnt control myself.

She said Ziggy has been a brilliant mum, but added of Zippy: You can tell hes still half a wild animal. I know I cant treat him like a donkey. A couple of times hes gone to nip me.

There are thought to be few other zonkeys in Britain, one called Zambi, which lives on a donkey sanctuary in Lincolnshire.

Zebra crossbreeds, known as zebroids, have been bred since the 19th century. Many were observed in the writings of Charles Darwin.
The shooter was identified by police as 40-year-old Scott Paul Beierle (pictured after a previous arrest)

The gunman who opened fire at a hot yoga studio in Tallahassee, killing two people and wounding five others before turning the gun on himself, has been identified.

Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo said Friday night that the gunman shot six people and pistol-whipped one other before fatally shooting himself. The conditions of the other victims are unclear.

The shooter was identified by police as 40-year-old Scott Paul Beierle. The two victims who were shot dead have been named as Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, 61, and Maura Binkley, 21.

City spokeswoman Jamie Van Pelt, said the shooting at Hot Yoga Tallahassee around 5.30pm appeared to be a part of a domestic dispute.

Dr Van Vessem was an internist and chief medical director for Capital Health Plan the Tallahassee Democrat confirmed.

Capital Health Plan said in a statement: 'Our Capital Health Plan family is deeply shocked and saddened about the tragic loss of our beloved friend and colleague, Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, among the other victims of this terrible incident.

'As CHP's longtime chief medical director, Nancy has been a guiding, visionary force in our daily work to serve the wellness and health care needs of thousands of families in this community.

'Her dedication, caring, leadership, humanity, and experience made her one of the most respected, inspiring, and accomplished medical professionals in the state and country. Our hearts are filled with sorrow and prayers for her family. We all have been so blessed to have Nancy in our lives.'

The two victims who were shot dead have been named as Maura Binkley, 21, (left) and Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, 61 (right)

Binkley was a student at Florida State University and Dr Van Vessem was a faculty member.

University President John Thrasher said in a statement: 'There are no words to express the shock and grief we feel after learning of the deaths of Maura Binkley and Dr. Nancy Van Vessem.

'To lose one of our students and one of our faculty members in this tragic and violent way is just devastating to the Florida State University family. We feel this loss profoundly and we send our deepest sympathies to Maura's and Nancy's loved ones while we pray for the recovery of those who were injured.'

Witness Alex Redding told the Tallahassee Democrat a woman ran into the bar downstairs, followed by a man with blood on his head.

He said two to three other people sought help in Bar at Betton, and they told him a tall man with a beard was acting strangely in the studio and then began shooting.

A person is seen being transported from scene of a shooting in Tallahassee, Florida on Friday

The shooter killed two people and wounded at five others before killing himself (the scene is seen above)

Emergency personnel are seen stationed outside the yoga studio after a gunman opened fire

The shooting in Tallahassee on Friday appeared to be a part of a domestic dispute

Video courtesy of Michael Hudak

The man with blood on his head told Redding he tried to stop the shooter but was pistol-whipped before the gunman killed himself.

State Rep. Kristin Jacobs was also in the bar and witnessed the aftermath of the shooting.

'... a girl ran into the bar,' she said. 'She could hardly talk. She was hyperventilating. I heard her say shooter. Two other women came in, and I kept hearing the word "Shooter".'

Jacobs said of the man who was pistol-whipped: 'Many people are alive because this guy rushed the shooter.'

Megan Nixon told the Tallahassee Democrat she was eating at Riccardos Restaurant downstairs when the gunman opened fire.

She said: 'We heard pop, pop, pop. It sounded intense. It didnt sound like gunshots.'

Melissa Hutchinson said she helped treat a 'profusely' bleeding man who rushed into a bar after the incident. She said three people from the studio ran in, and they were told there was an active shooter.

Matthew Rodin, left and Susan Turner comfort Melissa Hutchinson who rendered aid to some of the victims of a mass shooting

The shooting happened at a small Tallahassee shopping center on Friday afternoon

'It was a shocking moment something happened like this,' Hutchinson said.

The people who came in were injured, including the bleeding man who was pistol-whipped while trying to stop the shooter. They told her the shooter kept coming in and out of the studio. When he loaded his gun, people started pounding the windows of the studio to warn people.

Erskin Wesson, 64, said he was eating dinner with his family at a restaurant below the yoga studio when they heard the gunshots above them.

'We just heard "pow, pow, pow, pow,"' Wesson said. 'It sounded like a limb falling on a tin roof and rolling.'

The restaurant's owner came by a short time later, asking if anyone was a doctor, Wesson said. His step-daughter is an emergency room nurse and helped paramedics for about an hour, he said.

There were 11 people signed up for the 5.30pm class, local media reports.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who is the Democratic nominee for governor, tweeted that he's breaking off the campaign trail to return to Tallahassee.

Tallahassee police chief Michael DeLeo speaks to the press at the scene of a shooting

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum said he's breaking off the campaign trail to return to Tallahassee

He wrote: 'Im deeply appreciative of law enforcement's quick response to the shooting at the yoga facility in Tallahassee today.

'No act of gun violence is acceptable. I'm in close communication with law enforcement officials and will be returning to Tallahassee tonight.'

Late Friday night, after earlier appeared at a campaign event with former President Barack Obama, Gillum spoke to reporters near the scene of the shooting to say that he had visited in the hospital two people who were shot at the studio. The mayor said they were in good spirits despite their injuries.

Gillum asked residents to pray for those who survived and those who were killed in the shooting.

'We all feel a sense of added vulnerability' because of the shooting, the mayor said.

City Commissioner Scott Maddox wrote on Facebook: 'In my public service career I have had to be on some bad scenes. This is the worst. Please pray.'

Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, called DeLeo and the head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to get details of the shooting.

'I will remain in constant communication with law enforcement. We have offered state assistance,' Scott tweeted.

The plaza where the shooting took place is home to popular restaurants, a jewelry store, a framing shop, a hair salon and other businesses.

City spokeswoman Alison Faris told news outlets that the suspect fatally shot himself. Emergency services are seen at the scene of the shooting

Police officers are seen at the scene of the shooting in Tallahassee, Florida on Friday night
Peeling back their curtains after hearing a rowdy disturbance, the residents of a usually quiet side-street were confronted by a spine-chilling scene.

Silhouetted by the glow of halogen lamps, a mob of at least eight people wearing the sinister uniform of the Ku Klux Klan cult  flowing white robes embossed with the Coptic Christian cross, and pointy hoods with slits for their eyes  were brandishing large crucifixes menacingly outside the local Islamic centre.

Before leaving, the faceless gang posed defiantly for a photograph, first posted on social media but quickly beamed around the world via international news outlets such as CNN and The Washington Post.

Though it has sparked waves of revulsion and outrage among the great majority, it has also provoked sickeningly approving messages from more malign quarters  just as the posturing KKK ghouls doubtless intended.

Yet the truly shocking aspect to this episode is that it didnt occur in Americas Deep South, where the hate-filled bigotry of the white supremacist Klan first took root in the mid-19th century, and continues to simmer with periodically violent consequences.

It happened just a few days ago in the small UK town of Newtownards, ten miles outside Belfast.

Gang dressed as Ku Klux Klan members outside a mosque in Newtownards, County Down. Recently the same Islamic centre came under attack after a pig's head was left on the doorstep and graffiti was written on the walls

Furthermore, my investigation into the identity of these hooded hatemongers, and their motives, has uncovered the disquieting presence of Tony Martin, a notorious Right-wing extremist based in South London and recently elected as leader of the racist National Front party, whose HQ is not in Ulster, but Hull.

Martin, 41, and his English girlfriend, Sharon Mellor, 53  a bottle-blonde darling of the British neo-fascist movement  admit to meeting the KKK gang in a pub, on the very night they paraded outside the Islamic centre, and even posing for photographs with them.

This week, some members of this traditionally white, working-class, Loyalist Protestant community have been at pains to dismiss it all as a harmless pre-Halloween prank.

One local resident pinned the offensive photograph in her window below a sign reading: Dressing up is not a crime. We support Ards Boys.

Presumably this person hasnt seen the recent Oscar-tipped Spike Lee movie BlacKkKlansman, which lays bare the horrific terror campaign waged by the KKK in pursuit of its dystopian ideological dream  to purify America by purging the country of black and mixed-race people, Jews and Catholics, and create a country populated only by white Anglo-Saxons.

And perhaps they hadnt heard about the lynchings and the torching of homes by the KKK in the U.S. over the years.

Nor of atrocities such as the bombing of a Baptist church in Mississippi, in 1964, which killed four innocent little girls; and the murder of equally blameless Michael Donald, 19, abducted and taken to a lonely woods in Alabama, in 1981, then beaten to death and hanged from a tree.

However, worshippers at Newtownards Islamic centre  which is based in a converted, end-of-terrace house and serves the towns few dozen Muslims  certainly grasp the threat behind last Saturdays ghastly showpiece, and are now deeply concerned for their safety.

Sharon Mellor admitted meeting the KKK gang in a pub, on the very night they paraded outside the Islamic centre, and even posing for photographs with them holding a cross and beer

Given that a severed pigs head was left outside the Muslim prayer centre last year, and its congregation claim to have been videoed covertly as they arrive for Friday prayers, their fears are understandable.

The Northern Irish authorities, mainstream politicians, churchmen and anti-Fascist groups are also united in the view that the incident constitutes a genuine hate crime and the police have made it very clear they will investigate it as such.

According to a new report by the Henry Jackson think-tank, Far Right terrorism and extremism  stoked by online radicalisation and violent rhetoric  have quadrupled during the past year in Britain and other Western nations.

Security sources have reportedly told The Guardian newspaper that they know of 100 violent neo-Nazis and Far Right extremists committed to waging racial and religious war in Britain.

And this week the BBCs respected security correspondent Frank Gardner highlighted the rising threat from the Far Right, revealing four terror plots that have been foiled in the past year.

Investigating the mounting threat from the Far Right has become such an onerous task that the police are to relinquish the lead role to MI5.

So, were dangerously malevolent forces, rather than pranksters, behind the incident in Newtownards? My inquiries suggest it is entirely possible.

There is also compelling evidence to suggest that this apparent attempt to instil fear in the towns Muslim community, and stir up hatred towards them, could be linked back to mainland Britain.

A video that has since emerged shows the mob making Nazi salutes as they march through town.

The gang went to a nearby Wetherspoons and pushed past a doorman when he tried to refuse their entry to the pub

If your car is black it gets stopped, shouts one of their number. From his threatening tone, he doesnt sound as though hes joking.

Furthermore, when rampaging through Newtownards pubs after targeting the Islamic Centre, the gang seem to have commanded far more respect  perhaps fear would be a better word  than we might expect had they merely been raucous Halloween revellers.

We might not think a burly pub doorman would be easily brushed aside, yet when the bouncer at a Wetherspoons pub attempted to bar their entry, they simply pushed past him, according to a spokesman for the chain.

More intriguing, however, is the presence of Tony Martin, whose repugnant NF party supports compulsory repatriation for all immigrants, and even their second and third generation, British-born family members.

It just so happens that Martin, a former soldier now working as a builder and living in Croydon, has been spending a lot of time in Newtownards of late.

He began visiting last February, when he started a relationship with Sharon Mellor, or Shazza, as she styles herself on a Facebook page littered with her expletive-ridden Right-wing rants. She lives in a block of flats barely half a mile from the targeted Islamic Centre.

This week, Martin told me how they met during a Far Right demonstration at the TUCs London headquarters earlier this year, to protest against the presence of Gerry Adams and other senior Sinn Fein party members  whose Irish Nationalist politics they despise  at a conference.

Mellor, who hails from Gillingham, Kent, but moved to Northern Ireland 30 years ago to join the Ulster Defence Regiment, has boasted on social media of having tried to burn the Islamic centre down no less than three times. There is nothing to suggest this is true, and she now insists she was joking.

The gang dressed in pointy hoods and wearing white gown carrying wooden crosses drank in the pub in Northern Ireland

Yet by sheer coincidence  as she and Martin would have us believe  they just happened to be drinking in one of the pubs visited by the white-robed gang, last Saturday evening. And, of course, they couldnt resist being photographed with them.

Rashly, she might now think, Mellor posted a picture of herself cuddling up to one of the KKK mob  a tall, well-built figure, clutching a beer bottle and a huge crucifix  on Facebook.

Beneath it Mellor wrote: Bumped into a few friends tonight  lol xxx. Presumably she was joking again. The damning photograph was later deleted from her Facebook page.

But not before it was seized upon by the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate, who placed it on their website.

Martin admitted to me that he also posed with the KKK gang, but said he had decided against publicising the photo in case it was misconstrued.

Both strenuously deny that they were in any way involved in the sick stunt, however, and insist they dont know the hooded mens identities.

Mellor described them as random strangers  a few blokes dressed up for Halloween.

Ludicrously, Martin claimed their behaviour was no more offensive than that of the white man in Halloween fancy dress who made the news this week after being berated by a Tube passenger for wearing black greasepaint and an Afro wig to look like Jules Winnfield, the character played by Samuel L. Jackson in the film Pulp Fiction.

Under their frightening costumes one member of the gang was seen wearing bright red trainers as they paraded around the pub

Obviously the KKK have killed people over the years, but one of the Black Lives Matter activists shot five police officers in Dallas, didnt he? he said. People could be offended by any costume.

Artlessly, Martin then admitted that the NF stood to gain from being linked with the incident.

Getting a lot of publicity from this KKK thing will probably help us get a lot more members, because although the chattering classes are offended by it, most people are not really concerned, and it just reminds people we are out there, he told me, declining to reveal the size of NFs current membership, which is believed to be minuscule.

He also claimed the NF has a growing number of supporters in Northern Ireland, particularly from disillusioned Unionists, including hard-line Loyalist factions.

All this is highly suspicious, we might think. Not least because  as the towns Alliance Party national assembly representative Kellie Armstrong remarked resonantly  the Islamic Centre in Newtownards is unmarked and off the beaten track, and anyone who wished to find it would require good local knowledge.

And because, as she also pointed out, the costumes worn by the gang cant be bought in any fancy-dress shop in Northern Ireland, but appear to have been ordered from a specialist online store based in Dublin, which sells them  stained with fake blood, and complete with sword and chain  for 21 euros. No, I dont think this is a joke, she said flatly.

Assuming anti-Islamist fanatics did orchestrate the incident, the wider implications are worrying.

Latest figures from the Police Service of Northern Ireland show that the number of racist crimes and incidents has risen.

In 2016/17 they surpassed sectarian cases  which have halved during the past 13 years  for the first time.

Sharon Mellor with her partner, Tony Martin, who is chairman of National Front right-wing group in Hull

Though the Muslim population in Ulster remains tiny compared to Britain as a whole  about 8,000 among more than 2 million  and there are only a handful of mosques, community leader Dr Raied Al-Wazzan says physical and verbal attacks, unheard of when he arrived in the province 28 years ago, have become commonplace.

Meanwhile, again surely not coincidentally, Far-Right groups based in England are coming to regard Ulster as fertile ground and gaining a foothold in the province for the first time, according to Professor Peter Shirlow, Belfast-born director of Liverpool Universitys Institute of Irish Studies.

They are a growing menace, he said. The peace process has seen immigrants come to work in what was previously a society 90 per cent made up of white people born in Northern Ireland.

'They make a great contribution but tend to live in areas under housing and employment stress.

That has created the same sense as on the mainland  of British people being left behind and marginalised for far-Right groups to exploit.

Nowhere is this truer than in the town of Ballymena, where Britain First  which morphed six years ago out of the busted-flush British National Party  is aiming to drum up support from people disillusioned by the arrival of Eastern Europeans, rightly or wrongly perceived to be placing a strain on housing, school places and jobs.

Significantly, perhaps, this partys provocative tactics are redolent of those employed by the Ku Klux Klan.

They include staging impromptu mosque invasions and brandishing crosses on Christian marches through predominantly Muslim areas. Whether they extend to posing outside mosques in KKK uniform is, of course, a matter for conjecture.

However, like the NFs Tony Martin, the BF leader, former Sevenoaks BNP councillor Paul Golding, 36, also beats a regular path to Ulster  frequently brushing with opposing local politicians (one of whom has accused him of intimidating him and his daughter) and with the law.

Though the Muslim population in Ulster remains tiny compared to Britain as a whole  about 8,000 among more than 2 million  and there are only a handful of mosques

Having been jailed earlier this year at Folkestone magistrates court, along with his firebrand deputy Jayda Fransen, for harassing Muslims he wrongly believed to be involved in a rape trial, Golding now faces charges of inciting racial hatred at an anti-immigration rally in Ballymena. He is due in court on November 15.

But whatever the true identity of the men beneath those pointy white hoods, the photograph that emerged this week came as no surprise to the veteran anti-fascist campaigner Dr Gerry Gable, editor of Searchlight magazine.

For he knows from experience, of the neo-fascist underbelly that has long existed across the Irish Sea  pervading extreme Republican groups, as well as Loyalists  and of their close ties with like-minded groups on the mainland.

The Far Right have a history of using Ireland as a backdoor to Britain, and now they are gaining ground around the world it seems they are trying to do it again, he told me.

That is why we would be foolish to pass this photograph off as a one-off stunt, and ignore it.

You dont just suddenly decide to go to an Islamic prayer centre dressed up as the KKK.

'I think these characters will turn out to be hard-line fascists. Dangerous people deliberately out to stoke hatred.

'Thats why its so important that they are unmasked, and we find out who was behind those white clothes.
Black Friday 2019 is almost upon us and many retailers are offering deals well before the event itself, so it's important to know when the sales start and develop a plan to ensure you get the best bargains.

If you've had your eye on top tech like the Amazon Fire TV Stick, the Amazon Echo Dot or the Amazon Fire HD Tablet, Black Friday is the perfect time to nab them for a fraction of the price as the Christmas season approaches - especially if you're savvy and plan accordingly.

Here is everything you need to know about finding the best Amazon Black Friday deals this year. Keep an eye on this page to find more details as they are announced.

Remember to develop a plan and set your budget ahead of Black Friday so you don't overspend

When is Black Friday 2019?

Black Friday 2019 will be held on Friday November 29 with the deals expected to carry on through the weekend until Cyber Monday on December 2.

How long does Black Friday last?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday used to be markedly different. Black Friday would see shoppers rush to the high streets, whereas Cyber Monday was exclusively reserved for online deals.

Nowadays there's little difference between the two events, with both offering shoppers an extended opportunity to find some great deals before Christmas.

In fact, in previous years many retailers in the UK, including Amazon, started their sales far earlier to spread the load on their sites.

So if you're savvy and monitor Black Friday deals throughout the month, you're much more likely to find the perfect deal at the perfect price - and save a lot of money.

How to get the best Amazon Black Friday deals

To find the very best Black Friday deals, it's important to map out a strategy:

Do your research into the products you'd like to buy before Black Friday, including which specific model is the best for you and how much it currently costs, so that you can assess how much you're saving

Develop a strict budget for how much you'd like to spend

Create an Amazon Wish List of all of the items you're interested in, which will gather all of your favourite products in one place. You can then regularly check this list for any drops in price

Regularly check the Today's Deals page on Amazon to see their latest Lightning Deals, which tend to sell out quickly

You can also track and shop Lightning Deals by receiving deal alerts on your smartphone via the Amazon App

Utilise the Lightning Deals Waitlist when a promotion runs out, which will add you to a queue until it becomes available again

Sign up for Amazon Prime ahead of time to take advantage of unlimited one-day delivery on millions of items. If you're not yet a member you can sign up for a free 30-day trial

What are Amazon's Black Friday 2019 deals?

Amazon has so far remained tight-lipped on their deals this year, but it wouldn't be Black Friday if the mega-retailer wasn't slashing the prices of their own-brand devices.

Last year's best-selling devices included the Amazon Fire TV Stick, the Amazon Echo Dot and the Amazon Fire HD Tablet.

Check back here to see the latest Amazon Black Friday deals and announcements ahead of the event itself.
Nasa has announced a series of new tests for its 1,100mph (1,770kph) supersonic aircraft tipped to be the follow-up to the legendary Concorde.

The plane, dubbed the X-59 Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST), aims to cut out the noise associated with supersonic travel.

Nasa will fire off the aircraft's 'quiet' sonic booms over a small city in Texas this year in a bid to gauge public reaction to the dampened supersonic thuds.

The agency said the first full test flights of the X-59, which could one day fly from London to New York in just three hours, are scheduled for 2022.

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Nasa has announced a series of new tests for its 1,100mph (1,770kph) supersonic commercial airliner tipped to be the follow-up to the legendary Concorde. The plane (artist's impression) aims to cut out the noise associated with supersonic travel

Dubbed 'son of Concorde' by aviation fans, the vehicle could lead to the first supersonic aircraft to carry commercial passengers since the iconic Anglo-French jet was decommissioned 15 years ago.

Originally named the Low-Flight Flight Demonstrator by Nasa, the agency announced last week that the aircraft was to be called X-59 QueSST going forward.

Before the aircraft takes to the skies, Nasa is investigating whether members of the public are put off by the noise produced by X-59 when it breaks the sound barrier.

Tests scheduled for November will see an F-18 fighter jet conduct a dive manoeuvre off the shores of Galveston, Texas - an island city near Houston.

The plane will dive from almost 50,000 feet (15,200 metres), briefly going supersonic and firing off the sound likely to come from X-59 aircraft.

The noise, which Nasa calls a 'sonic thump', should sound more like a car door slamming as opposed to the booms produced by existing supersonic aircraft.

The agency will measure the sounds using sensors on the ground while gathering public reaction through a series of surveys.

Alexandra Loubeau, Nasa's team lead for sonic boom community response research at Langley, said: 'We'll never know exactly what everyone heard.

'We won't have a noise monitor on their shoulder inside their home.

Nasa pilot Jim Less will fire off 'quiet' sonic booms over a small city in Texas this year in a bid to gauge public reaction to the dampened supersonic thuds. Pictured is Less with the F-18 fighter jet aboard which he will perform the research

'But we'd like to at least have an estimate of the range of noise levels that they actually heard.'

X-59, which Nasa is developing with Lockheed Martin's aeronautics branch, is scheduled to make its first flight in 2022.

Originally named the Low-Flight Flight Demonstrator by Nasa, the agency announced last week that the aircraft was to be called X-59 QueSST going forward.

The US Air Force made the name change in-part as a hat tip American X-plane history, which began in 1947 with the world's first supersonic plane, the the Bell X-1.

'For everyone working on this important project, this is great news and we're thrilled with the designation,' Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for Nasa's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, said in a statement last week.

WHAT IS NASA'S 'SON OF CONCORDE' X-PLANE? Nasa is developing a 1,100mph (1,770kph) aircraft that has been dubbed the 'son of Concorde'. The vehicle is the first in a series of aircraft Nasa is developing with Lockheed Martin in a quest to build a commercially viable supersonic jet. It is designed to fly at Mach 1.4 (925 mph / 1,488 kph) at an altitude of 55,000 feet (10 miles). Dubbed the X-59 Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST), the research craft aims to cut out the sonic booms associated with supersonic travel. Pictured is an artist's impression of the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) low-boom flight demonstrator (LBFD) The aircraft is shaped to separate the shocks and expansions associated with supersonic flight to reduce the volume of the shaped signature, and was developed by Lockheed's Skunk Works over 20 years. The team is hoping to achieve a sonic boom 60 dBA lower than other supersonic aircraft, such as Concorde. Recent research has shown it is possible for a supersonic airplane to be shaped in such a way that the shock waves it forms when flying faster than the speed of sound can generate a sound at ground level so quiet it will hardly will be noticed by the public, if at all. Advertisement

The X-59 project aims to cut out the noisy sonic booms that echoed above cities in the era of Concorde, while travelling at speeds of 1,100mph (Mach 1.4 / 1,700 km/h).

The loud booms that rang out whenever a Concorde broke the sound barrier were often described as 'unsettling' by members of the public, which ultimately limited the aircraft to flights over the Atlantic when it began carrying passengers in 1976.

X-59 is designed to stop shockwaves triggered by the movement of air particles when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier from merging - a phenomenon that gives off the telltale sonic boom of supersonic aircraft.

Nasa hopes to reduce the sound of the sonic boom to a quiet thud, similar to the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance or a neighbour closing their door.

Nasa is developing the aircraft with Lockheed Martin's aeronautics branch with test flights planned for 2022. The plane is dubbed the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) low-boom flight demonstrator (artist's impression)

'With the X-59 you're still going to have multiple shockwaves because of the wings on the aircraft that create lift and the volume of the plane,' said Ed Haering, a Nasa aerospace engineer at Nasa's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.

'But the airplane's shape is carefully tailored such that those shockwaves do not combine.

'Instead of getting a loud boom-boom, you're going to get at least two quiet thump-thump sounds, if you even hear them at all.'

Nasa's November tests will produce similar shockwaves using an F-18 fighter jet to conduct sharp manoeuvres in the air.

HOW WILL NASA REDUCE THE SOUND OF SONIC BOOMS? In a conventional supersonic aircraft, shockwaves from the nose, cockpit, inlets, wings and other features come together as they move through the atmosphere into strong shocks emanating from the nose and tail. These are known as bow and tail shocks, respectively. As these shockwaves pass over the ground, air pressure rises sharply, declines, then rises rapidly again. It's this that produces the classic 'double-bang' sonic boom. In a conventional supersonic aircraft, shockwaves from the nose, cockpit, inlets, wings and other features come together as they move through the atmosphere into strong shocks emanating from the nose and tail Reshaping the aircraft to produce a longer, more slender shape is the best way to generate shockwaves of lower, more equal strength that do not form into such strong bow and tail shocks. Nasa and other organisations are working on creating shapes to reduce sonic booms. Stretching the nose to break the bow shock into a series of weaker shockwaves is particularly effective. This lowers and spreads that initial pressure peak and softens the first bang of the sonic boom. Advertisement

The aircraft, pilot by Nasa researcher Jim Less, will dive from 49,000 feet (15,000m) and go briefly supersonic before levelling off at 30,000 feet (9,000m).

Shockwaves produced by the manoeuvre will concentrate directly below the aircraft in the form of a very loud, focussed pair of sonic booms.

A few miles from the dive points, the noise quickly trails off as they spread out and weaken.

Flights conducted by Nasa in November will study the US public's reactions to 'quiet' supersonic noises above their homes. Pictured is an artist's impression of the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) low-boom flight demonstrator (LBFD)

'The result in that area: a pair of quiet sonic booms  soft thumps, really  which people on the ground, including those Nasa researchers and resident volunteers, might barely notice, if they hear anything at all,' the agency wrote in a statement.

QueSST is the latest addition to the X-series of experimental aircraft and rockets, used to test and evaluate new technologies and aerodynamic concepts.

Their X designation indicates their research mission status within the US system of aircraft naming.

This all dates back to Chuck Yeager's sound-barrier-breaking craft, the X-1, a rocket enginepowered aircraft, designed and built in 1945, that achieved a speed of nearly 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 kmh) in 1948.

The team hopes to reduce the sound of the sonic boom to a quiet thud, similar to the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance or a neighbour closing their door. This graphic compares the F18 sonic boom to the sonic 'thump' that Nasa aims to achieve in the future

Nasa's vision for the X-59 was approved In the latest proposed US budget released by the Office Of Management And Budget In Washington, DC, in February.

The space agency was awarded $19.9 billion (14.3bn) for the next year, $500 million (360m) more than the previous year.

It is not known what proportion of this has been allocated for the supersonic aircraft project.

QueSST will be used as a test bed for technologies that could make their way into commercial planes.

Nasa is hoping to see the first flight tests take place in 2022, with public reaction tests to the final aircraft scheduled for the following year.
A 6,000-year-old seven-inch stone axe has been discovered by students on the estate of US founding father George Washington.

The tool provides a poignant insight into the lives of those who lived on the Virginia site before it became the first president's home.

The 7-inch (17.8-centimetre) axe would have been an important part of the Native American tool kit, experts say.

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The axe was found at Mount Vernon's African American cemetery which is believed to be the resting place for enslaved individuals and possibly some of their freed descendants

The axe was found by Archbishop Hoban High School seniors Dominic Anderson and Jared Phillips on the Mount Vernon estate.

They were helping map out the dimensions of what's believed to be a cemetery for slaves and their descendants.

The axe was found at Mount Vernon's African American cemetery which is believed to be the resting place for enslaved individuals and possibly some of their freed descendants.

To create this axe, a crafts-person worked a river cobble by first 'chipping' it with a hammer stone to create a cutting edge along the face of the axe.

The burgeoning tool was then hammered with a harder stone to create a smoother cutting surface.

These surfaces appear to have been ground, or smoothed, one final time through the use of a hard grinding stone.

The tool provides a poignant insight into the lives of those who lived on the Virginia site before it became the first president's home

A 6000-year-old seven-inch stone axe has been discovered by students on the estate of US founding father George Washington (pictured)

Finally, a groove was pecked along the back-end of the axe head.

This groove would have facilitated the attachment of a wooden handle to the axe so it could be used for wood cutting.

'The axe provides a window onto the lives of individuals who lived here nearly 6,000 years ago,' said Sean Devlin, Mount Vernon's curator of archaeological collections.

'Artifacts, such as this, are a vital resource for helping us learn about the diverse communities who shaped this landscape throughout its long history.'

The axe was found along the ridge line upon which the African American cemetery sits.

The area was used by communities of Virginia Indians as long ago as 8,000 years ago.

Rather than being a 'village' site, experts believe it was one of many temporary stopping points for a community as they travelled along the river.

The axe will be kept in Mount Vernon's archaeology collection.
A NASA spacecraft that launched 11 years ago and studied two of the largest objects in the asteroid belt has ended its mission after running out of fuel.

Scientists have known for about a month that Dawn was almost out of hydrazine, a fuel that kept the spacecraft's antennae oriented toward Earth and helped turn its solar panels to the sun to recharge.

The spacecraft this week stopped communicating with flight controllers, prompting NASA to declare it dead on Thursday.

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A NASA spacecraft named Dawn that studied two of the largest objects in the asteroid belt has ended its 11-year mission after running out of fuel. Pictured: This illustration depicts the spacecraft orbiting the dwarf planet Ceres

It comes two days after the Kepler Space Telescope, which spent nine-and-a-half-years hunting for planets outwith our solar system, also ran out of fuel needed for pointing the spacecraft.

They both kept working longer than anticipated and their demise had been expected.

Propelled by three ion engines, the 11-year-old Dawn was the first spacecraft to orbit an object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and also the first to orbit two places beyond Earth.

After circling the asteroid Vesta, Dawn went into orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres - the largest object in the asteroid belt, followed by Vesta.

The 20 metre-wide, 1.8 metre-high, spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2007 and spent more than a decade exploring space

WHAT DID DAWN ACHIEVE AN WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW? Dawn has travelled 4.3 billion miles (6.9 billion km) since launching in 2007. It is expected to remain in orbit around Ceres for decades, but will no longer be able to communicate with Earth. Scientific learning from Dawn's mission will go on. The data Dawn beamed back to Earth enabled scientists to compare two planet-like worlds that evolved very differently. Among its accomplishments, Dawn showed how important location was to the way objects in the early solar system formed and evolved. Dawn also reinforced the idea that dwarf planets could have hosted oceans over a significant part of their history - and potentially still do. Advertisement

Dawn should remain in orbit around Ceres for decades, according to NASA.

Mission director and chief engineer Marc Rayman insisted he wasn't sad about the news.

Rather, he said in an email: 'I'm thrilled it was so fantastically exciting and productive.

'Dawn was a spectacular success by any measure. It carried humankind on a truly amazing deep space adventure with stunning discoveries.

'The demands we put on Dawn were tremendous, but it met the challenge every time. It's hard to say goodbye to this amazing spaceship, but it's time.'

The 'astounding' images collected by Dawn are shedding light on the history and evolution of our solar system, said NASA's science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen.

'To me, that is a fitting end to an extraordinary extraterrestrial expedition,' Mr Rayman said.

The spacecraft this week stopped communicating with flight controllers, prompting NASA to declare it dead on Thursday. Pictured: This artist's concept shows the Dawn spacecraft - which has traveled 4.3 billion miles since it launched in 2007
A high-tech drone, referred to as the 'Wall-E of the water,' could be the key to cleaning up our oceans.

The WasteShark is an aquadrone that vacuums up garbage from the water.

It can swim for up to 16 hours on a single charge and 'eat' as much as 1,100lbs of trash.

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WASTESHARK SPECS 16 hours of battery life on a single charge

Weighs 85lbs

5ft long, 3.5ft wide

Can carry up to 1,100lbs of trash

Picks up plastic, micro-plastics, invasive plants and floating trash

Equipped with sensors to measure pH, chloride, nitrate, salinity and other factors

Can also measure water depth and temperature

Comes with Level 1 autonomy Advertisement

The device is developed by RanMarine, an environmental technology firm in the Netherlands, which hopes drones can become a meaningful tool for catching waste 'before tide, wind and currents carry it out to the open ocean.'

WasteShark is now being deployed in Dubai Marina, a man-made canal city, after it was tested with local partner Ecocoast for the past year.

The aquadrone takes its name from the Whale Shark, primarily in its wide-bodied design and vacuum-like mouth.

It can pick up things like plastic, floating debris and even 'alien vegetation,' or invasive plants.

WasteShark can pick up trash that's as deep as one foot below the surface. Once the trash is gathered, it's delivered to a collection point.

Users steer the device with a remote control or an iPad and its movements are tracked by a GPS signal.

WasteShark is also fitted with a collision-avoidance system that uses laser imaging to spot nearby objects and adjust its positioning if it senses one.

A high-tech drone, referred to as the 'Wall-E of the water,' could be the key to cleaning up our oceans. The WasteShark is an aquadrone that vacuums up garbage from the water

There's a second model that's equipped with Level 1 autonomy, which still requires human assistance, but it can complete some tasks on its own.

The aquadrone is being used to clean up trash from rivers, ports and marinas

'Inspired by nature and blending technology, form and function, the WasteShark is designed to swim through water and eat its prey with minimum effort and maximum efficiency,' RanMarine explained.

It's also equipped with customizable sensors that can measure water quality.

WasteShark looks for things like depth, salinity, chemical makeup, pH balance and temperature.

So far, WasteShark is being used to clean up trash from rivers, ports and marinas.

'Our drones are designed to move through (a) water system, whether it's around the perimeter or through the city itself,' Oliver Cunningham, co-founder of RanMarine, told CNN.

The aquadrone takes its name from the Whale Shark in its wide-bodied design and vacuum-like mouth. Users steer the device with a controller and its movements are tracked by a GPS signal

Prior to their deployment in Dubai, RanMarine tested four WasteSharks in the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It was also tested in Baltimore's Inner Harbor

'The drones (are) that last line of defense between the city and the open ocean.'

WasteShark poses no threat to aquatic environments. The firm said it doesn't harm fish or birds.

Prior to their deployment in Dubai, RanMarine tested four WasteSharks in the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands two years ago.

It was also tested in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, swimming alongside Mr. Trash Wheel - the city's trash interceptor.

Depending on how it fares in Dubai, the firm expects to expand WasteShark further.
Apple shares plummeted more than 6 percent today after Apple announced it will stop breaking out exactly how many iPhones it sells in its financial results.

The 'jaw dropping' decision caused frustration and fear among investors, with one analyst seeing the move as evidence that the tech giant has 'something to hide.'

The stock's plunge caused Apple to briefly dip below its $1 trillion valuation - a historic milestone it reached in August before closing at $207.48 a share, a drop of 6.63% in a day.

The losses hit CEO Tim Cook's wallet to the tune of more than $11 million through the 878,425 Apple shares he owns, according to the firm's latest SEC filing.

Apple shares closed down more than 6 percent on Friday. The stock's plunge caused Apple to briefly dip below its $1 trillion valuation - a historic milestone it reached in August

APPLE IN NUMBERS Revenue: $62.9 billion up 19.5% year-over-year, compared to analysts' expectations of $61.44 billion Profit: $2.91 per share, a 32 percent increase year-over-year, vs. consensus estimates of $2.79 iPhones sold: 46.8 million, compared to Wall Street's expectations for 47.5 million iPhone average selling prices: $793, higher than analysts' estimated $750 iCloud, App Store and Apple Music revenue: $10 billion iPads sold: 9.6 million, down 6% year-over-year Advertisement

A slew of Wall Street analysts lowered their price targets for Apple's stock on Friday morning, with Bank of America downgrading the shares because it expects 'increased risk' from weak iPhone sales in the coming months, among other factors.

Apple shares also dragged down the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, which fell more than 1.3 percent in late morning trading, bringing shares of Facebook, Amazon and Google lower with it.

The California-based technology giant makes most of its money from iPhones and sales numbers have been seen as a bellwether of the company's fortunes.

Analysts look to the iPhone, iPad and Mac sales figures reported each quarter as a gauge for consumer demand of those products and many view the decision to stop reporting those figures as a red flag.

'Apple will stop disclosing unit sales figures next quarter, fueling fears the company has something to hide,' Jefferies analyst Timothy O'Shea wrote in a report to investors.

Apple shares dropped 6.5 per cent to $207.78 (159.91) in after-market trading on Thursday following the release of earnings figures for a record-setting September quarter.

They climbed slightly after the markets opened at 9:30am ET to a high of $213.40 (164.15) before dropping back down.

Shares fell as much as 7 percent mid-morning on Friday, causing Apple to briefly lose its $1 trillion market cap - a valuation it achieved in August, earning it the title of 'world's most valuable company.'

Apple's market capitalization represents the total number of all its shares, multiplied by its current stock price.

The higher Apple's stock rises, the greater its valuation becomes and vice versa.

Apple delivered blockbuster earnings but saw shares punished after a disappointing holiday season forecast and word it will stop reporting how many iPhones it sells

Apple shares dragged down the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, which fell more than 1.3 percent in afternoon trading, bringing shares of Facebook, Amazon and Google lower with it

Apple executives confirmed that from now on its earnings reports would no longer specify numbers of iPhones or other products sold.

Instead it would focus on revenue, margins and cost of sales.

Apple chief financial officer Luca Maestri told reporters on an earnings conference call that the change stemmed from an increasingly diverse product line.

'This is a little bit like if you go to the market and you push your cart up to the cashier and [they say] 'How many units you have in there?'' Cook said.

'It doesn't matter a lot how many units are in there in terms of the overall value of what's in the cart.'

The shakeup was immediately criticized by many on Wall Street.

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives called the move a 'jaw dropper' that will likely end up frustrating investors who look to unit sales for greater clarity on Apple's overall business.

Apple sold just over 217 million iPhones in fiscal 2018, which is only a slight bump from the 216 million it sold in the prior fiscal year. However, sales have steadily increased over the years

'The Street will find this a tough pill to swallow this morning as the transparency of the Cupertino story takes a major dent given that tracking iPhone units has become habitual to any investor that has closely followed the Apple story for the last decade+ and is critical to the thesis,' Ives explained.

'...The skeptics will point to Apple doing this right at the critical juncture where higher ASPs are making up for slower unit sales which remains the worry and the stock will get hit accordingly this morning.

Revenue in the fiscal fourth quarter climbed nearly 20 percent to $62.9 billion from the same period a year earlier, while profit soared 32 percent to $14.13 billion, helped by its growing Services business, which includes the iCloud, App Store and Apple Music, as well as other Apple gadgets like iPads and Macs.

'We're thrilled to report another record-breaking quarter that caps a tremendous fiscal 2018, the year in which we shipped our two billionth iOS device, celebrated the 10th anniversary of the App Store and achieved the strongest revenue and earnings in Apple's history,' CEO Tim Cook said.

The stock's plunge caused Apple to briefly dip below its $1 trillion valuation - a historic milestone it reached in August. Tech giants had been in a race to achieve the lofty market cap

However, the market was disappointed that Apple fell short of expectations with sales of 46.9 million iPhones and a forecast for the key holiday season that was not as robust as anticipated.

The average sale price for the latest iPhones was $793 (793), indicating that Apple was able to deliver more of its priciest handsets, despite their rising price tag.

Apple offered no detailed breakdown of iPhone sales, but Cook said 'the response has been powerful' to the new 10S models that sell for $1,000 (1,000) and up.

Revenue in the quarter ended September 29 grew double digits everywhere Apple does business around the world.

'We set September quarter revenue records for iPhone and wearables and all-time quarterly records for Services and Mac,' Maestri said.

Apple forecast that it would bring in between $89 billion (68bn) and $93 billion (72bn) in the current quarter.

Some analysts thought the estimate may have been conservative, with Apple being cautious about expectations as it works to balance supply and demand for a slew of freshly introduced products.

The latest report offers some positive news for Apple in growing its services such as streaming music and Apple Pay, allowing the company to diversify its revenue stream in a saturated smartphone market.

However, the iPhone has been the key driver of revenue and profit for Apple, and also helps bring more consumers into the company's ecosystem for apps and services.

Apple holds around 12 percent of the global smartphone market, with most of the rest sold by makers of Android-powered handsets.

Analyst Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies said it is possible Apple failed to anticipate consumer demand and did not have the right mix of devices in the past quarter.

The iPhone has been the key driver of Apple profit and revenue in recent years but the company is seeking to diversify by getting more from services

Another possibility, Bajarin said on Twitter, is that 'Apple may be intentionally setting lower expectations for holiday.'

The strong US dollar was a 'headwind' to sales, particularly in markets such as Turkey, India, Brazil and Russia, according to Cook.

'In some cases that resulted in us raising prices, and those markets are not growing the way we would like,' Cook said.

He maintained that Apple has been talking with Indian officials about opening stores in that country and about duties on the company's products.

'I am a big believer in India,' Cook said. 'I am very bullish on the country and the people and our ability to do well there.'

Apple's business in China was strong despite a near moratorium by officials there on approving new games for the local App Store, according to Cook.
Cyber criminals based in Russia are offering to sell 81,000 Facebook profiles after hacking into more than 120 million accounts.

The hackers were attempting to sell the accounts online for as little as eight pence (10 cents) per profile.

They published private messages from the compromised accounts to encourage people to make the purchase.

Many of the users whose details have been compromised are based in Ukraine and Russia - but some are from the UK, US, Brazil and elsewhere.

Their advert - placed on an English language forum - has since been taken offline.

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UK Facebook accounts are among 81,000 profiles up for sale after being hacked by Russian cyber criminals. Cyber criminals are using private messages from the compromised accounts to advertise the profiles

Examples of the messages published included an intimate chat between two lovers, complaints about a son in-law, photos of a recent holiday sent privately between two Facebook friends and a chat about a recent Depeche Mode concert

The perpetrators claim they have details from a total of 120 million accounts, according to the BBC Russian Service.

Facebook said its security had not been compromised and that the data was likely obtained through malicious browser extensions.

The social media giant assured users it had taken steps to prevent further accounts being affected.

'We have contacted browser-makers to ensure that known malicious extensions are no longer available to download in their stores,' Facebook executive Guy Rosen told the BBC.

'We have also contacted law enforcement and have worked with local authorities to remove the website that displayed information from Facebook accounts.'

The news comes just weeks after Facebook discovered a massive security breach affecting 50 million user accounts. But the social media giant said it was not to blame in this case

The data breach was first picked up in September, when a user named FBSaler began advertising 'personal information of 120 million Facebook users' on an English-speaking internet forum.

The BBC investigation found that more than 81,000 profiles advertised online contained private messages.

Sensitive information from an additional 176,000 accounts was also published - although some of the information, such as email addresses and phone numbers, could have been taken from users who had not concealed it.

The IP address of one of the websites selling the data was traced back to St Petersburg.

Its IP address has also been used to spread the LokiBot Trojan, which allows attackers to gain access to user passwords.
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Creepy apps designed to help anxious parents track their children's online activity have exposed the private messages of thousands of people.

A loophole in two of the so-called 'stalkerware' apps handed cyber criminals access to people's Facebook messages, texts, phone call data and GPS coordinates.

Around 28,000 users - many of whom were children - were left exposed by the bug, according to an investigation from Motherboard.

Stalkerware apps are technically legal, but have stirred controversy in the past when people have employed them for illicit spying.

Paranoid spouses have illegally used the software to snoop on spouses, while bosses use them to track the activity of workers.

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Pictured is the admin dashboard of the 'stalkware' app Xnore. The app allows people to track the GPS coordinates, text and phone data of a monitored device. A new investigation has revealed a loophole in the app exposed the details of thousands of users

WHAT IS 'STALKERWARE? Stalkerware is software that allows you to spy on someone's phone or tablet. They are often advertised to parents who wish to track the online activity of their child, or bosses looking to snoop on their employees. Typically, stalkware allows you to remotely intercept messages, photos, browsing history, GPS coordinates and even phone call data. They work by pairing an online account to an app that is installed on the device you wish to spy on. Users can then remotely access the phone's data without the owner knowing they are under surveillance. Stalkerware apps are technically legal, but have stirred controversy in the past when people have employed them for illicit spying. Advertisement

One such application, called Xnore, can intercept messages, photos, browsing history and even GPS coordinates.

It can also secretly record phone calls.

Users typically pair the app to a monitored phone or tablet, allowing a parent to track the messages and movements of their child.

But an investigation revealed that the site allowed hackers to spy on the data of any monitored device registered with the site.

A loophole in the system allowed cyber criminals to open the HTML code of the site to see a 'mobile identifier' used by Xnore to view and collect data.

This meant they could secretly monitor the messages, recorded phone calls and locations of thousands of users, many of whom are children.

After Motherboard contacted the Xnore, the company removed the function from its website and added an 'additional level of authentication when adding devices'.

Pictured is Xnore's website. A loophole in the app handed cyber criminals access to people's Facebook messages, texts, and phone call data

The news outlet received a tip-off about the loophole from a hacker known only as L&M.

They said: 'Such companies care only about how to spy, and the confidentiality of the victims' data and their safety does not interest them.'

L&M spotted a flaw in a second app known as Copy9, which offers a similar service to Xnore.

Stalkerware apps are technically legal, but have stirred controversy in the past when people have employed them for illicit spying (stock image)

The researcher said they accessed the usernames and passwords of around 12,000 users.

They claimed to have had access to the data of all the surveillance targets of those users, including text messages, photos, WhatsApp chats and call recordings.

Copy9 failed to respond to a request for comment on the security breach.
Europe's Airbus said on Friday it had delivered the 'powerhouse' for NASA's new Orion Spaceship that will take astronauts to the Moon and beyond in coming years, hitting a key milestone that should lead to hundreds of millions of euros in future orders.

Engineers at the Airbus plant in Bremen, Germany on Thursday carefully packed the spacecraft into a special container that will fly aboard a huge Antonov cargo plane to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a first step on its way to deep space.

In Florida, the module will be joined with the Orion crew module built by Lockheed Martin, followed by over a year of intensive testing before the first three-week mission orbiting the Moon is launched in 2020, albeit without people.

Airbus staff prepares the European Service Module (ESM) for the U.S. spacecraft "Orion" in Bremen, Germany, November 1, 2018 before shipment to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

WHAT IS IT? Airbus's European Service Module will provide propulsion, power, thermal control and consumables to the Orion crew module, marking the first time that NASA will use a European-built system as a critical element to power an American spacecraft. Advertisement

Current plans call for a first crewed mission in 2022, but NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) then plan to launch a manned mission every year, making the Orion project both politically and economically important at a time when China and other countries are racing to gain a foothold in space.

Airbus's European Service Module will provide propulsion, power, thermal control and consumables to the Orion crew module, marking the first time that NASA will use a European-built system as a critical element to power an American spacecraft.

'This is a very big step,' Oliver Juckenhoefel, vice president of on-orbit services and exploration for Airbus, told Reuters.

'The delivery and the flight to America are just the beginning of a journey that will ultimately take us to 60,000 miles beyond the moon, further than any human has ever flown before,'

In Florida, the module will be joined with the Orion crew module built by Lockheed Martin, followed by over a year of intensive testing before the first three-week mission orbiting the Moon is launched in 2020, albeit without people.

Orion is part of a growing push to put humans back on the Moon, where the unexpected discovery of water has energised scientists, with rapid technological developments such as 3D printing paving the way for lunar-based infrastructure, such as data server relay stations, in coming years.

'It sounds like science fiction, but I'm convinced it's coming, and the only question for us in Europe is whether we want to be part of it or not,' Juckenhoefel said.

'In industry, we have to be careful that we don't miss the boat.'

Airbus won a 390 million euro ($446.12 million) contract to build the first ESM module in 2014, and is already working on a second order valued at 200 million euros.

Now it is negotiating with ESA for further orders that could add up to a billion euros, he said.

Mike Hawes, who runs the $11 billion Orion programme for Lockheed, said it would play a pivotal role in exploration of deep space, with NASA already looking to land people back on the Moon, and many talking about potential missions to Mars.

Nasa's Orion, stacked on a Space Launch System rocket capable of lifting 70 metric tons, will launch from a newly refurbished Kennedy Space Center in 2020.

He said Lockheed was negotiating with NASA for up to 12 follow-on missions that could result in billions of dollars of new orders, while working to halve the cost of future spacecraft.

First, Nasa's Orion, stacked on a Space Launch System rocket capable of lifting 70 metric tons, will launch from a newly refurbished Kennedy Space Center in 2020.

The uncrewed Orion will travel into Distant Retrograde Orbit, breaking the distance record reached by the most remote Apollo spacecraft, and then 30,000 miles farther out (275,000 total miles).

The mission will last 22 days and was designed to test system readiness for future crewed operations.
WhatsApp is working on a new feature to stop nosy friends scrolling through your messages, according to a new report.

The firm will do this by adding Touch ID and Face ID authentication to the messaging app.

The Touch ID is set to be available on iPhones using iOS 8 or more while the Face ID will be available for iPhone X, iPhone Xr, iPhone Xs and Xs Max.

WhatsApp is working on a new feature to stop nosy friends scrolling through your messages. The firm will do this by adding Touch ID and Face ID authentication to the messaging app

According to wabetainfo the new feature, which is still under development, will be under Privacy Settings, under 'Touch ID'.

Users will have the choice to activate the feature or not.

When Touch ID or Face ID is on, users will have to authenticate themselves every time they open the app.

Users will have to enter the device's unlock code if unable to authenticate using the face or fingerprint ID.

It is not clear when the feature could be released for iPhone and it is not known if developers will create a similar system for Android.

MailOnline has contacted WhatsApp for comment.

The feature, which is still under development, will require users to enter the device's unlock code if it is unable to authenticate users using the face or fingerprint ID (stock image)

Just last month a worrying WhatsApp hack meant that cyber criminals could access people's accounts.

Scammers attempted to gain access to a user's account by taking advantage of weakly secured voicemail inboxes, according to Naked Security, a blog run by British security company Sophos.

The attacks became so prevalent that Israel's National Cyber Security Authority issued a nationwide warning.

To start, attackers try to install the WhatsApp app on their own phone using a legitimate user's phone number.

WhatsApp attempts to verify the login attempt by sending a six-digit verification code via text message to the victim's telephone.

Hackers try to do this when the victim may not be checking their phone, such as nighttime.

Israeli security officials have warned that the attack has been on the rise in recent weeks.

They recommend that users turn on two-factor authentication on their account, which adds an extra layer of security to your account.

'Using application-based 2FA...mitigates a lot of the risk, because these mobile authentication apps dont rely on communications tied to phone numbers,' Sophos researchers explained.

Users can do that by navigating to Settings in WhatsApp, then tapping 'Account.' Navigate to the 'Two-step verification' heading and tap 'Enable.'

Further, experts say users should make sure they have a strong PIN on their voicemail inbox.
An exotic bird has been fitted with a 3D printed beak after his own was ravaged by cancer.

Workers at Jurong Bird Park noticed the animal had a 3.15-inch (8cm) gash on his bill and the cancerous beak - known as a casque - was removed.

Two birds had already died from the condition so vets made the decision to fit the 22-year-old Jary, a Great Pied Hornbill, with a custom-made alternative.

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Jary, a 22-year-old Great Pied Hornbill, was fitted with a 3D printed beak after his own was ravaged by cancer (pictured)

The lifesaving operation required engineers and veterinarians to work together on the procedure.

Images and video of the operation show Jary undergoing several scans and having the new beak screwed into place.

Analysis of the old beak confirmed that the malformation was a result of cancer.

The bird was given the name Jary because it means 'helmeted warrior' in the ancient Norse language.

The 46g (1.6 oz) prosthetic was installed during hour-long surgery at a specialist facility in Singapore and the operating doctors revealed it was a complete success.

Dr Xie Shangzhe, assistant director, conservation, research and veterinary services at Wildlife Reserves Singapore said: 'This case is a great example of how veterinarians and engineers can work together to utilise science and technology for the treatment of diseases such as cancer in all species, including birds.

'Together, we achieved the best possible outcome.

'Jary was eating normally the day after the surgery, and recently also started rubbing the prosthetic casque on its preening glands, which secretes yellow pigment.

'These natural behaviours are good indications that he has accepted the prosthesis as part of him.'

Workers at Jurong Bird Park noticed the animal had a 3.15-inch (8cm) gash on his bill and the cancerous beak - known as a casque - was removed (pictured)

The bird (pictured) was given the name Jary because it means 'helmeted warrior' in the ancient Norse language

The lifesaving operation required engineers and veterinarians to work together in order to successfully perform the procedure

Images and video of the operation shows Jary undergoing several scans and having the new beak screwed into placecon

Analysis of the beak confirmed that the malformation was a result of cancer and Jary's casque would have to be removed to save his life

Two hornbills at the park died due to cancer. One was unsuccessfully treated with chemotherapy and the other animal had an aggressive form of cancer which progressed too rapidly for treatment

Keepers noticed a cut on Jary's beak which revealed the tissue below was being 'eaten away' by the disease.

The bird underwent a CT-guided biopsy at the Veterinary Emergency and Speciality Hospital, and a tissue sample was extracted.

Dr Hsu Li Chieh removed Jary's casque with an oscillating saw (pictured) in preparation for the fitting of the prosthetic

Dr Xie Shangzhe, assistant director, conservation, research and veterinary services at Wildlife Reserves Singapore said: 'This case is a great example of how veterinarians and engineers can work together to utilise science and technology for the treatment of diseases such as cancer in all species, including birds'

Jary was eating normally the day after the surgery, and recently also started rubbing the prosthetic casque on its preening glands, which secretes yellow pigment

Dental resin was applied to the new casque to seal any gaps and increase the chances that Jary would accept his new beak

3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY MAKES OBJECTS BY DEPOSITING MATERIALS ONE LAYER AT A TIME First invented in the 1980s by Chuck Hull, an engineer and physicist, 3D printing technology  also called additive manufacturing  is the process of making an object by depositing material, one layer at a time. Similarly to how an inkjet printer adds individual dots of ink to form an image, a 3D printer adds material where it is needed, based on a digital file. Many conventional manufacturing processes involved cutting away excess materials to make a part, and this can lead to wastage of up to 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) for every one pound of useful material, according to the Energy Departments Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. By contrast, with some 3D printing processes about 98 per cent of the raw material is used in the finished part, and the method can be used to make small components using plastics and metal powders, with some experimenting with chocolate and other food, as well as biomaterials similar to human cells. 3D printers have been used to manufacture everything from prosthetic limbs to robots, and the process follows these basic steps:  Creating a 3D blueprint using computer-aided design (CAD) software  Preparing the printer, including refilling the raw materials such as plastics, metal powders and binding solutions.  Initiating the printing process via the machine, which builds the object.  3D printing processes can vary, but material extrusion is the most common, and it works like a glue gun: the printing material is heated until it liquefies and is extruded through the print nozzle  Using information from the digital file, the design is split into two-dimensional cross-sections so the printers knows where to put the material  The nozzle deposits the polymer in thin layers, often 0.1 millimetre (0.004 inches) thick.  The polymer rapidly solidifies, bonding to the layer below before the build platform lowers and the print head adds another layer (depending on the object, the entire process can take anywhere from minutes to days.)  After the printing is finished, every object requires some post-processing, ranging from unsticking the object from the build platform to removing support, to removing excess powders. Advertisement

The patient is now being monitored closely and is under close observation in Jurong Bird Park's Avian Hospital's outdoor ward.

Jary's prosthetic will remain in place until he manages to grow another casque of his own.

Great Pied Hornbills are classified as 'Near Threatened' in The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

The Great hornbill is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia and is renowned for its impressive size and colouration.

Animals can live very long lives, with some living for nearly 50 years in captivity.

Jurong Bird Park currently houses four male and six female Great Pied Hornbills and they live for an average of 40 years.

Jary is now being monitored closely and is under close observation in Jurong Bird Park's Avian Hospital's outdoor ward
Scientists are preparing to dethrone the 'king of kilograms' - the defining mass against which all other kilograms are measured.

Le Grand K, stored under secure lock and key in France since it was made in 1889, is getting an upgrade to a modernised device that measures light.

Scientists hope to retire the carefully calibrated alloy cylinder to provide security to the world's metric weight systems should the object be destroyed.

Kept under two bell jars and secured by three keys - only two of which are in France - the precious hunk of metal is stored in an elegant building just outside Paris.

It has served as the global standard for weighing things for 130 years, with dozens of copies stored across the globe to standardise the weights of individual nations.

Le Grand K (right) is an alloy cylinder used to standardise the kilo for more than a century and has been kept under secure lock and key in Paris since it was made in 1889. The weight is stored under two bell jars (centre) to stop it from accruing dust and dirt

WHAT IS LE GRAND K? Le Grande K is the defining mass against which all other kilograms are measured. It is a carefully calibrated alloy cylinder that has been held under lock and key in France since it was made in 1889. Dozens of copies have been made and stored around the world to standardise the weights of individual nations. Le Grande K is stored in the Louis XIV Pavillon de Breteuil, a building that also houses the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. The weight is so precious that it is only taken out once every 40 years to make copies for other nations. Advertisement

Britain's own version is stored in the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in London, where scientists have spent decades developing a new global weight standard.

The device, known as a Kibble balance, tracks tiny changes in electrical current to calculate the gravitational force acting on a mass - the two components of weight.

It could spell the end for Le Grand K, which has been stored in the Louis XIV Pavillon de Breteuil, a building in the small French town of Saint-Cloud, for 130 years.

'One key reason for doing this work is to provide international security,' Ian Robinson, head of engineering measurement at the NPL, told the Luxembourg-based magazine Delano.

'If the Pavillon de Breteuil burned down tomorrow and the kilogram in its vaults melted, we would have no reference left for the world's metric weights system.

'There would be chaos. The current definition of the kilogram is the weight of that cylinder in Paris, after all.'

The Kibble balance calculates weight using small changes in electrical current.

It measures the electric current required to produce an electromagnetic force that is equal to the gravitational force acting on a mass.

Scientists have spent decades developing a new global weight standard. The device, known as a Kibble balance, measures tiny changes in electrical current to calculate the gravitational force acting on a mass - the two components of weight

HOW WOULD A KIBBLE BALANCE MEASURE THE PLANCK CONSTANT? A Kibble balance would redefine the kilogram by giving scientists the most precise measurement yet of the Planck constant. It comprises a wire coil inside a magnetic field that is suspended from the arm of a balance. A kilogram mass is also placed on this arm exerting a force downwards due to gravity. An electrical current is passed through the coil generating a force, the strength of which depends on the size of the current, the strength of the field and the length of the coil. The value of current is varied until the downward force from the kilo mass is balanced by the force from the coil in the magnetic field. The mass is then removed and the coil is moved in the field, which induces a voltage in the coil. By tracking the current and voltage the Planck constant can be measured in terms of mass, length and time. Advertisement

This precise current measurement is used to produce the most accurate calculation yet of Planck constant, which will in future be used to define a kilogram.

Planck's constant - one of the fundamental constants of nature - can be combined with certain properties of light and Einstein's e=mc2 to give the new kilo.

Le Grande K is stored under lock and key in the Louis XIV Pavillon de Breteuil

Using these machines as an international standard would save the need to keep Le Grand K and its copies under tight security.

'We are going to create a method for weighing the kilogram completely accurately until the end of time,' Mr Robinson said.

'We will have released ourselves from a single point of failure.'

Later this month, delegates at the international General Conference on Weights and Measures, held in France, are expected to vote to retire Le Grande K.

The Louis XIV Pavillon de Breteuil in Paris houses the International Bureau of Weights and Measures

The Kibble balance is widely expected to replace it, allowing the kilo to join a wide range of modernised standard measurements.

The metre, once standardised using an alloy bar stored in Paris, has been defined as the distance travelled by a light particle in 1/299,792,458 of a second since 1983.

For more than a century, the second was for decades measured as 1/86,400 of an average day.

As Earth's rotation is variable, the unit has now been updated to be the time taken for a caesium atom to vibrate precisely 9,192,631,770 times.
The first shale gas has been extracted by Cuadrilla from its site in northwest England after it began fracking operations there just over two weeks ago.

Cuadrilla said the gas flows were small but - coming at such an early stage of the project - were evidence of the potential of the site.

Fracking in the region has attracted controversy after a series of underground tremors were detected.

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The first shale gas has been extracted by Cuadrilla from its site in northwest England after it began fracking operations there just over two weeks ago. Cuadrilla says gas flows were small but - coming at such an early stage of the project - were evidence of the potential of the site.

'This is a good early indication of the gas potential that we have long talked about,' Cuadrilla Chief Executive Francis Egan said in an emailed statement.

Fracking, or hydraulically fracturing, involves extracting gas from rocks by breaking them up with water and chemicals at high pressure.

The practice - which started at the Preston New Road site in Little Plumpton on October 15 - has been halted and restarted twice since then, after small earth tremors were detected.

Britain's regulatory system calls for any fracking to be paused if any tremor of magnitude 0.5 or above is detected.

Cuadrilla said it plans to fully test flow rates from the current two exploration wells towards the end of 2018 and into the New Year to determine whether full-scale gas extraction would be viable.

Fracking is opposed by environmentalists and green groups who say extracting more fossil fuel is at odds with Britain's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But Britain's government is supportive of the industry and is keen to reduce the country's reliance on imports of natural gas, which is used to heat around 80 percent of Britain's homes.

Cuadrilla first extracted shale gas in England near the coastal town of Blackpool in the northwest in 2011, but it was stopped after causing a 2.3 magnitude earth tremor. This image shows its site in Preston New Road, Little Plumpton

The British Geological Survey estimates shale gas resources in northern England alone could contain 1,300 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas, 10 per cent of which could meet the country's demand for almost 40 years.

Cuadrilla which is 47.4 percent owned by Australia's AJ Lucas and 45.2 per cent owned by a fund managed by Riverstone, first extracted shale gas in England near the coastal town of Blackpool in the northwest in 2011, but it was stopped after causing a 2.3 magnitude earth tremor.

It said then that the quake was caused by an unusual combination of geological features, but it led to an 18-month nationwide ban on fracking while further research was carried out and a new regulatory system was implemented.

Fracking at the site was halted again on Monday after an underground tremor was detected, the seventh to be detected recently at the site in Preston New Road, Little Plumpton.

A spokesman for the firm said work had stopped as a micro-seismic event measuring 1.1 magnitude was detected at about 11.30am.

The tremor was the largest recorded at the site since fracking began again on October 15.
A former NASA astronaut has described the moment he watched the Apollo 11 mission with Buzz Aldrin's family while trying to comfort them as 'tense and anxious'.

Russell Schweickart, 83, sat with Buzz's wife and kids at their home in Houston, Texas, as his friends Aldrin and Neil Armstrong took their historic first steps on the Moon in July 1969.

There has been renewed interest in the Apollo missions, as NASA launched celebrations in October to mark the 50th anniversary of the program.

As part of this interest, memorabilia belonging to Neil Armstrong and John Glenn - the first American to orbit Earth - has been put up for auction in recent days.

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Ex-NASA astronaut Russell Schweickart, 83, sat with Buzz's wife and kids at their home in Houston, Texas, as his friends Aldrin and Neil Armstrong took their first steps on the moon

Mr Schweickart helped lay the foundation for the Apollo 11 mission when he performed extensive tests on the lunar module used by Aldrin and Armstrong in July 1969

'I was at the Aldrin home for the landing, with Buzz's wife and kids, both to help them understand what was going on and in case something went wrong,' Mr Schweickart told Fox News.

'That was something that we often did as astronauts. As you would expect, there was a bit of tension.

'There's a little bit of anxiety and some tension and worry and that kind of thing.'

Mr Schweickart aided the Apollo 11 mission when he performed extensive tests on the lunar module used by Aldrin and Armstrong to dock on the surface of the moon.

The former astronaut said he was no stranger to the Aldrin household, having been there to support Buzz's wife and children when their father was on missions.

Mr Schweickart said it was tense watching the moon landing with Buzz's family, who are pictured. From left to right: Andrew, Edwin Sr., Edwin Jr. (Buzz), Joan, Janice and Michael

There has been renewed interest in the Apollo missions, as NASA launched celebrations in October to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the program. This image Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface of the moon near the leg of the Lunar Module in 1969 (file photo)

Mr Schweickart also had gripes with some of the technical aspects of spaceflight depicted in the new Neil Armstrong biopic First Man.

He said that real life spaceflight was boring, slow, majestically and quiet - compared to the film which he described as noisy.

The ex-US Air Force fighter pilot said even on a launch, things were much quieter than shown in the film.

Mr Schweickart's comments come after it was announced memorabilia belonging to Neil Armstrong and John Glenn - the first American to orbit earth - was going up for auction this week.

Mr Schweickart said First Man - the new Neil Armstrong biopic with Ryan Gosling in the lead role (pictured) - didn't accurately portray some of the technical aspects of spaceflight

Glenn was among the Mercury Seven, the group of astronauts that piloted America's first manned spaceflights in the 1960s.

The golden helmet he wore while setting the transcontinental speed record during 1957's 'Project Bullet' is now up for grabs to the public.

The helmet will be offered at auction by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions today.

Glenn gifted it to Matt Carpenter, son of Scott Carpenter who was also part of the Mercury Seven.

Matt said: 'When we were young, as far back as I can remember, we would play naval aviators on the couch, and either my brother or I would wear the gold Glenn Navy helmet and one of us would wear a helmet that belonged to my father.'

The helmet worn by John Glenn during the history-making flight, dubbed Project Bullet, in which the future astronaut set the transcontinental speed record in 1957, is going on sale today

The sale is a kind of astronautical addendum to a larger, previously announced sale involving the personal collection of another famed astronaut, Neil Armstrong.

A series of auctions involving some 2,000 artefacts and mementos owned by Armstrong also began today and runs through November 2019.

Among Armstrong's personal items are pieces of a wing and propeller from the 1903 Wright Flyer, the first successful heavier-than-air powered aircraft.

Armstrong, who like Glenn was from Ohio, took the items with him to the moon.

As with the Glenn helmet, Armstrong's items landed in the lap of the next generation after the famed astronaut died in 2012.

Carpenter died in 2013 and Glenn followed in 2016, at age 95, the last surviving Mercury Seven astronaut. An estate sale of his belongings took place in March.

The golden headpiece was a gift from Glenn - the first American to orbit earth - to Matt Carpenter, son of Scott Carpenter who was also part of the Mercury Seven astronaut team

When the Carpenters discovered Armstrong's sons had organised a sale of their famous father's memorabilia, Matt Carpenter said the helmet seemed like an ideal fit.

'Obviously, we'd love to get the most money realized for it, but also we'd love to get somebody who's going to appreciate it,' he said. 'I think it's a very special thing.'

Carpenter, now 40, and his brother Nick, who turns 39 this week, would like to use some of the proceeds to help underwrite a documentary they are producing about the Glenn-Carpenter friendship. Matt Carpenter said they interviewed both astronauts in 2012 and hope to release the film in 2019.

Its working title is the famous Glenn quote, 'Zero-G and I feel fine.'
Nasa is building robots that can dig up Martian soil and convert it into rocket fuel.

The machines will strip water from the soil and convert it into methane - a compound that has been tipped to power the rockets of the future.

They could solve a major problem facing Nasa's deep space plans: How to keep rockets light enough to fly while still carrying enough fuel to get to and from Mars.

Nasa plans to send manned missions to Mars in the early 2030s.

But before humanity takes its first step on the red planet, the space agency will send a fleet of unmanned vehicles to test the habitability of its arid, dusty surface.

The new robots, nicknamed 'dust-to-thrust factories', could form part of these key early trips, according to one Nasa software engineer.

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Nasa is building robots that can dig up Martian soil and convert it into rocket fuel. Pictured is a prototype of one of the machines, which will strip water from soil and convert it into methane - a compound that can power rockets

Kurt Leucht, team lead on the ambitious project, wrote about the robots in a recent article for IEEE Spectrum.

Mr Leucht's team is building a prototype system that they dub 'in situ resource utilisation', or ISRU.

It works by removing water from soil and splitting it into its constituent parts, hydrogen and oxygen, though a process known as electrolysis.

It then combines the hydrogen with carbon from Mars's atmosphere to produce methane, which has been tipped by some engineers as the rocket fuel of the future.

Methane is more stable than liquid hydrogen, today's most common rocket fuel, and can also be stored in smaller tanks at more manageable temperatures.

Key to the fuel's promise is that it may be recovered or created from local resources - a perk that Nasa's ISRU robots are designed to take full advantage of.

The new robots, nicknamed 'dust-to-thrust factories', could form part of early trips to Mars ahead of Nasa's first manned missions to the planet in the early 2030s

Nasa plans to use the system for the first time ahead of its manned missions to Mars alongside robots that gather soil from the planet's surface.

Astronauts landing on Mars in the following years will eventually use the fuel it produced to fly back to Earth.

'This technology will one day allow humans to live and work on Mars and return to Earth to tell the story,' Mr Leucht wrote.

Nasa faces a big hurdle in the sheer volume of conventional rocket fuel needed to reach Mars and beyond.

The robots could solve a major problem facing Nasa's deep space plans: How to keep rockets light enough to fly while still carrying enough fuel to get to and from Mars

The agency calls this the 'gear ratio' problem, and robots like the IRSU could finally solve it.

'By some estimates, to ship a single kilogram of fuel from Earth to Mars, todays rockets need to burn 225 kilograms of fuel in transit,' Mr Leucht wrote.

'Wed start with 226 kg and end with 1 kg, which makes for a 226:1 gear ratio.

'The ratio stays the same no matter what we ship. We would need 225 tons of fuel to send a ton of water, a ton of oxygen, or a ton of machinery.

'The only way to get around that harsh arithmetic is by making our water, oxygen, and fuel on-site.'
Smartphones get more and more sophisticated every year, from flashy edge-to-edge screens and facial recognition to professional-grade cameras.

Despite these high-tech upgrades, it seems battery life hasn't gotten quite the boost many would have expected to arrive by now.

That's according to a new study by The Washington Post, which found that battery life in many handset makers' flagship phones suffered compared to older models.

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Smartphones get more and more sophisticated every year, but it seems battery life hasn't quite gotten the boost many would have expected to arrive in new devices by now

HOW LONG DO MOST PHONE BATTERIES LAST? iPhone XR - 12 hours and 25 minutes

- 12 hours and 25 minutes Samsung Note9 - 12 hours

- 12 hours iPhone 8 Plus - 10 hours and 10 minutes

- 10 hours and 10 minutes Pixel 3 XL - 10 hours and 7 minutes

- 10 hours and 7 minutes iPhone XS Max - 10 hours and 6 minutes

- 10 hours and 6 minutes Pixel 2 - 9 hours and 57 minutes

- 9 hours and 57 minutes iPhone 8 - 9 hours and 51 minutes

- 9 hours and 51 minutes iPhone X - 9 hours and 30 minutes

- 9 hours and 30 minutes Pixel 2 XL - 9 hours and 26 minutes

- 9 hours and 26 minutes iPhone XS - 9 hours and 9 minutes

- 9 hours and 9 minutes Samsung S9+ - 8 hours and 57 minutes

- 8 hours and 57 minutes Pixel 3 - 8 hours and 28 minutes

- 8 hours and 28 minutes Samsung S9 - 8 hours and 17 minutes Source: The Washington Post Advertisement

The Post conducted a series of battery life tests on 13 phones, including the new iPhone XS and Google's Pixel 3.

A light meter was used to make sure that every device was set to the same brightness.

Then, the phones were forced to automatically reload and scroll through several websites until their batteries died.

Surprisingly, the iPhone XS couldn't last as long as its predecessor, the iPhone X, dying a full 21 minutes earlier than the 10th anniversary device.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 3 died an hour and a half earlier than the Pixel 2.

The only device that seemed to counteract the assumption that older phones outlast new phones was the iPhone XR.

The iPhone XR lasted three hours longer than the iPhone X, bucking the general trend gleaned from the study.

It's likely that this is the case because Apple has outfitted the iPhone XR with a lower cost LCD display vs. the OLED screen used in the iPhone XS.

LCD panels require less light to operate than OLED displays, enabling them to burn through battery power at a slower rate.

The Post conducted a series of battery life tests on 13 phones, including the new iPhone XS and Google's Pixel 3. They found that the iPhone XS couldn't last as long as the iPhone X

That supports the reports findings that phones with more advanced screens, such as OLED displays, perform worse than those that don't feature that technology.

But it may depend on more things than just screen technology.

Samsung's Note9, released in August, lasted close to four hours longer than the S9, which was unveiled in February.

The Note9 features a much bigger battery than previous models.

This is in line with a broader trend in the smartphone industry of introducing bigger batteries in smartphones. According to iFixit, battery capacities have doubled in the past years, the Post noted.

However, many devicemakers don't want to rely on this strategy, as lithium ion batteries are hitting an inflection point where they simply can't keep up with users' heavy smartphone use, the Post said.

'Batteries improve at a very slow pace, about 5 percent per year,' Nadim Maluf, the CEO of Qnovo, told the Post.

'But phone power consumption is growing up faster than 5 percent.'

Users may have to choose between buying devices that ditch high-tech screens in favor of extended battery life, or be forced to plug in more often if they want the latest, greatest phone

Batteries will continue to drain as more and more devicemakers install high-resolution screens, which take more juice to power, as well as the rise of more complicated apps and rising phone usage.

And that battery drain is only expected to worsen with the rollout of 5G networks.

Users may have to choose between buying a device, such as the iPhone XR, which loses out on high-tech screens in favor of extended battery life, or be forced to plug in more often if they want the latest, greatest phone.

'Consumers have to start getting ready for compromise,' Maluf told the Post.

If not, they can always rely on other battery-saving measures, like turning the screen brightness down, using WiFi or even airplane mode instead of LTE connections and switching on power-saving features like Apple's Low Power Mode.

HOW DO LITHIUM ION BATTERIES WORK? Batteries store and releases energy by moving electrons from one 'end' of the battery to the other. We can use the energy from those moving electrons to do work for us, like power a drill. These two battery 'ends' are known as electrodes. One is called the anode and the other is called the cathode. Generally, the anode is made from carbon and the cathode from a chemical compound known as a metal oxide, like cobalt oxide. The final battery ingredient is known as the electrolyte, and it sits in between the two electrodes. In the case of lithium-ion batteries, the electrolyte is a salt solution that contains lithium ionshence the name. When you place the battery in a device, the positively charged lithium ions are attracted to and move towards the cathode. Once it is bombarded with these ions, the cathode becomes more positively charged than the anode, and this attracts negatively charged electrons. As the electrons start moving toward the cathode, we force them to go through our device and use the energy of the electrons 'flowing' toward the cathode to generate power. You can think of this like a water wheel, except instead of water flowing, electrons are flowing. Lithium-ion batteries are especially useful because they are rechargeable. When the battery is connected to a charger, the lithium ions move in the opposite direction as before. As they move from the cathode to the anode, the battery is restored for another use. Lithium ion batteries can also produce a lot more electrical power per unit of weight than other batteries. This means that lithium-ion batteries can store the same amount of power as other batteries, but accomplish this in a lighter and smaller package. Advertisement




Duck-billed dinosaurs may have tooted a range of sounds from trumpet-like instruments on their heads 76 million years ago.

The huge reptiles sported trumpet-like nasal passages which they blew air into through a hollow head crest.

Different duck-billed dinosaurs may have blasted out different notes because their heads were shaped differently, according to a new study.

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Pictured is an artist's impression of a Parasaurolophus, one of the species analysed in the new study. Different duck-billed dinosaurs may have blasted out different notes because their heads were shaped differently, according to a new study

Researchers at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine performed 3D scans of fossils of an unnamed species of Parasaurolophus.

The scans suggest the duckbill blared at 56 hertz.

The sound fell between the high-pitched toot of the previously studied Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus (75 hertz) and the low tone of P. walkeri (48 hertz).

This suggests different species of duck-billed dinosaurs had their own distinctive calls, tooting different notes on their horns.

In total, the researchers studied five partial-to-complete skulls of five of the unnamed Parasaurolophus dinosaurs.

They were found were found in southern Utah in rock dating as far back as 76 million years ago.

Pictured is a digital image of the crest from one of the newfound Parasaurolophus specimens. The species sported trumpet-like nasal passages which they blew air into through a hollow head crest

Most dinosaurs produced sounds with their vocal chords, which are soft tissue and so don't fossilise well, leaving scientists few clues to what dinosaurs sounded like.

The skulls of species like Parasaurolophus are gold dust to scientists because they helped the animals make sound and are made of bone, so have remained preserved for millions of years.

Their nasal cavities and hollow crests dont give scientists all the clues, but they do shed some light on what dinosaurs may have sounded like.

Different duck-billed dinosaurs may have blasted out different notes because their heads were shaped differently, according to a new study

'We can never be exactly certain what sounds these dinosaurs actually made,' University of Texas researcher Dr Caroline Rinaldi, who was not involved in the study, told Live Science.

'But the authors used an innovative combination of physics and physiological principles to develop a hypothesis that different species of Parasaurolophus (with different crest shapes), produced sounds of different frequencies.'

The research was presented at the 78th annual Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 18.
A mysterious asteroid called Oumuamua, the first interstellar object ever seen in the solar system, could be a gigantic alien solar sail send to look for signs of life, a new study has claimed.

Astronomers from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) analyzed the strange cigar shape of the object, and an unexpected boost in speed and shift in trajectory as it passed through the inner solar system last year.

They concluded that the strange asteroid 'might be a lightsail of artificial origin.'

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Astronomers from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics concluded that the strange asteroid 'might be a lightsail of artificial origin.'

WHAT IS A LIGHTSAIL? Much like the wind pushing a sailboat through water, solar sails rely on sunlight to propel vehicles through space. The sail captures constantly streaming solar particles, called photons, with giant sails built from a lightweight material. Over time, the buildup of these particles provides enough thrust for a spacecraft to travel in space. Advertisement

The study  'Could Solar Radiation Pressure Explain 'Oumuamua's Peculiar Acceleration?', which recently appeared online  was conducted by Shmuel Bialy, a postdoctoral researcher at the CfA's Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC) and Professor Abraham Loeb, the director of the ITC, the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University, and the head chair of the Breakthrough Starshot Advisory Committee.

The researchers say the strange acceleration could the the result of solar radiation pushing a giant solar sail.

They found a sail that was only a fraction of a millimeter thick (0.3-0.9 mm) would be sufficient for a sheet of solid material to survive the journey through the entire galaxy.

Lightsails with similar dimensions have been designed and constructed by humans, including the Japanese-designed IKAROS project and the Starshot Initiative with which he is involved.

'Considering an artificial origin, one possibility is that Oumuamua is a lightsail, floating in interstellar space as a debris from an advanced technological equipment,' they wrote.

The JPL team has not yet worked out how to power the craft - and many of their ideas rely on technology that doesn't yet exist, such as this laser sail being developed by the Breakthrough project, which hopes to make to same trip to Alpha Centairi.

'Alternatively, a more exotic scenario is that Oumuamua may be a fully operational probe sent intentionally to Earth vicinity by an alien civilization,' they added.

Another option, which explains the lack of communication, a lack of any kind of signal could mean the giant object is actually an 'alien shipwreck'.

Professor Loeb previously wrote in Scientific American, 'Oumuamua could be the first known case of an artificial relic which floated into our Solar System from interstellar space.

'This opportunity establishes a potential foundation for a new frontier of space archaeology, namely the study of relics from past civilizations in space,'

'Finding evidence for space junk of artificial origin would provide an affirmative answer to the age-old question 'Are we alone?'. This would have a dramatic impact on our culture and add a new cosmic perspective to the significance of human activity.'

This illustration shows 'Oumuamua racing toward the outskirts of our solar system. As the complex rotation of the object makes it difficult to determine the exact shape, there are many models of what it could look like.

Loeb told Universe Today, 'Oumuamua could be an active piece of alien technology that came to explore our Solar System, the same way we hope to explore Alpha Centauri using Starshot and similar technologies'

'The alternative is to imagine that `Oumuamua was on a reconnaissance mission. The reason I contemplate the reconnaissance possibility is that the assumption that `Oumumua followed a random orbit requires the production of ~10^{15} such objects per star in our galaxy. This abundance is up to a hundred million times more than expected from the Solar System, based on a calculation that we did back in 2009. A surprisingly high overabundance, unless `Oumuamua is a targeted probe on a reconnaissance mission and not a member of a random population of objects.'

The cigar-shaped object, named 'Oumuamua, was spotted by the Haleakala observatory in Hawaii on October 19 last year.

A NASA reconstruction of the 'outgassing' of of Oumuamua. The cigar-shaped object was first spotted by the Haleakala observatory in Hawaii on October 19 last year. Now a new study claims it could be a solar sail from an alien civilization.

Its appearance and behaviour baffled scientists and led to speculation that it might even be an alien artefact - and now they have found it got a strange speed boost while passing through, which has helped identify it as a comet.

Telescopes first spotted the mysterious red-tinged object last October as it zipped through the inner solar system.

Since then, astronomers have flip-flopped between comet and asteroid for our first confirmed interstellar guest.

'Our high-precision measurements of Oumuamua's position revealed that there was something affecting its motion other than the gravitational forces of the Sun and planets,' said Marco Micheli of ESA's (European Space Agency) Space Situational Awareness Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre in Frascati, Italy, and lead author of a paper describing the team's findings.

Our first interstellar visitor sailed past Earth at at 97,200mph in 2017, but what exactly was Oumuamua? A cigar-shaped object named 'Oumuamua sailed past Earth at 97,200mph (156,428km/h) in October. It was first spotted by a telescope in Hawaii on 19 October, and was observed 34 separate times in the following week. It is named after the Hawaiian term for 'scout' or 'messenger' and passed the Earth at about 85 times the distance to the moon. It was the first interstellar object seen in the solar system, and it baffled astronomers. Initially, it was thought the object could be a comet. However, it displays none of the classic behavior expected of comets, such as a dusty, water-ice particle tail. The asteroid is up to one-quarter mile (400 meters) long and highly-elongated - perhaps 10 times as long as it is wide. That aspect ratio is greater than that of any asteroid or asteroid observed in our solar system to date. But the asteroid's slightly red hue  specifically pale pink  and varying brightness are remarkably similar to objects in our own solar system. Around the size of the Gherkin skyscraper in London, some astronomers were convinced it was piloted by aliens due to the vast distance the object traveled without being destroyed  and the closeness of its journey past the Earth. Alien hunters at SETI  the Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence based at Berkeley University, California said there was a possibility the rock was an alien artefact. But scientists from Queens University Belfast took a good look at the object and said it appears to be an asteroid, or planetesimal as originally thought. Researchers believe the cigar-shaped asteroid had a 'violent past', after looking at the light bouncing off its surface. They aren't exactly sure when the violent collision took place, but they believe the lonely asteroid's tumbling will continue for at least a billion years. Advertisement

The speed boost was consistent with the behavior of a comet, said co-author Davide Farnocchia of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

'This additional subtle force on Oumuamua likely is caused by jets of gaseous material expelled from its surface,' said Farnocchia.

'This same kind of outgassing affects the motion of many comets in our solar system.'

Comets normally eject large amounts of dust and gas when warmed by the Sun.

Karen Meech, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Astronomy and co-author of the study, speculated that small dust grains, present on the surface of most comets, eroded away during Oumuamua's long journey through interstellar space.

'The more we study Oumuamua, the more exciting it gets,' Meech said.

'I'm amazed at how much we have learned from a short, intense observing campaign. I can hardly wait for the next interstellar object!'

Oumuamua, less than half a mile in length, now is farther away from our Sun than Jupiter and traveling away from the Sun at about 70,000 mph as it heads toward the outskirts of the solar system.

In only another four years, it will pass Neptune's orbit on its way back into interstellar space.

Because Oumuamua is the first interstellar object ever observed in our solar system, researchers caution that it's difficult to draw general conclusions about this newly-discovered class of celestial bodies.

However, observations point to the possibility that other star systems regularly eject small comet-like objects and there should be more of them drifting among the stars.

Future ground- and space-based surveys could detect more of these interstellar vagabonds, providing a larger sample for scientists to analyze.
Elon Musk doesn't think Apple is quite the innovator that it used to be.

In a wide-ranging interview with Recode, the billionaire tech mogul talked about his often controversial Twitter behavior, how 2018 has been the 'worst year of [his] entire career', how he thinks Donald Trump's Space Force idea is 'cool', and Tesla's intense Model 3 manufacturing process, among other things.

Musk briefly touched on his thoughts about Apple when talking about which gadgets he feels are making the biggest impact on consumers.

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In a wide-ranging interview, Elon Musk talked about his controversial Twitter behavior, Tesla's Model 3 manufacturing process and where he sees SpaceX heading next, among other things

The Tesla CEO admitted he's an iPhone user, noting that 'Apple makes great phones.'

But they aren't as mind-blowing as before, Musk said.

'No, I still use an iPhone and everything. But Apple used to really bring out products that would blow people's minds, you know?

'And [they] still make great products, but there's less of that,' he added.

Consumers don't seem to be lining up for iPhones like they may have for other Apple releases in the past, Musk explained.

'There's less of that. I don't think people are necessarily running to the store for the iPhone 11,' he said.

'But I think with Tesla, we really want to make products that people just love, that are heart-stopping.'

He also backed Donald Trump's plan for Space Force.

'Well, this may be a little controversial, but I actually like the idea. I think it's cool,' Musk told Swisher.

'You know, like, when the Air Force was formed, there was a lot of like pooh-poohing, and like, 'Oh, how silly to have an Air Force!' You know, because the aircraft in World War II were managed by the Army.'

The Tesla CEO admitted he's an iPhone user, noting that 'Apple makes great phones.' But they aren't as mind-blowing as before, Musk said in an interview with Recode's Kara Swisher

Musk went on to offer candid details about his reputation on Twitter, touching on some particular tweets that got him in trouble with the SEC.

He sparked a lawsuit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after claiming on the social media site that he was considering taking his electric car company private at $420 per share.

Despite the lawsuit, which resulted in a settlement requiring the company to tighten its grip on Musk's communications with investors, Musk said he doesn't think much about Twitter.

'Well, I tweet interesting things pretty much as they come to me, and probably with not much of a filter,' Musk explained.

Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2018

'I find it entertaining. I think, 'Oh, other people might find this entertaining.' Sometimes they do.'

He added that he spends 'much less time on Twitter than people think,' chalking it up to about 10 to 15 minutes a day.

'Some people use their hair to express themselves; I use Twitter,' Musk joked.

In the interview, Musk admitted that some of Tesla's recent headaches may have had something to do with him.

'Yeah, there's no question there's, like, self-inflicted wounds,' Musk said.

WHAT WERE ELON MUSK'S OUTBURSTS LEADING UP TO 'PEDO GUY' COMMENT? In July 2018, Musk attacked British diver Vern Unsworth, who had dismissed the Tesla chief's efforts to help the rescue mission for the 12 boys as a 'PR stunt' in a widely seen interview on CNN. Musk, without providing any justification or explanation, referred to Unsworth as 'pedo guy' in a since-deleted tweet. 'Pedo' is short for pedophile. Unsworth told AFP he had not reviewed the tweets in full and had only heard about them. But asked if he would take legal action against Musk over the allegation, Unsworth said: 'If it's what I think it is yes.' Musk also denied giving donations to a political action committee dedicated to helping the Republicans maintain control of the house. This was despite the Federal Election Commission releasing annual filings this week showing Musk as one of the top 50 donors. While Musk has described himself as 'half Democrat, half Repulican' in the past, it struck many as hypocritical that a green energy CEO would donate nearly $40,000 (30,700) to help keep in power a political party that has largely ignored or denied climate change. Despite the fact that publicly-available FEC documents prove his donations to the PAC, Musk tweeted afterward that 'reports that I am a top donor of the GOP are categorically false'. 'I am not a top donor to any political party,' he said. In the past few months, Musk has become embroiled in a series of spats with the news media. He has chastised reporters for focusing on accidents of autonomous cars instead of their safety potential, and accusing one news organisation of being 'relentlessly negative' about Tesla. Shares were pummeled in May after Musk abruptly cut off questions from Wall Street analysts over Tesla's spending plans. In an earnings call, he berated analysts for asking 'boring' questions and sidestepped questions about Tesla's massive capital needs. The billionaire branded one industry analyst a 'boring bonehead' during the bizarre session, saying another's 'questions are so dry they are killing me'. He also alleged 'sabotage' at Tesla's operations by an employee, who responded by claiming to be a 'whistleblower.' The Tesla CEO wrote a lengthy note to all of his staff stating that he had discovered someone working intently on causing malicious damage within the company's ranks. Advertisement

'In fact, my brother said, 'Look, if you do a self-inflicted wound, can you at least not twist the knife afterwards? You stabbed yourself in the leg. You don't really need to twist it in your leg. Why do that?''

'...It's not intentional. Sometimes you're just under a lot of pressure and - you're not getting much sleep, you're under massive pressure, and you make mistakes.'

Musk famously said he was sleeping on the floors of Tesla's Fremont, California-based factory at the height of the company's rush to produce enough of its Model 3 sedans.

He says he has managed to cut down his workload to '80 or 90 hours' per week, instead of the 120 hour work weeks he was putting in before.

'It's been a very difficult year,' Musk said, adding that the Model 3 manufacturing process has been 'excruciatingly difficult.'

'It is incredibly difficult to survive as a car company. Incredibly difficult. People have no idea how much pain people at Tesla went through, including myself.

'...This year felt like five years of aging, frankly. The worst year of my entire career. Insanely painful,' Musk added.

However, things have been looking up for Musk and Tesla after the electric carmaker posted surprisingly positive financial results for the most recent quarter.

The firm managed to turn a profit in its third-quarter earnings late last month and delivered 56,065 Model 3s in North America, which is 225 more than it previously said it would.

Looking ahead, Musk believes Tesla will be able to sustain its Model 3 production rates.

'We're certainly over the hump on Model 3 production,' Musk said. 'For us, making 5,000 cars in a week for Model 3 is not a big deal. That's just normal.

'Now we're working on raising to 6,000 and then 7,000 Model 3s a week, while still keeping costs under control.'
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Do you have what it takes to be an award-winning photographer?

Well, if you think you've captured a prize shot, you might want to enter Smithsonian.com's annual photo contest.

The competition has amassed more than 440,000 entries in the 16 years it has been running, with submissions flying in from all over the world.

There are six categories in this year's contest, including 'natural world', 'the American experience', 'travel', 'people', 'altered images' and 'mobile'.

A stormy shot of snow-dusted peaks in China, an intimate moment between an indigenous couple in Mexico and a candid capture of a U.S. marine corps soldier leaving a gas chamber are among the eye-catching entries so far.

Here MailOnline Travel serves up a selection of photos vying for the number one spot. The 2018 competition closes on November 30 and the winner will be announced next spring...

Callie Chee from Australia took this powerful shot, titled 'The King'. The image shows Yulong Snow Mountain in Yunnan, China, after a heavy snow storm

A U.S. Marine Corps recruit exits a gas chamber at an army camp in California. Roxanna Ortiz, who took the image, notes that the gas chamber trains recruits how to use gas masks so they can respond to potential chemical and biological threats

Ruben Escudero from Mexico took this touching portrait showing a couple after solar electricity was fitted in their home. The photographer explains: 'Faustina Flores Carranza, 66, and her husband Juan Astudillo Jesus, 63, sit in their solar-lit home in San Luis Acatlan, Guerrero, Mexico. Faustina and Juan have seven children and have been together for 48 years. Like many members of the indigenous community, they have never had access to electricity. When asked how having solar has impacted their lives, Juan said, ''For the first time, we are able to look each other in the eyes in our moments of intimacy"'

Reiko Takahashi, from Japan, photographed a big school of 'beautiful' jackfish swimming off the shores of Aguni Island

Danie Ferreira from South Africa took this candid shot of a mother polar bear nursing her cub. He said she was on an extreme expedition in east Greenland and travelling by dog sled with locals when he spotted the tender moment

Harry Skeggs from London said he was exploring Ranthambhore National Park in India when he spotted a Bengal tiger 'peering mysteriously though the foliage'

Maria Plotnikova from Moscow, Russia, titled this shot taken in Havana, Cuba, 'internetization'. She explained: 'Currently in Cuba, all internet services are controlled by the state-owned telecoms company ETECSA, and internet access in private houses is practically inaccessible. Recently, however, the situation has begun to change. With WiFi hotspots popping up across Cuba's major cities, Cubans finally are beginning to embrace the internet revolution, more than ten years overdue'

Julio Castro Pardo from Spain said of this picture, showing a magnificent cloud arching over a lighthouse: 'One of the most beautiful corners of the land where I live, Galicia, is this cape, which is located in the national park of the Atlantic islands. It is a unique environment to enjoy nature'

Callie Chee from Australia took this striking image of women from the Karen tribe on the Myanmar side of the Thai border. She explains that the females are best recognized for their elongated necks, with heavy brass rings around their necks and forearms

Russ Allison Loar took this colourful image of his wife, Cheryl, at one of the few 1950s diners left in southern California

Ruben Escudero took this photo titled 'reflections in Lesotho', showing a boy with a baby donkey. He explains that in Lesotho, which is a landlocked country in southern Africa, most small farmers can't afford tractors or motorised transport so they rely on donkeys for transport and to help cultivate crops

Pim Volkers from the Netherlands took this dramatic shot of wildebeest crossing the Mara River in Tanzania. Commenting on the photo he said: 'We decided to rise very early to be there before sunrise with the hope they would start crossing with perfect light conditions. And so they did...'

Ruben Escudero took this photograph showing a father cradling his sick two-year old son in a makeshift camp in Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Myanmar (left), while Mioara Chiparus took this photo of her hostess, Ekaterina, who looked after her in a sleeping cart while travelling on the Trans-Siberian train route from Moscow to Vladivostok (right)

Willem Kuijpers from the Netherlands took this candid black-and-white shot in Siciliy, Italy. He said that he took it at the end of a 24-hour holy Friday procession in Trapani, with these women weeping as the statue of the Madonna mourning was carried backwards into the church
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You'll quickly sense a pattern looking at these zoomed-in wildlife shots.

The Royal Society of Biology has revealed the winners and shortlisted entries of its 2018 Photographer of the Year and Young Photographer of the Year competitions, with this year's theme being 'patterns in nature'.

The contest saw native species showcased from Kenya to Cumbria, and the focus of entries ranged from the symmetries found under the microscope to the spots and stripes of plants, insects, birds and mammals.

In total, more than 2,500 pictures were submitted from over 900 entrants before the judges went about whittling the numbers down.

Tim Harris of Nature Library - an online nature-focused image service - who stood on the judging panel said: 'It was great to see the imaginative ways in which the brief was interpreted. The winning and short-listed images have opened our eyes to many hidden patterns in nature.'

Scroll down to take a journey through the looking glass and see which photos of the natural world caught the judges' eyes...

Jack Olive, 17, took this close-up shot of a leopard gecko in Devon. He said the little lizard stared down the lens allowing him to take the picture. The young photographer explained that he wanted to capture the yellow-and-black scale pattern on the creature as well as the beautiful eye. This image saw Jack crowned Young Photographer of the Year 2018

Sean Clayton was revealed as a runner-up in the photography contest with this close-up shot of dragonfly wings. He said: 'Dragonfly wings are incredibly intricate and when viewed close up I think they contain some of the most beautiful patterns in nature'. The image was taken in Gelston, Scotland

Rebecca Keen, aged 17, took this shot of a frog surrounded by spawn in a pond in Cumbria, located near the southern end of Lake Windermere. She said the picture has three patterns, including 'the visual composition of the frog spawn in a clustered arrangement' and 'the random assortment of the leaves beneath the surface of the water'. The final pattern, she notes, is the 'life cycle of the frog itself, from the spawn to the adult frog within their natural habitat'. This image was short-listed in the Young Photographer of the Year category

Guilhem Duvot captured an incredibly well-camouflaged dead leaf grasshopper while travelling around Borneo. He said he only spotted the unusual insect because it jumped up. The image was placed as a runner-up in the contest

This colourful shot by Roberto Bueno was the winner of the shortlisted Photographer of the Year category. The image captures the patterns left by larvae on fallen leaves. These patterns can often be seen in the northern woods of Alaska and the Yukon. Roberto says the trails are some of the 'most surprising patterns' he's seen in the natural world

Viraj Ghaisas from Mumbai, India, used a slow shutter speed to create an interesting pattern of moving seagulls. He was revealed as a runner-up in the contest. The amateur photographer says in winter, the seagulls congregate in several places around the city where the locals have 'made it a daily ritual to feed them junk food'

This photograph, taken by 17-year-old Imogen Smith while she was visiting the Lewa Reserve in Kenya, was highly commended in the Young Photographer of the Year category. The amateur photographer said she wanted to capture the beautiful striped pattern of the Grevy's zebra, 'showing both the real animal and its rippled striped reflection' in the water

Milo Hyde, aged 10, took this macro shot of orbea variegata flower, which is also known as a star flower. He took the shot in Surrey and said he wanted to capture the tiny spots on the plant. Milo was revealed as a runner-up in the Young Photographer of the Year 2018 category

Steve Lowry took this colourful micro shot showing suckers on the leg of a great diving beetle. Apparently the suckers are used to attach the male to the female while they are mating. The image, which was taken in Northern Ireland, was a runner-up in the contest

Henri Koskinen captured this very vibrant shot showing citric acid in crystal form on a microscope glass slide. The image, which was taken in the Finnish capital Helsinki, was revealed as a runner-up in the contest

Steve Lowry took this shot of foraminifera shells, which are are single-celled organisms. He notes that the fossilised shells of these minuscule creatures are often found in limestone. Lowry notes that foraminifera often comes 'in a wide variety of shapes and forms'. He took this micro photo in Northern Ireland and it was revealed as a runner-up in the contest
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Guests at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island now have the chance to sleep with the fishes - but there's nothing at all sinister about it.

That's because the swanky resort has opened what is believed to be the world's first-ever undersea villa - and images show that it's going to be one of the most sought-after hotel rooms in the world. For the super-rich, that is - it's $50,000 (38,000) a night.

It's a two-deck affair, with the lower deck sitting five meters (16ft) beneath the waves. It has a bedroom, living space and bathroom and, of course, swathes of glass so that guests can gaze at the colourful local sea life swimming past, wherever they are in the complex.

Guests at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island now have the chance to sleep with the fishes - but there's nothing at all sinister about it. That's because the swanky resort has opened what is believed to be the world's first-ever undersea villa

Soak up unique views: Even in the bathroom guests can gaze at the Indian Ocean

An aerial image of Rangali Island in the Maldives, where the residence is located

The suite, named the Muraka, has cost $15million to build and will give guests unparalleled views of the Indian Ocean.

The residence was designed by architects the Crown Company and was built by New Zealand-based M J Murphy Limited, which specialises in aquarium technology.

The undersea suite is connected to the top deck by a spiral staircase.

Guests will be able to gaze at the endless horizon while soaking in the standalone bathtub up top

The relaxation deck that faces the direction of sunrise. There is, of course, also an infinity pool

Up top, guests will find a twin-size bedroom, bathroom, powder room, gym, butlers quarters, private security quarters, integrated living room, kitchen, bar and a dining room with a deck that faces the direction of the sunset.

On the opposite side of the villa sits a relaxation deck that faces the direction of sunrise and an infinity swimming pool.

The upper level also contains an additional king-size bedroom and bathroom, which boasts an ocean-facing bathtub, ideal for soaking in views of the endless horizon.

In total, Muraka can accommodate up to nine guests.

Ahmeed Saleem, the chief designer of the residence, said: 'Driven by our inspiration to deliver innovative and transformative experiences to our global travellers, the worlds first undersea residence encourages guests to explore the Maldives from an entirely new perspective below the surface of the sea.'

Visit www.conradmaldives.com for more information
'Don't try this at home!' I'm warned by a bystander, as the Japanese chef I'm watching suddenly dips his hand into a pan of boiling cooking oil.

Shuji Niitokme, 44, is considered one of Japan's top chefs when it comes to tempura (seafood or vegetables dipped in batter and deep fried) and a tasting menu at his eponymous 10-seat restaurant in the city of Nagoya costs 240 per head.

The culinary whizz tells me that he first became fascinated by tempura as a teenager and after more than two decades of plunging his fingers into hot oil to ensure it's the perfect temperature - he no longer feels pain.

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Shuji Niitokme, 44, is considered one of Japan's top chefs when it comes to tempura (seafood or vegetables dipped in batter and deep fried) and a tasting menu at his eponymous 10-seat restaurant in the city of Nagoya costs 240 per head

The culinary whizz says that he first became fascinated by tempura as a teenager and after more than two decades of plunging his fingers into oil to ensure it's the perfect temperature - he no longer feels pain

The jolly chef, who is wearing socks and flip flops while he cooks, laughs and shows me his hands.

They look rather sore, with yellow skin around his finger nails weeping slightly, but Niitokme sees no cause for concern and gets back to cooking.

I'm watching the eccentric chef at Yashin Ocean House, a restaurant in Kensington, London, which has been hired by All Nippon Airways in collaboration with food blog Luxeat as the venue for a culinary festival to show off Japanese cooking.

Niitokme, one of 10 or so chefs at the event, reveals that he flew over from Japan with his favourite tempura frying pan in tow.

Niitokme reveals his hands, which have taken quite a beating over the years in the kitchen

Niitokme says that he likes listening to the bubbles and the hissing of his pan, as it indicates when the tempura is ready

He also travelled with some of his essential ingredients, including his special tempura flour which he chills at around -50 degrees Celsius for two days before cooking, so that it dissolves better in the batter.

Along with his hands, Niitokme uses stainless steel chopsticks to flip morsels as he coats them in oil and batter.

The culinary pro says that he likes listening to the bubbles and the hissing of his pan, as it indicates when the tempura is ready.

One his fans, Nanako Murakami, a marketing manager for All Nippon Airways, tells me that she loves Niitokme's tempura because it 'melts in your mouth like snow'.

Niitokme underwent years of training before going independent and opening his own restaurant in 2013

Being in London, Niitokme decided to try cooking with some ingredients that are unavailable in Japan, including portobello mushrooms and celeriac.

He then visited fish markets in the city to get the freshest shrimp, crab and scallops he could find.

After tasting a selection of his goods, I can confirm that they are supremely light in texture, although much tastier than snow!

I guess what's so intriguing about Niitokme is the passion and dedication he has for what he does.

And after seeing his burned and weeping hands, he's certainly a chef who suffers for his art.
She is the former Australian beauty queen who moved to the UK in 2012 after falling in love with rapper Example, real name Elliot Gleave.

And Erin McNaught has celebrated the anniversary of when she first met her beau.

The 36-year-old took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a photo of herself with the musician in 2011 when she interviewed him for MTV Australia.

Where it all began! Former beauty queen Erin McNaught has marked seven years since meeting rapper husband Example. The 36-year-old took to Instagram, on Wednesday, to share a photo of herself with the musician from their first meeting in 2011

In the photo, the stunner appears glamorous in a pink and white ensemble with a bold red lip look holding a can of Red Stripe.

Meanwhile, the dishevelled looking rapper can be seen reclining on the couch covered in a neon hot pink blanket, also with a beer in hand.

In the caption she wrote, '7 years ago today!!!!'

Proper whirlwind thing! In the comments section a fan asked her if she and the Kickstarts hitmaker knew each other before the photo was taken. Erin explained, 'Id interviewed him for @mtvaustralia then hung out briefly a few days later - proper whirlwind thing'

She said, 'I'd been in the U.K. 3 days (my first ever trip to Europe) and I was like "WTF is this Red Stripe beer I hope it's reputable" (JOOOOKES I'M AUSTRALIAN AS IF I CARE WHAT BEER I'M DRINKING)'.

The stunner quipped, 'I was actually thinking 'Where in the f**k is Huddersfield and why is the dressing room sofa covered in a hot pink blanket."

In the comments section a fan asked her if she and the Kickstarts hitmaker knew each other before the photo was taken.

Perfect match! The Australian beauty and the rapper dated for 18 months before she relocated to London in 2012. They tied the knot in 2013 at the Deux Belettes guesthouse, near Ballina

Erin explained, 'Id interviewed him for @mtvaustralia then hung out briefly a few days later - proper whirlwind thing.'

The Australian beauty and the rapper dated for 18 months before they tying the knot in 2013.

Erin and Elliot are also proud parents to sons Evander Maxwell, four, and Ennio Stanley, one.
Laura Byrne famously found love on last year's season of The Bachelor.

But despite her romance being very much alive with Matthew 'Matty J' Johnson, she was allegedly approached to appear on another dating series.

The jewellery designer, 32, shared an email conversation on Wednesday, which asked for her interest in 'finding love' on TV - but swiftly deleted it.

That's awkward! Laura Byrne (L) rejects offer by Warner Bros. to appear on ANOTHER dating series produced by the company after successfully finding love with Matty J (R) on The Bachelor (Pictured on The Bachelor in 2017)

Laura claimed the email was sent from Warner Bros. - the same production company behind the Australian Bachelor franchise shows.

Sharing screen grabs of the conversation, the former reality star clearly found the contents humorous.

She captioned one of the photos with a joke about how she was already happy with the guy they had previously set her up with on The Bachelor.

Having a laugh! Laura found the email humorous as she joked that she was still very happy with the first man they set her up with (Pictured: Matty J and Laura Byrne)

The post was swifty deleted by Laura within hours of uploading it to social media.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Warner Bros. and Laura Byrne for further comment.

Matty J and Laura celebrated their one-year anniversary in May, choosing a date after filming the finale to mark the beginning of their relationship.

They're serious! Matty J and Laura celebrated their one-year anniversary in May, and moved in together in August

Not long after the couple celebrated their anniversary, Laura and her three-legged pooch Buster moved in with Matty J in his Bondi abode in August.

'We were always umming and ahhing if I would move to Rushcutters Bay or she would move to Bondi and the way its worked out, we decided Bondi,' Matty J told Daily Mail Australia in May.

The Bachelorette with Ali Oetjen is currently airing on Ten
Alesha Dixon admitted during an appearance on Johnathan Ross that she sobbed every day two weeks before her 40th birthday.

The TV personality, 40, told the chat show host that she expected to be fine about approaching the milestone, however she ended up 'having a bit of a moment'.

The star also discussed how she managed to avoid the 'Strictly curse', during her time as celebrity dancer on the show, which she went on to win in 2007.

Guest appearance: Alesha Dixon admitted during an appearance on Johnathan Ross that she sobbed every day two weeks before her 40th birthday

Speaking about the shock of reaching the end of her fourth decade, Alesha said: 'I remember turning 30 like it was yesterday and this decade has gone so quick.'

'I think when you have a big birthday like that it is that realisation of how precious life is and how fast things move.'

After being complemented on her looks she said: 'Thank you for saying I look good but it's about how you feel and I feel very lucky that at this point in my life I would say I'm the happiest I've ever been, the most comfortable in my own skin, and I feel very content.'

Life event: The TV personality, 40, told the chat show host that she expected to be fine about approaching the milestone, however she ended up 'having a bit of a moment'

Flown by! During her thirties Alesha appeared on Strictly with dance partner Matthew Cutler, before later becoming a judge alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli

She continued that she feels like her life began at 30 because her twenties were so turbulent and once she got into her thirties 'things just got sweeter'.

During her thirties Alesha appeared on Strictly, before later becoming a judge alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.

Following the recent controversy surrounding the 'Strictly curse', in the wake of comedian Seann Walsh and his partner Katya Jone's cheating scandal, Alesha confessed she was never tempted to get involved with her partner Matthew Cutler.

Strictly star: The star also discussed how she managed to avoid the 'Strictly curse', during her time as celebrity dancer on the show, which she went on to win in 2007

Speaking about the shock of reaching the end of her fourth decade, Alesha said: 'I remember turning 30 like it was yesterday and this decade has gone so quick.'

She joked that she was single at the time she competed on Strictly and ['probably tried to snog' Matthew at some point, but she was far too focused on the dancing to have time for 'hanky panky'.

However she admitted she can see how dance partners end up beginning romances, confessing: 'Do you know what though, the sexual chemistry is real. You're rubbing up upon them! It is intense so I can see how it goes down that road.'

Jonathan asked: 'Did you think, 'I'm not going to let that happen' or would you have been open to the opportunity if you did have that spark with him?'

After being complemented on her looks she said: 'Thank you for saying I look good but it's about how you feel and I feel very lucky that at this point in my life I would say I'm the happiest I've ever been, the most comfortable in my own skin, and I feel very content.'

Alesha responded: 'No, absolutely not. It didn't even cross my mind. This is the place to dance Some people have gone on to have nice relationships off the back of the show.

'Do you know what though, if I was in a relationship at the time at the time when I was asked to do the show, it would have been a thing I'd have to consider.'

The mother-of-one left her role as a Strictly judge after three years, after being offered a place on the judging panel on ITV's Britain's Got Talent.

Strictly line-up: Following the recent controversy surrounding the 'Strictly curse', in the wake of comedian Seann Walsh and his partner Katya Jone's cheating scandal, Alesha confessed she was never tempted to get involved with her partner Matthew

She said that every time January comes around and everyone feels blue after the Christmas period she gets to go and have fun on the show, which she described as 'the best job in the world'.

Alesha also spoke about her daughter and her understanding of her mum's career: 'She is slowly starting to understand. What is so scary for me now is we get in the car and she'll say, 'Mummy, can I listen to All I Want [one of Alesha's Misteeq hits]...

'Songs that came out so many years ago and now my daughter is starting to discover them and enjoy them and every now and then she will start singing, The Boy Does Nothing and Breathe Slow and that is so surreal to me to see her singing along.'

However when Alesha mentions Britain's Got Talent (BGT), all her daughter Azura is interested in is Amanda's daughter Hollie and Simon's son Eric.

Not tempted: Following the recent controversy surrounding the 'Strictly curse', in the wake of comedian Seann Walsh and his partner Katya Jone's cheating scandal, Alesha confessed she was never tempted to get involved with her partner Matthew Cutler

She quipped that Azura hates the buzzers they use on BGT and even when she was pregnant with her little girl, she used to kick when the loud sound went off.

Alesha also spoke about being in the band, Misteeq: 'It was the best times of my life, back then we didn't know what we were doing, we were just three young girls with a big dream, signed to a tiny independent label with not much money behind us and the garage scene was obviously fresh and ground breaking for British artists and allowed a lot of artists to break through. It was a big deal.

'We worked hard, we managed ourselves initially. I love the girls and everything that we did and everything we achieved.

'It was eight long years and there were many highs, some lows but more highs and I owe everything to Misteeq.'

'When I say lows, anyone that's in a band will understand that it can be quite tense, you are living in out of each other's pockets every day, you don't really see friends and family but at the same time, you're living your dream.'

Depsite having 'some of the best times of her life' with the band, Alesha told Jonathan that she was unsure whether the band would ever reform.'

She said: 'We haven't got any plans set in stone but we're talking. I think if we did something again, we would want it to happen quite organically.

'We were approached years ago to do the Big Reunion, that wasn't for us. If we did it again it's because we are friends and we want to make music together again.'
They're recognized as two of the world's most gorgeous supermodels.

So it's no surprise that jaws were left dropped when Martha Hunt, 29, and Jasmine Tookes, 27, strutted around the New York City streets head of their Good Morning America appearance on Thursday morning.

The Angels put on quite the show for onlookers as they prepared to make the special announcement regarding the musical line up of the upcoming Victoria's Secret Fashion show.

There's a reason why they're angels! Martha Hunt and Jasmine Tookes showcased their angelic beauty in New York City on Good Morning America on Thursday

Martha commanded attention in a satin pink robe that featured embellishments throughout.

The ensemble was brought together with a red tie around her waist that showcased her trim physique.

She paired the look with simple silver strappy heels and carried a black cross-body bag.

Pretty in pink: Martha commanded attention in a satin pink robe that featured embellishments throughout

Gorgeous: She paired the look with simple silver strappy heels and carried a black cross-body bag

Martha's blonde locks were styled the signature Victoria Secret beach waves and were effortlessly blowing in the wind as she walked the streets.

Her glam was kept dewy with a healthy glow and blushed cheeks complimented with a nude glossy lip.

Jasmine also brought her angel presence ahead of her television appearance.

Faces of the show: The Angels put on quite the show for onlookers as they prepared to make the special announcement regarding the musical line up of the upcoming Victoria's Secret Fashion show

No rookies! Jasmine and Martha have walked the runway a combined nine times

Chic style: Jasmine also brought her angel presence ahead of her television appearance. Models arrive in NYC for 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

The beauty opted for a printed handkerchief style dress and completed the look with classic black Christian Louboutin pumps.

Her dark locks were also styled out into waves and her glam glowing with highlighted cheekbones and sculpted cheeks.

The pair took to the morning television show to announce that the November 8 annual highly anticipated catwalk will be graced by musical artists Bebe Rexha, The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Kelsea Ballerini, Rita Ora, Shawn Mendes and The Struts.

They're back! It has been revealed that sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid as well as Kendall Jenner will be making their runway return on November 8 in New York City

He's in! Shawn Mendes was announced as a performer for the upcoming show

Friends: Bebe Rexha and Rita Ora will reunite on the catwalk next week

Hitmakers: The much loved Chain Smokers are set to perform a slew of hits

Going to be a great show: Halsey (L) and Kelsea Ballerini (R) have also been confirmed as performers on the night

The show will air as a Holiday Special on ABC Sunday December 2.

A Victoria's Secret press release also confirmed that Gigi and Bella Hadid as well as Kendall Jenner, would be walking in the New York show next week.

'The show is a year-long production, and 2018 promises to be our most ambitious yet,' said Victoria's Secret executive producer Ed Razek.

'We have more musical guests, more fashion and more stories than ever; and, of course, 60 of the world's top models.'
He's known for playing a number of diverse characters.

And on Wednesday Mike Myers looked to be at it again as he arrived to Stephen Colbert's show in full costume.

The 55-year-old Austin Powers superstar walked on stage in a version of U.K. army fatigues.

Staying in character! On Wednesday Mike Myers visited Stephen Colbert's show in full costume

As the SNL vet quickly explained, he was actually dressed as Major Harry Carlyle from the World War Two classic film A Bridge Too Far, which depicted the British officer always carrying an umbrella into battle.

Of course, he also utilized a bit of his trademark comedic sensibility - volunteering to take his helmet off, only to replace it with a plum-colored beret.

The Canadian funnyman then moved on to discuss why he jumped at the chance to participate in the new Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

He confessed that whilst growing up, the song had a sizable impact on him and his brothers.

The impact later led to him fighting to have the track included in his epic comedy Wayne's World, which quickly became a cult classic.

He put in some time! As the SNL vet quickly explained, he was actually dressed as Major Harry Carlyle from the World War Two classic film A Bridge Too Far, which depicted the British officer always carrying an umbrella into battle

Just kidding! Of course he also utilized a bit of his trademark comedic sensibility, after volunteering to take his helmet off, only to replace it with a plum-colored beret

Indeed, one of the comedy's most iconic scenes had Myers head banging along with others in a vehicle.

And it seems it took very little persuasion to get Myers to agree to be in Bohemian Rhapsody, in which he was asked to play an EMI record executive.

In the scene, said executive insists 'You can't have Bohemian Rhapsody on your album,' and then goes on to bicker with the band.

Indeed, one of Wayne's World's most iconic scenes had Myers head banging to Bohemian Rhapsody along with others in a vehicle

Good fit? And it seems it took very little persuasion to get Myers to agree to be in Bohemian Rhapsody, in which he was asked to play an EMI record executive

When Myers was asked by producers if he wanted the role, he quickly told them, 'Yeah! They go, 'Do you wanna read the script?' And I'm like, 'No, not really, I'm in. Just tell me when and what to wear.'

In addition to his work on Bohemian Rhapsody, Myers has apparently been hard at work on some new Austin Powers material.

Speaking to Access Online on Wednesday, he revealed 'Well, you're gonna see Dr. Evil soon, somewhere in the culture,' while declining to add any more specifics.
She recently returned from a family trip to the Dominican Republic with her eight-year-old son Riley.

And it was back to business for Jourdan Dunn on Thursday evening, as she co-hosted a dinner with Calzedonia at Laylow restaurant in west London.

The model, 28, looked sensational in a tiny white tuxedo dress with silver button detailing as she welcomed guests at the winter campaign event.

Wow: It was back to business for Jourdan Dunn on Thursday evening, as she co-hosted a dinner with Calzedonia at Laylow restaurant in west London

She teamed her glamorous look with a pair of glitzy fish-net tights, which covered her enviably lithe legs.

Adding further inches to her statuesque frame, the Vogue cover girl wore a pair of towering perspex heels.

Jourdan completed her look with a pair of huge statement drop earrings, while styling her locks in braids and wearing a smokey-eye and mauve lip.

Dazzling: The model, 28, looked sensational in a tiny white tuxedo dress with silver button detailing as she welcomed guests at the winter campaign event

Legs eleven! She teamed her glamorous look with a pair of glitzy fish-net tights, which covered her enviably lithe legs

The British star recently spoke of the 'dangerous' pressure placed on young girls to look picture perfect as they are confronted with Photoshopped images on social media.

She said: 'Some young girls don't know how to separate reality from Instagram. They're comparing themselves to a Photoshopped image, but how can you compare yourself to something that's not real? It can be very dangerous.'

Jourdan was scouted at the age of 15 by Storm Model Management and has gone on to find fame across the globe.

All smiles: Jourdan completed her look with a pair of huge statement drop earrings, while styling her locks in braids and wearing a smokey-eye and mauve lip

Pals: Jourdan embraced model Maria Borges who looked stunning in a cobalt blue and black ensemble

The ground-breaking star topped Forbes' top-earning models list in 2014 - making her the first black British model to reach the prestigious line-up.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline least year, Jordan admitted that being in the spotlight means she finds it hard to form friendships - and she trusts her instincts to filter out the disingenuous people.

She said: 'I've made strong friendships in the spotlight and you're meeting new people all the time.

Stylish: Maria teamed her stylish look with a pair of patent snakeskin boots

'But you soon become wary and realise that some people just want to get near you for your name.

'I have developed good judgement and go off vibes now. Anyone with bad energy is cut off straight away.'

Being part of the newest batch of supermodels, which includes Kendall Jenner and Gigi and Bella Hadid, Jourdan counts Karlie Kloss as one of her closest friends.

Relaxed about her A-list shoulder-rubbing is her son Riley, eight, who she reveals helps keep her feet firmly planted on the ground.
Ant McPartlin is reportedly paying his ex wife Lisa Armstrong's legal bills in a bid to get their split settlement finalised before Christmas.

According to The Mirror, the TV presenter, 42, hopes he and the Strictly make-up guru, 42, will finalise their divorce in the next few weeks so everyone can 'move on.'

It was claimed the Saturday Night Takeaway star is paying Lisa's legal bills and also funded her recent holiday to Los Angeles.

Claim: Ant McPartlin is reportedly paying his ex wife Lisa Armstrong's legal bills in a bid to get their split settlement finalised before Christmas

Happier times: According to The Mirror , the TV presenter, 42, hopes he and the Strictly make-up guru, 42, will finalise their divorce in the next few weeks so everyone can 'move on' (pictured in 2017)

The former couple were granted a decree nisi last month, after 12 years of marriage.

Lisa is said to be in line for a settlement of around 30m, or half of everything Ant earned during their marriage.

The pair also share custody of their dog Hurley.

A source told the website: 'Ant is paying for all of Lisa's legal fees.

'He is still helping her financially with other expenses, like when she went on holiday to LA.

Split: It was claimed the Saturday Night Takeaway star is paying Lisa's legal bills and also funded her recent holiday to Los Angeles (pictured in 2015)

'It is amicable and things are moving forward. Ant wants it done as quickly and fairly as possible, so they can move on with their lives.'

The source added Ant hopes to settle in 'weeks rather than months.'

He is now in a relationship with the couple's former PA Anne-Marie Corbett.

A spokesman for Ant declined to comment to MailOnline.

MailOnline has also contacted a representative for Lisa for comment.

Over: The former couple were granted a decree nisi last month, after 12 years of marriage (pictured in 2015)

Just days ago, the TV host finalised his divorce with his teenage sweetheart in court after they announced the end to their marriage in January.

There is no love lost between the former flames who were romantically together for 23 years.

Court documents revealed that McPartlin had 'committed adultery' with his new girlfriend Anne-Marie and that his former wife found it 'intolerable to live with' the TV star.

Under divorce laws, Ant technically had to admit adultery because he was still married when the relationship began.

He has since been seen out with Anne-Marie, who was the ex couple's former PA, and has even made the background on his mobile phone.

Lisa has not commented, but liked Twitter comments from friends telling her 'good things come to kind people' and 'pull on your big girls pants, it's your turn to start afresh'.

Since learning of her former colleague's relationship with her estranged husband, Lisa has revealed that she didn't know the two were dating until she saw pictures of them together in a newspaper.

In 2017, Ant entered rehab after struggling with a two-year addiction to super-strength painkillers following a knee operation in 2015.

In April, three months after announcing his split from Lisa, he was banned from the road for 20 months and fined 86,000 for driving while more than twice the legal limit.

After the incident and another rehab visit, Ant announced that he is stepping down from all his TV commitments and will not appear on the next series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

It has since been revealed that Holly Willoughby will replace the presenter on the hit ITV Australian jungle series with his co-host Declan Donnelly later this year.
She hosted one of the biggest Halloween parties of 2018.

But it was back to normal for Cindy Crawford on Thursday, stepping out in a decidedly non spooky outfit.

The supermodel showed off a fresh hairdo as she emerged from a Malibu salon.

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Post Halloween: It was back to normal for Cindy Crawford who stepped out in a decidedly non spooky outfit on Thursday

The 52-year-old stunner rocked a white blouse, dark denim, black ballet flats and sunglasses.

A day earlier the mom-of-two admitted she was still in 'recovery mode' with a make-up free selfie.

She and husband Rande Gerber, along with friend and former tequila partner George Clooney, famously host their Casamigos Halloween party every year, and this year was no different.

Their Saturday night party in Los Angeles was, as always, a star-studded event of epic proportions.

New do: The supermodel showed off a fresh hairdo as she emerged from a Malibu salon

Chic: The 52-year-old stunner rocked a white blouse, dark denim, black ballet flats and sunglasses

The two main men were wearing pilot's uniforms and posing behind the controls of a private jet.

Cindy herself glammed up as a retro air hostess while serving tequila during the flight.

The Illinois native looked fabulous in a blue, white and orange shift dress with white calf high boots.

She upped the glamour with a dramatic winged eyeliner and a striking red lipstick, while a blue flight attendant hat sat atop her brunette tresses that had been styled into a glamorous bouffant.

Cindy and Rande, who've been married 20 years, share two children: 19-year-old son Presley, and 17-year-old daughter Kaia.

Recovering: A day earlier the mom-of-two admitted she was still in 'recovery mode' with a make-up free selfie
The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Melissa Gorga flaunted significant cleavage in a LBD from her Montclair boutique, Envy, while doing press in Manhattan Thursday.

The 39-year-old reality star donned a $228 black 'Monica' tank dress by Likely, strappy stilettos, a black cape, and matching purse.

Hairstylist Julius Michael coiffed the bronzed brunette's middle-parted waves while make-up artist Judi Gabbay applied her dramatic lashes.

'Let's goooo!' The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Melissa Gorga flaunted significant cleavage in a LBD from her Montclair boutique, Envy, while doing press in Manhattan Thursday

Melissa - who boasts 3.6M followers/subscribers - Insta-storied several behind-the-scenes snaps of her day visiting NBC Studios and the BUILD Series studio.

Gorga (born Marco) was joined on the promotional trail by new RHONJ castmate Jackie Mark Goldschneider as well as co-star Margaret Josephs.

'I think Jersey is so great because it's family based,' the Lip Sync Battle champ told AOL's Gibson Johns.

'We are so over the cameras at this point. It doesn't matter if they're in the room or not. We're having the conversation. So it's real, it's authentic, and it's just where we're at. And I think that's why everyone appreciates the honesty.'

Representing: The 39-year-old reality star donned a $228 black 'Monica' tank dress by Likely, strappy stilettos, a black cape, and matching purse

Glam: Hairstylist Julius Michael coiffed the bronzed brunette's middle-parted waves while make-up artist Judi Gabbay applied her dramatic lashes

'Put your best foot forward!' Melissa Insta-storied several behind-the-scenes snaps of her day visiting NBC Studios and the BUILD Series studio

The New Jersey City University grad admitted she and her sister-in-law Teresa Giudice don't always get along but promised: 'You aren't going to see us go back to that really, really dark place where we once were.'

'I feel for [our co-stars] because when Teresa and I are going at it, everyone just kind of backs up,' Melissa laughed.

'Like, we don't know what we want to do here.'

On October 10, a judge ruled that Gorga's brother-in-law Joe Giudice would be deported back to Italy after his 36-month prison sentence for bankruptcy fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

'Season 9 press day with my girls!' Gorga was joined on the promotional trail by new RHONJ castmate Jackie Mark Goldschneider (L) as well as co- star Margaret Josephs (M)

The New Jersey City University grad admitted she and her sister-in-law Teresa Giudice (2-R) don't always get along but promised: 'You aren't going to see us go back to that really, really dark place where we once were'

Melissa laughed: 'I feel for [our co-stars] because when Teresa and I are going at it, everyone just kind of backs up. Like, we don't know what we want to do here'

Consequences: On October 10, a judge ruled that Gorga's brother-in-law Joe Giudice (L) would be deported back to Italy after his 36-month prison sentence for bankruptcy fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud (pictured in 2014)

The former strip club waitress explained: 'It's hard, because we don't really keep much private. I really have nothing that's off limits, except for my children. It's hard when there are big life situations going on and you're on a reality show'

'It's always hard when it comes to the real issues, especially when they're happening in my family and people are asking you questions abut it,' the former strip club waitress explained.

'You know, we really do put it all out there, but there are certain things that we'd like to keep private. It's hard, because we don't really keep much private. I really have nothing that's off limits, except for my children. It's hard when there are big life situations going on and you're on a reality show.'

That same day, executive producer Andy Cohen tweeted: 'I'm nine episodes into the new #RHONJ season and it's the best in years. Not a clunker in the bunch. Everybody firing on all cylinders. Lots of laughs. Lots of drama.'

That same day, executive producer Andy Cohen tweeted: 'I'm nine episodes into the new #RHONJ season and it's the best in years. Not a clunker in the bunch. Everybody firing on all cylinders. Lots of laughs. Lots of drama'

'You want something b****?!' Fans can catch Melissa and the rest of the ladies on the ninth season, which premieres next Wednesday on Bravo

Fans can catch Melissa - who joined the show in season three in 2011 - and the rest of the ladies on the ninth season, which premieres next Wednesday on Bravo.

On Saturday, the mother-of-three was sexy Little Red Riding Hood and her husband Joe was a Big Bad Wolf at the Halloween bash they hosted at their New Jersey home.

The Italian-American married couple of 14 years have three children - daughter Antonia, 13; and sons Gino, 11; and Joey, 8.

Fairy-tale: On Saturday, the mother-of-three was sexy Little Red Riding Hood and her husband Joe was a Big Bad Wolf at the Halloween bash they hosted at their New Jersey home
She was just named the highest paid actress on TV for the seventh year in a row.

So Sofia Vergara used her power to advocate for others on Thursday, sharing social media in honor of Latina Equal Pay Day.

'Theres still so much work for Latinas to do to be treated equally,' she wrote along with a photo of herself modeling a Phenomenally Latina shirt.

Advocate: Sofia Vergara promoted Latina Equal Pay Day in an Instagram Thursday

Her message read in full: 'Today is #LatinaEqualPay Day where we must fight for equal pay. Theres still so much work for Latinas to do to be treated equally. I am #phenomenallyLatina, and I support Latina equal pay!

'@phenomenal.ly t-shirt proceeds benefit the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.'

Sofia was a vision of power in the accompanying photo, where she pointed at her shirt with sass.

She teamed the message-sending top with a pair of low-slung jeans and turquoise earrings.

Equalizers: A post from the Phemonmenal.ly Instagram explained the reasons for Latina Equal Pay Day. Since Latinas earn an average of 53 cents for every $1 earned by a man, November 1 marks when Latin women finally 'catch up' to white, non-Hispanic men in wages

A post from the Phemonmenal.ly Instagram explained the reasons for Latina Equal Pay Day.

Since Latinas earn an average of 53 cents for every $1 earned by a man, November 1 marks when Latin women finally 'catch up' to white, non-Hispanic men in wages.

While Sofia was advocating on behalf of other Latina's, a recent Forbes list made it clear she's far from struggling in the money department.

Big earner: Sofia (above in September) was named the world's highest-paid actress on television for the seventh year in a row, after raking in a cool $42.5 million

The actress was named the world's highest-paid actress on television for the seventh year in a row, after raking in a cool $42.5 million.

The 46-year-old has topped the Forbes list of highest-paid TV actresses in 2018 thanks to her role on the hit ABC show Modern Family and her lucrative endorsement and licensing deals.

From June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018, Sofia made a whopping 73 per cent more than the second-ranked star, Kaley Cuoco, who earned an impressive $24.5 million.
Anna Kendrick will headline Stowaway, a sci-fi film from YouTube sensation Joe Penna.

Kendrick, 33, is atop the project from XYZ Films, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Penna will direct the movie and reunite with his co-writer on this year's thriller Arctic, Ryan Morrison, to pen the motion picture.

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New role: Anna Kendrick, 33, will headline Stowaway, a sci-fi film from YouTube sensation Joe Penna

CAA Media Finance and XYZ Films will be formally announced at the ongoing American Film Market event in Santa Monica, California, according to the outlet.

The film will feature the Oscar-nominated actress as a medical researcher on a Mars-bound spacecraft. In the movie, a stowaway was been found on the ship after takeoff, and Kendrick's character is the lone defender against the rest of the group when it comes to what to do with the stowaway.

Kendrick's currently starring in A Simple Favor alongside Blake Lively and Kelly McCormack; the movie has taken in more than $87 million worldwide.

The Up in the Air actress is currently tied to a number of projects including starring in the fantasy film Noelle and providing the voice on Trolls World Tour.

At the helm: Joe Penna will direct the movie and reunite with his co-writer on this year's thriller Arctic, Ryan Morrison, to pen the motion picture. He was snapped in May in Cannes

Stunning: The A-list actress was seen in LA last month at a Porter gala

Penna shot to prominence with his YouTube channel, MysteryGuitarMan, which paved his path to the director's chair.

He made the movie Arctic earlier this year - starring Mads Mikkelsen and Maria Thelma Smaradottir - which was selected at the Cannes Film Festival.

Rights in North America over the motion picture were subsequently bought by Bleecker Street Media, according to THR.
They're no doubt used to being called 'hot.'

But it seems things might have gotten a little too toasty in New York on Thursday, as several models participating in the up coming Victoria's Secret show had to evacuate from the lingerie brand's offices thanks to a fire alarm.

Apparently a smoke alarm was triggered, and the models, who were in the middle of a fitting, were told to leave the building immediately.

Sizzling trouble! It seems things might have gotten a little too toasty in New York on Thursday, as several models participating in the up coming Victoria's Secret show had to evacuate from the lingerie brand's offices thanks to a fire alarm.

Sadie Newman took the opportunity to pose in front of a waiting firetruck, and looked to be somewhat confused about what was going on.

For the quick jaunt outside the 5ft10 inch beauty wore a black top, which she tucked into some fitted jeans.

A black motorcycle jacket and pointed-toe boots completed her casual look.

Brunette beauty Lorena Rae looked decidedly more dressed up for the impromptu walk.

Not informed? Sadie Newman took the opportunity to pose in front of a waiting firetruck, and looked to be somewhat confused about what was going on

Flattering! For the quick jaunt outside the 5ft10 inch beauty wore a black top, which she tucked into some fitted jeans

The German rocked a black half jacket, under which she wore a black satiny mini dress.

Impressive thigh high boots and a small black handbag rounded out her chic ensemble.

South Sudanese model Grace Bol looked relaxed in a baggy white lace top and skirt combo paired with her own thigh-high boots.

A Victoria's Secret press release recently confirmed that Gigi and Bella Hadid as well as Kendall Jenner, would be walking in the New York show next week.

Scary stuff: Apparently a smoke alarm was triggered, and the models, who were in the middle of a fitting, were told to leave the building immediately

Next stop, happy hour? Brunette beauty Lorena Rae looked decidedly more dressed up for the impromptu walk

Hot stuff! The German rocked a black half jacket, under which she wore a black satiny mini dress

'The show is a year-long production, and 2018 promises to be our most ambitious yet,' said Victoria's Secret executive producer Ed Razek.

'We have more musical guests, more fashion and more stories than ever; and, of course, 60 of the world's top models.'

The November 8 annual highly anticipated catwalk will also be graced by musical artists Bebe Rexha, The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Kelsea Ballerini, Rita Ora, Shawn Mendes and The Struts.

The show will air as a Holiday Special on ABC Sunday December 2.
She put on a solo display at the Pride Of Britain awards after brushing off rumours of a romance with Jack Maynard.

And following her glamorous appearance at the awards ceremony, Georgia Toffolo also attended the Dream Ball at Lancaster House in London on Thursday night.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 24, oozed elegance in a plunging satin gown in blush hues at the charity ball.

Stunning: Georgia Toffolo attended the Dream Ball at Lancaster House in London on Thursday night

Georgia oozed glamour in the satin number which plunged down the middle to offer a glimpse of her cleavage, while boasting a semi-sheer cut-out section.

The Queen Of The Jungle opted for minimal accessorises, simply styling her look with a pair of diamond stud earrings.

Her appearance comes after she exclusively set the record straight to MailOnline, revealing that she is single and that she was never 'really together' with Jack.

Wow: The former Made In Chelsea star, 24, oozed elegance in a plunging satin gown in blush hues at the charity ball

Talking exclusively to MailOnline about her love life and Jack, Georgia, otherwise known as Toff, said: 'We weren't really ever together, we just went on a date. I think on social media it looked like we were really, really together, so yeah.

'We're so close, I DM him most days, I adore him, but it's just not, you know, in the romantic sense. Nothing has changed, he still comes over most days, everything is really good.

'It's really nice for me to set the record straight, I am single and so is he.'

The reality star met Jack on the 2017 series of I'm A Celebrity before he had to leave the jungle and she went on to win the show.

Yet Georgia revealed that she will be returning to the jungle for the new series, but as a This Morning presenter and spectator.

Glam: Georgia oozed glamour in the satin number which plunged down the middle to offer a glimpse of her cleavage, while boasting a semi-sheer cut-out section

She added: 'Yes I will be, I will be doing stuff for This Morning and flying out for Australia.

'I can't wait, I think Stanley [Johnson] will be there, I think we're going to crossover for a few nights.'

One change from I'm A Celebrity 2017 is that Holly Willoughby will be presenting with Declan Donnelly, while his co-host Ant McPartlin takes a break from his TV commitments following a rehab stint.

Talking about the new shake-up, Georgia said of her This Morning co-star taking over the reigns: 'Gosh, I am so excited, she's going to be amazing. She was my pick when it was all in the press, I was like I really hope it's Holly, I think she's going to be brilliant.
She sparked concern earlier this week when she posted a picture of her lying in a hospital bed.

And Stacey Dooley has sparked further fears her future on Strictly Come Dancing hangs in the balance after her painful rib injury left her unable to train for two days.

Despite making it into rehearsals on Thursday, footage showed the television presenter, 31, struggling to move, with Kevin Clifton later telling fans he has had to changed their street dance routine 11 times already.

Stacey Dooley has sparked further fears her future on Strictly Come Dancing hangs in the balance after her painful rib injury left her unable to train for two days

Appearing on It Takes Two, ex Strictly star Iain Waite, commented on their rehearsals as he said: 'Every time she turns she is kind of holding in?

'I do believe she has an injury - but luckily they are still practicing so she should be okay by Saturday. But I think it has set them back a little bit. Fingers crossed theyre going to be okay.

To which Zoe Ball commented: 'Yes, she has hurt the muscles underneath her ribs.'

Injured: Stacey sparked concern earlier this week when she posted a picture of her lying in a hospital bed

Painful: Despite making it into rehearsals on Thursday, footage showed the television presenter, 31, struggling to move

Strained: Appearing on It Takes Two, ex Strictly star Iain Waite, commented on their rehearsals as he said: 'Every time she turns she is kind of holding in? I think the injury has set them back'

Stacey returned to rehearsals on Wednesday, training from 8am to 10pm to make up for lost time.

However, the journalist proved her injury was still playing on her mind as she alluded it to in an Instagram post.

Posing outside the studios, she wrote: 'Sick note returns'.

Earlier this week, fans were left in a state of panic, when Stacey shared a photograph of a cast, leaving many of her followers to believe she may have broken a bone.

Hurt: He continued: Fingers crossed theyre going to be okay. To which Zoe commented: 'Yes, she has hurt the muscles underneath her ribs'

But the amateur dancer soon quashed growing worries about her health as she revealed she has not broken a bone despite being admitted to hospital.

After worrying her followers the evening before, she posted a caption reading: 'Nothings broke! All the drugs and all the cuppas gonna hook us up! See you Sat! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH TO ALL THE STAFF. You are all bloody amazing'.

A spokesperson for Strictly said: 'Stacey has a bruised rib and needs to rest it for a day. She will be back in training.'

Stacey's spokesperson for the star added: 'It's very painful. She is strapped up and the doctor has said she should be able to move in a couple of days.'

Stacey and Kevin have been practicing their street and commercial style dance to Empire State Of Mind (Part II) by Alicia Keys.

Last week the pair were second on the leaderboard with a score of 35, with the judges praising Stacey for taking the man's hold during their innovative Tango to the Doctor Who theme tune.
Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson set tongues wagging on Friday when she arrived at Melbourne International Airport wearing a ring on her left hand wedding finger.

The 54-year-old, who recently went public with her new beau, former British doctor Andrew Wakefield, flashed the glittering jewel as she traipsed through the terminal.

The mother-of-two looked effortlessly stylish, flaunting her famous figure in a sheer white T-shirt and cropped skinny jeans.

Something to t-Elle us? Supermodel Elle Macpherson wore a glittering ring on her wedding finger as she jetted into Melbourne International Airport on Friday

She accessorised her look with a coordinating leather belt and Ray-Ban sunglasses.

Elle, who was famously nicknamed 'The Body' in 1989, slung a pink handbag over one shoulder and carried a water bottle in her hand.

Her sandy blonde hair was styled loosely and she appeared to be makeup free.

All eyes however were on her new jewel.

You won't miss it! The 54-year-old, who recently went public with her new beau, former British doctor Andrew Wakefield, flashed the diamond and gold jewel as she traipsed through the airport terminal

New love: The blonde beauty is pictured with her beau Andrew Wakefield in Miami in July

Looking all white! The mother-of-two looked effortlessly stylish, flaunting her famous figure in a white T-shirt and cropped skinny jeans

Controversial: Andrew (pictured here with Elle) was banned from practising medicine in his native Britain eight years ago after helping spawn the modern anti-vaccination movement with widely discredited research

Flawless: Her sandy blonde hair was styled loosely and she appeared to be makeup free

The ring appears to be a simple gold band with a largeish stone in the middle.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Elle's representative for comment.

Elle's relationship with Andrew was confirmed by exclusive photographs back in August.

Andrew, 61, was banned from practising medicine in his native Britain eight years ago after helping spawn the modern anti-vaccination movement with widely discredited research, claiming the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) jab causes autism and bowel disease.

Western chic: The beauty wore a pair of chic Isabel Marant cowboy boots

Keeping hydrated: Elle, who was famously nicknamed 'The Body' in 1989, slung a pink handbag over one shoulder and carried a water bottle in her hand

Special guest: Elle is in town as a special guest of Lexus for Derby Day

One hot mama! The stunner shares two sons, Arpad Flynn Alexander, 20, and Aurelius Cy Andrea, 15, with London-based French financier, Arpad Busson

Former flame: Elle was reportedly awarded $53million in cash and a $26million home following her divorce from billionaire ex Jeffrey Soffer (pictured)

A source previously told MailOnline that Andrew separated from his wife Carmel in 2017 and first started seeing Elle in late 2017 after they met at an event in Orlando.

Meanwhile just over a year ago, Elle was reportedly awarded $53million in cash and a $26million home following her divorce from billionaire ex Jeffrey Soffer.

However, Page Six claimed in September last year that Jeffrey had been telling friends that he and Elle were 'never technically married.'

Jeffery and Elle held intimate nuptials in Fiji in 2013, but the location of the ceremony may mean the marriage is legally invalid, the publication alleged.

Previously based in London, Elle moved her entire family to Miami in 2014 to be closer to Jeffrey one year after their wedding.

The stunner shares her two sons, Arpad Flynn Alexander, 20, and Aurelius Cy Andrea, 15, with London-based French financier, Arpad Busson.

Meet and greet: Elle looked happy to be home in Australia and chatted to a reporter upon her arrival at Melbourne International Airport
Orange Is the New Black's Natasha Lyonne found an eccentric way to stand out among her many castmates attending the Women's Media Awards in Manhattan Thursday.

The 39-year-old Emmy nominee's neck was gift-wrapped with a massive white bow selected by her stylist Cristina Ehrlich.

The native New Yorker - who plays heroin addict Nicky Nichols - paired her fascinator with a black Brooks Brothers pantsuit, Roger Vivier clutch, Yael Sonia ring, and Malone Souliers shoes.

Gift wrapped: Orange Is the New Black's Natasha Lyonne (M) found an eccentric way to stand out among her many castmates attending the Women's Media Awards in Manhattan Thursday

Hairstylist Seiji Yamada tamed Natasha's signature curls into a tidy French twist and make-up artist Kabuki Starshine applied her bright red pout.

Meanwhile, Lyonne's (born Braunstein) co-star Danielle Brooks debuted her brand new curly pixie cut on the Capitale red carpet.

'[Danielle] has been wanting to big chop for some time now, but we've had some limitations due to work so we couldn't do it,' hairstylist Tish Celestine told Refinery 29.

'She has some breakage in the middle of her head, but she also wanted to see how she'd look with a short style.'

Sealed with a bow: The 39-year-old Emmy nominee's neck was gift-wrapped with a massive white bow selected by her stylist Cristina Ehrlich

Plays heroin addict Nicky Nichols: The native New Yorker paired her fascinator with a black Brooks Brothers pantsuit, Roger Vivier clutch, Malone Souliers shoes and a Yael Sonia ring

Chic! Hairstylist Seiji Yamada tamed Natasha's signature curls into a tidy French twist and make-up artist Kabuki Starshine applied her bright red pout

The 29-year-old Grammy winner - who plays Tasha 'Taystee' Jefferson - wore a short-sleeved striped midi-dress with black booties.

The SAG Award-winning twosome made sure to pose with Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who's represented California's 43rd district since 2013.

Uzo Aduba also made sure to get a picture with 80-year-old 'Auntie' Maxine, who was a recent target of MAGA bomber Cesar Sayoc.

The 37-year-old Emmy winner - who plays Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren - looked lovely in a purple Isabel Marant dress selected by stylist Cristina Ehrlich.

New hair, who dis? Lyonne's (born Braunstein) co-star Danielle Brooks debuted her brand new curly pixie cut on the Capitale red carpet

 Slide me  Hairstylist Tish Celestine told Refinery 29: '[Danielle] has been wanting to big chop for some time now, but we've had some limitations due to work so we couldn't do it'

Plays Tasha 'Taystee' Jefferson: The 29-year-old Grammy winner wore a short-sleeved striped midi-dress with black booties

Taylor Schilling - who plays Piper Chapman - looked slim in a black off-the-shoulder Safiyaa gown featuring gold embellishments selected by stylist Penny Lovell.

Hairstylist Lucy Halperin coiffed the 34-year-old Golden Globe nominee's flaxen locks into an updo and make-up artist Jillian Halouska made sure she was ready for her close-up.

Taylor flashed her mega-watt smile while posing beside Julie Burton, Katie Couric, and others at the feminist function.

Schilling's raven-haired onscreen love interest Laura Prepon - who plays Alex Vause - donned a sheer pink sweater with simple black pants.

Auntie Maxine! The SAG Award-winning twosome made sure to pose with Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who's represented California's 43rd district since 2013

Reclaiming my time: Uzo Aduba also made sure to get a picture with 80-year-old 'Auntie' Maxine, who was a recent target of MAGA bomber Cesar Sayoc

Plays Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren: The 37-year-old Emmy winner looked lovely in a purple Isabel Marant dress selected by stylist Cristina Ehrlich

Plays Piper Chapman: Taylor Schilling looked slim in a black off-the-shoulder Safiyaa gown featuring gold embellishments selected by stylist Penny Lovell

Glam: Hairstylist Lucy Halperin coiffed the 34-year-old Golden Globe nominee's flaxen locks into an updo and make-up artist Jillian Halouska made sure she was ready for her close-up

Ladies night: Taylor flashed her mega-watt smile while posing beside Julie Burton, Katie Couric, and others at the feminist function

The 38-year-old Scientologist pulled double duty this season acting as well as directing her third episode of the Netflix series.

Dascha Polanco - who plays Dayanara 'Daya' Diaz - flashed her lacy black bra beneath a pin-striped pantsuit and peep-toe heels.

The Dominican 35-year-old also rocked dramatic eye make-up, a high ponytail, and diamond stud earrings for the ceremony.

And Selenis Leyva - who plays Gloria Mendoza - struck a pose in a black floral mermaid dress and ankle-strap heels selected by stylist Javier Pedroza.

Plays Alex Vause: Schilling's raven-haired onscreen love interest Laura Prepon donned a sheer pink sweater with simple black pants

At the helm: The 38-year-old Scientologist pulled double duty this season acting as well as directing her third episode of the Netflix series

Plays Dayanara 'Daya' Diaz: Dascha Polanco flashed her lacy black bra beneath a pin-striped pantsuit and peep-toe heels

Peek-a-boob: The Dominican 35-year-old also rocked dramatic eye make-up, a high ponytail, and diamond stud earrings for the ceremony

Plays Gloria Mendoza: Selenis Leyva struck a pose in a black floral mermaid dress and ankle-strap heels selected by stylist Javier Pedroza

Congrats! The talented cast were there to cheer on Netflix VP of original content, Cindy Holland (R), who received the night's WMC Visible and Powerful in Media Award

The talented cast were there to cheer on Netflix VP of original content, Cindy Holland, who received the night's WMC Visible and Powerful in Media Award.

Catch more of the incarcerated ladies of Litchfield Penitentiary in the 13-episode seventh (and final) season of OITNB, dropping next summer on Netflix.

The drama series - created by Jenji Kohan (Weeds) - is based on the 2010 memoir by Piper Kerman, who was sentenced to 15 months for transporting drug money for her lesbian lover.

Elsewhere at the party, two-time Oscar winner Jane Fonda got up close and personal with Waters at the Women's Media Awards.

'The final season is coming!' Catch more of the incarcerated ladies of Litchfield Penitentiary in the 13-episode seventh season of OITNB, dropping next summer on Netflix

Created by Jenji Kohan: The drama is based on the 2010 memoir by Piper Kerman, who was sentenced to 15 months for transporting drug money for her lesbian lover

The 80-year-old acting legend glimmered in a golden fringed jacket, matching collar necklace, shoes, and black pants selected by stylist Tanya Gill.

The Grace and Frankie funnywoman made sure to pose with feminist icon, Gloria Steinem, wearing a seventies style patterned vest with a black outfit.

Both Oscar nominee Diane Lane and legendary journalist Katie Couric also opted for not-so-basic black ensembles.

Also spotted in a green velvet blazer over a black outfit was Oscar nominee Kathleen Turner.

Hey girl! Elsewhere at the party, two-time Oscar winner Jane Fonda got up close and personal with Waters at the Women's Media Awards.

Evergreen: The 80-year-old acting legend glimmered in a golden fringed jacket, matching collar necklace, shoes, and black pants selected by stylist Tanya Gill

Feminists: The Grace and Frankie funnywoman made sure to pose with feminist icon, Gloria Steinem, wearing a seventies style patterned vest with a black outfit

Darling dames: Both Oscar nominee Diane Lane (L) and legendary journalist Katie Couric (R) also opted for not-so-basic black ensembles
While rumors swirl that Sam Worthington and wife Lara Bingle are expecting a third child, the happy couple took son Racer to breakfast on Wednesday.

Worthington, 42, Bingle, 31 and Racer, 2, were spotted at The Butcher's Daughter in Venice, California.

Bingle made headlines a few weeks ago after sharing a letter to her 'future self,' where she hinted about having another child.

Time for breakfast: Sam Worthington, his wife Lara Bingle and their son Racer head out for breakfast at The Butcher's Daughter in Venice, California

The Avatar star was wearing a light grey shirt under a navy blue sweatshirt with his sleeves rolled up.

He was also wearing grey jeans, grey shoes and silver sunglasses as he strolled with his wife and one of their two kids.

Aside from two year old Racer, who joined his parents for breakfast, the couple also has a three year old son named Rocket Zot.

Kiss from mom: Bingle was spotted wearing a loose-fitting long-sleeved grey shirt, along with dark grey jeans and black flat shoes

Bingle was spotted wearing a loose-fitting long-sleeved grey shirt, along with dark grey jeans and black flat shoes.

She was also wearing black and gold sunglasses, while carrying Racer, at one point giving him a kiss on his forehead.

Racer was wearing an olive green shirt, dark jeans and white Adidas sneakers.

On the red carpet: Before they moved back to Los Angeles, Worthington was arrested for punching a paparazzi photographer named Sheng Li, who allegedly kicked Bingle in the shin

Couple with a message: Worthington and Bingle have been together since October 2013, and they got married in December 2014

Worthington and Bingle have been together since October 2013, and they got married in December 2014.

While the couple makes their home in Los Angeles now, where Worthington is busy filming director James Cameron's Avatar sequels, they previously lived in New York.

Bingle revealed last month that her kids 'love it here' in California.

'The weather is a big factor, and the space,' Bingle said in an interview with InStyle Australia.

'Kids need to run around and have room to exhaust themselves,' she continued. 'New York can be limiting in that sense with apartment living.'
She has accompanied her boyfriend Scott Disick to Australia while he makes several promotional appearances Down Under.

And on Friday, Sofia Richie was once again at her beau's side during a meet and greet at a Windsor Smith shoe store in Melbourne.

All eyes were on the stunning 20-year-old model, who went braless in a cropped knitted top that showcased her rock hard abs.

Top of the crops! Sofia Richie flaunted her toned abs in a racy top as she accompanied her beau Scott Disick to a meet and greet in Melbourne on Friday

The brunette beauty teamed the attire with body-hugging high-waisted black trousers and a pair of perspex mules.

Her stylish ensemble was accessorised with a cute mini designer handbag and several diamond bracelets.

Super toned: All eyes were on the stunning 20-year-old model, who went braless in a cropped knitted top that showcased her rock hard abs

Gorgeous: The daughter of Lionel Richie wore her blonde hair out and framing her stunning model features

In store appearance: Scott was attending a meet and greet at Windsor Smith shoes in Melbourne

The daughter of Lionel Richie wore her blonde hair out and framing her stunning features.

Meanwhile, her Keeping Up With Kardashians star boyfriend barely cracked a smile as he walked into the event.

The 35-year-old was dressed casually compared to his ladylove, in a black hooded jumper and a pair of cargo pants.

Keeping it casual! The 35-year-old wore a black hooded jumper and cargo pants for the event

Too cool for school! Even while he signed photographs, Scott kept his sunglasses on

Diamonds are a girl's best friend: Her stylish ensemble was accessorised with a cute mini designer handbag and several diamond bracelets

He paired the look with black leather sneakers and tortoiseshell sunglasses, which he didn't remove as he signed photographs at the event.

The loved up couple have been on a whirlwind tour of Australia since touching down in the country earlier this week.

Whirlwind tour: Scott and Sofia arrived in Australia on Monday

Not slowing down: So far the couple have visited Taronga Zoo, cruised around Sydney Harbour on a luxury yacht, and hosted a Halloween party at The Star's Marquee Nightclub on Wednesday night

So far they've visited Taronga Zoo, cruised around Sydney Harbour on a luxury yacht, and hosted a Halloween party at The Star's Marquee Nightclub on Wednesday night.

Things aren't likely to slow down once they arrive in Melbourne either.

Scott is in town to host the Ultra Australia Marquee on Derby Day.

Busy schedule: Things aren't likely to slow down once they arrive in Melbourne either with the couple attending several events in the city
Channel Seven shocked Australian TV viewers earlier this year by broadcasting a string of raunchy midday movies.

And it was business as usual on Friday for the naughty network, which aired an erotic thriller over lunch that featured simulated oral sex.

The movie, titled Borderline, was released in 2002 and stars Gina Gershon as a criminal psychologist suspected of murdering her ex-husband.

Don't let the kids stay home! Channel Seven aired another raunchy midday movie on Friday. Pictured: A scene from the 2002 thriller Borderline starring Gina Gershon and Michael Biehn

Gina is known for her racy film roles, which include the lesbian crime caper Bound and the stripper-themed drama Showgirls.

In Borderline, the now 56-year-old actress straddled Terminator star Michael Biehn while wearing a skimpy negligee.

Her character then received oral sex on a bed. At this point, Channel Seven abruptly cut to a commercial break.

Too hot for TV! Actress Gina Gershon straddled her co-star Michael Biehn while wearing a skimpy negligee in a scene from Borderline that aired at around 12:45pm

While Borderline has a firm R rating in America, in Australia the TV version is classified M.

The sex scene aired at around 12:45pm, however it does not appear to breach the commercial television Code of Practice.

Under the existing Code of Practice for Australian free-to-air TV, any material classified M can be aired on school days between 12pm and 3pm.

Oh my! In the film's most explicit scene, Gina's character receives simulated oral sex

Been there, done that! Gina is known for her racy film roles, which include the lesbian crime caper Bound and the stripper-themed drama Showgirls. Pictured: A scene from Borderline

It's certainly not the first time Channel Seven has pushed the envelope with its racy midday movies.

Earlier this year, the network aired the raunchy Lifetime movies Petals on The Wind and If There Be Thorns.

Both featured sex scenes, as well as incestuous themes.
The stars came out for the Indiewire Honors in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

And Charlize Theron and Natalie Portman stole the spotlight during the annual celebration of film making creativity taking place at the No Name Bar.

The Mad Max: Fury Road star, 43, cut a casual figure in graphic tee and skirt as the Jackie alum, 37, looked sophisticated chic in a tailored suit.

Stunners: Charlize Theron, 43, and Natalie Portman, 37, came out for the Indiewire Honors in Los Angeles on Thursday night

Daring to impress, Charlize swathed her enviable figure in a white graphic tee tucked into a black pleated skirt.

A wide black leather belt accentuated her lithe waist as she paired the punk rock look with a chic shoulder bag and dew drop earrings.

A peek at her gorgeous gams was had as she stomped the red carpet in a pair of knee high black boots.

Her trademark platinum blonde tresses were left long and loose as they barely cascaded down to her shoulders.

Impressive: Daring to impress, Charlize swathed her enviable figure in a white graphic tee tucked into a black pleated skirt

Lithe waist: A wide black leather belt accentuated her lithe waist as she paired the punk rock look with a chic shoulder bag and dew drop earrings

Hair story: Her trademark platinum blonde tresses were left long and loose as they barely cascaded down to her shoulders

Standing tall: Charlize teamed her statement Dior T-shirt with a kilt

Natalie turned up the charm in a a sleek black suit that was worn over a sheer white lace blouse.

She threw her signature chestnut brown locks in a tight bun allwoing her youthful face to shine.

Throwing caution to the wind, the Star Wars: Phantom Menace beauty went virtually makeup free with just a slight smokey eye and bright berry lip.

Charming: Natalie turned up the charm in a a sleek black suit that was worn over a sheer white lace blouse

Signature: She threw her signature chestnut brown locks in a tight bun allwoing her youthful face to shine

The annual Indiewire Honors ceremony celebrates eight filmmakers and actors for their achievement in creative independence.

Charlize received the Maverick Award for her work in the dark comedy Tully written by Diablo Cody.

For her performance in Vox Lux directed by Brady Corbet, Natalie was awarded the Performance Award.

Flawless: Throwing caution to the wind, the Star Wars: Phantom Menace beauty went virtually makeup free with just a slight smokey eye and bright berry lip

The other recipients include Black Panther director Ryan Coogler (Visionary Award), Maniac director Cary Joji Fukunaga (Auteur Award), Barry Emmy winner Bill Hader (Performance Award), The Hate U Give actress Amandla Stenberg (Breakthrough Performance Award), Crazy Rich Asians trailblazer Constance Wu (Performance Award), and Roma director Alfonso Cuaron (Vanguard Award).

The show is being hosted by stand-up comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, who co-founded the all-Asian comedy tour Dis/orient/ed Comedy.

Meanwhile, the filmmakers and actors showed up to collect their honors as they bombarded the red carpet.

Back in black: Crazy Rich Asians' Constance Wu looked fabulous in a black leather dress complete with sheer panels

Casual star: Barry star Bill Hader kept it casual in a bomber jacket and black pants

Youthful beauty: And keeping it young and fresh, Amandla rocked an electrifying blue dress

Constance looked fabulous in a black leather dress complete with sheer panels.

Barry star Bill kept it casual in a bomber jacket and black pants.

And keeping it young and fresh, Amandla rocked an electrifying blue dress.

Honored: Charlize received the Maverick Award for her work in the dark comedy Tully written by Diablo Cody

Big winner: For her performance in Vox Lux directed by Brady Corbet, Natalie was awarded the Performance Award

Fast friends: Constance looked elated to talk to Charlize

Gal pals: And Constance was just as excited to hang on Natalie
Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union continue production on their new series L.A.'s Finest, and while the actresses had some downtime, they danced to their new favorite song.

Union, 46, shared a new video on Instagram, featuring the actress and her co-star dancing on the downtown Los Angeles/Boyle Heights set, where she and Alba are both dancing to the new song Lil Bebe Remix by Dani Leigh.

The actresses had some help, since their makeup artist just happened to be a former dancer for Janet Jackson.

L.A's Finest dancers: Jessica Biel and Gabrielle Union show off their dance moves in a new video from the set of their NBC series L.A.'s Finest.

Dancing stars: Union, 46, shared a new video on Instagram, featuring the actress and her co-star dancing

Bust a move: The stars were on the downtown Los Angeles/Boyle Heights set, where she and Alba are both dancing to the new song Lil Bebe Remix by Dani Leigh

'When youre stuck at a night shoot for #LAsFinest in DTLA and your makeup artist happens to be a 2x Emmy winner that also danced for Janet Jackson... choreography and magic happen,' Union said.

She also added the hashtags #LilBebeRemix, #LA, #BoyleHeights, #MariachiSquare, and tagged @makeupbytym, @iamdanileigh, @jessicaalba and Dani Leigh's record label @defjam.

Alba re-posted the video on her own Instagram page, stating the Lil Bebe Remix was her, 'new favorite song.'

Dance time: 'When youre stuck at a night shoot for #LAsFinest in DTLA and your makeup artist happens to be a 2x Emmy winner that also danced for Janet Jackson... choreography and magic happen,' Union said

Down time: She also added the hashtags #LilBebeRemix, #LA, #BoyleHeights, #MariachiSquare, and tagged @makeupbytym, @iamdanileigh, @jessicaalba and Dani Leigh's record label @defjam

Co-star dance party: Alba re-posted the video on her own Instagram page, stating the Lil Bebe Remix was her, 'new favorite song'

The @makeupbytym Instagram belongs to the '2x Emmy winner' Union referred to, Tym Buacharern, who won Emmy's in the last two years for his makeup work on American Crime Story and Feud.

While the video primarily features both Alba and Union dancing, they also bring in a few Mariachi musicians to join in the fun.

Dani Leigh released the original Lil Bebe song in August, but the remix was released on Thursday.

Choreography: The @makeupbytym Instagram belongs to the '2x Emmy winner' Union referred to, Tym Buacharern, who won Emmy's in the last two years for his makeup work on American Crime Story and Feud

Mariachi fun: While the video primarily features both Alba and Union dancing, they also bring in a few Mariachi musicians to join in the fun

Get your dance on: Dani Leigh released the original Lil Bebe song in August, but the remix was released on Thursday

L.A.'s Finest is a TV spin-off of the Bad Boys movie franchise, with Gabrielle Union reprising her role as Syd Burnett from 2003's Bad Boys II.

In the movie, Burnett was a DEA agent based in Miami, but this show will shift the action to Los Angeles, with Burnett joining the Los Angeles Police Department.

Burnett will partner with Alba's Nancy McKenna, described as, 'a working mom with an equally complex past.'

Dance partners: L.A.'s Finest is a TV spin-off of the Bad Boys movie franchise, with Gabrielle Union reprising her role as Syd Burnett from 2003's Bad Boys II

TV spin-off: In the movie, Burnett was a DEA agent based in Miami, but this show will shift the action to Los Angeles, with Burnett joining the Los Angeles Police Department

Partners in dance: Burnett will partner with Alba's Nancy McKenna, described as, 'a working mom with an equally complex past'

The series was originally developed at NBC, but the network passed on issuing a series order in May, with Sony Pictures Television shopping the show to other outlets.

In late June, Charter Communications issued a 13-episode order for the series, debuting in 2019, for it's new Spectrum Original Content banner.

Spectrum cable customers will be the first to see L.A.'s Finest, which will later be available on other platforms as well.

Bad girls: The series was originally developed at NBC, but the network passed on issuing a series order in May, with Sony Pictures Television shopping the show to other outlets

Dancing on the stairs: In late June, Charter Communications issued a 13-episode order for the series, debuting in 2019, for it's new Spectrum Original Content banner.
David Foster and Katharine McPhee enjoyed a lunch date in Beverly Hills on Thursday to celebrate the prolific music producer's 69th birthday.

And Thursday night, the May-December couple stepped out again, this time to attend the Friends of The Israel Defense Forces Western Region Gala at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.

McPhee, 34, who got engaged to the four-times married Foster in June, stunned in black leather dress.

Engaged: David Foster, 69, and Katharine McPhee, 34, cozied up at the Friends of The Israel Defense Forces Western Region Gala at The Beverly Hilton Hotel Thursday night

Loved up: The May-December couple, who got engaged in June, shared a very public smooch over dinner

McPhee opted for a sleeveless black leather dress with a front zipper on the bodice left a little undone.

Foster wore a dark suit with a white shirt and black tie and placed his arm around his fiancee's waist as they posed for photos inside the event.

Later, over dinner, the pair shared a very public smooch.

Date night: McPhee opted for a sleeveless black leather dress with a front zipper on the bodice left a little undone. Foster wore a dark suit with a white shirt and black tie

Also on the guest list for the bash was former star of The Nanny Fran Drescher who also chose a black frock.

The 61-year-old looked fabulous in the long-sleeved number that clung to her curves.

She posed on the red carpet with actors Andy Garcia and Gerard Butler.

Stylish: Also on the guest list was former star of The Nanny Fran Drescher, 61, who looked fabulous in a long-sleeved black dress that clung to her curves

Terrific trio: She posed on the red carpet with actors Andy Garcia and Gerard Butler

Looking good: Butler, 48, looked dapper in a dark blue two-piece suit with pale blue shirt and dark blue tie. He posed for photos with Israeli actress Rona-Lee Shim'on, who looked gorgeous in a cream waistcoat and matching tailored pants along with a shimmery silver jacket

Butler, 48, looked dapper in a dark blue two-piece suit and added a pale blue shirt and dark blue tie.

The chiseled star also posed for photos with Israeli actress Rona-Lee Shim'on, who looked gorgeous in a cream waistcoat and matching tailored pants along with a shimmery silver jacket.

The Fauda star wore her long hair in loose curls and styled to one side.

Inside the gala, Butler was seated at the same table as Drescher and fellow celebrity guest Ashton Kutcher.

Dinner is served: Inside the gala, Butler was seated at the same table as Drescher and fellow celebrity guest Ashton Kutcher

Came solo: Kutcher, 40, was without wife Mila Kunis
The rumors swirled after she was spotted rocking a diamond ring on Wednesday.

But by Thursday, the speculation that Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx may be walking down the aisle together soon were shot down by her reps, claiming the ring was only a movie prop.

However, the loved-up couple were spotted the very same day enjoying a romantic dinner date in New Orleans.

Loved up: Katie Holmes, 39, and Jamie Foxx, 50, were spotted on a date in New Orleans on Thursday

Daring to impress, the 39-year-old Dawson's Creek star sported a peach velour matching set that was finished off by a pair of Adidas sneakers.

As she left the restaurant followed by Foxx, 50, the mother of one swung a bag over her shoulders and kept her head down.

But later she was seen with a huge smile on her face as she laughed with friends.

Foxx kept it casual as well in an all black ensemble of sweatshirt and matching pants.

Impressive: Daring to impress, the 39-year-old Dawson's Creek star sported a peach velour matching set that was finished off by a pair of Adidas sneakers

On Wednesday, Holmes wore a pinky ring that fans assumed was an engagement ring from Foxx.

Her rep was quick to point out it was just a prop for her new film The Secret.

'Katie's not engaged to anyone besides her fictional movie fiance, played by Jerry O'Connell,' her publicist told PEOPLE.

Low key: As she left the restaurant followed by Foxx, 50, the mother of one swung a bag over her shoulders and kept her head down

And the next day the actress was spotted with no rings as she was on set.

The Dawson's Creek alum is starring in the film adaptation of the iconic self-help book The Secret alongside Jerry O'Connell.

The film, will carry the popular book's central tenet of the power of positive thinking throughout a story about a young family.

Casual: Foxx kept it casual as well in an all black ensemble of sweatshirt and matching pants

'A young widow with three children who hires a handyman to fix her house, only to realize that, as he grows closer to the family, he carries a secret connection to her past,' said The Hollywood Reporter.

The actress has been quietly dating Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, 50, for the last five years.

Foxx, coincidentally, is nearby his love in the Bayou while shooting his latest Netflix film, Power.
She tied the knot with her longtime love Jeff Brazier during a romantic ceremony in Portugal's Algarve back in September.

And Kate Brazier has opened up about the heartwarming speech delivered by her new stepsons Bobby, 15, and Freddy, 14, during which they assured her that she was 'getting it right' in her role as their stepmother.

Taking to her Instagram account on Thursday evening, the PR executive shared a snapshot of the boys  whose mother Jade Goody died after a cancer battle in 2009  sharing their speech at their clifftop wedding reception.

Captioning the image, which showed Kate and Bobby looking on adoringly at Freddy as he spoke, the brunette beauty wrote: 'There are good days and bad days and in all honesty I am still learning to be better every single day of this #stepmum journey.

'But, this was without a doubt the single most special moment of my life with these boys so far.

'The only opinions that matters are theirs and to see them stand up and tell everyone that I am getting it right (most of the time) was nothing short of life affirming for me. What an absolute honour.'

The look of love: Jeff gushed about his new wife, 'She hasnt just completed one person, shes completed a family and given three boys a real sense of belonging'

The boys were Jeff's two best men for the occasion, wearing matching white and black tuxedos for the clifftop ceremony.

Speaking to Hello! Jeff, 39, said of the wedding: 'Im so happy to marry Kate, who has brought so much stability to my life. This isnt just any wedding, this is a really special one.

'It doesnt just represent Kate and I putting rings on each others fingers. It represents the fact that we won at something really tricky. We won at becoming a family.'

The event took place at the lavish Tivoli Carvoeiro resort and came nine years after Jeff's sons lost their mother, Jade, to cervical cancer.

New beginnings: The television presenter got married with his two teenage sons, Bobby, 15, and Freddie, 14, acting as best men in the Algarve's stunning Tivoli Carvoeiro resort

Longtime love: The couple had been dating for five years before the TV personality proposed

PR executive Kate wore a strapless, ivory satin Merci mermaid wedding dress by Madeline Gardner from Belissima.

Jeff gushed about his new wife: 'She hasnt just completed one person, shes completed a family and given three boys a real sense of belonging.'

Son Freddy added: '[Dad] has found that girl who hes going to live with for the rest of his life. One of the biggest things for Fred and I is that Kate makes our dad happy.'

Kate also teased to Hello! that they may very well have children together, adding to their brood.

True love: It seems their engagement was as romantic as their wedding as Jeff got down on one knee as the couple walked out to the end of a jetty in Ibiza

Loved up: Jeff revealed, 'I told her I loved her, and had been thinking about this for a while. I pulled the box with the ring out from my back pocket and asked if she would marry me'

They announced their engagement last October, with the TV star revealing he had sweetly asked the approval of his sons.

Jeff proposed to his then-girlfriend of five years in Ibiza, after seeking permission from his children in October 2017.

The presenter has raised the teenage boys since the death of Jade, who passed away at the age of 27.

TV personality Jeff has also opened up about how well Kate has slotted in to the family, supporting Bobby and Freddy as they grieve for their mum Jade.

Jade and Jeff met in late 2002 after she soared to fame in Big Brother. After just three months of dating, they found out she was pregnant with Bobby.

Grieving: The popular TV personality has also opened up about how well Kate has slotted in to the family, supporting Bobby and Freddy as they grieve for their mum Jade

Although Jeff had split with the Big Brother star five years before her untimely death from cancer he has full custody of his boys.

In an interview with the Mirror Online, Jeff explained how he and Kate have 'medium-length plans' to expand their family with Jeff revealing: 'We've discussed it, it's going to happen. I think we're working our way to it.'

'What's going to be exciting to me is seeing the kids as older brothers, they'll be incredible. And it'll teach them about other responsibilities for them.'

Jeff continued: 'It'll be fantastic for me too, I'll get to experience parenting within a relationship and actually be married, because I haven't experienced that  not even as a child.'

'It'll be like putting things on track, being a real human being who is married and has a child with someone that he loves and stays with.'

What's to come? Jeff recently explained how he and Kate have 'medium-length plans' to expand their family

All grown up: 'What's going to be exciting to me is seeing the kids as older brothers, they'll be incredible. And it'll teach them about other responsibilities for them,' Jeff previously stated

'Not that I didn't love Jade, but to be with someone where the relationship blossoms and goes from strength to strength... it's what we all try to create.'

Jeff and Kate previously explained how easily she has become a big part of the family by bonding with his children.

He previously said: 'We spend some lovely family time together as the four of us. I personally love it when Kate does things with the boys when I'm not around.

'I know the time Kate has with her family and friends is very precious to her and I know that Kate now realises boys are family.

'When she does take the kids with her, everybody always has a good time. That for me makes me feel like I'm marrying the right person.'
Denmark said on Wednesday it was consulting with its allies about possible sanctions against Iran after accusing Tehran of plotting an attack against Iranian dissidents living in the Scandinavian country. "Obviously, we can't and won't accept that", Andersen told a news conference.

The EU is trying to save big powers' 2015 deal with Iran that curbed its nuclear activity in exchange for the lifting of worldwide sanctions after the United States withdrew from the pact and reimposed far-flung financial penalties on Tehran. Following this, on Tuesday Denmark recalled its ambassador over the incident.

In Oslo, Rasmussen also stressed that "we want to preserve the nuclear agreement".

The Danish envoy has already been recalled by his superiors in Copenhagen, a departure Qassemi said was for "consultation" in which he would "try to follow up on the expectations of the Iranian side". The ministry notified Danny Annan of Iran's strong protest against Quote- hasty political reactions of some of the Danish officials to the allegations.

Iran has asked Pakistan for assistance in finding and rescuing Iranian guards who were seized from a town bordering Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province. "Denmark can in no way accept that people with ties to Iran's intelligence service plot attacks against people in Denmark", Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen told reporters, adding that she would seek to push for thee European Union to impose sanctions against Iran due to the planned attack.

Madre se reune con su hijo secuestrado hace... 31 anos

Fueron muchos dias y noches de pena a lo largo de 31 anos , antes de abordar el vuelo que la llevo al esperado reencuentro. Mann-Lewis dijo que cocino para su hijo y le narro detalles de su vida durante conversaciones de horas en su hotel.

Tanzanias gay community LIVING IN FEAR as governor announces homosexuality crackdown

Political rhetoric against homosexuality has increased since Magufuli's 2015 election. " These homosexuals boast on social networks ", Makonda said, AFP reports .

FIFA World Cup: A tournament for everyone

There are just too many teams, too many leagues, and too many competitions to keep up-to-date with all the major events and news. You can catch the best players, you can catch those players notorious for on field antics and also off field antics.

The attack was meant to target the leader of the Danish branch of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA), Danish intelligence chief Finn Borch Andersen said.

Another Arab opposition group, the Ahwaz National Resistance, and the Islamic State militant group both claimed responsibility for the parade attack, though neither has provided conclusive evidence to back up their claim. "We've said that we will react", Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said.

"We congratulate the government of Denmark on its arrest of an Iranian regime assassin", U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet. Qassemi also warned Denmark of consequences for the accusation and demanded "calculated and rational management of the developments".

The EU and the three European signatories to the deal - Britain, France and Germany - have been trying to keep the deal alive.

Major EU nations, including the United Kingdom, are still fighting to save the deal, insisting it has succeeded in its aim of blocking Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Strictly Come Dancing professionals Amy Dowden and Gorka Marquez have joined the growing list of show injuries after a 'nasty' clash during rehearsals.

Welsh pro Amy, 27, told Zoe Ball on It Takes Two that she injured her ankle while training for the group dance last week, meaning her star partner, actor Danny John-Jules, 58, didn't get to practice before the Halloween special.

Amy and Gorka, 28, are now back training with their respective partners, but the revelation comes after documentary maker Stacey Dooley, 31, sparked concern when she posted a picture of her lying in a hospital bed after bruising a rib.

Painful: Strictly Come Dancing professionals Amy Dowden (pictured) and Gorka Marquez have joined the growing list of show injuries after a 'nasty' clash during rehearsals

Amy explained how the clash with Gorka also left him with a nasty bruise.

She said: In the pro rehearsals Gorka and I collided. Just an accident that happened.

'My heel went right on the top of Gorkas foot so my ankle went under. Gorka was left with a nasty bruise too.

And while the dancer had to be strapped up for their American Smooth performance to Spirit In The Sky, Amy believes it actually helped Danny achieve a score of 30, as he was so caring.

Training: Welsh pro Amy, 27, injured her ankle while training for the group dance last week, meaning Danny John-Jules, 58, didn't get to practice before the Halloween special

Better: The dancer had to be strapped up for their American Smooth performance to Spirit In The Sky, Amy believes it actually helped Danny achieve a score of 30, as he was so caring

She added : 'We didnt get to rehearsals at all on the Friday. I actually think it helped Danny.

'Going in and out of the lifts he was really acting. He was brilliant, he lifted me round that floor beautifully and I wasn't worried.'

It comes following Staceys rib injury which found the presenter being admitted to hospital.

The journalist quashed growing worries about her health as she revealed on Instagram: 'Nothings broke! All the drugs and all the cuppas gonna hook us up!

Peace out: Strictly's Stacey Dooley, 31, calmed fans' concerns that she broke a bone but confirmed she was admitted to hospital earlier this week

'See you Sat! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH TO ALL THE STAFF. You are all bloody amazing'.

Fans were left in a state of panic, as she shared a photograph on Instagram on Monday night, leaving many of her followers to believe she may have broken a bone.

A spokesperson for Strictly said: 'Stacey has a bruised rib and needs to rest it for a day. She will be back in training tomorrow.'

Stacey's spokesperson added: 'It's very painful. She is strapped up and the doctor has said she should be able to move in a couple of days.'

Painful: Gorka, 28, pictured with partner Katie Piper prior to her elimination from the series, was left with a 'nasty bruise' following the clash

Stacey recently revealed her motivation to join the star-studded competition as she admitted the show was an opportunity to get a break from her 'harrowing job'.

The journalist who is famed for her hard-hitting documentaries, said in a candid interview: 'One of the reasons I said yes to doing Strictly was because it is so far removed from what I do for a living ordinarily'.

Yet the BBC1 show favourite went on to explain that Strictly in comparison 'is so celebratory, and so flamboyant, and so camp, and so amazing, but still so classy.'

'It is the classiest show on telly, I do believe that. The dancers are incredible, the best in the world,' the presenter insisted.
Her performance as journalist Marie Colvin in the film A Private War has earned high high critical acclaim and made her favourite for award season triumph.

And Rosamund Pike proved she was a force to be reckoned with on the style front too, as she arrived to a special screening of the drama film in New York on Thursday, hosted by the Committee to Protect Journalists & The Council on Foreign Relations.

The British actress, 39, looked absolutely sensational in a cream-coloured suit as she passionately spoke of the Colvin's story ahead of the screening.

Chic: Rosamund Pike arrived to a special screening of A Private War in New York on Thursday, hosted by the Committee to Protect Journalists & The Council on Foreign Relations

Paying tribute: Marie Colvin pictured in 2011, a year before her death (left) and Rosamund (right) as her in the movie

Rosamund dressed to accentuate her statuesque figure in an elongated blazer which she teamed with matching trousers.

The Gone Girl actress kept it simple as she opted for a white ribbed vest and completed the look with a pair of towering nude heels.

Rosamund glossy shoulder-length locks were styled in waves, while her features were accentuated with a striking coat of blush-infused make-up.

Discussion: The British actress, 39, looked absolutely sensational in a cream-coloured suit as she passionately spoke of the Marie Colvin's story ahead of the screening

Sensational: Rosamund dressed to accentuate her statuesque figure in an elongated blazer which she teamed with matching trousers - with director Matthew Heineman

The former stage star was in her element as she was joined on stage with moderator Greg Kelly, as they spoke about the Matthew Heineman directed film.

A Private War is based on an article about war correspondent Colvin which was published in Vanity Fair magazine.

Rosamund previously said she researched the role heavily, spending time with Colvin's close friends and watching videos of her.

Low-key cool: The Gone Girl actress kept it simple as she opted for a white ribbed vest

Beauty: Rosamund glossy shoulder-length locks were styled in waves, while her features were accentuated with a striking coat of blush-infused make-up

Having a chat: The former stage star was in her element as she was joined on stage with moderator Greg Kelly, as they spoke about the Matthew Heineman directed film

The talented star discussed struggling to detach herself from playing Colvin, 52, who was killed during a rocket strike in Syria in 2012.

In an interview with The Sunday Times magazine, Rosamund said of her latest starring role:

'I have taken responsibility for this one. I care very much about it, about the whole thing.

'I'd go into her mind until my heart started to race. Now I wear a version of Marie inside me.'

True story: A Private War is based on an article about war correspondent Colvin which was published in Vanity Fair magazine
Their sturdy romance has been shaken by cruel reports of strife.

Yet Love Island stunner Megan Barton-Hanson proved she is stronger than ever with beau Wes Nelson as she took to Instagram on Thursday evening to thank the hunk for his ongoing support amid the shocking claims surrounding their romance.

The 24-year-old former exotic dancer took to Instagram to post a gushing message to Wes, 20, after which he shared the note and merely wrote: 'She's everything'.

Support: Love Island stunner Megan Barton-Hanson proved she is stronger than ever with beau Wes Nelson as she took to Instagram on Thursday evening to thank the hunk for his ongoing support amid the shocking claims surrounding their romance

Earlier this week, Megan and Wes were hit by claims of furious arguments and rumours of a night in a strip club with Pete Wicks, yet they dismissed the claims.

On Instagram, she shared a snap from Halloween with a caption reading: 'I love you to the moon and back thank you for supporting me through these past hellish weeks your my world and wouldn't have been able to get through it without you [sic]'.

Last week, Megan was accused of disappearing with TOWIE star Pete during a boozy night out at a strip club while Wes was in Belfast doing a PA.

And later on, she finally addressed the claims made by The Sun, calling them 'bulls***.' Before her most recent post, she shared an impassioned message to Instagram on Tuesday after maintaining a degree of silence around the issue.

Everything: The 24-year-old former exotic dancer took to Instagram to post a gushing message to Wes, 20, after which he shared the note and merely wrote: 'She's everything'

She wrote: 'Last night @prideofbritain was an absolute honour with @wes.nelson. Amazing to be in same room as so many brave, selfless heroes. Im so happy to have our new home and be on this journey together.

'I did plan on writing a long caption to address all of the recent BS stories about our relationship etc but to be honest Im knackered, I have a lot going on right now and just cant be a***d!'

'Slowly realising all that matters is whats going on right here, right now and that me and Wes are happy. Everything else is just part of the show/media pantomime...

Happy days: Following the rumours, Megan and Wes continued to stay strong in the face of their haters as they moved in to their new Camden home

'Hope you are all having a nice day and getting excited for Halloween. Love, positivity and happiness. Meg.'

Following the rumours, Megan and Wes continued to stay strong in the face of their haters as they moved in to their new Camden home.

The couple revealed that they've been living with each other since the first week of coming out the Love Island villa, and later put a deposit down on a two bedroom house in Camden, which they have now moved into.
For the past two years, she's been in a relationship with billionaire businessman Doug Barrowman, who owns two superyachts, six homes, 15 cars and a private jet.

And Michelle Mone showed that things are still going strong between the pair, when he accompanied her to an exclusive party at London hotspot Loulou's on Thursday.

The 47-year-old Ultimo lingerie founder was resplendent in a plunging powder blue gown as she made her way into the bash with her partner.

Exclusive soiree: Michelle Mone and her billionaire businessman partner Doug Barrowman attended an exclusive party at London hotspot Loulou's on Thursday night

Baroness Mone's sleeveless frock of choice boasted glittering embellishments throughout and a large matching large chiffon bow at the front.

With her blonde locks falling to her shoulders in lustrous waves, the entrepreneur complemented her ensemble with a gold clutch and sparkling drop earrings.

Meanwhile, her partner  who reportedly owns 50 businesses  cut a dapper figure, strolling alongside fellow Glaswegian Michelle in a smart black suit.

True blue: The 47-year-old Ultimo lingerie founder was resplendent in a plunging powder blue gown as she made her way into the Halloween-themed bash with her partner

Michelle lives with her billionaire partner Doug after moving into his sprawling property on the Isle of Wight early last year.

Between them the couple have seven children, and Michelle has previously said she believes their devotion to family life and shared passion for business is ultimately what makes them work so well as a couple.

'I think because Im an entrepreneur and hes an entrepreneur weve hit it off,' she told MailOnline. 'When we get back from the office theres so much to talk about, and its not just chit chat.'

Last month, Tory peer Michelle shared snaps of her birthday gifts on Instagram  from personalised bottles of champagne to a painting from an artist to the stars.

Glamorous: Baroness Mone's sleeveless frock of choice boasted glittering embellishments throughout and a large matching large chiffon bow at the front

Baroness Mone was surprised with the colour-pop painting of herself by her 'great friend', the British artist Lincoln Townley, who is married to Loose Women presenter Denise Welch.

Thrilled mother-of-three Michelle posted video footage of Lincoln unwrapping her painting for her in what appeared to be her luxury kitchen, calling it an 'incredible birthday present from the most talented artist of our time'.

The Glasgow-born businesswoman also shared a snap of Veuve Clicquot champagne boxes emblazoned with her name in a post thanking friends and family for a 'cracking' birthday celebration.

Birthday girl: Ultimo founder Michelle marked her 47th birthday in September. She thanked friends and family on Instagram for her 'cracking' day, and shared snaps of her gifts

Baroness Mone of Mayfair OBE posted online: 'I've had such a cracking birthday,' adding that she was off out for a celebration dinner.

Lincoln Townley has been commissioned to create portraits of stars including Charlie Sheen, Al Pacino, Nick Nolte and Gary Oldman.

Now Michelle can add her name to that list, after tearing the paper off her own portrait, rendered in shades of yellow and red and with her name emblazoned across it.

Michelle, who is mother to Rebecca, Bethany and Declan with her ex-boyfriend Michael Mone, pronounced it incredible.

Surprise! Baroness Mone posted a video on her Instagram feed of the British artist Lincoln Townley unwrapping her gift in what seemed to be her stunning contemporary kitchen
Taylor Swift delivered a stellar performance in Sydney on Friday night at ANZ stadium after the show was delayed due to wet weather.

The global singing superstar, 28, proved nothing can rain on her parade as she dazzled the crowd in a sparkly black body suit and matching dark lipstick.

The Ready For It hitmaker also thanked her legion of fans for showing up to the concert despite the poor conditions, Daily Mail Australia can reveal.

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Wet hair, don't care! Taylor Swift (pictured) storms Sydney stage to deliver a show-stopping performance in a tight black bodysuit after the show was delayed by wet weather

'But what I wanna talk to you about is the concept of real friends,' Taylor told the audience at the stadium show.

'Theyre the ones who will show up for you in rain or shine... Sydney, not you have not only shown up but you are screaming the words to every single song.'

'I could not love you more than I do right now.'

Are you ready for it?! The global singing superstar, 28, (pictured) proved nothing can rain on her parade as she dazzled the crowd in a sparkly black body suit and matching dark lipstick after he show was delayed due to wet weather

'Sydney, not you have not only shown up but you are screaming the words to every single song': The Ready For It hitmaker also thanked her legion of fans for showing up to the concert despite the poor conditions, Daily Mail Australia can exclusively reveal

The blonde star continued to gush over her loyal fans, sharing: 'Id even say its above beautiful is there a word for something thats more beautiful?'

'Thank you, you could be anywhere else on a Friday night, but youre here.'

Elsewhere in the show, the US pop star thanked the hundreds of crew members who made the stadium show a reality amid the wild and unruly conditions.

'Feel like little kids with you tonight I really wanna say the fact that we get to feel that way on stage is because of hundreds of crew members who left their families and do the sound and make sure microphones can work in the rain,' Taylor said.

'Hundreds of crew members make sure microphones can work in the rain': Elsewhere in the show, the US pop star (pictured) thanked the hundreds of crew members who made the stadium show a reality amid the wild and woolly conditions

Singing in the rain! At one stage, Taylor seemingly embraced mother nature as she was spotted, quite literally, singing in the rain, as a fellow back-up dancer raised her up into the air

'Sydney has been so wonderful as to extend their public transportation!' Moments before Taylor stormed the stage, she took to her Instagram story to praise 'Sydney for extending their transportation' to facilitate her delayed performance

At one stage, Taylor seemingly embraced mother nature as she was spotted, quite literally, singing in the rain, as a fellow back-up dancer raised her up into the air.

Moments before Taylor stormed the stage, she took to her Instagram story to praise 'Sydney for extending their transportation' to facilitate her delayed performance.

'Hey to the Sydney crowd, we're about to go on stage...there was some weather that happened but it's passed now,' she said in the clip.

Taylor continued: 'And also Sydney has been so wonderful as to extend their public transportation for their evening because the show was delayed so that's incredible'

'Love you guys and I'll see you in a minute!' she concluded.

Taylor's tour continues next week at Brisbane's The Gabba on November 6.
He already has an impressive collection of cars and aircraft.

And while out in Brentwood, Los Angeles on Thursday, Harrison Ford couldn't resist stopping to take look at a classic Volkswagen camper for sale on the side of the road.

The 76-year-old actor pulled over in his Tesla to have a look at the 1968 van which was 'fully restored' according to the for sale sign on the window.

Window shopping: Harrison Ford is pictured out on Thursday having a look at a VW camper for sale on the side of the road in Los Angeles

Harrison was spotted wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans with a puffy orange jacket over the top and carried with him a coffee cup.

According to the note on the window the current owner wants in the region of $50,000 for the camper.

The Blade Runner star already owns a classic Jaguar XK140 from 1954, a 1966 Austin Healey 3000 as well as some vintage airplanes.

It's been reported that before achieving super-stardom the actor arrived in Hollywood in a VW camper van, so perhaps he's in the market for one for old times' sake.

The 76-year-old actor pulled over in his Tesla to have a look at the 1968 van which was 'fully restored' according to the for sale sign on the window

Keeping out the chill: Harrison was spotted wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans with a puffy orange jacket over the top and carried with him a coffee cup

Meanwhile Harrison's upcoming projects include Call of the Wild, a live-action motion picture, based on the 1903 Jack London novel of the same name set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush.

Ford will play the part of experienced outdoorsman John Thornton, who hunts for gold in the Yukon, one of the Canada's three federal territories.

Indiana Jones 5 meanwhile has been delayed until July 2021.

The film, which will be directed by Steven Spielberg and star Harrison in the title role, had had its release date changed again so more work can be done on the script, and Disney have now confirmed its new release date.

The movie was originally scheduled for release in July 2019 and later pushed back to July 2020 before the latest adjustment.

Out and about: Harrison has an impressive classic car collection including a 1966 Austin Healey 3000 in racing green. He is pictured in 2011
She married Danny Moder in 2002 and they have three children together.

And while Julia Roberts called the cinematographer her 'favourite human', the Pretty Woman actress did admit that juggling family life with work isn't always the easiest.

'Sometimes it's smooth as silk and sometimes you feel like you're just hitting all the branches on the way down,' the 51-year-old confessed to Vanity Fair.

Candid: Julia Roberts, 51, has compared juggling work and family life to falling out of a tree and 'hitting all the branches on the way down' (pictured with husband Danny Moder)

The Hollywood couple have three children together: twins Hazel Patricia and Phinnaeus 'Finn' Walter, 13, and Henry Daniel, 11.

The Notting Hill star said meeting Danny transformed her life, adding that they 'enjoy each other's company' just as much now as at the start of their relationship.

'I think that first kind of real... seismic shift was meeting Danny. Getting married to Danny. That was the first like, my life will never be the same in the most incredible, indescribable way,' she said.

'He truly, to this day, to this minute is just my favorite human. I'm more interested in what he has to say or his point of view just than anybody. Really, I mean, we're so lucky in that way. We just really, really like each other and we just enjoy each other's company.'

Cheeky: 'Sometimes it's smooth as silk and sometimes you feel like you're just hitting all the branches on the way down,' the 51-year-old confessed to Vanity Fair

Smitten: The Notting Hill star added, however, that Danny is her 'favourite human' and meeting him transformed her life

The pair first met when she was making The Mexican, in which she starred opposite Brad Pitt and Danny was working as a cinematographer.

After dating for two years, they wed in July 2002 on her 50-acre ranch at Taos, New Mexico.

And since then, the pair have frequently found themselves working on films together with Julia in front of the camera and Danny behind it.

Sweet: 'I think that first kind of real... seismic shift was meeting Danny. Getting married to Danny. That was the first like, my life will never be the same in the most incredible, indescribable way,' she said

Proud parents: The Hollywood couple have three children together: twins Hazel Patricia and Phinnaeus 'Finn' Walter, 13, and Henry Daniel, 11

Her next project is the Amazon TV series Homecoming with Bobby Cannavale. It's produced by Amazon and Universal Cable Productions and debuting this fall on Amazon Prime Video.

Roberts plays a case worker at a remote military facility ostensibly designed to help soldiers reintegrate to civilian life.

But dread hovers over the mysterious program, a sense only furthered by flash-forward scenes of Roberts' character living with her mom and having only foggy recollections of her past.
When a long-term relationship comes to an end, it can be hard for ex-lovers to stay friendly.

But Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick seem to have successfully navigated the minefield of separation, with the pair now so cordial they even vacation together.

And while the two haven't always got along, they are now in a 'better place than ever'.

'Coparenting couldn't go better,' a source told Us Weekly.

Mom and dad: Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick are doing 'amazingly well' at co-parenting three years after split; they are seen together in Bali last week on a trip with their kids

Part of the family: Scott with son Mason, eight, Kim Kardashian's daughter North, five, and his daughter Penelope, six, in Bali last week

The two, who dated for nine years but never married, split in July 2015. Three years on, they co-parent their three children, and just spent time as a family in Bali, before Scott joined girlfriend Sofia Richie in Australia.

Sofia, 20, is said to be part of the reason Scott, 35, is getting along so well with his ex.

Despite previous inhibitions, the model has got the approval of Kourtney and the mother-of-three really 'trusts' Sofia.

Right at home: Scott relaxes on the hired yacht

Mopved on: Kourtney is currently single; she is seen advertising PrettyLittleThing this year

A source told People magazine: 'Everyone really likes her. They think she's a great influence and Scott is so in love, so it's not a problem.

'Sofia is helping Scott be a better, healthier person. Kourtney feels confident that Scott and Sofia take good care of the kids. Scott is a great dad when he has his life together.

'It helps that Kourtney now trusts Sofia. The kids are allowed to spend time with her. Sofia likes having them and helps Scott. So far, the kids are giving Kourtney good reports

As they were: Scott and Kourtney back in 2011; they dated for nine years




She recently admitted she was 'angry' at husband Joe Giudice after he was sentenced to over three years in prison for fraud.

And now Teresa Giudice is 'annoyed' at another Joe -her brother Joe Gorga- after he broke the news last month of her husband's upcoming deportation to the couple's 17-year-old daughter Gia.

'I was pretty annoyed at him at first,' the Real Housewives Of New Jersey star told People.

Sibling rivalry: Teresa Giudice is 'annoyed' at her brother Joe Gorga after he broke the news last month of her husband's upcoming deportation to the couple's 17-year-old daughter Gia. Seen here in May 2017

The 46-year-old told the publication that Gia had been at school when her 39-year-old uncle contacted her with the news that her father had been ordered back to Italy by the court.

Despite the fact her little brother 'apologized right away', the damage was already done.

The unwanted reveal forced Teresa to tell her other daughters Gabriella, 14, and Milania, 12, before they heard the news.

'It was not a good day,' said the New Jersey native.

However she still hasn't told Audriana, 9, saying 'shes too young' to know the truth of her father's legal predicament.

Torn apart: The 46-year-old told the publication that Gia [center] had been at school when her 39-year-old uncle contacted her with the news that Joe Giudice [R] had been ordered back to Italy by the court. The family seen here in 2014

Teresa was also embroiled in the legal saga.

She and husband Joe pleaded guilty in 2014 to 41 counts of fraud. There were also unpaid taxes that totaled $200,000.

Teresa served 11 months, which she has already served in 2015, with Joe serving 41 months, with his sentence up next year.

A judge ordered Joe to be deported to Italy following the end of his prison sentence.

All grown up: Gia in September

Last month, Gia made an emotional plea via social media for leniency towards her father.

She posted a throwback pic of her with her dad, along with the caption: 'my father is no threat to society he is one of the most warm hearted people I know, he would never harm a soul.'

'My father did his time and learned from his mistakes.'

'Isnt being in [prison] supposed to make you realize your mistakes so you can become a better person?'

'We have so many plans to do as a family when he gets out. I need my father to be here. My father belongs with us and his entire family.'

'My father came into this country when he was one years old, the United States is the only country he knows, spread the word #bringjoehome'.
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It might have been her second marriage, but it was her first real wedding.

So Gwyneth Paltrow, 46, went all out with a fairytale ceremony as she married her second husband Brad Falcuk, 47.

The actress shared on Goop the first photo of her nuptials, which took place at their home in The Hamptons on September 29.

Showing Gwyneth in her beautiful backless cap-sleeved lace Valentino couture dress with a fitted bodice, the picture was of the newlyweds, as they were showered in confetti after the ceremony.

DailyMailTV was the first to report that Gwyneth wore Valentino for her big day.

Newlyweds: Gwyneth Paltrow shares first picture of her wedding to Brad Falchuk... as grinning bride greets guests in a couture lace Valentino gown

A dotted cathedral length veil cascaded down Gwyneth's back, while her blonde hair was worn in soft beachy waves.

Her daughter Apple and stepdaughter Isabella wore simple floor-length white Monique Lhuillier gowns, while the groom and groomsmen - her son Moses and stepson Brody - wore Tom Ford suits.

Sharing the image to Instagram, Gwyneth wrote: 'Took me a minute to get it together, but at long last, for those who have requested, a little look inside the best day of our lives.'

Revealing a further 46 pictures of her big day to her lifestyle magazine Goop, Gwyneth talked fans through her nuptials, which took place in front of just 70 carefully chosen guests.

The party started the night before with a rehearsal dinner, held alfresco on wooden tables, set family style, under a canopy of bistro lights.

The carefully curated theme was 'wild', with the bare tables carrying extravagant floral displays using figs, blackberries and plums, created by Michael and Darroch Putnam of Putnam & Putnam.

Cheers to the Falchuks! The guests toasted the couple with glasses of Ruinart rose champagne in vintage cut crystal; servers were decked out in Fog Linen

Among other dishes, guests dined on 12-hour grilled pineapples, rib eye steak and salt-crusted wild salmon by Argentine chef Francis Mallmann, who flew 5,000 miles from Santiago, Chile.

For the main event, guests started the day catching up by the pool, while makeup artist Gucci Westman and hairstylist Orlando Pita helped Gwyneth get ready.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom were showered in a confetti of leaves and flowers, by their delighted guests.

They then indulged in dirty martinis, before sitting down to a meal by chef Mario Carbone under open canopies.

The guests dined on Dungeness crab and avocado, followed by scampi, then a main course of prime rib or honey mustard duckling with fall vegetables. They finished the meal with a choice of either carrot cake (Gwyneth's choice) or chocolate and vanilla cake (Brad's preference).

The small guest list was compiled of school friends of both the bride and groom, a select few celebrity chums and family, including Gwyneth's actress mother Blythe Danner, and the couple's four children.

Gwyneth's long-term BFF Cameron Diaz, her husband Benji Madden, Jerry Seinfeld, Rob Lowe and Gwyneth's Avengers co-star Robert Downey Jr all made the cut. Indeed in one image Gwyneth, wrapped warmly in a woolen shawl, is seen laughing in delighted surprise as Downey toasts the couple during his speech, the smiling guests drinking glasses of Ruinart rose champagne.

The happy couple: Gwyneth, 46, and Brad, 47, are seen the day after their wedding in The Hamptons

Perfect wedding spot: The Falcuks, as they refer to themselves, wed at their home in Amagansett, in The Hamptons, New York

After dinner Gwyneth changed into a short flirty white jumpsuit by Stella McCartney, also the choice of royal bride Meghan Markle for her reception gown. They then ended the night with a disco, dancing to '80s party jams.

The details about Gwyneth and Brad's intimate wedding were revealed just as the lifestyle guru opened up about staring menopause before the age of 50.

Appearing in a video for lifestyle company Goop, which has just started selling a range of supplements to help menopausal women, Gwyneth confessed that she has been suffering with severe mood swings that make her 'suddenly furious for no reason'.

The Oscar-winning actress added that she had begun to notice big changes to her body and mind since entering perimenopause, including sweating and hormonal changes.

'When you get into perimenopause you notice a lot of changes,' she explained in the video. 'I can feel hormonal shifts happening, the moods, you're all of a sudden furious for no reason.'

Gwyneth also added that society needs to shift the way it thinks about the milestone time in a woman's life, insisting that it should not only be associated with negativity and upset.

'Menopause gets a really bad rap and needs a bit of rebranding,' she said.

Enjoying married life: The two are seen on Halloween, after a month of marriage, dressed as Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's characters Jackson Maine and Ally in A Star Is Born

'I remember when my mother went through menopause and it was such a big deal and I think there was grief around it for her and all these emotions.

Married: The Oscar-winning actress, 46, and the Assassination Of Gianni Versace producer, 47, have been together for four years but were engaged for one year before they wed; they are seen on Valentine's Day

'I don't think we have in society a great example of an aspirational menopausal woman.'

Perimenopause, also known as menopause transition, begins several years before menopause. During that time, the ovaries gradually make less oestrogen until it stops releasing eggs entirely.

Gwyneth explained in the clip that while she was not yet in menopause, she was experiencing a 'perceptible shift in hormones', alongside increased sweating and mood swings.

However, that hasn't stopped her from living life to the full - particularly after she met and fell in love with now-husband Brad.

The Oscar-winning actress and the Assassination Of Gianni Versace producer have been together for four years but were engaged for one year before they wed.

Gwyneth was previously married for ten years to Coldplay rocker Chris Martin, with whom she co-parents her two children.

The marriage is also a second one for Brad, who was previously wed to television producer Suzanne Bukinik Falchuk, the mother of his two children.

For Gwyneth, the release of her wedding photo comes a day after she addressed her health, saying she was suffering the first symptoms of the menopause.

The actress said she has been suffering from 'hormonal' mood swings and intense sweating.

Speaking in a video on her multi-million pound lifestyle platform Goop, she shared: 'I think when you get into perimenopause, you notice a lot of changes. I can feel the hormonal shifts happening. The sweating, the moods  you know you're just all of a sudden furious for no reason.'

Gwyneth feels that society's perception of the menopause is 'bad' and she would like to see some 'rebranding' take place to make it appear less of a 'grieving' experience for women.
His comments come just one day after the country's foreign minister said USA sanctions will have "severe consequences".

Moments after coming out the deal Donald Trump had signed fresh set of sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with Tehran on its controversial nuclear weapons programme.

While the waivers would signal an easing of Washington's hard-line stance that buyers cut purchases to zero, the limiting of payments to an escrow account would mean the US can maintain economic pressure on Iran by squeezing a critical source of its revenue.

The U.S. had called for all countries to "zero out" their oil purchases from Iran, which India has not done.

Other Asian countries such as Japan have also since halted imports from Iran before the US sanctions kick in.

India had imported about 22 million tonnes of crude oil from Iran in 2017-18 and initially planned to raise that to about 30 million tonnes in 2018-19.

Estoy libre en el mercado  Paola Rojas

Refirio que esta soltera nuevamente , en su paso por la ceremonia de los Premios Lunas del Auditorio en Ciudad de Mexico , el miercoles por la noche.

Habra comision para dialogar con empresarios

A partir de los resultados, analizaran si es necesario o no que Lopez Obrador se reuna con los inversionistas. Hemos dicho que vamos a garantizar las inversiones, los contratos y que no hay nada que temer.

Publican video del accidente de helicoptero del dueno del Leicester

Junto al empresario tailandes, de 60 anos, fallecieron cuatro personas mas, dos pasajeros y los dos pilotos de la aeronave. Se dio a conocer un nuevo video del accidente que sufrio Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha , dueno del Leicester City .

Separately, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Wednesday that 280,000 barrels of oil had been sold on the country's energy bourse and that an additional 720,000 barrels would be offered for sale again on the exchange, according to SHANA, the news website of the Iranian Oil Ministry. The companies will be allowed to import 1.25 million tons a month up to March 2019, the same as they ordered for October and November.

A waiver will come as a big relief to Indian Oil and MRPL, the two largest Iranian oil consumers. The companies will likely stick to the existing mechanism under which 55 percent of payment is made in euro and 45 percent in rupee, the source added. Under this, rupee is used for import of rice, drugs, and other products from India while the balance proceeds in rupee and euro sit idle in the Indian bank waiting for sanctions to go.

After the latest round of U.S. sanctions was announced, HPCL was the first Indian refiner to halt purchases from Iran after its insurer backed out. Diplomatic sources said Iraq, Saudi Arabia and UAE have come to an "informal" understanding to keep India supplied. India and Iran still have to figure out shipping and insurance details for a smooth trade.

Chinese oil imports from Iran slumped by 34 percent on the year to 518,300 bpd in September. The US sanctions have driven away Indian and global shippers and insurers from extending their services for Iranian oil imports.

The White House also did not immediately responded to question if India's oil purchase reductions from Iran would be considered significant. Many energy experts believe that just as during the last round of United States sanctions, some of Iranian oil may be rerouted and rebadged as Iraqi oil as a way of circumventing the coming sanctions.
Heather Locklear's attack on an EMT who is now filing a lawsuit against her was verbal as well as physical.

Shocking new details have emerged from court documents which claim Locklear, 57, 'wished death by AIDS' on the children of the medical technician who was placing the actress on a gurney during her June arrest.

Locklear's accuser, who has now been identified as single mother-of-three Jennifer Hayn-Hiton, is claiming Locklear became verbally and physically abusive and kicked her, causing injury.

Allegations: Heather Locklear is now being accused of 'wishing death by AIDS' on the children of an EMT worker who is filing a lawsuit against her for injuries sustained during Locklear's June arrest

TMZ has revealed that the lawsuit is claiming the Melrose Place star wished death on Hayn-Hiton's young children from AIDS.

'This has taken a tremendous toll on our client and her children. When Ms. Locklear went to rehab, we had hoped that she would learn about making amends to those she had harmed.' Hayn-Hiton's attorney, Kevin Flahavan told TMZ.

He added, 'We have reached out to her and she ignored us time and time again. It became apparent that Ms. Locklear wasn't going to accept responsibility for her actions on her own.'

Hayn-Hiton, who assisted in the arrest of Locklear in June, has filed a lawsuit against the actress.

'We have reached out to her and she ignored us time and time again' the lawyer for single mother Jennifer Hayn-Hiton told TMZ as she prepares to file a lawsuit against the actress

Arrests: Hayn-Hiton claims to have suffered 'head and neck injuries' which left her 'confined to a desk job' after the June incident, in which Locklear (left in June mugshot, right in February) allegedly kicked her

TMZ reports that Hayn-Hiton claims to have suffered 'head and neck injuries' which left her 'confined to a desk job' after the June incident, during which officers were twice called to her residence for 'disturbances' involving an 'intoxicated' Locklear.

The actress allegedly kicked the EMT while she was being loaded up a gurney to be taken to the hospital before being arrested on two charges of battery and one count of resisting an officer.

Locklear has entered a not guilty plea to all three criminal charges stemming from this incident and is due back in court later this month.

Locklear's lawyer and the attorney representing the EMT did not respond to requests for comment.

The actress allegedly kicked the EMT while she was being loaded up a gurney to be taken to the hospital before being arrested on two charges of battery and one count of resisting an officer (pictured is Locklear's home)

It was one day after this incident that Locklear was hospitalized following a suspected overdose.

The actress once again was sent to the UCLA psychioatric ward, and from there immediately checked herself into rehab.

She has been frank about her recovery in the months since, and in September shared a post paying tribute to her late friend Josh that read: 'Addiction is ferocious and will try to take you down. Recovery is the best revenge.'

And just this past weekend shared photos as she attended the wedding of her boyfriend Chris Heisser's daughter Jordyn.

A source close to the actress told DailyMail.com: 'The night [of the arrest], she was so hammered. The police came Sunday at six and then left.

'When they came back at midnight, it was because she tried leaving, she tried driving out in her Porsche. She smashed her Porsche into a pylon in her gate.'

The source said Locklear couldn't make it off the grounds because 'she was so wasted.'

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office sources later confirmed to DailyMail.com that the 911 call was made due to a 'disturbance' at Locklear's lavish Thousand Oaks mansion.

That arrest came exactly one week after Locklear was cuffed and taken to the UCLA psychiatric ward for choking her mother Diane, 85, and threatening to shoot herself.

Locklear attended her boyfriend's daughter's wedding this weekend (Chris Heisser and daughter Jordy above)

After being released on June 19, the troubled Melrose Place star allegedly checked into a detox center but checked herself out again after completing just two days of a five-day program.

On the way home from the detox center she purchased a bottle of tequila which she drank before later attempting to drive off in her Porsche according to the source, who said that this all happened despite Locklear being accompanied by a sobriety minder.

It was one day after this arrest that Locklear was hospitalized for an apparent overdose, with the Melrose Place star making the decision to enter rehab immediately after seeking medical attention.

In photos taken just hours after the incident, Locklear was seen with the hood of the sweatshirt over her face as she hastily made her way to a nearby car with lawyer William Haney, who posted her $20,000 bail.

That $20,000 came from a bail bond company a member of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office told DailyMail.com.

Both Haney and his famous client remained silent when asked about the arrest, and quickly sped away from the scene after getting into the lawyer's vehicle.

She could be seen carrying the paperwork from her booking as she headed out of the facility with Haney.

Release: Locklear was charged with two counts of battery and one of resisting arrest to which she entered a plea of not guilty (Locklear leaving jail the day after the June incident)

Police arrested Locklear after she allegedly attacked an officer and the EMT who is filing the suit after they responded to a reported domestic disturbance at her Thousand Oaks home.

A member of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office told DailyMail.com that deputies were twice called to Locklears residence on the day in question, first around 6pm and then again at 11pm. Those were both were dispatched as 'disturbance' calls at the time.

Deputies determined no crime had occurred after responding to the first call and left the scene.

It was when responding to the second call that deputies made contact with Locklear, who allegedly attacked an officer when he tried to separate her from other parties at the residence.

The dispatcher could be heard telling officers that a woman was cursing in the background while a man stated 'get the police here now' during that second call.

'There was a physical earlier with a female. There are no weapons inside the residence. No one else is there,' says the dispatcher.

When a member of law enforcement did arrive and try to remove the actress from a situation, Locklear 'battered that officer by kicking him' according to a fellow member of the force, at which point she was arrested.

That same officer described Locklear as 'extremely intoxicated and uncooperative,' noting that while being checked at the scene she also kicked one of the EMS personnel examining her.

Locklear was first taken to the hospital to be cleared for booking according to the Sheriff's Office.

Locklear was previously arrested in 2008 (mugshot above)

The actress had already been facing four counts of battery upon an officer and emergency personnel along with a single count of resist, obstruct, delay of peace officer or EMT for an incident that occurred back in February.

Locklear was arrested on suspicion of injuring a partner and fighting with sheriffs officers at her home in Thousand Oaks on the night of February 25.

She had just returned from a trip to Boston at the time when she and boyfriend Heisser began to fight.

Locklear's daughter Ava, 21, was also in the house at the time.

A search warrant that was executed at her home by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office revealed that during her February arrest, Locklear told deputies she would shoot them if they ever came to her house again.

Investigators claimed to have information that Locklear had a gun registered in her name, and after hearing this went to seize the weapon.

The warrant states that officers were not able to locate the gun.

On the night of her arrest, Locklear screamed at one officer: 'Get the f*** out of my house!'

She did this while trying to slam a door on the man inside her home according to the Probable Cause Affidavit, which resulted in the five charges she is currently facing in the case.

Another officer reported that Locklear screamed: 'You f***ing deserve your kids to die! You f***ing deserve it! And when you find yourself in that position, think of me!'

Locklear told officers that Heisser had been choking her to the point where she believed she was about to lose consciousness and pass out.

Heisser told a different story, claiming it was Locklear who attacked him, and had red mark on his chest and blood on his nose according to the report.

Locklear checked herself into rehab after the incident, and in late May was seen smiling with Heisser as the two walked hand-in-hand into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in California.

Things took a turn again a few weeks later, when the actress allegedly battered her parents and threatened to take her own life.

That is the incident that landed her in the hospital on an involuntary psychiatric hold on June 17, and she was returning from detox on the day that she allegedly attacked the EMT resulting in her second arrest.

Lockler is facing six charges of battery and two counts of resisting in total from all her arrests this year, and has entered a not guilty plea to all counts.
She is known for her jaw-dropping figure.

And Kelly Brook set pulses racing as she sizzled for the new campaign for beauty brand Baylis & Harding - with the accompanying advert set to air during the Pride of Britain awards next week.

The former glamour model, 38, showed off her famous, eye-popping assets in a black bra, which she teamed with satin pink robe.

Wow: Kelly Brook set pulses racing as she sizzled for the new campaign for Baylis & Harding - with the accompanying advert set to air during the Pride of Britain awards next week

Kelly looked stunning in the new campaign snaps, which saw her admiring her reflection in the mirror.

Primped and preened to perfection, the images put focus on Kelly's phenomenal figure with her assets and trim waist on full display.

Kelly first appeared in a campaign for Baylis & Harding last year, and has now been named the brand's first ambassador.

Speaking of the appointment, Kelly enthused: 'I am thrilled to be working Baylis & Harding.

The former glamour model, 38, showed off her famous, eye-popping assets in a black bra, which she teamed with satin pink robe

'I am really looking forward to being involved with the brand this year, its so lovely to be part of the Baylis & Harding family and also welcome them into my world.'

Kelly's sexy snaps comes after she appeared to throw shade at Jason Statham, Billy Zane, Thom Evans and David McIntosh, as she admitted their proposals weren't 'memorable'.

During her radio stint on Heart Drivetime with Jason King, the beauty, who is currently in a relationship with Jeremy Parisi, revealed she'd would like to 'go the whole way' with her engagement next time round.

Former beaus: The 38-year-old has had had her fair share of engagements in the past, with four of her exes getting down on bended knee (pictured L-R Billy and Jason)

The Loose Women star, who is standing in for Lucy Horobin this week on the show, told her co-host: 'Ive not really had, I mean this is a bit mean to say but Im gonna be honest  I havent really had any memorable engagements.

'No like big grand gestures of like of romance or anything. So in my mind if I do ever get engaged again, which will be the one and I will go the whole way and get married by the way', she added.

Speaking on her dream proposal, the brunette bombshell divulged: 'I found this beach [in Iceland], its called diamond beach and its basically this black beach and it is full of these glaciers and it just looks so incredible.

Love life: The former glamour model has been in a relationship with model Jeremy Parisi since 2015

'Its so beautiful and I think that is the best place to get engaged', the Piranha 3D actress elaborated.

Kelly dated action star Jason, 51 - who is now in a long-term relationship with model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 31 - for six years between 1998 and 2004 when she was just 18.

She then moved on to Hollywood actor Billy, 52, who she was in a relationship with between 2004 and 2008, when the couple broke off their engagement.

In the past: During her radio stint on Heart Drivetime with Jason King, she revealed she'd would like to 'go the whole way' with her engagement next time round (pictured L-R Thom and David)

Kelly dated rugby player Danny Cipriani, 30, on and off between 2008 and 2010, before moving on to another rugby star in the form of Thom, 33.

The couple were together for two years, but suffered heartache when the model had a miscarriage in May 2011, two months after announcing they were expecting a baby girl.

She later moved on to former Gladiators star David, 32. In 2014, the couple got engaged amid an eight-week whirlwind romance, but split after nine months.

Meanwhile, the TV personality recently admitted she pursued model boyfriend Jeremy, 33, for six months by 'slipping into his DMs' on Instagram before they met in person.

Former flame: Kelly dated action star Jason, 51, for six years between 1998 and 2004 when she was just 18 (pictured in June 2004)

Hollywood romance: The beauty moved on to actor Billy, 52, between 2004 and 2008, when the couple broke off their engagement (pictured in May 2008)

Playing the field: Kelly dated rugby player and ladies' man Danny, 30, on and off between 2008 and 2010 (pictured in December 2008)

Heartbreak: Kelly dated rugby star Thom Evans, 33, for two years, but suffered heartache when she miscarried the couple's baby girl in May 2011 (pictured in September 2012)

Split: She later moved on to former Gladiators star David, 32. In 2014, the couple got engaged amid an eight-week whirlwind romance, but split after nine months

The model has been dating the French-Italian martial arts instructor for over three years after kicking off their relationship by flirting via direct message on the photo-sharing site.

Speaking as she co-hosted Heart Drivetime on Tuesday, the radio presenter admitted she initially feared she was being 'catfished' by the hunk until they came face-to-face in real life.

The couple went public with their relationship in April 2015, and Jeremy now lives with Kelly in her Kent home.
Bethenny Frankel showed off her body in a Victoria's Secret Angel Halloween costume on Wednesday.

And soon after followers showered her with hate telling the 47-year-old RHOA star was too 'old' for the look.

The New Yorker did not take it well, sharing a lengthy note to her haters which included an admission that she had plastic surgery.

Take that trolls! Bethenny Frankel bit back at nasty haters who called her too old for her Halloween costume; she also said she had her breasts lifted 12 years ago

She can fly: Bethenny is 47-years-old but still has the body of a 20-year-old thanks to yoga and Skinnygirl wine and chocolates

'For those haters, I suppose that monetizing reality TV is not the only good idea that the Kardashians and I have shared simultaneously,' she began.

Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian and Kendall and Kylie Jenner all dressed as VA Angels too.

'For those who bash theirs or my body, go hate somewhere else. We are mothers and daughters and I chose those very polarizing ruffle boy shorts thus opting to not show my vagina this Halloween,' she added.

'I'm in my late 40s. This is my God given body with no receipts attached (a breast lift 12 years ago notwithstanding) to it. Perhaps next year I will go pantyless & await more constructive comments.'

When she posted the image on Wednesday she said: 'Heaven can wait #superangel Photo credit: @nickyhilton.'

Frankel was in her NYC apartment when she modeled the look. The siren had on a white bra, corset frame, undies and large white wings. And she added furry high heeled slippers.

The star takes every opportunity she can to show off her curves, often posing in bikinis or skimpy yoga wear.

Frankel attended costars Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan's Halloween party at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi in New York City.

Also there were Tinsley Mortimer, Dorinda Medley and new housewife Barbara Kavovit.

At home: Frankel was in her NYC apartment when she modeled the look. The siren had on a white bra, corset frame, undies and large white wings

Did she do it better? Kim Kardashian had on a similar outfit for H'ween

Last week Bethenny showed off her bikini body.

The 47-year-old reality TV diva slipped into a sheer dress that covered her swimsuit as she enjoyed a beach vacation.

The Real Housewives Of New York City star said she was enjoying some 'sheer relaxation' as she posted a photo to Instagram.

Here to party: Frankel found a sunny place to unwind this weekend. The 47-year-old reality TV diva slipped into a sheer dress that covered her bikini body as she enjoyed a beach vacation

The beauty had on a white lace dress over a darker two piece as she posed for a friend.

She was last seen in Manhattan on Friday. The star was sophisticated chic in a white top and suede skirt heading into the Good Morning America studio.

Daring to impress, the stunner looked every inch the Big Apple socialite with her luxury handbag and fashion forward red heels.

Her trademark chestnut brown tresses were left long and loose as they cascaded down over her shoulders.

She topped off the gorgeous look with a bright white winter coat.

Meanwhile, the Skinnygirl mogul was seen out for the first time with rumored boyfriend Paul Bernon in New York City last week.

Bethenny has been romantically linked to the Best Kept Secret producer since a People report last week.

Bernon is a successful Boston-based real estate executive who began producing films since 2012 and has even won a Peabody Award.

This comes a day after a report that a Manhattan judge has accused Frankel's ex-husband of taking advantage of the tragic death of her ex-boyfriend this summer.

She can't stay out of a bikini? The TV staple shared this Instagram photo last week

Jason Hoppy, who Bethenny shares daughter Bryn, eight, with, asked Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Katz to order drug testing for Frankel after her on-off beau died of a suspected overdose in August.

'There was a tragedy which I think you're trying to exploit to embarrass Ms. Frankel,' Katz told Hoppy as he denied the request for drug testing, Page Six reports.

The star is still embroiled in a bitter custody war over her only child with Hoppy. Frankel and Hoppy split in 2012 and finalized their divorce in 2016.

They agreed to share parenting time with Bryn in 2016 but Frankel requested full custody last year after Hoppy was charged with stalking her after bombarding her with abuse on a 'daily basis' for years.

The custody trial begins in March.
They fell in love after the cameras stopped rolling on Bachelor In Paradise.

And Ashley Iaconetti packed on the PDA with fiance Jared Haibon on Thursday, at a launch event for House Of Sillage in Costa Mesa, California.

Also at the event were fellow reality TV stars Brandi Glanville, Gina Kirschenheiter and Nick Viall.

Snap back to reality (TV): Ashley Iaconetti [L] packed on the PDA with fiance Jared Haibon [center] on Thursday, at a launch event for House Of Sillage in Costa Mesa, California. Seen here with Nick Viall

Ashley, 30, looked chic in a grey plaid jacket over tight grey jeans and knee high, tasseled black leather boots.

Her straight brunette tresses were worn loose and swept to one side.

Jared meanwhile looked dapper in a grey blazer over a black dress shirt and jeans.

Well-heeled: Ashley, 30, looked chic in a grey plaid jacket over tight grey jeans and knee high, tasseled black leather boots

Looking for love? Former Bachelor Nick Viall also attended in a button-up shirt and a pair of slim fitting trousers

Blonde beauties: Also at the event, held in honor of the luxury brand's holiday boutique launch, was controversial reality TV star Brandi Glanville [L]. Seen here with Gina Kirschenheiter

Also at the event, held in honor of the luxury brand's holiday boutique launch, was controversial reality TV star Brandi Glanville.

Brandi shone in a white, high neck dress, which she paired with tan heels.

The 45-year-old Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills alum was briefly accused of assaulting a guest at George Clooney's Halloween party last month.

However the Sharknado: The 4th Awakens actress recently claimed police had told her she was 'a witness only' and not a suspect in the case.

Spin that wheel: Brandi seen here with DJ James Kennedy

The platters that matter: James strikes a pose

Gina Kirschenheiter also attended the star-studded event.

The Real Housewives Of Orange County star looked incredible in a minuscule green dress, which she paired with chunky patent leather boots.

The blonde bombshell completed the look with a leather jacket.

A galaxy of stars: House Of Sillage founder Nicole Mather [center] poses with guests

Gorgeous: Co-star Tamra Judge was also at the event in a silk blue top and black leather form-fitting trousers

Stunner: Shannon Beador donned a black ensemble for the Sillage Holiday Boutique launch

Boys: TomTom founders Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz goof around while James Kennedy watches on

Co-star Tamra Judge was also at the event in a silk blue top and black leather form-fitting trousers.

Her top was left open with her ample cleavage and bra on show.

She teamed the look with matching blue pumps and had her blonde locks styled out and natural.

The event was also graced by Vanderpump Rules stars James Kennedy, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz and Jax Taylor.

Friends reunite: The event was also graced by Vanderpump Rules stars James Kennedy, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz and Jax Taylor
Chloe Green and Jeremy Meeks are enjoying a lavish escape to Dubai, days after her dad Sir Philip Green was accused of bullying, sexual misconduct and racial abuse.

Model Jeremy, formerly known as the 'Hot Felon', shared new Instagram images of their adventures in the haven on Friday  and it's been an action-packed trip.

Since arriving in the United Arab Emirates, the lovebirds have ridden a camel, sped through the sand dunes on an all-terrain vehicle and enjoyed some local music.

Getaway: Chloe Green and her partner Jeremy Meeks are continuing to enjoy their escape to Dubai, with the model taking to his Instagram account on Friday to share new images

And California native Jeremy has kept his 1.7million Instagram followers up to date on their every move, sharing snaps and video of their adventures in 'crazy' Dubai.

Their activity-filled day comes after they celebrated Halloween together on Wednesday, as they were seen for the first time following shocking allegations against Chloe's father Sir Philip Green.

Chloe, 27, appeared carefree as she partied the night away with her model beau, 34, at Dubai hotspot BARBARY Deli + Cocktail Club, with the pair dressed up as Star Wars characters Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker.

Fantastic voyage: The loving couple have enjoyed a host of activities, including camel riding

Adventurous: Jeremy also shared images of them riding through the expansive sand dunes

Taking a ride: The Californian shared footage of himself speeding off on an all-terrain vehicle

The mother of one slipped into a white jumpsuit and patent leather thigh-high boots for her night on the tiles. Emulating the iconic character's plaited buns, the star also sported a rich palette of make-up.

Jeremy exposed his heavily tattooed chest in a white robe, paired with tan chinos and Luke's famous light-sabre as the duo posed with high society pal Caroline Stanbury.

The couple are parents to son Jayden Meeks-Green, who was born on May 29th.

Last week, Sir Philip was outed in Parliament as the tycoon who tried to stop bullying accusations being made public. He has denied all allegations.

Good times: In one of his videos, a visibly impressed Jeremy was seen dubbing Dubai 'crazy'

Promotion: Jeremy also took some time of his adventures to promote his FashionNovaMen line

Living it up: Jeremy, formerly known as the 'Hot Felon' looked to be having the time of his life

Sir Philip was named after a court gag order was blown apart when former government minister Lord Peter Hain used parliamentary privilege rules to name Sir Philip in defiance of the legal restrictions.

In a bombshell statement in the House of Lords, Labour party peer Lord Hain said it was 'clearly in the public interest' that the allegations were aired.

He said the case involved 'substantial payments to conceal the truth about serious and repeated sexual harassment, racist abuse and bullying which is compulsively continuing'.

The allegations against the billionaire have not been proven in court or at a tribunal and in a statement issued , Sir Philip said: 'I am not commenting on anything that has happened in court or was said in Parliament today.

Night out: Chloe and Jeremy celebrated Halloween on Wednesday, as she was seen for the first time since shocking allegations emerged against her father, Sir Philip Green

Allegations: The outing came days after Sir Philip was outed in Parliament as the tycoon who tried to stop bullying accusations being made public (pictured in 2015)

Together: The couple are parents to son Jayden Meeks-Green, who was born on May 29th

'To the extent that it is suggested that I have been guilty of unlawful sexual or racist behaviour, I categorically and wholly deny these allegations.

'Arcadia and I take accusations and grievances from employees very seriously and in the event that one is raised, it is thoroughly investigated.

'Arcadia employs more than 20,000 people and in common with many large businesses sometimes receives formal complaints from employees.

'In some cases these are settled with the agreement of all parties and their legal advisers. These settlements are confidential so I cannot comment further on them.'

Reveal: Sir Philip was named after a court gag order was blown apart when former government minister Lord Peter Hain used parliamentary privilege rules to name him
Violet Grey - a beauty website - launched their I Am A Voter social media campaign on Friday.

In an effort to spread awareness, Olivia Munn and several other women were recruited for a black and white celebrity portrait series ahead of the November 6 election.

'We wanted to highlight the power that voting gives to the people, so we cast a group of really strong women with commanding voices that will ignite in others the desire to vote,' founder Cassandra Grey wrote in a press release.

Influencer: Olivia Munn, along with a slew of other women, was tapped to participate in Violet Grey's I Am A Voter portrait series ahead of the November 6 election

I Am A Voter is a non-partisan organization that inspires civic engagement by encouraging a common expectation for voter participation.

They partnered with the civic culture coalition- a coalition of entertainment, media and fashion companies- to help build awareness for their campaign before the November midterms.

'The current state of the country has compelled me to personally champion voter turnout,' April Uchitel, Violet Grey CEO, said.

'I am thrilled that we at Violet Grey are using our voice and reach to develop this project, to engage our community, and to spread the message that there is nothing cooler than voting!'

'Voting is the most important thing we can do for our society,' Sophia Bush told the beauty site. 'It is the most important thing we can do for our self-care, and it is truly the way we stand up and show up and demand what's right and what's good, both for ourselves and the world'

'To be able to vote is a gift,' Jaime King wrote on Instagram. People have lived and died for this opportunity. People have fought based on their gender, race, socio-economic background...this list goes on'

Jaime King teased the Violet Grey campaign, photographed by Diego Uchitel, just days ago.

'To be able to vote is a gift,' she wrote on Instagram. People have lived and died for this opportunity. People have fought based on their gender, race, socio-economic background-this list goes on.

'As the division, hatred and unthinkable death spreads throughout our beautiful country this coming week we have a choice...to stand up for ourselves, our loved ones, our children and their future children. Do what you are given. Vote!!!'

'I've voted in every election since I turned 18,' January Jones said. 'It's a real gift we get as Americans. We're working together, and the only answer to unrest or frustration is to band together and support the causes we care about'

'This is my first time voting in the U.S. because I was not a citizen,' Alice Eve said. 'In 2016 I found it so distressing watching the campaign and not having a voice. If you believe you have a voice and that your voice makes a difference, then it actually does make a difference'

The Violet Grey cover story, written by Jessica Kantor, included voting statements from each celebrity subject.

'To me, voting means I have a say in my life and the world we live in,' Olivia Munn said. 'It is something that we can do to really change the world and make it the one that we each want.'

Sophia Bush said: 'Voting is the most important thing we can do for our society. It is the most important thing we can do for our self-care, and it is truly the way we stand up and show up and demand what's right and what's good, both for ourselves and the world.'

'I am a voter,' Arielle Kebbel said. 'I am standing up for my rights, standing up for what I believe in, standing up for the people I love'
She became a mother for the first time when she welcomed daughter Honor into the world in January.

And Louise Roe branded her baby girl 'the coolest thing ever' as she discussed pregnancy, parenting and 'soul-destroying' breast pumping in a new interview with the #NoFilter with Danielle Snyder podcast.

The TV presenter and fashion blogger, 36, said although she loves motherhood, she didn't enjoy being pregnant.

Motherhood: Louise Roe branded her baby daughter Honor, 10 months, 'the coolest thing ever' as she discussed pregnancy, parenting and 'soul-destroying' breast pumping

The Access Hollywood host said: '[Honor is] the coolest thing ever. It [pregnancy] goes on, and on, and on, but I think that really prepares you for all the lifestyle changes.

'You're already not really sleeping very well and you're already sacrificing a lot ... Your body has kind of not been yours.

'And so when she was born, I was like, "Oh, finally. There's a reward here. Here you are. This is all worth it".'

The British TV personality shares her daughter with husband of two years, producer Mackenzie Hunkin.

While she loves parenting, the former The City star admitted one part she's not a fan of is 'soul-destroying' breast pumping.

Me and my girl: The TV presenter and fashion blogger, 36, said although she loves motherhood, she didn't enjoy being pregnant

Louise added in the Dannijo interview: 'I love being a mom way more than I thought I would. Even friends have turned around, lots of friends have said, "I'm really surprised how amazing you are at this". I'm like, "What did you think!?"

'When you breastfeed, you have to pump, right? Oh my god. There's nowhere to b****y well do it.

'I have crouched in airport toilets, and it's not very sanitary. It's not fun. It's quite soul-destroying to be honest.'

Louise and Mackenzie first met while they were working on MTV matchmaking show Plain Jane in 2011.

Happy family: Louise shares her daughter with husband of two years, producer Mackenzie Hunkin

Mr and Mrs: The couple tied the knot in front of 150 friends and family members in a stunning ceremony at Eton College Chapel in Windsor, south-east England, in October 2016

Four years after they met, friendship turned to romance and the director popped the question during a romantic trip to Aspen, Colorado, in January 2016 after just over two years of dating.

The couple tied the knot in front of 150 friends and family members in a stunning ceremony at Eton College Chapel in Windsor, south-east England, in October 2016, before honeymooning on Italy's Amalfi Coast.

Louise explained the pair developed a 'real connection and bond' during their time working together.

'My husband and I, we worked together for years', she said. 'We had a real connection and a bond.

Adjustment: While she loves parenting, the former The City star admitted one part she's not a fan of is 'soul-destroying' breast pumping

'We were both in different relationships, so I don't think we even thought of it that way, but when I look back now, I know that we made each other laugh a lot.

'We just had a good rapport, and I think it was the final series when we kind of realised there was some more going on, but it took us a minute.'

Louise started her career as a fashion journalist, writing for the British editions of ELLE and Vogue, among others, before moving to the US in late 2009.

The TV presenter shot to fame on the second season of MTV reality show, The City, alongside fellow fashionista Olivia Palermo, before going on to host Plain Jane, NBC's Fashion Star and the red carpet during awards season for Access Hollywood.
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Tom Cruise donned his trademark khaki bomber jacket as he filmed more scenes for the Top Gun sequel on Thursday, 32 years after the original action movie.

The 56-year-old was pictured in Los Angeles, looking as youthful as ever, as he got back into character as Lt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell to film motorbike scenes with Jennifer Connelly - although according to a nametag on his character's jacket, he's now a Captain.

Connelly, 47, will play Maverick's love interest in Top Gun: Maverick, replacing Kelly McGillis who played Charlie in the original.

He's back! Tom Cruise is pictured on the set of Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the 1986 hit, in Los Angeles on Thursday with costar Jennifer Connelly

Holding on tight: Tom, 56, reprises his role as Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell in the action flick with Jennifer playing his love interest

Her hero: The 47-year-old actress gave her handsome costar a kiss after hopping off the bike

Cruise would have been 24 when the original flick was released in 1986 And he didn't appear to have aged a day as he donned his military jacket and aviators.

Thursday's scene, featuring an ocean backdrop, had Cruise riding the motorcycle with Connelly beaming away with the wind in her hair while holding on tight to the movie hero.

Connelly sat on the back of the high-powered motorcycle wearing a navy bomber and cropped blue jeans.

After a little while she hopped off the bike and gave Cruise a kiss on the cheek before finally locking lips as cameras rolled.

Stud: Cruise would have been 24 when the original flick was released in 1986 And he didn't appear to have aged a day as he donned his military jacket and aviators

Going for a ride: Kelly McGillis, 61, played Maverick's love interest Charlie in the original movie

Speedy: Cruise's bike of choice for the new movie is a limited edition Kawasaki Ninja H2 Carbon which costs around $30,000 new and is one of the fastest road bikes in the world

Action: Cameras rolled as the duo shared a tender moment while Cruise as Maverick sat on the motorbike

Flirty gaze: Connelly looked youthful as ever in a navy bomber jacket and cropped jeans

Cruise's bike of choice for the new movie is a limited edition Kawasaki Ninja H2 Carbon which costs around $30,000 new and is one of the fastest road bikes in the world.

Much of the original movie was filmed in San Diego but it looks like the sequel will also feature shots of Los Angeles.

Val Kilmer, who played Lt. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky in the original, will also reprise his role in the sequel. The actor recently battled throat cancer, which he revealed during his December 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm and Ed Harris are also joining the cast for the second installment.

Nothing's changed: Cruise appears to have barely aged a day since the original movie was released in 1986 when he would have been 24

LA sights: The duo filmed a scene with the ocean in the background

Action sequence: Thursday's scene had Cruise riding the motorcycle with Connelly beaming away with the wind in her hair while holding on tight to the movie hero

PROMOTED: His jacket includes a Top Gun nametag for 'Capt Pete Mitchell' - several steps up from Lieutenant, which he was in the original

Despite having brown hair herself, it appears Connelly may be wearing a wig for her role

Deadline reports that Cruise's character Maverick will be a Top Gun flight instructor in the sequel; he serves as a mentor to Goose's son.

The sequel is directed by Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion, TRON: Legacy) and will hit theaters in 2020.

Tony Scott, who directed the original, was going to helm the sequel but he committed suicide in 2012 just as production talks were beginning.

Ready for action: Val Kilmer, 58, is reprising his role as Iceman in the upcoming flick due for release in 2020
Toni Garrn was smiling from ear to ear as she left her 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show fitting in NYC.

The 26-year-old blonde beauty flaunted her flat tummy in a crop top and pinstripe blazer that she paired with cropped denim and black booties.

The model from Hamburg, Germany is best known for her fashion magazine covers and for having dated Leonardo DiCaprio in 2013 and 2014.

Model moment: On Friday, Toni Garrn was smiling from ear to ear as she left her 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show fitting in NYC

'I just finished my VS show fitting. I'm so excited. I can't tell you guys anything yet, but I look forward to the show,' she said on Instagram.

Garrn wore her jeans belted at the waist and she accessorized with a leather, drawstring bucket bag.

The Germany native wore her hair in soft waves, while her makeup included a soft pink lip and rosy cheeks.

Peace! The 26-year-old blonde beauty flaunted her flat tummy in a crop top and pinstripe blazer that she paired with cropped denim and black booties

'I just finished my VS show fitting. I'm so excited. I can't tell you guys anything yet, but I look forward to the show,' she said on Instagram

It's been five years since Toni graced the VS runway.

'I'M BACK B*****s,' she wrote on Instagram back in September. 'Excited to be back and lets make 2018 the best one yet.'

This will mark Garrn's fourth time walking for the lingerie brand.

Making a comeback: It's been five years since Toni graced the VS runway. 'I'M BACK B*****s,' she wrote on Instagram. 'Excited to be back and lets make 2018 the best one yet'

Toni is a dedicated activist when she isn't strutting down the catwalk.

She founded the Toni Garrn Foundation in 2016, which raises money to support girls and their education on a global scale.

'Educate and a girl will change the world' is her foundation's slogan.

Giving back: Toni is a dedicated activist when she isn't strutting down the catwalk. She founded the Toni Garrn Foundation in 2016, which raises money to support girls and their education on a global scale
She's never been afraid to show off her sensational figure posing completely naked for an Instagram snap last week.

But Megan McKenna took on a more casual look as she picked up a party dress and headed into her Essex home on Friday.

The reality TV veteran, 26, sported a casual look of a tracksuit and jumper as she carried the dress outside her Halloween-decorated home.

Dressed down: Megan McKenna, 26, took on a more demure look as she picked up a party dress and headed into her Essex home on Friday

Sizzling: Later in the day she treated her Instagram followers to a very revealing snap showing off a generous glimpse of her assets while partially covering them with one hand for modesty

Opting for comfort, the TOWIE star paired the grey jogging bottoms with box fresh white trainers and a simple gold chain.

Adding to the look was a pair of oversized sunglasses, which hid her make-up free face and a baggy jumper emblazoned with the label for Victoria Secret's Pink.

The star left her ombre tresses loose and slung a Louis Vuitton backpack over one shoulder.

Casual: Opting for comfort, the TOWIE star paired the grey jogging bottoms with box fresh white trainers and a simple gold chain

Later in the day she treated her Instagram followers to a very revealing snap showing off a generous glimpse of her assets while partially covering them with one hand for modesty.

Continuing to promote her new lip kit range Mouthy by Megan, the former Ex On The Beach star, was sure to set pulses racing as she promised 'Stronger than you think' in the caption.

Earlier in the week, she showed another racy snap showing off her tiny waist and ample assets with the caption 'Nothing But Danger'.

Hot: Megan shared a VERY revealing selfie as she posed naked and covered to promote new lip kit range on Sunday

She proved to be her brand's best advertisement as she wore a generous slick of dark red lipstick to accentuate her plump pout.

Megan stared sultrily at the camera as her tousled brunette locks fell over her face, while she accessorised with a watch and a pair of silver hoops.

This comes after she posted a similar snap which covered her modesty with some strategically placed yellow tape which had the words: 'Mouthy by Megan The Relaunch' emblazoned on it.

Day off: The star wore grey jogging bottoms and a pink jumper as she climbed over pumpkins

Branded: Megan matched Converse All star trackies with a Victoris Secrets top

She knelt against a purple wall for the smouldering snap, adding the caption: 'MOUTHY IS LIVE & BACK!@mouthybymegan Happy lip kit shopping!'

Megan also showed off her sensational pout in the pictures, which was adorned with a slick of ruby red lipstick.

The post comes after she sizzled in a series of similar looking shots, in which she unveiled her brand new Studio Mouthy swimwear collection in pictures.

Single: The beauty's outing comes a month after she addressed she had broken up from Mike Thalassitis for good

The former TOWIE star posed up a storm in a sizzling new shoot, stripping down to a tiny yellow Aztec-print bikini and box-fresh white trainers.

The TV personality, who has designed the collection herself, showed off her gym-honed physique as she modeled eight different looks for StudioMouthy.co.uk.

Speaking of the new collection, the reality star said: 'With girls travelling all year round I wanted to create a swimwear collection that would work for any occasion in any destination.'

Music therapy: Megan revealed she had been on holiday to Ibiza just shortly after the break up and she had been focusing on her music to 'clear' her head

The Ex On The Beach alumni added: 'Whether you feel more comfortable in a one-piece or a bikini, my collection is designed with the option to ensure you feel glamorous whether you're wearing it poolside or to the beach.'

Other looks see the former Celebrity Big Brother star dazzle in on-trend low scooped necklines and pretty floral and paisley prints.

The High Heeled Shoes hitmaker showed off a bouncy blowdry and flawlessly made-up visage, complete with thick strip lashes, an incredibly plump pout, and glowing tan.

Daring: She proved to be her brand's best advertisement as she wore a generous slick of dark red lipstick to accentuate her plump pout

Megan made the most of her physique by flaunting her washboard abs in racy high-waisted bikini bottoms.

The beauty's new collection comes a month after she addressed she had broken up from Mike Thalassitis for good, after the pair were spotted together in a make or break getaway in Dubai.

'Muggy' Mike confirmed their split in July after he was seen moving his belongings out of Megan's Essex home, before she deleted all trace of him on Instagram.

Washboard abs: The former TOWIE star posed up a storm in a sizzling new shoot, stripping down to a tiny floral bikini

But the stars were later, spotted poolside in the luxurious Five Palm Hotel in Dubai.

Megan said of the break: 'We went there because it was out of the public eye and it could be the two of us. But it hasn't worked. Sometimes it just can't happen. I'm just trying to move on with my life now.'

Although insisting 'everything happens for a reason', the Mouthy author stressed she was keeping 'very busy' to help heal her heartache.

Flawless: The TV personality, who has designed the collection herself, showed off her gym-honed physique as she modelled eight different looks for StudioMouthy.co.uk

Megan revealed she had been on holiday to Ibiza just shortly after the break up and she had been focusing on her music to 'clear' her head.

She told Good Morning Britain: 'It's pretty awkward, I do think everything happens for a reason, I've been away, I've cleared my head, I'm very busy I'm doing my music.

'I'm working on an album. I just feel like everything does happen for a reason, the path I'm going on right now...'

Flawless: The reality TV star showed off a bouncy blow-dry and flawlessly made-up visage

The reality star couple had been known for documenting their lavish holidays and romantic date nights together on social media.

Sparks first started flying when they were dating in March, with their romance immediately taking off with a holiday to Barbados together.

However, two months later the pair had unfollowed each other on social media and they were seen in a fierce row in the street following a night out.

Speaking to OK! magazine, the ITVBe regular, who dated Mike for seven months, explained that the pair were at different stages of their life and although they have called time on their romance, their break-up wasn't 'nasty or messy'.

'I can't even say why we split,' she said. 'I just feel like we're both at different point in our lives. We both respect each other and we didn't want it to get nasty or messy.

'There is only so much you can do in a relationship and when it's not working you've got to take separate routes. But I wish him all the luck in the world, he's not a nasty person. Everything happens for a reason.'
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
She just welcomed her daughter Rani into the world one month ago, her third child who she shares with her partner Danny Fujikawa.

And Kate Hudson was ready to get into the Halloween spirit on Wednesday, as she went trick or treating with her beau, 32, alongside Bradley Cooper and his daughter Lea, who he shares with Irina Shayk.

Opting for comfort over style, the actress, 39, dressed up in a Christmas-themed onesie and looked relaxed in the low-key look which was adorned with reindeer as she headed out in Brentwood, California.

New mother: Kate Hudson was in the Halloween spirit on Wednesday, as she went trick or treating with her beau, 32, and Bradley Cooper and his child, who he shares with Irina Shayk

She completed her winter-themed look with a pair of white lace-up boots, while she kept her blonde locks hidden underneath a hood, which had reindeer antlers and a nose to mimic Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

Kate's boyfriend wore the same outfit, which he paired with nude Timbaland boots and he had a fluffy bear mask to go with the ensemble.

The actress meanwhile completed her Halloween costume with a white poodle mask, which looked both terrifying and adorable.

Cosy: Bradley joined the pair by wearing a comfortable outfit, as he stepped out in a fluffy puppy onesie

Couple's clothing: Kate's boyfriend wore the same outfit, which he paired with nude Timbaland boots and he had a fluffy bear mask to go with the ensemble

Trick or treat? The actress meanwhile completed her Halloween costume with a white poodle mask, which looked both terrifying and adorable

Bradley, 43, joined the pair by wearing a comfortable outfit, as he stepped out in a dog costume to go trick or treating with his daughter.

The outfit saw him transform into a brown-and-white puppy, and he was spotted walking through the streets of California without the mask, which Kate seemed to be carrying in her hands.

His brunette locks were brushed into a tousled hairstyle, and he seemed like he was more than ready to celebrate the spooky holiday with his family and friends.

Bradley shares his one-year-old child with Russian supermodel Irina, 32, who did not appear to head out for Halloween with the pair.

Cute: The outfit saw him transform into a brown-and-white puppy, and he was spotted walking through the streets of California without the mask, which Kate seemed to be carrying

Prepared: He seemed to be more than ready to celebrate the spooky holiday with his family

The doting parents, who have been together since 2015, have been putting on a united front despite reports they are having relationship issues.

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.'
This Hollywood hot couple knows how to travel in style.

Justin Timberlake, 37, and Jessica Biel, 36, were spotted on Friday heading to a heliport in New York City to board a chopper.

The duo, who were joined by their three-year-old son Silas, had put in an appearance on the previous night's Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Family time: Justin Timberlake, 37, and Jessica Biel, 36, were spotted on Friday heading to a heliport in New York City to board a chopper with their three-year-old son Silas

Justin was casually stylish in a black anorak, throwing a charcoal sweater over a white undershirt and rounding off the look with black jeans and sneakers.

Meanwhile, Jessica added a bit of flair to her otherwise dressed-down ensemble with a pair of aviator sunglasses and a gleaming medallion necklace.

She had on an olive green jacket and a white T-shirt, slipping into white sneakers and a torn pair of jeans with the hems slightly folded up.

Jessica was carrying a bulging gray backpack along with her, while Justin cradled the couple's only child.

Staying warm: Justin was casually stylish in a black anorak, throwing a charcoal sweater over a white undershirt and rounding off the look with black jeans and sneakers

Meanwhile: Jessica added a bit of flair to her otherwise dressed-down ensemble with a pair of aviator sunglasses and a gleaming medallion necklace

Several years his celebrated relationship with his onetime fellow Mouseketeer Britney Spears, Justin married Jessica in 2012.

Justin and Jimmy Fallon are longtime friends, so on Thursday's Tonight Show, Jimmy and Jessica competed against one another in a game of Who Knows Justin Better?.

Jessica got the first two answers right - Justin's cocktail du jour is a tequila mule, and his favorite rappers are Andre 3000 and Mase.

When it came to knowing Justin's safe word, 'pineapple,' both Jessica and Jimmy got the answer - prompting Justin to mouth: 'Things just got weird.'

Division of labor: Jessica was carrying a bulging gray backpack along with her, while Justin cradled the couple's firstborn and to date only child

New work: Justin, who is not yet 40 years old, has decided to put out a memoir, which is entitled Hindsight & All the Things I Can't See In Front of Me

Justin finally had to think of a random number 'between 1 and 5000,' and his wife and his pal had to blindly guess which one it was.

Jimmy's shot in the dark, 4,297, was miraculously right on the money, and he declared himself Justin's 'soul mate.'

Justin, who is not yet 40 years old, has decided to put out a memoir, which is entitled Hindsight & All the Things I Can't See In Front of Me.
Despite appearing to have his sights set firmly on Shelby Tribble, Sam Mucklow's eye appears to have wandered during Sunday's episode of TOWIE.

This comes after Georgia Kousoulou set about matchmaking between Sam and Lauren Pope, engineering a conversation between the pair during a trip to the spa.

Sam and Lauren end up hitting it off in the sauna, before she admits to her pal Chloe Sims that she isn't totally adverse to getting to know Sam.

New romance? Despite appearing to have his sights set firmly on Shelby Tribble, Sam Mucklow's eye appears to have wandered during Sunday's episode of TOWIE

After being properly introduced by a tactful Georgia, the pair enjoy another conversation during a Bonfire Night party, in scenes set to air later this week.

The cosy encounter may come as a shock to viewers, after Sam decided to make a move on Shelby following his sister Billi's triumphant return to the show and suggested that he think about finding someone to settle down with.

Visiting him with her children, Sam confessed: 'I need some sister guidance, there's been a bit of pressure in the last couple of weeks now that Shelby has become single.

Hitting it off: This comes after Georgia Kousoulou set about matchmaking between Sam and Lauren Pope, engineering a conversation between the pair during a trip to the spa

'We're good mates and we're going to do something this weekend. I'm flirty, I like to flirt with girls,' he added.

As they discussed his potential love interests, including Lauren, Billie told him: 'There's nothing wrong with doing something, you're harmless,' before she added that she wanted 'a niece' from him.

Deciding to try his luck with Shelby as they spent time together at a rock climbing facility, he brought up the fact that he's interested in having children.

Cosy: After being properly introduced by a tactful Georgia, the pair enjoy another conversation during a Bonfire Night party, in scenes set to air later this week

Shelby replied: 'It's really nice that you're a family man, you're good with advice.'

Changing the subject, Sam asked if she was 'feeling better' following her recent split from Pete Wicks, saying she was she said: 'just getting away from the negativity was good.'

Sam then saw his chance, as he quipped: 'I'm going to give Pete a call, tell him that we're getting close and whatever happens, happens.'

Confiding: Sam and Lauren end up hitting it off in the sauna, before she admits to her pal Chloe Sims that she isn't totally adverse to getting to know Sam

But Shelby kept things at a distance, as she simply said: 'Why can't men and women be friends.'

Later in the evening the group dressed up for a fun Halloween party, and Sam felt he had to talk to Pete as he took him aside, and said: 'There's been a lot of kerfuffle around me and Shelby, I wanted to come and see you and talk about it before you hear about it from someone else, we might be doing something.'

Pete seemed unperturbed, as he admitted: 'At the end of the day I didn't want to be with her because it wasn't right,' before adding that Shelby 'wasn't as devastated as she made it out to be.

Heated: Elsewhere, there appears to be no love lost between the two TOWIE girls, as tensions rise during the Bonfire Night party

Elsewhere, there appears to be no love lost between Courtney Green and Kady McDermott, as tensions rise during the Bonfire Night party.

Both girls appeared eager to get their recent frustrations off their chest, inevitably leading to a bust up between the two love rivals.

The feud was sparked by comments Courtney had previously made about Kady's best friend Jodie, during a chat with her pals Amber Turner and Chloe Meadows where they called her a 'hoe'.

Hurt: Both girls appeared eager to get their recent frustrations off their chest, inevitably leading to a bust up between the two love rivals

Glaring from the sidelines, the trio, who had just been discussing Chloe's self-esteem issues, began dissecting her ensemble and called on the saying 'The bigger the hoops, the bigger the hoe' - leading to anger from fans.

Still feeling bitter about the comments made about her friend, Kady's side of the argument with Courtney will no doubt focus on this.

It seems that Courtney is also seething regarding negative comments, after noticing that Kady had been 'liking' social media comments about her.

Getting it off her chest: Courtney confides in Chloe M and Pete Wicks what she thinks of the newcomer, before their face-to-face encounter on Bonfire Night

Not happy: It seems that Courtney is also seething regarding negative comments, after noticing that Kady had been 'liking' social media comments about her

She confides in Chloe M and Pete Wicks what she thinks of the newcomer, before their face-to-face encounter on Bonfire Night.

With the arguing ensuing, it's not long before Amber and Myles are also dragged in.

Amid the drama, Dan Egder and Amber host their first dinner party for a number of the Essex contingent, while Georgia gives Kady advice on dealing with the other Essex girls.

The drama continues in The Only Way Is Essex on Sunday 4th November at 9pm on ITVBe.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are now officially divorced.

And in a surprise move for a Hollywood couple, the two did not hire expensive divorce lawyers, completing the process themselves via mediation.

The exes have submitted their final divorce paperwork to an LA County Superior Court judge, TMZ reports. When the paperwork is approved, their divorce date with be confirmed as October 9.

It's all over! Jennifer Garner has agreed to attend co-parenting therapy together with ex Ben Affleck as the two sign off on divorce; she is seen in Santa Monica, Thursday

While unusual for such a high-worth couple, the lack of legal representation is typical of the divorced pair's split, with the two consciously working to remain on good terms.

Indeed Ben even lived in Jen's guest house until May of last year, two years after they first split. He then purchased a home of his own just a mile away, to enable the couple to properly co-parent their three children, Violet, 12, Seraphina, nine, and Samuel, six.

The two plan to share joint physical and legal custody of their children and will meet monthly with a therapist who specialises in co-parenting for at least six months.

Moving on: Ben is on set of his new movie Torrance on Thursday

According to TMZ, the legal documents specify that the two will act with good manners towards one another - specificially that: 'Neither party shall make derogatory or insulting remarks about the other... Each party is restrained from arguing, yelling, or using profanity directed at the other party in the presence or within hearing distance of any of the minor children.'

The couple, who did not have a prenup, came to their own agreement about how to split their assets.

They also agreed upon the terms of their divorce via talks mediated by lawyer Laura Wasser.

Fling: Ben most recently dated Playboy model Shauna Sexton, but the two split last month

Celebrity link: Shauna's profile exploded after she was linked to Ben, earning her many new Instagram followers

Meanwhile, Ben is currently single, following the end of his brief fling with Playboy model Shauna Sexton.

However Jennifer is now dating for the first time since their split.

Having finalised her divorce the 46-year-old is reported to be romancing CEO John Miller.

An insider told People magazine: 'Although the divorce was just finalised, Jen has considered herself single for a long time. Dating is just a natural step.

Still friends: The former couple took their children trick or treating together on Halloween

As they were: The couple back in 2012; the split three years later

'Jen will always care about Ben and help him be the best dad. She was very ready to move on though. She seems very excited about the future and is in a great place both personally and professionally.'

John marks Jennifer's first boyfriend since splitting with Justice League actor Ben.

Meanwhile, it was recently reported that Ben, also 46, 'wants the best' for his former spouse, after she supported him during his recent trip to rehab for alcohol addiction.

A source said: 'Ben will always want the best for Jen. They continue to have a really strong relationship and both work very hard to make everything easy for the kids. She has always been supportive of him.'
Strictly Come Dancing's Neil Jones allegedly likened Seann Walsh to a 'scab' and said he was 'delighted' his wife and the comedian were kicked off the BBC competition after the pair were caught kissing.

According to The Sun, professional dancer Neil, 35, has reportedly been telling his friends he can 'finally move on' from the cheating scandal as Seann has left the show meaning the atmosphere is 'great again'.

Katya Jones, 29, was caught kissing Seann, 32, on a boozy night out in London last month, despite the pair both being in committed relationships at the time.

Scab: Neil Jones has allegedly likened Seann Walsh to a 'scab' and said he was 'delighted' his wife and the comedian were kicked off the BBC competition after the pair were caught kissing

Scandal: Katya Jones, 29, was caught kissing Seann, 32, on a boozy night out in London last month, despite the pair both being in committed relationships at the time

A source close the Neil told the Sun: 'To be honest, there is a feeling of relief all around now. After Seann's elimination the atmosphere is finally getting back to being great and everything feels normal again.

'Neil has been telling pals backstage that it's only now that Seann has gone he can start to rebuild and recover.'

'He likened having him around to when you 'keep taking the top off a scab so it wouldn't heal' because seeing Seann just constantly reminded him of the kiss.'

MailOnline has contacted reps for Strictly and Neil for comment.

The couple avoided an awkward run in earlier this week as Neil and Katya made their first red carpet performance at the Pride of Britain awards, while Seann left the ceremony with a mystery woman.

Putting on a defiant display, the Russian beauty dazzled in a black gown while she clutched on to her husband nearly a month after her shocking kiss, which she later blamed on drinking too much and poor judgement.

After the bash, held at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, Seann was seen departing the venue with a mystery brunette after dodging an awkward meet with the couple on the red carpet.

A united front: Katya Jones hit the Pride Of Britain Awards with her husband Neil on Monday, in their first red carpet appearance since she was seen kissing her Strictly co-star Seann Walsh

Hours before, Seann, who was kicked off the show on Sunday night, joined Katya on It Takes Two where he came under fire for making a comment about looking as though he was watching 'a drunk video' following his shock video.

The 32-year-old made the quip as he and Katya made an appearance on Strictly sister show It Takes Two to discuss their elimination from the BBC ballroom hit.

As he was shown footage of their last dance on the popular show, Seann shockingly joked to host Zoe Ball: 'Thats like watching a drunk video of yourself.'

He then added of their routine, which was a Viennese Waltz to the classic song I Put A Spell On You: 'The dance that [Katya] came up with was amazing.'

After his comments aired, viewers took to Twitter in droves to call out the erstwhile contestant, particularly as several days earlier he and Katya had claimed their scandalous kiss  which saw them cheat on their partners  was a 'drunken mistake'.

'That was like having to watch a drunk video of yourself the morning after... Weve all seen THAT video Seann,' wrote one viewer.

Last dance: The comedian made the quip as he and Katya watched their final dance on Strictly Come Dancing before they were eliminated last week

'Seann Walsh trying to make jokes but [Zoe], the crew and the whole country aren't buying it,' stated another on the micro-blogging site.

Many others dubbed the moment 'awkward' as they were reminded of the kiss, which led to the end of Seann's long-term relationship with girlfriend Rebecca Humphries. Katya's marriage to Neil Jones was also tested by the scandal.

Also during their time on It Takes Two, Seann and Katya recreated their Matrix dance. However, the moment wasn't as smooth as their time on Strictly, as Katya was left with her legs akimbo while wearing a dress.
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It is one of the most notable charity events on the showbiz calendar, organised by Eva Longoria.

And the Hollywood actress certainly made the most of her celebrity contacts as BFF Victoria Beckham led the stars for the ninth annual Global Gift Gala held at the Rosewood Hotel in London on Friday night.

Victoria, 44, wowed in a plunging black gown as she supported Eva, 43, while Amanda Holden and Princess Beatrice looked demure on the red carpet in their glamorous dresses.

Star of the show: Victoria Beckham led the glamour at The Global Gift Gala held at the Rosewood Hotel in London in London on Friday night, posing with Kelly Hoppen (L) and Amanda Holden (R)

Putting an elegant twist on her famous LBD as Posh Spice, Victoria looked the picture of sophistication in the form-fitting black dress.

The gown sheathed her svelte frame and featured a low-cut neckline and band at the waist. The mum-of-four, who was joined by her eldest son Brooklyn, 19, kept accessories to a minimum as she complemented the look with a delicate silver diamond necklace.

Styling her hair in a loose chignon, Victoria finished off her black-tie ensemble with her signature smoky eye, blush-swept cheeks and a mauve lip.

Wow factor: Victoria, Eva Longoria and Princess Beatrice and Amanda Holden (L-R) stunned on the red carpet in their glamorous ensembles

Stunning: Victoria looked the picture of sophistication in the form-fitting black dress, which sheathed her svelte frame and featured a low-cut neckline and put an elegant twist on her famous LBD as Posh Spice

Close bond: Victoria looked delighted to be back with her eldest son Brooklyn, 19, following her trip to Australia and New York, with the pair posing on the red carpet together

Elegant: The mum-of-four kept accessories to a minimum as she complemented the look with a delicate silver diamond necklace

Hostess: New mum Eva, 43, took a night off from parenting duties to host the bash and looked sensational in a black blazer and suit trousers

BFF: Eva and Victoria, who first struck up a friendship through the designer's husband and former footballer, David, and Eva's ex-husband, Tony Parker, looked delighted to be reunited once more for the annual gala

Dressed to impress: Amanda also pulled out all the stops as she arrived to the bash in a black silk gown by Caroline Castigliano, which featured a scallop open back fishtail hemline

Demure: Princess Beatrice, who shone at her sister Eugenie's wedding last month, reading a moving excerpt from The Great Gatsby in front of 850 guests, looked regal as she attended the event in a monochrome gown

Regal: Beatrice dazzled in the gown, which featured a embellished silver rhinestone neckline, glittering gold bow and puffed sleeves as she stood next to Victoria

Glitter: Alesha Dixon, 40, slipped into a lavender sequin dress, which sparkled as it flashed her toned legs

Check you out: Alesha's beau Azuka Ononye couldn't keep his eyes off his stunning love as they posed on the red carpet

Amanda also pulled out all the stops, arriving to the bash in a Caroline Castigliano gown.

The Britain's Got Talent judge, 47, worked her magic on the red carpet as she showed off the dress' open back and fishtail hemline.

Styling her blonde tresses in a sleek bun, Amanda polished up her look with a glowing complexion and red lip.

Tamara Ecclestone, 34, looked sensational in a plunging dress as she cosied up to her handsome husband Jay Rutland.

Chic: Tamara Ecclestone, 34, looked sensational in a plunging dress. The glittering gown teased the star's ample and tanned cleavage, with its gathered midsection showing off her hourglass curves

Date night: The brunette beauty, 34, cosied up to her husband Jay Rutland, who looked dapper in a black suit and bow tie

Glowing: Her caramel flecked brunette tresses were styled in glossy waves while her pretty features were enhanced with a rich palette of make-up

Eye-catching display: Tamara looked wonderfully festive as she stood on the marble staircase, with Amanda joining her for a snap

Glowing: Richard Branson's daughter Holly, 36, showcased her blossoming baby bump in an elegant navy dress with lace sleeves

Mini reunion: Victoria crossed paths with Spice Girls Melanie C who arrived in a beaded dress ahead of taking to the stage for a performance

When Two Become One: The duo looked delighted to be together as they took to the red carpet

BFFs: The British icons celebrated after Mel's stellar performance

Vocal powerhouse: Mel performed to the star-studded crowd at the event

Girl power! The girls channeled their Spice Girls roots with a Girl power sign

Regal: Eva and VB joined Priness Beatrice for a snap

Fun: The celevs looked delighted as they joined some inspirational youngsters

The glittering gown teased the star's ample and tanned cleavage, with its gathered midsection showing off her hourglass curves. She boosted her height with black peeptoe shoes.

Her caramel flecked brunette tresses were styled in glossy waves while her pretty features were enhanced with a rich palette of make-up.

Her husband, who she wed in 2013, looked dashing in a black suit and bow tie, with silk lapels and paired with patent leather shoes.

Good friends: Brooklyn reunited with pal Jack Ramsay, who has just started his first term at Exeter University, showed their support

Hair again: Olly Murs showed off luscious quiff as he arrived at the gala... after scaring fans with prank video where he 'chopped off' his hair, while Mark Francis (middle) and Brooklyn (L) also showed off their hairdos

Luscious: Olly's brunette locks towered high above his head, and he put on a dapper display as he sported a close cropped beard

Close to her heart: Eva is the acting ambassador of the Global Gift Foundation- a charity that works to raise funds for foundations, charities and organisations that share its vision and aims and smiled as she posed with Gary Dourdan

Sweet: Victoria showed off her maternal side as she cuddled an excited little girl named Ella at the star-studded bash

Smitten: Ronan Keating and his wife Storm were suitably dressed for the black-tie event, with Storm wowing in a black silk gown with a silk overlay

Pop of colour: Shingai Shoniwa, Melissa Odabash, Laura Pradelska (L-R) all opted for eye-catching dresses, steering briefly away from the black-tie dress code

Dashing: Alan Carr (L) and Gary Dourdan (R) looked sharp, with the funnyman donning a velour suit while Gary rocked a two-piece suit

Princess Beatrice, who shone at her sister Eugenie's wedding last month, reading a moving excerpt from The Great Gatsby in front of 850 guests, looked regal as she attended the event.

Beatrice dazzled in the gown, which featured a embellished silver rhinestone neckline, glittering gold bow and puffed sleeves.

She wore her golden locks in soft curls and complemented her evening ensemble with a patent black clutch bag and a rosy make-up look.

Ahead of the gala, the children's hospice patron beamed as she posed on the red carpet with Richard Branson's daughter, Holly.

Fancy: The Global Gift Gala is celebrated as a black-tie dinner, beginning with the red carpet which is then followed by a three-course dinner by prestigious Michelin star Chefs. Eva and Victoria posed with Maria Bravo

The Global Gift Gala is celebrated as a black-tie dinner, beginning with the red carpet which is then followed by a three-course dinner by prestigious Michelin star Chefs.

There is then a live auction with unique 'money can't buy' experiences, with Alesha Dixon and Melanie C also set to take to the stage at some point during the evening.

Eva is the acting ambassador of the Global Gift Foundation- a charity that works to raise funds for foundations, charities and organisations that share its vision and aims.

Through events such as the various galas and fundraisers the charity funds several projects, including The Eva Longoria Foundation.

The charity, founded in 2012, aims to help Latinas build better futures through education and entrepreneurship, and confront the issue of poverty in their culture.
Hilary Duff sure has slimmed down already. The Younger actress looked trim as she ran errands in Los Angeles on Friday alone.

It's been only been one week since she welcomed her second child, daughter Banks Violet. The father is music producer Matthew Koma.

Also this week, the 31-year-old star that she chose a natural delivery because she wanted to do things differently than she did with first child Luca.

Good job: Hilary Duff sure has slimmed down already. The Younger actress looked trim as she ran errands in Los Angeles on Friday alone

She said on the Dr. Elliot Berlin's Informed Pregnancy podcast that during her first term with Banks she realized she wanted to do it a new way.

'It happened after I got pregnant but [while I was] still in my first trimester,' Duff said. The podcast was shared by People.

'I just started thinking that I wanted a different experience,' she explained.

She was in a hospital with an epidural with first child Luca.

Baby at home: It's been only been one week since she welcomed her second child, daughter Banks Violet. The father is music producer Matthew Koma

'I'm older now  I love motherhood more than anything. I never thought it could be this way. I never thought I could be so happy and so fulfilled.

'And I thought to myself that I want to get the full experience of what it is to bring a baby into the world and how incredible our bodies are,' Duff added.

'My body gave me this incredible little boy and now I get to have this little girl and I want to experience it to the fullest.'

She had a 'natural, drug-free home birth' plan for her daughter.

Koma was fine with it.

Natural: Also this week, the 31-year-old star that she chose a natural delivery because she wanted to do things differently than she did with first child Luca

'He was amazing. He had some questions  he was like, "Let me go do some research but I support you,"' Duff added.

'We sterilized everything in the oven and bought new sheets,' Duff revealed. 'Who knows? What if I don't want to be in the bathtub? We're prepared for that too.'

'I've done things [in my life] that I didn't think I was capable of and I know that this will be a similar experience, but when there's pain involved, it scares me. It really scares me.'

She had three midwives and an 'amazing doula.'

Doting parents: They shared this delightful shot of themselves with little Banks Violet Bair on their Instagram accounts on Monday, both adding gushing captions

'I'm not as scared of the pushing part,' she said. 'I think once that is in front of you  [in] every video I've watched, women are so ready to push. It's just that instinctual part that takes over.'

'I have this very calm feeling that nothing's gonna go wrong,' Duff said. 'With me, with the baby. I don't have that kind of fear.  I have the fear of how I'm going to endure the pain.'

On Monday the couple both shared a darling shot of Hilary holding the tiny mite as Matthew looked over her shoulder and rested his hand on his daughter.

The actress captioned it: 'Banks Violet Bair this little bit has fully stolen our hearts! She joined our world at home on Thursday afternoon and is absolute magic.'

The musician, also 31, gushed: 'Banks Violet Bair /// 10.25.18 /// We welcome a beautiful daughter, little sister, and best friend for life. Could not possibly be more grateful for our growing family and for the (emoji) who makes it all possible. Cloud ten.'

The couple gazed lovingly at the little girl who was warmly swaddled in a blue silky blanket.

In case you are wondering how she got the name Bair, it's Matthew's real last name

It's the latest snap in a slew of images from the proud mom and dad. Hilary posted a picture of her baby girl to her Instagram stories on Monday.

She couldn't be happier: On Tuesday, Hilary shared this adorable snap of Banks snuggling on her chest

The musician, 31, also posted a sweet snap of their daughter to his Instagram stories on Monday.

Hilary recently took to Instagram and shared a snap of her pregnant belly, adding: 'Yo ... your hotel stay is up little girl.'

Earlier this month the actress, who shares son Luca, six, with ex-husband Mike Comrie, tried a salad that was supposed to induce labor.
Federal Labor will "seriously consider" resettling asylum seekers on Nauru in New Zealand, as the public outcry over children in detention on the island increases.

Labor frontbencher Brendan O'Connor says the draft laws, which have been stuck in the Senate for two years, "overreact" by banning detainees resettled on New Zealand from ever coming to Australia.

"But right now the lives of people hang in the balance and we need to get people out of that detention centre and if that is the offer on the table then certainly Labor is going to seriously consider that," he told Sky News on Sunday.

"Given the urgent situation in Nauru, we are willing to negotiate with the government to get those detainees, those children, those families, into New Zealand if New Zealand is willing to take that option up."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has distanced himself from the deal since flagging it as a possibility ahead of the Wentworth by-election.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale has vowed to do all he can to ensure children on the island are brought to Australia for medical care, as independent MPs Andrew Wilkie and Rebekha Sharkie also continue to call for action.

"Many Australians see the solution as actually shutting down the centres and bringing everyone to Australia to be processed or to have permanent refuge," Mr Wilkie told the ABC on Sunday.

Polling released on Sunday showed most Australians want the government to accept an offer from New Zealand to resettle the detainees on Nauru.

The YouGov Galaxy poll commissioned by News Corp Australia revealed 79 per cent of people want children and their families transferred off the island.

On Saturday, more than 1000 people stopped traffic in the heart of Sydney while about 500 protesters in Melbourne rallied against the offshore detention centres.
Labor will spend the day in regional Victoria kicking off its official election campaign, 26 days out from the state election.

Both the first-term government and the opposition Liberals launched their campaigns on Sunday.

Premier Daniel Andrews made his pitch for re-election focusing on family, health, level crossing removals and a "positive and optimistic plan" for the state.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy pledged another inquiry into Labor's rorts-for-votes scandal and slashing regional payroll tax to one per cent.

Labor is expected on Monday to take day one of the campaign out to regional Victoria.
The CEO of Australia's first commercial spaceport will be part of a panel of space experts set to meet in Darwin for the first time.

Carley Scott of Equatorial Launch Australia will join Phil Crosby of the CSIRO and Anntonette Dailey of the Australian Space Agency at the Darwin Space Industry Forum on Monday.

Guests will also hear from Michael de La Chapelle of Boeing and the Northern Territory's Chief Minister Michael Gunner.

As well as speeches, the forum will include a Q&A session and networking opportunity.

Space Industry Association of Australia chair Michael Davis said the industry was gaining traction in northern Australia.

"We are really pleased to be running this event in the Northern Territory for the first time, and we have been surprised by the tremendous amount of interest," he said.

"We are particularly pleased that Equatorial Launch Australia is making great progress with its Northern Territory launch project.

"Not only will we learn more about their plans, we'll also have an opportunity to inspect the launch site near Nhulunbuy."
Two men have been charged over an alleged attack on a third man at a home in a Brisbane suburb.

It's alleged a 31-year-old man was punched and stabbed in the chest with a small knife during an argument at a Moorooka unit on Sunday afternoon. The victim was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police arrested a 30-year-old man and a 25-year-old man, both from Moorooka, a short time later and charged them with unlawful wounding and attempted robbery with violence. They will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
A house has been destroyed and a resident severely burned in a fire at a home in McClaren Flat, south of Adelaide.

Residents in the home were woken up by their smoke alarm going off early on Monday morning, with the fire starting in the lounge room. Up to 45 firefighters tried to save the house and stop the fire from spreading to two adjoining properties.

A woman was taken to hospital suffering from severe burns and smoke inhalation. A firefighter was also taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. Meanwhile three pet cats are missing.
About seven people a day are being approved for medicinal cannabis as new research suggests the $18 million industry could be worth billions within a decade.

Access to the drug is still severely restricted two years after its medicinal use was legalised nationally but a new online application system has increased approvals in recent months.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration approved 469 applications for the drug under the Special Access Scheme between August and September.

That's up from just 97 between January and February.

The TGA notes it is unable to calculate patient numbers accurately and it's possible for one patient to have multiple applications approved.

Regardless, the industry is expected to boom in the coming years, exciting the medicinal cannabis pharmaceutical sector, advocates and patients who have converged on Sydney this week for the CannaTech conference.

Market intelligence firm Prohibition Partners will discuss its new report that suggests the nation's legal medicinal cannabis market, currently valued at $17.7 million annually, could balloon to $1.2 billion by 2024 and then $3 billion by 2028.

Australia's cannabis industry could grow even more with a recreational market worth up to $8.8 billion annually in a decade if it is legalised soon, the report says.

One of the first Australians to access legal cannabis oil was NSW father Simon Sweeting, who had treated his chronic spinal pain with 10 to 15 tablets a day.

He said he needed to jump through all kinds of hoops, including easing the concerns of his GP, for almost a year to access legal cannabis oil.

But after starting on the oil in February, he is now tablet-free.

"I take the oil daily, orally in a liquid form that tastes a bit like grapeseed oil," the 47-year-old told AAP.

"It's changed my life."

Joshua Eades, the chief science officer at Canadian medicinal cannabis producer Tilray, acknowledges getting medical professionals on board is an integral part of allowing more patients to access legal cannabis treatments.

He said the biggest misconception is that side-effects and harms from cannabis are worse than other pain relief medications such as opioids.

"As with any medical product, there are side-effects but ... medical cannabis can be a much less harmful option for patients," he told AAP.

The researcher also stressed the recreational and medical cannabis industries are on very separate tracks, with his employer focused on safe ways to treat epileptic seizures, PTSD and other ailments.

"That's an entirely different story to recreational cannabis use," Dr Eades said.

* CannaTech runs until Tuesday.
Australia's system to recover unpaid wages is broken and masks the real scale of employers ripping off migrant workers, a new report says.

The study from two Sydney universities suggests that most temporary migrant workers know they're being underpaid but only one in 10 takes action to recover wages.

The reason for the workers' inaction isn't poor English or a lack of familiarity with the Western legal culture, the report's authors say.

Rather, the risks to a worker's employment or immigration status and the amount of time and effort required outweigh the low likelihood of success.

Just three per cent of more than 2250 workers surveyed said they had contacted the Fair Work Ombudsman and, of those, three in five recovered nothing.

A previous report by the same authors suggested one in three international students and backpackers earned about half the legal minimum wage.

"The system is broken," UTS senior law lecturer Laurie Berg, the report's co-author, said in a statement

"It is rational for most workers to stay silent.

"The scale of unclaimed wages is likely well over $1 billion."

Ms Berg and her co-author UNSW senior law lecturer Bassina Farbenblum called for urgent structural reform.

They want remedial mechanisms accessible to individual migrant workers and a law to prevent the FWO sharing evidence of visa breaches with the Immigration Department.

"Against a culture of impunity, predicated on employers' assumptions that migrant workers will remain silent, these mechanisms are critical to detecting wage theft and holding employers accountable," the report said.

A Queensland parliamentary inquiry into wage theft was told in August the practice was a fact of life for many people.

Victoria's Labor government has promised to criminalise wage theft if re-elected on November 24.

Business groups have argued criminalising incorrect interpretation of complex industry awards would be unfair.

A Senate report in 2016 suggested up to one in 10 Australian workers were temporary migrants but ABC Fact Check found in 2018 there was a dearth of data on how many temporary visa holders are in work.
A NSW council's backdown on changing the date of Australia Day citizenship ceremonies from January 26 has been welcomed by the federal government.

Byron Shire Council last month decided to move the event to January 25, sparking a war of words with the prime minister and threats to strip its right to hold citizenship ceremonies.

"The government has been very clear on its position that citizenship ceremonies should not be used as tools to support or promote a political agenda or to delegitimise Australia's national day in any way," Citizenship Minister David Coleman said in a statement on Monday.
Pristine beaches and lush bush await the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they take their tour of New Zealand further south.

But first, a quick cafe stop.

Keen locals were up early on Monday and lining the street to catch a glimpse of Prince Harry and Meghan arriving at Wellington's Maranui Cafe, a well-known seaside brunch spot.

Cheers and chants of "Harry! Harry!" erupted as they couple emerged from their motorcade, the Duke dressed casually in a jumper and Meghan ready for the precarious weather in black pants, ankle boots and a dark grey coat.

A drizzle setting in as they arrived did little to dampen the spirits of the crowd.

While giving the royal couple a chance to take in some of the city's signature cafe culture, the visit also continues their work in Australia focusing on youth mental health.

Inside they spoke with youths contributing to initiatives around the city, the prince raising concerns about the effect social media was having on health during a warm and free-flowing conversation.

Waiting outside, local resident Raewyn Humphries brought her daughters, Hazel, 10, and Evenlyn, 7, to catch a glimpse and share an experience she had when she was their age.

"I can remember coming out seeing Princess Diana when she came," Ms Humphries said.

Later, the royals will head down the country to the Abel Tasman National Park, in the top of the South Island, to take in some do the countries most scenic spots.

There they'll take a hike through the area's bush, talk to conversation staff about their efforts in the area and will attend a beach barbecue and tree planting with local students.

Later this week, Harry and Meghan will travel to Auckland and Rotorua - in the central north island - bringing to end their 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand on Wednesday.
In just four minutes the Duchess of Sussex has told the world she won't be shying away from her feminist roots now she is a member of the royal family.

Meghan's speeches overnight in New Zealand and last week in Fiji delivered powerful messages about women's suffrage and the right to education for girls and women.

In doing so the former Suits actress has put to rest speculation that protocols preventing members of the royal family speaking out on political issues will not stop her from championing causes including women's rights and racial equality.

In her two-minute address at a reception celebrating the 125th anniversary of New Zealand becoming the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote, Meghan issued a "bravo" to the nation for its history-making move.

Standing in front of a large portrait of the Queen, Meghan said the women of New Zealand who fought for their right to vote were "universally admired".

"Because yes - women's suffrage is about feminism, but feminism is about fairness," she told the audience, which included Prime Minster Jacinda Adern and Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy.

"Suffrage is not simply about the right to vote but also about what that represents.

"The basic and fundamental human right of being able to participate in the choices for your future and that of your community."

Just as the suffragettes overcame discrimination to win their right to vote more than a century ago, Meghan demonstrated with her speech that ancient royal protocols can also be overcome.

Before marrying Prince Harry in May, some royal watchers had speculated that once she became a senior member of the royal family she would have to walk a fine line between speaking out on issues and not being seen to be political.

She raised eyebrows in February with comments about female empowerment while on stage with Harry, Prince William and his Catherine for the inaugural Royal Foundation Forum in London.

Commentators were also surprised when after the royal wedding Meghan's biography appeared on the royal family's website with the quote: "I am proud to be a woman and a feminist".

It's a message the duchess has effectively spread as she's toured Australia, Fiji and Tonga in the past 10 days, and now New Zealand.

In her first speech of the 16-day tour - and her first as a royal - Meghan spoke about recognising the "vital" right of women and girls in developing countries to be educated.

"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 duchess said in her speech at Fiji's University of the South Pacific last week.

Like in Wellington, the speech was over in two minutes but it's impact is likely to last much longer.
Australians expressed more concerns than ever to the charities regulator in the past year.

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission received 19,000 concerns about charities in 2017-18, according to the authority's latest annual report.

That marks the most concerns the regulator has dealt with since it was established in late 2012, commissioner Gary Johns said in a statement, in the report released on Monday.

The number of Australian charities who had their registration revoked in 2017-18 was 22, the same as the year before.

Dr Johns said in the year ahead, the commission will continue ramping up its efforts to proactively identify charities at risk of abusing their privileges or otherwise failing to follow the rules.

He said that process will be made easier by the commission recently becoming a designated agency under anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism laws.

The shift means the regulator can now access data from financial intel body AUSTRAC.

The commission is also working on making it easier for Australians to compare information about charities on its website.

Such information is an important element of the nation's charity market, which is made up of about 56,000 organisations, Dr Johns said.

"Charities use images and data to sell their wares, to save a child in Africa, to rescue a stray dog, to save the planet. Donors buy those assurances. To me, that is a market," he wrote.
Outspoken Anglican rector Rod Bower is the latest high-profile independent set to have a tilt at federal politics.

The Gosford minister, best known for his politically-charged signs outside his NSW Central Coast church, intends to run for a Senate seat at the next election.

Fr Bower, a pro-refugee activist, said he hoped to give a voice to the marginalised in Canberra.

Fr Bower spoke at a rally in Sydney on Saturday condemning the federal government's offshore detention centres and pushing for the prime minister to bring sick children and their families to Australia.

"This nation has been diminished by the policies that have led to what's now happening on Manus Island and Nauru," he told Radio National on Monday.

"In the Senate I would hope to be able to encourage our politicians to adhere to our international covenants and refugee conventions."

He confirmed he will be taking leave during the election campaign and will resign if he is successful.

Soon-to-be independent federal MP Kerryn Phelps, who stunned many in the Wentworth by-election, said she was "heartened" by Fr Bower's plan to run.

"I think we have, for too long, moved away from a sense of the people being represented and it's important that people have a voice about the issues that are of importance to them," she told reporters on Monday.
Judy Davis says Geoffrey Rush had a "very serious heavyweight reputation" as an actor before a Sydney newspaper published articles about an allegation he behaved inappropriately toward a female co-star.

Following their publication, she's heard people say the Oscar winner's career is finished, the Federal Court in Sydney has heard.

The acclaimed actor was in the witness box at Rush's defamation trial against the Daily Telegraph's publisher, and journalist Jonathon Moran, over two articles and a poster about the 67-year-old actor.

They related to an allegation Rush behaved inappropriately toward a co-star - later revealed to be Eryn Jean Norvill - during a Sydney Theatre Company Theatre production of King Lear in 2015 and 2016.

Nationwide News and Moran are pleading a defence of truth and Norvill - who didn't speak with the journalist before the articles were published - has agreed to give evidence.

Rush denies the claims against him and argues the articles portrayed him as a pervert and a sexual predator.

During her brief time in the witness box on Monday, Davis said she'd loved working with Rush, who had a "very fine reputation" before the articles were published.

The judge-alone trial continues.
The motive for the "heinous" murder of a South Australian mother is still unknown, a court has heard.

Travis Kirchner, 44, appeared in the South Australian Supreme Court on Monday after earlier pleading guilty to the February murder of Sally Rothe at Murray Bridge.

In victim impact statements read to the court, Ms Rothe's family remembered the mother-of-three as a "beautiful soul" who fell victim to a "heinous" crime.

"Travis Kirchner's extremely violent actions have had a devastating affect on myself and my family," her sister, Christine McMurdo, said.

"Why would a man my sister hardly knew want to murder her?

"I believe society has no place for him apart from jail."

The court heard the motive for the murder is still unknown, despite Kirchner's guilty plea, and surrounding evidence from the crime scene suggests there is "a little more to (the case)".

Justice David Peek ordered a pre-sentencing report, giving Kirchner the chance to clarify evidence, and remanded him in custody to reappear in December.
Marine scientist Ian Poiner has been appointed as the new chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

A former head of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Dr Poiner will take the reins from Russell Reichelt, who was both chairman and CEO of the authority over the past 11 years.

Environment Minister Melissa Price on Monday commended Dr Reichelt on managing the marine park over a time of significant environmental challenges.

"(He has) implemented many substantial measures to improve the management of this world famous icon," she said.

Ms Price says his successor is well poised to continue building the reef's resilience.

Dr Poiner has concluded his role as independent chair of the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre to head the authority.
Kogan.com has had about $130 million wiped off its market capitalisation after the online retailer flagged declining first-quarter margins and a consumer watchdog investigation of one of its promotions.

Shares in Kogan.com were 30 per cent lower at 1312 AEDT on Monday after the company said revenue from sales of global brands in the three months to September 30 was 27.4 per cent lower on the prior corresponding period.

The retailer blamed foreign-owned competitors who undercut Australian rivals by avoiding GST, and said margins had also been hit by the weaker Aussie dollar.

Kogan.com said it initially benefited from the July 1 change that abolished the $1,000 GST threshold on imported goods as some competitors exited the market.

"(But) more recently, widespread avoidance of GST has become apparent," the firm said.

"At this stage, the company is unable to determine whether the recent widespread avoidance of GST will be temporary."

It also announced that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had this month asked for "certain information relating to the marketing and pricing of a promotion" run in June.

"Kogan.com has strict processes and procedures in place to ensure compliance with the Australian Consumer Law and takes its obligations under law very seriously," the retailer said in a statement to the ASX.

"The company is in the process of compiling all information the ACCC has requested and will cooperate with the ACCC in its enquiry."

The resulting sell off sent Kogan.com shares down to their lowest since July 2017 and wiped $35 million from the value of founder Ruslan Kogan's personal stake.

At 1312 AEDT, Kogan.com shares, which had been down as much as 34 per cent in early trade, were still $1.41, or 30.4 per cent, lower at $3.23.
A gunman accused of shooting his elderly mother and brother dead in attacks spanning the NSW-Victoria border remains in a critical condition in a Melbourne hospital.

Paul Cohrs is believed to have travelled hundreds of kilometres in a Toyota ute, crisscrossing the Murray River, as part of a deadly trek.

The former Wentworth deputy mayor allegedly killed his 82-year-old mother Bette in the town of Red Cliffs near Mildura about 12.30pm on Tuesday.

An hour later police were called to the small community of Rufus River on the NSW side of the river where officers found Ray Cohrs, 63, dead.

Elsewhere on the same property, Paul Cohrs was found suffering suspected self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

He remains in a critical but stable condition at the Alfred Hospital.

Police have asked for public help to identify a white Toyota LandCruiser ute travelling nearby Mildura, Wentworth, Rufus River or Old Renmark Road on Monday night or throughout Tuesday.

The vehicle, with Victorian registration 1IP4ET, has been seized by police.

Homicide squad detectives from both states continue to investigate.
A King Lear actor has told a court he saw Geoffrey Rush make a "boob-squeezing gesture" as he did a skit over Eryn Jean Norvill during a rehearsal for the Sydney Theatre Company production.

Mark Leonard Winter also saw the star actor cup Norvill's breast for about five seconds during an early performance of a scene where her character had died, the Federal Court in Sydney on Thursday heard.

The 35-year-old actor was in the witness box as Rush, 67, sues Daily Telegraph publisher Nationwide News and journalist Jonathon Moran.

The Telegraph last year published articles about an allegation the Oscar winner behaved inappropriately toward a co-star, later revealed to be Norvill, during a production of King Lear in 2015 and 2016.

Rush strongly denies the claims against him and argues the newspaper portrayed him as a pervert and sexual predator.

Nationwide News is pleading a defence of truth after Norvill - who didn't speak with the journalist for articles - agreed in July to give evidence.

Winter, who played Edgar in the production, on Thursday said he had a vague recollection of Rush doing a Three Stooge-like bit over Norvill and making a "jokey gesture ... a boob-squeezing gesture" during rehearsal.

"I know that people laughed ... I was talking to somebody at the time so I sort of tuned in late," he said.

Winter also told the court that during a performance early in the show's run he saw "Geoffrey's hand cupping around the bottom of EJ's breast, which was something that I hadn't seen before on stage".

The touch was long enough for Winter to have "a series of thoughts" and he estimated it would have lasted about five seconds, he said.

Winter said he recalled Rush cupped Norvill's left breast with his right hand. Norvill in her evidence earlier this week said she'd been touched on her right breast.

When Rush's lawyer, Bruce McClintock SC, put it to Winter that audience members must have seen the alleged breast cupping, Winter said: "I can't speak for the audience, I can only speak for myself."

He agreed he was friends with Norvill and he'd spoken with her lawyers in preparing his outline of evidence.

He also agreed he'd told Rush's solicitor that the Oscar winner had led the company well and taken on his role with great enthusiasm.

"I would say he was an exemplary company leader," Winter said.

When asked if he had sufficient respect for Rush, Winter said: "Of course."

"I mean, there's also a tendency in this to paint people as black and white ... people aren't just black and white, and Geoffrey Rush is a respected figure and a friend," he said.

The judge-alone trial continues.
National Australia Bank has no immediate plans to raise mortgage rates despite the margin pressure that contributed to a fall in full-year profit.

NAB, which was the only one of the big four not to impose a recent out-of-cycle mortgage rate rise on customers, called out a decline in housing margin as one of the reasons for a 5.8 per cent decline in profit at its consumer and wealth unit.

Nonetheless, chief executive Andrew Thorburn said overall margin management - which left net interest margin flat at 1.84 per cent - meant the lender could resist funding cost pressures and keep standard variable rates where they are for now.

"The bigger and more strategic point is ... banking does need to change and we do need to focus back on customers, building loyalty and appreciation with them," Mr Thorburn said.

"For me, it doesn't make a lot of sense when you've got a long-term product like a mortgage product and the churn is after three or four years because they're getting cheaper prices and more aggressive discounts if they go back into the market."

Housing lending grew 3.0 per cent over a year in which NAB's 12-month profit dropped 14.2 per cent to $5.7 billion on restructuring costs and $360 million of customer remediation.

With banks' reputations tarnished by the revelations aired at the financial services royal commission, Mr Thorburn believes prioritsing customer satisfaction and building loyalty is of greater worth than short-term margin growth.

"What we're trying to signal here is that we value our existing customers ... signalling to them we appreciate your loyalty appreciate your business," Mr Thorburn said.

"We've got some of the same funding costs pressures that other banks have got but that is our position at this point."

Mr Thorburn stressed that rates were under constant review.
The Adelaide-based Naval Shipbuilding College has opened, with Defence Minister Christopher Pyne describing it as a vital part of the government's $90 billion continuous shipbuilding program.

Under the management of the Naval Shipbuilding Institute, the college will identify workforce requirements and link up with education providers to ensure courses are offered across Australia that produce job-ready workers.

"The college is a critical enabler of the continuous naval shipbuilding program which will build and sustain Australia's naval capabilities, create economic growth and secure Australian jobs for decades to come," Mr Pyne said on Thursday.

The federal government released its Naval Shipbuilding Plan in May 2017, which outlined a long-term vision to establish a sovereign capability in naval shipbuilding.

The government is investing $90 billion into the continuous shipbuilding program, which is expected to create more than 5000 shipbuilding jobs within 10 years and more jobs in sustainment and in the supply chain.
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL REDEVELOPMENT

* To cost $498 million and be completed by 2028 over various stages.

* Labor has backed the coalition government's commitment to fund the project.

* The iconic Anzac Hall will be knocked down and rebuilt despite only being opened in 2001. That move has angered some architects and historians.

* A greater emphasis to be placed on recent conflicts, including the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, along with Solomon Islands and East Timor peacekeeping missions.

* References to historical battles such as World Wars I and II and the Boer, Korean and Vietnam wars to be preserved and maintained.

* A live feed of current defence activities, an area for quiet reflection and a display of the nation's cenotaphs and memorials will be included.
Some stevedoring charges at the Port of Melbourne will jump by more than 2000 per cent in 20 months, prompting Australia's pricing watchdog to call for government intervention.

As profit margins narrow for stevedoring services across Australia amid increased competition, the users of most terminals have been subject to an "infrastructure charge", with the fee escalation most noticeable in Melbourne, the ACCC reported this week.

"The likely impact of these charges on supply chain costs, not just for the land transport operators, but also for importers and exporters who may ultimately be paying for the infrastructure charge through their land transport costs, is worthy of consideration by policy makers," the report reads, citing one instance where the fee went from $3.45 per container in April 2017 to $85.30 from January 2019.
A South Australian music teacher convicted of sexually abusing four teenage girls in the 1990s will spend at least eight years behind bars.

Trenton John Wickers, 49, was found guilty last month of four counts of indecent assault and one count of unlawful sexual intercourse against his students.

Judge Simon Stretton on Thursday sentenced Wickers in the SA District Court to 10 years in prison with a non-parole period of eight years.

Judge Stretton said Wickers offered students, aged in their early teens, private music lessons and developed personal relationships with them, before subjecting them to inappropriate hugging, touching and kissing.

He described Wickers' offending as "an appalling breach of the trust" placed in him as a teacher.

"You used your position as the new, young, hip music teacher in a series of schools to get close to the four young female students in question and sexually offend against them," he said.

One of his victims, Anna Bartsch, waived a statutory suppression on her identity and said the sentence was "a very fulfilling piece of closure".

"This is a series of very serious crimes," she said.

"They were a long time ago but I think that people might think that they can get away with these things for a long time and this has certainly proven that that's not the case."

She encouraged any other student subjected to sexual abuse to come forward, regardless of how long ago the offence occurred.
FUTURE OF ASYLUM SEEKERS:

* Nauru and Manus Island processing facilities cost $1 billion a year to run.

* Health and education is being provided to an estimated 38 children left on Nauru.

* 439 people have accepted resettlement in the United States, out of 1250 places offered.

* Well over 200 children have needed medical assistance in Australia or are part of a family unit where mum or dad needed assistance.

* About 700 asylum seekers are in Australia for medical treatment, mostly living in the community, but some in detention because of concerns about their identity or other issues.

* Some of the parents are working while others are receiving help from non-government organisations.

* 10 children are in hospital.

* Government's expectation is people receiving medical assistance in Australia will - after having their health problems treated - be returned to their country of origin, or resettled in the US or a third country.

* Many are taking legal action to be resettled in Australia and the government is contesting cases.

* New Zealand could be considered as a resettlement option if "backdoor" closing legislation is passed by parliament and intelligence advice shows it won't restart the people-smuggling trade. But NZ deal to take 150 people is currently off the table.

(Source: Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton interview on Sky News)
Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter O'Neill has used a meeting with Scott Morrison to publicly remind him about the importance of Australian leadership in tackling climate change.

Mr O'Neill made the direct remarks during a one-on-one meeting with his Australian counterpart in Sydney on Thursday.

In his brief opening comments, Mr O'Neill lauded economic ties between the two nations and praised the impact of sporting events like the Melbourne Cup and rugby league State of Origin.

But his focus quickly shifted to global warming.

Soon after becoming prime minister two months ago, Mr Morrison decided not to attend the annual Pacific Islands Forum, sending his foreign minister instead.

At the conference, Australia signed a declaration describing climate change as the "single greatest threat" to the Pacific.

The strongly-worded declaration, signed by all 18 Pacific leaders at the forum, also spoke of the need for all countries to meet their commitments under the Paris climate agreement.

The Morrison government has been consistently criticised for its lack of clear climate change policies, although the prime minister has repeatedly argued Australia will meet its pollution reduction targets "at a canter".

Mr Morrison will travel to Port Moresby later this month for an APEC leaders meeting.

"It will also give us an opportunity to engage with our Pacific Island leaders who are going to be present at that meeting as well," Mr O'Neill told his Australian peer.

"As you know, one thing foremost on their minds is climate change and again we look forward to the Australian government's leadership on that and we will continue to work with you."
The distraught father of an Irish carpenter, stabbed to death by his fiancee in Sydney, died 10 months later from a "broken heart" having told another of his sons "I don't want him up there on his own".

Victim impact statements written by four of David Walsh's brothers were read out in the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday at the sentence hearing of Cathrina Cahill who's known as Tina.

Justice Peter Johnson also heard disputed evidence from a previous housemate of the couple, who testified to seeing Cahill stab Mr Walsh in the back of the head more than 18 months before his death.

Isobel Jennings denied lying when she recalled Cahill saying: "I just wanted to kill him. I just wanted to kill him."

Cahill, 27, has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Walsh, 29, after fatally wounding him in the neck in the early hours of February 18 in 2017 at the Padstow home they shared with two other Irish nationals.

She was originally charged with murder, but the Crown accepted her plea to the less serious charge on the basis of substantial impairment due to an abnormality of the mind at the time.

Cahill gave psychiatrists a history of being in a traumatic relationship with Mr Walsh, hallmarked by physical, emotional and verbal abuse over a period of time.

Mr Walsh had five brothers, a sister and parents in Ireland at the time of his death.

But brother Jonathan Walsh, in a victim impact statement read out on his behalf, said when their father got the news he said: "I don't want him up there on his own son. I am going to be with him soon."

Brother Patrick Walsh wrote that their father died 10 months later "from a broken heart", while their mother had become an empty shell of her former self.

Ms Jennings testified that on the evening of October 3, 2015, after hearing Cahill and Mr Walsh arguing, she saw him sitting on the sofa before Cahill came up the stairs with her hand behind her back.

Cahill suddenly stabbed him to the back of his head three of four times, but Ms Jennings said Mr Walsh did not want her to contact police as he said she had not meant to hurt him.

Under cross-examination from Cahill's barrister, she denied making up the incident, but agreed there'd been house-related problems after she moved out and before she made her police statement.

The court was told Cahill was charged with one count of reckless wounding of Mr Walsh in relation to him being injured after she threw a large candle at him in November 2015.

She was convicted in her absence and placed on a two-year bond in April 2016 at Waverley Local Court.

According to the agreed statement of facts, the couple argued on the night of February 17, 2017, when they were drinking with others before Mr Walsh was thrown out of a pub and went back to the Padstow address.

After Cahill and their two female housemates arrived home with Matthew Hyde, whom they had socialised with at a pub, Mr Walsh repeatedly attacked the man wanting to know who he was.

Cahill was punched by Mr Walsh when trying to stop the attack, before she took out a "large, very sharp, bladed knife" from the cutlery drawer and stabbed him.

The hearing continues on Friday.
Australian diggers struggling to find work after leaving the armed forces will soon be able to more easily identify job opportunities.

The federal government is launching the Veterans Employment Commitment which will clearly indicate businesses capable of hiring, training and retaining ex-service men and women.

Those signing on will be listed on an official website, have their details shared with veterans and through networking events and be able to use a government-endorsed logo to advertise their support.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the scheme is aimed at translating Australia's respect for veterans into action.

"Employers across the country are hunting for the sorts of skills and experience our service men and women gain through their service," he said on Friday.

"Our government has heard the calls to help our ex-service men and women when they transition from the armed forces into the private and public workforces.

"By connecting veterans to employers through this initiative we can make the transition that bit easier."

Roughly eight per cent of ex-service men and women are still unemployed more than a year after leaving Defence, according to the department.

Veterans' Affairs Minister Darren Chester wants to slash this figure.

"Simply put, hiring a veteran is good for business," he said.

"Our former serving men and women have skills which are readily transferable to civilian life. Their work ethic, leadership and capacity to work as part of a team are all great attributes."

The jobs scheme comes just days after the prime minister announced the rollout of a retail discount card for returned service men and women.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs will be tasked with ensuring businesses meet their obligations set out in the scheme and companies will need to recommit every two years.
US President Donald Trump gestures during a "Make America Great Again" rally at Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Donald Trump on Saturday plunged into a frenzied last 10 days of campaigning ahead of crucial midterm elections, seeking to regain the spotlight briefly seized by the arrest of a Florida fan of his charged with mailing bombs to more than a dozen of the US president's leading critics.

After initially denouncing the mailings as "terrorizing acts" and calling them "despicable," Trump has resumed his attacks on the news media, saying they themselves shared the blame.

The president was due to speak later Saturday at a rally in Illinois, after he on Friday accused the media of using the bombing suspect's political inclinations to "score political points against me and the Republican Party."

At a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday he blamed the suspicious packages for slowing the Republicans' push to hold control of both houses of Congress in the November 6 midterms.

"The Republicans had tremendous momentum, and then, of course, this happened," Trump said.

Cesar Sayoc, 56, a registered Republican with a criminal history, was charged with mailing at least 13 bombs in a week-long spree that inflamed the country ahead of the elections.

Trump says the media has been "extremely unfair" to him and to his Republican Party

The FBI said late Friday that a possible 14th bomb, similar to the others, had been recovered at the California home of Democratic donor Tom Steyer.

Sayoc was arrested outside a Florida mall, and his van, covered in pro-Trump and anti-liberal stickers, was seized.

- 'I think I've been toned down' -

Trump is planning an intensive schedule of big rallies -- the platform from which he has launched some of his sharpest strikes on political foes -- from now until the election.

Along with attacks on his critics, he is expected to play up what he says is the "threat" of a caravan of mostly Honduran migrants moving slowly northward, mostly on foot, through Mexico.

On Saturday after several people were reportedly killed at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Trump addressed the poisonous climate.

"It's a terrible, terrible thing what's going on with hate in our country, frankly, and all over the world and something has to be done," he told journalists before flying off to campaign.

Top Democratic lawmakers Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have accused Trump of condoning "physical violence and dividing Americans."

Asked on Friday by a reporter whether, in light of the bombing attempts, he would pledge "to tone down" his rhetoric, Trump replied, "Well, I think I've been toned down, if you want to know the truth.

"I could really tone it up... The media has been extremely unfair to me and to the Republican Party."

Sayoc, 56, was arrested outside a strip mall and a van covered in pro-Trump stickers was impounded

In his North Carolina rally the president lashed out at the top Democrats, drawing supportive boos with his dismissive mention of Pelosi and his mocking of "Cryin' Chuck Schumer."

Among a flurry of election-related Twitter messages early Saturday, Trump retweeted, with evident approval, a headline from right-leaning website Breitbart News: "Trump Thunders at Media for Smearing His Supporters after Bomb Scares."

- Obama, Clinton, Biden -

Sayoc has been charged with five federal crimes, including mailing of explosives and threats against former presidents, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced.

If put on trial and convicted, Sayoc faces up to 48 years in prison.

The bombs were sent through the mail, many of them via a US Postal Service processing center in Florida, and Sayoc was tracked down based on fingerprint and possible DNA evidence, agents said.

Pipe bombs threats in the US

He is accused of mailing explosives to prominent Trump critics in several states, including former president Barack Obama and Trump's opponent in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton.

The other targets were ex-vice president Joe Biden, Hollywood star Robert De Niro, billionaire donor George Soros, former CIA director John Brennan, former intelligence chief James Clapper, former attorney general Eric Holder, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris.

All the targets are loathed by Trump supporters for their public opposition to the US president.

A lawyer for the suspect's family, Ron Lowy, told CNN that Sayoc had seemed more interested in "bodybuilding (and) nightclub events" than in politics.

He was arrested in 2002 for making a bomb threat against a power company, according to court records, and was sentenced to a year on probation. He has also been arrested for theft and domestic violence.

"It's my opinion that he was attracted to the Trump formula of ... reaching out to these types of outsiders, people who don't fit in, people who are angry at America, telling them that they have a place at the table, telling them that it's OK to get angry," Lowy said.

"I believe that that was a motivating factor. Do I blame the president solely? No. This is a sick individual."

Each of the homemade bombs included six inches of PVC pipe, a small clock, a battery, wiring and energetic material, defined by the FBI as potentially explosive.
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on the sidelines of a regional defence forum in Manama

Saudi Arabia has promised a "full" investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said Sunday following talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Bahrain.

"We discussed it... the need of transparency, full and complete investigation. Full agreement from FM Jubeir, no reservations at all," Mattis told reporters following the talks, during which he warned the Saudi kingdom that the murder attributed to the Saudi authorities risked destabilising the region.

"No reservations at all. He (Jubeir) said we need to know what happened and it was very collaborative, in agreement," the Pentagon chief told reporters on a flight from Manama to Prague where he will mark the centenary of Czechoslovakia.

Speaking later on Sunday at a joint press conference in Prague with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Mattis gave a nod to Turkey's probe into the murder.

"Certainly Turkey with the evidence that they have compiled will ensure that there is more than one review of what is going on there and I am certain the investigation will include the evidence that Turkey has put forward so far," Mattis said.

Saudi journalist Khashoggi, 59, who had criticised the kingdom's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 2017.

He was murdered after entering his country's Istanbul consulate on October 2 to obtain paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancee. Gruesome reports have alleged that the Washington Post columnist was killed and dismembered by a team sent from Saudi Arabia to silence him.

After weeks of denials, Riyadh has sought to draw a line under the crisis with an investigation.

- 'Premeditated' -

Prince Mohammed, heir to the oil-rich nation's throne, publicly denounced the murder as "repulsive", while the Saudi prosecutor acknowledged for the first time this week that based on the evidence of a Turkish investigation the killing had been "premeditated".

But Riyadh on Saturday dismissed Ankara's calls to extradite 18 Saudis being held over Khashoggi's murder, as Washington warned the crisis risked destabilising the Middle East.

Addressing a forum in Manama on Saturday, Mattis warned that "the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in a diplomatic facility must concern us all greatly".

"Failure of any nation to adhere to international norms and the rule of law undermines regional stability at a time when it is needed most," he stressed.

The murder, which has tarnished the image of Crown Prince Mohammed, has sparked a wave of international criticism and affected Washington's relations with the kingdom.

The United States relies heavily on Saudi Arabia to counter Iran's influence in the region and to defend the security of Israel.

Mattis did not have a formal bilateral meeting with Jubeir on the sidelines of the Manama forum, where he met with several Arab and European leaders.

The two men spoke at a dinner gathering all the ministers.
Turkey's military fired artillery shells at a Kurdish militia in Syria that is backed by the United States but deemed a terrorist group by Ankara, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported

Turkey's military on Sunday fired artillery shells at a Kurdish militia in Syria that is backed by the United States but deemed a terrorist group by Ankara, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The shelling targeted YPG positions on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, Anadolu said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to launch a new offensive in Syria east of the Euphrates, and on Friday said he was giving the YPG a "final warning".

Anadolu reported that the strikes, which hit a hill near the Zur Maghar village across the Euphrates from the city of Jarablus in the Aleppo province, were in response to fire from the area.

The shelling comes a day after Erdogan hosted a summit in Istanbul on the Syrian conflict with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany.

The YPG, which holds swathes of northern and northeastern Syria, forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-Arab alliance that has received extensive American support in the fight against the Islamic State group in the war-torn country.

However Ankara is bitterly opposed to the YPG, regarding it as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a deadly insurgency in Turkey since 1984. The PKK is designated as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.

Washington's support of the YPG remains a major point of contention between the US and Turkey, and a large-scale offensive east of the Euphrates could aggravate already tense relations between the NATO allies.

Turkey has also repeatedly threatened an attack on the YPG-controlled Syrian city of Manbij, where US troops are deployed.

To ease tensions, Washington and Ankara agreed to have troops conduct coordinated patrols around the city, and such a patrol went ahead on Sunday, Turkish armed forces said.

Earlier this year, Turkey launched operation "Olive Branch" in Syria west of the Euphrates, successfully ousting YPG forces from their enclave in Afrin.

Ankara has long opposed the YPG controlling a continuous stretch of territory on its border up to Iraq, fearing the creation of an autonomous region or even independent entity that could embolden Turkey's own Kurds.
Police tape and memorial flowers on October 28, 2018 outside the Tree of Life Synagogue after a shooting there left 11 people dead in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Pittsburgh synagogue gunman spoke of "genocide and his desire to kill Jewish people" during his attack, authorities said Sunday, as they identified his 11 victims and worked to console the living.

Forty-six-year old suspect Robert Bowers, who was taken into custody after a firefight with police, could face the death penalty after being charged with multiple counts of murder and hate crimes over Saturday's attack.

"During the course of his deadly assault on the people of the synagogue, Bowers made statements regarding genocide and his desire to kill Jewish people," Scott Brady, US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, told a news conference.

After what they described as a harrowing process of identifying the victims and notifying their families, officials on Sunday released the names of all 11 victims of the synagogue shooting,

People laid flowers outside the synagogue, to commemorate the 11 people killed and six injured

"After difficult work by the medical examiner's office, all 11 victims were positively identified and next of kin notifications took place," Robert Jones, the FBI agent in charge of the investigation, said at an early-morning press briefing.

They victims -- three women and eight men, all from Pittsburgh and the city's suburbs -- ranged in age from 54 to 97, and included two brothers and one married couple.

Their names are:

-- Joyce Fienberg, 75

-- Richard Gottfried, 65

-- Rose Mallinger, 97

-- Jerry Rabinowitz, 66

-- Cecil Rosenthal, 59 and his brother David Rosenthal, 54

-- Bernice Simon, 84, and her husband Sylvan Simon, 86

-- Daniel Stein, 71

-- Melvin Wax, 88

-- Irving Younger, 69

- Unchecked hatred -

The Pittsburgh synagogue attack is the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in recent US history, and has sparked a flood of international condemnation and warnings about the rise of hate speech.

A Department of Motor Vehicles ID picture of suspected synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, who was taken into custody after a firefight with police

Pope Francis, at the end of the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square, expressed his sadness at the violence.

President Donald Trump addressed the shooting at length on Saturday, denouncing it as "a wicked act of mass murder," saying: "We must stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters to defeat anti-Semitism and vanquish the forces of hate."

The US leader has ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff through October 31 as a mark of "solemn respect" for the victims and will soon to travel to Pittsburgh, where hundreds held a candlelight vigil Saturday night and another vigil was planned for later Sunday.

The mayor of Pittsburgh appealed, meanwhile, for guns to be taken away from potential hate criminals.

"I think the approach that we need to be looking at is how we take the guns, which is the common denominator of every mass shooting in America, out of the hands of those that are looking to express hatred through murder," Mayor Bill Peduto told a news conference.

The Tree of Life Synagogue, whose congregation was founded more than 150 years ago, is located in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood that is historically the heart of Jewish life in greater Pittsburgh.

US President Donald Trump opened an election rally in Illinois by addressing the Pittsburgh attack -- drawing cheers as he vowed to fully enforce the death penalty for such crimes

But the shockwave was felt much further, throughout America's Jewish community, the largest outside Israel.

In a statement, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum said it "reminds all Americans of the dangers of unchecked hatred."

The United States is witnessing a sharp spike in anti-Semitic incidents, surging 57 percent from 2016 to 2017, to 1,986 from 1,267, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights group which has tracked anti-Semitism in the United States since the 1970s.

Saturday's attack also comes at a time of heightened political tensions -- a day after a Trump supporter from Florida was arrested for mailing explosive devices to Democrats and liberals, setting the country on edge ahead of close-fought elections on November 6.
A boy places flowers on October 28, 2018 outside of Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue where 11 people were killed by a gunman in the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history

The shooter in the attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue spoke of "genocide and his desire to kill Jewish people," authorities said Sunday, as they identified the dead and worked to console the living.

Federal officials said 46-year-old Robert Bowers, who was arrested at the scene after a firefight with police, faces 29 separate federal charges, several of them carrying the death penalty. He was scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate on Monday.

Civil rights groups called the bloody assault on the 150-year-old Tree of Life synagogue, in a heavily Jewish neighborhood, the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history.

Pittsburgh

Saturday's attack left many in the country's Jewish community reeling, feeling sick and vulnerable. And Jewish leaders expressed concern about what they said was a spike in anti-Semitic acts in the past two years.

In Squirrel Hill, the close-knit neighborhood and heart of Pittsburgh's Jewish community where the attack occurred, a hush descended. "Heartbroken," said Aylia Paulding, 37, her voice breaking as she summed up the grief-stricken mood.

Words of solidarity and consolation poured in from across the globe, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring himself "heartbroken and appalled."

- Putting names to the victims -

Children hold thank-you notes to authorities outside of the Tree of Life Synagogue after a shooting left 11 people dead in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh

The victims -- shot down in what authorities said was a 20-minute rampage after the gunman burst into the building during a baby-naming ceremony -- ranged in age from 54 to 97, said Karl Williams, the county medical examiner. They included two brothers and one married couple.

Four police officers or SWAT team members were injured. Bowers himself has been hospitalized in fair condition with multiple gunshot wounds.

President Donald Trump, speaking at a campaign rally in Illinois late Saturday, solemnly denounced the attack, saying, "The scourge of anti-Semitism cannot be ignored, cannot be tolerated and cannot be allowed to continue."

Earlier, however, he said one answer to such apparent hate crimes was to provide guards at places of worship, not to tighten the country's loose gun laws.

A man arrives with flowers on October 28, 2018 outside of the Tree of Life Synagogue as the Jewish community grieves the murder of 11 worshippers in an anti-Semitic attack

But the mayor of Pittsburgh had a different approach, calling on Sunday for guns to be taken away from potential hate criminals.

"I think the approach that we need to be looking at is how we take the guns, which is the common denominator of every mass shooting in America, out of the hands of those that are looking to express hatred through murder," Mayor Bill Peduto, a Democrat, told the news conference.

- 'We will spare no effort' -

Scott Brady, US attorney for Pennsylvania's Western District, said the suspect was heavily armed, carrying an AR-15 assault rifle and three .357-caliber Glock handguns, all of which he used. Brady said shells were found strewn through the grisly crime scene, but he could not estimate the number of shots fired.

Police say it will take at least a week to process the crime scene at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, scene of a mass shooting that left 11 worshippers dead

"We will spare no effort or resource in ensuring that the defendant is held fully accountable for his unspeakable and hateful crimes," Brady told reporters.

Among the charges filed are 11 counts of murdering victims who are exercising their religious beliefs, 11 of using a firearm to commit murder and seven related to his attacks on the officers who, Police Chief Scott Schubert said, "ran into gunfire to help others."

Authorities said they believe the shooter acted alone, but that the "large, complex crime scene" could take a week to process.

Dr. Karl Williams, chief medical examiner of Allegheny County, said he had met late Saturday with all the families during the difficult process of identifying the dead.

"There's no words to express the sympathy that they need," he said.

He said four rabbis were working with his team, establishing "a continued presence at my office" as they help families deal with the shock and horror of the attack.

Williams said that as autopsies are being performed, "We are doing everything in our power to complete the process in a way that honors both civil and religious law."

- Heightened tensions -

Members of the FBI and others survey the area outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh

Saturday's attack came at a time of heightened tensions nationwide -- a day after a Trump supporter from Florida was arrested for mailing explosive devices to Democrats and liberals, setting the country on edge ahead of close-fought elections on November 6.

Bowers, who reportedly has worked as a trucker, is believed to be the author of a recent rash of violently anti-Semitic posts on social media, notably on Gab.com, a site frequented by white nationalists.

Atop a page that Gab said belonged to Bowers were the words "jews are the children of satan," and in a post hours before the attack he described Jews as "hostile invaders" and said, "I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered."

Civil rights groups say anti-Semitic hate crimes have spiked in recent years.

Members and supporters of the Jewish community come together for a candlelight vigil in front of the White House October 27, 2018 after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 dead

Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the Anti-Defamation League, said on Sunday that members of his anti-bigotry group were "shocked" by the Pittsburgh shooting, but "unfortunately, in some ways, we weren't surprised."

He told ABC that "in 2016 we saw a 34 percent increase in acts of harassment, vandalism and violence against the Jewish community," and last year brought "a 57 percent increase, the single largest surge that we've ever seen."

The Pittsburgh police said they have closed off the area around the Squirrel Hill neighborhood where the shooting took place and have added patrols in "sensitive locations."

Authorities and Jewish spokespeople in New York and Washington said security around synagogues had been bolstered.
The Great Mosque of Touba, centrepiece of the pilgrimage

Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children converged on Senegal's holy city of Touba on Sunday for the Grand Magal, a traditional annual march and biggest celebration of the Mouride Brotherhood, a Sufi Islamic order.

The pilgrims came from around the country, braving the heat and enormous traffic jams, headed for the Great Mosque of Touba and mausoleums in the central Senegalese city, with some estimates putting the number as high as three million.

The weekend celebration marks the life and teachings of Amadou Bamba, the brotherhood's founder who died in 1927, with readings of his poems and prayers by his tomb.

Pilgrims enter The Grand Mosque on Sunday

Some 90 percent of people in Senegal, known for its religious tolerance, are Muslims. For the most part, they adhere to one of the several Sufi Islam currents represented in the country.

This year, the Grand Magal also has a political dimension, with candidates for February's presidential election making an appearance.

President Macky Sall stopped by on Thursday and Friday, inaugurated a military police barracks, and asked Mouride leader Serigne Mountakha Mbacke for "prayers for his re-election", according to local media.

On Sunday, seated in the great esplanade outside the mosque with its seven minarets, the faithful recited verses of the Koran and read from the works of Bamba who, like his sons, is considered a saint.

"The Magal is a day of glory, of feasting... to rehabilitate Islamic values," said Mouride official Youssouf Diop.

More than 2,000 police were deployed to deal with any trouble, or terror threat, as well as to deter the pickpockets who also converge annually on Touba. Senegal's second largest city, for the Magal.
People arrive to pay their respects in front of a memorial on October 28, 2018 outside of the Tree of Life synagogue after a shooting there left 11 people dead in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018

Hushed mourning blanketed the close-knit community of Squirrel Hill, for decades a hub of Jewish life in Pittsburgh, numb with grief Sunday after 11 people were shot dead at a synagogue.

"My heart aches," says Ilene Hurwitz Schwartz, 62, nursing a coffee in the heart of the neighborhood. She normally sleeps in Sundays, but got up early to find solace in talking to friends at a local cafe.

"It feels like after 9/11," she said of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. "It just brings back too much pain."

Her son went to pre-school at Tree of Life, where a man barged in and opened fire with an assault rifle and three handguns, killing 11 elderly people and wounding six others as they gathered on the Jewish sabbath.

Her husband had his bar mitzvah there and grew up in the neighborhood. The couple still live close by. Waiting for the names of the dead to be announced, she felt sure they would know at least some of the victims.

The shooting ruptured what was a sense of safety in leafy Squirrel Hill, where people of all backgrounds found a welcome among the mom and pop shops, detached homes and tree-lined streets, home to educated professionals close to the university in a vibrant part of the city.

While the area has strong Jewish roots, Jews, Christians and Muslims live side by side. Students have moved in, so have immigrants and a thriving Asian community. Chinese New Year is celebrated publicly. A gay and lesbian center found a welcome here not guaranteed elsewhere.

The community spans all religious and secular traditions. As the Jewish population in Pittsburgh has declined -- moved away or simply become less religious -- congregations had merged together.

- Sesame Street -

Women embrace in front of memorial flowers on October 28, 2018 outside of the Tree of Life Synagogue, scene of the worst anti-Semitic attack in US history

Muslims and Christians speak of attending services at synagogues to celebrate or commemorate life events with Jewish friends.

"I have a friend who visited from England who described it as being like Sesame Street," laughs Alyia Paulding, 37. Asked, how she feels about the attack, her voice quivers: "Heartbroken."

Paulding used to live in Squirrel Hill and while she has moved away, she mans a soap stall at the local farmer's market. Normally thriving and bustling, this Sunday it's almost deserted.

For Orthodox mother of eight, Rochel Tombosay, 42, the slaughter of people on the Jewish sabbath was confirmation of her worst nightmare after years of fears about rising anti-Semitism and lax security.

"My kids are scared," she said. She runs a non-profit, and each week she and her husband run a market stall, selling made-to-order egg, cheese and vegetable wraps to customers.

"This hit our family very heavily, we didn't sleep last night," she says.

Women light candles in memory of the 11 worhsipers killed by a gunman at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh October 27, 2018

This week there's only one thing on the menu -- "The Solidarity Wrap" -- everything included in a nod to the liberal, diverse nature of the neighborhood -- with all proceeds donated to the Tree of Life.

A Greek food station at the other end of the market also announced that it was donating 50 percent of its profits to the synagogue.

- 'The crazies' -

"We're all just walking around with heaviness in our heart. You can feel it. I feel like that everyone is dazed," Tombosay said.

In an observant family that keeps Shabbat, her first inkling Saturday that something was wrong were the "excessive sirens." When her sister-in-law, a fire fighter, came to the door her heart sank.

"I hate to say this, but as Jews we're so used to this," she said. "You never completely feel safe and so when I saw her I just knew in my heart something devastating was going on."

Three generations mourn the deaths of 11 people killed October 27, 2018 during services at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh

Back at the coffee shop Hurwitz Schwartz, who runs a marketing company remembers interviewing Holocaust survivors after college, having studied the Nazi genocide of six million Jews during World War II.

"You can't help but think could it happen again and this feels like again. A little of that and I don't want it to be again."

A few years ago when the paper published a story about Squirrel Hill being a Jewish hub, Hurwitz Schwartz was nervous, the public outing bringing back memories of anti-Semitism suffered elsewhere as a child.

"I thought 'No, no, the crazies are going to know now where we live'," she recalled. On Saturday those fears came home to roost.
A family stops to look at flowers left outside of the Tree of Life Synagogue in memory of 11 worshippers killed in a mass shooting October 27, 2018

The shooting rampage Saturday in a Pittsburgh synagogue that claimed 11 lives has been blamed on a man who authorities say spoke of "his desire to kill Jewish people."

Here is what we know so far about the attack, the suspect and the victims.

- The attack -

In a 12-page criminal complaint, police say they received multiple calls at 9:54am Saturday (1354 GMT) of gunshots being fired in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh's heavily Jewish Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

Map of Pittsburgh locating the Tree of Life Synogogue where a man opened fire on people attending services

The first two officers on the scene exchanged fire with a suspect carrying an assault-style AR-15 rifle and three Glock handguns, said FBI special agent Bob Jones. One officer was shot in the hand, the other injured by shrapnel.

An arriving SWAT team found 11 victims in a bloody crime scene, then followed the retreating suspect up to the third floor. He shot two officers multiple times before being taken into custody.

Two other officers were among the six people injured in the grisly attack.

- The suspect -

This image widely distributed by US media on October 27, 2018 shows a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) ID picture of Robert Bowers, the suspect of the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania October 27, 2018

The suspect, named as 46-year-old Robert Bowers, is being charged with 29 federal violations, including 22 carrying the death penalty, and multiple state offenses. His first appearance before a federal magistrate is set for Monday at 1:30 pm.

Bowers, who reportedly worked as a long-haul trucker, has been linked to a rash of virulent anti-Semitic posts on social media, including one shortly before the attack that described Jews as "invaders" and said "I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered."

The criminal complaint said Bowers told a SWAT agent that "he wanted all Jews to die."

Bowers was taken to Allegheny General Hospital, where he is in fair condition, authorities said.

Bowers was licensed to carry firearms but was apparently unknown to authorities before Saturday. Police have searched his apartment in the Baldwin suburb.

A neighbor, Chris Hall, told TribLive.com that Bowers mostly "kept to himself."

"The most terrifying thing is how normal he seemed."

- The victims -

An ambulance outside the Tree of Life Synagogue (L) after a shooting that left 11 people dead

Bowers is charged with killing eight men and three women, aged 54 to 97, all from the Pittsburgh area. They include several people who would have been children during the Holocaust and rise of Nazism.

County medical examiner Karl Williams identified them as:

-- Joyce Fienberg, aged 75.

-- Richard Gottfried, 65.

-- Rose Mallinger, 97.

-- Jerry Rabinowitz, 66.

-- Cecil Rosenthal, 59.

-- David Rosenthal, 54.

-- Bernice Simon, 84.

-- Sylvan Simon, 86.

-- Daniel Stein, 71.

-- Melvin Wax, 88.

-- Irving Younger, 69.

David and Cecil Rosenthal were brothers, and Sylvan and Bernice Simon are husband and wife, Williams said. Reports said Cecil Rosenthal liked to greet people at the door of the synagogue before services.

Stein, who recently became a grandfather, was a regular at the synagogue, TribLive reported, part of a conservative congregation that shared space there.

Fienberg was the wife of the late Stephen Fienberg, a well-known statistics professor at Carnegie Mellon University.

Rabinowitz, a physician, was described by a patient, former deputy district attorney Law Claus, as "a trusted confidant and healer who could always be counted upon to provide sage advice," reported WPXI.com.

Five of the 11 lived in Squirrel Hill, a neighborhood with a reputation for tolerance and diversity.

- Rising anti-Semitism -

Incidences of anti-Semitic harassment and violence have spiked in the US, according to Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the Anti-Defamation League.

Such incidences rose 34 percent in 2016 over the year before and another 57 percent in 2017, "the single largest surge that we've ever seen," he told ABC.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas speaks during a meeting with the Palestinian Central Council in the West Bank city of Ramallah on October 28, 2018

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Sunday again vowed to oppose any peace proposal by US President Donald Trump as PLO officials met to consider their next moves.

Speaking at the opening of a rare meeting of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's central council, Abbas said Palestinians were facing perhaps the "most dangerous stage" in their history, highlighting a series of controversial measures taken by Trump including recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Abbas has boycotted Trump's administration since that December decision, though the US president's team is still expected to release a peace plan in the coming months.

Abbas compared the expected Trump proposal to the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which saw the British government commit to the creation of a state for Jews in historic Palestine.

"If the Balfour Declaration passed, this deal will not pass," he pledged.

The US has also cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Palestinians, with Trump angered by Abbas's refusal to meet with him or members of his administration.

He has called on Abbas to negotiate, but Palestinian leaders say they are being blackmailed to accept Trump's terms, which they see as blatantly biased in favour of Israel.

"They are still talking about the deal of the era, and that they will present it after a month or two," Abbas added, saying Trump's actions amounted to imposing a deal unilaterally.

The Palestinian leader also renewed his support for salaries for families of Palestinians killed or jailed by Israel.

Israel brands the payments for families of those who have carried out anti-Israel attacks as encouraging "terrorism", and the United States has also criticised them.

Palestinians see those jailed or killed while carrying out attacks as fighting Israel's ongoing occupation.

"The salaries of our martyrs and prisoners are a red line," Abbas said.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is seen heading to vote at a polling station in Algiers on November 23, 2017 as Algeria goes to the polls for local elections

Algeria's frail President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power since 1999, will stand for a fifth term at elections next year, the head of his party said Sunday.

National Liberation Front chief Djamel Ould Abbes said Bouteflika, who suffered a stroke in 2013, would be the party's candidate at the vote set for April 2019, state news agency APS reported.

"Bouteflika... is the candidate of the FLN for the presidential election," Ould Abbes was quoted as saying at a meeting with lawmakers from the party.

"His candidacy has been demanded by all the FLN cadres and activists across the country," he said.

The FLN central committee will meet soon to formalise the candidacy, Ould Abbes' chief of staff Nadir Boulegroune told AFP.

Bouteflika, 81, has yet to announce his candidacy officially.

The veteran leader has been weak since suffering the 2013 stroke, which diminished his mobility and forced him to work from his residence in Zeralda, west of the capital Algiers.

He has since travelled abroad several times to undergo medical treatment in France and Switzerland.

The president only makes rare public appearances, during which he is usually seen sitting in a wheelchair.

Rumours often swirl in Algeria about the state of the president's health.

But ahead of next year's presidential poll, Bouteflika's camp has for months been preparing the ground for him to claim a fresh term.
His online postings on Gab, a social network that bills itself as a champion of free speech, paint a picture of a white supremacist obsessed with far-right conspiracy theories about Jews

In the months leading up to Saturday's massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue, Robert Bowers used a little-known social network to spew hatred toward Jews, calling them the "Children of Satan" as he showed off his "family" of firearms.

The 46-year-old faces the death penalty after allegedly unleashing his guns on worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue, killing 11 in the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in recent US history.

His online postings on Gab, a social network that bills itself as a champion of free speech, paint a picture of a white supremacist obsessed with far-right conspiracy theories about Jews, singling out a Jewish non-profit that provides aid to refugees as a target in a chilling message posted hours before his attack.

"HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in," he wrote.

HIAS is the acronym for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.

His account has since been suspended but screenshots have been widely circulated by SITE, a US-based extremism monitor, as well as by other media outlets.

Other posts on the network referred to the caravan of Central American migrants making its way to the US as "invaders," while he also accused Jews of being responsible for Muslim migration into the United States, writing: "Open you Eyes! It's the filthy EVIL jews Bringing the Filthy EVIL Muslims into the Country!!"

But while both migrants and Muslims have been frequent targets of Donald Trump, Bowers was no fan of the US president, whom he derisively dismissed as a "globalist" and not a "nationalist."

Using a slur for Jews, he said, "There is no #MAGA, as long as there is a k--- infestation." MAGA refers to Trump's campaign slogan, Make America Great Again.

In another post before the shooting, he said he had not voted for Trump.

Bowers has been charged with 29 federal crimes and has made statements in custody "evincing an animus towards people of the Jewish faith," according to a criminal complaint filed Saturday night.

"They're committing genocide to my people. I just want to kill Jews," he told a law enforcement officer, the complaint added.

- Gun obsessed -

Bowers lived in a low-income apartment complex in the Baldwin Borough suburb of Pittsburgh, less than half an hour's drive south of the Tree of Life synagogue.

The building was raided by authorities Saturday night, forcing other residents to evacuate amid fears Bower's unit may be rigged with explosives.

Chris Hall, a 28-year-old neighbor told AFP he felt "awful," adding: "I didn't know that type of caliber of person could be living right next door without any clue of what any motive he would have, and who could do something like this."

According to former neighbors from when Bowers lived at a previous address, he had worked as a trucker, kept to himself, and would sometimes stay at home for days at a stretch.

Linda Lohr, a retired paralegal, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette she was shocked, saying that although he was quiet, he was also the kind of neighbor who would call to let her know if she left the garage door open.

Bowers has no known criminal record, according to the paper, but had on occasion had "contacts" with local police over non-criminal issues.

He was given a traffic citation in 2015 for operating a vehicle without registration plates, and was subject to a debt claim by Colonial Credit Corporation for $2,065 in 2005.

Licensed to carry firearms, he had bought at least six guns since 1996, according to an official CNN spoke with. He also professed his love for his "family" of Glock pistols in a post on Gab, where he outlined their technical characteristics.

Three Glocks were recovered from Bowers after his attack, as well as an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle favored in other recent mass shootings in the US.

Bowers remained hospitalized Sunday, after suffering multiple injuries during a shootout with police. Officials said he had been operated on, and was in a stable condition.

"I'm in shock. I can't believe that happened," said Terry Choate, a retired government contractor who told the Post-Gazette he knew Bowers for nearly the suspect's entire life. "I can't believe he did that. I'd like to know what set him off."
Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said emergency crews were transporting the bodies of the three Palestinian dead, who appeared to be in their early teens, to hospital in Gaza October 28 2018

Three Palestinians were killed Sunday in an Israeli air strike on the Gaza Strip, the health ministry in the enclave said.

Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said emergency crews were transporting the bodies of the dead, who appeared to be in their early teens, to hospital in Gaza.

The Israeli military said that one of its aircrafts had fired on a group of Palestinians near the Gaza border.

"A short while ago, three Palestinians approached the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip, attempted to damage it and were apparently involved in placing an improvised explosive device adjacent to it," a statement said.

"In response, an IDF (Israel Defence Forces) aircraft fired towards them."

Tensions have been high along the Gaza-Israel frontier since Palestinians began a wave of border protests in March.

At least 217 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the months of demonstrations and clashes along the border.

One Israeli soldier has been killed during the violence over the same period.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, run by Islamist movement Hamas, have fought three wars since 2008.

Several military flare-ups have occurred in the months since the protests began, prompting fears of a new war between the two sides.

The latest came when Palestinian militants from Friday into Saturday fired dozens of rockets into southern Israel, which responded with extensive air strikes.

The violence came to an end after Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian militant group that launched the rockets, said it had agreed to an Egyptian-brokered truce.

Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for any violence coming from the Gaza Strip and has accused the group of using the protests as a cover to attack its border.
Palestinian Khader Adnan, seen in a hospital in East Jerusalem in 2016, has carried out a series of previous hunger strikes before the one he began on September 2, 2018

The condition of a Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike has deteriorated seriously, an advocacy group said Sunday.

Khader Adnan "suffers from serious health conditions characterised by severe weight loss, severe wasting and vomiting blood", the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said.

Adnan, who has carried out a series of previous hunger strikes in Israeli captivity, was rearrested by Israel in December over his involvement with the Islamic Jihad organisation.

He rejected the accusations and began a hunger strike on September 2, the prisoners' club said.

Adnan is expected to appear in court on Monday, it added.

There was no immediate response from the Israeli side.

In 2012 Adnan went on hunger strike for 66 days in protest against his administrative detention, and in 2015 he again went on strike for 54 days after another arrest.
From an Islamic leader who announced that Muslims had raised tens of thousands of dollars to help their Jewish brethren, to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin's taped message of solidarity, to promises of support from Christian clerics, Pittsburgh stood shoulder to shoulder against anti-Semitism

Thousands of people from all faiths united behind calls that love defeat hate Sunday as Pittsburgh mourned the worst anti-Semitic attack in recent US history and the city's "darkest hour."

From an Islamic leader who announced that Muslims had raised tens of thousands of dollars to help their Jewish brethren, to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin's taped message of solidarity, to promises of support from Christian clerics, Pittsburgh stood shoulder to shoulder against anti-Semitism.

"I'm a victim. I'm a survivor. I'm a mourner," said Rabbi Jeffrey Myers from the Tree of Life synagogue who helped pull worshippers to safety when the shooter opened fire minutes into Shabbat services.

"Seven of my congregants were shot dead in my sanctuary. My holy place has been defiled," Myers declared.

"I'm a victim. I'm a survivor. I'm a mourner," said Rabbi Jeffrey Myers from the Tree of Life synagogue

"Words of hate are unwelcome in Pittsburgh," he said to cheers and a standing ovation. "Ladies and gentlemen it has to start with you as our leaders.

"My words are not intended as political fodder. I address all equally. Stop the words of hate."

He finished with a memorial prayer in Hebrew, his voice aching with emotion, and wiping tears from his eyes with a handkerchief.

Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania city that made its fortune in the steel industry, is made of stern stuff -- proud of its blue collar roots, sporting prowess and reputation as a sanctuary for all.

- 'City of compassion' -

The names of the 11 dead, many of them elderly, were written on a screen, hanging before inscribed words from Abraham Lincoln, and the entire ceremony was translated into sign language for the deaf.

Wasi Mohamed, the executive director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, is hugged by a rabbi after speaking during a service to honor and mourn the victims of a mass shooting at the Tree Of Life synagogue

"We will defeat hate with love. We will be a city of compassion welcoming to all people no matter what your religion or where your family came from," promised Mayor Bill Peduto.

"We will drive anti-Semitism and the hate of any people back to the basement on their computer and away from the open discussions and dialogue around the city, around this state and around this country."

There was standing room only in the neoclassical surrounds of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, with people lining the back walls, filling the lobby and others crouched on the floor.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, several congressmen, and billionaire Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, joined the service.

Mourners stood to sing the US national anthem, Israel's national anthem the Hatikvah and Irving Berlin's secular anthem "God Bless America." An African-American choir took to the stage.

The ceremony closed with a quartet from the Pittsburgh Symphony playing two pieces, one written by a Holocaust survivor whose family perished in Kristallnacht.

Wasi Mohamed, head of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, announced that Muslims had already raised more than $70,000 to help their Jewish neighbors, news greeted by a spontaneous standing ovation.

- 'Shattered' -

People hug after a vigil to remember the victims of the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue

"We just want to know what you need. If it's more money, let us know. If it's people outside your next service protecting you, let us know we'll be there," he said.

Israeli cabinet minister Naftali Bennett, who flew through the night to mourn with Americans, called the slaughter the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in the history of the United States.

"Nearly 80 years since Kristallnacht when the Jews of Europe perished in the flames of their houses of worship, one thing is clear," he said.

"Anti-Semitism, Jew-hating is not a distant memory... nor a chapter in the history books, it is a very real threat.

"We will not stay silent. We will overcome. Unity will defeat division. Love will defeat hatred. Light will defeat darkness."

A speaker informed the room that outside "thousands" of people had braved the cold and rain to listen to the more than 90-minute service on loudspeakers.

"I thought that it was beautiful and mournful, and it was hopeful and it was a true reflection of what Pittsburgh has to offer," said Mark Dixon, a 42-year-old filmmaker huddling in the chilly weather outside.

"I love this city and it pains me to see it shattered, even for just a moment by hate, and so I just had to come and be present for the ceremony that ultimately rejects hate."
In a letter to Trump, the group called on the US president to 'fully denounce white nationalism,' and 'stop targeting and endangering all minorities'

A group of Pittsburgh Jewish leaders wrote an open letter to President Donald Trump Sunday telling him he bears responsibility for a deadly shooting at a synagogue in the US city.

A mostly elderly group of 11 people were gunned down in the bloody assault on the Tree of Life synagogue on Saturday morning by a shooter who said he "wanted all Jews to die," while six more were wounded in the attack.

"For the past three years your words and your policies have emboldened a growing white nationalist movement. You yourself called the murderer evil, but yesterday's violence is the direct culmination of your influence," the open letter said.

It called on Trump to "fully denounce white nationalism," to "stop targeting and endangering all minorities," to "cease your assault on immigrants and refugees" and to "commit yourself to compassionate democratic policies that recognize the dignity of all of us."

Until he does so, Trump -- who has announced his intent to visit Pittsburgh -- is not welcome in the city, the letter said.

The shooting, which has sparked an outpouring of grief and shock from American Jews, came just days after a pipe bomb was sent to prominent Jewish philanthropist George Soros, who has been the target of what many see as anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

Such conspiracy theories, which accuse Jews of dominating government and finance, are rife among the so-called "alt-right" movement, which is supportive of Trump and has gained significant influence in recent years, including through the president's former chief strategist Steve Bannon.
Asia Bibi (left) pictured alongside former governor of Punjab Salman Taseer who was later assassinated for supporting Christian minorities

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan hit out at religious hardliners and appealed for calm Wednesday after extremists called for the country's Supreme Court justices to be murdered for overturning the conviction of a Christian woman facing execution for blasphemy.

Khan, who took to the nation's airwaves several hours after the court ordered the acquittal of Asia Bibi, delivered a forceful call for Pakistanis to respect the verdict which sparked protests across the country.

"They are inciting you for their own political gain, you should not get trapped by them for the sake of the country, they are doing no service to Islam," Khan said in a televised broadcast.

"We will protect people's properties and lives, we will not allow any sabotage, we will not allow any traffic to be stopped," he added.

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in deeply conservative Muslim Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam and its Prophet Mohammed can provoke death at the hands of vigilantes.

Demonstrations broke out in major cities across Pakistan in the ruling's wake, with club-wielding protesters blocking Islamabad's main highway and barricading roads in Karachi and Lahore.

One of the most vocal groups -- the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) -- called for "mutiny" against the army's top brass and the assassination of the top court's justices.

"The Muslim generals of the army, it is their responsibility that they should launch a rebellion against these generals," Afzal Qadri -- a TLP leader -- told supporters in Lahore.

Hardline religious political parties protested the acquittal of Asia Bibi

For hours the acquittal was met with near silence on the country's airwaves as broadcasters appeared to steer clear of covering the controversial topic.

Khan, who has previously caused concern with his full-throated defence of blasphemy laws during his recent election campaign, vowed on Wednesday to hit back against hardliners inciting violence, saying the inflammatory rhetoric would only benefit "Pakistan's enemies".

- Protection detail? -

Bibi was set to be released immediately according to the court, although there was no word if any security arrangements were being made for her protection.

Her legal team celebrated amid beefed-up security in Islamabad.

"The verdict has shown that the poor, the minorities and the lowest segments of society can get justice in this country despite its shortcomings," Bibi's lawyer Saif-ul-Mulook told AFP.

"This is the biggest and happiest day of my life."

Bibi's lawyer Saif-ul-Mulook told AFP 'the verdict has shown that the poor, the minorities and the lowest segments of society can get justice in this country despite its shortcomings'

Bibi appeared to be in a state of disbelief after hearing that Pakistan's Chief Justice Saqib Nisar had quashed her conviction nearly eight years after she was first sentenced to death.

"I can't believe what I am hearing, will I go out now? Will they let me out, really?" Bibi told AFP by phone from prison after the ruling.

"I just don't know what to say, I am very happy, I can't believe it."

Her case drew the attention of international rights groups and swiftly became the most high-profile in the country.

Pope Benedict XVI called for her release in 2010, while in 2015 her daughter met his successor and the current head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis.

Bibi was set to be released immediately according to the court

Freedom for Bibi in Pakistan, where university students have been lynched and Christians burnt in ovens over blasphemy claims, means a life under threat by hardliners, who regularly hold demonstrations calling for her execution.

The allegations against Bibi date back to 2009, when Muslim women she was labouring with in a field objected to sharing water with her because she was Christian.

After an argument, the women went to a local cleric and accused Bibi of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, a charge punishable by death under colonial-era legislation.

- Long-criticised law -

During the appeal hearing on October 8, a three-member panel of Supreme Court justices appeared to question the case against her, with Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, considered Pakistan's top expert in criminal law, listing flaws in the proceedings.

"I don't see any derogatory remarks vis-a-vis the holy Koran as per the FIR," added Chief Justice Nisar, referring to the initial complaint filed in the case.

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in deeply conservative Muslim Pakistan

Approximately 40 people are believed to be on death row or serving a life sentence in Pakistan for blasphemy, according to a 2018 report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Rights groups have long criticised the legislation, saying it is routinely abused to justify censorship, persecution, and even the murder of minorities.

In recent years, it has also been used to smear dissenters and politicians.

Mere calls to reform the law have provoked violence, most notably the assassination of Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, by his own bodyguard in broad daylight in Islamabad in 2011.

His assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, was executed in 2016 and has been feted as a hero by hardliners, who built a shrine to him just outside the capital.

Taseer had also called for Bibi's release and his son Shahbaz tweeted "Pakistan Zindabad" ("Long live Pakistan") following the ruling.
US President Donald Trump called migrants "rough people" as he began in Florida a series of rallies across several states ahead of November 6 midterm elections

President Donald Trump further hardened his pre-election anti-immigration rhetoric in a Florida campaign stop on Wednesday, after threatening to deploy as many as 15,000 soldiers on the Mexican border -- equal to the size of the US contingent in Afghanistan.

"They got a lot of rough people in these caravans. They are not angels," he said in Fort Myers, referring to migrants from poor Central American countries moving towards the United States in hopes of a better life or to escape violence.

"We're gettin' prepared for the caravan, folks," he said.

Brushing aside accusations that his divisive rhetoric on immigration is stoking extremism, Trump made the troop announcement before flying to Florida for the last stage of campaigning ahead of next Tuesday's midterm elections.

He will host 11 rallies across eight states in the next six days.

Trump hopes to fire up core Republican voters and spur the party to retain dominance of both chambers of Congress. Democrats are threatening to light a fire under Trump's feet if they win even partial control, raising the specter of ever more brutal Washington politics.

At the core of Trump's message to his raucous, adoring supporters is the now near daily warning that America is literally under attack from an "invasion" of illegal immigrants and that Democrats would throw open the borders.

On Tuesday, Trump announced that more than 5,000 active duty soldiers were being sent.

That was already highly unusual, but on Wednesday, he told reporters at the White House: "We'll do up to anywhere between 10 and 15,000 military personnel."

Trump frequently describes illegal immigrants -- a tiny minority of whom have formed groups to attempt walking hundreds of miles to the US border -- as "rapists" and "thugs."

Soldiers from the 541st Sapper Company sit and wait for take-off in an Air Force C-130J Super Hercules at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, for their deployment to assist with security along the Mexican border

"It's a dangerous group of people," Trump said of the latest group of a few thousand migrants, who are still deep inside Mexico far from their goal. "They're not coming into our country."

The situation, according to the Department of Homeland Security, is "an unprecedented crisis."

However, the department's own figures show that the number of illegal immigrants intercepted in 2018 was only 400,000, a mere 25 percent of the 1.6 million figure in 2000.

- Guns, bombs -

The president has reveled in his anti-immigrant rhetoric for months.

At his "Make America Great Again" rallies, like the one in Florida on Wednesday, Trump leads supporters in chanting "build the wall" -- a reference to his so-far unrealized dream of erecting a partition along the entire US-Mexican frontier.

But the nationalist -- or what critics say is the racist-tinged -- policy was engulfed in deep controversy last week when an alleged anti-Semitic fanatic gunned down 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue.

According to US news reports, the shooter had taken inspiration from Trump's speeches in his stated desire to fight for white people. Similarly, a Florida man arrested last week on charges of mailing homemade bombs to more than a dozen Trump opponents was an ardent supporter of the president.

The alarming escalation of extremist politics threw Trump on the defensive, with opponents claiming that he had helped create an atmosphere in which the two attackers felt comfortable to carry out their plans.

A firestorm of protest raged around US President Donald Trump's visit to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 30, 2018, following a deadly anti-Semitic massacre

On Tuesday, Trump made a politically tricky visit to Pittsburgh, accompanied by his wife Melania, Orthodox Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka.

Trump played the traditional presidential role of healer-in-chief at the Tree of Life synagogue, laying memorial stones and spending more than an hour at a nearby hospital with the widow of one of the slain.

The experience was "very humbling and very sad," Trump said.

Opponents and noisy groups of local protesters said, however, that he shouldn't even have come.

Starkly illustrating the controversy, there wasn't anyone available, beyond the local air force base commander and his wife, to meet the president on arrival from Washington.

Pittsburgh's mayor was among those who suggested that Trump stay away.

- Brushing off, doubling down -

US President Donald Trump, pictured with First Lady Melania and Rabbi Jeffrey Myers during a controversial visit to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders pointed out that Trump "was also asked to come by some" and insisted that he'd gone to "represent the country in this moment."

Certainly Trump was back in fighting mood on Wednesday, tweeting that he and Melania "were treated very nicely yesterday in Pittsburgh."

"Small protest was not seen by us, staged far away," he said. "The Fake News stories were just the opposite-Disgraceful!"

He then explored his latest eye-catching plan for curtailing immigration: removal of a constitutionally protected right to citizenship for anyone born on US soil.

The automatic right, which is also given in neighboring Canada and Mexico, has been criticized as outmoded, providing a loophole for the children of illegal immigrants.

"The World is using our laws to our detriment. They laugh at the Stupidity they see!" he tweeted.

However, the nature and timing of Trump's proposal -- first aired Tuesday -- has been controversial, particularly given his insistence that he can personally overrule something so far protected by the constitution.
Ammar Campa-Najjar, who is running for Congress in California's 50th District, speaks to supporters at a street fair in Fallbrook, California

His Republican opponent has been indicted for fraud, his campaign coffers are flush with donations and a major American ice cream brand has named a flavor after him.

But Ammar Campa-Najjar still faces a tough battle in his quest to win a seat in Congress during the upcoming US midterm elections -- not least because of his Mexican-Palestinian heritage and the fact that he is a Democrat running in a staunchly conservative district in California.

"I wish this race was just about issues," the 29-year-old sighed as he spoke recently at a campaign rally north of San Diego, acknowledging that some of those who turned out for the event will not vote for him.

He then quickly addresses the elephant in the room, which relates to his Palestinian heritage and his grandfather's involvement in the 1972 massacre at the Munich Olympics, in which a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German policeman.

"People try to label me all kinds of things," he tells his audience of mostly middle-aged and elderly people. "We need to tone it down."

He underlines that he has been estranged from his Palestinian father since the age of six, that he converted to Christianity by choice, was raised by his Mexican-American mother and has been granted a security clearance by the FBI.

With that out of the way, he launches into an hour-long explanation of his views on immigration, health care, gun laws and taxes.

- Thrust at forefront of battle -

Campa-Najjar's chances of winning the election in a solidly Republican district were considered all but nil until the incumbent, Duncan Hunter, and his wife were indicted in August for misusing $250,000 in campaign money to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Suddenly, the young candidate, who has never held elected office but served in various roles within the Obama administration, was thrust into the forefront of the battle by Democrats to win control of Congress on November 6.

Ammar Campa-Najjar (R), who is running for Congress in California's 50th District, listens to Ben Cohen, founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, during a campaign rally at Grape Day Park in Escondido, California

Donations and endorsements began pouring in as Hunter's approval ratings slipped in several polls and the race became more competitive. The ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's even unveiled a new flavor -- Ammar-etto American Dream -- to honor Campa-Najjar.

Although Hunter is still forecast to win the race despite his legal troubles, the gap between the two candidates has narrowed as the election nears. The polling aggregation website FiveThirtyEight this week gave Hunter a 77 percent chance of winning as opposed to 90 percent in early October.

- Smear campaign -

The indicted congressman's offensive against Campa-Najjar has focused on his Palestinian heritage, falsely implying that he was linked to terrorism and was an "Islamist" trying to infiltrate Congress.

Campa-Najjar for his part has denounced his opponent as a "lawbreaker rather than lawmaker" and points out that he was born 16 years after his grandfather -- who stood accused of being one of the masterminds of the 1972 Munich massacre -- was killed by Israeli forces in retaliation.

Ammar Campa-Najjar, who is running for Congress in California's 50th District, addresses supporters during a campaign rally in Fallbrook, California

"Hunter is trying to make this race as one between an indicted congressman and a security threat," he tells AFP in an interview. "But he happens to be both those things at the same time."

He says he realizes he is fighting an uphill battle but hopes some Republican voters will be turned away by his opponent's tactics and criminal indictment and give him a chance.

"There is an opportunity there to build roads with people that otherwise would not think that there's any alignment between me and them," he says.

"It's really time to put country over party," he adds. "Partisanship has gone too far."

Of more than a dozen people interviewed in Campa-Najjar's district recently at a harvest festival in the town of Fallbrook, north of San Diego, several said his message appealed to them, but some vowed to vote for Hunter regardless of the criminal charges hanging over the Republican candidate.

Congressman Duncan Hunter walks out of the San Diego Federal Courthouse after an arraignment hearing

"I am voting for Hunter because the alternative is unacceptable," said Greg Incledon, a 59-year-old retiree.

"I mean, where is this guy from? He's not local," he said, referring to Campa-Najjar, who was born in the San Diego area.

Lorna May, 55, said she was voting for Hunter, not because he appealed to her as a candidate but rather because she was a supporter of President Donald Trump.

"I think he (Hunter) is a crook just like a lot of other people but I am voting Republican," she said.

For Dan Ahrensberg, 83, the choice comes down to the "lesser of two evils."

"I'm a registered Republican but I am voting for Campa-Najjar," he said.

"I'm disgusted with both sides," he added. "I don't think this country is getting good representation.

"The leadership smells awful bad... and the party is all that matters, not the people."
Weinstein, an international pariah after being accused by more than 80 women of sexual misconduct, is also facing criminal charges, including one count of rape and one of oral sex, which could see him spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted

Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been accused of sexually assaulting a minor in an updated class action lawsuit filed in a New York court on Wednesday.

Weinstein denied the accusation through his lawyer Ben Brafman, who told industry magazine Variety the claim was "preposterous."

The complainant, identified anonymously as "Jane Doe," said she is a resident and citizen of Poland who met Weinstein when she was 16 years old at an event with her modeling agency in New York in 2002.

He gave her his business card and invited her to lunch three days later, offering to pick her up with his driver, the complaint said.

"Instead of taking them to a restaurant, Weinstein's driver dropped the two at Weinstein's Soho apartment," the complaint added.

She realized the pair were alone, whereupon he began "aggressively and threateningly demanding sex."

The woman alleged Weinstein forced her to touch his genitals while he bullied and cajoled her, telling her he had the power to make her career.

She added that Weinstein continued to make advances and harassed her for nearly a decade, until 2011, harming her mental and physical health.

"This claim is preposterous. Like so many other women in this case who have already been exposed as liars, this latest completely uncorroborated allegation that is almost 20 years old will also be shown to be patently false," said Brafman.

The complaint is an update to a class action suit accusing Weinstein, his brother Bob, and board members of the Weinstein Company of racketeering. The original suit was dismissed in September.

Weinstein, an international pariah after being accused by more than 80 women of sexual misconduct, is also facing criminal charges, including one count of rape and one of oral sex, which could see him spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
Religious hardliners have been incensed by a supreme court decision overturning the blasphemy conviction for Asia Bibi

After saving condemned Christian Asia Bibi from the gallows in Pakistan, her lawyer says he is facing the wrath of Islamist extremists -- and wonders who will save him.

But despite the threats against him, Saif-ul-Mulook says he regrets nothing, and will continue his legal fight against intolerance.

Mulook's latest victory saw the freeing of Asia Bibi -- a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy, who spent nearly a decade on death row -- after the Supreme Court overturned her conviction Wednesday.

"The verdict has shown that the poor, the minorities and the lowest segments of society can get justice in this country despite its shortcomings," he told AFP immediately after the verdict.

"This is the biggest and happiest day of my life."

Demonstrations against the ruling erupted across the country hours later, with extremists calling for mutiny against the army's top brass, and for the assassination of Supreme Court justices.

Saif-ul-Mulook says he feels like a sitting duck in Pakistan now, with no security or protection despite threats from militants

Blasphemy is a highly inflammatory charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even the slightest whiff of insulting Islam and its Prophet Mohammed can incite vigilante mobs.

Mulook said he feels he is now a sitting duck with no security or escape plan.

"I think I have absolutely no safety. No security and I am the easiest target... anybody can kill me," he said.

The defence of Bibi was just the latest in a long line of controversial cases taken up by the barrister.

In 2011, Mulook was the lead prosecutor against Mumtaz Qadri over the assassination of Punjab governor Salman Taseer -- a prominent critic of the countrys blasphemy laws and supporter of Bibi.

Qadri -- one of Taseer's bodyguards -- gunned down his boss in broad daylight, citing the governor's calls for reform of the blasphemy laws as his motive.

Mulook said he took on the case as others cowered, fearing reprisals from extremists.

His prosecution resulted in the conviction and subsequent execution of Qadri, who was feted by Islamists and later honoured with a shrine on the outskirts of Islamabad.

Mulook says his life has not been the same since; he rarely socialises, lives in a constant state of hypervigilance and has been inundated with threats.

"If you conduct such cases you should be ready for the results and the consequences," the greying 62-year-old explains.

But Mulook said the risks have been worth the reward.

"I think it's better to die as a brave and strong man than to die as a mouse and fearful person," he said.

"I extend my legal help to all people."
Ben & Jerry's ice cream co-founder Ben Cohen (L), with Ammar Campa-Najjar (R), one of seven candidates running against Republicans in US midterm elections and supported by seven flavors created by the ice cream firm

Ice cream is not the obvious choice of weapon for political resistance. Nor are spices. But they are being deployed in the US against President Donald Trump.

Ben & Jerry's ice cream, known for its laid back vibe, progressive values and goofy celebrity flavors -- like Cherry Garcia named for Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia -- this week launched "PeCAN Resist!" to support anti-Trump groups.

"Ben & Jerry's feels that it cannot be silent in the face of President Trump's policies that attack and attempt to roll back decades of progress on racial and gender equity, climate change, LGBTQ rights, and refugee and immigrant rights," the ice cream maker said in a statement.

The company debuted the new flavor -- chocolate ice cream with white and dark fudge chunks, pecans, walnuts & fudge-covered almonds -- with an ice cream truck in Washington this week.

The flavor "celebrating the activists who are continuing to resist oppression, harmful environmental practices and injustice," comes with $25,000 in donations to four activist groups.

Consumers are also urged to "Join the resistance."

PeCAN Resist! will be available for a limited time at Ben & Jerry's stores and online, a spokeswoman said.

Company founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield -- who sold the firm to Unilever in 2000 -- took the idea a step further, creating seven flavors for progressive candidates running for office against Republicans in midterm elections on Tuesday.

- Spices for change -

In a video which showed the men making ice cream in a kitchen, Cohen said they support "awesome progressive candidates that can stop Trump and change Congress."

Ben & Jerry's released the limited edition 'PeCAN Resist!' flavor and is donating thousands of dollars to anti-Trump organizations

The flavors include Lauren's Calling or Underwood for the Greater Good, an apple pie, caramel and pecan flavor topped with a Girl Scout cookie for Lauren Underwood a Democrat running for Congress outside Chicago.

Another is Ammar-etto American Dream, made with coffee -- "'cause this guy is gonna jolt the system" -- biscotti and amaretto, for California candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar.

And JD Scholten's Grand Slam Homer has caramel corn "to symbolize his commitment to Iowa's farmers and the rural community," Cohen said.

Like the more well-known ice cream maker, Penzeys Spices has not been shy about objecting to Trump's divisive rhetoric, and has even given away free packs of spices after some divise incidents, and posted a picture with the phrase "Cooking trumps Racism."

Customers can buy an "I Will Vote Kind" sampler box for $6 which includes Southwest Seasoning mix, a Kind Heart pin and I Will Vote stickers.

The company has received plenty of backlash on social media, but has not backed down from its stance. It has released special offers linked to various events, including revelations about Russian interference in US elections -- allegedly to help Trump.

Penzeys' latest post calls out Trump for racist comments and says "instead of taking responsibility for his words, he's pushing the false notion that those who oppose him are the ones driven by hate."
Japan's Fair Trade Commission is to investigate tech giants such as Google and Amazon are using their market-leader positions to exploit contractors or obstruct competition

Japan's anti-trust authorities will probe whether tech giants such as Google and Amazon are using their market-leader positions to exploit contractors or obstruct competition, the country's fair trade chief said Thursday.

In an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, the head of Japan's Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) said the investigation would take place next year.

"We will probe whether 'platformers' are obstructing the technological innovation of Japanese companies," Kazuyuki Sugimoto told the daily.

The term "platformers" refers to tech giants that dominate their sector, and includes Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook.

He said the probe would "study whether client data hoarding is obstructing newcomers from entering the market, or whether their dominant positions in the market are forcing their business partners to cut prices."

The investigation would involve meetings with the businesses and their partners, and could see the anti-trust watchdog summon company officials and order documents handed over "if necessary," he said.

In March, the Japanese unit of Amazon said it was cooperating with authorities after the JFTC raided its Tokyo headquarters on allegations of anti-trust violations.

Local media reported the raids were related to allegations that Amazon Japan improperly demanded fees from suppliers, with public broadcaster NHK reporting the firm told suppliers it would stop working with them if they did not pay.

The decision by anti-trust authorities to launch an investigation comes as European authorities crack down on US tech giants.

Earlier this year, the European Union issued a record 4.34 billion euro ($5 billion) anti-trust fine to US tech giant Google, accusing it of using the Android system's huge popularity to promote its Google search engine and shut out rivals.

Google has appealed the decision, arguing that the EU's accusations were unfounded, but said last month it would comply with the decision in order to avoid further fines.

And the European Parliament in September approved a controversial EU copyright law that hands more power to news and record companies against internet giants like Google and Facebook, though the firms have pledged to fight that ruling.
Seventeen years after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, the current government controls or influences 226 of the country's 407 districts -- or 55.5%

Kabul's control of Afghanistan slipped in recent months as local security forces suffered record-level casualties while making minimal or no progress against the Taliban, a US government watchdog said Thursday.

The latest glimpse into Afghanistan's security crisis highlights persistent problems among police and army units who have faced years of devastating losses, and shows the Taliban's resilience 17 years after the US-led invasion.

Numbers provided by Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, show that during the last quarter, the Afghan government controlled or influenced 226 of the country's 407 districts -- or 55.5 percent.

According to the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which compiled the data, the figure marks a slight drop (0.7 percent) over the previous quarter.

It is the lowest level since SIGAR began tracking district control in November 2015.

Afghanistan

Of the remaining districts, SIGAR assessed that 49 were under insurgent control or influence (12 percent).

The balance -- 132 districts -- are considered "contested" between the Kabul government and the Taliban or other insurgent groups.

In terms of the Afghan population itself, Kabul controls or influences 65.2 percent, the same amount as a year ago.

- Insider attack -

General John Nicholson, who is now retired but at the time was head of Resolute Support, said in November 2017 that the Afghan security forces would expand control of the population to 80 percent over the next two years.

Bill Roggio, an Afghanistan expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told AFP such a scenario is unlikely.

"Barring a dramatic turnaround by Afghan security forces and the US re-committing itself to improving the security situation, I do not see how that is possible," he told AFP.

Roggio, who runs a website called Long War Journal, co-wrote a piece in which he assessed that more than half the Afghan population now lives outside of government control.

Underscoring the security weaknesses, powerful police chief General Abdul Raziq was among three people killed in a brazen insider attack on a high-level security meeting this month in Kandahar.

The meeting was also attended by General Scott Miller, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan.

He escaped unhurt, but US Brigadier General Jeffrey Smiley was among 13 people wounded in the shooting, which the Taliban said had targeted Miller and Raziq.

President Donald Trump launched a revamped Afghan plan more than a year ago that saw the US scrap any timetables for a US pullout and re-commit thousands more troops to Afghanistan, most of them dedicated to training and advising local forces.

Data for casualties suffered by Afghan security forces are not available to the public after Washington last year agreed to Kabul's request to classify the numbers.

Before the blackout, according to figures published by SIGAR, there were more than 5,000 each year.

In its latest report, SIGAR cited Resolute Support as saying this summer's toll has been worse than ever.

"From the period of May 1 to the most current data as of October 1, 2018, the average number of casualties the (Afghan forces) suffered is the greatest it has ever been during like periods," Resolute Support said, according to SIGAR.

Mattis this week said more than 1,000 "Afghan lads" were killed or wounded just in August and September.

SIGAR added that data show the Afghan forces "made minimal or no progress in pressuring the Taliban over the quarter."

The report does however highlight "some successes" in counter-terrorism operations against the Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan, including in August when 250 jihadists surrendered to Afghan security forces in Jowzjan province.
More than 600 people remain on Nauru, while refugee support groups say some 600 men are still in transition centres on Manus after the camp there was closed late last year

Australia will move all asylum-seeker children off the Pacific island of Nauru by the end of the year, officials said Thursday, but rights groups have called for the government to end the "in limbo" status that accompanies them and their families.

Under a harsh policy meant to deter asylum-seekers from reaching Australia by boat, Canberra sends arrivals to remote Pacific camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island for processing, barring them from ever resettling in Australia.

But the government has been "quietly" transferring children off Nauru, amid a public outcry and mounting concerns for their welfare.

"There are hardly any children in Nauru and [Papua] New Guinea and we expect that by the end of this year there will be none," Australia's high commissioner (ambassador) in London George Brandis told British talkback radio station LBC Thursday.

Hundreds of children have been moved from Nauru to Australia for treatment in the past few years, accompanied by their families.

They are scattered throughout the country under varying restrictions -- some in onshore detention, some in the community with limited working and education rights -- but none are allowed the opportunity to be settled.

"Once people have received their medical assistance, then the expectation is that they will return to their country of origin," Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said Thursday when asked about children being moved to Australia.

- 'Still in limbo' -

But rights groups have slammed the government for the "in limbo" status of those bought to Australia, saying Canberra is not offering genuine options.

"They (families) aren't given visas, they are basically held in community detention until their issues (treatment) are resolved, and some of them are actually being held in fenced detention centres," George Newhouse of the National Justice Project told reporters Thursday.

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has considered allowing some refugees from Nauru to go to New Zealand

"Even when you bring them to Australia, if you leave families with a sense of uncertainty, it is going to be very difficult for the children to recover," he added.

The Australian newspaper on Thursday quoted government sources saying there were 40 children remaining at processing centres on Nauru and they would be transferred to Australia by the end of the year.

The decision comes amid a string of reports by non-governmental groups and the media of abuse, depression and suicides on Nauru.

A recent poll commissioned by Sydney's Sunday Telegraph -- a tabloid that usually supports the right-leaning government -- found 79 percent of Australians surveyed want children and their families transferred off Nauru.

Ahead of a crucial Sydney by-election last month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison flirted with the idea of allowing some refugees to be transferred to New Zealand, although they would still be blocked from entering Australia.

- 'Respect for Nauru' -

On Thursday, he claimed criticism of poor living conditions among the would-be asylum seekers was offensive to the people of Nauru.

Reports from the Nauru camp have revealed deep desperation among detainees, including the attempted suicide of a 12 year old girl

"I think people need to be very respectful of our neighbours in Nauru. Because it's where their children live, this is where they go to school, this is where they have businesses, this is where they have their lives."

The migrants forcibly settled there are from countries as diverse as Iran and Myanmar.

Under a deal with former US president Barack Obama, 439 people of a potential 1,250 have so far been resettled from Manus and Nauru to the United States.

But more than 600 remain on Nauru, while refugee support groups say some 600 men are still in transition centres on Manus after the camp there was closed late last year.

Canberra has long boasted its hardline policy is discouraging asylum seekers from embarking on dangerous sea voyages.
The crisis was sparked by the president sacking the prime minister and naming former strongman leader Mahinda Rajapakse (C) in his place

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday lifted a suspension of parliament and called a meeting for Monday that could end an increasingly bitter power struggle between two rival prime ministers, officials said.

The climbdown by Sirisena, who sparked the crisis by sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and naming former strongman leader Mahinda Rajapakse in his place, would allow a vote to see which of the two has majority backing among deputies.

Sirisena had suspended parliament until November 16 in the hours after the sacking last Friday, deepening the crisis which led the parliament speaker to warn of a "bloodbath" unless a vote is held. One activist has already been killed in fallout from the tensions.

The speaker Karu Jayasuriya met with Sirisena late Wednesday to force the concession, an official involved in the process told AFP.

"There were talks between the speaker and the president last evening. This is a compromise," the official said. "Otherwise, the speaker was going to defy the president and summon parliament on Friday."

Sirisena insists his actions were legal but Jayasuriya, who holds the third most powerful state post, refused to defend his manoeuvrings.

The crisis has put the whole country on edge.

Wickremesinghe has refused to accept his sacking and remained in the premier's official with hundreds of his followers camped outside.

He has repeatedly demanded that the legislature be recalled for him to prove his majority in the 225-member assembly. International calls for a parliament meeting have also been made by the United States and other nations.

Rajapakse has meanwhile named a small ministerial team of 12 and addressed bureaucrats at the finance ministry on Wednesday. He promised to expand his cabinet to 30 members.

The two rivals are also jockeying for power behind the scenes, battling to tempt lawmakers from opposing sides to bolster their numbers if a vote is held on Monday.
Petrobras has been left reeling by its involvement in a massive corruption scandal in Brazil, in which top politicians and business executives colluded to skim billions of dollars off its books

Brazilian state oil company Petrobras on Wednesday announced the sale of its holdings in two Nigerian oil blocks for $1.4 billion, part of the ailing firm's bid to sell off assets and raise cash.

Petrobras will sell its 50-percent stake in the joint venture Petrobras Oil & Gas B.V. to a consortium led by Dutch energy trader Vitol, the Brazilian firm said in a statement.

"The sale... is part of Petrobras's partnerships and disinvestment program, and is aligned with our 2018-2022 business and management plan and our ongoing portfolio management, focused on investing in pre-salt fields in Brazil," the company said.

Petrobras Oil & Gas B.V. is based in the Netherlands. Petrobras's partner in the venture is BTG Pactual E&P.

Vitol's partners in the purchase are the Africa Oil Corp. and Delonex Energy Ltd. Vitol will have a 50-percent stake and the other two partners 25 percent each.

The blocks involved include two productive fields, Agbami and Akpo, and another field, Egina, that is in the final stages of development, Petrobras said.

Together, the fields currently produce around 21,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day for the Brazilian firm.

Petrobras has been left reeling by its involvement in a massive corruption scandal in Brazil, in which a laundry list of top politicians and business executives colluded to skim billions of dollars off its books.

In a bid to get back on track, the company has been slimming down its portfolio to focus on developing core assets -- particularly the hard-to-reach but potentially massive "pre-salt" fields off the Brazilian coast.

Its efforts finally appear to be paying off -- in the second quarter it registered a profit of $2.7 billion, its largest since 2011.
India and China are closely watching the political crisis in Sri Lanka

Rival Asian giants India and China are anxiously watching the constitutional conflict between contending prime ministers in Sri Lanka to see whose interests get the upper hand in their own strategic battle.

It is the second time in barely a month that the Indian Ocean has become a battleground between the powers, after the Maldives' hotly disputed presidential election saw the eviction of a pro-Chinese leader.

Both may be minnows compared to the two giant neighbours that loom over it to the north.

But they sit on the key sea trade and oil routes from Asia to the Middle East and Europe making them vital strategic interests for the rival powers.

New Delhi and Beijing insist that they are watching from outside the political ring as Sri Lanka's ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe slugs it out with Mahinda Rajapakse, the island's former authoritarian leader named to take over by the president.

But the stakes are high.

"With parliament suspended and all the political trickery between the two sides, the growing tensions are a worry for India and China," said an Asian diplomat in Colombo.

Sri Lanka's ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is seen as closer to India

China was quick to deny an accusation by a lawmaker from Wickremesinghe's party this week that it was paying for Rajapakse's attempts to win over rival deputies.

"Groundless and irresponsible," said a frosty Chinese embassy statement in response to the allegations.

The constitutional crisis pits two very different characters against each other.

Wickremesinghe is a soft-spoken reformist technocrat and free market proponent seen as wary of China's often one-sided economic deals and less suspicious of India.

Rajapakse is a seasoned political bruiser, deeply charismatic but tainted by an authoritarian decade in power that culminated in a ruthless military campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels which ended a decades long civil war but killed some 40,000 civilians and saw widespread atrocities.

He was also much closer to Beijing -- billions of dollars of Chinese investment flowed into Sri Lankan infrastructure during his administration ranging from roads and ports to land reclamation in Colombo.

- Tightrope act -

Maithripala Sirisena, the final key character in Sri Lanka's current political crisis trinity, vowed to change all that when he beat Rajapakse in a 2015 presidential election and put Wickremesinghe in charge of the government.

That should have encouraged India, which is desperate to stop China expanding its economic and military footprint in the Indian Ocean and other backyard states such as Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

But Wickremesinghe found the battle against Sri Lanka's huge foreign debt too much.

Last year his government gave a 99-year lease on the Hambantota deep-sea port to China because it was unable to repay Beijing's loans for the $1.4-billion project.

It was forced to deny US claims that China could set up a military base at the port.

India -- a modest investor in power and railway projects in the north of the country -- is meanwhile in talks to run Hambantota airport, another white-elephant project built with Chinese loans under Rajapakse.

The airport and port deals have not been good for China's image.

Both projects have been held up by critics as an example of how China's global largesse often comes with onerous repayment strings attached.

Delhi has turned on the charm with its own deals while in 2015 Narendra Modi became the first Indian premier to do a standalone visit to the island in 28 years, with a second visit two years later.

Former president Mahinda Rajapakse is seen as being closer to China

Many analysts see Sri Lanka riding a tightrope between India and China no matter who wins the power struggle in Colombo.

"They have been pulled into a perverse relationship with the Asian giants that none of the political parties can rectify easily," Samir Saran, president of the Observer Research Foundation think-tank in New Delhi, told AFP.

"Rajapakse definitely favoured Chinese investment and there was a move away from it after he left, but it still wasn't a complete break from China. It was more a move towards neutrality," added Madhu Bhalla, a former East Asian department head at the Delhi University.

"In its struggle with China for influence in Sri Lanka, the Indian government will not be pleased if Mahinda Rajapakse establishes himself in power," said Alan Keenan, a Sri Lanka specialist for the International Crisis Group.

"But already before the latest crisis, India and Rajapakse had been mending fences, as Rajapakse and his new party appeared increasingly likely to return to power (through elections) by late 2019 or early 2020."

Guo Xuetang, director of the South Asian and Indian Ocean Research Center at Shanghai University, said "small countries" like Sri Lanka and the Maldives do not want to be anyone's client state anyway.

"They do not want to be controlled by China, nor by India," he added. Whether Sri Lanka chooses India or China in the future will be a "balance of interests," said the specialist.
The final resting places for many are so-called "apartment" tombs which are stacked one on top of the other

Millions packed cemeteries across the Catholic Philippines on Thursday to pay their respects to the dead, on a day that mixes somber reflection with the nation's penchant for festivity.

Mourners nationwide huddled at the tombs of their loved ones, while police at graveyard entrances confiscated karaoke microphones and church leaders urged the faithful to take it easy on the booze.

Barangka Cemetery, east of Manila, one of many cemeteries where mourners paid respects to their loved ones

It is all part of All Saints' Day, which takes place each year on November 1, when families pray, reminisce and honour those who died for their faith in a tradition that goes back to ancient Rome.

In the capital Manila, Virginia Acasio went with eight of her children and grandchildren to visit the grave of her grandson, Vergel, who died in an accident two years ago, when he was three years old.

"It is still painful for us," Acasio, 58, told AFP. "We have to go. It is an obligation. We miss my grandchild so we have to come here on the day of the dead."

All Saints' day mixes somber reflection with the nation's penchant for festivity

In the capital's sprawling cemeteries, vendors peddled flowers and candles as well as food, drinks and even toys among the newly-whitewashed tombs to the crowds of families visiting the graves.

The final resting places for many are so-called "apartment" tombs which are stacked one on top of the other and can rise metres over the crowds.

With offices, shops and schools closed, dense crowds carrying memorial flowers as well as bags packed with picnic supplies and the occasional bottle of beer queued up outside the cemeteries.

A woman visits the grave of a loved one at the Heroes' Cemetery, for military personnel, on All Saints' Eve

The country's Catholic bishops conference urged people to avoid "rather inappropriate practices such as gambling, excessive drinking, and the littering of cemeteries and other holy places".

"Many might have forgotten the significance of these commemorations as seen in the general lack of atmosphere of prayer in the cemeteries," it said.

families pray, reminisce and honour those who died for their faith in a tradition that goes back to ancient Rome

The government has also discouraged excessive merry-making with police setting up checkpoints at cemetery gates where they frisked entrants, and piled up seized items like cigarettes, knives, playing cards and barbecue utensils.

The annual pilgrimage to the cemeteries triggers a mass exodus from the capital, with millions traveling back to their home provinces where relatives are buried.

Tens of thousands of police are deployed at bus and boat terminals as well as graveyards across the archipelago nation of more than 105 million people.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is balancing both an uneasy leadership coalition and a crackdown on corruption in the former government

Leaning back in his chair and admitting he is feeling every one of his 93 years, the world's oldest leader Mahathir Mohamad says his second stint as Malaysian premier is taking its toll as he grapples with everything from fending off China to paying down a mammoth national debt.

"I should be dead now, actually," joked the nonagenarian leader in an interview with AFP Thursday.

The veteran statesman is as sharp and straight-talking as ever, and not one to shy away from offering frank views on controversial issues, including gay rights and anti-Semitism.

But it's not been an easy ride for Mahathir -- who has suffered increasing health problems in recent years -- since his ramshackle alliance won a shock victory at May elections and toppled the corruption-plagued regime of Najib Razak.

Since then, a host of former leaders have been been arrested for corruption, many linked to the novel-worthy political saga around sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, in which billions of dollars were allegedly looted in a fraud stretching from Singapore to Switzerland.

Aside from the crackdown on corruption, Mahathir is seeking to pay off a $250 billion national debt, and has cancelled a string of costly China-backed mega-projects, risking the ire of the world's number-two economy.

On top of that, his own coalition is an uneasy alliance.

It was cobbled together as a means of ousting Najib and is packed with politicians who once vehemently opposed him, including former nemesis Anwar Ibrahim, now the presumptive successor to the premiership.

"It is exhausting," conceded Mahathir.

"This time around I have to do more work than the first time I became prime minister... the whole government machinery has been destroyed almost."

- Shock victory -

Mahathir's victory took almost everyone -- including his own alliance -- by surprise, and amounted to a political earthquake that ousted the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition after six decades in power.

Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak has been arrested and charged with a total of 38 corruption charges

After years of graft scandals and divisive racial politics in the multi-ethnic country, voters finally had enough of BN, with the 1MDB scandal the tipping point for many.

Najib's fall from grace has been swift. He and his luxury-loving wife Rosmah Mansor have been arrested -- Najib has now been hit with a total of 38 corruption charges -- and both are likely facing long jail terms.

A stash of cash, jewellery and hundreds of designer handbags worth over $270 million was seized from properties linked to the pair.

Other figures aligned with the previous government, from the central bank chief to the attorney-general, have left their positions, and Mahathir and his team are scrambling to fill big holes in the administration.

"I had to get rid of people who in the past, under the previous government, had... politically been involved with government," said Mahathir in the interview at the office of a foundation that he heads the in administrative capital Putrajaya.

Mahathir Mohamad says a "lot of things were spoiled" by Malaysia's former leader Najib

"A lot of things were spoiled by Najib in his effort to use every institution to ensure his winning the election."

Adding to his difficulties, Mahathir has risked souring relations with Beijing by cancelling Chinese-financed railway and gas pipelines projects, which were widely viewed as dubious deals struck by Najib as he sought money to pay off debts.

"We just cannot afford it," Mahathir said of the deals, but insisted relations with China were still good.

- Succession speculation -

Constant speculation about whether Mahathir will stick to a promise to hand power to Anwar within two years of taking office is also proving a major distraction.

The pair's stormy relationship has loomed over Malaysian politics ever since Mahathir sacked Anwar, then a powerful deputy premier, in the 1990s, and Anwar was thrown into jail on questionable sodomy and corruption charges.

Following May's election victory, Anwar was released from jail and pardoned -- he had been imprisoned again under Najib's regime in 2015 -- and earlier this month was re-elected to parliament.

Mahathir has promised to hand power to former nemesis Anwar Ibrahim within two years

Mahathir brushed off the suggestion that Anwar's return to frontline politics could cause tensions: "I have worked with him before... I have no problem, I can work with everybody."

Mahathir is enjoying a long honeymoon after Barisan National's defeat but critics remain concerned about his own authoritarian tendencies.

During his first stint as premier from 1981 to 2003, he was accused of undermining the judiciary and other institutions, the press came under attack and political opponents were thrown in jail.

He remains unapologetic about some of his more controversial views, such as that same-sex marriage is unacceptable in Malaysia, and that Jews are "hook-nosed".

But as age catches up with him, Mahathir admitted he will have no choice but to relinquish power.

And he insisted he would stick to his pledge to hand power to Anwar: "I have made a promise; I will keep my promise."
China now has seminars to teach other countries how to censor free speech as its 'techno-dystopia' spreads, a worrying report has found.

Governments worldwide are stepping up use of online tools to suppress dissent and tighten their grip on power, a human rights watchdog study found.

Chinese officials have held sessions on controlling information with 36 of the 65 countries assessed, and provided telecom and surveillance equipment to a number of foreign governments, researchers said.

India led the world in the number of internet shutdowns, with over 100 reported incidents in 2018 so far, claiming that the moves were needed to halt the flow of disinformation and incitement to violence.

Many governments, including Saudi Arabia, are employing 'troll armies' to manipulate social media and in many cases drown out the voices of dissidents.

Governments worldwide are stepping up use of online tools to suppress dissent and tighten their grip on power, a human rights watchdog study found

The annual Freedom House study of 65 countries found global internet freedom declined for the eighth consecutive year in 2018.

The Freedom on the Net 2018 report also found online propaganda and disinformation have increasingly 'poisoned' the digital space, while the unbridled collection of personal data is infringing on privacy.

'Democracies are struggling in the digital age, while China is exporting its model of censorship and surveillance to control information both inside and outside its borders,' said Michael Abramowitz, president of Freedom House.

'This pattern poses a threat to the open internet and endangers prospects for greater democracy worldwide.'

The accusations made by Freedom House are 'without basis, unprofessional, irresponsible, and have ulterior motives,' said Chinese foreign ministry official spokesman Lu Kang at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Cyberspace is complex, he added, and requires 'the global community, including governments, businesses, think tanks and media to adopt a constructive attitude to maintain it.'

The report found 17 governments approved or proposed laws restricting online media in the name of fighting 'fake news,' while 18 countries increased surveillance or weakened encryption protection to more closely monitor their citizenry.

According to the researchers, internet freedom declined in 26 countries from June 2017 to May 2018. Gains were seen in 19 countries, most of them minor.

One of the greatest threats, Freedom House said, is efforts by China to remake the digital world in its 'techno-dystopian' image.

It cited a sweeping Chinese cybersecurity requirement that local and foreign companies 'immediately stop transmission' of banned content, and compels them to ensure that data on Chinese users is hosted within the country.

One of the greatest threats, Freedom House said, is efforts by China to remake the digital world in its 'techno-dystopian' image (stock image)

This has been followed by 'hundreds' of new directives on what people can and cannot do online, and tighter controls on the use of VPNs to evade detection.

The report said leaked documents and other evidence suggest as many as a million Muslims may be held in internment camps in Xinjiang, many as a result of nonviolent online activities.

China appears to be using its big tech firms involved in telecom infrastructure to extend its dominance and gain an edge in surveillance, according to Freedom House.

Companies such as Huawei - largely banned from contracts in the US and Australia - are building infrastructure in many parts of the world including Africa and Latin America, according to Freedom House board chairman Michael Chertoff, a former US secretary of homeland security.

'This opens up a potential for exploiting information in these countries by having technological backdoors that can be used by the Chinese government to collect intelligence,' Chertoff said.

The researchers said online freedom is facing threats in democratic and authoritarian states.

There have been a number of internet shut downs in India, Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

'Cutting off internet service is a draconian response, particularly at a time when citizens may need it the most, whether to dispel rumors, check in with loved ones, or avoid dangerous areas,' Freedom House researcher Adrian Shahbaz said.

'While deliberately falsified content is a genuine problem, some governments are increasingly using 'fake news' as a pretense to consolidate their control over information and suppress dissent.'

'It has now become a tool of authoritarian diplomacy to deploy an army of electronic trolls,' he said.

The researchers said online freedom also declined in the United States in part due to the rollback of 'net neutrality' rules which ensured that all data be treated equally, without 'fast' or 'slow' lanes for commercial or other reasons.

It said online freedom also faces threats in the US as a result of the reauthorization of a surveillance law and a 'hyperpartisan' environment in social media marked by large disinformation efforts.
Pakistani religious hardliners had called for the assassination of the country's Supreme Court justices after the acquittal of a Christian woman on death row for blasphemy

Islamist hardliners incensed by the acquittal of a Christian woman for blasphemy vowed no let up Thursday to protests paralysing major Pakistani cities a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to confront them.

Demonstrations broke out after the Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned a blasphemy conviction for Christian mother Asia Bibi, ending her eight year ordeal on death row but infuriating Muslim conservatives.

One key protest leader has called for the assassination of the countrys top judges and for mutiny against the armys top brass since the court's decision reignited the touchpaper issue.

Another leader on Thursday pledged to continue holding sit-ins in cities across the country with supporters blocking major traffic thoroughfares, causing gridlock and school closures in key hubs like Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Karachi.

"The sit-ins will continue whatever the circumstances are," Khadim Hussain Rizvi, leader of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party, tweeted from his verified account.

Blasphemy is a massively inflammatory charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam and its Prophet Mohammed can provoke death at the hands of vigilantes.

The defiance from the protest leaders came after Khan issued a forceful rebuke in a nationally televised address, saying the government would not tolerate violent protests or groups openly threatening public officials.

"We will protect people's properties and lives, we will not allow any sabotage," said Khan Wednesday evening.

There was no indication Thursday that authorities were preparing to clear the small pockets of protesters blocking highways.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said officials had entered talks with the protesters ahead of mass demonstrations scheduled for Friday, the holiest day of the Islamic week and a time when the size of demonstrations can often swell.

"Negotiations are ongoing in Lahore and Rawalpindi and I will be able to say something about them later," Chaudhry told a press briefing, but warned that violence would not be ignored.

"All those found involved in defying the writ of the state will have to pay the price."

- Unequivocal -

Khan's speech drew praise across much of social media, including from those formerly critical of the prime minister.

Prominent writer Mosharraf Zaidi hailed a "remarkable speech" and a column in the English daily Dawn said Khan had taken "an unequivocal and strong line against religious bigotry and hatred that we have not seen taken in almost two decades".

"Prime Minister Imran Khan was admirably forthright in condemning those who believe violence is the appropriate response to a judicial verdict with which they disagree," said the English-language The News, which is often a critic of the PM.

Others highlighted the prime minister's mixed record on addressing the controversy around blasphemy.

"Wish Imran Khan had delivered similar speech in the last Faizabad dharna," tweeted Balal Haider, referring to Khan's silence during similar anti-blasphemy protests last year.

The demonstrations are being largely led by the TLP, which is known for its hardline stance on blasphemy issues.

TLP, founded in 2015, blockaded the capital Islamabad for several weeks last year calling for stricter enforcement of Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws.

That protest forced the resignation of the federal law minister and paved the way for the group to poll more than 2.23 million votes in the July 25 general election, in what analysts called a "surprisingly" rapid rise.

The TLP supremo Rizvi has also vowed to "wipe Holland off the face of the earth" over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed if TLP were able to secure power of the nuclear-armed country.

The protests come as Khan prepares to depart for a four-day trip to China, where he will likely seek financial assistance from Beijing to shore up the countrys deteriorating finances.
A file picture shows a mock fight at a Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) camp in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib on August 14, 2018

Jihadists on Thursday killed four pro-regime fighters in Idlib province, the rebel stronghold where Russia and Turkey have agreed to set up a buffer zone, a monitor said.

The northwestern province is the last major area still outside regime control, after a string of ferocious assaults this year put most of the country back in government hands.

Regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey agreed to establish the buffer zone in September.

It was due to come into force in mid-October but some clauses of the plan have been delayed, as repeated clashes erupted between jihadists, rebels and government forces.

At dawn on Thursday, jihadists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a faction led by former Al-Qaeda fighters, attacked a government position in the east of the province, said the Britain based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"Four regime fighters were killed in the assault, and a member of HTS also died," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

"There is an ongoing exchange of artillery fire between the two parties" in land that is part of the planned demilitarised zone, he added.

The agreement between Russia and Turkey to create the buffer zone was aimed at staving off a government military assault on the province.

As set out under the deal, rebel groups announced they had withdrawn heavy artillery from the zone, but jihadists including HTS refused to leave the area.

Artillery fire by regime forces killed at least seven civilians in Idlib on Friday last week, the Observatory said.

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem expressed dissatisfaction this week with the implementation of the agreement, and criticised Turkey for shortcomings.

"Terrorists are still present in this sector with their heavy weapons," he was quoted as saying by the official SANA news agency on Monday, referring to the buffer zone.

"This indicates that Turkey does not want to respect its obligations," he added.

Syria's war has killed more than 360,000 people since it erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
The 51-year-old democracy champion was branded a fugitive from justice when he went into exile in 2016

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed returned home from exile Thursday, two days after the country's Supreme Court withdrew a warrant for his arrest.

Nasheed, who had been jailed for 13 years on a controversial terrorism charge, was welcomed at Male airport by president-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and hundreds of supporters.

It was not immediately clear what role he will have in the new government to be constituted by Solih this month.

The Supreme Court had ruled that Nasheed could not be detained until his appeal against the jail sentence for terrorism is heard.

The 51-year-old democracy champion was branded a fugitive from justice when he went into exile in 2016 after seeking medical treatment abroad while serving the jail sentence.

He risked arrest if he ever returned to the Maldives under President Abdulla Yameen, who jailed or exiled most of his opponents.

However, the strongman leader suffered a surprise defeat last month in an election and must leave office on November 17. The president-elect is a nominee of Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Nasheed had hoped to run against Yameen but was barred by the election commission.

Since Yameen's defeat, political prisoners have been freed and exiles have returned from abroad as the Maldives prepares a transition to new leadership.

Elected president in the country's first democratic poll in 2008, Nasheed was found guilty of terrorism in 2015 in a trial the UN said was politically motivated.
A picture taken on October 28, 2018 shows the Israeli and Brazilian flags flying outside the Brazilian embassy in Tel Aviv

Brazil's president-elect Jair Bolsonaro has told an Israeli newspaper he intends to defy the Palestinians and most of the world by moving his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Brazil would become the second major country after the United States to do so.

Asked in an interview with Israel Hayom published Thursday if he would move Brazil's embassy, as he had indicated during his campaign, Bolsonaro said Israel should decide where its capital is located.

"When I was asked during the campaign if I'd do it when I became president, I said 'yes, the one who decides on the capital of Israel is you, not other nations'," he told the paper, which is a firm backer of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, with international consensus being that the status of the whole city must be negotiated between the two sides.

Israel occupied east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

In December, President Donald Trump reversed longstanding US policy and recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, prompting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to boycott his administration.

The embassy was officially transferred on May 14, with Guatemala and Paraguay following suit, though the latter announced last month it would return its embassy to Tel Aviv.

Bolsonaro, 63, who won a run-off election on Sunday, has outraged many with his overtly misogynistic, homophobic and racist rhetoric.

Following his victory, Netanyahu told Bolsonaro he was certain his election "will lead to a great friendship between our peoples and the tightening of links between Brazil and Israel."

An official in Netanyahu's office told AFP the Israeli premier was "very likely" to attend Bolsonaro's inauguration ceremony in January.
China's Premier Li Keqiang suggested it was still possible to get troubled US-China relations back on track

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told a visiting delegation of seven US Republican lawmakers on Thursday that he hoped their two countries can meet "halfway" amid friction over trade, security and other issues.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have grown tense since US President Donald Trump activated new tariffs on roughly half of Chinese imports this summer while Beijing fired back with tariffs on most US products.

Some of the US lawmakers attending the meeting with Li in China's leadership compound have expressed concern over Trump's trade tactics.

"Over the past four decades, the China-US relationship has had its share of ups and downs, but, generally speaking, it has been moving forward all along," Li told the US delegation.

"We do hope that China and the United States will meet each other halfway and work together in the spirit of mutual respect and equality," Li said.

The working relationship between the two capitals has been further tested recently by a speech by US Vice President Mike Pence accusing China of military aggression and technology theft.

On Wednesday, Washington indicted 10 Chinese, including two intelligence officers, alleging a hacking scheme to steal technology from US companies.

Li suggested it was still possible to get relations back on track.

"In this way, our two countries will be able to overcome differences and have the wisdom to overcome the obstacles and move our relationship forward on an even sounder track," he said.

Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a critic of the Trump tariffs, led the group of Republican lawmakers.

"Your country and our country are competitors but not adversaries. And we believe that with mutual respect we can continue to prosper together," Alexander told Li.

"I would like to take this time to, first introduce my delegation, second to make a request that I think will be not easy but not so hard for China to do and, third to discuss trade," Alexander said before reporters were ushered out.

This summer the senator lamented the devastating effect the tariffs were having on his home state.
The co-pilot was arrested by British police and required to undergo a blood test

A Japan Airlines pilot who was arrested in Britain shortly before a flight for being drunk was almost 10 times over the legal blood alcohol limit for a pilot, London police said.

The incident came a day after another Japanese carrier apologised for multiple delays after a hungover pilot called in sick.

JAL executives told reporters in Japan that the co-pilot cleared an in-house breath test but aroused the suspicion of a bus driver taking him to the plane at Heathrow Airport on Sunday.

The co-pilot, identified as Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, was arrested by British police and required to undergo a blood test that confirmed those results.

He had reportedly consumed two bottles of wine and more than 1.8 litres (nearly four US pints) of beer over six hours on the night before the flight.

"We are certain (the in-house breath test) wasn't conducted properly," JAL communications chief Muneaki Kitahara told reporters Thursday.

A spokesman for the London police said a test on the co-pilot taken 50 minutes before the flight's scheduled departure revealed 189 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his system -- almost 10 times the 20-milligram limit for a pilot.

The drink-drive limit in England is 80 milligrams.

The pilot later pleaded guilty before a court to being over the legal limit, and is expected to be sentenced on November 29.

The plane departed London after a delay of 69 minutes.

"The company sincerely apologises to the passengers and to all affected by the employee's actions," JAL said in a press release.

The incident came just a day after All Nippon Airways revealed a hung-over pilot had caused multiple flight delays.

The male pilot in his 40s called in sick after a night of drinking on the remote resort island of Ishigaki in southern Okinawa prefecture, the company said.

The last-minute sickie forced the airline to delay five flights linking Okinawa island and smaller regional islands, affecting 619 passengers.

Following the two incidents, the transport ministry urged airline companies to strictly comply with rules on drinking.

But under Japan's current system, while plane crew members are banned from drinking within eight hours of working, there is no legal limit set and breath tests are not required.

Airlines have their own regulations, with JAL saying its rules banned pilots from drinking 12 hours before flying -- a limit they now said would be pushed back to 24 hours.

The airline will now also involve airport staff in alcohol checks rather than allowing pilots to test each other, Kyodo news agency reported.

Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii on Friday told reporters that the government would look into tightening the rules on drinking by flight crews.

"We will use all possible means to ensure flight safety," local media quoted him as saying.

He reportedly said Tokyo would study rules in other countries to determine best practices.

burs-sah/mtp
A Yemeni child suffering from malnutrition lies on a bed at a treatment centre in a hospital in Yemen's northwestern Hajjah province, on October 25, 2018

Over seven million children face food insecurity in Yemen and ending the country's war will not save all of them, the UN children's agency said.

"Today, 1.8 million children under the age of five are facing acute malnutrition, and 400,000 are affected by severe acute malnutrition," said Geert Cappelaere, regional director of UNICEF.

On October 23, the UN said around 14 million people -- half the population -- in Yemen are facing "pre-famine conditions".

When asked by AFP how many of these people are children, Cappelaere told AFP late on Wednesday "more than half".

UNICEF later clarified that over seven million children face food insecurity, rather than the immediate threat of famine.

"In the last couple of years, we see the number of severely acute malnourished children stabilising", Cappelaere said.

But "ending the war is not enough," he added, referring to a more than three year conflict that pits the government supported by a Saudi-led military coalition against Huthi rebels.

"What we need is to stop the war and (to create) a government mechanism that puts at the centre the people and children.

"The war is exacerbating the situation that was already bad before because of years of underdevelopment" in the Arab world's poorest nation, Cappelaere said.

He welcomed a call by the UN on Wednesday to relaunch peace talks within a month.

He said efforts to come up with a solution in the next 30 days were "critical" to improving aid distribution and saving lives.

Cappelaere said that over 6,000 children have either been killed or sustained serious injuries since 2015.

"These are the numbers we have been able to verify, but we can safely assume that the number is higher, much higher," he said.

Saudi Arabia and its allies entered the war to bolster Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after the Iran-backed rebels took over the capital Sanaa.

Since 2015, more than 10,000 people have been killed and some 22 million -- three quarters of the population -- are in need of food aid, according to the UN.
The Chinese leader welcomed Sanchez Ceren with a ceremony at the gargantuan Great Hall of the People

Chinese President Xi Jinping greeted El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren on Thursday, pledging aid to the Central American country months after it switched allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing.

Xi is hosting Sanchez Ceren and the leader of another country that recently ditched Taiwan -- Dominican President Danilo Medina -- this week.

The Chinese leader welcomed Sanchez Ceren with a ceremony at the gargantuan Great Hall of the People, where a military band serenaded the two presidents with their respective national anthems.

The two countries then inked deals pledging to cooperate on development, including on Xi's pet Belt and Road trade infrastructure project. Beijing also promised aid for education, health and drought relief.

China "welcomes" more exports from El Salvador, and will encourage more qualified Chinese companies to invest in El Salvadoran industries, said Xi in a report by state media CCTV.

China is also willing to offer scholarships to El Salvadoran students visiting China, and will encourage more Chinese tourists to travel to the Central American country, he added.

Sanchez told Xi he was "representing the El Salvadoran people to show you how grateful we are and our satisfaction now that we have restored our diplomatic relations".

El Salvador recognised Beijing in August, becoming the third country to abandon Taiwan this year, following the Dominican Republic and Burkina Faso.

Medina will be hosted at the Great Hall of the People on Friday. He will also inaugurate the Dominican Republic's embassy in Beijing during his visit.

Only 17 countries remain in Taiwan's diplomatic circle as the self-ruling democratic island struggles to fend off Beijing's growing influence around the globe.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since the end of a civil war on the mainland in 1949, but Beijing sees the island as part of its territory to be brought back into the fold.

Taiwan and China have been engaged for years in a diplomatic tug-of-war in developing countries, with economic support and other aid often used as bargaining chips for diplomatic recognition.

Central America has been a key bastion for Taiwan, with Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua still recognising Taipei rather than Beijing, which has used its economic muscle and promises of investment to entice governments.

But Panama broke ties with Taiwan last year.

The recent defections have irked the United States, which recalled its envoys from El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Panama in September.

The United States recognises Beijing but is congressionally bound to ensure Taiwan's defence, with President Donald Trump's administration especially vocal on defending Taipei diplomatically.

A Chinese government spokesman said on Thursday that the diplomatic tie-up between Beijing and El Salvador "does not target any third party".
Black kites, pictured here with starlings, are among the birds seen in the West Bank

As the sun rises over the mountains behind the Dead Sea, Anton Khalilieh squints into a telescope and scans the skies.

A Palestinian farmer with a quizzical look wanders by with his sheep while the area is periodically patrolled by the Israeli army.

Khalilieh is the executive director of Nature Palestine Society, a new small NGO seeking to document all the birds in the occupied West Bank and eventually establish observatory stations for foreign and Palestinian twitchers.

While the native species are interesting, it is the twice-yearly migration season that he thinks has global appeal.

Around 500 million birds migrate through Israel and the Palestinian territories each year, according to Israeli figures.

"I want to help people who are interested in coming to the West Bank and seeing the magnificence of the soaring bird migration from Europe to Africa," he says.

Birdwatching is common inside Israel but there is less interest among Palestinians

Among those to be seen are eagles, white storks, buzzards and black kites.

Birdwatching is commonplace inside Israel and even in some settlements in the West Bank, but Khalilieh says there is less interest among Palestinians.

He finished his studies at an Israeli university.

"Bird watching is considered a luxurious hobby," he says.

Standing on a hill with binoculars can also raise suspicions in a territory better known for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than ornithology.

Twice during the day Palestinians come from nearby villages to ask him questions.

"This area used to be a training zone for the Israeli army," Khalilieh explains.

"People come asking me what we are doing. They are afraid there would be some activities here they are not aware of."

Gray cranes fly over the Palestinian West Bank during their migration to Africa from Europe

Like others, he has been hit by US President Donald Trump cutting $500 million in aid to Palestinians -- he had submitted proposals for US-funded grants.

A couple of hours after sunrise, Khalilieh lets out a quick "oh my god."

Imperceptible at first, around 100 black specs gradually come into view, passing over his head perhaps 150 metres away.

The majority are honey buzzards, he explains, but there are also black kites and short-toed eagles.

During migration season, they travel between 200 and 500 kilometres a day, he adds.
A poll this week tipped Felix Tshisekedi, president of the main, historic opposition party, as one of the winners of the December 23 presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Supporters of President Joseph Kabila on Thursday denounced alleged cheating in an opinion poll that placed two opposition leaders well ahead before a presidential election due on December 23.

Results of the national poll, released on Tuesday, tipped Felix Tshisekedi, president of the main, historic opposition party, and former national assembly speaker Vital Kamerhe to win.

The poll, jointly conducted by BERCI consulting, a Congolese organisation, and the Congo Research Group at New York University, put Kabila's favourite Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary in third place.

"We're denouncing bumbling manipulation," government minister Felix Kabange, the spokesman for the Common Front for the Congo (FCC) and the pro-Kabila coalition, told AFP.

"Behind the result of this BERCI poll, you can see the hand of Olivier Kamitatu," Kabange added, targeting one of the founders of the consulting group and spokesman for powerful businessman Moise Katumbi, a heavyweight barred from the election.

The latest poll put President Joseph Kabila's favourite Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary (R) in third place for the December 23 presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo

"BERCI and the CRG are trying ineptly to discredit Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary when on the ground, the very opposite has been observed by neutral and rigorous people," Kabange said.

Shadary, a hardline former interior minister, was named candidate of the presidential majority after Kabila finally agreed to step down after 17 years in power and the postponement of the election from late 2016.

"This is ridiculous! I left BERCI almost 20 years ago. I don't know anything about what is happening in BERCI," responded Kamitatu, reached by telephone in Belgium, the former colonial power in the vast central African country.

The poll was carried out "from September 29 to October 15, 2018, among 1,179 people aged 18 and over, spread across the 26 provinces of the country," according to the organisers.

Presidential candidate Vital Kamerhe (C) emerged as one of the likely winners of the December 23 vote in the lastest opinion poll

"The interviews were recorded on electronic tablets with the help of the Open Data Kit," the team wrote, referring to an open-source data-management software community suited to environments that are short on resources.

Twenty-one candidates are standing in the presidential vote, which will be combined with a parliamentary election and elections to the provincial assemblies.

The votes come after more than a year of political tension across a mineral-rich nation that is also troubled in the east by armed ethnic rivalries and mass population displacement. The security forces have cracked down violently during street protests against Kabila's hold on power.
Washington has announced the reimposition of swingeing sanctions against Iran from November 4

The EU effort to save the Iran nuclear accord by building a mechanism to buy Tehran's oil despite the return of US sanctions has run into difficulty.

Brussels supports the deal struck in 2015 to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, which was dealt a blow in May when the US President Donald Trump pulled out.

But Washington has announced the reimposition of swingeing sanctions from November 4, including on Iran's oil sector, scaring off European traders.

Last month at the United Nations, the EU announced plans for a "special purpose vehicle" -- a payment system to continue trade and business ties with Iran.

The renewed US sanctions come into force on Sunday, and work on the mechanism is still going on.

"We are in the process of putting measures in place. Work is ongoing," EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters on Wednesday.

The payment mechanism has the backing of the remaining five signatories to the Iran deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

But senior officials in Brussels admit that it is proving difficult to set up.

"The undertaking is very complicated... the vehicle will not be operational on November 5," one told AFP.

The EU will publish a statement on Tuesday reaffirming support for the nuclear deal, as long as Tehran continues to respect its side of the bargain.

And an EU diplomat said the plan to create the new entity would be confirmed at the same time.

"The intention is to create a company registered in an EU country which will allow transactions," the official said.

Europ hopes it can persuade Iran to stick by its side of the nuclear deal despite Washington's refusal to do so

"We need to supply it with capital and clarify its governance -- this is not easy and it will not just start working overnight."

The three EU deal signatories -- France, Britain and Germany -- are involved in the project, along with other countries which buy Iranian oil.

But not all EU countries are on board, Iranian agents have been accused of plotting attacks on opposition figures in Europe and US elections are looming.

One European diplomat said the bloc wants to avoid a "direct confrontation" with Trump's administration over Iran before the November 6 congressional poll.

But in any case, the plans -- championed by EU high representative for foreign affairs Federica Mogherini -- are progressing very slowly.

"For the moment, we're nowhere. There's no will to proceed on the behalf of the member states," one of those negotiating the design of the mechanism said.

Another official insisted: "The plan's not dead." But he admitted the whole enterprise is "politically risky" for capitals wary of antagonising Washington.

- Oil prices up? -

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has explicitly warned against EU states or companies trying to get around the sanctions, which are a US policy priority.

The idea is that the SPV acts as a clearing house. Traders would pay into it to buy Iranian exports and Iran's purchases in Europe would be paid by the fund.

This would allow Europeans to trade Iranian oil without sending cash directly to the Islamic republic.

And EU leaders have not ruled out allowing entities from other states keen to avoid US sanctions -- notably India, China and Turkey -- to use the SPV.

Pompeo has explicitly warned against EU states or companies trying to get around the sanctions

This would blow a hole in US efforts to use oil sanctions to pressure Iran into more concessions than agreed to in the nuclear deal -- or face collapse.

But it would also accelerate the widening of the rift between the US and its allies on foreign policy, and Trump may seek to punish firms using the vehicle.

Europe nevertheless hopes it can avoid an immediate crisis, and persuade Iran to stick by its side of the nuclear deal despite Washington's refusal to do so.

"Iranian oil sales won't drop to zero on November 5, the day after the US reimposes sanctions," a European expert told AFP.

"The Americans known that prices are already high and that Iran's exit from the market will only force them higher, which isn't in their interests."

European clients -- mainly in Spain, Italy, Greece and France -- buy 20 percent of Iran's oil exports.

According to the European Commission, last year EU members bought nine billion dollars of Iranian exports and Iran spent 10 billion in the union.
A file picture shows Israeli security forces keeping watch as a group of Israeli settlers and children gather at a Palestinian house they occupied in the divided West Bank city of Hebron on July 26, 2017

Israeli ministers said Thursday they want to construct a new apartment building for settlers in the flashpoint city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, in what would be a rare move.

The plan is in the early stages and details such as how many units the building would include have not yet been provided.

It will eventually require approvals from a defence ministry committee and will likely face a legal challenge.

The building would be constructed in a former market area in the heart of Hebron, where some 800 Israeli settlers live under heavy military protection amid around 200,000 Palestinians.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in a statement he would "advance planning for a new apartment building above the old wholesale market in Hebron."

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said a "significant breakthrough" enabled the removal of obstructions for planning approval, without specifying.

The market area is on Hebron's Shuhada Street, once a bustling thoroughfare leading to a holy site where the biblical Abraham is believed to have been buried.

The street is now largely closed off to Palestinians who have repeatedly demanded that it be reopened to traffic.

The city is holy to both Muslims and Jews.

Earlier this month, Israel approved construction of 31 settler homes in Hebron, the first such green light for the city since 2002.

Hagit Ofran of settlement watchdog Peace Now called the plans for the new building a "dramatic change".

"I can assure you that there will be a court case against it," she said.

She said there was early discussion of the new building containing 16 units, but that had not been confirmed.

Israeli settlements are considered a violation of international law and major stumbling blocks to peace efforts as they are built on land the Palestinians want for their future state.

The United States has traditionally urged Israel to hold off on settlement expansion, but President Donald Trump has been far less critical.

The US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has himself been a backer of Israeli settlement building.

Settlement approvals have soared since Trump took office, according to Peace Now figures.

About 430,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.6 million Palestinians in the West Bank, occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Ravindra Jadeja spin decimated the West Indies with a four wicket haul

Ravindra Jadeja starred in India's nine-wicket series clinching win over West Indies after the tourists were skittled out for just 104 in the fifth one-day international on Thursday.

West Indies won the toss and elected to bat in Thiruvananthapuram but collapsed, surviving just 31.5 of their 50 overs under overcast skies to register their lowest ODI total against India.

Jadeja claimed four wickets with his left-arm spin as India romped to their target in 14.5 overs to take the five-match series 3-1.

The second game was a tie.

It is India's sixth successive ODI series win on home soil.

Opener Rohit Sharma, who smashed 63, and skipper Virat Kohli, who made 33, put on an unbeaten 99-run stand as the hosts raced to their target before the sun had set in the day-night game.

"It was a clinical performance. Credit has to go to the bowling unit, pitching the ball in the right place," Kohli said after the win.

"We wanted to bowl first anyway and we got lucky. We were surprised West Indies batted," he added.

Fast bowler Oshane Thomas bowled opener Shikhar Dhawan for six but the wicket proved just a hiccup in India's march towards an easy win.

Jadeja set up the convincing victory after returning figures of 4-34 from his 9.5 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah combined with pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar to get two West Indies batsmen in the first two overs. Bumrah bowled Shai Hope for zero.

Marlon Samuels tried to steady the innings with counter-attacking boundaries but he fell to Jadeja's spin for 24.

Jadeja also trapped big-hitter Shimron Hetmyer lbw for nine to rattle the West Indies middle-order.

Skipper Jason Holder top-scored with 25 to raise hopes of a West Indies fightback but the rest of the batting folded.

Young paceman Khaleel Ahmed also made his presence felt for India, with two key strikes including the wicket of Holder.

Jadeja, who was named man of the match, polished off the West Indies' tail and India did not need the customary break after end of the first innings to get past their target.

Kohli was the man of the series for his 453 runs in five matches including three centuries and a highest score of 157 not out.

The prolific run-getter became the quickest to 10,000 ODI runs in his 205th innings in Visakhapatnam ODI that ended in a tie last week.

"To get runs as captain always gives me confidence. It won't happen all the time, but when I'm going, I want to keep going longer," said Kohli.

"I don't play for awards, just to impact the series and help the team win."

The two sides now head to Kolkata for the first of three Twenty20 internationals on November 4.
Monsengwo's outspokenness turned him into a rallying figure for protest against President Joseph Kabila

Laurent Monsengwo, archbishop of Kinshasa and a vocal government critic, has stepped down, the church said Thursday, just weeks before key elections to replace President Joseph Kabila.

The 79-year-old Monsengwo passed the baton to Fridolin Ambongo as de facto leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo's powerful Catholic Church, which has been at loggerheads with long-ruling Kabila.

"Pope Francis today accepted the resignation of cardinal Laurent Monsengwo," Kinshasa archdiocese spokesman Bruno Lusongakio told AFP, adding that "Fridolin Ambongo has taken over the reins" at a ceremony in Kinshasa.

Catholic bishops normally retire at 75.

Monsengwo has been a harsh critic of the violence that has plagued the sprawling Central African country under the successive governments of strongmen Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent Kabila, and son Joseph.

In 2011, he described flawed elections which returned Kabila to power as complying with "neither truth nor justice".

Monsengwo's outspokenness has turned him into a rallying figure for protest against the president, whose regime is associated with corruption, repression, and incompetence.

Monsengwo was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010

In January, the archbishop placed himself on a potential collision course with Kinshasa over a crackdown on Catholic demonstrators demanding an end to Kabila's presidency.

Protests on New Year's Eve and January 21 saw a total of 15 people killed by security forces, according to organisers and the United Nations. The government put the toll at two.

"We can only denounce, condemn and stigmatise the behaviour of our supposedly courageous men in uniform, who, sadly... are channelling barbarism," the archbishop said at the time.

Kabila warned off the Church, saying: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. When you try to mix the two it is dangerous. The result is always negative."

- Royal roots -

Born into a royal family in the Sakata tribe in 1939, Monsengwo first became known for playing a major role in compelling dictator Mobutu into moving the country -- then known as Zaire -- towards a multi-party democracy.

He was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, and later named one of nine cardinals chosen by Pope Francis to play a part in Vatican reform.

Monsengwo was one of nine cardinals chosen by Pope Francis to play a part in Vatican reform

The Catholic Church plays a prominent role in the DR Congo due to its educational and social care work.

In power since 2001, Kabila's constitutional term in office expired in December 2016, but a church-brokered a deal seeking to avert a bloodbath allowed him to stay in office provided elections for a new president were held in 2017.

The authorities subsequently postponed the poll until December 23 this year, citing logistical problems.

Kabila has bowed to international pressure to step aside, backing a loyalist, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, for the December 23 race.

Ambongo, chosen by the pope to replace Monsengwo, will be officially inaugurated on November 25 at the Our Lady of the Congo cathedral, said Lusongakio.

Monsengwo will now hold the title of Archbishop Emeritus of Kinshasa.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been at odds with European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, seen here in Berlin on June 4, 2018, particularly over the Iran nuclear deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the EU's "hypocritical and hostile attitude" on Thursday as he left for talks with four eastern European leaders in Bulgaria.

Netanyahu has regularly made such comments against the European Union, which is critical of Israel's occupation and settlement building in the West Bank.

To counter such criticism, he has sought alliances with sympathetic EU countries including Hungary, whose nationalist stance has been a thorn in Brussels' side.

"I leave now to a summit of countries, and I will meet with my friends, the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and the Serbian president," Netanyahu said.

"This is not just a meeting of friends," he added. "It is also a bloc of countries with whom I want to promote my policy, to change the hypocritical and hostile attitude of the EU."

Netanyahu made similar comments before leaving for a Baltic summit in August.

Beyond the conflict with the Palestinians, the Israeli premier has also been eager to convince European countries to exert more pressure on Iran.

EU countries have been at odds with the United States since it pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and reimposed sanctions -- something long advocated by Israel.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, pictured September 2018, says recent findings by an engery company point to "oil and gas deposits in" the country's northern Muzarabani district

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Thursday that an Australian firm would explore for oil and gas in the nation after a study indicated deposits.

Invictus Energy has in recent months reworked survey data generated in the early 1990s by US oil giant ExxonMobil, previously known as Mobil.

"We have been advised by Invictus that the findings are positive and point to oil and gas deposits in" the country's northern Muzarabani district, Mnangagwa told journalists in the capital.

Australian-listed Invictus, which plans to invest $20-million into the project, has agreed to a production-sharing agreement with the government, he added.

The company plans to sink its first exploration well in the next two years in the district, which is situated 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of the capital Harare, said Mnangagwa.

Invictus was expected to release a statement later Thursday.

Zimbabwe currently has no oil or gas production.
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's (pictured September 2018) ruling Awami League party had rejected any calls for talks with her opponents, but in an abrupt about-face, Hasina hosted members of the opposition coalition at her Dhaka residence

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held rare talks with the opposition Thursday, days after its imprisoned leader was given a fresh sentence that will keep her behind bars for 10 years.

Hasina's ruling Awami League party had earlier rejected any calls for talks with her opponents and ruled out accepting its demand for the dissolution of parliament before elections next month.

In an abrupt about-face, the prime minister hosted members of the opposition coalition at her Dhaka residence late on Thursday to discuss -- but did not back down in her refusal to appoint a caretaker government for the polls.

Former foreign minister Kamal Hossain brought a group of 20 opposition officials to the meeting, according to Awami League deputy chief Obaidul Quader.

Hasina rejected the delegation's key demand for a caretaker government, Quader said.

The visitors were "not satisfied" with the talks, said opposition Bangladeshi Nationalist Party deputy chief Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

The talks came as Hasina's chief rival, former premier Khaleda Zia, was on Tuesday handed a seven year prison term on graft charges, while another appeal court doubled her sentence for an earlier embezzlement conviction.

Zia and Hasina have been rivals since the 1980s, when both women allied to force the country's former military dictator from power.

The duo alternated power for two decades until Zia boycotted national polls in 2014, sparking violence across the Muslim-majority democracy of 160 million.

Zia's is the only inmate in an otherwise abandoned 19th-century jail and her health has deteriorated in custody. Her physician said she was suffering from diabetes and that arthritis had rendered her left hand useless.

Lawyers for Zia have accused the government of putting her health at risk by refusing her specialised care in prison.
Eleven people close to Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood, including human rights activists, were arrested, which Amnesty International has called "an alarming escalation of a crackdown on human rights workers in Egypt"

Egyptian authorities arrested at least 19 lawyers and rights activists on Thursday, Amnesty International said, condemning what it called an "appalling setback".

The rights group called the arrests "an alarming escalation of a crackdown on human rights workers" in Egypt.

"Today's chilling wave of arrests... is yet another appalling setback for human rights in Egypt," said Najia Bounaim, Amnesty's North Africa campaigns head.

"Anyone who dares to speak out about human rights violations in Egypt today is in danger."

Eleven people close to Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood, including human rights activists, were arrested on Thursday, their lawyer said.

Lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsud earlier told AFP that 11 activists close to the Muslim Brotherhood were arrested and expected to appear before a judge.

The Brotherhood was outlawed and branded a terrorist organisation in December 2013, months after the military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi following mass protests against his rule.

Jihadists have waged an insurgency since Morsi's ouster, while the authorities have made thousands of arrests in a crackdown on dissent.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to end sales of oil from Iran, whose President Hassan Rouhani is seen as more moderate than previous heads of government

Six months after President Donald Trump bolted from a nuclear deal on Iran, the United States from Monday will try to strangle the country's economy with sweeping sanctions, but doubts abound on how effective the campaign will be.

The United States has vowed to end all sales of Iranian oil, the country's crucial export, as well as international banking transactions, snapping back sanctions lifted by Trump's predecessor as US president, Barack Obama.

But much has changed since the Obama administration targeted Iran's economy in 2012. Obama won broad, if at times begrudging, international support as he set a goal of bringing Iran to the table to end its nuclear program.

Iran -- led by a more moderate president, Hassan Rouhani -- has according to UN inspectors abided by the 2015 agreement which is still supported by European powers and Russia and China, which all signed the nuclear deal.

"This is not 2012 when the world was united behind sanctions against Iran. This is the Trump administration trying to force the rest of the world to go along with a policy that most countries do not accept," said Barbara Slavin, an Iran expert at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

"The US has had some success in terms of frightening away major corporations. The sanctions hurt a lot. But Iran is still going to be able to sell oil," especially to China, she said.

The United States has accepted that it will need to issue waivers to countries that do not fully stop buying Iranian oil, with friends of the United States such as India and South Korea looking for sanctions exemptions, and Tehran may keep up clandestine sales.

The European Union has gone so far as to protect businesses that operate in Iran. It has announced plans for a legal framework through which firms can skirt US sanctions, although few major corporations have been eager to risk the wrath of penalties in the world's largest economy.

- US objective in question -

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wants Iran to withdraw from war-ravaged Syria, where it is a critical ally of President Bashar al-Assad

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has issued a list of demands for Iran that go well beyond the nuclear program that was the focus of Obama's deal.

He wants the Shiite clerical regime to withdraw from war-ravaged Syria, where it is a critical ally of President Bashar al-Assad, as well as to end longstanding support to regional militant movements Hezbollah and Hamas.

Pompeo has also insisted Iran cut off backing for Yemen's Huthi rebels who are facing a US-backed air campaign led by Saudi Arabia.

In a recent tweet Pompeo crowed that the International Monetary Fund is predicting a 3.6 percent contraction of Iran's economy next year.

"That's what happens when the ruling regime steals from its people and invests in Assad -- instead of creating jobs for Iranians, they ruin the economy," he said.

But experts see no rapid turnaround from Iran's leaders -- especially the military and clerical establishments, for whom resistance to the United States has been an article of faith since the 1979 Islamic revolution overthrew the pro-US shah.

The major importers of Iranian oil

"It's basically magical thinking. The Iranians have been able to continue their support to regional proxies and allies for 40 years despite economic pressure," said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group.

He said the Trump administration believed that a constrained, struggling Iran would see its influence erode. But the final goal, he said, was unclear.

"I think the end-game depends on who you're asking. The president himself is interested in having a broader, better deal with the Iranians, but I believe that most of his national security team are interested in either destabilizing Iran or assuring a regime change in Tehran," Vaez said.

Trump's national security advisor, John Bolton, is a longstanding hawk with ties to Iran's armed, exiled opposition.

- North Korea model? -

One European diplomat believed Trump was following his playbook on North Korea, with which he is negotiating only a year after threatening "fire and fury."

US President Donald Trump's playbook with North Korea's Kim Jong Un involved negotiating after threatening "fire and fury"

"It's the same war plan as with Kim Jong Un and North Korea -- sanctions, maximum pressure and then ready to negotiate," he said.

The United States says it is exempting humanitarian goods from the sanctions, although Europeans say they have received no guidance on how to avoid penalties.

Another Western diplomat, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that Iran was more dependent on the outside world than the country's conservatives would like to think.

"In truth there are starts of a panic as there's beginning to be a shortage of medicine. We're heading back to the old war economy, which is tightly controlled."

Complicating Trump's effort, Saudi Arabia -- Iran's regional rival which has long pressed Washington to get tough -- is increasingly unpopular after the murder of a journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

But Tehran has been winning few friends, with France and Denmark recently accusing the clerical state's intelligence agencies of plotting to attack Iranian opponents in Europe.
China's President Xi Jinping and the Dominican Republic's President Danilo Medina met in Beijing on Friday

Chinese President Xi Jinping greeted his Dominican counterpart Danilo Medina with a raft of economic deals in Beijing on Friday, meeting a Latin American leader who recently diplomatically ditched Taiwan for a second consecutive day.

Xi met Medina at the opulent Great Hall of the People, where they reviewed Chinese troops before holding talks, a day after treating El Salvador's president to a similar welcome.

During their talks, Medina pledged to support Beijing's "One China Principle" and agreed to participate in Xi's pet trade infrastructure project -- the Belt and Road Initiative -- a Chinese official told reporters.

The leaders also oversaw the signing of 18 agreements, including on infrastructure, investment, finance and civil aviation, the official said, without providing details.

The Dominican Republic abandoned Taiwan in May, as part of a campaign by Beijing to split the self-governed democratic island from its few remaining diplomatic allies.

El Salvador followed suit in August.

Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela, who already met the Chinese leader in Beijing late last year after ditching Taiwan, will attend a massive import expo hosted by Xi in Shanghai next week.

The recent Latin American defections from Taiwan has irked the United States, which recalled its envoys from El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Panama in September.

Beijing has tried to paint the moves as economic and not motivated by any desire to undermine Taiwan.

The Dominican Republic's choice to switch its allegiance from Taipei to Beijing was "a political decision without any preconditions... The same as with El Salvador and Panama," the Chinese official told reporters.

The new relationship "does not target third parties," he said, reiterating a line the government used following the meeting with El Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren on Thursday.

Medina will inaugurate the Dominican Republic's new embassy in Beijing Saturday.

Only 17 countries remain in Taiwan's diplomatic circle as the self-ruling democratic island struggles to fend off Beijing's growing influence around the globe.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since the end of a civil war on the mainland in 1949, but Beijing sees the island as part of its territory to be brought back into the fold.

Taiwan and China have been engaged for years in a diplomatic tug-of-war in developing countries, with economic support and other aid often used as bargaining chips for diplomatic recognition.

Central America has been a key bastion for Taiwan, with Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua still recognising Taipei rather than Beijing, which has used its economic muscle and promises of investment to entice governments.

The United States recognises Beijing but is congressionally bound to ensure Taiwan's defence, with President Donald Trump's administration especially vocal on defending Taipei diplomatically.
An Iraqi military helicopter lands near the Al-Qaim border crossing between Syria and Iraq on November 1, 2018

Iraqi troops have reinforced their positions along the porous frontier with neighbouring war-torn Syria, fearing a spillover from clashes there between Islamic State group jihadists and US-backed forces.

For weeks, IS has fought back an assault by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on a key jihadist-held pocket in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province near the border with Iraq.

It managed to recapture some territory from the SDF around Hajin, prompting Baghdad to dispatch reinforcements to its own border, including paramilitary units from the Hashed al-Shaabi and the army.

"All measures have been taken: we have control towers, observation posts, dirt berms and trenches," Lieutenant Colonel Abbas Mohammad, the head of one border unit, said Thursday.

"The SDF's retreat will not be a threat to Iraq," he added.

Soldiers could be seen posted along a sand berm topped by barbed wire and decorated with Iraqi flags, according to an AFP videojournalist at the scene.

Military vehicles patrolled between barracks, and soldiers stationed at observation posts pointed their machine guns towards the Syrian border.

Helicopters and more armoured cars arrived throughout the day.

Iraqi forces gather near the Al-Qaim border crossing between Syria and Iraq on November 1, 2018

According to Iraqi General Qassem al-Mohammadi, who heads operations in Iraq's western Anbar province, IS fighters were just "five or six kilometres away, inside Syria."

Anbar, a massive desert governorate which extends from the edge of Baghdad west towards the Syrian border, served as a jihadist bastion before Iraqi forces retook it in late 2017.

Across the border in Syria, two separate offensives have aimed at ousting IS from the frontier with Iraq.

One has been carried out by Russian-backed Syrian troops, who have cleared IS from territory west of the Euphrates River.

That includes the Albu Kamal border post with Iraq, which was captured last year. Authorities in both Baghdad and Damascus said in mid-October that they hope to revitalise cross-border trade through it as soon as possible.

The SDF is still fighting IS east of the Euphrates around Hajin, where the US-led coalition estimates around 2,000 jihadists are based.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian announces aid and weapons for the Central African Republic

France will give the Central African Republic, its restive former colony, aid of 24 million euros ($27.4 million) and weapons, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced on Friday.

"France wishes to continue its historical partnership with the Central African Republic," the minister told journalists in Bangui after meeting President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

Le Drian signed aid agreements worth 24 million euros in 2018 for the payment of salaries and pension arrears, to develop regions near neighbour Cameroon affected by massive population displacements, and build bridges to open access to parts of the country.

He also announced that France would "soon deliver arms" to Bangui -- specifically 1,400 assault rifles for the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) established after independence in 1960.

"We are doing this within the strict, respectful, and transparent framework of the United Nations, in total transparency concerning the origin, the routing, and the delivery" of the arms, said Le Drian.

One of the world's poorest and most unstable countries despite vast mineral riches, the CAR spiralled into bloodshed after longtime leader Francois Bozize was overthrown in 2013 by a mainly Muslim rebel alliance called the Seleka.

That same year, the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on the country. The ban remains in place, except for weapons provided to the security forces with special pre-approval by a sanctions committee.

Last year, this committee gave the green light for Russia to supply weapons to the national forces.

But in June this year, France, Britain, and the United States blocked a request from Bangui for UN approval of Chinese weapons deliveries.

CAR Foreign Minister Charles Armel Doubane said Friday it "was time that France decided to make these assault rifles available to FACA within the strict framework of international commitments."`

The government controls only a small part of the country, with vast areas under the control of armed groups vying for power and resources.

Thousands of people have died, 700,000 been internally displaced and another 570,000 have fled abroad as a result.

The African Union launched a UN-backed mediation effort in July 2017.

On the eve of Le Drian's visit, clashes between armed groups in Batangafo in the north forced more than 10,000 people to take refuge in the local hospital, according to Doctors Without Borders.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Thirteen years ago, mail bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc traveled the country leading a mixed-race troupe of male exotic dancers - he ran scams and had a temper, but a fellow dancer who is African-American said he never expressed racism or homophobia.

Years later, working as a pizza driver, Sayoc would often express hatred for minorities, Jews and gays, his manager said. He drove a van plastered with stickers supporting President Donald Trump, criticizing media outlets and showing rifle crosshairs over liberals like Hillary Clinton and filmmaker Michael Moore. But she kept him around, even though she is a lesbian, because he was honest, dependable and never got into fights.

Why Sayoc changed so radically over the years remains a mystery, but to those who know him, there seems little question that he did.

"We were friends, we were boys, we traveled in the same van, slept in the same room," said former dancer David Crosby, who is black. "When I think of the guy I knew and the guy I see now on MSNBC, CNN and at Trump rallies, I think, 'Did he really slip?'" He thinks Trump's sometimes bombastic criticism of liberals may have pushed Sayoc over the edge .

"He really wasn't a bad guy," a puzzled Crosby said.

But former pizza restaurant manager Debra Gureghian said that while Sayoc originally came across as respectful, articulate and polite, within days a dark side emerged and he told her he was disgusted by her sexuality.

Former male dancer David Crosby, left, looks at a poster showing Cesar Sayoc, second from bottom and at right on motorcycle next to Crosby, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, in Hopkins, Minn. Sayoc was identified by authorities as the Florida man who allegedly sent pipe bombs to some of President Donald Trump's most prominent critics. Crosby said he worked with Sayoc about 12 years ago. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

"I was an abomination, I was God's misfit ... I was a mistake," Gureghian said of her former employee, who quit his job earlier this year. Sayoc thought she "should burn in hell with Ellen DeGeneres and Rachel Maddow... and President Obama and Hillary Clinton."

Sayoc, 56, was arrested Friday near Fort Lauderdale and is charged federally with mailing at least 13 mail bombs to prominent Democrats and other frequent targets of conservative ire, including former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and the cable network CNN. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday.

That radicalism is a stark contrast to the mid-2000s, when Sayoc managed and performed with two male-dance revues - "Men of Steel" and "American Hunks." He never expressed political views back then, Crosby said.

"I don't know if he was a Democrat or Republican," said Crosby, who now runs a gym and is a comedian near Minneapolis.

Along with three or four other chiseled men, Crosby and Sayoc traveled the country by van, stripping to G-strings for screaming women in honkytonks and nightclubs. They would check into a motel, perform, bring women back to party, sleep a few hours and then get up early the next morning to drive several hours to the next gig.

"It's a hard life," Crosby said, quite seriously. The partying, bad food and lack of exercise takes a toll, he said.

Sayoc hosted, then danced last. Crosby said he and the other all-but-naked dancers would bring women up on stage, make them and their friends laugh and do some sexual innuendo - except Sayoc, who wasn't a good performer.

He said Sayoc would have women sit in a chair, get between their legs and drive his pelvis into theirs hard - "bang, bang."

"The chair is bouncing off the wall, their head is bouncing off the wall," Crosby said. Sometimes, he would bite the women's exposed skin hard enough to leave teeth marks. Crosby said women would complain to the other dancers that Sayoc was too rough, but no one ever called the police.

He said Sayoc had a "zero to 100" temper and would sometimes use his 6-foot, 250-pound (1.8-meter, 113-kilogram) frame to intimidate other men.

"If he wasn't happy about something, he would definitely let you know," Crosby said.

Still, he never saw Sayoc hit anyone and he treated his employees well - though he would sometimes scam the shows' financial backers.

For example, Crosby said Sayoc would sometimes drive separately in his own older van, though not the now infamous one he was arrested with. He would then take parts from the troupe's newer van, which was owned by an investor, and swap them with dying parts from his clunker, Crosby said. Sayoc would then ask the investor to pay for the troupe van's now-needed repairs.

Twelve years later, however, when Sayoc worked for Gureghian at New River Pizza in Fort Lauderdale, honesty and reliability were his job-saving attributes. He never stole and customers never complained, Gureghian said.

But until he quit earlier this year, he regularly subjected co-workers to fiery political rants. Gureghian called his views "pure hatred."

He detested liberals, blacks, Jews and especially gays, who he called slurs, Gureghian said.

Gureghian said Sayoc used his van for deliveries and one rainy night he offered her a ride home.

"The first thing I did was kind of look to make sure - God forbid - if something happened, can I open that door to get out and how do I tuck and roll?" she said.

Sayoc lived in the van and Gureghian said it was a mess. There were empty containers from fast-food restaurants, men's fitness supplements and alcoholic beverages. Dirty clothes were everywhere.

And, ominously, there were dolls with their heads cut off.

"He told me he was fixing them for his two nieces," Gureghian said.

Debra Gureghian, manager at New River Pizza, and former co-worker of Cesar Sayoc, poses for a portrait on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Gureghian, who hired Sayoc as a delivery driver at the restaurant, said while Sayoc originally came across as respectful, articulate and polite, within days a dark side emerged and he told her he was disgusted by her sexuality. "I was an abomination, I was God's misfit ... I was a mistake," Gureghian said. Sayoc thought she "should burn in hell with Ellen DeGeneres and Rachel Maddow... and President Obama and Hillary Clinton." (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

This Nov. 1, 2017, photo shows a van with windows covered with an assortment of stickers in Well, Fla. Federal authorities took Cesar Sayoc into custody on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, and confiscated his van, which appears to be the same one, at an auto parts store in Plantation, Fla., in connection with the mail-bomb scare that has targeted prominent Democrats from coast to coast. (Courtesy of Lesley Abravanel via AP)

Debra Gureghian, manager at New River Pizza, and former co-worker of Cesar Sayoc, poses for a portrait on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Gureghian, who hired Sayoc as a delivery driver at the restaurant, said while Sayoc originally came across as respectful, articulate and polite, within days a dark side emerged and he told her he was disgusted by her sexuality. "I was an abomination, I was God's misfit ... I was a mistake," Gureghian said. Sayoc thought she "should burn in hell with Ellen DeGeneres and Rachel Maddow... and President Obama and Hillary Clinton." (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Debra Gureghian, manager at New River Pizza, and former co-worker of Cesar Sayoc, poses for a portrait on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Gureghian, who hired Sayoc as a delivery driver at the restaurant, said while Sayoc originally came across as respectful, articulate and polite, within days a dark side emerged and he told her he was disgusted by her sexuality. "I was an abomination, I was God's misfit ... I was a mistake," Gureghian said. Sayoc thought she "should burn in hell with Ellen DeGeneres and Rachel Maddow... and President Obama and Hillary Clinton." (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
SAO PAULO (AP) - Observers have long flirted with the idea that far-right Brazilian congressman Jair Bolsonaro, the front-runner in Sunday's presidential runoff, was a "tropical Trump." Bolsonaro has presented himself as someone who tells it like it is while promising to dismantle a dysfunctional political system, and who seeks to capture the imagination of many citizens afraid of losing their place in an increasingly diverse and inclusive society.

While U.S. President Donald Trump and Bolsonaro have many differences - before running, Trump was a billionaire businessman while Bolsonaro was long-time congressman with few legislative victories - many tactics used in their campaigns were remarkably similar.

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'STRAIGHT TALK'

Perhaps the biggest similarity and likely the one that initially gave rise to the comparisons between Bolsonaro and Trump is that neither man appears to measure his words. In the 2016 U.S. elections, Trump often billed himself as the man who wasn't afraid to say what everyone else was thinking. Bolsonaro shares the same lack of filter. Some of the comments that have gotten him in trouble reflect longstanding ideological positions, like his repeated praise for Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship. Other comments may be more off the cuff and a wink at his reputation for shunning the "politically correct," like when he told an audience that he had a daughter "in a moment of weakness" after four sons. Both men "enjoy being outrageous and making statements for shock value," said Paulo Sotero, the director of the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington.

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FILE - In this Oct. 7, 2018 file photo, presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro, of the Social Liberal Party, flashes a thumbs up at a polling station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the first round of voting on Oct. 7, Bolsonaro performed far beyond expectations, nearly winning outright with 46 percent of the vote. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

BASH MAINSTREAM MEDIA

Bolsonaro and his three oldest sons, who are also politicians, have hammered away at Brazil's main media organizations, accusing them of everything from telling outright lies about the candidate to ignoring his rise in the polls and endorsements from other politicians. Like Trump, they accuse the media of propping up the country's traditional elite and of trying to derail a campaign that might threaten it. Earlier this month, daily Folha de S. Paulo reported that Bolsonaro's campaign may have broken campaign finance laws because friendly businessmen were allegedly bankrolling blast messages on WhatsApp. Bolsonaro has responded by repeatedly calling Folha "fake news" and promising to punish it by cutting off government advertising.

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SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING

For candidates who don't trust the media, social networks provide the perfect outlet. Bolsonaro, like Trump, has made heavy use of Twitter and Facebook to talk directly to voters. That became especially important after the candidate was stabbed on Sept. 6 and confined to the hospital for more than three weeks. Even after being released from the hospital in late September, Bolsonaro has skipped all the debates the last month, citing his doctors' orders. Instead he held nightly Facebook live sessions with political allies and did interviews with friendly stations. "The idea that you would skip the debate on health grounds but then have three 10-minute interviews with a friendly TV networks is very Trumpian at its core," said Matthew Taylor, associated professor of Latin American politics at American University, adding that a heavy reliance on social media helped both men overcome initial resistance to their candidacies.

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FLOATING FRAUD

Bolsonaro has raised the specter of fraud and said it could rob him of the election. A week before the first round on Oct. 7, he told a television station he would not accept any result but his own victory, implying that the size of support he had seen at street rallies indicated he would win, even though the polls were close. A few days later, he backed off those comments, saying he would accept the election results but wouldn't make a call to his rival to concede. Trump trod a very similar path. "Bolsonaro is essentially saying, 'Fairness means that I win. Anything else is fraud,'" said Jason Stanley, author of "How Fascism Works: The politics of us and them."

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USE OF PROXIES

Similar to how Trump's campaign had Donald Trump Jr. and other children sometimes speak for their dad, Bolsonaro has often depended on his three eldest sons to float ideas, deny critical press reports and make outlandish claims. On Oct. 7, as Brazilians were going to the polls in the first round of voting, Senate candidate Flavio Bolsonaro shared a video on Twitter that purportedly showed a voting machine that had been tampered with. Within hours, the country's electoral court announced that it was a false report. However, by then it had surely been seen by millions of people on Twitter and the messaging group WhatsApp. "The technique is to use people who speak for you but don't speak for you," said Taylor. "Trump or Bolsonaro can always say, 'I didn't or would never say that.'"

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Follow Sarah DiLorenzo: twitter.com/sdilorenzo

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PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Latest on a deadly shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue (all times local):

1 p.m.

A law enforcement official says the man accused of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue had a license to carry firearms and legally owned his guns.

The official wasn't authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke Sunday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Police say Robert Bowers killed eight men and three women in the Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday before a tactical police team tracked him down and shot him.

The victims ranged in age from 54 to 97 and included brothers and a husband and wife.

Personnel from Chesed Shel Emes Emergency Services and Recovery Unit gather near the Tree of Life Synagogue after yesterday's deadly shooting in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Robert Bowers, the suspect in the mass shooting, expressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and told officers afterward that Jews were committing genocide and he wanted them all to die, according to charging documents made public Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Court papers say Bowers made statements about genocide and killing Jewish people.

Federal prosecutors have charged Bowers with 29 criminal offenses and state authorities have also leveled charges. Bowers is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday.

- Michael Balsamo in Washington

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11:40 a.m.

Condolences and remembrances of the 11 victims of the deadly attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday are beginning to roll out on social media and in emails.

They were professors and accountants, dentists and beloved doctors.

Former Allegheny County Deputy District Attorney Law Claus sent an email to his former coworkers Sunday asking them to pass along his condolences to the family of Jerry Rabinowitz, a 66-year-old personal physician.

Claus says Rabinowitz was more than a physician for him and his family for the past three decades, saying, "he was truly a trusted confidant and healer."

He says Rabinowitz had an uplifting demeanor and would provide sage advice.

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11:20 a.m.

A neighbor of the man charged in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre says the suspect kept to himself.

Chris Hall said Sunday that he never heard or saw anything to indicate that 46-year-old Robert Bowers harbored anti-Semitic views or posed a threat.

Authorities say Bowers killed eight men and three women inside the Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday during worship services before a tactical police team shot and wounded him. Bowers faces state and federal charges.

Hall says nothing stood out about Bowers. He says "the most terrifying thing is just how normal he seemed."

Six others were wounded in the attack, including four officers, one of whom remains in critical condition. Two worshippers also remain hospitalized, one of them in critical condition.

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10 a.m.

The 11 people killed in the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh included a married couple, Bernice and Sylvan Simon, and two brothers, Cecil and David Rosenthal.

The Allegheny County medical examiners' office released the victims' names Sunday. David Rosenthal was the youngest at 54. The eldest was 97-year-old Rose Mallinger.

The dead also included Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Jerry Rabinowitz, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger.

Fellow members of the New Light Congregation say Wax was a pillar of the congregation, filling many roles there. Friend Myron Snider says Wax was a retired accountant who was unfailingly generous.

Wax was in his late 80s.

Authorities say gunman Robert Bowers made statements about genocide and killing Jewish people. Bowers is being treated for gunshot wounds and is due in court Monday.

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9:30 a.m.

Authorities have released the names of the 11 people killed by a gunman during worship services in a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Officials said at a news conference Sunday that the victims ranged in age from 54 to 97 and included brothers and a husband and wife.

Authorities say gunman Robert Bowers made statements about genocide and killing Jewish people. Officials previously said three women and eight men were killed.

Bowers has been arrested and is being treated for gunshot wounds at a hospital.

The U.S. attorney's office has charged Bowers with 29 federal counts. Bowers is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday. State authorities have also leveled charges.

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8 a.m.

German leaders are mourning the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and stressing the need to push back against anti-Semitism.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman quoted Merkel on Twitter as offering her condolences and saying that "all of us must confront anti-Semitism with determination - everywhere."

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier voiced his dismay at the attack, which left 11 dead, in a condolence message to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Steinmeier wrote that "this abhorrent crime reminds us all to do what is in our power to advocate against hatred and violence, against anti-Semitism and exclusion, and to counter with determination those who incite them."

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7:30 a.m.

Pope Francis is grieving with Pittsburgh's Jewish community following the massacre at a synagogue, denouncing the "inhuman act of violence" and praying for an end to the "flames of hatred" that fueled it.

Francis led prayers for Pittsburgh on Sunday in St. Peter's Square, a day after a gunman who had expressed hatred of Jews opened fire in the synagogue during Sabbath services, killing 11 people.

Francis prayed for the dead, injured and their families and said: "In reality, all of us are wounded by this inhuman act of violence." He prayed for God "to help us to extinguish the flames of hatred that develop in our societies, reinforcing the sense of humanity, respect for life and civil and moral values."

Francis has frequently spoken out against religiously inspired violence and has denounced the easy availability of guns thanks to weapons manufacturers, whom he has called "merchants of death."

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7 a.m.

Police say the suspect in the deadly mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue told officers that Jews were committing genocide and that he wanted them all to die.

Pittsburgh police said in an arrest affidavit made public early Sunday that Robert Gregory Bowers killed eight men and three women in the Tree of Life Synagogue before a tactical police team tracked him down and shot him.

A Pittsburgh police officer says in the warrant that Bowers was being treated for his injuries when he said Jews were "committing genocide to his people."

Bowers is charged with 11 counts of criminal homicide, six counts of aggravated assault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation.

The police affidavit says calls began coming in to 911 just before 10 a.m. Saturday, reporting "they were being attacked."

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12:30 a.m.

A gunman who expressed hatred of Jews exploited a vulnerability common in so many houses of worship across the country - doors that are unlocked for worship - to target a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Officials say Robert Bowers was armed with a rifle and three handguns when he walked inside the Tree of Life synagogue during Sabbath services Saturday morning and opened fire, killing 11 people and wounding six in what is believed to be the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.

Police swarmed the building and traded gunfire with the gunman, who was shot multiple times but survived.

Four police officers are among the wounded.

Bowers faces 29 federal counts, including weapons offenses and hate crimes.

Law enforcement officials plan to discuss the massacre at a news conference Sunday morning.

A crowd holds candles on the lawn of the Sixth Presbyterian Church at the intersection of Murray Ave. and Forbes Ave. in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh during a memorial vigil for the victims of the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue where a shooter opened fire earlier in the day, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pope Francis delivers his blessing from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Francis is grieving with Pittsburgh's Jewish community following the massacre at a synagogue, denouncing the "inhuman act of violence" and praying for an end to the "flames of hatred" that fueled it. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

People shelter themselves from the rain as Pope Francis delivers his blessing from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Francis is grieving with Pittsburgh's Jewish community following the massacre at a synagogue, denouncing the "inhuman act of violence" and praying for an end to the "flames of hatred" that fueled it. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The Tree of Life Congregation where a deadly shooting took place on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh. A shooter opened fire at the synagogue, killing multiple people in one of the deadliest attacks on Jews in U.S. history. (Andrew Stein/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

Nancy Clark of Squirrel Hill, reads from the Tehillim, as police lights flash and rain soaks the pages, yards away from Tree of Life Congregation, on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh. A shooter opened fire at the synagogue, killing multiple people and wounding others in one of the deadliest attacks on Jews in U.S. history. (Andrew Stein/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
PRAGUE (AP) - Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he met with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister during an international conference and urged a full and complete investigation into the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi.

Mattis told reporters traveling with him that Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir "had no reservations at all" about the need for the kingdom to be transparent about the death of the Washington Post columnist at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

During a press conference with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis later Sunday, Mattis added that the evidence Turkey has collected "will ensure there is more than one review" of the incidents surrounding Khashoggi's death.

He and Jubeir spoke privately at a dinner Saturday during the Manama Dialogue international security conference in Bahrain. Mattis did not detail the conversation they had but said he told Jubeir that "we need to know what happened."

Turkish officials have said that a Saudi team of 15 men tortured, killed and dismembered the writer in a premeditated act. The kingdom initially said it knew nothing about what happened to Khashoggi, but on Thursday said evidence shows the killing was premeditated.

When asked about the killing during a panel discussion at the conference, Jubeir complained about the media "hysteria" and the rush to pin blame on the Saudi royal family before the investigation is complete.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, talks to journalists during a press conference with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, not shown, in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Mattis arrives in Prague to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1918 creation of the Czechoslovak state. (Roman Vondrous/CTK via AP) ** SLOVAKIA OUT **

Khashoggi lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. for the past year and wrote editorial columns for The Washington Post that were critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's heir apparent.

Mattis, in his speech at the conference, said Khashoggi's killing undermines stability in the region, and warned that the U.S. may take additional actions in response to the killing. He did not say what those steps would be.
PRAGUE (AP) - The U.S. military has already begun delivering jersey barriers to the southern border in conjunction with plans to deploy active duty troops there, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Sunday as a caravan of Central Americans slowly heads across Mexico toward the United States.

Mattis told reporters traveling with him that details of the deployment are still being worked out but he should have them Sunday night. They will include exactly how many forces are needed. It was unclear when the details will be made public.

The additional troops will provide logistical and other support to the Border Patrol, and will bolster the efforts of the approximately 2,000 National Guard forces already there. The new forces are expected to provide logistical assistance such as air support and equipment, including vehicles and tents.

National Guard troops routinely perform those same functions, so it is not clear why active duty forces are being used.

President Donald Trump for the past week has been calling attention to the caravan heading by foot into southern Mexico, but it is still hundreds of miles from U.S. soil.

The National Guard is often used by states to help with border security. But active duty troops are rarely deployed within the United States except for domestic emergencies like hurricanes or floods.
LONDON (AP) - Britain's Treasury chief warned Sunday that plans to end eight years of austerity could be sidetracked by a "no-deal" Brexit as he prepared to release his latest spending plan to the House of Commons.

On the eve of his budget speech Monday, Philip Hammond pledged that the end was in sight for the budget cuts implemented by a series of Conservative-led governments after the global financial crisis, reiterating a commitment made by Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this month. But Hammond cautioned that the government's plans could be thrown off track if Britain fails to secure a deal that protects trade with the European Union.

"If we were to find ourselves in that situation, then we would need to take a different approach to the future of Britain's economy," he told Sky News. "We would need to look at a different strategy and, frankly, we'd need to have a new budget that set out a different strategy for the future."

Government workers and the public are agitating for the government to end years of austerity that have slashed funding for everything from defense and law enforcement to schools and transportation as May and her predecessor sought to close the budget deficit. Teachers recently marched through central London to call for increased funding, as police warn that they don't have the resources to combat rising crime and the military shrinks. Amid the demands for money, the government is pushing ahead with plans to roll out a new comprehensive welfare program that critics say will leave the most vulnerable worse off.

Hammond may get some help in meeting the demands from an unexpected increase in tax revenue. The independent Office of Budget Responsibility on Monday will slash its forecast for government borrowing, reducing the deficit by about 13 billion pounds ($16.9 billion) during the current fiscal year, the Financial Times reported last week.

The revision is likely to help Hammond deliver on a government pledge to increase funding for the National Health Service by 20 billion pounds a year by 2023 without raising taxes. Ahead of the budget, the government has announced a 1.5-billion-pound package to help small retailers and a 30-billion-pound investment in the transport network.

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 21, 2018 file photo, Britain's Chancellor Philip Hammond leaves 11 Downing Street to attend the weekly session of Prime Ministers Questions in Parliament in London. Britain's Treasury chief says the country would need a new economic strategy if it leaves the European Union without a deal. Speaking on Sunday, Oct. 29, the day before he delivers his budget in the House of Commons, Philip Hammond told Sky News his plan is based on the idea there will be a deal. If there isn't one, he says Britain "would need to look at a different strategy and, frankly, we'd need to have a new budget that set out a different strategy for the future." (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

But Hammond said further details on which programs would get more money would have to wait until next year - after Brexit talks are completed. If the negotiations collapse, a no-deal scenario would represent a "very big transition" in the way the economy operates.

"If our businesses are no longer able to trade with European Union neighbors, if their supply chains are cut off, they will have to find different markets and different ways of doing business," he told the BBC. "The economy will change. It will have to restructure itself over a period of time and that will be a fairly major transition."
SAO PAULO (AP) - The latest on Brazil's presidential runoff (all times local):

11:40 p.m.

U.S. President Donald Trump is pledging to work with Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right congressman who won the presidency of Brazil on Sunday.

The White House says Trump called Bolsonaro after his victory.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says that Trump congratulated the president-elect and that "both expressed a strong commitment to work side-by-side to improve the lives of the people of the United States and Brazil."

Voters in Sunday's runoff election apparently looked past warnings that the brash former army captain would erode democracy and embraced a chance for radical change after years of turmoil.

Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate with the Social Liberal Party, gives a thumbs up after voting in the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Bolsonaro is running against leftist candidate Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party. (AP Photo/Silvia izquierdo)

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8:50 p.m.

The conservative presidents of Argentina and Chile are congratulating Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right congressman who won the presidency of Latin America's largest nation Sunday.

In his congratulatory tweet, Argentine President Mauricio Macri added: "I hope to work together for the good of the relationship of our countries and the welfare of Argentines and Brazilians."

President Sebastian Pinera of Chile used Twitter to send praise to Brazil, saying: "I congratulate the Brazilian people for a clean and democratic election."

Pinera tweeted to Bolsonaro: "I am sure we will work with vision and strength toward a future that will favor integration and the welfare of our people."

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7:50 p.m.

Brazil's Supreme Electoral Tribunal has declared far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro the next president of Latin America's biggest country.

With 96 percent of ballots counted, Bolsonaro has 55.5 percent of the votes. Leftist Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party has 44.5 percent.

Voters in Sunday's runoff election apparently looked past warnings that the brash former army captain would erode democracy and embraced a chance for radical change after years of turmoil.

Bolsonaro went into the election the clear front-runner after getting 46 percent of the votes to Haddad's 29 percent in the first round of the election Oct. 7.

After opinion polls in recent weeks had Bolsonaro leading by as much as 18 percentage points, the race had tightened in recent days. But Haddad was unable to make up the difference.

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7:35 p.m.

Many Brazilians are celebrating the news that far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro holds a big lead in vote-counting for Brazil's presidency with the majority of ballots tallied.

People set off fireworks on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, and car drivers honked their horns across the city Sunday. In Sao Paulo, crowds gathered on a central avenue with banners and flags and people cheered and set off firecrackers in other neighborhoods as results came in.

Riot police separated supporters of Bolsonaro and those of his leftist rival Fernando Haddad when they briefly scuffled in Sao Paulo.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal says that with more than 94 percent of ballots counted, Bolsonaro leads with 55.5 percent of the vote to Haddad's 44.5 percent.

___

7:15 p.m.

Far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro has taken a big lead in vote counting for Brazil's presidency with a majority of ballots tallied.

Voters in Sunday's runoff election apparently discounted warnings that the brash former army captain would erode democracy and instead embraced a chance for radical change after years of turmoil.

Brazil's Supreme Electoral Tribunal says that with more than 88 percent of the votes counted, 55.7 percent supported Bolsonaro, while 44.3 percent backed leftist Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party.

Final results are expected later Sunday.

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5 p.m.

Voting stations throughout most of Brazil are closing as the country's presidential election nears an end.

Polls closed at 5:00 p.m. local time in all but one far-western state, though those in line are still able to cast ballots.

Because of time zone differences, polling stations close two hours later in Acre state, which is on the border with Peru and Bolivia.

____

4:30 p.m.

Brazil's outgoing President Michel Temer said his government is ready to begin the handover to the new government being chosen in Sunday's election.

Temer voted in Sao Paulo and told reporters the transition will start "tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

He said the transition would be "calm and quiet" and that the team of the elected president will receive "almost all the information regarding what was been done and what still needs to be done"

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3:00 p.m.

The bitterness of Brazil's presidential election campaign so far doesn't seem to have spilled over into the voting itself.

The head of the Organization of American States' election observation mission says voting has been taking place in a climate of "tranquility and normality."

Former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla says members of the mission are seeing "with no reports of violence or any other difficulty."

The president of the Superior Electoral Court also says Sunday's election has taking place peacefully throughout the country.

Rosa Weber says the "tranquility gives me a sensation of happiness. It is a celebration of democracy."

________

12:45 p.m.

The two candidates to become Brazil's next president have cast their ballots along with millions of other Brazilians.

Far-right former Army captain Jair Bolsonaro voted in a military compound in Rio de Janeiro surrounded by security and supporters who shouted his name. He did not speak to the press.

Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers' Party voted in Sao Paulo and said he was "confident we can win."

Bolsonaro has had a strong lead in polls, but Haddad got a string of last-minute endorsements ahead of Sunday's vote.

They included popular former supreme court justice Joaquim Barbosa, who tweeted that Bolsonaro's candidacy scared him.

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10:20 a.m.

Voting for the presidency is in full swing in Latin America's largest nation.

Voters are picking between far-right Congressman Jair Bolsonaro and former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad.

Polls ahead of Sunday's vote showed Bolsonaro with a 10 percent advantage. Still, the race appeared to be tightening, as just weeks before Bolsonaro had an 18-point lead.

Bolsonaro cast his vote in Rio de Janeiro, which he represents in Congress. Haddad was expected to vote later Sunday in Sao Paulo.

During the first round of voting on Oct. 7, Bolsonaro garnered 46 percent compared to 29 percent for Haddad.

Bolsonaro has promised to crack down on crime and overhaul the economy. Haddad has promised a continuation of many progressive policies of his Workers' Party, which governed from 2003 to 2016.

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate with the Social Liberal Party, sing the national anthem in front of his house during the presidential runoff election, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Bolsonaro is running against leftist candidate Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Workers' Party presidential candidate Fernando Haddad holds a Brazilian flag after casting his vote in the presidential election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Brazilian voters decide Sunday who will next lead the world's fifth-largest country, the left-leaning Haddad or far-right rival Jair Bolsonaro. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

A woman, donning the Workers' Party official colror celebrates after voting in the presidential runoff election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Brazilian voters decide who will next lead the world's fifth-largest country, the left-leaning Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party, or far-right rival Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

Head of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission and Former President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, accompanied by a observer, visit a polling station in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate with the Social Liberal Party, is running against leftist candidate Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate with the Social Liberal Party, waves after voting in the presidential runoff election in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Bolsonaro is running against leftist candidate Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party. (AP Photo/Silvia izquierdo)
If you're unhappy with how health care works, you could just start an insurance company.

That's essentially what Mario Schlosser did in 2012 after he grew frustrated navigating the system when his wife delivered their first child.

Six years after Schlosser, a data scientist, co-founded Oscar Health, his New York-based insurer covers about 250,000 people, many in big markets like New York and California.

Oscar has grown by emphasizing online tools and apps and taking some unique approaches to coverage. It assigns each customer to a six person "concierge team" that aims to quickly answer questions or find available doctors, among other tasks.

The 40-year-old Schlosser, Oscar's CEO, spoke recently with The Associated Press. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: What was the biggest need you saw in a market already packed with insurers?

This undated photo provided by Oscar Health shows Mario Schlosser, CEO of the health insurer Oscar. Six years after Schlosser, a data scientist, co-founded Oscar Health, his New York-based insurer covers about 250,000 people, many in big markets like New York and California. Oscar has grown by emphasizing online tools and apps and taking some unique approaches to coverage. (Oscar Health via AP)

A: Nobody is really accountable for truly helping navigate health care and make it less complex and less costly. And I thought that the insurance company should play a major role in that because ultimately the insurance company is responsible for your end-to-end care.

Q: How does that team improve health?

A: Connecting the dots better, making sure you stay up to date with how you best manage your health. They can see if you are filling (a prescription), and they will reach out to you if you are not. They will try to make sure you can get access to the drugs that you need. If we are helpful in the background ... we think it's going to help your long-term health.

Q: Oscar's coverage uses narrow networks of doctors and other providers in part to keep costs down. What would you tell a customer who gets cancer and finds that the most experienced doctor for her condition isn't in your network?

A: We have a number of concierge teams that are dealing only with members who have the most complex conditions. Those teams are directly assigned to making sure that you've got what you need. That can include pulling in providers who we did not work with in the past.

Q: Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges starts Nov. 1. What have you learned about making that business viable?

A: Every provider in the market, every insurance company basically faces members voting with their feet as to whether they like the service at the price. That creates very powerful pressures on all of health care to be more innovative, be more nimble, more member-focused.

Q: Oscar raised $165 million earlier this year from private investors, and you are growing. Is a public offering of your stock on the horizon?

A: Nothing planned right now.
ISTANBUL (AP) - The Turkish army shelled on Sunday positions held by the U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria, east of the Euphrates River, in a new spike in tension along the borders.

Ankara considers the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia an extension of its own insurgent groups, which it refers to as "terrorists and separatists," and sent its military into Syria two years ago to drive the group and Islamic State militants away from its borders in northwestern Syria.

Recently, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to expand the military operations to clear the borders from "terror."

The Syrian militias, known as the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or the YPG, are the backbone of the U.S.-backed force that is fighting Islamic State militants. The alliance between the Kurdish fighters and Washington soured relations between the U.S. and Turkey, a fellow NATO member.

The rare Turkish shelling east of the Euphrates comes a day after an international summit on Syria hosted by Turkey, which called for an inclusive political process and for creating conditions to allow the return of millions of refugees.

Speaking at the summit, Erdogan said Turkey has been among those most harmed by "terror organizations" in neighboring Syria.

"We will continue eliminating threats against our national security at its root in the Euphrates' east as we have done so in its west," Erdogan said.

Turkey's official Anadolu news agency said Turkish artillery strikes Sunday hit trenches and positions built by the YPG on a hill in the village of Zor Moghar, in rural northern Aleppo.

The village is across the Euphrates River that separates Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces and the YPG.

The YPG said in a statement the shelling killed a Kurdish fighter from the Self Defense Forces. The newly formed forces are affiliated with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, leading the fight against IS in eastern Syria.

The YPG said the Turkish shelling was "unprovoked" and is a distraction from the fight against IS in eastern Syria.

"Any illegitimate attack against northern Syria will not go unanswered," the YPG said in a statement.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Kurdish Hawar news agency also reported the shelling, saying Turkish artillery targeted other villages east of the Euphrates as well. Hawar said there were no reports of casualties.

The Observatory said the shelling in the villages west of Kobani, a stronghold of the Kurdish fighters, came while Kurdish fighters were on high alert following Turkish threats.

The U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces are fighting IS militants in their last pocket in southeastern Syria. The militant group has carried out a major attack on the Kurdish-led forces in some of the most intense fighting in the last few days, regaining ground and killing scores of fighters.

The U.S.-led Coalition vowed Sunday to regain territory lost by its Syrian allies, describing the fighting as "difficult."

"It is very difficult because we are in the last stages, where almost every (IS) fighter is in a suicide belt," said Brett McGurk, the special presidential envoy for the coalition.

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Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
As a freshman congressman, Republican Ted Budd seems to have several strikes against him as he faces his first re-election in his North Carolina district.

He belongs to the same party as the president, a historical negative in midterm elections. President Donald Trump's national disapproval ratings have risen since taking office. And Budd faces a female challenger in a year when women's political involvement has been intensifying.

Yet Budd has at least one built-in advantage: He's running in a district intentionally drawn to favor Republicans.

Unless the U.S. Supreme Court says otherwise, "it is constitutional to politically gerrymander," Budd said while defending a practice that also has benefited Democrats in the past.

Across the nation, numerous congressional Republicans are hoping to survive forecasts of a Democratic wave due partly to a political seawall erected by Republicans who controlled the redistricting process in more states than Democrats after the 2010 census. The big question is whether enough of that seawall will hold to thwart Democrats' attempt to retake the U.S. House.

Democrats need to gain 23 seats in the Nov. 6 elections to wrest the House away from Republicans for the first time in a decade. Believing it has a chance, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has targeted 85 Republican-held seats in 31 states, ranging from GOP strongholds such as Texas to Democratic-leaning states such as California.

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 31, 2018 file photo, President Donald Trump, center, offers the podium to Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., right, at a GOP fundraiser at the Carmel Country Club in in Charlotte, N.C. The freshman congressman is running in a district intentionally drawn to favor Republicans. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Those targets include about two dozen Republican seats in districts where Democrat Hillary Clinton beat Trump in 2016 and three dozen that Republicans won with less than 58 percent of the vote in the last election.

Nationally, election forecasters have rated more than 40 Republican-held seats as tossups or leaning toward Democrats, with only several Democratic-held districts in a similar position to flip.

Democratic gains seem all but assured in some states. In Pennsylvania, candidates will be running in new districts that improve Democrats' chances after the state Supreme Court ruled the old ones amounted to an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander by the Republican-led state Legislature. Under the old map, the GOP had won 13 of the state's 18 U.S. House seats in three straight general elections, despite Democrats holding a statewide edge in registered voters.

Yet nationally, a blue wave of strong Democratic turnout still could "crash against a wall of gerrymandered maps," the Brennan Center for Justice said in a report earlier this year.

To flip control of the House, the Brennan Center has projected that Democrats would need to win the national popular vote for congressional districts by a nearly 11 percentage point margin - which would be their largest midterm victory size since 1974.

This election is "a true test case of voter behavior and the insurance policy that Republicans hoped to have with these districts," said Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College in North Carolina.

Republicans had the upper hand during the 2011 redistricting because they flipped numerous state legislative chambers and governor's offices during the 2010 elections. Since then, the GOP has expanded its state control to two-thirds of all legislative chambers. It now holds a trifecta of both houses and the governor's office in 25 states compared with just eight for Democrats.

Politicians who want to gerrymander typically pack lots of voters who support the opposing party into a single district while spreading their own likely voters among multiple districts. The result lets the minority party overwhelmingly win one district while the majority party wins several districts by smaller margins.

That's the scenario in North Carolina, where Republican state lawmakers under a court order to fix racial gerrymandering acknowledged redrawing the congressional districts in 2016 to try to ensure they could win 10 of the state's 13 House seats. Democrats won three seats that year, each with at least 67 percent of the vote. In six of the 10 districts won by Republicans, the GOP candidate received 59 percent of the vote or less.

A federal court in August declared 12 of North Carolina's 13 districts unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders and ordered yet another redraw, but placed that on hold pending an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Budd, the owner of a gun store and firing range, had the state's smallest GOP victory margin in 2016 while running as a political outsider for the open 13th District, which reaches west from the Democratic-leaning city of Greensboro into suburban and rural Republican areas.

Trump, who won the district by a 9 percentage point margin, has helped raise money for Budd's re-election in a race that mirrors national themes. Budd has played up an improved economy. His Democratic challenger, Kathy Manning, a Greensboro attorney and community leader, has highlighted Budd's vote to repeal and replace Obama's health care law while decrying a Congress she says is dysfunctional.

The Democrats' quest for a House majority also targets several seats in Ohio, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 12-4 in the state's congressional delegation. One target is Rep. Steve Chabot, who lost his Cincinnati seat in a 2008 Democratic wave but retook it two years later and has retained it under a 2011 redistricting that added more Republican-leaning voters.

Earlier this year, Ohio voters overwhelming approved a constitutional amendment that overhauled redistricting in the state to make it a bipartisan process. But it won't kick in until after the 2020 Census.

Democrats also are targeting eight districts in Texas, where the GOP controls 25 of the 36 congressional seats. Many of the state's largest cities have liberal leanings, but Republican state lawmakers spliced them together with suburban and rural districts containing more conservative voters. Notoriously liberal Austin, for example, was sliced into six stretched-out districts, five of which have been won by Republicans.

The Nov. 6 elections will show whether the districts engineered to elect Republicans can continue to do so amid growing minority populations and shifts among suburban woman toward Democrats.

"What the Republicans tried to do is to create sufficiently safe districts. What they didn't anticipate was that the national conditions might have changed so that those districts ... end up becoming much more competitive," said Sean Theriault, a professor of government at the University of Texas.

For the first time since the 2011 redistricting, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has added a suburban St. Louis district to its targets.

Rep. Ann Wagner is a former chairwoman of the Missouri Republican Party who won re-election two years ago with about 58 percent of the vote, putting her district in the outer realm of those Democrats hope to flip if they have a big day on Nov. 6.

But Wagner said she is well positioned to withstand a Democratic wave in what she describes as "the only swing seat in the state."

"It's a heavily suburban district - a lot of women voters," Wagner said. "I am an absolute reflection of the district. I'm a 56-year-old woman who's raised her family here, who works, who's been involved in the community."

Democratic challenger Cort VanOstran is a 30-year-old attorney who's been volunteering for Democratic campaigns since he was 17. He said he decided to run after his mother died of breast cancer in late 2016 and Wagner voted in 2017 for a bill to repeal the federal health care law that had allowed his mom to buy insurance through an online marketplace.

"I think that Missouri is a victim of gerrymandering," VanOstran said. But "I think the DNA of this district is very good ... Folks here are independent-minded."

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Follow David A. Lieb at: http://twitter.com/DavidALieb

FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 19, 2018 file photo, Kathy Manning, democratic candidate for the the 13th Congressional District of North Carolina, attends an election rally at Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C. Manning, a Greensboro attorney and community leader, has highlighted Republican Ted Budd's vote to repeal and replace Obama's health care law while decrying a Congress she says is dysfunctional. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

FILE - In this Aug. 2, 2018 file photo, Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., speaks at a news conference to discuss Paid Family Leave legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington. Wagner faces Democrat Cort VanOstran in the November election. Wagner won re-election two years ago with about 58 percent of the vote, putting her district in the outer realm of those Democrats hope to flip if they have a big day on Nov. 6, 2018. But Wagner said she is well positioned to withstand a Democratic wave in what she describes as "the only swing seat in the state." (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
A day after the shooting that left 11 dead at a Pittsburgh synagogue, friends and family members recalled the victims - professors and accountants, dentists and beloved doctors serving their local community.

Officials released the names of all 11 victims during a news conference Sunday, all of them middle-aged or elderly. The victims of synagogue included a pair of brothers and a husband and wife. The oldest was 97.

Said Stephen Cohen, co-president of New Light Congregation: "The loss is incalculable."

Here are some of their stories:

MELVIN WAX: 'A SWEET, SWEET GUY'

Melvin Wax was the first to arrive at New Light Congregation in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood - and the last to leave.

Holding candles, a group of girls wait for the start of a memorial vigil at the intersection of Murray Ave. and Forbes Ave. in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh, for the victims of the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue where a shooter opened fire, killing multiple people and wounding others, including sevearl police officers, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Wax, who was in his late 80s, was among those killed when a gunman entered the synagogue Saturday and opened fire at Sabbath services. Fellow members of the congregation, which rented space in the lower level of the Tree of Life Synagogue, says Wax was a kind man and a pillar of the congregation, filling just about every role except cantor.

Myron Snider spoke late Saturday about his friend who would stay late to tell jokes with him. He said "Mel," a retired accountant, was unfailingly generous.

"He was such a kind, kind person," said Snider, chairman of the congregation's cemetery committee. "When my daughters were younger, they would go to him, and he would help them with their federal income tax every year. Never charged them.

"He and I used to, at the end of services, try to tell a joke or two to each other. Most of the time they were clean jokes. Most of the time. I won't say all the time. But most of the time."

New Light moved to the Tree of Life building about a year ago, when the congregation of about 100 mostly older members could no longer afford its own space, said administrative assistant Marilyn Honigsberg. She said Wax, who lost his wife Sandra in 2016, was always there when services began at 9:45 a.m.

"I know a few of the people who are always there that early, and he is one of them," she said.

Snider said Wax, who was slightly hard of hearing, was a pillar of the congregation, filling just about every role except cantor.

"He went Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, when there were Sunday services," said Snider, a retired pharmacist. "If somebody didn't come that was supposed to lead services, he could lead the services and do everything. He knew how to do everything at the synagogue. He was really a very learned person."

Cohen recalled Wax, along with victims Richard Gottfried, 65, and Daniel Stein, 71, as "the heart, the religious heart" of New Light.

"They led the service. They maintained the Torah. They did what needed to be done with the rabbi to make our services happen.

Snider had just been released from a six-week hospital stay for pneumonia and was not at Saturday's services.

"He called my wife to get my phone number in the hospital so he could talk to me," Snider said. "Just a sweet, sweet guy."

JERRY RABINOWITZ: 'TRUSTED CONFIDANT, HEALER'

Former Allegheny County Deputy District Attorney Law Claus remembered Jerry Rabinowitz, a 66-year-old personal physician and victim in Saturday's shooting, as more than a physician for him and his family for the last three decades.

"He was truly a trusted confidant and healer," he wrote in an email to his former co-workers on Sunday.

He said Rabinowitz had an uplifting demeanor and would provide sage advice.

"Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz ... could always be counted upon to provide sage advice whenever he was consulted on medical matters, usually providing that advice with a touch of genuine humor," Claus said. "He had a truly uplifting demeanor, and as a practicing physician he was among the very best."

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Associated Press reporter Allen G. Breed in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this story. Lauer reported from Philadelphia.
MANCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - An annual Mormon pageant that drew thousands of visitors to upstate New York will be staged for the last time in 2020 as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints moves away from large-scale productions.

The Salt Lake City-based church released a statement Saturday saying its local leaders and members are being encouraged to focus on gospel learnings in their homes and participate in Sabbath worship and church programs.

The statement says large productions such as the Hill Cumorah (kuh-MOR'-uh) Pageant in Ontario County are being discouraged.

Last summer's 81st pageant, held on a large outdoor stage in the town of Manchester, drew 25,000 attendees.

Mormons believe that their faith's founder, Joseph Smith, found metal plates in the hills of nearby Palmyra in 1823 that became the Book of Mormon.
ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistan's President Arif Alvi says the country will not establishing ties with Israel and that it supports the Palestinians because the Gaza Strip has also faced "unprecedented atrocities" like Kashmir.

Alvi, before departing to Ankara on a three-day visit Sunday, told reporters that all speculation about the landing of an Israeli jet at an Islamabad airport was baseless. Since he assumed office last month, this is Alvi's first foreign visit following an invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Israeli journalist Avi Scharf tweeted on Thursday that a private Israeli business jet had flown to Islamabad from Tel Aviv and remained in the Pakistani capital for nearly 10 hours, fueling media speculation. Several Pakistani ministers and the Civil Aviation Authority denied the report.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - More than 700,000 immigrants are waiting on applications to become U.S. citizens, a process that once typically took about six months but has stretched to more than two years in some places under the administration of President Donald Trump.

The long wait times have prompted some immigrant advocates to ask whether the delays are aimed at keeping anti-Trump voters from casting ballots in elections.

"People are motivated to participate, and they're being frustrated from being able to participate in the elections they're excited about," said Manuel Pastor, director of the University of Southern California's Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration.

The number of immigrants aspiring to become U.S. citizens surged during 2016, jumping 27 percent from a year earlier as Trump made cracking down on immigration a central theme of his presidential campaign. At first, the federal government kept up with the applications, but then the wait grew.

Backlogs are nothing new in the U.S. immigration system. It often takes years to receive asylum or to be deported. But naturalization - the final step to become an American citizen, obtain a U.S. passport and receive voting rights - had not been subject to such delays in recent years.

Now the average wait time for officials to decide on applications is more than 10 months. It takes up to 22 months in Atlanta and as long as 26 months in parts of Texas, according to official estimates.

In this Sept. 18, 2018 photo new American citizens stand during a naturalization ceremony in Los Angeles. More than 700,000 immigrants are waiting on their applications to become U.S. citizens, a process that in many parts of the country now takes a year or more. The number of aspiring Americans surged during 2016, jumping 27 percent from a year ago as Donald Trump made cracking down on immigration a central point of his presidential campaign. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)

Trump tweeted on Thursday that Central American migrants headed north in a U.S.-bound caravan should return home and can apply for American citizenship if they wish. "Go back to your Country and if you want, apply for citizenship like millions of others are doing!" he posted as thousands continued their trek through Mexico.

But immigrants generally must be legal permanent residents of the United States to apply for citizenship and getting a green card can take years - if a person even qualifies for one.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said the longer waits to naturalize are because of the surge in applications, not slower processing. The agency decided 850,000 cases in 2017, up 8 percent from a year before.

Despite "a record and unprecedented" spike in applications, the agency is operating more efficiently and effectively and "outperforming itself," spokesman Michael Bars said in a statement.

To become an American citizen, immigrants must hold green cards for at least three years, demonstrate good moral character and pass English and civics tests.

Citizenship applications typically rise before an increase in filing fees and during presidential election years as immigrants get excited about the prospect of voting and advocacy groups conduct widespread outreach to try to get more eligible voters to the polls.

Enrique Robles, 32, said he applied to naturalize as soon as he was eligible after living in the U.S. most of his life. When he didn't hear about the status of his application, Robles, who is originally from Mexico, started to worry.

More than a year later, he said, he was called to an interview where an immigration officer questioned whether he should have been issued a green card in the first place, a concern he was able to quickly dispel by explaining that his father had legitimately sponsored him.

"With this administration, it feels like more they are looking for possibilities to kick people out," said Robles, who took his citizenship oath in September.

Keeping potential citizens from voting could have an effect, but it could also drive their relatives and friends to the polls in greater numbers.

"The naturalization delays have a huge cost in stopping some people" from voting, but they "have a huge impact in motivating others," said Jeremy Robbins, executive director of New American Economy, a bipartisan group in support of immigration.

Competitive districts that have a large number of foreign-born residents are likely to be among those where naturalization delays could matter most. Those include districts in California's Orange County and in Texas and New Jersey, Robbins said.

At a recent naturalization ceremony in Los Angeles, some new citizens said the process seemed long to them, while others said it flew by in a matter of months. Key for many was being able to travel with an American passport and being able to vote.

Sameeha Alkamalee Jabbar, 38, who is from Sri Lanka, said the process took 10 months and at times she worried about the backlog. She wants to vote next month because "every vote counts" - and especially because her husband is seeking re-election to a school board seat in Orange County.

"This is home now," she said, wearing a stars-and-stripes hijab. "I love the United States of America."

Immigrant advocates recently filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles demanding records from the Trump administration on the delays. They questioned whether wait times were longer in electoral battleground states and said that could suggest voter suppression.

Juliana Cabrales, Mid-Atlantic director of civic engagement at the NALEO Educational Fund, which supports Latino participation in politics, said the group is focused on driving voter turnout in the midterm elections but will quickly pivot to encouraging immigrants to apply for citizenship if they want to vote for president in 2020.

"Right now, we're finding ourselves in this space, in places like Miami and New York, where processing times are 21 months," she said. "If you want to vote in 2020 you have to apply (to naturalize) now."

In this Sept. 18, 2018 photo Sameeha Alkamalee Jabbar, center, from Orange County sits during a naturalization ceremony in Los Angeles. Alkamalee Jabbar who is originally from Sri Lanka, said the process took ten months and at times she worried but knew about the backlog. More than 700,000 immigrants are waiting on their applications to become U.S. citizens, a process that in many parts of the country now takes a year or more. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)
PRAGUE (AP) - The Czech Republic's prime minister has told U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that a possible U.S. withdrawal from a landmark nuclear weapons treaty would be wrong.

Andrej Babis told reporters in Prague on Sunday that relations (with Russia) "aren't ideal and we're returning to Cold War times."

Babis said that "it would be good for the superpowers to cooperate."

President Donald Trump said that Russia has violated terms of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF, which prohibits the U.S. and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying ground-launched nuclear cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (300 to 3,400 miles).

Russia has repeatedly denied producing or testing such a missile.

Babis also said the Czechs will keep troops in Afghanistan despite four recent fatalities there.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, talks to journalists during a press conference with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, not shown, in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Mattis arrives in Prague to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1918 creation of the Czechoslovak state. (Roman Vondrous/CTK via AP) ** SLOVAKIA OUT **

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, right, shakes hands with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, left, during a meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, October 28, 2018. (AP via CTK/Roman Vondrous) ** SLOVAKIA OUT **
TIRANA, Albania (AP) - Police in Albania fatally shot a man in a gunbattle with officers Sunday during an annual event to celebrate Greece's entry in World War II against Italy, prompting a strong reaction from Athens.

Konstantinos Kacifa, a 35-year-old dual Albanian-Greek citizen, first started shooting in the air in the village of Bularat, 255 kilometers (160 miles) south of the capital, Tirana, police said in a statement. Then the man fired at approaching police cars before running away.

Kacifa hid on a nearby mountain and continued to fire at officers, authorities said. Police said he died in the exchange of fire.

Kacifa was born in Bularat but had most recently been living in Athens. Police and prosecutors were investigating a motive for the man's actions.

Greece's Foreign Ministry reacted to his death by saying "it is unacceptable that the operation resulted in the loss of a human life."

"We await from Albanian authorities the complete clarification of the conditions under which the aforementioned Greek citizen lost his life and will immediately make the necessary moves," a statement said.

Members of Greece's extreme right political party Golden Dawn protested after Kacifa's death outside the Albanian Embassy, closing a major road in Athens. Albanian media reported that Kacifa was a member too.

Albania's Foreign Ministry expressed its regrets "for the unjustifiable politicization of the event in the neighboring country."

Its statement added that Albanian police had clarified in detail that this was a "totally isolated event" and "a flagrant case" of aggression against Albanian police. It also said that it assured "our neighbors that Albania is a safe and calm country for all its citizens, including those of Greek nationality."

Relations between Greece and post-communist Albania remain uneasy. An Ionian Sea agreement, the ethnic Greek minority in Albania and Albanian immigrants in Greece remain contentious issues, sparking tensions in bilateral ties time and again.

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Demetris Nellas contributed to this report from Athens.

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Follow Llazar Semini on twitter: https://twitter.com/lsemini
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say an airline pilot was arrested at a Florida airport after a loaded gun was found in his carry-on suitcase.

The News-Press reports Brian Andrew Machtemes of Minnetonka, Minnesota, was arrested Friday at Southwest Florida International Airport.

A Lee County Port Authority arrest report says the 54-year-old Sun Country Airlines pilot was arrested when a Transportation Security Administration agent found a loaded pistol in his suitcase.

The report says Machtemes has a permit to carry the gun in Minnesota, but that it wasn't valid in Florida.

The TSA allows unloaded firearms in locked containers only as checked baggage.

Airline spokeswoman Kirsten Wenker confirmed Machtemes is a pilot but declined further comment, citing privacy reasons.

Machtemes was released on $5,000 bond. Jail records didn't show whether he had an attorney.

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Information from: The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press, http://www.news-press.com
MOSCOW (AP) - Police in Moscow and St. Petersburg have detained about 50 people taking part in unauthorized demonstrations against a criminal case filed against 10 young Russians for allegedly taking part in in extremist group that aimed to overthrow the government.

Lawyers for the 10 suspects who were arrested in March say undercover police fabricated the case, writing the group's radical program and encouraging members to have shooting practice.

Four of those charged are jailed and the others are under house arrest.

The OVD-Info group, which monitors police actions and political repressions, said that at least 40 people were detained in St. Petersburg on Sunday and at least nine in Moscow.

The case has been widely criticized as a glaring example of official abuse of Russia's law on extremism.

Policemen detain a journalist during a rally in support of the defendants involved in the Novoye Velichye (New Greatness) case in St.Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. New Greatness members, including two teenage girls, were arrested in March 2018 on charges of creating an extremist group having planned to seize power in Russia by coup and who, according to their lawyers, were entrapped by an undercover agent. If found guilty, the New Greatness case defendants may face from six to ten years in prison. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Police officers speak with a protester holding a poster reading 'Kremlin, release the hostages!', during a rally in support of the defendants involved in the Novoye Velichye (New Greatness) case in St.Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. New Greatness members, including two teenage girls, were arrested in March 2018 on charges of creating an extremist group having planned to seize power in Russia by coup and who, according to their lawyers, were entrapped by an undercover agent. If found guilty, the New Greatness case defendants may face from six to ten years in prison. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Police detain protesters during a rally in support of the defendants involved in the Novoye Velichye (New Greatness) case in St.Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. New Greatness members, including two teenage girls, were arrested in March 2018 on charges of creating an extremist group having planned to seize power in Russia by coup and who, according to their lawyers, were entrapped by an undercover agent. If found guilty, the New Greatness case defendants may face from six to ten years in prison. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

A policeman detains a protester during a rally in support of the defendants involved in the Novoye Velichye (New Greatness) case in St.Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. New Greatness members, including two teenage girls, were arrested in March 2018 on charges of creating an extremist group having planned to seize power in Russia by coup and who, according to their lawyers, were entrapped by an undercover agent. If found guilty, the New Greatness case defendants may face from six to ten years in prison. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

A policeman detains a protester during a rally in support of the defendants involved in the Novoye Velichye (New Greatness) case in St.Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. New Greatness members, including two teenage girls, were arrested in March 2018 on charges of creating an extremist group having planned to seize power in Russia by coup and who, according to their lawyers, were entrapped by an undercover agent. If found guilty, the New Greatness case defendants may face from six to ten years in prison. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
BERLIN (AP) - The Latest on Germany's local election the central state of Hesse (all times local):

6 p.m.

Exit polls show Chancellor Angela Merkel's party leading in a state election in the central German region of Hesse, but a significant drop in support for both her conservatives and their center-left partners in the national government.

The exit polls for ARD and ZDF public television gave Merkel's Christian Democratic Union up to 28 percent support and the center-left Social Democrats 20 percent. When Hesse last elected its state legislature in 2013, they won 38.3 and 30.7 percent, respectively.

There were gains for the Greens, who were roughly level with Social Democrats at up to 20 percent. And the far-right Alternative for Germany was on course to enter the last of Germany's 16 state parliaments with up to 13 percent.

The election has unusually high national political significance following months of infighting in Merkel's federal coalition.

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2018 file photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, at the Reichstag building in Berlin. The stakes are unusually high for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government as the central region of Hesse votes in a state election this weekend. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, file)

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8 a.m.

Germany's central region of Hesse is voting in a state election marked by discontent with infighting in the national government - and its results could help determine whether Chancellor Angela Merkel's administration has a long-term future.

Sunday's election for the state legislature in Hesse, which includes Germany's financial center of Frankfurt, comes as support for the country's governing parties is sliding and tensions are high in a federal coalition in office only since March.

Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union is defending its 19-year hold on Hesse, previously a stronghold of the center-left Social Democrats, the chancellor's federal coalition partners in Berlin. A disastrous result for either or both parties could further destabilize the national government and ultimately the position of Merkel, Germany's leader for the past 13 years.

Two weeks ago, two of the federal governing parties were battered in a state election in neighboring Bavaria. That has given extra significance to the election in Hessen, which is home to 6.2 million of Germany's 82 million people.

FILE - In this June 18, 2018 file photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, talks with the Prime Minister of the Hesse state Volker Bouffier, right, prior to leaders meetings of her Christion Democratic Union party at the party's headquarters in Berlin. The stakes are unusually high for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government as the central region of Hesse votes in a state election this weekend. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, file)
Harry Houdini, the Jewish escape artist who thwarted every attempt to cage him, died not long after being punched in the gut by a college student. Houdini's abdominal muscles were legendary, but the student didn't give him enough time to tense them before delivering a blow that ruptured his appendix.

Something like this happened to me on Saturday morning.

I grew up in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill - in fact, directly across the street and catty corner to the Tree of Life synagogue. Squirrel Hill is one of America's leafiest and loveliest Jewish communities. Synagogues and Jewish shops abound in the hilly little Eden. Heavenly corned-beef sandwiches are easy pickings where orthodox, conservative, reformed, and unaffiliated Jews live harmoniously with their non-Jewish neighbors. The Jewish Community Center is a beehive of multi-faith activity.

People are nice to each other in Squirrel Hill. For crying out loud, it was literally Mr. Rogers' neighborhood. We had a mass murder in Mr. Rogers' neighborhood.

Until today, it seemed inconceivable to me that any American could, at this point, be shocked by a mass murder, even one in their backyard. Those expressing such shock have struck me as willfully self-delusional. Jewish Americans, in particular, are taught pretty much from day one that the veneer of "civilization" is perilously thin and that "It" could happen again. Here. In our lifetimes. And so we must be ever vigilant and wary - perpetually tensed.

I was weaned on such worries. And despite how paranoid they seemed on the corner of Shady and Wilkins, I thought I had internalized them.

Gideon Murphy places a flower at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Robert Bowers, the suspect in Saturday's mass shooting at the synagogue, expressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and told officers afterward that Jews were committing genocide and he wanted them all to die, according to charging documents made public Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

But I wasn't ready for the blow.

I wasn't ready to hear the words 'Squirrel Hill' uttered by the president of the United States or the prime minister of Israel. I wasn't prepared to see a law enforcement officer armed to the teeth standing in front of the house where I grew up memorizing Steelers' Super Bowl stats. Or to see a childhood friend interviewed on the news. I was not prepared to wonder how close a connection I would have when the names of the dead were finally released.

Now I know what far too many Americans know - not that it can happen anywhere, but the visceral truth that it happened in a place I consider home. This isn't knowledge. It's a wound.

You don't want to hear me rant and rave about what I think must change to make this the last mass shooting in America. So instead, I'll tell you something else about Harry Houdini: He managed many of his impossible escapes by hiding keys in the back of his throat.

Our key is in our throats as well: our words.

Words matter. Words matter. Words. Matter.

We live in a cesspool of hateful words, and we are drowning in it. Yet we act surprised when hate rears up in our communities.

Mr. Rogers, whose son attended my elementary school, always counseled us to look for the helpers in times of crisis. I took his advice Saturday and was brought to tears by the bravery of Pittsburgh's first responders. And I swelled with pride when several local rabbis declined a news anchor's invitation to offer thoughts and prayers. Instead, they explained that, for Jews, prayer is primarily a personal affair, and that Judaism is first and foremost a religion of action.

Unless we see courageous action, the Squirrel Hill massacre will be just another on the list, albeit one with an asterisk for me. You probably have your own.

We're a ruptured and bleeding nation in a cage of our own making. I only wish I had the magic key to unlock our hardening hearts.

Won't you be my neighbor?

___

David Michael Slater is the author of more than 20 books. His work for children includes the picture books "Cheese Louise!", "The Boy & the Book" and "Hanukkah Harvie vs. Santa Claus"; the early chapter-book series "Mysterious Monsters"; and the teen series "Forbidden Books." Slater's work for adults includes the comic-drama "Fun & Games." Slater teaches in Reno, Nevada, where he lives with his wife and son. You can learn more about Slater and his work at http://www.davidmichaelslater.com.
WACO, Texas (AP) - A Texas judge has delayed the second trial stemming from a chaotic 2015 shooting outside a Waco restaurant involving rival biker clubs and police that left nine people dead.

The decision to postpone the Nov. 5 trial of Timothy Shayne Satterwhite on riot and weapons charges means the year will end without anyone standing trial over the deadliest biker shooting in U.S. history.

More than 150 people were indicted following the mayhem at the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, but the majority of cases have been dismissed. The only case that went to trial ended last year with jurors deadlocked.

The Waco Tribune-Herald reports the postponement of Satterwhite's case could indicate it's heading toward a settlement under a new district attorney scheduled to take office in January.

___

Information from: Waco Tribune-Herald, http://www.wacotrib.com
FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina sheriff's deputy who died from wounds suffered in a mass shooting earlier this month was remembered Sunday at her funeral as a dedicated peace officer who always had a smile.

The funeral for Florence County Sheriff's Investigator Farrah Turner, 36, drew relatives and colleagues together along with law enforcement representatives from around the country.

Turner was part of a team that investigated sex crimes against children, a job her boss Sheriff Kenney Boone called one of the hardest on the force.

"She dedicated her life to serving the victims of the worst crimes imaginable," Boone said when he announced her death earlier.

Before joining the sex crime unit, Turner was a police officer serving in schools in a local district. Officials said she even volunteered her time for security when a high school couldn't afford to pay her to work at its prom.

Turner began her career with the Florence County Sheriff's Office in 2006, and was named investigator of the year in 2016, according to her obituary.

Katie Godwin, mother of fallen Florence County Sheriff's Investigator Farrah Turner, is escorted by an official before the funeral for her daughter, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty on Wednesday, Oct. 3. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Turner underwent at least nine surgeries after being shot, even having her feet amputated several days before her death.

She died on Oct. 22 - 19 days after she was shot in what authorities said was a gunman's ambush on her and two other deputies coming to a home in an upscale Florence County subdivision to investigate possible sexual abuse of a minor.

Frederick Hopkins, 74, then fired more shots at city of Florence police officers trying to rescue Turner and the wounded deputies, according to authorities. Florence Police Sgt. Terrence Carraway died that day and several other officers were wounded.

Rescuers had to use an armored vehicle to move the wounded officers to safety because Hopkins kept firing from his home at the end of a cul-de-sac, which allowed him an unobstructed view for several blocks, according to officials. He also had two children inside the house.

Officers fired nearly 400 shots at Hopkins' home. He fired around 40 shots back, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said.

Hopkins is charged with two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder.

The man Turner and her colleagues were going to question, Hopkins' 28-year-old son Seth Hopkins, has been charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor against two different girls.

An arrest warrant said one of the girls was younger than 11 when the abuse happened nearly 10 years ago. The other girl, who was between 11 and 14, was abused in the past year, a warrant said.

Turner is only the second female law enforcement officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty in South Carolina. Aiken Public Safety officer Sandy Rogers was killed in January 2012 checking on a suspicious vehicle.

Hopkins, a Vietnam veteran, won awards for marksmanship during 11 years in the U.S. Army.

Mourners react during a memorial service for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Mourners and police officers from around the country attend a memorial service for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Florence County Sheriff deputies escort the casket into the Civic Center before the funeral for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Flowers and photos are on display before the funeral for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Mourners react during a memorial service for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and his wife Peggy attend a memorial service for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Family members attend a memorial service for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Family members attend a memorial service for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Mourners and police officers from around the country attend a memorial service before the funeral for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Florence County Sheriff deputy Arie Davis , who was wounded in the Oct. 3 shooting and is recovering, attends a memorial service for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone and his family attend a memorial service for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Mourners and police officers from around the country attend a memorial service for fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Oct. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

CORRECTS MOTHER'S LAST NAME TO GODWIN, INSTEAD OF TURNER - Katie Godwin, mother of fallen Florence County Sheriff investigator Farrah Turner, is hugged by an official before the funeral for her daughter, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty Wednesday, Oct. 3. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

CORRECTS MOTHER'S LAST NAME TO GODWIN, INSTEAD OF TURNER - Katie Godwin, center, mother of Farrah Turner, approaches the casket during a memorial service for her daughter on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, at the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. Turner died from injuries she sustained in the line of duty on Oct. 3. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)
AKRON, Ohio (AP) - A man accused of killing nine people in two arson fires in Ohio will have a single trial, a judge has ruled.

Attorneys for defendant Stanley Ford argued he should have separate trials for the fatal fires in his Akron neighborhood.

One fire killed two adults in April 2016. The second killed two adults and five children in May 2017.

Ford, who could face the death penalty if convicted, has pleaded not guilty. His attorneys have said he maintains his innocence.

A Summit County Common Pleas judge rejected the request for separate trials in a ruling released this past week, the Akron Beacon Journal reported .

Judge Christine Croce said in her ruling that she didn't find a serious risk that a joint trial "would prevent the jury from making a reliable judgment about guilt or innocence."

Ford, 59, was indicted in July 2017 on 29 charges including multiple counts of aggravated murder. He is being held in the Summit County Jail without bond.

Prosecutors have alleged Ford had a "beef" with neighbors in each case.

Defense attorneys Scott Rilley and Joe Gorman filed a motion to sever the cases in May arguing the two fatal arson cases are "separate and distinct" and trying the cases together would violate Ford's due process rights.

Prosecutors, however, said the arson cases are similar and part of a "common scheme or plan," which means they can be tried together.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 15, with the trial set to start Feb. 11.

___

Information from: Akron Beacon Journal, http://www.ohio.com
Harry Houdini, the Jewish escape artist who thwarted every attempt to cage him, died not long after being punched in the gut by a college student. Houdini's abdominal muscles were legendary, but the student didn't give him enough time to tense them before delivering a blow that ruptured his appendix.

Something like this happened to me on Saturday morning.

I grew up in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill - in fact, directly across the street and catty corner to the Tree of Life synagogue. Squirrel Hill is one of America's leafiest and loveliest Jewish communities. Synagogues and Jewish shops abound in the hilly little Eden. Heavenly corned-beef sandwiches are easy pickings where orthodox, conservative, reformed, and unaffiliated Jews live harmoniously with their non-Jewish neighbors. The Jewish Community Center is a beehive of multi-faith activity.

People are nice to each other in Squirrel Hill. For crying out loud, it was literally Mr. Rogers' neighborhood. We had a mass murder in Mr. Rogers' neighborhood.

Until today, it seemed inconceivable to me that any American could, at this point, be shocked by a mass murder, even one in their backyard. Those expressing such shock have struck me as willfully self-delusional. Jewish Americans, in particular, are taught pretty much from day one that the veneer of "civilization" is perilously thin and that "It" could happen again. Here. In our lifetimes. And so we must be ever vigilant and wary - perpetually tensed.

I was weaned on such worries. And despite how paranoid they seemed on the corner of Shady and Wilkins, I thought I had internalized them.

Gideon Murphy places a flower at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Robert Bowers, the suspect in Saturday's mass shooting at the synagogue, expressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and told officers afterward that Jews were committing genocide and he wanted them all to die, according to charging documents made public Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

But I wasn't ready for the blow.

I wasn't ready to hear the words 'Squirrel Hill' uttered by the president of the United States or the prime minister of Israel. I wasn't prepared to see a law enforcement officer armed to the teeth standing in front of the house where I grew up memorizing Steelers' Super Bowl stats. Or to see a childhood friend interviewed on the news. I was not prepared to wonder how close a connection I would have when the names of the dead were finally released.

Now I know what far too many Americans know - not that it can happen anywhere, but the visceral truth that it happened in a place I consider home. This isn't knowledge. It's a wound.

You don't want to hear me rant and rave about what I think must change to make this the last mass shooting in America. So instead, I'll tell you something else about Harry Houdini: He managed many of his impossible escapes by hiding keys in the back of his throat.

Our key is in our throats as well: our words.

Words matter. Words matter. Words. Matter.

We live in a cesspool of hateful words, and we are drowning in it. Yet we act surprised when hate rears up in our communities.

Mr. Rogers, whose son attended my elementary school, always counseled us to look for the helpers in times of crisis. I took his advice Saturday and was brought to tears by the bravery of Pittsburgh's first responders. And I swelled with pride when several local rabbis declined a news anchor's invitation to offer thoughts and prayers. Instead, they explained that, for Jews, prayer is primarily a personal affair, and that Judaism is first and foremost a religion of action.

Unless we see courageous action, the Squirrel Hill massacre will be just another on the list, albeit one with an asterisk for me. You probably have your own.

We're a ruptured and bleeding nation in a cage of our own making. I only wish I had the magic key to unlock our hardening hearts.

Won't you be my neighbor?

___

David Michael Slater is the author of more than 20 books. His work for children includes the picture books "Cheese Louise!", "The Boy & the Book" and "Hanukkah Harvie vs. Santa Claus"; the early chapter-book series "Mysterious Monsters"; and the teen series "Forbidden Books." Slater's work for adults includes the comic-drama "Fun & Games." Slater teaches in Reno, Nevada, where he lives with his wife and son. You can learn more about Slater and his work at http://www.davidmichaelslater.com.

Law enforcement are position outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Robert Bowers, the suspect in the mass shooting at the synagogue, expressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and told officers afterward that Jews were committing genocide and he wanted them all to die, according to charging documents made public Sunday.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistani police say at least 17 passengers have been killed when a bus fell into a gorge in northern Pakistan.

Officer Abdul Ghafoor said Sunday that the bus was heading to Rawalpindi from Ghiberti in Gilgit Baltistan when it fell into the deep gorge in Kohistan District.

Ghafoor said 17 bodies have been recovered and one woman was left with slight injuries, adding that a lack of communication to the remote area caused delays in rescue efforts.

Police suspected speeding on the slippery road in the mountainous terrain was the cause of the accident.

Such incidents are common in Pakistan where motorists often disregard traffic rules and ignore safety standards.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's campaign rallies continued. Attack ads stayed on the airwaves. Political combat largely carried on.

Amid a wave of election-season violence that left many Americans on edge, the contentious midterm campaign has barreled forward with little pause. Trump and other politicians disavowed the pipe bombs sent to prominent Democrats and condemned the massacre of 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue this past week. But the divisiveness that has dominated the nation's politics kept creeping back.

During a rally Saturday night, Trump asked a crowd of red-hatted supporters if it was OK for him to "tone it down, just a little bit." When the crowd roared back with a decisive "No!" Trump replied: "I had a feeling you might say that."

The attacks are a grim capstone to a midterm campaign that will serve as a referendum on Trump, whose unorthodox approach to the presidency is particularly glaring in times of tragedy. With less than two weeks to go before Election Day, Trump was among many politicians who largely stuck to the script, raising questions about whether Americans are becoming increasingly desensitized in the wake of tragedy.

"It feels in this moment like there's a numbness," said Jennifer Psaki, who served as a campaign and White House adviser to former President Barack Obama. "When there's a tragedy, the nation is a little rudderless."

Some Trump supporters have begun to suggest that the president modulate his searing and personal attacks on his opponents - including those targeted by the Trump supporter who allegedly mailed pipe bombs to several Democrats.

President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he leaves the stage after speaking to supporters during a rally at Southern Illinois Airport Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, in Murphysboro, Ill. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

"In general, we got to tone it down," said Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as Trump's White House communications director, in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union." ''He's the president of the United States. He controls the news cycle and the bully pulpit. And he could do it."

To be sure, Trump has struck some conciliatory notes in recent days, including vowing to do "everything in my power as president" to stop political violence. He condemned the synagogue shooting as an "evil anti-Semitic attack" and called it "an assault on all of us."

But with just over a week before elections that will determine the control of Congress, Trump has also expressed frustration that outside events are distracting from what he sees as rising GOP momentum. In a tweet last week, he put the word "bomb" in quotation marks and said the media was "not talking politics."

Trump took to Twitter Sunday night to again argue that the media was unfairly blaming him for the divisions in the country. He added that "it is their Fake & Dishonest reporting which is causing problems far greater than they understand!"

He also said he would "probably pass" on reaching out to pipe-bomb targets Hillary Clinton or Obama - overtures that would almost certainly have garnered bipartisan praise.

He's also kept up some of his attacks on others targeted with pipe bombs. On Sunday he called Democratic megadonor Tom Steyer a "crazed & stumbling lunatic" and warned that backing Democratic candidates would be a vote for California Rep. Maxine Waters, who he has previously said has a low IQ. The president also did nothing on Saturday to stop his supporters from chanting "lock her up" - a frequent rally refrain about Clinton, his opponent in the 2016 presidential election.

After a riff about another of his favorite foes - Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who was not targeted in the pipe bomb plot - Trump seemed to acknowledge that there were limits to his ability to ratchet down his rhetoric.

"We can't resist," he said.

Asked about Trump's decision to keep campaigning amid tragedy, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump was "committed to the safety and security of all Americans, and he mourns with the nation in the aftermath of the evil anti-Semitic attack in Pittsburgh." She added that Trump was committed "to supporting leaders who will fight alongside him to protect the safety and security of all Americans, grow our booming economy and move our country forward."

Of course, Democrats have been just as blistering in their condemnation of Trump during the midterm campaign. Some have declared him unfit for office and a danger to democracy. Many were also quick to blame him for creating the atmosphere that led to this week's violence.

"There's no escaping the tone that he sets," U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and frequent Trump critic, said Sunday on CNN. "It's going to fall on the rest of us to make this a more perfect union to bring people together, to accentuate our common humanity."

It was mainly in Pennsylvania where the impact of the violence on the campaign was really noticeable.

After Saturday's shooting, there were a few moves to tamp down campaigning. Democrats Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf and Wolf's Republican opponent, Scott Wagner, all announced on Sunday that they were canceling campaign events. Wolf also took campaign ads off the air.

But across the country, millions of dollars in negative political advertisements still filled the airwaves, including some referencing billionaire George Soros, a liberal donor who received the first pipe bomb last week.

Rep. Steve Stivers, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, defended one such ad, saying "you know, that ad is factual."

Violence has intruded in political campaigns before. When a gunman killed 12 people in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during the height of the 2012 presidential campaign, both Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney paused some campaign activities.

"There are going to be other days for politics," Obama said at the time.

Trump's explanation for going forward with his political events was far different.

"We have our schedules, and nobody's going to change it," he said. "So we're here."

___

Editor's Note: Catherine Lucey has covered politics and the White House for AP since 2012. Follow her at http://twitter.com/catherine_lucey. Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace has covered politics and the White House for AP since 2007. Follow her at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
PITTSBURGH (AP) - In a city known for its Jewish population, the neighborhood was the faith's spiritual heart and the synagogue a cornerstone of the community.

For generations, Squirrel Hill has been known as one of Pittsburgh's most special enclaves, where the Tree of Life temple stood as a welcoming landmark. Residents marveled over their good fortune to live in a place that seemed open, accepting and secure.

"People always felt safe here," said Jules Stein, a lifelong resident of Squirrel Hill who until recently belonged to Tree of Life. "In one day, that changed."

A gunman opened fire Saturday at the synagogue, killing 11 people. It was the type of violence that seemed impossible to many who called the neighborhood home.

Tanya Cohen, who emigrated from Russia and lives near Tree of Life, always knew anti-Semitism existed but never thought it would strike so close.

"It seemed like here, those things were really far away and really removed from our reality," said Cohen, whose 12-year-old daughter was shaken by the sight of rifle-carrying men in fatigues passing by their home. "Those are the things that we read in on a newspaper or in a book or watch in a movie."

Personnel from Chesed Shel Emes Emergency Services and Recovery Unit gather near the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Robert Bowers, the suspect in the mass shooting at the synagogue, expressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and told officers afterward that Jews were committing genocide and he wanted them all to die, according to charging documents made public Sunday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The former leader of Tree of Life, Rabbi Alvin Berkun, was dressed and ready to head to the synagogue on Saturday when his wife asked him to stay home because she didn't feel well. He said the congregation only posted security officers on the High Holidays, but even so never felt unsafe there.

"The community is very resilient and we will rebound," he said, "but it will leave a scar forever."

Others, though grateful for the seeming bubble in which they lived, always feared such hatred could visit them.

A 2017 report on Pittsburgh's Jewish community by Brandeis University researchers found 70 percent of area Jews were a little or somewhat concerned about anti-Semitism. Older Jews expressed the most fear: One-third of those 65 and older said they were very concerned, versus 10 percent of those 18 to 34.

The report estimated about 50,000 Jews call Greater Pittsburgh home.

About 1 in 6 respondents said they had directly experienced anti-Semitism in the preceding year, mostly involving comments, insults, jokes and stereotypes. One person quoted in the report said, while walking to a synagogue, a motorist yelled "dumb Jew" and spat at them, before warning them to "go back to Squirrel Hill." Another told of a campaign sign for Donald Trump being put in their yard with a note saying it was from their "neighborhood youth Hitler."

"I have never been a person to say this could never happen here," said Aviva Lubowsky, a lifelong resident of Squirrel Hill who attended Hebrew school at Tree of Life as a child. "Ever since 9/11, sitting in synagogue for the High Holidays, I feel like we're sitting ducks."

Ren Finkel, who moved to Pittsburgh from San Diego six years ago, echoed that sentiment.

"I wouldn't say I was expecting it," Finkel said while attending a small vigil. "But I don't know that surprise is necessarily what I was feeling either."

There have been scattered incidents of anti-Semitism in the area over the years that have occasionally drawn concern, including spray-painted swastikas. In 1986, a rabbinical student from Toronto visiting his in-laws was shot on the street in a killing many believed was motivated by the victim's appearance. He was bearded and wore a yarmulke with a long black coat, black suit and black hat - hallmarks of Orthodox Judaism.

As jarring and violent as that killing was, though, it came nowhere close to the impact of Saturday's attack.

"It was unsettling, but somehow I don't recall that there was a sense that it was part of a larger phenomenon, that it was going to reflect a wave," said Barbara Burstin, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh who teaches about Judaism and has authored books including "Steel City Jews: A History of Pittsburgh and its Jewish Community." ''It didn't seem to be representative of a larger phenomenon, but now it definitely does."

German Jews began arriving in Pittsburgh in the 1840s, followed later by Eastern European Jews. Tree of Life broke off from a reform congregation in 1865, moving to the Oakland neighborhood before building its current Squirrel Hill home after World War II.

Today, some 20 synagogues are clustered in the leafy, well-kept area.

Sarah Elbling Straus, a 41-year-old who grew up in Squirrel Hill, said she felt so secure in the neighborhood that she never experienced anti-Semitism until she left for college. She now lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and has been active in her new congregation, including on security issues.

"You never think it would happen here," she said, "until it happens."

___

Sedensky reported from Philadelphia. AP National Writer Allen Breed contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.
DURHAM, N.H. (AP) - In the wake of the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey declared Sunday during a visit with New Hampshire Democrats that "we are in a moral moment in America."

Booker told young Democratic activists at the University of New Hampshire that what worries him in moments like these is that "we pause and express grief and then we move on as if this is normal." But he emphasized: "This is not normal. This is not who we are."

Eleven congregants were killed in the Pittsburgh shooting, which authorities call one of the deadliest attacks against the Jewish community in this country.

The high-profile senator from New Jersey was one of several prominent Democratic leaders, including former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, who were sent pipe bombs through the mail recently, authorities said. All of the explosive devices were intercepted and no one was hurt.

"I was protected by vigilant first responders that stopped the package before it even came to New Jersey," Booker said at Sunday's get-out-the-vote event. He was joined in Durham by Democratic gubernatorial nominee Molly Kelly, First Congressional District nominee Chris Pappas, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

While he refrained from directly criticizing President Donald Trump, Booker appeared to indirectly target the president for his divisive rhetoric on social media and at his political rallies.

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker exits the stage after speaking at a get out the vote event hosted by the NH Young Democrats at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. (AP Photo/ Cheryl Senter)

"In general we have to understand that words matter and that we all need to be mindful of what we're saying," Booker told reporters.

"Since 9/11 the majority of our terrorist attacks have been rightwing groups and the majority of those have been white supremacist groups, people that are peddling hate against blacks or Jews or other minorities. It's so antithetical to who we are," Booker said. "And a lot of them are using the rhetoric of the leaders in this country in their propaganda."

Booker's swing through New Hampshire - to help Democratic candidates running in the Nov. 6 midterm election - was his first visit in more than two years to the state the traditionally holds the first primary in the race for the White House. It comes after he made stops this month and in August in Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada, the other early voting states on the primary and caucus calendar.

Later Sunday, the senator was headed to the state Democratic Party's Portsmouth campaign office to help kick off a canvas and Booker also was to team up with Second Congressional District Rep. Ann Kuster at a rally at Dartmouth College in Hanover.

The visits are helping to spur speculation that Booker is gearing up for a possible run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. But Booker told the Associated Press that "I'm not even focusing on that" and will "start thinking about 2020" after Nov. 6.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker waits in the wings to be introduced at a get out the vote event hosted by the New Hampshire Young Democrats at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

Democrats Chris Pappas, left, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker wait in the wings to be introduced at a get out the vote event hosted by the New Hampshire Young Democrats at University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker speaks at a get out the vote event hosted by the NH Young Democrats at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker takes a video selfie with attendees after speaking at a get out the vote event hosted by the NH Young Democrats at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. (AP Photo/ Cheryl Senter)

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker looks up as he takes a selfie with an attendee after speaking attends at a get out the vote event hosted by the NH Young Democrats at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. (AP Photo/ Cheryl Senter)

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker takes selfies with attendees after speaking at a get out the vote event hosted by the NH Young Democrats at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. (AP Photo/ Cheryl Senter)
PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona prospector realizes he's lucky to be alive after surviving nearly three days at the bottom of an old abandoned gold mine shaft in the Arizona desert and staring down rattlesnakes.

John Waddell, 60, broke his left leg and ankle when the rigging he used to lower himself into the 100-foot (30-meter) shaft about 90 miles (140 kilometers) northwest of Phoenix broke on Oct. 15.

He free-fell to the rocky bottom and saw that his left leg "was flopped up and my ankle was going the other way," according to Waddell.

He had a cellphone but no service. A flashlight that didn't provide light for very long. And no food or water.

Waddell said he killed three diamondback rattlesnakes with a stick before they could strike - including two the first day - and then hung on before he was finally rescued Oct. 17 when a friend drove to the mine and heard his cries for help.

"If I stayed down there, I knew I was going to die," Waddell said Sunday at a news conference at a Phoenix hospital where he's recovering from his injuries. "I was scared. Just about all hope was gone."

This Oct. 17, 2018 photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office shows a rescue team gathers to rescue a man who fell into an old abandoned mine shaft near Aguila, Ariz. A hospital spokeswoman said the man who fell into the old abandoned mine shaft is in good condition awaiting surgery for two broken legs. Sheriff's officials say the man fell into the shaft Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, and was found two days later by someone who heard his calls for help. (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Waddell owns the land where the shaft is located, part of his 100-acre (40-hectare) mining claim in Arizona's Sonoran Desert.

He likes to look in the abandoned mines for a few bits of gold to sell and knew this particular one had some in the rocks.

When his rigging broke and he hit the bottom of the 8-foot-wide shaft, Waddell said he relied in some medical know-how and found a stick and set his broken leg and ankle.

But he soon had to take out the stick and beat the foot-long rattler before it could bite him, then later felt a 2-foot-long snake under his arm.

Waddell said he threw that second snake against the wall of the mine shaft and also beat it to death with the same stick.

"Your survival mode kicks in. It was either me or them," Waddell said of the rattlesnakes. "It's a will to live."

He killed a third snake on Wednesday, a 3-footer.

By then, Waddell said he was starting to hallucinate. He popped blisters to get water into his mouth and sucked moisture out of his shirt so he keep yelling and screaming for help.

Waddell said he thought he heard a truck drive up to the mine and someone calling out his first name.

It was his friend Terry Schrader who knew Waddell was going to attempt a descent into the mine and had agreed he would go look for Waddell if he didn't hear from him soon.

"I broke down. I knew I was going to get out of there," Waddell said. "I was just so thankful."

It took about three hours for rescue crews to lift Waddell to safety and then to a hospital for treatment.

Dr. Cliff Jones, an orthopedic surgeon at Banner-University Medical Center who set Waddell's broken femur and ankle, said the miner is lucky he didn't die of internal bleeding or a blood clot, dehydration or shock.

His left leg still in a cast, Waddell has 6 to 8 weeks of recovery time.

Despite the harrowing mishap, he still intends to explore more mines.

"I've been doing this for 20 years," Waddell said. "It gets in your blood."

This Oct. 17, 2018 photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office shows a Maricopa County Mountain Rescue team prepare to rescue a man who fell into an old abandoned mine shaft near Aguila, Ariz. A hospital spokeswoman said the man who fell into the old abandoned mine shaft is in good condition awaiting surgery for two broken legs. Sheriff's officials say the man fell into the shaft Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, and was found two days later by someone who heard his calls for help. (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office via AP)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina rallied support Sunday in Tennessee for Rep. Marsha Blackburn's Senate bid, saying the fellow Republican "represents good old common sense."

Graham's stop in Nashville was part of a midterm campaign trail tour that includes a dozen states.

Graham vehemently defended Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his Senate Judiciary committee confirmation hearings last month. On Sunday, Graham ridiculed Democrats' attempts to oust Kavanaugh, saying their efforts represented the "will of the mob," not the American people.

"There's only one way to fix this problem, only one way," Graham said. "Beat them at the ballot box."

Blackburn faces Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen on Nov. 6.

Bredesen campaign spokeswoman Alyssa Hansen said in a statement Blackburn's "continued reliance on her Washington friends to prop up her failing campaign shows that she is more focused on D.C., rather than on the voters at home in Tennessee.

"Tennesseans are independent thinkers who can make up their own minds and don't need to be told what to do by out-of-state politicians," Hansen said.

Several protesters were removed before and at the start of Blackburn's speech, including one who yelled that Blackburn did not represent the views of Tennessee women.

Before introducing Graham, Blackburn said, "As your next U.S. senator-elect, I'm going to get Supreme Court nominations and federal judges right every single time."
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are marking Halloween at the White House by handing out candy to kids at a festive event on the South Lawn.

The couple appeared Sunday at the Halloween event, passing out White House Hershey bars and Twizzlers to children dressed as superheros, astronauts and princesses. The South Portico was decorated with pumpkins, hay bales and cornstalks, as a military band played spooky music.

Trump and the first lady were not dressed up, but smiled, chatted and posed for photos with the kids as they distributed treats from wicker baskets.

The White House said the event was attended by military families and local children.

Trump made no remarks at the event, which came a day after a massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

President Donald Trump holds up part of a child's halloween costume as he and first lady Melania Trump give candy to children during a Halloween trick-or-treat event at the White House, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

A space suit from NASA is on display among the decorations on the South Portico of the White House decorated for Halloween, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, in Washington. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will greet children Sunday afternoon during a Halloween event at the White House. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Secret Service police walk past the South Portico of the White House decorated for Halloween, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, in Washington. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will greet children this afternoon during a Halloween event at the White House. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is packing his campaign schedule before the midterm elections.

Trump's campaign said Sunday that he will hold rallies in Florida and West Virginia later this week.

With days to go before Election Day, Trump is seeking to boost Republicans in the face of Democratic enthusiasm.

The campaign said Trump would be in Huntington, West Virginia, on Friday and Pensacola, Florida, on Saturday. They previously announced a rally in Fort Myers, Florida on Wednesday.

Trump is expected to do at least 10 rallies in the final stretch before Election Day, doubling up on rallies on many days.
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) - North Korea is exploring a grand plan to become a regional transportation hub, inspired in part by the successes of Singapore and Switzerland, and would be open to joining world financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund if current member states give up their "hostile" policies toward it, a senior government economist has told The Associated Press.

Ri Ki Song, a senior researcher with the Economic Institute of the North's Academy of Social Sciences, said that although sanctions aimed at getting his country to abandon its nuclear and missile programs have increased over the past year, the country's economy has maintained steady growth - with its GDP increasing from $24.998 billion in 2013 to $29.595 billion in 2016 and $30.704 billion in 2017.

Some outside experts dispute the North's statistics. An estimate released in July by South Korea's central bank, for example, had the North's GDP decreasing 3.5 percent in 2017, which would be its biggest contraction since the famine years of the late 1990s.

Ri, who spoke with The Associated Press in Pyongyang last week, said the growth reflected how sanctions have resulted in some parts of the economy becoming more efficient and self-reliant.

The North has developed a kind of fertilizer that uses domestically produced coal instead of imported oil products, and made improvements in the method of producing steel, he said. He did not mention the flowering of capitalist-style markets, which are still officially somewhat frowned upon but which many observers suspect is a major factor if the economy is indeed growing.

Ri expressed optimism about the current climate of detente on the Korean Peninsula and leader Kim Jong Un's summits this year with Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump.

In this Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 photo, a man rides his electric bike as the Tower of the Juche Idea is silhouetted agains the sunrise in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea is exploring a grand plan to become a regional transportation hub, inspired in part by the successes of Singapore and Switzerland, and would be open to joining world financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund if current member states give up their "hostile" policies toward it, a senior government economist has told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

"We are seeing a lot of changes in the atmosphere surrounding our country," he said.

He said that if sanctions were lifted and the political climate was to improve enough, the North could emulate countries like Switzerland and Singapore, "which have few resources and little territory but have used their geographical location to their greatest advantage."

"We are situated in the center of East Asia, so our Korean Peninsula has a very advantageous geographical location," he said. "In the future we will try to make cooperation with our neighboring countries to develop the transport industry. If we use our railways from the South through Siberia, many countries would prefer our rails to shipping by the seas."

That idea has been kicking around for years, if not decades. The North already has railroad links with Russia, China and South Korea, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in has publicly supported a plan to re-start cross-border rail operations as soon as possible. Even so, previous attempts to set the transportation hub scheme in motion have repeatedly fallen apart due to political friction or shortfalls in either investment or sustained interest.

Before any of this could make much progress, Washington would have to ease up its "maximum pressure" of heavily sanctioning the North and punishing those who trade with it. While praising Kim's diplomatic initiatives, Trump has insisted that sanctions must stay in place until the North makes clear and concrete moves to denuclearize.

Joining international financial institutions would open the door to badly needed development funds and economic expertise. South Korea's President Moon indicated recently that Kim has expressed an interest in joining the IMF or World Bank. But doing so would likely require structural reforms and a level of transparency that the North may not want to provide.

When asked whether Pyongyang is ready to meet such requirements, Ri said only that the North currently makes its GDP statistics available and declined to comment further. He suggested instead that the ball is in the international institutions' court.

"Due to the sanctions and the moves of the hostile countries like the United States and Japan, our attempt to join the international organizations has not been realized so far," he added, noting that the North tried unsuccessfully to join the Asian Development Bank in the 1990s. "If we can't even join the regional organization it will be much harder to join the international organization."

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Talmadge is the AP's Pyongyang bureau chief. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @EricTalmadge

In this Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 photo, people ride their bikes past high rise buildings in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea is exploring a grand plan to become a regional transportation hub, inspired in part by the successes of Singapore and Switzerland, and would be open to joining world financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund if current member states give up their "hostile" policies toward it, a senior government economist has told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

In this Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 photo, senior researcher with the Economic Institute of the North's Academy of Social Sciences Ri Ki Song gestures during his interview with the Associated Press in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea is exploring a grand plan to become a regional transportation hub, inspired in part by the successes of Singapore and Switzerland, and would be open to joining world financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund if current member states give up their "hostile" policies toward it, a senior government economist has told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

In this Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 photo, people walk on a pedestrian bridge in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea is exploring a grand plan to become a regional transportation hub, inspired in part by the successes of Singapore and Switzerland, and would be open to joining world financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund if current member states give up their "hostile" policies toward it, a senior government economist has told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

In this Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018 photo, a man is seen through the window of a car as he talks on his mobile phone in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea is exploring a grand plan to become a regional transportation hub, inspired in part by the successes of Singapore and Switzerland, and would be open to joining world financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund if current member states give up their "hostile" policies toward it, a senior government economist has told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

In this Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 photo, people walk past a propaganda banner that reads "Final victory! With science and technology we build our economic power" in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea is exploring a grand plan to become a regional transportation hub, inspired in part by the successes of Singapore and Switzerland, and would be open to joining world financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund if current member states give up their "hostile" policies toward it, a senior government economist has told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the number of military troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexican border could reach 15,000 - roughly double the number the Pentagon said it currently plans for a mission whose dimensions are shifting daily.

The Pentagon said "more than 7,000" troops were being sent to the Southwest border to support the Customs and Border Protection agents. Officials said that number could reach a maximum of about 8,000 under present plans.

The troop numbers have been changing at a dizzying pace, with Trump drawing a hard line on immigration in the lead-up to the midterm elections.

Just last week officials were indicating that about 800 to 1,000 might be sent. On Monday, officials announced that about 5,200 were being deployed. The next day, the Air Force general running the operation said more than the initially announced total were going, and he pointedly rejected a news report that it could reach 14,000, saying that was "not consistent with what's actually being planned."

Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, told reporters the number would exceed the initial contingent of 5,200, but he offered no estimate of the eventual total.

Just 24 hours later, Trump thrust new uncertainty into the picture, catching the Pentagon by surprise.

President Donald Trump talks to reporters about wanting to change the Fourteenth Amendment, before walking to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House for a short flight to Andrews Air Force Base then on to Fort Myers, Fla., for a campaign rally ahead of the midterm elections, in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

With his eyes squarely on next Tuesday's contests, Trump has rushed a series of immigration declarations, promises and actions as he tries to mobilize supporters to retain Republican control of Congress. His own Republican campaign in 2016 concentrated on border fears, and that's his focus in the final week of the midterm fight.

"As far as the caravan is concerned, our military is out," Trump said. "We have about 5,800. We'll go up to anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 military personnel on top of Border Patrol, ICE and everybody else at the border."

Later Wednesday, Trump told ABC News, "We have to have a wall of people."

His comments were the latest twist in a story that has pushed the Pentagon unhappily into the political space, prompting questions about whether Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was allowing the military to be leveraged as a political stunt.

"We don't do stunts," Mattis said Wednesday.

Trump rejected the idea he was "fearmongering" or using the issue for political purposes, but his escalating rhetoric in the waning days of the campaign season calls that denial into question. Trump has railed against illegal immigration, including several caravans of migrants from Central America slowly moving toward the U.S. border. The caravan of an estimated 4,000 people is still nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from the border. Several smaller groups, estimated at a combined 1,200 people, are farther away.

Trump insisted the media is underestimating the caravans. "You have caravans coming up that look a lot larger than it's reported actually. I'm pretty good at estimating crowd size. And I'll tell you they look a lot bigger than people would think," he told ABC.

He has also promised to end so-called catch-and-release policies by erecting tent cities to hold those crossing illegally. And this week he is asserting he could act by executive order to unilaterally end birthright citizenship for the children of non-U.S. citizens.

Trump's comments Wednesday left some in the Pentagon scratching their heads. Officials said they had no plans to deploy as many as 15,000 troops. The number conceivably could reach 10,000, counting the 2,100 National Guard soldiers who have been operating along the border for months as part of a separate but related mission. The number of active-duty troops tapped for deployment stood at 7,000 as of Wednesday but could reach 8,000.

A deployment of 15,000 would bring the military commitment on the border to roughly the same level as in war-torn Afghanistan. And it would more than double the number of people thought to be in the caravans.

Trump did not back down Wednesday from his controversial proposal to upend the very concept of American citizenship. In a morning tweet, he said the right to citizenship for babies born to non-citizens on American soil "will be ended one way or the other."

He also claimed that what he terms "so-called Birthright Citizenship" is "not covered by the 14th Amendment."

However, the text of the amendment's opening Citizenship Clause is this: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." The citizenship proposal would inevitably spark a long-shot legal battle over whether the president can alter the long-accepted understanding that the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to any child born on U.S. soil, regardless of his parents' immigration status.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan asserted Tuesday that "obviously" Trump could not upend that policy by executive order, drawing a tweeted rebuke from Trump. He said Wednesday that Ryan "should be focusing on holding the Majority rather than giving his opinions on Birthright Citizenship, something he knows nothing about!"

Speaking to reporters before leaving the White House for a campaign rally in Florida, Trump compared his plan to act by executive order to President Barack Obama's much-maligned decision to use executive action to provide protections from prosecution and a path to work status for some people brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

"If he can do DACA, we can do this by executive order," Trump said, using the acronym for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump and his Justice Department have argued that Obama action was unlawful.

Trump and many top aides have long seen the immigration issue as the most effective rallying cry for his base of supporters. The president had been expected to announce new actions at the border on Tuesday, but that was scrapped so he could travel instead to Pittsburgh, where 11 people were massacred Saturday in a synagogue during Sabbath services.

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For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. midterm elections: http://apne.ws/APPolitics

This Oct. 29, 2018 photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows Airman 1st Class Trevor Pearce helping guide a military vehicle into the cargo compartment of a C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The aircrews provided strategic airlift to Headquarters Company, 89th Military Police Brigade, Task Force Griffin, which is deploying to the Southwest border region to support law enforcement agencies as they conduct coordinated efforts to secure the border. (Airman 1st Class Zoe M. Wockenfuss/U.S. Air Force via AP)
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - The bodies of a college professor and her husband have been recovered from a river in central Illinois and their 21-year-old son, who said he was "sick of his parents" according to authorities and stabbed them to death, has been charged with first-degree murder.

The bodies of Susan Brill de Ramirez and Antonio Ramirez Barron, both 63, were found Tuesday in the Spoon River near Annawan, resting against the riverbank, Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said.

Jose Ramirez was arrested and charged on Monday after confessing to killing his parents, Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell said. Ramirez has been appointed a public defender and is being held on a $3 million bond.

Judge Sean Donahue scheduled his arraignment for Nov. 29.

Peoria County Assistant State's Attorney Dave Kenny said during a bond hearing Tuesday that Ramirez told friends he was "sick of his parents" and that he had killed them on Friday.

Ramirez waited until his parents were sleeping then went into their bedroom at their home near Peoria, Kenny said. He used pepper spray as a distraction and stabbed his father in the stomach and neck, then stabbed his mother when she woke up, Kenny said.

These undated photos released by the Peoria County Sheriff's Office show Susan Brill de Ramirez, left, and Antonio Ramirez Barron. A central Illinois sheriff says a search is underway for Brill de Ramirez, a Bradley University professor, and her husband who are missing after a possible violent struggle in their home. (Peoria County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Ramirez then wrapped the bodies in a tarp and a tent, put them in his father's SUV and drove about 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the Henry County community of Annawan, where he dumped them off a bridge into a waterway, authorities said.

Peoria County sheriff's deputies found blood and signs of a struggle in the family home Sunday after a call from a concerned relative, Asbell said.

The couple last reported to work Thursday at Bradley University in Peoria, where Brill de Ramirez was an English professor and Ramirez Barron worked in the school's information technology department.

Another suspect, Matthew Roberts, who authorities say is a friend of Ramirez, is now also charged with first-degree murder. Roberts had faced obstruction of justice and concealment of a homicidal death charges, but authorities said those were dropped in favor of murder charges after they determined he played a more active role in the killings.

A judge ordered Roberts, of Princeville, held on a $3 million bond Wednesday. Roberts requested a public defender, which the judge granted because of his lack of income.

Court records don't list an attorney to speak on Roberts' behalf.

Peoria is about 130 miles (210 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.

This Monday, Oct. 29, 2018, booking photo provided by the Peoria County Jail in Illinois shows Jose Ramirez, who was charged Monday with first-degree murder after he confessed to killing his parents, Susan Brill de Ramirez and Antonio Ramirez Barron, who have been missing since the weekend. (Peoria County Jail via AP)

Illinois Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood, left, and Tyler McCoy, Peoria County Sheriff's Dept. Captain, talk at the scene off Route 78 near Laura, Ill., where bodies of murder victims Susan Brill de Ramirez and Antonio Ramirez Barron were found on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018. Jose G. Ramirez, 21, has been charged with the murder of both his parents. (Ron Johnson/Journal Star via AP)
ATLANTA (AP) - Oprah Winfrey is bringing her star power to one of the nation's hottest governor's races, even as President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama try to put their imprint on the Georgia election.

Winfrey is joining Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams for two town hall-style events Thursday, the same day Vice President Mike Pence travels to the state for several rallies with Republican Brian Kemp.

Trump and Obama will follow with their party's respective candidates over the following three days. Former President Jimmy Carter, an Abrams supporter and former Georgia governor, garnered significant attention already this week with a personal plea that Kemp resign as secretary of state, Georgia's chief elections official, to ensure public confidence in the results of what's expected to be a close race.

The blitz underscores the high stakes in one of the defining contests of next week's midterms, as Abrams vies to become the first black female governor in American history, while Kemp tries to maintain the GOP's dominance in a state Democrats believe is on the cusp of becoming a presidential battleground.

The appearance by Winfrey, among the world's wealthiest and most well-known black women, is a significant coup for Abrams, who needs to maximize her support from nonwhite voters but also from liberal white women. All of those demographics overlap with Winfrey's fan base, and she will hit them all with events in Republican-leaning Cobb County and heavily Democratic DeKalb County, both within miles of downtown Atlanta.

Though sometimes mentioned as a 2020 presidential candidate, Winfrey has demurred on her intentions. Her most visible foray into electoral politics was as an outspoken supporter of Obama, her fellow Chicagoan, when he first won the White House in 2008.

FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2018, file photo, Oprah Winfrey poses in the press room with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. In the final days in one of the nation's hottest governor's races, Oprah Winfrey and President Donald Trump, as well as former Presidents Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter and Vice President Mike Pence, are trying to put their imprint on the Georgia election. Winfrey joins Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams for two town hall-style events Thursday, the same day that Pence travels to the state for several rallies with Republican Brian Kemp. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Trump's scheduled appearance Sunday sidelined the last debate scheduled between Kemp and Abrams. Atlanta's WSB-TV confirmed late Wednesday that a long-planned matchup at 5 p.m. Sunday had been cancelled and would not be rescheduled before polls open Tuesday.

The two campaigns agreed weeks ago to debate in WSB-TV studios. But Kemp's campaign said the president's schedule takes precedence - and he's coming to Macon, about 100 miles south of Atlanta, to hold a campaign rally with Kemp at 4 p.m.

Kemp's campaign attempted to blame the cancellation on Abrams, saying the Republican nominee was willing to find a new time but Abrams refused.

WSB-TV released a lengthy statement detailing its efforts to find a new time slot, but making clear that it was Kemp's withdrawal from the original plan that set the cancellation in motion.

Multiple polls show a statistical dead heat between Kemp and Abrams, with a low percentage of undecided voters remaining. There's a possibility of a December runoff, given that Libertarian Ted Metz also is on the ballot. Georgia requires that the winner garner a majority of the votes.

That could mean that events that energize core supporters, like a rally with Trump or Obama, carry more weight than a debate less than 48 hours before Election Day.

Both candidates have run consistent appeals to their respective bases. Kemp has embraced Trump and echoed the president's hard-line policies on immigration, and he's focused much of his campaigning in the state's more conservative pockets beyond metro Atlanta.

Visits from Trump and Pence - and the location of those events - illustrate that strategy.

While Abrams has touted her experience working with Republicans as minority leader in the Georgia legislature, her positions on health care, education spending, criminal justice and gun regulations make her an unapologetic liberal. She's openly courting Democratic-leaning voters who have largely sat out midterm elections in the past, arguing it's a better path to victory than trying to coax crossover votes from older white voters who abandoned Democrats.

Obama will appear with Abrams on Friday at a cluster of historically black colleges near downtown Atlanta.

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Follow Barrow on Twitter at https//twitter.com/BillBarrowAP.
NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on Halloween security a year after a deadly truck attack in New York City (all times local):

7:30 p.m.

Throngs of costumed revelers kicked off New York City's big Halloween parade amid tight security after last year's holiday was marred by a deadly truck attack.

The NYPD deployed thousands of uniformed and plainclothes officers to patrol Wednesday night's parade in Greenwich Village. They were also joined by counterterrorism units, police dogs and helicopters.

Police Commissioner James O'Neill said he wanted to ensure that New Yorkers could celebrate in an atmosphere of "peace and fun."

Halloween was marred last year when a man driving a truck mowed down cyclists on a busy bike path along the Hudson River, killing eight people.

FILE- In this Oct. 31, 2017 file photo, a reveler gets his picture taken by a friend in front of heavily armed police during the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade in New York. The NYPD says thousands of uniformed and plainclothes officers will patrol the 2018 parade in Greenwich Village. They'll be joined by counterterrorism units, police dogs and helicopters. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)

Wednesday's parade is the city's first large-scale event since last week's discovery of a series of package bombs and the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre that left 11 people dead.

6:30 p.m.

New York City officials are taking heat for botching a ceremony meant to honor victims of last year's deadly truck attack.

A last-minute invitation to one victim's mother meant she couldn't attend the ceremony, and those who did make it Wednesday were miffed when officials finished the event without reading the names of the eight dead.

A police officer scrambled to the podium as the small crowd was dispersing, and Mayor Bill de Blasio raced up to apologize and read the names.

De Blasio attended the ceremony alongside emergency responders, a small group of family members and friends and the consuls general of Argentina and Belgium.

A wreath of white roses was placed at the site of the attack and a minute-long moment of silence was observed.

Hales-Tooke, upset with how things were handled, refused to shake De Blasio's hand.

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1 p.m.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner James O'Neill have marked the first anniversary of the truck attack on a lower Manhattan bicycle path that killed two Americans, a Belgian and five Argentine tourists.

The anniversary has also led to an increase in security for the city's big Halloween parade on Wednesday night.

De Blasio and O'Neill were joined by police and fire responders as a wreath of white roses was placed at the site of the attack. A small group of family members and friends attended the ceremony along with the consuls general of Argentina and Belgium.

Surrounded by heavy security including concrete barriers, the mayor said New Yorkers did not allow themselves to be "terrorized" after last year's attack.

The group observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims.

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5:50 a.m.

Police say they're increasing manpower at New York City's big Halloween parade after last year's holiday was marred by a deadly truck attack.

The NYPD says thousands of uniformed and plainclothes officers will patrol Wednesday's parade in Greenwich Village. They'll be joined by counterterrorism units, police dogs and helicopters.

Police Commissioner James O'Neill says they want to ensure New Yorkers can celebrate "in an atmosphere of community, peace and fun, and certainly not fear."

Halloween was marred last year when a man driving a truck mowed down cyclists on a busy bike path along the Hudson River, killing eight people.

Wednesday's parade is the city's first large-scale event since last week's discovery of a series of package bombs and the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre that left 11 people dead.
NEW YORK (AP) - CNN isn't commenting about Don Lemon's statement that white men represent the biggest terrorist threat in the country.

Lemon's statement, on his show Monday, attracted criticism in conservative circles. He was talking about the negative attention given to a caravan of potential refugees in Central America. Meanwhile, white men are the suspects in recent shootings of two blacks in Kentucky and at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Lemon said that, "we have to stop demonizing people and realize that the biggest terror threat in this country is white men, most of them radicalized to the right, and we have to start doing something about them."

A CNN spokeswoman said Wednesday neither Lemon nor the network would speak more about it.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Republican candidate Kris Kobach on Wednesday echoed President Donald Trump's assertion that Trump can deny U.S. citizenship to babies born to parents living in the country illegally, intensifying a focus on immigration in the final days of a close Kansas governor's race.

Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, is Trump's biggest political ally in the state and has advised the White House on homeland security issues. He also has made pursuing tough state measures against illegal immigration a cornerstone of his campaign for governor.

But in backing Trump on whether the president can end birthright citizenship without an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Kobach broke with some fellow Republicans, including U.S House Speaker Paul Ryan. Like Trump, Kobach contradicted legal experts who see the issue as long-settled and clear under the Constitution's 14th Amendment.

"That's one of the interesting things about birthright citizenship. There are many people who are under the misimpression that the 14th Amendment commands it," Kobach said during a Fox News television interview . "It doesn't."

He added that Congress could end birthright citizenship or, "The president could do it through a regulation."

Kobach is in a toss-up race with Democrat Laura Kelly, a veteran state senator from Topeka. She has argued that combating illegal immigration requires comprehensive legislation from Congress and that Kobach's get-tough approach would damage the state's economy, particularly in western Kansas and when it comes to agriculture.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, file photo, Republican Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach looks on as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Laura Kelly answers a question during a debate in Wichita, Kan. Kobach is echoing President Donald Trump's assertion that Trump can deny U.S. citizenship to babies born to parents living in the country illegally. Kelly's campaign declined Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, to comment on Kobach's comments. (Brian Hayes/The Wichita Eagle via AP, File)

Kelly's campaign declined Wednesday to comment on Kobach's comments. But Ethan Corson, the Kansas Democratic Party's executive director said: "As Republicans like Paul Ryan and legal scholars from across the political spectrum have stated, the president obviously has no authority to alter the Constitution by executive order."

Patrick Miller, a University of Kansas political scientist, said Kobach needs his conservative base to turn out to defeat Kelly. He said raising birthright citizenship as an issue after it's remained relatively neglected represents "a fresher angle" on immigration issues.

"If you want to kick life into some kind of advertising, whether you're selling a candidate or toothpaste, having a fresh angle is sometimes good to reignite interest and engagement," Miller said. "Kobach also likes to push the envelope on a lot of things."

The 14th Amendment begins: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

Kobach, an attorney and former law school professor, argued Wednesday on "Fox & Friends" that immigrants living in the country illegally are not under U.S. jurisdiction, allowing Trump or Congress to deny their U.S-born children automatic citizenship. But a move in line with that thinking would likely spark a legal challenge.

States ratified the 14th Amendment after the Civil War to secure U.S. citizenship for newly freed black slaves. It later was used to guarantee citizenship to all babies born on U.S. soil after court challenges, including one that led to an 1898 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump said in an interview Tuesday that he wants to end birthright citizenship and could do so with an executive order. Ryan responded in a radio interview, saying: "Well you obviously cannot do that." That drew a tweeted rebuke from the president.

Trump's comments also were an issue in a debate Tuesday between Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder and Democratic challenger Sharice Davids in Kansas' 3rd Congressional District, where immigration has been a major issue. Trump, who narrowly lost the Kansas City-area district in 2016, has endorsed Yoder, the chairman of a House subcommittee on homeland security.

During the debate, neither candidate said directly whether they would support an effort by Congress to end birthright citizenship, though Davids said an executive order by Trump would "violate our Constitution."

When asked after the debate about ending birthright citizenship, Yoder told reporters that if the U.S. secured its borders adequately, "That's not an issue then."

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Follow John Hanna on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apjdhanna .
TOKYO (AP) - Japan's central government resumed work at a disputed U.S. military base relocation site on Thursday even though Okinawa residents overwhelmingly see the project as an undemocratic imposition on the small southern island.

The initial stage of landfill work at Henoko on Okinawa's east coast resumed Thursday morning, following the central government's decision this week to reverse Okinawa's earlier ban on landfill work at the site, said Satoshi Shirakata, a spokesman at the Okinawa Defense Bureau overseeing the project.

Construction workers were setting up floats using a crane to mark the designated landfill area, making it off-limits to the public, Shirakata said. Opponents gathered in paddle boats nearby, while Coast Guard patrol boats blocked them from reaching the site, and dozens of other demonstrators rallied outside a nearby U.S. base to protest.

Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said it was "extremely regrettable" the central government forced its way just weeks after he proposed dialogue with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other officials in Tokyo. He said he was seeking another meeting with Abe.

Tamaki also said Okinawa was considering taking the case to a government-commissioned arbitration committee of outside experts.

"It's extremely regrettable," he said in a statement. "I will consistently urge the central government to sincerely listen to Okinawa's voice and take a democratic stance by seeking a settlement through dialogue but not by bulldozing the construction."

Protesters on boats oppose as workers of Japan's central government resumed work at a disputed U.S. military base relocation site on the southern island of Okinawa, at Henoko in Nago city, Okinawa prefecture, Japan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The Defense Ministry's local branch said an early stage of landfill work at Henoko on Okinawa's east coast began Thursday morning.(Koji Harada/Kyodo News via AP)

At the center of contention is a decades-old plan to move a Marine Corps air station from densely populated Futenma in the southern part of the island to less-crowded Henoko on the east coast.

Many Okinawans say the presence of so many U.S. troops on the island is burdensome already and they want the existing Futenma air station closed and its replacement moved off the island entirely.

Tamaki, who took office a month ago, has urged Abe and other top officials to stop the Henoko plan and reduce Okinawa's burdens.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Tamaki said the central government was not giving due consideration to other options.

"They say Henoko is the only one, Henoko is the only solution. But we think that it is definitely not the case and that they're refusing to think critically," the governor said. "The American side has made multiple proposals under reorganization plans and the Japanese government should consider them."

Washington's position is that the dispute should be resolved between Tokyo and Okinawa. Tamaki told the AP he will travel to the U.S. later this month to gain support from Americans on the issue. He said both Japan and the U.S. should listen to the voice of Okinawans.

Tamaki was elected on his campaign promises to block the Henoko base and further reduce U.S. bases on the island. He is the first person with an American parent to lead the island, which was occupied by the U.S. longer than the rest of Japan after World War II. He said he wants to encourage dialogue and bridge the gap on the issue.

The work begun Thursday is preparation for a coastal embankment to be built at the bay ahead of full-fledged landfill work. When completed, the air station will include land reclaimed from Henoko Bay.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference that the timing of sediment filling has not been decided. The Defense Ministry says the base with planned V-shape runways is set to complete in 2022.

Okinawan officials have filed injunction requests to stop the process in the past. Such filings could temporarily stop the work but are overturned as the central government's decisions take precedence.

The relocation of Futenma air station was planned after the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl in which three U.S. servicemen were convicted. The case ignited simmering Okinawan opposition to the U.S. bases.

About half of the 50,000 U.S. troops based in Japan under a bilateral security pact and the majority of their key facilities are on Okinawa. Residents have long complained about base-related noise, pollution and crime.

Tamaki has said he supports the Japan-U.S. security alliance, but that Okinawa should not be the only one sacrificed.

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Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi

Governor of Okinawa, Denny Tamaki, speaks during a interview with the Associated Press in Tokyo, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. Tamaki, the newly elected governor of the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, is headed to the U.S. with a message to the American people: Stop building the military base and build peace instead.(AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will "soon" visit Seoul as part of a series of high-profile diplomatic efforts aimed at ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons.

Moon said in a speech to parliament that a second North Korea-U.S. summit is also "near at hand" and that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit North Korea soon. Moon also said he expects Kim to visit Russia soon and that Kim may meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Moon has previously said that Kim told him he would visit Seoul within this year when the leaders met in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, in September.

South Korea's presidential office said it had nothing to add to Moon's speech about Kim's trip. His comments were in line with previous statements, it said. They suggest that Moon is determined to push ahead with diplomacy to resolve the nuclear issue.

"Now, based on firm trust among one another, South and North Korea and the United States will achieve complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," Moon said. "This is an opportunity that has come like a miracle. It's something that we should never miss."

The prospects for a second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump improved after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made his fourth visit to North Korea last month. But no breakthrough has followed. U.S. officials have recently said a second Trump-Kim summit will likely happen early next year. Some experts have raised doubts over whether Kim's Seoul trip will occur by December.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivers his speech on the government's 2019 budget proposal during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. President Moon said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will "soon" visit Seoul as part of a flurry of high-profile diplomacy aimed at ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP)

Moon, a liberal who took office last year, favors a negotiated resolution to the decades-long international standoff over North Korea's nuclear ambitions. He has facilitated a series of high-level U.S.-North Korea exchanges, including their first summit in Singapore in June.

But Moon has faced growing outside skepticism over whether his engagement policy will eventually settle the nuclear standoff. Many conservatives in South Korea and the United States say North Korea has no intention of fully giving up its nuclear program and only wants to buy time to perfect its weapons.

Since entering nuclear talks earlier this year, North Korea has halted nuclear and missile tests and dismantled its nuclear testing site. The United States suspended some annual military drills with South Korea, but is reluctant to provide North Korea with big political or economic benefits unless it takes more serious disarmament steps.

The two Korea have also been taking steps to reduce conventional military threats along their border as part of deals struck during an inter-Korean summit in September. Seoul officials said the rivals on Thursday put covers on their naval and coastal artillery guns and closed gun ports along their disputed western sea boundary, the scene of several bloody maritime skirmishes between the countries in recent years.

South Korea's military said the two Koreas halted all hostile acts against each other along the land, sea and aerial boundaries as of Thursday. The Koreas have already removed weapons from a shared border village and have begun clearing mines at another border area where they plan their first searches for Korean War dead.

The two Koreas have remained split along the world's most heavily fortified border since the three-year Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice, not a peace treaty. If Kim, a third-generation hereditary ruler, visits Seoul, he would be the first North Korean leader to do so since the war's end. Last year saw increased fears of a new war on the peninsula as he exchanged threats of destruction and crude insults with Trump over North Korea's push to develop nuclear missiles capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

People watch a TV screen showing the live broadcast of South Korean President Moon Jae-in's speech on the economy given before the parliament, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Moon says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will "soon" visit Seoul. The signs read" Good Dream." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

People watch a TV screen showing the live broadcast of South Korean President Moon Jae-in's speech on the economy given before the parliament, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Moon says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will "soon" visit Seoul. The signs read" Kim Jong Un will "soon" visit Seoul." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivers his speech on the government's 2019 budget proposal during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. President Moon said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will "soon" visit Seoul as part of a flurry of high-profile diplomacy aimed at ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean marines secure an area during their regular drill on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The U.S. and South Korea are reviewing whether they will conduct large-scale military exercises next year and will decide before December. South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that if more exercises are suspended the two countries will conduct other training to mitigate the lapse. He says the review will be done by Nov. 15. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

A South Korean marine fires a gun during their regular drill on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The U.S. and South Korea are reviewing whether they will conduct large-scale military exercises next year and will decide before December. South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that if more exercises are suspended the two countries will conduct other training to mitigate the lapse. He says the review will be done by Nov. 15. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean marines stand in attention during their regular drill on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The U.S. and South Korea are reviewing whether they will conduct large-scale military exercises next year and will decide before December. South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that if more exercises are suspended the two countries will conduct other training to mitigate the lapse. He says the review will be done by Nov. 15. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

A South Korean marine stands next a K-9 self-propelled artillery during their regular drill on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The U.S. and South Korea are reviewing whether they will conduct large-scale military exercises next year and will decide before December. South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that if more exercises are suspended the two countries will conduct other training to mitigate the lapse. He says the review will be done by Nov. 15. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean marines take position during their regular drill on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The U.S. and South Korea are reviewing whether they will conduct large-scale military exercises next year and will decide before December. South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that if more exercises are suspended the two countries will conduct other training to mitigate the lapse. He says the review will be done by Nov. 15. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

South Korean marines prepare for their regular drill on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The U.S. and South Korea are reviewing whether they will conduct large-scale military exercises next year and will decide before December. South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that if more exercises are suspended the two countries will conduct other training to mitigate the lapse. He says the review will be done by Nov. 15. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

Jangjae Island on the North Korean side is seen from South Korea's western island of Yeonpyeong, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The U.S. and South Korea are reviewing whether they will conduct large-scale military exercises next year and will decide before December. South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that if more exercises are suspended the two countries will conduct other training to mitigate the lapse. He says the review will be done by Nov. 15. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)

North Korea's Gaemeori western coastal artillery positions in the Hwanghae Province are seen from South Korea's western island of Yeonpyeong, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. The U.S. and South Korea are reviewing whether they will conduct large-scale military exercises next year and will decide before December. South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that if more exercises are suspended the two countries will conduct other training to mitigate the lapse. He says the review will be done by Nov. 15. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool Photo via AP)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korean refugees say sexual violence against women in their former homeland is part of daily life. But a new report suggests there's little chance that abused women in the North will get to say "MeToo" anytime soon.

North Korea's extremely patriarchal society means many women feel powerless to demand accountability over sexual violence, many are also ashamed of being abused, and some choose to keep silent because of flimsy law enforcement and support systems, according to a report published Thursday by New York-based Human Rights Watch based on interviews with 106 North Koreans who left the country, more than half of them after 2011.

Three women who left North Korea and three South Korean experts, separately interviewed by The Associated Press, agreed that sexual violence is a serious problem in the North, though the voices and economic power of women have gradually increased in recent years because of their role in burgeoning capitalist-style markets. Some said that North Korean women didn't even understand that widespread assaults and harassment were abuse.

"Sexual violence in North Korea is an open, unaddressed and widely tolerated secret," Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch's executive director, said in a statement. "North Korean woman would probably say 'MeToo' if they thought there was any way to obtain justice, but their voices are silenced in Kim Jong Un's dictatorship."

The report comes as U.S.-led global diplomacy focuses on North Korean nuclear disarmament. The country's abysmal human rights status, however, has been largely ignored. It's not the first outside documentation of sexual violence in North Korea, but the report will likely anger North Korea, which often complains about what it claims is persistent U.S. hostility.

Kim's propaganda service has called North Korea a "socialist paradise" and bristles at outside criticism of its rights conditions as a U.S.-led attempt to force regime change. A 2016 dispatch said every woman in the North is "highly valued and respected" and that they "all can lead a worthwhile life as a heroine of the times." But this is also the country that called former female South Korean President Park Geun-hye a "prostitute."

Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch's executive director, attends during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. "Sexual violence in North Korea is an open, unaddressed and widely tolerated secret," Roth said in a statement. "North Korean woman would probably say 'MeToo' if they thought there was any way to obtain justice, but their voices are silenced in Kim Jong Un's dictatorship." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

According to the report, titled "You Cry at Night but Don't Know Why," and the six people reached by the AP, sexual violence targeting women is rampant in North Korea. They say it happens in detention facilities, open markets, checkpoints, trains, streets and army bases.

The report details sexual abuse by men in official positions of power, such as prison guards, police officers, prosecutors, soldiers and market supervisors.

"Interviewees told us that when a guard or police officer 'picks' a woman, she has no choice but to comply with any demands he makes, whether for sex, money, or other favors," the report said. "Women in custody have little choice should they attempt to refuse or complain afterward, and risk sexual violence, longer periods in detention, beatings, forced labor, or increased scrutiny while conducting market activities."

One woman interviewed in the report said a police agent penetrated her several times with his fingers while questioning her illegal stay in China. Another talked about women in a detention center being forced to leave with a guard who raped them every night. They said that "click, click, click was the most horrible sound" because it meant the key was turning in the door of their prison cells. Several traders also described male officials at checkpoints conducting intrusive body searches of young women, spending more time checking around their breasts and hips and sometimes underneath their underwear.

Others in the report said police don't consider sexual violence a "serious crime" and that it's "almost inconceivable" to even consider going to the police to report their suffering because of possible repercussions. A pervasive social stigma keeps victims silent, the report said, adding that all of the interviewees described "widespread impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence and lack of justice for survivors." They also spoke of deeply embedded patterns of discrimination against women, corruption and a lack of support mechanisms.

Women who talked to the AP said they didn't even know what exactly sexual abuse was when they were in North Korea.

"Higher-level male (army officers) often patted female soldiers on their hips and breasts or put their hands underneath their uniforms around their necks when they passed by them. We saw these things lots of times, but we just thought they were specially favored by our bosses," said Lee So Yeon, a woman who served in the North's army before her 2008 escape.

A second woman said a detention center guard tried to rape her but moved away after she said her body was crawling with lice. A third woman said sexual abuse was considered shameful for women because people thought they must have brought it on themselves.

The Human Rights Watch report comes as North Korea struggles to win political and economic concessions from the United States in nuclear negotiations. It's unlikely that the North will take any major steps toward improving its rights conditions because U.S. and South Korean officials don't plan to openly raise the issue during the nuclear talks anytime soon.

"When we think about the North's horrible rights conditions, I know we should tackle that issue right away but it's also something that we can't resolve overnight," said analyst Cho Han Bum at Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification. If current diplomacy continues, "the North's rights status at least won't worsen as long as the country continues to open," Cho said.

Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch's executive director, adjusts his glasses during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. North Korean refugees say sexual violence against women in their former homeland is part of daily life. But a new report suggests there's little chance that abused women in the North will get to say "MeToo" anytime soon. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Lee So Yeon, a woman who served in the North's army before her 2008 escape, speaks during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. "Higher-level male (army officers) often patted female soldiers on their hips and breasts or put their hands underneath their uniforms around their necks when they passed by them. We saw these things lots of times, but we just thought they were specially favored by our bosses," said Lee.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australia aims to remove all asylum seeker children from Nauru within two months as concerns escalate about their deteriorating health after languishing on the tiny Pacific atoll nation for up to five years.

But Cabinet ministers said Thursday the government is maintaining its much-criticized policy of sending all asylum seekers who attempt to reach Australia by boat to immigration camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Refugee advocates welcomed the change for children, 46 of whom were born in Nauru.

Activists said there were only 38 children remaining on Nauru by Thursday. Papua New Guinea has male-only facilities and all asylum seekers there are adults.

The news was met with mixed reactions from those who remain on Nauru.

Helia, 15, a refugee from Iran, said she was worried that her parents may not be able to get work visas in Australia or lead normal lives there.

"I don't know what's going to happen to me if we move," she said. "But if we stay here, I still don't know what's going to happen."

FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2018, file photo, refugees are pictured on Nauru. Australia aims to remove all asylum seeker children from Nauru within two months as concerns escalate about their deteriorating health after languishing on the tiny Pacific atoll nation for up to five years. But cabinet ministers said on Thursday, Nov. 1, the government is maintaining its much-criticized policy of sending all asylum seekers who attempt to reach Australia by boat to immigration camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea. (Jason Oxenham/Pool Photo via AP, File)

She said two close friends moved to Australia a few months ago, and it has been good for them because they can finally go to school, make new friends and go out at night.

But Helia said she really wants to move to New Zealand, if Australia would take up its offer to resettle 150 refugees from Nauru and Papua New Guinea. That way, she said, she'd have a better future and be free.

Mehdi, 38, said it was great news that all the kids are being moved off Nauru, and they should have first priority. But he said he and the other adults who don't have children wonder what will happen to them.

"We all worry about our situation, what will happen to us, what they will do to us after they evacuate all the kids from Nauru," he said. "We are worried, and the situation is getting worse day by day."

The refugees did not want their full names used due to fear of reprisals.

Australia's top diplomat in Britain, High Commissioner George Brandis, told London radio LBC that the government expects all asylum seeking children to be moved from Nauru to Australia this year.

"There are hardly any children on Nauru ... and we expect that by the end of this year, there will be none," Brandis said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison offered few details on Thursday.

"Children have been transferred off Nauru, that's been happening for some time," Morrison told Sydney Radio 2GB.

"I haven't been showboating about it. I haven't been drawing attention to it. It's been done in accordance with our policies, our existing policies and I obviously don't go into the operational arrangements," Morrison added.

When Morrison took office in an internal government leadership ballot in August, there were 113 asylum seeker children on Nauru. Last week, the government said that number was down to 52.

Australia has all but ended the people-smuggling traffic from Southeast Asian ports since it announced that any asylum seekers who attempt reach Australian shores by boat from July 19, 2013, would never be allowed to settle in Australia.

Pressure has mounted on the government to make an exception for children, but some government lawmakers argue that would only encourage asylum seekers to put children at risk by bringing them on treacherous voyages to Australia on rickety fishing boats.

The United States agreed in 2016 to accept up to 1,250 refugees from Nauru and Papua New Guinea. But after more than a year of screening, only 439 have found new homes in the U.S.

Asylum Seekers Resource Center Director Jana Favero said 47 children, plus 88 adult family members, had been brought to Australia from Nauru in the past two weeks, leaving 38 children behind. The children had been brought to Australia for medical treatment and none of the families had been told they could stay in Australia, she said.

"The condition of the children has been pretty shocking," Favero said. "We have seen children not eating or drinking for days, in a comatose state. The mental and physical conditions of these children on Nauru have been devastating."

Human rights lawyer George Newhouse said his organization, National Justice Project, had taken court action to bring around 50 children to Australia for medical treatment, including children who have been taken directly from the airport to intensive care units because their organs were failing.

"It's taken court hearings and a groundswell from the community to get the government to act to get these kids off Nauru," Newhouse said.

"I've seen some of these children myself with matchstick arms and legs because they haven't been eating - imagery that you've seen in war," he added.

A YouGov Gallaxy national poll taken from Oct. 17 to 22 found that 79 percent of respondents wanted the government to take up New Zealand's offer to take 150 refugees. The poll was a survey of 1,027 Australian adults and had a 3.1 percentage point margin of error.

The government fears that refugees could use New Zealand as a backdoor to Australia, since New Zealand citizens are free to live and work in Australia for as long as they like.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton warned that any asylum seekers who attempt to reach Australia by boat would still be sent to Nauru, including children.

Humanitarian medical professionals expelled from Nauru last month, Doctors Without Borders, said asylum seekers there had become suicidal and their children had lost hope.

Almost 6,000 Australian doctors signed an open letter to the prime minister last month urging the government to transfer children from Nauru to Australia for medical and psychological treatment.

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Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand.
BEIJING (AP) - Official Chinese media say rescuers have salvaged the wreckage of a bus that plunged off a bridge into the Yangtze River four days earlier and have recovered nine bodies.

Xinhua News Agency reported a floating crane pulled the wreck out of the river Wednesday night. Rescuers are expected to enter the bus to search for other victims. Fifteen people including the driver were on the bus.

The bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car on Sunday in Chongqing before it drove off the bridge. The Yangtze is prone to dangerous currents and other hazards.

The black box recording the bus's mechanical condition and operational details was found early Wednesday morning and handed to police for investigation.

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a bus is lifted out of the Yangtze River by a floating crane in Wanzhou in southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality, late Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. Official Chinese media say rescuers have salvaged the wreckage of the bus that plunged off a bridge into the Yangtze River four days earlier. Fifteen people including the driver were on the bus. (Wang Quanchao/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a bus is lifted out of the Yangtze River by a floating crane in Wanzhou in southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality, late Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. Official Chinese media say rescuers have salvaged the wreckage of the bus that plunged off a bridge into the Yangtze River four days earlier. Fifteen people including the driver were on the bus. (Wang Quanchao/Xinhua via AP)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Opening a new polling site in the historic Wild West town of Dodge City, Kansas, just days before the election is not in the public's interest because it would likely create more voter confusion, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree denied the motion by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas seeking a temporary court order forcing Ford County Clerk Deborah Cox to reopen a voting location at the old Civic Center location after she moved the city's only polling site to a facility outside city limits and more than a mile from the nearest bus stop.

The judge noted that since Sept. 28, Cox notified voters of the change by letter and through the media - advertising in newspapers, on the radio and on the county's website.

"For the court to insert itself into this process on the eve of the election - by ordering the reopening of the Civic Center either as the only polling location or a second polling location - likely would create more voter confusion than it might cure," Crabtree wrote.

The only polling site for the city's now 13,000 registered voters for two decades was the Civic Center in a mostly white part of town. Cox decided to move the site to a new county Expo Center after learning that a construction project was planned for late October at the Civic Center - though work had not started as of Thursday.

The ACLU asked Crabtree to order Cox to open both the old and new polling sites for Tuesday for Election Day. The ACLU argues that moving the only polling site makes it more difficult for the city's mostly Hispanic population to vote.

Deborah Cox, the Ford County, Kansas, clerk, leaves the federal courthouse after a court hearing, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in Topeka, Kan. The American Civil Liberties Union is asking a federal judge to order Cox to open a second polling site in the southwest Kansas town of Dodge City after she moved the only one outside town. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU of Kansas, said in an emailed statement that while they are disappointed by the ruling, they are also encouraged by much of it and hopeful about their prospects as the case moves forward.

"Had voters learned of her decision sooner, our case may have prevailed," Kubic said. "She can rest easy - for now -that she was able to run out the clock. We're all left to wonder, however, what might have been accomplished had she merely chosen to work with us and with our clients."

Cox's attorney, Bradley Schlozman, said they are pleased with the result and his client "will now once again turn her efforts to administering what will hopefully be a smooth election next Tuesday for all voters."

Crabtree said the court has not decided whether the plaintiffs will ultimately succeed on their constitutional claims, and said that the court has concluded that they have not shown that they are likely to prevail on their lawsuit.

The hearing ended with Crabtree questioning Cox and her attorneys about arrangements for voters who show up at the old polling site. They said the city has offered to take voters from their homes and jobs to the new polling place, and Cox said she reached out to the city again Thursday morning about moving voters between the old and new polling sites.

"They do have a limited number of buses, however," she said.

Cox's conflict with the ACLU over the single polling site stretches back to at least May, when Johnny Dunlap, the Ford County Democratic Party chairman and a volunteer for an ACLU voting rights project, asked her to open a second polling site for Dodge City, according to testimony. Both he and Cox testified that Dunlap and her office had further run-ins during the August primary, and in October, the ACLU asked Cox to publicize a hotline for its voting rights project on her office's website.

She forwarded that request to the Kansas secretary of state's office in an Oct. 22 email saying, "LOL."

"What I really meant is, 'Here we go again. Where is it going to stop?'" Cox testified.

Crabtree wrote in his ruling he was troubled by Cox's reaction to the letter and questioned "whether it manifests a disregard for the 'fundamental significance' that our Constitution places on the right to vote."

The southwest Kansas city, located 160 miles (257 kilometers) west of Wichita, once was a destination for cattle drives where cowboys and gunslingers tangled. In recent decades, meatpacking plants have drawn to the town thousands of Hispanics, who now make up a majority of the 27,000 population.

The ACLU sued on behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens and Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, the 18-year-old son of Mexican immigrants who will be voting for the first time in next week's election.

Rangel-Lopez testified by phone that his father, who became a U.S. citizen in 2004, has had to wait an hour and sometimes two hours to vote at the single polling place.

As for the new polling site, he said, "It's just in the middle of nowhere."

___

Associated Press writer Roxana Hegeman contributed from Wichita, Kansas.

___

Follow John Hanna on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apjdhanna .

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, file photo, Ford County Democratic Party chairman Johnny Dunlap speaks about the party's get-out-the-vote efforts during a meeting of volunteers in Dodge City, Kan. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister has notified a federal judge that his office in Kansas plans to send a monitor to Dodge City for the midterm election. The court filing on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, comes on the same day that U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree scheduled an emergency hearing to hear arguments on a request by the American Civil Liberties Union for a court order forcing Ford County to open a second polling site in the city. (Jonathan Shorman/The Wichita Eagle via AP File)
RAS JEBEL, Tunisia (AP) - When Khalid Arfaoui's friends knocked on his door in May 2011 to signal their departure by boat from Tunisia to Europe, it wasn't fear that held him back, but a lack of cash.

Everyone needed to chip in to pay for the boat, gas and supplies, and he was short about $100. So he sat inside and watched as they left for the beachside campsite where even today locals spend the night before embarking north.

Propelled by a feeble outboard motor and overburdened, the rubber raft flipped, possibly after grazing rocks just offshore. The lone survivor was found clinging to debris eight hours later. Two bodies were retrieved, and 11 young men are missing.

As global migration has soared to record highs, far less visible has been its toll: The tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys, never to be seen again. A growing number of migrants have drowned, died in deserts or fallen prey to traffickers, leaving their families to wonder what on earth happened to them. At the same time, anonymous bodies are filling cemeteries around the world.

In most cases, nobody is keeping track: Barely counted in life, these people don't register in death, as if they never lived at all.

An Associated Press tally has documented at least 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide since 2014 - almost double the number found in the world's only official attempt to try to count them, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. The IOM toll as of Oct. 1 was more than 28,500.

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013 file photo, the casket of one of the migrants who died when their boat capsized off in the Canal of Sicily is lifted by crane to an Italian Navy ship at the Lampedusa island harbor. A fishing boat packed with 500 African migrants capsized on Thursday Oct. 3, 2013 off the shores of the island of Lampedusa, causing more than 300 deaths. (AP Photo/Mauro Buccarello)

The IOM's research was prompted by two shipwrecks and the deaths of at least 368 people off the coast of Italy in October 2013. It has focused mostly on fatalities in the Mediterranean, although its researchers plead for more data from elsewhere in the world. This year alone, the IOM has found more than 1,900 deaths in the waters that divide Africa and Europe, and more than 17,000 since 2014.

But even there, many of those who go missing are uncounted, including boatfuls of young Tunisians or Algerians and children whose parents lost track of them in the chaos of land border crossings. In all, The Associated Press found nearly 4,900 people whose families say they simply disappeared without a trace in Europe or en route, including more than 2,700 children whose families reported them missing to the Red Cross.

Of the world's migration crises, Europe's has been the most cruelly visible, with death playing out in videos and photographs. Images of the lifeless body of a Kurdish toddler on a beach, frozen tent camps in Eastern Europe, and a nearly numbing succession of deadly shipwrecks have been transmitted around the world, adding to the furor around migration.

In the Mediterranean, scores of tankers, cargo boats, cruise ships and military vessels tower over tiny, overcrowded rafts powered by an outboard motor for a one-way trip. Some larger wooden boats carry scores, even hundreds of migrants, but even they may go down when soft breezes turn into battering winds and thrashing waves further from shore.

But as the political tide in Europe turns against migrants, alive or dead, money is drying up for projects to track migration data and its costs. For example, when more than 800 people died in an April 2015 shipwreck off the coast of Italy, Europe's deadliest migrant sea disaster, Italian investigators pledged to identify them and find their families. More than three years later, under a new populist government, funding for this work has been cut off.

In the case of Arfaoui's friends, Tunisia's government has no official tally of the missing, and the group never made it close enough to Europe to catch the attention of authorities there. So these migrants never have been counted among the dead and missing.

"If I had gone with them, I'd be lost like the others," Arfaoui said recently, standing on the rocky shoreline with a group of friends, all of whom vaguely planned to leave for Europe. "If I get the chance, I'll do it. Even if I fear the sea and I know I might die, I'll do it."

With him that day was 30-year-old Mounir Aguida, who had already made the trip once, drifting for 19 hours after the boat engine cut out. In late August this year, he crammed into another raft with seven friends, feeling the waves slam the flimsy bow. At the last minute he and another young man jumped out.

"It didn't feel right," Aguida said.

There has been no word from the other six - yet another group of Ras Jebel's youth lost to the sea. With no shipwreck reported, no survivors to rescue and no bodies to identify, the six young men are not counted in any toll.

In addition to watching its own youth flee, Tunisia and to a lesser degree neighboring Algeria are transit points for other Africans north bound for Europe. Tunisia has its own cemetery for unidentified migrants, as do Greece, Italy and Turkey. On Tunisia's southern coast, one is tended by an unemployed sailor named Chamseddin Marzouk.

Of around 400 bodies interred in the coastal graveyard since it opened in 2005, only one has ever been identified. As for the others who lie beneath mounds of dirt, Marzouk couldn't imagine how their families would ever learn their fate.

"Their families may think that the person is still alive, or that he'll return one day to visit," Marzouk said. "They don't know that those they await are buried here, in Zarzis, Tunisia."

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 file photo, the wrecked fishing boat that capsized and sunk on April 18, 2015 off the coast of Libya, lies outside a NATO base in the Sicilian town of Mellili, Italy. Officials have put the number of dead in the April 2015 migrant shipwreck at between 750 and 800 people, following autopsies on the remains retrieved from inside the vessel. Only 28 people survived the accident. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015 file photo, the body of an unidentified woman washes up on a beach at the village of Skala, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Authorities recovered more bodies on Lesbos and the Greek island of Samos on this day as thousands continue to cross from the nearby coast of Turkey despite worsening weather. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015 file photo, an unidentified woman wearing a wedding ring lies on a beach at the village of Skala, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Authorities recovered more bodies on Lesbos and the Greek island of Samos that day as thousands continue to cross from the nearby coast of Turkey despite worsening weather. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

FILE - In this Thursday, April 27, 2017 file photo, the belongings of a dead migrant found on the boat sunk in Lampedusa, Italy on Oct. 13, 2013, are displayed during the art exhibition "La Terra Inquieta" (Restless Earth) at the Triennale in Milan, Italy. Through the works of over sixty artists from all over the world, including Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria and Turkey, the exhibit examines the transformations around the world, particularly by addressing the problem of migration and the crisis of refugees. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 25, 2017 file photo, migrants wait to be rescued by aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms next to the bodies of other migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, north of Sabratha, Libya. An Associated Press tally has documented at least 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide from 2014 to 2018 _ almost double the number found in the world's only official attempt to count them, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

Sofia Al Bahari holds a photo of her son, Majdi Al Barhoumi, who went missing in 2011, at her home in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia, on April 12, 2018. As global migration has soared to record highs, far less visible has been its toll: The tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys, never to be seen again. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

The father of Majdi Al Barhoumi, who went missing in 2011, holds photos of him, at their home in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia, on April 12, 2018. As global migration has soared to record highs, far less visible has been its toll: The tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys, never to be seen again. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Khaled Arfaoui, 25, who wants to leave Tunisia, poses for photo at the beach where migrants leave for Italy, in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia, on April 14, 2018. He says, "If I get the chance, I'll do it. Even if I fear the sea and I know I might die, I'll do it." From the closest points to Europe in Tunisia, Ras Jebel in the north and the Kerkennah Islands in the east, it's a half-day sail if all goes well. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Ahmed Ayouby, 32, left, and Mounir Aguida, 30, who want to leave Tunisia, stand at the beach where migrants leave for Italy, in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia, on April 14, 2018. In late August 2018, he crammed into a raft with seven friends, feeling the waves slam the flimsy bow. At the last minute he and another young man jumped out. "It didn't feel right," Aguida said. There has been no word from the other six. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

This April 15, 2018 photo shows the belongings of migrants which were collected by artist Mohsen Lahzib, who tries to create beauty out of sorrow, at his space in the southern port town of Zarzis, Tunisia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) - As migration rises worldwide, so has its toll: The tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys. Barely counted in life, these migrants rarely register in death - almost as if they never lived at all.

A growing number of migrants have drowned, died in deserts or fallen prey to traffickers, leaving their families to wonder what on earth happened to them. At the same time, anonymous bodies are filling cemeteries in South Africa's Gauteng province , or in the coastal Tunisian town of Zarzis. Similar cemeteries dot Italy, Greece and Libya.

An Associated Press tally has documented more than 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide since 2014 - almost double the number found in the world's only official attempt to try to count them, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration . The IOM toll as of Oct. 1 was more than 28,500. The AP came up with almost 28,300 additional dead or missing migrants by compiling information from other international groups, forensic records, missing persons reports, death records, and examining data from thousands of interviews with migrants.

The AP's tally is also certainly an undercount. Bodies lie undiscovered in desert sands or at the bottom of the sea. And families don't always report loved ones as missing because they migrated illegally, or because they left home without saying exactly where they were headed.

Instead, families are caught between hope and mourning, like that of Safi al-Bahri. Her son, Majdi Barhoumi, left their hometown of Ras Jebel, Tunisia, on May 7, 2011 for Europe in a small boat with a dozen other migrants. The boat sank and Barhoumi hasn't been heard from since. In a sign of faith that he is alive, his mother and father built an animal pen with a brood of hens, a few cows and a dog to stand watch until he returns.

"I just wait for him. I always imagine him behind me, at home, in the market, everywhere," said al-Bahri. "When I hear a voice at night, I think he's come back. When I hear the sound of a motorcycle, I think my son is back."

In this Thursday, April 12, 2018 photo, mortuary workers carry the coffin of an unidentified man for burial at a cemetery outside Johannesburg. At least five bodies of unidentified people are buried on top of each other in each grave. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

The official U.N. toll extensively documents deaths in the Mediterranean and Europe, but even there cases fall through the cracks. The political tide is turning against migrants in Europe just as in the United States , where the government is cracking down heavily on caravans of Central Americans trying to get in. One result is that money is drying up for projects to track migration and its costs.

For example, when more than 800 people died in an April 2015 shipwreck off the coast of Italy, Europe's deadliest migrant sea disaster, Italian investigators pledged to identify them and find their families. More than three years later, under a new populist government, funding for this work has been cut off.

Beyond Europe , information is even more scarce. Even in the U.S., where migration has turned into a hot-button issue, there is no routine effort to figure out where migrants may disappear or die, nor a policy on identifying bodies and notifying families. And little is known about the toll in South America, where the Venezuelan migration is among the world's biggest today, and in Asia , the top region for numbers of migrants.

The result is that governments vastly underestimate the true toll of migration, a major political and social issue in most of the world today.

"No matter where you stand on the whole migration management debate ... these are still human beings on the move," said Bram Frouws, the head of the Mixed Migration Centre, which has done surveys of more than 20,000 migrants in its 4Mi project since 2014. "Whether it's refugees or people moving for jobs, they are human beings."

The missing include children, although once again the scant data is only in Europe. Some 2,773 children have been reported to the Red Cross as missing en route to Europe, and 2,097 adults reported missing by children.

Almass and his brother, both migrants from Khost, Afghanistan, are not on the list. He was just 14 when his widowed mother reluctantly sent him and his 11-year-old brother from their home into the unknown. The payment for their trip was supposed to get them away from the Taliban and all the way to Germany via a chain of smugglers.

But when the Iranian border police fired on their group, Almass lost hold of his brother's hand and went unconscious as he tumbled down a ravine. He never saw his brother again. When he next spoke to his mother, he couldn't bring himself to tell her; instead, he lied that his brother couldn't come to the phone but sent his love.

The family phone number in Afghanistan no longer works, their village is overrun with Taliban, and he has no idea how to find them - or the child whose hand slipped from his grasp four years ago.

"I don't know now where they are," he said, his face anguished as he sat on a sun-dappled bench in rural France. "They also don't know where I am."

This Wednesday, April 11, 2018 photo shows burial plots in a cemetery outside Johannesburg. At least five bodies of unidentified people are buried on top of each other in each grave. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

A worker extracts a sample of an unidentified man's body for DNA analysis at the mortuary in the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. It's South Africa's busiest morgue, with 3,000 bodies being investigated every year. Ten per cent of those remain unclaimed and unidentified. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

Sofia Al Bahari holds a photo of her son, Majdi Al Barhoumi, who went missing in 2011, at her home in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia, on April 12, 2018. As global migration has soared to record highs, far less visible has been its toll: The tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys, never to be seen again. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

The father of Majdi Al Barhoumi, who went missing in 2011, holds photos of him, at their home in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia, on April 12, 2018. As global migration has soared to record highs, far less visible has been its toll: The tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys, never to be seen again. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Khaled Arfaoui, 25, who wants to leave Tunisia, poses for photo at the beach where migrants leave for Italy, in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia, on April 14, 2018. He says, "If I get the chance, I'll do it. Even if I fear the sea and I know I might die, I'll do it." From the closest points to Europe in Tunisia, Ras Jebel in the north and the Kerkennah Islands in the east, it's a half-day sail if all goes well. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Ahmed Ayouby, 32, left, and Mounir Aguida, 30, who want to leave Tunisia, stand at the beach where migrants leave for Italy, in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia, on April 14, 2018. In late August 2018, he crammed into a raft with seven friends, feeling the waves slam the flimsy bow. At the last minute he and another young man jumped out. "It didn't feel right," Aguida said. There has been no word from the other six. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

This April 15, 2018 photo shows the belongings of migrants which were collected by artist Mohsen Lahzib, who tries to create beauty out of sorrow, at his space in the southern port town of Zarzis, Tunisia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

This April 15, 2018 photo shows the "Cemetery of the Unknown" which holds bodies of migrants who were found dead on the shores near the southern port town of Zarzis, Tunisia. The bodies are retrieved by retired fisherman Chamsedding Marzouk, who has made it his life's work to provide a proper burial to the foreigners even though they die without a name. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Almass, an 18-year-old Afghan who lost his younger brother at the Iran-Turkey border four years ago, traces the path of his migration to Europe, at his new home in Gentioux-Pigerolles, France on Oct. 6, 2018. Asia has the world's largest overall population movements, but also has the least information on the fate of those who disappear after leaving their homelands. (AP Photo/Lori Hinnant)

Almass, an 18-year-old Afghan who lost his younger brother at the Iran-Turkey border four years ago, describes the journey from the province of Khost to his current home in in Gentioux-Pigerolles, France on Oct. 6, 2018. When Almass eventually called home, from Turkey, he couldn't bear to tell his mother what had happened. He said Murtaza couldn't come to the phone but sent his love. (AP Photo/Lori Hinnant)

Almass, an 18-year-old Afghan who lost his younger brother at the Iran-Turkey border four years ago, walks in the yard at his current home in a 400-year-old farmhouse in Gentioux-Pigerolles, France on Oct. 6, 2018. Almass made it from Asia to Europe, and speaks halting French now to the woman who has given him a home in a drafty 400-year-old farmhouse in France's Limousin region. But his family is lost to him. Their phone number in Afghanistan no longer works, their village is overrun with Taliban, and he has no idea how to find them. (AP Photo/Lori Hinnant)

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013 file photo, the casket of one of the migrants who died when their boat capsized off in the Canal of Sicily is lifted by crane to an Italian Navy ship at the Lampedusa island harbor. A fishing boat packed with 500 African migrants capsized on Thursday Oct. 3, 2013 off the shores of the island of Lampedusa, causing more than 300 deaths. (AP Photo/Mauro Buccarello)

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 file photo, the wrecked fishing boat that capsized and sunk on April 18, 2015 off the coast of Libya, lies outside a NATO base in the Sicilian town of Mellili, Italy. Officials have put the number of dead in the April 2015 migrant shipwreck at between 750 and 800 people, following autopsies on the remains retrieved from inside the vessel. Only 28 people survived the accident. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015 file photo, the body of an unidentified woman washes up on a beach at the village of Skala, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Authorities recovered more bodies on Lesbos and the Greek island of Samos on this day as thousands continue to cross from the nearby coast of Turkey despite worsening weather. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015 file photo, an unidentified woman wearing a wedding ring lies on a beach at the village of Skala, on the Greek island of Lesbos. Authorities recovered more bodies on Lesbos and the Greek island of Samos that day as thousands continue to cross from the nearby coast of Turkey despite worsening weather. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

FILE - In this Thursday, April 27, 2017 file photo, the belongings of a dead migrant found on the boat sunk in Lampedusa, Italy on Oct. 13, 2013, are displayed during the art exhibition "La Terra Inquieta" (Restless Earth) at the Triennale in Milan, Italy. Through the works of over sixty artists from all over the world, including Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria and Turkey, the exhibit examines the transformations around the world, particularly by addressing the problem of migration and the crisis of refugees. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 25, 2017 file photo, migrants wait to be rescued by aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms next to the bodies of other migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, north of Sabratha, Libya. An Associated Press tally has documented at least 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide from 2014 to 2018 _ almost double the number found in the world's only official attempt to count them, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2018 file photo, Venezuelan migrants line up for free bread and coffee, donated by a Colombian family from their car, at a gas station in Pamplona, Colombia. Carlos Valdes, director of Colombia's national forensic institute, believes hypothermia has killed some migrants as they trek through the mountain tundra region, but he had no idea how many. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

In this Aug. 5, 2018 photo, Venezuelan migrants cover themselves with blankets as they wait in the cold for a lift after crossing the border from Colombia on their way to Peru in Rumichaca, Ecuador. The toll of the dead and the missing has been all but ignored in one of the largest population movements in the world today _ that of nearly 2 million Venezuelans fleeing from their country's collapse. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A hand print in honor of migrants that have been killed or are missing is seen on a border wall structure separating Tijuana, Mexico from San Diego, in Tijuana on Oct. 16, 2018. An Associated Press tally has documented at least 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide from 2014 to 2018 _ almost double the number found in the world's only official attempt to count them, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Men line up for a meal as posters for the missing line a window at a shelter for migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, on Oct. 19, 2018. As people worldwide flee war, hunger and a lack of jobs, global migration has soared to record highs, with more than 258 million international migrants in 2017. That is an increase of 49 percent from the turn of the century, according to the United Nations. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 25, 2006 file photo, a group of migrants cross the desert between Sasabe, Mexico, and Sasabe, Ariz. As people worldwide flee war, hunger and a lack of jobs, global migration has soared to record highs, with more than 258 million international migrants in 2017. That is an increase of 49 percent from the turn of the century, according to the United Nations. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

FILE - In this Thursday, May 18, 2006 file photo, a cement brick with the generic name "John Doe" marks the grave where an unidentified migrant who died while crossing the border is buried in a public cemetery in Holtville, Calif. An Associated Press tally has documented at least 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide from 2014 to 2018 _ almost double the number found in the world's only official attempt to count them, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. (AP Photo/David Maung)
RAS JEBEL, Tunisia (AP) - The boys grew up within sight of the sea that took them away, rambling along paths and climbing rocks that would later be the launching pad for their flimsy rafts.

The Mediterranean has been robbing Tunisia of its young, who abandon their homeland in hopes of a better life in Europe. At the closest points, Ras Jebel in the north and the Kerkennah Islands in the east, it's a half-day sail if all goes well.

But the sea often swallows the rafts whole, and their passengers disappear without a trace.

Migrants who go missing are a daily reproach to political failure, so there is rarely an official count of the departed, the dead or the disappeared. However, an Associated Press tally has documented at least 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide since 2014 - almost double the number found in the world's only official attempt to count them, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration.

This includes the 11 young Tunisians who disappeared off the coast on May 7, 2011, and were never counted by their government. They left behind parents and siblings, who on a clear day can see the island where the boat crashed against the rocks and sank. Their photos, school notebooks and clothing for the most part remain untouched in their rooms. In case they return.

Often the tides of the Mediterranean bring ashore instead the bodies and belongings of others who attempted a similar migration - those from distant countries who hoped that the beaches of North Africa would be their last stop before Europe. These migrants have already traveled thousands of miles just to reach the Mediterranean coast, where their journey stops abruptly.

In this April 12, 2018 photo, women whose sons went missing look at the shoreline in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia. An Associated Press tally has documented at least 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide from 2014 to 2018 _ almost double the number found in the world's only official attempt to count them, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

The belongings are painstakingly gathered by an artist who tries to create beauty out of sorrow - a torn pink bra, a child's worn jacket, a pack of cigarettes. And the bodies are retrieved by a retired fisherman, who has made it his life's work to provide a proper burial to the foreigners even though they die without a name.

"Europe is protecting its borders but has no interest in the human beings," said Chamsedding Marzouk, the former sailor who maintains the cemetery of the unknown as a volunteer. "Who will visit the graves of our relatives when they die? Who will visit these graves? Who will weep for them?"

This April 14, 2018 photo shows the beach from where migrants leave for Italy, in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia. Often the tides of the Mediterranean bring ashore the bodies and belongings of those who attempted a migration. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

In this April 14, 2018 photo, 32-year old Ahmed Ayouby, who wants to leave Tunisia, smokes a cigarette at the beach where migrants leave for Italy, in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia. From the closest points to Europe in Tunisia, Ras Jebel in the north and the Kerkennah Islands in the east, it's a half-day sail if all goes well. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

In this April 12, 2018 photo, Fathia Jejli holds a photo of her son, Hossam Edin Jejli, right, and her nephew, Hamed Ben Brayek, who went missing in 2011, at her home in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia. As global migration has soared to record highs, far less visible has been its toll: The tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys, never to be seen again.(AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

This April 12, 2018 photo shows a framed portrait of Hossam Edin Jejli, who went missing in 2011, in his home in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

This April 12, 2018 photo shows a framed portrait of Radya Jejli, who went missing in 2011, in his bedroom in the town of Ras Jabal, Bizerte, Tunisia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

In this April 11, 2018 photo, Mounira Abu Shakra weeps during an interview about her son, Amin Bin Hussein, who went missing while migrating to Italy, in the town of Ras Jebel in Bizerte, Tunisia. As global migration has soared to record highs, far less visible has been its toll: The tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys, never to be seen again. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

This April 15, 2018 photo shows the "Cemetery of the Unknown" where migrants who were found dead on nearby shores are buried, in at the southern port town of Zarzis, Tunisia. The bodies are retrieved by retired fisherman Chamsedding Marzouk, who has made it his life's work to provide a proper burial to the foreigners even though they die without a name. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

This April 15, 2018 photo shows migrants' shoes which were retrieved by artist Mohsen Lahzib, who tries to create beauty out of sorrow, at his space in the southern port town of Zarzis, Tunisia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

This April 15, 2018 photo shows a migrant child's jacket which was retrieved by artist Mohsen Lahzib, who tries to create beauty out of sorrow, at his space in the southern port town of Zarzis, Tunisia. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Ever since Francis Nkomo went missing 10 years ago, his older sister Banele has been waiting for a sign of life. "I miss him," says Banele while holding his picture, all she has left of her brother. "I miss him a lot."

Francis, a Zimbabwean migrant living in Johannesburg, was 29 when he disappeared, one of thousands who have gone missing in South Africa.

Millions of migrants slip in through the country's porous borders without documentation and fall between the cracks in the system. They live a life of anonymity. And when they die, they remain unidentified: 4,311 in the Gauteng province between 2014 and 2017.

Zimbabwean migrant Kholakele, who lives with her husband Arnold and their five children in a crammed building in downtown Johannesburg, has heard the stories of people gone missing. The family entered the country illegally three years ago to find work.

Afraid that one day they will end up as anonymous bodies in the streets of Johannesburg, where crime rates and traffic accidents are steep, they barely let their children out of sight. "If one of them stays away for longer than 10 minutes, we phone them," says Kholakele.

When undocumented migrants die and nobody claims their body, there's no collection of them in any national or international tally.

This Monday Oct. 1, 2018 photo shows the skull of an unidentified adult male found in 2017, brought to a Johannesburg mortuary for identification purposes. Once a demographic profile is estimated, it will go to the victim identification center in the South African police department to create a facial reconstruction. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

A lot of the dead bodies end up in a mortuary in Hillbrow, one of the city's most dangerous and notorious neighborhoods, for pathological research. It's South Africa's busiest morgue, with 3,000 bodies being investigated every year. Ten per cent of those remain unclaimed and unidentified.

The fingerprints and DNA collected of the unidentified are used to create a more detailed database that police can use for future identification, or relatives can search to find a loved one.

After pathological research, they are brought to their final resting place, the Olifantsvlei cemetery, a large plot of farmland outside Johannesburg. Men in white overalls lower the chipboard coffins one by one, in stacks of five, into nine-feet-deep holes in a field of high grass and dried red earth. When the men leave, all that is left are tiny placards with 'Paupers Block' written on them.

Maybe Francis Nkomo lies in one of those graves. His sister is hoping for an answer.

"I'm just praying to see him back," Banele says. "Or if someone can tell me that he died, we can all have peace."

In this Friday, Aug. 24, 2018 photo, Zimbabwean migrant Banele Nkomo holds a photograph of her missing brother, Francis. She doesn't know what happened to him and hasn't heard from him for years. She says she misses him every day and wants to know whether he passed away and where his body is in order to find closure. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

This Friday, April 6, 2018 aerial photo shows Johannesburg's downtown. Millions of migrants jostle for work in the thriving underground economy of Gauteng province, whose name roughly translates to "land of gold." Thousands of them die without identities or simply disappear during the journey. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

Zimbabwean migrant Kholakele carries her 6-month old baby in her apartment in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. Kholakele and her husband, Arnold, left, who entered the country illegally three years ago to find work, have heard stories about missing migrants through friends and relatives. They fear for their five children. "If one of them stays away for longer than 10 minutes, we phone them," says Kholakele. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

In this Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018 photo, a man killed in a mob justice incident in Johannesbrug is carried away to be transported to a mortuary. Of the 3,000 bodies that come into the Johannesburg mortuary each year, approximately ten percent remain unidentified. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

In this Monday, April 16, 2018 photo, the hand of an unidentified man is seen at a mortuary in the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg during forensic examination. When undocumented migrants die and nobody claims their body, there's no collection of them in any national or international tally. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

This Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018 photo shows the body of an unidentified man at a mortuary in the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg. It's South Africa's busiest morgue, with 3,000 bodies being investigated every year. Ten per cent of those remain unclaimed and unidentified. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

In this Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 photo, an unidentified man lies in a body bag after forensic examination at a mortuary in the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

GRAPHIC CONTENTS - In this Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 photo, a forensic worker moves a body at a mortuary in the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg. It's South Africa's busiest morgue, with 3,000 bodies being investigated every year. Ten per cent of those remain unclaimed and unidentified. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

In this Wednesday, April 18, 2018 photo, a pathologist takes fingerprints of an unidentified male for forensic examination at a mortuary in the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg. Fingerprints are sent to a database of the South Africa police department in order to find a match. If no match is available, the bodies get buried in "pauper graves." (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

In this Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018 photo, a forensic worker transports a body at a mortuary in the Hillbrow neighborhood of Johannesburg. When undocumented migrants die and nobody claims their body, there's no collection of them in any national or international tally. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

This Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018 photo, shows the road leading to the Olifantsvlei cemetery outside Johannesburg. At the graveyard unidentified bodies are buried in "pauper graves." (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

In this Thursday, April 12, 2018, photo mortuary workers bury the coffin of an unidentified male in a "pauper grave" at a Olifantsvlei cemetery outside Johannesburg. At least five are placed on top of each other in each grave. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Long before notorious Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger was killed at a federal prison in West Virginia, lawmakers, advocates and even prison guards had been sounding the alarm about dangerous conditions there. But there has been no public indication that federal prison officials have taken action to address the safety concerns, even as Bulger's killing marks the third at the facility in the last six months.

An independent government commission found that United States Penitentiary Hazelton has been overcrowded for years. Inmates have repeatedly expressed concerns about their safety at the high-security prison, which houses 1,270 male inmates. A 2016 report from the District of Columbia's Corrections Information Council said that prisoners warned officials, "Inmates can lose their lives quickly here."

In April, 48-year-old Ian Thorne was killed during an altercation with a fellow prisoner, and in September, Demario Porter was also killed in another fight with a fellow inmate.

Court records, oversight reports and news articles detail numerous violent incidents in recent years. In 2016, an inmate was charged with murder after prosecutors said he strangled another prisoner to death during a fight. In February 2015, an inmate stabbed a fellow prisoner with a hand-crafted weapon during a fight, according to court documents. Another inmate received an extended sentence in May for assaulting a fellow prisoner and possessing a deadly weapon.

"There are a multitude of federal prisons that don't have a homicide rate like that," said Cameron Lindsay, a former federal prison warden who now works as a jail security consultant.

The federal Bureau of Prisons declined to make Acting Director Hugh Hurwitz available for an interview, but said in a statement that a team of "subject-matter experts" has been sent to the prison to "to assess operational activities and correctional security practices and measures to determine any relevant facts that may have contributed to the incident."

In this April 14, 2009 photo, Fotios "Freddy" Geas appears for a court proceeding in his defense in the Al Bruno murder case, in Springfield, Mass. Geas and at least one other inmate are being investigated as suspects in the slaying of former Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger, who was killed behind bars on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, less than 24 hours after being transferred to a federal prison in West Virginia, according to a former investigator briefed on the matter. The death of notorious Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger marks the third inmate to be killed at a West Virginia federal prison in the last six months. (Don Treeger /The Republican via AP)

Last week, five members of Congress wrote to Attorney General Jeff Sessions about what they called "dangerous continual understaffing" at federal prisons in West Virginia and Pennsylvania and stated their alarm about the deaths at USP Hazelton.

Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle said DOJ was "aware of the concerns raised in the letter" and would respond to the members of Congress.

In a separate letter this month, the District of Columbia's House delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, asked the Justice Department's inspector general to launch an investigation into the conditions at USP Hazelton, citing Thorne and Porter's deaths. Holmes Norton said she had also heard about the "brutal treatment" of inmates at the prison and was concerned that the incidents "may be indicative of larger, ongoing problems at the facility."

In a statement Tuesday, Norton said Bulger's death "underscores reports of a culture of violence at Hazelton."

Norton's office said she had not received a response to her earlier letter, and John Lavinsky, a spokesman for the inspector general, declined to comment.

The Bureau of Prisons said its team that has been sent to the prison will report their findings to the agency's leadership. The agency didn't immediately respond to follow-up questions about whether those recommendations would be made public.

The 89-year-old Bulger, who benefited from a corrupt relationship with the FBI before spending 16 years as one of America's most wanted men, was found unresponsive Tuesday morning, just hours after he arrived at USP Hazelton. He was declared dead shortly afterward. Authorities have not released a cause of death, but prosecutors said it was being investigated as a homicide. A Mafia hit man, Fotios "Freddy" Geas, who is said to hate "rats," and at least one other inmate are believed to have been involved in Bulger's killing, an ex-investigator briefed on the case said Wednesday. The longtime investigator was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Bulger led a largely Irish mob that ran loan-sharking, gambling and drug rackets. He also was an FBI informant who ratted on the New England mob, his gang's main rival, in an era when bringing down the Mafia was a top priority for the FBI.

A federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Bulger had been transferred to the prison where he was killed because he had disciplinary problems at a Florida prison where he had been serving a life sentence. The official has been briefed on the investigation into Bulger's killing and insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to release details.

"What I don't understand is why the Federal Bureau of Prisons would transfer a super high-publicity inmate, who is a known snitch, to general population of a high-security prison. You've got to be smarter than that," Lindsay, the former warden, said.

Union officials say the prison is operating at about 75 percent of its staffing level and has dozens of vacant positions. They have also decried a practice known as augmentation, which taps health care workers, teachers, secretaries and prison cooks to fill correction officer positions because of officer shortages and overtime limits.

Justin Tarovisky, executive vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 420, which represents Hazelton prison guards, said Bulger's death "outlines how dangerous this prison is." The union voiced its concerns about staffing in a picket outside the prison as far back as 2015.

The letter sent to Sessions last week by Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Pat Toomey, R-Pa.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; and Bob Casey, D-Pa.; and Rep. Bill Schuster, R-Pa., said Congress had provided additional funding to ensure there would be at least two corrections officers on duty in each housing unit for each shift and that the policy was "not being enforced as intended." The legislators said they were concerned that the Bureau of Prisons hasn't followed Congress' direction to curtail "its overreliance on augmentation, particularly in housing units."

A hiring freeze imposed by the Trump administration has left the agency short-staffed and some already overloaded federal prisons have been housing immigration detainees in recent months as well.

President Donald Trump's son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, has pushed prison reform as a key priority, though others in the Trump administration - including Sessions - support the toughest possible sentences for drug and other convictions. Kushner has had an interest in prison reform since his own father, Charles Kushner, was incarcerated for 14 months after being convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering.

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Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston, Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia and John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.

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COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - If Stacey Abrams becomes America's first black female governor on Tuesday, former President Jimmy Carter and Oprah Winfrey could be the keys to her success.

Her ability to win over a 94-year-old white man with deep ties to the rural South and one of the world's most famous black women who rarely dabbles in campaign-style politics highlights Abrams' strategy to win the Georgia governor's mansion. She's betting that charm, unabashed liberalism and her roots can motivate a coalition of black voters, liberal whites in the city and enough white voters elsewhere to overcome persistent Deep South divisions over race, culture and politics.

It's a tall order for a state that hasn't elected a Democrat as governor since 1998.

The balancing act will be on display in the coming days. Winfrey will campaign Thursday with Abrams, appearing in both a Democratic stronghold and a Republican-leaning suburb, an itinerary befitting someone who built her empire with a cross-section of fans. Former President Barack Obama will campaign for Abrams Friday at historically black Morehouse College.

For her part, Abrams is pitching her agenda, particularly Medicaid expansion and public education, to the full electorate, including rural white voters often overlooked by Democrats in previous campaigns.

Those close to Abrams say she and her campaign are keenly aware of the challenge.

FILE- In this May 22, 2018, file photo Democratic candidate for Georgia Gov. Stacey Abrams waves at a campaign event in Atlanta. Over the course of a year, Stacey Abrams has transformed from a technocratic leader in the Georgia legislature into a nationally known symbol of the Democratic Party's future. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

"The South really is changing," Abrams' mother, the Rev. Carolyn Abrams, said in an interview. "Black candidates, especially black women, are being taken seriously."

But the elder Abrams struck a cautious note. For her daughter to win, "It's going to take the people who populate all the state of Georgia, not just whites, not just blacks, not just Latinos, but right-thinking people coming together."

Polls show a tight campaign between Abrams, a former state legislative leader, and her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp, the current secretary of state. Republicans control state politics, but their winning margins in recent elections hasn't been nearly as wide as in other Deep South states. President Donald Trump won Georgia by 5 percentage points; outgoing Gov. Nathan Deal topped out at 53 percent of the vote.

If no one emerges with more than 50 percent of the vote next week, a runoff will be held in December.

The campaign has been overshadowed by race in its final weeks. Abrams has blasted Kemp's performance as the state's chief elections officer, joining voting rights advocates in accusing him of using his post to make it harder for citizens, particularly minorities, to vote. Kemp maintains he's merely following federal and state election laws.

Abrams, meanwhile, found herself on defense after a photo resurfaced of her participating in a 1992 protest in which the Georgia flag was burned. At the time, the flag contained the Confederate symbol. During a debate with Kemp, Abrams said she "took an action of peaceful protest" and noted that Kemp himself voted as a legislator to strip the state flag of its Old South insignia.

Still, the dynamics in Georgia contrast to neighboring Florida, where Democrat Andrew Gillum could become the state's first black governor. Trump recently tweeted without evidence that Gillum was a "thief." And at a recent debate, Gillum noted his GOP opponent, former Rep. Ron DeSantis, was backed by an activist who once used a racial epithet in describing Obama.

"I'm not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist," Gillum said. "I'm simply saying the racists believe he's a racist."

Abrams has been more circumspect when discussing race and the historic nature of her potential victory.

"I look forward to making history," she'll say in some national media interviews.

She extols her parents, both ordained Methodist clergy, and details her father's challenges as a "black man in Mississippi" once dismissed as "just another problem" because of his dyslexia. She tells of being invited to the Georgia governor's mansion as her high school's valedictorian, only to have a security guard initially deny her and her parents entry after they stepped off a transit bus at the gates of the estate. "He never asked for the invitation my mother had in her purse," Abrams says.

In recent weeks, Abrams began incorporating into her campaign speech a scene she witnessed in tiny Seminole County in southwest Georgia's wiregrass territory. She recalled watching two elementary school boys help each other use a water fountain neither of them was tall enough to reach alone. Deep into her telling, she mentioned that one boy was white and the other was African-American. Then she hit her crescendo.

"They didn't have to argue about who got to be first in line. ... They didn't argue about whether there'd be enough," Abrams said. "They knew instinctively that if they worked together, they would both be made full, they'd both be made whole."

Her paid advertising features the gamut of Georgia's 10 million-plus residents, but perhaps most notably includes a white worker who tells voters in a distinct south Georgia accent that Abrams "fights everyday" for "guys like me."

Abrams knows she won't get every vote - or many votes at all - among older whites who long ago abandoned the Democratic Party, people like Dr. Robert Williams and Ken Kline, two veterans in the north Georgia town of Rome who describe themselves as "big Trump fans."

Williams, an 83-year-old retired Air Force surgeon, listens to Abrams' proposals and hears a would-be governor who "just wants to make everything free."

Kline, a Navy Seabee during the Vietnam War, expresses alarm over Abrams' support for taking down Confederate monuments from state property - a position that Abrams does not make part of her central pitch.

"We don't get to have a heritage," the 71-year-old Kline says.

Even with their criticisms, Williams and Kline implicitly grasp the strategy.

"Some of the young people seem to be for her," Williams said.

Joel Huff may be one of them. A 43-year-old white man who lives in Athens and travels the state working on solar energy projects, Huff said he doesn't vote in some elections.

But after happening upon an Abrams' campaign stop alongside Carter, the former president, Huff asked Abrams about her energy ideas and said he "absolutely loved" her answer about investing more in solar both for economic and environmental benefits.

Black politicians have succeeded in previous statewide Georgia elections, though never as governor. Thurbert Baker won three terms as attorney general after first being appointed to the post. Michael Thurmond was elected to three terms as state labor commissioner after first winning a legislative seat in a majority white district. Rep. Sanford Bishop currently represents a majority white congressional district anchored in Columbus.

Bishop and Thurmond, now the executive of DeKalb County in metro Atlanta, say Abrams is already meeting the first task: asking for votes everywhere.

Economic arguments, Bishop said, transcend race, because "everyone wants a better life." Thurmond, who lost his initial bids for elected office, adds that as a black politician "you should not let your own fears about who might or might not vote for you get in the way ... because you never know what is in someone's heart."

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For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. midterm elections: http://apne.ws/APPolitics

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Follow Barrow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP .

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This story has been corrected to show the surname is DeSantis, not De Santis.

People wait in line for tickets, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, in Augusta, Ga., to see former President Barack Obama, who will be speaking at Morehouse College in Atlanta on Friday for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. (Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP)

Jerome Massey poses with his tickets, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, to see former President Barack Obama after waiting in line for two hours in Augusta, Ga. Obama will be speaking at Morehouse College in Atlanta on Friday for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. (Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP)
BOSTON (AP) - Fans of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren may have long fantasized about a face-to-face debate between the liberal firebrand and her nemesis, President Donald Trump.

This campaign, they've gotten the next best thing as the Massachusetts Democrat has worked to fend off a challenge by Republican Geoff Diehl, a state representative and co-chair of Trump's 2016 campaign in the state.

Although Warren is ahead in the polls and fundraising, some see in the sparring match a test run for a possible real-life clash between Warren and Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

There are a lot of hurdles that Warren - who has said she would take a hard look after the November election at a run for president - would have to clear on the way to that scenario. She has yet to say definitively that she is running for president, and there are plenty of other Democrats in the hypothetical mix, making Warren's path to her party's nomination anything but certain.

But the midterm election has given Warren a chance to dust off her campaign chops. In televised debates, Warren has gone after Diehl hard. The Republican has responded by painting Warren as out of touch with Massachusetts voters.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Warren wasted little time connecting Diehl to Trump, who remains unpopular in Massachusetts, where he garnered less than 34 percent of the 2016 vote.

FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 19, 2018 file photo, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, incumbent Elizabeth Warren stands at the podium before a debate with her opponent Geoff Diehl in Boston. Fans of Sen. Warren may have long fantasized about a face-to-face debate between the liberal firebrand and her nemesis, President Donald Trump. This election, they've gotten the next best thing as the Massachusetts Democrat has sparred with challenger Republican Geoff Diehl, a state representative and co-chair of Trump's 2016 Massachusetts campaign. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

"My opponent has said he's with Donald Trump 100 percent of the time," Warren said. "That means he's with Donald Trump in wanting to be the deciding vote to roll back health care for tens of millions of Americans."

Diehl said that while he supports Trump - he noted the unemployment rate in Massachusetts has dropped during the past two years - he doesn't agree with every Trump-backed policy. He said he opposed the proposed elimination of state and local tax deductions in the GOP tax reform bill.

Diehl has also shied away from calling Warren "Pocahontas," a favorite Trump taunt and a reference to Warren's claims of Native American heritage.

"We've never made it an issue with this campaign," Diehl told the AP. "It's an issue that's been attached to her since 2012. We'll see if the public believes what she's saying."

Warren in October released DNA test results that provide some evidence of a Native American in her lineage. The test has done little to quell criticism of her by Trump and his supporters.

Asked whether the release of the DNA test accomplished what she'd hoped, Warren said her goal is to be an open book.

"This is just who I am. I put it all out there. Ten years of tax returns. All my employment records. And yeah, I even took a DNA test. It's there. It's on the internet. Anybody can take a look at it," she said.

Jeffrey Berry, a professor of American politics and political behavior at Tufts University, said Warren is already looking past Diehl as she weighs a possible White House run, noting her travels to other states to campaign with - and raise money for - fellow Democrats.

"There's going to be two lanes that quickly emerge after November," Berry said. "One is the very liberal lane and one is the even more liberal lane."

"She's going to be in the even more liberal lane and will face candidates like Kamala Harris, while more moderate voices like Kirsten Gillibrand and Deval Patrick will be in the conventional liberal lane," he said, referring to the senators from California and New York and the former governor of Massachusetts. All three have been mentioned as possible Democratic presidential hopefuls.

Despite her national profile and occasional Twitter feuds with Trump, Warren says that for her, politics is a means to an end - helping to reverse what she calls the "hollowing out of the middle class" in America.

"I didn't get into politics for any reason other than to try to help working families. This has been my life's work," said Warren, who worked as a law professor at Harvard before running for the Senate in 2012. "This is not something I adopted because somebody said it polled well."

For Diehl, Warren's political ambitions have robbed Massachusetts of a full-time advocate in the Senate. He has said that if Warren wants to be president, she should quit her re-election campaign.

Diehl has also argued he can offer Massachusetts something Warren can't - a seat at the table in the GOP-controlled Senate and Republican White House. It's an argument he has made by invoking the late Democratic senator Edward Kennedy.

"Ted Kennedy was the liberal lion of the Senate, but when the elections were over, he would work with Republican presidents or Republican governors here in Massachusetts to deliver for the people," Diehl said. "That's not happening with Sen. Warren."

Although she points to some legislative successes under the Trump administration, Warren said her goal is to help flip the Senate to make it easier for Democrats to push a more ambitious agenda in line with the goals of most Massachusetts voters.

To make that happen, Warren said, she needs as many allies as possible in Congress.

"The best way that I can serve the people of Massachusetts is not only to vote in their interest but also to try to get some allies who will do the same," Warren said. "I want to win these fights."

Asked about the worst thing Trump has done during his two years in office, Warren points to what she describes as his embrace of authoritarian figures like Russian President Vladimir Putin or North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

"When he talks about his love for Kim Jong Un, a brutal, repressive dictator in North Korea and engages in photo ops with him and basically gets nothing in return, I am deeply shocked and I'm left to wonder what's happening here?" Warren said.

Independent candidate Shiva Ayyadurai is also on the ballot.

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For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. midterm elections: http://apne.ws/APPolitics
GENTIOUX-PIGEROLLES, France (AP) - When Almass was just 14, his widowed mother reluctantly sent him and his 11-year-old brother from their home in Afghanistan all the way to Germany via a chain of smugglers. The payment for their trip was supposed to get them away from the Taliban.

Now Almass' young brother is among the vast, shadowy ranks of Asia's missing migrants, vanished somewhere in Iran. Even Almass himself, although he is now safe in France, may be counted in the ranks of the missing.

As global migration has soared to record highs, far less visible has been its toll : The tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys, never to be seen again. A growing number of migrants have drowned, died in deserts or fallen prey to traffickers, leaving their families to wonder what on earth happened to them. At the same time, anonymous bodies are filling cemeteries around the world.

In most cases, nobody is keeping track: Barely counted in life, these people don't register in death, as if they never lived at all.

Asia has the world's largest overall population movements, but also has the least information on the fate of those who disappear after leaving their homelands. The Associated Press was able to document more than 5,400 migrants who disappeared or died after leaving home in Asia and the Mideast, their most common destinations. That's in addition to the 2,700 missing and dead documented by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration, for a total of more than 8,200 since 2014.

The total includes more than 2,000 migrant workers from the Philippines, their absence leaving a void for family and friends. Another 2,675 are missing from Indonesia.

Almass, an 18-year-old Afghan who lost his younger brother at the Iran-Turkey border four years ago, traces the path of his migration to Europe, at his new home in Gentioux-Pigerolles, France on Oct. 6, 2018. Asia has the world's largest overall population movements, but also has the least information on the fate of those who disappear after leaving their homelands. (AP Photo/Lori Hinnant)

Asians make up 40 percent of the world's migrants, and 13 of the top 20 migration pathways from Asia take place within the region. These include Indian workers heading to the United Arab Emirates, Bangladeshis heading to India, Rohingya Muslims escaping persecution in Myanmar, and Afghans crossing the nearest border to escape war.

But with large-scale smuggling and trafficking of labor, and violent displacements, the low numbers of dead and missing indicate not safe travel but rather a vast unknown.

Almass and his brother left from Khost, Afghanistan, into that unknown. The pair crammed first into a pickup with around 40 people, walked for a few days at the border, crammed into a car, waited a bit in Tehran, and walked a few more days.

His brother Murtaza was exhausted by the time they reached the Iran-Turkey border. But the smuggler said it wasn't the time to rest - there were at least two border posts nearby and the risk that children far younger travelling with them would make noise.

Almass was carrying a baby in his arms and holding his brother's hand when they heard the shout of Iranian guards. Bullets whistled past as he tumbled head over heels into a ravine and lost consciousness.

Alone all that day and the next, Almass stumbled upon three other boys in the ravine who had also become separated from the group, then another four. No one had seen his brother. And although the younger boy had his ID, it had been up to Almass to memorize the crucial contact information for the smuggler.

When Almass eventually called home, from Turkey, he couldn't bear to tell his mother what had happened. He said Murtaza couldn't come to the phone but sent his love.

That was in early 2014. Almass, who is now 18, hasn't spoken to his family since.

Almass searched for his brother among the 2,773 children reported to the Red Cross as missing en route to Europe. He also looked for himself among the 2,097 adults reported missing by children. Neither was on the list.

With one of the world's longest-running exoduses, Afghans face particular dangers in bordering countries that are neither safe nor welcoming. From June 2017 to April 2018, the 4Mi project by the Mixed Migration Centre in Geneva carried out 962 interviews with Afghan migrants and refugees in their native languages around the world. The migrants said they had witnessed 247 deaths along the way, with people killed in violence from security forces or starving to death. The effort is the first time any organization has directly captured the perils facing Afghans in transit to destinations in Asia and Europe.

Almass made it from Asia to Europe, and speaks halting French now to the woman who has given him a home in a drafty 400-year-old farmhouse in France's Limousin region. But his family is lost to him. Their phone number in Afghanistan no longer works, their village is overrun with Taliban, and he has no idea how to find them - or the child whose hand slipped from his grasp four years ago.

"I don't know now where they are," he said, his face anguished as he sat on a sun-dappled bench. "They also don't know where I am."

Almass, an 18-year-old Afghan who lost his younger brother at the Iran-Turkey border four years ago, describes the journey from the province of Khost to his current home in in Gentioux-Pigerolles, France on Oct. 6, 2018. When Almass eventually called home, from Turkey, he couldn't bear to tell his mother what had happened. He said Murtaza couldn't come to the phone but sent his love. (AP Photo/Lori Hinnant)
MEXICO CITY (AP) - The brothers-in-law knew all too well that crossing the desert leading to the United States could be lethal. One had lost a father on the journey in 1995 and an uncle in 2004. And the two young men had already tried to make the trek just a few months before but surrendered to border patrol agents in exhaustion.

Yet Juan Lorenzo Luna and Armando Reyes set off again in August 2016 from their small northern Mexico town of Gomez Palacio.

Of the five who left Gomez Palacio together, two men made it to safety, and one turned back. The only information he gave was that the brothers-in-law had stopped walking and planned to surrender again. That is the last that is known of them.

As people worldwide flee war, hunger and a lack of jobs, global migration has soared to record highs, with more than 258 million international migrants in 2017. Far less visible, however, has been the toll of this mass migration - the tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys, never to be seen again.

In most cases, nobody is keeping track: Barely counted in life, these people don't register in death, as if they never lived at all.

At least 3,861 migrants are dead and missing on the route from Mexico to the United States since 2014, the AP found. The AP's tally includes records from the Colibri Center for Human Rights on the U.S. side and the Argentine Forensic Anthropology team in Mexico, as well as numbers from the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration and U.S. Border Patrol.

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 25, 2006 file photo, a group of migrants cross the desert between Sasabe, Mexico, and Sasabe, Ariz. As people worldwide flee war, hunger and a lack of jobs, global migration has soared to record highs, with more than 258 million international migrants in 2017. That is an increase of 49 percent from the turn of the century, according to the United Nations. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The painstaking work of identification can take years, hampered by a lack of resources, official records and coordination between countries - and even between states. The political tide has also turned against migrants, dead or alive, with the U.S. government cracking down severely on caravans of Central Americans making their way to its borders.

In the case of Luna and Reyes, officials told the families that they had scoured prisons and detention centers, but there was no sign of the missing men. Cesaria Orona even consulted a fortune teller about her missing son, Armando, and was told he had died in the desert.

One weekend in June 2017, volunteers found eight bodies next to a military area of the Arizona desert and posted the images online in the hopes of finding family. Maria Elena Luna came across a Facebook photo of a decaying body found in an arid landscape dotted with cactus and shrubs, lying face-up with one leg bent outward. There was something horribly familiar about the pose.

"That's how my brother used to sleep," she whispered.

Along with the bodies, the volunteers found a credential of a boy from Guatemala, a photo and a piece of paper with a number written on it. The photo was of Juan Lorenzo Luna, and the number on the paper was for cousins of the family. But investigators warned that while a wallet or credential was a clue, it could also have been stolen, as migrants are frequently robbed.

"We all cried," Maria Elena Luna recalled. "But I said, we cannot be sure until we have the DNA test. Let's wait."

In 2010 the Argentine forensic team and the local morgue in Pima County, Ariz., began to organize efforts to put names to the anonymous bodies found on both sides of the border. The initiative, the "Border Project," has gained support from institutions in the United States, Mexico and Central America, and to date has identified more than 183 people - a fraction of the total.

Luna and Orona gave DNA samples to the Mexican government and the Argentine group. An initial possible match for Reyes came back negative. They are still waiting.

Every time Luna hears about clandestine graves or unidentified bodies in the news, the anguish is sharp.

"Suddenly all the memories come back," she said. "I do not want to think."

Further south, the toll of the dead and the missing has been all but ignored from the single largest population movement in the world today - that of more than 2 million Venezuelans fleeing from their country's collapse.

These migrants have hopped buses across the borders, boarded flimsy boats in the Caribbean, and - when all else failed - walked for days along dirt roads and freezing mountain trails. Vulnerable to violence from drug cartels, hunger and illness that lingers even after they arrive, they have disappeared or died by the hundreds.

"They can't withstand a trip that hard, because the journey is very long," said Carlos Valdes, director of neighboring Colombia's national forensic institute. "And many times, they only eat once a day. They don't eat. And they die."

Those deaths are uncounted, as are dozens in the sea. Also uncounted are those reported missing in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. In all the AP found at least 3,410 Venezuelans have been reported missing or dead in a migration whose dangers have gone relatively unnoticed; many of the dead perished from illnesses on the rise in Venezuela that easily would have found treatment in better times.

Among the missing is Randy Javier Gutierrez, who was walking through Colombia with a cousin and his aunt in hopes of reaching Peru to reunite with his mother.

Gutierrez's mother, Mariela Gamboa, said that a driver offered a ride to the two women, but refused to take her son. The women agreed to wait for him at the bus station in Cali, about 160 miles (257 kilometers) ahead, but he never arrived. Messages sent to his phone since that day in June have gone unread.

"I'm very worried," his mother said. "I don't even know what to do."

_____

Christine Armario in Colombia contributed to this story.

Men line up for a meal as posters for the missing line a window at a shelter for migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, on Oct. 19, 2018. As people worldwide flee war, hunger and a lack of jobs, global migration has soared to record highs, with more than 258 million international migrants in 2017. That is an increase of 49 percent from the turn of the century, according to the United Nations. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A hand print in honor of migrants that have been killed or are missing is seen on a border wall structure separating Tijuana, Mexico from San Diego, in Tijuana on Oct. 16, 2018. An Associated Press tally has documented at least 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide from 2014 to 2018 _ almost double the number found in the world's only official attempt to count them, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

FILE - In this Thursday, May 18, 2006 file photo, a cement brick with the generic name "John Doe" marks the grave where an unidentified migrant who died while crossing the border is buried in a public cemetery in Holtville, Calif. An Associated Press tally has documented at least 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide from 2014 to 2018 _ almost double the number found in the world's only official attempt to count them, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. (AP Photo/David Maung)

Pablo Reyes looks at a photo of a skull on his cellphone as he and Juan Lorenzo Luna's sister, Maria Elena Luna, left, and sister-in-law, Cesaria Orona, who's son, Armando, is also missing, testify before a human rights commission in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Thursday, March 22, 2018. Luna and Orona gave DNA samples to the Mexican government and an Argentine forensics group. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Relatives look at photos of Armando Reyes, who disappeared in 2016, before testifying before a human rights commission in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Thursday, March 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Cesaria Orona, sister-in-law of Juan Lorenzo Luna, and who's son, Armando, is also missing, testifies before a human rights commission in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Thursday, March 22, 2018. Orona holds out hope that the men may be locked up, or held by "bad people," rather than the alternative. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

In this March 23, 2018 photo, an Argentine forensic anthropology team arrange burned fragments at a lab in Cuauhtemoc, Mexico. The fragments are among the remains of tens of thousands of people who have disappeared in Mexico's long and bloody drug war. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2018 file photo, Venezuelan migrants line up for free bread and coffee, donated by a Colombian family from their car, at a gas station in Pamplona, Colombia. Carlos Valdes, director of Colombia's national forensic institute, believes hypothermia has killed some migrants as they trek through the mountain tundra region, but he had no idea how many. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

In this Aug. 5, 2018 photo, Venezuelan migrants cover themselves with blankets as they wait in the cold for a lift after crossing the border from Colombia on their way to Peru in Rumichaca, Ecuador. The toll of the dead and the missing has been all but ignored in one of the largest population movements in the world today _ that of nearly 2 million Venezuelans fleeing from their country's collapse. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Sri Lanka's president has summoned Parliament to meet next week as pressure grows for him to resolve the turmoil set off when he sacked the Cabinet last week, his chosen prime minister said Thursday.

President Maithripala Sirisena made the decision a day after meeting with Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, who previously warned of possible violence if lawmakers were not summoned immediately.

On Friday, Sirisena had dismissed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Cabinet, later telling reporters he acted in part because Wickremesinghe and a Cabinet colleague were behind an alleged assassination plot against him. Details of the alleged plot have not been disclosed and Wickremesinghe denies the accusation.

Sirisena had replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa and suspended Parliament until Nov. 16 in an apparent attempt to give Rajapaksa time to muster enough support to survive any no-confidence vote.

Wickremesinghe had demanded the convening of Parliament, saying he still controls a majority of lawmakers.

Sirisena's moves have triggered a power struggle and some observers call it a constitutional crisis.

Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa gestures as he addresses the staff after assuming duties as finance minister in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Cabinet on Friday and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa. On Saturday, Sirisena suspended Parliament in an apparent move to give Rajapaksa time to muster enough support to survive any no-confidence vote. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In remarks broadcast on state television, Rajapaksa told a meeting at his office that Sirisena decided to summon Parliament on Nov. 5.

Karu Paranavithana, a lawmaker from Wickremesinghe's United National Front, welcomed the announcement, calling it "a great victory" for the people.

He said Sirisena's coalition tried to establish a dictatorship but failed. "They will have to retreat now," he said.

Wickremensinghe tweeted saying "the people's voices have been heard. Parliament will be reconvened on the 5th of November. Democracy will prevail."

Sirisena was under increasing pressure by his political opponents, rights groups and foreign governments including the United States to summon Parliament and end the crisis.

Sirisena's supporters have talked for weeks about an alleged assassination plot, but Sunday was the first time Sirisena commented publicly about it. A police informant has said Wickremesinghe and a Cabinet member, former army commander Sarath Fonseka, were behind it. Police have made no arrests.

Tensions have been building between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe for some time, as the president did not approve of economic reforms introduced by the prime minister. Sirisena was also critical of investigations into military personnel accused of human rights violations during Sri Lanka's long civil war, which ended in 2009.

A shooting at the Petroleum Ministry on Saturday killed two people and wounded one in the first violence related to the turmoil. On Tuesday, thousands of Sri Lankans protested in the capital demanding Sirisena immediately convene Parliament.

Separately on Thursday, Sirisena swore in two Cabinet ministers, five state ministers and six deputy ministers, as a part of the new Cabinet which is still being formed. On Monday, he appointed 12 Cabinet ministers, one state minister and a deputy minister.
ISLAMABAD (AP) - A Christian woman acquitted in Pakistan after eight years on death row for blasphemy plans to leave the country soon, her family said Thursday, and authorities said they arrested two prisoners last month for conspiring to kill her.

Radical Islamists mounted rallies across the country for a second day after Pakistan's Supreme Court in a landmark ruling overturned the 2010 conviction against Asia Bibi for insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The charge of blasphemy carries the death penalty in this majority Muslim nation.

Bibi's acquittal posed a challenge to the government of Pakistan's new Prime Minister Imran Khan, who came to power this summer partly by pursuing the Islamist agenda. He asked protesters not to "test the patience of the state."

On Thursday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government was avoiding the use of force against demonstrators to resolve the issue peacefully.

Bibi remained at an undisclosed location Thursday, where the 54-year-old mother of five was being held for security reasons, awaiting her formal release, her brother James Masih told The Associated Press.

Masih said his sister simply would not be safe in Pakistan.

Pakistani cleric Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, addresses at a mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Saeed, a radical cleric wanted by the United States, urged followers to hold rallies across Pakistan on Friday to condemn the Supreme Court decision that acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, who spent eight years on death row accused of blasphemy. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers in parliament called Thursday for reforming the judicial system and Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law - so that innocents like Bibi wouldn't spent years languishing in jail. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

"She has no other option and she will leave the country soon," he said. Masih would not disclose the country of her destination but both France and Spain have offered asylum.

Also on Thursday, jail officials said two inmates were arrested last month at an undisclosed detention facility for planning to kill Bibi by strangling her. They said the men were still being questioned.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

A female commando who is part of a team of police and paramilitary troops deployed to protect Bibi, told The Associated Press that Bibi was reading a Bible when the news about her acquittal was conveyed to her.

Bibi was wearing green and orange traditional Pakistani dress and a scarf when an AP reporter saw her at the facility.

According to the female commando, who asked to remain unidentified as she was not authorized to speak to media, Bibi upon hearing news of her release said the judges gave her a new life and she was grateful to them.

Officials said Bibi is at a safe facility but that she still fears for her life and has trouble sleeping, fearing someone might harm her.

Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, had returned from Britain with their children in mid-October and was waiting for her to join them, the brother said.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 Islamists blocked a key road linking the capital Islamabad with the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Thursday, demanding Bibi be publicly hanged. Authorities deployed paramilitary troops, signaling they could move in to clear the roads.

Hundreds also blocked another key motorway, linking Islamabad with major cities such as Lahore and Peshawar, chanting slogans against Bibi and demanding her execution.

Later on Thursday, lawyer Ghulam Mustafa filed a petition in the Supreme Court requesting the judges review the acquittal as the government began talks with rally organizers to end their protests, which led to dozens of vehicles being torched.

Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers in parliament called Thursday for reforming the judicial system and Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law - so that innocents like Bibi wouldn't spent years languishing in jail.

Hafiz Saeed, a radical cleric wanted by the United States, urged followers to hold rallies across Pakistan on Friday to condemn Bibi's release. Saeed is the founder of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.

Protesters, rallied by firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, also set up roadblocks and burned tires in the southern port city of Karachi while hundreds clashed Thursday with police in various parts of eastern Punjab province.

Many parents kept their children from school, fearing more violence.

The Islamists also called for the killing of the three judges, including Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who acquitted Bibi.

The three are on the hit list of Rizvi's Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, which has demanded a public execution for Bibi. Rizvi has managed to turn out tens of thousands of supporters in the past, often forcing authorities to bow to his demands on religious matters.

Tehreek-e-Labbaik claimed Thursday that two of its supporters were killed by police fire during overnight clashes in Karachi. No government official could immediately confirm any casualties.

In his televised speech, Prime Minister Khan warned the Islamists: "Let me make it very clear to you that the state will fulfill its responsibility."

Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Malook, has gone into hiding as the extremists had threatened his life as well.

On Wednesday, cleric Afzal Qadri, with Rizvi by his side, urged a crowd of supporters outside the Punjab provincial parliament in the city of Lahore to revolt against army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa and overthrow Khan's government.

Bibi's acquittal, however, has been seen as a hopeful sign by Christians in Pakistan, where the mere rumor of blasphemy can spark lynchings. Religious minorities, who have been repeatedly targeted by extremists, fear the law because it is often used to settle scores and to pressure minorities.

Bibi was arrested in 2009 after she was accused of blasphemy following a quarrel with two fellow female farm workers who refused to drink from a water container used by a Christian. A few days later, a mob accused her of insulting Islam's prophet, leading to her 2010 conviction.

Bibi's family has always maintained her innocence and says she never insulted the prophet.

___

Tanveer reported from Multan, Pakistan

For a second day, radical Islamists rally to condemn a Supreme Court decision that acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, who spent eight years on death row accused of blasphemy, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Bibi plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday, as Islamists mounted rallies demanding Bibi be publicly hanged. The Islamists also called for the killing of the three judges, including Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who acquitted Bibi. Banner reads "release of blasphemous Asia is unacceptable." (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Pakistani commuters walk past supporters of radical Islamist groups blocking a main highway to protest a Supreme Court decision that acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, who spent eight years on death row accused of blasphemy, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Bibi plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday, as radical Islamists mounted rallies demanding Bibi be publicly hanged. The Islamists also called for the killing of the three judges, including Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who acquitted Bibi. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Supporters of the Pakistani religious group Islami Jamiat-e-Tulaba, rally to condemn a Supreme Court decision that acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, who spent eight years on death row accused of blasphemy, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Bibi plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday, as radical Islamists mounted rallies demanding Bibi be publicly hanged. The Islamists also called for the killing of the three judges, including Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who acquitted Bibi. Banner on left reads "revert the court's decision regarding Asia." (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

A supporter of a radical Islamic group stands guard as protesters block a main highway to condemn a Supreme Court decision that acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, who spent eight years on death row accused of blasphemy, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Bibi plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday, as Islamists mounted rallies demanding Bibi be publicly hanged. The Islamists also called for the killing of the three judges, including Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who acquitted Bibi. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Radical Islamists rally to condemn a Supreme Court decision that acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, who spent eight years on death row accused of blasphemy, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Bibi plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday, as Islamists mounted rallies demanding Bibi be publicly hanged. The Islamists also called for the killing of the three judges, including Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who acquitted Bibi. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Radical Islamists rally to condemn a Supreme Court decision that acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, who spent eight years on death row accused of blasphemy, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Bibi plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday, as Islamists mounted rallies demanding Bibi be publicly hanged. The Islamists also called for the killing of the three judges, including Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who acquitted Bibi. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Radical Islamists rally to condemn a Supreme Court decision that acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, who spent eight years on death row accused of blasphemy, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Bibi plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday, as Islamists mounted rallies demanding Bibi be publicly hanged. The Islamists also called for the killing of the three judges, including Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who acquitted Bibi. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

For a second day, radical Islamists rally to condemn a Supreme Court decision that acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, who spent eight years on death row accused of blasphemy, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Bibi plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday, as Islamists mounted rallies demanding Bibi be publicly hanged. The Islamists also called for the killing of the three judges, including Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, who acquitted Bibi. Placards read, "Muhammad." (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

People walk past shipping containers placed by authorities to stop protesters at an entrance of capital following a court decision in favor of a Christian woman in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Christian woman Asia Bibi was acquitted in Pakistan after eight years on death row for blasphemy plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday as radical Islamists mounted rallies for a second day against the verdict, blocking roads and burning tires in protest. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

Supporters of Pakistani religious groups block a main road to the capital following a court decision in favor of a Christian woman in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Christian woman Asia Bibi acquitted in Pakistan after eight years on death row for blasphemy plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday as radical Islamists mounted rallies for a second day against the verdict, blocking roads and burning tires in protest. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

Supporters of Pakistan's religious groups rally to condemn a court decision in favor of a Christian woman in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Christian woman Asia Bibi was acquitted in Pakistan after eight years on death row for blasphemy plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday, as radical Islamists mounted rallies for a second day against the verdict, blocking roads and burning tires in protest. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

Authorities place shipping containers to stop protesters at an entrance to the capital center following a court decision in favor of a Christian woman in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Christian woman Asia Bibi acquitted in Pakistan after eight years on death row for blasphemy plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday as radical Islamists mounted rallies for a second day against the verdict, blocking roads and burning tires in protest. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

Supporters of Pakistani religious groups gather and block a main road to the capital center following a court decision in favor of a Christian woman in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Christian woman Asia Bibi acquitted in Pakistan after eight years on death row for blasphemy plans to leave the country, her family said Thursday as radical Islamists mounted rallies for a second day against the verdict, blocking roads and burning tires in protest. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

Pakistani protesters burn tires while blocking a main road during a protest after a court decision, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who spent eight years on death row under Pakistan's blasphemy law was acquitted and ordered released Wednesday by the country's top court, a ruling that raised fears of violence by religious extremists who held angry protests over the verdict.(AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
ISSAQUAH, Wash. (AP) - In her election ads, Dr. Kim Schrier wears a white doctor's coat as she declares that health care is a right.

She talks about her Type 1 diabetes, her concern as a parent over President Donald Trump's policies and how she counsels families of depressed teen boys as a longtime pediatrician.

The Democrat running for an open U.S. House seat in Washington state is framing her candidacy around health care issues with a personal touch, hoping the popularity of aspects of former President Barack Obama's health care law and support for improving access to medical care drives her to victory.

"I don't think there's anything radical about wanting people in this country to have health care," Schrier said at a debate with Republican opponent Dino Rossi, a longtime state lawmaker.

Schrier and the Democratic Party have focused on the health law's protections for people with pre-existing conditions after the GOP failed to repeal "Obamacare" last year.

Republicans have rolled out ads slamming her plan to expand Medicare as a "scheme" that "could double taxes" as they try to keep the seat in the 8th District that encompasses the ultraliberal eastern Seattle suburbs to the solidly conservative rural Cascade Mountains. The seat is open because Rep. Dave Reichert is retiring.

FILE - In this March 30, 2018, file photo, Dr. Kim Schrier, a candidate in Washington state's 8th District race, poses for a photo in Issaquah, Wash. Schrier is framing her congressional candidacy around health care issues with personal anecdotes as a patient, parent and pediatrician. She hopes the popularity of aspects of former President Barack Obama's health care law drives her to victory. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Schrier, who vows to protect Planned Parenthood and abortion rights, is one of four Democratic female doctors running for the House. The doctors who have been elected to Congress have largely been Republican men.

"I just think we are losing a lot of humanity in the country right now and a lot of compassion, and that's what women physicians bring," Schrier said.

A recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and MTV found health care is on voters' minds and they're sympathetic to the core Democratic stance that government should be involved.

The survey says 69 percent of young Americans between 15 and 34 favor a national health plan, known as a single-payer program. Eighty-eight percent of young Democrats and 40 percent of young Republicans favor government-run health insurance, according to the poll. Roughly two-thirds of young independents are in favor.

The American Medical Association, which has supported Obama's health care law, said it doesn't track the political leanings of its membership of doctors but that the number of female doctors overall reflects recent diversity in the field.

"As half of all medical school students today are women, it's no surprise that female physicians are increasingly politically active," Dr. Barbara L. McAneny, president of the group said in a statement. "The physician perspective is critical in the legislative process."

The other three female doctors running for Congress as Democrats are Hiral Tipirneni, an emergency room doctor in Arizona; Kyle Horton, a former veteran affairs system doctor in North Carolina; and Danielle Mitchell, a family physician in Tennessee.

If one of them is elected, she would be the first Democratic female doctor in Congress. Donna Christian-Christensen is a doctor who served as a non-voting delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The GOP Doctors Caucus didn't respond to requests seeking comment.

Washington's 8th District is among the most expensive House races in the country, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. With more than $25 million pouring in, it has already doubled the previous state record.

It's one of two dozen districts nationwide held by the GOP but whose voters chose Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. It's one of the tightest midterm races and a critical potential pickup for Democrats trying to take the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since 2010.

Rossi, the Republican candidate, has called Schrier a product of an anti-Trump movement who lacks leadership experience. He said he supports future efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and repeal Obama's signature health care law, suggesting instead a "high risk" insurance pool for people with pre-existing conditions.

Rossi, a 59-year-old real estate investor, paints Schrier's priority of expanding Medicare as a "government takeover of health care" that lacks funding details.

"Is there some other scheme that she has to pay for this? No one's asked her," Rossi said.

Schrier wants to allow the public to buy in to Medicare, which she said would pay for itself.

Christina Ewig, director of the Center on Women, Gender and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota, said female doctors often work as general practitioners who bring a different empathy to the health care debate.

"It's important women doctors are running in light of the (Affordable Care Act) but there's only so much they can do" alone to protect the health care law, Ewig said.

___

Follow Sally Ho on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_SallyHo .

FILE - In this March 26, 2018 file photo, Dino Rossi, a former state senator now running for Washington state's 8th District, poses for a portrait in Issaquah, Wash. Dr. Kim Schrier is framing her congressional candidacy around health care issues with personal anecdotes as a patient, parent and pediatrician. Schrier's Republican opponent, Rossi, supports future efforts to repeal Obama's health law, suggesting instead a "high risk" insurance pool for people with pre-existing conditions. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
PORT RICHEY, Fla. (AP) - Authorities in Florida say a woman left two children in a hot car with a bag of meth while she went shopping.

The Tampa Bay Times reports 24-year-old Nicole Kaylan Buffington was arrested Tuesday on charges including child neglect with minor to no injury. A Pasco County Sheriff's arrest report says deputies responded to a report of children left in a hot car that afternoon.

It says the children, ages 1 and 7, were found inside the car with a plastic bag filled with a "crystal like substance" that was in the driver's seat. It says a test found it to be methamphetamine. Buffington was found in a nearby store, and deputies learned the children were in the car for about 20 minutes.

It's unclear if Buffington has a lawyer.

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Information from: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.), http://www.tampabay.com.
BERLIN (AP) - Germany's health minister said Thursday the country's main center-right party needs to make clearer what it stands for as he competes to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel as its leader. He is emphasizing the need to curb unregulated migration.

Jens Spahn, 38, has long talked tough on migration, which he described in an article for Thursday's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper as the "elephant in the room."

Spahn is one of three high-profile candidates vying to succeed Merkel as leader of the Christian Democratic Union, and by far the youngest.

He and onetime Merkel rival Friedrich Merz, who is seeking a comeback after a decade away from front-line politics, stand for a more conservative approach than the chancellor. CDU general secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is more in line with Merkel's centrist course.

Merkel announced Monday that she plans to step down as party leader in December but remain chancellor until the next election, launching a transition that could last three years.

Recent state elections have seen Merkel's center-right bloc lose support both to the far-right Alternative for Germany and to the environmentalist, traditionally left-leaning Greens. That, Spahn wrote, is "above all because our own position is not clear."

German Health Minister Jens Spahn laughs prior to the weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

He identified security as a key issue, and argued that "not everything is good again" on migration issues. The arrival of large numbers of refugees and other migrants as Merkel decided to leave Germany's borders open in 2015 has proven divisive in her conservative ranks.

"We say that this must not be repeated," Spahn wrote. "But are we doing enough for that, in Germany and Europe?"

Spahn, who is openly gay, said that his party doesn't need to "shift to the right," but it does need to start "a real change of generations."
CAIRO (AP) - New U.S. calls for a cease-fire in Yemen have raised the prospect of ending a disastrous civil war that has caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis, but previous rounds of talks have failed and thus far neither side shows any sign of backing down.

Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for a "cessation of hostilities" and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the truce should happen within 30 days and lead to U.N.-led talks. Their remarks mark a shift in the position of the United States, which has backed the Saudi-led coalition in its three-and-a-half-year war with Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

The White House has come under mounting pressure to rein in Saudi Arabia since Saudi agents killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month in their Istanbul consulate. The slaying has also brought renewed attention to the conflict in Yemen, which has killed thousands of civilians and driven the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of famine.

But the Saudi-led coalition is unlikely to accept the current battle lines for long since they leave the Houthis in control of much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa, and the major port city of Hodeida. The two U.S. allies leading the coalition - Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - have yet to comment on the proposal.

The rebels welcomed the calls for a truce as "positive" on Thursday, while urging international action to halt the Saudi-led air campaign, which has caused the bulk of civilian casualties.

Mohamed Ali Al-Houthi, a senior rebel leader, said those urging a cease-fire should "translate their desire to bring peace in Yemen into action, stop the bombing of Yemenis immediately and lift the siege on Yemen."

FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2018, file photo, a man inspects rubble after a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen. A leading Yemeni rebel figure said Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, that the Trump administration's calls for a cease-fire in his country are "positive" but urged action to stop airstrikes by the rebels' adversary, the U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition. The head of the rebels' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, called on those urging a cease-fire to "to translate their desire to bring peace in Yemen into action," and "to stop the bombing of Yemenis immediately." (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File)

The coalition has meanwhile been massing troops on the outskirts of the Red Sea port of Hodeida, the entry point for 70 percent of food imports and international aid, according to Yemeni officials, including some who are inside the city. Rebels meanwhile were taking up positions along the front lines. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists.

UAE-led forces have been trying to capture the city for months, but have been halted on its outskirts by the Houthis, seasoned fighters who have held their ground despite years of heavy airstrikes.

The coalition has waged war on the Houthis since March 2015 in an effort to restore Yemen's internationally-recognized government, whose authority has been largely confined to the southern city of Aden since the rebels seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014. The war is widely seen as a proxy battle pitting Saudi Arabia and the UAE against Iran.

U.N. envoys have hosted several rounds of peace talks but have made no progress. The Saudi-backed government has demanded the Houthis withdraw from Sanaa and other areas, something the rebels have always refused to do.

The Yemeni government welcomed the cease-fire calls and said it was ready to discuss "confidence-building measures," while accusing the Houthis of "intransigence" in past negotiations.

Sultan al-Samaey, a member of the Houthis' Political Council, said the first step was to end the attacks by "aggressor states which are supported by the United States of America." But he said that over the longer term, the rebels would only support "a peace which will preserve our independence," without elaborating.

Saudi Arabia is unlikely to agree to any solution that would leave a Houthi-run entity on its southern border. The Houthis have repeatedly fired long-range missiles into Saudi Arabia, and have struck its capital, Riyadh.

Ordinary Yemenis have suffered immensely as the stalemated war has dragged on, but even so, many expressed skepticism about the Trump administration's calls for a cease-fire, especially one that would leave the country divided.

Ayoub al-Tamimi, a pro-Houthi political activist in Sanaa, said a cease-fire would "plant land mines in the future of the region."

"There is no solution that can come from (President Donald) Trump or the Democrats, only booby traps," he said.

In areas closer to the fighting, even a temporary reprieve would be welcome. The conflict in Yemen has so far killed an estimated 10,000 people and left around two-thirds of the population of 27 million relying on aid, with more than 8 million at risk of starvation.

The International Committee for the Red Cross said Wednesday that its team in Hodeida this week found dreadful living conditions for thousands of displaced families, "who own only the clothes they wear and survive on a little rice or a thin mix of flour and water, if they find any food to eat at all."

"We know this is out of humanitarian hands, we know this is a political issue," Avril Patterson, the ICRC's health coordinator in Yemen told the BBC on Thursday. "We need cessation of hostilities so that the country can rebuild."

___

Associated Press writer Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen, contributed.

FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2018, file photo, Yemeni people attend the funeral of victims of a Saudi-led airstrike, in Saada, Yemen. A leading Yemeni rebel figure said Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, that the Trump administration's calls for a cease-fire in his country are "positive" but urged action to stop airstrikes by the rebels' adversary, the U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition. The head of the rebels' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, called on those urging a cease-fire to "to translate their desire to bring peace in Yemen into action," and "to stop the bombing of Yemenis immediately." (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File)
BERLIN (AP) - A German consumer group has filed a suit against Volkswagen that aims to establish a right to compensation for car owners affected by the automaker's diesel emissions scandal.

The Federation of German Consumer Organizations filed the case to a court in Braunschweig under new rules that came into force Thursday allowing a form of class-action suit. The new system was prompted in part by the Volkswagen scandal.

A top official with the consumer federation, Klaus Mueller, said that "Volkswagen cheated and owes the affected consumers compensation. We now want to establish that in court." The court must examine the suit before individual consumers can join it.

The scandal over Volkswagen's use of software to turn emissions controls off when vehicles were not being tested erupted in 2015.
MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian space investigation has found that sensor that was damaged during assembly forced a Russian rocket to abort its trip two minutes after it was launched, a top Russian official said Thursday.

The Soyuz-FG rocket carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin failed shortly into the Oct. 11 flight, sending their capsule into a sharp fall back to Earth. The two men landed safely on the steppes of Kazakhstan despite the failed launch, the first of its kind for Russia's manned program in over three decades.

The head of the Russian space agency had earlier blamed the failure on a malfunction of a sensor, but didn't explain why it didn't work.

Oleg Skorobogatov, who led the probe into the accident, told reporters Thursday that the investigation found that the sensor was damaged during the final assembly at the launch pad in Kazakhstan.

Russian rockets are manufactured in Russia and then transported by rail to the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The last time Russia saw an aborted manned launch was in 1983, when two Soviet cosmonauts jettisoned and landed safely after a launch pad explosion. More recently, Russia's space program has been dogged by a string of failed satellite launches involving unmanned vehicles.

FILE In this file photo taken on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, Smoke rise as the boosters of first stage of the Soyuz-FG rocket with Soyuz MS-10 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, separate after the launch at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Russia's space agency says an investigation has found that a rocket carrying a crew to the International Space Station failed recently because of a technical malfunction of a sensor. The Soyuz-FG rocket carrying a NASA astronaut and a Roscosmos cosmonaut failed two minutes into the Oct. 11 flight, sending their emergency capsule into a sharp fall back to Earth. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)

Skorobogatov said officials are now taking steps, including putting all assembly staff through competence tests and additional training, to make sure such malfunctions don't happen again.

The rocket producer will also take apart two other rockets that have been recently assembled and are due to launch in the coming weeks and then re-assemble them, Skorobogatov said.

Roscosmos officials on Wednesday met with their counterparts from NASA to give them a full briefing on the malfunction, Roscosmos director general Dmitry Rogozin said Thursday.

Russian space officials plan to conduct two other unmanned Soyuz launches before launching a crew to the space station.

The current space station crew - made up of NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor, Russian Sergei Prokopyev and German Alexander Gerst - was scheduled to return to Earth in December after a six-month mission but will have to stay there for at least an extra week or two to ensure a smooth carry-over before the new crew arrives in early December.

The Russian Soyuz spacecraft is currently the only vehicle that can ferry crews to the International Space Station after the U.S. space shuttle fleet retired. Russia stands to lose that monopoly with the arrival of SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner crew capsules.
BEIJING (AP) - China and America are "competitors but not adversaries," U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday, despite a spiraling trade war and other tensions that have pushed relations to their lowest point in years.

The upbeat message at their meeting in Beijing came amid concerns that the U.S.-China trade dispute will drag on, hurting company profits and the overall U.S. economy. Tensions have also arisen over China's claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea, allegations of Chinese theft of commercial secrets and accusations of meddling in American politics.

Coming a week ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, the visit by Alexander at the head of a seven-member delegation of Republican senators and congress members seemed all the more extraordinary. All are strong supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has slapped tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese products and threatened much more.

"Your country and our country are competitors but not adversaries and we believe that with mutual respect we can continue to prosper together," Alexander said. While he said the delegation wished to discuss trade, he offered no specifics in opening remarks before reporters were ushered from the room.

In his comments, Li said he hoped the U.S. will meet China halfway to "have the wisdom to overcome the obstacles and move our relationship forward on an even sounder track."

"This not only benefits our two countries, but also benefits the entire world," Li said.

China's Premier Li Keqiang, right, shakes hands with U.S. Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander during a meeting with a group of U.S. Republican senators and Congress members at Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. (Jason Lee/Pool Photo via AP)

Along with criticizing China's large trade surplus with the U.S., Trump has targeted China's efforts to transform itself into a global leader in robotics, artificial intelligence and other technology industries.

American officials worry that might erode U.S. industrial leadership, and the U.S., Europe and other trading partners say Beijing's tactics violate its market-opening obligations.

Trump's tariffs of up to 25 percent are part of an effort to pressure Beijing to roll back those plans, sparking a Chinese backlash. China has struck back with duties on soybeans and pork, affecting farmers in the Midwest, a region that supported the president in his 2016 campaign.

Other aspects of Trump's tariff tactics have elicited concern even from within his own party. Alexander has co-sponsored legislation that would require the independent International Trade Commission to conduct a study of the auto industry before tariffs on vehicles could be imposed.

China's Premier Li Keqiang, right, speaks next to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander during a meeting with a group of U.S. Republican senators and Congress members at Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. (Jason Lee/Pool Photo via AP)

China's Premier Li Keqiang, right, meets Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, member of a group of U.S. Republican senators and Congress members, at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. (Jason Lee/Pool Photo via AP)
BERLIN (AP) - German police say they have arrested a Russian man suspected of smuggling some 12 million cigarettes into the country over two years.

Federal police say the 43-year-old, who was not identified, was detained in the northern port city of Kiel on Tuesday during a routine check.

They said in a statement Thursday that he is accused of smuggling the cigarettes into Germany between 2009 and 2011 as a member of a gang, causing German tax authorities losses of 1.67 million euros ($1.89 million).
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who still wields considerable influence in today's Afghanistan despite being out of office for four years, said Thursday he welcomes the entry of five Taliban leaders who were freed from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in 2014 into peace negotiations.

Karzai, who led the country from 2001-2014, also said he now supports talks between the Taliban and the United States - but only as a step toward direct talks between the insurgents and a negotiating team representing Afghans from across society.

He spoke to The Associated Press on the grounds of the presidential palace, where he lives with his young family and meets regularly with tribal leaders, Afghan government officials and foreign notables. Just last week the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan stopped by Karzai's office, where Karzai attached several conditions to Washington's efforts to find a negotiated end to the protracted conflict.

He also has met with Washington's new peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. Since Khalilzad's appointment last month, peace efforts have accelerated.

The five former Guantanamo Taliban detainees __ some of whom have disturbing pasts and all of whom were close to the hard-line founder of the Taliban movement, Mullah Mohammed Omar __ have come out of the shadows to join the insurgent group's political office in the Middle Eastern state of Qatar where they will be involved in peace negotiations. They were released in 2014 in exchange for captured U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

The co-founder of the Taliban movement, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, was released from a Pakistani jail where he had been since his arrest in 2010 in a joint U.S. and Pakistan operation. His release had long been demanded by the Taliban. It came following Khalilzad's trip to Pakistan last month, his first as a new peace envoy.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Karzai said Thursday that he sees a role for the Taliban in his country after the war -- in a future, peaceful Afghanistan. Karzai also said that five Taliban leaders who were freed from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for American army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl are "good individuals, good Afghans" who should have a role in peace negotiations. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Baradar was reportedly arrested after seeking to start peace talks with Karzai without Pakistan's involvement. In the interview, Karzai accused both the U.S. and Pakistan of foiling talks with Baradar at the time. He also said he made repeated attempts to gain Baradar's release, but his efforts were thwarted by both the U.S. and Pakistan.

Karzai's final term in power was marked by a prickly relationship with the United States. He bitterly criticized Washington for steamrolling ahead with development plans, without consulting Afghans, who often found projects unusable or impossible to maintain. He openly fought with the U.S. military over tactics, like night-time raids that infuriated Afghans, secret prisons and the use of drones, saying it strengthened the Taliban and weakened his government.

Karzai said he still has reservations about Washington's intentions as it seeks to find a negotiated exit to 17 years of war, but welcomed Khalilzad in the role of peace maker.

"I believe he has all the right tools to conduct this if he is given freedom by the U.S. government to act toward peace and peace building in Afghanistan," he said.

Karzai has a history with Khalilzad, who was U.S. President George Bush's special envoy to Afghanistan following the 2001 collapse of the Taliban-ruled government. Khalilzad, who later served as the U.S. ambassador, was a strong proponent of Karzai for president of the first post-Taliban government.

Still, Karzai told The AP that Afghans are watching this latest peace initiative.

An opponent of direct U.S. talks with the Taliban when he was Afghanistan's president, Karzai now sees it as a necessity because the Taliban today control large swaths of the country. In a report released Thursday, Washington's own Special Inspector General on Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said the government has ceded even more territory to insurgents and now controls just over 50 percent of the country.

"The Taliban are Afghans and no doubt they control a great part of Afghan territory and that's a fact of life," said Karzai. "Afghanistan and the rest of the world must live with that, therefore a negotiation with them is necessary and good. Let the Americans talk to them."

Draped in his traditional green-striped coat, Karzai spelled out the conditions he said he laid out "with clarity" for many U.S. officials who have made a visit to his office, including Khalilzad.

Foremost among them is a warning to Washington against making deals with neighbor Pakistan, which most Afghans blame for many of their troubles and whom they accuse of aiding and giving sanctuary to Taliban insurgents.

Even when he was president, Karzai loudly accused Washington of being in cahoots with Islamabad to keep Afghanistan destabilized to further their own interests - Washington to keep an eye on its foes Iran, Russia and China and Pakistan to keep Afghanistan as a client state.

"We will in an extremely forceful way oppose any deals between the U.S. and Pakistan on Afghanistan and Afghan destiny," said Karzai adding that peace negotiations also need to involve regional powers, most notably Russia and China as well as neighbors including Iran.

"Afghans just want peace and a sovereign country and they want to be left alone to their own, to make a living and to do better in their lives," he said.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Karzai said Thursday that he sees a role for the Taliban in his country after the war -- in a future, peaceful Afghanistan. Karzai also said that five Taliban leaders who were freed from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for American army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl are "good individuals, good Afghans" who should have a role in peace negotiations. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Karzai said Thursday that he sees a role for the Taliban in his country after the war -- in a future, peaceful Afghanistan. Karzai also said that five Taliban leaders who were freed from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for American army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl are "good individuals, good Afghans" who should have a role in peace negotiations. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Karzai said Thursday that he sees a role for the Taliban in his country after the war -- in a future, peaceful Afghanistan. Karzai also said that five Taliban leaders who were freed from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for American army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl are "good individuals, good Afghans" who should have a role in peace negotiations. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Karzai said Thursday that he sees a role for the Taliban in his country after the war -- in a future, peaceful Afghanistan. Karzai also said that five Taliban leaders who were freed from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for American army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl are "good individuals, good Afghans" who should have a role in peace negotiations. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkish and U.S. troops on Thursday began jointly patrolling areas around the northern Syrian town of Manbij, part of a roadmap for easing tensions between the two NATO allies, Turkey's defense minister announced.

Responding to questions by legislators in Parliament, Hulusi Akar said the patrols began at 3:53 p.m. (1253 GMT) but did not provide further details.

Sharfan Darwish, spokesman of the Manbij Military Council, told The Associated Press earlier that the patrols had started and were taking place on the front lines between his group and those of Turkey-backed rebels in the operation called Euphrates Shield.

Ankara and Washington agreed on a roadmap in June amid Turkish demands for the withdrawal of the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia that freed Manbij from the Islamic State group in 2016.

The U.S. and the Turks have been conducting independent patrols along the front line and joint patrols are considered a way to tamp down potential violence between the various groups in the region. The sides have conducted 68 independent patrols before the combined patrols started.

U.S. Central Command said in a news release that a ground force commander agreed on by both countries will lead the joint patrols.

FILE -- In this March 29, 2018 file photo, a fighter from the U.S-backed Syrian Manbij Military Council looks through his binoculars to Turkish-backed fighters' positions, at the front line of Halawanji village, north of Manbij, Syria. Sharfan Darwish, spokesman of the Manbij Military Council,w said Thursday Nov. 1, 2018, that joint U.S.-Turkish patrols will begin within hours around the northern Syrian town of Manbij, part of a roadmap for easing tensions between the two NATO allies. Ankara and Washington agreed on a roadmap in June amid Turkish demands for the withdrawal of the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia that freed Manbij from the Islamic State group in 2016. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, deputy commander of operation Inherent Resolve, said recent training by Turkish and coalition forces will help them to protect Manbij civilians.

"We're fully supportive of the road map and the combined joint patrols, and I am confident they will be very effective," he said.

The Manbij Military Council that administers the town says the Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, which Turkey views as a terrorist group, left Manbij in July.

"The aim of these patrols is to reduce tension and guarantee stability so that there will be no tension along the front line," Darwish said by telephone from northern Syria.

Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdish insurgency in southeastern Turkey. It had threatened to storm Manbij to oust the group from the region.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, also said the patrols would follow days of Turkish shelling of positions of the main Kurdish militia.

The Observatory and Kurdish spokesman Mustafa Bali said Turkish troops opened fire on the border village of Tal Fandar killing an 11-year-old girl.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Akar as saying that despite promises that the YPG and other Kurdish militias "will be removed from Manbij, the terror organizations are digging trenches there like they did in Afrin." He was referring to a Kurdish enclave taken earlier this year by Turkish troops and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters.

"The terror organization should know that they will be buried in the trenches when the time and place comes," Akar said.

Last week, Army Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters traveling with him in the Middle East that the soldiers' training is expected to last "several more days," and then will transition to combined patrols.

___

Mroue reported from Beirut.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey's justice minister on Thursday renewed a call on Saudi Arabia to cooperate in the investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, saying "no one can escape responsibility."

Abdulhamit Gul said that Saudi Arabia's top prosecutor - who spent three days in Istanbul as part of joint Turkish-Saudi efforts to investigate the killing - had failed to answer Turkish investigators' questions about the location of the writer's remains as well as who ordered the killing.

"We expect these questions to be answered swiftly," Gul told reporters. "No one can escape responsibility. This issue has become a world matter. It is not an issue that can be covered up."

He added: "We want the Saudi authorities to enter into close cooperation with us. They have to support (the probe) so that the entire incident is brought to light."

Istanbul's chief prosecutor announced Wednesday that The Washington Post columnist was strangled immediately after he entered the consulate on Oct. 2 to collect a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. His body was dismembered and removed from the consulate, the prosecutor's office stated, adding that the killing was premeditated.

The prosecutor's statement that Khashoggi was killed immediately conflicted with a report by pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak last month, which cited what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi being tortured before being killed.

Saudi Arabia's top prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb reacts to journalists as he boards a plane to leave Turkey, in Istanbul, Wednesday, Oct, 31, 2018. A top Turkish prosecutor said Wednesday that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul as part of a premeditated killing, and that his body was dismembered before being disposed of. A statement from chief Istanbul prosecutor Irfan Fidan's office also said that discussions with Saudi chief prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb have yielded no "concrete results" despite "good-willed efforts" by Turkey to uncover the truth.(DHA via AP)

Turkey is seeking the extradition of 18 suspects who have been detained in Saudi Arabia so that they can be put on trial in Turkey. They include 15 members of an alleged Saudi "hit squad" that Turkey says was sent to Istanbul to kill the 59-year-old journalist, who lived in exile in the United States and had written critically of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Some of those implicated in the killing are close to the prince, whose condemnation of the killing has failed to ease suspicions that he was involved.

Under mounting international pressure, Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about Khashoggi's killing several times, and has recently acknowledging that Turkish evidence shows it was premeditated.

In Washington on Thursday, the State Department said it backed a call from Khashoggi's family for his remains to be returned to them. Deputy spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters the writer's remains should be located and returned for a proper burial.

Speaking at a forum at Stanford University, Saudi U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said "this is a heinous crime that should be condemned by all people."

But he still described the slaying as an individual crime committed by individual people acting without authority to commit such a crime. He did not offer any evidence of how he could claim the killer or killers acted without government authority.

___

Matt Lee in Washington and Terry Chea in Stanford, California, contributed.

Saudi Arabia's top prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb walks to board a plane to leave Turkey, in Istanbul, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. A top Turkish prosecutor said Wednesday that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul as part of a premeditated killing, and that his body was dismembered before being disposed of. A statement from chief Istanbul prosecutor Irfan Fidan's office also said that discussions with Saudi chief prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb have yielded no "concrete results" despite "good-willed efforts" by Turkey to uncover the truth.(DHA via AP)
VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) - A jury has acquitted a northwestern Indiana man who authorities say stole two dogs that belonged to a woman he formerly dated and killed them .

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports a jury on Wednesday cleared 24-year-old Anthony Priestas of two felony counts of killing a domestic animal.

Defense attorney Andy Kyres told jurors authorities charged the wrong person . He downplayed the relationship connection, saying Priestas and the dogs' owner hadn't dated since 2014.

Authorities say the Hammond man entered the Crown Point woman's home Feb. 21 when no one was home, stole her pugs Mugsey and Marley, and fatally beat them in adjacent Porter County.

Porter Superior Court says Priestas remains behind bars with no bond on other pending cases in Porter County and a burglary case in Lake County .

___

FILE - This undated file photo released by the Porter County Sheriff's Office shows Anthony Priestas. A jury on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, acquitted Priestas who authorities say stole two dogs that belonged to a woman he formerly dated and killed them in February 2018. (Porter County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Carrying signs that included a mocking use of the company's original "Don't be evil" motto, thousands of Google employees around the world briefly walked off the job Thursday to protest what they said was the tech giant's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives.

From Tokyo, Singapore and London to New York, Seattle and San Francisco, highly paid engineers and other workers staged walkouts of about an hour, reflecting rising #MeToo-era frustration among women over frat-house behavior and other misconduct in heavily male Silicon Valley.

In Dublin, organizers used megaphones to address the outdoor crowd of men and women, while in other places, workers gathered in packed conference rooms or lobbies. In New York, there appeared to be as many men as women out in the streets, while in Cambridge, Massachusetts, men outnumbered women by perhaps 6 to 1.

"Time is up on sexual harassment!" organizer Vicki Tardif Holland shouted, her voice hoarse, at a gathering of about 300 people in Cambridge. "Time is up on systemic racism. Time is up on abuses of power. Enough is enough!"

About 1,000 Google workers in San Francisco swarmed into a plaza in front of the city's historic Ferry Building, chanting, "Women's rights are workers' rights!" Thousands turned out at Google's Mountain View, California, headquarters.

The demonstrations reflected a sense among some of the 94,000 employees at Google and its parent Alphabet Inc. that the company isn't living up to its professed ideals, as expressed in its "Don't be evil" slogan and its newer injunction in its corporate code of conduct : "Do the right thing."

A Google employee holds a sign reading "Don't be evil" as employees walk off the job in a protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Mae Anderson)

"We have the eyes of many companies looking at us," Google employee Tanuja Gupta said in New York. "We've always been a vanguard company, so if we don't lead the way, nobody else will."

The protests unfolded a week after The New York Times detailed allegations of sexual misconduct about the creator of Google's Android software, Andy Rubin. The newspaper said Rubin received a $90 million severance package in 2014 after Google concluded the accusations were credible. Rubin has denied the allegations.

The same story also disclosed allegations of sexual misconduct against other executives, including Richard DeVaul, a director at the Google-affiliated lab that created self-driving cars and internet-beaming balloons. DeVaul had remained at the "X'' lab after the accusations surfaced a few years ago, but resigned on Tuesday without severance, Google said.

In an unsigned statement, the Google protesters called for an end to forced arbitration in harassment and discrimination cases, a practice that requires employees to give up their right to sue and often includes confidentiality agreements.

Besides being angry about what they contend has been lenient handling of executives who mistreat women, the protest organizers demanded more aggressive steps for gender pay equity and more inclusive hiring practices to reduce the high concentration of white and Asian men in the industry's best-paying programming jobs.

Women account for 31 percent of Google's employees worldwide, and it's lower for leadership roles. The numbers are similar elsewhere in Silicon Valley.

"I have seen friends get hurt and have their careers destroyed by this, not just at Google but everywhere," protester J.J. Wanda, a male software engineer, said in Mountain View. "We need to show that time's up."

In a statement, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company is reviewing all the "constructive ideas" from employees to improve policies and practices.

Beyond Google, Facebook has faced criticism over pay inequity and discrimination. The appearance of a Facebook executive behind Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings also caused rifts inside the company.

As Thursday dawned, organizers had predicted about 1,500 employees would participate in the walkouts, mostly women. But the numbers appeared to exceed that, based on media accounts and images posted on the protest's Twitter account.

The protests at Google are the latest sign that frustrations among women are reaching a boiling point, said Stephanie Creary, a professor who specializes in workplace and diversity issues at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

"People simply aren't willing to put up with it anymore," Creary said. "The workers at Google seem to be saying, 'How is it that we are still having to have this conversation?'"

Google's CEO assured employees earlier this week that the company would support them in their protest. He also apologized for Google's "past actions."

"I understand the anger and disappointment that many of you feel," Pichai said in an email. "I feel it as well, and I am fully committed to making progress on an issue that has persisted for far too long in our society ... and, yes, here at Google, too."

Pichai last week sought to assure employees that the company had cracked down on misconduct, saying it had fired 48 employees, including 13 senior managers, for sexual harassment in recent years without giving any of them severance packages.

In recent months, Google and other Silicon Valley companies have also been plagued by dissension over other corporate policies, customer privacy and what some employees regard as misuses of technology.

More than 1,000 Google employees signed a letter protesting the company's plan to build a search engine that would comply with Chinese censorship rules.

And thousands signed a petitio asking Google to cancel an artificial-intelligence protect to help the Pentagon improve the targeting of drone strikes. Google later said it won't renew the contract, according to published reports, and opted not to bid for another military contract that could be worth $10 billion.

___

AP Technology Writers Mae Anderson in New York, Matt O'Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, and Frank Bajak in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and AP videojournalists Joe Frederick in New York and Haven Daley in Mountain View, California, contributed to this report.

Workers protest against Google's handling of sexual misconduct allegations at the company's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Google workers take part in a protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives Thursday, Nov 1, 2018, in Seattle. (Alan Berner/The Seattle Times via AP)

Google workers take part in a protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives Thursday, Nov 1, 2018, in Seattle. (Alan Berner/The Seattle Times via AP)

A sign on a building at the Google campus in Kirkland, Wash. is shown Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Google employees in Kirkland and around the world briefly walked off the job Thursday in a protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Workers protest against Google's handling of sexual misconduct allegations at the company's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Workers protest against Google's handling of sexual misconduct allegations at the company's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Workers protest against Google's handling of sexual misconduct allegations at the company's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A worker carries a sign during a protest against Google's handling of sexual misconduct allegations at the company's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Employees at Google walk out of their workplace in Chicago, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in a protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Google employees, who walked off the job to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct, leave after attending a protest rally on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in New York. Employees staged walkouts at offices from Tokyo to Singapore to London. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Google employees walk off the job in a protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Google employees, who walked off the job to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct, leave after holding a protest rally on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in New York. Employees staged walkouts at offices from Tokyo to Singapore to London. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Tanuja Gupta, programming director at Google, addresses hundreds of Google employees during a protest rally on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in New York. Google employees around the world walked off the job Thursday in a protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Meredith Whittaker, a research scientist at New York University who leads Google's Open Research Group, addresses hundreds of Google employees during a protest rally on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in New York. Google employees around the world walked off the job Thursday in a protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Google employees walk off the job in a protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Mae Anderson)

Google employees walk off the job to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in New York. Employees staged walkouts at offices from Tokyo to Singapore to London. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

People outside the Google offices in Granary Sqaure, London, Thursday Nov. 1, 2018. Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers walked off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. Employees were seen staging walkouts at offices in Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Dublin. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)

Google employees outside its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, Thursday Nov. 1, 2018. Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers walked off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. Employees were seen staging walkouts at offices in Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Dublin. (Niall Carson/PA via AP)

Google employees outside its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, Thursday Nov. 1, 2018. Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers walked off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. Employees were seen staging walkouts at offices in Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Dublin. (Niall Carson/PA via AP)

The Google offices in Granary Sqaure, London, Thursday Nov. 1, 2018. Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers walked off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. Employees were seen staging walkouts at offices in Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Dublin. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)

Google employees outside its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, Thursday Nov. 1, 2018. Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers walked off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. Employees were seen staging walkouts at offices in Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Dublin. (Niall Carson/PA via AP)

The Google offices in Granary Sqaure, London, Thursday Nov. 1, 2018. Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers walked off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. Employees were seen staging walkouts at offices in Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Dublin. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)

Google employees outside its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, Thursday Nov. 1, 2018. Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers walked off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. Employees were seen staging walkouts at offices in Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Dublin. (Niall Carson/PA via AP)

People gather outside the Google offices in Granary Sqaure, London, Thursday Nov. 1, 2018. Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers walked off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. Employees were seen staging walkouts at offices in Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Dublin. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)

People outside the Google offices in Granary Sqaure, London, Thursday Nov. 1, 2018. Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers walked off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. Employees were seen staging walkouts at offices in Tokyo, Singapore, London, and Dublin. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)

This photo shows signage outside the offices of Google in San Francisco with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the background, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. Hundreds of Google employees are expected to temporality leave their jobs Thursday morning in a mass walkout protesting the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct. The San Francisco office is one of the offices that the walkout will take place. (AP Photo/Michael Liedtke)
LONDON (AP) - A Japan Airlines co-pilot arrested after failing a breath test shortly before a London to Tokyo flight pleaded guilty Thursday to being almost 10 times over the legal limit for alcohol.

London's Metropolitan Police force said Katsutoshi Jitsukawa appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court in west London and admitted exceeding the alcohol limit.

The airline said the co-pilot was arrested Sunday at Heathrow Airport for violating British aviation law. The driver of a crew bus at Heathrow smelled alcohol on Jitsukawa and reported it to police, Japan's NHK public television said.

Tests found the 42-year-old first officer had 189 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood in his system, almost 10 times the 20 milligrams limit for a pilot. The limit for drivers in Britain is 80 milligrams.

Jitsukawa acknowledged he had drunk about two bottles of wine and a pitcher of beer the previous night, NHK said.

He was ordered detained until he is sentenced on Nov. 29.

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Jan. 8, 2010, a passenger walks past the Japan Airlines (JAL) logo at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan. Japan Airlines co-pilot Katsutoshi Jitsukawa was arrested Sunday after failing a breath test shortly before a London to Tokyo flight and pleaded guilty in court Thursday Nov. 1, 2018, to being almost 10 times over the legal limit for alcohol. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye, FILE)

JAL said the flight was delayed more than an hour and had to be operated by the remaining two pilots. It apologized Thursday for the incident.

The apology came a day after another major Japanese airline, All Nippon Airways, apologized for causing delays to five domestic flights after a pilot became unwell due to heavy drinking the night before.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A sheriff's deputy fatally shot one of four men believed to be involved in the armed carjacking and severe beating of a senior citizen at a Florida car wash.

Jacksonville Sheriff's Director of Investigations Ron Leandvay said during a Thursday morning news conference that the suspects beat the man and took his truck Wednesday night.

Officers spotted the truck a short time later and tried to stop it but the suspects bailed out.

Leandvay says an officer chased one man onto the third floor landing of an apartment building and shot him after he failed to comply with commands.

Leandvay says the victim's property was found inside the suspect's pocket. Police detained two other men and another is still at large.

The carjacking victim remains hospitalized with serious injuries.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) - Prosecutors in Virginia have announced they are seeking an indictment against a white officer seen on body camera video shooting a black suspect in the back as he tried to run away.

News outlets report Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Brandon T. Wrobleski announced Wednesday that an indictment in the October 2017 shooting would be sought at Thursday's grand jury. The prosecutor had no further comment.

In April, The Virginian-Pilot obtained video showing rookie Portsmouth Officer Jeremy Durocher wounding 18-year-old Deontrace Ward as police responded to a robbery call in a residential neighborhood.

Ward took a plea agreement in June and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Durocher's attorney, Nicholas Renninger, says his client believes in the "integrity of the judicial system."
SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) - Macedonia's criminal court on Thursday ordered the temporary freezing of property belonging to the main conservative opposition party as part of an investigation into allegations of unlawful political financing.

The court said the order was made following a request from the special prosecution office dealing with cases related to a wiretapping scandal that broke in 2015.

The prosecution office asked for a freeze on the selling or leasing of 69 real estate properties owned by the VMRO-DPMNE party, including its headquarters. The party had announced it intended to lease its headquarters building and sell one apartment in the capital, Skopje.

Prosecutors began an investigation in May 2017 against 14 people, including former conservative prime minister Nikola Gruevski, on allegations the party received 4.9 million euros in unlawful funding.

VMRO condemned the court's decision, accusing the government of singling it out for "political persecution."

Party secretary general Igor Janushev said VMRO has appealed the court order.

"We demand that this temporary measure should be (rescinded) urgently," he said. "The party as a legal entity is not suspected, and this is beyond all legal norms."
LONDON (AP) - The political battle raging in the United States as the midterm election approaches has ricocheted over the Atlantic Ocean and upset residents of a small coastal village in eastern England.

That's because a Republican congressional candidate in Illinois used an old photo of a rundown street in Jaywick Sands to illustrate the alleged dangers American voters faced if they elected Democrats. The posting by candidate Nick Stella did not make clear, however, that the photograph was of a village in England, not a location in the U.S.

It carried the warning that "Only YOU can stop this from becoming reality" and had a picture of Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi plastered on the image.

Jaywick Sands is one of a string of once-thriving British seaside resorts that have fallen on hard times as British holidaymakers have taken advantage of inexpensive package tours to sunnier destinations like Spain and Italy.

In a 2015 government report, the village was labeled the most deprived neighborhood in England. A series of renovation projects has followed and local leaders now complain that the old photo is misleading because the neighborhood has been greatly improved.

City councilor Kevin Watson said the section of town depicted in the political ad no longer looks like that, as roads have been paved and infrastructure renovated.

FILE - This Aug. 20, 2015 file photo shows a street in Jaywick, east England. The political battle raging in the United States as midterm elections approach has had an unexpected impact in a small coastal village in southern England. (Nick Ansell/PA via AP)

"There's now fantastic drainage, people are taking pride in their area," he said. "Things are looking very good in Jaywick, probably the best since it was a holiday destination."

Local documentary filmmaker Penelope Read said she was upset by the way the photo was used.

"I'm angry at the injustice," she said. "I love Jaywick and I don't think foreign people should be using our village as a political tool. How dare they?"

Raquel Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Stella, said in a statement that the campaign did not intend to denigrate Jaywick Sands.

"Our intent was never to smear the town in the photo, now known to us as Jaywick Sands in Essex," she said. "We never used the name."

The campaign statement still did not explain why a photo of an English town was used to illustrate a political vote in the United States.
JUCHITAN, Mexico (AP) - The Latest on the caravans of migrants making their way through Mexico (all times local):

10:10 a.m.

Mexican immigration authorities so far haven't tried to detain migrants in largest caravan of Central Americans now walking through the southern part of the country. But it's a different story with the second, smaller caravan of migrants about 200 miles behind them.

A federal official who was not authorized to be quoted by name says 153 migrants were detained Wednesday during highway inspections in the southernmost state of Chiapas.

While the precise size of that caravan is unclear, that could be equivalent to about 10 percent of those participating.

Mexico's immigration agency does normally operate highway inspection checkpoints in the area near the Guatemalan border. But Wednesday's detentions appear to mark a shift in enforcement strategy toward the caravans.

Performers in costume attend a Day of the Dead parade in Juchitan, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, the town where a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants are resting for a day as they make their way to the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Officials haven't tried to detain the first, larger group, instead offering free trips home or legal status in Mexico. But agents appear to be focusing on picking off smaller groups.

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7:05 a.m.

Thousands of Central American migrants have again resumed their trek through southern Mexico after failing find buses to carry them.

The group estimated to number some 4,000 set off before dawn from the city of Juchitan. Organizers say they've shifted the planned route and now are heading for the town of Matias Romero en route to the Gulf coast city of Veracruz.

That city is a common transit route toward McAllen, Texas.

The group took a day off from walking on Wednesday, resting and caring for swollen feet.

A second, smaller group of 1,000 or so migrants is more than 200 miles behind the first caravan. A third band of about 500 from El Salvador has made it to Guatemala, and a fourth group of about 700 set out from the Salvadoran capital Wednesday.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A growing movement to curb partisan gerrymandering will be put to the test Tuesday by several state ballot measures that are intended to overhaul the way congressional and state legislative districts are drawn.

While they differ in how to do that, the proposals in Colorado, Michigan, Missouri and Utah all have at least one thing in common: They're receiving funding from a little-known organization bankrolled by a Texas billionaire couple.

The Action Now Initiative financed by John and Laura Arnold has poured $7.7 million into the redistricting campaigns, accounting for one of every four dollars raised by groups backing the ballot measures, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. That's helped supporters significantly outspend their opponents.

"Our interest in these efforts is about giving citizens, not politicians, a greater voice in the drawing of their voting district lines," said Sam Mar, CEO of the Action Now Initiative.

The Arnolds' organization tops a list of the rich and famous who have rallied to the cause, including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, heirs of Walmart founder Sam Walton, actress Jennifer Lawrence and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who took a break from filming a movie in Europe to appear at rallies in Michigan and Colorado.

The only comparable opposition has come from the Michigan Freedom Fund. The conservative group with ties to the wealthy DeVos family has put more than $3 million into a home-state opposition effort.

FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2018 file photo, supporters of Missouri's redistricting ballot measure hold signs behind former state Sen. Bob Johnson as he serves as their spokesman during a press conference outside the Cole County Courthouse in Jefferson City, Mo. Proposed state Constitutional Amendment 1 on the Nov. 6, 2018, ballot would require Missouri state House and Senate districts to be drawn to achieve "partisan fairness" and "competitiveness." (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File)

The enhanced attention to the drawing of legislative district lines comes as Democrats and Republicans alike are trying to position themselves to take charge of the task after the 2020 Census.

In many states, redistricting is done by the state legislature subject to the approval of the governor. A political party that holds a trifecta of power - as Republicans do in three times as many states as Democrats - can draw districts to its advantage, a technique known as gerrymandering.

Republicans currently have trifecta control in Michigan, Missouri and Utah. Colorado has a Democratic governor and House but a Republican-led Senate.

The ballot measures are intended to reduce the likelihood of partisan gerrymandering in the future, no matter which party is in power.

Proposals in Michigan and Colorado would create independent commissions to redistrict U.S House and state legislative chambers, similar to those already in place in California and Arizona.

Colorado's two proposals require mapmakers to "maximize the number of politically competitive districts," while the Michigan measure says districts "shall not provide a disproportionate advantage to any political party."

Utah's proposal also would prohibit districts that unduly favor any political party while creating a new redistricting commission, although it leaves the final say on proposed maps with the Legislature and governor.

The Missouri proposal, which keeps an existing bipartisan commission for state legislative redistricting, would go a step further by requiring the use of a statistical formula to achieve "partisan fairness" and "competitiveness" as top criteria over the traditional standard of geographically compact districts.

The Arnolds' Action Now Initiative didn't write the redistricting measures. But once local activists showed some momentum, the Houston-based organization came to their aid. It contributed $5.1 million to the Michigan initiative, about $1 million each to the Missouri and Utah initiatives and about $600,000 to the Colorado initiative, according to campaign finance records.

That money supplemented thousands of small-dollar donations from others, helping the state-based organizations defend against legal challenges, pay for voter research and develop messaging for their campaigns.

"We have a lot of momentum and a lot of people and a lot of volunteers. But the one thing we didn't have was some of those larger dollar donors, because we had never been involved in the political process before," said Katie Fahey, founder and executive director of Voters Not Politicians, which is sponsoring the Michigan initiative.

In Missouri, the Action Now Initiative provided an additional incentive for fundraising by offering to match contributions from others up to a certain amount, said Sean Nicholson, campaign director for the sponsoring group Clean Missouri.

The redistricting measures are part of an "electoral reform" effort by the Action Now Initiative that is intended to promote "responsive and accountable government," said Mar, the CEO. Those priorities also include open primaries and ranked-choice voting, in which voters indicate preferences for multiple candidates to help determine a winner if no one gets a majority.

John Arnold is a former energy hedge fund manager who retired as a billionaire in 2012 at age 38. Laura Arnold is an attorney and former oil company executive. The Arnolds have bankrolled causes across the political spectrum, from conservative-leaning efforts to expand school-choice programs and overhaul public pensions to liberal-leaning initiatives to tax soft drinks and carbon emissions. Most of their personal political contributions have gone to Democrats, though they have supported some Republicans.

The Michigan initiative also received $5.5 million from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a Washington-based entity that supports liberal causes but does not have to disclose its donors because it's set up as a social welfare nonprofit. That combined with the funding from the Action Now Initiative accounted for two-thirds of the $15.7 million raised by Voters Not Politicians through Oct. 21.

"Any time you have that kind of out-of-state money coming in to put something in our constitution, it should make people very skeptical," said Tony Daunt, executive director of the Michigan Freedom Fund, which also is exempt from disclosing its donors.

Although there has been little opposition in Colorado or Utah, the Michigan Republican Party has criticized the initiative's sponsors as a "front group" for Democrats. Missouri's Republican Party also has asserted that the initiative is crafted to benefit Democrats, but opponents have struggled to raise money.

"Redistricting is not the sort of thing that on its face attracts a lot of interest," said former Republican U.S. Sen Jim Talent, chairman of the Missourians First opposition committee. "You have to explain what the impact of this would be."

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Follow David A. Lieb at: http://twitter.com/DavidALieb

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For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. midterm elections: http://apne.ws/APPolitics

FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2009, file photo, John Arnold, then head of the hedge fund Centaurus Advisors of Houston, testifies before the The Commodity Futures Trading Commission in Washington, D.C. The Action Now Initiative financed by John and Laura Arnold has poured $7.7 million into campaigns to curb partisan gerrymandering, accounting for one out of every four dollars raised by groups backing the ballot measures, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. That's helped supporters significantly outspend their opponents. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE- In this July 18, 2018, file photo, demonstrators rally outside the Michigan Hall of Justice in Lansing, Mich., where the state's Supreme Court heard arguments about whether voters in November should be able to pass a constitutional amendment that would change how the state's voting maps are drawn. A growing movement to curb partisan gerrymandering is being put to the test in the Nov. 6 elections with several state ballot measures intended to make congressional and state legislative districts more "fair." (Dale G. Young/The Detroit News via AP, File)
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) - A retired priest who lived for months next to a Roman Catholic school in Iowa moved out Thursday, hours after his history of sexually abusing boys became public knowledge following a 32-year cover-up.

The Rev. Jerome Coyle left the Marian Home in Fort Dodge, Iowa, according to a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Sioux City, who said an acquaintance had agreed to take him in.

The move follows an Associated Press story exposing the diocese's three-decade cover-up of abuse by Coyle, now 85, who was placed at the home this summer without the knowledge of nearby Saint Edmond Catholic School administrators or parents.

Also Thursday, the Iowa attorney general's office said it has opened an information-gathering inquiry into the handling of clergy abuse. Attorney General Tom Miller said that he was appalled by cases of abuse and cover-up that had been documented in Pennsylvania and "cases in Iowa that have gone unreported."

Coyle admitted in 1986 that he sexually abused approximately 50 boys over 20 years while serving at several Iowa parishes , according to the Sioux City diocese, which never told the public until Wednesday.

The diocese transferred Coyle to a treatment center in New Mexico and stripped him of his parish assignments. He lived and worked in New Mexico for decades as a civilian.

This Oct. 26, 2018 photo shows Marian Home and Village in Fort Dodge, Iowa. A bishop is vowing to relocate a priest who had been placed in the Iowa retirement home next to a Catholic school, despite a history of sexually abusing boys. The move comes in response to an Associated Press story exposing the church's three-decade cover-up of abuse committed by the Rev. Jerome Coyle. Coyle admitted in 1986 that he had sexually abused approximately 50 boys over the prior 20 years while serving at several parishes in Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Coyle moved in with a Catholic family in Albuquerque after suffering injures in a car accident last year. The diocese revealed what Nickless called Coyle's "past transgressions" in a February letter to the family warning that it was too risky to allow him to live with their three teenage children.

The diocese eventually moved Coyle in June into the Marian Home, an assisted living center. It's across the street from Saint Edmond, which has hundreds of students from kindergarten through high school.

In a video and letter to parishioners issued Wednesday, Nickless claimed that the diocese moved Coyle back to Iowa "because of his advanced age and frail condition."

But in February, a diocese review board that includes Nickless sought to discourage Coyle from returning, warning that his presence could traumatize his now-adult victims and that the move would be difficult due to his age. The diocese told the family housing him that the best option was to find Coyle an assisted living center there, and that it would increase his monthly assistance by $575 to help.

Nickless claimed Wednesday that Coyle was under "strict supervision" at the Marian Home. AP journalists didn't see signs of that when visiting Coyle's apartment Friday, where he answered the door and declined comment.

The diocese acknowledged that school administrators weren't informed about Coyle's past when he was placed there.

In a letter to parents, school President Mary Gibb wrote that she was "deeply sorry" they had learned of the situation through news reports. She said that none of the students had contact with Coyle during visits to the Marian Home because they do not go to the area where he lived.

"The safety of our students is and will always be my #1 priority," wrote Gibb, who declined comment when contacted about Coyle last week.

Coyle reported his abuse to then-Bishop Lawrence Soens, who hung up when reached at a retirement home Thursday.

Lynn Hicks, a spokesman for Iowa's attorney general, said his office doesn't have the legal authority to conduct a statewide investigative grand jury like one that recently found 300 "predator priests" had abused 1,000 children in Pennsylvania. But he said the office is gathering information and examining options for moving forward. His office called on Iowa dioceses to comply with a U.S. Department of Justice request to preserve documents related to abuse and personnel.

Miller has already met with Des Moines Bishop Richard Pates and plans to meet with other bishops in coming weeks. His office invited victims of clergy abuse who want to provide information about their experiences to get in touch.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Latest on the aftermath of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre (all times local):

4:15 p.m.

The son of a couple killed in the Pittsburgh synagogue attack says his parents were a "beacon of light" whose example can help "eliminate the hate that led to their untimely deaths."

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that hundreds of mourners attended the funeral for Sylvan and Bernice Simon on Thursday.

They were among the 11 victims of the weekend attack at Tree of Life synagogue.

The Simons were married at Tree of Life 62 years ago.

Flowers are placed Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, at a makeshift memorial outside the Tree of Life Synagogue to the 11 people killed Oct 27, 2018 while worshipping in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Marc Simon, says "our lives were shattered" when his parents were "senselessly, brutally and savagely murdered."

Family members recalled the Simons as warm and welcoming and dedicated to their faith and each other.

The suspect in the slayings has pleaded not guilty.

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3:45 p.m.

Emergency operators who were on duty Saturday morning in Pittsburgh are describing how they could hear gunshots and screaming as the synagogue rampage unfolded.

The operators spoke to media outlets Thursday.

Bruce Carlton took the initial 911 call from Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers. Carlton says he wanted to keep Myers on the phone without revealing his position to the gunman.

Carlton tells KDKA-TV that he didn't want Myers to speak, and he tried not to either. He says the call was "surreal, like it wasn't happening."

Once it was over and Myers had come through physically unscathed, Carlton says he was left shaking.

The suspect, Robert Bowers, is charged with killing 11 and wounding six in the worst anti-Semitic attack in American history.

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10:05 a.m.

The anti-Semitic truck driver accused of gunning down 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that could put him on death row.

Robert Bowers was arraigned Thursday, one day after a grand jury issued a 44-count indictment that charges him with murder, hate crimes, obstructing the practice of religion and other crimes.

It was his second brief appearance in a federal courtroom since the weekend massacre at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

Authorities say the 46-year-old Bowers raged against Jews during and after the rampage. It was the deadliest attack on Jews in American history.

Funerals for the victims are being held all week.

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1:22 a.m.

The suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre is expected to make a brief appearance in federal court Thursday to be arraigned on a 44-count indictment.

The charges against Robert Bowers include murder, hate crimes and obstructing in the practice of religion. He is also charged with injuring four police officers, some during a gunfight before his arrest.

Bowers had been set for a preliminary hearing on the evidence Thursday, but federal prosecutors instead took the case to a grand jury. The panel issued the 44-count indictment Wednesday as funerals continued for the 11 people gunned down Saturday at the Tree of Life Synagogue.

Funerals were planned Thursday for Bernice and Sylvan Simon, husband and wife, and Dr. Richard Gottfried, a dentist who worked part-time at a clinic treating refugees and immigrants.

Flowers are pile around Stars of David Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, at a makeshift memorial outside the Tree of Life Synagogue to the 11 people killed Oct 27, 2018 while worshipping in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A sign is shown Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, at a makeshift memorial outside the Tree of Life Synagogue to the 11 people killed Oct 27, 2018 while worshipping in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Latest on the scheduled execution of Tennessee inmate Edmund Zagorski (all times local):

11:20 a.m.

With just hours left before his scheduled execution, condemned Tennessee inmate Edmund Zagorski is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to put a stop to it.

On Thursday Zagorski asked the court take up his claim that it's unconstitutional to force him to choose between the electric chair and lethal injection. Zagorski chose the chair because he thinks it will be quicker, but he maintains that both methods are unconstitutional.

Zagorski already had a petition pending in a different case. That one claims Zagorski had bad lawyers at trial, resulting in an unfair verdict.

Zagorski is scheduled to be executed at 7 p.m. in Nashville's Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. He was sentenced in 1984 for murdering two men during a drug deal.

FILE - This undated file photo released by the Tennessee Department of Corrections shows death row inmate Edmund Zagorski in Tennessee. If Tennessee electrocutes Zagorski, it will be in an electric chair built by a self-taught execution expert who is no longer welcome in the prison system. (Tennessee Department of Corrections via AP, File)

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9 a.m.

Tennessee death row inmate Edmund Zagorski has selected his final meal before Thursday's scheduled execution.

The Tennessee Department of Correction announced Wednesday that Zagorski's last meal will be pickled pig knuckles and pig tails.

Death row inmates are allowed $20 for a special meal before they're executed. In August, death row inmate Billy Ray Irick chose a combo that included a super deluxe burger, onion rings and a Pepsi.

Zagorski was originally scheduled to be executed Oct. 11, but that got delayed due to legal challenges and a last minute reprieve.

At that time, Zagorski chose to forgo having a final meal and instead eat what the rest of the inmates would eat for dinner.

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11 p.m.

Tennessee is scheduled to execute a double-murderer in the electric chair Thursday evening.

If it goes ahead as scheduled, Edmund Zagorski will be only the second person put to death by electrocution in Tennessee since 1960. Daryl Holton chose to die in the electric chair in 2007.

The last person to be executed by electrocution in the U.S. was Robert Gleason, who was put to death in Virginia in 2013.

Zagorski chose the chair after his legal challenge to Tennessee's midazolam-based lethal injection protocol failed. His attorneys say he believes death by electrocution will be quicker, but he maintains that both methods are unconstitutional.

Zagorski was sentenced to die in 1984 for the murder of two men in a drug deal.
BEIRUT (AP) - The Latest on developments in Syria (all times local):

5:50 p.m.

Syria's Foreign Ministry is complaining to the U.N. about airstrikes carried out by the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group citing new mass graves discovered.

The ministry called on the U.N. secretary-general and the head of the Security Council to force the U.S.-led coalition to stop its airstrikes in Syria.

Thursday's statement came a day after a Syrian medical official said a new mass grave was discovered in the northern city of Raqqa that until last year was a stronghold and the de facto capital of IS. Syrian officials say the bodies of both civilians and IS fighters have been found in the graves.

The head of Al-Raqqa Doctors' Syndicate, Jamal al-Issa, said the new mass grave includes more than 1,500 bodies who were killed by airstrikes of the U.S.-led coalition that gave cover to U.S.-backed Syrian fighters who captured Raqqa from IS in October last year.

FILE -- In this April 4, 2018 file photo, a U.S. soldier sits in an armored vehicle on a road leading to the tense front line with Turkish-backed fighters, in Manbij, north Syria. The spokesman of the Manbij Military Council, a U.S.-backed militia, said Thursday Nov. 1, 2018, that joint U.S.-Turkish patrols will begin within hours around the northern Syrian town of Manbij, part of a roadmap for easing tensions between the two NATO allies. Ankara and Washington agreed on a roadmap in June amid Turkish demands for the withdrawal of the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia that freed Manbij from the Islamic State group in 2016. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Al-Issa said that 4,000 dead persons in the city who were found in mass graves were added to those who were buried in the courtyard of the houses or were pulled out from underneath the rubble.

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5:15 p.m.

Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar says joint U.S-Turkish patrols around the northern Syrian town of Manbij have begun.

Akar said combined patrols, that are part of a roadmap aimed at easing tensions between the two allies, began on Thursday.

Ankara and Washington agreed on a roadmap in June amid Turkish demands for the withdrawal of the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia that freed Manbij from the Islamic State group in 2016.

The U.S. and the Turks have been conducting independent patrols along the front line and joint patrols are considered a way to tamp down potential violence between the various groups in the region.

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2:25 p.m.

An official with a U.S.-backed militia says joint U.S.-Turkish patrols will begin within hours around the northern Syrian town of Manbij, part of a roadmap for easing tensions between the two NATO allies.

Sharfan Darwish, spokesman of the Manbij Military Council, told The Associated Press that the patrols will begin later Thursday.

Ankara and Washington agreed on a roadmap in June amid Turkish demands for the withdrawal of the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia that freed Manbij from the Islamic State group in 2016.

The Americans and the Turks have been conducting independent patrols along the border, and joint patrols are seen as a way of preventing violence.

The Manbij Military Council that administers the town says the Kurdish militia, which Turkey views as a terrorist group, left Manbij in July.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department announced charges Thursday against a fugitive Malaysian financier and two former Goldman Sachs bankers accused in a money laundering and bribery scheme that pilfered billions of dollars from a Malaysian investment fund created to spur economic development projects in that country.

A three-count indictment charges Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, with misappropriating money from the state-owned fund and using it for bribes and kickbacks to foreign officials, to pay for luxury real estate, art and jewelry in the United States and to help finance Hollywood movies, including "The Wolf of Wall Street."

Also charged was a former Goldman Sachs banker, Tim Leissner, who pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and to conspiring to violate foreign bribery laws. Another former bank official, Ng Chong Hwa, 51, also known as Roger Ng, was arrested earlier Thursday in Malaysia and accused of circumventing internal accounting controls, prosecutors said.

Leissner's attorney did not return messages seeking comment. It was not clear if Ng had a lawyer.

A spokesman for Goldman Sachs, which the indictment says raised about $6.5 billion through bond offerings for the fund, said the firm "continues to cooperate with all authorities investigating this matter."

Police in Malaysia said in July that Low had fled Macau to an unknown destination. Before facing criminal charges, Low became well known in the New York City and Los Angeles club scenes. In 2012, he threw a lavish 31st birthday bash attended by Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian and other celebrities that The Wall Street Journal called the "wildest party (Las) Vegas ever saw."

FILE - In this April 23, 2015 file photo, Jho Low, Director of the Jynwel Foundation, poses at the launch of the Global Daily website in Washington, D.C. The Justice Department on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, charged the fugitive Malaysian financier in a money laundering and bribery scheme that pilfered billions of dollars from a Malaysian investment fund created to promote economic development projects in that country. The three-count indictment charges Low Taek Jho, who is also known as Jho Low, with misappropriating money from the state-owned fund and using it for bribes and kickbacks to foreign officials, to pay for luxury real estate, art and jewelry in the United States and to fund Hollywood movies, including "The Wolf of Wall Street." (Photo by Stuart Ramson/Invision for the United Nations Foundation/AP Images)

Low, who remains at large, issued a statement through a spokesman maintaining his innocence.

"Mr. Low simply asks that the public keep an open mind regarding this case until all of the evidence comes to light, which he believes will vindicate him," the statement said.

Leissner acknowledged paying millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to government officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi, according to court records. He was ordered to forfeit $43.7 million as part of his guilty plea.

The set of charges represent the first criminal prosecutions in the U.S. arising from the epic corruption scandal at the state investment fund known as 1MDB. The Justice Department in 2016 moved to recover more than $1 billion that it said had been stolen, filing a civil complaint that sought the forfeiture of property, including a Manhattan penthouse, a Beverly Hills mansion, a luxury jet and paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet.

In a speech last year in Washington, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions denounced the scandal as "kleptocracy at its worst." The pilfered funds were used on a "lavish spending spree," the attorney general said, including a $265 million yacht and a $100 million investment in the music label EMI.

"In total, 1MDB officials allegedly laundered more than $4.5 billion in funds through a complex web of opaque transactions and fraudulent shell companies with bank accounts in countries ranging from Switzerland and Singapore to Luxembourg and the United States," Sessions said.

The fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad, was set up in 2009 by then-Prime Minister Najib Razak to promote economic development. It relied primarily on debt to fund investment and economic development projects and was overseen by senior Malaysian government officials, according to court records.

Najib chaired its advisory board and as finance minister held veto power over its activities. Low, a friend of Najib's stepson Riza Aziz, had no official role at 1MDB but had considerable influence over its dealings and was in frequent contact with Najib, U.S. authorities have said.

"As noted in the indictment today, Mr. Low held no formal position at 1MDB, nor was he ever employed by Goldman Sachs, or the Governments of Malaysia or Abu Dhabi," Low's spokesman said.

The scandal has already had major political ramifications in Malaysia, where Najib in 2015 sacked his attorney general and a deputy prime minister for demanding answers about 1MDB. A parliamentary inquiry found many irregularities but had no mandate to prosecute.

Former leader Mahathir Mohamad, outraged over the scandal, came out of retirement and the opposition united behind him in the national elections, leading to Najib's ouster in May.

Najib and his former treasury chief were charged last week with criminal breach of trust involving 6.64 billion ringgit ($1.6 billion), charges that came on top of 32 earlier counts of corruption, breach of trust and money laundering that Najib faces in connection with the 1MDB scandal.

Najib and Mohamad Irwan Serigar Abdullah, the former treasury secretary-general, pleaded not guilty to misappropriating government funds between December 2016 and December 2017. Police have also seized hundreds of luxury handbags, jewelry and cash - worth more than $266 million - during raids on apartments linked to Najib's family.

An attorney for Najib, Shafee Abdullah, dismissed the latest charges as "foolish."

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Mustian reported from New York.
WASHINGTON (AP) - American manufacturers grew at a slower pace in October as factories contended with supply disruptions caused by disputes with China, Europe and other trading partners.

The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, said Thursday that its manufacturing index slipped to 57.7 last month - down from 59.8 in September and the lowest since April. It was the second straight monthly drop.

Still, anything above 50 signals growth, and manufacturers are enjoying a 26-month winning streak.

New orders, production, export orders and hiring grew more slowly. Thirteen of 18 manufacturing industries reported growth last month, led by textile mills and makers of electrical equipment.

American industry is generally healthy, but respondents to the ISM survey suggested that trade disputes are taking a toll. The United States has imposed taxes on imported steel and aluminum and on about $250 billion in Chinese products, drawing retaliation from U.S. trading partners.

Several companies complained that the tariffs are driving up costs and limiting supplies. Respondents also cited labor shortages and the strains that high demand is putting on their supply chains.

FILE- In this Sept. 27, 2018, file photo robots weld the cab of a 2018 Ford F-150 truck on the assembly line at the Ford Rouge assembly plant in Dearborn, Mich. On Thursday, Nov. 1, the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, issues its index of manufacturing activity for October. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Timothy Fiore, chair of ISM's manufacturing survey committee, said that "57.7 is not a bad number. But it's not where we had been. We have been bouncing around the top. This may be the first indicator of a softening that may continue."

Manufacturers are also coping with weakening global economic growth and a strengthening dollar, which makes American products costlier in foreign markets.

"Between disruptions caused to the supply chain by tariffs and a strengthening dollar, the factory sector may cool off going forward after an extraordinary run in 2017 and 2018," Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Amherst Pierpont Securities, wrote in a research note. "Nevertheless, even with a weaker-than-expected result in October, for now, the pace of growth for manufacturing remains robust."

The economic backdrop for manufacturers remains healthy. Consumer spending on long-lasting manufactured goods was strong during the spring and summer, rising at an annual pace of 6.9 percent from July through September and 8.6 percent from April through June.

Factories are on pace to add more than 250,000 jobs this year, which would be biggest jump in manufacturing employment since 1997.
LONDON, Ky. (AP) - A doctor who implanted medically unnecessary pacemakers into dozens of patients and billed it to Medicare and Medicaid has been sentenced to 42 months in prison.

News outlets report U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove also ordered Dr. Anis Chalhoub to pay restitution of $257,515 and a $50,000 fine during Tuesday's sentencing hearing in eastern Kentucky.

The Department of Justice said Chalhoub implanted dozens of unnecessary pacemakers in patients at St. Joseph London hospital between 2007 and 2011.

Chalhoub was convicted of federal health care fraud after a 12-day trial in April.
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Kosovo's political parties failed Thursday to pass a resolution preventing any leader, including the president, from negotiating border changes with Serbia.

All parties support the resolution but failed to pass it during a vote due to abstentions caused by political disagreements.

Kosovo, which is mostly ethnic Albanian, fought a war with Serbia from 1988-89 and declared independence from Belgrade in 2008. Serbia still refuses to recognize Kosovo's independence and tensions persist over pockets of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo and ethnic Albanians in Serbia.

Both Serbia and Kosovo have been told they must normalize their ties to have a chance to join the European Union. The recent push for normalcy has included leaders in both countries suggesting that ethnic-territorial swaps could be part of discussions.

Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci proposed a "border correction" that would involve Kosovo getting southern Serbia's Presevo Valley but giving nothing in exchange. He has not explained how Serbia would accept giving up part of its territory for nothing in return.

Officials in Serbia and Kosovo have suggested a land swap - Serbia's Presevo Valley for Kosovo's northern Mitrovica - could help the negotiations.

Many in Kosovo and across Europe fear that any border changes could lead to the risk of another war in a region still recovering from the ethnic bloodshed triggered by the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Avdullah Hoti, leader of the parliamentary group of the opposition Democratic League of Kosovo, alleged that Thaci's idea came from Belgrade and Moscow "to hamper Kosovo's consolidation."

Though the governing coalition has strongly opposed any border changes, it nonetheless boycotted Thursday's vote because the resolution did not include its idea of creating a negotiating team and a platform for negotiations with Serbia.
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries on Thursday reported a third-quarter loss as it proceeds with an aggressive cost-cutting program and adjusts to declines in key product categories.

But the company gave an upbeat outlook, citing stabilization in its core generics business, the launch of new products and progress with its restructuring program. Teva shares surged on the news.

Teva posted a loss of $273 million, or 27 cents a share, compared with earnings of $530 million, or 52 cents a share, the previous year. Revenue fell 19 percent from $5.617 billion to $4.529 billion.

Nonetheless, Chief Executive Kare Schultz said in a statement he is "very satisfied with our progress and we are meeting all our key targets."

Teva, the world's No. 1 generic drugmaker, has been hit hard by price pressure and competition in its core generic business, the loss of patent protection on its blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone and a more than $30 billion debt load stemming from its acquisition of the generics business of Allergan. The struggling company announced plans last December to cut 14,000 jobs, over one quarter of its global work force.

In an interview, Schultz said the company has pared its debt down from $35 billion to $27.6 since he joined the company a year ago. He also said the company is well on its way to meeting its goals for cutting its work force and reducing costs.

FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2017 file photo, an Israeli flag flies outside a Teva Pharmaceutical Industries building, in Neot Hovav, Israel. On Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, Israeli drug maker Teva reported a third-quarter loss as it proceeds with an aggressive cost-cutting program and adjusts to declines in key product categories. But the company gave an upbeat outlook, citing stabilization in its core generics business, the launch of new products and progress with its restructuring program. Its stock price surged on the news. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov, File)

As part of its restructuring, the company has already eliminated some 9,000 of the 14,000 jobs it promised to cut by the end of 2019. It also has cut costs this year by $1.8 billion, more than half of the savings it has targeted by the end of next year.

"In the big picture we are on track, if anything ahead of schedule," he said.

With prices crumbling in the key U.S. generics market, Teva has been eliminating unprofitable drugs from its portfolio while focusing on money-making medicines instead.

It said it sees both the generics market, and Copaxone sales stabilizing, albeit at lower levels than in the past.

But Teva has introduced two new drugs to the market. Austedo, a treatment for movement disorders, hit the market last year and chalked up some $62 million in sales in the third quarter, compared with $6 million a year earlier.

Ajovy, a migraine treatment, just reached the U.S. market in September and has a bright future, Schultz said.

"We are very optimistic about that product," he said. ""We've only been in the U.S. marketplace for four weeks, but we've seen very strong patient uptake."

Teva recently suffered a setback when pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts said it would not cover Ajovy.

However, Schultz said the company was in negotiations with major market players, including Express Scripts, and he hopes to reach agreements by the first quarter of 2019.

In midday trading in New York, Teva shares were up $2.29, or 11 percent, at $22.26 apiece.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A West Virginia man is accused of threatening Gov. Jim Justice in a letter.

WCHS-TV cited a criminal complaint that says police met with an employee at the Capitol complex on Oct. 17 regarding the letter. The complaint did not detail the letter's contents.

The complaint said fingerprints were lifted from the letter and a preliminary match was made with 52-year-old Donald Charles Criss of Clarksburg.

The station reports jail records show Criss was booked on Monday at South Central Regional Jail and charged with threats of terroristic acts and a civil rights violation.

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Information from: WCHS-TV, http://www.wchstv.com
WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal website where consumers can get health insurance under the Affordable Care Act was up and running Thursday after a slow start as sign-up season for 2019 opened days before the midterm elections.

During early morning hours, people accessing the site were directed to a screen that said work was underway. A recording at the HealthCare.gov call center conveyed a similar message. Things seemed to be running normally by about 9 a.m. EDT.

With health care a major issue in Tuesday's elections, this sign-up season under the Trump administration is getting close scrutiny.

In earlier years, technical problems with the site created major headaches for the Obama administration. Some Democrats cited HealthCare.gov's meltdown after its 2013 debut as one of the reasons they lost control of the Senate the following year.

Since those initial problems were fixed, the website serving people in 39 states has worked fairly smoothly, first under President Barack Obama and now under Donald Trump. The rest of the states and the District of Columbia run their own sign-ups.

A spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Thursday morning that HealthCare.gov was open for business.

The federal website where consumers can sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act is shown on a computer screen in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Before the site went live for sign-ups at the start of a new coverage year, technicians had to load up details on thousands of changes in plans and premiums.

"Prior to every open enrollment, final preparations must take place ahead of the start of the open enrollment period to ensure the website runs smoothly for consumers," said a statement from the agency. The statement said the agency's commitment had been that the site would be ready "in the morning."

The health law's sixth sign-up season began with stabilizing premiums and more choices for consumers.

Nationally, average premiums are going up only by low single-digit percentages for 2019. In some states, and for some types of plans, premiums will decline. Fewer areas will see increases. Insurers also are expanding their participation.

But Republicans have not backed off their pledge to fully repeal the health law, despite failing to do so in Trump's first year. Still, other changes by the GOP-run Congress and the administration for next year may result in fewer people signing up.

Congress did get rid of the unpopular requirement that most people carry health insurance or risk fines, starting Jan. 1. The administration has opened the way for insurers to offer alternatives to the law's comprehensive coverage, including plans that don't have to cover pre-existing conditions.

Democrats have made maintaining protections for pre-existing conditions a major issue in the elections, forcing Republicans on the defensive. They also accuse Trump of trying to "sabotage" the health law, and a core group of former Obama administration officials has kept close tabs on sign-up season.

Despite all the political drama, enrollment has remained remarkably stable.

About 10 million people have private policies through HealthCare.gov and state-run insurance markets, with roughly 9 in 10 getting taxpayer-financed help to pay their premiums. An estimated 12 million more are covered through the law's Medicaid expansion, aimed at low-income adults.

Income-based subsidies that protect consumers from high premiums remain available for next year, as has been the case since the overhaul went into effect. Open enrollment ends Dec. 15 for coverage starting Jan. 1.
ST. LOUIS (AP) - A Ferguson protester has said she believes her son was killed in retaliation for her activism, even as police investigate the man's death as a suicide.

Relatives found 24-year-old Danye Jones hanging by a bed sheet from a tree behind the family home on Oct. 17. St. Louis County police spokesman Shawn McGuire said Thursday that there were no signs of struggle or trauma to the body.

"Detectives, based on all the physical evidence and the current thorough investigation, they are investigating it as a suicide," McGuire said in an email.

Jones' mother, Melissa McKinnies, disagrees. Soon after his death she posted photos on Facebook of her deceased son, with the words: "They lynched my baby." Facebook took down the posting, but not before it began trending on social media sites such as Twitter and Reddit.

McKinnies was active in the months of protests that helped spark the Black Lives Matter movement following the fatal shooting of black Ferguson teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer in August 2014. Officer Darren Wilson resigned and was never charged in the shooting.

McKinnies told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that her son was upbeat before his death, not suicidal. She said he didn't know how to tie the knots used in the ligature, and the sheet didn't match sheets from the family home.

Jones had packed an overnight bag found on the patio, suggesting that he trusted and had planned to leave the house with the person who killed him, McKinnies said.

McKinnies and other activists are urging police to take a harder look at the possibility that Jones was killed.

The St. Louis County medical examiner's determination of the cause of death could take several weeks. Administrator Suzanne McCune said the office doesn't issue preliminary findings.

Darryl Gray, a prominent St. Louis activist and a friend of McKinnies, said Ferguson activists are often harassed and threatened via text and social media. Gray said he found a package inside his car earlier this year. Bomb squad investigators determined it wasn't an explosive - the package contained a 6-foot-long snake.

Police continue to investigate the deaths of two prominent Ferguson protesters, both of whom were found killed inside torched vehicles - DeAndre Joshua in November 2014 and Darren Seals in September 2016.
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - The new U.S. ambassador to Poland has made a promise to Poles that could be hard to keep - to lift the visa requirement they face to travel to the United States.

Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher, an appointee of President Donald Trump who took up her post in September, acknowledged the difficulty in an interview broadcast Thursday by the private TVN24 broadcaster.

She said everyone, including her bosses, told her not to make the promise, but she went ahead anyway, saying that: "I am committed to getting visa waiver through by the end of next year."

The visa requirement has long been an irritant in relations between the two nations, which are otherwise strong allies. Poles deeply resent that they, unlike Western Europeans, must apply for U.S. visas, facing the potential of having their travel requests denied and paying fees even when refused.

The fact that Poles have fought and died in U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq has only added to the resentments.

Many U.S. diplomats have long been sympathetic to the desire by Poles - one of the most pro-U.S. populations in Europe - to travel freely to America. However, the decision is not decided by ambassadors but regulated by U.S. law.

FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018 file photo, Georgette Mosbacher stands next to an Unides States flag after receiving her credentials as new United States ambassador to Poland at the Belweder Palacein Warsaw, Poland. The new U.S. ambassador to Poland has made a promise to Poles that could be hard to keep - to lift the visa requirement on them for traveling to the United States. Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher, an appointee of President Donald Trump who took up her post in September, said in an interview Thursday, Nov. 1 on the private TVN24 broadcaster that she was committed to lifting the visa requirement by the end of next year. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file)

The threshold for a nation to enter into the visa waiver program is a 3 percent refusal rate. American consulates in Poland, however, are still rejecting above 5 percent of Polish applicants, either because they had been in trouble with the law, overstayed earlier visas or worked illegally in the United States.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Democrats trying to flip a U.S. House seat in South Carolina for the first time since 1986 are pouring most of their state efforts into a coastal district where Republican primary voters ousted the incumbent, instead choosing an enthusiastic backer of President Donald Trump.

Democrat Joe Cunningham, an ocean engineer and construction-industry lawyer making his first run for elective office, has raised more money than his opponent and is getting endorsements from Republican mayors and other local officials.

Cunningham is facing state Rep. Katie Arrington, who handed U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford his first election loss in 16 races, and then survived a serious car crash just days after the June primary.

Arrington found a crack by taking on Sanford's criticism of Trump's comments and tone, calling him a "Never Trumper."

Now Cunningham is trying to use Arrington's ardent support for Trump and his policies against her as he tries to be the first Democrat since 1980 to be elected to the U.S. House from the 1st District, which stretches from Charleston to Hilton Head Island.

Signs suggest that if there's ever a House seat in South Carolina that will flip in this political climate, this could be the one. The National Republican Congressional Committee had said earlier in the fall that it had no plans to spend money on the race; now it's buying ads for Arrington with just days to go before votes are counted.

In this June 12, 2018 photo, state Rep. Katie Arrington, who is running for the 1st Congressional District, greets primary voters at the Daniel Island School in Charleston, S.C. Arrington, a Republican who survived a serious car crash just days after the June Republican primary where she defeated U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, is running against Democrat Joe Cunningham. (Grace Beahm Alford/The Post And Courier via AP)

No issue better shows what Cunningham is trying to do than offshore drilling. During the primary, Arrington said she supports all of Trump's energy policies, including the possibility of drilling for oil in the Atlantic Ocean off the U.S. coast.

Cunningham went to Republican mayors and other leaders in coastal towns like the Isle of Palms and got their endorsement by saying he would fight any drilling off their beaches, an important issue for wealthy retirees attracted to the salt life. Census data shows 57 percent of the people living in the district moved to South Carolina from somewhere else.

"Our beaches, our coastline, our waterways are our pride and joy in the 1st District and I'll fight like hell to protect them," Cunningham said in a recent debate.

Since her primary win, Arrington has said she's personally against offshore drilling, and is the only candidate who has the president's ear to change his mind.

"I will have a seat at the table," Arrington said. "Mr. Cunningham wrote a letter that no one will read for the next two years."

The 1st District is richer, more educated and less conservative than much of South Carolina, with a median income of $66,400, some $17,000 higher than the state's median. Its voters went 53.5 percent for Trump in 2016, several points lower than any other Republican-represented district.

Arrington draws a sharp line, suggesting a vote for Cunningham is a vote to turn the nation over to liberals. She calls this race a fight between good and evil, and a battle for survival.

Cunningham casts Arrington as a hyper-partisan street-fighter who isn't a good match for the gentle vibe of South Carolina's Lowcountry.

"I don't know how you can say you're going up to Congress to serve everyone when you are classifying some people as good and other people as evil," he said.

Arrington, 47, talks about starting out on the graveyard shift at Denny's and working her way up to a leading role in a defense contracting business. She promises to serve no more than eight years and donate most of her congressional salary to charity.

Cunningham, 36, often mentions his son, born in February. He even brought him up on a question about building and expanding new roads and bridges as South Carolina's coast continues to boom. "At 6 p.m. every night I want to be home because that's when I give my son a bath," Cunningham said.

South Carolina has not sent a new Democrat to Congress since Jim Clyburn won the 6th District in 1992, which had just been redrawn to have a majority of minority voters. The state hasn't flipped a U.S. House seat from Republican to Democrat since 1986, when Liz Patterson - the only woman the state has ever sent to Congress - won a 4th District seat left open when Republican Carroll Campbell successfully ran for governor.

With a few weeks left before the election, Arrington raised $1.4 million and spent about $1.3 million. Cunningham had raised $1.9 million and spent about $1.6 million. In comparison, Democrat Mary Geren, a Democrat running hard in South Carolina's quite conservative western 3rd District against Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, only managed to raise $269,000 for her campaign.

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For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. midterm elections: http://apne.ws/APPolitics

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Follow Jeffrey Collins at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP , read his work at https://apnews.com/search/jeffrey%20collins
CAIRO (AP) - Amnesty International on Friday urged the Sudanese government to halt what it describes as "relentless harassment, intimidation and censorship of journalists" in the country.

In a report documenting the arrests of at least 15 journalists by state security forces between January and October, the rights group says the media in Sudan are frequently targeted by the National Intelligence and Security Agency for their reporting, especially for publishing articles criticizing government policies.

Sudan has been ranked 174 out of 180 countries in 2017 world press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders, a media watchdog.

Amnesty said NISS agents often show up at newspaper printing presses to review each edition, ordering editors to drop certain stories before publication or altogether confiscating entire print runs.

According to the report, entire print runs of 10 newspapers were confiscated on at least 27 occasions.

"Since the beginning of 2018 the Government of Sudan, through its security machinery, has been unrelenting in its crackdown on press freedom by attacking journalists and media organizations," said Amnesty's Sarah Jackson.

Journalists have been summoned and interrogated for several hours virtually every month this year, Amnesty added, with some being arrested and charged, and others imprisoned simply for doing their job.

A talk show program on Omdurman TV was banned on Aug. 31 after interviewing politicians who criticized a decision by the ruling National Congress Party to nominate President Omar al-Bashir to stand for a third term in 2020.

Al-Bashir, who has ruled Sudan for decades, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide charges linked to the conflict in Darfur dating back to 2003.

"The Sudanese authorities must stop this shameful assault on freedom of expression and let journalists do their jobs in peace. Journalism is not a crime," Jackson said.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) - Cyprus is ready to work with Turkey on exploiting the east Mediterranean's potential oil and gas wealth, as long as the ethnically split island nation is reunified, the country's president said Friday.

Big gas reserves have been found around Cyprus and the country, which is a member of the European Union, is already working with Egypt and Israel. Turkey says it's entitled to its share of any potential gas reserves and has launched a search of its own. But Nicos Anastasiades insisted that the prerequisite for joining this regional energy cooperation will have to be the reunification of Cyprus, which has been split since 1974.

"We continue to upgrade our energy cooperation with countries in the eastern Mediterranean and in Europe and certainly, I underscore this, with Turkey in the event of a Cyprus settlement," Anastasiades told a conference Friday.

Cyprus' Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides said Turkey's threats against Cyprus' own energy search won't draw Cyprus into a discussion disputing its sovereign rights. He said the Cypriot government also called on Turkey to negotiate the demarcation of the two countries' sea borders.

"We want Turkey to be part of this cooperation, we prefer to have excellent relations with our neighbors, but it's up to Turkey ...The problem in the region is Turkey," he said.

U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus Kathleen Doherty said the U.S. supports Cyprus' right to develop and exploit its natural resources and believes "military responses to potential commercial disputes are inappropriate."

Cyprus' president Nicos Anastasiades speaks during The Economist conference in Nicosia, Cyprus, Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. Anastasiades has repeated a call to Turkey to cooperate on exploiting the east Mediterranean's potential hydrocarbon wealth, as long as the ethnically split island nation is reunified. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Cyprus' president Nicos Anastasiades speaks during The Economist conference in Nicosia, Cyprus, Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. Anastasiades has repeated a call to Turkey to cooperate on exploiting the east Mediterranean's potential hydrocarbon wealth, as long as the ethnically split island nation is reunified. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) - Macedonia's government has submitted draft constitutional amendments to parliament that would formally rename the country "North Macedonia" under a deal with neighboring Greece.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Friday the debate on the proposed changes is expected to take a month.

The majority of the country's lawmakers have already agreed on the need for the amendments, which include stating that the country harbors no territorial claims on its neighbors.

Greece argues that Macedonia's current name implies claims on its territory and heritage.

If the preliminary agreement struck in June is fully implemented, Athens will lift its objections to Macedonia joining NATO and starting talks on joining the European Union.

Provided Macedonian lawmakers approve all the proposed constitutional changes, Greece's parliament will meet to ratify the agreement.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) - An international press freedom group held a memorial Friday for slain Slovakian reporter Jan Kuciak to keep pressure on local authorities to solve his killing and to draw attention to crimes against journalists worldwide.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute said nearly 75 journalists have been killed around the world in 2018, including Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova , who were found shot dead in their home on Feb. 21.

More recently, Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, according to Turkish officials.

"This is, let's say, a major concern also here in Europe," said IPI chairman Markus Spillmann, the former editor-in-chief of Switzerland's Neue Zuercher Zeitung. "Even in democracies you see this kind of harassment, this kind of threatening and this kind of violence against journalism. So I would say the line, the red line, has been moved and not in a good direction."

He spoke in Bratislava at a memorial to Kuciak. Participants held signs with pictures of Khashoggi, Kuciak and other slain journalists reading "No Impunity!"

In Berlin, the German government's human rights envoy, Baerbel Kofler, marked the day with a call for all crimes against journalists to be properly investigated "so that those responsible can be held accountable and journalists can work without fear."

Flowers and candles are pictured as the Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI) gathers to mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists at the SNP Square in Bratislava, Slovakia, Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. The Board called for justice in the murder of Jan Kuciak and all other murdered journalists. The bodies of 27-year-old Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova were found Feb. 25, 2018 in their house in the town of Velka Maca. (Jakub Kotian/TASR via AP)

"We are convinced that attacks against journalists are not only directed against individuals, but are also attacks on freedom of opinion and freedom of information," she said.

Kuciak had been investigating possible widespread government corruption and ties between Slovak politicians and Italian mobsters when he was killed. Slovak authorities have said they believe it was a contract killing linked to his work.

The killings of Kuciak and his fiancee triggered a political crisis in Slovakia that resulted in major protests, the dismissal of the national police chief and the collapse of the government.

Four suspects have been charged in the case but the mastermind is believed to be still at large, IPI said.

Earlier this week, Spillmann led a journalism delegation that held talks with Slovakian President Andrej Kiska, who expressed optimism that the person behind the killings would be found, IPI said.

John Daniszewski, IPI's special representative for journalists' safety and Vice President and Editor-at-Large for Standards of The Associated Press, cautioned in Bratislava that beyond the better known cases like Kuciak and Khashoggi, journalism was under attack around the world - "often by criminals, sometimes by governments."

"When journalism is suppressed, the public loses their right to know and democracy is harmed," he said.

___

David Rising in Berlin and Pablo Gorondi in Budapest contributed to this report.

The Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI) gather to mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists at the SNP Square in Bratislava, Slovakia, Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. The Board called for justice in the murder of Jan Kuciak and all other murdered journalists. The bodies of 27-year-old Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova were found Feb. 25, 2018 in their house in the town of Velka Maca. (Jakub Kotian/TASR via AP)

The Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI) gather to mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists at the SNP Square in Bratislava, Slovakia, Friday, Nov. 2, 2018. The Board called for justice in the murder of Jan Kuciak and all other murdered journalists. The bodies of 27-year-old Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova were found Feb. 25, 2018 in their house in the town of Velka Maca. (Jakub Kotian/TASR via AP)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Yemen's warring parties on Friday to seize the momentum for peace and avert what could be the world's worst famine in decades.

The U.N. chief's appeal came days after the Trump administration demanded a cease-fire and the launch of U.N.-led political talks to end the war between a Saudi-led coalition allied with Yemen's government and Houthi Shiite rebels backed by Iran. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called for a halt to hostilities within 30 days.

Guterres urged the coalition and the Houthis "to overcome obstacles and resolve differences" at U.N.-facilitated talks later this month.

"Violence must stop everywhere," preferably immediately, he said.

But the secretary-general stressed that the U.N.'s immediate priority is to stop the bombing in populated areas and preserve critical infrastructure including in the key port of Hodeida, the main entry point for international aid and 70 percent of food imports that Yemen relies on.

Guterres spoke following the coalition's announcement earlier Friday that it bombed an air base adjacent to the airport in the rebel-held capital Sanaa allegedly being used by the Houthis to launch drone and ballistic missile attacks into Saudi Arabia. Intense fighting was also reported in Hodeida province.

In this Oct. 1, 2018, photo, a severely malnourished boy rests on a hospital bed at the Aslam Health Center, Hajjah, Yemen. Malnutrition, cholera, and other epidemic diseases like diphtheria ravaged through the displaced and the impoverished communities. The fighting in Hodeida, the Red Sea port seen as the lifeline of northern Yemen where 70 percent of the population lives, threaten to worsen the world's largest humanitarian crisis. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

"It is very important that no missiles or other forms of aggression are sent against Saudi Arabia, and it's very important to stop bombing in urban areas, and it's very important to preserve basic infrastructure," the U.N. chief said. "That is why we are appealing for the kind of military action that is taking place from both sides to end."

He said the United Nations is seeing more and more countries engaged in helping to create conditions for the warring parties to understand not only the need for a cessation of hostilities but for serious political discussions.

The diplomatic initiative is being driven by the increasing threat of famine, but also by international outrage over the murder of U.S.-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi which has put a spotlight on Saudi Arabia's role in the war in Yemen.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told several reporters Friday that Moscow has "been advocating for the early, immediate cessation of hostilities wherever - in and around Hodeida, elsewhere, because we believe in a political solution."

"That's the only thing that can bring peace back to Yemen," he stressed.

Nebenzia said U.N. special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, is "working on a peace plan that might bring the parties together and finally finish this useless conflict" and Russia wants to hear from him "on new avenues that he's exploring."

The Security Council is expected to hear from Griffiths on Nov. 16 and diplomats say the U.S., Britain and France are drafting a resolution to support peace efforts and address the humanitarian crisis.

Nebenzia said there has been talk in the council about supporting the peace process. As to whether this is the right time, he said: "Possibly. Let's see. We know that pressure is being mounted from all sides on the parties to stop hostilities."

The conflict in the Arab world's poorest country began with the 2014 takeover of Sanaa by the Houthis, which 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 a cholera epidemic and the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock warned last week that "there is a clear and present danger of an imminent and great big famine engulfing Yemen" that could affect 14 million people - half of the country's population.

"Yemen today stands on a precipice," Guterres said Friday, and "the urgency of the humanitarian crisis leaves no room for complacency."

He urged all countries to prevent "the already dire conditions from deteriorating into the worst famine we have seen in decades."

"My objective is to appeal to the parties to the conflict to understand that there is an opportunity that must be seized, and to say that the humanitarian situation is so dire that if that doesn't happen" the world will have to deal with a famine in Yemen next year, he said.

"I must say, I'm hopeful that the voice of reason will prevail," Guterres said.
The suspect in the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue told officers that Jews were committing genocide and that he wanted them all to die, according to a charging document.

Robert Gregory Bowers killed eight men and three women inside the Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday during worship services before a tactical police team tracked him down and shot him, police said in the document, which contained some previously unreported details on the shooting and the police response.

Calls began coming in to 911 from the synagogue just before 10am on Saturday, reporting they were being attacked, the document said.

Bowers shot one of the first two officers to respond in the hand, and the other was wounded by shrapnel and broken glass.

A tactical team found Bowers on the third floor, where he shot two officers multiple times, the affidavit said.

One officer was described as critically wounded; the document did not describe the other officers condition.

The FBI investigates after the attack in Pittsburgh (Andrew Stein/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/AP)

Two other people in the synagogue, a man and a woman, were wounded by Bowers and were in stable condition, the document said.

Bowers told an officer while he was being treated for his injuries that he wanted all Jews to die and also that they [Jews] were committing genocide to his people, the affidavit said.

Bowers was charged late on Saturday with 11 counts of criminal homicide, six counts of aggravated assault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation in what the leader of the Anti-Defamation League called the deadliest attack on Jews in US history.

The nations latest mass shooting drew condemnation and expressions of sympathy from politicians and religious leaders.

With the mid-term election just over a week away, it also reignited a longstanding and bitter debate over guns.

Pope Francis led prayers for Pittsburgh on Sunday in St Peters Square, The Vatican.

In reality, all of us are wounded by this inhuman act of violence, he said. He prayed for God to help us to extinguish the flames of hatred that develop in our societies, reinforcing the sense of humanity, respect for life and civil and moral values.

In the aftermath of this tragedy we must all come together. We must take action to prevent these tragedies in the future. We simply cannot accept this violence as a normal part of American life. https://t.co/p1wNCopHSw  Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) October 27, 2018

President Donald Trump said the outcome might have been different if the synagogue had some kind of protection from an armed guard, while Pennsylvanias Democratic Gov Tom Wolf, up for re-election, noted that once again dangerous weapons are putting our citizens in harms way.

Calling the shooting an evil anti-Semitic attack, President Trump ordered flags at federal buildings throughout the US to be flown at half-mast in respect for the victims.

He said he planned to travel to Pittsburgh, but offered no details.

In the city, thousands gathered for a vigil on Saturday night. Some blamed the slaughter on the nations political climate.

When you spew hate speech, people act on it. Very simple. And this is the result. A lot of people dead. Senselessly, said Stephen Cohen, co-president of New Light Congregation, which rents space at Tree of Life.

FBI Pittsburgh and other law enforcement agencies providing an update on the shooting at the synagogue. There were 11 fatalities. pic.twitter.com/q2NMkcjt5X  FBI Pittsburgh (@FBIPittsburgh) October 27, 2018

Little was known about Bowers, who had no apparent criminal record but who is believed to have expressed virulently anti-Semitic views on social media. Authorities said it appears he acted alone.

Worshippers were brutally murdered by a gunman targeting them simply because of their faith, said Bob Jones, head of the FBIs Pittsburgh office, though he cautioned the shooters full motive was not yet known.

Scott Brady, the chief federal prosecutor in western Pennsylvania, pledged that justice in this case will be swift and it will be severe.

The gunman targeted a building that housed three separate congregations, all of which were conducting Sabbath services when the attack began just before 10am in the tree-lined residential neighbourhood of Squirrel Hill, the hub of Pittsburghs Jewish community.

The synagogue door was unlocked on the Sabbath because people are coming for services, and the bell would be ringing constantly. So they do not lock the door, and anybody can just walk in, said Marilyn Honigsberg, administrative assistant for New Light.

And thats what this man did.

Michael Eisenberg, the immediate past president of the Tree of Life, said synagogue officials had not gotten any threats that he knew of before the shooting.

But security was a concern, he said, and the synagogue had started working to improve it.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has accused Philip Hammond of callous complacency over the Budget and Britains future.

Mr McDonnell called on MPs across the Commons to vote down the Budget if the Government did not halt the rollout of its controversial Universal Credit policy.

The implications of a no deal Brexit, he warned, could be catastrophic and the Prime Minister should step to one side and let Labour get on with the negotiations if Theresa May could not secure a deal protecting jobs and the economy.

"I was really shocked by the interview" - @johnmcdonnellMP was not impressed by @PhilipHammondUK on Brexit and universal credit in his interview with @RidgeOnSunday #Ridge pic.twitter.com/RGH08beLZR  Trevor Phillips on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) October 28, 2018

He told Sky Newss Sophy Ridge on Sunday: Well I thought [there] was callous complacency that came across about this weeks Budget but also about the future.

He added: Im saying to other political parties that if he doesnt halt the rollout of Universal Credit weve got to vote this Budget down, weve got to stop him forcing people into poverty in this way.

Mr McDonnell said he was really shocked about the Chancellors Brexit comments, adding: Hes gone back to what he said some time ago, which is basically he seems to have accepted a no-deal Brexit and he does want us to be like Singapore, a tax haven which will undermine our manufacturing base and, I think, put peoples living standards at risk.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

He went on: Weve got to ensure that there is a deal and the best way of doing that is Theresa May negotiating a proper deal that protects jobs and the economy.

And if she cant do that she should step to one side because theres too much at risk from a no deal, and if she cant do it herself, let Labour get on with the negotiations or lets have that General Election and let the people decide.

"If she can't do that, she should step to one side" - @johnmcdonnellMP tells @RidgeOnSunday that Labour will support a Brexit deal that protects jobs but he's not convinced Theresa May can get it #Ridge pic.twitter.com/UCLA0iLU7c  Trevor Phillips on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) October 28, 2018

He added: Weve said time and time again, bring back a deal that protects jobs and the economy and, yes, of course well support it.

Austerity, he said, had failed and people were not going to put up with it anymore.

He told Sky News: We put our budget forward last year in the general election, 49 billion worth of investment in our public services overall, paid for, yes, by increases in taxes on the top 5% of earners and cutting back on corporations tax giveaways and tax giveaways to the rich, that would be a start and we would invest in our economy and grow our economy in a way which would afford our public services.

Mr McDonnell told BBC Ones The Andrew Marr Show that Labour would reverse austerity, adding: It will be done on the basis of fairness and responsibility and well achieve it because well be effective in introducing a package of reforms not just some sticking plasters thats been proposed by the Government this week.

He added he was deeply worried over edging towards a no deal Brexit describing it as the worst of all options which could damage the economy and undermine jobs.

He said: The implications for our community if theres a no deal I think could be catastrophic and he should be standing up now and saying there will always be a deal and hell work with us if necessary to secure that deal.

He also raised concerns over the handling of statutory instruments to secure proper parliamentary scrutiny, adding: Im saying you cannot for example try and sneak through the undermining of protections of consumers, environment and workers.

Asked about the cost of Labours renationalisation plans, Mr McDonnell told Marr: Well when parliament determines that, that will determine the price. But let me reassure them (the public), it will not cost them anything because what well be doing is taking an asset that will give us an income, well cover the cost of purchase and invest properly and reduce costs.
Voting for the presidency is in full swing in Brazil, Latin Americas largest nation.

Voters are choosing between far-right Congressman Jair Bolsonaro and former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad.

Polls ahead of Sundays vote showed Mr Bolsonaro with a 10-point advantage. But the race appears to be tightening, as just weeks before he had an 18-point lead.

Voters wait in line at a polling station in Brasilia (Eraldo Peres/AP)

Mr Bolsonaro cast his vote in Rio de Janeiro, which he represents in Congress. Mr Haddad was expected to vote later on Sunday in Sao Paulo.

During the first round of voting on October 7, Mr Bolsonaro secured 46% compared to 29% for Mr Haddad.

Mr Bolsonaro has promised to crack down on crime and overhaul the economy.

Mr Haddad has promised a continuation of many progressive policies of his Workers Party, which governed from 2003 to 2016.
Garage sales do not normally attract the attention of music experts and fans from around the world, but when the garage in question belongs to 80s hit band Tears for Fears, it is an entirely different matter.

More than 30 flight cases containing equipment, instruments and clothing from the bands 1996 tour will go on sale in December having been cleared from the home of Tears for Fears frontman Roland Orzabal.

The huge haul includes a Linn drum machine  part of Tears for Fears signature sound  a Yamaha DX1 synthesizer; guitar amplifiers, pedal boards, VIP tour passes and even Roland Orzabals Electro-Voice microphone.

Picture

Tears for Fears were formed in Bath in 1981 and achieved international success in the 1980s with hit songs such as Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World.

Their UK arena tour this year was postponed and has been rescheduled for early 2019, according to the bands website.

The collection will go under the hammer at specialist auctioneers Gardiner Houlgate in Corsham, Wiltshire on December 12 and 13.

Luke Hobbs with some of the Tears for Fears memorabilia being sold by band frontman Roland Orzabal (Gardiner Houlgate/PA)

Auctioneer Luke Hobbs said: Weve never sold anything like this before. Its like a time capsule of a rock bands tour from over 20 years ago.

It appears that once they completed their gigs back in 1996, all the equipment was put into storage  until now.

We think this will attract the attention of Tears for Fears fans, collectors and professional equipment dealers from around the world.

In terms of price, its very hard to estimate but there could easily be 30,000 to 40,000 worth of equipment here  and thats without factoring in fan value.

Also included in the auction is the guitar collection of former Searchers bass player Frank Allen.

He played on some of the Searchers greatest hits during the 1960s including When You Walk In The Room (1964), which reached number three in the UK chart. He has recently retired from performing.
Hundreds of workers from the so-called gig economy are to stage a demonstration ahead of the latest legal hearing over their employment rights.

The long-running argument over the status of drivers at ride-hailing firm Uber will go before the Court of Appeal on Tuesday.

Uber drivers will be joined by hundreds of workers from other gig economy companies in a march through London ahead of the case.

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which is involved in the case, said it is expected to be the biggest precarious workers march ever held in the UK.

Couriers, riders, outsourced cleaners, restaurant workers and others will be involved while a rally will also be held in Glasgow.

The protesters will march to the Royal Courts of Justice, then go to the University of London, where outsourced workers, including cleaners, receptionists and security officers, will be on strike to end outsourcing, before passing NHS contractor The Doctors Laboratory, where medical couriers say their pay has been cut.

Uber drivers will be joined by workers from other gig economy companies in a march through London (Lauren Hurley/PA)

Uber case co-claimant and IWGB United private hire drivers branch chairman James Farrar said: What is clear from the different kinds of workers supporting us in this demonstration is that unity among precarious workers has never been stronger and together we will defeat the dishonest bosses that are trying to do away with our most basic employment rights.

The GMB, which is also involved in the case, said Uber drivers are estimated to be an average of 18,000 out of pocket two years after the company lost an employment tribunal case over the employment status of drivers.

Uber took the case to the Employment Appeals Tribunal last year and lost.

Sue Harris, the GMBs legal director, said: These figures lay bare the human cost of Uber continuing to refuse to accept the ruling of the courts.

While the company are wasting money losing appeal after appeal, their drivers are up to 18,000 out of pocket for the last two years alone.

An Uber spokesman said: Almost all taxi and private hire drivers have been self-employed for decades, long before our app existed.

A recent Oxford University study found that drivers make more than the London living wage and want to keep the freedom to choose if, when and where they drive.

If drivers were classed as workers they would inevitably lose some of the freedom and flexibility that comes with being their own boss.

We believe the Employment Appeal Tribunal last year fundamentally misunderstood how we operate. For example, they relied on the assertion that drivers are required to take 80% of trips sent to them when logged into the app, which has never been the case in the UK.

Over the last two years weve made many changes to give drivers even more control over how they use the app, alongside more security through sickness, maternity and paternity protections. Well keep listening to drivers and introduce further improvements.
A woman has been charged with murder after a man was found with a fatal stab wound in north London.

Scotland Yard announced on Sunday that Natasha Welsh of Greyhound Hill in Hendon, had been charged with the murder of Martin Welsh.

The 43-year-old woman is due to appear at Willesden Magistrates Court at 10am on Monday.

Police said 47-year-old Mr Welsh was found with a stab wound at a semi-detached house Greyhound Hill, late on Friday night, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman arrested after a man was fatally injured at a residential address in Hendon has been charged with murder today, Sunday, 28 October. https://t.co/DU41NmkcTr pic.twitter.com/IUBdjDbQJ2  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) October 28, 2018

Ms Welsh and two people in their twenties were arrested at the scene, but the Met confirmed late on Saturday it had released the 21-year-old man and 23-year-old woman.

Police confirmed the Mr and Ms Welsh were known to each other.

An address in Hendon where a 47-year-old man was fatally stabbed (Joe Gammie/PA)

In a statement it said: Natasha Welsh, 43, of Greyhound Hill, Hendon, was arrested on Friday October 26 after police were called to reports of a man having been stabbed.

The victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene, has been named as 47-year-old Martin Welsh.

Welsh is due to appear at Willesden Magistrates Court on Monday October 29 at 10am.
A teenager has been arrested over the attempted murder of a man in a multi-storey car park.

A 24-year-old man was taken to hospital after the incident near the entrance of Cadogan Square car park in Glasgow at about 9.30pm on Friday.

Police launched an investigation and have now arrested a 15-year-old boy.

He is due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday.

A police spokesman said: A 15-year-old male youth has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

It is anticipated that he will appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday October 29. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.
Senior Fianna Fail politicians have poured cold water on the prospect of controversial presidential candidate Peter Casey joining their ranks and running for the Irish parliament in the next general election.

In the wake of his shock second place finish in the presidential poll, the businessman has been quoted expressing a desire not only to join the party but also to ultimately lead it back into government and become Taoiseach.

The Londonderry-born millionaire was initially an outside contender in the race to be president, but his vote surged late in the campaign following critical comments about the Travelling community and welfare recipients.

Mr Casey had been polling as low as 1% at one point (Niall Carson/PA)

His support, which had been hovering around 1% in some opinion polls prior to the contentious remarks, rocketed to 23% in the election to secure an unexpected second place finish behind incumbent Michael D Higgins, who romped home for a second term with more than 55% of the vote.

Mr Caseys strong showing, on the back of a campaign rivals branded populist, has prompted speculation about his next move in Irish politics.

He told the Sunday Independent: I am joining Fianna Fail.

I intend to run in the next general election in Donegal. And I am going to become a Fianna Fail TD  with a view to becoming Taoiseach at the head of a renewed and revitalised Fianna Fail.

Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins gave the suggestion a cool response.

Peter would want to realise that you just cant rock up to political parties and think you can get your way, he told RTE, noting that his partys Donegal ticket for the next general election was already full.

Earlier, party leader Micheal Martin had claimed Mr Casey lacked a coherent or cohesive political vision.

Commenting on an article headlined with Mr Caseys comments about joining Fianna Fail, party TD Timmy Dooley tweeted: Ah were okay thanks.

During the campaign, Mr Casey said Travellers were simply people camping on someone elses land, and that Irelands recognition of the community as members of an ethnic minority is a load of nonsense.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had urged people not to vote for him  a move that prompted the candidate to demand an apology, though one was not forthcoming from the Fine Gael leader.

On Sunday, Fine Gael government minister Josepha Madigan insisted Mr Caseys views on Travellers were not reflective of the majority of Irish people.

The sort of rhetoric and the divisive rhetoric this candidate Peter Casey was putting forward really has no real traction in this country  its really a protest, anti-establishment vote, she told RTE.

Mr Higgins comfortably won a second term in office (Niall Carson/PA)

She added: We have to make sure we dont become a country where this divisive rhetoric that has been propagated around the world is replicated in this country.

As well as Mr Higgins huge victory and Mr Caseys late surge, the other main story from the election was the relatively poor showing by Sinn Fein.

Recording only 6% of the vote, party candidate Liadh Ni Riada gained less than half of the support achieved by the late Martin McGuinness in 2011.

Sinn Fein TD Eoin O Broin said there was a need to take a hard and honest look at how the campaign had been run.

The result is very, very disappointing for us and I think anybody in the party who is being honest will be very, very unhappy with the result that we got, he told RTE.
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Police are trying to find a couple who came to the aid of a man who was sexually assaulted in a taxi.

The 22-year-old male got in a white private hire taxi to go home after a night out in Glasgow.

But Police Scotland said he was touched inappropriately by the driver, who then made him get out of the car in Paisley.

Not knowing where he was, the man flagged down the couple in a car, and they they took him to Paisley police office  but left before officers had the chance to speak to them.

Detective Sergeant Allison Campbell said: The man and woman left before we could speak to them. It would be really helpful to our investigation if they would contact Paisley Police Station as their information would assist our investigation.

She urged anyone who might have seen or was approached by the man to get in contact with the police after the incident, which took place in the early hours of Sunday October 28.

Police investigating the sexual assault are trying to trace the man and woman who came to the victims aid (Joe Giddens/PA)

The man had been out in the Argyle Street/Union Street area of Glasgow before getting into the private hire taxi at about 2.30am.

The driver is described as being a white male, in his 30s, with dark shaved hair, of heavy build and with a Scottish or Irish accent.
Shareholders in Ryanair have called for changes in the governance structures of the company, urging that the chairman is replaced.

As well as recommending the end of David Bondermans 22-year tenure, the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) wants the budget carrier to start developing a succession plan for chief executive Michael OLeary.

The LAPFF, which claims recent industrial disputes involving airline management and disgruntled staff have highlighted the need for reform, intends to file resolutions at the companys next AGM urging the leadership moves.

The forum represents pension funds of UK local authorities and has combined assets worth more than 230 billion. It holds around 1% of Ryanairs shares.

To file a shareholder resolution at an Irish companys AGM the backing of 3% of the shares is required. LAPFF has said it intends to engage with other shareholders to secure support for the resolutions.

At Ryanairs last AGM in Dublin in September, almost 30% of shareholders opposed the reappointment of Mr Bonderman.

Ryanair chairman David Bonderman is under pressure from some shareholders (Niall Carson/PA)

Mr OLeary was reappointed with 98.5% support.

LAPFF chairman Ian Greenwood wrote to Michael Cawley, chairman of Ryanairs nomination committee, earlier this month informing him of the forums intention to file the resolutions at Ryanairs next AGM, scheduled for September 19 next year.

The resolutions will call for the replacement of Mr Bonderman by the end of 2019 and the communication to shareholders of succession plans for Mr OLeary as soon as is practical.

In his letter to Mr Cawley, Mr Greenwood said: Since the AGM, it appears Ryanair faces a prolonged transition to a more stable employment model and improved industrial relations. As long-term shareholders, we believe that Ryanair can continue to grow and prosper, but also consider that this must involve change.

He acknowledged the company was making efforts to improve its attractiveness as an employer.

However, Ryanairs governance has not kept pace with these changes, he added.

We consider that more genuinely independent representation on the board could have ensured that these changes were achieved more smoothly.

In response, a spokesman for Ryanair said: Ryanair shareholders recently passed all AGM resolutions by a large majority, including the nomination of directors and chairman. They appreciate how fortunate we are to have an outstanding chairman like David Bonderman guide the board and the airline.
Nicola Sturgeon has warned of the horrific consequences of anti-Semitism in the wake of a mass shooting at at US synagogue.

The First Minister, who is due to visit Auschwitz with a group of schoolchildren this week, said it was more important than ever that the current generation learn about the Holocaust.

She spoke out on Twitter after Robert Bowers killed eight men and three women inside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday before being shot by police.

He told officers that Jews were committing genocide and that he wanted them all to die, according to a charging document.

Later this week, Ill accompany @HolocaustUK and a group of Scottish school pupils on a visit to Auschwitz. As antisemitism rears its head again - often, as in USA yesterday, with horrific consequences - it is more important than ever that the next generation learns and remembers  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 28, 2018

Ms Sturgeon tweeted: Later this week, Ill accompany @HolocaustUK and a group of Scottish school pupils on a visit to Auschwitz. As antisemitism rears its head again  often, as in USA yesterday, with horrific consequences  it is more important than ever that the next generation learns and remembers.

Meanwhile, Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf spoke about the huge contribution that the Jewish community makes to the country.

Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf have condemned the attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh. (Jane Barlow/PA)

Mr Yousaf spoke to Jewish people from Scotland at The Gathering event in Edinburgh on Sunday, telling them the thoughts and prayers of the people of Scotland were with all those affected by the despicable and appalling events in Pittsburgh.

He said: This event presents an ideal opportunity to reflect on the diversity of Scotland and the important role our faith communities play in supporting public cohesion.

On behalf of the Scottish Government, I pay tribute to the huge contribution which Jewish communities make to our society.

En route to Edinburgh Synagogue for the Jewish Gathering. First event of its kind bringing together communities to celebrate Jewish faith, food, music & culture.



After yday's evil actions in Pittsburgh hope to reassure Jewish friends that we stand in solidarity with them.  Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) October 28, 2018

Mr Yousaf continued: Of course this Gathering takes place against the backdrop of widespread shock and sadness at the appalling attack on the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The thoughts and prayers of people across Scotland are with everyone affected by this despicable act and we stand in solidarity with the Jewish community across the world.

In Scotland we will continue to work together to tackle prejudice and build the society we want to be  a safer, stronger and fairer nation where equality and human rights are fully respected and each person, every family and all communities can flourish.
Chancellor Philip Hammond sets out his Budget plans in the House of Commons on Monday.

Here are five things to look out for:

 The NHS. Theresa May has already announced a 20 billion-a-year increase for the NHS in England over the next five years, suggesting taxpayers will need to contribute a bit more to pay for it.

NHS staffing (Peter Byrne/PA)

However ministers have yet to say where exactly the money will come from. Mr Hammond was handed a windfall of some 13 billion due to better-than-expected borrowing figures, easing some of the pressure to put up taxes. However his statement will be closely watched to see where he does decide to apply the pain.

 Pensions tax relief. One target for the Chancellor as he looks to raise funds could be the tax breaks for pensions savings which benefit millions of middle and high earners.

Philip Hammond (Chris J Ratcliffe/PA)

Mr Hammond suggested he had them in his sights at the recent IMF meeting in Bali when he described the 39 billion-a-year cost to the Treasury as eye-wateringly expensive. However such a move is likely to face fierce opposition from Tory backbenchers. With the party in a febrile state over Brexit, dare he risk another clash?

 Universal Credit. Conservative MPs are also growing increasingly restive over the impending national roll-out of UC amid fears that some of their least well-off constituents could be plunged into real hardship.

Department for Work & Pensions (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

The Chancellor has signalled he is ready to find extra cash to ease the transition, but will it be enough to satisfy critics calling for another 2 billion?

 Digital tax. Mr Hammond has been talking tough about the need for internet giants like Facebook and Google to pay their fair share of tax in the UK.

Facebook (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

While he acknowledges concerted international action is the best way to get them to cough up, he has expressed frustration at the slow rate of progress on reaching an agreement. Will he now say the time has come for the UK to go it alone?

 Defence. The Chancellor was involved in a series of clashes with Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson over funding levels for the armed forces, but recently things appear to have gone quiet on that front.

British troops (Niall Carson/PA)

A long-term settlement will have to wait until the spending review next year but Tory MPs are hoping he will find some short-term cash to help them through.
The suspect in the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue expressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and told officers afterwards that Jews were committing genocide and that he wanted them all to die, court documents show.

Robert Gregory Bowers killed eight men and three women inside the Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday during worship services before a tactical police team tracked him down and shot him, authorities said in state and federal affidavits.

The charging documents contained unreported details on the shooting and the police response.

I just want to kill Jews, Bowers told an officer, according to one of the documents.

Officials released the names of all 11 victims during a news conference on Sunday, all of them middle-aged or elderly. The victims included a pair of brothers and a husband and wife. The oldest was 97.

Mayor Bill Peduto called it the darkest day of Pittsburghs history.

Calls began coming in to 911 from the synagogue just before 10am on Saturday.

A mourner is comforted outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh (AP)

Bowers, 46, shot one of the first two officers to respond in the hand, and the other was wounded by shrapnel and broken glass, according to court documents.

A tactical team found Bowers on the third floor, where he shot two officers multiple times, an affidavit said.

Bowers, who authorities said used an AR-15 rifle and three handguns during the attack, told an officer while he was being treated for his injuries that he wanted all Jews to die and also that they (Jews) were committing genocide to his people, a Pittsburgh police affidavit said.

Bowers was charged with 11 state counts of criminal homicide, six counts of aggravated assault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation in what the leader of the Anti-Defamation League called the deadliest attack on Jews in US history.

As a mark of solemn respect for the victims at The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA, POTUS issued a Proclamation that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff at the White House, at all military posts & naval stations & on all naval vessels of the Federal Govt pic.twitter.com/ltA3Lemd3u  Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 28, 2018

He was also charged in a 29-count federal criminal complaint that included counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs, resulting in death  a federal hate crime  and using a firearm to commit murder.

US attorney general Jeff Sessions said the charges could lead to the death penalty.

Bowers, who underwent surgery and remains in hospital, is scheduled for a court appearance on Monday.

His neighbour, Chris Hall, said he never heard or saw anything to indicate that Bowers harboured anti-Semitic views or posed a threat. Bowers kept to himself, he said.

The most terrifying thing is just how normal he seemed, Mr Hall said.

A person wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jacket brings flowers to a makeshift memorial (AP)

I wish I knew what was going on inside his head. Maybe something could have been done. I dont know.

The victims included Melvin Wax, a retired accountant in his late 80s who was always one of the first to arrive at synagogue and among the last to leave.

He and I used to, at the end of services, try to tell a joke or two to each other, said Myron Snider, a fellow member of New Light Congregation, which rented space in the basement of Tree of Life.

Most of the time they were clean jokes. Most of the time. I wont say all the time. But most of the time.

The death toll also included professors, dentists and physicians.

Former Allegheny County Deputy District Attorney Law Claus sent an email to former co-workers Sunday asking them to pass his condolences to the family of Jerry Rabinowitz, a 66-year-old personal physician and shooting victim.

Mr Rabinowitz was truly a trusted confidant and healer, Mr Claus wrote.

The nations latest mass shooting drew condemnation and expressions of sympathy from politicians and religious leaders of all stripes. With the mid-term election just over a week away, it also reignited a longstanding and bitter debate over guns.

US president Donald Trump said on Saturday that the outcome might have been different if the synagogue had some kind of protection from an armed guard, while Pennsylvanias Democratic governor Tom Wolf, who up for re-election, noted that once again dangerous weapons are putting our citizens in harms way.

Calling the shooting an evil anti-Semitic attack, Mr Trump ordered flags at federal buildings throughout the US to be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect for the victims.

He said he planned to travel to Pittsburgh.

In the city, thousands gathered for a vigil Saturday night. Some blamed the slaughter on the nations political climate.

Stephen Cohen, co-president of New Light Congregation, said: When you spew hate speech, people act on it. Very simple. And this is the result. A lot of people dead. Senselessly.

Little was known about Bowers, who had no apparent criminal record but who is believed to have expressed virulently anti-Semitic views on social media. Authorities said it appears he acted alone.
Brazilians are weighing up their hunger for radical change against fears that the presidential front-runner could threaten democracy as they cast ballots in the culmination of a bitter election campaign.

Far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro has won over many voters by painting a picture of a Brazil at war  with criminals, corrupt politicians and leftist ideas, which he says could turn the country into Venezuela.

He has promised to turn the tide with use of force and clean governance.

Voters wait in line at a polling station in Brasilia (Eraldo Peres/AP)

Recent polls showed Mr Bolsonaro with an eight to 10 point lead over his rival, the leftist candidate Fernando Haddad, of the Workers Party.

However, several key endorsements late on Saturday gave Mr Haddads camp hope that they could still win.

I am confident we can win, said Mr Haddad after voting at a school.

Workers Party presidential candidate Fernando Haddad (AP)

There are many democratic voices that could have been silent and have spoken in our favour.

Mr Bolsonaro, meanwhile, made no comments to reporters when he voted at a military compound in Rio de Janeiro.

In a highly unusual moment, the chief justice of the Brazilian supreme court, Jose Dias Toffoli, read out part of the countrys constitution to reporters after he voted.

The future president must respect institutions, must respect democracy, the rule of law, the judiciary branch, the national Congress and the legislative branch, Mr Toffoli said, in remarks many took to be a rebuke of Mr Bolsonaro and his more extreme positions.

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro (AP)

On Saturday, a popular former supreme court justice, Joaquim Barbosa, tweeted support for Mr Haddad, saying Mr Bolsonaros candidacy scared him.

Likewise, former attorney general Rodrigo Janot, one of the biggest crusaders against corruption in Mr Haddads Workers Party in recent years, endorsed Mr Haddad for similar reasons.

One of the most important endorsements, particularly for young people, came from Youtuber Felipe Neto, whose channel has nearly 27 million followers.

Supporters of Workers Party presidential candidate Fernando Haddad (AP)

Mr Neto said he was troubled by Mr Bolsonaros comments a week ago that red leftists would be run out of Brazil.

In 16 years of the (Workers Party), I have been robbed, but never threatened, Mr Neto said on Twitter.

Mr Bolsonaro, a former army captain with a lacklustre record in congress over 27 years, rose in prominence amid disgust with Brazils political system after a massive corruption scandal and a prolonged recession.

In particular, many Brazilians are furious with the Workers Party for its role in the corruption scheme, known as Carwash, and Mr Haddad has struggled to build momentum with promises of a return to the boom times by investing in health and education and reducing poverty.
Murder hunt detectives are trying to establish the identity of a man who died after being found seriously injured in a residential street.

Police were called after the man was discovered in Panmuir Street, part of a new housing development between Holytown and Newarthill in North Lanarkshire, at about 1am on Sunday.

An ambulance crew took the man to Wishaw General Hospital but he died a short time later, Police Scotland said.

A murder investigation is under way, with officers appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Pinkney, from the major investigation team, said: Currently our investigation is focusing on establishing the identity of the man and the circumstances that surrounded him being found injured.

If you believe you saw any suspicious activity around Panmuir Street, or the Holytown area, during the early hours of Sunday morning then please contact police immediately.

Police Scotland officers are trying to establish the identity of the murdered man. (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Similarly if you have any information that can assist with this investigation then please also get in touch.
Far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro looks set to be the next president of Brazil.

With more than 92% of the votes counted, 55.6% supported Mr Bolsonaro compared to 44.4% for leftist Fernando Haddad of the Workers Party, according to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

Mr Bolsonaro went into Sunday the clear front-runner after getting 46% of the vote to Mr Haddads 29% in the first round of the election on October 7, which had 13 contenders.

A supporter of presidential front-runner Jair Bolsonaro wears a headband supporting his candidate (Eraldo Peres?AP)

After opinion polls in recent weeks had Mr Bolsonaro leading by as much as 18 percentage points, the race had tightened in recent days as several Brazilian heavyweights came out against him, arguing that he was a direct risk to the worlds fourth largest democracy.

Mr Bolsonaro, who cast himself as a political outsider despite a 27-year career in Congress, is the latest of several leaders around the globe to gain prominence by mixing tough, often violent talk with hard-right positions.

But he is also very much a product of a perfect storm in Brazil that made his messages less marginalised  widespread anger at the political class amid years of corruption, an economy that has struggled to recover after a punishing recession and a surge in violence.

I feel in my heart that things will change, said Sandra Coccato, a 68-year-old small business owner, after she voted for Mr Bolsonaro in Sao Paulo. Lots of bad people are leaving, and lots of new, good people are entering. Theres a light at the end of the tunnel.

Fernando Haddad had been hoping to spring a surprise in the election (Andre Penner/AP)

Mr Bolsonaro rose in prominence amid disgust with Brazils political system. In particular, many Brazilians are furious with the Workers Party for its role in a corruption scheme, and Mr Haddad has struggled to build momentum with his promises of a return to the boom times by investing in health and education and reducing poverty.

But Mr Bolsonaro has also raised serious concerns that he will usher in a rollback of civil rights and a weakening of institutions in what remains a young democracy, especially since he has waxed nostalgic for Brazils 1964-1985 military dictatorship and said he would name military men to his Cabinet.

In a highly unusual moment, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Jose Dias Toffoli, read out part of the Constitution to reporters after he voted.

The future president must respect institutions, must respect democracy, the rule of law, the judiciary branch, the national Congress and the legislative branch, Mr Toffoli said in remarks many took to be a rebuke of Mr Bolsonaro and his more extreme positions.
Far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro has won the race to be the next president of Brazil.

With 96% of the votes counted, the former army captain has 55.5% of the votes while leftist Fernando Haddad of the Workers Party has 44.5%, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said.

Mr Bolsonaro went into Sunday the clear front-runner after getting 46% of the vote to Mr Haddads 29% in the first round of the election on October 7, which had 13 contenders.

A supporter of presidential front-runner Jair Bolsonaro wears a headband supporting his candidate (Eraldo Peres?AP)

After opinion polls in recent weeks had Mr Bolsonaro leading by as much as 18 percentage points, the race had tightened in recent days as several Brazilian heavyweights came out against him, arguing that he was a direct risk to the worlds fourth largest democracy.

Mr Bolsonaro, who cast himself as a political outsider despite a 27-year career in Congress, is the latest of several leaders around the globe to gain prominence by mixing tough, often violent talk with hard-right positions.

But he is also very much a product of a perfect storm in Brazil that made his messages less marginalised  widespread anger at the political class amid years of corruption, an economy that has struggled to recover after a punishing recession and a surge in violence.

I feel in my heart that things will change, said Sandra Coccato, a 68-year-old small business owner, after she voted for Mr Bolsonaro in Sao Paulo. Lots of bad people are leaving, and lots of new, good people are entering. Theres a light at the end of the tunnel.

Fernando Haddad had been hoping to spring a surprise in the election (Andre Penner/AP)

Mr Bolsonaro rose in prominence amid disgust with Brazils political system. In particular, many Brazilians are furious with the Workers Party for its role in a corruption scheme, and Mr Haddad has struggled to build momentum with his promises of a return to the boom times by investing in health and education and reducing poverty.

But Mr Bolsonaro has also raised serious concerns that he will usher in a rollback of civil rights and a weakening of institutions in what remains a young democracy, especially since he has waxed nostalgic for Brazils 1964-1985 military dictatorship and said he would name military men to his Cabinet.

In a highly unusual moment, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Jose Dias Toffoli, read out part of the Constitution to reporters after he voted.

The future president must respect institutions, must respect democracy, the rule of law, the judiciary branch, the national Congress and the legislative branch, Mr Toffoli said in remarks many took to be a rebuke of Mr Bolsonaro and his more extreme positions.
Harry and Meghan comforted a schoolboy who became overwhelmed when he met the royal couple outside a cafe in Wellington.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had visited Maranui Cafe on Monday to meet with mental health workers and discuss their work.

Ten pupils from nearby Houghton Valley School got the chance to meet the couple as they left the cafe, with one of the children handing Meghan flowers.

Harry gives shy Joe Young a tummy tickle after meeting him outside Maranui cafe, Wellington #RoyalVisitNewZealand pic.twitter.com/dtcBG0YSca  Alexander Britton (@adbritton) October 28, 2018

Joe Young, five, was on the end of the line of pupils and rubbed his eyes as the royal visitors approached.

The duchess kneeled and touched his hand and the duke then went in to tickle Joes stomach.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in Wellington (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Monica Mercury, deputy principal at the school, said: Im a huge fan of Harry and I always wanted him to share his crazy life with someone and he finally found someone so Im really happy for him.

Its not every day this sort of thing happens.

Joe was very nervous and Harry was very nice with him too.

The couple made their way down the line, with eight-year-old Max Dash giving the flowers to the duchess.

He said: I gave her the flowers and she said thank you.

It was so exciting. At the start I was a bit freaked out.

The children were then given cake as the royal entourage headed to Abel Tasman National Park after a request from the duchess.

Harry waves to the crowd in Wellington (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Mother-to-be Meghan, wearing Outland jeans, a Jac+Jack top and a Club Monaco coat, went back into the cafe and asked staff to bring out trays of cakes for the youngsters as she really wanted all the food to be brought outside for the children.

Monica Young-Leathers, eight, said: I begged to come up here and shake hands with Prince Harry and Meghan and surprisingly my teacher said yes.

It was really exciting.

Chatting with Jazz Thornton and Gen Mora, founders of Voices of Hope  which Jazz and Gen launched to provide hope for those struggling with mental health issues. #RoyalVisitNZ pic.twitter.com/GGqxxM7GS8  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) October 28, 2018

Edith Prebble, six, was practising her curtseys in the line before the duke and duchess arrived.

She said: My granny sent a text to my dad saying I hope you get to curtsey.

I said My name is Edith and they said its very nice to meet you.

Rewa Ririnui, eight, said: The most amazing thing ever happened to me.

We were told we were going to get a big surprise and they said when they come down the stairs youll get a thumbs up.

And we wondered who was going to come down the stairs and I was so surprised when Harry and Meghan came down and shook our hands.

We told them our names and what school we came from.
The spending decisions and leadership of key organisations set up to transform care in Scotland have been questioned by MSPs.

Holyroods Health Committee has been examining the work of integration authorities (IAs), which were established in 2016 to bring together health and social care in to a single, integrated system.

But MSPs on the committee said IAs  who spend some 8 billion a year of public cash  were taking allocation and investment decisions without assessing, or even possessing the ability to assess the relationship between the effectiveness of spending on outcomes.

This was branded unacceptable by the committee.

In a new report, the MSPs noted some IAs were leaving cash allocated for tackling mental health and dealing with drug and alcohol problems unspent.

Holyrood Health and Sport Committee convener Lewis Macdonald (David Cheskin/PA)

They raised concerns the bodies were not providing the clear leadership, direction and authority required.

Committee convener Lewis Macdonald said: The successful integration of health and social care is one of the biggest challenges facing us. It is clear that transformational change is required in the sector in order for us to meet long term challenges such as our aging population. This requires those in charge to use the powers Parliament has given them and drive change.

It is vital that the significant budget for health and social care is spent efficiently and effectively. It is unacceptable that this is not happening and the committee is calling on this to change.

The report said that while there was a statutory requirement for IAs to report on how they had used resources to achieve improvements in health and wellbeing, it was unacceptable this is not being done.

With the Scottish Government working towards providing more care in the community and away from hospitals, the report found there had been a modest shift in the way budgets are spent in the three years IAs have been in operation.

But it said while there had been progress in shifting the budgets towards community healthcare, this appears to be at the expense of family health services/prescribing and social care, rather than resulting from a reduction in hospital expenditure, which is showing an increased proportion of spend.

The report went on to note: To date, some IAs have spent less than the budget that has been allocated to these services. Given concerns raised regarding mental health service provision we find it difficult to understand why this is the case.

Another priority area MSPs identified was tackling Scotlands high level of drugs related deaths, with the committee very concerned about this.

We believe a reduction in drug related deaths must be a priority area for the Scottish Government, they said in the report.

We are concerned that, to date, some IAs spend on ADPs (alcohol and drugs partnerships) has been lower than the budget allocated.

Given the high number of drug-related deaths we are concerned that NHS boards and ultimately IAs have not given this issue the priority that is required and are not investing the level of funds into services required to deliver improved outcomes.

MSPs said they were disappointed by this, and called on Scottish ministers to to ensure this issue is prioritised and the number of drug-related deaths reduced.

The committee also urged the Scottish Governrment to set out in detail the steps it is taking to measure the quality of leadership at IA level.

The made the recommendation after the report found further steps need to be taken to ensure IA leadership is sufficiently robust in setting out requirements and providing clear direction.

Meanwhile, with Health Secretary Jeane Freeman having announced the government is to write off the brokerage loans given to NHS boards, the committee asked where the cash to do this was coming from.

Mr Macdonald said: We also seek assurances in relation to the recent announcement that loans to health boards are being written off.

This offer should not be a blank cheque nor be open to misuse.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: Our health spending per head is over 7% higher than the UK as a whole  amounting to over 850 million more spending on health services for Scotland.

Integration is the most significant change to health and social care services in Scotland since the NHS was established, and ensuring its success is a priority for the Scottish Government. That is why in 2018/19 the Scottish Government is investing almost half a billion pounds of frontline NHS spending in social care services and integration, as well as an additional 66 million to local government in support of social care.

This is enabling local partnerships of integration authorities, health boards and councils to work together to make best use of their total resources and ensure people have access to the right care at the right time in the right place. We are currently reviewing the progress to date of integration joint boards across Scotland.

The financial framework we published this month is clear about the twin approach of investment and reform that will be required to ensure health care services are fit for purpose in the future.
Around 250,000 residents in rural areas of the UK will benefit from improved internet connectivity by the end of the year, O2 has said.

The mobile phone giant is pledging to invest in enhanced 4G connectivity in more than 300 communities by the end of the year.

The move will give thousands of businesses in the areas a huge economic boost, the company suggested.

Spokesman Derek McManus said: We know mobile has the power to make a real, positive difference to peoples lives and businesses in rural communities across Britain.

Technology never stands still, which is why we are always looking for the right partners and investing in our future network.

Whether trialling 5G to support a future-proof, mobile Britain, or ensuring the remotest parts of rural Britain can connect to 4G, for O2 this is about continuing to invest in all areas  not one at the cost of the other.

Digital Minister Margot James (Conservative Party/PA)

Digital Minister Margot James said: 4G coverage is improving all the time, but theres more to do, particularly in rural areas.

Weve already reformed planning laws to make it easier and cheaper to install and upgrade digital infrastructure, and its great to see O2 and the rest of industry responding to ensure more people in rural Britain can share the brilliant benefits of 4G connectivity.
A mixed bag of news makes the front pages on Thursday  from a warning by a top police officer to the latest on Brexit.

The Daily Mail leads on comments by Sara Thornton, the chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council, who said police should be solving more burglaries before making records of incidents that are not crimes.

The Times reports that Ms Thornton spoke out against proposals to class misogyny as a hate crime, and said that limited resources meant police should stop indulging in deserving issues and get back to the basics.

Tomorrow's front page: PC brigade wasting our time, warns top officer #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/EHINoAMShU  The Times (@thetimes) October 31, 2018

Ms Thornton also questioned the value of looking into historic allegations against suspects who have died, the Metro says.

The Daily Express leads on Brexit, reporting that Britain is expected to conclude a deal within the next three weeks, according to the Prime Ministers chief negotiator.

Thursdays @Daily_Express front page



- #Brexit deal in 21 days



- Hollywood star Kates tear for tragic cancer mum



- EXCLUSIVE: Thousands at risk in #flushot shambles#frontpages #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/T28issoAC9  Daily Express (@Daily_Express) October 31, 2018

In other news, The Guardian reports on a government drive against money-laundering in the UK, as security minister Ben Wallace warned estate agents, high street solicitors and public schools which failed to report suspicious activity would face a crackdown.

What the papers say - November 1

The Guardian front page, Thursday 1 November 2018: Money-laundering crackdown on public schools and law firms pic.twitter.com/9BTxREiLuo  The Guardian (@guardian) October 31, 2018

The Daily Mirror says an investigation has been launched into the sly tactics of insurance companies.

Daily Mirror: Insurance con costs families 350 a year #TomorrowsPaperstoday pic.twitter.com/hAVeUNuAcl  Helena Wilkinson (@BBCHelena) October 31, 2018

And the Daily Telegraph leads on a study that suggests men who father children at 45 or older are more likely to give their babies health problems.

The Daily Telegraph: Health risks to children of older fathers #TomorrowsPaperstoday pic.twitter.com/DeymrYjvhU  Helena Wilkinson (@BBCHelena) October 31, 2018

Three universities are on the brink of bankruptcy, reports the i, while The Sun says the Home Office is due to launch a review on whether to extend high street licensing laws into UK airports.

Tomorrow's front page: Brits facing ban on early airport pints https://t.co/wkNghu4ftQ pic.twitter.com/MkOUe2pgSz  The Sun (@TheSun) October 31, 2018

Elsewhere, the Financial Times says Jaguar Land Rover has launched a 2.5 billion turnaround programme as falling sales in its main markets and concern over the impact of Brexit hit the business.
The Governments decision not to go ahead with the second part of the Leveson Inquiry into press standards and regulation is being challenged at the High Court.

Leveson II was due to look into unlawful conduct within media organisations as well as relations between police and the press.

But Culture Secretary Matt Hancock announced in March that reopening the costly and time-consuming inquiry  which reported on press regulation and ethics in 2012  was not the right way forward.

The decision was taken jointly by Mr Hancock and then Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

Christopher Jefferies ahead of his evidence at the Leveson Inquiry (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The challenge is being brought by Christopher Jefferies, Kate and Gerry McCann, and Jacqui Hames, who all gave evidence during the first part of the inquiry.

Bristol landlord Mr Jefferies, who was libelled by the press when he was wrongly accused of the murder of Joanna Yeates in 2010, told the inquiry he was vilified by the media.

The McCanns complained of press intrusion into their lives after their daughter Madeleine went missing on holiday in Portugal in 2007.

Former detective and Crimewatch presenter Ms Hames received apologies and damages from News Group Newspapers, part of News UK, and Trinity Mirror over phone hacking and other illegal activity.

Speaking after Mr Hancocks announcement, Ms Hames said the Conservatives had broken a promise by former prime minister David Cameron to finish the inquiry and she had no confidence in the Government.

Phone-hacking victim and former Crimewatch presenter Jacqui Hames (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Crowdfunded journalism website Byline Media is also bringing the judicial review, which will be heard by two senior judges on Thursday and Friday.

Sir Brian Leveson heard the first part of the inquiry, which cost the taxpayer 5.4 million, over 17 months and delivered his report in 2012.

In a letter to then Home Secretary Amber Rudd dated January 23, Sir Brian said he believed the bulk of the inquirys scope should go ahead.

He said: I have no doubt that there is still a legitimate expectation on behalf of the public and, in particular, the alleged victims of phone hacking and other unlawful conduct, that there will be a full public examination of the circumstances that allowed that behaviour to develop and clear reassurances that nothing of the same scale could occur again: that is what they were promised.

For the reasons given above, I do not believe that we are yet even near that position and would urge you to give further consideration to the need for at least the bulk of part two to be commenced as soon as possible.

Sir Brian added that while he could not preside over the second part himself because of his workload, he would have been very willing to help another chairman.

Gerry and Kate McCann ahead of their appearance at the Leveson Inquiry (Lewis Whyld/PA)

Announcing the original inquiry in 2011 in response to a wave of public anger over alleged phone-hacking by the now-defunct News Of The World, Mr Cameron said that it would be divided into two parts.

But Mr Hancock said there had been significant progress in the practices of the press and the police, including the creation of the new Independent Press Standards Organisation, since Sir Brians report.

A large majority of those responding to a consultation launched by his predecessor John Whittingdale in 2016 opposed the implementation of Leveson II, he said.

Telling MPs he was formally closing the inquiry, Mr Hancock said that priority should be given to dealing with the challenges of the modern media landscape, such as the rise of clickbait, fake news and social media.
A Scottish campaign calling for people across the UK to have the final say on Brexit will be launched at an event in Edinburgh on Thursday.

There have been cross-party calls for a so-called Peoples Vote before the UK formally departs the European Union in March 2019.

Scotland voted by 62% to remain in the EU when the referendum was held in June 2016.

Hundreds of campaigners attended a rally in Scotlands capital in August to call for the UK Governments eventual Brexit deal to be put before the country.

Nicola Sturgeon has said SNP MPs would support a vote on the terms of Brexit (Jane Barlow/PA)

The event in Edinburgh, organised by the Scotland for a Peoples Vote campaign group, will feature speakers including Dr Kirsty Hughes, the director of the Scottish Centre on European Relations and John Edward, the former head of the European Parliament Office in Scotland.

It will be chaired by Mark Lazarowicz, the incoming chair of the European Movement in Scotland.

A similar event was organised in London earlier this month, with an estimated 700,000 people in attendance.

A message from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was broadcast in Parliament Square, where she said: Let me say this loudly and clearly, if the issue comes before the House of Commons, SNP MPs will support a Peoples Vote which includes the option to remain in the EU.
Divers have recovered a flight recorder from the crashed Lion Air jet on the sea floor, a crucial development in the investigation into what caused the two-month-old plane to plunge into the sea earlier this week.

One TV station showed footage of two divers after they surfaced, swimming to an inflatable vessel and placing the bright orange device into a large container that was transferred to a search and rescue ship.

Navy divers interviewed on Indonesian television described recovering the flight recorder.

I was desperate because the current below was strong but I am confident of the tools given to me, said Navy 1st Sgt Hendra, who uses a single name.

After narrowing the possible location, I started digging and cleaning the debris until I finally found an orange object, he said.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane crashed early Monday just minutes after take-off from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board.

It was the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since 1997 and renewed concerns about safety in its fast-growing aviation industry, which was recently removed from European Union and US blacklists.

Rescuers scan the horizon during a search operation for the victims of Lion Air plane crash (Binsar Bakkara/AP)

Navy colonel Monang Sitompul said what is believed to the aircrafts fuselage was also seen on the seafloor.

Officials say the location is about 400 metres north-west of the coordinates where the plane lost contact.

Data from flight-tracking sites show the plane had erratic speed and altitude in the early minutes of a flight on Sunday and on its fatal flight on Monday.

Rescuers inspect parts of the crashed Lion Air plane (Tatan Syuflana/AP)

Safety experts caution, however, that the data must be checked for accuracy against the flight data recorder.

Several passengers on the Sunday flight from Bali to Jakarta have recounted problems that included a long-delayed takeoff for an engine check and terrifying descents in the first 10 minutes in the air.
A Christian woman acquitted in Pakistan after eight years on death row for blasphemy plans to leave the country as radical Islamists hold rallies against her.

Asia Bibis brother said she would leave Pakistan after her formal release from an undisclosed place where she is being held for security reasons.

James Masih said his sister is not safe in Pakistan and that paperwork for her release and departure to an unspecified country was being processed.

Masih would not say where Bibi plans to go.

France and Spain have offered asylum.

Pakistans Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned Bibis 2010 conviction for insulting Islams Prophet Muhammad.

Her acquittal raised fears of violence as religious extremists hold angry protests over the verdict, blocking roads and rallying for the second day on Thursday.
Almost two in five doctors believe there is a problem with bullying in their work place, medics have warned.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said that bullying and harassment are causing lasting harm to doctors and their careers.

And the impact on patient care and safety is serious, the union warned.

The new report comes after a senior health inspector told the Health Select Committee the regulator was worried about bullying across the NHS.

On Tuesday, Professor Ted Baker, the Care Quality Commissions chief inspector of hospitals, told the group of MPs: Bullying in the healthcare system is still a worry for us, it occurs in all organisations.

And it is a worry not just because it affects staff but because it affects the safety and wellbeing of patients.

Concerns raised over bullying in the NHS (PA)

And we are very clear that if we identify significant bullying in trusts, that reflects very strongly in our reports on their leadership.

Meanwhile, the new BMA report details how bullying does not solely spring from personal relationships, but also pressures in the system, poor working environments, top-down command and control leadership, and culture.

It highlights how 39% of UK doctors said they believed there was a problem with bullying, undermining or harassment in their workplace.

And almost two in three (65%) felt pressure of work was the main reason behind bullying, according a poll of just under 8,000 British doctors.

Dr Anthea Mowat, BMA representative body chairwoman, said: Bullying in medicine can bring to mind images of a junior doctor being shouted at by a senior, or a surgeon angrily throwing instruments across the room.

But the experiences we have heard through the BMAs bullying and harassment project show it can affect all kinds of doctor and medical student.

We know that other staff in the NHS are affected too  one in four according to the NHS staff surveys.

As well as damaging staff, bullying also impacts on patients and the consequences for patient care and safety are serious.

In workplaces where bullying is common, communication and teamwork suffer, and staff are afraid to raise legitimate concerns about patient care or safety.

The BMA report not only looks at the problems but also offers some real solutions to bring an end to a culture that has existed for far too long.

Commenting on the report, Paul Wallace, director of employment relations and reward at NHS Employers, said: It is disheartening to see that so many UK doctors suffer from bullying, undermining and harassment.

This kind of behaviour in the NHS or any workplace is completely unacceptable, and we will continue to work with employers to make sure doctors feel supported to speak up, if they or their colleagues face mistreatment at work.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: Bullying in any form is completely unacceptable and we expect trusts to take robust action to ensure their staff are being treated with respect and professionalism.

We are committed to reducing bullying rates in the NHS and are reviewing whether existing rules go far enough to make sure bullying is tackled in the workplace.
US President Donald Trump says the number of military troops deployed to the US-Mexican border could reach 15,000  roughly double the number the Pentagon said it currently plans for a mission whose dimensions are shifting daily.

The Pentagon says more than 7,000 troops were being sent to the southwest border to support the Customs and Border Protection agents.

Officials said that number could reach a maximum of about 8,000 under present plans.

Later on Wednesday, Mr Trump told ABC News: We have to have a wall of people.

Mr Trump rejected the idea he was fearmongering or using the issue for political purposes, but his escalating rhetoric in the waning days of the campaign season calls that denial into question.

Mr Trump has railed against illegal immigration, including several caravans of migrants from Central America slowly moving on foot toward the US border.

The caravan of an estimated 4,000 people is still nearly 1,000 miles from the border. Several smaller groups, estimated at a combined 1,200 people, are further away.

Mr Trump insisted the media is underestimating the caravans.

You have caravans coming up that look a lot larger than its reported actually. Im pretty good at estimating crowd size. And Ill tell you they look a lot bigger than people would think, he told ABC.

He has also promised to end so-called catch-and-release policies by erecting tent cities to hold those crossing illegally.

And this week he is asserting he could act by executive order to unilaterally end birthright citizenship for the children of non-US citizens.

Mr Trumps comments left some in the Pentagon scratching their heads.

Officials said they had no plans to deploy as many as 15,000 troops. The number conceivably could reach 10,000, counting the 2,100 National Guard soldiers who have been operating along the border for months as part of a separate but related mission.

The number of active-duty troops tapped for deployment stood at 7,000 as of Wednesday but could reach 8,000.

A deployment of 15,000 would bring the military commitment on the border to roughly the same level as in war-torn Afghanistan.

And it would more than double the number of people thought to be in the caravans.
Police must focus on catching burglars and violent offenders rather than recording incidents that are not crimes, one of the countrys most senior officers has said.

National Police Chiefs Council chairwoman Sara Thornton warned forces are too stretched to take on all desirable and deserving issues, such as logging misogyny reports even when no offence has been committed.

Calling for a refocus on core policing, she also said she is unconvinced it is appropriate to commit significant resources investigating allegations against the dead.

Opening a joint conference hosted by the NPCC and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Ms Thornton said core policing is seriously stretched.

Did you miss our live-tweeting of NPCC Chair Sara Thornton's #PoliceConf18 speech? Not to worry, we've summarised everything here: https://t.co/ROCf8F2gW7 pic.twitter.com/qkL4CQUXEr  National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) (@PoliceChiefs) October 31, 2018

She said: We are asked to provide more and more bespoke services that are all desirable  but the simple fact is there are too many desirable and deserving issues.

For example, treating misogyny as a hate crime is a concern for some well-organised campaigning organisations.

In July, chief constables debated whether such allegations should be logged even when no crime is committed.

Ms Thornton said: I want us to solve more burglaries and bear down on violence before we make more records of incidents that are not crimes.

She cited historical investigations as another example of issues that matter very much to some but they undoubtedly take resources away from dealing with todays crime today.

The former Thames Valley chief constable said: While I understand those who have been harmed seek answers, I remain unconvinced that it is appropriate to commit significant resources investigating allegations against those who have died.

She told the conference in central London that investigating gender-based hate incidents and allegations against those who have died are not bad things to do, but added: They just cannot be priorities for a service that is overstretched.

On Wednesday the Home Office launched a national campaign to highlight examples of potential hate crimes.

Statistics published earlier this month revealed that, in 2017/18, there were 94,098 hate crime offences recorded by police in England and Wales, an increase of 17% compared with the previous year.

Hate crimes and incidents are defined as those perceived to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic.

Five strands are monitored centrally: race or ethnicity, religion or beliefs, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity.

The Government has commissioned a review to examine whether laws should be extended to cover offences motivated by hostility towards a victims sex or age.

A fierce debate has erupted over police resources after a slew of statistics and critical reports.

The number of arrests in England and Wales has halved in a decade, while recorded crime is rising across a number of categories including homicide and knife-related offences.

Force leaders point to a 19% real-terms decrease in funding and a fall of more than 20,000 in officer numbers since 2010.

Ms Thornton said: We are seeing fewer police, less activity and more crime.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid speaks at the National Police Chiefs Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners joint summit (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Addressing the summit, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said crime has changed faster than we could ever have anticipated.

He acknowledged forces are feeling stretched and pledged to ensure they have the resources they need in 2019/20.

While noting that extra investment will help, he also called for greater focus on crime prevention.
Famously known as the black stuff, stout is loved the world over, but its hard to think of another beer thats shrouded in so much mystery and myth.

After all, what other pint has been dubbed a cure-all thanks to the famous Guinness is good for you advertising campaigns in the 1920s? As well as being cited as having health benefits for pregnant women  stout was thought to be a good source of iron and therefore useful during pregnancy or breast feeding. However, if the truth be known, Guinness contains a barely there 0.3mg of iron per pint.

But dont let that stop you from enjoying this thick, frothy, flavoursome dark malt, because stout has plenty to shout about

1. Stout contains antioxidants

Yep, theres goodness in the darkness. Dark beers are loaded with antioxidants and, on average, contain nearly twice the amount found in light-coloured lagers, says Joe Vinson, Phd, a researcher at the University of Scranton in the US. The antioxidants in beer are better at reacting with toxic free radicals than the ones in antioxidant vitamin pills.

Whats more, dark beer, especially stout, has been found to reduce your risk of blood clots, according to the University of Wisconsin. The high-temperature used in the roasting process to develop the smooth finish of dark malts also fuels the formation of antioxidants, which can help reduce the incidence of atherosclerosis and cataracts by as much as 50%.

2. Its the skinny in the brew world

While it may pack a punch with an average 8% abv, stout contains up to 50 fewer calories than many other brews. A pint of Guinness has fewer calories than a Corona  125 compared to 148.

3. Guinness is the record breaker in beer circles

(Guinness/PA)

Guinness is the number one stout in the world, and surprisingly, its sold in more than 120 countries.

4. Porter or stout? Theyre both dark, heres how they differ

We asked the experts at CAMRA (Campaign For Real Ale): Porters are complex in flavour, ranging from 4% to 6.5% and are typically black or dark brown; the darkness comes from the use of dark malts unlike stouts, which use roasted malted barley. Stouts can be dry or sweet and range from 4% to 8% abv.

5. Its been around for 300 years

Stout has been brewed since the beginning of the 18th century when a number of stronger beers were brewed, which, because of the use of hops, had good house-keeping properties. This subsequently became known as porter because of the manual workers who drank it, and by the 19th century evolved into what we now know today as stout, says Peter Simpson, Guinness brewer.

Today there a hundreds of variants of stout which are brewed incorporating different tastes and flavours including coffee, chocolate, whiskey, bourbonthe list is endless.

6. Stout goes with sparkling wine

The Black Velvet cocktail was created in 1861 to mourn the death of Prince Albert. Upon hearing the news, the steward at Brooks Club in London decided that even champagne should be put in mourning and a classic was born: One part stout, one part champagne.

7. It takes just under two minutes to pour to perfection

The perfect pour of a pint of Guinness Draught takes approximately 119.53 seconds.

Guinness is giving away free pints at 198 Fullers pubs today for International Stout Day.
At once intriguing but woefully misunderstood, the Middle East is a topic of controversy and fascination.

Intrepid writers such as Wilfred Thesiger and TE Lawrence piqued public interest with their epic adventures along the worlds largest peninsula, yet in recent decades, newspaper headlines have generally stirred confusion and even terror.

Eager to share human stories from the troubled region, and cast a positive light on its natural beauty and pockets of calm, explorer and author Levison Wood embarked on an epic journey through 13 countries, covering 5,000 miles, for his latest book ARABIA.

Here, he reveals some of the journeys highlights.

Where did the idea for ARABIA come from?



The genesis of this project was our invasion of Iraq in 2003. I was a 21-year-old student backpacking in Egypt, Israel and Jordan, just as the war was finishing up. A terrorist blew himself up and the Jordanian border was closed off, so I ended up hitchhiking into Baghdad and spent a couple of weeks travelling.

It was my first flavour of the Middle East, and I have returned several times since, but I thought, Why not do a journey in a similar vein to my previous expeditions? This one wasnt walking, but it was a way of discovering the essence of a place by travelling at the slowest pace and meeting the people.

What about the Middle East appeals to you most?

Its steeped in history and mythology, but its also misunderstood  and its usually in the news for all the wrong reasons. By approaching a place as a journey rather than a correspondent, I thought it might be nice to show not just the doom and gloom, but some of the human stories as well. People think of camels, terrorists and deserts, but actually theres a lot more to it.

Mahrouqi leading his camels into the Rub Al Khali, the Empty Quarter Desert (Levison Wood/PA)

You travelled through Syria. What was that like?



I was about three miles away from the front line in downtown Damascus. You can literally hear the bombs going off and mortars landing, and yet there are people having a cup of coffee or a glass of wine; people get on with their lives.

Even now, all the tourist shops are open. Theres no one shopping but it gives the shopkeepers a sense of hope; every morning at 7am, they open the stores, they hang their carpets out, they sit there and nobody ever comes. When I asked why they didnt do something else, they told me: This is our job. One day they will come back.

Did visiting Saudi Arabia present you with any moral dilemmas?

I could have avoided it, but I thought it was more important to go there. If they actually opened their doors, it could be a tourist hub  there are beautiful sites of antiquity and stunning landscapes. The rock formations make everything in Jordan pale into insignificance; the desert is Wadi Rum times 10.

The cities are also vibrant, and in Jeddah, theres a hipster scene  women wear jeans, theres a McDonalds on every corner and its a bit like being in Miami. 60% of the population is under 25. Theres a lot of hypocrisy, but its going to change  and the sooner it does, the better.

Leaving Hezbollah territory and walking over the Lebanon mountains from the Bekaa Valley (Levison Wood/PA)

Which place struck you most during your journey?



Lebanon was beautiful. I ended up having lunch with Hezbollah and they were lovely people actually. What Im trying to show in my book, is that if you look beyond the agendas, people are just people  but theres a lot of messy politics involved.

In terms of scenery, the Dhofar ridge in Oman is stunning  one of the most beautiful places Ive been to anywhere in the world. Its a mile-high cliff thats about 60 miles long  a wonderful plateau where all the frankincense grows. When the monsoon hits, it turns into lush forests. It really is like a paradise.

(Hodder&Stoughton/PA)

ARABIA by Levison Wood is published by Hodder & Stoughton, priced 25. Available now.

The author is currently on a theatre tour of the UK, Journeys Through The Badlands And Beyond  sharing tales from his experiences in the Middle East. For dates and prices, visit ticketmaster.co.uk and levisonwood.com.
Sri Lankas president has summoned Parliament to meet next week as pressure grows for him to resolve the turmoil set off when he sacked the Cabinet last week, his chosen prime minister said Thursday.

President Maithripala Sirisena made the decision a day after meeting with parliament speaker Mr Karu Jayasuriya, who previously warned of possible violence if MPs were not summoned immediately.

On Friday, Mr Sirisena had dismissed prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Cabinet, later telling reporters he acted in part because Mr Wickremesinghe and a Cabinet colleague were behind an alleged assassination plot against him.

Sri Lankas sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe holds a copy of the constitution (Eranga Jayawardena/AP)

Details of the alleged plot have not been disclosed and Mr Wickremesinghe denies the accusation.

Mr Sirisena had replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa and suspended Parliament until November 16 in an apparent attempt to give Mr Rajapaksa time to muster enough support to survive any no-confidence vote.

Mr Wickremesinghe had demanded the convening of Parliament, saying he still controls a majority of MPs.

Mr Sirisenas moves have triggered a power struggle and some observers call it a constitutional crisis.

In remarks broadcast on state television, Mr Rajapaksa told a meeting at his office that Mr Sirisena decided to summon Parliament on November 5.

Karu Paranavithana, an MP from Mr Wickremesinghes United National Front, welcomed the announcement, calling it a great victory for the people.

He said Mr Sirisenas coalition tried to establish a dictatorship but failed. They will have to retreat now, he said.

The people's voices have been heard. Parliament will be reconvened on the 5th of November. Democracy will prevail.  Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) November 1, 2018

Mr Wickremensinghe tweeted saying the peoples voices have been heard. Parliament will be reconvened on the 5th of November. Democracy will prevail.

Mr Sirisena was under increasing pressure by his political opponents, rights groups and foreign governments including the United States to summon Parliament and end the crisis.

Mr Sirisenas supporters have talked for weeks about an alleged assassination plot, but Sunday was the first time Mr Sirisena commented publicly about it.

A police informant has said Mr Wickremesinghe and a Cabinet member, former army commander Mr Sarath Fonseka, were behind it. Police have made no arrests.

Tensions have been building between Mr Sirisena and Mr Wickremesinghe for some time, as the president did not approve of economic reforms introduced by the prime minister.

Mr Sirisena was also critical of investigations into military personnel accused of human rights violations during Sri Lankas long civil war, which ended in 2009.

A shooting at the Petroleum Ministry on Saturday killed two people and wounded one in the first violence related to the turmoil.

On Tuesday, thousands of Sri Lankans protested in the capital demanding Mr Sirisena immediately convene Parliament.
Almost two-thirds of Scots believe a second vote on Brexit would result in the UK voting to stay in the European Union, a new poll has found.

Research by Survation found 64% found a so-called Peoples Vote would reverse the result of the 2016 referendum.

The results, published to coincide with the launch of the Scotland for a Peoples Vote campaign, also found almost three-fifths of Scots (59%) support having a vote on the terms of the UKs final Brexit deal, with 41% against this.

Overall support for staying in the European Union was slightly stronger in Scotland than it was in 2016 referendum.

That ballot saw the UK as a whole narrowly vote to leave, despite 62% of voters north of the border backing remain.

In the poll, 63% of people said they supported staying in the EU, with 37% opposed to this.

Scots voted to remain in the European Union in 2016. (David Cheskin/PA)

John Edward, the former head of the European Parliament Office in Scotland who was chief campaign spokesman for the Remain campain in Scotland in 2016, said the survey shows that the people of Scotland are optimistic about achieving a remain result across the UK.

Speaking at the launch event for Scotland for a Peoples Vote in Edinburgh, he added: We share that confidence.

Scotland can come together and play a leading role in the campaign for a Peoples Vote and help to bring back common sense through a referendum on the reality of Brexit  not the fiction of the Leave campaign in 2016.

Asked about what would happen if Scots once again voted to stay in the EU while the UK as a whole opted to leave, he added: This is not a party political movement, this is not anything to do with the constitutional arrangements of the United Kingdom.

This is solely about a Peoples Vote on Europe, and its up to people to decide after that, depending on the result, what their views are.

Meanwhile, Dr Kirsty Hughes, director of the Scottish Centre on European Relations, said: There is no good Brexit  just a range of bad Brexits, economically, politically and in terms of our security and international influence.

Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU in 2016, and the whole UK now agrees with Scotland and supports remain according to a whole host of recent polls.

We are calling on politicians from all parties in Scotland to respond positively to the case for a Peoples Vote. Its in Scotlands interests to stay in the EU and a strong lead from Scottish politicians can help ensure that the majority in Scotland who support holding a Peoples Vote is given a voice before the issue comes to the House of Commons.

She added: I think we have to grab this moment, time is running out.

We are finally coming the end game of Brexit, and Scotland should demand a chance for everyone across the UK, and especially in Scotland, to express their view on the unfolding Brexit outcome.

The campaign aims to target Scottish MPs at Westminster alongside building broader support among voters.

Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already pledged SNP MPs will vote in favour of a second brexit referendum if the issue comes before the House of Commons.

While she was not be at the march for a Peoples Vote in London, a video message from her in support was played to campaigners.

But prominent SNP MP Pete Wishart has warned that another referendum could present all sorts of risks to a future independence referendum for nothing.

He argued a second ballot on Brexit could make it more difficult to resist calls for a similar confirmatory ballot in Scotland if nationalists were to win another indyref.

Mr Wishart, the chair of Westminsters Scottish Affairs Committee, stated: By enthusiastically buying into this confirmatory vote for an EU referendum, we weaken our hand in resisting Unionist calls for a second vote on a successful indyref.

And if they were successful in using this precedent against us, unreconciled Unionists would be working non-stop from the day after the referendum to ensure that a successful outcome would be overturned.
Round-the-clock drinking in airport bars could be scrapped as part of a crackdown on drunken behaviour by travellers.

The Home Office launched a review on Thursday into whether to extend high street licensing laws into departure halls, which would mean no alcohol before 10am.

Under current rules, drink sales beyond security gates at international airports in England and Wales are not regulated by these laws.

Critics claim this has contributed to an increase in drunken behaviour by some travellers.

A survey by the Unite union of 4,000 cabin crew found that 87% of staff from British-based airlines witnessed drunken passenger behaviour at UK airports or on flights from UK airports in August 2017.

The Government is asking the public for views on whether limiting licensing hours could help tackle the problem in a three month call for evidence.

Passengers in an airport departure lounge (Yui Mok/PA)

This comes after a House of Lords Select Committee recommended that airside outlets should comply with the same licensing rules as elsewhere.

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins said: Most UK air passengers behave responsibly when flying, but any disruptive or drunk behaviour is entirely unacceptable.

This Government is committed to ensuring that the travelling environment for airline passengers remains safe and enjoyable.

Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, claimed work by the aviation industry to tackle excessive alcohol consumption is already having an impact.

She said: More should be done to develop these initiatives further, including fully enforcing existing powers that airlines and the police have at their disposal, before considering additional regulation.

But Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, the trade association for UK airlines, said licensing laws must be applied airside as the problem of disruptive behaviour has got progressively worse over a number of years, despite the best efforts of industry to tackle it.

He went on: There is no evidence to suggest these incidents wont persist without the active involvement of Government.

Travellers already face up to two years in prison or an unlimited fine for drunken behaviour on an aircraft.
St Andrews University has received one of the biggest donations ever made to a Scottish institution with a 10 million dollar gift from the parents of a former student.

The money was donated by Frank and Beverley MacInnis, a US-based couple who made their fortune in engineering and construction.

The couples son, Robert, completed a double degree at the university, graduating with a PhD in 2010, following on from earning a BSc in computer science in 2005.

The donation, worth around 7.8 million, is said to be one of the biggest pledges ever made to a Scottish university was given on the condition that it is used to help consolidate St Andrews position among the top five universities in the UK.

It will specifically support St Andrews new Scottish Oceans Institute and a PhD scholarship in physics and astronomy.

Frank and Beverley MacInnis with St Andrews Principal Sally Mapstone, and Professor Vincent Janik, Director of the Scottish Oceans Institute at the site of the Institutes new 16 million home at East Sands, St Andrews

The couple previously built a house in the town at The Scores in 2016, and visit regularly.

Mr MacInnis said: Beverley, a former teacher, and I recognise the transformative powers of education, and the important difference philanthropy can make.

When we spoke to Principal Mapstone about her vision for St Andrews, we had an immediate sense of engagement with her plans for the University.

We are delighted to make our familys support known at this time, and it brings us pleasure to help enable world leading research at St Andrews, both in marine science and in the latest neurological research in physics.

It is also important to our family to make our commitment to St Andrews in a public way, to encourage others to support the University in whatever way they can.

St Andrews principal and vice-chancellor, Professor Sally Mapstone, added: This wonderfully generous gift from Frank and Beverley MacInnis enables us to launch the new Strategy for the University of St Andrews with confidence and strong belief.

Frank and Beverley share our commitment to education, to our community, local, national, and international, and to transforming lives for the better. They are our friends and our advocates in equal measure.
Conservative MSP Annie Wells faces being suspended from Holyrood for five days.

Members of the Scottish Parliaments Standards Committee have agreed sanctions should be imposed on her after they agreed she had sought political advantage by making comments on a report before it was published.

The ban still has to approved by MSPs in a vote, with Ms Wells, the Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman, to be barred from proceedings after that.

It comes after SNP MSP Gail Ross complained the Tory had sought political advantage by making advance public comment on a report by the Parliaments Equalities and Human Rights Committee on the issue of prisoner voting prior to the report being published.

Bill Kidd, convener of Holyroods Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, said Ms Wells had breached the Code of Conduct for MSPs by doing so.

He said: The committee considers that the breaches justify the imposition of sanctions on Annie Wells.

Conservative MSP Annie Wells (left) faces being banned from Holyrood for a week (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Two former MSPs, Liberal Democrat Mike Pringle and Conservative Brian Monteith, were both banned for a week after they leaked information.

Ms Wells said: Numerous media outlets contacted our office seeking comment on a story on the front page of a national newspaper that morning on prisoner voting.

So I responded to that, as every MSP would, by issuing a statement to them reiterating my opposition to allowing prisoners voting rights.

My response did not contain details of the report that werent already known, nor was I responsible for the original leak of the document to the paper, and we still dont know who was.

Indeed, I did not receive the final report until after it had featured in the national media.

I will continue to work on behalf of my constituents and I will continue to oppose giving prisoners voting rights.
Misogyny allegations should be recorded by police, Diane Abbott has said, a day after one of the countrys most senior officers argued that forces are too stretched to take on all desirable and deserving issues.

The shadow home secretary said hate-filled letters, including rape threats, are received daily at her office, and police had visited her this week to collect some of the latest.

Speaking @PoliceChiefs this morning. The police are being told they must do more with less. #PoliceConf18 pic.twitter.com/f5yYtqYICE  Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) November 1, 2018

But Ms Abbott said forces should not be expected to pick and choose between crimes, and called on the Government to provide proper resources to officers.

Speaking at the National Police Chiefs Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners summit on Thursday, the Labour MP referenced remarks made by NPCC chairwoman Sara Thornton on Wednesday.

Ms Thornton, former chief constable of Thames Valley Police, said forces must focus on catching burglars and violent offenders rather than recording incidents that are not crimes.

Ms Abbott said: As usual, Sara spoke robust common sense but what I would say is, its not a question of de-prioritising hate crime for instance.

Diane Abbott speaks at the National Police Chiefs Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners joint summit in London (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

I know Sara wasnt actually saying that. But it is a question of saying that the police should not have to pick and choose between crimes.

If society sets certain objectives, if society wants to promote certain behavioural norms, then it is for Government to provide the resources so the police can play its part.

The police cannot pick and choose between crimes.

Asked, during a question-and-answer session, if she thought allegations of misogyny should be recorded by police, she said: Just yesterday the police came to my office to collect some of the letters that we receive on a daily basis, threatening rape, threatening violence, hate-filled letters.

I am in favour, because it is the right thing to do, to take the most serious action against hate crime. But we cannot give the police more responsibilities without providing the resources.

There are hard messages for the government over police strain and the impact of pension changes, @DaveThompsonCC tells #policeconf18 pic.twitter.com/YHCilcPouS  National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) (@PoliceChiefs) November 1, 2018

In July, chief constables debated whether allegations such as misogyny should be logged even when no crime is committed.

On Wednesday the Home Office launched a national campaign to highlight examples of potential hate crimes.

The Government has commissioned a review to examine whether laws should be extended to cover offences motivated by hostility towards a victims sex or age.
Anyone who spends a lot of time on the internet will know theres a running joke that Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer.

The Zodiac Killer was responsible for a string of murders in California which began in the late 1960s, before Texas senator Cruz was even born.

But the joke, whose origins are somewhat murky, has been one of the internets favourite memes over the last three or four years.

And the Republican senator made the most of that fact with a Halloween tweet which featured a coded letter that was written by the killer back in the 1960s.

Its not the first time Cruz has referenced the Zodiac Killer meme, but it did prove wildly popular, quickly racking up more than 100,000 likes.

The response, though, was very much mixed.

A Ted Cruz supporter (gjohnstonphoto/Getty)

Some people loved that he was in on the joke.

Okay, this is epic  Genuinely Chris Ray Gun  (@ChrisRGun) November 1, 2018

You sir, pay the staffer that runs this account more. They earned it  Steven Brown (@Capitalistpig21) November 1, 2018

Even some of those who support his opponent, Beto ORourke, in the forthcoming mid-term elections thought it was funny.

Hm. Thats actually a decent joke. Still making calls for Beto though  LeftyPoolRat (@LeftyPoolRat) November 1, 2018

Some felt he was trying a little too hard.

OMFG! I can't breathe for laughing!!  pic.twitter.com/Vsv8XlJB33  Robson Stroud (@RobsonStroud) November 1, 2018

And some felt that Ted Cruz being in on the Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer joke killed the Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer joke.

And some were outright hostile.

Ted Cruz is the only person who pretends to be a serial killer to be MORE likable https://t.co/W3hcR6ILSm  Jess Dweck (@TheDweck) October 31, 2018

Others just filed it away as more evidence.

Just arrest this guy already. Hes throwing it in our faces at his point.  0(o_o)0(-_-)(o...o) (@MedullaPancreas) November 1, 2018

Its not the first time Cruz has made a joke about being the Zodiac Killer  in fact its not even the first time hes used that image to do it.

He tweeted the same picture around this time last year in a Twitter conversation with fellow senator Ben Sasse.
A historic shipyard is to close despite a campaign to win new work to keep it open.

Babcock International said it had taken the difficult decision to close its Appledore yard in Devon next year.

Thousands of people joined a march recently in support of the yard and signed a petition which was handed to the Government asking ministers to help.

Babcock said in a statement that it would end its site lease in March 2019.

Babcocks focus is now firmly on its workforce and its determination to protect their employment within the business.

To that end, the company will offer relocation opportunities for all 199 Appledore employees at other Babcock facilities, 140 of whom are already on short-term redeployment to its Devonport operations.

Babcock very much regrets having to take this course of action and recognises the impact it will have on its dedicated and professional workforce.

The company will now engage in a consultation period, working closely with its employees and their trade union representatives during this difficult time.

In 2017/18 Appledore generated around 24 million of the groups total underlying revenue of 5.4 billion.

The GMB union reacted with anger to the news, saying it was devastating for the workforce.

The union said 200 workers were set to lose their jobs when the yard closes, adding that the Government had offered a financial package to keep it open.

Jake McLean, the GMBs official at Appledore, said: This news is a devastating blow to the workforce and the local community.

We want answers from the Government and Babcock about the package that was offered to save the yard.

The yard is the last survivor of a centuries-old tradition of shipbuilding on the north Devon estuary where the Rivers Taw and Torridge meet the Bristol Channel.

Sailors from the village are said to have been among those who fought the Spanish Armada in 1588.

The yard dates back to 1855, remaining in family ownership for many years, specialising in tug-boats and fishing trawlers, and making a significant contribution to Britains war effort from 1939 to 1945.

HMS Scott was built at Appledore (Royal Navy/PA)

The yard was bought in 1964 by shipping and charter holiday airline company Court Line and was later taken into public ownership by the Labour government to form part of British Shipbuilders.

It was bought in 1989 by Langham Industries.

Appledore flourished during the 1990s and earned a reputation for building specialist survey vessels, such as HMS Scott, used by the Royal Navy to produce maps of the worlds oceans.

Vessels it has also built include dredgers and passenger ferries. However, orders dried up and the yard went into administration in 2003, with the entire 550-strong workforce made redundant.

In 2004 it was bought out of administration by DML, operator of Plymouth-based Devonport Royal Dockyard, which was itself bought by Babcock in 2007.

Unite union regional officer Heathcliffe Pettifer said: The first reaction is one of dismay and anger that such a dedicated workforce at this historic shipyard should face such an uncertain future.

We feel that the Government could have done much more to secure future work for Appledore and that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson wrung his hands in true Pontius Pilate fashion when he said it was a commercial decision for the company.

The impact on the Devon economy will be widespread, devastating and enduring with the yard closing. It is a hammer blow for the workforce and the West Country economy.

Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said: This shameful decision is a betrayal of a skilled loyal workforce and their community. It is a dark day for Appledore and UK shipbuilding.

At a stroke, ministers could secure the future of Appledore by lifting the delay to contract the Type 31e frigate programme and guaranteeing that the Royal Navys new fleet solid-support vessels are designed and block-built in yards across the UK.

A continued failure by ministers to intervene could lead to the loss of vital shipbuilding skills for a generation and leave a yawning capability gap in the UKs shipbuilding industry.

We urge Babcock to think again and for the Ministry of Defence to drop its ideological obsession with international competition and build support vessels for our Royal Navy ships in UK shipyards.

Nia Griffith, shadow defence secretary, said: After months of uncertainty, this is devastating news for the workers and their families. Whilst Babcock has offered its employees the opportunity to relocate to other sites, this will clearly not be possible for many of them.

The Government must actually support those workers who will be affected by todays news, and must ensure that any impact on the UKs sovereign capability is mitigated.

This Government lets down UK shipyards every day by refusing to use its powers to keep shipbuilding contracts in Britain.

The next Labour governments plan for rebuilding Britain will use procurement contracts to create high-quality jobs across the country.

A Government spokesman said: The Appledore yard has played a key role in building the nations two new aircraft carriers.

We spent more than 1.7 billion with Babcock last year. We are very disappointed to hear that Babcock does not plan to renew the lease at Appledore and, while this is a matter for the company, the Government stands ready to support any workers affected at this concerning time.

Babcock has said it will work to offer new opportunities to as many employees as possible and the company will continue to play a key role in the maritime sector, both in supporting Royal Navy ships and as a potential competitor in future shipbuilding projects.
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Norwegian caves packed full of American military equipment, ammunition and vehicles provide a unique capability that is more important than ever, a senior US Marine has said.

Billions of dollars worth of kit has been stored in a series of fortified caves in undisclosed locations as part of an agreement between the US and Norway that is more than three decades old.

The bilateral arrangement between the two countries sees the millions of dollars a year bill for upkeep split between them, with Norway keeping the contents in good working order.

Hospitalman Amir Shaheed, 22, from Maryland, has been in the US Navy for four years and is attached to the 2nd Marines Division.

Asked if he has found the exercise beneficial so far, he said: I feel like my skills have definitely been tested, and I have used everything I have been taught over the years.

Corporal Bradley Teague, 21, who is originally from Tennessee, in the US, said that the weather in Norway was constantly changing  which can be a challenge.

It is a different experience from home, he said as rain lashed down. It goes from wind, to freezing temperature, to sunshine and then theres the mud.

But it is fantastic, it is great being in a different country, especially Norway.

His troops will take part in a simulated seizure of the town of Oppdal and the surrounding area on Thursday, as Spanish and Italian forces counter their attack.
Google employees around the world are to walk out of their offices on Thursday in protest at claims of sexual harassment, gender inequality and systemic racism at the tech giant, which go all the way to the top.

The protest comes following allegations of sexual misconduct made against senior executives published in the New York Times, which organisers say are the most high-profile examples of thousands of similar cases across the company.

As Google workers, we were disgusted by the details of the recent New York Times article, which provided the latest example of a culture of complicity, dismissiveness, and support for perpetrators in the face of sexual harassment, misconduct, and abuse of power.

Sadly, this is part of a longstanding pattern, one further amplified by systemic racism, organisers said in a press release.

Sundar Pichai, Googles chief executive, said management told staff it was aware of the protest and would support employees who participated.

Employees have raised constructive ideas for how we can improve our policies and our processes going forward. We are taking in all their feedback so we can turn these ideas into action, he added.

The protest comes following allegations of sexual misconduct made against senior executives (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Staff around the world are expected to leave their offices at 11.10 am local time, demanding an end to pay inequality, more accountability in cases of harassment and better representation for workers.

Around a hundred Google employees were huddled outside the tech giants London headquarters during a thunderstorm on Thursday in solidarity with the protest.

One employee said the problem lay more with structures that are in place than directly with the senior executives but stressed a need for more women in senior positions.

The employee said: I would really like to believe, given what weve seen today at Google offices, that things will change but I cant say Im 100 per cent confident.

Things like this are complicated and there isnt going to be an issue that changes over night  its really a question of time.

Hundreds of employees in Dublin, Zurich, Singapore and Tokyo were also pictured leaving their offices en masse, listening to speeches and sharing stories about harassment, microaggressions, inefficient process, broken culture, according to one employee.

Richard DeVaul, a director at a unit of Googles parent company, Alphabet, resigned from the company on Tuesday after he was accused of sexually harassing a female job applicant.

Android creator Andy Rubin left Google in 2014 with a 90 million dollar (70 million) golden parachute, one of three executives the company is accused of protecting and supporting after being accused of sexual misconduct, according to the New York Times.

For every story in the New York Times, there are thousands more, at every level of the company. Most have not been told, added organisers.

Mike Clancy, general secretary of tech workers union Prospect, said: Sexual harassment is a serious problem in too many workplaces, including in the tech sector.

The events in Google highlight the frustration many workers feel about their lack of voice in how many tech companies are run.

We need a zero tolerance for harassment and greater transparency over terms and conditions for staff.
Turkeys justice minister has renewed a call on Saudi Arabia to co-operate in the investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, saying no one can escape responsibility.

Abdulhamit Gul said that Saudi Arabias top prosecutor  who spent three days in Istanbul as part of joint Turkish-Saudi efforts to investigate the killing  had failed to answer Turkish investigators questions about the location of the writers remains as well as who ordered the killing.

We expect these questions to be answered swiftly, Mr Gul told reporters.

No one can escape responsibility. This issue has become a world matter. It is not an issue that can be covered up.

Saudi Arabias top prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb (DHA/AP)

He added: We want the Saudi authorities to enter into close cooperation with us. They have to support [the probe] so that the entire incident is brought to light.

Istanbuls chief prosecutor announced on Wednesday that The Washington Post columnist was strangled immediately after he entered the consulate on October 2 to collect a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

His body was dismembered and removed from the consulate, the prosecutors office stated, adding that the killing was premeditated.

The prosecutors statement that Mr Khashoggi was killed immediately conflicted with a report by pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak last month, which cited what it described as an audio recording of Mr Khashoggi being tortured before being killed.

Turkey is seeking the extradition of 18 suspects who have been detained in Saudi Arabia so that they can be put on trial in Turkey.

They include 15 members of an alleged hit squad that Turkey says was sent to Istanbul to kill the 59-year-old journalist, who lived in exile in the United States and had written critically of Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Some of those implicated in the killing are close to the prince whose condemnation of the killing has failed to ease suspicions that he was involved.

Under mounting international pressure, Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about Mr Khashoggis killing several times, and has recently acknowledging that Turkish evidence shows it was premeditated.
Owen Farrell has been named at fly-half for Englands autumn series opener against South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday.

The Saracens playmaker starts in the position for only the third time in the Eddie Jones era, forcing George Ford to settle for a place among the replacements.

In a gamble by Jones, Ben Teo has been picked at inside centre despite being limited to only 28 minutes of rugby since May due to thigh and calf injuries.

The inclusion of Teo means Manu Tuilagi is confined to a bench a role where he will win his first cap since 2016 as an impact substitute.

Chris Ashton has failed to make the matchday 23 altogether with Jonny May and Jack Nowell preferred on the wings.

Completing the backline is Henry Slades inclusion at outside centre, the position he filled throughout the 2-1 series defeat by the Springboks in June.

Ben Teo has got the nod (Paul Harding/PA)

Filling the void left by an injury crisis at number eight is Mark Wilson, who will be winning his fifth cap in the absence of Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes.

Brad Shields returns at blindside flanker and Tom Curry continues in the number seven jersey in a back row containing a mere 10 caps.

Alec Hepburn has held off the challenge of Exeter club mate Ben Moon to start at loosehead prop and the uncapped Zach Mercer features on the bench.

Dylan Hartley, co-captain alongside Farrell, has more caps than the rest of the pack put together having made 93 international appearances.

Dylan Hartley will co-captain England (Gareth Fuller/PA)

England return from their week-long Portugal training camp on Thursday night to begin final preparations ahead of the first of four Quilter Internationals at Twickenham this month.

Weve become very well organised in our set-piece and have done a lot of good work in Portugal over the last week, Jones said.

We have put in a new defence system and our attack looks more organised than it was on the South Africa tour.

Against South Africa you have got the physical battle up front and then you have to be tactically smart in how you attack against them.

We need to find ways to gain momentum, then once we find momentum, convert that to points. We are really excited to be back at Twickenham Stadium. Its been a long time and we cant wait to play in front of 82,000 fans.
Tech giant Google is colluding in fraud over the resale of tickets, an MP has claimed.

Tory MP Damian Collins asked why the firm was still taking money from ticket site Viagogo during Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) questions in the commons.

DCMS Minister Tracey Crouch was notably absent from the chamber after a trip to the US.

She is said to be on the brink of quitting over the delay to gambling curbs announced in the Budget.

Ms Crouchs colleague Margot James fielded questions over how Viagogo, which is being taken to court for a catalogue of consumer rights breaches by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), was still operating.

Mr Collins, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, said: Would she accept that Google is accepting adverts though Viagogo agents that are in breach of consumer protection law and Googles own terms of service as well?

The Google logo as seen by millions of users worldwide on a laptop screen. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday December 10, 2013. Photo credit should read: Chris Ison/PA Wire.

They are effectively taking money for being party to a fraud by allowing those adverts to run.

Ms James responded: I absolutely sympathise with his point of view and I have had discussions with Google on this very point.

I think its safe to say we have a difference of view but we remain optimistic that the search engines will comply with their own terms and conditions in the end.

Labour MP Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Sunderland West) said it could not be right that Viagogo was still in the top two search results 80% of the time.

She said: Time and again people are telling me they were directed to Viagogo by a Google search.

Does she think its appropriate that Viagogo is facing court action but are still able to buy themselves to the top of the search?

Ms James said the point was very good but signalled her hands were tied to some extent.

She might be interested to know the Advertising Standards Agency ruled, however, that consumers would not assume Viagogo was a primary ticket agent for the event and therefore there was nothing in the advert to claim it was primary, Ms James said.

But Google conditions state that resellers must prominently disclose themselves as a reseller so she can draw her own conclusions from that.
Former president Hamid Karzai says that he sees a role for the Taliban after the war in a future, peaceful Afghanistan.

Mr Karzai also said five Taliban leaders freed from the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in 2014, in exchange for American army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl are good individuals, good Afghans who should participate in negotiations to end the 17-year war.

Hamid Karzai met with @USAmbKabul, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, in his office on Tuesday. Discussed the peace process and regional cooperation. pic.twitter.com/1LPWspN4Ma  Hamid Karzai (@KarzaiH) October 23, 2018

Mr Karzai, who still wields considerable influence in todays Afghanistan, also supports talks between the Taliban and the United States  but only as a step towards direct talks between the insurgents and Afghans from all walks of life.

Mr Karzai says he knows some of the five freed Taliban personally. The five are now part of the Taliban political office in Qatar.
Criminal kingpins who see themselves as untouchable will be relentlessly pursued by the full force of the state, the Government has vowed.

On Thursday it emerged authorities now estimate that serious and organised crime costs the UK at least 37 billion annually.

Launching a fresh drive to tackle the scourge, ministers warned its impact could be even greater, as a large amount of the activity remains hidden or under-reported.

Criminals prey on the most vulnerable in society, target members of the public to defraud and use intimidation to create fear within communities, a Home Office strategy document says.

Serious & Organised Crime has hidden depths - and anyone can be a target.



Today we're launching a new strategy to tackle the ruthless criminals that seek to defraud, manipulate and exploit the public.#OrganisedCrime pic.twitter.com/CsxEtkvV4L  Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) November 1, 2018

It adds: Enabled by their lawyers and accountants, corrupt elites and criminals set up fake companies to help them to hide their profits, fund lavish lifestyles and invest in further criminality.

The report warns serious and organised criminals have learnt to become more adaptable and resilient, adding: Some think of themselves as untouchable.

Security Minister Ben Wallace launched the governments new strategy to tackle serious and organised crime (John Stillwell/PA)

In some countries overseas, criminals have created safe havens where serious and organised crime, corruption and the state are interlinked and self-serving.

The assessment also warns that organised criminality, corruption and kleptocracy are increasingly severe impediments to the UKs overseas policy and development objectives.

It says: They distort and impede inclusive and sustainable economic growth, corrupt the democratic process, threaten legitimate, sustainable livelihoods, damage social cohesion and exacerbate exclusion.

All of these factors challenge the UKs ability to help the worlds poorest people, reduce poverty and promote global prosperity.

It flags up the need to sustain co-operation on tackling the threat after Brexit, saying criminals will look to exploit any vulnerabilities in border and security arrangements following the UKs departure from the EU.

The National Crime Agency assesses that there are around 4,600 organised crime groups operating in the UK.

The Governments strategy says the full force of the state will be mobilised to ensure the gangs are subject to relentless disruption.

Underpinned by a 48 million cash injection, the blueprint outlines measures including:

 A new lifetime management regime for keeping track of priority offenders as they pass through the criminal justice system.

 Pilot programmes aimed at overseas communities which feed recruits into organised crime groups active in the UK.

 Efforts to prevent border controls being undermined by corruption.

 Powers to identify, seize and deny criminals access to their finances.

Serious and organised crime, as defined by authorities, covers offence categories including child sexual exploitation, the illegal drugs trade, human trafficking and cyber crime.

Launching the strategy, Security and Economic Crime Minister Ben Wallace said: Serious and organised crime is the deadliest and most damaging national security threat faced by the UK.

It undermines our economy, damages our international reputation and has a corrosive effect on individuals and communities.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary David Gauke described prisons as a new front line in the fight against crime.

He said: The fact is, new technology and sophisticated approaches mean that prison walls alone are no longer effective in stopping crime  inside or outside of prison.

Crime is being fuelled by organised gangs and networks who see prisons as a highly lucrative and literally captive market to push drugs like Spice, as well as mobile phones and other contraband into prisons. This creates a thriving illicit economy within a prison.

Warning that jails cannot be allowed to become incubators of crime, he said: That puts prison officers and prisoners at risk, undermines rehabilitation and ultimately makes our streets less safe.

Thats why we have been taking measures to make our prisons safer, crack down on the criminal gangs exploiting our prisons and we have been denying prisoners the space and means to prey on innocent  and often vulnerable  members of the public.
An Iraqi writers debut novel about the everyday struggle of Baghdads people has won an award at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

The Baghdad Clock by Shahad Al Rawi won the First Book Award after being chosen from a shortlist of 49.

It reveals the reality of growing up in a war-torn city and a way of life thats slowly disappearing.

The author, who grew up in Baghdad, said: Im very proud for two reasons  first because this prize came from the Edinburgh International Book Festival itself.

Secondly, because the competition was extremely strong and the books drew on so many different subjects.

I want to thank my readers from all around the world for choosing my novel.

Author Shahad Al Rawi visited Edinburgh in August (Kareem El Deeb/PA)

I was so happy to participate in all the activities and very impressed by how well organised it was.

Most of all I was enchanted by the people. I loved everything about the city of Edinburgh and its a great honour to be connected to it by this prestigious prize that carries its name.

The Baghdad Clock is set in 1991 in the midst of the Gulf War, as a young Iraqi girl huddles with her neighbours in an air raid shelter  and also deals with the consequences as she grows up.

It was also shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2018 and topped the bestseller lists in Iraq, Dubai and UAE before Luke Leafgren translated the novel into English.

The author appeared at the book festival in August.

Nick Barley, director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: To tell stories is a fundamental part of the human condition.

Even in extreme situations like the one portrayed in Shahads novel, its stories that keep people going.

Maybe thats why her novel is so affecting and so powerful.

The Baghdad Clock is not just a popular winner with Edinburgh International Book Festival readers this year  its also a brilliant winner that will live long in the memory and it establishes Shahad Al Rawi as a force to be reckoned with, in Arabic and English alike.
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard has called on Nicola Sturgeon to apologise for breaking a promise to scrap student debt, now standing at 5 billion in Scotland.

Speaking at First Ministers Questions, Mr Leonard said the average student debt in Scotland has more than doubled to 13,200 since the promise was made in SNP election campaign leaflets.

He said the total value has increased 169% to 5 billion since the SNP came to power.

Nicola Sturgeon did not dump the debt, she dumped the promise, Mr Leonard said.

Even by the standards of this government, promising to scrap student debt and then increasing it by 169% is nothing short of shameful.

Will the First Minister today do the right thing and will she apologise for her 5 billion broken promise?

Mr Leonard said the average student debt in Scotland has more than doubled to 13,200 (Jane Barlow/PA)

The SNP leader said she is proud of her governments record on student debt, which she pointed out is lower than any other country in the UK.

She credited this in part to decision not introduce tuition fees and said when Labour were last in power they wanted to introduce tuition fees.

She added: Student debt in Scotland is lower than student debt any other part of the UK because of the policies of this government.

Richard Leonard cites the figure in Scotland of 13,230. In England average student debt is 34,800, in Northern Ireland it is 22,440 and in Wales, where Labour are in government, student debt is not the 13,000 it is in Scotland, it is 21,500.

Yet another example of Labour telling us to do as they say, not as they do.
Hundreds of Google employees have staged a walkout at the tech giants EU headquarters as part of a worldwide protest against sexual harassment.

The action was organised over the companys treatment of women after claims of sexual misconduct were made against senior Google executives in a New York Times article.

Staff at the HQ in Barrow Street, Dublin, left their desks at about 11am to take part in the almost hour-long demonstration.

They are demanding an end to pay inequality, more accountability in cases of harassment and better representation for workers.

Kate, a Google employee who would not give her last name, thanked all the employees who congregated outside the building to make a statement with their presence.

She said she decided to co-ordinate the Dublin gathering in solidarity with anybody who has experienced any form of sexual harassment or misconduct in the workplace.

Google employees at its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, join others from around the world walking out of their offices in protest over claims of sexual harassment, gender inequality and systemic racism at the tech giant.

While I have not personally experienced any form of sexual harassment or misconduct at Google I wish to create a space for all of us here to gather together and show our support for doing whatever it takes to eliminate any such awful behaviour, Kate said.

She told the crowd: I stand here  as an ally to anyone who has suffered, anyone who is suffering or anyone who may suffer from any such unacceptable treatment.

Google employs more than 7,000 staff directly and indirectly in Ireland.

Staff in London, Berlin, Zurich, Singapore and Tokyo also left their desks to take part in demonstrations.
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An accountant who lied about staff in a Knightsbridge cafe having a workplace pension has been ordered to pay nearly 7,000.

Hashmukh Shah pleaded guilty to knowingly or recklessly providing false or misleading information to The Pensions Regulator (TPR) about Gran Caffe Londra, which is opposite Harrods, in August and was sentenced at Brighton Magistrates Court on Thursday.

In the first prosecution of its kind, Shah said staff were enrolled into a workplace pension scheme when he knew this was not the case, to avoid an inspection taking place.

Shah, 63, of Richmond in Surrey, did not react as district judge Teresa Szagun handed him the 3,937.50 fine, costs of 2,800 and a victim surcharge, making the total repayment 6,857.50.

She told the court that although Shah was firefighting a financial crisis for the company at the time, his actions were deliberate and with knowledge of the risks so he could buy some time.

The mischief of failing to comply with the rules is detrimental to individual employees and a society with an ageing population, she added.

TPR investigated after the company which runs the cafe, Primadell Ltd, missed its deadline to automatically enrol staff for a pension in October 2015.

It has since gone into liquidation, the court heard.

The cafe described itself on its website as one of Knightsbridges best kept secrets, adjacent to Harrods yet slightly removed from the shoppers, serving authentic Italian food including champagne afternoon teas.

In March last year it hosted the launch of Lamborghinis brand of wine in an event attended by celebrities and figures from the worlds of politics, fashion and sport, its website said.

Italian businessman and film producer Marcello Moscarello is a director of Primadell Ltd and another company called Gran Caffe Londra Ltd.

He is also listed as a director for production company TMC Films, according to Companies House records.

During an inspection of the business by TPR, Shah falsely declared the company had met its legal requirements.

But when later interviewed, he admitted misleading officers, causing the investigation to be delayed by more than a year and denying staff pension contributions to which they were entitled.

The company eventually complied in March this year and has backdated contributions of around 5,000 for 11 staff, although it is thought more may have been eligible and missed out.

Despite reminders, extensions and fines of 5,800 for failing to respond since February 2016, no paperwork was handed over.

Carl Dowling, prosecuting, said the requests were ignored but the company was clearly a business of some means and was paying rent of around 100,000 a year.

It is believed more staff may have missed out on contributions but an exact number is not known.

Shah worked as a consultant for the company two days a week. He set the scheme up two days before a threatened inspection, but staff were not enrolled until a year and a half later after TPR investigation was launched.

Company directors discouraged inspectors from speaking to staff because it would distract them from their work, Mr Dowling said.

Steve Harris, defending, said Shah was in extremely poor health and had no experience with automatic enrolment pensions.

Shah was simply firefighting urgent daily problems to keep the company afloat so the requests from the Pensions Regulator were put on the back burner while he did not have time.

But he conceded Shah was reckless in lying about complying with the law and it was a stupid mistake, saying he felt quite ashamed and very foolish.

What he should have done is walk away.

Hes desperately sorry he finds himself here today, Mr Harris added.

The married father, who has two grown-up children, missed out on about 16,000 of income from the company, the court heard.

He lives in the affluent south-west London district of Ham near Richmond in a three-bedroom terraced house modestly valued at 550,000, with his wife, a teacher, and his elderly mother.

The cafe was in set in prime real estate and a very successful operation with a vast turnover of staff, but Shah was battling a perfect storm of rising rent and business rates alongside a dramatic drop in trade which saw the company fall into severe debt.

He claimed the loss in custom was down to a diplomatic row which saw the number of Saudi Arabian shoppers visiting Qatari-owned Harrods drop, and therefore fewer people visiting the cafe.

The company went into liquidation with significant liabilities and both directors  who have not been prosecuted by TPR  were facing personal bankruptcy proceedings, Mr Harris said.

It was clear [Shah] was given entirely no support whatsoever from directors of the company to keep it running and solvent, Mr Harris added.

Deliberately providing false information to TPR about automatic enrolment is an offence under the Pensions Act 2004.

This is the first time the watchdog has prosecuted a third party on behalf of an employer  the maximum penalty of which is an unlimited fine.

All UK employers are required by law to put eligible staff into a pension scheme and pay minimum contributions.

Shah, who has racked up 15,000 in credit card bills, was given a year to pay the fine and costs to the court, with around half the amount due in a month.

Darren Ryder, TPRs director of automatic enrolment, said it was totally unacceptable for any professional to file false documents, adding: This case sends a clear warning to accountants and advisers tasked with completing an employers automatic enrolment duties  providing TPR with false or misleading information may land you with a criminal conviction and a fine.

We take our role to ensure workers get the pensions they deserve, and are entitled to by law, very seriously.

We do not look kindly on people whose deception gets in the way of our work.
Leave campaigner Arron Banks is being investigated by the National Crime Agency for suspected criminal offences committed during the Brexit referendum.

The probe has been launched after the elections watchdog said it had reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr Banks was not the true source of 8 million worth of loans made during the campaign.

Leave.EU, co-founded by Mr Banks, its chief executive Elizabeth Bilney and the organisation that ran it, Better for the Country, are also being investigated by the NCA after a review carried out by the Electoral Commission.

Mr Banks said he was confident the investigation would put an end to the ludicrous allegations against him.

Bob Posner, the Electoral Commissions director of political finance, said: We have reasonable grounds to suspect money given to Better for the Country came from impermissible sources and that Mr Banks and Ms Bilney, the responsible person for Leave.EU, knowingly concealed the true circumstances under which this money was provided.

This is significant because at least 2.9m of this money was used to fund referendum spending and donations during the regulated period of the EU referendum.

Arron Banks has denied any wrongdoing (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Our investigation has unveiled evidence that suggests criminal offences have been committed which fall beyond the remit of the Commission.

This is why we have handed our evidence to the NCA to allow them to investigate and take any appropriate law enforcement action. This is now a criminal investigation.

The financial transactions we have investigated include companies incorporated in Gibraltar and the Isle of Man. These jurisdictions are beyond the reach of the Electoral Commission for the purpose of obtaining information for use in criminal investigations or proceedings.

Mr Banks said the Commission had referred him to the NCA under intense political pressure from anti-Brexit supporters.

He said: I am pleased that the Electoral Commission has referred me to the National Crime Agency.

I am confident that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ludicrous allegations levelled against me and my colleagues.

There is no evidence of any wrongdoing from the companies I own. I am a UK taxpayer and I have never received any foreign donations. The Electoral Commission has produced no evidence to the contrary.

The Electoral Commissions review of referendum finances focused on 2 million reported to have been loaned to Better for the Country by Mr Banks and his insurance companies and a 6 million donation he made alone.

It said as well as having reasonable grounds to suspect he was not the true source of the cash, loans involved a company, Rock Holdings, based on the Isle of Man, that was impermissible under the rules.

The watchdog said it suspected Mr Banks, Ms Bilney and others involved in Better for the Country and Leave.EU concealed the true details of the financial transactions.

It believes a number of criminal offences may have been committed.

The NCA said its investigation relates to suspected electoral law offences.

A spokesman added: While electoral law offences would not routinely fall within the NCAs remit, the nature of the necessary inquiries and the potential for offences to have been committed other than under electoral law lead us to consider an NCA investigation appropriate in this instance.
A Japanese pilot was arrested at Heathrow Airport, where he was accused of being drunk.

Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, was detained at the west London hub at 6.10pm on Sunday before a Japan Airlines Co. (JAL) flight to Tokyo, the Metropolitan Police said.

Jitsukawa was charged with performing an aviation function with alcohol in his blood over the legal limit.

JAL apologised for the incident.

It said the flight was delayed by more than an hour and was operated by the remaining two pilots.
Owen Farrell has been named at fly-half for Englands autumn series opener against South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday.

The Saracens playmaker starts in the position for only the third time in the Eddie Jones era, forcing George Ford to settle for a place among the replacements.

Ben Teo has been picked at inside centre despite being limited to only 28 minutes of rugby since May due to thigh and calf injuries.

Here, Press Association Sport answers some of the questions arising from Englands latest squad announcement.

Why was Farrell picked instead of Ford at fly-half?

Englands George Ford (left) has dropped to the bench and is replaced at fly-half by Owen Farrell (right) (Adam Davy/PA)

Farrell has been switched from inside centre to stand-off in a positional shuffle which sees Ford drop to the bench and Teo replace Farrell in the centres. Jones believes the Red Rose attack is now more organised than it was on the South Africa tour, where England lost two of their three Tests. Farrell is vastly experienced and his switch to fly-half allows the inclusion of Teo, who will offer more of a physical presence against the Springboks than Ford.

Who is the England captain?

Dylan Hartley has been tasked with leading an inexperienced pack (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Or captains, as is the case. Farrell and hooker Dylan Hartley have been named co-captains for England, with the former marshalling the backline and the Northampton forward leading an inexperienced pack. Hartley, who will win his 94th cap against South Africa on Saturday, has more caps than the rest of the

pack put together and his impact will be key, as will that of Farrell in his new position.

How much of a risk is the selection of Teo at centre?

Ben Teo has had limited match time due to injury (Mike Egerton/PA)

Jones inclusion of Teo can be seen as something of a gamble. The Worcester centre has only had very limited game time this season  less than half-an-hour  so his selection could be a huge blunder for Jones if his fitness is undercooked. However, at his best, the 31-year-old former rugby league player is dangerous in attack and his imposing frame and strength will help England front up to the mammoth Boks side. Manu Tuilagi is picked on the bench and could make an explosive appearance should the Teo experiment turn sour.

How is Jones dealing with the injury crisis at number eight?

Mark Wilson fills the void at number eight (Ben Birchall/PA)

Billy Vunipola is ruled out with a broken arm and his back-up Nathan Hughes will miss three of Englands four autumn internationals due to suspension after being banned for six weeks. The Wasps star was found guilty of punching Gloucesters Lewis Ludlow then had an extra two weeks added to his ban after an ill-timed tweet about his punishment. It means Jones has turned to Newcastle number eight Mark Wilson after Ben Morgan was dropped from the squad with his hopes of a recall dashed.

Who are the new boys?

Baths Zach Mercer starts the match on the replacements bench (David Davies/PA)

Exeter prop Ben Moon and Bath back-row forward Zach Mercer are the two uncapped players in the line-up and both start the match on the replacements bench. The pack does, however, have something of a green tinge to it as in another roll of the dice, Englands starting back row against the Springboks has just 10 caps between them. Number eight Wilson and openside flanker Tom Curry have four caps apiece while on the blindside, Brad Shields has just two.
A meeting between Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley and the regions political parties has been branded a waste of time.

Powersharing government at Stormont has been collapsed since January 2017 following a breakdown in relations between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

Numerous attempts at talks to agree to the return of devolution to Stormont have ended in failure.

Ms Bradley met the largest five political parties in Belfast on Thursday before returning to London.

The meeting is understood to have lasted about 45 minutes.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mrs Bradley said she intended to brief the parties on the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill, which is intended to allow time and space for political parties to agree a return to powersharing government.

Karen Bradley said it had `always been clear the meeting with the parties was a briefing about her bill (Victoria Jones/PA)

Speaking after meeting British Secretary of State Karen Bradley, Sinn Fein Negotiator @JohnODowdSF MLA said the British government are treating large sections of society with utter and complete contempt. pic.twitter.com/6uD5IMpRh6  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) November 1, 2018

The Sinn Fein delegation gave a short statement to the media after the meeting, before leaving without taking questions.

Sinn Fein MLA John ODowd accused the British Government of treating large sections of this society with utter and complete contempt.

We attended a meeting this morning with the Secretary of State and the other political parties to establish if there was basis for going forward with a rights based society with accountable government for all, unfortunately that was not the case, he said.

It is quite clear that the British Government is treating large sections of this society with utter and complete contempt.

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann said the meeting had been badly briefed and was badly advised.

Government must be prepared to reintroduce Direct Rule - Swann



Ulster Unionist Leader Robin Swann MLA has called on the Government to reintroduce Direct Rule if it cannot get political agreement to restore... https://t.co/CyzNu0Z0Mx  Robin Swann MLA #StopCovidNI (@RobinSwannMoH) November 1, 2018

I said to the Secretary of State I thought it was simply so that someone in the NIO could tick a box to say they had brought all five parties around a table, he said.

Mr Swann said Ms Bradley must now either take ownership of the process, or introduce direct rule for Northern Ireland from Westminster.

To salvage this now, the Secretary of State needs to take ownership of this process, and actually puts together a five party talks process, irrelevant of the consensus of the five parties on what it looks like, she needs to take ownership and if she doesnt take ownership, she needs to introduce direct rule, he said.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described the meeting as a waste of time.

It is quite clear that the British Government are totally unprepared to take the necessary next steps to get powersharing restored.

Today is an embarrassing day for the Secretary of State. Quite simply, it is not her job to wait for a consensus, her job, alongside the Tanaiste, is to kickstart the talks process.

Alliance leader Naomi Long said relations between parties are at an all time low.

Todays briefing from the Secretary of State was not just a pointless exercise, but I would argue it was actually counterproductive in that relationships between the parties and indeed with the Secretary of State are possibly now at an all-time low, she said.

The reality is, the longer this process continues the further we drift from restoration of the institutions.

We are not where we were in February when the talks collapsed, we are further away today from restoration than we were then, and with every day that passes, we get further and further away.

She added: The responsibility now lies with the Secretary of State to make a decision to convene the talks and to get us back in the room, and put it up to the parties.

If parties are not willing to come and participate, then let them be held accountable by the public who are sick to the back teeth of this nonsense.

The Democratic Unionists have not yet given a reaction to the meeting.

Speaking earlier, Mrs Bradley said it had always been clear the meeting with the parties was a briefing about her bill.

I have always been clear that this was a briefing for the parties on the bill that will become an act of parliament next week so that they can understand what the debates were in parliament last week and this week in the House of Lords, and so they can see now that it is going to be an act of parliament in the next few days, what that will mean, she said.

That is what I am going to do now because I want to get those parties in a room together and really go through with them how this act will deliver for them.

But they have to do the right thing, come back into government, and I want to see them do that as soon as possible.
Nicola Sturgeon appears to have ruled out upping the threshold for the higher rate of income tax in Scotland, as she blasted the Conservatives absolutely damning and shameful Budget.

Conservative interim leader Jackson Carlaw warned that meant middle income Scots would lose out on tax cuts that are being introduced south of the border.

He called on the Scottish Government to follow the lead of UK Chancellor Philip Hammond, who announced an increase in the threshold for the higher rate of income tax earlier this week.

The changes being brought in by Mr Hammond mean in the rest of the UK the point at which people start to pay the 40p tax rate will rise from 46,351 to 50,000 in April.

In Scotland workers not only pay a slightly higher rate for this  41p as opposed to 40p  but it kicks in earlier, with the threshold currently set at 43,430.

Ms Sturgeon answered his questions with the `usual basket of cliches, he claimed (Jane Barlow/PA)

Scottish Finance Secretary Derek Mackay has already indicated he has no plans to follow the Chancellors example when he reveals his Scottish Budget in December.

But Mr Carlaw called on the the First Minister to give some hope of tax relief to people like senior teachers, nurses and police officers.

Pressing her on the issue at First Ministers Questions he said without this these people would face paying a bill of 1,000 extra in income tax compared to those doing exactly the same job elsewhere in the UK.

He praised the Budget, saying it would deliver a 1.4% increase in public spending in real terms  contrasting this with an evangelical bible of economic misery, from the SNPs Growth Commission report on the economics of an independent Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon however slammed the Conservatives, saying the Budget delivered tax cuts for the rich and just cuts for everybody else.

And she said Mr Carlaw had been completely unable to defend the policies of his own party at Westminster in this regard.

While the Conservative claimed the Budget would provide an additional 950 million for Scotland, the First Minister countered the reality was the Scottish Government budget would be cut by 2 billion over a decade.

That amounts to almost 7% in real terms, the Tories should be utterly ashamed of that, she stated.

On the subject of income tax she argued the Tories had shown their true colours and pledged the Scottish budget  which sets income tax rates and bands north of the border  would stand in stark contrast to Mr Hammonds policies.

Derek Mackay has already indicated he has no plans to follow the Chancellors example when he reveals his Scottish Budget in December (David Cheskin/PA)

The First Minister said: When we set our Budget on December 12 the decision we take will be driven by our determination to protect our National Health Service and our other public services, to tackle poverty and low pay, ensure that those who earn the most in our society make a fair and reasonable contribution to public services.

It will be a balanced, progressive and fair budget and it will stand in stark contrast to the one we saw on Monday.

Lets not forget as a result of our budget decisions last year 55% of taxpayers in Scotland right now pay less tax than counterparts across the UK because of our new starter rate  not helping those at the top, helping those at the bottom of the income scale, thats a progressive change.

She added: This government stands for public services, it stands for helping the poorest in our society, it stands for fairness and progressive principles.

What weve seen today is the Tories stand for tax cuts for the rich and just cuts for everybody else and Jackson Carlaw cant even try to defend it.

But the Conservative branded it an example of the SNPs grudge and grievance government led by a grudge and grievance First Minister.

Ms Sturgeon answered his questions with the usual basket of cliches, he claimed.

Mr Carlaw said: This was a Budget which froze fuel duty and delivered a tax cut of 132 to the record number of Scots in work.

It delivered a freeze on the duty in whisky, welcomed by the industry, help for the oil and gas sector, welcomed by those in it.

More than 0.5 billion for Scotlands NHS, help for our high streets, investment in roads. And the SNP response an all to predictable whinge. How tired, lacklustre and miserable.

Labour MSP Kezia Dugdale said later that increasing the threshold for the upper rate of tax in Scotland would cost up to 410 million  as she called on Tories to set out how they would fund such a measure.

The Lothian MSP said: This shows how much the Tory tax cuts for the richest in society would cost if Philip Hammonds policy was replicated in Scotland.

Tory MSPs want these tax cuts introduced here, so they must now explain which public services they would cut up to 410million from? Would it be hospitals, schools or care services?

Tax cuts for the richest Scots should not be a priority when our public services are struggling.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said talks will be held with ScotRail over falling performance levels and the practice of emptying train toilets onto tracks.

Responding to Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles at First Ministers Questions, Ms Sturgeon said the operator must address their failure to meet targets.

An official report published by the company showed 81.8% of services were on time between September 16 and October 13.

The First Minister said Transport Secretary Michael Matheson will meet with Network Rail chair Sir Peter Hendy and ScotRail Alliance boss Alex Hynes next week.

She added Mr Matheson would be making it clear that performance levels must improve effectively and swiftly to the standards expected by passengers.

Ms Sturgeon said: We continue to impress upon senior management of Network Rail the need for a renewed focus on maintaining the network infrastructure in Scotland and that will help ScotRail meet its challenging but achievable targets.

Interim measures have been introduced by ScotRail while a new fleet is introduced (Danny Lawson/PA)

This process would be helped by the full devolution of Network Rail, a move that would allow the appropriate parliamentary oversight to be put on the whole of the rail infrastructure in Scotland, rather than just on part of it.

Ms Sturgeon also responded to concerns raised by the railway union RMT that ScotRail engaged in breaking an agreement not to dump human waste on Scotlands railways.

She said: It is not a practice that we support and ScotRail have also said that it is one that they want to see continue.

Its an interim measure, it is regrettable and ScotRail are working to mitigate the issue as soon as possible.

The Scottish Government has directly funded previous installation programs to eradicate that practice across ScotRail fleets.

ScotRail announced it would introduce a fleet of 26 refurbished high-speed trains, however there have been several delays.

A number of unrefurbished models  which empty waste onto the tracks  will prevent gaps in services.

Transport Scotland say all tanks will fitted by next year.

The First Minister also called for the devolution of Network Rail in order to address challenges around rail infrastructure impacting the performance.

Ms Sturgeon said: It will be necessary to introduce some unrefurbished high-speed trains into the service for an interim period, but it is important that ScotRail works to resolve that as quickly as possible.
Leave campaigner Arron Banks is being investigated for suspected criminal offences over 8 million of campaign funding during the Brexit referendum.

The National Crime Agency probe was launched after the elections watchdog said it had reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr Banks was not the true source of the cash.

Mr Banks, one of the founders of the Leave.EU campaign, said he was confident the investigation would put an end to the ludicrous allegations against him.

The Electoral Commission also referred Leave.EU, its chief executive, Elizabeth Bilney, and the organisation that ran it, Better for the Country, to the NCA after carrying out a review.

Bob Posner, the Commissions director of political finance, said: We have reasonable grounds to suspect money given to Better for the Country came from impermissible sources and that Mr Banks and Ms Bilney, the responsible person for Leave.EU, knowingly concealed the true circumstances under which this money was provided.

This is significant because at least 2.9 million of this money was used to fund referendum spending and donations during the regulated period of the EU referendum.

Leave.EU founder Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore (left) leave Portcullis House in Westminster, London, after giving evidence to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee inquiry into fake news (Philip Toscano/PA)

Mr Banks said the Commission had referred him to the NCA under intense political pressure from anti-Brexit supporters.

He said: I am confident that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ludicrous allegations levelled against me and my colleagues.

There is no evidence of any wrongdoing from the companies I own. I am a UK taxpayer and I have never received any foreign donations. The Electoral Commission has produced no evidence to the contrary.

Ms Bilney also accused the Commission of having a biased approach in its investigations and said she was confident she would be exonerated.

She told BBC Radio 4s World At One programme: I hope that the matter will be shortly concluded to demonstrate that no crimes have been committed.

They are looking at it how they want to through their own biased lens, she added.

Mr Banks was criticised by the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee earlier this year for seeming to want to hide the extent of his contacts with Russia.

But Ms Bilney dismissed suggestions that some of the money may have come from the Federation.

I run the group of companies where the money was from and we dont have any transactions that are from Russia, she said.

I completely comfortable that we have done everything above board.

NCA initiates investigation following Electoral Commission referral pic.twitter.com/qSzZfEWSEH  National Crime Agency (NCA) (@NCA_UK) November 1, 2018

The Electoral Commissions review of referendum finances focused on 2 million reported to have been loaned to Better for the Country by Mr Banks and his insurance companies and a 6 million donation he made alone.

It said that, as well as having reasonable grounds to suspect he was not the true source of the cash, loans involved a company, Rock Holdings, based on the Isle of Man, which was impermissible under the rules.

The watchdog said it suspected Mr Banks, Ms Bilney and others involved in Better for the Country and Leave.EU concealed the true details of the financial transactions.

It believes a number of criminal offences may have been committed.

The NCA said its investigation relates to suspected electoral law offences.

A spokesman added: While electoral law offences would not routinely fall within the NCAs remit, the nature of the necessary inquiries and the potential for offences to have been committed other than under electoral law lead us to consider an NCA investigation appropriate in this instance.
The heartbroken family of a woman whose body was found at a flat have said she had a heart of gold as they paid tribute to her.

Police are treating the death of Lynn Forde, 35, as suspicious after she was found dead in a property on Greenside Street, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire on Sunday afternoon.

Officers had been following a positive line of inquiry when a 36-year-old man was found dead at an address in Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire almost 24 hours later.

Police Scotland could not confirm reports it was a suspected murder-suicide but officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the womans death.

In a statement issued through police her family said: Lynn was a beautiful daughter, sister and aunt with a heart of gold who always put everyone first.

Lynn was totally devoted to her family and had a huge circle of friends who thought the world of her.

Police are treating the death of Lynn Forde as suspicious (Police Scotland/PA)

We are heartbroken that she has been taken so soon and thank everyone for their kind messages of support.

Police said the mans death is being treated as unexplained.

A spokeswoman said: At around 3.55pm on Sunday, the body of a 35-year-old woman was found within a property on Greenside Street, Coatbridge.

This death is being treated as suspicious and officers were following a positive line of enquiry.

At around 2.50pm on Monday, a 36-year-old man was found dead within an address in Tillicoultry.

His death is currently being treated as unexplained and enquiries are ongoing.

A full report will be forwarded to the procurator fiscal.

Officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the death of the 35-year-old woman.
Creative Scotland will conduct an extensive review of its operations following a year described as challenging.

The arts body has received heavy criticism over its funding decisions and chief executive, Janet Archer, resigned from the job in July.

A review will cover the organisation of Creative Scotland and will examine in full its current funding models  regular funding, open project funding and targeted funding.

Creative Scotland staff and applicant organisations and representatives from the creative sectors will be included in the process.

The review will aim to establish an effective balance between the different models of funding.

Initial work has examined funding models established by the arts council in England and Wales, as well as models internationally.

The Scottish Dance Theatre has previously received funding from Creative Scotland (Jane Barlow/PA)

Documentation will be prepared at the conclusion of the report and sent out for consultation.

Creative Scotland say they will provide ongoing business delivery to deliver current funding routes and communicate proposed new models at the conclusion of the review.

Iain Munro, the acting chief executive, acknowledged the organisation would have to rebuild its reputation.

He said: The organisation is not fundamentally broken. There are many positive things that our organisation continues to support and deliver.

At the heart of this is the human relationships that we have with people, its fundamental.

These reviews are about taking quite a comprehensive stock of the situation across a whole range of areas to reset the organisation.

But thats not a blank sheet of paper, I wouldnt want us to overlook the fact that we do have some very positive things that were doing.

Mr Munro also said Creative Scotland would look to address concerns that less funding is being provided to individuals outwith Edinburgh and Glasgow.

North Ayrshire received 192,000 of grant funding in 2016/2017  1% of the 19 million awarded to Glasgow.

Glasgow and Edinburgh received 60% of funding awarded  over 40 million out of a total 66 million in Scotland.

Mr Munro said he is hopeful Creative Scotland will be in a position to open a new film studio in 2019/2020, with plans ongoing to develop a screen hub.

An independent company, Open Change, based in Dundee, was appointed to support the organisational review over the next six months.

Creative Scotland chair Robert Wilson, who took up the role in February, said it was the right time to evaluate the state of the organisation.

He said: This has been a challenging time for Creative Scotland and when I came in, it became clear that there were some fundamental changes that we needed to instigate.

This is an extremely impressive organisation, but clearly there are aspects of it that need to be improved.

This is a perfect time to look at an organisation to see where the strengths are, to see where the weaknesses are and to see how we can improve and move on in a much stronger way.
Petrol, diesel cheaper in Haryana with VAT reduction

'Chhath' festival ends after 2nd 'argha' on Thursday

Humanity trumps religion as Hindu man offers space for Friday Namaz

Diaspora

Bibi Jagir Kaur honored by World Peace Diplomacy Organization USA for her outstanding performance in the SGPC

Aparna Satheesan receives National Natya Shiromani Award in USA

Sahaita partners with Atam Pargas to support 70 families of farmers who have passed away in Delhi protest
A Muslim convert nicknamed The Eagle is facing years in jail for a plot to kill 100 people in a terror attack near the Disney Store on Oxford Street.

Lewis Ludlow, 27, swore allegiance to Islamic State as he prepared to drive a van through Londons shopping district or Madame Tussauds.

He bought a phone under a false name and wrote down his attack plans, which were later found ripped up in a bin.

The defendant, who called himself The Eagle and The Ghost, also researched potential targets around the capital.

Muslim convert Lewis Ludlow (CPS/PA)

He identified Oxford Street as an ideal target, writing: It is expected nearly 100 could be killed in the attack.

Ludlow, from Rochester, in Kent, formulated his plan after being stopped by police at Heathrow Airport in February as he attempted to board a flight to the Philippines.

It was alleged he also set up a Facebook account called Antique Collections as a front to send money to south-east Asia for terrorism.

He pleaded guilty to plotting an attack in the UK and funding IS abroad and will be sentenced on Friday by Old Bailey Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC.

Madame Tussauds (Tim Ireland/PA)

According to a prosecution summary, Ludlow first came to the attention of police in 2010 when he attended a demonstration led by radical preacher Anjem Choudary and his banned Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) group.

When he was arrested in 2015, IS material was recovered from his electronic devices but no further action was taken.

In January this year, he bought a ticket to fly to the Philippines on February 3 but was stopped at the airport and had his passport seized.

Spoken to by police, he claimed he was going to the country as a sex tourist, but in a search of his home, officers found he was in communication with a man named Abu Yaqeen in an area with a significant IS presence.

In March, Ludlow sent him money by PayPal and created the Facebook account Antique Collections.

It purported to be an antiques business in Maidstone but, the prosecution alleged, was really a front to raise money for IS in the Philippines.

Anjem Choudary (Nick Ansell/PA)

On March 21, police recovered torn-up scraps of paper from Ludlows bin detailing his plans.

They were pieced together to reveal potential attack sites including Madame Tussauds, Oxford Street, St Pauls Cathedral and a Shia temple in Romford.

It added: Further locations scouted for the kil.

He detailed a potential attack on Oxford Street using a van mounting the pavement, noting the lack of safety barriers.

It said: Wolf should either use a ram attack or use on the truck to maximise death it is a busy street it is ideal for an attack. It is expected nearly 100 could be killed in the attack.

On April 13, Ludlows mobile phone was retrieved from a storm drain and found to have videos of the defendant swearing allegiance to IS and pictures of crowded areas, said to be evidence of hostile reconnaissance.

Undercover officers engaged Yaqeen in online chat, in which the IS fanatic called for lone wolf attacks and funds to be sent to the Philippines.

Yaqeen put an undercover officer in touch with Ludlow, implying they could work together on an attack in Britain.

Ludlow was arrested by counter-terrorism police on April 18 but refused to explain himself when he was interviewed.
An artisan cheesemaker has expressed delight after securing a legal ruling in its favour.

Errington Cheese Ltd went to court to seek a reversal of a sheriffs decision to condemn four batches of cheese earlier this year.

A judge at the Court of Session ruled on Thursday that the sheriff had made a legal misdirection over the decision.

The judge, Lord Bannatyne, ordered that the batches, seized by order of South Lanarkshire Council in 2016, should be released.

Company founder Humphrey Errington said: Were delighted the Court of Session has ruled in our favour with the companys efforts now focused on getting the business back on track.

The cheese producers Dunsyre Blue had been linked to a 2016 E.coli outbreak in which a three-year-old girl died, but it strongly disputed its product was the cause.

The Court of Session ruled on Erringtons petition (Hilary Duncanson/PA)

In a court ruling this summer, Sheriff Robert Weir QC cleared the firm of breaching food safety laws.

In a case brought against Errington by the local authority, the sheriff found claims the firm had failed to comply with legal standards were not well-founded and refused an application to destroy dozens of batches of cheese.

However, he did condemn four batches  one of Lanark Blue and three of Corra Linn  after finding they had failed to meet food safety requirements.

Errington Cheese, of Carnwath, sought a judicial review of the decision surrounding the four batches at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

Finding in Erringtons favour, in a brief ruling, Lord Bannatyne said the sheriff had misdirected himself in law.

He overturned the decision to condemn the four batches and ordered they be released to the firm.

Mr Errington said it was a significant legal ruling which will have lasting implications for food producers, as well as the overall remit of Food Standards Scotland (FSS).

He said: Were delighted the Court of Session has ruled in our favour with the companys efforts now focussed on getting the business back on track by increasing production and sales, while also coming to a settlement with the local authority over our legal fees and compensation for spoiled produce.

Once an agreement is reached, well hopefully be in a position to re-employ some of our loyal workforce.

A spokesman for South Lanarkshire Council said: The council will fully comply with the order from the court.

FSS was not a party to the judicial review which overturned the sheriffs decision, but it said it will consider the implications of the review for food safety in Scotland.

A spokeswoman added: Food Standards Scotland has throughout this incident, as at all times, acted in the best interests of the public.
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has pledged that the Government will not sign up to any deal which could threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK.

Mr Raab made the comment following a one-day visit to Northern Ireland.

He visited two sea ports before meeting a number of local political parties.

Mr Raab heard opposing views from the two biggest parties, the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (right) and deputy leader Michelle ONeill speaking to the media in the Great Hall at Stormont, Belfast, following a meeting with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (Brian Lawless/PA)

The DUP urged that there be no additional barriers between the Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK after Brexit.

Sinn Fein told him that the UK government must agree to a backstop plan which could see Northern Ireland effectively remaining in the customs union and single market.

However, Mr Raab insisted he is confident the Government can get a good deal.

We have made it very clear we would never sign up to anything that would threaten the economic, the constitutional, let alone the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom, he told the BBC.

Asked twice whether it had ruled out any new regulatory checks at the Irish Sea border, he said: We are engaged in a negotiation process.

We have made it very clear that whether its the customs regime for the UK as a whole, or the wider economic integrity of the UK as a whole, we will not allow any proposals to be accepted that would jeopardise that, and that is the crucial thing here.

Valuable day in #NorthernIreland visiting the border, @PortWarrenpoint, @LarneHarbour and meeting local businesses & political leaders from the main parties. Im confident we can agree a Brexit deal that works for all communities here - that is our goal over the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/05IbkzoWUu  Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) November 2, 2018

Of course we want to maintain frictionless trade with our EU partners, but the internal market within the UK is absolutely crucial too.

They are not binary choices, we want to preserve both and also enhance and increase our opportunities for global trade which would be good for the UK and good for Northern Ireland too.

We are engaged in negotiations, I need to protect the integrity of those negotiations, but we are confident we can get a good deal, good for all corners of the United Kingdom and good for every community here in Northern Ireland.

DUP leader Arlene Foster welcomed Mr Raabs visit.

I am glad that he took the chance to visit the ports today because he would have been able to see what happens at the ports, she said.

Good to have @DominicRaab in Belfast today. Northern Ireland must not be put in a position which undermines the constitutional or economic integrity of the UK. pic.twitter.com/C2oAc7cHd1  Arlene Foster #WeWillMeetAgain (@ArleneFosterUK) November 2, 2018

We are engaged in an ongoing process, we want to be as helpful as we can in these negotiations, we want to get a deal on exiting the European Union that is good for Northern Ireland and it can only be good for Northern Ireland if we remain a full part of the United Kingdom.

However, Sinn Fein President Mary-Lou McDonald accused the UK government of acting in bad faith.

We have reminded him that he and his government last December signed up to that, understood that the north of Ireland is a particular scenario with a need for a bespoke and particular solution, she said.

We have told him that he and his government are acting in bad faith, that they have stepped back from the commitments that they made to protect the Good Friday Agreement in all of its parts, to ensure no hardening of the border on our island and to ensure no loss of rights for our citizens.

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann expressed disappointment that Mr Raab had not stayed longer.

As we do not have an Executive in place to ensure that Northern Irelands case is made in the Brexit negotiations, it is all the more important that senior figures such as Dominic Raab should come here and meet with local businesses and political parties, he said.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood and Alliance Party leader Naomi Long also pressed Mr Raab for a backstop plan.

Mr Raab started his day in Northern Ireland with a visit to Warrenpoint Port in Co Down.

He was criticised there for not meeting with public representatives and local people.

South Down MP Chris Hazzard said he was not given the opportunity to engage with Mr Raab.

Dominic Raab is like a thief in the night coming in and out, not providing opportunity, not just me personally but the people I represent, and the media should have the opportunity to be able to ask the hard questions, the Sinn Fein man said.

SDLP South Down MLA Sinead Bradley said: For the Brexit Secretary to visit and essentially adopt the attitude of we will talk about you but not to you really just amplified the attitude that has been used by this Executive and the Tory government.

Its absolutely disgraceful and must be called out.

Mr Raab also visited Newry Police Station where he met with officers before travelling to the port of Larne in Co Antrim  currently the only approved port of entry for livestock imports into Northern Ireland.
Late Thursday night, Jammu and Kashmir BJP state secretary Anil Parihar, along with his brother, was gunned down by unidentified suspected militants just outside their Kishtwar home.

J&K BJP state secretary, Anil Parihar, killed on Thursday night in Kishtwar. (Photo: Facebook)

The shooting, only a few days before the festival of Diwali, was so brutal, it left the area in shock and under curfew as investigations are underway, probing possible militant involvement.

However, the timing of the murder is not surprising, given what is happening quite near Kishtwar.

In neighbouring Pakistan.

Today, Pakistan is facing protests and sit-ins across the country, called by the Labbaik-e-Pakistan (LeP) chief Khadim Rizvi and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed. The reason  the Supreme Court of the nation recently found a poor Christian woman, Asia Bibi, innocent of blasphemy, and ordered her release. This, after the woman spent eight years in prison, on death row. And after jihadi elements gunned down people speaking up for her, including the Governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, and minority affairs minister Shabaz Bhatti, in 2011.

Asia Bibi, innocent of blasphemy, is still roiling Pakistan. (Photo: India Today)

But their murders have clearly not satisfied the likes of the Lashkar and Labbaik ganglords.

Joined by other jihadi outfits that have sprung up like acne on Pakistans nuclear-moustachioed face, these groups are leading the mobs baying for Asia Bibis blood now. The woman has reportedly been banned from leaving the country by a government that is duty-bound to provide her  and particularly after the intense suffering she's undergone  safe passage to any country which can offer her the decency of a modern, and not an insane medieval, state.

Fundamentalist leaders Hafiz Saeed and Khadim Rizvi want the freedom to kill Asia Bibi in Pakistan. (Photo: Reuters)

The murder of Anil Parihar, and the potential murder of Asia Bibi, are deeply  in fact, inextricably  linked.

For the militancy of Kashmir is now nothing more than a mirror to the growing madness of Pakistan.

Kashmiri terrorists today dont even bother with the pretence of 'azaadi' for the sake of having their own independent modern nation. They are instead candid, in their half-wit manner, about their dream of having the azaadi to go join Lashkaris, Labbaiks and other louts on the streets of Karachi and Lahore, in the merry pastime of stoning Asia Bibis to death, and occasionally stringing up an Ahmadi or shooting a Shia for variety.

That is the azaadi Kashmiri terrorists want.

The azaadi to join Pakistan in its meltdown to lunacy.

It is this death wish, this dream of the dimwits dreadful paradise, that drives the jihad in Kashmir, the stone pelting, the sniper shootings and the militant shootouts, shielded by mobs clucking with anger around the armed forces, enraged at their presence between them and their sweetest wish  a paradise where they can join the Pakistanis in stoning anyone whos not considered 'Muslim enough' to death.

What exactly is the 'azaadi' this bunch wants? (Photo: Reuters)

Its not the armed forces alone. Anyone and everyone  politicians, policemen, cultural figures, editors  who stands between the jihadi Kashmiri and their dream of a state of eternal violence, must be obliterated in this worldview. Anyone who represents the normalcy of civilised life must be killed. Anyone who embodies the normalcy of Indian life  including an Anil Parihar  with its daily rhythms of excitement and blandness, freedom and constraints, elections and governments, free media and blame  must be eliminated.

Kashmiri cop Imtiyaz was brutally killed by jihadi militants. (Photo: India Today)

For these are elements that reflect a normalcy, a predictability, a rhythm of life fundamentally opposed to the fundamentalists beat.

There is no wonder about the coincidence of the timing of Anil Parihar's shooting with the baying of Pakistani fundos for Asia Bibis blood.

We will, in fact, see more, not less, of such coincidences with Imran Khan running Pakistan now.

On the one hand, Khan will have to  pressed to the wall by the bankruptcy Pakistan faces, and the lack of aid the West confronts it with  present a sane Pakistani face globally. This explains his seeming largesse to the beleaguered Asia and his tough words to the terrorists on the streets of Lahore  riasat se mat takrana, dont mess with the admin, Khan warned them on Wednesday.

But, by Thursday, his 'riasat' or admin was singing another tune.

Asia Bibi was placed on the Exit Control List of Pakistan and Imran Khans ministers confirmed the poor woman was not allowed to leave the country, which was screaming hysterically for her blood.

This, then, is the other face Imran Khan has  a seeming picture of Dorian Gray where, as Oscar Wilde described his never-aging hero, a portrait of his is secretly tucked away in an attic somewhere, growing dark with wrinkles and lines, blemishes and shadows, even as strange powers bless Dorian with youthful good looks forever in public.

Spot the real Imran Khan. (Photo: Reuters)

Imran Khan is truly our ages Dorian Gray, whose face, turned to the West in hope of money, may try to look eternally innocent  but whose real face is hidden somewhere in the shadows of the mobs baying now for Asia Bibis blood.

It is these mobs the Kashmiri jihadis want the azaadi to join.

And it is Indias firm refusal which drives them mad.

Literally and metaphorically.

In a sense, there is a logic to this relationship of madness shared between Pakistani and Kashmiri jihadis.

The 1980s onwards, as numerous experts recorded, Pakistan allowed itself to be steadily flooded by Afghan and other crazies, their one common bind being, they all claimed to be Islamo-Fascists. Why, you ask? Simply in order to strengthen its fighting forces in Kashmir.

But, in the process, Pakistan, which once prided itself on being the land of poetry and whiskey, ghazals and kebabs, lehengas and languor and all the good things of life (to be enjoyed by Punjabi Generals and Sindhi feudals, with a bone thrown to the vassals) went mad itself.

It let itself be taken over by manic maulvis, limping maulanas, blind-in-one-eye mullahs and beady-eyed Hafiz Saeeds, whose big thrill is to kill, preferably with a stone or a club or something nice and heavy and medieval-ish.

To spite India by hurting Kashmir, Pakistan allowed itself to be steadily taken over by crazies. (Photo: Reuters)

Today, Pakistan faces yet another siege from its home-grown religious crazies.

Some have found their way into Kashmir, where they shoot dead unarmed cops, soldiers returning home on Eid, journalists and politicians too.

Anyone who is normal, basically.

Anyone who represents the sanity, even the banality, of a normal life, bound by law, modernity, civilised norms.

A life where you dont dream of expressing yourself with a stone.

That is a life the rest of India will not let Kashmir slip into.

Let Pakistan implode. We will not let Srinagar turn into another Kabul.

Or indeed, another Lashkar-e-Lahore.

Also Read:The 'independence' debit card at the Bank of Kashmir
Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) erupted in a big way condemning Thursdays Tinsukia killings with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday turning her social media display picture black as a mark of solidarity with the Assam victims families and lambasting the BJP for injecting fear in every household of the country.

Five people of Bengali community were brutally gunned down by unknown assailants at Tinsukia on Thursday evening.

While the CPI(M) took out a rally on Friday evening TMC MP and Abhishek Banerjee led a huge rally in the noon demanding Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonwals resignation for presiding over a Government of killers and failing to protect the lives of innocent, hapless people.

The TMC leaders tweeted in solidarity, on Protest day to condemn the brutal killings of Bengalis by a State ruled by the BJP we are turning out Twitter/FB DPs into black, adding street protests would continue throughout Bengal even as an embarrassed BJP leadership wondered why the Trinamool and the Left were making an issue out of the incident as the Assam Government has taken prompt action over the issue.

Calling the Thursdays killings as an extension of Assam Governments NRC drive the Bengal Chief Minister said the people who were killed on Thursday belong to the poorest of the poor section of the society wondering whether the killings were a direct fallout of the animosity provoked by the NRC drive in that State.

The BJP was driving out the Biharis from Gujarat, Bengalis and UP wallahs from Assam so that it had become difficult to survive peacefully in ones own country, Banerjee alleged saying her party would always remain by the side of the victims of such mass extraditions.

Under this Government (in Centre) India is in the grip of fear. Every household is in fear. There is fear of demonetisation, there is fear of murder like the one happened in Tinsukia, the fear of being ejected in the name of NRC, the fear of central Agencies, Banerjee said.

Attacking the BJP for creating a rift among the people of the country the Chief Minister said those who were talking about nationalism and unity of the country were actually trying to divide its citizens along the lines of religion, caste, language.

Her nephew and party MP Abhishek Banerjee who led the Fridays rally too demanded immediate halt in persecution of Bengalis in Assam saying there is a clear BJP hand in the Assam killings. The fact of the matter is that the Chief Minister of that State who had led the NRC movement should immediately resign for failing to protect the lives of the innocent citizens.

CPI(M) which also took out an impressive rally on Friday evening said the party would continue to carry out protest movements against the BJPs divisive politics. Ever since the BJP has come to power either in Delhi or in Assam or anywhere the places concerned have seen killings like this. These are no ordinary political murders but they contain communal and sectarian venom which may have far reaching effect, CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakrabarty said.
After its strained relation with the judiciary for a long time, the Centre has surprised Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi by taking a few hours to approve the Supreme Court Collegiums recommendation to appoint four judges to the apex court. Justices Hemant Gupta, R Subhash Reddy, MR Shah and Ajay Rastogi were sworn in by the CJI on Friday two days after the SC Collegium sent its recommendation to the Law Ministry.

The CJI could not hide his surprise over the alacrity shown by the Centre. We sent the recommendations at about 11 am on Wednesday and on Wednesday evening, when I was informed that the medical (test of the judges to be elevated) has been done, I myself was very shocked. I couldnt believe it. I said what you are saying. I am as much in awe as you are, the CJI said in an informal chat with journalists covering the apex court.

With the induction of the new judges, the strength of the Supreme Court has now risen to 28 against a sanctioned strength of 31.

After the swearing-in, CJI Gogoi and Justice SA Bobde visited the press lounge of the Supreme Court to have an informal interaction with the journalists covering court news for various print and electronic media. It was during the interaction that the Chief Justice expressed his admiration for the swift manner in which the appointments were done.

I was surprised by the unprecedented speed with which the Government cleared the names of four judges within 48 hours of the collegium recommending their names, the CJI said.

In the case of Justice KM Joseph, the Centre had dragged its decision for months, before returning his name through an unprecedented act of splitting the SC recommendation to notify only the appointment of Justice Indu Malhotra.

The CJI also said that 14 benches of two judges each will sit on Mondays and Fridays for faster disposal of cases to curb the pendency.

The CJI also acknowledged that the appointment of Justice Dave as acting CJ of Gujarat HC instead of Justice Qureshi happened by an oversight and that the mistake was corrected soon as it was realised.

During interaction, the CJI also revealed plans to give translated copies of SC judgments to litigants in their mother tongue if they are unable to understand English.

The Union Law Ministry had notified the appointments of Justices Hemant Gupta, Ajay Rastogi, MR Shah and R Subhash Reddy late on Thursday night. While Justice Gupta was the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Justice Reddy was the Gujarat High Courts chief justice. Justice Shah was the chief justice of the Patna High Court and Justice Rastogi was the chief justice of the Tripura High Court.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday mounted a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Rafale deal and also claimed that his industrialist friend Anil Ambani received a kickback of Rs 284 crore from the French firm Dassault Aviation in the jet fighter purchase deal.

The Anil Ambani- headed Reliance group has flayed Rahul and said he has once again resorted to blatant lies and distorted facts to unleash an unwarranted campaign of calumny and falsehoods.

Rahul alleged that the CEO of Dassault Aviation gave Rs 284 crore to loss-making Reliance Group of Ambani. He also alleged that CBI chief Alok Verma was recently removed as he wanted to investigate the deal.

Without naming anyone in his second consecutive Press conference, Rahul said the CEO of the French aviation firm, Eric Trappier, is lying because he is shielding the only one man  the one who is running the country.

Rahul quoted Trappier in media reports saying the reason Ambanis firm was given the offset contract and not state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was that it had land for the project.

Rahul alleged that the land was purchased by Ambanis company with the money that Dassault gave.

Reliance group has, however, said Congress president is engaging in falsehood and there are no substance in any of the charges of kickback he has levelled against Anil Ambani.

The Gandhi scion reiterated his attack on the PM and said the Rafale deal is an open and shut case. It was a partnership between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani, Rahul said

The Dassault CEO had said the reason HAL wasnt given the contract was because Anil had land. Now it turns out that the land that Anil had was purchased by money given by Dassault, Rahul said at AICC Press conference.

Rahul said the PM is having sleepless nights fearing action if a probe was conducted into the Rafale deal.

Trashing Rahuls allegations, Reliance said Congress is distorting facts to mount an unwarranted campaign against the company for political gains. In a statement, Reliance said the company and its chief Anil were continuously being dragged into a political battle in view of the impending state and general elections.

Dassaults investment in Reliance Airport Developers Limited (RADL) has no link whatsoever with the Rafale contract between the Government of India and France on a Government-to-Government basis, where all 36 aircraft are to be exported from France. This investment is an independent arms-length transaction based on fair market valuation of the land and other assets of the Company, and the future business potential in the airports and related infrastructure sector, Reliance group said in a statement.

It also claimed that the RADL transaction was completed in full compliance with applicable FDI and all other rules & regulations and the information has been disclosed in the public domain since December 2017 onwards, nearly a year ago.

The Congress party has falsely alleged that the funds invested in RADL have been used for the purchase of land at Mihan, Nagpur for the Dassault-Reliance 49:51 JV, the statement said, adding,  The payment for the land at MIHAN, Nagpur, Maharashtra was made from 2015 to 2017, much before the investment by Dassault in RADL..

Congress has been alleging that the Government had put pressure on Dassault Aviation to make Reliance its offset partner for the deal. Dassault Aviation has chosen Reliance Defence as one of its partners in India to fulfill the offset obligations of the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal.
RJD boss Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devis elder son Tej Pratap Yadav wants to divorce his wife of less than six months  Aishwarya Rai.

Tej, a former Minister, filed a plea in the principal judge court in the Patna civil court on Thursday through his lawyer Prabha Devi. He accused his wife of mental torture.

Aishwarya, the granddaughter of former Chief Minister Daroga Rai and daughter of former Minister Chandrika Rai, was wedded to Tej on May 12 at a grand function that was attended by leaders of different parties in presence of Lalu, who was on bail at that time.

The relations between the two, sources said, were anything but cordial and two months back there were reports that they had a fight after that she left his house and returned to her parents home.

The Lalu family had then denied the report. The RJD MLA from Parsa, Chandrika Rai, did not pick the phone to confirm it.

After getting this disturbing news Lalu, who is getting treatment at RIMS in Ranchi under judicial custody, summoned Tej, who left for Ranchi and expected to meet his father on Saturday. This must be a great setback to Lalu, who is already deeply worried over the clash of interest between his two sons Tej and Tejashwi Prasad who is running the party affairs in absence of Lalu.
Congress party National Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Thursday charged that chit fund fraud worth Rs 5000 crores occurred in Chhattisgarh during the BJP rule in the State.

Despite FIRs were lodged, no action was being taken in order to recover the money invested by citizens of the State, he said while addressing a press conference here.

Surjewala said the State Government had become mute spectator and in the past nine years, right under the nose of Government around 161 chit fund companies looted the hard earned money of around one crore people of the State, he charged.

A fraud worth more than Rs 5000 crore was committed in which 20 lakh families and one lakh agents were duped. The fraud had claimed 57 lives and even after more than 300 FIRs lodged, not a single penny was recovered from fraudsters, he said.

Surjewala further charged that these fraud chit fund companies were given space in Government sponsored Rojgar Melas (Employment fairs) of which invitation cards were also distributed by concerned District Employment Officers of districts.

State Home Minister Ramsevak Paikra had participated in the programmes of Sunshine and BPN companies and, he charged.

People were misled and they thought that the companies are associated with the BJP government and they reposed trust on them, Surjewala charged.
Though polls are not knocking at their doorsteps right now, host of parties into different camps are already in a yatra mode, often seen as affair taking place just before or even during the polls.

Besides the lead Opposition party JMM, the party sharing power with the BJP-AJSU, has also hit the streets through its Swabhiman Yatra while JVM is also to follow the suit soon.

Quite understandably the ruling BJP discards the exercise as nothing but a drama, the direct contact programme is seemingly a lease of life for the others.

At the conclusion of the second leg of his Sangharsh yatra at Gumlas Sisai Maidan on Friday, JMM executive president and Leader of the Opposition Hemant Soren appealed to the people to uproot the incumbent Government.

Similar were the tunes of AJSU chief Sudesh Mahto who despite being inside the Government is missing no opportunity to launch scathing attack on it criticising one of the pet schemes Dova construction.

He also during the Swabhiman Yatra has pulled up the BJP for playing divisive politics at the cost of adivasi and moolvasis.

Insiders suggest that no where during the Yatra any shape of so called Mahagathbandhan or grand alliance have come to fore.

The exercise is to rejoin with roots and people and revise the links well ahead as the atmosphere is building up for the next poll.

Along with examining the links with the people, the JMM is also looking to test its strengths away from its home ground Santhal Pargana. Gumla has been chosen under this strategy.

Along with putting pressure on the Government it is also an attempt to keep partners like Congress, RJD, JVM guessing since this is going to play a crucial role when the seat sharing formula would be decided, said a senior JMM leader.

The JMM is in agreement with Congress and others into the anti-BJP camp to fight the polls under one umbrella first during the Lok Sabha polls due early next year followed by Assembly polls.

Though the Hemant Soren-led party has given reigns into the hands of the Congress for the Lok Sabha elections, it has been assured to lead the State polls due lately in 2019.

The commitment is there but we have to make ourselves poll-ready and compatible enough to bargain best deal possible for us.

The JMM leadership has perceived that pan-Jharkhand presence is required if the party wants to play the pivot during upcoming polls.

That is way the yatra is going to cover all over Jharkhand regardless of the seats we are expected to get or otherwise, said JMM general secretary Suprio Bhattacharya.

Similar is the attempt of AJSU that in recent times has seen sharp erosion in its hold losing bye-polls one after the other.

Any party does not want to play second fiddle to the other all the time.

We need to resurrect ourselves if the AJSU is to be considered as potent force and command respect, said AJSUs Deo Sharan Bhagat.

Moreover, the BJP is sounding indifferent to all this and picked up holes into this yatra politics.

JMM is befooling the people.This yatra is bewakuuf banao yatra.

The party should first answer why this is playing into the hands of the Congress which has been denigrating tribal leaders, said State BJP spokesperson Pratull Shahdeo.
Russias DIA files $108.2 million lawsuit against ex-heads of Renaissance bank

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

12:59 02/11/2018

MOSCOW, November 2 (RAPSI)  Russias Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) has filed a lawsuit with the Moscow Commercial Court seeking to recover 7.1 billion rubles ($108.2 million) from five persons, formerly in control of Renaissance bank, the DIAs statement reads.

Following examination of Renaissance bankruptcy, the DIA found that these persons provided credits to nominal legal entities and people incapable of paying debts back.

The DIA also found that at some point there was an alienation of the banks securities and monetary assets with no compensation, causing damage to Renaissance and preventing repayment of its debts to creditors. The DIA noted that these circumstances serve as grounds for recovery of assets from the people formerly in control of the bank.

Renaissance bank was declared bankrupt by the Moscow Commercial Court in February 2016.
In view of the Supreme Court's ban on illegal selling and storing of firecrackers without a license, one person was arrested for allegedly storing 625 kgs of firecrackers illegally in West Delhi's Tilak Nagar, police revealed Friday.

"As per the directions of Supreme Court of India, several teams were formed in West District to take action against illegal storage of firecrackers. The team of Tilak Nagar police station, acting on information, conducted a raid and recovered a total of 625 kgs of fire crackers, being stored without license at Tilak Nagar," Deputy Commissioner (West) Monika Bhardwaj stated.

According to police, the accused was identified as Vashinder Singh, resident of Tilak Nagar. An FIR was registered under Explosives Act 1884 and sections 336 and 286 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) were registered in Tilak Nagar police station. "This is the third case registered in Tilak Nagar police station within the last three days. Earlier, 490 kgs and 75 kgs of illegal firecrackers have also been recovered in two separate operations," said the DCP.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the Statue of Unity, the worlds tallest statue representative of true unity of the nation, in Gujarat on Friday.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani welcomed Yogi Adityanath and accompanied him during his visit and briefed him about the statue and adjoining attractions, which include the Valley of Flowers, Tent City, Sardar Museum and the Wall of Unity.

Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and said that this tallest statue of the Sardar had become a global identity of the nation.

This, worlds tallest statue of Sardar Patel, is a befitting tribute to the true Sardar of this country, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened the doors to the path of development by providing irrigation water to farmers, as imagined by Sardar Patel. This statue has opened up the opportunities for guides by developing it as a tourist spot, Yogi said.

On the occasion, Narmada Nigam CMD SS Rathore, Narmada Nigam joint administrative manager Sandip Kumar, district collector SR Ninama, district development officer, deputy forest conservator, chief engineer of Nigam and other officials were present.
The representatives of political parties handed over a memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) O P Rawat regarding problems being faced by them mainly concerning the election campaign in Chhattisgarh on Thursday.

The representatives also came up with various suggestions regarding the conduct of Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh for the CEC.

Rawat is on a two-day visit to the State as part of the final round of preparations before the polls scheduled in the first phase on November 12.

The representatives of political parties held discussions on a wide range of issues including law and order, implementation of Model Code of Conduct, EVM-VVPAT and monitoring of election expenditure among other issues.

CEC O P Rawat explained in detail about various poll procedures and also sought clarification from political parties on several issues.

Representatives of Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Janata Congress Chhattisgarh among others were present.
The Delhi Government is all set to install CCTV cameras to ensure the safety and security across the Capital after the approval of work advisory board Rs 571 crore project. In the first phase, 1.4 lakh cameras to be installed in November month only.

Incidentally, the proposal for installing CCTV cameras, which became a bone of contention between Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and the ruling AAP, was passed by the Delhi Cabinet in August.

This may recalled, the Delhi Legislative Assembly also passed a resolution demanding immediate removal of Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, accusing him of acting on behalf of the BJP Government at the Centre and trying to block the CCTV project.

Kejriwal also hit out at the Centre, which controls the Delhi Police, over rising crime against women across the national Capital.

The Home Ministry, PM office, Lieutenant Governor and police have failed in providing security to people of Delhi, Kejriwal said earlier, adding that CCTV cameras would deter crime in the city.

The project was embroiled in a controversy with L-G Anil Baijal forming a committee to frame rules for installation, operation and monitoring of CCTV cameras. The AAP had slammed the move as delaying tactics. Picking holes in the committee formed by the L-G, the Chief Minister said it had recommended license for installing CCTV cameras.

It means money will have to be paid for getting the licenses, he said.

The Project was given in principal approval to the CCTV camera project by the Delhi Government in October, 2015.With the help of officers, they moved files in a way that the installation of CCTV cameras was delayed by three years, Kejriwal said in the Assembly.

He asked the BJP legislators to ensure that the L-G creates no further hurdles in the implementation of the project. The estimated cost of the project by the Public Works Department (PWD) of Delhi Government is Rs 571.40 crore. It includes a capital cost of Rs 320.96 crore and maintenance cost of Rs 250.44 crore for a period of five years.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is set to lay the foundation stone of a pedestal, during Diwali at Ayodhya, on which the much-awaited 107-metre statue of Lord Ram will be installed.

The height of the statue will be 151 metres as it will be installed on a 44-metre pedestal on the bank of the river Saryu and will be part of Tourism departments Naya Ayodhya project.

An official said in Lucknow on Friday that the actual place where the statue would be installed was yet to be decided but it would not be very far away from the river Saryu.

Yogi Adityanath on his visit to Ayodhya on November 6 will lay the foundation stone of the pedestal and the statue will be installed later, the official disclosed.

The statue will be built at a cost of Rs 330 crore. It will be made of bronze and a sculptor from Noida is working on it.

The government also plans to construct a museum near the statue. It will have an art gallery and an auditorium. The museum and the art gallery will depict the life of Lord Ram, while the auditorium will host Ramlilas by different troupes of the country, according to the official.
State BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo on Friday termed Congress party as the master of use and throw.

The BJP leader was reacting to Congress State president Dr Ajoy Kumar's statement in which he had said that Madhu Koda has not joined the Congress.

He contradicted his own big announcement from a platform yesterday, where in Madhu Koda and his entire party was included in the party by Ajoy Kumar.

However, now the Congress leader has claimed that the Madhu Kodas party has merged with Congress but Madhu Koda personally did not join the party.

Terming the whole episode ridiculous, Shahdeo expressed his utter surprise that though the party has merged But the partys president did not join it. The episode seems like a joke.

Shahdeo said though Dr Ajoy Kumar is refusing that Koda joined the party but his party's Chaibasa Lok Sabha in-charge Rama Khalkho is saying that the Congress will become stronger by the arrival of Madhu Koda. He said that Madhu Koda himself is claiming that he joined Congress but Dr Kumar is not ready to accept it.

This whole episode shows how tribal leaders are treated by the Congress. Shahdeo said that Oppositions forum is nothing but bunch of confused parties. He added that though the Congress President declared Geeta Koda as the candidate from Chaibasa but another ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha says that no such decision has been taken. There are many seats, including Chatra, Hazaribagh, Lohardaga, Palamu, Koderma, Dumka, Dhanbad, where two or three groups are fighting to field their candidates.

He said that opposition parities are gripped with differences.

The BJP spokesperson said that in the forthcoming elections the voters will reject the opposition parties.
A wanted criminal carrying a reward of Rs 10000 was nabbed by Jehangirabad police; accused was charged with cow slaughter prohibition Act and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act as he was carrying cow in truck on October 14 in Indore.

The miscreant was nabbed from Jehangirabad area on Thursday and sharp edged weapon was recovered from his possession. According to the police, absconding miscreants Mohammad Aslam of Jehangirabad who escaped from Indore while he was carrying cow in truck bearing registration number MP 04 GA 0285 when it was checked by Rajendra Nagar police on October 14.

The police registered a case under sections 4, 6, 9 of the Cow Slaughter Prohibition Act 2004, 6, 7, 11 of MP Krishik Pashu Parirakshan Adhiniyam, 1959 and section 11 of the Animal Cruelty Act 1960 and section 429 of the IPC and started investigation. It was found that the miscreant is a resident of Bhopal. The accused managed to remain absconding and later a reward of Rs 10000 was declared on providing details of the whereabouts of the absconding accused.

During the investigation Bhopal police were informed and raids were conducted at house and probable places where accused could hide. On Thursday Jehangirabad police got information that accused is roaming in the area and acting swiftly he was nabbed.

The truck which was used to carry cows was seized and investigation based on the details of the vehicle has been started. The Indore police are investigating that the role of the owner of the truck.
Joint Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Narwal has informed that the Election Commission of India will honour individuals and organisations by presenting awards under 7 categories for their state level outstanding election activities-2018. Under the General Category, District Election Officer, Superintendent of Police, Returning officer, Assistant Returning Officer, ERO, AERO and BLO will be honoured with awards for their outstanding performance during the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Election-2018.

Awards will be presented to Chief Executive Officer of district Panchayat, Commissioner of Municipal Corporations, Deputy District Election Officer, SVEEP Nodal Officer, Master Trainer, Officers of the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Employees, other Government Officers and employees under the special category.

Under the Best Division Award Category, Divisional Commissioner and Inspector General of Police will be honoured with awards.

Similarly, Government Department, Government Agency and Public Undertaking will be awarded under the State Level Best Government SVEEP Partner Award. The Non-Government Organisation and Agency will be honoured with Non-Government SVEEP Partner awards.

Under the Best Media Partner Award, media and social media agencies will be awarded and also awards will be instituted to encourage the efforts of Officers, Employees, Government Departments, Non-Government Organisations, Media Agencies, Social Media Agencies for District Level Best Election Activities.

For all the awards, nomination will be made on the basis of categories like Election Management, SVEEP activities, IT related activities, Law and Order Management, Electoral roll management, convenient voting arrangement and innovative activities.

The officers, employees and organizations are required to send information for nomination in the prescribed format to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officers by December 15. Winners will be selected for awards by the Committee and will be approved finally by the Chief Electoral Officer.

The awards will be presented at the progarmme to be held on the National Voters Day 2019.
The All India Federation of General Insurance Pensioners held its office-bearers meeting at Puri recently.

The delegates expressed immense displeasure that the Union Government was only giving 15 per cent of the pension amount to the widows of the deceased pensioners; while under similar circumstances the widows of other Central Government employee are getting 30 per cent of the pension amount.

A resolution was unanimously passed with a decision that the widows of the deceased pensioners along with women pensioners will stage a peaceful demonstration.

The delegates also appealed to the managements of the non-life insurance companies to revisit their pension arrangement with the LIC which has been unscrupulously designed to benefit the LIC most at the cost of non-life companies.

The federation also appealed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to implement reservation of seats for the senior citizens in both Government and private buses as has been done in Maharashtra.

Federation Odisha unit president Ashok Behari Mahapatra and secretary Bijay Sahoo under stewardship of insurance think-tank Rajendra Prasad Samal would take up the matter with the CM.
Extending the much-awaited relief to Uttar Pradesh government employees during Diwali, the Yogi Adityanath government has issued orders to distribute Diwali bonus to around 14 lakh non-gazetted state employees.

In an attempt to pacify the state employees, who are on a war path over their demand for revival of old pension scheme, the government decided to distribute bonus.

The government also announced additional dearness allowances (DA) for all government employees and pensioners from July, 2018. There are around 18 lakh state employees and pensioners who will be benefitted.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had approved the bonus and DA on Thursday night and the government orders were issued on Friday, official sources here said.

The employees would receive bonus for 30 days this year, estimated to be around Rs 7,000 but actually they will actually get Rs 6,908.

Employees, whose grade pay is less than Rs 5,400, will be eligible for bonus, including employees of local bodies, panchayats and even daily-waged workers.

While 75 per cent of the bonus will be deposited in the provident fund account of the employees and remaining 25 per cent will be paid in cash before Diwali. The daily-waged worker will get Rs 1,184 as bonus.

The UP government will have to bear an additional financial burden of Rs 982 crore for extending this benefit to the employees, a senior official in the Department Finance department bonus said.

As for the additional 9 per cent bonus, while the arrears will be deposited in the PF account of the employees, the ADA will be paid to the employees from the November salary which they will receive in December, 2018.

The state government will have to bear Rs 2,000 crore an additional burden bonus on ADA to be paid to the state employees and pensioners.
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The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to challenge the verdict of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court ordering a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the irregularities in the examination to recruit 68,500 assistant teachers in government primary schools.

The government will also challenge the High Court order quashing the appointment of 12,460 assistant teachers by the previous Samajwadi Party government in December, 2016.

The government will first approach the division bench of the Allahabad High Court and if we do not get any relief, we will move the Supreme Court, a senior official told The Pioneer here on Friday.

Additional Chief Secretary (Primary Education) Prabhat Kumar on Thursday apprised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of the courts direction for a CBI probe and the CM directed him to protect the interests of the assistant teachers, who had passed the test and had joined duty.

Sources said that against recruitment of 68,500 assistant teachers, the government has issued appointment letters to more than 40,000 successful candidates.

Similarly, of the 12,460 teachers recruited in December 2016, over 6,000 have joined their duties.

The official said that as the High Court had only ordered a CBI probe and had not stalled the recruitment process, the ongoing process would not be stopped.

Our contention is that there is no need of a CBI probe in this case as it was not a criminal act and already the state government had gone for a probe into the entire process, the official said.

Earlier, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the irregularities in selection of 68,500 assistant teachers in 2018 for the government-run primary schools in the state.

The court had also set aside recruitment of 12,460 assistant teachers made by the previous Samajwadi Party government.

Both the verdict were passed by a single judge bench of Justice Irshad Ali.
Delhi-based journalist Abhijit Iyer Mitra on Friday appeared before the House Committee of Odisha Assembly for the second time over an alleged breach of privilege of the legislators.

He was asked to be present before the panel again on Saturday as he failed to submit an affidavit for his remarks against the members of the Assembly.

Earlier, Mitra had appeared before the House Committee on October 23 for an inquiry into the breach of privilege. He had signed the paper containing his statements over the allegations. The panel headed by Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra had asked him to appear before it on November 2.

Mitra is currently lodged at the Jharpada jail in Bhubaneswar for allegedly abusing Odisha culture and derogatory remarks against the Konark Sun Temple.

Notably, Mitra was arrested by the Bhubaneswar police soon after his appearance before the House Committee on October 23. The Konark police had taken him on remand for interrogation on his abusive remarks against the Sun Temple. After completion of the remand, he was again sent to the Jharpada jail.
Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal on Friday said Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) is the backbone of our economy and all out efforts are being made to strengthen it.

"The agriculture sector is primary in raw production and MSME plays significant role in its production and ensuring its reach to the consumer. Therefore, these sectors are being promoted rapidly," he said.

Addressing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises  Support and Outreach organized at Sonipat, Manohar Lal said that there are one lakh MSMEs in Haryana in which about eight to ten lakh people are employed. The MSMEs also play significant role in export.

On this occasion, the address of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was telecast directly through video conferencing. Earlier, the Chief Minister said that under 100 Days Programme, four clusters of Haryana have been selected including Sonipat, Panipat, Manesar and Faridabad.

The chief minister said Samadhan Council has been constituted to redress the grievances related to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) under which 1100 cases were disposed off and Rs 544 crore was awarded. Similarly, cluster development scheme has been implemented under which 70 per cent funds would be provided by the Central Government. He said that 12 clusters are active in the state. A Mini Cluster Development Scheme has been prepared for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) with turnover up to Rs two crore, he added.

He said government jobs are limited and ever year opportunities are created for 15,000 government jobs whereas about two lakh youth get ready every year for jobs and MSMEs play significant role in providing jobs to youth.

The chief minister said skilled youth are required in MSMEs for which Skill University has been established at Palwal. He announced that new MSME Policy would be released by January 31, next year so as to provide more facilities to the MSMEs.
Palamu police arrested a weaponless zonal commander of Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) Chhote Lal Yadav alias Chhote Yadav on Thursday November 1 evening at Kutti More on Ramgarh Chainpur road and remanded him to judicial custody on Friday November 2.

Much this zonal commander Yadav remained weaponless he had a hefty cash reward of rupees 10 lakh on his head.

On being asked that a JJMP ultra has 10L on his head SP Palamu Indrajeet Mahatha explained  Yadav joined CPI Maoist in 2008. His naxal activities went up and up. He was involved in setting afire a SI of police then OC of Bhandarya police station in 2012, attacked one MLA, fought with Palamu police etc. The state Home department notified 10L on his head when he was a Maoist which he remained till 2012.

SP further added  In 2012 Yadav left CPI Maoist and joined JJMP. His activities remained the same. The state Home department reviewed his reward on head and decided not to scale it down and so this man in his early thirties carries a reward of 10L.

Yadav has 13 cases. Three cases are in Palamus Ramgarh and Chainpur police station. 10 cases against him are in 3 police stations of Garhwa district Chiniya, Dandai and Bhandarya.

SP said his arrest came with little of exercise but the exercise was precise and meticulous. ASP ( Ops)Arun K Singh was pressed into this. It was he and his team that got him, added the SP.

Yadav and one murder accused Sanjay Yadav were on a bike which the police knew and accordingly a plan was chalked out to intercept him.

SP said police saw the two on bike and asked them to stop. Here the two hastened to retreat which resulted in the fall of Yadav from the bike and by the time Yadav could have taken care of himself and the cops were on him. Sanjay escaped. Police seized the registration less number bike.

SP said Yadav is also an accused of murdering his own JJMP ultra Chanchal in a fight for supremacy and better grip on JJMP.
National President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Amit Shah will be visiting Raipur on Sunday to declare the party's poll manifesto titled Sankalpa-Patra for Chhattisgarh.

On the other hand, Prime Minister and star campaigner of the party Narendra Modi will arrive for campaigning in Bastars district headquarters town Jagdalpur onNovember 9.

This was informed by Chairman of Raipur Development Authority, Sanjay Shrivastava and State Vice President of the party and former Chairman of Raipur Municipal Corporation, Sunil Soni at a press conference here on Friday.

The two BJP leaders claimed that the party had jumped into the poll fray with the development plank and this would be highlighted in the election manifesto.

We have a number of achievements of past 15 years to show and we will once again demand mandate from the people of the state, they said.

Replying to a query about infighting in the party after the announcement of partys poll candidates, the leaders said all the dissidents of the party have been pacified.
Executive director of Bangarra Dance Theatre Philippe Magid talks to Asmita Sarkar about how performance art can broaden perspectives and his attempt at being an aboriginal voice

Performance art can traverse continents, bridge differences among communities and trace commonalities but there is a delicate balance that needs to be maintained with respect to the imperative of politics and culture diplomacy. However, that doesnt mean that one would stop trying. There is work to be done in Australia in giving the right space to the Aboriginal people, who gained voting rights only in 1976. They then pushed for land rights and recently a change in the constitution was sought but we didnt have the opportunity to vote on that. The government has been slow to take initiatives but we try through Bangarra Dance Theatre to make indigenous culture accessible, not political but educational. Thats what were trying to demonstrate. If you find the right balance, you can really broaden peoples mind and connect. India could do with that too, said Philippe Magid, executive director of the dance company that had started 30 years ago with the aim to showcase only traditional performance art of the first nation people of Australia.

Performance art can bring people together and Bangarra is the purest form of reconciliation. We focus on inclusion, changing perceptions and making people understand the oldest living culture in the world needs to be honoured, he said.

During their India tour, they connected with the tribes of India in Mizoram, Bengals Purulia district and Madhya Pradesh. In the last, they did a workshop with the forest-dwelling community of Baigas, who are spread across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. They also met the Attakkalari dance company in Bengaluru. He mentioned that the workshops could lead to collaborations in the future. We taught traditional aboriginal dance and Torres traditional dance. It was about the cultural exchange through dance theory and movement. In fact, a contemporary choreographer in Northeast was interested in working with us in the future, he said.

The multi-city tour was part of the companys commitment to Asia for a cultural exchange. After India, they will be visiting Japan, and spending more time in Asia next year.

The performance they brought to India was a mix of contemporary and traditional performance art from different indigenous communities of mainland Australia and Torres Strait islands apart from their older creations that date as far back to 1996. What stood out most were the narrative-based stories of creation. Their style is grounded in the earth unlike ballet, which is more up in the air. They dont just mix the contemporary with the traditional, the preferred word for folk, they also let the latter shine through between sections. Their specific style evolved over a period of 30 years and has become sought after because of the innovations they factored in.

One of the stories performed was from 2007, about the artist Nyapanyapa Yunupingu, who is a famous indigenous artist Down Under, and is an exploration of how she paints. We show smoke in an evocative way, which in aboriginal culture is used as a cleansing medium. There are three sections in which we work with clay that is used to paint the dancers body. One of them is a traditional male dance, warrior style and it transitions womans story, which is ethereal and beautiful. Another creation story called Moth, is about its unravelling from a cocoon, Magid said.

He added, We are deliberately increasing the number of community engagement activities to set a benchmark for future. Were proud to share the resilience and strength of Australias First Nation people with other indigenous communities and groups and are looking forward to continue our tradition globally.
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American Renal Associates Holdings, Inc. operates as a dialysis services provider in the United States. It operates dialysis clinics focusing on joint venture partnerships with physicians. The company offers kidney dialysis services to patients suffering from chronic kidney failure or end stage renal disease. As of December 31, 2019, it operated 246 dialysis clinics in partnership with 400 nephrologist partners treating approximately 17,300 patients in 27 states and the District of Columbia. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts.

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Countryside Properties PLC operates as a home builder and urban regeneration partner in the United Kingdom. It operates through two segments, Partnerships and Housebuilding. The Partnerships segment specializes in the urban regeneration of public sector land that delivers private, affordable, and private rented sector homes in partnership with local authorities and housing associations. This segment also develops brownfield land in the Midlands, the North West of England, and Yorkshire. The Housebuilding segment delivers homes to local owner occupiers; and develops primarily private and affordable homes located in outer London and the home counties. The company also offers estate management services. It has a total land bank of 42,000 plots. The company was formerly known as Hackplimco (No. 121) plc and changed its name to Countryside Properties PLC in January 2016. Countryside Properties PLC was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Brentwood, the United Kingdom.

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DowDuPont Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in agriculture, materials science, and specialty products businesses in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company's Agriculture segment produces, and sells hybrid corn seed and soybean seed varieties; sunflowers, wheat, alfalfa, canola, cotton, rice, and sorghum; silage inoculants; and crop protection products that include weed control, disease control, and insect control. Its Performance Materials & Coatings segment manufactures and sells architectural paints and coatings, and industrial coatings; performance monomers and silicones; standalone silicones; and home and personal care solutions. The company's Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure segment offers ethylene oxides, propylene oxide derivatives, cellulose ethers, redispersible latex powders, and acrylic emulsions; sustainable solutions; and chlorine and caustic soda. Its Packaging & Specialty Plastics segment provides ethylene, and propylene and aromatic products; and polyolefin elastomers and ethylene propylene diene monomer rubbers. The company's Electronics & Imaging segment offers materials and systems for mobile devices, television monitors, personal computers, and electronics. Its Nutrition & Biosciences segment provides specialty ingredients, as well as cellulosic- and alginates-based pharma excipients; and enzymes, biomaterials, biocides, and antimicrobial solutions and process technologies. The company's Transportation & Advanced Polymers segment offers engineering resins, adhesives, lubricants, and parts for transportation, electronics, healthcare, industrial, and consumer end-markets. Its Safety & Construction segment provides engineered products and integrated systems for construction, worker safety, energy, oil and gas, transportation, medical device, and water purification and separation industries. The company was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Midland, Michigan.

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8 hours ago

Vietnamese workers at Chinese factory in Serbia cry for help

ZRENJANIN, Serbia (AP)  They are shivering in barracks without heat, going hungry and have no money. They say their passports have been taken by their Chinese employer and that they are now stuck in a grim plainland in Serbia with no help from local authorities.

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Augusta Gold Corp., a junior exploration company, engages in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in the United States. It primarily explores for gold, silver, and other metals. The company holds interests in the Bullfrog gold project located in the north-west of Las Vegas, Nevada. It also owns, controls, or has acquired mineral rights on Federal patented and unpatented mining claims in the state of Nevada for the purpose of exploration and potential development of metals on a total of approximately 7,800 acres of land. The company was formerly known as Bullfrog Gold Corp. and changed its name to Augusta Gold Corp. in January 2021. Augusta Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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Knight Therapeutics Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, develops, acquires, in-licenses, out-licenses, markets, and distributes pharmaceutical and consumer health products, and medical devices in Canada and internationally. It offers Bijuva for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause in women with intact uterus; IMVEXXY to treat postmenopausal moderate to severe dyspareunia; IBSRELA for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation in adults; TRELSTAR to treat advanced prostate cancer and for pain associated with endometriosis; ILUVIEN for the treatment of vision loss due to diabetic macular oedema; and NERLYNX to treat early-stage breast cancer. The company also provides Burinex, for the treatment of edema associated with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, and renal disease, including the nephrotic syndrome; PROBUPHINE, to treat opioid addiction; and MOVANTIK for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation. In addition, it offers Vidaza to treat myelodysplastic syndrome; Abraxane for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma; Halaven to treat advanced or metastatic breast cancer; Lenvima for differentiated thyroid cancer, advanced renal cell cancer, and unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma; Ladevina to treat multiple myeloma; Zyvalix for metastatic prostate cancer; Karfib to treat relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma; Leprid for advanced prostate cancer; AmBisome and Cresemba to treat fungal infection; and Impavido for leishmaniasis. Further, the company provides Ursofalk to treat biliary cirrhosis; Salofalk for ulcerative colitis; Fibridoner to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; Toliscrin for severe acute or resistant chronic infections; and Tobradosa Haler for chronic lung infections. Additionally, it finances other life science companies; and invests in life sciences venture capital funds. The company was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

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Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in Asia, Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; And Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment provides mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, group retirement and savings products, and institutional asset management services through agents and brokers affiliated with the company, securities brokerage firms, and financial advisors pension plan consultants and banks. The Insurance and Annuity Products segment offers deposit and credit products; individual life, and individual and group long-term care insurance; and guaranteed and partially guaranteed annuity products through insurance agents, brokers, banks, financial planners, and direct marketing. The Corporate and Other segment is involved in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance businesses; and run-off reinsurance operations, including variable annuities, and accident and health. It also manages timberland and agricultural portfolios; and engages in insurance agency, portfolio and mutual fund management, mutual fund dealer, life and financial reinsurance, and fund management businesses. Additionally, the company holds and manages oil and gas properties; holds oil and gas royalties, and foreign bonds and equities; and provides investment management, counseling, advisory, and dealer services. Manulife Financial Corporation was incorporated in 1887 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Margaux Resources Ltd., a polymetallic exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in the Kootenay Arc in Southeastern British Columbia in Canada. The company primarily explores for zinc, gold, and tungsten deposits. It holds an option agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the Jackpot/Oxide, Ore Hill, Aspenex, Bayonne, Sheep Creek, Canex, and Old Timer properties located in Salmo, British Columbia. The company was formerly known as Carmen Energy Inc. and changed its name to Margaux Resources Ltd. in July 2013. Margaux Resources Ltd. was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Calgary, Canada.

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John Stuart Mill was a prominent public intellectual of the Victorian era. A popular figure in liberal circles, Mill wrote about economics, politics, and society. One of his contemporaries in London was Karl Marx. Marx lived in London at the same time as Stuart Mill did and, according to the historian Gertrude Himmelfarb, the two intellectuals never met despite many overlaps in their works.

Successive generations tried to turn Marx into a kind of prophet. Many Western intellectuals continue to overlook the many errors of his economic theory and, philosophy of history, ignoring the disastrous results when his ideas were put into practice.

Another place where Marxism remains strong is among some progressive Catholic clergy in Brazil. The good news is that Marxist influence via liberation theology is much less significant than it was in the past. As the Cardinal Archbishop of Sao Paulo Dom Odilo Scherer puts it, from an intellectual point of view, Christian Marxism is dead. Nevertheless, Brazilian Catholics continue to live under its shadow.

The pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI significantly strengthened the proliferation of a vibrant orthodox Catholicism decisively. Notwithstanding the still strong progressive outlook within the older ranks of the Brazilian Catholic clergy, we have witnessed a resurgence of Catholic conservatism in the last two decades.

Many people will be familiar with orthodox Catholic organizations such as Opus Dei and Communion and Liberation. Less well-known are groups like the Heralds of the Gospel, the Plinio Correa de Oliveira Institute (PCOI), the Monfort Association, the Flos Carmeli Studies, the Good Shepherd Institute, the Apostolic Administration of St. John Mary Vianney (AASJMV), the think-thank Permanency and, especially, the Don Bosco Center.

The oldest of these conservative Catholic organizations was the Brazilian Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) founded by Plinio Correa de Oliveira in 1960. His death in 1996 led to the groups falling out and the creation of two different organizations: PCOI and the Heralds of the Gospel. The Heralds were created by Monsignor Joao Scognamiglio Cla Dias while the PCOI was created by Correa de Oliveiras cousin, Adolpho Lindenberg. Both groups share a conservative outlook.

The Monfort Cultural Association was founded in 1983 by Orlando Fedeli. Some of his disciples created the Flos Carmeli Studies: a conservative Catholic think-thank which promotes the dissemination of Catholic thought and especially Catholicisms long history of opposition to leftism. As for the Good Shepherd Institute, its establishment was approved in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI with the mission to promote the Tridentine Mass, which has experienced growing popularity with the Brazilian laity.

The Apostolic Administration of St. John Mary Vianney is another excellent example of the consolidation of conservative Catholicism in Brazil. This group emerged from a group of priests and laity from the diocese of Campos that had formed the Union of St. John Mary Vianney, founded by the Bishop Emeritus of the diocese, Dom Antonio de Castro Mayer, in 1981, whose purpose was the celebration of the Mass of Pius V.

The Brazilian Catholic writer Gustavo Corcao founded the think-thank Permanency in the late 1960s in response to the spread of progressive and liberationist positions aiming the Brazilian Catholic clergy. After the death of Corcao in 1978, the organization went through a process of decay, but the growing popularity of conservative ideas in Brazil has allowed Permanency to reinvent itself as a publishing house of conservative Catholic books.

The Don Bosco Center may today be the most important Catholic conservative think-tank committed to lay education based on an orthodox conception of Catholic teachings. It has played a significant role in spreading Catholic teaching and translating books of orthodox Catholic writers into Portuguese. One of its most prominent members, Christina Tonietto, was elected congresswoman in the last general election in 2018.

At least two things are especially noteworthy in understanding these conservative Catholic groups. The first is the role of the leader and the second is the relationship of these organizations with the Catholic clergy. The first generation (TFP, Permanency, Monfort, and the AASJMV) arose in response to the advancement of liberation theology and other modes of Christian progressivism. All of them were centered on the figure of their creators (Correa de Oliveira, Corcao, Fedeli, and Dom Castro Mayer) and experienced a marked decline after their death. What also stands out is the relative distance of these groups concerning the Brazilian Catholic clergy.

Inverse tendencies characterize the second generation (the Heralds, IPOC, the Flos Carmeli, the Good Shepherd Institute, AASJMV in full communion with Rome, the refunded Permanency and the Don Bosco Center). The figure of the leader was replaced by a more de-centralized hierarchy and adapted to a social reality where the Internet became the central means of the propagation of ideas. The rapprochement between these groups and members of the clergy is also evident. Many prominent figures of modern Brazilian Catholicism have a formal or non-formal association with these groups, including priests and bishops.

Two of these groups  the Good Shepherd Institute and the AASJMV  are Vatican-recognized organizations managed by clergy whose purpose is the education of the laity. Also striking is the youth of their members. Most of them are between 18 and 30, who make up the majority of members of these organizations. This is a generation that has grown up in an environment in which information spread more quickly and decentralized. Above all, they were raised at the moment in which Benedict XVI was the leading theologian of the Catholic Church, and he still enjoys great popularity with the conservative Catholic youth in Brazil.

Many of the politically significant changes which have shaped Brazil over recent years have been shaped and are shaped by these conservative Catholic groups. That includes the last election of the populist candidate Jair Bolsonaro as president of Brazil.

The link between Bolsonaro and conservative Catholics may be overlooked because of the newly elected presidents popularity among evangelicals, but it would be a mistake to deny the connection. The first ones to rebel against the hegemony of the left over the cultural milieu were conservative Catholics. These Catholic groups were also the first ones to understand the power that the Internet has to bypass the control that the big media has on the diffusion of knowledge and information. When Bolsonaro emerged in the Brazilian political scene, he used the channels that had been developed by conservatives to spread his political message. Conservative Catholics were also partly responsible for shifting the political debate toward cultural issues. Moreover, when Bolsonaro had to give an intellectual structure to his political platform, Catholic intellectuals such as Olavo de Carvalho were the ones who helped him.

No doubt, many of these developments owe something to the fact that theological progressivism and liberationist thought have lost the hegemony it enjoyed two decades ago among Catholic clergy and many Catholic laities. The pastoral failures of progressivism and liberationism are very hard to deny. The outlook of orthodox and conservative Catholicism is thus one of optimism. Granted, a change will take time, but it is well underway.

Homepage photo credit: Papa Bento XVI durante missa na Basilica de Nossa Senhora Aparecida, no interior do estado de Sao Paulo, Brasil. Date:13 May 2007. Author: Valter Campanato/ABr. Wiki Commons.
Nuveen Connecticut Quality Municipal Income Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc. The fund is managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of Connecticut. The fund invests into undervalued municipal securities and other related investments the income from which is exempt from regular federal and Connecticut income taxes. It seeks to invest in investment grade securities with an average maturity of around 17 years. The fund employs fundamental analysis with a focus on bottom-up stock picking approach to create its portfolio. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against Standard & Poor's (S&P) Connecticut Municipal Bond Index and Standard & Poor's (S&P) National Municipal Bond Index. The fund was formerly known as Nuveen Connecticut Premium Income Municipal Fund. Nuveen Connecticut Quality Municipal Income Fund was formed on January 12, 1993 and is domiciled in the United States.

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Oasis Petroleum Inc., an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources in the United States. It operates through Exploration and Production(E&P), and Midstream segments. The E&P segment engages in the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties. The Midstream segment offers midstream services, such as natural gas gathering, compression, processing and, gas lift supply; crude oil gathering, terminaling, and transportation; produced and flowback water gathering, and disposal; and water distribution. As of December 31, 2020, the company had 401,766 net leasehold acres in the Williston Basin; and 24,396 net leasehold acres in the Permian Basin, as well as approximately 152.2 million barrels of oil equivalent of estimated net proved reserves. The company sells its crude oil and natural gas to refiners, marketers, and other purchasers that have access to pipeline and rail facilities. Oasis Petroleum Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and creditor and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its field sales force, advice centers, and online, as well as through independent insurance advisors and affinity relationships. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset, cash management, transaction banking, and treasury services to institutional clients; correspondent banking and trade finance services for financial institutions; and short-term funding and liquidity management services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, governments, and central banks. Royal Bank of Canada has a strategic partnership with Royal College Of Physicians & Surgeons Of Canada to support the needs of Canada's medical specialists. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Royal Dutch Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company worldwide. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Oil Products, Chemicals segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. The company also markets and trades natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil, electricity, carbon-emission rights; and markets and sells LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and marine vessels. In addition, it trades in and refines crude oil and other feed stocks, such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, biofuel, lubricants, bitumen, and sulphur; produces and sells petrochemicals for industrial use; and manages oil sands activities. Further, the company produces base chemicals comprising ethylene, propylene, and aromatics, as well as intermediate chemicals, such as styrene monomer, propylene oxide, solvents, detergent alcohols, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. Royal Dutch Shell plc was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands.

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Surge Energy Inc. explores for, develops, and produces oil and gas in western Canada. The company holds interest in the Greater Sawn Lake assets located in Northern Alberta; Valhalla/Wembley property located in northwestern Alberta; Sparky assets located between Provost and Wainwright in eastern Alberta and western Saskatchewan; and Shaunavon properties located to the southwest of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. It holds an average working interest of approximately 83% in approximately 109,941 net developed acres and approximately 92% in approximately 152,344 net undeveloped acres in Greater Sawn area; approximately 70% in approximately 16,032 net developed acres and approximately 74% in approximately 8,208 net undeveloped acres in Valhalla area; and approximately 76% in approximately 80,213 net developed acres and 96% in approximately 58,598 net undeveloped acres in Sparky area; and approximately 61% in approximately 88,178 net developed acres and approximately 39% in approximately 10,483 net undeveloped acres in Edmonton and other minor areas. As of December 31, 2020, it held interests in 316 net oil and 13 net gas wells in Greater Sawn area; 56 net oil and 4 net gas wells in Valhalla area; 466 net oil and 10 net gas wells in Sparky area; 176 net oil wells, as well as an average working interest of approximately 100% in approximately 23,409 net developed acres and 13,698 net undeveloped acres in the Shaunavon properties; and 28 net oil wells and 7 net gas wells in Edmonton and other minor areas. The company was formerly known as Zapata Energy Corporation and changed its name to Surge Energy Inc. in June 2010. Surge Energy Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Vermilion Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas in North America, Europe, and Australia. It owns 81% working interest in 642,300 net acres of developed land and 87% working interest in 376,700 net acres of undeveloped land, and 613 net producing natural gas wells and 3,034 net producing oil wells in Canada; and 96% working interest in 248,900 net acres of developed land and 91% working interest in 222,100 net acres of undeveloped land in the Aquitaine and Paris Basins, and 325 net producing oil wells and 3.0 net producing gas wells in France. The company also owns 49% working interest in 930,000 net acres of land and 51 net producing natural gas wells in the Netherlands; and 36,900 net developed acres and 965,900 net undeveloped acres of land, and 61 net producing oil wells and 8 net producing natural gas wells in Germany. In addition, it owns offshore Corrib natural gas field located to the northwest coast of Ireland; and 100% working interest in the Wandoo offshore oil field and related production assets that covers 59,600 acres located on Western Australia's northwest shelf. Further, the company holds 138,000 net acres of land in the Powder River basin, and 136.6 net producing oil wells in the United States; and 951,200 net acres of land in Hungary, 244,900 net acres of land in Slovakia, and 2.4 million net acres of land in Croatia. Vermilion Energy Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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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.
KBR, Inc. engages in the provision of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program life-cycle within the government services and hydrocarbons industries. It operates through the following segments: Government Solutions, Technology Solutions, Energy Solutions, Non-strategic Business, and Other. The Government Solutions segment provides full life-cycle support solutions to defense, space, aviation, and other programs and missions for military and other government agencies. The Technology Solutions segment combines KBR's proprietary technologies, equipment, and catalyst supply and associated knowledge-based services into a global business for refining, petrochemicals, inorganic, and specialty chemicals as well as gasification, syngas, ammonia, nitric acid, and fertilizers. The Energy Solutions segment provides full life-cycle support solutions across the upstream, midstream and downstream hydrocarbons markets. The Non-strategic Business segment represents the operations or activities which the company intends to exit upon completion of existing contracts. The Other segment includes corporate expenses and general and administrative expenses not all

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The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, Agile Pursuits, Agile Pursuits Franchising, Arbora, Arbora & Ausonia, Arborinvest, Billie, Braun (Shanghai) Co., Braun GmbH, Braun-Gillette Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG, Celtic Insurance Company, Compania Procter & Gamble Mexico, Compania Quimica S.A., Corporativo Procter & Gamble, Cosmetic Products Pty. Ltd., Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., Eurocos Cosmetic GmbH, FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Fater S.p.A., Fountain Square Music Publishing Co., Gillette (China) Ltd., Gillette (Shanghai) Ltd., Gillette Aesop Ltd., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette Canada Holdings, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Gruppe Deutschland GmbH & Co. oHG, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Nova Scotia Company, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Poland S.A., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay, Giorgio Beverly Hills Inc., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, LLC "Procter & Gamble Novomoskovsk", LLL "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", Laboratorios Vicks, Liberty Street Music Publishing Company, Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', Limited Liability Company with foreign investments Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, New Chapter, New Chapter Canada Inc., Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G Prestige Service GmbH, P&G South African Trading (Pty.) Ltd., PGT Health Care (Zhejiang) Limited, PGT Healthcare LLP, PPI ZAO, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Procter & Gamble (Chengdu) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (East Africa) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Egypt) Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble (Enterprise Fund) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Health & Beauty Care) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Jiangsu) Ltd. China, Procter & Gamble (L&CP) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble (Manufacturing) Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble (Shanghai) International Trade Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Acquisition GmbH, Procter & Gamble Administration GmbH, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chile , Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Commercial de Cuba S.A., Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent (Beijing) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deuttschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing (Philippines) Inc., Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distribution Company (Europe) BVBA, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana, Procter & Gamble Europe SA, Procter & Gamble Export Operations SARL, Procter & Gamble Exportadora e Importadora Ltda., Procter & Gamble Exports, Procter & Gamble Fabricacao e Comercio Ltda., Procter & Gamble Far East, Procter & Gamble Finance (U.K.) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care, Procter & Gamble Hellas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holdings (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership (KKT), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings, Procter & Gamble Indochina Limited Company, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama, Procter & Gamble International Operations Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Investment Company (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment GmbH, Procter & Gamble Italia, Procter & Gamble Japan K.K., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea, Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble Lanka Private Ltd. Sri Lanka, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Marketing and Services doo, Procter & Gamble Maroc SA, Procter & Gamble Mataro, Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Investments B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Nordic, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan (Private) Limited, Procter & Gamble Partnership LLP, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals France SAS, Procter & Gamble Philippines, Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo, Procter & Gamble Product Supply (U.K.) Limited U.K., Procter & Gamble Production GmbH, Procter & Gamble Productions, Procter & Gamble Productos de Consumo, Procter & Gamble RHD, Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services BVBA, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Satis ve Dagitim Ltd. Sti., Procter & Gamble Seine S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services (Switzerland) SA, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Share Incentive Plan Trustee Ltd., Procter & Gamble South America Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. (Ltd.), Procter & Gamble Sports and Social Club Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology (Beijing) Co., Procter & Gamble Trading (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Verwaltungs GmbH, Procter & Gamble Vietnam, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil S/A, Procter & Gamble do Brazil, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Redmond Products, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Richardson-Vicks do Brasil Quimica e Farmaceutica Ltda, Riverfront Music Publishing Co., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Scannon S.A.S., Series Acquisition B.V., Shulton, Surfac S.R.L., Sycamore Productions, TAOS - FL, TAOS Retail, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving - FL, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble GBS Company, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon (Shanghai) Academy, Vidal Sassoon Co., WEBA Betriebsrenten-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Walker & Company Brands, and iMFLUX Inc..
The following companies are subsidiares of Prudential Financial: 210-220 E. 22nd Street SSGA Owner LLC, AIG Edison, AIG Star, AREF Cayman Co Ltd., AREF GP II Pte. Ltd., AREF GP Ltd., ASPF II - Feeder Fund GmbH, ASPF II - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, ASPF II Management GmbH, ASPF III (Scots) L.P., ASSURANCE, AST Investment Services Inc., Adlerwerke CB Investment LLC, Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Habitat S.A., Administradora de Inversiones Previsionales SpA, Aoba Life Insurance Company, Asia Property Fund III GP S.a.r.l., Assurance IQ LLC, Assurance Intelligence LLC, BSC CP LP, Braeloch Holdings Inc., Braeloch Successor Corporation, Brazilian Capital Fund GP Limited, Broad Street Global Advisors LLC, Broome Street Holdings LLC, CB German Retail LLC, CLIS Co. Ltd., COLICO INC., Campus Drive LLC, Capital Agricultural Property Services Inc., Chadwick Boulevard Investment Holdings Co. LLC, Cibecue LLC, Coconino LLC, Colico II Inc., Columbus Drive Partners L.P., Commerce Street Holdings LLC, Commerce Street Investments LLC, Coolidge LLC, Coral Reef GP, Coral Reef L.P., Coral Reef Unit Trust, Cottage Street Investments LLC, Cottage Street Orbit Acquisition LLC, DHFL PRAMERICA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, DICKENS AVENUE HOLDINGS VI LLC, DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI (Ireland) L.P., DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI (US) L.P., Don Cesar Investor LLC, Dryden Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Dryden Finance II LLC, EVP II GP S.a r.l., EVP II Sweden Resi I GP S.a r.l., Edison Place Senior Note LLC, Essex LLC, EuroCore GP S.a r.l., European Value Partners GP S.a.r.l., Everbright PGIM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Flagstaff LLC, GA 1600 Commons LLC, GA 333 Hennepin Investor LLC, GA BV LLC, GA Bay Area GP LLC, GA Bay Area Investor LLC, GA Belden LLC, GA CLARENDON LLC, GA Cal Crossings LLC, GA Collins LLC, GA E. 22nd Street Apartments Holdings LLC, GA East 86 Street LLC, GA JHCII LLC, GA MENLO PARK INVESTOR LLC, GA Manor at Harbour Island LLC, GA Metro LLC, GA Mission LLC, GA TRITON INVESTOR LLC, GA W Paces LLC, GA/MDI 333 Hennepin Associates LLC, GIBRALTAR BSN HOLDINGS SDN BHD, GIBRALTAR INDIA SOLUTIONS LLP, Gateway Holdings II LLC, Gateway Holdings LLC, German Retail Income CP LP, Gibraltar BSN Life Berhad, Gibraltar International Insurance Services Company Inc., Gibraltar International Service LLC, Gibraltar Reinsurance Company Ltd., Gibraltar Universal Life Reinsurance Company, Glenealy International Limited, Global Portfolio Strategies Inc., Gold GP Limited, Gold II L.P., Gold L.P., Graham Resources Inc., Graham Royalty Ltd., Green Tree GP, Green Tree L.P., Greenlee LLC, Halsey Street Investments LLC, Hirakata LLC, IVP Fund GP LLC, Impact Investments Bridges UK S.a.r.l, Inter-Atlantic G Fund L.P., Inversiones Previsionales Chile SpA, Inversiones Previsionales Dos SpA, Ironbound Fund LLC, Jennison Associates LLC, Kyarra S.a r.l., Kyoei Annuity Home Co. Ltd., LINEUP LLC, Lake Street Partners IV L.P., MC GA COLLINS HOLDINGS LLC, MC GA COLLINS REALTY LLC, MC Insurance Agency Services LLC, Manor at Harbour Island LLC, Marble Canyon LLC, Maricopa LLC, Market Street Holdings IV LLC, Morenci LLC, Mulberry Street Holdings LLC, Mulberry Street Investment L.P., Mulberry Street Partners LLC, Mullin TBG Insurance Agency Services LLC, MullinTBG Insurance Agency Services, National Family Assurance Group LLC, New Savanna, Orchard Street Acres Inc., PAI Bay Farm LLC, PAI Bayrock Groves LLC, PAI Belvidere Farms LLC, PAI Big Cypress Farm LLC, PAI Corcoran 640 Ranch LLC, PAI DeKalb Farm LLC, PAI Delano 1500 Ranches LLC, PAI Flicker Orchard LLC, PAI Good Hope Farm LLC, PAI Hawk Creek Ranch LLC, PAI Hills Valley Ranches LLC, PAI Holly Hill Groves LLC, PAI Hunt Farm LLC, PAI Jackson Bayou Farm LLC, PAI Lake Placid Groves LLC, PAI Wallula Gap Vineyard LLC, PCP V Cayman AIV GP L.P., PEREF II Co-Invest 1 GP S.a r.l., PEREF II GP S.a r.l., PEREF II PV S.r.l, PFI EM-Tech Fund I LLC, PG Business Service Co. Ltd, PG Collection Service Co. Ltd., PGA Asian Retail Limited, PGA European Limited, PGI Co. Ltd, PGIM (Australia) Pty Ltd, PGIM (Hong Kong) Ltd., PGIM (Scots) Limited, PGIM (Shanghai) Company Ltd., PGIM (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PGIM AVP IV GP S.a r.l., PGIM Advisory (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PGIM Agricultural Investments GP LLC, PGIM Agricultural Investors LP, PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Fund L.P., PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Partners LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management (Feeder) VI LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Fund VI L.P., PGIM European Financing Limited, PGIM European Services Limited, PGIM Financial Limited, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund II L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives GP LLC, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives II GP LLC, PGIM Foreign Investments Inc., PGIM Holding Company LLC, PGIM INDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM INDIA TRUSTEES PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM Inc., PGIM International Financing Inc., PGIM Investments LLC, PGIM Japan Co. Ltd., PGIM Korea Inc., PGIM LTIF Berlin GP S.a r.l., PGIM LTIF Berlin MLP S.ar.l., PGIM LTIF GP S.a.r.l., PGIM Limited, PGIM Loan Originator Manager Limited, PGIM M Campus GP S.a r.l., PGIM Management Partner Limited, PGIM MetaProp Investor LP LLC, PGIM Netherlands B.V., PGIM Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Company Ltd, PGIM Private Capital (Ireland) Limited, PGIM Private Capital Limited, PGIM Private Placement Investors Inc., PGIM Private Placement Investors L.P., PGIM REF EUROPE SCSp, PGIM REF Europe GP S.a r.l., PGIM REF Europe Member LLC, PGIM REF Intermediary Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate (Japan) Ltd., PGIM Real Estate (UK) Limited, PGIM Real Estate CD S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Capital VII GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest L.P., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest SCSp, PGIM Real Estate Co-Invest Holdings LLC, PGIM Real Estate Debt GmbH, PGIM Real Estate Finance Holding Company, PGIM Real Estate Finance LLC, PGIM Real Estate France SAS, PGIM Real Estate Germany AG, PGIM Real Estate Global Debt GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles S. de R.L. de C.V, PGIM Real Estate Italy S.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Loan Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate Luxembourg S.A., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Management Luxembourg S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Mexico S.C., PGIM Real Estate S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate U.S. Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management (Feeder) I LLC, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management Fund I L.P., PGIM Strategic Financing LLC, PGIM Strategic Investments Inc., PGIM USPF VI Manager LLC, PGIM Warehouse Inc., PGLH of Delaware Inc., PIFM Holdco LLC, PIIC Limited, PIISC Holdings (UK) Limited, PIM KF Blocker Holdings LLC, PIM KF Blocker V Holdings LLC, PIM USPF V Manager LLC, PLA Administradora Industrial SRL, PLA Administradora LLC, PLA Administradora S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional II S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional S.de R.L. de C.V., PLA Co-Investor LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager I LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager II LLC, PLA Mexico Residential Manager I LLC, PLA Residential Fund III Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Residential Fund III Limited Manager LLC, PLA Residential Fund III Manager LLC, PLA Residential Fund IV Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Residential Fund IV Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund I Blue LP, PLA Retail Fund I LP, PLA Retail Fund I Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund I Red LP, PLA Retail Fund II Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LP, PLA Retail Fund II Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II U.S. Carry/Co-Invest LP, PLA Services Manager Mexico LLC, PLAI Limited, PMCF Holdings LLC, PMCF Properties LLC, PPPF General Partner LLP, PR GA SCP Apartments LLC, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP (SCOTS FEEDER) LLP, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP LLP, PRECO ACCOUNT III LLC, PRECO ACCOUNT PARTNERSHIP III LP, PRECO Account IV LLC, PRECO Account Partnership IV LP, PRECO III GP LLP, PREFG Hanwha Manager LLC, PREI Acquisition I Inc., PREI Acquisition II Inc., PREI Acquisition LLC, PREI HYDG LLC, PREI International Inc., PRIAC Property Acquisitions LLC, PRICOA Management Partner Limited, PRISA Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Pooled Manager LLC, PRISA III Fund GP LLC, PRISA III Fund PIM LLC, PRREF II Fund Manager LLC, PRU 3XSquare LLC, PRUCO LLC, PRUDENTIAL CAPITAL ENERGY PARTNERS MANAGEMENT (FEEDER) LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP MEMBER LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP REIT LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE 2 LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE LLC, PT PFI Mega Life Insurance, Passaic Fund LLC, Pine Tree GP, Pine Tree L.P., Platinum GP Limited, Platinum II L.P., Platinum L.P., Pramerica (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited, Pramerica (Luxembourg) CP GP S.a.r.l., Pramerica (Scots) CP GP LLP, Pramerica Business Consulting (Shanghai) Company Limited, Pramerica EVP CP LP, Pramerica Financial Asia Headquarters Pte. Ltd., Pramerica Financial Asia Limited, Pramerica Fixed Income Funds Management Limited, Pramerica Fosun Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Pramerica General Partner LLP, Pramerica Holdings Ltd, Pramerica Insurance Agency (China) Company Ltd., Pramerica PRECAP I GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP II GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP III GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP IV GP LLP, Pramerica Pan European Real Estate (Scots) LP, Pramerica Property Partners Fund (Scotland) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I (Scotland) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I GP (Scots Feeder) LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital II (Scots) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital III (Scots) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV (Scots) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP (Scots Feeder) LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Limited, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V (Netherlands) GP LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V (Scots) Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital VI (Scots) Limited Partnership, Pramerica SGR S.p.A, Pramerica Systems Ireland Limited, Preco III (Scotland) Limited Partnership, Pru 101 Wood LLC, Pru Alpha Partners I LLC, Pru Fixed Income Emerging Markets Partners I LLC, PruVen Capital Partners Fund I L.P., Pruco Assignment Corporation, Pruco Life Insurance Company, Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey, Pruco Securities LLC, Prudential 900 Aviation Boulevard LLC, Prudential Affordable Mortgage Company LLC, Prudential Agricultural Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Annuities Distributors Inc., Prudential Annuities Holding Company Inc., Prudential Annuities Inc., Prudential Annuities Information Services & Technology Corporation, Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Captive Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Universal Company, Prudential Bank & Trust FSB, Prudential Capital Energy Opportunity Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners Management Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Partners Management Fund IV L.P., Prudential Capital and Investment Services LLC, Prudential Chile II SpA, Prudential Chile SpA, Prudential Commercial Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Customer Solutions LLC, Prudential Equity Group LLC, Prudential Financial Securities Investment Trust Enterprise, Prudential Fixed Income Global Liquidity Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Fixed Income U.S. Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Funding LLC, Prudential General Services of Japan Y.K., Prudential Gibraltar Agency Co. Ltd., Prudential Global Funding LLC, Prudential Holdings of Japan Inc., Prudential Huntoon Paige Associates LLC, Prudential IBH Holdco Inc., Prudential Impact Investments Mortgage Loans LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Debt LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Equity LLC, Prudential Industrial Properties LLC, Prudential Insurance Agency LLC, Prudential International Insurance Holdings Ltd., Prudential International Insurance Service Company L.L.C., Prudential International Investments Advisers LLC, Prudential International Investments Company LLC, Prudential International Investments LLC, Prudential Investment Management Services LLC, Prudential Japan Holdings LLC, Prudential Legacy Insurance Company of New Jersey, Prudential Life Insurance Company of Taiwan Inc., Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 1 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 2 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Capital Asset Holding Company LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Funding LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Holdings LLC, Prudential Multifamily Mortgage LLC, Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC, Prudential Newark Realty LLC, Prudential QOZ Investment Fund 1 LLC, Prudential Realty Securities Inc., Prudential Retirement Financial Services Holding LLC, Prudential Retirement Holdings LLC, Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company, Prudential Securities Secured Financing Corporation, Prudential Securities Structured Assets Inc., Prudential Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., Prudential Seguros S.A., Prudential Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Prudential Structured Settlement Company, Prudential Systems Japan Limited, Prudential Term Reinsurance Company, Prudential Trust Co. Ltd., Prudential Trust Company, Prudential Universal Reinsurance Company, Prudential Workplace Solutions Group Services LLC, Prudential do Brasil Seguros de Vida S.A., Prudential do Brasil Vida em Grupo S.A., Prudential/TMW Real Estate Group LLC, Pruservicos Participacoes Ltda., QMA JP EM All Cap Equity Partners LLC, QMA LLC, QMA Wadhwani LLP, Quartzsite LLC, Residential Services Corporation of America LLC, Rio CP LP, Rock European Real Estate Holdings S.ar.l., Rock Global Real Estate LLC, Rock Kensington Limited, Rock Marty GP S.a r.l., Rock Oxford S.a r.l., Rock UK Real Estate Holdings S.ar.l., Rock UK Real Estate II S.a.r.l., Rockstone Co. Ltd., Rosado Grande LLC, Ross Avenue Energy Fund Holdings LLC, Ross Avenue Minerals 2012 LLC, SCP Apartments LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERS VI GP LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERSHIP FUND VI GP LLC, SHP IV Carried Interest LP, SHP V Carried Interest L.P., SMP Holdings Inc., SVIIT Holdings Inc., Sanei Collection Service Co. Ltd. (Kabushiki Kaisha Sanei Shuuno Service), Senior Housing Partners IV L.L.C., Senior Housing Partners V LLC, Senior Housing Partnership Fund IV L.L.C., Senior Housing Partnership Fund V LLC, Sterling Private Placement Management LLP, Stetson Street Partners L.P., Strand Investments Limited, TBG Insurance Services Corporation, TENSATOR HOLDINGS LTD, TF Proveedora S.C., TMW ASPF I Verwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, TMW ASPF Management GmbH, TMW Management LLC, TMW Real Estate Group LLC, TMW Realty Advisors LLC, TMW USPF Verwaltungs GmbH, TRGOAG Company Inc., The Gibraltar Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Keynes Dynamic Beta Strategy (US) Fund GP LLC, The Prudential Assigned Settlement Services Corp., The Prudential Brazilian Capital Fund LP, The Prudential Gibraltar Financial Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Prudential Home Mortgage Company Inc., The Prudential Insurance Company of America, The Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd., The Prudential Real Estate Financial Services of America Inc., The WMF Group, Thurloe Commercial Guernsey Limited, Times Square Center Associates, USPF V - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, USPF V Carry LLC, USPF V Co-Invest LLC, USPF V Investment LP, United States Property Fund VI GP S.a r.l., Vailsburg Fund LLC, Vantage Casualty Insurance Company, Wabash Avenue Holdings V LLC, Wabash Avenue Partners V L.P., Wadhwani Capital Limited, Waveland Avenue Holdings I LLC, Waveland Avenue Partners I (Ireland) L.P., Waveland Avenue Partners I (US) L.P., Wellness Services Ecossistema De Bem Estar Ltda., Wellness Services SRL, Yamato Life, and Yavapai LLC.
There is not enough analysis data for El Paso Electric.

3.9 Community Rank

Outperform Votes El Paso Electric has received 256 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes El Paso Electric has received 192 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment El Paso Electric has received 57.14% outperform votes from our community.

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Avast Plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides digital security products under the Avast, HMA, AVG, and CCleaner brands worldwide. It operates through two segments, Consumer and Small to Mid-Sized Business (SMB). The company offers desktop security and mobile device protection products; value-added solutions for performance, privacy, and other tools; dynamic secure search solution, including browser toolbar; and big data and marketing analytics solutions, as well as security and protection solutions for small and medium-sized business. It also provides standalone and managed antivirus products; and managed security platforms, including CloudCare, an online security service for small and medium businesses, as well as Management Console, a cloud-based console that deploys antivirus protection to multiple devices and manage all devices from one place. In addition, the company offers business security services, such as patch management, backup and recovery, email security, content filtering, and secure Web and Internet gateway services. It has a strategic partnership agreement with Enterprise Nation to deliver cybersecurity resources and training services. The company primarily sells software licenses through e-commerce services providers, and retailers and resellers. Avast Plc was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Prague, the Czech Republic.

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WASHINGTON  The Pentagon has a serious problem in that providing what it needs for the forces to be ready for current and likely near-term conflicts can clash with what it requires to prepare for the return of great power competition, a panel of former civilian defense officials and current military officers said.

In a Nov. 2 forum on military readiness at the Brookings Institution, the debate was framed by the questions of ready for what? and ready for when? These raised the conflict between increasing current readiness for the low-level fights against extremists and modernizing for great power competition with Russia and China.

The two former senior defense officials agreed that what the military is buying with the recent significantly higher budgets is not what it will need to confront Russia and China.

Mara Karlin, whose decades of Pentagon service ended as deputy assistant defense secretary for strategy and force development, criticized the Navys drive for a multipurpose 355-ship fleet when it should be focusing on increased undersea capabilities that would give it a competitive advantage against the emerging peer adversaries.

Karlin also questioned how much the Marine Corps is spending on aviation, which is focused on reversing a currently low readiness condition, and called the Air Forces spending portfolio totally messed up. She did like the thrust of the Armys newly created Futures Command, which appears aimed primarily at acquiring the capabilities it would need to counter peer competitors.

There are all kinds of ways were not spending on what we need, Karlin said.

Alan Estevez, whose 36 years in the Pentagon ended as principal deputy undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the current enlarged budget is buying what was in the pipeline, which probably are not the right things.

There is not enough in research and development for things like lasers and hypersonics, he said, and we have to be prepared to fight with 1s and 0s, cyber. We do not have the tools, the modernization, required for great power conflict.

Karlin and Estevez agreed that the new National Defense Strategy presented by Defense Secretary James Mattis was spot on in its declaration that the top mission of the military was preparing for the return of great power competition, naming Russia and China.

Two federal executive fellows at Brookings, Marine Col. Amy Ebitz and Navy Cmdr. Brendan Stickles, focused on their service experiences, particularly noting the negative impacts of the years of constrained budgets under the threat of sequestration and the inefficiencies imposed by the years of continuing resolutions instead of on-time appropriations.

Stickles, an electronic warfare pilot who recently commanded an EF-18G Growler squadron, cited the report several years ago that only one-third of the Navys FA-18 Super Hornets were combat ready. Although weve made progress with just over now ready, thats not a good statistic.

He also pointed out that early this year there was no aircraft carrier at sea, which required a B-2 bomber to fly from Missouri to drop a bomb in Afghanistan, a job that should have been performed by a carrier.

Ebitz, whose career has been in law enforcement and force protection, said that compared to the current enemy, the Marines absolutely are ready. Theyre out there every day doing what is required. But, she said, the high operational demands and the past budget constraints have hurt the Corps ability to prepare for the future.

It goes to the ready for what? she said. We havent always been accurate on that. We not only have to be ready for today, the anti-terrorist fight, but for the future, she said.

Ebitz said the Marine Corps priorities are increasing our own lethality, building partnerships and ensuring the flow of equipment. But most important, she said, was our personnel, giving them more time between deployments to spend with their families and train for the future fight.
Centrica plc operates as an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, North America, and internationally. The company operates through British Gas, Energy Marketing & Trading, Centrica Business Solutions, Bord GAis Energy, and Upstream segments. It supplies gas and electricity to residential customers, as well as offers energy-related services; and generates power from combined cycle gas turbines and nuclear assets. The company also provides installation, repair, and maintenance services for domestic central heating, plumbing and drains, home electrical, and gas and kitchen appliances; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, as well as offers breakdown services. In addition, it is involved in the procurement, trading, and optimization of energy; procurement and sale of LNG; and supplies energy efficiency solutions and technologies to residential customers. Further, the company produces and processes gas and oil; develops new fields to maintain reserves; constructs, owns, and exploits infrastructure; and engages in the social enterprise investment fund activities. Additionally, it provides vehicle leasing, commercial, and insurance services, as well as energy management products and services; and operates a gas storage and franchise network. The company was formerly known as Yieldtop plc and changed its name to Centrica plc in December 1996. Centrica plc was incorporated in 1995 and is based in Windsor, the United Kingdom.

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The following companies are subsidiares of IQVIA: 159 SOLUTIONS, 159 Technology Solutions Private Ltd, AHM Global Operations Inc., AHM Global Services LLC, AHM Logistics Inc. (Canada), AIECO IT Solutions India Private Ltd., ALIMED Egeszsegugyi Szolgaltato Kft., Advanced Health Media LLC, Advanced Health Media Services, Aileron Solutions, Albatross Financial Solutions Limited, Appature, Ardentia International Limited, Ascott Sales Integration, Asesorias IQVIA Solutions Chile Limitada, Asserta Centroamerica Medicion de Mercados, BUZZEOPDMA LLC, Battaerd Mansley Pty. Ltd., Benefit Canada, Benefit Holding, BioFortis, CDS - Center de Service SAS, COORDINATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, CRM Health Korea Ltd., CSD Health Korea Ltd., Cambridge Pharma Consultancy, Cambridge Pharma Consultancy Limited, Cegedim Venezuela C.A., Cenduit (India) Services Private Company Limited, Cenduit Limited, Cenduit Mauritius Holdings Company, Clinical Financial Services, Clinical Lab Minority Shareholder Limited, Coordinated Management Holdings L.L.C., Cote Orphan, Cote Orphan Consulting UK Limited, DATA NICHE ASSOCIATES, Datadina Ecuador S.A., Dataline Software Limited, Datec Industria e Comercio, Dimensiions Healthcare LLC, Drug Dev Inc., DrugDev, DrugDev Limited, EA Institute L.L.C., ENTERPRISE ASSOCIATES, EPS Research Limited, EPS Software Limited, Epernicus, Forcea NV, Foresight Group International UK LTD, Foresight Group Japan G.K., Foresight IT Solutions Consulting India Private Limited, GRACE DATA CORPORATION, Global Crown Investment Limited, HIGHPOINT SOLUTIONS, Hospital Marketing Services Ltd., Hotel Lot C-8B, IMS (GIBRALTAR) HOLDING LIMITED, IMS (UK) Pension Plan Trustee Company Limited, IMS AB, IMS CHINAMETRIK INC., IMS HEALTH GROUP LIMITED, IMS HEALTH KOREA LTD, IMS HEALTH KOREA LTD., IMS HEALTH PUERTO RICO INC., IMS HEALTH TAIWAN LTD., IMS Health (Australia) Partnership, IMS Health Analytics Services Private Limited, IMS Health Bangladesh Limited, IMS Health Bolivia S.R.L., IMS Health Cyprus LTD, IMS Health Egypt Limited, IMS Health Information Solutions Argentina S.A., IMS Health Information Solutions Australia Pty. Ltd, IMS Health Information Solutions India Private Ltd., IMS Health Information Solutions Japan K.K., IMS Health Lanka (Private) Limited, IMS Health Networks Limited, IMS Health Pakistan (Private) Limited, IMS Health Paraguay SRL, IMS Health Surveys Limited, IMS Health Technology Solutions (China) Co. Ltd., IMS Health Technology Solutions Australia Pty. Ltd, IMS Health Technology Solutions Colombia Ltda., IMS Health Technology Solutions Holdings AB, IMS Health Technology Solutions Hungary Ltd., IMS Health Technology Solutions India Private Ltd., IMS Health Technology Solutions Japan K.K., IMS Health Technology Solutions Kazakhstan, IMS Health Technology Solutions LLC, IMS Health Technology Solutions Sweden AB, IMS Health Technology TUNISIA, IMS Health Tunisia sarl, IMS Health Uruguay S.A., IMS Health de Venezuela C.A., IMS Holdings (U.K.) Limited, IMS Hospital Group Limited, IMS Information Solutions Medical Research Limited, IMS Information Solutions UK Ltd., IMS International (Proprietary) Limited, IMS Market Research Consult (Beijing), IMS Meridian Limited, IMS Meridian Research Limited, IMS Republica Dominicana, IMS SOFTWARE SERVICES LTD., IMS Technology Solutions UK Limited, INTERCONTINENTAL MEDICAL STATISTICS INTERNATIONAL, IPP Informacion Promocional y Publicitaria S.A. de C.V., IPP Technology Solutions Mexico SA de CV (FKA Cegedim Mexico SA de CV), IQVA Romania S.R.L., IQVIA (Thialand) Co. Ltd., IQVIA AB, IQVIA AG, IQVIA AG (Mexico Branch), IQVIA AG (UK Branch), IQVIA Adriatic d.o.o. za Konzalting, IQVIA Asia Pacific Commercial Holdings LLC, IQVIA Beteiligungs-gesellschaft mbH, IQVIA BioSciences Holdings LLC, IQVIA CHINAMETRIK INC., IQVIA COMMERCIAL FINANCE INC., IQVIA COMMERCIAL INDIA HOLDINGS CORP., IQVIA COMMERCIAL LICENSING ASSOCIATES LLC, IQVIA COMMERCIAL SERVICES LLC, IQVIA COMMERCIAL TRADING CORP., IQVIA Clinical AB, IQVIA Commercial Deutschland GmbH, IQVIA Commercial GmbH & Co. OHG, IQVIA Commercial I LLC, IQVIA Commercial Software GmbH, IQVIA Commercial Sp. z.o.o., IQVIA Commerical Consulting Sp. z.o.o., IQVIA Consulting Solutions bvba, IQVIA Consulting and Information Services India Private Limited, IQVIA Finance Ireland Designated Activity Company, IQVIA GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS INC., IQVIA Healthcare QFC branch, IQVIA Hellas Technology Solutions S.A., IQVIA Holdings France SAS, IQVIA IES (UK) Limited, IQVIA IES Brasil Ltda., IQVIA IES Europe Limited, IQVIA IES European Holdings, IQVIA IES Italia S.r.l., IQVIA IES OY, IQVIA IES Overseas Holdings Limited, IQVIA IES Portugal, IQVIA IES Portugal Unipressoal Ltda., IQVIA IES Puerto Rico Inc., IQVIA II Technology Solutions Portugal, IQVIA INC., IQVIA INFORMATION MEDICAL STATISTICS (ISRAEL) LTD., IQVIA Information, IQVIA Information Solutions (China) Co., IQVIA Information Solutions GmbH, IQVIA Informations Solutions France SAS, IQVIA Istanbul Saglik Hizmetler Arastirma ve Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, IQVIA Korea Co. Ltd., IQVIA LTD, IQVIA Market Intelligence LLC, IQVIA Marktforschung GmbH, IQVIA Maroc SARL, IQVIA Mauritius Holdings, IQVIA Medical Communications & Consulting, IQVIA Medical Development (Dalian) Co., IQVIA Medical Education Inc., IQVIA Medical Radar AB, IQVIA Operations France SAS, IQVIA PHARMA Inc., IQVIA Partners AS, IQVIA Pharma Services Corp., IQVIA Pharmaceutical Marketing Services Ltd., IQVIA Phase One Services LLC, IQVIA RDS (India) Private Limited, IQVIA RDS (Pty.) Limited, IQVIA RDS AG, IQVIA RDS Argentina S.A., IQVIA RDS Asia Inc., IQVIA RDS Austria GmbH, IQVIA RDS BT Inc., IQVIA RDS Brasil Ltda., IQVIA RDS Bulgaria EOOD, IQVIA RDS Canada ULC, IQVIA RDS Chile, IQVIA RDS Colombia S.A.S., IQVIA RDS Consulting Inc., IQVIA RDS ESTONIA OU, IQVIA RDS East Asia Pte. Ltd., IQVIA RDS Eastern Holdings GmbH, IQVIA RDS Finland OY, IQVIA RDS France SAS (formerly, IQVIA RDS Funding LLC, IQVIA RDS GesmbH, IQVIA RDS GesmbH Greek Branch, IQVIA RDS Guatemala S.A., IQVIA RDS Holdings, IQVIA RDS Hong Kong Limited, IQVIA RDS ISRAEL LTD., IQVIA RDS Inc., IQVIA RDS Ireland (Finance) Ltd., IQVIA RDS Ireland Ltd., IQVIA RDS Italy Srl, IQVIA RDS Latin America LLC, IQVIA RDS Latvia SIA, IQVIA RDS Magyarorszag Gyogyszerfejlesztesi es Tanacsado Kft., IQVIA RDS Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., IQVIA RDS Moscow, IQVIA RDS Novosibirsk, IQVIA RDS Panama Inc., IQVIA RDS Peru S.r.l., IQVIA RDS Philippines Inc., IQVIA RDS Poland Sp. Zoo, IQVIA RDS Pty. Limited, IQVIA RDS Slovakia s.r.o., IQVIA RDS Spain, IQVIA RDS Spain S.L., IQVIA RDS St. Petersburg, IQVIA RDS Support Sarl, IQVIA RDS Switzerland sarl, IQVIA RDS Taiwan Ltd., IQVIA RDS Transfer LLC, IQVIA RDS UAB, IQVIA RDS UK Holdings Ltd., IQVIA RDS and Integrated Services Belgium NV, IQVIA RDS d.o.o. Beograd, IQVIA SOLUTIONS ASIA PTE. LTD., IQVIA SOLUTIONS CANADA INC., IQVIA SOLUTIONS JAPAN K.K., IQVIA SOLUTIONS OPERATIONS CENTER PHLIPPINES INC., IQVIA SOLUTIONS PHILIPINES, IQVIA SOLUTIONS PHILIPPINES, IQVIA Services Japan K.K., IQVIA Solutions (NZ) Limited, IQVIA Solutions (Pty.) Ltd., IQVIA Solutions Argentina S.A., IQVIA Solutions Australia Holdings Pty. Ltd., IQVIA Solutions Australia Pty. Ltd., IQVIA Solutions B.V., IQVIA Solutions Belgium S.P.R.L., IQVIA Solutions Bulgaria EOOD, IQVIA Solutions Colombia S.A., IQVIA Solutions Consulting Myanmar Company Limited, IQVIA Solutions Denmark AS, IQVIA Solutions Enterprise Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co., IQVIA Solutions Finance B.V., IQVIA Solutions Finance UK I Ltd., IQVIA Solutions Finance UK II Ltd., IQVIA Solutions Finance UK III Ltd., IQVIA Solutions Finance UK V Ltd., IQVIA Solutions Finland OY, IQVIA Solutions Global Holdings UK Ltd., IQVIA Solutions GmbH, IQVIA Solutions HQ Ltd., IQVIA Solutions Holdings (Pty.) Ltd., IQVIA Solutions Hong Kong Limited, IQVIA Solutions Ireland Limited, IQVIA Solutions Italy W.r.l., IQVIA Solutions Kazakhstan LLC, IQVIA Solutions LLC, IQVIA Solutions Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., IQVIA Solutions Norway AS, IQVIA Solutions Pharmaceutical SRL, IQVIA Solutions Portugal, IQVIA Solutions Regional Pte. Ltd., IQVIA Solutions Services Ltd., IQVIA Solutions Sweden AB, IQVIA Solutions UK Investments Ltd., IQVIA Solutions UK Limited, IQVIA Solutions a.s., IQVIA Solutions del Peru S.A., IQVIA Solutions do Brasil Ltda., IQVIA Solutions s.r.o., IQVIA Solucoes de Tecnologia DO Brazil Ltda., IQVIA Staff Services Sp.A., IQVIA TRANSPORTATION SERVICES CORP., IQVIA Technology Services Ltd., IQVIA Technology Solutions Egypt LLC, IQVIA Technology Solutions Finland OY, IQVIA Technology Solutions Poland SP. z.o.o., IQVIA Technology Solutions Romania Srl, IQVIA Technology Solutions S.R.O. Branch Bulgaria, IQVIA Technology Solutions Ukraine LLC, IQVIA Technology Solutions s.r.o., IQVIA Technology and Services AG, IQVIA Tibbi Istatistik Ticaret ve Musavirlik Ltd. Sirketi, IQVIA Trading Management Inc., IQVIA World Publications Ltd., IQVIA Zagreb d.o.o., Iasist Holdco Limited, Iasist Potugal, Iasist SAU Agencia en Chile, Iasist Sociedad Anonima Unipersonal, Impact RX, Infocus Health Limited, Infopharm Ltd., Innovex Holdings I LLC, Innovex Merger Corp., Innovex Saglik Hizmetleri Arastirma ve Danismanlik Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Innovex Saglik Urunleri Pazarlame ve Hizmet Danismanlik Anonim Sirketi, Institute of Medical Communications NCO, Interstatistik AG, Kun Tai Medical Development Hong Kong Limited, Kun Tuo Medical Research & Development (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Laboratorie Novex Pharma Sarl, Laboratorio Commuq Pharma SL, Linguamatics, M&H Informatics (BD) LTD., M-TAG Australia Pty. Ltd., MED-VANTAGE, MG Recherche, Mecurial Insights Holding Pty. Ltd., Mecurial Insights Pty. Ltd., Mercados Y Analisis, Meridian Research Vietnam Ltd., Nordisk Medicin Information AB, Novella Clinical LLC, Novella Clinical Ltd., Novex Pharma Gmbh, Novex Pharma Laboratorio S.L., Novex Pharma Limited, Nuevo Health Pty Ltd, Onkodatamed GmbH, Operaciones Centralizadas Latinoamericana Limitada, Optimum Contact Limited, Outcome Sciences LLC, PILGRIM SOFTWARE HOLDING B.V., POLARIS MANAGEMENT PARTNERS LLC, POLARIS SOLUTIONS LLC, PR Editions S.A.S., PT IMS Health Indonesia, PT Quintiles Indonesia, Penderwood Limited, PharmARC Consulting Services GmbH, PharmARC Inc., Pharma Deals Limited, Pharma Strategy Group Ltd., Pharmadata s.r.o., Pharmaforce, Pilgrim Quality Solutions EMEA BV, Pilgrim Software Asia PVT, Polaris Solutions BV, Polaris Solutions Ltd., Primeum IQVIA SAS, Privacy Analytics Inc., Professional Pharmaceutical Marketing Services (Pty.) Ltd., Pygargus AB, Q Squared Solutions (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Q Squared Solutions (India) Private Limited, Q Squared Solutions (Quest) LLC, Q Squared Solutions (Quest) Limited, Q Squared Solutions (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Q Squared Solutions B.V., Q Squared Solutions BioSciences LLC, Q Squared Solutions China (Quest) Limited, Q Squared Solutions China Limited, Q Squared Solutions Expression Analysis LLC, Q Squared Solutions Holdings B.V., Q Squared Solutions Holdings LLC, Q Squared Solutions Holdings Limited, Q Squared Solutions K.K., Q Squared Solutions LLC, Q Squared Solutions Limited, Q Squared Solutions Proprietary Limited, Q Squared Solutions Pte. Ltd., Q Squared Solutions S.A., Q2 Metrics, Q2 Solutions, QIMS Pharma Services SA DE CV, QUINTILES MEXICO, QUINTILESIMS EUROPEAN HOLDINGS II C.V., Qcare Site Services, Quintiles B.V., Quintiles Benin Ltd., Quintiles Clindata (Pty.) Limited, Quintiles Clindepharm (Pty.) Limited, Quintiles Clinical and Commercial Nigeria Limited, Quintiles Commercial ApS, Quintiles Commercial Germany GmbH, Quintiles Commercial Rus LLC, Quintiles Commercial South Africa (Pty) Limited, Quintiles Commercial US. Inc., Quintiles Costa Rica S.A., Quintiles Czech Republic, Quintiles Denmark, Quintiles East Africa Limited, Quintiles Egypt LLC, Quintiles Enterprise Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Quintiles Finance Sarl, Quintiles Finance Uruguay, Quintiles GmbH, Quintiles Holdings S.a.r.l., Quintiles IMS European Holdings C.V., Quintiles Lanka Private Limited, Quintiles Latin America Inc., Quintiles Luxembourg European Holding, Quintiles Luxembourg European Holding S.a.r.l., Quintiles Luxembourg France Holdings SARL, Quintiles Medical Development (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Quintiles Netherlands, Quintiles New Zealand, Quintiles Norway, Quintiles Phase One Clinical Trials India Private Limited, Quintiles Russia LLC, Quintiles S.a.r.l., Quintiles Site Services, Quintiles South Africa (PTY.) Limited, Quintiles UK (Japan Holdings) Limited, Quintiles Ukraine, Quintiles Vietnam, Quintiles West Africa Limited, RX India LLC, Radar Acquisition Blocker, Redsite Limited, Reportive SA, STI Technologies Limited, Schwarzeck Verlag GmbH, Secureconsent, Shanghai IMS Market Research Co. Ltd., Source Informatics Limited, Spartan Leasing Corporation, Statfinn Oy, Strategique Sante, THE AMUNDSEN GROUP, Targeted Molecular Diagnostics, Tarius A/S, Temas Srl - Societa Unipersonale, TforG Connect BVBA, Themis Limited, UAB IQVIA Commercial, VALUEMEDICS RESEARCH, VCG&A Inc., and iGuard.
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. Ltd., CROWN Beverage Cans Ziyang Limited, CROWN Beverage Packaging LLC, CROWN Beverage Packaging Puerto Rico Inc., CROWN Cans Ghana Limited, CROWN China Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited, CROWN Commercial Belgium BVBA, CROWN Commercial France SAS, CROWN Commercial Germany GmbH & Co. KG, CROWN Commercial Hungary Kft, CROWN Commercial Netherlands B.V., CROWN Commercial Vermogensverwaltung GmbH, CROWN Cork & Seal USA Inc., CROWN Embalagens Metalicas da Amazonia S.A., CROWN Emballage France SAS, CROWN Emirates Company Limited, CROWN Envases Mexico S.A. de C.V., CROWN Famosa S.A. de C.V., CROWN Food Packaging (Thailand) Public Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan (Hat Yai) Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan (Nakhon Pathom) Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan Germany GmbH, CROWN Foodcan GmbH, CROWN Imballaggi Italia Srl, CROWN Imgallaggi Italia Srl, CROWN Italy Finance srl, CROWN Khmer Beverage Cans Limited, CROWN Maghreb Can, CROWN Magyarorszag Csomagoloipari KFT, CROWN Metal Packaging Canada Inc., CROWN Metal Packaging Canada LP, CROWN Middle East Can Co. Ltd., CROWN Packaging (Barbados) Limited, CROWN Packaging Holdings LLC, CROWN Packaging Investment (H.K.) Limited, CROWN Packaging Ireland Ltd, CROWN Packaging Jamaica Limited, CROWN Packaging Polska Sp.z.o.o., CROWN Packaging Technology Inc., CROWN Packaging Trinidad Limited, CROWN Packaging UK Limited, CROWN Promotional Packaging UK Ltd, CROWN SIEM, CROWN Senegal, CROWN Societe Malgache d'Emballages Metalliques, CROWN Speciality Packaging BV, CROWN Speciality Packaging Investment Pte. Ltd., CROWN Specialty Packaging UK Ltd, CROWN TCP Beverage Cans Company Limited, CROWN Verpakking Belgie NV, CROWN Verpakking Nederland B.V., Caretex Asia Ltd., CarnaudMetalbox Engineering Ltd, CarnaudMetalbox Food South Africa (Pty) Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Group UK Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Overeseas Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Overseas Limited, Cierres Hermeticos S.A. DE C.V., Constar International, Crown Americas Capital Corp., Crown Americas Capital Corp. II, Crown Americas Capital Corp. III, Crown Americas Capital Corp. IV, Crown Americas Capital Corp. V, Crown Americas Capital Corp. VI, Crown Brasil Holdings Ltda., Crown Canadian Holdings ULC, Crown Closures Spain S.L., Crown Colombiana S.A., Crown Comercial de Envases S.L., Crown Commercial Italy Srl, Crown Commercial Polska Sp. z.o.o., Crown Consultants Inc., Crown Cork & Seal Company (DE) LLC, Crown Cork & Seal Company Inc., Crown Cork & Seal Deutschland Holdings GmbH, Crown Cork & Seal Receivables (DE) Corporation, Crown Cork & Seal de Portugal Embalagens S.A., Crown Cork Kuban, Crown Cork and Seal Receivables II LLC, Crown Developpement SAS, Crown European Holdings, Crown Food Espana S.A.U., Crown Foodcan Turkey Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Crown Hellas Can Packaging SA, Crown Heshan Trading Company Limited, Crown Holdings Italia Srl, Crown Holdings Spain S.L., Crown International Holdings B.V., Crown International Holdings Inc., Crown Luxembourg Holdings, Crown Mexican Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Crown Overseas Investments B.V., Crown Packaging Commercial UK Limited, Crown Packaging Distribution UK Limited, Crown Packaging European Division GmbH, Crown Packaging European Division Services SAS, Crown Packaging European Holdings GmbH, Crown Packaging Lux I S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Lux II S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Lux III S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Manufacturing UK Limited, Crown Packaging Maroc, Crown Receivables III, Crown Services Iberia, Crown UK Holdings Limited, Crownway Insurance Company, Dacro B.V., EMPAQUE, Fabricas Monterrey S.A. de C.V., Form Koruyucu Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Foshan Continental Can Co. Limited, Foshan Crown Easy-Opening End Co. Limited, Glass & Silice S.A. DE C.V., Globoplastt s.r.o., Gunther S.A.S., Haloila Bulgaria EOOD, Interstrap B.V., Josef Kihlberg AB, Kiwiplan GmbH, Kiwiplan Inc, Lachenmeier ApS, Liljendals Bruk AB, Litec France S.A.S., Mezger Heftsysteme GmbH, Mima Films S.a.r.l., Mima Films Sprl, Mima Packaging Systems S.A.S., Mivisa, Nordic S.A.S., Norsk Signode AS, Oy M. Haloila AB, PT CROWN Beverage Cans Indonesia, Package Design and Manufacturing, Prolatamex S.A. DE C.V., Quandel Verpackungs- und Foerdertechnik GmbH, SMB Schwede Maschinenbau GmbH, SMP Schwede Maschinenbau Weischlitz GmbH, SPG Denmark, SPG France Holdings SAS, SPG Germany Service Management GmbH, SPG Industrial Packaging S.a.r.l, SPG Netherlands B.V., SPG Packaging Ireland Limited, SPG Packaging Systems GmbH, SPG Packaging UK Ltd, Scybele S.A.S., Shippers Europe S.p.r.l., Signode BVBA, Signode Brasileira Ltda, Signode Hong Kong Limited, Signode Industrial Group, Signode Industrial Group AB, Signode Industrial Group Colombia S.A.S., Signode Industrial Group GmbH, Signode Industrial Group Holdings Lux S.a.r.l., Signode Industrial Group Holdings US Inc, Signode Industrial Group Lux S.A., Signode Industrial Group Mexico, Signode Industrial Group Sweden AB, Signode International Holdings LLC, Signode International IP Holdings LLC, Signode International Investment LLC, Signode Kabushiki Kaisha, Signode Korea Inc, Signode NZ Limited, Signode Netherlands B.V., Signode Packaging (Qingdao) Co., Signode Packaging (Shanghai) Co., Signode Packaging Espana S.L., Signode Packaging Group (Malaysia) Sdn. 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..
ROME  Leonardo, a Finmeccanica company, was selected to provide the OTO 76 mm/62-caliber gun for the German Navys new K130 corvettes, the company said in a Nov. 1 release

The OTO 76/62 SR (Super Rapid) system is a best in class in its segment, in use with almost 60 navies worldwide. It has recently successfully completed an extensive vulnerability assessment campaign ensuring its resilience to cyberattacks. Managed by a state-of-the-art control console maximizing its performances, the system can be integrated on any type and class of ship, including smaller units

Leonardo signed a contract with the Bundesamt fur Ausrustung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr, the German Federal Office in charge of defense acquisitions, to provide seven OTO 76/62 SR systems that will equip the new K130 corvettes of the German Navy. The contract also includes training and spare parts supply.

With this new acquisition, Leonardos naval gun becomes the reference defense system for the German Navy, which has already tested the capabilities of the compact version of the system, integrated on the first batch of corvettes following a previous contract.
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The following companies are subsidiares of Roche: 454 Life Sciences, Adheron Therapeutics, Adheron Therapeutics Inc., Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ariosa Diagnostics, Ariosa Diagnostics Inc., Arius Research, Ascur Versicherungsvermittlungs GmbH, BINA Technology, Bina Technologies Inc., BioImagene, BioVeris, BioVeris Corporation, Biopharm AG, Boehringer Mannheim, Borean Pharma, Chemical Manufacturing and Trading Company Limited, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Disetronic Holding AG, Dutalys GmbH, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd / Jordan P.S.C., FLLC "Roche Products Limited", FMI Germany GmbH, Flatiron Health, Flatiron Health Inc., ForSight Labs, ForSight VISION4 Inc., Foundation Medicine, Foundation Medicine Inc., Foundation Medicine Securities Corporation, Galenus Mannheim Pharma GmbH, GeneWEAVE, GeneWEAVE Biosciences Inc., Genentech, Genentech Inc., Genentech P.R. Inc., Genentech USA Inc., Genia Technologies, Hoffmann - La Roche Ltd, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., Hoffmann-La Roche Limited, Hoffmann-La Roche Products Limited, I5 Surviving Corp., IGEN International Inc., IGEN LS LLC, IQuum, IQuum Inc., Ignyta, Ignyta Inc., Inflazome, Infogenetik Molekuler Bilgi Hizmetleri Anonim Sirketi, Institut Roche SAS, InterMune, InterMune Holdings Limited, InterMune Inc., InterMune International AG, Jecure Therapeutics Inc., Kapa Biosystems, Kapa Biosystems (Pty) Ltd, Kapa Biosystems Inc., Limited Liability Company Roche Diabetes Care Rus, Limited Liability Company Roche Diagnostics Rus, MTM Laboratories, Marcadia Biotech, Medingo Ltd., Medingo Medical Solutions, Memory Pharmaceuticals, Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp., Mirus, Museum Tinguely AG, N.V. Roche S.A., P.T. Roche Indonesia, PVT Probenverteiltechnik GmbH, Phaor AG, Piramed, Productos Roche (El Salvador) S.A. de C.V., Productos Roche (Honduras) S.A., Productos Roche (Nicaragua) S.A., Productos Roche (Panama) S.A., Productos Roche Dominicana S.R.L., Productos Roche Guatemala (Sociedad Anonima), Productos Roche Interamericana S.A. (PRISA), Productos Roche Quimica Farmaceutica S.A., Productos Roche S.A., Productos Roche S.A. Quimica e Industrial, Productos Roche S.A. de C.V., Produtos Roche Quimicos e Farmaceuticos S.A., Promedior, Rabbit-Air Ltd, RoDiagnostics Egypt for Trading S.A.E, Roche (China) Holding Ltd., Roche (Hellas) S.A., Roche (Hungary) Ltd, Roche (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Roche (Philippines) Inc., Roche (Shanghai) Pharmaceuticals Consulting Co. Ltd, Roche (Shanghai) Pharmaceuticals Trading Co. Ltd., Roche - Moscow Ltd., Roche AB, Roche Algerie SPA, Roche Austria GmbH, Roche Bangladesh Limited, Roche Beteiligungs GmbH, Roche Biomedical Laboratories Inc., Roche Bolivia SRL., Roche Bulgaria EOOD, Roche Cameroun SARL, Roche Capital Market Ltd, Roche Capital Services Ltd., Roche Catalyst Investments Ltd., Roche Chemische Unternehmungen AG, Roche Chile Limitada, Roche Cote dIvoire SARL, Roche DC Japan K. K., Roche DC Mexico S.A. de C.V., Roche Deutschland Holding GmbH, Roche Diabetes Care (Switzerland) Ltd, Roche Diabetes Care Argentina S.A., Roche Diabetes Care Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Roche Diabetes Care Australia Pty Limited, Roche Diabetes Care Austria GmbH, Roche Diabetes Care Brasil Ltda., Roche Diabetes Care Deutschland GmbH, Roche Diabetes Care France SAS, Roche Diabetes Care GmbH, Roche Diabetes Care Inc., Roche Diabetes Care India Private Limited, Roche Diabetes Care Italy S.p.A., Roche Diabetes Care Limited, Roche Diabetes Care Middle East FZCO, Roche Diabetes Care Nederland B.V., Roche Diabetes Care Polska sp. z o.o., Roche Diabetes Care South Africa Proprietary Limited, Roche Diabetes Care Spain S.L., Roche Diagnostica Brasil Ltda., Roche Diagnostics (Hellas) S.A., Roche Diagnostics (Hong Kong) Limited, Roche Diagnostics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Roche Diagnostics (Shanghai) Ltd., Roche Diagnostics (Suzhou) Limited, Roche Diagnostics (Switzerland) Ltd, Roche Diagnostics (Thailand) Limited, Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Roche Diagnostics Australia Pty. Limited, Roche Diagnostics Belgium NV, Roche Diagnostics Corporation, Roche Diagnostics Deutschland GmbH, Roche Diagnostics France SAS, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Roche Diagnostics Hematology Inc., Roche Diagnostics India Private Limited, Roche Diagnostics International Ltd, Roche Diagnostics K.K., Roche Diagnostics Korea Co. Ltd., Roche Diagnostics Limited, Roche Diagnostics Ltd., Roche Diagnostics Middle East FZCO, Roche Diagnostics NZ Limited, Roche Diagnostics Nederland B.V., Roche Diagnostics Norge A/S, Roche Diagnostics Operations Inc., Roche Diagnostics Oy, Roche Diagnostics Polska Sp. z o.o., Roche Diagnostics Proprietary Limited, Roche Diagnostics S.L., Roche Diagnostics S.p.A., Roche Diagnostics Scandinavia AB, Roche Diagnostics Turkey Anonim Sirketi, Roche Diagnostics a/s, Roche Ecuador S.A., Roche Eesti OU, Roche Egypt LLC, Roche Egypt for Manufacturing and Trading SAE, Roche Farma (Peru) S.A., Roche Farma S.A., Roche Farmaceutica Quimica Lda., Roche Finance Europe B.V., Roche Finance Ltd, Roche Financial Investments Ltd., Roche Financial Management Ltd., Roche Financial Services Ltd., Roche Forum Buonas Ltd, Roche Georgia LLC, Roche Glycart, Roche Glycart Ltd, Roche Health Solutions Inc., Roche Holding (UK) Limited, Roche Holdings Inc., Roche Hong Kong Limited, Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen A/S, Roche Innovatis, Roche International Ltd., Roche International Ltd. (Montevideo Branch), Roche Intertrade Limited, Roche Ireland Limited, Roche Kazakhstan LLP, Roche Kenya Limited, Roche Korea Company Ltd., Roche Laboratories Inc., Roche Latvija SIA, Roche Lebanon S.A.R.L., Roche Long Term Foundation, Roche Makedonija DOOEL, Roche Molecular Systems Inc., Roche Myanmar Company Limited, Roche Mustahzarlari Sanayi Anonim Sirketi, Roche Nederland B.V., Roche NimbleGen, Roche Norge A/S, Roche Operations Ltd., Roche Oy, Roche PVT GmbH, Roche Pakistan Limited, Roche Palo Alto LLC, Roche Pars Co. (Ltd.), Roche Pharma (Switzerland) Ltd, Roche Pharma AG, Roche Pharmaceuticals (Israel) Ltd., Roche Pharmaceuticals Middle East FZCO, Roche Pharmholding B.V., Roche Polska Sp. z o.o., Roche Privacy GmbH, Roche Products (India) Private Limited, Roche Products (Ireland) Limited, Roche Products (Mauritius) Ltd, Roche Products (New Zealand) Limited, Roche Products (Proprietary) Limited, Roche Products Ghana Limited, Roche Products Inc., Roche Products Limited, Roche Products Ltd., Roche Products Pty. Limited, Roche Products Saudi Arabia LLC, Roche R&D Center (China) Ltd., Roche Real Estate Services Mannheim GmbH, Roche Registration GmbH, Roche Registration Limited, Roche Romania S.R.L., Roche S.A., Roche S.p.A., Roche SAS, Roche Sequencing Solutions Inc., Roche Services (Asia Pacific) Sdn. Bhd., Roche Services (Europe) Ltd, Roche Services Americas Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Roche Services Holdings Ltd., Roche Servicios S.A., Roche Servicios de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Roche Singapore Pte. Ltd., Roche Singapore Technical Operations Pte. Ltd., Roche Sistemas de Diagnosticos Sociedade Unipessoal Lda., Roche Slovensko S.R.O., Roche TCRC Inc., Roche Thailand Limited, Roche Tunisie SA, Roche Ukraine LLC, Roche Vietnam Company Limited, Roche a/s Medicinalvarer og Kemikalier, Roche d.o.o., Roche d.o.o. farmaceutsko drustvo  Roche Ltd. Pharmaceutical Company, Roche farmacevtska druzba d.o.o., Roche mtm laboratories AG, Roche s.r.o., Santaris Pharma, Sapac Corporation Ltd., Seragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Shanghai Roche Pharmaceuticals Limited, Signature Diagnostics GmbH, Spark Therapeutics, Spring Bioscience Corp., Stratos Genomics, Syntex Corporation, Syntex Pharm AG, Syntex Pharmaceuticals International Limited, Syntex Puerto Rico Inc., Tanox Inc., Tavero AG, Tensha Therapeutics, Tensha Therapeutics Inc., Therapeutic Human Polyclonals, Therapeutic Human Polyclonals Inc., Trophos, Trophos SA, Tusk Therapeutics, Tusk Therapeutics Limited, UAB Roche Lietuva, Ventana Medical Systems, Ventana Medical Systems Inc., Verum Diagnostica GmbH, Viewics, Viewics Inc., Viewics India Private Limited, mySugr, mySugr GmbH, and mySugr Inc..
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.
Hertz Global's quiet period expires on Monday, December 20th. Hertz Global had issued 44,520,000 shares in its IPO on November 9th. The total size of the offering was $1,291,080,000 based on an initial share price of $29.00. During Hertz Global's quiet period, insiders and any underwriters involved in the IPO are restricted from issuing any earnings forecasts or research reports for the company because of SEC regulations. Following the expiration of the company's quiet period, it's expected that the brokerages that served as underwriters on the stock will initiate research coverage on the company.
The following companies are subsidiares of IDEX: ADS Corp., ADS Environmental Services Pty Limited, ADS Environmental Technologies Inc., ADS LLC, AEGIS Flow Technologies, AEGIS Flow Technologies L.L.C., AWG, AWG Fittings GmbH, Abel Pumps, Advanced Thin Films, Advanced Thin Films Inc., Airtech Group, Akron Brass, Akron Brass Company, Alfa Valvole, Alfa Valvole S.r.l., Band-It Clamps (Asia) Pte. Ltd., Band-It Company Limited, Band-It-IDEX Inc., Banjo Corporation, Banjo Europe S.r.l., BarbIDEX International SRL, CIDRA Precision Services, CVI Laser, CVI Laser LLC, CVI Laser Limited, CVI Melles Griot, Corken Inc., ERC, Eastern Plastics, FAST & Fluid Management S.r.l., FM Delaware Inc., FM Investment Inc., FMD Distribution and Service LLC, FMD Fabrication Services LLC, FTL Seals Technology Limited, Fast & Fluid Management B.V., Fast & Fluid Management Eastern Europe Sp. Z O.O., Fast and Fluid Management Australia Pty. Ltd., Flow Management Devices, Flow Management Devices LLC, Fluid Management Canada Inc., Fluid Management Inc., Fluid Management Operations LLC, Gast Group Ltd, Gast Manufacturing Inc., Godiva Limited, Godiva Products Limited, Hale Products Europe Limited, Hale Products Inc., Hurst Jaws of Life Inc., IDEX Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., IDEX Dinglee Technology (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., IDEX Europe GmbH, IDEX Health & Science KK, IDEX Health & Science LLC, IDEX Holdings GmbH, IDEX Holdings Inc., IDEX India Private Limited, IDEX Italy S.r.l., IDEX Japan GK, IDEX Korea Ltd, IDEX Leasing GmbH, IDEX MPT Inc., IDEX Mexico S.A. de C.V., IDEX Middle East FZE, IDEX Pump Technologies (Ireland) Limited, IDEX SAS, IDEX Service Corp., IDEX Sourcing Corporation, IDEX Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., IDEX Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, IDEX UK Investment Ltd, IDEX UK Ltd., IDEX do Brasil Servicos e Vendas Ltda., IETG, Isolation Technologies, KNIGHT LLC, KVT-Koenig Holding Limited, Knight (Canada) Limited, Knight Inc., Knight UK Ltd, LUKAS Hydraulik GmbH, Liquid Controls, Liquid Controls LLC, Matcon, Matcon (R&D) Limited, Matcon Group Limited, Matcon Limited, Melles Griot B.V., Melles Griot GmbH, Microfluidics, Microfluidics International Corporation, Micropump Inc., Nova Technologies, Nova Technologies Corporation, Novotema, Novotema S.p.A, OBL, OBL Srl, Oil & Gas Process Solutions LLC, PP AWG GmbH, PPE International LLC, PPE LLC, Precision Photonics, Precision Polymer Engineering Limited, Project Gold Acquisition Corp., Pulsafeeder Inc., Quadro Engineering Corp., RV Acquisition Corp., Richter Chemie-Technik, Richter Chemie-Technik GmbH, Richter EP (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., Richter Pumps & Valves Inc., Roplan AB, Roplan GmbH, Roplan Holding AB, Roplan Ltd, Roplan Machinery (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., Roplan Machining AB, Roplan Sales (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., Roplan Sales AB, Roplan Sales Inc., Roplan Trading AB, S.A.M.P.I. S.p.A., SFC KOENIG, SFC KOENIG Flow Control (Suzhou) Co. Limited, SFC Koenig AG, SFC Koenig Beteilgungs GmbH, SFC Koenig GmbH, SFC Koenig LLC, Scivex, Seals Limited, Semrock, Steridose Sales AB, The Fitzpatrick Company, Toptech Systems, Toptech Systems Inc., Toptech Systems NV, Trebor International Inc., Velcora, Velcora Holding AB, Vetter GmbH, Viking Pump Inc., Viking Pump of Canada Inc., Warren Rupp Inc., Wright Flow Technologies Limited, XAM Swiss Holding I GmbH, iPEK, iPEK International GmbH, iPEK Spezial TV GmbH, thinXXS Microtechnology, and thinXXS Microtechnology AG.
Invesco Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt ETF's stock was trading at $25.82 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, PCY stock has increased by 2.9% and is now trading at $26.56.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
iShares MSCI Belgium ETF's stock was trading at $15.65 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWK stock has increased by 36.2% and is now trading at $21.32.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, 2nd Road Pty Ltd., ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Ltd, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Innovation Singapore Holdings Pte, ?What If! Limited, ?What If! Shanghai Co. Ltd, ?What If! USA LLC, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD Dialeto Agencia de Publicidade SA, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Beijing) Mobile Technology Co Ltd, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co Ltd, Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (South Africa) Pty Limited, Accenture (UK) Ltd, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Azerbaijan Ltd, Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BV, Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A, Accenture CAS GmbH, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc., Accenture Capital DAC, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd., Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SAS, Accenture Customer Services Limited, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Delivery Poland sp. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital France Holdings SA, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance (Gibraltar) III Ltd, Accenture Finance GmbH, Accenture Finance GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II GmbH, Accenture Finance II GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II Ltd, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services Srl, Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Ghana Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Ltd., Accenture Global Services Ltd, Accenture Global Solutions Ltd, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services Ltd, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc., Accenture Holding GmbH, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holding GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SAS, Accenture Holdings plc, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazylym Cozumleri Limited irketi), Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazlm Cozumleri Limited Sirketi), Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture Insurance Services SAS, Accenture Insurance Services SpA, Accenture International BV, Accenture International Capital SCA, Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture International Sarl, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea BV, Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Managed Services SpA, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Middle East B.V, Accenture Middle East BV, Accenture Minority I BV, Accenture Minority III Ltd, Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi (Pty) Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Newco LLC, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations Sp. z o.o., Accenture Outsourcing SRL, Accenture Outsourcing Services, Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations BV, Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru S.R.L, Accenture Peru S.R.L., Accenture Post Trade Processing SAS, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process Ltd, Accenture Product Lifecycle Services, Accenture Properties, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture S.A., Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture SAS, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sendirian Berhad, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Ltd, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.r.l., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services Sp. z o.o., Accenture Services Sp. z.o.o., Accenture Services and Technology Srl, Accenture Services fur Kreditinstitute GmbH, Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Servicos Administrativos Ltda, Accenture Servicos de Suporte de Negocios Ltda, Accenture Solutions Co Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Sp. z o.o., Accenture Sp. z.o.o., Accenture SpA, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc., Accenture Sub Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag KFT, Accenture Technologia, Accenture Technologia Consultoria e Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Technology Infrastructure Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions SAS, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn. Bhd., Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures BV, Accenture Technology Ventures S.P.R.L., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co., Accenture Vietnam Co. LTD, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Limitada, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Customer Insight Limited, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Agave Consultants Limited, Agilex Technologies Inc., Allen International, Allen International Consulting Group Ltd, Alnova Technologies Corporation S.L., AlphaBeta Advisors, Altima, Altima Asia Ltd., Altima SAS, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Appaloosa Technology SAS, Arca, Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Avanade, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade (Thailand) Co Ltd, Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Denmark ApS, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Ltd, Avanade Europe Services Ltd, Avanade Federal Services LLC, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SAS, Avanade GZ Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd. (SH), Avanade Guangzhou, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy SRL, Avanade KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Netherlands BV, Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland Sp. z o.o., Avanade Poland Sp. z.o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain SL, Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Ltd, Avanade do Brasil Limitada, Avanade Osterreich GmbH, AvantBiz Consulting Limited, Avenai, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Benext, Bionic, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Boomerang Pharmaceuticals Communications Ireland Limited, Bow & Arrow, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brand Learning LLC, Brand Learning Ltd, Brand Learning Partners Limited, Brand Learning Pte Limited, Bridge Energy Group LLC, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CadenceQuest Inc., Capable Marketer Limited, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc., Certus Solutions Consulting Services Ltd, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cimation UK Limited, Cirruseo, Cirruseo SAS, Clarity Insights, Clearhead, Clearhead Group, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas (SN) (PTE.) Limited, Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Ltd., Cloud Talent Limited, Cloudsherpas, Cloudsherpas Inc., Cloudworks, Codagenic Pty. Ltd., Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda., Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda., Context Information Security, Coritel S.A., Corliant Inc., CreativeDrive, CustomerWorks Europe SL, Cutting Edge Solutions Ltd, D5 Global Holdings LLC, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., DMA Solutions Limited, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (Australia) PTY LTD, DayNine Consulting (Deutschland) GmbH, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting France SAS, DayNine Consulting Japan K.K., DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings, Declarative Holdings LLC, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digiplug SAS, Digital Consulting & Software Services LLC, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Ltd., Duck Creek Technologies, Duck Creek Technologies LLC, Deja Vu Security LLC, ESR Labs, Elcurator SAS, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting L.P., End-to-End Analytics, Energuia Web, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Ltd., Energy Quote Private Ltd., EnergyQuote JHA, EnergyQuote JHA Ltd., EnergyQuote Trading Ltd., Enimbos, Enkitec, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V. , Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enterprise System Partners PR LLC, Enterprise System Partners S.A.S., Entropia, Epylon, Ethica Consulting Group, Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Exton Consulting, Fairway Technologies Inc, Fairway Technologies LLC, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, First Annapolis International, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Focus Group Europe Limited, Formicary, Formicary Holdings Limited, Formicary Limited, FusionX, FutureMove Automotive, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, Genfour Limited, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gestion Altima Canada Inc., Gevity, Global Public Firm S.L., GlobalView SAS, GoodFilm GmbH Filmproduktion Stuttgart, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Hytracc Consulting UK Limited, Hytracc Holding AS, I-Faber S.p.A., IBB Consulting, IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INCAD, INSITUM, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Imagine Broadband (USA) Ltd, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Industrie&Co, Infoman AG, Infoman Schweiz AG, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Infusion Development Inc., Infusion Development UK Limited, InfusionDev LLC, Innoveer Solutions India Pvt Ltd, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria Brasil LTDA, Insitum Consultoria Colombia SAS, Insitum Consultoria Europa SL, Insitum Consultoria Peru SAC, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., Intrepid, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Advertisement (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inventor Technology Limited, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, Javelin Group (Bulgaria) EOOD, Javelin Group Limited (UK), Javelin Group SASU, K Comms Group Limited, KCS.net AG, KCS.net AG West, KCS.net Deutschland GmbH, KCS.net Holding AG, KCS.net Osterreich GmbH, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Ltd, Kogentix Singapore Pte. Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kunstmaan NV, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon UKI, Kurt Salmon UKI Ltd., Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LabAnswer, LabAnswer Government, LemonXL Limited, Logistics Market Place Limited (UK), Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Corporation, Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte. Ltd., Mackevision UK Ltd, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd., Maihiro, Matter, Matter Llc, Maud Corp Pty Limited, Maxamine International, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing Corporation, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mindtribe Product Engineering LLC, MobGen, MobGen Technology S.L, Moonrise NV, Mortgage Cadence, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, N3 LLC, NBS Marketing Inc., NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile, Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Chile SpA, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda., New Energy Aborda, New Energy Associates Ltd, New Energy Group, New Energy S.r.l., NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage China Ltd., NewsPage Pte Ltd, Nice Agency Limited, Northstream, Northstream AB, Northstream Holding AB, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology LTDA, Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Octo Technology SPRL, Octoman SAS, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Openmind, Openminded, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium Consulting Ltd, Orbium GmbH, Orbium Holding AG, Orbium Inc., Orbium International AG, Orbium International sp. z o.o., Orbium Licences AG, Orbium Limited, Orbium Pte. Ltd., Orbium Pty Ltd, Orbium Services sp. z o.o., Orbium Sarl, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PCO Innovation Canada Inc., PCO Innovation EURL, PIXO PUNCH Limited, PLM Systems S.r.l, POC Holdings, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, Pach Invest SARL, Pach Invest SAS, PacificLink Group, PacificLink iMedia Ltd., Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald Inc., Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Partners Technology Mexico Holdings BV, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production K/S, Perseroan Terbatas. Accenture, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Ltd, Pragsis Technologies S.L, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Ltd, Procurian Germany GmbH, Procurian Inc., Procurian International I LLC, Procurian International II LLC, Procurian LLC, Procurian Singapore Pte. Ltd., Procurian Switzerland GmbH, Procurian USA LLC, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co Ltd, Radiant Services, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Limited, Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (Asia) Pte Ltd, Redcore (India) Private Limited (India), Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Renacentis IT Services, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Rothco, Rothco Holdings Designated Activity Company, Rothco Unlimited Company, S.C. EnergyQuote S.r.l., S3 TV Technology Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SEC Servizi, SEC Servizi S.p.A., SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Sagacious Consultants LLC, Salt Solutions, Sanchez Capital Services Pvt Ltd, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Airline Planning Group, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace Asia (Hong Kong) Limited, Seabury Aviation Consulting LLC, Seabury Cargo Advisory B.V., Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Human Capital LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Seabury Structured Finance LLC, Search Technologies BPO, Search Technologies BPO Inc., Search Technologies GmbH, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LATAM, Search Technologies LATAM S.A., Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Sente Partners LLC, Sentelis, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Shackleton, Shackleton Barcelona S.L., Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton Madrid S.L., Shackleton S.A., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., Silveo, Simian Pty Limited, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Commerce GmbH, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., SinnerSchrader Swipe GmbH, Sistemes Consulting S.L., Solutions IQ, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Storm Digital, Storm Digital B.V., Structure Consulting Group, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Systor AG, TQuila Limited (UK), Tadata Creative Unlimited Company, Tara Insurance DAC, Tara Risk DAC, TargetST8, TargetST8 Consulting LLC, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica Ltd., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Limited, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Total Logistics Supply Chain Consultants Limited, Tquila, Trivadis AG, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Verax Solutions, Verax Solutions Corporation, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong, Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd., Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, Weblinc Pty Ltd, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wire Stone Sarl, Wolox, Workforce Insight, Yesler, Zag, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines, Zenta Global Philippines Inc., Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc., Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, and solid-serVision.com GmbH.
Jones Soda Co. engages in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of beverages and related products. The firm sells its products in grocery stores, convenience and gas stores, up and down the street in independent accounts such as delicatessens and sandwich shops, as well as through national accounts with several large retailers. It offers Jones Soda, Jones Zilch, Jones Stripped, Lemoncocco, and 7-Select Premium Sodas. The company was founded by Peter M. van Stolk in 1986 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA.

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Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA provides dialysis care and related dialysis care services in Germany, North America, and internationally. It offers dialysis treatment and related laboratory and diagnostic services through a network of outpatient dialysis clinics; materials, training, and patient support services comprising clinical monitoring, follow-up assistance, and arranging for delivery of the supplies to the patient's residence; and dialysis services under contract to hospitals in the United States for the hospitalized end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and for patients suffering from acute kidney failure. The company also develops, manufactures, and distributes dialysis products, including polysulfone dialyzers, hemodialysis machines, peritoneal dialysis cyclers, peritoneal dialysis solutions, hemodialysis concentrates, solutions and granulates, bloodlines, renal pharmaceuticals, and systems for water treatment; and non-dialysis products, such as acute cardiopulmonary and apheresis products. In addition, it develops, acquires, and in-licenses renal pharmaceuticals; offers renal medications and supplies to patients at homes or to dialysis clinics; and provides vascular, cardiovascular, endovascular specialty, vascular care ambulatory surgery center, and physician nephrology and cardiology services. The company sells its products to dialysis clinics, hospitals, and specialized treatment clinics directly, as well as through local sales forces, independent distributors, dealers, and sales agents. As of December 31, 2020, it operated 4,092 outpatient dialysis clinics in approximately 150 countries. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Bad Homburg, Germany.

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Keywords Studios plc provides integrated outsourced creative and technical services to the video game industry. The company offers art creation services related to the production of graphical art assets for inclusion in the video game, including concept art creation, as well as 2D and 3D art asset production and animation. It also provides audio/voice-over services, including script translation, actor selection, and talent management through pre-production, audio direction, recording, and post-production, as well as offers music licensing or music soundtracks selling services. In addition, the company offers localization services related to translation and cultural adaptation of in-game text and audio scripts in various game platforms and genres; and localization testing services consisting of testing the linguistic correctness and cultural acceptability of computer games. Further, it provides functional testing services related to quality assurance services provided to game producers to ensure game functions. Additionally, the company provides player support services related to the live operations support, such as community management, player support, and associated services to producers of games, as well as software engineering services for developing video games. It serves game companies and publishers. The company operates in Ireland, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, Italy, France, India, Germany, Singapore, Spain, Poland, Brazil, China, and Mexico. Keywords Studios plc was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Kroger: 84.51 HQ Building Company LLC, 84.51 LLC, Alpha Beta Company, Ansonborough Square Investors I LLC, Ansonborough Square Retail LLC, Ardrey Kell Investments LLC, Bay Area Warehouse Stores Inc., Beech Tree Holdings LLC, Bell Markets Inc., Bleecker Ventures LLC, Bluefield Beverage Company, Box Cutter Inc., Brier Creek Arbors Drive Retail LLC, CB&S Advertising Agency Inc., Cala Co., Cala Foods Inc., Cheeses of All Nations Inc., Country Oven Inc., Crawford Stores Inc., Creedmoor Retail LLC, Dillon Companies LLC, Dillon Real Estate Co. Inc., Dillons, Distribution Trucking Company, Dotto Inc., Edgewood Plaza Holdings LLC, Embassy International Inc., FM Inc., FMJ Inc., Farmacia Doral Inc., Food 4 Less GM Inc., Food 4 Less Holdings Inc., Food 4 Less Merchandising Inc., Food 4 Less of California Inc., Food 4 Less of Southern California Inc., Fred Meyer, Fred Meyer Inc., Fred Meyer Jewelers Inc., Fred Meyer Stores Inc., Glasswing Labs LLC, Glendale/Goodwin Realty I LLC, Grubstake Investments LLC, HT Fuel DE LLC, HT Fuel NC LLC, HT Fuel SC LLC, HT Fuel VA LLC, HTGBD LLC, HTP Bluffton LLC, HTP Plaza LLC, HTP Relo LLC, HTPS LLC, HTTAH LLC, Harris Teeter, Harris Teeter LLC, Henpil Inc., Home Chef, Hood-Clayton Logistics LLC, Hughes Markets Inc., Hughes Realty Inc., I.T.A. Inc., IRP LLC, ITAC 119 LLC, ITAC 265 LLC, Inter-American Foods Inc., Inter-American Products Inc., J.V. Distributing Inc., Jondex Corp., Jubilee Carolina LLC, KCDE  2012 LLC, KCDE  2013 LLC, KCDE-2 LLC, KCDE-3 LLC, KCDE-4 LLC, KCDE-5 LLC, KGO LLC, KPF LLC, KPS LLC, KRGP LLC, KRLP Inc., KV Anderson LLC, Kee Trans Inc., Kessel FP, Kiosk Medicine Kentucky LLC, Kirkpatrick West Retail LLC, Kroger Community Development Entity LLC, Kroger Dedicated Logistics Co., Kroger Fulfillment Network LLC, Kroger G.O. LLC, Kroger LM Real Estate Holdings LLC, Kroger Limited Partnership I, Kroger Limited Partnership II, Kroger MC Holdings LLC, Kroger MTL Management LLC, Kroger Management Co., Kroger Management  Corryville LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Athens I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Champaign I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Champaign II LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Cincinnati I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Dallas I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Danville I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Logansport I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Missouri I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Oak Ridge I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Olney I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Omaha I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Portsmouth I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Starkville I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Topeka I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Warrenton I LLC, Kroger NMTC Fremont I LLC, Kroger OZ1 Inc., Kroger OZ1 LLC, Kroger OZ2 Inc., Kroger OZ2 LLC, Kroger OZ3 Inc., Kroger OZ3 LLC, Kroger Opportunity Fund I Inc., Kroger Prescription Plans Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion AL LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion TX LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy CA 2 LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy FL 2 LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 2 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 3 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings I Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy LA LLC, Kroger Texas L.P., LCGP3 Home Cooking Inc., Latta Village LLC, Local Mkt LLC, Main & Vine LLC, Matthews Property 1 LLC, Mega Marts LLC, Michigan Dairy L.L.C., ModernHealth LTC, Murrays Cheese LLC, Murrays LIC LLC, Murrays Table LLC, Pace Dairy Foods Company, Paramount Logistics LLC, Pay Less Super Markets Inc., Peyton's-Southeastern Inc., Plum Labs LLC, Pontiac Foods Inc., Queen City Assurance Inc., RBF LLC, RGC Southeast Properties LLC, Ralphs Grocery Company, Relish Labs LLC, Rocket Newco Inc., Roundy's, Roundys Acquisition Corp., Roundys Illinois LLC, Roundys Inc., Roundys Supermarkets Inc., Second Story Inc., Shop-Rite LLC, Smiths Beverage of Wyoming Inc., Smiths Food & Drug Centers Inc., Southern Ice Cream Specialties Inc., Stallings Investors I LLC, Sunrise R&D Holdings LLC, Sunrise Technology LLC, TLC Corporate Services LLC, TLC Immunization Clinic LLC, TLC of Georgia LLC, The Kroger Co. of Michigan, The Little Clinic LLC, The Little Clinic Management Services LLC, The Little Clinic of Arizona LLC, The Little Clinic of Colorado LLC, The Little Clinic of IN LLC, The Little Clinic of Kansas LLC, The Little Clinic of Mississippi LLC, The Little Clinic of Ohio LLC, The Little Clinic of TX LLC, The Little Clinic of Tennessee LLC, The Little Clinic of VA LLC, Topvalco Inc., Ultimate Mart LLC, Ultra Mart Foods LLC, Vine Court Assurance Incorporated, Vitacost, Vitacost.com Inc., Woodmont Holdings LLC, and YOU Technology.
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The following companies are subsidiares of MetLife: 1001 PROPERTIES LLC, 10700 WILSHIRE LLC, 1201 TAB MANAGER LLC, 150 NORTH RIVERSIDE PE MEMBER LLC, 1925 WJC OWNER LLC, 23RD STREET INVESTMENTS INC., 500 GRANT STREET ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, 500 GRANT STREET GP LLC, 60 11TH STREET LLC, 6104 HOLLYWOOD LLC, AFP GENESIS ADMINISTRADORA DE FONDOS Y FIDECOMISOS S.A., AFP PROVIDA S.A., AGENVITA S.R.L., ALICO EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LIMITED, ALICO HELLAS SINGLE MEMBER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, ALICO OPERATIONS LLC, ALICO PROPERTIES INC., AMMETLIFE INSURANCE BERHAD, AMMETLIFE TAKAFUL BERHAD, American Life Insurance Company, BEST MARKET S.A., BIDV METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, BLOCK VISION HOLDINGS CORPORATION, BLOCK VISION OF TEXAS INC., BORDERLAND INVESTMENTS LIMITED, BOULEVARD RESIDENTIAL LLC, BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER LLC, CC HOLDCO MANAGER LLC, CHESTNUT FLATS WIND LLC, CLOSED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY MASTER D, COMPANIA INVERSORA METLIFE S.A., CORPORATE REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC, COVA LIFE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, DAVIS VISION INC., DAVISVISION IPA INC., DELAWARE AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, DES MOINES CREEK BUSINESS PARK PHASE II LLC, ECONOMY FIRE & CASUALTY COMPANY, ECONOMY PREFERRED INSURANCE COMPANY, ECONOMY PREMIER ASSURANCE COMPANY, EURO CL INVESTMENTS LLC, EXCELENCIA OPERATIVA Y TECNOLOGICA S.A de C.V., FEDERAL FLOOD CERTIFICATION LLC, FORTISSIMO CO. LTD, FUNDACION METLIFE MEXICO A.C., GLOBAL PROPERTIES INC., General American Life Insurance Company, Grand Bank N.A., HASKELL EAST VILLAGE LLC, HIGH STREET SEVENTH AND OSBORN APARTMENTS LLC, HOUSING FUND MANAGER LLC, INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL AND ADVISORY SERVICES LIMITED, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO DOS LIMITADA, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO TRES LIMITADA, JOINT-STOCK COMPANY METLIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, LHC HOLDINGS, LHCW HOLDINGS, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING LLC, LHCW HOTEL OPERATING COMPANY, LONG ISLAND SOLAR FARM LLC, LUMENLAB MALAYSIA SDN. BHD., Logan Circle Partners, MARKETPLACE RESIDENCES LLC, MAXIS GBN S.A.S., MC PORTFOLIO JV MEMBER LLC, MCJV LLC, MCMIF HOLDCO I LLC, MCMIF HOLDCO II LLC, MCP - WELLINGTON LLC, MCP 100 CONGRESS MEMBER LLC, MCP 1500 MICHAEL LLC, MCP 1900 MCKINNEY LLC, MCP 2 AMES LLC, MCP 2 AMES ONE LLC, MCP 2 AMES OWNER LLC, MCP 2 AMES TWO LLC, MCP 220 YORK LLC, MCP 22745 & 22755 RELOCATION DRIVE LLC, MCP 249 INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS PARK MEMBER LLC, MCP 3040 POST OAK LLC, MCP 350 ROHLWING LLC, MCP 4600 SOUTH SYRACUSE LLC, MCP 550 WEST WASHINGTON LLC, MCP 60 11TH STREET MEMBER LLC, MCP 7 RIVERWAY LLC, MCP 9020 MURPHY ROAD LLC, MCP 93 RED RIVER MEMBER LLC, MCP ALLEY 24 EAST LLC, MCP ASHTON SOUTH END LLC, MCP BLOCK 23 MEMBER LLC, MCP BRADFORD LLC, MCP BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER 2 MEMBER LLC, MCP BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER BLDG B LLC, MCP BURNSIDE MEMBER LLC, MCP CENTER AVENUE INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, MCP CLAWITER INNOVATION MEMBER LLC, MCP COMMON DESK TRS LLC, MCP DENVER PAVILIONS MEMBER LLC, MCP DILLON LLC, MCP DILLON RESIDENTIAL LLC, MCP ENV CHICAGO LLC, MCP FIFE ENTERPRISE CENTER LLC, MCP FRISCO OFFICE LLC, MCP GRAPEVINE LLC, MCP HIGHLAND PARK LENDER LLC, MCP HUB I LLC, MCP HUB I PROPERTY LLC, MCP LODGE AT LAKECREST LLC, MCP MA PROPERTY REIT LLC, MCP MAGNOLIA PARK MEMBER LLC, MCP MAIN STREET VILLAGE LLC, MCP MOUNTAIN TECHNOLOGY CENTER MEMBER TRS LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS HOLDCO LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS MASTER LESSEE LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS OWNER LLC, MCP ONE WESTSIDE LLC, MCP ONYX LLC, MCP PARAGON POINT LLC, MCP PLAZA AT LEGACY LLC, MCP PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MCP SEATTLE GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL I LLC, MCP SEATTLE GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL II LLC, MCP SEVENTH AND OSBORNE MF MEMBER LLC, MCP SEVENTH AND OSBORNE RETAIL MEMBER LLC, MCP SHAKOPEE LLC, MCP SLEEPY HOLLOW MEMBER LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  ANAHEIM LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  BERNARDO LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  CANYON LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  CONCOURSE LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  FULLERTON LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  KELLWO00OD LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  LAX LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  LOKER LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  REDONDO LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  SPRINGDALE LLC, MCP STATELINE LLC, MCP THE PALMS AT DORAL LLC, MCP TRIMBLE CAMPUS LLC, MCP UNION ROW LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE ONE LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE OWNER LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE TWO LLC, MCP VANCE JACKSON LLC, MCP VINEYARD AVENUE MEMBER LLC, MCP VOA HOLDINGS LLC, MCP VOA I & III LLC, MCP VOA II LLC, MCP WATERFORD ATRIUM LLC, MCP WEST BROAD MARKETPLACE LLC, MCP  ENGLISH VILLAGE LLC, MCPF ACQUISITION LLC, MCPF FOXBOROUGH LLC, MCPF  NEEDHAM LLC, MCPP OWNERS LLC, MCRE BLOCK 40 LP, MEC HEALTH CARE INC., MET 1065 HOTEL LLC, MET CANADA SOLAR ULC, METLIFE 1007 STEWART LLC, METLIFE 1201 TAB MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MANAGER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 555 12TH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 8280 MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ACOMA OWNER LLC, METLIFE ADMINISTRADORA DE FUNDOS MULTIPATROCINADOS LTDA., METLIFE ALTERNATIVES GP LLC, METLIFE ASHTON AUSTIN OWNER LLC, METLIFE ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., METLIFE ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE ASIA SERVICES SDN. BHD, METLIFE ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP., METLIFE ASSIGNMENT COMPANY INC., METLIFE AUTO & HOME INSURANCE AGENCY INC., METLIFE BL FEEDER, METLIFE BL FEEDER LP, METLIFE BORO STATION MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CABO HILTON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAMINO RAMON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAPITAL CREDIT L.P., METLIFE CAPITAL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, METLIFE CAPITAL TRUST IV, METLIFE CB W/A LLC, METLIFE CC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CHILE ADMINISTRADORA DE MUTUOS HIPOTECARIOS S.A., METLIFE CHILE INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS DE VIDA S.A., METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS GENERALES S.A., METLIFE CHINO MEMBER LLC, METLIFE COLOMBIA SEGUROS de VIDA S.A., METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND GP LLC, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND LP, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE ORIGINATOR LLC, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE REIT LLC, METLIFE CONSQUARE MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CONSUMER SERVICES INC., METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND LP, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY REIT LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY TRS. LLC, METLIFE CREDIT CORP., METLIFE DIGITAL VENTURES INC., METLIFE EMEKLILIK VE HAYAT A.S., METLIFE EMERGING MARKET DEBT BLEND FUND, METLIFE EU HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE INSURANCE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPE SERVICES LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LLC., METLIFE FINANCIAL SERVICES CO. LTD, METLIFE FM HOTEL MEMBER LLC, METLIFE FUNDING INC., METLIFE GENERAL INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE GLOBAL BENEFITS LTD., METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY I GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY II GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION S.A. De C.V., METLIFE GLOBAL INC., METLIFE GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE GROUP INC., METLIFE HCMJV 1 GP LLC, METLIFE HCMJV 1 LP LLC, METLIFE HEALTH PLANS INC., METLIFE HOLDINGS INC., METLIFE HOME LOANS LLC, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE LIMITED, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE PTE. LTD., METLIFE INSURANCE AND INVESTMENT TRUST, METLIFE INSURANCE BROKERAGE INC., METLIFE INSURANCE K.K., METLIFE INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HF PARTNERS LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND I LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND II LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND III LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND IV LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND V LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VI LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VII LP, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENTS ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS PTY LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS SECURITIES LLC, METLIFE INVESTORS DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, METLIFE INVESTORS GROUP LLC, METLIFE IRELAND TREASURY D.A.C., METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND LP, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS LLC, METLIFE LATIN AMERICA ASESORIAS E INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE LEGAL PLANS INC., METLIFE LEGAL PLANS OF FLORIDA INC., METLIFE LHH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE S.A., METLIFE LOAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE MAS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MEMBER SOLAIRE LLC, METLIFE MEXICO HOLDINGS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO S.A., METLIFE MEXICO SERVICIOS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT GP LLC, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL GP LLC, METLIFE MULTI-FAMILY PARTNERS III LLC, METLIFE MUTUAL FUND COMPANY, METLIFE OBS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE OFC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ONTARIO STREET MEMBR LLC, METLIFE PARK TOWER MEMBER LLC, METLIFE PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED, METLIFE PENSIONES MEXICO S.A., METLIFE PET INSURANCE SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE PLANOS ODONTOLOGICOS LTDA., METLIFE POWSZECHNE TOWARTZYSTWO EMERYTALNE S.A., METLIFE PRIVATE EQUITY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE PROPERTIES VENTURES LLC, METLIFE RC SF MEMBER LLC, METLIFE REAL ESTATE LENDING LLC, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF BERMUDA LTD., METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF CHARLESTON, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF VERMONT, METLIFE RETIREMENT SERVICES LLC, METLIFE SAENGMYOUNG INSURANCE COMPANY LTD., METLIFE SECURITIZATION DEPOSITOR LLC, METLIFE SEGUROS S.A., METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FINCO LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FUND LP, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING GP LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING HOLDINGS LP, METLIFE SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE SERVICES CYPRUS LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EAST PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EEIG, METLIFE SERVICES EOOD, METLIFE SERVICES SOCIEDAD LIMITADA, METLIFE SERVICES SP Z.O.O, METLIFE SERVICIOS S.A., METLIFE SLOVAKIA S.R.O. V LIKVIDACII, METLIFE SOLUTIONS PTE. LTD., METLIFE SOLUTIONS S.A.S., METLIFE SP HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN FUND SCSP, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN LUX GP S.A.R.L., METLIFE THR INVESTOR LLC, METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO FUNDUSZY INWESTYCYJNYCH S.A., METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO UBEZPIECZEN NA ZYCIE I REASEKURACJI S.A., METLIFE TOWER RESOURCES GROUP INC., METLIFE TREAT TOWERS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, METROPOLITAN CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN DIRECT PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC., METROPOLITAN GROUP PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE SEGUROS E PREVIDENCIA PRIVADA S.A., METROPOLITAN LIFE SOCIETATE de ADMINISTRARE a UNUI FOND de PENSII ADMINISTRAT PRIVAT S.A., METROPOLITAN LLOYDS INC., METROPOLITAN LLOYDS INSURANCE COMPANY OF TEXAS, METROPOLITAN PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER REALTY COMPANY INC., MEX DF PROPERTIES LLC, MFA FINANCING VEHICLE CTR1 LLC, MIDTOWN HEIGHTS LLC, MIM CLAL GENERAL PARTNER LLC, MIM EMD GP LLC, MIM I LLC, MIM METWEST INTERNATIONAL MANAGER LLC, MIM ML-AI VENTURE 5 MANAGER LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OF GEORGIA 1 LLC, MIM THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MANAGER LLC, MISSOURI REINSURANCE INC., ML - URS PORT CHESTER SC MANAGER LLC, ML 300 THIRD MEMBER LLC, ML ARMATURE MEMBER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MANAGER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MEMBER LLC, ML BRIDGESIDE APARTMENTS LLC, ML CAPACITACION COMERCIAL S.A. DE C.V., ML CERRITOS TC MEMBER LLC, ML CLAL MEMBER LLC, ML DOLPHIN GP LLC, ML DOLPHIN MEZZ LLC, ML MATSON MILLS MEMBER LLC, ML MILILANI MEMBER LLC, ML ONE BEDMINSTER LLC, ML PORT CHESTER SC MEMBER LLC, ML SENTINEL SQUARE MEMBER LLC, ML SLOANS LAKE MEMEBR LLC, ML SOUTHLANDS MEMBER LLC, ML SOUTHMORE LLC, ML SWAN GP LLC, ML SWAN MEZZ LLC, ML TERRACES LLC, ML THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML VENTURE 1 MANAGER S. DE R. L. DE C.V., ML VENTURE 1 SERVICER LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 1 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 2 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 3 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 4 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 5 LLC, MLIA MANAGER I LLC, MLIA PARK TOWER MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF COLONY MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF MANAGER LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS II LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS LLC, MLIC CB HOLDINGS LLC, MLJ US FEEDER LLC, MM GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER S.A. DE C.V., MMP CEDAR STREET OWNER LLC, MMP CEDAR STREET REIT LLC, MMP HOLDINGS III LLC, MMP OLIVIAN OWNER LLC, MMP OLIVIAN REIT LLC, MMP OWNERS III LLC, MMP OWNERS LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK OWNER LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK REIT LLC, MREF 425 MKT LLC, MSV IRVINE PROPERTY LLC, MTC FUND I LLC, MTC FUND II LLC, MTC FUND III LLC, MTL LEASING LLC, MTU HOTEL OWNER LLC, NATILOPORTEM HOLDINGS LLC, NEWBURY INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, OCONEE GOLF COMPANY LLC, OCONEE HOTEL COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LLC, OCONEE MARINA COMPANY LLC, OMI MLIC INVESTMENTS LIMITED, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL SOUTH LLC, PARK TOWER JV MEMBER LLC, PARK TOWER REIT INC., PJSC METLIFE, PLAZA DRIVE PROPERTIES LLC, PNB METLIFE INDIA INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, PREFCO FOURTEEN LLC, PREFCO XIV HOLDINGS LLC, PROVIDA INTERNACIONAL S.A., SAFEGUARD HEALTH ENTERPRISES INC., SAFEGUARD HEALTH PLANS INC., SAFEHEALTH LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, SEVENTH AND OSBORN MF VENTURE LLC, SINO-US UNITED METLIFE INSURANCE CO. LTD., SOUTHCREEK INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS LLC, ST. JAMES FLEET INVESTMENTS TWO LIMITED, SUPERIOR PROCUREMENT INC, SUPERIOR VISION BENEFIT MANAGEMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION HOLDINGS INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE PLAN OF WISCONSIN INC., SUPERIOR VISION OF NEW JERSEY INC., SUPERIOR VISION SERVICES INC., Safeguard Health Enterprises, Security First Group Inc., THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH AVENUE MEZZANINE LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL HOLDING LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL OWNER, THE DIRECT CALL CENTRE PTY LIMITED, TRANSMOUNTAIN LAND & LIVESTOCK COMPANY, UVC INDEPENDENT PRACTICE ASSOCIATION INC., VERSANT HEALTH CONSOLIDATIONS CORP., VERSANT HEALTH HOLDCO INC., VERSANT HEALTH LAB LLC, VIRIDIAN MIRACLE MILE LLC, VISION 21 MANAGED EYE CARE OF TAMPA BAY, VISION 21 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, VISION TWENTY-ONE MANAGED EYE CARE IPA INC., Versant Health, WDV ACQUISITION CORP., WFP 1000 HOLDING COMPANY GP LLC, WHITE OAK ROYALTY COMPANY, and WHITE TRACT II LLC.
iShares MSCI Spain ETF's stock was trading at $22.48 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWP stock has increased by 17.8% and is now trading at $26.49.

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iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF's stock was trading at $36.70 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWT shares have increased by 80.4% and is now trading at $66.20.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
The following companies are subsidiares of Mohawk Industries: A&S Energie NV, A&U Energie NV, Aladdin Manufacturing Corporation, Aladdin Manufacturing Of New York LLC, Aladdin Manufacturing of Alabama LLC, Alsace Logistique S.A., Avelgem Green Power CVBA, Avon Pacific Holdings Ltd, B&M NV, BGE Mexico S. de R. L. de C.V., Berghoef GmbH, Berghoef-Hout B.V., Bienes Raices y Materiales del Centro S. de R.L. de C.V., C.F. Marazzi S.A., Canterbury Spinners Ltd, Carpet Foundation Ltd, Cevotrans BV, Ceramus Bahia S/A  Produtos Ceramicos, DT Mex Holdings LLC, DTM/CM Holdings LLC, Dal Italia LLC, Dal-Elit LLC, Dal-Tile Chile Comercial Limitada, Dal-Tile Colombia S.A.S., Dal-Tile Distribution Inc., Dal-Tile Group Inc., Dal-Tile I LLC, Dal-Tile Industrias S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile International Inc., Dal-Tile Mexico Comercial S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Operaciones Mexico S. De R.L. De C.V., Dal-Tile Peru SRL, Dal-Tile Puerto Rico Inc., Dal-Tile Services Inc., Dal-Tile Shared Services Inc., Dal-Tile Tennessee LLC, Dal-Tile of Canada ULC, Daltile, Daltile, Dekaply NV, Durkan, Dynea NV, Eliane Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Eliane S/A - Revestimentos Ceramicos, Emilceramica India Pvt Ltd., Emilceramica S.r.l, Emilgermany GmbH, Emilgroup Asia Ltd, Explorer S.r.l., F.I.L.S. Investments Unlimited Company, Feltex Carpets Ltd, Feltex Carpets Pty Ltd, Feltex New Zealand Ltd, Fibremakers Australia Pty Ltd, Flooring Foundation Ltd, Flooring Industries Limited S.a r.l., Flooring XL B.V., Floorscape Limited, Godfrey Hirst & Co Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Australia Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Group, Godfrey Hirst NZ Ltd, Hytherm (Ireland) Limited, IVC BVBA, IVC Far-East Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., IVC France S.a r.l., IVC GROUP LIMITED, IVC Green Power NV, IVC Group, IVC Group GmbH, IVC Luxembourg S.a r.l., IVC Rus OOO, IVC US Inc., International Flooring Systems S.a r.l., International Vinyl Company - Vostok OOO, KAI Group, KAI Keramica Ltd, KAI Mining EOOD, KERAMA CENTER OOO, Kerama Baltics OOO, Kerama Export OOO, Kerama Marazzi OOO, Kerampromservis (LLC), Khan Asparuh - Transport EOOD, Khan Asparuh AD, Khan Omurtag AD, Koninklijke Peitsman B.V., Kraj Kerama OOO, MG China Trading Ltd., MI Finance SRL, MUD (Holding) Brazil Ltda., Management Co EAD, Marazzi Acquisition S.r.l., Marazzi Deutschland G.m.b.H., Marazzi France Trading S.A.S., Marazzi Group, Marazzi Group F.Z.E., Marazzi Group S.r.l., Marazzi Group Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marazzi Iberia S.L.U., Marazzi Japan Co. Ltd., Marazzi Middle East FZ LLC, Marazzi Schweiz S.A.G.L., Marazzi UK Ltd., Mohawk Assurance Services Inc., Mohawk Australia Pty Ltd, Mohawk Canada Corporation, Mohawk Capital Finance S.A., Mohawk Capital Luxembourg SA, Mohawk Carpet Distribution Inc., Mohawk Carpet Foundation Inc., Mohawk Carpet LLC, Mohawk Carpet Transportation Of Georgia LLC, Mohawk Commercial Inc., Mohawk ESV Inc., Mohawk Europe BVBA, Mohawk Factoring II Inc., Mohawk Factoring LLC, Mohawk Finance S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Acquisitions S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Funding S.a.r.l, Mohawk Foreign Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Investments Inc., Mohawk Global Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Holdings International B.V., Mohawk Industries Inc., Mohawk International (Europe) S.a r.l., Mohawk International (Hong Kong) Limited, Mohawk International Capital N.V., Mohawk International Financing S.a.r.l, Mohawk International Holdings (DE) LLC, Mohawk International Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk International Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk International Netherlands B.V., Mohawk International Services BVBA, Mohawk KAI Luxembourg Holding S.a r.l., Mohawk KAI Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Capital S.A., Mohawk Luxembourg Financing S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Pacific S.a r.l., Mohawk Marazzi International BV, Mohawk Marazzi Russia BV, Mohawk New Zealand Limited, Mohawk Operaciones Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Mohawk Operations Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Pacific Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Resources LLC, Mohawk Servicing LLC, Mohawk Singapore Private Limited, Mohawk Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mohawk Unilin Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk United Finance B.V., Mohawk United International B.V., Mohawk Vinyl Financing S.a r.l., Molber Beheer B.V., Monarch Ceramic Tile Inc., P.F. Onroerend Goed B.V., PF Beheer B.V., Pergo, Pergo (Europe) AB, Pergo Holding BV, Pergo India Pvt Ltd, Polcolorit S.A., Premium Floors Australia Pty Limited, RR Apex LLC, Rata International Pty Ltd, Recubrimientos Interceramica S. de R.L. de C.V., Riverside Textiles Pty Ltd, S.C. KAI Ceramics SRL, Sibir Kerama OOO, SimpleSolutions USA LLC, Soft Step (Australia) Pty Ltd, Spano Group, Spano Invest BVBA, Spano NV, Stroyagromekhzapchast ChaO, Stroytrans OAO Orelstroy, Summit Wool Spinners Ltd, The Flooring Federation Ltd, Tiles Co OOD, Unilin (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Unilin ApS, Unilin Arauco Pisos Ltda., Unilin BVBA, Unilin Beheer BV, Unilin Distribution Ltd., Unilin Distribution Ukraine LLC, Unilin Finland OY, Unilin Flooring India Private Limited, Unilin Flooring SAS, Unilin GmbH, Unilin Holding BVBA, Unilin Insulation BV, Unilin Insulation SAS, Unilin Insulation Sury SAS, Unilin Italia S.R.L., Unilin North America LLC, Unilin Norway AS, Unilin OOO, Unilin Panels SAS, Unilin Poland Sp.Z.o.o., Unilin SAS, Unilin Spain SL, Unilin Swiss GmbH, Unilin s.r.o., World International Inc., Xtratherm, Xtratherm Limited, Xtratherm S.A., and Xtratherm UK Limited.
Deutsche BArse AG operates as an exchange organization in Europe, the United States, and the Asia-Pacific. The company operates through seven segments: Eurex (Financial Derivatives), EEX (Commodities), 360T (Foreign Exchange), Xetra (Cash Equities), Clearstream (Post-Trading), IFS (Investment Fund Services), and Qontigo (index and analytics business). The company engages in the electronic trading of derivatives, electricity and gas products, emission rights, and foreign exchange; operating of Eurex Repo over the counter (OTC) trading platform and electronic clearing architecture; and operating as a central counterparty for on-and-off exchange derivatives, repo transactions, and OTC and exchange-traded derivatives. It also operates in the cash market through Xetra, BArse Frankfurt, and Tradegate trading venues; operates as a central counterparty for equities and bonds; and provides listing services. In addition, the company offers custody and settlement services for securities; investment fund services; global securities financing services; and global securities finance and collateral management, as well as secured money, market transaction, and repos and securities lending transaction services. Further, it develops and markets indices, as well as portfolio management and risk analysis software; markets licenses for trading and market signals; provides technology and reporting solutions for external customers; and offers link-up of trading participants. Deutsche BArse AG was founded in 1585 and is headquartered in Eschborn, Germany.

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Nuveen Pennsylvania Quality Municipal Income Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc. The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of Pennsylvania. The fund invests in tax exempt municipal bonds, with a rating of Baa/BBB or higher. It employs fundamental analysis, with bottom-up stock picking approach, to create its portfolio. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Standard & Poor's Pennsylvania Municipal Bond Index and Standard & Poor's National Municipal Bond Index. The fund was formerly known a Nuveen Pennsylvania Investment Quality Municipal Fund. Nuveen Pennsylvania Quality Municipal Income Fund was formed on December 20, 1990 and is domiciled in the United States.

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Parkland Corporation operates as a marketer, distributor, and refiner of fuel and petroleum products in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Canada, International, USA, Supply, and Corporate segments. The Canada segment supplies and supports a coast-to-coast network of 1,860 retail gas stations under the Ultramar, Esso, Fas Gas Plus, Chevron, Pioneer, and Race Trac as well as operates convenience stores under the On the Run/MarchA Express brand. Additionally it offers bulk fuel, bulk and cylinder exchange propane, heating oil, lubricants, and other related products and services to commercial, industrial, and residential customers in various industries, such as oil and gas, construction, mining, forestry, fishing, and transportation under the Ultramar, Bluewave Energy, Pipeline Commercial, Chevron, Columbia Fuels, and Sparlings Propane brands. The International segment operates retail service stations under the Esso, Shell, and Sol brands; and delivers and supplies gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, propane, and lubricants to customers in various sectors, including power, oil and gas, and mining. The USA segment operates a network of gas stations; and delivers bulk fuel, lubricants, and other related products and services under the Farstad Oil, Rhinehart Oil, Tropic Oil, Superpumper, Harts, and On the Run brands. The Supply segment manufactures transportation fuels; transports, stores, and markets fuels, crude oil, and liquid petroleum gases; and manufactures and sells aviation fuel to airlines. This segment also engages in the wholesale, supply, and distribution business. The company was formerly known as Parkland Fuel Corporation and changed its name to Parkland Corporation in May 2020. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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George Peter Wigginton III, "Pete", 81, of Bushwood, MD went to be with the Lord and loved ones on October 30, 2018. He is survived by his devoted wife of 52 years, Betsy Reeves Wigginton. Sons: George (Jamie), Tom and beloved daughter Amy (Jamie). Brother: Bob (Sally). Grandchildren: Thomas, Emily, Chip (Sarah), Hunter, Cameron, Andy and Sarah. Step grandchildren: Kellie, Samantha (Ben), Ryan, and Nicholas. Great granddaughter: Ryleigh and many cherished nieces and nephews.



Pete loved St. Mary's County culture and her people, her tobacco legacy and her waterman heritage. He possessed an unabashed love of history and devotion to his faith and family. Born in Leonardtown, MD, Pete graduated from St. Mary's Academy in 1954, completed degrees at Loyola College and University of Maryland, honing his love for the "King's English" and philosophy. Extremely well read and classically educated, he could translate Latin and Greek and quoted Chaucer and Shakespeare at length. He served our country with the Coast Guard and protected Maryland resources working with the Department of the Environment.



Pete was a devout Catholic and longtime active member of Holy Angels Church, teaching Catechism and serving as lector. He took delight in his grandchildren; catching rockfish, hiking in the mountains and telling wonderful stories of old times. He had a passion for photography and his photos were featured in many historical publications. One of Pete's unique characteristics was his ability to create incredible caricatures and cartoons on placemats and napkins while dining in restaurants. Wait staff were often so wowed that they took artwork home to frame and many restaurants display his talent.



The family will receive friends on Monday, November 5, 2018 from 5:00 PM-8:00 PM with prayers recited at 7:00 PM in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown, MD. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 10:00 AM in Holy Angels Catholic Church Avenue, MD with Father Samuel Plummer officiating. Interment will follow in Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery Bushwood, MD. Pallbearers will be: Chip Wigginton, Thomas Wigginton, Hunter Wigginton, Tom Love, Ben Wynkoop and Zach McKinney. Please direct any contributions to the Seventh District Volunteer Rescue Squad P.O. Box 7 Avenue, MD 20609, as their heroic efforts fulfilled his wish to pass away in his treasured home, St. Mary's County, surrounded by family.


Invesco National AMT-Free Municipal Bond ETF's stock was trading at $26.58 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, PZA stock has increased by 1.5% and is now trading at $26.99.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
The following companies are subsidiares of Sherwin-Williams: Acquire Sourcing LLC, CTS National Corporation, Comex North America Inc., Compania Sherwin-Williams S.A. de C.V., Contract Transportation Systems Co., Dongguan Lilly Paint Industries Ltd, Duron, EPS (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., EPS B.V., Geocel Holdings, Geocel Limited, Guangdong Valspar Paints Manufacturing Co Ltd., Inver East Med S.A., Inver France SAS, Inver GmbH, Inver Industrial Coating SRL, Inver Polska Spoka Z O.O, Inver Spa, Invercolor Bologna Srl, Invercolor Ltd, Invercolor Roma Srl, Invercolor Torino Srl, Invercolor Toscana Srl, Isocoat Tintas e Vernizes Ltda, Isva Vernici Srl, Leighs Paints, M.A. Bruder & Sons, Omega Specialty Products & Services LLC, Oy Sherwin-Williams Finland Ab, PT Sherwin-Williams Indonesia, PT Valspar Indonesia, Paint Sundry Brands, Pinturas Condor S.A., Pinturas Industriales S.A., Piton Paints Limited, Plasti-Kote Co. Inc., Plasti-kote Limited, Productos Quimicos y Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Quest Automotive Products UK Limited, Quetzal Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Ronseal (Ireland) Limited, SWIMC LLC, SWIPCO  Sherwin Williams do Brasil Propriedade Intelectual Ltda, Sherwin Williams Colombia S.A.S., Sherwin-Williams (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Belize) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Caribbean) N.V., Sherwin-Williams (Ireland) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Coatings Technology Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Company Limited, Sherwin-Williams (S) Pte. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Shanghai) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Vietnam) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (West Indies) Limited, Sherwin-Williams Argentina I.y C.S.A., Sherwin-Williams Aruba VBA, Sherwin-Williams Automotive Mexico S.de R.L.de C.V., Sherwin-Williams Balkan S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Bel Unitary Enterprise, Sherwin-Williams Benelux NV, Sherwin-Williams Canada Inc., Sherwin-Williams Cayman Islands Limited, Sherwin-Williams Chile S.A., Sherwin-Williams Coatings India Private Limited, Sherwin-Williams Coatings S.a r.l., Sherwin-Williams Czech Republic spol. s r.o, Sherwin-Williams Denmark A/S, Sherwin-Williams Deutschland GmbH, Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands Limited, Sherwin-Williams France Finishes SAS, Sherwin-Williams Italy S.r.l., Sherwin-Williams Norway AS, Sherwin-Williams Paints Limited Liability Company, Sherwin-Williams Peru S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Pinturas de Venezuela S.A., Sherwin-Williams Poland Sp. z o.o, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, Sherwin-Williams Realty Holdings Inc., Sherwin-Williams Services (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams Spain Coatings S.L., Sherwin-Williams Sweden AB, Sherwin-Williams UK Coatings Limited, Sherwin-Williams do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., Spanyc Paints Joint Stock Company, Syntema I Vaggeryd AB, Taiwan Valspar Co. Ltd., The Sherwin-Williams Acceptance Corporation, The Sherwin-Williams Headquarters Company, The Sherwin-Williams Manufacturing Company, The Sherwin-Williams US Licensing Company, The Valspar (Asia) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Australia) Corporation Pty. Ltd., The Valspar (Finland) Corporation Oy, The Valspar (France) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (France) Research Corporation SAS, The Valspar (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd, The Valspar (Nantes) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (Singapore) Corporation Pte. Ltd, The Valspar (South Africa) Corporation (Pty) Ltd, The Valspar (Spain) Corporation S.R.L., The Valspar (Switzerland) Corporation AG, The Valspar (Thailand) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar (UK) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Vietnam) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar Corporation, The Valspar Corporation Limitada, UAB Sherwin-Williams Baltic, Valspar (India) Coatings Corporation Private Limited, Valspar (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Valspar (Uruguay) Corporation S.A., Valspar (WPC) Pty Ltd, Valspar Aries Coatings S. de R.L. de C.V., Valspar Automotive (UK) Corporation Limited, Valspar Automotive Australia Pty Limited, Valspar B.V., Valspar Coatings (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Valspar D.o.o Beograd, Valspar Industries (Ireland) Ltd., Valspar Industries (Italy) S.r.l., Valspar Industries GmbH, Valspar LLC, Valspar Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Valspar Paint (Australia) Pty Ltd, Valspar Paint (NZ) Limited, Valspar Powder Coatings Limited, Valspar Rock Company Limited (Japan), Valspar Specialty Paints LLC, and ZAO Sherwin-Williams.
Weatherford International plc, an oilfield service company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere. It offers artificial lift systems, including reciprocating rod, progressing cavity pumping, gas, hydraulic, plunger, and hybrid lift systems, as well as related automation and control systems; pressure pumping and reservoir stimulation services, such as acidizing, fracturing and fluid systems, cementing, and coiled-tubing intervention; and drill stem test tools, and surface well testing and multiphase flow measurement services. The company also provides safety, downhole reservoir monitoring, flow control, and multistage fracturing systems, as well as sand-control technologies, and production and isolation packers; liner hangers to suspend a casing string in high-temperature and high-pressure wells; cementing products, including plugs, float and stage equipment, and torque-and-drag reduction technology for zonal isolation; and pre-job planning and installation services. In addition, it offers directional drilling services, and logging and measurement services while drilling; services related to rotary-steerable systems, high-temperature and high-pressure sensors, drilling reamers, and circulation subs; managed pressure drilling, conventional mud-logging, drilling instrumentation, gas analysis, wellsite consultancy, and open hole and cased-hole logging services; reservoir solutions and software products; and intervention and remediation services. Further, the company provides equipment and drilling tools; tubular handling, management, and connection services; equipment rental services; and onshore contract drilling and related services through a fleet of land drilling and workover rigs. Weatherford International plc was incorporated in 1972 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland.

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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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Foodies, get ready! The 13th annual Wilton Manors Taste of the Island kicks off on Nov. 5 with offerings from more than 35 local restaurants, breweries and eateries from South Floridas Tri-County region. Festival-goers can sample everything from homemade fudge and spicy Indian curry to Peruvian ceviche and Greek gyros in the charming Richardson Historic Park and Nature Preserve.

Proceeds will benefit the Wilton Manors Historical Society, the Wilton Manors Development Alliance, the Kiwanis Club of Wilton Manors and the citys Leisure Services Department. Cost is $35 per ticket.

Last year, the event raised about $12,000 for the charities and organizers are hoping to exceed that amount this year.

The event has grown to 35+ vendors and will include numerous opportunities to sample beers and enjoy mixed drinks. Wilton Manors Taste of the Island attracted about 500 people in 2017 and has become a destination for many food lovers.

Organizers are hoping that more regional advertising  made possible by sponsorships from Greico Ford of Fort Lauderdale and Grieco Chevrolet of Fort Lauderdale  will give the event an even broader reach, said Jeffrey Sterling, president of Wilton Manors Taste of the Island.

Because of their support, the Taste of the Island is able to increase the level of their advertising to include iHeart Radio. We are hoping this will promote the event to a larger audience and also attract new restaurants that have not previously even involved so next year will be even bigger, Sterling said.

Board member Mary Ulm predicts cooler weather, a historic location and a wide variety of food vendors will boost turnout this year. Ulm is also president of the Wilton Manors Historical Society.

We certainly have an excellent lineup of restaurants and libations to offer, Ulm said, said, noting that restaurants will be serving food from eight different countries, the largest number since the event was started.

The historic Richardson Park is a draw in itself, she added.

I think what I love about it most is seeing the park lit up at night, with lights strung throughout the park. We really use the outdoor space to good effect. We have a deejay there and its just good to see people having a good time enjoying the music and enjoying the park under the trees.

Enjoy the food and drinks and soak up the beauty of Richardson Park, but also come to support the local charities, she said.

We depend on this event for a good boost for what we are able to do. It is hard for small charities to raise a lot of money, Ulm said. Funds for the Leisure Services Department go towards childrens programs, Ulm added.

I have been involved for about five years now and I really enjoy it, Sterling said. We hope over next several years we will actually be able to double the number of restaurants.

Tickets are available at City Hall, 2020 Wilton Drive; the Richard C. Sullivan Public Library, 500 NE 26 St.; Sterling Accounting, 2435 N. Dixie Highway; and online, at http://bit.ly/TasteoftheIsland18.

If You Go:

What: Taste of the Island

When: Nov. 5, 6 p.m.

Where: Richardson Historic Park and Nature Preserve,

1937 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, FL 33305

Price: $35/ticket

Information: 754.551.5611
William Lyon Homes (NYSE:WLH) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November, 6th. The construction company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.07. The construction company earned $466.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $487.15 million. William Lyon Homes had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 6.98% and a net margin of 3.04%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS.

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

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Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




Researchers have taught an artificial intelligence program used to recognise faces on Facebook to identify galaxies in deep space.

The result is an AI bot named ClaRAN that scans images taken by radio telescopes. Its job is to spot radio galaxies -- galaxies that emit powerful radio jets from supermassive black holes at their centres.

ClaRAN is the brainchild of big data specialist Dr. Chen Wu and astronomer Dr. Ivy Wong, both from The University of Western Australia node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR).

Dr. Wong said black holes are found at the centre of most, if not all, galaxies. "These supermassive black holes occasionally burp out jets that can be seen with a radio telescope," she said. "Over time, the jets can stretch a long way from their host galaxies, making it difficult for traditional computer programs to figure out where the galaxy is. That's what we're trying to teach ClaRAN to do."

Dr. Wu said ClaRAN grew out of an open source version of Microsoft and Facebook's object detection software. He said the program was completely overhauled and trained to recognise galaxies instead of people.

ClaRAN itself is also open source and publicly available on GitHub [https://github.com/chenwuperth/rgz_rcnn].

Dr. Wong said the upcoming EMU survey using the WA-based Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope is expected to observe up to 70 million galaxies across the history of the universe.

She said traditional computer algorithms are able to correctly identify 90 percent of the sources. "That still leaves 10 percent, or seven million 'difficult' galaxies that have to be eyeballed by a human due to the complexity of their extended structures," Dr. Wong said.

Dr. Wong has previously harnessed the power of citizen science to spot galaxies through the Radio Galaxy Zoo project. "If ClaRAN reduces the number of sources that require visual classification down to one percent, this means more time for our citizen scientists to spend looking at new types of galaxies," she said.

A highly accurate catalogue produced by Radio Galaxy Zoo volunteers was used to train ClaRAN how to spot where the jets originate.

Dr. Wu said ClaRAN is an example of a new paradigm called 'programming 2.0.' "All you do is set up a huge neural network, give it a ton of data, and let it figure out how to adjust its internal connections in order to generate the expected outcome," he said. "The new generation of programmers spend 99 percent of their time crafting the best quality data sets and then train the AI algorithms to optimise the rest. This is the future of programming."

Dr. Wong said ClaRAN has huge implications for how telescope observations are processed. "If we can start implementing these more advanced methods for our next generation surveys, we can maximise the science from them," she said. "There's no point using 40-year-old methods on brand new data, because we're trying to probe further into the universe than ever before."

Reference: "Radio Galaxy Zoo: ClaRAN -- A Deep Learning Classifier for Radio Morphologies," Chen Wu, O. Ivy Wong et al., 2018 Oct. 23, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society [https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty2646, preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.12008].

The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR, http://www.icrar.org) is a joint venture between Curtin University and The University of Western Australia with support and funding from the State Government of Western Australia.



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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a slew of measures including sanction of loans of up to Rs 1 crore to small and medium enterprises in 59 minutes through a special portal to give a boost to the nation's second biggest employing sector.

GST-registered small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can now avail of loan of up to Rs 1 crore in just 59 minutes, he said announcing the measures.

Also, GST-registered MSMEs will get 2 per cent interest subvention or rebate on incremental loan of up to Rs 1 crore, he said. Interest subvention on pre and post shipment credit for exports by MSMEs has been increased from 3 per cent to 5 per cent, he said.

In all 12 decisions, which he termed as "historic", were announced to boost MSMEs.

Talking of India jumping 23 places on World Bank's latest 'Ease of Doing Business' ranking, Modi said in four years his government has achieved what many did not believe and achieved what no other nation in the world has done - leaping from 142 rank in 2014 to 77th rank. Breaking into top 50 rank is not far away, he said.

Reform of processes will help small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), he said.
The DEA has estimated that about Rs 2 lakh crore of NBFC/HFC debt would be due for redemption or rollover by the end of December 2018. (Photo: File/PTI)

New Delhi: The government fears that crisis-hit Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) may have its fallout on non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies (HFCs) in the next six weeks in case additional liquidity is not provided.

In a letter dated October 26 to corporate affairs ministry, the department of economic affairs (DEA) described the financial situation as still fragile and feared "significant default from NBFCs and HFCs."

The DEA letter has noted that a prolonged liquidity crunch could hurt fund mobilisation in the debt market, impact productive sectors and affect economic growth at a time when India has emerged as one of the fastest growing major economies in the world.

The DEA has estimated that about Rs 2 lakh crore of NBFC/HFC debt would be due for redemption or rollover by the end of December 2018. It has assessed a funding gap of as much as Rs 1 lakh crore by the end of the year if the pace of fundraising seen in the first half of October (about Rs 20,000 crore or 68 percent lower than the same period in August) is sustained. The letter further said that about Rs 2.7 lakh crore of commercial paper and non-convertible debentures will be due for redemption over January -March 2019.

Without additional liquidity support a significant default from among the largest NBFC and HFC could occur within six weeks and the financing cycle of productive sector would be adversely affected, the letter said.

The DEA's fears bring to the fore key issues in the ongoing tussle between the Reserve Bank of India and the government.

The government wants the central bank to provide liquidity support to NBFCs and HFCs fearing any delay could lead to the problem spilling to other sectors. But the RBI does not agree with it and maintain that liquidity situation is under control. It has refused to relax its rules for weak banks grappling with the NPA problem.

It may be noted that NBFCs and HFCs play a key role in ensuring sufficient credit flow in the economy. In line with their business model, they borrow from banks and mutual funds to finance their loans. But after the IL&FS default, which led to the sale of debt and redemption in mutual funds- with outflows of Rs 2.11 lakh crore in September, NBFCs source of funding has dried up.
Present govt has for the first time ushered in a paradigm shift in the approach, from growth of production to increase in farmers' income.

New Delhi: The government is making efforts with an integrated approach and has initiated "multiple reforms" in order to achieve the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022, Additional Principal Secretary to the prime minister, P K Mishra has said.

He also emphasised the need to analyse as to "why the past initiatives could not accomplish the desired results" in the agriculture sector. "The present government has for the first time ushered in a paradigm shift in the approach, from growth of production to increase in farmers' income," Mishra said while addressing the 78th Annual conference of the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics on Thursday.

Some of the initiatives taken to address price and yield risks in the last four years include setting up of electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM), upgradation of rural haats, new scheme Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. This is a major shift in the approach -- a clear focus on farmer and farmer welfare rather than simply production and productivity, he said.

"For this purpose, a holistic strategy for the agriculture sector was visualised. Efforts are being made to follow this with an integrated approach by initiating multiple reforms and programmes with an overall objective of doubling farmers income," Mishra said.

In February 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said farmers' income would be doubled by 2022 to mark 75 years of India's independence. He further noted that, there is a need to analyse as to why the past initiatives could not accomplish the desired results and highlighted the need for agricultural research.

"Policymakers and practitioners need to look at how one could address the farmers' risk -- that affects his income and welfare and linking activities of non-agriculture sector. This is also an area of agriculture research," he said.

The senior PMO official said that Indian Society of Agricultural Economics (ISAE) should focus its research on topics like why does farmers distress happen in areas where there is high agricultural growth and how to modernise agriculture.

"Agricultural growth has a strong correlation with poverty reduction. In order to alleviate rural poverty, we need to focus on agricultural productivity and farmers' income."

The academic research should also be done on why crop yields are languishing and why there is yield gap between experimental farm and farmers' fields as also on topics like why youth is not interested in agriculture and why new knowledge is not reaching all farmers and they continue to follow conventional methods.

These are some of the areas which may be considered for empirical research by members of ISAE in the coming months and years, he added. ISAE, was set up in 1939, anchors and channelises efforts of professionals and researches in the field of agricultural economics.
Mumbai: Two Bollywood megastars Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan will be seen in together in Thugs of Hindostan. The epic action adventure drama is all set to release this Diwali and ahead of the film's debut in cinemas, the makers have been promoting the movie by sharing exciting clips of the making. In a recent video shared by Yash Raj Films on Twitter, both Aamir and Amitabh can be seen showering praise on each other.

Also Read | Aamir Khan fans from China to visit India to watch Thugs of Hindostan

Entitled, Chapter VII: The Two Legends, the clip begins with Aamir saying, Its been 30 years of my career, and I have never gotten the opportunity to work with Mr Bachchan. So I used to sometimes sit and feel that maybe I will never get a chance to work with himso finally this time we got the opportunity or I got the opportunity to work with him and I was most excited about that.

Watch the clip here:

I have been such a big fan of Mr Bachchan all through my life and I dont know whether the present generation would realise what it would mean for someone of my generation to be working with Mr Bachchan. He has got an amazing aura about him and I have to say that it has been a really enriching experience doing this film with him and working with him, Aamir said as viewers were shown glimpses of how the magnum opus was filmed.

Also Read | Fatima Sana Shaikh's wish comes true with Aamir Khan starrer Thugs Of Hindostan

Towards the end of the clip, Mr Bachchan had some lovely and encouraging words to say about Aamir as well. Aamir himself is a great human. He is a writer, director, producer, distributor...all rolled into one and at the end of it, he is this brilliant artist and it is difficult to battle him in any sphere. It has been a joy working with him, the megastar candidly said.

Bankrolled by YRF, Thugs of Hindostan also stars Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh in pivotal roles. The film will release on November 8.
Its ordinary, not high on creativity, and utterly uncontroversial. Yet, quite clearly the larger and more debilitating problems that India faces are of no consequence to its lawmakers if one were to mull over the recent notice sent to actor Amitabh Bachchan due to an advertisement. Big B was served a notice by the Bar Council of Delhi for dressing up as a lawyer in a spice company advertisement.

Not just to the legend, who like hundreds of others, portray different people, professions and circumstances in their professional capacity, but the notice was also sent to the spice company, YouTube (for airing it) and a media house.

Due precautions were not taken, the notice states, warning those involved about legal action for airing the ad without authority. You are required to immediately stop all such advertisements and also give an undertaking to the Bar Council of Delhi, Bar Council of India and other states Bar Councils that the lawyers attire shall not be used in any advertisement in future, the notice read.

Even in the science of the stupid, such ridiculous accusations might not muster any debate. In a country crying from a lack of accountability and justice, be it the CBI-Asthana case or innumerable others, it not just takes away from important and critical issues, it also brings to light how futile it is to expect a sense of cognizance in our laws, especially when such ridiculous notices are sent.

A lawyer, on condition of anonymity feels that the facts are insufficient, and asks, What specifically are they objecting to? The attire? Or that he was in a masala ad? Or that it was of an objectionable context? How is it insulting the profession? Prima facie, it seems incredible that a bar representative body will object to the use of a dress as such instances have been happening for donkeys years... and nobody has objected.

The lawyer (who has yet to see the ad) refers to an earlier avatar of Big B in Pink, adding, If that is the scene from Pink... its beautiful... shows lawyers in a good light. If anything, its good publicity. If the bar council is helping the Masala company get free marketing by drawing eyeballs to the ad... well its worked in their favour!

The Bar Council also asked the respondents to give an undertaking in 10 days, failing which action will be taken. As the entire fabric of the Indian diaspora reels from serious accusations of #metoo, incessant and endless corruption. this might be a way to divert the attention of a fickle public to something else.

KM Chaitanya

The commercial shows Amitabh Bachchan sitting on a desk, wearing a lawyers black coat in what appears to be a film shooting. Two junior artists enter offering him pav bhaji. The actor praises the food, thanks to the spices he is endorsing. How offensive can that be? Another lawyer exclaims, The Bar Council might have way too much time on their hands to be indulging in such trivial and baseless issues. Entirely stupid.

Almost everyone is also tired of the sensationalising in the media. Philomena Peris, former chairperson Karnataka State Womens Commission says, News is going crazy, and much of what we see is so biased and hollow very often. On the same note, Apurv Nagpal, visiting faculty, IIM-A adds, I wish the media would stop covering such inane, self-serving and publicity-seeking stunts. We seem to have become a very sensitive nation - everyones sentiments get hurt at the drop of a hat! And dont our courts have more serious issues to debate? Justice delayed is justice denied!

The lawyer adds, These days, everyone is getting hassled about one thing or another. Anger is the new fad. Laughter is no more the sought-after emotion.

Creativity often finds itself up against such issues. Sandalwood director KM Chaitanya says in disbelief, I dont think anybody should insult any profession. But having said that, in cinema, when a person wears a policemans dress and he plays a villain, its not a comment on the police in general. It is just a character. We all understand it is not real. We know that Amitabh Bachchan is an actor and he isnt a lawyer! So there is no need to get over sensitive about such things. If we start getting over-sensitive about these things there will be no creativity left.

Not that the council seems to dwell on ground realities, when there are more trivial matters to bury their heads into, even as the masala company is probably laughing its way to the bank.

In the trivial pursuit of law

Similar incidents in the past...
The blended Scotch has been designed for mixing, and has a raisin cake richness that gives it a distinctive character to cut through any mixer.

William Grant & Sons, the distiller of brands including Glenfiddich, Monkey Shoulder and Hendricks Gin, has launched Grants Distinction, the latest variant of its leading Blended Scotch whisky brand, ahead of Diwali in India.

The new variant has been launched in Goa with an MRP of 1,275 INR, in advance of a nationwide rollout.

Grants Distinction is a blended Scotch that has been hand-picked for smoothness by master blender Brian Kinsman himself, to appeal to a new generation of Scotch whisky drinkers.

It will initially be exclusively available in India.

The blended Scotch has been designed for mixing, and has a raisin cake richness that gives it a distinctive character to cut through any mixer.

Speaking about it, Brian Kinsman, Master Blender at William Grant & Sons, said It was a real labour of love to create this new blend Grants Distinction. I wanted to make a Scotch that would be rich, smooth and mixable and am really proud of what we have achieved. It was important to retain the House style for the Grants family which is delicate fresh fruit flavours with subtle spice for smoothness.

He further added, But at the heart of Grants Distinction I have used a single malt whisky from a distillery that gives a robust, malty and raisin cake rich character to the blend which makes it highly mixable.

The uniqueness of the blends taste and mixability is an ingredient that comes from a distillery with teal coloured walls  the malt from this distillery is at the heart of the blend.

James Pennefather, Managing Director of William Grant & Sons India, added We see a clear opportunity to bring in new brands targeted at the next generation of Scotch drinkers, those who are already making progress in their careers but still appreciate the fact that it is those around them who keep them grounded and real.

He further added, The smooth, rich flavours of Grants Distinction are certain to inspire conversations amongst friends to help them find their distinction, which will be the brands call to action. We are also proud of the fact that not only has India been chosen as the launch market for Grants Distinction, it is also the only place outside Scotland where this world-famous Scotch brand is bottled.

Through this new variant, William Grant & Sons aims to cater to the increasing demand for premium spirits in India.

According to IWSR global forecasts, India is expected to be one of the largest contributors to global whisky growth over the next 5 years. The Blended Scotch market in India is expected to grow to 5 million cases by 2021.

Currently the scale of the market for Scotch brands bottled in India is ten times larger than those bottled in Scotland and imported.
Shaheed Al-Hafed, November 2, 2018 (SPS) - The Permanent Bureau of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front reaffirmed on Friday the cooperation of the Sahrawi party with the efforts of the United Nations to achieve the decolonization of Western Sahara, following a meeting chaired by President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario front, Brahim Ghali.



The Permanent Bureau noted UN Security Council Resolution 2440 of last October, reaffirming the position of the Sahrawi party in cooperating with the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and his Personal Envoy to realize the decolonization of the last colony in Africa, Western Sahara.



To this end, the Permanent Bureau requested the UN Security Council to compel the Kingdom of Morocco to advance in the course of direct negotiations, in good faith and without preconditions, with the Polisario Front, recalling the acceptance of the Sahrawi party to attend the meeting in Geneva in early December.



It considered that good faith and facilitating the efforts of the United Nations to reach a just solution should be reflected in field actions, such as the release of the Gdeim Izik prisoners and all Sahrawi political prisoners in Moroccan prisons, ending the gross violations of human rights in Western Sahara, and the immediate cessation of the Moroccan looting of natural resources of Western Sahara.



It also stressed the responsibility of the United Nations to protect the legal status and territorial integrity of Western Sahara, and prevent the Moroccan occupation state from any practices that affects that situation or violates the cease-fire agreement.



The Permanent Bureau of the National secretariat of the Polisario Front asserted the respect of the Polisario front for the ceasefire agreement and its supplementary military agreement no. 1, in connection with the implementation of the African Union and United Nations settlement plan to organize a referendum to enable the Sahrawi people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence. (SPS)



062/SPS/TRA
Women block Dhola-Tinsukia highway and burn tyres in protest against murder of 5 people by terrorists in Bishnoimukh village in Tinsukia. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Kheronibari/Guwahati: A survivor of the indiscriminate firing incident in Assam's Tinsukia district in which five people were killed said on Friday that the assailants had come in two groups and carried out the attack.

The man, identified as Sahadeb Namasudra, told reporters he had a providential escape as he fell off a bridge where the gunmen had lined him up along with five others before opening fire at them.

Namasudra along with two others had been called out from a shop below the Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Kheronibari village on Thursday evening by three men in battle fatigue and their faces were covered with cloth.

Three more villagers were brought to the same spot by another group of three gunmen between 7:30 pm and 8 pm, Namasudra said.

The second group of assailants came in motorcycles and spoke with them in Hindi. The gunmen ordered all the six men to sit in a row on the bridge, Namasudra said, adding they also took away his mobile phone. The gunmen then opened fire but Namasudra who was sitting at the end of the bridge fell below.

Though he was not injured he became unconscious out of fear and nervousness. When he regained consciousness, Namasudra found one of the five men to be still alive.

He asked Namasudra to straighten his injured leg and inform his family and asked for water. But then he passed away.

The family of three of the victims said they were called out from their homes by the gunmen and taken towards the bridge.

Also Read: Search op underway after terrorists kill 5 in Assam, ULFA (I) denies role

The locals alleged negligence by the police in providing security, adding that the nearest police outpost 200 metres away had switched off their mobile phones after the incident.

Senior police officials, visiting the area, said a similar complaint was also made to them and the allegation will be investigated.

Meanwhile, several roads in Tinsukia district were blocked with burning tyres, while shops, markets, educational institutions and banks remained closed during the 12-hour district bandh called by All Assam Bengali Federation since 5 am on Friday.

The demonstrators raised slogans and took out rallies demanding security for Bengali people in the state. On being told by journalists that the ULFA (Independent) has denied involvement in the killings, the protestors said, "If it has not been done by the ULFA(I), then we demand that the government orders a CBI enquiry".

Sounds of wailing rent the air with bereaved family members and villagers mourning the death of the five locals.

Several empty AK-47 cartridges have been recovered from the site and a search was on for the attackers, police officials said.
Chennai: Following the outrage over the allocation of exam centres outside Tamil Nadu for Neet 2018, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has added four additional cities from the state to hold Neet 2019.

Apart from 10 cities in which the exams held in May this year, the NTA has added Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Karur and Nagercoil to the list to accommodate more students.

Over 1.14 lakh students from Tamil Nadu gave a common medical entrance test in 2018. Citing the increase in the numbers, the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) which held the previous tests has allocated the exam centres in faraway places including Kerala, Rajasthan and Haryana.

To avoid such situations, the NTA has increased the number of cities in Tamil Nadu. It has advised the students to select a city in their residential state. In case, the number of candidates opting for a city is less than a certain minimum, NTA reserves its right not to allot any centre in that City. The candidates would be allotted centre in another city, NTA said in the information bulletin.

The online submission of the application for Neet 2019 has commenced on Thursday (November 1). Medical aspirants can apply to the test until November 30.

The common medical entrance test will be held on May 5, 2019. The candidates can apply through the NTAs official website www.nta.ac.in. The exam fee for other categories and BC students is Rs 1,400 and SC/ST candidates and for transgender the fee is Rs 750.

Unlike the previous years, this year, the entrance test will be held in the afternoon from 2 pm to 5 pm.

The examination centres will open two hours before the commencement of the test. No candidate will be allowed to enter the examination centre after 1:30 pm, NTA said. It did not give any reason for conducting the exam in the afternoon.

The question papers will be available in ten Indian languages including Tamil, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Urdu and Bengali besides English. Candidates opting for the English language will get question papers in English only and others opting for regional languages will get bilingual question papers in selected regional language and English.

In case of any ambiguity in translation of any of the questions, its English version shall be treated as final, NTA has said. In the previous Neet, the Neet Tamil question paper had errors in as many as 49 questions.

The exam will have 180 questions from physics, chemistry and biology. For each correct answer four marks will be awarded and for every wrong answer, one mark will be deducted from the total score.
Manjeet, husband of the deceased, his girlfriend Angel Gupta alias Shashi Prabha and Rajeev, were arrested in connection with the murder of Sunita, the teacher, in northwest Delhis Bawana area. (Photo: angelgupta.com)

New Delhi: The murder case of a 38-year-old Delhi school teacher, who was shot dead on her way to school on Monday, took a sensational turn after police arrested her husband and his model girlfriend.

Manjeet (38), husband of the deceased, his girlfriend Angel Gupta alias Shashi Prabha (26) and Rajeev (40), were arrested in connection with the murder of Sunita, the teacher, in northwest Delhis Bawana area, police said on Thursday.

Sunita, mother of 16-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, discovered about her husband Manjeets extra-marital relationship with Angel.

When Sunita opposed their relationship, Manjeet and his girlfriend Angel conspired to eliminate her. The two hired killers to eliminate Sunita. Angel's father Rajeev helped them in the conspiracy, the police said after the arrest.

The online portfolio of Angel Gupta says she was born to an Indian father and British mother and that she a correct example of beauty and style. It metioned that "her father loves her madly".

Sunita was shot dead on Monday morning by unknown assailants while she was on the way to her school. She was shot thrice and was declared brought dead at the hospital, police said.

A manhunt is underway to nab the people who were hired for the murder, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta said.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
Kochi: The High Court on Thursday refused to intervene in the Supreme Court verdict allowing young women to enter Sabarimala temple and observed that the state government has the responsibility to implement the verdict of the apex court.

The court was considering a petition seeking a ban on the entry of women in the age group of 10-50 till the Supreme Court completes the hearing on a series of revision petitions on the earlier verdict. The petitioner pleaded that the entry of women without age bar should be suspended till the Supreme Court heard the revision petitions scheduled on Nov. 13. A bench headed by the chief justice rejected the plea and observed that the state government has to implement the Supreme Court verdict and that the government is engaged in it. The court also said the government cannot remain an idle spectator till the completion in the hearing of the revision petitions.

Mr M. Thankappa Menon, the petitioner, pointed out that the apex court had not taken into account the issue of menstrual period in its verdict while allowing the entry of young women in the temple. The High Court, however, said that it was for the Supreme Court to examine the matter as the High Court does not have the legal mandate to intervene in a Supreme Court verdict. The petitioner can approach the apex court if needed.

The court also rejected the contention of the petitioner that implementation of the verdict would lead to bloodshed by saying that rules and regulations are formulated in the country to avoid bloodshed. The counsel for the petitioner then informed the withdrawal of the petition.
The IMF expressed its opposition to any move that compromises with the independence of central banks anywhere in the world. (Photo: File)

New Delhi/Washington: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said it was monitoring the development in India with regard to the reported rift between the Reserve Bank of India and the Centre.

It expressed its opposition to any move that compromises with the independence of central banks anywhere in the world.

"We're monitoring the development on that issue and will continue to do so," IMF Director of Communications Gerry Rice told reporters on Thursday when asked about the row.

"Just stepping back, as a general principal, and we've said this before. I've said this before standing here that we support clear lines of responsibility and accountability... And, international best practice is that there should be no government or industry interference that compromises the independence of the central bank and financial supervisor," Rice said.

This is true across the range of countries that the independence of the central bank and the financial supervisor is of utmost importance, he asserted.

"We regard it as such and we have to make that statement in the context of a number of countries. So, I think that's probably the best response I can give you," Rice said, responding to a question on the increasing efforts globally to criticise central banks, including the one by the US President Donald Trump in recent weeks.

The row was sparked off last Friday when RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya in a hard-hitting speech warned that undermining central bank's independence could be "potentially catastrophic", possible indication of the RBI being pushed to relax its policies ahead of general elections next year.

Sources privy to development said the government had sent at least three letters on different issues under Section 7 of the RBI Act that gives it powers to issue any direction to the central bank governor on matters of public interest.

The standoff was in relation to RBI's handling of weak public sector banks, tight liquidity in the market and ways of resolving bad loans in the power sector.

Unconfirmed reports claimed Governor Urjit Patel was considering stepping down if the government were to issue an unprecedented direction.

Without acknowledging that the notices have been sent to the RBI, the Finance Ministry in a statement said that the "autonomy for the central bank, within the framework of the RBI Act, is an essential and accepted governance requirement. Governments in India have nurtured and respected this".
MJ Akbar claims that the journalist entered into consensual relationship with him in around 1994. The relationship spanned several months. (Photo: Twitter | @pgogoi | PTI)

Mumbai: Former Union minister MJ Akbar, accused by several journalists of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement, on Friday said the allegations made by US-based journalist Pallavi Gogoi in The Washington Post -- accusing him of rape -- were false.

In a statement to news agency ANI, Akbar said his lawyer received a series of cryptic and non-specific questions from The Washington Post on October 29, regarding incidents alleged to have taken place approximately 23 years ago.

These allegations were false and were consequently denied, MJ Akbar said.

Referring to an article published in The Washington Post written by Pallavi Gogoi where she has accused Akbar of raping her, the former junior minister of foreign affairs said, I have had occasion to read this article and it has become necessary, at this point in time, to bring certain facts to light.

Akbar claimed the journalist entered into a consensual relationship with him around 1994. The relationship spanned several months.

This relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on best note, Akbar claimed.

Read: #MeToo: US-based journalist accuses former minister MJ Akbar of rape

Akbar added, People who worked with me and knew both of us (Pallavi and him) have indicated that they would be happy to bear testimony to what is stated above and at no stage, did the behavior of Pallavi Gogoi, give any one of them impression that she was working under duress.

MJ Akbar's statment. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Reacting for the first time over the sexual harassment allegations made against Akbar, his wife Mallika told ANI that she maintained silence all this while #MeToo campaign has been unleashed against her husband. However, The Washington Post article by Pallavi Gogoi alleging that she was raped by him forces me to step in with what I know to be true, she said.

Mallika claimed that Gogoi had caused unhappiness and discord in their house over 20 years ago due to her relationship with MJ Akbar.

I learned of her (Gogoi) and my husbands involvement through her calls and her public display of affection in my presence. In her flaunting the relationship, she caused anguish and hurt my entire family, she said.

I don't know Pallavi's reasons for telling this lie, but a lie it is, Mallika added.

Also Read: Twitteratti slams Akbar, his wife for consensual comment on rape charge

Mallika said that at The Asian Age party at their home, crowded with young journalists, she watched with mortification and pain as her husband and Gogoi danced close. I had confronted my husband at the time and he decided to prioritise his family, she added.

She further claimed that another woman journalist who accused Akbar, Tushita Patel, and Pallavi Gogoi were often at her home but none of the two carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault.

Tushita Patel and Pallavi Gogoi were often at our home, happily drinking and dining with us. Neither carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault, Mallika said.

MJ Akbar's wife Mallika Akbar's statement. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Strong counter reactions came after Mallika's statement supporting MJ Akbar.

Karuna Nundy, an advocate with the Supreme Court, said most sexual assault survivors don't 'carry the haunted look of victims'.

Much as I respect Mallika Akbar, most sexual assault survivors don't "carry the haunted look of victims". Much like wives of renegades, they try to balance the competing demands of patriarchy and carry on with their lives the best they can. https://t.co/UJu9iPSQxz  Karuna Nundy (@karunanundy) November 2, 2018

Researcher and teacher Maya Mirchandani said that MJ Akbar has clearly woken up to the fact that he cant scare off the women accusing him with a defamation case.

Consensual between an editor and a 23 yr old employee?! Right,Sure. Hes Clearly woken up to the fact that he cant scare off the women accusing him with a defamation case. Rape carries a 7 year prison sentence if found guilty. that must have hit home! #MJAkbar #MeToo #MeTooIndia https://t.co/9D6YF0zGVA  Maya Mirchandani (@maya206) November 2, 2018

Over a dozen women in the last few weeks have spoken about their harassment in the hands of the former editor. Instances mentioned range from the 1990s, when he was editor of The Telegraph and subsequently The Asian Age, till well into 2000.

Akbar has sued journalist Priya Ramani for criminal defamation after she named him as the subject of an article she had written in Vogue last year.
'In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me,' the journalist wrote. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: In the wake of #MeToo allegations by women journalists against editor-turned -politician MJ Akbar, another woman journalist who worked with Akbar at The Asian Age during the 90's has now accused him of assaulting and raping her.

In a first-person account, Pallavi Gogoi, an editor at the National Public Radio (NPR), has written about the traumatic abuse she faced in a column published by The Washington Post which has been dismissed by Akbar's lawyer.

Terming them as the 'most painful memories' of her life, the US-based journalist recalls that as a 22-year-old graduate, she was 'star-struck' when she joined The Asian Age's Delhi office to work under a leading and successful editor -- MJ Akbar.

Soon after, in 1994, Akbar 'applauded her efforts and suddenly lunged to kiss' her. The journalist recalls that she was left 'red-faced, confused, ashamed, destroyed'.

In just a span of a few months, the second incident took place in Mumbai where she says Akbar 'came close to me to kiss me'. When she 'fought him and pushed him away', Akbar ended up scratching her face.

Also Read: 'It was consensual relation': MJ Akbar on US-based journalist's rape claims

After returning to Delhi, Akbar 'threatened to kick me out of the job if I resisted him again' said the journalist.

The third incident took place when she was called by Akbar, who was in Jaipur, to 'discuss a story' in his hotel room where he eventually assaulted and raped her.

"In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me," the journalist wrote.

The journalist, who did not tell anyone about the incident, said 'instead of reporting him to the police, I was filled with shame.' She added that she became helpless and Akbar 'continued to defile her' for a few months.

The abuse did not end here and continued even when the woman journalist moved to the London office where Akbar 'hit her and went on a rampage, throwing things'. The journalist confided in her family and friends and left The Asian Age soon after.

The journalist says she wrote the column to 'support the many women who have come out to tell their truth'.

MJ Akbar resigned from the post of junior foreign minister on October 17 and filed a lawsuit against journalist Priya Ramani for outing him. He has also labelled these allegations as 'baseless and wild'.

Read the full report here.
Over a dozen women in the last few weeks have spoken about their harassment in the hands of MJ Akbar. (Photo: File | PTI)

Mumbai: Several prominent people took to Twitter to criticise the statements of MJ Akbar and his wife Mallika on the rape charges brought against the former junior minister by US-based journalist Pallavi Gogoi.

US-based journalist Pallavi Gogoi, a leader in the National Public Radio, in an article in The Washington Post on Friday accused Akbar of rape when she worked in his paper The Asian Age 23 years ago. She was in her early 20s. Gogoi recalls: I was in shreds  emotionally, physically, mentally.

Reacting to that, both Akbar and his wife Mallika released statements today, with Akbar saying the two were in a consensual relationship which perhaps didnt end on a best note.

Read: 'It was consensual relation': MJ Akbar on US-based journalist's rape claims

This relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on best note," the journalist-turned-politician told news agency ANI.

Mallika Akbar, who has been silent so far as the #MeToo storm engulfed the former editor and took his ministers berth, said Pallavi had caused unhappiness and discord in our home.

I learnt about their involvement through her late-night phone calls and her public display of affection in my presence. I had confronted my husband at the time and he decided to prioritise his family, Mallika Akbar said in her statement.

Also Read: #MeToo: US-based journalist accuses former minister MJ Akbar of rape

She further claimed that another woman journalist who accused Akbar, Tushita Patel, and Pallavi Gogoi were often at her home but none of the two carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault.

Reacting to this, Karuna Nundy, an advocate with the Supreme Court, said most sexual assault survivors don't 'carry the haunted look of victims'.

Much as I respect Mallika Akbar, most sexual assault survivors don't "carry the haunted look of victims". Much like wives of renegades, they try to balance the competing demands of patriarchy and carry on with their lives the best they can. https://t.co/UJu9iPSQxz  Karuna Nundy (@karunanundy) November 2, 2018

Researcher and teacher Maya Mirchandani said that MJ Akbar has clearly woken up to the fact that he cant scare off the women accusing him with a defamation case.

Consensual between an editor and a 23 yr old employee?! Right,Sure. Hes Clearly woken up to the fact that he cant scare off the women accusing him with a defamation case. Rape carries a 7 year prison sentence if found guilty. that must have hit home! #MJAkbar #MeToo #MeTooIndia https://t.co/9D6YF0zGVA  Maya Mirchandani (@maya206) November 2, 2018

A former employee of The Asian Age, Krishnadev Calamur, said that Gogoi's rape account is "consistent with newsroom conversations" in the late 1990s.

I worked at The Asian Age in the late 1990s (though I didn't know Pallavi Gogoi). FWIW, her accounts, and those of others, are consistent with newsroom conversations during that time. https://t.co/yPuOiOVdbh  krishnadev calamur (@kcalamur) November 2, 2018

Slamming MJ Akbar, journalist Barkha Dutt said that at least 20 more women have come out with "similar stories" against the former editor.

First: even if it were consensual why would you say: "Pallavi Gogoi caused discord"; betrayal was surely Akbar's. Second: this is about power and it's abuse; that's what throws a question mark over consent. And third there are 20 women with similar stories #Akbar #MeToo https://t.co/f7W3l7v1QX  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) November 2, 2018

Suhasini Haider, the diplomatic editor with The Hindu, slammed Mallika Arjun for coming to her husband's defence and blaming Gogoi.

MJ Akbar's wife comes to his defence... Blames the journalist, then 23, for an affair with Mr. Akbar. May be worth remembering that more than 20 women have accused him of sexual harassment, forced kissing, pawing and humiliating juniors by appearing in states of undress. https://t.co/NgZgk1vfxm  Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) November 2, 2018

Journalist Swati Chaturvedi also came down heavily on MJ Akbar over the latest allegations of rape.

This man plunges new lows everyday. Utter slime https://t.co/eZBjh5jpyv  Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) November 2, 2018

Former journalist and columnist Ashutosh called MJ Akbar "devil" and wondered when the BJP will throw him out of the party.
Reportedly close US allies, South Korea and Japan had received waivers along with India. A list of all countries getting waivers was expected to be released officially on Monday. (Representational image | PTI)

New Delhi/Singapore: The US government has agreed to let eight countries, including close allies South Korea and Japan, as well as India, keep buying Iranian oil after it re-imposes sanctions on Tehran from next week, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a US official.

Irans biggest oil customers - all in Asia - have been seeking sanctions waivers to allow them to still buy some of its oil.

Bloomberg reported that close US allies South Korea and Japan had received waivers along with India, which relies heavily on supplies from Iran, adding that a list of all countries getting waivers was expected to be released officially on Monday.

A Chinese official told Reuters that discussions with the US government were ongoing and that a result was expected over the next couple of days.

We think Trump will agree to China importing some volumes, similar to the treatment that India and South Korea receive, Clayton Allen of Height Securities said in a note on Friday.

However, analysts said any potential Iranian oil sanction waivers would likely only be temporary.

The US may use waivers to slow-walk implementation, but these will not apply indefinitely, Allen said.

Goldman Sachs said it expects Irans crude oil exports to fall to 1.15 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of the year, down from around 2.5 million bpd in mid-2018.
New Delhi: A US-based editor of a leading media house has accused former Union minister M.J. Akbar of raping her in India 23 years ago, saying he used his position as the editor-in-chief of a newspaper, The Asian Age, to prey on her, an allegation denied by his lawyer.

Pallavi Gogoi, the chief business editor of National Public Radio (NPR), detailed the most painful memories of her life in an article in The Washington Post.

What I am about to share are the most painful memories of my life. I have shelved them away for 23 years, she said, detailing how Akbar physically and mentally harassed her for years.

Akbar denied the accusations claiming he had a consensual relationship with her but it ended perhaps not on the best note.

In a separate statement, his wife Mallika Akbar dismissed Gogoi's accusations as a lie.
The Woodbine Mohawk Park Fall-Winter meet began Thursday with driver Chris Christoforou having a big night at the office, including an upset win in the opening leg of the Harvest Series for Ontario Sired three-year-old trotting colts and geldings.

Christoforou started the meet in style by posting four wins in just five starts, including a victory in the lone Harvest Series division. Of his four wins, three came in upset fashion.

The evening started with Christoforou sweeping the Early-Double with four-year-old trotting mare Moni Justice ($19.30) and three-year-old trotter Charlie Ona Harley ($44.30). Charlie Ona Harleys victory came in the single Harvest Series division for Ontario Sired sophomore trotting colts and geldings.

The $17,000 first leg division saw five of the nine trotters break and some confusion early in the mile that led to Christoforou eventually moving out of third at the half with Charlie Ona Harley and going three-wide around rivals to take the top spot at three-quarters. The gelded son of Glidemaster trotted away to a 5-1/4 length victory in 2:01.2.

Charlie Ona Harley, now a five-time winner in his career, is trained by Jack Moiseyev for Joanne Colville and Nancy MacNevin. The Harvest Series victory improves his numbers to three wins and $24,665 earned in 15 starts this season.

Christoforou would score the hat-trick by winning the seventh race with three-year-old pacer Barn One ($29.60) and then getting the grand slam aboard five-year-old trotting mare Alona ($6.30) one race later.

Live harness racing resumes Friday evening at Woodbine Mohawk Park. First race post time is 7:10 p.m.

To view the charted lines from Mohawk's Thursday night card, click the following link: Thursday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(with files from Woodbine)
New Delhi: A US-based editor of a leading media house has accused former Union minister M.J. Akbar of raping her in India 23 years ago, saying he used his position as the editor-in-chief of a newspaper, The Asian Age, to prey on her, an allegation denied by his lawyer.

Somewhere around 1994, Ms Pallavi Gogoi and I entered into a consensual relationship that spanned several months, Akbar, who recently resigned as junior foreign minister following a spate of #MeToo allegations, said in a statement.

This relationship (with Gogoi) gave rise to talk and would later cause significant strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on the best note, he said.

In her statement, Mallika said she knew about the relationship.

More than twenty years ago, Pallavi Gogoi caused unhappiness and discord in our home. I learned of her and my husband's involvement through her late night phone calls and her public display of affection in my presence. In her flaunting the relationship, she caused anguish and hurt to my entire family, she said.

Its a lie: Mallika

Mallika said she remained silent even though the MeToo campaign was unleashed against Akbar. But the article by Gogoi forced her to step in with what she knew to be true, she said.

I don't know Pallavi's reasons for telling this lie but a lie it is, Mallika added.

Referring to a party at their residence, Mallika said, I have watched with mortification and pain as they danced close. I had confronted my husband at the time and he decided to prioritise his family.

Akbar resigned on October 17 from the council of ministers after over 20 women colleagues levelled allegations of sexual harassment against him when he was a journalist. He has filed a criminal defamation case against one of them.

Mallika said Gogoi and another journalist, Tushita Patel, who has also alleged sexual misconduct by Akbar, often come to their residence. Neither carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault.

No duress: Akbar

Akbar said several people who worked with him knew about his relationship with Gogoi and at no stage did her behaviour give any one of them the impression that she was working under, or in any way, under duress.

In the past few weeks, I have been subjected to a barrage of false and fabricated accusations, which I am now addressing, he said.

In her article in the Washington Post, Gogoi detailing how Akbar physically and mentally harassed her for years.

The first assault

It must have been late spring or summer of 1994, and I had gone into his office his door was often closed. I went to show him the op-ed page I had created with what I thought were clever headlines. He applauded my effort and suddenly lunged to kiss me. I reeled. I emerged from the office, red-faced, confused, ashamed, destroyed, she alleged.

The second incident was a few months later when she was summoned to Mumbai to help launch a magazine, she claimed.

He called me to his room at the fancy Taj hotel, again to see the layouts. When he again came close to me to kiss me, I fought him and pushed him away.

He scratched my face as I ran away, tears streaming down, she wrote in the Post.

When she got back to Delhi, Akbar threatened to kick her out of the job if she resisted him again. But she didn't quit.

Horror in Jaipur

One story took her to a remote village a few hundred miles from Delhi and the assignment was to end in Jaipur. When she checked back, Akbar said she could come discuss the story in his hotel in Jaipur, she claimed.

In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me, she alleged, adding that instead of reporting him to the police, she was filled with shame.

Gogoi claimed that Akbars grip over her got tighter. For a few months, he continued to defile her sexually, verbally, emotionally.

He would burst into loud rage if he saw her talking to male colleagues.

I cannot explain today how and why he had such power over me, why I succumbed, she said.

Foreign shores

She said as a reward for her work in the December 1994, Akbar said he would send her either to the US or the UK as a reward.

I thought that finally, the abuse would stop because I would be far away from the Delhi office.

Except the truth was that he was sending me away so I could have no defences and he could prey on me whenever he visited the city, she said. Akbar later summoned her back to Mumbai after which she left the job.
Jamkhandi: Two former rebels could play a key role in deciding the fate of the Congress and BJP in the November 3 Jamkhandi Assembly bypoll.

While in previous elections, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sangamesh Nirani and Congresss Shrishail Dalawai, had defied their party line and contested as independents, the present bypoll is seeing them sweat it out till the last day of campaigning to mobilise support for their official candidates.

Mr Nirani had cost the BJP the seat by winning nearly 25,000 votes as an independent from the constituency in the May Assembly election. But this time, persuaded to back BJP candidate, Shrikant Kulkarni, he is claiming victory for him by a margin of four to five thousand votes. My brother, Murugesh Nirani and Mudhol MLA, Govind Karajol have actively campaigned in Jamkhandi unlike the previous election when they were busy in their respective constituencies. Mr Karajol has made great effort to woo the Dalits. Moreover, I am not contesting as a rebel this time. All this will see the BJP candidate win the byelection, albeit by a slender margin, as some of the voters loyal to me may vote for the Congress, says Mr Sangamesh Nirani.

Meanwhile, with Mr Dalawai, a close confidant of former Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, and a Kuruba, working to woo his community for the Congress, the partys chances too seem bright this bypoll. Having netted nearly 20,000 votes as an independent in the last election, his support could prove invaluable to the party.

On the eve of the bypoll on Friday, both Mr Nirani and Mr Dalawai were busy holding meetings with the leaders of all communities to make a last attempt to win them over to their sides.
Bengaluru: A 4-1 morale-boosting win or a 3-2 status quo? That's the big question many Congress leaders are asking themselves as the ruling JD(S)-Congress coalition faces the first major poll battle on Saturday after it came to power in May this year, upsetting BJP calculations.

According to a Congress internal survey, of the five constituencies going to polls-three Lok Sabha and two Assembly seats-there is not much the BJP can do to deprive the coalition of a victory in Ramanagara or Mandya for that matter. The CM's wife Anitha Kumaraswamy seems to have won Ramanagara even before the first vote is cast after the shocking withdrawal of the BJP candidate L. Chandrasekhar on Thursday.

Ramanagara, Mandya and Jamkhandi were won by coalition candidates in the previous poll while Ballari and Shivamogga went the BJP way.

As for the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, the coalition has a clear edge in a Vokkaliga dominated belt where traditional rivals like D.K. Shivakumar, H.D. Deve Gowda and son H.D. Kumaraswamy have joined hands to make sure JD(S) candidate L.R. Shivaramegowda suffers no hiccups on his way to victory.

The initial murmurs of dissent in the Congress camp over the seat being given to the JD(S) have been silenced with the coalition now presenting a united front.

That leaves the Ballari and Shivamogga LS and Jamkhandi Assembly seats where Congressmen are expecting a photo finish. Speaking to DC, a Congress leader from Ballari admitted that the party is still unable to gauge the people's mood in the constituency with both Congress candidate V. S. Ugrappa and BJP leader J. Shanta riding high on hope. Ms Shanta's prospects revolve around her brother and BJP strongman B. Sriramulu's image and the Nayaka vote chunk he can secure for her. Ugrappa too is a Nayaka but he will have to garner the community's votes on his own as he is not getting enough support from other Nayaka leaders," said a source.

What could come as an unexpected blessing for Ugrappa is the unsavoury remark made by the BJP's Gali Janardhan Reddy that former CM Siddaramaiah's son died because of his 'sins' which has not gone down well with voters especially among the backward classes. "It is difficult to predict the outcome in this constituency," a source said. Wresting Shivamogga, considered a BJP and Sangh parivar stronghold is none too easy for JD(S) candidate Madhu Bangarappa but sources contend that this is the best chance the coalition has in a constituency where the BJP's vote bank - comprising Arebhashe Vokkaligas, Lingayats and Brahmins- has remained intact for the last 15 years. The OBC-Dalit-Minority vote bank of the Congress has become vulnerable due to caste complexities but a tough fight is on between Bangarappa and Yeddyurappa families which could go down to the wire, the source said. Jamkhandi should be an easy win for Congress candidate Anand Nyamegouda but his success depends on the Congress's ability to ensure BJP remains a divided house in a Lingayat stronghold. The return of BJP rebel Sangamesh Nirani who secured 25,000 votes in the last poll, to the party fold, has sent jitters through the coalition camp.

After the Ramanagara fiasco, the BJP central leadership is keeping a close watch on their leaders in all constituencies, so dividing them could be difficult. We have sympathy in our favour (the Congress candidate is the son of the former MLA who died in an accident) but we will have to wait and watch if that is enough to see our candidate through, a source asserted.

BJP petitions poll panel

Stung by the retirement of its Ramanagara Assembly candidate L.

Chandrashekar from the poll fray on Thursday in favour of JD(S) candidate Anitha Kumaraswamy, the state BJP has petitioned the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka to annul the Ramanagara Assembly bypoll.

They have also demanded the booking of a case against Mr Chandrashekar for 'taking a bribe from the Congress,' the coalition partner of the JD(S), to retire. The BJP leaders argued that Mr Chandrashekar's decision has defeated the democratic process in the constituency where polling was to be held on Saturday where the BJP and JD(S) are the main contenders.

B01
KAKINADA: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan lashed out at Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for falling at the feet of Congress leaders. Addressing a public meeting in Tuni on Friday night as part of his tour, Mr Kalyan said that Mr Naidu had no sense of shame as he was falling at the feet of Congress leaders who had got Telugu Desam (TD) MPs beaten up in Parliament at the time of bifurcation.

While chatting with the media in Janmabhoomi Express, he said that the coming together of the TD and the Congress caused a deep hurt and killed the Telulgu self-respect as it was only for Mr Naidus personal benefit and not in the interests of the Telugu people. He said that Mr Naidu had again proved to be an opportunistic politician, but not a state-interests politician. He made it clear that he would never forge for such alliance with either the Congress or the BJP.

He said that already BJP leaders had approached him to merge the JS with the BJP but he had made it clear that such a move could not happen when he was alive. He said that when Mr Naidu maintained good relations with the BJP, he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi who made it clear that SCS would not be given to AP.

Then Mr Naidu warned the youth and other political parties of sending them to jail, if they spoke about SCS. Now, Mr Naidu had raised his voice for SCS. Do we need an opportunistic leader like Mr Naidu as the Chief Minister of AP ? Let us (the people) leave Mr Naidu. We are making efforts to bring bout a good change in politics, said Mr Kalyan. He asked Mr Naidu how he could join hands with the Congress which had bifurcated the state in a most unscientific manner, causing all the present problems.

Yesterday Mr Naidu was with BJP. Today he is with the Congress. Perhaps, he may join hands with YSRC chief Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. He has never contested in elections on his own and he has no confidence in himself, he remarked. He said he had supported the BJP and TD in the 2014 elections with the hope that they would do justice to the people of the state after bifurcation, but both the parties had let down the people.

Common man as CM, says Pawan Kalyan

Jana Sena (JS) chief Pawan Kalyan made it clear that the JS wanted to make the common man, who belonged to the downtrodden sections of the society, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a meeting in Tuni on Friday night, Mr Kalyan said power should reach all communities and he also belonged to the common man community. He said he would give good governance which protected law and order. He had no interest in caste politics, he stated.

Referring to the train burning incident in Tuni during the Kapu movement, Mr Kalyan said that he was disturbed by such incidents. Violence should not be resorted to for any cause, he said and added that if he were in power, he would see that such incidents did not occur and that such situations did not develop.

He also said giving unemployment allow-ance of `2,000 was not the solution to the problem. The youth would not be content with it as Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had promised them jobs but was not able to give them now. He said if the JS assumed power, all the youth would get 25 years of future with better living conditions. He said Mr Naidu had also failed to convince the NDA government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi about SCS. He said that if Mr Naidu really wanted to get SCS for AP, he (PK) would go to PM Modi and convince him.
Visakhapatnam: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has issued notice to Andhra Pradesh DGP and Vizag police commissioner and two other police officers on the condition of Janipalli Srinivasa Rao, who attacked YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Mr Battula Ram Prasad, president of Mala Sankshema Sangham, alleged that Mr Srinivas Rao was subjected third degree torture and violence by the police to satisfy political bosses. This resulted in Rao being taken to hospital in a wheelchair. He is not even able to stand and walk, Mr Prasad said. He complained to the NCSC which issued the notice.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team which is investigating the attack found that Srinivasa Rao had an all-access pass at the airport. The pass allowed him to go everywhere in the airport, and even close to the aircraft to carry bouquets for VIPs.

CISF personnel also never kept a tab on Srinivasa Raos movements. CISF deputy commandant Dinesh Kumar, who was present at the time of the attack, has been asked to go on leave.
We Indians are peculiar. At least 40 per cent of us have barely benefited from Independence. Another 40 per cent have benefited only somewhat. This skewed income profile pulls our per capita income down to $1,820 (current 2017), close to the bottom at number 173 out of 229 economies (World Bank 2017).

The top 20 per cent have benefited enormously from growth in Indias wealth, economic power and international political clout. If 80 per cent of the bottom population is excluded, the per capita annual income for the 20 per cent club would be around $7,000 (current 2017), equal to the average current per capita income of emerging economies in Europe and Central Asia.

Why then is there a near universal acceptance of the status quo? Put it down to the permanently disabling legacy of autocratic rule  continuing through the Mughals and then the British. The vast mass of Indians are not socialised to expect their ruler to care about them beyond giving a patient hearing to those who ring the distress bell, and sometimes kindness and help doled out as noblesse oblige  the obligation of the French aristocracy prior to the 1789 Revolution, to share the crumbs from their pastries with the starving masses.

This is why poor Indians think nothing of collecting the body of a relative who has died in hospital, bundling it up in a durry, shouldering the burden and walking back to their village to give the departed a semi-decent funeral back home. There is no rage against the system which often callously allows the disadvantaged to die. There is no expectation, from the cars and trucks whizzing by, including government vehicles, to stop and help. Its a private matter and the family alone must bear the burden. This robust self-help mindset shows how independent are the lives of 80 per cent of Indians from the State.

What about the top 20 per cent? The expectations are higher here and sometimes expressed in passive support for urban, public outrage  Nirbhaya, citizens against corruption and #MeToo are good examples. But the depth of the rage is always moderated by the acknowledgement, once the heat has been let out, that radical change could damage the accoutrements of privilege these 50 million families  employed in the formal economy, running businesses or with large agricultural land holdings  have accumulated.

Arvind Kejriwal was the first politician in 2013  other than the Communists who had thoroughly discredited themselves by ruining West Bengal over their 34-year rule  who challenged the status quo and unleashed public expectations of rapid change. But this was localised to Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an astute political student, was the first to template a scaled-up model of guaranteeing impossible public expectations in exchange for votes. Mr Kejriwal, an IIT graduate and a former government official, had to simulate an affiliation with the bottom 80 per cent of India. Narendra Modi embodies the spirit of the underdog Indian  poorly educated, with provincial roots and wedded to traditional social norms  most particularly a deep public attachment to religion. His call to change India resonated with the public in 2014.

But hubris set in quickly. Little thought was given to smashing the insidious links between growing private wealth and public deprivation. Change, with the brakes fully pressed, has been shallow. What could radical change in the public interest have looked like? Here are three examples.

First, it sounds ridiculous, that in an intensely heterogonous society, a party should be able to rule the nation with a minority of the votes cast. This needs to be changed via a constitutional amendment, to require each winning candidate to get at least a simple majority if not two-thirds of the votes cast.

This change can ensure that electoral campaigns, public debate, public capital allocations and government recruitment for jobs become fairer and more inclusive. Even this may be inadequate.

Consider the just-concluded Kashmir local elections, where barely anyone voted. That no party propagates such changes speaks volumes about the self-serving, status quoist agenda of the 20 per cent club.

Second, status quo has indelibly seeped into our regulatory practices. Consider that the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS) default happened nearly two months ago. Redress should have been swift. But the National Company Law Tribunal refused to accept a mandate to act on October 12, 2018. IL&FS is neither fish nor fowl, regulated somewhere between the Companies Act and the RBI Act. The appellate tribunal is considering whether the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) applies to it. A further appeal to the Supreme Court is possible.

This sounds suspiciously like a ruse to kick the can down the road beyond the 2019 elections, when government entities will take over the subsidiary companies. Even their creditors  all part of the 20 per cent club  would love this, because they would then be able to socialise their losses courtesy public funds. But it disadvantages the needy bottom 80 per cent of Indians, while shielding the greedy 20 per cent club from bearing the consequences of their actions.

Third, and much more recently, the Supreme Court had used the ploy of status quo to cool the heat between warring factions of the Central Bureau of Investigation and reserved for itself all significant decisions going forward. Justice R.M. Lodhas caged parrot has evolved into a jailed parrot.

The Central Vigilance Commission and the CBI have discredited themselves. Far better to remove wholesale all the senior officers on deputation and rebuild the CBI from ground zero.

Officers of the IAS piously point fingers at the CBI, to illustrate the consequences of diluting their influence at the top echelons of the government.

The CBI is #IASmukt, as is the CVC, whose commissioners are former income-tax, police and bank officials. The good news is that none of this will determine how the people will vote.

The bad news is that even if the government changes in 2019, its unlikely to do anything differently. We seem to be permanently stuck in a low-level equilibrium of inequity and growth.

The writer is adviser, Observer Research Foundation
Known for pushing aggressive deadlines, Musk quickly brought in new managers from SpaceX headquarters in California to replace a number of the managers he fired. (Photo: AP)

SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk flew to the Seattle area in June for meetings with engineers leading a satellite launch project crucial to his space companys growth.

Within hours of landing, Musk had fired at least seven people on the programs senior management team at the Redmond, Washington, office, the culmination of disagreements over the pace at which the team was developing and testing its Starlink satellites, according to two SpaceX employees with direct knowledge of the situation.

Known for pushing aggressive deadlines, Musk quickly brought in new managers from SpaceX headquarters in California to replace a number of the managers he fired. Their mandate: Launch SpaceXs first batch of US-made satellites by the middle of next year, the sources said.

The management shakeup and the launch timeline, previously unreported, illustrate how quickly Musk wants to bring online SpaceXs Starlink program, which is competing with OneWeb and Canadas Telesat to be first to market with a new satellite-based Internet service.

Those services - essentially a constellation of satellites that will bring high-speed Internet to rural and suburban locations globally - are key to generating the cash that privately-held SpaceX needs to fund Musks real dream of developing a new rocket capable of flying paying customers to the moon and eventually trying to colonise Mars.

It would be like rebuilding the Internet in space, Musk told an audience in 2015 when he unveiled Starlink. The goal would be to have a majority of long-distance Internet traffic go over this network.

But the program is struggling to hire and retain staff, the employees said. Currently, about 300 SpaceX employees work on Starlink in Redmond, the sources said. According to GeekWire, Musk said in 2015 the Redmond operation would have probably several hundred people, maybe a thousand people after 3-4 years in operation.

So far this year, about 50 employees left the company on their own accord, one of the SpaceX employees said, though the reason for those departures was unclear. Overall, SpaceX employs more than 6,000 staff.

As of Tuesday, there were 22 job openings - including a job making espresso drinks - for the Redmond office, according to SpaceXs website.

SpaceX spokeswoman Eva Behrend told Reuters the Redmond office remains an essential part of the companys efforts to build a next-generation satellite network.

Given the success of our recent Starlink demonstration satellites, we have incorporated lessons learned and re-organized to allow for the next design iteration to be flown in short order, Behrend said.

She noted the strategy was similar to the rapid iteration in design and testing which led to the success of its rockets.

After this story was published, a second SpaceX spokesperson said two of the managers left the company on their own accord as part of the re-organization within two weeks of the Musk visit in June. The spokesman did not provide additional details about their exit.

Among the managers fired from the Redmond office was SpaceX Vice President of Satellites Rajeev Badyal, an engineering and hardware veteran of Microsoft Corp and Hewlett-Packard, and top designer Mark Krebs, who worked in Googles satellite and aircraft division, the employees said. Krebs declined to comment, and Badyal did not respond to requests for comment.

The management shakeup followed in-fighting overpressure from Musk to speed up satellite testing schedules, one of the sources said. SpaceXs Behrend offered no comment on the matter.

The culture was also a challenge for recent hires, a second source said. A number of the managers had been hired from nearby technology giant Microsoft, where workers were more accustomed to longer development schedules than Musks famously short deadlines.

Rajeev wanted three more iterations of test satellites, one of the sources said. Elon thinks we can do the job with cheaper and simpler satellites, sooner.

A billionaire and Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Inc, Musk is known for ambitious projects ranging from auto electrification and rocket-building to high-speed transit tunnels.

A Musk trust owns 54 per cent of the outstanding stock of SpaceX, according to a 2016 US Securities and Exchange Commission filing, SpaceXs most recent.

SpaceX has said it would launch its satellites in phases through 2024. Its goal of having Internet service available in 2020 is pretty much on target with an initial satellite launch by mid-2019, one of the sources said.

OneWeb aims for the first launch between December and February 2019, while Telesat was targeting 2022 for broadband services.

SpaceX employees told Reuters that two Starlink test satellites launched in February, dubbed Tintin A and B, were functioning as intended. The company is refining the orbital path of the satellites after the US Federal Communications Commission, which oversees satellites in orbit, approved a request from SpaceX to expand Tintins altitude range, one of the sources said.

The FCC confirmed SpaceXs modifications, which have not been reported previously but declined further comment.

Were using the Tintins to explore that modification, one of the SpaceX employee sources said. Theyre happy and healthy and were talking with them every time they pass a ground station, dozens of times a day.

SpaceX engineers have used the two test satellites to play online video games at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California and the Redmond office, the source said.

We were streaming 4k YouTube and playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive from Hawthorne to Redmond in the first week, the person added.

In March, the FCC approved Musks plan to beam down Internet signals from 4,425 small satellites launched into standard low-Earth orbit - more than two times the total number of active satellites there presently.

One SpaceX engineer told Reuters the company has studied plans to add roughly 10,000 additional satellites after its first array is live to meet bandwidth demand in the coming 20 years. Behrend declined to comment on the plans and referred to a previous FCC filing, which states an additional 7,518 satellites are under consideration.

Such a move would keep it in the race to expand affordable high-speed Internet access to billions of people in rural or suburban areas globally. The Satellite Industry Association, a lobby group, estimates the global market for satellite-based broadband and television services is worth USD 127.7 billion, dwarfing the roughly USD 5.5 billion satellite launch services market.

McLean, Virginia-based OneWeb is working to provide internet service from roughly 900 satellites after raising more than USD 2 billion from SoftBank, the Coca-Cola Company and others.

Telesat, backed by Loral Space & Communications Inc, said on Oct. 23 it conducted the first-ever live test of in-flight broadband via a satellite in low-Earth orbit and was targeting 2022 for broadband services from a constellation of some 300 satellites.

SpaceX aims to provide Internet service by linking its satellites to ground stations and mountable terminals about the size of a pizza box at homes or businesses, according to the FCC filing. The US market for broadband is already dominated by several incumbent communications companies, including Comcast Corporation. Comcast declined to comment on the potential new competition.

While SpaceXs model of reusing rockets has generated cash, it is not enough to cover the roughly USD 5 billion cost to develop its Big Falcon Rocket that Musk wants one day to fly to Mars.

There had to be a much bigger idea for generating cash to basically realize the Mars plans, said one of the SpaceX employees. What better idea than to put Comcast out of business?

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Chinese internet group Tencent Holdings plans to expand into providing services to industries such as healthcare and connected cars in a move to promote growth beyond its mainstay consumer business.

Tencent, Chinas largest social media and gaming company that operates the WeChat messenger app, in September announced a major restructuring aimed at moving from being a consumer business towards one catering to industry too.

Dowson Tong, president of Tencents newly formed Cloud and Smart Industries Group, told the companys annual global partners conference that the new group would focus on artificial intelligence, cloud services, big data and security.

If the development of internet is said to have centered on consumers over the past 20 years, it will probably focus on business and industry over the next 20 years, Tong said at the livecast event in Nanjing.

Tencents restructuring comes as the companys main business of gaming and online services grew at a slower pace, hit by regulatory hurdles this year.

The restructuring created the industry-facing group led by Tong, who had spearheaded Tencents cloud business. The company also consolidated three content-related businesses into one.

Tong said Tencent planned to continue to improve its traditional stronghold of consumer internet services, while developing new industry-facing services focusing on sectors such as healthcare, transportation, education, and retail.

Tencent vice-president Zhong Xiangping said at the conference that the companys autonomous driving business was a software and services provider. It also provides cloud services to business partners in connected cars, an area where Tencent has obtained road testing licences in Shenzhen and Beijing, Zhong said.

Lin Songtao, vice president in charge of Tencents content platforms, said the company had set aside a 5 billion yuan (USD 720.13 million) fund to encourage creative content for Tencents various platforms that include WeChat and Spotify-like music apps.

Lin also said launched Yoo, a new short-form video app that will focus on content of 1-3 minutes, which he said is increasingly the most popular format of media consumption.

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Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
The in-display sensor will be borrowed from Qualcomms system and should theoretically provide faster as well as convenient unlocking systems.

The Galaxy Note 7 has been one of the most disastrous smartphones for Samsung  thanks to the faulty design of the batteries. However, if you look past the battery troubles, the Note 7 was one of the best smartphones you could buy in 2016. It offered a curved edge display, an improved S Pen, a highly intuitive software and the Iris Scanner. The Iris Scanner was Samsungs solution to contact-less biometric verification and after Apples FaceID, it has been a mainstay on the S series phones as well. Sadly, that wouldnt be the case anymore with the S10.

According to a new report from SamMobile, Samsung could be willing to kick out the Iris Scanner from the Galaxy S10 series. The removal of the Iris Scanner will help Samsung push the display to the extreme edges, with the front camera being the only item that will retain its position within a hole in the display.

While the Iris Scanner was always slower as compared to the fingerprint sensor, it was the only contact-less biometric verification system that Samsung came up for answering the facial recognition systems. However, with the iris scanner gone, Samsung will only rely on the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor on the S10 for verification purposes. The in-display sensor will be borrowed from Qualcomms system and should theoretically provide faster as well as convenient unlocking systems. Samsung is said to be confident of the single verification system, similar to Googles approach for the Pixel series of smartphones.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Washington: Sexual harassment offences against women by people in positions of power like government officials and the police in North Korea are normal and part of a women's daily routine.

A report by the Human Rights Watch, a global, non-governmental organisation, which prepared the report by interviewing at least 50 North Koreans who fled the country, gives an insight into the everyday happenings in markets, detention facilities, checkpoints, army bases, etc, Fox News reported citing a Guardian report.

"The North Koreans we spoke with told us that unwanted sexual contact and violence is so common that it has come to be accepted as part of ordinary life: sexual abuse by officials, and the impunity they enjoy, is linked to larger patterns of sexual abuse and impunity in the country," the report read.

"Interviewees told us that when a guard or police officer 'picks' a woman, she has no choice but to comply with any demands he makes, whether for sex, money or other favours. Women in custody have little choice should they attempt to refuse or complain afterwards, and risk sexual violence, longer periods in detention, beatings, forced labour or increased scrutiny while conducting market activities," the report added.

A woman, who escaped North Korea in 2014, described her experiences in a prison, where she was sexually abused by a guard.

"Click, click, click was the most horrible sound I ever heard. It was the sound of the key of the cell of our prison room opening. Every night a prison guard would open the cell. I stood still quietly, acting like I didn't notice, hoping it wouldn't be me the one to have to follow the guard, hoping it wouldn't be him," she said.

"It happens so often nobody thinks it is a big deal. Men who sexually assault women don't think it is wrong, and we (women) do not either. We don't even realize when we are upset. But we are human, and we feel it. So sometimes, out of nowhere, you cry at night and don't know why," another woman said.

The report comes amid North Korea's ongoing nuclear disarmament efforts, led by the United States.

While North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's propaganda has labelled the country a "socialist paradise" and completely crime-free, Kenneth Roth, the executive director of the Human Rights Watch said that the country cannot overlook the report.

"After this report, North Korea can't say sexual violence doesn't exist, so they have to either change their tune or fix the problem. Kim Jong-un could stop this, he could enforce the laws North Korea already has on the books," Roth said.
A team of horsemen in Alberta have banded together to raise funds and awareness all in the name of mens health.

Spearheaded by driver Mike Hennessy, these horsemen are fundraising for the Movember Foundation for the month of November. These funds will go towards research and programs aimed to help men affected by prostate and testicular cancer, and to encourage positive mental health.



Driver Mike Hennessy, pictured below with a full Movember 'trial run' last month at Northlands Park Driver Mike Hennessy, pictured below with a full Movember 'trial run' last month at Northlands Park

The Movember Foundation is uniquely placed to address these causes at local, national and global levels. Their work is focused on funding ground-breaking projects all over the world, engaging with men where they are, understanding what works best, and helping make change happen sooner.

By funding the three biggest health issues faced by men today, theyre able to ensure a long lasting impact on the face of mens health.

With this in mind, and wanting to make the greatest change possible, the harness horsemen of Alberta have extended an open invite to other Albertan horsemen to become part of their team in support of all dads, sons, brothers, and friends.

Check out the team's Movember page for more information on how to donate or join.

(with files from Inside Track Blog)
Within days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath declared that he would announce ''something special'' for Ayodhya on Diwali, state BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey said that the former had an ''Ayodhya Plan'' but refused to elaborate.

''Adityanath is also a saint besides being the chief minister of the state... he has made some plan for Ayodhya... he will announce it shortly,'' Pandey told reporters here on Friday.

The chief minister had earlier said after the deferment of the hearing on the matter by the Supreme Court ''other options'' could be explored for Ram Temple construction.

Though Pandey refused to reveal the plan, sources said that Adityanath was likely to announce the construction of a huge statue of Lord Rama on the bank of the Saryu river in Ayodhya on the occasion of Diwali.

The chief minister could make the announcement in the temple town, where he would be taking part in Diwali celebrations on Tuesday. He was also likely to announce several developmental projects for Ayodhya on this occasion.

Sources in the BJP admitted that it was an attempt to ''placate'' the saints in the temple town, who had been clamouring for the Ram Temple construction and pressurising the saffron party to bring a bill in the Parliament in its forthcoming winter session.

''The saint community is getting restive... we need to placate them,'' said a senior BJP leader from the state here.

A section of the saint community in Ayodhya has even warned that BJP should be ready to face the consequences in the next Lok Sabha polls in 2019 if it failed to ensure construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The Janata Dal (United) has taken umbrage at Union Minister Upendra Kushwahas claim that Nitish Kumar would like to relinquish the post of Bihar Chief Minister after 2020.

Two days ago, Kushwaha had claimed that Nitish once told him that he was tired and would give up chief ministership in 2020, after serving as Bihar CM for around 15 years.

Hitting out at Kushwaha for spreading canards about Nitish, the ruling party spokesperson Ajay Alok said, The post of Chief Minister is not like rasagulla or mutton rice, where the desire is satiated after eating it. One becomes a Chief Minister only when people elect him. Nitish Kumar is CM because people have reposed immense faith in him. And he will continue to don the mantle till he enjoys the voters confidence.

Former Minister and JD (U) national spokesperson Shyam Razak was all the more scathing. Nitish Kumars popularity remains unmatched. He will continue as Bihar CM till as long as he enjoys peoples confidence and till he is physically as well as mentally strong, said Razak.

The JD (U) angst against the Union Minister is quite understandable as Kushwaha and Nitish have been bitter rivals. In 2013, Nitish threw him out of the JD (U) for his anti-party activities. As a consequence, Kushwaha formed RLSP, aligned with the NDA, and won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections before making his debut as a Union Minister.

Currently, RLSP has two MPs and two MLAs. Kushwaha has his own axe to grind. The Union Minister for State for HRD has this notion that he represents seven per cent Kushwahas in Bihar, an OBC, which is numerically stronger than three per cent Kurmis, Nitish fellow caste men. Going by that yardstick, Upendra Kushwaha wants a larger pie in the NDA. Although its equally true that with Nitish back in the NDA fold, Kushwaha has been rendered insignificant, explained a senior BJP leader, aware of goings-on with the ruling alliance.

Kushwahas latest attempt to spread canard about Nitish has not gone down well with Bihar CM. Neither RLSP will get any berth whenever Nitish expands his Cabinet, nor will Kushwaha get more than two seats to contest during the 2019 LS polls, said the source.
The Calcutta High Court, the oldest high court in the country, is facing a severe shortage of judges with nearly 55% of the sanctioned posts of judges lying vacant. Out of the sanctioned strength of 72, it has only 39 judges at present.

What makes the situation even worse is that at present, more than 2.20 lakh cases are pending before the high court, secretary of the Calcutta High Court Bar Association Amal Mukherjee told DH.

The Bar Association along with two other lawyers organisations held a 71-day-long cease of work in protest against the shortage of judges. The cease of work started on February 19, 2018.

Even though in February three more judges were appointed followed by four more in April, and two lawyers were selected to be high court judges, the existing strength of judges at the court is still far from crossing the 50% mark.

The situation has been a matter of concern for the Bar Association as well as legal experts, including former Supreme Court judges.

Senior members of the Bar Association argued that with the number of pending cases piling up, the strength of judges must be at least 50% of the sanctioned strength.

The ongoing shortage of judges is only having an adverse effect on the justice delivery system. It is the common people who are suffering, said Mukherjee.

Describing the shortage of judges as an unprecedented crisis former Supreme Court judge Asok Kumar Ganguly said that ...the Centre has some responsibility here. I do not know why they are not clearing the recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium, said Justice (retd) Ganguly.

He also said that with people becoming more conscious of their rights, they are approaching the courts in larger number. The government is passing certain laws these days which impact the lives of common people and hence, they are approaching the courts. Moreover, there is almost no justice at the administrative level, he said.

The former judge also criticised the Centre over the issue. The government has sadly failed in this regard (of maintaining adequate number of judges)," he said.

Another former Supreme Court judge K S Panicker Radhakrishnan expressed his apprehension over the issue and said that the matter has to be taken very seriously, both at the judicial and at the executive level. The number of pending cases is alarming, and resulting into the suffering of litigants.

Former Supreme Court judge Ruma Pal argued that in order to address the issue, it has to be found out that at which stage of the process the matter is getting held up. Until the cause of the problem is known, it cannot be addressed properly, she said.
Punjab Police on Thursday busted a Pakistan-sponsored terrorist module, Khalistan Gadar Force, with the arrest of one Shabnamdeep Singh from Patiala, the police said on Thursday.

Shabnamdeep was planning to attack police stations and crowded places during the ongoing festival season.

A pistol, hand grenade and a letter pads belonging to Khalistan Gadar Force and other banned terrorist organisations have been recovered from him.

With this arrest, the Punjab Police has blown up Pakistan ISIs nexus with Gurpatwant Singh Pannus campaign for Sikh Referendum-2020, and the conspiracy hatched by ISI-backed Sikh For Justice (SFJ) to spread mayhem in Punjab and other parts of India, DGP Suresh Arora said.

Shabnamdeep's arrest proves once again that the SFJ continues to spearhead and promote the Sikh Referendum 2020 campaign through violence and arson, the DGP said, adding that the organisation is patently preying on the poor, illiterate and devout Sikh youth from Punjab's countryside and radicalising them.

The youth are being exploited by the SFJ, which is using their poverty and credulity as cannon fodder to unleash violence and promote secessionist acts in the state Arora said.

Giving details of Thursdays operation, Arora said that Shabnamdeep was currently out on bail in a petty crime case in Rajasthan. It has been found that Shabnamdeep was operating a Facebook account under the pseudo name of Lahoria Jatt Gill with a profile picture of Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale.

Investigations so far have revealed that in July, Shabnamdeep was contacted by one Javed Khan Wazir, a suspected Pakistan Intelligence Officer (PIO), and was introduced to a Pakistani Sikh Gopal Singh Chawla.

He was further introduced to two other persons, who told Shabnamdeep that they were also supporters of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and asked him to join more associates and propagate Sikh Referendum-2020 in a big way.

Shabnamdeep and his handlers created a Facebook page in the name of Khalistan Gadar Force to popularize the newly formed terrorist outfit and propagate its actions.

Javed Khan tasked Shabnamdeep to carry out targeted killings and promised him Rs 10 lakh for each such act.
Firing fresh salvoes, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed there was enough evidence to nail Prime Minister Narendra Modi for corruption in the Rafale deal and that he would not survive an inquiry.

Addressing a press conference here, Rahul alleged that Dassault Aviation paid Rs 284 crore as the first installment of kickbacks to industrialist Anil Ambani to buy land at Nagpur, which was later cited as a clincher for selecting Reliance Defence as an offset partner in the Rafale deal.

Anil Ambani did not pay for the land, Dassault paid for the land...the CBI chief was looking at this ... hence he was removed, the Congress President said here citing reports of Dassault paying 40 million Euros to a Reliance ADAG firm.

Dassault CEO Eric Trappier had said in media interviews that Reliance Defence was chosen as the offset partner because it had land adjacent to the airport in Nagpur.

Dassault CEO is lying, he is protecting only one man who is running the country...If an inquiry starts on this Mr Modi is not going to survive it. Guaranteed. One, because of corruption. Two, because it's very clear who the decision maker was...It was Narendra Modi and it was a deal done by Narendra Modi to give Anil Ambani Rs 30000 crore, Rahul said.

Soon after Rahul's press conference, a group of Youth Congress activists held protest demonstrations near the Prime Minister's Residence.

Rahul said CBI chief Alok Verma was aware of these transactions and was set to launch an investigation into the matter and hence was removed.

Rafale is an open and shut case and there is only one man who has done corruption, Rahul said adding that the Prime Minister was terrified about the investigation.

The Prime Minister is silent. He is unable to sleep at night. He is terrified about the investigation, Rahul said.

The Congress President said the Rafale deal was a partnership between two individuals and even the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was not aware of it.

The Cabinet Committee on Security gave its clearance to the deal only after Narendra Modi returned from Paris, Rahul said adding that a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee would uncover the layers of corruption in the aircraft purchase deal.

Read also:

Cong steps up heat on Rafale deal

Rafale: SC asks govt to give info on price

Bofors vs Rafale, scam vs scam?

Rafale emerges as common thread in Congress campaign

'Scared' of Rafale probe, Modi removed CBI chief: Rahul
A senior BJP leader of Jammu and Kashmir and his brother were shot dead by suspected militants in Kishtwar district Thursday night, officials said.

State secretary of BJP Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, the officials said.

The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them, they said.

They were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, they said.

Divisional Commissioner (Jammu) Sanjeev Verma said that police are investigating the matter.

BJP state general secretary Ashok Kaul condemned the attack. This is the first attack on any political leader in the Jammu region in past several years.
The RSS on Friday hinted at a 1992-like "mass movement" to ensure that a grand temple of Lord Rama comes up in Ayodhya.



"If need be, we will launch a mass movement for the Ram Mandir," RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said when asked about the stance of the Sangh if there is further delay on the part of courts to resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute and a law could not be promulgated.



His statement comes hours after BJP President Amit Shah called on top RSS brass and had a meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on the sidelines of the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini Mandal (working committee meeting) which concluded at the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini at Keshav-Shrusti in Uttan at Bhayander in Thane district, nearly 40 km off Mumbai.



During the closed-door meeting, several important issues, including Ram Mandir, were discussed.

"We were expecting some good news before Diwali," he said, referring to the Supreme Court hearing last month, and said that the apex court pushed it further.

"By observing that it was not a matter of priority and deferring the hearing (till January 2019), the Supreme Court has insulted the feelings of Hindus," he said.

Joshi said it was a matter of deep pain and anguish. "We expected that the Supreme Court would take into consideration the sentiments of Hindus and the delay in construction of the temple," he said, adding the "society" expects that the Ram temple should come up.



"There is a 1994 judgement of the Supreme Court... there is a ruling of the Allahabad High Court in 2010... we have the findings of the Archaeological Survey of India... and in 2011, the appeal in Supreme Court came... there is a delay of six to seven years already," he said.



On the issue of promulgation of an ordinance or a law, he said: "It is something that is to be decided by the government."

He, however, said that it is imperative that the Supreme Court resolves "sensitive" issues. "We are clear... the Constitution and courts have to be respected."



When his attention was drawn to Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's impending visit to Ayodhya, he said he cannot comment as he was not a spokesman of Sena.

On Rahul Gandhi's diatribe against the Sangh Parivar, he said: "It is to be seen how much seriousness can be attached to his statements".
The 13th annual India-Japan summit went off well, with Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modis desire for informal and personal access to world leaders by hosting Modi at his holiday home. Several agreements were signed, including one on a $75 billion bilateral currency swap aimed at helping the rupee stabilise. The arrangement, following up on a previous $50 billion swap deal, far exceeds one for $30 billion that Japan announced with China when Abe visited Beijing just before Modis visit to Japan. Importantly, India and Japan have decided to hold a 2+2 dialogue between their foreign ministers and defence ministers. The US is the only other country with which India holds such a dialogue. Delhi and Tokyo also reached agreement on the implementing arrangement for deeper cooperation between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. They will soon begin negotiations on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, a military logistics pact that will allow Japan to refuel and replenish its ships at Indian naval bases on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are located near the Straits of Malacca, a choke-point through which much of China and Japans sea trade pass. Abe also announced that Japanese companies have committed to investing 320 billion yen  over Rs 20,000 crore  in India.

Chinas growing presence in the Indian Ocean and its increasingly aggressive postures in the South China Sea is of deep concern to India and Japan and although the joint vision statement does not mention China by name, it is evident that the two sides commitment to work for a free and open Indo-Pacific and expand concrete co-operation with the US and other partners was made keeping China in mind.

A rising China, especially should it be aggressive, is of concern to India. Still, Delhi must tread carefully. Several China-wary countries are engaged in a hedging strategy. Japan, for instance, is looking to India for support in securing sea lanes in the Indian Ocean but simultaneously, it is reaching out to Beijing, too. During Abes visit to Beijing last week, Japan and China agreed on a new framework to collaborate on infrastructure projects in third countries. Japan also expressed readiness to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, over which India has strong reservations. Deeper co-operation with Japan is welcome, but Delhi will do well not to get carried away by its own propaganda over the Modi-Abe personal equation. Like India, other major powers are also hedging their security and economic bets in a time of renewed great power competition.
The top pacing mares on Prince Edward Island convene for a rare Monday meeting with some young talent in the mix at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

The 12-dash Monday night program kicks off at 6:00 p.m. at the capital oval. The $2,350 Fillies and Mares Open pace is carded as the 11th race with Prettyndangerous looking for a repeat performance from post three. David Dowling will look to add to his solid first full season driving on the East Coast with the Bo Ford-trained mare. The daughter of Armbro Deuce rides a quadruple of top-three finishes into the event for owners Ford and Arnold Myers of Charlottetown, P.E.I., but races in an event with some new blood this week.

R Es Shablas stakes career is officially over and now the talented sophomore daughter of Pang Shui will move into aged competition, getting post one with Mike McGuigan in the bike for the biggest test of her career. Collective Wisdom has been knocking on the door in each of her Open starts but loses regular pilot Gilles Barrieau, who has moved his stable back to New Brunswick. That opening gives the opportunity to rookie driver Drew Neill to pick up the lines of the 3-1 second choice in the morning line for trainer Jackie Matheson.

Race analyst Les MacIsaac sees a repeat performance of last week in the future of Prettyndangerous.

Prettyndangerous has been looking more like her old self in recent weeks and last time out was a fairly comfortable winner, MacIsaac said. Since she's facing many of the same rivals today from an improved post we won't rule out a repeat.

Other entries include Drivingthedragon N (Jason Hughes), Julep Hanover (Wade Myers), West River Ambyr (Steven Shepherd) and Killean Finale (Ken Murphy).

The $1,950 Open Trot hits the track in race six with Majian Tango looking to rectify his break as the betting favourite in last weeks edition of this race. Jim Ripley trains and drives the son of Tad The Stud from post two and is again installed as the morning line favourite. Maritime Champion Buddy White has drawn post one as he moves out of stakes competition into the Open ranks for driver Adam Merner and trainer Blayne White of Belle River, P.E.I.

For race programs, top picks and live broadcast go to redshores.ca. To view the entries for Monday's card, click the following link: Monday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.

(with files from Red Shores)
The Catholic League does not endorse candidates for elected office, nor does it side with Republicans or Democrats, but we do address issues of interest to Catholic voters, such as abortion. This issue has now exploded on Long Island, and the Democrats are responsible for the fireworks.

Rep. Lee Zeldin has represented his constituents in Suffolk County, New York for several years: prior to becoming a congressman, he was a state senator. His opposition to abortion is a source of consternation to his challenger, Perry Gershon. That is of little interest to the Catholic League. But when the New York State Democratic Committee comes to the defense of Gershon by engaging in a vicious attack on Zeldin's pro-life record, that changes everything.

A campaign mailer sent by the New York State Democratic Committee shows a picture of a coat hanger with the inscription, "Lee Zeldin's plan for women's healthcare." On the other side of the flyer it says Zeldin is a "danger to Long Island women."

The real danger is the demagoguery of the New York State Democrats. To exploit the fears of women by portraying Zeldin as some kind of barbarian who would subject women to self-induced abortions is obscene. Those responsible for this vile assault owe Zeldin an apology, and that includes Gershon.

For the record, the Catholic League would register a vigorous protest if a Republican organization were to send a mailer with graphic pictures of bloody unborn babies, attacking an abortion-rights Democrat.

Everyone talks about the need for civility these days, but with examples like this morally low-class attack on Rep. Lee Zeldin, it is obvious that not everyone is sincere.


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THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS  2 stars  Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman, Misty Copeland, Helen Mirren; PG (some mild peril); in general release

Disneys The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is not your fathers Nutcracker, but it might be your great-great-grandfathers.

The term nutcracker is bound to conjure Christmas-tinged memories of Tchaikovsky, and at first glance, Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnstons film appears to be a sequel or a liberal riff on that familiar tale. But it seems the directors real intent was to get back to the darker source material from E.T.A. Hoffmanns original story that inspired the 19th-century classic ballet.

The result might be a little shocking for unsuspecting audiences.

Like the ballet, Four Realms follows the adventures of a young girl who crosses into a fantasy world on a cold Christmas Eve. Teenage Clara Stahlbaum (Mackenzie Foy) and her family are mourning the recent passing of her mother. Her father, Mr. Stahlbaum (Matthew Macfadyen), is trying to keep the Christmas spirit alive, but Clara, her older sister Louise (Ellie Bamber) and younger brother Fritz (Tom Sweet) are slow to board Santas sleigh.

Just before heading out to a family party on Christmas Eve, Mr. Stahlbaum gives each of his kids a gift left to them by their mother. Louise gets her mothers favorite dress, Fritz gets a set of wooden soldiers and Clara gets a mysterious silver egg that requires a special key to open.

(Dont worry, the nutcracker is still coming.)

Unfortunately, the special key is missing, so when the family heads out to their godfather Drosselmeyer's (Morgan Freeman) party, Clara seeks his help. In this version of the story, Clara and her mother are both inventors  very mechanically inclined  and Drosselmeyer is a kindred spirit.

Abandoning the party in search of the key, Clara winds up crossing over into a dazzling fantasyland where she meets a nutcracker guard named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), encounters a creepy creature called the Mouse King and learns that before her passing, her mother was considered a queen.

This new world is divided into four realms, and Clara learns that three of them  the Lands of Sweets, Snowflakes and Flowers  are at war against the fourth, which used to be called the Land of Amusements until its leader, Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), tried to overthrow the others. It's also Mother Ginger who has Claras key, which apparently opens more than her moms old egg.

The adventure that follows hints at familiar elements from the ballet and periodically references Tchaikovskys musical cues as Clara interacts with characters like Sugar Plum (Keira Knightley), Shiver (Richard E. Grant) and Hawthorne (Eugenio Derbez), the respective regents of the other three realms. Theres a bit more story to work with  and a twist or two  but the whole thing still feels a little on the thin side.

Theres also an effort to diversify the cast and mine a theme of female empowerment, but Hallstrom and Johnston seem more interested in Four Realms spectacle, which is firmly on the Tim Burton end of the visual spectrum. The creepy Mouse King  a creature essentially built of hundreds of writhing CGI mice  kicks things off, but theres plenty of macabre eccentricity to follow, such as a group of clowns that interact like a set of stacking Russian matryoshka dolls.

While Four Realms retains its PG rating, audiences might be surprised at all the creepiness mixed in with the more familiar Christmas cheer. Its not enough to completely discourage families from taking their kids, but for those wanting a big-screen equivalent of the traditional "Nutcracker" experience, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms could be a surreal disappointment.

Rating explained: "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" draws its PG rating for some unexpected creepiness and some very brief mild profanity; running time: 99 minutes.
SALT LAKE CITY  A murder suspect out of Moab was captured in Arizona near the Navajo Nation following a 100-mile chase with authorities.

Martin Armento Verduzco-Lopez, who also goes by Omar Guerro, was arrested Wednesday by officers with the Navajo Nation Police Department, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and officers from Tuba City and Kayenta, Arizona.

He was charged Tuesday in 7th District Court with murder, a first-degree felony. Verduzco-Lopez is accused of shooting Edgar Luna Najera, 30, twice in a mobile home, 250 Walnut Lane, on Sunday. A possible motive for the shooting was still being investigated Thursday.

Verduzco-Lopez was arrested along with Jaime Flores-Solis and Jorge Hernandez, both of Moab. Moab Police Chief Jim Winder said detectives believe the other two men are also connected to the homicide and helped Verduzco-Lopez flee the area after the shooting.

Wednesday night, officers with the Navajo Nation received two reports of three men trying to lure young girls from the reservation into their car, Winder said. An officer investigating the suspicious activity spotted the three men near Tuba City about 8 p.m. A short chase ensued on a dirt road, but the officer lost sight of the men, Winder said.

About three hours later, officers spotted the car again parked along the side of a road, though Winder did not immediately know if it was U.S. 89 or U.S. 160. Another chase ensued, he said, this one involving officers from multiple agencies and covering more than 100 miles before the vehicle Verduzco-Lopez was in overheated and broke down, according to the statement.

The three men got out of the vehicle and ran. Two were tracked down and arrested after running into the desert, and a third in a residential area, according to Moab police.

Late Thursday afternoon, Flores-Solis and Hernandez were each charged in Grand County's 7th District Court with obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. Hernandez received an additional charge of drug possession, a class A misdemeanor.

According to charging documents, both men were in the room at the time of the homicide. Hernandez lives in the residence where the shooting occurred, the charges state. Methamphetamine was also found in Hernandez's room, according to court documents.

The charges reveal new details about the alleged crime, including that a total of seven people were in the house at the time, and the victim was shot twice.

"(A) witness described that the two shots were several seconds apart, and that Omar had shot the victim once in the torso and then moved in closer and placed a shot to the deceased victim's head. The witness' testimony of the event is consistent with findings made by the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner during an autopsy of the body," the charges state.

The SUV that the suspects fled the scene in and that was later found abandoned belonged to Hernandez, according to court documents.

"A partially full box of .40 Smith & Wesson ammunition was recovered from the black SUV. The brand and caliber of ammunition in the partial box recovered from the SUV is consistent with some of the ammunition components found at the homicide scene," the charges state.

On Wednesday, a witness met with Flores-Solis in Green River, Utah, the charges state. Flores-Solis said he wanted to borrow his car to drive to Las Vegas, according to the charges, and would return it the next day.

"The vehicle was never returned and when the witness saw the picture of Omar on the news, he realized he had loaned his vehicle to the suspects wanted by police and notified his boss who is related to law enforcement," according to the charges.

The charges also state that Flores-Solis was previously deported following his arrest for investigation of a separate crime in June.

Winder had high praise for authorities in Arizona who didn't know they were chasing a wanted murder suspect until after he was arrested.

Verduzco-Lopez also has an active warrant for aggravated assault out of Denver, according to police.
SALT LAKE CITY  Pat Klarr was thrilled to hold a shiny golden shovel next to Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski as they planted a tree together, marking the completion of the Gladiola Street reconstruction project Thursday morning.

Klarr is the last resident on the mostly industrial stretch of road between 500 South and 900 South. She has lived in the area for more than 40 years, and despite all of her neighbors' houses being torn down, she has stayed because she loves it.

"I like the open skies, ... I like my house," Klarr said. "It's just, I love it here."

Reconstruction on the four-block stretch along 3400 West began in June, fixing what Biskupski called a "crumbling" industrial road.

"This road was completely failed. ... It almost looked like gravel," the mayor said Thursday. "This is a major commerce hub for our community, so we decided to jump on this immediately and reconstruct it."

Once lines are painted, the road will be four lanes wide instead of two. It will have bike lanes, sidewalks and 40 new trees. Biskupski said these parts of the project will be finished by Thanksgiving.

In 2019, the other half of Gladiola Street will be reconstructed, from 900 South to California Avenue.

Biskupski said her administration is committed to repairing and maintaining the city's roads. In this year's budget, she allocated $3 million to expanding street construction crews.

On SLC.gov, 16 new jobs are available to work on the new crew, Biskupski said. The expansion of personnel and equipment will more than double the miles of road that the city is able to maintain.

The mayor also took a moment to urge residents to vote for an $87 million street reconstruction bond on their ballots. The money would go toward similar projects all over the city in the coming years, she said.
SALT LAKE CITY  Best-selling author Jennifer Armentrout was skeptical when her editor suggested she write a book about aliens in high school.

"I laughed and said, 'No, that is the stupidest thing I ever heard,'" she said. "But then I started thinking about it and I was like, 'You know what, it's not something you see a lot of.'"

So Armentrout wrote "Obsidian," the first book in her "Lux" series, and said she honestly didn't expect anyone to read it. But Entangled Publishing, the small press Armentrout was with at the time, published her young adult science fiction novel at the perfect time  toward the end of the "Twilight" paranormal craze and the beginning of the dystopian hype.

"It just took off," Armentrout said. "It was one of those things you just couldn't imagine. Especially with a small press, it's so much harder to get your book in front of people.  So it was crazy how it just really picked up online through word of mouth and a lot of support from bloggers."

Armentrout already had a No. 1 New York Times best-selling new adult book, "Wait For You," which she self-published under the pseudonym J. Lynn before HarperCollins picked it up. But the "Lux" series, she said, sold double that book through international markets.

"It's kind of like the little book that could," Armentrout said.

Now, she's going back to the "Lux" world in a spinoff series called "Origin," beginning with "The Darkest Star" (Tor Teen, 368 pages, ages 13 and up). A few years after the Luxen alien invasion has ended, the world is recovering and figuring out how to integrate the peaceful Luxens among them.

Then one night, 17-year-old Evie meets an attractive guy named Luc at a club. A character "Lux" readers will recognize from the original series, Luc is more than what he seems, and as Evie discovers more about him and his world, secrets from her past start to unfold. Before long, everything she thought she knew about her life is turned on its head.

"The Darkest Star" is full of twists, many that fans of the "Lux" series should be excited for.

"I think fans should definitely be looking forward to an expansion of what they've known in the 'Lux' series," Armentrout said. "Expect anything."

Though the original series is still with Entangled Publishing, MacMillan started distributing the books toward end of the series, and Armentrout decided to publish the "Origin" series with Tor, a branch of MacMillan.

"When I decided that I wanted to go back and revisit the series, I really wanted to make sure that it would be a book that teens could easily get their hands on," she said. "For that, you really have to have a good in with librarians and indie booksellers, and the publishers like Tor  they're pros at it."

Armentrout enjoys that the young adult genre crosses age barriers so fluidly that even adults in their 40s and 50s read her young adult books, but what she likes most is finding teenage readers.

When handing out advanced copies of "The Darkest Star" at BookExpo America earlier this year, Armentrout interacted with a lot of young people in their early 20s who had read her "Lux" books in high school and were excited for the new series.

"I just can't even describe how it is to realize someone grew up reading your stuff," she said. "And they're still reading it."

There weren't a lot of young adult books around when Armentrout was growing up, she said, and she wishes she would've had more. So, it means a lot to her to provide those books for young people now.

At the moment, Armentrout is contracted for three books in the "Origin" series, and the second book is scheduled to release October 2019.

If you go 

What: Jennifer Armentrout book signing

When: Monday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m.

Where: The King's English, 1511 S. 1500 East

Web: kingsenglish.com

Note: Places in the signing line are reserved for those who purchase a copy of the featured book from The King's English.
SALT LAKE CITY  Winter wood-burning restrictions went into effect Thursday, and state air quality officials are asking Utahns to go online and use mobile devices to check daily pollution levels.

The Utah Division of Air Quality issues voluntary and mandatory notices on days when fine particulate matter  PM2.5  can reach unhealthy levels from vehicle emissions and wood- and coal-burning fireplaces or stoves. The restrictions aim to help reduce hard-to-see particulates that build up during winter inversions.

Salt Lake County has implemented mandatory burn restrictions on days when the state calls for voluntary action.

Wood-burning accounts for 14 percent of emissions during an inversion in Salt Lake County, said Thom Carter, executive director of Utah Clean Air Partnership or UCAIR.

"When the lid goes on, so when an inversion begins, pollution doubles every day," he said. "The longer an inversion lasts, the worse our air gets."

Carter said whether it's burning wood or coal or driving a car, people should have a plan to help curb pollution on bad air days.

The air quality division has a phone app, UtahAir, to notify residents about elevated pollution levels. Users can receive alerts and three-day forecasts to help plan the best times to exercise outdoors or when to consolidate trips for errands.

The UtahAir app is our most popular tool because Utahns can quickly click on the information they need at anytime and anywhere, said Bryce Bird, air quality division director. This is important information people can access in order to make daily decisions that will improve air quality during the upcoming winter inversion season.

Fines for burning wood or other solid fuel devices on mandatory action days have increased to $150 for the first violation, with the amount increasing for subsequent violations.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has decided to retire, a development that is profound not only for her nation but also for Europe. There are also significant international implications.

On Oct. 29, Chancellor Merkel announced she will step down as leader of her party in December and will not run for re-election in 2021. Her preferred successor is Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who would continue on a moderate course. However, the chancellor and her party have suffered major election defeats and growing political pressures beyond election results.

Chancellor Merkel has been leading her nation with a Grand Coalition involving her own conservative CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union) and the SPD (Social Democratic Party) on the left. The latter is a party with historic roots in the socialist movement, but today without traditional emphasis on nationalization of industry or economic class struggles.

Parliamentary elections in September 2017 were a setback for the governing parties. The far-right nationalist AfD (Alternative for Germany) Party made significant gains, winning 94 Bundestag seats with over 12 percent of the vote. The Bundestag, the lower house of the national legislature, forms the government.

The AfD had no seats in the previous parliament. This marked the first time this type of extreme party won parliamentary representation since World War II.

The liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) lost all Bundestag seats in the parliamentary elections held in September 2013, a devastating defeat. In 2017, the party won 80 seats and could be part of a future coalition government, as in the past. The left environmentalist Green Party won 67 seats, a gain of four, and could be a future governing partner.

After the 2017 election, Chancellor Merkel reassembled the Grand Coalition. This is the fourth time since World War II such a major-party partnership has governed.

In the 2013 elections, the powerful CDU/CSU elected the most members of parliament, but fell five seats short of a clear majority. Decimation of the FDP, which had been a governing coalition partner, led to the formation of the Grand Coalition.

The decline of the major parties reflects a broad long-term trend in European politics. Political parties traditionally strongly reflected economic class, religion and regional interests and sentiments. With the growth of post-World War II economic prosperity, economic class frictions and associated ideologies including socialism have generally declined, along with nationalism. Religion is also fading in political importance in secular Europe.

Regional sensibilities have generally grown, in some cases with dramatic public and political impacts. The rise of the Scottish National Party in Britain is one example. Political turmoil in Catalonia in Spain illustrates the same trends, including the dangers of violence.

The European Coal and Steel Community, predecessor of the European Union of today, began soon after World War II. Economic integration intentionally became a policy instrument to encourage political stability and peace. In consequence, no single nation dominates Europe today.

There is no reason for alarm if the pace of finding Angela Merkels successor is slow. Modern German politics is deliberate and almost studiedly pragmatic.

Germany led by Chancellor Merkel provides an outstanding example of fiscal discipline and prudence, effective military collaboration in NATO, and humanitarian relief for refugees fleeing wars elsewhere.

Her successor will have the advantage of a stable democratic base on which to operate. There will also be the major challenge of equaling the record of this extraordinary leader.
SALT LAKE CITY  A controversial cross will get its day in the Supreme Court.

Justices announced Friday that they will hear the case of the "Peace Cross," a cross-shaped memorial to World War I veterans. The 40-foot monument, which sits on public land, towers over a busy intersection in Bladensburg, Maryland.

The key question in the case is whether the Constitution's establishment clause, which forbids the government from favoring one faith group over others, allows for public funds to go toward the upkeep of a Christian symbol.

The Peace Cross has cost Maryland around $117,000 so far, according to court documents. The lawsuit was filed in 2014 by the American Humanist Association and three non-Christian Maryland residents.

The cross' defenders, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the American Legion, argue the Peace Cross has a secular purpose: honoring lives lost during World War I. They don't deny that crosses are central to the Christian faith, but say cross-shaped memorials have nonreligious significance.

"The Peace Crosss dedications, its inscriptions, its context, and nearly a century of practice make abundantly clear that this monument was erected to serve  and, for 93 years, has served  as a secular commemoration of American servicemen who perished in WWI," attorneys for the commission wrote in their request for the Supreme Court to hear the case.

The cross' opponents, on the other hand, say it's impossible to separate the Peace Cross from its religious connotations.

"If you were approaching it in a motor vehicle, you wouldn't think, 'Oh, there's a cross-shaped memorial.' You'd think, 'There's a huge Christian cross,'" David Niose of the American Humanist Association told the Deseret News in August.

The Peace Cross survived this legal challenge at the district court level, but the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision in October 2017.

"Even in the memorial context, a Latin cross serves not simply as a generic symbol of death, but rather a Christian symbol of the death of Jesus Christ," the opinion explained.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and American Legion appealed to the Supreme Court with the support of a variety of religious freedom organizations, lawmakers and state governments, including the state of Utah. Without the Supreme Court's intervention, the Peace Cross stood to be destroyed or to lose its arms.

"If this monument is bulldozed to the ground, it's only a matter of time before the wrecking ball turns on Arlington National Cemetery and the thousands of memorials like this one across the country," said Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of First Liberty, the law firm representing the American Legion, in a statement released Friday celebrating the Supreme Court's announcement.

Monica Miller, lead counsel in the case for the American Humanist Association, said in a statement that her organization believes the high court will uphold the appellate court ruling.

"We remain confident in our legal position and look forward to presenting arguments to the Supreme Court," she said. "The Fourth Circuit's decision correctly recognized that the government's prominent Christian cross memorial unconstitutionally favors Christian veterans to the exclusion of all others."

The Supreme Court has ruled on a variety of religious symbols in recent years, but it's difficult to predict what will happen to the Peace Cross, experts said. The Supreme Court does not have a clear record on what types of displays violate the establishment clause.

"The Supreme Court hasn't yet been able to get five votes for a consistent, coherent legal standard for resolving these cases," Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel for Becket, a religious liberty law firm, told the Deseret News in August.

The Peace Cross case could be the biggest religion-related case the Supreme Court hears this term. Justices have not yet decided if they'll weigh in on another controversial cross case in Pensacola, Florida.
SALT LAKE CITY  Utah on Friday lost a political icon in Dan Jones, a prominent pollster and political consultant. He was 84.

His wife, Pat Jones, a businesswoman and former legislator, said he died Friday afternoon surrounded by his family after battling congestive heart failure for the past few months.

Pat Jones told the Deseret News on Friday of her husband's passion for politics and his ability to inspire the thousands of students he taught. Her husband received his Ph.D. from the University of Utah and taught at the university for more 52 years.

"He was a tough teacher. He made sure that his students were there on time.  Even though his classes were very large, sometimes 200, he knew when somebody was not there. And he would oftentimes call them and ask if they were OK," Pat Jones said.

He also had a kind heart and would notice students who seemed to be struggling.

"He could tell if someone was, if they'd been up all night with a new baby or working all night, and  a lot of students that have told me this, that he would slip them $50," she said.

Pat Jones said wherever the family went, former students would approach them and tell them he was their favorite professor.

Former student Marcus Nord said, "You enter his class. You're expecting just, you know, the normal political science class, and you come out loving politics, loving the system and wanting to get involved."

His influence on Utah's political world runs deep.

In a statement Friday, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said "Dan was a remarkable man who had a profound impact on Utah's political landscape. But most importantly, he was a great friend. Elaine and I will miss him dearly. My prayers are with Pat and the Jones family at this difficult time."

After Jones conducted his first survey in 1959 and co-founded Dan Jones and Associates in 1980, it quickly became the premier market research and public opinion company in Utah.

Over the years, his polling firm became one of the most popular in the country.

Pat Jones said that as she and her husband built the business together for 35 years, he was always an advocate for women.

"It was a pleasure to work with him because, you see a lot with what's happening with women now, he was always the first to stand up for me, he would give me credit where it was due and not allow anyone to give him credit when it was really someone else's responsibility, and I've always appreciated that," Pat Jones said.

Together, Pat and Dan Jones have seven children and 16 grandchildren. In addition to his political career, he served as a captain in the Army, according to his wife.

His son, Mark Jones, said that though the family is mourning, they are also rejoicing "in the memories of his incredible life of service as a teacher, pollster, friend and family man."

"He loved helping the underdog. He would never turn his back on anyone who needed help," he said.

Mark Jones also thanked those who have reached out to his family over the past months, as well as the staff at the hospice center where his father stayed for his last few months.

Longtime KSL Newsradio host Doug Wright told the Deseret News, "Dan Jones was just part of the fabric of our state, and so many people had him as a professor at Utah State, University of Utah, so many of us knew him in the political environment.

"He was just that person you could always call, and he would know what the deal was. And he had probably polled it for you."

He was a fixture on many Utah news channels and publications.

Wright said Jones was "just a remarkable man, a remarkable pollster. He truly was respected, not just here in the state of Utah, but around the country. And if you said 'these statistics come from a Dan Jones poll,' it mattered and people listened."

Former Deseret News managing editor Rick Hall said he knew Jones for nearly 41 years at the newspaper and worked closely with him for about 20 years.

"He just was a decent, good human being," Hall said, who also "lived for accuracy. Dan just staked his whole reputation on his accuracy. He wasn't going to fudge the numbers, he wasn't going to be bought off."

The former editor said he was saddened to hear of Jones' passing, but also was "just grateful to have known him for as long as I did."

Other Utah politicians and leaders on Friday took to social media to mourn his passing.

The Utah Senate tweeted, "Dan's legacy will long be felt in Utah politics. During his long career, he earned a well-deserved reputation as a trusted pollster and effective educator. We extend our sincerest condolences to Pat Jones and their family."

The Cicero Group, which purchased Dan Jones and Associates in 2010, issued a statement in which the group recalled his "fast wit and tremendous work ethic."

Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, tweeted, "My friend Dan Jones was an icon in Utah politics and he will be missed. My sincere condolences to his wonderful family and friends."

U. President Ruth Watkins offered condolences to the Jones family on behalf of the school and said he was "a gifted teacher who influenced countless students."

"Dan Jones lived a life of public service. He helped politicians and the public understand the nuances of our most pressing issues," Watkins said.

"We're sorry to hear of the passing of Dan Jones. We, too, offer our sincere condolences to his wife, Pat, and their family at this difficult time," the Utah Republican Party tweeted.

Derek Miller, Salt Lake Chamber CEO, said, "Dan was an remarkable man, in Utah's political arena, and also as an educator, policymaker and influencer who readily shared his wisdom and passion with everyone he met."

Through the years on Election Day, Dan Jones and his staff would interview voters at polling locations. Jones used data he gathered there to make election predictions on KSL TV for 30 years.

"Today we mourn the passing of the most trusted man in Utah politics and our state's pre-eminent pollster, Dr. Dan Jones. Dan inspired generations of students to care about politics and get excited about voting and civic engagement. He will be deeply missed," the Hinckley Institute tweeted.

Mitt Romney in a statement called Jones a "political institution in Utah."

"For years his good work kept our political system on a straight and honest path. He will be missed, but his influence and impact will be felt by our state for years to come," Romney said.

Former students of Jones also took to Twitter on Friday to share their thoughts at his passing.

"I loved attending his classes at the University of Utah where he brought local and national history to life," Paul Jones Dayton wrote.

"I had the honor of taking a class taught by Dan Jones. It was one of the most impactful of my life. This is a sad day for Utah politics," Brian Scott Allen tweeted.

Though Jones will not be present for Tuesday's election, his wife noted that one of his last acts was to cast an early ballot.

"He was always almost the first one to vote. Before we had mail-in voters, by the way, he already voted. He voted the first day, when they had the mail in. So his vote's already in," Pat Jones said.

She added, "And I wish he could have lasted through the election, Tuesday. He had some pretty strong opinions on it. But he won't be there to call them on Tuesday. But his heart will be there."

Regarding the future of politics, Pat Jones said, "The one thing that he would want is for people to forgive and to heal so that we can be the great nation that our forefathers and mothers knit together. That's what he would want."

Contributing: Carole Mikita
Right ahead of Diwali, Amazon kicked off its Great Indian Festival sale that will go on for four days till November 5. The platform has a plenty of discounts and offers on a wide range of gadgets. The e-commerce giant has also partnered with HDFC bank and offering up to 10% discount to those who will make payment through banks debit or credit card. Besides that, Amazon is also giving up to 15% cashback to buyers on orders above Rs 5,000. Other than that, those who will purchase on November 2 from Amazon will get a Rs 500 coupon that can be used for booking movie tickets, online food order and more. So, lets begin.

LG 43-inch 4K Smart LED TV

Price: Rs 66,990

Sale price: Rs 46,999

The LG 43-inch 4K Smart LED TV offers a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. The TV comes with a built-in Wi-Fi that allows you to connect the TV to your home network and access apps like Netflix, Youtube and more. It has multiple HDMI and USB ports to connect external devices such as a camera, laptop and more. Interested buyers can also get an instant 10% discount on making payment through HDFC card. View deal here.

Samsung 43-inch 7 Series 4K LED Smart TV

Price: Rs 69,900

Sale price: Rs 48,990

The Samsung 43-inch 7 Series 4K LED Smart TV offers a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels with a panel size of 43-inches. The TV comes with a miracast function that allows you to watch content of your smartphone on a bigger screen. At this sale, it is available for Rs 48,990 down from its MRP of Rs 69,900. View deal here.

Sony 43-inch Bravia 4K LED Smart

Price: Rs 72,900

Sale price: Rs 58,990

The Sony 43-inch Bravia 4K LED Smart TV offers four times better resolution than a full HD TV. The TV allows you to see videos and photos of your smartphone on the TV wirelessly. Users can also access Netflix, Sony and more on it via built-in Wi-Fi. View deal here.

Mi LED TV 4A PRO

Price: Rs 29,998

Sale price: Rs 26,998 (inclusive of cashback + HDFC discount)

The Mi LED TV 4A Pro is a full HD smart LED TV that offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. As it is a smart TV, one can download and watch content from apps like Hotstar, Voot and more. At this sale, you can get it for as low as Rs 26,998 (appx). View deal here.

CloudWalker 40-inch 4K Ready Smart Full HD LED TV

Price: Rs 32,999

Sale price: Rs 20,990

The CloudWalker 40-inch 4K Ready Smart Full HD LED TV offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The TV is powered by Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It has three HDMI ports and two USB ports to connect multiple external devices. During the sale, you can also get an additional 10% discount on making payment through HDFC card. View deal here.

TCL 55-inch 4K LED Smart TV

Price: Rs 59,990

Sale price: Rs 39,990

The TCL 55-inch 4K LED Smart TV is now available at the sale for Rs 39,990 down from its MRP of Rs 59,990. The TV offers a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels and comes with a panel size of 55-inches. View deal here.

Sanyo 43-inch Certified Android 4K Smart IPS LED TV

Price: Rs 79,990

Sale price: Rs 51,990

The Sanyo 43-inch Certified Android 4K Smart LED TV is powered by Android Oreo 8.0 and comes with smart features like Google voice search, built-in chromecast and more. The TV is equipped with Dolby digital sound system. During the Great Indian Festival sale, you can get the TV for Rs 51,990. As i mentioned earlier as well, buyers will get a 10% HDFC discount and Amazon cashback as well on their purchase during the sale. View deal here.

Samsung 43-inch Full HD On Smart LED TV

Price: Rs 58,900

Sale price: Rs 36,990

The Samsung 43-inch Full HD On Smart LED TV offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Users can also connect the TV to their home network and access the web based apps. At the sale, it is available for Rs 36,990. View deal here.
Saudi Arabia hosts US evangelists, says Khashoggi was an Islamist

Days after it came to light that the killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a pre meditated murder, possibly with the knowledge of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the latter held a rare meeting with American evangelical Christians to cool US anger.

Obviously, the Crown Princes meeting with a delegation led by communications strategist Joel Rosenberg and consisting of former US congresswoman Michele Bachmann, was intended to cool US anger and repair an image of religious intolerance.

Reports quoting an emailed statement from the group, as well as heads of American evangelical organisations, said some members of the delegation had ties with Israel.

"It was a historic moment for the Saudi crown prince to openly welcome evangelical Christian leaders to the palace. We were encouraged by the candour of the two-hour conversation with him today," the report quoted from the statement.

The delegation also met Saudi officials, including foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi ambassador to Washington Prince Khalid bin Salman, and secretary-general of the Muslim World League Mohammed al-Issa.

A visit by such prominent non-Muslim leaders, who estimate they represent about 60 million people, is a rare act of religious openness for

For Saudi Arabia, which hosts the holiest sites in Islam and bans the practice of other religions, the hosting of evangelist Christians and Israeli supporters is a rare act, forced by circumstances.

Some of the figures' support for Israel, which the kingdom does not recognise, is also striking. For instance, Mike Evans, founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, describes himself on his website as "a devout American-Christian Zionist leader".

While Saudi Arabia has long maintained that normalising relations with Israel hinges on its withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war, increased tension between Tehran and Riyadh could draw Riyad closer to Tel Aviv against the common threat of Iran, that is what the United States also seems to believe.

Crown prince Bin Salman, who in recent years loosened strict social rules and arrested Saudi clerics deemed "extremists", said in April that Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land. A month earlier, Saudi Arabia opened its air space for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel.

During the call with President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and National Security Advisor John Bolton, Prince Mohammed said Khashoggi had been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organisation, the Washington Post reported.

Bin Salman had told the US he considered murdered writer Jamal Khashoggi to be a dangerous Islamist, according to media reports.

Prince Mohammed reportedly said this in a phone call with the White House after Khashoggi disappeared but before Saudi Arabia admitted killing him. Saudi Arabia has denied the reports in the Washington Post and New York Times.

Khashoggi, a Saudi national working for the US press, was a well-known critic of his home country's rulers. His body has not yet been found, but Turkey, the US and Saudi Arabia have all agreed that he was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

Saudi Arabia denies its royal family was involved and says it is "determined to find out all the facts".
SCO joint exercise on urban earthquake search and rescue planned in New Delhi

A the two-day-long preparatory meeting of the `Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search and Rescue- 2019 began in New Delhi on Thursday, marking the first phase of the main exercise scheduled for 21-24 February 2019.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been entrusted with the responsibility of organising the exercise by Government of India.

The previous meeting of the heads of departments of disaster prevention of SCO countries of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, led by union home minister Rajnath Singh was held at Kyrgyzstan in August 2017. India had then volunteered to organise the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue- 2019 for the region.

The meeting also highlighted the increasing trends of disasters, especially hydro-metrological disasters, in the region. As all the countries are interconnected with each other, action in one part of world affects the other part.

The preparatory meeting will chalk out the plan, discuss requirements, details and modalities of main exercise, which is scheduled for February 2019. The exercise will be based on INSARAG guideline.

Welcoming the august gathering, Director General, NDRF, Sanjay Kumar said the types of events, modalities, venues, protocol and requirements would be worked for smooth conduct of main exercise during the course of this two-day Preparatory Meeting. DG, NDRF, further added that the simulation exercise will provide an opportunity to practice and strengthen the national and international response, coordination protocols and methodologies, in a major earthquake scenario requiring international assistance.

Representatives from all eight member countries, namely India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan attended the meeting, addressed the audience and shared their introductory remark.

The meeting was also attended by the officials from NDMA, NIDM, MHA, MEA NDRF as well as from various central ministries and stake-holders.

The meeting will be concluding today.
Mastercard moved Trump over data localisation woes in India: report

US financial services corporation Mastercard is vexed at the Indian governments data localisation guidelines, which it says will make digital payments business expensive and inefficient and is reported to have complained to the Donald Trump administration in the United States that the Modi government is promoting local payment network RuPay in the garb of data security.

Mastercard says with data localisation it wont be able to provide safety, security and analytics to Indian banks and merchants and according to a Reuters report, which cited a document presented by the financial services firm, New Delhi's protectionist policies were hurting foreign payment companies.

Foreign card companies were at odds with the Modi government ever since the Modi government launched the homegrown payments network `RuPay, whose rise has broken the dominance of US payment giants such as Mastercard and Visa.

With more than half of India's 1 billion debit and credit cards now under the RuPay payment system, foreign card companies fear a loss of market and sluggish growth in one of the world's most rapidly-expanding digital payments markets.

When we talk about our lack of support for data localisation, its not caused so much by expenses, Ajaypal S Banga, the president and chief executive officer of Mastercard, said during an investor call today. Its caused by the inefficiency of what that does to the ability to provide safety, security and analytics to Indias banks and merchants.

Banga said localising data will also hinder companies from sharing their learnings across markets. Youre unable to learn from the learnings of one country and apply them to global platforms like ours to every country and leverage the cost of learning by 1/200meaning you learn in one country and its available to 200.

What India is doing is actually enabling both those benefits to India to be turned off.

Mastercard, meanwhile, is reported to be storing Indian data at their technology centre in Pune from 6 October.

A BloombergQuint report said the company has submitted its proposal to the Reserve Bank of India confirming the storage of data only in India within a specified time frame, but has sought time for it.

Banga is reported to have said during an investor call that it is storing data locally as per the Indian governments guidelines and that it is a question of attempting to put a bunch of servers on the ground that enable the data to be kept locally.

Mastercard and rival Visa are reported to be working on local data storage systems.

The RBI in a notification, issued in April, had given payment companies six months to store all data within India to ensure access for supervisory and monitoring purposes.

Mastercard had since told the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on 21 June that the Prime Minister Modi "associated the use of RuPay cards with nationalism, claiming it serves as 'kind of national service'."

Meanwhile, Mastercard vice president in a statement for global public policy publication is reported to have said that while Modi's digital payments push was "commendable", the Indian government had adopted "a series of protectionist measures" to the detriment of global companies.

Clearly, the issue is not protectionism, foreign financial service firms so far not accustomed to competition, wants no local rivals to compete with them.

US companies in India have been increasingly battling Modi's anti-monopolistic policies terming these as be protectionist. Foreign payment companies, like Purchase, which owns the Mastercard brand, hoping to make big in India and monopolise the market have been frustrated by the growth of the RuPay card.
US grants Iran oil sanctions waiver to India, 7 other countries: report

The United States has agreed to let eight countries, including close allies South Korea and Japan, as well as India, out of looming sanctions on Iran that bars countries from buying Iranian oil, a Bloomberg report said.

The US will re-impose sanctions on Iran from 4 November, following President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal entered into by western powers earlier this year.

India, the second-biggest importer of Iranian oil and top importer China, along with Japan, South Korea, Turkey, and Taiwan had all won exemptions during the previously imposed sanctions on Iran, before the Iran deal was agreed to in 2015.

Almost all major Asian consumers of Iranian oil have been seeking sanctions waivers to allow them to continue buying some of its oil, Bloomberg said, adding that a list of all countries getting waivers was expected to be released officially on Monday.

Reports quoting Chinese official said discussions with the US government were ongoing and that it was expected that Trump will agree to China importing some volumes, similar to the treatment that India and South Korea.

Oil prices, which rose when the latest round of sanctions was announced, over concerns that global oil supply would be depleted, is expected to fall or at least end an upward march with Iran returning to the market.

Analysts expected oil to stay above $75 per barrel with the re-imposition of sanctions, but the waivers and slowing demand for oil due to trade war fears could curb further gains in oil prices.

Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, was trading at $74.51 per barrel on Thursday.

Crude oil prices fell, with Brent futures down by 10 cents at 0752 GMT to $72.79 per barrel, as the number of waivers granted surprised many traders.

Analysts said, however, that Iranian oil sanction waivers would likely only be temporary.
Govt exploring the use of hybrid aero boats on rivers

The government is exploring the use of new kinds of vehicles like hybrid aeroboats that combine land, water and aviation technology and can run on land, water and air at speeds greater than 80 km per hour, union minister for road transport and highways, shipping, water resources, river development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari said.

He said the government is looking at the possibility of using these boats during Kumbh Mela next year and on the Yamuna for a visit to Taj Mahal from Delhi.

Underscoring the need to cut down congestion and resultant pollution in cities, he expressed the hope that the governments vision and efforts for building a safe and efficient public transport system in the country would motivate people to shift from personal to public transport.

Speaking at an event in New Delhi on Thursday, where he released Indias first Ease of Mobility Index 2018, Gadkari said the Index offers a source of information to aid transit agencies and urban planners to make informed decisions and align solutions with the preference of commuters.

The report has been prepared by Ola Mobility Institute - Olas research and social innovation arm.

The minister informed that the government is exploring the use of new kinds of vehicles like hybrid aeroboats that combine land, water and aviation technology and can run on land, water and air at speeds greater than 80 km per hour. He said the government is looking at the possibility of using these boats during Kumbh Mela next year and on Yamuna for a visit to Taj Mahal from Delhi.

Gadkari also informed that the government is also looking at the possibility of using aerial transport systems like ropeways, pods etc, especially for hilly terrains and as a last mile connectivity option in congested cities.

Further emphasising the need for public transport, Gadkari said the government will soon start a campaign to promote the use of bicycles. He said the new expressways are being built with provisions for cycle tracks. Electric cycles will soon be in use. He called upon the taxi aggregators to consider using bicycles for transporting single passengers. Gadkari also expressed happiness that after the government brought in the taxi aggregators guidelines, the number of shared taxis has risen greatly and is likely to cross the one crore mark in a few years.

Gadkari also advocated the use of alternate fuels in this sector. He said, by use of methanol, ethanol and electric sources, the country can save huge sums on petroleum imports. Also, people in backward areas can find an additional source of income by opting to generate bio-gas from local sources in a big way. He promised governmental support to such people by way of imparting education and training for adopting the new technology.

The Ease of Moving Index, 2018 has found that overall, 80 per cent of citizens believe that the transport ecosystem has improved over the last five years. 60 per cent of respondents report using public modes of commute, signalling that integrating modes of first and last mile connectivity with mass transport could lead to improved usage. In fact, 72 per cent of the respondents believe that this integration could lead to an improved public transport ecosystem.

A majority of Indians are willing to adopt electric mobility and are in agreement that electrification will reshape the transportation segment. About 75 per cent of respondents believe that electric vehicles could replace conventional vehicles by 2030. Additionally, results indicate that urban mobility is going digital with 55 per cent of commuters who use public transport owning smart cards, and over 40 per cent transact digitally while using public transport, including intermediary public transport.
A man has been found guilty of one count of indecent assault on a young female in the 1980s, after a four- day trial at Donegal circuit court.

A jury took almost three hours to find him guilty of the first count against the young female on a majority verdict of ten to two after failing to reach a unanimous verdict.

The jury had earlier found him not guilty of a second alleged indecent assault against the same young female and not guilty of another alleged indecent assault against a second young female.

Those verdicts were arrived at after deliberating for two hours and eight minutes.

The defendant, who cant be named for legal reasons, had denied all three charges before the court, that were alleged to have happened in a period from 1980 to to 1981.

Defence counsel Brian McCartney asked for a pre sentence report as his client had no previous convictions.

Judge John Aylmer adjourned sentence until April 2 and remanded the defendant on continuing bail until that date at the circuit court.
Louth independent TD Peter Fitzpatrick is one of nine TD's who wants to amend Ireland's abortion bill and make it a criminal offense for a woman not to have a burial or a cremation after an abortion.

Under the TDs proposals, women who take abortion pills which had been prescribed by a GP at home, would also be guilty of a criminal offense.

A report in The Times newspaper said the measure was "one of several amendments copied from American laws designed to make having an abortion as difficult as possible".

The TDs who backed this latest anti-abortion proposal are: Mattie McGrath, Michael Lowry, Michael Healy-Rae, Danny Healy-Rae, Michael Collins, Michael Fitzmaurice, Peter Fitzpatrick, Noel Grealish and Carol Nolan.

The Dundalk Democrat is currently awaiting a response from Mr. Fitzpatrick on whether he would consider it a criminal offense for a woman who did not bury a fetus where an abortion was carried out after a rape, miscarriage or as a result of a fatal fetal abnormality.

Nest week, Irish TDs will look over the bill that will legalise abortion in Ireland. Since the Eighth Amendment was repealed, the Irish Government plans to allow free access to abortion up to 12 weeks, and in cases where the life or health of the woman is put at risk or after a diagnosis of a fatal foetal abnormality.


Producing electricity to provide funds for water infrastructure by reinvesting money to be used by local farmers, instead of import and loans, grabs the core of the concept for financing the irrigation sector in Kyrgyzstan, said the jury when it announced the winning Russian-Dutch team of the Wetskills Water Challenge in Kyrgyzstan.

The final of the challenge took place at the Kyrgyz National Agrarian University in Bishkek on 26 October.

Students and young water professionals from the Netherlands, Germany, China and Kyrgyzstan pitched their ideas on how to solve real water problems in Kyrgyzstan.

Aging irrigation infrastructure

Kyrgyzstan is a water abundant country but its Infrastructure for irrigation, like canals and pumping stations, often date back to the Soviet era in the 1950s.

Because the infrastructure is so old, systems are in dire need of rehabilitation to prevent further deterioration of the irrigation infrastructure.

To be able to finance the modernization, the winning team (on top photo) came up with a concept to fund investments in the Kyrgyz water sector, focusing on hydropower development and the use of crowdfunding.

The concept suggests the creation of water reservoirs, owned by farmers, for the production of hydropower to generate income. The water in the reservoirs can be used by the farmers for their own irrigation.

Transparency to potential investors

The interesting aspect is that the team considers crowdfunding as an important element to create ownership for farmers and generate more transparency.

This can attract more international investors, although the team especially eyed the diaspora of Kyrgyzstan. Living outside the country, these former inhabitants of Kyrgyzstan are keen to invest in and support their home country.

One of the field trips to an irrigation area where the participants had meetings and discussions with the farmers.

A two-week pressure cooker

The winning concept was developed in a two-week pressure cooker event by the team Watek, consisting of Jibek Turgunbaeva (Kyrgyz National Agrarian University (KNAU)), Zarina Kaarova (Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transport and Architecture), Jamalidin Sadridin Uulu (Kyrgyz Turkish Manas University) and Bas Merten (Wageningen University, Netherlands).

The jury had a hard time choosing a winner between the five water-related out-of-the-box solutions of the 25 students and young professionals from the The Netherlands, Germany, China and Kyrgyzstan.

Next Wetskills events

Coming up Wetskills Challenges are:

 3rd Wetskills India 2019 in Ghandinagar, January 7, 2019 - January 20, 2019

 1st Wetskills Lesotho 2019, January 27, 2019  February 9, 2019

About Wetskills

The Wetskills Water Challenge is a two-week pressure cooker programme for students and young professionals with a passion for water from all over the world.

In transdisciplinary and transcultural teams they work together on water-related challenges. Their assignment: develop innovative and out-of-the-box solutions for water challenges in a fast-changing world. The challenges are real life and cover local cases from companies and (governmental) organisations within the water sector.

This news item was originally published on the websites of Wetskills and Kyrgyz National Agrarian University (in Russian only).

Read also on this website

 WISA2018: 'Bye Day Zero' wins Wetskills South Africa challenge, 28 June 2018

 Winning team Wetskills Korea water challenge announced at Olympic Winter Games, 11 February 2018

 Amsterdam International Water Week 2017: Rain triggered fish passage wins Wetskills young professionals challenge, 6 November 2017

 Expertise: Water and agrifood



More information

Wetskills Foundation

The Hague, the Netherlands

www.wetskills.com
The fitness empire, F45, that turned one studio in 2013 into more than 1300 in 36 countries, launched its newest franchise offering  F45X  which will include Prodigy for 11 to 18-year-olds and Masters for over 60s.

An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Report found that one quarter (26 per cent) of children and adolescents were overweight or obese and at age 18-21, nearly double (15 per cent) of those born from 1994 to 1997 were obese compared with those born between 1974 and 1977 (eight percent).

F45 Owner and Founder, Rob Deutsch, said the fitness industry needs a solution for the all-important 11 to 18-year-old market when young bodies are forming.

Prodigy has been designed to deliver physical results and improve focus and concentration in young adults. We believe that every kid deserves to be part of a healthy, supportive community and our team training approach will get members running, lifting, rowing and jumping in a highly energised, motivating environment under expert supervision, he said.

Related: 12RND Fitness so successful it expands overseas

Among Australians 65 and over, 75 per cent were not sufficiently active and with 60 and over now being the worlds fastest growing age demographic, people arent just living longer, but looking to live better.

Deutsch said, Masters has been designed to get mature athletes moving more, moving better and delivering results that will make everyday life more enjoyable. Modern medicine and a better understanding of health and fitness means we are living longer than ever, and we want to offer a fun, supportive environment for over 60s to experience the F45 magic.

Dynamic Business spoke to Deutsch to find out a little more about F45 and the new launch.

Well done on your new launch. What made you introduce F45X?

Thank you. F45X  which includes Prodigy for 11 to 18-year-olds and Masters for over 60s  is born out of a genuine need in these two sectors. One in four kids and adolescents are overweight or obese. In 20 years, one in every five people will be over 60 and exercise for older adults improves cognition and can assist with chronic diseases and disability.

Adding to this, the current F45 model, while lucrative for franchisees, means there is empty studio time in the middle of the day with most classes tailored to suit office workers ie before 9 and after 5. There is prime time in the middle of the day for retirees and for after school for functional training for young bodies.

Baby boomers now in their 60s are our first Australians to have Superannuation and have much more disposable income than the generation prior.

Will these be completely separate studios to other F45s? Where will they be located and how many F45Xs are being launched at this point?

At our national franchisee conference this week in Melbourne, we launched F45X and gave our network the first opportunity to purchase F45X as a bolt-on to existing studios. The response was overwhelming with 100 sold in 24 hours. Franchisees can choose to set up a stand-alone studio if they want.

In terms of numbers, we have sold out of F45 territories in Australia and New Zealand totalling 670 studios. We have created the same territory model for F45X so we can expect up to 670 studios nationally. Existing franchisees have first right of refusal on their existing F45territories and then we will open it up to the market.

From 12 November we head on a national information tour for F45X and we encourage existing franchisees potential owners to join us.

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Will the usual clients still be able to attend F45x?

What were trying to create is an all-inclusive space for the whole family where child/adolescent, mum/dad and grandparents can all do a Hollywood on a Saturday and debrief afterwards. The workouts will slightly differ and will be tailored to each age group, but in practice, will have the same electric, fun, team mentality functional training that F45 is famous for.

We already have members in the Masters category that can choose to shift into the X program if they wish and we will be recruiting adolescent members for the first time with a specially built program.

What do you hope to achieve through F45x? Will there be a specially made 8 week challenge for these clients?

The program is in final stages of development but what I can say is that there will be a holiday program for children offering four-hour blocks on consecutive days to support working parents.

How did you go about creating the original idea for F45?

I started the first gym out of the knowledge that the majority of people with a gym membership would only attend the gym once a month. I wanted a concept that people would encourage people to come every day or at least an improvement on once a month.

I also knew that when I played team sport I felt accountable and that I needed to turn up so I didnt disappoint my mates. And I really enjoyed exercising with friends and wanted to draw on this to create a similar experience in a gym environment.

When did the idea for the 8-week challenge come about? What kind of work goes into this?

If you get a client and show them results quick, theyre a client for life. Thats what the 8-week challenge is. A body transformation that has proven results. Its tried and tested and we keep adding aspects like not only a meal plan but pre-cooked meals with partners so you know you are doing the right thing to get the best results. We want to make it as easy and fun to get the results.

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The work outs are forever evolving- what kind of work goes on behind the scenes to make this happen?

We have a full time global fitness team of four who are constantly developing new workouts. New workouts are sent to a trial studio where the workout is put through its paces, feedback shared and tested again before it hits the studio.

Why do you think the business has been so successful as a franchise?

Its all about momentum and we have been lucky enough to garner a kind of cult following that has continued the momentum from both franchisee and client sides. It takes a dedicated and passionate global team that is committed to the growth of the business and the industry.

How is F45 doing overseas? Is the model the same as the Australian model?

The US is growing faster than it is in Australia with 400 franchises sold to date. Most people think we are US founded company because of our branding and brand ethos. Were probably one of the only Aussie companies that have entered the US market and tried to be American rather than Australian and its working.

The UK is more challenging because it is harder to find studio space in capital cities. That said, it is still performing well.

How did you initially fund the beginning stages of the business?

I was an investment banker and took a redundancy to fund the first studio which actually wasnt called F45 but was still functional training at its core.

How long did it take you to get from idea to launch stage?

The first studio was pretty quick and in 3.5 years weve grown to 1400 franchises worldwide. We are the fastest growing Australian franchise company.

Was it difficult to get customers at the beginning? What marketing tactics did you use at the beginning?

Seven of our first 10 franchisees were clients in our first gym that bought into the F45 dream. The process starts slowly but gets one per cent easier with every franchise.

What made you turn F45 into a franchise or was that always the idea?

We quickly worked out there was a gap in the market for functional group training that is fun and always changing. From our success, you can see the introduction of new brands going after the same market.

There has been a lot of bad publicity in Australia when it comes to the franchise sector. Does this concern you in anyway?

While we are a franchise business at our core, we have strict guidelines around look and feel and training as well as control of sound and visuals. The only thing that differs from franchise to franchise is the people who work in them. We have F45 Captains, that champion the brand DNA across the network and we hold events like our franchisee conference to ensure we remain a family.

People often speak of the F45 family. What does this mean to you?

I just mentioned the F45 family and to us it is everything from our franchisees to the feeling you get as a member walking into a studio. We all get better results when we behave like a family with love, passion, support and a good dose of honesty. We hope that every F45 member training weekly in our studios feels like they are part of a family and the same goes for the owners and trainers.

How do you deal with competitors such as cross fit?

More players in the space means a growth in the industry and growth is good when it comes to franchise businesses. Friendly rivalry keeps you on your toes and drives you more so its very healthy in my opinion.

Top 3 tips to other budding entrepreneurs?

Invest in something you are passionate about  dont buy a fitness business if you dont believe in it; Surround yourself by people that you trust and that live the brand DNA; Buy an F45 franchise, you wont regret it.

Any exciting new plans?

This week we launched a shoe collaboration with Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL). The boys have created a limited run of APL x F45 shoes based on the TechLoom Breeze. The shoes will be sold exclusively through selected F45 studios across Australian with four styles available from November. The RRP is $270.
In the last 20 years, Ive been through more than 10 capital raisings with highlights including securing venture funding for my first business at age 19, bringing Westpac onboard as unos majority shareholder (securing more than $50 million) and several unsuccessful funding rounds. Its left me with a pretty good understanding of the best way to raise capital. Heres my advice:

Think beyond dollars

When approaching early stage investors, its a good idea to think beyond money and ask them to contribute their knowledge to grow the business.

At the early stages of a business, you need help, relationships and blunt feedback as much as money. I met the first investor in my previous company, Planwise, at a festival in Perth. He had just spent four years in Silicon Valley, so was interested in hearing about my plans to move there. I met with him regularly to get feedback on my thinking, strategy and focus. A year later, I hit a wall and needed to raise $20k to get us from concept to launch and he wrote the cheque.

Be wary of pitch events

I advise entrepreneurs to mostly avoid pitch events. Investors in an early stage business are investing in two things: the market for your product and your team. Despite the number of speed-dating-type events aimed at pairing startups with investors, five minutes isnt enough time for investors to know whether they should back you. A pitch event can be beneficial for getting your narrative tight so it can be understood in five minutes, but dont go there expecting to close a round.

Angels arent always a godsend

Approach investors who know your industry over angel investors who invest in a lot of different industries. Its infinitely harder to get investment from an investor who doesnt have a specialist understanding of your work because they wont truly understand the customer problem youre solving. This is hard for two reasons. It means you have to do a lot more convincing that the opportunity exists, but also means that they will find it harder to add value when they invest.

The first major round of funding we did at Planwise included two guys who had strong knowledge of and connections in financial services. The counsel provided and doors opened enabled us to make it through critical moments in the business.

Move on

One of the most important things to consider when securing funding is to know when to cut your losses if an investor is not committing. In my experience, if an investor hasnt committed after a month its unlikely they will. A serious investor will be excited about moving things along and is likely to suggest one or two other people to talk to.

If someone says, too early they are saying no. Thank them for their time and ask for feedback as to why they arent investing. If you get platitudes, dig harder and be prepared for the real feedback, which you should take on board.

Vincent Turner, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, uno Home Loans.
JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi -- With $10 million in Tidelands funds released to the Mississippi coast by the Secretary of State's office, Jackson County is already set to move forward with some $1.1 million in projects which will be funded with Tidelands proceeds.

In announcing the release of the funds in late October, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann noted the $10 million is the statutory maximum allowed under state law. Total Tidelands revenues for fiscal 2018 were $10,924,573.

Monies going into the Tidelands Trust Fund are generated by leases on lands owned by the State in trust for the public, as well as assessments from onshore gaming operations.

"As public servants, it falls to us to make sure future generations are able to enjoy our beautiful Gulf Coast," Hosemann said. "The Tidelands Trust Fund and the important projects it fuels help make this possible."

Jackson County and its four municipalities will all benefit from the infusion of Tidelands monies, which are released to the Mississippi Department of Resources, which in turn selects the project to be funded.

In Gautier, $250,000 will go towards numerous improvements at Shepard State Park.

"The biggest thing will be preliminary engineering for the construction of a boardwalk along the northwest side of the park along the marsh," said April Havens, Gautier's Grants Administrator.

"It will be for bird-watchers, nature-lovers, with interpretive signage with some educational materials for park visitors and campers."

In addition, once the log cabin building currently under construction is ready to be occupied by park personnel as the check-in and visitor's center, the current park office will be renovated into a laundry and amenity room for overnight campers.

"That's something they've been asking for a long time," Havens said. "Currently, we have to send them off-site to do their laundry."

Other improvements for campers will be picnic tables, upgrades to RV site electrical outlets, new firepits and grills.

Also on the City's list for the park are new playground equipment, walking/jogging trails and the equipment to maintain them, and new targets for the archery range.

Havens noted the Tidelands money may not allow them to complete all of those improvements.

"We write all of it in (to the application) so that we can do them if the money allows," she said. "The top priorities would definitely be the walking trail along the marsh and the upgrades for campers."

In Ocean Springs, $240,000 in Tidelands funds has been allocated to help stabilize Front Beach, which has for years suffered from erosion.

Mayor Shea Dobson said the City will spend some of the money on a living shoreline along one section of the beach, then commission a study to determine the best course of action to protect the remainder of the beach.

"There's considerable erosion going on," Dobson said. "We are going to do the living shoreline, but we also want the study to make certain we pursue the best option."

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors, meanwhile, will be the recipients of $275,000 -- ostensibly for improvements to the Brittany Avenue boat launch in the St. Martin community.

Supervisor Troy Ross, who represents the St. Martin area, said the biggest issue with the heavily-used boat launch is the lack of adequate parking. Currently, the County is in negotiations with adjoining property owners to expand the parking.

"We're still in negotiations with them as to whether or not they're willing to sell," Ross said. "We've got to get that done first. Once that gets done, we'll be able to expand the parking and make some other improvements."

Those other improvements would be repair/replacement of awnings, additional water outlets, and bait-cutting stations.

But, Ross said, the key is the parking. He estimated 70 percent of the Tidelands money allocated for the project would go towards purchase of the property and asphalt. If the owners ultimately refuse to sell, he said the money could be diverted elsewhere.

"This isn't a case where I think forcing the issue is a good idea," Ross said. "It isn't a major public need, something we have to do. If they don't want to sell, I'll support moving the money to another project."

Other Tidelands-funded projects approved by the MDMR are $200,000 in amenities for Point Park in Pascagoula, and $150,000 for a Dantzler Street alignment project in Moss Point.

In announcing the release of the Tidelands funds to the coast, Hosemann noted that Tidelands funds sent back to the coast, including the $9.6 anticipated during fiscal 2019, will have totaled more than $100 million since 2008 -- a marked increase over the previous decade when the coast received $54.5 million in Tidelands funds.
Earthjustice applauds the creation of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, signed into law today by President Tommy Remengesau, establishing one of the worlds largest marine protected areas.

This bold action to protect the full sweep of the countrys valuable ocean resources affirms that Palau is a world leader in marine conservation, said Drew Caputo, Earthjustice vice president of Litigation for Lands, Wildlife and Oceans. No other country has done more.

Damselfish swim in shallow water in Palau's inner lagoon. The precedent-setting Palau marine protected area shows that small island states can be global conservation leaders. Photo credit: Ethan Daniels / Shutterstock

The law designates 80 percent of the nations exclusive economic zonean area bigger than the state of Californiaas a no-take marine reserve, and the remaining 20 percent as a managed domestic fishing zone for local fishers to supply the national market and ensure food security for Palau now and into the future.

Palaus marine ecosystems are some of the most diverse on Earth, home to more than 700 species of coral and 1,300 species of fish. Globally, oceans are threatened by over-fishing, pollution, warming and acidification. Large, no-take marine reserves are crucial to efforts to build marine resilience to climate change by allowing fish stocks to rebound and reducing by-catch of species that are critical to ocean health.

Earthjustice was privileged to provide legal support to the government of Palau, advising on the legal requirements under ocean treaties and fisheries access agreements to which Palau is a party, and the Palau National Marine Sanctuary Act.

The sanctuary is a major contribution to healthy oceans and reef systems that are more resilient to climate change, both for the people of Palau and for the world, said Earthjustice international program attorney, Erika Rosenthal. Ocean biomass conservationthrough fisheries conservation and management and marine protected areasis critical to maintaining the oceans function as an effective carbon sink.

The precedent-setting Palau marine protected area shows that small island states, often called large ocean nations, can be global conservation leaders, and make major contribution to the international targets for marine protected areas established under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Support for the sanctuary was strong across the island from governors to traditional leaders to thousands of Palauans who demonstrated and signed petitions. Palau has long been a leader in ocean conservation. The nation established the first shark sanctuary in the region in 2001 and was a leader in the Micronesia Challenge, designating a near-shore network of protected areas starting in 2003.

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What Is Biodiversity?

Polar bears, honeybees, mango trees and coral reefs are all examples of the countless animal and insect species, plant life and ecosystems that comprise the planet's vast biodiversity. Every living organism has a role to play in an intricate web of connectedness, no matter the size, and without them, there would be no life on Earth. Removing just one from the chain can send significant ripple effects throughout the system, even if those effects aren't immediately felt. More crucially, every species lost increases the extinction risk to another connected species.

While biodiversity exists wherever there is life, there are some places on Earth that are considered biodiversity hotspots  specific areas that are teeming with native species that can't be found anywhere else in the world, from koalas in Australia to giant pandas in China. There are currently 36 areas that qualify as hotspots, but consider this: While that number comprises only 2.4 percent of the planet, those regions contain almost 43 percent of endemic species. But these hotspots are increasingly threatened by human activity and climate change.

Not only that, but a United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Report warned that about a million species currently face extinction, and for some it's just a matter of decades. As it stands, a 2018 World Wildlife Fund report shared that the world's vertebrate populations declined an average 60 percent in each category (mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians) since 1970.

Why Is Biodiversity Important to Ecosystems?

Mangrove roots in Mochima, Venezuela. Humberto Ramirez / Moment / Getty Images

Think of biodiversity as acting behind the scenes of day-to-day life. It's nature's way of providing clean air and water, food, resources (medicine, wood) and even climate protection. Yet consider that only 20 percent of Earth's species  at most  have been identified by science. Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus began the daunting task in the 1700s, and since that time scientists have estimated that about 8.7 million unknown species exist, although only about 1.2 million species have been identified. Of that number, who knows how many critical ecosystem players have already gone extinct, or are critically endangered, before their role is even clear?



How Do Insects and Animals Impact Us?

It's impossible to discuss this without covering the sixth mass extinction. As the name indicates, there have already been five mass extinction events throughout history, with the last one wiping out the dinosaurs 67 million years ago following an asteroid strike. After each of the prior mass extinctions, which were mainly caused by environmental factors that eliminated as much as 95 percent of existing species, scientists estimated that it took millions more years before biodiversity regained pre-mass extinction numbers.

The difference today is that the current ongoing extinction threat could have been avoided since it's a human-led catastrophe. A recent study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that more than 237,000 populations of 515 species have likely gone extinct since 1900, with many more not far behind; or, 100 times faster in the past 100 years compared to the more normal range of up to 10,000 years for some species. So what does that really mean?

Consequences

Without the proper number of species performing their daily tasks, the everyday aspects of life that we take for granted, including oxygen and a plentiful food supply, will worsen. For example, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed seven honeybee species as critically endangered. If all of the world's bees were to disappear, there would be few insects left to pollinate certain plants, ultimately affecting global food supply chains and the economy. A recent study found that bees and other insect pollinators contributed 34 billion to the U.S economy in 2012 alone.

While the worst-case scenario has yet to happen regarding bees, the world is still dealing with the very likely connection between biodiversity loss and infectious diseases. Though still unproven, scientists are getting closer to linking habitat loss and the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Less land increases the likelihood of diseases spreading from animal species, such as bats, to humans. Until habitat loss is properly addressed, experts warn that pandemics will only increase in severity and frequency.

Then there are the financial costs, which are twofold. A UN report found that governments around the world allocated between $78-91 billion a year on biodiversity goals, when in fact hundreds of billions of dollars a year are needed, the report estimated. Without spending more to tackle the issues, biodiversity loss will wind up costing the world up to $140 trillion a year.

Which Species Are Most At Risk?

A Toucan feeds on fruit offered on Aug. 24 2020 at an inn at km 110 of the Transpantaneira highway whose fire consumed everything around along with the wildfires that has already burned more than 16.500 sq. km of the Brazilian Pantanal. Gustavo Basso / NurPhoto / Getty Images

The IUCN Red List identifies which species are most at risk for extinction, including their numbers, direct threats and conservation efforts. The Red List estimates that more than 37,000 known species currently face extinction, including, but not limited to, 41 percent of amphibians, 36 percent of sharks, 33 percent of coral reefs, 26 percent of mammals and 14 percent of birds. The IUCN has categorized species into Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct. Among the most critically endangered are Amur leopards, vaquita porpoises, Sumatran rhinos and Cross River gorillas. In some cases, such as the vaquita porpoise, researchers believe less than a dozen exist in the wild.



Many other species, including those in the food chain such as Chilean sea bass and Atlantic bluefin tuna, are being pushed toward extinction thanks to popular consumer demand, which leads to overfishing.

Then there are the species that the world has permanently lost in the last 100 years, from the Tasmanian tiger, which was hunted to extinction (mainly for museum display purposes) to the Pinta giant tortoise, a Galapagos native that was hunted to extinction by the fishing industry. The last known survivor, Lonesome George, passed away in captivity in 2012. In more recent years, the media has been following the world's last two remaining northern white rhinos. Both female, their kind is headed toward extinction, but scientists are attempting IVF using white rhino surrogates in the wild.

Yet the question remains, why are so many species going extinct or are threatened with extinction compared to previous centuries? As with most complex issues, there's no one explanation. Rather, a combination of population growth/overconsumption, the wildlife trade, pesticides, pollution, hunting, deforestation, wildfires, invasive species, big ag and climate change are among the larger culprits.



Habitat Loss

This category poses the largest threat to global biodiversity as rainforests to plains are cleared to make way for agriculture, housing and everything else that comes with modern-day living. Rainforests around the world especially suffered in 2020, having lost 12 percent of tree cover due in part to wildfires. Many of these wildfires in turn are caused by deforestation, with Brazil leading the way under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to raze this resource for more profitable industries involving cattle and soy. As a result, Brazil's deforestation loss hit a 12-year high in 2020 according to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). This biodiverse hotspot is now at risk of losing endangered species such as the Amazonian jaguar, hyacinth macaw, pink dolphins and spider monkeys. Other major habitat loss threats throughout the Amazon come from gold mining and logging. Unfortunately, this scale of destruction isn't limited to the Amazon, with habitat loss taking a toll on species everywhere from Nepal and Borneo to China and Africa.

Big Ag

Ironically, the industry responsible for providing the world's food supply is also a major contributor. Industrial agriculture is a main culprit behind habitat loss as increasing amounts of land are converted to feed growing populations. Compounding this is an overreliance on a small number of crops and animals to meet global food supply needs, placing some of these species at risk for extinction.

Population Growth

About 600 million people populated the planet in 1700 compared to 7.7 billion in 2019. Future projections put that number even higher, reaching 10.9 billion by 2021. This massive population boom has taxed Earth's finite resources. While a Population Action International study has concluded that this boom is an indirect cause of biodiversity loss, it's nonetheless a habitat loss driver as more land is needed every year for food and other resources, along with urban and industrial development.

Pollution

With increased land clearing and development comes increased pollution on a range of levels. This takes a toll on ecosystems in a myriad of ways: For example, chemical-laden water causes toxic algae blooms; rapidly changing climates make it difficult for many species to adapt; rising ocean temperatures bleach and kill coral reefs; oil spills kill fish, birds and other wildlife; and plastic pollution strangles or slowly kills wildlife that ingest it. Throw in noise pollution, light pollution, acid rain and pesticides, and it's no wonder that many species are experiencing population declines due to decreased breeding and numbers.

Pesticides

Speaking of pesticides, these chemicals are most notably destroying bee populations. While they're not the only reason, pesticides are a direct link. The Center for Food Safety found that some beekeepers have been reporting a complete loss of their colonies in recent years; at the same time, studies are showing a link between declining bee populations and pesticides: neonicotinoids in particular. Not only are these the most common insecticide, but neonicotinoids saturate an entire plant, not just the surface, proving especially toxic to bees. To put this in greater perspective, the United Nations Environment Programme has determined that 71 out of 100 crops are pollinated by bees, and these 100 crop varieties supply 90 percent of the global food supply.

Invasive Species

This category is another contributor to bee loss, but invasive species are increasingly threatening all manner of plant and animal life. Invasive species are non-native plants or animals that have been introduced, either intentionally or by accident, and inflict ecological damage to their new environments as they compete for resources and disrupt an established ecosystem. In fact, invasive species rank just behind habitat loss when it comes to biodiversity threats. A 2019 study revealed that out of 953 extinctions since 1500, more than 400 were attributed to invasive species. For example, simply introducing cats to New Zealand in 1769 led to the downfall of the Stephens Island wren by 1900. In more recent times, Florida has banned 16 invasive species, including popular pet iguanas, as a way to reduce ecological and economic damages.

Wildlife Trade

While some invasive species have been inadvertently introduced throughout the centuries, the billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade is another driver  both for introducing invasive species and biodiversity loss. A 2019 study predicted that the wildlife trade threatens almost 9,000 land species with extinction; this trade is the largest illegal market after drugs and weapons, with pangolin scales and elephant tusks among the market's most popular commodities.

Though not as large of a market, many plant-loving consumers are likely unaware that their latest acquisition could have been sourced via the illegal plant trade.

Hunting

Poaching (illegal hunting) fuels the wildlife trade, but legal hunting is also detrimental to species' survival. During the Trump administration, many hunting regulations were scaled back, such as allowing hunters to shoot and kill bears and wolves in a wildlife refuge, along with their offspring, in their dens. Yet hunting easements aren't limited to administrations. Idaho recently passed a bill giving hunters the greenlight to kill 90 percent of the state's gray wolf population, which would reduce the overall number from around 1,500 to just 150. The endangered threshold is 100.

Overfishing falls into this category as well. Illegal fishing is a common practice, marine sanctuaries have opened up to commercial fishing and large numbers of marine life are getting caught up in fishing nets as unintended bycatch. Consumer demand has caused species such as beluga sturgeon, Atlantic halibut and bluefin tuna to land on the endangered list.

Climate Change

Certainly not least, this vast area encompasses enough issues for a separate discussion. In a nutshell, ever-increasing greenhouse gases are exacerbating the gamut of climate-induced events: rising seas, droughts, floods, wildfires, etc., all of which threaten plant and animal species just as much as they threaten human life.

What's Being Done About It?

M/V Farley Mowat crew member Tomas, pilots a boat at the port of San Felipe, in the Gulf of California, northwestern Mexico, in 2018, as part of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's operation "Milagro IV" to save the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. GUILLERMO ARIAS / AFP / Getty Images

Despite the many extinction threats facing species, global and local entities are working to address the problem.



Global Action

The Convention on Biological Diversity formed in 1993 to protect biodiversity, and includes 196 participating nations. In 2010, the group set 20 biodiversity goals to meet by 2020. Unfortunately none of those goals have been met, although six targets were partially achieved, such as conserving protected areas and preventing invasive species. A recent UN report determined that it's not too late for global leaders to take action, but that countries need to focus on sustainability in general, from food systems and oceans to land and infrastructure. The next opportunity for countries to address biodiversity issues will occur in October 2021 in China, when the UN Biodiversity Conference convenes to troubleshoot biodiversity loss.

Biden Administration

U.S. President Joe Biden formally announced a conservation plan in 2021 to protect 30 percent of the country's land and water by 2030. Additionally, under Biden the U.S. has rejoined the Paris Agreement, ended permitting for the Keystone XL pipeline and halted oil leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Other recent biodiversity wins include Biden's plan to restore migratory bird protections, however, protecting gray wolves and monarch butterflies is still under review.

Wildlife Conservation/Tourism

There are numerous wildlife groups devoted to conserving biodiversity; some of the major players include the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation, The Sierra Club, National Audubon Society and the Jane Goodall Institute. Meanwhile, conservation tourism remains a growing area, despite experiencing COVID-19 pandemic setbacks. For example, the African Wildlife Foundation has partnered with the Rwandan government to protect endangered mountain gorillas, resulting in a booming tourism industry. Elsewhere in Africa, wildlife safaris and game drives remain a critical way to bolster local economies while protecting species that are favored by poachers, such as rhinos and elephants. By no means limited to Africa, conservation tourism is helping to boost and/or protect the numbers of giant pandas in China, Bengal tigers in India, polar bears in Canada and giant tortoises in the Galapagos.

Captive Breeding

Zoos and animal facilities around the world have been participating in captive breeding programs since the 1960s, which are meant to increase populations of endangered species. While some programs breed animals that will remain in captivity, particularly zoos, others breed with the intention of introducing endangered species back into the wild. Not all attempts have been successful, but there are positive stories. Take the black-footed ferret, a North American species that was declared extinct in 1979. A captivity breeding program launched after 18 were found a couple years later; today, it's estimated that 301 survive in captivity and another 340 live in the wild. The ferrets are also notable for the fact that they're the first endangered species in the U.S. to be cloned, raising new hope for not just the ferrets, but other endangered species as well  even those that are extinct, such as the passenger pigeon.

Ocean Conservation

While there's overlap with general wildlife conservation groups, an equal number of conservation organizations are dedicated to protecting marine life: Oceana, Ocean Conservancy, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and The Cousteau Society are among those making a difference by addressing pressing issues that involve, but aren't limited to, overfishing, coral reef bleaching, plastic pollution, commercial whaling and ocean acidification.

What Can We Do?

Greenpeace activists create a burnt smoldering rain-forest with a lifelike animatronic orangutan at the headquarters of Oreo cookies, in protest over their use of palm oil on November 19, 2018 in Uxbridge, England. Chris J Ratcliffe / Getty Images

Luckily, there are ways to make an impact on a smaller scale, and the more people that partake in these efforts, the greater the overall effect will be.



Support Sustainable Products and Food

Where possible, choose sustainably made goods, whether that's organic coffee from producers who eschew pesticides or furniture made from FSC-certified wood. (This designation certifies that the wood was sourced from well-managed forests.) Supporting local, organic farmers is another way to make a difference, along with understanding which types of seafood are more sustainable and being aware of eco-certification labels and what they really mean.

Avoid Palm Oil Products

Palm oil plantations have devastated large swaths of land across Asia, Latin America and Africa, although the majority of this popular vegetable oil is produced in Indonesia and Malaysia. Mass production comes at the expense of endangered species facing habitat loss: the Sumatran elephant, orangutan, rhino and tiger are now among the critically endangered as plantation land expansion continues unchecked. Consumers can fight back by avoiding products made with palm oil; however, this can prove difficult since the ingredient is prevalent in everything from makeup products and laundry detergent to chocolate and soap. Read labels closely, since many items disguise palm oil under other names, or use other names for palm oil derivatives. Vegetable oil, palmate and sodium lauryl sulfate are all clues that a product contains palm oil.

Eat a Plant-Based Diet

Another way to avoid palm oil is by switching to a plant-based diet. But this diet has much larger environmental benefits for biodiversity as it requires far less land usage and reduces reliance on a small number of animal species as a global food source. The world is currently using 80 percent of its agricultural land to raise livestock; consider how much biodiversity could be saved and preserved otherwise.

Become a Citizen Scientist

It's not uncommon for environmental organizations to seek help from average citizens to participate in all manner of projects. Whether it's keeping track of cicadas, searching for penguin eggs or identifying coral reef damage, there are programs around the world that welcome assistance. Even better, it's entirely possible to find projects that can be performed in your own backyard.

Takeaway

The world has reached a critical make-or-break point for preserving a million species at risk for extinction, some within the next few decades. The issue may seem overwhelming, much like climate change, but it's not hopeless. As with anything related to the environment, getting involved at a local level, learning about the current issues and becoming a conscious consumer are good starting points for fighting back against biodiversity loss.

Meredith Rosenberg is a senior editor at EcoWatch. She holds a Master's from the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in NYC and a B.A. from Temple University in Philadelphia.
Democrats are poised to make gains in the midterm elections next week, potentially even taking back the U.S. House of Representatives and some governorships.

If that happens, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos , who donated millions mostly to Republican candidates and causes before joining President Trumps cabinet, may have some relationship building to do: The overwhelming majority of DeVos scheduled conversations in her first year and a half in office have been with GOP policymakers.

DeVos met with or spoke to Republican members of Congress, governors, lieutenant governors, and state chiefs about six times more frequently than with Democrats between her first week in office last year and the end of July 2018, according to an Education Week analysis of her calendar posted on the Freedom of Information Act portion of the departments website.

That was especially true for members of Congress. DeVos has made meeting with lawmakers a priority, according to her public schedule. But most of her interactions have been with GOP members. Shes had more than 130 meetings (on the phone or in person) with Republican lawmakers or their top aides, compared with about a dozen with Democrats.

At the very least it reflects the distance between Democrats and Republicans on education. At least from her calendar, it looks like she doesnt have those strong relationships on the left side of the aisle, said Elizabeth Mann Levesque, a fellow at the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington.

That could make things uncomfortable for DeVos if Democrats take the House majority and assume a new oversight role after the election. If that happens, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the top Democrat on the House education committee, is expected to probe DeVos departments handling of civil rights, the Every Student Succeeds Act, transgender rights, special education, and more.

DeVos lack of contact with Democrats could mean that difficult, thorny questions are raised publicly during oversight hearings, rather than in private meetings between members of Congress and the secretary, Mann Levesque said. If youre talking privately you can hash [disagreements] out, you can find common ground.

The public calendars do not indicate what the meetings were about or who initiated them.

Door Remains Open

The imbalance isnt due to a lack of openness on DeVos part, said Elizabeth Hill, a spokeswoman for DeVos.

The secretary is willing to work with any member of Congress who wants to rethink education and do better for Americas students, Hill said. The secretarys door remains open to anyone who wants to get work done and break down the barriers that are holding back needed progress.

Matt Frendewey, who worked for DeVos at both the Education Department and the American Federation for Children, her school choice advocacy organization, said that it makes practical sense that DeVos would spend more time talking to Republicans. After all, they control the levers of power.

And DeVos worked on state-level school choice legislation with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle before joining the department, he said. Democrats in Congress, he said, havent been interested in meeting with her because of the partisan environment surrounding her confirmation and because of her support of school choice.

Democrats have taken up the resist mantra. ... If a Democrat worked with [DeVos] on a bill, imagine if they went back to their local Democratic meeting and tried to talk about it. They would get primaried, he said.

DeVos has had occasional contact with Democrats who could hold key positions in the next session of Congress. Shes spoken on the phone with Scott at least once and met with him in person at least once, according to the published calendars.

Shes also spoken on the phone at least once to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Senate education committee, and met with her in person at least once, along with Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the panel. That March 2018 meeting, though, ended in Murray saying that DeVos had no confidence in DeVos school safety commission and DeVos responding that Murray had used the meeting to pull a political stunt.

By contrast, DeVos has met or spoken with Alexander and his House counterpart, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-Va., more than a dozen times each. Shes had at least a half a dozen meetings or calls with Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., the chairman of the subcommittee that deals with K-12 spending, but just one conversation with Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, his Democratic counterpart.

Eli Zupnick, a spokesman for Murray, said the senator was hopeful that Secretary DeVos would listen to parents and teachers across the country, set aside her rigid anti-public education ideology, and actually work with Democrats for the good of students and schools. We havent seen that yet, but Senator Murray has proven that she is always ready to work with anyone, from any party, who is actually willing to work with her to deliver results for students and schools.

State-Level Interactions

DeVos has had a tough time getting her school choice agenda off the ground, even in a Congress controlled by Republicans. They have twice rejected her pitch for a new private-school voucher program.

DeVos has pointed to gains for school choice at the state level, where Democrats are also likely to make gains. But the secretary has had a lot more interaction with GOP governors and state chiefs than shes had with Democrats.

She has met with or spoken to Republican governors and lieutenant governors about 45 times, more than four times more often than shes met or chatted with Democratic governors. (The conversations likely were about a lot more than choice. For instance, back-to-back calls in June with Floridas Republican Gov. Gov. Rick Scott and Pam Stewart, the states Republican chief, could have been about the states plan to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act, which had not been approved at that time.)

Shes also had at least nine conversations with GOP state chiefs, compared to at least four with Democratic chiefs. (Thats not counting a meeting with a handful chiefs from both parties organized by the Council of Chief State School Officers early in DeVos tenure.)

To be sure, there are far more GOP governors and chiefs out there: Republicans hold 33 governors mansions, compared to the Democrats 16, although the Democrats are favored to pick up governorships this year. (The governor appearing most frequently on DeVos schedule? Texas Greg Abbott, who, like DeVos, is a school choice fan.)

That lack of connection with state-level Democratic education leaders might also create headaches for the secretary after the election, Mann Levesque said. Some of those new leaders may want to make changes to their ESSA plans, she said. If the department doesnt get back to them as quickly as theyd like, they may take their complaints to the media.

If they dont feel like they have an open channel to talk, I could see those state chiefs saying were going to talk publicly about the process, she said.
Pilgrim Media awarded TT broadcast contract

Pilgrim Media has partnered up with the Department for Enterprise to provide TV, film and streaming for the sporting event.

The American company produces various television shows for networks such as Discovery, TLC and National Geographic Channel.

It will establish an Island company called Global Motorsports Ventures which will operate out of North Hollywood, Detroit and the Isle of Man.

The agreement could see the potential of the first-ever live broadcast of the TT Races in its 111 year history.
UK investigates biggest Brexit funder Arron Banks

Pro-Brexit campaigner Arron Banks is facing a criminal inquiry relating to the EU referendum campaign.

The electoral watchdog says there are "reasonable grounds" to suspect he was not the true source of 8-million pounds in loans made to the organisation which ran his group Leave EU.

Mr Banks owns 29 per cent of the Manx Financial Group - which includes companies such as Conister Bank and Edgewater Associates.

In a statement, Mr Banks said: " I am pleased that the Electoral Commission has referred me to the National Crime Agency. I am confident that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ludicrous allegations levelled against me and my colleagues.

There is no evidence of any wrongdoing from the companies I own. I am a UK taxpayer and I have never received any foreign donations. The Electoral Commission has produced no evidence to the contrary.

The Electoral Commission has referred me to the National Crime Agency under intense political pressure from anti-Brexit supporters.

I am already in court with the Electoral Commission. In witness statements the commission has admitted it got its figures wrong in relation to a previous investigation and it even submitted its final report without taking evidence from us.

Isnt it funny that none of the financial contributions made by George Soros to British political campaigns are ever subject to any level of scrutiny by the Electoral Commission despite his being a foreign national."
Manx Labour Party public meeting this evening

The Manx Labour Party is looking to bring two pertinent social issues to the fore ahead of the winter at a public meeting this evening.

A talk on loneliness and the work of the Foodbank is being held at the South Douglas Old Friends Association on Finch Road from 7pm.

Dr Jeff Garland will speak about the issue of loneliness, and Foodbank Director Neal Mellon will talk about his charitys work.

Its a part of a series events organised by the party.

MLP Leader David Cretney explained more about the event, which is free to attend, to Local Democracy Reporter Ewan Gawne:

Media
Cybersecurity vendors and organizations put out a steady stream of research, sometimes in support of a product, but it almost always has something to say about the state of cyberthreats. Research released in October 2018 provided insight into a broad swath of the cybersecurity landscape, including IoT, compliance, threat hunting, two-factor authentication (2FA) and cloud security. We summarize key takeaways from nine of those reports  and the controls that enterprise could implement to protect themselves against those risks.

Beazley Breach Insights Report

Ransomware demands spiked in the third quarter of 2018, according to the Beazely breach insights report for October 2018. At the top end of the scale, when criminals target a specific organization, ransomware demands reached a high of $2.8 million. Overall however, Beazley Breach Response (BBR) reported that the median demand is $10,000, which is still a 10X jump over the average $1,000 demand from the companys October 2016 breach insights report.

Unfortunately it is often smaller businesses that are most vulnerable to attack by cyber criminals, as they frequently lack the resources and protocols of larger firms, said Katherine Keefe, head of BBR Services at Beazley. However, businesses of all sizes need to ensure their IT employees are aware of the risks through up-to-date training and implementation of cyber security measures.

Key Takeaway: If you havent brushed up on ransomware prevention in a while, theres no time like the present.

CyberX 2019 Global ICS and IIoT Risk Report

As the world becomes increasingly connected, there is a corresponding increase in risk for Industrial Control System (ICS) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). According to CyberXs 2019 Global ICS and IIoT Risk Report, 69 percent of industrial sites have plain text passwords traversing the network.

There is also a myth that many ICS deployments are not connected to the internet, but CyberX found a different reality. According to CyberX, 40 percent of ICS sites have at least one direct connection to the public internet.

Were not here to create FUD [fear, uncertainty and doubt], but we think its important for business leaders to have a data-driven view of ICS risk so they can ask the right questions, said Dan Shugrue, senior director of industrial cybersecurity for CyberX. Were definitely making progress in reducing ICS risk, but we have a long way to go.

Key Takeaways: Most environments are connected to the internet, so secure things appropriately.

Carbon Black Quarterly Incident Response Threat Report

Carbon Blacks Quarterly Incident Response Threat Report found that attacks are doing more damage, with victims experiencing destructive attacks that aim to destroy or erase data 32 percent of the time.

41 of 113 investigation conducted in the third quarter of 2018 had attacks attributed to Russia and China.

Our research found that todays attackers are increasingly punitive, sophisticated and confident, said Tom Kellermann, Chief Cybersecurity Officer for Carbon Black and one of the reports authors. And because of the dark web, they have access to complex tools and compromised infrastructures, including voter databases. This allows attackers to exploit new security vulnerabilities and operate at a higher level of sophistication than before.

Key Takeaways: Attacks are no longer just a nuisance, they are increasingly destructive.

Dashlane Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Power Rankings

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is a security mechanism that requires uses to input a second password (or factor) in order to gain access to a site or service. According to Dashlanes Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Power Rankings report 76 percent of sites do not offer users a full set of 2FA usage options.

2FA can be enabled via SMS, an app, or via a hardware security key. While many sites did not meet all of Dashlanes criteria for 2FA success, among those that are doing it right are Facebook, Google and Twitter.

Through the course of our research we found that information on 2FA is often presented in a way that is unclear, making it difficult for consumers to confirm 2FA offerings, said Emmanuel Schalit, CEO of Dashlane. In fact, our researchers were forced to omit a large number of popular websites from our testing simply because the sites dont provide any straightforward or easily accessible information about their 2FA offerings.

Key Takeaways: 2FA is a useful tool for security, but its often hard to use or readily available.

Fidelis 2018 State of Threat Hunting Detection Report

Preventing threats at the enterprise perimeter is not a strategy that can mitigate all risks, which is why there is a growing need for threat hunting activities. Despite that need, the Fidelis 2018 State of Threat Hunting Detection Report found that 63 percent of organizations indicated that they do not currently employ threat hunting or do not know if they do.

The need for threat hunting is further highlighted by the finding that only 22 percent of respondents to the Fidelis study said they felt highly confident in their preventive defenses.

In discussions with our enterprise customers from around the globe, a recurring theme is the desire to hunt for threats, said Nick Lantuh, CEO of Fidelis. The common challenges they face are the lack of resources and expertise necessary to do it right, which our study has also confirmed.

Key Takeaways: Learn about threat hunting to detect and identify risks that have got past perimeter defenses.

F5 The Hunt for IoT

According to F5s The Hunt for IoT report, IoT devices are now the number one attack target on the Internet, surpassing web and application servers, email servers, and databases. Brute force attacks via SSH is the number one attack type targeting IoT devices, followed by telnet.

F5 also found that the top 50 attacking IP addresses used in IoT attacks from Jan. 1 to June 30 were all new.

Key Takeaways: IoT attacks are rampant and device users and vendors need to secure SSH logins and take other IoT security measures.

Focal Point Cyber Balance Sheet Report

Integrated risk management firm Focal Point Data Risk released its Cyber Balance Sheet Report showing some positive trends into how boardrooms view cybersecurity.

Over 40 percent of respondents reported that they were very satisfied with the board-level cybersecurity reporting within their organizations. Yet despite that fact only approximately 20 percent of organizations are very confident that their company is effectively managing cyber risk.

This years Cyber Balance Sheet Report dispels the cyber is a boardroom issue cliche by showing that not only have board members already received the cyber risk message loud and clear, they are actively initiating more discussion about breaches and threats that could upend their organizations, said Andrew Cannata, Focal Points CISO and national Cyber Security Practice leader.

Key Takeaways: Measuring and reporting on cyber risk doesnt always directly correspond to an improvement in risk reduction.

McAfee Cloud Adoption and Risk Report

The McAfee Cloud Adoption and Risk Report found a surprising number of cloud misconfigurations. According to the report, the average enterprise experiences more than 2,200 misconfiguration incidents per month in their infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) instances.

The McAfee report also clearly shows that mutlicloud is a reality, with 78 percent of organizations that use IaaS/PaaS making use of both Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.

In terms of risks, McAfee found that 80 percent of all organizations experience on average at least one compromised account threat per month, and 92 percent of all organizations have stolen cloud credentials that are being offered for sale on illicit web forums.

Operating in the cloud has become the new normal for organizations, so much so that our employees do not think twice about storing and sharing sensitive data in the cloud, said Rajiv Gupta, senior vice president of the Cloud Security Business at McAfee. Accidental sharing, collaboration errors in SaaS cloud services, configuration errors in IaaS/PaaS cloud services, and threats are all increasing. In order to continue to accelerate their business, organizations need a cloud-native and frictionless way to consistently protect their data and defend from threats across the spectrum of SaaS, IaaS and PaaS.

Key Takeaways: Cloud requires its own security and control points, to limit the risk of credential misuse.

PwC Digital Trust Insights

PwC released its Digital Trust Insights report on Oct. 31, a reinvention of the Global State of Information Security Survey (GSISS) that had been issued every year for the past 20 years.

Among the key findings in the report that surveyed over 3,000 business leaders around the world is that only 27 percent of executives had the view that their board of directors receives adequate metrics for cyber and privacy risk management.

In terms of risk assessment, only 31 percent of respondents worldwide reported that they are very comfortable that their company has identified those parties who might attack their organizations digital assets. Regulatory compliance is also a key concern for organizations, with 41 percent of respondent noting that staying aware of the latest regulatory developments is a top digital compliance challenge.

Cyber risk priorities have evolved from focusing on information security to a more holistic focus on digital risk management, said Sean Joyce, U.S. Cybersecurity and Privacy Leader at PwC. Companies that show the connected world how to lead on safety, security, reliability, data privacy, and ethics will be the titans of tomorrow.

Key Takeaway: Understanding adversaries and compliance requirements are key challenges for many organizations.

Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eSecurityPlanet and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.
Many families must travel at least 60 miles to access pediatric surgical care, according to research being presented at American Academy of Pediatrics 2018 National Conference & Exhibition

ORLANDO, Fla. - Children who need surgery, statistics show, have fewer complications when it's performed by doctors with specialized pediatric surgical training in regionalized centers where a high a volume of procedures are performed. But in ongoing efforts to develop these regional "centers of excellence," researchers presenting new findings at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2018 National Conference & Exhibition suggest, the distances families must travel to access pediatric surgical care should be considered.

The study abstract, "Geographic Distance to Pediatric Surgical Care within the Continental United States," will be presented on Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

As of the last U.S. Census, more than 10 million children lived more than 60 miles from the nearest pediatric surgeon, according to the abstract authors. Another 7 million children lived more than 40 miles from one.

Longer distances can be a concern for some families, said senior author Capt. Robert Ricca MD, FAAP, Pediatric Surgeon and Director of Surgical Services at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va,

"Children and families who live significant distances away may face greater risk for treatment delays, as well as added costs from travel, time away from work, and child care for other children at home," Dr. Ricca said. "With ongoing efforts to build and identify centers of excellence for pediatric surgical care, it is also important to consider the distance-to-care as a potential barrier for access to care."

For their analysis, the researchers used 2010 U.S. Decennial Census and American Pediatric Surgical Association membership data to calculate straight-line distances between pediatric surgeons' ZIP codes and population blocks. They said they hope their findings will provide a framework to use publicly available data from the next census in 2020 to guide appropriate regionalization efforts for subspecialty care based on patient location.

"While not necessarily related to our role as military physicians, our practice in pediatric surgery has led us to develop an interest in the effects of regionalization of health care on the distance patients must travel to receive subspecialty care," said Lt. Christian McEvoy, M.D., M.P.H., an abstract author and Health Analysis Fellow and surgical resident with the Naval Medical Center. "Ensuring equal access to pediatric surgical care for all children is a goal in line with regionalization efforts to ensure care is provided at an appropriate center,"

Dr. McEvoy will present an abstract of the study, available below, between 7:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. Windermere Ballroom X.

In addition, Dr. McEvoy will be among abstract authors available during an informal Media Meet-and-Greet session Saturday, November 3, from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. EST in room W208AB of the Orange County Convention Center (Press Office).

Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit http://www.aap.org. Reporters can access the meeting program and other relevant meeting information through the AAP meeting website at http://www.aapexperience.org/

Abstract Title:

Geographic Distance to Pediatric Surgical Care within the Continental United States

Christian McEvoy

Norfolk, VA, United States

Purpose: Geographic proximity is described as a barrier to health care with respect to pediatric surgical care. It has not been evaluated using the Decennial Census nor have racial, ethnic, gender, or urbanization variations been reported. This study's aim is to describe proximity of children living in the continental United States (CONUS) to the nearest pediatric surgeon and to describe racial, ethnic, gender, and urbanization variations. A secondary aim is to describe a low-cost, novel, and relevant analytic method in anticipation of the upcoming 2020 Census. Methods: The 2010 American Pediatric Surgical Association member file and the 2010 Decennial Census were used to calculate straight-line distances between pediatric surgeons' zip code centroids and census block centroids. These same data were used to describe variations across children's races, ethnicities, and genders as well as urban versus rural classification.

Results: In 2010, 716 pediatric surgeons, practicing across 374 distinct locations, were identified. The number of populated Census blocks identified was 6,182,882. Table I describes the 73,690,271 children enumerated in the 2010 Census and variations across distances-to-care. The ratio of children to pediatric surgeons was 102,919:1. Of non-white Hispanic children, 30.1% lived greater than 40 miles from care. Of Native American children, 40.5% lived more than 60 miles from care. Among children 0-5 years of age, the median (IQR) miles to closest pediatric surgeon was 14.2 (6.2, 39.6), and 3,010,698 of these children lived more than 60 miles from care. Conclusion: More than 10 million children lived greater than 60 miles from the closest pediatric surgeon in 2010. Racial, ethnic, age, and urbanization disparities in proximity to pediatric surgeons were present in the United States in 2010. This method is feasible to describe distance-to- care with the upcoming 2020 Decennial Census and may benefit future allocation of pediatric surgeons.
Washington, DC (November 2, 2018) -- The American College of Physicians (ACP) appreciates that the final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and the Quality Payment Program (QPP) rules for 2019 are responsive to many of the concerns that ACP raised with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

"Internists appreciate CMS' decision not to finalize changes in payments for evaluation and management (E/M) services until 2021. We are hopeful that the additional two calendar years leave time for physicians and other health care stakeholders to work together with regulators to develop and test alternatives that preserve higher payment for more complex, cognitive care,'" said Ana Maria Lopez, MD, MPH, MACP, president, ACP. "We are pleased that CMS will be moving forward with plans to simplify documentation for such visits, with significant improvements going into effect next year, and with additional streamlined documentation options becoming available later."

Under the final rule, starting in 2021, CMS will begin paying levels 2, 3, and 4 office visits the same flat amount; level 5 visits would continue to get higher payment, as they currently do, recognizing the greater work involved in caring for the sickest patients. The proposed rule would have paid them all the same amount, devaluing complex, cognitive care.

"While we are encouraged that CMS has recognized the principle that more complex, cognitive care should be reimbursed at a higher level by paying more for level 5, we have reservations about paying level 4 visits, the second most complex visits, at the same amount as levels 2 and 3 visits," Dr. Lopez continued. "We look forward to working with CMS on developing, piloting, and evaluating approaches that recognize the value of complex, cognitive care."

ACP is encouraged to see CMS incorporate several of our recommendations in the physician fee schedule final rule; however, ACP also expresses continued reservations about some of the final provisions. ACP's recommendations include:

ACP is strongly supportive of provisions that would reduce documentation requirements for physicians, reducing unnecessary administrative burdens. ACP thanks CMS for eliminating redundancies and only requiring physicians to document changed information since the last visit for established patients-starting right away in 2019. Additionally, ACP is glad to see that the documentation changes would eventually allow physicians to choose between different options to best fit their practice needs, including enabling them to document based solely on medical decision making. However, these options will not be available until 2021--we would support CMS allowing them to be implemented sooner.

ACP is pleased to see that, effective in 2021, CMS has allowed for add-on codes for level 2-4 visits in primary care and certain specialties and for extended visits to account for the value of cognitive work in treating more complex patients. ACP especially appreciates that the changes to the add-on codes equalize primary care payments to specialty payments.

ACP is grateful that CMS is not moving forward with proposals to implement the Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR).

ACP is strongly supportive of payments for new codes for non-face-to-face visits that will be implemented in 2019. Virtual check-ins, e-consultations, and remote evaluation of patient images and videos will improve patient access to care and help control costs.

ACP has long advocated for changes to the Physician Practice Information Survey (PPIS) and is extremely encouraged that CMS is considering updating the data source used to calculate indirect practice expenses to improve payment accuracy for physicians.

"ACP is thankful to see that CMS is moving forward, in 2019, with changes to reduce documentation burdens on these same codes. This effort is aligned with ACP goals in the Patients Before Paperwork initiative," said Dr. Lopez.

Additionally, ACP recognizes that CMS was responsive to feedback provided on the proposed QPP rule. Concerns on some provisions remain:

ACP appreciates seeing CMS respond to our request for a Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) opt-in option for practices previously excluded under the low-volume threshold. This will expand participation without increasing burden.

ACP supports CMS' ongoing work to identify and remove low-priority, low-value quality measures and to continue working with stakeholders to focus on measures that offer the most promise for improving patient care while minimizing reporting burden on clinicians.

ACP supports the 2015 Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT) requirement and agrees that using updated standards and functionality can help improve interoperability; however, ACP is disappointed that CMS did not call out the need to provide physicians flexibility as they implement these upgrades over the course of 2019. Rushing implementation of these upgrades to meet a reporting deadline can have serious patient safety risks and is a major expense and burden, particularly to small practices.

ACP is encouraged to see CMS continue the consistent risk threshold for Alternative Payment Models (APMs), which will provide consistency and predictability for model developers and will help APMs continue to grow. APMs are vital to the success of the transition to value.

ACP is concerned that CMS' finalized changes to the Cost Category, including adding several new episode-based measures despite concerns over low reliability ratings while simultaneously increasing the weight of the Cost Category from 10 percent to 15 percent, despite objections from ACP and other stakeholders. Clinicians should not have their MIPS scores negatively impacted by inaccurate measures.

ACP was pleased to see that the Hospital Outpatient Perspective Payment System (HOPPS) rule, released this morning, finalized site-neutral payments for clinic visits. Equalizing payments across facility types is a longstanding goal of ACP.

"Currently, CMS often pays more for the same type of office visit in the hospital outpatient setting than in the physician office setting, resulting in higher out-of-pocket costs to patients and unnecessary spending by Medicare. ACP agrees with CMS that there is no justification for patients and the Medicare program paying more for a visit to a doctor when the service is provided in an office owned by a hospital than it would for the same type of visit in an independent physician practice," said Dr. Lopez. "This will increase the sustainability of the Medicare program and improve quality of care for seniors."

ACP recognizes that these are promising steps in the right direction, and is encouraged that CMS expressed interest in working with ACP and other physician organizations on these issues, in particular, the E/M changes.

"ACP will continue to advocate on behalf of the patient care that internal medicine specialists provide to ensure they are adequately valued for their instrumental role in driving high-value care and will look for continual reforms to the QPP to maximize positive patient outcomes while minimizing clinician burdens," concluded Dr. Lopez.

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About the American College of Physicians

The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 154,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Contact: Julie Hirschhorn, (202) 261-4523, jhirschhorn@acponline.org
The views expressed by political party leaders can change how individual voters feel about an issue, according to findings from a longitudinal study of voters in New Zealand. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

"Partisanship is indeed a powerful force in shaping our own attitudes and preferences," says lead researcher Nicole Satherley of the University of Auckland. "Our research shows that the positions taken by political leaders and political parties can have an important impact on peoples' preferences, even on issues that are supposed to reflect personal preferences."

Laboratory-based research has shown the effects that partisan cues can have on political issues, but Satherley and colleagues wanted to investigate the phenomenon in a real-world setting by measuring actual voters' attitudes on real-life issues.

In 2015, New Zealand held a referendum on changing the national flag, an issue that quickly became polarized along party lines. John Key, then-New Zealand Prime Minister and leader of the centre-right National Party, advocated for changing the flag design, while, Andrew Little, then-leader of the centre-left Labour Party, opposed the change.

The New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (NZAVS) happened to include questions measuring voters' attitudes about changing the flag in 2013, before the referendum was introduced, and again in 2016, after it had been introduced. Satherley and colleagues capitalized on these data, examining participants' support for changing the flag ("yes," "no," or "unsure") and the degree to which participants in the study also supported or opposed the National and Labour parties.

As the researchers hypothesized, the data showed that participants tended to shift their opinions to align with those of their preferred political party. Overall, 30.5% of National Party voters and 27.5% of Labour Party voters moved away from the position they originally reported in 2013 to become closer to, or consistent with, the position endorsed by their party leader.

In other words, the researchers found that support for either the National Party or Labour Party predicted whether individual voters remained stable in their views or changed over time. Relative to remaining opposed to changing the existing flag design, strong supporters of the National Party were over three times as likely to shift their opinion in favor of a flag change compared with those who expressed low support for the National Party. At the same time, strong supporters of the Labour Party who originally backed the change were more likely to shift toward opposing the change compared with participants who expressed low support for the Labour Party.

And strong party supporters whose opinions were already in line with the party position were less likely to shift their attitudes over time compared with participants who expressed low levels of party support.

"Taken together, these findings suggest that heated debate over important, albeit seemingly non-partisan, issues can quickly become polarized along partisan lines and sway public opinion," explains Satherley. "When considering political issues, members of the public should therefore be aware of this potential influence, and carefully consider whether politicians' views and arguments truly align with their own opinions."

The researchers note that the findings generate some important questions for future research. For example, what motivates party supporters to change their vote? Do they shift their opinions to align with their party leaders or is it possible they shift in order to combat the opinions of the opposing party? Future research should also explore other factors that are likely to make a difference in the strength of partisan effects, such as political awareness, the perceived importance of an issue, and the degree of polarization on an issue.

"In the future, we would like to continue examining other outcomes that partisan cues impact and then identify the factors that reduce such partisan effects in real-world settings," says Satherley.

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Coauthors on the research include Kumar Yogeeswaran of the University of Canterbury and Danny Osborne and Chris G. Sibley of the University of Auckland.

Collection of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study data analyzed in this article was supported by a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust (No. TRT0196) awarded to C. G. Sibley and a University of Auckland faculty research grant (No. 3709123) awarded to D. Osborne. N. Satherley was supported by a University of Auckland doctoral scholarship.

All materials have been made publicly available via the Open Science Framework. The complete Open Practices Disclosure for this article is available online. This article has received the badge for Open Materials.

For more information about this study, please contact: Nicole Satherley at nsat639@aucklanduni.ac.nz.

The article abstract are available online at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797618805420

The APS journal Psychological Science is the highest ranked empirical journal in psychology. For a copy of the article "If They Say 'Yes,' We Say 'No': Partisan Cues Increase Polarization Over National Symbols" and access to other Psychological Science research findings, please contact Anna Mikulak at 202-293-9300 or amikulak@psychologicalscience.org.
Chemotherapy has been associated with increased risk of leukemia years after the treatment, but what leads to that association is not clear. In this study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, a team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and MD Anderson Cancer Center combined clinical and laboratory studies to show that a gene called PPM1D, whose function in blood production was unknown, can confer blood cells exposed to the chemotherapy agent cisplatin a survival advantage that might favor the development of leukemia years later. The study suggests that the presence of this and other mutations should be considered when choosing chemotherapies.

The research team led by corresponding authors Dr. Margaret A. Goodell, director of the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center and professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, and Dr. Koichi Takahashi, assistant professor in the department of leukemia at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, initially found that PPM1D mutations turn up frequently in the blood of patients who get leukemia years after they first received chemotherapy for a previous disease. This finding sparked the question: how do PPM1D mutant cells become dominant when compared to their normal counterparts in the bone marrow? Do they 'win' because they are stronger and better at making more of themselves, or do they simply survive better in adverse conditions?

To address these questions, Goodell and Takahashi teamed up with Dr. Lawrence Donehower, professor of virology and microbiology at Baylor and co-author of the paper, who had been studying PPM1D for more than 20 years.

Survival in adversity

To understand what gives PPM1D mutants a competitive advantage, the researchers carried experiments in the lab mixing normal and PPM1D mutant cells together in a dish, growing them together and then exposing them to different environmental conditions. They were surprised to find that under normal conditions, PPM1D mutants and normal cells grew at the same rates. This suggests that the mutants are not intrinsically stronger. However, following exposure to cisplatin and some other chemotherapy drugs, the researchers observed that PPM1D mutants dramatically outcompeted normal cells.

"Taking the results all together, our findings suggest that chemotherapy acts as an evolutionary selection pressure that favors the survival of PPM1D mutant cells because they have better fitness than normal cells and 'win' under this specific type of stress," said Joanne Hsu, a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) at Baylor and a member of the Goodell lab. "So, when a patient receives cisplatin-based chemotherapy, stem cells carrying PPM1D mutations survive better. This growth advantage could provide fertile ground for subsequent acquisition of mutations that eventually lead to the development of secondary leukemia years later. This study has been a translational journey from bedside observations to bench side."

"I am most excited that the findings from clinical samples at MD Anderson generated a hypothesis that was verified in Dr. Goodell's lab," Takahashi said. "This study is a great representation of how combined forces between clinical and basic science investigators from the two institutions can disclose an important scientific discovery."

The researchers' findings in this study have multiple clinical implications for the future.

"Knowing that the selection of chemotherapeutic drugs can affect the risk of leukemia developing years later may assist physicians in the selection of specific treatments for their patients," Goodell said.

Looking further ahead, this study also points towards PPM1D as a promising therapeutic target in patients with secondary leukemia.

"I am excited that this study shows that there is a need to develop therapeutic approaches to target overactive PPM1D signaling," Donehower said.

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Other contributors to this work include T. Dayaram, E. De Braekeleer, M. Jeong, F. Wang, J. Zhang, T. Hefferman, S. Gera, J. Kovacs, J. Marszalek, C. Bristow, Y. Yan, G. Garcia-Manero, H. Kantarjian, G. Vassiliou and P.A. Futreal. The authors are associated with Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Support for this study was provided by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (RP160451 and R120501) and the National Institutes of Health (DK092883, DK116428, S10RR024574, AI036211, P30 CA 125123 and P30 CA016672). Further support was provided by the Welch Foundation (G-0040), MD Anderson's MoonShot Program, the Baylor Research Advocates for Student Scientists, the BCM MSTP program, the Khalifa Pyhisician Scientist Award, the Physician Scientist Program at MD Anderson and a Leukemia SPORE Cancer Enhancement Award. Additional support came from the Cancer Research UK Senior Cancer Research Fellowship (C22324/A23015), the Kay Kendall Leukaemia Foundation, Bloodwise, the Sanger Institute (WT098051) and the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation.
Electrodes are placed on the patient's chest area to record cardiac electrical activity - e.g. to determine whether the heart rhythm is so irregular that treatment is required; a type of medical examination for which ECG serves well as a diagnostic tool.

Not quite so when it comes to examining fetal cardiac electrical activity - for the obvious reason that it is impossible to place electrodes on a fetus's chest area, which makes ECG a no-go in this context. Instead doctors will typically try to get an impression of the cardiac electrical activity by conducting an ultrasound scan; which, however, will not provide precise answers as to what is wrong should the heart e.g. be beating to fast or too slow.

In a foreseeable future these problems regarding the examination of fetal cardiac electrical activity are about to be solved - thanks to the joint effort of two groups of scientists from University of Copenhagen: from Quantum Optics (Quantop) at the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI) and from Department of Biomedical Sciences, respectively.

In a research paper - which the two groups have just published in the journal Scientific Reports - they describe an experiment which demonstrates that it is indeed possible to get a detailed read-out of fetal cardiac electrical activity. That is, if you ally yourself with a cloud of caesium atoms locked up in a hermetically closed glass cell.

"Our next challenge will be to incorporate this technique in a diagnostic sensor - and that is doable", says assistant professor Kasper Jensen, Quantop.

Kasper Jensen and Professor Eugene Polzik, head of Quantop, have been in charge of the experiment as far as tests conducted via the locked up caesium atoms go. While Bo Hjorth Bentzen, associate professor at Department of Biomedical Sciences, has coordinated the biological part of the experiment - which includes the use of isolated guinea-pig hearts.

CLOUD OF ATOMS

The locked up cloud of caesium atoms is the cornerstone of a technique tailored for observations and measurements which Eugene Polzik and his team at Quantop have refined over a number of years - and applied to a number of tasks.

Put simply, the technique allows extremely precise observations and measurements at quantum level -if laser light at certain wavelengths are transmitted through the locked up atom cloud. One project, which Quantop is currently involved in, thus aims at boosting the capacity of gravitational wave detectors through the 'cloud of atoms-principle'.

"The locked up caesium atoms are capable of detecting very small magnetic fields. That is the reason why we also started to study this technique as a possible way of measuring fetal cardiac electrical activity - through the pregnant woman's belly. And our experiments demonstrate that this is indeed possible - which we also conclude in our article in Scientific Reports", says Kasper Jensen.

GUINEA-PIG HEARTS

In order to conduct the experiments, the Quantop-scientists needed hearts which they could measure - and these hearts were provided by associate professor Bo Hjorth Bentzen and his team at Department of Biomedical Sciences.

They chose guinea-pig hearts which are similar in size to that of a human fetus at gestational age of approximately 20 weeks - and in a number of other respects also are well suited for this kind of experiments, says Bo Hjorth Bentzen, who specializes in heart rhythm analysis:

"Guinea-pigs have a heart rhythm fairly close to that of a human fetus - and a number of the proteins which regulate heart functions in guinea-pigs resemble the corresponding proteins in humans".

During the experiment the scientists at Department of Biomedical Sciences euthanized a total of six guinea-pigs - in accordance with protocols approved by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. The hearts were surgically removed from the animals, cooled down - and then transported to the Quantop-lab at NBI just a few hundred meters away.

At Quantop the hearts were gradually warmed up to body temperature - and subsequently placed in a Plexiglas chamber with a constant supply of oxygen and water in the form of a salty solution. This environment made the guinea-pig hearts start beating - which they would typically do for the next three to four hours.

The equipment was placed behind a magnetic shield in order to keep all outside electromagnetic activity away - and while the heart was beating, the scientists measured the electrical activity from the organ through the Plexiglas wall.

By measuring in this fashion - at a distance of approximately one centimeter and without attaching electrodes to the heart - the Quantop-scientists mimicked a situation where fetal cardiac electrical activity is recorded via an instrument placed directly on top of the pregnant woman's belly.

In order to show that the equipment is capable of detecting electrical signals stemming from heart problems, the team of scientist from Department of Biomedical Sciences added a chemical to the salty solution that was continuously pumped into the Plexiglas chamber. This chemical changes the electrical signal in the heart - (triggering a reaction similar to what is seen in association with long QT syndrome, a hereditary heart condition) - which the system was also fully able to detect.

FUTURE TREATMENT

New equipment which can conduct ECG-examinations of fetuses based on the NBI-method could have a significant impact on future treatment, says Niels Vejlstrup, MD, Ph.d, and a specialist in treatment of fetal heart problems at Department of Cardiology at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen:

"Such equipment could make a difference in relation to e.g. AV-block - a rare condition which blocks certain electrical pulses in the heart. AV-block can develop in a fetus if the mother suffers from lupus or Sjogren's disease - and if doctors suspect that a fetus is developing AV-block, they will start treating the mother medically in an attempt to protect the fetus. However, at present we only have one option when it comes to evaluate how severely damaged a fetus's heart conduction system actually is - namely doing an ultrasound scan. This method is encumbered with uncertainty - which is not the case when you conduct a direct measurement of fetal cardiac electrical activity", says Dr. Vejlstrup.

Rigshospitalet is keen on participating in clinical trials in order to develop the new method, says Niels Vejlstrup - adding that the method will be equally beneficial when it comes to diagnosing all other types of fetal heart rhythm disturbances.

AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

Around the world groups of scientists are developing advanced measuring-systems - in some cases based on superconductors or on the use of rubidium, a chemical element. These methods, however, require extreme temperatures - close to absolute zero at -273.15 C, or in the vicinity of +200 C.

"In both cases the temperature bars the technique from 'just' being incorporated in equipment designed to detect e.g. fetal heart rhythm. Our equipment, on the other hand, operates at room temperature - which is an advantage in this context. We estimate that within three years doctors can start using our equipment to measure fetal cardiac electrical activity", says Kasper Jensen.

The principle behind the method will also be applicable to other forms of biological registrations and examinations, he says: "E.g. measuring brain activity when looking for signs of epilepsy".

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Scientific publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-34535-z
sGBM is a rare type of brain cancer in adults. The incidence varies from 2 to 5 per million people per year. For example, if Hong Kong's base population of 7.5 million people is taken as a reference, over 15 people will be diagnosed with sGBM tumors annually. sGBM starts off as low-grade glioma (LGG) tumors around nerve cells that surround the spine and brain, and its 5-year survival rate is under 10%.

Currently, sGBM tumors are treated with a chemotherapy drug called temozolomide (TMZ), first developed in Europe and became available for widespread patient use in the early 2000s. TMZ invokes non-specific DNA damage to tumor cells to prevent it from reproducing and spreading.

However, history and patient data show that sGBM patients undergoing TMZ treatment almost invariably have relapses which display mutations that allow the sGBM tumors to evade a second round of TMZ treatment, making it chemo-resistant and pushing researchers to look further afield to seek better treatment options.

For the first time, this study revealed the somatic mutational landscape of sGBM in 188 cases, and showed that a significant proportion (approximately 14%) of sGBM patients displayed a new mutation, METex14 (some of those simultaneously harbor another mutation, named ZM fusion), which led to more aggressive tumor growth. Previous studies were much smaller (typically 20 patients or less) and therefore meant that findings were inconclusive.

Promisingly, a MET kinase inhibitor molecule named PLB-1001 was identified and is able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, a key treatment characteristic. This new molecule shows remarkable potency in selectively targeting sGBM tumors and sGBM tumors that co-display this mutation.

Beijing Tiantan Hospital has given the green light for PLB-1001 Phase I clinical trials. Successfully enrolled patients are those who display this mutation or have a history of sGBM tumors and fall within the right age bracket.

"This clinical trial and its results are quite significant in furthering the knowledge about sGBM treatment. Precision cancer medicine promises to tailor treatments according to personal cancer mutations, but it is complicated by the dynamic changes during cancer evolution. sGBM tumors are high on the list of toughest tumors to treat," said HKUST's Prof. WANG Jiguang, who led this Beijing-Hong Kong collaborative study. "Developing computational models on cancer evolution helps to predict cancer cells' future behavior and prioritize treatment options. In this study, MET is one of the running targets we have identified. By using PLB-1001 as a standalone drug, our collaborators were able to see shrinkage of the tumors over a two-month period in selected patients. More studies need to be done to see if PLB-1001 can be used in conjunction with other drugs to have longer lasting results."

Prof. Wang is Assistant Professor at HKUST's Division of Life Science and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

Prof. Tao Jiang's team at Beijing Tiantan Hospital has been enrolling a large number of Chinese glioma patients for genomic sequencing and running this clinical trial, and initial findings indicate that PLB-1001 is safe to use as a monotherapy for sGBM patients and especially those who have the specified mutation. This may lead to new combinational chemotherapy cocktail treatments for patients later down the line.

Ultimately, this finding offers a new silver lining for both medical researchers and sGBM patients alike, and will continue to shed more light on how to better treat this aggressive tumor type.

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Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have found an explanation for a periodicity in the sequence of the genomes of all eukaryotes, from yeast to humans. The results published in the journal Cell offer an alternative explanation to the one based on natural selection, which has been accepted by the scientific community to date.

The researchers demonstrate that DNA damage and repair processes can play a role in the generation of sequence periodicity in the genomes of eukaryotic organisms. These processes are influenced by the orientation of the DNA structure when this molecule is packaged inside the cell nucleus, thus favouring a certain composition with a periodic nature in eukaryotic genomes.

"The answer we provide allows a better understanding of why our genome and that of other species have developed into what they are today," says Nuria Lopez-Bigas, head of the study and leader of the Biomedical Genomics lab at IRB Barcelona.

The "mysterious" periodicity of the genome

Since the sequence of the human genome and that of other organisms such as the mouse and fruit fly became known at the beginning of the 21st century, some researchers have noted a marked periodicity in the proportion of base pairs comprising adenine (A) and thymine (T). Indeed, the proportion of A/T pairs has been observed to be greater every 10 base pairs.

This periodicity has been associated with how DNA winds around nucleosomes (the simplest compaction form of DNA, in which it envelopes proteins called histones). The explanation given has been that natural selection would favour the appearance of A/T bases as these bases would provide the DNA structure with a greater degree of flexibility, thus allowing it to wind around histones to form nucleosomes.

Tumour mutations provide the key

By studying the distribution of mutations in more than 3,000 human tumours, the team at IRB Barcelona observed that the mutations also accumulated every 10 DNA base pairs.

?"By examining mutation distribution along the genomes in regions in which we ruled out the presence of selection, we found a marked periodicity of 10 base pairs in the DNA that forms part of nucleosomes," explains Oriol Pich, PhD student and awardee of a fellowship from the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and first author of the paper.

The periodicity of mutations occurs because the structure of the DNA packaged inside the nucleosome favours the appearance of regions that are prone to damage and to repair. Consequently, these regions are more susceptible to mutations.

Next, the researchers turned their attention to mutations that are passed from one generation to another, in both humans and plants. They found that these hereditary mutations also accumulated every 10 base pairs.

With this new discovery of how nucleosomes affect DNA mutations, the researchers deduced that it could also explain the development of the mysterious periodicity of the sequence of eukaryotic genomes.

Mutations over millions of years of evolution

The scientists at IRB Barcelona hypothesised that, as most mutations that we get are in cytosines (C) that convert into thymines (T), most of those regions most prone to mutating over millions of years have become A/T base pairs.

To test this notion, the researchers performed a mathematical simulation of genome evolution and demonstrated that the periodicity of the sequence of the human genome and that of other eukaryotes could have arisen from the periodic rate of mutations.

"We are really pleased to provide the scientific community with this alternative explanation regarding periodicity," say Oriol Pich and Nuria Lopez-Bigas, who highlight the importance of this kind of research. "It is basic knowledge derived from curiosity-driven research that allows us to achieve a better understanding of nature".??

However, the results of the study are not only a breakthrough regarding current understanding of the human genome but they also explain how tumours acquire mutations. This knowledge is relevant for identifying mutations that are relevant for tumour development--another field of expertise of Lopez-Bigas' group.

This study is an example of how basic research can bring about new scientific knowledge. The work has been funded by the European Research Council, through a Consolidator grant" awarded to Nuria Lopez-Bigas, by the Ministry of Science, through ERDFs, and by the Catalan Government.

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Reference article:

Oriol Pich, Ferran Muinos, Radhakrishnan Sabarinathan, Iker Reyes-Salazar, Abel Gonzalez-Perez, Nuria Lopez-Bigas

Somatic and germline Mutation periodicity follow the orientation of the DNA minor groove around nucleosomes

Cell (2018) doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.10.004
When you park in the office car park, you usually have no problem finding your car again at the end of the day. The next day, you might park a few spots further away. However, in the evening, you find your car, even though the memories of both days are very similar. You find your car (also) because our brains are able to store memories of very similar events as distinct memories in a process called pattern separation. Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) are deciphering how the brain computes this pattern separation in a brain region called the dentate gyrus. Results of their work are published today in Nature Communications.

Peter Jonas and his team, including first author and PhD student Claudia Espinoza, Jose Guzman, previously Postdoc in the Jonas group and now Research Associate at IMBA and Xiaomin Zhang, currently Postdoc in the Jonas group sought to understand how the connections between neurons in the dentate gyrus, a part of the hippocampus and the brain region required for pattern separation, allow the dentate gyrus to separate patterns in mice.

In the dentate gyrus, two types of neurons send signals: principal neurons send excitatory signals, while interneurons send inhibitory signals. The researchers sought to decipher the rules of connectivity between them - which neurons send signals to each other, are connections between neurons reciprocal or do many neurons converge to send signals to one main neuron? They recorded signaling between neurons to understand how the neurons are connected and how the local circuit works to support pattern separation. Espinoza performed octuple whole-cell recordings, in which she stimulated one neuron in a slice of the dentate gyrus, and recorded how the other seven neurons respond. By labelling all stimulated neurons, she could then reconstruct the morphology of the circuit.

The researchers found that one group of interneurons, the parvalbumin-expressing interneurons, are connected in a specific way only in the dentate gyrus. In the dentate gyrus, parvalbumin-expressing interneurons mainly inhibit the activity of nearby neurons in a process called lateral inhibition. In other brain regions, such as the neocortex, parvalbumin-expressing interneurons are not connected in this manner. "We think that the unique connectivity rules established by parvalbumin-expressing interneurons, such as lateral inhibition, represent a circuit adaptation to specific network functions that occur in this brain region", explains Claudia Espinoza, "Our experimental data supports the idea that pattern separation works through a mechanism called 'winner-takes-it-all', achieved via lateral inhibition in the dentate gyrus. However, this has not been proven yet. We need behavioral data and computational models, which we are working on."

After the dentate gyrus separates similar memories to avoid an overlap between them, the CA3 region of the hippocampus then stores these memories. In a previous article published in Science in 2016, Peter Jonas and Jose Guzman showed that the connectivity in the CA3 region of the hippocampus is designed to recall information of stored memories in a process called pattern completion. "At a biological level, our group found the connectivity rules that support the computational function of a brain region", says Espinoza, "Our work contributes to showing how local circuits are optimized for the specific function of a brain area. While the input that reaches the dentate gyrus is important, the way in which the dentate gyrus then computes this information to achieve pattern separation is crucial."

Claudia Espinoza is a PhD student in the group of Peter Jonas. Before Claudia Espinoza joined IST Austria for her PhD studies in 2013, she worked with patients with neurological disorders. This experience motivated Espinoza to pursue a PhD in neuroscience: "I realized that my work as a therapist was very limited because the treatment that we could offer to our patients was very scarce, and actually most of the available treatments are palliative and not curative. The main reason is that the information available about how the nervous system works is very limited, more than what most people believe. This fact motivated me the most for changing my career from a therapist to a researcher. I think that creating knowledge is a beautiful way of contributing something to our society and indirectly to helping people." IST Austria's interdisciplinary graduate school offers fully-funded PhD positions in the natural and mathematical sciences. Applications for the next year of study at the IST Austria graduate school start in mid-October: phd.ist.ac.at

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About IST Austria

The Institute of Science and Technology (IST Austria) is a PhD-granting research institution located in Klosterneuburg, 18 km from the center of Vienna, Austria. Inaugurated in 2009, the Institute is dedicated to basic research in the natural and mathematical sciences. IST Austria employs professors on a tenure-track system, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students. While dedicated to the principle of curiosity-driven research, the Institute owns the rights to all scientific discoveries and is committed to promote their use. The first president of IST Austria is Thomas A. Henzinger, a leading computer scientist and former professor at the University of California in Berkeley, USA, and the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland. The graduate school of IST Austria offers fully-funded PhD positions to highly qualified candidates with a bachelor's or master's degree in biology, neuroscience, mathematics, computer science, physics, and related areas. http://www.ist.ac.at
East Hanover, NJ - November 2, 2018 -The key economic indicators for Americans with disabilities continued to rise, according to today's National Trends in Disability Employment - Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). More than 50 million people in the U.S. have disabilities, comprising the nation's largest minority. As Veterans Day approaches, we focus attention on this group and its unique challenges to finding employment. Through vocational rehabilitation research, new approaches are being developed to help veterans with disabilities contribute their talent and experience to our communities and the greater economy by re-establishing themselves in the workplace.

In the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released Friday, November 2, , the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 30.5 percent in October 2017 to 31.4 percent in October 2018 (up 3 percent or 0.9 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 73.7 percent in October 2017 to 74.3 percent in October 2018 (up 0.8 percent or 0.6 percentage points). The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the percentage of people who are working relative to the total population (the number of people working divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).

"The increases in these indicators are encouraging signs for Americans with disabilities," said Debra Brucker, PhD, research assistant professor at the UNH Institute on Disability. "It's important to note, however, that large gaps remain between the employment-to-population ratio and labor force participation rates for persons with and without disabilities," she emphasized.

The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 33.3 percent in October 2017 to 34.2 percent in October 2018 (up 2.7 percent or 0.9 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 76.6 percent in October 2017 to 76.9 percent in October 2018 (up 0.4 percent or 0.3 percentage points). The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is working or actively looking for work.

"The October data continues the upward trend in economic indicators we saw over the past two months," said John O'Neill, PhD, director of employment and disability research at Kessler Foundation. "This continued upturn may indicate that the strong labor market, which is producing high demand for workers, is also creating labor force benefits for people with disabilities."

To raise employment among veterans with disabilities, researchers are seeking to learn from the cohort that has successfully reintegrated into the workforce. "We know that the majority of people with disabilities, including veterans, are striving to work, and some are achieving success," said Dr. O'Neill, referring to the findings of the 2015 Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey. "Understanding those successes will help us develop interventions that help others reach their employment goals," he noted.

Dr. O'Neill is principal investigator of a new study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense that aims to identify the factors associated with success among veterans with disabilities caused by spinal cord injury. Researchers at Kessler Foundation are collaborating with their counterparts at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, Florida. "We plan to compare the employment experiences for veterans with spinal cord injury treated in the VA system with those followed through a civilian system - the Spinal Cord Injury Model System," said Lisa Ottomanelli, PhD, an expert in veteran employment and disability and leader of the Tampa team.

To capture the perspective of the veterans and the details of their experiences, the study includes interviews, surveys and focus groups. In addition to employment-related information, investigators will collect information on health, environmental factors and personal factors. Dr. Ottomanelli concluded: "Learning from the employment experiences of our veterans with disabilities is essential to attaining our goal - to formulate action plans for implementing evidence-based vocational interventions that are effective in the VA and civilian settings."

In October 2018, among workers ages 16-64, the 4,824,000 workers with disabilities represented 3.3 percent of the total 147,027,000 workers in the U.S.

The next nTIDE will be issued on Friday, December 7, 2018.

Each nTIDE release is followed by a noon Lunch & Learn we inar. This live broadcast, hosted via Zoom Webinar, offers attendees Q&A on the latest nTIDE findings, provides news and updates from the field, as well as invited panelists to discuss current disability-related findings and events. On November 2, Lisa Ottomanelli, PhD, from the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, joins Dr. Brucker, Dr. O'Neill, and Denise Rozell, policy strategist at AUCD, to discuss VA programs that are helping veterans with disabilities enter the workforce. Join live, or watch the recordings at: http://www.ResearchonDisability.org/nTIDE.

NOTE: The statistics in the nTIDE are based on Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers, but are not identical. They are customized by UNH to combine the statistics for men and women of working age (16 to 64). nTIDE is funded, in part, by grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) (9ORT5022 and 90RT5017) and Kessler Foundation.

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About Kessler Foundation

Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes -- including employment -- for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit http://www.KesslerFoundation.org.

About the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire

The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. For information on the NIDILRR-funded Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, visit http://www.ResearchonDisability.org.

For more information, or to interview an expert, contact: Carolann Murphy, 973.324.8382, CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The trick to boosting crops in drought-prone, food-insecure areas of West Africa could be a ubiquitous native shrub that persists in the toughest of growing conditions.

Growing these shrubs side-by-side with the food crop millet increased millet production by more than 900 percent, according to a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science.

A couple of decades have passed since Richard Dick, a soil scientist now at Ohio State, was traveling through rural Senegal in West Africa and noticed low-lying shrubs that seemed to be doing fine despite arid conditions that had wiped out most other vegetation in farmers' fields.

"I said, 'Wow, there's some biomass! What's that?'" he said, referring to his team's initial interest in finding organic matter to improve soil in the area. Since then, Dick and long-term lead collaborator Ibrahima Diedhiou of Senegal have discovered many ways in which the shrubs benefit soil and crops.

But the most profound discovery came recently, Dick said.

A newly published study shows that those same shrubs - when planted adjacent to millet - can share the precious water they draw in and boost production of one of the primary grains that provide nutrition to West Africans.

"People in this part of Africa rely on locally grown crops to survive. Finding ways to increase food production, especially during times of severe drought, is critical," said Dick, a professor of soil microbial ecology at Ohio State.

"As things stand now, the population is continuing to climb, there's no more land and yields are staying flat."

The new study has found that certain woody shrubs - notably one called Guiera, after the Latin name Guiera senegalensis - can effectively share their water with millet plants below the surface of the soil. Millet, a grain crop, along with sorghum, is an essential food source in Senegal.

Farmers there and in other parts of the African region called the Sahel have been allowing these shrubs to grow alongside crops to varying degrees - likely for thousands of years, Dick said.

Some cut them back or rip them out and burn them and they've been largely unrecognized as a resource for crops, he said.

Dick and his research team have developed an innovative crop management system that they call the "optimized shrub system" that takes advantage of these readily available shrubs.

Their approach involves the dramatic increase of shrub density in farmers' fields from fewer than 300 shrubs per hectare (about 2.5 acres) to 1,500 shrubs on that same plot of land. Their system also includes fertilizing the ground with the shrub leaves and stems rather than burning this organic matter.

Along with a dramatic increase in yields, this system improves soil quality, boosts nutrients in the crops and reduces the time to harvest by about 15 days, which is important in an area plagued by low rainfall, Dick said.

The newly published research details one of the ways in which the plants benefit their neighbors.

The shrubs' roots grow deep into the soil, searching for moisture 30 to 40 feet beneath the ground surface. That obviously better equips the shrubs themselves to survive tough, dry conditions.

But how do they share the liquid wealth? Dick and his collaborators created an experiment in which they were able to track water that moved from deep tap roots into adjacent pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum.)

They found that, at night - when the shrubs weren't busy with sunlight-dependent photosynthesis - the water drawn from deep underground leaks out through surface roots into the surrounding soil rather than exiting through the leaves.

The stomata - the "pores" on the leaves of a plant - close in the dark, when photosynthesis stops, Dick explained.

And that meant the millet plants' roots near the surface are able to take up water delivered to the surface by the shrubs.

The researchers confirmed this by tracking water from its initial entry into the shrubs' roots to its eventual presence in the millet leaves during a scientifically imposed drought experiment that included a comparison shrub-free field.

"We proved that 'bioirrigation' by these shrubs is happening and it's the first time this has been shown for crop production," Dick said. "This is a native plant and it's free and easy to grow - everything about this is positive."

Now the team still wants to run pilot tests of their growing system with farmers throughout the Sahel and make any adjustments needed to foster more widespread adoption of the practice.

Finding natural, easy-to-employ solutions to feed a growing population has great potential in West Africa, Dick said. In other areas of the world, including Southeast Asia and South America, farmers have adapted to population growth by extensive use of fertilizer and pesticides. But in Senegal and neighboring countries, agriculture is dependent on what nature provides - growers do not typically use fertilizer or pesticides, and do not have the resources to irrigate dry crops.

"This is a semi-arid region, where it rains only part of the year. Some years, there are major droughts and people go hungry," Dick said, adding that between 60 and 90 percent of the Senegalese live in small, agricultural villages.

"The ultimate solution is going to be whatever is locally available, and finding these answers and working with the local farmers to consider potential agricultural techniques is paramount," Dick said.

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The National Science Foundation supported this research.

Dick worked with scientists from Senegal, France, and the University of California, Merced and Riverside.

CONTACT: Richard Dick, 614-247-7605; Dick.78@osu.edu

Written by Misti Crane, 614-292-5220; Crane.11@osu.edu
A team of scientists from Siberian Federal University (SibFU) together with foreign colleagues described the structural and physical properties of a group of two-dimensional materials based on polycyclic molecules called circulenes. The possibility of flexible design and variable properties of these materials make them suitable for nanoelectronics. The results are published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

Circulenes are organic molecules that consist of several hydrocarbon cycles forming a flower-like structure. Their high stability, symmetricity, and optical properties make them of special interest for nanoelectronics especially for solar cells and organic LEDs. The most stable and most studied tetraoxa[8]circulene molecule could be potentially polymerized into graphene-like nanoribbons and sheets. The authors have published the results of simulations proving this possibility. They also described properties and structure of the proposed materials.

"Having only one building block - a tetraoxa[8]circulene molecule - one can create a material with properties similar to those of silicon (a semiconductor traditionally used in electronics) or graphene (a semimetal) depending on the synthesis parameters. However, the proposed materials have some advantages. The charge carrier mobility is about 10 times higher compared to silicon, therefore, one could expect higher conductivity," says the main author of the study Artem Kuklin, research associate at the department of theoretical physics of Siberian Federal University.

Having the equilibrium geometries and tested their stability, the scientists discovered several stable tetraoxa[8]circulene-based polymers. The difference between them lied in the type of coupling between the molecules resulting in different properties. The polymers demonstrate high charge carrier mobility. This property was analyzed by fitting of energy zones near bandgap - a parameter represented by separation of empty and occupied electronic states. The mechanical properties exhibit that the new materials 1.5-3 times more stretchable than graphene. The authors also emphasized existence of topological states in one of the polymers caused by spin-orbit coupling, which is not typical for light elements-based materials. The materials possessed such kind of properties are insulators in the bulk but can conduct electricity on the surface (edges).

"The proposed nanostructures possess useful properties and may be used in various fields, from the production of ionic sieves to elements of nanoelectronic devices. Further we plan to develop this topic and modify our compounds with metal adatoms to study their magnetic and catalytic properties. We would also like to find a research group that could synthesize these materials," concludes Artem Kuklin.

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The work was carried out together with scientists from Kyungpook National University (South Korea), KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (Sweden), Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy (Ukraine), and Uppsala University (Sweden).
Results from a collaborative study by Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tohoku University, Japan, raise prospects for large-scale production of algae-derived starch, a valuable bioresource for biofuels and other renewable materials. Such bio-based products have the potential to replace fossil fuels and contribute to the development of sustainable systems and societies.

A "switch" controlling the level of starch content in algae has been discovered by a research team led by Sousuke Imamura at the Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech).

Reported in The Plant Journal, the study focused on the unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae. The researchers demonstrated that starch content could be dramatically increased in C. merolae through inactivation of TOR (target of rapamycin), a protein kinase[1] known to play an important role in cell growth.

They observed a notable increase in the level of starch 12 hours after inactivation of TOR through exposure to rapamycin, and this led to a remarkable ten-fold increase after 48 hours.

Importantly, the study details a mechanism underlying this profound increase in starch content. Using a method called liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), the researchers examined subtle changes in the structure of more than 50 proteins that might be involved in "switching on" the process of starch accumulation. As a result, they pinpointed GLG1 as a key protein of interest. GLG1 acts in a similar way to glycogenin, an enzyme found in yeast and animal cells, which is known to be involved in the initiation of starch (or glycogen) synthesis.

The mechanism will be of immense interest to a wide range of industries seeking to scale up biofuel and value-added biochemicals production.

For example, the findings could accelerate the production of environmentally friendly fuel additives, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and bioplastics[2] that are now in high demand with the phasing out of single-use plastic bags and straws in many parts of the world.

Algae, compared with land plants, are very appealing due to their high photosynthetic productivity and relative ease of cultivation. Starch, triacylglycerols (TAGs) and other algal biomass constituents are increasingly viewed as a promising and powerful way to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined by the United Nations.

The research team notes that more studies using other algal species, as well as higher plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, could yield further information about the fundamental molecular mechanisms behind starch accumulation. "This information will help to develop technologies to improve starch biosynthesis productivity and concomitantly improve sustainable biomass and bioenergy production," Imamura says.

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Technical terms

[1] Protein kinase: A type of enzyme that changes other proteins through the addition of phosphate groups (phosphorylation).

[2] Bioplastics: Plastics that are made from renewable biomass sources.

Related links

Algal residue - an alternative carbon resource for pharmaceuticals and polyesters https://www.titech.ac.jp/english/news/2017/038091.html

Harnessing energy from algae: Scientists identify enzyme that could help accelerate biofuel production https://www.titech.ac.jp/english/news/2018/042147.html
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Molecular virologist Chad Petit, Ph.D., uses basic science to fight influenza -- through experiments at the atomic level.

This includes a deadly poultry influenza virus in China called the H7N9 avian flu virus. Since 2013, H7N9 has infected 1,625 people, killing 623. While not highly contagious for humans, just three mutations could change that, turning H7N9 into the feared Disease X, the term health experts use for the next unknown cause of a worldwide epidemic.

In research to improve influenza therapies against H7N9 and other influenza strains, Petit and his University of Alabama at Birmingham colleagues have detailed the binding site and mechanism of inhibition for two small-molecule experimental inhibitors of influenza viruses. Their report is published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry,

The two experimental inhibitors studied by Petit, a UAB assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics, are small molecules whose precise mechanism of action was unknown. The inhibitors target the function of a key influenza protein called NS1, which has multiple roles to block the body's immune response during influenza infection. Thus, NS1 is essential to the survival and adaptability of the influenza virus.

Petit and colleagues used nuclear magnetic resonance, or NMR, spectroscopy to probe interactions of the inhibitors with NS1. They first showed that the inhibitors -- called A9 and A22 -- interacted with just one of the two independently folded domains of NS1, the NS1 effector domain.

The researchers noted that the structures of both small-molecule inhibitors were very similar to a fragment of a host protein called CPSF30 that the NS1 effector domain binds in order to short-circuit the body's immune response. Therefore, the researchers hypothesized that A9 and A22 block influenza viral replication and block NS1 function by interfering with the interaction between the NS1 effector domain and CPSF30.

NMR data revealed the particular amino acids of the NS1 effector domain that are involved in inhibitor binding. The researchers -- using two significantly different NS1 proteins from distinct influenza strains, including the H7N9 strain -- showed that similar sequences of amino acids in the two NS1 proteins were involved in inhibitor binding.

The 1918 "Spanish" flu NS1 protein

Besides the Chinese H7N9 NS1, the other NS1 protein tested was the NS1 effector domain from the 1918 "Spanish" flu, which infected one-third of the world's population a century ago and killed 50 million to 100 million people.

The UAB researchers then used X-ray crystallography, led by UAB Microbiology assistant professor Todd Green, Ph.D., to determine the three-dimensional structure of the NS1 effector domain from the 1918 "Spanish" flu. This allowed them to map the A9/A22-binding site onto that structure, which confirmed their hypothesis -- A9 and A22 interact with the NS1 effector domain hydrophobic pocket that is known to bind the host protein CPSF30.

The crystallography data also showed that the NS1 effector domain is able to dimerize, using an interface different from two other known dimers of the NS1 effector domain. Biological significance of this new dimer form is unknown.

"Altogether, our findings provide strong evidence for the mechanism of action of two anti-influenza compounds that target NS1, and the findings contribute significant structural insights into NS1 that we hope will promote and inform the development and optimization of influenza therapies based on A9 and A22," Petit said.

The need for novel antiviral compounds is great. Each year, influenza strains kill 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide, and the virus is noted for quick changes to produce pandemic strains that few people have immunity against. Viral resistance has limited the effectiveness of several earlier antiviral compounds that were developed to treat influenza.

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This study was made available online in August 2018 ahead of final publication in print on September 21, 2018.

Co-authors with Petit on the paper, "Structural analyses reveal the mechanism of inhibition of influenza virus NS1 by two antiviral compounds," are Alex B. Kleinpeter, Alexander S. Jureka and Sally M. Falahat, UAB Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics; and Todd J. Green, UAB Department of Microbiology.

Support for the research came from National Institutes of Health grants AI1346931 and AI116738. Portions of the research were performed at Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois, and support for the UAB Central Alabama High-Field NMR Facility came from National Institutes of Health grants CA-13148, RR022994-01A1 and CA-13148.
A two-part study led by University of Oregon psychologist finds children who invent paracosms, or parallel worlds, are strong storytellers and often draw in their friends to help them

EUGENE, Ore. - Nov. 2, 2018 - Children who create imaginary parallel worlds, alone or with friends, are more found more commonly than previously believed, according to new research.

In a project designed to probe the dynamics of such behavior among children 8-12 years old, researchers found that about 17 percent of them, in each of two separate studies, described imaginary worlds with often deep complexities. Unlike earlier studies, the researchers focused on children in the age group most-frequently associated with this little-explored childhood phenomena.

The creation of such paracosms, as the imaginary worlds were first labeled in a 1976 study, is nothing to worry about, said the project's lead author Marjorie Taylor, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Oregon.

"It's a positive thing associated with creativity and storytelling, and it's not particularly rare," said Taylor, who has been studying children's imaginary friends and paracosms for some 25 years. "These are kids who are coming up with very complex stories that they really enjoy and that many will share with others."

The five-member research team detailed the findings in a paper now online ahead of print in the journal Child Development.

Early research on paracosms drew from adult memories about their childhood. In the 1992 book "The Development of Imagination: The Private Worlds of Childhood," authors David Cohen and Stephen MacKeith identified 57 imaginary worlds but considered them to be rare.

Over time, Taylor questioned that assertion as she compiled growing evidence on the prevalence of children who devise imaginary friends and parallel worlds. Imaginary friends, Taylor said, emerge in young children, while paracosms come later.

The new study found a significant relationship between the creation of imaginary friends and the development of paracosms, but that didn't always translate to the imaginary friends being part of later imaginary worlds.

In both studies, participating children - drawn from mostly educated and middle to upper socioeconomic status, primarily Euro-American, in a college town - were questioned in a non-leading way about their creations of an imaginary friend and paracosms. If their descriptions reached a defined level, the children were encouraged to provide more details about the parallel worlds they had created.

In the first study, which included 37 boys and 40 girls, the participants completed five creativity tasks tied to social skills, as well as assessments of their coping strategies and verbal comprehension. Sixteen boys and 20 girls reported having imaginary companions such as invisible friends or personified objects.

Among 77 children, 44 said they thought about an imaginary place and provided descriptions. Of those, fully developed paracosms were identified in the details from six of the boys and seven of the girls.

Neither verbal comprehension nor gender were found to be related to children who reported having imaginary friends and paracosms.

While these parallel worlds varied widely in content, they all included details about an environment (forests, lakes, caves, etc.), the inhabitants (bandits, goblins, animals, etc.) and mystical components, such as a fountain that sprayed honey.

The second, more complex study sought to replicate the first but also dig deeper. It included two measures of inhibitory control, one of working memory and a social creativity component that avoided the role of fantasy.

In this second study, paracosms were identified in 16 of the 92 children - 12 girls and four boys. Imaginary companions were reported by 51 participants. Most of those who had developed parallel worlds also reported having had imaginary friends.

Children who had developed clear paracosms did not differ from other children in verbal comprehension or working memory, but they had more difficulty with the inhibitory control tasks, suggesting a link between creativity and lower inhibition. As in Study 1, children with paracosms were able to produce more creative endings to their stories than those who did not report paracosms.

"We thought paracosms would a private thing," Taylor said. "Surprisingly, that was not always the case. It can be a very social activity. Often, we found that many kids would be involved together in building the parallel worlds."

It may be, she speculated, that the most creative children are the ones who are able to shift between focusing their attention and a more open-ended mode of thinking.

"This needs more research to better understand how we generate ideas and come up with new things, unlocking creativity," Taylor said. "We can be really impressed by the creativity of children left to their own devices. It is important to give them some time free of a schedule because they will come up with things to do that they really enjoy and will share with others."

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Co-authors with Taylor were former UO doctoral students Candice M. Mottweiler, Jacob G. Levernier and Naomi R. Aguiar (now at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater), and former master's student Emilee R. Naylor (now at the University of Utah).

The John Templeton Foundation funded the research by way of a grant to Taylor and Mottweiler. Mottweiler also was supported by a graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation.

Source: Marjorie Taylor, professor emeritus, Department of Psychology, 541-346-4933, mtaylor@uoregon.edu

Note: The UO is equipped with an on-campus television studio with a point-of-origin Vyvx connection, which provides broadcast-quality video to networks worldwide via fiber optic network. There also is video access to satellite uplink and audio access to an ISDN codec for broadcast-quality radio interviews.

Links:

About Marjorie Taylor: https://psychology.uoregon.edu/profile/mtaylor/

Taylor Imaginary Research Lab: https://imaginarycompanions.uoregon.edu/

Department of Psychology: https://psychology.uoregon.edu/
Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas recently examined public opinions about Black Lives Matter, an activist movement founded in 2013 that has gained national attention in subsequent years.

The study, "Red States and Black Lives," published in the journal Justice Quarterly, looked at whether factors such as race, age, education, political affiliation and geography predicted support or opposition to the movement.

"Our findings suggest that the Black Lives Matter movement is a politically polarizing issue," said Dr. Alex R. Piquero, author of the study, Ashbel Smith Professor of criminology and associate dean of graduate programs in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.

The study, one of the first to provide empirical evidence and insight into public opinion about Black Lives Matter, found that those most opposed to the movement were men, conservative or Republican individuals, and supporters of the death penalty.

The researchers, who analyzed a sample of 2,114 people -- ranging in age from 18 to 94 -- from a 2016 Pew Research Center report, also found high opposition to Black Lives Matter among older respondents. Men were 42 percent more likely to oppose the movement than women, and politically conservative individuals were 257 percent more likely to oppose it than moderate or liberal individuals. States with the highest levels of opposition included Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama and Minnesota.

Individuals who perceive the police treatment of blacks in their communities as unfair were 70 percent less likely to oppose the movement than those who did not have that perception, according to the research.

The results were consistent with the racial threat theory, which proposes that as the size of a minority group increases, the majority group will see it as a threat and take measures to maintain its control, Piquero said.

Piquero said the study's findings are an important step toward gaining a better understanding of why the public is divided over Black Lives Matter. He said they also serve as a baseline for measuring attitudes about the movement over time, adding that documenting changes in public opinion provides critical data for researchers and policymakers.

"These statistics add to a growing body of knowledge over time that can be used to inform debate and eventually policy," Piquero said.

The research was a collaboration between Piquero and three co-authors from Sam Houston State University, including Dr. Erin Orrick, who earned her PhD from UT Dallas in 2012 and who has worked closely with him since her graduate criminology studies at the University.

Piquero said the findings highlight the need for more research that can provide a deeper understanding of issues that have polarized the public.

"We all look at the world through different sets of glasses," he said. "It's important to find out why people either support or do not support this movement."

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Ubadah Sabbagh, a doctoral student in Virginia Tech's Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health (TBMH) Graduate Program, was one of 15 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers named as a Society for Neuroscience fellow this year. He will be recognized at the Society's annual conference, held this year in San Diego, California, from Nov. 3 through Nov. 7.

Sabbagh conducts his dissertation research in the laboratory of Michael Fox, an associate professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and the director of the VTCRI Developmental and Translational Neurobiology Center. Fox is also an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in Virginia Tech's College of Science. Under Fox's mentorship, Sabbagh studies how neural circuits associated with the visual system develop.

"Ubadah is an exceptional trainee," Fox said. "Not only is he intellectually engaged in the lab and with his science, but he contributes significantly to science outreach and policy. In this manner, he contributes to many of the missions of the Society for Neuroscience. We are very proud that Ubadah gets to represent our lab and VTCRI as an SfN Neuroscience Scholars Fellow."

The fellowshipis a part of the Society for Neuroscience's two-year training initiative called the Neuroscience Scholars Program, which aims to provide support for underrepresented and diverse neuroscience graduate students and postdoctoral associates. All qualified applicants are given access to webinars and an online mentorship community, but only 15 are selected as fellows to be paired with senior mentors, receive two years of complimentary membership, and awarded funding to attend the Society for Neuroscience annual meetings as well as other neuroscience conferences.

"It's an incredible opportunity to learn not only from established scientists, but also from my fellow trainees," Sabbagh said. "By the end of the two-year fellowship, I hope to be a more well-rounded researcher and to have cultivated professional relationships that will last my career."

Sabbagh was matched to mentor Gabriel Kreiman, an associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, who he will meet in person for the first time at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. Krieman, who also holds appointments in Harvard University's Center for Brain Science and the Program in Neuroscience, studies visual recognition systems, learning, and memory in the brain to understand how neural circuits compute with the goal of informing biologically-inspired artificial intelligence systems.

"Navigating the path of hypothesis generation, choosing scientific problems, selecting a lab, conducting research, and publishing manuscripts can be fascinating, but also daunting. I hope that sharing some of our experiences can help enhance success," said Kreiman, who noted that he's excited to be a part of the mentorship program and to help guide the next generation of scholars in neuroscience. "One of the greatest pleasures of academia is seeing your mentees thrive in their own careers."

Along with the additional mentorship and peer networking, Sabbagh also has access to grant development experts to review and help strengthen his grant proposals as he applies for research funding.

"That's an important aspect of professional development in research - funding moves the science forward," Sabbagh said. "Grant writing takes practice and editing; gaining insight from the people who do this professionally is invaluable."

Sabbagh also plans to make good use of the funding available for conference attendance.

"Of course, the world is smaller now, we can tweet, email, and Skype with scientists pretty much anywhere, but there's no substitute I know of for those in-person connections you can make that can lead to great scientific collaborations," Sabbagh said.

Sabbagh, a permanent resident of the United States, is originally from Syria.

"There are so many international conferences relevant to my field I can't risk attending due to the current travel bans," Sabbagh said. "With this extra funding, though, I can attend more conferences in the United States and, hopefully, still make collaborative connections."

Eventually, Sabbagh said, he'd like to become a professor and mentor himself.

"I know the value of good mentorship, and how it contributes to the scientific enterprise at large," Sabbagh said. "A goal of mine is to learn from this experience how to be a better mentor, one who will empower more diverse and underrepresented people to become leaders in science. I'm grateful for and honored by such an opportunity to grow."

###
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When someone tapped into Helmy Associates & Co.s network after hours last year, it caught the plastics manufacturing company off guard.

We thought we were doing something wrong, or our employees were doing something wrong, said CEO Mona Helmy.

The San Antonio business implemented more security measures, such as changing how they share information and adding coverage for cyber attacks to their commercial insurance policy, Helmy said. They were able to mitigate the damage, but guarding against future attacks is an ongoing concern, she added. She believes many companies, big and small, are underestimating cyber threats.

Most arent doing enough, Helmy said. They dont see themselves at risk. We honestly didnt.\

READ ALSO: Facebook's cyber security class coming to A&M-San Antonio

In what some have called the fourth industrial revolution and the Internet of Things, manufacturing is quickly becoming more automated and digitally connected. These changes have a range of benefits, such as greater optimization, efficiency and more data collection, said Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo. Choo holds the cloud technology endowed professorship in the University of Texas at San Antonios College of Business Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security.

But the changing landscape also presents security concerns for companies and their vendors. More Internet-connected devices that are collecting data mean there are many more ways for people to get in, Choo said. Data can be stolen for corporate espionage or production processes can be disrupted, he said.

Just imagine the door to your home is wide open, he said. Its all about information.

Rob Dodson, an instructor at DC Industries, which provides cyber security training, said if a production line shuts down or a hacker steals proprietary information, the consequences can be severe  not just financially, but also for a companys image and reputation.

It happens more often than people realize, he said.

READ ALSO: UTSA gets $2 million grant to expand data analytics program

There are also risks within the supply chain, Dodson said, citing Targets data breach in 2013. An investigation found that hackers got into the retailers server via credentials stolen from a third-party vendor, according to a statement by former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Jim Perschbach, president and CEO of Port San Antonio, said theres an opportunity for companies to work with cyber professionals to better secure critical infrastructure.

Until very recently, most of them didnt talk to each other, he said. These are not problems that are easily solved unless you have both sides of the equation together.

San Antonio-based Cox Manufacturing is a supplier for Lockheed Martin, and about two years ago the aerospace giant gave the company a survey to complete to ensure they meet certain security standards, said president Bill Cox. They found they were at roughly 30 percent of what we needed to be, Cox said.

One of the next steps was hiring a third-party white hat hacker and the company later achieved the necessary score for the survey, Cox said. Theyre currently in the process of getting a quote for cyber liability insurance, and educating employees to recognize red flags is an ongoing priority, he said.

We are vigilant and we dont take it lightly, Cox said. In the future, it is probably going to be a much bigger risk.

Cyberterrorism and theft are concerns for ITM, a Schertz company that builds custom-made equipment and components, said CEO Ian Weiswurm. There are reams of blueprints used in manufacturing, often with closely-guarded secrets, and more of those drawings are done electronically now, he said. After one of the companys neighbors was the victim of a cyber attack, they talked to their IT consultants and decided to backup their files off-site.

READ ALSO: There is a new world of cyber security threat

In the old days, everything was done by hand and hand-drawn on easels, he said. Its all done on computers now.

The San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Vision Impaired has had firewalls and other security measures in place for some time, but within the last five years theyve increased protections, said IT manager Bill Geraths. The Lighthouse produces apparel, office supplies and other products for the military and commercial customers in San Antonio and elsewhere. With the clients they serve, rising product volumes and selling items online, protecting data and credit card information has become even more crucial, said CEO Mike Gilliam.

Phishing emails, where someone poses as someone else to extract information, is a big concern, he said. They have filtering technologies in place and educating employees is also part of the approach, Gilliam said.

Theres just incredible value in having data on individuals, he said.

Vincent Rendon, IT manager for Ultrafryer Systems, a San Antonio company that makes restaurant equipment, said some of the mom-and-pop vendors they work with arent as aware of the threats. The biggest threat currently is ransomware.

If things get into our network, that would shut us down as a business, Rendon said.

Several local companies have suffered ransomware attacks and the San Antonio Manufacturers Association decided to offer a seminar on cyber security about two years ago, said president and CEO Rey Chavez. SAMA plans to offer another training session in 2019.

They are very concerned about it, especially now that businesses are doing well and not wanting to have any disruptions in their operations, Chavez said.

Still, people who work within manufacturing and outside it dont realize the potential impact of an attack, he said.

From a business and personal sense, I dont think people are totally aware of the damage that can be done by not protecting yourself, he said.

TechSage Solutions, a San Antonio company specializing in IT support and other services, is one of the companies SAMA works with to educate members. Companies need a multi-layered defense to combat attacks, which have the potential to put them out of business in a very short amount of time, said president and CEO John Hill. Beyond the effects on their own operations, they could be liable for a customer or supplier experiencing an attack, he added.

Hill recommends signing up for email alerts from a bank for withdrawal points over a certain threshold and requiring physical signatures on transactions like wire transfers, among other tips.

You can never 100 percent guarantee youre not going to be compromised, he said. All you can do is do the best you can within the budgets youve got.

Many manufacturers have expanded and bought other companies, and they may not know what the business they bought has in its own systems, Dodson said. When he works with manufacturers at DCI, he tells them to think about their crown jewels, how long they would be able to stay in business if their production went down and how their facilities are monitored.

With younger people moving into management positions, theres more awareness of cyber threats, he said. Implementing security controls can be difficult for manufacturers and requires careful planning to integrate into their systems and processes, but its necessary, Dodson added.

Theres a lot of due diligence that has to be done, he said. If you dont do it, its going to bite you.
MISSION  Facial recognition technology that is fast becoming a means to access iPhones, board international flights and even order food may now address a post-9/11 mandate to make sure visitors arent overstaying their visas.

Competing vendors are testing cameras that capture travelers images through windshields at the Anzalduas International Bridge in Mission as part of a yearlong trial announced Aug. 29. A similar facial comparison system for pedestrians crossing through the San Luis, Ariz., port of entry was announced Sept. 24.

Basically its a nonobtrusive way to make sure that the person that comes in goes back out, said David Gonzalez, port director for the Hidalgo, Pharr and Anzalduas bridges on the Texas-Mexico border.

On a misty Friday afternoon in October, lines only a few cars deep moved steadily through both the northbound and southbound lanes. Billboards advised motorists they could opt out of the voluntary test program by choosing certain lanes, but drivers seemed more concerned with picking the lane with the shortest queue.

There was need to stop to pose for the cameras to ensure images had adequately been captured; the technology is said to be able to photograph all vehicle passengers and through window tint.

Whether hats, sunglasses or heavy makeup, among other things, obscure the images is part of the test, Gonzalez explained, chuckling at a boy holding up a poodle against a passenger window.

We dont know if the position of the dog actually blocks the face of the child, little things like that, he said. Thats what this is all about. That learning phase to find out if were not capturing the facial image, why? And then how can they improve on that?

Customs and Border Protection for years has experimented with biometric technologies such as fingerprinting in 2004 and iris scans in 2010.

But while Congress called for systems to be in place for exit checks by the end of 2004, the sheer volume of traffic at land crossings made it impossible to introduce new layers of screening without causing southbound backlogs.

The business community on the U.S. side of the border fought vigorously against outbound checks, saying it would crush commerce and tourism. One argument was that it would crack down on what had been a lightly enforced 72-hour limit for Mexican visitors using border crossing cards, or laser visas, to shop at outlet malls or vacation on South Padre Island.

You can use the laser visa to enter, but if you have to show it upon exit to determine if you overstayed the 72-hour time frame, we just dont have personnel, said Gerald Schwebel, executive vice president of Laredo-based IBC Bank. You will create gridlock.

Monica Weisberg-Stewart of the Texas Border Coalition said most border bridges were too antiquated to handle new technology.

Technology is always wonderful, but I always say dont put the cart before the horse like we have done with so many programs, she said.

Gonzalez, the port director, said the beauty of the program is that its seamless and does not slow bridge traffic. Asked about privacy concerns and the fear of Big Brother, he said people have largely moved past that.

The public has pretty much given that up to almost any other program, he said. Youre giving it up to your iPhone. I think there are now some banking systems that are doing video face capturing.  I mean, theyre tracking you already right now at the grocery store to find out how much time you spend in there, what aisles youre going down, where your eyes follow. Ive seen all that technology.

CBP already has partnered with airlines on facial recognition systems for some noteworthy results, snagging foreigners with fraudulent passports, previous deportation orders and multiple identities.

But privacy advocates say airports are nothing like land ports and exit checks were never meant to put identities of U.S. citizens into a vast biometric database. Theres also evidence that the technology is less effective with people who have darker complexions.

Data breaches at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and U.S. Office of Personnel Management show the government has a poor record of safeguarding privacy, said Jennifer Lynch, a senior staff attorney with the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation.

We dont know thats whats happening with the data, Lynch said. The government is also partnering with private companies. We dont know what the companies are doing with the data.

Privacy rights groups point to China, which has used facial recognition to publicly shame jaywalkers and limit toilet paper consumption at public restrooms.

The Washington, D.C.- based Electronic Privacy Information Center has urged the federal government to suspend facial recognition at land ports until the benefits are weighed against the 10-year, $1 billion investment and there is public discussion of potential privacy and civil liberties risks.

Theres already been mission creep in that photographs taken for the State Department to issue a passport are now being used on a wider level, said Jeramie Scott, the centers national security counsel.

That wasnt a choice that was given to make, Scott said. I didnt get to weigh the options between the privacy risk of the government having my image in a massive facial recognition database versus having control over my identity document.

The DHS has touted the ease in which facial recognition can be expanded, and that is, in part, precisely the problem. It is so easy to expand the use of surveillance technology to other areas and to a mass scale.

lbrezosky@express-news.net
It pays Marnie Goldberg to genuinely love the cosmetics and fashions she recommends online as the San Antonio video blogger, MsGoldgirl.

In fact, it pays so well, she now makes more money as a social media influencer than she did as an elementary school teacher.

This whole concept of influencer marketing has made it possible, especially for women, Goldberg said. Its really opened up a whole new generation of entrepreneurs.

Thats the power of influencer marketing platforms such as rewardStyle and its Instagram feature, LIKEtoKNOW.it, as well as the Amazon Influencer Program, which all offer special product links Goldberg uses in her online posts to cash in on her cachet.

Like other influencers who monetize their content, Goldberg scores a tidy commission every time someone clicks through and buys an item she showcases on her various MsGoldgirl sites, such as her YouTube channel with more than 100,000 subscribers and her Instagram account with more than 33,000 followers. And of course, the retailers benefit from a boost in sales.

Its the kind of endorsement deal thats turned a stay-at-home mom who discovered makeup late in life into a leading rewardStyle performer, one whose influencer status has led to face-to-face interviews with celebs such as Nicole Kidman, business relationships with major brands such as Nordstrom and Neutrogena, and a front row seat at New York Fashion Week.

But Goldberg stresses that the real secret to her success is just being true to herself and to her audience.

Honesty, she said. What you see on the screen is what you get in real life.

Such trust is paying off for brands and influencers as well as consumers. The Dallas-based rewardStyle alone boasts more than $1 billion in annual sales, with more than 500 million unique consumers. The Association of National Advertisers predicts brands will spend upwards of $101 billion on influencer marketing by 2020, up from $81 billion in 2016.

The investment makes dollars and sense. With influencers, brands get a virtual celebrity plug for a fraction of the cost of hiring a movie star or other traditional famous face, while influencers get a cut for showcasing the kinds of merchandise theyd use and recommend to their audiences anyway. Meanwhile, an influencers fans and followers make what they consider an informed purchase, from a friendly face they relate to and trust.

I think my audiences are very much a reflection of myself and my friends, and what my friends and I are talking about, said Houston influencer Caroline Harper Knapp, who focuses on everything from fashion and beauty to interior design and parenthood under the online moniker, House of Harper.

Harper Knapp left her corporate job as a buyer in fashion five years ago after the birth of her first son. Now the mother of two boys makes a living as an influencer via sponsored posts, though she also uses rewardStyles LIKEtoKNOW.it.

Like her influencer colleagues, Harper Knapp said she focuses on posting content that actually inspires, educates and benefits her audience. That in turn drives traffic, she said, which can lead to better sponsorships and affiliate marketing.

Austin influencer Lisa Jauregui, better known online as Lisa J Makeup, would agree.

Jauregui (pronounced howdy-ghee) has been a YouTube makeup vlogger for four years. Last year, she made the switch to full-time influencer, after she found that monetizing her love for cosmetics made her just as much money as her previous job in sales.

Jauregui also stresses the need for authenticity and the importance of putting your audiences needs first.

Weve built a relationship and a trust with our followers, Jauregui said. Theres obviously a lot more trust with someone whos just a normal person. Im a normal mom.

Goldberg said its not just mommy bloggers and fashionistas who take advantage of influencer marketing. Online curators of mens fashion and home organization also profit from promoting their respective wares, as do foodies.

Amazon and rewardStyle welcome influencers across any category to sign up for their programs, though that doesnt guarantee acceptance. Yes, a lot of followers helps, but Goldberg said affiliate marketing companies look more at an influencers comments in posts and other actual engagement with audiences over just follower and like counts.

If anything, Jauregui said micro-influencers such as herself with smaller follower counts can actually have higher conversion rates because theyre better able to maintain close relationships with their audiences, which can translate to more sales.

All the more reason Goldberg and other influencers stress being honest and transparent about anything they endorse or receive.

Its not just about integrity, its also the law. The Federal Trade Commission requires influencers disclose any affiliate marketing relationships and links, along with clear wording so audiences know the influencer gets a cut from any sale.

And while followers may already know an influencer gets free stuff to promote, Goldberg said, an influencer should still never pass off a product shed never use as something awesome, because followers will find out soon enough and her reputation will be shot.

Because at the end of the day youre developing a relationship with your audience, Goldberg said. Its not worth a commission to give that up.

Which may explain why Goldberg said she relishes most the many nonsale connections shes made on and off the screen, from fellow influencers to followers and subscribers who have become real-world friends.

I know it sounds cheesy, Goldberg said, but thats something kind of incredible. And influential payouts aside, sometimes just cant put a price on trust.

Rene A. Guzman is a features writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | rguzman@express-news.net | Twitter: @reneguz
Amid the gentle whirr of a drones propellers 10 feet overhead, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar enthused about the potential of his departments new fleet of the aerial surveillance robots.

Weve already used them about 11 times since June, on everything from large traffic accidents to search and rescues and the pursuit of criminal suspects, and were very pleased, Salazar said at a demonstration Thursday. Well be using them a lot.

The four lawnmower-sized aircraft cost the department about $73,000, he said, but the funds came from asset seizures in criminal cases and not the departments budget.

Since the Sheriffs Office does not have its own helicopter, the drones will come in handy when stealth is necessary and in situations where the terrain might prevent officers from getting to a scene quickly, Salazar said.

In a recent search for a home invasion suspect, a drone with an infrared camera was able to show movement or heat signatures inside a house that officers on the ground could not sense.

RELATED: Sheriff seeks to add psychologist to staff after slew of deputy arrests

Det. Jeff Phillips, one of two sheriffs officers who are licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration to pilot the devices, said the infrared images are accurate at up to 300 to 400 yards above a target.

Theyre not as effective in freezing rain or in winds over 25 mph, Phillips said. Their lithium ion batteries cost about $700 each and will deliver charges lasting about 15 to 40 minutes, depending on the size and model of the drone.

As with any type of surveillance, Salazar said, officers must be aware of citizens Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful searches. He said supervisors would be able to view in real time the images that officers on the scene are watching through the drones cameras. The officers need to know what surveillance is legal, know where the line is and never cross it, Salazar said.

Asked what would happen if the drones spotted illegal activity or evidence while in pursuit of something else, Salazar said, Well, wed probably present that to a judge and see if it is sufficient for a search warrant.

The types used by the department are the Matrice DJI 200 and 300, and the Mavic Pro, popular models with many law enforcement agencies, he said.

DJI has said it was thoroughly reviewing reports in England of power losses with some of its products, in which the battery appears to have charge remaining. BBC News reported this week that a DJI 200 fell to earth in England when it unexpectedly suffered complete loss of power during flight.

The West Midlands Police told the BBC it grounded the craft, its sole DJI Matrice model, after it landed on the roof of a commercial business unit, and wont fly it again unless the UKs Civil Aviation Authority and industry experts can prove it posed no further risk.

Bruce Selcraig is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read his stories on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | BSelcraig@express-news.net
Open enrollment for health plans under the Affordable Care Act began Thursday, an annual event that this year will get under way with little fanfare or outrage  something supporters see as a testament to the staying power of a law that has been under attack from the moment it was enacted.

In Bexar County, residents will have their choice of 26 individual health plans offered by three insurers, almost identical to last year.

The biggest change is that average premiums either have gone down or increased only modestly.

Stability is something new after all the years of troubled finances, surging premiums, bitter political battles and predictions of imminent doom for a law known as Obamacare.

The Republican-controlled Congress failed to kill the law last year.

The Trump administration has launched a series of efforts to unravel it, including slashing the advertising budget for enrollment, cutting off funding for community groups that help with signups, shrinking the enrollment period by half and eliminating the penalty for not having insurance.

But its popularity only has grown. A Fox News poll this month showed 54 percent of likely voters favor the law, compared to 38 percent in March 2015 in the same poll.

About 1 million Texans bought insurance plans on the federal exchange last year.

The law is like the Energizer bunny, said Kevin Nix, a spokesman for Legacy Community Health, the largest community-based health care system in Texas. It keeps going and going and going.

Joe Ibarra, a co-chairman with the local EnrollSA coalition, said Bexar County and area residents can book in-person appointments to sign up for a plan with the help of certified application counselors at five sites. Thats despite years of successive cuts in funding for signup efforts.

Ibarra said appointments can be made online through enrollsa.com or by calling 211. The deadline for enrollment is Dec. 15.

Confusion over federal efforts to kill the law have not dampened the enthusiasm of the majority of people who previously signed up on the exchange, he said.

The majority of these folks have learned the benefits of having health insurance, the benefits of having financial security, Ibarra said. Quality affordable health coverage is still available. Despite everything, the ACAs the law of the land. Theres still plenty of quality, affordable plans to choose from.

Perhaps the clearest sign of Obamacares growing acceptance is the midterm election, in which Democrats who once ran from the law are embracing it and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions and Republicans are touting their support, if not for Obamacare itself, than something similar.

To book an appointment For in-person assistance with signup: Online through enrollsa .com or by calling 211 Where to get help Make an appointment to visit certified application counselors at these locations: Alamo Area Resource Center, 303 N. Frio. CentroMed Southside Medical Clinic, 3750 Commercial Avenue. CentroMed Noemi Galvan Eling Clinic, 5542 Walzem. Westside Community Center, 2932 Interstate 35 Frontage Road, New Braunfels. ACA Health Experts, location varies by appointment. See More Collapse

Consider it was but two years ago that the nations largest insurers beat a hasty retreat from the federal exchange.

First came UnitedHealthcare, which said it no longer could afford to offer ACA plans. Then it was Aetna, Humana and Cigna, all singing similar tunes of unsustainable losses from not being able to predict the cost of covering the sick and chronically ill under a new model that wouldnt let them charge such patients more or deny them outright.

Remaining insurers sought eye-popping rate increases to counteract their own losses in the individual ACA market.

In 2016, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, the states largest insurer, asked for a nearly 60 percent rate boost, ultimately whittled by the federal government to just under 50 percent.

Texas continues to lead the nation in the rate and number of uninsured. When given the choice to expand Medicaid, the government health coverage for people who are poor or disabled, Texas leaders said  and continue to say  no.

Under the law, the federal government would pick up most of the tab, and by some estimates the state would have received $100 billion over a decade by expanding Medicaid. But many legislators doubted that the federal aid would continue indefinitely, and the state eventually would be stuck with huge costs.

Earlier this year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit, joined by 19 other state attorneys general, seeking to declare the entire health law, including the protection for pre-existing conditions, unconstitutional. The case is pending in federal court.

Still, insurers did start making money under the ACA as they figured out who their customers would be.

For instance, Health Care Service Corp., the Chicago-based parent company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, made $1.26 billion in profits last year. Thats more than a 10-fold increase from the previous years $106 million, and a far cry from the $281.9 million loss in 2014, according to financial records.

Over the last several years, we reduced our expenses, managed medical costs across the health care system and remained true to our commitment to stand with customers, even in tough market conditions when others wavered, Paula Steiner, CEO of HCSC, said in a statement earlier this year.

She also announced the company would invest $1.5 billion over three years to reduce health care costs for its members.

For 2019, a menu of 26 individual plans will be offered in Bexar County. Thats one less than last year, but the number of insurers remains unchanged: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Oscar and Ambetter from Superior HealthPlan.

The plans offered under Blue Cross are health maintenance organizations, known as HMOs. Ambetter and Oscar offer choices of exclusive provider organization, or EPO, plans, which are similar to HMOs but typically dont cover care outside the plans provider network.

For the coming year, there will be eight bronze individual plans available, with an average price of $333 per month, not counting a subsidy to lower the premium price. Insurers will offer 14 silver plans, at an average price of $399 per month without a subsidy; and four gold plans at an average monthly cost of $507 without a subsidy, according to the healthcare.gov tool to shop for plans.

In Texas, 90 percent of enrollees qualify for subsidies, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Michael Morrisey, director of Texas A&M Universitys Program for Health Policy Research, admits there were times when the laws survival looked iffy.

But he predicts it has found its stride not only with the insurance industry but also with consumers, especially those with health needs.

Once a benefit is in place, he said, it makes it difficult to take away.
David Hernandez testified Thursday he hasnt seen or spoken to his daughter, Dominique, since July 2014.

She was the oldest of three children Hernandez had with his ex-wife, Deborah Hernandez, he said at a sentencing hearing for Daniel Moreno Lopez, 32. Two witnesses have testified that Lopez killed Dominique Hernandez two months before he beat to death a man with whom he had argued, then dismembered and incinerated his remains.

Hernandez said his daughter and her three children lived with him until she left and never came home.

She just got up and left. She had her clothes, her bed, all of her items (at home). She said nothing about leaving, he testified before state District Judge Ron Rangel, who is expected to sentence Lopez Friday after the defense rests its case.

Hernandez said he tried everything to find his daughter, but it was as if she had vanished.

There was a time nobody knew anything, he told the court. I knew her mom was trying to reach out, (but) why wasnt she calling?

Months later, Hernandez was contacted by the Pleasanton Police Department and was asked to provide a DNA sample.

They swabbed me, he told the court.

Few details on Dominiques case were discussed in court, but on Thursday, a DNA expert testified that it was highly likely that blood samples taken from a couch at a Pleasanton apartment were from a biological child of Hernandez and his ex-wife.

Hernandezs testimony followed that of a second witness who testified Lopez shot Dominique, known as Nikki, then chopped up her body and burned her remains on a barbecue grill, as he would with Jose Luis Menchaca, 35, two months later.

The second day of testimony in the sentencing hearing again saw a dozen armed Bexar County sheriffs deputies and SWAT officers with tactical gear and rifles surrounding Lopez, who was convicted in June of killing Menchaca, known as PeeWee, on Sept. 30, 2014, in retaliation for a stabbing tied to a botched drug deal.

Vanessa Gonzales testimony Thursday was similar to that of Sabrina Cavazos, who testified Wednesday that Lopez killed Dominique in Cavazos apartment in Pleasanton and moved her body to San Antonio to chop it up and burn the remains in the outdoor grill.

Gonzales, who was dating Lopezs sister at the time, said she and Lopez were close. She testified that he arrived at the home she shared with Lopezs sister on the West Side with dark suitcases that contained the head, torso and limbs of Dominique, his girlfriend at the time.

Gonzales said she looked inside the suitcases, opened the plastic bag and saw the womans remains.

Her hair, her barrettes, it looked like her, she testified, referring to Dominique.

Gonzales said the remains were moved to the backyard, and she watched from the kitchen window while Lopez burned the remains on the barbecue pit for a couple of hours, with Cavazos and his cousin and co-defendant Gabriel Moreno at his side.

She told the court that on the next day she saw the barbecue pit had been moved to the garage.

I saw bones, a skull, Gonzales told the court. They broke the bones with a hammer.

Gonzales testified she did not know where the remains were taken, but that Lopez told her he and Moreno drove around on the highway, throwing the ashes out the window.

Earlier Thursday, defense attorney J. Charles Bunk continued his cross-examination of Cavazos, again asking what kind of deal she had made with the district attorneys office in exchange for her testimony.

As she had Wednesday, Cavazos insisted she had not made a deal.

I was concerned for my safety because I knew more things than other people did, Cavazos said during testimony Wednesday.

So you helped them solve two murders, Bunk shot back, questioning why she was being so cooperative.

He noted that Cavazos has not been charged in Menchacas death, although according to her testimony, she was at the scene when he was killed and later dismembered, along with several family members and friends of Moreno and Lopez.

On the day (the woman was killed), you helped clean up just like you did with PeeWee, Bunk said, referring to Menchaca by his nickname.

The state rested its case Thursday; the defense is expected to put on a couple of witnesses before closing its case today. The hearing is being held in the 379th state District Court.

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
The three proposed charter amendments from the San Antonio firefighters union were conceived and unveiled as a piece  three movements in the same discordant symphony of resentment against City Hall.

For that reason, its been tempting to conclude that the ballot fates of these three propositions are inextricably linked; that San Antonians will either vote all up or all down on the entire package.

That may be true for the great majority of voters, but one proposition is more equal than the others. Opponents of the propositions worry that Proposition B, which puts pay and term limits on future city managers, might pass even if the other two propositions are defeated.

There are valid reasons to see Prop B as a special challenge for the Go Vote No campaign, which is trying to persuade voters to reject the firefighters political gambit. For one thing, its simply worded and contains a clear message with intrinsic appeal to working-class voters.

READ ALSO: Nirenberg, former mayors make final push against proposed charter amendments

By comparison, Proposition A is a bewildering word salad. This proposition would lower the bar for any petition drive (from about 70,000 to 20,000 signatures) to challenge a council ordinance by referendum.

It also would expand the range of ordinances that could be challenged  making taxes and money appropriations fair game  and the amount of time allowed to gather those petition signatures.

As its articulated on the midterm ballot, Prop A is a 105-word maze of legalese, so opaque that some confused early voters have stepped out of their voting booths and tried to get explanations from election administrators.

As for Prop C, which gives firefighters unilateral power to force the city into binding arbitration, its a naked act of self-interest on the unions part, and its not hard to persuade voters to shoot it down.

From the beginning, however, defeating Prop B has been a heavier lift for the Go Vote No forces.

Early internal polling indicated that Prop B had more support than the other two proposed amendments. And anecdotal accounts from local canvassers have indicated that voters are resistant to arguments against Prop B.

The reasons are obvious. In a city with a median household income that barely exceeds $50,000, voters look at City Manager Sheryl Sculley, who makes $550,000 a year in salary and bonuses, and wonder why she deserves such a fat paycheck.

Some progressives resent her for disregarding the recommendations of the Historic and Design Review Commission and approving a controversial apartment complex development on an open lot adjacent to the historic Hays Street Bridge. Some conservatives see her commitment to equity-lens funding for city infrastructure projects and think shes bringing social engineering to municipal government. And both sides tend to think she has too much power and isnt transparent enough.

READ ALSO: San Antonio councilmen wobble on proposed charter amendments

All of this has nothing to do with the merits of Prop B, a misguided slice of vengeance from the firefighters over Sculleys 2014 push to legally challenge the 10-year evergreen clause in the unions contract with the city.

Sculley detractors should know that the proposition wont apply to her but will merely constrain the councils attempt to hire her successors. In that sense, the proposition could have the unintended consequence of motivating council members to try harder to keep Sculley as city manager, because theyll have a tough time recruiting top-flight talent under the stipulations of Prop B.

The issue isnt whether a $300,000 salary cap and eight-year term limits (the terms of Prop B) are too restrictive. Its that those arbitrary provisions tie the hands of council members and damage San Antonios competitive position in attracting city manager prospects.

It took the Go Vote No forces time to figure out that they couldnt win by tackling the three propositions individually, with point-by-point arguments. In recent weeks, theyve focused on painting the propositions as a single, disastrous package deal that will wreck the city.

For example, the latest Go Vote No mailer features the term Special Interests at the top, in all caps, covering a downtown backdrop that includes the Alamo and the Tower of the Americas.

Props A, B and C will rig the system for special interests, the mailer states. The ad goes on to assert that the fire unions dangerous scheme will raise our taxes, slash city services and pit neighborhood against neighborhood for their own personal gain.

This pay more, get less message seems to be gaining momentum as Election Day approaches, and its been helped by the firefighters curious inability/unwillingness to mount a credible campaign of their own.

But convincing voters to reject Prop B is a tough sell, and thats what has proposition opponents nervous.
A leader of the Texas General Land Offices controversial plan to overhaul Alamo Plaza has left the agency, saying his work was done after the San Antonio City Council approved the changes last month.

Bryan Preston, director of communications for GLO Commissioner George P. Bush, frequently drew the ire of the leading opponents of relocating the Cenotaph in the plaza and whose rhetoric at times was confrontational.

Charisma C. Villarreal, an Alamo defender descendant, said she filed a complaint against Preston in September.

He texted her, she said, after she posted a comment, calling for the Cenotaph to remain in place, on a Facebook page managed by the Land Office. Villarreal and others have argued that the 1930s monument should remain in the Alamo forts original boundary.

Three minutes after I made that comment on the Save The Alamo Facebook page, I got a text on my personal cell phone telling me I was ridiculous and petty. This exchange went on for an hour. I have it all on screenshot, Villarreal, a descendant of Tejano defender Gregorio Esparza, said at a news conference organized by the opponents last month.

The very next day, I got in touch with (human resources) at the GLO, and they told me they would handle it, she said.

Preston did not dispute Villarreals account. But he said there was no personnel action stemming from her complaint that led to his decision to resign. He said Villarreal had been looking for reasons to attack the plan.

Preston, whose last day was Tuesday, spent much of the last year speaking to the public and the media about the plan and defending its more unpopular elements, including street closures and limited pedestrian access to the plaza, with a single entry during daytime museum hours.

The Alamo project is moving forward and so am I, said Preston, one of six members of the Alamo master plan management committee. He called it an honor, one that Ill never forget.

Bush, who is running for re-election, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Its not yet clear who will replace Preston on the committee, which includes top officials of the city and the nonprofit Alamo Endowment and makes key decisions about the $450 million, public-private project.

Hired as communications director in late 2014, Preston had been an executive producer for conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham in Washington from 2008 to 2009. Preston was paid about $116,000 this year, according to a salary list compiled by the Texas Tribune.

On ExpressNews.com: Aging Alamo monument at center of debate

Preston said he had decided to move on about a week before the Oct. 18 council vote, but not because of the rancorous debate over the plaza.

It was more like really having completed the mission, with the council vote ensuring the project will come to fruition in some form, Preston said.

The project, approved by a 9-2 council vote, was hailed by Mayor Ron Nirenberg as a turning point that finally gives the Alamo the reverent treatment that it deserves.

On ExpressNews.com: Council approves Alamo plan

Alamo CEO Douglass McDonald called Preston a major player in the project who often took criticism as a result.

Bryan is passionate about this, he said. He got a lot of attacks in defending the project. Theres a lot of emotions about the project, he often took the brunt of that. Im sure hes looking forward to taking a break.

The plan also has drawn opposition from the San Antonio Conservation Society and preservationists who are concerned about the possible demolition of the the state-owned Woolworth, Palace and Crockett buildings on the west side of the plaza. A study is being initiated to see whether the historic buildings, or at the least their facades, can be incorporated into the design of a new Alamo museum.

But it was the Cenotaph-relocation opponents whose interactions with Preston got personal on social media. One of them posted a photo of his business card, with his cell phone number, on Facebook.

Lee Spencer White, an Alamo defender descendant, called the plaza plan the rape of the Alamo on a Facebook post, and in a flier in July characterized Bush as a tyrant. The day before the City Council approved an ordinance to move the plan forward, White posted, Trust in God But Load the Rifle on her Facebook page.

Preston said he maintained a professional demeanor and held his ground on a thrilling project to work on.

Did I ever cross the line? No. They did, he said.

Scott Huddleston is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA
AUSTIN  Republican Gov. Greg Abbott wants to limit how much money local school districts can raise each year through property taxes, promising the state will make up the difference, according to an 80-page proposal his office has been sharing with business groups and school officials.

But Abbotts plan does not detail how the state will make up for billions of dollars of revenue Texas school districts would lose. Abbott floated the 2.5-percent cap in January as he ramped up his bid for re-election. But now he is showing the plan to school officials just months before the legislative session begins in January, worrying some lawmakers who say Abbotts proposal does not fix inequities in Texas school finance system and instead focuses on cutting taxes.

School finance is expected to be a top priority for the legislature after lawmakers failed to make meaningful reforms to the system in 2017. Following the session, the legislature created a 13-member commission to come up with ways to better fund schools and provide Texans relief from spiraling property tax bills.

The commission spent 10 months studying state revenue, expenditures and educational outcomes and is expected to release its recommendations by the end of the year. But Abbotts proposal has at least one member of the commission questioning the governors intentions.

This plan makes a mockery out of the whole process, said Rep. Diego Bernal, a Democrat from San Antonio on the commission.

A spokeswoman for the governors office emphasized that the governors proposal is still a work in progress. A copy of the proposal was leaked to the press.

There have not been any final recommendations released from our office or the commission, said the spokeswoman, Ciara Matthews. The Governor and his team continue to work with the commission and various stakeholders to solicit ideas on ways to improve education in Texas.

Abbott has made education a focus of his campaign, promising at a recent rally in Williamson County to raise teacher wages. His education and tax reform proposal, first reported by the Texas Tribune, includes raising wages for high-performing teachers who opt to teach in low-performing schools and incentivizing schools for student performance.

Related: Gov. Abbotts call for more teachers making $100,000 draws skepticism

But the bulk of Abbotts proposal focuses on property taxes. Abbott wants to prevent school districts from collecting more than 2.5 percent more in property tax revenue than they did the previous year. Currently, state law allows local governments, including school districts, to raise property taxes 8 percent per year without voter approval.

Under the proposal, property-wealthy school districts such as Houston ISD and Austin ISD would turn over less money to the state in recapture payments that go to districts that reap less property tax revenue. But that change alone would require the state to make deep cuts to education funding, or come up with an additional $3 billion a year by 2023.

State revenues will be utilized to ensure districts do not lose money as a result of this compression of tax collections, Abbotts presentation notes in bold but provides no details for how the state will make up the difference.

For subscribers: Texas top-ranked high schools dont prepare most kids for college

Bernal said Abbotts plan has some features he likes, such as paying high-performing teachers to teach at low-performing schools, but that would require even more money.

Add to that the fact that the revenue caps are the cornerstone of the plan and you get the clear sense that school finance is being used as a Trojan horse for a tax plan. That means its not about Texas children at all, Bernal said.
AUSTIN  Early voting in Texas has surpassed total turnout from the 2014 midterm cycle in 21 of the largest 30 counties, showcasing a surge in voter enthusiasm in the states metro areas spurred by competitive races for U.S. Senate and Congress.

By Thursday, voters in the 30 largest counties had cast more than 4.3 million ballots in person and by mail, just shy of the 4.7 million Texans who voted in the entire 2014 election. Thursdays tally, provided by the Secretary of States office, does not include votes from another 224 Texas counties.

In El Paso County, for example, more than 27 percent of registered voters had cast a ballot by Thursday. In 2014, fewer than 20 percent of registered voters went to the polls during early voting.

Several other counties with a rush in early voting are those surrounding major cities that have experienced large population growth.

In Williamson County, just north of Austin, more than 43 percent of registered voters have cast a ballot, up from a total turnout of 38 percent in 2014.

At a campaign stop in Williamson County this week, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott predicted turnout would be of greatest consequence in this election. Since 2010, the county has grown 30 percent.

You need to understand how hard the battle is being fought in Williamson County, he said, This is not your fathers Williamson county, definitely not your grandfathers Williamson county. This is a true purple county.

Johanna Harris, a Williamson County resident is voting in her first midterm election. A member of the military, she hasnt decided who to pick in the competitive U.S. Senate race. I never vote straight-ticket, she said.

Turnout is also surpassing 2014 levels in counties along the U.S.-Mexico border, including in Cameron and Hidalgo.

Friday was the last day to vote early. Election Day is Tuesday.

amorris@express-news.net
President Donald Trump, stirring Texas supporters, charged Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Beto ORourke with voting to shield violent gang members from deportation.

Trump, urging voters at an Oct. 22, 2018, Houston rally to re-elect his onetime nemesis, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, said that ORourke, the third-term congressman from El Paso who opposes Trumps avowed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, "even voted to shield MS-13 gang members from deportation." Trump went on: "He doesnt want to deport them. He says theyre people, theyre people. They carve you up with a knife but theyre people."

So, did ORourke vote to shield MS-13 gang members from deportation?

We didnt get a White House reply to our request for Trumps factual backup. But we identified a 2017 House vote on a proposal related to deporting or not admitting criminal gang members to the United States. ORourke and an outside expert subsequently told us the Texans vote didnt shield MS-13 members from deportation, which happens regularly under current law.

Whats MS-13?

Its a misconception that MS-13 members hail entirely from abroad in that the violent group started in Los Angeles where many refugees from civil strife in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua fled in the 1980s.

In 2017, the Justice Department said there are an estimated 10,000 MS-13 gang members operating in at least 40 states. Members are concentrated in Los Angeles, Long Island in New York and the region outside Washington, D.C., the New York Times reported in March 2018. The Times, citing federal authorities, said the gangs 30,000 other members live in Central America or Mexico.

MS-13 stands for Mara Salvatrucha, which comes from the words "mara," a Spanish term for gang, "salva," for El Salvador, and "trucha," slang for cunning. The "13" refers to the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, or "M," which denotes the gangs allegiance to the Mexican Mafia, a prison gang, DOJ said.

In 2012, MS-13 became the first street gang to be designated by the government as a transnational criminal organization when President Barack Obama did so. Our October 2018 search of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement website yielded more than 270 web pages detailing actions against MS-13 members----including arrests, criminal convictions and removals.

A 2017 House vote

Another web search led us to see that the House in September 2017 voted mostly along party lines to send the Senate the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act. As of October 2018, it still hadnt received Senate consideration.

In a news story at the time, The Washington Post said that the proposal "would allow officials to take action against suspected gang members, regardless of whether they've been convicted of a crime."

Advocates said the move would enhance public safety. Before the vote, the White House issued a statement saying advisers would urge Trump to sign the measure into law should the House version reach his desk. That statement credited the proposal with giving "law enforcement needed tools to help ensure that criminal alien gang members are deported quickly and never again allowed to enter the United States."

Separately, the American Civil Liberties Union said the measure "would promote racial profiling, erode due process and unintentionally affect others, such as clergy who try to help gang members," the Post story said. Immigrant advocates maintained "it would give law enforcement wide latitude in designating groups of people as gangs and seeking to deport, detain or block their asylum before a crime has been committed," the story said.

By our read, the legislation would enable federal officials to designate criminal gangs, defined as five members or more bent on criminal activity, and permit a consular or law enforcement official not to admit a person to the U.S. if the official knows or has reason to believe the individual is or has been in a criminal gang--with no requirement that the individual have criminal convictions. Also, the legislation permits immigration authorities to start deportation proceedings against anyone in the U.S. believed to be or have been in a criminal gang.

ORourkes nay

Next, we confirmed from a roll call vote that ORourke was among 174 Democrats to vote against the measure, which won House approval by 233-175. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan was the sole Republican to vote "no."

In floor debate, a co-sponsor of the proposal, Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, said that without the legislation, MS-13 members could legally stay in the U.S. unless they were convicted of deportable offenses, according to a transcript in the Congressional Record. If the legislation became law, Labrador told members, ICE would newly "be permitted to place alien gang members into removal proceedings on the grounds of being criminal gang members" as determined by specifications in the measure of crimes considered to be gang related, Labrador said.

Labrador also said: "I have heard some uneasiness that ICE will use these provisions to charge any alien they encounter with gang activity. Our bill does not allow that." Under the measure, he said, ICE would have the burden of proof when charging an immigrant with a deportable offense. "The government must convince an immigration judge of its case," Labrador said.

Democratic members countered that the proposal would enable the Department of Homeland Security to deny admission to or deport any immigrant, including one who has no criminal history or gang affiliation, so long as DHS believes the person is associated with such a group.

Under the proposal, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said, there "is no need for conviction or even an arrest. All DHS needs is a belief that the individual has assisted any group of five or more people that DHS believes has committed one of these long list of offenses," Lofgren said.

Zofgren also suggested the legislation could lead to a religious group that aids immigrants facing charges. "This isn't just theoretical," Lofgren said, going on: "During the 1980s, members of the faith community were repeatedly criminally prosecuted for providing transportation to undocumented immigrants."

There was a related vote. By 220-184, members rejected a Democrats motion to have the proposal amended to bar the deportation of any person "for action taken on behalf of a religious organization whose primary purpose is the provision of humanitarian assistance or aid." ORourke voted in favor of the motion.

ORourke campaign disputes characterization

By email, Chris Evans of ORourkes campaign responded to our inquiry about Trumps claim by disputing the presidents characterization of ORourke. Existing law, Evans said, "makes immigrants who commit crimes related to gang activity deportable."

ORourke, Evans wrote, "believes in ensuring MS-13 members are held responsible for their crimes under our justice system and he believes in enforcing our current immigration law."

We also heard back from David Bier, an immigration policy analyst for the libertarian-rooted Cato Institute. Bier, a former staff adviser to Labrador, called Trumps claim about ORourke incorrect. Calling the legislation a "political effort," Bier told us by phone that significantly, neither the White House nor other supporters of the measure had identified examples of MS-13 members the government couldnt deport without the House-approved changes in law. "If there were any examples," Bier said, "theyd be displaying them."

Does existing law shield gang members?

Stepping away from the legislation, we wondered whether existing law shields MS-13 gang members from deportation.

Early this year, PolitiFact looked into whether MS-13 members detained in the U.S. were being let go by authorities. To the contrary, Steve Yale-Loehr, who teaches at Cornell Law School, responded that the government by law must detain individuals who have committed certain crimes while going through deportation proceedings. He pointed out provisions in federal code requiring the government to take into custody any individual convicted of a range of offenses including those involving firearms, illegal drugs or aggravated assault.

Yet individuals can seek asylum if they have suffered persecution or fear they will suffer persecution due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

Yale-Loehr said: "If an individual caught along the border claims asylum, he or she will have their claim reviewed by an asylum officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. If they can show they have a credible fear, the individual goes through the immigration court process. If they dont have a credible fear, or if an immigration judge denies their asylum claim," they will be deported, Yale-Loehr said.

But immigration experts said that its difficult for gang members to receive asylum. Fatma E. Marouf, a professor of law and director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at Texas A&M University School of Law, said: "If the gang member persecuted others or committed a serious crime in the United States or his country of origin, he would likely be barred from asylum."

If a gang member or criminal can somehow make a substantive case that their asylum argument should be heard, the immigrant would be allowed to stay in the United States until their hearing. They would typically post a bond to do so.

Critics call this wrinkle "catch and release." Yale-Loehr said Border Patrol agents and ICE officials can release people in this way, under what is known as prosecutorial discretion. In addition, immigration judges can allow immigrants in deportation proceedings to be released after they pay a bond, if they meet certain conditions.

"But that is happening less and less often under the current administration, and the government is certainly not required to release people who may be deportable, Yale-Loehr said in February 2018. He cited a Department of Homeland Security memo that drastically cut back on the practice in February 2017, shortly after Trump was inaugurated.

Our ruling

Trump said ORourke "voted to shield MS-13 gang members from deportation."

We see an element of truth to this claim because ORourke did not vote for a Trump-backed measure pitched as easing deportations of suspected criminal gang members. But we spotted no evidence that ORourkes "no" was a vote to shield violent gang members from deportation.

We rate this claim Mostly False.

MOSTLY FALSE  The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.

See Figure 1 on PolitiFact.com
GREENWICH  This week felt like an especially important time to engage in difficult conversations about anti-Semitism, the politics of Israel and Jewish life on college campuses, Columbia Universitys Campus Rabbi Yonah Hain told a crowd gathered at Greenwich Reform Synagogue.

Something for me thats going to be an enduring lesson from this week is that as precarious and thorny and difficult conversations are  such as conversations about Israel on campus  there probably is a best-self that I can try to put forward, he said, referencing the Oct. 27 attack that left 11 people dead at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

In light of someone specifically targeting Jews because of his radical tribalism  its been really profound for me to see  togetherness and community, he said.

Hain, who worked with Greenwich Reform Rabbi Jordie Gerson at New York University for two years, led an open conversation on Thursday night on the complex issue of the pro-Palestinian boycott, divestment, sanctions movement, known as BDS, on college campuses that aims to pressure Israel to end occupation and colonization of Arab lands. The rabbi shared his views on how the movement relates to anti-Semitism and detailed the way college-age Jews perceive it.

Im not willing to give up the next generation of youth Jews stance on Israel, he said. And Im not willing to see the values Israel stands for only represented by Republicans. Its worth considering what role this plays in our life and our Jewish identify.

Hain said the liberal narrative on college campuses favors Palestine and the BDS movement. But he wants young Jews to be informed about Israel before they identify with those factions and consider why they feel the way they do about Israel.

We are in the midst of the first generation in which it no longer means if you are affiliated Jewishly, you have Israel as part of that identity, Hain said. I want young Jews to consider if Israel should be part of their identity.

While individuals who support anti-Semitism may use BDS to promote their views, Hain said its debatable whether anti-Zionism is inherently anti-Semitic.

Because Jewish values support social justice, the rabbi said it makes sense that young Jews would question their support for Israel. Groups such as Amnesty International allege the country is committing human rights violations on occupied Palestinian land along the West Bank.

I believe its reductionist for every Jewish student to feel their Jewishness is solely assessed on the extent to which they support Israel, Haim said. We cant pigeonhole ourselves. ... We need to be invested in a full range of Jewish values.

Now is an opportunity, Hain said, for those deeply rooted in human rights issues to have a role in shaping Israel into the nation they want it to be. The next generation of Jews can engage the system and challenge it, he added.

I think its about educating, partnering, being there when other people are in need and not being isolated, he said. And its about the pursuance of justice.

Another political issue for Jews on college campuses is that identity politics on the left, Hain said, has created a new kind of anti-Semitism.

What has happened in most university settings is Jews have been absorbed as white male, he said. We are a group that has advantages of some whiteness, but yet at the same time, as we learned again this past Saturday, there is real oppression. There are white nationalists that want to harm us.

That narrowness is anti-Semitic and much more difficult to see than the anti-Semitism of white supremacists, Hain said.

This is so new and its hard to ferret it out and educate about it, the rabbi said. Its hard to tell who is actually an ally.

Even though some Jewish students may experience hostility or anti-Semitism on campus, Hain said those events are a minority of their experiences. It is a golden age of Jewish life at American universities, the Rabbi added.

My task is to cultivate a Jewish culture that is rich, that is global, that is incredibly open, tolerant, diverse, pluralistic and that can articulate ... what it means to be Jewish, what are the values we have when we stand apart, when we fit in, when we take lead and ultimately what role Israel can have in the world stage, he said.
Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media

STAMFORD  A former New York man has pleaded guilty after applying for a passport at the Ferguson Library under an assumed name.

According to a press release from the office of John Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Neville Nicholson, 60, pleaded guilty to making a false statement in a passport application and two counts of using a passport obtained by false statement.
Stamford Police Dept. / Contributed photo

STAMFORD  Police are looking for a sneaker head who wore a rare pair of Air Jordans during a September robbery in the South End.

Police have released surveillance video of the Sept. 17 robbery on Pacific Street that shows two suspects robbing a man. One of the suspects was wearing a rare pair of Air Jordan Retro 11 sneakers, police said.
STAMFORD  The district has announced Westover Magnet Elementary School will be closed indefinitely following a physical inspection and air quality tests that showed the school has a heavy infiltration of mold.

According to an email sent to parents Friday around 8 a.m., students and teachers will be relocated to an alternative location for what will likely be the remainder of the school year.

Members of the Mold Task Force  a group formed recently to create a plan to combat mold in the schools  announced during a morning press conference there are five privately owned sites in Stamford where students potentially could be sent. The goal is to keep all Westover students and staff together.

I dont know if well be able to achieve it, said Superintendent Earl Kim. Were keeping all the options on the table at this point.

District officials said theyre also considering backup plans, including using portables, and working with busing and Chartwells food service to ensure food and transportation can be directed to a new location.

According to Mike Handler, director of operations for the city and member of the task force, the goal is to move students quickly so they dont have to make up time missed for mold with days out of their winter and spring breaks. Students will make up the days already missed as part of the inclement weather days built into the end of the school year.

RELATED: What we know about the mold problem in Stamford schools

It was announced Tuesday the school would be closed for at least a week after a visual inspection and several air quality tests showed high mold counts, Handler said.

He added a more intrusive physical inspection of the 20-year-old building found mold inside the sheet rock of the interior walls, in the insulation and in the glue behind the wallpaper.

Officials said there are many problems with the building that allow moisture in, including window caulking separated from the brick, poor gutter drainage, broken windows in the gym and condensation on the piping.

At the time the school was shuttered, at least 11 of 80-plus rooms in the school were already closed due to mold, Handler said.

This is going to be a renovation like new, Handler said. Weve got a bigger problem with water intrusion. We have a lot of work that needs to get done.

All hard furniture will be moved to the school cafeteria to be cleaned. Once it is tested and found safe, it will be moved to the new location. But Handler said almost everything else, including papers, personal items and rugs, will have to be tossed.

He said the district is looking to compensate teachers for personal money spent on classroom goods being thrown away.

The task force is focused on Westover for now, but will also work to develop models for remediating and correcting problems at other sites throughout the district, Handler said. The space used to house Westover students for the rest of the year may be used as a swing space for other schools as the district unpacks the rest of the mold problems in other buildings and comes up with a maintenance plan.

Following the conference, Board of Education Chair David Mannis said the focus is not on tracking cost.

We took a bold position, which is were going to spend and then go get (the money), he said. Were not going to slow down any necessary expenses. Its understood were going to bust the budget.

Officials did not say what sites were being considered, but said they hope to have a decision on where students are going by Monday. There will be a special Board of Education meeting Monday at 6:30 p.m. to give updates.

Parents, who once again showed up in Westover red, were displeased Friday over the possibility of their children being sent to different schools  and how long it took for the district to take action. Sniffles from tears and scoffs of disbelief could be heard from families in the audience throughout the conference.

Thank you for what youre doing, but to be honest, 16 days ago we were told you werent testing our building by someone on the Mold Task Force, said Westover parent Gloria Domiziano during the public question session of the conference. Pat yourself on the back or not. You did this because of parent reactions.

In early October, Clarence Zachery, the districts chief fiscal and operations support officer, told The Advocate no schools needed to be closed due to mold.

I think its absolutely terrible, said Sari Rosenberg, who has a child in second grade at Westover and another who graduated the school after five years there. I hope no one has long-term health effects. It shouldve been addressed before now. Its awful ... They were there five years and the mold was growing.

Rosenberg and other parents expressed concerns about students and staff staying together, especially considering the schools magnet program and the young age of students.

If they can keep the entire school together, well adjust, Rosenberg said.

Teachers at the meeting had a similar outlook.

The most important thing for all of us is to keep all of us together and keep all of us in a healthy environment, said Westover teacher and union rep Heather Stramandinoli.

Representatives from the Stamford Education Association, and the Connecticut Education Association, the states largest teachers union, were also present at the meeting and said they were impressed with how officials were handling things.

From a union perspective, were happy the task force was formed, said SEA president Diane Phanos. It was a very appropriate decision they made.

Phanos said the union has been involved with the mold situation for months, urging action at Westover and other schools.

Right now, were where we want to be, she said.

In the meantime, the Boys and Girls Club, as it has this week, will be open to Westover students who need child care on Monday. There will continue to be paraprofessionals from Westover at the club to supervise.

More updates will be available on the citys Mold Task Force website.

erin.kayata@stamfordadvocate.com; (203) 964-2265; @erin_kayata
FAIRFIELD  He had to stop and start a few times as he tried to get out his last radio transmission, with dozens of family members, friends, and co-workers gathered on the front steps of police headquarters on Friday.

It was Gary MacNamaras last day as police chief, last day as a member of the Fairfield Police Department. Finally, he got his message out  the only thing he was going to remember about his 30-year career was the people.

With that, the color guard stepped into place, the bagpiper started playing and everyone began the quick march from headquarters to the Fairfield Theatre Co., where MacNamaras retirement party was being held. Police motorcycles led the way, and those on the sidewalks clapped and cheered the little parade. At the end of Sanford Street, was a fire engine, a large American flag and a row of firefighters standing at attention.

Inside FTCs The Warehouse, MacNamara found himself a target of jabs from politicians and fellow police chiefs about his love for television cameras. His children, daughters Bailey and Cassidy, and son Alex, himself a Fairfield police rookie, offered their own memories of their fathers career.

Hes not my boss anymore, but hes still my dad, Alex MacNamara said. Thank you for the example you set.

Bailey MacNamara recalled when she and Cassidy sang the National Anthem at the ceremony when their father was elevated to chief. It was awful then, and it would be awful now, she said. The police department, she said, has always been a part of their lives, with memories of riding in the back of police cars, and dad having to leave events early when an emergency came up.

Cassidy MacNamara recalled seeing her father walking in red high heels, part of a walk against domestic violence. I always thought he had weak ankles, she said.

As for the guest of honor himself, MacNamara said he can still recall the 22-year-old who couldnt want to be a police officer. I wouldnt eat with some of the officers because they ate too slow, MacNamara said. I just wanted to do police work.

Though MacNamara is at ease in front of the cameras, Friday was a bit different. Im really never at a loss for words, and now I am completely at a loss for words ... It breaks my heart that Im leaving.

greilly@ctpost.com; 203-842-2585
FAIRFIELD  Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, casting ballots for state and federal offices, probate judge, and two questions about how Connecticut does business.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone unsure of their polling location can visit https://bit.ly/2qlvHaP to look it up.

Anyone who has not registered to vote can still do so on Election Day at the Barone Center at Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road. Residents will be able to register and vote at that location and must bring a photo ID and proof of their current address, such as a bill.

Those residents who became eligible to vote after Oct. 30 can register in person on Monday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Registrar of Voters office in Old Town Hall.

Since March of this year, both political parties made some gains in enrollment. Democrats went from 11,161 to 11,853, a jump of 692 voters. The GOP saw a much smaller gain  124 people  from March enrollment of 10,563 to 10,687. As always, unaffiliated voters made up the largest voting bloc with 15,066 voters, up from 14,655. There are 582 residents registered with other parties, such as Working Families or the Green Party. That number is up just five since March.

In total, there are 38,188 registered voters in town, an increase of 1,232 since March.

According to Town Clerk Betsy Browne, her office has issued over 2,000 absentee ballots, and about 1,200 had been returned by Wednesday. By comparison, 3,000 were issued in 2016, which was a presidential electioin year.

In addition to choosing a new governor, Fairfield voters will cast ballots for state representative in the 132nd, 133rd and 134th districts and state senator in the 128th district. They will also be asked to choose a new Probate Court judge. Sample ballots can be found at https://bit.ly/2CQxax0.

Polling places District 1: Dwight School 1600 Redding Road District 2: St. Pius School 834 Brookside Drive District 3: Fairfield Woods Middle School 1115 Fairfield Woods Road District 4: Stratfield School 1407 Melville Avenue District 5: Fairfield Warde High School 755 Melville Avenue District 6: McKinley School 60 Thompson Street District 7: Holland Hill School 105 Meadowcroft District 8: Fairfield Ludlowe High School 785 Unquowa Road District 9: Sherman School 250 Fern Street District 10: Mill Hil School 635 Mill Hill Terrace Election Day registration and voting Barone Center, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road Voting hours 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. For information visit https://www.fairfieldct.org/vote See More Collapse

Also on the ballot are two questions, the first regarding the establishment of a State Transportation Fund and the second regarding the sale or transfer of state-owned property. Links to the ballot questions can be found at https://bit.ly/2ADuEsv.

greilly@ctpost.com; 203-842-2585
FAIRFIELD  A vehicle struck the Post Plaza Laundromat at 222 Post Road Sunday afternoon, according to Fairfield police.

There was minor damage to the vehicle and the vehicle never penetrated the building, Lieutenant Robert Kalamaras said in a statement. The vehicle was being operated by an elderly female who was not injured.

The collision took place at approximately 5 p.m., according to Kalamaras.

Chamber orchestra to host fall concert

FAIRFIELD  The American Chamber Orchestra opens its 16th season with their fall concert on Nov. 3 at the First Presbyterian Church, 2475 Easton Turnpike in Fairfield at 7:30 p.m.

The First Symphony (Spring) of Robert Schumann will be featured. Music director Christopher James Hisey will conduct the concert. The First Presbyterian Church of Fairfield is one half mile south of the Merritt Parkway Exit 46 on Easton Turnpike. Suggested contribution is $20 for adults and $10 for students. Call 203-845-7928 or visit www.americanchamberorchestra.com for details and tickets.

Museum after Dark event set for Nov. 15

FAIRFIELD  The Fairfield Museum received a grant from Connecticut Humanities for professional development and public programs to support events on the topic of fake news and how teachers, students, and everyday citizens can best navigate the proliferation of information that they encounter.

On Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m., the public is invited to Museum After Dark: The Media and the Mid-Term Elections. A panel of journalists and professors, moderated by Larry Rifkin, will examine the state of journalism, news consumption today in relation to the recent mid-term elections. Panelists include Daniela Altimari, statehouse reporter at the Hartford Courant; Dr. Jocelyn Borczka, associate professor of politics at Fairfield University; Steven Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning multimedia photojournalist and associate professor of visual journalism at the University of Connecticut; and Ebon Udoma, senior political report for WSHU. A reception will be held prior to the event at 6 p.m.

Register at www.fairfieldhistory.org/events/mad-nov-15-18

Update on Pequot War Project at Sasquanaug annual meeting

FAIRFIELD  The annual Sasquanaug meeting is taking place on Nov. 4 at 4 p.m. at Southport School and will feature a landowner update on the Battlefields of the Pequot War project to uncover artifacts from the 1637 Battle of Pequot Swamp.

The public is welcome. David Naumec, senior researcher, will share news about the summers local archaeological findings, notably at Southport Park, a Sasquanaug holding. Naumec is a military historian and archaeologist who specializes in Connecticut and early American history; he has been studying the Pequot War for the past 10 years.

Sasquanaug encourages the community to attend to hear not only about this fascinating project, but also about Sasquanaug Associations efforts this past year and goals for the year ahead. Light refreshments will be served.

For information, visit www.sasquanaug.org or www.pequotwar.org.

The Southport School is located at 214 Main St.
SOUTHPORT  The Total Look Salon & Spa and its Chief Executive Officer Cher Anderson have been named in a lawsuit that alleges Anderson didnt pay workers for mandatory training and staff meetings.

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, accuses the salon and Anderson of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Connecticut Minimum Wage Act.

The lawsuit alleges that Anderson held roughly 12 hours of training held for employees each month, but did not pay her workers to attend the training sessions. It also alleges that employees were required to work on at-home training assignments to practice their technique for a grade for about an hour a week. They apparently were not paid for this work.

Total Look failed to pay its non-exempt employees for training sessions, training-related assignments and office meetings, alleges attorney Gary Phelan in the lawsuit.

U.S. Department of Labor Regulations require employers to pay their employees for mandatory training and meetings.

Phelan is representing Nicole Johnson, a former assistant stylist at the salon. She worked at the salon for about 18 months before her employment terminated in March  though it was unclear whether Johnson or her employer were responsible for the termination.

According to the lawsuit, employees also worked overtime and were not paid the proper time-and-a-half pay for those overtime hours.

There was no estimated total for the wages and additional costs Johnson is looking to receive through the lawsuit.
In a different twist on traditional efforts to promote Election Day turnout, Republican state Senate leaders have paid for mailers that falsely warn that their own voters could get tossed off the rolls if they fail to get to a polling place on Tuesday.

A campaign mailer that might have targeted those GOP voters who might have missed the last election, includes a scratch-off sticker that supposedly includes information to make voting easier on Tuesday. Thats news to the Secretary of the State, whose office warns that the mailer could prove confusing for local poll moderators.

The mailers were sent out on the behalf of state Rep. Pam Staneski of Milford, who is running for a Senate seat that includes West Haven, Woodbridge and Orange. Her opponent is Democrat James Maroney of Milford.

Other districts where the mailers were sent include those of state Sen. George Logan, R-Ansonia and Sen. Michael McLachlan. Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano of North Haven said that he wasnt fully informed about the full circulation of the mailer, but thought it might have been to more-competitive districts.

This was an effort to get out the vote, Fasano said. It isnt for this candidate or that candidate. It was sent to Republicans.

Staneski said Friday that while she approved the concept of the mailing, she said that the piece, apparently designed by Mike Cronin, the top Senate Republican lawyer, was not intended to be ominous.

In no way was it ever discussed as an intimidation piece, Staneski said. It was my understanding that it was a Get Out the Vote piece. I did not design it. I did not pay for it. I approved the concept. The Senate is at an 18-18 tie right now, and if this gets people out to vote, weve got to get people out.

In 2014, state Democrats sent out similar pieces of campaign literature. But the scratch-off is a new twist.

There is no requirement to bring any mailer sent by a candidate or a political party to the polling place on Election Day, said Gabe Rosenberg, communications director for the Secretary of the State. A mailer that purports to be an official document but is not can potentially cause confusion in the polling place.

Connecticut, unlike some other states, does not have a voter-purge process, noted Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven. This is almost the flip side of those red states, such as Texas, where they are trying to suppress the vote, Looney said. We have no provision that youre going to be removed from the ballot if you fail to vote.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF's stock was trading at $25.60 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWU stock has increased by 28.9% and is now trading at $33.00.

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iShares MSCI Austria ETF's stock was trading at $15.26 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWO shares have increased by 61.4% and is now trading at $24.63.

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A consultation on the Welsh Government's controversial proposals to phase out direct support in favour of two new agri-schemes has received 12,000 responses.

Rural Affairs Secretary, Lesley Griffiths said there has been an "overwhelming response" to the Brexit and our Land consultation, and insisted all 12,000 submissions would now be reviewed.

It proposes a phased withdrawal of the EU's Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to be replaced by two new schemes; an Economic Resilience Scheme and a Public Goods Scheme. The plan is to phase them in from 2020.

The Economic Resilience Scheme will provide investment to farmers to increase competitiveness and make improvements in food productivity, and the Public Goods Scheme will provide a new income stream to farmers delivering public goods from the land.

Ms Griffiths confirmed that changes to how the Welsh Government supports farmers "will not be rushed", and no decisions will be taken until all consultation responses have been reviewed.

However, the proposals have been met with sustained criticism from Wales' two farming unions, NFU Cymru and Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW).

Both unions believe the proposals lack acknowledgement of the importance of food production, which has proven to be a significant concern for the industry.

NFU Cymru President, John Davies said: "Frustratingly, the proposals contained within the Brexit and Our Land consultation do not match the ambition of Welsh farmers who want to play their part in supplying safe, quality, fully traceable food that will underpin further growth of an industry currently worth 6.9 billion to the Welsh economy."

But Ms Griffiths said the new schemes would help ensure farms were "resilient and sustainable, whatever the deal on Brexit."

"I have always stated we have to provide ongoing support to farmers but we need to do so in a better, much smarter way," she said.

I have been clear from day one. Maintaining the status quo is not an option post-Brexit because it does not help farmers adapt to the challenges of a different and rapidly moving trading environment."

Ms Griffiths added: "Whether we like it or not, the UK will leave the Common Agricultural Policy next year. That is a certainty."

She called the BPS "too blunt an instrument to deliver", criticising the scheme has not being resilient or prosperous enough for Welsh farmers.

NFU Cymru said it does not support the phasing out of current schemes until there is "clear evidence" that replacement policies can deliver at least the same level of stability for farming businesses that current policies provide.
The search is on for farmers who are keen to enhance their business competitiveness with an overseas educational trip.

The next intake of farmers keen on increasing their profit levels are urged to apply for the Management Exchange programme 2019.

Since the launch of the programme in 2016, 14 farmers have visited businesses throughout the UK and other European countries, broadening their knowledge, technical ability and management expertise.

Many are already implementing improved ways of working amid the uncertain trading conditions widely expected post-Brexit.

The funding rate for successful candidates is 100%, up to a maximum of 4,000, with costs reclaimed after the visit or hosting period.

Einir Davies, from Farming Connect, the Welsh Government funded group behind the Exchange programme, said it is a "fantastic opportunity".

This is a fantastic opportunity to see at first-hand how some of the most successful businesses in Europe operate and what you learn will not only impact on the way you run your business, but the knowledge will also be shared with the wider industry in Wales through Farming Connect, Einir said.

If you feel you would benefit from a visit to a farm or forestry business within the EU, and might also be interested in hosting an experienced farm or forest manager currently working in the EU at your home holding, we would urge you to apply as soon as you can.

Successful applicants will either undertake or host a visit and two-way exchange visits will be encouraged but are not essential, added Ms. Davies.

The application window is open now and will close at midnight on 30 November 2018.

Trip to southern Ireland

Lucy Allison, a dairy adviser with a locally based agri-consultancy company and her husbands family run a 400 acre dairy farm in North Pembrokeshire.

They have 250 Holstein Friesian dairy cows which are predominantly autumn calving. The aim is for the herd to be milked three times a day throughout the autumn and winter and milked twice a day and turned out to graze in the spring and summer months.

The farm currently supplies approximately 2.5 million litres of milk a year on a cheese contract. Lucy was aware that apart from New Zealand, which has a completely different climate to the UK, Ireland has been a world leader in grazing strategies for more than a decade.

The purpose of her exchange visit was to investigate how different breeds and grass leys effect the constituents in milk within a rotational grazing system, and to maximise kg solids produced/ha.

Lucy is responsible for the farms grazing management. Her role includes inputting all the necessary data to calculate and plan grazing allocation throughout the summer.

She said: My Management Exchange visit enabled me to visit the Positive Farmers Conference in Southern Ireland in January 2017, where I was completely inspired by what I learned through presentations from some of the worlds foremost dairy and grassland specialists.

She also visited one of Irelands leading research farms, where again messages were reiterated that introducing better quality leys through reseeding would help maximise forage intake and influence solids produced.

As a result of her exchange, the farm business is steadily re-seeding parts of the grazing platform, and they are now seeing the success through grass measuring.

We started using a plate meter last year which enables us to forward budget the grass according to the number of cows and daily grass growth," she said.

We are starting to see positive results and should be able to maximise grass intake and utilisation to produce more milk from forage.

My exchange visit taught me to be more open minded and to consider other ways of improving our own farming systems.

Lucy added: I listened to all the professional advice and theres no doubt that by putting into practice what I learned, were already seeing a steady improvement in the utilisation of grass which is leading to surplus forage being harvested and ensiled, saving money on bought in feed.

Trip to Denmark

Alwyn Phillips is a beef and sheep farmer from Caernarfon. The purpose of his six-day Management Exchange visit to Sweden and Denmark was to learn about differences in the approaches used for cervical artificial insemination (AI) in Denmark and Sweden compared to the UK.

He also wanted to find out what would be needed to enhance the cervical AI programme using frozen semen, particularly for sheep, in Wales

Alwyn was aware that Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands are at the forefront of technology which uses frozen semen via cervical AI in sheep.

Its a practice which is currently more advanced and widespread in these countries than it is in the UK. He was eager to find out whether it was a system he could introduce for his own flock of 200 Poll Dorset and 200 Texel ewes and more generally by sheep farmers in Wales.

Alwyn found the farmers and experts he visited very open in sharing their expertise, their successes, and equally important, what they had learned from failures. He said they also appreciated his honest approach to sharing his own experiences with them.

He learned that cervical insemination using frozen semen will initially be taken up by pedigree breeders but also by more innovative commercial lamb producers, provided they can achieve 70% conception rates using cheaper semen like bull of the day in the cattle.

AI has significantly improved the performance of the dairy industry through better genetics, whilst the sheep industry has been slow to embrace AI.

The main reason being that in cattle, the inseminator can penetrate the cervix and deposit the frozen semen directly into the uterus whilst in the ewe it is nearly impossible to penetrate the cervix as its so tortuous.

However, having now seen at first hand just how successful the technique can be, Alwyn feels that training courses for sheep farmers could be one of first steps needed in Wales.

Alwyn said: Farming Connect already provides subsidised training for AI in cattle, so Im hoping that they may consider extending this for sheep farmers too.

Once trained, the breeder can have a flask on farm holding semen from different proven rams to be used on selected ewes said Alwyn who is clear about the proven advantages of AI.

AI offers access to superior genetics, reduces risks of importing diseases and a wider choice of proven rams.

It allows the purchase of semen from rams to improve the individual ewes weaker EBVs, while avoiding risk of in-breeding, he said.

Alwyn said it would be cheaper to buy semen from proven rams than having to pay a high price for a stock ram which may not improve the flock and in some instances may have a relatively brief working life in a natural mating system.

To make sheep farming profitable farmers need healthy soils, healthy grass and superior genetics but Alwyn believes that cervical insemination using frozen semen is an important component as the way forward.

He said: We need to reduce our production costs and our carbon footprint per kg of lamb produced. Also, grass-fed lambs have a higher content of health-promoting Omega 3.

Following my visit, we will be cervically inseminating our sheep this autumn using frozen semen.
A large farm fire in Staffordshire which took the fire service three days to tackle is believed to be have been caused deliberately.

A large scale fire began in one of the agricultural buildings at Basford Bridge Farm, Cheddleton on Tuesday (October 30).

At the height of the incident, eight crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service were in attendance and had to split the area into three sectors in order to tackle the fire, which involved a 40metre by 30metre building full of hay.

They used several main jets and a high volume pump to put out the flames, whilst machinery was used to remove some of the straw.

The firefighters, with the help of the occupier, continued to remove the hay and damp down hot spots through to Thursday (November 1).

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has said the cause of the large scale fire is believed to be deliberate.

No one was hurt during the fire and no animals on the site were injured.

The blaze caused disruption to the local area with Basford Bridge Lane closed to through traffic for the duration of the operation.

Fire Investigation Officer Kelvin Knapper said: We believe this incident was caused deliberately which is extremely worrying and disappointing. Fortunately no one was hurt during the fire and no animals on the site were injured either.

This fire has taken up considerable time and resources and has no doubt been distressing for the owner. The Service was at this farm for around three days and several crews were needed to tackle the blaze.

Mr Knapper added: These resources could have been used elsewhere to help others in trouble which is why the fact it appears to be a deliberate incident is frustrating for everyone at SFRS.

We try to educate people of the dangers of setting fires as they can easily lead to injury or death. Anyone starting fires could face five years in prison or a 5,000 fine, he said.

The incident follows a similar suspicious blaze in Nottinghamshire which destroyed hay bales worth 30,000, leaving a farmer "considerably out of pocket".
The founders of Errington Cheese have won a further legal dispute with South Lanarkshire Council in relation to four batches of cheese confiscated by the Local Authority in 2016.

The council was taken to court by the cheesemaker after it accused the company of breaching health regulations and sought to have stocks of cheese destroyed.

South Lanarkshire Council wanted to dispose of the small cheese producers entire stock after a suspected E.coli link.

On Thursday (November 1) the Court of Session ruled that Sheriff Robert Weir, QC, who condemned the cheese as being unsafe to eat, had "misdirected" himself, acting "unreasonably and irrationally at common law, contrary to the approach required as matter of EU Law."

Sheriff Weir had accepted the argument from South Lanarkshire that a draft policy document produced by Food Standards Scotland allowed him to condemn the cheese.

In doing so, Sheriff Weir assumed a policy document can override the requirements of EU regulations - which state if an uncertain organism is suspected in food, a comprehensive risk assessment must be undertaken, before the food can be condemned.

South Lanarkshire Council must now release the three batches of Corra Linn cheese and one of Lanark Blue, although the latter produce is now unsaleable.

Compensation

The company continues to pursue a compensation case against the local authority for both its legal costs in fighting the case and for the business impact of the incorrectly condemned product.

Speaking about Lord Bannatynes judgement, founder of Errington Cheese, Humphrey Errington said: This is a significant legal ruling which will have lasting implications for food producers as well as the overall remit of Food Standards Scotland.

Food Standards Scotland can no longer issue enforcement policy if it goes above and beyond what is required in EU regulations."

The turbulent period has been detrimental to the business, with sales falling to as low as 25% of pre-2016 levels, forced to lay off staff and funnel almost all its cash reserves into a costly legal battle.

Mr Errington added: Were delighted the Court of Session has ruled in our favour with the companys efforts now focussed on getting the business back on track by increasing production and sales, while also coming to a settlement with the local authority over our legal fees and compensation for spoiled produce.

"Once an agreement is reached, well hopefully be in a position to reemploy some of our loyal workforce," he said.

Last month, the South Lanarkshire based cheese producer opened up its production facilities to mark the Great British Cheese Day (Sunday, October 21), inviting members of the public onto the farm to taste some cheese and gain an insight into the processes behind it.
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Richa Chadha Praises Rani, Sridevi, Nutan & Nargis

"I never buy this 'women-oriented' term. I don't like it. I have been hearing this term since 2012 that 'English Vinglish' is coming. I always turn around and say 'You never call the other things male-oriented'. But I guess it'll be a thing, till it becomes a norm."

"Be it Nutan, Nargis Sridevi or Rani (Mukerji), these women have done films which they have carried on their shoulders completely. There was an entire alternate cinema movement with Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Deepti Naval, Mita Vashisht and Neena Gupta... These are great actresses and they have done some excellent work," Chadha told PTI in an interview here.

Richa Chadha: Men Control The Business

Year 2018 saw films like "Padmaavat" and "Raazi", fronted by women, emerge as some of the biggest money-spinners and Chadha says the audience has always been ready for a female star who would drive the crowd towards the theatres.

"I think it's the producers, distributors and exhibitors who have not been ready. It is an issue.

"Men control the business and they say the film is female-oriented and it won't work till its ti*s and as*. But you don't know, a good story connects somewhere," she adds.

Richa Chadha On Shakeela

The actor is currently in the city shooting for her next, Shakeela, the eponymous biopic on the popular Malayalam adult star. Directed by Indrajit Lankesh, the film narrates the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of Shakeela Khan, who ruled the South Indian cinema of the '90s.

She has acted in several adult films in languages spanning Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

Richa On Shakela Being Compared To Dirty Picture

Shakeela is already being compared to Vidya Balan's critically-acclaimed hit, Dirty Picture. Inspired by southern star Silk Smitha's life, the 2011 film explored the journey of a woman who dreams to be a star, goes on to become a sex symbol and following repeated failures, commits suicide.

Many claim that "Shakeela", the film appears to have been cut from the same cloth but Chadha disagrees.

"Comparisons will happen but we can't do anything about it. I can't escape that. I thought about it but now I'm not going to fight it. Shakeela became a star when Silk Smitha killed herself. Within two years of Silk's death, Shakeela was a superstar."

Richa Chadha On Shakeela

"She was a ready replacement of somebody who had just passed away. It's the same period, the aesthetics, the visuals and technically too things are same. The two films will appear similar to the inexperienced eye. But the two are very different. It's in a different zone. At least they will compare me to Vidya Balan and the film to a blockbuster like 'Dirty Picture'."

The actor says Shakeela, who has been an integral part of the biopic from the outset, is a living example of feminism in practice.

"She knows her career and personal life have suffered because of the courageous decisions she has taken to stand up against oppression of any kind. She knows she's paying the price for it."

"I could imagine any person in her place as being bitter, angry, suicidal or dependent. Going to school and learning feminism is one thing and living feminism is another. She has done the latter."

Shakeela will also have a cameo in the movie. The film also stars Pankaj Tripathi and the makers are eyeing on a release date post March 2019.
(1) Performance results are presented on a gross and net-of-fees basis. Net returns reflect the deduction of, among other expenses, management fees, brokerage commissions, administrative fees, and accrued and/or crystallized performance fees, if any, and include the reinvestment of all dividends, interest, and capital gains. Net returns reflect the performance of the Company's Public Shares. Depending on the timing of an individual investor's specific investment, net performance for an individual investor may vary from the net performance as stated herein. Gross returns reflect the performance of the Company's shares in the aggregate and are presented before the deduction of management fees and performance fees, if any. In May 2018, the Company purchased and cancelled 22,271,714 Public Shares pursuant to the tender offer announced on April 25, 2018 (the "Tender Offer"). The positive impact on performance of the Tender Offer is reflected herein. Performance data and other information contained herein are estimated and unaudited. Net performance is a geometrically linked, time-weighted calculation. (2) Reflects the number of positions in issuers in which the Company has previously publicly disclosed an investment, which occurs after the Company has completed its accumulation. Cash, cash equivalents, direct or indirect currency or other hedges and income/expense items are excluded. Multiple financial instruments (for example, common stock and derivatives on common stock) associated with one (1) issuer count as one (1) position. A position that is included in the number of positions will be removed from the table only if the investment becomes 0.0% of the portfolio. (3) For the purpose of determining the equity and debt exposures, investments are valued as follows: (a) equity or debt is valued at market value, (b) options referencing equity or debt are valued at market value, (c) long call options and short put options (or vice-versa, short call options and long put options) held on the same underlying issuer and with the same strike and same expiry are grouped together and treated as synthetic equity positions, and are valued at the market value of the equivalent long equity position (or vice-versa, the equivalent short equity position), and (d) swaps or forwards referencing equity or debt are valued at the market value of the notional equity or debt underlying the swaps or forwards. Whether a position is deemed to be long or short is determined by whether an investment has positive or negative exposure to price increases or decreases. For example, long puts are deemed to be short exposure. (4) Includes all issuer equity, debt, and derivatives related to issuer equity and debt, and associated currency hedges. Cash, cash equivalents, direct or indirect currency or other hedges and income/expense items are excluded. The market values of associated currency hedges are included as part of the associated investment. In the event that there is a change in market cap category with respect to any non-publicly disclosed position, this information is not updated until such position is publicly disclosed. (5) Portfolio composition is reflective of the publicly disclosed portfolio positions as of the date of this report. A position in an issuer is only assigned to a sector once it has been publicly disclosed. (6) "Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. AUM" equals the assets under management of Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Any performance fees crystallized as of the end of the year will be reflected in the following period's AUM. (7) "Total Strategy AUM" equals the aggregate assets under management of Pershing Square, L.P., Pershing Square International, Ltd., Pershing Square II, L.P. and Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (collectively, the "Core Funds"). Redemptions effective as of the end of any period (including redemptions attributable to crystallized performance fees/allocations, if any) will be reflected in the following period's AUM. (8) "Total Firm AUM" is the aggregate of Total Strategy AUM and the assets under management of Pershing Square VI Master, L.P. which operates as a co-investment vehicle investing primarily in securities of (or otherwise seeking to be exposed to the value of securities issued by) Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ("PSVI") without double counting investments by any Core Fund in PSVI.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 1, 2018) - Hi Ho Silver Resources Inc. (CSE: HHS) (OTC Pink: HHSRF) (FSE: H9T1) ("Hi Ho" or the "Company") announces that it has granted an aggregate of 5,200,000 stock options to certain directors and consultants of the Company. The options are exercisable at $0.06 per share for five years from the date of grant and vest immediately. The grants are subject to the provisions of the Company's Stock Option Plan, the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange and applicable securities laws.

About the Company

Hi Ho Silver Resources Inc. is a Vancouver based mineral exploration company dedicated to the exploration and development of precious and base metal mineral deposits and other mineral opportunities in North America and elsewhere.

For further information contact:

William G. Jorgenson

C. 778-989-0770

Email: bill@hihoresources.com

Website: www.hihoresources.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this news release.

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". The use of any of the words "anticipate', "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "would", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com.
Icelandair Deploys Global Flight Tracking Ahead of GADSS

HOUSTON And REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Icelandair will integrate FlightAware's Firehose data feed to enhance their existing operational tools with global flight tracking. The feed will deliver live aircraft position data from FlightAware's terrestrial network of ADS-B receivers, as well as from Aireon's space-based ADS-B network.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/778840/Icelandair_Boeing_757_200.jpg

Icelandair joins airlines around the world in taking steps to modernize their flight tracking capabilities. Largely in response to the loss of flights AF447 and MH370, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is a United Nations specialized agency, created the Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System or "GADSS". GADSS establishes standards and recommended practices for flight tracking by aircraft operators and has been adopted by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

GADSS begins taking effect on November 8th of this year, when aircraft operators will be expected to track their aircraft at a frequency of one position every 15 minutes during normal operations. By 1stJanuary 2021, airlines should receive position updates once per minute if an aircraft is in distress.

"Icelandair is unique in the sense that 100% of their routes fly over remote bodies of water where precise flight tracking hasn't been feasible until now," said Max Tribolet, Director of Business Development for FlightAware. "Augmenting FlightAware's terrestrial ADS-B coverage with Aireon's space-based ADS-B network will ensure position updates of at least once-per-minute anywhere in the world. This means that Icelandair will far outperform the GADSS standard for normal conditions and will proactively meet the 2021 recommendation for tracking aircraft in distress."

FlightAware's terrestrial network, which consists of over 20,000 ground stations around the world, provides position updates multiple times per minute for aircraft flying over land. This network also captures aircraft movement on the ground with position updates every second. Through partnership with Aireon, FlightAware's feed includes space-based ADS-B coverage as well. Aireon's space-based ADS-B network, which is hosted on the Iridium NEXT constellation, will eliminate coverage gaps over oceans, polar regions and other remote areas with position updates at least every minute. Because ADS-B OUT is mandated throughout the world, the vast majority of airlines - including Icelandair - do not need to install any additional equipment to be tracked on these networks.

"While Iceland's geographical location between North America and Europe has proved to be strategic for building international routes, it has also presented challenges for tracking our aircraft until now," says Captain Haukur Reynisson, Director of Flight Operations at Icelandair. "By integrating live flight tracking data from FlightAware, Icelandair gains incredible situational awareness that will drive operational optimization and reinforce passenger safety."

About FlightAware

FlightAware (FlightAware.com) is the world's largest flight tracking information company and provides over 10,000 aircraft operators and service companies as well as over 12 million passengers with global flight tracking solutions. FlightAware leverages data from air traffic control systems in over 45 countries, from FlightAware's network of nearly 20,000 ADS-B ground stations in nearly 200 countries, from AireonSM space-based ADS-B and from global datalink providers. FlightAware is privately held with offices in Houston, New York and Singapore.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/678551/FlightAware_Logo.jpg
Deadline for Submitting Bids Set for November 16, 2018 @ Noon GMT

GLASGOW, Scotland, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Streambank is soliciting offers for the business and assets of Exosect Limited (in Administration) ("Exosect" or the "Company"), an innovative formulations business.

The Joint Administrators, Paul Masters and Conrad Beighton of Leonard Curtis Recovery Limited, have instructed Hilco Streambank to actively seek interested parties with regards to the sale of the business and assets of the Company, including its extensive intellectual property assets and proprietary know-how consisting of the understanding, experience and knowledge of Exosect's highly skilled employees.

Since its formation in 1999 as a University of Southampton spin out, Exosect has been developing pioneering sustainable pest and disease control solutions to tackle a wide range of problems throughout the food supply chain. Over GB25 million ($32 million) has been invested in the development of the Company's valuable intellectual property. Its award-winning patented formulations technology (Entostat), which is based on the use of electrostatically charged wax micro powders, assists with optimization and the direct transfer of active ingredients by electrostatically adhering to a range of surfaces including seeds, grains and pellets, insects and foliage, and building fabrics for improved efficacy, safety, and commercial viability.

With a recent focus on out-licensing, earlier this year, the Company negotiated a license with agrochemical multinational Monsanto for the use of the Entostat technology for the delivery of select agricultural biologicals as seed treatments.

Having initially developed, marketed and sold pheromone-based products, the Company also continues to support two well-regarded products sold through distributors. Exosect's moth control product is used by the UK Houses of Parliament and the Royal Opera House.

Hilco Streambank Director Nat Baldwin explained, "Exosect has been a market leader in its specialized area for nearly 20 years. Exosect's technology platforms deliver a unique mix of commercial and environmental benefits and are underpinned by an extensive suite of patents and formulations expertise."

The Company's innovations are currently being commercialized through the 60 billion ($77 billion) crop protection and plant growth enhancement sector under license, but have potential use within many industrial sectors such as animals and public health.

Baldwin was confident of a return from the sales exercise, adding, "The team at Hilco Streambank has been conducting a comprehensive sales and marketing exercise which will continue over the coming weeks. We have received strong international interest in the business and expect a competitive bidding process."

Parties interested in learning more about the Exosect acquisition opportunity should contact Hilco Streambank directly using the contact information provided below. Visit the Hilco Streambank website for more information regarding the opportunity: http://www.hilcostreambank.com/assets/exosect.

About Hilco Streambank

Hilco Streambank is a market leading advisory firm specializing in intellectual property disposition and valuation. Having completed numerous transactions including sales in publicly reported Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, private transactions, online premium domain sales and IPv4 transactions through IPv4Auctions.com, Hilco Streambank has established itself as the premier intermediary in the consumer brand, internet and telecom communities. Hilco Streambank is part of Northbrook, Illinois based Hilco Global, the world's leading authority on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization and advisory solutions to an international marketplace. Hilco Global operates more than twenty specialized business units offering services that include asset valuation and appraisal, retail and industrial inventory acquisition and disposition, real estate and strategic capital equity investments. For more information, please visit our website at www.hilcostreambank.com.

Nat Baldwin +44 (0)141 4063 197

nbaldwin@hilcoglobal.eu Linda Shannon +44 (0)141 2122 516

lshannon@hilcoglobal.eu Richelle Kalnit 212.993.7214 rkalnit@hilcoglobal.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/584222/Hilco_Streambank_Logo.jpg
Press Release

Amsterdam, 2 November 2018

Key points Q3 2018

Revenue up 21% (yoy) to EUR 234.6 million over the quarter

Strong EBIT improvement, growing 72% (yoy) to EUR 12.0 million with EBIT margin up by 1.5ppt to 5.1%

Key points YTD 2018

Revenue growth of 15% (yoy) to EUR 669.7 million

EBIT more than doubled to EUR 23.3 million

EBIT margin up by 1.5ppt to 3.5%

Jilko Andringa, CEO of Brunel: "The third quarter results demonstrate continued acceleration of our growth, achieving double digit revenue growth in all our segments. Our performance in Europe continues to be strong, while we see even faster growth in all verticals (including Oil & Gas) outside of Europe. This shows our strategy to diversify to adjacent verticals is successful. The fast recovery of the Oil & Gas industry is gaining pace, and the outlook for our activities within this industry are trending upwards as well. I'm confident that we are in a strong position to deliver on our promise to break old records in the years to come."

Brunel International (unaudited) P&L amounts in EUR million Q3 2018 Q3 2017 VAR.% YTD 2018 YTD 2017 VAR.% Revenue 234.6 194.5 21% a 669.7 579.8 15% b Gross Profit 54.9 46.3 18% 153.5 133.3 15% Gross margin 23.4% 23.8% 22.9% 23.0% Operating costs 42.9 39.3 9% c 130.2 121.7 7% d EBIT 12.0 7.0 72% 23.3 11.6 102% EBIT % 5.1% 3.6% 3.5% 2.0% Average directs 12,087 9,665 25% 11,734 9,283 26% Average indirects 1,542 1,500 3% 1,536 1,485 3% Ratio direct / Indirect 7.8 6.4 7.6 6.3 a 18 % like-for-like b 15 % like-for-like c 8 % like-for-like d 8 % like-for-like Like-for-like is measured excluding the impact of currencies and acquisitions

Q3 2018 results by division

P&L amounts in EUR million

Summary:

Revenue Q3 2018 Q3 2017 VAR.% YTD 2018 YTD 2017 VAR.% DACH region 70.5 60.9 16% 200.5 178.8 12% The Netherlands 52.8 46.8 13% 163.1 141.3 15% Australasia 30.4 25.1 21% 86.4 70.5 23% Middle East & India 22.6 14.8 53% 62.1 45.9 35% Rest of world 58.2 46.9 24% 157.6 143.4 10% Total 234.6 194.5 21% 669.7 579.8 15%





EBIT Q3 2018 Q3 2017 VAR.% YTD 2018 YTD 2017 VAR.% DACH region 8.5 8.3 3% 18.9 18.4 2% The Netherlands 3.0 2.9 3% 8.3 6.1 37% Australasia 0.0 -0.1 75% -0.5 -0.9 38% Middle East & India 2.1 0.7 208% 5.5 1.3 307% Rest of world 0.3 -1.8 116% -2.0 -5.7 65% Unallocated -1.8 -2.9 38% -6.8 -7.7 12% Total 12.0 7.0 72% 23.3 11.6 102%

The

Group's revenue increased by 21%, of which 18% organically. We have completed the integration of SES Labour Solutions, that was acquired in September last year. The activities and management of SES Labour have proven to be a very good fit with the existing Brunel operations in Australia. EBIT increased by 72% in Q3 and the EBIT margin is up by 1.5 ppt.

DACH region (unaudited) P&L amounts in EUR million Q3 2018 Q3 2017 VAR.% YTD 2018 YTD 2017 VAR.% Revenue 70.5 60.9 16% 200.5 178.8 12% Gross Profit 23.8 22.0 8% 64.6 61.1 6% Gross margin 33.8% 36.2% 32.2% 34.2% Operating costs 15.3 13.7 12% 45.7 42.7 7% EBIT 8.5 8.3 3% 18.9 18.4 2% EBIT % 12.1% 13.6% 9.4% 10.3% Average directs 2,698 2,460 10% 2,609 2,412 8% Average indirects 472 455 4% 473 446 6% Ratio direct / Indirect 5.7 5.4 5.5 5.4

Our activities in the

DACH region continued to show strong growth. In Q3, there was no impact from the number of working days. Gross margin decreased due to the impact of the new legislation on equal pay and a lower productivity during the holiday season, but was maintained at a sustainable level as a result of our specialized professionals business model and our strong local client relationships. Since the beginning of the year, the productivity in our automotive testing and competence centers was lower than in 2017. After a restructuring of the centers, productivity is back at normal levels in September.

The YTD gross margin adjusted for working days is 32.5% (2017: 34.2%).

Working days:

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY 2018 63 60 65 62 250 2017 65 59 65 60 249





Brunel Netherlands (unaudited) P&L amounts in EUR million Q3 2018 Q3 2017 VAR.% YTD 2018 YTD 2017 VAR.% Revenue 52.8 46.8 13% 163.1 141.3 15% Gross Profit 15.4 13.9 11% 46.6 40.5 15% Gross margin 29.2% 29.7% 28.5% 28.7% Operating costs 12.4 11.0 13% 38.3 34.4 11% EBIT 3.0 2.9 3% 8.3 6.1 37% EBIT % 5.7% 6.2% 5.1% 4.3% Average directs 2,449 2,204 11% 2,441 2,170 12% Average indirects 449 435 3% 435 436 0% Ratio direct / Indirect 5.4 5.1 5.6 5.0

Our headcount development in The Netherlands is in line with our normal seasonality with moderate growth in H1 and stronger growth in H2. The business lines Engineering and IT remain the biggest contributors to the headcount development in The Netherlands.

There was no impact from the number of working days in Q3. The YTD gross margin adjusted for working days is 28.9% (2017: 28.7%). We have continued to proactively hire new talented professionals and have started training initiatives in all our business lines in Q3 to ensure availability of candidates in the current scarce labor market. For the short term, this has caused a slightly lower productivity and gross margin. For the longer term, however, this will fuel continued growth.

Operating costs include continuous investments in technology and digital tools. These additional costs and the lower productivity limited our EBIT growth.

The investments in technology and digital tools include pilots in new markets. The pilot of our end to end platform 'Pack' in Amsterdam, will be concluded in Q4. The learnings of these pilots are, and will be, integrated across Brunel, to further differentiate our added value and to create more efficiencies. The additional costs of these market initiatives in 2018 are EUR 2.5 million.

Working days:

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY 2018 64 61 65 64 254 2017 65 61 65 63 254





Australasia (unaudited) P&L amounts in EUR million Q3 2018 Q3 2017 VAR.% YTD 2018 YTD 2017 VAR.% Revenue 30.4 25.1 21% a 86.4 70.5 23% b Gross Profit 2.5 1.9 28% 7.0 5.2 34% Gross margin 8.1% 7.6% 8.1% 7.4% Operating costs 2.5 2.0 25% c 7.5 6.1 23% d EBIT - -0.1 75% -0.5 -0.9 38% EBIT % -0.1% -0.5% -0.6% -1.2% Average directs 917 624 47% 925 516 79% Average indirects 80 61 31% 77 69 12% Ratio direct / Indirect 11.5 10.3 12.0 7.5 a -5 % like-for-like b 3 % like-for-like c 5 % like-for-like d 14 % like-for-like Like-for-like is measured excluding the impact of currencies and acquisitions

Australasia achieved a breakeven result in the third quarter. The revenue growth is the result of the acquisition of SES Labour Solutions in September 2017. We continue to work on the finalisation and commissioning of large projects in Oil & Gas that started years ago. We see the level of activities in Oil & Gas industry in Australasia increasing, but no significant new projects are expected to start before 2020.

Middle East & India (unaudited) P&L amounts in EUR million Q3 2018 Q3 2017 VAR.% YTD 2018 YTD 2017 VAR.% Revenue 22.6 14.8 53% a 62.1 45.9 35% b Gross Profit 4.0 2.2 82% 11.0 6.4 71% Gross margin 17.8% 15.0% 17.7% 14.0% Operating costs 1.9 1.5 27% c 5.5 5.1 8% d EBIT 2.1 0.7 208% 5.5 1.3 307% EBIT % 9.1% 4.5% 8.8% 2.9% Average directs 3,478 1,211 187% 2,992 1,096 173% Average indirects 116 106 9% 114 105 9% Ratio direct / Indirect 30.0 11.4 26.2 10.4 a 53 % like-for-like b 44 % like-for-like c 26 % like-for-like d 14 % like-for-like Like-for-like is measured excluding the impact of currencies and acquisitions

Middle East & India continued its strong performance. In Q3, one significant project was completed, and new projects will start in Q4. Throughout the region, we see increased activities and opportunities for 2019, and positive results from our strategy to diversify and increase our added value.

Rest of world (unaudited) P&L amounts in EUR million Q3 2018 Q3 2017 VAR.% YTD 2018 YTD 2017 VAR.% Revenue 58.2 46.9 24% a 157.6 143.4 10% b Gross Profit 9.1 6.3 45% 24.4 20.0 22% Gross margin 15.7% 13.4% 15.5% 13.9% Operating costs 8.3 8.1 2% c 25.9 25.7 1% d EBIT 0.8 -1.8 144% -1.5 -5.7 74% EBIT % 1.4% -3.9% -1.0% -4.0% Average directs 2,545 3,166 -20% 2,768 3,089 -10% Average indirects 373 388 -4% 382 377 2% Ratio direct / Indirect 6.8 8.2 7.2 8.2 a 26 % like-for-like b 10 % like-for-like c 9 % like-for-like d 7 % like-for-like Like-for-like is measured excluding the impact of currencies and acquisitions

The rest of the world returned to profitability in the third quarter. The strong growth is driven by strong performances in the Americas and in the Russia & Caspian region. Most regions are now profitable or on their way to breakeven with both revenue and EBIT showing significant growth compared to 2017.

In the USA, our shutdown and maintenance organisation, that we started last year, is close to completing the first project successfully and profitable. We have also won a significant project in the Permian Basin in Texas, the biggest shale oil producing region in the USA. With this entrance to the shale market we also decided to open an office there.

Outlook for 201

8

We reiterate the outlook announced last quarter and expect to reach revenues of between EUR 875 million and EUR 925 million and EBIT between EUR 32 million and EUR 38 million for the full year 2018.

The economic outlook for our sectors remains strong and we believe our diversification strategy, focused on high satisfaction among our direct and indirect employees and clients, will further increase revenues. At the same time, we are full steam ahead with the investments in digital tools and solutions to drive our performance.
LONDON, November 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Rock stars and screen icons today released "One More Yard" - an EP they have recorded in tribute to the sacrifice of young World War 1 soldiers and to raise awareness of today's war on cancer.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/778769/Evamore_One_More_Yard.jpg )



YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAegsV3O4s4

Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, Sinead O'Connor, Imelda May, and acclaimed actor Cillian Murphy recorded "One More Yard" - a song inspired by the heroism and letters home from a young Irish soldier who was killed in 1917. It has been released on Evamore Records and is available to download and stream here: https://lnk.to/EvamorePR.

The EP is part of the Evamore project (http://www.evamore.co.uk) which was founded by leading scientific entrepreneur Professor Sir Chris Evans as he was conducting research on creating a new cancer awareness charity. He was struck by the emotional struggle of young people confronted with cancer and how similar their written expressions and fighting spirit were to those of young soldiers thrust into the grim trenches of WW1.

Sir Chris researched thousands of WW1 letters and used the actual words and phrases of the soldiers to write a collection of original songs. The project will see an album of songs produced and launched within the next six months and proceeds will go to a new Cancer Awareness Trust which will provide expert clinical advice and guidance to cancer sufferers around the world to help maximise their chances of controlling and overcoming their battles with this disease.

Sir Chris said: "It was incredibly moving to see how the words of soldiers 100 years ago were so similar to those of young people suffering from cancer today. We can only now honour the sacrifice of those a century ago but there is so much to be done to help those who are locked into the greatest struggle of their lives as they confront cancer. We are very privileged that some of the greatest names in rock music and wonderful actors have chosen to get involved in our project."

Ronnie Wood said: "As someone who has had to deal with cancer, I am delighted to be part of this new awareness initiative - it's a great idea backed by some brilliant scientific people. I love the track One More Yard - a sad true story set to a haunting melody. It was a pleasure playing on it. I hope everyone gets behind this great charity, and there will be more to come."

Nick Mason said: "This is an outstanding project that allows people such as myself to pay our tribute to the young men of 100 years ago who fought for our freedom but also to do something to help young people facing cancer today."

"One More Yard" includes a prologue section featuring haunting instrumentation from Brian Eno, with Cillian Murphy reading extracts of letters written by Lieutenant Michael Thomas Wall from the Royal Irish Regiment to his mother in Dublin. Battling one more yard across no man's land was a phrase often repeated by many soldiers in their letters and diaries.

Contact:

Ramsay Smith

Media House International

+44(0)7788-414856

+44(0)207-710-0020

+44(0)141-22-0-6040
LONDON, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / November 2, 2018 /Anglo Pacific Group PLC ("Anglo Pacific", the "Company" or the "Group") (LSE: APF, TSX: APY), the London and Toronto listed royalty company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Vanessa Dennett as an independent non-executive director of the Company, effective from 1 November 2018. Vanessa will also serve on the Company's audit and remuneration committees.

Vanessa is a highly experienced mining executive, most recently as Senior Legal Counsel at Anglo American plc, specialising in M&A transactions and joint ventures. She brings a wealth of international transaction experience to the Board at a time when the Company is looking to accelerate its rate of growth. Vanessa is a qualified solicitor (England and Wales) as well as a qualified attorney, notary and conveyancer (South Africa).

Click on, or paste the following link into your web browser, to view the announcement in full.

http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/0988G_1-2018-11-1.pdf

For further information:

Anglo Pacific Group PLC +44 (0) 20 3435 7400 Julian Treger - Chief Executive Officer

Kevin Flynn - Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary Website: www.anglopacificgroup.com BMO Capital Markets Limited +44 (0) 20 7664 8020 Jeffrey Couch / Tom Rider Canaccord Genuity Limited +44 (0) 20 7523 8000 Martin Davison / James Asensio Peel Hunt LLP +44 (0) 20 7418 8900 Ross Allister / James Bavister / David McKeown Capital Market Communications Limited (Camarco) +44 (0)20 3757 4997 Gordon Poole / Owen Roberts / James Crothers

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE:Anglo Pacific Group PLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/526963/Board-Changes
-- Proceeds provide OMEICOS with the financial runway to conduct the Phase II Study PROMISE-AF and continue expansion into ophthalmology through US subsidiary --

OMEICOS Therapeutics, a Berlin-based biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and ophthalmic diseases, today announced the closing of a EUR 17 million (approx. USD 19.5 million) Series C financing led by new investor Forbion. Existing investors Vesalius Biocapital II S.A. SICAR, Remiges BioPharma Fund, SMS group GmbH, KFW Group, VC Fonds Technologie Berlin, High-Tech Grunderfonds II GmbH Co. KG and The Falck Revocable Trust participated as well. The proceeds from this round will finance PROMISE-AF, a placebo controlled, double-blinded, randomized, dose finding Phase II study on OMT-28 in maintenance of sinus rhythm after electrical cardioversion in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation. Additionally, OMEICOS will continue to drive the expansion of its pipeline into novel indications including ophthalmology, led by its US-based subsidiary OMEICOS Ophthalmics.

"This financing arrives in a particularly exciting time for the OMEICOS team as we accelerate plans to initiate our Phase II study of OMT-28, OMEICOS' novel safe rhythm stabilizer developed for patients with atrial fibrillation. The investment of Forbion confirms the excellent work of the entire team and supports our ambitious plans in atrial fibrillation and other indications," commented Robert Fischer, MD, CEO/CSO of OMEICOS Therapeutics.

Holger Reithinger, Ph.D. General Partner at Forbion added: "We've been following the OMEICOS story for some time and are very positive about the progress. The unique concept of a novel treatment for atrial fibrillation together with the excellent safety data of OMT-28 convinced us to invest and support the future growth of the company."

Christian Schneider, Ph.D. Managing Partner at Vesalius Biocapital commented: "The addition of Forbion is another consequent step in the successful development of OMEICOS. The shareholders highly welcome Forbion's commitment to join forces in order to accelerate the company's development pipeline in indications with high unmet medical need."

OMEICOS is developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and ophthalmic diseases. The compounds are synthetic analogs of naturally occurring, but metabolically unstable, metabolites of omega-3 fatty acids that can activate anti-arrhythmic, cardio protective and anti-inflammatory pathways. OMEICOS' first-in-class small molecules can be administered orally and have shown improved biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties compared to their natural counterparts. Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of heart arrhythmia affecting an estimated 33.5 million people worldwide. Incidence is expected to increase over the next decade as life expectancy increases. The disease is associated with significant health risks and current therapies have limited efficacy and safety.

OMEICOS Ophthalmics was established in Boston, MA, USA in August 2017 to focus on a clinical development program for OMEICOS' ophthalmological drug indications. OMEICOS' compounds are currently in preclinical development for macular edema disease, including wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy. New treatments for wet AMD are needed to reduce the burden of repeated, frequent injections of therapeutics into the eye, and to offer more convenient routes of administration.

--- Meet OMEICOS Therapeutics at BIO-Europe 2018 in Copenhagen: Dr. Robert Fischer, CEO of OMEICOS will give a company presentation on Tuesday, November 6th, 4:45 pm, Cardiovascular track, Room B1 ---

About OMEICOS

OMEICOS Therapeutics is a spin-off company from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin. The company has discovered a series of metabolically robust synthetic analogues of omega-3 fatty acid-derived epoxyeicosanoids that have the potential to treat inflammatory, cardiovascular and other diseases. Epoxyeicosanoids, as a newly described class of bioactive lipid mediators, activate cell type-specific endogenous pathways that promote organ and tissue protection. OMEICOS' small molecules are orally available and show improved biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties compared to their natural counterparts. OMEICOS' technology is based on ground-breaking scientific results in the field of omega-3 fatty acid metabolism and physiology obtained by the companies' founders, Dr. Wolf-Hagen Schunck, Prof. John. R. Falck, Prof. Dominik Mueller and Dr. Robert Fischer. The companies' research activities are supported by a grant from the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). www.omeicos.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005019/en/

Contacts:

OMEICOS Therapeutics GmbH

Dr. Robert Fischer, +49 (0) 30 9489 4810

CEO, CSO

r.fischer@omeicos.com

www.omeicos.com

or

Media requests:

MacDougall Biomedical Communications

Mario Brkulj or Amanda Houlihan

+49 89 2424 3494 or +1 781-235-3060

omeicos@macbiocom.com
Forbion invests 12.5m from its recently launched Forbion IV fund

OMEICOS is pioneering the development of stable analogs of omega-3 fatty acid metabolites for Cardiovascular Disease and Ophthalmology

Forbion, a leading European life science venture capital firm, today announces that it has led a 17m Series C financing of OMEICOS Therapeutics GmbH, a privately held biopharmaceutical company based in Berlin, Germany.

Forbion is the only new investor participating in the financing round, contributing 12.5m from its recently launched Forbion IV Fund. Existing OMEICOS investors, Vesalius Biocapital II S.A. SICAR, Remiges BioPharma Fund, SMS Group GmbH, KFW Group, VC Fonds Technologie Berlin, High-Tech Grunderfonds and The Falck Revocable Trust participated in the financing.

OMEICOS is developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and ophthalmic diseases. Epoxyeicosanoids are naturally occurring, but metabolically unstable, metabolites of omega-3 fatty acids that can activate anti-inflammatory, anti-arrhythmic and cardio protective pathways in heart cells. OMEICOS' first-in-class small molecules are metabolically robust, synthetic analogs of epoxyeicosanoids. These can be administered orally and have shown improved biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties compared to their natural counterparts.

In July OMEICOS announced that a Phase I safety and tolerability study for its lead compound, OMT-28, designed for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, met its primary endpoint and that it intends to accelerate initiation of a Phase II trial.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of heart arrhythmia affecting an estimated 33.5 million people around the world (Circulation, 2013). Incidence is expected to increase over the next decade as life expectancy increases.

The proceeds from this round will finance PROMISE-AF, a placebo controlled, double-blinded, randomized, dose finding Phase II study on OMT-28 in maintenance of sinus rhythm after electrical cardioversion in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

Holger Reithinger, Ph.D., General Partner at Forbion commented: "After having closely monitored OMEICOS for some time, we felt really encouraged by their latest data in both atrial fibrillation and age-related macular degeneration, causing us to pull the trigger on an investment from our recently closed Forbion IV fund. Proceeds will be used to finance a Phase II trial with OMT-28, after the company generated excellent safety data in a Phase I trial. We see further upside potential of the compound class in additional indications beyond cardiology."

As part of the financing round, Holger Reithinger will join the OMEICOS Board of Directors.

Dr. Robert Fischer, CEO and CSO of OMEICOS Therapeutics added: "This investment by Forbion is a great endorsement of the company and its team. With Forbion, OMEICOS gains a very knowledgable shareholder that will contribute to finetuning our plans to progress our development pipeline. This is a particularly exciting time for the OMEICOS team as we accelerate plans to initiate a Phase II study of OMT-28, our lead development candidate for the treatment of atrial fibrillation."

ENDS

About Forbion

Forbion is a dedicated life sciences venture capital firm with offices in The Netherlands and Germany. Forbion invests in life sciences companies that are active in the (bio-) pharmaceutical space. Forbion's investment team has built an impressive performance track record since the late nineties with successful investments in over 50 companies. Forbion manages well over EUR 1 billion across ten funds. Forbion is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. Besides financial objectives, Forbion selects investments that will positively affect health and well-being of patients. Its investors include the EIF, through its European Recovery Programme (ERP), LfA, Dutch Venture Initiative (DVI) facilities and AMUF facilities and the KFW through the ERP Venture Capital Fondsfinanzierung facility. Forbion operates a joint venture with BGV, the manager of seed and early stage funds focused on Benelux and Germany. For more information, please visit: www.forbion.com.

About OMEICOS

OMEICOS Therapeutics is focused on developing a novel class of synthetic bioactive lipid mediators for the treatment of cardiovascular, ophthalmic and other chronic inflammatory diseases. OMEICOS' compounds activate cell type-specific endogenous pathways that promote organ and tissue protection. OMEICOS' small molecules are orally available but can be used in other application routes as well. OMEICOS has the exclusive, worldwide license for IP rights from Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany, and UT Southwestern, Texas, USA, to develop its lead compound OMT-28 and has established a comprehensive pipeline of discovery and pre-clinical stage compounds. OMEICOS is financed by a strong consortium of private and public VC investors and its research activities are supported by a grant from the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). For more information, please visit: www.omeicos.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005025/en/

Contacts:

Forbion

Holger Reithinger

General Partner

P: +49 172 252 9032

E: Holger.Reithinger@forbion.com

or

Media

Instinctif Partners (on behalf of Forbion)

Melanie Toyne-Sewell/Ashley Tapp

P: +44 (0) 20 7457 2020

E: forbion@instinctif.com
Acquisition of one of Germany's leading creative agencies will help Accenture Interactive create end- to-end brand experiences for clients

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire Kolle Rebbe, one of Germany's leading creative agencies, known for its digital-first approachThe Hamburg-based agency will become part of Accenture Interactive and strengthen its ability to create and deliver integrated brand experiences for clients in Germany and across other geographies. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005156/en/

Founded in 1994, Kolle Rebbe delivers brand-building campaigns that combine award-winning creative with a dedicated focus on digital customer interaction. It is responsible for some of the most-recognized campaigns in recent years in Germany, such as Google's "Life is a Search," Lufthansa's sayyestotheworld, Audi's "Next Level Luxury," the campaign for Ritter Sport, which has been running successfully for ten years, as well as the launch of Netflix programs, Narcos and Better Call Saul

Kolle Rebbe creates cross-channel advertising campaigns and digital content for clients across various industries, including brands such as Audi, DAZN, Netflix and TUI Cruises. Trade publication W&V ranked Kolle Rebbe the seventh largest independent agency in Germany by revenue, while Horizont ranked Kolle Rebbe #4 in its list of the most creative agencies in Germany in 2018. The agency employs approximately 300 artists, designers, digital designers, technologists, concept engineers and copywriters at its Hamburg headquarters.

"While Accenture Interactive already works for many leading brands in Germany, we know that propelling our future growth requires expanding our portfolio of marketing and digital services to deliver even more innovative customer experiences to our clients," says Matthias Schrader, head of Accenture Interactive, Germany. "Together with Kolle Rebbe, we will have the ability to deliver end-to-end brand experiences, from activation in traditional media to targeting in programmatic channels and personalised content and e-commerce. Acquiring Kolle Rebbe advances our global strategy to bolster Accenture Interactive's creative footprint and talent in the market."

"With the addition of Kolle Rebbe to the Accenture Interactive team, we will greatly strengthen our ability to create, build and run the greatest customer experiences for our clients in Germany," said Anatoly Roytman, head of Accenture Interactive in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Latin America. "The Kolle Rebbe team and their robust capabilities will complement and enhance our presence in Germany, and inject a greater level of creativity and data-driven experiences that we can deliver to our clients."

Fabian Frese, chief creative officer, Kolle Rebbe, added: "The advertising market in Germany is undergoing significant change. Clients are increasingly looking for agencies with global reach and a full-service portfolio from ideation to execution. However, one thing remains unchanged: creative ideas still matter. We believe that, as part of Accenture Interactive, we will have a stronger impact by blending creativity with strategy and technology to create truly differentiating brand experiences. By joining the Accenture Interactive family, we will also bring new exciting opportunities to our employees."

Kolle Rebbe is Accenture's third recent acquisition in Germany. In January 2018, Accenture Interactive acquired Mackevision, a leading producer of computer-generated imagery and immersive content. In June 2018, Accenture acquired strategic design consultancy designaffairs to join its Industry X.0 team. In 2017, Accenture Interactive acquired a majority stake in digital agency SinnerSchrader. Kolle Rebbe is part of a series of moves that Accenture Interactive has made globally to strengthen its creative capabilities, including the addition of agencies such as Karmarama in the U.K, Rothco in Ireland, and The Monkeys in Australia.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions underpinned by the world's largest delivery network Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 459,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture Interactive helps the world's leading brands transform their customer experiences across the entire customer journey. Through our connected offerings in design, marketing, content and commerce, we create new ways to win in today's experience-led economy. Accenture Interactive is ranked the world's largest digital agency in the latest Ad Age Agency Report, for the third year in a row. To learn more, follow us accentureACTIVE and visit www.accentureinteractive.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "positioned," "outlook" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: Accenture and Kolle Rebbe will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties' ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for Accenture; Accenture's results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic and political conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company's clients' businesses and levels of business activity; Accenture's business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company's services and solutions including through the adaptation and expansion of its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings, and a significant reduction in such demand or an inability to respond to the changing technological environment could materially affect the company's results of operations; if Accenture is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company's business, the utilization rate of the company's professionals and the company's results of operations may be materially adversely affected; Accenture could face legal, reputational and financial risks if the company fails to protect client and/or company data from security breaches or cyberattacks; the markets in which Accenture operates are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; changes in Accenture's level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in tax laws or in their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse effect on the company's effective tax rate, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition; Accenture's profitability could materially suffer if the company is unable to obtain favorable pricing for its services and solutions, if the company is unable to remain competitive, if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful or if it experiences delivery inefficiencies; Accenture's results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; as a result of Accenture's geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; Accenture's business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; Accenture's work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; if Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; if Accenture does not successfully manage and develop its relationships with key alliance partners or fails to anticipate and establish new alliances in new technologies, the company's results of operations could be adversely affected; Accenture's ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; Accenture might not be successful at acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; if Accenture is unable to protect its intellectual property rights or if Accenture's services or solutions infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company loses its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others, its business could be adversely affected; changes to accounting standards or in the estimates and assumptions Accenture makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; many of Accenture's contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company's revenues and impact its margins; Accenture's results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; Accenture might be unable to access additional capital on favorable terms or at all and if the company raises equity capital, it may dilute its shareholders' ownership interest in the company; Accenture may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the "Risk Factors" heading in Accenture plc's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture's expectations.

Copyright 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005156/en/

Contacts:

Accenture ASG

Dr. Thomas Wittek

External Communications Lead

+49 175 57-63105

thomas.wittek@accenture.com

or

Accenture Interactive

Alexandra Annable

Global Media Relations Manager

+44 7918780916

alexandra.annable@accenture.com
WUHU, China, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 29, Chery First Fan Festival ended with a visit to Chery in Wuhu. After visiting Chery's plant and test center, and experiencing its new models, Chery's global owners acquired deeper knowledge of Chery's solid technology, outstanding quality and advanced process, and felt its superior products at close range.

Perfection from styling to manufacturing

Engines are "hearts" of cars. On the morning of October 29, Chery's global owners first visited Chery's No. 2 engine plant. They viewed the engines and production processes independently built by Chery. Accompanied by a professional engineer, they reviewed the use of Chery engines on Chery cars. As a loyal Chery owner, Assem from Iraq expressed his deep feelings. From A1, A3 to Tiggo, he witnessed the development of Chery engines. As a renowned international auto brand, Chery has persistently conducted independent R&D. With thermal efficiency of over 37.1 percent, Chery's third-generation engines represented by 1.6TGDI can rival European and American luxury brands in fuel economy and power. Chery 3.0 cars powered by such engines are well worth expectation.

Then the overseas owners visited Chery's welding shop, assembly shop and collision & NVH laboratory. Chery's welding shop featuring an "automatic flexible welding line" is highly automated and up to world leading standards; with an internationally advanced collision safety test system, Chery's collision laboratory meeting the requirements of C-NCAP, E-NCAP, as well as American standards and safety regulations, can simulate vehicle collisions under various conditions. To earn customer trust, you must respect customer needs. At Chery's styling center, the overseas owners learned out "H.D.S" and other design concepts. Chery invited them to evaluate models from exterior to interior, to solicit their opinions and advice, thereby building products better meeting needs of overseas consumers.

Early experience of new models, recognition of Chery's strength

Offering customers the best riding and driving experiences is Chery's persistent pursuit. All new models of Chery, including Arrizo 6, Tiggo 8, Tiggo 4 and Arrizo 5, appeared at Chery Longshan Test Center. Arrizo 6 attracted special attention. "Arrizo 6 has a good CVT, fast acceleration response, trendy and dynamic appearance, as well as a high-end console. I look forward to the launch of it in my country," said a test driver. The overseas drivers highly praised the test drive. In the test drive, Chery's performance in control, space, noise reduction and acceleration was recognized by all.

The one-week journey to China covered three characteristic Chinese cities. We left heavy footprints in Shanghai's time-honored Town God's Temple, next to Suzhou's classical buildings and in Chery's plant in Wuhu; we came all the way here to experience the traditional culture and development speed of China. This is not only our destiny, but also a move of Chery to fulfill its vision of offering customers better experiences. The service concept of customer foremost, advanced manufacturing process, tremendous R&D strength and precise QA system also show an extraordinary Chery to the world. Amid a burst of laughter, Chery First Fan Festival was wrapped up. A better "Chery" looks forward to meeting a better "You".



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SOFIA, Bulgaria, November 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The event was aimed at partnering with local industry on the Combat Vehicles Modernization program for the Bulgarian Army

Elbit Systems, an international defense high technology company, held a Defense Industry Day in Sofia Bulgaria this week. The event that was attended by the Israeli Ambassador in Bulgaria, Mrs. Irit Lillian, dozens of officials from the Bulgarian industry, senior officials and experts from Elbit Systems who presented the company's capabilities in the fields of combat vehicles systems. The main purpose of the event was to host local Bulgarian industries which are interested in collaborating with Elbit Systems on this program.

Elbit Systems is a world leader in the field of manned and unmanned turrets (UT) and Remote Controlled Weapon Stations (RCWS) with more than 30 years of experience in this field and dozens of successful programs already on track around the globe, including:

UT 30mm on the MOWAG Piranha IIIC 8X8 vehicles for the Belgian Army

UT 30mm integrated with 2 "Spike" missiles on Patria AMV 8X8 vehicles for the Croatian Armored Vehicle Program

UT 30mm integrated with 2 "Spike" missiles on STEYR PANDUR II 8X8 light wheeled armored vehicles for the Portuguese Navy

8X8 light wheeled armored vehicles for the Portuguese Navy UT 30mm on IVECO 6X6 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) and 12.7/7.62 mm RCWS to the Brazilian Army

Additional UT30 MKII, ORCWS and mortars to a EU customer as well as to some other undisclosed customers

Seeking strategic partners to collaborate with for the long run, Elbit Systems has an expansive and successful track record in partnering with local industries, conducting orderly transfer of "know-how" as part of an industrial collaboration programs and operates local manufacturing, integration and assembly facilities in a growing list of countries. Elbit Systems is looking to partner with Bulgarian companies as part of the 6x6/8X8 Combat Vehicles Modernization Program for the Bulgarian Army. This large scale program is also an opportunity to build a foundation for a Bulgarian based export.

About Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international high technology company engaged in a wide range of defense, homeland security and commercial programs throughout the world. The Company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance ("C4ISR"), unmanned aircraft systems, advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, signal intelligence systems, data links and communications systems, radios and cyber-based systems. The Company also focuses on the upgrading of existing platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial applications and providing a range of support services, including training and simulation systems.

For additional information, visit: http://www.elbitsystems.com, or follow us on:Facebook ,Twitter andYoutube

Elbit Systems Ltd., its logo, brand, product, service, and process names appearing in this Press Release are the trademarks or service marks of Elbit Systems Ltd. or its affiliated companies. All other brand, product, service, and process names appearing are the trademarks of their respective holders. Reference to or use of a product, service, or process other than those of Elbit Systems Ltd. does not imply recommendation, approval, affiliation, or sponsorship of that product, service, or process by Elbit Systems Ltd. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring by implication, estoppel, or otherwise any license or right under any patent, copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property right of Elbit Systems Ltd. or any third party, except as expressly granted herein.

Contacts:

David Vaaknin

VP, Head of Corporate Communications

Tel: 972-77-2946691

Cell: 972-52-8000403

david.vaaknin@elbitsystems.com

Dana Tal-Noyman

Manager Corporate Communications & Digital

Tel: 972-77-2948809

Cell: 972-54-9998809

dana.tal@elbitsystems.com
LONDON, November 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The Military Helicopter Market 2018-2028

Forecasts by Type (Attack, Reconnaissance, Heavy Cargo, Medium Utility, Light Utility, Maritime, Search and Rescue), by Procurement Type (New Acquisitions, Upgrades) Contracts, Programmes, and Leading Companies. Hind, Blackhawk, VTOL, Black Shark, Chinook NH90

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/523989/Visiongain_Logo.jpg )



The latest report from business intelligence provider Visiongain offers comprehensive analysis of the global Military Helicopter market. Visiongain assesses that this market will generate revenues of $26808.7mn in 2018.

How this report will benefit you

Read on to discover how you can exploit the future business opportunities emerging in this sector. Visiongain 's new study tells you and tells you NOW.

In this brand-new report, you find 131 in-depth tables, 125 Figures- all unavailable elsewhere.

The 299-page report provides clear detailed insight into the global Military Helicopter market. Discover the key drivers and challenges affecting the market.

By ordering and reading our brand-new report today you stay better informed and ready to act.

Report Scope

 Global Military Helicopter market forecasts from 2018-2028

 Regional Military Helicopter market forecasts from 2018-2028

 Country Military Helicopter forecasts from 2018-2028 covering U.S.

- UK

- Germany

- India

- Turkey

- France

- Australia

- Italy

- South Korea

- Russia

- Japan

- China

- Brazil

- UAE

- Algeria

- Taiwan

- Saudi Arabia

- Canada

- Iraq

- Spain

- ROW

 Military Helicopter submarket forecasts from 2018-2028 covering types

 Analysis of the key factors driving growth in the global, regional and country level Military Helicopter markets from 2018-2028

 Profiles and market share of the leading Military Helicopter procurement types in 2018 at a global level and for leading countries

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Who should read this report?

 Anyone within the value chain.

 Business development managers

 Marketing managers

 Technologists

 Suppliers

 Investors

 Banks

 Government agencies

 Contractors

Visiongain 's study is intended for anyone requiring commercial analyses for the Military Helicopter market and leading companies. You find data, trends and predictions.

Buy our report today Military Helicopter. Avoid missing out by staying informed - get our report now.

To request a report overview of this report please contact Sara Peerun atsara.peerun@visiongain.com or refer to our website:https://www.visiongain.com/report/the-military-helicopter-market-2018-2028/

AgustaWestland

Alenia

ARINC Engineering Services

ATE Aerospace

Australian Aerospace Ltd

AVIC

AVX Aircraft

BAE Systems

Bell Helicopter

Bell Helicopter Textron

Bell-Boeing (partnership for V-22)

Bendix

Boeing Company

Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS)

Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC)

CHC Helicopter

China Helicopter Research and Development Institute (CHRDI)

Denel

Dillon

EADS CASA

EADS North America

Eurocopter

Eurocopter Deutschland

Eurocopter Espana

Eurocopter France

European Aeronautics Defence & Space Company (EADS)

Finmeccanica (now Leonardo)

FLIR Systems

Fuji Heavy Industries

Galileo Avionica

General Dynamics

General Electric (GE)

GKN Aerospace

GRPZ

Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Company (HAMC)

Helibras

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL)

Honeywell International Inc

Indra

Isdefe

ITT Corporation

Kaman Corporation

Kamov Design Bureau

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd

Kazan Helicopter Plant

Klimov JSC

Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd (KAI)

Korean Air

Korean Air Aerospace

L-3 Communications

Lectern Aviation Supplies Co.

Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company (LHTEC)

Litton

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control

MD Helicopters

Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant (Mil Helicopter)

Mitsubishi Group

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd

Nexter

NHIndustries (NHI)

Phazotron

PZL Mielec

PZL Swidnik

Raytheon

Roketsan

Rolls-Royce

Rosoboronexport

Rostvertol Plc

Royal Bank of Scotland

Russian Helicopters

Sagem

Sichuan Lantian Helicopter Company

Sikorsky Aerospace Services

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Soteria Consortium

Stork Fokker Aerospace

Telephonics

Textron Inc

Thales

Thales UK

Thales Underwater Systems

Turbomeca

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI)

TUSAS Engine Industries Inc (TEI)

UIC Oboronprom

United Technologies Corporation (UTC)

Viking Air

To see a report overview please e-mail Sara Peerun onsara.peerun@visiongain.com
XI'AN, China, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Shaanxi Province, now completely open to the foreign media, recently hosted a major media event for many reporters from the foreign media, including Associated Press, the European Pressphoto Agency, the Anadolu Agency (Turkey), EFE (Spain), NHK (Japan), the Kyodo News Agency, Fuji Television and Mainichi Shimbun. An interview team comprised of representatives of these media outlets was formed to visit and undertake interviews in Xi'an, Yan'an, Tongchuan and Hanzhong, according to the Publicity Office of Shaanxi Provincial CPC Committee.

Over five days, the reporters visited and conducted interviews at LONGi Silicon, China Railway Express (located in the Xi'an International Trade & Logistics Park), Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Yan'an Energy and Chemical Co. (SYPYEC), the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses, and others. In words, images and videos they endeavored to chronicle the changes and developments in Shaanxi during the five years since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative.

In the factory production area of SYPYEC the reporters were greatly impressed with the company's new method of resource conversion and utilization, that is characterized by cleanliness and efficiency, as well as a capacity for comprehensive development. According to Hirotomo Takahashi, chief of the Fuji Television Beijing Bureau, "Opportunities to visit Chinese energy companies are few and far between. The development of a circular economy, whether from the perspective of production or the environmental protection, is greatly beneficial." Likewise, at LONGi Silicon, the production of monocrystalline silicon, as well as technological research and development and quality assurance processes, caught the attention of the foreign media. "China has numerous enterprises engaged in clean energy development, whilst the number worldwide is still relatively low. Hopefully other countries will increasingly commit to the development of clean energy, in order to protect our common home." responded Fuat Kabakci of Anadolu Agency in an interview with the Chinese media.

At the Emperor Qinshihuang Mausoleum Site Museum, the reporters were amazed by the Eighth Wonder of the World, the magnificent Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses. During this visit, the reporters learnt more about the historical and cultural value of the Emperor Qinshihuang Mausoleum and its unearthed cultural relics, especially the archaeological excavation of the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses, and the preservation of these relics.

Roman Pilipey of European Pressphoto Agency went on to publish more than a hundred photos to showcase to European audiences the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses and Chenlu Ancient Town, as well as the production and export development of Shaanxi coal mines; the Spanish EFE introduced the photovoltaic energy manufacturer Xi'an LONGi Silicon and the SYPYEC's Yan'an Coal-Gas-Oil Resources Integrated Utilization Project and such like; the Japanese media outlets, Kyodo News Agency and NHK, focused on the operation of Xi'an Chang'an China Railway Express, which has facilitated extensive communication about China's achievements in the One Belt and Road construction. Through this visit, Hirotomo Takahashi (Fuji Television) anticipates revealing to his Japanese audience the modern Xi'an, and just how fast China's inland cities have been growing.

Shaanxi -- one of the points of origin of Chinese people and civilization and long referred to historically as "Qin" -- has a long history and a rich culture. The provincial capital, Xi'an, is a pivotal central city in Western China, the country's significant base of research and development, education and industry; it is also one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, and the eastern starting point of the ancient Silk Road.

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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.
- The GS5 comes with GAC Motor's third-generation 1.5T GDI engine complete with six technical innovations

- Features high-performance driving chassis, high-sensitivity steering system and 35.48m shortest-in-class, sports-car-level braking distance

- Offers spacious cabin design, 2,710mm wheelbase and all-flat rear floor

- Includes Minimum NVH, negative ion air quality system, and high-adaptation suspension that significantly reduces vibration for a smoother drive on level roads.

- Now on sale in China

GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- GAC Motor, China's leading automaker, has released its newest, most comfortable and technologically-advanced medium- to high-end SUV, the GS5, at a product launch event held at the Asia Games Town Gymnasium in Panyu District, Guangzhou.

First unveiled at the recent Paris Motor Show, the GS5 has already made a huge impression with its stunning appearance and emphasis on driving comfort. The GS5's design specifically caters to young consumers living in cities, offering a balanced driving and riding experience that fulfills consumers' needs for practical utility as well as creating personal value by achieving a sense of premium appeal.

Powered by GAC Motor's new generation of car-building technologies, the GS5 SUV is a benchmarking creation that combines rideability and advanced technologies, typifying GAC Motor's pursuit of manufacturing excellence.

Robust power

Developed using GAC Motor's Cross-platform Modular Architecture (G-CPMA), the GS5 utilizes new third-generation "Ti Power" to achieve a perfect balance between stability and comfort.

The GS5 adopts GAC Motor's next-generation 1.5T GDI engine delivering a vibrant and exciting driving experience with enhanced performance:

Peak torque of 270T;

Strong power per litre performance, up to 83KW/L;

Torque per litre of 177NM/L;

Equipped with Aisin 6-speed hydrodynamic automatic transmission;

Features six technical innovations including continuous variable valve timing, patented GCCS combustion control technology and Bosch high-pressure injection system.

The GS5 features an upgraded, high-performance driving chassis.

0.088-second rapid steering response time;

Ultra-small roll angle at bends of up to 0.6g;

35.48 m shortest-in-class and sports-car-level braking distance;

shortest-in-class and sports-car-level braking distance; 74 km/h anti-rollover maximum speed;

Dramatically reduced vibration on level roads;

2.38 dB minimum-in-class pulse vibration.

GAC Motor has leveraged its global supply chain system to create world-class products. For example, the compressive capacity of the GS5's roof is far beyond the most stringent U.S. regulatory limits, and the model's five-star enhanced safety package comprises ten smart driving safety guarantees.

Style refined with strength

The GS5's forward-leaning stance is represented by the brand's iconic 'Flying Dynamics' front grille that forms a bold and cohesive structure while spreading its wings into both of the diamond-cut LED matrix headlights to create the impression of taking off.

The body of the GS5 features a suspended roof design and stunning 19-inch machined rims. The dynamic model also boasts rear smart skyline LED run-through taillights and roaring chrome-plated double exhaust pipes.

The GS5 offers best-in-class cabin space both in the front and rear while enhancing the joys of driving with a panoramic sunroof and Qiyun AI mobility solution.

Some of the GS5's functions are remote-controlled, such as activating the onboard triple air purification function with a simple tap of a smartphone.

The GS5 is the latest achievement of GAC Motor's integrated global supply chain; it's a strong player in the compact SUV market sector and is destined to be a future star of the GAC Motor family after the GS4 and GS8.

About GAC Motor

Founded in 2008, Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor CO., LTD (GAC Motor) is a subsidiary of GAC Group which ranks 202nd among Fortune Global 500 companies. The company develops and manufactures premium quality vehicles, engines, components and auto accessories. GAC Motor has now ranked first among all Chinese brands for six consecutive years in J.D. Power Asia Pacific's China Initial Quality Study SM (IQS), demonstrating the company's quality-centric strategy from innovative research and development (R&D), manufacturing to supply chain and sales & services.

For more information, please visit:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GACMotor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gac_motor

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/gac_motor

Media Contact:

Sukie Wong

+86-186-8058-2829

GACMotor@126.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779035/GAC_Motor_group_launch.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779031/GAC_MOTOR_GS5_SUV.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779033/GAC_MOTOR_Qiyun_AI_solution.jpg
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 2, 2018 / BTU METALS CORP. ("BTU" or the "Company") (BTU-TSX:V) is pleased to welcome Mr. Tony Pryslak to its Advisory Board effective immediately. Mr Pryslak is an institution in the Red Lake camp having been working in NW Ontario since the 1960s including holding increasingly senior posts as mapper and Resident Geologist in Red Lake. In addition, Mr Pryslak has held senior geological positions at major corporations, including posts with Abitibi-Price and BP Minerals and as a consulting geologist to Goldcorp and Rubicon.

Mr Pryslak's 50 years' experience at Red Lake includes work in recent years consulting with BTU's vendor of the recently acquired Dixie Halo South project.

BTU Director and geologist Doug Hunter stated "Mr Pryslak is a highly esteemed geologist with a significant pedigree throughout Canada and within the Red Lake district in particular. One of the first to map the Dixie area, Tony identified the hinge offset in 2014-15, pre Great Bear's discovery, and its importance to BTU's newly acquired Dixie Halo South project. His concept of an offset, faulted and tracing down southwest from Great Bear is significant knowledge for BTU. Work has now begun towards proofing this theory by following structures confirmed by the recent Fugro Airborne survey (see Condor report here)."



2015 South Dixie Map by Tony Pryslak

The technical contents of this release were approved by Douglas Hunter, PGeo, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The property has not been the subject of a National Instrument 43-101 report, and Mr. Hunter has not verified the technical data disclosed in this release due to the historic nature of reports quoted.

*Note grab samples are selected samples and are not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property.

About BTU Metals Corp

BTU Metals is a Canadian-based junior exploration company focused on its highly prospective Dixie Halo properties adjoining Great Bear resources Ltd. on north, east and southern borders located in Red Lake, Ontario. For more information on BTU Metals Corp. please visit our website located at www.btumetals.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Paul Wood"

Paul Wood, CEO, Director

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Telephone: 1-604-683-3995

Toll Free: 1-888-945-4770

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.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward -looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at WWW.SEDAR.COM).

SOURCE: BTU METALS CORP

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/526978/BTU-Appoints-Past-Red-Lake-Resident-Geologist-Mr-Tony-Pryslak-To-Advisory-Board
Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 2, 2018) -White Metal Resources Corp. (TSXV: WHM) ("White Metal" or the "Company") is pleased to report the following:

Little Joanna Gold Property

White Metal is pleased to report on its initial due diligence grab sampling from the recently optioned Little Joanna Gold Property (the "Property"), located in Central Newfoundland. A total of seven grab samples, all with anomalous gold (+40 ppb Au), were collected from quartz vein bearing sedimentary rocks, and range from 40 ppb Au to 229.3 g/t Au (6.70 oz/t Au), averaging 48.5 g/t Au (1.41 oz/t Au). The highest grade sample (229.3 g/t Au) contained visible gold and was collected from subcrop near the main showing, whereas the next two highest grade samples (38.7 g/t and 70.7 g/t Au) were collected from outcrop of quartz vein bearing sedimentary rocks.

The Little Joanna property is approximately 25 km northeast of the town of Glenwood, is accessible by resource roads that originate from either Glenwood or Birchy Bay, and comprises 280 claim units, covering 7,000 hectares (see News Release dated October 23, 2018). The Property is approximately 45 km northeast of the Moosehead Gold Project of Sokoman Iron Corp. (TSXV:SIC). Sokoman Iron Corp. recently announced their gold-bearing discovery drill hole (Sokoman Iron Corp. News Release, dated July 24, 2018), reporting 44.96 g/t Au over 11.90 metres (from 109.00 to 120.90 metres).

The Little Joanna gold property is a new high-grade gold discovery in an area with little known exploration. The main Little Joanna showing is a 25 to 31 cm wide compact quartz vein within a highly altered, carbonated sedimentary melange of shale, conglomerate and siltstone. Hand trenching by the vendors exposed the vein for a couple of metres. Fine, visible gold is observed throughout the vein and selected grabs samples by the Vendor assayed up to 734 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) (23 oz/ton Au); average sampling of the quartz vein is approximately 189 g/t Au (5.9 oz/t Au.). As much of the Property is covered by overburden, the Company believes that significant potential exists for the discovery of additional gold-bearing quartz veins. Past work on the Property by Noranda Exploration (1988-1989) reported up to 44g/t Au in boulder samples and outlined 1.15 g/t Au and 5.2 g/t Au basil till sample anomalies.

The Property is largely underlain by Early to Late Silurian siliciclastic sediments and lesser subaerial mafic and felsic volcanic rocks including the Silurian Botwood Group (Wigwam and Lawrenceton formations), similar to the geology and northeast-trending structures found on Sokoman Iron's Moosehead gold project to the southwest.

Commencement of Shebandowan Gold Exploration Programme

The Company is also pleased to announce that diamond drilling has begun at its 100% owed Shebandowan Gold Property, located in northwestern Ontario, Canada (see News Release dated October 19, 2018). The drilling program is planned to consist of 3 holes totalling approximately 500 metres, and will follow-up on an area where former owner, Benton Resources Inc. (TSXV:BEX), intersected a gold zone assaying 19.5 g/t Au over 0.80 metres at a depth of 262 metres (drill hole SH-11-003). The current drilling program will be focused on drilling up-dip of hole SH-11-003 in order to test for the near-surface expression of the gold zone.

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Scott Jobin-Bevans (P.Geo.), Vice President Exploration and a Director of White Metal, who is a Qualified Person under the definitions established by the National Instrument 43-101.

About White Metal Resources Corp (TSXV: WHM):

White Metal Resources Corp is a junior exploration company exploring for gold in Canada.

For more information in regards to White Metal Resources Corp. you can visit the company's Web Page at www.whitemetalres.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of White Metal Resources Corp.

"Jean-Pierre Colin"

Jean-Pierre Colin, President, CEO and Director

For further information contact:

Jean-Pierre Colin

President, CEO & Director

(416) 573-4300

jpcolin.whitemetal@gmail.com

or

Michael Stares

Director

684 Squier Street

Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, P7B 4A8

Phone: (807) 628-7836

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.
CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / November 2, 2018 / Jade Leader Corp. (TSX-V: JADE) ("Jade Leader" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that the first ever drilling program on its DJ project in Washington State, for which Jade Leader has an option to earn a 100% interest, is now underway. Drilling started with a portable core rig on October 30th, 2018 to test the full interpreted width and length of the Lode 1 Jade zone. Lode 1 was initially identified at surface through intermittent Jade outcrop and subcrop over a strike length of some 140 meters, but pre-drilling field work extended it to over 170 meters. Drill testing of the Lode 2 target is planned to immediately follow first pass Lode 1 drilling. The Company expects to report progress as drilling of each target is completed, core logged and the geological information plotted and interpreted.

The first two short drill holes completed to date on Lode 1 total 34.10 meters and have returned the information required to refine target geometry for the balance of Lode 1 drilling. The plan consists of a total of 8 holes drilled to depths of 50-60 meters on 4 sections spaced 20 to 30 meters apart. While the initial plan was to test 50 meters of strike length on Lode 1, the current plan is to extend testing over a minimum of 90 meters of strike length.

Mr. Jean-Pierre Jutras, P.Geol., President of the Company, is the Qualified Person for the Company's Jade projects as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Jean-Pierre Jutras"

Jean-Pierre Jutras

President/Director

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

Except for the historical and present factual information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release, including words such as "expects", "projects", "plans", "anticipates" and similar expressions, are forward-looking information that represents management of Jade Leader's internal projections, expectations or beliefs concerning, among other things, future operating results and various components thereof or the economic performance of Jade Leader. The projections, estimates and beliefs contained in such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause Jade Leader's actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, those described in Jade Leader's filings with the Canadian securities authorities. Accordingly, holders of Jade Leader shares and potential investors are cautioned that events or circumstances could cause results to differ materially from those predicted. Jade Leader disclaims any responsibility to update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Jade Leader Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/526987/Jade-Leader-Begins-DJ-Project-Drilling
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 2, 2018) - Advantagewon Oil Corp., (CSE: AOC), (OTCQB: ANTGF), (the "Corporation", "Advantagewon", "AOC") announced today the results of the Corporation's Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of Shareholders which was held on Wednesday October 31st, 2018 at 11:00 am EST at the Corporation's head office in Toronto.

The Corporation is pleased to report that all items that were set out in the Notice of the Meeting were duly passed at the AGM including the appointment of UHY McGovern, Hurley LLP., as the Corporation's Auditor, the approval of the Corporation's current Stock Option plan and the election of the Directors. Each of the nominee Directors recommended by Management, and listed in the Corporation's Information Circular, and Proxy Statement dated September 14th, 2018 were elected as a Director of the Corporation for a term ending at the next Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. Out of the 210,122,431 Common Shares eligible to vote at this year's AGM, proxies were received from the holders of 24,425,940 Common Shares, representing a voting percentage of 11.6%. The voting results are as follows:

Appointment of Auditors

Votes For Votes Against Abstain Percentage in Favor For 24,425,940 Nil / 0 Nil / 0 100%

Approval of Stock Option Plan

Votes For Votes Against Abstain Percentage in Favor For 24,374,905 51,035 Nil / 0 99.9%

Election of Directors

Name of Nominee Votes For Abstain / Against Percentage in Favor For Stan Dimakos 23,043,214 1,382,726 94.3% Charles Dove 23,434,677 991,263 95.9% Jason Ewart 23,043,214 1,382,726 94.3% Paul Haber 22,051,144 2,374,796 90.2% Frank Kordy 24,376,595 49,345 99.8%

Mr. Charles Dove stated: "Since my appointment back in December of 2017, I have focused the efforts of the Corporation on expanding production, decreasing debt, and increasing the Corporation's incoming revenue streams with the goal of building AOC into a cash flow positive entity. In the first 6 months of 2018, we nearly doubled our incoming revenue streams as we reported revenues of $427,145 CDN for the six months ended in 2018 vs. $264,600 CDN for the six months ended in 2017. In Q3, we unlocked multiple sources of Oil on our properties that were previously not on production and we continue to find more wells that we feel we can put back onto production very cost effectively. We will be moving forward with the resumption of drilling in the near future. The Management team will continue to work hard in advancing the Corporation forward for all shareholders."

About Advantagewon Oil Corp.

Advantagewon is focused on building consistent cash flow from low cost, low risk oil wells in the State of Texas. AOC applies specialized expertise to increase oil recovery from 10-15% to up to 75% for each well. Once the enhanced recovery strategy is successfully applied, AOC will repeat the process throughout the oil pool to maximize output and minimize cost and risk. Advantagewon's common shares are listed on the OTC Markets in the United States and on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") in Canada. Advantagewon is a member of the CSE Composite Index (CSE:AOC). For more information please visit www.aoc-oil.com.

For further information please contact:

Mr. Charles Dove

CEO & Director

Advantagewon Oil Corp.

T: (403) 815-2440

E: charles.dove@aoc-oil.com

W: www.aoc-oil.com

Mr. Paul Haber

Chairman & Director

Advantagewon Oil Corp.

T: (416) 318-6501

E: paul.haber@aoc-oil.com

W: www.aoc-oil.com

Mr. Frank Kordy

Secretary & Director

Advantagewon Oil Corp.

T: (647) 466-4037

E: frank.kordy@aoc-oil.com

W: www.aoc-oil.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made as of the date of this document and the Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. Although Management believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such. Neither CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

- 30 -
SpendEdge, a global procurement market intelligence firm, has announced the release of their Global Big Data as a Service Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005356/en/

Global Big Data as a Service Category Procurement Market Intelligence Report. (Graphic: Business Wire)

This procurement market intelligence report analyzes the supply market for big data as a service and offers a comprehensive overview of the technological, regulatory, and other socio-economic factors that will have a great impact on the performance of this category. Analysis of such factors will play a major role in shaping a sustainable procurement strategy that includes the procurement these services in the best market price and opting for the top big data as a service companies who are suited to the buyer's business goal. Download the free Sample Report to know more about the major cost drivers and strategic supplier selection insights for the big data as a service market.

According to this procurement report, factors like the higher adoption of IoT in manufacturing and healthcare industries that are generating large volumes of data and increasing adoption of hybrid cloud solutions will result in market growth. In addition to this, sectors like the BFSI, retail, and commercial industries are the major adopters of the big data as a service solution, making the market's growth prospects promising. This category caters to the requirement of critical big data solutions that include storing, processing, and analyzing large volumes of data. Get personalized guidance from our procurement experts to devise a market strategy that is customized to your business' requirements.

"In a data-driven environment, the most crucial procurement practice for the buyer is to ensure the functionality of the security measures employed by top big data as a service companies. Category buyers should also access suppliers for security standard certifications such as ISO 27001, SOC 1, SOC 2 and PCI-DSS," says SpendEdge procurement expert Tridib Bora.

Our procurement experts at SpendEdge have highlighted the following KPIs to be crucial for developing an optimal procurement strategy and ensuring business continuity:

With limited scope for reduction in prices, innovations by suppliers in terms of category delivery and performance enhancement play an integral role in reducing the ownership costs for buyers.

Analyze suppliers' disaster recovery and backup capabilities

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SpendEdge's procurement market intelligence reports for the information technology 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: Big data as a service market

Category ecosystem

Market favorability index for suppliers

Competitiveness index for suppliers

Threat of new entrants

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Category management enablers

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SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. To know more, https://www.spendedge.com/request-free-proposal

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005356/en/

Contacts:

SpendEdge

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Marketing Manager

US: +1 630 984 7340

UK: +44 148 459 9299

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us
JERUSALEM, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi Arabian Embassy but did not walk out. It appears that an attempt was made to drug him and return him to his home country to stand trial for charges against the government. Article 6 of the law in Saudi Arabia states that it is "punishable by imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and a fine of not more than SAR 3 million or one of these penalties for a number of crimes, including the production of anything that violates public order, religious values, morals, the inviolability of private life, or preparation, transmission or storage of it through the Internet or a computer."



Mike Evans reports that he was quietly told, first in Israel by a former high-level member of Mossad, and later in a meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials, that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman approved the mission to arrest Khashoggi and bring him to

Justice

Just as Israel did with Adolf Eichmann. Unfortunately, the persons charged with secretly arresting the

Journalist and flying him back to stand trial for incitement accidentally killed him with an overdose and then panicked. It was then that the cover-up ensued.

Evans then flew to the UAE and heard the story repeated twice more before flying to Saudi Arabia and hearing it yet again. While in the various countries, Evans met with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense. He also held meetings with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance, Education, as well as the Secretary General of the Islamic World League, and members of ETIDAL Center (Combating Extremist Ideology).

According to sources, Khashoggi was not choked, but stopped breathing after he was drugged to get him from Turkey back to his home country. It was reported that Khashoggi had apparently been in a long-term relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical organization firmly aligned with Turkey and Qatar.

Khashoggi's last article in The Washington Post broadcasts some of his long-standing disapprovals: "Even in Tunisia and Kuwait, where the press is considered at least 'partly free,' the media focuses on domestic issues but not issues faced by the greater Arab world. They are hesitant to provide a platform for

Journalists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Yemen. Even Lebanon, the Arab world's crown

Jewel when it comes to press freedom, has fallen victim to the polarization and influence of pro-Iran Hezbollah."

Despite rabid finger-pointing by Turkey, Evans says the Saudis were well aware that the embassy cameras were trained on the corridors. According to an unidentified source, "No one was authorized to kill Khashoggi. We knew we had every right to smuggle him out and arrest him, as he is a Saudi citizen."

Evans was in a delegation that had a two hour meeting with the Crown Prince. "I told the Crown Prince the story of 'Operation Eichmann.' I knew it well because Isser Harrel, who planned the operation, shared it with me at his home one evening over dinner. I told the Crown Prince that I believe he did the same thing and drugged him to bring back to charge him for incitement, but the drug killed him. The Prince never denied it, he simply talked about how unfortunate the whole event was. He said, 'even a prince can make a mistake.'"

At the close of World War II, Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi Transportation Administrator who had been assigned the duty of ensuring that trains packed with

Jews heading to the death camps were kept in good working order, and assumed various aliases and identities in an attempt to elude Allied authorities and evade responsibility for his wartime atrocities.

In 1960, the Mossad, Israel's Intelligence Agency headed by Isser Harel, planned and executed "Operation Finale." The intelligence agents tracked Eichmann to his village, drugged him, and brought Eichmann to Israel. There, the fugitive stood trial on charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes against the

Jewish people. He was convicted in 1961, and, after all appeals were exhausted, he was hanged. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered across the Mediterranean.

Such was the plan for

Jamal Khashoggi, a plan that went awry, resulting in his death, according to information sources gathered by Evans from three other countries.

********

Mike Evans is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with 92 published books, including The New Iran. He is the founder of Friends of Zion Museum in

Jerusalem of which the late President Shimon Peres, Israel's ninth president, was the chair. He also serves on the Trump Faith Initiative.

info@fozhc.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1fbebabe-a0b8-46a6-8103-a48d28cf34de




The global cosmetic implants market 2019-2023 is expected to post a CAGR of more than 7% during the forecast period, according to the latest market research report by Technavio

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005471/en/

Technavio predicts the global cosmetic implants market to post a CAGR of more than 7% by 2023 (Graphic: Business Wire)

A key factor driving the growth of the market is the increasing adoption of aesthetic procedures. Aesthetic appearance is increasingly gaining importance among individuals to maintain their self-esteem and confidence. Hence, individuals are increasingly adopting cosmetic implants, which are safe. The awareness of safe cosmetic implants is also driving the adoption rate. Media platforms are providing wider coverage about the benefits of cosmetic implants to increase awareness in the market through various means such as the promotion of cosmetic implant treatment by celebrities.

This market research report on the global cosmetic implants market 2019-2023also provides an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook during the forecast period. Technavio classifies an emerging trend as a major factor that has the potential to significantly impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

In this report, Technavio highlights the rise in the number of cosmetic surgeons as one of the key emerging trends in the global cosmetic implants market:

Global cosmetic implants market: Rise in the number of cosmetic surgeons

The number of cosmetic surgeons is rising due to the increase in cosmetic procedures globally. With evolving courses and training in cosmetic surgery offered by academic institutions like the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery, there are more individuals graduating to become cosmetic surgeons to cater to the aesthetic demands from individuals all over the world.

"Surgeons performing cosmetic implant procedures are increasing due to improved training courses on cosmetic implants offered by various academic institutions. For instance, the California Implant Institute offers education courses on dental implants, and the New York Implant Institute offers courses on fundamental principles of implant dentistry. The courses are leading to more students graduating in this field to become cosmetic surgeons," says a senior analyst at Technavio.

Global cosmetic implants market: Segmentation analysis

This market research report segments the global cosmetic implants market by products (dental implants, breast implants, and others) and geographical regions (APAC, EMEA, and the Americas).

The Americas led the market in 2018 with a market share of more than 45%, followed by APAC and EMEA respectively. The region is expected to continue to dominate the market during the forecast period.

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Some of the key topics covered in the report include:

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market size and forecast

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation

Geographical Segmentation

Regional comparison

Key leading countries

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Competitive scenario

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

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Seche Environnement aims to become a leading operator in South Africa and Southern Africa, to take advantage of growth in these high-potential markets.

Regulatory News:

Seche Environnement (Paris:SCHP) has announced its intention to acquire, through its wholly owned South African subsidiary Seche South Africa Proprietary Limited (collectively, "Seche"), 100% of the shares in Interwaste Holdings Limited ("Interwaste"), a South African waste management specialist. The transaction will be implemented via a scheme of arrangement whereby Seche South Africa is offering Interwaste's shareholders ZAR 1.20 per share. This bid has been approved by Interwaste's board of directors and independent board after valuation by an independent expert.

With this acquisition, Seche Environnement aims to build a strong position at the heart of a highly promising region, spanning South Africa and Southern Africa, thus taking advantage of growth and transformation of its waste markets in a circular economy approach.

Acquisition of key player in South African waste management markets

Interwaste is one of the rare integrated operators managing hazardous and non-hazardous waste in South Africa and is one of the main players serving waste markets across South Africa and neighboring countries.

The group has a solid base of industrial, local and multinational clients, most of which operate in the mining and raw materials sector.

Founded in 1989, Interwaste has a workforce of around 1,900 people. Its growth has been led by an experienced, professional and autonomous management team. Interwaste has ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification and its recent, high-performance facilities comply with international standards.

In 2017, the Company generated consolidated sales of ZAR 1,034 million (around 62m) and EBITDA of ZAR 213 million (around 13m), with net profit totaling ZAR 54 million (around 3m). At end 2017, its net debt totalized ZAR 157 million (around 9m).

The Company has been listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange since 2007 and has a market capitalization of around ZAR 440 million (around 25m).

The following shareholders own more than 5% of Interwaste's share capital: founder and CEO Alan Willcocks's holding company, the Wilco Family Trust, and investment fund Coronation Capital. The float represents 44.3% of the shares, leaving 8.7% in treasury stock.

A growth platform for Seche Environnement at the heart of high-potential regions

The planned acquisition is consistent with Seche Environnement's strategy to expand in international waste markets harboring high growth potential and gaining from demographic, economic, environmental and regulatory trends.

It will reinforce Seche Environnement's presence in Southern Africa, serving targeted, high value-added industrial clients in the mining, raw materials and energy sectors.

Seche Environnement intends to turn Interwaste into a platform for growth in South Africa and Southern Africa, as part of a geographical, industrial and commercial diversification drive and to meet the growing need for waste recovery and treatment solutions among economic players in these regions.

Seche Environnement will bolster Interwaste's competitive leadership and create mutually beneficial synergies by bringing recognized expertise in the management of hazardous waste to Interwaste and enhancing its range with new solutions for processing certain types of technical waste, whilst also benefiting from Interwaste's excellence in logistics.

As a specialist in the circular economy, Seche Environnement also wants to speed up Interwaste's strategic approach to material and energy recovery from waste to meet the challenges and regulatory obligations faced in these regions.

Transaction schedule

On October 18, 2018, Seche entered into an offer and implementation agreement with Interwaste Holdings which set out the terms of the scheme of the arrangement and certain other matters relating to the transaction.

On November 2, 2018, Seche (together with Interwaste) filed a firm intention announcement in relation to the scheme of arrangement with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange authorities with a view to acquiring 100% of Interwaste's equity capital at a unit price of ZAR 1.20. The offer price implies a 47.9% premium to the 30 day volume weighted average price of the shares as at 28 September 2018, the trading day immediately preceding the issue by Interwaste of a cautionary announcement in connection with the transaction on 1 October 2018.

Seche also announced that Interwaste's two largest shareholders, being the investment vehicle of the founder and CEO, the Wilco Family Trust and investment fund Coro Capital Proprietary Limited, have irrevocably undertaken to sell a total of 47% of Interwaste's share capital (which calculation includes 8.7% treasury shares), at a price of ZAR 1.20 per share. These undertakings illustrate the main shareholders' confidence in the scheme of arrangement.

In the event the scheme of arrangement is a success (i.e. at least 75% of the shareholders vote in favour of the transaction (which shall include the two main shareholders who have already indicated their assent), a mandatory sell-out procedure will be automatically triggered on all of the remaining shares owned by minority shareholders in order to de-list Interwaste from the main board of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

The acquisition of 100% of Interwaste's equity is expected to cost around 32m, which would be financed using drawdowns from Interwaste's bank facility of July 2018.2

Subject to the approval of Interwaste's shareholders and of the stock exchange and regulatory authorities and the fulfilment of the transaction conditions, the acquisition is anticipated to complete in the first quarter of 2019, which means it will have no impact on Seche Environnement's financial position at December 31, 2018.

Calendar

Consolidated annual results at December 31, 2018 March 11, 2019 after market close

About Seche Environnement

Seche Environnement is one of France's leading players in the recovery and treatment of all types of waste, from both industry and local communities.

Seche Environnement is the leading independent operator in France. It is uniquely positioned as a specialist in highly complex waste, operating within regulated waste recovery and treatment markets with high barriers to entry.

Its facilities and expertise enable it to provide high value-added solutions to its industrial and public authority clients, targeting the challenges of the circular economy and sustainable development requirements, such as:

the material and energy recovery of hazardous and non-hazardous waste;

a comprehensive range of treatment solutions for solid, liquid and gaseous waste (thermal, physical-chemical and radiation treatment, etc.);

the storage of final hazardous and non-hazardous waste;

eco-services such as decontamination, decommissioning, asbestos removal and rehabilitation.

Leveraging its extensive expertise, Seche Environnement has successfully developed its environmental services business lines in waste management outsourcing markets for its clientele of large communities and major industrial companies both in France and abroad.

Seche Environnement has been listed on Eurolist by Euronext (Compartment B) since November 27, 1997.

It is eligible for equity savings funds dedicated to investing in SMEs and is listed in the CAC Mid&Small and Enternext PEA-PME 150 indexes.

Important notice

This press release may contain information of a provisional nature. This information represents either trends or targets at the date of the press release's publication and may not be considered as results forecasts or as any other type of performance indicators. This information is by nature subject to risks and uncertainties which are difficult to foresee and are usually beyond the Company's control, which may imply that expected results and developments differ significantly from announced trends and targets. These risks notably include those described in the Company's Registration Document, which is available on its website (www.groupe-seche.com). This information therefore does not reflect the Company's future performance, which may differ considerably, and no guarantee can be given as to the achievement of these forward-looking figures. The Company makes no commitment on the updating of this information. More detailed information on the Company can be obtained on its website (www.groupe-seche.com), in the Regulated Information section. This press release does not constitute an offer of shares or a solicitation in view of an offer of shares in any country, including the United States. Distribution of this press release may be subject to the laws and regulations in force in France or other countries. Persons in possession of this press release must be aware of these restrictions and observe them.

1 In the form of a Scheme of Arrangement in terms of the South African Companies Act, 2008

2 See press release from Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Compartment B ISIN: FR 0000039139 Bloomberg: SCHP.FP Reuters: CCHE.PA

CAC MID SMALL Index and ENTERNEXT PEA-PME 150 Index

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Contacts:

Seche Environnement

Manuel Andersen

Head of Investor Relations

+33 (0)1 53 21 53 60

m.andersen@groupe-seche.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 2, 2018) - Romios Gold Resources Inc. (TSXV: RG) (OTC Pink: RMIOF) (FSE: D4R) ("Romios" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Crystal Lake Mining Corp. ("CLM") today reported that it has completed drilling six reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes, four on the Burgundy Ridge Zone, and two on the Northwest Zone of the Newmont Lake Project in BC's Golden Triangle area. Assays of the RC drill material are pending, with results to be announced when assays are received and analysed.

CLM is undertaking this exploration program pursuant to the terms of the Letter Agreement, as set out in the Company's news release of September 24, 2018, whereby CLM can earn a 100% interest in the Company's Newmont Lake Property, which includes the Burgundy Ridge Zone.

About Romios Gold Resources Inc.

Romios Gold Resources Inc., a progressive Canadian mineral exploration company established in 1995, is engaged in precious and base metal exploration primarily focused on gold, silver and copper on its properties in the Golden Triangle area, northwestern British Columbia. In addition to the properties in the Golden Triangle area, Romios holds a 100% interest in the Lundmark-Akow Lake property in Ontario, the LaCorne Property in Quebec and the Scossa Property in Nevada. It also holds a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty on the Hislop property in Ontario.

This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, please contact:

Tom Drivas, President and Director, (tel) 416-221-4124, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) romios@romios.com.

John Biczok, P.Geo., VP, Exploration, (tel) 613-410-7877 or (email) john.biczok@gmail.com

Frank van de Water, Chief Financial Officer and Director, (tel) 416-221-4124 or (email) fvandewater@rogers.com.
A.M. Best has placed under review with developing implications the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (Superior) and the Long Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of "aa-" of Renaissance Reinsurance Ltd. (RenRe), Renaissance Reinsurance U.S. Inc. (RenRe U.S.), RenaissanceRe Specialty U.S. Ltd. (RenRe Specialty U.S. Ltd.), and Renaissance Reinsurance of Europe Unlimited Company (Dublin, Ireland). Additionally, A.M. Best has placed under review with developing implications the Long-Term ICR of "a-" and all Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term IR) of RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (RenaissanceRe) [NYSE: RNR]. A.M. Best also has placed under review with developing implications the FSR of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR of "a+" of DaVinci Reinsurance Ltd. (DaVinci) and the Long-Term ICR of "bbb+" of DaVinci Re Holdings Ltd. All aforementioned companies are domiciled in Bermuda unless otherwise specified. (See below for a detailed listing of the Long-Term IRs.)

The rating actions follow the recent announcement that RenaissanceRe has entered into a definitive agreement with Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. (Tokio Marine) under which it will acquire Tokio Marine's reinsurance platforms, which includes Tokio Millennium Re AG (TMR) and Tokio Millennium Re (UK) Limited. If closing tangible book value is unchanged from June 30, 2018, Tokio Marine would receive USD 1.469 billion (or 1.02x TMR's tangible book value) in a combination of cash and stock. The agreement has been approved by each side's board of directors and the transaction, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval, is expected to close in the first half of 2019.

The transaction is being financed with RenaissanceRe's cash on hand and equity. As part of the acquisition, Tokio Marine will receive $250 million worth of RenaissanceRe shares. Additionally, Tokio Marine has agreed to provide RenRe with a $500 million adverse development cover that will protect TMR's book of reserves for five years.

In addition, RenaissanceRe announced that State Farm will acquire $250 million in RenaissanceRe's stock and become a 4.8% owner of the company, in an investment transaction which is not conditioned on the closing of the Tokio Marine reinsurance platforms acquisition.

The ratings will remain under review pending completion of the transaction and A.M. Best will continue to hold discussions with RenaissanceRe management and monitor the company's risk-adjusted capitalization, operating performance, business profile and enterprise risk management.

The following Long-Term IRs have been placed under review with developing implications:

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.

- "bbb" on $250 million 6.08% Series C perpetual preferred stock

- "bbb" on $275 million 5.375% Series E perpetual preferred stock

RenaissanceRe North American Holdings Inc. (guaranteed by RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.)

- "a-" on $250 million 5.75% senior unsecured notes, due 2020

RenaissanceRe Finance Inc. (guaranteed by RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.)

- "a-" on $300 million 3.7% senior unsecured notes, due 2025

- "a-" on $300 million 3.45% senior unsecured notes, due 2027

The following indicative Long-Term IRs under the shelf registration have been placed under review with developing implications:

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.

- "a-" on senior unsecured

- "bbb+" on subordinated

- "bbb" on preferred stock

RenaissanceRe Capital Trust II

- "bbb" on trust preferred securities

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best press releases, please view Guide for Media Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best Rating Action Press Releases

A.M. Best is a global rating agency and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry. Visit www.ambest.com for more information

Copyright 2018 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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A.M. Best

Mariza Costa

Senior Financial Analyst

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5154

mariza.costa@ambest.com

or

Christopher Sharkey

Manager, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

or

Robert DeRose

Senior Director

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5453

robert.derose@ambest.com

or

Jim Peavy

Director, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644

james.peavy@ambest.com
HOLLYWOOD, FL / ACCESSWIRE / November 2, 2018 / Aluf Holdings, Inc. ("AHIX") ("the Company") (OTC PINK: AHIX) announces that it intends to complete a self-offering private placement financing of units of the Company (the 'Units') at a price of $0.0025 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $4,000,000 (the 'Offering').

Each Unit shall consist of one common share of the Company (a 'Common Share') and one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a 'Warrant'). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share of the Company at $0.005 for a period of 12 months from the date of issuance.

The Company may pay a finder's fee in connection with the private placement within the amount permitted by law. Certain directors, officers and insiders of the Company will participate in the Private Placement. The Offering will be undertaken pursuant to Regulation D, Rule 506(c).

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement to provide partial funding for its planned biometric acquisitions and for general corporate purposes. The private placement is expected to close on or about April 30, 2019.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company and for further information, please contact: Teresa McWilliams, Chief Financial Officer, at t.mcwilliams@alufinc.com.

To view the website, please visit www.alufinc.com. In addition to featuring information regarding the Company and its management, the website also contains the latest corporate news and an email registration allowing subscribers to receive news and updates directly.

About Aluf Holdings, Inc.:

Aluf Holdings, Inc. is a holding company whose primary focus is the identification, acquisition, management, and aggressive growth of companies in the burgeoning biometrics vertical.

AHIX's merger and acquisition model targets unique biometrics enterprises with key common attributes and parameters. These include stellar management, a broad proprietary product and service offering, dedicated research and development, robust margins, high-growth potential, economies of scale, and low barriers to rapid, efficient integration of operations, especially sales, marketing, and customer service. As it expands, AHIX's overall portfolio of products and services will include secure, scalable, digital cyber security solutions for hyper-positive human identification, access management, feasibility studies, customized communications and automation analysis, bespoke software development, and other advanced technologies for facial, voice, fingerprint, finger vein, retinal scan, and recurrent still frame and video comparison verification.

Safe Harbor Statement:

This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E and/or 27E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are based upon assumptions that in the future may prove not to have been accurate and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including statements as to the future performance of the company and the risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although the company believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations or any of its forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause results to differ include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to raise necessary financing, retention of key personnel, timely delivery of inventory from the company's suppliers, timely product development, product acceptance, and the impact of competitive services and products, in addition to general economic risks and uncertainties.

Corporate Contacts:

Aluf Holdings, Inc.

Glenn W. Milligan, President & CEO

Teresa McWilliams, CFO

866-793-1110

SOURCE: Aluf Holdings, Inc.

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Novartis International AG / Novartis data at ASH and SABCS show strength of pipeline and portfolio in hematology and oncology . Processed and transmitted by West Corporation. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Additional analysis from pivotal Phase III SOLAR-1 clinical trial studying investigational alpha-specific PI3K inhibitor BYL719 (alpelisib) and fulvestrant in patients with PIK3CA-mutated HR+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer



Longer term follow-up from global pivotal clinical trials ELIANA and JULIET to be presented at ASH, reporting clinical impact of Kymriah in patients with r/r pediatric B-cell ALL and adult DLBCL



First data presentation for asciminib (ABL001), a chronic myeloid leukemia compound evaluated in patients who are resistant to nearly all targeted CML therapies



New post-hoc analysis of SUSTAIN study of crizanlizumab (SEG101) evaluating the impact of treatment in vaso-occlusive crises in patients with sickle cell disease

Basel, November 2, 2018- Novartis will present new research that may transform the way serious blood diseases and a certain type of breast cancer are treated at the upcoming 60th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego, December 1-4 and the 41st Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), December 4-8. Nearly 150 abstracts will be presented across both congresses, underscoring the strength of the Novartis pipeline and portfolio in hematology and oncology.

"Novartis Oncology has a purpose-driven legacy built on an unwavering commitment to help patients live better and longer lives," said Liz Barrett, CEO, Novartis Oncology. "The breadth and depth of our data at these scientific forums demonstrates how we are acting on our vision to reimagine cancer in a meaningful way for patients by relentlessly pursuing scientific advancements and exploring novel combination treatment options to help those living with hard-to-treat diseases."

Novartis data at the 2018 ASH Annual Meeting will highlight the following:



Updates on outcomes with Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) in adult relapsed or refractory (r/r) patients with diffuse large b-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and pediatric and young adult patients with r/r acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)*:

Updated analysis of the efficacy and safety of tisagenlecleucel in pediatric and young adult patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia [Abstract #895; Monday, December 3, 4:30 PM PT]

Sustained disease control for adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large b-cell lymphoma: an updated analysis of JULIET, a global pivotal Phase 2 trial of tisagenlecleucel [Abstract #1684; Saturday, December 1, 6:15 PM PT]

New post-hoc analysis of the SUSTAIN study evaluating crizanlizumab in patients with sickle cell disease:

Established prevention of vaso-occlusive crises with crizanlizumab is further improved in patients who follow the standard treatment regimen: post-hoc analysis of the Phase II SUSTAIN study [Abstract #1082; Saturday, December 1, 6:15 PM PT]

First reported data for investigational compound asciminib (ABL001) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients with T315I genetic mutation that causes resistance to most BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) approved to treat CML:

Asciminib (ABL001), a specific allosteric BCR-ABL1 inhibitor, in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and the T315I mutation in a Phase 1 trial [Abstract #792; Monday, December 3, 4:00 PM PT]

New data evaluating dabrafenib and trametinib combination treatment in hairy cell leukemia (HCL):

Treatment with combination of dabrafenib and trametinib in patients with recurrent/refractory BRAF V600E-mutated hairy cell leukemia (HCL) [Abstract #391; Sunday, December 2, 12:00 PM PT]

Data evaluating Promacta/Revolade (eltrombopag) in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP):

Bleeding related episodes, thrombotic events and platelet counts among immune thrombocytopenia patients receiving second line therapy [Abstract #2436; Sunday, December 2, 6:00 PM PT]

Treatment of ITP with eltrombopag in patients who have received prior rituximab: a post hoc analysis of the EXTEND study [Abstract #1152; Saturday, December 1, 6:15 PM PT]

Final results from the ITP World Impact Survey (I-WISh) about the burden of disease and impact of ITP on patient quality of life and productivity:

Patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) frequently experience severe fatigue but it is under-reported by physicians: Results from the ITP World Impact Survey

(I-WISh) [Abstract #2273; Saturday, December 1, 6:15 PM PT]

Patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) experience impaired quality of life (QoL), with negative effects on their daily activities, social interactions, emotional well-being and working lives: Results from the ITP World Impact Survey (I-WISh) [Abstract #4804; Monday, December 3, 6:00 PM PT]

New analyses evaluating Rydapt (midostaurin) in patients with FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML):

Prognostic impact of insertion site in acute myeloid leukemia with FLT3 internal tandem duplication: results from the RATIFY study [Abstract #435; Sunday, December 2, 5:00 PM PT]

RATIFY: prognostic impact of FLT3 tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) and NPM1 mutation status in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with midostaurin or placebo plus standard chemotherapy [Abstract #2668; Sunday, December 2, 6:00 PM PT]

RADIUS: A phase 2 randomized trial investigating standard of care  midostaurin after allogeneic stem cell transplant in FLT3-ITD-mutated AML [Abstract #662; Monday, December 3, 10:45 AM PT]

New data evaluating Exjade/Jadenu(deferasirox) in patients with low- and int-1-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic iron overload:

Safety and efficacy, including event-free survival, of deferasirox versus placebo in iron-overloaded patients with low- and int-1-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS): outcomes from the randomized, double-blind TELESTO study [Abstract #234; Saturday, December 1, 5:15 PM PT]

New data evaluating Jakavi (ruxolitinib)** for patients with polycythemia vera who are resistant to or intolerant of hydroxyurea:

Long-term efficacy and safety (5 Years) in RESPONSE, a Phase 3 study comparing ruxolitinib (rux) with best available therapy (BAT) in hydroxyurea (HU)-resistant/intolerant patients (pts) with polycythemia vera (PV) [Abstract #1753; Saturday, December 1, 6:15 PM PT]

Additional data presented at ASH include:

Complete responses in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients on a weekly dosing schedule of XmAb14045, a CD123 x CD3 T cell-engaging bispecific antibody: initial results of a phase 1 study [Abstract #763; Monday, December 3, 2:45 PM PT]

Sandoz, a Novartis division and the pioneer and global leader in biosimilars will present data for the company's pegfilgrastim, filgrastim and rituximab biosimilars:

Cost simulation for the US of febrile neutropenia hospitalization due to pegfilgrastim on-body injector failure compared to single-injection pegfilgrastim and daily injections with reference and biosimilar filgrastim in non-Hodgkin lymphoma [Abstract #2251; Saturday, December 1, 6:15 PM PT]

Subcutaneous versus intravenous rituximab in non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with R-CHOP: economic modeling for the US [Abstract #4776; Monday, December 3, 6:00 PM PT]

Novartis data at the 2018 SABCS Annual Symposium will highlight the following:

New data evaluating Kisqali (ribociclib)*** in broad range of patients with hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer:

Biomarker analysis by baseline circulating tumor DNA alterations in the MONALEESA-3 study [Abstract PD2-05; Wednesday, December 5, 5:00 PM CT]

Ribociclib + endocrine therapy in patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer presenting with visceral metastases: Subgroup analysis of phase III MONALEESA trials [Abstract P6-18-07; Saturday, December 8, 7:00 AM CT]

Ribociclib with endocrine therapy for premenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer: Biomarker analyses from the phase III randomized MONALEESA-7 trial [Abstract PD2-08; Wednesday, December 5, 5:00 PM CT]

Ribociclib treatment benefit in patients with advanced breast cancer with >=1 dose reduction: Data from the MONALEESA-2, -3, and -7 trials [Abstract P6-18-06; Saturday, December 8, 7:00 AM CT]

Additional updates on investigational treatments, BYL719 (alpelisib) and LSZ102:

Alpelisib + fulvestrant for advanced breast cancer: Subgroup analyses from the Phase III SOLAR-1 trial [Abstract GS3-08; Thursday, December 6, 11:15 AM CT]

Phase 1/1b study of novel oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) LSZ102 for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) advanced breast cancer (ABC) with progression on endocrine therapy (ET) [Abstract PD1-08; Wednesday, December 5, 5:00 PM CT]

Sandoz will present US real-world evidence data surrounding cost-effectiveness through use of the company's biosimilar filgrastim-sndz:

Potential Medicare beneficiary out-of-pocket cost reductions through use of biosimilar filgrastim-sndz over reference filgrastim among breast cancer patients: a simulation model analysis [Abstract #675; Friday, December 7, 5:00 PM CT]

Throughout the 2018 ASH Annual Meeting and SABCS Annual Symposium, Novartis will host dedicated content on https://www.novartis.com/our-focus/cancer (https://www.novartis.com/our-focus/cancer) that will feature unique insights and perspectives on emerging areas of cancer care and research.

Product Information

Approved indications for products vary by country and not all indications are available in every country. The product safety and efficacy profiles have not yet been established outside the approved indications. Because of the uncertainty of clinical trials, there is no guarantee that compounds will become commercially available with additional indications.

For full prescribing information, including approved indications and important safety information about marketed products, please visit https://www.novartis.com/our-company/global-product-portfolio (https://www.novartis.com/our-company/global-product-portfolio).

Asciminib (ABL001), crizanlizumab (SEG101), alpelisib (BYL719) and LSZ102 are investigational compounds. Efficacy and safety have not been established. There is no guarantee these compounds will become commercially available.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political and economic conditions; safety, quality or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

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Media release (PDF) (http://hugin.info/134323/R/2223808/871561.pdf)


(ASX:NWM)

Hello Im Rachael Jones for the Finance News Network. Joining me today from Norwest Minerals Limitedis CEO Charles Schaus. Charles welcome to FNN.Thank you very much Rachael, very happy to be here.First up Charles, what can you tell me about your IPO?The Norwest MineralsIPO was launched late last month to raise $6.6 million, in order to explore our gold and base metals projects, all of which are located in Western Australia. These gold and base metal projects have been spun out of Australian Mines Limited, as they focus on developing their very exciting battery mineral assets, located in the eastern states.How has the IPO progressed?The response has been terrific. Im very happy to report that weve received applications well in excess of our $6.6 million IPO target.However, we will continue to accept investments of between $2,000 and $25,000, in order to broaden our retail shareholder base.So we do encourage any retail investors wanting to participate, to submit their application and payments as soon as possible as it is likely we will close the offer, prior to the 15th of November, (the) scheduled closing date.Could you give us an introduction to Norwest Minerals?Norwest Minerals has gold and base metal projects located all in Western Australia. And as I mentioned, these projects have been spun out of Australian Mines, who are 100 per cent focused on their very successful nickel, cobalt and scandium projects, located in Queensland and in New South Wales.Our Board includes our Chairman Michael Tilley who is a very experienced mining executive. We also have Benjamin Bell, who is the Managing Director of Australian Mines, and he has taken their market cap from $25 million, to over $300 million at one point this year.The other three Board members run successful businesses in iron ore, metals trading and property development. And importantly, they are cornerstone investors who have each contributed $1 million of their own funds, at the full 20cent per share listing price.Regarding my background, after working as a geologist in Western Australia for 20 years, I listed Aurox Resources Limitedon the ASX in 2004. I was the Managing Director until 2010, but the company merged with Atlas Iron Limitedin a script deal worth over $130 million.Before we talk about your projects, can you tell us about your strategy timeline?Rachael I like working in Western Australia, because theres a deep pool of mineral exploration expertise to draw from. And this allows work to be carried out quickly and thoroughly. We plan to complete two drilling programs and a large electromagnetic program, prior to the end of this year. The results will generate news flow and more importantly, be used to help prioritise our 2019 project work.Now to your portfolio and exploration program. Can you tell me more about the projects, your plans and their proximity to infrastructure?Norwest Mineralshave several very exciting gold and base metal projects. However, the crowd favourite and the one with massive potential is our North Dovers target, located west of Alice Springs.This target is defined by four by eight-kilometre coincident high magnet, high gravity anomaly.Importantly, Norwest Minerals is the first company ever allowed access to drill this ground. And the Western Australian Government is contributing up to $200,000 toward the drilling, which consists of four 900-metre deep diamond drill holes.Coming in second, is our Bali copper project, located in the Ashburton region of WA, being an eight-kilometre-long mineralised sheer zone having recorded intercepts, of up to six metres at seven per cent copper. Earlier this year, Norwest completed a mapping and surface sampling program that returned numerous results, exceeding 20 per cent copper in rock chips.Our other projects include gold targets at Warriedar, which is located south of Mt Magnet. And gold and VMS targets at Marymia, which is located next to the Plutonic goldmine. Both of these projects will be drilled before the end of the year.Rachael Jones:So what are they key dates and where can investors find out more?The IPO was scheduled to close on the 15th of November (2018). However, depending on how quickly our retail shareholder base expands, we may close early. I would suggest those interested go straight to our website, which is linked directly to our registrar prospectus and the application forms.Last question Charles. Why should people consider investing in this IPO?As I mentioned, Norwest intends to complete drilling programs at Warriedar and Marymiaand complete a large electromagnetic program at Bali prior to the end of 2018. News flow and planning from these results will carry the company into 2019, when the drilling of the massive North Dovers iron oxide copper-gold target, and the eight-kilometre Bali copper sheer zone commences.Charles Schaus, thanks for the update and best of luck for the IPO.Thank you very much Rachael, its been a pleasure.
(Reuters) - Activist investor Carl Icahn sued https://carlicahn.com/commenced-litigation-against-dell-technologies Dell Technologies on Thursday, alleging that the computer maker did not disclose financial information related to its plans to go public by buying back its tracking stock. Icahn, who owns 9.3 percent of Dell, called the proposed deal a 'conflicted transaction that benefits the controlling stockholders, at the expense of the DVMT stockholders'. Dell said in July it would pay $21.7 billion in cash and stock to buy back shares tied to its interest in software company VMware Inc, returning it to the stock market without an initial public offering.

(Reuters) - Activist investor Carl Icahn sued https://carlicahn.com/commenced-litigation-against-dell-technologies Dell Technologies on Thursday, alleging that the computer maker did not disclose financial information related to its plans to go public by buying back its tracking stock.

Icahn, who owns 9.3 percent of Dell, called the proposed deal a "conflicted transaction that benefits the controlling stockholders, at the expense of the DVMT stockholders".

Dell said in July it would pay $21.7 billion in cash and stock to buy back shares tied to its interest in software company VMware Inc, returning it to the stock market without an initial public offering.

Icahn and other hedge fund investors have resisted the plan, saying the proposed deal massively undervalues the tracking stock.

"We believe this is a threat blatantly deployed in an attempt to coerce DVMT stockholders to vote in favor of the merger, or else risk the unknown consequences of the forced IPO conversion," Icahn said on Thursday.

Dell will hold a shareholder meeting on Dec. 11 to vote on the deal.

A Dell spokesman said Icahn's allegations were "unfounded", adding that the company would file a response later in the day.

Icahn is no stranger to lawsuits. He sued AmTrust Financial Services earlier this year over its go-private plans.

The investor also turned legal arguments against Dell in the past, having alleged that Michael Dell and Silver Lake undervalued the company's go-private deal several years ago.

Icahn, along with investor Darwin Deason, also urged Xerox Corp shareholders earlier this year to oppose a sale to Japan's Fujifilm Holdings.

Carl Icahn did not immediately respond to request for comment.

(Reporting by Vibhuti Sharma in Bengaluru, Additional reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
(This story corrects Barclays shares closing price in last paragraph.) By Ishita Chigilli Palli (Reuters) - Barclays Plc said on Thursday that Nigel Higgins, the deputy chairman of Rothschild & Co , would succeed John McFarlane as chairman on May 2 next year when he retires after serving his four-year term. Higgins will join the Barclays Board as a Non-Executive Director on March 1, 2019 and take over as chairman in May after the AGM, the bank said in a statement.

(This story corrects Barclays shares closing price in last paragraph.)

By Ishita Chigilli Palli

(Reuters) - Barclays Plc said on Thursday that Nigel Higgins, the deputy chairman of Rothschild & Co , would succeed John McFarlane as chairman on May 2 next year when he retires after serving his four-year term.

Higgins will join the Barclays Board as a Non-Executive Director on March 1, 2019 and take over as chairman in May after the AGM, the bank said in a statement.

"In Nigel Higgins we have found an ideal candidate. He is a hugely respected banker, a strategic thinker, someone with extensive international experience, and he has a strong positive leadership style," said Crawford Gillies, who led the process to appoint a successor to McFarlane.

Barclays, one of Britain's biggest banks, has been subject to radical transformation in recent years and has faced uncertainty over its leadership, mainly due to regulatory scrutiny of chief executive Jes Staley's treatment of a whistleblower.

Since taking over as CEO in December 2015, Staley has pushed an investment banking-led strategy that has drawn criticism from some shareholders and been the target of a campaign by activist investor Edward Bramson.

Bramson's Sherborne Investors holds a 5.4 percent stake in the bank and was in talks with Barclays earlier this year about replacing McFarlane as part of an overhaul.

Sherborne told 2018's AGM in May "you are not getting rid of me yet." When he retires next year he will have served his full four-year term.

"Succeeding John McFarlane, who has done such a sterling job during a period of great change at Barclays, is a huge honour.... I am totally committed to helping Barclays and its people continue to develop and progress," Higgins said.

Barclays said in its statement Higgins has extensive experience of banking and financial services, gained through a 36-year career at Rothschild.

It added he had a strong track record as a strategic adviser to multiple major corporations and governments, a wealth of experience in building teams and culture on an international scale, and in growing businesses.

Sherborne is a specialist "turnaround" fund that wants Barclays to improve its financial strength and competitive position.

The bank last week reported third quarter profit before tax of 1.6 billion pounds ($2.07 billion), excluding litigation and conduct costs, above the 1.33 billion pounds expected by analysts polled by the bank.

The profit excluded costs from litigation and fines for misconduct, which have blighted Barclays in recent years as it paid out for misdeeds during and after the financial crisis.

Barclays shares closed at 175.54 pence on Thursday. They are down nearly 14 percent so far this year.

(Reporting by Ishita Chigilli Palli and Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; editing by David Evans and Alexandra Hudson)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The board, at its meeting held Thursday, evaluated the company's proposal to transfer properties worth Rs 6,500 crore to DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL) to settle its dues

New Delhi: Realty major DLF Ltd Thursday reported an over 26-fold jump in consolidated net profit at Rs 374.74 crore for the September quarter and announced plans to form a joint venture with a fund managed by US-based Hines to develop a prime commercial project in Gurugram.

The board, at its meeting held Thursday, also evaluated the company's proposal to transfer properties worth Rs 6,500 crore to DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL) to settle its dues, the company said in a regulatory filing. DCCDL is its joint venture with Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC.

DLF's net profit stood at Rs 14.16 crore in the year-ago period. The profit rose sharply as it earned a profit of Rs 239.01 crore from associate companies and joint ventures.

Total income rose to Rs 2,304.9 crore in the July-September quarter of this fiscal from Rs 1,751.34 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Last year, DLF formed a joint venture with GIC after its promoters sold a stake in the rental arm DCCDL to Singapore's investment firm for Rs 9,000 crore.

DLF has 66.66 per cent stake in the JV while GIC has the rest in DCCDL, which owns a bulk of the commercial assets of the realty group.

"DLF Home Developers, a wholly owned subsidiary of DLF, has entered into a non-binding term sheet with a fund managed by Hines (a privately owned global real estate investment, development and management firm) for forming a 51:49 partnership to develop a high-end commercial project on a land parcel of 11.76 acres situated in Gurugram," the filing said.

The transaction documents are under negotiation and subject to all other approvals as might be applicable.

In February this year, DLF bought 11.76-acre land in Gurugram for nearly Rs 1,500 crore in an e-auction conducted by the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC).

To consolidate its rental/commercial assets within DCCDL and reduce the inter-company payables between the company and DCCDL, DLF said that its board considered a proposal to transfer its interest in certain commercial properties at an estimated enterprise value of Rs 6,000-6,500 crore.

The board asked the management to present the detailed proposals to the audit panel.

In August, DLF had said it would settle Rs 8,500 crore payable to DCCDL by 2020, mainly by transferring certain assets.

DCCDL currently holds about 27 million sq ft of rent-yielding commercial assets, largely in Gurugram, with annual rental income of about Rs 2,400 crore.

The JV was formed in December 2017 when DLF promoters sold entire 40 per cent stake in DCCDL for nearly Rs 12,000 crore. This deal included sale of 33.34 per cent stake in DCCDL to GIC for about Rs 9,000 crore and buyback of remaining shares worth about Rs 3,000 crore by DCCDL.
HCC approved a rights issue of up to Rs 500 crore to strengthen company's financial profile and to refocus its efforts on its core construction and engineering business

New Delhi: Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) Ltd Thursday posted a loss of Rs 1,525.23 crore for the July-September quarter, hit by an exceptional loss of Rs 2,011.13 crore due to impairment charges related to Lavasa Corporation.

The company had reported a profit of Rs 11.60 crore during the same quarter a year ago, the company said in BSE filing.

"HCC has written off its entire investment of Rs 1,046 crore in Lavasa Corporation as a matter of prudence pursuant to the admission of its 68.7 percent owned subsidiary into NCLT under IBC," HCC said in a statement.

A wholly-owned subsidiary, HCC Real Estate Limited (HREL), holds 68.7 percent stake in Lavasa Corporation.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Mumbai on 30 August admitted an application filed against Lavasa Corporation Limited (LCL) by an operational creditor and initiated the resolution process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

Accordingly, the company has impaired its exposure in both the companies, HCC said.

Besides writing off investments and financial assets of Rs 1,265.19 crore in the two group companies, HCC has also taken over liabilities aggregating Rs 745.94 crore pursuant to settlement agreements with the lenders of LCL, the BSE filing said.

During the said quarter, the company said, its total income fell to Rs 994.40 crore from Rs 1,031.93 crore in July-September of 2017-18 fiscal.

However, its total expenses were lower at Rs 988.78 crore as against Rs 1,014.43 crore in the year-ago-quarter.

The company emphasised that the write-off has no impact on HCC cash flows.

HCC has fully accounted for all of its contingent liability obligations given to Lavasa lenders, including corporate guarantees and put options, it mentioned.

"The sum total impact of all write-offs in the quarter, adjusted for tax is Rs 1,531 crore. Having comprehensively accounted for its entire exposure to Lavasa, HCC expects no further impact on account of its erstwhile subsidiary."

HCC's Board of Directors also approved a rights issue of up to Rs 500 crore to strengthen the company's financial profile and to refocus its efforts on its core engineering and construction business.

Arjun Dhawan, Director and Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) said, "It was a busy quarter which we sold a material BOT (build operate and transfer) asset, ring-fenced HCC from the potentially adverse consequences of Lavasa's insolvency, kick-started our rights issue process, drew down our fresh operational bank guarantee limits, further deleveraged, and won a marquee contract."

The company's gross debt reduced to Rs 3,616 crore as of September 30, 2018, from Rs.4,072 crore as on September 30, 2017. HCC's order book currently stands at Rs 19,114 crore, the company said.

The company, in a joint venture with Hyundai Development Corporation (HDC), has been awarded a Rs 2,126 crore contract by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) to build the Coastal Road, it noted.

Shares of the company Thursday ended 3.98 percent up at Rs 12.79 apiece on the BSE.
IKEA plans to hire locally in Maharashtra and hopes to be able to keep low attrition levels with employee-friendly company policies

Swedish furniture giant IKEA, which launched its first store in Hyderabad in August, will soon be opening its second store in Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra in less than a year where it plans to hire 1,000 people. The company is looking to hire people in e-commerce, sales, logistics, digital and Human Resource and most of them will comprise of locals, a senior company executive said. IKEA employs 1,000 people in its Hyderabad store. Over a 3-year period, the company plans to create 10,000 jobs.

"We are planning to recruit 5,000 directly and an equal number will be hired indirectly over the two to three years," IKEA India's people and culture manager Anna-Carin Mansson told Firstpost. This will include directly hiring 1,000 people by mid-next year and 1,500 indirectly for services, including assembly among others, she said.

From the start, the company has been focussed on hiring 50 percent women co-workers in its stores at all levels. In keeping with that commitment, 50 percent of the recruitment at the Navi Mumbai store will comprise of women. "We are also open for recruiting from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities," she added.

The company is expecting to keep attrition levels low, with 'employer-friendly' policies, which include daycare facilities, parental leave policy, transport policy, competence development, mentoring, pension plan among others.

Since 2017, IKEA Foundation, IKEA Groups philanthropic arm, in partnership with United Nations Development Program and India Development Foundation, has begun training women for a career in the retail sector. The program under Disha for women in Telangana has placed around 80 women in its store in Hyderabad. "The aim is to train around a million underprivileged women along with other partners," said Mansson.

"Maharashtra is an important market for us. We have been sourcing from the state for many decades and now we are ready to enter the market in 2019 with our full offer to be able to serve all the customers," IKEA India market manager for Maharashtra Per Hornell said.

With the potential the company sees for its products in Mumbai, Mansson said IKEA plans to penetrate the entire city with all kinds of store formats -- inside malls, single store units and also online. "We will have a unique IKEA in Mumbai. After the launch of the Navi Mumbai store, we will be available online. Customers may look at products from the store and then order online," Mansson said. The smaller format stores will open six months after the launch of the store in Navi Mumbai.

Rajesh Kumar, Principal Secretary, Labour Department, Government of Maharashtra said, As IKEA will launch its store in Mumbai next year, they will create around 10,000 direct and indirect job opportunities contributing to the growth of the retail sector in the State. Their idea of inclusion and equality are very much in line with Maharashtra governments development initiatives, he said.

IKEA is the first major single-brand retailer to get FDI approval and plans to open several stores and multiple touch points across the main cities over the next 10 years.

Ikea has four land sites in Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi/NCR, and continues to look for more in other major cities. It operates 423 IKEA stores in 50 countries with a sales volume of 38.3 billion euros. Currently, its biggest market is Germany with 54 stores. We envisage India and hope India gets to as big as that. It will take some time though," admitted Mansson.

--With PTI inputs
The H-1B visa, popular among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Indian IT companies in the United States are facing an increasing talent crunch and are forced to poach employees from each other to work on client projects onsite, a media report said.

According to The Economic Times, Indian IT firms are facing a scarcity of local talent. The local American workforce is not so engaged in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), so you do have to look for H-1B holders who would switch jobs. We are increasing lateral hiring and will hire from IT companies, startups, Fortune 500 firms, and academia," Tech Mahindra chief executive CP Gurnani was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The Trump administration has introduced a new set of stringent provisions to the H-1B labour application process under which the US employers must disclose the total number of foreigners already employed by them, making it tougher to sponsor fresh foreign workers.

The H-1B visa, popular among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

The new information required by the Department of Labour is significant because before sponsoring a foreign worker for the H-1B visa, the company needs to get its labour application approved by it.

The department certifies that there is no domestic worker for that particular position and as such the company can hire a foreign guest worker under the H-1B visa category.

The Labour Condition Application form updates will now require employers to provide more detailed information about H-1B worker employment conditions, including disclosing all places of employment for H-1B workers, including periods of short duration and providing the estimated number of H-1B workers at each place of intended employment.

Employers around the world are facing the most acute talent shortage in 12 years, and India is among the top 10 most-affected markets with 56 percent of employers are facing difficulty in filling vacant positions, said a survey.

According to the latest Talent Shortage Survey released in June by ManpowerGroup, of almost 40,000 employers surveyed globally, 45 percent are struggling to fill roles.

As companies go digital and roles transform, finding candidates with the right blend of technical skills and human strengths, such as communication, collaboration and problem-solving, is more important than ever, the survey said, adding that top drivers of talent shortage are lack of applicants, experience and hard skills.

--With inputs from PTI
More than half of Indias 1 billion debit and credit cards now go through the RuPay payment system

New Delhi: Mastercard told the United States government in June that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using nationalism to promote the use of a domestic payments network RuPay, and New Delhis protectionist policies were hurting foreign payment companies, a document seen by Reuters showed.

Modi has in recent years backed Indias homegrown payments network RuPay, whose rise has broken the dominance of US payment giants such as Mastercard and Visa. More than half of Indias 1 billion debit and credit cards now go through the RuPay payment system, and that means companies such as Mastercard face an uphill task to expand rapidly in one of the worlds biggest payments growth markets.

Modi has publicly endorsed the indigenous card payment network, saying using RuPay was like serving the country as its transaction fee stays within India and could help build roads, schools and hospitals.

In a written reference to Modis stance, Mastercard told the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on 21 June that the prime minister associated the use of RuPay cards with nationalism, claiming it serves as kind of national service.

The note, which was sent by a Mastercard Vice President for Global Public Policy, Sahra English, said that, while Modis digital payments push was commendable, the Indian government had adopted a series of protectionist measures to the detriment of global companies.

US companies in India have been increasingly battling Modis policies they perceive to be protectionist. This year, US.technology companies have protested against an Indian law that would require them to store more data locally, raising their costs.

The previously unreported note, which was seen by Reuters, shows the extent to which Modis support for RuPay frustrated the Purchase, New York-based company, which is the worlds second-largest payments processor.

Increasing rhetoric from the prime minister and government mandates on promotion and preference for RuPay ... continues to create market access issues for US payments technology companies, Mastercard said in the note.

The Indian governments preferential treatment of RuPay coupled with fallacies on pricing must be discontinued, the company asked the US government to propose.

In response to Reuters queries, Mastercard said in a statement it fully supports the Indian governments initiatives and is deeply invested in the country. The company did not comment on its USTR note and its executive Sahra English did not respond to questions.
Writing for a leading English daily, Anjuli Pandit, a former executive assistant to ex-MD & CEO of Taj Hotels, Rakesh Sarna, claimed she reached out to Taj board members, Tata Group Executive Council members, the chairman and the senior-most HR official with her complaint against Sarna.

New Delhi: A former Tata Group executive has alleged that the salt-to-software conglomerate did not hear her pleas against sexual harassment she faced at the hands of a CEO of a group firm, a charge that the group denied saying it always took "decisive action on evidence of inappropriate conduct."

Writing for a leading English daily, Anjuli Pandit, a former executive assistant to ex-MD & CEO of Taj Hotels, Rakesh Sarna, claimed she reached out to Taj board members, Tata Group Executive Council members, the chairman and the senior-most HR official with her complaint against Sarna.

"The only resolution they could find was to ask me to resign from Taj, immediately," she wrote, adding she "lost trust in Taj's process" as the company's Internal Complaint Committee, comprised "Sarna, four people within two reporting lines of him and an external member from one of Tata's closest law firms".

Responding to queries on the issue, a Tata Group spokesperson said Pandit's case was "investigated by an appropriate independent committee".

"The findings were informed to Pandit by a former director of IHCL. We hear her and others, and we recognise the opportunity to raise the bar," the spokesperson added.

Stating that 'each matter is investigated' under the Tata Code of Conduct, the spokesperson said: "We have always taken decisive action on evidence of inappropriate conduct in the organisation."

A spokesperson of IHCL, that owns the Taj Hotels, said, "the matter referred to in your mail was investigated and dealt with by an appropriate independent committee constituted for this purpose."

In the article published on Thursday, Pandit claimed that after she put in her papers in November 2015, the same law firm approached her on behalf of Tata Sons to sign a letter guaranteeing she wouldn't speak about the issue to the Press.

"When I refused, Taj constituted a new inquiry committee to prove due diligence. The committee failed to find any resolution and, to this day, have ignored my requests to share their process and final report  for which I have legal rights to review or appeal," she said.

Pandit, a US citizen and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holder, had joined the Group in 2009 and had taken a break to pursue further studies in Paris.

Later in January 2014, she joined back in then Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry's office, managing government relations with Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Then she moved to Taj Hotels as Sarna's Executive Assistant on his request, Pandit claimed.

Alleging sexual harassment by Sarna, she said,"the sexual advances started with comments about the worth of my physical appearance during our salary discussions.

"Over the seven months he remarked on my looks, his attraction to me and his desire to have an affair. His advances were always verbal. And I was always clear  I was not interested," she said.

Pandit further said: "Whether I deflected, professionally requested, or burst into tears in frustration, he persisted. The environment became intolerable as we both lost our patience."

She said after she raised the issue with the Taj board members, Tata Group Executive Council members and the chairman, she was offered "a mediocre role in a Tata Sons back office, relegated to a desk without a phone, and no assurance of my career prospects".

"When I said I felt I was being unfairly sidelined for speaking up, the chairman told me this was the 'best we can do'. I felt as though they had nailed a glass ceiling over my head. Devastated, I quit," she wrote.

Last month, Tata Sons had severed ties with brand consultant Suhel Seth who was accused of sexual misconduct by several women.
18:03 (ist)

Programme will strengthen MSMEs and write a new chapter for the sector: PM

The 12 decisions taken by the government will strengthen MSMEs and write a new chapter for the sector. In the 100 district where there is a legacy of MSMEs with a specialization, there will be a review of the works which the PM said he would do himself.

The team, which will be working on the ground, will be monitoring under the PM's supervision for the next 100 days.
The loans would be available through a special portal to give a boost to what PM Modi termed as the nation's second-biggest employing sector.

A Rs 1 crore loan in 59 minutes was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) on Friday along with a slew of measures intended to boost the sector. The loan would be available through a special portal to give a boost to what Modi termed as the nation's second-biggest employer.

It wasnt immediately clear which lenders have been earmarked for the fast-track loans.

As we speak, somewhere in the country your entrepreneurial brother or sister is getting a loan ... sanctioned in just 59 minutes, Modi said. Think, only 59 minutes. Just 59 minutes," he said much to the uproar of the audience at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. The MSME 'Support & Outreach Program' was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State for MSME Giriraj Singh.

MSMEs which are registered under the goods and services tax (GST) can now avail of a loan of up to Rs 1 crore in just 59 minutes, the prime minister said. Also, GST-registered MSMEs will get 2 percent interest subvention or rebate on an incremental loan of up to Rs 1 crore, he said.

Interest subvention on pre-and post-shipment credit for exports by MSMEs has been increased from 3 percent to 5 percent, he said.

All in all 12 decisions, which he termed as "historic", were announced to boost MSMEs.

Talking of India jumping 23 places on World Bank's latest 'Ease of Doing Business' ranking, Modi said in four years his government has achieved what many could imagine. Breaking into top 50 rank is not far away, he said.

The announcement is seen as a counter to overtures to small businesses already made by the Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi who said in August that he would seek to shift the focus of the countrys economic policy towards supporting small and medium-sized firms if the Opposition won power in next years election.

--With agency inputs
The standoff was in relation to RBI's handling of weak public sector banks, tight liquidity in the market and ways of resolving bad loans in the power sector.

Washington: The International Monetary Fund has said it was monitoring the development in India with regard to the reported rift between the Reserve Bank of India and the Centre.

It expressed its opposition to any move that compromises with the independence of central banks anywhere in the world.

"We're monitoring the development on that issue and will continue to do so," IMF Director of Communications Gerry Rice told reporters on Thursday when asked about the row.

"Just stepping back, as a general principal, and we've said this before. I've said this before standing here that we support clear lines of responsibility and accountability... And, international best practice is that there should be no government or industry interference that compromises the independence of the central bank and financial supervisor," Rice said.

This is true across the range of countries that the independence of the central bank and the financial supervisor is of utmost importance, he asserted.

"We regard it as such and we have to make that statement in the context of a number of countries. So, I think that's probably the best response I can give you," Rice said, responding to a question on the increasing efforts globally to criticise central banks, including the one by the US President Donald Trump in recent weeks.

The row was sparked off last Friday when RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya in a hard-hitting speech warned that undermining central bank's independence could be "potentially catastrophic", possible indication of the RBI being pushed to relax its policies ahead of general elections next year.

Sources privy to the development said the government had sent at least three letters on different issues under Section 7 of the RBI Act that gives it powers to issue any direction to the central bank governor on matters of public interest.

The standoff was in relation to RBI's handling of weak public sector banks, tight liquidity in the market and ways of resolving bad loans in the power sector. Unconfirmed reports claimed Governor Urjit Patel was considering stepping down if the government were to issue an unprecedented direction.

Without acknowledging that the notices have been sent to the RBI, the Finance Ministry in a statement said that the "autonomy for the central bank, within the framework of the RBI Act, is an essential and accepted governance requirement. Governments in India have nurtured and respected this".
The government on 26 October ordered telecom companies to stop using Aadhaar for electronic verification of existing mobile phone customers as well as for issuing new connections to comply with a recent Supreme Court order.

New Delhi: Telecom operators have sought time till 20 November to implement the new digital system for subscriber registration and verification in place of the Aadhaar-based system.

"...in order to ensure proper implementation and cause no inconvenience to the customers, we request that an additional period of 15 days, till 20 November 2018 be granted for the implementation of the new digital process," COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said in a letter to Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan on Wednesday.

The industry body has sought permission to continue with the existing Aadhaar-based electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) process.

The government on 26 October ordered telecom companies to stop using Aadhaar for electronic verification of existing mobile phone customers as well as for issuing new connections to comply with a recent Supreme Court order.

The apex court had in a landmark verdict restricted the use of Aadhaar by private entities in the absence of a legal provision.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) noted that the industry had suggested an alternate digital process for KYC of mobile subscribers which entails Customer Acquisition Forms to be embedded with live photo of the subscriber and scanned images of proof of identity and proof of address, thereby digitising the end-to-end process for on-boarding of new mobile subscribers and making it paperless.

Accordingly, all telecom service providers have been asked by DoT to ensure readiness of their systems and offer the proof of concept of the proposed digital process by November 5 for approval.

"We submit that the implementation of the digital process, including the stabilisation of the same, is likely to take some more time considering that the process needs to be implemented across millions of retailers points...You will appreciate that any new process when implemented is likely to encounter challenges...," Mathews said.

The telecom department said the operators can use physical Aadhaar card in offline mode for giving new connections if the customer gives it voluntarily.
The removal of Nachiket Mor half-way through his tenure is a rare incident in the RBI and would certainly have not gone down well with the central bank's top brass

The RBI-government turf war that turned into an ugly public fight with threats of Section 7 being invoked has caught global attention. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned the government against interfering with the central bank's functions. The IMF said it was monitoring the developments closely.

The words of IMF Director of Communications Gerry Rice would, perhaps, resonate well with the thinking of most multilateral institutions, not just IMF, on this issue. International best practice is that there should be no government or industry interference that compromises the independence of the central bank and financial supervisor, Rice said.

One issue that probably could have taken the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)-government friction to a boiling point could be the abrupt removal of Nachiket Mor in September, one of the most articulate voices on RBIs central board.

An RBI official confirmed to this writer that Mor has been discontinued from the central board. When asked whether reports of his sacking are true, the official said, Im sorry. I will not be able to offer any response to your question.

Mor's name, however, appears on the RBI website as a member of the eastern region local board.

Nachiket Mors removal from the RBI board in September was a bit of a surprise because he had then finished just a year of his second four-year term. The central government had re-appointed Mor on 24 August 2017 for a period of four years.

Mor was a favourite of former governor Raghuram Rajan who wanted to use his expertise in rural banking and was first appointed to the RBI board in May 2013 to bring in expertise on rural finance.

Before coming to the RBI, Mor had a long stint as a banker with ICICI Bank and is considered an authority on rural banking and, hence was given charge of certain important RBI committees on financial inclusion, as Rajans go-to man on issues of financial inclusion.

What went wrong for Mor to be sacked so soon after his reappointment? According to people in the know, Mor was a forceful voice on the RBI board but had, of late, fallen on the wrong side of the government nominees and bureaucrats on multiple issues. The relationship turned bitter. One important point of contention could be displeasure from certain right-wing organisations about Mors continuation on the RBI board while simultaneously associated with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) as its director.

In April this year, RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding Mors removal from the RBI board on the grounds of conflict of interest. Interestingly, S Gurumurthy, who is associated with the RSS and the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, is also on the board of the RBI. It is not clear whether the reason to sack Mor is triggered by the SJM letter to the Prime Minister.

Did Mors abrupt ouster irk the top brass at RBI who felt it was an unfair interference on the part of the government? Remember, the RBIs board had come under heavy criticism during the demonetisation episode when the central bank had to remain a passive spectator from day one. Governor Urjit Patel, too, had come under heavy criticism for not guarding the central banks voice throughout demonetisation despite being the authority on currency management.

Since then the RBI under Patel has been making vigorous attempts to regain the lost glory of the central bank by openly refuting several demands from the government, including a request from Finance Ministry to meet Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members ahead of policy announcement at one point, publishing a dissent paper on the move to take away control of payment systems from the central bank, and warning that government that intend to raid RBIs reserves and not respect its autonomy will invite potentially catastrophic results from markets.

Since the days of demonetisation, the central bank has greatly succeeded in regaining its voice. The removal of a board member half-way through his tenure is a rare incident in the RBI and would certainly have not gone down well with the central bank's top brass, leading to a public spat and initiating a fresh round of debates on its autonomy.
the dual mechanism of insolvency and thereafter liquidation creates an efficient system of Insolvency Laws, which is very critical for the development of any economy.

Indias jump off 23 positions to 77th rank in the global Ease of Doing Business is an indication that the country has now started providing a conducive environment for business to thrive in the nation. The World Bank in its report stated that India has improved its rank on six out of the 10 parameters influencing the ease of doing business, one of which is the insolvency resolution process.

To examine how could the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) do that, a legislative overview of the Code is in order.

The IBC, introduced in 2016, seeks to consolidate all the laws involving insolvency and bankruptcy such that the functioning of non-performing assets (NPAs) is resolved at the earliest. The NPAs have been a cause of concern for the banking sector for a very long time and have been increasing exponentially over the last two years.

The objective of the Code itself makes the point of promoting business in the country very clear with the wordings: An Act to consolidate and amend the laws relating to reorganisation and insolvency resolution of corporate persons, partnership firms and individuals in a time bound manner for maximisation of value of assets of such persons, to promote entrepreneurship, availability of credit and balance the interests of all the stakeholders including alteration in the order of priority of payment of Government dues and to establish an Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

As per Section 4 of the IBC, the insolvency and liquidation process can only be initiated when the minimum amount of default is Rs one lakh. This process, with the enactment of the IBC, can be initiated by the creditor, thus making a departure from the earlier order wherein the debtor was responsible to initiate the proceeding of insolvency with the only recourse available to the creditor being an institution of a suit for recovery of debts.

Under Section 6 of the IBC, the process of insolvency under the Act may begin when there is a default on a debt owed, either at the behest of the debtor, or the financial or operational creditor.

The application is filed before the Adjudicating Authority who, under Section 7 (4) is mandated to ascertain the existence of a default from the records of an information utility or on the basis of other evidence furnished, within fourteen days of the receipt of the application.

Thereafter, a reasonable time of ten days is provided to the debtor or creditor to provide proof of payment of the debt or to show the existence of a dispute, if any, and record of the pendency of the suit or arbitration proceedings filed before the receipt of such notice or invoice in relation to such dispute under Section 8.

If a reply is not provided within ten days, then the insolvency resolution process can commence. Thereafter, a definite time of 180 days is provided (with an extension of 90 days if 75 percent of the committee of creditors agree to it). This is a significant step towards helping the running of a business in the country as, before the IBC, there were a plethora of legislations that did not resolve the default by the company at such a staggering pace.

In the event that the process of resolution of insolvency fails, i.e., the company cannot be revived by the reconstruction of its various assets, the process of liquidation starts. Section 33 of the IBC provides for the different circumstances under which the process can be initiated including vote by the creditors to initiate liquidation, non-receipt/rejection of the resolution plan by the authority, etc. The liquidator so appointed, after determination of the valuation of the claims, has to distribute the assets held by the debtor according to the mechanism provided under Section 53 of the IBC.

Thus the dual mechanism of insolvency and thereafter liquidation creates an efficient system of Insolvency Laws, which is very critical for the development of any economy. It provides a safe exit route for companies that have failed despite making all the efforts to revive it.

It is a known fact that 9 out of 10 startups fail. It is important to consider that a significant amount of investors capital is locked up in all such failed startups.

The purpose of an efficient insolvency regime is to release such locked capital, in the least amount of time possible.

The IBC through the provisions highlighted is helping in achieving the same. While the debate concerning the development of India is still ongoing, strong and efficient laws like the IBC helps develop a conducive atmosphere for a strong business environment to flourish.

(Pandey is an Assistant Professor of Law at Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai and Bist is a Fourth Year student of Law at Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai)
The Central government has asked states and Union territories to 'monitor' and take 'urgent action' against NGOs that are 'involved in anti-national activities'

Continuing with its crackdown on Non-governmental organisations which receive foreign funding, the central government has asked states and Union territories to "monitor" and take "urgent action" against organisations which are "involved in anti-national activities".

Stating that it has noticed "some NGOs and organisations are involved in anti-national activities", the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in an advisory urged all states/Union territories to instruct the police to "monitor the activities and funding of such NGOs and other organisations," the Indian Express reported.

The directive is a result of the government's rising concern over the role of NGOs in "anti-national" and "anti-development" activities. Citing the protest at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu in May which led to the loss of 11 lives, the MHA also said that involvement of NGOs in such incidents will also be discussed during the DGP-IGP conference in December.

Most recently, the role of a Leftist organisation also came under the scanner in the Bhima Koregaon violence in January.

Foreign funding of NGOs has been a matter of concern for the BJP-led NDA as well as the previous Congress-led UPA governments, but the Modi government has received a lot of criticism for its actions especially after NGOs of international reputation such as Greenpeace, Ford Foundation as well as those involved in human rights violations cases came on the line of fire.

Between 2011 and 2017, the government cancelled the licence of 18,868 NGOs for violation of various provisions of FCRA, 2010, and Foreign Contribution (Regulation) rules, 2011, Minister of State Kiren Rijiju had told the Parliament in December 2017. In 2017 alone, the Home Ministry cancelled registration of 4,842 NGOs for failing to submit annual returns in compliance with the FCRA rules, Rijiju had said, according to IANS.

In July this year, in a closed-door, high-level meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked top security officials to work with the state police to monitor how NGOs and groups suspected to be involved in anti-national activities are funded. Sources had then said that the MHA will soon engage with states to deal with the matter.

Most recently, ED officials raided the India office of Amnesty International Amnesty International in Bengaluru for remittances from abroad allegedly in violation of FDI guidelines. As Firstpost had reported, Amnesty's Indian arm came under the scanner for alleged violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) after security agencies learnt to have detected that Amnesty International (UK) has been remitting huge amount of foreign contribution through its four Indian entities, which did not have either license or prior permission to receive foreign contributions.

The security agencies alleged that modus operandi of using FDI route to funnel the foreign fund was carried out in a bid to evade the FCRA. The human rights watchdog, however, alleged that the government is instilling fear among civil society organisations by conducting such raids. "...We reiterate, our structure is compliant with Indian laws," Amnesty India said in a tweet.

The government has also announced several steps to monitor foreign funding received by NGOs. In June this year, the Centre launched a web-based analytical tool to closely monitor the flow and utilisation of foreign contributions received by different organisations registered or permitted under the FCRA. The tool conducts big data mining and data exploration, and is integrated with the bank accounts of FCRA-registered entities through the Public Financial Management System for updation of transactional data on a real-time basis.

In 2017, the Union Home Minister had directed that existing NGOs, registered under the FCRA, and those which were seeking registration or prior permission or accepting foreign contributions, were required to register with the DARPAN portal.

With inputs from IANS
The Assam Police on Friday launched a massive combing operation to nab those involved the killing of five people in Tinsukia district on Thursday even as the ULFA (Independent) denied its involvement in the attack.

Guwahati: The Assam Police on Friday launched a massive combing operation to nab those involved the killing of five people in Tinsukia district on Thursday even as the ULFA (Independent) denied its involvement in the attack.

Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia and Additional DGP Mukesh had rushed to Tinsukia to review the law and order situation.

A massive combing operation was launched to nab the accused, police said.

All the possible hideouts were being combed and senior officials were directed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to remain alert.

A bandh, called by the All Assam Bengali Federation, was also being observed on Friday in the district protesting against the attack.

Vehicles were off the roads and shops were closed. No untoward incident was reported till 9 am, police said.

The five people, including three of a family, were killed and two others injured at Kheronibari village under Dholla police station limits while they were playing a game of Ludo at a roadside dhaba, they said.

The police had on Thursday expressed suspicion that the ULFA (I) was behind the incident but the organisation denied its involvement.

Publicity Department member of the ULFA(I) Romel Asom in a statement e-mailed to PTI said, "The ULFA (I) would like to make it clear to all concerned authorities that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident last night."

In view of Thursday night's attack, security has been beefed up in the state with the chief minister directing all deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to remain alert.

Condemning "the killing of innocent people", Sonowal said, "Strong action will be taken against the perpetrators of this dastardly violence. We will not tolerate such cowardly act."

Water Resource Minister, Keshav Mahanta, and Minister of State for Power, Tapan Gogoi, are in the district to take stock of the situation.

Political parties and organisations across the state condemned the killing and demanded that the culprits be immediately nabbed.
The Supreme Court Friday dismissed the CBI's appeal against the Delhi High Court's 2005 verdict discharging all the accused, including the Hinduja brothers, in the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday dismissed the CBI's appeal against the Delhi High Court's 2005 verdict discharging all the accused, including the Hinduja brothers, in the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi rejected the CBI plea seeking condonation of the 13-year delay in filing the appeal against the 31 May, 2005 judgement of the high court. It said it was not convinced with the grounds of the CBI to condone over 4,500 days' delay in filing the appeal. The CBI had filed the appeal on 2 February this year.

The apex court, however, said the CBI can raise all grounds in the appeal against the same high court verdict filed by advocate Ajay Agrawal who has also challenged the judgement.

The top court has already admitted the petition filed by Agrawal who had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election against then Congress president Sonia Gandhi from Raebareli.

Attorney General KK Venugopal asked the top court to make it clear in its order that dismissal of CBI appeal would not preclude the probe agency from carrying out an investigation in the case. The apex court, however, did not mention anything in its order on this issue.

The high court in its 2005 judgement had quashed all charges against the three Hinduja brothers  S P Hinduja, GP Hinduja and PP Hinduja  and others under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

After the NDA government came to power, there were speculations that the CBI would take a call to either respond as respondent in Agrawal's petition or prefer a separate appeal. After a lot of deliberation, the CBI this year got the nod from the NDA government to file an appeal in the apex court.

The filing of the appeal assumes significance as Attorney General KK Venugopal in January had advised the agency against moving a petition against the high court verdict after a delay of more than a decade.

Later, after consultations, law officers were in favour of the appeal as the CBI came out with "some important documents and evidence" to challenge the high court order.

Sources in February had said the agency swung into action after the attorney general orally gave it the go-ahead to file the appeal in the case in which it cited the October 2017 interview of private detective Michael Hershman, who alleged that the then Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government had sabotaged his investigation.

Hershman, who is the president of the US-based private detective firm Fairfax, had claimed in television interviews that Rajiv Gandhi was "furious" when he had found a Swiss bank account "Mont Blanc". He had also alleged that the bribe money of the Bofors gun scandal had been parked in the Swiss account.

The CBI in its appeal stated that further investigation was necessary in view of the reports relating to Hershman's interviews.

Before the 2005 verdict of Justice RS Sodhi (since retired), another judge of the Delhi High Court, retired Justice JD Kapoor, had on 4 February, 2004, exonerated Rajiv Gandhi in the case and directed the framing of charge of forgery under section 465 of the IPC against Bofors company.

The Rs 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 units of 155 mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army was entered into on 24 March, 1986. Swedish Radio on 16 April , 1987, had claimed that the company had paid bribes to top Indian politicians and defence personnel.

The CBI on January 22, 1990, had registered the FIR for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then president of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Hinduja brothers.

It had alleged that certain public servants and private persons in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy between 1982 and 1987 in pursuance of which the offences of bribery, corruption, cheating and forgery were committed.

The first charge sheet in the case was filed on 22 October, 1999 against Chadda, Ottavio Quattrocchi, the then defence secretary SK Bhatnagar, Ardbo and the Bofors company. A supplementary charge sheet was filed against the Hinduja brothers on 9 October, 2000.

A special CBI court in Delhi on March 4, 2011, had discharged Quattrocchi from the case, saying the country could not afford to spend hard-earned money on his extradition which had already cost Rs 250 crore.
Aanil Parihar, the state secretary of BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, and his brother, Ajit Parihar, were killed by unidentified gunmen in Tapal area of Kishtwar on Thursday night.

Authorities have clamped curfew in the hilly Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir fearing communal clashes after a top state BJP leader and his brother were shot dead outside their home on Thursday night.

Anil Parihar, the state secretary of BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, and his brother, Ajit Parihar, were passing through a dark alley in Tapal area of their home town Kishtwar on Thursday night when two unidentified gunmen allegedly shot them from a close range.

"Anil died on the spot while his brother was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, Kishtwar SSP Rajinder Gupta said, adding that the identity of the killers is yet to be ascertained.

If the killing had taken place in Kashmir Valley, officials would have blamed militants for the act. But why the police and district administration did not jump the gun because Hindu-Muslim riots have been part of its tattered history of the district in Chenab Valley of Jammu region.

Residents told Firstpost that the gunmen fled the spot after shooting the duo taking advantage of the darkness. When we ran towards the car after hearing the gunshots in Tapal, no one was there, Sanjeev Parihar, the cousin of the senior BJP leader, said late on Thursday night.

Reports said the BJP leader was killed outside his residence at around 8.30 pm. Both the brothers reportedly were returning their home from a stationery shop that Ajit ran outside the old DC Office Complex in Kishtwar.

The SSP said the killings took place in a densely populated area of Kishtwar known as Tapal Mohallah.

As the doctors declared both the Parihar brothers dead, the supporters of the BJP leader, in a fit of rage, allegedly ransacked the hospital and broke windows. Massive demonstrations were taken out through the market of Kishtwar to protest the murders, eyewitnesses and police said.

The scene outside the hospital, according to eyewitnesses, was chaotic and hundreds of people thronged the hospital where the bodies of the BJP leader Anil and his brother Ajit were kept for medico-legal formalities.

The angry supporters of the deceased BJP leader, also raised anti-Pakistan slogans besides demanding arrest of the people involved in the killing of the two brothers.

The vehicle of SSP Gupta came under attack as the mob pelted stones on it and protesters in many parts of the town clashed with the police.

The district administration has imposed curfew saying that due to the murder of of the Parihar brothers by some unidentified miscreants, there are apprehensions that the situation might turn ugly. Authorities have also deployed paramilitary and police forces in strength in all the sensitive areas to keep the situation under control.

Kishtwar, which is 226 kilometres from the winter capital Jammu, has been communally polarised for a long time. The latest communal riots broke out in the region in August 2013, between Hindus and Muslims during Eid congregation. A minor scuffle between a policeman, assigned to a local BJP leader, and a Muslim group, triggered communal frenzy in the town.

In the violence and arson that ensued, three people were killed and more than 30 were injured. Property worth lakhs of rupees was reduced to ashes and the army had to be deployed in the town to put an end to the violence.

The pot has been boiling for some time in the district and in recent months, communal divide has only worsened.

On Thursday, the angry protesters also entered into heated arguments with the SSP of Kishtwar, who was pushed by the protesters and forced to leave the main building of the hospital complex where the bodies of the two brothers were brought for post-mortem.

Keeping in view the prevailing situation in Kishtwar town after the murders of of Anil Parihar by some miscreants/unknown persons on 1 November, 2018 evening, there is an apprehension of some incident regarding peace and tranquility by way of mobilising unlawful assemblies, the Kishtwar collector, who is also the district magistrate, stated while imposing curfew.

Top political leaders including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh have condemned the killing, though the police is yet to ascertain the motive behind the double murder.

My heart goes out to the bereaved family. Spoke to adviser to Jammu and Kashmir governor, Vijay Kumar, regarding the incident. The police will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to justice, Singh wrote on his Twitter handle.

Former chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah took to twitter and wrote: Very sad news. My condolences to Anil and Ajit Parihars family and colleagues. May their souls rest in peace.

National Conferences provincial president Devender Singh Rana condemned the killing as barbaric, inhuman and most unfortunate.

Violence has no place in a civilised society, Rana said, expressing concern over the incident and hoped that the people will together meet the challenge posed by elements inimical to peace and tranquility".
Daati Maharaj's lawyers made the submission before the court while seeking review of the high court's 3 October order transferring the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from the Delhi Police's Crime Branch.

New Delhi: Self-styled preacher Daati Maharaj, accused in a sexual assault case, told the Delhi High Court on Friday that the CBI has lodged a fresh FIR in the matter against followed norms.

His lawyers made the submission before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao while seeking review of the high court's 3 October order transferring the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from the Delhi Police's Crime Branch.

Delhi Police, represented by additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose, told the bench that its probe into the case was not partisan as alleged by the victim and added that the preacher was interrogated eight times during the investigation.

Police, however, said it was not challenging the transfer of probe to the CBI.

The victim's lawyers said that the court was right to transfer the case to the CBI as Delhi Police had not arrested the accused despite the seriousness of the allegations.

After hearing all the sides, the bench reserved its order on Daati's plea for review of the court's October 3 decision.

Senior advocate N Hariharan, appearing for the preacher, urged the bench to review its order, arguing that the victim had concealed from the high court information regarding pleas filed earlier on the same issue.

Hariharan also contended that it was the trial court's discretion to decide whether the investigation carried out till then was lacking or not and the high court ought not to have taken away that power under Article 226.

The plea against the 3 October order was initially filed in the Supreme Court which had asked the self-styled preacher to approach the high court with his grievance.

CBI had earlier submitted before the high court its status report of the probe in a sealed cover. The agency had registered a case of rape and unnatural sex against Daati on 26 October.

The bench was also hearing two pleas, one by the complainant, and another seeking transfer of the case to the CBI.

The court had earlier allowed the complainant woman's plea to transfer the matter to the CBI, saying the manner in which the Delhi Police carried out the probe "casts a shadow on the investigation".

The bench had said the police did not arrest the accused in the case even after recording the complainant's statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The Crime Branch on October 1 had filed a charge sheet in the trial court which was hearing the matter.

The complainant's plea was earlier being heard by a single judge bench of the high court, but was transferred to the division bench after a PIL on the issue was filed.

A complaint was filed against Daati Madan Lal alias Daati Maharaj on 7 June and an FIR was registered on June 11. On June 22, police questioned the accused, who has been charged with rape of a disciple at his ashrams in Delhi and Rajasthan.

The accused has claimed that he was being framed.

The complainant has filed the case against the preacher, his three brothers and a woman at Fatehpur Beri police station in South Delhi. The case was later transferred to the crime branch.

The complaint said the FIR against him has been registered for alleged heinous offences of rape, unnatural sex, molestation and common intention under the IPC.
Three members of a family were among five people shot dead by suspected ULFA in Assam's Tinsukia, Digvijaya Singh denies reports of Congress infighting, Maldives ex-president Mohamed Nasheed returns from asylum - here are the day's top stories

Five shot in Assam's Tinsukia; Mamata Banerjee links killing to NRC

Three members of a family were among five people shot dead by suspected ULFA (Independent) gunmen while two others were injured at Kheroni in Assam's Tinsukia district on Thursday night, police said. A group of assailants with sophisticated weapons came to this village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge and called out five-six people from their house around 8 pm, they said. They then opened indiscriminate fire upon those people before fleeing under the cover of darkness, a police officer said. Police suspect the gunmen belonged to the ULFA (Independent) faction as they were in battle fatigue.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned "the killing of innocent people" and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families. "Strong action will be taken against the perpetrators of this dastardly violence. We will not tolerate such cowardly act," he told PTI. After condemning the attack, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee questioned if the killings were in retaliation to the National Register of Citizens in the state.

BJP leader, brother shot dead in Kishtwar; Army called out to maintain law and order

A senior BJP state secretary Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother Ajeet, 55, were shot dead by militants in the communally-sensitive Kishtwar district on Thursday night, prompting the Jammu and Kashmir administration to impose curfew and call out the Indian Army as people staged angry protests and started manhandling senior police personnel, officials said. The victims were returning home from their shop when they were fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, the officials said, adding this was the first such political killing in Jammu region in recent years.

After the shooting, Kishtwar district magistrate AS Rana made a request to call out the army in the town and its adjoining areas to control the internal security situation arisen due to the "assassination of Anil Parihar and Ajeet Parihar by some militants". Police then announced curfew in Kishtwar, Doda and Bhaderwah, besides imposing prohibitory orders, banning assembly of more than four people in Ramban, Banihal, Poonch, Kathua, Rajouri and upper reaches of Gool Gulabgarh.

Digvijaya Singh rubbishes reports of infighting; Congress core committee meeting today

Digvijaya Singh on Thursday rejected reports about any differences with Scindia or any argument with him in Congress president Rahul Gandhi's presence. "It is being wrongly reported in press that I and Jyotiraditya Scindia had any argument and Rahul had to intervene. All of us in MP Congress are one and determined to defeat the corrupt BJP Government," he said.

According to the sources, during the meeting of the central election committee on late Wednesday, Singh and Scindia exchanged heated notes in the presence of Gandhi. The CEC meeting for Madhya Pradesh remained inconclusive after it continued till hours beyond midnight. This was followed by a meeting of the leaders from Madhya Pradesh and the central screening committee of the state chaired by Madhusudan Mistry with Ahmed Patel, Ashok Gehlot and M Veerappa Moily. This forced Gandhi to ask Patel, Gehlot, and Moily to sit with the "warring" leaders and resolve the differences, they said. The row comes amid reports that the Congress has been unable to decide on a chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming state polls. The meeting of Congress' core committee, the party's body for selecting candidates is set to take place on Friday after being cancelled on Thursday.

N Chandrababu Naidu drums up support for anti-BJP front

Aiming to forge an anti-BJP front ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday met heads of several Opposition parties, including Rahul Gandhi, and termed his party's alliance with the Congress a "democratic compulsion" to protect the country. Addressing a joint press conference, Congress president Gandhi and Naidu, president of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), said the primary challenge before all the Opposition forces was to work together and defend India's institutions and democracy, but they parried queries on who would lead the anti-BJP alliance.

Delhi civic bodies intensify drive against pollution, impose Rs 30 lakh in fine

North and South Delhi municipal corporations on Thursday intensified drives to check pollution level in the city and imposed a total of Rs 30 lakh in penalty for violations, officials said. Fourteen challans were issued in Civil Lines Zone, the maximum among all zones, and thirteen in City-Sadar Paharganj Zone, the officials said. On the monitoring teams, the official said, teams would check any burning of garbage or leaves, or other activities, contributing to air pollution, and penalise violators.

A ban on construction activities came into force on Thursday as Delhi's air quality was on the brink of turning "severe" due to stubble burning in the adjoining regions and unfavourable meteorological conditions, authorities said. The Uttar Pradesh government has also asked the state's western districts, in and around the National Capital Region, to suspend all construction activities between 1 and 10 and November. Delhi's air quality has severely deteriorated in the past two weeks and is currently oscillating between "very poor" and "severe" categories.

Maldives ex-president Mohamed Nasheed returns from asylum

The first democratically elected president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, returned home on Thursday after more than two years in exile to escape a long prison term. The plane carrying Nasheed from Sri Lanka landed in Maldives' capital, Male, where he was welcomed by his party members and supporters. Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in jail in 2015 after being convicted of terrorism for ordering the arrest of a top judge in 2012 while he was the president. His trial was criticised internationally for lack of due process, along with those of many other political opponents jailed by outgoing President Yameen Abdul Gayoom's administration. He was offered asylum in Britain when he travelled there for medical treatment on leave from prison.

Rima Das' Bulbul Can Sing wins top honour at Jio MAMI Mumbai 20th Film Festival

National Award winning filmmaker Rima Das' third film, Bulbul Can Sing, has won the India Gold, Golden Gateway award at the 20th MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. Last year, her film Village Rockstars won three awards. The film Village Rockstars has also been selected as India's entry into the Best Foreign Film category at 2019 Academy Awards.

Rupee posts biggest single-session spurt

The rupee rallied by 50 paise to close at 73.45 against the US dollar on Thursday, posting its biggest single-session spurt in three weeks on increased selling of the greenback by exporters, softening crude oil prices and upbeat economic numbers. Easing of concerns over the rift between the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also supported the rupee's recovery, forex dealers said. At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic unit opened higher at 73.88, then gained further ground and settled for the day at 73.45, registering a jump of 50 paise.
The Maoists on Friday released a statement on the Dantewada attack that killed a Doordarshan cameraman and two policemen, stating that 'Doordarshan cameraman Achutyanand Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and we had no intention of targeting the media.'

The Communist Party of India (Maoist) on Friday released a statement on the Dantewada attack that killed a Doordarshan cameraman, saying that cameraman Achutyanand Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and that the Maoist organisation had "no intention of targeting the media".

Calling journalists their friends, the banned Maoist outfit also appealed to the journalists to not accompany the police in conflict zones, especially during the upcoming elections.

A cameraperson working with national broadcaster Doordarshan and two police officers were killed by Maoists in an attack in poll-bound Chhattisgarh on Tuesday. The crew was attacked by Maoists in the Nilavaya village in Aranpur area of the district.

In a letter written by Sainath, Darbha Divisional Committee, CPI (Maoist), the Left-Wing Extremist organisation accused the government forces of harassing villagers an staging fake encounters, while stating the deployment of additional forces ahead of the Assembly elections as the reason behind the attack.

The Maoist s said that five lakh members of armed forces and police, and one lakh Central Para Military Forces personnel have been posted in conflict zones, causing them (the Maoists) to protest.

"As a result, there are daily attacks on villages; villagers are killed in fake encounters, they are slapped with fake cases and fake surrenders are orchestrated. In this environment, work began on 1 October to build a road connecting Aranpur to Burgum. To protest this development, we ambushed a police unit on 30 October," said the letter.

Naxals release a statement on Dantewada attack, saying 'DD Cameraman Achutyanand Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and we had no intention of targeting the media.' pic.twitter.com/bAoEQ8ScaS  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

Sainath expressed sorrow regarding the death of Sahu, stating that they never kill journalists on purpose. "As always, we ambushed the police unit as soon as it arrived at the conflict zone. At this time, the Doordarshan team was also riding with the policemen and were caught in the crossfire. Sahu's death is a matter of sorrow. We never kill journalists on purpose," he said.

The letter came after reports stated that the Doordarshan team was attacked by Maoists.

"Following the attack, in order to sully the name of CPI (Maoist), people ranging from the state's chief minister to members of police personnel told the media that the Doordarshan team was attacked by Maoists. Journalists are not our enemies, they are our friends," the letter says.

"We would like to appeal to journalists and people in other fields never to accompany policemen to conflict zones. Particularly during the upcoming polls, we warn election officials not to come to conflict zones with police escorts."

The letter also appeals to the people to boycott the "fake" Chhattisgarh elections, asking the people to send the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) packing.

"Boycott the fake Chhattisgarh Assembly election. Send the anti-people, anti-national, imperialist, Brahminical Hindutva Sangh Parivar's BJP packing. As for members of other parties who come asking for votes, put them before a people's court. Escalate the civil war to counter the government's anti-revolutionary tactics and its Operation Samadhan," the letter added.

Dantewada SP Abhishek Pallav rejected the statement, stating that it was not a mistake.

"Why was the camera looted? Because it had recorded evidence of what happened in the first few minutes of the targeted media ambush. Multiple bullet wounds and skull fractures on the martyred cameraman in no ways indicate it was by mistake, ANI quoted him as saying.

Three police personnel were also killed in the attack. The slain police personnel were identified as Mangal Ram and Rudra Pratap Singh. Assistant Constable Rakesh Kaushal who was injured in the attack, succumbed to his injuries on 31 October taking the toll of the attack to four. Another constable Vishnu Netam was also injured.

It is being said that the Doordarshan team, while shooting in the Nilavaya jungles, came across several pamphlets distributed by the Maoists, denouncing the upcoming Assembly elections and calling for a boycott.

Nilavaya is an area where government agencies were busy creating awareness about the voting process and democratic participation as elections are to be conducted here for the first time. The Maoists have painted messages calling for boycott of elections in the region and this attack could be a reinforcement of their stand with regard to voting rights.
Ashish Pandey had allegedly brandished a pistol at guests of a five-star hotel in Delhi threatening them in the foyer

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to former BSP MP's son Ashish Pandey who was arrested for brandishing gun at a five-star hotel's guests in Delhi.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh granted relief to Pandey on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety of the like amount.

The Delhi police had on Thursday filed a charge sheet against him.

Pandey had allegedly brandished a pistol at guests of a five-star hotel threatening them in the foyer, a video of which went viral on the social media.

The video of the incident, which occurred early on 14 October, resulted in public outrage. It prompted the police to step in and launch a hunt for the accused who had gone missing after the incident.
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 former student leader of the Allahabad University was shot dead inside the varsity's PC Banerjee Hostel during a birthday party on Thursday in Allahabad

A former student leader of the Allahabad University was shot dead inside the varsity's PC Banerjee Hostel during a birthday party on Thursday in Allahabad, reports said.

Sumit Shukla aka Achyutanand Shukla reportedly had a bounty of Rs 25,000 on his head and had a number of cases registered against him.

"The main accused, who killed Shukla, is a student leader of the CMP Degree College. Teams have been deployed to nab him and two others," said Superintendent of Police Brijesh Srivastava, ANI reported.

According to News18, a scuffle had taken place at the party between the victim and the accused, identified as Ashutosh Tripathi. Following the scuffle, the accused hugged Shukla and then fired on him from close range before fleeing, the report said.

Shukla was rushed to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. According to a Hindustan Times report, Shukla "had contested for the vice presidents post in the 2012 students union election but lost. He had been active in this years student union elections, backing various candidates in the varsity and its constituent colleges".
In Mau, Uttar Pradesh, a local community of social activists who call themselves the Aabhaas Mahasangh Mandal are leading a campaign against the use of EVMs

This is not a new story. Noise around the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) has been making headlines for the better part of 2017 and 2018, especially all the buzz around the foul associated with it, usually directly proportionate to the number of seats a party in the fray did not manage to achieve.

In March 2018, the Congress demanded a return of paper ballots, while in May this year, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav cited concerns over the EVM in the Kairana bypolls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too, has complained of suspected EVM tampering/failures during the civic polls in Banda when the candidate fielded by the SP, Mohan Sahu, was elected chairman. The Delhi chief minister and president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal is a known crusader against the EVM.

With state elections in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh around the corner, the Election Commission is preempting some of the allegations over erroneous and malicious usage of the EVM by introducing various corrective measures and putting into place new methodologies, such as the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail, or the VVPAT. Even as major parties squabble over voter lists, innovation is on the agenda too, with the first Braille-enabled machines being launched with the Rajasthan polls.

In Bundelkhands Chitrakoot district, the EVM has been front and centre of a drive in anticipation of the 2019 elections, arguably one of the most definitive polls of the countrys history. In Mau block, Mau tehsil, a local community of social activists who call themselves the Aabhaas Mahasangh Mandal, headed by a few charged young men such as Dharmendra Kumar Bhaskar, are leading the campaign. 'EVM hatao, desh bachao (Get rid of the EVM and save the nation)' is their mantra, and we chance upon their cries and ambition one fine day, looking up a few official records at the tehsil office.

Theyre all on a mission, it would appear, trying to save quite a few things. Country, constitution, democracy, state, prime among them, according to Lovelesh Kumar Virag, a 20-something Aabhaas Mahasangh member, who is evidently styling himself after the 'local leader' vibe. We all know whats happening today," he says, speaking about his view of the BJPs political strategies, Chaaron or khatra mandra raha hai. (There is danger hovering over us, in every direction you look). Virag cites caste-based politics as the biggest evil threatening to engulf the country and repeats himself when he says, We must save the Constitution.

The EVM, the Mahasangh believes, is at the crux of this fight  banning it would be in keeping with the true spirit of democracy, both transparent and just. Not known to sport any political party affiliations locally, the Mahasangh is protesting against the EVM outside the tehsildars office, demanding their petition, which is written and signed, be dispatched off to the president of India at once. Unbiased elections are the spine of any democracy," says Bhaskar, not one to be usurped by Virag in the heat of the moment, our local authorities can prove that to us by listening to our appeal.

We turn back to Virag, who it turns out, is also a conspiracy theorist, If you speak against EVMs, youre being arrested. It happened in Gujarat. So there has to be some big agenda here. Upon prodding further, we understand that he is referring to the arrest of BAMCEF president Waman Meshram in Ahmedabad last week, when he was not given permission to hold a rally as part of the Parivartan Yatra held by the Bahujan Kranti Morcha.

The SDM at the Mau tehsil, Totaram, looks exhausted as hes approached by local media and the young, restless men of Chitrakoot. Promising to send off the petition, he documents this official gesture and makes a quick exit.

Meanwhile, Virag has the last word, We might as well all go in for a dictatorship. Until then, its our duty to not let the authorities sleep over this.

Khabar Lahariya is a women-only network of rural reporters from Bundelkhand.
A judge may hold his court in Hindi, but he must speak in English when addressing the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi reminded an additional district judge after hearing him argue his promotion plea in Hindi

A judge may hold his court in Hindi, but he must speak in English when addressing the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi recently told a judge. Gogoi, who was hearing an additional district judge's promotion plea, was shocked to hear the judge argue in Hindi in the court.

"You are a judge and you can't speak in English?" the CJI asked.

To which, the additional district judge replied that he couldn't speak in English.

CJI Gogoi then told the judge that he may hold court in Hindi, and write his judgments in Hindi, but once he comes to the Supreme Court, he must speak in English.

CJI Gogoi shocked as an Adl District Judge argues his promotion plea in Hindi.

CJI: You are a judge and you can't speak in English?

Judge: I can't speak in English.

CJI: You may hold court in Hindi write your judgments in Hindi but once you come to SC you must speak in English.  harish v nair (@harishvnair1) November 1, 2018

Though high courts and lower courts are allowed to use Hindi and regional languages during arguments as well as in court orders, the language to be used in the Supreme Court and all proceedings in the apex court is English.

This is according to Article 348 of the Constitution of India read with Order VIII of the Rules. The Supreme Court of India Handbook on Practice and Procedure and Office Procedure, 2017, also says: "the language to be used in the Court and all proceedings in the Court, shall be in English".
The news of Jammu and Kashmir BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit being shot dead in Kishtwar has garnered reactions from political leaders across the spectrum.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit were shot dead on Thursday night by unidentified gunmen in the Kisthwar district of the state. The two men were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were fired upon from close range in a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, officials said.

The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them, they said. They were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, they said.

In view of the mounting tension in the area, a curfew has been imposed in the region.

The deaths have garnered reactions from BJP leaders across the spectrum.

Expressing condolences to the Parihar family, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the state police will launch an investigation into the matter:

Shocked & pained by the killing of J&K State BJP leader Sh. Anil Parihar & his brother. My heart goes out to the bereaved family. Spoke to Advisor to J&K Governor, Sh Vijay Kumar regarding the incident. The police will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to justice.    (@rajnathsingh) November 1, 2018

BJP president Amit Shah also condemned the incident, referring to it as "cowardly":

Just got the tragic news of killing of Shri Anil Parihar, Secretary @BJP4JnK, and his brother by terrorists in Kishtwar. This is a cowardly act that shames humanity. I grieve the death of my valued colleague and pray that God gives his family strength to bear this untimely loss.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 1, 2018

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel followed suit:

Strongly condemn the killing of @BJP4JnK State Secretary Shri #AnilParihar and his brother Shri #AjitParihar in Kishtwar. An act of pure cowardice - the perpetrators of this crime should be brought to justice. My thoughts are with their families in this hour of grief.  Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) November 1, 2018

Deeply pained to learn of the killing of J&K BJP secretary Anil Parihar and his brother. Strongly condemn Kishtwar attack and and hope authorities will bring perpetrators to justice.  Vijay Goel (@VijayGoelBJP) November 1, 2018

Union minister Jitendra Singh said he will rush to Kishtwar at the earliest:

Deeply shocked by the killing of a dear Party colleague and BJP J&K State Secretary Anil Parihar and his brother. No words to express the grief. Rushing to Kishtwar at the earliest... that is the only thought on mind. pic.twitter.com/NtxMKRHb7D  Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) November 1, 2018

BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan expressed his condolences to the family:

Strongly condemn the murder of @BJP4JnK State Secretary Shri Anil Parihar & his brother at Kishtwar in Jammu. My prayers are with the family in this hour of grief. No amount of terror or militancy will stifle the efforts of #BJP in bringing back normalcy in the valley.  Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) November 1, 2018

Commerce minister Suresh Prabhu, as well as party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, did the same:

Distressed by unfortunate news of killing of @BJP4JnK leader Sh. Anil Parihar & his brother by those who betray all human values.This most heinous attack will not prevent democratic process and expression of common mans will.We all stand behind the family& relatives @BJP4India  Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) November 1, 2018

shocked and deeply grieved by the death of my old friend and colleague shri Anil Parihar and his brother Shri Ajit Parihar in kishwar,J&K..This is a big irreparable loss to the party n nation.May theit families get the strength to bear the loss.. pic.twitter.com/ktMznIP9uT  Shahnawaz Hussain (@ShahnawazBJP) November 1, 2018

According to reports, BJP state general secretary Ashok Kaul also condemned the attack.

Opposition leaders also reacted to the news on social media. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to react to the news:

Very sad news. My condolences to Anil & Ajit Parihars family & colleagues. May their souls rest in peace. https://t.co/r6PkFnnvKv  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 1, 2018

Senior party leader Ashok Gehlot also condemned the news:

I condemn the killing of BJP leader, Sh. Anil Parihar n his brother by terrorists in J&K. Perpetrators of such heinous crimes must be severely punished. Rising terror attacks in State are a matter of grave concern. #JammuAndKashmir https://t.co/YLdg1CnyAU  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) November 1, 2018

Times Now reported that Congress chief Gulam Ahmed Mir dubbed the attack "barbaric and unfortunate", while National Conference leader Devender Singh Rana said the killings were "barbaric, inhuman and most unfortunate" and that violence has no place in a civilised society".

With inputs from PTI
Traders from Delhis Narela and Bawana sought subsidised PNG connection in a speedy manner to avert seasonal shutdown, reduce industrial pollution.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is passing and endorsing orders, and new bans are being imposed by the highest court. When pollution is at its peak, it is visible both in its character and in its impact on human health. So, national attention, judicial priority, time and money are pumped into it. However, once the smog clears, follow ups on green policies seldom take place.

One sector that is facing the brunt of this form of seasonal, last-minute governance is the industrial sector. On Monday, nearly 300 industrial units were shut down in two industrial towns in the North West Delhi: Narela and Bawana. Why? Because the units hadnt converted to Piped Natural Gas (PNG).

On Thursday evening, members of traders associations from both these places met Delhis Environment Minister Imran Hussain. Firstpost interacted with traders and representatives, who were a part of the meeting.

On 29 October, the Delhi Pollution Control Commission (DPCC) sealed 291 industrial units which hadnt replied to their notices regarding the switch to PNG, said Rajeev Goyal, trader from Bawana.

Some of the concerns industry representatives raised before the minister were the delay in getting the PNG connection due to inspections and safety checks by private companies, and the problem of non-removal of garbage by Bawana Infra, a company responsible for the redevelopment and municipal management through issues like street lights and drainage.

Traders from Narela raised the issue that the waste-to-energy plant Ramky Enviro Engineers was prohibited by the MCD from collecting industrial waste until Environment Pollution Control Committees chairman Bhure Lals recent go-ahead. Thus, the waste has been piling up along the streets because even the landfills in the two areas were barred from accepting it.

The traders stated that on their request, a subsidy of Rs 50,000 - Rs 1 lakh on a new PNG connection for industries, was promised by the minister.

Pradeep Multani, president, Delhi Factory Owners Federation, said that micro, small and medium units in both Narela and Bawana are responsible and authorised industrial areas and are willing to convert to natural gas.

The subsidies to convert to PNG should be expedited. We have written to the Delhi government time and again, he explained and shared a copy of the letter addressed to Hussain.

Prakash Chand, president of the traders association at Bawana, said that minimum charges of PNG add to the burden of the industry that also pays minimum charges for electricity, which increases the production cost.

Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) reserves the right to levy minimum charges in the bill towards recovery of administrative costs. Currently, if the consumption in a bi-monthly billing cycle is less than 4 SCM, the consumer is liable to pay minimum charges equivalent to 4 SCM value.

In unauthorised areas, Chand revealed that people are burning residual industrial oils and furnace oils mixed with kerosene, but the police doesnt catch hold of them because there are no records. He said that IGLs first priority is to supply PNG to Bawana Pragati Power, which generates electricity, then to domestic households and finally to industrial units. Traders asked if the densely packed residential localities in the two areas have converted to PNG or is the responsibility of green practices only theirs.

Unauthorised colonies where the route to one room is through another arent most suited to PNG connections and exhausts and shafts need to be put in place and people need to be educated on its various benefits, explained Harsh Khanna, whose NGO Jan Sewa Prayas set up camps in West Delhis Patel Nagar and suggested architectural interventions to enable many households to convert to PNG.

It took three seasons of smog for the state and the Central government to impose a more eco-friendly fuel on industries.

Anumita Roychowdhary, head of the air pollution and clean transportation programme at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), told Firstpost that the comprehensive action plan for a long-term strategy for all key sources of pollution in Delhi and National Capital region was notified in June this year.

The finalisation and the notification got delayed quite a bit, she pointed out adding some portions of it have been implemented.

Specifically, the use of pet coke and furnace oils has been banned, the Bharat Stage (VI) transport fuel has been introduced in Delhi, the brick kilns have been asked to switch to greener technologies and the much-needed crackdown on the highly polluting thermal power plant in Badarpur, now finally on the brink of shutting down.

Going forward, these can foster sustainability in industries but the implementation requires co-operation of multiple state governments.

A 2018 report titled A roadmap towards cleaning Indias Air by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, https://epic.uchicago.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/POLICY-BRIEF-A-ROADMAP-TOWARDS-CLEANING-INDIAS-AIR-1-1.pdf makes a noteworthy observation: In 2014, the CPCB mandated the installation of Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) across 17 categories of highly polluting industries.

CEMS can supply regulators with real-time emissions data. The report stated that substantial capacity-building efforts are needed to maximise the value of CEMS technology that can help enhance the effectiveness of policy options like public disclosure, monetary charges, and emissions trading. Interestingly, the emission inventory hasnt been made public in the Central governments National Clean Air Plan.

The other industry that, unlike the concentration of units in Narela and Bawana, spills over onto the roads of Delhi NCR is the construction industry. The Delhi government has banned construction activity from November 1 to 10. According to DPCC, the open dumping of construction and demolition waste materials is a big contributor to air pollution, particularly of PM 10 and PM 2.5 particles.

In a directive issued in April, DPCC asked the public works department (PWD) to ensure all construction and demolition waste generated from sites are stored in a manner least polluting. Experts feel the need of the hour is round-the-year spot fines on any contractor who doesnt cover raw materials, especially while transporting, and doesnt follow procedures for disposal because construction waste doesnt degrade easily.

The Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 had a section on the complications of construction and demolition waste and a waste plant was set up at Shastri Park in Delhi on a private-public partnership with IL&FS subsequently. But, to establish an integrated system of disposal around this might take time. Last minute measures can suppress but not heal.
Tej Pratap, a sitting RJD MLA and a former Bihar minister, had tied the knot with Aishwarya Rai on 12 May.

Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav Friday filed a petition seeking divorce from his wife of six months citing incompatibility issues, his lawyer said. The separation has been sought invoking Section 13 A of the Hindu Marriage Act under which either spouse can unilaterally seek divorce, said lawyer Yashwant Kumar Sharma, who filed the petition on behalf of Tej Pratap at a civil court.

"I cannot give much details. I was only told by my client that he and his wife were not compatible and hence he wanted divorce," Sharma said. Tej Pratap, a sitting RJD MLA and a former Bihar minister, had tied the knot with Aishwarya Rai on 12 May. The grand wedding ceremony for which Prasad, serving sentences in fodder scam cases, had flown in from Ranchi after obtaining parole from a court, was attended by political leaders from virtually all political parties including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

While leaving the civil court premises, Tej Pratap's cavalcade was stopped by waiting journalists eager for response from the RJD leader, who wore a small bandage over his forehead. He, however, rushed to the airport without taking any questions to leave for Ranchi, where his father is admitted in a hospital, only to return to the residence of his mother Rabri Devi on being persuaded by close family members.

No member of the family was available for comments. Journalists and cameramen made a beeline outside the 10, Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi where Aishwarya Rai along with her father Chandrika Rai visited in the evening while refusing to take questions. They were later joined by Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti, the eldest of Lalu-Rabri's nine children.

Granddaughter of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Rai, Aishwarya is a management graduate. There have been rumours that the couple did not get along well. Tej Pratap has been also dropping hints that he did not get along well with his younger brother Tejashwi who has emerged as the party's de facto leader in their father's absence.
Yet another woman has spoken out against MJ Akbar, accusing him of rape, and mental and physical abuse.

Yet another woman has spoken out against MJ Akbar, accusing him of rape, and mental and physical abuse. Currently the chief business editor of US-based National Public Radio (NPR), Pallavi Gogoi has accused Akbar of raping her when she was working with The Asian Age as a 23-year-old.

In her account in The Washington Post, Gogoi details her ordeal. The newspaper got in touch with Akbar's lawyer Sandeep Kapur. The report said, "We reached out to Sandeep Kapur, MJ Akbars lawyer, for comment on the accounts laid out in this piece. The response: My client states that these [incidents and allegations] are false and expressly denied."

Her story starts in the same vein as most other women journalists like Ghazala Wahab and Priya Ramani who spoke up about their ordeals of sexual harassment from Akbar; Gogoi describes how the majorly female staff at The Asian Age at the time was in awe of Akbar.

Those before me have given me the courage to reach into the recesses of my mind and confront the monster that I escaped from decades ago. Together, our voices tell a different truth @TushitaPatel @SuparnaSharma @priyaramani @ghazalawahab

My story https://t.co/DG5dT7TEUU  Pallavi Gogoi (@pgogoi) November 1, 2018

Gogoi became the editor of the op-ed page at the newspaper at 23.

She writes about instances starting in 1994 when Akbar tried to kiss her in his office. She says that Akbar had "suddenly lunged" in an attempt to kiss her, when she was in his office for a review of her work. She also mentions the detail that has been uniform in the stories so far  that "his (office) door was often closed". According to the report, Gogoi managed to escape another such advance in Mumbai a few months later.

Gogoi writes that the situation worsened after Akbar raped her in his hotel room in Jaipur, when she had gone to the city to cover a story.

After the incident, she says that she "stopped fighting his advances". "He continued to coerce me. For a few months, he continued to defile me sexually, verbally, emotionally," she said.

Gogoi says she confided about her ordeal in journalist Tushita Patel, who also spoke about facing sexual harassment from Akbar. Gogoi left The Asian Age soon after to work as a reporting assistant in New York.

Firstpost reached out to Akbar's lawyers for a statement on Gogoi's allegation, but the firm said that it could not comment on the account at this time.

Akbar, who resigned as the Union Minister of State for External Affairs two weeks ago, is currently fighting a case of criminal defamation filed against Ramani.

Firstpost has reached out to Sandeep Kapur and Pallavi Gogoi for comment and this article will be updated when they respond.
Those living in the Maoist-hotbed of Basta remember that prior to Sahu, two local scribes were brutally murdered by Maoists in 2013

On Tuesday, Doordarshan cameraman Achyutanand Sahu was shot dead by Maoists while on assignment in Chhattisgarh. After a massive uproar over the killing of Sahuand two other policemen the Communist Party of India (Maoist) released a statement Friday "expressing regret".

The letter written by Sainath, Communist Party of India (Maoist), Darbha Divisional Committee, read: "As always, we ambushed the police unit as soon as it arrived at the conflict zone. At this time, the Doordarshan team was also riding with the policemen and were caught in the crossfire. Sahu's death is a matter of sorrow. We never kill journalists on purpose."

However, those living in the Maoist-hotbed of Bastar remember that prior to the killing of Sahu, two local scribes were brutally murdered by Maoists in 2013. While Nemichand Jain, a correspondent working for local Hindi dailies, was killed at Tongapal in Sukma district in February 2013, Hindu journalist Sai Reddy was killed at Basaguda in Bijapur district in December 2013.

The Maoists claimed that the victims were police informers: a familiar restrain by the Left-Wing Extremist cadre whenever they kill an innocent in an ambush or execute them during their 'court of law' called Jan Adalat. In Reddy's case, the Maoists issued a statement in December of that year justifying the killing of the 51-year-old and accusing him of working with the police to dislodge them from south Bastar.

Some journalists who have covered Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)in Bastar or elsewherestrongly believe that the Naxal ideology has got diluted over the years. Maoists have given up their ideology, a Bastar-based journalist said. Now, they are more extortionists than rebels. That Robin Hood image no longer exists. They are no better than the terrorists. Now, they dont even spare journalists. In 2013, they killed two local scribes after dubbing them police informers in 2013.

In undivided Madhya Pradesh, when the Naxals affiliated to Peoples War Group (PWG) were trying to establish their foothold in Bastar's Dandakaranya forests, they contacted journalists to tell their side of the story.

It was 1998. I, along with two local Chhattisgarh reporters, was taken to an unidentified location deep inside the jungle by a member of PWG, the journalist told Firstpost, speaking on the condition of anonymity. We met one of their senior leaders in his fifties, who was not only unassuming in his demeanour but also quite humble. He told us about Naxal ideology, about their struggle, fight against the corrupt government and the need to safeguard the rights of the tribals.

It was then that the leader, who was from Andhra Pradesh, told us the military wing of the PWG received training from the dreaded LTTE cadre. He assured us not to get frightened as Naxals consider journalists as intellectuals and friends, and never harm them. That ideology seems missing now, he added.

The statement issued by Sainath cautioned the press and election officials to stay away from conflict zone. They shouldnt accompany police, the statement warned.

Naxals release a statement on Dantewada attack, saying 'DD Cameraman Achutyanand Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and we had no intention of targeting the media.' pic.twitter.com/bAoEQ8ScaS  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

'Anti-development agenda'

Basically, Maoists are anti-development, said counter-terrorism analyst Anil Kamboj. They want locals to remain deprived of education, better health facilities, development and modern amenities, so that they can rule over them. Anyone questioning Naxals or writing against them or thats not suiting thembe it journalists, who the Maoists claim are friendsis the enemy.
A wreath with the name of Nair Service Society (NSS) president G Sukumaran Nair on it was left behind by the miscreants

Thiruvananthapuram: The office of caste-based outfit NSS, which is opposing the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple, was vandalised early Friday, police said.

The office situated in Nemom near Thiruvananthapuram was allegedly pelted with stones by some miscreants destroying its flag mast and breaking the window panes of a memorial of saint-reformer Chattampi Swamy, located in front of the building, they said.

A wreath with the name of Nair Service Society (NSS) president G Sukumaran Nair on it was left behind by the miscreants, police said.

The attack on the NSS office, an outfit of the influential Nair community in the state, assumes significance in the wake of its strong stand against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's decision to implement the apex court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.

Nair had on Wednesday said the NSS stood firmly with the devotees opposing entry of women in the menstrual age group into the hill-shrine.

NSS has also filed a petition seeking review of the top court's verdict.

The attack came to light after local residents informed the police about it, police said, adding that a case has been registered and investigation is on.

Meanwhile, the devotees have vowed to intensify their protests against the state government during the upcoming annual three-month long pilgrimage season.

Besides the NSS, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have also extended support to the protesting devotees.

Attempts by some women in the 'barred' age group to reach the temple last month came to a naught after protesting devotees prevented them enroute to the shrine.

The SC would hear the review petitions on 13 November.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a new attack against the BJP government over the Rafale deal, alleging that Anil Ambani owned Reliance Defense got kickbacks from Dassault. He claimed that the Dassault CEO Eric Trappier was lying to protect Narendra Modi.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a fresh salvo against the Bharatiya Janata Party government over the Rafale deal, alleging that Anil Ambani owned Reliance Defence got kickbacks from Dassault. He claimed that the Dassault CEO Eric Trappier was lying to protect Narendra Modi.

Trappier, in an exclusive interview to CNBC-TV18 on 25 October, had said that Dassault picked Reliance over Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as its partner because the Anil Ambani-led company had land near an airfield on the outskirts of Nagpur, where they could set up a production facility. He added that Dassault had been in discussions with both Reliance Defence and HAL, and that HAL was aware of its discussions with Reliance.

Rahul, while addressing the media on Friday, claimed that Dassault invested Rs 284 Crore in the company of Anil Ambani and the latter bought land with the same money. "Dassault invested Rs 284 Crore in the company of Anil Ambani. Anil Ambani bought land with the same money. This is clear that Dassault CEO is lying. Why did they invest Rs 284 crore in a loss-making company?" asked Rahul.

Rahul said that Modi was the only one to blame, stating that it is obvious he was the one to make the decisions. He stated that if an inquiry is started on Modi's involvement, the prime minister would not survive the inquiry. "If an inquiry starts on this Modi is not going to survive it. Guaranteed. One, because of corruption. Two, because it's very clear who the decision maker was...It was Narendra Modi and it was a deal done by Narendra Modi to give Anil Ambani Rs 30,000 crore," said Rahul.

The Congress president also pointed out that before the deal, permission was not taken from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

Rahul further alleged that the CBI chief Alok Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the "open and shut" case. "Rafale is an open and shut case. CBI Director was removed because obviously, CBI was looking into these matters. Defence Minister flies to France and Dassault speaks in favour of Anil Ambani," he said.

On 24 October, former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushanmoved the Supreme Court, seeking registration of an FIR into the Rafale deal between India and France, alleging "criminal misconduct" by top public functionaries.
One remains unsure if RSS changed its stance after discussions with Amit Shah or after wider consultations with the Sangh Parivar leadership at the conclave.

The RSS has taken serious exception to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogois 29 October observation on the Ayodhya matter that the court had its own priorities and whether the case will come in January, February or March, it will be for the appropriate bench to decide. Gogoi said so while adjourning a hearing on the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute and ordering the constitution of an appropriate bench for the hearing.

There has been a general disquiet among pro-Ram temple forces and sympathisers that the apex court didnt agree with the plea of Uttar Pradesh government and others that an early hearing should be held and a verdict should be delivered soon. With the RSS taking up the matter at its three-day conclave of over 350-member strong Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal (ABKM) and its sarkaryavah Suresh Joshi aka Bhaiya ji Joshi venting the collective feelings at a press conference at the end of the conclave gives the issue a new dimension.

The ideological fountainhead of Sangh Parivar asserted: Why should the court postpone this matter indefinitely? Why should an issue that relates to sentiments of crore of Hindus not be prioritised for hearing? Why is it not on priority of the court?

The RSSs second-in-command didnt mince words in making known their displeasure over the Supreme Court order to further postpone the matter. He said it was expected that the court would do justice with sentiments of Hindus but the court has taken too long (the case is pending before apex court since 2011). Joshi twice said badi vedna hai (delay in hearing was deeply painful). He didnt stop there, twice saying: Hindu samaj apmanit anubhav karta hai (Hindu society feels humiliated).

By focusing on this issue, the RSS top brass has shrewdly shifted focus from Modi government to the court. The way the sarkaryawah (considered to CEO of RSS in terms of work allocation) Joshi spoke at the conclusion of conclave clearly indicated that it had now decided to take pressure off from Modi government to bring a bill in Winter Session of Parliament or an ordinance ahead of that. In his Vijyadhashmi address from Nagpur, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat talked of the need for the government to make a law to handover the land to Ramjanambhooni Nyas to build a grand Ram temple. In span of the past five days (since the time Supreme Court deferred hearing) two of its senior functionariesArun Kumar and Manmohan Vaidyahave spoken out as to why the government needed to bring in legislation on the Ram temple, just as the Sardar Patel government did for construction of the Somnath temple.

The change in stancesince the past fortnighthas been more than clear. Sample this: To repeated queries if the government should bring a bill or an ordinance on Ram temple, the RSS leader said, Lets first wait for the court verdict. When the government thinks that no alternative is left in court then it can consider bringing a legislation till the court decides something, one way or another, it would be difficult for the government to make a law. So, all governments have desisted from taking a legislation route to resolve the issue because they respected courts, he said. The courts should also understand sentiments of people and governments position and deliver that long-awaited verdict, he added.

The pressure from within for Modi government, from its ideological fraternity in Sangh Parivar and from its core social constituents, was putting it in a difficult position. The issue has huge political implications. BJP leadership wants to keep popular sentiment alive on the issue, but does not want to take any hasty steps that could prove to be detrimental to its larger agenda.

The RSS has now given the required breather to the Modi government and the BJP even as it keeps the public debate on the issue raging. Joshi admitted RSS leadership discussed the issue with BJP president Amit Shah. One remains unsure if RSS changed its stance after discussions with Shah or after wider consultations with the Sangh Parivar leadership at the conclave.

The Sangh didnt hesitate to stake its claim for the construction of a Ram temple. Evidence proves a temple existed at the site and even the high court accepted this claim in 2010, when it ordered two-thirds of the land be given to Hindu organisations. BJP MP Rakesh Sinhas move to introduce a private member bill in the Rajya Sinha is a clever ploy by the RSS and the BJP to keep the debate on Ram temple going and force rivals to make their position clear, if the bill is introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament.
When contacted for its reaction to the development, the university on Friday refused to comment saying that the VC was out of the country on official tour and he was the sole authorised person to speak about the institutions affairs.

Ahmedabad: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of ruling BJP, on Friday said that it was happy about the development that historian, biographer and author Ramachandra Guha would not be joining Ahmedabad University, here.

AU, a private, non-profit institution established in 2009 by Ahmedabad Education Society (AES), had on 16 October announced Guhas appointment as the Shrenik Lalbhai Chair Professor of Humanities and director of the Gandhi Winter School at the universitys School of Arts and Sciences.

ABVP opposed Guhas appointment vehemently and on 19 October, it handed over a memorandum to the university registrar BM Shah, addressed to vice chancellor Pankaj Chandra, registering their protest against the decision. The outfit said that it got to know about the appointment through a news report.

His writings have encouraged divisive tendencies and inspired anti-nationalist, separatist forces in educational institutions like Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Central University, Hyderabad, the memorandum, with which excerpts of Guhas writings were also included, read and demanded the cancellation of this appointment with immediate effect in national interest.

On Friday, Guha announced his decision to not join AU through a tweet: Due to circumstances beyond my control, I shall not be joining Ahmedabad University. I wish AU well; it has fine faculty and an outstanding Vice Chancellor. And may the spirit of Gandhi one day come alive once more in his native Gujarat.

When contacted for its reaction to the development, the university on Friday refused to comment saying that the VC was out of the country on official tour and he was the sole authorised person to speak about the institutions affairs.

Guha could not be reached for his comments.

President of Gujarat state unit of ABVP, Ravi B Zala, said that though he did not for sure know whether Guha had taken a decision at his own or has been asked by the university to do so, but he welcomed it.

We had given proofs about his anti-national writings to the AU. He does not think in terms of the nation. When the BJP separated from PDP in Kashmir, he had also given a controversial statement which showed that for him peace there was not important. We dont expect historians to think with political motivation because in the end peace in Kashmir and in the nation is more important, said Zala, adding that the motive of Guha and other intellectuals like him is to somehow pull down the BJP government.

Asked about the ABVPs course of action in case Guha is pursued by the university to rethink on his decision and join it, Zala responded that the protest would then continue.

We would also continue to raise our voice in a democratic manner. Go to the university and also aware the students as to why we are opposing him. Our nationalist voice should also be heard if those (who) talk of freedom from the nation can shout, he said.

Interestingly, the AVBP has no unit in the AU. Neither Zala nor its state organisation secretary Ashwini Sharma or Ahmedabad unit president Kiransinh Rajput has any official information from the university about any course of action on the memorandum they handed it over.

Sharma said that the protest would continue if Guha is somehow made to join the university again. He also objected to Guha's taking tweet route to announce his decision. He (Guha) is a historian and intellectual and is it befitting for him to talk about such things through Twitter when it was just between him and the AU, which had perhaps asked to extend the date of his joining, Sharma said.

Guha had shown his anti-nationalist and anti-Gujarat attitude many times in the past, including when he criticised the conferring of Bharat Ratna to Late Madan Mohan Malviya, and when he wrote several things against Gujarat. He claims to be a Gandhian but Gujarat is the land from where Gandhi comes. We dont need to learn Gandhism from him, he said.

Adding that if the university has taken note of their request, it shows that there are people who understand right and wrong, Sharma said, Guha teaches us that the saffron of tricolour represented Hindus, white Christians and Green Muslims, while we in Gujarat know that these (colours) in fact represent power, truth and greenness of the earth. ABVP talks of students as nations power and it should not be turned into nuisance power by trying to re-rope him.

The author is a Gujarat-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com.
According to some legal experts while in certain cases there is a limitation of time and locus standi no such limitation lies with the cases of alleged rape.

After a host of allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against him, now an allegation of rape has surfaced against former minister of state for foreign affairs MJ Akbar.

In an article published in The Washington Post, Pallavi Gogoi, who is currently chief business editor of US-based National Public Radio (NPR) has accused Akbar of rape.

In her account, she has accused Akbar of raping her when she was working with The Asian Age as a 23-year-old. This has added to long list of allegations made against Akbar in last two months. But, ironically, it is not Akbar but one of the complainants Priya Ramani, against whom the law has been set in motion following Akbar's decision to file a defamation case against her in Delhis Patiala House Court.

Now, following the allegation made by Gogoi, an important question arise that to what extent can these allegation affect Akbar legally. Also, it is pertinent to ask whether the police or the court can take a suo motu cognisance and register a case against Akbar.

One of the cardinal principles of criminal law is that anyone can set the criminal law in motion. It is not necessary that only specific person can file a complaint to set a criminal law in motion. However, the limitation of cognisable or non-cognisable applies here.

Depending upon the nature of the crime, whether it is cognisable or non-cognisable the police can register FIR on its own or on receiving a complaint. In case of cognisable offencesin which police have the power to arrest without a warrant and includes criminal acts like robbery, theft, murder, rape etc., police can register an FIR on receiving a complaint, on its own and also the court can also pass an order to the same effect.

However, in many of the non-cognisable offences, like adultery or matrimonial disputes, it is one of the affected parties that has to file a complaint, and the action that follows  like arrest, requires the sanction of the judicial magistrate.

In one of its judgment, the Supreme Court had observed, It is now settled law that a criminal proceeding is not a proceeding for vindication of a private grievance but it is a proceeding initiated for the purpose of punishment to the offender in the interest of the society. It is for maintaining stability and orderliness in the society that certain acts are constituted offences and the right is given to any citizen to set the machinery of the criminal law in motion for the purpose of bringing the offender to book.

In AR Antulay v. RS Nayak the Supreme Court held that punishment of the offender in the interest of the society being one of the objects behind penal statutes enacted for larger good of the society, right to initiate proceedings cannot be whittled down, circumscribed or fettered by putting it into a strait jacket formula of locus standi.

It is also important to refer to the judgment in Lalita Kumari Vs. Govt. of UP (2013) case, where the Supreme Court has held that registration of First Information Report is mandatory under Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, if the information discloses commission of a cognisable offence and no preliminary inquiry is permissible in such a situation.

It also adds that if the information received does not disclose a cognizable offence but indicates the necessity for an inquiry, a preliminary inquiry may be conducted only to ascertain whether cognisable offence is disclosed or not.

Further, in 2014, the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court modified certain guideline given in Lalita Kumari case as it extended the time limit from seven days to 15 days generally and six weeks in exceptional cases for concluding the preliminary inquiry and for registering the First Information Report in criminal cases.

In this light, the police suo motu or at the intervention of the third party can initiate an investigation that can stretch maximum to six weeks before a formal FIR is registered.

According to some legal experts while in certain cases there is a limitation of time and locus standi no such limitation lies with the cases of alleged rape. Also, the court has powers to to condone the delay. Given all these legal provisions, a case can be registered against Akbar, even if none of the complainants herself decides to do so.

However, there are some legal experts who believe that in such cases police cannot take suo motu action. As quoted in an article published in The Hindu, VG Palshikar, a retired judge of the Bombay High Court said, This cant be taken suo motu, as it is criminal law. The police may not be in a position to take cognisance of posts on social media. [Only] an FIR should begin the investigation; other women can join [the first complainant] or file another FIR against him.

He adds, Yet another way could be a PIL by some feminist organisation seeking a direction from the court, so that all FIRs are clubbed together and one particular investigation agency takes it up under the supervision of the High Court. But the power of the police to investigate only flows from a complaint.

While the legal experts differ whether the court can take suo motu cognisance in the present case, several apex court judgments and criminal jurisprudence highlight the fact that there is enough room for the same.
Former Union minister and editor MJ Akbar and his wife Mallika Akbar on Friday said that the allegations of rape and sexual harassment against him made by journalist Pallavi Gogoi are false. Akbar has been accused of sexual harassment by at least 15 women since a wave of Me Too took Indian newsrooms by storm around a month ago.

Former Union minister and editor MJ Akbar and his wife Mallika Joseph on Friday said that the allegations of rape and sexual harassment against him made by US-based journalist Pallavi Gogoi are false. Akbar has been accused of sexual harassment by at least 15 women since a wave of #MeToo took Indian newsrooms by storm around a month ago.

This is the first instance that Akbar's wife has reacted to an allegation against him. In the statement released to ANI, Akbar denied the allegations which were made by Gogoi in an account in The Washington Post, and claimed that "they were false".

The statement said that the newspaper had on 29 October sent "a series of cryptic and non-specific questions" to his lawyers about the incidents spoken about by Gogoi, which had been denied and claimed to be false.

Akbar's wife Mallika Akbar also called Gogoi's allegation of rape "a lie". She said, I don't know what Gogoi's reasons are for telling this lie, but a lie it is."

I don't know Pallavi's reasons for telling this lie, but a lie it is: #MJAkbar's wife Mallika Akbar to ANI on journalist Pallavi Gogoi's rape allegations in the Washington Post against her husband pic.twitter.com/SFws1TwWhx  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

"I have been silent all this while as a me too campaign has been unleashed against my husband, Akbar. However, the Washington Post article by Pallavi Gogoi alleging that she was raped by him forces me to step in with what I know to be true. Over 20 years ago, Pallavi Gogoi caused unhappiness and discord in our home. "I learned of her and my husbands involvement through her calls and her public display of affection in my presence. In her flaunting the relationship, she caused anguish and hurt to my entire family," Mallika was quoted as saying. "At an Asian Age party at our home, crowded with young journalists, I have watched with mortification and pain as they danced close. "I had confronted my husband at the time and he decided to prioritize his family. Tushita Patel and Pallavi Gogoi were often at our home, happily drinking and dining with us. Neither carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault. I dont know Pallavis reasons for telling this lie but a lie it is," Mallika added.

After the report was published on Friday, Akbar, in his statement, said that "it was necessary to bring certain facts to light" after "false allegations of rape and violence were made" against him. In the statement, Akbar said, "Somewhere around 1994, Pallavi Gogoi and I entered into a consensual relationship that spanned several months. This relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on the best note." "People who worked with me and knew both of us have indicated that they would be happy to bear testimony to what is stated above and at no stage, did the behavior of Pallavi Gogoi, give any one of them impression that she was working under duress," Akbar was quoted as saying. In her account in The Washington Post, Gogoi details her ordeal. The newspaper got in touch with Akbar's lawyer Sandeep Kapur. The report said, "We reached out to Sandeep Kapur, MJ Akbars lawyer, for comment on the accounts laid out in this piece. The response: My client states that these [incidents and allegations] are false and expressly denied." Her story starts in the same vein as most other women journalists like Ghazala Wahab and Priya Ramani who spoke up about their ordeals of sexual harassment from Akbar; Gogoi describes how the majorly female staff at The Asian Age at the time was in awe of Akbar.

Those before me have given me the courage to reach into the recesses of my mind and confront the monster that I escaped from decades ago. Together, our voices tell a different truth @TushitaPatel @SuparnaSharma @priyaramani @ghazalawahab My story https://t.co/DG5dT7TEUU  Pallavi Gogoi (@pgogoi) November 1, 2018

Gogoi became the editor of the op-ed page at the newspaper at 23.

She writes about instances starting in 1994 when Akbar tried to kiss her in his office. She says that Akbar had "suddenly lunged" in an attempt to kiss her, when she was in his office for a review of her work. She also mentions the detail that has been uniform in the stories so far  that "his (office) door was often closed". According to the report, Gogoi managed to escape another such advance in Mumbai a few months later.

Gogoi writes that the situation worsened after Akbar raped her in his hotel room in Jaipur, when she had gone to the city to cover a story.

After the incident, she says that she "stopped fighting his advances". "He continued to coerce me. For a few months, he continued to defile me sexually, verbally, emotionally," she said.

Gogoi says she confided about her ordeal in journalist Tushita Patel, who also spoke about facing sexual harassment from Akbar. Gogoi left The Asian Age soon after to work as a reporting assistant in New York.

Firstpost reached out to Akbar's lawyers for a statement on Gogoi's allegation, but the firm said that it could not comment on the account at this time.

Akbar, who resigned as the Union Minister of State for External Affairs two weeks ago, is currently fighting a case of criminal defamation filed against Ramani.

Firstpost has reached out to Sandeep Kapur and Pallavi Gogoi for comment and this article will be updated when they respond.
Ahtesham Bilal Sofi (17), a resident of downtown Srinagar, was a first year graduation student at Greater Noida's Sharda University.

Noida: Social media posts carrying purported pictures of a Kashmiri boy, who went missing from a private university in Uttar Pradesh days ago, on Friday claimed that he has joined militant ranks in the Valley. Ahtesham Bilal Sofi (17), a resident of downtown Srinagar, was a first year graduation student at Greater Noida's Sharda University. He went missing on 28 October after he left the varsity with official permission to go to Delhi, days after he was mistakenly roughed up during a scuffle between Indian and Afghan students in the campus.

A missing complaint was registered in the case at the Knowledge Park police station in Greater Noida as well as at Khanyar police station in Srinagar, officials said. The pictures on social media showed Sofi dressed in a black outfit and claimed he had joined militant group ISJK, an outfit influenced by Islamic State ideology. The UP Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) said it has been tracking the case since 28 October and has taken cognisance of the photos.

"We are in touch with Jammu and Kashmir police. We are tracking the footprints of the boy from Greater Noida to Kashmir," Inspector General, ATS, Asim Arun told PTI. The Jammu and Kashmir police said they were "ascertaining" Sofi's presence in the Valley. The Gautam Buddh Nagar police, who had traced the last location of Sofi's mobile phone to militancy-hit Pulwama district in south Kashmir, is also probing the matter.

"A missing complaint was registered and police teams are working on the case," a senior official told PTI. According to the police here, Sofi had left for Srinagar from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport in the afternoon of 28 October and reached Pulwama a few hours later. They said his mobile phone details showed that he last spoke to his father, who lives in Srinagar, at 4.30 pm, when his location was traced to Pulwama. However, he had told his father that he was is Delhi and was returning to the university by metro, the police said.
A day after five Bengali-speaking people were shot dead Tinsukia district's Dhola in Assam, United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), in a statement, said that they were not behind the Thursday shooting.

A day after five Bengali-speaking people were shot dead at Tinsukia district's Dhola in Assam, United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), in a statement, said that they were not behind the Thursday shooting.

"We, the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) would like to make it clear to all concern authorities that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident that occurred on 1 November, 2018 at Sadiya Saikhowaghat in Tinsukia District." The statement was signed off by a member of the outfit's publicity department.

The Assam Police, however, said that according to preliminary investigation it was clear that ULFA(I) was responsible for the killings. Police said that the department felt ULFA denied responsibility fearing that it would lose popular support in Assam.

At least five persons, including three of a family, were killed by suspected ULFA(I) gunmen in Bisonimukh village, in Tinsukia district of Assam, at around 7.20 pm on Thursday. The suspected militants were reportedly dressed in army fatigue. "The deceased were at the shop of Shyamlal Biswas (one of the five killed in the attack) when the militants arrived, lined them up outside the shop and shot them from zero range, said Prasanta Sagar Changmai, Superintendent of Police, Sadiya. The assailants then fled under the cover of darkness, a police officer said.

The deceased have been identified as Subhal Das, Ananta Biswas, Shyamlal Biswas, Abinash Biswas and Dhanamjay Namahsudra, and are of Bengali origin. According to Tinsukia Superintendent of Police Mukdhajyoti Mahanta, the bodies have been taken to the Sadia Civil Hospital for postmortem. The village is reported to be a Bengali-dominated area, mostly comprising farmers and daily-wage workers.

Various Hindu groups had called for a 24-hour bandh in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts against the Thursday killing. Reacting to the Tinsukia shootings, leader of Hindu Karnti Dal Mithun Debnath said, "ULFA (I) has let down the whole of Assam through this barbaric act. These cowards didn't have the guts to kill Bangladeshi people. The people whom they killed are the indigenous Hindu-Bengali speaking people of Assam. We condemn the barbaric act."

Northeast Linguistic Ethnic Coordination Committee (NELECC) is a group formed by former RSS cadre which works in Barak Valley part of Assam. All the members are former or current member of RSS. They support unconditional citizenship for Hindus in India and want the citizenship amendment bill to be passed.

Advocate Shantanu Naik from the organisation has said, "NELECC along with several other organisations of Barak Valley have called for 12-hour Bandh on 3 November. This is just a beginning, we are going to take this protest to Delhi if the government fails to take proper action."

BJP spokesperson Rajdeep Roy said that the ULFA is not civilised yet. "We have urged the government to take stern action against those involved and provide adequate compensation to the deceased's kin," he said. The All Assam Bengali Youth Students' Federation has called for a statewide bandh on Saturday.

Sukumar Biswas, chief adviser of the All Assam Bengali Youth Students Federation said that the incident reveals many the loopholes of the administration. "They did not take any action even when some leaders had openly said that they would go and kill Bengalis by entering their houses," he said.

He also said that people should stop spreading hate, and remain calm. "If leaders like Mrinal Hazarika, Jiten Dutta and Prabal Neog are brought under investigation, the main people behind the killing will be exposed. I urge everyone not to spread hatred and remain calm," he said.

Pradip Dutta Roy, founder-president of the All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students' Association, one of the influential organisations in southern Assam's Barak Valley, said the incident is the beginning of a riot in the state. "Assam will burn in violence if the government does not take stern action in this regard," he said.

Meanwhile, former ULFA leaders Hazarika and Dutta were detained by Panbazar and Gaurisagar police respectively, in connection with Thursday's killings. "As per instructions from the higher authorities we have detained Jiten Dutta. He will be kept in Gaurisagar police station and we will wait for further orders," said Additional SP Bolin Deori of Sivasagar district.

All Assam Bengali Youth Students' Federation has demanded compensation of Rs 20 lakh for each family of the deceased. Nirmal Kanti Seal, central secretary of the organisation said, " We strongly condemn this cowardice act and demand security for the people." Condemning the killings, Assam railway minister Rajen Gohain claimed that constituencies of Raha, Nagaon and Jagiroad should be recovered from, who he referred to as "Bangladeshi-Muslims". "If Assam does not welcome Hindu Bangladeshis, the state will be destroyed by the Muslim Bangladeshis. The Assamese community will become the slave of the Bangladeshi Muslims. Shall we take a stand against the Mughals or shall we take a stand against our brothers?"

With inputs from 101 Reporters  Syeda Ambia Zahan, Swapnaneel Bhattacharjee and Avik Chakraborty
With only 45 seconds before the possible collision, it was averted after the ATC tower in Kolkata instructed one IndiGo plane to turn right and move away from the other aircraft that had come at the same level.

Kolkata: Two IndiGo planes came too close for comfort before averting a mid-air collision at the border airspace of India and Bangladesh, Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials said Thursday.

With only 45 seconds before the possible collision, it was averted after the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower in Kolkata instructed one plane to turn right and move away from the other aircraft that had come at the same level on Wednesday. "Both the aircraft, belonging to low-cost carrier IndiGo, had come on the same level on Wednesday evening and posed a threat to both the aeroplanes," a senior AAI official at the Kolkata airport told PTI over the phone.

"One aircraft was going to Guwahati from Chennai and the other from Guwahati to Kolkata. The planes had come close to each other around 5.10 pm," he said.

At that time, the Kolkata-bound flight was at 36,000 feet in Bangladesh airspace and the other one at 35,000 feet in Indian airspace.

The Bangladesh ATC had asked the Kolkata-bound flight to descend to 35,000 feet and when the aircraft followed the order, it came close to the aircraft which was at 35,000 feet, the official said. An ATC official in Kolkata saw it and immediately ordered the Chennai-Guwahati flight to make a right turn and move away from the path of the descending aircraft, averting a disaster, he said.

"We have no such information as of now," an IndiGo spokesperson told PTI when contacted.

As per standard procedure, an investigation will be initiated, another AAI official said.

It is not known if the Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS) or the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which are generally fitted in aircraft, had alerted the pilots or not, the official said, adding that everything will be found out during the investigation.

As per rule, the standard separation gap between two aircraft, both vertical difference and lateral difference, should be a minimum of 1000 feet, said sources at the airport.
The strike is viewed by a section of officials as an attempt by ULFA to shore up its flagging support base as it coincides with a wave of protests sweeping many districts in Assams Brahmaputra Valley against the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016.

Possibility of strikes by the outlawed ULFA had been on the radar of the security agencies for close to three weeks after its chief of staff Paresh Baruah issued an order to cadres to execute an operation. Intercepted messages from the chief also indicated that the target could either be security forces or non-Assamese communities in Assams Tinsukia.

Police and army officers have blamed ULFA for the killing of five people although the outfit has denied its involvement. The banned group had refused to acknowledge its role on earlier occasions as well when Hindi-speaking people were shot dead years ago.

An official informed that at least three cells in neighbouring Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh were activated for the operation which was supervised by publicity secretary Arunudoy Duhotiya. He is usually based at the Arakan Camp located about 15 kilometres west of Lake of No Return in Myanmar.

One of the groups was successful in carrying out the strike but there could be more attacks if these squads are not neutralised soon, an official said, and explained that the six member squad that carried out the killings was spotted two days ago near Pengeri along the Assam  Arunachal Pradesh border but their further movements could not be tracked. He added that the group could try to sneak into Arunachal Pradesh through a route that leads to Myanmar.

Bengali-Hindus have been rarely targetted by ULFA since it emerged in the early eighties. In 1986, chairman of United Minorities Front (UMF) Kalipada Sen was shot in Guwahati and a few instances were heard when the outfit ran a parallel government in the late eighties. Bengalis were not in the line of fire since the groups leaders had taken refuge in Bangladesh where some camps were also established. This is the first episode where the target seemed to have been innocent victims only because they hailed from the community of Bengali Hindus.

The strike is viewed by a section of officials as an attempt by ULFA to shore up its flagging support base as it coincides with a wave of protests sweeping many districts in Assams Brahmaputra Valley against the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. The bill seeks to grant citizenship to certain sections of non Muslim migrants from the neighbouring countries.

It is not clear if the bill would be tabled in Parliament but the fear among large sections of the indigenous communities in Assams Brahmaputra Valley of being swamped by Bengali Hindus was amplified when the Centre issued instructions last week to 16 districts across seven states to register Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh as Indian citizens. Earlier, the government had passed two notifications exempting the immigrants from the Foreigners Act 1946 and Passport (Entry into India) Act 1920 which provide for deportation.

Interestingly, the incident on Thursday came hours after a press release was issued by ULFA announcing its decision to expel and arrest a senior functionary named Thou Mung aka Bhaskar Bora who was allegedly working for an intelligence agency. That Bora had come under the scanner of the outfit was known to a group of people who claim that he was often lodged at a safe house in Kharsang. The release said that he was warned many a time but he had failed to dissociate himself from the agency.

We feel that multiple factors triggered the incident on Thursday. It was also meant to send a message to the intelligence agencies not to try and infiltrate the organisation as they had done several times earlier but without much success, said a senior over ground ULFA functionary engaged in the peace process with the government.

Despite the heavy presence of security forces, reports of recruitment by ULFA had been pouring in from Tinsukia for the past couple of months. Last week, a video surfaced on social media which showed vice president of Dergaons All Assam Students Union (AASU) unit Pankaj Pratim Dutta justifying his decision to join the proscribed group.

All these developments came amid unconfirmed inputs that Paresh Baruah was suffering from diabetes and had recently met with an accident at Ruili in Chinas south western province of Yunnan. Some over ground functionaries are of the opinion that Baruah has a tendency to order operations whenever there are rumours or chips are down for the organisation. So, the ongoing agitation in Assam against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 seemed to have provided a perfect opportunity for ULFA to expand its support base in pockets having a presence of Bengali Hindus.

The author is a senior journalist based in Assam and author of Rendezvous With Rebels: Journey to Meet Indias Most Wanted Men and Lens and the Guerrilla: Insurgency in Indias Northeast
Mr Dholakia has outdone himself by purchasing 400 Renault KWID hatchbacks for his employees as a Diwali gift!

Diwali is less than a week away, and many companies have started giving out gifts, bonuses, holidays and more to their employees to mark this occasion. While most of us end up getting a box or two of sweets or dry fruits, which is actually nice, a businessman from Surat has set the Diwali gift bar to a whole new level.

You might have heard of the name Savji Dholakia  He is a diamond merchant based out of Surat who is known for giving out extravagant Diwali gifts to employees. And this year, Mr Dholakia has outdone himself by purchasing 400 Renault KWID hatchbacks for his employees as a Diwali gift! It's apparent that Mr Dholakia cares about the quality of his Diwali gift along with the quantity.

Now, if you thought that receiving a Renault KWID as a Diwali gift from your employer was amazing then think again. Four employees received their car keys in New Delhi from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The rest of the employees at Harekrishna Diamonds werent left out either. While receiving their car keys at an event in Surat, they were congratulated on their wonderful Diwali gift by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video-conferencing.

Dhiraj Navadia one of the employees who was gifted a Renault KWID said, I have been working here for five years now. This is like a dream. I now have a car of my own. I am even more happy that I have received it just ahead of Diwali

The Diwali gifting function for employees at Harekrishna Diamonds was an exciting affair, and you can see it for yourself.

This is a partnered post.
Right: Ms. Iza Garrick and the cabinet she donated to the MCMH Children Ward to be used to store the library books.

There are many persons among us who have been helping in many but significant ways.

Ms. Iza Garrick is one such person.





Since her retirement and return to St. Vincent and the Grenadines from the USA in 2004, Ms. Garrick has been running a Sunday School in Rose Place.

She has also committed herself to providing meals for up to four homeless men every Sunday.

Last Christmas, she distributed presents to all the children who were warded at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital.





During that visit, she observed that "the Childrens Ward could do with some uplifting, and decided then and there to establish a library, "to bring some stimulation and comfort to possible healing to the children.

Towards this end, Ms. Garrick, on October 26 this year, took the first step by donating a cabinet in which to store the books, a supply of which she would have donated previously.

Nurse Phillips was on hand to accept the donation from Ms. Garrick.
In a major embarrassment to BJP's Karnataka unit, L Chandrashekar, stepped away from the election and rejoined Congress, declaring support for JD(S)'s Anitha Kumaraswamy

Bengaluru: In a major embarrassment to BJP's Karnataka unit, the party's candidate for the Ramanagara bypolls, L Chandrashekar, stepped away from the election and rejoined the Congress on Thursday, declaring support for his rival candidate  JD(S)'s Anitha Kumaraswamy, wife of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.

"The BJP leaders have not honoured their commitment. There is no unity among them. They did not participate in the campaign. I was fed up of their attitude, so I decided to retire from the contest," Chandrashekar said in a statement. He claimed that the negligent and perfunctory attitude of BJP leaders was the main reason for his decision.

Son of C Lingappa, a Congress MLC currently in-charge of the party's campaign committee for the Ballari Lok Sabha bypolls, Chandrashekar had quit the Congress and joined BJP on 10 October

in the presence of BJP state chief BS Yeddyurappa in Bengaluru.

Angered by Chandrashekar's decision to retire from the contest, Yeddyurappa on Thursday alleged that Congress leaders bought him with money. "Let God do good to Chandrashekar," he said, while refusing to comment further.

Congressman father says 'no interference'

Congress MLC Lingappa claimed he had no clue about his sons defection. "I tried to convince him against joining the BJP when he had told me about his decision. He assured me that he would remain in the Congress, but joined BJP the very next day. I have not spoken to him for more than 20 days. If I supported his decision, why would I canvass for the Congress candidate in Ballari instead of ensuring my son's success in Ramanagara?" he asked, adding that his son is mature enough to take his own decisions.

"Nowadays, children who are in their 20s do not listen to their parents. How can you expect my 50-year-old to listen to me?" Lingappa reasoned, explaining there are no political discussions at home. "My wife looks after the house. I do not intrude into the lives of my sons and daughters-in-law at home. They mind their business, I mind my own. No interference," he said.

When questioned about how a Congress leader like him had no prior inclination of the incident, Lingappa said, "You have to ask the leaders who admitted him into the Congress. I think all the Congress leaders are busy with the election campaign. They forgot to inform me."

'Carried Congress culture of betrayal'

Many BJP leaders, including Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation DV Sadananda Gowda, expressed shock over the baffling political move. "I am pained by Chandrashekars decision to retire from the contest. I had extended support and worked for him. I think God will not forgive him for betraying the BJP at a crucial time," Gowda said. He also said that BJP leader CP Yogeshwar had brought Chandrashekar to the saffron party since he was unhappy with the Congress.

"Many leaders joined the BJP during Assembly elections. Some of them would have joined the party with vested interests," Gowda said, "We thought Chandrashekar's entry would strengthen the BJP in Ramanagara. I supported him when he applied for a BJP ticket to contest from Ramanagara. I think Chandrashekar carried the Congress culture of betrayal and backstabbing with him while joining the BJP. He has now shown his true colours. People will teach him a lesson. I am sure that he has no future in politics," he added.

Speaking to the media, BY Raghavendra, the BJP candidate from Shivamogga, said he was aware of Congress and JD(S) leaders manipulations. "They were discussing the plan of ensuring a win for JD(S) candidate Anita Kumaraswamy from Ramanagara. Now, they have executed it by using money power," Raghavendra said.

Speculation is rife about the role played by Minister for Irrigation DK Shivakumar and his brother DK Suresh, an MP from Bengaluru Rural, in ensuring that Chandrashekar stepped down from the contest and returned to the Congress. Refuting the allegations, Suresh said, "BJP leaders are responsible for their candidate withdrawing from the contest. I have no role in this matter."

Speaking with media persons at Tumakuru, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara claimed that the incident took place since the BJP has no cadre in Ramanagara. "They fielded the candidate after knowing their weaknesses in Ramanagara. The BJP candidate has announced his retirement after realising that defeat is imminent in the upcoming by-election," he said.

The Ramanagara bypoll was necessitated after the chief minister vacated the constituency following his victories in both Ramanagara and Channapatna constituencies. Along with Ramanagara, by-elections will also be held in three Lok Sabha constituencies and one other Assembly constituency in the state on 3 November 3. Results to the by-elections will be declared on 6 November.

The author is a Bengaluru-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters
A day after the BJP candidate announced that he had withdrawn from Ramanagara Assembly bypolls, the party on Friday petitioned the Election Commission requesting it to 'annul' the 3 November election immediately as the poll process has been 'vitiated'.

Bengaluru: A day after the BJP candidate announced that he had withdrawn from Ramanagara Assembly bypolls, the party on Friday petitioned the Election Commission requesting it to "annul" the 3 November election immediately as the poll process has been "vitiated".

The BJP also demanded that leaders of Congress-JD(S) coalition, including Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, be booked under relevant provisions of law for allegedly acting in "collusion" to ensure that there is no contest.

In a major embarrassment for the BJP, two days before the Ramanagara assembly bypoll, L Chandrashekhar, its candidate against Kumaraswamy's wife, quit the contest Thursday and returned to the Congress.

With the BJP candidate withdrawing, Anita Kumaraswamy is expected to have smooth sailing.

In its petition to the Commission, the BJP alleged that the developments are the "convergence of undue influence" practised by Chandrashekar, Congress' Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh, Anita Kumaraswamy and the chief minister.

"Hence, it is also a convergence of fraud, and horse-trading of a candidate."

"We request you to kindly book cases against them under relevant provisions of the Law for offences against elections under section 171 of the IPC and for undue influence and corrupt practices under the Representation of People Act," the party said.

"Further, we request you to annul the elections immediately and forthwith and restore the faith of people in democracy," it added.

Chandrashekhar, son of senior congress leader CM Lingappa, had joined the BJP as the Congress decided to support the candidate of its ruling coalition partner JD(S).

Within days of joining the BJP, he was announced as the party's candidate for the bypoll.

In the petition submitted to Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar by party MLC and spokesperson Ashwath Narayan along with others, the BJP said Chandrashekar's act interferes and violates the "free and absolute right" of BJP voters to cast their votes.

It said as the officially nominated BJP candidate withdrew and joined the Congress, there is no BJP candidate and even though there is a name on the ballot paper, it is merely a show piece as the candidate himself has left the BJP and joined the Congress.

"When the candidate has left the BJP and joined the Congress, his name in the voters ballot as BJP candidate has no meaning. Therefore, the entire election process is vitiated," it added.

By-election to Ramanagara was necessitated after Kumaraswamy gave up the seat preferring Chennapatna, the other seat he had won in the May assembly polls.
TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu has emerged as the new messiah of Opposition unity. However, he has a long history of political somersaults.

Chandrababu Naidu has emerged as the new messiah of Opposition unity. However, his political somersaults in the past, and the inherent contradictions within the Opposition camp, make the exercise of forging this unity an arduous one.

Naidu has never been consistent in his choice of allies. The manner in which he first embraced and later left the BJP is an illustration of this.

Besides, Naidu, who now talks about a Common Minimum Agenda to counter the Narendra Modi-led government, was the most avid supporter of the saffron party's economic agenda like demonetisation, the push for a cashless economy, GST, etc. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister, who was in the NDA at that time, described demonetisation as a far-reaching measure that would have a salubrious effect on the country's economy.

A look at the more distant past also offers a similar picture. The TDP, which earlier had an alliance with the Left parties, switched its loyalties to extend life support to the first NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However, the TDP chief threatened to pull out of the NDA citing the 2002 communal carnage in Gujarat during the chief ministership of Narendra Modi. Later, calling his alliance with the BJP a historical mistake, Naidu led an alliance of the TDP, TRS and the Left parties in 2009, only to join forces with the BJP again in 2014.

After four years of bonhomie with the BJP, during which Naidu praised Modis leadership several times, the TDP suddenly took yet another U-turn, purportedly on the issue of denial of special status to Andhra Pradesh, and left the NDA. This resulted in a belligerent fight between the TDP and BJP, only to facilitate the formers alliance with the Congress.

However, perhaps Naidus inconsistency does not matter much for other Opposition parties, as most of them have been a part of the same game for all these years.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, speaking to the media after meeting Naidu, said that a meeting of Opposition leaders will be called soon to chalk out the future course of action. The drafting of a common minimum programme will be done after discussions among like-minded parties. It is considered better for parties to join a coalition based on a pre-election agenda which has been agreed upon. However, Opposition parties lack a consensus on many issues.

Recently, Pawar had come to the rescue of Modi at a time when Congress president Rahul Gandhi had been attacking him over alleged corruption and cronyism in the Rafale deal. The NCP chief, in an interview to a Marathi channel, stated that people "do not have doubts" over Modi's intentions regarding the deal. He went on to say that the Opposition's demand that technical details about the fighter jets be shared made no sense. Although the NCP later said that Pawar had not given a clean chit to the prime minister, the damage to Opposition unity was already done  on an issue which is likely to be an important one ahead of the 2019 election. While Amit Shah welcomed Pawars statement, two senior NCP leaders left the party, aggrieved by their leaders statement.

Even as Naidu intensifies his efforts to stitch together a grand alliance of non-BJP parties, the BSP has moved away from the Congress ahead of the Assembly elections, which are being seen as a semi-final for the Lok Sabha election. This division in the Oppositions ranks benefits the BJP.

Mayawati appears to have changed her stand despite a united Opposition having defeated the BJP in by-elections in Uttar Pradesh earlier this year.

This is precisely why BJP general secretary and master strategist Ram Madhav exuded confidence that some parties that have joined the Opposition alliance could well find themselves in the NDA after the 2019 polls. His statement, which came on a day when Naidu held hectic parleys with several Opposition leaders, is a significant one. In fact, historical trends of the behaviour of non-Congress and non-BJP parties, barring the Left, support his assertion. The manner in which Nitish Kumar walked out of the mahagatbandhan to join hands with the BJP is characteristic of the political fragility within the Opposition grand alliance. The TDP, TMC, AIADMK, DMK, JD(S), BSP etc, have, at various times, switched their alliance partners keeping in mind perceived political advantages to them.

However, TDP leaders are presently busy portraying Naidu as someone who can make and unmake national politics. However, the fact remains that Naidu has not been able to bring any NDA partner into the Opposition fold. The parties with which Naidu has been holding discussions are already in the anti-BJP camp. These parties have been responding to anyone and everyone who makes an effort towards Opposition unity, of course, with their own caveats.

However, the speed and magnitude of Naidu's effort is certainly noteworthy. This time, at least there is talk of bringing together all non-BJP parties into a nationwide front and formulating a common agenda. This is the new element in the Opposition unity exercise. However, the myriad contradictions and the varying political compulsions at the state level and the competing claims of electoral quotas make such an exercise difficult, if not impossible. Given the opportunistic nature of Indian political alignments and realignments, nothing certain can be said on what the scenario will be after the election.
Renu Jogi, wife of Ajit Jogi, announced that she will contest the upcoming state Assembly election from Kota as a candidate of her husband's party.

Bilaspur: Renu Jogi, wife of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, on Friday announced that she will contest the upcoming state Assembly election from Kota as a candidate of her husband's party.

The announcement comes after the Congress released its final list of candidates on Thursday and her name was missing from it.

Former police officer Vibhor Singh has been fielded from Kota in Bilaspur district by the Congress.

Miffed over the party's decision, Renu filed her nomination papers from Kota as the candidate of the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J), a political party launched by her husband Ajit Jogi in 2016.

"I had full faith in the Congress and (UPA chairperson) Sonia Gandhiji. I have been a committed and dedicated worker of the Congress party," she said.

"But for the last two-and-a-half years, I was pained to see the treatment (by party leaders) towards me," Renu told reporters after filing her papers at Bilaspur collectorate.

Asked whether it was painful for her to quit the Congress, Renu replied in the affirmative, but maintained that there is a possibility they will be part of the 'mahagathbadhan', a possible grand alliance of Opposition parties that is being talked about to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"Finally, when I was denied ticket, I thought I was being insulted. Therefore, I quit the party. I have been connected to the people of Kota during my entire life (as a politician) and this will continue," she said.

"Today, I filed nomination from the party of my family JCC (J) and am confident that I will win," she added.

Interestingly, Ajit Jogi has so far never hinted that his fledgling outfit will be part of any anti-BJP grand alliance at the national level.

Renu was accompanied by her son Amit Jogi, the sitting MLA from Marwahi constituency, while filing her papers. This time, Ajit Jogi will contest from Marwahi.

After she was denied ticket, Renu, in a letter to Sonia Ganhi, had explained how she was being ignored by the present Congress leadership in the state.

In the letter, she wrote that she was removed from the post of deputy leader of opposition in the assembly and local Congress leaders tried to tarnish the image of her husband and son through "fake" CDs.

Despite all this, Renu said she continued to be a loyal soldier of the party.

Ajit Jogi's party, the JCC (J), has forged an alliance with the Mayawati-led BSP and the Communist Party of India (CPI) for this month's elections.

He has been nominated as the chief ministerial candidate of the three-party coalition.

In 2015-16, a feud ensued between the Jogi family and the local Congress leadership over an audio tape containing conversations about the 2014 Antagarh bypoll.

In the wake of the row, the Congress had expelled Amit Jogi from the party. Later, Ajit Jogi quit the Congress and floated his own outfit.

Elections to the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly will be held in two phases on November 12 and November 20. The counting of votes will be held on 11 December.

In the 2013 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 49 seats, the Congress 39, the BSP 1 and Independent 1.
Every pre-poll survey in Rajasthan, where Assembly election is scheduled to be held on December 7, has indicated Sachin Pilot is the first choice of the electorate.

Sachin Pilots rise in Rajasthans politics once again proves the moral of the parable of the hare and the tortoise. For four years, he worked slowly and steadily on the ground and suddenly emerged as the front runner in the race for the states chief ministership.

Every pre-poll survey in Rajasthan, where Assembly election is scheduled to be held on December 7, has indicated Pilot is the first choice of the electorate. His popularity ratings are believed to be even higher than Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and his own senior colleague, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, the two stalwarts of Rajasthan politics.

Four years ago, when he lost Ajmer Lok Sabha seat, nobody could have foreseen Pilots rise in politics. He was primarily seen as a Delhi leader with very little following among the masses. In a polity defined by caste equations, his Gurjar base was believed to be a major handicap because of the communitys low electoral clout.

Within the party, he had to compete with Gehlot and former Union minister CP Joshi, who was once Rahul Gandhis trusted lieutenant and strategist. Outside, he had to deal with the label of a being a paratrooper and a beneficiary of dynastic politics. But opinion polls and the buzz on the ground suggest he has overcome these obstacles and turned some of his liabilities into assets.

Sanyam Lodha, a former Congress legislator, says Pilot has risen in Rajasthan because of several factors. One, he has got an extended run  almost five years  as the state Congress chief. This allowed him to build his own network and connect with the masses by virtue of being the face of the Congress. Two, he used this tenure to travel extensively and mobilise the party. Three, he is seen as suave, articulate and charismatic.

Young voters like him, they think he is modern and progressive, says Lodha.

Pilots caste has also become an advantage. Since he is a Gurjar, the so-called politically powerful castes like Jats, Rajputs and Brahmins consider him to be neutral. Unlike Gehlot, who has little acceptability among the Jats, Pilot is acceptable even to castes and communities that fight with each other for a greater share of power.

Former Congress MLA Pratap Singh Khachariawas, whose uncle Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was one of the giants of Rajasthans politics, says Pilots steady rise and acceptability shows voters no longer get swayed by caste and community considerations, especially in urban areas.

There was a vacuum in the state because of Rajes fall in popularity. Pilot presented himself as a viable alternative by consistently challenging her on the ground. Voters remember just his struggle, argues Khachariawas.

Amidst growing speculation that he could be the next CM of Rajasthan if the Congress wins the Assembly election, Pilot will have to deal with two obstacles. One, the BJPs ploy to axe most of its sitting legislators to counter anti-incumbency. Two, the popularity  fading but still significant  and ambitions of Gehlot.

The BJPs internal surveys have indicated that at least 100 of its current MLAs have become unpopular. The BJP high command is planning to replace them with new faces to augment the partys electoral prospects. Raje too is wary of anti-incumbency but she doesnt want such large-scale changes, fearing the exit of many of her loyalists.

But, if the BJP gets its plan rolling, it might help the party take on the Congress, though some argue the anger is more against Raje than the party. Gehlot is a bigger challenge for Pilot because of his proximity to the Congress high command and his track record. Many surveys suggest people still remember his previous tenure as a success story. Also, among the party cadre, his acceptability is high.

Who gets to the helm of the Congress in case it wins the assembly polls would depend on two things.

One, Rahul Gandhis ability to read the outcome and use it strategically for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He would have to decide who would suit the Congress more as CM  Gehlot or Pilot. If he prefers a seasoned campaigner to steer the state, Rahul Gandhi may back Gehlot. But, if he wants to balance caste equations and signal a fresh beginning, Pilot may be the partys choice.

The other factor would be who dominates the ticket distribution process. If Gehlot loyalists outnumber Pilots in the Assembly, they might demand a secret ballot for choosing the leader. But, Congress insiders say, the party is dealing with this by letting Rahul Gandhi take the final decision on candidates. The only criterion would be a candidates winnability predicted by his own team of psephologists and observers on the ground.

If that happens, it is advantage Pilot.
The General Secretary of the RSS Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi on Friday made multiple statements on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute.

The general secretary of the RSS, Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi on Friday made multiple statements on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute. Asserting that the Supreme Court's delay in pronouncing a verdict on the issue could possibly hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community, Joshi claimed that the organisation will consider "repeating a stir like 1992, if required".

Joshi was talking to the media after the three-day meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Maharashtra. Joshi noted that the Ayodhya case had been in the Supreme Court for around seven years and claimed that the case was not a priority for the apex court. He said, "(We are) pained that the Supreme Court has different priorities. The Hindu community could be offended that the sentiments of thousands of people were not being considered on an urgent basis."

Joshi also asserted that the RSS would be patient with the apex court for the Ram Mandir verdict, but "will not wait indefinitely". He said that "it has been a long wait" since the case was transferred to the Supreme Court around seven years ago. Joshi added, "We had hoped for a decision when a three-judge bench was formed, but it's been a long wait."

Avashyakta padi to karenge: Bhaiyyaji Joshi, RSS when asked 'Jis tarah se 1992 mein aandolan kiya gaya tha us tarike se aadnolan kiya jaagea iss mudde par?' #RamMandir pic.twitter.com/x0YkEC7VIQ  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

Ram sab ke hriday mein rehte hain par wo prakat hote hain mandiron ke dwara. Hum chahte hain ki mandir bane. Kaam mein kuch baadhaein awashya hain aur hum apeksha kar rahe hain ki nyalalya Hindu bhavnaon ko samajh ke nirnay dega: Bhaiyyaji Joshi, RSS pic.twitter.com/LU37D4pILi  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

ANI quoted Joshi as saying that "Ram is in everyone's hearts, but is manifested in temples. We are hoping that the Ram Mandir is made. It is natural for there to be obstacles, but we are hoping that the court keeps Hindu sentiments in mind while giving the verdict." According to reports, he added, "We respect the Constitution. The Supreme Court should also respect our sentiments."

Joshi also addressed the Centre on the issue, and said that "sooner or later, the government must act on the ordinance". NDTV reported that the he directed the Centre to bring a law on the Ram Mandir issue and assure land for the temple. According to reports, Joshi asserted that the "mandir must be built at any cost".

Joshi commented on BJP MP Rakesh Sinha's decision to pitch for a 'Ram Mandir bill'. The RSS general secretary said that it was Sinha's right to move the bill in Parliament.

Earlier on Thursday, Sinha tweeted asking the Opposition whether its leaders would support him if he introduced a private member's bill in Parliament on the construction of the temple in Ayodhya.

The Supreme Court on 29 October fixed the Ram Mandir petitions for the first week of January in 2019 before an appropriate bench, which will decide the schedule of hearing.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said the appropriate bench will decide the future course of hearing in January next year on the appeals filed against the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case. The high court had ruled that the disputed land on the site in Ayodhya be divided into three parts.
News of Yogi Adityanath governments plans to construct a Ram statue also comes two days after prime minister Narendra Modi unveiled the 182-metre Statue of Unity

The Uttar Pradesh government is likely to consult the Centre on plans to build a statue of Lord Ram on the banks of Saryu River in Uttar Pradesh, reports have said. The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has not revealed details, or time frame related to the project and the proposal is not in the public domain yet, reported India Today.

According to Times Now, the statue of Lord Ram to be built on the Saryu river bank will be more than 100 meters in height. The bronze statue will cost Rs 330 crore and a 36-metre pedestal and a museum have also been planned, India Today reported. It is speculated that Yogi Adityanath is likely to make an announcement.

Earlier on Friday, the general secretary of the RSS, Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi made multiple statements on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute. Asserting that the Supreme Court's delay in pronouncing a verdict on the issue could possibly hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community, Joshi claimed that the organisation will consider "repeating a stir like 1992, if required".

On Monday (29 October 2018), the Supreme Court had adjourned the hearing in the Ayodhya title suit to January, 2019 and said that an appropriate bench will fix the date of hearing. The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph did not decide on the date of the hearing or the bench and proceeded to order that the case will be listed in January 2019 for fixing a date for the hearing.

A day later Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) national prachar pramukh Arun Kumar had said that the top court must take a decision on construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya or the central government should bring a law to pave the way for the construction. The same day, reacting to the verdict Adityanath had said justice delayed can be justice denied.

News of Adityanath governments plans to construct a Ram statue also comes two days after prime minister Narendra Modi unveiled the 182-metre Statue of Unity which was a tribute to former deputy prime minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
tech2 News Staff

The OnePlus 6T announced just a while back came with a new mode dedicated for night time photography called Nightscape and some other enhancements such as studio lighting. None of these changes were hardware based and OnePlus had said these camera improvements would also be coming for the OnePlus 6.

Now with the OxygenOS 9.0.2 update rolling out, we can finally see them on the OnePlus 6.

As per the changelog provided by OnePlus, we see that the update brings:

Brand new navigation gestures

Improved UI for About phone

Optimised standby power consumption

Updated Android security patch to 2018.11

Added support to launch Google Assistant or other third party assistant app by holding the power button for 0.5 seconds

General bug fixes and improvements

Added Nightscape

Added Studio Lighting to enhance face contour

For the support for launching Google Assistant using the power button, you have to head to Settings > Buttons and Gestures > Quick Activate the Assistant app.

The Nightscape feature is now available in the camera menu and we shall test it out in low-light conditions. The November security patch has also been included in the update.

As usual, the update will be rolled out in an incremental manner and only a few users will be getting for the first time, followed subsequently by a wider rollout.
tech2 News Staff

Qualcomm's upcoming chipset Snapdragon 855 or Snapdragon 8150 will be the chipset that most of the Android flagships are going to implement in their devices. While the official unveiling of the chipset is still a month away, Royon's FlexiPai bendable smartphone/tablet has already debuted the chipset on 1 November. Now we have an early look at the benchmarking results from this chipset.

As per the report by GSMArena, the device used for getting these benchmarks is not the FlexiPai but some other prototype device. The chipset is said to be based on the new generation Kryo cores, though we do not know what kind of setup these Kryo cores will have.

Reportedly, the rumor has it that the configuration will not be of the 4 high powered, and 4 low power setup. Instead, we might see two cores for burst performance, two for sustained speed and four little cores to handle the lighter tasks. We are already aware that this chipset is going to be based on a 7 nm manufacturing process, and will be competing with other similar chipsets such as the A12 Bionic and Kirin 980.

Coming back to the benchmarks, we see quite an incremental upgrade in performance as compared to the Snapdragon 845 chipset in terms of multicore performance, which was at 10084. In comparison, the multicore scores for the Mate 20 and Note 9 were 9026 and 9712. The single core scores, on the other hand, showed a decline as compared to Note 9's Exynos 9810. The latter showed a score of 3642 while the SD 8510 showed scores of 3181. The Apple A12 Bionic chipset still seems way ahead.

However, here we must remind ourselves that this not the final product and we are not even sure whether the chipset is running at its maximum clock-speed or not. More information will be revealed once Qualcomm officially unveils the chipset, stay tuned.
tech2 News Staff

The global smartphone shipments hit 386.8 million units in the third quarter this year (ending on September 30) -- declining 3 percent annually -- while Chinese players OPPO, Xiaomi and Vivo reached their highest ever shipments in a single quarter, a new report said on Friday.

Samsung continued to lead the smartphone market with 19 percent market share. The South Korean giant recorded its highest smartphone shipments ever in India, said Counterpoint Research's "Market Monitor Service".

Chinese players continued their growth trajectory with strong performances in markets outside China.

"Despite the decline in its home market, Chinese brands OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi reached new highs in smartphone shipments in a quarter. Huawei was also able to maintain its over 50 million smartphone shipments and retain its second position (after Samsung) in 3Q 2018," said Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research.

"The brands will further expand outside China as they push into Asia Pacific countries and Europe," he added.

While Apple iPhone shipments remained flat annually, revenues for the devices grew 29 percent with a record average selling price of $793.

The top 10 players now capture 78 percent of the market, leaving more than 600 brands to compete for the remaining 21 percent.

"This is the first time that the global smartphone market has declined for three consecutive quarters. It can be attributed to a weakening demand in developed markets like China, the US and Western Europe which account for almost half of smartphone sales globally," Pathak noted.

Although emerging markets like India showed double-digit growth, it was not enough to compensate for the volume decline in developed markets.

"The growth in the emerging markets is led by Chinese smartphone players that are venturing out of China to capture sales. The offerings have intensified competition and many features and capabilities common among flagship models are now progressively diffusing through to the lower price bands," said research analyst Shobhit Srivastava.
Guided use of social media in classrooms can help boost the literacy and language development of English-learners in multiple languages, according to a pair of studies from a University of Minnesota research team.

The team sought new ways for teachers to use students native languages to promote multilingual communication in classes, even if the teacher does not speak any of the languages of the students.

To that end, the researchers tried to leverage youths social media practices to strengthen their engagement in classroom activities by providing opportunities to write about themselves using Facebook, a familiar medium for many of the students.

For many refugees, connectivity is vital: smartphones and mobile technology are crucial tools for refugees worldwide, particularly during times of mobility and then when adjusting to a new country, the authors wrote in one of the studies. "... for immigrants, refugees, and migrants, this means that leaving home does not necessitate absolute disconnection to the homeland or to the home language.

For one study, Literacy as a Social Media Practice, the research team hosted a voluntary five-day summer school session on critical media literacy, using lessions in English and Somali, their native language.

The researchers, Martha Bigelow, Kendall King, and Jenifer Vanek, focused on high school-age, recently arrived immigrant youth in Minnesota, many of them from eastern African nations such as Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti, and Ethiopia. During the lessons, the teachers and students used private Facebook groups with posts that were for in-class use only. Their posts did not appear in Facebook feeds for other users to review or comment on.

While the researchers did not formally assess language and literacy growth for the 23 participants, they did observe potential benefits for traditional classrooms settings: peer support for the students Facebook posts served as positive reinforcement for their offline writing; using Facebook paved the way for more complex language use; and writing and sharing in an online space sparked more extensive use of written English and rich interactive learning group experiences.

Students were very engaged with this and the medium allowed them to [communicate] ... using sophisticated tools and sophisticated English. They were reflecting on their own learning and they were engaging with each other online and in person, said King, a professor of second language education at the University of Minnesota.

In another study, with Nimo Abdi, a fellow University of Minnesota researcher, the team intended to use Facebook as a tool to focus solely on native-language literacy in a private Facebook group used for a voluntary summer school program. But the researchers found that more than half the students instinctively communicated in Somali and English, in effect developing both their home and English-language skills. Some students even used additional languages, such as French and Spanish, to critically evaluate and create language.

In both studies, the research team concluded that using social media to encourage writing helped develop a supportive community and reduced inhibitions about producing written Englishand wouldnt have worked as well if the course instructors demanded that students strictly use academic language.

The findings highlight how in-class use of social media analysis can serve to achieve multilingual and critical literacy learning aims, the authors wrote.

Here are links to the abstracts of the studies: Social Presence and Identity: Facebook in an English Language Classroom and Literacy as a Social Media Practice: Refugee Youth and Native Language Literacy at School .

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Photo: Students in the District of Columbias International Academy at Cardozo Education Campus, immigrants from Central America and Asia, work on an assignment in history class. --Greg Kahn for Education Week-File
Donald Soleyn had to wait almost a year, only to hear that the complainant in his matter, got cold feet and failed to make an appearance in court.

Magistrates Court Bailiff Donald Soleyn was this week cleared of three criminal charges, hanging over his head since November 2017.





The charges against Soleyn were dismissed on Monday, after the virtual complainant, Wayne Peters of Bequia, failed to show up for the trial despite being summoned, and warned personally to be there.

Soleyn was charged with stealing $200 in cash, the property of Wayne Peters, and possession of criminal property, to wit $200 in cash.





He was also charged with, being employed in the public service and being charged with the performance of any duty, he corruptly solicited, received or obtained $200 in cash for himself on account of anything to be afterwards done or omitted to be done by him in discharge of the duties of his office as Bailiff of the Magistrates Court.





Soleyn was accused of committing the offences between December 31, 2015 and January 1, 2017 at Bequia.





Effort to contact complainant





Police Constable 503 Donna Kennedy, attached to the Process Department which is responsible for the distribution of summons, told the Kingstown Magistrates Court on Monday that on October 24, she had a telephone conversation with Peters, and informed him of his Court date. He assured her that he would be present.

According to Kennedy, Peters told her to leave the summons at the Port Elizabeth Police Station in Bequia, from where he would collect it.

She sent the summons with Constable 510 Jacobs who is attached to that Police Station.

Kennedy added that Jacobs told her that when she noticed that Peters was not coming to collect the summons, she went to look for him at his Bequia home, but he was not there. She also called his cellular phone as per number on the summons, but it kept ringing and went to voice mail.





She added that as recent as Monday, she tried to reach Peters by phone, but was unsuccessful.

Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delpleche said it was the third occasion the Prosecution was trying to get the virtual complainant and was unsuccessful. He pointed out that the prosecution could not proceed without Peters evidence. As a result, Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett dismissed all the charges.

One witness, Sharona Ollivierre, former Magistrates Court clerk, had already testified for the prosecution. Her evidence was taken July 27 this year, when the matter was adjourned.





Speaking with THE VINCENTIAN on Tuesday, Soleyns lawyer, Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, said she was confident that, even if the trial was continued, she would have conducted a successful defence. She said one of the charges was bad for duplicity and the others were weak.




Reuters

Samsung Electronics said on Thursday it will compensate former and current workers of its South Korean chip and display factories who have serious work-related illnesses, after a mediation panel advocated the compensation.

The move will put an end to the years-long dispute between the worlds top memory chipmaker and an advocacy group representing sickened workers and their families after the 2007 death of a Samsung chip factory worker with leukaemia sparked concerns over working conditions at the South Korean company.

Samsung vowed on Thursday to comply with the mediators decision on the case.

We will keep our promise to completely adhere to the mediators decision and will quickly come up with plans to implement the decision, Samsung said in a statement after the mediation bodys proposal.

Samsung was asked to pay up to 150 million won ($132,677.61) for each former and incumbent employee suffering from work-related diseases if they are found to be caused by chemical exposure, the mediation committee led by a former supreme justice said in a statement.

All former and current Samsung employees as well as the companys contractors who worked at Samsungs semiconductor and display production plants for more than one year since 1984 are eligible to be compensated for their illnesses.

Samsung issued a public apology in 2014 to affected workers and their families and said thereafter it will create a 100 billion won fund to compensate them.

South Korean activist group Sharps said in 2015 it was aware of around 200 workers who had fallen ill after working at a Samsung plant and 70 of them had died subsequently.

Samsung and the civic group agreed in July this year to unconditionally accept an arbitration proposal on compensation.

In August, a U.N. human rights body welcomed Samsungs decision on compensating its South Korean workers, calling Samsung and other companies in the electronic sector to protect workers throughout their global operations.
tech2 News Staff

When Android Pie was officially launched in August this year, it also came with a promise for an improved battery life for the smartphones. The latest version of the software uses an AI-based feature called Adaptive Battery, which was designed to increase the battery life of the devices than usual. But it didnt quite do that.

Post the rollout of the operating system, many users did report noticing a slight improvement or no perceivable difference to their battery life. However, according to a new report by VentureBeat, three months after the release, some users have noticed a significantly higher battery drain after upgrading to Pie.

Apparently, this issue was also faced by some Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL users, with many reporting that their phones dont last a day even.

(Read out Pixel 3 XL review here.)

Reddit, Google Product Forum, and Google Issue Tracker have long threads of users complaining of the battery drain.

While at this point, the case looks easy, and the Adaptive Battery feature, looks like the culprit, however, according to the report, turning off the feature doesnt help the battery either. So it may not entirely be on Adaptive Battery. In fact, VentureBeat says when they tested the issue, they found that the battery drained even faster when the feature was disabled.

Another part of this issue is that the operating system itself isnt accurately predicting how much battery life is left on the device. Reportedly, smartphones running on Android Pie sometimes shut down abruptly when Android reports five percent battery life left.

Further, it was also found that media apps may have a big role in this issue. This would include first-party or third-party apps for audio or video. This is because Android restrictions are generally exempted on apps that still target older OS versions. However, according to the latest Google Play target API level requirement, Google Play will require that new apps target at least Android 8.0 (API level 26) from August 1, 2018, and that app updates target Android 8.0 from November 1, 2018.

Having said that, this still does not explain why users are seeing worse results with Android Pie than with Android Oreo. The real issue behind the battery drain has to be something else, while media apps like these could only be a contributing factor.

However, the update in the Play Store is expected to fix the issue to some extent. This means, you must keep an eye out for updates to your media apps on the store.
tech2 News Staff

Google employees across the world staged a walkout on 1 November, to protest the company's handling of the alleged sexual misconduct charges against big names in Google. Employees from Google offices across Zurich, Dublin, Singapore, London, Hyderabad, New York, Atlanta, Australia participated in this protest. According to an employee group, Google Walkout For Real Change, around 47 offices across the world participated in the walkout.

This isn't the first time Google employees have protested. In the recent past, we have seen Google employees express their anger at Google's efforts to get back into China by compromising on its values or trying to let the US Department of Defence use Google's artificial intelligence, among other things.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a conference in New York spoke about the positive aspects of letting company employees register their protest, but stated that he was still in charge of the company and would not let things be swayed by constant employee uprisings.

"We dont run the company by referendum. There are many good things about giving employees a lot of voice, out of that we have done well," said Pichai, adding that while to outsiders it may look like things are chaotic inside Google, that isn't really the case.

The demonstrations follow a New York Times report last week that said Google in 2014 gave a $90 million exit package to Android founder Andy Rubin after the then-senior vice president was accused of sexual harassment.

Rubin denied the allegation in the story, which he also said contained wild exaggerations about his compensation. Google did not dispute the report.

The report energised a months-long movement inside Google to increase diversity, improve treatment of women and minorities and ensure the company upholds its motto of dont be evil as it expands.

Since its founding two decades ago, Google has been known around the world for its exceptional transparency with workers. Executives goals and insights into corporate strategy have been accessible to any employee. But organisers said Google executives, like leaders at other companies affected by the #metoo movement, have been slow to address some structural issues.

We, Google employees and contractors, will walkout on November 1 at 11:10am to demand these five real changes. #googlewalkout pic.twitter.com/amgTxK3IYw  Google Walkout For Real Change (@GoogleWalkout) November 1, 2018

Google claims that it has fired around 48 employees over the last two years without any kind of exit package after it was found that they were guilty of sexual misconduct.

Those Google employees who participated in the walkout protest were seen with placards reading 'Respect for Women', 'Not OK, Google' and so on. According to the Twitter handle for Google Walkout for Real Change, around five demands were put forth by the protestors including an end to a 'Forced Arbitration' clause which prevented employees from legally suing Google in cases of harassment and discrimination after they left the company, a commitment to end pay and opportunity disparity, among other things.
tech2 News Staff

A Greenpeace report used satellite data to look at hotspots for air pollution by nitrogen dioxide around the world has found three of the 50 worst emission sources in India.

The largest cluster of hotspots totals 10 regions in China, eight in the Arab world, four in the EU and three each in India, the US and DR Congo.

The highest NO2 emissions levels were emitted from the Mpumalanga province in South Africa, according to the Greenpeace report.

Oxides of Nitrogen

Oxides of nitrogen  NO2, and NOx more generally  are dangerous air pollutants that could lead to poor lung health and chronic respiratory disease if exposed to for long periods of time, the report warns.

These nitrogen oxides also increase the amount of PM 2.5 and ozone content in the atmosphere  the top two air-borne challenges to public health worldwide.

Emissions in some hotspots, such as Seoul, Jakarta and New Delhi, are a mix of multiple contributing sources including transport, coal power plants and manufacturing, the analysis found.

Power Plants

Coal-fired power plants are one of the biggest concerns in 19 out of the 50 hotspots, followed by manufacturing industries (most notably steel plants in China) and transportation.

Emission regulation for power plants being weak was noted as the major reason for the emission levels seen in most of the hotspots. The weak standards of regulation allow power plants to pollute at levels many times over permitted limits.

Power plants in India are subject to emission standards by the Ministry of Environment and Power. However, officials took no action against polluting coal power plants when the problem came to the surface, the report said.

Making matters worse, Greenpeace alleges that the deadline to implement these emission standards for coal-fired plants was extended.

Diesel cars

Motor vehicles that run on diesel are highly polluting and contribute far more NOx to the atmosphere than gasoline. However, the transition from diesel to less polluting fuels requires comprehensive planning due to the requirements of internal combustion engines they run on, the report says.

The report calls for an immediate focus on diesel, and towards electric-powered public transportation to radically reduce the number of passenger cars on our roads in favour of active and shared mobility.

Highlighting the poor health that results from breathing NOx over long periods of time, Greenpeace calls for an energy revolution of sorts to remove the dependence on fossil fuels and move to more sustainable and efficient forms of energy.
The threats held out by Imran Khan in his speech warning of action against protesters meant little. In the end, prudence prevailed over valour.

This is only getting more and more serious. First, the prime minister of Pakistan chose to address the nation against the extremist antics of a far-right group that was till recently on the fringe of politics. Second, when he opens his speech with a full justification of not only the Islamic basis of Pakistans creation, but also his own Islamic credentials, then it is time to worry. Third, and worse was the praise heaped on him in the social and print media, applauding his courage. This underlines the public perception that it takes rare courage for the head of a state that commands the 13th most powerful force among 133 countries, made up of some 919,000 total men, to quell a group of right-wingers whose core is probably less than a hundred. Clearly, things are far more serious than anyone imagined.

First, one needs to examine why the prime minister felt impelled to address the nation on the sole issue of the actions of the actions of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA). This is the group responsible for protests across the country against the Supreme Courts judgment setting aside the death penalty for Asia Bibi, a fifty-plus Christian woman and mother of four, accused of blasphemy in what appeared to be a clear case of personal spite. The protests continue as of the time of writing, and are certainly widespread covering all major cities, including Peshawar and its outskirts. This could still have been viewed as a serious though straightforward law and order issue, were it not for the statements of the TLYRP leadership, including Khadim Hussain Rizvi. During a rally against the Supreme Court ruling, he and other leaders chose to not only designate the Chief Justice and the three judges as wajibul qatal (liable to be killed) but also provided a plan, asking drivers, cooks and guards to kill such judges. Worse, he called out the Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa and others as Ahmadis and anti-national, and called for rebellion against them. To most Pakistanis, this would have seemed to be sheer madness. But the conclusion of the State seemed to be that the Barelvi group had a clear and dangerous method to its madness. Thus, the prime minister made an address, and later, an offer of talks was made to the group.

Clearly, the threats held out by the prime minister in his speech warning of action against protesters meant little. In the end, prudence prevailed over valour.

The second issue that is worrying is why the prime minister felt it necessary to justify his governments Islamic credentials in his address to the nation. Khan referred repeatedly to the unprecedented actions by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry whereby it was able to cancel a planned competition announced by a Dutch parliamentarian inviting people to submit cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. He also hailed first time actions by the Pakistan Human Rights Ministry that apparently prevailed upon the European Court of Human Rights to prohibit insulting the Prophet on the grounds of freedom of speech. Clearly, whoever wrote the speech felt it necessary to establish the Prime Minister as truly Islamic in deed and speech. Thats equally worrying. Surely a head of state has to simply ensure order, without first explaining himself to a bunch of men bent on mischief? Much like Khans statement, the judgment on the Asia Bibi case was also heavily laced with religious justifications, including an agreement that blasphemy could not be allowed to go unpunished

This fear can only be explained with a very brief history of the TLYRA. Its leader Khadim Rizvi was once a lowly Auqaf official fired for his patently undisciplined and venomous behaviour. His rise began in January 2011, when Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer, a staunch opponent of blasphemy laws and the Asia Bibi case in particular, was assassinated by Mumtaz Qadri, a policeman within his own guard. That set off Rizvi and he began the rounds of the country pleading for the assassins release. Several sit-ins and protests in 2016 were handled fairly firmly by the Sharif government and the group remained on the margins of political activity. By 2017, it had announced its decision to contest by-elections in Lahore, on the seat vacated by the now dismissed Nawaz Sharif. In that by-election, the TYLRA candidate won more votes than established parties like the Jamaat and the Pakistan Peoples Party. The same story was apparent in another by-election in Peshawar. In November 2017 came the crowning glory. A sit-in was was launched in Islamabad, which inexplicably turned violent as hordes of supporters suddenly emerged even as the Islamabad and Punjab police launched an operation to evict the protestors. Even more mysteriously, the army chief stepped into the now suddenly tense situation, asking both sides to show restraint. Worse, a Major General, Faiz Hamid, was not only involved in negotiating an end to the protests, but was also seen distributing money to the protestors, apparently with the utmost amicability. As per the protestors demands, the law minister Zahid Hamid was sacked, and thereafter, the script was predictable. In subsequent general elections, Rizvis party acted as a spoiler in the heartland of Punjab, splitting the religious vote and causing the PML(N) to lose its bastion, and eventually sit in the opposition. It appeared to be an operation conducted successfully and then ended, at least for those intelligence agencies who were on a mission to get Sharif out. Not so for the TYLRA. For them, this was just the beginning.

In subsequent months, the group showed its mettle in several cases. It launched protests again on the issue of the Dutch parliamentarians cartoon challenge, and more seriously, seemed to be involved in an incident in which the Pakistan Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was shot at and wounded. The international links of the group were apparent when a rally was addressed via telephone by Tanveer Qadri , jailed in the United Kingdom for murdering an Ahmadiya two years ago. Reports indicated that the rallies were well attended and funded by persons across the political divide, which included Sheikh Rashid of the present government, and Sheikh Hameed of the PPP among others. By March however, the armys Inter-Services Intelligence was reporting to the Supreme Court that Khadim Rizvi was a corrupt individual. Clearly, the party had ended.

In sum, Imran Khan did indeed break away from the past in calling the TLYRA to task, and threatening dire retaliation. For that at least, he deserves credit. Why he almost immediately backed off by calling for talks may be explained by the fact that he may have been briefed in more detail by the Army Chief General Bajwa who seems to have met him just after his address to the nation. That would indicate that the Pakistan army has a different view from that of the interior ministry  and its intelligence bureau  which obviously led to a quick climb down from an aggressive posture. It is entirely possible that the army had a better picture of the group. But it does raise the uncomfortable question as to whether Imran Khan is going to be allowed to craft his Naya Pakistan or not. A strong crackdown on the belligerent group would have certainly been part of that newness.

Clearly, the prime minister needs to ask a few uncomfortable questions as to who let the TLYRA cat out of the bag in the first place and with what expected consequences. At present, it seems that Khadim Rizvi and his ilk are not shy of biting the hand that fed them in their reach for a wider political base. This is a lesson that the Pakistan armys agencies should surely have learnt by now, given that it has battled the Tehreek-e-Taliban and sundry others groups that turned from friend to foe when it suited them. If the Pakistan army can learn that lesson, then it will be one giant step towards Naya Pakistan. If not, the Khadim Rizvi saga will be just another sorry tale of a fate foretold.
The much-hyped dialogue ended at about 11 pm on Thursday which had started four hours earlier at Hasina's official residence here, reports Xinhua news agency. Her ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) party on Tuesday invited the alliance called 'Jatiya Oikya Front' (United National Front) for the talks.

Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a dialogue with leaders of a newly-formed Opposition alliance over the general elections slated for December, authorities said on Friday.

The much-hyped dialogue ended at about 11 pm on Thursday which had started four hours earlier at Hasina's official residence here, reports Xinhua news agency. Her ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) party on Tuesday invited the alliance called "Jatiya Oikya Front" (United National Front) for the talks.

The alliance was formed in October by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). However, BNP spokesman Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, while leaving Hasina's residence, told the media that the dialogue was not fruitful.

The alliance's leader Kamal Hossain, a former foreign minister and a prominent lawyer who drafted Bangladesh constitution after the country's independence, said the meeting went "good", adding that "It will bear fruit".

The alliance has demanded that the upcoming 11th national election be held under a non-partisan government and the immediate release of all political prisoners including Khaleda, who has been in jail since February in a corruption case.
China has been hurt over the past months and is having a 'hard time' due to strong steps taken by the US against it over trade, US president Donald Trump has claimed.

Washington: China has been hurt over the past months and is having a "hard time" due to strong steps taken by the US against it over trade, US president Donald Trump has claimed.

The US levied tariffs of 10 percent on $200 billion of Chinese products in September, with the rate set to increase to 25 percent by the end of the year. In response, Beijing said it would impose taxes on 5,207 US imports worth about $60 billion.

The two nations had already imposed tariffs on $50 billion of each other's goods before the September sanctions.

"China has been hurt over the last number of months. And they're having a hard time, and they'll be fine. And let's see what happens, Trump said at a White House event.

Trump said the two countries have a chance to make a fair deal.

"China has been hurting us and trade deals have been hurting us," he said, adding that his administration is changing all those trade deals.

"We are changing them. We changed with Mexico. We changed it with Canada, South Korea. We have a new deal," he said adding that the US is now negotiating with the European Union, which has absolutely hurt the United States.

Trump said the American economy is doing well and he has been receiving congratulatory message from across the world.

"We are literally the hottest country in the world, economically, and it's a great thing to see. I think we have a long way to go. I really believe that," he said.
Trump announced that a 'comprehensive' executive order (EO) is coming as early as next week that covers asylum seekers too. He did not mention what else may be included in the EO, although in interviews this week, he has threatened to bring an EO to end birthright citizenship for children of non-citizens.

Washington: US president Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to sign an order next week that could lead to the large-scale detention of migrants crossing the country's southern border and bar anyone caught crossing illegally from claiming asylum  two legally dubious proposals that mark his latest election-season barrage against illegal immigration. He suggested Thursday that US troops would treat stones thrown at them as "a firearm" and asked migrants to "turn back" because the US cannot "support the world's poor". Trump announced that a "comprehensive" executive order is coming as early as next week that covers asylum seekers too. He did not mention what else may be included in the order, although in interviews this week, he has threatened to bring an executive order to end birthright citizenship for children of non-citizens.

Trump also said he had told the U.S. military mobilizing at the southwest border that if U.S. troops face rock-throwing migrants, they should react as though the rocks were "rifles."

"This is an invasion," Trump declared, as he has previously on a subject that has been shown to resonate strongly with his base of Republican supporters. He made his comments at the White House in a rambling, campaign-style speech that was billed as a response to caravans of migrants traveling slowly by foot toward the U.S. border. But Trump offered few details on how exactly he planned to overhaul an asylum system he claimed was plagued by "endemic abuse" that he said "makes a mockery of our immigration system."

U.S. immigration laws make clear that migrants seeking asylum may do so either at or between border crossings. But Trump said he would limit that to official crossing points. The U.S. also doesn't have space at the border to manage the large-scale detention of migrants, with most facilities at capacity. Trump said the government would erect "massive tents" instead.

His announcement marked Trump's latest attempt to keep the issue of immigration front-and-center in the final stretch before next Tuesday's elections. Trump has spent the waning days of the campaign hammering the issue at every occasion as he tries to energize Republican voters using the same playbook that helped him win in 2016. In addition to deploying the military to the southern border to stave off the caravan, Trump announced plans to try to end the constitutionally-protected right of birthright citizenship for all children born in the U.S.

The president announced Wednesday that he was considering deploying up to 15,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexican border in response to the caravans  roughly double the number the Pentagon said it currently plans for a mission that has been criticized as unnecessary, considering the caravans remain hundreds of miles away.

Trump said Thursday he was "not going to put up with" any sort of violence directed at those U.S. forces, warning the military would fight back. "When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexico military and police, I say consider it a rifle," he said.

The exact rules for the use of force by military police and other soldiers who will be operating near the border have not been disclosed, but in all cases troops have the right of self-defense.

Still, Mark Hertling, a retired Army general, wrote on Twitter after Trump's speech that no military officer would allow a soldier to shoot an individual throwing a rock. "It would be an unlawful order," he wrote, citing the Law of Land Warfare.

Trump said Thursday that, under his order, any migrants who do enter the country would be housed in "massive tent cities" he plans to build while their cases are processed.

"We're going to catch, we're not going to release," he said.

Under current protocol, many asylum seekers are released while their cases make their way through backlogged courts  a process that can take years.

Critics said the speech seemed mostly designed to scare, with no specifics on what mechanisms Trump intended to use to push through his desired changes. Administration officials have told The AP that Trump intends to invoke the same authority he used to push through his controversal travel ban, but it's not clear if that's what he was doing with Thursday's speech.

"He's really trying to scare the American public into thinking these are thousands of dangerous thugs," said Greg Chen, of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "It's a classic strategy that goes back to 19th century nativist thinking."

Trump and other administration officials have long said those seeking asylum should come through legal ports of entry. But many migrants are unaware of that guidance, and official border crossings have grown increasingly clogged. Immigration officials have turned away asylum-seekers at border crossings because of overcrowding, telling them to return at a later date. Backlogs have become especially bad in recent months at crossings in California, Arizona and Texas, with people generally waiting five weeks to try to claim asylum at San Diego's main crossing and sleeping out in the open for days at a time.

Migrants who cross illegally are generally arrested and often seek asylum or some other form of protection. Claims have spiked in recent years, and there is currently a backlog of more than 800,000 cases pending in immigration court. Administration officials have railed against what they say are loopholes designed to encourage people, especially from Central America, to come to the U.S. and claim asylum. Generally, only about 20 percent of applicants are approved.

The U.S. fielded more than 330,000 asylum claims in 2017, nearly double the number two years earlier and surpassing Germany as highest in the world.

But it remains unclear how many people currently en route to the U.S. will even make it to the border.

There are currently four caravans. The main group of about 4,000 migrants  down from its estimated peak of more than 7,000  remains in southern Mexico, hundreds of miles from the border. A second, smaller group of 1,000 or so is more than 200 miles behind the first. A third band of about 500 from El Salvador has made it to Guatemala, and a fourth group of about 700 set out from the Salvadoran capital Wednesday.

Similar caravans have gathered regularly over the years and have generally dwindled by the time they reach the southern border. And most have passed largely unnoticed.

Trump has nonetheless mounted an enormous show of force in response to their movement  coinciding with elections that will determine which party controls Congress.

The first 100 active duty troops arrived at the border in McAllen, Texas, on Thursday  part of the "more than 7,000" troops the Pentagon said were being sent to support Customs and Border Protection agents.

"These illegal caravans will not be allowed into the United States and they should turn back now because they're wasting their time," Trump said Thursday.

Notably, he said his executive order would come next week, which means it could be after Election Day.

Trump has rejected the idea he has been "fearmongering" and using the issue for political purposes, but on Thursday he blamed Democrats for the "incompetent, very, very stupid laws that we have." He noted at one point, "Women want security."

Trump also tweeted a video Wednesday alleging, without evidence, that Democrats were responsible for allowing a homicidal immigrant into the U.S. The video was reminiscent of the infamous "Willie Horton" ad used against Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988 and condemned as racist.
Currently, an estimated 5,000-7,000 people from three Latin American countries  El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala  are marching towards the US through Mexico. Trump has deployed more than 5,000 military personnel on the southwestern border to stop them from entering.

Washington: President Donald Trump has suggested that the military could fire on the caravan that is heading towards the United States if people throw stones at the soldiers.

Currently, an estimated 5,000-7,000 people from three Latin American countries  El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala  are marching towards the US through Mexico. Trump has deployed more than 5,000 military personnel on the southwestern border to stop them from entering.

Responding to a question from reporters after he announced changes in the current catch-and-release policy, Trump hoped that the US military does not has to open fire at these illegal immigrants. "I hope not. I hope not. It's the military. I hope there won't be that," he said.

But, Trump added, anybody throwing stones and rocks, like they did in Mexico, that would be considered as a firearm, because "there's not much difference when you get hit in the face with a rock". Trump alleged that these immigrants were throwing rocks, viciously, and violently. "You saw that three days ago, really hurting the military. We're not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back," he said.

"We're going to consider  and I told them consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexico military and police, I say consider it a rifle," he added.

"They broke in to Mexico. And you look at what's happening in Guatemala along with El Salvador and Honduras. It's disgraceful that those countries aren't able to stop this because they should be able to stop it before it starts. "And the United States pays them a fortune and we're looking at not doing that anymore because why should we be doing that when they do nothing for us?" he asked.
Pakistans foreign reserves have plunged 42 percent since the start of the year and now stand at about $8 billion, or less than two months of import cover.

Beijing: New Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday of his countrys very difficult economic situation, on a trip seen as vital to Islamabads efforts to obtain fresh loans.

Pakistans foreign reserves have plunged 42 percent since the start of the year and now stand at about $8 billion, or less than two months of import cover.

Last month, Pakistan received a $6 billion rescue package from Saudi Arabia, but officials say it is not enough and the country still plans to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avert a balance of payments crisis.

It would be Pakistans 13th rescue package from the multilateral lender since the late 1980s.

Meeting Xi in Beijings Great Hall of the People, Khan said hed come to China to learn.

My party has only been in power for two months. Unfortunately we have inherited a very difficult economic situation, Khan said.

Countries go in cycles. They have their high points, they have their low points. Unfortunately, our country is going through a low point at the moment with two very big deficits, a fiscal deficit and a current account deficit. And so we, as Ive said, have come to learn.

Xi told Khan that he highly valued the two countrys relations, reaffirming they were all-weather friends.

I attach great importance to China-Pakistan relations and am willing to work together with the prime minister to strengthen the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership and build a new era of China-Pakistan destiny, Xi said.

Neither man mentioned any economic aid in comments made in front of reporters.

Khan, accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, will meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday, when the two countries are expected to sign a series of agreements.

Though China is Pakistans closest ally, Khans newly elected government has sought to re-think the two countries signature project, the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which Beijing touts as the flagship infrastructure programme in its vast Belt and Road Initiative.

Pakistan has sought to amend CPEC to put greater emphasis on projects that focus on social development, rather than purely on infrastructure.

After visiting Beijing, Khan is set to be a key note speaker at a major import fair in Shanghai, an event being touted by China as an opportunity to show the world the country welcomes foreign companies and their products.

Khan is in China amid unrest at home over the acquittal of a Pakistani Christian woman on death row for blasphemy, which has prompted an ultra-Islamist party to block roads in protest.
Heroes Day celebrations in Bermuda brings Bermudans together, and Premier Burt intends to bring Bermudans closer to one another as far as their income is concerned. (Photo Credit: Bermuda Right: David Burt, Premier of Bermuda, has made the issue of job a priority concern of his administration. (Photo Credit: Twitter)

Bermudas Premier, David Burt, and his Progressive Labour Party (PLP) are bent on tackling the job and immigration issues in that country head on.





Premier Burt told his partys annual convention that opened last week Wednesday, "In 2018, where the world is virtual and jobs are mobile, it is important to realise that we may need to take a different approach to immigration than we did in 1956 when the act was written.





Over the years, the tenets of the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956, i.e. to protect Bermuda for Bermudans, have been challenged and continue to be so, in most cases with success.

In the face of that, Burt informed his party convention that the last census report had made it clear that income inequality was getting worse.





"Black people continue to make less than their white counterparts, he said, and deduced, "The violence we see has its genesis in that inequality.





The premier said that the promotion of black Bermudans in the business world would be good for companies, but those that did not, would come under more inspection.

"Particularly black Bermudians at times do not get to advance. Some companies are making efforts to change this trend, and I commend them for doing so.





"We need to move from a one-size-fits-all model of immigration to a model where good corporate citizens who hire, train and promote Bermudans are rewarded with a more streamlined system, while those who do not will be subject to additional scrutiny.





He added: "The country benefits from a more efficient government and we will follow through with our platform commitment to reduce red tape, and will make everything from getting a truck permit to a liquor licence to a work permit or to register a business easier for our citizens to do. (Source: CMC)
MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said high-level exchanges are an integral part of the strategic partnership between India and the US, and both sides are engaged in discussions on when Trump can visit India.

New Delhi: India on Thursday said it was engaged with the US to decide when President Donald Trump can visit the country, days after he declined an invite to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations citing scheduling issues.

External Affairs Ministry (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said high-level exchanges are an integral part of the strategic partnership between the two countries, and both sides are engaged in discussions on when Trump can visit India. "Both India and the US are in talks to decide when President Trump can come to India," Kumar said at a media briefing.

He was asked about the US President turning down India's invite to grace next year's Republic Day celebrations as chief guest. The White House has said Trump's inability to participate was a "purely scheduling issue".

Earlier this week, a White House spokesperson, when asked about Trump's decision, had said, "President Trump was honoured by Prime Minister Modi's invitation to him to be the chief guest of India's Republic Day on 26 January, 2019, but is unable to participate due to scheduling constraints."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Trump to visit India during their talks in Washington in June 2017.

Every year, India invites world leaders to attend its Republic Day celebrations.

In 2015, the then US president Barack Obama had attended it as the chief guest, which was his second visit to India as the American president.
Haq was killed by unidentified attackers in a house where he was staying, his son was quoted as saying by the report.

Islamabad: Prominent Pakistani cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, who was also known as the godfather of Taliban, was killed in a gun attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Friday, according to media reports.

Haq, 82, was the head of the Islamic religious seminary Darul Uloom Haqqania in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Akora Khattak town and also the chief of the hardline political party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Sami (JUI-S), Geo News reported.

He was killed by unidentified attackers in a house where he was staying, his son was quoted as saying by the report.

JUI-S' Peshawar president also confirmed Haq's death.
Rice said Amy Leann Hall, 38, who is believed to be the biological mother of at least one of the teens, is in custody after opening fire on her three kids in Oklahoma home.

Oklahoma: An 18-year-old man was killed and two teenage girls were injured in a shooting Thursday in rural eastern Oklahoma, and a woman believed to be the mother of at least one of the victims is in custody, a sheriff said.

The shooting was reported around 6.30 am local time at a home in the Nuyaka area, about 55 kilometers southwest of Tulsa. Okmulgee county sheriff Eddy Rice said at a news conference that the young man was found dead at the scene, one of the girls was in critical condition and the other was stable.

Rice said Amy Leann Hall, 38, who is believed to be the biological mother of at least one of the teens, is in custody. She was being held in the Okmulgee county jail on preliminary charges of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. Formal charges have not been filed.

It was not clear if Hall has a lawyer. "We do not have a motive at this time. We're still investigating this," Rice said. Police have visited the household multiple times, typically for domestic issues, he said. Hall had previously pleaded guilty to a minor larceny charge in 2014.

According to online court records, Hall was in the middle of a two-year custody battle with the father of her children. Last month Hall alleged the man, who had been granted partial custody, sent "threatening and inappropriate" text messages to their son.

She also alleged he would show up at their home "at all hours of the night." In June 2016, the man claimed that Hall was mentally unstable and was psychologically abusive.

The sheriff said authorities don't believe anyone else was involved in the shooting and that there is no threat to the community. Rice told the Tulsa World that Hall left the home after the shooting and was briefly pursued by officers before being taken into custody.

Beggs High School superintendent Brian Terry told The Associated Press that the victims were siblings and students at the school. Terry said the student who died was a senior, while the critically wounded student is a junior. The third victim is a freshman, he said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday it would be a 'handful more weeks' before the United States had enough evidence to impose sanctions in response to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Pompeo, in an interview with KMOX radio in St.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday it would be a "handful more weeks" before the United States had enough evidence to impose sanctions in response to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Pompeo, in an interview with KMOX radio in St. Louis, said President Donald Trump had made it clear Washington would respond to the killing. He said the administration is "reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals that we have been able to identify to date that ... were engaged in that murder."

"It'll take us probably a handful more weeks before we have enough evidence to actually put those sanctions in place, but I think we'll be able to get there," Pompeo said.

"We're going to find the fact pattern," he said. "The president said we will demand accountability for those who were involved in the commission of this heinous crime."

While insisting the United States did not condone Khashoggi's killing, the top U.S. diplomat said the United States had "deep and long-term strategic relationships" with Saudi Arabia and "we intend to make sure that those relationships remain intact."

Saudi Arabia's former intelligence minister, Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud, said on Wednesday that the outcry in the United States demonising Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi's killing threatened to disrupt strategic ties between the two countries.

"We value our strategic relationship with the United States and hope to sustain it. We hope the United States reciprocates in kind," Prince Turki, a royal family member, said in remarks at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, a non-profit advocacy organisation.

Khashoggi, who lived in the United States and wrote columns for the Washington Post, went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to collect some documents, but he never reappeared. Riyadh initially denied any role in his disappearance, but under pressure from Turkish authorities it eventually identified 18 suspects in the case.

Saudi Arabia said they will face justice in the kingdom. Ankara has repeatedly called for them to be extradited to Turkey for trial.

Turkey pressed Saudi authorities on Thursday to tell them the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body, which has not been recovered.

(Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a rare meeting with American evangelical Christians on Thursday, as the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom seeks to open up more to the world and repair an image of religious intolerance. The delegation was led by communications strategist Joel Rosenberg and included former U.S. congresswoman Michele Bachmann, according to an emailed statement by the group, as well as heads of American evangelical organisations, some with ties to Israel

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a rare meeting with American evangelical Christians on Thursday, as the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom seeks to open up more to the world and repair an image of religious intolerance.

The delegation was led by communications strategist Joel Rosenberg and included former U.S. congresswoman Michele Bachmann, according to an emailed statement by the group, as well as heads of American evangelical organisations, some with ties to Israel.

"It was a historic moment for the Saudi Crown Prince to openly welcome Evangelical Christian leaders to the Palace. We were encouraged by the candour of the two-hour conversation with him today," the statement said.

The delegation also met Saudi officials including Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Khalid bin Salman, and secretary-general of the Muslim World League Mohammed al-Issa.

A visit by such prominent non-Muslim leaders, who estimate they represent about 60 million people, is a rare act of religious openness for Saudi Arabia, which hosts the holiest sites in Islam and bans the practice of other religions.

Some of the figures' support for Israel, which the kingdom does not recognise, is also striking. For instance, Mike Evans, founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, describes himself on his website as "a devout American-Christian Zionist leader".

Saudi Arabia has maintained for years that normalizing relations with Israel hinges on its withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war - territory Palestinians seek for a future state.

But increased tension between Tehran and Riyadh has fuelled speculation that shared interests may push Saudi Arabia and Israel to work together against what they regard as a common Iranian threat.

Prince Mohammed, who in recent years has loosened strict social rules and arrested Saudi clerics deemed extremists, said in April that Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land. A month earlier, Saudi Arabia opened its air space for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel.

Several members of the delegation, which met with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in the United Arab Emirates earlier in the week, have also advised U.S. President Donald Trump on faith issues.

(Reporting by Stephen Kalin; Editing by James Dalgleish)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Confusion reigned on Thursday, with several contradictory dates being given for the re-convening of Parliament in Sri Lanka.

Confusion reigned on Thursday, with several contradictory dates being given for the re-convening of Parliament in Sri Lanka.

Sittings have been suspended since President Maithripala Sirisena withdrew his party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), from a coalition government and appointed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister.

Both Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe say their parties command the majority in Parliament.

On Thursday, Wickremesinghe tweeted that Parliament would re-convene on 5 November. However, shortly after, BBC quoted the president as saying that no such decision had been made yet.

The move led to protests from citizens, rival political parties and legal analysts, who say Sirisenas move runs completely counter to the 19th amendment of the constitution. Revealingly, Attorney General Jagath Jayasuriya has also refused to express an opinion on the legality of the move, saying it would be deemed inappropriate  the strongest signal to date, from the States chief legal adviser that the events of 26 October were unconstitutional.

Incumbent Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has refused to leave Temple Trees, insisting that he is the rightful prime minister. Undeterred, Sirisena and Rajapaksa have been swearing in new cabinet ninisters over the past week.

On 30 October, a group of civil society activists gathered at the Liberty roundabout. For some, it was their first time attending a protest. Im here as a mother, as a grandmother. Im not against any political party or person. Im here as a citizen of Sri Lanka. Nothing like this has ever happened before, participant Diordre Moraes said. Fellow protester Rohan Mendis added, This action has robbed us of our voice. Parliament has to reconvene for people to have their voice again.

Across the street, a rally organised by the United National Party (UNP) drew a crowd of at least 13,000  no mean feat given that the rally had been hurriedly organised in a matter of days. The leftist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) also held a protest in Nugegoda on 1 November. In India, a group of students at South Asian University held a protest in solidarity, noting the effect of persistent political instability in the region, which can erupt into violence.

Sirisenas move has also been met with deep concern in the international community since last Friday, Norway, Australia, the European Union, the US, Canada and India have issued statements, all of them urging for Parliament to reconvene.

On 28 October, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "India is closely following the recent political developments in Sri Lanka. As a democracy and a close friendly neighbour, we hope that democratic values and the constitutional process will be respected. We will continue to extend our developmental assistance to the friendly people of Sri Lanka."

Significantly, only envoys from China and Burundi alone have acknowledged Rajapaksas nomination  the silence from the rest of the community is telling.

Meanwhile, a number of MPs have begun shifting allegiances. State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene tweeted that there were offers to party leaders Rs. 500 million  Rs. 300 million for Ministers to cross over and support MS and MR, apparently confirming that money was being offered in exchange for a shift in party loyalties.

Corruption has continued to be a central issue for this government as well as its predecessor. In February 2015, an issue of government bonds led to serious allegations of insider trading for the coalition government. The State initiated a Commission of Inquiry into the allegations, which also implicated the finance minister at the time, UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake. Karunanayake was removed from his position after the allegations became public, and following public outcry around his involvement in the scandal.

The Rajapaksas themselves have weathered several such allegations  on 25 June, a story in the The New York Times focused on the Hambantota Port as an example of growing concerns around the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. The story also revealed that China had made several donations to Rajapaksas 2015 election campaign, collectively amounting to $3.7 million. Over $6,00,000 were for T-shirts and other promotional material, while $2,97,000 were for supporters gifts.

These allegations had been made as early as 2015, and an investigation initiated by the Central Banks Financial Fraud Investigations Unit  with no tangible result to date.

In July this year, Democratic Unionist Party MP Ian Paisley Jr was suspended after it came to light that he had not declared several paid-for holidays to Sri Lanka in 2013. The holidays included business-class air travel, luxury accommodation and helicopter trips for Paisley and his family.

Following the trips, Paisley had written to Prime Minister David Cameron appealing to the government not to support the UN resolution promoting reconciliation and accountability into the last stages of Sri Lankas civil war. While Paisley has faced repercussions, there have been no repercussions in Sri Lanka.

It is only once Parliament re-convenes that the outcome of these frenetic and secretive negotiations will become clear, and the recomposition of Sri Lankas Parliament will be determined.
By Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration planned to require immigrants seeking asylum in the United States to come into the country through a legal port of entry, pushing a hard line on immigration ahead of elections next week. The president's remarks, five days before U.S.

By Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration planned to require immigrants seeking asylum in the United States to come into the country through a legal port of entry, pushing a hard line on immigration ahead of elections next week.

The president's remarks, five days before U.S. voters determine which party will control Congress and state governorships across the country, drew immediate criticism as an effort to generate fear and energize his political base.

"Migrants seeking asylum will have to present themselves lawfully at a port of entry," Trump told reporters at the White House, painting a caravan of migrants travelling from Central America toward the United States as a dangerous threat.

"Those who choose to break our laws and enter illegally will no longer be able to use meritless claims to gain automatic admission into our country," he said.

It was not clear whether the plan would pass legal muster, although Trump, who sought to use immigration as an issue to motivate Republican voters in the 2016 presidential race and now ahead of the Nov. 6 elections, said it would. He added that an executive order was in the process of being finalised, but provided few details.

Federal law provides that any immigrant in the United States may apply for asylum, regardless of whether he or she enters the country through a designated port of entry.

Trump has ramped up his tough stance on illegal immigration in recent days. He deemed the group of migrants from Central America a threat to Americans. It is made up of people who have left poverty and violence at home and are heading slowly through Mexico toward the U.S. border. Trump referred to the movement as an "invasion."

Mexico on Wednesday put the size of the caravan that left Honduras in mid-October at 2,800 to 3,000 people. Other caravans have since followed.

The president, who has ordered U.S. troops to the border with Mexico, also suggested rock-throwing by migrants would be treated as equivalent to gun usage.

"They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. We're going to consider, and I told them to consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexico military police, I say: Consider it a rifle," Trump said.

A Pentagon spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis, declined to discuss specifics on the military's potential use of force, but said that U.S. troops "always have the inherent right of self-defence."

'ABSURD AS IT IS CRUEL'

Critics said the president was stoking fear ahead of the elections, in which Trump's Republicans are battling to keep their congressional majorities.

"President Trumps attempt to paint peaceful families seeking asylum as a national security threat is as absurd as it is cruel," said advocacy group Human Rights First in a statement. "The president is fear mongering to score political points ahead of a contentious election at the expense of peoples lives."

The American Civil Liberties Union said: "If he plans at some point to prohibit people from applying for asylum between the ports of entry, that plan is illegal."

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, an ally of the president and head of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a letter to the secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department that his office had received information that several members of the caravan had "significant criminal histories."

Trump said on Wednesday the United States could send as many as 15,000 troops to the border to confront the migrant caravan, more than twice the number previously disclosed by defence officials.

A U.S. defence official said about 100 active-duty troops arrived on the border at McAllen, Texas, on Thursday.

Republican lawmakers and other Trump supporters have applauded the deployment. But critics argue Trump has manufactured a crisis for the U.S. military to address.

Trump also said this week he would seek to scrap the constitutional right of citizenship for U.S.-born children of noncitizens and illegal immigrants. Such an action would face a likely legal challenge.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Makini Brice, Kristina Cooke, Lisa Lambert, Idrees Ali and Tom Hals; Editing by Peter Cooney)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The UN vote can carry political weight, but only the US Congress can lift the more than 50-year-old embargo on Cuba. The United States and Israel voted against the resolution, 189 countries voted in favour and Ukraine and Moldova did not vote.

United Nations: The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted its 27th annual resolution calling for an end to the US economic embargo on Cuba after a failed bid by Washington to amend the text to push Cuba to improve its human rights record.

The UN vote can carry political weight, but only the US Congress can lift the more than 50-year-old embargo. The United States and Israel voted against the resolution, 189 countries voted in favour and Ukraine and Moldova did not vote.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the General Assembly that the resolution was an opportunity for countries to feel they can poke the United States in the eye.

But youre not hurting the United States when you do this. You are literally hurting the Cuban people by telling the regime that their treatment of their people is acceptable, she said ahead of the vote.

The United States consistently voted against the UN resolutions for 24 years but abstained for the first time in 2016 under former President Barack Obama, as Washington and Havana forged a closer relationship.

However, relations have deteriorated sharply since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, returning to Cold War characterisation of Cuba and tightening trade and travel restrictions that had been eased by Obama.

The United States voted against the US resolution last year along with its ally Israel. The General Assemblys remaining 191 members voted in favour.

This year, the United States proposed eight amendments to the resolution, including calling on Cuba to fully grant its citizens internationally recognised civil, political and economic rights and freedoms, including freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and free access to information.

However, all of the amendments failed after more than 113 countries voted against them. Only the United States, Israel and Ukraine voted in favour of all eight amendments. More than 65 countries abstained.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Thursday the US government lacked the moral authority to criticise Cuba and others on human rights. The embargo is a violation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and of international law, he said before the vote.

It is an act of aggression and an act of economic war, which disrupts international peace and order.

Last month, the United States launched a campaign at the United Nations that it said was designed to highlight the plight of Cuban political prisoners. Protesting Cuban and Bolivian diplomats drowned out the launch by shouting, chanting and banging their hands on desks.
In just over a decade, some 1,010 journalists have been killed for reporting the news, and in nine out of 10 cases, the perpetrators are never brought to justice. In 2018 alone, at least 88 journalists have been killed according to the UN.

United Nations: The killing of journalists around the world for doing their job is "outrageous" and should not become the "new normal," UN chief Antonio Guterres said.

In just over a decade, some 1,010 journalists have been killed for reporting the news, and in nine out of 10 cases, the perpetrators are never brought to justice. In 2018 alone, at least 88 journalists have been killed according to the UN.

Many thousands more have been "attacked, harassed, detained or imprisoned on spurious charges, without due process," Guterres said in a video message for The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, marked annually on 2 November. Secretary-General Guterres paid tribute to the reporters in the field "who do their jobs every day despite intimidation and threats."

And he called on the international community "to protect journalists and create the conditions they need to do their work." To mark the International Day, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is launching an initiative to fuel awareness on the issue of journalists killed on the job. Called "Truth Never Dies," it encourages people to share stories by and about fallen journalists to keep their legacies alive and to push for investigations into their deaths to be continued.

"The truth never dies. And neither must our commitment to the fundamental right to freedom of expression, the UN chief said, highlighting that when journalists are attacked "societies as a whole pay a price." A study on global trends in media published by the UNESCO in 2017 highlights that impunity for crimes against journalists remains the norm, and trends in kidnappings, disappearances and torture have shown substantial increases since 2012.

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in September, calling on the international community to promote strategies that protect journalists and bring perpetrators of violence against the media to justice.

The latest incident against a scribe was the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month. Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Saudis, under intense pressure to explain Khashoggi's whereabouts, have offered conflicting accounts. They initially said he had left the consulate on October 2, but later admitted that he had been killed in a fight.
The H-1B visa, popular among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Washington: The Trump administration has introduced a new set of stringent provisions to the H-1B labour application process under which the US employers must disclose the total number of foreigners already employed by them, making it tougher to sponsor fresh foreign workers.

The H-1B visa, popular among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

The new information required by the Department of Labour is significant because before sponsoring a foreign worker for the H-1B visa, the company needs to get its labour application approved by it.

The department certifies that there are no domestic worker for that particular position and as such the company can hire a foreign guest worker under the H-1B visa category.

The Labour Condition Application form updates will now require employers to provide more detailed information about H-1B worker employment conditions, including disclosing all places of employment for H-1B workers, including periods of short duration and providing the estimated number of H-1B workers at each place of intended employment.

It also requires the clear identification of secondary entities which are using H-1B workers and seeks H-1B dependent employers which are claiming an exemption solely on the basis of education, such as a master's degree, to provide documentation of the degree.

Under the new forms, employers also need to give an estimate of the the total number of foreign nationals already working at each location listed in the application.

Further, revisions to the worker complaint form include added data fields designed to better describe the nature of an alleged programme violation, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

To allow appropriate time for transition, the new forms will be made available for use in the coming weeks.

An announcement will be made on the Office of Foreign Labour Certification's website identifying the date when they will be made available, it said.

Since 2017, the department has taken action to combat visa fraud and abuse and encouraged US workers to report complaints, including establishing protocols for promptly referring matters related to criminal fraud to the department's Office of Inspector General for investigation.

It has also directed the department's Wage and Hour Division to use all its tools in conducting civil investigations to enforce labour protections provided by the visa programmes.

Further it has signed an agreement with the US Department of Justice to promptly refer complaints from US workers who believe they have been discriminated against based on the nationality or citizenship.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the form changes are the latest in a series targeting employers who place foreign nationals at third-party worksites.

In a February policy memo, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) required employers to provide detailed work itineraries for the entire duration of H-1B petitions involving offsite employment. An advocacy group representing small and medium size IT companies have filed a lawsuit against USCIS on this issue.

"Employers should expect renewed scrutiny on where H-1B employees are working, whether they are working at third-party sites and, if so, whether the arrangement is permissible," said Justin Storch, director of regulatory affairs and judicial counsel at the Society for Human Resource Management.

"Given current scrutiny of H-1Bs, both petitioners and end users should be aware of what information is being disclosed on the forms and the fact that the Department of Labour is likely to make this information publicly available," Storch said.
The sentencing hearing heard testimony from Bishops College Kingstown Principal  Mrs. Cecelia Akers-King (centre) pictured leaving the Magistrate Court in the company of The Very Revd O. Samuel Nichols (left) and BCK Counsellor Mrs. Cassandra Doyle. Inset: Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett, on hearing testimonies from other professionals, concluded that the best option for the 16-year-old was to stay in school and be counselled.

Kevin Stapleton, a student of the Bishops College Kingstown and one of two teenaged boys who pleaded guilty on October 23 to burglarizing the Georgetown Police Station, stealing two motorcycles and a bicycle, has been given an early opportunity to turn his life around.





The offence was committed between 2 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. October 22.

At the conclusion of a sentencing hearing at the Kingstown Magistrates Court on Monday, Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett concluded that the best option for the 16-year-old Bishops College Kingstown student, was counselling.

Towards that end, Stapleton will continue his schooling and Brunette ordered that he be counselled one year, and that two reports on his progress be submitted to the Court next year, one in April and the other in October.

The Magistrates decision came after the Court heard from the Bishops College Kingstown Principal - Cecelia Akers-King, social workers Barbara Charles and Kalifa Prescott-Benjamin, attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, who spoke as a friend of the Court, and Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delpleche.





Kevin: Not a lost cause





Akers-King said Stapleton, who was transferred from the Georgetown Secondary to Bishops College Kingstown, was a good student and respected authority.

According to her, Stapletons problem was his attendance. She said she was shocked on hearing of his run-in with the law.





However, while Stapleton told the Court, during his appearance on October 23, that he was a fourth former, Akers-King said he was a repeat third former, mainly due to his attendance problem.





Charles, currently assigned to the gender Affairs department and who was formerly attached to the Liberty Lodge Training Center, said she had worked with Stapleton at that institution while he was a student there for about nine months. According to her, the youngster struggled as a child because of the lack of parental guidance.

Placing him where he could get that sort of guidance, would impact positively on his life, she advised, and stressed, "He is not rude.





Prescott-Benjamin, counsellor at the Liberty Lodge Training Centre, said Stapleton posed no problem while he was there. He had returned to live with his father at Edinboro, but insisted that he wanted to go back to Georgetown.





Prescott-Benjamin thinks that Stapleton needs a "structured environment. She was of the view that his current environment at Georgetown was not suitable for him.

Prosecutor Curlene Samuel had told the Court last week Tuesday, that Stapleton was living with the nuns at Georgetown.





Attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste told the Court she was concerned about the future of the nations youth, and noted that there was need for structures to reform persons like Stapleton. "He needs help, she declared.

Senior Prosecutor Delpleche, who has been consistent over the years in seeking to save young offenders from criminal convictions or prison sentences, continued that trend on Monday.

"I do agree that Kevin is a good candidate for rehabilitation. Mrs. Benjamin is offering some assistance, and I think he should be given a second chance. I dont think the system should be manufacturing criminals, Delpleche declared.





Stapleton was charged jointly with Shemor James, 17, unemployed, also a resident of Georgetown.

James, who had previous convictions, was sentenced to one year imprisonment for the offence, to run consecutively with another one- year sentence he had received last week Tuesday, for receiving a stolen air rifle, i.e. a pellet firearm.





That term was to run concurrently to another one-year sentence for burglarizing the same police station earlier this year, and stealing a motorcycle.




Long time US foreign policy watcher and president of the International Republican Institute Daniel Twining remains very bullish on the US India relationship (despite the current misalignment on trade) even if the Senate and the House pull away in two different directions after the US midterm elections on 6 November.

New York: Long time US foreign policy watcher and president of the International Republican Institute Daniel Twining remains very bullish on the US India relationship (despite the current misalignment on trade) even if the Senate and the House pull away in two different directions after the US midterm elections on 6 November. As for whether things will change, Twining predicts therell be more of the same process that US Congress has come to embody. Congress is a very traditional place no matter whether its led by Republicans or Democrats.

On trade we are not alignedthats partly our fault and partly Indias fault. It is a complication, India is having its own set of economic problems at the moment and the rupee has plummeted. But overall, we are very aligned with India and this relationship has taken very big steps in the last few years, with a set of defense agreements and other engagements. This is a relationship that successful administrations in New Delhi starting to build in 1998 and successive administrations in the US have embraced and driven forward. This is one of the bilateral relationships Im personally most optimistic about in this (current) scheme of things, Twining said in remarks at a Stimson Center panel on the post-midterm impact of US foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific.

Seen through the American lens, Twining believes India is constantly measuring its relationship with China based on where the US-China relationship is. The Indians still feel, because of their tradition of non-alignment, that they cant count on anybody in a crisis. Going forward, the US -India relationship, the India - China relationship and the India-Japan relationship will determine broadly the nature of the Indo Pacific order in the 21st century, he said.

If Democrats flip the US House on 6 November, Donald Trump may likely be struck once again, like he was at the start of his presidency, about the peculiar constraints of his office. His pet plans for new asylum policies, more money for his big beautiful wall, a militarized southern border and a new tax bill - would likely go up in smoke. Most political pundits agree that instead, well be seeing non stop investigations into Trumps businesses, his tax returns, his family and his administration would follow. Derek Mitchell, President of the National Democratic Institute, predicts America will turn inwards and focus on very domestic issues the day after the election - foreign policy wont be central.

But as 6 November nears, policy mavens are keeping an eye on historical patterns that have informed US foreign policy in times of political change. For most part, what we hear is that Congress is quite traditional when it comes to foreign policy. The Trump administration proposed cutting State Depatment Funding Development Accounts. Congress led Republicans pushed back against that over the last two years. The Trump administration sent two budgets to the Congress with as deep as 40% cuts to the civilian side of American influence in the world and Congress denied that, and in some cases plussed up", explains Twining.

Twining points to US Congress led legislation that has been very bipartisan over the last two years: Russia sanctions, North Korea sanctions, Russia-Iran-North Korea sanctions that passed the Senate by 98 votes to 2 and passed the House by 419 votes to 3! Even the reaction to the Khashoggi muder, Twining says, proves the same tendency of Congress to play down the middle.

So, what would this continuum mean for the fate of the HR 392 bill that addresses Indias ( and other countries) human capital in the US? H.R. 392, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kansas) aims to eliminate per-country caps on employment-based visas which leads to lengthy wait times (spanning decades) for permanent residency applicants. Its inclusion in a Department of Homeland Security funding bill means it could become part of an overall spending package that Congress is expected to pass, writes Laura Francis for Bloomberg Law.

Despite high hopes from the legal immigrant community and the record number of sponsors that the bill has (329 in all), the political reality remains grim. I have doubts that serious progress can be made on immigration in this environment where both sides have such a strong incentive to blame the other side for inaction. Neither Democrats nor Trump will want to give the other side a win on this issue, David Bier of Cato Institute told Firstpost.

Despite the wide ranging support for the HR 392, Bier says the right wing is furious about it, and they are bringing out every trick to stop it. That too, would be largely in step with Congress' overall tack on immigration. The most dramatic changes in immigration rules have come into effect via government memos, not Congress action.
Medical Properties Trust Inc (NYSE:MPW)

Q3 2018 Earnings Conference Call

, 11:00 a.m. ET

Contents:

Prepared Remarks

Questions and Answers

Call Participants

Prepared Remarks:

Operator

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Medical Properties Trust Third Quarter Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question-and-answer session, and instructions will be given at that time. (Operator Instructions) As a reminder, today's conference is being recorded.

I'd now like to turn the call over to Mr. Charles Lambert, Managing Director. Sir, you may begin.

Charles Lambert -- Treasurer and Managing Director of Capital Markets

Good morning. Welcome to the Medical Properties Trust conference call to discuss our third quarter 2018 financial results. With me today are Edward K. Aldag, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company; and Steven Hamner, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Our press release was distributed this morning and furnished on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If you did not receive a copy, it is available on our website at www.medicalpropertiestrust.com in the Investor Relations section. Additionally, we're hosting a live webcast of today's call, which you can access in that same section.

During the course of this call, we will make projections and certain other statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our financial results and future events to differ materially from those expressed and/or underlying such forward-looking statements. We refer you to the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of the factors that could cause the Company's actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in this call. The information being provided today is as of this date only, and except as required by the federal securities laws, the Company does not undertake a duty to update any such information.

In addition, during the course of the conference call, we will describe certain non-GAAP financial measures, which should be considered, in addition to and not in lieu of, comparable GAAP financial measures. Please note that in our press release, Medical Properties Trust has reconciled all non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures in accordance with Reg G requirements. You can also refer to our website at www.medicalpropertiestrust.com for the most directly comparable financial measures and related reconciliations.

I'll now turn the call over to our Chief Executive Officer, Ed Aldag.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Charles, and thank all of you for joining us today. The third quarter served as another testament to the value of the MPT portfolio as we closed on multiple transactions, both domestically and abroad, resulting in strong double-digit returns. We have spoken a good bit about our German inpatient rehabilitation hospitals joint venture with Primonial Group and it is valued at EUR1.63 billion, which produced an unlevered IRR exceeding 15%.

I want to talk a little more today about two other transactions that were also highly successful for MPT. In 2005, we agreed to fund the development of an acute care hospital in Cypress, Texas with a group of local physicians who wanted to create a better healthcare experience for the patients in this Houston community. The hospital opened in 2007 with 64 acute care beds and one medical office building on campus.

Because the hospital experienced incredible growth year-after-year, licensed bed capacity was increased to a 139 beds. Strong physician leadership and experienced management team and community need are some of the key factors leading to this hospital's success. The 11-year success of this hospital eventually led to the largest US for-profit hospital operator, HCA, knocking on their door with an offer to buy North Cypress. The sale returned MPT a total of $148 million, which represented $86 million above our original investment.

In early 2012, we announced the Ernest Health transaction, where we essentially invested approximately a $100 million into the Ernest operations, in addition to $300 million in the real estate. At the time of the announcement, we noted that this investment would give MPT upside over and above the strong real estate returns from leases and mortgage loans. That upside was validated with the completion of the recapitalization of Ernest by One Equity in early October.

During the six-plus years of our investing in the operations of Ernest, we almost doubled our initial investment, earning almost $95 million of cash returns. Additionally, we still maintain real estate investments in 25 outstanding post-acute facilities and look forward to continue this to support Ernest with continued growth capital.

Proceeds from these transactions have been utilized to reduce debt and further strengthen our already strong balance sheet. This has well positioned us to take advantage of our robust pipeline, while continuing to maintain our selective approach. Our overall acquisition pipeline continues to be as strong as it has ever been, approximating around $5 billion in total active negotiations,, including approximately $3 billion domestically and $2 billion in international opportunities.

We will continue to update you as we progress with signed commitments. Steward, our largest tenant continues to perform at anticipated levels, with same-store trailing 12-month EBITDARM coverage exceeding 3 times. I had previously noted potential divestitures of two Steward hospitals. Steward has decided to keep these two hospitals and has reenergized the local market with new leadership and a strategic plan for strengthened and sustained performance.

Our Median rehabilitation facilities continue to perform well with a combination of top-line revenue growth and reduced operational cost compared to prior year. This has resulted in a year-over-year increase in EBITDARM coverage to approximately 1.7 times, an increase of 8% from the prior year. You may have seen the recent news articles about Median's equity partner, Waterland, running a sales process for their investment in the operations. They are beginning the final round of this process. We met recently with Waterland for an update and are very pleased with the indications of interest from various international groups. We will continue to maintain our investment in the real estate and expect that we will be a part of the growth capital there for many years to come.

Prime finalized its settlement with the Department of Justice during this quarter as anticipated. Prime continues to perform well with EBITDARM coverage for the trailing 12 months ending second quarter 2018 at almost 4.7 times. Additionally, Prime's cash collections continue to track with net revenue. Overall, year-over-year same-store EBITDARM coverage is up 17%, driven primarily by strong year-over-year improvements from our acute care facilities. This quarter also saw increased coverages across all geographic regions, both domestic and international.

With this quarter's reporting, we added a net of one property to our same-store reporting. As noted above, this quarter we sold our North Cypress general acute care hospital and we added two general acute care hospitals to the same-store reporting. Our same-store total portfolio EBITDARM coverage for the trailing 12 months Q2 2018 is 3.2 times, which represents a 17% increase year-over-year and a 0.5% increase quarter-over-quarter.

Same-store acute care EBITDARM coverage increased to 4 times, which represents a 22% year-over-year increase and a 0.5% quarter-over-quarter improvement. IRF EBITDARM coverage increased to approximately 2 times, which represents a 6.5% year-over-year coverage and a 2 point -- and a 2% quarter-over-quarter improvement. US IRFs represent about 4.8% of our total portfolio.

LTACH EBITDARM coverage decreased to 1.5 times, which represents a 14 basis point year-over-year and a 15 point -- basis point quarter-over-quarter decline. Now, it is important to note that this coverage decline is driven by one facility, whose EBITDARM coverage declined from over 9 times to a still very strong coverage of over 4 times, primarily as a result of one-time expenses related to expanding operations.

LTACHs represent approximately 3% of our total portfolio. The United States represents 79.6% of the total portfolio. Over the next year or so, we'd like to see the international portion continue to increase to more like 30% plus or minus. Acute care hospitals continue to make up the bulk of our investments domestically at 79%, which is right in line with our target range.

Our top three tenants are Steward at 37%, Prime at 11% and Median at 11%. It is an important reminder that approximately 91. 5% of our same-store portfolio is master lease cross-defaulted and/or includes a parent guarantee. Additionally, our portfolio is diversified across 29 different operators. September-March, the one-year anniversary of Steward's acquisition of IASIS.

In the last 12 months, Steward has made significant progress in developing efficiencies, implementing operational best practices, recruiting new physicians and beginning to achieve economies of scale benefits. Significantly, Steward has invested in its management team, moved its headquarters to a geographically central location in Dallas and their divisional operations are producing solid results. Their divisions are producing EBITDARM results that range from 2.5 times to 3.75 times.

While Steward represents 37% of our portfolio, long-term MPT investors know that our underwriting focus on healthcare operations and we divide Steward's operations into six different markets. Their largest division is in Massachusetts and represents approximately 14% of our portfolio. Their next largest division is the Salt Lake City market in Utah and represents a little more than 10%. In total, Steward's six divisions have different market and operational characteristics, but our credit is strong with the master lease and loan agreement in place.

Lastly, we continue to see exciting progress on our construction -- ongoing construction projects in Idaho and the United Kingdom. Our surgery partners project in Idaho recently completed Phase III, is on schedule and expected to be completed by the end of 2019. Our Circle acute care and rehabilitation development projects in Birmingham UK are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2019 and the third quarter respectively. 2018 has been a tremendous year for MPT and 2019 is shaping up to be another fantastic year.

Steve?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Ed. For the last 18 months, our primary focus, of course, has been on positioning MPT to continue delivering sector-leading growth and investments, FFO per share and dividends. That process is now virtually complete. And before we discuss the quarterly results and our future expectations, I just wanted to summarize those major steps we took to successfully execute this strategy.

We sold assets, including through a German joint venture that created more than $673 million in gains, net of certain adjustments, and cash proceeds exceeding $1.5 billion. Each one of those transactions proved to be outstanding increase in value we created since initial acquisition of the sold assets. Importantly, they covered all of our asset types, including large acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, international assets and riding equity investments, such as our highly successful Ernest transaction. We used proceeds to reduce our debt to a sector-leading 4.5 times ratio of net debt to EBITDA.

We significantly increased the value of our Steward master lease by acquiring previously mortgaged facilities and joining those to the master lease. Whereas previously, one-half of the initial $1.2 billion Steward portfolio acquired in 2016 were in the form of mortgages, 100% of that portfolio is now master leased. This makes our Steward investment even more valuable than it already was. And if in the future we elect to access inexpensive capital through a joint venture or other disposition of these assets, we already have indications that the new all lease structure will result in substantial incremental proceeds over what we were previously considering earlier this year.

During this time of restructuring, even as we completed these transactions, we further developed our acquisition infrastructure, leading to what has become the largest and most diversed acquisition pipeline that we have ever had. We're adding acquisition professionals and support staff and have invested in data resources both in the US and in our Luxembourg office. We are replacing our previously outsourced accounting and administrative functions in Luxembourg with MPT employees, which is expected to lead to reduce G&A and more effective operations there.

That all brings us to where we are today. MPT has more than $2 billion in cash and revolver availability that we plan to invest over the next 12 months. We expect that at the end of that process, our balance sheet will remain lowly levered and we will have significant remaining liquidity for even more accretive acquisitions. Our portfolio at that time should be generating a $1.46 to a $1.50 per share. And you just heard Ed describe the $5 billion-plus actionable pipeline we are working. So it is entirely possible that we could even exceed those outstanding results in 2019. In any case, we offer our shareholders the almost-unique opportunity for strong growth in FFO and dividends as the hospital real estate sector continues to grow and offer very attractive investment opportunities.

So I'll briefly just describe our reported results. This morning, we reported normalized FFO of $0.35 per diluted share for the third quarter of 2018. Importantly, this does not include almost $650 million or a $1.76 per share of net realized gains on asset transactions during the quarter. The quarterly results do reflect the temporary dilution from the use-of-sale proceeds to reduce our debt balances to a level equivalent to the aforementioned 4.5 times in place EBITDA. Adjustments reconciling NAREIT FFO to normalized FFO are consistent with those of previous quarters, including acquisition and transaction costs and accrued straight-line rent related to sold properties. I'll be happy to take any questions about this in our Q&A.

As we reported in our press release this morning, we expect 2018 normalized FFO to approximate a $1.36 per diluted share. Based on our present expectations about the timing of acquisitions and sources of capital in 2019, we expect normalized FFO for calendar 2019 to grow to a range of between a $1.42 to a $1.46. And as I noted earlier, we expect the portfolio at that time would generate annualized normalized FFO of between a $1.46 to a $1.50. There is about an expected 8%-plus growth rate compared to expected 2018 normalized FFO.

And with that, we'll be happy to take questions. Operator?

Questions and Answers:

Operator

Yes, sir. (Operator Instructions) And our first question comes from the line of Jordan Sadler from KeyBanc Capital. You may begin.

Jordan Sadler -- KeyBanc Capital -- Analyst

Thank you. Good morning. Can you first run us through what you're seeing in the pipeline? I mean, you seem very optimistic, which I suspect means you guys are getting closer to being able to close and you've even baked it into the guidance at this point. But -- so is there any additional color you can offer around what's in there?

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Jordan, it is the same type of properties that I have mentioned over the last two earning calls, which is primarily -- almost exclusively acute care hospitals. It is both domestically and internationally broken up in the numbers that I gave earlier. But the guidance that we've given is that we believe that we can do at least $2 billion. But as Steve pointed out, we think that we have the ability to even exceed that. So we are very optimistic about where we are in the negotiation. We are very optimistic about what we see. But certainly not ready at this point to give you any more specifics than that.

Jordan Sadler -- KeyBanc Capital -- Analyst

Okay. How is pricing looking?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

So if you look across all of what we have baked in into our estimate and that assumes over the course of 2019 identifying the activities we're working on. Bottom-line is we expect 7.5% to 8.5% kind of an all-in blended rate and that's what gets us to the run rate of a $1.46 to a $1.50.

Jordan Sadler -- KeyBanc Capital -- Analyst

Is that on a GAAP basis, Steve?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

It is.

Jordan Sadler -- KeyBanc Capital -- Analyst

Okay. And ratable, a fair assumption for the year's guidance?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

No. We wouldn't say that. We're hopeful that one would be early in 2019 and then there are others that we assume will come in the first half. The biggest chunk would be after the end of the first half.

Jordan Sadler -- KeyBanc Capital -- Analyst

But closer to the middle of the year?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah, weighted all-in, yeah.

Jordan Sadler -- KeyBanc Capital -- Analyst

Okay. And lastly, how are you financing this in guidance? Is this -- is there an equity component?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes, there is. There -- we assume in our guidance that permanent financing. And -- to result in as we've discussed both in the press release and on this call conservative leverage in the range that we've always talked about.

Jordan Sadler -- KeyBanc Capital -- Analyst

Okay. I'll yield the floor. Thank you guys.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thanks, Jordan.

Operator

And our next question comes from the line of Chad Vanacore from Stifel. You may begin.

Chad Vanacore -- Stifel -- Analyst

Good morning.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Good morning, Chad.

Chad Vanacore -- Stifel -- Analyst

Hey. How are you doing, Ed? Just the cap rate range that Steve just gave at 7.5% to 8.5%. Is it fair to assume European assets trending toward the lower end of that and domestic on the higher end?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

That is a fair assumption.

Chad Vanacore -- Stifel -- Analyst

All right. And then, would you look outside of Europe for investments or are you just focused on that area?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

Well, as you know, when we first started looking outside of the United States, our very first look at was in Australia. We didn't do anything in Australia, but we have continued to follow it along. We would make investments there as well, but primarily, we're talking about Europe.

Chad Vanacore -- Stifel -- Analyst

All right. Thanks. And that's about it from me. Thank you.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thanks, Chad.

Operator

And our next question comes from the line of Drew Babin from Baird. You may begin.

Drew Babin -- Baird -- Analyst

Hey, good morning.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Good morning, Drew.

Drew Babin -- Baird -- Analyst

Question on the Steward lease additions. I guess, has that changed the cash versus GAAP yield dynamics at all? I know, those mortgaged properties were, I think, a straight-cash yield, but does that now kind of -- is that subject to increases over time? And is there anything that might happen with straight-line rent with near-term results that might influence AFFO?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Drew, from a cash perspective, nothing changed. From a reporting perspective, because there are now leases, we will be accruing a straight-line component. But the escalation was always in the mortgage agreement, so we were always a beneficiary of annual escalation, we just didn't recognize that from an accounting perspective.

Drew Babin -- Baird -- Analyst

Okay, that makes sense. And I guess, could you talk a little more about the valuation differential, the way that investors look at these mortgage investments relative to lease investments? Maybe quantify it in terms of cap rate spread between what they would be willing to pay. Are they looking at the mortgage investments essentially at book and the leases obviously at cash flow or is there answer stored somewhere in between?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

So we don't think there should be much of a difference. The big difference is in two perspectives. Number one, it's hard to get financing for mortgage, I'll put it this way. It's harder to get affordable financing for a mortgage. So for example, if we were to sell the mortgaged -- or the mortgages, it would be difficult for the buyer to get full value for that. So that's one component of how it impacts pricing, but that's only if we're sellers.

The other issue is, of course, in the event of kind of apocalyptic stress at the operator that leads to bankruptcy, the mortgage is much more difficult for us, as the mortgagee, to deal with than a lease is. So that's the big difference. When we do these mortgages, as part of doing a larger, say a leaseback transaction, the economics are virtually the same.

Drew Babin -- Baird -- Analyst

Okay. And one last question and more of a clarification. It would appear the Primonial deal, it's unconsolidated, correct? Maybe?

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Right.

Drew Babin -- Baird -- Analyst

Okay. So the equity and income coming from that would be in other income on the income statement and the investment would be in other assets on the balance sheet, I would assume. And have you given any thought to maybe giving a little additional disclosure on that JV, given that, in the supplemental, it's still listed as a pretty large share of your revenue, the Median investment?

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Yes and yes. Your assumptions about the reporting are exactly correct. And yes, we have given thought to that. But given the -- really the short time since they've actually been in the joint venture just one month during the quarter, we elected to defer that until the next quarter when we absolutely do intend to give more wholesome disclosure about what's actually happening at that joint venture level.

Drew Babin -- Baird -- Analyst

Great. Very much appreciated. That's all from me.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thanks.

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thanks, Drew.

Operator

And our next question comes from the line of Michael Carroll from RBC Capital Markets. You may begin.

Michael Carroll -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst

Yeah. Thanks. Ed and Steve, can you talk a little bit about the $2 billion of deals that you have been highlighting in the call? And forgive me if you already disclosed this, but did you highlight what percent (inaudible) and what percent could be in the US?

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Well, I said earlier that of the $5 billion that we're in active negotiations over about $3 billion of that is in the US and about $2 billion of it is in -- outside of the US.

Michael Carroll -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst

Is that the same percentage in the $2 billion that you highlighted in guidance?

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Yes. Yes.

Michael Carroll -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst

Okay, great. And then Ed, I mean, you keep on highlighting too that you want to get to the European portfolio back up to about 30% of the total portfolio. I mean, is there a timeframe you're thinking about to achieve that goal? Is just something that you just want to do eventually?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

We've been there before. But then with the IASIS acquisition, we moved obviously back down from a percentage standpoint. But I suspect that we will be there by -- during 2019.

Michael Carroll -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst

Okay, great. And then Steve for the equity component that you highlighted that you included in guidance, is that an offering that you expect to do or are you still contemplating potential asset sales or other JV type transactions to fund those?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

So for purposes of the guidance, it's pretty conventional permanent financing, we assume unsecured debt and common equity.

Michael Carroll -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst

Okay. When that day comes though, you're also going to be looking at doing some type of JV too if you can get better valuation, is that correct?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

So we're also -- always looking at that, always thinking about what's the best long-term most affordable and efficient capital. Obviously, we hit the ball out of the park with the German Primonial joint venture. And so, yes, we will always be considering that. And as I mentioned a little bit earlier about the rationalization of the Steward portfolio away from the mortgages, it makes it all the more marketable, if in fact we were to elect to do that and there's no immediate plan to do that right now.

Michael Carroll -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst

Okay, great. Thanks.

Operator

And our next question comes from the line of Derek Johnston from Deutsche Bank. You may begin.

Derek Johnston -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Good morning.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Good morning.

Derek Johnston -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Could you tell us -- could you tell us a little more about your new approach to leverage? Seems like you're no longer focusing on a target or historical ranges, but where do you feel most comfortable leverage-wise and how are you guys thinking about it?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

Well, we don't think we've changed. If you look across the last 8 or 10 years with periodic exceptions, like we're in a period of exception right now at 4.5 times, in the past, we've been as high as 6 times, 6-plus times. But the goal is to operate in that roughly mid 5s level, which we think is actually more than appropriate, given the fact that we don't have mortgage debt, so we don't have periodic mortgage refinancing. We don't have capital expenditure obligations that all rest on the tenants. So we feel like that 5.5 times range is the right place to be.

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Derek, I think it's important to point out, I think you're alluding to this, the 5.5 times range is we think a conservative number, where we'd like to operate, but it's not a cap, it doesn't put us in a box.

Derek Johnston -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Got it. And just switching gears just slightly, what kind of development opportunities are you seeing out there? And do -- are there any increased efforts to ramp that up next year in addition to the acquisitions? How are you thinking about that?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

So over the course of the last 15 years, there haven't been a whole lot of development opportunities. Hospitals don't often start from scratch in building new facilities. We do have some. We have some like the one in Idaho that we are working on and the one in the UK that we are working in. We have some others in the pipeline, but as a percent of the total pipeline, they are very, very small.

Derek Johnston -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Thanks, guys.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question comes from the line of Tayo Okusanya from Jefferies. You may begin.

Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst

This is (inaudible) on for Tayo. I just want to follow up on some of the opening remarks around coverage on Steward. Was that EBITDAR or EBITDARM?

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

EBITDARM.

Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst

And what is the EBITDAR coverage on that?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

It's about 50 basis points lower.

Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst

50 basis points lower. Okay, great. And then as you look at the $2 billion in acquisitions for 2019, could you guys give maybe a pro forma of what that could reduce Steward's exposure to? Thank you.

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah, good question. At the end of that process, the being investing $2 billion, and by the way there's nothing in the pipeline, that $2 billion pipeline, for Steward. Steward would be down from its roughly 37%, 38% now to the low 30%s, 32%, 33%. And again, that's with the initial $2 billion. But again, I'll take the opportunity to reiterate what Ed mentioned is that Steward is really six different operations, six totally different markets, six different local management teams.

The largest of which is Massachusetts at about 14%. And that's the way we underwrite, that's the way we manage and that's the way we look at the concentration risk. When it comes to any particular operator, any of those -- I'll put it this way, none of those six markets are dependent upon any of the other market or dependent upon headquarters to continue to operate the coverages that Ed gave for Steward. Of course, they vary across those markets, but all of them, on a market-level basis, are very, very strong, 2-plus times coverage.

Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst

Great. Thank you. And last one from me. I believe in the opening remarks, you just touched upon G&A coming down a little bit. I thought it spiked up a little bit in 3Q '18, maybe just what we should expect for 4Q '18?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah, it did spike up. There are a handful of reasons for that, none of which on their own make a big difference, but they accumulate to what you saw the roughly 1% spike up, including top-line revenue was reduced for the top accounting moving out of revenue and down into equity and earnings. There were fairly meaningful one-time professional fees in completing not only the top transaction, but in some of the infrastructure costs in Luxembourg that I mentioned.

And with the more than $1 billion euro proceeds that we got that we haven't yet reinvested, that's sitting in banks in Europe. And unfortunately, over there, they charge you to use their banks. So there is roughly EUR0.5 million -- $0.5 million charge for negative interest that's included in G&A. All of that, of course, we expect to go away in future quarters.

Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst

Great. Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question comes from the line of Juan Sanabria from Bank of America. You may begin.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Hi. Just following up on that last G&A question. Can you give us a sense of what's assumed in the 2019 guidance?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

I can't tell you specifically, but clearly more normalized G&A that we will take advantage of the 20%-plus growth in assets and revenue. So I'm sorry, that's as specific as I'm able to be right now.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Okay. And then for the cap rate discussion, should we still be thinking that European cap rates are now sub-6%? And you kind of highlighted Australia, how scope is out there? Are you interested in those assets at present and where are those kinds of valuations at our cap rates?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

No, the European assets could be as low as sub-6%. I think we've tried to make that clear in recent months. We wouldn't comment on any specific transaction, such as health scope or anything else.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Okay. But anything outside of Europe internationally is or is not contemplated in guidance?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

No. We haven't disclosed in that level of detail, where the acquisitions will actually be sourced.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Okay. And then just one last question on the balance sheet. The $2 billion, if you did fund that all with cash and available liquidity on the line or otherwise, what would the pro forma leverage be assuming no equity or dispositions?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

Yeah, I don't know. I mean, that's not our plan. But it would still remain less than 6 times. But -- and look, we could do that, but that's not realistic. That's why when we give this guidance, it's long-term permanently capitalized guidance. So we wouldn't expect to ride the line that has a two-year term for a 30-year asset.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Okay. And just one last one from me. I got a question from an investor. Just with regards to Steward, I know you guys view it as -- I think you said six different pools, but do the rating agencies view it the same? And is that an impediment at all to from a credit-rating perspective?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

No, the agencies look at it at the top-line level.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Meaning that the full exposure?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes, yes.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Okay. Got you. Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. And our next question comes from the line of Karin Ford from MUFG Securities. You may begin.

Karin Ford -- MUFG Securities -- Analyst

Hi. Good morning.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Hey, Karin.

Karin Ford -- MUFG Securities -- Analyst

Hi. Just wanted to get your view explicitly. It sounds like from your comments about you're viewing Steward as different regions that you currently have no more plans to do any asset sales or pursue another joint venture to bring down that exposure.

Edward Aldag -- CEO

Well, Karin, we don't have any active discussions with doing a joint venture to do that right now. Obviously, if the right opportunity comes along, we would still consider it. But if you look just at the acquisitions that we have projected for 2019, and as Steve pointed out earlier, none of that includes any additional Steward properties. You already began to see getting that number down fairly significantly, I believe that gets it down into the high 20s.

Karin Ford -- MUFG Securities -- Analyst

Yeah. I think you said like 32% to 33%, you're comfortable at that level.

Edward Aldag -- CEO

What -- on any one operator, I'd like to see it in the -- below 30%.

Karin Ford -- MUFG Securities -- Analyst

Okay, OK. And the earlier discussion we had about the differential in valuation between owning the fee simple interest versus mortgage interest. Should we think about that in terms of the $14 million additional money that you paid to Steward when you made the conversion? Is that a good estimate on sort of the benefits that you outlined on the fee simple ownership?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

No, that's a fair comment. And has something to do -- a lot to do, frankly, with the increase that we were willing to pay over the mortgage balance, small as that is. But it's also some of those -- well, all of those properties we've held now for two years and they frankly are more valuable today than when we mortgage them or when Steward mortgaged them two years ago.

Karin Ford -- MUFG Securities -- Analyst

Great. And last question from me. Can you give us an update on the status of the Adeptus sales?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes. We have basically completed the transition of all of the Adeptus properties that as we sit here today we think will be transitioned, so that leaves seven that we think will be sold. And all of that could change. It's a very rapidly moving dynamic. And so that's where we are with Adeptus. We -- it's likely that we will sell those seven, but it could be just as likely that we'll retain them.

Edward Aldag -- CEO

Yeah. We seem to have more interest for them today than we did even three months ago.

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah, exactly.

Karin Ford -- MUFG Securities -- Analyst

Good stuff. Thank you.

Operator

And our next question comes from the line of Eric Fleming from SunTrust. You may begin.

Eric Fleming -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Good morning.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Hey, Eric.

Eric Fleming -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Wanted to dig a little bit more on the pipeline. It looks like the pipeline is effectively flipped between US and Europe. And obviously, it's pretty fluid. But last quarter, I think you were indicating there is the potential for upwards of a $1 billion and that pipeline to close aggressively by year end, but early in 2019. So I just want to make sure the timing into 2019, is it like there's a slug at the start of the year and then another slug potentially mid-year, is that kind of the way you're talking about the 2019 $2 billion?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

Eric, that's generally right, but that slug is probably too big, but that's generally right.

Eric Fleming -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Okay. Thanks.

Operator

And our next question comes from the line of Todd Stender from Wells Fargo. You may begin.

Todd Stender -- Wells Fargo -- Analyst

Hi. Good morning. Thank you.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Hey, Todd.

Todd Stender -- Wells Fargo -- Analyst

I have some questions about the mechanics. I think I'm going to save those for offline, I'll probably call you guys later. Just from the mortgages, the Steward mortgages that's the ownership. But Steve, you highlighted maybe there was a chance that the value has gone up in the properties. Is that -- does that mean your cost basis will change as well from what -- maybe what you were holding the mortgages at versus what the ownership will be?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah, of course. Yeah, yeah. We will be earning the lease rate based on the purchase price.

Todd Stender -- Wells Fargo -- Analyst

Okay. And do you guys -- can you provide what the cover -- the rent coverage has been over the last two years on those five hospitals?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

(inaudible) the Steward ones were just converted. We haven't gotten that specific into each one of the individual properties. We have broken it out by regions, but not individually on the properties.

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Of course. We've only owned a few for two years and most of them for one year, if I understood the question.

Todd Stender -- Wells Fargo -- Analyst

Yeah. Just to get a sense that there's some value creation that's gone on that we can quantify. And then I guess you highlighted in the press release that this change will improve the credit metrics of the portfolio. Is that just simply that Steward will no longer have as much mortgages on their books? Is that kind of how we look at it?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

No, it makes our portfolio more valuable for the reasons I described a little bit earlier about making the properties more marketable. That's what's meant by that. And it also, in the certainly unexpected event of a bankruptcy, the power of a leased facility over a mortgage facility is very, very wide and that in itself brings great value versus a portfolio of mortgages, for example.

Todd Stender -- Wells Fargo -- Analyst

Okay, great. Thank you.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thanks, Todd.

Operator

And our next question comes from the line of Michael Mueller from JPMorgan. You may begin.

Michael Mueller -- JPMorgan -- Analyst

Yeah. Hi. A couple of questions. First for the 30% mix of Europe by the end of the next year, is that just based on the likelihood of what you think is going to end up closing next year, so that's where you end up or is it a little bit more for reasons X,Y, Z 30% is the right mix for the portfolio to have there?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

No, you may recall that when we first made our initial investment overseas, we always have said that our goal was in the 30% plus or minus range and we have fluctuated over the years with that number based on our acquisitions in both locations. But we expect that we will be in and around 30% maybe a couple of times next year as we go through the acquisitions. Not exactly sure, where we'll end up the year, but probably ought to be very close to that.

Michael Mueller -- JPMorgan -- Analyst

Okay. And then on the financing side to the extent that you are in the debt markets next year. I mean, how should we think about domestic versus euro debt?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

Well, it will track exactly with the acquisitions, if that's the question, yeah.

Michael Mueller -- JPMorgan -- Analyst

Okay. Okay, that's it. Thank you.

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Thanks, Mike.

Operator

And our next question comes from the line of Juan Sanabria from Bank of America. You may begin.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Hi. Just following up on Mike's question on the debt side. So you wouldn't necessarily increase the leverage on any European acquisition to minimize tax leakage? And could you just talk about where you see debt cost in the unsecured market for both Europe and the US?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yeah. Your colleagues on the other side of the bank tell us about, if we were to go out today on a 10-year US, we're probably looking in high 5s to 6. You could see that as low as 200 bps lower in Europe.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Okay. And -- but the comment about increasing the leverage relatively, 20 European acquisitions, is that valid just from a tax leakage perspective?

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes, generally, although in most jurisdictions in Europe and it's coming here by the way. There are limitations as to tax deductibility of interest that's driven by borrower EBITDA. And so there's quite a lot that goes into structuring a European deal to minimize the tax leakage.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Okay. And one last one from me, probably for Ed, I guess. On the political front, obviously, we have the election coming on Tuesday. If the Republicans hold both the House and the Senate, do you see any risks? I know you always like to say you can't paint the picture in this country without the need for hospitals, but on the margin, any risk to profitability if Republicans hold, given articulated plans around the Affordable Care Act and the like?

Edward Aldag -- CEO

Well, we don't see any big political changes regardless of who wins the elections next week right now.

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. And we're showing no further questions at this time. I'd like to turn the call back to Ed for closing remarks.

Edward Aldag -- CEO

Thank you, operator, and thank you everyone for listening in today. And if you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call. Thank you very much.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for participating in today's conference. This does conclude the program, and you may all disconnect. Everyone, have a great day.

Duration: 45 minutes

Call participants:

Charles Lambert -- Treasurer and Managing Director of Capital Markets

Edward K. Aldag, Jr. -- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Steven Hamner -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Jordan Sadler -- KeyBanc Capital -- Analyst

Chad Vanacore -- Stifel -- Analyst

Edward Aldag -- CEO

Drew Babin -- Baird -- Analyst

Michael Carroll -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst

Derek Johnston -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst

Unidentified Participant -- -- Analyst

Juan Sanabria -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Karin Ford -- MUFG Securities -- Analyst

Eric Fleming -- SunTrust -- Analyst

Todd Stender -- Wells Fargo -- Analyst

Michael Mueller -- JPMorgan -- Analyst

More MPW analysis

Transcript powered by AlphaStreet

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What happened?

Shares of American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (NYSE:AXL), a manufacturer of driveline systems for light trucks, crossovers, cars, and SUVs, are spiraling 26% lower as of 11:20 a.m. EDT Friday after releasing a disappointing third-quarter result.

So what

American Axle's third-quarter revenue rose to $1.82 billion, which actually topped analysts' estimates calling for $1.78 billion, but the bottom line was what drove today's sell-off. Adjusted earnings per share checked in at $0.63, which was well short of analysts' estimates of $0.90 per share. Worse yet, management cut its outlook for free cash flow from 5% of sales to roughly 4%.

"AAM's third quarter of 2018 results reflect an increase in launch-related expenses and certain manufacturing costs. As a result, our third quarter financial performance did not meet our expectations," said AAM's chairman and chief executive officer, David C. Dauch, in a press release. "Our results this quarter do not change our confidence in meeting AAM's long-term objectives."

Now what

After a disappointing third quarter, management is focusing on several key program launches that will help generate improved free cash flow during 2019 and improve its overall financial performance. AAM's target is for full-year 2019 adjusted EBITDA margin to be roughly 17% of sales and for sales to check in flat or 2% higher than 2019. As U.S. seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales, or SAAR, plateaus, it's difficult for investors to buy into a supplier growth story, which is clearly weighing on the stock after its disappointing third-quarter result and lowered guidance.
One of the financial institutionsthat mounted a booth at the Fair. Left: Elritha Miguel, ECCBs Resident Representative (left), lends a helping hand.

Telecommunications company Flow last week Thursday, joined forces with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) in the Banks drive to raise Vincentians awareness of financial empowerment and the digital financial environment.





The drive formed part of ECCBs month-long series of activities to commemorate its annual Financial Information Month which, this year, was guided by the theme, Financial empowerment through education, with an emphasis on Conducting and protecting in digital environment.

Last Thursday October 25th, the ECCB hosted a financial fair in Heritage Square, Kingstown which saw the participation of various financial institutions.

According to the ECCBs Resident Representative Elritha Miguel, the main purpose of the financial fair, as well as the month-long activities, was to bring awareness and further educate persons about the products and services that are available at financial institutions across the country, and the digital opportunities available to them.

Speaking of the significance and effectiveness of the financial fair, Miguel stated, that the annual event has provided financial guidance to Vincentians over the years, and has enabled them to take charge of their financial affairs.

She took the opportunity to encourage persons to practise safe financial banking by monitoring their accounts regularly, and reporting any irregular activities.

Miguel added that for persons who engage in online shopping, they should ensure that their accounts are charged appropriately, and ensure that their account numbers are not being used unknowingly. She further advised that persons should practise the habit of changing their account passwords regularly.

Miguel assessed the event as being a success.





Thanking Flow for its input, she noted that the telecommunications company continues to be a long-standing partner for Financial Information Month. Miguel commended Flow for the role it plays in communication across SVG noting that that the company continues to be a strategic partner.

The Resident Representative stated that the ECCB will continue with its host of educational programmes in several schools across the country as well as its community outreach programmes.
Stanley Browne, Chairman of the Sector Skills Development Agency, is hoping that the month of focus will attract more persons to TVET programmes.

It has been established that St. Vincent and the Grenadines boasts large numbers of skilled craftsmen in many fields.





However, there remains the problem that these skilled craftsmen/workers have no means of proving their competence.





Efforts have increased on the regional scale to provide these citizens with certificates which will authenticate their abilities.





The drive will be intensified during this month with a series of activities here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.





Kenroy Questelles, Director at the National Qualifications Department, along with Stanley Browne, Chairman of the Sector Skills Development Agency, last Tuesday, provided reasons as to the importance of Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET), during the official launch of TVET Month (November).

Browne is hoping that more persons will gravitate towards TVET programmes as a result of the sensitisation.

The SSDA chairman noted that many of todays population were looking at other "prestigious spheres and abandoning aspects of manual skills.





He lamented the absence of skilled personnel in many aspects of national development, and pointed to the level of independence that skilled persons could enjoy.

"When you are skilled, you are independent and almost always employed, Browne indicated.

He added that the emphasis on Technical Vocational Education Training can "take young people off the streets.





Browne bemoaned the situation that many Vincentians, with years of experience in their fields, had to start at the bottom when they sought employment abroad.

He wants to ensure that the certification programme takes root.

Brownes sentiments were endorsed by Leron France, an Electrical Inspector in the Transport and Works Ministry.





France alluded to a Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) programme which he outlined "is helping to narrow the gap in the skills area.





France, who trained and worked at the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC), endorsed the PLAR venture and looked at it as helping "workmen to become more professional and proficient.. It is making sure that you are doing the right thing and doing the thing right.

The month of activities is being held under the theme: Discover your potential with TVET. (WKA)
By Azernews





By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan has been consistently carrying out reforms to improve the business climate since 2006.

The World Bank (WB) expert Hulya Ulku told Azerbaijani reporters during a video link with the WB headquarters in Washington DC.

She went on to say that Azerbaijan can be attributed to the list of countries conducting an incredible number of reforms.

The expert stressed that according to Doing Business 2019, Azerbaijan entered the list of countries with the most noticeable improvement in the economy.

Azerbaijan has implemented a record number of reforms (eight) aimed at simplifying business among 10 economies that have shown significant improvement.

In particular, Ulku noted that Azerbaijan has simplified the process of obtaining building permits, connecting to power grids, registering property, obtaining loans, taxation, international trade and also carried out reforms in the labor market and reforms aimed at protecting minority investors.

Azerbaijan ranked 25th among 190 countries in Doing Business 2019, while it was 57th in Doing Business 2018.

Doing Business is annually published by the World Bank Group, which assesses regulatory standards in entrepreneurial activity.

Azerbaijan joined the World Bank Group in 1992. Since then, commitments to the country totaled over $3.78 billion for 50 projects.

Founded in 1944, the WB has 189 member countries, staff from more 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations.

Today the Bank Groups work touches nearly every sector that is important to fighting poverty, supporting economic growth, and ensuring sustainable gains in the quality of peoples lives in developing countries.
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High around 75F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 69F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.
By Trend





Armenians are brutally torturing Azerbaijani prisoners and hostages, Azerbaijans military prosecutor Khanlar Valiyev said at a meeting dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Azerbaijani State Commission for Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons.

He noted that during the investigation carried out on a criminal case regarding the crimes committed by the Armenian armed forces and illegal armed formations in Nagorno-Karabakh, it was established that Armenian nationalists with particular cruelty killed thousands of Azerbaijanis only because of their national identity in Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas, that is, in the Azerbaijani lands.

Hundreds of Azerbaijanis, who tried to escape, were shot, their houses were looted, national architecture monuments were destroyed, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were deported from their homes, civilians and servicemen of Azerbaijani Armed Forces, serving in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, as well as in the territories bordering Armenia, were taken hostage - the hostages were subjected to brutal, inhuman treatment and tortures, he added.

For the comprehensive investigation of these crimes, the identification of the perpetrators, the collection of evidence and bringing the perpetrators to investigation, cooperation was established between the investigating body and Azerbaijans State Commission, he said. Thus, 1,636 persons testified on the criminal case and, according to the information of the State Commission as of October 23, 2018, out of 1,480 prisoners and hostages who were subsequently released, 1,113 people were interrogated, and 1,057 of them were recognized as victims.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
By Trend





Azerbaijans State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons established in 1993 to eliminate the problem of prisoners of war and missing persons operates as part of the norms of international humanitarian law joined by Azerbaijan, in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other relevant international bodies, secretary of the commission Ismayil Akhundov said Nov. 1 at the commissions meeting.

He said that in 1993, all information available at state and non-governmental organizations were collected and a preliminary list regarding 4,000 people was compiled.

As a result of the work done, together with the ICRC and other relevant international organizations, 1,480 prisoners and hostages were released, and the necessary measures were taken on their rehabilitation, Akhundov added.

He noted that in order to investigate the crimes committed by Armenians, a Joint Operational-Investigation Group to investigate crimes committed by the armed separatist forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian military units was created, which continues its activity in the Military Prosecutors Office of Azerbaijan.

Akhundov also noted that after the implemented reforms to improve the activity of the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons of Azerbaijan, the situation in this area was analyzed, and the Azerbaijani president put forward a number of serious requirements before the working group to speed up the implementation of certain tasks, systemic approach to the work and defining of priorities.

It was noted that the list of missing persons was clarified as a primary task, and 3,888 missing persons are registered in the State Commission. Their photos were collected and added to the updated database, and the necessary measures were taken to compile identikits for those who had no photo.

The GPS coordinates of the graves of 195 unknown persons who went missing during intensive military operations and buried in the territory of Azerbaijan were indentified.

At the instruction of the Azerbaijani president, based on the testimony of the released persons, a book was published in Azerbaijani and English, as well as other instructions were fulfilled.
Everyone knows moving flats is a pain in the bloody ass.

Sure, maybe you're slightly upgrading from the hovel you used to live in, but along with lugging all your shit between places (and probably strapping your mattress to the roof of your car haphazardly - we don't recommend doing this across the Harbour Bridge fyi... doesn't end well from personal experience), you have to pay a shit tonne in fees.

Well, we've got your good news for the day... parliament have banned Property Managers and landlords from charging letting fees when you move in to a new place.

They used to be about a weeks rent plus GST and your first born child, and parliament rightly reckoned this was asking a bitttt much:

"When moving into a new rental property, tenants can face up to four weeks' bond, two weeks' rent in advance and one weeks' rent as a letting fee in addition to moving costs. With homeownership rates at a 60-year low, this change recognises that we need to take action now to make rent more affordable so people can save to buy their own home," said Housing Minister Phil Twyford.

The law will come into effect as of December 12, so all you students changing flats for summer can rejoice. More money for all dem summer festies are we right?!
Happy new music Friday!

The boys at WeMouve Records have got another wee artist droppin' some fire today just in time for the weekend! Eastern Bloc is here with his new tune 'Pop Some Flavour'.

Hailing from Auckland Eastern Bloc takes his new direction one step further with Pop Some Flavour. It's another dance floor heater just in time for summer. One of New Zealands most sought-after electronic acts, Eastern Bloc has supported the likes of Flosstradamus, Flume, Alison Wonderland, Danny Brown and Baauer. Dayuuuuum!

Check out the new track here:
If you thought the spooky Halloween fun was over, you were wrong. Boombox Cartel have just blessed fans with their annual Dia De Los Muertos Mix III in celebration of the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead that takes place today.

This is the third year running weve had a DDLM mix from the Boombox Cartel lads Americo and Jorge, and just as fans as come to expect, its filled with unreleased tracks, edits, bassy head bangers, as well as a decent helping of festive Mexican numbers.

Have a jam below, and get ready to bring this one out and impress your friends at pres this weekend:
Doing business in Georgia has become easier than in America - GeorgianJournal
Its been a dangerous and deadly few days in school transportation as five children have been killed and other children and adults injured in accidents near school bus stops. Those incidents will inevitably lead to legal action that may take years to resolve.

Meanwhile, a federal appeals court this week revived a civil lawsuit filed against a Tennessee school district stemming from a 2016 school bus crash that killed six elementary school students and injured numerous others.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, in Cincinnati, unanimously held that the Hamilton County school system may be liable on a theory that the school principal violated students right to be free from bodily harm by requiring the students to ride the bus each day with a driver who had been the subject of multiple dangerous driving complaints.

The decision comes in a case involving a Nov. 21, 2016, crash that killed six students at Woodmore Elementary School in Chattanooga, Tenn. The bus driver, Johnthony Walker, was found guilty of 11 counts of reckless aggravated assault, six counts of criminally negligent homicide, and various lesser charges. He was sentenced this past April to four years in prison. Prosecutors said that Walker, an employee of a private school bus contractor, was speeding and on his cellphone when he lost control of his bus, swerved, and crashed into a walnut tree.

In the separate civil suit, the 6th Circuit panel reversed a federal district courts dismissal of the suit and held that the victims may pursue a claim based on a 1978 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Monell v. Department of Social Services. Under that ruling, a school district or other municipal body may be held liable for the acts of one of its employees if there was an official policy that led to the dangerous situation or if there were a clear and consistent pattern of unconstitutional acts by the employee.

Plaintiffs have alleged that (1) the principal committed affirmative acts by instructing the schoolchildren to board Walkers bus; (2) this direction endangered the students because of Walkers dangerous driving; (3) this danger was specific to those students; and (4) the principal was sufficiently culpable because she knew that Walkers driving was dangerous, said the 6th Circuits Nov. 1 opinion in M.S. v. Hamilton County Department of Education .

The school district argued that the principals actions in requiring students to board the bus even amid complaints about the drivers safety did not shock the conscience, as would be required to find the principal liable.

The appeals court rejected the argument. Even though the lawsuit detailed only two examples of complaints about Walkers dangerous driving, the actual number is unknown at this point, it said.

Because it is conceivable that the principal received complaints such that it would be conscience-shocking for her to have instructed the schoolchildren to board Walkers bus after their receipt, it would be inappropriate to grant a motion to dismiss on this ground, the opinion said.



The court said the plaintiffs will have to show that there was a clear and persistent pattern of that unconstitutional activity, that the district knew about that pattern, [and] that the district deliberately ignored that pattern.

Separately, the 6th Circuit panel upheld a dismissal of federal civil-rights claims against the bus contractor, Durham School Services L.P., but it said its ruling did not affect whether the plaintiffs might have claims against the company under Tennessee law.
By Trend

Last month, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian accepted the resignation of the country's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as well as the country's government, Sputnik reports.

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian signed on Thursday a decree to dissolve the parliament and set new elections to the legislative body for December 9, his press service said in a statement.

"To set early elections for December 9, 2018. The decree comes into force from the moment of publication," the document says.

The parliament of Armenia at a special meeting on Thursday failed, for the second time, to elect the prime minister and, according to the law, should be dissolved.

In April, a political crisis and anti-government protests broke out in Armenia after Serzh Sargsyan, who had served as the country's president for 10 years, was appointed as the prime minister, which was regarded by people as his attempt to stay in power. Sargsyan was forced to resign and Pashinyan became the country's prime minister instead, pledging to implement a number of economic and political reforms.
By Trend





Maciej Lissowski, a citizen of Poland, head of Publicis Sp. z.o.o., addressed a letter to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry requesting for removal of his name from the List of Foreign Citizens who Illegally Visited the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said in a message.

In his letter Lissowski reaffirmed that he fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, inter alia, the laws and regulations of Azerbaijan, and emphasized that his visit to the Azerbaijani territories through Armenia was not intentional and he was unaware about the consequences of this visit.

Furthermore, Lissowski highlighted that his visit to the Azerbaijani territories in no way served to the promotion of the illegal authorities established in these territories of Azerbaijan.

Expressing his apology to the government and people of Azerbaijan for an unauthorized visit, Lissowski noted that he will refrain from such visits in future and requested to remove his name from the List of Foreign Citizens who Illegally Visited the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan, and to give an authorization for his visit to Azerbaijan.

Appeal by Maciej Lissowski was appropriately considered and the decision was made to remove his name from the mentioned list.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Flipkart Diwali Special Discount offers on Best 6GB RAM Smartphones Features oi-Harish Kumar

Flipkart has unleashed a new plan which is in the form of 'Diwali special discount'. Under this sale strategy, you can acquire some of the optimum 6GB RAM smartphones at their much greater reduced price options. These devices come along with several other amazing deals that are important to consider.

The deals rendered by Flipkart are many. It offers great exchange and cashback offers, no cost EMI option with better EMI rate, 10% instant discount on SBI credit cards, 10% cashback on payments through PhonePe, 10% off with Axis bank buzz credit card, and more.

The consumers can get up to 50% Buyback value at just Rs.99. You can also get brand warranty of 1 year available for mobile and 6 months for accessories. Besides you also get extended warranty of 1 year by Flipkart protect, complete mobile protection plan at just Rs.99. On purchasing these devices, you can earn as much coins.

You can then use 50 coins to join the Flipkart Plus program. Members can exchange coins to get additional offers on shopping, food, travel & more.

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Octa-Core Huawei Kirin 970 with 10nm processor with Mali-G72 MP12 GPU

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Best Mobiles in India

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By Trend





Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has talked on the phone with his US counterpart Donald Trump, a source in the Turkish presidential administration told reporters, TASS news agency reported.

During the conversation, issues of the bilateral agenda, developments in Syria and settlement of issues in Manbij and Idlib were raised, said the source.

Erdogan and Trump expressed their determination to take constructive measures to improve and strengthen bilateral relations.

The source noted that the parties also agreed to continue contacts on the necessary bilateral and regional topics in the near future.

In addition, the Turkish president conveyed his condolences to the relatives and friends of those killed during the attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

It was earlier reported that the Turkish and US servicemen started to jointly patrol Syrias Manbij city on Nov. 1.
MIUI 10.0.4 global stable update now available for Poco F1 News oi-Vivek Poco F1 is the first smartphone from the Xiaomi's sub smartphone brand Poco

Xiaomi has finally rolled out the most required software update for the Xiaomi Poco F1. The MIUI 10.0.4.0 based on Android 8.1 Oreo is now available for the Poco F1 with new features and a whole new UI.

Earlier this week, a leaked update package of the MIUI 10 for the Poco F1 with Android 9 Pie was spotted, which re-affirms that the Android 9 Pie update for the Poco F1 will be made available in the next few weeks.

Download MIUI 10.0.4.0 for Poco F1 (Recovery ROM)

Download MIUI 10.0.4.0 for Poco F1 ( from MIUI 9.6.25 to MIUI 10.0.4.0)

What's new in the MIUI 10.0.4.0 for the Poco F1?

All-new UI is tailored for full-screen devices and lets the content take the front stage.

(New design looks fresh and clean on older devices too)

You wont get tired of natural and ever-changing sounds of the new MIUI.

We simplified system sounds and applied smart filters, so youll hear something only when you need to.

Ambient sounds of the forest, beach, drizzle, stove fire and summer night will help you to relax.

Xiaomi Poco F1 specifications

The Xiaomi Poco F1 comes with a 6.18-inch IPS LCD screen with 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The Poco F1 is also the most affordable smartphone with the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Solution, coupled with either 6/8 GB of RAM and 64/128/256 GB of internal storage with a micro SD card slot for additional storage expansion.

The primary camera setup on the Poco F1 consists of two cameras. There is a 12 MP primary RGB sensor with an F/1.8 aperture and a 5 MP depth sensor, which will help with the bokeh shots. Apart from the dual camera setup, the device has a 20 MP selfie camera with support for AI and software-based bokeh effect.

The Poco F1 has a 4000 mAh Li-ion battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ capability via USB type C port and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Best Mobiles in India

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Samsung continues to lead the smartphone market with 19% share in Q3 News oi-Priyanka Dua Chinese players continued their growth trajectory with strong performances in markets outside China.

According to the latest research from Counterpoint's Market Monitor service, the global smartphone shipments declined 3 percent annually, recording 386.8 million units in 3Q 2018.

Samsung continued to lead the smartphone market with 19 percent market share in the quarter. The South Korean giant recorded its highest smartphone shipments ever in India, said Counterpoint.

While Chinese players continued their growth trajectory with strong performances in markets outside China.

Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, said, "This is the first time that the global smartphone market has declined for three consecutive quarters. It can be attributed to a weakening demand in developed markets like China, USA, and Western Europe which account for almost half of smartphone sales globally."

Pathak commenting on the strong performance of the Chinese brands added, "Despite the decline in its home market, Chinese brands OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi reached new highs in smartphone shipments in a quarter. Huawei was also able to maintain its 50+ million smartphone shipments and retain its 2nd position in 3Q 2018. This suggests that companies are reducing their dependence on their home country. The brands will further expand outside China as they push into Asia Pacific countries and Europe."

Apple iPhone shipments remained flat annually, revenues for the devices grew 29 percent with a record average selling price of $793.

Counterpoint said that some emerging markets, like India, showed double-digit growth, it was not enough to compensate for the volume decline in developed markets.

Since emerging markets are under-penetrated, they have a smaller smartphone base and are not able to offset the global decline. However, this also presents long-term growth opportunities for OEMs with many entering such markets to grow their sales.

Commenting on this market trend, Research Analyst Shobhit Srivastava noted, "The growth in the emerging markets is led by Chinese smartphone players that are venturing out of China to capture sales. The offerings from these OEMs have intensified competition and many features and capabilities common among flagship models are now progressively diffusing through to the lower price bands. This is also affecting local smartphone players in the emerging economies, which are struggling to maintain a foothold."

Best Mobiles in India

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Kanoo Information Technology, a subsidiary of Ebrahim K Kanoo, recently supported the French Chamber of Industry and Commerce (FCCIB) in Bahrain in its organisation of a conference and networking dinner in association with Amazon Web Services (AWS).



The event, a part of AWS Summit and Bahrain Tech Week, saw a number of high profile speakers deliver insightful presentations followed by in depth discussions and Q&A sessions with the over 70 attendees including Cecile Longe; Ambassador of France to Bahrain, said a statement.



Ebrahim K Kanoo director Waleed Kanoo lauded the FCCIB and the Embassy of France for their dedication developing the digital and technology industry in Bahrain by investing in such conferences that bring world class speakers to the island, it said.



A key note speech, entitled All you need to know about the implementation of Amazon Web Services in Bahrain, was delivered by AWS Public Sector EMEA vice president Max Peterson, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers Delivers Remarks Regarding Economic Espionage by the People's Republic of China

Washington, DC

~ Thursday, November 1, 2018

Remarks as prepared for delivery

The case unsealed today is representative of the Chinese government's trade secret theft that we see across the country and across industries. Whether by co-opting employees, by computer intrusions or by a combination of both, agents of the Chinese government are systematically stealing our nation's intellectual property for the benefit of their own companies and their own country's strategic priorities. To counter this activity, the Attorney General has launched a nationwide initiative, and I am honored to lead it.

To glimpse the scope of the problem, just look at the recent cases that we've charged. In the case we unsealed today, the defendants are alleged to have misappropriated the intellectual property of an American company and gone to a different company to use this privileged knowledge unlawfully, to clone a product to compete with the American product.

All after the Chinese Central Government and the State Council publicly identified the development of that stolen technology as a national priority and funded a company to mass produce the cloned products. Then to add insult to injury, the company that stole and is working to clone the legitimate American product turned around and sued the American company for violating its patents rights---which were built on the stolen technology.

In addition to the criminal charges, today, for the first time ever, we also bring a civil action to stop the export of the illegal goods and prevent the Chinese company from competing with the American product in America. And we commend the action by the Commerce Department to place the company on the Entity List, which means it won't be able to get the tools it needs to produce this product. As this case shows, we will continue to use all available legal tools to protect American workers and American companies from illegal activity.

Just two days ago, in United States v. Zhang Zhang-Gui, et al., we charged ten defendants, including co-opted company insiders, working for or acting on behalf of the Jiangsu Ministry of State Security, also known as the "JSSD," an arm of the Chinese intelligence services. According to the charging documents from the Southern District of California, the defendants conspired to hack U.S. and European defense and aerospace contractors in order to steal information to develop a Chinese version of a commercial airplane turbofan engine.

Just over three weeks ago, in the Southern District of Ohio, we obtained the extradition of a JSSD intelligence officer who was also alleged to have attempted to co-opt an employee of a defense contractor in order to steal trade secrets related to commercial airplane engines.

In September, in the Northern District of Illinois, we charged an individual here in the United States who acted as a source for a JSSD intelligence officer, helping him, among other things, to assess engineers and scientists for recruitment.

In August, in the Northern District of New York, we charged an individual with stealing turbine technology and sending it to China.

And so it goes.

Taken together, these cases, and many others like them, paint a grim picture of a country bent on stealing its way up the ladder of economic developmentand doing so at American expense. This behavior is illegal. It's wrong. It's a threat to our national security. And it must stop.

The National Security Division has a variety of tools available to deal with this problem. First, as we've talked about, we can bring prosecutions. These prosecutions have raised the stakes for intelligence officers and their alleged co-optees here in the United States. If you work at an American company and you help the Chinese steal its trade secrets, we will find you and prosecute you.

These charges, in all their specificity, also prevent China from hiding behind their long practiced, ritualized denials and feigned ignorance.

These charges also serve to educate the American public and alert U.S. business to what the Chinese government is doing on all fronts, including their efforts to target commercial technology pursuant to insiders, computer intrusions, and computer intrusions enabled by insiders.

And most important, through the criminal charges, a civil suit for an injunction, an entity listing and other economic tools, the U.S. government is making a coordinated, concerted effort to deprive the thief of the benefit of his crime.

In addition, when the Chinese use their financial clout to buy or make strategic investments to gain access to American technology and personal data, the National Security Division will work with our partners on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to protect our sensitive technologies and data from national security risk.

And when Chinese activity turns to the malign influence of American politics in order to further its economic and political agenda, we will use the Foreign Agents Registration Act and related criminal and civil tools to ensure full transparency.

China wants the fruits of America's brainpower to harvest the seeds of its desired economic dominance. Preventing this from happening will take all of us, here at the Justice Department, across the U.S. government, and within the private sector. With the Attorney General's initiative, we will confront China's malign behaviors and encourage them to conduct themselves as the leading nation they aspire to be.

Speaker: John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security

Topic(s):

Cyber Crime

Intellectual Property

National Security

Component(s): National Security Division (NSD)

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions Announces New Initiative to Combat Chinese Economic Espionage

Washington, DC

~ Thursday, November 1, 2018

Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you all for being here.

For decades, the United States has led the world in science, technology, research, and development. Without a doubt, we are the world's top innovator. Billions have been invested to achieve that status.

This has given this country advantages both economically and militarily that have directly benefitted the daily lives of the American people.

It is no surprise that geopolitical rival states around the world have taken notice.

That is why they often try to steal our inventions and defraud us of their proceeds. Too often, they are successful.

Discoveries that took years of work and millions of dollars in investment here in the United States can be stolen by computer hackers or carried out the door by an employee in a matter of minutes.

This theft is not just wrong; it poses a grave threat to our national security. And it is unlawful.

But under President Donald Trump, the United States is standing up to the deliberate, systematic, and calculated threats posed, in particular, by the communist regime in China, which is notorious around the world for intellectual property theft.

Earlier this year, a report from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer found that Chinese sponsorship of hacking into American businesses and commercial networks has been taking place for more than a decade and is a serious problem that burdens American commerce.

The problem has been growing rapidly, and along with China's other unfair trade practices, it poses a real and illegal threat to our nation's economic prosperity and competitiveness.

Perhaps this threat has been overshadowed in the press by threats from Russia or radical Islamic terrorism. But while it has been in the shadows, the threat has only grown more dangerous.

From 2013 to 2016, the Department of Justice did not charge anyone with spying for China.

But since the beginning of 2017, we have charged three people with spying for China or attempting or conspiring to do so. And when it comes to trade secret theft, we are currently prosecuting five other cases where the theft or attempted theft was for the benefit of the Chinese government.

In 2015, China committed publicly that it would not target American companies for economic gain.

Obviously, that commitment has not been kept.

Just ask GE Aviation, or Trimble, of Sunnyvale, California.

Today I am announcing another economic espionage case against Chinese interests.

And before I do that I want to remind everyone that the defendants in this caseas in every caseare innocent until proven guilty.

I am announcing that a grand jury in San Francisco has returned an indictment alleging economic espionage on the part of a Chinese state-owned, government owned, company, a Taiwan company, and three Taiwan individuals for an alleged scheme to steal trade secrets from Micron, an Idaho-based semi-conductor company.

Micron is worth an estimated $100 billion and controls about 20 to 25 percent of the dynamic random access memory industrya technology not possessed by the Chinese until very recently.

One of the defendants served as president of a company acquired by Micron in 2013. He left the company in 2015 and went to work for the Taiwan defendant companyfrom where he is alleged to have orchestrated the theft of trade secrets from Micron worth up to $8.75 billion.

The Taiwan defendant company then partnered with a Chinese state-owned companyso that ultimately China could steal this technology from the United States and then use it to compete against us in the market. This is a brazen scheme.

If convicted, the defendants face up to 15 years in prison and $5 million in fines. The companies could face forfeiture and fines worth more than $20 billion.

This week the Commerce Department added the Chinese company to the Entity List to prevent it from buying goods and services in the United States, to keep it from profiting from the technology it stole.

And today the Department of Justice is filing a civil action to seek an injunction that would prevent the Chinese and Taiwan companies from transferring the stolen technology, or exporting products based on it to the United States.

We are not just reacting to crimeswe are acting to block the defendants from doing any more harm to our U.S. based company, Micron.

United States Attorney Alex Tse of the Northern District of California will provide more information on this case in a moment.

And once again I want to remind everyone that the defendants in this caseas in every caseare innocent until proven guilty.

As the cases I've discussed have shown, Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasingand it has been increasing rapidly.

We are here today to say: enough is enough. We're not going to take it anymore.

It is unacceptable. It is time for China to join the community of lawful nations. International trade has been good for China, but the cheating must stop. And we must have more law enforcement cooperation; China cannot be a safe haven for criminals who run to China when they are in trouble, never to be extradited. China must accept the repatriation of Chinese citizens who break U.S. immigration law and are awaiting return.

We will continue to charge wrongdoers based on carefully conducted investigations done with integrity and professionalism, not politics, and we will seek extradition of criminals.

To be prosperous trading partners, integrity and cooperation are essential.

And today I am focusing more Department of Justice resources to counter these threats.

I am announcing that I have ordered the creation of a China Initiative led by Assistant Attorney General John Demers, who heads our National Security Division, and composed of a senior FBI Executive, five United States Attorneys including Alex, and several other Department of Justice leaders and officials, including Assistant Attorney General for our Criminal Division, Brian Benczkowski.

This Initiative will identify priority Chinese trade theft cases, ensure that we have enough resources dedicated to them, and make sure that we bring them to an appropriate conclusion quickly and effectively.

This administration's new initiative will also address two major responsibilities of our National Security Division: the Foreign Investment Review Staff's review of investments and licenses in U.S. infrastructure and telecommunications, and the Foreign Agent Registration Act Unit's work to counter covert efforts to influence our leaders and the general public.

This will help us meet the new and evolving threats to our economy. Today, we see Chinese espionage not just taking place against traditional targets like our defense and intelligence agencies, but against targets like research labs and universities, and we see Chinese propaganda disseminated on our campuses.

And so I have directed this initiative to focus on these problems as well and to recommend legislation to Congress if necessary.

Chinalike any advanced nationmust decide whether it wants to be a trusted partner on the world stageor whether it wants to be known around the world as a dishonest regime running a corrupt economy founded on fraud, theft, and strong-arm tactics. Our wish is to have a trusted partner.

The President has made clear that this country remains open to friendship and productive relationships with China. Nothing is more important for the world. We want our relationships to improve, not get worse.

But these problems must be solved. These threats must be ended.

This Department of Justiceand the Trump administrationhave already made our decision: we will not allow our sovereignty to be disrespected, our intellectual property to be stolen, or our people to be robbed of their hard-earned prosperity. We want fair trade and good relationships based on honest dealing. We will enforce our lawsand we will protect America's national interests.

Speaker: Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Attachment(s):

Download China Initiative Fact Sheet

Topic(s):

Cyber Crime

Intellectual Property

National Security

Component(s): Office of the Attorney General

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US Launches Initiative to Fight Chinese Economic Espionage

By Masood Farivar November 01, 2018

Saying Chinese economic espionage poses a grave threat to U.S. national interests, Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday announced a new Justice Department initiative to combat China's alleged rampant theft of American intellectual property.

The China initiative "will identify priority Chinese trade theft cases, ensure that we have enough resources dedicated to them, and make sure that we bring them to an appropriate conclusion quickly and effectively," Sessions said at a news conference.

The attorney general also disclosed that a grand jury had issued an indictment in a new case of alleged Chinese economic espionage.

According to the indictment, filed Sept. 27 but unsealed Thursday, Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. Ltd., a Chinese state-owned company; United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), a Taiwanese semiconductor foundry listed on the New York Stock Exchange; and three Taiwanese nationals conspired to steal trade secrets from Micron Technology, a leading U.S. semiconductor manufacturer.

Cases under way

Sessions touted the Trump administration's stepped-up prosecution of Chinese espionage cases after a hiatus in such prosecutions during the final years of the Obama administration. Since the start of 2017, Sessions said, the Justice Department has charged three people with spying for China and is currently prosecuting five Chinese economic espionage cases.

"As this and other recent cases have shown, Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasing  and it has been increasing rapidly," Sessions said.

The new China initiative will be led by John Demers, assistant attorney general for national security, and carried out by a senior FBI official, five U.S. attorneys and several top department officials.

Among other things, the initiative will be responsible for the department's review of foreign investments and licenses in U.S. infrastructure and telecommunications, as well as its enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act "to counter covert efforts to influence our leaders and the general public," Sessions said.

"This will help us meet the new and evolving threats to our economy," he said. "Today, we see Chinese espionage not just taking place against traditional targets like our defense and intelligence agencies, but against targets like research labs and universities. And we see Chinese propaganda disseminated on our campuses."

Sessions said he'd asked the officials working on the China initiative to recommend legislation to Congress, if necessary.

Pressure on China

The announcement came amid an escalating trade war between the U.S. and China, and growing pressure on China over its alleged theft of hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of U.S. intellectual property.

According to a 2017 report by the U.S. trade representative's office, Chinese theft of U.S. intellectual property costs the U.S. between $225 billion and $600 billion annually.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he'd had "a long and very good conversation" with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier in the day, and that "discussions are moving along nicely."

The launch of the China initiative followed three cases of Chinese economic espionage announced by the Justice Department since September.

In the Micron case, according to U.S. prosecutors, the conspirators worked to fulfill a key Chinese national economic priority: the development of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and other microelectronics technology. Fujian Jinhua was founded in 2016 for the sole purpose of developing DRAM technology.

According to the indictment, Stephen Chen, a former president of a company Micron acquired in 2013, allegedly engineered the theft of DRAM trade secrets from Micron after he left the company to work for Taiwan-based UMC.

UMC then teamed up with Fujian Jinhua "so that ultimately, China could steal this technology from the United States and then use it to compete against us in the market," Sessions said. "This is a brazen scheme."

If convicted, the defendants could face up to 15 years in prison and $5 million fines. The two companies could face forfeiture and fines of more than $20 billion.

The Justice Department also filed a civil injunction on Thursday that would block the two companies from transferring the stolen technology or selling products based on the stolen technology in the United States.

Last week, the Commerce Department imposed sanctions on Fujian Jinhua.

Long-term problem

U.S. officials have been sounding the alarm about Chinese economic espionage for some time.

In February, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Chinese students, academics and researchers were exploiting America's "very open research and development environment."

In a July, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center identified China, Russia and Iran as "three of the most capable and active cyber actors tied to economic espionage and the potential theft of U.S. trade secrets and proprietary information."

Sessions accused China of reneging on a 2015 agreement between Xi and former U.S. President Barack Obama that neither country would conduct economic espionage over the internet for the purpose of "providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors."

Herb Lin, a cyber expert and senior research scholar at Stanford University, said the carefully worded agreement was not intended to stop all Chinese economic espionage.

The agreement "didn't say that the Chinese were all of a sudden going to stop all their efforts," Lin said. "In the narrow domain in which the agreement was intended to cover, there was indeed a significant reduction in the amount of activity that the agreement covered."

China has dismissed the charges of economic espionage as fabricated.

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Justice Department Ramping Up Fight Against Chinese Espionage

By Masood Farivar November 01, 2018

The Justice Department is ramping up its fight against Chinese economic and industrial espionage.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new initiative Thursday to combat Chinese economic espionage, as a federal grand jury indicted a Chinese state-owned company and a Taiwanese tech firm on charges of stealing trade secrets from U.S. semiconductor manufacturer Micron Technology.

The new China Initiative "will identify priority Chinese trade theft cases, ensure that we have enough resources dedicated to them, and make sure that we bring them to an appropriate conclusion quickly and effectively," Sessions said at a press conference in Washington.

The China initiative will be led by assistant attorney general for national security John Demers, and composed of senior FBI and Justice Department officials, Sessions said.

"This will help us meet the new and evolving threats to our economy," Sessions said. "Today, we see Chinese espionage not just taking place against traditional targets like our defense and intelligence agencies, but against targets like research labs and universities. And we see Chinese propaganda disseminated on our campuses."

The announcement came as a grand jury in San Francisco indicted Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd, a Chinese government-owned company; United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), a Taiwanese semiconductor foundry listed on the New York Stock Exchange; and three individuals, with a conspiracy to steal trade secrets from Micron.

The indictment is the latest in a series announced in recent months against Chinese nationals accused of cyber espionage against the United States.

"As this and other recent cases have shown, Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasing  and it has been increasing rapidly," Sessions said. "I am here to say that enough is enough."

Micron of Boise, Idaho, is a leader in the global semiconductor industry, specializing in DRAM (Dynamic Random-Access Memory) technology. The $100 billion company has 20 to 25 percent of the DRAM market.

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Transcript

Presenter: General Terrence John O'Shaughnessy, Commander of U.S. Northern Command October 30, 2018

General O'Shaughnessy, Commander of U.S. Northern Command, Press Gaggle

STAFF: Ladies and gentlemen, General O'Shaughnessy, commander of NORAD, NORTHCOM. We are on the record, off camera. And you got a busy day, sir, as I understand. So we've got about 15 minutes. So, sir, do you have any opening remarks?

GENERAL TERRENCE O'SHAUGHNESSY: I do. First, I just want to say thanks for giving us an opportunity just to -- to keep a continuous dialogue with you to keep you informed of all the various activities that -- that we're doing. This is -- I think as we looked at both the hurricanes that we've done with both Michael and Florence, now as you -- as you look at Faithful Patriot, trying to keep you informed and -- and -- and make sure that we are able to provide the information to you that you can then transmit to the American public is important to us.

So I appreciate the opportunity to have these kind of dialogues. I know yesterday we had an opportunity to talk with the press conference to -- to see if we can discuss some of the numbers. And we've seen some reporting that that was different than that. And so I just want to say the numbers that we talked about yesterday we can talk about more today, are -- are the numbers. And -- and -- and we're trying to be -- we are consistent with that. That's planning. The numbers, for example, I heard -- saw 14,000 out there.

I'm not -- I honestly don't even know where that came from. That is not in line with what we've been planning. And so I would just attribute that to not -- not consistent with what's actually being planned.

Q: General, can you answer some questions, then, about some troop numbers?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Absolutely.

Q: How many are actually there now? And we are told there's another 2,000 to 3,000 in reserve. What's -- what do you think is sort of the top line? And then I -- I'd like a question on cost.

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Sure. So let me start with right now we have a -- a -- a little over 1,000 that are actually in place right now in Texas. That number is -- is literally as we speak changing because we have additional forces that are moving in that -- today to -- to Texas. That number will go to about -- in Texas, about 1,800 that'll actually be moved from seven installations in Texas.

We also have about 870 that are part of our headquarters there that are part of the overall effort that will be engaged in this effort from a command and control, and Lieutenant General Jeff Buchanan is our field commander. He is the Army North commander and he will be our forward commander, if you will.

And so those installations, that movement will predominantly but not totally close today. And you'll see over the next -- maybe Wednesday, Thursday, small -- smaller numbers coming in.

But you'll see additional movement today and then a little bit into Wednesday to close that force movement.

Q: But what about this additional 2,000 to 3,000 on the prepare-to-deploy order? Was that the max, then? Do you see the max being like 8,000? 9,000? What's your --

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: No, and one of the challenges we have to answer that question is it's really undetermined at this point. Because as we look and continue to work with DHS and CBP, we've been given clear guidance of what they need initially. And then as we continue to refine and request for specificity of what capability and capacity we need, then that number will change.

The example I would use is a command post. They've asked us generically for the ability to have a command post that we can move forward, but until they better understand the overall lay down, they're unable to -- or they're continuing to work and find exactly where that would be. Is it one command post? Is it two command posts? Where would they be? How are they going to organize their CBP that we can then tie into?

So as those answers are known, then we'll be able to answer the specificity of the exact numbers.

And so we know we're going to have, for example -- and just sticking with command post -- we'll have that command post requirement filled. We just don't know the specificities. So we're not able to give you the exact numbers at this time.

Q: And cost?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Yes, so the cost is unknown at this time because as we continue to develop, it will be undoubtedly a -- a level to track that. Everything that we are moving we have a cost code associated with that. And so it is being tracked, but that is obviously part of the ongoing as the -- as the effort comes together that we'll have to do -- put in the work to better understand --

(CROSSTALK)

Q: -- border would be armed? Some of them would be armed --

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: You asked that question.

Q: I did. Thank you for taking the questions. How -- will there any sort of instances where troops would be coming in contact with migrants or will they always push to the CBP personnel?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Yes, the CBP -- CBP personnel are the -- absolutely the primary and principle members that will be handling specifically the migrants. What we want to make sure, though, is because there could be incidental interaction between our military members and migrants or other personnel that might be in that area. And so we are making that our -- our -- our soldiers, our Marines are going to be fully trained in how to do that interaction.

They're going to understand the rules for that interaction and they'll be consistent with CBP.

(CROSSTALK)

Q: -- one follow up. On the historical -- one of the concerns that we're hearing frequently right now is it seems a little bit unprecedented to use active duty instead of going to the National Guard that has all of the same capabilities. And so I was wondering if you could tell us about the historical precedent for using active duty instead of National Guard.

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Yes, well first I'll say -- and I really want to be clear on this, is that Operation Guardian Support continues on. We know that's been very successful; 2,092 is the number of personnel that are involved in that right now. But what is not -- maybe not known, there's 20 active duty individuals that are part of that as well -- the original request. So it's -- it's really not -- you know, as we look at what was happening with Operation Guardian Support (OGS) and look at now Faithful Patriot, as we look at this and the capability we need to bring to bear, Secretary Mattis has looked at, where does that capability reside, how do we best get it to support DHS.

And because we already had a complimentary effort with OGS, that was natural to go to a Title 10 response here. And so these forces are Title 10 and -- and they will be integrated in and complimentary to the OGS effort in...

(CROSSTALK)

Q: ... similar deployment in history of an active duty size -- of this size?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: I don't want to comment on relative to the size and this size relative to historical precedent.

Q: When are we going to get a list -- sir, when are we going to get a list of how...

(CROSSTALK)

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: So I can give you the list right now if you --

Q: I'd really like that list right now.

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: So Fort Knox...

Q: But what's the -- which unit from Fort Knox?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Yes, I won't -- until they're actually in place, I -- I'm not going to give you the operational detail of that. But -- but clearly they're -- they're literally --

QUESITON: Can you tell us how many from each base, then?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Yes, sure. 421 from Fort Knox.

Q: OK.

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: 260 from Fort Campbell. 110 from Fort Riley. 40 from Fort Carson. 12 from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. 10 from Fort Bragg. And seven from Fort Stewart.

Q: And when will we be able to get the list of which units?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Once -- once they close and we have -- you know, it's just like any ongoing operation. I'm not going to tell you the units as -- until we -- until we allow them to -- to actually deploy.

(CROSSTALK)

Q: And that's less than -- that's less than 5,200, so where -- the number you just gave is less than 5,200 so how do we get to the 5,200?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Yes, so everything we've just been talking about is -- is Texas, Southwest Texas, right? What I was -- what you'll also see over the upcoming days is we're going to have similar movements to Arizona and California. And so when you put those together, the Texas, Arizona, California, similar type movements, we're going to get to 5,200 --

Q: Not New Mexico?

Q: And lastly, what reason was given on the order for this deployment? What was the stated reasons for having Title troops deployed?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: It is very specifically to support Department of Homeland Security and CBP to -- to secure our southern border.

Q: From what?

Q: Sir, not New Mexico?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: The...

Q: Can -- I'm sorry, can you answer Nancy's question? Can you give him a chance to answer Nancy's question?

Q: You say to support DHS and to secure the border from what?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: To secure the border. That's the specific language...

Q: It doesn't say --

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: ... of what was given to us.

Now, clearly we -- we -- we see CBP is doing a similar operation that we're absolutely in -- in sync with.

Q: Now, General, last night, the president said there would be tent cities to hold the asylum seekers. Will the military participate in building these -- these tent cities?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: With respect to "Operation Faithful Patriot" as it sits right now, the request that we have from Department of Homeland Security and CBP is to build tents to support CBP personnel and our military personnel.

And so, the -- the actual activity that you see ongoing now is to fulfill that requirement. Of course, we're working with Department of Homeland Security and CBP. As these conditions change, there very well could be further request at which we will respond to, if required, to build additional or separate facilities.

But as -- again, as we sit right at this moment, the specific request from DHS was tents for CBP personnel or -not just tents, it's facilities to house CBP personnel.

Q: As far as building the tents -- as far as building the tents, only the DOD would be building the tents, not CBP by themselves? So if there are tents, DOD will build them?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: No, I did not say that.

Q: Is ...

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: You'd have to ask CBP that -- that question.

Q: OK. So they may build tents by themselves?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Yes, you'd have to ask CBP ...

Q: General, are the -- do the ROE allow U.S. troops to shoot migrants in certain situations?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah. Let me be -- let me be clear here. The U.S. military personnel that are going have very clear guidance that we've given them, it's the standard rules for the use of force. It's similar to if we were going to any location within the United States, we have these rules in place for a reason.

It allows us to have a very standardized set that applies to multiple situations. Our forces are trained to that. We are the most disciplined force in the world, from a military perspective. And Secretary Mattis has made it very clear that we are able to train, we are able to ensure that every airman, soldier, sailor, and Marine going there fully understands the rules for the use of force.

And we are, in fact, as an example, setting up training programs that'll be all the way from a large scale (inaudible) mass training that will then go down to unit training. And then individual training where they'll go through vignettes and operational consideration, that they will have that level of understanding exactly what it is to be expected of them.

And then in addition that, we're working with CBP to have training venues that will work with CBP to ensure that we fully understand each other's rules for the use of force. And no version of -- they call it ROE -- to make sure that we are compatible in our operations, together.

STAFF: He's got time for like one, two more at the most.

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Well, let me just -- I'll answer your question about New Mexico, just because it's -- because it's an import to clarify. What we're talking about for these initial deployments is we've identified BSIs, or installations that allow us to bring a large force movement in, bed them down, from that location they are going to then go out to different ports of entry across the entire southwest border. So yes, New Mexico will likely be part of the overall piece...

Q: Can you step back to -- or -- we've got over 1,000 in place in Texas. Where exactly?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: The main location that we're putting to, initially, and again, this is just going on with what I just mentioned is we have identified bases that are able to receive these forces where we can do that training. It's Lackland (Joint Base San Antonio), which is in south Texas, San Antonio area.

Q: Are any at the border yet?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: None of the Patriot -- Faithful Patriot personnel have further deployed to the border at this time.

Q: When you do expect that?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: That will be in coordination -- done with in coordination with CBP.

Q: Are any terrorists in the caravan?

Q: Have you done a threat assessment ...

Q: Oh, let him answer the question.

Q: Are there any terrorists in the caravan?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: I'm not going to answer those specific question with respect to the intel of that. I will say that we are working closely with CBP to understand the nature and the makeup of this caravan.

And I will say this caravan, and especially in our coordination with CBP, we understand this caravan is different than what we've seen in the past. And that is one of the things that as we work and train together with CBP to understand the true nature of this caravan and the ultimate effect of that makeup of the caravan.

Q: How are they different? Are they armed?

Q: Wait, different in what way?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: I think what we have seen is we've seen clearly an organization at a higher level than we've seen before. We've seen violence coming out of the caravan and we've seen as they've passed other international borders, we've seen them behave in a nature that has not been what we've seen in the past. So I think we'll see further understanding and -- and discussion of this from CBP.

Q: Just one last clarifier on the numbers from your earlier statement. So 5,200 is the top line?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: No -- no, no.

QUESTION : Is there any chance it's going to grow beyond...

(CROSSTALK)

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: I can tell you 5,239 is not the top line.

Q: So how many forces, ultimately, are we looking at? If you say 14,000 isn't right, is it somewhere in between?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: Yes. I say anyone who gives you a number right now is -- is -- is uninformed because we don't have that number. And when I say we don't have the number is because this -- as this mission continues to develop, all the force we have on PTPO (prepare to deploy order), all the forces that we know as a refined requirements come in from DHS will drive a change in the number.

We do know that the 5,239 is -- is going forward and I will -- what I can confirm is that there will be additional force over and above the 5,239. The magnitude of that difference I don't have an answer for now because we don't know what that answer is.

Q: But you think hundreds or thousands over it? I mean are you talking at the hundreds or dozens?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: I will -- what I will commit to you as we further develop that, we'll continue the dialogue with you and make sure that you have ...

(CROSSTALK)

Q: You know a lot of critics this morning are saying this is -- that the military is being put into a political stunt out of the elections. You know as the -- as the NORTHCOM Commander, how would you respond to that? I mean is this a political stunt that's using the military or?

GEN. O'SHAUGHNESSY: What I will say to this is as the NORTHCOM Commander focused on homeland defense, I work very closely with Secretary Nielsen and she works homeland security.

We find ourselves working together on a multitude of things; from the hurricane to our critical infrastructure protection to cyber protection, and this is yet another example where homeland defense, homeland security are inextricably linked.

And so with that I would say that I firmly believe that border security is national security. And with that in mind that we are in support of Secretary Nielsen in her efforts to secure the border.

(CROSSTALK)

STAFF: Thank you all.

https://dod.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/1677218/

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China Picks Philippine Port to Extend Belt & Road Into South Seas

By Ralph Jennings October 31, 2018

China is exploring ways to build new infrastructure in a second-tier Philippine port city as a link in its Belt-and-Road Initiative for expanding Chinese trade in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the Philippine port of Davao City Monday to talk for an hour with the host country's President Rodrigo Duterte, according to the Philippine presidential office website. Wang said Sino-Philippine economic cooperation can "expand to new areas, including projects of the Belt and Road Initiative," China's official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Filipinos have expected China to act on its October 2016 pledge of $24 billion in aid and investment. They worry especially because the Philippines had struggled to get along with Beijing due to a maritime sovereignty dispute.

A rehab of Davao's deep-water but otherwise small, ramshackle port would increase business for the 1.6 million-person city that anchors a resource-rich but largely impoverished southern island. Chinese shippers could use Davao as an import-export base and call there along the way to countries further south.

"At the end of the day they're saying that it's beneficial for China to have improving trade with many of these countries and if you have better infrastructure, it will help trade both ways," said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist with the research firm IHS Markit.

Belt, road and sea

China kicked off its Belt-and-Road initiative in 2013 to open trade foreign routes by investing in the infrastructure development of 100 other countries. The "scope" is expanding from initial recipient countries in continental Eurasia to regions including the South Pacific, Xinhua noted.

Davao City, which is on a gulf near the Philippines' Pacific coast, would make sense as a place for Chinese to use for shipping minerals, said Christian de Guzman, vice president and senior credit officer with Moody's in Singapore.

"Mindanao itself I think has been a recipient of I wouldn't say significant but a number of Chinese investments over the years related to the extraction of mineral resources, mining basically," de Guzman said.

"China is increasingly active globally in trying to secure some of these mineral resources," he said. Davao port development, he added, "could be tied to the fact that Mindanao has been a recipient of these investments in the past."

Adding to China's southbound focus, Indonesia received $23.3 billion in Belt-and-Road contracts in April this year. The Belt-and-Road is also opening a "vast market" for South Pacific nations, Xinhua said this month after Samoa signed an agreement to join China's initiative.

"If they have plans for extending the maritime silk road towards Indonesia and the South Pacific islands, then Davao would be a good place," said Jay Batongbacal, University of the Philippines international maritime affairs professor. He suggested that imports as exports could be sent through Davao. "Although it's a major port compared to Manila, it's less busy," he said.

Tough but receptive political climate

Duterte, also former mayor of Davao City, opened channels for Chinese investment pledges by setting aside the maritime dispute that hampered relations from 2012 until he took office in 2016. Davao "happens to be the home city of Duterte," Batongbacal said. In China, he added, "they know they can do more in that city, faster, with him."

While Filipinos welcome investment in a $169 billion, five-year infrastructure renewal effort hatched under Duterte, their country and China still dispute sovereignty over tracts of the South China Sea. China leads in military infrastructure buildup in the sea's contested Spratly Islands.

"The southern port development plan in Davao is interesting because it's part of the Philippine plans to encourage more Chinese investment, but it comes at a time when the Philippines is quite uncomfortable with the military activities and buildup in the Spratly Islands immediately off [the coast]," said Stuart Orr, business and law professor at Deakin University in Australia.

Some skeptics of Sino-Philippine relations are impatient for China to actualize the pledges made to date. In August, Wang and the Philippine finance secretary agreed to fast-track two railway projects.

But analysts caution the Philippines against owing China a hard-to-pay debt as Belt-and-Road recipients Pakistan and Sri Lanka do. Unpaid debt has prompted China and other partner countries to consider localizing more projects and making bids more transparent.

Due to "debt trap" fears, Batongbacal said, "the [Philippine] government is much more keenly aware of what to avoid."

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Air Force Agile Pilot Program meets contracting needs in the wake of Hurricane Michael

By Brian Brackens, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Public Affairs / Published November 01, 2018

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) -- The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate's Agile Pilot Program is consolidating four legacy contract writing systems into a single contract management system known as Contracting Information Technology, or CON-IT. It is currently rolling out Air Force wide.

The new system is an improvement on the legacy contracting systems, and will be used by thousands of contracting professionals, managing every contract in the Air Force, in support of every Air Force mission.

"CON-IT is modernizing the contracting enterprise," said Mike Allen, Program Manager responsible for CON-IT. "We've fully adopted agile development and deployment alongside our United States Department of Agriculture and Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition Contracting partners. CON-IT allows for audit transparency and is built on a modernized technical platform that resides in the cloud. CON-IT is faster and cheaper to maintain than legacy systems that are antiquated and have been mandated to retire. Our users are involved throughout development and deployment and the feedback we've gotten so far has been exceptional."

In the wake of Hurricane Michael, the CON-IT integrated program office and the Civil Air Patrol provided real- time support to relief efforts at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

"After Hurricane Michael tore through Tyndall AFB, the contracting community was simply unable to accomplish the mission because their legacy contract writing system was not available," Allen said. "Our integrated program office pulled in Tyndall's contracting user accounts, activated them in CON-IT, and quickly provided training to get users familiarized with the system. Without CON-IT they [Tyndall contracting officers] would not be able to generate contracts to purchase items needed for day-to-day base operations. We couldn't have done it without the help of the Civil Air Patrol. They were on the ground in Tyndall to pick up and fly servers to Maxwell AFB where we loaded Tyndall's contract data into CON-IT. Users are operational, and back on mission, thanks to their support."

CON-IT will deploy to over 4,500 operational contracting users by December 2019. CON-IT is helping lead the way in support of Air Force leadership's commitment to agile development and deployment by providing much needed capability at the speed of relevance.

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USS John P. Murtha Underway for NASA Orion Mission Testing

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS181101-06

Release Date: 11/1/2018 12:25:00 PM

From U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) is underway to conduct Underway Recovery Test (URT) 7 in conjunction with NASA off the coast of Southern California.

URT is part of a U.S. government interagency effort to safely practice and evaluate recovery processes, procedures, hardware and personnel in an open ocean environment that will be used to recover the Orion spacecraft upon its return to Earth.

This will be the first time John P. Murtha will conduct a URT mission with NASA. Throughout the history of the program, a variety of San Antonio-class LPD ships have been utilized to train and prepare NASA and the Navy, utilizing a Boiler Plate Test Article (BTA). The BTA is a mock capsule, designed to roughly the same size, shape and center of gravity as the crew module which will be used for Orion.

NASA and Navy teams have taken lessons learned from previous recovery tests to improve operations and ensure the ability to safely and successfully recover the Orion capsule when it returns to Earth following Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) in December 2019.

EM-1 will be an uncrewed flight, whose successful completion hopes to pave the way for future crewed missions and enable future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

During URT-7, John P. Murtha will conduct restricted maneuvering operations. Small boats carrying Navy and NASA divers will deploy alongside the BTA to rig tending lines, guiding the capsule to Anchorage as the ship safely operates on station.

Conducting both daytime and nighttime recovery operations, NASA crew members will work alongside the Navy to manage how the capsule is brought in, set down and safely stored.

NASA plans to conduct two more URT missions before EM-1 takes place.

John P. Murtha is homeported in San Diego and is part of Naval Surface Forces and U.S. 3rd Fleet.

Commander, U.S. Third Fleet leads naval forces in the Pacific and provides realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy. They coordinate with Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet to plan and execute missions based on their complementary strengths to promote ongoing peace, security, and stability.



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Boko Haram militants kill 16 in raids on villages in northeast Nigeria

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 03:53PM

At least 16 civilians have been killed and several others injured after suspected Boko Haram terrorists staged multiple attacks on villages in northeastern Nigeria.

Militants in seven trucks attacked Bulaburin and Kofa villages as well as a camp in a village outside the Borno state capital of Maiduguri late on Wednesday, residents said Thursday.

"The terrorists attacked and completely burnt Bulaburin and Kofa villages and burnt half the Dalori two IDP (internally displaced persons) camp," said militia leader Babakura Kolo.

In the village of Kofa, local residents counted five bodies burned inside the remains of their house.

A village chief in nearby Dalori said one person had been killed. Two residents of Bulaburin said nine people had died there.

Nigeria's military said in a statement one civilian was found dead after militants had ransacked Dalori's market, setting buildings ablaze and fleeing when soldiers approached.

Dalori, which is about 15 kilometers from Maiduguri, houses about 50,000 people in makeshift camps.

In January 2016, at least 85 people were killed when militants stormed and torched the Dalori village and tried to gain access to the camps.

Despite the Nigerian government's statements since late 2015 that Boko Haram had largely been defeated, militants are still able to attack throughout much of the northeast.

In recent months, Boko Haram has carried out major attacks on military targets, killing dozens.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, a former general, came to power in 2015 on a platform to stamp out the Boko Haram militancy, but the militants continue to stage attacks targeting both civilians and military targets.

Since 2009, the Boko Haram militancy has left at least 20,000 dead and made over 2.6 million others homeless.

The United Nations warned late last year that areas affected by the Boko Haram militancy face a humanitarian crisis.

Adamawa, Borno and Yobe in northeast Nigeria are the three states most affected by the Boko Haram militancy.

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Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has launched new passenger routes to the Indonesian cities of Surabaya in the south and Medan in the north of the country.

The inaugural flights to Medan and Surabaya were marked with a special ribbon and cake- cutting ceremony, prior to departure from Jeddahs King Abdulaziz International airport in the late evening of October 28. The flights touched down in the afternoon in both cities the following day.

The flights are operated as two separate routes with dedicated widebody Boeing 747 aircraft, availing 450 seats. Jeddah to Surabaya begins as a four-times-weekly service, while Medan is a twice-weekly service.

Upon arrival at Surabayas International Airport (SUB), the airlines senior delegation was met by Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Osama Bin Mohammad Abdullah Al-Shuaibi, as well as senior Indonesian government, aviation and airport officials.

Flying to more than 90 destinations worldwide, with a modern, mixed fleet of 155 narrow and widebody aircraft, the Saudia fleet is set to grow to more than 200 aircraft by 2020.
Report: US losing ground to militants in Afghanistan despite long occupation

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 03:35PM

Over 17 years into the longest war in America's history, the US administration's own investigators shed new light on Washington's failures in the invasion of Afghanistan, where, they say, the government has lost about half of the country's soil to militants and failed to choke off their primary funding source -- the narcotics smuggling.

In its quarterly report for the US Congress released late Wednesday, the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said the dire situation in Afghanistan is only deteriorating despite the presence of thousands of American boots on the ground there.

The Pentagon watchdog's report further said the local Taliban militant -- which has been the main target of the US's so-called war on terror -- "now controls more territory than at any time since 2001," when Washington and its allies first invaded the country.

Only 55.5 percent of Afghan districts remain under the control or influence of the Kabul government, the lowest such figure since SIGAR began tracking district control in November 2015, according to the report.

US spending on smuggling goes to waste

SIGAR's report further examined the notorious drug industry in Afghanistan, which the Taliban have long profited from to finance their bloody militancy in the country that is reported to be producing about 85 percent of the world's opium.

Poppy production in Afghanistan saw a spike in 2017 and is now four times higher than in 2002.

"Afghanistan's narcotics industry helps finance the insurgency, supports criminal networks, fosters public corruption, and undermines the Afghan state," said John Sopko, SIGAR's chief.

"The last few months saw several discouraging developments," said the report of the broader situation gripping the country.

SIGAR's report did not cover the month of October, but it acknowledged more recent grim setbacks then, including a militant attack targeting the top US commander in the country and key police and intelligence officials in Kandahar Province.

General Scott Miller survived the attack but the province's intelligence chief and police chief were both killed as the country was preparing for key parliamentary elections.

Drought adds to Afghans' misery

Meanwhile, the sufferings of war-stricken Afghans have only doubled, with a drought having displaced "about 275,000 people in 201852,000 more than the ongoing conflict had displaced over the period."

According to UN figures, some 2.2 million people were affected by the drought in May.

The water shortage has also put wheat production at risk in a country where agriculture employs about 40 percent of the population.

There are around 14,000 US troops and some allies' troops still in Afghanistan.

Last year, US President Donald Trump decided for the American military to stay in Afghanistan and announced a new strategy for continuing the campaign against Taliban there -- in what became the only US foreign policy issue on which US Trump has delivered a lengthy personal delineation of policy and goals.

A year on, however, the US seems to be no closer to quelling the Taliban militancy and stabilizing the country, which has also been grappling with yet another serious security threat -- the Daesh terror group's emergence and expansion.

Daesh and Taliban have been taking turns over the past months to launch bloody attacks against Afghan civilians, security forces and foreign troops.

Now faced with its failure to achieve the goals of the war, the US is seeking to foster peace talks with a stronger Taliban to get out of the war.

After escaping the militant attack, General Miller said in an interview with NBC News that the conflict in Afghanistan "is not going to be won militarily."

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Israel to approve plan to build new settlement in al-Khalil

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 03:01PM

Israeli minister for military affairs Avigdor Lieberman reportedly plans to approve the construction of a new settlement in the Old City of al-Khalil (Hebron), south of the occupied West Bank.

The new settlement is to be established in an old Palestinian vegetables market in the Old City, Israeli news outlets reported on Thursday.

Located in the center of al-Khalil -- one of the largest cities in the occupied West Bank -- the Old City was divided into Palestinian and Israeli-controlled areas, known as H1 and H2, following the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994.

The approval will come a few weeks after the Israeli regime approved plans for the construction of 31 new settler units in the occupied West Bank.

Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement group that monitors settlement activity in the West Bank, said last month that the units will be built in al-Khalil, located 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Jerusalem al-Quds.

"For the first time in more than 20 years, Hebron will have a new Jewish neighborhood where a military camp once stood," Lieberman said on October 14.

The establishment of the new settlements comes in grave contravention of international law and a United Nations Security Council resolution against the Tel Aviv regime's land grab policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Less than a month before US President Donald Trump took office, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2334, calling on Israel to "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem" al-Quds.

Israel razes Palestinian lands, uproots trees

Earlier on Thursday morning, Israeli bulldozers razed lands and uprooted olive trees in Palestinian lands adjacent to the Israeli illegal settlement of Avnei Hefetz in the northern occupied West Bank district of Tulkarem, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported.

The Avnei Hefetz settlement was built on Palestinian-owned lands of the villages and towns of Shufa, Kafr al-Labad and Kafa.

Activist Tahsin Hamed reported that Israeli bulldozers razed Palestinian-owned lands in the Shufa village in southeastern Tulkatem, in preparation for settlement expansion.

Hamed pointed out that the village is currently wall-to-wall with the settlement and is continuously facing land-razing for the expansion of the Avnei Hefetz settlement.

Back on October 11, the Israeli forces had bulldozed two more Palestinian houses in al-Halawa neighborhood in the south of al-Khalil.

About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

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Over 7 million Yemeni children subject to 'serious' famine threat, warns UN

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 01:35PM

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has warned that more than seven million children are facing a serious threat of famine in Yemen as the Riyadh regime presses ahead with its atrocious aerial bombardment campaign against its crisis-hit southern neighbor.

"Today, 1.8 million children under the age of five are facing acute malnutrition, and 400,000 are affected by severe acute malnutrition," Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF's regional director in the Middle East and North Africa, said late on Wednesday.

Cappelaere noted that "more than half" of the 14 million people at serious risk of famine in Yemen are children.

"Ending the war is not enough. What we need is to stop the war and [to create] a government mechanism that puts at the center the people and children.

"The war is exacerbating the situation that was already bad before because of years of underdevelopment," in the impoverished Arab country, he pointed out.

Cappelaere also welcomed a call by the United Nations to rekindle peace talks within a month.

He said efforts to come up with a solution to the ongoing Yemeni conflict within the next 30 days were "critical" to improving aid distribution and saving lives.

The high-ranking UN official said that over 6,000 children had either been killed or sustained serious injuries since 2015.

"These are the numbers we have been able to verify, but we can safely assume that the number is higher, much higher," Cappelaere said.

On Thursday, a salvo of artillery rounds and mortar shells rained down on residential neighborhoods in the Shada'a district of Yemen's mountainous northwestern province of Sa'ada.

There were no immediate reports about possible casualties or the extent of damage caused.

Moreover, Yemeni army soldiers, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, targeted military vehicles belonging to Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi with roadside bombs in an area of the Khabb wa ash Sha'af district in the northern Yemeni province of al-Jawf.

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 Hadi back to power and crushing the country's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.

According to a new report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi-led war has so far claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis.

The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country's infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has already said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.

A number of Western countries, the United States and Britain in particular, are also accused of being complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance.

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Afghan govt. control over country has slipped: US group

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 11:00AM

The Kabul government control over Afghanistan has slipped in recent months as local security forces have suffered record-level casualties without making tangible progress against the Taliban militant group, a United States government watchdog says.

Numbers recently provided by the Resolute Support Mission (RSM), a US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, revealed that during the last quarter of the current year, the Afghan government managed to control or influence only 226 of the country's 407 districts, that is 55.5 percent of the total Afghan territory only.

The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which compiled the data, said in a report on Thursday that the RSM figure marked a slight drop of 0.7 percent compared to the same period the previous year. It is the lowest level since SIGAR commenced tracking district control in November 2015.

The watchdog's report added that of the remaining districts, 49 were under militant control or influence, which makes some 12 percent, adding that the balance  132 districts  were considered "contested" between the central government in Kabul and the Taliban or other militant outfits, including the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.

According to the report, in terms of the Afghan population itself  some 35 million people  Kabul controls or influences 65.2 percent, the same amount as last year.

"From the period of May 1 to the most current data as of October 1, 2018, the average number of casualties the (Afghan forces) suffered is the greatest it has ever been during like periods," SGAR quoted RSM as saying.

Earlier this week, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that more than 1,000 "Afghan lads" had been killed or wounded in August and September only.

SIGAR further said in its report that data also showed that the Afghan forces "made minimal or no progress in pressuring the Taliban over the quarter."

The US, along with a number of fellow-NATO members, invaded Afghanistan in 2001, toppling a Taliban regime in control of most of the country at the time, but it has failed to restore security in the country plagued by militancy and terrorism.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is now negotiating with the Taliban group, excluding the Kabul government.

Over 8,000 people lost their lives or were wounded in Afghanistan between January and September this year, with the country on track to be deadlier than Syria in 2018.

Kabul blames the Taliban militant group for the bulk of the deaths.

According to the iCasualties website, 3,555 US-led troops, including 2,414 American soldiers, have been killed since the onset of the aggression on Afghanistan some 17 years ago, following the 9/11 terror attacks.

Last year, Washington added thousands of additional troops to its forces in Afghanistan. The White House claims the American troops are deployed in Afghanistan to train Afghan forces and conduct counter-terrorist missions against militant groups.

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Armenia Parliament Dissolved, Early Election Set For December

RFE/RL's Armenian Service November 01, 2018

YEREVAN -- Armenia's president dissolved parliament and called an early election, after lawmakers failed for a second time, in accordance with a prior political agreement, to elect a new prime minister.

President Armen Sarkisian signed a decree late on November 1 setting the elections for December 9, according to the presidential press service.

Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced last month he was resigning from the post of prime minister in order to dissolve parliament and force early elections. He will continue to perform his prime-ministerial duties until a new parliament and prime minister are elected.

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.

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.

The pro-Pashinian Yelk Alliance, which holds only nine seats in parliament, first nominated Pashinian as prime minister on October 23 and lawmakers rejected the nomination the next day.

Yelk and members of the second-largest parliamentary faction controlled by wealthy businessman Gagik Tsarukian nominated Pashinian for the second voting on November 1.

Out of the 70 lawmakers registered for the parliamentary session, "no one voted for Pashinian, no one voted against him, while 13 abstained from voting," Parliament Speaker Ara Babloyan said following the vote.

As a result, Pashinian's bid did not gather enough votes, paving the way for the National Assembly's dissolution.

Pashinian's political team is tipped to win the upcoming polls by a landslide.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenian-parliament-forces -new-elections/29577063.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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India, Japan Begin First Ever Bilateral Military Exercise

Sputnik News

19:52 01.11.2018(updated 21:12 01.11.2018)

During Indian PM Narendra Modi's recent visit to Tokyo for the annual bilateral meet, the two countries instituted a Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue (2+2) intended to support the existing mechanisms of bilateral military engagement.

India and Japan started their first ever bilateral military exercise from Thursday in the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram. Named "DHARMA GUARDIAN  2018", the 14-day exercise will consist of a balance of indoor classes and outdoor training activities.

"The objective of this exercise is to build and promote army to army relations in addition to exchanging skills and experiences between both the armies. Due emphasis will be laid on enhancing tactical skills to fight against global terrorism and on increasing interoperability between forces of both countries which is crucial for the success of any joint operation," the statement issued by the Indian Army reads.

Both sides have planned to execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in an urban warfare scenario. The Japanese contingent is being represented by the 32nd Infantry Battalion, while the Indian side is being represented by 6/1 Gorkha Rifles. Approximately one platoon strength each of both the battalions is participating in this exercise.

In October, the navies of India and Japan resumed the bilateral maritime exercise JIMEX-18 in Indian waters after a hiatus of five years. The eight-day-long JIMEX-18 included anti-submarine warfare exercises, VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure) drills, gun firings, cross deck Helo operations and coordinated operations in anti-submarine/ anti-air threat scenarios.

Last week only, the two countries decided to hold a joint air combat drill involving the Indian Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) as well.

 Sputnik

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As South Sudan celebrates, UN envoy cites trust as future 'key ingredient'

1 November 2018 - Thousands of elated citizens gathered in South Sudan's capital of Juba on Wednesday to celebrate an agreement signed in September between the President and his former deputy, which it is hoped will finally end years of brutal conflict across the world's youngest country.

"To see parties that have previously been divided by violence coming together here in Juba, in a public sign of unity, sends a strong signal to the citizens of this country that you are genuinely committed to end the suffering and building durable peace," remarked David Shearer, UN Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

In a gesture of reconciliation, President Salva Kiir announced the imminent release of former deputy and opposition leader Riek Machar's spokesperson, who has been detained since late 2016 on charges of treason.

Alongside President Kiir and Mr. Machar, other Heads of State, high-level representatives and leaders from other opposition groups attended the event marking the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict, which was billed as a celebration of "the Dawn of Peace, Appreciating Friends, Cherishing Reconciliation and Unity".

Mr. Shearer also paid tribute to heads of the East African Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the governments of neighbouring Sudan and Uganda for their critical role in securing the peace agreement.

After several "false starts" to the protracted peace process, which began with an agreement in 2015, some questioned whether the September deal signed would hold. The UNMISS head cited trust as "the key ingredient needed at every step" moving forward.

"The big challenge ahead is to build trust and confidence between the parties  and between the parties and the people," Mr. Shearer said, adding that it was the responsibility of "all of us here today; officials, civil society, religious leaders and the international community" to do so.

The signatories unanimously stressed their commitment to translating peace-promoting words into action while underscoring the need for the international community to politically and economically support the way forward.

"We will stand alongside the parties as they move forward in peace," Mr. Shearer said. "We will use our resources and our presence across the country to support reconciliation and peacebuilding."

President Kiir offered the South Sudanese people something of a mea culpa, saying that "as president, I want to apologize to all the parties of the conflict, and to the people of South Sudan, for our betrayal of the promise of our struggle for independence."

"We will prove sceptics wrong by sincerely implementing the agreement fully, in letter and spirit," he said.

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'Stand-off' between Somalia's federal, state authorities could 'paralyze' progress - UN envoy

1 November 2018 - Ongoing tensions between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the country's state authorities were centre stage, as the United Nations top envoy for the country visited the country's South West State on Wednesday.

Nicholas Haysom, UN Special Representative for Somalia and head of the Assistance Mission UNSOM, called for better collaboration: "What we're facing is a quite serious political issue  the stand-off between the Federal Member States and the Federal Government may well paralyze our efforts to help Somalia get back on its feet."

"We're exploring ways of bringing them together in the hope that Somalis can face down their problems together rather than going separately," said Mr. Haysom at a joint press conference, alongside Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, President of South West State, and Francisco Madeira, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission.

Mr. Haysom also flagged the need for "credible and acceptable" presidential elections next month and renewed his call for collaboration to solve the ongoing tensions.

"We're asking all of the relevant role-players to get together to find a solution and to make the necessary compromises so that they can work collaboratively rather than against each other," he said.

Mr. Haysom told reporters they also discussed development, security and political matters, assuring Somalis that "the international community does not have a candidate" and is not backing any specific candidate in the race.

"But we do want to see," he continued, "that the elections will be conducted in a way which all parties will able to accept" adding that the President of South West State "has reassured me that this indeed will be the case," he stressed.

The UN and AU officials also met with Abdulkadir Shariif Shekhuna, Speaker of South West State's Parliament, who briefed them on preparations for the 17 November presidential poll.

"You'll appreciate the elections in the South West State will be the first of the many elections to follow and in that sense will be setting the standard," the UN envoy said, in a subsequent joint press encounter with the Speaker and Mr. Madeira.

The elections will be "hotly contested," he predicted, explaining that this was why it was so important for participants to accept the outcome. "So we were reassured to hear from the Speaker in regard to the detailed arrangements which will govern the election and we wish South West [State] all the best in holding those elections," he added.

The UN and AU envoys echoed these comments in their later meeting with seven presidential candidates.

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Confidence Mounts for Possible Yemen Cease-fire in Wake of Khashoggi Death

By Jamie Dettmer November 01, 2018

Western diplomats say they're confident Saudi-led forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen will acquiesce to a U.S. demand to halt four years of bloodshed within 30 days  and they expect all the warring factions to meet for talks in Sweden next month.

The U.S. call Tuesday for a cease-fire in Yemen, which was coordinated with Britain and France, is sparking cautious hopes that a breakthrough is now possible in the international effort to end a disastrous war which has left more than 10,000 dead from the fighting and more than 50,000 dead from starvation.

U.N. agencies and private relief organizations estimate 14 million Yemenis are on the brink of starvation with around 130 children dying every day because of malnutrition.

Diplomats acknowledge the possible breakthrough owes much to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who worked for The Washington Post, saying it has given them a greater opportunity to push harder for an end to the conflict. Britain's foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, told the BBC Wednesday that Khashoggi's death has helped the U.S. and to put pressure on Saudi Arabia. "We are in a position to ask them to do things," he said during the interview.

He said it was too early to be optimistic, but "there is opportunity now."

The four-year-old war in Yemen has pitted the officially recognized government backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against the Houthis, members of a Shi'ite offshoot who have been supported by Iran.

The Houthis are strongest in the West of the country and in recent weeks Saudi-led ground forces have closed in on the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, while mounting a blockade at sea, aggravating the humanitarian crisis. The port is the entry point for three quarters of imports into the war-wrecked country.

The U.S. call for a cease-fire came just a day after the Saudi-led military coalition said it was preparing a new offensive on the city "within days" and had sent more than 10,000 new troops towards Hodeida for the renewed assault.

Speaking in Washington Tuesday U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said 30 days from now "we want to see everybody around a peace table based on a cease-fire, based on a pullback from the border and then based on a ceasing of the dropping of bombs that will permit the special envoy to get them together in Sweden and end this war. ...We have mired in this problem long enough."

Diplomats say they sense now that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has overseen the Saudi military effort in Yemen, may willing to end Riyadh's intervention as a way to rehabilitate himself in the wake of Khashoggi's killing.

The self-exiled dissident journalist Khashoggi was killed four weeks ago in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, where he'd gone to collect documents allowing him to re-marry. His killing, allegedly by Saudi agents, some of whom have served in the past as bodyguards for the crown prince, was belatedly acknowledged by the Saudi government after leaks to the media by Turkish officials providing details of the gruesome murder.

"Saudi Arabia is on the back foot because of the Khashoggi affair," a former British diplomat who has served in the Gulf kingdom told VOA. He pointed out that while there have been efforts in the past to end the war, this latest call for an end to the fighting marked the first time that the U.S. has asked the Saudis to halt their airstrikes within a timetable.

Former U.S. diplomat Thomas Shannon also believes the Khashoggi killing is connected, although not directly. "The reality is that the fighting in Yemen has been extremely unpopular in Congress and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, which has horrified the U.S. Congress, has created a bigger problem for the Saudis which has to be dealt with. The administration is very intent on trying to clear some of this out and address the most immediate problem that they can address easily and that is the question of Yemen," he said.

The U.S. call for an end to the fighting was matched by strong messages from Washington's Western allies. In Paris, the French defense minister, Florence Parly, said this week, "We have applied relentless pressure in support of the U.N. in order to find a political solution because the military situation is a stalemate. This war must stop now."

The U.N.'s special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said Wednesday that he was "pretty sure" that all the warring parties will agree to meet for consultations in Sweden. He has said he also believes the Houthis are likely to agree to de-escalation and to move back missiles from close to the border with Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have been firing missiles at Saudi towns.

The last time Griffiths tried to arrange peace talks was in September but the Houthis refused to show up for the negotiations in Geneva.

The coordinated U.S.-led Western pressure for a cease-fire has been hailed as significant by David Miliband, a former British foreign secretary and now the president of the International Rescue Committee. "It is the most significant breakthrough in the war in Yemen for four years. It is a very welcome recognition that current policy is failing and needs urgently to be changed to focus on a diplomatic solution," he added. He is urging Washington and London to draft a U.N. security council resolution to formalize the cease-fire demand.

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Study: Uganda Losing Billions Due to Inability to Stem Illicit Money

By Halima Athumani November 01, 2018

Uganda has lost billions of dollars in recent years from illegal financial flows, including tax evasion, crime, and corruption. Uganda's Financial Intelligence Authority - set up to track illicit money - says it lacks resources to stem the flow.

Tax evasion, money laundering, and related corruption are costing Uganda at least $1 billion a year, according to Global Financial Integrity.

The Washington, D.C.-based non-profit said in a September report that tax evasion from imports and exports alone cost Uganda $6.7 billion dollars from 2006 to 2015.

Nearly $3 billion more was lost to errors and omissions in balance of payments over the last decade.

Global Financial Integrity says the economic losses were worsened by Uganda's role as a haven for illegal funds from its war-torn neighbors, such as South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Kenya.

Ezra Munyambonera is lead researcher at Uganda's Economic Policy Research Center and helped write the report. He blames Uganda's under-regulated financial system.

"Whether you have got money from selling human beings, even buying goods and services, so that's one way. We had a war, ADF war, it was in DRC, but how was money getting out? The same thing with Sudan, Sudan people come here with dollars, they have come in high profile, but nobody will ask them, where is this money coming from?"

The Economic Policy Research Center's Paul Lakuma, who also contributed to the report, is more blunt. He says leaders in Uganda ignore the illegal money.

"Our political leaders, do they have the will of fighting it, or they are benefiting from it. Maybe it serves their political interests, it's like maybe stability, or the length in which they stay in power, so they will look the other way."

Uganda's Financial Intelligence Authority is mandated to check illegal financial flows in the country.

Its director, Sydney Asubo, says a lack of collaboration and coordination between government departments has hindered efforts to stop the flow.

He says the agency's resources and authority are also limited.

"If we know people are evading tax, if it's to do with gold smuggling or cash smuggling, we inform the relevant bodies. If it's to do with terrorism financing, we inform the counter terrorism police. So, it's not because the officer doesn't know what to do. But the main challenge we have is funding."

Despite the billions in lost revenue, Global Financial Integrity notes Uganda has made progress against money laundering and cutting off some terrorist financing.

Uganda passed a 2013 anti-money-laundering act, which requires disclosure of transactions of $26,500 or more.

But corruption and enforcement are still problems, says the Uganda Financial Intelligence Authority's Asubo.

Since starting its operation against illegal money in 2015, Asubo says they have had only two court convictions.

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By Ram Puniyani

Indian anti colonial struggle has been the major phenomenon which built modern India into a secular democracy. Many of the political streams were part of this movement which struggled in their own way to drive away the British. There were some, the ones who held on to nationalism in the name of religion, who were not part of this and now in order to gain electoral legitimacy, either they make false claims about their being a part of it or try to distort the events to denigrate the leaders of freedom movement, particularly Jawaharlal Nehru. This came to surface yet again when Mr. Modi was hoisting Indian flag on the occasion of 75th Anniversary of proclamation of Azad Hind Government. At the event he said that the contributions of Bose, Patel and Ambedkar have been ignored by the ruling Nehru-Gandhi family.

Nothing can be farther from truth than this statement of his. One knows that Ambedkar was made the minister in the first Cabinet of India; he was also given the task of being the Chairman of drafting committee of Indian constitution and was asked to draft the Hindu code bill. Sardar Patel was the Deputy Prime Minster, looking after the Home ministry. The compilation of Sardar Patels letters has been edited by Durga Das, Sardar Patel Correspondence. As per this book it becomes clear that Nehru and Patel were very close and till Patel was alive most of the decisions which taken were with his consent or due to his initiative. Patel regarded Nehru as his younger brother and his leader; both. Earlier Modi tried to propagate that Nehru ignored Sardar Patel and did not attend his funeral in Bombay. Moraji Desais biography describes that Nehru did attend the funeral; this was also reported in the news papers that time.

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As far as Netaji Bose is concerned, Nehru and Bose were close ideological colleagues. Both were socialists and part of the left wing of the Congress. Unlike the followers of Hindutva politics, Bose was very secular. Hindu nationalist leaders attacked Subhas Bose incessantly as he dared to reserve jobs for Muslims when he was elected to lead the Calcutta Corporation. Bose was aware of the tremendous injustice that Muslims faced in recruitment. It was Bose who opposed the Muslim and Hindu communalists both. In Tripura Convention of INC, Bose was elected the Chief, but Gandhi was opposed to him mainly on the ground of Non violence. Bose tended to support violent means. Due to opposition within INC; Bose left Congress to form Forward Block, a left party, which has been part of left coalition in West Bengal for a long time. Bose and Nehru were on the same page as far as future of industrialization and public sector was concerned. Boses biographer Leonard A Gordan writesabout his ideology, As per Bose Each [person] should privately follow his religious path, but not link it to political and other public issues. Throughout his career, he reached out to Muslim leaders, first of all in his home province of Bengal, to make common cause in the name of India. His ideal, as indeed the ideal of the Indian National Congress, was that all Indians, regardless of region, religious affiliation, or caste join together to make common cause against foreign rulers.

The major difference from Gandhi-Nehru on one side and Bose on the other was the role of Congress during Second World War. Congress in due course came to take anti British stance and Gandhi launched the Quit Indian movement in 1942. Bose operated on the ground that an alliance with Germany-Japan may give freedom to India. It was really doubtful whether alliance with fascist forces was the right way. In case of their victory India might have come under the control of Japan-Germany axis which would have pushed India back by many steps. While Congress opposed British through mass movement, Bose launched Azad Hind Fauz (AHF). His respect for the Hindu Muslim syncretism was also exhibited when he offered a Chadar on the Mazar (tomb) of Bahadur Shah Zafar in Rangoon, Burma, the leader of 1857 uprising as a symbol of Hindu Muslim unity and pledged to bring his mortal remains to Delhi, to bury in Red Fort. Hindu Mahasabha actively supported British war efforts by urging Indians to join the British army. Savarakar urged upon his followers to be part of War committees to support British Empire. British accommodated leaders of Hindu Mahasabha on war committees.

Savarkar also said No support to armed resistance against British. It is interesting that while Netaji was fighting the British from across the border, Savrkar and Hindutva Nationalists helped the British army which was fighting AHF of Subhash Bose! The claims that Modi and Co. is following the footsteps of Netaji are a claim which has no substance. The matter of fact is that the efforts of Savarkar were acting against the interests of army raised by Netaji. In contrast, while Congress did not agree with Netajis line of action, it was Congress which raised the legal support to fight the cases of the personnel of AHF in the aftermath of the war. Bhulabhai Deasi, Kailashnath Katju and Nehru himself came forward to battle in the court rooms on behalf of AHF.

Today when we are witnessing the name change of all Muslim sounding names by the rulers of BJP, in AHF, the Hindustani and Muslim sounding names were as common. The provisional Government which was formed by him was, was titled Aarzi-Hukumat-Azad Hind (Provisional Government of free India) in Singapore. The very nomenclature Azad Hind Fauz is on the same lines. In the provisional Government Hindus and Muslims both were there like in the Provisional Government set up by him e.g. SA Ayer, Karim Ghani, were two among many others who were part of the Government. What we need today most is to revive the spirit of amity, which Netaji stood for and was being practiced in AHF.
Zimbabwe Reports Discovery of Oil, Gas Deposits

By Columbus Mavhunga November 01, 2018

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Thursday that an Australian company had discovered oil deposits on Zimbabwe's border with Mozambique.

Economists, however, said It was far too early for the fuel-challenged country to start popping champagne corks.

Mnangagwa said at an emergency press briefing that he had "important news for Zimbabwe."

"The government of Zimbabwe has over the last few months worked with Invictus Energy Limited to undertake oil and gas," he said. "Invictus is utilizing data which was generated by Mobil Oil in the early 1990s, when extensive oil and gas geo work was undertaken in the great Muzarabani area. We have since been advised by Invictus that the findings are positive and point to gas and oil deposits."

Invictus Energy is based in Perth, Australia. On its website, it describes itself as "an independent oil and gas exploration company focused on high-impact energy resources in sub-Saharan Africa."

Zimbabwe's Energy Minister Winston Chitando said the oil and gas deposits are in a 200-square-kilometer area and are Africa's largest oil reserves discovered to date. He said that with proper funding, drilling and exploration would start by mid-2020.

The news came at a time when Zimbabwe is facing shortages of fuel, among other essentials.

Independent economist John Robertson offered a note of caution about the energy discovery.

"The drilling can take some years, because they go very deep and they have not got the equipment yet," he said. He also noted that the reported deposits lie in a "very difficult area" to work in and that a lot of money would have to be raised to set up rigs there. "The people from whom they raise that money are the ones that need to be cautious. It is easy to promise that there will be good results, but sometimes very difficult to generate good results."

Invictus Energy officials at Mnangagwa's press briefing did not talk to reporters. The president said the company would give an update to its shareholders on Friday.

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Trump says U.S. could send up to 15,000 troops to U.S.-Mexican border

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 07:29, November 01, 2018

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that up to 15,000 military personnel could be sent to the southern border with Mexico to help defend against a caravan of Central American migrants.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the number of troops to be deployed at the border "will go up to anywhere between 10 and 15,000 military personnel."

The comments followed a Pentagon announcement earlier this week that about 5,200 troops would be sent to the U.S.-Mexico border to support law enforcement activities and help stop what the president called an "invasion" by Central American migrants.

Currently, there are 2,100 members of the National Guard helping at the border.

"We're going to be prepared," Trump said. "They're not coming into our country."

He also promised to end so-called "catch and release" practices by building "tent cities" to house those who cross the border illegally.

The caravan is still nearly 1,600 kilometers from the border.

Trump is doubling down his hardline stance on immigration, an issue he's trying to place center and front in the upcoming November midterm elections, which could see Democrats seizing control of at least part of the Republican-held Congress.

The president denied that he was "fear-mongering" with repeated warnings against the caravan or using the issue for political purposes, while admitting the subject is "very important" as he slammed Democrats for their stance on immigration.

According to an interview with Axios, released in part on Tuesday, Trump revealed that he plans to end the right to citizenship for babies of non-citizens and unauthorized immigrants, born in the United States.

"A person comes in, was never in our country before, has a baby, and now all of a sudden the baby is a United States citizen," Trump told reporters Wednesday. "Through chain migration and other things, many other people come in through the baby."

"It's ridiculous," he added.

Birthright citizenship in the country is enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which allows for "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

Trump insisted that he could and would end birthright citizenship with an executive order, though many, including some Republicans, were questioning his legal grounds.

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Rocket Failure Caused By Sensor Damaged During Assembly, Official Says

November 01, 2018

The launch failure last month of a manned mission to space was caused by a faulty sensor that was damaged during the Soyuz rocket's assembly at the launch center in Kazakhstan, the head of a Russian commission investigating the incident has said.

"The cause of the nonstandard separation" of the rocket's second stage was a "deformation" of a part during assembly at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Oleg Skorobogatov said.

He said this caused a booster rocket from the first stage to malfunction and hit a fuel tank, which "led to the loss of stabilization" and triggered an emergency landing.

The executive director of Russia's Roskosmos space agency, Sergei Krikalyov, said on October 31 that the root of the problem was a sensor that indicated the separation of the first two stages of the Soyuz rocket.

Skorobogatov, who heads TsNIIMash, a Russian spacecraft and missile-development agency, said the commission ruled out that the problem happened at the sensor-production facility.

In the aborted October 11 mission, the capsule carrying a two-man Russian-American crew bound for the International Space Station (ISS) landed safely in Kazakhstan.

Russian cosmonaut Aleksei Ovchinin and U.S. astronaut Nick Hague were unhurt.

Skorobogatov added that two more Soyuz rockets may have the same defect and that additional checks were being introduced into the rocket-assembly process.

The chief of the Energia Rocket and Space corporation, Sergei Romanov, said at the commission's presentation that the launch failure caused the change of schedules for the next launches to the ISS.

"The cargo rocket's launch has been postponed from October 31 to November 16 and the launch of the manned Soyuz MS-11 has been moved up to December 3," Romanov said.

The current crew working aboard the ISS since June 6 consists of Sergei Prokopyev of Russia, Serena Maria Aunon-Chancellor of the United States, and Alexander Gerst of Germany.

The next crew -- Oleg Kononenko of Russia, Anne Charlotte McClain of the United States, and David Saint-Jacques of Canada -- was initially scheduled to be sent to the ISS in late December, but that launch was rescheduled after the October 11 accident.

Based on reporting by Interfax, TASS, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/rocket-failure- caused-by-sensor-damaged-during-assembly -official-says/29576902.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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Cause of Soyuz-FG Launch Failure Revealed - Probe Commission

Sputnik News

12:16 01.11.2018(updated 13:36 01.11.2018)

On October 11, a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with two members of the new crew for the International Space Station on board failed to reach its destination, becoming the first failure of a manned space launch in modern Russian history.

The accident involving the Soyuz-FG was caused by a faulty sensor on one of the rocket's side blocks during disengagement from the central block, Oleg Skorobogatov, chairman of the emergency commission assigned to investigate the incident, told reporters in Moscow on Thursday.

"The separation of the D-Unit from the [central] A-unit was registered, and then it hit the fuel tank, opening it," he added.

The sensor was damaged during the rocket's assembly at the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan, the probe commission head said. "We have conclusively established that the only place where [damage to the sensor] could have taken place was the Baikonur cosmodrome during the rocket's assembly."

According to the official, the emergency situation, which occurred during the 118th second of flight, led the Russian space industry to take urgent measures to prevent similar failures from ever taking place. Roscosmos has also informed its counterparts at NASA on the results of its investigation.

Two more Soyuz rockets at the Baikonur and Kourou spaceports with the same defect have been discovered, Skorobogatov said, with additional checks introduced into the rocket assembly process. Roscosmos will rebuild the two rockets to eliminate any sensor-related issues, made additional checks.

Also Thursday, the Kremlin confirmed that Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin has kept the president up to date on the situation surrounding the Soyuz-FG incident, and will do so again during his next working meeting with Vladimir Putin.

Space-Rocket Center Progress, the company which builds the Soyuz rockets, has already introduced new control measures, including photo and video documentation, company general director Dmitri Baranov said. Specifically, additional checks were introduced during preparation of the Soyuz 2.1B rocket, which was launched on October 25. These included monitoring of the operation of the sensor mentioned by the commission, as well as control of the rocket assembly into a launch package.

Roscosmos deputy durector Alexander Lopatin noted Thursday that the October 11 accident caused Roscosmos "reputational damage," but noted such incidents were not unique to Russian cosmonautics, and said that accidents are important lessons which must be learned from. Roscosmos will make every effort to prevent such emergencies in the future, Lopatin stressed.

Russian cosmonaut and mission commander Alexei Ovchinin and US astronaut flight engineer Nick Hague ejected in an emergency capsule on October 11 after the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle taking them to the ISS failed due to a malfunctioning booster. The two men made an emergency landing in Kazakhstan, and were soon rescued.

The next planned Soyuz spaceflight will take three people, including Russian commander Oleg Kononenko, and flight engineers Anne McClain (USA) and David Saint-Jacques (Canada) to the ISS on December 3. Last week, Saint-Jacques said the October 11 emergency abort made him feel "even more confident" about the design of the Soyuz spacecraft and its emergency systems. "It's a dangerous job. We expect that there's a risk. We expect that not every launch is going to be perfect," the Canadian astronaut said, speaking to Space.com.

Last month, Roscosmos head Dmitri Rogozin promised that Ovchinin and Hague would have another shot at an ISS mission in 2019.

 Sputnik

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Xi admits trade war with US put China's economy in 'uncertainty'

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 12:55PM

China's President Xi Jinping on Thursday acknowledged that a trade war with the United States had already created a status of uncertainty for the world's second biggest economy.

President Xi in a meeting with domestic entrepreneurs sought to reassure them with promises to prop up private firms with lower taxes and more funding. However, he warned that China's economy was losing steam as a result of tariffs war with the US, a massive debt buildup and a weakening currency.

Though China's overall economic status is stable, "uncertainty in our country's economic development has clearly increased, downward pressure has grown, and companies are facing more difficulties," he was quoted as saying by media.

Xi, who has voiced his support for private firms multiple times this year, made several policy suggestions, including lowering corporate taxes and resolving funding challenges faced by companies, according to a report by AFP.

He also proposed that provincial governments raise their own "rescue funds" to bail out companies.

Xi also emphasized creating a fair and competitive business environment and tasked local governments with "correcting" the behavior of certain government departments, as well as large companies that use their dominance to "bully" smaller firms.

US tariffs on half of what China exports to the US have sapped confidence in Beijing's ability to maintain current growth levels.

Analysts say that the country's overleveraged companies and local governments are likely to put a further drag on expansion.

It was the second meeting this week in which Chinese leaders vowed to protect the economy.

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UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution to Lift US Trade Embargo On Cuba

Sputnik News

19:26 01.11.2018(updated 21:08 01.11.2018)

Earlier, Cuban Ambassador to Russia Gerardo Penalver Portal stated that the state has lost over $4 billion over the past 12 month due to the United States' sanctions policy against Havana.

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday voted in favor of the resolution to end the US economic and financial embargo imposed on Cuba, President Maria Fernanda Espinosa announced.

"The result of the vote is as follows: in favor 189, against two, abstentions zero, "Espinosa said. "The draft resolution is therefore adopted."

The vote was the 27th attempt at the General Assembly to end the US embargo against Cuba that has been in place for more than 55 years.

The United States and Israel voted against the resolution, as has been the case in all but one year since Cuba began introducing a similar resolution in 1992.

However, the US will ban transactions with more than 20 Cuban entities associated with Cuba's military and intelligence services, White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Thursday during remarks on the Trump administration's policies in Latin America.

"I believe within days the administration will add over two dozen additional entities owned or controlled by the Cuban military and intelligence services to the restrictive list of entities with which financial transactions by US persons are prohibited," Bolton said.

The only time the United States did not cast a no vote was when it abstained in 2016 during the period of rapprochement between Washington and Havana during the Obama administration.

The vote follows Cuban Ambassador's to Russia, Gerardo Penalver Portal, earlier statement that Cuba has lost more than $4 billion over the past 12 month due to the US sanctions policy targeting Havana.

Prior to Thursday's vote, the General Assembly rejected eight human-rights related amendments that were introduced by the United States, with no votes ranging from 113 to 114 and abstentions from 65 to 67 nations. Ukraine joined the United States and Israel in voting to approve all eight amendments.

The United States first imposed an arms embargo on Cuba in 1958, which was followed by the introduction of restrictions in various other sectors. They include sanctions on financial transactions, trade, travel, among others. Cuba has repeatedly submitted its resolutions to the United Nations calling for the embargo to be lifted.

Relations between Washington and Havana have chilled during the Trump administration, with the United States now accusing Cuba of taking advantage of the Obama-era thaw to crack-down on dissent.

 Sputnik

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US Vastly Outvoted at UN Over Its Cuba Embargo

By Margaret Besheer November 01, 2018

U.N. member states overwhelmingly supported lifting Washington's more than half-century-old economic, commercial and financial embargo of Cuba on Thursday, saying it is the main impediment to the island nation's economic and social development.

"The embargo is a flagrant massive and systematic violation of human rights of Cuban men and women," Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla told the General Assembly. "It has been, and still is, the main obstacle to well-being and prosperity of several generations."

The assembly voted 189 in favor of ending the blockade, with only the United States and Israel in favor of continuing it. No country entered an abstention, while Moldova and Ukraine were present but did not cast votes.

"There are no winners here today, there are only losers," U.S. envoy Nikki Haley said. "The United Nations has lost. It has rejected the opportunity to speak on behalf of human rights. The U.N. Charter commits every country here to the promotion of peace, security and human rights and that charter was betrayed today."

For the past 27 years, the U.N. General Assembly has held an annual vote condemning the economic, commercial and financial blockade that was imposed in 1962 during the Cold War.

The exercise is largely symbolic, as the General Assembly does not have the power to end the embargo, only the U.S. Congress does. But it highlights Washington's isolation on the issue. Ambassador Haley said the United States doesn't care if it is isolated.

"We have no problem standing alone on behalf of the things we believe in, and we will proudly do so again today if necessary," Haley said ahead of the vote.

More than thirty-six countries and regional groups took the floor, with a debate that began on Wednesday and concluded Thursday with the vote. Many argued the embargo runs contrary to the U.N. Charter and the organization's principles.

"Every attempt to justify this embargo has failed to convince 191 member states," said Ambassador Rhonda King of the Caribbean island-nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. "It is an affront to us all that the legislature of one country can make a decree on trade matters of another, thereby affecting third countries."

"The blockade is a vivid example of the unilateral way in which the United States acts in the world," said Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo. His country is also under U.S. sanctions re-imposed by the current administration.

"It is not justifiable to apply sanctions in perpetuity," said Kenyan envoy Lazarus Amayo. "In the long run, they are unsustainable and largely cause pain and suffering to the weak and vulnerable members of society," he added.

This year, the U.S. tried a different strategy, offering up eight separate amendments focused on Cuba's human rights situation, in a bid to lessen the emphasis on the embargo. But all eight amendments failed to garner more than a few votes in favor and were not adopted.

Haley argued the annual General Assembly exercise is "a waste of everyone's time" and does nothing to help the Cuban people.

"Cuba and its allies do the same thing every year. They propose a resolution blaming Cuba's poverty, repression, and lack of freedom on the United States," she said. "But this resolution changes nothing. It doesn't help a single Cuban family. It doesn't feed a single Cuban child. It doesn't free a single Cuban political prisoner."

In 2016, there was a brief shift in the U.S. position under former President Barack Obama. The United States abstained that year on the vote, as the Obama administration worked to normalize ties with Havana. Obama's efforts included making an historic trip to the island nation and reopening the U.S. embassy there.

But relations chilled again under President Donald Trump. He has blamed the Cuban government for the mysterious sonic attacks that sickened and injured more than two dozen U.S. diplomats and others in Havana that began in late 2016. The most recent suspected case happened in June this year. U.S. investigators still do not know exactly who and what caused the injuries, but 15 Cuban diplomats were expelled from Washington in retaliation last year.

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South Korean president: North's Kim will visit Seoul 'soon'

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 06:44AM

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has announced that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will "soon" visit Seoul as part of diplomatic efforts to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula.

Moon broke the news during a speech before parliament on Thursday, without providing details.

The South Korean president said a second North Korea-US summit was "near at hand" and that Chinese President Xi Jinping was expected to visit Pyongyang soon.

Moon further said that he expected Kim to travel to Russia soon as well, and meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, too.

The North Korean leader promised Moon at a meeting in Pyongyang in September that he would visit Seoul "in a short time," but no date was set for the meeting.

If the visit takes place, Kim would be the first North Korean leader to visit the South Korean capital since the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Kim's sister, Kim Yo-jong, became the first member of North Korea's ruling family to visit Seoul in February, when she attended the Winter Olympics in the South as a special envoy and conveyed Kim's desire for a summit with Moon.

The two Koreas, which are technically still at war because the war ended with a truce and not a peace treaty, agreed at the Pyongyang summit in September to take a step closer toward peace by turning the Korean Peninsula into a "land of peace without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats."

Under a deal signed at the summit, Kim and Moon agreed to halt military exercises, gradually remove landmines and guard posts within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and establish an extensive no-fly zone near their border.

Moon said at the time that Kim had pledged to allow international inspectors to observe a "permanent dismantlement" of key missile facilities across North Korea and take further steps such as closing the Yongbyon nuclear facility but only if the United States took "corresponding measures."

South Korea's Yonhap news agency on Wednesday cited intelligence sources as saying that preparations were underway in North Korea for possible inspections at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and the Sohae Satellite launching ground.

Kim and US President Donald Trump held a meeting of their own in Singapore in June, when they agreed to work toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Over the past months, talks have been under way between Washington and Pyongyang, but the dialog has achieved little progress, with the US-led sanctions against Pyongyang remaining in force despite Pyongyang's measures toward denuclearization.

In return for those measures, Pyongyang is seeking relief from harsh international sanctions  mostly spearheaded by the US  imposed on the country over its nuclear and missile programs.

The US has not taken action to lift any of those sanctions.

No-fly zone, military drill ban enforced near Korea border

Meanwhile, a no-fly zone and a ban on military drills near the heavily-fortified border between the two Koreas came into effect on Thursday.

The measures were regarded as part of a military deal struck during the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang last month, which included a halt to "all hostile acts."

"The South and the North completely removed dangers of military clash through the military agreement," the South Korean president said in his speech at the parliament. "The two Koreas and the United States will achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace based on firm trust."

The agreement bars live-fire drills involving fixed-wing aircraft and air-to-ground guided weapons in the no-fly area. It also imposes different restrictions on helicopters, drones, and balloons, with exemptions for commercial and non-military operations such as medical, disaster, and agricultural ones.

The United States has expressed opposition to the deal, saying it could undercut the so-called defense readiness amid what it called tardy progress in North Korea's denuclearization process.

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Rohani Tells Iranians To Brace For 'Hard' Months

October 31, 2018

President Hassan Rohani has warned Iranians that they may face more difficulties after the United States imposes new sanctions on the country, state television reports.

"The situation was hard for people in the recent months, and it may be hard in the next several months, too," Rohani said on October 31 during a televised cabinet meeting, according to broadcaster IRIB.

The United States in May withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and in August started reimposing sanctions on the Iranian economy that were lifted under the deal in exchange for curbs on Tehran's nuclear program.

A second round of penalties targeting Iran's oil and gas industry is due to come into effect in early November, with U.S. officials saying they aim to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero.

Rohani called the move "a new injustice" and promised that the government will "utilize its entire capabilities to alleviate the problems" caused by the reimposed sanctions, IRIB reported.

"You will not be able to reach any of your goals with regard to Iran's oil," the Iranian president was quoted as saying. "You will not be able to bring it to zero or reduce it."

Iran is already in the grip of an economic crisis and has seen sporadic protests in recent months.

The reimposed sanctions are part of a broader U.S. economic campaign to pressure Iran over what President Donald Trump's administration describes as its "malign conduct" such as nuclear and missile development and support for militant groups in the Middle East.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/rohani-tells-iranians-to- brace-for-hard-months/29575660.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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Mousavian: Trump's Iran sanctions will fail

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Nov 1, IRNA -- Given recent developments in the region and EU's approach against US unilateralism, the next round of U.S. sanctions against Iran is unlikely to bring Washington closer to achieving its goals on Iran, according to a political analyst.

'The next round of economic sanctions on Iran, which will start going into effect on Nov.4, will mainly target the country's oil and gas industries. These sanctions were eased after the 2015 signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, but are being phased back in following President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the accord six months ago,' Hossein Mousavian, a former member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team said in a commentary released by Reuters.

Trump's goal in reinstituting the sanctions is to kill the nuclear deal, to bring Iran's economy to the point of total collapse, to contain Iran's regional involvement in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and, in spite of Washington's denials, presumably to celebrate the collapse of Iran's ruling regime. The White House's official position is that, by increasing economic and political pressure, it aims to bring Iran back to the negotiating table in order to replace the JCPOA with a new deal that bears Trump's name, he said.

Mousavian said there are at least five reasons why Trump's strategy will fail:

First, while the United States seeks to cut Iran's oil exports to zero, it has become clear that this is impractical; there is no viable replacement for Iran's 2.5 million barrels per day in oil exports. While Saudi Arabia previously claimed it had made up for any shortages, experts believe that Riyadh and its allies do not have the capacity to fully offset the loss of Iranian oil. Now that Iran's oil exports have dropped to an estimated 1.5 million bpd  down from more than 2.5 million before the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in May  the price of the OPEC reference basket has gone up to around $76. If forecasts indicating that it could jump to $100 per barrel are correct, the price hike will make up for Iran's loss of revenue even if Tehran's exports are cut further to 1 million barrels.

Second, Trump's trade war with China and the U.S. imposition of economic sanctions against Russia make Beijing and Moscow less likely to work with Washington on Iran. Moreover, the White House cannot count on cooperation from the European Union, which initiated nuclear negotiations with Iran in 2003 and which sees the JCPOA as one of its signature foreign policy achievements. Further, the EU increasingly views extraterritorial sanctions as a threat to its own identity and independence. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said recently that the "outcome of that crisis with Iran will be the chance for Europe to have its own independent financial institutions, so we can trade with whoever we want." In the past, cooperation with all major powers was critical to creating an effective Iran policy.

Third, U.S. sanctions have laid the groundwork for a historic change in the global financial system. For many decades, the U.S. dollar has dominated the international financial markets. However, American withdrawal from the JCPOA has encouraged countries such as Russia, China, India and Turkey to use their local currencies to trade with Iran. If Europe succeeds in creating a financial system that is separate from the U.S. dollar, other states can use euros in trade with Iran, diminishing U.S. domination of global markets.

Fourth, the remaining signatories to the JCPOA view the nuclear deal as a means to counter American unilateralism. This is due to the fact that the JCPOA is a multilateral agreement backed by UN Security Council resolution 2231, which the Trump administration exited unilaterally and is now trying to punish other nations for implementing. Any capitulation to Washington on this issue would further buttress the current U.S. approach. To avoid this, both Iran and the international community will see preserving the JCPOA as a strategic necessity.

Fifth, powerful U.S. allies such as the EU and Japan continue to support the JCPOA. Only a handful of regional allies  namely Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel  supported Trump's decision to withdraw from the deal while other major regional players such as Turkey, Oman and Iraq continue to support the accord. At the same time, developments in other regional crises do not favor the United States and its allies: Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, is winning Syria's civil war; the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan has failed; Saudi Arabia has been unable to defeat the Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen and Qatar has prevailed against the Saudi-led blockade. These developments will make it easier for Tehran to find workarounds to sanctions imposed by Washington.

For the past six decades, the United States has been the region's hegemonic power. However, Trump's unilateralist approach and the future of JCPOA may change the calculation by creating a rift among the transatlantic allies, and bringing the eastern bloc powers, Europe and regional powers such as Iran, Turkey and Iraq, closer together. Moreover, the JCPOA has paved the way for other world powers  specifically Europe, China, Russia and India  to preserve international agreements without the United States. This, coupled with American withdrawal from the international scene, has the potential to transform international power politics, shifting from an American-led system to a multi-polar world, with regional actors playing a more substantial role.

Against this backdrop, the next round of U.S. sanctions against Iran is likely to increase Middle East tensions  and unlikely to bring Washington closer to achieving its goals on Iran.

Seyed Hossein Mousavian is Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist at Princeton University and a former spokesman for Iran's nuclear negotiators. His most recent book, "Iran and the United States: An Insider's view on the Failed Past and the Road to Peace" was published in 2014.

1396**1396

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Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.
India gets US waiver to continue Iran oil imports

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 08:54AM

Officials in New Delhi say the United States has agreed to grant India a waiver from Iran sanctions so that the country would be able to maintain imports of crude oil from the Islamic Republic.

The waiver would allow Indian companies to continue importing about 1.25 million tonnes of oil per month from Iran until March 2019.

"India and the US have broadly agreed on a waiver. India will cut import by a third, which is a significant cut," a source said, as quoted by the New Delhi-based Economic Times newspaper.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing to launch the second wave of sanctions against Iran from November 4 in which a universal ban on the country's oil exports appears to be a primary objective.

US officials have already said the sanctions would be meant to bring down Iran's oil exports to zero. However, Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected the feasibility of this, stressing that international consumers cannot afford to lose Iranian supplies.

India had imported about 22 million tonnes of crude oil from Iran in 2017-18 and planned to raise that to about 30 million tonnes in 2018-19. But, as a condition of waiver, Indian oil firms will reduce their imports significantly, the source added.

Indian companies can import 1.25 million tonnes a month up to March 2019, the same as they ordered for October and November, the Economic Times wrote adding that an official statement on that front would be made within the next few days.

State oil firms are yet to decide on how this quantum will be split between them. A waiver will come as a big relief to Indian Oil and MRPL, the two largest Iranian oil consumers.

The Economic Times added that it was still not clear how Indian companies would pay for imports of Iranian oil and that a mechanism for the same purpose was still under negotiation between Iran and India.

It added that the two countries were likely to stick to the existing mechanism under which 55 percent of payment would be made in euro and 45 percent in rupee through India's UCO Bank.

Under this, rupee is used for import of rice, drugs, and other products from India while the balance proceeds in rupee and euro sit idle in the Indian bank waiting for sanctions to go.

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White House Hints At Easing Of Iran Sanctions For 'Friends And Allies'

RFE/RL November 01, 2018

U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton says the White House wants sanctions on Iran's oil sector to put a strain on Iran's economy, but it does not want to harm "friends and allies" that depend on the oil.

"We want to achieve maximum pressure, but we don't want to harm friends and allies either," Bolton told the Hamilton Society in Washington on October 31, signalling a possible softening of the White House's demand that all countries reduce their Iranian oil imports to "zero."

The United States is preparing to reimpose sanctions on Iran's oil industry on November 5 after withdrawing from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. But Washington also has been considering waivers from the sanctions requested by allies such as India and Turkey.

India, which is Iran's second-largest customer for oil, has said it cannot immediately replace its Iranian imports and is seeking a waiver, while Turkey has also sought an exemption from the U.S. Treasury Department.

This week, South Korea also asked U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for "maximum flexibility" on its request for a waiver to prevent companies there from being hit by the sanctions.

Other countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan, also depend on some imports from Iran.

Bolton said the administration understands that a number of countries "may not be able to go all the way, all the way to zero immediately."

Bolton's hint that Washington is preparing to grant some sanctions waivers came as a surprise, as he has been the most outspoken proponent of the toughest possible sanctions on Iran.

Bolton insisted, however, that even if some exceptions were granted, Iran is already feeling pain from the U.S. sanctions, particularly with the collapse of its currency, the rial, this year.

"I think it's important that we not relax in the effort" to keep putting pressure on Tehran, he said.

Hours before he spoke, Iranian President Hassan Rohani warned Iranians they could face more economic hardship in the months ahead as the U.S. imposes a new round of sanctions.

In a presidential memorandum late on October 31, Trump said he determined there was sufficient supply of petroleum and petroleum products in the global market to cushion the impact of a cut in purchases of Iranian oil.

The determination is needed under U.S. law for Washington to impose sanctions on foreign countries that fail to significantly reduce their purchases of Iranian oil and petroleum products.

The law was originally passed during Barack Obama's administration at part of its effort to pressure Iran to curtail its nuclear program by forcing its major oil customers to reduce their purchases.

But the Obama White House later lifted the sanctions when it agreed to Iran's 2015 nuclear deal, which granted sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear activities.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/white-house-bolton -hints-easing-iran-sanction-oil-sector-for -friends-and-allies/29576425.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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Iraq's Salahuddin provincial governor survives assassination attempt

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 03:40PM

The governor of Iraq's central province of Salahuddin has escaped a roadside bomb explosion unhurt as government forces and allied fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units are engaged in joint operations to cleanse the country of the last remnants of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

Mohammed Khalil al-Bazi from Salahuddin Operations Command said the blast ripped through the convoy of Ammar Jabr Khalil al-Jabouri north of the oil-rich city of Baiji, located some 210 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, on Thursday.

Bazi said the explosion wounded two bodyguards of the governor and badly damaged a vehicle in the motorcade.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but some local news outlets suggest it was carried out by Daesh.

On August 8, 2016, former Iraqi defense minister Khaled al-Obeidi's convoy came under sniper fire but he was unharmed.

Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, the spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC), said the attack took place in the western outskirts of Baiji.

"The minister is well and safe," Rasool said, adding that a guard had been slightly injured in the attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assassination attempt.

Hashd al-Sha'abi fighters kill 11 Daesh remnants in western Iraq

Meanwhile, pro-government Iraqi fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi, have killed nearly a dozen Daesh militants in the country's troubled western province of Anbar.

Hashd al-Sha'abi commander Safa al-Sa'adi said the voluntary fighters and army forces, backed by air force fighter jets, carried out a cleanup operation on the outskirts of Tharthar town, situated 120 kilometers north of Baghdad, killing 11 terrorists and destroying an amount of weapons and explosive materials.

Sa'adi added that the slain Takfiris were planning to carry out a bombing attack in Tharthar.

Three Daesh militants, including senior commander, killed in Diyala

Separately, three Daesh militants, including a high-ranking commander, have been killed during a security operation in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala.

"Security forces launched a security operation, under the directives of Diyala Police Chief Major General Faisal al-Abadi, to pursue Daesh cells near Qarah Tabbah district," Arabic-language Mawazin news agency quoted the spokesman for Diyala Police, Colonel Ghalib al-Attiya, as saying.

On June 30, former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, pledged to hunt down Daesh militants across Iraq after a series of attacks and abductions carried out by the terrorist group.

"We will chase the remaining cells of terrorism in their hideouts and we will kill them, we will chase them everywhere, in the mountains and the desert," Abadi said.

Abadi declared the end of military operations against Daesh in the Arab country on December 9, 2017.

On July 10 that year, the Iraqi prime minister had formally declared victory over Daesh extremists in Mosul, which served as the terrorists' main urban stronghold in the conflict-ridden Arab country.

In the run-up to Mosul's liberation, Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer Hashd al-Sha'abi fighters had made sweeping gains against Daesh.

The Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January 2017 after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19 last year.

Daesh began a terror campaign in Iraq in 2014, overrunning vast swathes in lightning attacks.

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UN officials blast Bangladesh-Myanmar deal on Rohingya

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 11:11AM

United Nations officials have blasted a repatriation deal struck between the governments in Bangladesh and Myanmar over the return of Rohingya Muslim refugees, saying that conditions in the northwestern state of Rakhine are "not yet conducive" for their returns.

The two sides agreed in January to complete a voluntary repatriation of the refugees over a two-year period. The repatriation, however, was delayed due to a lack of preparation as well as protests staged by Rohingya refugees against the plan to send them back to Myanmar while conditions were not safe for their return.

Bangladesh and Myanmar government officials announced this week they had struck a "very concrete" repatriation deal for the return of the 720,000 Rohingya refugees who fled a brutal state-sponsored military crackdown in August 2017 and crossed into Bangladesh, where they live in overcrowded camps with limited access to food, medicine and education.

The repatriation would begin with 2,000 returnees in "mid-November."

In reaction to the announcement, Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, however, said the bilateral agreement had taken the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) by surprise.

"To be clear UNHCR, which is in lead on the issues of refugees, was not consulted on this matter," Dujarric said at a Wednesday daily press briefing given by the secretary general's office.

"For UNHCR, the conditions in Rakhine state are not yet conducive for a return to Myanmar," Dujarric noted. "And, at the same time, we're seeing Rohingya refugees continue to arrive from Rakhine state into [Bangladesh], which should give you an indication of the situation on the ground."

The United Nations refugee agency also said it would not assist with such refugee returns because the Rakhine state was "unsafe" for the persecuted Muslim minority group.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been living for more than a year in cramped refugee camps in Cox's Bazar district in southeastern Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Rakhine state at the hands of the Myanmar military.

WFP voices 'extreme concerns' about Rohingya return

World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley said on Wednesday that there were "extreme concerns" about the return of Rohingya Muslims from their camps in Cox's Bazar to Rakhine state in Myanmar.

Beasley had a day earlier visited the Kutupalong camps and spoken to families about the prospect of returning to their homes in Rakhine.

"But I can say very clearly, from the people that I've talked to inside the camps, I think many do want to go back when it's safe -- will that day ever come? I don't know. I know if I were in their shoes, I'd have some extreme concerns about going back and we heard that from people all over the camp," he said.

"There are some people who don't want to go back, under any circumstances. These are the decisions that each individual will be having to make, based on the information that is available," Beasley added.

Last year, extremist Buddhist monks rushed to help Myanmar's military, when it intensified its crackdown campaign against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State.

The campaign  which the UN described as the textbook example of ethnic cleansing campaign  has seen mass killings, torture, and gang rape of Rohingya Muslim as well as arson attacks against their homes and farms in Rakhine.

Rohingya trace their presence in Rakhine back centuries, but most people Buddhist- majority Myanmar see them as unwanted immigrants from Bangladesh, with the state denying the Muslims citizenship.

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Turkey wants Saudi Arabia to disclose whereabouts of Khashoggi's body: Justice minister

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 04:27PM

Turkey says it wants Saudi authorities to disclose the whereabouts of the body of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Arab kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last month, stressing that Ankara expects Riyadh's full cooperation in the ongoing investigation into the shocking case.

"We are looking for answers to the question of where the body is," said Turkey's Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul in a press conference on Thursday, stressing that no cover-up should be included in the Saudi narrative.

"This case cannot be covered up, and we are expecting close cooperation from Saudi authorities on the investigation we are conducting transparently and meticulously," the justice minister noted.

Khashoggi, 59, an outspoken critic of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since 2017, when Saudi authorities launched a massive crackdown on dissent.

He was seeking to secure documentation for his forthcoming marriage when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, but never came out despite Riyadh's initial claim that he exited the mission less than an hour after completing his paperwork.

The kingdom, however, later admitted that the journo had been murdered in the consulate during an interrogation by rouge operatives that had gone wrong after diplomatic pressure grew tremendously on Riyadh to give an account on the mysterious fate of its national. However, Saudi Arabia said that it did not know the whereabouts of the journo's body, which is widely believed to be dismembered.

Gul's comments came just a day after the office of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Irfan Fidan said in a statement that ill-fated Khashoggi was strangled upon his arrival in the Saudi diplomatic mission in Istanbul, then his body was dismembered and destroyed in a "premeditated" murder. The remarks bolstered Turkish investigators' line of thought that the journo's remains could have been disposed of at the nearby consul general's house, dissolved in acid or dumped in a well on the property.

The statement issued after Fidan said his meeting with Saudi Public Prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb, held earlier in the week in Istanbul, had produced "no concrete results" on the murder of Khashoggi as his counterpart had not shared any information, including the testimonies of the 18 people arrested in the Arab kingdom, over the case.

The justice minister further said that Ankara wanted Riyadh to reveal who gave the orders for a 15-member alleged "hit squad" that Turkish authorities said were sent to kill the journalist. "Our expectation is for these questions to be answered swiftly," Gul stressed.

Asked whether Fidan planned to visit Saudi Arabia as part of the ongoing probe into the case, Gul said that it was "likely not happening because the incident occurred in Turkey."

"Without Turkey's questions answered, I think it is not right to enter into a new stage," he added.

On Sunday, British Sunday Express weekly, citing "highly-placed" intelligence sources, reported that a "member of the royal circle" of Saudi Arabia had ordered to kidnap the journalist and take him back to the Arab kingdom. But it is not clear whether the "member" had been Mohammed bin Salman. "Whether he was not the original issuer we cannot say," the unnamed sources added.

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Fresh onslaught on Riyadh over Khashoggi's murder threatens US ties: Saudi prince

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 10:38AM

Former Saudi intelligence chief, to whom Jamal Khashoggi once served as an adviser, has warned against an outcry in the US over the murder of the dissident Saudi journalist, saying that the "onslaught" against Riyadh poses a threat to the "strategic partnership" between the two sides.

Prince Turki bin Faisal made the remarks during an address to the 27th annual Arab-US Policymakers Conference in Washington on Wednesday.

He denounced attacks on Saudi Arabia in the wake of Khashoggi's murder inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate on October 2.

"The tragic and unjustified" slaying of Khashoggi "is the theme of today's onslaught and demonization of Saudi Arabia in the same fashion as the previous crises. The intensity and gleefulness of it is equally unfair," he said. "Subjecting our relationship to this issue is not healthy at all."

Turki also noted that Saudi Arabia's "strategic relationship" with the US had survived crises for more than 70 years.

"Nowadays, this relationship is once again threatened," he said, adding, however, that the bilateral ties are "too big to fail."

The Saudi prince further claimed that the kingdom is committed to bringing to justice those responsible for Khashoggi's death "and whoever else failed to uphold the law."

Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of Saudi Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, entered the consulate in Istanbul to get the papers needed for his marriage, but never left the building.

After weeks of denials of any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance, Saudi Arabia eventually acknowledged that he had been killed in a "premeditated" operation.

Turkey's chief prosecutor said Khashoggi had been strangled upon his arrival at the Saudi mission and then dismembered.

Faisal's comments come as US Congress has stepped up pressure on President Donald Trump to punish the Riyadh regime for the murder, which is widely believed to have been ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Several US lawmakers have called for sanctions against the kingdom, while others want Washington to stop its nuclear talks with Saudi Arabia.

However, Trump  who stands accused inside the US and abroad of seeking to cover up the crime  appears to be reluctant to pose any risk to billions of dollars worth of arms deals and investments in the kingdom.

The Trump administration has courted the Saudis as they seek to build tens of billions of dollars worth of nuclear power facilities. The US has also been the major provider of weapons to the Saudi regime amid its bloody war on Yemen.

Trump says doesn't feel 'betrayed' by Saudis

In fresh comments on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said he does not feel "betrayed" by the Saudis over Khashoggi's death but "maybe they've betrayed themselves."

"Not betrayed me, no. I just hope that it all works out. We have a lot of facts, we have a lot of things we have been looking at, they have not betrayed me no, we just have to see how it all turns out," he told reporters at the White House.

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Trump pressured to suspend nuclear talks with Saudi

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 01:34AM

US President Donald Trump has been urged to suspend nuclear talks with Saudi Arabia after the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump received a letter Wednesday from five Republican lawmakers, led by Senator Marco Rubio, in the wake of "ongoing revelations about the murder."

"The ongoing revelations about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as certain Saudi actions related to Yemen and Lebanon, have raised further serious concerns about the transparency, accountability, and judgment of current decision makers in Saudi Arabia," wrote the senators, also including - Cory Gardner, Rand Paul, Dean Heller and Todd Young.

The lawmakers asserted that they could use the Atomic Energy Act to block any US-Saudi nuclear agreements.

"We therefore request that you suspend any related negotiations for a US-Saudi civil nuclear agreement for the foreseeable future," wrote the lawmakers.

The statement was released in the aftermath of the killing of Saudi dissident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Turkish intelligence intercepts reportedly show that Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi mission in Istanbul on October 2, was tortured and murdered on a direct order from Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Democratic Senator Edward Markey himself wrote a separate letter to Trump, urging him to revoke any approvals for the transfer of nuclear services, technology or assistance to the monarchy.

He further noted that nuclear talks should be based on the country's attitude and Saudi Arabia's actions "have made it clear that any nuclear cooperation with its government does not currently meet that bar."

Saudis are also engaged in the incessant bombing of impoverished Yemen since March 2015.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis called Tuesday for a cessation of hostilities in Yemen.

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Pompeo: US May Have Enough Evidence Against Khashoggi's Killers Soon

By VOA News November 01, 2018

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says it may be a "handful more weeks" before the U.S. has enough evidence to slap sanctions on those behind the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi was killed after he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month, according to a Turkish prosecutor. His body has not been found.

Pompeo told St. Louis radio station KMOX Thursday the administration is "reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals that we have been able to identify to date that ... were engaged in that murder."

"We're going to find the fact pattern," Pompeo added. "The president said we will demand accountability for those who were involved in the commission of this heinous crime."

The United States is urging Saudi Arabia to locate Khashoggi's body and return it to his family as soon as possible.

Killed inside Saudi consulate

Khashoggi was killed when he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month, according to a Turkish prosecutor. His body has not been found, although Turkish police last month searched a forest on Istanbul's outskirts and near Yalova, a city near the Sea of Marmara, for Khashoggi's remains.

Khashoggi's friends and family say they want just a piece of his body so they can carry out his wish to be buried in the city of Medina, Islam's second holiest site.

"We are calling the entire world to put the necessary pressure, international pressure, on the Saudi government to find his remains, to be able to bury him, even before finding those who are responsible, before this issue is covered up," Faith Oke, executive director of the Turkey-Arab Media Association, said Thursday.

Turkish officials said chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan failed to get answers about the location of Khashoggi's body and who ordered his killing during three days of a joint Turkish-Saudi investigation in Istanbul.

The Saudis have given a shifting account of what happened to Khashoggi on Oct. 2. After initially denying Khashoggi had been killed, the Saudi government claimed he died in an unplanned "rogue operation." Saudi public prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb offered a different explanation last week when he said the killing was premeditated.

After talks with Mojeb earlier this week, Fidan also said the killing was premeditated, with Khashoggi being suffocated immediately after entering the consulate and his body dismembered.

Turkey is trying to extradite 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia so they can be tried in a Turkish court. Among the suspects are 15 members of an alleged "hit squad" that Turkey claims was sent to Istanbul to kill The Washington Post columnist who had written critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Some of the people suspected of being involved in the killing have close ties to the prince, whose condemnation has failed to alleviate suspicions he was involved.

Khashoggi entered the consulate last month to get a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

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Turkey Repeats Call for Full Saudi Cooperation in Khashoggi Probe

By VOA News November 01, 2018

Turkey's justice minister again called on Saudi Arabia to fully cooperate in the investigation into last month's killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Abdulhamit Gul said Turkish chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan failed to get answers about the location of Khashoggi's body and who ordered his killing during three days of Turkish-Saudi investigative efforts in Istanbul.

"This issue has become a world matter," Gul told reporters Thursday in Ankara. "This case cannot be covered up, and we are expecting close cooperation from Saudi authorities on the investigation we are conducting transparently and meticulously."

After initially denying Khashoggi had been murdered, the Saudi government claimed he died in an unplanned "rogue operation."

Saudi public prosecutor Saud Al Mojeb offered a different explanation last week when he said the killing was premeditated.

Fidan also said after talks with Mojeb earlier this week the killing was premeditated, with Khashoggi being suffocated immediately after entering the consulate and his body dismembered before it was disposed of.

Turkey is trying to extradite 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia so they can be tried in a Turkish court. Among them are 15 members of an alleged "hit squad" Turkey claims was sent to Istanbul to kill the Washington Post columnist who had written critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Some of the people suspected of being involved in the murder have close ties to the prince whose condemnation of the murder has failed to alleviate suspicions he was involved.

Khashoggi entered the consulate on October 2 to get a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

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Moscow:Terrorists impeding implementation of Idleb agreement

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Nov 1, IRNA -- Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists and the affiliated groups are trying to impede the implementation of an agreement on a demilitarized area in Idleb.

Sputnik quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists and other militants affiliated to al-Qaeda terrorist organizations are continuing in their attempts to hinder the implementation of agreement on the demilitarized area in Idleb, which was signed by Russia and Turkey in Sochi on September 17th, indicating that the terrorists are continuing to bomb the Syrian Arab Army's positions.

Zakharova said that US is occupying al-Tanf area in southern Syria, pointing out to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in al-Rukban camp for the displaced Syrians.

She went on to say that in the south of the country, the US occupied a total area of 55 km in al-Tanf, where a humanitarian disaster is unfolding in al-Rukban camp for the displaced Syrians, with the mortality rate increasing there due to the shortage of medicine and food.

Zakharova affirmed that what has been committed in Raqqa city by the United States and its allies is a new "stain" on the reputation of the United State.

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Syria calls for int'l probe into int'l Coalition's crimes

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Nov 1, IRNA -- Syrian Foreign Ministry said the mass graves discovered recently in Raqqa city prove the bloody massacres committed by "Washington Coalition" against the Syrian people, calling on the UN Security Council to conduct an investigation into these crimes.

In two letters addressed to the UN Secretary-General and head of the UN Security Council, the ministry said that a number of mass graves were recently discovered in Raqqa city containing the bodies of over 4000, most of them women, children and elderly, SANA reported.

The ministry pointed out that the graves were discovered under the rubble from the strikes of the international coalition against Raqqa city, namely the areas of the White Park, al-Rasheed Stadium and the Zoo. Moreover, a mass grave was discovered in a farm near the Children's Hospital and the National Hospital with the remnants of 2500 women, children and elderly.

Also yesterday, a mass grave was discovered in the Panorama area, containing the bodies of over 1500 civilians killed by the Coalition's strikes against Raqqa city last year, added the ministry.

"The tragic revelation of these mass graves, knowing that only 2 percent of rubble caused by the Coalition's strikes have been removed so far, comes to reveal the truth about the information we repeatedly provided about the bloody crimes of the Coalition against the Syrian people especially in Raqqa which have been flattened by the International Coalition after it moved Daesh terrorists out for fear for their safety to Deir Ezzor to fight the Syrian army and push ahead with its plan to undermine Syria's unity and sovereignty, aided by its affiliated militias," the ministry said.

The ministry strongly denounced the Coalition's attacks and war crimes against the Syrian civilians, also denouncing some countries' reluctance to steer clear from this coalition and its crimes.

Syria expresses regret over the silence of some countries and international parties over the killing of thousands of Raqqa locals and the whole destruction of the city, according to the ministry's letters.

The ministry concluded the letters by calling on the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities in preserving international peace and security and to act promptly to end the crimes of the international coalition against the Syrian people,

Syria also calls for conducting an international investigation into these crimes, reiterating call for terminating the illegal presence of the US and other foreign troops on the Syrian territories, the ministry pointed out.

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Russia says Nusra terrorists seek to wreck buffer zone deal in Syria's Idlib

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 06:20PM

Russia says Takfiri terrorists in Syria's Idlib province are striving to wreck a Russian-Turkish initiative to establish a demilitarized zone in the flashpoint militant-held region.

"There are still Nusra terrorists in Idlib who are not stopping their attempts to wreck the implementation of the memorandum that was agreed between Russia and Turkey," Interfax news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying during a news briefing in the capital Moscow on Thursday.

Some 60 percent of the northwestern province, home to three million people, is said to be controlled by members of the so-called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Takfiri terrorist group, which is a coalition of different factions of terror outfits, largely composed of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Takfiri terrorist group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

Zakharova added that terrorists were continuing to shell Syrian government troops in the south of the province and to the northwest of Hama province.

Under the deal, which was forged in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi in September following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, all armed opposition groups in the demilitarized zone, which surrounds Idlib and also parts of the adjacent provinces of Aleppo and Hama, were supposed to pull out heavy arms by October 10, and Takfiri groups had to withdraw by October 15.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Takfiri terrorist group has yet to announce its stance on the buffer zone deal.

Russia, which has been carrying out anti-terror airstrikes in Syria since 2015, says a buffer zone would help stop attacks from Idlib-based militants on Syrian army positions and Russia's military bases in the flashpoint region.

Last month, Russia said that almost 88,000 foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists had been killed in the Syria ever since Moscow launched its counter-terrorism airstrikes against militant redoubts in the Arab country.

Separately, a US-led military coalition has also been conducting airstrikes against what are said to be Daesh targets inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.

The military alliance has repeatedly been accused of targeting and killing civilians. It has also been largely incapable of achieving its declared goal of destroying Daesh.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday that as many as 3,222 civilians had been killed ever since the so-called US-led anti-Daesh coalition launched its aerial bombardment campaign in Syria.

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Assad scolds Europe as Polish delegation visits Syria

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 05:15PM

President Bashar al-Assad has urged European countries to come and take a closer look at the developments in his country as their approaches to Syria are totally "divorced from reality."

"One of the biggest mistakes made by many European countries is separation from reality," Assad said in a Thursday meeting with a Polish delegation visiting the Arab country.

He hailed the European delegation's visit to Damascus and said making such visits to gain a closer knowledge is the most important step for foreign governments to build a correct and realistic policy.

According to Assad, such visits help foreign states adopt positions and stances, which serve the interests of their people and contribute to their protection, the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

He briefed the Polish delegation on the war, which Syrians have been facing for more than seven years, and explained that the tools of the conflict have ranged from terrorism, direct aggression, and economic sanctions to attempts to intervene in the country's internal affairs and imposing isolation and siege.

The Syrian president also welcomed the Polish delegation's idea of establishing a joint parliamentary committee and expansion of bilateral cultural exchanges, stressing that Damascus is open to any efforts that will build good relations between people.

In turn, the Polish delegation headed by MP Pavel Skutitsky stressed that the main purpose of their visit to Syria was to take a closer look at the latest developments.

They said the war and the achievements made by Syria against terrorist organizations have contributed to staving off terrorism that could have been transported to the neighboring countries and to Europe later.

They also expressed hope that the Syrian state would fully eradicate terrorism and regain control over all of its territory.

The European delegation's visit to Syria came a couple of days after the Arab country strongly denounced sanctions imposed on it by the European Union, saying the bans were harming the Syrian people.

Syria's UN Ambassador Bashar al-Ja'afari told a Security Council session on Monday that foreign-backed Takfiri terrorists and the sanctions imposed by the US and the EU were inflicting suffering on the Syrian people.

On May 28, the EU extended its restrictive measures against the Damascus government until June 1, 2019.

The sanctions currently in place against Syria include an oil embargo, restrictions on certain investments and a freeze of the assets of the Syrian central bank held in the EU.

The EU bans are also in place on dozens of companies linked to the government of President Assad.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country.

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Militants preparing to stage false flag chemical attack in Syria, Russia warns

Iran Press TV

Wed Oct 31, 2018 10:48PM

Russia's Defense Ministry says it has information that militants in Syria are preparing to stage false flag chemical attacks in Idlib province and other regions in order to incriminate the Syrian government.

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told a Wednesday briefing in Moscow that on October 27, militants from the so-called Islamic Party of Turkestan had "transferred 20 containers with 10 liters of chlorine each" from the northwestern Syrian city of Maarrat al-Nu'man, situated about 30 kilometers south of Idlib.

He said the terrorists have unloaded the chemicals in the settlements of Kafr Nabl and al-Hawash, and are set to use them to stage provocative acts.

"Local residents reported to the Russian Reconciliation Center that this group of White Helmets searched for residents who would like to take part in staged video footage in exchange for food," he added.

According to Konashenkov, "similar provocative acts are planned in other areas of Syria."

"Just yesterday, residents of Aleppo province received information about the training for the next such action by militants. To carry it out, members of the White Helmets organization with professional video equipment arrived in the Azaz, Marea and al-Rai settlements; containers with toxic substances were also delivered, presumably it was chlorine," the Russian spokesman went on to say.

"Russian military experts are closely monitoring the situation. Six special radiation, chemical and biological reconnaissance vehicles have been deployed to Russian posts in the immediate vicinity of the demilitarized zone in Idlib province. The combat units of these machines will regularly assess the radiation, chemical and biological situation."

His comments came a couple of days after Lt. General Vladimir Savchenko, the head of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria, said Western-backed White Helmets have already started the filming process for staging a false flag chemical attack in Aleppo in northwestern Syria.

They arrived in Aleppo from the neighboring province of Idlib, bringing along containers holding toxic agents, he added.

The so-called White Helmets group, projected by the West as "civil defense workers," was founded by former British Army officer James Le Mesurier in 2014. The self-styled volunteer rescue group has been repeatedly accused of acting as the media arm for Takfiri groups, and charged with staging false flag chemical attacks in a bid to prompt Western military intervention in Syria.

US using banned ammo in Syria strikes

During the Wednesday briefing, Konashenkov also took a jab at the US-led coalition purportedly fighting Daesh in Syria and said the forces launch airstrikes on the eastern bank of the Euphrates using banned ammo, resulting in numerous deaths of civilians.

According to the Russian spokesman, the coalition's warplanes are launching intensive airstrikes using ammunition prohibited by international conventions.

"The airstrikes are characterized by low efficiency and most importantly by low-rate precision, which leads to numerous casualties among civilians."

Over the past month alone, the airstrikes on residential areas in eastern Syria have killed at least 120 civilians, he said.

He also expressed regret over the fact that the inability of the US and its allied Kurdish forces in Syria to effectively fight terrorists in Eastern Euphrates has helped Daesh retake areas that were previously liberated from militants.

"According to available information, Daesh units continue to receive cutting-edge weapons and military equipment," Konashenkov said, adding that Moscow is closely monitoring the arms supply channels and has established a special commission for that purpose.

A recent forum hosted by the Russian Defense Ministry put on display samples of Western-made weapons seized from terrorists in Syria, which particularly included the Javelin anti-tank missiles.

The US support for Takfiri terrorists was once again proved in a Wednesday report by Turkish daily newspaper Yeni Safak, which revealed that the US has been supplying advanced weapons to Daesh militants in Syria.

Quoting sources, the Turkish daily reported that there had been many cases of US forces directly delivering material and technical assistance to militants in the town of al-Mansurah, which is located in the northern Syrian province of Raqqah.

The US, which has a military base in Tanf close to the homonymous border crossing between Syria and Iraq in Homs province, is believed to be regularly training terrorists in the area. The US has unilaterally declared a 55-kilometer "de-confliction zone" around the base, and frequently threatened to target Syrian forces within the area.

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US, Turkey Begin Joint Patrols in Syria's Manbij

By Carla Babb November 01, 2018

U.S. and Turkish forces have begun joint patrols in the area of Manbij, Syria, where Kurdish militia have been critical to defeating Islamic State fighters.

Two U.S. defense officials and Turkish officials confirmed the patrols in northern Syria on Thursday.

A convoy of about 30 troops patrolled northwest of Manbij along the demarcation line dividing Turkish-controlled territory from the area controlled by the U.S.-backed Manbij Military Council, defense officials told VOA.

The Pentagon has said the purpose of the patrols is to support "long-term security in Manbij" and uphold its commitments to NATO ally Turkey.

Since June, U.S. and Turkish forces had conducted more than 60 of what the Pentagon has called "coordinated but independent" patrols in the area.

Ankara and Washington agreed on a road map to stabilize Manbij earlier that month, amid Turkish demands for the withdrawal of Kurdish militia who helped push Islamic State from the city in 2016.

"We're fully supportive of the road map and the combined joint patrols, and I am confident they will be very effective," British Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, deputy commander of the counter-IS coalition in Iraq and Syria, said in a press release Thursday.

Those Kurdish militia fighters, known as the People's Protection Units (YPG), are bolstered by Washington as part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) countering IS.

Ankara, however, views the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey, the U.S. and European Union all consider to be a terrorist organization. The U.S. and the YPG reject that characterization of the YPG.

As a result of the road map, the Manbij Military Council announced in July that all Kurdish militia who were associated with YPG had left.

Kurdish counter-IS fight suspended

The joint patrols come as the SDF in eastern Syria's Deir el-Zour region temporarily suspended its offensive against IS because of recent Turkish shelling.

Turkish forces this week struck several Kurdish militia targets near the town of Kobani in northern Syria.

The SDF said Wednesday that it fired back in self-defense, and "as a result, a Turkish military vehicle was destroyed."

Army Col. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the counter-IS coalition, said Thursday that efforts were being made to ease tension:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed Syria in a phone call on Thursday.

Earlier this week, Erdogan increased threats to launch a major offensive against Syrian Kurdish fighters near the Euphrates River.

"We will destroy the terror structure east of the Euphrates River. We have completed preparations and plans regarding this issue," Erdogan said in a speech to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party on Tuesday.

VOA's Sirwan Kajjo contributed to this report.

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Upcoming Taiping Island drill routine exercise: CGA

ROC Central News Agency

2018/11/01 13:04:32

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) A three-day live-fire drill to be staged later this month at a Taiwan-controlled island in the disputed South China Sea is part of routine exercises and the government has no plans to reschedule it, even though it is to be staged near Taiwan's local government elections, an official said Thursday.

Lee Chung-wei (), director-general of the Coast Guard Administration (CGA), confirmed that the CGA will stage the drill Nov. 21-23 at Taiping Island and surrounding waters.

Amid a call made by the Kuomintang (KMT) candidate in the Taipei mayoral election Ting Shou-chung () for the CGA to reschedule the drill to avoid escalating regional and cross-Taiwan Strait tension ahead of the Nov. 24 elections, Lee said the CGA has no plans to do so.

"This is part of routine training that was arranged over a year ago," Lee said.

Six countries -- Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei -- claim sovereignty over all or some of the islands in the South China Sea and their surrounding waters.

Lee also said that the exercise has nothing to do with a reported U.S. drill to be staged in the South China Sea in November.

According to a Wednesday CGA press release, it regularly makes announcements of upcoming live-fire exercises weeks before a drill to warn fishermen and vessels. As part of routine practice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) will be responsible for informing nearby countries about the drill.

Taiwan controls Taiping Island, the largest of the Spratly Islands, located some 1,600 kilometers from Kaohsiung. With an area of only 0.51 square kilometers, it has 200 Republic of China troops stationed there but no civilian residents.

Vietnam has previously expressed concern over live-fire drills in the area.

Asked to comment, MOFA spokesman Andrew Lee () reiterated Thursday Taiwan's stance that Taiping Island is part of the nation's territory and thus the CGA has the right to conduct routine drills there.

(By Claudia Liu and Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/J





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Russia slaps counter-sanctions on Ukraine's political elite, businesses

Iran Press TV

Thu Nov 1, 2018 10:49AM

Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree allowing sweeping financial sanctions against hundreds of Ukrainian politicians and authorities as well as dozens of businesses owned by Ukraine in response to the country's "unfriendly actions" targeting "citizens and legal entities of Russia."

The new punitive measures signed on Thursday were being considered as counter-sanctions and would provide for the freezing of the Russian assets of 68 Ukrainian businesses and 322 individuals, including President Petro Poroshenko's son and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

"The signed decree introduces special economic measures in relation to individuals and legal entities of Ukraine, providing for the (freezing) of non-cash funds, certain securities and property in Russia as well as a ban on the transfer of funds (withdrawal of capital) outside Russia," the press service of the Russian government said in a statement.

The sanctions also targeted several listed firms, including iron ore pellet producer Ferrexpo, poultry producer MHP, and Ukraine's biggest sunflower oil exporter Kernel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin imposed sanctions on Ukraine by signing on October 22 a decree introducing "special economic measures" against Kiev.

Ukraine originally imposed sanctions against Russia in February 2014 over the reunification of Crimea  a former territory of Ukraine  with Russia.

Back then, people in Crimea voted in a referendum to join Russia. Kiev and its Western allies, however, refused to accept the unification, accusing Moscow of illegally "annexing" the peninsula to its territory.

In June 2018, the Ukrainian president signed a decree to expand sanctions on Russian companies and entities. The sanctions would last at least three years and included penalties on Russian lawmakers and top officials.

The Ukrainian sanctions list currently includes more than 1,700 people and over 750 companies.

Washington and its Western allies have also imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia both over the Crimean unification and an armed conflict that erupted in eastern Ukraine when Kiev launched military operations to quell pro-Russia protests there.

That conflict continues to this day, and according to the United Nations (UN) figures, it has so far left over 10,000 people dead and more than a million others displaced since its onset.

Western countries accuse Russia of supporting pro-Russia forces in the region. Moscow denies the allegation.

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OSCE Mission's Drone Shot Down After Spotting Russian Missile In Eastern Ukraine

RFE/RL November 01, 2018

Germany and France say Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine likely shot down a drone being used by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) monitoring mission, and demand that those responsible "be held accountable."

In a joint statement on November 1, Berlin and Paris also noted that in recent weeks, the drone had observed convoys entering Ukrainian territory across a nonofficial border crossing from Russia on "multiple occasions" and spotted a surface-to-air missile system before the loss of communication.

Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and the separatists has killed more than 10,300 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014. Russia has repeatedly denied financing and equipping the separatist forces despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, insisting that the fighting was a civil, internal conflict.

Germany and France, which have been working with Moscow and Kyiv as part of the so-called Normandy Format to bring an end to the conflict, said the drone operated by the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) disappeared in the early hours of October 27.

The incident occurred while the long-range drone was following a convoy of trucks near the town of Nyzhnokrynske close to the Russia-Ukraine border, an area controlled by the separatists, the statement said.

It said evidence assembled by the SMM "suggests Russia and the separatists it backs bear responsibility" for the downing of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

The "severe" incident "stands in clear violation" of the SMM mandate as adopted by participating states of the OSCE mission, Germany and France said.

The SMM, a civilian mission assigned to report impartially on the situation in Ukraine, has hundreds of monitors in the country's east where the separatists are holding parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The mission said in March it was reintroducing its long-range drone program more than 18 months after it was halted due to repeated shoot-downs.

Fighting in eastern Ukraine persists despite cease-fire deals reached as part of the September 2014 and February 2015 Minsk accords, and implementation of other measures set out in the deals has been slow.

With reporting by AP and DW

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-osce-drone-germany- france-suspect-separatists/29577799.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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US Move to Exit INF 'Driven by Desire for Total Military Superiority' - Moscow

Sputnik News

16:16 01.11.2018(updated 17:20 01.11.2018)

Washington is using claims about Russia's alleged violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) to cover up its own direct violations of the arms limitation pact, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

According to the foreign ministry spokeswoman, Washington's talk about exiting the INF is an extremely dangerous step.

"This move is fraught with the serious risk of drawing entire regions of the world into an arms race. In this way, the situation around the treaty concerns not only Russia and the United States, but also other members of the international community," Zakharova said, speaking at a press briefing in Moscow on Thursday.

"On the whole we are getting the impression that Washington's movement toward exiting the INF is driven by a desire to ensure its own military superiority across the board and to guarantee a completely free hand for doing so," the foreign ministry spokeswoman added.

Washington, Zakharova stressed, still hasn't provided any evidence about Russia's alleged violations of the INF Treaty's terms, which includes the prohibition of the development or deployment of ground-based missiles in the 500-5,500 km range.

"The attempts to shift the blame on Russia are totally unacceptable, and the American side still hasn't even bothered to present any intelligible evidence to support its claims." Instead, the US was "trying to cover up its own direct and obvious violations of the INF by making groundless accusations against us," she added, referring to the US deployment of dual-use missile defense shield components in Romania and Poland which can be armed with ground-based nuclear-armed cruise missiles.

Commenting on the results of Wednesday's meeting of the Russia-NATO Council, Zakharova said that Moscow had shown a maximum readiness to clarify any possible issues the US may have related to INF Treaty.

"Russia's representatives emphasized [at the meeting] that Moscow is invariably interested in ensuring the treaty's viability, is firmly committed to the INF and strictly adheres to its provisions. They also emphasized Russia's readiness for a comprehensive and speedy clarification of the issues which cause the US concern, and set forth our own concerns, accumulating over many years, regarding the observance of the treaty by the US side," Zakharova said.

Moscow, Zakharova said, remains prepared to work on maintaining the viability of the INF Treaty, which she admitted was "not perfect." "But to do so we need a reliable and interested partnerThe solution to the problem can only be found through a frank, equal and constructive dialogue. We are counting on Washington finally coming to recognize this."

President Trump announced Washington's intention to terminate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty last month, accusing Moscow of violating its terms. The treaty, signed between the Soviet Union and the United States in 1987 at the twilight of the Cold War, was aimed primarily at reducing the threat of nuclear war in Europe caused by intermediate range missiles' short flight time. In response to President Trump's talk of scrapping the treaty, the vast majority of Washington's European allies, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic voiced concerns

. The UK offered support, however, echoing the US in accusing Russia of non-compliance with the INF.

 Sputnik

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Family Owned Forever- Rombauer Vineyards Is Authentic And Passionate Posted: Nov 01, 2018

by Andrew Chalk

I will confess. For decades, to the backbeat of people saying we dont like too much oak I have been a fan of big oaky Chardonnays. One of my standbys has been Rombauer Carneros. As other makers of oaky Chardonnay cut the product (some even claiming a virtue of unoaked Chardonnay, despite the glaring fact that this reduced the cost) Rombauer Carneros remained true.



Behind the scenes the family-owned winery was quietly expanding the range of wines that it made to include (as of today) 4 Chardonnays, a Sauvignon Blanc, 5 Zinfandels (the first one in 1990), a Merlot (the first one in 1983), 5 Cabernet Sauvignons (the first one in 1980, when it was custom crushed at Shafer Vineyards and barrel-aged at Stags Leap Vineyards), and a trio of dessert wines.



The result is that my assumption that Rombauer stood for oak is not exactly true as it is not a complete description. Head winemaker Richie Allen (just the 3rd since the winerys founding in 1980) makes a range of styles. each reflecting the place where the grapes were grown. The winery owns 520 acres of vineyard land and leases an additional 100. Estate percentages on a wine-by-wine basis are: Cabernet 90%, Merlot 20%, Chardonnay and Zinfandel 50% each, Sauvignon Blanc 10% (and growing). One contract is based on a handshake agreement and goes back 23 years.



Rombauer was founded in 1980 by Koerner Rombauer, a commercial pilot for Braniff International Airways. A passenger, who was a St. Helena school official, told him about Napa real estate. Out of this encounter he eventually purchased a home and 18 acres near St. Helena. He volunteered at Conn Creek to learn winemaking and in 1976 bought an equity stake. He was so enthusiastic about working at the winery that sometimes his wife would bring his Captains uniform to him at the winery for a quick change before he headed to San Francisco airport (this was before wine country invented traffic). In 1980, he sold the Conn Cree stake and invested the proceeds in his startup Rombauer Vineyards. The whole thing was self-financed other than a small bank loan. He also continued with Braniff part-time until 1988.



Quite a character, before passing away in 2018 he had collected some classic cars, including a legendary 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe, and an example of the outrageous 1988 Lamborghini Countach. He also participated in philanthropy supporting cancer research and land conservation in the Napa Valley. He was instrumental in designing the Rombauer style of Chardonnay: ripe, buttery, soft, with a touch of residual sweetness that proved so popular and is so widely copied.



He was also instrumental in setting a conservationist example with the winery. Today, Rombauer is the most water-efficient winery in the Valley, using approximately half the average (per gallon of wine produced) amount of water typically used by the wine industry. As a consequence, they also produce much more concentrated waste water, which creates a different challenge, as it cannot be broken down by traditional processing methods without an extraordinary scale of processing equipment and evaporation ponds. To address the challenge, Rombauer is the first full-scale winery to utilize a system developed by M.I.T. engineers for Mars Missions. It not only breaks down highly-concentrated waste, but produces energy and, when fully operational, can provide water filtered and purified by reverse osmosis such that it is cleaner than the water from the City taps. They also produce at least 70% of their own electricity, via solar panels and are certified Napa Green and Fish Friendly Farming.



Today, CEO Rob Knebel sees housing as a major issue in the valley The traffic problem does not start as a traffic problem. he says People who work here cant afford to live here so they commute. He works on local boards trying to find solutions consistent with the character of the area. Also, the winery donated a house in St. Helena that it had owned to local school teachers so that they could live in the area.



The winery is now in the hands of the second generation, Koerner KR Rombauer III and Sheana Rombauer. Robert Bob Knebel is President and Chief Executive Officer and comes from a senior sales background in general aviation. His passion for wine led him to make the big switch to the wine business. In the next generation Sheanas daughter, Reagan Rombauer Blackwood, is sales and marketing support manager. At a time when family-owned and run wineries are selling up to wealthy incomers the principals of Rombauer are defiant that they will not.



At a recent tasting we went through examples of some of their table wines. My notes are below but all represent excellent examples of their types.



2017 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc represents a superior interpretation of New World Sauvignon Blanc: more fruity than examples from the Loire in (cooler) northern France. less minerally than South African examples, and less ferocious in its acidity than New Zealand examples. It nonetheless has enough acidity to pair with many foods and we enjoyed it with sushi.



2017 Carneros Chardonnay was as I expected. Lush, fruity, buttery, tender phenolic backbone and a hint of residual sugar make this a crowd pleaser and the object of much copying. Paired with sushi, scallops and other seafood items, this wine will stand up to strong sauces a well.



2015 Napa Valley Merlot If you still harbor a Sideways prejudice against Merlot, remember that Miles stole from his mother. Would you trust a character like that to recommend your wine? More seriously, the bad Merlot of the 1980s has been pulled up or grafted over and the product coming out of California nowadays is world class, and a distinctively different expression of the grape that I expect to be labelled the California style anyday by some sage. This wine can be its ambassador: bright, fruity, built on a complex mesh of forest floor flavors and bouquet, and heartwarming in the finish. Uncannily it is both gloriously enjoyable now and sufficiently tannic to suggest ageing for 5-8 years.



2014 Diamond Selection Cabernet Sauvignon With its nose of slightly herbal aromas, lead pencil, black cherries and just a hint of pyrazines that is enough to be inviting, not enough to be a floor. What some tasters might cll greenness. The plush tannins give this wine both affinity with red meat dishes now and a promise of a decade of successful ageing. It performs on a par with boutique Naa Cabernet Sauvignon and that makes the price a bargain.



2016 Rombauer Zinfandel

This wine is a blend of grapes from El Dorado (60%), Sierra Foothills (23%), Lake (14%) and Napa (3%) counties. It packs forward fruit of boysenberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Great depth and quality with alcohol to match (15.9% ABV).

By Andrew Chalk

November 1, 2018

Source: Go-Wine.com






Newly crowned champion Lewis Hamilton has admitted that his qualifying lap in Singapore was one of the best laps he's ever done, as the Brit took pole position from Max Verstappen with a seemingly perfect lap around the Marina Bay street circuit.

Mercedes were considered heavy underdogs heading into the race weekend in Singapore, with the German team always struggling for pace under the floodlights at the Marina Bay circuit. It looked like that too in practice, with Ferrari and Red Bull looking several tenths quicker than Mercedes.

However, on Saturday in Q3, the grid was shocked as Hamilton somehow took pole position ahead of Verstappen, despite the Dutchman putting in a tremendous lap himself. The lap of Hamilton was as close to perfection as you can be, and with the Brit taking pole position where he shouldn't, Ferrari were clearly rattled.

Im not saying thats controlled from above or anything. When I say its heaven-sent, its just youre always searching for perfection," Hamilton explained to GrandPrix247.

You never get close to it, but that was the closest I felt. The lap just went. It was awesome. For me, that was one of the best laps Ive ever done.

When I say its heaven-sent, its just about setting yourself goals and that feeling you have. Think of heaven  heavens a perfect place and on that lap, I felt I was in a perfect place. In a beautiful place, an amazing feeling, balanced and at my best."

That lap might go down as one of the best qualifying laps ever, you know. It's right up there with Ayrton Senna's legendary Monaco lap in 1988, when he beat his teammate Alain Prost by a whopping 1.5 seconds.
The Kenton County Sheriffs Office on Nov. 1 settled a three-year-old lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, after a school resource officer cuffed two elementary school students at the biceps after being called in to calm them during an emotional outburst.

The students were ages 8 and 9 at the time of the incidents, which took place in 2014. After the incidents drew public attention, Sheriff Charles Korzenborn, who supervised the school resource officer program, said that he steadfastly backed the deputy involved in the incidents, Kevin Sumner. In a deposition, Korzenborn said that he never asked Sumner how often he handcuffed other children, that he was not interested in knowing how often his deputies handcuff school children, and that cuffing children above the elbow is an acceptable practice.

However, in October 2017, a judge ruled that the cuffing constituted an excessive use of force .

The ACLU released videos of one handcuffing incident, which involved an 8-year-old 3rd grader, identified in the lawsuit as S.R. In the videos, Sumner can be seen standing on S.R.'s right after he places handcuffs on the childs arms above the elbow. The videos were taken by a school staff member.

As S.R. squirms and cries, Sumner says I asked you not to kick, and Now, you give me the behavior that you know youre supposed to, or you suffer the consequences. Its your decision to behave this way. S.R. does not appear in the videos to attempt to leave his chair. The lawsuit says he was handcuffed for 15 minutes.

S.R. has post-traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the lawsuit said, but at the time of the incident was not receiving special education services.

L.G., the second child involved in the case, was a 9-year-old 4th grader at the time of the incidents, and also has ADHD. She was receiving accommodations through a 504 plan. According to the lawsuit, Sumner used handcuffs on her twice. After the first incident, he called an ambulance to take her to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

Both children suffered emotionally after the incidents, the ACLU said, and have since left the school district.

This incident is additional evidence of the harm that comes with having law enforcment officers in schools, according to an ACLU statement .

There is no evidence that putting police officers in schools makes children any safer. What we do know is that 1.7 million children attend public schools that have cops but no counselors, the statement said. Three million students attend schools with law enforcement officers, but no nurses. And six million students attend schools with law enforcement officers, but no school psychologists. The brunt of these staffing choices falls most heavily and students with disabilitiesespecially students of color with disabilities.
TDP Under Fire For Tampering Voters' List

The Congress party in Telangana has been fighting tooth and nail against tampering of voters list in the state, allegedly at the behest of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi, resulting in enrolment of bogus voters and deletion of genuine voters from the list.

It has even approached the Supreme Court to see that the deadline was extended for enrolment of new voters.

In Andhra Pradesh, too, the ruling Telugu Desam Party is under fire for allegedly tampering with the voters list.

Both YSR Congress party and the Jana Sena Party have started raising their voices for the alleged malpractices in the electoral list.

Recently, some persons belonging to one agency Centre for Socio Political Analysis (CSPA) conducted a pre-poll survey in old Guntur and got the names of voters who belongs to other than ruling party deleted from the list. Some locals apprehended representatives of this agency and handed them over to the police.

In a statement, Jana Sena Party president and actor Pawan Kalyan alleged that the TDP was behind this agency.

We heard of gangs indulging in kidnapping of children. But now, we have seen kidnapping of voters. Let us see how TDP leaders reacts about the issue. Very soon our party leaders are going to complain to Election Commission about the issue," he said.

The YSRC also lodged a complaint with the Election Commission over the alleged tampering of voters list with the help of government programmes like Pulse Survey and Real Time Governance.

According to YSRC spokesman Ambati Rambabu, as many as 48.61 lakh voters were deleted illegally, especially in Kadapa, Chittoor and Kurnool districts.

TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu is known for indulging in electoral malpractices. We have reliable information that anti-TDP voters were deleted from the list, as the defeat of the TDP is very much certain. The revenue department is being misused to delete anti-TDP voters, Ambati alleged.

Click Here for Latest Direct-to-OTT Releases (List Updates Daily)
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced settlements with two interstate trucking companies which will pay $225,000 in penalties to resolve violations of Californias Truck and Bus Regulation. The companies failed to install particulate filters on some of their heavy-duty diesel trucks and failed to verify that trucks they hired for use in California complied with the state rule.

As part of the settlement, the companies will spend $575,000 on air filtration systems at schools in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

EPA made the announcement at an event at Eastman Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, Calif., highlighting the installation of an air filtration system similar to those that will be funded by the settlements. EPA was joined by the California Air Resources Board, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Heavy-duty trucks can emit drastically higher levels of pollution when not equipped with required emissions controls. Transport companies must comply with Californias rule to improve air quality and protect adjacent schools and communities from breathing these toxic pollutants. EPA Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest Mike Stoker

Schneider National, Inc. operated 150 heavy-duty diesel trucks in California from 2013 to 2016 without the required diesel particulate filters. In addition, the company failed to verify that nearly 1,200 of the carriers it hired in California complied with the Truck and Bus rule. The company, headquartered in Green Bay, WI, will pay a $125,000 penalty and spend $350,000 on air filtration projects at schools located near freeways in the Los Angeles area.

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. operated 117 heavy-duty diesel trucks in California from 2013 to 2016 without the required diesel particulate filters. The company did not verify 64 of the carriers it hired in California complied with the Truck and Bus rule. The company, headquartered in Thomasville, N.C., will pay a $100,000 penalty and spend $225,000 on air filtration projects at schools in the Rialto area.

Californias Truck and Bus Rule is providing the emissions reductions necessary to help meet federal air quality standards. This settlement shows that all fleets operating in California, including national fleets based in other states, must comply with regulatory requirements. Todd Sax, California Air Resources Board Enforcement Chief

The air filtration system will be installed at both the Eastman Avenue Elementary School campus and the Eastman Avenue Early Education Center located directly across the street. These are two of approximately eight schools in the Los Angeles and Rialto areas that will receive funding for air filtration systems from recent EPA Truck and Bus rule settlements, including those announced today.

The Eastman Avenue campus is within two blocks of a major freeway. These air filtration systems reduce exposure to ultrafine particulate matter and black carbon emitted from trucks operating on nearby highways.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District will verify performance of the systems and training of school staff. The project at Eastman Avenue Elementary School includes a ten-year supply of replacement filters, which are expected to remove more than 90% of ultrafine particulate matter and black carbon.

Schools near major freeways can be exposed to high levels of traffic pollution. Studies have shown that improved indoor air quality in classrooms increases productivity and improves attendance and performance in both adults and students.

Diesel emissions from trucks are one of the states largest sources of fine particle pollution, or soot, which has been linked to a variety of health issues, including asthma, impaired lung development in children, and cardiovascular effects in adults. About 625,000 trucks are registered outside of the state, but operate in California and are subject to the rule. Many of these vehicles are older models and emit high amounts of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. The rule, which requires diesel trucks and buses that operate in California to be upgraded to reduce diesel emissions, is an essential part of the states plan to attain cleaner air.

The California Truck and Bus Regulation was adopted into federal Clean Air Act plan requirements in 2012 and applies to diesel trucks and buses operating in California. The rule requires trucking companies to upgrade vehicles they own to meet specific NO x and particulate matter performance standards and also requires trucking companies to verify compliance of vehicles they hire or dispatch.

Heavy-duty diesel trucks in California must meet 2010 engine emissions levels or use diesel particulate filters that can reduce the emissions of diesel particulates into the atmosphere by 85% or more.
On October 28 there was the last time when the citizens of Georgia directly elected the country's president for the nest six-year term. None of the 25 candidates could not collect the necessary number of votes to win in the first round. Thus, 14 days after the publication of the CEC official results of the voting, a second round will take place, in which Salome Zurabishvili (38%) and Grigol Vashadze will face (37%). Vestnik Kavkaza offers to the readers a translation of the article 'Die letzte direkte Prasidentschaftswahl in Georgien', published by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The constitutional amendments introduced in 2017 provide for a transition from a presidential to a parliamentary system of governance in Georgia. The 2024 presidential election will be indirect - the president will be elected the electoral college. Limiting the president's authority caused a lot of criticism - not the least from current president Giorgi Margvelashvili, who repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the alleged lack of a clear description of the head of state's functions in the new system.

At the same time, according to the Venice Commission and international experts on constitutional law, the reform of the first Constitution, adopted by Georgia after it gained independence in 1991, should be a step towards a more democratic political system with a clearer separation of the three branches of government, strengthening the parliament's role and responsibility. Both Shevardnadze and Saakashvili abused wide presidential powers in the past.

The significance of the last direct presidential election was repeatedly underestimated by the Georgian Dream ruling party, which pointed to the reduced presidential powers. It was also one of the reasons named by the Georgian Dream, according to which President Margvelashvili no longer wanted to run for this post after serving one term. Instead, another person dominated the media space: Salome Zurabishvili, who was an independent candidate later supported by the party of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. Born in Paris to a family of Georgian emigres arrived in Georgia in 2003 as the French ambassador. In 2004, Mikhail Saakashvili suggested that President Jacques Chirac relieve Zurabishvili from working for French diplomacy to appoint her Georgian Foreign Minister. But in 2005, there's been a rift between Saakashvili and Zurabishvili, as a result of which the latter was dismissed.

After that, Zurabishvili, as an ordinary parliamentarian, created a new party, the Georgian Way to lead it. In Georgian society, Zurabishvili has been criticized for controversial statements, including regarding the 2008 Russian-Georgian war and attacks on the Georgian clergy. These and other statements by Zurabishvili casued a strong polarization of Georgian society several weeks before the elections.

The society criticizes the Georgian Dream party's support for Zurabishvili, which initially did not want to nominate its own candidate "in the best traditions of European parliamentary republics." The alleged independence of Zurabishvilis candidacy has declined due to the support of former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili's party.The imbalance in favor of Zurabishvili during the election race can be seen on Georgian streets with the naked eye - both in the capital and in the regions, the Georgian Dream's favorite candidate was presented everywhere, while only two other candidates of the remaining 24 had limited visual presence.

Under the leadership of the UNM opposition party, a coalition of 10 small opposition parties was formed, which nominated Grigol Vashadze as their candidate. Vashadze also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Saakashvili, and was considered as the main rival of Salome Zurabishvili even before the election.

The candidate from the European Georgia party, David Bakradze, who scored 11% in the October 28 vote, had a good chance. Under the previous government, Bakradze was speaker of parliament and deputy from European Georgia party.

Before the elections, through the mediation of the European Peoples Party faction in the European Parliament, the UNM and European Georgia party concluded an agreement that if the second round of elections is held, the two parties will support a single candidate. And as a result of the October 28 vote, it happened.

Despite the fact that the current presidential election is less significant than the 2020 parliamentary election, it was a test for the relatively young 27-year-old Georgian democracy. Their correct conduct is an important factor for alleviating increasing tension in society and public discontent over economic regress. The UNM was able to gradually increase public support for its candidate, while Salome Zurabishvili, supported by the Georgian Dream and the government majority, could not win in the first round. But this is the only thing that can be regarded as the success of the UNM, which has been able to establish itself in the struggle against superior force. The level of support for Bakradze is fixed at 10%.

The end of these presidential election will be an important harbinger of the 2020 parliamentary elections, because it will show whether the country is able to change the government in accordance with democratic standards. For this reason, international observers urge all candidates to adhere to democratic principles and show respect for the will of the Georgian population. Immediately after the completion of the first round of voting, Grigol Vashadze caused a new public debate with his statements: if he becomes president, he will pardon ex-president Mikhail Saakashvili, whose arrest warrant was issued by the current Georgian government. Time will tell whether this statement was a good move for the second round of elections or vice versa.
"This fire has burned 4,000 years and never stopped," says Aliyeva Rahila. "Even the rain coming here, snow, wind -- it never stops burning." Ahead, tall flames dance restlessly across a 10-meter stretch of hillside, making a hot day even hotter. This is how CNN reports in its article Eternal flame: How Azerbaijan became the 'Land of Fire' about Yanar Dag -- meaning "burning mountainside" -- on Azerbaijan's Absheron Peninsula, where Rahila works as a tour guide.

A side effect of the country's plentiful natural gas reserves, which sometimes leak to the surface, Yanar Dag is one of several spontaneously occurring fires to have fascinated and frightened travelers to Azerbaijan over the millennia. Venetian explorer Marco Polo wrote of the mysterious phenomena when he passed through the country in the 13th century. Other Silk Road merchants brought news of the flames as they would travel to other lands. It's why the country earned the moniker the "land of fire."

Ancient religion

Such fires were once plentiful in Azerbaijan, but because they led to a reduction of gas pressure underground, interfering with commercial gas extraction, most have been snuffed out. Yanar Dag is one of the few remaining examples, and perhaps the most impressive. At one time they played a key role in the ancient Zoroastrian religion, which was founded in Iran and flourished in Azerbaijan in the first millennium BCE. For Zoroastrians, fire is a link between humans and the supernatural world, and a medium through which spiritual insight and wisdom can be gained. It's purifying, life-sustaining and a vital part of worship. Today, most visitors who arrive at the no-frills Yanar Dag visitors' center come for the spectacle rather than religious fulfillment. The experience is most impressive at night, or in winter. When snow falls, the flakes dissolve in the air without ever touching the ground, says Rahila. Despite the claimed antiquity of the Yanar Dag flames -- some argue that this particular fire may only have been ignited in the 1950s -- it's a long 30-minute drive north from the center of Baku just to see it. The center offers only a small cafe and there's not much else in the area.

Ateshgah Fire Temple

For a deeper insight into Azerbaijan's history of fire worship, visitors should head east of Baku to Ateshgah Fire Temple. "Since ancient times, they think that [their] god is here," says our guide, as we enter the pentagonal complex which was built in the 17th and 18th century by Indian settlers in Baku. Fire rituals at this site date back to the 10th century or earlier. The name Ateshgah comes from the Persian for "home of fire" and the centerpiece of the complex is a cupola-topped altar shrine, built upon a natural gas vent. A natural, eternal flame burned here on the central altar until 1969, but these days the fire is fed from Baku's main gas supply and is only lit for visitors. The temple is associated with Zoroastrianism but it's as a Hindu place of worship that its history is better documented.

Merchants and ascetics

Built like a caravanserai-style travelers' inn, the complex has a walled courtyard surrounded by 24 cells and rooms. These were variously used by pilgrims, passing merchants (whose donations were a vital source of income) and resident ascetics, some of whom submitted themselves to ordeals such as lying on caustic quicklime, wearing heavy chains, or keeping an arm in one position for years on end.

The temple fell out of use as a place of worship in the late 19th century, at a time when the development of the surrounding oil fields meant that veneration of Mammon was gaining a stronger hold. The complex became a museum in 1975, was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, and today welcomes around 15,000 visitors a year.
NATO and Russia envoys on Wednesday discussed their respective large-scale military exercises and a Cold War-era missile treaty that Washington vows to quit over accusations of Russian non-compliance, the Western alliance said. Reuters reports in its article Rare NATO-Russia talks address military drills, 1987 missile treaty that the talks, the first between the former Cold War foes since May, came against a backdrop of renewed tensions between the West and Russia.

A NATO statement said the sides had an open exchange of views on Ukraine, Russias Vostok military exercises and NATOs ongoing Trident Juncture drills, as well as on Afghanistan and hybrid security threats.

NATO this month launched its largest exercises since the Cold War in Norway, whose non-NATO Nordic neighbors Sweden and Finland have drawn closer to the alliance since being spooked by Russias role in the turmoil in Ukraine.

NATO troops are maneuvering close to the borders of Russia, which held its huge annual Vostok military drill in September. The two are regularly irked by each others exercises, where a show of force and deterrence play a major role.

The drills have steadily grown in size in recent years as an atmosphere of stand-off between Russia and the West has grown. Russias 2018 edition of Vostok mobilized 300,000 troops and included joint exercises with the Chinese army - the biggest such drills since the Soviet Union broke up in 1991.

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg also called on Russia to make quick changes to comply in full with the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. Russia denies violating it.

We all agree that the INF Treaty has been crucial to Euro-Atlantic security...Allies have repeatedly expressed serious concerns about the new Russian missile system, known as the 9M729 or SSC-8, Stoltenberg said in the statement.

He said development of the SSC-8 land-based, intermediate-range Cruise missile posed a serious risk to strategic stability.

NATO has urged Russia repeatedly to address these concerns in a substantial and transparent way, and to actively engage in a constructive dialogue with the United States...We regret that Russia has not heeded our calls, Stoltenberg added.

At the same time, NATO hopes Washington - whose other rivals China or Iran are not constrained by the treaty that rid Europe of land-based nuclear missiles - will not pull out in the end.

European leaders worry any collapse of the INF treaty could lead to a new, destabilizing arms race.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said the Taliban must embrace direct talks with the nation's government to help end the 17-year war that's maimed and killed tens of thousands of people and cost the U.S. more than $900 billion.

The Taliban and other terrorist groups are trying "to turn our beautiful country into a breeding ground of violence," Ghani, 69, said in an interview on Thursday in his office in Kabul, adorned with a huge portrait of an 18th century king widely regarded as the founder of Afghanistan. "We have to pursue peace, a lasting, just and sustainable peace."

Ghani - who said he will seek re-election next year to "finish the job" he started - and the U.S. are struggling to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. The resurgent militant group controls or contests almost half of the nation's territory, and is increasingly displacing people and using narcotics to fund its deadly campaign, which wounded or killed more than 10,000 Afghan civilians last year alone.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year ordered that peace talks be jump started to end his country's longest war. His administration appointed Zalmay Khalilzad in September as an U.S. envoy on Afghan reconciliation.

Soon after, Khalilzad met with Taliban leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha, to discuss peace and the release of Taliban prisoners, according to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed. The meeting worked. The Pakistani government, accused of supporting the group in Afghanistan, released the deputy and co-founder of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who many Afghans see as a supporter of talks, after he spent eight years in prison. Pakistan denies helping the militants.

Although the militant group met the U.S. envoy, it has repeatedly rejected Ghani's offer for direct talks because it deems his government as illegitimate. The Taliban said it will only hold direct talks with Ghani after the withdrawal of American forces from the war-torn country, something that has been rejected by the U.S. and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Ghani's government is increasingly losing its territory to the militants. The administration controlled or influenced about 55.5 percent of Afghan districts as of July, the least since November 2015, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said late Wednesday in its quarterly report. And after $8.9 billion in U.S. counter-narcotics appropriations, poppy production surged in 2017 and is now four times higher than in 2002, the year after American forces invaded to topple the Taliban.

Ghani has to also contend with rivalry between two global powers. He wants to include Russia as a "partner" in fighting terrorism in his country, but the U.S. declined to take part in the Russian-led peace discussions in August. The talks were later postponed.

"We need to bring us all to a level of cooperation, not confrontation," Ghani said. Lasting peace will help the mineral-rich nation pull people out of poverty, he said.

The U.S. is paying billions of dollars for Afghan soldiers to fight the Taliban. Three quarters of Afghanistan's national budget is provided by the U.S. and other international donors. Ghani wants to tap the country's mineral wealth - estimated at between $1 trillion to $3 trillion - to wean the country off foreign aid.

Afghanistan has the world's largest mineral resources of copper, iron, lithium, gold, silver, and rare-earth elements.

"For the first time in 40 years we have really been focusing on developing our natural wealth and creating the financial instruments and connecting to the region," Ghani said. "Afghanistan cannot be a burden on the international community and it has to become an asset. That means by 2024, we have to able to pay for our security."
Azerbaijani Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov held a meeting with Tajik Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Azerbaijan Rustam Soli in Baku today, information department of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said.

During the meeting the parties discussed the current bilateral cooperation in the agro-industrial sector.

Among other things, Kerimov and Soli outlined practical measures for the mutual exchange of experience of specialists and the possibility of establishment of joint ventures, the Avesta news agency reported.
GREENWICH  As they head into the home stretch before Election Day, the towns candidates in the state legislative races went before Greenwichs young electorate on Friday afternoon.

More than 500 Greenwich High School students filled the performing arts center for a debate between incumbent Republicans Sen. L. Scott Frantz of the 36th District and Reps. Michael Bocchino of the 150th District and Fred Camillo of the 151st District and their respective Democratic challengers, Alexandra Bergstein, Stephen Meskers and Laura Kostin.

Students asked the candidates about their views on everything from the states economy and transportation infrastructure to gun safety laws and the legalization of marijuana.

And while most students at the debate arent eligible to vote Tuesday, organizers said they wanted the focus to go beyond this years election.

We wanted to make it so even if they couldnt vote this year they would listen, participate and be engaged in politics in the future, said GHS junior Toby Hirsch, one of the students who put the questions together.

The students came up with the questions. Candidates were allowed only one minute for each answer, maximizing the number of questions.

One big topic: All of the candidates spoke out about the need to revitalize Connecticuts economy.

We need to fix our balance sheet immediately, and we need to stop borrowing money at a precipitous rate thats putting all of you in a very bad position going forward if youre going to stick around in Connecticut, Frantz told the teenage crowd. We need to change the business environment to a much more friendly one.

Bergstein said she based her views on her research and her conversations with business leaders.

There are solutions out there that our current leaders are opposed to but are being implemented in other states like Massachusetts, like tolls to drive revenue and modernize our trains, addressing our unfunded pension liabilities and lowering our taxes in a responsible way, Bergstein said.

More must be done to create jobs, particularly for young people, Bocchino said, calling for a focus on the technology, nanotechnology and bioscience industries.

We need to bring the businesses that left back, GE for one, he said. We just had an opportunity to work for Amazon, how many would have loved to work for Amazon? Weve got to bring in Tesla. We need to lower the corporate income tax to bring these businesses back, and we need to invest in you guys. We need to take the colleges and community colleges and partner together.

Meskers called for tax reform and infrastructure improvements, saying his kids, all of whom went to GHS, are now working out of the state and he isnt happy about it.

Infrastructure is the shortest route to get the economy moving, he said. Putting shovels in the ground and getting the roads and rails fixed and getting on that first should be our priority. He called for partnerships between industries and universities to create high-tech jobs and innovation hubs to get the state growing.

Camillo called for tax cuts across the board, saying that is how Massachusetts, unlike Connecticut, was able to recover after the Great Recession.

No one ever moved to a state because they had high taxes, Camillo said. Sen. Frantz and I put in the Live Here, Learn Here Bill to help keep kids here. When you graduate from a Connecticut school, your taxes for 10 years go into an account so you can put it toward a down payment on a house.

Kostin advocated for tax and pension reform, plus transportation improvements.

No company wants to come here if they cant move goods or people efficiently, she said. A commuter told her that for every minute that hes not at his desk because hes waiting for a train or hes sitting in traffic, someone else is pinching his clients and hes losing out. We need to get serious about our transportation infrastructure so we can get everyone to work, and we dont lose out.

All three Democrats said they support bringing tolls to Connecticuts highway  and Meskers noted the campaign signs stating: No tax. No toll. Vote Republican.

Weve got 35 percent of the traffic thats from out of state and is commercial, Meskers said. Instead of thinking of it as a tax, you ought to think we are providing a multistate charity on I-95. That means every commuter coming out of New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts  and Amazon and FedEx  are traveling our roads for free and they pay in every other state. You can pay for it  or they can pay for i..

Bocchino took credit for the catchy no toll signs, saying he had printed them.

Tolls are another tax, and we cant afford it, he said. We cant afford tolls until we fix the financial structure of the state of Connecticut. Its just another tax on the people here.

The topic of gun laws led to several exchanges. Frantz offered strong support for the bipartisan gun safety reforms he helped to craft after the Sandy Hook tragedy. But he said Connecticuts open carry laws should remain because it is not legal to bring AR-15 assault rifles to the state  or even buy them here.

Open carry is really not so much of a big problem in the state of Connecticut now, Frantz said. Its not involved with any school shootings. ... Thats probably an OK law.

But Bergstein objected and called out the Republican caucus for its support of GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski, who has received an A rating from the NRA, and for not speaking out against Congress in Washington.

We are not OK in Connecticut, Bergstein said. It is naive to think were safe. We can pass good laws in our state  but guess what trumps state laws? Federal laws.

She cited the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act that passed the House in November 2017, which would allow anyone with a gun permit from another state that allows assault weapons to bring them into Connecticut. Someone could be hanging outside with an AR-15 and the police cant do anything about it, she said.

The Republican Congress needs to change that, and I ask our Republican leaders to get your people to change it, Bergstein said.

Camillo took exception to the statement as well as what he called nasty and misleading mailers from the Kostin campaign. We are running for the state, despite what you just heard. We are all state legislators. Dont fall for the deflections and the distractions, he said. If someone wants to address that they should run for Washington, not Hartford.

In answering a question about the Environmental Protection Agency, Kostin responded that the state would have a say in federal issues.

I believe the state level is where we will be fighting for our right to clean air and water because the federal government isnt doing it, Kostin said. Dont let anyone tell you that just because were at the state level this isnt where its going to happen.

The debate was held in partnership between GHS We The People Project and the League of Women Voters of Greenwich.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
GREENWICH  Calijah Joseph has one thing on his mind when it comes to saving and spending money: V-Bucks. Thats the in-game currency of Fortnite, the most popular computer game among kids his age.

I really need them, Joseph said.

Like every sixth-grader, said John Breitfelder, a ninth-grader at Rye Country Day who was the volunteer paired with Joseph. The two will draw up their financial goals for the next six weeks.

This seems like a great opportunity to try something new, said Breitfelder, who has a few years of math tutoring experience under his belt.

The two are part of the Greenwich United Ways pilot financial literacy program, a six-week course at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich that aims to provide a local solution to a statewide problem: a lack of required education on personal finance.

Find it, fund it, fix it, United Way CEO David Rabin said. Thats what we do.

Rabin cited a 2017 report that determined Connecticut is failing at teaching its public-school students about financial literacy.

States fail if they do not not have a state-level graduation requirement, or a mandate that the topic be taught, according to the report by the Champlain College Center for Financial Literacy.

The State Department of Education has endorsed personal finance courses and provided a template curriculum for teachers. Many Connecticut high schools, including Greenwich High, provide some kind of personal finance course.

But the United Ways pilot program, sponsored by U.S. Trust, is targeting a younger audience. Boys & Girls Club selects the students based on need and interest.

The need is real in this community, said Cecile Meunier, the United Way program coordinator for Champions, an umbrella literacy program that now encompasses finances as well as reading.

Its less intimidating, Meunier said. Its not just financial literacy, but a whole mind-set of being aware of money choices.

United Way hosted its first session at the Boys & Girls Club on Thursday afternoon. This week, five middle-school students, dubbed financial planners, paired with five volunteers from area high schools, who acted as clients seeking help in managing their money.

The kids have six weeks to achieve their goal of saving up to $40, which will go toward spending, buying gifts, donating to charity, saving up and putting aside in a rainy day fund.

Were talking real money here, Nancy Kail, a United Way board member who developed the curriculum, told her students.

They will meet weekly through December. Students will present their financial goals and their results to community members during a closing ceremony. If they meet their goals, an anonymous donor will match the money they set aside for savings and donations.

Providers model the pilot program on the Reading Champions program, which is in every elementary school in Greenwich, the Boys & Girls Club, YWCA Greenwich and the Byram Archibald Neighborhood Center.

The end goal is making this scalable for the rest of the town, Meunier said.

The pilot program makes more sense as an after-school activity because the lessons can be more interactive and less conversational, she said.

During his session with Breitfelder, Joseph decided to spend $10 on V-Bucks, donate $5 to the Central Middle School PTA, save $10 for future V-Bucks and put $5 in a rainy day fund.

Not afraid to be frugal to realize his financial goals, he plans to save money by gifting his friend a high-five.

Thats cost-effective, Kail conceded.

All of the money used to support the program is from Greenwich United Way and US Trust.

jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com
In the past five years, the cloud management company I founded has grown from a one-person business into a global employer of over 300 people. Recently, VMware, the most important provider of infrastructure and technology in our industry, purchased us -- an exciting milestone as we look to the future and continue to execute on our vision.

Related: The 3-Step Approach for Testing Out Your Business Idea

In spite of all the twists and turns I've experienced, there's been one thing I did right in the early phases of building this business: committing to continuous experimentation.

When I left my previous company, I had an idea of where I could bring the most value in the market, based on my previous experiences in cloud computing. But I'd also been inspired by Stephen Blanks The Four Steps to the Epiphany and indirectly by the Lean Startup movement. As a result, I knew I would start my business from the top down: by devoting myself to a market (cloud management) and to the scientific method for entrepreneurship -- dispassionately testing all assumptions and hypotheses, and following where they led.

So, where did I begin? And where do you begin? Here are the steps.

Develop your initial hypotheses.

The process of entrepreneurship starts with a set of hypotheses to identify the product or service you will bring to your customers. A good hypothesis is that it answers critical questions regarding your initial business concept that can be proven only through experimentation.

I started my own journey by putting a poster on the wall and using sticky notes to capture the critical hypotheses I needed to test. Every two weeks, I selected a set of hypotheses and designed experiments to prove or disprove them.

En route, I thought about the ecommerce company Zappos -- a supporter of the Lean Startup movement --and its initial hypothesis that people would buy shoes online. For the file-sharing company Dropbox, the hypothesis was that users needed a radically simplified way to share files. For the coffee retailer Starbucks, it was that Americans would embrace the Italian coffee culture.

Design an experiment.

Next, choose a set of hypotheses to test, and design an experiment to test them. A good experiment should eliminate all ambiguity from the hypothesis to the answer. It should also prove or disprove the hypotheses with the least possible investment.

I was inspired at this stage by stories from entrepreneurs like Dropbox's Drew Houston, Zappos founder Nick Swinmurn and Starbucks's Howard Schultz. To prove his hypothesis, Houston didn't invest in building yet another file-sharing app; he instead created a video that demonstrated the ease of use of his idea for Dropbox and how it could be a differentiator.

Similarly, Swinmurn didn't choose to buy inventory for his new online shoe store, instead, he took pictures of shoes. He posted them on a website and purchased the shoes from the store only after receiving a customer order.

Schultz, meanwhile, chose to cram his early concept for delivering Italian coffee culture to American consumers into 300 square feet, inside another retail store.

Experiment and observe.

My experiments ranged far and wide -- from driving an advertising campaign, to creating an A/B test website, to performing customer interviews with large financial institutions, to delivering professional services.

For example, one of my sticky notes asserted simply that, "Cloud cost management is a feature and not a market." The experiment I designed to prove or disprove this statement was built around helping five local businesses optimize their cloud costs.

As an early-stage entrepreneur, you have to be willing to conduct these sorts of tests to determine what works, what doesnt and how you can identify real and durable problems in a market. You need to to take risks, to be willing to fail and understand that youre always learning.

Related: Pivot or Persevere? The Key to Startup Success

Dropbox's own critical video experiment resulted in its beta user requests growing from 5,000 to 75,000 users, validating critical hypotheses without investing in a single line of code. Starbucks's first store attracted 1,000 visitors per day to a location that had previously never seen more than 200. Zappos's website resulted in actual sales of shoes, which were fulfilled with purchases -- at list price -- from a local store.

Discuss results with advisors.

Before starting the company, I created my own informal board of advisors, who included a venture investor, two technology CEOs, a business development executive and a technology founder. All were dedicated to my success, with no strings attached.

I met with them for coffee throughout the experimentation process, and always discussed with them what I was learning. Having talented colleagues to provide feedback and advice frequently produced new insights.

Rinse and repeat.

Once you secure answers to your first hypotheses, it's time for you to go back to the drawing board and create new hypotheses, design another experiment and test it. A hypothesis without an experiment does no good. You gain the most knowledge when youre testing the ideas you propose.

Start the business.

I equate the start of my company to an experiment I called the sale. After several months of developing hypotheses and running experiments, I had a good sense of where I could add strong and durable value for customers in the market. But what I hadn't tested was price.

I hypothesized that a prospective customer would need to be willing to spend $50,000 annually -- roughly the average price required to sustain the business model -- on my product, to support the inside sales-driven model I was projecting. So, I designed an experiment around cold calling a handful of prospective customers and trying to convince them to purchase my minimum viable product for $50,000 per year.

In the process of being rejected, I hoped to learn about the additional features these companies needed to justify purchasing a product at that price point.

As part of the exercise, I first spoke with the CFO of a fast-growing technology company. While the CFO understood the problem I was addressing, he had almost no input on features, and no interest in paying for a solution. But then he surprised me by asking for another call the next day with his vice president of engineering and members of his team.

The assembled team not only had deep knowledge in the area in which I had built my MVP, but had already built many of my features themselves.

By the end of the call, the vice president of engineering made the surprising statement: Sure, well buy. When faced with the potential for a sale, the first instinct of every good engineer is to do exactly what you shouldnt: keep talking. Instead, I proceeded to explain how the CFO was hadn't been convinced the previous day, and that maybe the engineering VP should talk to him before agreeing to a purchase.

Our CFO is in the room right now, the VP said. "Well buy. Just send us the contract.

As I hung up, my excitement at having a first customer was tempered by the reality that I had no contract to send, nor a business entity under which to extend it. Since my experiment had been designed for failure, I hadnt given much thought to what to do when confronted with success. Thus began my next challenge: creating a business entity and onboarding a first customer -- fast.

Related: 5 Reasons Not to Follow the Lean Startup Process for Your Next Idea

Reach a conclusion and communicate it with peers

Starting a company is one of the most irrational acts you can do as a human being. You are taking great personal and professional risk for an unknown outcome. While there is no foolproof way to manage this uncertainty, there is a way to minimize the risk: continuous experimentation in the presence of customers. My company exists as a direct result of a commitment to experimentation, a route you should seriously consider when you start down your own entrepreneurial path.

Related:



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Benjamin Franklin is a role model for anyone building a gaming company.

He was brilliant. A live mind. Creative. Consider his magic square, one of the original American games. It's a Sudoku master's dream -- and a challenge for even a computer to invent. It's said that Franklin was so bored as a clerk at the Pennsylvania Assembly that he kept himself occupied by making up mind-twisting mathematical puzzles.

Related: How Shopify, Hubspot, Oath and Peapod Supercharged Their Company Cultures This Past Year

Franklin was also an extraordinary business and civic leader. He knew how to delegate, he knew how to network and he knew how to raise capital. He ran his own printing shop, then franchised his business to ward off the threat of local competition. He bought and then grew The Pennsylvania Gazette into one of America's most prominent newspapers.

So, when it came time to write down my mobile esports company's values, I looked to Franklin's 13 Virtues as inspiration.

The system Franklin devised (at the age of 20!) to develop his character doesn't seamlessly translate to today's world. Yet, with a thoughtful update, the core of Franklin's ideas provide a powerful blueprint for building a successful gaming company -- or any kind of initiative.

Here's how we've adapted and adopted some of Franklin's values at my company, Skillz.

Honor above all

I don't care if you're a hotshot engineer or the most incredible marketer on the planet -- we have a strict "no jerks allowed" policy. Being a jerk ruins cultures, and bad cultures ruin companies.

As part of our commitment to honor, we ensure fairness in our games -- which means stamping out cheating before it starts. We rate players accurately so that they're matched against others with equal skill. We dive into data to pinpoint aberrations and magical increases of skill that could indicate cheating attempts, and can even discover if players are cheating by how they swipe or hold a device.

In general, entrepreneurs and leaders should conduct themselves at work and at play as if everything they do will appear on the front page of The New York Times. In a world with omnipresent social media, those types of ramifications are more likely than ever.

Related: How You Can Use the Counterintuitive Genius of the Benjamin Franklin Effect to Your Advantage

Mission-focused

It's our mission to make every competitive experience as exciting as Game 7 of the World Series, bottom of the ninth, tie score -- and we inject that mission into all we do internally. We frequently test drive our own games with internal staff tournaments that boast prizes like Skillz swag but, above all, bragging rights. Also, all Skillz employees are required to play 35 games per week to ensure we're all assisting in testing out the latest and greatest content to optimize the experience for our 18 million players.

Live your mission, and you'll be far more likely to achieve it. If you're starting a new company, make sure your product or service is something you're passionate about. Just because you see an opportunity doesn't mean you're automatically going to be successful. There are a lot of great ideas out there, but you have to genuinely enjoy the time you spend at work to overcome all the challenges associated with building a thriving business. At Skillz, we hire people who are passionate about making gaming better and challenging the status quo. As you look to build your team, hire people who share your vision.

Willingness and balance

"I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it," Franklin famously quipped. We're of the same mindset: We work hard to make incredible advances. As a result, we've been lucky enough to be named the fastest-growing company in America.

That said, while I slept at my desk several times at previous jobs in venture capital and private equity investing, those habits have been put to bed at Skillz. Why? I've finally learned that balance can make all the difference.

Related: By Failing to Prepare, You Are Indeed Preparing to Fail

As a leader, you should vigorously enforce a work-life balance. There may not be enough time in a normal workday to accomplish everything you want to get done at a startup, but you risk losing staff if your team burns out quickly from working too many hours. Skillz has an official "weekend whistle" at 5 p.m. on Fridays, and we enforce an email embargo until noon on Sunday. That ensures an uninterrupted 43 hours offline, which is a lot for startups! We also offer half-day "summer Fridays" in August and a generous PTO policy -- our staff takes an average of 21 days off per year.

Employee autonomy

Ben Franklin didn't have a set schedule, and he was one of the most productive people in history. In similar fashion, we don't schedule high school-style chunks of time all day. Instead, we trust our team to figure out a way to ace the test. It's about results, not work.

Another way to think of this is to treat everybody in your workforce as if they're CEOs. This isn't high school; we're all professionals. Entrepreneurs need to empower their teams and provide opportunities for ownership and autonomy so people can do their best work. This can be done by looking for ways to help employees grow and develop new skills, whether that's having the chance to run point on an important project or stepping into a different position.

Collaboration in all things

Franklin is known as an iconoclastic larger-than-life individual, but a closer look reveals almost every initiative of his was a team effort, from declaring independence from Britain to capturing electricity (more on that below). We embody that spirit of teamwork as we work in diverse teams across a fast-growing organization, and also when partnering with more than 13,000 game studios around the world. In an increasingly hyperconnected world, that collaborative spirit is more essential now than ever.

Related: 6 Pieces of Timeless Business Advice From Ford, Hamilton, Rockefeller and More

Frugality: Not cheap, but smart

In the modern era of enormous funding rounds, it's easy to slip into inefficiency. Given this omnipresent reality, we ask all of our employees to establish healthy financial habits for long-term success. (Franklin admitted difficulty in living up to this value and credited his wife, Deborah Read, in helping him stay the course. Another example of collaboration!)

Make sure your employees manage company money as if it's their own. CEOs should set clear guidelines and empower managers to spend funds that will have the greatest ROI for the company and move the business closer to achieving its goals.

Capturing lightning in a bottle

Many know the story of Ben Franklin and his "discovery" of electricity with a kite and a key. This example embodies many of his values: years of work, collaboration with friends and family (his son held the kite), frugality (it was just a kite, a key and a Leyden jar), and a clear mission to demystify electricity. The results are stuff of legend.

As I've learned from Ben Franklin, core values are vital to capture lightning in a bottle. Establish them early, and practice them often. Be like Ben. Create your own legend.

Related:

What Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues Taught Me About Leading a Company -- and 6 Tips All Entrepreneurs Should Practice

Operational Excellence: The First Part of Achieving an Executive Hero Factor

To Build a Resilient Culture Stop the Blaming and Shaming and Start Showing People Respect



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
A passenger bus has crashed into a truck on a highway in Turkish province of Sivas, killing two people and wounding 22 others.

All of the injured were taken to the city hospital, all of them are Turkish citizens, Turkish media reported.

A criminal case has been initiated.
On Nov. 4, 1979, U.S. relations with Iran changed forever. That was the day hundreds of Iranian students invaded the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 American diplomats hostage for the next 444 days.

The Trump administration has tellingly chosen Nov. 4 to reimpose severe economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic. So, starting on Sunday, Iran's oil sales will diminish, international financial transactions will likely grind to a halt, and ordinary Iranians will continue their scramble to simply survive the double onslaught from a regime that cares little for their aspirations and a U.S. government hellbent on making them miserable.

Yet almost four decades of sanctions on Tehran have failed to fundamentally alter Iranian behavior. The odds are they won't this time, either.

"Sanctions will have an economic impact, but they will not change policy. The United States must learn that," Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, told CBS News last week. "The U.S. has an addiction to sanctions and they believe that the sanctions are the panacea that resolve all the problems. They don't. They in fact hurt people."

If our goal is to free Iran from the mullahs' tyranny, an entirely new approach is needed. As a president who claims to be an unparalleled businessman, Donald Trump should capitalize on this opportunity. He should open unrestricted commercial trade with Iran.

I know it sounds counterintuitive. Trump has shown himself notably reluctant to make any compromises with Tehran.

Nonetheless, economic engagement offers the greatest potential for undermining Iran's leaders in a way that promotes the United States' economic interests while empowering Iran's impressive class of independent entrepreneurs.

Instead, all we've done - and this goes back to the Reagan administration and everyone who has followed it - is to tie the hands of Iran's private sector, limiting its efficacy as a cultural and economic force. You can't support Iran's civil society if you simultaneously favor efforts to destroy the country's economy.

Another benefit of a "yes to business" approach is that it would create jobs for Americans and increase exports, a goal Trump constantly touts as being at the core of his economic policies.

The Iranians hoped their acceptance of the nuclear deal would loosen sanctions and allow American and European businesses to return to Iran. But that hasn't happened. One reason, as I've learned from business executives I've spoken with about the issue, is that Iran has done little to guarantee the safety of foreign workers who might be based in the country.

A Trump outreach to Tehran could expose and exploit that reality. Tell Iranians that they are free to do business with us if they change specific destructive traits, such as taking foreign nationals hostage.

Altering bad behavior through prolonged commercial relations - even with old adversaries - has proved a much more effective strategy for the United States than sanctioning governments into submission. Our strong relations with Vietnam are but one case in point.

No matter how odious the regime in Iran is, plenty of other countries are ready to do business with it. The European Union exported about $12 billion in goods to Iran in 2017. That was led by $3.5 billion from Germany.

That's not a huge figure, but when compared with the paltry $70 million in exports from the United States, Europe's exports to Iran look massive.

China, on the other hand, has no problem trading with Iran; its exports reached nearly $19 billion last year, and the amount is rising. Russia's trade with Iran is worth about $2 billion, but Moscow is eager to boost that number.

Why is this important? Because Russian and Chinese cooperation with the previous sanctions on Iran was an essential component of them having any economic effect. Both countries - along with Europe - say they plan to keep doing business with Iran.

And yet Iranian businesspeople have always viewed their relations with China and Russia as a placeholder for a day when the United States and Europe would once again fully return to Iran's market. The fact that that isn't happening isn't only bad for business - it's also bad for the future of democracy in Iran.

There are those who will argue that trade with the Islamic Republic would only bolster the regime. Yet recent history shows that building commercial ties with entrepreneurs in environments with governments hostile to the United States is the best way to win local hearts and minds - which can become a leading driver of political change within a society. It's time to apply this experience to Iran.

Opening markets and supporting private sectors are bad for authoritarian ideologues. While these actions doesn't guarantee democratization, they would offer a more effective pathway to it than sanctions ever could be.

As Tehran inches ever closer to Moscow and Beijing, the United States should give trade with Iran a shot before it's too late. Instead of isolating Iran and its people any further, I say embrace them. Selling them our consumer goods, rather than blocking their access to them, would be a great first step.




Haiti - FLASH : Doing Business 2019 - Haiti in the TOP 10 worst countries





The World Bank has just released the 16th edition of its Doing Business 2019 report, which analyzes the economic environments of 190 countries.



Haiti with a score of 38.52 out of 100 for ease of doing business, down one place from last year https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22606-haiti-economy-doing-business-2018-in-business-haiti-stagnates-and-remains-misclassified.html to rank 182nd out of 190 countries between Chad (181st) and the Central African Republic (183rd).



This decline of one place, brings Haiti to the same level as in 2015, and keeps our country in the TOP 10 of the worst countries in the world to do business and good last of the countries of the Caribbean zone. In the Latin America and Caribbean Region only Venezuela (188th) is worse than Haiti. Our Dominican neighbor is down 3 places and ranks 102nd out of 190 countries.



Despite these few minor advances, 97 days are still needed to start a business in Haiti (189th) versus 16.5 days in the Dominican Republic (117th) and 312 days is required to register a property (181st) versus 45 days in the Republic Dominican (77th). Regarding the protection of investors, minority Haiti is ranked 188th against 83rd for the neighboring Republic.







TOP 3 Best Savings for Doing Business :

1 - New Zealand

2 - Singapore

3 - Denmark



TOP 3 worst economy for doing business :

188th - Venezuela

189th - Eritrea

190th - Somalia



For full details, download the full report "Doing Business 2019" (PDF, 304 pages in English): https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/DB2019-report_web-version.pdf



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22606-haiti-economy-doing-business-2018-in-business-haiti-stagnates-and-remains-misclassified.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19080-haiti-economy-doing-business-haiti-still-in-the-back-of-the-pack.html



SL/ HaitiLibre




















By Emily Mayer

This week's column is a reminder of the old adage "the more things change, the more they remain the same." For all the current hopping up and down, finger pointing and bawls of "fake news" emanating from various persons from the highest office in the land on down, those of us alive today didn't invent that as the Nov. 2, 1918, edition of The Havre Plaindealer proves.

First, a correction. For all of the yammering of the political war between Hill County Attorney Victor Griggs and Republican and Non-Partisan League backed candidate C. R. Stranahan, I thought the two were on opposite tickets. The Democrats had local attorney J. P. Donnelly on their ticket, Griggs opting not to run for another term.

Locally, the elections of Hill County sheriff and Hill County attorney were downright filthy and openly being fought in the local papers in Hill County, not just Havre's newspapers. These articles are quite lengthy, which is why excerpts have been published in this column. I also wish I could include what other papers are publishing, but at 25 cents a copy, this can be quite costly at part-time wages. I've chosen the Plaindealer mostly because of the Society column, which the others didn't have, and the Plaindealer's reporting of the real happenings in Havre were much more descriptive than the other papers, if they published the gathering at all.

Regarding the sheriff's race, the Plaindealer was backing Democratic candidate H. E. Loranger and the others were seemingly favoring opponent the Rev. E. J. Huston. In part, this is what the Plaindealer stated on its front page Nov. 2, 1918:

NEIGHBORS STRONGLY SUPPORT LORANGER

While Preacher Was Turned Down by His

Some men are might bad losers, but of all bad losers, the Rev. E. J. Huston is the worst. Holding himself up as the man called to make the race against the man who he now calls the "Hill County Rounder," this man of the cloth entered the race for the democratic nomination for sheriff. After a campaign of vilification, abuse and mudslinging, on the part of the preacher, he and his methods received a sharp and richly merited rebuke at the hands of the decent voters of the county...in a signed statement, which for dirt and filth, surpasses even his own past performances, he has this to say of his successful opponent: "He (Loranger) can't understand why it is that all ladies are refusing to vote for him, and we might also add, all of the gentlemen." This is somewhat obscure, the preacher's English being almost as vague as his knowledge of the habits of a gentleman appears to be...

... The Rev. Mr. Huston dwells, preaches and practices in precinct No. 3 Havre. It is geographically far removed from the old Honky Tonk, and has not been said the home of horse thieves, saloon keepers, bartenders, pimps and girls of the underworld so familiarly referred to by the Rev. in is tirade of abuse. In fact the people living in this particular precinct think that they have a very decent bunch of people living there and no one has ever dissented from that opinion until now. But the vote in that precinct stood 78 for Loranger and 24 for Huston

... This incontrovertible evidence shows two things: First, that where Loranger is best known, he receives a large majority of votes and where Huston is best known he receives the worst beating. And second, that it was not, as the Rev. Huston implies, the saloon and vice elements that defeated him, but it was the voters who believe in decency in politics as in everything else and who will not stand for dirty methods even in a preacher.

Similar sentiments were delivered in a neighboring column regarding J.P. Donnelly, this time with the Plaindealer slamming Assistant Deputy Attorney General Grorud in his efforts, backed by C.R. Stranahan and the Rev. Huston, to prosecute Shorty Young in the badly failed Border Saloon raid, and how awful Stranahan is and how great Donnelly would be as Hill County Attorney.

But the Plaindealer was not done with Mr. Huston. Taking another swipe, the Plaindealer published a column titled "Will Play It Safe and Vote for Walsh," wherein the Plaindealer states:

Late this week the Rev. E. J. Huston, an active member of the Hill county executive committee of the non-partisan league, and a supposedly strong support of Jeannette Rankin, made a trip through the county distributing a circular bearing the authorization of the republican county central committee and eulogizing Dr. Lanstrum for senator. Can it be that at the last minute the non-partisan leaders of Hill county, who have so vehemently characterized Dr. Lanstrum as a wearer of the copper collar and champion of "big business" are going to try and switch the farmer voters of Hill county from Jeanette to Dr. Lanstrum. Evidently that is their game, but if the farmer is going to be switched at all, he is not going to be switched to Dr. Lanstrum, for the non-partisan executive committee having fooled them once, and having double crossed Jeannette, will double cross them. They will play it safe and vote for Walsh.

And the Plaindealer still wasn't done with the Rev. Huston. The Plaindealer issued a rebuttal on its editorial page to a column published by the Gildford paper provided by the reverend against the Plaindealer, calling the newspaper a liar in stating they had interviewed him about the botched Border Saloon raid, with the Plaindealer stating they had and pointing out that Huston had yet to deny facts published by the Plaindealer.

Also on the editorial page was a favorable column for the election of Judge W. B. Rhoades. There will be more election news as the coming weeks go on. You don't want to miss this!

Of course, the Great War raged on and the Hill County Woman's Liberty Loan committee submitted an article about their efforts to raise money for the war effort, stating at the end of the column: "The women of Hill county are in this war to the end, whatever she may be called upon to do."

And, amidst the numerous articles of political posturing, was this short addition of news regarding the war:

HAVRE BOY HONORED.

Word has been received in the city that Sgt. John H. Ehrhart, formerly manager of the Shoe Department of the Havre Commercial Company, now serving in France with the Ninety-first Division, ha been thru the thick of the fight, returning with a bullet hole through his pack.

Sg. Ehrhart captured six Germans single handed for which feat he has been honored for his bravery and cool headedness under fire, and has been recommended for a commission.

Sgt. Ehrhart is probably the first Hill County boy to earn one of the distinguished Service Medals offered by Havre Chamber of Commerce.

News that August "Gus" DesCelles, one of Havre's pioneers, had died was tucked away on the back pages of the Plaindealer, as was a tantalizing legal publication stating that a statement being circulated by the Rev. Huston, paid for by the Hill County Executive Committee of the Non-Partisan League was untrue - well, let's leave that for another column!
The Hill County commissioners met Thursday afternoon to review updates to the growth policy for the county.

Paul Tuss, executive of Bear Paw Development, confirmed that, per law, every county is required to have an up-to-date growth policy.

Clay Vincent, retired county sanitarian, said the growth policy outlines what a county must provide for the community and its people. This includes amenities such as parks, playgrounds, housing and businesses.

The last time the county commissioners met to establish a growth policy was in 2010.

Our thought is to go through this and update what needs to be updated, Vincent said. A lot of this stuff doesnt need to be updated, but there is some stuff that needs to be updated.

Vincent added the updates wont be cost free, but it should not be excessive to the point of seeking a grant to bring in funds.

Updates arent limited to just city infrastructure, but also revising the towns population, Vincent said.

The commissioners discussed meeting with the Planning Board to get their thoughts and input and then presenting it to Great West Engineering for a cost estimate and timeline.

Great West Engineering is a civil engineering firm based in Helena and specializes in mapping and project planning for cities.

Their webpage gives an example of a growth policy project they did for Meagher County in 2015.

The public does have a say in what the growth policy for their community should look like, Vincent said.

There are some straight things that are in the law that I think you have to go through, but where you get most of your information is having some planning board meetings, having the minutes that are there saying here are the areas that I think need to be pursued, Vincent said. Then having an open meeting for the public to come in and express their views on what they feel the next five or 10 years should be.

Katie Larson, planning board member, said she believed a lot of people would attend a growth policy hearing because of the turnout for the regional resilience summit that was held at the Havre-Hill County Library in August.

The county commissioners said they would contact the planning board to see if they could schedule a meeting in the last week of November or first few days of December to go over more concrete ideas for the growth policy.

Vincent said the county commissioners needed to speak with Great West, meet with Dave Sheppard, Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator for Hill County, meet with city and meet with anybody else that might have some ideas of things that should be looked at.

Vincent added that he would like to see more community members show up to the public hearings regarding the growth policy so they can get their feedback as well.
The first session of the new Armenian parliament that will be elected in December 9 polls will be held on December 31, adviser to Armenian Prime Minister Mesrop Arakelyan wrote on his Facebook page.

"The first session of the new National Assembly and the appointment of Prime Minister will take place on December 31. Happy New Year, new Armenia," ARKA cited Arakelyan as saying.

Nikol Pashinyan resigned October 16 to clear way for the dissolution of the parliament and holding early parliamentary elections. Under the Armenian Constitution, early elections are held if lawmakers fail twice within 14 days to appoint a prime minister.
Havre Police Department

A Third Avenue caller reported someone egging vehicles Thursday at 8:31 a.m.

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At 12:36 p.m. Thursday an 11th Street caller reported that personal items had been stolen.

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A First Street Northeast caller requested Thursday at 3:14 p.m. that an officer assist with a woman who was being disorderly.

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Sade Rochelle Stearns of Havre, 21, was arrested on charges of obstruction of a peace officer or other public servant, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of disorderly conduct, after a caller from a First Street business asked to have a woman removed from the premises Thursday at 3:25 p.m.

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Paul Lowry of Havre, 28, was arrested on a charge of partner or family member assault after a 10th Street caller reported domestic violence Thursday at 5:31 p.m.

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Thursday at 6:08 p.m. Northern Montana Hospital reported a family dog biting a juvenile.

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Leona Marie Chiefstick of Box Elder, 51, was arrested on a charge of criminal trespass to property after Northern Montana Hospital requested a woman be removed at 2:28 this morning.

Hill County Sheriff's Office

No arrests made or summonses issued were listed in Thursday's dispatch log.

Havre Fire Department

Emergency medical personnel responded to three calls Thursday and one early this morning.

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Firefighters responded a call Thursday at 7:18 p.m. on the 10 Block of 18th Avenue Northeast. No one was available to provide details.

Havre Animal Shelter

The Havre shelter this morning held one medium-hair cat and one short-hair cat of unknown gender and six 6-week-old kittens being fostered until ready for adoption. Another 22 cats and two kittens, all of unknown gender, were listed separately as being held in the shelter or at a volunteer shelter.

--

The Havre shelter this morning also held a female Australian cattle dog-blue heeler-border collie dog, a male German shepherd dog, a female mixed-breed dog, a female pit bull-terrier-German shepherd dog, a male shepherd 24-week-old puppy, a female German shepherd-Bernese mountain dog 9-week-old puppy, a female mixed-breed 9-month-old puppy and a female mixed-breed 11-month-old puppy.
Editor,

My name is Raymond Nelson, a 1964 graduate from Havre Central High and 26 1/2 year Navy veteran. I was a resident of Montana from 1946 to 1980. It was then I changed residency to South Carolina where I was stationed and bought a home. I am a registered Montana purple heart recipient. The above mentioned background, I believe, justifies my right to voice my opinion.

I am currently back in Havre to celebrate my mothers 94th birthday. My current residence  since 2001  is in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.

What I find hard to swallow is President Trump making four visits to a state with a population of less than a million people.

The cost to taxpayers  myself included  is approximately $5 million per visit. Thats $20 million of taxpayer money spent on only a very small portion of our American citizens. That doesnt include two vice-presidential visits and a visit from a son to Montana.

I am not saying Montana is not an important state. Many of my friends and relatives live in Montana. What I find hard to digest is that President Trump has only made two campaign visits to my home state of North Carolina, one of them in Charlotte, North Carolina. Two visits to North Carolina, times $5 million each, equals $10 million spent reaching millions of our U.S. citizens.

When President Trump is willing to spend $20 million of our tax dollars on less than a million citizens in Montana and half that on several million citizens in North Carolina, somethings wrong.

I know millions of dollars are spent by candidates from each party running for office. This money spent is from campaign funds and is the American way. When excessive millions of taxpayer dollars are spent foolishly, this should not be the American way.

I dont know of any past American president who has blatantly wasted our taxpayer dollars in such a fashion.

Raymond P. Nelson, USN Ret.

Whittier, North Carolina
This decision will be reviewed when the findings of the crash investigation are clear, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

The same aircraft, which plunged off the coast of West Java, had reportedly experienced technical problems, such as irregularities in its speed and altitude, on a flight a day earlier. The issues were supposedly fixed before the flight continued.

The US and EU had imposed similar restrictions on Indonesian airlines over safety issues in 2007.

Lion Air was cleared for operations in Europe in 2016. That same year, the US lifted its blanket ban on Indonesian carriers. The EU removed all other Indonesian airlines from its blacklist in June.

The crash on Monday is considered the deadliest in Indonesias aviation history since the Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crash that killed all 234 aboard.
LIBATION NATION: Dry Falls brewery blazes trail on south side

Evan and Jeff Golliher and brewer John Duncan stand in front of a wooden sliding door at Dry Falls Brewing Co., which is expected to open in the coming days on Busy Bend.

Jeff Golliher, a home brewer from Weaverville, was looking at sites for a new brewery on Seventh Avenue  including a space a couple of doors from what would become Triskelion, and another across the street. Then he crossed town to see another space.



When the Realtor showed me the building, I walked in and I said, This is it, he said. He called his son, Evan, his partner in the brewery venture, and let him know. If their search was over, the work had only just begun.

When we talked into the building you could see the sky in every room, Jeff said. The roof was falling in. There was a lot of dirt and debris. We found some old fenders behind the place, tires, a grille or two, some headlights.

They bought the property and went to work, overcoming the many delays that seem common to brewery startups, many of which convert older industrial-type structures into brewhouses and retail space.

On Saturday, a friend was planting trees and shrubs in the gravel parking lot, one of the last improvements the city required before it would let Dry Falls open for business. Although the landscaping was one last task after many, Golliher stresses that city zoning officials have been helpful through the entire process.

Were hoping to open up in the next seven to 10 days, Golliher said Saturday. Weve got one more permit to get from the city. We should be ready for them next week.

Dry Falls Brewing Co. will open soon in the old Oates Paint & Body shop on Kanuga's Busy Bend.The 5,700-square-foot space, including the brewhouse, features an L-shaped bar long enough to accommodate 16 barstools. In addition, the taproom will have five regular tables and four hightops, seating 112 in all. Behind a huge wooden sliding barn door is another space that can be opened up or used separately as an event space. Sunlight pours through large rollup doors on two walls. In the summer, theyll roll them up for an open-air feel.

John Duncan, who made beers for the Sneaky Squirrel before that brewery closed, was busy last week with the fermenting tanks and the offerings that will soon be on tap. In a collaboration with the Gollihers, Duncan is brewing blonds, pale ales, IPAs, stout and nitro  the brewing process that gives dark beer its creaminess. Duncan has served in the Army and Coast Guard and is still a major in the Army National Guard.

Youll see two people by and large open breweries in the country right now  engineers and former military, Duncan says. I would say theres an old running joke going back to the Roman army days that the soldier is hoping to retire and marry a pretty girl whose dad owns a brewery.

Both engineers and soldiers are handed problems that need to be fixed  one with building skills, the other with ordnance. Heres a problem that cant be fixed. Heres dynamite, go fix it, he says.

Athough hes not sure how his Army specialty in psychological warfare applies, but he knows hes ready to react and fix things. No matter how hard you try, Tuesday dont look anything like Monday, he says.

Well have eight house beers with rotating IPAs, porters and stouts, plus one tap for hard cider and well eventually serve wine, Golliher says. Were going to start out with food trucks and then hopefully sometime in 2019 were going to put in our kitchen, serving pub food. And then well probably open up for lunchtime.

Jeff and Evan hatched the idea over a flight of 24 beers at a brewery during a family reunion.

Over a six-month period, they built a small working brewery inside Jeffs garage, they say on their website. Jeff built a kegerator out of an old refrigerator and turned a chest freezer into a climate controlled area to house fermenters.

We got into brewing together, Evan says. It was a collaboration.

Theyve developed a Busy Bend Blonde, a pale ale called Paddle Faster and three versions of stout, all called Mud Creek, which runs a few hundred yards away. We have Mount Delay IPA, Evan says, named for a huge boulder of granite that took six weeks to break up. Evan made a smartphone picture of the rock and sent it to his dad. Hey, look, its Mount Delay, he wrote in the message.

Its been a family venture all the way. Jeff told his wife, Becky, a history teacher, that he wanted to name the brewery after a destination in the North Carolina mountains.

She came up with about 200 names, he says. Shes a school teacher, so shes very thorough in everything that she does. They settled on Dry Falls, a 65-foot waterfall in the Nantahala National Forest near Highlands. Youll see that our logo is very close to what the falls look like, he says.

During the construction, the Gollihers have had to turn away potential customers who knew the old Oates Paint & Body Shop, which opened on Busy Bend about 80 years ago.

Weve even had several opportunities of people coming by, wanting to know if we could fix their car or when they could get a new paint job, Jeff says. As people reminisced about their grandpa getting a crumpled fender fixed at the shop, Jeff and Evan knew they had to preserve the old garage.

It would probably have been less expensive to tear the building down but we would have lost the history, Jeff says. Its part of the culture. We actually have leftover receipts well be displaying once we get open.

After overcoming Mount Delay, theyre ready to start pouring Paddle Faster ale, Mud Creek stout and other specialties.

Were very excited to be part of the brewery community and excited to be part of Hendersonville, Jeff says. Everybody is super excited.

* * * * *



Dry Falls Brewing Co., 425 Kanuga Road, expects to open in November. Hours are 4-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m.-midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday and noon-8 Sunday.
Catherine Swords was warned about her behaviour by judge

This woman has been making the lives of her neighbours "a living hell" with loud noises that sound like marbles being dropped and rolled along her apartment floor, and furniture being moved at all hours of the night.

Catherine Swords, of Hamilton Way in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, has been warned by a judge if she continues with the disruptive noises she will face prison.

However, Ms Swords claimed it is not her making the loud night-time noises - but her neighbours "who have military equipment" that they are moving around and are sabotaging everything on her - including her radio.

She claims that one of her neighbours - Richard Corr - who took a civil case against her under the Environmental Protection Act Noise as a Nuisance at Balbriggan District Court - is "mentally ill".

Mr Corr, who told Judge Dermot Dempsey that he would have moved out of the apartment if he had the money to do so, said that he and his family cannot sleep at night because of the constant noise from Ms Swords's apartment, which is above his.

"Ms Swords is constantly banging, shouting and smashing things around her apartment at all hours of the night," Mr Corr said and claimed he has recordings of the noise.

He said he has two young children who cannot sleep at night because the "noise gets worse then".

He said he tried to talk to Ms Swords about the constant noise but she shouts abuse at him through her audio system on her apartment door.

"Gardai have been called numerous times but she never answers the door and screams and shouts from her balcony," he said.

He said if he had money he and his family would be long gone from the apartment.

Another neighbour told the court that her young son has sensory issues and is "overloaded with the constant noise" from Ms Swords' apartment.

"The noise sounds like marbles being rolled and dropped on the apartment floor and furniture being dragged along the floor," the neighbour said.

However, Ms Swords claimed her neighbours, including Mr Corr, "are profoundly mentally ill" and that they "have military equipment" that they are moving around and terrorised her into taking medicine.

"They have military equipment and everything is sabotaged. They are torturing me and I have to increase the radio noise as I don't know what the noise is. I was told it's military equipment," she said.

She also claimed she is trying to get her neighbours psychoanalysed and that she has been "psychologically damaged by them".

She denied she is dragging furniture and dropping marbles on the floor.

"Not that I am aware of but they [the marbles] may have fallen accidentally," she said.

After hearing the evidence, Judge Dermot Dempsey found her neighbours had proven the case and said "all her neighbours are in a living hell".

He ordered Ms Swords to comply with Section 108 of the Environment Protection Act.

Ms Swords gave the undertaking that she won't make noise anymore.

"I am trying to get out of the apartment. I have another year to go. I won't survive there. They are all mentally ill," she claimed.

Warning Ms Swords to comply with the order, Judge Dempsey said: "If you don't comply you will face imprisonment."

"Any further breaches and it will be custody you are facing," he warned Ms Swords.
The Labour Court has recommended that TV's Brennan brothers' five-star Park Hotel in Kenmare, Co Kerry, pays 90,000 to a general manager sacked last April.

The unnamed general manager (GM) took up his post last January but was fired during his probationary period by managing director John Brennan.

He brought an unfair dismissal claim to the Labour Court, and the court has found he was denied natural justice in his dismissal and that procedures adopted in the termination of his employment were seriously flawed.

As a result, the Labour Court has recommended that the Park Hotel pays the claimant 90,000.

However, it is likely that the sacked GM will not receive any monies as a result of his case as the recommendation is not binding on the hotel.

Yesterday, John Brennan, who featured in RTE's At Your Service, said: "We note the findings of the Labour Court recommendation.

"However, they are not binding and employment was terminated within the probationary period."

Mr Brennan said that in their time at the Park Hotel, since 1981, he and his brother Francis "have never had an unfair dismissal case taken against us".

Mr Brennan added that "we have never terminated em- ployment in the probation- ary period before and have a very good working relation- ship with all of our 70 employees".

In the case before the Lab- our Court, the GM said he was "headhunted" by the Park Hotel, that he moved from Dublin to Kenmare to take up the role last January 28 and that he was dismissed without warning by the managing director last April 27.

In response, the Park Hotel disputed the employee had been headhunted, and said the contract of employment unequivocally provides that either party can terminate the contract by giving written notice during the probationary period.

Jeopardy

In its findings, the Labour Court stated there is no reason to doubt the worker's assertion that his reputation was seriously damaged by the actions of his employer.

In its recommendation, it stated it is satisfied that the worker was not provided with details of any performance issues; no warning was given that his employment was in jeopardy; he was not afforded the right to representation; he was not provided with reasons for his dismissal; and he was not afforded an opportunity to reply.
A newly-engaged Irish woman who admitted killing her fiance in Sydney was previously convicted of wounding him, a court has been told.

Cathrina Cahill pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of David Walsh (29) after fatally wounding him in the neck in the early hours of February 18 last year at the home they shared with two other Irish nationals.

The 27-year-old was originally charged with murder, but the Crown accepted her plea to the less serious charge on the basis of substantial impairment due to an abnormality of the mind at the time.

Abuse

Cahill, from Wexford, gave psychiatrists a history of being in a traumatic relationship with Mr Walsh, hallmarked by physical, emotional and verbal abuse over a period of time.

A sentencing hearing at the New South Wales Supreme Court yesterday heard that Cahill was charged with one count of reckless wounding of Mr Walsh in relation to him being injured after she threw a large candle at him in November 2015.

She was convicted in her absence and placed on a two-year bond in April 2016 at Waverley Local Court in Sydney.

Justice Peter Johnson also heard disputed evidence from a previous housemate of the couple, who testified to seeing Cahill stab Mr Walsh in the back of the head more than 18 months before his death.

Isobel Jennings denied lying when she recalled Cahill saying: "I just wanted to kill him. I just wanted to kill him."

Ms Jennings said that, on the evening of October 3, 2015, after hearing Cahill and Mr Walsh arguing, she saw him sitting on the sofa before Cahill came up the stairs with her hand behind her back.

Cahill suddenly stabbed him to the back of his head three or four times, but Ms Jennings said Mr Walsh did not want her to contact police as he said she had not meant to hurt him.

Under cross-examination from Cahill's barrister, she denied making up the incident, but agreed there had been house-related problems after she moved out and before she made her police statement.

Drinking

According to the agreed statement of facts, Cahill and Mr Walsh argued on the night of February 17, 2017, when they were drinking with others before Mr Walsh was thrown out of a pub and went back to their house in the suburb of Padstow.

After Cahill and their two female housemates arrived home with Matthew Hyde, with whom they had socialised at a pub, Mr Walsh repeatedly attacked the man, wanting to know who he was.

During the ensuing chaos, Cahill screamed: "Stop it Davey, get off, get off ... he's with Grace." She tried to get a grip of her fiance's arms when he swung his arm back and she fell to the ground.

She moved towards him and punched him in the face with a closed fist, before Mr Walsh pushed her again and tried to punch her in the face.

Eventually, "the offender opened and closed the cutlery drawer quickly taking out a large, very sharp bladed knife".

One witness said over and over again "put it back" but Cahill replied: "No, he needs to be taught a lesson. It's not fair."

Mr Walsh had five brothers, a sister and parents in Ireland at the time of his death.

One brother wrote that their father died 10 months later "from a broken heart", while their mother had become an empty shell of her former self.

The hearing will continue today.
A young man working on his uncle's fishing boat died after it capsized only 100 metres from shore, an inquest has heard.

Jamie McAllister and his uncle, Keith McAllister, made a desperate bid to swim to safety, Dublin Coroner's Court was told.

The skipper survived and told the inquest into his 28-year-old nephew's death how his 8.6-metre dredge-fishing vessel the Shanie B flipped over, leaving both men submerged.

The incident happened at Skerries harbour on May 26 last year.

Jamie, an apprentice electrician, had asked his uncle for a few days' work.

The weather was sunny, the sea was calm and the tide was coming in as the pair left Skerries Harbour at 9.30am.

Giving evidence, Keith McAllister said they were dredging and emptying the contents into barrels on deck when the boat began to slow at around 12.45pm.

They lifted the dredger and found it was carrying a lot of weight in the form of stones.

As it came up out of the water it swung to the starboard side.

The weight shifted the vessel in the water and Keith McAllister ran to the wheelhouse to try to turn the boat, but it "flipped over" in a matter of seconds.

"I ran in to spin the wheel the opposite way and tried to drive her on," Mr McAllister told the court.

"The TV flew off the wall and hit me in the face. I think it knocked me out.

"I came to up to my neck in water. The wheelhouse door was closed and everything was jammed up against it.

"I went down three times to clear the way to get out the door."

When he surfaced, he saw Jamie clinging to the hull, and the pair decided to swim to the nearest yacht as the boat quickly began to sink.

"We tried to swim but every time I looked up, we were further away from the yacht," Mr McAllister said.

"When the boat went down, the bubbles separated us, and that was the last time I saw Jamie."

The skipper tried to continue swimming but said the tide was against him, and he grew exhausted and lost consciousness in the water.

Skerries-based fireman Mich-ael Woods witnessed the incident from the shore.

"About 1.20pm, I saw a single boat roll and two heads coming up," he told the court.

"They got away from the boat, but the stern went down and one disappeared."

Divers

Mr Woods notified emergency services, and Skerries RNLI launched immediately and rescued Keith McAllister from the water.

His nephew's body was recovered the following morning.

Garda divers located him in nine metres of water, 60 metres from the site of the sinking.

A post mortem gave the cause of death as drowning.

Health and Safety inspector Anthony Morahan noted in his report that neither man was wearing a life-jacket, though two were available on board.

A file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), but no prosecution was directed.

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned a verdict of misadventure and noted the "relevant factor" that flotation devices were not worn.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss regional issues during the visit to France, a diplomatic source said.

The Turkish leader will visit France on November 10-11, 2018. Among the issues to be discussed during the visit is Turkeys accession to the EU, the Turkish media reported.

Earlier, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Ankara intends to develop relations with the EU.
How are teachers deciding whether or not to discuss race in the classroom? New research suggests that their perception of parents opinions may play a role.

The study , coming out of the University of Pittsburghs Center for Urban Education, surveyed about 500 current and preservice teachers about discussing race and racial violence in the classroom. About 80 percent of the respondents were white, mirroring the national teaching population.

Of the teachers surveyed, 85 percent said race and racial discrimination were important topics to cover with their students. But only 30 percent said they felt their students families would support a decision to take those topics up in the classroom.

The majority of teachers60 percentsaid they werent sure how parents would react, while 10 percent said they thought parents would oppose any discussion of race in school.

Not all teachers who were uncertain about parents views feared that they would react negatively. In open-ended responses, some participants said they werent sure of families opinions because they were starting in a new school this year or hadnt met parents yet (about half of the survey respondents were preservice teachers).

But many of these teachers anticipated conflict or backlash from families.

Community Context

In explaining why parents may or may not support conversations about race, teachers most commonly wrote about the context of their community, said Lori Delale-OConnor, an assistant professor of education, and the lead author on the study.

Teachers who said their students parents would support conversations about race cited their communitys diversity or urban setting, while those who were less certain they could count on parents support said it was because their area was mostly white and conservative.

A few referenced the national political climate. The recent presidential election has proven that a lot of people are not on board with having these conversations, said one white preservice teacher in the Midwest.

These responses convey that teachers feel constrained by what they see as the power dynamics in their communities, said Delale-OConnor.

But the explanations also rely on broad generalizations, she said, like rural equals racist and urban equals progressive and diverse, and its very possible that individual parents have more nuanced views. If teachers dont have strong relationships with their students families, they may be more likely to rely on this shorthand, she said. What do I know, or what do I think I know, about this community?

Some teachers acknowledged that race was important to coverbut said that they shouldnt be the person to bring it up with their students.

Several white teachers said they thought the parents of students of color wouldnt want them to be leading conversations about race. To be honest, Im not sure if my students parents, being primarily Hispanic, would think that a white male would be the best to discuss race, as my experiences in life are different, due to my race, said one high school teacher in the Midwest.

And others said bringing up race wasnt relevant or appropriate for their subject matter. Not sure if [parents] would be comfortable with that topic in a math class, said one teacher who identified as multiracial.

The survey didnt ask how much parental support would factor into teachers decisions to discuss race or not, said Delale-OConnor.

But overall, the results speak to the power that teachers perceptions of their students communities have in shaping instructional decisions, she said. Parents presence can influence whats going on in that classroom, even when theyre not there, she said.

If teachers feel that they cant address these topics due to parental pressure, the first step is for teachers and schools to communicate with families, said Delale-OConnor. Are teachers concerns warranted?

If they are, adminstrators need to support the removal of that barrier, the way we would with any other topic that we feel is critical, she said. Do caregivers have that same kind of influence on whether or not you should teach algebra?
Serious negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are unlikely until the political situation in Armenia stabilizes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said,

He recalled that according to the agreement reached during the talks of the Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikola Pashinyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, contacts should be continued, that foreign ministers will continue to hold talks, and that both Baku and Yerevan should be ready to work with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, RIA Novosti reported.

The diplomat stressed that Moscow welcomes this agreement. However, he noted, until "such turbulent internal political processes" in Armenia are completed, it is hardly possible to "seriously consider certain ways out of this crisis and ensure a full-fledged settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."
Russia is interested in keeping the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after talks with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger.

The Russian diplomat stressed that Moscow understands that Washingtons decision to withdraw from the treaty is final and will most likely be announced officially.

"We are ready to work on this situation. However, as we understand, the US decision is final and will soon be announced officially," TASS cited Lavrov as saying.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on October 20 that Washington would withdraw from the INF Treaty because Russia, in his opinion, was violating the terms of the agreement. At the same time, he did not rule out signing a new agreement on intermediate-range nuclear forces with Moscow and Beijing if Russia and China provide guarantees of halting the development of such weapons.
Georgia's government will withdraw its marijuana export bill from parliament, which would have allowed marijuana cultivation for the export of medical and cosmetic cannabis products, the republic's Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze said after meeting with Patriarch Ilia II.

Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze vowed that marijuana cultivation for export would have been strongly regulated and administered, Agenda.ge reported.

Founder of the Georgian Dream party, former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said that if the Patriarchate persuaded the government of the possible negative effects of the initiative the bill would be withdrawn from the legislative body.

Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs presented the marijuana export bill in early September, with top state figures claiming that the export would have brought one billion and perhaps more income into the state budget.
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Seven days of horror end with two ex-cops and two little girls dead
The situation on the line of contact, as well as on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia "has more or less stabilized," Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov said.

He recalled that the OSCE MG co-chairs met with president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, acting prime minister of Armenia Nikola Pashinyan, defense ministers of the two countries Zakir Hasanov and David Tonoyan, the meeting with Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov will be also held soon.

The focus is on the issues related to the process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement. In particular, we discussed the talks that took place among the leaders of the two countries in Dushanbe, the agreements that were reached and which are being implemented. I mean the situation on the contact line, at the border, which has more or less stabilized. We also spoke about the communication line that has been established between Yerevan and Baku," RIA Novosti cited the diplomat as saying.

He stressed that Baku and Yerevan have desire to continue the dialogue at the highest level on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Igor Popov expressed hope that next month there will be a meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia to discuss key settlement issues and confidence building measures that can be taken considering the development of the situation, taking into account how the relations between the leaders of the two countries will be built.
The Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has dismissed Yuri Khachaturov as secretary general of the organization.

"The procedure for early dismissal of the representative of the Republic of Armenia Yuri Khachaturov from the post of secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, initiated by the Armenian side has been completed," the organisation said on its website.

The CSTO secretary general's duties are entrusted to CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov, ARKA reported.

Khachaturov was charged by the new Armenian government of having a role in the 2008 March 1 post-election unrest and arrested in late July, but was released shortly afterwards on a 5 million dram bail.

The decision of Armenian authorities to prosecute Khachaturov along with former president Robert Kocharyan and former defense minister Mikael Harutyunyan was criticized by Russia. Following the criticism Khachaturov was allowed to return to Moscow to perform his duties.
A Turkish court in Izmir ruled that U.S. pastor Andrew Brunsons statements of not having links to Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen's movement, referred to by Ankara as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), are groundless, the Anadolu news agency reported citing the ruling.

"The defendant claimed that he didn't contact with representatives of Gulen's movement and other criminal organizations as it contradicts his religious views But in reality, as confirmed by witnesses, Brunson was in contact not only with FETOs Imam in the Aegean region Bekir Baz, but also with his assistant Murat Safa, who had a direct access to the leader of the terrorist movement," the ruling reads.

According to the ruling, Brunson also provided support to FETO, while Gulens supporters, including Baz, helped the pastor solve his problems, Sputnik reported.

The court stressed that Brunson, heading only a small religious community, visited some areas of Turkey with a high terrorist threat, and established direct contacts with local leaders, which indicated that the pastor had influential accomplices. The ruling goes on to say that Brunson could get support like this only from FETO representatives.
(JNS)I lost my brother, Gabriel, five years ago to an accidental overdose.

At his funeral, I told a story about his extraordinary generosity. Gabe was coming home from a night out with friends on the Upper West Side when a homeless man approached him and asked for money. Gabe didnt hesitate. He put his arm around this man, ushered him in to a nearby restaurant and paid for his mealwith a smile on his face at 2:30 in the morning.

Losing a beautiful soul like Gabe was more devastating than anything I could have imagined. Yet the power of his example continues to inspire the way I live.

Two years ago, on his birthday, I bought four pizzas and gave them to four random homeless people.

Last year, I raised more than $1,000 for a soup kitchen in Israel.

And this year, Im aiming to raise as much money as I can for a family whose home in Beersheva was just hit by a rocketa family I know and love through teaching their children as a Masa Israel Teaching Fellow.

My experience in Israel on MITF was a turning point in my life. I almost never made it there.

Gabe and I were supposed to travel to Israel the year he passed away, and after he died, I couldnt bring myself to go alone.

A year later, I found the strength to go and traveled to Israel for my first time. I met people from Masa and decided MITF was for me. Its the best decision I ever made.

I had a clean slate, a fresh start, people who didnt know me as the guy whose brother died. And when I did tell the story, Israelis got it; they were open, warm and sympathetic, without becoming awkward or too careful around me.

And I was giving back, teaching Israeli kids English, which made me feel so connected to Gabe.

I taught in an all-boys religious school in Beersheva, an experience as far removed from my comfort zone as possible. But the people on my Masa program were there for me. The community and the school where I taught accepted me as one of their own. I became close with one family in particular who would have me over for Shabbat, and we still communicate regularly via WhatsApp.

That family is the one whose house the rocket hit.

I knew I had to do something specialfor them, and for Gabe.

I am my brothers giver. I dont mind being tied to his memory forever; in fact, its an honor. His death was a tragic ending. But it can also be a beginning, if I make it so.

That beginning is about more than raising money in his honor and giving back. Its a new life for me; after MITF, I made aliyah and started my own business.

I wouldnt have been able to do that without Masa, which showed me that I am still strong.

I wouldnt have been able to do that without Israel, which showed me that I still have hope.

And I wouldnt have been able to do that without Gabe, who showed me that I still have purpose.

I, too, now live in Beershevaand around 3:40 a.m. on Oct. 17, I heard the blaring, Red Alert sirens. I ran to my shelter under my staircase and waited for the rocket barrage from Gaza to stop. When it did, I went outside and assessed the damage to my neighborhood. I found out about my family.

Thank God that they were in their safe room when the rocket struck their house, and are all fine. But an entire story of their house is destroyed.

So now is time to rebuild, like I rebuilt my life, by turning an ending into a beginning.

Garrett Davis lives in Beersheva where he owns a dog care business. To contribute to his fundraiser for the Tala family, go to http://www.gofundme.com/the-tala-family.
Nikki Fried is running for commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on the Democratic ticket. Her opponent is Republican Matt Caldwell.

"Fried brings a wealth of ideas to propel the department forward and to better fulfill its role," said the Miami Herald in its endorsement of her.

Nicole "Nikki" Fried was born and raised in Miami and graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree, a master's degree and a law degree. She is a lifelong Democrat, an attorney and activist. In private practice, Fried defended homeowners against foreclosure during the 2007-2008 housing crisis, fighting big banks to keep families from evictions. She currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Fried is running for Florida Agriculture Commissioner because she saw firsthand how our politicians failed the people with medical marijuana. Despite 72 percent of Floridians voting to approve a medical marijuana law, the Florida Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott have obstructed its implementation and denied access to sick, injured and dying individuals in Florida.

In addition to expanding access to medical marijuana, if elected, Fried wants to:

 Help revitalize the struggling agriculture industry in Florida by advocating for legislation to allow the growing of industrial hemp (currently authorized as a pilot program)

 Support Florida farmers still recovering from the combined devastation of Hurricane Irma and citrus greening

 Ensure that industry concerns are properly balanced with environmental and consumer protections

 Emphasize and strengthen the role of the Department in consumer services, protections and advocacy

 Be an independent voice on the Florida Cabinet on issues of clemency, oversight of the state pension fund, and major land-use decisions.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan should resist any temptation to leave NATO in pursuit of Russian friendship.

"It would be unfortunate for NATO; itd be unfortunate for the United States, and I think even more unfortunate for the people of Turkey if that were to become the case," Washington Examiner cited Pompeo as saying.

When asked if the United States is approaching a moment where Turkeys future as a NATO nation and as an ally comes into question," the Secretary of State was uncertain.

"I hope not," Pompeo replied. "We are hopeful that Turkey and President Erdogan will come to understand the U.S. is a better partner than Iran, and the direction that President Erdogan ought to go is to support deeper relationships with the United States and with Europe and with NATO."
By Josefin Dolsten

(JTA)As news spread of the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Jewsand Americans of all backgroundsacross the country were reeling from the shock. With 11 confirmed casualties, it is the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.

The alleged gunman, a 46-year-old white male named Robert Bowers, shouted All these Jews need to die, according to reports.

JTA took a look at other times that U.S. Jewish institutions were targeted and the attackers affiliations.

1999 Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting (Bill Clinton was president)

Date: Aug. 10, 1999

, Dead: 0 in JCC, 1 nearby;

Shooters affiliations: Neo-Nazi, white supremacist

Buford ONeal Furrow walked into the lobby of the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles and opened fire. He fired 70 shots that wounded five people, including three children. No one was killed at the JCC. Furrow then drove away and later fatally shot a Filipino-American mail worker, Joseph Illeto. The gunman eventually walked into an FBI office and surrendered. Furrow was a white supremacist with ties to Aryan Nations, a neo-Nazi white supremacist group. Furrow, who said he hoped his attack would inspire others to target Jews, had considered attacking other Los Angeles Jewish organizations, including the Skirball Cultural Center and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He was sentenced to life in prison.

2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting (George W. Bush was president)

Date: July 28, 2006,

Dead: 1; Shooters motivation: Muslim who said he was angry at Israel

Naveed Afzal Haq shot six women at the Seattle Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, killing one. He had entered by forcing a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint to buzz the building intercom. Once inside, he shot six people and called the police to tell them he had taken hostages. Haq eventually surrendered to the police. He killed one woman, Pamela Waechter, and wounded five others. People who were inside the federation said Haq shouted about being a Muslim who was angry at Israel However, some later suggested that mental illness was to blame. Haq was not a frequent worshipper at mosque and at one point had converted to Christianity. He received a life sentence.

2009 U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting (Barak Obama was president)

Date: June 10, 2009,

Dead: 1; Shooters affiliations: Neo-Nazi, white supremacist

James Wenneker von Brunn entered the museum in Washington, D.C., and fatally shot security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns. Two other security guards shot back, wounding von Brunn before he was able to shoot anyone else. Wenneker was a white supremacist and Holocaust denier who had self-published a book in which he praised Adolf Hitler. He had been arrested in 1981 for attempted kidnapping and hostage taking at the Federal Reserve building. He died at the age of 89 before receiving a sentence.

2014 Overland Park JCC shooting

(Barak Obama was president)

Date: April 13, 2014,

Dead: 3; Shooters affiliations: Neo-Nazi, white supremacist

Frazier Glenn Miller Jr. shot people in the parking lot of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City in Overland Park, Kansas, and fired shots into the JCC building. He then left in his car and went to a nearby Jewish retirement community, Village Shalom, where he also shot at people in a parking lot. Miller, a neo-Nazi and a former Ku Klux Klan member, had intended to target Jews, but the three fatalities were non-Jews visiting the JCC or assisted-living facility. He was sentenced to death and is currently on death row.
Robert Gregory Bowers, opened fire with an AR-15 rifle and other weapons during worship services inside Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday, killing eight men and three women before a tactical police team tracked him down and shot him, according to state and federal affidavits.

He expressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and later told police that "all these Jews need to die," authorities said.

Officials released the names of all 11 of the dead, all of them middle-aged or elderly. The victims included intellectually disabled brothers and a husband and wife. The youngest was 54, and the oldest was 97.

The victims were:

Mel Wax, 88, Squirrel Hill

Joyce Fienberg, 75, Oakland

Richard Gottfried, 65, Ross Township

Rose Mallinger, 97, Squirrel Hill

Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, Edgewood Borough

Cecil Rosenthal, 59, Squirrel Hill

David Rosenthal, 54 Squirrel Hill

Bernice Simon, 84, Wilkinsburg

Sylvan Simon, 86, Wilkinsburg

Daniel Stein, 71, Squirrel Hill

Irving Younger, 69, Mt. Washington

As authorities worked to piece together Bowers' background and movements, harrowing accounts from the survivors began to emerge.

Speaking at a vigil in Pittsburgh on Sunday night, Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said about a dozen people had gathered in the synagogue's main sanctuary when Bowers walked in and began shooting. He said seven of his congregants were killed.

"My holy place has been defiled," he said.

Melvin Wax, 88, was a retired accountant. He loved going to synagogue services. He was among the first to arrive and the last to leave, congregants said.

"That was his routine. That was as important to him as breakfast to most people," Bill Cartiff told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

He was leading Shabbat services when he was cut down, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Cecil Rosenthal suffered from a developmental disability. He was 59 and lived with his younger brother David Rosenthal, 54, who was also disabled. They were both killed by the shooter.

Jerry Rabinowitz was a 66-year-old doctor in Pittsburgh. A family physician, he was beloved by his patients.

He "just was the kind of doctor that treated the whole person. You could go to him and present a jumble of physical symptoms and emotional reactions," and he could sort it all out, patient Jan Grice, of Shadyside, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Joyce Fienberg was described as an "intellectual powerhouse." The 74-year-old retired researcher from the University of Pittsburgh's Learning Research and Development Center spent her career studying learning in the classroom and in museums.

Daniel Stein was a family man and new grandfather, he made up part of the "the religious heart" of the Tree of Life congregation. His Judaism was important to him and his wife, who serves as membership vice-president of the region's Hadassah chapter. He was 71-years-old.

Cecil Rosenthal

Rose Mallinger was a regular at the Tree of Life synagogue and often the first to come to services. She was the oldest victim at 97 years of age.

"Rose was really a fixture of the congregation," Brian Schreiber, president of the Jewish Community Center of Pittsburgh, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Richard Gottfried ran a dental office in town since 1984. His partner was his wife, Margaret, who he met at the University of Pittsburgh when they were both dental students. He was an active member of the synagogue.

Of the six survivors, four remained in the hospital Sunday night, and two-including a 40-year-old officer-were listed in critical condition.

The nation's latest mass shooting drew condemnation and expressions of sympathy from politicians and religious leaders of all stripes.
By Ben Sales

(JTA)On Saturday, a gunman entered the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh and killed 11 people, wounding six others. It was the worst recorded anti-Semitic act in American history.

Heres how the tragedy happened. (This account has been reconstructed from JTAs reporting, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The New York Times and the Today show. Some of the times are approximate.)

Before the shooting

Robert Bowers, the alleged gunman, is a truck driver from the Pittsburgh area who lives in a one-bedroom apartment about a half-hours drive from Squirrel Hill, the diverse neighborhood that has long been the center of the citys Jewish community. Acquaintances described him to The Times as a loner, pretty much a ghost with few people close to him. His next-door neighbor would see him occasionally but had forgotten his name.

But that quiet exterior obscured Bowers hateful beliefs, which he expressed on Gab, a social media platform for the far right. Bowers would post bigoted and anti-Semitic comments. Shortly before the shooting he vilified HIAS, the Jewish refugee aid group, for its work resettling Middle Eastern refugees in the United States.

HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people, he wrote on his website. I cant sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, Im going in.

Saturday, 9:45 a.m.

Services begin at Tree of Life Congregation, a synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood that houses three congregations: Tree of Life*Or LSimcha, a merger of two Conservative synagogues; New Light, a small Conservative congregation that draws about 20 worshippers weekly; and Dor Hadash, a Reconstructionist congregation.

At the entrance, Cecil and David Rosenthal, brothers with intellectual disabilities who are active members of Tree of Life, are handing out prayer books. There is a table with challah, wine and whiskey for a bris, or circumcision ceremony, being held that morning. In the kitchen, two other community members, Daniel Stein and Richard Gottfried, were preparing lox, cream cheese, bagels and eggs.

9:50

The gunman enters and begins shooting. His first victims, according to a Times account, are the Rosenthal brothers, ages 54 and 59. He then enters New Light, where Melvin Wax, 88, is leading services.

9:54

The first call is placed to 911, apparently by Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of Tree of Life. Barry Werber of New Light, also calls 911 around this time.

Myers told Today that when he first heard the gunshots, he assumed it was an elderly person who had grabbed onto a coat rack for balance and knocked it over. Seconds afterward, after a second round of volleys, Myers realizes hes hearing gunfire.

Myers takes the four congregants at the front of the sanctuary out of an entrance at the front of the room that leads to a labyrinth of hallways and an exit from the building. He holes up in a balcony from which he can hear the gunshots. He is unable to access the eight remaining congregants sitting in the back of the sanctuary.

9:55

After hearing the gunshots, several congregants of New LightBarry Werber, Wax, Rabbi Jonathan Pearlman and Carol Blackhide in a storage closet. They are unable to find the light switch, leaving the room pitch black.

The shooting subsides, and Wax opens the door. He is shot and killed.

The gunman then enters the storage closet and begins to fumble around in the dark, with the three other congregants still inside. Unable to see them, he leaves.

9:57

The gunman goes upstairs to the Tree of Life congregation, where a number of congregants remain, and begins shooting. Seven are killed, one injured.

I couldnt save those eight people, Myers told Today. I went up into the choir loft and heard him execute my congregants.

Stein, 71, and Gottfried, 66, are among the murdered. The remaining victims are Bernice Simon, 84, and Sylvan Simon, 86, a husband and wife, along with Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; Joyce Fienberg, 75; Rose Mallinger, 97; and Irving Younger, 69.

Two others, including Daniel Leger, 70, are injured.

10:00

The first police officers arrive on the scene and begin to engage the gunman. He returns fire from the front of the building.

Were under fire, were under fire, an officer reports. Hes got an automatic weapon, hes firing at us from the synagogue.

The shooter then retreats into the building and barricades himself on the third floor.

10:12

The SWAT team arrives. Police have set up a perimeter around the building.

10:29

SWAT officers begin to escort congregants out of the building. The SWAT team moves through the building.

10:47

The SWAT team encounters the gunman on the third floor and begins exchanging fire with him. One officer is critically wounded.

11:03

The gunman begins talking to the officers. He identifies himself as Robert Bowers, age 46, from Baldwin Borough.

11:08

Bowers, who is wounded, crawls toward the officers and surrenders. Five minutes later he is taken into custody. According to an officer, as Bowers crawls toward the officers, he is talking about [how] all these Jews need to die.
TEL AVIV (JTA)Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has called for a reverse Birthright that would take Israelis to see the American Jewish community firsthand.

Rivlin made his remarks Monday at the opening of the General Assembly, the annual conference of the Jewish Federations of North America, in Tel Aviv.

Titled We Need to Talk, the three-day conference is focusing on the divisions between Israeli and Diaspora Jews. More than 3,000 participants are on hand for the event.

The Jewish Federations of North America is the umbrella body for nearly 150 Jewish federations, which act as central fundraising bodies for Jewish causes and institutions in metropolitan areas throughout the United States and Canada.

Several controversial events in recent years have created rifts between the views of U.S. Jewish organizations and Israeli government policies. The groups have objected to, among other things, the governments freezing of a plan meant to expand a non-Orthodox prayer area at the Western Wall; the passage of a law this year officially defining Israel as the nation-state of the Jews; a proposed reform of Israels conversion policy that would have given more power to Israels haredi Orthodox Chief Rabbinate; and a 2017 law barring entry to supporters of the movement to boycott Israel.

Speaking at the conferences opening session, Rivlin said that while Diaspora and Israeli Jews have differences, they need to prioritize maintaining their relationship. He said that Israelis need to take it upon themselves to learn more about Diaspora Jews, in part through a reverse Taglit, Hebrew for Birthright, the free, 10-day trips to Israel for Jewish young adults.

We need to create wider circles of answers here in Israel, he said. For many young Israeli Jews, being a Jew means being Israeli. We must increase their exposure to your schools, camps and communities. They need to realize and to feel that they have a family, a family that [they] must take into account.

On Sunday, at an event at Rivlins official residence in Jerusalem preceding the General Assembly, the head of New Yorks UJA-Federation said some young American Jews did not see their values reflected in Israels policies.

Eric Goldstein, the federations CEO, said The Jewish identity of many young American Jews is reflected through the lens of tikkun olam, social justice values, and they experience a mental discomfort when they use that lens to look at many current Israeli government policies: settlement policy, nation-state law, treatment of asylum seekers, marriage equality and marriage rightsmore broadly, the monopoly that the Orthodox has over religion and state in Israel.
Jews and Christians are instructed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122). For those who love and support Israel, and are looking for a way to show that support, there will be a Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast Nov. 14-16 at the Rosen Plaza, located at 9700 International Drive, Orlando. This will be the third worldwide prayer breakfast since it began in June 2017 at the Israeli Knesset, and the first in Orlando.

The first Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast was sponsored by Speaker of the Knesset Yuli-Yoel Edelstein and Members of the Knesset Robert Ilatov (Beiteinu party and chairman of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus) and Rabbi Yehuda Glick. Five-hundred-and-seventy world delegates from 58 nations attended the event.

The second annual Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast was also held in Jerusalem in June 2018. Government leaders and influential Christian leaders from all walks of society gathered in Israel's capital city to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Once again, Orthodox Rabbi Yehuda Glick, gave an official greeting and welcome to more than 650 delegates from 70 nations, stating, "I'm so excited that today we have Christians from 70 nations in Jerusalem, our capital, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem!"

Attendees of the first prayer breakfast wanted to bring the opportunity for this movement to come to Orlando. Blake Lorenz, pastor of Encounter Global Outreach, Orlando and organizer of the Orlando event, sees the need for constant prayer for Israel. This prayer breakfast will inspire lovers of Israel.

Prayer Breakfast sponsor Bridges for Peace stated on its website: "We live in perilous times as the nations are again seeking to solve their problems by accusing the Jewish people. We have seen the latest UNESCO resolution that not only denied the Temple Mount's Jewish ties but also portrayed the Western Wall as a Muslim holy site. Twenty-four nations voted in favour of the motion, 26 abstained, and only six countries had the boldness to stand against such a shameful rewriting of history."

Guest speakers at Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast Orlando include Israel Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon; former member of Congress Michele Bachmann; Knesset Member Robert Ilatov; and Albert Veksler, co-founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, among others.

The Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast will open with a concert on Wednesday evening, Nov. 14, from 7 9:30. The concert is free and open to the public. Those who wish to stay and attend the prayer breakfast may register and reserve rooms at the Rosen Plaza at a discounted rate.

Michele Bachmann

Thursday morning, registration for the event will begin at 6:30 a.m. and an Ambassador's reception will be held from 8:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m., followed by breakout sessions on How to Bless Israel with Bridges for Peace and Pastor Roger Diaz of Fellowship Church; Aliyah discussion led by Pastor Gary Cristofaro, Mel Hoelzle of Ezra International and Kathy Ardino of Operation Exodus.

Afternoon sessions include talks on Israel's 70th anniversary; How Israel is blessing the nations; and Jonathan Feldstein, an Orthodox Jew who lives in Israel, will talk about combating anti-Semitism. The day will culminate with the Founders' Dinner and guest speaker Michele Bachmann.

Bachmann will again speak at the Friday morning prayer breakfast.

This event is open to Christians and Jews who love and support Israel. There is no evangelism or proselytizing allowed as the focus is completely on praying for and blessing Israel.

For registration information and cost for rooms and the event, please visit http://jerusalemorlandocoalition.org.
Mourners hold candles in the aftermath of the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Oct. 27, 2018.

(JTA)-The shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue that has left 11 people dead has been described as "horrific," "heinous" and "devastating" by Jewish leaders, politicians and Israeli leaders.

"Our hearts are broken," the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh posted on Facebook, saying it was making an exception and using social media on Shabbat.

The federation's president, Jeff Finkelstein, in an interview on CNN praised the quick reaction of the police and local government and said of the shooting, "This is now real. This is my worst nightmare."

Jerry Silverman, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, said in a statement: "Our thoughts, prayers and actions are with the entire Pittsburgh Jewish community at the events of today. The peace of Shabbat was shattered and lives tragically lost. All of us stand with our brothers and sisters there."

Silverman said the Secure Community Network is already working with the synagogue alongside the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. The security arm for national Jewish groups is affiliated with JFNA and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

The Jewish refugee aid agency HIAS, which was named by the suspected shooter in a series of posts on social media, said in a statement: "There are no words to express how devastated we are by the events in Pittsburgh this morning. This loss is our loss, and our thoughts are with Tree of Life Congregation, our local partner Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh, the city of Pittsburgh and all those affected by this senseless act of violence. As we try to process this horrifying tragedy, we pray that the American Jewish community and the country can find healing."

David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, tweeted: "The news from #Pittsburgh is horrible, just horrible. An attack on a synagogue kills at least 8 people and wounds others. No words are adequate. A demented, bigoted mind that would destroy lives in a house of worship should leave us all speechless, united and angry as hell."

ADL National Director Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement that "It is simply unconscionable for Jews to be targeted during worship on a Sabbath morning, and unthinkable that it would happen in the United States of America in this day and age. Unfortunately, this violent attack-the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in the United States since 2014-occurs at time when ADL has reported a historic increase in both anti-Semitic incidents and anti-Semitic online harassment."

Greenblatt said in a tweet that the ADL was "actively engaged with law enforcement to understand the extent of this anti-Semitic attack."

The Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh in a post on Facebook said it is in contact with staff, university officials and law enforcement to ensure the safety of students. The center said it was planning to open on Shabbat in order to support students and community members "when it is safe to do so."

Parents responded with comments thanking the center for being available to help their children. One wrote: "So glad that you are there to support our children when we, as parents, are far away and cannot hug them and be with them."

World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said the attack was not just on the Jewish community but on America as a whole.

"We must condemn this attack at the highest levels and do everything in our power to stop such atrocities from happening again," Lauder said in a statement.

B'nai B'rith International called it "a devastating day for Jews in this country and around the world."

"But more than that, it's another devastating day for tolerance and acceptance," Charles Kaufman and Daniel Mariaschin, its president and CEO, respectively, said in a statement. "We are living in an unparalleled toxic atmosphere of hate that seems endless. While we welcome politicians' thoughts and prayers when murderous rages of hate occur, that must be followed by action on many levels. Tolerance and mutual respect, plus sensible gun control-especially for automatic weapons-are needed now."

J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group, called the shooting a "savage hate crime and an act of terror."

"This moment calls for responsible leadership. We must all join together in condemning the rising tide of white nationalism, racism and hatred directed at Jewish people and other vulnerable minorities in our country," it said in a statement. "And we must call for an end to the extreme rhetoric, laced with bigotry and racism, that is dominating our national discourse and breeding violence."

The Republican Jewish Coalition's national chairman, Norm Coleman, said in a statement: "The level of hate in this country is out of control. Today we mourn the dead and stand in awe of the men and women who ran toward the gunfire to help the victims and stop the perpetrator. In the days ahead, we all must come together to combat this epidemic of hate. From the left, the right, and all other corners of our political spectrum, we must come together to find a better path forward."

Halie Soifer, the executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, said it was clear that congregants at the Tree of Life synagogue were targeted because they were Jews. She said her organization "condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the elevated anti-Semitic, hateful, and divisive rhetoric in our country that has emboldened anti-Semites, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and those who sympathize with these movements."

In Israel, emergency and resilience teams left for Pittsburgh to provide psychological assistance and community rehabilitation, according to the statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a videotaped statement said that he was "heartbroken and appalled by the murderous attack" on the Tree of Life synagogue.

"The entire people of Israel grieve with the families of the dead. We stand together with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh," he said. "We stand together with the American people in the face of this horrendous anti-Semitic brutality. And we all pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded.

Dustin Franz/AFP/Getty Images Members of the Squirrel Hill community in Pittsburgh come together for a student-organized candle vigil in remembrance of those who were killed earlier in the day during a shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue there, Oct. 27, 2018.

President Reuven Rivlin said in a statement that "We are thinking of our brothers and sisters, the whole house of Israel, in this time of trouble, as we say in the morning prayers. We are thinking of the families of those who were murdered and praying for the quick recovery of those who were injured. I am sure that the law enforcement agencies and the legal authorities in the U.S. will investigate this horrific event thoroughly and that justice will be served on the despicable murderer."

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who also serves as the country's Diaspora minister, left for Pittsburgh on Saturday night in Israel shortly after news of the shooting. He will visit the synagogue, meet with the local Jewish community and participate in the funerals of those killed in the attack, a statement from his office said.

"When Jews are murdered in Pittsburgh, the people of Israel feel pain," Bennett said "All Israel are responsible for one another."

He also said that "Jewish blood is not free. I am going to offer strength to the community and its leaders, and to examine how we can offer assistance"
From left: Tammy Hepps, Kate Rothstein and her daughter, Simone Rothstein, 16, pray a block away from the Tree of Life Congregation after the synagogue shooting, Oct. 27, 2018.

(JTA)-When a gunman entered The Tree of Life Congregation and killed 11 worshippers on Saturday, he also struck at the heart of Pittsburgh's Jewish community-the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill.

Squirrel Hill, in the eastern part of Pittsburgh, has been the center of the city's Jewish life since the turn of the 20th century, when wealthy Jewish families began settling there. While the Jewish communities of other cities have moved neighborhoods or migrated to the suburbs in the ensuing century-plus, Squirrel Hill and its environs have remained the home of Pittsburgh's Jews.

Jeff Finkelstein, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, says the neighborhood's sustained Jewish presence is a result of its proximity to local jobs and two universities nearby-Carnegie Mellon University and Chatham University. (The University of Pittsburgh isn't far away, either.) Recently, he said, the area has also experienced an influx of Jewish millennials seeking urban life.

"It may be the last major urban-centered Jewish community outside of Manhattan in the country," he said. "Over the years, this Jewish community has made serious investments into the Jewish institutions in Squirrel Hill."

Today the neighborhood is home to about 30 percent of the Pittsburgh area's 50,000 Jews, or about 15,000 people, according to a 2017 study of the Jewish community. It's home to more than a dozen synagogues across denominations. Tree of Life, which recently merged with another congregation, Or L'Simcha, is one of two Conservative synagogues in the neighborhood. There are also multiple Orthodox and Reform synagogues in an area just over one square mile wide.

"It's just really a special place with multigenerational family homes and a real nice sense of esprit de corps," said Rabbi Aaron Bisno of Rodef Shalom, a Reform congregation. "It's really collaborative and supportive and rather unique."

Like many Jewish neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill boasts an array of Jewish day schools (four), kosher restaurants (three) and other Jewish community organizations, according to a 2016 article in Shady Ave., a local magazine. In addition to a Holocaust museum, it's home to a sculpture of a Star of David made of 6 million soda can tabs-a project of Community Day School, a local Jewish school, that took five years to complete.

Squirrel Hill's centrality to Pittsburgh Jewry also is reflected in the numbers. While it's home to 30 percent of Pittsburgh Jews overall, nearly half of the area's Jewish children are being raised there. The neighborhood ranks high as well in terms of synagogue membership, Jewish education and similar measures, according to the community study.

(It was also home to the children's television icon Fred Rogers, the host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," who was not Jewish.)

But what sets Squirrel Hill apart, Finkelstein says, is the cohesiveness of its Jewish community. He says its wide range of denominations and Jewish organizations make an effort to collaborate. At an all-night learning program this spring on the Jewish festival of Shavuot, 500 people from across the Jewish spectrum came to study together.

"There is a phrase in the Talmud that has always felt especially relevant to our community: Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Bazeh. All of Israel is responsible for one another," New York Times columnist Bari Weiss, who celebrated her bat mitzvah at Tree of Life, wrote in a column Saturday. "For us that is not a lovely theory but a lived reality."

That communal unity, Finkelstein says, has been in evidence in the wake of the shooting. In addition to a vigil Saturday night in Squirrel Hill, its Jewish organizations have mobilized. The local JCC is acting as a base for the community and families of the victims, where rabbis from around the area have visited throughout the day. Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh is providing counseling, while the local Jewish federation is handling donations.

This is not the first time the community has experienced anti-Semitism recently. Last year, residents found stickers and business cards with white supremacist slogans around the neighborhood featuring swastikas and messages like "It's not illegal to be white... yet."

But Finkelstein says Saturday's events are the worst he's ever experienced in his professional life.

"This is the one day I hoped would never happen," he said. "It's about these families-my heart goes out to them. Just watching their emotions has shaken my soul."
The Jewish National Fund is hosting a special event on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. with guest speaker Chloe Valdary, director of Partnerships and Shillman Fellow at Jerusalem University.

Valdary is a Christian. She is black, and she is a "rising star of pro-Israel campus activism," according to The Times of Israel. As the spokesperson for the Israel education program at Jerusalem U, her support for Israel not only cuts against arguments of Students for Justice in Palestine, but also against much black civil rights rhetoric.

She previously served as a Tikvah Fellow under Bret Stephens at The Wall Street Journal.

The event will be held at the Winter Park community Center, located at 721 W. New England Ave., Winter Park. Tickets are $18 by Nov. 13; $25 at the door.

RSVP by Nov. 13 at jnf.org/orlandowfi.
Jewish Academy of Orlando will host its annual gala with a Roaring Twenties theme at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, at The Ballroom at Church Street. The event will honor Nina and Dr. Ron Oppenheim.

The Roaring Twenties Gala is the school's biggest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds fund new curricula, field trips, new programs, and provide scholarship funds. Gala tickets include signature cocktails, dinner, music by Two Left Feet, and a silent auction for $125 per person. Guest are encouraged to wear 1920s attire and join in for a roaring good time.

Gala honorees, Nina and Ron Oppenheim, have been part of the Central Florida community since 1983. During that time, they were active participants at the JCC, Hebrew Day School (now Jewish Academy of Orlando), Hillel, Jewish National Fund, and Congregation Ohev Shalom. While Ron built a respected neurology practice and served Florida Hospital as a department chair on several occasions, Nina devoted herself to teaching and volunteer work. Nina received the Jerome Bornstein Leadership award from the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, as well as the Human Service Award from the Heritage Jewish News. She was also a 2017 Federation Woman of Choice Award recipient. Because of Nina's great contributions, Jewish Academy recently appointed her a lifetime board member. Nina and Ron are also Orlando Museum of Art ambassadors. They have three adult children, all Jewish Academy of Orlando alumni.

"We take great pleasure in honoring Nina and Ron," said Alan Rusonik, head of school. "They have been a constant presence, influence, and strength for the school. Nina's positivity and support have been integral in the school's success."

To buy tickets, please visit http://www.jewishacademyorlando.org/gala/. To sponsor or advertise, please email Summer Simmons at ssimmons@myjao.org.

To learn more about Jewish Academy of Orlando, please visit: https://www.jewishacademyorlando.org or follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JewishAcademyOrlando.
Over the years, it has become apparent in the college community that Zionism is not only disapproved of, but discriminated against, with such outstanding remarks against Israels very existence. The already confirmed annual Students for Justice in Palestine Conference at University of California, Los Angeles in November expresses blatant discrimination against Zionists and Jewish students alike. As an organization, SJP goes out of their way to vehemently express their disgust and hatred toward Jewish students and pro-Israel organizations.

These egregious attacks on not only Jewish students, but pro-Israel members, are inexcusable as this is entirely contradictory to the goal for college campuses to welcome all viewpoints without discrimination. If a college campus fails to take any action against discrimination, this will show the establishments true colors more than any swastika or Neo-Nazi flyer. What is most infuriating is that the majority of these hate crimes go unnoticed or ignored, while the victims of these acts of hatred are continuously demonized and blamed for the deeds of such insufferable beings. The apathy college faculty members contain toward such anti-Semitism and anti-Zionists doesnt fix anything. These actions do nothing more than contradict the messages of unity and diversity promoted by universities all over the nation.

Students who express viewpoints that insinuate physical violence or discriminationsuch as the Stanford University resident assistant who threatened to physically fight Zionists, who even then took longer than needed to resign after such horrific commentsshould have consequences for their actions. College campuses such as UCLA have two choices: Uphold their mission statement ...for creating and fostering a respectful, cooperative, equitable and civil campus environment for our diverse campus communities or continue the apathy toward the welfare of Jewish and pro-Israel students. The allowance of an organization with a soiled history of violating Jewish and Zionist values to take place in a university that claims to promote civility and respect is the pinnacle of hypocrisy.

Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voices for Peace, and other anti-Israel groups that will be attending this conference this month have even supported the recent murder of an innocent Israeli-American, Ari Fuld. One of the chapters for SJP voiced support for Fulds murder, stating ...colonial comes with consequences...

Frustratingly enough, there has been little to no consequence to the dialogue to the sympathization of murderers. An organization that claims to advocate for peace and against violence siding with pure terrorists is unbelievably backwards and idiotic at best. For a prestigious university such as UCLA to allow such a hateful organization to organize a conference on their campus is heartbreaking to see, considering their mission statement to promote a safe place for all ideas. The SJP conference at UCLA shows that universities and colleges appear to favor one side, while pushing the other off the deep end. If such breeding grounds for hatred and disrespect for Israel continues, the prospects for peace between campus activists is bleak at best, and cooperation will never ensue.

As the vice president of Knights for Israel, the only pro-Israel student club at the University of Central Florida (a relatively apathetic campus toward both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian coin), its downright shocking, yet humbling to see the warfare other colleges trudge through. Friends, acquaintances, and strangers have shared their collections of horror stories of anti-Semitism from all over the country, but what all of these instances share in common, is that they all occur within the university setting. However, not all Florida universities have an Israel climate similar to our campus. Notably, Florida State University and University of South Florida have experienced an increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Israel activity on their campuses. The FSU chapter of SJP organized a Great Return March this past April, who labeled the IDF as oppressors toward the violent protests orchestrated by Hamas members on the Gaza Strip, claiming it was Palestinians rights to return to their homelands. At USF, the only Jewish senator resigned from their Student Government due to death threats and alienation from his peers. This increase in anti-Semitism on campus is alarming to observe in my home state, especially from a school where this hardly ever occurs. While our organization is thankful that we do not face opposition with disrespect, screaming matches, or physical altercations, that doesnt mean pro-Israel advocacy isnt necessary. An apathetic campus is far from a job well done in the sense that in any semester, the biannual incoming of students with any and all perspectives can easily sway the Israel climate of the campus in a positive or negative light. Therefore, we and all campuses, pro-Israel, SJP-majority, and apathetic campuses must be equipped to preach accuracy toward dissenting opinions, not to eradicate the opinions but the lies when it is needed.

Emily Aspinwall is a sophmore at UCF where she is a political science major with a minor in intelligence and national security with an interest in Iranian and Israeli politics, and is an honors in the major research specializing in Israeli and Iranian relations. She is vice president of Knights for Israel at the University of Central Florida, as well as the campus CAMERA fellow for the 2018-2019 school year.
Large scale naval and air exercises Ocean Shield will be held in the Mediterranean on the permanent basis, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

The minister noted that a large inter-fleet naval group had been created in the Mediterranean "for independently coping with a wide range of tasks in a changing situation."

"The command of the exercise was carried out from St. Petersburg and the support facility in Syrias Tartus," TASS cited Shoigu as saying.

This year the Ocean Shield exercise was held for the first time. On September 1-8, a total of 26 ships, including 2 submarines and 34 aircraft of the Navy and the Aerospace Force conducted a joint exercise in the Mediterranean.
This coming Tuesday Americans will go to the polls, to elect a new House of Representative and one-third of the U.S. Senate.

This election has been called by the political pundits and media talking heads the most important election in American history. As a side note, I do not remember an election in my lifetime that has not been so categorized by the media.

The fact is every American election cycle is important, not only to Americans, but to people world-wide because Americas policies both at home and abroad effect vast numbers of the worlds population.

While the executive branch of government is given primary responsibility to conduct foreign affairs, congress has great influence on foreign policy through its exclusive appropriations authority and its law-making powers.

As the body most closely reflective (at least in theory) of the current political winds blowing into Washington, D.C., from all sections of the country, the actions of Congress must be considered as the will of the people. That is why voting in an off-year election is critical to the political health of our nation.

While bipartisanship on most issues has taken a major hit over the last few years, continued bipartisan support for the American-Israeli relationship in congress is in the best interest of both countries.

Beginning with our shared values, no other nation in the Middle East comes close to American juridical and social values as does Israel. No other nation in the Middle East has as stable a democratic government as Israel. No other nation in the Middle East shares it military and security intelligence and innovations with the U.S. as willingly as Israel. No other nation in the Middle East provides a stable location for storage of U.S. military equipment as Israel. No other nation supports the U.S. in the United Nations more than Israel.

Israel is the recipient of $3.8 billion dollars from the U.S. in annual military aid. Most of these dollars are spent in the U.S. providing jobs for Americans. For one of the smallest countries in the world, Israel has a very large footprint in deploying its economic, scientific, agricultural, water, medical and emergency first responder assets and innovations to third world countries, adding to the welfare and stability of these countries.

Despite being constantly threatened by terrorism and military aggression from both inside and outside its borders,, Israel continues to be a perfect example to all peoples of the Jewish value of tikun olam, our mission to fix the world, and to be a light to other nations.

Israel is not and should not be a partisan issue for either members of congress or the public at large. Support for Israel is not a conservative, liberal, right wing, left wing, Republican or Democrat issue. Israel is as American as apple pie and strong support for Israel is consistent with American and Jewish values wherever you sit on the political spectrum.

I have written before that Jewish Americans are doubly blessed by our heritage of Covenant and Constitution. When you go to the polls and cast your ballots, I respectfully request you consider the above thoughts and cast your ballots for those candidates of either party who will strengthen and not weaken the American-Israel relationship.

If you wish to comment or respond to any of the contents herein you can reach me at melpearlman322@gmail.com. Please do so in a rational, thoughtful, respectful and civil manner. Shabbat Shalom

Mel Pearlman holds both a B.S. and M.S in physics as well as a J.D. degree and came to Florida initially to work on the Gemini and Apollo space programs as a young physicist. He has been practicing law in Central Florida for the past 45 years. He has served as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando; on the District VII Mental Health Board, as Special Prosecutor for the City of Winter Park, Florida; and on the Board of Directors of the Central Florida Research and Development Authority. He was a charter member of the Board of Directors and served as the first Vice President of the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida, as well as its first pro-bono legal counsel.
(Mida via JNS)The recent Gaza hostilities against Israel constitute a continuation of an intractable conflict with seemingly no end in sight. Ultimately, it is rooted in the Jewish peoples unique relationship with power and its unwillingness to use it.

Israel and the Israel Defense Forces have effectively neutralized two main predicaments plaguing the Jewish people for 2,000 years: homelessness and defenselessness. Against all odds, the Jewish people created one of the finest and best fighting forces in the world, the IDF, which, like other Western militaries, was established to fight conventional military threats. However, in an era of asymmetric warfare, terrorist organizations like Hamas have successfully exploited Israels high moral standards by embedding itself within Gazas civilian population.

Russia and even NATO have shown little compunction in using massive military force in densely populated urban areas, despite the high likelihood of substantial civilian collateral damage. As a result, countless civilians were killed in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Chechnya. By contrast, Israel has been reluctant to use massive force against terrorist enemies hiding in civilian urban areas like Gaza.

The same Jewish state that is regularly slandered for using disproportionate force has frequently aborted military missions that were considered jeopardizing the safety of enemy civilians. The former British commander Richard Kemp, who studied Israels Gaza operations firsthand, concluded that no army in military history has done more to minimize enemy civilian casualties than the IDF. Other respected military officers, including former senior U.S. General Martin Dempsey, share this sentiment. In fact, Israel has even risked the lives of its own soldiers in order to save enemy civilian lives.

During the Battle of Jenin in 2002, Israel lost 23 soldiers in fighting Hamas and Fatah terrorists inside the dense and booby-trapped urban environment. Unlike NATO in Iraq and in Afghanistan, Israels leadership was unwilling to jeopardize enemy civilian lives by using massive force and bombing its adversaries from the air.

Being humane towards an inhuman enemy has not, however, prevented Israel from being demonized worldwide as a war criminal. Many people worldwide, including senior Western officials, initially embraced Palestinian propaganda lies of the Jenin massacre. By the time Ramallahs libel against Israel was proven false, Israels enemies had already moved on to concocting the next libel against the Jewish state. In the 21st century, Israel increasingly focuses more on fighting anti-Israel propaganda than defeating its adversaries in the military field.

Israels ethical policies have tied the hands of IDF to effectively perform its most fundamental task: defeating Israels enemies who are deliberately embedded in civilian areas. Israel has moved from problem solving to problem management. Undeniably, Gaza constitutes a complex security challenge for Israel. However, this does not mean that mowing the lawn is Israels only option in Gaza. Critics have warned that toppling Hamas would be costly, and that it would eventually be replaced with another Gaza regime equally hostile towards Israel.

Israels Gaza policy has been to prevent Hamas from importing advanced weaponry. However, Gaza rockets and other weapons are merely tools. Jerusalem has largely ignored to address the fundamental Gaza challenge: a vast infrastructure of lethal Jew-hatred on Israels doorstep. Gazans are not born Jew-haters. They are products of a sustained Nazi-style brainwash by a Hamas regime bent on Israels destruction.

Liberals in Israel and abroad have often sarcastically noted that Israel cannot expect its neighbors to become Zionists. Demonization of neighbors are as old as human history. Countries like France, Germany and Britain used to be bitter enemies. Hitlers Nazi ideology unleashed the Second World War. It was the de-Nazification of Germany that ultimately ended it and secured European peace.

Israel cannot enforce peace on its hostile neighbors. However, the Jewish state can substantially improve its security situation by focusing on removing the ideological evil weed that sustains the conflict. Israel must deny a safe haven to its enemies hiding behind civilians. This requires untying IDFs hands to defeat Israels enemies in the military and civilian battlefields.

As long as children in Gaza and Ramallah are taught to hate and murder Jews, the conflict will continue with no end in sight. Instead of passively waiting for her neighbors to embrace peace, Israel should actively use military and non-military tools, preparing the ground for future peace by winning the war to end all war.

Daniel Kryger is a writer and a political analyst. He lives in Israel.

You can find more in-depth articles on Israel and the Middle East @en.mida.org.il.
(JNS)Jordans King Abdullah II, in what has been described as a sharp tone, announced this week that he would annul an appendix to the 1994 Israeli/Jordanian peace treaty under which certain parcels of lands in the border regionsthe Naharayim (Baqura) area near the Sea of Galilee and Zofar (al Ghamar), some 80 miles north of Eilat in the Aqaba regionwere to have been leased to Israel in perpetuity.

Jews have farmed these lands since 1926, when the then-British Mandatory power authorized it, along with the establishment of a power station by Russian Jewish engineer Pinchas Rutenberg.

However, in 1994, when Israel and Jordan concluded a peace treaty, Israel transferred these territories to Jordanian sovereignty. An appendix in the treaty authorized continued Israeli cultivation of these farmlands for 25 years, automatically renewable for 25-year periods unless one year prior notice of termination is given by either Party, in which case, at the request of either Party, consultations shall be entered into.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that he will be taking up the matter with King Abdullah in a bid to have the termination of the lease rescinded, but Oraib Rintawi, director of the Quds Center for Political Studies in Amman, has said, probably accurately, Jordan cannot backtrack on this... This is a decision of the king, government and public. I do not believe there is any possibility to backtrack on this decision.

Abdullahs sudden and unexpected announcement, following public demonstrations in Jordan and a letter signed by 80 Jordanian legislators urging the cancellation of the appendix, illustrates two issues that are easily and indeed routinely overlooked when considering Israeli negotiations with neighboring Arab interlocutors: The intense hostility to, and non-acceptance of the Jewish state of Israel by Arab societies; and

the undergirding problem that bedevils all such negotiations with the Palestinian Arabsthe inadmissibility under Sharia law of relinquishing lands once controlled by Muslim powers and thus deemed a waqf (a perpetual Islamic trust) to non-Muslims.

Abdullahs decision to terminate the leases next year rather than renewing them is a strong indicator of the first. It is well-known that Abdullah has been continually pressured within Jordan to do whatever he can to distance himself from Israel and even to abrogate the entire peace treaty.

This development starkly illustrates the huge mistake that can be made when Israel makes generous concessions to an Arab party under the misapprehension that the personal friendliness of an Arab interlocutorin this case, the late Jordanian King Husseinis something that is somehow guaranteed to endure even under a stable regime.

Israel fatefully waived its sound claim to sovereignty, no doubt thinking that its territorial generosity would help to entrench and secure the original peace agreement.

Instead, what we now see is a Jordanian king who does not share the reputed friendliness of his father towards Israel and who has different priorities, and therefore can simply terminate the lease. Other than appealing to him to change his mind, it would seem that Israel has limited power to alter the Jordanian decision.

To the objection that the Israeli peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan give the lie to the assertion that secure treaties cannot be achieved with Palestinian Arab interlocutors, it bears recalling that in both cases, neither country was required to relinquish lands once controlled by Muslims.

To the contrary, by signing the Camp David peace treaty in 1979, Egypt secured the return to its control of the entire Sinai peninsula, giving only a chilly, mean-spirited peace in return. There are still almost no business relations or relations among professionals between the two countries.

In the case of Jordan, Hussein was able to sign a peace with Israel because he had publicly relinquished his claim to the West Bank (Judea/Samaria), as a result of which no territorial claims were at issue. Indeed, the only land at issue seems to have been these farmlands, which the treaty secured to Jordanian sovereignty.

The issue therefore changes character when it comes to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Here, Israeli governments, irrespective of their political complexion, are seeking agreements that would formalize the legitimacy of Israeli control over at least some disputed territory previously controlled by Muslim powers and thus regarded as a waqf.

Muslim governments might bow to force majeure, knowing that they cannot dislodge Israel for the present, just as they cannot dislodge Spain from Andalusia or India from Kashmir.

These territories lost to Islam are, as it were, on the back-burnerissues to be fought another day. Only the more radical Muslim movements speak of them at present or launch attacks on account of them. But the territories conquered by Israel in 1967 are not seen in such terms, and the whole world deems them to be negotiable.

Accordingly, Yasser Arafat or Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority have never agreed to normalize an Israeli presence even an inch beyond the 1949 armistice lines. This is why the most generous peace proposals in 2001, and again in 2008encompassing full Palestinian statehood, a capital in the eastern half of Jerusalem, sovereignty even over Jerusalems Temple Mount (Judaisms holiest site), tens of billions in U.S. aid to resettle refugees and their descendants, and Israeli withdrawal from virtually all of the territory in Israeli hands since 1967have not met even with a P.A. counter-offer, let alone acceptance.

King Abdullahs announcement is a sober reminder that these realities can only be overcome by a slow, gradual, international process of change and reform in Muslim society. Sadly, this means that a genuine, formalized Israeli-Palestinian peace will remain elusive for the foreseeable future.

Morton Klein is the national president of the Zionist Organization of America. Daniel Mandel, Ph.D., is director of the ZOA Center for Middle East Research.
(JNS)It seems pretty clear to me that I care about my Reform and Conservative brethren in the United States more than much of their own rabbinic and lay leadership. They could have asked people like mesomeone who represents the majority of Israelis and who wants the State of Israel to have a strong Jewish identityto attend and talk, but they didnt.

I have many family and friends who are Reform and Conservative Jews in America, and they want to be proud Jews. They also want to feel connected to their homeland, Israel. Yet, their own rabbinic and lay leadership are leading many of their constituents to doubt their pride in their Jewish identity and feel ashamed in their connection to Israel.

Case in point is the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. A vast majority of Reform and Conservative Jews who visit Israel visit the traditional area of the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. Yes, that is the area with the traditional separation between men and women. The main plaza section of the Western Wall plaza is always full of Jews, of all denominations. Very few actually visit the special egalitarian section that their leaders have made into such a big issue.

Some of those leaders have even threatened to withhold their support for Israel due to their anger over this issue. But the masses of Reform and Conservative Jews dont care. They still prefer to visit the main Western Wall plaza. How do I know this? Because I visit the Western Wall of the Temple Mount a lot, and the egalitarian section is almost always empty, while the main plaza is almost always full.

Its actually much of the Reform and Conservative rabbinic and lay leaders who have manufactured this into a contentious issue. Most Reform and Conservative Jews dont care about it at all.

This is one symptom of the wider problem highlighting the actual cause of disconnect between U.S. Jewry and Israeli Jewry. It is not Israel distancing itself away from Reform and Conservative Jews, but much of the non-Orthodox U.S. rabbinic and lay leaders who are distancing their own congregations from Israel.

The bottom line is that the most important conversation the GA leadership should be having is not with Israelis, but with their own Reform and Conservative constituents back in the United States.

The catchword in U.S. Jewry today is Jewish continuity. One PEW report after another highlight the dropping rate of North American Jews connected to any Jewish community or semblance of Jewish life.

The main problem is not the people, the problem is much of the non-Orthodox Rabbinic and lay leadership. If they truly cared about Jewish continuity, these leaders would be telling their constituents in the Reform and Conservative communities that only one solution exists to ensure that their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have a chance at remaining part of the Jewish collective. That sole solution is to make aliyah and live in Israel.

Only in Israel can a Reform and Conservative Jew live comfortably knowing that they can live their Jewish lifestyle as they see fit, and not have to worry as much that their children will leave the Jewish people. Only in Israel will their children and grandchildren grow up during the year living according to a Jewish calendar of holidays, feeling their Jewish connection, regardless of how religiously observant they are.

That is how I know that I care more about my Reform and Conservative brethren more than their own rabbinic and lay leadership. Only I tell their constituents the truth about what they need to do to ensure the Jewish continuity of their descendants.

Not only do many Reform and Conservative rabbis not tell their constituents this truth, instead they rile up their constituents to dislike the State of Israel. In essence, they actively distance their constituents from wanting to feel connected to Israel, the sole life vest that can ensure that their descendants remain Jewish.

Yes, Im 100 percent sure that most, if not all, non-Orthodox Jews that remain in the United States, will no longer have any connection to the Jewish people in a generation or two. It saddens me greatly to say it, but that is the trajectory of the PEW reports as well.

Im not saying that the issues they rile up their constituents about are not important. Im also not saying that Israel is perfect. However, I am saying that much of the rabbinic and lay leadership of Reform and Conservative Jewry, including the heads of the GA and the Federation world, are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Israel is the solution to help their constituents remain Jewish. Not the adolescent problem pushing them away, as the head of GA alluded to in his speech today.

If American Jewrys leadership truly loved their constituents and truly cared about the Jewish continuity of their congregations, they would be having a conversation with their constituents to make aliyah and move to Israel.

I have a hard time believing that they will listen to my advice to start plugging aliyah as the solution. In the meantime, here is my proposed stop-gap solution for the Reform and Conservative leaders to solve the problem of Jewish continuity. They should help their constituents develop a deep sense of true pride in their Jewish identity and heritage. Yes, the solution is that simple. And this should also be implemented for Orthodox youth as well.

Step one, Jewish organizations should stop focusing on the wonders of Israel as the high-tech Startup Nation to drum up Jewish pride. Yes, that is definitely something wonderful to be proud of. However, high-tech hubs can also be found in silicon valley and other cities in the world. Israel as the hi-tech start-up nation is remarkable, and something to be proud of, but not something that allows one to develop a deep pride in their Jewish identity.

Instead, they should be focusing on Israel being the true Startup Nation. We are a start-up people, saved from slavery in Egypt and brought into the Land of Israel to start up a nation. That is an essential part of our heritage that is unique to being a Jew.

They should be taught to be inspired by Abraham, the father of our nation. Young Jews should be brought to visit Alon Moreh, Hebron, Beersheva, etc., the places where Abraham lived and traveled. They can literally walk the path of our nations founder. All they have to do is visit these places with an open Tanach in front of them to bring the biblical stories of Abraham and his descendants to life. This is a simple, and effective way, to help their constituents truly develop a connection with their ancestral roots.

Next, they should stop promoting Israel as the country of their shared liberal values that hosts a gay pride parade. They can get that in the United States. That is not unique to Israel, and it has nothing to with their unique Jewish identity.

Instead, they should teach them to be proud of their Jewish heritage. They should bring their constituents to the Mount of Olives, where Jews from hundreds and thousands of years ago are buried. When visiting the graves, they should learn about who these people were and how they contributed to the Jewish people.

Near the relatively recent graves of former Israeli Prime Minister and founding father Menachem Begin and fighters in Israels war of Independence; King Davids son Absalom is also buried there. On the upper slope of the Mount of Olives are the traditional burial places of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi from the Tanach. Visiting this one place, with an open Tanach in hand, young Jews can learn and connect with the people who make up 3,000 years of Jewish history.

The Mount of Olives is the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world. It also just happens to be in the area mislabeled as Arab East Jerusalem, an area that much of the Reform and Conservative leaders support in removing from Jewish control and giving away to the Arabs.

And that is not all. These leaders who preach about Jewish continuity should start teaching their constituents that the true holy place to the Jewish people is the Temple Mount, not the Western Wall. The Western Wall is just a retaining wall of the Temple Mount. We pray three times a day for the Temple to be rebuilt, not for the Western Wall to be rebuilt.

In addition, they should bring them to Hebron. Hebron was the first capital city of King Davids Kingdom. That is where our matriarchs and patriarchs are buried.

They should focus on inspiring todays youth with the rich heritage of our people and the places that make up our history. They can visit all these places today and bring their cultural heritage to life.

These are things that make our Jewish identity unique. It is the places and people from our history that come alive in Israel that have the best chance of awakening the Jewish pride in todays younger generation of Jews.

Speaking to Israelis is nice, but thats not what will help bridge the divide between U.S. and Israeli Jewry. Establishing strong Jewish pride in U.S. Jewry is a much more critical step to help bridge that divide.

The bottom line is that American Jews have to internalize their connection and pride in historic Hebron more than their pride in high-tech Tel Aviv. Ultimately, if Jews have no connection and no understanding of their right to visit or live in Hebron, then the connection and right to live in Tel Aviv will disappear as well.

Its time the leadership of U.S. Jewry starts talking about developing a true Jewish pride with U.S. Jewry. The conversation with Israel can wait.

Avi Abelow, CEO of 12Tribe Films, manages the Israel Video Network and IsraelUnwired.com.
One of the signs at the Jewish Federations of North America's 2018 General Assembly in Tel Aviv discussing religious issues.

Observers lament lack of wide-ranging views at Federation's General Assembly in Tel Aviv

(JNS)-The 2018 annual General Assembly, held this year in Tel Aviv, took on a decidedly different tone to previous conventions. Focused on the theme, "Israel and the Diaspora: We need to talk," calls came for a respectful but serious dialogue on key issues that have been troubling America's Jewish communal establishment.

Yet many of the hard questions being asked of Israel by a largely liberal Jewish American leadership, as well as the panelists selected to answer those questions, were geared to conform to an admittedly progressive, social-justice agenda. They did little to address the concerns of large segments of Israel's population that have consistently voted for right-wing governments in the past decade.

In particular, representatives of Orthodox streams, who were subjected to significant criticism in conference panels, were not present to defend their tightly-held religious positions or raise opposing concerns. Israelis living in Jewish settlement communities or opponents of a two-state solution were similarly left out of the program, limiting the scope of dialogue on issues that Federation specifically identified as being prime concerns.

Major questions about rampant Jewish assimilation, intermarriage and apathy in American Jewish communities, growing anti-Semitism and the battles for Israel on American university campuses were left off the agenda.

'Special bond between the Jewish state and the Jewish people'

Arsen Ostrovsky, executive director of the Israeli-Jewish Congress (IJC), told JNS that Jewish communal organizations should always strive for the widest possible diversity and representation. "That is something all of us should work to improve, especially at a time [when] we seek to bridge gaps in understanding, and how we relate between the State of Israel and Jews in the Diaspora, especially in North America," he affirmed.

Ostrovsky suggested, however, that this year's General Assembly was an important first step in advancing a dialogue that had not formally been held out in the open until now. "Having attended the JFNA General Assembly, I believe the organization should be lauded for bringing together such a diverse group of voices from across the political and religious spectrum in Israel in a much-needed conversation about how to strengthen this special bond between the Jewish state and the Jewish people," he said.

Leah Aharoni, program coordinator of Am Echad organization, an organization she says represents the interests and concerns of the Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States, told JNS that "the GA and the Jewish Federations claim to be the voice of Diaspora Jewry, but it is only a specific voice. It's liberal in its outlook."

She felt that it's disingenuous to ignore Israeli or American Orthodox religious movements, which she says are "the fastest-growing, youngest [population], whose members have the most kids in both countries."

Am Echad took out full-page advertisements in English-language newspapers in Israel on the first day of the conference, purporting that Israel's mainstream religious community, the Israeli majority that does not identify as "liberal," American Orthodoxy and those who "value all parts of our historic homeland" and oppose a two-state solution were not given a voice at the GA.

Aharoni lamented that the GA could have been an "amazing learning opportunity, where the two sides [Americans and Israelis] could come together and learn about each other, getting to know each other and understanding how each deals with similar issues."

She said "the opportunity was missed because Federations decided to voice one side [non-Orthodox], whether from the American side or from the Israeli side."

'Their own demographic and policies'

In a response to the Am Echad ads, Rebecca Dinar JFNA's spokesperson told JNS that the GA wasn't leaving anybody out. She said that "in moderated discussions on the plenary stage, facilitated discussions in dialogue dens and casual conversations held informally in hallways, we can guarantee that every point of view on every issue is represented."

She noted that conference attendees were hosted at the Knesset by Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud Party), and then listened to a number of speakers representing many political points of view, including opposition leader Tzipi Livni (Zionist Union), and Knesset members Nachman Shai (Zionist Union), Nava Boker (Likud), Michal Rozin (Meretz Party) and Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home).

She added that federations, in partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel, hosts Knesset members from all political parties on trips to visit North American Jewish communities "in order to enhance their relationship and promote mutual understanding."

Rachel Moore, a public-relations specialist and religious resident of Judea and Samaria who attended the conference, told JNS that the outcry over the JFNA's program was misplaced.

"The Federation (JFNA) chooses to have its General Assembly in Israel every few years. It's an internal conference for the people involved to talk about the things that they fund and the things they want to see among themselves. It doesn't claim to be, or aim to be the world gathering of all Jews to talk about all of the problems of all the Jews.

"They have a perspective, they have an agenda, and they are entitled to their agenda," she said, "because it's for their professionals and their lay people."

"They are an American organization that raises money in America trying to figure out the best way to allocate money raised by Jews in America to fund the things that Jews care about," she added. "I don't have any problem with them making the decisions that are relevant to their own demographic and their own policies."

On the other side of the coin, Yisrael Medad, a veteran activist for communities in Judea and Samaria who attended the GA, suggested that the conference had a contentious tone and excluded certain populations, specifically Jews living over the Green Line.

Medad expressed surprise and some concern that Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai "used the terms 'extremist leadership' and one that is 'unsuitable for the 21st century,' in his opening plenary address to the American Jewish communal audience, without properly defining whether he was referring to political, religious, social or cultural leaders."

The speech immediately "inserted a divisive tone into the conversation," said Medad, that could be felt throughout the conference.

He added that "reviewing the schedule of speakers of the GA, it would seem there is an almost total lack of representatives of more than 600,000 Jews living in Judea and Samaria-a population that [the federation] claims is causing problems within American Jewry."

"If you don't have them at the GA, you will never solve the problem," Medad told JNS.

Aharoni, whose organization took out the advertisements, acknowledges that American Jewry "unequivocally cares about Israel and should have a voice about Israel," but, she says, "that voice should be projected with humility and respect. Israel is not America, and [they] shouldn't dictate the conversation."

She recognizes that American and Israeli Jews don't always see eye to eye on many of the issues, but says "as it happens in families and in other relationships, we could agree to disagree in a respectable manner, and this could have been an amazing opportunity to create this mutual learning."

In response to the overall proceedings, Michael Lawrence, chief development officer and director of the Israel Office for Financial Resource Development at the Jewish Agency for Israel, explained that "the Federations are very focused on Jewish unity-a good thing-and on tackling the major challenges related to many North American Jews feeling pushed aside or insulted by policies and guidelines related to Jewish status in Israel."

"I am very happy to see North American Jews so engaged with the State of Israel, and determined to be part of its growth and development. The alternative-indifference and apathy, rejection and despair-is in my mind a much worse case, and something neither the Jewish world nor Israel can afford."
A terrorist attack was prevented in Turkeys eastern Malatya province, the Turkish media reported.

As a result of a special operation conducted by the provincial police, a truck loaded with 28 kilograms of explosives was located.

Reportedly, three people who were planning to commit a terrorist attack in the city center, were detained during the operation. Their names, as well as other details of the operation were not disclosed.

A terrorist attack has been prevented in Turkeys south-eastern Mardin province yesterday.
Lahore : A 15-year-old Sikh girl was allegedly raped by two persons in an ambulance in Pakistans Punjab province, police said Sunday.

The girl, said to be mentally unstable, had gone missing on Saturday from a Gurdwara in Nankana Sahib city, some 80 kms from here, police said.

When she did not return, her family informed police.

The girls father said that the family spotted an ambulance of Punjab Emergency Services Rescue 1122 parked at Nankana bypass.

We heard a girl screaming inside the ambulance. We rushed to the vehicle and found two men were assaulting our girl, he said, adding that the culprits fled and threw the girl out of the vehicle some two kms away.

The family rushed her to hospital where her condition was stated to be stable.

Nankana city police official Nadim Ahmed told PTI that an FIR has been lodged against Ahsan Ali and Sameen Haider, both government employees of the Rescue 1122 emergency service. They have been arrested.

The victim has also undergone a medico-legal test and its report is awaiting, he said.

Rescue 1122 spokesman Muhammad Farooq said the department has formed a separate inquiry committee to investigate the matter after placing the accused under suspension.

This was the first such incident in the 14-year history of the Rescue 1122 as both the suspects violated their oath, he said.

The department is fully cooperating with the police to ensure dispensation of justice in the case, he added.

Source : Zee News
Every Indian knows that fanatic jihadis like Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his Muslim league were mainly responsible for the partition of India, along with Britishers. Then why Hamid Ansari is now blaming Indians for the partition !  Editor, Hindujagruti

Former vice president Hamid Ansari, speaking at the launch of Saeed Naqvis new book Being the Other  The Muslim in India, said that India was just as responsible as Pakistan for Partition.

As per a report from Times Now, Ansari said: We are not ready to accept that we were equal culprits in the deed.

On 11 August, 1947, four days before independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel made a statement where he said: We took these extreme steps after great deliberation. In spite of my previous strong opposition to Partition, I agreed to it because I was convinced that to keep India united, it must be divided.'

He alleged that when politics changed, someone had to be made responsible for Partition, and it was easier to blame Muslims. Everyone agreed that Muslims should be held responsible, he said.

Ansari served as vice president of India from 2007 to 2017. He has also served as an Indian ambassador and is ex-chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Source : Firstpost
Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone seems ready for new beginnings as can be seen in new pictures from a pre-wedding puja. She is all set to tie the knot with her boyfriend of six years, Ranveer Singh in Italy on November 14 and 15.

Deepikas stylist Shaleena Nathani shared pictures of Deepika from the puja on Instagram on Friday. Love you to the mooon and back. So so so so so sooooo happy for you. Cant wait for it all to starttttt. You deserve all the happiness in the world and more. @deepikapadukone, Shaleena captioned a photo. In the picture, Deepika is seen in a bright orange Sabyasachi suit. She has her hair tied in a bun and is flashing a big smile, surrounded by her friends.

In another picture, she is seen sitting with her head bowed down during the puja. To new beginnings, Shaleena captioned the photo. Deepikas hairstylist Gabriel Georgiou also thanked the Padmaavat actor for making him a part of the celebrations. Honoured today to witness this #Puja - The beginning of a new chapter, he captioned a picture.

Deepikas fans thanked Shaleena on her post for sharing their favourite stars pictures. Thankuuuuuuuuuuu soooo much for posting thiss picture. Cantt waittt for ittt tooo startttt, a fan commented. So happy for u yes this is cry moment for me, wrote another.

Deepika and Ranveer shared their wedding announcement on Twitter on October 21. The announcement was made in Hindi and English and was followed by wishes and congratulations from their Bollywood colleagues.

The couple began dating on the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Goliyon Ki Rasleela - Ram Leela. They have also worked together in Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat and Finding Fanny.

According to a report in Mid-Day, Deepika and Ranveer will have two wedding ceremonies. The four-day affair will begin with 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 as per Anand Karaj rituals.

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 (Anand Karaj), a source told the daily.

Deepika and Ranveers wedding in Italy will be followed by a reception in Bangalore for their extended family and another in Mumbai for their industry colleagues. Deepikas trousseau for all functions will be designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

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Rajkummar Rao is one of the brightest stars in the Bollywood firmament these days. The years 2017 and 2018 have served him well. If in 2017, the success and appreciation of films such as Bareilly Ki Barfi and Newton kept him in news,2018s Stree gave him his solo hit and an entry into the Rs 100 crore club.

The actor has an ambitious list of films in his kitty in the coming future  Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, Mental Hai Kya, Made in China and Shimla Mirchi in Hindi. Made in China will see him paired with TV actor-turned-Bollywood-star Mouni Roy.

A short boomerang clip from the films shoot of a song has been shared by Mouni. In it, Rajkummar and Mouni along with others are seated on benches and tables and are partaking food and drinks  while Rajkummar is biting into what looks like a kathi kebab roll, Mouni is drinking a can of cola. They are all dressed in festival colours  Mouni, in a bright orange ghagra choli (Or that a flared saree?) while Rajkummar has a maroon Nehru jacket with cream-coloured kurta inside.

Sharing the clip, Mouni writes: We eat , a lot , all the time! Song shoot stories @rajkummar_rao @pvijan @mikhilmusale27 @anujdhawan13 @mrsheetalsharma #MadeInChina.

In Made in China, Rajkummar plays a struggling Gujarati businessman, who has to travel to China for advancing his business interests. Expectedly, he encounters a number of situations and, we are presuming, the film is going to be a comedy. According to a report in Indian Express, a major part of the shoot will take place in China and some of it in Ahmedabad.

The film is being directed by Mikhil Musale, well known for his National Award-winning 2016 drama-thriller Wrong Side Raju, where as Dinesh Vijan will produce the film.The films shoot reportedly began in September this year.

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Shah Rukh Khan is, without doubt, is one of the biggest stars in the world. For 20 long years, he has entertained and has been loved back by millions of his cheering fans. Known as the king of romance for his onscreen avatar, Shah Rukh is actually full of jokes and wisecracks. Just look for all the award shows he has hosted over the years and youll know. Thing about Shah Rukh is that he also full of wisdom (a fact that often clashes with his public image) as many of his speeches, more so in recent years, illustrate.

For instance, when Shah Rukh was recognised at Davos this year and given an award for showing an exemplary commitment to uphold human dignity through his non-profitable Meer Foundation, he spoke eloquently about how corrosive acid attacks can be to a persons soul. Not many of us would know that his foundation provides support to female victims of acid attacks and major burn injuries through medical treatment, legal aid, vocational training, rehabilitation and livelihood support.

Happy Birthday Shah Rukh Khan: SRK turns 53 today.

His ready wit and self-deprecating humour is the stuff of legends. Dont we all recall how he sidestepped the issue of attack on Sanjay Leela Bhansali during Padmaavats shoot in Jaipur in 2017 when AIB interviewed him at his home. This has to be seen in the context of a raging controversy that erupted in 2015 when Shah Rukh spoke about rising incidents of intolerance in India.

On Shah Rukhs 53rd birthday today, heres a look at some of his wisest and funniest quotes in recent times.

Shah Rukh Khan speaking at World Economic Forum 2018 in Davos, Switzerland

SRK spoke on acid attack survivors and what he had learnt from them.

Actors are renowned narcissist -- no matter how much we pretend to not believe in external beauty, we tend to be obsessed by it, one way or another. Perhaps being surrounded by this obsession of beauty, a few years ago, I came across a lady who had been brutalised by an acid attack. It changed my life or the perspective of it, at least. To disfigure a woman by throwing acid on her face is to me, one of the basest, crudest acts of subjugation imaginable. At the source of it lies the view that a woman does not have the right to assert her choice - to say no to the advances of a man or a group of people. Yet each of the women I met, I found in them the courage to move on in life, to reject the idea of victimhood. What struck me most about them was this - that what was done to them only had made them braver, stronger and more able to free themselves to make the choices that everyone around them was telling them they could not make or should not make. From them, I have learnt how courage can catalyse victimhood to heroism.

Shah Rukhs TedTalk lecture

The star on how humanity is quite like him, an aging superstar.

I sell dream and peddle love to millions of fans back home in India who assume that I am best lover in the world. If you dont tell anyone, I will tell you that I am not but I dont let the assumption go away. There are a lot of you here who havent seen my work and I feel really sad for you. That doesnt take away from the fact that I am completely obsessed with myself as every star should be. I believe humanity a bit like me -- its an aging movie star, grappling with all the newness around it, wondering if it got it right in the first place and still trying to find a way to keep on shining.

Shah Rukh Khan at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit

The King of Romance on why he doesnt kiss in films.

I had two rules  dont kiss onscreen, dont ride a horse onscreen... Id rather ride a heroine and kiss a horse. But seriously, kissing in a movie is so mechanical. There are hundreds of people on the set and everyone.

Shah Rukhs interview with AIB

Given how often he gets misquoted or his statements are construed otherwise, he tried to be politically so correct about the attack on director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Padmaavat in 2017, that it was hilarious.

Day before yesterday, some of the filmmakers - and rightly so or wrongly, I dont know, it was their point of view - got little angry with some disturbance that had happened not somewhere in India related to something, he said.

Shah Rukh Khan speaks at Yale University as Chubb Fellow

Shah Rukh and his self-deprecating humour had all the students in splits.

I was told not to dwell too much on my movies when I spoke to you, I am to give you an inspirational talk - tell you stuff you can think about when you leave this room. That worries me, it gives me performance anxiety. Here you are, 1500 of you, hoping to hear words of wisdom from this sexy, desirable man, who couldnt kiss a girl, last time he was in Yale because it was too cold. But Im not that guy, I mean, Im sexy and desirable for sure but Im not about to leave you anymore inspired than when you walked in here.

If these arent enough, here are some more interesting quotes of the star over the years.

Shah Rukh Khan does it signature step at the launch of a car brand. (AP)

SRK on stardom

I dont wear my stardom like a tuxedo. I wear it like a T-shirt.



I am like a Rolls-Royce. I can run without an engine, purely on reputation.

SRK on humanity

If youre a real star, you dont need to prove it in any other way than just being kind.

SRK on his idea of romance

Yeah, I treat all my heroines like children now. I pick them up, I cuddle them, I call them baby...

My biggest achievement is that I can make a lot of people smile just by my presence.

SRK on pragmatism

Dont become a philosopher before you become rich.

SRK on being lucky in life

Very few people can turn their passion into their profession. I am one of those lucky few.

SRK on a star-fans equation

The reason Im good to fans and I believe in them is because Im employed by them.

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From rocket launches to repeated outfits, there is a lot in Shah Rukh Khans Zero trailer that could be hard to digest. And as we have often seen on the internet, such trailers lead to a barrage of memes.

Since we got our hands on the trailer for Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaifs Zero on Friday evening, Twitter comedians and meme-making geniuses have been working overtime to mint the dankest jokes. From drawing comparisons to the current ban on porn in India, to conveying the pain of medical students, these memes are covering a lot of a ground. Check out the funniest few:

#Zero #ZeroTrailer

When I see my friend hiding porn in study materials folder pic.twitter.com/9nEH6V9rQh  MRIGANKISM  (@mrigank_gupta_) November 2, 2018

#ZeroTrailer



Tim Cook - Here's a more expensive iPhone with the same features as last year



Apple Fans - pic.twitter.com/PDvS6jIQxu  SAGAR (@sagarcasm) November 2, 2018

Me: I am a well educated person



My Crush:#ZeroTrailer pic.twitter.com/3QD3VgFxC0  BOBBEY (@iamsrktheking) November 2, 2018

Wow! Game of Thrones final season looks amazing. Khaleesi is kissing Tyrion. #ZeroTrailer pic.twitter.com/ooJ0GDbIhn  Bollywood Gandu (@BollywoodGandu) November 2, 2018

You vs The girl he told you not to worry about#Zerotrailer #zero trailer pic.twitter.com/DkyDIZ4hCa  Varun  (@KamdarVarun) November 2, 2018

Zero stars Shah Rukh as a dwarf, Bauaa Singh. He is 38 years old and desperately wishes to find himself a bride. He locks his target on Anushka Sharmas Asifa Yousafzai, a wheelchair-bound scientist with cerebral palsy who wants to touch the moon. After a few requests and some wooing from Bauaa, she falls in love with him but it appears as if he leaves her for another, the alcoholic movie star, played by Katrina Kaif.

Shah Rukh said at the trailer launch that the film is about a girl with cerebral palsy and about another who is emotionally incomplete. He also wished Deepika Padukone on her upcoming wedding with actor Ranveer Singh on November 14 and 15. My love to @deepikapadukone.. god bless them happiness and goodness to them. I called Deepika the other day and said be as happy as I have been in my married life. Lots of love to them, he said.

Shah Rukh also praised the VFX in the film which were used to make him look like a dwarf in the film. Technology should be there in everything, if technology is available then it can enhance the visionary of the director, he said.

The film is directed by Aanand L Rai of Tanu Weds Manu and Raanjhana. It will release on December 21.

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The US has agreed to let eight countries -- including Japan, India and South Korea -- keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes sanctions on the OPEC producer on November 5, a senior administration official said.

While the Trump administrations goal remains to choke off revenue to Irans economy, waivers are being granted in exchange for continued import cuts so as not to drive up oil prices, said the official, who asked not to be identified before secretary of state Michael Pompeo announces the number of exemptions later on Friday.

China  the leading importer of Iranian oil  is still in discussions with the US on terms, but is among the eight, according to two people familiar with the discussions who also asked not to be identified. The other four countries that will get waivers werent identified.

The administration must maintain a delicate balancing act with the waivers: ensuring the oil market has sufficient supply and avoiding a politically damaging spike in fuel prices, while also ensuring that Irans government doesnt collect enough revenue that the US sanctions become irrelevant.

Global benchmark Brent crude has fallen about 15 percent from over $85 a barrel last month on increasing speculation that at least some nations will get waivers, as well as signs that other OPEC members will pump more to offset any supply gap. Oil futures were at $73.04 a barrel at 7:12 am in London on Friday.

Previously, Pompeo has said it is our expectation that the purchases of Iranian crude oil will go to zero from every country or sanctions will be imposed, but also acknowledged that waivers were being negotiated with nations that say crude from the Middle East producer are critical to their energy industry.

Temporary Exemptions

The waivers are only temporary, and the US will expect countries that get them to keep cutting Iranian imports in the months ahead, according to the US administration official, who declined to give details on the volume of oil the nations will be allowed to buy under the exemptions.

The identity of the countries getting waivers is expected to be released officially on Monday, when U.S. restrictions against oil dealings with Iran go back into effect. The Trump administration has asked that those nations also cut other economic ties with the Persian Gulf state, such as by reducing trade in goods that arent covered by the sanctions, the official said.

The impending oil sanctions have been a US tool to pressure Iran in the six months since President Donald Trump backed out of the 2015 nuclear deal between the Middle East nation and six world powers, saying it didnt do enough to constrain the Islamic Republics nuclear program or curb what the US calls other malign activity in the region.

Pressure Campaign

The US move infuriated Iran and angered the other countries that negotiated the nuclear deal and still say its the best chance to constrain the Islamic Republics nuclear ambitions. The Trump administration has rebuffed them and gone ahead with its sanctions plan, arguing that nations, banks and businesses worldwide will decide theyd rather do business with the US than Iran and leave the market.

Already, through its pressure campaign, the US has managed to reduce Irans oil exports from 2.7 million to 1.6 million barrels a month, according to internal US estimates.

Thats symbolically important to the Trump administration because President Barack Obamas administration took three years to remove 1.2 million barrels from the market -- and that was while acting in concert with the European Union and other nations before the international effort yielded the 2015 deal.

The administrations decision to issue waivers to eight countries also marked a significant reduction from the Obama administration, which issued such exemptions to 20 countries over three years. During the previous round of sanctions, nations were expected to cut imports by about 20 percent during each 180-day review period to get another exemption.

Confident US

Were quite confident moving forward that the actions that are being taken are going to help us exert maximum pressure against the Iranian regime, deputy State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said at a briefing on Thursday. This leading state sponsor of terrorism is going to see revenues cut off significantly that will deprive it of its ability to fund terrorism throughout the region.

Countries that get waivers under the revived sanctions must pay for the oil into escrow accounts in their local currency. That means the money wont directly go to Iran, which can only use it to buy food, medicine or other non-sanctioned goods from its crude customers. The administration sees those accounts as an important way of limiting Iranian revenue and further constraining its economy.

Its a virtual certainty that Western banks are not going to violate the escrow restrictions, said Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies who has advised Pompeo. The message theyre sending is dont screw around with these escrow accounts and try to get cute.
Lauding Haryanas efforts to control stubble burning of the harvested paddy crop, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday blamed the Punjab government for worsening air quality index (AQI) of the national capital.

Kejriwal told the media that the AQI of Delhi worsened from around 200 to 400 after October 25 and attributed it to stubble burning in Punjab.

Kejriwal, also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), rubbished the claims of Punjab government of improvement in the AQI and showed satellite images of stubble burning dotting Punjab. The images show stubble burning in Bathinda, Amritsar and other districts in Punjab. In Haryana, this is limited to north Haryana in the areas around Ambala district, Kejriwal said.

If there are farm fires in Punjab where has polluted air flown to? Does Punjab mean that vehicular pollution increased manifold and more industries came up overnight which resulted in thick haze?he asked.

The Delhi CM added that Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had earlier assured him during a meeting that his government was making multipronged efforts including distribution of stubble management equipment for the farmers this season.
Now that MJ Akbar, former external affairs minister (and bizarrely still a Member of Parliament), has been charged with rape by US-based journalist, Pallavi Gogoi, will the apologists in our fraternity finally zip up? I have spent the last few weeks dismayed by the responses of several senior colleagues. I have argued publicly with the women among them  Tavleen Singh, Manjeet Kriplani, Seema Mustafa  because I looked up to them as trailblazers of their generation. To see them mock the #MeToo movement, and worse, attack the women speaking up has been surreal. Their tweets reflected a medieval misogyny with comments that blamed the women instead of the perpetrators of harassment and abuse. Will they now be embarrassed into retracting these remarks? Will they apologise?

As for the men, too many senior male colleagues, who are contemporaries of Akbar, have been mealy-mouthed in their condemnation. It was only when the momentum of #MeToo became inescapable and woman after woman came forward that you saw more male editors ready to take a stand. In other words, they spoke only when it was risk-free to do so and after the women had done their work for them. At least a dozen women who have either levelled charges or other women who have said they are ready to testify to back the accounts of these women, have provided fence sitters with enough parachutes for a safe landing just in case there was turbulence. The fact is that even one womans account of credible allegations should have been enough. Women should not need the safety of numbers to find support and empathy. Yet you see a similar reluctance and diffidence in taking a stand with the other men named by women in the #MeToo revelations: Suhel Seth, Vinod Dua, Jatin Das, Kiran Nagarkar, Vikas Bahl and many more. The message this sends to women is: Find yourself multiple co-complainants if you want to be taken seriously. While this may be inevitable, it also patently unjust.

But while blatant sexism can be confronted and argued with, the most disturbing dimension of the #MeToo debate in India has been the instinct of so many commentators to cast these men in the role of damaged and flawed individuals who simultaneously represent both brilliance and baseness. Sorry, but this is a load of self-serving nonsense. I cant bear to read one more tweet or op-ed on Akbars epigrammatic turn of phrase or blazing talent as an editor. We saw exactly the same conflicted social and peer group response when Tarun Tejpal was accused of rape.

Akbar or Tejpal  and whoever comes next  cannot and must not be mythologised as brooding men of intensity with great achievements and a few minor chinks in their armour. This is not Fountainhead and they are not Howard Roark. This is real life where the starkness of the violations they are alleged to have committed must be met without ifs, buts, alsos and maybes. The constant demand for a fuller narrative; the drawing room laments at the end of great careers  it is almost as if no matter what men do, there is an institutional indulgence when it comes to sexual violation. In an otherwise unsparing age of instant judgment and polarised opinions, can you explain why there are so many calls to separate the art from the artist? Why is there such a concerted effort at legacy building for the Akbars and Tejpals of the news media? Look no further than America where the massive body of work by Charlie Rose or Kevin Spacey or Harvey Weinstein collapsed into instant oblivion after rape and abuse stories surfaced in the media.

In India, too, this clumsy and shameful romanticisation of men named in the #MeToo movement must stop. Sure, it can be tough when you personally know the people concerned  many of them have been in our social and professional circles of interaction  and an initial awkwardness is natural. But to keep dwelling on Nagarkars writing, Duas television prowess, Seths networking or Dass painting is to deflect from the main issue. And to remain silent is to be complicit.

Rape is a criminal offence and one that the state can take suo motu cognisance of. Nor must it be bound by the statute of limitations. The Goa police acted on its own in the Tejpal rape case well before the complainant came forward. The National Commission For Women wrote to the Goa police based on media reports. Pallavi Gogois chronicle underlines that Akbars resignation as minister is hardly enough. Not just is his criminal defamation case against Priya Ramani (who first named him) a cruel joke; he must be expelled from the BJP and from Parliament. And then investigators must take over. For all those who say due process  yes, that is the due process we expect. Meanwhile, spare us anecdotes of his glory days as an editor. We dont care.

Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author

The views expressed are personal
The complainant in one of Indias most high profile sexual harassment cases is telling me about the price of speaking up. A hostile work environment, mental stress, failing health, long and costly litigation and, despite it all, loss of a job, says the woman researcher who filed a complaint against RK Pachauri in February 2015 when he was still boss at TERI.

Even today I worry about entering an office room and am scared to open my email, she says.

Three years later, trial is yet to begin. But, says the researcher, Sexual harassment by powerful bosses continues because we have a culture that turns a blind eye to it.

In all the thunder of a furious October, have we paused to think about the courage it takes to speak up? Courage in a climate in which the naysayers mutter about false accusations and why she didnt speak up earlier, in which we shine the spotlight on victims rather than the accused and in which we speculate about ulterior motives.

We dont see those sleepless, anxiety-filled nights, the waiting at the lawyers chamber to discuss criminal defamation notices received, the mortification of knowing that conversation at the office ceases as you approach because theyre gossiping about you.

Speaking up also means calling for evidence, which might not exist  how do you prove that a man stares at your breasts while talking to you or asked you to share his hotel room on an outstation assignment?

In the course of this past week, two more women have spoken about allegedly horrific episodes of the past. In The Indian Express, Anjuli Pundit has detailed her harassment over seven months in 2015 at the hands of her boss, Rakesh Sarna, MD and CEO of Taj Hotels, who resigned in September 2017. Even though, she says, she worked in a company that believes in womens rights, it was Pundit who was shunted to a back office job when she complained, a move she sees as a demotion, while her boss stayed on, unscathed.

The second woman, Pallavi Gogoi, has written in The Washington Post a personal account that accuses her then boss, MJ Akbar, of rape over a period of time. An editors note clarifies that Akbar has, through his lawyer, stated that the allegations are false and expressly denied.

Why come out now? Tweets Gogoi: Those before me have given me the courage to reach into the recesses of my mind and confront the monster that I escaped from decades ago.

I ask the woman researcher what had prompted her to speak up in 2015. To seek closure, she says. Many of us dont realise how powerful our voices can be, how we can make a difference to not just our lives but to society.

I apologise to her for dredging up what are undoubtedly traumatic memories and she replies: You dont. You remind me the worst is over and how I found myself again.

Namita Bhandare writes on social issues

The views expressed are personal
The Collings Foundations Grumman F6F-3N Hellcat Bu.41476 is in the final stages of her restoration at American Aero Services in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and we have just received an update on progress from Hunter Cheney which we thought our readers might enjoy.

The Hellcat was without question the most successful and important Navy fighter in the Pacific theater, with a kill to loss ratio of 19 to 1. Pilots like Medal of Honor recipient David McCampbell flew the Hellcat and he was the Navys all-time highest scoring ace.

The history of the Collings Foundations Hellcat is deeply intertwined with the birth of Night Fighter development in the U.S. Navy. The Navy faced a real challenge in early 1942, as they simply had no defense against nighttime Japanese air attacks. Evan Pete Aurand was an ambitious naval officer flying SBD dive-bombers with Scouting 2, and he simply had to get into fighters. Accepting the first assignment offered in May 1942, Aurand headed for Naval Air Station Quonset Point in Rhode Island. He became immersed in the effort to build a night fighting aircraft to protect the fleet. It would be a type of aircraft that the U.S. Navy had never possessed before. Aurand worked closely with scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to improve the Hellcats effectiveness as a night fighter. The Navy soon established three squadrons to pioneer the use of airborne radar and navigation tools, with VF(N)-76 being one of them. Pete Aurand was instrumental in this secret program, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his contributions to developing these important technologies.

Select F6F-3 Hellcats coming off Grummans production line in Bethpage, New York received night fighter modifications in secret, and as a consequence, very little is known about the actual conversion process. We do know the aircraft received a new instrument panel and the installation of a radar pod. The modifications made the F6F-3N an entirely different beast to the stock Hellcat. It was designed to hone in on a target in the dark using its AIA or AN/APS-6 radar as a guide. The pilot learned to fly the fighter using the rudimentary radar scope in the cockpit, before picking up the target aircraft visually at very close range.

On January 15, 1944 the U.S. Navy accepted our F6F-3N Hellcat for service, and received her five days later. She initially joined VF(N)-76 at NAS Quonset Point. In talking to pilots who served in the squadron, we have learned that each aircraft had a unique radar fitted. No two sets worked exactly alike. Reaching squadron strength, VF(N)-76 flew to San Diego, California for embarkation on a ship to Hawaii. From there they joined Task Force 58, rushing headlong into the Philippine campaign. From Quonset Point to front line service with the Fleet took a mere 26 days!

Once in the Pacific Theatre, VF(N)-76s Hellcats were divided into four Detachments, with aircraft dispersed to five U.S. Navy carriers: Bunker Hill, Yorktown, Hornet, Essex and Lexington. With the ad hoc nature of their assignments, record keeping was similarly ad hoc, so its a little unclear exactly which of the five ships that the Collings Foundations Hellcat flew from during this period at sea between January and September, 1944. However, the radar-equipped Hellcats immediately began to take a toll on the nighttime Japanese raiders which had previously been unopposed. In fact VF(N)-76 became the highest scoring night fighter squadron, with one detachment claiming 26 victories.

The task force pressed the attack against the Imperial Japanese Navy. Well-known engagements included the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Marianas Turkey Shoot and the invasion of Iwo Jima. Several Hellcat pilots became night fighter aces during this period.

Our Hellcat transferred to VFN-101 in September 1944. This squadron had previously operated F4U-2 Corsair night fighters in a combat role, and seemed destined to use the F6F next. However, within the month, Bu.41476 moved to Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 27 (CASU-27) at NAS Charleston, Rhode Island. CASU-27 was responsible for maintaining the night fighters for pilot training as well as preparing aircraft for night fighter squadrons going to the fleet. Bu.41476 transferred to VF(N)-91 in 1945, but things were moving very quickly by this point in the war. New F6F-5N Hellcats were reaching squadrons in greater numbers, so the war-weary F6F-3N aircraft were now considered yesterdays new car.

Bu.41476 therefore remained stateside during this deployment, with F6F-5Ns having replaced their F6F-3Ns forebears in fleet use at this time. Bu.41476 served with NACTU (Night Attack and Combat Training Unit) Atlantic Fleet from November through January, 1945. From there, she moved on to VF-52 (the precursor to VF(N)-52), and then on to the day fighter squadron VF-3. In July 1945, the nomadic Bu.41476 became a pool aircraft with CASU 23 near NAS Norfolk. This rare night fighter F6F-3N was now far removed from her pioneering days as a guardian of the fleet. In due course, like thousands of other postwar surplus aircraft, the U.S. Navy struck her from their books.

At NAS Norfolk, she became an instructional airframe, serving a new generation of maintenance trainees until being placed into sealed storage container, and more or less forgotten about. Some decades later, Navy Captain Walt Ohlrich, a legend in the warbird movement, found Bu.41476. He sourced a set of new outer wing panels and restored the old fighter to flight worthy condition  unheard of for a U.S. government-owned museum aircraft.

For the next several years, the Hellcat showcased Navy and Marine Corps aviation heritage at air shows on the U.S. east coast. But, eventually, some pencil-pusher found out that the historic aircraft was flying and forced her grounding. After that, the Hellcat went on display at what was then the U.S. Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia. Hellcat Bu.41467 moved again in 2002, this time on loan to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Here it went on display as a day fighter for most of the next decade.

The Collings Foundation traded a Boeing FB-5 biplane fighter to the Marine Corps Museum for their surplus Hellcat in 2012. So now, the Hellcat moves into the next phase of her life, destined for restoration to the highest standards, in stock night fighter condition. The story of WWII Naval Aviation and the role of the night fighters will be told through this aircraft. Joining the Foundations F4U-5N Corsair, a night fighter in the Korean War, the Hellcat will be the Alpha displaying U.S. Navy night fighting legacy. This aircraft represents a vital and little researched link to the past. While its detailed combat record may never be fully known, it is one of the most important aircraft the Foundation may ever find. More information is being sought on Bu.41476s wartime history, but it is already clear that she is one of the most historic and important night fighting aircraft in existence.

The Collings Foundations Grumman F6F-3 will be featured in one of the upcoming issues of Warbrid Digest. Dont miss the chance to read about this unique and rare warbird, subscribe now!
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Wednesday seized more than 20 kilograms of gold, worth 6 crore and sourced from Australia and South Africa, from the New Delhi railway station.

Stating that six Bhutanese nationals have been arrested for their involvement in the crime, DRI officials said the gold was smuggled into the country through the Indo-Bhutan border.

Senior DRI officials said the gold was to be supplied to markets such as Kucha Mahajani in Old Delhi and Karol Bagh.

On Wednesday, an operation was carried out at New Delhi railway station on the basis of a tip-off. Our men intercepted two Bhutanese passengers who had arrived in Delhi via a train from West Bengal. The officers found gold bars concealed in a cloth belt that the two men were wearing around their waists. A total of 10kg foreign-marked gold was seized. The market value of the recovered gold is 3.13 crore, a senior DRI officer said.

The officer said that on the same day, other officers of the directorate intercepted three other Bhutanese men who had arrived at New Delhi railway station from West Bengal in another train. On searching them, 10.2 kilos of foreign-marked gold, worth 3.26 crore, was recovered from them. The trio was also wearing gold in handmade cloth belts, the officer said on condition of anonymity.

The DRI officials said there has been a spurt in the number of seizures of gold being smuggled into India from China, Myanmar and Bhutan via the land border. According to a recent data, in 2016-17, DRI had seized 1.42 tonne of gold. In 2017-18, it grew to 3.13 tonne. In 2018-19, between April and October, a total of 2.20 tonne of gold has been seized.

Last week, a cache of 33 kg gold from Switzerland and China was seized at New Delhi railway station and two Indian and one Bhutanese national were arrested.
As pollution continues to worsen in Delhi, the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) has warned that stricter measures including the odd-even road rationing may have to be introduced any time.

But even a year after their first experience with the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), agencies remain unprepared to implement measures, especially those related to the citys public transport, experts said.

Going by the plan, municipal corporations should have already increased parking fees by three-four times across the city as air quality has remained in the very poor category (AQI 301-400) for more than a week. Similarly, the government also has to augment bus and Metro services.

While the Delhi Metro announced it has added 82 trips to its network, there has been no change in the parking rates or the number of buses.

Odd-Even

Last year, government agencies went into frenzy when EPCA directed them to roll out the odd-even scheme. This scheme comes into effect once the citys AQI crosses severe+ or emergency category (more than AQI 501) for 48 hours.

Faced with an already depleting bus fleet, the transport department had no option but to hire private buses to meet the increased demand.

Officials said Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) had found it difficult to convince transporters. During the two odd-even drives in 2016 also, we had taken buses from schools. But passengers had defaced the buses. Last year when we asked, private transporters refused to lend us buses but we could not give them clarity over the number of days the scheme would go on, an official said.

The car rationing scheme, however, did not take place last year as air quality had marginally improved.

The transport department said if the need arises to implement the scheme, it is equipped to hire buses on immediate and temporary basis.

If the odd-even scheme has to be rolled out in a day, then I doubt the government would be able to provide seamless transport. Forget last-mile or feeder services, even long distance bus journeys continue to be unreliable in Delhi. The routes on which the existing bus fleet is operating are also ill-designed. They should be direction oriented instead of being destination oriented, said S Gangopadhyay, former director, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI).

From 5,852 buses in Delhi in 2016, the city now has 5,561 against the requirement of 11,000 buses.

There have been not less than six different proposals on procuring buses in the past one year. Unfortunately, most of them were being shot down in the courts, until recently. However, things are going to be much better in 2019 as we have got the necessary directions from the judiciary, a transport official said.

Parking

Even as pollution levels continue to plummet, agencies on Thursday said they havent yet discussed the possibility of increasing parking rates.

As and when we get any direction, we will implement a hike in parking fees. It only needs an executive order to be passed, which takes a day to be passed on to parking contractors, said Madhup Vyas, commissioner of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.

On November 9 last year, a spurt in pollution levels had prompted the lieutenant governor to direct the MCDs to increase parking fees by four times. This hike was withdrawn after four days, despite the EPCA clearly asking agencies not to roll it back to the usual rate of Rs 10-20 per hour.

It is extremely disappointing to see that the Delhi government has been toying with the parking policy for more than a year now, said Sunita Narain, EPCA member.

A detailed plan, under the Delhi Maintenance and Management of Parking Rules (2017), to introduce differential parking and disallowing free surface parking, including residential areas, has been stuck with the Delhi government for more than a year now.
Even as a 10-day emergency action plan to deal with Delhis toxic levels of air pollution kicked in from Thursday, inspecting agencies found widespread violations of green norms in major pollution hotspots including areas like Anand Vihar, Dwarka and Ghaziabad.

Clouds of dust, neglect of construction norms, waste dumping and vehicles parked on pavements were among the dozens of violations observed in these areas during an inspection conducted by the SC-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) along with officials of Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).

The air quality in Anand Vihar and Dwarka was in the severe category on Friday while Ghaziabad fell in very poor category.

All construction work has been temporarily halted between November 1 and 10, under the emergency measures. EPCA said it has issued seven fines ranging between 5,000 and 50,000.

The situation at Anand Vihar ISBT has improved, but problem areas still exist at the adjoining railway station. Northern Railways authorities have still not opened the second approach road, which was asked to be constructed to reduce congestion in the area, said Bhure Lal, chairperson, EPCA.

A spokesperson for Northern Railways said, The new entry for railway station is ready but could not be opened to traffic because of several pending works including smoothening of entry from main Ghazipur Road, cutting of five trees and shifting of signage on main Ghazipur Road.

Anand Vihar, being close to two industrial areas  one in Patparganj and another in Ghaziabad a slaughter house not far away and another bus terminus on the UP side, pollution levels in and around the terminal reaches highly toxic levels every winter.

In Dwarka, open waste dumping was found in many sectors. The situation is worse in Ghaziabad where construction norms such as covering of building material and dug-up soil are being totally neglected, said Lal.

Meanwhile, in Faridabad, the state government ordered closure of all stone crusher units and strict action against waste burning. All the crusher units operating in Pali-Mohabatabad have been closed for 10 days beginning today after order from pollution control board received last evening, said Dharamvir Bhadana, president of stone crushers association, Pali-Mohabatabad.

NBCC  a central government-funded construction agency  issued new guidelines for contractors to curb air pollution at under-construction sites. No open trucks will be allowed. All building materials as well as wastages will be transported in steel containers, NBCC said in a statement. The guidelines will come into effect in Delhi once the 10-day ban on construction is lifted.
Three days after a school teacher was shot dead in outer Delhis Bawana, police claimed to have solved the case with the arrest of the womans husband Manjeet, 38, and his alleged partner, Angel Gupta, a model by profession.

The third person arrested in the case was Angels father Rajeev, the police said.

Deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta, said Sunita, 38, was killed because she objected to Manjeets relationship with Angel. Police did not comment who fired the shots that led to Sunitas death.

An officer, who did not wish to be named, said the police are probing if the contract killers were hired to murder the school teacher.

On Monday morning, Sunita , a primary school teacher at a government school in Sonepat, Haryana, was found unconscious with a bullet wound beside her scooter in Bawana.

A passer-by had alerted the control room about the woman.

The police had then said that robbery could not have been the reason for the murder because the womans belongings, which included a bag with cash and cellphone, were found intact.

Sunitas family members had told the police that her husband could be involved in the murder. The family had also told police about Manjeets affair with the woman.

The police had then called Manjeet for questioning. Angel, who was in Mumbai, had also joined the probe on Tuesday.

An investigating officer, who did not wish to be named, said, We had recovered Sunitas diary, which contained crucial details of her husbands affair. Sunitas daughter knew about the diary. She had told us about it.
The Bar Council of Delhi has issued a legal notice to Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, Everest Masala, YouTube, and a media house for using a lawyers attire in an advertisement.The notice stated that respondents have failed to take due precautions before using the lawyers attire and are liable for legal action for telecasting the advertisement without any authority.

You (the actor and others) have failed to take due precaution before using the lawyers attire for advertisement and are liable for legal action for telecasting the advertisement without any authority.

You are required to immediately stop all such advertisements and also give an undertaking to the Bar Council of Delhi, Bar Council of India and other states Bar Councils that the lawyers attire shall not be used in any advertisement in future, read the notice. The Bar Council also asked the respondents to furnish an undertaking in 10 days, failing which further action will be initiated.

In the commercial, Amitabh can be seen sitting in his dressing room, wearing a lawyers suit, as two junior artists enter and offer him pav bhaji. After eating the meal, the actor applauds the food and the spices used in preparation.

The veteran faced a similar situation when a jewellery advertisement featuring him and his daughter Shweta Bachchan had to be withdrawn after legal action was threatened against them for portraying bank employees in a negative light. Sections of the banking community were making calls on Twitter to boycott Kalyan Jewellers. The fight was led by the All India Bank Officers Confederation, an organisation claiming to have a membership of around 3,20,000 bank employees. The association also threatened to launch an agitation against the jewellery chain.
The ongoing probe into cases of alleged extrajudicial killings in Manipur has not hit troop morale or led the force to rework its counter-insurgency strategy, and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is a big enabler and a prerequisite for operations in Manipur, a senior army officer said, stressing the force adhered to a strict human rights code.

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh said the law should be reviewed, with the caveat that the decision be taken factoring in that the state shares a porous border with Myanmar. The neighbouring country is known to harbour insurgent safe havens.

The army is doing its job. Why should our strategy change because of the probe? We have full faith in the due process of law. We are a well-trained and regimented force and there is no apprehension about troop morale, said Major General VK Mishra, who heads the Leimakhong-headquartered 57 Mountain Division.

His comments come at a time when the Supreme Court has ordered a special investigation team (SIT) to speed up the registration of cases on alleged fake encounters in Manipur and even as at least 700 soldiers have petitioned the top court against dilution of the AFSPA that shields them from prosecution without the central governments nod.

In July 2017, a three-judge bench constituted an SIT to probe 1,528 allegations of human rights violations by security personnel in Manipur. This was a blow to the immunity enjoyed by security forces in disturbed areas and was seen as diluting the protection under the AFSPA.

Mishra was also very clear it was not the right time to review the AFSPA or even dilute the law by withdrawing it from certain areas, given the security climate in the insurgency-hit state.

We apprehend around 350 insurgents every year on an average. They come out on bail. They are there. Under these conditions, is it the time (to review AFSPA)? Denotifying disturbed areas can convert them into insurgent safe havens, said Mishra, who controls counter-insurgencyoperationsinnortheast Indias most violent state.

As many as 941 security personnel and 1,942 insurgents have been killed in Manipur over the last three decades.

AFSPA was brought in to control the situation. Naga and Manipuri insurgents were given advanced weapons by outside powers. They have AK-47s, rocket launchers and missiles, army chief General Bipin Rawat said, responding to a question on the controversial law.

AFSPA bestows sweeping powers on the forces and prohibits prosecutions from being initiated without the go-ahead from the Centre, if the allegations are linked to the public duty of the accused. AFSPA is not in force in Imphal, an area of 34 sq km, where it was denotified in 2004.

The 700 army petitioners have questioned the apex courts ordering of the CBI probe into alleged extra-judicial killings by the army, the Assam Rifles and the Manipur Police.

The armys stand has been clear on AFSPA  that soldiers need special protection to discharge duties in areas that have been declared disturbed and the security situation does not merit restricting the scope of the law.

Mishra said that from training to operations, the army has an in-built human rights code and the force is very sensitive to such issues. The SIT is currently probing 19 army operations involving 35 deaths.

Responding to a question on the SIT probe, Biren Singh said everyone should get justice, be it the security forces or civilians.
Strongly condemning the murder of five people in Assams Tinsukia, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that the Trinamool Congress would organise protests rallies in her state on Friday. She also demanded the punishment of the perpetrators at the earliest.

The All Assam Bengali Youth Students Federation has called a 12-hour shutdown in Tinsukia in protest against the murder of five people, who were killed by United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) terrorists in Bishnoimukh village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge in the district on Thursday.

Wondering whether the killings were the outcome of the recent NRC (National Register of Citizens) development, Banerjee said she had no words to express her sorrow.

Terrible news coming out of Assam. We strongly condemn the brutal attack in Tinsukia, Banerjee wrote on twitter.

Is this the outcome of recent NRC development? she asked.

We have no words to express our deep sorrow to the grieving families. The perpetrators must be punished at the very earliest, Banerjee posted on twitter.

In protest against the brutal killings in Assam @AITCofficial will organise protest rallies tomorrow (Friday, November 2) in different parts of north and south Bengal including Siliguri and Kolkata, she said.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the killing of innocent people and rushed two ministers to the spot. The perpetrators of the crime will be dealt with a firm hand, said Sonowal.

The killings took place when militants fired indiscriminately at a group of people on Thursday evening. The incident took place at a remote location called Kherbari under Dhola Police Station in the district that borders Arunachal Pradesh in eastern Assam, the police said.

Locals said four-five armed militants came in Army fatigue and started firing at the people who were playing Ludo in front of a Dhaba.

The police suspect the hand of anti-talk action of ULFA militants behind the incident.
When Congresss Madhya Pradesh chief Kamal Nath sat with party president Rahul Gandhi and senior MP and chief of the Congresss campaign committee in Madhya Pradesh, Jyotiraditya Scindia, for dinner at Indores famous Chappan Bazar, little did he realise that it was going live on Facebook.

The dinner video  to showcase the casual and relaxed side of Rahul Gandhi  was a larger part of the Congresss new social media strategy to attract more eyeballs on the internet. It attracted 2.2 million views. Later, when Gandhi followed up his dinner with a visit to a ice-cream parlour, it got 765,000 views.

Data from Facebook-owned social media tool called CrowdTangle shows how Gandhis Facebook page has been inching closer to the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modis page, even though its number of page likes is significantly lower. In the last week of October, Gandhis page got 697,771 interactions, just 11,000 short of Modis 709,127 interactions. Exactly one year ago, Modis page had over a million more interactions than Gandhis. To be sure, the Prime Minister hasnt started campaigning aggressively for the coming assembly elections; his social media interactions and engagement usually rise when he is in campaign mode.

Even on Twitter, @rahulgandhi is attracting a lot of interactions. In November 2017, Gandhis monthly median retweet count surpassed that of Modi for the first time. It has consistently been higher since then. In 2018, on average, the monthly median retweet count from Gandhis account has been almost four times compared to Modis account, HTs analysis of Twitter data shows. Retweets and likes on Twitter and interactions on Facebook are not authoritative measures of popularity or engagement because these also sometimes include interactions orchestrated through fake profiles and automated bots.

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya chose not to comment.

These are promising signals for the Congress that is keen to recalibrate its social media plan in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modis formidable presence on digital platforms. The Prime Minister is the second most popular political leader on the micro-blogging site Twitter after US president Donald Trump. On Facebook, he has a following of 43,293,259 people as on Thursday while Gandhi has 2,056,215 followers.

The new strategy entails that Gandhis presence will be stepped up across social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp even as Twitter remains the favourite medium for politicians to reach out to their audience. Each platform will be used for different types of communication. Twitter is being used for short, clear messages while Instagram will showcase the personal side of him more than ever..., said one of Rahul Gandhis political aides who asked not to be identified.

According to Statista, Twitter has around 30.5 million users in India, Facebook 294 million, and Instagram, also owned by Facebook Inc, 71 million.

In addition, on WhatsApp, some recipients will get stylised messages, said a Congress leader who asked not to be identified. He points out that when Gandhi courted arrest outside the CBI headquarters last month, photos and videos of what was happening inside the bus were quickly spread across different platforms. Earlier, all these online properties were run by the social media (team of the party). Now his office is in direct control of these platforms.

Gandhi himself is very involved in his social media strategy, the aide added.

Afzal Amanullah, former union parliamentary affairs secretary, said: The social media campaign is getting increasingly important in todays politics. But how a party performs in election would also depend on a lot of factors...
Ramdas Athawale, minister of state for social justice and empowerment in the Modi government, is an outspoken politician from Maharashtra who doesnt hesitate to call a spade a spade. A champion of scheduled caste and tribal rights, the Republican Party of India-A president has raised several controversial demands, including permission for Dalits to possess arms for self-protection and reservation for scheduled castes and backwards in the armed forces. He has encouraged inter-caste marriages as a way to end casteism and suggested that Dalits embrace Buddhism. In a freewheeling interview with B Vijay Murty, he spoke on a range of issues. Edited excerpts:

Left insurgency, whose genesis is in the class and caste war, continues to pose a major internal security threat. Whats your message to Maoists?

Shun violence and join the mainstream. If we continue fighting, all of us will be dead. Instead, become an Ambedkarite (a BR Ambedkar follower). Dont do injustice and do not accept it. Fight for your rights (democratically). Because of his caste, Ambedkar was not allowed inside the classroom. Instead, he was made to sit on the floor near the door. But he did not give up. He gained education and fought back, bringing several social reforms. Maoists should join the mainstream and fight elections if they want to fight and change the system.

Whats your take on urban Naxals?

Investigations by credible security and intelligence agencies have confirmed that in cities there are individuals and groups who extend various kinds of support to the Maoists operating from the jungles. Some of them planned to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now this is not acceptable. I have been a revolutionary throughout my life and have fought various policies of the government, particularly those related to protecting rights of Dalits, tribals and weaker sections of society. But I was never arrested for those reasons. Always attack upfront, do not backstab.

How just is your demand for reservation for SC/STs and backward classes in the armed forces?

I have been demanding reservation in the armed forces for a long time. If there is reservation, more people from the backward classes will sign up. You get to eat good food and also drink good alcohol. Is that not a better option than drinking country liquor?

You have also supported reservation for the upper castes?

Yes, I did, and I shall continue to support the cause of the poor from this section. The social engineering started by Ambedkar is now showing results. Not long back, people from backward communities would shy away from speaking about their caste in public, fearing humiliation and torture, let alone raise a voice for quota. Today, the upper castes are also vying for reservation.

The government has the power to amend the Constitution. It can accommodate such demands without disturbing the existing quota provisions.

But dont you think reservation should end sooner or later in the larger interest of the nation?

End the rampant casteism prevalent in our society and we are ready to forego reservation. And for that, society needs to promote inter-caste marriages. I have married a Brahmin. I wish others follow suit and contribute to ending casteism .

You have been strongly advocating BJP-Shiv Sena bonhomie despite the widening gap between them. Do you think they will re-align for the 2019 general elections?

Yes, BJP and Shiv Sena should, and hopefully they will come together again soon. The two parties got a good number of seats in the assembly polls and if they fight together, they can win at least 42 seats in the 2019 general elections. Their coming to together will script a powerful re-alignment.

Suddenly, there is a rush to change names of railway stations, cities and towns in BJP-ruled states. Does your party support it?

When Mayawati (Bahujan Samaj Party chief) was in power, she had changed the names of some places to Ambedkarnagar, Phule Nagar, etc. But I personally do not support change of names if it has the potential to foment trouble or create controversy. Muslims in India were Hindus who converted during Mughal rule. Similarly, during the 150 years of British rule, many converted to Christianity. Thats the beauty of this country that follows the principles of Sarva Dharma Sambhava.

How do you view the attacks on north Indians in Gujarat and Maharashtra?

We were very vocal about criticising such incidents in Maharashtra when Raj Thackerays men (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) were targeting north Indians.
Even sex-workers have a right to refuse their services and seek redressal when forced, the Supreme Court has ruled, overturning a 2009 Delhi High Court judgement and restoring the 10 years jail awarded to four persons by a lower court.

The apex court judgement on Tuesday came on a 1997 gang-rape case in the national capital, asking the convicts to surrender within four weeks to serve the remaining sentence.

Even assuming that the woman was of easy virtue, she has a right of refuse to submit herself to sexual intercourse to anyone, the court observed.

A bench of Justices R. Banumathi and Indira Banerjee held that the High Court erred in brushing aside the evidence of the victim by substituting its views and freeing the accused on the ground of they being falsely implicated, since they had lodged complaint accusing her of being a woman of bad character, who indulged in prostitution.

It also set aside the High Court ordering its registry to lodge complaints against three police personnel for prosecuting them for falsely implicating the four persons.

The Bench said the trial court had rightly held that even if the allegations of the accused that the woman is of immoral character are taken to be correct, the same does not give any right to the accused persons to commit rape on her against her consent.

It observed that it is now a well-settled principle of law that conviction can be sustained on the sole testimony of the prosecutrix if it inspires confidence.

It held that even in cases where there is some material to show that the victim was habituated to sexual intercourse, no inference such as the victim is of a loose moral character can be permissibly drawn from that fact alone.

It noted that a woman of easy virtue also could not be raped by a person for that reason.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 31, 2018 | 03:23 PM | PADUCAH





With six days before the election, one candidate for Paducah City Commission is dropping out of the race.In an email received by West Kentucky Star on Wednesday, Mike Reed says he has withdrawn from the race due to, "emergent health issues and a verbal commitment."Reed's press release urges those who hope to "drain Paducah's swamp," to expel incumbents on the commission by only voting for candidates Scott Jackson and Brenda McElroy, whom he calls, "virtuous conservatives."He thanked the local Republican party and those who have supported and prayed for him during the campaign.McCracken County Clerk Julie Griggs told West Kentucky Star she has not yet heard from Reed, and he has not filed official paperwork to withdraw from the race.Reed's official withdrawal would leave seven candidates on the November 6 ballot. Four will be elected to represent the city.Here is the entire press release from Mike Reed:From Mike Reed, 2018 Candidate for Paducah City CommissionerEmergent health issues and a verbal commitment demand my withdrawal from the 2018 race for Paducah City Commissioner.I entered this race to expose and correct long-term assaults on families like mine that local government and police have refused to address.Such lawless cruelty threatens every member of our community and prevents the growth we all pray for.Today I abandon the race for Paducah City Commissioner but, I will not simply accept and tolerate Paducahs special brand of manipulation by sneak attack!I urge those hoping to drain Paducahs swamp to expel the incumbents by choosing virtuous conservatives.I ask my supporters and friends to vote for Scott Jackson and Brenda McElroy only.Many thanks to the local GOP and the kind prayers of supporters and well-wishers.May God guide and prosper Paducah.Mike Reed.
A day after five Bengali speakers were gunned down in Assams Tinsukia district, the police blamed the United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) for the attack even as the banned outfit denied its role in the killings.

On Thursday, five people of Bisonimukh Kherabari village, including three from one family, were lined up and gunned down by six assailants, police said. Organisations representing Bengali speakers have announced a statewide shutdown on Saturday to protest against the killings.

They may be denying it, but [the attack] looks like the handiwork of ULFA(I), said Pallab Bhattacharya, director general, Special Branch, the intelligence wing of the state police.

Police officials said they have taken the sole survivor of the attack, Shadeb Namashudra, into preventive custody and were questioning him as part of their investigation.

We know operatives of the group [ULFA (I)] have been active in the area, he said. We have identified certain members suspected to be involved [in Thursdays attack] and efforts are on to nab them, he said.

However, in a statement emailed to news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), Romel Asom, a member of ULFA(I)s publicity department said: The ULFA (I) would like to make it clear to all authorities concerned that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident last [Thursday] night.

No arrests have been made in the case so far, however, two pro-talk ULFA leaders, Mrinal Hazarika and Jiten Dutta were held for allegedly making provocative statements. The state remains on high alert with chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal appealing for calm.

Strong action will be taken against the perpetrators of this dastardly violence. We will not tolerate such cowardly act, the chief minister said.

The killings coincide with the protests indigenous Assamese groups have been carrying out against the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which proposes to grant Indian citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Assams indigenous groups oppose the bill as they feel it will marginalise them by encouraging more migrations of the Hindus from the neighbouring Bangladesh.

The Bengali speaking majority in the states Barak Valley supports the legislation as it feel immigrants are mostly victims of partition and religious persecution in Bangladesh and hence they should be given Indian citizenship.

Bhattacharya said they were expecting an attack and had put security personnel on alert.

Although we did not have any specific input, we were expecting that ULFA might take advantage of the situation in Assam. We had alerted all district SPs (superintendents of police) to beef up the security of Bengali neighbourhoods, he said.

(With PTI inputs)
The Madras high Court on Friday quashed an order allowing prosecution of Congress leader P Chidambarams family members in black money case, reports PTI.

The Income Department had given its sanction for the prosecution of former Union Chidambarams wife Nalini, son Karti and daughter-in-law Srinidhi under the Black Money Act

According to the tax department, Karti had not disclosed his bank account in Metro Bank, the UK, and investments he had made in Nano Holdings LLC, USA.

The department had said Karti had failed to disclose investments made by Chess Global Advisory, a company co-owned by him, which is an offence under the Black Money Act.

It also said the trio had not disclosed Rs 5.37 crore worth of property they jointly own in Cambridge in the UK and Rs 3.28 crore worth of properties in the US.

The department initiated prosecution against them under Section 50 of the Black Money (undisclosed foreign income and assets) and Imposition of Tax Act.

When the pleas came up in June this year, Gopal Subramaniam, counsel for the petitioners, said that prima facie no offence can be made out against the petitioners under the Black Money Act.

The Act deals with undisclosed income raised from foreign assets. But in the present case, all the relevant information had been disclosed by the petitioners in their returns filed under the Income Tax Act, he said.

The petitioners filed their returns for 2016-17 in October, 2016. After the tax notices, they filed revised returns in September, 2017 rectifying the procedural mistake, which is legally permissable under the Income Tax Act, he said
The Madras high Court on Friday quashed an order allowing prosecution of Congress leader P Chidambarams family members in black money case, reports PTI.

The Income Department had given its sanction for the prosecution of former Union minister Chidambarams wife Nalini, son Karti and daughter-in-law Srinidhi under the Black Money Act.

According to the tax department, Karti had not disclosed his bank account in Metro Bank, the UK, and investments he had made in Nano Holdings LLC, USA.

The department had said Karti had failed to disclose investments made by Chess Global Advisory, a company co-owned by him, which is an offence under the Black Money Act.

It also said the trio had not disclosed Rs 5.37 crore worth of property they jointly own in Cambridge in the UK and Rs 3.28 crore worth of properties in the US.

The department initiated prosecution against them under Section 50 of the Black Money (undisclosed foreign income and assets) and Imposition of Tax Act.

When the pleas came up in June this year, Gopal Subramaniam, counsel for the petitioners, said that prima facie no offence can be made out against the petitioners under the Black Money Act.

The Act deals with undisclosed income raised from foreign assets. But in the present case, all the relevant information had been disclosed by the petitioners in their returns filed under the Income Tax Act, he said.

The petitioners filed their returns for 2016-17 in October, 2016. After the tax notices, they filed revised returns in September, 2017 rectifying the procedural mistake, which is legally permissible under the Income Tax Act, he said.
A special NIA court has issued non-bailable warrants against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin for their involvement in terror funding activities, officials said Friday.

NIA approached the special NIA court for issuing non-bailable warrants against the above accused for their active involvement in terror funding for creating unrest in the Kashmir valley and other parts of India, NIAs spokesperson said here. The two mobilised Pakistan-trained terrorists and pushed them into India in connivance with secessionist and separatist leaders for waging war against India with the nefarious design of seceding Jammu and Kashmir from India, the agency said.

The NIA has already filed charge sheet in the instant case on January 18 against 12 accused people including Saeed and Salahuddin.

The probe agency had filed the 12,794-page charge sheet against Saeed and Salahuddin for conspiring to wage war against the government (Section 121 of Indian Penal Code) by carrying out terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the NIA, the case was registered on May 30, 2017 and the first arrests made on July 24 last year.

The agency said that during the course of investigation, its teams conducted searches at over 60 locations spread across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Delhi and seized over 950 incriminating documents and over 600 electronic devices.

Over 300 witnesses were examined during the probe, it said.

The NIA said the scrutiny and analysis of the documents and digital devices established that the accused Hurriyat leaders, the terrorists and the stone-pelters were carrying out terrorist attacks and orchestrating violence in Jammu and Kashmir as a part of their well-planned criminal conspiracy.

It said that conspiracy was hatched with active support, connivance and funding from terrorist organisations based in Pakistan and its agencies to achieve their objective of secession of the Jammu and Kashmir by waging war against the Indian government.
The landless farmer from Odishas Ganjam district, who hosted Amit Shah for lunch in July last year while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president was starting his Mission 120 programme, has been lured away by the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD)with a promise of a proper house.

Nabin Swain, a 45-year-old resident of Hugulapata village under Kukudakhandi block, had offered Shah lunch when he visited the district for Mo Booth Sabuthu Mazboot programme.

There has been no improvement in my condition since Shahs visit. I was assured of a house, but nothing has been provided to me yet. Inspired by the developmental activities carried out by (chief minister) Naveen Patnaik. I decided to join the BJD, Swain said.

I thank CM Naveen for assuring me a work order for a house under the Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana and a ration card, Swain said.

Swains case mirrors that of the tribal couple in Bengals Naxalbari area in whose house Shah had lunch in May last year. Raju Mahali and Geeta Mahali joined Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress soon after.

Swain, who belongs to the BJD fortress of Kukudakhandi block under Gopalpur assembly constituency of Ganjam, is perhaps among the few in his village who does not have a pucca or a solid house.

His house does not have an electricity connection so his three sons study by a kerosene lantern. His wife, Sudeshna, a former ward member, also works as a farmhand in others paddy fields while his 79-year-old father works as a night watchman in the village for Rs 500 a month.

Swain wants a pucca house either under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana and some land of his own to till. Though he comes under the Below Poverty Line category, his name was not included in the Socio- Economic and Caste Census of 2011.

BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said Swain joining the party showed that people are getting to know about the false narrative of the BJP.

People are realising that only Naveen babu can ensure progress of Odisha, said Patra.
Five days after a 17-year-old Kashmiri student went missing from a private university in Greater Noida, both Noida and Jammu and Kashmir Police remain clueless regarding his whereabouts, as the boys last location was traced to Jammu on Sunday.

Earlier, there were speculations that the cell phone of Ehtisham Bilal, a first year student of Bachelor in Medical Imaging Technology (BMIT) in Sharda University, was traced to Kashmir. However J-K Police said that they are still ascertaining the information.

The actual missing report has been field in Greater Noida. We are in touch with police there. There are reports of his location in Kashmir. It has not been ascertained as yet. We are making efforts to search him, said station house officer of Khanyar police station, Parvez Ahmad.

Bilal, a native of Khanyar in downtown Srinagar, had shifted to Greater Noida three months ago after enrolling in Sharda University and was living in the varsitys hostel at the Knowledge Park area in Greater Noida.

On October 4, he was roughed up by a group of students who mistook him as an Afghan during a recent clash between Indian and Afghan students at Sharda University campus in Greater Noida. Police had lodged a first information report against 350 students of Sharda University for rioting.

At around 10.30 am on Sunday (October 28), he reportedly informed his father that he was going on a sight seeing trip to Delhi. At 4.39 pm, he again told him that he was about to board a Metro from Delhi to Noida. However, according to Noida Police, his call details showed his location in Delhi till 12 pm and in Jammu by 2.30 pm, thereby rising speculations that he caught a flight from Delhi.

Noida Police said that they are scanning through the call details of Bilals cell phone to ascertain who all he spoke to in the last few days before his disappearance.

Looking at the call details, we can say for sure that his last phone call was made to his father Bilal Ahmad in Srinagar at 4.39 pm on Sunday. Apart from his father, he also made a few short spanned calls to his friends, but nothing suspicious was found. We are still probing the case, said Arvind Pathak, station house officer, Knowledge Park police station.

J&K police have also been looking into people who have been visiting Ehtisham in Kashmir. Sajad Shah, superintendent of police, north Srinagar, said he was not sure of any militancy connection of the missing boy.

He was friends with a youth Fahad Waza who joined militancy and was killed in an encounter at Fateh Kadal on October 17, said Shah.

SHO Parvez Ahmad also said that so far, no militancy connection has come to the fore.

Meanwhile, Ehtishams parents held a sit-in at Press Colony in Srinagars Lal Chowk area, a day after the boys mother Irfana made an emotional video appeal, urging him to return home and saying that he should be allowed to go if he is with anybody.

His father Bilal Ahmed said that Ehtisham had invited them to the campus on Diwali holidays starting November 3. Me and my wife were planning to spend some days with him, he said.

Bilal said they were trying to involve police to get CCTV footage of Srinagar airport to confirm reports that he had come to the city. But airport security officials said they had not received any request from police concerned for the footage.
Animals have become the subject of a political discourse in Bihar with opposition Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal taking potshots at the JD(U) government over the deteriorating health care services after a newborn died allegedly because of rat bites and a dog ran off with a patients amputated leg from state-run hospitals.

In another incident, a pig took away the body of a newborn baby from the Sadar hospital in Saharsa last week.

The incidents have given ammunition to the opposition parties, who are poking fun at the failing health administration and Nitish governments claims of unprecedented development in all spheres.

It is a rule of dogs, pigs and rats in Bihar. At least the incidents in the last one week suggest so, leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav tweeted.

Congress spokesperson Prem Chand Mishra was more sarcastic in his take over the rodent menace in state hospitals, saying rats should be given gallantry award as the rodents in the state are now the brave souls.

The rats are more powerful than the state administration given the fact they nibble the fingers of newborn, drink away liquor stored in police stations and breaching embankments causing floods. Such is their might that the state government is unable to tame them. So, they should be given gallantry awards for their bravery, Mishra said.

Mishra was referring to a comment by water resources minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh who last year blamed the weakening of embankments and subsequent floods in north Bihar districts to rodents menace.

He added other animals like pigs and dogs also qualify for the gallantry awards because they too have exhibited courage targeting patients in government hospitals unchallenged.

The ruling Janata Dal(United) has fended off the allegations and strongly reacted to the Congress and RJDs offensive on state health administration.

State health minister Mangal Pandey on Wednesday claimed the infant, who was allegedly bitten by rodents at the Darbhanga hospital, had died of a fatal illness and that the victims parents refused to believe in the official statement.

The state Congress is full of rodents, said, Ajay Alok, state JD(U) spokesperson.

Alok also said the superintendent of the Darbhanga hospital had denied that the newborn had died after bitten by rats.

The Congress and RJD have the habit of making sarcastic statements on health administration because, during their tenure, cows and buffaloes used to roam in hospitals. Now, the state hospitals are much better off with OPDs receiving high footfalls in rural and urban hospitals, he added.
The Supreme Court must understand the sentiments of Hindus across India and fast-track its decision on the Ram temple dispute, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghs (RSS) general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi said on Friday.

The RSS, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) ideological parent, also threatened a mass agitation like the one that took place in 1992  before the demolition of the Babri Masjid  to ensure the temple is built. It said the BJP government will have to, at some point, consider bringing in an ordinance to resolve the temple dispute.

Shiv Sena, the BJPs ally at the Centre and in Maharashtra, was quick to respond to RSS statement, asking it to topple the Narendra Modi government for failing to construct the temple at Ayodhya. If you [the RSS] feel the need for an agitation, despite having a strong government in place, why dont you pull down this government? Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said.

A majority government with a particular political ideology is in power, Thackeray said. Despite this, if the temple could not be built, the government has no reason to be in power.

The Sena has been consistently taking on the BJP for not fulfilling its poll promise of constructing the temple. The party has been demanding that the Centre brings in an ordinance, instead of waiting for the Supreme Courts verdict. Thackeray, in an attempt to put pressure on the BJP, is also going to visit Ayodhya on November 25.

The issue of the Ram temple was sidetracked after this government came to power. It was only after the Sena took up the issue again and insisted on the construction of the temple did the RSS feel the need for an agitation , Thackeray said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, the RSS general secretary Joshi however, said he welcomed Thackerays Ayodhya visit. We believe all those who speak in favour of the Ram Mandir stand united with us, he said.

Joshi said the RSS was upset with the delay in the Supreme Courts verdict. We expected a positive development before Diwali, but the court has indefinitely prolonged it, he said. The faith of crores of Hindus is linked to the issue. If it is not on top of the Supreme Courts priority list, it is an insult to the Hindu community.

Joshi said the BJP, too, was serious about the Ram temple issue. On the RSS beginning an agitation, Joshi said there were restrictions on such activities as the case was pending in court.

100-metre Ram Statue in Uttar Pradesh

Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey said, Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has prepared a plan for Ayodhya. He will give good news to the people regarding temple on Diwali. Yogi will disclose his plan during visit to the temple town during the Deepotsav celebrations (November 6).

Yogi is also likely to announce the construction of the grand statue of Ram. The state government plans to build the 100-metre tall statue at a cost of Rs 330 crore. It will be installed on a 36-metre high pedestal near the bank of the river, a senior BJP leader said.

After the Supreme Court on October 29 declined to allow the UP governments plea for an early hearing in the matter, the chief minister had said, If justice is given in time, it is appreciated as fair but when delayed it is equivalent to injustice.
In a huge setback to the CBI, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain the appeal filed by the agency against the high courts 2005 verdict that shut the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore pay-offs case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it wasnt convinced with the grounds cited by the CBI explain why it had not approached the court with his plea 12 years later. In the normal course, such appeals had to be filed within 90 days.

Earlier this year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the prosecuting agency in the case, had also joined him to challenge the order claiming new evidence. The CBI had then said it was denied permission from the then government to approach the Supreme Court against a 2005 Delhi high court verdict in the Bofors guns case.

We are not convinced with the grounds furnished by the petitioner in explaining the inordinate delay of 4522 days in filing this SLP (appeal). We notice that in the criminal appeal filed by the complainant (Ajay Agarwal) CBI is a party and will be entitled to raise all pleas at the time of hearing, the bench said.

The Delhi high court had quashed all charges against the three Hinduja brothers  Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand  and the Bofors company in 2005 and castigated the CBI for its handling of the case, saying it had cost the exchequer about Rs 250 crore. The order came a year after another judge cleared late prime minister Rajiv Gandhis name.

Attorney General KK Venugopal had earlier advised the government against approaching the top court, pointing that the petition was likely to get dismissed on account of the long delay in the case. The appeal has been filed much after the 90-day time limit fixed under the Supreme Court Rules. The CBI will have to give a plausible explanation for the delay. SC will proceed with the matter if only it is satisfied there was a genuine reason for the delay.

The Rs 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army dates back to March 1986.
The ruling Trinamool Congress will hold a series of protest rallies across West Bengal on Friday against the killing of five Bengali-speaking men by suspected United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) militants in Assams Tinsukia district on Thursday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who indicated the killings were an outcome of the citizenship screening exercise in the northeastern state, on Friday morning also urged people to condemn the murders and turn their pictures on social media black.

In solidarity, on #ProtestDay to condemn the brutal killings of Bengalis by a State ruled by the #BJP, we are turning our Twitter/FB DPs into black. Street protests throughout #Bengal. Please turn your DP into black for today, she tweeted.

In solidarity, on #ProtestDay to condemn the brutal killings of Bengalis by a State ruled by the #BJP, we are turning our Twitter/FB DPs into black. Street protests throughout #Bengal. Please turn your DP into black for today  All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) November 2, 2018

Within minutes, many of her party colleagues removed their photos from their social media account and replaced it with a black patch.

Banerjee named the five men in a series of tweets on Thursday evening and wondered if the brutal attack was an outcome of recent NRC (National Register of Citizens) development. She identified the victims as Shyamal Biswas, Abhinash Biswas, Ananta Biswas, Subodh Das and Dhananjay Namashudra.

In protest against the brutal killings in Assam @AITCofficial will organise protest rallies tomorrow ( Fri Nov 2) in different parts of north and south Bengal including Siliguri and Kolkata, the chief minister had tweeted on Thursday.

The biggest rally in Bengal will be led by Trinamools Lok Sabha member and the chief ministers nephew Abhishek Banerjee in the afternoon in south Kolkata.

Since the final draft of NRC was made public in July, the Bengal chief minister has lashed out at the exercise and even alleged that it could trigger a civil war.

Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) , including its president Amit Shah, have consistently accused her of trying to politicise the issue.

Significantly, representatives of several Bengali socio-cultural organisations met her on Thursday in the north Bengal town of Siliguri with the proposal that they would field Bengali candidates in all 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam and that her party should support them.

They also offered that the Trinamool Congress can also field its candidates and they would support them.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 31, 2018 | 06:31 AM | FANCY FARM

A Mayfield woman is facing endangerment and drug charges after her young child was allegedly found standing in the road.

According to the Graves County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called on Tuesday to Rule Shack Road near Fancy Farm, regarding a small boy that was by himself in the roadway. Upon arrival to the area, deputies spoke to a witness that had almost hit the boy with a vehicle.

Deputies said the witness stopped and followed the child to a home on Rule Shack Road, where the child entered an open door to the rear of the home. The witness did not see anyone inside and reportedly called out with no reply. The witness then stood by until deputies arrived.

Deputies made contact with 22-year-old Emily Wilson, of Mayfield, at the home. Wilson reportedly gave deputies consent to search her home, where they allegedly found a partially smoked marijuana "joint."

Child Protective Services was notified and the two-year-old boy was placed in the care of other family members. Wilson was charged with wanton endangerment and possession of marijuana. She was lodged in the Graves County Jail.
Former minister MJ Akbar came out with a fresh statement on Friday, this time to counter to US-based editor of a leading media house who has accused him of raping her in India 23 years ago. He said it was a consensual relationship.

Akbars wife also backed him on the rebuttal, insisting that two journalists who had accused her husband of sexual harassment, would often be at her house, happily drinking and dining with us.

Neither carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault... I dont know Pallavis reasons for telling this lie but a lie it is, she said, explaining her decision to issue the statement, her first. Both statements were released simultaneously to news agency ANI.

In his counter, Akbar underlined that Pallavi Gogoi and he had entered into consensual relationship in 1994 that continued for several months. This relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause strife in my home life as well, he said.

Former Union Minister #MJAkbar in a statement to ANI denies rape allegations levelled against him by journalist Pallavi Gogoi in Washington Post. pic.twitter.com/RqWYuQycgu  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

Akbar stepped down as junior foreign minister last month after more than a dozen women journalists accused the former journalist, a former editor of The Telegraph, Deccan Chronicle and The Asian Age newspapers, of inappropriate behaviour. He responded by suing journalist Priya Ramani, who sparked off the barrage of allegations, for criminal defamation in a Delhi court.

The latest allegation of rape that has forced the Akbar couple to issue the statements was levelled by Pallavi Gogoi, the chief business editor of National Public Radio (NPR), a Washington-based American media organisation.

She detailed the most painful memories of her life in an article in The Washington Post, accusing Akbar, the editor-in-chief of the Asian Age newspaper at that time, of using his position to prey on her.

Gogoi said she was 22 when she joined the Asian Age. She was star-struck working under Akbar. She was mesmerised by his use of language, his turns of phrase and took all the verbal abuse. At 23, Gogoi became the editor of the op-ed page which was a big responsibility at a young age, she said, detailing how Akbar physically and mentally harassed her for years while working at the Asian Age newspaper from New Delhi to Mumbai to Jaipur to London.
The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) why it was not arresting former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in connection with a multi-crore money laundering case, when the agency was opposing bail granted to a businessman in the matter.

Questioning the selective approach of the agency in arresting those involved in the case, Justice R K Gauba asked the ED whether it will withdraw its plea challenging bail granted to Vakamulla Chandrasekhar, the director/ promoter of Tarini Group of Companies, or should the court pass an order.

In the first half of the day, the court asked EDs lawyers to take instructions from the agency on the issue of arresting the senior Congress leader.

Later, agencys counsel Amit Mahajan and Nitesh Rana told the court that the officer investigating the matter was not senior enough to take a call on the issue of arresting Singh at the moment and sought more time to take a decision.

The lawyers also sought more time to take instruction from ED on whether to press for their plea challenging Chandrasekhars bail or withdraw it.

The judge said if ED was not withdrawing the plea, then the court will dismiss it.

Thereafter, the lawyers told the court that the ED has decided to withdraw the petition, and it was dismissed as withdrawn.

Chandrasekhar was granted bail by a trial court in March 9, noting that no purpose would be served by keeping him in further custody.

The ED had earlier argued that it was a case of economic offence which has to be kept at a higher pedestal and the allegation against the accused were of serious nature.

It had contended that Chandrasekhar had helped Virbhadra Singh in laundering crores of rupees and its investigation was still in progress.

Chandrasekhar was arrested on February 15 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was in judicial custody before getting bail.

The ED had alleged that Chandrasekhar had provided an amount of Rs 5.9 crore to Singh and his family members through his three personal bank accounts.

It had claimed that when the source of funds was enquired into, it came to light that the amount was received through a web of firms indulging in accommodation entry operations.

The trial court had on February 12 summoned Singh, his wife and three others as accused in the case, after taking cognisance of the ED charge sheet against them and others, saying there was prima facie enough evidence against the accused persons.

The ED, in its charge sheet, named 83-year-old Singh, accusing him of projecting around Rs 7 crore proceeds of crime as agricultural income in connivance with his wife and others and invested them in purchasing LIC policies.

Besides Singh and his 62-year-old wife Pratibha Singh, the trial court had summoned Universal Apple Associate owner Chunni Lal Chauhan and two other co-accused, Prem Raj and Lawan Kumar Roach.

The final report also named as accused Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) agent Anand Chauhan, against whom a charge sheet was earlier filed by the agency.

All six have been named in the charge sheet under relevant provisions of the PMLA. A disproportionate assets case, lodged by CBI, is also going on against Singh and others.
Mizorams outgoing assembly speaker, Hiphei, is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the November 28 elections amid infighting within the ruling Congress and desertions from the party.

Four legislators  R Lalzirliana, Lalrinliana Sailo, Buddha Dhan Chakma and Hmingdailova Khiangte  had earlier quit the Congress following differences with chief minister Lal Thanhawla. The defections came just before the elections even as the Congress is seeking to retain its last bastion in the countrys Northeastern region.

Hiphei, 81, who is mononymous, had been given a Congress ticket for Siaha districts Palak seat. He left for Guwahati on Tuesday and held talks with Assam minister and BJP in-charge for Mizoram, Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Hiphei first went to Guwahati and then flew to New Delhi to hold consultations with senior party leaders. We have no idea if he will be given a BJP ticket, Mizoram BJP chief JV Hluna said. We knew the speaker was unhappy with the Congress. One thing is certain, even if he does not get a BJP ticket, he will leave Congress and will support our candidates in the election.

Hiphei was not immediately available for a comment.

The state Congress has requested the partys high command to revoke Hipheis candidature. Considering Hipheis age and experience, we decided to give him the ticket. But there was lot of opposition against him from the party workers and we also felt he did not stand a chance at winning, said Congresss state unit secretary Bhupen Borah.

Lalthanwala is contesting from two seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes to negate the anti-incumbency factor. He has ruled the state for 10 years.

State Congress leaders have accused Lalthanwala of functioning independently and in an autocratic manner. He had skipped the partys central election committee (CEC) in Delhi last month when the partys candidates were finalised. Lalthanwala is the only Congress chief minister, who also heads the state party unit. It was mandatory for him to attend the CEC meeting.

Congress general secretary (North East) Luizinho Falerio argued Lalthanwala had sought an exemption from attending the meeting since he is leading the campaign. He said Lalthanwala had nominated Lok Sabha member CL Ruala to represent him.
The Congress on Thursday released its manifesto for the upcoming Mizoram Assembly polls on Thursday and promised to provide free laptops to students who have cleared Class 10 and above if it returns to power in the state.

In the election manifesto released by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla here, the party also pledged to continue with its two flagship programmes for farmers and youths.

Mizoram is the only state in the northeast where the Congress has a government and BJP leaders have asserted they would make concerted efforts to oust the opposition party from the eight northeastern states.

Thanhawla, also the partys state unit president, has been the chief minister since 2008.

If voted to power in Mizoram for the third consecutive time, students who clear the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) exam for Class 10 and above will be given laptops every year, the party manifesto said.

Initially, however, they would be distributed among those students above the HSLC without jobs, it said.

The party also promised to continue with its New Land Use Policy (NLUP) for the farmers and New Economic Development Policy (NEDP) for unemployed youths.

The NLUP was launched in January 2011 to end the wasteful practice of shifting or jhum cultivation -- process of clearing land by burning its natural vegetation before growing crops.

A beneficiary of the NLUP gets around Rs 1 lakh. The party said the grant would be raised.

It said the NEDP would also be continued with special thrust on entrepreneurship development for the youths.

The Congress manifesto also promised housing for the poor in rural areas and residential quarters for employees of police and education departments.

It also promised to set up more rehabilitation centres for drug addicts and alcoholics across the state.

Polling will be held in Mizoram on November 28.

Results will be declared on December 11 along with four other states.
You may soon be able to walk into the worlds oldest aircraft carrier, INS Viraat. The Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday approved converting the decommissioned warship, which served in the Indian Navy for nearly 30 years, into a museum.

The warship is a slice of history: before it was decommissioned at Mumbais Naval Dockyard in March 2017, INS Viraat was the last British-built ship serving in the Indian Navy. The ship was commissioned into Britains Royal Navy in 1959 as HMS Hermes. Viraat was sold to India in 1987, and served the Navy in several crucial operations till 2016.

Indian Navy's aircraft carrier INS Viraat is seen with other ships during a the Fleet Review (PFR-11) in Mumbai. (HT File )

The state cabinet has proposed to dock the INS Viraat off the shore near Nivti Rock in Sindhudurg, around 600km from Mumbai. Apart from the museum, the state cabinet is also planning to set up tourist facilities such as a luxury hotel, and scuba diving and other adventure sports. The cabinet nod came after the defence ministry approved the state governments proposal, which is estimated to cost Rs 852 crore. However, officials said it is still unclear if the project is feasible.

Indian Navy officials perform yoga on the flight deck of Indian Navy's decommissioned aircraft carrier 'Viraat' on the 4th International Yoga Day, in Mumbai, June 21, 2018. (PTI File )

An initial detailed project report (DPR), made by a consultant, proposes the conversion of the ship into comprehensive tourism destination. But, the activities on the ship have not been finalised yet, and the design is subject to change, said an official from the ports department. The luxury hotel and residential accommodation has not been finalised and may be decided based of demand by bidders.

The official said any activity planned on the ship will be allowed only if it maintains the dignity of the warship.

Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command and Captain Puneet Chadha,Commanding Officer INS Viraat during the visit on board the Indian Naval Ship Viraat in Mumbai, February 27, 2017. (HT File )

According to rough estimates, the government expects an annual revenue of Rs 137 crore against a maintenance cost of Rs130 crore. The project will be implemented on a public private partnership basis by inviting global tenders from investors. We are still doubtful about the feasibility of the project, but we have expressed our interest for the procurement of the ship from the Centre by taking this decision, another official said.

A committee appointed under the chief secretary will fine-tune the proposal with naval officials.
A Pakistan-Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) terror module was busted with the arrest of Shabnamdeep Singh, 24, of Samana sub-division, from Lahori Gate in Patiala on Thursday morning, Punjab police said.

A hand grenade, a pistol, letter pads belonging to a banned terror organisation and a motorcycle have been recovered from him.

Shabnamdeep planned to attack police stations and crowded places in the ongoing festive season, DGP Suresh Arora said, in a release. He has been sent to police custody till November 5. He is associated with the Khalistan Gadar Force, a terrorist organisation, and was also running operations for the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), said Patiala SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu.

During interrogation, the accused confessed that he planned to target Patialas Inter-state Bus Terminal (ISBT) and nearby locations, the SSP added. He added that a team under DSP (detective) Sukhminder Singh Chauhan and Samana Counter-Intelligence Agency (CIA) in-charge, Vijay Kumar, had been formed to carry out the arrest.

DGP Arora added, With this arrest, police have blown up the cover over the ISIs nexus with Gurpatwant Singh Pannus SFJ, which is running the Sikh Referendum-2020 campaign. With ISI backing, SFJ had launched a conspiracy to spread mayhem in the state. Shabnamdeep, alias Maninder Lahoria, alias Billa, had been out on bail for a petty crime in Rajasthan.

Javed Khan Wazir, who we suspect is a Pakistan intelligence officer, contacted Shabnamdeep from Pakistan in July. He was also introduced to a Pakistani Sikh named Gopal Singh Chawla, former general secretary of the Pakistani Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. Khan had tasked Shabnamdeep with targeted killings and promised him Rs 10 lakh for each such killing, Arora added.

In October, the Pakistan-based handler of Shabnamdeep asked him to buy a new phone and install a new messaging application. On October 24, his operatives delivered him a sophisticated pistol and grenade, the DGP continued.

Set several liquor vends on fire

The DGP said SFJ operative Nihal and other Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) incited him to indulge in arson of liquor vends. Shabnamdeep and his accomplices set liquor vends and shacks, along with a house, on fire last month. The videos were sent to his handlers. He purchased a motorcycle and a new mobile phone with funds transferred to him by Nihal, a police source added.

Police sources added Shabnamdeep was in contact with Sukhraj Singh of Nagoke village in Tarn Taran, who was also involved in the burning of liquor vends and the propagation of Referendum 2020. Sukhraj contacted Shabnamdeep for delivery of weapons to carry out targeted killings. Recently, Amritsar police had arrested Sukhraj, the state police chief added.

Javed Khan asked Shabnamdeep to get pads printed with the letterhead of the Khalistan Gadar Force and use these to issue press statements, taking responsibility for acts of terror and arson. Shabnamdeep and his handlers also created a Facebook page of this terrorist organisation. Police have found that Shabnamdeep was also operating a Facebook account under the pseudo name of Lahoria Jatt Gill, with profile picture of slain terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale.
Congress spokesperson and former union minister Rajeev Shukla claimed on Thursday that the party will win at least 160 assembly seats in Rajasthan.

From the kind of feedback we are receiving, we are certain that the party in Rajasthan will win a minimum of 160 seats. The number can increase but will not decrease, he said, addressing newspersons at the state Congress office here.

He alleged that the BJP is master in making false promises. The BJP government in Rajasthan has not fulfilled even 10% of its promises and is trying to misguide people through hoardings, banners and advertisements.

Shukla said the state is under a debt of over Rs 3 lakh crore. The state government figures reveal that 1.5 lakh people havent received employment.

BJP made slogans on eradicating corruption but in its tenure scams relating to mining, river sand, NHM, PHED, LED lights, garlic, solar plant and privatisation have surfaced in Rajasthan, he alleged.

Shukla said the BJP government is running away and not replying on issues, be it corruption, women security, health schemes and unemployment. They shout to prove them right. The BJP government at the Centre does not reveal the price of Rafale aircraft, whereas the UPA government had tabled the prices of Mirage and MIG planes.

The BJP government at the Centre implemented GST in a haste, which affected small traders and shop owners. If the Congress comes to power, it (GST) will be simplified.

On the CM face in Rajasthan, Shukla said, Who will contest or not is decided by the party high command. We will fight the election under a collective leadership and after receiving peoples mandate, the MLAs will elect their leader.

Regarding alliance with other parties in Rajasthan, Shukla said, The Congress is trying to bring opposition parties together across the country. The Congress is capable of contesting election alone, but the high command will decide on any alliance.
China on Friday reportedly agreed to provide USD 6 billion in aid to Pakistan, which is going through a low point, to minimise the cash-strapped countrys dependence on an IMF bailout package as Prime Minister Imran Khan held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Khan, who is here on his maiden visit, met Xi in the Great Hall of People where the two leaders also held one-on-one meeting besides delegation-level talks, Pakistani media reports said.

Pakistan is expected to receive USD 6 billion economic package from China during the visit, Geo TV quoted sources as saying.

A loan of USD 1.5 billion is also expected to be offered, along with an additional package of USD three billion for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the report said.

The loan and the investments were reportedly part of the USD 6 billion package.

There is no official comment from Beijing yet on the report.

Pakistans government has inherited a very difficult economic situation, Khan told Xi.

Unfortunately our country is going through a low point at the moment with two very big deficits, a fiscal deficit and a current account deficit, he said.

Xi assured Khan that China considers its relations with Pakistan a diplomatic priority.

China has always placed Pakistan as a diplomatic priority for China, supported Pakistans safeguarding of national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and supported the new Pakistani governments smooth running of the government and advancement of national construction, the Chinese President said.

Chinas expected assistance is the second USD 6 billion package which Khan has managed to obtain in the last few weeks as Pakistan reeled under severe financial crisis.

During his visit to Saudi Arabia last month, Riyadh committed USD 6 billion funding which included USD 3 billion deferred payment for oil imports.

Finance Minister Asad Umar, who is accompanying Khan, earlier told media in Islamabad that Pakistans strategy was to seek loans from multiple sources instead of asking the International Monetary Fund (IMF) alone to plug the entire gap in the countrys financing needs.

He said Pakistan faced a deficit of USD 27 billion which included USD 9 billion debt repayment this year.

After taking monetary and fiscal measures, in my opinion, our financing gap for this year will be around USD 12 billion, he said.

According to a report in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on Friday, Pakistan borrowed USD 6 billion from China last year to increase its dwindling foreign reserves.

Pakistan has already approached the IMF for a bailout package which it apprehends will come with stringent conditions of austerity besides scrutiny of USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects whose terms till now remained confidential.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has expressed opposition to using IMF money to repay Chinese loans.

An IMF delegation is due to visit China next week and the Khan government wants to minimise the bailout package it seeks from the international lender.

Khan has posited that Chinese and Saudi financial assistance will reduce the amount Pakistan needs to borrow from the IMF, mitigating Pakistans susceptibility to the US demands that its CPEC debt be transparent.

China wants to avoid such transparency because exposing the terms of the CPEC project agreements could validate the US criticism of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a debt trap for emerging economies, the Post report said.

Khan is accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Umar, Advisor on Commerce and Trade Abdul Razzak Dawood, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed among others.

He would hold talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday after which both the countries would sign several agreements.

His visit here was regarded as significant as it is taking place amid critical remarks made by some ministers in Khans Cabinet on the CPEC which had caused consternation among Chinese leaders considering the all-weather relations.

While Commerce Minister Dawood told the Financial Times that some of the CPEC agreements were unfair to Pakistani companies and should be put on hold for a year, Railways Minister Rasheed said that Pakistan wants to cut the size of the USD 8 billion Karachi-Peshawar rail line, the biggest project of the CPEC, by USD 2 billion.

The statements evoked serious concerns in China as the CPEC is the flagship project of President Xis pet multi-billion BRI.

The CPEC has also become a major irritant in India-China relations with New Delhi voicing its opposition to the infrastructure project as it traverses through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

China also agreed to address his concern that the CPEC projects were mainly benefitting the dominant Punjab region and the new projects will focus on the western region of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

From Beijings point of view, Pakistans criticism of the project was a shocker, especially after Chinas takeover of Sri Lankas Hambantota port on a 99-year lease as a debt swap.

In an interview to the Chinese state-run media ahead of his visit, Khan said the CPEC has given Pakistan a great opportunity to bring in foreign investment and to get out of the difficult economic situation it is facing.

He said Pakistan could learn more from China than any other developed country to tackle its various socio-economic challenges, including poverty and corruption.
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By Mike Cooper, West Kentucky Star Staff

Nov. 01, 2018 | LOWES

By Mike Cooper, West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 01, 2018 | 12:56 PM | LOWES

The Graves County Board of Education held a press conference Thursday morning at Lowes Elementary School to discuss the proposed tax increase, and the petition, which would force a referendum on the issue by county voters.



Board of Education attorney, David Hargrove, explained that because of incorrect information contained in the petition, the board will challenge it in Graves County Circuit Court.



Graves County School Superintendent Kim Dublin explained that the funds are necessary to make much needed improvements to Lowes Elementary School, address a failing HVAC system at Farmington Elementary School, and to hire additional school resource officers.



Dublin stressed that the Lowes building was built in 1953, and still uses a boiler system. It also uses window air conditioning units for classrooms, and the locker rooms for the gym are not usable due to being flooded most of the time. She also said that the board feels they need the additional resource officers in order to provide the safest possible environment for the students, and a failing HVAC system at Farmington Elementary can't be ignored.



Graves County Director of Finance, Jimmilyn Hancock, commented that the figures for the new tax are confusing to many, but to make it easier to understand, for a $100,000 home, the new tax increase would amount to $28 per year. She said, on average, for most taxpayers, it would mean an additional $3 to $6 dollars per month. Hancock also added that while the tax increase would be on real property and personal property, it would not include motor vehicles.



The board believes that if the public is given the opportunity to see the facts, that citizens would support these projects. Hargrove said that some people that had signed the petition had told board members that they didn't understand, at the time, what the tax increase actually would be, and had they understood, they would not have signed it.
US president Donald Trump on Thursday said he plans to issue an executive order next week that will end the abuse of the countrys lax asylum laws and initiate unspecified measures on immigration, which is a top issue for Republican voters for the crucial mid-term elections next week.

Trump offered no details of his plan but indicated the key element will an outright denial of asylum request from anyone who entered the United States illegally. And those who got in illegally will be held in detentions centres till their requests were processed and then will be deported home.

Not a popular gateway into the US for most Indians, who have preferred the H-1B route for highly skilled foreign workers and other employment-based options for decades, asylum has been used by Punjab-based agents of international human smugglers to offer a costlier  every trip costs Rs 25 lakh and more  and riskier alternative.

Hundreds of Indians go through this asylum route every year  scores more of them are turned down and put on the next flight home  but their claims are likely to face unprecedented scrutiny now if Trump goes through with his promise and issues executive order next week irrespective of the poll outcome.

Migrants seeking asylum will have to present themselves lawfully at a port of entry, Trump said in remarks from the White House. Those who choose to break our laws and enter illegally will no longer be able to use meritless claims to gain automatic admission into our country, he said.

We will hold them -- for a long time, if necessary.

The presidents speech was billed as a policy pronouncement but fast morphed into a familiar rendition of speeches he has delivered at election rallies at the rate of one every day  to talk up immigration to fire up his base, in view of the upcoming midterms. Immigration is a top issue for some Republicans.

We will be doing an executive order sometime next week, the president said taking questions from reporters after his remarks. Yes, its going to be talking about everything. Itll be quite comprehensive. Many of the things weve talked about today, he added.

The White House could not offer more details either.

The US granted 20,455 people asylum in 2016, according to the most recent count made available by the US citizenship and immigration services (USCIS), the agency that deals with citizenship as its name reflects. Of these, 383 were from India, those whose claims were accepted; the rest were sent home.

More than 100 asylum seekers from India have been detained in the United States in recent months  in facilities in Oregon and New Mexico  for crossing into the US illegally through the southern border. They are mostly from Punjab and have alleged persecution for supporting the cause of a separate country.

Its a game one asylum seeker from Punjab, who was turned down, told Hindustan Times recently. A network of multi-national human-smugglers brings them to the US border through a circuitous and partly perilous route passing through some of the worlds most dangerous cities for a hefty fee.

President Trump referred to the abuse of the asylum laws and the ease with which petitioners are able to make their case.

The biggest loophole drawing illegal aliens to our borders is the use of fraudulent or meritless asylum claims to gain entry into our great country, he said in his remarks from the White House.

This endemic abuse of the asylum system makes a mockery of our immigration system, displacing legitimate asylum-seekers -- and there are legitimate asylum-seekers -- while rewarding those who abuse or defraud our system, which is almost everybody.
In a compound secured by the Sri Lankan elite special task force that protects the island nations top leaders, beneath framed photos of himself in army uniform, the brother of the countrys newly installed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is mulling a presidential run.

Im not interested in actually becoming a minister, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who was appointed by his brother to be Sri Lankas defense secretary in 2005 just before the climax of a brutal 26-year civil war, said in an interview. But a lot of people want me to contest for the presidency.

In a country where it is common to appoint family members to run key ministries, the comments arent much of a surprise. But they suggest the Rajapaksa clan is preparing to once again dominate politics in a nation it controlled from 2005 and 2015, when the family lost power in an election shock.

Now they are back, nearly as unexpectedly as they fell. In a surprise move last Friday, President Maithripala Sirisena fired his former ally Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and appointed the mustachioed former president as his replacement.

Read more: US calls on Sri Lanka president to immediately reconvene parliament

The move stunned everyone from officials at international ratings agencies -- who fear the chaos threatens debt repayments -- to activists who worry the return of Sri Lankas strongman could erode improvements in civil liberties. Theres also renewed concerns the island nation will once again tilt toward China, which holds much of the enormous debt racked up during Rajapaksas previous rule, even if Colombo is not as enthusiastic as before.

Rajapaksa learned hard lessons from his last experience dealing with China on Belt and Road investments, said Andrew Small, a senior fellow with the German Marshall Funds Asia program. Although Beijing will be happy to see his return -- and was expecting it in the next round of elections anyway -- it is unlikely that the dynamic will be the same as the last time he was in power.

Read more: Closely following developments in Sri Lanka, hope democratic values will be respected, says India

Strong Support

Rajapaksa could cement his return to power later this month when Sirisena reconvenes parliament, even as Wickremesinghe contests his removal as blatantly illegal and refuses to vacate the prime ministers official mansion. Rajapaksa has already taken on additional duties as finance minister, pledged to simplify the tax code and is working with advisers on the countrys next budget.

Across Colombo, freshly plastered-up posters show a smiling Rajapaksa, who had triumphed against Wickremesinghes administration in local elections earlier this year. Despite the controversial way in which he reclaimed power, the leader still enjoys strong domestic support for his role in ending the war, particularly among Sri Lankas Sinhala majority.

Unlike Wickremesinghe, who wears western suits and seems more comfortable in Colombos halls of power and foreign capitals, Rajapaksa is from the countrys rural, southern Hambantota district. He dresses in traditional Sri Lankan robes, speaks in a folksy stream-of-consciousness manner and is very superstitious, wearing rings and bracelets he believes ward off misfortune.

As his government launched a final assault on the Tamil Tigers in 2009, his administration was condemned by human rights groups for extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances and detaining journalists and activists.

The previous Rajapaksa government that included several family members refused to accept responsibility for serious allegations of human rights violations, says Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. There are fears that a Rajapaksa administration will continue human rights violations in the guise of nationalism and security.

Read more: Sri Lankas president Sirisena to reconvene parliament on November 5, says new PM Rajapaksa

First Family

At his residence on the outskirts of the capital Colombo, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told Bloomberg many international observers dont fully appreciate Sri Lankas conflict had turned Colombo and other parts of the country into a war zone, with daily car bombs and suicide attacks. Their Tamil Tiger opponents, he said, had full control over large tracts of territory and had similar weaponry to the armed forces.

Whether it is in Sri Lanka or another country, war is not a good thing, he said. Its an ugly thing. But we didnt create the war. Mahinda Rajapaksa didnt create the war. We ended the war.

Rajapaksas brother denied the new government would once again lean on China to provide loans.

We did not favor any particular country, he said. We want to work with anybody who wants to work with Sri Lanka, whether its west or east or whatever. And also we want to work with international organizations, but they have to be fair.

Financial Crisis

Wickremesinghe, meanwhile, continues to fight.

He told Bloomberg he has the numbers to triumph over his rival in a vote when the suspended parliament reconvenes.

He said Rajapaksas administration racked up debts it couldnt repay, and the unity government of Sirisena and Wickremesinghe had to take the burden. Now, he added, the political crisis threatens Sri Lankas looming debt payments.

Without legitimacy, how can you deal with debt? Wickremesinghe asked. A constitutional crisis is enough to create a financial crisis.

Read more: Sri Lanka president suspends parliament in growing political crisis

Political Turbulence

At an intersection on the outskirts of Colombo, a billboard of the entire Rajapaksa family looms down. Mahinda and Gotabhaya are there, as is the other brother and former lawmaker Basil, and son Namal, a current lawmaker.

The sign sends good wishes to the new prime minister, but has an ominous message for the old one. Keep your self respect and leave, it warns. Otherwise we know how to get rid of you. This battle is not over. We are alert!

Some western diplomats are not yet engaging with any of the governments newly-appointed cabinet ministers while Rajapaksas appointment is still being contested.

Still, Namal Rajapaksa insisted Sri Lanka would continue to pay its debts, and that his fathers Chinese-funded infrastructure projects had brought value to the country. He said their move to oust Wickremesinghe was constitutionally valid.

Read more: Sri Lanka president Sirisena prorogues Parliament as constitutional crisis worsens

It hasnt brought instability into the country, its just political turbulence, Rajapaksa said. Our main objective in this entire process is to make sure that economic, political and social stability is brought back to the country.

At a cafe near his fathers residence, a family presses in to get a selfie with the son of the new prime minister. Sharon Fernandes, 22, said her family are supporters of the Rajapaksa clan.

A lot of people respect them because they actually stopped the war, she said. The current government hasnt really done much -- they promised a lot, but havent really done anything.
Now Open

2 November 2018

Marriott International, Inc. today announced the opening of Four Points by Sheraton Greensboro Airport. Catering to the needs of today's everyday traveler, the hotel offers approachable design, stylish comfort and all the brand's popular extras including a 24-hour fitness center, heated pool, fast and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, and the Best Brews & BBQ program, detailed below.

Asset managed by JAM Hospitality, Four Points by Sheraton Greensboro Airport, previously under the name Comfort Suites Greensboro Airport offers 112 spacious guest rooms, over 825 sq. ft. of meeting space, a 24-hour fitness center, business center and fast and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Guests will enjoy full-service dining at the hotel pub and the brand's iconic Best Brews and BBQ program, which serves guests refreshing, curated local beers and seasonal BBQ-style appetizers. Red Oak from Red Oak Brewery and Longleaf from Appalachian Mountain Brewery is the Best Brew at Four Points.

Four Points by Sheraton Greensboro Airport is just a short drive from Wet' N WILD Emerald Pointe. It is also within driving distance of High Point Furniture Market and is roughly eight miles from Piedmont Triad International Airport for a convenient trip.

Four Points has nearly 250 hotels in more than 40 countries and territories. The brand has more than 120 signed hotels in the pipeline, with nearly 50% of Four Points' current portfolio of rooms located outside of North America, and over 65% of its signed pipeline expected to open outside of North America.
Press Release

2 November 2018

Extended Stay America and ESH Hospitality together announced the completed sales of two portfolios totaling 32 branded Extended Stay America hotels.

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The company recently completed the sale of 16 Extended Stay America branded hotels to Lodging Advisory Group, a hotel owner, developer, and asset manager with offices in Wichita, Denver and Phoenix. The hotels acquired by LAG include locations in Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Arizona. The disposition comes with franchise agreements for each of the 16 hotels. Additionally, LAG has committed to build or convert five additional Extended Stay America hotels in the future.

The company also recently sold 16 Extended Stay America branded hotels to Provident Realty Advisors, a Dallas-based developer with 27 years of real estate experience. The hotels acquired by Provident include 11 hotels in Texas and five in Oklahoma and will be operated by Aimbridge Hospitality. The disposition comes with franchise agreements for each of the 16 hotels. Additionally, Provident has committed to build or convert five additional Extended Stay America hotels in the future.

"We are thrilled to welcome LAG and Provident as our second and third franchise partners, respectively, into the Extended Stay America system," said Jonathan Halkyard, Extended Stay America's president and CEO. "With their deep industry experience combined with our industry-leading margins and our dominant position in the mid-priced extended stay segment in the lodging industry, we look forward to many years of success together."

"We are very excited to acquire a high-quality portfolio of extended stay hotels," said Dan Weber, partner and co-founder of LAG. "Our team has extensive extended-stay hotel experience and we are pleased to become a franchise partner with the leader in the mid-priced extended stay segment. We look forward to growing our Extended Stay America branded portfolio over the next several years."

"We are excited to partner with Extended Stay America as one of their first franchisees," said Leon Backes, CEO and owner of Provident. "We have a strong development and construction platform here at Provident that we will leverage to grow the ESA brand as a part of the ESA 2.0 initiative. Our goal as a franchise is to build a long and successful relationship with ESA."

When discussing Aimbridge's role in the transaction and as the hotel manager, Backes added, "Aimbridge was instrumental in a successful transaction. We are confident in Aimbridge's ability to improve the performance of these hotels through professional management. Their leadership team is experienced and their track record proven."
Opinion Article

2 November 2018

The Asia-Pacific region has always had a special place in my heart. Before moving to IDeaS HQ in the US in 2010, I spent a number of years based in Singapore, first helping IHG grow their footprint in the region and then educating hoteliers across Asia Pacific about revenue management by launching and growing IDeaS' then new consulting services arm (now called IDeaS Advisory Services).

Over the years I have seen the Asia-Pacific hotel industry grow and mature. During a two-week trip to India, Singapore and Hong Kong, attending or speaking at eight different industry events, I was keen to have in-depth conversations with hoteliers, innovators, startups, and investors to understand the latest developments and needs of the industry across this vast region.

Totally focused on Total Revenue Management

For many hotels in Asia Pacific, 50 percent or more of revenues are generated from non-room revenues, including meeting rooms, conference, spa and others. Many hotel companies and brands feel their capabilities for rooms revenue management is sufficiently advanced, but it is now time to focus on the other revenue generating areas. Total Revenue Management has been talked about for a long time, and some companies have started to tackle it either through regional efforts or through creating dedicated global teams focused on optimizing the totality of a hotel's revenue potential.

Accessibility to clean data is still a challenge as hotels struggle to consolidate information from a variety of sources; however, with new technology comes better and more efficient access to data, better insights and increased ability to make revenue enhancing decisions. In roundtables in Mumbai, Pune and Singapore, with experts from hotel companies, consultants and technology partners, all parties confirmed that now is the time to focus on Total Revenue Management, with some allocating significant efforts toward it.

The evolving tech stack & the rise of the machines

At the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP), Asia Pacific's largest gathering of hospitality movers and shakers, Microsoft distinguished engineer and technical evangelist James Whittaker kicked off the annual proceedings with a dire prediction: it is inevitable that "the machines" will outsmart and outperform humans in the not too distant future. And the reason is that "everything is data" which can be digitized, analyzed and optimized. As the world is transformed into a sea of data, we will generate 163 zettabytes of structured data by the year 2025, equivalent to 40 trillion DVDs. An increasing amount is generated by devices talking to each other through the Internet of Things (IoT), with the data stored in the cloud.

In a panel conversation I led with participants from Oracle, Sabre and German BI company Snapshot, we discussed the implications of this transformation. This includes cloud-based platforms, increasingly efficient ways to access data, unparalleled insights into consumer behavior and more and more engaging ways to interact and connect with customers along the entire buyer's journey, and across all revenue streams.

In a world where it is more efficient to order food from an app-based delivery company (Deliveroo, Foodpanda, BiteSquad and others) than from hotel room service and fully automated restaurants, hoteliers of the future will need to be mindful that disruption is increasingly coming from tech-minded entrepreneurs outside the traditional hotel space. It is no question that the rise of the machine will alter our lives, in many cases making it better than ever before. However, in order to stay relevant, the hotel industry needs to start reinventing itself, become data savvy, embrace technology and be ready for the age of the machines.
With the legalization of marijuana happening in a few states (and all of Canada,) shortages have been happening around the world. One man that had absolutely no shortage of weed was Ricky Allan Martin, who was recently arrested after he was discovered to have an inordinate amount of bud in his car. The 61-year-old man was stopped by the police for a regular traffic violation but when he pulled over, they discovered that they were dealing with something else. He was travelling with 514 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle.

It's beyond me how one manages to fit so much cannabis in a car. You would think the whip would smell like a grow house at that point so it makes sense he would be stopped. It all took place in Missouri when police and their staff dogs discovered the over-500 pounds of weed in the car, arresting Martin for drug trafficking and possession of a controlled substance. The cops posed for a photo with their discovery, proudly posting up next to an insane amount of pot. Y'all think they kept some?

In other marijuana-related news, Thailand is looking to become the first country in Asia to legalize cannabis. Since we're on the topic, check out our "How To Roll" with Internet Money here.
Black Mask has long been one of Batman's most vicious foes. Born Roman Sionis, he first debuted in the mid 80's as a child born to Gotham City socialites. His parents cared more about their social standing with billionaires such as Martha and Thomas Wayne than their son, casting him aside in favor of their baller lifestyles. As Roman grew up, he began to resent his parents and ultimately ended up murdering them after they forced him to break up with the love of his life. His parents were head of a cosmetics company, but Roman ran it into the ground and was offered a bailout by Bruce Wayne.

Enraged by his own failures and insulted by Bruce's offer to buy his company, Roman carved a black mask from the ebony of his father's casket and began a life of crime. As a mob boss, he hunted down Wayne Industries employees until Batman came to save the day. In an epic battle, Batman and Robin defeated Black Mask in a burning building, but the fight left the mask permanently burned onto Roman's face.



As reported by Deadline, Ewan McGregor will be joining the DCEU as Black Mask. He will play the main villain in Birds of Prey, the upcoming super-heroine film starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. Quinn will have her work cut out for her, as she must assemble a team that will comprise of Black Canary and Huntress. Quinn is a super villain, who we last saw in Suicide Squad, while Huntress and Black Canary are typically heroes that she battles with. It will be interesting to see how DC and Warner Bros. craft this film. Birds of Prey drops on Feb. 7, 2020.
For weeks now a group of Central and South American migrants have been walking towards the United States in growing numbers with the hopes that they will be allowed to exercise their legal right to seek asylum in the US. Unfortunately, it's looking less and less like there will be safety in numbers and more like something scary is going to happen.

President Trump has, to say the least, been exploiting the caravan by making it into a sensationalized wedge issue that paints the migrants themselves as barbarians coming to storm the gates of beautiful, civilized America (a good, non-partisan radio report can be found here). He dialled this rhetoric up a notch today gave a characteristically will-he-or-won't-he threat to the migrants, saying that if they throw rocks at American border guards (which presumably they would do only if denied entry), then Trump says the American forces will consider it as if they were shooting guns and will not hesitate to shoot back.

Anybody throwing stones, rocks, like they did to Mexico, the Mexican military, the Mexican police, where they badly hurt police and soldiers, of Mexico, we will consider that a firearm, because there's not much difference...they wanna throw rocks at our military, our military fights back

He went on to clarify how he phrased it to the military: "I told them: 'consider it a rifle.'" Let's hope that the military of a country founded by immigrants shows some restraint.
HBO is upset that Donald Trump used its intellectual property to send a scornful message to Iran. The 45th president issued a proviso of sanctions to longtime nemesis Iran, scheduled to take effect on November 5th. Curiously the message was issued in the form of a publicity poster co-opting trademarked images from the Game of Thrones series, with Donald replacing one of the characters with his own likeness, and a scornful edict: "Sanctions are Coming November 5."

How many heads of state can you name off hand, that would issue an "official statement" with pulp culture pretences. Inevitably, HBO issued a statement of there on, condemning his "copyright infringement." A rep for the cable provider told TMZ, "We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes."

Despite the conspicuous nature of the Twitter posting, Trump's administration is actually imposing sanctions on Iran. The sanctions that Trump is reinstating were all lifted when Obama struck a crucial "Nuclear deal" with the Middle Eastern country in 2015, a move some look back on as the defining diplomatic accord of his 8-year presidency.

The "new" sanctions aim to depreciate Iran's banking and energy sectors, as well as limit the outreach of its access to shipping/trade.
Not everyone is good at everything. Wesley Snipes can kill vampires and (unlike white men) he can jump. However, there is one thing that has officially caught up with Wesley Snipes: his taxes. The IRS has served Wesley Snipes with a final order to pay them $9.5 million. Originally the feds were trying to get $23.5 million out of him but through some legal wrangling he got the sum reduced to the current amount, whereupon he made a counter-offer of $850,000. The tax court JudgeKathleen Kerrigan turned up her nose at the paltry sum, saying:

Given the disparity between petitioners $842,061 OIC [offer-in-compromise] and the settlement officers calculation of $9,581,027 as his RCP [reasonable collection potential], as well as petitioners inability to credibly document his assets, the settlement officer and her manager had ample justification to reject the offer.

The saga of Wesley Snipes' tax woes has been a long one, beginning in the late 90s when his accountant first assured him that he didn't have to pay taxes, and culminating in this weeks judgment (with some jail time in the middle). The story has become a cautionary tale about fast success and is immortalized in Kendrick Lamar's "Wesley's Theory," where Dr. Dre says: "anybody can get, the hard part is keepin' it, motherfucker."

Rumours of a new Blade movie have been floating around for a while. Let's hope for our sake and Wesley's, that they decide to green-light a remake.
Kanye West decided to take a step back from his political rants, or so he has professed. West took to Twitter earlier this week to announce that he felt used after Candace Owens erroneously credited him with helping her "Blexit" movement. "My eyes are now wide open and now realize Ive been used to spread messages I dont believe in," he tweeted. "I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative !!!" Not one to keep his opinions of West quiet, Ebro opined that 'Ye is only changing his mind due to lack of sneaker and record sales.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1057382916760707072



Ebro and DJ Kast One created a narrative that West's latest Yeezy drops were not selling as fast as previous releases, causing concern for the rapper. "He's never cared about offending people if it didn't hurt his bank account," Ebro stated. Now, according to TMZ, the Yeezy team is refuting that narrative. While Kanye did drop his Yeezy Mauve 700 this past weekend, they did not sell out like nearly all his released do. Sources tell TMZ that "product volume was up nearly 10-fold compared to releases in the past," which means 'Ye just did a better job of stocking in preparation for heavy sales. In fact, sources claim the Yeezy Mauve 700 moved more units than its predecessors. The Yeezy brand was also recently valued at "several billion dollars," with that number projected to increase by the end of 2018.
Kap G's been incredibly vocal about his thoughts on the current president of America, but he's yet to express his feelings towards Trump on wax. Today, he comes through with a reggaeton-inspired track while repping his roots and slamming Trump.

Kap G is back with his new track, "A Day Without A Mexican." The song was produced by Play-N-Skillz who delivers a guitar-based, reggaeton-infused production for Kap G to get his message across on.

"I got a question for the president/We've been working where the hell you been?/Hold up you better think again/what's a day without a Mexican?" He sings on the hook.

The rapper said that his new song was a way to represent his Latin culture and use his platform to speak against the injustices being done by the Trump admin.

"I dont really hear people who are Hispanic, not just rappers, especially Mexican, though, like, Mexican leaders who got a voice in America," he told XXL. "I dont really hear them talking about nothing. So, I just feel like its a responsibility to me to speak up about it. Cause, I know theres a little kid out there going through something, even just regular humans, I know its going to touch them. In that song, I just kinda talk about all the stuff that Ive seen growing up and whats going on now. The statements, the disrespect that we get on television, all that. I feel like its a responsibility."

Quotable Lyrics

I got people in my family got no papers

Posted at the Home Depot searchin' for some labor

Taco Tuesdays, yeah dawg, you could thank us

Pops workin' Ruby Tuesdays, he ain't payin' much
Metro Boomin has spent the majority of the year in the cut which is understandable since he said that he was retiring. However, the producer knew that his sound was something evidently missing in the rap game this year. Yesterday, the producer announced his a brand new project titled, Not All Heroes Wear Capes. While he didn't reveal much at the time, Young Metro did reveal when we could expect the project to drop.

Metro Boomin took to social media to announce that his upcoming project, Not All Heroes Wear Capes will be arriving tonight. The producer revealed the project's tracklist which includes 12 tracks plus a bonus song. The "Bad & Boujee" producer didn't reveal any features but he did include "No Complaints" as the bonus track so safe to say that Drake and Offset are both on the project.

"To everyone that believed in me, thank you.... To everyone that did not believe in me, THANK YOU!" He wrote alongside the handwritten tracklist.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpqFb5alYVW



Although we haven't heard a whole lot from Metro this year, he did begin to tease new music last week. Mysterious billboards in both Atlanta and New York popped up, reading, "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?" Interestingly enough, the billboards also included the title of his album, although at that point, he hadn't announced it yet.

Metro Boomin Presents: Not All Heroes Wear Capes drops tonight.
Vans has gone to the moon and beyond with their latest sneaker collab.

According to reports, a multi-sneaker NASA x Vans collection is in the works, featuring classic silhouettes like the Vans Old Skool, Vans SK8-Hi and Vans Slip-on. The NASA x Vans Old Skool features an all-white, astronaut-inspired construction complete with NASA branding, a shuttle mission tag on the grey tongue and a removable American flag patch on the heel. There's also a similarly styled Old Skool in an orange spacesuit colorway.

Other kicks that will reportedly be included in this space-themed collection include Space Voyager/Black and Space Voyager/True White/Marshmallow colorways of the Sk8-Hi 46 MTE, and a Sk8-Hi MTE in Space Voyager/True White/Black." Additionally, a "Galaxy/Black" Vans Slip-On is also in the works, as well as a backpack and duffel bag.

All of the kicks and gear are available today, November 2nd. Check out some early purchase links in the tweets embedded below.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1058343060260700162

https://twitter.com/_/status/1058327622084714496


T.I. and Tiny's 22-year-old daughter has opened up to her fans about undergoing surgery to change her eye colour. Zonnique posted a photo of herself on Instagram that prompted a fan to comment asking for advice on the procedure. "Is the eye color change worth it??? a user asked, via Bossip. Thinking of going to Kenya and getting it. I have done my research but it will help if u can tell me your experience.

Zonnique followed up with some notes, detailing how she didn't go to Kenya (she went to Tunisia) and how she realized that it wasn't the best idea. Ive never liked to recommend anyone to do it, she wrote. I can say that the experience wasnt the best in the long term but everyone is different. She added: My eye started bothering me, the doctor told me that you could possibly go blind.

Tiny joined her daughter on the trip when they both went from dark brown to a light blue and previously told ABC News about the move. They go into the eye and they make a little slit, she said. They take an implant and its folded up. They open it [and] spread it over your eye" - yikes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnPALp2hc79


Over the past few years, we've seen numerous hip-hop acts attempt to launch their own cryptocurrencies including T.I. who launched FLiK Tokens in 2017. Unfortunately, the business venture hasn't been working out too well and now, Tip and his business partner are being sued for allegedly defrauding roughly two dozen investors.

According to The Blast, T.I. and his business partner are being sued by a group of 25 investors who claimed they invested $1.3M into the cryptocurrency venture. The investors said that Tip and the rapper's business partner in FLiK Tokens, Ryan Felton, utilized social media, celebrity endorsements, and well-known industry experts to create the false impression that FLiK Tokens were a valuable liquid investment. They claimed that T.I. and Felton gave the impression that Kevin Hart was going to be the new face of the company and even announced that he'd be brought on to FLiK as a as owner of the business.

The lawsuit alleges that hiked up the price of the FLiK Tokens once they got the money from investors before they "dumped" their crypto-coins and vanished. They said Felton created a new company that he said brought FLiK and speciously told investors that he had nothing to do with the new sham company.

They also said, Felton explained that the devaluation was caused, at least in part, because T.I. had given FLiK tokens to members of his family and friends who had sold massive amounts on coinexchange.com causing rapid devaluation.

Now, the group of investors are suing T.I. and Felton for securities fraud. They're seeking no less than $5M in damages.
Tiny A.K.A. Major Girl did the most appropriate costume for Halloween, throwing on a skintight blue leotard with fringes and a gold cape dubbing herself a Majorette, because of course.

We're not sure where Tiny was headed, whether it was an exclusive party or just a costume hangout at a friends house but she sure did Halloween right this year - check it out below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpp3hZ2nVdN



In other Tiny news, she and T.I. are still working out their marital issues as we've seen on recent episodes of Family Hustle. After Tiny wasn't impressed with Tip's invite to Trinidad for their anniversary, her friend Toya Wright came through to chat with T.I. and get on his level.

"Tip feels that he can buy a car, move on and everything is hunky-dory, but for me I need the time, love, respect - all kinds of things to get over the things he be doing," Tiny said of Tip.
Callaghan O'Hare /Bloomberg

The Department of Interior disbursed nearly $9 billion in in energy revenues in fiscal year 2018, an increase of more than 25 percent over the year before.

The Interior Department distributed the money to states, American tribes, and various funds. The revenues are up 25.6 percent from the $7.11 billion in fiscal year 2017.
WASHINGTON - Almost 4,000 feet beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, off the northern coastline of South America, Exxon Mobil is drilling one of the biggest oil discoveries of the last decade, the so-called Stabroek Block with an estimated 4 billion barrels of crude.

It stands to buoy the oil giants fortunes at a time the companys oil and gas production is flagging. But the discovery has come at a price.

The massive find, located in the waters of the tiny country of Guyana, has reignited a century old territory dispute with its powerful and volatile neighbor Venezuela, flaming geopolitical tension in a region where the United States, China and Russia are increasingly competing for influence.

With Venezuela claiming a portion of Exxons field, Guyana has taken the case to the International Court of Justice, the United Nations court system in the Netherlands, as U.S. diplomatic and military officials in Washington watch adversaries in Beijing and Moscow warily.

When we look at the controversy around the territory claims [by Venezuela] it gets pretty complicated pretty quickly, said Ret. Vice Admiral Kevin Green, who oversaw U.S. naval operations in the Caribbean, Central and South America. The United States is engaged globally in what is becoming more and more a great power competition. Both Russia and China see opportunities for themselves in that region, to quite frankly frustrate the United States.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Exxon Mobil, Hess make discovery off Guyana

Trouble began even before Exxon, which declined to comment, realized how much oil was in Guyana.

In 2013, the Venezuelan Navy seized a ship contracted by The Woodlands exploration and production company Anadarko to survey the oceans bottom for oil. While the boat was in waters recognized internationally as Guyanas, Venezuela claimed crew members had violated its territory and held them and the ship for a week before releasing them as part of a diplomatic deal.

Then Exxon announced in 2015 it had successfully drilled a test well in Stabroek. Within weeks, Guyana was tossed out of Petrocaribe, the Venezuelan food for oil program, in which countries across Central and South America and the Caribbean provide Venezuelas 32 million inhabitants with food in exchange for subsidized crude.

Then Venezuela issued a statement asserting its ownership of two-thirds of Guyanas land and waters claimed not only by Guyana, but also Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

The claim dates back to the late 1800s when Venezuela and Great Britain, which then controlled Guyana, could not agree on the border between their countries. An international tribunal intervened, and the dispute fell dormant until 1949 when a memo, written by one of attorneys that represented Venezuela in the tribunal, surfaced with the claim that judges had colluded with Britain.

Ever since, the border has been a rallying cry in Venezuelan politics. Guyanas Ambassador to the United States Riyad Insanally said for years Venezuela had pressured oil companies not to explore in Guyana, using the threat of cutting companies off from Venezuelan oil fields - among the worlds largest.

But relations between Caracas and the international oil companies began to break down during the rule of the late Hugo Chavez, who nationalized a number of oil fields, including some held by Exxon.

It was a bit like a Robert Ludlum novel, Insanally said of the attorneys memo. No one likes being bullied and we feel weve been bullied for far too long. But we dont have any military might, and we dont have any economic clout. All we can is do is rely on the resourcefulness of our people and international diplomacy.

The Venezuelan embassy in Washington did not return a call for comment.

The presence of Russia and China in a region long dominated by the United States has escalated what might have been a disagreement among neighbors. The U.S. rivals have again and again provided financial lifelines to Venezuela, devastated by an economic crisis, in exchange for increasing claims on their energy supplies. And they are increasingly investing in Guyana.

China recently loaned Guyana $130 million to expand its airport to allow 747s to land. Earlier this year, the nation of less than 1 million people signed onto Chinas Belt and Road pact, through which the Asian superpower is investing in developing countries around the globe.

Rusal, the Russian aluminum giant owned by the oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, has operated bauxite mines in Guyana for more than a decade.

Nobody wants to see Russian warships sailing around the Caribbean, and they do that occasionally, said Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., an attorney and former under secretary of state for political affairs. The region has largely been ours since we chased out the Germans and the French. We dont need the presence of adversities or potential adversaries. But the way we do this it by taking care of our friends.

The hope among U.S. officials is that the discovery of oil in Guyanas waters will not only bring prosperity to a long impoverished nation, but also bring it deeper into the American fold.

So far, that seems to be proving out. U.S., British and Norwegian officials already are advising Guyana on how to manage its newfound wealth when oil is scheduled to start flowing in 2020. The aim is to avoid the so-called resource curse through which corruption and mismanagement become endemic upon the discovery of oil.

The U.S. is still our major trading partner. Our links with the U.S. are much stronger than Russia and China. But we enjoy good relations with all three because that is the reality of being a small country, Insanally said.

The presence of iconic American company like Exxon Mobil is only expected to increase Guyanas bond with the United States. And so far, the oil giant has shown no signs of wavering in its commitment to drilling there, despite rising tensions around its operations.

Its a calculated risk. Exxons oil and gas production has fallen for eight of the last nine quarters. Were Guyana to develop as Exxon has forecast, the additional production could potentially raise the oil giants global production by close to 8 percent, said Pavel Molchanov, an energy analyst at Raymond James.

Exxons legacy production has been so weak in recent years, the company can use all the help it can get, he said. Guyana is in some ways the exception that proves the rule. Its one of the few exploration success stories of this entire decade.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Exxon, Chevron miss on earnings

But developing all of Exxons prospects in Guyana will not be quick. And that leaves plenty of time for what is now a legal argument expected to be decided by the courts to potentially escalate into a military conflict.

Brazilian President Michel Temer has already pledged to send in troops should Venezuela invade the disputed area inside Guyana.

Theres some reports and analysis suggesting Venezuela will start some kind of military action against Guyana, said Lisa Viscidi, an energy analyst at the Washington think tank Inter-American Dialogue. Its still really unlikely they would do that.
You could call Christina Aguilera's current Liberation Tour a comeback. This is her first outing in more than a decade, behind her first album in six years.

Most of the hits are there  no "Candyman" or "Your Body," sadly  as are a smattering of adventurous new songs, a series of ornate costumes and her signature roof-rattling vocals.

FUTURE POP: Christina Aguilera's 'Bionic' was far ahead of its time

But you could also call Thursday's show at Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land a homecoming.

Houston native Gilbert Saldivar was one of several dancers onstage with Aguilera. He's toured with the pop star for more than a decade. Saldivar grew up in the East End, attending Deady Middle School and graduating from Milby High School. He spent two years at the University of Houston and danced for the Houston Comets and Houston Rockets.

Saldivar was in tears near the end of the show and even brought his family onstage during the "Let There Be Love" finale. The vibrant closer also featured a pair of Texas drag queens, Houston's Janet Andrews and "RuPaul's Drag Race" contestant Kennedy Davenport from Dallas.

"You're gonna make me cry. He's so emotional," Aguilera said.

It was fitting, then, that Aguilera called her show "a celebration of love" earlier in the evening. She took the stage at 9:40 p.m. behind a gauzy screen and images of clouds, throwing down the vocal gauntlet with an affecting "Maria" from "Liberation." She seemed to float in a red gown that drew inspiration from flamenco and Day of the Dead.

She included an Asian-inspired "Genie in a Bottle" in what looked like an oversized quilt jacket and sported black and red chaps for a thundering "Dirrty." She kept a quickly medley of "What a Girl Wants" and "Come on Over" as light and airy as the original versions.

Aguilera no longer seems to have much interest in chasing the pop charts. It's freed her up as a performer. She's more relaxed, more relatable and like she's really enjoying herself. She frequently thanked fans for standing by her and brought one onstage who was clutching a Mexican flag for a quick autograph.

"I'm from Mexico, and we love you," he said.

It also meant that she devoted time to 2010's unfairly maligned "Bionic" album, zipping through a medley of "Elastic Love," "Woohoo" and the title track. Any one of those songs could still be a hit today.

And she rightfully took every opportunity to showcase her tremendous voice. Because screw restraint sometimes, y'all. It's still a kick to hear her wail on tunes like "Ain't No Other Man" in only the way she can.

Aguilera also continues to be inspired by Madonna, the pop queen all others must follow. It was evident during her bathrobe and ponytail sequence (very "Breakfast with Madonna" circa MTV 1990); the fans and corsets during "Lady Marmalade;" the black suit with cut outs and the finale wedding dress.

She carved out a moment of subtlety during "Say Something" and walked the stage in stockinged feet during a lovely reading of "Beautiful." But it was all sparkle and sass during "Let There be Love," whose free-to-be message encapsulated the evening and Aguilera herself.
Meghan Markles engagement ring was the bling that sparkled around the world.

Earlier this year, all eyes were on the ring that Prince Harry had designed by Cleave & Co., the Queens preferred jeweler. The company used an ethically sourced center stone from Botswana, where he and Meghan first vacationed and fell in love. The ring also featured a stone from the late Princess Dianas personal jewelry collection.

Industry experts, including Houston jeweler Brian Gavin, owner of Brian Gavin Diamonds, were in awe. Gavin was so taken with the ring, he created his own inspired one.

The Brian Gavin Diamonds made-to-order Markle sparkle ring can be created with multiple-stone combinations; its available in platinum or 18K white gold.

We wanted to come up with our own inspired rendition, Gavin said. Its not an exact copy because no one really knows the exact size of Meghans ring, but this is our take on it.

Gavin, a native of South Africa, started selling gems in cyberspace (briangavindiamonds.com) in the late 1990s, when most in the industry were leery of doing business online. PayPal was just a startup then.

But Gavin wagered that if he made the most perfect diamond, people would buy it, sight unseen. Each was laser-inscribed with the corresponding diamond-quality-report number by the American Gem Society. The report analyzes a diamond for cut, polish and symmetry and grades it accordingly. Buying a diamond thats been graded by the gem society is like having a guarantee that youre getting what you pay for.

We were at the birth of the internet, and there was a demand for diamonds online, he said.

His first web sale was a $20,000 diamond purchased by a Chicago attorney. He faxed over the contract, then the customer wired the money to Gavins bank account.

The Gavin family history in the diamond business runs deep. His grandfather was a diamond cutter and polisher in Amsterdam. Just before World War II, he moved to South Africa; he lost all of his 11 siblings in the Holocaust.

Gavins father was a musician who also became skilled at working with diamonds in South Africa. After Gavin married his wife, Dana, they relocated to Houston in the 1980s. They have two sons, Daniel, who works in the company, and Avi, who is in graduate school.

Gavin uses only conflict-free diamonds, he said, with many coming from Botswana. His patented cushion design is the brands signature. The stones precision cut allows for more light to penetrate the diamond, he said, giving off more sparkle.

We have the worlds sparkliest diamonds right in the backyard of Houston, he said.

joy.sewing@chron.com
Sam Houston State University has resubmitted its initial application for the accreditation of its proposed medical school after the first was kicked back for falling short of newly implemented standards.

The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation turned down Sam Houston States submission for new medical school candidacy status at its August meeting, the association confirmed this week. Such candidacy status is the first of two COCA approvals  pre-accreditation is the second  necessary before a new school can begin admitting students. Full accreditation is only granted after the graduation of the first class.

Were still confident the school is on track, said Dr. Charles Henley, dean of the Huntsville universitys proposed school. The commission asked that we update our application with additional information required under the standards that took effect in July.

The application was submitted in spring 2017 as Sam Houston was seeking approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, a prerequisite for COCA approval of candidacy status. The Coordinating Board only approved the proposal in August, after the implemention of the osteopathic accreditation commissions new standards.

Sam Houston States new application will be considered at COCAs Nov.30-Dec. 2 meeting, the commission said. A spokeswoman for COCA declined comment on the associations decision at the August meeting beyond saying it is not uncommon for the accreditation process to take a while.

The university wants to create a college of osteopathic medicine in Conroe, becoming the third such school in the state educating aspiring doctors in the more holistic, hands-on approach to healthcare. The existing schools are at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth and the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.

Sam Houston is one of two universities in the area hoping to start a medical school as soon as 2020. The University of Houston has set the same timetable for a traditional medical school, which was approved by the Coordinating Board last week. It plans to submit its initial accreditation application to the Liaison Committee for Medical Education in December.

Both medical schools plan to focus on training primary-care doctors  Sam Houston State for rural areas in east Texas, UH for underserved areas around Houston and the state.

The process for the two accrediting bodies takes nearly a year and includes a site visit, likely not before summer 2019.

Approval by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation and the Liaison Committee for Medical Education in fall 2019 should allow Sam Houston and UH to admit its first classes in August 2020, said Henley and Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the proposed UH school. But both deans also emphasized that the date when a new medical school opens is determined by the accrediting body, not by a university.

todd.ackerman@chron.com

twitter.com/chronmed
President Donald Trump's vows to end birthright citizenship and dispatch a growing number of troops to the border have scrambled the final days of the midterm campaign for both parties - repelling moderate House Republicans in swing districts but prompting some red-state Senate Democrats to align themselves with Trump's hard-line stances.

Those shifting alliances reflect how much Trump - while his party would like to focus on the economy and Democrats want the on spotlight health care - has dictated the rhetorical terms of the campaign. Trump on Wednesday launched a six-day, eight-state swing that will take him to conservative states as he seeks to retain GOP control of the Senate - with immigration sure to remain front and center.

Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric propelled him to the GOP presidential nomination and the White House in 2016, and he is counting on similarly inflammatory words and images to help the GOP hold its congressional majorities.

The president tweeted a video Wednesday that featured Luis Bracamontes, a Mexican immigrant in the United States illegally who was sentenced to death this year after he was convicted of killing two police officers in California - using the image to make the demand: "Vote Republican now!"

Before taking off for a campaign swing to Fort Myers, Florida, Trump also floated the idea of deploying as many as 15,000 troops to the border - just days after the Pentagon said it would send about 5,200 active-duty troops there, in addition to the 2,000 National Guard members already present. He also claimed without evidence that the population of immigrants in the country illegally could be as large as 25 million or 30 million. The nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute puts the estimated size of the undocumented population at 11.3 million.

Trump also dismissed suggestions that he was fearmongering with his increasingly aggressive immigration rhetoric, such as hi frequent references to a caravan of migrants heading north, including many destitute families, that is still hundreds of miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Oh they'll be here fast. They're trying to get up any way they can," Trump told reporters shortly before leaving for the first of his 11 campaign rallies through Election Day. "We're going to be prepared. They're not coming into our country."

Trump's legally questionable call to revoke birthright citizenship through a unilateral executive order has drawn opposition from House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. - prompting a presidential rebuke Wednesday, delivered via Twitter - as well as rejections from House Republicans in competitive reelection contests, such as Reps. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., and Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla.

But another Republican candidate in a closely contested House race, Maria Elvira Salazar, said Wednesday that the clause of the 14th Amendment that provides the constitutional underpinning for birthright citizenship "needs to be reviewed," according to the Miami Herald.

"I think the president is saying what I think my community shares, the fact that we do not want abuses," said Salazar, who is running for election in the district that is being vacated by retiring congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla. - and that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in 2016 by 19 percentage points. "The Constitution says very clearly that those that are born here are citizens, but we need to see to what extent."

On the Democratic side, Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., a moderate running for reelection in a conservative state, appeared to leave the door open to legislation that would end birthright citizenship, the concept that nearly anyone born on American soil is automatically a citizen of the United States.

"We have to take a look at that legislation," Donnelly said during a debate Tuesday evening about a bill that would revoke the right, adding, "I'd want to see that legislation and make sure it was constitutional and review it first."

Asked about those comments Wednesday, Donnelly's campaign released a statement from the senator saying the 14th Amendment is "clear" - and "what's also clear is that our immigration system is broken."

"As I have done in the past, I will work with both parties to find a solution that secures our borders and fixes our broken immigration laws," Donnelly said.

But Donnelly is far from the lone Democratic Senate candidate in recent days to adopt immigration stances that seem almost Trumpian in nature.

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., urged Trump to "use every tool he has at his disposal" to halt the caravan of migrants traveling north to the United States, adding, "I 100 percent back him up on that."

Calling for a speedier process for migrants seeking asylum, McCaskill said, "I do not want our borders overrun, and I support the president's efforts to make sure they're not."

And in Tennessee, Democrat Phil Bredesen released an ad Tuesday that promoted his decision as governor more than a decade ago to deploy 1,600 members of the Tennessee National Guard to the southern border. That ad was accompanied by an op-ed in the Tennessean that warned both parties against using the caravan issue to "inflame passions" over the sensitive topic.

"Actions speak louder than words," the ad says. "In 2006, when the president said he needed help to secure the border, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen didn't wait to be asked. And he didn't play any politics."

Immigration has become an increasingly central issue for the GOP in other closely watched Senate races. A CNN poll released Wednesday showed that immigration is now the top issue for Republican voters in Nevada and Arizona, with 42 percent of Republicans in Nevada now saying immigration is the most important issue in their Senate vote, while 50 percent in Arizona say the same.

In Tennessee, immigration has risen to the second-most-important issue for voters there in internal Republican polling, according to one official with knowledge of the numbers.

"I'm not surprised to see the scramble [among Democrats]. I think at this stage, it's a little inauthentic," said GOP strategist Josh Holmes, a former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Immigration "has a significant resonance within the base of the Republican Party, but it has more independent pull than one would think."

The contrast between the parties has become sharper this year, Holmes added, particularly as leading Democratic politicians increasingly embraced liberal positions on immigration, such as abolishing the federal agency that enforces U.S. immigration laws.

Tyler Moran, the director of the Immigration Hub, which advises a wide range of progressive organizations on immigration policy, said that the moderates taking a more conservative tack on immigration were the outliers and that congressional and gubernatorial candidates nationwide were largely "rejecting Trump's strategy of lies and division."

"First of all, every single one of those Democrats voted for immigration reform," said Moran, who worked on immigration issues under then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and in the Obama White House. "Yes, in their tough races, I wouldn't agree with the way they're approaching this. But we have a big-tent approach to immigration."

Democratic officials also said that moderates in closely watched Senate races this fall have long touted their border-security bona fides - far before Trump amped up his focus on the issue as part of his closing argument in the midterms.

"Among Republicans, we've certainly seen that immigration more regularly tops the list of issues," said Lauren Passalacqua, the communications director at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "But I think what we have seen that is consistent is that among independents, obviously Democrats but even among Republicans, the Venn diagram is still health care."
CAIRO  A haunted look in the eyes of Amal Hussain, an emaciated 7-year-old lying silently on a hospital bed in northern Yemen, seemed to sum up the dire circumstances of her war-torn country.

A searing portrait of the starving girl published in The New York Times last week drew an impassioned response from readers. They expressed heartbreak. They offered money for her family. They wrote in to ask if she was getting better.

On Thursday, Amals family said she had died at a ragged refugee camp 4 miles from the hospital.

My heart is broken, said her mother, Mariam Ali, who wept during a phone interview. Amal was always smiling. Now Im worried for my other children.

The grievous human cost of the Saudi-led war in Yemen has jumped to the top of the global agenda as the outcry over the killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi prompts Western leaders to re-examine their support for the war.

Recently, the United States and Britain, Saudi Arabias biggest arms suppliers, called for a cease-fire in Yemen. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said it should take effect within 30 days. We have got to move toward a peace effort here, and we cant say we are going to do it some time in the future, Mattis said Tuesday.

Riveting images of malnourished Yemenis like Amal  one of 1.8 million severely malnourished children in Yemen  have put a human face to fears that a catastrophic man-made famine could engulf the country in the coming months.

The United Nations warns that the number of Yemenis relying on emergency rations, 8 million, could soon rise to 14 million. Thats about half Yemens population.

Aid workers and now political leaders are calling for a cessation of hostilities, as well as emergency measures to revive the battered economy of Yemen, where soaring food prices have pushed millions to the brink.

On a trip to Yemen to see the toll the war has taken, we found Amal at a health center in Aslam, 90 miles northwest of the capital, Sanaa. She was lying on a bed with her mother. Nurses fed her every two hours with milk, but she was vomiting regularly and suffering from diarrhea.

Dr. Mekkia Mahdi, the doctor in charge, sat by her bed, stroking her hair. She tugged on the flaccid skin of Amals stick-like arms. Look, she said. No meat. Only bones.

Amals mother was also sick, recovering from a bout of dengue fever that she had most likely contracted from mosquitoes that breed in stagnant water in their camp.

Saudi airstrikes had forced Amals family to flee their home in the mountains three years ago. The family was originally from Saada, a province on the border with Saudi Arabia that has borne the brunt of at least 18,000 Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen since 2015. Saada is also the homeland of the Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen and are seen by the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, as a proxy for rival Iran.

The geopolitics of the war seemed distant, however, in the hushed hunger wards in Aslam.

Amal is Arabic for hope, and some readers expressed hope that the graphic image of her distress could help galvanize attention on a war in which tens of thousands of civilians have died from violence, hunger or disease. Last year, Yemen suffered the largest cholera epidemic in modern times, with over 1 million cases.

Amal was discharged from the hospital in Aslam last week, still sick. But doctors needed to make room for new patients, Mahdi said. This was a displaced child who suffered from disease and displacement, she said. We have many more cases like her.

The family took Amal back home, to a hut fashioned from straw and plastic sheeting at a camp where relief agencies do provide some help, including sugar and rice. But it was not enough to save Amal.

Her condition deteriorated, with frequent bouts of vomiting and diarrhea, her mother said. On Oct. 26, three days after she was discharged from the hospital, she died.

Mahdi had urged Amals mother to take the child to a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Abs, about 15 miles away.

But the family was broke. Fuel prices have risen about 50 percent in the past year, part of a broader economic collapse, and that has pushed even short, potentially lifesaving journeys beyond the reach of many families.

I had no money to take her to the hospital, Ali said. So I took her home.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The past few weeks have demoralized many Americans.

Acts of virulent hatred have dominated the news, including the deadliest attack on Jews on American soil in our nations history. Last Saturday, a gunman entered a synagogue in Pittsburghs Squirrel Hill neighborhood and murdered 11 people, while shouting all Jews must die.

In such times, true leaders seek to bind up the nations wounds. President Donald Trump has poured salt in them  while continuing to vent his grievances against Democrats, immigrants and the media.

Theres an election just around the corner, after all. Early voting began on Oct. 22. And Trump has always sought to make a virtue of his own moral turpitude. He seems to think his supporters share his desire to win at any cost.

Grieder: Texans are tired of being insulted

But theres more to life than tax cuts. Theres more to life than conservative judges. And those achievements have come at a very heavy cost.

Americans who agree can take some comfort in whats happened in Texas lately.

Our electorate is notoriously apathetic, but lately voters have shown signs of life. In fact, during the early voting period, we shattered expectations.

Roughly 4.65 million Texans voted in the last midterm election cycle in 2014. This year, Election Day is Nov. 6  but we may have already have beaten the record for total turnout. According to the Texas Secretary of State, as of Friday morning, more than four million ballots had been cast during the early voting period in the states 30 largest counties, where roughly three-quarters of Texass registered voters live.

Its impossible to know whether this surge is good news for Democrats or Republicans, but Id guess the former. This is Texas, after all. Democrats have a floor, and Republicans have a ceiling.

In deep-red Collin County, for example, nearly as many early voters have cast ballots as those who voted early in 2016. That bodes well for Republicans like state. Sen. Van Taylor, who is running to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, also a Republican, in the states 3rd Congressional District. And a surge in turnout from Taylors supporters would presumably have spillover effects for downballot Republican candidates like Angela Paxton, who is seeking to succeed him in the Texas Senate.

With that said, all of Texass major counties have seen a similar surge in turnout and in most cases, such a surge would favor Democrats. In Fort Bend County, turnout has more than doubled since 2014. That augurs well for Democratic candidates like Brian Middleton, who is running for district attorney, and Sri Kulkarni, who hopes to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Olson in the 22nd Congressional District.

Grieder: Texas may seem like its a red state because its a gerrymandered one

Well find out soon enough what these early numbers mean.

But what we know already is that the turnout reflects well for Texas voters and bodes well for Texass future, because its been fueled by new voters and those who usually sit out midterms.

Roughly 40 percent of voters who have already cast ballots have never voted in a midterm election in Texas, according to an analysis from Derek Ryan, an Austin-based Republican political consultant. And more than 10 percent didnt vote in the presidential elections in 2012 or 2016.

Such a change is unprecedented in Texas history, but it makes sense.

Republicans have held power in Texas since the mid-1990s. In 2014, they swept the statewide elections by 20-point margins. In hindsight, though, the Texas Democratic Party probably reached its nadir that year. By 2016, things had changed.

Shortly after the presidential election, in fact, I met with Manny Garcia, the Democratic Partys deputy executive director. At the time, most of Americas Democratic voters were bewildered, if not in mourning. Garcia was a notable exception. He was excited about the gains Texas Democrats had made  in downballot races in Harris County, for example  and fired up about the forthcoming midterms, even though the partys candidate recruitment efforts had barely begun.

Grieder: Texas Republicans cant coast to victory this year

And well probably come to look at 2016 as a turning point for the Republican Party of Texas, too. The Republican leaders who supported Trumps bid for the presidency were probably hoping that his hyperbolic campaign rhetoric was just that  or, at least, that he would be sombered by the gravity of the office.

That was overly optimistic. Trump hasnt risen to the occasion that the American people entrusted him with two years ago. Even worse, he has violated the publics trust. Trump has spent the run-up to the midterm election pandering to the darkest impulses of the most corruptible people among us. Its no wonder that many Americans are feeling hopeless, afraid or angry, watching our nations leaders wring their hands as the president foments bigotry and division.

But Texans, it would seem, have been too busy to fall into despair. Weve always been a bootstrapping state, and this year weve really stepped up on behalf of our state and nation. Some Texans are voting Republican, some Democratic; some of us are splitting the ticket. But the point is that lots of us are voting, even though were not necessarily in the habit.

The candidates who prevail on Election Day will be the ones who inspired us to action. The turnout surge in Texas isnt a solution to our nations problems, but it is a measure of our commitment to this civic project  and that should give all Americans some confidence.

erica.grieder@chron.com
A man was shot Thursday night during a robbery in southwest Houston.

Three men accosted the victim around 9:45 p.m. in an apartment complex in the 6500 block of S. Gessner Road, according to the Houston Police Department.

During the robbery, one of the men opened fire with a shotgun, striking the unnamed victim in the arm.

LA GRANGE: Texas deputy critically wounded while serving warrant

The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle before officers arrived.

The victim was rushed to an area hospital in an unknown condition, police said.

It is unclear if the suspects made off with anything .

No other information was available. Check back for updates as they come in.

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
UPDATE: When the first day of bidding came to a close at 12:20 a.m. Friday, people had spent more than $4.5 million on the Armstrong Family Collection.

DALLAS  Space enthusiasts stirred by Astronaut Neil Armstrongs venture to the moon spent more than $4 million in just the first day of a rare auction of Armstrongs personal collection of memorabilia.

The top seller by late Thursday was a plaque that held the Apollo 11 lunar modules ID plate, which went for $468,500. Other big-ticket items were a 12-by-18-inch flag, a medal honoring the astronauts who died in the Apollo 1 fire two years prior and a piece of the Wright Flyer. All three went to the moon with Armstrong in 1969 and all three went for $275,000 each.

It seems like its going well, Mark Armstrong, Neil Armstrongs son, said earlier in the day.

The auction will continue Friday by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, which has held auctions for 20 astronaut families. Neil Armstrong, however, the first man to walk on the moon, is the holy grail, said auctioneer Mike Sadler.

Armstrong died in 2012 at age 82.

The auction is the first major sale of Armstrongs personal collection that comes amid a growing demand for space collectibles as the 50th anniversary of the July 20, 1969 moon landing approaches. Two other auctions of Armstrongs collection are planned in the next year: one in May and another in November.

Mark Armstrong said he and his brother, Rick, said they want to use the money for good  to make mom and dad proud.

Some of the money will go to charities and organizations, he said, and some of it will go toward a foundation he is creating that will be environmentally focused.

Even though he was a scientist, dad was really environmentally conscious, he said. He always said Earth was our spaceship  We couldnt build a better one so lets take care of the one we have.

Only about 20 buyers gathered in the audience in Dallas, with the majority of the winning bids going to those participating online or by telephone. Heritage could not provide the total number of bidders Thursday.

One person in the room, Julie Ahlers, nabbed a flight suit worn by Armstrong during the Gemini program. Ahlers dropped more than $109,000 on the suit, which will be on display at the Neil Armstrong Museum in Armstrongs hometown of Wapokoneta, Ohio. A piece of history like that should be viewed by everyone, she said, and what better place than Armstrongs hometown.

Ahlers couldnt hide her exuberance after winning the bid, and when the clapping died down, a man with her jokingly said, Shes wearing it to bed tonight.

She also spent $11,875 for a July 21, 1969 Newsweek magazine that has Armstrong on the cover and still includes the address level that was used to deliver it to his home in Texas. That, too, will go in the museum.

Another highly coveted item sold Thursday was an envelope signed by Armstrong, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and their third crewmate, Michael Collins. The envelope was considered insurance cover that family members could sell if the astronauts failed to return. It sold for $18,750.

Other items sold include a stainless steel throwing knife that went for $21,250, a Navy Aviator notebook for $18,750, and a crayon drawing of flowers Armstrong created for his mother that sold for $15,000.

Also popular among bidders were Armstrongs Boy Scouts of America cap and his NASA patches.

The bidders werent just people with large pockets. Sandra and Gary McClellan, for example, nabbed several items related to Armstrongs experimental test pilot phase, when he flew the X-15, a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft operated by NASA and the U.S. Air Force. The pieces were important to the Fort Worth couple, Sandra said, because Gary was an experimental test pilot, like Armstrong.

We appreciate things that came from back then, Sandra McClellan said. Gary jumped in, finishing her train of thought.

No one else is the first guy on the moon, he said.

The couple bid with enthusiasm Thursday, Sandras hand shooting up so quickly for items  such as a plaque presented to Armstrong for the final X-15 flight  that several times she accidentally tried to outbid herself. They celebrated each win with a kiss, which always generated applause from the small crowd.

The couple has a solid collection of space memorabilia, Sandra said, and the items they took home Thursday would make it even stronger.

Bill Cress, CEO of SpaceExcess.com, a website that sells space-related items, also was bidding in Heritages Dallas showroom Thursday. He specifically was looking at the Wright Flyer pieces, as well as Armstrongs vintage cameras.

I saw some things that were interesting enough to peak my interest, both personally and for my company, said Cress, who came all the way from New Jersey to attend the auction.

alex.stuckey@chron.com
Historic preservation is not limited to architecture and physical markers. Its also about preserving a community by caring for its longtime residents and business owners. So goes the core message shared at the 3rd Annual Preserving Communities of Color Conference.

The three-day conference, held across Houston, brings together historians, architects, preservationists, students and the general public to share and gather insights on how to revitalize underserved, historic communities of color while ensuring longtime community members dont end up priced out.

You cant preserve and protect a community without preserving and protecting the residents of the community, said Assata Richards, director of the local Sankofa Research Institute, and one of the conferences first featured speakers on Thursday.

Tanya Debose started the conference in 2016 as a response to national efforts in pushing back against gentrification, or the displacement of residents  often of minority backgrounds by higher priced development moving into a neighborhood.

Before founding the conference, Debose had already been working on efforts to preserve Independence Heights, one of Houstons first black towns created by freed slaves. Yet in preservation work, she said, experts often end up working in silos. That means little attention is given to preservation of historic communities of color like Independence Heights at the national level, Debose said.

Want to go? What: Preserving Communities of Color Conference When: Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 1-3 Where: Sites across Houston More info: Registration for day passes on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 can be found at preservingcommunitiesofcolor.org. Students with ID enter for free. See More Collapse

GRAY MATTERS: Historic black neighborhoods disappear all the time. But they don't have to

The conference is an attempt to bridge gaps in preservation dialogue, featuring local, national and even international speakers sharing their own work and lessons learned along the way. This years three-day event is expected to draw about 300 attendees, with the hope that more residents can attend to learn how to protect and strengthen their own neighborhoods, Debose said.

The work to revitalize a neighborhoood has to be driven by the community, Debose said. The buy-in is whats important.

Thursdays opening day, for instance, included a talk on how historic tax credits can be useful incentives in getting developers to preserve a communitys landmarks and how monuments arent the only form of public installations that can honor an areas history.

Richards, whose research firm is part of Third Wards Emancipation Economic Development Council, drove home this latter point in highlighting the councils own revitalization work, for example studying the neighborhoods needs from access to services.

The council, formed in 2015, is a coalition of nonprofits, businesses, local government offices, faith groups and others working to preserve Third Wards history while also ensuring its residents are able to benefit from needed redevelopment. In particular, she said the council faces the challenge preserving the communitys culture while welcoming new development, especially in the wake of $33.6 million invested into Third Ward for the rededication of the historic Emancipation Park.

RELATED: Community celebrates $33.6M makeover of Houston's Emancipation Park

Richards, a longtime Third Ward resident, said that while the community celebrated the investment, it also triggered a wave of developers interested in profiting off the area.

Third Ward now has one of the highest rates of demolitions in Houston yet construction lags behind as developers wait for the value of vacant lots to rise, Richards said.

As the neighborhoods facelift is underway, residents, particularly those with lower incomes, continue to band together as they always have, Richards said, whether its carpooling, watching each others children and more.

Our history and our culture are our assets, Richards said.

This years conference will run through Saturday featuring a ribbon-cutting of Independence Heights new welcome center where tourists and residents alike can learn about the neighborhoods history.

ileana.najarro@chron.com

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A Texas sheriff's deputy is in critical condition Thursday night after being shot while serving a warrant in La Grange.

The Fayette County sheriff's deputy was serving a warrant at a Dollar General near East Travis Street and Ellinger Road in La Grange around 5 p.m. when the suspect resisted and fled authorities, according to a press conference by La Grange Police Chief David Gilbreath on KVUE-TV.
PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images

Texans are paying some of the lowest utility bills in the nation at $409 a month, a new study finds.

When compared to the other fifty states, Texans enjoy the 19th cheapest utility bills in the U.S., according to the federal data examined by Move.org.
Residents paint a complicated picture of President Donald Trumps influence in the 7th Congressional District race between Republican incumbent Rep. John Culberson and Democratic challenger Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, who are running neck and neck for a district once considered a Republican stronghold.

While many conservatives in the district indicated it would take more than disdain for the president to flip their congressional vote, moderate Republicans and independents supporting Fletcher largely said they were catalyzed by Trumps victory.

I feel like the Republican Party needs a punch in the nose to wake up, said Michael Sternesky, 66, a self-identified Republican who lives in Spring Branch and is volunteering for Fletcher. It was really the election in 2016. Trump was so outrageous, and I thought, This is not the right way to go.

Barring a massive blue wave, Fletcher will need the support of Republicans like Sternesky, who quibbles with some of Culbersons stances on health care but primarily switched teams over Trump. He identifies as fiscally conservative and socially progressive.

I dont see those kinds of people in the Republican Party anymore, Sternesky said, adding that he likely would not have supported activist Laura Moser, Fletchers more liberal primary opponent, had she won instead.

In this closely watched race, Culberson and Fletcher both are convinced the districts high levels of education and political engagement boost their chances in the age of Trump.

Culberson says thoughtful Republicans will make this election a referendum on his record, not the president. He outperformed Trump by 13 percentage points and 22,000 votes in 2016, when Hillary Clinton narrowly won the district.

Fletcher, noticing the suburban districts abundance of white, college-educated women and Trumps vulnerability among that bloc, has sought to tie Culberson to the president. She anticipates a coalition of disillusioned Republicans and Democrats who typically skip midterm elections will send her to Washington.

Yet many Republicans had difficulty getting behind Fletcher, considering her a liberal Democrat despite positions that distance her from her partys hardline progressive elements on health care and immigration.

Charles Volek, a retired Shell engineer who lives just outside Bellaire, called Trump despicable and said he cant stand the guy. But as a Cruz supporter, the idea of voting for Fletcher is a nonstarter.

First thing is, Im pro-life. And Lizzie is pro-death, said Volek, 84. (Fletcher co-founded a Planned Parenthood group in Houston and is pro-choice.)

Its voters like Volek that make 21-year-old Culberson supporter Christopher Combs skeptical that Clintons narrow win in the district foreshadows a Fletcher victory.

I think that Republican voters that rejected Trump, thats not going to translate to a rejection of Culberson in this election, said Combs, a University of Houston sophomore. There are material, consequential matters that are above the presidency and that are important for conservative Houstonians. And I think theyre going to commit to Culberson.

With days to go, the race is set for a tight finish, with public polls showing a virtual tie. Culberson and Fletcher are stumping with allies from Washington, including Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Steve Scalise, R-La., and running furious grassroots operations. Since July 1, the two candidates and outside groups  who have inundated the district with ads  have spent more than $18 million on the race, Federal Election Commission records show.

This election is the hardest race John has ever run, Belinda Culberson, Johns wife, said at a women-focused rally last month.

I know who votes

Culberson rarely faces serious opposition in the district he began representing in 2001 after 14 years in the Texas House.His toughest challenge came in 2008, when then-President George W. Bush had an approval rating below 30 percent on Election Day and Culbersons Democratic opponent raised $3 million. Culberson won by more than 13 percentage points.

But that was a decade ago. Since then, the district has become far more diverse and experienced rapid suburban growth, trends that make it a prime target for Democrats. No congressional district outside Utah saw a bigger shift in the presidential vote from 2012 to 2016, with Clinton winning by 1.4 points, almost 23 points ahead of Mitt Romneys margin.

What people are seeing now is that Congress isnt working, and Washington really isnt working, Fletcher said in a recent interview. And Congress isnt providing the check on the Trump administration that a lot of people had hoped. So I think you see a lot of the same people looking for new candidates.

This year, Culberson again faces the headwinds of an unpopular president and an opponent who has far outraised him. Fletcher had raised $5.3 million through Oct. 17 and maintained about $733,000 cash on hand, compared to Culbersons $3 million haul and $460,000 in cash.

Yet Culberson, who grew up in West University and has a near-encyclopedic knowledge of each precinct, has kept a close eye on the districts changes. He contends that his deep connections to the district will help him survive the toughest re-election challenge of his congressional career and sees a possible edge in his campaign experience over Fletcher, who is seeking office for the first time.

The district is well-educated, well-informed. They pay close attention, Culberson said at his Memorial City campaign headquarters. They know me. They know they can trust me.

Texas 7th Congressional District looks like a jagged Tetris piece, bordering Cypress at its northern point. It runs south through suburbswest of Addicks Reservoir, dipping down to cover Barker, then runs east through the Energy Corridor between Katy Freeway and Westheimer Road. From there, it takes in the diverse Gulfton neighborhood and upscale Galleria and River Oaks areas.

Culberson outperformed Trump by the widest margins in Bellaire, West University Place and Southside Place, areas made up overwhelmingly of wealthy, college-educated white people. InRiver Oaks, Afton Oaks and Meyerland, he also far outpaced Trump, in some precincts by 17 percentage points.

Culberson prefers to avoid talking about external factors in the race, including Trump, though he is fond of linking Fletcher to Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. On Oct. 22, he skipped the presidents Houston rally to attend a long-planned Memorial Super Neighborhood monthly council meeting.

As Trump told the rally crowd that people with little boats wanted to go into Hurricane Harveys path to show their wife how great they are  a baseless claim that Fletcher has criticized Culberson for not denouncing  Culberson discussed hurricane relief with residents.

The elections always about the candidate, Culberson said. There may be other atmospherics and things blowing around, but the fundamental question that the voter is answering is, What do I think of that candidate?

Though Trumps name will not appear on the ballot, this election may hinge partly on whether people vote like it is. Democrats in the 7th District showed enthusiasm during the primary, when turnout spiked five times compared to 2014. Yet they still fell about 5,000 ballots short of the Republicans in a race that was largely uncompetitive.

For her part, Fletcher has seen many people other than herself making their first foray into politics this cycle.

There are new precinct chairs, there are new first-time volunteers, there are new group organizers, she said. And I think that that speaks to something much larger happening in our community.
Each election cycle we determine our judicial endorsements by interviewing the candidates, researching their backgrounds, consulting with experts and coming to a conclusion about who best would be able to run a courtroom and see that justice is done. This year, however, one piece of evidence outweighed every other consideration for the Harris County criminal courts at law: Chief U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthals 193-page memorandum declaring the bail system in our misdemeanor courts in violation of the Constitutions guarantee of due process and equal protection.

The text, released in May 2017, presents an astounding and disturbing vision of aspects of our courthouse run by people who dont know whether our bail methods work and dont seem to care. Individual judges rely on instinct instead of objective studies to determine bail policy. Hearing officers set bail at unaffordable rates for low-level offenses because it makes them feel better. Politicians in charge fail to track basic statistics.

She describes a bail system that allows the dangerous yet rich to go free, while the harmless yet poor often stay in jail. For a long time, the result has been a criminal justice system that presumes pre-trial incarceration instead of freedom.

Around 75 percent of people sitting in Texas jails are simply awaiting trial. The statistic isn't much different in Harris County. This number isnt the result of traditional Texas tough justice. After all, 20 years ago that number was less than 33 percent of the jail population. Something has changed, and it is time to change it back.

While some of Judge Rosenthals remedies have been altered by the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the underlying facts remain undisturbed. Those facts are shocking to the conscience, and should be enough to convince our misdemeanor court judges to work with the plaintiffs suing the county over its unconstitutional practices and reach a settlement. That hasnt happened. Instead, all the judges except two  one Democrat and one Republican  have spent millions in taxpayer funds fighting the case in court.

In meeting with these judges we heard plenty of reasons why theyre continuing to fight. Some said they believe the plaintiffs demands go too far. Others said they want to make sure judges dont lose discretion in individual cases. A few were worried about the effect on public safety of letting people accused of misdemeanors out of jail without a cash bond. Overall they pointed to the courts slow but steady progress and work with the Arnold Foundation in crafting a risk-assessment tool to improve the bail system.

These excuses are not enough to justify the perpetuation of a criminal justice system that Rosenthal says has resulted in thousands of constitutional violations of both equal protection and due process.

That is why we recommend that every incumbent judge continuing to fight the bail lawsuit be removed from his or her seat.

We do not make this recommendation lightly. There will be unfortunate consequences that weaken our misdemeanor courts in the short term. Harris County will lose experienced judges. Diversion courts will need new leadership if they are to continue. Its possible that over the next four years well face different sorts of challenges and scandals in pursuit of a new kind of judiciary. Our star ratings may seem off as we endorse challengers against incumbents with higher scores. But this is about something bigger than individual judges. This is about a criminal justice system in dire need of reform.

The public needs to send a message that we will not tolerate the status quo, one that the judges have been content to live with for too long. The only way to chart a path forward is to remove the current judges  root, branch and all.

The Houston Chronicle editorial board makes the following endorsements:

For County Criminal Court No. 1: Alex Salgado

For County Criminal Court No. 2: No endorsement

For County Criminal Court No. 3: Erica Hughes

For County Criminal Court No. 4: Shannon Baldwin

For County Criminal Court No. 5: Xavier Alfaro

For County Criminal Court No. 6: Linda Garcia

For County Criminal Court No. 7: Andrew A. Wright

For County Criminal Court No. 8: Franklin Bynum

For County Criminal Court No. 9: Toria J. Finch and John Wakefield

For County Criminal Court No. 10: Lee Harper Wilson

For County Criminal Court No. 11: Aaron Burdette

For County Criminal Court No. 12: John Spjut

For County Criminal Court No. 13: Raul Rodriguez

For County Criminal Court No. 14: Mike Fields

For County Criminal Court No. 15: Roger Bridgwater
The young Donald Trump, his pockets bulging with Daddys cash from Queens, ventured west across the 59th Street Bridge in the mid-1970s, when Manhattan was a mess. Times Square, with its sleazy XXX-rated movie theaters, its pickpockets and drugged-out panhandlers and its three-card monte con-artists eager to bamboozle gullible tourists from beyond the Hudson, was a sad symbol of New York Citys decay.

Four decades later, one wonders whether the Manhattan real estate magnate and erstwhile reality-TV star learned a thing or two in yesterdays Times Square. Today, he is Americas Bamboozler in Chief. His latest sleight-of-hand is to distract from the dangers of his demagogy by raising up a specter. Yet again, hes playing the American people for fools.

With less than a week to go before crucial mid-term elections, Trump raises the specter of swarthy invaders from Central America, dangerous and disease-bearing invaders as implacable as the Walking Dead. Among them might even be Middle Easterners, criminals, Islamic State terrorists  all funded by George Soros!

This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you! the president of the United States tweeted Monday morning. To thwart the invasion, Trump announced that he is sending more than 5,000 active-duty troops to the border. The cringe-worthy name for their mission is Operation Faithful Patriot.

Of course, there is no invasion for Operation Faithful Patriot to thwart. Coming our way, walking ever so slowly through Mexico, is a pathetic band of Central American migrants desperate to escape brutal gangs and economic misery back home, desperately hoping for asylum in the United States. A gaggle of several hundred men, women and children, mostly families, the so-called caravan is nearly a thousand miles from our southern border. Numbers dwindle as they trudge northward.

The would-be refugees headed our way have every right to seek asylum, just as we have every right to assess their claims. Its safe to say that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency with more than 60,000 employees, is up to the task.

Its also safe to say that the Border Patrol, 20,000 strong, can thwart illegal border crossings, now that the number of crossings are only about a quarter of what they were in 2000. Yes, the number has risen slightly in recent months, but were not facing a border crisis.

We should note that the active-duty troops on their way to save us from the Central American horde of moms and kids do face a real danger: dying of boredom.

Thats the fate that has befallen National Guard personnel activated for border duty in the Rio Grande Valley, along with Texas Department of Public Safety personnel diverted from more important tasks in other areas of the state. With nothing much to do, National Guardsmen have time to check out the best Mexican-food restaurants in Roma and Rio Grande City; bored state troopers make picayune traffic stops along state Highway 83 between Laredo and Brownsville.

The National Guard and the state troopers are on the border for symbolic reasons, political reasons. Trumps troops, who by law cannot engage in law-enforcement activities, will play the same role (at taxpayer expense, of course).

For those not yet bamboozled by the spectacle, Trump has also threatened to personally edit the U.S. Constitution 240-characters at a time. He tweeted his intent to unilaterally eliminate the 14th amendments establishment of birthright citizenship, a threat so hollow that Republican Speaker Paul Ryan was compelled to push back, saying the president obviously cannot do that.

But, as usual, Trumps showmanship is less about what hell actually accomplish than a desperate plea for attention at a time when voters are increasingly skeptical of his administrations plans to eliminate protections for preexisting conditions, hand out budget-busting tax cuts to billionaires and multi-billionaires, and, most recently, eliminate the minimum wage for working Americans.

Seedy, sleazy Times Square is but a distant memory. One day, the Trump presidency will be only a memory, as well. Meanwhile, the American people have an opportunity next week to begin the task of putting this nation aright by casting votes for decency, accountability and commitment to the noble task of governance. As citizens, its our own faithful patriot operation. No troops needed.
On July 2, 2016, Donald Trump, then the presumptive Republican nominee for president, tweeted a picture of Hillary Clinton next to a Star of David. Hundred dollar bills littered the background. Most Corrupt Candidate Ever was printed inside the star.

At the time, I was somewhere along Interstate 40 with my two best friends from high school. We had recently graduated college and were undertaking a road trip throughout the Deep South. Immediately and without hesitation, we knew the context of the message. The Jewish cabal, with its shadily nefarious funding, had Clinton in their pocket. At the time, we chalked up this message to Trumps ineptitude, and were almost giddy at the prospect of how it would decimate his already-remote chances to become president.

What happened subsequently was what began to scare us. Despite deleting and replacing the tweet, Trump then doubled down, stating that it was merely a sheriffs star. (A ridiculous explanation.) The star on the Israeli flag, the one I wear around my neck, Trump said it was not what I knew with my own eyes. And the American people ate it up. Friends, colleagues, coworkers, family  people who absolutely knew better got sucked up into the hate, or perhaps that is how they had always been.

When Steve Bannon took over the campaign in August, things went into overdrive. Slurs against Jews became commonplace at rallies. Eerie threats to globalists, a dog whistle to anti-Semites, were ratcheted up by the candidate himself. My own email and Twitter direct messages started filling with death threats and other assorted Neo-Nazi apologia.

Someone threatening to kill me because of my religion was nothing new, of course. It started as a teenager, when I campaigned to rename Houston Independent School District campuses named for Confederate figures. A Jewish kid seeking to limit the influence of white supremacy in town was a little on-the-nose for some folks. But those individuals always felt like a fringe, outside the mainstream of society and politics. No longer.

Anti-Semitism felt obsolete in my childhood. There were the little things, of course. I took off my Star of David necklace before swimming in public. There are certain law firms I knew wouldnt ever give me the time of day. Groups of people with whom Id always lead by highlighting my mothers gentile bona fides.

But I felt pretty strongly until the summer of 2016 that anti-Semitism was a thing of the past in this country, something we totally vanquished because of our assimilation into this country, like prejudice against Italians or Irish. I got into pretty heated arguments with my parents about it.

But now I know I was wrong.

Throughout my life, a lot of doors opened for me, doors that in the past had been opened for few others with my type of name. I cant escape the feeling that, post-2016, many of the doors have come crashing back closed.

I do not blame Trump for a white supremacist shooting 11 Jews in Pittsburgh. But words have consequences. And the words, just in the past week, coming from the president, words like nationalist or globalist, affect people.

The terrorist in Pittsburgh allegedly went on his rampage because of fear of billionaire philanthropist George Soros bankrolling a migrant caravan from Central America, to come here and wreak some type of havoc on white people. That is an idea in the mainstream of Trumpism and the Fox News bubble. I know a lot of people who believe that type of stuff, and the appurtenant conspiracies it launches.

Other religions and races still face tremendously more severe prejudice and animus than Jews in this country. Ive always felt anti-Semitism occupied a uniquely stoic position, because anyone who has ever taken a history class knows just how bad the consequences may be when left unchecked.

I do not know how bad it will get this time around, but the difficult news is that anti-Semitism is back with a vengeance in the mainstream of our politics and our culture. Three years prior, I would have argued vociferously this was a fixed problem in this country. Today Im not particularly optimistic.

Horwitz is a student at the University of Texas School of Law.
The worker was undertaking maintenance work on the machinery that makes laminated veneer wood products.

After believing the machine was secured against inadvertent movement, the worker leaned into the machine to make adjustments.

The worker had his chest and shoulder crushed, suffering multiple fractures, lacerations and lung injuries after his body became trapped in a conveyor belt at the plant.

E tu organiser, Annie Tothill, added the judge said he had taken into account the fact that there were more than 26 previous cases involving Carter Holt Harvey.

Some of these involved a lack of guarding, which in this case added another $60,000 to the fine.
What can we do to cut through? How can we grow our channel faster? How can I better engage my fans? These are questions my team and I get asked every day. One thing we have noticed is that those who are on YouTube to build long lasting relationships with their audience and regularly engage with their fans are often more successful than those who just see the platform as a digital museum for their art.

I had a chance to talk to John Shahidi, from Shots Studios recently. Their team has created an entire world of crossover between music, comedy, dance, and science. Artists like Anitta, Alesso, Rudy Mancuso, and more recently Lele Pons have created a media empire for the youth on YouTube. I was blown away by how close they are to their community  how they encourage fans to participate and create covers, parodies, collaborations.

This reminded me why it is so important that the industry understands Article 13, which is part of the new EU copyright directive currently being finalized. Because all of this great content, this unique way to build deep connections with fans, is at risk of being blocked and removed from open platforms (such as YouTube, Facebook, Reddit). Let me be clear: we understand and support the intent of Article 13. We need effective ways for copyright holders to protect their content. But we believe that the current proposal will create severe unintended consequences for the whole industry. We still have a couple of weeks to work together towards a better final version of the law. The music industry should really pay attention to these unintended consequences  the system that largely contributes to their success is at risk of major change in the European Union.

Lyor: John, so happy to have you here. You guys are on a roll. Anitta is breaking records. Lele Pons has become a star. Alesso is bringing Remedy all around the world, and Rudy Mancuso is behind the camera, the instruments, and the stories that bring all of this alive. Whats in the water at Shots Studios? How do you get to cut through like this?

John: First things first, you don't get through the clutter without making something great in the first place. Youve got to find a story and bring it alive, make it real and visual. You need to capture people's attention, and be relatable and shareable.

Lyor: Thats how stories get in your head. That never changes.

John: Exactly. Think about the video of Celoso by Lele Pons. It's not just Lele being cute. There's a story thats been carefully crafted. Rudy, who did the video, knows how to capture the attention of a mobile audience. Youve got to understand the local culture where you are trying to resonate. We themed the video around a kitchen and a taqueria in a Latin American country. In the Latin world when you go down to Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, in all of the taquerias, they're streaming YouTube videos on the TV sets. Who makes those decisions? The people in the kitchen. They're the ones saying, Hey, put this on. I have had so many people telling me thats how they discovered the song and Lele  and then they watched it on repeat on their phones.

Lyor: Rudy is such a genius. Awkward Puppets is dope. Making good videos is really more about good ideas than production value.

John: Oh, I agree. You don't have to spend a million dollars to do this stuff. The Celoso music video I think cost us like $40 grand. And it has just hit a hundred million views. It's quite special in the Latin world for a video to hit over a hundred million views without a huge collaboration. Its Lele Pons. All by herself. A woman in an industry vastly dominated by men. Were very proud of this.

Lyor: And you should be. You brought up collaborations. By providing a global stage I think YouTube has reinvented collaborations. Whether its between artists from different countries or genres or between artists and creators  its such a fertile space and smart way to get your art in front of new audiences.

John: 100%. It's got to be the right fit. When Lele Pons was featured in the Havana video, she was already a Camilla fan. And then we find out Camilla is a Lele fan. I remember when she showed up on set, Camilla's mom and little sister went crazy because Lele was there. When Camilla won the MTV Video Music award, she thanked Lele on stage. You got to find these special connections.

Let me give you another example. Downtown, Anitta's song with J. Balvin was doing great. But when Lele and Juanpa [Zurita] jumped in and made a new music video, that took that song to another level. We call these music video remixes at our office. It started charting. It was a Latin Billboard top 10 hit. It charted on YouTube and Spotify. It's nominated for a Latin Grammy. The collaboration, between artists and creators, has just brought a lot of attention to the song. It just works.

Lyor: Music to my ears. This is so mission critical to protect this creative environment. You know that whats currently written in Article 13 might just shut down these remixes you are talking about? Remixes and covers, tutorials, fan tributes, parodies  these are such powerful promotional tools for the industry. Dont get me wrong: Im all in favor of protecting artists rights and compensating them fairly  Ive been fighting for this for 38 years  but we should all realize that nurturing these kind of relationships with fans and creators is one of the best things that has happened to music.

John: We actually have another case study on this at our office. My brother did this with a Marshmello song, Summer, and there were a bunch of user generated videos on YouTube that were using the full song. And we were asked to take them down right away. But as we took them down, we noticed that the original music video started leveling and wasn't growing as much. So then we removed all the take down requests, let all those user videos come back up, and the original started growing again like magic.

Lyor: Everyone is in love with likes and emojis. They call it engagement. Why arent they thinking of fan videos the same way? A fan making a video for you is the highest form of engagement  its a tribute! One important thing we are focusing on is building tools to make these collaborations simpler. Its too complicated right now.

John: Yeah this is crazy but I think its going to change. I'm gonna test some of this out, and I might even make a song available for everyone, a place where people can download the song and go knock themselves out making fan videos. Like really: Make whatever you want. If the song really resonates with fans, well make more money this way.

One last example: someone remade the entire Celoso video, and all Lele did was re-share with a community post. When I first found it, it had 300 views. Now it has almost 600,000, just by Lele saying it was great. It got enough views that the YouTube algorithm is now probably suggesting it after someone's watching the original video and vice versa. People are searching for it, seeing it, and it's recommending the official video. And that's the kind of fan engagement we're hoping to generate with all these other videos that we're doing.

We want to try things and make people connect with our content from different angles, from different passion points. Delaney, the dancer that we represent, made a video, for instance, and Rudy's doing a piano cover. Anwar's doing a sketch. And then we're trying to tell fans "Let's see what you can make.

Lyor: This is such an important point youre bringing up. Theres no better way to grow your channel than uploading videos more frequently. It might work for some artists but I dont think they should Frankenstein themselves into things they are not passionate about. People come to YouTube to connect with artists, it should be about their art  leave the celebrity-centric content to other platforms. YouTube is about fans. Real fans. Do you wanna be just famous or do you wanna be Bob Dylan? Do you wanna be known for your celebrity or do you wanna be known for your music and artistic point of view? I believe thats how you build things that last, strong bonds with your fans.

John: Couldn't be more aligned. It goes back to the point we were making at the beginning, thats how you capture peoples attention, by being authentic and true to your work. Thats what were looking for at Shots Studios. You need to find kids that have this energy, this unique artistic expression and ability to naturally connect with people. Then just hit upload on YouTube and let the fan magic happen.

Lyor: I love that. On that magical note, Id like to wrap up and stress again that the success of the music industry and the creative environment that has benefited so many artists are threatened by Article 13, as written. I encourage everyone making a living in this industry to learn more about it and join us to propose a better version together.

With love and respect,

John & Lyor




iciHaiti - DR : Seizure of 500 kg of contraband garlic from Haiti





On Wednesday evening, soldiers from the 14th Battalion of the Dominican Army of the new Task Force "Cerco Fronterizo" and members of intelligence services seized at the Southern border, 94 bags of 12 pounds of contraband garlic from Haiti.



The goods that were intercepted on the shores of Lake Enriquillo, specifically in Virgen alley in the province of Independencia, were transported by a group of men of Haitian nationality who fled face the military.



The seized goods, approximately 1,112 pounds ( 504 kg), were transported to the 14th Battalion's Duverge warehouses and sent to 5th Brigade Headquarters for the corresponding purposes of the law.



Since January 2017, more than 100 tonnes of smuggled garlic from Haiti have been seized, including nearly 4 tonnes in September 2018 alone.



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25644-icihaiti-dr-seizure-of-23-tons-of-smuggled-garlic-from-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25473-icihaiti-dr-seizure-of-16-tons-of-contraband-garlic-from-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25167-icihaiti-dr-seizure-of-15-tons-of-smuggled-garlic-from-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25076-icihaiti-contraband-1-2-tons-of-garlic-seized-from-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25363-icihaiti-economy-dr-effectively-fights-haitian-smuggling.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23721-icihaiti-rd-partial-assessment-of-the-fight-against-haitian-smuggling.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23600-icihaiti-dr-discovery-of-25-tons-of-smuggled-garlic-from-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-16908-icihaiti-smuggling-seizure-of-more-than-440-bags-of-garlic-from-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13202-haiti-dominican-republic-seizure-of-12-tons-of-garlic-smuggled-from-haiti.html



S/ iciHaiti




















Q3 Quarter Update

Beijing, Nov 2, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Retech Technology Co. ( ASX:RTE ), ('Retech' or 'the Company') a leading Shanghai-based learning courseware technology solutions company, is pleased to provide the following operation and financial update ended 30 Sep 2018 to accompany the company's quarterly cash flow report.Highlights- Net operating cash flow increased to RMB 10.39 million (A$2.1 million) (see Note below)- Reputable industrial clients (Mercedes-Benz, Bank of China, Ping An Group, etc.) continued to select RTE as their supplier- RTE online courseware solution was rolled-out to vocational schools in this quarter, which is a new growth engine in the futureFinancial UpdateThe net operating cash flow in FY2018 Q3 was RMB 10.39 million (A$2.1million), which was a vast improvement compared with last quarter.- Through stronger internal controls , the company strengthened the management of accounts receivable and ensured a steady operating cash inflow; operating costs and general administration expenses were also effectively controlled. The cash outflow for general administration expenses was down to RMB 2.28 million (A$0.46 million). This was a reduction of 32% comparing with last quarter.- In Q3, RMB 1,011k (A$203.8K) tax returns were received from the government.Operational UpdateContinuous growth was delivered within E-Learning solutions for industrial clients and vocational schools, as a result of high-quality services and market expansion.Clients from financial and automobile industries showed continuous demand for E-Learning solutions and coursewares. The Company signed the second phase of our service agreement with Bank of China for its E-Learning platform's upgrading. Ping An also renewed the online courseware development agreement. Also, due to our continued strong reputation in the financial services industry, the Company acquired contract of Bank of Communications head office in Shanghai.Mercedes-Benz continues to cooperate with Retech on online courseware development, aiming at jointly improving talent building system and popularizing compliance knowledge learning and sharing through current E-Learning platform.As vocational schools increasingly prioritize online learning, the Company designed online learning solutions for them, integrating the off-line curriculums with online interactive courses. Both Shanghai Communications Polytechnic College and Shanghai Civil Aviation College signed contracts with Retech for an advanced E-Learning environment deployment and coursewares design.OutlookThe September quarter has delivered increased cash flow results with growth of the business.Retech continues to acquire new clients and focus on business development to further enhance its position as one of the leaders in the corporate training and educational market.Note: A$ 1 - RMB 4.96 (28 September 2018)About Retech Technology Co Ltd

Retech Technology Co Ltd (ASX:RTE) is one of the largest technology solutions providers in China and provides solutions to companies that enable them to deliver corporate training online. The Company delivers solutions to a diversified and established user base via three channels: E-Learning Solutions, E-Training Partnership and E-Course Direct.
Can re-clamming our harbors keep Superstorms at bay?

by Jen Pinkowski

October 30,2018 | Source: JStor Daily

In October 2012, as Hurricane Sandy roared towards the Jersey Shore, fire trucks drove the streets of New Jerseys Long Beach Island blaring mandatory evacuation orders. Rick Bushnell wasnt worried about his family. His adult children lived with their own kids away from the coast, and he and his wife had already arranged to stay with friends near Philadelphia. Nor was he too worried about his home on the narrow 18-mile-long barrier islandexcept moving everything in the garage above the high-water mark left by Hurricane Grace in October 1991. There was no way, he assumed, Sandy could be as bad as the Perfect Storm.



But he was worried about the baby clams.



As the founding president of the nonprofit organization ReClam the Bay, Bushnell headed a team of volunteers whod raised millions of hard clams every year since 2005. The baby bivalves lived in 15 by 6 tanks known as upwellers, in eight locations across the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary system. A sump pump sucked water from the bay into the upwellers, where the clams, housed in 18-diameter silos, siphoned food from it. The watercleaner now, thanks to the clamsflushed back into the bay.



The storm might knock out the power to the sump pumps. If that happened, the water wouldnt be oxygenated, and the clams would suffocate. Bushnell made a decision: All the upwellers would be shut down and the clams would be put into the bay. Bushnell and his helpers poured many of them off the coast of Holgate. They then drained and powerwashed the upwellers into the bay. He hoped theyd remain in place through the coming storm.



By the time he and his wife had finished packing up their car, bay water from backed up storm drains was flooding the streets, lapping at the sidewalk. That was a bad sign: there were six more tidal cycles to go before Sandy was predicted to make landfall. The couple drove across the bridge to the mainland. The clams were on their own.



Clams, oysters, and other bivalves used to be plentiful in estuaries along the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. But throughout the 19th and 20th century, their numbers tanked as unregulated harvesting of shellfish combined with rising populations. What remained of the natural environment was flooded with nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from our sewers and farms. Algae gorged on themand thrived. Algal blooms block the light seaplants need for photosynthesis, and as the plants die, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water plummetswhats called eutrophication. Animals in low-oxygen waters can suffocate and die.

 2018 ITHAKA

Theme(s): Others.
Sri Lankan Navy cuts nets of more than 3,000 Tamil Nadu fishermen

November 01,2018 | Source: PTI

More than 3,000 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu were chased away by the Sri Lankan Navy, who also hurled stones at them and snapped fishing nets of 50 vessels for fishing in their territorial waters, a fishermen association leader claimed on Thursday.

Rameswaram Fishermen Association President, P Sesuraja said fishermen from this town and Mandapam region had ventured into the sea Wednesday morning in over 700 mechanised boats and were fishing near Katchatheevu when Sri Lankan naval personnel arrived there and threatened them.



They also snapped the fishing nets of 50 boats and pelted stones at the fishermen before driving them away, he alleged, adding all the fishermen returned early this morning without a catch.



Mr Sesuraja urged the Centre to take up the issue with the island nation's government to prevent recurrence of such incidents.



Referring to the 1974 India-Sri Lanka agreement on fishing, he claimed that they had rights to fish in Katchatheevu, an islet ceded to the neighbouring country under the agreement.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Timor-Leste: Q&A with a Maubere fisherman on reviving depleted fisheries

by Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya

October 31,2018 | Source: Mongabay

Communities across Timor-Leste have traditionally depended on subsistence fishing, in addition to farming of crops and livestock, for their livelihoods. Commercial fishing in the fledgling Southeast Asian nation is still in a nascent stage.



Located in the heart of the Coral Triangle, Timor-Leste is now working toward developing a sustainable fisheries sector with support from international donors.



The Timor-Leste governments Strategic Development Plan (2011-2030) calls for an increase in fisheries productivity to enable diversification of the island nations oil-dependent economy.



Local and national efforts have been underway to figure out how to sustainably tap the countrys fisheries and other valued marine resources.



In one of the most interesting and successful local efforts, several communities across the country have been reviving the ancient customary law of tara bandu. Tara bandu is a means of regulating the use of natural resources common to Timor-Lestes various indigenous tribes, who refer to themselves collectively as Maubere.



In northern Timor-Leste, on the shore of the Wetar Strait, locally known as the Tasi Feto, the village of Biacou revived tara bandu in 2012 to protect and better manage its fisheries and coral reefs. The villages tara bandu law designates several no-fishing zones, bans the destructive fishing techniques of bombing and poisoning, and prohibits the capture of certain marine species, such as sea turtles and corals.

 2018 Copyright Conservation news

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Imperial Valley News Center

2019-2020 White House Fellowship

Washington, DC - The application for the 2019-2020 White House Fellowship is now open.

Today, Robert M. Duncan, Chairman of the Presidents Commission on White House Fellowships, announced the opening of the application season for the 2019-2020 White House Fellowships: This uniquely non-partisan program has a distinguished legacy that reaches back more than half a century, and we hope that Americans with a passion for leadership and public service will take a look at the website, examine the criteria, and consider applying  or urge others to consider applying.

Founded in 1964, the Presidents Commission on White House Fellowships is the Nations premiere program for leadership and public service. The White House Fellowship offers exceptional Americans first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal Government on a strictly non-partisan basis. Selected individuals spend a year in Washington, D.C., working as full-time, paid government employees aiding Cabinet Secretaries, senior White House staff, and other top-ranking government officials.

The program has fostered a remarkable legacy of leadership. Of the more than 700 alumni in the last half-century, scores have gone on to top positions in the military, in business, in education, in the media, and in philanthropy. Current public officials who are alumni include: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao; U.S. Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty, and U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan.

The 2019-2020 White House Fellowship program year will begin in August 2019 and conclude in August 2020. All applicants must be a United States citizen and have completed their undergraduate education. Federal Government employees are not eligible, with the exception of active duty military personnel.

Selection criteria include:

A record of remarkable early-career professional achievement.

Evidence of leadership skills and the potential for further growth.

A demonstrated commitment to public service.

The skills to succeed at the highest levels of the Federal Government and the ability to work effectively as part of a team.

Interested individuals may apply at: https://fellows.whitehouse.gov/. The application is available beginning November 1, 2018, and will remain open until January 16, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. EST. Any applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

For more information, including details about the Fellowship, its history, and the selection process, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/fellows/. Any questions regarding the White House Fellows program can be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Imperial Valley News Center

Former Swiss Bank Executive Sentenced to Prison for Role in Billion-Dollar International Money Laundering Scheme

Miami, Florida - The former managing director and vice chairman of a Swiss bank was sentenced to 10 years in prison, after previously pleading guilty for his role in a billion-dollar international scheme to launder funds embezzled from Venezuelan state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA).

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Selby of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.

Matthias Krull, 44, a German national and Panamanian resident, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, on Aug. 22. U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the Southern District of Florida sentenced Krull to serve 120 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Altonaga also ordered Krull to pay a fine in the amount of $50,000 and a forfeiture money judgment of $600,000.

As part of his plea, Krull admitted that in his position with the Swiss bank, he attracted private clients, particularly clients from Venezuela, to the bank. In this role, Krulls clients included Francisco Convit Guruceaga, who was indicted on money laundering charges on Aug. 16. Krulls clients also included three unnamed conspirators described in the Aug. 16 indictment.

Krull admitted that the conspiracy began in December 2014 with a currency exchange scheme that was designed to embezzle around $600 million from PDVSA, obtained through bribery and fraud and the conspirators efforts to launder a portion of the proceeds of that scheme. By May 2015, the conspiracy had doubled in amount to $1.2 billion embezzled from PDVSA. PDVSA is Venezuelas primary source of income and foreign currency (namely, U.S. Dollars and Euros). Krull joined the conspiracy in or around 2016, he admitted, when a co-conspirator contacted him to launder the proceeds of a PDVSA foreign-exchange embezzlement scheme.

Ultimately, Krull joined the conspiracy to launder $1.2 billion worth of funds that were embezzled from PDVSA, he admitted. Krull and members of the money laundering conspiracy used Miami, Florida real estate and sophisticated false-investment schemes to conceal that the $1.2 billion was in fact embezzled from PDVSA. Krull also admitted that surrounding and supporting these false-investment laundering schemes are complicit money managers, brokerage firms, banks and real estate investment firms in the United States and elsewhere, operating as a network of professional money launderers.

Krulls co-conspirators indicted on Aug. 16 include former PDVSA officials, professional third-party money launderers and members of the Venezuelan elite, sometimes known as boliburgues.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Operation Money Flight, a partnership among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

The investigation was conducted by HSI Miami, HSI London, HSI Rome and HSI Madrid. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief David Johnson and Trial Attorney Gwendolyn A. Stamper of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Nadler of the Economic and Environmental Crimes Section of the Southern District of Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nalina Sombuntham of the Southern District of Florida is handling the asset forfeiture.

The Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in this matter; the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom; and Italian, Spanish and Maltese law enforcement authorities provided assistance.
Major Increases in Victim Reporting and Number of Lawsuits Since Launch of Initiative to Combat Sexual Harassment

Washington, DC - The Justice Department Tuesday announced the one-year anniversary of its initiative to combat sexual harassment in housing. Since its launch in October 2017 and nationwide expansion in April 2018, the Department has seen a major upswing in both reporting and enforcement. Over the past year, the Department has:

Opened 34 new sexual harassment matters. This is more than any previous year and nearly five times the number of matters opened in the prior year.

Filed six pattern-or-practice lawsuits challenging alleged sexual harassment in housing. This is more than the Department has filed in any previous year. Western District of Michigan - United States v. Tjoelker, District of Kansas - United States v. Cao Properties and Rentals, Southern District of Ohio - United States v. Klosterman, Northern District of New York - United States v. Waterbury, Northern District of Alabama - United States v. Hames, Western District of Oklahoma - United States v. Pelfrey.



This important initiative is giving a voice to victims of sexual harassment in housing. It also sends the strong message that the Department is listening to victims and taking action against landlords and managers who attempt to prey on vulnerable individuals all over the country, said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore for the Civil Rights Division. The Justice Department remains committed to our goal to make more people aware that no one should have to choose between a home and the right to be free from sexual harassment.

A home can never be a place of peace and comfort for individuals who are subjected to sexual harassment, said Anna Maria Farias, HUDs Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. We still have work to do, but the initiative has taken tremendous steps this past year toward addressing this unlawful behavior and the Justice Department and HUD remain committed to doing even more to inform the public about their housing rights.

The Department took several steps this past year to drive an increase in reporting and enforcement.

First, the Department held 20 roundtables about sexual harassment in housing at U.S. Attorneys Offices across the country. At these events, the Department creates opportunities for collaboration with local community partners, including engaging local law enforcement officers, legal aid offices, fair housing organizations, universities, civil rights organizations, and other groups.

U.S. Attorney Roundtables Hosted this Year:

Central District of California District of Colorado Middle District of Florida Northern District of Georgia Northern District of Iowa District of Maryland District of Massachusetts Eastern District of Michigan District of Minnesota District of New Jersey (2) Eastern & Southern Districts of New York (joint) Northern District of Ohio Eastern District of Pennsylvania District of South Dakota Northern District of Texas District of Vermont Western District of Virginia (2)

Second, the Department created an outreach toolkit designed to leverage the nationwide network of U.S. Attorneys Offices and boost local outreach about sexual harassment in housing.

Third, the Department released a

Fourth, the Department launched a webpage on sexual harassment in housing. It is available in both English and Spanish. The webpage has resources available to download. This includes a partnership toolkit, flyers in 11 languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese), palm cards in English and Spanish, and information sheets for advocates in English and Spanish.

Finally, the Department and HUD launched a new Task Force to Combat Sexual Harassment in Housing. It is focused on five key areas: continued data sharing and analysis, joint development of training, evaluation of public housing complaint mechanisms, coordination of public outreach and press strategy, and review of federal policies. The Task Force has facilitated collaboration between DOJ and HUD in drawing attention to the national PSA, including distributing it to public housing authorities, on HUDs YouTube channel, and through social media.

More information about the Civil Rights Division and the civil rights laws it enforces is available at justice.gov/crt. If you believe you may be a victim of sexual harassment in housing, you should:

call the Justice Department at 1-844-380-6178,

send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (link sends e-mail), or

(link sends e-mail), or contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777.

If you have information or questions about any other housing discrimination, you can contact the Department at 1-800-896-7743.
Justice Department Releases Update on Hate Crimes Prosecutions and Announces Launch of New Hate Crimes Website

Washington, DC - The Department Monday released an update on hate crimes and announced the launch of a new comprehensive hate crimes website designed to provide a centralized portal for the Departments hate crimes resources for law enforcement, media, researchers, victims, advocacy groups, and other related organizations and individuals. The resources include training materials, technical assistance, videos, research reports, statistics, and other helpful information from all of the Department components working on hate crimes.

In recent years, the Department has ramped up its hate crimes prosecution program and increased training of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers to ensure that hate crimes are identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. The Department of Justice Law Enforcement Roundtable on Improving the Identification and Reporting of Hate Crimes being conducted today and tomorrow through the Departments Hate Crimes Enforcement and Prevention Initiative is an example of ongoing efforts to spur communication and cohesion among those in the field working on hate crimes.

Over the past 10 years, the Department of Justice has charged more than 300 defendants with hate crimes offenses, including 50 defendants in FY 2017 and 2018. In FY 2018, the Department charged 27 defendants in 22 cases, and obtained 30 convictions. Since January 2017, the Department has indicted 50 defendants involved in committing hate crimes and secured convictions of 51 defendants for hate crimes incidents.

At todays roundtable, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced additional new efforts to assist in combatting hate crimes, including an $840,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) for a new research study on hate crimes data collection, and the extension of technical assistance resources relating to hate crimes through the Departments Collaborative Reform Initiative. The website, the roundtable, the NIJ grant, and the Collaborative Reform resources are just some of the Departments efforts that reflect discussions with law enforcement, advocates, faith leaders, and community members at the Departments Hate Crimes Summit and National Summit on Crime Reduction and Public Safety in June 2017.

Individuals should be able to live their lives free from the threat of violence and discrimination, no matter who they are, what they believe, or how they worship, said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore. I am proud of the work that the Civil Rights Division and our partners in the U.S. Attorneys offices have accomplished working with the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners. We will continue to prioritize our work bringing perpetrators of hate crimes to justice throughout the country.

Recent Department work on hate crimes prosecutions:

On Saturday, within hours of the shooting at the Tree of Life Jewish Synagogue, the Department filed hate crime and other charges against the defendant Robert Bowers. The criminal complaint charges Bowers with 29 counts setting forth federal crimes of violence and firearms offenses. The crimes of violence are based upon the federal civil rights laws prohibiting hate crimes.

This month, a Texas man was sentenced to almost 25 years in prison for a hate crime relating to the 2017 burning of a mosque in Victoria, Texas. A jury found him guilty on July 16 for a hate crime in the burning of the Victoria Islamic Center (the mosque) on Jan. 28, 2017, and for the use of fire to commit a federal felony.

In September, a Florida man was sentenced to four years in prison, three years supervised release, and $1,800 in restitution for obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threatening, in a phone message, to detonate a bomb at a mosque in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

In August, a Kansas man who shot three men at a bar in Olathe was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The defendant killed one victim, and attempted to kill a second victim, because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin. The defendant fired his weapon at a third man who had chased the defendant after the attack. Earlier this year, the defendant plead guilty to hate crimes, firearms, attempted murder, and murder charges. According to the agreement he signed when he plead guilty, the defendant went up to the victims in a bar, demanded to know how they came into the United States, and called one victim a terrorist.

In June, an Ohio man was charged with federal hate crimes including a hate crime act that resulted in the death of Heather Heyer, for his actions during the Aug. 12, 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville.

The Department continues to conduct training and outreach programs in order to work with the network of U.S. Attorneys Offices, local communities and organizations, and law enforcement to find, identify, investigate, and prosecute hate crimes cases all over the country. These programs include state and local law enforcement trainings, roundtable and panel discussions, stakeholder telephone conferences, and hate crime summits.

More information about the Departments hate crimes efforts, along with a searchable collection of the Departments resources for law enforcement, community groups, researchers and others, are available on the new webpage, www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
Aux Sable Liquid Products Agrees to Take Measures to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations at its Natural Gas Processing Facility

Chicago, Illinois - Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement that requires Aux Sable Liquid Products LP (Aux Sable) to strengthen air pollution controls and reduce air pollution at its natural gas processing facility, located southwest of Chicago. The facility, which is the largest natural gas processing plant in the United States, is located within the Chicago Non-Attainment Area for ground-level ozone, which includes the greater Chicago area and the northwest Indiana counties of Lake and Porter.

Under the terms of the settlement, Aux Sable will pay a $2.7 million civil penalty and at least $4.5 million on improvements to pollution controls and projects to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxide emissions (NOX).

Todays settlement appropriately enforces and resolves significant violations of the Clean Air Act by Aux Sable, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood for the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division. The important upgrades at Aux Sable facility  required by todays action -- will improve air quality in the Chicago area. The Department of Justice continues to work with EPA to protect clean air for all Americans.

The settlement reached today will result in cleaner air for communities in the Greater Chicago area by reducing emissions of pollutants that are ozone precursors, said Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine for EPAs Office Of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. This work required under the settlement will not only achieve compliance with the Clean Air Act, it also will advance EPAs goal of reducing the number of nonattainment areas in the country.

This settlement addresses alleged violations of the Clean Air Acts New Source Review Rules for excess fugitive emissions of VOCs. The Department of Justice and EPA allege that VOC emissions from equipment leaks at the facility have significantly exceeded the applicable thresholds for such emissions since the facility began operating in 2000, and Aux Sable has therefore never complied with the New Source Review requirements, including the lowest achievable emission rate and emission offset standards.

In this settlement, Aux Sable has agreed to take measures to reduce its emissions of VOCs, including (1) expanding its fugitive emission leak detection and repair program to cover thousands of fittings at its facility; (2) complying with a more stringent leak threshold for making repairs to valves throughout the facility; (3) installing state-of-the-art low-emissions technology to replace or repack older leaking valves; (4) achieving 99 percent control efficiency of VOC emissions at the facilitys off-gas incinerators; (5) complying with flare operation monitoring requirements; and (6) installing ultra-low oxides of nitrogen (NOx) burner technology at the facilitys two process heaters. EPA estimates that Aux Sable will spend at least $1.5 million in capital costs and at least $250,000 per year in incremental operational and maintenance costs to complete these improvements.

Additionally, Aux Sable has addressed its noncompliance with the Illinois volatile organic material emission trading program by purchasing from the Illinois EPA the necessary VOC emission allotments and required emission excursion compensation to cover VOC emission-allotment deficiencies from 2001 to 2015, at a cost of more than $156,000. Aux Sable also submitted to Illinois corrections to past annual emission reports.

To mitigate the environmental harm caused by its Clean Air Act violations, Aux Sable has agreed to implement mitigation projects to reduce VOC and NOX emissions at locomotive switchyards located in the Chicago Area, which will include repowering switcher locomotives and installing switcher locomotive idle-reduction technology. Aux Sable will spend $3 million to implement these projects.

VOCs include a variety of chemicals that may produce adverse health effects such as eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, and damage to the liver, kidney, and the central nervous system. VOCs also contribute to the formation of ground level ozone. Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems, particularly for children, the elderly, and anyone with lung diseases such as asthma. Ground level ozone can also have harmful effects on sensitive vegetation and ecosystems. Besides ground level ozone, NOx emissions also contribute to acid rain, particulate matter, water quality deterioration, and visual impairment.

The consent decree has been lodged with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is subject to public comment for a period of at least 30 days. Notice of the lodging of the consent decree will appear in the Federal Register, allowing for a 30-day public comment period before the consent decree can be entered by the court as final judgment.
The holiday season is always challenging for businesses looking to hire seasonal workers, but this year will be particularly difficult.

The historically low unemployment rate--it stood at 3.7 percent in October--has made holiday hiring harder this year. Also, with Amazon announcing in October that it was raising its minimum wage from $11 to $15 per hour, following similar announcements from Walmart, Gap, and Costco, business owners are concerned more large employers might do the same, making it harder for smaller companies to attract job candidates. To address the challenging holiday job market, companies are using artificial intelligence and other software that can speed up the hiring process. This can be crucial for employers, as a recent survey from staffing firm Robert Half found almost a quarter of respondents say they lose interest in a company if they don't hear back within one week.

Clothing and swimwear company Faherty Brand tackled holiday hiring early this year. Knowing the process would be especially challenging, the New York City-based company turned to hiring startup Merlin. The company helps employers connect with candidates by loading job postings on its site, facilitating one-on-one conversation through the app and scheduling interviews. Faherty Brand posted job openings for its Manhattan store on Merlin in September, and by mid-October, the company had hired enough staff for the holiday season--a month ahead of schedule.

"It's been by far the most effective way of finding talent," says co-founder Alex Faherty. "We've never been in this position before. Usually we are scrambling last minute." Faherty added the company plans to implement Merlin in his other six stores ahead of summer, another busy time for hiring.

AI-enabled apps can also take on some of the hiring workload. Some have the ability to scan for prospective employees and answer inquiries so hiring managers don't have to. One such company is Scottsdale, Arizona-based Paradox's AI, whose virtual assistant Olivia communicates with candidates through social media and mobile platforms and screens them for hiring managers. Job seekers can ask questions about things like workplace culture and vacation policies, and Olivia will provide answers via text message. It can also schedules interviews. These features can save hiring managers hours of work and provide potential employees with the satisfaction of learning about a job or company in real time.

"We are speeding up the process because in today's market, candidates have a lot of choices," says Paradox AI founder and CEO Aaron Matos, who launched the company in 2016. "We believe that recruiting is always going to be a people game, and that AI and automation should just get rid of the hassles that are currently in the way of people talking to people."

Sugarfina, a Los Angeles-based candy company with 50 stores across the U.S., typically needs to hire additional staff for the holiday season, which runs from Halloween to Valentine's Day for candy businesses. This year, it used Paradox's Olivia and added 80 employees in the past month, bringing the total to 530, according to the company's recruitment manager Rachel Hogan.

"It's time-consuming for our managers to go through the resumes they receive and find the right candidate to bring in," Hogan says. "There's also a drop off rate of interviews where people aren't showing up because they didn't check their email."

Olivia has helped the company eliminate these lags in the process, along with helping people like Hogan find high-quality candidates that are eager to work for the company. "It's given time back to our boutique managers to focus on selling, which is what we want them to be doing during the holiday season," Hogan says. Sugarfina plans to continue using Olivia as part of the recruitment and hiring process.

Holiday hiring isn't over when candidates accept job offers, however. There's still the matter of onboarding these new employees. At New York City-based sock startup Bombas, new staffers typically go through a month-long training program, with customer interactions slowly introduced throughout the process, according to Drew Stadler, the company's head of customer experiences. To get seasonal hires ready at a faster rate, however, Bombas shortened the program to an intensive two-week period that begins with email training. Additionally, instead of slowly integrating customer interactions into the training, the new employees begin the process earlier so they are ready to assist during the holiday rush, which generates around 40 percent of Bombas' annual business, according to Stadler.

Entrepreneurs on a tight budget should reach out to local colleges and attending student job fairs to recruit young people who will be off from school during the holiday season, according to Ryan Sutton, Robert Half's district president for New York and New England.
Companies in many states are required to give employees time to vote. In 2018, some startups are taking that guidance a step further.

Spurred by campaigns like Time to Vote and ElectionDay.Org, in which businesses pledge to give workers paid time off on Election Day, more than 300 companies are offering to help their employees get to the polls this year. If they're not giving their staff the day off or the afternoon off to vote, companies are offering flexible work arrangements.

"I do believe Election Day should be a national holiday," says Chris Ruder, founder and CEO of Spikeball, the Chicago-based maker of Spikeball game equipment and a former Shark Tank contestant. All of his 24 employees will get five hours off on Election Day so they can go vote. "I want to encourage our employees--and anybody I can reach--to go vote. We're 24 people, so we're not going to make a huge dent in the universe, but we're doing what we can."

Similarly, Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of Kind Snacks, says he's banning calls and meetings after 3 p.m. on Tuesday, an action that will impact 700 full- and part-time employees. "Team members will have flexibility to leave--and are strongly encouraged to leave the office and vote," he writes via email.

Lubetzky credits companies like Patagonia for helping organize the Time to Vote campaign, which is helping lead the Election Day time-off effort. The outdoor-clothing outfitter will close all of its 32 retail stores in the U.S. on Election Day, as well as its corporate office and its distribution and customer service center in Nevada.

"Going forward, I think you'll see more of this," adds Lubetzky. "Businesses working together and making small changes ... That amounts to significant impact at the societal level. I'm grateful to Patagonia for rallying everyone [on Time to Vote]."

While the notion of helping people perform their civic duty is important, the real reason for the action, for some, has to do with establishing a healthy company culture.

Meika Hollender, co-founder and CEO of Sustain Natural, a New York City-based startup that sells sexual-health and feminine-hygiene products marketed to women, including all-natural condoms and tampons, is making November 6 a work-from-home day so that all of her 14 employees have enough time to vote. People become entrepreneurs because "they want to rewrite the rules," Hollender says.
We all want to have great careers -- working for companies that matter, progressing up the ladder of success, and maybe even changing the world...or at least some small part of it. However, some of us seem to have better, more fulfilling careers than others. Why is this the case?

Says career expert Ines Temple, president of Lee Hecht Harrison in Peru and Chile (with whom I've done work in the past), and author of the book You Incorporated, "We can get closer to achieving the rewards of an ideal job if we build and strengthen our career potential and work on our competitiveness in order to become more attractive to companies and employers."

In other words, the more attractive you are to employers, the better career you can create for yourself. The secret is to treat your career as a business, creating a competitive and attractive brand that employers (not just your own) want. This makes you more employable.

In her book, Ines lays out 7 personal marketing tips to consider as you build your personal brand:

1. All jobs are temporary and last as long as it works for both parties -- the company and us.

2. We have to find satisfaction in our current position and not what lies down the road, such as a promotion or raise.

4. We have to take care of our attitude toward both internal and external clients and remember that our main client is our boss.

5. Our peers, collaborators, supervisors, and those we supervise are also internal clients, and together with external clients, are good contacts and relationships.

6. To be more employable, we must do more than what is asked of us, which means adding our own contributions, improving each day, and not improvising.
The Olivier and Bafta-winning dramatist, debbie tucker green (as she insists on styling herself) tends to write taut, elliptical plays with compact casts. This time, though, she has returned to the Royal Court with a piece that fills the main stage with a 16-strong ensemble of extraordinary power and presence, of whom all but one are actors of colour. Directed with urgency and intelligence by the author, this is a work that gives us snapshots of African American and black British experiences at a time when, in the case of the former, there is deep frustration with the arguably racist forces in government.

One young African American adult explodes to his quiescent middle-aged mentor that mere progress, through petitioning and politicking, is not enough anymore: Progress is a slow bitch with a wandering mind that drags her bare feet  but change kicks ass. Tosin Cole gives a brilliant performance as this exasperated youth who is beside himself with efforts at restraint.

Should he take direct action? Give me a reason to not: he issues this challenge several times like a refrain to his erstwhile mentor (Nicholas Pinnock), who favours protest through the kind of demonstrations in which the youth no longer believes (They dont wanna change. Dont intend to. And aint waiting no more to bother). The bitter wrangles between this pair, who talk testily across each other, punctuate the first segment of this three-part piece which lasts just over two hours. We first discern the company dimly as they wander disoriented in a milk-white mist and peer at us through the translucent scrim. The latter lifts and the characters sit on hard chairs in expressive clusters to watch the vignettes enacted by successive pairs and trios.

ear for eye at Royal Court (Stephen Cummiskey)

Some of these episodes are both piercing and flecked with a grim mischievous humour. What do you do with your hands if youre a young black man and you dont want to antagonise the police? Hayden McLean improvises every possible position for his mother (Sarah Quist), but she can see the potential dangers in each of the postures. Her brisk, beautifully-timed objections (concessive raised hands, for example might be taken as an act of aggression) would sound paranoiac if the situation were not so fraught with risk. This becomes more problematic when the situation is transferred to the UK with a son who communicates in British sign language (Jamal Ajala) and with parents who differ over how far he should forfeit self-respect by monitoring his gestures.

tucker green may eccentrically spurn initial caps, but  as is richly audible here  her stylised dialogue is punctuated with the rhythmic precision of a musical score. This is her paramount gift. She has a keen sense of the illogicalities to which people of colour are subjected when wrongly taken into police custody (told to shut up and then warned that silence will be used against you in a court of law).

Eric Kofi Abrefa is heartbreaking as a UK man who has had to piece back together his dignity after being toyed with in this way. What she is less good at is providing a detailed contest. I thought that the impact of Trumps presidency  the sensation of a lurch backwards  remained too unspecific. True, the second part is an altercation between a white male academic (Demetri Goritsas) and the female African American (Lashana Lynch) who has come to consult him about the case of a high school shooting that has left over 100 dead. Hes horribly patronising towards her and barely lets her get a word in edgeways, as he tries to turn the killer into a textbook case of a youth who suffered a trauma in adolescence when deserted by his father. The woman knows that none of this fits the facts and in six scenes that jerkily jump forward, she finds her voice and forces him to confront the truth that this dog-eared psychologising is desperately trying to mask. This was an organised massacre committed by white supremacists.

Goritsas and Lynch splendidly bring out the awful comedy and bitten-off rhythms of the couples allergy to one another. If the piece doesnt quite come off, its because it still feels a rather bloodless and abstract way of approaching these intensely topical themes.

But the final segment is, to my mind, quietly devastating. It reminded me of a tactic tucker green used in stoning mary, the first of her collaborations with the Royal Court. In that play, she jolted us into a fresh perception of the insupportable agonies of the third world by presenting them as if they were being suffered by white people in Europe now. Here we listen to filmed footage of Caucasian families, American and British including the children, as they take it in turns to intone neutrally the barbarous Jim Crow laws and excerpts from the slave codes: 1955 Tennessee. Separate buildings for black and white patients in hospitals for the insane. So disgustingly recent and such a salutary reminder of such segregation in this impassioned play about stalled progress.

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To 24 November. 020 7565 5000 royalcourttheatre.com
Environmental campaigners have hit out at China, Norway and Russia for blocking moves to create a vast Antarctic ocean sanctuary to protect species including orcas, blue whales, seals and penguins.

The landmark proposal to set up the worlds largest protected marine zone had the backing of 22 out of 25 members of an international group poised to confirm it.

It would have banned all commercial fishing in an area roughly the size of Sudan  1.8 million sq km  and given a chance for wildlife and fish species to recover from damage by humans, experts said.

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The sanctuary would also have played a key role in tackling climate change by soaking up huge amounts of greenhouse gases.

But at talks in Hobart in Tasmania, delegations from China, Norway and Russia all helped to block the proposal, which needed unanimous agreement.

Frida Bengtsson, of Greenpeaces Protect the Antarctic campaign, said: Rather than put forward reasoned opposition on scientific grounds, some delegations, like China and Russia, deployed delaying tactics such as wrecking amendments and filibustering, which meant there was barely any time left for real discussion about protecting Antarctic waters.

This was a historic opportunity to create the largest protected area on Earth in the Antarctic: safeguarding wildlife, tackling climate change and improving the health of our global oceans.

Twenty-two delegations came here to negotiate in good faith but instead, serious scientific proposals for urgent marine protection were derailed by interventions that barely engaged with the science.

The only glimmer of hope came when the small vulnerable marine ecosystems identified by Greenpeace on our recent expedition were approved for protection.

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Globally, less than 10 per cent of the worlds seas are Marine Protected Areas, protecting them from damaging activity, and Ms Bengtsson warned that time was running out.

Scientists are clear that we need to create marine sanctuaries across at least 30 per cent of our oceans by 2030, to protect wildlife, ensure food security for billions and help to tackle climate change, she said.

In 2009 the Antarctic Ocean Commission which is made up of 24 countries plus the EU, agreed to create a network of havens, but since then, she said, their diplomatic efforts seem to be more concerned with expanding fisheries than with conservation.

More than two million people had signed a petition in support of the sanctuary.

Greenpeace UK oceans campaigner Louisa Casson said the UKs efforts had been consistently undermined.

Their diplomatic efforts seem to be more concerned with expanding fisheries than with conservation Frida Bengtsson

The charitys polar adviser, Dr Laura Meller, said the Chinese delegation had obstructed all opportunities to cooperate.

Norway decided to put forward its own proposal dividing the area in two.

Dr Meller said: Under Russias chairmanship in 2016, the Antarctic Ocean Commission made global headlines when it agreed to protect the Ross Sea, yet since then Russia has failed to act in good faith, instead only pursuing niche fishing interests, while preventing the commission from fulfilling its mandate to create a network of sanctuaries in the Antarctic Ocean.

The latest failed deal would have covered the Weddell Sea and parts of the Antarctic peninsula.

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Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan, who was in Hobart for the talks, said the government would continue to press for the creation of Antarctic ocean sanctuaries.

Greenpeace said the Antarctics future would now be in the hands of negotiations on a global ocean treaty at the UN, which could reach a deal by 2020.

Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity have previously agreed to protect 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas by 2020.

The UK will join almost 200 other countries at a UN biodiversity conference later this month in Egypt, where talks will begin on a new global target for marine protected areas.

The government says it will push to raise the figure to 30 per cent by 2030.
MPs and the heads of environmental organisations have written to Theresa May saying the Budget presented to parliament on Monday is an unforgivable betrayal of future generations, due to its worrying lack of policy to combat climate change.

Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas and six other MPs, including Labours Clive Lewis and former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron signed the letter, which says pushing policymaking into the long grass of Brexit at this stage represents an abject failure to govern in the interests of the people you are elected to serve.

The chief executives of Greenpeace, 10:10 Climate Action and Global Witness were also among the signatories, who said the Budget was a nadir for this governments tainted climate record and demanded urgent action in the coming days must be announced.

Not only did the chancellor fail to mention climate change in his speech, but the policies he put forward  from subsidy to polluters via the fuel duty freeze to a mass road building programme  will increase the UKs climate impact, the letter says.

It also takes issue with the governments fracking programme and highlights the findings of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) commissioned by the United Nations, published three weeks ago and which issued the most urgent and far-reaching call yet for world governments to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and stop global warming.

[The report] was very clear about what governments need to urgently do  yet your government has all but ignored its publication in this Budget, the letter says.

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Mr Hammonds Budget included 28.8 billion for the National Roads Fund for Highways England between 2020 and 2025, an extra 420m on top of the current fund of 300m immediately available to councils to tackle potholes, and fuel duty has been frozen for the ninth consecutive year, despite the fact it was revealed freezing fuel duty costs the Treasury 800m a year.

The chancellor also killed off plans for a latte levy, which would have taxed disposable coffee cups.

The only green initiative announced was 60m towards planting trees  500 times less than the sum going towards roads.

Here is the letter to the prime minister in full:

Dear Prime Minister,

On Monday, your Government presented its Budget, and in doing so revealed a profoundly worrying lack of policy changes to combat the greatest threat of our time: climate change. Not only did the Chancellor fail to mention climate change in his speech, but the policies he put forward  from subsidy to polluters via the fuel duty freeze to a mass road building programme  will increase the UKs climate impact.

With fracking now proceeding, and continued tax breaks being handed out to fossil fuel firms, we believe it is now vital we call out failure from a generation of politicians who will not live to see the devastation that their policies will wreak on future generations.

The most recent IPCC report was very clear about what Governments need to urgently do  yet your Government has all but ignored its publication in this Budget. We should be very clear here about timescales. Its almost too late already, so pushing policymaking into the long grass of Brexit at this stage represents an abject failure to govern in the interests of the people you are elected to serve.

We do not accept that individuals in the Government do not care about climate change, nor that its too late to change course. We simply state here and now that the Budget must be a nadir for this Governments tainted climate record  and that urgent action in the coming days must be announced. Anything short of that would be an unforgivable betrayal of future generations.

Caroline Lucas MP

Clive Lewis MP

Liz Saville-Roberts MP

Anna McMorrin MP

Tim Farron MP

Alex Sobel MP

Roger Godsiff MP

Gillian Caldwell, CEO, Global Witness

John Sauven, Director, Greenpeace

Hugo Tagholm, Director, Surfers Against Sewage

Guppi Bola, Director, Medact

Alice Bell, Director, 10:10 Climate Action
Massive wildfires of the kind that struck California this year disproportionately impact minority ethnic groups in the US, according to a study.

Communities that are mostly black, Hispanic or Native American are 50 per cent more exposed to these deadly blazes, based on a vulnerability index compiled by scientists.

Native Americans were by far the most vulnerable, as they were six times more likely than other groups to live in wildfire-prone regions.

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The finding tallies with previous work that has revealed environmental disasters, including those being exacerbated by climate change, hit minority groups the hardest.

Hurricanes such as Katrina in 2005 have been noted for affecting black residents in cities like New Orleans worse than others.

According to the authors of the study, which was published in the journal PLOS ONE, their findings challenge preconceived notions about wildfires and their victims.

A general perception is that communities most affected by wildfires are affluent people living in rural and suburban communities near forested areas, said lead author Ian Davies, a graduate student at the University of Washington.

California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Show all 45 1 /45 California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters try to limit the spread of the Carr Fire by backburning, a process by which areas in the path of a fire are burned up in advance to rob the fire of its fuel Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A street is devastated by the Carr Fire in the town of Redding AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A truck burned by the Delta Fire is abandoned along interstate 5 AFP/Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 This image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration highlights the major fire AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Ranch Fire spots out ahead of the main fire in Spring Valley, burning two homes AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A picture taken by German astronaut and geophysicist Alexander Gerst, showing wildfires in the state of California as seen from the International Space Station AFP/Getty/ESA/Alexander Gerst California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Evacuees from Lucerne, from left, Ken Bennett with Ember Reynolds, 8, and Lisa Reynolds watch the sunset as smoke from the Ranch Fire rises into the sky at Austin Park Beach in California's Clearlake with Mount Konocti in the background The Press Democrat via AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The memorial for Redding firefighter Jeremy Stoke AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 REUTERS California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Holy Jim volunteer firefighter Luke Senger stands next to a home destroyed the Holy Fire in Trabuco Canyon AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters try to stop the spread of a massive fire in Lake County AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A woman walks out of the water after taking a dip as smoke rises in the distance from the Holy Fire in Cleveland National Forest Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A pyrocumulus cloud (or cloud of fire) explodes in the Carr fire near the town of Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Delta Fire burns in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Trees set alight near Whiskeytown Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 An firefighting aircraft drops fire retardant to slow the spread of the River Fire near Lakeport Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A firefighter lights backfires in an attempt to limit the spread of the Ranch Fire Reuters California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters light backfires to defend houses in the town Upper Lake from the Ranch Fire Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Flames consume a home in Lakeport AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Ranch Fire spread towards the town of Upper Lake AFP/Getty Images California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A firefighter lights a backfire in the city of Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns near Whiskeytown AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters try to limit the spread of the Carr Fire by backburning Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Flames flare in the Cajon Pass near San Bernardino AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 An firefighting aircraft drops fire retardant to slow the spread of the River Fire near Lakeport Reuters California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A schoolhouse burns in the Carr Fire in Shasta County AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 by the city of Redding AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A car is seen amongst the devastation left by the Cranston Fire EPA California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A firefighter waters down a backfire on Cloverdale Road in Igo AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters convene while battling the Carr Fire in Shasta County AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters assess the damage in San Bernardino County AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 by the city of Redding AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 in Shasta County AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The land around Mountain Centre has been left devastated by the Cranston Fire EPA California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Firefighters battle the Carr Fire in the town of Redding AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A home burns in Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Cranston Fire burns south of Idyllwild AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns through the town of Shasta AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A home burns in Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A collection of antique cars has been destroyed by the fire in the town of Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A home on Sunflower Road in Redding burns in the Carr Fire Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A helicopter aids utility workers as they work to repair burned power lines EPA California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 A home burns in Redding Getty California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 by the city of Redding AP California in flames: wildfires rage across the US state in 2018 Sunflower Road in Redding burns in the Carr Fire Getty

But there are actually millions of people who live in areas that have a high wildfire potential and are very poor, or dont have access to vehicles or other resources, which makes it difficult to adapt or recover from a wildfire disaster.

To measure the vulnerability of people to fires, the scientists took into account 13 socioeconomic measures for more than 70,000 census regions.

The factors included income, housing type, English fluency and health, and these were then combined with information about wildfire potential in a given area based on historic records and weather patterns.

We can see that the impacts of recent fires were exacerbated for low-income residents facing a shortage of affordable housing, for example, and for Hispanic residents for whom English is not their first language, said Professor Phil Levin, lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy and one of the studys authors.

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The scientists used news reports from past wildfires to corroborate their findings.

These confirmed that in recent years language barriers prevented authorities releasing Spanish-language emergency information in a timely manner, putting Hispanic populations at greater risk.

A message emerging from their data was that natural disasters are not always completely natural, and are instead products of both environmental impact and the social, political and economic context in which that impact happens.

To address the problems they identified, the team called for authorities to take socioeconomic factors into account and help these communities prepare better for wildfires.
Burberry has revealed the cast for its annual Christmas campaign, the first under Riccardo Tisci, who took over from former chief creative officer Christopher Bailey in March.

Naomi Campbell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Matt Smith and M.I.A are among the celebrity stars who will feature in the short clip, which has been shot and directed by British artist and photographer Juno Calypso.

The concept of the campaign is yet to be announced, but if the heritage brands previous festive campaigns are anything to go by, its likely to be a major production, complete with every last jingle bell and whistle.

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Under Baileys leadership, Burberrys festive campaigns have been fronted by a number of A-list actors and musicians, from Julie Walters to George Ezra.

In 2016, the label released a short film starring Sienna Miller, Dominic West and Domhnall Gleeson, which told the story of the brands founder Thomas Burberry; the three minute-long clip has been viewed more than 15 million times on YouTube.

 Burberry Christmas Ad 2016

Meanwhile in 2015, the campaign was inspired by the 15-year anniversary of Billy Elliot and featured a whole host of British talents, such as Sir Elton John, Michelle Dockery, James Corden and James Bay.

2014's Christmas ad was fronted by Romeo Beckham, who was just 12 years old at the time, and told the story of a young couple falling in love in a theatrical film.

 Burberry Christmas Ad

This years star-studded cast list, which also includes Naomi Campbell's mother, Valerie Morris-Campbell, indicates that Tisci plans to continue the brands tradition of high-profile festive campaigns.

(Burberry (Burberry)

Each person in the video will be clad head-to-toe in pieces from the Italian designers pre-spring/summer 2019 collection, which debuted to mixed reviews at London Fashion Week in September.

Watch this space.
One of the UKs most popular coffee chains has revealed its staff can now ban sales of caffeine to under 16s at their discretion.

Costa Coffee has said although there is no policy stopping children from purchasing caffeinated drinks, it does not encourage the sale of caffeine to children and individual stores have the ability to refuse sales depending on the context.

The company occupies 40 per cent of Britains coffee shop market, but its latest ruling has left some customers feeling disgruntled.

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A 12-year-old girl was recently turned down when she ordered an iced coffee at a branch in Conwy, Wales, which promptly enraged her father.

I had never heard of Costa doing this before, he told the Bristol Post.

This is as an occasional treat rather than regular coffee drinking and a lot of Costa drinks do seem to be aimed at younger people.

He went on to explain that if the chain is so concerned with the health of young children that they should also consider imposing a ban on selling cakes to overweight children because obesity is a far more serious health issue than caffeine consumption.

A spokesperson for Costa said: We do not encourage the sale of caffeine to children under 16 and it is at store discretion to question a customers age if they have any concerns.

Our advertising is not directed at children and you must be 16 or above to own a Costa Club Card.

Caffeine information is available upon request should a customer wish to know the level of caffeine in their favourite Costa coffee.

The effects of caffeine vary, but a report published in January claims that more than half of people aged 12 to 24 experience adverse side effects from caffeinated energy drinks.

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Published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the study found that consuming less than two beverages a day prompted vomiting, chest pains and seizures in participants.

Other symptoms linked to energy drink consumption included difficulty sleeping, fast heartbeat, headache and nausea.

The adverse outcomes were consistent with the physiologic effects of caffeine, the study reads, but were significantly more prevalent than with other sources of caffeine such as coffee, consistent with data from national adverse event databases.
With thousands of excuses to choose from, coming up with a reason not to workout is often easier than going to the gym.

Fortunately, lack of motivation is a universal struggle when it comes to exercising - even for the people most dedicated to the gym - personal trainers.

For suggestions on how to remain dedicated to your fitness goals and get moving, we asked personal trainers how they stay motivated - and how they keep clients motivated as well.

Chris Matsui, a performance training specialist at Fusion Performance Training, told The Independent: Personally, I know that if I dont workout my body starts to fall apart and get worse.

Despite being fatigued from [insert excuse] I make it a point to go to the gym a minimum of three times a week.

He also always remembers that any exercise is good - even if it isnt your best workout.

This doesnt mean that each workout is a home run but its enough to build a sweat and make my body feel better, he said.

As for his clients, he told us that he reminds them even a short 20-30 minute workout can be impactful for your long-term goal.

The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Show all 10 1 /10 The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Sugary soft drink - 330ml - 138 calories Walk off: 26 minutes. Run off: 13 minutes. JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Standard chocolate bar - 229 calories Walk off: 42 minutes. Run off: 22 minutes. Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Chicken and bacon sandwich - 445 calories Walk off: 1 hour 22 minutes. Run off: 42 minutes. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods One quarter of a large pizza (449kcal) Walk off: 1 hour 23 minutes. Run off: 43 minutes. Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Medium mocha coffee - 290kcal calories Walk off: 53 minutes. Run off: 28 minutes. Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Packet of crisps - 171 calories Walk off: 31 minutes. Run off: 16 minutes. Evan-Amos/Creative Commons The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Dry roasted peanuts - 50g - 296kcal Walk off: 54 minutes. Run off: 28 minutes. Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Iced cinnamon roll - 420 calories Walk off: 31 minutes. Run off: 16 minutes. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods One bowl of cereal - 172 calories Walk off: 31 minutes. Run off: 16 minutes. Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Blueberry muffin - 265 calories Walk off: 48 minutes. Run off: 25 minutes. Isabelle Hurbain-Palatin/Creative Commons

Not everyone will have the time to workout 90 minutes each time, so make the best of it and do what you can until you have more free time, he advises.

Even two minutes of exercise can make a difference - as researchers from Victoria University in Australia found a two-minute high-intensity workout can be as effective as half an hour of moderate exercise.

Benji Tiger, a personal trainer at OrangeTheory in Florida, uses her physical appearance as her main motivator.

I remain motivated because I like to look a certain way, she told us. I always saw these people with incredible bodies on social media and I wanted to have a similar body.

And although she has achieved her goals, she still uses social media as a motivator to be better.

 The five best exercises for your body according to a Harvard doctor

Social media is typically given a bad reputation for promoting harmful or unachievable body ideals but a 2015 study found that the social influence of online peers can actually motivate people to exercise more.

To keep clients motivated, Tiger reminds them of how far theyve come and of their increasing strength.

If they dont feel like working out or they feel like theyve hit a plateau, I have them do a workout that they used to find difficult when they first started exercising, she said. It usually works as motivation because it is proof of their progress.

She also recommends clients find someone equally motivated who they can workout with on days they arent working with her.

It can make exercising more fun, she said.

Six workout gadgets to help you train Show all 7 1 /7 Six workout gadgets to help you train Six workout gadgets to help you train One of the best ways to stay healthy is to keep fit and exercise frequently.



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From 199.95, bose.co.uk Music instantly makes a workout far more enjoyable, and the right playlist could power you to a new personal best. Bose has made wireless headphones even more essential with its SoundSport Pulse earbuds, which monitor your heart rate while you run and relay the data back to a variety of apps. Bose Six workout gadgets to help you train Nike zonal cooling shirt



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From 130, underarmour.co.uk Smart technology has even found its way into trainers  Under Armours record-equipped range of running shoes connect to your phone to track your training progress, while a pre-run jump test feature helps you decide the intensity of your next run. UnderArmour Six workout gadgets to help you train Withings body scale



From 89.95, withings.com/uk Dont just focus on your overall weight  Withings wi-fi enabled body scale breaks down your fat, muscle, water and bone mass so you know where to focus your workout efforts. Withings

Equinox trainer Rob Arreaga told us that he stays motivated by reminding himself to be better than I was yesterday.

Even that little push is enough to get him to the gym, he told us.

And with clients, he encourages them to be their own competition.

I remind them they are fighting to be the best that they can be - and they are the only ones who can do it, he said.

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When even that fails, Arreaga tells his clients to take the day off - as the occasional skipped workout is okay too.
The hammed-up circus that is the chancellor of the exchequers Budget statement is full of dreadful jokes, political point scoring and a field full of rabbits from hats.

It bigs up the giveaways, breaks and pro-active actions that the government wants us to focus on.

But released alongside this frustrating and socially awkward one-man show, the tome that is the Budget document itself (and its reams of supporting paperwork) is obliged to include the details, decisions and unpalatable fiscal swerving that the government is desperate to sweep under the nearest threadbare carpet.

Here are the bits of this weeks Budget that Hammond et al didnt really want to admit to.

Giving and taking away  income tax

The big news in Hammonds much anticipated speech was the increase in the income tax thresholds for lower rate and higher rate taxpayers from April 2019.

In fact, the chancellor has been far less generous to millions of higher earners than appeared at first sight, according to detailed study of Budget papers by mutual insurer Royal London.

In his speech, Hammond announced that the starting point for higher rate income tax would increase from 46,350 to 50,000. This will reduce the income tax rate on the slice of pay between 46,350 to 50,000 from 40 per cent to 20 per cent.

But a detailed paper published alongside the Budget says the upper earnings limit for national insurance contributions will be increased in line with the rise in the increase in the floor for higher rate tax.

This means that instead of paying an NIC rate of 2 per cent, workers will pay the full rate of 12 per cent on this same slice of earnings, an increase of 10 per cent.

So the 20 per cent income tax cut is tempered by a 10 per cent increase in the NIC rate by 10 per cent.

The chancellor is well within his rights to increase the bands over which the full rate of NI contributions is payable, says Steve Webb, director of policy at Royal London.

But as this wipes out half of the income tax gain for higher earners, he should have come clean and mentioned this in the Budget speech rather than leave it in the Budget small print.

Steven Cameron, pensions director at Aegon, warns: Scottish residents face a worse situation.

The Scottish government sets its own threshold for higher rate tax, which is currently 43,000. We will need to wait until the Scottish Budget on 12 December to see if they will unfreeze this. But the changes to national insurance apply across the UK. This means someone in Scotland earning 50,000 will pay an extra 30.41 in NI without saving anything in income tax.

Freedom to tax  taking 400m more from pensions

The pensions industry heaved a sigh of relief that retirement savings had seemingly dodged a tax raid this week after years of fundamental and confusing upheaval.

But one document  published alongside the Budget - reveals a significant upgrade in the estimate pension freedoms tax take for this tax year.

Coming to light on page 113 of The Office for Budget Responsibilitys fiscal outlook is the revelation that the Treasury will net an extra 400million in tax as a result of people paying tax on their retirement withdrawals.

Based on the Spring Budget 2017 costings  which factored in a tax take of 900million in 2018/19  this suggests a near 50 per cent increase in revenue raised from the policy this year to 1.3billion, taking the total tax generated by the policy to 5.5billion.

The OBR says this is because older retirees are drawing down their pensions for longer, says Tom Selby, senior analyst at AJ Bell.

This could be explained by the fact buoyant stock markets have allowed savers to take income from their pensions for longer than expected. Alternatively, the OBRs initial guess may simply have been wrong.

Either way, there is no doubt the policy has been hugely successful from the Treasurys perspective, both in boosting the attractiveness of pensions and raising additional tax revenue.

Foreigners forfeit  penalising property buyers

Then theres the next latest tinkering in a desperate bid to grab the reins of an unruly property market.

Buried within the Red Book, the Chancellor has pledged to publish a consultation in January 2019 on a Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) surcharge of 1 per cent for non-residents buying residential property in England and Northern Ireland, notices

Ashley Osborne, head of residential at real estate business Colliers International.

Introducing a 1 per cent surcharge for overseas buyers will only put further pressure on housing supply, as foreign demand enables many developers to build more homes.

The government continues to push the false belief that foreigners are buying up homes in the capital in droves and leaving them empty, despite the fact there is almost no evidence to suggest this is the case. The sub 600,000 price bracket  already popular with domestic investors and Help to Buy purchasers  will become even more overburdened by an increase of foreign buyers looking for lower priced properties in order to reduce their exposure to higher levels of SDLT.

Charlie Wells, managing director of buying agency Prime Purchase, adds: On the one hand, the government claims to champion social mobility and diversity but on the other, it is saying that if you are foreign you are not welcome. There is no logic to it.

If this government thinks that penalising the people at the top, particularly foreigners, will revitalise the economy and get things going, then it is very wrong."

Moving on  the divorce disaster

The Budget contained two key proposals to the way were taxed when selling our main residence.

The first, which he set out in his speech is to effectively abolish the 40,000 lettings relief, which applies if you let out your property. It can be worth as much as 11,200 in Capital Gains tax (CGT).

But the second, which wasnt mentioned so clearly, is the proposal to half the amount of time you have to sell your main home after you move before you are hit with CGT.

If the proposal is adopted, you will have to sell your main home within 9 months after moving out  a potentially huge and expensive problem for divorcing couples, for example, or accidental landlords.

But believe it or not there were also some details, omissions and confirmations in this years Budget that could also make a huge and positive difference to our money.

Whats on your dashboard?

The pensions dashboard is a huge piece of work currently being undertaken by the pensions industry and government to provide Brits with a single point to review pensions savings that are often all over the place and forgotten.

In response to widespread confusion over how much we need to save for retirement, the plan is that a consumer can log into their personalised pensions dashboard and check the details, values, charges and other aspects of every pension pot they have to give them a clear idea of how much their total savings are worth  including their state pension.

Although the Governments commitment to the dashboard appeared to waiver earlier this year, the announcement of 5m to consult on the design of the dashboard is a positive step, and confirms Westminsters commitment to it, says Alistair Wilson, Zurichs head of retail platform strategy.

With the Government seemingly firmly behind the dashboard and state pension information also likely to be included on it, this should increase the pressure on providers who have so far been reluctant to sign-up to it.

Social care clarity, or lack of it

One of the greatest demands on our personal and national funds for the future will be the cost of an ageing population.

The current funding gap is so concerning, and so many individuals have faced such problems and financial hardship arranging the care they or their loved ones need, that it has become hugely political  an issue that could sway general elections.

So its a relief, but not a surprise that this weeks Budget included measures to help curb the crisis, or at least pay it lip service.

The Chancellors announcement of an additional 650 million to help English councils meet social care costs will be welcome, says Tom McPhail, head of policy at Hargreaves Lansdown.

However its disappointing the government still hasnt published its paper setting out plans for a coherent long-term strategy to address the financial and social challenges of caring for an ageing population.

The government urgently needs to set out its policy on how much individuals should have to pay themselves, and under what circumstances. The last Conservative manifesto flirted with a comprehensive care policy, before retreating in disarray. The sooner they address this pressing issue, the better.

Other long-term problems playing out in the personal finance have also been acknowledged.

In this weeks Budget the government has finally confirmed it will bring forward regulations to ban cold calling around pensions - welcome news in the fight against fraudsters.

And the DWP will publish a paper this winter setting out the governments ideas on boosting pensions savings among the millions of self-employed workers left out in the cold by the workplace pension.

All in all, the ramifications of this weeks Budget should keep us going until the spring, when, Phil suggests, we could see a Budget event resurrected as Brexit kicks in. Which could be even more fun.
Barclays has announced that chairman John McFarlane is retiring next year, after five years at the bank.

Mr McFarlane, who was appointed to the role in 2014, will step down in May 2019. He is to be replaced by Nigel Higgins, who is currently deputy chairman of Rothschild.

Mr Higgins said: Succeeding John McFarlane, who has done such a sterling job during a period of great change at Barclays, is a huge honour.

"I have been lucky enough to enjoy 36 years at Rothschild, working with many wonderful colleagues and clients, and particularly lucky to lead the firm for a decade or so.

I now look forward to joining another great institution and to working closely with its executive management team, led by Jes Staley, and my fellow non-executive directors.

Mr McFarlane said: Whilst it is always a difficult choice to retire from a company as prestigious as Barclays, I am delighted that the board has appointed Nigel Higgins to succeed me as chairman.

I have every confidence that Nigel will be a superb steward of the board and the bank as Barclays continues to progress following the substantial restructuring of the past few years, and I look forward to welcoming him when he joins our ranks in March."

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Mr McFarlane joined Barclays from insurer Aviva, where he oversaw a turnaround after investors turned on the companys management.

He earned the nickname Mack the Knife during his time as chief executive of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, where he reduced the investment bank to focus on its retail banking division, which led to the share price tripling.

Shares in Barclays were up 1.45 per cent in early trading on Friday.
Brexit uncertainty dogged Britains builders in October according to the latest survey snapshot of the sector.

The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) survey showed optimism falling to its lowest level in six years and firms citing uncertainty related to Brexit as a major factor undermining confidence in the month.

However, the PMI rose to 53.2 in the month, its second highest level in 16 months.

Civil engineering grew at the strongest pace since July 2017, but housebuilding was the weakest in seven months and commercial construction the weakest in five.

On the surface, the construction sector showed growth but there was plenty for businesses to be concerned about underneath, said Duncan Brock of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, which sponsors the PMI.

Despite improved activity in October, it is evident that there are significant headwinds hampering the construction sectors ability to sustain healthy growth, said Howard Archer of the EY Item Club.

Some clients willingness to commit to major new projects at this stage is being limited by Brexit uncertainties and concerns over the economy. A shortage of new infrastructure projects to bid for has also been a concern for the civil engineering sector.

Construction accounts for around 6 per cent of UK GDP.

The latest official data suggests that the sector grew by 1.6 per cent in the three months to August, but this came after a severe contraction earlier in the year during the Beast from the East snow storms.

The PMI survey for manufacturing showed that activity in the sector hit a two-year low in October, reflecting the impact of a slowdown in global trade.

The next survey for services, which account for 80 per cent of the UK economy, will be released on Monday.

According to the ONS quarterly GDP growth was 0.7 per cent in the three months to August, up from 0.4 per cent in the second quarter.

The Bank of England, in its latest forecasts on Thursday, said it expects GDP growth to come in at 0.6 per cent in the third quarter, before dropping sharply to 0.3 per cent in the final three months of 2018.
The governments council house building drive will come at the expense of fewer new units constructed by housing associations, The Independent has learned.

The revelation that housing associations will be partially crowded out casts doubt on the governments claims to be fully committed to a surge of new housing for people on low incomes.

In her Conservative conference speech in October Theresa May announced the borrowing cap on local councils would be lifted in order to allow authorities to start building houses for low-income families again in serious volumes for the first time in 30 years.

It was a reform that housing campaigners and many council bosses had long pressed for as a vital element of solving the shortage of social housing.

In the Budget on Monday, Philip Hammond followed up on the pledge, with official Treasury estimates suggesting the removal of the cap would lead to extra borrowing to build by councils of 4.6bn over the next six years.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility said it expected new council house construction of 20,000 units over the period as a result of the lifting of the cap.

9,000 The number of new homes the OBR estimates will be built over six years as a result of lifting the council borrowing cap

However, the OBR, also added that it expected this to crowd out private house building, with every two new council houses resulting in roughly one less new private house, meaning the net impact on new housing supply from lifting the cap would be only 9,000.

And The Independent has learned that the basis for this assumption is that councils, as well as funding new council building from borrowing, will also partly finance the new supply by tapping funds from the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP).

This is a pot of government grant money currently mainly drawn on by housing associations (charities and third sector organisations that provide housing at below-market rates) to fund their own construction of social housing

The upshot is that the OBR thinks housing associations available government grants will effectively be squeezed to accommodate councils.

Housing associations What are they? They are charities and third sector organisations which provide housing at below market rates to lower income families. When Margaret Thatcher more or less put an end to council house building in the 1980s a great deal of their stock of homes was transferred to housing associations to be managed and maintained. Housing associations have also been able to access grants from government to increase their supply of new homes. But the volumes of new homes they have built each have never matched those built by councils in the 1960s and 1970s, mainly because the government grants have never been large enough to enable them to do it. Their grants were cut severely by George Osborne and David Cameron. In recent months Theresa Mays government has been saying that they will get more resources. But this revelation that some of their grants will be diverted to councils to build will come as another blow to the sector and may undermine trust in ministers promises.

We assume their [housing associations] reduction in building is related directly to the proportion of the additional local authority building that involve AHP grants, said an OBR spokesperson.

The National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations, said the news was concerning.

If lifting the cap on council borrowing comes at the expense of housing association delivery, that would be concerning, said James Prestwich, the NHFs head of policy.

However, were confident that more council building shouldnt have to mean housing associations will build fewer homes. This isnt a zero-sum game, and there is a lot to be gained from cooperation between housing associations and local government.

Ministers should reset funding for low-cost homes to the 4bn it was in 2010, as Labour has long argued. This scale of investment could see both housing associations and councils building genuinely affordable homes at scale again, said shadow housing secretary John Healey.

Government figures show that between 2015 and March 2017 the AHP distributed just over 1bn of funding to create 42,878 affordable rent and affordable home ownership homes in England.

The government says a total of 9.1bn in capital grants is available under the current AHP over the next three years. Ms May announced a further 2bn of funding for the AHP in September, but this is reportedly to be money for the next phase of the programme, which doesnt begin until 2022.

Councils were significant house builders between the 1940s and the 1970s. Margaret Thatcher brought that to an end in the 1980s and transferred much of the stock of council housing to be managed and maintained by housing associations.

Source: MHCLG

The latest official data shows the housing association sector started construction on 23,890 new homes in the year to June, with annual new starts of all new homes running at 160,020.

Ministers have said that they want to deliver 300,000 new homes a year in England.

More than a million households have been on social housing waiting lists for at least a decade.

In her forward to a green paper on social housing in August, Ms May said: We need to get back to the scale of new social housing that will deliver a real difference to communities.

An HMT spokesperson said: Were committed to increasing the housing supply by 300,000 homes a year on average. Removing the cap on how much councils can borrow to build houses is vital to ensuring there is a variety of homes available. Councils are likely to use their own land and resources for development, which is why we do not expect the removal of the cap to affect other types of development.

Dan Wilson Craw of the Generation Rent pressure group said: Lifting the cap on councils borrowing is just one part of the strategy we need to boost the building of social housing. Providing more grant funding is another, as it pays for itself in the long run in lower housing benefit payments.

Josh Ryan-Collins of UCLs Institute of Innovation and Public Purpose, said the biggest obstacle for the provision of new council housing was the land market.

Ongoing austerity means local authorities still face strong incentives to sell off their land  or whats left of it following years of privatisation  to fund vital services rather than use it to build affordable housing. The land market remains rigged in favour of private developers given the rules around selling land at market value. Lifting the local authority borrowing cap is the first step in the other direction, but its a small step given the wider context.
Chemicals company Ineos is in talks to build a new 4x4 car at Fords Bridgend factory in a move that could save more than 1,000 jobs.

Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the UKs richest person, wants to assemble a vehicle in the spirit of the classic Land Rover Defender.

The Brexiteer announced in August that he was leaving the UK to live in Monaco but has said he wants to build the car in Britain.

Ineos is now in discussions with Ford to use part of its plant in South Wales, according to the Financial Times, which cited three people close to the talks.

Mr Ratcliffes firm is seeking to use the part of the plant in which Ford makes engines for Jaguar Land Rover.

Fords contract with JLR for petrol engines ends in 2020 and the US car manufacturer has warned that 1,100 jobs at Bridgend could go unless the deal is renewed.

Building the new model at Fords South Wales plant would therefore be a significant boost to the UKs car industry, which is under threat as the country prepares to leave the EU.

Last week another prominent British firm, Dyson, announced it would build its new electric car in Singapore.

Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, Airbus and Nissan have all said they will have to reconsider their operations if the government doesnt secure a Brexit deal before the UK leaves the EU in March.

Honda said in September that a no deal would cost it tens of millions of pounds, while BMW said it would push forward a planned shutdown of its Mini plant in Oxford to coincide with the beginning of Brexit to minimise risk of disruption.

Meanwhile, Jaguar Land Rover has moved workers at its Castle Bromwich plant to a three-day week because of continuing headwinds impacting the car industry. Chief executive Ralf Speth warned that tens of thousands of jobs in the UK motor industry are at risk if a no-deal Brexit goes ahead.

Mr Ratcliffe has amassed a fortune estimated at 21bn through his petrochemicals company and has previously said the UK would be perfectly successful outside the EU.

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In August he announced he was moving to Monaco, the Mediterranean tax haven where he owns property. His company was criticised for shifting its tax residence from the UK to Switzerland in 2010, before moving back six years later.

Mr Ratcliffe has said he would invest 600m to begin output of his new off-roader from 2020-21, saying he would prefer to build in Britain despite cheaper alternatives in countries such as Germany where the workforce is already trained and Ineos could use existing sites.

Wed have to build new in the UK so to balance that playing field, because youre talking about hundreds of millions to build a facility... it does need some government support, he said when the plans were first announced in 2017.
The Bank of England has invited members of the public to vote on which figure should appear on the new 50 note.

The theme for the polymer note is a celebration of the UKs achievements in science, the Bank said.

The public now has six weeks to nominate a historical character who has contributed to science and influenced UK society.

The character will be pictured in addition to the Queen, replacing steam engine pioneers James Watt and Matthew Bolton who currently feature on the note alongside her Majesty.

According to the central bank, that person could have worked in any field of science including astronomy, biology, bio-technology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medical research, physics, technology or zoology.

Some of the names suggested so far include Professor Stephen Hawking, who died earlier this year, and Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney said: I am delighted that the new 50 will celebrate the UKs contribution to science. There is a wealth of individuals whose work has shaped how we think about the world and who continue to inspire people today.

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Our banknotes are an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of UK society and highlight the contributions of its greatest citizens. My colleagues and I look forward to hearing from the public as they think science and put forward their nominations.

Sarah John, chief cashier and director of notes, said: Developing a new 50 note is an important step to ensure we can continue to provide secure banknotes that can be used with confidence.

For this note, we want people to nominate a variety of characters to reflect the brilliance and breadth of the UKs contributions to the field of science.
An overlooked contributor to the discovery of the DNA double helix and the worlds most famous cosmologist are among those in the running to be the new face of the 50 note.

The Bank of England has invited the public to submit the names of scientific figures theyd like to appear on the new banknote, with a decision set to be announced in six weeks.

A shortlist will be drawn up by an expert committee including space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock and physicist Simon Singh, with the final decision to be made by the Banks governor, Mark Carney.

But who are the favourites to adorn the new 50 notes, and what have been their contributions to science and UK society?

Stephen Hawking

(Getty) (Getty Images)

Many peoples favourite to win will undoubtedly be the recently deceased Hawking, a true scientific superstar whose contributions to science extended far beyond his own discipline.

Particle physicist and TV presenter Professor Brian Cox expressed his support for Hawking on the new note, tweeting: He made invaluable contributions over half a century to our understanding of cosmology, the early universe and black holes.

Professor Cox added that the former Cambridge academic has inspired thousands of scientists and millions of people through his books and lectures, me included.

Hawking gave his name to the radiation emitted by black holes, advanced studies of the universes origins and penned the bestselling popular science book A Brief History of Time to transmit ideas from his discipline to more than 10 million readers.

Rosalind Franklin

(Jewish Chronicle Archive/Heritage)

Franklins work as an X-ray crystallographer at Kings College London produced images that contributed to James Watson and Francis Cricks identification of the DNA double helix.

In the years following her death in 1958, her crucial work has been recognised by many including Watson and Crick themselves, but Franklin was not included in the Nobel Prize the duo went on to win four years later.

Franklins story is now seen as a cautionary tale about the ways the contributions of women have been ignored over the course of scientific history.

A place on the 50 note would be seen by many as a fantastic way to honour a scientist who was never given the recognition she deserved in her lifetime.

Katherine Mathieson, chief executive of the British Science Association, mentioned Franklin along with palaeontologist Mary Anning as potential faces for the new notes.

They were both underrecognised in their lifetime and now we could set the record straight and recognise the huge achievements they made, she said.

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace came up with the first computer program, a century in advance of Alan Turing (The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum)

Another figure seen as an overlooked scientific pioneer from a time when women were not traditionally included in science, Lovelace is often described as the worlds first computer programmer.

The daughter of poet Lord Byron, Lovelace was a mathematician who worked on Charles Babbages proposed computer, the Analytical Engine.

Lovelace translated an article by an Italian military engineer concerning the engine, adding an elaborate set of notes that contain what some have described as the first ever computer program  an algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine.

Like Franklin, Lovelace has only recently been recognised for her contribution, and her addition to the new 50 would therefore be a fitting tribute for someone who was not recognised in their lifetime.

Alan Turing

Alan Turing, who decrypted Nazi messages, was granted a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 (Rex)

In his role as a codebreaker during the Second World War, Turing played a major part in helping defeat Nazi Germany by providing the allied forces with information that gave them the upper hand in key operations.

His work at Bletchley Park during the war cracked the German messages sent by the Enigma machine, and is regarded as making key contributions to the fields of computer science and artificial intelligence.

Turing was convicted in 1952 under anti-homosexuality laws, leading to him accepting chemical castration and ultimately taking his own life two years later.

Though he was posthumously pardoned in 2013, many will surely see a place on the currency as a way to honour his legacy.

Dorothy Hodgkin

Dorothy Mary Hodgkin (12 May 1910  29 July 1994), known professionally as Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin or simply Dorothy Hodgkin, was a British biochemist who developed protein crystallography, for which she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964 (Creative Commons)

As the only British woman to become a Nobel science laureate, Hodgkin would be another perfect addition to the UKs currency, and one who many people are perhaps not familiar with.

The chemist won the prize in 1964 for her pioneering work that helped unravel the 3D structure of important substances such as insulin.

Her nomination was backed by Royal Society president Venki Ramakrishnan, who said: I would personally pick Dorothy Hodgkin, the only female Briton to have won a science Nobel Prize.

We can thank Dorothy for revealing the three-dimensional structures of many biologically important molecules such as penicillin, insulin and vitamin B12, as well as inspiring several generations of leading crystallographers.

She was also a remarkable individual who championed science in developing countries.
Britains most senior police officer has said catching paedophiles who view indecent images of children online should be a lower priority than rising violent crime.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said stretched forces are unable to respond to the rising number of demands put on them, amid a surge in stabbings and shootings.

Speaking as two teenagers were knifed to death in under 24 hours in London, she said her top priorities were violent crime and terrorism.

A 15-year-old boy was murdered in south London on Thursday afternoon, and another boy aged 17 was fatally stabbed outside busy Clapham South Tube station on Friday.

As professionals, we have to work out what is the best way to deal with the most serious things, Ms Dick told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

One area that has grown hugely is viewing indecent images of children.

"People find that utterly appalling, it is awful, but I'm afraid that we probably all know somebody who does that.

We must do more about the people who are making the images, who are making that happen, who are live streaming and that kind of thing. We cannot attack all problems from all angles.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimates that there are 80,000 people in Britain who pose some kind of sexual threat to children online and the government is increasing pressure on technology firms to stop the spread of abusive images rather than simply reporting them to law enforcement.

The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Show all 21 1 /21 The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Oluwadamilolda Odeyingbo Oluwadamilolda Odeyingbo, 18, was killed in a fight in Chislehurst on 10 January 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Hasan Ozcan Hasan Ozcan, 19, was stabbed to death on the Gascoigne Estate in Barking on 3 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Sabri Chibani Sabri Chibani, 19, was stabbed fatally in the chest in Streatham on 11 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Promise Nkenda Lord Promise Nkenda, 17, was stabbed to death in Canning Town on 14 February 2018 Facebook The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Lewis Blackman Lewis Blackman, a 19-year-old rapper from Kentish Town, was stabbed to death in Kensington on 18 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Abdikarim Hassan Abdikarim Hassan, 17, was stabbed to death near his home in Camden's Peckwater estate on 20 March - less tahan two hours before another man was stabbed to death nearby Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Kelvin Odunuyi Kelvin Odunuyi, a 19-year-old rapper known as DipDat and Lampz, was shot dead in Wood Green on 8 March Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Lyndon Davis Lyndon Davis, 18, was chased down and stabbed to death in Chadwell Heath on 14 March Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Tanesha Melbourne-Blake Tanesha Melbourne, 17, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tottenham on 2 April PA The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Amaan Shakoor Amaan Shakoor, 16, was shot dead in Walthamstow on 2 April Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Israel Ogunsola Israel Ogunsola, 18, was stabbed to death in Hackney on 4 April Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, a 17-year-old rapper and aspiring architect, was shot dead in a Kennington Street on 5 May Handout The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Jordan Douherty Aspiring rapper Jordan Douherty died of his injuries outside a birthday party in Romford on 23 June Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Katrina Makunova Katrina Makunova, 17, was stabbed to death in Camberwell on 12 July 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Latwaan Griffiths 18-year-old Latwaan Griffiths was fatally stabbed on 25 July and died in hospital after being thrown off the back of a moped in Camberwell Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Guled Farah Guled Farah, 19, was shot in Walthamstow on 22 September Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Ethan Nedd-Bruce Ethan Nedd-Bruce, 18, died after he was shot outside a party at a flat in Greenwich, south-east London, on 22 October. He had also been stabbed, but the gunshot wound was the cause of death. Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Jay Hughes Jay Hughes, 15, died was fatally stabbed outside a chicken shop in Bellingham, south-east London, on 1 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Malcolm Mide-Madariola Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17, was found suffering from a stab wound outside Clapham South Tube station on 2 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 John Ogunjobi John Ogunjobi, 16, died in front of his parents after he was stabbed in Greenleaf Close, Tulse Hill, on 5 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Aron Warren Aron Warren, 18, was found stabbed in a flat block in Greenwich on 8 December and died at the scene Metropolitan Police

Ms Dick supported remarks made by chief constable Sara Thornton, head of the National Police Chiefs Council, opposing the potential inclusion of misogyny under hate crime laws.

Police services right across the country are stretched in all kind of ways. We have rising demand, rising expectations and a very broad range of things being asked of us now, she said.

There are some things that people care about very much that may not be a job for the police and is not appropriate for us to deal with.

The Scotland Yard chief gave the example of a group of schoolgirls being subjected to wolf-whistles and calls while walking past a building site.

Calling for a common sense approach, she said: I would not expect my officers to record that.

"However, if one of the girls complained to a neighbourhood officer, I would expect the neighbourhood officer to go across to the site manager and say 'You know, those girls aren't enjoying this'."

Ms Dick also backed Ms Thorntons statement that it was not appropriate to commit significant resources to investigating allegations against those who have died, following the high-profile probes into child abuse claims against figures including Ted Heath.

Ms Dick said the Metropolitan Police would investigate any evidence of a conspiracy involving living people, but their focus is protecting people today.

 Home Secretary promises police increased powers and better protection

Officers are really busy, really stretched, she said. We cant go on increasing the scale of the mission, for example enforcing new laws, unless we are given more resources or the public are prepared for us to do some things not as well.

She said online fraud  one of the UKs fastest-growing areas of crime  was not being investigated as well as it would be in an ideal world because of violence in London: We are having to prioritise and there are some things we cant do because of that.

Ms Dick added that although the drug market was one of the major drivers of stabbings and shootings, possession of illegal substances and cannabis-smoking was not a priority for her officers compared to dealing.

Another senior officer, Assistant Chief Constable Jacqueline Sebire, said on Thursday how drug-linked violence was affecting towns and cities across the UK.

This level of violence, this constant torrent of every single day another stabbing, another violent incident that we cant seem to get ahead of, she told police chiefs and commissioners gathered at a conference in central London. There are children as young as 12 involved in stabbings. We have nine and 10-year-olds carrying knives.

As a government review of drug-taking continues, Ms Dick called on other public services to address rising demand for drugs.

Middle class people who take class A drugs form a considerable part of the market and I think many of them will be people who take their social responsibilities very seriously, she added.

They need to think about the misery at every single stage of the chain that gets them their drugs after dinner.
Governments around the world are being urged to rename the roads where Saudi Arabian embassies are situated Khashoggi Street to honour the murdered journalist.

In London, activists from Amnesty International put up a mock "Khashoggi Street" sign outside the Saudi embassy at exactly 1.14pm, one month to the minute since Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The dissident journalist, who was a columnist for the Washington Post and a strident critic of the Saudi regime, has not been seen since and is presumed to have been murdered inside the building.

The movement began in America, where friends and admirers of Mr Khashoggi have started a petition calling on officials in Washington DC to rename the section of New Hampshire Avenue where the Saudi embassy sits as Jamal Khashoggi Way.

Now, the effort to shame the presumed murderers of the journalist has spread overseas. Amnesty International hopes its stunt outside the Saudi embassy in Mayfair will prompt governments across the globe to follow suit.

Kate Allen, Amnesty International UKs director, said: The whole world has been shocked by this grotesque killing, and its vital that we dont let the outrage fade away without justice being done.

We need to see Jamal Khashoggis killers brought to justice  not only those who actually carried out the murder, but those who ordered it and knew it was about to happen.

At a memorial service for the 60-year-old exile in London on Monday, the head of an influential US Islamic think tank and long-time friend of Mr Khashoggi, Nihad Awad, urged mourners to begin petitions in every city where Riyadh had a diplomatic mission.

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

We are petitioning for the roundabout in front of the Saudi embassy in Washington to be named after Jamal Khashoggi, Mr Awad is reported to have said.

I want you to start a petition, that in every street and every city where there is a Saudi embassy or a Saudi mission, demand that it will be renamed after him.

Imagine if their mail had to be addressed to Khashoggi Way? That their business cards included such an address?

So far, more than 1,800 people have added their names to the Washington DC petition. The duo behind the petitions hail from two Washington think tanks on opposite sides of the political spectrum but are united in their outrage over Mr Khashoggis killing.

When the petition hits 2,000 signatures the pair plan to approach the citys council or mayor, Muriel Bowser, to ask for the name change.

The petition states the renaming would be a daily reminder to Saudi officials that such behaviour is totally unacceptable and as an expression of Washingtons unstinting support for freedom of the press.

Amnesty International said they were also demanding an independent UN investigation into Mr Khashoggis disappearance and warned the countrys de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was leading a crackdown on dissidents and activists in the repressive kingdom.

Since September 2017, when the authorities launched a wave of arrests targeting activists, writers and religious clerics, Amnesty has been able to verify 20 arrests, the charity said in a statement.

The entrance to Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, where Jamal Khashoggi was murdered (AP)

Some of those detained are now facing trial before the countrys notorious counter-terrorism court.

Prince Mohammed, who became crown prince in June last year, has led a series of social reforms  including finally permitting Saudi women to drive  but has also aggressively pursued opponents of Saudi Arabias authoritarian regime and internal enemies within the Saudi establishment.

He has also escalated Saudi Arabias involvement in the bloody war in Yemen against rebels allied to the kingdoms greatest Middle Eastern rival, Iran.

But despite the country being a key ally of the West in the region, a growing number of voices are expressing discontent at his leadership.

Even Donald Trump, who has resisted calls for sanctions on Saudi Arabia following the slaying because the nation is a major customer of US arms companies, has said Prince Mohammed must have known about the plan to kill the journalist.

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More than 100 fellow writers, journalists, artists and activists have echoed Amnesty International's calls on the UN to lead an inquiry into Mr Khashoggi's disappearance. Among those who have added their names to an open letter co-ordinated by PEN America are JK Rowling, Meryl Streep, Patrick Stewart, Watergate journalist Bob Woodward and novelist Margaret Atwood.

If the authorities in London or Washington agree to rename the Saudi embassiess street addresses it would not be the first time such a stunt has been pulled.

Famously, Iran changed the name of the road outside the British embassy in Tehran to Bobby Sands Street, after the IRA leader died following a 66-day hunger strike in 1981.

More recently, Washingtons council added street signs outside the Russian embassy denoting that stretch of road as Boris Nemtsov Plaza, in honour of the dissident who was murdered in Moscow in 2015.
The leader of the DUP has said that she hopes a solution to the Brexit Irish border problem is close, as she doubled down on her red lines in a meeting with the UK's Brexit Secretary on Friday.

Arlene Foster met with Dominic Raab on Friday in Northern Ireland to discuss her partys concerns with the proposals so far.

Goodness, we have been here on a number of occasions and I hope we are close a deal that will work for Northern Ireland, that is what we want, Ms Foster told reporters following the meeting.

Recommended EU plans compromise on customs union to solve Irish border

The DUP, on whom Theresa May relies for a majority in the House of Commons, have said they will not accept Northern Ireland being treated any differently from the rest of the UK, as it would under the EUs plans so far.

The minor partys red lines mean the British government has been effectively left negotiating with both the EU on one side and its allies in parliament on the other.

A delegation which included Ms Foster, North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds, MEP Diane Dodds and South Belfast MLA Christopher Stalford met Mr Raab at Stormont House in Belfast on Friday afternoon.

This is part of an ongoing range of meetings we have with Dominic. Delighted that he has come over to Northern Ireland and made a visit to the various ports, we look forward to continuing our engagement with him, she told reporters.

She said her party has made it clear to the UK cabinet minister that from the constitutional point of view but also from an economic point of view that it is very important that as well as not having any customs barriers, we cannot have any regulatory barriers.

Though the party leader struck an optimistic tone, her account of the meeting would suggest she doubled down on her red lines on checks on the Irish sea.

The British government says it agrees with the DUP and will not accept a customs border on the Irish sea, viewing it as a breach of sovereignty. But senior UK government officials have indicated that they would be willing to accept a regulatory barrier  a concession that would make finding common ground with the EU a lot easier.

Michel Barnier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator has said that there would have to be regulatory checks, however, and that they might increase ten-fold. There has been no outward sign that the EU is shifting its position in that regard.

Ms Foster welcomed Mr Raabs Friday visit to Northern Ireland, adding: I am glad that he took the chance to visit the ports today because he would have been able to see what happens at the ports.

 Irish border checks after Brexit will have to return if Theresa May fails to strike deal, expert warns

We are engaged in an ongoing process, we want to be as helpful as we can in these negotiations, we want to get a deal on exiting the European Union that is good for Northern Ireland and it can only be good for Northern Ireland if we remain a full part of the United Kingdom.

The dispute around the Northern Ireland border stems from a commitment by both the UK and EU to avoid a hard border between the Republic and the North, but disagreement on how this should be achieved once the UK leaves the EU and trade barriers are re-erected.

Theresa May's decision to leave the single market and customs union means that there would ordinarily have to be checks on goods between the UK and EU, but both sides want to mitigate this for the special circumstances on the island of Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement stipulates that there can be no hard border.

Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An abandoned shop is seen in Mullan, Co Monaghan. The building was home to four families who left during the Troubles. The town was largely abandoned after the hard border was put in place during the conflict. Mullan has seen some regeneration in recent years, but faces an uncertain future with Brexit on the horizon Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A defaced Welcome to Northern Ireland sign stands on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Mervyn Johnson owns a garage in the border town of Pettigo, which straddles the counties of Donegal and Fermanagh. Ive been here since 1956, it was a bit of a problem for a few years. My premises has been blown up about six or seven times, we just kept building and starting again, Johnson said laughing. We just got used to it [the hard border] really but now that its gone, we wouldn't like it back again Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Farmer Gordon Crocketts Coshquin farm straddles both Derry/Londonderry in the North and Donegal in the Republic. At the minute there is no real problem, you can cross the border as free as you want. We could cross it six or eight times a day, said Crockett. If there was any sort of obstruction it would slow down our work every day Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures John Murphy flies the European flag outside his home near the border village of Forkhill, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Potter Brenda McGinn stands outside her Mullan, Co Monaghan, studio  the former Jas Boylan shoe factory which was the main employer in the area until it shut down due to the Troubles. When I came back, this would have been somewhere you would have driven through and have been quite sad. It was a decrepit looking village, said McGinn, whose Busy Bee Ceramics is one of a handful of enterprises restoring life to the community. Now this is a revitalised, old hidden village Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Union Flag colours painted on kerbstones and bus-stops along the border village of Newbuildings, Co Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Grass reflected in Lattone Lough, which is split by the border between Cavan and Fermanagh, seen from near Ballinacor, Northern Ireland Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Donegalman David McClintock sits in the Border Cafe in the village of Muff, which straddles Donegal and Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An old Irish phone box stands alongside a bus stop in the border town of Glaslough, Co Monaghan Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Billboards are viewed from inside a disused customs hut in Carrickcarnon, Co Down, on the border with Co Louth in the Republic Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Seamus McQuaid takes packages that locals on the Irish side of the border have delivered to his business, McQuaid Auto-Parts, to save money on postal fees, near the Co Fermanagh village of Newtownbutler. I live in the south but the business is in the North, said McQaid. "I wholesale into the Republic of Ireland so if theres duty, Ill have to set up a company 200 yards up the road to sell to my customers. Ill have to bring the same product in through Dublin instead of Belfast Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A disused Great Northern Railway line and station that was for customs and excise on the border town of Glenfarne, Co Leitrim Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Alice Mullen, from Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, does her shopping at a former customs post on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh. Id be very worried if it was a hard border, I remember when people were divided. I would be very afraid of the threat to the peace process, it was a dreadful time to live through. Even to go to mass on a Sunday, youd have to go through checkpoints. It is terribly stressful, said Mullen. All those barricades and boundaries were pulled down. I see it as a huge big exercise of trust and I do believe everyone breathed a sigh of relief Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A bus stop and red post box stand in the border town of Jonesborough, Co Armagh Reuters

The EU has suggested that Northern Ireland effectively remain in the single market and customs union, but this plan would mean checks at ports between Northern Ireland and Great Britain  which Theresa May has said "no UK prime minister" could accept as an alleged breach of sovereignty.

Both sides are currently casting around for solutions as the clock ticks down on negotiations, with some suggesting that the entire UK could temporarily remain in a customs union with the EU to eliminate most checks unless and until another solution is found.

Some Tory eurosceptics however worry that such a plan could tie the UK to a customs union with the EU indefinitely, which they do not want, while the DUP is concerned about the remaining checks that would not be eliminated by a customs union  regulatory checks.
The EUs Brexit negotiators are said to be preparing a compromise on the Northern Ireland border issue, which is hoped will break the deadlock in the floundering talks.

Brussels is reportedly willing to include plans for a bare-bones customs union in the Brexit withdrawal agreement  a measure that would ease the need for checks at Irish sea ports.

Both sides have agreed in principle that a customs union  perhaps temporary  between the UK and EU could help prevent the checks, which the UK wants to avoid at all costs.

But the EU has so far insisted that such a customs union would have to be negotiated as part of the future relationship after Britain leaves, rather than the withdrawal agreement. This means its existence would be uncertain at the point of withdrawal.

The Financial Times reports that negotiators are now looking at provisions for a customs union in the earlier withdrawal treaty, in addition to their backstop plan that would see Northern Ireland stay in the single market.

The customs union would not remove all checks on the Irish sea, such as those on certain animal products. But UK officials have indicated they are willing to accept such regulatory checks and do not see them as a red-line in the same way as customs checks.

But the DUP, the Northern Irish unionist party on whom Theresa May relies for a majority in the House of Commons, does not share this view, and has said it will resist all checks.

Ambassadors were said to have been briefed on the new plan at a meeting this week. UK officials will indicate next week whether they are open to the compromise.

But even if accepted it is very likely to face opposition from Conservative eurosceptics, who are resolutely opposed to a customs union with the EU and believe it must be specifically time-limited.

The same fundamental problems are there, the Financial Times quoted one EU diplomat briefed on the plan as saying.

Theyve played around with the ingredients to the deal.

Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An abandoned shop is seen in Mullan, Co Monaghan. The building was home to four families who left during the Troubles. The town was largely abandoned after the hard border was put in place during the conflict. Mullan has seen some regeneration in recent years, but faces an uncertain future with Brexit on the horizon Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A defaced Welcome to Northern Ireland sign stands on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Mervyn Johnson owns a garage in the border town of Pettigo, which straddles the counties of Donegal and Fermanagh. Ive been here since 1956, it was a bit of a problem for a few years. My premises has been blown up about six or seven times, we just kept building and starting again, Johnson said laughing. We just got used to it [the hard border] really but now that its gone, we wouldn't like it back again Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Farmer Gordon Crocketts Coshquin farm straddles both Derry/Londonderry in the North and Donegal in the Republic. At the minute there is no real problem, you can cross the border as free as you want. We could cross it six or eight times a day, said Crockett. If there was any sort of obstruction it would slow down our work every day Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures John Murphy flies the European flag outside his home near the border village of Forkhill, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Potter Brenda McGinn stands outside her Mullan, Co Monaghan, studio  the former Jas Boylan shoe factory which was the main employer in the area until it shut down due to the Troubles. When I came back, this would have been somewhere you would have driven through and have been quite sad. It was a decrepit looking village, said McGinn, whose Busy Bee Ceramics is one of a handful of enterprises restoring life to the community. Now this is a revitalised, old hidden village Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Union Flag colours painted on kerbstones and bus-stops along the border village of Newbuildings, Co Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Grass reflected in Lattone Lough, which is split by the border between Cavan and Fermanagh, seen from near Ballinacor, Northern Ireland Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Donegalman David McClintock sits in the Border Cafe in the village of Muff, which straddles Donegal and Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An old Irish phone box stands alongside a bus stop in the border town of Glaslough, Co Monaghan Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Billboards are viewed from inside a disused customs hut in Carrickcarnon, Co Down, on the border with Co Louth in the Republic Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Seamus McQuaid takes packages that locals on the Irish side of the border have delivered to his business, McQuaid Auto-Parts, to save money on postal fees, near the Co Fermanagh village of Newtownbutler. I live in the south but the business is in the North, said McQaid. "I wholesale into the Republic of Ireland so if theres duty, Ill have to set up a company 200 yards up the road to sell to my customers. Ill have to bring the same product in through Dublin instead of Belfast Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A disused Great Northern Railway line and station that was for customs and excise on the border town of Glenfarne, Co Leitrim Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Alice Mullen, from Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, does her shopping at a former customs post on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh. Id be very worried if it was a hard border, I remember when people were divided. I would be very afraid of the threat to the peace process, it was a dreadful time to live through. Even to go to mass on a Sunday, youd have to go through checkpoints. It is terribly stressful, said Mullen. All those barricades and boundaries were pulled down. I see it as a huge big exercise of trust and I do believe everyone breathed a sigh of relief Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A bus stop and red post box stand in the border town of Jonesborough, Co Armagh Reuters

Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney said yesterday that there was only around a week left to do a deal before the end of November, the new unofficial deadline for an agreement.

It comes as a row brews over fishing rights for EU boats in British waters after Brexit.

EU leaders had said existing reciprocal access to fishing waters and resources should be maintained as part of any deal. The Sun reports that EU officials still see the issue as a priority in the talks.
There may yet be a Brexit agreement on the Irish border. The latest whispers out of meetings in Brussels are that the EU is preparing to offer a compromise solution on the so-called backstop. Whether it will be enough for the UK remains to be seen.

But lets suppose it is, and a withdrawal agreement is signed. Does that prevent a no deal? Not exactly.

There are two things that could still cause a no-deal Brexit. Both bring a huge degree of uncertainty.
Amber Rudd has said parts of the Home Office did not have a grip on immigration policy after a probe found she was failed by officials in the Windrush row, which prompted her resignation.

The ex-home secretary quit in April after she inadvertently misled the Home Affairs committee by saying targets for deporting illegal immigrants did not exist.

A report has now found Ms Rudd was badly briefed by her senior civil servants before, during and after the committee meeting, and they failed to assist her to correct the record in time.

Recommended Amber Rudd says she would like to be home secretary again

The row came out of the Windrush scandal, in which hundreds of Commonwealth nationals were wrongly threatened with deportation and deprived of medical care as they lacked the correct documentation.

Ms Rudd was forced to step down over the row but the report by Sir Alex Allan, the prime ministers adviser on ministerial standards, could pave the way for her return to front-line politics.

The Tory MP told the Radio 4 Today programme: There are elements of this report which just show that, unfortunately, that area of the department did not have a grip on what was going on.

I hope that there will be changes made as a result of this report so that people get a better service from Immigration Enforcement.

Ms Rudd questioned why the report had been sat on for nearly six months. She added: There were a series of leaks during the past year at quite a high level that were definitely intended to embarrass me.

The document, obtained by The Times, reveals she asked officials for advice on targets before the committee appearance that cost her the frontbench role.

It said crossed wires contributed to Ms Rudds downfall and she was was not supported as she should have been by her officials.

In preparations immediately before the hearing, the home secretary asked, Are there removals targets? and was told No. This led to her denial in the hearing, said Sir Alex.

He added: I cannot establish how she was given this reply: the most likely explanation is crossed wires between her special adviser and her private office.

Ms Rudd initially told the Home Affairs Committee that the Home Office did not have targets for removals but the following day she admitted that there were local targets.

A memo later emerged referring to a target for enforced returns and progress towards a 10 per cent increase which we promised the Home Secretary earlier this year.

Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Show all 15 1 /15 Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' arriving at Tilbury Docks from Jamaica, with 482 Jamaicans on board, emigrating to Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaican immigrants being welcomed by RAF officials from the Colonial Office after the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' landed them at Tilbury. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner who arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex, speaking at his home in Leeds PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner in Leeds shortly after he arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Gardner was 22 years old when he boarded the ship in Kingston, Jamaica, with his brother Gladstone before they and hundreds of Caribbean migrants called on to rebuild post-war Britain disembarked the ship in Tilbury Docks PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner (right), during his RAF service in 1947 PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The son of Ruth Williams, a Windrush-generation immigrant, wants to the leave the country after threats of deportation. According to his mother, Mr Haynes applied for British citizenship in 2016 but was rejected, despite Ms Williams having lived in the UK almost permanently since arriving from St Vincent and the Grenadines in 1959. Ruth Williams, 75, said she felt "betrayed" by Britain after the Home Office twice turned down applications for her 35-year-old son, Mozi Haynes, to remain in the country. Ms Williams is understood to have cancer and said she relies heavily on her son for support. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The British liner 'Empire Windrush' at port in 1954. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Ruth Williams, 75, with her British passport. "I feel betrayed and a second class citizen in my own country," she said. "This makes me so sad and the Home Office must show some compassion. "I am unwell and almost 75, I live on my own and I need my son to stay here. I need my family around me and I cant face being alone. He has applied to the Home Office and been refused twice." PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK From the top, hopeful Jamaican boxers Charles Smith, Ten Ansel, Essi Reid, John Hazel, Boy Solas and manager Mortimer Martin arrive at Tilbury on the Empire Windrush in the hope of finding work in Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaicans reading a newspaper whilst on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' bound for Tilbury docks in Essex. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK After half a century in Britain, Anthony Bryan decided it was time to go abroad. But the decision set off a nightmare that saw him lose his job, detained twice and almost deported to Jamaica. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaica-born Anthony Bryan poses outside his home in Edmonton, north London. Now 60 and a grandfather, Bryan thought the issue could be resolved swiftly, as he legally moved to Britain with his family as part of the Windrush generation of Caribbean migrants after World War II. In 1948, the ship Windrush brought the first group of migrants from the West Indies to help rebuild post-war Britain, and many others followed from around the Commonwealth. A 1971 law gave them indefinite leave to remain, but many never formalised their status, often because they were children who came over on their parents' passports and then never applied for their own. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Three Jamaican immigrants (left to right) John Hazel, a 21-year-old boxer, Harold Wilmot, 32, and John Richards, a 22-year-old carpenter, arriving at Tilbury on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush', smartly dressed in zoot suits and trilby hats. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Newly arrived Jamaican immigrants on board the 'Empire Windrush' at Tilbury in 1948. Getty

Sir Alex wrote that following Ms Rudds answers to the committee there were confused email exchanges trying to establish the position on targets.

The home secretary (was) never provided with a briefing that might have allowed (her) to put the correct position on the record, the report said.

The report noted the less than satisfactory performance of then director-general for immigration enforcement Hugh Ind, who has since moved to a different role in Whitehall.
The head of the Home Office is under fire for telling staff he is very proud of their response to the Windrush scandal, despite victims long wait for compensation.

Sir Philip Rutnam praised officials for having served the public in working to put this right, even as an investigation exposed major failings that forced Amber Rudds resignation.

The former home secretary has seized on the report to accuse her staff of a series of leaks that were definitely intended to embarrass me, prompting fresh criticism that the Home Office is in chaos.

Meanwhile, the Windrush victims are still waiting to hear how they will be compensated for their suffering. Some have been left destitute after losing jobs, benefits and even homes.

David Lammy, a Labour Windrush campaigner, condemned the email, saying Sir Philip should feel contrition for his departments tragedy of errors.

So far, the Home Office has failed to provide a penny of compensation or a hardship fund for any of my constituents denied the right to work, deported, detained, made homeless and jobless by the departments failings.

Lost records, slow response times, and a lack of empathy continue to characterise too many of my constituents interactions with the Home Office.

The Windrush generation was trapped by Theresa Mays hostile environment crackdown, when they were unable to provide the correct documents to employers, landlords and the NHS acting as de facto border guards.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has been criticised for slamming the brakes on a compensation scheme  despite the prime minister promising to act in April  and for planning to cap payments.

Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Show all 15 1 /15 Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' arriving at Tilbury Docks from Jamaica, with 482 Jamaicans on board, emigrating to Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaican immigrants being welcomed by RAF officials from the Colonial Office after the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' landed them at Tilbury. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner who arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex, speaking at his home in Leeds PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner in Leeds shortly after he arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Gardner was 22 years old when he boarded the ship in Kingston, Jamaica, with his brother Gladstone before they and hundreds of Caribbean migrants called on to rebuild post-war Britain disembarked the ship in Tilbury Docks PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner (right), during his RAF service in 1947 PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The son of Ruth Williams, a Windrush-generation immigrant, wants to the leave the country after threats of deportation. According to his mother, Mr Haynes applied for British citizenship in 2016 but was rejected, despite Ms Williams having lived in the UK almost permanently since arriving from St Vincent and the Grenadines in 1959. Ruth Williams, 75, said she felt "betrayed" by Britain after the Home Office twice turned down applications for her 35-year-old son, Mozi Haynes, to remain in the country. Ms Williams is understood to have cancer and said she relies heavily on her son for support. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The British liner 'Empire Windrush' at port in 1954. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Ruth Williams, 75, with her British passport. "I feel betrayed and a second class citizen in my own country," she said. "This makes me so sad and the Home Office must show some compassion. "I am unwell and almost 75, I live on my own and I need my son to stay here. I need my family around me and I cant face being alone. He has applied to the Home Office and been refused twice." PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK From the top, hopeful Jamaican boxers Charles Smith, Ten Ansel, Essi Reid, John Hazel, Boy Solas and manager Mortimer Martin arrive at Tilbury on the Empire Windrush in the hope of finding work in Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaicans reading a newspaper whilst on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' bound for Tilbury docks in Essex. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK After half a century in Britain, Anthony Bryan decided it was time to go abroad. But the decision set off a nightmare that saw him lose his job, detained twice and almost deported to Jamaica. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaica-born Anthony Bryan poses outside his home in Edmonton, north London. Now 60 and a grandfather, Bryan thought the issue could be resolved swiftly, as he legally moved to Britain with his family as part of the Windrush generation of Caribbean migrants after World War II. In 1948, the ship Windrush brought the first group of migrants from the West Indies to help rebuild post-war Britain, and many others followed from around the Commonwealth. A 1971 law gave them indefinite leave to remain, but many never formalised their status, often because they were children who came over on their parents' passports and then never applied for their own. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Three Jamaican immigrants (left to right) John Hazel, a 21-year-old boxer, Harold Wilmot, 32, and John Richards, a 22-year-old carpenter, arriving at Tilbury on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush', smartly dressed in zoot suits and trilby hats. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Newly arrived Jamaican immigrants on board the 'Empire Windrush' at Tilbury in 1948. Getty

In the email, obtained by The Times, Sir Philip wrote: There are lessons to be learnt following these events but I remain very proud of the way the department responded to Windrush and served the public in working to put this right.

He said many staff would be disappointed by the decision to publish the report into the events leading up to Ms Rudds resignation.

Ms Rudd quit in April after she inadvertently misled parliament by wrongly telling MPs that there were no targets for the removal of illegal immigrants.

The report, by an independent adviser to the prime minister, was slipped out on a Friday, when MPs are away from Westminster. It states that officials repeatedly gave Ms Rudd inaccurate information and failed to act on the mistakes quickly enough to prevent her resignation.

Sir Philip is believed to have resisted publication of the report, but was overruled by No 10. Two senior officials criticised in it have been moved to other high-powered Whitehall jobs.

The Home Office declined to comment on the leaked email, as Mr Rudd questioned why the report had been sat on for nearly six months.

Sir Philip now faces questioning by the Home Affairs Committee over the debacle, after the report provided troubling evidence, said its chair Yvette Cooper.

The decisions the Home Office takes have huge repercussions for peoples lives  as we saw in the Windrush cases  so we cannot afford for the Home Office to be dysfunctional, she said.
Isis militants ambushed three buses carrying Christian pilgrims on their way to a remote desert monastery south of the Egyptian capital of Cairo, killing seven and wounding 19, according to the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Interior Ministry.

The victims had left St Samuel the Confessor monastery in Minya shortly before the attack on Friday.

All but one of those killed were members of the same family, according to a list of the victims' names released by the church.

The local Isis affiliate which spearheads militants fighting security forces in the Sinai Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the extremist group's Amaq news agency.

Though its claim could be not immediately verified, Islamist extremists have previously targeted Christians on the same road south of Cairo.

"Terrorists opened fire on a tour bus from Sohag province, heading back from the... monastery," said Anba Makarious, the Archbishop of Minya.

The buses was travelling as part of a convoy when it came under attack. Security forces surrounded the area and launched a search for the perpetrators.

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he was "deeply saddened" and vowed to push ahead with a campaign against militants.

Policemen stand beside the microbus which carried Coptic Christians when gunmen opened fire (Reuters)

"I assert our determination to fight dark terrorism and to pursue the perpetrators," he added.

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The shooting took place close to the spot where gunmen killed 28 Christians who had been travelling to the same monastery in May last year. Isis later claimed responsibility.

Egypts Coptic Christian minority, which makes up an estimated 10 per cent of the population, have been a frequent target of attacks and persecution since the uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Brazils far-right president-elect Jair Bolsonaro has said he plans to move his countrys embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The change would follow the Trump administrations decision to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, effectively recognising the city as the Israeli capital in a symbolic gesture which has angered Palestinians.

The recently-elected leader tweeted on Thursday: We intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that.

The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 war, as the capital of any future state.

Israel claims the whole city, including the eastern sector home to Jerusalems most important religious sites, as its eternal capital.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately welcomed Mr Bolsonaros proposal. The Israeli leader spoke to the Brazilian leader earlier this week and invited him to visit the country.

I congratulate my friend Brazilian president-elect, Jair Bolsonaro, for his intention to move the Brazilian Embassy to Jerusalem, a historic, correct and exciting step, said Mr Netanyahu in a statement.

Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Show all 8 1 /8 Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency A man holds an inflatable figure of jailed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as supporters of far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro celebrate in front of the National Congress in Brasilia, after the former army captain won Brazil's presidential election AFP/Getty Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Supporters of the left-wing presidential candidate for the Workers Party (PT), Fernando Haddad, react in Rio AFP/Getty Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Police officers patrol the streets during a gathering of supporters of the left-wing presidential candidate for the Workers Party AFP/Getty Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency Fernando Haddad, presidential candidate of Brazil's leftist Workers Party (PT), is kissed by his wife Ana Estela Haddad Reuters Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency EPA Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency AFP/Getty Images Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency AFP/Getty Images Brazil election: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins Presidency REUTERS

Donald Trumps national security adviser John Bolton has described Mr Bolsonaro as a like-minded leader and said his recent victory was a positive sign for Latin America.

The former army captain won Brazils presidential election earlier this week, beating Workers Party candidate Fernando Haddad in the second-round run-off.

If Mr Bolsonaro follows through on his pledge to move the embassy, Brazil would become only the third country in the world to have its official diplomatic mission in Jerusalem, after the US and Guatemala.

Paraguay briefly moved its embassy to Jerusalem, only to move it back to Tel Aviv after president Mario Abdo Benitez was elected in August.

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Mr Bolsonaro courted further controversy on Thursday by appointing judge Sergio Moro as his justice minister.

Mr Moro jailed the far-right leaders chief political rival following the Operation Car Wash corruption probe. Former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sent to prison, stopping him from running against Mr Bolsonaro.

His anti-corruption and anti-organised crime agenda, as well as his respect for the laws and the constitution, will be our guide, said the president-elect.

The new minister said it would be hard to give up being a federal judge after 22 years, but he hoped his new government role would mean consolidating the advancements against crime and corruption  and remove any risks of going backward.

Supporters of the Workers Party have argued the investigation and imprisonment of the former president was part a purge of left-wing leaders.
Money was always going to be central to these midterms. With control of congress at stake  and with it perhaps the future of Donald Trump  there was no doubt that dollars would flow.

The non-partisan Centre for Responsive Politics, projects more than $5.2bn will be burned through this election cycle, making it the most expensive midterm by some margin. With a handful of days to go, $4.7bn has been spent by candidates, parties or Political Action Committees (PACs). The centre estimates Democrats will spend $2.53bn and Republicans $2.19bn. Independents and other parties will spend $460m.

The significance of this election is clear. But whether its a blue wave or a red wave, one thing is certain: a wave of money is surging towards election day, much of it coming from the wealthiest donors targeting this years most competitive races, says Sheila Krumholz, the centres executive director.

For the Democrats, the toughest piece of the puzzle has been using that money to connect its deep blue pools of support on either coast, with the less densely concentrated numbers in the heartland. It hopes to win races in seats long considered safe Republican turf.

Illinois congresswoman Cheri Bustos wants to be that bridge. Bustos, whose district includes the city of Peoria, the name of which has entered American culture as a shorthand for mainstream ordinariness, says issues there are as equally relevant to the supporters of progressives such as New Yorks Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as they are to those of Paul Davis, the son of an elementary school teacher who is contesting the Kansas 2nd.

Were focused in Peoria on the same kind of things folks in New York City or Chicago or LA are focused on, which is to make sure people can do well by their families, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees (DCCC) chair of so-called heartland engagement tells The Independent.

She adds: What we hear all across this country is that health care costs too much. Theyre concerned if they have a child with cerebral palsy theyre not going to be able to get health insurance. They want us to do more about raising peoples wages.

The Democratic Party has long struggled over how progressive its platform and message should be, an often bitter fight that most recently erupted in the 2016 primary race between Hillary Clintons support for incremental change and Bernie Sanders more radical vision. In a system in which only two parties have a realistic chance of winning a national seat, along with a handful of independents, those parties are obliged to try and have broad arms.

Bustos says the Democrats have an image problem but can overcome this by engaging directly with people. In 2016, Clinton was criticised for spending too little time addressing concerns of working class voters, especially in places such as the midwest, some of whom previously voted for Barack Obama, but decided that year to vote for Donald Trump and his promise to make America great again.

Bustos, one of just 12 Democrats who won in districts where Trump beat Clinton, said no special skills were were required to engage with voters in parts of the nation often derisively referred to as the flyover states.

It takes hard work and going to towns that might just have 300 people or 800 people, and listening to those folks, says the 57-year-old. And make sure, whatever it is people at home have shared, that we come back out to Washington and write legislation that relates the needs at home, and vote for legislation that reflects the needs at at home.

US midterm elections: the voters Show all 10 1 /10 US midterm elections: the voters US midterm elections: the voters Ross Kershey of Exton, Pennsylvania objects to President Trump's recent threat to unilaterally suspend the constitutional protection of birthright citizenship as a way to control undocumented immigrants AP US midterm elections: the voters Thomas Jakel of Eveleth Minnesota is a former miner. The economy is the most important thing to voters in his town AFP/Getty US midterm elections: the voters Jerry Mcneff of Exton, Pennsylvania intends to split his ballot between the parties for Pennsylvania's House, Senate and governor elections AP US midterm elections: the voters Jean Hoffman of Exton, Pennsylvania has concerns about the cost of her daughters' college education. She thinks that voting Republican might help extend the economy's rise AP US midterm elections: the voters Supporters attend a rally of President Trump in Rochester, Minnesota AFP/Getty US midterm elections: the voters Supporters attend a rally of President Trump in Rochester, Minnesota Reuters US midterm elections: the voters Supporter Jenny Haley and son wait in line to see a Trump Rally in Rochester, Minnesota AFP/Getty US midterm elections: the voters Dick Calef of Exton, Pennsylvania is a life-long Republican. He credits the economic gains in suburban Philadelphia to longer-term factors beyond Trump's policies, such as the growth of internet and health care companies. He's not yet sure how he will vote AP US midterm elections: the voters Markus Fasel of Mendota Heights, Minnesota attends a campaign event for Democrat Angie Craig, his favoured congressional candidate AFP/Getty US midterm elections: the voters Supporters attend a rally of President Trump in Rochester, Minnesota Reuters

Lots at stake

Political commentators frequently describe upcoming elections as being unusually crucial. Yet, there is wide agreement a lot is at stake on 6 November. Voter enthusiasm is high, and turnout, usually much less in midterms than in presidential elections, is likely to be big.

With the White House and both houses of congress in the hands of Republicans, Democrats are desperate for a win. Their best chance is the House of Representatives, where they need to flip 23 seats, and which is where any impeachment proceeding against Trump would start.

The political analysis website FiveThirtyEight believes the Democrats have a six out of seven (84.6 per cent) chance of taking the house, and the Republicans just a one out of seven chance of holding it (15.4 per cent). It gives an opposite prediction for the senate, suggesting Republicans have a six out of seven chance of retaining it.

Mike Fraoili, a veteran Democratic strategist said he could not see how, Republicans could hold on to the house.

I believe voters out there believe they want a check on president Donald Trump, he says. The most important factor in ensuring a victory was getting people to vote  everybody from millennials to seniors and everybody in between.

 US Midterms 2018: The five big questions

PAC Man

Jeb Fain is a spokesman for the House Majority Political Action Committee, which is closely associated with minority leader Nancy Pelosi and which raises and spends millions of dollars on candidates across the country. Mr Fain declined to say how much it expected to spend in 2018, but said it expected to exceed the roughly $50m it spent two years ago.

PACs are supposed to enforce a firewall between their fundraising and particular candidates. In reality that is sometimes not the case. Fain said his organisation determined which races to spend on, and which issues to highlight.

Yet his message was similar to that of Bustos and other mainstream Democrats. Our messaging has been remarkably consistent. We have been focused on healthcare and taxes going back a year-and-a-halfThat is what the Democrats have been focused on. The Republicans have been doing a lot of personal stuff and nasty stuff and I think it shows a degree of desperation.

The DCCCs GOP equivalent, the Republican National Congressional Committee, failed to respond to requests to talk about the campaign.

Matt Fleming, a spokesman for the California Republican Party, said he was confident of holding onto seats such as those in Orange County, that Democrats were spending huge sums on to try and flip. Holding every seat in the state is important if we are going to have any chance of stopping the Democrats radical, expensive agenda, he says.

The battle for the US House of Representatives, 2018 (The Independent)

Wave of women

Analysts believe 2018 could see a record number of women elected to congress  perhaps more than 100  with almost all the new faces coming from the Democrats.

Huge sums have been spent on races such as the Minnesota 2nd, where Democratic Angie Craig is seeking to oust Republican Jason Lewis. Democrat Stacey Abrams is the first African American woman nominated by a major party for a governorship race. She is competing in Georgia with a progressive platform. Ayanna Pressley is set to be the first black woman elected to congress from Massachusetts after winning the Democratic primary. Since then, she has run unopposed.

A major funder and supporter of Democratic women is the group EMILYs List. They are confident of taking back the house.

We really believe we have a lot of opportunity in the House of Representatives to make sure we add a historic number of Democratic women, says president Stephanie Schriock. The house also needs to be in Democratic hands so we can hold this Trump administration accountable.

Away from the mainstream Democratic organisations, smaller groups have also been spending to try and ensure candidates that support a progressive platform, such as a $15 minimum wage, are elected.

Justice Democrats, established by people who worked in the 2016 Sanders campaign, endorsed and supported almost 80 candidates. Of those, 26 have made it to the election on Tuesday.

The candidates all share a commitment to a progressive platform that includes Medicare for All, investment in renewable energy and the scrapping of ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement that it describes as a state-funded terror group that regularly violates basic human rights.

Spokeswoman Nasim Thompson says all its candidates represent both authenticity and a positive message. She said the party establishments had created a vacuum for groups that wanted to back candidates more in touch with voters.

Among its candidates are New Yorks Ocasio-Cortez, and Ilhan Omar, who is contesting the Minnesota 5th and would become one of the first Muslim women elected to congress if she wins. (Another Muslim woman, Rashida Tlaib, is tipped to win Michigans 13th.)

We see it as a difference between the bottom and top, more than right and left, she says.

Bustos, who tries to spend as much time as possible talking to people, at grocery stores and workplaces, will campaign to join the Democratic leadership team as assistant Democratic leader if the party wins next week.

She and other Democratic leaders have faced grassroots criticism for not supporting more progressive candidates. Some have criticised Pelosi for not pushing for the impeachment of Trump, after the leadership decided such a tactic could backfire.

Asked about such criticism, Bustos says: Wherever you are on the Democratic spectrum, we have a lot more in common than we have differences.
The Nigerian Army has used President Donald Trumps own words about the use of force against migrants throwing stones to justify shooting at Shia Muslim protesters.

The army posted a now-deleted tweet featuring a video of Mr Trump encouraging armed troops to shoot at any Central American refugees and migrants who throw rocks at authorities when crossing the US border. Please watch and make your deductions, the tweet read.

It was a response to criticism from human rights groups that the military had opened fire on peaceful protesters. The US Embassy in Abuja, the site of the protests, called for a thorough investigation to hold accountable those responsible for violations of Nigerian law.

In the video, Mr Trump said armed troops should consider equating rock-throwing with shooting from a rifle. He also said the US military is trained to fight back against anyone in the migrant caravan who throw rocks at soldiers. Were not going to put with that, the president said in the video. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back.

Recommended Trump threatens migrants travelling in caravan towards US border

Nigerian Military Spokesman John Agim said the video was tweeted in response to criticism from Amnesty International that the army used unconscionable use of deadly force by soldiers and police by shooting at about 1,000 Shia Muslims.

We released that video to say if President Trump can say that rocks are as good as a rifle, who is Amnesty International? Mr Agim told The New York Times. What are they then saying? What did David use to kill Goliath? So a stone is a weapon.

On Monday, Nigerian soldiers shot at Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) supporters when they were marching the streets of Abuja, the countrys capital as part of days of protest during which 400 Shia Muslims have been arrested. The protesters were demanding the release of its leader Ibrahim Zakzaky, an outspoken Shia cleric, who has been detained since 2015.

Nigeria is falling apart, says Nobel prize-winning author Show all 1 1 /1 Nigeria is falling apart, says Nobel prize-winning author Nigeria is falling apart, says Nobel prize-winning author 336777.bin REUTERS

The deadly clashes between the protesters and Nigerian security forces began when the authorities prohibited them from passing through a checkpoint during their march. According to video footage, heavily armed soldiers opened fire after protestors hurled rocks at them. The Nigerian military claims six people were killed. The IMN said that the military killed at least 49 people with their live bullets. Amnesty International put the death toll at 45 said there is evidence of police and soldiers using automatic weapons to kill the protesters.

The most populous country is almost equally divided with Sunni Muslims in the north and Christians in the south. Shia Muslims, however, are an often persecuted religious minority. Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist group, labels Shia as heretics and demands that they be killed.

The Nigerian armys justification for killing protesters highlights a growing concern about whether Mr Trumps hostile rhetoric incites violence and chaos. Last week, Cesar Sayoc Jra supporter of Mr Trumpwas arrested for allegedly mailing explosive devices to CNNs New York headquarters.

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Mr Trump is often seen and heard starting CNN Sucks chants at his rallies. He also praised a politician for body slamming a journalist, as well as, accused the free press of being the true enemy of the people and fake news. A few days ago, three white men seeking a lenient prison sentence after being convicted for plotting to bomb Somali Muslim refugees in Kansas filed a sentencing memorandum blaming the presidents Islamophobic rhetoric for persuading them to do so.

The court cannot ignore the circumstances of one of the most rhetorically mould-breaking, violent, awful, hateful and contentious presidential elections in modern history, driven in large measure by the rhetorical China shop bull who is now our president, the memo read. Trumps brand of rough-and-tumble verbal pummelling heightened the rhetorical stakes for people of all political persuasions.
He had not dared to hope until the pixelated video on his mobile sprang into life and there she was, looking back at him, talking.

Ali, an Iraqi Yazidi man had been sent the one-minute clip of his niece from an Egyptian Isis fighter based in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria.

It was the first time anyone in the family had seen Layla, now aged 13, since she was separated from her family three years earlier. Every one of Layla's female relatives had been kidnapped as slaves by the militants when they outran the family car as they tried to flee Sinjar in August 2014.
Ahmed Taufik fled his hometown of Tal Abyad once before, when Isis fighters stormed the streets where he grew up and eventually took control in 2014. Today, he is contemplating having to do it all over again.

Residents in this small border town are bracing for a long-threatened Turkish offensive against the Kurdish forces that control the area, following days of shelling and cross-border fire that has killed and injured civilians.

The situation in the past few days has been very bad, a mortar landed not far from my house. If it stays like this, then were afraid Turkey will come, said Mr Taufik, 42.

I have two cars ready to go at all times in case we have to run, he added.

The Turkish army has launched a wave of attacks over the Syrian border over the past week, ahead of what the countrys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said was an imminent offensive to destroy the terrorist establishment on the east of the Euphrates.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to which Mr Erdogan refers, have been a key ally of the United States in the fight against Isis, and control a swathe of northern Syria. But Turkey views it as a terrorist group and has vowed to remove it from the border.

Following the attacks, which reportedly killed a 10-year-old girl and wounded two journalists, residents in the majority Arab town of Tal Abyad told The Independent they fear Turkey will make good on its many promises to move its forces east of the Euphrates River into Kurdish-held areas.

The attacks have brought to a head a long-simmering row between Turkey and the US over Washingtons support for the SDF, and threatened to derail the fight against Isis in Syria. In response to the shelling, the SDF postponed its offensive against the last few towns under Isis control in the country.

US soldiers visited some SDF positions in what a coalition spokesman called a courtesy military visit in the area on Friday, but SDF fighters in Tal Abyad said US presence had made little difference.The Americans came for 30 minutes yesterday to check the situation and left, then the Turkish army started shooting again, said one fighter, who declined to give his name.

Another fighter, Ali Halim Mirzo, said there had been a build-up of Turkish forces on the other side of the border over the past week.

In the past there were only a few soldiers, now there are tanks and snipers all the way along, he said.

On Friday, residents were steering clear of a normally busy road that runs along the border. Earlier that morning, two journalists working for a local news agency were shot by the Turkish army. One of them, 19-year-old Gulistan Muhammed, is in a critical condition. Her colleague, Ibrahim Ahmed, said from a hospital bed that they had gone to report on the shelling.

The shelling makes life very uncomfortable for the US and SDF and forces debates in Washington about how to manage and handle Turkey Aaron Stein, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council

The flare-up between Turkey and the SDF comes at a difficult time for the US-led coalition. The SDF, backed by US forces and airstrikes, has been battling to capture the last remaining piece of populated territory controlled by Isis in Syria  a string of villages in Deir Ez-Zour near the town of Hajin. But in the past week, Isis has managed to recapture nearly all the territory the SDF had taken.

The Turkish shelling began in the aftermath of the Isis counterattack, and led to the SDF announcing that it was halting the offensive.

 Russia completes delivery of S-300 air defence systems to Syria

Mr Erdogan has repeatedly expressed his frustration over US support for the SDF, which is primarily made up of fighters from the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), an affiliate of a Kurdish group that has fought the Turkish state for decades.

"Aren't you strategic partners with us? We asked to purchase weapons from you and you rejected, but you give this terrorist group weapons for free. How do you explain this to the world? Mr Erdogan said last month, referring to US backing of the group.

Aaron Stein, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Turkeys strategy is to put pressure on the United States to acquiesce to Ankara's long standing demand to force the YPG from the border areas and to replace Kurdish-linked councils with groups in Ankara's orbit.

The shelling makes life very uncomfortable for the US and SDF and forces debates in Washington about how to manage and handle Turkey, he added.

Over the past two years, Turkish forces have launched two separate offensives to push YPG fighters out of territory in northern Syria, but they have so far stopped at the Euphrates River due to the presence of US forces on the other side.

Deputy State Department spokesman Robert Palladino made a point of reminding Turkey of that on Thursday, saying that unilateral military strikes into northwest Syria by any party, particularly as American personnel may be present or in the vicinity, are of great concern to us.

Mr Erdogan has made repeated threats to cross the river, but has so far not followed through.
Aid projects funded by Oxfam in Yemen have been hit in Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, it has emerged, as the British government faces mounting pressure to halt arms sales to Riyadh.

A vital cholera treatment centre in Abs, in the Hajjah province, was hit in June in coalition war strikes  which are supported by British intelligence  despite the location being reported to the Saudi alliance more than 12 times.

Two months before that, coalition air raids severely damaged an Oxfam-supported water supply system that provided water for 6,000 people.

The British charity  supported by UK and European funding  revealed the news after Oxfams Dina el-Mamoun told the International Development Committee this week that UK aid had been bombed.

Oxfams head of advocacy, Toni Pearce, called British policy towards Yemen irresponsible and incoherent, three years into a war which has sparked the worlds largest humanitarian crisis in numbers of people and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

She said: On the one hand, British aid is a vital lifeline, on the other, British bombs are helping to fuel an ongoing war that is leading to countless lives being lost each week to fighting, disease and hunger.

The UK continues to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, whose coalition bombing campaign in Yemen has cut off vital food supplies, destroyed hospitals and homes, and hit aid programmes funded by British taxpayers.

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) reported in June 2015 that coalition warplanes destroyed a warehouse of UK-funded aid in an airstrike. DFID declined to comment on the latest projects hit.

Since Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies launched a bombing campaign to oust the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the spring of 2015, the UK has sold an estimated 3.87billion worth of arms to Riyadh.

And despite reassurances from the UK government that its intelligence support and training of the Saudi-led forces is helping reduce civilian casualties, the latest report from the Yemen Data Project (YDP) shows that 48 per cent of all known airstrikes hit non-military targets.

YDP spokesperson Iona Craig told The Independent: Since the Saudi/UAE-led coalition launched the ground offensive against [the city of] Hodeidah in June, the data has shown a significant rise in non-military targeting.

This is now a trend that has continued since June and peaked in September with 48 per cent of air raids targeting civilian sites.

She continued: This continuing rise of civilian targeting has also been reflected in the casualty figures.

A father gives water to his malnourished daughter in a hospital in Hodeidah, Yemen (AP)

Apart from October 2015, which matched that percentage, September saw the highest rate since the start of the three-year long war, reported the organisation, which tracks the airstrikes.

Andrew Mitchell, Conservative MP for Sutton Coldfield and former international development secretary, described the UKs policy on Yemen as punching a person in the face and then offering them a plaster.

These statistics lay bare the errors of judgment which Britain has made in its support for the Saudi coalition on Yemen, he told The Independent.

Instead of using our influence at the UN to secure a ceasefire and a peace process we are widely viewed as complicit in causing monstrous famine conditions.

Britain makes a point of emphasising our financial support for Yemen through aid but this is a bit like punching him in the face and then offering him a sponge and an Elastoplast.

Theresa May has supported de-escalation in Yemen but stopped short of endorsing US demands for a ceasefire. She has faced mounting pressure from opposition and Conservative Party MPs to rethink the relationship with Saudi Arabia, one of the UKs chief allies in the region.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown, who sits on the International Development Committee and the Committee on Arms Export Controls, said bombing our own aid was a grim irony.

He told The Independent: The government maintains the deceit that the British troops embedded in the Saudi air command centres are there to reduce civilian deaths in Yemen. As the number of civilian strikes are rising, both absolutely and as a proportion of total strikes, it either means our military presence in Saudi Arabia is totally ineffectual or that Britain is coordinating these attacks against civilians.

The Saudi-led coalition began bombing the country in 2015, imposing a crippling land, sea and air blockade. The campaign was intended to re-instate president Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who was ousted by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels when they took control of the country in 2014.

The Houthis have been accused of bombing aid convoys and laying siege to pro-government areas, leading to starvation.

Britain makes a point of emphasising our financial support for Yemen through aid but this is a bit like punching him in the face and then offering him a sponge and an Elastoplast Andrew Mitchell, former international development secretary

Peace negotiations collapsed this September, and despite calls for renewed talks, thousands of government troops are amassing around the Red sea port of Hodeidah ahead of a renewed offensive.

In the interim the conflict has sparked a humanitarian crisis  with two thirds of Yemens population now relying on aid.

Lise Grande, the UNs coordinator for Yemen, said last month that as many as 13 million civilians could die from starvation if the bombardment continues. On Friday the United Nations warned that a looming famine could put 2 million mothers at risk of death.

 Malnutrition centre in Mukalla, Yemen provides care for children suffering hunger and famine

Saudi Arabia has come under increased scrutiny for its attacks, which have hit hospitals, schools, homes and market places.

The Gulf coalition has repeatedly denied accusations by rights groups such as Human Rights Watch that its actions in Yemen amount to war crimes, or that it strikes civilian infrastructure.

They maintain that they conduct comprehensive reconnaissance before each mission, and have in the past accused the Houthis of using civilians as human shields.

This week Doctors Without Borders said their health facilities have been hit five times by the coalition since the war erupted in 2015, killing 21 patients and staff, and injuring 33 others.
Thousands are protesting in Pakistan today, blocking roads in major cities and pelting police with stones, after the supreme court overturned the death sentence of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian farm labourer convicted of blasphemy.

At the forefront of the rioting are the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a political party made up of religious extremists dedicated to punishing blasphemy. Reacting to the verdict, the TLP called for the judges to be killed and for army officers to commit mutiny against the army chief.

The TLP and its ilk have enjoyed a lot of leeway from consecutive governments when it comes to inflammatory statements and protests, but this might have been a step too far.

In an ordeal that lasted for eight long years, many of which she spent in solitary confinement, Asia Bibi was a victim of religious bigotry, falsely accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad when she had refused to convert to Islam.

In a furious admonishment of the veracity of some of the evidence provided by the prosecution, which Justice Asif Saeed Khosa described as not only an afterthought but nothing short of concoction incarnate. He wrote, Blasphemy is a serious offence but the insult of the appellants [Asia Bibi] religion and religious sensibilities by the complainant party and then mixing truth with falsehood in the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad was also not short of being blasphemous.

Its not uncommon for evidence to be fabricated in order to frame someone for blasphemy. According to Amnesty International, blasphemy laws in Pakistan have been used to target religious minorities, pursue personal vendettas, and carry out vigilante violence. On the basis of little or no evidence, the accused will struggle to establish their innocence while angry and violent mobs seek to intimidate the police, witnesses, prosecutors, lawyers and judges.

In 2013, a brilliant and gifted academic, Junaid Hafeez, a Fulbright Scholar and formerly a visiting faculty member at Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan, was arrested for blasphemy based on possibly doctored printouts of materials that had been attributed to him. Some of the witnesses produced before the court could neither pinpoint any blasphemous content they claimed he was guilty of supporting, nor read or write in English, the language of the offending text.

Hafeez still languishes in jail. His first lawyer, Rashid Rehman, who also happened to be the local organiser of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, was shot dead in his office for simply taking his case.

Forgotten Women: The sisters fighting for human rights in Pakistan Show all 5 1 /5 Forgotten Women: The sisters fighting for human rights in Pakistan Forgotten Women: The sisters fighting for human rights in Pakistan Forgotten Women: The sisters fighting for human rights in Pakistan Human rights activist Gulalai Ismail was apprehended by Pakistan officials upon landing in Islamabad after a flight from London Forgotten Women: The sisters fighting for human rights in Pakistan Forgotten Women: The sisters fighting for human rights in Pakistan Forgotten Women: The sisters fighting for human rights in Pakistan

While the accused are afforded some semblance of protection in custody, unfortunately their lawyers and supporters often are not. Speaking out in favour of those accused of blasphemy in Pakistan or publicly displaying solidarity is extremely dangerous.

In 2011, Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, was shot dead by his own bodyguard after he lobbied for Bibi to receive a presidential pardon and advocated for the reformation of blasphemy laws.

Just two months later, Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian, and Pakistans religious minorities minister, was also killed for speaking out against the blasphemy law.

Proponents of the blasphemy laws, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, claim that they are needed to deter angry mobs from taking matters into their own hands. They argue that it isnt the laws that are the problem, but the abuse of such laws.

However, last month, when given the opportunity to pass a law for harsher punishments for those guilty of levelling false blasphemy accusations, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led government seemingly backtracked on its commitment. While they were duly lambasted by progressive voices on social media, the general public welcomed this development.

Prime Minister Khan has rebuked the TLP for exploiting religious sentiments for political gain, sending a warning to protesters that the state will carry out its duty to safeguard people of the country if the protesters continued to clash against the state.

However, the very next day, interior minister Shehryar Khan Afridi informed the national assembly that the government was in talks with the various religious and political parties protesting the supreme court decision.

While it is reassuring that he declared that there wouldnt be any compromise on the rule of law, the fact that stricter action has still not been taken against those individuals publicly making death threats is, sadly, a familiar story.

Unfortunately, with such a volatile environment, it is clear that despite being innocent, Asia Bibi and her family will probably never be safe in Pakistan. Like Malala Yousafzai, they will most likely be relocated abroad, perhaps with new identities.

However, one of the protesters demands is that Asia Bibis name be put on the exit control list and she not be allowed to leave the country.

Debates around blasphemy laws in Pakistan garner the same heightened emotions as those about the second amendment do in the most conservative of states in the US. Even the most basic of common sense reforms are treated with suspicion and hostility by a very large and vocal segment of the population.

The argument for maintaining blasphemy laws is also undermined by the fact that even those found innocent in a court of law are often not safe, as demonstrated by the mass protests and riots taking place across the country in the aftermath of the supreme court ruling. It seems that religious extremists will only ever be satisfied with a pronouncement of guilt.

In 2010, two Christian brothers were shot dead outside a courthouse after rumours spread that the police were going to clear them of blasphemy charges.

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The government needs to learn that there is no appeasing bloodthirsty fanatics because their demands are never rooted in genuine need or any semblance of logic.

The leadership of the TLP derives its power from the appearance of being untouchable. The government should have arrested them immediately once they broke the law and threatened physical harm.

While there is still a long way to go, Pakistan can take some comfort in incremental progress. The bravery of Asia Bibi, her lawyers, as well as the supreme court justices, especially Justice Khosa, who could have delayed the verdict until his retirement, but instead wrote a brilliant and historic additional note, needs to be celebrated.

The verdict should be made easily accessible to the masses in Urdu and be made essential reading at all relevant educational institutes.

The government needs to move on from empty rhetoric and take immediate action against those religious and political groups threatening violence and causing damage to public property. Only then will a message be sent out loud and clear that such behaviour will not be tolerated any longer in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Why is Britain still selling arms to Saudi Arabia? The cruel absurdity of what is happening is highlighted in the latest news from Yemen. For arms that have been by supplied by one of its Western allies are now being used by Saudi Arabia to destroy aid projects funded by Britain. Oxfam reports that a cholera treatment centre and a water plant have been hit by air strikes from the Saudi-led coalition. The circle of destruction has itself come full circle.

It is a further grotesque aspect of a war that has been pitiless  and claimed huge loss of life. International agencies warn that the worst famine in a century will soon overwhelm the country, which was hardly prosperous before the bombs started to fall. The United Nations says that seven million Yemeni children are at risk of starvation: more than the entire population of Scotland. It is difficult to comprehend the scale of the humanitarian disaster unfolding on the Arabian peninsula  precisely to the south of one of the richest nations on earth, sitting on vast oil reserves and with a sovereign wealth fund valued at around $700bn. The obscenity is almost too big to contemplate.

Yet British ministers tell a concerned public that the arms were supplied to Saudi Arabia under the guidelines set down under the last Labour government, and are designed to prevent them being used for internal repression or international aggression. There seems to be rather a lot of that in evidence at the moment. Pressed by the SNPs Westminster leader Ian Blackford at prime ministers questions last week, Theresa May told him that the UKs rules on arms sales are among the strictest in the world. Not strict enough, obviously.

The response to this situation should be to bring UK defence support to the Saudi regime to an end, at least until peace has been delivered. British ministers are plainly embarrassed both by the actions of Saudi Arabia and their own failure to do anything to restrain the countrys rulers from trying to bomb Yemen into submission, if not back to the Stone Age.

Even if it is unwilling to halt arms sales or the supply of spare parts, the government could at least apply some more intense diplomatic pressure than withholding visas from Saudi citizens suspected of involvement in the death of Jamal Khashoggi. It is sometimes said that Britain's historical links with the region have created a special relationship, giving the UK extra leverage with which to influence Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. If so, there appears to be scant evidence of this sway delivering any relief to the people of Yemen  or to the UK's own aid projects in that benighted land.

Whatever their intentions, the Saudis have an appalling record in the prosecution of this pitiless war. They have killed civilians, including children, blockaded the ports and thus restricted access to food and medicine, and destroyed much of what little national infrastructure Yemen possessed.

As if that were not enough, the failure of Saudi policy is made absolute by the fact that the Houthi rebels have not been crushed, and the security of Saudi Arabia is probably more precarious than it was before this ill-starred conflict began in 2015. And to this is now added the murder of Khashoggi.

The worlds press has, rightly, been relentlessly pursuing the grisly killing of the journalist, a crime that has rightly brought disgrace upon the reputation of the Saudi kingdom. Some of the stories that are swirling around the case  such as todays allegation from the Turkish authorities that his body was disposed of in an acid bath  have seen no effective rebuttal. The story is not going to go away until the truth is out. Saudi Arabias rulers will then have to face the consequences.

Even the United States, for so long the kingdom's staunch ally  with well-publicised close links to the Bush political dynasty  has protested about that killing and the war in Yemen. The Americans have publicly called for the war to end, more than the British have done. However, like Britain, they are not yet prepared to halt arms sales either unilaterally or by an international agreement to de-escalate the conflict.

On the other hand, president Trump has re-imposed sanctions in Iran, which is in effect fighting a proxy war with Saudi Arabia in Yemen. This further complicates the situation and makes it less likely that Tehran will use its leverage on its Houthi allies to bring the war to an end. In that context, and the absence of any international initiatives, the only things that seem certain now are that the people of Yemen will suffer more, and that the famine will come.
The small town of Jaywick, on the Essex coast, has rather bizarrely found itself catapulted into public view this week. In news that could only seem normal in 2018, a Republican candidate for the 11th congressional district in Illinois in the US mid-term elections has used Jaywick, of all places, as a warning to US voters.

The advert, ran by Dr Nick Stella, depicts an omniscient billboard hovering over empty, desolate and impoverished streets. It insinuates that this could be the future of the US state if it elects democratic candidate Bill Foster. Accompanying the imagery, text reads: We cant go back to foreclosures, unemployment and economic recession and only YOU can stop this from becoming a REALITY!

Though, as only-in-America ridiculous as this advert seems  and as easy as it is to laugh off  the existence of this advert is deeply concerning. We can make out that the Americans are bonkers for painting such an unfair portrait of coastal Britain, but the photographs display what is a grim reality for over almost 5,000 people in a town just two hours from central London.

Jaywick was named the most deprived neighbourhood in England in 2010 and 2015, according to the governments deprivation index. Theresa Mays Conservative Party might be claiming that austerity is over, but places like Jaywick are a devastating example of what happens when an area is financially neglected for generations.

Grayson Perry has a vision for Essex... but the village of Wrabness doesn't like it Show all 3 1 /3 Grayson Perry has a vision for Essex... but the village of Wrabness doesn't like it Grayson Perry has a vision for Essex... but the village of Wrabness doesn't like it 14-graysonperry1-charliefb.jpg Charlie Forgham-Bailey Grayson Perry has a vision for Essex... but the village of Wrabness doesn't like it Grayson Perry has a vision for Essex... but the village of Wrabness doesn't like it 14-graysonperry2-charliefb.jpg Charlie Forgham-Bailey

As an Essex native, I often find myself defending my heritage. Having gained notoriety in popular culture for The Only Way is Essex, its association with UKIP and, most recently, being one of the highest Leave voting areas in the EU Referendum, thats not always the easiest task.

Jaywick lies on the northeastern coast of Essex, a coastal town that has been battling cultural, economic and political tensions for almost a century. The town was a post-industrial vision born out of the idea that anybody should be able to own a piece of land. These developments came to be known as Plotlands. In plotland developments there was originally no roads, electricity or sewer systems. But as a product of its age, built on a culture of post-war self-sufficiency, Londoners flooded to the seaside to purchase a small plot and make a slice of the seaside their own.

This vision from the past seems rosy, utopian and certainly a radical departure from the imagery we see in this advertisement. Yet quickly, the dream began to unravel. Plotlands, which were originally supposed to be holiday homes, became in demand during the post-war housing crisis and people descended on the area to live permanently. An area called the Brooklands  a vast plotlands development of permanent homes  emerged to address this demand. With its high density of chalets in close proximity to the sea, this area was viewed by some as both a safety and environmental concern. But instead of helping to give security to residents through investment, successive councils used these concerns to neglect the area. In such circumstances, marginalised groups often vacate areas, but to the surprise of local authorities Jaywicks substantial population remained, spiralling into poverty and disorder as the area became more dilapidated.

Soon boarded up cafes and businesses became the norm and the people of Jaywick got used to being ignored and forgotten. While the neighbouring town of Frinton-on-Sea was positioned as one of the countys prized areas, Jaywick became the target of unending hostility and austerity from local authorities.

Jaywick Special Needs: Roads, Lights, Supermarkets, Gas, Pub, Jobs, Shops, Pavement and dreams, a handmade sign on a residents window in Jaywick (Tom Thornton ) (Tom Thornton)

Jaywick was born out of a culture of working class proprietorship and the hope of reclaiming land for the masses. These progressive and radical ideals are some of the reasons why I hold my Essex heritage so close to my heart. But as you drive along the sea front today, the devastating lack of public services and investment has brought pain to this vision. It is telling that the last time this town hit headlines was when residents took part in Channel 5s poverty porn welfare expose Benefits by the Sea.

Dr Stellas advert might seem ridiculous, but its not a lie  Jaywick still is deprived and this shames us all. Since the picture used in his advert was taken, Essex County Council has completed a 6.5m investment to improve the roads and drainage systems in Jaywick, a much needed step. But what does it say about us that were happy to be outraged at an American politician bashing a British town, but wont face up to the shocking levels of deprivation faced by its residents?

I recently took a trip to Jaywick and came across a hand written poster in a residents window, it read: Jaywick Special Needs: Roads, Lights, Supermarkets, Gas, Pub, Jobs, Shops, Pavement and dreams. I hope that by the next time this misunderstood community is in the spotlight it has received the respect, infrastructure and funding that it so badly deserves.
The tail-end of an Atlantic hurricane will cause torrential downpours and strong winds to sweep across parts of the UK over the weekend.

Former Hurricane Oscar, which peaked with winds over 100mph when it whipped through the Caribbean earlier this week, will pass near the British Isles on Saturday.

Although the weather system has now been downgraded, the Met Office has still issued a yellow warning for rain across western Scotland.

Recommended Temperatures to fall below freezing in UK tonight

"Heavy and persistent rain is expected across Scotland for much of the day, according to the Met Office.

Spray and flooding is expected to make driving much harder and journey times longer, and bus and train services will also be affected.

The first rains brought by the remnants of Hurricane Oscar will hit Northern Ireland on Friday afternoon, before the downpours and winds pick up early on Saturday morning for most of western Scotland and parts of north-western England.

By the end of Saturday the bad weather will have reached Wales and parts of eastern England as well, and BBC weather forecaster Nick Miller has warned that the winds could reach speeds of 60mph.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning and said the downpours will make driving difficult (PA)

Wherever you are, the breeze is picking up, particularly in the west. But its nowhere near as cold, but you may still see a touch of frost in eastern England," he said.

The next system is a deep area of low pressure  ex-Hurricane Oscar. It passes us to the northwest but we are close enough to get a windier day across the UK on Saturday and a very wet day in western Scotland.

The mercury plummeted overnight, with the coldest spots seeing temperatures of -2C early on Friday morning. But the coming storms will see more mild temperatures, Mr Miller said, with temperatures of 8 or 9C on Saturday morning.

Although the worst of the wind and rain will lash western Britain on Saturday, the bad weather could persist into Sunday and affect fireworks displays and Bonfire Night celebrations in some places.

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A fresh band of rain is also expected to cause problems on Sunday for western England and Wales.

Looking ahead to next week, the forecast improves although it will remain unsettled with plenty of wet and windy weather.

The Met Office said that temperatures would stay warmer throughout next week, although overnight frosts and patches of mist and fog are possible, especially in the northern parts of the UK.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (right) and deputy leader Michelle O'Neill speaking to the media in the Great Hall at Stormont, Belfast, following a meeting with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Leo Varadkar and Theresa May at a bilateral meeting in Brussels. Photo: Taoiseach Government/PA Wire

Handout photos issued by Julien Behal of a meeting of (left to right) David Lidington, Simon Coveney and Charles Flanagan speaking during the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. Photo: Julien Behal/PA Wire

A Brexit deal that will answer the so-called Irish question is very close, the second most senior member of Theresa Mays government has said.

Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington travelled to Dublin today where he met Tanaiste Simon Coveney to discuss UK/Irish relations.

At a press conference afterwards, both men agreed that a withdrawal agreement can be secured in the coming weeks.

However, Mr Coveney warned that there still needs to be some movement on the UK side.

"I think a deal can be done but I think it's important that the commitments that have been made are followed through on in full.

"If that happens I think it's possible to ensure that we get a withdrawal agreement that can be sold on both sides of the Irish Sea, he said.

Expand Close Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (right) and deputy leader Michelle O'Neill speaking to the media in the Great Hall at Stormont, Belfast, following a meeting with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (right) and deputy leader Michelle O'Neill speaking to the media in the Great Hall at Stormont, Belfast, following a meeting with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Mr Lidington said he believed they were "very close to resolving" the outstanding issues and he reiterated the UK Government's commitment "to getting over those final difficulties" in the Brexit negotiations as soon as possible.

"I cannot emphasise strongly enough that the Prime Minister feels absolutely committed to her pledge not to have under any circumstances a hard border on the island of Ireland," Mr Lidington said.

While Mr Lidington was in Dublin, the Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab made a flying visit to Northern Ireland.

He visited two sea ports before meeting a number of local political parties.

Mr Raab heard opposing views from the two biggest parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein.

The DUP urged that there be no additional barriers between the Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK after Brexit.

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Sinn Fein told him that the UK government must agree to a backstop plan which could see Northern Ireland effectively remaining in the customs union and single market.

However, Mr Raab insisted he is confident the Government can get a "good deal".

"We have made it very clear we would never sign up to anything that would threaten the economic, the constitutional, let alone the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom," he told the BBC.

Asked twice whether it had ruled out any new regulatory checks at the Irish Sea border, he said: "We are engaged in a negotiation process.

"We have made it very clear that whether it's the customs regime for the UK as a whole, or the wider economic integrity of the UK as a whole, we will not allow any proposals to be accepted that would jeopardise that, and that is the crucial thing here.

"Of course we want to maintain frictionless trade with our EU partners, but the internal market within the UK is absolutely crucial too.
There are fresh hopes of a Brexit deal as EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier offered the UK an olive branch on the Irish Border.

Mr Barnier briefed EU ambassadors yesterday during a meeting in Paris on plans to offer Prime Minister Theresa May a UK-wide customs arrangement while a new trade deal is being negotiated.

The offer would see an invisible border maintained in Northern Ireland while also removing the need for customs check in ports or airports either side of the Irish Sea.

The proposal would be welcomed by Irish business owners and farmers who fear the introduction of trade tariffs will severely damage their profit margins.

It also opens up the possibility of a deal being struck before the end of the month, with November 21 being tipped as a possible date for an EU Summit on Brexit.

However, there are concerns Ms May will not be able to sell the deal to hardline Brexiteers who fear such an arrangement would permanently tie Britain to the EU.

Negotiators in Brussels and Dublin hope the deal would appease the Democratic Unionist Party who adamantly oppose any border down the Irish Sea.

The tentative proposal which the Irish Government is supporting would see Northern Ireland remain in a full customs union with the EU and adhere to single market rules on goods and agriculture.

Meanwhile, the rest of the UK would sign up to what is being described as a 'bare bones' customs arrangement involving tariffs being charged on good coming in from outside the EU.

The exact legal details of the proposed arrangement have yet to be negotiated but Britain may be able to enter into trade talks with other countries while it also discusses its future relationship with the EU. This would be a major step forward in negotiations but EU negotiators are anxious to maintain the integrity of the custom union and are eager to ensure the UK is not given an advantage over remaining member states on trade.

The proposed fall back customs arrangement or what is known as the 'backstop' would remain in place until the EU and the UK agree a post-Brexit trade deal.

However, Brexiteers fear the deal would tie Britain indefinitely to the EU.

Meanwhile, Tanaiste Simon Coveney and Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan will take part in a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin today. The UK Government will be represented at the event by Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley

The group will discuss efforts to restore the North Ireland institutions along with talks on security cooperation both sides of the border and between the British and Irish Governments.

Officially, Brexit is not a topic for discussion at the event. However, it is likely the UK ministers will use the opportunity to discuss the negotiations with their Irish counterparts. Irish ministers have been told to tell UK ministers to speak to the EU negotiating team.

Last night, Mr Coveney said the talks "demonstrates that, despite the current challenges, both the Irish and UK governments are committed to developing the relationship between our countries and looking at ways to maintain and deepen our engagement".

Mr Flanagan said: "We have common cause in combating the threat from paramilitaries who continue to reject the Good Friday Agreement.

"While considerable progress has been made on the security front, the need for continued action against paramilitaries and ongoing vigilance remains."
Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said strong UK-Irish friendship is more important than ever ahead of talks between senior Irish and UK Government ministers in Dublin.

Mr Coveney and Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan are set to welcome UK Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley at a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) in Dublin's Iveagh House.

In a tweet Mr Coveney said: "Looking forward to welcoming @DLidington [and] Karen Bradley to Dublin for British Irish Intergovernmental conference with me [and] @CharlieFlanagan."

He added: "Strong UK/Irish friendship, trust [and] cooperation more NB than ever. Legacy, security coop, East-West relations [and] NI political stability all on agenda."

The conference comes as Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab arrived in Northern Ireland on Friday morning for a one-day visit to the region. He was due to visit Stormont to meet with local political parties.

Powersharing government at Stormont has been collapsed since January 2017 following a breakdown in relations between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

A meeting between Ms Bradley and Northern Ireland's main political parties in Belfast on Thursday to discuss the re-establishment of formal powersharing was branded a "waste of time" by SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.

Four of the five parties expressed frustration after the meeting and they pressed Ms Bradley to convene multi-party talks.

Established under the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the BIIGC focuses on bilateral agreement between the two countries.

Brexit negotiations and the absence of power-sharing in Northern Ireland are set to be top of the agenda of this conference.

North/South Security Co-operation and bilateral co-operation between the British and Irish Governments will also be discussed.

The last meeting of the BIIGC took place in July.

In a statement ahead of the meeting, Mr Coveney said it showed the shared determination of both governments to get all of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement operating effectively again as soon as possible.

"It also demonstrates that, despite the current challenges, both the Irish and UK governments are committed to developing the relationship between our countries and looking at ways to maintain and deepen our engagement," Mr Coveney continued.

Mr Flanagan said the meeting represented an important opportunity for the two governments to discuss their shared security concerns.

"We have common cause in combating the threat from paramilitaries who continue to reject the Good Friday Agreement," Mr Flanagan said.

"While considerable progress has been made on the security front, the need for continued action against paramilitaries and ongoing vigilance remains."

Earlier this week Ms Bradley told the House of Commons that she was "actively considering" how and when an external mediator could play a "constructive" role in attempts to re-establish talks. She told MPs she would raise the idea with the Irish Government during Friday's conference.
The Finance Bill has included a number of changes to the Young Trained Farmer Stamp Duty Exemption Scheme

In my column two weeks ago, I heralded the 2019 Budget as being reasonably good for farmers, but I included the caveat that people should watch out for the 'sneaky stuff' in the Finance Bill. Well, sure enough I wasn't disappointed.

The Finance Bill has included a number of changes to the Young Trained Farmer Stamp Duty Exemption Scheme that would appear to fly in the face of promoting farm succession, which is what the measure was intended for in the first place.

The Government will plead innocence as this relief, along with certain other reliefs such as Stock Relief (100pc scheme) and Succession Farm Partnership tax incentives, constitute EU State aid and must comply with EU State aid rules - in particular those rules dealing with "start-up aid for young farmers and the development of small farms".

The exemption was due to cease on December 31 but, thankfully, it was announced in the recent Budget that it will continue to be available until December 31, 2021.

That said, it contains a number of significant changes and its extension to 2021 is subject to Ministerial Order following notification to the EU Commission.

Consequently, it is far from clear if the extension will be cleared for take-off by the December 31 deadline. The extended scheme contains a number of new conditions and limits that intending applicants should be aware of. However, firstly I will list the basic requirements for qualifying for the relief which have not changed and are as follows:

* the transferee must be under 35;

* the transferee must hold a relevant agricultural qualification at the time of transfer in order to claim the exemption or they may acquire the qualification within four years and claim a rebate of the stamp duty paid;

* only agricultural land will qualify, along with such farm houses and buildings on the land that are of a character appropriate to the land. It should be noted that land occupied as commercial woodland is not eligible;

* the land which is the subject of the transfer must be retained for five years or, if disposed of, must be replaced by a similar value of land. Where the required agricultural qualification is acquired after the date of execution of the deed of transfer, the five-year period commences on the date on which the claim for a refund is made;

* the transfer cannot be subject to a revocation clause but a transferor can retain certain rights such as rights of residence, support and maintenance;

* the transferee must devote at least 50pc of their normal working hours to farming.

WORKING TIME RULE

In considering whether the normal working time requirement is fulfilled, Revenue say in their Tax & Duty Manual that it is appropriate to be flexible.

It can be accepted that "normal working time" (including on-farm and off-farm working time) approximates to 40 hours per week.

This will enable farmers with off-farm employment to qualify for the relief provided they spend a minimum of 20 hours working per week, averaged over a year, on the farm.

If a farmer can show that his or her "normal working time" is somewhat less than 40 hours a week, then the 50pc requirement will be applied to the actual hours worked - subject to being able to show that the farm is farmed on a commercial basis and with a view to the realisation of profits.

It is expected that, in the majority of situations, it should be clear from the level of farming activity being carried on that the normal working time requirement is satisfied.

If there is any doubt, Revenue will consider all information (including farming records) provided by a farmer in relation to his or her normal working time and farming activities.

While the wording of the provision is still a bit confusing, it can be taken that if an individual can show that he/she clearly works at least 20 hours per week on the farm, they should qualify.

Should Revenue decide to do a follow-up compliance check or audit on a claim for relief, it will consider all relevant information (including farming records) when deciding on whether relief was correctly claimed or not.

SCHEME CHANGES

The scheme now has a number of newly imposed limits and requirements as follows;

* a farm business plan is now required;

* a lifetime ceiling of 70,000 applies to the value of aid received under the Stamp Duty, Stock Relief (100pc scheme) and Succession Farm Partnership Schemes.

* the Stamp Duty Exemption is confined to start-up situations and not subsequent transfers or purchases.

FARM BUSINESS PLAN

The young trained farmer availing of the exemption must submit a business plan to Teagasc before the execution of the deed transferring the land.

Where the required agricultural qualification is acquired after the date of execution of the deed of transfer, the business plan must be submitted before a refund is claimed.

Teagasc has published a business plan template (My Farm, My Plan - Planning for My Future) to assist young trained farmers to prepare a farm business plan.

A non-Teagasc adviser can assist in preparing the business plan, but the plan must be certified by Teagasc and when submitting the plan to Teagasc, the young trained farmer declares that he or she is responsible for the content and implementation of the business plan.

A certificate issued by Teagasc then confirms that the applicant has satisfactorily completed a business plan that has been validated by Teagasc. This certificate can be accepted by Revenue as evidence of compliance with the requirement to submit a business plan.

A business plan should be implemented within the period of nine months after the stamp duty return claiming the relief has been filed, or after the refund has been claimed - whichever situation applies.

CEILING ON TAX RELIEF

A lifetime ceiling of 70,000 now applies to the amount of aid (tax relief) granted to a young trained farmer under EU regulations governing stamp duty relief, stock relief and succession farm partnerships. Revenue have not made it clear as to whether the actual relief is calculated as being a saving of 1pc or 6pc in the case of the Stamp Duty Exemption.

This needs to be clarified as the ceiling could easily be breached when one considers that a 6pc saving would amount to 72,000 on a farm of say 120 acres valued at 10,000 per acre.

This means that a farm worth more than 1.16m in value could exceed the lifetime ceiling.

In any event, where young farmers avail of all the relevant measures it boggles the mind as to how this ceiling is going to be tracked and monitored, particularly by the young trained farmer not to mention the tax authorities.

LIMITED TO START-UP AID

A further amendment to the scheme that definitely falls into the category of 'sneaky stuff' refers to the Stamp Duty Exemption in the context of EU rules on "start-up aid for young farmers and the development of small farms".

Part of the definition of "young farmer" in Article 2 of the EU Regulations is a person who is setting up for the first time as head of a farm holding.

The stamp duty relief is therefore restricted to this situation and is not available for ongoing transfers of land.

The young farmer must exercise effective and long-term control of the holding in terms of decisions relating to management, benefits and financial risks.

This would appear to suggest that applicants will only get one bite of this particular cherry and any subsequent transfers or purchases of land will not be eligible. This will have serious implications in regard to purchases of land where the stamp duty is 6pc.

Martin O'Sullivan is the author of the ACA Farmers Handbook. He is a partner in O'Sullivan Malone and Company, accountants and registered auditors: www.som.ie
Robin Talbot pictured on the family farm in Ballacolla, Co Laois is a lifelong suckler farmer. Photo: Alf Harvey

In the next couple of years, we are going to have to make a serious decision about whether we continue suckling. I have never felt as disillusioned about it as I do now.

This year has been the perfect storm.

First thing was the weather.

We started off with a late spring, so the remains of the winter feed had to be stretched out to the very last and the stock missed a month's grazing.

After an excellent few weeks growth, drought kicked in.

We ended up taking lighter than anticipated cuts of first-cut silage, got no second-cut at all and only a small third-cut.

The only thing we hope will get us through this winter is that we kept extra straw and barley, from our tillage enterprise.

However, we are not certain that we have enough feed, which is a stressful situation.

Then there's the price. Irish beef prices usually track the British trade but they have recently diverged. The weekly kill is not running much ahead of last year. It appears that there is excess profit-taking by the market; they will deny it and we can't prove it.

If prices had stayed parallel, beef animals would be making 100 more per head at the moment, give or take a few quid.

But the really big thing this year, that has put the tin hat on everything, is the way the suckler cow is being talked down, that she somehow is in the way.

The tide started to turn when milk quotas ended. I don't want to pit one farmer against another but, when quotas went, official Ireland took the attitude that everybody should go milking cows

I don't begrudge the dairy farmers one penny they make, they work bloody hard for it. But basically the message seems to be that suckler cows should go to make way for the expansion of the dairy herd, in terms of carbon footprint.

I wonder if someone somewhere has set a figure of 500,000, the number of suckler cows referenced in the budget, that official Ireland would be happy to let them fall to?

The genomics scheme and the BEEP are all fine and dandy but the suckler farmer and the suckler cow need a lift in the here and now.

If there was a will in the Government, the suckler way of farming is tailor-made for some sort of an environmental scheme that could be the envy of other beef producing countries.

What really gets me are the various underlying contradictions in what is happening.

Carbon footprint

Everybody knows that dairying is more profitable than beef and it is constantly trumpeted that Ireland is one of the most sustainable producers of milk.

But Ireland is also a very sustainable producer of beef. The carbon footprint of Irish beef, 19kg CO2-eq, is far lower than, say, Brazilian beef, at 80 kg when land use change is included or 48kg when land use change is not.

I find it hard to see how an extensive grazing system with low stocking rates could be doing more harm to the environment than a system where the stocking rate is far higher?

It really annoys me that the suckler cow is taking all the hit for the environment, the sense being that, if we get rid of her, we will be grand.

What does the science really say?

There used to be a saying a couple of generations ago that the Australian economy was riding on the sheep's back, I would argue that the suckler cow currently does a similar job in rural Ireland.

Rural tourism is very dependent on the quality of the natural environment, with images of a clean and green environment being widely used in promotional materials.

The same kind of image is used to sell Irish beef. Indeed, I recently heard an industry representative say they would not be able to market Irish beef without this image.

And there are other contradictions - for example, the industry constantly tells us that they want a lighter carcase. But this is not being incentivised.

The introduction of the QPS in 2010 brought a financial recognition to the better shaped animals from the suckler herd. This was to be price neutral.

There are now calls to have the grid dismantled and/or for the base price to be set on a lower grade. But, the grid is based on science and that would now tell us that the price differential between grades should actually be widened.

A few weeks ago, I was at an IFA meeting in Portlaoise. It was unlike a meeting that I have ever attended. I have never seen the mood and confidence as low.

Nobody was ranting and raving. People spoke from the heart and you'd know they were really hurting. These were serious beef farmers who I would consider role models in the industry.

I feel sad that Ireland seems to be prepared to throw away an industry, an asset of one million suckler cows, that took generations to build up.

Nobody in authority or anyone that benefits from the Irish suckler herd seems to want to take a stand on it.

The suckler cow will not disappear overnight but, as suckler farmers die out, the next generation is not going to keep them.

In terms of addressing carbon footprint, surely the only hope of progress is for individuals to take responsibility for controlling their own.

We are taking steps to address our carbon footprint; we joined GLAS and are in the process of planting 10ac of native woodland. In conjunction with Alltech, we have done a scientific calculation of our carbon emissions and are taking on board their advice about ways to reduce our footprint.

We believe it is the right and responsible thing to do.

This should add to the price of what we are selling if the consumer is genuinely interested and places a value on it.

We hope that they will. But we're not holding our breath.
The Department of Agriculture is hoping that signifciant progress can be made on access to China for Irish sheepmeat, after a meeting of officials today.

Senior Officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, today held productive technical meetings with counterparts in Beijing, in relation to meat market access and other topics of mutual interest.

At the meeting with GACC, DAFM officials submitted a further tranche of detailed applications from Irish beef plants for approval to export frozen boneless beef to China. Six Irish beef plants already have access, and trade has commenced.

The Department has prioritised the approval process for additional plants at the request of Irish industry, who see a significant opportunity on the Chinese market if the supply side is increased, to enable them to fill larger orders and export greater volumes.

Officials agreed that the priority focus for 2019 would be sheepmeat access. Ireland had previously submitted a detailed questionnaire on sheepmeat, which GACC will now review. When that review is complete, the next steps will include an inspection visit to Ireland.

Last month, the Chinese Agriculture Minister Han Changfu chose to visit Ireland and a new Action Plan for Cooperation between the two Departments of Agriculture was signed for 2019 to 2021.

As a result, the Minister for Agriculture has said in light of this, and although Ireland is at the very start of the process for sheepmeat access to China, he is hopeful that Ireland will be able to make progress in 2019.

As part of the Trade Mission to China last May, Minister Creed met with the Chinese Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Minister Han Changfu, and signalled that Ireland was interested in commencing the process for sheepmeat access.

He said that the opening earlier this year of the Chinese beef market is the result of years of cooperation and hard work on the part of his Department, the Irish Embassy in Beijing, Bord Bia, and the Irish beef industry.

"It is a hugely significant achievement for our industry, as well as an excellent endorsement of our world-class safety standards and product quality."

Three beef plants were approved by the Chinese Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) in April and during his Trade Mission to China in May, it was confirmed that a further three beef plants had met the required standards for approval.

"These plants were subsequently formally approved and listed by CNCA in June. This was a great result and reflects the on-going work in this area."

The beef trade has now commenced, with product already having arrived into China, he said, and his officials continue to make progress on various technical issues and the focus now is on trying to get additional plants approved and listed by the Chinese authorities.
Irish airline currently has a transatlantic seat capacity of 2.8 million per annum Stock picture

Aer Lingus thinks it can almost double its transatlantic fleet from 17 to 30 aircraft over next five years, as its positioned to be the number one value airline linking Europe and North America.

The plan was unveiled at an investor day for Aer Lingus owner IAG, which also owns BA and low cost long haul brand Level. For Aer Lingus, the plan means new direct and connecting travel options centred on Dublin.

The Irish airline currently has a transatlantic seat capacity of 2.8 million per annum. The increase in aircraft would see this grow to 4.7 million seats.

The company said it would be transformative for the airline, and have a hugely positive impact on Irish inbound tourism.

The move means Aer Lingus is being positioned by Willie Walsh led IAG to take on Norwegian Air and Wow in the long-haul, low-cost market.

Meanwhile, sister company BA will hire 3,000 more staff next year, 2,000 of them cabin crew who will get five days more training to help address concerns about service quality, IAG said.
Irish presence: Daniel Mackey and Peter Coppinger of Teamwork.com, winners of the recent EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award

EY said fee income grew 28pc in the Republic in the year to June 30, to reach 316m. Headcount rose 14pc to 2,245.

Globally, EY reported annual revenues of US$34.8bn for 2018, up 7.4pc on the year in local currency.

In Ireland the accountancy and financial services firm confirmed a fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth.

Irish managing partner Frank O'Keeffe, who was appointed to the post at the start of July, said investment in technology and technology expertise had been a focus for the firm this year.

"We are redefining how we use technology across both our traditional and new services. We made a number of key hires in emerging technology in Ireland in FY18, building on the strength of our now 130-strong data analytics and technology team," he said.

"As part of our innovation drive, we will continue to focus on areas like financial services, cyber, risk management, managed services, software, digital tax and digital audit, and we anticipate a significant increase in the number of people we employ in these areas in Ireland over the next two years."

EY operates across four main service lines: assurance, consultancy, tax and transaction advisory services. Strategic investments in the year included the acquisition of DKM Economic Consultants. Brexit has also been a focus.

Eoin MacManus, managing partner, EY Ireland Financial Services, said client firms are moving ahead with plans, despite the lack of clarity on how a final UK exit from the EU will play out. That activity is tipped to ramp up as the March deadline nears, he said.

"While politicians continue their negotiations on a Brexit deal, financial services firms are finalising their plans to relocate," he said.

EY ranks Dublin as the most popular choice for firms relocating from London. "We've seen marked revenue growth associated with supporting financial services firms with Central Bank applications and advice on relocating operations to Ireland," he said.
IPL Plastics, formerly One51, is understood to be in talks to merge with Dutch packaging firm Schoeller Allibert Group.

A Bloomberg News report said Schoeller Allibert, majority owned by Brookfield Asset Management, has been in merger talks with IPL for several months.

IPL Plastics is an Irish company and is headed up by CEO Alan Walsh but is now listed in Canada which is home to its main operations. News of talks Schoeller Allibert follow the appointment by IPL of corporate financier Conor McCarthy to oversee mergers and acquisitions activity at the company. He was previously a director of Investec in Dublin.

IPL raised CA$191.7m from its flotation on the Toronto Stock Exchange in June. Irish shareholders who remained with the company when it floated received new shares in IPL Plastics in return for their old stock. Six months after the stock market listing, which is in late December, these B-class shares will convert and can be traded in Canada.

The company originally entered the North American market through the majority purchase of Canadian packaging company IPL in 2015. It has since acquired a number of businesses in that market.
Question:Myself and my boyfriend are buying our first home together. It is my first house, but he is selling a flat he owns to purchase it which is worth 140,000 once the mortgage is paid and our new house will be around 500,000. However, our solicitor is saying that his contribution to the purchase could be treated as a gift to me, which I dont understand, as we will both own the house 50/50. Im putting in 25,000 of my savings also. Is there a tax implication and how do we get around it?

A This is complex and I can see where your solicitor is coming from. Generally speaking, people who transfer money, gifts or wealth to each other, and who are not married, are subject to Capital Acquisitions, or Gift Tax on amounts over 16,250 (plus an annual 3,000 small gifts exemption).

This would mean your boyfriend is in fact giving you the 140,000, even though it is going into a property you jointly own. It isnt distinguishable from a cheque or cash. As a result, the bill could be as high as 39,847.50 and would be payable immediately. Either way, its clearly not a good idea.

However, Revenue tells me that a work-around is to purchase the property as tenants in common, i.e. you wont own the house as joint tenants or 50/50, but as owners reflecting the actual value you brought to the purchase. If you own the property in proportion to the contributions in consideration paid, then there is no gift event and a charge to CAT does not arise.

You will need a solicitor to draw up the terms of the tenancy agreement, and you may find the banks pushes back on it as they generally prefer joint owners to have a 50/50 split, but it is really only the mortgage that will be so, and your lawyer can advise this to them. So, in actual fact, your boyfriend will own say, 60pc of the house, and you the remaining 40pc, or whatever way the numbers fall.

Dont forget also to ensure that you effect joint life insurance (which the banks will insist upon anyway), and make a will to reflect what you want to happen in the event of either of your untimely deaths. Assets do not pass tax free among unmarried couples on death and there will be another possible tax event if this happened.

Q Were planning a home swap for a spring holiday with an Italian family coming over while we head to Rome. The trip is for a wedding and we are including a holiday and taking two weeks out in total. We have never done this kind of thing before but it is keeping costs down on accommodation and the website has been used by friends of ours. Is there any implication for us in terms of our house insurance?

A Any time you change the circumstances of a propertys use, there is a potential implication. To keep things above board, I would be making a call to the insurer just to let it know there will be other people in the property over the set period. Although you dont normally need to do this if you were just going on holiday and leaving it vacant, other people living there poses an additional element of risk, in case there were a flood, fire or burglary. In such an unlikely scenario, there would be a claims adjuster making enquiries, possible Garda involvement etc, and its really not the time you want your insurance company finding out a different family at your home instead of you. There probably wont be any additional premium, but its no harm giving the insurer the heads up. If you were swapping your cars over, youd certainly have to do it. Enjoy the trip!

The Ryan Review

Were seeing the fallout now from building oversights at dozens of schools around the country.

Thousands of children will be displaced, possibly for months, as contractors and the Department of Education play catch-up with the affected buildings. The cause is still under investigation, but its almost certainly exacerbated by lack of proper inspections by the department when many of these quick-build schools were being thrown up. In previous years, weve also seen just how traumatic and dangerous it is for buildings not properly governed, not least for former Priory Hall residents and all those in the pyrite redress scheme.

It may even be the thin end of the wedge. The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) claims the vast majority of multi unit developments (MUDs, or apartments to you and me), have not set aside adequate funds for maintenance and refurbishment. Its report on 632 MUDs containing 52,600 properties cites just one in four who have done so.

Most management companies have been forced to charge extra levies to sinking funds from unit owners to carry out essential works on lifts, pumps, alarms and boilers. It warns of safety concerns if these cannot be undertaken. The legal requirement for a sinking fund contribution is 200 p.a. by individual owners, but this is proving woefully inadequate.

Meanwhile, a dearth of construction workers and apprentices is gumming up the works and causing delays in even inspecting, never mind remedying at fault buildings.

So what can we expect from the Department of Housing in response? Lots of photo-ops of Minister Eoghan Murphy in a hard hat with sleeves rolled up, one expects.
The inventor of the World Wide Web has warned that technology giants like Facebook and Google have grown so dominant they may need to be broken up, unless challengers or changes in taste reduce their clout.

The digital revolution has spawned a handful of US-based technology companies that now have a greater financial and cultural power than most sovereign states.

Tim Berners-Lee, a London-born computer scientist who invented the Web in 1989, said he was disappointed with the state of the internet, after scandals over data and social media spreading hate.

"What naturally happens is you end up with one company dominating the field, so through history there is no alternative to really coming in and breaking things up," Mr Berners-Lee, 63, said. "There is a danger of concentration."

But he urged caution too, saying innovation could ultimately cut firms down to size. "Before breaking them up, we should see whether they are not just disrupted by a small player beating them out of the market, but by the market shifting, by the interest going somewhere else," he said.

Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Facebook have a total market cap of $3.7trn, equal to Germany's GDP.

Mr Berners-Lee came up with the idea for what he initially called 'Mesh' while working at Europe's physics research centre CERN, calling it the World Wide Web in 1990.

When asked who had the biggest influence on him, he said: "Mum and dad. They were building computers, so I grew up living in a world where everything was mathematics and the excitement of being able to programme something was very fresh."

There was, he said, no 'Eureka' moment. Instead, it was hard work, computer science experience and an attempt to better share information with colleagues and students. "Eureka moments are complete nonsense. I don't even believe the one about Archimedes. He had been thinking about it for a long time," he said.

Now a professor at MIT and Oxford, he expressed dismay at the way Cambridge Analytica obtained the personal data of 87 million Facebook users. That scandal, he said, was a tipping point for many.

"I am disappointed with the state of the Web," he said. "We have lost the feeling of individual empowerment and to a certain extent also I think the optimism has cracked."

He added that social media is still being used to spread hate. "If you put a drop of love into Twitter it seems to decay but if you put in a drop of hatred you feel it actually propagates much more strongly. And you wonder: 'Well is that because of the way that Twitter as a medium has been built?'"

Reuters
Facebook's unprecedented Supreme Court appeal aimed at halting a referral to the European Court of Justice (CJEU) of a case concerning the validity of EU-US data transfer channels will be heard in January.

The court previously set a provisional hearing date of December 19 but, following a case management hearing on Thursday, has now fixed January 21.

A UK-based data protection expert, Kevin Cahill, applied on Thursday to be joined to the appeal as an amicus curiae - assistant to the court.

But Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne said the court would not join Mr Cahill as an amicus to the appeal.

Lawyers for Facebook and Max Schrems, whose complaints that Facebook's sending of his personal data to the US breached his data privacy rights led to the proceedings, opposed Mr Cahill's application while the Data Protection Commissioner adopted a neutral position.

The Facebook appeal, expected to last up to three days, will address issues including whether there is any entitlement in the first place to appeal a reference to the CJEU.

Facebook maintains it can appeal.

It also contends the High Court made incorrect findings of fact, including in relation to US law on foot of which it concluded the Data Protection Commissioner had "well-founded concerns" about the adequacy of protections in the US for data privacy rights of EU citizens.
Spotify is planning to boost spending to drive the next phase of growth, but Wall Street isn't singing along.

Despite online hits like Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's soundtrack from 'A Star is Born', the Stockholm-based music streaming service tumbled the most in almost six months after management warned margins were likely to be compressed by increased R&D spending. It also cut forecasts on monthly active users and premium subscribers.

Shares fell as much as 11pc in New York, their biggest intraday decline since May 3.
Activist investor Carl Icahn sued Dell Technologie yesterday, alleging that the computer maker did not disclose financial information related to its plans to go public by buying back its tracking stock.

Mr Icahn, who owns 9.3pc of Dell, called the proposed deal a "conflicted transaction that benefits the controlling stockholders, at the expense of the DVMT stockholders".

Dell said in July it would pay $21.7bn in cash and stock to buy back shares tied to its interest in software company VMware Inc, returning it to the stock market without an initial public offering.

Mr Icahn and other hedge fund investors have resisted the plan, saying the proposed deal massively undervalues the tracking stock.

"We believe this is a threat blatantly deployed in an attempt to coerce DVMT stockholders to vote in favour of the merger, or else risk the unknown consequences of the forced IPO conversion," Icahn said on Thursday.

Dell will hold a shareholder meeting on December 11 to vote on the deal.

A Dell spokesman said Icahn's allegations were "unfounded", adding that the company would file a response later in the day.

Mr Icahn is no stranger to lawsuits. He sued AmTrust Financial Services earlier this year over its go-private plans.

The investor also turned legal arguments against Dell in the past, having alleged that Michael Dell and Silver Lake undervalued the company's go-private deal several years ago. Mr Icahn, along with investor Darwin Deason, also urged Xerox Corp shareholders earlier this year to oppose a sale to Japan's Fujifilm Holdings.

Carl Icahn did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Reuters
Patisserie Valerie was just three hours from bankruptcy

British bakery chain Patisserie Valerie has secured shareholder approval for a vital bailout at a stormy general meeting where bosses were given a tongue-lashing for refusing to elaborate on its precarious finances.

Speaking at a meeting to sign off the 15m (13m) rescue deal, executive chairman and serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson admitted the company was "three hours from going into bankruptcy".

The cake and coffee chain shocked investors three weeks ago, admitting a 40m black hole had opened up in its finances and warning of "significant, potentially fraudulent accounting irregularities". Mr Johnson subsequently pledged two loans totalling 20m and tapped shareholders for 15.9m - part of which needed to be put to the vote.

Finance director Chris Marsh resigned after initially being suspended and interviewed by police as part of their investigations. The UK's Serious Fraud Office has opened a criminal investigation into the potential fraud.

Referring to the rescue package, which was subsequently approved by more than 99pc of investors, one shareholder asked: "Why are you holding a gun to our heads?"

Mr Johnson claimed the rescue package "had saved 2,600 jobs" and insisted: "This was the only situation we could come up with.

"If we had not injected the capital, we would have been obliged to appoint administrators."

Investors, many of them smaller holders, demanded further details about the cash hole and whether a legal review had been launched.

The former Pizza Express boss and Channel 4 chairman said: "We cannot answer these questions.

"All will be revealed in due course ... I'm sorry, I can't," he said.

Angus Forbes, a former banker whose stake was worth around 1m, was the most vocal individual. He questioned the dilutive mechanics of the share placing - which will see new shareholders paying just 50p for stock that traded at 429.5p shortly before it was suspended.

Attacking Mr Johnson for "talking over him", he "begged" the board to reconsider the placing and replace it with a rights issue for current shareholders.

One shareholder said: "Why should the new shareholders benefit from buying shares at a discount?"

Mr Johnson said there was not time to alter the capital raise. Prior to the meeting shareholder Chris Boxall, the co-founder of Fundamental Asset Management, told the BBC's 'Today' programme: "We really want to know what's going on.

"I don't understand either how shareholders are being asked to put money up ... yet there is a total absence or lack of information."

 Daily Telegraph, London
Danske Bank's interim chief executive said that it was too early to assess what damage Denmark's largest lender had sustained from a 200bn money-laundering scandal and warned of potentially "big" fines.

Danske's third-quarter earnings on Thursday showed the bank's lending had increased across the Nordic countries, with solid activity among retail and commercial customers, giving its battered shares a welcome respite.

"We should be careful not to underestimate the undercurrent. Because if we look at the bank's reputation, we can see that it is under pressure," Jesper Nielsen said.

It was therefore too early to say whether the scandal could lead to a significant decline in business volumes, he said after Danske reported a 42pc fall in third-quarter pre-tax profit, largely the result of a previously announced donation it is making to initiatives to fight financial crime.

Danske Bank has largely pulled out of the Republic since the crash but has operations in Northern Ireland, where it reported growth of nearly 30pc in new mortgage lending for the first nine months of the year. Pre-tax profit fell from 80m to 67m.

Additional reporting by Reuters
Oil is trading well below its price of a decade ago, but youd have no idea looking at Royal Dutch Shells giant pile of cash.

The Anglo-Dutch oil major generated the most cash from operations in 10 years last quarter  almost $15bn (13bn). The last time Shell pumped out that much money was when crude soared to $140 a barrel, compared to $75 today.

As a result, it is showing greater confidence. It increased the pace of a $25bn buyback programme, rewarding shareholders who stuck with it through crudes collapse. The cash surge is a feather in the cap of CEO Ben van Beurden, who splashed more than $50bn on BG Group in 2016 during the depths of the downturn.

Yet investors, who have been impatient for greater returns, didnt react positively to the results, which were largely as expected.

Our strategy remains on track, Mr Van Beurden said. Our strong financial performance allowed us to cover the cash dividend, interest payments, share buybacks and to further pay down debt.

The $14.7bn cash figure excludes working capital movements of $2.6bn, the difference between assets and liabilities. Even with that subtracted, Shell is still generating cash as if oil were over $100 a barrel.

The cash boom can largely be attributed to the companys broad portfolio, with higher prices for LNG.

Adjusted profit climbed to $5.62bn, a 37pc gain from a year earlier. Shells B shares declined 2.6pc to 2,499 pence as of 9.08am in London, as the Stoxx Europe 600 Oil & Gas Index lost 1.5pc.

Bloomberg
The US Justice Department on Thursday unveiled an indictment against two companies based in China and Taiwan and three individuals, saying they conspired to steal trade secrets from US semiconductor company Micron Technology relating to its research and development of memory storage devices.

The charges against Taiwan-based United Microelectronics, China state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co and three individuals who once worked for a unit of Micron mark the fourth case brought by the Justice Department since September as part of a broader crackdown against alleged Chinese espionage on US companies.

The action is the latest in a long list taken to fight what some in the Trump administration call China's cheating through intellectual property theft, illegal corporate subsidies and rules hampering US corporations that want to sell their goods in China.

The FBI's deputy director, David Bowdich, said that nearly every one of the agency's 56 field offices "has investigations into economic espionage that lead back to the country of China."

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions told a news conference that Chinese espionage has been "increasing rapidly," and the government is launching a new initiative to crack down on Chinese espionage trade cases.

China said on Friday the United States should present evidence to back up its charges.

"If the United States truly has genuine concerns, it should provide real examples to test these remarks that can stand up under evidence and facts," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a news briefing in Beijing.

United Microelectronics issued a response saying the allegations in the indictment and complaint are "virtually the same as allegations in a civil complaint previously filed against UMC by Micron."

"UMC regrets that the US Attorney's Office brought these charges without first notifying UMC and giving it an opportunity to discuss the matter," the company said.

China and the United States are locked in an escalating trade conflict. The two countries have imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other's goods, and US President Donald Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on the remainder of China's $500bn-plus exports to the United States if the disputes cannot be resolved.

CIVIL LAWSUIT

In addition to the criminal case, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit seeking to prevent the two accused companies from exporting any products created using the trade secrets and blocking the further transfer of trade secrets.

Micron said in a statement that it "has invested billions of dollars over decades to develop its intellectual property. The actions announced today reinforce that criminal misappropriation will be appropriately addressed."

The US Commerce Department earlier this week also announced that it had put Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co on a list of entities that cannot buy components, software and technology goods from US firms.

San Francisco FBI Special Agent in Charge John Bennett, whose counter-intelligence agents led the two-year probe, said China was the largest practitioner of government-backed economic espionage in Silicon Valley, but he noted that some victim companies remained reluctant to come forward to the FBI, for fear of stock price impact or embarrassment.

John Demers, the head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said Thursday that the multi-prong approach by the government has "stopped the harm" before it could manifest itself in a competing product.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, cheered the action, and said the administration should do more to crack down on economic espionage by Chinese businesses and the Chinese government.

Micron filed its own a civil lawsuit against Fujian and United Microelectronics in December 2017 in federal court in California, accusing them of secret infringement of intellectual property related to its DRAM chips after prosecutors in Taiwan charged two Micron employees with stealing trade secrets.

In January, UMC filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Micron in China.

"No country presents a broader, more severe threat to our ideas, our innovation, and our economic security than China," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.

The indictment alleges that China was interested in gaining access to dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM, a type of technology it did not possess. Micron is the only US-based company that manufactures DRAM.

Sessions said the Taiwanese company partnered with a Chinese state-owned company so that ultimately China could steal this technology from the United States and then use it to compete against the United States. "This is a brazen scheme," Sessions said.

According to charging documents and Justice Department officials, Chen Zhengkun, a former Micron employee who worked in Taiwan, left the company in July 2015 to join United Microelectronics.

Chen, who is one of the three individuals facing criminal charges, then recruited other Micron employees to come and bring trade secrets with them. He also allegedly set up a joint venture with Fujian Jinhua, a China-owned company founded in 2016 for the sole purpose of developing DRAM technology.

Taiwan assisted with the investigation, according to Alex Tse, the US attorney for northern California.

The Justice Department's announcement Thursday comes on the heels of several other major Chinese espionage cases in recent months.
In 1983 Lynda La Plante, that most feminist of crime writers, created a rather strange TV series. Widows told the story of three bereaved spouses who meet at the funerals of their husbands, armed robbers killed during a heist. Money is owed, and the groups matriarch decides the only way to clear this debt is to mount a heist of their own.

The young Steve McQueen (born 1969) might have watched it, because thats the only reason I can think of that might explain his involvement here. Consider his track record: McQueen started out as a minimalistic video artist, and his movies have tended to reflect these refined beginnings. In Hunger, his stylish biopic of Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), he made the Maze Prison look like a hideously experimental modern art gallery.

Shame, starring Fassbender and his magic flute, explored the priapic misery of sex addiction through an elegant prism of lurid reds and muted browns. Even 12 Years A Slave, his Oscar-winning slavery epic, had bold artistic visual flourishes that would not have been present had the film been directed by the usual workaday Hollywood hack.

Widows, for all its feminist undercurrents, is a genre picture, a Michael Mann movie turned inside out and hardly the kind of stuff youd expect from McQueen. Predictably, though, he made the story his own.

He and his screenwriter Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl etc) have transplanted La Plantes moral tale to present day Chicago, where Veronica Rawlins (Viola Davis) lives in modest splendour with her rakish husband Harry (Liam Neeson), a heavyweight career criminal. How much does Veronica know about Harrys business?

She must wonder where all the money comes from, and what happened to his nose, but perhaps prefers to turn a blind eye.

That, though, is no longer possible when Harry and three associates are killed in a firefight while attempting to steal several million dollars. That money belonged to rival criminals Jatemme and Jamal Manning (Daniel Kaluuya, Brian Tyree Henry), southside hard heads who soon turn up at Veronicas penthouse demanding compensation.

Seeing no alternative, Victoria gathers together the other grieving partners and tells them she has a plan. Harry, an endearing artefact of the analogue age, kept all his robbery plans in a notebook accompanied by helpful diagrams: his next job could net the ladies $4m, enough to pay the debt and then some. And while one of the women wants nothing to do with it, Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) are desperate enough to want in. And the gangs greatest asset is surprise because, as Veronica pithily puts it, no one thinks we have the balls to pull this off.

Balls they have, but this might not be enough to successfully negotiate a nasty scenario stalked by wildly staring sociopaths (Kaluuya) and crooked politicians. Colin Farrell, all Brooks Brothers suits and over-polished brogues, is Jack Mulligan, the world-weary, entitled son of dodgy Irish-American city alderman Tom (Robert Duvall).

Tom has made a tidy fortune through a lifetimes venality and graft, and Jack is now expected to succeed him. But his path to the top is potentially thwarted when Jamal Manning (aforementioned hoodlum) decides to run against him for alderman. The Mulligans knew Harry Rawlins well, and their dirty business will soon become entangled with Veronicas.

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There are lots of good things in Widows, an extremely handsome, visually sombre film. The interactions of the plotting women are constantly contrasted with the deportment of criminal males: the ladies have an eccentric habit of actually listening to each other, their pecking order is more fluid, and they find it hard to remain indifferent to physical violence.

Davis is as good as youd expect, Rodriguez handles a more serious role well, and Debicki brings humour and heart to the proceedings as the deceptively ditzy-seeming Alice. The plot, though, is needlessly diffuse, and the central story is almost overwhelmed at times by extraneous diversions  for instance, that not very credible political backstory.

In fact nothing much about Widows is credible, a fact that jars somewhat with its sententious mood.

But its so well made, that almost doesnt matter.
Zara Larsson supports provocative new campaign to help combat Aids crisis (Durex and RED)

Swedish pop star Zara Larsson is backing a new campaign by Durex and Aids charity RED, encouraging people to have sex and save lives.

Ahead of World Aids Day on December 1, the sexual well-being brand is partnering with RED to support its mission to end Aids by releasing a Durex RED condom globally.

Money raised from sales of the condoms will go to the Keeping Girls In School programme in South Africa, which aims to reduce pregnancies and new HIV infections among young women in the country, where an estimated 7.2 million people are currently living with the virus.

Expand Close Zara Larsson fronts new campaign and encourages people to Give a F*** ahead of World Aids Day, as Durex partners with RED to support the fight to end Aids (Durex and RED) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Zara Larsson fronts new campaign and encourages people to Give a F*** ahead of World Aids Day, as Durex partners with RED to support the fight to end Aids (Durex and RED)

Larsson, known for hits including Lush Life and Symphony, with Clean Bandit, has shared her support for the campaign, which urges people to give a f*** about Aids.

She said: For the first time ever, you can literally have sex and save lives. It is empowering that we can all help to protect ourselves by having safe sex, and at the same time, join the fight to end Aids through helping girls in South Africa who really need our support.

Every two minutes an adolescent around the world is infected with HIV and its so important that my generation use their voices to encourage others to give a f*** to stop this happening.

Larsson also appears in a provocative expletive-laden promotional video along with the likes of actress Thandie Newton and 13 Reasons Why actor Christian Navarro, in which they ask viewers to share the drives message on social media using the hashtag #GAF.

Ben Wilson, global category director for Durex, said: Thirty-seven million people are living with HIV around the world, and this ground-breaking new partnership with RED allows everyone to play a role in helping end Aids.

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Sixty-nine per cent of sexually active people around the world are having sex on a weekly basis, and not only is our mission to help protect them, but through this vital partnership, we hope to make a huge difference to young women who are disproportionately affected by this devastating disease in South Africa.

REDs chief executive Deborah Dugan said it is exhilarating for the charity to partner with Durex in such a provocative, inspiring and creative way.

RED was founded in 2006 by U2 star Bono and activist Bobby Shriver to engage big brands in the fight against Aids. It has, to date, generated more than 500 million dollars (385.4 million) for the Global Fund to fight Aids.

The Global Fund is a partnership organisation designed to accelerate the end of Aids, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics.
Chuck Wirtz voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, inspired by the then-political outsider, but the veteran Iowa hog farmer now has buyers remorse as the US Republican presidents trade policy exacts a heavy toll on his business.

Wirtz, 56, estimates the tariffs resulting from the US trade war with China and other nations have cost him $200,000 this year and forced the liquidation of part of his farm in northwestern Iowa.

I was obviously wrong and I regret my vote, said Wirtz, who says he is undecided ahead of the November 6 midterm elections that will decide whether Republicans continue to control the US Congress.

Some of the nations 3.2m illion farmers and ranchers, traditionally staunch Republicans, are wavering in this election because of the trade dispute with China, the main buyer of US soybeans and pork, interviews with nearly two dozen farmers showed.

Those interviews and a survey of 2,454 farmers by trade publication Farm Journal also point to a surprising generational split in agricultural areas. While younger producers largely believe in Trumps pledge to cut a better trade deal with China and his administrations patriotic appeal for short-term sacrifice, older farmers recall past economic crises and the years of work involved in opening the Chinese market.

Veteran farmers worry they will not be able to recover from a prolonged dispute with the worlds other economic superpower and are concerned the downturn will take too big a bite out of their retirement savings.

Barry Bean, a Missouri cotton marketer whose family sells crops, said that older producers have been cautioning their younger peers about the longer-term risks of the trade battle.

Theyre saying, Look, Ive taken two or three for the team in the past. We cant keep taking one for the team.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that about 53pc of registered voters in rural areas approved of Trump as of last month. Farm Journal found that some 70pc of farmers had voted for Trump and 52pc found him favorable as of August.

However, 61pc of farmers under 45 favored the president while only 40pc over 65 did.

Overall in the US, 55pc of voters over the age of 55 supported Trump in 2016, according to the Reuters/Ipsos 2016 Election Day poll. Only 30pc of voters under 24 and 38pc of those aged 25-34 voted for the president.

Democrats, who have high hopes to win back control of the US House of Representatives, see the changing tide in the farm belt as possibly boosting their chances in areas that Trump won in 2016 but are now seen as toss-ups.

They would need to gain at least 23 of the Houses 435 seats to have a majority in the chamber, which would enable them to block at least part of Trumps agenda. Recapturing the Senate is considered far more difficult.

Two of the four House races in Iowa, the top corn producing state, are considered up for grabs. Democrat Abby Finkenauer has been hitting the trade issue hard as she vies to oust Trump ally and US Representative Rod Blum in one of the districts.

In Kansas, the nations top wheat producing state, the Kansas Farm Board took the unusual step of declining to endorse a candidate for governor after Republicans nominated staunch Trump ally Kris Kobach.

ANOTHER YEAR OR SO

Political divisions are prompting debates in Republican farm families like that of Donald Schexnayder, 57, who farms corn with his two brothers in Louisiana.

I have one brother whos not sure about the president, and the other that is very sure that what hes doing is right, Schexnayder said.

Trump backs Florida's Republican candidates ahead of midterms

The Trump administration has tried to sweeten its relationship with farmers in recent months with a $6 billion farm aid package meant to compensate them for markets that were lost due to the trade wars.

Farmers started receiving checks in September, and the US Agriculture Department has promised more aid for the end of the year.

Last month, Trump, who has embraced an America First policy aimed at boosting jobs and reducing US trade deficits, promised to expand domestic sales of corn-based ethanol, a key market for Iowa farmers.

Fears that other markets could be lost also eased after the trilateral trade deal signed by the United States, Canada and Mexico on October 1. US corn and dairy farmers, in particular, had fretted about the prospect of a North American trade war.

Nevertheless, a study by economists at Perdue University in Illinois this week showed the retaliatory tariffs imposed by Canada and Mexico during the trade negotiations would cause US agricultural exports to decline by at least $1.8 billion annually, outweighing market access improvements it said were worth $450m.

US farmers, however, remain most worried about trade with China, which last year bought 60pc of US soy and has virtually halted purchases this year.

He probably should have gotten Mexico and Canada, get that deal done and then went after China, said Curt Mether, a 63-year-old corn and soybean farmer in Iowa, referring to Trump.

Mether said he had voted for Trump and would vote Republican next week, partly because of alignment on social issues like abortion, but added that he could reevaluate Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

Well be willing to put up with him for a while, Id say another year or so. If he doesnt get the negotiations turned around by the time he himself is up for election, then well definitely reassess, Mether said.
An eight year old boy who was left brain damaged just before his second birthday after what the High Court heard was a "profound misdiagnosis" of his chickenpox infection has secured a further 3m payout from the HSE.

This will bring to over 5.5m paid out to Eoghan Keating - who cannot talk and is tetraplegic - in settlement of his action against the HSE.

Approving the latest 3m payment for the next four years, the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly praised Eoghan's parents, Waterford couple Larry and Martina Keating for the huge sacrifices they have made and the extraordinary care they have given their son.

Two years ago when the case first came before the court University Hospital Waterford apologised for the "deficiencies in care provided to Eoghan at the hospital on August 24 2012."

Hospital general manager Richard Dooley, in a statement read in court, apologised on behalf of the management and staff and acknowledged the "many challenges" the boy and his family "have faced as a result of the treatment afforded to Eoghan."

Eoghan Keating, Upper Dunhill, Co Waterford, had through his mother, sued over the care he received when brought to the A&E of Waterford Regional Hospital on August 24, 2012 with a rash and a high temperature.

He had a high fever, was irritable and crying and it was claimed his parents were advised he had mumps. It was noted he had a rash all over his body especially his abdomen and a diagnosis of chickenpox with mumps was then made.

It was claimed the management plan was to discharge Eoghan home to take ibuprofen and calpol and for his parents to contact the hospital if concerned.

That night, a swelling in his neck increased and he was lethargic. His parents rang the hospital and were told Eoghan had mumps, it was alleged.

When they called again they were advised to contact the caredoc GP service which advised the swelling was very serious and Eoghan was brought back to the hospital where he was ventilated and later transferred to a Dublin hospital.

It was claimed there was failure to admit Eoghan to the Waterford hospital when he first presented and treat him intravenously with antibiotic and heed the indicators of a significant evolving infection.

Liability was admitted in the case.

In court today, Eoghan's father Larry Keating said the boy is thriving and while he cannot speak he can communicate with his family and make choices through eye contact and some gestures.

Mr Keating said that therapies such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy has been "a lifeline" for their son.

He said they were taken aback in mediation talks with the HSE that the provision of therapies was raised. Mr Keating said he and his wife have gone part time in their work to devote their time to the care of their son.

"Time spent with Eoghan is well spent", he told the court. Mr Justice Kelly asked was the amount now allowed for therapies enough for the next few years and Mr Keating said it was.

Approving the settlement Mr Justice Kelly said he was glad Eoghan's parents had "won out" in the mediation in relation to the provision of therapies they regard as very beneficial to their son.

Michael Counihan SC told the court the settlement for the next four years had been reached after mediation and would be paid out in staged payments.

The case will come back to court in four years time when Eoghan's future care needs will be decided.
Brothers in business: Francis and John Brennan have operated the luxury hotel for almost 40 years

The Labour Court has recommended that the luxury Park Hotel operated by the Brennan brothers pay a former manager 90,000 in settlement of an unfair dismissal claim.

The recommendation, published on the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) website, is not binding on the hotel.

And a spokesperson for the Kerry hotel last night disputed elements of the case.

The Labour Court recommendation is now being studied by Gore and Grimes, solicitors for Beechside Company, which trades as the Park Hotel in Kenmare.

A Park Hotel spokesperson said there had never before been such an employment finding in the nearly 40 years it had been operated by brothers John and Francis Brennan.

"In that time, roughly 1,100 people have worked at the hotel - some of those who joined almost 40 years ago are still working there," they said.

"People arrive at the hotel as employees and leave as friends."

The hotel celebrated 120 years in business last year and, the spokesperson noted, the Brennan brothers were overwhelmed by cards, messages of support and even flowers from former and current employees.

The five-star Park Hotel ranks as one of Ireland's most successful tourism operations and its profile was such that it helped launch the successful TV career of Francis Brennan.

The Labour Court recommendation came after the hotel manager initiated an action on August 13 last after he was not retained in his senior position.

After 11 weeks, and within a probationary period, it was decided the position was not working out as anticipated and the manager was not retained.

However, the manager maintained during a September 28 Labour Court hearing that he was specifically head-hunted for the role of Park Hotel general manager.

He also said he agreed to move from Dublin to Kerry for the role.

The manager maintained that, without warning, he was dismissed from his position on April 27. He had said he moved to the hotel on the basis of a 36-month contract.

Solicitors for the hotel pointed out that the contract of employment unequivocally provided that either party could terminate the contract by giving written notice during the probationary period.

However, the Labour Court took issue with the circumstances in which the manager had his employment terminated.

"The Court is of the view that the procedures adopted in the termination of the claimant's employment were seriously flawed. He was not afforded fair procedures in accordance with the Code of Practice on Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures," it found.

The manager insisted his reputation was damaged by what happened.

In recommending a payment of 90,000 to the former manager in full settlement of his claim, the Labour Court noted that he was not provided with details of any performance issues.

There was also no warning that his employment was in jeopardy, no dismissal reasons were given and he was not afforded an opportunity to reply.
A third person has been found guilty of the murder of Gareth Hutch in the north inner city two years ago.

Mother-of-five Regina Keogh (41) "colluded" with her brother to cause serious injury to Mr Hutch, the court heard.

Earlier today, her brother Jonathan Keogh (33) and his friend Thomas Fox (31) were convicted of Mr Hutch's murder.

Fox did not return to the courtroom this afternoon for the reading of the verdict for Regina Keogh.

Regina did not react when the verdict was read out.

At lunch-time, as the trio were brought from the courtroom, her brother Jonathan had shouted "rats" a number of times.

The Garda Public Order Unit was in the courtroom for the reading of the verdict.

In a lengthy judgment which started last Friday and finished this afternoon, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, with Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Michael Walsh, said the killing of Mr Hutch was not spontaneous but was "deliberate and callous" and involved "considerable planning and co-ordination".

The court found that the plan to kill Mr Hutch had been in gestation "perhaps as far back as April" when the black BMW, the proposed getaway vehicle, was purchased for cash. It was certainly in place by May 18, when Jonathan acquired a burner phone, the judges found.

This afternoon, Judge Hunt said the case against Regina Keogh depended substantially on the evidence of protected witness Mary McDonnell.

Judge Hunt said the court was satisfied that when Regina brought the gloves to Mrs McDonnell's flat the night before the murder she had "specific knowledge that something was afoot in relation to Gareth Hutch".

The court also found that all three defendants were connected to the "murder enterprise" through the mobile phone and CCTV evidence.

Regina's behaviour after the murder also showed "her continuing willingness to assist her brother", the court heard.

Finding Regina guilty of murder, Judge Hunt said Regina was guilty due to her "involvement with her brother's affairs".

During the nine week trial, the three-judge court heard Keogh threatened to kill Mr Hutch the evening before the shooting.

Evidence was also heard from Mary McDonnell who identified Keogh from CCTV footage as one of the shooters of Mr Hutch. She also said he was one of two men in her flat the morning of the shooting.

It was the State's case that Jonathan was one of the gunmen, together with Mr AB who is not before the courts.

Regina was "central and fundamental" in the plan to kill Mr Hutch and helped to procure the use of protected witness Mary McDonnell's flat to stake out Mr Hutch's flat.

Regina also gave surgical gloves to Mrs McDonnell for the gunmen to use and arranged for money to be sent to her brother after he fled to Belfast.

Fox was the proposed getaway driver. He also retrieved the guns the night before the attack and brought them to Mrs McDonnell's flat, the court heard.
Joseph O'Connor (58), from west Dublin, pictured at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he has pleaded not guilty to five counts of possession of child pornography at his home in 2011. Photo: Collins Courts.

A garda on trial for possession of child pornography had a complaint of a sexual nature made against him by a man he met for sex days before his arrest.

Joseph O'Connor (58) from west Dublin has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five counts of possession of child pornography at his home in west Dublin on dates between July 30 and August 2 in 2011.

The jury has heard that videos found on a laptop seized from his home on August 2 showed boys under the age of ten subjected to sexually explicit acts.

Twelve movies retrieved showed boys between the age of ten and 17, Gda Walsh said, with two files depicting children being subjected to explicit sexual acts with a male adult.

Garda Sergeant Kevin Menchen told the jury that the day before the search of his home, the defendant rang Inspector Colm Fox, now deceased, to say he had heard there were allegations being made about him.

The defendant presented himself at Blanchardstown Garda Station to make a voluntary witness statement which was taken by Sgt Menchen.

The court heard that the defendant said he had used the gay website Manhunt to initiate contact with a man called Patryk (sic) Farrell and they had exchanged a substantial number of texts.

Some of these texts detailed what they are going to do to each other, in terms of sexual activity, in terms of whatever fetish was going on, the court heard.

Mr Farrell went to the defendant's home and spent the night there. Mr O'Connor told Sgt Menchen that the following morning he heard the front door slamming.

He said he got up immediately and went downstairs and saw his laptop was closed over. He went to his jeans and found 20 was missing, Mr O'Connor told gardai. He said he also found his official Garda ID was missing. He said he got into his car and drove around to find Mr Farrell.

The jury heard that Mr O'Connor told gardai he found Mr Farrell and searched him and found his official badge and handcuffs and 20 on him.

Defence counsel Paul Carroll SC, told the jury that Mr Farrell ended up coming back into the city centre and was the worse for wear and collapsed. This was brought to garda attention and complaints were made against the defendant.

Counsel said there were complaints of a sexual nature and matters progressed. He said the Garda Ombudsman took up the complaint but Mr Farrell didnt cooperate and the complaint was withdrawn.

The trial began last week but has been in legal argument for much of that time. It continues before Judge Sheahan and a jury of ten men and two women.
GARDAI are to review the handling of convicted rapist Eoin Berkley's multiple bail breaches amid warnings he should never have been free on Dublin streets to commit the horrific rape of a young Spanish student.

The internal review will take place amid increasing demands for a wide-ranging overhaul of bail, sentencing and mental health regulations in light of the shock revelations in the Berkley (25) rape case.

It is the latest case to prompt demands from politicians and victims rights groups for an overhaul of the bail regime and its enforcement.

The demand came as it emerged the convicted rapist, who is now starting a 14 year term for the repeated rape and abduction of a Spanish student, should have been in custody over five different public order bail breaches when he attacked the young woman after luring her to waste ground from Dublin city centre.

Further, it also emerged that Berkley had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act just one month before at the instigation of a senior Garda who was worried both about his behaviour and Berkley's own safety.

However, Berkley was later deemed fit to be released by a doctor.

An internal Garda review will now focus on the handling of Berkley's multiple bail breaches and why action was not taken to enforce the strict conditions of his bail.

The review is set to be led by Cork-born Assistant Commissioner Pat Leahy.

A Garda spokesperson stressed that the aim of the review will be "to establish the lessons to be learned and whether changes to procedures and processes are required."

A central element of the review will be communication between various Garda divisions and courts in respect of bail terms and conditions as well as between Garda divisions themselves.

The Irish Independent also understands that the circumstances in which Berkley was released on medical advice after having been detained under the Mental Health Act will also be reviewed.

This, however, is outside the remit of the Garda review.

Garda chiefs said it is policy not to comment on individual cases.

However, it was confirmed that any breach of duty in respect of monitoring and enforcing court-imposed bail conditions would potentially be an internal disciplinary matter.

The Garda Siochana Ombusman Commission (GSOC) has no role in the matter at the current time.

Sexual Violence Centre Cork (SVCC) warned that the level of rapes and sexual assaults across Ireland now warranted the introduction of mandatory sentencing.

"This is an exceptional case. But it is also very worrying because for multiple different reasons this person should never have been out walking the streets to commit this type of horrific crime," SVCC director Mary Crilly said.

Ms Crilly said the 14 year sentence was significant - but she said a mandatory five year prison term for rape should now be introduced in Ireland.

She warned that in the majority of cases of sexual violence there is never a conviction.

"With mandatory sentences, judges could then be free to add years on for aggravating factors like violence, lack of remorse etc,"

"The issue here is that this young man clearly stands out (as having personal issues). But the majority of rapists and those who commit sexual assaults look normal, fit in to society and appear no different to anyone else."

Over recent times, Berkley - who had been sleeping rough - walked around the city

centre carrying a fake Kalashnikov assault rifle.

On another occasion, he posed in the street to deliver a Nazi salute to photographers.

Multiple breaches of his bail terms were effectively ignored.

When sentenced to 14 years for the horrific rape of the Spanish student, Berkley began laughing in court.

Rape crisis groups have said the judiciary should note the exceptional 14 year prison term imposed by Mr Justice Michael White.

Rape Crisis Network Ireland official, Cliona Saidlear, said it was a strong signal that such sexual violence will not be tolerated in Ireland.

"It is a good strong signal from the judiciary around the seriousness with which this crime is being looked at," she said.

"This is an exceptional case. This will not be your average type of sexual violence case."

"In terms of the message it sends, this really is exceptional," she said.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre director, Noeline Blackwell, warned that the most worrying aspect of the case was the fact Berkley's repeated bail breaches were known about but not acted upon.

"Nothing was done about it," she said.

"That is the real worry in all of this."

Ms Blackwell said it was clear that questions now arise over why specific bail orders were not enforced when it was apparent they were being flagrantly breached.

Both Labour and Fianna Fail said serious issues arise over both bail and mental health sectioning enforcement from the case.

Berkley went into foster care when he was just four years old and he was institutionalised after a spate of unruly behaviour by the age of 14.

He had also spent time living homeless around Dublin.
AN Irish woman who killed her fiance in Sydney has told a judge of his repeated violence, including punching strangers and biting her all over her body, and his accusations of her sleeping with other men.

Cathrina "Tina" Cahill said she could not look at other men when she was out with David Walsh, nor could she look in the mirror when driving as there might be a male driver behind.

If she did, she said Mr Walsh would say: "I hope you got a good look, slut."

The 27-year-old denied a suggestion from prosecutor Nanette Williams that she wanted to minimise any violence she had done to Mr Walsh and maximise what he had done to her when describing their relationship.

Cahill was giving evidence in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday at her sentence hearing for the manslaughter of Mr Walsh, 29.

He was stabbed once in the neck in the early hours of February 18 in 2017 at the Padstow home they shared with two other Irish nationals.

Expand Close Guilty plea: Tina Cahill has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of David Walsh / Facebook

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Whatsapp Guilty plea: Tina Cahill has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of David Walsh

Cahill was originally charged with murder, but the Crown accepted her plea to the less serious charge on the basis of substantial impairment due to an abnormality of the mind at the time.

"There is not a day that goes by when I don't think about David's family," she told her barrister James Trevallion when asked how she felt about what she had done to her fiance.

"I loved him so much.

"He told me no matter what I did I would never get away from him and if I ever got with anybody else he would make my life hell."

She said Mr Walsh blocked people from her Facebook account, deleted texts and numbers from her phone and was convinced she was having an affair with her boss.

He would come to her work to wait for her and make a gesture - which she demonstrated - of running a finger across his throat.

Cahill referred to incidents when Mr Walsh punched men, after claiming she had been with them or they had looked at her, and said he wanted her to take a lie detector test when she denied being with her brother-in-law.

Mr Walsh punched numerous holes in the house walls, threw a glass bottle through a new TV and "would constantly break things in the house".

He would grab her face "and constantly bite me, that was his thing", she said.

A former housemate has testified that she saw Cahill walk up the stairs with her hand behind her back, then suddenly stab Mr Walsh in the back of his head after the couple argued on October 3, 2015.

But Cahill said they had argued before he blocked her at their bedroom door with a knife in his hand.

She went to grab it, cut her hand and then cut the back of his head.

Ms Williams suggested she was lying because she knew the housemate's evidence was very "damning" about her purposefully going downstairs to get the knife and attack her partner in the head.

"That isn't true," Cahill replied.

The hearing will continue on November 9 before Justice Peter Johnson, who said he expected to sentence Cahill before the law term ended on December 14.
An Irishwoman who has admitted stabbing her fiance to death in Sydney, knifed him in the head in a previous incident, a judge has been told.

Cathrina Cahill, known as Tina, stabbed David Walsh three or four times in the head in 2015, former housemate Isobel Jennings told the New South Wales Supreme Court.

Ms Jennings was giving evidence at the sentencing hearing for Cahill, who had been charged with murdering Mr Walsh (29) originally, but admitted manslaughter. The 27-year-old made the plea on the basis of her "substantial impairment".

The couple, from Co Wexford, had only been engaged for five weeks when Mr Walsh was killed in February last year at their home in the Sydney suburb of Padstow.

Cahill gave psychiatrists a history of a traumatic relationship with Mr Walsh which had been hallmarked by physical, emotional and verbal abuse.

Under cross-examination from Cahill's barrister, James Trevallion, Ms Jennings denied she was lying about the incident in which she said Cahill had stabbed Mr Walsh in October 2015.

However, she agreed that there had been problems after she moved out and before she made her police statement.

The court heard Cahill had been charged with recklessly wounding Mr Walsh, which related to him being injured after she threw a large candle at him in November 2015.

She was convicted of the offence in her absence and placed on a two-year bond at Waverley Local Court.

On the night Mr Walsh was killed, the couple argued when they were out drinking with others. They parted and Mr Walsh returned home.

He was asleep in the house when Cahill, two female friends and Matthew Hyde, a man they had been drinking with, arrived back there.

Soon after, Mr Walsh repeatedly attacked Mr Hyde, wanting to know who he was and, in the chaos, Cahill screamed: "Stop it, Davey ... he's with Grace." She tried to get a grip of her fiance's arms when he swung his arm back and she fell to the ground.

There was a scuffle and she punched him in the face before he tried to punch her in the face. Eventually, she took a "large, very sharp-bladed knife" from the kitchen drawer and stabbed him.

Mr Walsh had five brothers, a sister and parents in Ireland at the time of his death, the court heard.

His father died 10 months later from a "broken heart" having told another of his sons: "I don't want him up there on his own."

Mr Walsh's brother Jonathan, in a victim impact statement read out on his behalf, said when their father got the news, he said: "I am going to be with him soon."

Another brother, Patrick, said their mother had become a shell of her former self.

The hearing is continuing before Justice Peter Johnson.
Berkley faced court in 2016 where he admitted defacing the Central Bank in Dame Street with graffiti.

Eoin Berkeley makes a Nazi salute on the street after being spotted by a photographer

A student who was subjected to 21 hours of imprisonment when she was repeatedly raped genuinely thought she would die, a judge said.

But the man who admitted abducting and raping the Spanish teenager appeared to chuckle as he was sentenced to 14 years in jail yesterday.

Eoin Berkley (25), with an address at Hampton Wood Way, Finglas, North Dublin, admitted raping the 18-year-old girl at the Irish Glass Bottle company site, Pigeon House Road, Ringsend, on three occasions between July 15 and 16, 2017.

During the sentencing hearing at the Central Criminal Court yesterday, a relaxed Berkley appeared to smile and stretch on occasion.

Mr Justice Michael White said Berkley's crimes were premeditated, and the nature of the rapes was particularly degrading.

The judge said Berkley's threats to kill the victim were "blood-curdling".

He noted there were 19 separate incidents of violence or threats of violence.

He imposed concurrent sentences of 14 years for each rape offence and said he was taking into consideration the threats to kill, sexual assaults and false imprisonment.

Mr Justice White backdated the sentence to July 31, 2017, when Berkley went into custody, and imposed a period of three years post-release supervision. He stated he had to take into account Berkley's tragic history and his mental health difficulties and said reports handed into court made grim reading.

The court heard evidence that he was mainly sleeping rough at the time and frequently came to Garda attention for public order situations which raised concerns for his mental health.

A month before the abduction and rapes, a Garda inspector in the Dublin city area directed Berkley's detention under the Mental Health Act. He was seen by a doctor who deemed him fit to be released.

On the date of the abduction, the victim was out in the city centre on a Saturday afternoon when she met Berkley, who told her he lived on the beach and invited her to see it.

The then 18-year-old, described as naive and shy, had come to Ireland two weeks earlier to improve her English and was staying with a host family in Dublin. She agreed to go with Berkley but he brought her to a derelict site near Sandymount where he had pitched tents.

Once inside the tent his mood changed, he pushed her to the ground and grabbed her hands. She told him he was hurting her but he laughed and told her she was stupid and that he had "done this before".

She left the tent but Berkley dragged her back in. He tied her hands up behind her back using a dog leash and told her he had previously killed six people and was going to kill her.

Over the hours that followed, Berkley raped the woman on three separate occasions. On the Sunday he told her he wasn't going to kill her until Monday.

The victim escaped when Berkley took her down to the beach and he fell asleep.

In the meantime the family she was staying with in Dublin and her parents in Spain had raised the alarm when she failed to make contact on Saturday evening.

On escaping, the victim rang her father, telling him she was running from a man and told him: "I've been kidnapped. I'm going to be killed." Her father told the court this was the worst phone-call a father could ever get.

The victim told gardai that she was terrified and knew if she tried to escape she had to be successful.

The court heard that medical tests found morphine, codeine and cannabis present in her body after the attack. She suffered bruising to her wrist, arms, legs and neck.

Fear

In a victim impact statement read into court by counsel, the woman said that she had to take medication for months after the rape in case of infections. She said she thought she was going to be killed during the attack and she is now afraid to sleep in the dark.

Berkley's 25 previous convictions include unlawful possession of knives and a realistic firearm, and threatening and abusive behaviour.

After the hearing last week Mr Justice White adjourned sentencing to yesterday.

He said that the victim was violated in a horrendous way and that there was a collective sense of shame that somebody visiting Ireland had suffered in such a vile way.

Defence counsel, Michael Bowman SC told the court that his client went into foster care at the age of four as his mother had psychological problems which were compounded by alcohol. At the age of 14 his foster care situation broke down because of his own behavioural difficulties and he was institutionalised at Ballydowd, a facility for "unruly youths".

Counsel said that after leaving Ballydowd he had lived in flux, mostly in homelessness.

Two days after Berkley's detention under the Mental Health Act his older brother rang a Garda station and said Berkley needed to be detained again under the act. Gardai told him there was no basis for his detention and advised that he seek medical care.

While he was in custody Berkley used his own blood to write the words "I'm so sorry" on the walls of a prison cell.

Mr Justice White said there was an element of premeditation and that he lied to his victim when he invited to take her to a beach and instead brought her to the derelict site.

He said the victim came from a protected family from a generally crime-free area in Spain where she was able to roam freely. He said she was innocent and naive.

The victim told gardai that Berkley was charming and as she had never seen a beach in Ireland she accepted his invitation.

Mr Justice White said the first rape was particularly degrading and involved elements of extreme violence, threats to kill and false imprisonment. Berkley told her if she shouted it would motivate him more and if she ran he'd hit her on the head with a rock.

Danger

The judge said that the victim was so terrorised that she was effectively a prisoner for 21 hours. Throughout the attack she showed compassion for others, he said, noting one reason she didn't call for help was she was afraid she would put strangers into danger.

Mr Justice White said the second and third rapes were accompanied by extreme degradation. He said the victim believed the blood-curdling threats made by Berkley and felt her life was in danger. He said the entire ordeal involved excessive cruelty, degradation and demeaning behaviour.

Mr Justice White said he had to also take into account the mitigating factors outlined to the court. He said Berkley was taken into care at 15 months old and placed into various care settings. He was kicked out of school at the age of 12 for "extreme violence" and never went back or had a job.

Mr Justice White said he was not optimistic about the prospects of rehabilitation. A doctor found Berkley had a significantly compromised development and suffered from a severe personality disorder.

The judge said it was unfortunate that such a young person was going to prison for so long but said Berkley had to bear total personal responsibility for that as these were "most horrific" crimes involving the degradation of an innocent person.
A Fine Gael senator is suing a newspaper over comments made about him by one of the party's ministers.

Senator Paudie Coffey, himself a former minister, is suing the 'Kilkenny People' over remarks made about him by local government minister of state John Paul Phelan.

Mr Coffey claims he has suffered damage to his reputation because of the publication of the article.

Mr Coffey is not suing Mr Phelan personally over the comments, which were first made in a press release sent to the newspaper.

High Court listings show the Senator has taken his case against Iconic Newspapers Limited trading as 'Kilkenny People and reporter Sam Matthews. The case is set to be heard over three days starting on November 20.

In the last government, Mr Coffey was the minister of state for housing and planning in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

The newspaper article which is the subject of the High Court action was published in January 2016.

It came in the run-up to the general election in February of that year.

Mr Coffey was not re-elected to the Dail in that election but was then nominated to the Seanad by the previous Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.

Mr Phelan was appointed as a minister of state in the Department of Housing by Leo Varadkar after he was elected Taoiseach following the Fine Gael leadership contest.
William Waters says he doubts the validity of signatures. Picture: Justin Farrelly

Appearance: Maura Derivan arriving for the hearing at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in Dublin. Photo: Justin Farrelly

A solicitor took a 246,000 fee with no proper paper trail from a woman whom she had represented in two medical negligence cases, it was alleged yesterday.

William Waters, the son of Ann Waters, who died aged 50 in 2014, has taken his case against lawyer Maura Derivan to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.

At a hearing yesterday, Mr Waters, from Carrick-On-Suir, Co Tipperary, questioned the validity of documents in the case and his mother's signature on them.

Ms Waters received a 2.2m payout in January 2012 as settlement for two medical negligence cases in which she was represented by Ms Derivan, who denies the allegations against her.

Her senior counsel, Jack Fitzgerald, told the tribunal that she would be giving evidence to support her case.

Mr Fitzgerald produced a hand-written "solicitor and client agreement" which he said was created on the day Ms Waters settled the negligence cases in January 2012 and signed by her that March.

It showed Ms Waters had agreed to fees of 200,000 plus VAT, to cover the historical case and opinion work done for her, he said.

Mr Waters, who has no legal representation in the case, said that he had no previous knowledge of the document and said it "could have been jotted down yesterday".

He questioned the validity of his mother's signature on it.

Mr Waters also questioned what happened to a sum of 578,500, which was given to his mother in 61 cheques for sums ranging from 5,000 to 45,000 after the settlement.

"Are you questioning if she got that for herself?" Mr Fitzgerald asked.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing," Mr Waters said. "I'm not sure what's been done with the money."

He said his mother led a frugal life. "My mother only shopped in Dunnes and Penneys," he added.

He also questioned whether the signatures on the cheques were genuine.

Mr Fitzgerald said Ms Derivan's evidence will be that she gave the cheques to Ms Waters, and has bank account details which show this.

The tribunal was also told Ms Derivan had given money, interest free, to Ms Waters at a time of financial trouble.

Under cross-examination, Mr Waters accepted he and other members of his family made numerous trips with his mother to the office of Ms Derivan, where she picked up cheques.

Mr Fitzgerald said his client will give evidence that she was instructed to pay sums of money totalling 140,000 to four unnamed individuals and that, for reasons of solicitor client privilege, she could not say who these people were.

"She's doing what she should do as a good solicitor, keeping things secret," he added.

Elaine Waters, the sister of Mr Waters, told the tribunal her mother didn't even have four friends to give money to.

Mr Waters alleged Ms Derivan delayed the probate process, was deceptive towards him and his brother and took advantage of his mother's vulnerability.

The hearing continues.
Eoin Berkley at one of his previous court appearances

Convicted rapist Eoin Berkley should have been in custody over five bail breaches when he abducted and repeatedly raped a Spanish student.

Berkley, who couldn't be identified for legal reasons at the time, was seen flouting terms of his bail set in connection with a public order offence in the weeks running up to his brutal crime.

The attack on the 18-year-old Spanish student at the Irish Glass Bottle site in Ringsend provoked outrage at the time.

Berkley held the victim against her will and raped her on three occasions between July 15 and July 16 of last year.

He was arrested shortly after the victim escaped, but on Tuesday, July 18, he was released without charge.

There was huge public anger when it emerged the suspect was out on bail at the time of the attack, and had now been released once again.

He was subsequently re-arrested and appeared before Dublin District Court on Friday, July 21.

During this hearing, the court was told Berkley had been repeatedly seen by gardai breaking the terms of his bail.

His bail terms stated he was to stay away from a certain part of Dublin city centre. He was to sign on daily at a garda station and also be of good behaviour.

At the court hearing, it emerged Berkley was seen by gardai in the part of the city centre he was banned from on at least five occasions after agreeing to the bail conditions.

Several gardai testified that they had observed the man breaching his bail conditions.

It appeared no action was taken.

His bail was revoked at this court sitting, and Berkley has been in custody since.

He was later charged with the attack on the Spanish student

Berkley first came to public attention after he was accused of carrying out a homophobic graffiti attack on The George pub in early 2017. He was subsquently cleared of this offence in February this year.

Prior to the Ringsend attack, Berkley was photographed attending court in connection with this alleged offence.

One day, he posed in a Nazi salute upon leaving court, aiming it at our photographer.

When the Irish Independent published another picture of him leaving the court, an infuriated Berkley came to the offices of this newspaper and confronted a news editor, demanding to know why the picture had been published.

He was before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court once again last July.

This time he received a two-and-a-half-year sentence for carrying an imitation Kalashnikov rifle around Dublin.

During sentencing yesterday, Berkley appeared to have lost his former bravado.

However, while he might appear more subdued, there is no trace of remorse.
David Boland (34) from Nurney, Co Kildare was fatally injured on Duke Street in the Kildare town of Athy.

Gardai investigating the death of a man on Thursday in Co Kildare have arrested a man in his mid 20s.

He is currently being detained at Kildare Garda station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

David Boland (34) was stabbed to death after becoming emrbroiled in a row with revellers at a Halloween party.

Mr Boland, who ran his own engineering business, was an innocent bystander who was caught up in violence which erupted outside a house party in Duke Street in Athy, Co Kildare, early yesterday morning.

He suffered horrific injuries when he was stabbed four times. He was rushed to the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise but died from his injuries yesterday afternoon.

The victim is from the village of Nurney, Co Kildare, and was described by locals last night as a "successful and hard-working man".

Superintendent Martin Walker told a briefing at Athy garda station yesterday that the case had been upgraded to a murder probe.

He said: "This morning at 5.45am, November 1, 2018, gardai were called to the scene of an assault at Duke Street here in Athy, the main street of the area.

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"On arrival, gardai discovered a man in his early 30s had received multiple stab wounds.

"He was then removed by ambulance to Portlaoise Hospital where he subsequently died."

It is understood the victim was stabbed shortly after he arrived in the area in his silver Audi car. The Halloween party was still continuing in the small hours of the morning in a flat above a shop on Castle Street, opposite Edmund Rice Square in the south Kildare town. It had been attended by around 20 people.

A reveller at the party became agitated and a disagreement or row developed, it is believed.

The people from the party then spilled on to the street and, at some point, Mr Boland was stabbed.

Gardai said last night that after Mr Boland was stabbed, his car was driven away from the scene.

It was crashed a short distance away on Stradbally Road and an attempt was made to burn it out.

Gardai preserved the scene of the incident on Duke Street pending a forensic examination, as well as the second scene on the Stradbally Road.

The crashed and partially burned-out Audi car was discovered at around the same time as Mr Boland was found.

CCTV in the locality was being trawled by gardai last night but no arrests have yet been made.

The investigation is being led by Superintendent Walker, who described the murder as "shocking".

Local Fianna Fail councillor Martin Miley, who knew Mr Boland, described him as a successful entrepreneur.

"He had an engineering business. He worked extremely hard to build up his business," Mr Miley said.

"He was a hard-working man and the family would be well known in the area they live in. My condolences go out to his family and his children at this time."
The release of Leaving Cert results, CAO offers and the outcomes of appeals are being brought forward next year.

A major overhaul of the timetable arises from the High Court case involving Co Wexford student Rebecca Carter, and follows intensive discussions between the Department of Education, the State Examinations Commission and third-level college representatives.

A shorter appeals process will allow students to know the outcomes between September 18-20, rather than October 10.

The shake-up is more extensive than that and will see the earlier release of Leaving Cert results and CAO offers.

Next year, results will issue on Tuesday, August 13, a day earlier than usual, while CAO Round 1 offers will follow on Friday, August 16, three days earlier than normal.

Higher education institutions have agreed that first-year classes will not start earlier than the second week of September. The planned switch to an online marking system over the next three years could further improve the appeals timeframe.
Gardai investigating the disappearance of a 29-year-old Lithuanian woman have officially upgraded the case to one of murder.

Giedre Raguckaite was last seen alive at a house in Laytown, Co Meath, on the night of May 29.

She was reportedly unconscious and carried into the house in the company of two Lithuanian men who placed her in an ice bath.

It is understood that some hours later the men left the property with Giedre in a stolen Toyota Landcruiser and no one has seen her since.

A senior source told the Herald last night that gardai now believe Giedre, who had been living in Dundalk, Co Louth, died a violent death but do not know where her body is.

It has emerged that her relatives were informed that the investigation had been upgraded to murder on Wednesday.

Last night, Gedvile Hibner, a childhood friend of Giedre, said her killers were "vile creatures" who should be in custody and "pushed to speak".

Ms Hibner said she had been contacted by Giedre's family who told her the case had been upgraded. She said her reaction to the development was: "Finally."

"I think she was drugged. She was thin, she needed so much," Ms Hibner said. "I have no idea where they got rid of her body, but they left in the middle of the night with her.

"The family are shocked and still hoping, but they also want her body back. We just want to know what happened."

Ms Hibner added that she believes the suspects in the case may have killed before.

Giedre had previously lived in England for a number of years but was deported to Lithuania before moving to Dundalk, Co Louth, on March 3 last.

The two men who were allegedly with her at the house in Laytown have been identified and questioned by detectives.

Both are Lithuanian nationals who were known to Giedre. One is suspected of involvement in serious organised crime and is currently serving a short jail term for separate matters.

The detailed investigation into the suspected murder has been carried out by officers from Louth and Meath who have been working with police in Lithuania and the UK.

There have been no arrests in the case so far.

Gardai first appealed for information from the public in what was then a missing person's case in August.

"Giedre is a Lithuanian national and was last seen on Hoey's Lane, Dundalk on the May 26, 2018 at approximately 6pm. She is described at 5ft 5in in height, slight build, blonde hair with green eyes," a garda spokesman said in a statement on August 23.

However, after further investigations, it has emerged that she was last seen in Laytown three days later on May 29.

In August, the Herald revealed that a bag which was handed into Dundalk Garda Station by a female was owned by Giedre.

However, officers are satisfied it had gone missing before she did and that there is "nothing sinister" in relation to that aspect of the case.

It's understood Giedre gave her passport to her landlord as a deposit for the room she was renting before disappearing.

As her father lives in Lithuania, and her sisters live in Italy and Cyprus, the young woman has no family in Ireland.

Last month, Giedre's close friend, Ms Hibner, told the Sunday World newspaper that while living in Ireland, the missing woman had been dependent on someone else financially.

"When she moved to Ireland, she tried to get work in a clothing business," Ms Hibner was quoted as saying.

"But she was certainly getting financial help from someone as she wasn't living on fresh air for two months."

Giedre's friend also alleged: "She was clearly drugged and wasn't able to act normally or help herself.

"Whatever happened to her has to be discovered.

"My friend is a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, and now she is gone."
The Anguilla Statistics Department (ASD) over the past years has used the week in October in which October 15th  Caribbean Statistics Day, to commemorate Anguilla Statistics Day. The 10th Anguilla Statistics Week would have taken place in 2017, but we all can remember what we were doing in October 2017.

Anguilla Statistics Week is an opportunity for the ASD to raise the awareness, importance and use of statistics in all areas of our life. In the past the ASD has sought to raise awareness through holding a number of activities focussed on specific target groups; primary and secondary school age students as well as the population at large.

The ASD is currently still displaced after hurricane Irma and did not have the resources to, in our usual manner, celebrate Statistics Week 2018. Nonetheless the Department has taken the opportunity to continue its statistical awareness campaign by this year focussing on the primary school aged students.

We have presented to the Primary Schools student planners for each student. Student planners assist students in improving their organisational and communication skills; two qualities that statisticians value highly.

As the ASD continues to work towards raising the profile of statistics and encouraging persons to demand and use quality statistics in their programme, policy development and project design, we seek your support in doing so. When called upon to comply with the provision of data to the ASD, we trust that you would do so willingly knowing that Anguilla requires, Sound Statistics for Sustainable Development

The ASD looks forward to celebrating Statistics Week 2019 D. V..



Alwyn Allison Richardson Primary



Guishards



Morris Vanterpool Primary



Oreilia Kelly Primary



The Valley Primary School



Vivian Vanterpool Primary

Adrian T. Hazell Primary School
Thousands of people in Ireland are in a health "twilight zone" because they are above the income threshold for a medical card but cannot afford private insurance.

Hard-pressed families on middle incomes are at risk of being even worse off than those who qualify for a medical card as a result.

A new international report warns the gulf between the health of rich and poor in Ireland is more pronounced when compared with several other western European countries.

When it comes to how people from different incomes view their well-being, the better-off in Ireland are 21.5pc healthier than lower socio-economic groups.

The report, which is published by TASC, the Think-tank for Action on Social Change, and FEPS, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, will be discussed at a conference in Trinity College today.

It again highlights the negative impact of Ireland's two-tier health system, with those who can pay having faster access to treatments.

It said Ireland remains unique in the EU as the only western European country not to have universal health coverage of primary care.

"We need to introduce universal health insurance as a matter of urgency," said director Shana Cohen.

This is needed as a "targeted and appropriate response" to the health challenges being experienced by people "in the health twilight zone".

The level of out-of-pocket expenses people must pay in this country to access health care is unusual when compared with other countries in Europe.

Universal healthcare - where people are treated according to need rather than ability to pay - was first promised by the last government in 2011.

Seven years on, it also shapes the foundation of Slaintecare, the cross-party plan for the future of the health service.

Life expectancy in Ireland at 81.5 years is one of the highest in the EU, while the country's better-off group has the highest self-reported health across the 28 EU states.

Ms Cohen added: "What this report makes very clear is that people with private health insurance in Ireland have a much better chance of getting the health services they need, and getting them quickly.

"So, where you are in the job market would seem to have a significant impact on your well-being and health outcomes."

Co-author Timon Forster said it was not enough for governments to just look at the health system in isolation, and they must address the labour market and also fiscal policies if health inequalities are to be reduced.
Hundreds of employees at Google's European headquarters in Dublin staged a walkout yesterday as part of a worldwide protest against sexual harassment at the company.

The action was organised after claims of sexual misconduct were made against senior Google executives.

Kate Smith, an employee at Google who helped organise the Dublin protest, told the crowd they were walking out "in solidarity with anybody who has experienced any form of sexual harassment or misconduct in our workplace".

"While I have not personally experienced any form of sexual harassment or misconduct at Google, I wish to create a space for all of us to show our support for doing whatever it takes to eliminate any such awful behaviour," she said.

Staff at the HQ in Barrow Street, Dublin, left their desks at 11am to take part in a demonstration lasting almost an hour.

They are calling for an end to pay inequality, more accountability in cases of harassment and better representation for workers.

The protests unfolded a week after a 'New York Times' story detailed allegations of sexual misconduct against Andy Rubin, the creator of Google's Android software.

The report said Rubin, who denies the claims, received a $90m (78.9m) pay-off in 2014.

Google employs more than 7,000 staff directly and indirectly in Ireland.

Sundar Pichai, Google's chief executive, said management would support their staff.

He added: "Employees have raised constructive ideas for how we can improve our policies and our processes.

"We are taking in all their feedback so we can turn these ideas into action."
Crowds to see Pope Francis at the Phoenix Park last August. Picture: Getty

Pope Francis at the closing Mass at the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park in Dublin. Photo: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Bad weather and RTE's "comprehensive coverage" of the visit of Pope Francis have been blamed for the poor turnout at the pontiff's Phoenix Park Mass.

A review of the visit also saw gardai raise concerns about a "lack of experience" among volunteers at the event.

As many as 500,000 people were expected to attend the Phoenix Park Mass which was the centrepiece of Pope Francis's historic visit.

However, attendance on Sunday, August 26, was closer to 150,000 amid miserable weather conditions.

The Department of the Taoiseach held a debriefing on the visit the following Friday and notes on what was discussed have been released to the Irish Independent.

Organisers of the World Meeting of Families are recorded as saying that overall the Pope's visit had been a "tremendous success".

Expand Close Worship: Pope Francis greets the crowds during his recent visit to Ireland. Picture: Gerry Mooney / Facebook

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Whatsapp Worship: Pope Francis greets the crowds during his recent visit to Ireland. Picture: Gerry Mooney

However, their contribution also suggests reasons why the crowds were not at the level that had been expected.

"Bad weather had an impact on turnout, plus RTE's comprehensive coverage meant that people could watch it from the comfort of their own homes," the notes say.

Viewing figures released in the days before the debriefing showed that more than a million people tuned in to watch at least some of the papal Mass on RTE. An average of 535,000 people watched it in full on television.

Gardai said the visit went well "from a security point of view".

They did raise issues with the Popemobile route around the Phoenix Park and "barrier management", saying that this was in part due to a "lack of experience" among stewards and volunteers.

It was suggested that there be greater training of such staff prior to future events "to ensure they are fully briefed on the significance of their role".

The safety officer for the Phoenix Park event raised issues about some "unexpected vehicle movements" and the notes say that "high security (blue-light vehicle) interacting with pedestrians always pose a safety concern".

The Office of Public Works (OPW), which is responsible for the Phoenix Park, assessed that the Pope's visit went "extremely well" and said it had a beneficial impact on tourism. Its contribution said that late notice of road closures had "caused some upset" among residents and businesses near the park, which could have been reduced if clearer details had been released earlier.

Other documents show that Dublin Town - an organisation that represents businesses - wrote to the Taoiseach's department claiming that the city's experience in planning major events was not drawn upon for the Pope's visit.

Its chief executive, Richard Guiney, said businesses reported a drop in footfall and a reduction in trade of around 30pc, with lost sales of up to 6m that weekend. He said the visit portrayed a positive image of Dublin, but also expressed the concerns of the business community, claiming planning and communication "fell short of the standards that we have come to expect".

A response from the department said the planning involved "extensive engagement" by State agencies but promised to forward the concerns to those involved.

It said the scale of the visit was "unprecedented in recent times" and noted that the Pope's itinerary had involved several movements across the city. The response promised to include Dublin Town in a future debriefing meeting on the visit.
Eoghan Murphy has defended the 500 placement fees for letting agents who house homeless families, despite landlords labelling the move "concerning and disturbing".

The Housing Minister said he supported any move to house homeless families, but wasn't aware of all "individual lease arrangements" such as the placement fees.

However, he earlier this year communicated to the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DHRE) to "do what they could to prevent families from going into emergency accommodation, or to get families out of emergency accommodation as quickly as possible".

Mr Murphy added: "Obviously we want to avoid families having to be in emergency accommodation at all.

"So the DRHE and other local authorities work with a number of landlords across the country to get people into Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and into homes and it's important that they do that."

It was revealed by RTE that the 500 placement fees are being offered to private letting agents in Dublin for renting properties to HAP tenants.

The Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA) called on Government to stop the initiative "immediately" amid concerns the State was interfering with the market and the "trust" between landlords and agents.

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Margaret McCormack, information officer for the IPOA, said: "The move to pay agents a placement fee is concerning and disturbing.

"This scheme has the potential to influence the selection of a tenant for a property, it could undermine the relationship of trust between a landlord and an agent.

"It's something we want to be immediately stopped. This is not good for the market."

A number of landlords were contacted by the Irish Independent and they stated they did not wish to speak or be identified, but one spoke anonymously.

The landlord with two properties in Dublin and one in Cork, said: "This could lead to an agent taking advantage of circumstances where freedom should be granted to every single potential tenant to put their best foot forward and a property to be let on a person's merits.

"It should not be left to an agent to make that decision on their own and to be influenced in making that decision by a benefit of 500 plus VAT."
LABOUR Party leader Brendan Howlin has launched a stinging attack on Transport Minister Shane Ross claiming he's an example of why the Government is a shambles.

Mr Howlin made the remarks in his speech on the opening night of the Labour Partys National Conference.

He thanked delegates for travelling from around the country and said: I know that travelling across Ireland is more difficult now, with Shane Ross as Minister for Transport.

He added: At least, I think hes a Minister. Hes listed at least on the Governments website as one.

And he criticised Mr Rosss involvement in the controversial BusConnects plan for Dublin.

Mr Howlin said: I do recall his claim that he's not responsible for the BusConnects system.

"Apparently he was planning to make a submission on it - to himself.

It is just one example of how the current Government is in fact a shambles."

He said the only positive is that Mr Ross is in charge of transport and not housing or health.

Mr Ross last month reportedly told a Dublin-Rathdown constituency meeting that he had nothing to do with the BusConnects plan, prompting criticism from political opponents that he was trying to duck responsibility.

The Minister later said he told the residents that he does make Government policy on BusConnects project and transport, but he doesnt micro-mange the details.

Mr Ross declined to respond to political attacks at the time but said its a good project but there are problems for communities that need to be ironed out.

Mr Howlin also attacked the record of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's Government on housing and health.

He said Fine Gael are in talks with Fianna Fail on renewing the Confidence and Supply agreement and asked: "Who could have any confidence in this Government?"

Separately, Mr Howlin hit out at presidential election candidate Peter Casey who made controversial remarks about the Travelling Community during the campaign.

Mr Howlin accused Mr Casey of engaging in Trumpian tactics seeking to grab headlines by targeting vulnerable groups.

He contrasted this with the approach of President Michael D Higgins  a former Labour minister  who won re-election and has a genuine concern for the welfare of others, especially the most vulnerable.

Mr Howlin also said President Michael D Higgins victory in the race for Aras an Uachtarain gives strong hope for a revival of his partys support among the electorate.

However, he ruled out any pact with other political parties ahead of the next general election which he predicted would happen before May next year.

Labour had a disastrous election in 2016, returning just seven TDs to the Dail.

Mr Howlin said his goal is to return the party to double-digit representation after the next election.

He said the party obviously rejoice in the election of the pre-eminent candidate in the last Presidential election.

The people of Ireland agreed with us. But Michael D not only was the best candidate, he is an intellectual, a socialist, an advocate of Labour values all his life.

Mr Howlin said: the fact that theres a constituency for that indicates that there is strong hope for the Labour Party.

He said that there are people who think like us and added: we need to get them to vote for us in the local, European and the next general election.

The Labour Party conference will debate a proposal from its Fingal branch that calls on the party leadership to consider a pre-election agreement on some policy objectives with like-minded parties and individuals.

The suggestion is made in light of the growth in populism on the right and the extreme left internationally.

However, Mr Howlin has effectively ruled this out saying: We will be entering into no pre-election pact with anybody. We will be campaigning on a very clear Labour policy platform.

He said that if in the event that people want to talk to us subsequent to a general election and we have sufficient strength to advance those policies then well talk on the basis of those policies.

Mr Howlin said the party will use its 70th national conference to set out the partys stall ahead of the next general election.

He said: Were refining our very clear policy agenda on the critical issues that affect people.

We have a unique policy platform on housing where we want to build 80,000 affordable homes over the next five years and have set out where we will get 16bn to do that.

He also said: The creation of a single-tier health system which is possible in this country.

In the worst of times we embarked upon that in government, rolling out primary, firstly free GP care to under-6s.

All of that stopped as soon as we left government because other parties dont have a commitment to universal healthcare.

We are facing a general election sometime in the coming months.

My own judgment on it is that it will be sooner than either the European or Local Elections which we know are scheduled for May of next year.
A Fine Gael national executive member who was forced to resign from his position over social media comments has been suspended from the party for a year.

Barry Walsh, a former Young Fine Gael president, will also see his voting rights restricted.

However, it is understood he has appealed against the decision.

Mr Walsh was forced to resign from the executive after Fine Gael TD Kate O'Connell raised concerns about comments he made on social media.

Mr Walsh posted derogatory comments on Twitter about female TDs and prominent abortion campaigners.

Mr Walsh described Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald and Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall as "b***hes".

He was also critical of actor and pro-choice activist Tara Flynn for having an abortion.

Ms O'Connell lodged a complaint with Fine Gael headquarters and also distributed copies of Mr Walsh's tweets at a parliamentary party meeting.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar called for Mr Walsh to resign from his position after the comments emerged. Mr Varadkar said he expected Fine Gael officials to hold themselves to a "higher standard".

Mr Walsh resigned soon after - claiming he had been subjected to a "trial by media". He said he regretted the "tone and language" used in his tweets.

Mr Walsh did not respond to requests for comments.
Peadar Toibin and Carol Nolan, pictured, defied their party over the abortion issue

Women seeking an abortion should be offered the chance to listen to a foetus's heartbeat, pro-life TDs have proposed.

Women would also be given the opportunity to view an ultrasound under the plan.

The group of eight TDs want doctors who fail to make such offers to face a fine or a jail sentence under their proposed amendment to the Government's abortion legislation.

The TDs, including Independent Mattie McGrath and former Sinn Fein deputy Carol Nolan, have put forward the plan among changes to the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill 2018.

It is set to be debated by the Oireachtas Health Committee next week.

Other proposed amendments include doctors taking all "appropriate and practicable" steps to avoid causing pain to the foetus.

This would include possible use of an anaesthetic prior to termination if the foetus is more than 20 weeks.

Another amendment would provide for the "dignified disposal" of remains either by burial or cremation with an option for the woman to choose the manner of disposal.

In relation to the ultrasound and heartbeat proposal, a doctor would be required to perform the scan at least 24 hours before a termination.

Before or during the scan, the woman would be offered an opportunity to view the active ultrasound and hear the heartbeat, if audible.

The doctor would have to certify that the ultrasound was carried out, that the woman was told she could view it, and obtain a signature confirming it has been done.

Doctors who contravene certain sections of the proposed rules could face fines or a jail term of up to four years after conviction on indictment.

A spokesperson for Health Minister Simon Harris declined to comment on the amendments last night.

The Government hopes legislation will be passed soon in order to allow terminations to become available in January.

The amendments were revealed on the same day Sinn Fein said that Meath West TD Peadar Toibin had been suspended for six months after he defied the party and voted against the abortion legislation.

His former party colleague Ms Nolan - who represents Offaly - quit the party after she was suspended for opposing her party's support for holding the referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment.

Mr Toibin last night said that TDs are responsible for the laws they vote for, adding: "I could not in conscience vote for the bill."

He said the almost 34pc of the electorate who voted to retain the Eighth "should have a voice in the Oireachtas".

While Ms Nolan is among the eight TDs who tabled the proposed amendments, Mr Toibin is not part of the group.

His suspension means that he will not be allowed to stand as a Sinn Fein candidate if there is a general election within six months.

He said there is a "significant chance" of an election then and that his suspension "could become a de facto expulsion".

He did not respond directly when asked if he would run as an independent but said he will give "serious consideration" to his suspension.
Emergency services came under pressure on Halloween night as staff shortages put a number of fire engines out of action.

Dublin Fire Brigade received more than 900 calls on Halloween, typically the busiest night of the year for the emergency crews around the country. Of the 904 emergency calls received, 368 were Dublin fire calls, with 365 of calls taken marked as 'ambulance calls'.

However, it has now emerged that a number of engines were out of action for a time on Halloween night as staff shortages put additional pressure on firefighters. Siptu organiser Brendan O'Brien said there have been ongoing issues with staffing levels in the capital, which is putting safety of staff and the public at risk.

"Frequently there is a shortage of firefighters in Dublin, so appliances are going out with insufficient firefighters," Mr O'Brien said.

"This obviously has implications for the response from services and the safety of the public.

The trade union, which is negotiating on behalf of firefighters and is currently engaging with the Workplace Relations Commission, said some of the busiest fire stations in the capital saw trucks left idle as hundreds of cars, bins and bonfires were set alight.

"Halloween is the busiest night of the year for Dublin Fire Brigade," Mr O'Brien said.

"But at around six o'clock, when things were getting busy, appliances weren't able to respond and were taken offline for a couple of hours because there wasn't enough crew to man them."

A member of Dublin Fire Brigade said that all calls received were managed despite the shortage of staff.

Staff shortages have been an ongoing issue and almost a dozen more staff were needed to man the truck which was unused for the entire night. "Two officers and 11 men were needed for it, which left it out for the whole night," a Dublin Fire Brigade spokesman said.
NASSAU, Bahamas  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. K. Peter Turnquest said the number one external concern faced by the financial services sector in virtually all of jurisdictions in the Caribbean appears to be the imbalance of pressure and scrutiny from the international regulatory framework.

Regardless of the progress made, no matter the commitment, the goal posts seem to keep moving, DPM Turnquest explained at the Caribbean Association of Banks Inc. 45th Annual General Meeting and Conference held on Wednesday, October 31, 2018.

He added, Countries in the region continue to be discredited due to negative perceptions that do not accurately reflect the current strength of their local regulatory regimes.

The DPM said the consequences that black and grey lists have on access to correspondent banking at the micro level, and economic stability at the macro level needs to be quantified and rationalized.

He explained that earlier in October, he called on the International Monetary Fund to take a more active role in developing objective data on (Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) reforms in Caribbean jurisdictions in two specific areas:

Independently quantifying the economic and fiscal costs posed by international financial services regimes in the region particularly to the European Union and countries in the OECD;

Quantifying how the returns to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and EU from their emphasis on jurisdictions in the Caribbean line up with the costs they continue to impose on Caribbean nations relative to the tax base and financial crimes base which they seek to impact.

The DPM said, We must increase our collective efforts to challenge the system that disproportionately costs the region, undermining our efforts to attract foreign investments, to promote economic diversity and resilience and development for our people.

He explained that the latest knock to the region came from the inclusion of The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago on a UK watch list for money laundering.

The DPM said, This was a direct consequence of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) list of jurisdictions that it deemed as having strategically deficient anti-money laundering measures.

He said governments in the region are not blind to the needs for enhanced enforcement when it comes to AML/CFT, and all of the countries standards of enforcement must reinforce the no-tolerance stance of their governments and the quality of their domestic regulatory regimes.

DPM Turnquest said, While there is clearly room for improvement, we cannot let the perception stand that our financial regulatory agencies and the financial intelligence units somehow lack competence or quality; that they are failing to produce any results.

Speaking for The Bahamas, we have had quantifiable progress since 2015.

He said, Between 2016 and 2017 there was a 46 per cent increase in the number of suspicious transactions received and a 69 per cent increase in the number of cases sent to the Royal Bahamas Police Force; we opened 115 more cases in 2017 than we did in 2016. That is a 131 per cent increase in the number of cases that were under active analysis.

DPM Turnquest noted that finally, between 2015 and 2017, suspicious transactions that were analysed and reported closed by the countrys financial intelligence unit represented between 35 per cent and 60 per cent of all cases received.

In one complex case, involving $3 Million Euros worth of laundered money, the Government of Argentina publicly commended The Bahamas for the effectiveness of its international cooperation. News reports stated: The case demonstrates an excellent example of international legal cooperation between the Republic of Argentina and The Commonwealth of The Bahamas as well as their commitment to effectively tackle transnational money laundering and corruption, in line with international conventions and standards.
Cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan stressed that education saved her life as she revealed she had the courage to ignore the advice of her doctors and personally pursue the revolutionary trials drug which has now shrunk her tumours by 50pc.

The mother-of-two revealed that, had she listened to her doctors and agreed to undergo palliative, aggressive chemotherapy, she most likely would not be alive today.

Expand Close Vicky Phelan, the cancer patient whose case triggered the cervical cancer screening controversy in Ireland, arrives for the funeral mass for Emma Mhic Mhathuna, one of the most high-profile victims of Ireland's cervical smear test controversy, at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Vicky Phelan, the cancer patient whose case triggered the cervical cancer screening controversy in Ireland, arrives for the funeral mass for Emma Mhic Mhathuna, one of the most high-profile victims of Ireland's cervical smear test controversy, at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Her comments came as she was awarded an honorary fellowship at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) where she has worked since 2006.

The Limerick woman accepted the award as WIT hailed her as an inspiration and a role model for Irish people.

Vicky used her acceptance speech to urge women to continue to go for smear tests, to accept the HPV vaccination and to have the courage to seek a second medical opinion if they are unhappy about what their primary doctor tells them.

"The medical professionals treating me for my cancer only offered me palliative chemotherapy which would give me 12 months at most," she said.

"By their calculations, I would dead before the end of the year.

"But, as a result of my own research and stubborn determination and perseverance I managed to get myself onto (a trial) for a new wonder drug called Pembrolizumab against all medical advice from my treating oncologists.

"I now have more than a 50pc shrinkage in my tumours and, my importantly, with a quality of life that would not have been possible on palliative chemotherapy."

Vicky's campaigning ensured that all the other 221 women impacted by the CervicalCheck scandal now have been granted access by the Government to the wonder drug.

But Vicky warned that many, having undergone palliative chemotherapy, are so ill and weak the potential impact of the wonder drug has been undermined.

The Limerick mother was hailed at WIT as an inspiration to all and someone who fearlessly made "a transformational contribution" to women's health in Ireland.

Vicky, speaking as she accepted the honorary fellowship, said it was "a dream come true."

"It is the pinnacle for me - I am pinching myself to make sure this isn't a dream.

"I am a true lifelong learner. I am honoured to accept this award and wish to accept it on behalf of the women of Ireland for whom I have been campaigning and who inspire me to continue in my campaign for improvements in women's healthcare," she said.

She received the award proudly watched by her husband, Jim, and children Amelia (12) and Darragh (7).

The Annacotty woman became emotional as she was hailed as "a role model" for WIT and someone who reflects all the values and goals of the Waterford college.

"We are very proud to call Vicky one of our own," WIT President Prof Willie Donnelly said.

"She is an important part of the WIT community, a valued member of staff and a WIT alumna."

Prof Donnelly said the campaigner had done WIT a great honour by accepting the award.

Vicky is now on the revolutionary treatment Pembrolizumab for her terminal cervical cancer - and revealed her second round of scans revealed further shrinkage in her tumours.

The drug costs 8,000 per dose and Vicky argued that everyone with cancer who could benefit from it should be given access to it.

She is now personally funding a medical research treatment post so people with queries about such radical new drugs have somewhere to go for information.

"I am hoping that this will also shame the Government into doing the same thing," she said.

"If I wasn't on this treatment, I don't know if I would still be here. But I had to research this treatment myself, make a nuisance of myself in demanding it and finally shaming them (the Government) into allowing me to receive it.

"But why aren't other women in my position receiving the same treatment if it can be as successful as in my case?"

Vicky revealed she has now raised the issue repeatedly with Health Minister Simon Harris and has made it her primary campaign focus.

She is now in contact two to three times each week with Mr Harris about health reforms.

She said he has given a commitment to ensure other women wrongly given the all clear in cervical cancer smear tests get access to such treatments.

Before she received Pembrolizumab she admitted she felt very unwell.

"To be honest, I was going downhill - I thought this was the beginning of the end.

"I thought at the time I was going to die. I had been told I was terminally ill. Now, I feel good, I haven't lost my hair, my quality of life is good and I don't look like a cancer patient.

"It is an awful indictment of our country that people have to go to these lengths to research these drugs.

"I have no doubt that if I had taken their (doctors) advice back in January I would be dead now or on the way out.

"Chemotherapy would have only bought me until the end of the year which is now coming up. But I would have been sick, very sick.

"I have spoken to women who are on this treatment and they are in and out of hospital all the time with infection after infection.

"It is not curing you - it is making you sick. It is not really buying you time and this is all they can offer. I don't believe that is right.

"We are talking about young women here."

She also urged women to go for smear tests and to accept the HPV vaccine.

She also said the HPV vaccine should be made available to boys.

"I don't want any more women getting cancer. If I have scared women into it (getting tested), that is what I wanted. What happened to me was awful but I don't want it for anybody else.

"That is why I have been campaigning. I have a 13-year-old daughter and she has just had her HPV vaccine two weeks ago. She will get her second one in January or February. I don't want her getting cervical cancer. I was driven all along by the fact that, at the beginning, I thought that I was going to die. I don't think that is the case now - I hope not anyway. At least not for another while."

Vicky accepted the honorary fellowship from WIT just five months after she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Limerick (UL).

Vicky, a WIT researcher, helped highlight the cervical cancer test scandal earlier this year when she refused to sign a non-disclosure settlement after her smear tests incorrectly gave a negative reading seven years ago.

She was diagnosed with cancer three years later.

The mother-of-two has worked at WIT since 2006 and has held a number of roles within the School of Lifelong Learning and Education.

Her current role is manager of the Literacy Development Centre, a national centre for the professional development of adult literacy practitioners.

The award follows a recommendation to the WIT Governing Body earlier this year, which was unanimously approved.

The WIT Honorary Fellowship is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated distinction in a field of human endeavour to such an extent as to provide motivation and inspiration to the Institute community.

WIT Governing Body Chairman, Jim Moore, said the decision to honour Vicky Phelan was unanimous.

"As educators, WIT acknowledges graduates, encouraging them to participate fully and actively in society as we can all benefit from responsible, creative and ethical participation. As a role model, Vicky demonstrates those attributes."

Prof Donnelly said the award was richly deserved.

Vicky, through her actions, has made a transformational contribution to women's health in Ireland," he said.

"Her courage, her desire for the truth and her determination represent values that are fundamental to society at large; core principles which have been truly inspirational for all of us in WIT.

"As a community it is very fitting that we award Vicky with the highest honour this Institute can afford in recognition of her strength, her leadership and her fighting spirit, he said.

Vicky was the victim of a false negative test in her cervical smear screening in 2011.

She was diagnosed with cancer three years later in 2014 and was later given a diagnosis of terminal cancer.

She settled a High Court action against the US laboratory involved for 2.5 million but steadfastly refused to concede a non-disclosure statement.

Vicky then spoke about about what had happened to her - and, in doing so, helped highlight the sheer scale of the cervical screening scandal.

It was revealed that 221 Irish women had incorrect smear test results over recent years.

Of those 221 women, 18 passed away before they learned their smear test results were incorrect.

Memos released last May revealed how senior HSE executives and CervicalCheck staff were fearful in 2016 of the damage likely to be caused to the screening programme if reports about the incorrect smear test results were made public.

The High Court was told that if the cancerous cells had been detected in 2011 she would have undergone a simple procedure and had a 90pc chance of survival.
Garda at the scene of a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock Photo: Damien Eagers

A WOMAN in her 40s has been arrested after the body of a man was discovered at a house in south Dublin overnight.

Gardai are expected to launch a murder investigation later today, as investigations into the man's death at a house in Foxrock continues.

It is understood that the man - believed to be a foreign national in his late 20s - was found with particularly gruesome injuries.

Initial indications are that the savage assault took place at a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock at approximately 11:30pm on Thursday night.

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The man's body remained at the scene overnight until it was removed at 1.20pm today. It is understood the man was stabbed to death, but a post mortem will establish the exact cause of death. Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan attended the scene at lunchtime today.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close 2/11/2018, Garda Technical bureau officers at the front door of a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM 2/11/2018, Pat Leahy, left, assistant commissioner speaks to Garda at the scene of a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM 2/11/2018, Garda Technical bureau remove an evidence bag from a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a young man was found. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM 2/11/2018, Assistant Commissioner, Pat Leahy, second from left and Garda at a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM 2/11/2018, Garda Technical bureau officers at the front door of a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM 2/11/2018, Garda Technical bureau officers at the front door of a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM 2/11/2018, An officer from the Garda Technical bureau removes an evidence bag from a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a young man was found. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM 2/11/2018, An officer from the Garda Technical bureau removes an evidence bag from a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a young man was found. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM 2/11/2018, An officer from the Garda Technical bureau removes an evidence bag from a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a young man was found. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM 2/11/2018, Garda near a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook

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Whatsapp 2/11/2018, Garda Technical bureau officers at the front door of a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM

Assistant Garda Commissioner Pat Leahy was also seen talking to investigating gardai at the scene this morning.

This was a terrible scene, this investigation is very likely to be upgraded to murder, a source told Independent.ie

It is understood a number of people were in the house at the time of the incident and gardai are in the process of interviewing them today. Neighbours say there was a party in the house, and it's understood gardai attended the house at 3.30pm yesterday.

The woman who was arrested by investigating gardai was known to the dead man.

Expand Close 2/11/2018, The deputy state pathologist, Dr Linda mulligan works at a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook

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Whatsapp 2/11/2018, The deputy state pathologist, Dr Linda mulligan works at a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM

She is currently being detained at Dun Laoghaire Gardai Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

Shocked neighbours told Independent.ie that a number of young men lived in the house, which they believe to be rented.

It is believed that one of the men was Irish, while the other residents were of mixed nationality.

This morning, the entrance to the front of the house was sealed off, as officers from the Garda Technical Bureau began their examinations just before 11am this morning.

Expand Close 2/11/2018, Assistant commissioner, Pat Leahy talks to Gardai outside a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM / Facebook

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Whatsapp 2/11/2018, Assistant commissioner, Pat Leahy talks to Gardai outside a house in Tudor Lawns, Foxrock where the body of a man in his 20's has been discovered. Pic credit; Damien Eagers / INM

The house in question only had a blue racer bicycle outside, leaned against the wall and a security light still on from the night before.

One elderly neighbour said she woke up around midnight, shortly after the attack was alleged to have happened.

"I saw a number of Garda cars outside but I didn't know what had happened until this morning and my phone has not stopped with friends calling to see I'm okay.

"This is a lovely area - many of us know each other for years and years but that house, we didn't know those people at all.

"They weren't really members of the community. It's terrible to know a man has died here. We just don't want something like this to happen in our neighbourhood.

"It's not the type of place for trouble at all. It's quite and peaceful, safe.

"Everyone is shocked, upset."

Another neighbour said: "I woke up in the night, I didn't check the time but banging of doors woke me.

"But there really was no other noise. I didn't think anything of that, so I fell back to sleep and I was completely shocked when I watched the news this morning."

A woman said she was sickened by news of the attack.

"I feel sick, I literally feel sick. This doesn't happen in Foxrock."

Gardai are appealing for anyone who may have seen anything unusual in the vicinity late last night, 1st November, to contact Cabinteely Garda Station on 01 - 6665400, The Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111 or any Garda Station.
Prof Peter Blair says the cardboard baby box should not be promoted as a safe sleeping space, but as only a temporary substitute if nothing else is available.

Cardboard baby boxes are being promoted for infant sleep as a safe alternative to more traditional cots, bassinets, or Moses baskets, without any evidence in place, experts warn.

In a letter to the British Medical Journal, Prof Peter Blair at the University of Bristol argues that, without supporting evidence, the cardboard baby box should not be promoted as a safe sleeping space, but as only a temporary substitute if nothing else is available.

They call for high-quality studies to better understand how families use the cardboard baby box and its safety implications.

In Finland, cardboard baby boxes have routinely been given to expectant mothers since the 1930s. They come with a mattress that fits into the bottom of the box, and are said by some to have helped cut sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death.

But Blair and colleagues argue that there is no evidence that these boxes reduce cot deaths (SIDS rates are equally low in neighbouring countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, where boxes are not provided), and they question whether they meet safety standards.

Cots  with their bars and raised surface  and Moses baskets allow infants to be easily seen by parents and may also facilitate air flow.
Cheap diabetes drugs already taken by millions of people may slow down the progression of Alzheimer's, helping patients to live without severe symptoms for longer, a new study suggests.

Researchers in the US examined the brains of 63 people with dementia, around half of whom were also diabetic and were taking drugs like metformin or insulin.

Tests on blood vessels and brain tissue found that half of the biological markers used to diagnose Alzheimer's were reduced in the diabetics.

The researchers believe the drugs have a protective effect on the vascular system of the brain and have called for trials to test whether they could slow down the disease.

Diabetes drugs cost just a few pence per pill and have already passed safety trials, so studies could be quick.

The new research also suggests that other drugs which target the brain's capillary system could be beneficial.
I've listened to taxi drivers getting exercised about plenty of subjects in my time, but 'The Blue Danube' is a new departure. Yet that's exactly what's happening. On the way home from a night out in Vienna, Johann Strauss's waltz to end all waltzes is playing at full volume.

"This is the king of waltz," the driver gushes, launching into a biographical note on the composer. As he talks, he taps his cigarette into an empty can of goulash on the dashboard.

In any other city, I'd be surprised at the exchange. But this isn't any other city. This is Vienna, an imperial masterpiece from Europe's top shelf. This is a place where you wouldn't be surprised to find binmen whistling Wagner, or Riesling served at McDonald's.

The Viennese love of the finer things in life will be on full display as carnival season gets underway, ushering in winter's balls and Christmas markets.

Everything in Vienna, it seems, involves a touch of class. At night, when the palace lights come on, when the Opera House releases its dapper crowds from the latest opus, it's almost cinematic. This is a capital where high-brow is not a derogatory term; a city Leopold Bloom might have been hard-pressed to cross without passing a gallery, rather than a pub.

Crossing it, incidentally, is easy to do. Vienna radiates like a spider's web from the historical centre, and most of its big hits -- the Opera House, the Spanish Riding School, Hofburg Palace -- are all within reach of Ringstrasse, a looping boulevard tracing the route of the old city moat.

Vienna's golden age appears to have stretched from 1890 to around 1918, when the First World War signalled the beginning of the end of the Habsburg Empire. In that heady period, Vienna was the fourth-largest city on earth, Gustav Mahler was directing its opera, Gustav Klimt painted 'The Kiss', and some bloke named Freud was analysing clients on a couch in the ninth district.

The fin de siecle was a high watermark, and, walking the city today, you can't help but feel Vienna has never really let it go.

Of course, the early 1900s were probably as full of poverty and horse poo as they were poetry and psychoanalysis, but nostalgia recalls them as one of the great historical sweet spots, and a defining period for Europe's most elegant metropolis.

There's no shortage of opportunities to dip into that golden age -- including the Klimt collection at the Belvedere Museum (where you can see 'The Kiss'), and Freud's apartments and studio on Berggasse (8/4.50; freud-museum.at).

Freud's couch is, alas, in London, but the waiting room remains as he left it in 1938 -- as do the atmospheric home movies.

Vienna itself, of course, was here long before its golden age. Near the front gate of the Hofburg Palace at Michaelerplatz, I stumble across a section of the square sliced open to reveal the city's intestines -- the Roman ruins and ancient sewers beneath the current, classical streetscape. In Roman days, apparently, this classy little junction was a red light district.

That old sewer system was made famous by 'The Third Man', the noir thriller starring Orson Welles. The film was shot in 1949, but you can still see several of its moody locations on a Third Man Tour (7; drittemanntour.at) of post-War Vienna. Stops include the sewer system, which dates back to 100AD, and the spot where Harry Lime met his grisly end.

"You just have to be confident," as one local tells me about another Viennese institution -- the city's balls. The dancing season officially gets under way with the Imperial Ball on New Year's Eve, ushering in some 300 dances that can attract anything from 200 to more than 5,000 guests.

And this being Vienna, these balls are no casual affairs. Headline events at the Opera House or Hofburg Palace are rich processions of evening gowns and tuxedoes. Each has its own traditions and decorum (at the Bonbon Ball, for instance, society journalists select a Miss Bonbon, whose weight in confectioneries is donated to charity). You'll need to know your waltz from your foxtrot, too.

Other institutions, for which no dancing steps are necessary, are Vienna's legendary cafes. Grand old dames such as Cafe Demel, where you can watch bakers at work through glass walls in a converted courtyard, are like second living rooms to the Viennese.

I could have sat for hours in Cafe Landtmann, with its wintery glow and tall ceilings rising over clatter of coffee spoons. "As long as a guest behaves respectfully, they will be treated like a king in my cafe," as former owner Konrad Zauner wrote.

The sprawling cafe was a favourite spot of Freud's.

Much as the Viennese love life, it should be said, they're also pretty fond of death. This may not be unusual in the birthplace of psychoanalysis, but it can be disconcerting.

Is this the only city in Europe with a funeral museum (sample exhibit: an 18th-century hatch-bottom coffin)? Vienna's huge central cemetery also doubles up as one of the largest recreational areas in the city, and there is something of an obsession with schAne Leich ('beautiful funerals').

There's nowhere like it for death by chocolate, either. Vienna does a superb line in decadent cakes and pastries, excruciatingly displayed in every bakery, hotel or cafe you enter.

Take Hotel Sacher, one of the grand old dames of the city. Inside, there's a gallery of the celebs who've visited over the years -- Queen Elizabeth, Rudolph Nureyev, Liz Taylor -- and I'm willing to bet every last one of them gobbled up a sachertorte.

Franz Sacher, the father of the hotel's founder, invented this quintessential Viennese cake in 1832 and the recipe remains a secret. Swathed in a thick skin of smooth, dark chocolate, it consists of two layers of sponge gelled with apricot jam -- a simple, luxurious creation that feels, when you swallow it, as if it's descending into your heart, rather than your stomach.

I got stuck into its savoury fare, too. Vienna is right at the crossroads of Europe (Bratislava is 65km by car; Budapest is nearby; Prague too), so you'll find everything from schnitzel to sauerkraut and strudel on the menu at wow-factor restaurants such as Palmenhaus, housed in a beautiful old conservatory in the palace grounds.

The Christmas markets are laced with the scent of roasted chestnuts, sausages and freshly baked breads.

Vienna's foodie crossroads-within-a-crossroads is the Naschmarkt. Dating from the 16th century, I found the place surprisingly lively at 5.30pm on a weekday -- already, the good-lifers were out with cigars, supping generous glasses of wine as DJs set up their decks, and the thin walkways between stalls reeked with the smell of cheese, bread and barrels of honking sauerkraut.

It's not all high-brow, fin de siecle frolics, in other words. Take the rooftop bar of the Sofitel, overlooking the Danube Canal, or the interactive museum at the Haus der Musik (if you want to play the baby grand in the atrium, just ask for the keys).

There's a maze and a zoo at the 1,441-room SchAnbrunn Palace, and the Museum Quarter is as full of skate kids as culture vultures hob-nobbing in al fresco cafes.

Half of greater Vienna consists of green space. Ultimately, Vienna works because there's always a grubby ashtray beside the pontificating hands, because there's always a taxi driver behind the waltz. I like this place. I like that it refuses to dumb down yet, most importantly, it's not afraid to have fun.
In Manila, the traffic is so bad that it isn't worth driving anywhere during the day, because a couple of kilometres will take a couple of hours. In other parts of the Philippines, only a third of children ever finish primary school. Nevertheless, the loudest political debate in the Philippines, over the past two years, was not about public transport or public education.

Ever since President Rodrigo Duterte came to power in 2016, the loudest, and angriest, debates are about drugs and drug users. "I would kill all of you who make the lives of Filipinos miserable," he declared during his election campaign. Since winning, he has indeed presided over the murder of up to 12,000 men, women and children, according to some rights groups; these are, by his own admission, extrajudicial killings, carried out with no evidence and no trial.

This policy has polarised the Philippines. Duterte has successfully divided the country into supporters ("people who want us to be safe") and opponents ("people who want us to be unsafe"). In time that could have been spent on a discussion about fixing roads and schools, Filipinos had emotional arguments about violence, safety - and the president.

More recently, Matteo Salvini, the leader of the League party, and now the Italian interior minister, has pulled this same trick in Italy. Even as the numbers of foreigners coming to Italy slowed to a trickle, he has used stunts and insults to shift the focus away from economics and unemployment, and towards debates about violence, safety - and Salvini. Now Donald Trump, with the aid of Fox News and Twitter, is creating the same sense of anger and emergency around the Central American refugees who are marching towards the US border in hope of asylum.

The caravan numbers less than 4,000, which is a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands of people who enter the United States legally and overstay their visas every year. But I don't want to argue any further about the caravan, because that's the point: like drugs in the Philippines or refugees in Italy, this is an event being used to create fear, anger, division - a distraction. If you are talking about the caravan, you aren't talking about US companies suffering from the president's trade war, or the US government deficit, which is up 17pc from last year, or the president's utter failure to provide the "health insurance for everybody" he promised during the campaign.

The challenge, for ordinary citizens as well as news organisations, is how to discuss this story without adding to the polarising emotions that surround it. Some have tried fact-checking, demanding proof, for example, of the president's unfounded claim that there are "unknown Middle Easterners" - implied terrorists - in the caravan. None was forthcoming. Others have tried empathy, conducting sympathetic interviews with the people suffering terrible hardships on this biblical pilgrimage north, to a place that doesn't want them. As the examples of Italy and the Philippines have shown, these responses may not be effective.

The caravan story fits neatly into Trump's larger narrative. Criminals/MS-13/terrorists are pouring into the country; Republicans want to protect it, Democrats want violence and chaos. People who already believe that line of argument will see the caravan story as confirmation, and many will simply reject any information that contradicts that view. That means any discussion can increase polarisation.

Talk about children suffering from thirst, and many will loudly blame the parents. Condemn the president, and his supporters will blame you for undermining national safety. ( The Washington Post)
The "closing argument" is a cliche of campaign season. But there is truth at its core. Many US voters tune in just for the last few days before Election Day. They look up from lives pressed by the needs of families and friends, aging parents, struggling students and high-school football to ask: for whom should I vote? Candidates and campaigns have to make closing appeals to those newly opened ears.

Really attentive voters chose long ago, of course, because almost every race is between vastly different candidates. Take the Arizona Senate race. There is hardly a starker choice than the one between Republican Martha McSally, a retired air force colonel and first female fighter pilot to fly in combat for the United States, and Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, the hard-left, anti-war, stay-at-home-mother-insulting, condescending radical who has spent nearly six years in Congress pretending to be a moderate. The campaigns have been locked in political combat for months.

But still, some Arizona voters will have missed the candidates' biographies and a thousand TV and social media ads. Their choice will depend not on either candidates' personal qualities but on the national political environment.

So, too, it will be for thousands of voters in key Senate races in Indiana and Florida. In the Hoosier state (Indiana), Republican Mike Braun looks to be ahead of incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly, partly thanks to the latter's opposition to Justice Brett Kavanaugh. In Florida, Rick Scott seems to be a whisper behind Democrat Bill Nelson. "Late deciders" may make the difference in both races.

There are many tight races where the "Oh, there's an election?" vote will decide the outcome, and not just in the Senate but also in the House and many state houses, as well. So how are the parties trying to persuade those voters?

Democrats are arguing the following: Donald Trump is a dangerous demagogue who daily sows division and hate. He is wrongly trying to marginalise the free press by resorting to a term straight out of Stalinism: "enemy of the people." He needs a major check imposed on his recklessness and conflicts of interest. Perhaps impeachment should be on the table. His administration needs oversight. We Democrats will protect what is left of Obamacare, while saving social security and Medicare. Vote Democrat for a divided government to save a divided country.

Meanwhile, Republicans are closing this way: don't you like 4pc gross domestic product growth and near-full employment? Do you think it's a coincidence that the market has dropped as businesses prepare for the possibility of Nancy Pelosi returning to the speakership? Our military - especially our navy - is being rebuilt after being hollowed out under president Barack Obama. Our 'red lines' are visible again. We have renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement, got clarity on China and realigned the Middle East into an effective anti-Iran coalition.

Thanks to deregulation, your children finally will have the jobs of the future here waiting for them. You may not like Trump, but his wrecking-ball politics was the only way to smash the sclerotic superstructure of blue-bubble elites inside the Beltway, Manhattan, Hollywood and Silicon Valley. He's a very big bull in a very big china shop, but he's your bull. And if you don't like him, 2020 is when you fire him, not now. Vote Republican to keep the economy humming.

Those are the arguments in two paragraphs. The awful events from the Florida mail-bomb suspect to the slaughter in Pittsburgh have draped this election in fear and almost inexpressible sorrow.

Another turn or two could come right through to the close of the last poll in Hawaii. But above are the closing arguments, earnestly believed by their respective camps. Anyone who says they know which will prevail is lying or delusional.

Hugh Hewitt hosts a nationally syndicated US radio show and is a professor of law at Chapman University's Fowler School of Law.
Alec Baldwin has been arrested after allegedly punching a man in the face during a dispute over a parking spot outside his New York City home.

The actor was taken into custody on Friday afternoon in Manhattans West Village neighbourhood.

Police say Baldwin claimed he had a family member holding the spot when a man driving a station wagon pulled up and took it.

Officials said the men were arguing and pushing each other before the 60-year-old Baldwin turned violent.

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The 49-year-old station wagon driver was taken to a hospital with jaw pain.

A representative for Baldwin did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.

Baldwin is known for playing President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.

Asked about Baldwins arrest, Mr Trump said: I wish him luck.
Accountant who pretended house was his gets to keep it

To Sydney, Australia, where Bill Gertos is the owner of a new home in Sydney, Australia. Twenty years ago, Mr Gertos was working as a tax accountant. (Just as all lawyers should be called Sue, all accountants must be called Bill.) He spotted a tired looking house. No-one was living there. He discovered that the last resident had died. Theyd been renting the home since the 1940s. Mr Gertos moved in. He changed the locks. And he rented it out. The actual owners  descendants of the previous owner, who died in 1947  took Mr Gertos to court. And lost. He got to keep the house.

The BBC:

In New South Wales, squatters can be awarded ownership if they have occupied a property for more than 12 years. The court granted Mr Gertos those rights because he had repaired and maintained the property since 1998. Australian media outlets described the case as bizarre because the relevant law is typically used by those who move into a property themselves.

Wonder if the current lodgers begrudge paying Mr Gertos any rent  and how many landlords are looking at their accountants with renewed interest..?

Anorak

Posted: 2nd, November 2018 | In: Key Posts, Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
'Diors were layered over midi and maxi skirts (as seen on Alexa Chung)' Photo: Getty

Nothing says winter like a new jumper, and this season's knits are making a strong statement for day and evening, with bold colours, oversized silhouettes and vibrant patterns.

With the nights drawing in and temperatures continuing to plunge, you'll want to wrap up warm, but instead of just grabbing a plain jumper on your way out the door as a handy extra layer, consider it the focal point of your outfit.

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This winter, the focus is on the wear-anywhere knit. They can be slouchy jumpers for lounging about in, sophisticated workwear and even party-ready pieces.

On the catwalks, Erdem paired burgundy jumpers and cardigans with a brocade ballgown and a spangly metallic skirt for evening, while Preen by Thornton Bregazzi spliced Fair Isle knits and contrasted their patchwork jumpers with flowing florals, sequins and ruffles.

Chloe's full-sleeved knits accompanied pleats and fluid skirts with lace-up Victorian-inspired boots, Dior's were layered over midi and maxi skirts, and Isabel Marant nodded to the Americana trend by styling chunky knits with white denim and cowboy boots, giving the look an urban Parisian twist by using a jumper to soften a pair of snakeskin trousers.

Knitwear was varied, versatile and anything but boring.

Whether you prefer to play with colour, texture or pattern, there are stylish options to suit all budgets on the high street. The possibilities are near-endless, but the most popular styles are the cable knit, the argyle and the Fair Isle.

In the cable knits, the fit should be lightly oversized - it makes a striking sartorial impact without adding too much bulk. You also have the opportunity to go as bright as you want here, with vivid reds, yellows and blues proving particular hits. & Other Stories' golden knit amps up the texture with chain and leaf detailing. With crisp denim or a wool skirt and boots, it's the perfect antidote to grey winter days.

If you don't fancy a full jolt of colour, try Zara's version, which adds interest to the cable knit with graphic colour blocking.

The argyle has been reinvented for autumn, and this iteration is more punk than preppy. Topshop's cream roll-neck with a dash of argyle will really sing with a ruby red midi skirt and autumn's footwear hero, the hiker boot.

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We love Massimo Dutti's violet mohair version, which will offset this season's heritage checks beautifully - combine tweeds or Prince of Wales check skirts and trousers with the rich hue to instantly update your workwear, or throw a boxy checked blazer on top with jeans for easy off-duty chic.

Then there's the Fair Isle, that most wintery of knits. Embrace the trend for 70s-inspired neutrals with a warm-toned jumper in rust or creamy hues, which just needs a pair of cords to finish the look.

For a smarter take, look to dark reds and purples, which can be layered under a navy or charcoal suit for the office, or help to dress down a pair of grey slacks with crisp white trainers.

If you're not satisfied with those, there are countless more trophy knits to choose from: fringed, striped, chopped-and-spliced or ruffled.

We're fans of Irish-Scottish father-daughter knitwear brand & Daughter, whose lambswool and cashmere jumpers are available in Brown Thomas - and would make an excellent early Christmas gift to yourself.
Safety experts said that the data must be checked for accuracy against the flight data recorder. AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana

Divers have recovered a flight recorder from the crashed Lion Air jet that plunged into Indonesian seas this week, killing all 189 people on board.

The two-month-old Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed early on Monday just minutes after take-off from the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

It was the worst airline disaster in Indonesia in more than two decades and renewed concerns about safety in its fast-growing aviation industry, which was recently removed from European Union and US blacklists.

One TV station showed footage of two divers after they surfaced, swimming to an inflatable vessel and placing the bright orange flight recorder into a large container that was then transferred to a search-and-rescue ship.

Navy Colonel Monang Sitompul also told local TV that wreckage believed to be the aircraft's fuselage was spotted on the seafloor.

Officials said the location is about 400 metres northwest of the co-ordinates where the plane lost contact.

Data from flight-tracking sites show the plane had erratic speed and altitude in the early minutes of a flight on Sunday and on its fatal flight on Monday.

Safety experts, however, said that the data must be checked for accuracy against the flight data recorder.

Investigators believe a preliminary report into the accident could be released within four weeks, but complete findings will take several more months.
Hindu devotees dry their clothes after taking a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati (AP)

Armed police may be assigned to protect India's holy River Ganges from pollution and misuse, under new government proposals to save the river from further degradation.

A draft bill has proposed the creation of a 'Ganga [Ganges] Protection Corps', with a mandate to arrest polluters of the sewage-stricken watercourse that runs through eleven states.

The bill aims to return the Ganges - that provides drinking and irrigation water for about 500 million people - to its "pristine stage and ensure its uninterrupted flow".

Offences punishable under the bill include "spoiling or defacing ... stairs" leading to the water, or "throwing any offensive matter" in the river. Other offences include "stone quarrying, commercial fishing without permission, deforesting hill slopes, withdrawing groundwater for organised consumption through tube wells".

Despite the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers being sacred to Hindus and being a source of water for washing, drinking, commerce and fishing, hundreds of miles of both are filled with toxic levels of chemicals and raw sewage.

Successive pledges by governments to tackle the problem have yielded little real progress. And critics say this bill is just more window dressing.

The plans were drawn up days before the death of the green activist and spiritual leader Professor GD Agarwal, who died after a prolonged hunger strike over the state of the river.

The 'Hindustan Times' reported that the government claimed Prof Agarwal had seen the proposals before his death.

But Mallika Bhanot, of the NGO Ganga Ahwaan, said the major issues are dredging and dams.
North Korean police and other officials rape and abuse women with near-total impunity, a human rights group reported yesterday.

US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) interviewed more than 50 escapees from the secretive nuclear-armed state to provide a rare insight into the widespread sexual violence there.

North Korean women caught fleeing to neighbouring China or who are repatriated face punishment including torture, imprisonment and sexual abuse, the report reveals.

"Every night, some woman would be forced to leave with a guard and be raped," said one victim in her 30s who was held at a border detention centre. "Every night, a guard would open the cell. I stood still quietly, acting like I didn't notice, hoping it wouldn't be me."

Traders who smuggle in goods from China to sell at state-sanctioned private markets are forced to pay "bribes" including sexual favours, the report said.

Managers at state-owned enterprises are involved, along with officials such as "police, prosecutors, soldiers, and railroad inspectors on trains".

But the concept of rape is different in the North, the report added, where it is seen as applying only if violence is used.

One former textile trader in her 40s recounted being treated like a sex toy "at the mercy of men".

"It happens so often nobody thinks it is a big deal. We don't even realise when we are upset," she added.

"But we are human, and we feel it. So sometimes, out of nowhere, you cry at night and don't know why."

Some interviewees talked about rape victims being expelled from university or beaten and abandoned by a husband for bringing shame to the school or their family.

One victim reported that she had been raped by a police officer after being denied food for three days at a border detention centre.

She said: "I thought [at the time] I was offering my body so I could get out of there and go to my kid. I was not even upset. Rather, I even thought I was lucky."

"Sexual violence in North Korea is an open, unaddressed, and widely tolerated secret," said HRW executive director Kenneth Roth.

"North Korean women would probably say, 'Me Too' if they thought there was any way to obtain justice, but their voices are silenced in Kim Jong-un's dictatorship."

North Korea's leader is the third generation of his family to rule the country, where surveillance is widespread and dissent not tolerated.

With total state control over the media, the global MeToo campaign against abuse of women has entirely passed the country by.

According to data submitted by Pyongyang to an UN panel on gender equality, a total of five people were convicted of rape in the North in 2015.

Pyongyang maintains that it protects and promotes "genuine human rights".

Mr Kim has sought to soften his international image and has engaged with South Korea, holding three summits with Seoul's president Moon Jae-in.

But Mr Roth warned human rights were taking a back seat.

Mr Moon - a former human rights lawyer - has stayed silent on the issue as he seeks to reconcile with the North and persuade it to move towards denuclearisation.

"I think President Moon is naive and short-sighted to pretend that human rights can wait," said Mr Roth.
The Brazilian judge at the centre of one of the largest corruption investigations in history has said he would become justice minister in the government of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro.

Sergio Moro is wildly popular among conservatives and loathed by many on the left, so his decision to join the incoming administration will feed the suspicion of many Brazilians that the judge was politically biased in jailing ex-President Luiz Inacio da Silva, a conviction that forced the poll-leading leftist out of the presidential race.

Mr Moro met with Mr Bolsonaro at the president-elects home in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. Upon emerging, Mr Moro did not speak to reporters but soon put out a statement confirming he had accepted an offer to lead both the justice and public security ministries, which will be combined in Mr Bolsonaros government.

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Mr Moro said it would be hard to give up being a federal judge after 22 years, but he saw an opportunity to implement a strong agenda of anti-corruption and anti-organised crime in his new role.

In practice, this will mean consolidating the advancements against crime and corruption the last years and remove any risks of going backward, he wrote.

He added that the sprawling Car Wash investigation would continue in the hands of local judges in the southern city of Curitiba, where Mr Moro lives and many of the cases have been tried. He also said he would provide more details on his new role next week.

Launched in 2014, the Car Wash probe uncovered elaborate schemes in which construction companies received bloated contracts and then kicked back billions of dollars in bribes to politicians and other government officials over more than a decade.

The scandal has reverberated across several Latin American countries where Odebrecht, one of the companies at the centre of the scandal, did business.

The investigation has led to the jailing of many of the countrys biggest names. That list includes da Silva, convicted by Mr Moro of corruption for trading favours with construction company Grupo OAS for the promise of a beachfront apartment. Da Silva began serving a 12-year sentence in April.

The cases made Mr Moro a wildly popular figure with Brazilians exhausted by numerous stories of politicians plundering government coffers.

However, many of his tactics have been highly controversial, such as the use of extended pre-trial detentions and plea bargains, both aimed at getting high-profile suspects to talk.
A 13-year-old boy has been arrested by detectives investigating a spate of sexual assaults.

It comes after nine women were subjected to unwanted sexual touching over a five-week period in east London, the Metropolitan Police said.

The boy was bailed until late November pending further inquiries after attending a police station on Thursday.

The attacks were particularly clustered around Blackwall Way, in Poplar, and took place in the evening between September 6 and October 11.

Police have stepped up patrols in the area to reassure the public.

Anyone walking alone, particularly women, were urged to remain alert.
Called to account: Brexit backer Aaron Banks is now under investigation by the UKs National Crime Agency. Photo: REUTERS

Leave campaigner Arron Banks is being investigated for "suspected criminal offences" over 8m (9m) of campaign funding during the Brexit referendum.

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) probe was launched after the elections watchdog said it had reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr Banks was not the true source of the cash.

Mr Banks, one of the founders of the Leave.EU campaign, said he was confident the investigation would "put an end to the ludicrous allegations" against him.

The UK Electoral Commission also referred Leave.EU, its chief executive Elizabeth Bilney, and the organisation that ran it, Better for the Country, to the NCA after carrying out a review. Bob Posner, the Commission's director of political finance, said: "We have reasonable grounds to suspect money given to Better for the Country came from impermissible sources and that Mr Banks and Ms Bilney, the responsible person for Leave.EU, knowingly concealed the true circumstances under which this money was provided.

"This is significant because at least 2.9m of this money was used to fund referendum spending and donations during the regulated period of the EU referendum."

Mr Banks said the Commission had referred him to the NCA under "intense political pressure" from anti-Brexit supporters.

He said: "I am confident that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ludicrous allegations levelled against me and my colleagues.

"There is no evidence of any wrongdoing from the companies I own. I am a UK taxpayer and I have never received any foreign donations.

"The Electoral Commission has produced no evidence to the contrary."

Ms Bilney also accused the Commission of having a "biased approach" in its investigations and said she was confident she would be "exonerated".

She told BBC Radio 4's 'World At One' programme: "I hope that the matter will be shortly concluded to demonstrate that no crimes have been committed."

"They are looking at it how they want to through their own biased lens," she added.

Mr Banks was criticised by the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee earlier this year for seeming to "want to hide the extent of his contacts with Russia".

But Ms Bilney dismissed suggestions that some of the money may have come from the Federation.

"I run the group of companies where the money was from and we don't have any transactions that are from Russia," she said.

"I feel completely comfortable that we have done everything above board."

The Electoral Commission's review of referendum finances focused on 2m reported to have been loaned to Better for the Country by Mr Banks and his insurance companies and a 6m donation he made alone.

It said that, as well as having reasonable grounds to suspect he was not the true source of the cash, loans involved a company, Rock Holdings, based on the Isle of Man, which was impermissible under the rules.

The watchdog said it suspected Mr Banks, Ms Bilney and others involved in Better for the Country and Leave.EU concealed the true details of the financial transactions.

It believes a number of criminal offences may have been committed. The NCA said its investigation relates to suspected electoral law offences.

A spokesman added: "While electoral law offences would not routinely fall within the NCA's remit, the nature of the necessary inquiries and the potential for offences to have been committed other than under electoral law lead us to consider an NCA investigation appropriate in this instance."

In the June 2016 referendum, 17.4 million voters, or 51.9pc, backed leaving the European Union while 16.1 million, or 48.1pc, backed staying.

Opponents of the outcome have repeatedly called for a rerun of the vote, alleging financial improprieties in the Brexit campaign and possible foreign - or even Russian - funding for the campaign.
The age of a secondary school pupil is being investigated amid claims he is as old as 30.

It is thought the pupil at Stoke High School in Ipswich is an asylum seeker who joined at the start of the last term.

Another pupil at the school posted a photograph of him on Snapchat with the comment: "How's there a 30 year old man in our maths class."

A spokesperson for the school said: "This is a matter for the Home Office and we have referred it to them.

"The student is not attending the school at this time.

"We can not comment further on an individual case but we have followed government and local authority policies and guidance, as we do for any admissions matter."

A UK Home Office spokesperson said: "We do not routinely comment on individual cases."

If there is a doubt about someone's age as part of an immigration case, the UK Home Office can arrange for social workers to undertake an age assessment.

Because there are different policies, processes and rules for the treatment of adult and child asylum seekers, the UK Home Office has to establish at the outset the age category a claimant is in.

The department provides guidance for staff to follow when dealing with individuals whose age is in doubt and when there is no reliable documentary evidence to support the claimed age.

It says the claimant must be treated as an adult if their physical appearance and demeanour "very strongly suggests that they are significantly over 18 years of age".

Assessments of physical appearance can include indicators of age such as height, build, facial hair and voice pitch.

When assessing demeanour, officials can take into account observations on the individual's mannerisms, body posture and eye contact.

Instructions state age assessments cannot always provide the same degree of confidence about treating an individual as an adult or a child as can be provided by reliable documents, adding: "To allow for this, the principle of 'the benefit of the doubt' is applied."

Earlier this year, a watchdog report revealed some local authorities had raised concerns the "benefit of the doubt" policy was being applied "too readily" in relation to unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

The report, published in March by the UK Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, cited data indicating that from the start of July 2016 to the end of June 2017, the Home Office had raised 705 age disputes.

Of the 618 resolved, 402 (65%) claimants were found to be over 18 and 216 (35%) were found to be children.

Age verification processes came under scrutiny in 2016 when teenagers were transferred to the UK from Calais following the closure of the "Jungle" refugee camp.

Controversy erupted when UK Tory MP David Davies claimed some arrivals "don't look like children to me".

Ipswich MP Sandy Martin said the situation should have been resolved by the UK Home Office already.

He alleged that the school contacted the UK Home Office and had no response.

"It's the sort of situation the Home Office should have responded to very quickly," he said, adding: "Speedy response and Home Office hardly ever go in the same sentence together."

He said he was "not at all surprised the parents are upset", but advised them against taking their children out of the school as it is an "extremely safe environment for children".
The Turkish fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi has called for Donald Trump to pressure Saudi Arabia to reveal the location of the murdered journalists body, even as she criticised the US administration for its dealings with the kingdom.

Hatice Cengiz made her appeal in a video message to a memorial in Washington where friends and activists marked one month since Mr Khashoggis death and paid tribute to his advocacy for democratic change in the Arab world.

Ms Cengiz urged the president to support Turkeys request for Saudi Arabia to extradite those it has detained in connection with the killing of the 59-year-old columnist for the Washington Post.

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I would like him to support Turkeys efforts in trying to bring light to this situation and to discover the whereabouts of his body, said Ms Cengiz, who was waiting outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 when the journalist went inside to obtain paperwork for their planned marriage, never to re-emerge.

She said that without his body, Mr Khashoggis loved ones have been unable to hold funeral prayers for him. Our pain is still as fresh as the first day, she said.

Istanbuls chief prosecutor announced on Wednesday that Mr Khashoggi was strangled immediately after he entered and that his body was dismembered and removed from the consulate.

Turkey is seeking the extradition of 18 suspects so they can be put on trial in Turkey. They include 15 members of an alleged Saudi hit squad that Turkey says was sent to Istanbul to kill Mr Khashoggi, who lived in exile in the US and had written critically of Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

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Some of those implicated are close to the prince, whose condemnation of the killing has failed to ease suspicions that he was involved.

Saudi Arabia has changed its narrative about the killing several times, but has recently acknowledged that Turkish evidence shows it was premeditated.

On Thursday, US state department spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters Mr Khashoggis remains should be located and returned for a proper burial.

Speaking at Fridays memorial at a Washington hotel, Democrat Gerry Connolly, who represents the northern Virginia district where Mr Khashoggi had been based for the last year of his life, said that since the killing, Saudi Arabia has blatantly concocted a series of lies in its attempt to cover up what happened.

Theres only one lie left to be addressed and thats the involvement of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia himself, Mr Connolly said.

Mr Trump has condemned the killing in strong terms but has also defended US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which is the biggest foreign customer for American weaponry.

Writing in the Washington Post on Friday, Ms Cengiz said the US should be leading the international community in seeking justice for Mr Khashoggi. She contended that the Trump administration has taken a position that is devoid of moral foundation because of fears of upsetting deals or economic ties.
Aaron Ramsey to Manchester United as Liverpool rule out move and Arsenal progress

Aaron Ramsey says hes no idea why Arsenal withdrew their contract offer. For months and months the clubs offer of 170,000-a-week for four years reportedly sat on the table. Ramsey never signed. Why not? We can only suppose he wanted more money, as much as 250,000-a-week to deliver one Premier League goal a season, as he did last season, and spend a large chunk of time sat in the treatment room. As Ramsey dithered and his Mr 15% thought they held all the cards, Arsenal moved on. First Arsene Wenger was sacked, then Ivan Gazidis, the ineffectual chief executive, went to work for AC Milan, a once great club now operated by a US hedge fund. The new Arsenal hierarchy looked at Ramsey, considered his value and thought him not worth the money.

Gazidis successor Raul Sanllehi can only be an improvement. I dont think I am inventing the wheel, he told the Sunday Telegraph of the clubs new decision not to let key players enter the final year of a contract. Anybody could agree on that.

Theres a lot of chatter about where Ramsey might go next. The Star says Chelsea dont want him because Ross Barkley, 24, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 22, are playing well. Sky says Liverpool have ruled out making a move for Ramsey. The Welshman could join Manchester United in January with Juan Mata moving the other way, says the Sun. Why United would want a slowing midfielder is moot.

The Telegraph says Arsenal have embarrassed themselves again by letting a 50m player leave for free. To which the question must be: which club was ever going to pay 50m for Ramsey, plus around 200,000-a-week in wages? And why is it embarrassing to get rid of players who rate themselves too highly and bring on hungry, fresh talent, as Arsenal have, notably in the shape of Emile Smith Rowe, Matteo Guendouzi and a vastly improved Alex Iwobi?

Arsenal called Ramseys bluff. Everton beckons him. Hell leave behind an Arsenal side possessed of a new sense of direction.

Anorak

Posted: 2nd, November 2018 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Key Posts, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Turkish authorities want Saudi Arabia to tell them the whereabouts of the body of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the justice minister said yesterday.

Abdulhamit Gul added that Saudi Arabia must co-operate in the investigation into the murder of Mr Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and there must be no further cover-up.

"We are looking for answers to the question of where the body is," he said.

The Saudi government first denied Mr Khashoggi had been killed, then said he died in an unplanned "rogue operation". Last week, the kingdom's public prosecutor Saud Al Mojeb admitted that the attack was premeditated.

Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan said after talks with Mr Mojeb that Mr Khashoggi was suffocated as soon as he entered the consulate.
Bound together: Sisters Tala (16) and Rotana Farea (22) were discovered in the Hudson River on October 24. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

The family of two Saudi asylum-seeker sisters, found dead bound together with duct tape in a New York river, have rejected suggestions that they committed suicide.

Tala Farea (16) and her 22-year-old sister Rotana were discovered in the Hudson River on October 24.

The pair were facing each other, fully clothed and bound together with duct tape.

The sisters had recently requested asylum in the United States without giving a reason for the application, the 'New York Times' reported, citing police sources.

Police said the sisters' bodies bore no signs of trauma, which suggested they had not jumped off the nearby George Washington bridge. They are still trying to determine how they died but are treating the case as suicide.

"We do not know that a crime took place," said Dermot Shea, the chief of detectives.

"We have a terrible tragedy for sure."

The sisters were living until the summer in Fairfax, Virginia, although their mother had not seen them since they went missing from home in the city last December.

They were found but chose to live in a shelter rather than return home.

Their mother told detectives, according to the 'New York Post', that the day before their bodies were discovered, she received a phone call from the Saudi embassy to tell her the family's residency in the US was in jeopardy because her daughters had applied for immigration asylum.

Tala had again been reported missing by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in August.

But the Saudi newspaper 'Arab News', citing family members, reported that the search was called off when it was discovered she was visiting her sister at an unspecified college in New York.

Rotana Farea had been enrolled at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, but left in the spring and may have moved to New York at some point, according to media reports.

A relative told 'Arab News' that there had not been any family trouble involving the two sisters.

"They were a democratic family, they never had any issues and the eldest was sent to college in New York City with her family's blessing," they said.

The sisters' family could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Saudi embassy in Washington said yesterday that it was extending its "support and aid in this trying time" to the family.

The Saudi Arabian consulate in New York issued a statement confirming that the sisters were both Saudi Arabian citizens, and saying they were students, "accompanying their brother in Washington".

The consulate added that it had already appointed a lawyer to follow the case in order "to avoid inaccurate reporting".
A child sleeps as members of the Central American caravan settle in for the night in a abandoned motel on November 01, 2018 in Matias Romero Avendando, Mexico. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration planned to require immigrants seeking asylum in the United States to come into the country through a legal port of entry, pushing a hard line on immigration ahead of elections next week.

The president's remarks, five days before U.S. voters determine which party will control Congress and state governorships across the country, drew immediate criticism as an effort to generate fear and energize his political base.

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"Migrants seeking asylum will have to present themselves lawfully at a port of entry," Trump told reporters at the White House, painting a caravan of migrants traveling from Central America toward the United States as a dangerous threat.

"Those who choose to break our laws and enter illegally will no longer be able to use meritless claims to gain automatic admission into our country," he said.

It was not clear whether the plan would pass legal muster, although Trump, who sought to use immigration as an issue to motivate Republican voters in the 2016 presidential race and now ahead of the Nov. 6 elections, said it would. He added that an executive order was in the process of being finalized, but provided few details.

Federal law provides that any immigrant in the United States may apply for asylum, regardless of whether he or she enters the country through a designated port of entry.

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Trump has ramped up his tough stance on illegal immigration in recent days. He deemed the group of migrants from Central America a threat to Americans. It is made up of people who have left poverty and violence at home and are heading slowly through Mexico toward the U.S. border. Trump referred to the movement as an "invasion."

Mexico on Wednesday put the size of the caravan that left Honduras in mid-October at 2,800 to 3,000 people. Other caravans have since followed.

The president, who has ordered U.S. troops to the border with Mexico, also suggested rock-throwing by migrants would be treated as equivalent to gun usage.

"They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. We're going to consider, and I told them to consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexico military police, I say: Consider it a rifle," Trump said.

A Pentagon spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis, declined to discuss specifics on the military's potential use of force, but said that U.S. troops "always have the inherent right of self-defense."

'ABSURD AS IT IS CRUEL'

Critics said the president was stoking fear ahead of the elections, in which Trump's Republicans are battling to keep their congressional majorities.

"President Trumps attempt to paint peaceful families seeking asylum as a national security threat is as absurd as it is cruel," said advocacy group Human Rights First in a statement. "The president is fear mongering to score political points ahead of a contentious election at the expense of peoples lives."

The American Civil Liberties Union said: "If he plans at some point to prohibit people from applying for asylum between the ports of entry, that plan is illegal."

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, an ally of the president and head of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a letter to the secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department that his office had received information that several members of the caravan had "significant criminal histories."

Trump said on Wednesday the United States could send as many as 15,000 troops to the border to confront the migrant caravan, more than twice the number previously disclosed by defense officials.

A U.S. defense official said about 100 active-duty troops arrived on the border at McAllen, Texas, on Thursday.

Republican lawmakers and other Trump supporters have applauded the deployment. But critics argue Trump has manufactured a crisis for the U.S. military to address.

Trump also said this week he would seek to scrap the constitutional right of citizenship for U.S.-born children of noncitizens and illegal immigrants. Such an action would face a likely legal challenge.
Fanbase: Members of the crowd at the Trump rally in Florida on Wednesday. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Donald Trump has claimed that a third of Americans see the media as "the enemy of the people".

He provided no evidence for the figure as he rallied his supporters in Florida on Wednesday night.

The US president has repeatedly returned to the "enemy of the people" phrase since launching his bid for the White House, insisting that journalists are biased against him.

However, his inflammatory anti-media rhetoric has come under increased scrutiny since explosive packages were sent to the television network CNN, a regular target of his verbal attacks, last week.

In Florida, Mr Trump opened the rally by telling supporters that coverage of a protest over his visit to Pittsburgh the previous day had been "fake and make-believe".

Thousands of people demonstrated in the Pennsylvania city as Mr Trump and his wife Melania offered condolences at the Tree of Life synagogue, where 11 Jewish worshippers were shot dead on Saturday.

The protesters chanted: "Words matter", accusing Mr Trump of having emboldened extremists.

The president, who travelled to Pittsburgh despite appeals from some Jewish groups for him to stay away, told the rally: "After this day of unity and togetherness, I turned on the news and watched as the far-left media once again used tragedy to sow anger and division.

"Sadly, they took a small group of protesters far away from where we were. We could not have been treated better, the first lady and myself."

Mr Trump claimed he had "forcefully condemned hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice in all of its ugly forms".

"But the media doesn't want you to hear your story," he added. "It's not my story, it's your story.

"And that's why 33pc of the people in this country believe the fake news is in fact - and I hate to say this - in fact the enemy of the people."

His comments were met with cheers from supporters at the rally in Estero.

Cesar Sayoc, a supporter of Mr Trump, was arrested last week on suspicion of mailing 14 bombs to CNN and other regular targets of the president's attacks, including Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton.

After the arrest, Mr Trump blamed the media for the attempted attacks, tweeting: "A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News."

Jeff Zucker, the president of CNN Worldwide, has said there is "a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media".

Mr Trump has also defended his tendency to spread misleading statements and falsehoods.

"Well, I try. I do try . . . and I always want to tell the truth," he said in an interview with ABC News. "When I can, I tell the truth. And sometimes it turns out to be where something happens that's different or there's a change, but I always like to be truthful."

The 'Washington Post' Fact Checker reported last month that Mr Trump had made more than 5,000 false or misleading claims in the first 601 days of his presidency - an average of 8.3 claims a day - and that the pace was picking up.

Since then, as he has ratcheted up his rhetoric in advance of the mid-term elections, he has continued to invent "facts".

He said that a middle-class tax cut would be passed by November 1, even though Congress wasn't in session and had no plans to reconvene before the elections.

He has repeatedly asserted that Republicans are more committed than Democrats to protecting people with pre-existing health conditions, despite numerous past actions contrary to that claim.

And he has asserted that the US is the only country to grant automatic citizenship to children born on its territory, although more than 30 other nations have a similar 'birthright citizenship' policies.

In his interview with ABC's White House correspondent, Jonathan Karl, Mr Trump also took issue with the media's estimates of the sizes of caravans of migrants slowly making their way towards the US.

"You have caravans coming up that look a lot larger than it's reported," he said. "I'm pretty good at estimating crowd size. They look a lot bigger than people would think."

Mr Trump has often overstated the size of the crowds he draws, starting with the first day of his presidency.

His spokesman, on his orders, falsely claimed that the crowd at his 2017 inauguration was "the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe".
Donald Trump has given his backing to an unfounded conspiracy theory that liberal philanthropist George Soros is funding a caravan of Central American migrants.

The US president was asked whether he thinks somebody is funding the migrant caravan that is slowly making its way through Mexico toward the US border.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Mr Trump replied.

Asked whether the funder could be billionaire Mr Soros, a bogeyman for the far right who is often accused of funding liberal protesters, Mr Trump said: "I don't know who, but I wouldn't be surprised. A lot of people say yes."

Mr Trump's comments came in the wake of Mr Soros being one of the targets of pipe bombs discovered last week.

They also follow the fatal shootings of 11 people last weekend at a Pittsburgh synagogue by a suspect who posted online frequently about the migrant caravan, which originated in Honduras.

In the run-up to next week's mid-term elections, Mr Trump has pointed to the caravan as a symbol of lax immigration policy and blamed Democrats for not passing legislation, despite the Republicans having control of both houses of Congress.

Mr Trump has said he considers such caravans "very dangerous", and has ordered troops to be sent to the US border with Mexico.

The theory, for which no evidence has been provided, about Mr Soros bankrolling the caravan dates to March, when an earlier wave of migrants was heading north.

Rumours circulated on right-wing Facebook groups and websites, which have also tried to claim the immigrants intend to vote illegally in the crucial mid-terms.

The claims resurfaced when the new caravan gained attention among conservatives.

Cesar Sayoc, the Florida man authorities have accused of mailing more than a dozen bombs, appeared to be obsessed with Mr Soros.

Robert D Bowers, who is charged with the Pittsburgh massacre, reposted comments online about the caravan.

One post described it as a group of "invaders". ( The Washington Post)
A Polish woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted and harassed by Harvey Weinstein over 10 years, has become the 10th plaintiff to join a class action suit against the fallen film tycoon.

Weinstein is alleged to have told the woman, who was just 16 at the time they met, that he had "made" the careers of stars including Penelope Cruz and Gwyneth Paltrow - as he tried to force himself on her.

In court documents obtained by Sky News, the woman, named only as Jane Doe, says she moved to the US in 2002 and met Weinstein at an event hosted by her model agency.

It is alleged that a few days later, Weinstein took the teenager to his Soho apartment, where he "aggressively and threateningly" demanded sex.

"Weinstein threatened and pressured Jane Doe, saying that he had 'made' the careers of Penelope Cruz and Gwyneth Paltrow, and neither would be working without him," the court papers read.

It is claimed Weinstein "took off his pants and forcibly held Jane Doe while taking her hand and making her touch and massage him.

"As Weinstein forcibly caused her to touch him, Jane Doe continuously protested. [His] demeanour became intense as if he were hunting prey.

"Weinstein made it clear that, by refusing his sexual demands, Jane Doe was giving up her opportunity to make it in Hollywood."
The order to kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi came from the highest level of the Saudi government, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Mr Erdogan said the international community had the responsibility to reveal the puppet masters behind the death.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Mr Erdogan said he did not believe that Saudi King Salman had ordered the killing of Mr Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate on October 2.

As responsible members of the international community, we must reveal the identities of the puppet masters behind Khashoggi's killing and discover those in whom Saudi officials, still trying to cover up the murder, have placed their trustTurkey's president

He said Turkeys close ties to Saudi Arabia did not mean that Turkey could turn a blind eye to the killing of the journalist.

We know that the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, Mr Erdogan said.

Mr Erdogan wrote: As responsible members of the international community, we must reveal the identities of the puppet masters behind Khashoggis killing and discover those in whom Saudi officials, still trying to cover up the murder, have placed their trust.

Istanbuls chief prosecutor announced on Wednesday that Mr Khashoggi, who lived in exile in the United States, was strangled immediately after he entered and that his body was dismembered and removed from the consulate.

Turkey is seeking the extradition of 18 suspects who were detained in Saudi Arabia so they can be put on trial in Turkey.

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They include 15 members of an alleged Saudi hit squad that Turkey says was sent to Istanbul to kill The Washington Post columnist who had written critically of Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Some of those implicated in the killing are close to the prince.

Meanwhile, a Turkish official said he believes Khashoggis body was dissolved in acid or other chemicals after it was mutilated.

Yasin Aktay, a ruling party adviser to Mr Erdogan, said there can be no other formula to explain why Mr Khashoggis remains have not been found a month after he was killed.

Mr Aktay, who was friend of Mr Khashoggi, said he believes that the body was cut into pieces so that it could be dissolved in chemicals.

He said: All the findings point to his body parts being melted.

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Mr Khashoggi had entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to collect a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

In Bulgaria on Friday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Mr Khashoggis killing a horrendous act that should be duly dealt with in a way that does not undermine Saudi Arabias stability.

Mr Netanyahu said at a news conference that Iran is a bigger threat than Saudi Arabia and those who want to punish the Middle East kingdom need to bear that in mind.

A way must be found to achieve both goals, because I think that the larger problem is Iran, said the Israeli leader, who attended a meeting of the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania and the president of Serbia at a Black Sea resort.
Prominent cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, known as the father of the Taliban, has been killed in a knife attack at his home in Rawalpindi, according to police and his family.

Haqs son Hamidul Haq said his father was killed on Friday.

Yousaf Shah, Haqs spokesman, said the attackers identity and motive were not immediately known.

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Haq was the head of his faction of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam party.

The religious scholar was the founder of the famous Haqqania seminary, where dozens of Afghan leaders were educated.

His seminary is in the town of Akora Khattak in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.

Police said they have transported Haqs body to hospital and officers are investigating.
Sterling was trading 0.23% down at 1.296 US dollars on Friday (PA)

The pound lost ground on Friday  a day after rallying on the back of Brexit rumours  as strong US jobs growth buoyed the dollar.

Sterling was trading 0.23% down at 1.296 US dollars, after new data showed that the US economy added an unexpectedly high number of new jobs in October, as well as strong wage growth.

The pound was flat against the euro at 1.139.

But the currency still held on to most of the gains it made during Thursdays rally, which was prompted by reports of an imminent Brexit deal for the UKs financial services.

David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets, said it was encouraging to see sterlings resilience.

The uncertainty surrounding Brexit is still hanging over the currency, but the mood has lightened a little, he said.

The FTSE 100 closed 20.54 points, or 0.29%, lower at 7,094.12, losing some gains from earlier in the day as the US market opened.

In Europe, the French Cac was 0.32% higher and the German Dax rose 0.44%.

The strong jobs data in the US weighed on Wall Street as it stoked fears of higher borrowing costs, while Apples disappointing forecasts further dampened the mood.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration announced the reimposition of all US sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

But President Donald Trump also raised hopes that a full-blown trade war with China will be avoided, leaving oil prices flat amid the mixed bag of news.

A barrel of Brent crude was trading 0.05% lower at 72.68 US dollars.

In London, Paddy Power Betfair upgraded its full-year profit forecasts as high-rollers from New York splurging 1.5 million US dollars (1.1 million) a day boosted its performance in the US.

The bookmaker now expects full-year earnings to come in between 465 million and 480 million  up from between 460 million and 480 million  following a surge in betting at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey.

Shares in the company jumped 125p to 7,035p.

Sage Group announced the appointment of Steve Hare to the role of chief executive with immediate effect.

Mr Hare, formerly the firms finance chief, was appointed chief operating officer on an interim basis earlier this year following the departure of boss Stephen Kelly.

His elevation to the top job comes at a difficult time for Sage, which in May axed 30 executives as part of plans to simplify the organisation amid a sales slowdown.

Investors welcomed the move, with Sages share price climbing 14.6p to close at 564.6p.

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels saw its stock slide 19p to 465p after the group blamed Brexit and global trade tensions for contributing to a hefty fall in third-quarter profit.

The company saw pre-tax profit tumble 38.2% to 34 million in the three months to September 30.

The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Smurfit Kappa, up 100p to 2,568p, Standard Chartered up 22p to 579p, Informa up 725p to 23.4p, and Prudential up 48.5p to 1,615.5p.

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Imperial Brands down 71.5p to 2,618p, Glencore down 8.3p to 320p, British American Tobacco down 75p to 3,342.5p, and GlaxoSmithKline down 32.2p to 1,480p.
Protests by radical Islamists have apparently delayed the release of a Christian woman in Pakistan who was acquitted eight years after being sentenced to death for blasphemy.

Islamists who want Asia Bibi publicly hanged held rallies across Pakistan on Friday to denounce Wednesdays Supreme Court ruling that overturned her 2010 conviction for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Her family have always maintained her innocence and say she never insulted Islams prophet.

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Since the landmark ruling, radical Islamists have blocked major roads and damaged or set fire to dozens of vehicles to pressure the government to stop Ms Bibis release from an undisclosed detention facility.

On Friday, 5,000 Islamists rallied in the capital Islamabad and nearly 4,000 staged a sit-in in Lahore, demanding that the verdict be overturned. Similar rallies were also held in the north-western city of Peshawar.

More than 2,000 demonstrators blocked a key road linking Islamabad with the garrison city of Rawalpindi, causing traffic jams. Hundreds also blocked another key motorway connecting Islamabad with other major cities. No violence was reported during the rallies.

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On Thursday, a lawyer representing a local cleric who had raised the initial blasphemy charges against Ms Bibi petitioned the Supreme Court to reverse its acquittal.

Pakistan shut down schools and colleges after cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, announced that talks between his deputies and the government about Ms Bibis fate had failed.

Before dawn on Friday, Mr Rizvi told an emotionally charged rally in the eastern city of Lahore that one of the government negotiators threatened his deputies during the talks that security forces would kill them if they did not disperse peacefully.

He asked his supporters to continue sit-ins as authorities summoned paramilitary troops to restore order.

We are ready to die to show our love for the prophet, he said.

Mr Rizvis envoys had demanded that Ms Bibi be barred from leaving the country but information minister Fawad Chaudhry rejected the demand, saying the government will not accept any demands.

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Ghulam Mustafa, a lawyer representing a provincial cleric in Punjab who filed the initial blasphemy charges, petitioned the Supreme Court, requesting the judges review her acquittal.

The court has set no dates to take up the petition, but Ms Bibis release could be further delayed by the process. Pakistans Supreme Court has not been known to reverse decisions but court reviews typically take years.

Interior minister Sheharyar Afridi said officials were trying to persuade Islamists to disperse the rallies peacefully.

Authorities also stepped up security near an undisclosed detention facility where Ms Bibi is being held for her safety. On Thursday, prison officials said two inmates were arrested last month for planning to kill Ms Bibi by strangling her. They said the men were still being questioned.

Bibis family had expected her release by Thursday night. Her husband Ashiq Masih returned from Britain with their children in mid-October and was waiting for her release so they can fly out of Pakistan.

The family has not disclosed the country of her destination but France and Spain have offered asylum.
Predictive Policing perpetuates racism and makes us all suspects

Predpol is, according to it website, the market leader in predictive policing. Predpol collects data and uses it to show police where future offences will take place. Crime is contagious, the thinking goes  the same offenders target the same people in the same area. Pump in the bald facts for ostensibly objective analysis and an efficient police service. PredPol is currently being used to help protect one out of every 33 people in the United States, says the company. Really? The facts are unclear. But predictive policing is here in the UK.

Predictive police has many fans. Jeff Brantingham, an anthropology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles who helped to develop the Predpol algorithm, says: If you are victimized today the risk that youll be a victim again goes way up. Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, a law teacher at the University of the District of Columbia, warns that under current Fourth Amendment doctrine predictive policing will have a significant effect on reasonable suspicion analysis. Lindsey Barrett agrees: These algorithms have the potential to increase accuracy and efficiency, but they also threaten to dilute the reasonable suspicion standard and increase unintentional discrimination in a way that existing law is ill-equipped to prevent. Its not the coppers who are racist; its the robot.

If past data is the barometer of future crime, how trusty is that data? For instance, if police spend more time in, say, black neighbourhoods nicking people for weed possession will they just repeat past patterns and mistakes? Can Predpol tell us where most white collar crime takes place and prevent it?

civil liberties groups and racial justice organizations are wary. They argue that predictive policing perpetuates racial prejudice in a dangerous new way, by shrouding it in the legitimacy accorded by science. Crime prediction models rely on flawed statistics that reflect the inherent bias in the criminal justice system, they contendthe same type of bias that makes black men more likely to get shot dead by the police than white men. Privacy is another key concern. In Chicago, Illinois, one scientist has helped the police department generate a list of individuals deemed likely to perpetrate or be victims of violent crime in the near future; those people are then told theyre considered at risk, even if they have done nothing wrong.

Corey Doctorow took a look:

An anonymous security researcher recently contacted me with what may be a list of Predpols customers. This researcher had seen that Predpol assigns easy-to-guess subdomains to each Predpol customer, in the form of CITYNAME.predpol.com, for example, baltimore.predpol.com. This researcher wrote a script that combined the name of every US city and town with .predpol.com and checked to see whether this domain existed. The full list of cities that had Predpol domains is both short and confusing: longbeach.predpol.com

indianapolis.predpol.com

hollywood.predpol.com

albany.predpol.com

southjordan.predpol.com

berkeley.predpol.com

frederick.predpol.com

baltimore.predpol.com

pleasanton.predpol.com

modesto.predpol.com

tacoma.predpol.com

elmonte.predpol.com

elgin.predpol.com

livermore.predpol.com

reading.predpol.com

merced.predpol.com

haverhill.predpol.com  Predpol itself was tight-lipped in the extreme: they initially ignored all press requests, then sent a terse neither confirm nor deny response to my questions about this list. They wouldnt even confirm whether the login forms at these domains were secure, despite repeated warnings from me that I would be making them public, requesting that they ensure that these forms require strong logins and passwords to avoid exposing sensitive policing data.

Robocops watching you. What can go wrong?

Anorak

Posted: 2nd, November 2018 | In: Key Posts, News, Technology Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Vladimir Putin speaks at a meeting with GRU officers (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Russias military intelligence unit on its centenary, hailing the agency that has been accused of meddling and violence by the West.

Im confident of your professionalism, courage and determination, Mr Putin said in a speech to GRU officers.

The president said he appreciates intelligence information and analytics provided by the GRU and also praised the agency for its action in Syria, saying it strongly contributed to the success of Russias campaign there.

The West has accused the GRU of involvement in the March nerve agent attack on a Russian ex-spy in Britain and also of hacking the 2016 US presidential campaign and disrupting anti-doping efforts in sport.

Expand Close Two Russians accused of being behind the Novichok poisoning in Salisbury (Metropolitan Police/PA) / Facebook

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Russian authorities have rejected the accusations, calling them part of a Western smear campaign.

Mr Putin made no reference to Western accusations against the GRU, but noted rising global tensions.

The conflict potential in the world is growing, he said in Fridays speech. There are provocations and blatant lies, as well as attempts to upset strategic parity.

The GRU has recently faced a series of exposures that revealed its inner workings.

In September, British intelligence released surveillance images of GRU agents accused of the March attack on former GRU officer and British double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.

Investigative group Bellingcat and Russian site The Insider quickly exposed the agents real names.

Expand Close A phone discarded by GRU officers in the Netherlands (Dutch Defence Ministry/AP) / Facebook

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Dutch authorities also identified four alleged GRU agents who tried to hack the worlds chemical weapons watchdog from a hotel car park.

While the GRU counts its history from 1918 when it was created after the Bolshevik revolution, Mr Putin also mentioned its predecessors in the old imperial Russia.

He noted that some imperial army officers helped the Bolsheviks organise military intelligence after the 1917 revolution.

They realised that there is no worse shame than to betray the motherland, betray comrades, and at the time of turmoil and revolutionary upheavals helped preserve the continuity of the services traditions, he said.

He added: Military intelligence officers showed the same loyalty to their duty in the early 1990s following the break-up of the Soviet Union, helping preserve the GRU potential.
The celebrations have already begun at the Padukone house in Bengaluru. Deepika, who was spotted with mom at the Mumbai airport last night flew down to Bengaluru to officially kick-start the wedding celebrations.

For Deepika, the Nandi puja that is performed at the groom and bride's houses, a few days before the wedding took place today.

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For the uninitiated, in Nandi Pooja, a coconut placed on top of a kalash (copper pot) filled with holy-water marks the start of the wedding celebrations. During this ceremony, the first invitation to the wedding is offered to God for seeking the blessings.

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Deepika's stylist Shaleena Nathani took to Instagram to share pictures from the Nandi puja. Donning a saffron Sabyasachi suit, Deepika looked super-happy as the bride-to-be.

Ranveer and Deepika will officially tie the knot on November 14 and 15. Have a look at the pictures.
Deepika's stylist Shaleena Nathani took to Instagram to share pictures from the Nandi puja. Donning a saffron Sabyasachi suit, Deepika looked super-happy as the bride-to-be.

Midnight celebrations for SRK were low-key but really special. He kickstarted the celebrations in Mumbai with his "girl gang."He shared pictures from the celebration writing, "Fed cake to wife... Met my family of fans outside Mannat... now playing Mono Deal with my lil girl gang! Having a Happy Birthday. Thank you all for this amazing love,"

No matter how busy SRK is, he follows the ritual of coming to his terrace and waving to his fans, ensuring that they don't go back home disappointed. Being a Shah Rukh Khan fan is not just about loving him or being an ardent fan of his films. For many, SRK is no less than a religion.

As per reports, Katrina Kaif will be playing the role of an actress who is an alcoholic. It is also said that this is her toughest role so far. A close source to Mid Day even revealed that Kat extensively read about the lives of Hollywood actresses Lindsay Lohan, Demi Moore and Liza Minnelli who battled alcoholism.

Krishnan has refuted the allegations. This is the second such instance in which a woman has been named, and first from Tamil Nadu with the campaign surging ahead. Chennai-based theatre artiste Ananya Ramaprasad in a Facebook post said, "I am a victim of sexual, mental and emotional manipulation, abuse, and most horrifically, gas-lighting, all at the hands of my abuser, Maya S Krishnan."
While were all made of water, bone, blood muscle, ligaments, tendons and fat, the most recent component that has become a part your body (thanks to the addition of microplastics in the products we consume) is plastic.

From waste plastics, toothpastes, facial scrubs, exfoliants and edible items, such as sea salt, microplastics exists in a countless number of items we use. Almost five million tons of plastic is expected to be dumped into the ocean, contaminating the sea salt we use.

Researchers discovered hundreds of microscopic plastic particles in every kilogram of salt we consume. That means on an average a consumer of salt has around a thousand tiny plastic beads every year.

Shutterstock.com

Microplastic emerge either emerge from the breakdown of large plastic waste items, including bottles or shopping bags or substances used in cosmetic products, such as toothpastes and exfoliants.

The plastic can be broken down into particles up to 5mm in size or lower and are often invisible to the naked eye. Their tiny size allows for them to be easily absorbed into marine life as well as the human body.

Microplasticsdefined as pieces smaller than 5 millimetershave previously been found in water, animals and food, but so far studies haven't proved they pose a risk to human health.

m.blog.naver.com

Still, there is growing public concern about their apparent ubiquitous presence in the environment, and the head of Germany's Green party said the Austrian study was "a further alarm signal.''

Robert Habeck told the Funke media group that microplastics should be banned from cosmetic products and the use of plastic packaging should be greatly reduced.

Scientists in Austria say they've detected tiny bits of plastic in people's stool for the first time, but experts caution the study is too small and premature to draw any credible conclusion.

They found up to 20 pieces of plastic in every 10 grams of stool sample. The researchers believe that plastic could damage the immune system and raise the risk of transmitting diseases.

geologyinmotion.com

Presenting their findings at a congress in Vienna on Tuesday, researchers from the Medical University of Vienna and the Environment Agency Austria said their pilot study detected nine types of so-called microplastic in all samples taken from eight volunteers living in Europe, Russia and Japan.

While the study's authors don't know how the plastic got there, food diaries kept by the volunteers show they had all consumed food wrapped in plastic or drunk from plastic bottles during the week before the samples were taken, and six of them had consumed sea fish.

However, experts say it's not surprising that microplastics would be found in human samples too, and that the Austrian study raises many questions.

nextolife

It's small scale and not at all representative, said Martin Wagner, a biologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He noted that the study wasn't reviewed by independent scientists and the authors didn't provide details about which measures were taken to prevent samples from becoming contaminated.

In the worst case, all the plastic they found is from the lab, Wagner told The Associated Press. Even if microplastics are found in stool, this doesn't mean they have entered the human body, he said. Unlike other substances we eat, microplastics are too large to be absorbed by cells in the gut and simply pass through.

His concerns were echoed by Mark Browne, an expert on microplastics at the University of New South Wales, Australia, who said the study lacked crucial details.

danva.dk

"Poor quality observations of contamination do not represent well the scientific method and therefore in my humble opinion do not help us understand impacts on humans or manage them,'' Browne told the AP by email.

The Austrian authors acknowledged that "further studies are necessary to assess the potential risk of microplastic for humans.'' They plan to submit a detailed study for independent review in the coming months.
Days after Achutyanand Sahu, a Doordarshan Cameraman was killed in an ambush by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada, the ultras have issued a statement on the murder.

In a handwritten note which surfaced on Friday, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has said that it had no intention to kill Doordarshan News cameraman and that he was caught in the ambush and that they did not intend to target the media.

PTI

DD Cameraman Achyutananda Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and we had no intention of targeting the media, the statement released by Sainath, Secretary of the Darbha divisional committee of the Maoists read.

In the statement, the Maoists have further asked journalists and officials on election duty to not accompany security personnel.

Naxals release a statement on Dantewada attack, saying 'DD Cameraman Achutyanand Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and we had no intention of targeting the media.' pic.twitter.com/bAoEQ8ScaS  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

The police have hover rejected the clarification and claimed that evidence suggests that the attack was intentional.

"Why was the camera looted? For the first time, while running away, they left two automatic weapons but did not throw a video camera. Why? Because it has recorded evidence of what happened in the first few minutes of targeted media ambush? Multiple bullet wounds and multiple fractures of skull bones sustained by the cameraman in no ways indicates it was by mistake, Naxals saw him shooting posters with a camera for 10 minutes and then ambush started," Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Pallav said.

Sahu, along with three police personnel, were killed on October 30 in an ambush in poll-bound Dantewada district, a Maoist hotbed.

Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in two phases, first on November 12 and second November 20. The results will be announced on December 11.
Citing environmental impact caused by it, the National Green Tribunal has issued a stay on the India-based Neutrino Observatory Project (INO) which is being constructed in Theni district of Tamil Nadu.

The NGT issued an interim stay order on a set of complaints filed by environmentalists and activists from Tamil Nadu who had been opposing the massive construction in the ecologically fragile western ghats. Read more

Here's How Bengaluru Will Penalise People For Littering Garbage On Roads At Night

The BBMP will deploy mobile civic patrol squads, on the lines of the city polices Hoysala units, to crack down on those dumping garbage on roads at night. To start with, the civic agency will use its Pahari emergency vehicles for the purpose.

D Randeep, BBMP special commissioner (solid waste management), issued instructions to this effect on Wednesday evening to the eight joint commissioners. Read more

DD Cameraman Was Killed Unintentionally, Media Not Our Target Says Maoists After Dantewada Attack

Days after Achutyanand Sahu, a Doordarshan Cameraman was killed in an ambush by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada, the ultras have issued a statement on the murder.

In a handwritten note which surfaced on Friday, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has said that it had no intention to kill Doordarshan News cameraman and that he was caught in the ambush and that they did not intend to target the media. Read more

People Came Together To Raise Rs 16 Lakh In Just 6 Hours For Two-And-A-Half-Year-Old Girls Surgery

Setting an exemplary example for all of humanity, people came together to raise Rs 16 Lakh for the surgery of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl who is struggling with an acute condition.

Arushi is suffering from Congenital Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia. A pseudarthrosis is defined as a "false joint" and is a break in the bone that fails to heal on its own. Read more

Fishermen & Farmers In Gujarat Have Dragged World Bank To A US Court; Here's Why

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared unlikely to revive a lawsuit by villagers in India seeking to hold a Washington-based international financial institution responsible for environmental damage they blame on a power plant it financed.

The justices heard an hour of arguments in an appeal by the villagers of a lower court ruling that the International Finance Corp, part of the World Bank Group, was immune from such lawsuits under US law. Read more

46-Year-Old Jumps The Queue In Petrol Pump, Strangles To Death Man Who Questioned Him

In a bizarre incident, a 46-year-old man strangulated another man to death in broad daylight in a CNG station and managed to flee and evade arrest for nearly a week.

The incident happened on October 24 at a CNG station in Dwarka's Chhawla village.The murder, according to police was the result of a scuffle over jumping the queue to fill the fuel. Read more
A 53-year-old woman survived six days in the Arizona desert on grass and water after crashing her car, before being rescued by a rancher and highway workers who were chasing a cow, police and local media said on Wednesday.

The woman, whose name was not disclosed, lost control of her car on Oct. 12 on a rain-slicked road near Wickenburg, Arizona, about 65 miles (105 km) north of Phoenix, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

The car plunged about 50 feet (15 m) down a ravine, landing in a mesquite tree, where it remained suspended above the ground, DPS reported.

ap

Seriously injured from the crash, the woman remained in the car for several days before climbing out and trying to walk to a nearby railway line for help, the DPS reported. She made it 500 yards (457 m) before collapsing in a dry river bed.

On Oct. 18, rancher Dave Moralez, 30, and a road maintenance crew were working to corral a cow on U.S. Highway 60 when they noticed a break in the fence near the road. They saw the mangled car below, and when they climbed down, found footprints leading from the vehicle.

They followed the tracks and discovered the severely dehydrated woman, her eyes swollen, wearing a T-shirt, shorts and flip flops, suffering from broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a head injury, Moralez told a local NBC affiliate.

ap/representational image

I dont know if she could have made it there another night, Moralez said.

Rescuers called for a helicopter and the woman was airlifted to a hospital. DPS Director Frank Milstead praised the highway workers and the rancher. Due to their outstanding efforts, this womans life was saved, he said in a statement.
(ANSA) - Tunis, November 2 - Premier Giuseppe Conte said at a press conference with Tunisian counterpart Youssef Chahed Friday that France's support on Libya was "fundamental".

"It would make no sense to speak of details, but talks are in course," he said.

"But all countries have confirmed their participation at the highest level. On Macron I have had assurances of the maximum attention from France, whose support is fundamental".

Italy is hosting a Libya conference in Palermo on November 12-13.


Virgin Hyperloop One has a dozen planned projects in its pipeline at the moment. And since its a US-based transportation company, most of these projects are based in various parts of the country. However, one such project had also been proposed to cover the Mumbai to Pune stretch in India last year and recent reports reveal that this might just be the very first project that the company brings to life.

To recall, hyperloop is a futuristic mass transit system that will make use of pods in a long stretch of vacuum tube to transport people and goods alike. Since the pods will be travelling in a vacuum, anticipated speeds of the same could reach up to 350-400 kmph. Initiated by tech billionaire Elon Musk, the entire concept is meant to reduce the travel time over long distances drastically.

Hyperloop One is a major player in the field, having already procured several contracts for the setting up the transportation system, even the one in India. Now, as per a recent interaction with one of companys head engineers, a report indicates that the company might be gunning to make its project in India a reality on a priority basis.

Virgin Hyperloop One

Out of five projects in US and six internationally, the company has valid reasons to prioritise the one in India. The planned route from Mumbai to Pune has a considerable support from the local entities including the private players as the need for the system is also compelling, to eliminate the on-road congestion between the two cities. The route will progressively be extended to Chennai. Also, the environmental impact study has been completed for the route, unlike any other listed routes across the world.

All this helps the company. As mentioned by Kristen Hammer, Hyperloop One's manager of materials engineering, the company is small as of now and needs all the help available from the local entities. With this, she went on to say that the Mumbai to Pune route in India is expected to be operational by mid 2020s.

Virgin Hyperloop One

Once the first route is set up, the company would have a set pathway for all the next ones, cutting down on the development time.
When the entire world is being destroyed the planet with pollution, deforestation, and more, conservationists insist we need to do more than we are right now.

At least one person got the memo, and is donating a huge chunk of funds to help save the Earth.

A Swiss charity organisation is donating $1 billion to help conserve the planet's wild lands and oceans, in order to help provide more clean water and air. The Wyss foundation is an organisation founded by Hansjorg Wyss, a renowned billionaire and conservationist.

In an op-ed for the New York Times this week, Wyss declared he would donate the massive sum over the next 10 years through his Foundation. "Lands and waters are best conserved when they become public national parks, wildlife refuges, or marine reserves," Wyss wrote. And he's attempting to help preserve at least 30 percent of the Earth in its natural state by 2030.

Also Read: Bill Gates Thinks We Aren't Doing Enough To Save Ourselves From Risks Of Climate Change & AI

That's an important goal, considering recent reports about how fast we're destroying the planet. We've caused so many species to go extinct, we might have seriously messed with the world's evolutionary cycle. Even the Paris Climate agreement as it stands is not effective enough, the UN says we need to be doing a lot more.

Experts say at least 50 percent of the Earth needs to be protected from humanity. However, we've so far only managed to kaap about 15 percent of the land and 7 percent of our oceans safe. To try and remedy this, the Wyss Foundation will use the funds to support local conservation efforts in areas across the world, helping them better manage parks and protected regions.

"Every one of us - citizens, philanthropists, business and government leaders - should be troubled by the enormous gap between how little of our natural world is currently protected and how much should be protected," Wyss wrote. "It is a gap that we must urgently narrow, before our human footprint consumes the earth's remaining wild places."
Naming baby after storms and famous people is a pretty common, but very few get paid for such a thing. Believe it or not, someone named their child Harland after KFC's founder Colonel Harland Sanders.

The fast-food giant paid close to Rs 7 Lakhs towards the college fund of the newborn after she was named after its famous founder.

Im as pleased as pumpkin punch to announce the winner of our Baby Harland Naming Contest and the Harland who will be ushering in an all-new generation of Harlands, little Harland Rose. pic.twitter.com/wI2SNshsZ6  KFC (@kfc) 30 October 2018

The company listed two rules: name the baby as Harland and the newborn must be the first Harland born in America on September 9. And KFC recently announced Harland Rose, a baby girl, as the winner.

The winner of our Baby Harland Naming Contest and the Harland who will be ushering in an all-new generation of Harlands, little Harland Rose.

She was born September 9 at 8 pounds, 1 ounce to parents Anna Pilson and Decker Platt, of Southern Pines, N.C., according to Lexington Herald Leader reported.

If you gave your baby the correct name of Harland and your baby was born today, great job! Please submit that little Harland here for a chance to get $11,000 for college.  KFC (@kfc) 9 September 2018

Even though vintage names are making a comeback, our iconic founders name was dwindling in popularity, and we couldnt just stand idly by and let that happen, Andrea Zahumensky, KFC US chief told US Today.
The Arizona State Board of Education has voted to include Sikhism and several other world religions in its K-12 curriculum. Above (l-r), file photo of Navneeth Babra and Sahiba Babra seen getting instruction on how to play the harmonium from Sahiba's mother, Gulshan Babra, at the National Gurdwara and Sikh Cultural Center Feb. 19, 2006 in Washington, DC. (representation image/ Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Then Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reacts to the cries of three-month-old Kellen Campbell, of Denver (right), while holding six-month-old Evelyn Keane, of Castel Rock, Colo., after his speech at the Gallogly Event Center on the campus of the University of Colorado on July 29, 2016 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Indian American immigration advocate Manju Kulkarni told India-West: The president clearly wants it to be no longer possible for children of immigrants to automatically become citizensHe is holding a megaphone to his followers that he believes in white identity politics. (Joe Mahoney/Getty Images)
The AAPI leadership at a recent meeting with U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, requesting the introduction of a bill to alleviate the Green Card backlog. Wicker heeded the request and introduced bill S281 in the Senate. (photo provided)
A member of the Hindu Bajrang Dal garlands a model of a Ram temple during a procession marking the 24th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid Mosque in Ayodhya, in Amritsar Dec. 6, 2016. (Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images)
Pallavi Gogoi, chief business editor at NPR in the United States, has said that M.J. Akbar raped her when she worked at The Asian Age. (Pallavi Gogoi Twitter photo)
(ANSA) - Genoa, November 2 - Genoa Archbishop cardinal Angelo Bagnasco on Friday for the first time visited the site of the August 14 bridge disaster that killed 43 people, laying flowers under the twin stumps of the Morandi Bridge.

Bagnasco made the gesture on All Souls' Day, the day when Christians remember their dead.

The cardinal recited the prayer of eternal peace and said "It's striking, they look like two arms that have lost their body, but everything will return".

The cardinal, former head of Italy's bishops, warned that "quarrels" among authorities "must not slow the rebirth of the city".

He went on: "Genoa will make it. It is already moving. The cohesion to get the city restarted exists." Bagnasco promised evacuees he would help them with "something concrete".

photo: Nov 2 Mass for bridge dead
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Findings showed that some 9.8 million, or, 19.8%, of policies were considered for change over the last 12 months, an increase from 17.7% in 2013. Of the 19.8% of policies, 15.1% were renewed with the same company after approaching other companies, and another 4.7% actually switched insurers.

Despite an increase in policyholders who shop around for a better deal, the number of policies that actually switched insurers over the last five years was down to 4.7%, from 5.8% in 2013.

Our research shows that general-insurance policyholders primarily say that they change companies or shop around due to issues relating to better premiums, said Norman Morris, industry communications director at Roy Morgan. Understanding why people shop around goes well beyond cost and looks at many other issues that motivate people to look around or switch. These issues are available by company and include the fact that some people say that they just always shop around, better product elsewhere, purchased a new car, recommended by a family member or friend, bad claims experience or simply poor customer service.

Based on the proportion of the policies renewed without the holder approaching another company, the most loyal customers are with RACV (81.7%), RAC (81.6%), and RACQ (80.8%)  well above the industry average of 77.4%.

The least loyal customers are with Budget Direct (60.8%) and Youi (70.3%).

The companies that saw improvement in their customers loyalty were Youi (up by 15.3%) and Apia (up by 3.7%), while the rest showed declines in customer loyalty.
Jennifer had been suffering from depression and chronic back pain.

In a Queensland Supreme Court ruling, Morant was sentenced to a total of 10 years in jail for counselling and aiding his wife to commit suicide, and will be eligible for parole in October 2023, AAP and news.com.au reported.

Mrs Morant was a vulnerable person with difficulties with her physical health. She was suffering depression, Justice Peter Davis told Morant. You took advantage of those vulnerabilities in order to persuade her to kill herself and then assisted her to do so once she had made that decision.

Jennifers lifeless body was found on November 30, 2014, in the backseat of her car, with a note saying please dont resuscitate me.

You had an acute awareness that upon Mrs Morants death you would benefit from a payout from the insurance policies, Davis said. You counselled and aided your wife to suicide because you wanted to get your hands on the $1.4 million.

The case is being called a landmark decision as there is no legal precedent for a conviction where a person counsels another into committing suicide, the reports said.
(ANSA) - Rome, November 2 - The sex of the bones found in the Vatican's nunciature to Italy on Wednesday, which reopened a cold case involving two 15-year-old girls who went missing in 1983, will be revealed early next week, perhaps as early as Monday, sources said Friday.

The date of death and possible DNA identification will take several more days after that, they said.

A molar has been examined and is probably a wisdom tooth, sources said.

A breakthrough in the case of Emanuela Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican employee, may have arrived after the Vatican said human bones were found in a basement area linked to its nunciature to Italy in Rome's Via Po next to the Italian capital's famous Villa Borghese museum.

The Vatican said it had called in the Italian authorities after the remains were found during renovation work.

Another possibility is that the bones belong to Mirella Gregori, another 15-year-old girl who went missing in Rome in 1983, within weeks of Orlandi.

Rome prosecutors have opened a murder probe.

Investigators are comparing the cranium and teeth with the DNA of Orlandi and Gregori.

It will take "from seven to 10 days" to examine the DNA, sources told ANSA.

A preliminary examination of pelvic bones found at the nunciature has confirmed that they belong to a woman's body, ANSA sources said.

Four workers discovered the bones, judicial sources said Wednesday.

They reportedly told prosecutors "we were digging, we had removed the pavement, then we saw the bones and we immediately raised the alarm", judicial sources said.

Emanuela Orlandi's brother Pietro said "the news should fill us with joy but if the bones turned out to be Emanuela's it's as if she died today".

He said "if this is the truth it's important for it to come out. I want to know why Emanuela was in that place and who brought her there".

A lawyer representing Orland's family demanded more details after the discovery of the remains in the nunciature.

"We will ask the Rome prosecutors' office and the Holy See how the bones were found and why the find has been related to the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi and Mirella Gregori," said the lawyer, Laura Sgro.

"The statement released yesterday by the Holy See does not provide much information," Sgro said.

The bones may well belong to two people, well-informed sources said later Wednesday.

The sources said that workers employed in renovation work at the site found nearly a whole skeleton and, in another point, bone fragments.

Manuela Orlandi's father Pietro met with prosecutors later, Sgro said.

"There is a preliminary investigation in course and we hope to have more detailed information in the next few days," the lawyer said.

Gregori's sister Maria Antonietta told ANSA: "I don't want to delude myself, I want to stay with my feet on the ground but in my heart I hope that those bones belong to Mirella, so we can put an end to this affair and I would have a place to go to mourn and take a flower to my sister".

She said "the investigators have our DNA, they took it when some bones were found in the basilica of Sant'Apollinare (Saint Apollinaire)".

The Orlandi case has spawned several theories over the years, including that she was murdered to gain traction to have pope John Paul II's Turkish shooter Mehmet Ali Agca freed, or that organised crime was involved.

Ali Agca was questioned in the case.

In 2016 investigations into the case were shelved.

Six people including a priest were implicated in the investigations on suspicion of complicity in abduction and murder.

All but one had links with the Banda della Magliana, a now-defunct crime gang based in Rome.

In September last year the Vatican described as "false and ridiculous" reports that the Vatican had spend large amounts of money on the case.

In an article published by La Repubblica, Italian investigative reporter Emiliano Fittipaldi wrote about a leaked document that allegedly showed the Vatican spent over 483 million lira, around 250,000 euros, on the case between 1983 and 1997.

In the piece, Fittipaldi reported money went to a pensioner in London and medical expenses in the British capital.

Fittipaldi has written books in the past with revelations linked to the two VatiLeaks scandals featuring embarrassing leaks of confidential documents.

In 2016 Italian film director Roberto Faenza said his latest movie "The Truth is in the Sky" was aimed at encouraging authorities to reopen the Orlandi case.

The film, inspired by Vito Bruschini's "The Truth on the Orlandi Case" book, tells the story of an English TV station which sends a journalist to Rome to investigate the origins of the Mafia Capitale scandal involving city authorities' links to criminal organisations.

"The Truth is in the Sky" is a phrase that Pope Francis said when he met Orlandi's family in the Vatican, Faenza said, adding that in fact he believes the truth is on earth and his film is aimed at encouraging investigators to keep pursuing it.


Over the course of nearly a year, Hunt obtained nine different auto insurance policies in order to provide proof of insurance while buying used luxury cars from various dealerships, according to northjersey.com. In three cases, Hunt was able to drive the cars home with no down payment. She failed to make payments on any of the cars.

Hunt used fictitious bank account information to con insurance providers into issuing the coverage for vehicles targeted in this elaborate fraud scheme, said New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

According to Grewal, Hunt managed to fraudulently obtain more than $21,605 in coverage, including coverage for a Lexus SUV, two Honda Pilot Tourings, five Mercedes sedans and a Mercedes SUV.

Hunt is also one of five people charged last year in connection with an auto theft plot that involved more than two dozen vehicles, northjersey.com reported. Hunt pleaded guilty to her role in that scheme in June.
Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation of utility company NiSource Inc over gas explosions and fires in three Massachusetts communities that killed one person and injured at least 21 others in September, the company disclosed on Thursday.

Grand jury subpoenas were served to NiSource and its subsidiary Columbia Gas of Massachusetts on Sept. 24, according to a NiSource regulatory filing. The company said it is cooperating with the investigation.

The U.S. Attorneys Office in Massachusetts is conducting the probe, NiSource said in its filing.

The explosions occurred in Lawrence, North Andover and Andover, all communities northwest of Boston, while Columbia Gas of Massachusetts was conducting repairs on its system. Fires erupted after the gas lines became over-pressurized, and critical valves controlling the flow of gas were not shut for almost 3-1/2 hours after the first alarm was raised.

NiSource spokesman Ken Stammen declined to comment on details related to the investigation, and a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling, whose office is overseeing the investigation, also declined to comment.

NiSource recorded $461.9 million in expenses related to the incident in its third quarter and said it expected to recover most of those costs through insurance. The company has liability insurance for damages up to roughly $800 million, according to its filing.

Shares of NiSource were up less than 1 percent in morning trading at $25.56.

The disaster was the largest U.S. natural gas pipeline incident since 2010 in terms of structures involved, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Eight years ago, a gas transmission line operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company ruptured in San Bruno, California, killing eight people, destroying 38 buildings and damaging 70 others.

NiSource said it replaced all of the 45-mile distribution network necessary to return service to Massachusetts customers impacted by the explosions, but that it had further work to do.

It anticipates restoring service to all customers affected by the gas-line explosion by Dec. 16, executives said on the call.

(Reporting by Liz Hampton in Houston and Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Dan Grebler)

Topics USA Fraud Massachusetts
The Lion Air jet that crashed into the Java Sea off Indonesia earlier this week had experienced problems with the sensors used to calculate altitude and speed on its previous flight, an issue that could help explain why the plane dove into the water.

Pilots on the nearly new Boeing Co. 737 Max 8 reported the issue after flying from Denpasar to Jakarta the night before the accident, Lion Air spokesman Danang Mandala Prihantoro said Wednesday. The instruments were checked by maintenance workers overnight and the plane was cleared to fly, Prihantoro said.

While it will be days or weeks before definitive information emerges in the crash shortly after takeoff with 189 people aboard, discrepancies in speed and altitude readings can cause confusion on the cockpit and have led to accidents in the past, including the 2009 crash of an Air France plane in the Atlantic Ocean.

Flight-tracking data before the two-month old Lion Air jet crashed showed the plane was varying its altitude and speed, a possible indication that the pilots werent getting accurate information from the aircrafts air-pressure sensors.

Erroneous sensors could be an explanation for the flight track data, said John Cox, president of Safety Operating Systems and a former airline pilot. But Cox and others cautioned that its too soon to say what happened on the Lion Air flight and some of the flight data  such as speeds that werent extreme and none of the highly abrupt maneuvers that preceded the Air France jets loss of control  may suggest some other cause.

Indonesian search teams retrieved the flight data recorder Thursday after more than three days of hunt for the wreckage. They have yet to locate the cockpit voice recorder.

Inspections of the 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by Lion Air and Garuda Indonesia since the accident found no technical issues, according to a statement by the countrys Transport Ministry. A review of maintenance documents found no additional issues were reported on the airspeed and altimeter system in the past 3 months.

However, in a crackdown Thursday, the ministry ordered Lion Air to suspend its director of maintenance and engineering, managers in charge of quality control and fleet maintenance and the engineer who signed off on the plane before take-off. The measures were taken to facilitate a smooth probe, it said.

Investigators from around the world, including a team from Boeing, are onsite poring over evidence. For now, the planemaker has told 737 Max operators that it doesnt recommend they take any action at this time.

Even with modern GPS tracking, planes need to calculate their precise speed through the air. To determine airspeed  which can vary substantially compared to the speed over the ground due to winds  aircraft rely on Pitot tubes which measure the air rushing into them.

By comparing that pressure against the ambient air pressure  which is obtained by what are known as static ports  aircraft can determine airspeed.

If either of the pressure sensors are blocked, it can cause erroneous readings. In the case of the Air France flight, investigators concluded that a high-altitude ice storm clogged the Pitot tubes.

Jetliners are equipped with three separate airspeed sensor systems as backups. If one goes bad, pilots are trained to check the other readings and disregard the one thats incorrect.

United Technologies Corp. is a supplier of the systems to the 737 Max, according to Airframer.com, a website that tracks suppliers of aircraft components. A company representative said she wasnt immediately able to confirm whether its equipment was on the Lion Air plane.

Lion Air and investigators havent provided details about the issue on the previous flight Sunday night. Data provided by flight tracking company FlightRadar24 showed that the jet took off and reached an altitude of 5,550 feet (1,692 meters), then dropped to 4,625 feet, an unusual altitude loss at a time when aircraft normally climb steadily.

The plane then resumed its climb, but never exceeded 28,000 feet. Jetliners usually dont fly below 30,000 feet because cruising at the lower altitudes is less fuel efficient. However, planes with partially malfunctioning altitude sensors arent allowed above 28,000 feet.

Every aircraft that we have will go through transit, pre-flight and post-flight checks, said Lion Airs Prihantoro. We are conducting inspection and maintenance if needed on every aircraft.

Air France

Indonesias National Transportation Safety Committee, which is leading the investigation, has interviewed pilots from the previous flight, Ony Soerjo Wibowo, an investigator, told a news conference on Tuesday.

In the Air France accident, investigators concluded that the Pitot tubes had become clogged with ice and all three of the planes speed indicators failed at different times, according to the final report of Frances Office of Investigation and Analysis.

The routine flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris was interrupted with a cacophony of alarms and confusing information. Their autopilot disconnected, speed indicators went haywire and warnings sounded indicating they were going too slow. We havent got a good display, one of the pilots said, according to the accident report.

Other Crashes

Completely flummoxed, the pilots abruptly climbed and then lost control, allowing the plane to plunge for about four minutes until it slammed into the water.

While such failures happen fairly frequently and pilots should be able to continue flying the plane until the problem resolves itself, a handful of airline accidents such as the Air France crash show they can be confusing if pilots are startled and dont react properly.

A charter flight leaving the Dominican Republic in 1996 crashed, killing 189 people, after the captains airspeed became inaccurate. While it was never proven, a wasps nest in the Pitot tube was suspected as the reason for the error.

An Aeroperu flight that crashed in 1996, killing 70, was blamed by the Peruvian government on tape that had been left over the static ports. Shortly after takeoff, pilots received nearly simultaneous cockpit warnings that they were going too fast, too slow and too close to the ground, according to the investigation.

While its too early to know if airspeed indicators will prove to be related to Mondays accident, the possibility underscores the need for better and more consistent pilot training, said David Greenberg, an industry consultant and former operations executive at Delta Air Lines Inc.

Greenberg, who also served as chief operating officer at Korean Air Lines Co. Ltd., said U.S. airlines drill pilots for such contingencies in the classroom and flight simulators.

Partially as a result of the Air France crash, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in recent years revamped pilot training for how to handle unusual speeds and cases in which the plane goes out of control. Its now common for airline pilots to receive simulator training on how to handle a failure of the planes speed indicators.

A veteran U.S. airline captain recalled a recent training exercise in the simulator in which the planes airspeed became inaccurate. The problem was hard to detect and occurred simultaneously with other control issues, said the pilot, who asked not to be named because he wasnt authorized to speak by his airline.

The copilots speed readings were accurate and control was turned over to the junior pilot, but the captains instruments continued to behave erratically, which was distracting, the pilot said.

The government wants to discuss with Boeing to see if theres any mismatch between this aircraft type and the competency of the pilots, Indonesias Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday.

With assistance from Fathiya Dahrul, Natasha Rausch, Mary Schlangenstein and Anurag Kotoky.

Related:

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics USA Aviation Training Development France Aerospace
Zurich Canada announced a new organizational structure and team, which is designed to simplify and strengthen the insurers go-to-market approach.

We now have the structure in place to ramp up our support for our customers and brokers in Canada, strengthening our presence in the Canadian market, said Saad Mered, who was named CEO of Zurich Canada in August. Weve also deepened our bench strength in Canada with proven leaders from Zurich and the industry.

The Zurich Canada executive team, effective immediately, under the leadership of Mered includes the following members:

Jean Roy, head of Underwriting. Roy has more than 20 years of insurance industry experience and will lead this new role responsible for underwriting, risk selection, pricing, proposition development and new opportunity incubation, as well the management of the product suite offered by Zurich in Canada. He most recently held the position of chief actuary for Zurich Canada.

Greg Irvine, head of Specialties. Irvine will continue to lead the specialty insurance lines of businesses for Canada. He leads a team focused on delivering innovative solutions to address the challenging risks facing businesses in Canada. Prior to joining Zurich in 2012, he held various management positions within AIGs Executive Liability division.

Scott Thomas, head of Risk Services. Thomas will continue in this leadership role. He leads Zurich Canadas nationwide team, supporting their key goals to identify, assess and improve the risks Zurich customers face every day.

Alban Laloum, head of Marketing. Laloum has worked in the insurance industry for nearly 30 years. Prior to this new role, Laloum served as global broker relationship leader for Zurich, responsible for developing and nurturing relationships with brokers around the world.

In addition to these roles, the leadership team in Canada will also include a head of property, head of liability, and head of claims, to be announced at a later date. All team members are based in Toronto.

This new structure creates agility and positions these proven leaders to meet the changing needs of our customers in Canada, said Mered.

Source: Zurich Insurance Group

Topics Leadership Canada
Donations made by pro-Brexit groups including Arron Banks Leave.EU will be investigated by police after the Electoral Commission said they may have knowingly concealed the true source of 8 million pounds ($10.3 million) of funds to the campaign.

The Electoral Commission said it believed criminal offenses had been committed after uncovering details that an Isle of Man-incorporated company was involved in the loans. Leave.EU, one of the main campaigning groups during the 2016 referendum, had said that Banks was the source of the funds.

The National Crime Agency said in an emailed statement Thursday that the potential crimes could go beyond electoral law offenses. The Electoral Commission investigated the Leave.EU campaign and Banks after lawmakers called for a probe into whether dark money  including from Russia  played a role in the referendum.

At stake is whether Banks and his associates broke election law to secure a narrow victory for the Brexit campaign. There is a political movement that has been pushing for a second referendum and any evidence of meddling could play a role in whether it gathers momentum.

Denial

Banks said in a statement that he has never received any foreign donations.

I am confident that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ludicrous allegations leveled against me and my colleagues, Banks said.

Appearing before lawmakers in June to be asked about his business interests, Banks accused the panel questioning him of trying to discredit Brexit campaigning.

The hearing in the House of Commons in London was supervised with extra police security because of Banks controversial and divisive opinions. I like to think Im an evil genius with a white cap that controls the whole of western democracy but clearly thats nonsense, he told the panel on June 12.

Responding to the decision to refer Banks to police, Liberal Democrat lawmaker, Tom Brake, who speaks for his party on Brexit said people have known for a long time that the Brexiter ranks were filled with dodgy demagogues, todays news will be little surprise.

Brake is among lawmakers calling for a fresh vote on Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit deal. Brexit will cause great damage to this country and it cannot happen on the back of a Leave campaign littered with lies, deceit and allegations of much worse, he said.

In its findings, the Electoral Commission said:

Funding provided in late 2015 and early 2016 was diverted to two main groups Leave.EU and Better for the Country Limited [BFTC].

Isle of Man-registered Rock Holdings was a party to the loans.

Leave.EU had said that no foreign entity had provided funds to Banks, BFTC or Leave.EU.

Banks is a majority shareholder of Rock Holdings.

Under U.K. election law, only U.K.-based companies and people can fund campaigns.

Related:

Topics Legislation Fraud Europe Uk Brexit
A utility-location worker failed to properly mark a natural gas line in a Madison, Wisconsin, suburb this summer, leading to an explosion that leveled more than half a dozen buildings and killed a firefighter, according to court documents.

A search warrant request recently unsealed in Dane County Circuit Court states investigators are looking for evidence that would support a homicide charge in Sun Prairie firefighter Cory Barrs death.

The explosion occurred July 10 after a subcontractor installing fiber communication lines in a downtown Sun Prairie intersection struck a gas main. One of the diggers called 911 to report he could smell gas in the air.

Firefighters and police rushed to the intersection and evacuated dozens of people before the gas ignited, sending a towering fireball into the night sky that burned for hours, casting the downtown in a hellish orange light. Six businesses and a home were destroyed. Barr was killed in the blast and several other emergency workers were hurt.

Investigators filed the search warrant request July 19 and asked that a judge seal it to keep their progress a secret, stating that theyre looking for evidence that would bolster a second-degree reckless homicide charge. Judge Shelley Gaylord agreed to seal the documents until Oct. 17.

An affidavit accompanying the warrant request states that an employee with Indiana-based USIC, a company that specializes in protecting utility infrastructure during excavations, failed to correctly mark the gas line in the street and instead targeted a spot beneath a sidewalk 25 feet (7.5 meters) away.

The company refused to identify the worker short of a court order. Investigators learned his identity after one of the workers who ruptured the line overheard the workers first name while a supervisor was speaking to him on the phone on the day of the explosion.

Police approached the worker six days after the blast but he refused to speak to them. Investigators received a letter from his attorney two days later saying he wont be speaking to law enforcement. The affidavit didnt name the attorney.

USIC attorney Traci Martinez and the worker didnt immediately return voicemail messages from The Associated Press on Thursday morning. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne also didnt immediately return a message.

Police in Sun Prairie issued a statement saying the search warrant is one component of an ongoing investigation and isnt conclusive.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Wisconsin Contractors
Small business digital insurance carrier Next Insurance has launched a new general contractor insurance policy that includes general and professional liability insurance for general contractors entirely online.

Next Insurance now offers three coverage plans for general contractor insurance starting at $62.50 per month: Basic, Pro, and Pro Plus. All plans include general liability coverage, which includes bodily injury, property damage, and libel, slander, and defamation claims. Pro and Pro Plus plans also include professional liability insurance coverage. Plans offer varying limits and low deductibles.

The launch of general contractor insurance comes on the heels of the recent launch of Next Insurances commercial automotive insurance rollout. In July, Next Insurance raised $83 million in a Series B funding round, bringing its total funding to $131 million in two years.

In May 2018, Next Insurance announced its shift towards becoming a national insurance carrier. As a carrier, Next Insurance is now writing policies independently, giving it more freedom over underwriting, setting prices, and configuring policies.

Next Insurance offers small business insurance policies online with instant, 24/7, online access to certificates of insurance and a new Live Certificate, additional insured, and more with no extra fees. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto and has received a total of $131 million in venture capital funding from Redpoint Ventures, Nationwide, Munich Re, Markel, American Express Ventures, Ribbit Capital, TLV Partners, SGVC, Global Founders Capital and Zeev Ventures.

Topics Carriers New Markets Contractors
A push on Capitol Hill to speed development of self-driving vehicles may not cross the finish line in time for this Congress  casting doubt on the future of unusually bipartisan legislation in Washington.

In order to get a final bill to President Donald Trump this year, the Senate must pass still-pending autonomous vehicle legislation quick enough after next weeks midterm elections to hammer out a compromise before the end of the year with House lawmakers who passed a different version.

If they fail, the House-passed measure dies and the next Congress would have to start over next year.

This entire process has been an incredible feat of bipartisanship, said Greg Rogers, director of government affairs at Securing Americas Future Energy, an energy-independence advocacy organization. Attempting to recreate a bill thats this ambitious and this significant would be like trying to catch lightning in a bottle all over again.

Technology and auto companies broadly support both the House and Senate bills. The measures aim to clarify regulations for automated vehicles and preempt state and local rules. They would both allow companies to deploy fleets of self-driving vehicles exempted from certain safety rules written for human drivers.

After Thanksgiving, the chances of the Senate passing a bill, reaching a deal with the House and presenting a final bill to the president before the end of the year are greatly diminished, Joel Roberson, a technology lobbyist with Holland & Knight LLP whose clients include Alphabet Inc.s Waymo self-driving car unit, said in an email.

If Congress fails to enact self-driving legislation this year, it will create prolonged uncertainty for both consumers and the automotive industry, Roberson said.

Negotiations on the Senate bill were still underway as lawmakers left for the recess, as bill authors John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, and Democrats Gary Peters of Michigan and Floridas Bill Nelson, tried to iron out remaining concerns.

Its uncertain whether the bipartisan agreement that produced both the House and the Senate measures will be re-created in the next Congress. If Democrats secure a majority in the House, legislative priorities may shift. The rancor and discord that has upended other measures such as immigration and health care reform may spill over.

The decision over how to proceed may ultimately be up to Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the panels presumed chairman in the event his party wins a majority.

In a statement, Pallone said he planned meet with colleagues after the election to discuss the best way to proceed on policies to ensure clean, fuel-efficient cars, safe-vehicle technology and the privacy and security of connected cars.

With Democrats in the majority, Energy and Commerce would likely take up legislation that passed unanimously in September of 2017 as the core of new autonomous vehicle legislation, according to Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat on the panel who co-sponsored the House bill.

There would likely be some tweaks, she said, arguing that the bill provides a strong starting point and was crafted with bipartisan support. She it was needed to ensure self-driving cars are developed in the U.S. and not overseas.

That bill was the result of 300 meetings that included Republicans and Democrats, Dingell said. This country has to stay at the forefront of innovation and technology.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Legislation Auto Autonomous Vehicles
A senior Democratic U.S. senator on Thursday unveiled draft legislation that would allow hefty fines and as much as 20-year prison terms for executives who violate privacy and cybersecurity standards.

Senator Ron Wyden released a draft of legislation that would grant the Federal Trade Commission authority to write privacy regulations. The measure would also allow maximum fines of 4 percent of revenue  matching European rules adopted earlier this year.

Its time for some sunshine on this shadowy network of information sharing, Wyden said in a statement. My bill creates radical transparency for consumers, gives them new tools to control their information and backs it up with tough rules.

Data privacy has become an increasingly important issue since massive breaches compromised the personal information of millions of U.S. internet and social media users, as well as breaches involving large retailers and credit reporting agency Equifax Inc.

Wyden would also create a national Do Not Track system to stop companies from tracking internet users by sharing or selling data and targeting advertisements based on their personal information.

The bill would also subject senior executives at companies with privacy violations to fines of $5 million or more.

Facebook Inc., the worlds largest social media network, said earlier this year that the personal information of about 70 million U.S. users was improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. It said last month that cyber attackers stole data from 29 million Facebook accounts using an automated program that moved from one friend to the next.

In September, Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc ., Apple Inc. (AAPL.O), AT&T Inc., Charter Communications Inc (CHTR.O) and Twitter Inc. all told senators they would back new federal privacy regulations.

Senator John Thune, who chairs the Commerce Committee, is also working on privacy legislation.

The Internet Association, which represents more than 40 major internet and technology companies, backs modernizing data privacy rules but wants a national approach that would pre-empt new regulations in California that take effect in 2020. The Trump administration is also seeking comments on how to set nationwide data privacy rules.

The European Union General Data Protection Regulation took effect in May, replacing the blocs patchwork of rules dating back to 1995.

Breaking EU privacy laws can result in fines of up to 4 percent of global revenue or 20 million euros ($22.8 million), whichever is higher, as opposed to a few hundred thousand euros.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Topics Cyber Legislation USA Europe
Bayer AGs chief executive said this week the company might consider settling lawsuits over Monsantos glyphosate-containing weed-killers depending on how high court costs rise, but stressed it remained focused on defending the combined company against claims they cause cancer.

Bayer acquired Monsanto this year for $63 billion.

If we can settle nuisances at some point where the defense costs in preparing cases are higher than potential settlement amounts, we will of course consider it from an economic standpoint, CEO Werner Baumann told reporters when asked whether there was any scenario in which Bayer would consider settling.

He added: We will resolutely and with all means defend ourselves in this (glyphosate) litigation.

Baumann was speaking on Monday to German media invited to visit Bayers new operations in the former research and development facilities of Monsanto in St. Louis, Missouri. The remarks, made on Monday, were embargoed to the end of the week to allow media to return home.

Shares in Bayer have lost 25 percent in value since Aug. 10, when a San Francisco jury awarded $289 million to Dewayne Johnson on grounds Monsanto failed to warn the school groundskeeper and other consumers of the cancer risks posed by glyphosate-based RoundUp and Ranger Pro.

Johnson has terminal non-Hodgkins lymphoma that he alleges was caused by the herbicides.

A judge later reduced the award to $78 million.

Bayer denies that glyphosate causes cancer and says decades of scientific studies and real-world use have shown the chemical to be safe for human use. The company is appealing the findings.

The number of glyphosate cases that Bayer faces across the United States has jumped to more than 8,700, prompting concerns among investors about the impact of litigation costs on Bayers bottom line.

Baumann expressed confidence that Bayer could handle the litigation, and cited its inexpensive $12 million settlement of 4,000 lawsuits over its contraceptive Mirena device.

Bayer also won five of six trials over its best-selling bloodthinner Xarelto, over which it faces 24,000 U.S. lawsuits. The sixth jury found in favor of a plaintiff, but a judge later overturned the decision.

Due to our exposure as a pharmaceutical company, we have the experience to defend those (glyphosate) cases, he said.

Baumann said the companys legal strategy had been revised following the integration of Bayer and Monsanto in mid-August.

He declined to provide details, but recent court filings reveal some of the steps the company has taken.

Last week, Bayer added the attorneys from law firm Arnold & Portner who won the Xarelto cases for the company to its glyphosate defense team.

It is also trying to change the juror selection process for upcoming trials.

In filings last week in San Francisco federal court, where a new glyphosate trial is scheduled to begin on Feb. 25, 2019, Bayer said the jury pool likely has grown more hostile due to negative media coverage following the Johnson verdict.

Michael Miller, one of the attorneys for the plaintiff, said the companys claims were hypocritical beyond belief given its own efforts to control the message on glyphosate, most recently in a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post.

Bayer has asked U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, who is overseeing the San Francisco case and some 580 others, to significantly expand the jury pool and question prospective jurors about their knowledge of the media coverage of the cases. Chhabria is expected to decide on the requests in December.

(Reporting by Tina Bellon Editing by Anthony Lin and Sonya Hepinstall)

Topics USA Claims
ISTANBU - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit France on November 10 and 11, as part of Turkey's continuing rapproachement with Europe following harsh clashes last year after Erdogan accused various European countries of "Nazi practices".



Erdogan visited Germany at the end of September.



The Turkish president will take part in the ceremony for Armistice Day, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron for the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, along with about a dozen other world leaders including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.



Erdogan will then visit the Paris Peace Forum.



Turkish media sources said bilateral meetings with Macron and Trump are also likely.
Documents show five lawsuits against a former West Virginia state trooper have been settled for $780,000, with half of that sum involving a woman who accused him of sexual assault.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the lawsuits were settled against Trooper Ralph Justus.

Four lawsuits accused Justus of using excessive force during alleged incidents at the Welch detachment. No criminal charges were filed against him.

Records show the alleged sexual assault occurred in March 2017. Justus was placed on paid administrative leave three days later and he remained on leave until his resignation last April.

According to the womans lawsuit, the alleged assault occurred after Justus entered a home in McDowell County to arrest her boyfriend.

State Police spokesman Capt. Reginald Patterson says the states insurance carrier settled the womans lawsuit to avoid a costly trial.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Law Enforcement Virginia
A jury has awarded more than $3.5 million to a former Catholic school teacher who said the Archdiocese of Los Angeles fired her for being pregnant and unwed.

City News Service reported that jurors deliberated for less than a day before finding in favor of Kourtney Liggins, an ex-science teacher at LAs Transfiguration School.

Her lawsuit alleged wrongful termination and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The panel found the archdiocese and the Rev. Michael Tang, the former pastor of Church of the Transfiguration, liable. A lawyer for the defendants didnt immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Liggins, now 48, says she was seven months pregnant in 2012 when Tang told her that her pregnancy would morally corrupt her students. Her contract was not renewed in 2013.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits California
The former head of Utah Valley Universitys anti-discrimination office has reached a settlement with the college after the woman filed a lawsuit accusing the school of unfairly firing her after she raised concerns about discrimination against women and non-Mormons.

The Daily Herald newspaper in Provo reports that Melissa Frost and the university issued a joint news release saying that both sides would focus on a mutual interest of ensuring equality and fairness for everyone at the university.

They declined to provide terms of the settlement.

Frost worked as the first ever director of the central anti-discrimination office at the Orem-based university for three years before being let go in November 2017.

The college had denied that she was fired for bringing concerns to administrators.

Utah Valley has the most students of any university in the state.

Topics Lawsuits Education Universities
Debt ratios help investors analyze a company's ability to pay the principal and interest on its outstanding debt. The ratios reveal how a company finances its asset purchases and its ability to withstand economic turbulence. They also indicate whether the company is using debt responsibly to grow its business or if it is relying excessively on debt to meet core obligations. The latter could imply there is trouble looming in the near future.

Certain debt ratios should be compared to benchmarks while others are more subjective and are better compared to the ratios of industry peers and the broader market. For a large-cap retailer such as Walmart (WMT), the most reliable debt ratios to evaluate are the debt-to-equity ratio, interest coverage ratio, and cash flow-to-debt ratio.

Key Takeaways Investors use debt ratios to analyze how a company finances its asset purchases and the company's ability to pay its outstanding debt.

Three debt ratios commonly used to evaluate a company are the debt-to-equity ratio, interest coverage ratio, and cash flow-to-debt ratio.

A high debt-to-equity ratio indicates a company relies on debt as opposed to equity to finance its asset purchases.

As of Oct. 31, 2020, Walmart's debt-to-equity ratio was 1.87, a figure signaling the company was using more debt than equity to finance its asset purchases.  

Debt-to-Equity Ratio

The debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio compares the percentage of a company's assets financed by debt versus equity, calculated as total liabilities divided by total shareholders' equity. A high D/E ratio suggests a company is more leveraged and reliant on debt to finance asset purchases. While using leverage is not an inherently bad thing, using too much leverage can place a company in a precarious position.

Walmart's D/E ratio as of Oct. 31, 2020, was 1.87. This is a healthy figure that has remained remarkably steady over the past decade. It indicates the company is using more debt than equity to finance asset purchases, but its debt management practices have not wavered for several years, and the company refrained from using excess debt even during an economically turbulent period.

Compared with its key competitor, Walmart has a lower D/E ratio, where Target's ratio was 2.8 for its fiscal quarter ending Oct. 31, 2020. 

Interest Coverage Ratio

The interest coverage ratio measures how many times a company can pay the interest on its outstanding debt with its current earnings. It's calculated as earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) divided by interest expense.

A high ratio means a company is not likely to default on debt obligations in the near future. Most analysts agree the absolute lowest acceptable interest coverage ratio is 1.5, although value investors prefer companies with a significantly higher number.

Walmart's interest coverage ratio was 10.7 for the fiscal third quarter of 2020. Walmart's interest coverage ratio started falling drastically in 2017 before bottoming in in late 2018 and has since rebounded to multi-year highs as of Jan. 2021. The decline was due to a drop-off in EBIT. For Target, it's interest coverage ratio was 3.1 for the same quarter. For the first nine months of 2020, Walmart's interest coverage ratio was 9.5. Meanwhile, Target's was 5.4 for the same period. Overall, Walmart has more EBIT to cover interest expenses. 

Cash Flow-to-Debt Ratio

The cash flow-to-debt ratio, calculated as cash flow from operations divided by total debt, measures the percentage of a company's total debt it can pay with its current cash flow. This is an effective metric to consider along with the interest coverage ratio because it includes only earnings that have actually materialized in cash.

This measure is best calculated using full-year data. Thus, in the fiscal year 2020 (ending Jan. 1, 2020) Walmart's cash flow-to-debt ratio was 0.58, meaning its annual current cash flow from operations could pay 58% of its debt. It will be important to watch this trend in the future as an indicator of the company's commitment to responsible debt management. Target had a cash flow-to-debt ratio of 0.63 for the fiscal year 2020 (ending Feb. 1, 2020).
Why We Chose It

The company offers veterans a guarantee of lifetime coverage with no medical exam requirements. Its also a reputable company with a long industry history.

Pros & Cons

Overview

Founded in 1875, Prudential has an A+ rating from AM Best. It provides coverage for millions of active service members and hundreds of thousands of military veterans with VGLI, a program established with the Veterans' Insurance Act of 1974.

Administered by Prudential on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs since the launch of the VGLI program, this product guarantees lifetime coverage for the rest of a veteran's life, no matter what happens to your health or employment status, as long as you pay your premiums. You have one year and 120 days after leaving active military service to enroll. If you apply within 240 days, no medical questions will be asked of you.

The monthly premium for $150,000 of coverage is $19.50 per month for a 35-year-old veteran and $100.50 per month for a 55-year-old veteran.

Online quotes are available on the websites for Prudential and Veterans Affairs. For assistance over the phone, you can call the company directly Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.

Read the full Prudential Life Insurance review.
Fidelity Investments reported that the number of 401(k) millionairesinvestors with 401(k) account balances of $1 million or morereached 233,000 at the end of the fourth quarter of 2019, a 16% increase from the third quarter's count of 200,000 and up over 1000% from 2009's count of 21,000. Joining the ranks of the 401(k) millionaires is actually quite achievable, but you'll need to be consistent, patient, and appropriate in your investing choices.

Key Takeaways Begin contributing to a 401(k) plan as early as you can.

Contribute regularly and at appropriate levels.

Be hands-on in terms of your investments within your 401(k), and don't be afraid to take risks, especially when you are young.

1:28 How to Become a 401(k) Millionaire

Contribute Consistently and Enough

Becoming a 401(k) millionaire is slow going, not unlike training to run a long-distance race. When you first become eligible to contribute to a 401(k) plan, contribute as much as you can. If your employer offers a match, contribute enough to earn the full match. Not doing so is leaving free money on the table.

The key is to start early. Even if you can only afford to contribute 3% of your salary, get started now. Try to increase that to 4% or 5% the next year and each year until you approach the maximum contribution limit. For 2021, the limit is $19,500 (rising to $20,500 in 2022), with an additional $6,500 catch-up contribution for those 50 or older at any point during the year.

Invest Appropriately

Select your 401(k) account investments based on your financial objectives, age, and risk tolerance. The general rule is that the longer you have until retirement, the more risk you can take. If you don't take an appropriate amount of risk, your account wont grow as fast as it could.

There are countless stories of plan participants in their 20s with all or a large percentage of their account in their plan's money market or stable value option. Although these options are low risk, they historically don't perform as well as equities over the long term.

When you change jobs, don't ignore the 401(k) with your old employer, or its growth could suffer.

Don't Neglect Old 401(k) Accounts

If you've changed jobs, you'll need to decide what to do about 401(k) accounts with old employers. You've got several options: rolling the account over to an individual retirement account (IRA), leaving it in the old plan, or rolling it to a new employer's plan.

How you transfer money from existing accounts to a new account has tax implications. Because the money contributed into a 401(k) is tax-deferred, withdrawing the money and not depositing it into a new tax-deferred retirement savings account within 60 days could trigger taxes due, plus a 10% early-withdrawal penalty if you are younger than 59. Instead, use a direct rollover to avoid paying taxes or penalties on the withdrawal.

The most important thing is to keep tracking this money. As you move on in your career and have more employers, it can be difficult to remember where all your assets are. Whichever choice you make now, you may want to consolidate them with other retirement accounts, later on, to make your funds easier to manage.

Target-Date Funds Are Not a Magic Bullet

Target-date funds are typically mutual funds with a mixture of stocks, bonds, and other investments. They can be a turnkey option for retirement savers, as they base their aggressiveness on the target retirement date. Target-date funds are often offered as a default option by plan sponsors when employees don't make an investment choice on their own.

Because target-date funds provide you with a diversified portfolio, they can be a good option for younger investors, who may not have other investments outside of their 401(k) plan. However, as you accumulate diversified investments outside of your 401(k), you may want to consider tailoring your 401(k) investments to fit into your overall investment situation.

One of the big selling points touted by target-date fund issuers is the glide path. If you are decades from retirement, the fund will contain more growth-oriented investments. As you get closer to retirement, the fund will glide to a more conservative mix of investments. Be sure to understand the glide path for any target-date fund you are considering before deciding if it is right for your retirement situation. And also, watch the fees: Some target-date funds cost more than other good retirement options, such as index funds and ETFs.

The Value of Financial Advice

As you get older, the assets you manage are likely to become more complicated and may include your IRAs, annuities, a spouse's retirement plan, a pension, taxable investments, and other assets. Hiring a financial advisor to help you look at your current 401(k) plan in the context of these other investments can help you get the most out of your 401(k).

Many plans offer participants access to investment advice, sometimes for a fee, via their plan provider or online services. The quality of this advice varies, so do your homework ahead of time. Ask if the advice takes into account any outside investments and your overall situation.

The Bottom Line

Taking action early and continuously during your working life is key to maximizing the value of your 401(k) account and becoming a 401(k) millionaire. Contribute consistently, invest according to your situation, don't ignore your old 401(k) accounts, and seek advice if needed.
Employer matching of your 401(k) contributions means that your employer contributes a certain amount to your retirement savings plan based on the amount of your annual contribution.

Depending on the terms of your employer's 401(k) plan, your contributions to your retirement savings may be matched by employer contributions in several ways. Typically, employers match a percentage of employee contributions up to a specific portion of the total salary. Occasionally, employers may elect to match employee contributions up to a certain dollar amount, regardless of employee compensation.

Key Takeaways When an employer matches your contributions, they add a certain amount to your 401(k) account based on how much you contribute annually.

The most common way employers determine matching contributions is to match a percentage of an employee's contribution, up to a certain limit.

Most mid-to-large-sized companies offer some kind of retirement benefit.

In 2022, employees may contribute up to $20,500 to their 401(k).

Not taking advantage of an employer match is the equivalent of leaving "free money" on the table.

Matching Contributions: How Much and When

The specific terms of 401(k) plans vary widely. Other than the necessity to adhere to certain required contribution limits and withdrawal regulations dictated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the sponsoring employer determines the specific terms of each 401(k) plan.

Your employer may elect to use a very generous matching formula or choose not to match employee contributions at all. Some 401(k) plans offer far more generous matches than others. Whatever the match is, it amounts to free money added to your retirement savings, so it is best not to leave it on the table.

Refer to the terms of your plan to verify if and when your employer makes matching contributions. Not all employer contributions to employee 401(k) plans are the result of matching. Employers may elect to make regular deferrals to employee plans regardless of employee contributions, though this is not particularly common.

Employer Matching Contribution Formulas

Most often, employers match employee contributions up to a percentage of annual income. This limit may be imposed in one of a few different ways. Your employer may elect to match 100% of your contributions up to a percentage of your total compensation or to match a percentage of contributions up to the limit. Though the total limit on employer contributions remains the same, the latter scenario requires you to contribute more to your plan to receive the maximum possible match.

Some employers may match up to a certain dollar amount, limiting their liability to highly compensated employees regardless of income. For example, an employer may elect to match only the first $5,000 of your employee contributions.

The IRS requires that all 401(k) plans take a nondiscrimination test annually to ensure that highly compensated employees dont benefit more from tax-deferred contributions.

"Your employer could match 100% or even a dollar amount based upon some formula, but this can get expensive and normally owners want their employees to take some ownership of their retirement while still providing an incentive," says Dan Stewart, CFA, president, Revere Asset Management Inc., in Dallas.

How Matching Works

Assume your employer offers a 100% match on all your contributions each year, up to a maximum of 3% of your annual income. If you earn $60,000, the maximum amount your employer would contribute each year is $1,800. To maximize this benefit, you must also contribute $1,800. If you contribute more than 3% of your salary, the additional contributions are unmatched.

A partial matching scheme with an upper limit is more common. Assume that your employer matches 50% of your contributions, equal to up to 6% of your annual salary. If you earn $60,000, your contributions equal to 6% of your salary ($3,600) are eligible for matching. However, your employer only matches 50%, meaning the total matching benefit is still capped at $1,800. Under this formula, you must contribute twice as much to your retirement to reap the full benefit of employer matching.

If your employer matches a certain dollar amount, as in the first example, you must contribute that amount to maximize benefits, regardless of what percentage of your annual income it may represent.

Contribution Limits

Regardless of whether contributions to your 401(k) come from you or from employer matching, all deferrals are subject to an annual contribution limit dictated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). For employees in 2021, the total contributions to all 401(k) accounts held by the same employee (regardless of current employment status) is $58,000, or 100% of compensation, whichever is less. In 2022, this amount goes up to $61,000.

You don't pay taxes on matching contributions until you withdraw them in retirement.

However, elective salary deferrals made by employees are limited to $19,500 in 2021 and $20,500 in 2022. In short, a saver may contribute up to the annual salary deferral limit to their 401(k) each year, and an employer may match or contribute up to the IRS annual limit, which is $58,000 in 2021 and $61,000 in 2022.

To be clear, the sum your employer matches does not count toward your annual salary deferral limit. Keep in mind that these limits may be updated every year; the announcement of the following year's limit is usually in October or November.

The IRS also allows those over 50 to make additional catch-up contributions designed to encourage employees nearing retirement to bulk up their savings. For 2021 and 2022, the annual catch-up contribution limit is $6,500.

401(k) Vesting Schedules

In addition to reviewing your 401(k), plan's matching requirements, educate yourself about your plan's vesting schedule. A vesting schedule dictates the degree of ownership you have in employer contributions based on the number of years of your employment. Even if your employer has a very generous matching scheme, you may forfeit some or all of those contributions if your employment is terminatedeither voluntarily or involuntarilybefore a certain number of years has elapsed.

Keep in mind, though, that any contributions you make to your 401(k) account are 100% vested at all times and cannot be forfeited.

"A typical schedule gives an employee a percentage of ownership that steadily increases in lock-step with the employee's tenure. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average number of years to be fully vested is five," according to Mark Hebner, founder and president of Index Fund Advisors Inc., in Irvine, Calif., and author of The 12-Step Recovery Program for Active Investors.
Caracas, Venezuela - November 2, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Dash, the leading cryptocurrency for payments and e-commerce, has announced the launch of Dash Text, a Venezuela-based company providing SMS-based transactions for Dash. This now provides a completely new way for users to acquire, store, and spend their Dash, while solving for one of the major barriers to entry in the cryptocurrency space - the need for a smartphone and access to the Internet. For the first time, anyone in Venezuela with any type of mobile device can become part of the Dash ecosystem, and can utilize Dash for everyday transactions. Dash Text is currently in public beta and can be accessed by Venezuelan citizens via a five-digit shortcode on Movistar and Digitel, two of the country's major telecom companies.

Bradley Zastrow, Global Head of Business Development at Dash Core, said: "Venezuelans living abroad send an estimated $2 billion USD back home in remittances. This process often takes too long and costs too much, making it a huge pain point for many users. With Dash Text, we are providing real solutions that address real problems. People need easy and cheap ways to send money home, and we've done it in a way that expands the Dash ecosystem to those without smartphones! Dash Text offers the perfect solution to ensure that everyone can become part of the Dash family, regardless of what phone people own."

To register a mobile device, individuals need to send an SMS to the number 22625 with the word "DASH", and then send the word "CREAR" to create a Dash wallet. After this is complete, the phone number will be eligible to send and receive Dash with the touch of a few buttons.

Lorenzo Rey, Director at Dash Text, said "We're very excited to finally bring this service to the people of Venezuela. It will help thousands of people have more economic freedom, as we're working together with all the different Dash initiatives in the country to spread the word and get Dash Text into the hands of the people who need it. Dash is the only cryptocurrency that can scale as a massive payment method in Venezuela at the moment - it is instant, safe, has cheap transactions, and offers an entire ecosystem of projects, solutions, and exchanges to support it, which is something other cryptocurrencies do not have.Users need easy-to-use solutions and easily reachable information, not a dark cloud of doubt. I can't wait to watch people paying with Dash easily on feature phones without internet all around Venezuela - it's coming!"

The new support for Dash Text is made possible through Dash's partnership with BlockCypher, which specializes in blockchain solutions and blockchain agnostic products. BlockCypher enables companies and users to integrate with multiple cryptocurrencies through one platform.

Karen Hsu, Chief Revenue Officer at BlockCypher, said: "We are delighted to see Dash Text so quickly use BlockCypher's Dash APIs and infrastructure to integrate with the Dash network. Using Blockcypher, Dash Text is able to pay users who refer others to Dash Text. For a limited time, each Dash Text user will receive a bonus when a person they refer to Dash Text starts using the service."

The referral program will be launched through Dash Text over the next few weeks and announced through Dash Text's social media channels.

About Dash:

Dash is the leading e-commerce and payments-focused digital currency, and the rising alternative to bitcoin. Experiencing significant growth since its beginnings in 2014, Dash is now accepted at more than 3,700+ merchants, including 2,000 in Venezuela, in addition to being accessible via 400+ ATMs and 90+ exchanges worldwide- making it one of the few offering safe, decentralized financial solutions to real world problems. Dash offers a form of money that is portable, inexpensive, divisible, and fast. It can be spent easily and instantly online at merchants across the globe, at much lower fees than credit and debit cards. With over 60 members on the core team and a unique blockchain mining and treasury model, Dash is the only major self-funded, self-governed organization in the cryptocurrency industry. This allows for constant development and funding for the entire project.

About BlockCypher:

BlockCypher is a cloud-optimized platform powering blockchain applications reliably and at-scale. BlockCypher's web services are blockchain agnostic and greatly reduce the complexity of building applications that run on multiple blockchains. Easily build, run and future proof blockchain applications on BlockCypher's infrastructure.

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PLAYA VISTA, California - November 2, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com Newswire- American Premium Water Corporation (OTC Pink: HIPH) (the "Company") announces it has acquired proprietary "Hydro-Nano" Energy, CBD and THC-Cannabis infusion formulations. After months of negotiations, the Company has acquired proprietary infusion formulation technology that will boost its market share by allowing its product stand above any current or future competition. The transaction was completed with the issuance of restricted stock (with a minimum one year holding period)

This proprietary technology, which can be described as "Hydro-Nano" formulations, are infused with electrolyte energy, cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which will give the Company a strategic and competitive advantage. These proprietary formulations are based on the hydro-nano technology that the Company has utilized for its original CBD water beverage, which allow for an absorption rate that is up to 90% higher than any other beverage in its class, enabling the infused formulations to immediately penetrate into the cells, by surpassing the bloodstream and creating a more immediate effect.

The Company is planning on utilizing the CBD formulation to create stronger, more potent beverages, utilizing 15-50mg of CBD, which will complement its existing CBD beverage line which currently uses 3mg per 16.9oz bottle. These formulations give the Company a foothold in three distinct categories: energy, CBD and THC. These categories will be the three pillars of the LALPINA brand going forward.

Historically, the Company had been working with third-party manufacturers, which created a number of logistical challenges, and exposed the Company to potentially compromising positions. Now, with this new technology, the Company will be immediately distinguished from its competitors, and hold a much brighter future.

"This acquisition is a gamechanger for us, as we expect it to propel the Company to new levels in the CBD infused beverage space, create a new category in the THC infused space, while driving shareholder value, through the sale of premium, uncompromised products, which has always been our primary objective." stated American Premium Water Corporation CEO Ryan Fishoff.

"This acquisition is the first of the CBD/cannabis-related acquisitions that the Company has previously announced. The way the industry is moving, one thing has become apparent to me; The technology that a company has is only as good as the marketing, branding, and distribution behind it. This Company excels in these areas; LALPINA has over 1 million followers on social media and several engaged distribution partners. This acquisition and the ones in the pipeline will address the "technology gap," which should take the Company to the next level. This acquisition alone could translate into tens of millions of dollars in annual topline sales. In addition, having the technology will open many different licensing opportunities to the Company, both domestically and internationally. In the coming weeks, the Company will roll out its larger strategy for the space as it provides more updates on ongoing discussions regarding the other transactions," stated Mr. Fishoff.

With the legalization of cannabis in Canada and further legalization measures on the ballot for four states in next week's election, the Company is actively pursuing distribution agreements for both of its CBD and THC beverages in the Canadian and U.S. markets. According to Arcview Market Research and its research partner BDS Analytics, spending on legal cannabis worldwide is expected to hit $57 billion by 2027, with $47 billion coming from North America, representing 82% of the total worldwide market. According to Statista, the U.S. beverage market, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, is $330 billion for the present year.

About American Premium Water Corp.

American Premium Water (OTC: HIPH) is a diversified luxury consumer products company focused on businesses in the health and beauty and biotech sectors. The company is focused on harnessing the powers of hydrogen and Nano technologies paired with cannabidiol (CBD) to treat health disorders and enhance quality of life. This business model aims to market emerging fashion brands by leveraging classic retail partners and incorporating disruptive block chain technologies to expand the retail footprint. The company's portfolio includes the LALPINA Hydro and LALPINA Hydro CBD brands (www.LalpinaInc.com), Gents, Worthy, and blockchain platform FashionCoinX (www.FashionCoinX.com).

Safe Harbor Notice

Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking statements" (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). American Premium Water Corporation cautions that statements made in this news release constitute forward-looking statements and makes no guarantee of future performance. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the time statements are made. These statements may address issues that involve significant risks, uncertainties, estimates and assumptions made by management. Actual results could differ materially from current projections or implied results. American Premium Water Corporation undertakes no obligation to revise these statements following the date of this news release. Additional details of the Company's business can be found in its public disclosures as a reporting issuer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") EDGAR database.

This press release is issued on behalf of the Board of Directors of American Premium Water Corporation

Corporate Communications Contact:

NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

New York, New York

www.NetworkNewsWire.com

212.418.1217 Office

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Spanish prosecutor seeks 25 years for Catalan Junqueras Accused of rebellion with other seperatist leaders

(ANSAmed) - MADRID, NOVEMBER 2 - The Spanish prosecutor's office on Friday called for a 25-year prison sentence for the leader of the pro-independence Catalan party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ErC), Oriol Junqueras, for a challenge to the central government that ended in the unilateral declaration of independence on October 27, 2017.



He has been charged with the crime of "rebellion". After a year of investigations, the prosecutor on Friday presented the request for sentences, ranging from 25 years for former Catalan vice president Junqueras, to 16 for five former "advisors": Jordi Turull, Raul Romeva, Joaquim Forn, Dolors Bassa and Josep Rull.



For the leaders of Omnium Cultural and the Catalan National Assembly, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez, the prosecution asked for 17 years in jail and a 17-year ban on holding public office, as it did for former Catalan Parliament Speaker Carme Forcadell.



All are charged with "rebellion", a crime that carries a 30-year maximum sentence. For the three advisors not in detention - Carles Mundo, Maritxell Borras and Santiago Vila - the requested sentence dropped to 7 years, since they are accused only of embezzlement.



In providing motivations for the requested sentences, the prosecutor said that those charged were behind a planned strategy to achieve Catalonian independence as a new state in the form of a republic and separate it from Spain through synchronized actions at the parliamentary, executive and social levels. (ANSAmed).




November 2, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) A BMO Capital Markets report reviewed this multinational company's Q3/18 numbers and Q4/18 outlook.

In an Oct. 26, 2018, research note, BMO Capital Markets analyst Edward Sterck reported that due to a "slightly light" Q3/18 for Glencore International Plc (GLEN:LSE), for it to meet the lower end of 2018 guidance will require "a 6% acceleration of output in Q4/18 versus Q3/18, which is certainly possible but suggests that going above the midpoint could be a challenge."

Sterck reviewed how key products of Glencore fared in terms of production during Q3/18. Cobalt, lead, and thermal and met coal did well. Cobalt beat BMO's forecast by 12%, driven by stronger-than-expected output at Katanga and Mutanda. Lead was a beat, too, by 3%. Thermal and met coal were in line and up 11% over Q2/18.

Nickel, copper and zinc were misses. Nickel was 18% lower than BMO's expectation, resulting from weaker-than-expected performance at Sudbury and Murrin Murrin. Copper missed by 4% mostly due to lower-than-anticipated output from Mopani and the Australian assets. Zinc was 3% less than the forecast due to slightly decreased production at Mount Isa and the North American mines.

Looking forward, Sterck noted, for Glencore to attain the midpoint of guidance, it needs to boost copper, zinc, nickel and coal production each, by 10%, 6%, 45% and 2%, respectively, in Q4/18.

Sterck concluded that overall, it appears the company could attain the midpoint of production guidance by year-end 2018 but likely would not surpass it. The midpoint level is a drop from Glencore's previous guidance, which was in the upper range, of US$2.23.2 billion, and BMO's projection of US$3 billion.

BMO has an Outperform rating and a 4.50 per share target price on Glencore. The miner's stock is trading today at around 3.18 per share.

Disclosure:

1) Doresa Banning compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: none. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.

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3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article.

Disclosures from BMO Capital Markets, Glencore International, October 26, 2018

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

Analyst's Certification

We, David Gagliano and Edward Sterck, hereby certify that the views expressed in this report accurately reflect our personal views about the subject securities or issuers. We also certify that no part of our compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed in this report.

Analysts who prepared this report are compensated based upon (among other factors) the overall profitability of BMO Capital Markets and their affiliates, which includes the overall profitability of investment banking services. Compensation for research is based on effectiveness in generating new ideas and in communication of ideas to clients, performance of recommendations, accuracy of earnings estimates, and service to clients.

Analysts employed by BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. and/or BMO Capital Markets Limited are not registered as research analysts with FINRA. These analysts may not be associated persons of BMO Capital Markets Corp. and therefore may not be subject to the FINRA Rule 2241 restrictions on communications with a subject company, public appearances and trading securities held by a research analyst account.

Company Specific Disclosures

Disclosure 2: BMO Capital Markets has provided investment banking services with respect to Glencore within the past 12 months.

Disclosure 4: BMO Capital Markets or an affiliate has received compensation for investment banking services from Glencore within the past 12 months.

Disclosure 6A: Glencore is a client (or was a client) of BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., BMO Capital Markets Corp., BMO Capital Markets Limited or an affiliate within the past 12 months: A) Investment Banking Services

Disclosure 9C: BMO Capital Markets makes a market in Glencore in Europe.

For Important Disclosures on the stocks discussed in this report, please click here.

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November 2, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) A Canaccord Genuity report relayed and discussed the results of this company's recent pilot plant testing.

In an Oct. 29, 2018 research note, Eric Zaunscherb, a Canaccord Genuity analyst, reported that Critical Elements Corp. (CRE:TSX.V) successfully produced battery-quality lithium hydroxide in pilot plant testing.

The company's ability to now produce lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate, both having been proven through testing, "provides it flexibility based on demand by strategic partner(s) and/or offtakers during the project financing phase, a distinct competitive advantage during ongoing negotiations," Zaunscherb added.

The analyst pointed out that lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate are the primary end products that cathode and battery manufacturers use. Currently, lithium carbonate is preferable over lithium hydroxide but "demand appears to be shifting toward lithium hydroxide," he said.

Zaunscherb reviewed the pilot plant program and outcomes. The testing for lithium hydroxide was conducted, using a thermal leaching process, on spodumene concentrate from a 50 ton bulk sample from Critical Elements' Rose lithium-tantalum project located in Northern Quebec. Zaunscherb reiterated that Rose currently boasts Proven and Probable reserves of 26.8 million tons at 0.85% Li2O along with "excellent metallurgy and a 17-year mine life with significant upside."

Testing yielded both high recovery rates and high purity of lithium hydroxide, Zaunscherb indicated. Recovery rates of spodumene concentrate to lithium hydroxide, were 93%, or 80% overall, which exceeds industry benchmarks, of 70% to 75% and 65%, respectively. The purity of lithium hydroxide produced was higher than 99%. "With fewer purification steps to produce a high-quality product, Rose ore's highly amenable metallurgy should translate to a comparatively lower capital and operating cost profile," he wrote.

Currently, Zaunscherb noted, Critical Elements is now working on the engineering design of a lithium hydroxide conversion facility and the completion of the feasibility study for the phase 2 lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide plant to be built in 2020. The feasibility study is expected to be ready by year-end.

The company is trading at a significant discount to covered peers, Zaunscherb highlighted. Canaccord Genuity's target price on the Speculative Buy rated company is CA$1.50 per share. "As Critical Elements continues to derisk the project, determine the final flowsheet and land its strategic partner(s), we believe it will trade more in line with peers," he said. "As such, we see delivery of the phase 2 feasibility study as a potential rerating opportunity for the company."

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Disclosures from Canaccord Genuity, Critical Elements Corp., Flash Update, October 29, 2018

Analyst Certification: Each authoring analyst of Canaccord Genuity whose name appears on the front page of this research hereby certifies that (i) the recommendations and opinions expressed in this research accurately reflect the authoring analysts personal, independent and objective views about any and all of the designated investments or relevant issuers discussed herein that are within such authoring analysts coverage universe and (ii) no part of the authoring analysts compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed by the authoring analyst in the research.

Analysts employed outside the US are not registered as research analysts with FINRA. These analysts may not be associated persons of Canaccord Genuity Inc. and therefore may not be subject to the FINRA Rule 2241 and NYSE Rule 472 restrictions on communications with a subject company, public appearances and trading securities held by a research analyst account.

Required Company-Specific Disclosures (as of date of this publication):

Critical Elements Corporation currently is, or in the past 12 months was, a client of Canaccord Genuity or its affiliated companies. During this period, Canaccord Genuity or its affiliated companies provided investment banking services to Critical Elements Corporation.

In the past 12 months, Canaccord Genuity or its affiliated companies have received compensation for Investment Banking services from Critical Elements Corporation.

In the past 12 months, Canaccord Genuity or any of its affiliated companies have been lead manager, co-lead manager or co-manager of a public offering of securities of Critical Elements Corporation or any publicly disclosed offer of securities of Critical Elements Corporation or in any related derivatives.

Canaccord Genuity or one or more of its affiliated companies intend to seek or expect to receive compensation for Investment Banking services from Critical Elements Corporation in the next three months.

An analyst has visited the material operations of Critical Elements Corporation. No payment was received for the related travel costs.

Canaccord Genuity has been engaged by Critical Elements Corporation as financial advisor to pursue, engage and evaluate global strategic partners and investors to advance the Rose Project to production, and will receive fees contingent upon the successful completion of such financing transactions.

Disclosures are available here.

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By Daniela Wei and Padraig Hoare

A Chinese biotech company developing anti-cancer drugs with Eli Lilly has urged investors to focus on future prospects and not hefty losses.

Innovent Biologics chief executive Michael Yu said investors need to look beyond the turmoil that has sent Chinese healthcare shares down as much as 35% since the summer.

A typical biotech company is not like traditional businesses, said Mr Yu, whose Jiangsu, China-based company is developing drugs with US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, which has a major presence in Ireland.

It has been a rocky ride for the industry that has been hit by a scandal and broader market plunge, making it even tougher for companies that have just listed with little revenue and a history of losses.

Investors should take view of up to 10 years and focus on the outlook for cash flow, Mr Yu said after Innovents debut in Hong Kong.

The sector is volatile, because assumptions and psychology affect investors more so than in other industries, especially when the global market fluctuates, he said.

Eli Lilly employs more than 1,000 people in Ireland in manufacturing and sales, including more than 500 in Kinsale, Co Cork, since arriving in the 1970s.

In May last year, Eli Lilly announced it was proceeding with a 200m expansion at its Kinsale site after putting the decision on hold in the wake of Donald Trumps election as US president.

The biopharma manufacturing campus in Dunderrow, near Kinsale, was augmented by a new 20m office building in Little Island this year.

However, Eli Lilly has had setbacks in recent years in the development of two potential blockbuster drugs and said last year it would cut about 3,500 positions around the world.

Anti-cancer drug maker Innovent is the fourth biotech firm to list since Hong Kongs stock exchange revised its rules in April to allow unprofitable companies from the sector to go public, paving the way for more Chinese healthcare firms to raise money.

While at least 10 biotech companies have applied for listing, performance has been less than impressive.

With years needed for a new drug to develop, the sector typically needs a longer time to become profitable.

- Bloomberg and Irish Examiner staff
By Eamon Quinn

Shares in Glanbia fell over 8%, bringing their losses to 12% in the last year, despite the foods firm saying it is on course to secure its earnings goal and pointing to a less threatening foreign currency headwind from its US operations.

In an interim trading statement, Glanbia said the year is going as planned. The shares had gained in recent weeks after it announced the purchase of SlimFast in the US for $350m (309m).

Valued at 4.36bn, Glanbia is one of Irelands most valuable firms.

Chief executive Siobhan Talbot told analysts Glanbia was well on its way to achieving earnings growth of 5% to 8% in 2018 after volumes grew in the first nine months and its pricing power fell by just over 4%, on weaker dairy markets over the period.

Broadly based volume growth at its major division Glanbia Performance Nutrition (GPN) rose 6.7% in the first nine months and the outlook for the division is good, said Ms Talbot.

Growth at its Body & Fit purchase, which is part of GPN, grew at a slower rate and ready-to-eat foods in the US remains competitive after the entry in recent times of large rivals

She said the October acquisition of SlimFast will also fit into GPN as a well established and growing brand and will be completed in the next two months.

There were strong sales in the third quarter for Glanbia Nutritionals  the division which includes Nutritional Solutions and US Cheese  though volume growth of 6.8% in the first nine months was eroded by price falls of 3.8% in the period.

Its Joint Ventures, including expansion at Southwest Cheese in New Mexico, posted volume growth of 8.4% but was slightly eroded by price declines of 3.4%.

Davy stockbroker reiterated its outperform recommendation on the shares, while Goodbody, which has a buy recommendation, said it was likely to leave its forecasts broadly unchanged.
By Padraig Hoare

Lenders should be required by the Central Bank to check if customers taking on personal contract plans (PCPs) can afford the car loans and more comprehensive research by the watchdog is needed.

Those were some of the findings of a review on PCPs ordered by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe into a market worth 1.4bn in 2017, which involved more than 76,500 loan agreements.

PCP is a form of hire purchase where the consumer typically pays a deposit of up to 30% and makes regular monthly payments, usually for three years.

They are then presented with options such as handing the car back to the dealer, paying off a last, so-called balloon payment to own the car outright, or paying a new deposit and beginning another contract.

Although popular in Europe and the US, concerns have been expressed by consumer advocates that motorists may not fully understand the agreement to which they sign up.

The new report was carried out by Michael Tutty, a senior Department of Finance official and member of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council.

The report said it did not uncover evidence of significant consumer detriment arising from the way PCPs operate at present and no other organisations have come up with such evidence, but cautioned that increased indebtedness might give rise to problems in the future.

While the need for full regulation of PCP financiers is not evident at this stage, it is recommended that relevant sections of the Consumer Protection Code should be applied to PCP providers, states the report.

Fianna Fail TD Michael McGrath said the recommendations of the report had to be implemented quickly.

The product should only be sold to consumers if it is suitable for them and there must be a thorough affordability assessment before people are asked to sign up to what is a really significant financial commitment, he said.
Stress tests have been carried out on two Irish banks showing their ability to withstand shocks has improved.

They show both AIB and Bank of Ireland are projected to have sufficient capital in an adverse scenario.
By Sarah Slater

Paramedics are to ramp up industrial action next week over what they claim is the continued refusal by the HSE to engage in negotiations to recognise or deal with their union.

The industrial action, being carried out by ambulance paramedics, advanced paramedics and emergency medical technicians, began early last month after a High Court injunction threatened by the HSE earlier this year against the ambulance crews who are part of the union National Ambulance Service Representative (NASRA) forced them to halt their plans.

NASRA, also claims that the HSE continues to refuse to deduct union subscriptions from their payroll.

Next Wednesdays industrial unrest means that some 500 branch members of the PNA ambulance personnel branch (NASRA) will refuse to work additional shifts or overtime nationally.

Scores of Ambulance staff protested outside HSE offices at Dr Steevens Hospital Dublin over the issue.

Speaking at the protest, PNA General Secretary, Mr Peter Hughes accused the HSE of showing contempt for the clear wishes of ambulance personnel to be members of and represented by the PNA.

He said: For the HSE to refuse to accept that ambulance personnel throughout the country want to be members of the PNA shows total contempt for the wishes of these front-line workers, who must have the right to be members of the union of their choice.

Ambulance personnel made a decision in 2010 to come within the PNA as a member-driven and led official branch of the Union.

That PNA branch (the National Ambulance Service Representative Association- NASRA) has grown its membership consistently since its formation and has successfully represented scores of members in industrial relations and grievance cases."

He added: "The refusal now of the HSE to engage with our ambulance personnel branch, or to facilitate the payroll deduction of union subscriptions from NASRA members, amounts to nothing short of an effort to dictate which union ambulance personnel should be members of and frustrate the continued development of the NASRA branch.

Ambulance personnel have taken a stand to protect their rights. The HSE must resolve this dispute to avoid the escalation of industrial action next week.

The HSE said it was keeping a watching brief on the ongoing issue.

However, Chairperson of the NASRA branch of PNA, Sinead McGrath called on the Minister for Health Simon Harris to, demand that the HSE step back from triggering this escalation in the industrial action and move as a matter of urgency to address the issues at the core of the dispute".

"PNA/NASRA members were left with no other option but to embark on industrial action to protect their fundamental employee rights to representation.

As dedicated and committed front-line professionals of the health and emergency services, their decision to embark on industrial action, and to escalate it next week, to secure their rights to representation by the union of their choice, was not taken lightly.
The Labour leader Brendan Howlin has hit out at the Government, saying they are wasting the recovering economy.

He was speaking as he launched the Labour Party conference in Dublin.

Over the weekend, the party will debate issues relating to housing, health and the economy at its 70th national conference in the Ballsbridge Hotel.

It will be attended by 1,000 party members and supporters and will see nearly 100 motions debated.

Two policy documents - on women's health and a workers rights charter - will be discussed, alongside panel debates on housing and Brexit.

Mr Howlin used his speech to hit out at Transport Minister Shane Ross, saying he is not even sure if he can be described as a 'minister'.

He said: "I know it's all the more difficult now, to travel across Ireland, with Shane Ross as Minister for Transport.

"At least, I think he's a minister.

"He's listed at least on the Government website as one.

"Although I do recall his claim that he's not responsible for the BusConnects system - and apparently he was planning to make a submission on it to himself.

"It's just one example of how the current Government is, in fact, a shambles.

"There is only one positive from the fact that Minister Ross is in charge of transport.

"At least Leo didn't give him housing or health."
ROME - A seven-year-old Yemeni girl named Amal Hussain who recently became a symbol of the war in Yemen after a photograph of her severely malnourished body was featured in a New York Times article has died, the NYT said on Friday.



In the photo that garnered worldwide attention, Amal, who was reduced to skin and bones, was shown on a hospital bed in northern Yemen with her head turned to one side and a resigned expression on her face.



Amal's mother, Mariam Ali, told the NYT by phone that her heart is broken.



"Amal was always smiling. Now I'm worried about my other children," she said.



The NYT said the heavy human cost of the Saudi-led war in Yemen has gained worldwide attention following the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.



The United States and Great Britain, the main arms suppliers to Saudi Arabia, have recently called for a ceasefire in Yemen.
The Labour Party leader has dismissed talk of dissatisfaction within the party.

Brendan Howlin's been speaking ahead of their 70th National Conference which starts today in Dublin.

Earlier this year, he was criticised by a number of Labour councillors who are unhappy with his performance as leader.

Brendan Howlin says that is now in the past - and every unit of the party is united towards the next election.

"That's all passe, that was a summer story, that's months ago now," said Mr Howlin.

"We had a very united Labour party think-in and were working with common purpose, every unit of the party from branches to councillors to members of the parliamentary party, with one common purpose: to ensure that we have a good set of results in the locals, in the Europeans and whenever Leo wants to go to the park and call a general election," said Mr Howlin.

This weekend we are holding our 70th National Conference in Dublin. You can follow all the action on https://t.co/vhd8Bz6LH6 #LP18 #aNewRepublic pic.twitter.com/2ct1iox4To  The Labour Party (@labour) November 1, 2018

He added that the Labour party has what it takes to tackle the big issues.

"The housing issue, we set out a strategy to build 80,000 and people know that we will do it because that has been our tradition over decades, building local authority houses, making housing affordable for people.

"We need to tackle issues like climate change which is being totally failed by the current government."

Digital Desk
By Sean ORiordan

Breast cancer survivors are preparing to launch a fundraising calendar, similar to the famous Calendar Girls, and one of the participants is a man.

The 16 women and one man who will feature in the nude calendar all underwent mastectomies (full removal of one or both breast) or a lumpectomy (partial removal).

The participants are all members of the Cork Dragons, a boating group set up in 2012 to support and inspire men and women who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Sadly, one of the participants has since died. One of the two Miss Decembers, Maria Logan, passed away on September 15.

Maria, 53, from Grange, Douglas found her cancer had come back last June. Despite undergoing treatment she bravely insisted on going ahead with the photoshoot.

Rachel Horgan, one of the calendar organisers, paid tribute to Marias courage.

She said theres a special dedication in the calendar to Maria and to another Dragons member, who wasnt in the photoshoot, Tara Sheridan, who predeceased her.

Marias daughter, Holly, will wear her Miss December sash at the calendar launch and shell be escorted to the event by her brother, David.

The Dragons are a familiar sight on the River Lee  paddling to the beat of a drummer perched precariously on the bow while up to 24 paddlers power up the river.

Dragon Boating is an international sport which has proven fitness levels and rehabilitation benefits, particularly after breast cancer surgery.+

Being a member of the Cork Dragons means cancer survivors can connect with others going through a similar experience while having lots of fun and physical activity.

All cancer survivors are welcome  regardless of age  as well as their family members and friends.

The big reveal of the Calendar Girls (and boy) will take place tomorrow in Tequila Jacks Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar on Lapps Quay, Cork at 7.30pm.

The Dragons are fundraising to build their own boathouse. They are also going to donate a proportion of the proceeds to Marymount Hospice and the cancer support unit at ARC House.

The calendars cost 10 each and will be available on the launch night and thereafter in the lingerie section in Marks & Spencer on St Patrick St on November 10.

They will also be available at outlets which helped sponsor the photoshoot. They are Grange Dry Cleaners, the Bunnyconnellan bar and restaurant in Myrtleville, Bellisima at Victoria Cross, which fits prosthetics and specialised bras and swimwear for cancer patients, and at Touch Therapy in Douglas Street.
By Alison ORiordan

A Dubliner has been found guilty at the Special Criminal Court of the deliberate and callous murder of Gareth Hutch over two years ago.

Jonathan Keogh, 33, fired the fatal shots that killed Mr Hutch, 36, in a cold-blooded manner and had a hand in almost every aspect of the planning of this murder, the three-judge court found.

Keogh, with an address at Gloucester Place, Dublin 1 had denied murdering Mr Hutch, who was shot dead as he was getting into his car outside Avondale House flats on North Cumberland Street in Dublin on the morning of May 24, 2016 in what the court said was not a spontaneous or reactive killing.

Gareth Hutch

Mr Hutch, nephew of Gerry "The Monk" Hutch, died as a result of four gun shot injuries; two to the back of the neck, one to the lower back and one to the right of the upper chest.

It was the States case that a heated exchange took place between Jonathan Keogh and Gareth Hutch on the day prior to the shooting, that Keogh was heard expressing his intention to kill Mr Hutch later that evening and that he was one of the two gunmen responsible for the murder.

Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt, sitting with Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Michael Walsh at the non-jury court, spent seven hours over two days reviewing the evidence that led to the guilty verdict.

Delivering the lengthy judgement following a nine-week trial which ended in July, Mr Justice Hunt said the court accepted the prosecutions case that a considerable amount of planning and coordination had gone into this killing.

All those that are involved in planning are guilty of the crime of murder, he added.

Keogh wore a grey t-shirt and kept his head down as the judgment was delivered to a packed courtroom.

There was a heavy presence from the Garda Public Order Unit in the three-judge court for todays verdict.

Giving the court's verdict today, Mr Justice Hunt said that Keogh fled to Belfast in the aftermath of the murder not because he was going to be wrongly accused of Mr Hutch's murder but because he was involved in it all along.

Finding Keogh guilty, Mr Justice Hunt said the evidence showed that it was more probable than not that Keogh committed this offence and there was enough circumstantial evidence to incriminate him even without the evidence of key prosecution witness Mary McDonnell.

Convicting Jonathan Keogh, Mr Justice Hunt said the evidence pointed firmly and unequivocally in the direction of Keogh being involved in this killing.

The judge said the plan to kill Mr Hutch was in gestation perhaps as far back as April and was certainly in place by the following month when mobile phone handsets were acquired.

Keogh gave little reaction following the guilty verdict.

Summary of the judgment

Protected witness Mary McDonnell, 45, gave evidence for several days during the trial.

She was initially arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Hutch and later charged with withholding information. However, that charge was subsequently withdrawn and she has been given immunity from prosecution.

Mary McDonnell identified Thomas Fox and Jonathan Keogh in her evidence as the men who came into her flat the night before the shooting and wiped down two handguns.

She also insisted that Jonathan Keogh was in her flat for three hours with another man, referred to as Mr AB, on the morning Mr Hutch was shot dead.

This was despite telling the court that she had only seen part of his face as he was wearing a black balaclava.

Recounting the evidence last Friday and today, Mr Justice Hunt said the court had warned itself that it would be dangerous to convict Jonathan Keogh on the basis of Mary McDonnells evidence without independent corroboration because she must be regarded as an accomplice as well as a witness who had not been entirely consistent and truthful in her testimony.

The judge said it was necessary to approach Mary McDonnells evidence with particular caution as she had received full immunity in relation to any role she played in the killing.

However, he said the court was free to rely on her evidence if it was satisfied as to the truth of significant aspects of her account and if the court was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that she was correct in the evidence she gave.

The evidence of Mary McDonnell must be considered in the light of all the evidence in the case to see how it fits in. Circumstantial evidence may supply corroboration (of her account), he said.

The court said there were tiers of involvement in Mr Hutchs death and it did not accept that Mary McDonnell was as guilty as anyone else.

He said the court was satisfied her evidence which identified Jonathan Keogh as one of the men who used her flat to monitor and attack Gareth Hutch was accurate and not something which had been prompted by gardai, as suggested by his defence.

The court did not find any reason to doubt her evidence, he remarked.

Mr Justice Hunt said Mary McDonnell led a very limited life which centered around her flat and her daughters, while her socialising was limited to Regina Keogh.

He said she would never have become involved in this of her own volition and the court did not accept she was willing to lend her assistance to a murder plot for money.

Presented by gardai as a reluctant and unwilling person acting under duress was an entirely accurate characterisation of the position she was placed in, the court found.

She should have acted differently but her circumstances were not ideal, he said, adding that she was steamrolled into allowing her flat to be used by others.

The court said the independent circumstantial evidence connecting Jonathan Keogh to this crime was the substantial overlap between him, the mobile phone evidence and the cars involved, in particular a black BMW.

It was the prosecution's case that Jonathan Keogh and Mr AB ran to the black BMW car which was parked in Avondale House moments after the shooting at 9.56am and remained in it for a minute.

The two shooters abandoned the car when it would not start and ran out the pedestrian gates of the flat complex in the direction of Sean McDermott street and Champions Avenue where a silver Skoda Octavia was parked.

The court said that Jonathan Keogh was clearly associated with the BMW as his DNA profile was found on items of clothing including a balaclava and a bikers neck warmer which had been seized from the car at the scene of the shooting.

He also played a essential part in bringing and moving the car to Avondale House.

The judge said that this was powerful evidence implicating him in the planning of Mr Hutchs murder and it corroborated Mary McDonnells recognition evidence.

Keogh was also found to be connected to the murder through CCTV evidence including footage of him in Tesco with Thomas Fox, buying wipes and a bottle of Milton sterilising fluid on May 22, 2016, which was later found in Mr Foxs Ford Transit van.

The judge said the court was satisfied Jonathan Keogh was the purchaser of these items.
Paying estate agencies for finding private properties to accommodate homeless families could cause a conflict of interest, the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers has warned.

The Dublin Regional Housing Executive, together with the Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government, has engaged estate agencies to help find private properties in the Dublin area.

The executive will pay the estate agent 500 plus Vat for finding a property that can be offered as Housing Assistant Payment tenancies to homeless families living in emergency accommodation.

The payment is a form of housing support administered by local authorities who pay landlords directly.

Our priority in the [executive] is to help families and individuals that find themselves homeless and we will continue to use innovative measures to respond to this issue, it said yesterday, adding that the measure was working well in helping them to identify and secure available properties.

The Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers is concerned that the placement fees could cause a conflict of interest whereby an agent is already engaged by the landlord of a property that may be the subject of such a fee.

Chief executive Pat Davitt said an agent has a binding contract with those who engage them and can legally only act for that party in a transaction. If an agent who is acting for a landlord receives a placement fee offer from a local authority, such an approach would need to be declared to the relevant landlord.

It is then up to the landlord to make the decision as to whether or not they are happy with the situation.

It is open to local authorities, said Mr Davitt, to engage letting agents directly to secure properties on their behalf. In such instances, no conflict of interest would arise, he said.

Mr Davitt said the institute is happy to meet with any county council, government department, or agency to discuss any aspect of the Housing Assistant Payment and help in any way it could to source properties

in the current crisis.

The Dublin Regional Housing Executive said it accepts there is too much reliance on the private rented sector but that there is no alternative until the supply of social housing increases.

Meanwhile, Focus Ireland has found 95% of people it successfully supported last year were still in their homes six months after disengaging from the charitys services.

Its report, entitled Are You Still OK , was carried out over a 12-month period to evaluate the longer-term value of its services for homeless people.

The charity supported 1,065 households out of homelessness last year and wanted to find whether they were still in stable homes.

One in 20 people who took part in the study described their current situation as homeless. Most were staying short term with family or friends.

Focus Ireland said it wanted to find out what needed to be done for people still without a home. It had linked them back with their services if they had not done so already themselves.

We must be able to show that our services really do change lives by helping to protect people from homelessness both now and into the future, said Focus Ireland chief executive Pat Dennigan.

It also emerged 54% of people in the private rented sector worried about becoming homeless in the next 12 months, compared to only 15% of those in local authority housing.
The Irish College of General Practitioners will respond later today to a call for an extraordinary general meeting to discuss GPs concerns about providing abortion services.

The ICGP, the representative organisation on education, training, and standards in general practice, received a petition signed by hundreds of GPs last week.

Doctors have called for a change of the organisations policy regarding terminations, and have proposed a number of motions for discussion.

One motion states routine general practice is not the appropriate setting for the provision of an abortion service and that external clinical settings would be more appropriate.

Another motion urges the ICGP to adopt an opt-in system whereby GPs wanting to provide abortion services receive adequate training, are sustained in their competence, and can be subjected to audit.

A third motion urges the college to support the right of all doctors to exercise freedom of conscience, with no obligation to refer patients for a termination.

The GPs who requested the EGM included doctors who voted yes in the recent referendum on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.

Around 350 GPs have signed the petition. According to the colleges rules, a minimum of 10% of members of good standing must sign an EGM request.

The college said due process needed to be followed including the validation of the names attached to the EGM request.

The board of the ICGP held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss its response to the request for an EGM to discuss terminations.

A spokesperson for the college said the board would issue a statement on its position this evening.

The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018 to provide for, and regulate, the termination of pregnancy will be discussed by the Dail next week.

Doctors who signed the petition claim the Government never took the time to consult GPs when they voiced genuine freedom-of-conscience concerns.

They also said the petition highlighted the failure of the ICGP board to properly represent its members.
By Niall Murray - Education Correspondent

Grandparents will be interviewed in a six-year project investigating the lives of Irish primary pupils.

Their growing role in the lives and education of children is being recognised in the study by University College Dublins School of Education, which will work with around 4,300 children.

Pupils will be tracked in two groups, one of which will be in preschool when the study begins in early 2019, and the other in second class.

The project, funded by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), is aimed at giving new insights into the education and life journeys of children as the two cohorts progress to the end of second class of primary and first year at second level.

Many longitudinal studies with Irish children have been carried out in recent years, but this will be the first to focus solely on the primary school experiences of pupils, whose voices will be central to the project.

The inclusion of three-generational aspects to education research is a relatively new one internationally, but one in which the Childrens School Lives principal investigator, Professor Dympna Devine, has experience. The head of UCDs School of Education is leading a project to evaluate the impact of an education intervention programme run by Concern Worldwide in Sierra Leone.

Prof Devine said grandparents recruited for the Irish study will be asked about their experiences and views of education. We will be linking that to the context and understanding of education within the family and how that is transmitted from one generation to another, she said.

Were documenting the role grandparents have in childrens everyday lives, which they are increasingly drawn into. They may be quite involved in their grandchildrens school life and helping with homework.

Prof Devine and Assistant Professor Jennifer Symonds are leading the team at UCD on the project. It will begin work next spring at 200 primary schools they hope to sign up shortly. While they will survey children, teachers, and parents at all schools, more in-depth interviews are planned with pupils, staff, and families at 14 schools.

As detailed by the Irish Examiner when the NCCA first sought research proposals in January, a wide mix of schools will be targeted in order to reflect the diversity of provision. This should see schools that include those with different religious and language ethos, single-sex and mixed gender, special schools, rural and urban schools, and those catering for pupils of different social backgrounds.

As well as helping to influence ongoing NCCA reviews of the primary curriculum, Prof Devine said it is hoped there will be direct benefits for schools.

The findings should provide a rich evidence base for teachers and principals to help inform decisions they make about how they work with pupils, she said.

The project co-investigators are Deirdre McGillicuddy and Seaneen Sloan, assistant professors at UCD's school of education.

The findings of a previous NCCA-funded longitudinal study of second-level students, carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute, have had a major influence on junior cycle reforms and other ongoing developments in second-level education.
By Dan Buckley

Irelands total greenhouse gas emissions increased by 3.6% to 61.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from 2015 to 2016.

According to figures released by the Central Statistics Office, the industry sector accounted for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions for the third year in a row, at 34.4% of the total.

This follows a UN warning on Wednesday from the United Nations that Ireland is failing to take effective measures to tackle climate change.

This failure is a breach of human rights, said a UN special rapporteur.

In a legal submission in support of a High Court challenge to the States plan to tackle climate change, the special rapporteur, David Boyd, said:

Ireland must reduce emissions as rapidly as possible, applying the maximum available resources.

The intervention was published on the same day as Minister of State for Natural Resources Sean Canney , minister of state for natural resources, reassured the Irish oil and gas sector that further exploration of offshore energy supplies is part of the Governments climate change mitigation plan.

Friends of the Irish Environment is seeking a judicial review of a Government decision to approve the National Mitigation Plan, which outlines a series of actions needed to reduce emissions.

In a statement in support of the FIE case, which is due to be heard on January 22, Prof Boyd said the Government has clear, positive, and enforceable obligations to protect against the infringement of human rights by climate change.

The CSO report, meanwhile, shows that the share of emissions from agriculture, forestry, and fishing in 2016 was 32.5%. Emissions from households made up 21.9% of the total, and the services sector produced 11.1% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Emissions from agriculture, forestry, and fishing fell from 19.3m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2007 to 18.2m tonnes in 2011. Over the ten-year period from 2007 to 2016, emissions from this sector were lowest in 2011 and at their highest in 2016 at 20m tonnes.

Emissions from the industry sector were 25.7m tonnes in 2007, before falling to 21.1m tonnes by 2009.

In 2013, emissions from the industry sector reached their lowest point in the ten-year period, 2007 to 2016, at 18.8m tonnes.

However, there was a steady increase in emissions from 2014 to 2016, and greenhouse gas emissions from industry were at 21.2m tonnes in 2016.

The energy supply sector accounted for 57% of industry emissions in 2016.

Emissions from the services sector fell year-on-year from 2007 to 2013 but then increased each year from 2014 to 2016.

Emissions from this sector were at their highest in 2007 at 8.2m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and were lowest in 2013 at 6.1m tonnes.

In 2016, greenhouse gas emissions from the services sector were 6.9m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

A similar pattern was observed for household emissions which fell from 15.4m tonnes in 2008 to 12.7m tonnes in 2014, but rose in both 2015 and 2016 to reach 13.5m tonnes.
Wealth is health and vice versa according to a study confirming that high earners in Ireland have easier access to healthcare and rate their own health as better than those on low incomes.

The Health Inequalities in Europe report finds Ireland is one of the most unequal countries in the EU regarding access to healthcare if measured by income level.

Much of the blame is placed on Irelands unusually high dependence on private health insurance and the two-tier health system it creates, with those who can afford to pay for insurance faring best.

The 45.4% of Irish people with private health insurance continue to enjoy favourable conditions, like faster access to diagnostics and hospital treatments, even from public providers, said Shana Cohen, director of Tasc (Think-tank for Action on Social Change) which produced the report in conjunction with the Foundation of European Progressive Studies.

The old saying health is wealth seems to ring particularly true for Ireland. What this report makes very clear is that people with private health insurance have a much better chance of getting the health services they need, and getting them quickly.

Timon Forster, the reports co-author, said the study throws up particular concerns about those in the twilight zone  people who can not afford private health insurance but whose income is above the medical card threshold.

He said just 1.1% of people in the top 20% of earnings report having unmet medical care needs, while 4.2% of those in the bottom 20% of earnings say the same.

He added that because those on the very lowest incomes are likely to have full access to primary care at little or no cost, the percentage is likely to be higher for the twilight zone people.

The report forms the basis for a conference at Trinity College today looking at policies to reduce the inequalities. Tasc is calling for the introduction of universal healthcare coverage to level the playing field in terms of access to health services.

Tasc says health inequality cannot be tackled in isolation but needs to take in issues such as health literacy, and should be linked to labour market and fiscal policies.
Attack on buses carrying Copts in Egypt kills at least 7 Security sources say at least 12 injured

(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, NOVEMBER 2 - Egypt's Coptic Christian Church said Friday that at least seven people had been killed in an attack by armed men on three buses carrying pilgrims towards a monastery in the desert south of the capital. The spokesperson for the Coptic Church, Boul Halim, said that the death toll may rise.



Security sources say that 12 others have been injured.



(ANSAmed).




By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent

Up to 350 students a year could benefit from sweeping changes to the timing of Leaving Certificate results, college offers, and exam rechecks, which ministers claim will cut three weeks off the exam appeals process.

A range of new measures has been prompted by Septembers High Court ruling in favour of a Wexford student. Rebecca Carter was found to have been unfairly treated by the time the State Examinations Commission (SEC) would take to re- correct her Leaving Certificate business paper, as she could have been forced to wait a year to begin her college course.

The changes include:

Leaving Certificate results will be issued on Tuesday, August 13, next year instead of the traditional Wednesday;

The Central Applications Office will then issue its first-round offers the following Friday. CAO results are normally issued on the Monday after the Leaving Certificate results;

Teachers will be allowed take time off school to mark appeals full time;

Colleges will not begin any first-year programmes until at least the second week of September from 2019.

The Department of Education also revealed yesterday that it has lodged an appeal against aspects of the judgment last month, but stressed it was on questions of law in the ruling and would not affect Ms Carter in any way.

The main changes announced by Education Minister Joe McHugh and Higher Education Minister of State Mary Mitchell OConnor will see Leaving Certificate results issue on Tuesday, August 13 next year  a day earlier than they would ordinarily go out to more than 50,000 students. This is expected to facilitate the CAO making first-round offers three days earlier, although the CAO board has yet to formally agree its 2019 schedule.

These improvements will have further implications on the timeframe for students to view their marked exam papers and appeal Leaving Certificate grades.

The delay in her appeal being decided prompted Ms Carter to sue the SEC, as she would have missed out on a place on University College Dublins veterinary medicine degree if she had to wait until mid-October for a result.

Instead, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys directed the SEC to fast-track her re-check, which led to her upgrade being notified and being offered a place in UCD.

The judge also directed that the SEC and other parties to the process ensure such delays are not experienced by students in future.

Under the consequent revisions, teachers hired to correct appealed Leaving Certificate papers will now be allowed do so full time in the first few weeks of term in late August and early September. They normally do this work outside school hours on evenings and weekends, but the Irish Examiner understands that funding will be provided to allow schools hire substitutes to cover those teachers absences.

The Department of Education would only say last night that there is likely to be a cost to these measures that will require to be funded and that details of the proposals will be worked out with various education partners in the coming weeks.

The changes should lead to results of Leaving Certificate appeals being issued between Wednesday, September 18, and Friday, September 20 next year  five weeks after the main results are sent out.

The SEC issued appeal results to 5,197 students on October 10, eight weeks after they got their provisional results. For 349 out of around 1,400 students who got an upgrade, the improved results led to an offer of a college place, but an unknown number of them had to defer starting for a year because of time already lost  unlike Ms Carter who benefited from the court decision.

Under agreement also reached by the department, colleges will not begin any first-year programmes until at least the second week of September from 2019. This should further minimise any tuition time lost by students offered late places after having Leaving Certificate results upgraded.

Meanwhile, the ministers said the department and SEC have appealed aspects of Mr Justice Humphreys ruling, confirmed in an October 3 written judgment, including what he said was a constitutional right to higher education. Although it was not part of the substantive case, he determined that an established constitutional right to earn a livelihood would be meaningless without an associated recognition of a right of reasonable access to available higher education and vocational training commensurate with the ability of the citizen.

The department said such a right of access to higher education did not previously exist and it considers it not to be correct in law, and wants the issue fully considered by the Court of Appeal.

Rather than any concern over the question of the State having to entirely fund students third-level education, the issue is understood to relate more to the possibility of the interpretation being used as the basis of future litigation by a student who did not secure a college place, regardless of their Leaving Certificate or other measures of their academic ability.
Five more schools built by Western Building Systems require remedial work, bringing the total number of schools with structural issues to 23, the Department of Education has confirmed.

Investigations on 42 schools were carried out after significant structural problems were uncovered at Ardgillan Community College in Balbriggan, Co Dublin.

While 19 schools have now been cleared to open after the mid-term on Monday, all of the other school buildings will require remedial work to make them safe.

Ardgillan is the worst impacted but three other schools  Tyrrelstown Educate Together, St Lukes national school in Tyrrelstown, and Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada in Lucan  will only be able to open their ground floors from Monday after internal engineering solutions and external measures are carried out.

It has been deemed unsafe to allow students and staff into the upper floors and the department is working with these schools to find alternative accommodation for the older student years as well as transport to bring them to temporary classrooms.

The remaining 19 schools, including five in Cork, four in Dublin, and four in Meath, need external works.

But last night Education Minister Joe McHugh said the department is confident that these 19 schools will be able to open in full following external precautionary measures in the form of a fence around the building, or part of the building, and protective decking fitted over areas such as doorways.

Mr McHugh said contractors will be on site today to implement precautionary measures at all schools where this is required.

Right throughout this process, our overriding priority has been the safety of school students and staff.

This has led us to adopt a very cautious approach and to initiate precautionary interventions where structural issues have been identified during the assessments.

The next phase of the process will involve more detailed assessment and, where required, permanent remediation works to fully rectify any issues arising, he said.

Responding, Western Building Systems said that no details of the assessments had been shared with them but that they would be honouring their contracts.

We have written to the department requesting proper access and time to evaluate the identified schools.

There were no shortcuts or penny pinching here and those involved know this. While it remains unclear as to why and how we have reached this point, we are not walking away.
Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone has indicated a referendum may be required to give adopted people full access to their records and birth information.

It follows her address to a conference on transitional justice and Irish institutional abuse in Boston.

She said the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill before the Dail is built on the presumption of a desire to share and grant access to information.

Ms Zappone said there are difficulties in granting unfettered access to option records due to the constitutional impediment in terms of the right to privacy of the natural mother.

Ms Zappone had worked at length with the Office of the Attorney General on the matter, she explained,

and had come as far as we can. To go any further may require a constitutional referendum, she said.

A Supreme Court ruling from 1998 found the natural mothers constitutional right to privacy had to be balanced against the adopted childs constitutional right to identity.

Ms Zappones claim that a referendum may be needed in order to address this issue has been made previously by former taoiseach Enda Kenny and former childrens minister Frances Fitzgerald.

Conor OMahony, a senior lecturer in constitutional law at University College Cork, has said that calls for a referendum on the matter do not survive scrutiny.

He said it was clear the Supreme Court judgment in 1998 left the issue open for the Oireachtas to legislate. There is simply no question of a constitutional impediment arising to the extent that a referendum is required to pave the way for reform, he wrote.

Mari Steed, who was born in Bessborough and adopted in the US, said full access to records is the lynchpin to all justice. The lack of access to identity had echoed through generations.

She described how she herself had a daughter out of wedlock and was forced to put her up for adoption. If we are going to engage in full truth-telling, allowing our voices to be heard, then we need to know who we are to start with.

Central to all of this is access to our records. I believe thats the lynchpin to all of it. Without it, we are walking into a void. I would suggest that all of us should accept no apology from the State unless we get our records.

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone has said there is a need for a truth-telling process for victims and survivors of institutional abuse. | https://t.co/moiM2WVpd7 pic.twitter.com/XvKPMeTNEY  RTE News (@rtenews) November 1, 2018

Natural mother Terri Harrison, who was also through the Bessborough mother and baby home, said access to information is a human right. Our adult children deserve to know the truth and they deserve to know where they are from and where they came from.

My genes live in this man. He is 45 years of age now and someday, I hope one day he will pick up a paper or a book, and he will know how much he was loved and wanted. He was taken, never given.

Journalist Caitriona Palmer, who wrote a memoir about finding her natural mother, said the State has a duty to provide full access to records.

Many Irish adoptees, like myself, simply want to know their own story and yet we are infantilised, feared, and ostracised, shut out from a closed bureaucracy that insists on silence and that remains insensitive to human suffering, she said.

The Irish State has a duty to provide them with the full facts, including unfettered access to their adoption file. It is a fundamental, basic human right to know where you came from.

State must accept role in gender injustice

Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone has said the State must accept it directly sanctioned and connived with the Church to incarcerate and oppress large numbers of women and children.

In a strongly worded address in Boston College, on the opening day of a conference on transitional justice and Irish institutional abuse, Ms Zappone said the role of gender injustice in the very development of the Irish State needs to be recognised to give us a true understanding of what went on in our country.

People were denied their freedom  they were effectively incarcerated by the connivance of Church, State, and society. Sometimes this was in fact carried out with the direct sanction of the state, she said.

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone speaking at Boston College now, about transitional justice #TuamBabies @BostonCollege pic.twitter.com/q3QrCzs866  My Name Is Bridget (@NameBridget) November 1, 2018

Ms Zappone said much of the architecture of past oppression has yet to be dismantled and that Ireland must make a tangible and real transition from this history.

Fundamentally we must recognise the importance of addressing our history of gender injustice with all its class implications... What happened was part of a pattern of gender injustice that we cannot overcome if we do not acknowledge it, she said.

Ms Zappone said introducing transitional justice for survivors in an Irish context is not an easy task but a necessary one. She said that when dealing with past abuses, the State needed to introduce a truth recovery or truth-telling process with victims and survivors at its core.

Addressing the discovery of remains at Tuam, Ms Zappone said that every effort will be made to locate and recover all juvenile remains from the site.

She said: It is the very least their loved ones are entitled to. As a society, we have only one chance to get this right, and I am determined to ensure that in so far as is possible that families will get the answers they are seeking.

Speaking to the media before her address, Ms Zappone said the legislation planned to begin the process of recovering the remains in Tuam was being drafted in the knowledge that this may have to be done at other sites around the country.

The minister also addressed criticisms by campaigners and survivors of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission in terms of how it operates.

The recently published Clann report said the commission and underpinning legislation ensured it operated in private and refused personal and public access to the files it is reviewing as part of its investigation.

The report said the commission has declined all requests for public hearings and is declining to provide transcripts to witnesses who give oral evidence to it in private. It also expressed concern that its archive may be sealed once the commission issues its final report in February.

Ms Zappone said both the commission and past commissions of inquiry were set up within the framework of the 2004 Commissions of Investigations Act but that it is possible to perhaps amend that legislation.

However, Ms Zappone stressed that people may have provided information to the commission in the belief that it would remain private.

Ms Zappone also acknowledged the difficulty that adoptees and victims of institutional abuse have in accessing their records and their birth histories. She said the Information and Tracing legislation was before the Dail and would be finalised by the end of the year.
By Alison ORiordan

A second Dubliner has been found guilty at the Special Criminal Court of murdering Gareth Hutch over two years ago.

The three-judge court said it accepted the prosecutions case that Thomas Fox, 31, made a probable contribution to Mr Hutchs, 36, murder.

Fox was a subordinate of Jonathan Keogh, 33, and appeared to act under his general influence and direction, the court found.

Gareth Hutch

Fox with an address at Rutland Court, Dublin 1 had denied murdering Mr Hutch, who was shot dead as he was getting into his car outside Avondale House flats on North Cumberland Street in Dublin on the morning of May 24, 2016.

Earlier this morning, his co-accused Jonathan Keogh was also found guilty of Mr Hutchs murder. The court found that Keogh fired the fatal shots that killed Mr Hutch in cold-blooded manner and had a hand in almost every aspect of the planning of the murder.

Earlier this morning his co-accused Jonathan Keogh was also found guilty of Mr Hutchs murder.

Mr Hutch, nephew of Gerry The Monk Hutch, died as a result of four gunshot injuries; two to the back of the neck, one to the lower back and one to the right of the upper chest.

Fox was also convicted of unlawfully possessing a Makarov 9mm handgun on May 23, 2016 at the same place.

During the nine-week trial which ended in July, the prosecution contended that Thomas Fox was instrumental in planning the murder of Mr Hutch, as well as being the getaway driver for the shooters.

It was the States case that Fox was parked near Avondale House in a white Transit van on the morning of the shooting, but due to a change of plans the white van was not required.

Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt, sitting with Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Michael Walsh at the non-jury court, spent less than an hour reviewing the evidence that led to Foxs guilty verdicts.

Key prosecution witness Mary McDonnell, 45, identified Thomas Fox and Jonathan Keogh in her evidence as the men who came into her flat the night before the shooting and wiped down two handguns.

Ms McDonnell was initially arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Hutch and later charged with withholding information. However, that charge was subsequently withdrawn and she has been given immunity from prosecution

Lawyers for Fox argued that their client had withdrawn from the joint enterprise to kill Gareth Hutch, albeit late in the day. Seamus Clarke SC, defending, said Ms McDonnell gave evidence that Jonathan Keogh received phone calls from Fox in her flat on the morning of the shooting, telling him he wanted to leave.

Ms McDonnell also maintained Jonathan Keogh got annoyed at Fox and told another man, Mr AB, who is not before the court, that f**king eejit Tossy, he wants to go now, cause everyone is coming out looking at the van.

Mr Clarke submitted to the court that this was evidence of Foxs withdrawal from the joint enterprise and it "neutralised" any previous assistance he had given.

In relation to the firearm charge against Fox, Mr Clarke also submitted the defendant was acting under coercion and duress at the time. Fox told gardai in his interviews that his co-accused Jonathan Keogh told him he would get it if he did not do as Keogh said and that a gun was "pushed into" his hand.

However, the prosecution submitted that Fox was deeply involved in the planning and was a willing participant in the murder.

Delivering judgment today, presiding judge Mr Justice Hunt said that Fox had adopted a more nuanced position than Jonathan Keogh in that he maintained his involvement was brought about by coercion and had been counteracted by a later withdrawal. He commented that Fox was somewhat detached from the other men in CCTV footage.

However, the court did not accept that Fox withdrew from the joint enterprise to kill Mr Hutch, albeit late in the day.

Convicting Fox, Mr Justice Hunt said that there was no evidence in his garda interviews that supported his defences advanced in the trial. The judge said the prosecution had established that the defence of withdrawal was not available to Fox and this was accepted by the court.

"An intention to withdraw from a criminal enterprise must be unequivocal, to withdraw because of panic does not suffice. It should have been made clear that Mr Fox was actually leaving and not that he wished to leave," the judge said, adding that his conduct fell "well short" of what was required for the withdrawal from a serious crime.

In relation to the firearm charge against Fox, the court said it did not accept that he was acting under coercion and duress at the time.

"There is no evidence that his particular will was so overborne," said Mr Justice Hunt.

A member of the public was heard shouting youre a f**king hypocrite before she stormed out of the court.

The court is awaiting a verdict for Regina Keogh, 41, from Avondale House, Cumberland Street North, Dublin 1 who also denied murdering Mr Hutch.
Britains top cybersecurity chief has said meetings with Irish agencies this week, along with planned meetings next year, are aimed at developing an enhanced cybersecurity partnership between the two countries.

Ciaran Martin, from Tyrone, is chief executive of Britains National Cyber Security Centre, set up in 2016 as part of the signals intelligence agency GCHQ.

Addressing the Institute of International and European Affairs, Mr Martin said he had met Irelands National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), attached to the Department of Communications, on Wednesday, and was due to meet Garda and Defence Forces staff later yesterday.

We are trying to work out co-operation at all ends at a state level, the most serious threats to the state, and the most serious criminal conspiracies, and then, more general harms to society, he said.

I would hope we come out of this and we come out of a planned series of meetings weve got in store for 2019 with really enhanced cybersecurity partnership between the UK and Ireland.

Mr Martin told those attending, including senior civil servants from key departments and representatives of both the Garda and Defence Forces, that Brexit would not have an impact on co-operation between Britain and Ireland and other EU countries.

Mr Martin said co-operation, including transfer of classified information, does not depend on EU legal powers or agreements.

He welcomed the increased attention towards developing Irelands focus on cybersecurity. In Ireland, there is a lot more attention on it, theres clearly a focus on building up institutional capability and in the UK weve been through that journey, he said.

The issue received particular focus recently, both in the report of the Policing Commission and an examination by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

The commission said Irish governmental institutions, infrastructure, and companies are all at risk from cyberattacks, as are the many foreign tech firms based here that are important to the economy.

It said Ireland needs to develop its capacity, both within the Garda and the NCSC, adding: This was a matter not only of resources but also of the security apparatus of government.

It said the NCSC should answer to a new national security co-ordinator and that a comprehensive national cyber security strategy should be published.

The C&AG highlighted similar issues and said a top-level Government committee tasked with developing cybersecurity policy had not met since July 2015.

It said the NCSC was in the main working out of accommodation in UCD and that the departments funding of it in 2012-15 (250,000 annually) was less than a third of the amount in 2011 (800,000), though it rose to 1.95m in 2017.

Staffing grew from five to eight between 2012 and 2016 and to 14 in 2017.

Mr Martin said his centre boasts 850 staff, and was set to grow to 950 by 2021, and receives an overall budget of 250m (280m).

He said it is up to the Irish Government to respond to the C&AG report, adding that what matters is that his agency has a competent body in other countries with which to share information.

He said the British and Irish bodies have shared information.

There is already an existing exchange of threat information, some of which is classified. There is information flowing in both directions, so we have a capable partner, but we want to do more.

Mr Martin said the major US tech companies in Ireland spend multiples on security of his agency.

He said he doesnt obsess about structures and that the British model of having a central body, which is part of an intelligence service, may not be suitable for other countries.

Part of his mission, he said, is to de-glamourise cybersecurity and the fear and mystique attached to it. I want to replace fear mongering with evidence-based risk assessment, he said.

Mr Martin said an essential part of the work of his agency is public communication and giving out as much information as possible, including large-scale declassification of information which, he said, is a challenge for security and intelligence agencies.

He said the benefits far outweigh the risks involved and that improving the cybersecurity of individuals and small companies, as well as big corporations, has a significant aggregate effect on the states national security.

Mr Martin said there are serious threats from certain states, including Russia. Since 2016, theres clear evidence of a Russian campaign to try to destabilise some western political systems, most obviously pointed out by the US; also various parts of Europe and UK, he said.

It was, he asserted, a very serious priority of the British centre to protect the British electoral system. He said Russia was also blamed for setting a Ukrainian power station on fire.
It was blast-off for one boys development after happening to watch a rocket launch. Now hes got his very own space doll, writes Ailin Quinlan

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... It was December 2015 and as astronaut Tim Peake blasted off from Kazakhstan en route to the International Space Station, no one could have been more surprised than Caroline Geraghty when her five-year-old loudly joined in the TV countdown.

Up to then, Hayden, who has autism and ADHD, had been virtually non-verbal. But the spectacle of Peakes spacecraft leaving Earth ignited not only his ability to speak, it also sparked a fascination with astronauts and all things space-related.

The moving story of how Peakes space mission led to Haydens verbal awakening touched the hearts of toymakers at the internationally successful Lottie Doll company to such an extent that it decided to create a special doll inspired by Hayden and his experience of autism. The Loyal Companion Doll set, which comes complete with an autism assistance dog, is expected to go on sale for about 35 this month.

An only child, Hayden, eight, now has his very own regular column in the kids pages of the Astronomy Ireland magazine.

Although Caroline, 41, is herself a writer for the journal, she had no idea Hayden was interested in space until that fateful morning in mid-December 2015. Tim Peake was launching on a six-month stay on the International Space Station and it completely grabbed Haydens attention.

Hayden Geraghty with Rosetta mission scientist Matt Taylor for ESA open day.

As the rocket launched, he said his first full sentence  he started doing the countdown and shouted Blast off!

Up to that he had trouble communicating  hed say the odd word but could not piece it all together, she explains, adding that she believes the sight of the blast-off unlocked a connection in Haydens brain, bringing about a lightbulb switch-on moment.

Caroline says: Up to then the connection part of his brain would not allow him to speak but it suddenly unlocked and hes been chatting ever since. Before it was very hard to gauge what Hayden was about, and what he liked or was interested in, and from that moment it carried on.

Now he loves space and astronomy and goes to different astronomy and space events and has met several astronauts.

Hayden Geraghty with astronaut Andre Kuipers.

Caroline and Hayden travelled from the family home in Limavaddy, Co Derry, to attend European Space Agency open day in the Netherlands on October 7. Hayden brought along his Loyal Companion Doll, which he is fervently hoping Peake or another astronaut will take into space on a future mission. Peake brought another Lottie Doll, the Stargazer Doll, with him on a previous voyage.

Hayden, says his mum, is hugely excited about the doll, which he proudly displayed to several astronauts at the event  the boy is already on first-name terms with astronauts such as Chris Hatfield and Helen Sharman, as well as Peake.

Lottie Doll chief executive Ian Harkin said the Loyal Companion Doll was designed in consultation with Hayden  hence the dolls bright red ear defenders, sophisticated flight suit and autism assistance dog.

We met Hayden a number of times and discussed what we would put into the pack.

Hayden explained that he was hoping to get an assistance dog, and so we included that in the pack, says Harkin.

The Loyal Companion Doll

The company is based in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, and exports to 30 countries.

Harkin says it is very strong on inclusion  its cochlear implant doll, produced last year, received a hugely positive reaction. It ended up being one of our best sellers last year.

He says that when children experience a diversity of toys in ethnicity and in terms of ability, they can develop empathy towards the challenges that children of all kinds might face in the real world.

The dolls are a great way of introducing the concept of diversity. Dolls can be representative of people and role play is a great way to start that discussion  children become normalised to children from different backgrounds, he says.

We want to teach kids about what autism is  hence the assistance dog, and the ear defenders which Hayden wears; the dolls ear defenders are like those which help with sensory issues around loud noises.

The dolls flight suit signifies Haydens fascination with outer space and the pack comes complete with another outfit carrying the names of scientists Nikolai Tesla and Albert Einstein, believed to be on the autism spectrum.

Inspiring a doll like this has been a huge learning curve for Hayden, says mum Caroline. He could not believe that boys and girls all around the world will have a doll like him  it has helped him understand that if you have ideas you can achieve anything!

The Loyal Companion Doll set the Derry boy has inspired.

Since news of his doll broke, he has participated in a number of media interviews  in fact one BBC interview even prompted Tim Peake to send Hayden a message.

Its incredible to see how much Hayden has developed to be able to do that - he loves to tell everyone about his story, says Caroline.

When Hayden was non-verbal we found it hard to find toys he liked  it was hard to find things that would be relevant and would help him with communications. It is fantastic to have this doll on the market, one that is like him.

Meanwhile its a case of watch this space because the Lottie Doll company certainly does not intend to rest on its laurels. We have a lot more products like this in the pipeline for next year on diversity, says Harkin.

There is a variety of dolls at the planning stage, which represent diversity in terms of people with different abilities.
High tension on Turkish border with Syria near Kobane Kurdish journalists wounded by artillery, USA present in area

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, NOVEMBER 2 - Tension is high at the Syrian-Turkish border in an area controlled, on the Syrian side, by US-backed Kurdish forces.



Local sources said two Kurdish journalists were wounded in recent hours by artillery shot from the Turkish side in the area of Kobane.



They said military from the US-led coalition deployed in the protection of areas controlled by Kurdish militias.



Turkish forces have been putting pressure for the last 48 hours along the border with the administrative zone of the Syrian wing of the PKK, which is de facto protected by the US-led anti-ISIS coalition. (ANSAmed).




When Donna Gilligan tried to track down surviving objects and images from the Irish suffrage movement, there was little to be found. Its another example of womens history being excluded from the national narrative, she tells Helen OCallaghan.

Why did we keep so little? Its the question museum archaeologist Donna Gilligan asks about the 10 years of well-organised womens activism represented by the Irish suffrage campaign 1908-1918.

In the lead-up to the 1918 centenary, Gilligan has been on the hunt for surviving objects and images that tie in directly with the Irish suffrage movement  items used by suffragists, objects invoking the campaign, images of the women involved. Theyve been surprisingly thin on the ground. Gilligan phoned museums and libraries across Ireland, the Museum of London and the keepers of the Alice Park collection  Park, a prominent American suffragist, travelled widely, collecting memorabilia.

I did a public call out for items. I put notices in newspapers, magazines and public places, asking people with material to get in touch. In the end, I found suffrage material with quite a few private owners. Not including archives, I have about 70 3D objects  not huge considering were looking at a 10 year period. Its [another example] of womens history excluded from the national narrative, something were still trying to fix 100 years later.

Donna Gilligan

Gilligan is one of a broad range of academics, historians and writers set to speak at a major conference staged by the National Museum of Ireland this Saturday. Deeds not Words? Assessing a Century of Change will ask what has changed for society  for better/worse  since 1918. A pivotal year for social upheaval in Ireland, 1918 saw World War 1 end, the passing of the Representation of People Act  granting some women the right to vote  and the 1918 elections. In December 1918 Countess Markievicz became the first woman ever elected as an MP to the British House of Commons  as a Sinn Fein member, she never took her seat.

Dr Mary McAuliffe, assistant professor in Gender Studies at UCD and co-author of We Were There, 77 Women of the Easter Rising, says if we were to time-travel back, wed recognise the women of 1918. They were women of their time but quite advanced in their thinking about the idea of full and equal citizenship for women in an imagined Irish State. They werent as informed about reproductive rights and sexuality as we are, but they were as concerned about domestic violence, sexual assault and rape.

The Irish Citizen  newspaper of the Irish Womens Franchise League (IWFL), the biggest suffrage organisation in Ireland  had a watching the courts section. Young women went to the courts to report on domestic violence and sexual assault cases. They were very perturbed and disturbed  no more than us in the era of #MeToo  that so many [men] got off with light sentences, that sexual assault wasnt taken seriously, says McAuliffe, who will chair the Rights panel of Saturdays conference, asking what has changed in womens roles in education, health, work, wealth, family and home.

McAuliffe says women in 1918 were living in a militarised society. There were armed men all round the place  Irish men were part of the war effort, the Irish Volunteers were armed, as was the Irish Citizen Army. Cumann na mBan were associated with arms. There was this immediacy of an oncoming explosion into violence. And yet, women were living in a very patriarchal, hierarchal and conservative culture. Most women accepted their place in that society. Significant numbers of women were anti-suffrage. They believed in separate spheres  a God-dictated, natural way of the world with men in the public sphere and women in the private domestic one.

Postcards and cartoons unearthed by Gilligan show society in uproar about women voting. It was seen somewhere between a joke and a threat. There was a lot of fear about what would happen if women got the vote, this idea the natural order would be usurped. Propaganda to put people off the idea of votes for women abounded, showing suffragists in the worst light  as ugly, angry, violent, dangerous women, with a suggestion of mental illness. It was suggested it wasnt normal to be looking for the vote. These werent normal ladies who could be trusted with the vote. This was a very popular caricature at the time, produced by commercial postcard companies, says Gilligan, who also found pro-suffrage postcards, produced too by commercial companies and by suffrage organisations trying to combat negative propaganda.

Many of the anti-suffrage postcards come from an album kept by the Cadiz sisters who moved to Roscommon as young women. These two were militant suffragettes, very ingrained in the Irish and English movements. They didnt feel so threatened by [anti-suffrage postcards] because they kept them. I like to think they had a good sense of humour, says Gilligan.

Gilligan has collected flags used at protest marches, suffrage organisation badges, a protest poster (Women can canvass, why cant they vote? Votes for Women) and a particularly treasured find: a wooden speaking platform created for the IWFL and used by women speaking in public to elevate themselves above the crowd. It was made by the husband of Dora Ryan, one of the suffragists.

While much has been done, we need feminism more than ever today, says McAuliffe. We still have gender pay and pension gaps. Austerity impacted most on women. Theres a preponderance of single parents among the homeless  single parents are mostly women. We need men and women signed up to changing the culture so theres inclusion  not just for middle-class educated women  but for women from minority groups, those stuck in homelessness, Traveller women.

Rosaleen McDonagh, playwright, member of Aosdana and of the Traveller Community, says waves of feminism only happen when change comes for a generation of women. This hasnt yet happened for Traveller women or for many other marginalised women. Chances may come for individual women  we must always celebrate these opportunities. [But] incremental change for the majority is slow. While settled women talk of a glass ceiling, Traveller women are outside looking in the window.

McDonagh points to Traveller women statistics, adding its important theyre framed within the gendered nature of racism: Traveller womens life expectancy at birth is 11.5 years less than for women in the general population; suicide rate for Traveller women is five times higher; seven in 10 Traveller children live in families where mother has no formal education or primary education only.

How do Traveller women see themselves? McDonagh says the presidential election was a reminder to struggle to challenge racism. Its the kids, the small ones, the teenagers, the vulnerable ones that get vilified. When the media moves onto a different story, were left with the debris of trying to instil a sense of pride in our children and young people.

We see ourselves as bold and brilliant. We survived policies of assimilation. Our culture is fluid. We are proud and strong. We are diverse.

The conference topics span a broad range: importance of physical body for ideas of Irish nationalism in post-Independence Ireland; how Irish women reacted to prevailing post-1922 view that their contribution to life was to marry/have children/keep house; how St Ultans Hospital  founded in 1919 by two women  originally intended to treat Irish soldiers returning from war with venereal diseases soon changed into innovative institution run by women for women.

- The conference is organised in conjunction with the exhibition Votes for Women: Suffrage and Citizenship on display at the Houses of the Oireachtas, Leinster House, until December 14. Book Deeds not Words conference tickets, 20 (15 concession), at Eventbrite - http://bit.ly/DeedsnotWordsNMI. Also visit www.museum.ie.

- Donna Gilligan is curator of Print, Protest, and The Polls: The Irish womens suffrage campaign and the power of print media, 1908  1918, exhibition at National Print Museum until November 18
On the campaign trail in Texas, Joyce Fegan finds two young, undocumented Mexicans helping others and hoping to create a better life in Trumps America.

In a small taco restaurant right on the US-Mexican border, two undocumented immigrants insist on buying me lunch.

We will likely never see each other again and they have absolutely nothing to gain from the gesture. These are the very people US President Donald Trump has labelled rapists, drug dealers, and criminals.

Except theyre not.

Seven Flores, 24, fled Mexico for the US when he was nine. He crossed the Rio Grande river which separates the two countries in the dead of night.

Seven Flores, 24, fled Mexico for the US when he was nine. He crossed the Rio Grande river which separates the two countries in the dead of night. Picture: Joyce Fegan

His dad swam, tugging the small inflatable craft that carried Seven, his mother, and his two brothers. It was a bit like the Syrians you see coming across the Mediterranean into Europe, he explains.

Like Seven, Isle Mendez, 31, has lived in the US since she was a child. She came here when she was two because her parents were accessing medical treatment for her younger sister, who was born without a femur bone.

While both live in the heavily patrolled border town of Laredo, Texas, just a minutes walk from their homeland, neither Ilse nor Seven have ever been able to return to Mexico.

They have been reared and educated in the US and pay taxes here, but neither have any legal status  and in Trumps America they live under the constant threat of deportation and family separation.

Not only this, but the anti-immigrant racism has become so bad here that Latinos are even turning on each other.

I tell people that I have always felt so close yet so far from my country of origin, because its always just been just minutes away for me, but I dont have a way to go to Mexico given my legal status, says Seven.

When my grandfather died, we wanted to see him so badly, and even before that because we knew he was sick, but as much as we wanted we couldnt go to see him in Mexico, because if we did, we wouldnt have been able to come back, we would have ruined our lives.

Isle experienced the same thing when her grandmother died. But for her, not going home is a practical decision, as every day is just about survival in this border town.

Isle Mendez, 31, has lived in the US since she was a child. She went there when she was just two because her parents were accessing medical treatment for her younger sister. Picture: Joyce Fegan

Together, Ilse and Seven help other undocumented immigrants. A year ago they got a mobile phone to field emergency calls, and named themselves the Laredo Immigrant Alliance.

One case they helped out on was that of Rosita, Rosa Maria Hernandez, a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who was held alone in a detention centre after border officers discovered she was undocumented.

She was stopped at a checkpoint in Texas as she travelled by ambulance, from Laredo to San Antonio, to have gallbladder surgery.

US border patrol officers waited outside 10-year-old Rositas hospital room as she recovered, ready to bring her to a juvenile detention centre. Rosita has been living in the US since she was three months old.

Thats the fear that we live in right now. We never know whats going to happen, says Isle.

While immigration control has always been complex and controversial in the US, with deportations being a key part of it, things have become far worse under Trump. People are living in fear that they will be stopped at any moment and asked for their papers.

Were seeing people detained in their workplace, detained driving their kids to school, its very traumatic, says Isle.

Can you just be randomly stopped on the street and asked to prove your legal status? Yes, explains Seven.

They can ask you for your status. In Texas theres a law, where you fail to identify and the police could actually charge you for that. So they can stop asking you for your status but then theyll say, OK I am going to charge you for failing to identify.

Traffic stops, if you break a light, if youre speeding, even if youre walking down the street with a bottle of coke, you can be stopped, and this is where we see a lot of the racial profiling. They have the right to ask you for your status, he says.

As deportations rise and Trumps racist rhetoric reverberates around the US, and the world, hate has a strong foothold in this border town which is 95% Latino. Things are so divisive that their advocacy group decided to take things offline and instead meet quietly in peoples homes.

Theres a lot of hate now that social media is such a big tool [in]. Whenever were trying to do any safety training and are promoting it on Facebook, you see people saying stuff like, Were going to send border patrol to where you are, explains Isle.

Seven adds that some other hateful phrases are doing the rounds in Texas. Its this idea that Im better than you because I was born here and youre less than me because youre illegal. It happens all the time. We see it on social media. People are just horrible.

Even Latinos say go back to Mexico, or deport yourself. And sadly its not just a few people, its a lot of people. Theyre the top comments and the most liked comments. People dont really say these things in public, but on social media they take advantage of the anonymity.

Later, they settle the bill, and we leave the small taco joint to take the short walk to the Rio Grande river, which, while thousands of kilometres long, is only a few metres wide.

Seven stands on the US riverbank looking towards his birthplace just feet away. Mexican fishermen stand on the opposite bank to him, casting their lines, from Mexico, into the shared water.

He says its surreal to stand here and that if he ever does get home, he will most definitely, probably cry.

But right now politics and policy reform are whats on this 24-year-olds mind as the US midterm elections approach.

Even though he doesnt have a vote, he is working on the Democratic candidate Beto ORourkes Senate campaign. As part of his homework, Seven attended a Ted Cruz town hall meeting, the Republican ORourke is hoping to unseat.

And what was that like for an undocumented immigrant? Oh my goodness, I got there, Ted Cruz wasnt even there yet and Im looking at the people and everyone has the Make America Great caps, T-shirts saying very horrible things about Hillary Clinton, people are yelling lock him up, lock her up, people are screaming build a wall, recalls Seven.

And were they all white conservative Americans?

The vast majority were Latinos, he says.

In terms of the future, there is a tentative hope that the Democrats could win back power in Congress in Tuesdays midterm elections and change the hateful attitudes spreading across the US.

Most people have this idea that if the Democrats win, everything will get better.

In some ways I will say yes but in many ways its going to be the same thing, not so much because they dont want to fix things, just more in a practical way, says Seven.

We have become so divided that its hard to get together and get anything done and its getting worse and worse.

We leave the riverbank and go back to our cars. He apologises for bringing me to a carpark where I had to pay, he thought it was free. He offers to drive me out of the border town and on to the highway that will take me back to Austin, the nearest big city, though it is about four hours away. I take him up on this second kind gesture.

Before getting into our cars, I ask him what his future holds. After teaching I think maybe Ill go into politics, he says.

And he would be good at it.
Even the most vivid champions of this still-evolving Republic, even those Teflon-cloaked bankers who so disastrously wore the green jersey to try to pull the wool over investors eyes  your pension providers possibly  cannot but feel a sense of embarrassment, a sense of betrayal, that at least 42 schools must be reassessed, years after they were built, to establish whether they are safe places for our children.

The parents of those children, many now seeking refuge in other schools, must feel a sense of outrage that their children may have been put in jeopardy because the building of these schools was not properly supervised by the state.

Wearing their taxpayers hat they, and many others too, are entitled to feel a real anger that scarce resources were committed to projects that did not have anything like old-fashioned, clerk-of-works oversight. One of the simple lessons from this scandal is that every State-funded project must now have a full-time clerk-of-works figure to ensure compliance with basic standards. This back-to-the-future change is particularly relevant as we try to resolve the housing crisis. The inevitable but hollow developers squeals about the reimposition of consumer-protecting red tape must be dismissed.

The schools scandal is this weeks headline story in our ongoing indifference to accountability but a Dublin court ruling yesterday underlined in the saddest, most tragic way what can happen when a society reneges on its basic responsibilities to its weakest, most troubled citizens.

Eoin Berkeley, a 25-year-old man who abducted a teenage Spanish student from Dublin city centre and raped her repeatedly over a 21-hour period in July last year, was jailed for 14 years. It is not to defend his savagery in any way to say that he had led a disturbed and difficult life before the attack. Neither does it diminish the great hurt and trauma inflicted on his innocent victim to say that this was a tragedy waiting to happen. Just as the victim and everyone else in his orbit should have been protected from an unstable, dangerous rapist, Berkeley should have been protected from himself.

Two lives have been ruined  and two families left heartbroken  because those in a position to intervene, those who had been alerted to the threat Berkeley posed to others and to himself, fell short of what was required.

Imagine the frustration the Garda inspector who, a month before the rape, ordered Berkeleys detention under the Mental Health Act. Berkeley was then seen by a doctor who deemed him fit to be released. What consequences might that doctor face? Imagine the frustration of Berkeleys brother, who, two days later, contacted a Garda station and said Berkeley needed to be detained. Gardai, on foot of the earlier medical ruling, had no option but to refuse.

Imagine the frustration, if that is an adequate description of what will probably be a lifelong ordeal, of his victim and her family with the failure of official Irelands system of safety nets.

These scandals, and more like them, make our reluctance to embrace proactive accountability incomprehensible. And, like it or not, this frustration found a shrill voice in Peter Casey and goes some way to explain his 25% vote.
Two people, a civilian and a police officer, were known to have been killed.

The two soldiers are part of an 18-strong Irish contingent in a UN-backed EU training mission in Mali.

They were in Le Campement Hotel, a popular resort for ex-pats and tourists on the outskirts of the capital, Bamako, when four attackers struck on Sunday.

There were reports that three of the gunmen, described by a Mali government spokesman as suspected jihadists, were shot dead.

The Defence Forces said the two members had been returned to the EU Training Mission Headquarters in Bamako.

Currently, 18 members serve under EUTM Mali, 11 in the Koulikoro Training Centre and seven in mission headquarters in the capital.

In a statement, Minister for Defence, Paul Kehoe, said: Every effort is made to ensure the safety of our personnel on overseas missions, but given the inherent instability in the environments in which they operate, risk cannot be fully eliminated.

EUTM Mali trains the Malian armed forces to improve their military capacity and instructs them on international humanitarian and human rights laws.

Le Campement sits in Dougourakoro, where the Radisson Blu hotel was targeted in a terror attack in November 2015, leaving more than 20 people dead.

The Mali government is fighting Islamist militants, many linked to al-Qaeda, in the north. France has 1,600 soldiers in its former colony, assisting it in its fight against jihadist factions.
Arts Writer-Turned-Painter Turns His Attention to the Human Form

Some of the paintings by Nay Myo on display at the Dirty exhibition at Yangons Ahla Thit Gallery / Photos Supplied

YANGONMore than 30 years after he fell in love with the nude paintings of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, Nay Myo has finally realized his dream of holding his own exhibition of nudes.

Dirty, an ongoing exhibition at the Ahla Thit Gallery on University Avenue Road in Yangon, showcases the fruits of that dream.

I have wanted to draw nude paintings like [Modigliani] since I was an art student in 1982, Nay Myo said.

I knew I would draw them someday. So, I have finally realized this dream, he said.

His nude figures are largely square-shaped with a focus on lines. Yellows and blues are dominant in his paintings, which feature short, chopping brushstrokes. His command of texture and tone strengthens the feeling in the paintings.

In Myanmar, nude paintings were censored until 2012, and nudity is still largely taboo in Myanmar society, though more and more people are accepting it as a legitimate subject for artists.

Paintings of nude subjects by artists including Kyi Myint Saw, Sandar Khaing and Myint Naing have gained an audience among art fans of late.

The nude paintings of Nay Myo are distinct from their works in terms of composition and figurative expression, however.

The way he renders the hair and facial expressions of the nude women in his paintings is reminiscent of modernist Win Pe. We respect him a lot. Of course he has an influence on us, Nay Myo said.

His fourth solo exhibition, which runs through Wednesday, includes 20 paintings, which can be purchased for USD300 each.

Born in Mandalay, Nay Myo graduated from the citys State School of Fine Arts in 1983. He made his name with modernist portrayals of rural scenes and Myanmar customs. He is also a renowned writer of short stories, poems and essays.

Frankly, I just seek to reveal the dark emotions that stain our daily lives, Nay Myo said about his nude paintings.
Asia Bangladesh PM to Have Unprecedented Talks with Opposition Before Poll

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks during an interview at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan, New York, US, September 25, 2018. / Reuters

DHAKA  Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will sit down to unprecedented talks with the opposition on Thursday to discuss installing a caretaker government ahead of Decembers election, a key demand of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

The BNP, in disarray after the jailing of its chief, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, on corruption charges, stayed away from the last parliamentary election in 2014 when that demand was not met.

That election was marred by widespread violence that killed hundreds of people and disrupted the impoverished South Asian countrys economic mainstay, the $30 billion-a-year export-driven garment industry.

BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the formation of an interim government was necessary to ensure a level playing field.

We will also ask for the release of our chief Khaleda Zia and demand the deployment of the army to ensure smooth voting, Alamgir told Reuters.

Alamgir said the party still hoped Khaleda, whose jail term was doubled to 10 years on Tuesday, a day after she was jailed in another graft case for seven years, would be released and be able to lead the opposition coalition of 20 parties, the National United Front.

They had not lined up an alternative candidate for prime minister, he added.

The attorney general has ruled out her taking part in the election.

Hasina and Khaleda, who between them have ruled Bangladesh for decades, are bitter rivals and the BNP says its leader has been jailed on trumped up charges to keep her out of politics.

The government and Hasinas Awami League deny the accusation and say the courts are independent.

Anisul Huq, minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs, declined to comment on the agenda for the talks.

Mohammad Abdur Rashid, the executive director of the Institute of Conflict, Law and Development Studies in Dhaka, said the meeting had raised hopes of a comparatively peaceful election for Bangladesh, which has attracted international attention for hosting tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees from neighboring Myanmar.

People dont want anarchism like in the previous election, Rashid told Reuters.

Outgoing US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat on Tuesday called the meeting a positive development.

All sides must avoid violence, she said. Violence hinders the democratic process.
Asia The Cambodian Textile Factory that Craves 'Normal'

Women work on the production line at Complete Honour Footwear Industrial, a footwear factory in Kampong Speu, Cambodia, on July 4. / Reuters

SIEM REAP, Cambodia  Boring is best when it comes to business  or so says Piet Holten, a Dutch entrepreneur who credits normal working conditions for helping to grow his textile factory in Cambodia.

The Southeast Asian nation is a hub for textile factories supplying global brands, but the sector is plagued by problems of exploitation and abuse.

Holten said his staff get benefits such as childcare and work in environmentally friendly buildings  utterly normal in many countries; equally rare in Cambodia.

I dont believe what we are doing is exceptional, just the norm, said Holten at his factory in Siem Reap, Cambodias top tourist destination and home to the famed Angkor Wat temples.

He is president of Pactics Group Ltd, a Hong Kong-registered company that had a turnover of $7 million last year, making products for the eyewear giant Luxottica, which supplies brands such as Ray-Ban, Oakley and Versace.

He employs mostly women in a female-dominated sector that is known for cheap labor and lax laws.

Some of the things we do here are just following the laws, he said, citing maternity leave and daycare, which any factory with more than 100 employees is supposed to provide.

The strategy has succeeded so far.

He started small  in a shophouse in 2014 with a handful of employees  and put profits into expanding the business.

Pactics now employs about 400 workers in Siem Reap, producing items like pouches and wiping cloths for sunglasses.

A second factory he opened in 2016 in the capital, Phnom Penh, employs more than 100 people, with plans to hire more as it expands into the North American market.

A good model

The Phnom Penh factory makes T-shirts and  like all garment manufacturers in Cambodia  must pay a minimum wage, which will be increased from $170 a month to $182 in January.

As the Pactics facility in Siem Reap does not make clothing, it is exempt from the minimum wage. Instead, Holten said workers are paid a base rate of $146 per month, plus a piece rate.

That is where the Siem Reap factory falls short of otherwise being a good model, according to Khun Tharo, a workers rights advocate with the Phnom Penh-based Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights.

I would argue that they should still implement the minimum wage, he said.

Khun Tharo said wages had more than doubled since 2013, when garment workers made $80 a month  but the cost of living had risen too.

Workers are not able to save money for their families and have decent living wages, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Many workers are still in debt, while the suppliers of brands make so much.

Holten said it would be difficult to increase wages at the Siem Reap factory, because the profit margins were so slim on eyewear accessories.

Our average sales price for a product is 15 cents, he said. This is quite different from garments.

Money aside, he said the factory offered a host of benefits  a subsidized and healthy lunch, free daycare for infants up to 16 months, as well as subsidized care until age five, health insurance, and free medicines for minor ailments.

Green buildings

Textile workers in Cambodia often face discriminatory and exploitative labor conditions, according to a 2015 report by Human Rights Watch.

The New York-based rights group uncovered cases of workers being fired if they became pregnant, lodged complaints with managers, or requested time off for medical treatment.

Some factories forced workers to perform overtime above the legal limit of 12 hours a week under threat of being fired, the researchers found.

Women workers faced pregnancy-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and denial of maternity benefits, according to the report, which also found some factories using child labor.

None of that is news to Chheng Sitha, who worked in a factory in Phnom Penh for four years.

When something went wrong, the boss would yell and swear at employees, said Chheng Sitha, who now operates a sewing machine at Pactics in Siem Reap.

Even if I was sick, I had to work, she recalled of her former job, adding that lighting was poor and temperatures were often uncomfortably high in the tin-roofed building.

By comparison, Holten said his factory was built to maximize natural light and airflow.

More pleasant for workers, the green setup also saves him money with less need to run lights and air conditioners.

What we try to do is create an environment with a lot of daylight, he said, pointing out trees that cool air by soaking up humidity, and a pond collecting rainwater to flush toilets.

Safety is also key, Holten said, so he has a well-stocked first aid room and a permanent nurse on staff, as well as subsidizing quality helmets for workers who ride motorcycles.

Cambodias roads are notorious, and Khun Tharo, the rights activist, said accidents on the way to and from work are the most common cause of injury and death for textile workers.

On the outskirts of Phnom Penh in the morning and evenings, it is common to see workers packed into the back of open-air trucks without seatbelts, many of them standing.

They are loaded like animals, said Khun Tharo.
Burma Analysis: NLD Faces Crucial Test of Support in By-Election

NLD Lower House candidate U Toe Win of Yangons Tamwe Township campaigns on Oct. 26, 2018. / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

YANGONOn the eve of the second by-election to be held during its first term in office, the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) admitted to being concerned about Saturdays crucial test of its support nationwide.

NLD spokesperson Dr. Myo Nyunt told The Irrawaddy the party was taking Saturdays poll even more seriously than the 2017 by-elections, given the public criticism it has received since then, especially over the slow pace of economic reforms in recent years.

We do worry that the voters will feel that the party has failed to implement the election promises [it made in the 2015 general elections], he said.

He said the government has focused on health and education, and made some progress in those sectors. On the economic front, he said, it is implementing a long-term vision, rather than chasing short-term goals.

Aware that its public support may be sliding, the government has made an effort to highlight its works and policies on the campaign trail ahead of Saturdays vote, the spokesperson said.

A total of 69 candidates from 24 political parties are running for seats in Chin, Shan, Kachin and Rakhine states and in Yangon, Sagaing, Bago, Magwe and Mandalay regions. Seven of the candidates are running as independents.

Four Lower House seats, one Upper House seat, seven seats in state and regional parliaments and the Shan ethnic affairs ministers seat in Mandalay Region are up for grabs in the by-elections.

The vacant seats are in Lechar in Shan State, Rathedaung in Rakhine State, Myitkyina in Kachin State, Kanpetlet and Matupi in Chin State, Tamwe and Seikkan in Yangon Region, Tamu in Sagaing Region, Myingyan and Thabeikkyin in Mandalay Region, Oktwin in Bago Region and Minbu in Magwe Region.

The NLD is running in all 13 constituencies, followed by the military-backed former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is contesting 10 seats.

While it is still the countrys most popular political party, the NLD can no longer take for granted the overwhelming public support it received in the 1990 general election, 2012 by-election and 2015 general election.

The NLD swept to power in a landslide victory in 2015, taking more than 80 percent of all seats not reserved for the military in Parliament. More than two years after taking power and almost halfway through its term, however, the NLD-led government has come under growing criticism of its lack of progress on economic reforms, backsliding on freedom of expression and generally falling short on its election promises, though it has received praise for its stepped-up fight against corruption.

In the most visible sign of this decreased support, the party won just nine of 19 vacant seatsonly 50 percent of those it contestedin the 2017 by-elections. The result was a sharp contrast to its general election victory just two years prior. And while it still came out on top nationwide with nine seats won, the party lost in three of the four ethnic areas it contested, including in areas it won in 2015.

The results point to the NLDs waning popularity in ethnic states, something political analysts attribute to its failure to deliver on its main election promises: to end the civil wars in ethnic regions and to amend the undemocratic military-drafted 2008 Constitution.

Political analyst Dr. Yan Myo Thein said that while the NLD is still favored to win in constituencies with Burman majorities, it faces likely defeat in the strongholds of ethnic partiesand could even have a tough fight on its hands in some other areas as well.

Of the 13 seats up for grabs in the by-election, the NLD won 11 in 2015. (The exceptions are Lechar in southern Shan State and Rathedaung in Rakhine State.)

Mandalay chief minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, who is also the NLDs vice chairman, said the party is not confident of winning in Rakhine and Shan.

On a more positive note, he said that after some initial difficulties the party had gained ground in Chin and Karen states, as its Central Executive Committee had made a point of campaigning in the local languages in order to improve communication with potential voters in those constituencies.

Party spokesperson Dr. Myo Nyunt agreed that the competition in ethnic areas will be fierce, as the ethnic parties have strong support there.

He said the party still expects to win the majority of the seats that are up for grabs, however.

While the results of the by-elections will not impact the structure of the current government, they will serve as an important indicator of political parties popularity ahead of the 2020 general elections and a test of the NLDs support halfway through its term.

USDP spokesperson U Thein Htun Oo told The Irrawaddy that the party was confident of winning all 10 of the seats it is contesting.

He said that the political situation had changed since 2015, and the party was enjoying a groundswell of support.

Voters now understand that the party they believed in and chose in 2015 is not reliable. They have compared its performance with what we achieved [under the previous government], he said, adding that the USDP expects to see greater public support at the polls in this by-election and looking ahead to 2020.

The USDP campaigned on the slogan Time to Think. It has placed national issues at the top of its agenda and vowed to prevent any territorial loss or bullying from foreign countries.

U Thein Htun Oo said that after winning seats in the by-election, the party would work to advance farmers interests and the rule of law, and to increase daily wages.

Dr. Yan Myo Thein, the political analyst, said the election results would send a signal to all parties as to how they should prepare for 2020.

He added that the NLD would need to reconsider its policies and make corrections before 2020 if it doesnt win more than 50 percent of the seats in Saturdays by-election.

NLD spokesperson Dr. Myo Nyunt vowed that the public would see satisfactory developments in the remaining two years of the governments term, adding that there will be improvements in the implementation of its long-term policies.
Syrian regime breaks truce, kills 10 civilians in Idlib Reports from SOHR and civil defense

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, NOVEMBER 2 - Syrian regime bombing reportedly killed 10 civilians on Friday after a truce was broken.



The truce had been negotiated by Russia and Turkey and had been in place since October 15. The news cannot be independently verified. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) and the local civil defense said that the bombing ocurred in eastern Idlib in the town of Jarjanaz, near a Turkish miliary observation post. The artillery was from the nearby military airport of Abu Dhuhur, in regime hands. (ANSAmed).




Burma Baby Dies While Family Flees Fighting in Shan State, Father Says

People forced to flee their homes to escape fighting between ethnic armed groups take shelter in Lashio, Shan State, on Thursday. / Supplied

Mon State  A 19-day-old baby died after falling sick on Tuesday in northern Shan State when the family was forced to flee their home to escape fighting in the area among a trio of ethnic armed groups, according to the parents.

The father, Tu Mai, told The Irrawaddy that his wife gave birth to twins on Oct. 11 in Mang Bein Village and that they took them to the town of Lashio, about 13 km away, after they fell sick to get them treated.

He said they stayed in Lashio for 10 days and that a day after they returned to their village the fighting broke out, forcing them to hide in the jungle for about two hours in the rain without food or clothes for the babies, at which time one of the girls fell ill again.

Tu Mai said they made it to the village of Aee Nang, about 3 km away, by midnight but three days later had to flee again with others to Lashio when the fighting escalated. But the baby died once they arrived and they held her funeral the same day.

The father said the other baby was in good health. However, he said the camp was short of food and that health workers have advised his wife to go to a hospital but that they did not have enough money to get her treatment.

Tu Mai said he had no words to express how sad he felt after having to flee his home and losing a baby.

Fighting in the area broke out on Oct. 26 pitting the Taang National Liberation Army and the armed wing of the Shan State Progress Party against the armed wing of the Restoration Council of Shan State. More than 1,000 people have been displaced from several villages and are taking shelter at churches and monasteries in Lashio.
Burma Chin Refugee Committee Urges UNHCR to Shelve Repatriation Plan

Chin refugees staged a protest on June 29 against the UNHCRs decision to end their refugee status in Malaysia. / malaymail / FB

YANGON  The Chin Refugee Support Committee (CRSC) has urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to shelve its plan to repatriate Chin refugees in Malaysia to Myanmar.

The UNHCR announced in June that refugee protection for the Chin community in Malaysia would be phased out starting August 2018, stating that their homeland was safe for return.

Chin refugees applying for a renewal of their refugee status will only receive an extension until Dec. 31, 2019, said the UNHCR.

The CRSC in a statement on Oct. 31 said the UNHCRs decision shocked the Chin refugee community in Malaysia, adding that some Chin refugees including a young girl attempted to commit suicide following the UNHCR announcement.

For their return, the [Myanmar] government should let them come back officially at the very least. It is difficult for them to come back without official repatriation, said Salai Issac Khin of the CRSC.

Some have been living in Malaysia for about seven years and they need to apply for citizenship registration cards [to return]. Another problem is education. The children have been learning at refugee camp schools. So, the question is which grades they should attend when they come back, he added.

The Myanmar government should grant pardons for Chin refugees so that they are not charged under immigration laws. Moreover, there is a need to provide sources of livelihood for the returnees, he said.

According to the CRSC, there are some 31,000 Chin refugees in Malaysia, and 16,000 of them hold UNHCR cards, which are recognized by Malaysian law enforcement agencies. These cards prevent refugees from being arrested and deported.

The UNHCR has promised to send 6,000 of them to a third country, said Salai Issac Khin.

So, this means that at least 25,000 will be affected by the UNHCRs plan to end refugee status, he said.

Though the UNHCR said that Chin State is now safe and stable for return, the Chin community has pointed out frequent clashes between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army (AA) in Chin States Paletwa Township, saying that clashes and landmines have caused displacement, casualties and injuries.

Malaysian foreign minister Saifuddin said at a press conference on Oct. 24 that the Malaysian government would not force refugees to return to Myanmar if it is unsafe, despite the fact that Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Commander-in-Chief Praises Pro-Military Rallies Denouncing Int'l Pressure

People participate in a pro-military rally in Yangon on Oct. 14. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Myanmars commander-in-chief this week praised pro-military rallies that have denounced international calls for him and other top generals to be held accountable for the alleged human rights violations against Rohingya and said the events should be repeated.

Myanmars military, or Tatmadaw, has come under mounting international pressure in the wake of operations in northern Rakhine State  triggered by militant attacks on security posts  that have driven some 700,000 mostly Rohingya to neighboring Bangladesh. In September, the UN Human Rights Council voted to set up a body to prepare evidence for possible future prosecution at the International Criminal Court.

Since then, army sympathizers  including ultranationalists, war veterans and their families  have organized more rallies across the country to express support for the militarys actions in Rakhine State and for protecting sovereignty, race and religion.

At a rally last month led by ultranationalist monk U Wirathu, at least 1,000 people gathered in downtown Yangon to condemn what they called international interference in Myanmar and its military.

During a special conference of the Myanmar War Veterans Organization on Wednesday in Naypyitaw, military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing told the audience that nationalistic and patriotic people in various townships have organized rallies to show their opposition to one-sided allegations and interference by some foreign countries and organizations in the internal affairs of our country, and to show support for the actions of the Tatmadaw.

He added that those who joined the rallies understood the militarys goodwill toward the Union and its people, and that the military and the people were on the same side, according to military-run newspaper Myawaddy.

Such good traditions should be maintained, the commander-in-chief said.

It was the first time Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has spoken publicly about the pro-military rallies.

According to Myawaddy, such rallies have been held across the country since 2016.

After Octobers rally in Yangon, the paper said: As of yesterday, 80 rallies have been carried out and joined by more than 600,000 people. There are more in the pipeline.
News Myanmar, Thailand to Jointly Upgrade Highway from Border to Dawei SEZ

A sign near the Dawei Special Economic Zone in southern Myanmar directs drivers to a road leading to Thailand. / Reuters

YANGONMyanmar and Thailand signed an agreement to jointly upgrade a highway linking the Thai-Myanmar border with the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a USD8 billion project that includes a deep seaport. The project in southern Myanmars Tanintharyi Region is set to be Southeast Asias largest industrial complex.

Under the Record of Discussion (ROD) agreement inked on Thursday, the Ministry of Construction will allow Thailands Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA) to conduct survey and design work in preparation for upgrading the two-lane highway. The route will connect the border crossing point at Htee Kee to the SEZ via Myittar.

Construction Minister U Han Zaw said Thailand would provide technical assistance on the survey and design of the highway. The project will take about eight months to complete.

U Han Zaw said he expects the highway project to boost economic development in Tanintharyi Region, in particular by allowing direct exports of fishery products to Thailand and by promoting travel between the two countries.

Fishing is one of the major industries on the Tanintharyi coast, with most of the seafood products being exported to Thailand.

NEDA will accelerate the survey and design period so that the highway upgrade can get going as soon as possible, said its president, Perames Vudthitornetiraks.

In March, the Union Parliament gave the Ministry of Construction permission to take a 4.5-billion-baht (approximately USD137 million, or 220.5 billion kyats) low-interest loan from NEDA. The ministry has been working with Thailands Department of Highways since 2015 on conducting measurements for the highway.

Vice Construction Minister U Kyaw Lynn said in Parliament in March that the highway upgrade would assist in the transportation of raw materials needed to complete the Dawei SEZ construction project.

In 2008, Myanmar granted Italian-Thai Development PCL (ITD) a 75-year concession to develop and attract investment for the SEZ. A 250-sq-km deep seaport would be a potential boon for firms relying on the transport of goods via the crowded Malacca Strait. The project includes high-tech industrial zones, information technology zones, export-processing zones, port area zones, transportation zones, service business zones and other infrastructure projects.

ITD withdrew from the agreement in 2013 due to financial constraints, but two years later Myanmar and Thailand revived the original agreement to allow ITD and related companies to begin working on the infrastructure project.

According to Dawei SEZ Management Committee chairman U Tun Naing, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is conducting a survey for the deep seaport project, including setting up an electrical grid, basic infrastructure and buildings.
News NLD Used RCSS Leaders Face on Campaign Material Without Permission, Group Says

A by-election campaign pamphlet circulated in Laihka Township, southern Shan State, featuring a photograph of RCSS chief Gen. Yawd Serk and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. / TaiFreedom.com

MANDALAYCampaign pamphlets appearing to suggest that the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) endorses the National League for Democracy (NLD)s by-election candidate in Laihka Township were distributed without the ethnic groups knowledge, it said in a statement on Thursday.

The pamphlets supporting NLD candidate Sai Htun Aung Lays election bid in Laihka

constituency carry a picture of State Counselor (and NLD leader) Daw Aung San Suu

Kyi and RCSS Chairman General Yawd Serk posing for a photo together.

The RCSS said in a statement issued on Thursday that it has no relationship with the NLD or involvement in the by-election.

The pamphlets with the photo of our chief could lead to a misunderstanding or could put pressures on voters. We do not want to see such a situation, so we issued this announcement to assure voters that the RCSS has nothing to do with the by-election and has no business with the NLDs by-election campaigns, Lieutenant-Colonel Sai Oo, a spokesperson for the RCSS, told The Irrawaddy on Friday.

NLD candidate Sai Htun Aung Lay is competing against representatives of ethnic Shan parties for a seat in the Lower House for Laihka constituency.

He will vie for the seat against Sai Shwe Seing of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) and Sai Okkar of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) party on Nov. 3.

The SNLD and SNDP are also contesting the seat, but they did not distribute such propaganda. We are afraid the voters will be confused and misinterpret the campaign pamphlets of the NLD and misunderstand the [position of the] RCSS, Lt-Col. Sai Oo said.

Moreover, the RCSS has a good relationship with all political parties, not only with the NLD. We do not want political parties to use us as a propaganda tool for the by-election, which could create misunderstandings. Thats why we made this announcement, he added.

In Shan State, the SNLD and SNDP receive more support from locals than does the NLD; the same is true of ethnic parties in other ethnic areas such as Chin, Rakhine and Kachin states.

An NLD spokesperson told The Irrawaddy that the use of the photos of the RCSS chief and the state counselor had no special intention other than to show solidarity with ethnic people.

It is just to show that our party has a strong relationship with the ethnic people, and also works for ethnic people. During the by-election campaign, some have criticized the NLD as a Burmese party which has no interest in ethnic matters, explained the spokesman, U Myo Nyunt.

We have no intention other than to show our solidarity with the ethnic people, he said.
News Shan Armed Group Reconsiders Participation in Ceasefire Monitoring Body

RCSS soldiers march in a parade to mark Shan National Day in Loi Tai Leng, Shan State, in February 2016. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) said it would stop participating in every level of Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee discussions at least until the armed groups senior leaders meet next week, claiming the committee was not abiding by the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

The RCSS has already skipped two meetings of the committee since announcing on Oct. 7 that it was assessing the bodys alleged problems and considering ways to fix them. On Thursday it said its senior leaders would discuss whether to keep participating when they meet in the second week of November.

RCSS spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sai Meng told The Irrawaddy that it would only be possible to continue with peace negotiations when the government and military reconsider their agendas for the NCA.

He cited the militarys insistence at a recent three-way peace summit that armed groups disavow secession and endorse a single national army as some of the key hurdles.

The RCSS says the military is failing to live up to not only the NCA, but to a bilateral ceasefire and code of conduct it signed with the group as well.

So we want to change the [committees] standard operating procedures and the intervention from outside experts, said Lt. Col. Sai Meng, noting that the participation of independent experts was currently very weak.

Since the NCA was signed in 2015, the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee has been charged with mediating disputes among the signatories. The RCSS and military have lodged multiple complaints against one another, the later mostly accusing the former of extortion and forced recruitment.

Lt. Col. Sai Meng said much of the NCA has yet to be implemented in part because the signatories keep accusing each other of violating the agreement.

He said the RCSS has released the soldiers it has detained over the years while RCSS members the military has arrested  he claims they were all unarmed  have been put on trial (The RCSSs code of conduct with the military says its members may travel unmolested so long as they are not armed).

We think our members who travel without weapons should not face such detention and charges, Lt. Col Sai Meng said.

The RCSS says it has asked the military to release its members many times, to no avail. It has also asked the military to release some civilians it arrested in August 2017 and charged for possessing walkie-talkies and rudimentary weapons, also without success.

The RCSSs latest move is but the latest setback for the national peace process.

Last week the Karen National Union (KNU) said it was temporarily suspending participation in peace negotiations in order to consult with its members on whether to continue taking part.

As a result of the RCSS and KNU decisions, next weeks meeting of the armed groups Peace Process Steering Team  chaired and co-chaired by the KNU and RCSS, respectively  has been postponed.
Guest Column Prisons Are Not for Journalists, Farmers and Activists

Activists and journalists call for the release of Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo in Yangon, September 2018. / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

What is the purpose of a prison? Prisons are designed to protect society from dangerous individuals that pose a risk to the public. What a prison is not, is a shield to be used to protect those in power from criticism.

In the United States, there are many who are dissatisfied with President Donald Trump. There are many who have criticized him, who have made both offensive remarks about him and his presidency. There are even those who have desecrated his picture and distributed video clips of this on YouTube. Yet as the US is a democratic society and understands that protection of free speech and the freedom to criticize those in power is the essence of a democratic society, these people were not arrested. In the US, like every democratic society, dissent is not considered a threat to public safety, nor are protesters incarcerated in prison as if they were violent criminals.

This does not happen in the US, but it happens in Myanmar. Activists, journalists and protesters are routinely arrested and put in prison for speaking out against those in power. These arrests arise from an authoritarian mindset, not a democratic mindset. In Myanmar, people who speak freely or protest against their leaders are liable to be arrested under Articles 505 (b) or 124 (a) of the archaic and repressive penal code.

If you are a government, there are people who will support you and there are people who will oppose you. That is the nature of rule. A government should attempt to change peoples negative perceptions through constructive action, not through repression. Arbitrary detention is a human rights abuse, and it will not help your cause.

Those in power in Myanmar today should take a lesson from the past. Under previous military regimes, detention, torture and repression were rife. As a result, widespread international pressure was applied. When Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and many other political prisoners were released and allowed to participate in the political process, these countries reduced their pressure and eased sanctions. The release of political prisoners was one of the measurements used to judge Myanmars democratic transition. The same standard should apply today. Pressure was lessened upon the release of political prisoners; it should be reapplied now following the arrests of journalists, activists and human rights violations.

Indeed, international pressure is already being applied. The EU is trying to withdraw its special trade benefit with Myanmar. Australia, Canada and the US have already sanctioned generals who have perpetrated human rights violations. Those in power need to be reminded that the imprisonment of journalists and activists is wrong. Further, the arrest of activists jeopardizes the hard work that many people have put into Myanmars national reconciliation process.

When journalists, such as Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo of Reuters, are sentenced to years in prison for reporting on military abuses, it shows the regime is not committed to a democratic transition. When those speaking out about government ministers on social media are arrested, it shows the government does not respect the civil and political rights of its citizens.

It is not just cruel that activists and journalist are imprisoned; it is a disservice to the country. Monitoring and imprisoning activists is not cheap. As schools, healthcare, and infrastructure suffer from a severe lack of resources, the government is wasting money by deploying police to limit access to information and constrain free expression. Public taxes should be spent helping the public, not detaining them.

Moreover, prisons in Myanmar are poorly managed. They are overly crowded and human rights abuses are common. Prisoners often suffer physical abuse and do not receive adequate medical care. The shortcomings of the prison system are the sole responsibility of the government, Parliament and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Prisons are built to contain violent offenders, not to bully, intimidate and detain those peacefully expressing their opinions. Prisons are supposed to keep society safe from dangerous individuals who pose a threat. What threat or risk of harm does a protester, journalist or democratic activist pose? Prisons are wrongfully used in Myanmar to detain, imprison and abuse activists and those critical of the regime, rather than containing threats to society.

Bo Kyi is the joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Erdogan in Paris for 100th anniversary of armistice Visit on 10-11 November, bilateral meetings with Macron, Trump

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, NOVEMBER 2 - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit France on November 10 and 11, as part of Turkey's continuing rapproachement with Europe following harsh clashes last year after Erdogan accused various European countries of "Nazi practices".



Erdogan visited Germany at the end of September.



The Turkish president will take part in the ceremony for Armistice Day, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron for the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, along with about a dozen other world leaders including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.



Erdogan will then visit the Paris Peace Forum.



Turkish media sources said bilateral meetings with Macron and Trump are also likely. (ANSAmed).




November 2, 2018



POCATELLO  Sierra Hart, a sophomore Idaho State University biology and ecology major, has been named the November ISU Career Path Intern of Month by the ISU Career Center for her work with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Hart is working at the Idaho Fish and Games Pocatello field office where she has been able to gain experience in a variety of departments including work in the habitat, wildlife fisheries and hunter education programs.

Recently, Hart taught more than 1,500 local fourth graders about poaching and hunting during Swore Farms annual Ag Days event. The event is aimed at giving children a better understanding of farming, agriculture and where food comes from. Hart led an interactive activity that helped kids understand what poaching is and why it is important to prevent poaching.

Being an intern has been a huge learning experience for me, Hart said. I have been able to see all sides of Idaho Fish and Game and now know that I want to become a populations or diversity biologist. I wouldnt know what specifically I wanted to study without this internship.

Hart especially enjoys working with non-game species including birds, bats and bees. Over the summer, Hart was hired directly by the Idaho Fish and Game as a biological aid. She worked with bats in the Arco desert, testing for diseases and helping ensure healthy populations.

This month Hart is responsible for running a wing barrel route each week, collecting wings left by bird hunters to be used in evaluating upland bird productivity. Later this fall, she will have the opportunity to participate in the Idaho Wingbee, when the National Wildlife Service partners with state fish and game agencies to collect essential data on the type, age and sex of birds harvested each year.

She is also working on replacing signage on multiple Access Yes! properties throughout the region, which is a customer service provided by the department for the public.

Sierras enthusiasm for learning more about how the Idaho Department of Fish and Game both manages wildlife and serves the sportsmen ,women and citizens of Idaho, is moving her closer to achieving her career goals, said Anna Owsiak, Harts supervisor who is the regional wildlife biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Southeast Region She demonstrates excellent professional qualities and work ethic, and has been an asset to our region throughout her entire internship experience to date.

In her spare time, Hart enjoys hunting, the great outdoors and LED hula hooping. An Inkom native, she hopes to someday attend graduate school or work in Oregon.
November 1, 2018



POCATELLO  The public is invited to the Idaho Museum of Natural History at Idaho State University annual Muggle Magic Nov. 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Since 2012, the Idaho Museum of Natural History has combined the magical world of Harry Potter with the real magic of science to bring Idaho the original Muggle Magic. The museum will be transformed into the IMNH School of Nature and Science.

This years Muggle Magic will include booths from the ISU Department of Anthropology, the ISU Department of Physics, Chuck Peterson of ISU Department of Biology, Zoo Idaho, Pocatello Greenhouse and museums staff. Participants can prepare themselves for house sorting, quidditch, hopping aboard the Hogwarts Express, herbology, potions 208, The Wand Shop, disappearing ink, owls, reptiles, amphibians, magnetism, electricity and more.

Help free Dobby, the house elf in the Harry Potter series, who needs a sock to be freed. The museum is holding a sock drive for Aid for Friends. Bring in a new pair of socks, any size, any brand, and receive a bounce-back museum admission ticket.

To avoid overcrowding, tickets are limited to 100 per hour. Entrance times will be on the hour; tickets for that hour will be honored anytime during the hour. Pre-purchased tickets will receive priority. Adults accompanied by a paying attendee are free, however, the museum is requesting that anyone who would like to participate in the activities pay the entrance fee. Tickets are $12 online at isu.edu/imnh or $15 at the door. If the hour sells out online no at-the-door tickets will be available during that sold-out hour.

Please prepared for any weather, because there could be some waiting time outside. Museum staff will try to get everyone inside and into the fun as quickly as possible.
An information and communication technology engineer, Zhao has served in a variety of senior management positions at ITU, and will now begin his second, and last, four-year term in January 2019.

Member states of the ITU re-elected Zhao at the Union's 20th Plenipotentiary Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Zhao won the position with 176 votes, from 178 ballot papers deposited, after contesting the position unopposed.

Prior to first being elected as ITU secretary-general in 2014, Zhao served eight years as ITU deputy secretary-general. He also served two elected terms as director of ITU's Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau, which develops technical standards to ensure worldwide ICT interoperability. Before that, he was a senior counsellor with TSB for 12 years.

Since being elected secretary-general of ITU in 2015, Houlin Zhao has attained marked achievements in overcoming the challenges that ITU faces in advancing its work and activities by way of promoting reform and innovation," said Wei Miao, Minister of Industry and Information Technology of China in putting forward Zhao for re-election.

His pragmatism and spirit of teamwork has been widely recognised. We are confident that Mr Zhao will undoubtedly continue to lead ITU in playing an even more important role in the worldwide development of information and communication technologies."
The head of Australia's second biggest telecommunications company has told staff that they would be fired if they upset customers, a report claims.

Allen Lew, the chief executive of Singtel Optus, also told staff, during a weekly meeting, that they should report colleagues to who were not up to the mark, MSN reported.

Lew made his statements at the weekly TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) meetings. Optus has seen a 35% surge in complaints in the recent Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman's report.

The report quoted Lew as telling employees, "The customer is why we exist. If you make customers unhappy, you will be sacked."

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission recentlycourt action against Optus, alleging the company made false or misleading representations to consumers in relation to its third-party billing service known as "Direct Carrier Billing".

The company faces $10 million in penalties in connection with this action.

At the meeting in question, staff were shown a segment from Channel Seven about the complaints.

Lew told his staff after this had screened: "Watch this and be embarrassed. At Optus there is only one boss: not me, the customer."

MSN quoted Optus vice-president of regulatory and public affairs, Andrew Sheridan, as saying in a statement that Lew was "passionate about customer service and in a recent address to staff did not sugarcoat his bitter disappointment regarding Optus performance in a recent annual TIO complaints report".

"Allen expects every Optus employee to be clear that we are all answerable to our customers, and that we are all responsible for delivering exceptional customer experience, not just those interacting with customers through stores and call centres," Sheridan added.
Microsoft has been regularly sharing the financial details of Indian bank customers with American intelligence agencies, a report by the website DNA Money claims.

The site said the information was contained in a bank document related to risk observations by the Reserve Bank of India, India's central bank.

According to this document, the data of customers who had accounts with banks that had migrated to Microsoft's Office 365 cloud-based email service was being shared with US intelligence agencies.

It said while customers were unaware of this, the banks in question were fully cognisant of what was going on.

The report quoted the report as saying about one specific case: "All the mailboxes had been migrated to office 365 Microsoft cloud environment.

"It was gathered from the Microsoft transparency hub that Microsoft is bound to share customers data under US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and US national security letters as and when required by the US authorities.

The RBI document said Microsoft had shared customer data on 3036 occasions following more than 4000 government requests or legal demands.

One bank told the website that it agreed about the data sharing with Microsoft on the proviso that customer data would be shared only if an Indian Government order or a court order was issued.

When Microsoft was asked about this, the company avoided specific questions, but instead gave a response that dealt with its position on privacy.
A Chinese Government company and a private Taiwan firm have been accused of trying to steal trade secrets from US tech firm Micron Technology.

The US Department of Justice accused Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit and Taiwan's United Microelectronics of the theft, in an indictment issued on Thursday.

The US also launched a court case to prevent the two companies from exporting to the US any products made using the allegedly stolen trade secrets.

US attorney-general Jeff Sessions said: "Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasing, and it has been increasing rapidly.

"It is time for China to join the community of lawful nations. International trade has been good for China, but the cheating must stop."

The secrets in question related to dynamic random access memory chips, the production of which is dominated by Micron and two South Korean firms, Samsung and SK Hynix.

Sessions said: Micron is worth an estimated US$100 billion and has a 20% to 25% share of the dynamic random access memory industry  a technology not possessed by the Chinese until very recently."

The three defendants were named as Taiwan nationals Chen Zhengkun, He Jianting, and Wang Yungming.

The indictment charged the defendants with being engaged in a conspiracy to steal the trade secrets of Micron Technology.

It claims Micron maintains a significant competitive advantage in this field due in large part from its intellectual property, including its trade secrets that include detailed, confidential information pertaining to the design, development, and manufacturing of advanced DRAM products.
Microsoft's Edge last month posted its first ever double-digit browser share, while Google's Chrome slid for the third month straight.

Mozilla's Firefox once again held steady, keeping its head above water.

According to data published Sunday by California-based metrics company Net Applications, Edge's October share climbed by 1.4 percentage points, ending the month at 10.2%, the first time Microsoft's browser broke through that psychologically important barrier. The gain was the largest ever for Edge in a single month, almost double that of the previous record set in December 2019.

The increase was so large that it immediately raised suspicions that it was a miscount by Net Applications rather than a reflection of reality. Bolstering that was an even greater boost to the share of Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE), the obsolete browser the Redmond, Wash. company has started to strip of some of its support. IE's share for October  5.6%  was 1.7 points higher than the month prior, a jump so out of character as to be unbelievable.

Edge's gain was understandable, at least. Microsoft relaunched that 2015 browser earlier this year when it recast Edge with the Google-dominated Chromium technology, the same that powers Chrome. Not only did Microsoft make Edge a Chrome copy, but it also expanded support to versions of Windows other than 10, as well as macOS and, more recently, Linux.

Since January, Edge has slowly been adding share; 3.2 points since the Chromium-based Edge went final in the Stable channel. In the past 12 months, Edge has gained 4.1 percentage points, for an average of a third of a point per month.

At that pace, Edge should sit at almost 11% by year's end and at 15% by December 2021. Of course, that assumes Edge can maintain growth, which in turn requires one or more rivals continues to give up share.

The most likely loser? Chrome, mostly because of its titanic share but also because Edge is, well, Chrome wearing a different outfit.

Microsoft's launch of Windows 10 20H2  the H2 signifying the year's second feature upgrade  last month may assist Edge as it continues to climb: 20H2 includes Chromium Edge. That should accelerate the replacement of original Edge, the version introduced in mid-2015 that ran only on Windows 10, with the sounder Chromium browser.

Chrome down for third consecutive month

Chrome dumped seven-tenths of a percentage point in October, falling back to 69.3%. The decline was the third in as many months, an unusual run that's occurred only four times in the browser's 15 years. (The last time it happened before this was in September-December 2019.)

Whenever Chrome suffers losses in two or more straight months, it's tempting to wonder whether the browser has peaked. Computerworld has tentatively pegged more than a couple such milestones before but been proven wrong each time. The browser could easily bounce back as it has before.

Computerworld's latest forecast  as always, based on Chrome's 12-month average  stayed with growth, albeit pared significantly from 30 days ago. Chrome should return to 70% by March 2021 and reach 71% by September 2022. (The latter was three months later than last month's forecast, showing how present declines quickly impact future gains.)

Edge remains Chrome's most dangerous competitor, primarily  and this is Google's own doing to some degree  because the former is the latter, what with both relying on Chromium. But Microsoft has cards to play here that Google cannot match; Microsoft will leverage its enterprise management reputation and expertise in an attempt to wean commercial customers from Google's browser.

Microsoft's strategy, then, would be the opposite of Google's. The latter pushed Chrome to consumers until its share reached tipping point, and employees demanded the right to run the same browser they'd become familiar with at home. Microsoft would instead hope to win over business users in the expectation that they might want to run the same browser on home PCs, tablets or even phones.

Firefox: Not dead yet!

Firefox didn't move its share needle last month; it stayed at the same 7.2% mark it earned in September. That meant Firefox didn't gain any ground. It also meant it didn't lose any, probably its most important goal for now and the foreseeable future.

Mozilla's browser also stuck to the bad news forecast of last month, although Computerworld's current prediction puts it under 6% in August 2021, two months later than last month's estimate. At its 12-month rate of decline, Firefox will dip below 5% in May 2022.

Elsewhere in Net Applications' numbers, Apple's Safari slumped by two-tenths of a percentage point in October, sliding to 3.4%. Opera Software's Opera fell by a slightly-larger three-tenths of a point to end the month at an all-time low of seven-tenths of a point.

Net Applications calculates share by detecting the agent strings of the browsers used to reach the websites of Net Applications' clients. The company counts visitor sessions to measure browser activity.

Or it used to.

At the same time it published October's share numbers, Net Applications announced that it's pulling the plug on the data source. "October 2020 is the last month of data," the firm said. "Why? An upcoming change in browsers will break our device detection technology and will cause inaccuracies for a long period of time."

The change Net Applications cited would remove much of the agent string information used not only to compile analytics such as browser and operating system share, but also by advertisers and/or scammers to "fingerprint" individuals so that they can be more thoroughly tracked as they conduct their online lives.

Computerworld has not yet decided whether to continue the "Top web browsers" series, and if so, which alternate data source might be used.

Stay tuned.
Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. High around 80F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 82F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX-V: CXB) (the Company or Calibre) announces that Ms. Julie Lassonde has resigned as a director of the Company effective immediately. The Company would like to thank Ms. Lassonde for her service and contributions to the Company.

About Calibre Mining Corp.

Calibre owns a 100% interest in over 413 km2 of mineral concessions in the Mining Triangle of Northeast Nicaragua including the Primavera Gold-Copper Project and Santa Maria Gold Project. Additionally the Company has optioned to IAMGOLD (176 km2) and Centerra Gold (253 km2) concessions covering an aggregate area of 429 km2 and is party to a joint venture on the 33.6 km2 Rosita D gold-copper-silver project with Rosita Mining Corporation and Century Mining. Major shareholders of Calibre include gold producer B2Gold Corp, Pierre Lassonde and management.

Calibre Mining Corp.

Greg Smith, P.Geo.

President and CEO

For further information contact:

Ryan King

604 628-1012

www.calibremining.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.
Bowalley Road Rules



The blogosphere tends to be a very noisy, and all-too-often a very abusive, place. I intend Bowalley Road to be a much quieter, and certainly a more respectful, place.

So, if you wish your comments to survive the moderation process, you will have to follow the Bowalley Road Rules.

These are based on two very simple principles:

Courtesy and Respect.

Comments which are defamatory, vituperative, snide or hurtful will be removed, and the commentators responsible permanently banned.

Anonymous comments will not be published. Real names are preferred. If this is not possible, however, commentators are asked to use a consistent pseudonym.

Comments which are thoughtful, witty, creative and stimulating will be most welcome, becoming a permanent part of the Bowalley Road discourse.

However, I do add this warning. If the blog seems in danger of being over-run by the usual far-Right suspects, I reserve the right to simply disable the Comments function, and will keep it that way until the perpetrators find somewhere more appropriate to vent their collective spleen.


KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- Klamath Falls residents are voting whether to allow recreational marijuana sales within city limits.

Edward Medina, Jr. is the owner and person responsible for distribution at A Better Way Medicinal Alternatives LLC in Klamath Falls, one of the few remaining medical marijuana retailers licensed by the state.

If Measure 18-112 passes, it would do three things:

 Remove a 2015 ban on recreational marijuana producers, processors, wholesalers, and retailers within city limits,

 Impose a 3 percent tax on the sale of marijuana items by recreational marijuana retailers in the city, and,

 Establish an advisory committee to the Klamath Falls City Council to advise on policies and regulations about the marijuana industry.

The options that the state has left us is to go recreational, or go home, Medina said.

He supports the passage of Measure 18-112, which would allow him to get a license from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to sell recreational and medicinal marijuana.

For him, its necessary to keep his business alive, as the number of state-licenses processors are decreasing, as they move from medicinal to recreational cannabis. This means the product available for him to sell is disappearing.

If the measure passes, it would do three things:

 Remove a 2015 ban on recreational marijuana producers, processors, wholesalers, and retailers within city limits,

 Impose a 3 percent tax on the sale of marijuana items by recreational marijuana retailers in the city, and,

 Establish an advisory committee to the Klamath Falls City Council to advise on policies and regulations about the marijuana industry.

Medina worries if the measure fails, hell have to close up shop, which will limit product access for his patients. He says he worries theyll either have to travel several hours to get it, or get it illegally.

So the hope is, if this measure passes, were able to provide products so we can reduce the black market and establish some new businesses in Klamath County, Medina said.

Klamath County Sheriff Chris Kaber sees it a little differently. He believes itll be harder to find illegal marijuana grows if the legal stuff is allowed in.

"The black market is much larger in Klamath County than people realize, Kaber said. Wherever you're trying to mix legal with illegal -- it does happen; its happening right now -- it makes the illegal harder to identify."

Other organizations are opposed to the measure, saying itll harm graduation rates, increase emergency room visits, and harm property value.

CLICK HERE to read arguments against the measure.

CLICK HERE to read arguments for the measure.
CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. 

UPDATE (November 6): The deceased has been identified as Richard James Ocoyne (46) from Cave Junction.

UPDATE: Around 8 a.m. on Monday morning, Oregon State Police says that troopers and Josephine County Sheriff's deputies responded to the report of a shooting in Cave Junction.

Investigation revealed that a man drove up to a house on Ken Rose Lane and began shooting at the residence. One of the occupants of the house fired back at the vehicle, OSP said. The male suspect in the vehicle was hit, and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The Oregon State Police Major Crimes Team has command of the investigation going forward. OSP says that no further information will be released at this time.

NewsWatch 12's reporter on the scene said that the situation appeared to have reached some kind of resolution not long after 1 p.m.  with personnel from law enforcement beginning to leave the area and opening Ken Rose Lane back up for traffic.

(Updated 11/2/18 at 2 p.m.)

INITIAL REPORT: The scene of a shooting south of Cave Junction is still extremely active  with police, emergency crews and SWAT personnel all in attendance.

Details of the situation are still vague at this time. Earlier this morning, Oregon State Police (OSP) confirmed that they were "assisting Josephine County on a shooting call." The epicenter of the situation is Ken Rose Lane, just south of Cave Junction along the Redwood Highway.

A NewsWatch 12 reporter on the scene says that ambulances, fire trucks from Illinois Valley Fire District (IVFD) and a SWAT armored vehicle are in the area. OSP has confirmed that the scene is "still not secure."

Law enforcement has not yet verified if anyone has been harmed, and what the current state of the situation may be.

This is a developing story, and NewsWatch 12 will be updating this article with more details as they emerge.
MEDFORD, Ore.  Lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer in both men and women, as well as the leading cause of cancer deaths. Whether you're concerned about your lung health or just curious, there's a place you can go to get answers.

On November 14, Providence Medford Medical Center will be holding a free lung cancer screening for all-comers. There will be doctors available to listen to check for signs of lung cancer.

The event lasts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1111 Crater Lake Avenue in Medford. Registration is encouraged, although it is not mandatory. Register at (503) 574-6595 or at providence.org/classes.
The veteran faced a similar situation when a jewellery advertisement featuring him and his daughter Shweta Bachchan.

The Bar Council of Delhi has issued a legal notice to Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, Everest Masala, YouTube, and a media house for using a lawyer's attire in an advertisement.

The notice stated that respondents have failed to take due precautions before using the lawyer's attire and are liable for legal action for telecasting the advertisement without any authority.

'You are required to immediately stop all such advertisements and also give an undertaking to the Bar Council of Delhi, Bar Council of India and other states Bar Councils that the lawyers' attire shall not be used in any advertisement in future,' read the notice.

The Bar Council also asked the respondents to furnish an undertaking in 10 days, failing which further action will be initiated.

In the commercial, Big B can be seen sitting in his dressing room, wearing a lawyer's suit, as two junior artists enter and offer him Pav Bhaji. After eating the meal, the actor applauds the food and the spices used in preparation.

The veteran faced a similar situation when a jewellery advertisement featuring him and his daughter Shweta Bachchan had to be withdrawn after legal action was threatened against them for portraying bank employees in a negative light.
7 Shares Share

I doubt there is anyone living in the U.S. who doesnt realize we have an opioid crisis here. Politicians debate the solutions to abating the high death rate that comes along with it, however, they fail to acknowledge that there are Americans in pain. Yes, we need to be sure opioids are prescribed judiciously. However, we also need to treat patients in pain.

As a doctor, it is not always easy to distinguish a patient who has real pain from one who is just looking to score a prescription for their own addiction or for diversion. A big problem that is not acknowledged by those in DC is the fact that there are not many effective pain medications out there. Additionally, services that may help such as physical therapy, are often not covered well by health insurance companies and unaffordable for patients.

While the lawmakers haggle out drug quantity limitations and the easy availability of Narcan, we need better tools to treat pain. Much pain can be treated by fixing the root cause through modalities such as physical therapy. But, why would a patient pay more money to work hard when they can just get a pill to dull their pain? These tools must be made more accessible to patients.

Additionally, there are not many different classes of pain medications out there. Some, such as NSAIDs, can cause gastrointestinal bleeding or kidney disease. They are not meant to be taken on a long-term basis. Others such as gabapentin are not meant to treat all kinds of pain. Even over-the-counter Tylenol can cause liver problems when taken in high enough doses. We clearly need new classes of medications available to treat pain.

What can politicians do to address the crisis other than what they are doing?

1. Make insurance companies cover services such as physical therapy in a way that is affordable to most patients. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), preventive medical services were mandated to be made available without certain costs to the patient, such as copay. In a similar way, physical therapy services can be made available without the patient needing to pay out cash every time they go. The insurance company can foot the bill and this would indeed save costs down the road in terms of avoided spinal surgeries and joint replacements.

2. Fund pharmaceutical research towards creating new classes of pain medications that are effective and non-addicting.

3. Stiffen the penalties for those caught diverting these medications. If they are caught selling these drugs to minors, the penalty should be greater as we now have a crisis of opioids or heroin in teens.

4. Make state registries available across state lines of all 50 states. Also, it should be made available to all working in the health care profession and not just physicians. In this way, a medical assistant could be doing the search while the doctor is treating the patient.

5. Stop making mandates on physicians on how to prescribe. Yes, we all know there is a crisis and have to work to keep opioids out of the hands of those who truly dont need it. However, when you make laws that doctors can only prescribe five days of medications at a time, you are not only making it harder on doctors but on patients as well. Imagine being a patient bedridden with metastatic breast cancer and being forced to fill your pain medications every five days. That is just cruel.

6. Stop debating. We heard all your arguments. We dont care to fulfill your agendas. Opioid addiction exists on both sides of the aisle and while the debate rages on, more people die of overdoses.

While there is little doubt of the devastating toll opioid addiction has played in the lives of many, we still are not grasping what are the key problems. Until we truly examine why this problem exists, we will not stamp it out just be limiting the way prescriptions are written. Yes, there is some drug diversion going on and it can be a profitable business for many. But we also need to solve the problem of pain.

Linda Girgis is a family physician who blogs at Dr. Linda.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
HOOD RIVER, Ore. (AP) -- Authorities say a deputy fired shots at a man who tried to run him over at a trailhead parking lot in the Columbia River Gorge.

KGW-TV reports that Hood River Sheriff's Deputy George Economou was walking toward a vehicle in the parking lot of the Mitchell Point Trailhead west of Hood River at about 1:30 a.m. Monday when the vehicle began moving.

Oregon State Police said the driver backed out of the parking spot, drove around the lot and then drove at Economou.

Police say Economou fired several rounds at the vehicle, which then crashed into his patrol car and went down an embankment.

Police say 50-year-old Lonnie Stinnett of Garibaldi, Oregon, was not injured. Deputies took him into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence and other charges.

The Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team is investigating.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Federal officers say authorities in Portland prevented them from taking an undocumented immigrant into custody before his release from jail.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the man, 45-year-old Martin Gallo-Gallardo, is charged with murdering his wife after his release from jail.

The case spotlights Oregon's sanctuary law just as voters on Tuesday will decide whether to repeal it.

Multnomah County says they didn't get the request but can't recognize civil detainers anyway because of state law.

ICE says it placed an immigration hold on Gallo-Gallardo in March when he was arrested in a domestic violence case.

He posted bail and prosecutors dismissed assault charges against him when his wife and a daughter wouldn't cooperate.

He was charged this week with murder for allegedly stabbing his wife, 38-year-old Coral Rodriguez Lorenzo.
ALOHA, Ore. -- Two parents in the Portland area went to the hospital after eating Halloween candy laced with meth.

Washington County Sheriffs deputies said the parents got sick from eating Sour Patch Kids candy that their kids got while trick or treating Wednesday in Aloha.

Deputies said the parents told them the candy wrapper appeared to be fully sealed, but Detective Mark Povolny added that appearances can be deceiving.

"You could liquify the meth, put it in a syringe and then you could inject the syringe through the plastic bag," Povolny said.

They said the children did not eat the candy.

Deputies said they seized the candy and wrapper as evidence, sent it to the state crime lab, and it tested positive for meth.

The parents were taken to the hospital for evaluation.
It is also being reported that 4 members from Bollywood will go to Lake Como in Italy for the wedding.

DeepVeer's wedding preparations begin with Deepika Padukone doing Puja at her Bangalore home.

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, after 6 years of dating, are finally set to take the next step, as they are all set to get married on November 14-15.

The wedding ceremony extends to two dates since they will get married with South Indian rituals as well as Anand Karaj, which happens to be the auspicious ceremony in Ranveer Singhs caste.

The ceremonies began today as Deepika attended a puja in Bangalore, looking gorgeous in an orange salwar kameez.

She appeared happy and concentrated, but what stole our major attention was the huge jhumkas which went up to her shoulder.

Also, as reported earlier, the colour co-ordination of the outfits has begun, which made the photos even more interesting.

It is also being said that 4 members from Bollywood will go to Lake Como in Italy for the wedding, where both the families will wear colour co-ordinated outfits and Deepikas side of the family will wear Sabyasachi outfits.
Kilkenny Library Service will host a special talk exploring the devastating impact of the Spanish Flu outbreak in Kilkenny 100 years ago.

Noel Campbell, curator with the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, will examine the impact of the Spanish Flu in Kilkenny through stories of personal loss and the public service breakdown forced by the disease. The event takes place on Tuesday, November 13.

From 1918 to 1919, the Spanish Flu claimed 23,000 lives and infected some 800,000 people in Ireland over a 12-month period. No group, location or aspect of life was spared. However, the epidemic remains an almost forgotten event in 20th Century Irish history.

We are delighted to be involved in this special programme entitled The Enemy within-The Spanish Flu in Ireland 1918-1919," says County Librarian Josephine Coyne.

"This is a programme of remembrance and research marking the centenary of this major event."

The Spanish Flu remains an understudied event in history despite claiming more lives worldwide than the Great War, according to Mr Campbell. The National Museum of Ireland has developed a programme which will be informative, engaging and also challenging as we attempt to understand the Spanish Flus true significance and probe why this pandemic has been almost forgotten in our study and understanding of 20th Century Irish history.

'The Enemy within - the Spanish Flu in County Kilkenny' takes place at the City Library, Johns Quay, Kilkenny at 1pm on Tuesday, November 13. All are welcome.

For more information visit Kilkenny Library on www.kilkennylibrary.ie or phone 056-7794160.
The ballroom at Langtons was filled to the brim perhaps as much to see Fr Peter McVerry as to hear about the new novel.

But he soon made clear why he was endorsing this book. Riveting is the word he used to describe Savoir.

Simply rivetting. I didnt want to leave it down, he said. I dont finish a lot of books, but I wanted to finish Savoir.

I wanted to find out what happened to this dysfunctional Irish family, the two teenage children and the husband, as well as what happened to the mother Annie as she fled for her life.

Lorraine Corrigan of Amber Kilkenny Women's Refuge opened the launch speaking about their shelter, followed by Ruth Butler speaking about Kaza Centres services, including a school outreach programme about date rape and what constitutes consent.

Then Fr McVerry spoke in glowing terms about how Savoir genuinely captured situations he deals with everyday in his work with the homeless.

After giving this very enthusiastic launch to Savoir, he introduced Janet ORourke, the author. She talked about the French connection and the significance of the cover's tagline-'One desperate action can save or destroy the life of a whole family'.

Janet then read a few powerful passages from the novel.

It was a truly wonderful evening. Full of inspiration, hope and light.

The book will be available at mini launches around the country with all profits from the sale of the novel going to womens aid services in that geographical area, or go to www.janetorourke.com
TD John McGuinness has no intention of stopping his trips to Taiwan  despite a letter from the Ceann Comhairle recommending just that.

Deputy McGuinness makes regular trips to Taiwan for his work as Chairman of the Taiwan Ireland Parliamentary Friendship Association. He was therefore recently surprised by a letter from Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail saying that Taiwan shouldnt be engaged with.

O Fearghail believes that McGuinness trips could damage Irelands relationship with China, who still see Taiwan as part of their territory. In his letter, he expressed concerns that relations with Taiwan would cause serious offence and grave concern to our Chinese friends and has the potential to cause serious damage to Irelands developing relationship with China as well as being a danger to Irelands national interest.

He reminded the TDs that Ireland, along with all other EU states, as well as the EU itself, adheres to the One China policy. As a result, Ireland does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, he wrote.

McGuinness has dismissed the Ceann Comhairles warning as bizarre, and has defended the relationship he has strengthened with Taiwan over a number of years. He claimed that his groups trips there are about building and maintaining business links, not political ones.

Despite these instructions from O Fearghail, his party colleague, TD McGuinness is determined to go ahead with a planned trip to Taiwan in January.

The relationship is like any other relationship that countries have. And its true to say that America has a sizeable relationship with Taiwan and so have many other countries. McGuinness states. Who is to dictate who we should speak to and who we should trade with?
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KILKENNY people with a passion for great food are being encouraged to get their tickets now for a major foodie event just over the border in Carlow.

Carlow will showcase the very best of its proud and evolving food and drink culture to a captive audience for three very special days as the countdown begins to this years Carlow Culinary Christmas festivities from December 6 to 8.

Long renowned as the home of the rooster potato, fabulous fruit, vegetable, organic and free range farms, Carlow now boasts an internationally acclaimed brewery, whiskey and gin distilleries, a booming town-centre farmers market and an authentic food and restaurant trail that continues to grow.

Celebrity chef, Rachel Allen and Fishy Fishys Martin Shanahan, will share top tips on how to create the perfect festive food and tantalising treats for family and friends across the holiday season at this years Carlow Culinary Christmas events in the stunning Visual Arts Centre each evening. Festival-goers will also visit the amazing food village which opens nightly from 7pm and features even more local produce and delights.

Carlovian, Ireland and Leinster rugby giant and farmer, Sean OBrien, is a proud Carlow Culinary Christmas Ambassador. Theres nothing like getting back to Carlow, particularly at holiday time, for a feast of fresh home produce. Were very fortunate to have amazing food suppliers across Carlow and an incredible food trail that showcases the very best the region has to offer.

Im proud to support Carlow Culinary Christmas and really encourage not just local people, but food lovers from all over Ireland, to come along, support local and buy into what is shaping up to be an incredible Christmas in the region.

The packed, three day Carlow Culinary Christmas programme includes Martin Shanahans demonstration on Thursday, December 6 and an evening with Rachel Allen on Friday, December 7. Theres also a fun-filled Cook Off on December 8 featuring Chef Adrian, Karl Spain, Gearoid Farrelly, Ed Cahill and Rachel Doyle, childrens workshops and so much more.

Tickets for the nightly demonstrations are 19.50 each. For bookings and more visit www.visualcarlow.ie.
Shah Rukh came outside for a few minutes to thank his enthusiastic fans and greeted them with folded hands.

Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan who turned 53 on Friday, greeted thousands of his fans outside his residence at midnight and thanked them for their wishes.

"We have been waiting here since a long time to get a glimpse of Shah Rukh. He is my favourite superstar," said one of the fans, who via different antics wished Shah Rukh outside Mannat here.

Shah Rukh came outside for a few minutes to thank his enthusiastic fans and greeted them with folded hands.

Looking at the situation, security was beefed up well in advance outside Shah Rukh's residence.

Meanwhile, the 'Badshaah' of Bollywood will be releasing the much-anticipated trailer of his upcoming movie 'Zero' later today.

The trailer will be released at a grand event which will be attended by SRK and the leading ladies of the film  Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. The makers of the film have planned on taking the event a notch higher by recreating Meerut city and establishing Ghanta Ghar along with the colourful mela-like set up which will feature food joints and game stalls.

In the film, SRK plays the role of a vertically challenged man who falls in love with a superstar, played by Katrina, while Anushka will also play a pivotal character.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa  Law enforcement is looking for an attempted murder suspect in North Iowa.

The Charles City Police Department says it got a report just after 1:30 am on October 28 of a stabbing in the 700 block of Riverside Drive. Officers arrived on scene to find the suspect gone and one victim having already been taken to the Floyd County Medical Center by private vehicle.

Police say two victims were treated and released from the hospital and an investigation led to a charge of attempted murder being filed Friday morning against Trellis Baily, 35.

Baily has not been located at this time but Charles City police say they believe this stabbing was an isolated incident where those involved knew each other. They say the general public is not in any immediate danger.

Anyone who knows where Trellis Baily is or could be, is asked to call the Charles City Police Department at 641-228-3366.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A Clear Lake man is facing felony drug charges after being found with a large amount of cash and drugs near him in Mason City.

Harold Stinnett, 28, is facing a controlled substance violation and possession of a controlled substance-second offense, after being stopped at 2nd St. NE and N. Pennsylvania Ave. on Friday morning at 12:39.

Authorities said Stinnett was observed driving without a license, quickly pulled over and fled on foot before officers could signal him to stop.

He was found a short time later about a block away from where his car was stopped. Within that path, a case with multiple baggies (totaling 6 grams) of what appeared to be methamphetamine was found, according to court documents. Stinnett also had more than $1,200 in cash.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Day of the Dead, also known as Dia de Los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday celebrated by people of Mexican heritage all over the world. It lasts from October 31-November 2 and is a time to honor friends and family who have passed away.

At Cafe Steam on Thursday, the Rochester Art Ensemble held a Day of the Dead celebration. Community members were invited to add drawings, paper flowers, photos, or other momentos to the alter at the front of the Cafe. There were paper and markers available to make crafts, as well as coloring books.

Danny Solis, who is of Mexican descent, is co-director of the Rochester Art Ensemble. He says that Dia de Los Muertos is for everyone, no matter their heritage. "If you've ever lost a loved one, even a pet, or there's a time in your life that you remember fondly that's gone... I've even heard of people who day of the dead remembrances for cars that they loved but aren't around anymore... but if you've ever had something or someone that you loved, come out and take a moment to remember them," he says.

From 7 PM to 9 PM, there was a Day of the Dead themed open mic night at the cafe for people to share poems, stories, songs, and other performances.

Solis says that celebrating Day of the Dead and his Mexican heritage during a time where there are divisive views about immigrants, "makes me more ferociously proud than ever and it makes me want to instill in my son the idea that what he is, a Mexicano, a Chicano, is something to be proud of."
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Now that Halloween is over, Family Dentist Tree in Rochester and Root River Dental in Stewartville are both having candy buy-back events. They'll purchase leftover candy for one dollar per pound of candy.

Family Dentist Tree is sending their candy to Operation Shoebox, a program that send care packages to U.S. Military troops. Root River Dental is sending their candy to Treats for Troops.

"Obviously candy causes cavities and a lot of kids kind of hold onto the candy and have 2 pieces a day for the next few months, so this is a way to try to get all of that candy kind of out of their homes and out of their mouths," says Dr. Jake Peters, dentist at Family Dentist Tree.

Family Dentist Tree will accept candy until Thursday, November 8, and Root River Dental is buying candy Thursday, November 1 and Monday, November 5.
HANCOCK COUNTY, Iowa - Around 20 people came out with their combines and trucksThursday morning to finish this year's harvest for Denny Steiff, who passed way earlier this year after a brief bout with cancer.

Steiff's neighbor Kevin Lackore knew him all his life.

"As I knew Denny, he was a very caring person. He put his daughters right on top. If there was an event, he was always involved."

When Denny came down with cancer in February, he needed help planting his crops.

"Through that February to May time, neighbors came over to help haul some grain. We had two neighbors come over and plant his crop for him. So we got his crop in and he got to see it happen, not involved in it."

Denny's sister Renee Nieman says his tradition of farming will continue, thanks to a generous neighbor.

"Just put it in reliable hands with the neighbors, and it's going to be a really good thing."

Matt Keel is one of the organizers helping to finish Denny's harvest.

"It was easy finding help, between his brother in-law, my dad and myself. Finding guys lining up."

And they brought plenty of equipment.

"Four combines, four grain carts, and I think 13 trucks we ended up having today."

With all of the help and resources available, Keel says it's a true testiment to how willing farmers are to help one another out in times of need.

"It just proves what kind of tight-knit community we have around here. I wouldn't asked to be raised in any part of the world with all what's going on. This really humbles you, humbles you up and makes you appreciate life and family and farming in itself."

Keel says that Steiff's daughters are retaining ownership of their dad's land, which is a century farm, and will be renting it to keep the farm operational.
GOODELL, Iowa  An Illinois woman is accused of stealing thousands of dollars of jewelry in Hancock County.

Tiffany Leanne Clayton, 30 of Jacksonville, IL, is charged with 2nd degree theft. Authorities say she was staying at a home in Goodell between December 2017 and February 2018 and stole jewelry from the homeowners estimated to be worth $9,450.

Authorities say some of the jewelry was pawned in Mason City by Clayton, while other pieces of jewelry were pawned by friends of Clayton.

A warrant was issued for Clayton on April 9 and she was arrested in Mason City on October 24.
LATIMER, Iowa  A Worth County man is facing charges in Franklin County after law enforcement says he took a ride on the hood of a minivan.

Jesse Paul Mugen, 29 of Manly, is accused of domestic abuse assasult-3rd or subsequent offense and 4th degree criminal mischief. He was arrested after an incident around 9:30 pm Wednesday at Dudleys Gas Station in Latimer.

According to court documents, Mugen got into an argument with his girlfriend, jumped on the minivan and punched the passenger side window until it broke. Authorities say Mugens girlfriend received a cut around her right ear from the broken glass.

Law enforcement says the driver of the minivan then tried to drive away with Mugen still on the hood, stopping before leaving the parking lot and causing Mugen to fall off.

Authorities estimate the damage to the minivan window at between 400 to 500 dollars.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  Reaction is pouring in after a racially-charged photo appeared on social media.

Rochester Public Schools has issued the following statement and confirmed two of the people in the photo attend John Marshall High School.

Rochester Public Schools is aware of and investigating a racially charged image that is circulating on social media allegedly involving students at one of our schools. We want to ensure you, and our community, that the District will respond in an appropriate manner based on the results of our investigation, the school said Thursday morning.

We are unable to provide further comment on this situation due to state and federal data privacy laws that protect student information. However, it is important for our community to know that RPS strives to create a welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds and is committed to providing a learning environment that is free from discrimination. We want you to know that we have additional staff at the school today, to help support our students. The social media post is not a reflection of what our district students and staff believes and feels. We will use this as an opportunity to talk, educate, and grow as a community as we work to become even stronger and more inclusive to all students.

The Pine Island school district has also issued a statment.

"The Pine Island Schools recently became aware of a racially-charged image that is circulating on social media allegedly involving a student enrolled at our school. The district is investigating the image that was posted on the eve of October 31st. It's the absolute goal of the Pine Island School District to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all our students. We are committed to being inclusive to all students and will use this opportunity to educate, grow and strengthen our district. In no way is this social media post a representation or reflection of the beliefs or values of the district or community."

The Rochester Police Department says a report was filed with them over the incident but it is not being investigated as a crime, as of now.

"At this time with the information that I have, there is no criminal issue regarding the photo, says Captain Casey Moilanen. Although the photo is horrible and its not something that should be shown in any social media or any place else for that matter, it doesnt make the photo a crime in and of itself. If its being used to intimidate and harass somebody that may be a different story. If we do get reports of a crime that may be involved with this photo, we will investigate it and look into it, but with the information that I have at this point, theres nothing criminal involved in this particular case that would allow us to investigate it. Its distasteful and its a horrible picture, it doesnt mean that its a crime to have a picture like this.

A joint statement was issued from the Southeast Social Justice Coalition, the Diversity Council, Rochester for Justice, CIDI, NAACP, UU Racial Justice Task Group, Cure, Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Council, Olmsted County Human Rights Commission and Sierra Club North Star Chapter.

Both collectively as a broad coalition of organizations and as individual members of this community, we condemn without qualification the behavior of the students who dressed as KKK members and in blackface for Halloween in Rochester last night. We assert that we cannot continue to be "shocked and saddened" by these types of incidents without recourse. There is no room in our community or in our shared future for racism, hatred, discrimination, or belligerent ignorance. We will act. There is space now for each of us to step up and interrupt those things happening around us that perpetuate these divisive attitudes and behaviors. To truly make our community a safe and welcoming place for everyone, we all have a responsibility to recognize and interrupt the words, actions, and attitudes around us that perpetuate white supremacy. We pledge to take ownership of the intolerances that keep us as a community from reaching our fullest, most inclusive potential. We will find allies and supports when we need them. We will lift, together, now, the statement said.

Rochester Army Recruting Sargent Breckenridge issued this statement.

Because the questionable conduct of these three individuals is inconsistent with Army values, they will no longer continue the process to become U.S. Soldiers. The Army does not tolerate inappropriate behavior by anyone within our ranks, including recruits who have signed a contract to join in the future. It is important for everyone on our team to live and demonstrate the Army values every day.
It is no longer sufficient to be a saver. Saving money in a bank account is a critical first step to any long-term family financial plan. But after saving sufficient funds for dealing with expenses, both ordinary and unexpected, a long-term financial plan must reach beyond a savings account. Many Americans  now more than ever  have a relationship with a brokerage firm, to buy and sell stocks and other financial securities. Here are some things you should keep in mind.

1. Investigate before you invest.

Almost all brokerage firms and individual brokers are registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. FINRA is a self-regulatory organization under federal securities laws. FINRA operates Broker Check, which investors can access at https://brokercheck.finra.org/. This allows you to review the regulatory compliance history of the firm, and the individuals, you are dealing with.

2. Read your paperwork every month.

Take the time to review any changes to your account every month. If youve chosen electronic document delivery, log on at least once a month. This has a number of benefits. It compels you to stay abreast of your holdings, and it will alert you to any transaction you do not recognize. Such events are rare but can be very consequential. If you do find a transaction you do not understand, by all means call the brokerage. But  and this is important  if there is an error in your account, make sure to write to your brokerage firm about the error. Should there be any question about the validity of any transaction, you want to be able to say that the transaction was recognized quickly and documented as soon as possible.

3. Understand your investments.

If you dont understand an investment, then you shouldnt be involved in it. Here is an actual investment pitch: Objectives are achieved through a top-down, bottom-up process that identifies disparities in the economy or securities sectors, creating +/- changes in market perception. Huh?

4. Understand that no investment is guaranteed.

Unlike bank deposits, investing involves risk. No one can assure you that any one of your investments is foolproof. Indeed, if you are told by any party, be it a brokerage firm, or any other person soliciting your money, that the investment is guaranteed, beware.

5. Make sure your securities are held by an SIPC member brokerage firm.

Brokerage firm failures are rare. However, if for any reason your securities broker cannot return your securities to you, you have certain protections available to you from the Securities Investor Protection Corp. To learn more about SIPC, how you are protected, and the limits of that protection, visit the SIPC website at www.sipc.org. You can check on the website to assure that your brokerage firm is, in fact, a member of SIPC.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Trump administrations decision to ask about citizenship on the 2020 Census questionnaire could undermine the quality of the data by discouraging non-citizens from responding, the U.S. Census Bureaus chief scientist said.

But, added John Abowd in written testimony seen by Reuters, the question will not necessarily lead to an undercount, because the government has strategies to mitigate these effects.

Abowds declaration, which has not previously been made public, comes as the administration of President Donald Trump prepares to defend the controversial policy shift in a two-week trial scheduled to begin on Monday in federal court in New York.

The addition of the citizenship question was announced in March by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who billed it as a way to enforce the Voting Rights Act. The act requires a tally of citizens of voting age to protect minorities against discrimination.

Eighteen states and 15 cities have since sued the administration, arguing that the new question is actually intended to depress participation in the Census by immigrants, who tend to reside in Democratic-leaning areas.

If undercounted, areas with high immigrant populations could lose seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as their share of more than $800 billion in federal aid, both of which are allocated based on population data.

Abowd, the governments main witness in the trial, acknowledged in his declaration that the question could lower the quality of census data.

But he said there was no quantitative evidence it would lead to an undercount, citing other means of enumeration, like following up with non-responders, gathering data from existing government records, and estimating data that cannot be found directly.

Earlier this year, Abowd was among the Census Bureau officials that advised Ross against adding the question, saying it could discourage participation.

Some census experts argue that, while there is no data suggesting the citizenship question will lower the overall count, there is also no evidence to the contrary.

Former U.S. Census Bureau Director John Thompson, an expert witness for the plaintiffs, said in a September declaration that obtaining such documentation would involve a multi-year testing program.

The Trump administration has denied any pretext for adding the question, saying the rationale is supported by an extensive administrative record, and is legally enforceable even if the plaintiffs show that Ross may have had other motivations for the decision.

The government argues that in order to block the question, plaintiffs would need to prove that the bureau would be unable to avoid an undercount. Abowds testimony is central to the governments defense on that point.

While the trial is set to start Monday, the Trump Administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to delay it.
Richa said the phrase - female oriented films - will continue to be relatively novel till such movies become a norm.

Richa Chadha is currently shooting for her next, "Shakeela", the eponymous biopic on the popular Malayalam adult star.

Mumbai: Richa Chadda despises the term "female-oriented" films but the actor says the phrase will continue to be relatively novel till such movies become a norm.

The 31-year-old actor says she started hearing the term when Sridevi's "English Vinglish" released in 2012 but adds actors like Nutan to Rani Mukerji have been the face of their films from a long time.

"I never buy this 'women-oriented' term. I don't like it. I have been hearing this term since 2012 that 'English Vinglish' is coming. I always turn around and say 'You never call the other things male-oriented'. But I guess it'll be a thing, till it becomes a norm.

"Be it Nutan, Nargis Sridevi or Rani (Mukerji), these women have done films which they have carried on their shoulders completely. There was an entire alternate cinema movement with Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Deepti Naval, Mita Vashisht and Neena Gupta... These are great actresses and they have done some excellent work," Chadha told PTI in an interview here.

The actor is currently in the city shooting for her next, "Shakeela", the eponymous biopic on the popular Malayalam adult star.

Directed by Indrajit Lankesh, the film narrates the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of Shakeela Khan, who ruled the South Indian cinema of the '90s. She has acted in several adult films in languages spanning Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

Year 2018 saw films like "Padmaavat" and "Raazi", fronted by women, emerge as some of the biggest money-spinners and Chadha says the audience has always been ready for a female star who would drive the crowd towards the theatres.

"I think it's the producers, distributors and exhibitors who have not been ready. It is an issue.

"Men control the business and they say the film is female-oriented and it won't work till its ti*s and as*. But you don't know, a good story connects somewhere," she adds.

"Shakeela" is already being compared to Vidya Balan's critically-acclaimed hit "Dirty Picture".

Inspired by southern star Silk Smitha's life, the 2011 film explored the journey of a woman who dreams to be a star, goes on to become a sex symbol and following repeated failures, commits suicide.

Many claim that "Shakeela", the film appears to have been cut from the same cloth but Chadha disagrees.

"Comparisons will happen but we can't do anything about it. I can't escape that. I thought about it but now I'm not going to fight it. Shakeela became a star when Silk Smitha killed herself. Within two years of Silk's death, Shakeela was a superstar.

"She was a ready replacement of somebody who had just passed away. It's the same period, the aesthetics, the visuals and technically too things are same. The two films will appear similar to the inexperienced eye. But the two are very different. It's in a different zone. At least they will compare me to Vidya Balan and the film to a blockbuster like 'Dirty Picture'."

The actor says Shakeela, who has been an integral part of the biopic from the outset, is a living example of feminism in practice.

"She knows her career and personal life have suffered because of the courageous decisions she has taken to stand up against oppression of any kind. She knows she's paying the price for it.

"I could imagine any person in her place as being bitter, angry, suicidal or dependent. Going to school and learning feminism is one thing and living feminism is another. She has done the latter."

Shakeela will also have a cameo in the movie.

The film also stars Pankaj Tripathi and the makers are eyeing a release date post March 2019.
Interestingly, Mr Jogis daughter-in-law Richa has filed nomination from Akaltara seat in Chhattisgarh as a BSP candidate.

Bhopal: In a surprising move, Congress on Thursday denied ticket to Renu Jogi, wife of former chief minister Ajit Jogi, to seek re-election from her Kota seat in Chhattisgarh in the November 20 Assembly polls. Ms Jogi, a sitting Congress MLA, had been camping in Delhi for the past few days to lobby with the party high command for her re-nomination in the Kota assembly constituency in the coming polls.

She had failed to get appointment with party high command, a senior Congress leader of Chhattisgarh disclosed to this newspaper on Thursday. The Congress ended month-long suspense over her re-nomination from the seat when it declared its final list of 19 candidates on Thursday evening in which Ms Jogi did not figure. Ms Jogi however told a section of media on Thursday that she would not leave Congress in spite of being denied ticket by the party.

I am in Congress, she said.

Sources however said she was most likely to file nomination for Kota seat as a candidate of Janata Congress Chhattisgarh founded by her husband a couple of years ago.

If she joined JCC, then the last link of Jogi family with Congress would be snapped.

Senior Jogi, a former Congress Working Committee (CWC) member, had left the party to float JCC in 2016 following expulsion of his son MLA Amit, a sitting MLA, from Congress in the wake of allegation of his link to the reported fixing of an assembly by-election in Chhattisgarh leading to victory of BJP candidate. Senior Jogi on Thursday filed nomination for Marwahi (ST) Assembly seat as a JCC candidate.

Interestingly, Mr Jogis daughter-in-law Richa has filed nomination from Akaltara seat in Chhattisgarh as a BSP candidate.
The massacre is being attributed to the growing polarisation in Assam over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and National Register of Citizens.

Security sources said that these youths were playing Ludo in a village shop when the Ulfa(I) militants picked them up on gun-point. (Representational image)

Guwahati: Suspected armed militants of the outlawed United liberation Front of Asom (Independent) on Thursday massacred at least five youths belonging to a particular linguistic community in Upper Assams Tinsukia district.

Police said that the incident took place in Kherbari village under Dhola police station area at about 8.55 pm when heavily armed Ulfa(I) militants kidnapped five youths from a village shop. They then took the young men to the banks of Brahmaputra, lined them up and shot them dead one by one.

Those killed have been identified as Shyamlal Biswas, Anant Biswas, Awinash Biswas, Subel Das and Dhananjoy Sudra.

Senior police officers were tight-lipped about the incident. However, security sources said that it was the handiwork of Ulfa(I) militants. Security sources said that these youths were playing Ludo in a village shop when the Ulfa(I) militants picked them up on gun-point.

Ulfa(I), whose commander-in-chief is Paresh Barua, is yet to claim responsibility. The massacre is being attributed to the growing polarisation in Assam over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and National Register of Citizens.

Security sources said that killing was the fallout of the growing rift between Bengali and Assamese people over proposed amendment of the Citizenship Bill by the BJP at the Centre.

The massacre comes weeks after ULFA(I) detonated a low-intensity bomb in Guwahati on October 13 to protest against the Centres bid to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Four people, including a woman, were injured in the blast.

On Thursday, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the killing and rushed his ministers, Keshav Mahanta and Topon Kumar Gogoi, to the incident site to take stock of the situation.

The chief minister also asked DGP Kula Saikia and ADGP (law and order) Mukesh Agarwalla to rush to the site.

Army and police teams have also been rushed to the spot. Mr Sonowal in his first reaction said that the perpetrators of the crime would be dealt with firmly.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also condemned the incident. Terrible news coming out of Assam. We strongly condemn the brutal attack in Tinsukia. Is this the outcome of recent NRC development? We have no words to express our deep sorrow to the grieving families. The perpetrators must be punished at the very earliest, she tweeted.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, under the consideration of joint parliamentary committee of both the Houses, has triggered series of protests in Assam. The bill seeks to provide citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, i.e. Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who entered India till December 31, 2014.

The Congress is opposing the bill on the ground that it is against the Assam Accord. In 1985, the Assam Accord was signed following which it was decided that for Assam the date of detection and deportation of foreigners will be March 25, 1971, irrespective of religious affiliation.

The BJPs ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has threatened to quit the alliance if the bill is passed by the Parliament.

The All Assam Students Union (AASU) and several other organisations have been agitating against the bill that aims to allow migrants to seek citizenship on religious lines.
Yogeshwar had defeated Ms Kumaraswamy in 2008 on a BJP ticket and went on to become a minister.

Bengaluru: In a major embarrassment to the BJP, L. Chandrashekar, the partys candidate pitted against chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamys wife, Anitha Kumaraswamy, in the bypoll to Ramanagara Assembly constituency, jumped ship and joined the Congress hours before campaigning drew to a close on Thursday.

Announcing his decision to return to his mother party, Mr Chandrashekar accused the BJP and its leaders of abandoning him after picking him for the bypoll. But his move triggered allegations by top BJP leaders of big bucks being used by the Congress-JD(S) coalition to hijack their candidate. Both the Congress and JD(S) joined hands to embarrass the BJP in the byelections. I wish them luck for hijacking our candidate, state unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa remarked with sarcasm.

Union minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, who is in charge of the elections in the Ramanagara Assembly constituency, also lambasted Mr Chandrashekar for quitting the party two days before polling. The BJP thought Chandrashekar was a genuine politician after he left the Congress, but the party now realises that although he joined it, he has the Congress in his blood. The BJP will not forgive him for his betrayal and nor will the voters, he added.

The betrayal strategy, however, was a well-crafted move by water resources minister D.K. Shivakumar, his younger brother D.K. Suresh, MP, and Mr Kumaraswamy to checkmate another Vokkaliga and former minister C.P. Yogeshwars plan to build a support base for the BJP in Ramanagara ahead of next years Lok Sabha polls.

Mr Yogeshwar had defeated Ms Kumaraswamy in 2008 on a BJP ticket and went on to become a minister. When he rejoined the saffron party after some party hopping, he was put in charge of both Ramanagara and Mandya districts. He was trying to emerge as the new Vokkaliga face in the region, but the families of Mr Shivakumar and Mr Kumaraswamy united to cut him to size.

Insiders of both parties said the coalition partners ensured that the BJP did not suspect any foul play till the last minute and pulled the rug from under it when it was least expecting it.
'These allegations were false and were consequently denied,' MJ Akbar said.

MJ Akbar claims that the journalist entered into consensual relationship with him in around 1994. The relationship spanned several months. (Photo: Twitter | @pgogoi | PTI)

Mumbai: MJ Akbar, accused by several journalists of sexual harassment in #MeToo movement, on Friday said that the allegations made by The Washington Post journalist are false.

In a statement to news agency ANI, the former union minister said that his lawyer received a series of cryptic and non-specific questions from The Washington Post on October 29, regarding incidents alleged to have taken place approximately 23 years ago.

These allegations were false and were consequently denied, MJ Akbar said.

Referring to an article published in The Washington Post written by Pallavi Gogoi where she has accused Akbar of raping her, the former junior minister of foreign affairs said, I have had occasion to read this article and it has become necessary, at this point in time, to bring certain facts to light.

Akbar claims that the journalist entered into consensual relationship with him in around 1994. The relationship spanned several months.

This relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on best note, Akbar claimed.

Also Read: #MeToo: US-based journalist accuses former minister MJ Akbar of rape

Akbar added, People who worked with me and knew both of us (Pallavi and him) have indicated that they would be happy to bear testimony to what is stated above and at no stage, did the behavior of Pallavi Gogoi, give any one of them impression that she was working under duress.

MJ Akbar's statment. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Reacting for the first time over the sexual harassment allegation made against Akbar, his wife Mallika told ANI that she maintained silence all this while #MeToo campaign has been unleashed against her husband. However, The Washington Post article by Pallavi Gogoi alleging that she was raped by him forces me to step in with what I know to be true, she said.

Mallika claimed that Gogoi had caused unhappiness and discord in their house over 20 years ago due to her relationship with MJ Akbar.

I learned of her (Gogoi) and my husbands involvement through her calls and her public display of affection in my presence. In her flaunting the relationship, she caused anguish and hurt my entire family, she said.

I don't know Pallavi's reasons for telling this lie, but a lie it is, Mallika added.

Mallika said that at The Asian Age party at their home, crowded with young journalists, she watched with mortification and pain as her husband and Gogoi danced close. I had confronted my husband at the time and he decided to prioritise his family, she added.

She further claimed that another woman journalist who accused Akbar, Tushita Patel, and Pallavi Gogoi were often at her home but none of the two carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault.

Tushita Patel and Pallavi Gogoi were often at our home, happily drinking and dining with us. Neither carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault, Mallika said.

MJ Akbar's wife Mallika Akbar's statement. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Strong counter reactions came after Mallika's statement supporting MJ Akbar.

Karuna Nundy, an advocate with the Supreme Court, said most sexual assault survivors don't 'carry the haunted look of victims'.

Much as I respect Mallika Akbar, most sexual assault survivors don't "carry the haunted look of victims". Much like wives of renegades, they try to balance the competing demands of patriarchy and carry on with their lives the best they can. https://t.co/UJu9iPSQxz  Karuna Nundy (@karunanundy) November 2, 2018

Researcher and teacher Maya Mirchandani said that MJ Akbar has clearly woken up to the fact that he cant scare off the women accusing him with a defamation case.

Consensual between an editor and a 23 yr old employee?! Right,Sure. Hes Clearly woken up to the fact that he cant scare off the women accusing him with a defamation case. Rape carries a 7 year prison sentence if found guilty. that must have hit home! #MJAkbar #MeToo #MeTooIndia https://t.co/9D6YF0zGVA  Maya Mirchandani (@maya206) November 2, 2018

Over a dozen women in the last few weeks have spoken about their harassment in the hands of the former editor. Instances mentioned range from the 1990s, when he was editor of The Telegraph and subsequently The Asian Age, till well into 2000.

Akbar has sued journalist Priya Ramani for criminal defamation after she named him as the subject of an article she had written in Vogue last year.
In a first-person account, journalist Pallavi Gogoi has written about the traumatic abuse she faced at the hands of MJ Akbar.

'In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me,' the journalist wrote. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: In the wake of #MeToo allegations by women journalists against editor-turned -politician MJ Akbar, another woman journalist who worked with Akbar at The Asian Age during the 90's has now accused him of assaulting and raping her.

In a first-person account, Pallavi Gogoi, an editor at the National Public Radio (NPR), has written about the traumatic abuse she faced in a column published by The Washington Post which has been dismissed by Akbar's lawyer.

Terming them as the 'most painful memories' of her life, the US-based journalist recalls that as a 22-year-old graduate, she was 'star-struck' when she joined The Asian Age's Delhi office to work under a leading and successful editor -- MJ Akbar.

Soon after, in 1994, Akbar 'applauded her efforts and suddenly lunged to kiss' her. The journalist recalls that she was left 'red-faced, confused, ashamed, destroyed'.

In just a span of a few months, the second incident took place in Mumbai where she says Akbar 'came close to me to kiss me'. When she 'fought him and pushed him away', Akbar ended up scratching her face.

After returning to Delhi, Akbar 'threatened to kick me out of the job if I resisted him again' said the journalist.

The third incident took place when she was called by Akbar, who was in Jaipur, to 'discuss a story' in his hotel room where he eventually assaulted and raped her.

"In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me," the journalist wrote.

The journalist, who did not tell anyone about the incident, said 'instead of reporting him to the police, I was filled with shame.' She added that she became helpless and Akbar 'continued to defile her' for a few months.

The abuse did not end here and continued even when the woman journalist moved to the London office where Akbar 'hit her and went on a rampage, throwing things'. The journalist confided in her family and friends and left The Asian Age soon after.

The journalist says she wrote the column to 'support the many women who have come out to tell their truth'.

MJ Akbar resigned from the post of junior foreign minister on October 17 and filed a lawsuit against journalist Priya Ramani for outing him. He has also labelled these allegations as 'baseless and wild'.

Read the full report here.
Sensing trouble, the Congress president appointed a three-member committee to iron out the differences between the senior leaders.

New Delhi: The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Congress came in for a rude shock on Wednesday evening when two of its senior leaders exchanged heated notes.

Sources say that during the meeting of CEC, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia entered into a verbal spat on the selection of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. Congress president Rahul Gandhi along with other senior leaders of the party were present in the meeting.

Sources added that during the meeting, the two leaders told each other to mind their language. However, Mr Digvijaya Singh on Thursday evening tweeted it is being wrongly reported in press that I and Scindia ji had any argument and Rahulji had to intervene. All of us in the MP Congress are one and determined to defeat the corrupt BJP government in MP.

Sensing trouble, the Congress president appointed a three-member committee to iron out the differences between the senior leaders.

The committee members include Ahmed Patel, M Veerappa Moily and Ashok Gehlot. They were also asked to sit with the warring leaders and resolve the differences.

Insiders claim that the leadership of the Congress was unhappy with the dissent amongst its leaders coming out in the open.

The CEC meeting for Madhya Pradesh remained inconclusive after it continued beyond midnight.

Insiders say a third meeting of the CEC, the partys body for selecting candidates, for Madhya Pradesh is likely to be held later. No candidate has been announced for the state.

The process of nominations for Madhya Pradesh starts on Friday with the issue of gazette notification.

After 15 years of remaining in opposition in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress fancies its chances of snatching power from the BJP. Till now the party was able to keep the differences amongst its leaders under wraps.
Kushwahas comment came a day after he was offered 2 Lok Sabha seats by BJP national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav during a meeting in New Delhi.

Patna: RLSP Chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwahas jibe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar that he has reached political saturation point, has not gone well with the Janata Dal (United).

While the BJP has not given any rection, the JD(U) reacted bitterly to Mr Kushwaha. In a statement, the party said, Every political leader has the right to dream but in Bihar, there is no vacancy for the post (of CM). Nitish Kumar is the Chief Minister and will remain on the post for many years to come.

Mr. Kushwaha while addressing his partys youth wing which had gathered to celebrate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhabahi Patel in Patna on Wednesday had said that, Nitish Kumar has been Bihar CM for the last 15 years, but he wants to step down from the post. He shared this with me during a personal conversation recently.

Mr Kushwahas comment came a day after he was offered two Lok Sabha seats by BJP national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav during a meeting in New Delhi.

During his speech, Mr. Kushwaha said that his party is ready to sacrifice seats but also want the BJP to explain why RLSP was kept out of Bihar cabinet while other smaller parties like Ram Vilas Paswans LJP were accommodated during the formation of government in July 2017.

In partnership, gains and losses are shared equally. But what did RLSP get? I am not demanding any ministerial berth in Bihar now because time has passed. However, I want to know why RLSP was kept out during the formation of government in Bihar.

On a number of occasions after his meeting with BJP leadership in New Delhi, he said that his party wants a respectable number of seats for 2019 general elections.

Mr Kushwaha has been upset ever since Nitish Kumar returned to NDA fold and formed a government with BJP in 2017. He has also been unhappy over the diminution in his partys clout within the NDA after Kumar returned to the coalition. His meeting with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav last week had also sparked speculations over his future course of action.

RJD sees RLSP chief as a powerful Koeri leader, the largest OBC caste group after the Yadavs in Bihar. Koeris form around 10 per cent of voters in the state. RJD leaders feel that Kushwahas entry in Mahagathbandhan may cause a massive dent to JD(U)s vote bank in Bihar.

The political scenario in Bihar has changed. Our partys support base has increased in the last 15 years. Ignoring Mr. Kush-waha is not easy for Bihar parties. But right now we are waiting for the BJP to call us for discussions. Speculations regarding RLSP holding talks with Mahagathbandhan are baseless, RLSP leader Jitendra Nath said.
In a statement, Editors Guild said it is discussing its future course of action on his membership.

MJ Akbar is a past president and continues to be a member of the Editors Guild of India. (Photo: File | PTI)

New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India on Friday said it is tracking with "great concern" fresh allegations of sexual misconduct against former editor MJ Akbar and a decision on his membership of the top editors' body will be taken after "due process" is completed.

In a statement, the Guild said it is discussing its future course of action on his membership.

Akbar is a past president and continues to be a member of the Guild.

The statement came after a US-based editor of a leading media house accused the former Union minister of raping her in India 23 years ago.

Read: 'It was consensual relation': MJ Akbar on US-based journalist's rape claims

The Guild said it is "tracking with great concern fresh, and serious allegations of sexual misconduct" against Akbar.

"In accordance with the decision of the Guild's last EGM (extraordinary general meeting), as ratified at the subsequent meeting of the executive, membership of those editors, whose profession has changed from journalism goes dormant. Mr Akbar's membership is also therefore dormant," the statement said.

Also Read: #MeToo: US-based journalist accuses former minister MJ Akbar of rape

The Guild said that as provided by its Constitution, the executive committee is writing to Akbar to respond to these allegations.

"His response will then be put up to the executive. A decision on his membership will be taken once this due process is completed," the Guild said.

Akbar on Friday denied accusations of rape by Pallavi Gogoi, claiming he had consensual relationship spanning several months with her but it ended "perhaps not on the best note".

Also Read: Twitteratti slams Akbar, his wife for consensual comment on rape charge

In a separate statement Akbar's wife Mallika also dismissed Gogoi's accusations, made in a article published in The Washington Post on Friday, as a "lie".
However, analysts said any potential Iranian oil sanction waivers would likely only be temporary.

Reportedly close US allies, South Korea and Japan had received waivers along with India. A list of all countries getting waivers was expected to be released officially on Monday. (Representational image | PTI)

New Delhi/Singapore: The US government has agreed to let eight countries, including close allies South Korea and Japan, as well as India, keep buying Iranian oil after it re-imposes sanctions on Tehran from next week, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a US official.

Irans biggest oil customers - all in Asia - have been seeking sanctions waivers to allow them to still buy some of its oil.

Bloomberg reported that close US allies South Korea and Japan had received waivers along with India, which relies heavily on supplies from Iran, adding that a list of all countries getting waivers was expected to be released officially on Monday.

A Chinese official told Reuters that discussions with the US government were ongoing and that a result was expected over the next couple of days.

We think Trump will agree to China importing some volumes, similar to the treatment that India and South Korea receive, Clayton Allen of Height Securities said in a note on Friday.

However, analysts said any potential Iranian oil sanction waivers would likely only be temporary.

The US may use waivers to slow-walk implementation, but these will not apply indefinitely, Allen said.

Goldman Sachs said it expects Irans crude oil exports to fall to 1.15 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of the year, down from around 2.5 million bpd in mid-2018.
Easing compliance with environmental rules, MSMEs will need single air and water clearance to establish a factory.

New Delhi: In a Diwali bonanza, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a slew of measures, including sanction of loans of up to Rs 1 crore to small and medium enterprises in 59 minutes through a special portal, to give a boost to the nations second biggest employing sector.

The 12 new decisions announced will enhance small industries credit access, a move seen as a part of the governments political outreach ahead of the Lok Sabha polls just months away.

GST-registered small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can now avail of loan of up to Rs 1 crore in just 59 minutes, he said announcing the measures. Also, GST-registered MSMEs will get 2 per cent interest subvention or rebate on incremental loan of up to Rs 1 crore, he said.

Interest subvention on pre and post shipment credit for exports by MSMEs has been increased from 3 per cent to 5 per cent, the Prime Minister informed.

The decisions, which he termed as historic, were announced to boost MSMEs by improving their access to market, hand-holding and offering facilitation support. It also include relaxation in labour and company laws as well as easier compliance with environmental rules for MSMEs.

He said the governments move will make Deepawali brighter for the sector and its millions of entrepreneurs and employees.

The Prime Minister also announced Rs 6,000 crore for creation of 20 hubs and 100 tool rooms for technology upgradation.

Talking of India jumping 23 places on World Banks Ease of Doing Business ranking, Mr Modi said in four years his government has achieved what many did not believe and achieved what no other nation in the world has done  leaping from rank 142 in 2014 to 77 now.

Breaking into the top-50 rank is not far away, Mr Modi claimed.

To rid the sector of inspector raj, Mr Modi announced that inspections of factories in the sector will be sanctioned only through a computerised random allotment and inspectors will have to upload reports on portal within 48 hours. No inspector can now go anywhere. He will be asked why he went to a factory, he said.

Easing compliance with environmental rules, MSMEs will need single air and water clearance to establish a factory.

MSMEs will have to file just one annual return on eight labour laws and 10 central rules, he said, adding that an ordinance has been promulgated to simplify levy of penalties for minor offences under the Companies Act.

He said public sector companies, which were mandated to source 20 per cent of their annual procurement from MSMEs, will now source at least a quarter of their requirement (25 per cent) from the sector.

At least 3 per cent of sourcing by PSUs would have to be done from MSMEs run by women, he added.

Also, all central public sector enterprises will have to take membership of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to facilitate online procurement of common use goods and services by various government departments and organisations.

Clusters for MSMEs in pharma sector will be created to boost production in the sector, he said.
The teacher, Sunita discovered about her husband Manjeets extra-marital relationship with Angel.

Manjeet, husband of the deceased, his girlfriend Angel Gupta alias Shashi Prabha and Rajeev, were arrested in connection with the murder of Sunita, the teacher, in northwest Delhis Bawana area. (Photo: angelgupta.com)

New Delhi: The murder case of a 38-year-old Delhi school teacher, who was shot dead on her way to school on Monday, took a sensational turn after police arrested her husband and his model girlfriend.

Manjeet (38), husband of the deceased, his girlfriend Angel Gupta alias Shashi Prabha (26) and Rajeev (40), were arrested in connection with the murder of Sunita, the teacher, in northwest Delhis Bawana area, police said on Thursday.

Sunita, mother of 16-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, discovered about her husband Manjeets extra-marital relationship with Angel.

When Sunita opposed their relationship, Manjeet and his girlfriend Angel conspired to eliminate her. The two hired killers to eliminate Sunita. Angel's father Rajeev helped them in the conspiracy, the police said after the arrest.

The online portfolio of Angel Gupta says she was born to an Indian father and British mother and that she a correct example of beauty and style. It metioned that "her father loves her madly".

Sunita was shot dead on Monday morning by unknown assailants while she was on the way to her school. She was shot thrice and was declared brought dead at the hospital, police said.

A manhunt is underway to nab the people who were hired for the murder, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta said.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
The two children who died in a house fire Friday morning in Waco were identified Friday afternoon as Anthony Cole Puente, 4, and Rachael Rose Puente, 2.

A GoFundMe account has been established to help the family with expenses.

The two children died in a fire that started early Friday morning at their familys home in the 1200 block of Webster Avenue.

Crews were dispatched to the fire at around 1:30 a.m.

Flames were shooting from both sides of the house when the first firefighters arrived.

Firefighters quickly discovered that the two children were still inside the home, EMT Deputy Chief R.M. Bergerson said.

Bergerson said it took 12 minutes for firefighters to find the two; one was inside a closet and the other inside a bathroom.

Both children were taken to Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center in critical condition.

They died a short time later.

The children's grandmother and her 11-year-old daughter escaped from the burning home.

The 11-year-old girl is a student at West Avenue School.

Our principal has been in contact with the family, and we have delivered clothes and school supplies to the campus for that student. We are also working with the Faith Alliance, a group of about 40 local congregations that support our schools in a variety of ways, to identify additional resources for the family, Waco ISD spokesman Kyle Debeer said.

This is a devastating tragedy, and our hearts break knowing that one of our families lost two young children last night. We hope that the support that we can offer will provide some small measure of comfort at this terribly difficult time, he said.

The house in which the children died is next to Jesses Tortilla Factory at 1226 Webster.

The tortilla factorys manager, Santos Rodriguez, said the 4-year-old came into the business all the time.

He was loud and fun and always asked me for tortillas, Rodriguez said.

He had this great big smile. I sure will miss that smile.

The fire was under control in less than 15 minutes, Bergerson said.

The home sustained significant damage from smoke, fire and water.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Waco Fire Chief Bobby Tatum said.

This terrible tragedy affects our entire community. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family, he said.

Waco police are investigating the children's deaths.
- T. S. Eliot

Thoughts After Lambeth

"The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide."
In 2017, the bonus was given but the administration deducted Rs 500 per month from the salaries of the employees.

Mumbai: A day after a heated altercation between BEST committee members and BEST general manager Surendra Bagde, the BEST administration Friday announced Rs 5,500 as ex-gratia to its 40,000 employees. The BEST, which is already facing a financial crisis, will have to bear an additional burden of Rs 22 crore. The BEST committee chairman Ashish Chemburkar said that the bonus amount would not be deducted from the employees salary.

In 2017, the bonus was given but the administration deducted Rs 500 per month from the salaries of the employees. This time, the bonus has been announced without any deduction from salary.

As soon as the meeting of the BEST committee commenced, the general manager of BEST said that considering the demands of the committee members and the hard work of the BEST employees, it had been decided to pay Rs 5,500 to each employee of the BEST. Interestingly, the BEST administration Thursday said that it did not have the financial capacity to handle the additional burden of bonus.

Sources in the BEST said that they had spoken to municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta about the Rs 22 crore loan for payment of bonus to BEST employees. Once the financial condition of the BEST improved, the money would be paid to the civic body.

After declaration of the bonus, the BEST committee approved all business proposals. A committee member Anil Kokil said, I have requested the administration that the amount of the bonus should not be deducted from the salaries of the employees.

All members of the committee expressed their gratitude towards the BEST administration for declaring the bonus.
The companies have already agreed to increase the rate, said Mr Raote.

Representatives of the cab aggregators companies also attended the meeting and decided to end the strike. (Representational Image)

Mumbai: After 12 days of strikes the drivers of Ola and Uber finally called off their strike temporarily on Friday night. Sachin Ahir, Mumbai Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president, along with office bearers of the Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh (MRRKS) held a meeting with transport minister Diwakar Raote at Mantralaya on Friday night. Representatives of the cab aggregators companies also attended the meeting and decided to end the strike.

Speaking with The Asian Age, Mr Roate said that the strike has been called off and the companies have already agreed to increase the rate. The Ola and Uber will give some incentive to the drivers for the losses incurred till November 15. The companies will also look into the fuel charges and other problems too.

Mr Ahir said, We have temporarily suspended the strike with the assurance by cab aggregators to increase the fare price as and when the fuel prices are increased. They will pay additional amount or more than the fare price given to the cab drivers.

He said, Once we get the final proposal from Ola and Uber, we will decide further course of action.

Meanwhile, sources in Ola claimed that lot of customers have been texting them since last two days asking when the services would be resumed. Also, the drivers are keen to resume services but out of fear, they dont.

Uber is pleased to announce that independent driver partners registered with the Uber app in Mumbai will return to work immediately, effectively ending a 12-day-old strike. A special Diwali incentive for Uber drivers, who wished to resume driving, that was due to expire 5 November 2018, will now be extended till 15 November, 2018. Uber will also endeavour to examine a fuel price based earnings index to look at ways of making net earnings on the Uber platform more sustainable. says Uber spokesperson.
Modi has in recent years backed RuPay, whose rise has broken the dominance of US payment giants such as Mastercard and Visa.

Modi has publicly endorsed the indigenous card payment network, saying using RuPay was like serving the country as its transaction fee stays within India and could help build roads, schools and hospitals.

Mastercard told the United States government in June that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using nationalism to promote the use of a domestic payments network RuPay, and New Delhis protectionist policies were hurting foreign payment companies, a document seen by Reuters showed.

Modi has in recent years backed Indias homegrown payments network RuPay, whose rise has broken the dominance of US payment giants such as Mastercard and Visa. More than half of Indias 1 billion debit and credit cards now go through the RuPay payment system, and that means companies such as Mastercard face an uphill task to expand rapidly in one of the worlds biggest payments growth markets.

Modi has publicly endorsed the indigenous card payment network, saying using RuPay was like serving the country as its transaction fee stays within India and could help build roads, schools and hospitals.

In a written reference to Modis stance, Mastercard told the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on June 21 that the prime minister associated the use of RuPay cards with nationalism, claiming it serves as kind of national service.

The note, which was sent by a Mastercard Vice President for Global Public Policy, Sahra English, said that, while Modis digital payments push was commendable, the Indian government had adopted a series of protectionist measures to the detriment of global companies.

US companies in India have been increasingly battling Modis policies they perceive to be protectionist. This year, US technology companies have protested against an Indian law that would require them to store more data locally, raising their costs.

The previously unreported note, which was seen by Reuters, shows the extent to which Modis support for RuPay frustrated the Purchase, New York-based company, which is the worlds second-largest payments processor.

Increasing rhetoric from the prime minister and government mandates on promotion and preference for RuPay ... continues to create market access issues for US payments technology companies, Mastercard said in the note.

The Indian governments preferential treatment of RuPay coupled with fallacies on pricing must be discontinued, the company asked the US government to propose.

In response to Reuters queries, Mastercard said in a statement it fully supports the Indian governments initiatives and is deeply invested in the country. The company did not comment on its USTR note and its executive Sahra English did not respond to questions.

The USTR did not respond to a request for comment and it was not clear whether the US agency raised Mastercards concerns with New Delhi. Visa did not respond to Reuters queries.

There was no response to requests for comment from Modis office.

Mastercard, whose president and chief executive is India-born Ajay Banga, has a planned investment outlay of USD 1 billion in its key Indian market for 2014-2019. With 2,000 people, India accounts for 14 percent of the global Mastercard workforce, the largest outside the United States.

The company recruited a Bollywood actor this year for a campaign aimed at encouraging consumers in smaller cities to use debit cards more regularly as it seeks to grow in India.

In November 2016, Modi started promoting the use of digital payments after replacing high-value currency notes in an attempt to crack down on the black economy.

That increased card usage: Indians in August clocked transactions worth USD 51 billion on debit and credit cards, nearly double the amount recorded in November 2016, according to data from the central bank, which does not provide separate usage statistics comparing Indian and foreign payment networks.

Foreign card companies have also had to contend with a growing use of mobile wallets and state-backed digital money transfer services, some of which Modi promoted.

RuPay received a major boost due to Modis so-called financial inclusion programme launched in 2014, which meant that all Indians opening a bank account for the first time were offered a RuPay card, not a Mastercard or Visa.

The Indian card network was developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), a group largely owned by state banks but which also counts private and foreign banks among its shareholders. It also oversees the payments services in India.

In its note to the USTR, Mastercard said the government had mandated banks to support the NPCI directly and indirectly, making it the sole beneficiary of Modis financial inclusion programme.

The NPCI acted both as a quasi-regulator and a competing payment network, Mastercard said, adding that this was compounded by the governments open preference for RuPay with misleading statements and inaccurate information on pricing, despite Mastercard being priced lower than RuPay.

Pricing refers to the fee paid by banks to payment processors such as Mastercard for card transactions. The company did not detail which specific statements it was referring to.

The chief executive of the NPCI, Dilip Asbe, did not respond to a request for comment.

At one point, RuPay levied a transaction fee which was half of that charged by Mastercard and Visa, one industry source said, but the US card companies reduced charges in recent months. The pricing and charges are not publicly available.

Modi in June said foreign card companies take their transaction fees abroad and as everyone cannot go to the border to protect the country, we can use RuPay card to serve the nation.

A month later, Mastercard issued a press statement which said the company gets only 15-20 percent of debit card transaction fees, while the rest stays within the Indian economy. It did not name RuPay.

(Source)
Dhaka, Nov 1 (AFP) Award-winning photographer-activist Shahidul Alam, who has been held by Bangladeshi authorities for three months in an internationally watched freedom of speech case, has been denied bail for the fourth time, his lawyer said Thursday.

The 63-year-old Alam was arrested on August 5 for making "false" and "provocative" statements on Al Jazeera television and Facebook during student protests. He says he has been beaten while in custody.

A high court in Dhaka took Alam's latest bail petition request off its hearing list without giving a decision or a reason, his lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua told AFP, slamming the action as unjustified.

Alam's arrest has triggered international protests, with rights groups, UN rights experts, Nobel laureates and hundreds of academics calling for his release.

After three previous bail attempts failed, lawyers launched the latest petition two weeks ago.

"We are very unhappy. There is no justification for detaining a person without trial for three months," Barua said.

He said the detention was "a clear violation" of Alam's fundamental rights under Bangladesh's constitution.

Alam's arrest followed nine straight days of protests by students who blocked Dhaka streets to show their fury at road safety conditions after two teenagers were killed by a speeding bus.

Alam told Al Jazeera the protests were the result of pent-up anger at corruption and an "unelected government... clinging on by brute force." The photographer is being investigated under Bangladesh's internet laws which critics say are used to stifle dissent and harass journalists.

Alam, whose work has appeared widely in international media and who founded the renowned Pathshala South Asian Media Institute -- faces a maximum 14 years in jail if convicted. Others were also detained on similar charges during the protests.

The photographer told reporters outside court in August that he had been beaten in police custody so that his tunic needed washing to get the blood out.

The Human Rights Watch group has denounced Bangladesh authorities for targeting activists and journalists instead of prosecuting those who attacked students during the protests.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, used her first statement to raise the attacks and arrests of journalists in Bangladesh.

In recent weeks, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been accused of stifling dissent further by ratifying a controversial new digital security law.

A prominent critic of the government was arrested for defamation last month days after he helped form an opposition coalition. (AFP) PMS

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington D. C, November 01: United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday stated that as many as 15,000 troops could be deployed to the southern border to deal with the caravan of migrants from Central America, many of who seek asylum.

"As far as the caravan is concerned our military is out, we have about 5,000-8 (thousand), we'll go up to anywhere between 10 (thousand) and 15,000 military personnel on top of border patrol, ICE and everybody else on the border," CNN quoted Trump as saying.

This follows the Pentagon's move to deploy over 5,200 additional active duty troops to the southern border and has identified a further 2,000 that could be sent. While there are 2,100 National Guardsmen deployed at the border, another 2,000 could be sent if the need arises. Solar-Powered Tunnel With Rail System Unearthed Under US-Mexico Border in California.

"The number of troops deployed will change each day as military forces flow into the operating area, but the initial estimate is that the DOD will have more than 7,000 troops supporting DHS across California, Arizona and Texas," a statement from Pentagon read.

The migrants are around 1200 kilometres away from the US border and will take weeks to reach. Trump is also "very seriously" considering severing aid to countries where the migrants are coming from.

"Nobody's coming in. We're not allowing people to come in. If you look at what happened in Mexico two days ago with the roughness of these people in the second caravan that's been forming, and also frankly in the first caravan, and now they have one forming in El Salvador. We are thinking very seriously, immediately stopping aid to those countries because frankly, they're doing nothing for the American people," Trump stated.

"Immigration is a very, very big and very dangerous, a really dangerous topic and we're not gonna allow people to come into our country that don't have the well being of our country in mind," Trump added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, Nov 1 (AFP) US Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced charges Thursday against Chinese and Taiwan companies for theft of an estimate USD 8.75 billion worth of trade secrets from US semiconductor giant Micron.

Sessions said the case was the latest in a series that are part of a state-backed program by Beijing to steal US industrial and commercial secrets.

"Taken together, these cases and many others like them paint a grim picture of a country bent on stealing its way up the ladder of economic development and doing so at American expense," Session said.

"This behavior is illegal. It is wrong. It is a threat to our national security. And it must stop."

The indictment released in the US district court in San Jose, California alleges that Chinese state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. and privately owned United Microelectronics Corporation of Taiwan, along with three UMC executives, conspired to steal Micron trade secrets to help UMC and Fujian Jinhua develop DRAM chips used in many computer processors.

It said the three Taiwanese men -- Stephen Chen Zhengkun, He Jianting and Kenny Wang Yungming -- all previously worked at Micron and stole its technology when they joined UMC with the express purpose of transferring it to Fujian Jinhua, a two-year-old firm.

Chen was originally a top executive at Micron, then moved to lead UMC, and subsequently became president of Fujian Jinhua.

The move posed a major threat to Micron, a company valued at around $100 billion and which controls 20-25 percent of the global market for DRAM, or dynamic random-access memory, chips.

The indictment came four months after Fujian Jinhua won a patent dispute with Micron in a Chinese court, gaining an order for the US company to stop sales in China of more than a dozen solid-state drives, memory sticks and chips.

In retaliation, the US Commerce Department on Monday placed heavy restrictions on Fujian Jinhua's ability to buy US machinery and materials for its factories that would boost its DRAM production capabilities.

The new restrictions mean US firms will need special approval to export products intended for use by state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Company, Ltd., according to a statement.

In addition to the criminal charges announced Thursday, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit to block imports of any UMC and Fujian Jinhua products using stolen Micron technology.

In the past two months the Justice Department has also indicted 12 Chinese, including three intelligence officials, in an alleged five-year plot to steal jet engine technology from major US and French companies who supply the world's airlines. (AFP) PMS

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, November 2: In a shocking revelation, after several sexual harassment cases against ex-Union Minister MJ Akbar, another case has come to the front. Former Asian Age journalist has claimed that she was raped by Akbar. In her Opinion piece for Washington Post, the woman journalist narrates her ordeal of harassments faced at the hands of Akbar. From initially trying to forcefully kiss her, to scratching her face, when she resisted his attempt to finally managing to rip her clothes off and rape her at a hotel in Jaipur. Last month, Akbar resigned from his post, after he was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women in the #MeToo movement. MJ Akbar Resigns as MoS For External Affairs Amid #MeToo Allegations.

MJ Akbar on Wednesday recorded his statement before the Delhi's Patiala House Court in the defamation case filed by him against journalist Priya Ramani. The bench took cognizance of his testament and fixed November 12 as the next date of hearing. #MeToo Row: MJ Akbar Records Statement Before Court in Defamation Case Against Journalist Priya Ramani; Next Hearing on November 12.

The criminal defamation suit was admitted by the Patiala House Court on October 18. However, 20 other journalists have come out in support of Ramani, and testified against Akbar in a joint statement. The scribes claim that they were sexually harassed by Akbar when he presided over the editorial team in the Asian Age.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 02, 2018 09:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Jammu, November 2: One terrorist was killed in joint operations in Handwara area of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, the Northern Command, Indian Army informed. Reports inform that the incident took place after security forces launched an operation following intelligence inputs about the presence of militants in the district. The incident comes a day after two terrorists were killed in a brief shootout with security forces in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.

On Thursday, two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed and a soldier was injured after the encounter broke out in Budgam. The security forces launched a search operation based on credible inputs about the presence of terrorists in Zagoo locality of Khansahib area of the district, a police official said.

One terrorist killed in joint operations in Handwara: Northern Command, Indian Army. #JammuAndKashmir  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

Incidents of stone-pelting were also reported from the area. An outdoor broadcasting (OB) van of a media organisation was damaged in a stone-pelting incident in Budgam district, the police said. Jammu And Kashmir: Soldier Injured In Gunfight In Kulgam District; Cordon And Search Operation Underway.

According to a PTI report, the slain militants were identified as Mukhtar Ahmad Khan, a resident of Arizal in Budgam and Mohammad Amin Mir of Pampore in Pulwama district. Meanwhile, the injured jawan is stated to be stable. The police has registered a case and started an investigation into the matter.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 02, 2018 09:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Mumbai, November 2: Cab drivers associated with aggregators Uber and Ola called off their indefinite strike in Mumbai. Ola and Uber drivers withdrew their strike following a meeting between their union and Maharashtra transport minister Diwakar Raote. Ola and Uber drivers will ply until November 15 so as to not cause further inconvenience to commuters during the upcoming Diwali festival.

"Both companies are ready to give incentives to taxi owners to recover the loss during strike period till November 15 and will come up with fuel-based reworked solution on app-based taxi operators," Sachin Ahir, union leader, told a newspaper. He further urged private companies to reduce their commission and to increase the base fare of taxis as a solution. Karna Govt Issues Notice to Ola, Uber Cabs.

The cab drivers went on strike, demanding increased earnings and better shift hours. Earlier, the Maharashtra Rajya Rashtriya Kamgar Sangh (MRRKS) - that was leading the strike - said most of the issues had been resolved with the Ola management, but talks with Uber still remained inconclusive. Ola agreed to give incentives to the drivers without adding unnecessary burden on the passengers.

"The drivers had invested Rs 5-7 lakh and were expecting to make Rs 1 lakh a month. But drivers are unable to make even half of this because of the mismanagement by these companies," Sunil Borkar, one of the leaders of the app-based cab drivers union, was quoted as saying.

While the Olda, Uber strike in Mumbai gave a tough time to daily commuters, the protest led to lesser traffic on city roads that are usually packed during the peak hours.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 02, 2018 10:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Washington, November 2: The United States has granted a waiver to India from sanctions imposed on Iran. The Donald Trump Administration has allowed India to import oil from Iran till March. The US will re-impose sanctions on Iran from November 4. Washington expects all oil purchases from Iran to go to zero but also said that the government will consider waivers where appropriate, reported Independent quoting US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo as saying. India in Touch with EU over Alternative Payment Mechanism for Iran Oil Imports

India is the second largest importer of oil from Iran after China. In the past also, when the US imposed sanctions on Iran before the nuclear deal was agreed in 2015, India, China, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, and Taiwan were exempted from all the sanctions. India had imported about 22 million tonnes of crude oil from Iran in 2017-18. According to a report published in The Economic Times, India planned to raise 30 million tonnes of oil imports in 2018-19. Iran's Rial Plunges to 1,12,000 Against US Dollar, Worst Yet to Come Post Fresh Sanctions From Aug 6

But, now, as a condition of waiver, Indian oil companies will reduce import from the country. India can import 1.25 million tonnes a month till March next year. As one of the conditions of the waiver, India assured the US that Iran would not use the money paid for oil imports for any terror-related activity. In May, Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Deal. After pulling out of the deal, the United States imposed the first set of sanctions in August.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 02, 2018 09:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The move will put an end to the years-long dispute between the worlds top memory chipmaker and an advocacy group.

Samsung was asked to pay up to 150 million won (USD 132,677.61)for each former and incumbent employee suffering from work-related diseases.

Samsung Electronics said on Thursday it will compensate former and current workers of its South Korean chip and display factories who have serious work-related illnesses, after a mediation panel advocated the compensation.

The move will put an end to the years-long dispute between the worlds top memory chipmaker and an advocacy group representing sickened workers and their families after the 2007 death of a Samsung chip factory worker with leukaemia sparked concerns over working conditions at the South Korean company.

Samsung vowed on Thursday to comply with the mediators decision on the case.

We will keep our promise to completely adhere to the mediators decision and will quickly come up with plans to implement the decision, Samsung said in a statement after the mediation bodys proposal.

Samsung was asked to pay up to 150 million won (USD 132,677.61)for each former and incumbent employee suffering from work-related diseases if they are found to be caused by chemical exposure, the mediation committee led by a former supreme justice said in a statement.

All former and current Samsung employees as well as the companys contractors who worked at Samsungs semiconductor and display production plants for more than one year since 1984 are eligible to be compensated for their illnesses.

Samsung issued a public apology in 2014 to affected workers and their families and said thereafter it will create a 100 billion won fund to compensate them.

South Korean activist group Sharps said in 2015 it was aware of around 200 workers who had fallen ill after working at a Samsung plant and 70 of them had died subsequently.

Samsung and the civic group agreed in July this year to unconditionally accept an arbitration proposal on compensation.

In August, a UN human rights body welcomed Samsungs decision on compensating its South Korean workers, calling Samsung and other companies in the electronic sector to protect workers throughout their global operations.

(Source)
Gaborone, Nov 2: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has hailed demonetisation saying the move has led to money stashed in "the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows" coming into the banks. Naidu, who is in Botswana on an official visit, said the southern African country is also following India's efforts to curb black money. He said reformative measures like demonetisation "may be painful but are meant for public good".

"Paisa joh bedroom, bathroom aur pillow ke neeche tha, woh bank mein pahunch gaya. Pata ke saath, pita ke saath aur pati ke saath (The money that was in the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows reached banks due to demonetisation)," the vice president said.

Interacting with the Indian community in Botswana here on Thursday night, he said measures like demonetisation were "temporary pain for long term gain". "Now how much (of this money) is white, how much is tax-paid money that will be known. It is the duty of the Reserve Bank of India and income tax people to verify and see to it that everybody falls in line," the vice president said. Narendra Modi Demonetisation Full Speech: What Prime Minister Said on November 8, 2016, While Announcing Rs 500 and Rs 1000 Currency Note Ban.

"You are aware that Government of India has launched several flagship schemes for making India a skilled and knowledge society and manufacturing hub. Measures like the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) have also been taken to make it a transparent and integrated market with greater ease of doing business," he said.

India has taken a major leap towards financial inclusion by encouraging 330 million people to open bank accounts, Naidu said. The tax base has widened by 26 per cent in the last one year with nearly 68 million tax payers paying taxes, he said.

Naidu termed Botswana as a land of god-gifted serenity and natural beauty. He asked Indians everywhere not to forget their mother tongue and motherland. "I am not against other languages. One must learn as many languages as possible, but should not forget the mother tongue," he said.

"I know that many of you have been living here for several decades and have made Botswana your second home. The Indian diaspora in Botswana has not only well-integrated into its pluralistic, free and democratic society, but, also have immensely contributed to the economy of Botswana," he said.

"I am glad that you have contributed hugely to the successful story of Botswana's economic growth," he said. He thanked the Indian community here for contributing to flood relief in Kerala.

Naidu, who is on an official trip to the African nations of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi, said India is changing rapidly. "The business environment is changing for the better. The archaic regulations are being dismantled. Seamless processes are being introduced," he added.

If the talented enterprising Indian diaspora can lend its active support, the pace and quality of transformation in India can be considerably enhanced, he said. Naidu hoped that Indians abroad will continue to cherish their Indian roots and nourish the socio-economic and cultural life of Botswana and other countries with which they are connected.

"You are India's cultural ambassadors and the world sees you as the representatives of Indian values and way of life," he said. Naidu also expressed satisfaction that the Swachh Bharat initiative, launched when he was Union urban development minister, has become a people's movement. Four crore toilets have been built under the scheme, he said.
Sanaa, November 2: Amal Hussain, a malnourished girl in Yemen whose famous photo drew the world's attention towards famine in the war-torn country, died on Thursday. Amal Hussain died at a refugee camp. The New York Times published malnourished Amal's photo on a hospital bed, triggering heartfelt responses from people across the world. Many offered financial assistance to the seven-year-old girl's family.

However, even treatment at the hospital could not save Amal. My heart is broken, her mother told The New York Times. Amal was always smiling. Now Im worried for my other children," she added. She was just one of 1.8 million severely malnourished children in Yemen, which is paying the grievous human cost of the Saudi-led war in the country. This Baby at Refugee Camp Offering Food to Journalist Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity in Times of War.

Yemen has been locked into a civil war since 2014 when the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa. Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

According to UN human rights experts, coalition forces may have committed war crimes in Yemen. Humanitarian organisations say their partial blockade of the country had helped push 14 million people to the brink of famine. The UN has listed Yemen as the country with world's biggest humanitarian crisis, with seven million Yemenis on the verge of starvation and cholera, causing more than 2,000 deaths. (With agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 02, 2018 09:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Illustrations, drawn by former North Korean propaganda artist Choi Seong Guk, are inspired by the artists experience in North Korea and the testimonies of survivors of sexual abuse (Photo: HRW)

In its report on North Korea, Human Rights Watch has detailed extensive sexual abuse against ordinary North Korean women by officials working for Kim Jong-uns regime.

The report was based on interviews with a total of 106 North Koreans, comprised of 72 women, four girls, and 30 men. All were interviewed outside the country and provided detailed accounts of rape and sexual abuse that have reportedly become part of daily life. The extensive 98-page report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), was released on Thursday and took more than two years to compile.

"They consider us [sex] toys. We are at the mercy of men," Oh Jung-hee, a former trader in her 40s told the report's authors. "Sometimes, out of nowhere, you cry at night and don't know why."

HRW said the report is an attempt to highlight the culture of open, unaddressed sexual abuse, particularly from men in positions of power in the North Korea.

Of all the sexual assault survivors interviewed for the report, only one said she had tried to report it. None of the others report the assault they suffered because "they did not trust the police and did not believe police would be willing to take action," the report says.

"On the days they felt like it, market guards or police officials could ask me to follow them to an empty room outside the market, or some other place they'd pick," the report quoted a former trader in her 40s who fled North Korea in 2014 (HRW uses an alias). She says she had been sexually assaulted many times. She said that the climate of sexual abuse was so pervasive that it had been normalized -- both by the perpetrators and their victims.

While Pyongyang has laws criminalizing rape, trafficking and having sexual relations with subordinates, the report notes that the North Korean government barely acknowledges the existence of rape in the country. Medical professionals who fled the repressive country said that "there are no protocols for medical treatment and examination of victims of sexual violence to provide therapeutic care or secure medical evidence," the report adds.

Last July, the North Korean government told the UN's Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) that only nine people in all of North Korea were convicted of rape in 2008, seven in 2011, and five in 2015.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 02, 2018 05:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Colombo, November 2: Notwithstanding the political crisis in Sri Lanka, new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday significantly slashed fuel prices, saying "ill-conceived" financial policies of the previous government have affected the economy and raised the cost of living.

Rajapaksa, who is also the Finance Minister, reduced the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs 10 (USD 0.058) and Rs 7 (USD 0.048) per litre respectively as he announced a new series of economic relief measures.

The announcement was made even as the constitutional validity of Rajapaksa's appointment has come under increased scrutiny both locally and internationally. Sri Lanka Parliament Speaker Recognises Ranil Wickremesinghe as PM.

The Finance Ministry said in a statement that concerns have been raised regarding the serious setback in the economy as reflected in the persistently low growth rates during the last three years along with the rising cost of living.

"The honorable Prime Minister (Rajapaksa) is of the view that ill-conceived economic and financial policies of the previous government have led to this situation by marginalising local entrepreneurs, industries and domestic production," it said.

The ministry said that the budget targets could be met in 2018 despite tax cuts. "The government is confident that the primary surplus of 1.8 per cent of the GDP and the budget deficit of around 4.9 per cent of the GDP that have been targeted for 2018 could be achieved in support for further fiscal consolidation to provide economic stability," the Finance Ministry said.

President Sirisena replaced Wickremesinghe with Rajapaksa in a dramatic turn of events last Friday and suspended Parliament after the sacked premier sought an emergency session to prove his majority.

Wickremesinghe has refused to accept his dismissal, claiming to be the country's legitimate premier. He argues that he cannot legally be removed until he loses the support of Parliament and called for a floor test to prove his majority.
The Tanzanian government has started a mass crackdown on gays in Dar eshas Salaam. Paul Makonda, governor of the economic capital Dar es Salaam has announced the creation of a surveillance squad to get hold of gay people. Makonda announced that a 17-member committee consisting of police, lawyers and doctors had been formed to identify homosexuals.

He said that the team will keep a steady check on social media to identify gays and arrest them. The members will scrutinise the internet to identify videos or related content on homosexuality. The government has also asked its people to delete any "sex pictures" they have on their phones. And reportedly, already thousands of names have been handed over to the government. Gay Man Kicked Out of Las Vegas Pool Party for 'Inappropriate' Swimwear; Alleges Homophobia.

Makonda said, "I have received reports that there are so many homosexuals in our city, and these homosexuals, are advertising and selling their services on the internet. Therefore, I am announcing this to every citizen of Dar es Salaam. If you know any gays ... report them to me."

Homosexuality is illegal in Tanzania and with the recent announcement, most gays live in fear. Homophobia has been on rising since President John Magufuli came to power in 2015. The East African nation levies criminal charges on gays with jail upto 30 years. In countries like Mauritania, Sudan, and Somalia and the northern part of Nigeria, homosexual acts are punishable by the death penalty. UNAIDS Welcomes Supreme Court Decision on IPC 377, Urges Other Countries to Follow India.

Tanzania government had received international criticism for targeting LGBT groups. In 2016, Tanzania's government drew international criticism after targeting LGBT groups in the country. Human rights NGO Amnesty International had said the government even threatened to expel gay rights activists. It also claimed that some were subjected to anal examinations. Last year, the country's health ministry suspended HIV/AIDS services in 40 clinics for allegedly promoting homosexuality.

Last year deputy health minister Hamisi Kigwangalla had defended the threat to publish the names of suspected homosexuals in Tanzania. He had argued that homosexuality "did not scientifically exist and was a social construct, a mental illness". Kigwangalla also said that the small town in central Tanzania where he came from, there were no homosexuals.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 02, 2018 09:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The German and US automakers are expected to provide an update on the progress of the talks before year end.

Automakers globally are discussing teaming up to share the cost of developing autonomous and electric vehicles.

Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co are in exploratory talks to jointly develop self-driving and electric vehicles in a far-reaching strategic alliance meant to save the companies billions of dollars, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The German and US automakers are expected to provide an update on the progress of the talks before year end, said the person, who asked not to be identified.

Spokesmen for both automakers would only reiterate what they have said before about the companies collaborating on the development of commercial vehicles.

Our (memorandum of understanding) with VW covers conversations about potential collaborations across a number of areas. It is premature to share additional details at this time, Ford spokesman Alan Hall said in an email.

Automakers globally are discussing teaming up to share the cost of developing autonomous and electric vehicles. Partnerships on autonomous driving technology differ by region.

Honda Motor Co this month said it would invest USD 2.75 billion and take a stake in General Motors Cos Cruise Automation self-driving vehicle unit to jointly develop autonomous vehicles for deployment in ride service fleets globally.

VW and Ford are under pressure to roll out more EVs in Europe, where emissions rules are being tightened in the wake of Volkswagens diesel emissions pollution scandal.

Volkswagen Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter on Tuesday said the carmaker was open to deeper alliances with outside companies, particularly in the area of autonomous driving.

Witter said sharing the carmakers electric cars platform MEB with Ford was theoretically possible, although VW is currently focused on rolling out the electric vehicle technologies among its own brands.

VW officials have repeatedly emphasized that the only way to make electric cars a mass market product is through economies of scale to make them as cheap or cheaper than diesel vehicles.

VW Group is investing 34 billion euros into e-mobility and autonomous driving by 2022 and plans to make 2 million to 3 million full-battery electric cars by 2025. VWs MEB project already includes 50 billion euros in battery cell procurement by 2025.

Ford executives and other sources previously told Reuters the two automakers were in talks about expanding product and technology alliances.

VW and Ford are already part of a joint venture, dubbed IONITY, with BMW AG and Daimler AG to develop an ultrafast EV charging station network across Europe.

In July, Ford created a separate USD 4 billion unit to house its self-driving vehicle operations and was seeking outside investors in a move similar to one made by GM with Cruise.

Ford said then it would invest USD 4 billion through 2023 in its newly formed Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, including the USD 1 billion it previously had earmarked for Argo AI, the Pittsburgh-based self-driving startup that Ford acquired in 2017.

(Source)
'Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that,' he said. Israel's PM called the plan 'a historic, correct and exciting step'.

The move from Tel Aviv, which will defy Palestinians and most of the world, is the latest controversial announcement by the former army captain, who has wasted no time implementing his hardline conservative agenda since his election win on Sunday. (Photo: AP)

Rio De Janeiro: Brazil's far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro confirmed Thursday the country will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, making the Latin American country the largest after the United States to make the controversial switch.

The move from Tel Aviv, which will defy Palestinians and most of the world, is the latest controversial announcement by the former army captain, who has wasted no time implementing his hardline conservative agenda since his election win on Sunday.

"As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that," Bolsonaro tweeted.

As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that.  Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) November 1, 2018

He also made waves on the domestic front, naming the judge who has upended Brazilian politics with a massive corruption investigation, Sergio Moro, to be his justice minister.

Moro is a hero to many Brazilians for his unrelenting "Car Wash" investigation, which uncovered the large-scale looting of state oil company Petrobras.

But for opponents, the move fueled accusations that the judge was politically motivated -- especially against leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whom polls showed would have beaten Bolsonaro in the election had he not been jailed 12 years for corruption.

'Shared worldview'

Bolsonaro promised in his victory speech to "change Brazil's destiny," and the four days since the election have given a glimpse of the magnitude of the change he has in mind.

The president-elect has doubled down on his vow to roll back gun-control laws so "good people" can take justice into their own hands, lashed out at the news media and begun lining up a cabinet of political outsiders, including an army general and an ultra-free-market economist.

A favorite with the market, Bolsonaro's election has seen Brazilian stocks gain 3.9 percent in the week since the vote, closing at a record high on Thursday.

The Sao Paulo stock exchange's Ibovespa index added 1.14 percent for the day to close at a record of 88,419 points, after breaking through the 89,000 barrier for the first time ever earlier in the day.

On the diplomatic front, the embassy move squarely aligns him with US President Donald Trump, and bolsters his image as a "Tropical Trump."

Israel considers all of Jerusalem its capital, while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

"I congratulate my friend Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro for his intention to move the Brazilian embassy to Jerusalem, a historic, correct and exciting step!" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

Reversing long-standing US policy, the Trump administration transferred the American embassy on May 14. Guatemala and Paraguay followed suit, though the latter announced last month it would return its embassy to Tel Aviv.

Bolsonaro's first foreign trips as president will be to Israel, the United States and Chile -- countries that "share our worldview," according to the president-elect's future for chief of staff, Onyx Lorenzoni.

Flip-flopping, for business' sake

Bolsonaro has outraged many with his derogatory comments against women, gays and blacks, and his support for the torture used by Brazil's brutal military regime (1964-1985).

He did, however, back down from one controversy on Thursday: a plan to merge the agriculture and environment ministries.

The plan had drawn warnings from activists that he was selling out Brazil's natural resources to his backers in the agrobusiness lobby.

Bolsonaro said industry insiders themselves had urged him to reconsider, fearing trade sanctions on their products from countries worried over the health of the Amazon rainforest.

"To avoid international pressure, among other things, I said I was ready to reverse the decision. But the one who's going to decide the environmental question will also be Mr Jair Bolsonaro. And (the future minister) will not be someone put there under pressure from NGOs," he said, referring to himself in the third person.

He repeated his oft-used line that environmentalists are "Shiites," a word he uses to imply extremism.

"We want to preserve the environment, but not in the way it's been done lately," he told journalists.

Corruption crusader

Anti-corruption crusader Moro said it was an "honor" to accept Bolsonaro's offer to head a "super ministry" combining the justice and public security portfolios.

His investigation has taken out a Who's Who of politicians and executives who colluded to pump billions of dollars from Petrobras into their own pockets or the coffers of their political parties.

That has endeared him to many Brazilians fed up with endemic corruption.

But although politicians of all stripes have fallen, Moro has been accused of being particularly merciless on the left -- especially Lula, Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010.

Moro sentenced Lula -- a hugely divisive but enduringly popular figure -- to jail for taking bribes from a Petrobras contractor.

That led the courts to bar Lula's presidential candidacy, dashing his hopes of making a come-back.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, November 1, reportedly met behind closed doors with Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Nation reports that Governor Okorocha arrived the State House around 3.46pm.

Even though Okorochas purpose of visiting the Villa is still unknown, it is believed that the meeting may discuss the crisis around the Imo State All Progressives Congress (APC), governorship candidate ticket.

The ticket is being contested by Senator Hope Uzodimma and the governors son-in-law, Uche Nwosu.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Senator Hope Uzodinma had been adopted as the APCs governorship candidate for Imo state by the partys National Working Committee.

The final decision was taken on Wednesday, October 31, in Abuja, during a meeting of the NWC, Ahead of the November 2 deadline to submit candidates names, the ruling party had reportedly concluded all arrangements to send the name of the senator to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to a source with knowledge of the matter, the NWC, during Wednesdays meeting, also reviewed the conduct of primaries in states; especially in areas where there were challenges, and decided to weigh its options before arriving at major decisions.

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However, shortly after the report that Uzodinma had been adopted as the APC's guber candidate, Uche Nwosu, the son-in-law to Governor Okorocha of Imo, insisted his name had not been dropped as the gubernatorial candidate of the APC in the state.

He said: Apart from available records which show that I am the authentic governorship candidate of our party, I also have a valid court order barring the party and INEC from substituting my name. So, the media house reporting that is obviously sponsored to do a hatchet job.

What is cooking in Imo state? - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit
Nigeria's federal capital territory Abuja has been hit by another earth tremor, the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) and National Emergency Response Agency (NEMA) said.

The two agencies on Thursday, November 1, confirmed the partial earth tremor which occurred at about 12.26 pm around the vicinity of Panama street in Maitama district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Tribune reports that this was disclosed in a statement signed by Dr Abdulrazaq Garba and Vincent Owan, respectively, on behalf of the agencies.

READ ALSO: Military discovers illegal security training camp in Taraba

An internal response protocol was immediately activated, and relevant government agencies and stakeholders were informed. These include the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the FCT. These agencies responded promptly and arrived at the scene, which was reassuring to the residents of the locality.

Further inspections revealed no structural damage because of the shake and hence NEMA was adequately briefed by the NGSA. The residents were consequently reassured that there was no cause for panic.

The NGSA technical team are conducting further assessment exercises and will continue to update the public on any other developments, the statement assured.

It will be recalled that the first earth tremor occurred in October in Mpape in which government suspended all blasting and drilling activities.

Legit.ng previously reported that the Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ruled out every possibility of an earthquake disaster in Nigeria following complaints of earth movement in the FCT.

The agency in a statement released on Thursday, September 6, said the earth shaking could be as a result of earth tremors; a sign of seismic movement within the earth which can be caused by sudden breaks along a fault line releasing energy that cause the shaking.

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It also said that the movement could also have been caused by stress in underground rocks due to blasting and mining activities in an area.

Nigeria Latest News: The Abuja Metro is West Africa's First Light Rail Network on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Peter Obi, PDP's vice presidential candidate, has responded to a wave of allegations levied against him

- The claims were that he snubbed the Sultan of Sokoto, destroyed mosques and sent northerners out of Anambra when he was the governor of the state

- Obi described the allegations as false, wicked and inhuman, adding that none of these is true of his character

Peter Obi, the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer, has referred to the allegation that he destroyed mosques when he was governor of Anambra, snubbed the Sultan, Alhaji Muhammadu Saad Abubakar III; drove Hausas away from the state and shunned the then minister of finance, Shamsuddeen Usmans attempt at mediation as both false and wicked, Vanguard reports.

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Speaking with newsmen in Lagos on Thursday, November 1, Obi wondered why some politicians, instead of focusing on resolving the pains of Nigeria with millions of her youths out of school and many more unemployed, they indulge in hate speeches and lies in a bid to undo their opponents.

Obi said: As a matter of fact, the mosque at Onitsha was destroyed before I became governor." Concerning the claim that he snubbed the Sultan of Sokoto who was in the state as terrible, Obi affirmed that disrespect for elders and leaders is not a part of him.

He said: The irony of this concoction is that I have been a friend of His Eminence, the Sultan right from my first year at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1980 through his tenure as Nigerias Defence Attache in Pakistan till the present.

The fact is that the visit of his Eminence, during which I was alleged to have snubbed him was purely a courtesy call after which I personally accompanied him to see the Obi of Onitsha, Obi Alfred Achebe with whom he had a meeting.

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"I also requested His Eminence to visit the Hausa community in the state during which I offered to rebuild and subsequently gave them the funds for that purpose.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Obi had dismissed the allegation of ethnic bias in the Onitsha bridge head clean-up allegedly trending on internet chat rooms of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Legit.ng gathered that Obis special adviser on media, Valentine Obienyem, said in a statement issued on Thursday, October 18, said the clean-up exercise, which hitherto received much commendation, was undertaken during Obis days as governor of Anambra state but has suddenly become twisted by APC cyber-attack dogs.

Is Atiku the Right Man to Defeat President Buhari? 2019 Election - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- Donald Trump of USA has sent a threat to migrant caravan who are intending to cross the nation's border

- Trump said that if the migrants attack military officials with stones, US soldiers might respond with guns

- He said that there is no much difference between rocks and guns

President Donald Trump said members of the United States (US) military sent to the southern border to keep out thousands in a migrant caravan would "fight back" if immigrants throw stones. He and suggested soldiers might open fire on the group, claiming there is "not much difference" between a stone or gun, US Today reports.

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Trump, from his White House office on Thursday, October 1, said that his government was preparing to reform the nation's asylum practices and took on the thousands of migrants fleeing the dangers in central America, heading toward the US.

He made mention of reports of a clash between authorities and the caravan as they moved across the Guatemalan border to Mexico.

Similarly, Mexican authorities also said that migrants attacked its agents with rocks, glass bottles and fireworks when they broke through a gate on the Mexican border, but were pushed back. So far, it is not certain whether any operative suffered any injury but Guatemalan officers were hurt.

Concerning the ugly trend, Trump said the US military would not accept bottles or stones being thrown at them.

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The US president said: "They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back," the president told reporters. I told them to consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks like what they did to the Mexican military and police I say consider it a rifle."

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Army said troops deployed on routine duty at Kugbo/Karu bridge checkpoint of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were attacked by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) sect on Monday, October 29.

In a statement posted on its social media pages, the army claimed the sect in massive numbers forced their way into the troops checkpoint after overrunning the police force.

TY Danjuma, Nigerian army and the herdsmen crisis | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
- The newly elected Brazils president said he will move the countrys embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

- This move will see Brazil become the second major country after the United States to do so

- Note that the international community does not recognise Israel's jurisdiction and ownership of the city

Brazils president-elect, Jair Bolsonaro, has said that he has plans to move his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Asked in an interview on Thursday, November 1, if he would move Brazil's embassy, as he had indicated during his campaign, Bolsonaro said Israel should decide where its capital is located, Aljazeera reports.

When I was asked during the campaign if I'd do it when I became president, I said 'yes, the one who decides on the capital of Israel is you, not other nations', he said.

READ ALSO: Governor Amosun of Ogun state renews attack on Oshiomhole

Legit.ng notes that Brazil would become the second major country after the United States to do so.

Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its "united" capital, and its annexation of occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 effectively put the entire city under de-facto Israeli control.

The Palestinians, however, see occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The international community does not recognise Israel's jurisdiction and ownership of the city.

Palestinians believe that moving the embassy would prejudge one of the most sensitive issues in the conflict, the status of Jerusalem, and undermine the US' status as an honest mediator.

In December, President Donald Trump reversed long-standing US policy and recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, prompting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to boycott his administration.

The embassy was officially transferred on May 14, with Guatemala and Paraguay following suit, though the latter announced last month it would return its embassy to Tel Aviv.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that US President Donald Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that vote in favour of the United Nations resolution rejecting Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump also expressed support for a letter sent by US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, in which she warned member states against supporting the resolution.

Street Gist: Will Nigeria be a better place with Trump as president? | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
- President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigerian economy is booming

- The president made this known after receiving the letter of credence from the new ambassador of Denmark, Jesper Kamp, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja

- He, however, promised that his administration will continue to implement policies that will continually boost it

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, November 1, declared that his administration will continue to implement policies that will make Nigerias economy, which is already looking good, better.

The president stated this during an audience with Jesper Kamp, the new ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to Nigeria, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to him, Nigeria welcomes further strengthening of relations with other countries, especially in the areas of agriculture and trade.

READ ALSO: Governor Amosun of Ogun state renews attack on Oshiomhole

The president told the Danish ambassador he was pleased that relations between Nigeria and Denmark had remained strong.

He noted that in the economic sphere there was more work to do. The Nigerian economy is looking good and we look forward to making it better, the President told the Danish ambassador after receiving his Letter of Credence.

President Buhari also received Letters of Credence from Waqar Kingravi, the new High Commissioner of Pakistan to Nigeria; Babacar Ndiaye, the new Ambassador of Senegal to Nigeria and Vyacheslav Beskosky, the new Ambassador of Belarus to Nigeria.

He told the envoys that Nigeria valued the existing cordial and friendly relations with their countries. The president described the long-standing military cooperation between Nigeria and Pakistan as very commendable and beneficial to both countries.

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Given the vast experience of the Pakistani military, your commitment in assisting us to develop our military is commendable, he told the Pakistani High Commissioner:

The Nigerian leader recounted that as a former military officer, several of his colleagues who trained in Pakistan still have very fond memories of the country.

While receiving the Senegalese Ambassador, President Buhari commended President Macky Sall of Senegal for his roles in the progress achieved in the political process in Guinea Bissau.

President Buhari noted that he was aware of the economic progress taking place in Senegal.

He, however, stressed the need for stability in the West African region to ensure rapid socio-economic development, particularly in the key areas of education, health and infrastructure.

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The bigger we are, the bigger the problems, so we must continue to do our best to surmount our challenges in the region, President Buhari, who is also the current chair of the ECOWAS authority of heads of states and government, told the Senegalese envoy.

In his audience with the Belarus Ambassador, President Buhari harped on the need for improved economic ties, while commending the Eastern European country for accommodating international students from Nigeria in her tertiary institutions.

The president wished the four ambassadors very successful tenures, reiterating Nigerias commitment to continue to partner with their countries in areas of mutual concerns.

Obasanjo vs Buhari: Of the Election 2019 - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng
It is a well known fact that the flying prowess of birds differ by various degrees and speed level. But never have it been said or known that a bird can fly such a far distance as to go from the European continent to Africa.

Well, a bird has done what seems to be very impossible by flying such a long distance as people thought was impossible. This flying animal flew all the way from a country in Europe to Nigeria.

This bird believed to belong to the University of Helsinki in Finland flew all the way from that part of Europe to Jigawa state in Nigeria. This animal is a rare breed whose botanical name has been deemed to be Osprey Pandion halietus.

However, the rare bird is popularly known as the Western Osprey. Members of the community the bird had touched on in Jigawa caught the bird on Thursday, October 25.

The miracle bird Source: Abubakar S. Ringim/ Facebook

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Bird becomes Internet sensation for its resemblance to Donald Trump

Awed at the flying prowess of the Osprey, the bird was kept within the premise of the Baturiya Wetland Reserve in Jigawa. Community members were able to identify the bird due to the silvery ring that was around its hands.

Abubakar S. Ringim, a student of Zoology in Jigawa, was very much interested in this miracle enacted by the rare bird. Hence, he took to his Facebook page to talk about the bird.

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He made it known that the bird flew over a distance of 5808 kilometres just as he made it clear that the bird had been released from the reserve to further spread its wings and fly. Read his full post below:

"Osprey Pandion halietus caught on 25/10/2018 at Malam Madori, Jigawa. The bird came from University of Helsinki, Finland. Available records from the University revealed that the bird was ringed 106 days prior to its caught in Jigawa, and covered 5808 kilometers during it's migration to winter in Africa, in particular, Nigeria. The bird were celebrated and successfully released today at the Baturiya Wetland Reserve in Jigawa."

Miracle bird flies 5808 kilometres from Europe to Nigeria, caught in Jigawa state

Source: Facebook

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This is coming after some Jigawa farmers complained that their rice farms were being destroyed by pests and Quela birds. Tired of all the animal infiltration, these hardworking folks demanded and cried for help.

Cartoon Comedy: A Story Of A Duck Who Can Speak | Legit TV

Source: Legit
by Mathias Hariyadi

Tuti Tursilawati had killed her employer's father to escape sexual violence. Indonesian President Joko Widodo presents a complaint and demands explanations. The Office for the Care and Protection of Migrants: "The Saudis do not intend to shed light on violations of human rights". In total, since 2011, at least six Indonesian citizens have been executed in Saudi Arabia.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The Saudi authorities have executed an Indonesian domestic worker, without first warning Jakarta or the woman's family. Riyadh's conduct has caused indignation throughout the country, prompting the Jakarta government to officially protest.

Originally from Majalengka (province of West Java), 34-year-old Tuti Tursilawati (photo) was beheaded last October 29 in the city of Ta'if. The woman was sentenced to death in 2011 for the premeditated murder of her employer's father, the year before.

The defendant has always claimed to have acted in self-defense, in an attempt to escape sexual violence.Having killed her attacker, Tursilawati fled from the scene of the crime but was joined by nine men, who raped her before delivering her to police.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he had contacted the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Adel al-Jubeir, to lodge a complaint and demand explanations on the failure to notify. Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, director of the Office for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens of the Foreign Ministry of Jakarta, points out that neither the Indonesian consulate of Jeddah nor the embassy in Riyadh have been warned.

The Office for the care and protection of migrants, another body within the ministry, reports that the last communication between Tursilawati and the family took place via a video call on 19 October. The consulate of Jeddah had contacted the woman on October 28, without however receiving information on the execution of her conviction.

Wahyu Susilo, Executive Director of the Office, told AsiaNews: "Despite two separate cases, the recent murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the killing of Tuti Tursilawati show that the Saudis are not going to shed light on human rights violations, mostly against the right to life ".

"The office I run - continues Susilo - strongly condemns this execution and urges the authorities to put in place diplomatic efforts, to put an end to the resistance of Saudi Arabia to respect for human rights and international protocols such as the mandatory consular notification" . Because of the "insufficient actions" of the Saudi authorities in protecting the rights of foreign workers, the official called for the withdrawal of Indonesia from the agreements signed with Riyadh on immigration.

Susilo reports that Indonesians who had emigrated to Saudi Arabia were involved in 102 criminal cases between 2011 and 2018. "75% of them were homicides," he says. The judges acquitted the defendants in 29 cases. However, at least six Indonesian citizens have been executed by the Saudi executioner without warning. Tuti Tursilawati was preceeded by Ruyati (2011), Siti Zaenab and Karni binti Medi Tarsim (2015), Yanti Iriyanti and Zaini Misrin Arsyad (2018).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ogun state on Thursday, November 1, disclosed that no fewer than 567,637 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) were yet to be collected by residents of the state ahead of 2019 general elections.

The commissions administrative secretary in the state, James Popoola disclosed this at a one-day Stakeholders Election Forum on display held in Abeokuta, Ogun state, Vanguard reports.

READ ALSO: Governor Amosun of Ogun state renews attack on Oshiomhole

He said: The whole essence of Voter Register Clean-Up is to assist eligible voters to confirm their registration status; to remove names of deceased, underage, and non-Nigerians from the register of voters; to insert omitted names and to correct spellings and other errors identified in gender, names, age and addresses.

Only citizens with PVCs are eligible to participate in the election. Go out and collect your cards. No collection by proxy.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that INEC had said that over 400,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are yet to be collected by registered voters in Benue state.

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The commission's resident electoral commissioner (REC), Nentawe Yilwatda, expressed this concern on Tuesday, October 16, adding that Walimayo ward, one of the largest wards in the state still had not less than 12,000 PVCs left uncollected.

The INEC officer, during a questions session with journalists, also added that the electoral body would create 12 additional distribution points in strategic areas across the state to facilitate easy distribution of the PVCs.

INEC official at Abuja court - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Over the last ten years, no fewer than 1,100 journalists were killed, the UN said

- UN general-secretary, Antonio Guterres, said the journalists were killed in line of their duties

- He, however, called on the international community to protect journalists

A shocking result released by the United Nations has revealed that not less than 1,100 journalists were murdered over a decade ago, News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Legit.ng gathers that in 2018 alone, at least 88 journalists have been killed, according to the UN.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a video message for the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, marked annually on November 2, called the killing of journalists outrageous. The UN chief also regretted that the journalists were killed in line of duty.

Guterres said: The killing of journalists around the world for doing their job is outrageous and should not become the new normal.

In just over a decade, some 1,100 journalists have been killed for reporting the news, and in nine out of 10 cases, the perpetrators are never brought to justice.

READ ALSO: Governor Amosun of Ogun state renews attack on Oshiomhole

The UN chief said many thousands more have been attacked, harassed, detained or imprisoned on spurious charges, without due process.

The secretary-general paid tribute to the reporters in the field who do their jobs every day despite intimidation and threats.

He, however, called on the international community to protect journalists and create the conditions they need to do their work.

To mark the International Day, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is launching an initiative to fuel awareness on the issue of journalists killed on the job.

Called Truth Never Dies, it encourages people to share stories by and about fallen journalists to keep their legacies alive and to push for investigations into their deaths to be continued.

It said: The truth never dies. And neither must our commitment to the fundamental right to freedom of expression.

The UN chief added that when journalists are attacked societies as a whole pay a price.

A study on global trends in media published by UNESCO in 2017 highlighted that impunity for crimes against journalists remained the norm, and trends in kidnappings, disappearances and torture had shown substantial increases since 2012.

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The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a resolution in September 2018, calling on the international community to promote strategies that protect journalists and bring perpetrators of violence against the media to justice.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the State Security Service (SSS) had demanded that a Nigerian journalist Tony Ezimakor under its detention disclose his sources as a precondition for his freedom.

The secret police detained Ezimakor in Abuja on Wednesday, February 28, after honouring an invitation over a story he wrote.

Are Nigerian Policemen the worst in the world? - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- The minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says President Buhari will accept the outcome of the 2019 general elections

- He says the president will not interfere in the works of the Independent National Electoral Commission

- Amaechi is the director general of the Buhari Campaign Organisation

The former governor of Rivers state and minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has assured that President Muhammadu Buhari will stand by whatever decision the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) makes in the 2019 general elections.

The Sun reports that the minister, who is also the director general of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, assured that President Buhari will not interfere in the work of the electoral body.

Legit.ng gathers that Amaechi stated this when he played host to a delegation from the European Union (EU) and ECOWAS in Abuja, on Thursday, November 1.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

He said: One assurance I will give you today (yesterday) is that well stand by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and we will stand by whatever decision they make.

The assurance I will give you from the President Buhari Campaign Organisation is that there will be no interference by the president. Well play by the rules and whatever the campaign team needs to do to ensure that the election is transparent, we will do.

Well also ensure that the election is such that Nigerians will be proud of, and we hope that the rest who are contesting in other parties will also take the same position."

In his remark, head of the European Union delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ketil Karlsen, said: We look forward to a good collaboration on this occasion of the 2019 general elections. We have had election observers in Nigeria for all general elections since 1999.

For the EU, we really do not have any preferred candidate, we dont have any preferred political party, we dont promote any particular ideology in Nigeria.

We have spent more than 100 million in giving support for electoral process. So, currently, we support INEC, we support the National Assembly, we support intra-party democracy and we support all stakeholders.

We had also engaged actively in the party primaries and this gives us reason about the optimism of INEC to conduct elections."

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that one of the former presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Sam Nda-Isaiah expressed confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari would win the 2019 general election.

Nda-Isaiah said the good work being initiated under the leadership of the All Progressives Congress would be enough to return President Buhari back to power.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

Nigeria Latest News: Buhari vs Atiku - 2019 Elections | Legit TV

Source: Legit
Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has alleged that Saudi government operatives dissolved journalist Jamal Khashoggis body after murdering and dismembering the 59-year-old.

Aktay, who also a friend of the also a friend of the slain Washington Post columnist, said this on Friday, November 2.

The Independent UK reports that Aktay said the Saudi journalists body was first cut up into pieces, to make it easier to dissolve, after he was strangled upon entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

READ ALSO: Governor Amosun of Ogun state renews attack on Oshiomhole

He said: We knew that Khashoggi's body was dismembered. But now we see that they didn't just cut it up, they dissolved the body. According to the latest information, the reason why they broke up the body is to make it dissolve more easily. It was meant to leave no trace of the body."

The Washington Post, citing an unnamed Turkish official, had also reported that their columnist's body had been dissolved using acid or another chemical agent.

The grim revelation, the latest in a series made by Turkish authorities about the murder of Khashoggi, puts further pressure on Saudi authorities accused by Turkey of obstructing the investigation in an attempt to protect the country's ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, from scrutiny over the killing.

Citing the New York Times, the Independent quoted White House officials as saying Prince Mohammed called officials close to President Donald Trump to smear Khashoggi as a dangerous Islamist.

After Saudi authorities admitted Riyadh operatives murdered him, Prince Mohammed lamented his killing as a "heinous crime."

The human body after death is considered sacred in Islam. A desecration of such nature could prove embarrassing for Saudi Arabia, which contains two of the holiest sites in Islam and bills itself as the leader of the Muslim world.

The murder of an innocent person is one crime, said Aktay, who was the first government official contacted by Khashoggi's fiance, Hatice Cengiz, after he went missing. "The treatment of the body is a separate crime."

Ms Cengiz made a strong plea for answers, noting that Istanbul's top prosecutor had already accused Saudi agents of strangling Khashoggi and dismembering and destroying his body.

How barbaric and ruthless, she wrote.

What crime did he commit for them to do this? What was the reason for them to murder him so brutally? There is no explanation for this hate.

She also accused the Trump administration of trying to sweep the Khashoggi matter under the rug.

The Trump administration has taken a position that is devoid of moral foundation, she wrote.

Some have approached this through the cynical prism of self-interest  statements framed by fear and cowardice; by the fear of upsetting deals or economic ties. Some in Washington are hoping this matter will be forgotten with simple delaying tactics. But we will continue to push the Trump administration to help find justice for Jamal. There will be no cover-up.

Meanwhile, a report released by the United Nations has revealed that not less than 1,100 journalists were murdered over a decade ago.

PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update

Legit.ng gathers that in 2018 alone, at least 88 journalists have been killed, according to the UN.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a video message for the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, marked annually on November 2, called the killing of journalists outrageous.

The UN chief also regretted that the journalists were killed in line of duty.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

How would you feel if Donald Trump bombed Boko Haram like Syria? | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Governor Ganduje of Kano state says he is innocent of the allegation of bribery against him

- The Kano commissioner for information, Muhammad Garba, who represented the governor, says the allegation has injured the governor

- The committee commended Garba for honouring the invitation in place of the governor

The governor of Kano, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on Friday, November 2, told the state House of Assembly that he does not know anything in relation to the trending videos of his alleged receipt of bribes from contractors carrying out projects.

Testifying before the House committee, Ganduje said the allegation against him were injurious to his person.

The governor said the video clips released by the publisher of Daily Nigerian was aimed at tarnishing his image politically.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

Speaking on behalf of the governor, the commissioner of information, Muhammad Garba, who represented Ganduje, said he was at the assembly complex to represent the governor due to the options provided by the committee in its letter.

The governor, in the document presented before the committee, had denied collecting the bribe from the contractor as alleged by the publisher of the online newspaper.

According to the document, the governor stated that such had never happened with him and will never happen even in the future time.

Ganduje, in the letter, called on the public to discard such allegations as it did not happen. He called on such publishers to avoid such publications that can tarnish the image of leaders.

Such untruth publications was done to the emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi the II and also to the former governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Ganduje said in the document.

Also commenting on the issue, the commissioner of justice, Barrister Ibrahim Mukhtar, and the states attorney general commended the way and manner the committee handled the issue by given fair hearing to the both parties.

According to him, the governor has options as stated in the letter presented to him on the invitation as the committee gave an option for him to send a representative or a written document as provided by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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The chairman of the committee, Alhaji Baffa Danagundi, commended the representative of the governor for honouring the committees request.

Danagundi said the committee would thoroughly watch the video in the presence of the representatives of both parties but not publicly.

Legit.ng reported how Jaafar Jaafar, publisher of the online newspaper that published the videos allegedly showing Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state receiving bribes, insisted that the videos are authentic.

The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) had called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to probe the video clips showing Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje allegedly receiving bribes from contractors.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have updated to serve you better.

Nigeria Latest News: Federal High Court Grants Fayose Bail | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- Lai Mohammed says Leah Sharibu will not be abandoned by the federal government

- Mohammed, the information minister, described Sharibu as a daughter to the country like every other citizen

- He preached religious tolerance among the various people of the country

Nigerias minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has described Leah Sharibu, who was abducted with some others in Dapchi by the terrorist Boko Haram group, as a daughter to the country.

Mohammed said the federal government was still on Leahs case.

As for Leah Sharibu, our message to Nigerians is that they should appreciate that as far as we are concerned, any of our citizens, whether boy or girl, whether Muslim or Christian, is dear to us.

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We do not look at Leah Sharibu from the prism of religion, we look at her as a daughter of this country. We are doing our best to ensure the safe release of Leah Sharibu, he said.

Mohammed also stressed the need for peaceful co-existence between Christian and Muslim faithful in order to engender peace and unity in the country.

Speaking in Oro, Kwara state, on Thursday, November 1, at the centenary celebration of the Saint Andrews Catholic Church, the minister said the massive socio-economic development that has been witnessed in the area over the years was largely due to the religious harmony in the town.

He said the lessons learnt from the 100 years of the existence of the Saint Andrews Catholic Church in his hometown are that of tolerance and peaceful co-existence between Christians and Muslims.

Alhaji Mohammed, who attended the centenary mass in the church, recalled that the premises of the worship centre was the venue, for three consecutive years, of his annual Ramadan lecture.

Not only are we witnessing 100 years of Catholicism in Oro but actually we also witnessed 100 years of peaceful co-existence between Christianity and Islam and I think to me this is the most significant mark of this particular event.

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I think the lesson to learn is that no religion preaches violence, no religion preaches hatred, every religion preaches peace and we should all borrow a leaf from what is happening in this small town so that all Nigerians can live together in peace," he said.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have updated to serve you better

Legit.ng earlier reported that members of the factional Boko Haram sect who kidnapped Leah Sharibu alongside no fewer than 109 students in Dapchi, Yobe state allegedly demanded N100bn ransom before the girl could be released.

Nigeria Latest News: Father Mbaka On Buhari, Atiku In Nigeria Election 2019 | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- Orji Uzor Kalu has left Nigeria for Germany

- Kalu, the former governor of Abia state, traveled with his wife

- He was said to have gone for a major surgery

Emerging reports have claimed that a former governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu, has gone to Germany for surgery even though he was among the 50 high-profile Nigerians barred by the federal government from travelling out of the country.

The Punch reports that Kalus media aide, Kunle Oyewunmi, said the former governor and his wife, Ifunanya left Nigeria on Monday, November 1.

Legit.ng had reported that Kalu went for a major surgery to address an undisclosed and life-threatening ailment.

READ ALSO: WAEC presents attestation certificate to President Buhari

Oyewunmi said Kalu was rushed in an ambulance to Helios Klinik, Wiesbaden, Germany and was immediately wheeled into the surgical theatre.

The media aide quoted Kalus wife, Ifunanya, as saying that the surgery was successful, adding that the ex-governor had regained consciousness.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

According to the media aide, Ifunanya, in a quavering voice, over the telephone on Friday, lamented her husbands health status.

Oyewunmi quoted Ifunanya to have said: Although the surgery was successful, my husband will still have to be monitored closely by a medical team for at least four months in order to prevent complications. His condition is improving gradually.

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He will be fine, if he is able to keep to his doctors advice. We appreciate the prayers and kind words from friends, associates, well-wishers and Nigerians in general.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that a Federal High Court in Lagos fixed for the defence to open its case in the alleged N3.2 billion fraud charge against Orji Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia.

Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned the case after hearing the application by the defence, challenging the courts jurisdiction to continue with the criminal charge.

The EFCC is prosecuting Kalu, together with his former commissioner for finance, Ude Udeogo, and a company, Slok Nigeria Ltd., belonging to Kalu. The EFCC had on October 31, 2016, preferred a 34-count charge against the accused.

The EFCC stage a walk against corruption - on Legit.ng TV:

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

Source: Legit
- President Muhammadu Buhari is lamenting over the tardiness in the passage of budgets by the National Assembly

- The president said that the delay was affecting completion of projects across the country

- President Buhari urged the legislators to put more effort to speed up the process

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that delays in passage of budgets by the National Assembly, sometimes lasting seven months, affects completion of projects across the country.

The president stated this when he received a delegation of Eminent and Respected citizens of Niger State led by retired Lt. Gen. Garba Duba at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Friday, November 2.

He called for effort to speed up the process for the benefit of the economy.

Buhari said the governments achievements in ensuring better roads, rails, power and repositioning of the airports was in spite of the delays.

READ ALSO: WAEC presents attestation certificate to President Buhari

The president prayed for more understanding and commitment to infrastructure development.

He said: If the National Assembly takes seven months to pass a budget, then we should be commended for the much that we have achieved, and can still achieve.

I personally feel very disappointed. I spoke with the leaders of the National Assembly on the issue that seven months is a long time to work on a budget.

He added that ongoing efforts to improve road, and rail networks across the country would be increased as infrastructure development remains paramount for improving the livelihood of Nigerians.

Buhari told the delegation, which included Gov. Abubakar Bello, military and traditional leaders, that his administration would pay more attention to the stretch of 2,150km federal roads in the state.

On security, he said: We cannot manage our communities and societies without security. A lot of resources is being diverted to provide security instead of going into infrastructure development.

The president re-assured the delegation that his administration would stay focused on securing lives and property, fighting corruption and stimulating the economy for more progress.

He said the minister of agriculture and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria had been directed to increase monetary supports through loans to farmers in the next farming season.

He also enjoined the two officials to ensure that farmers are not overwhelmed with the traditional demand for collaterals.

Buhari stated that traditional institutions and families could serve as guarantors as the nation cannot continue with that colonial style of asking for collaterals that people dont have.

The president commended the Chinese government for accepting to finance 85 per cent of Nigerias infrastructure development need.

I thank you so much for coming. It is a good morale booster for me and the country that a State will bring a strong delegation to show appreciation for our efforts, he said.

In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, Duba, who is a former military governor, commended the President for the significant stride in repositioning of roads, rails and airports across the country.

He said Niger State still faced challenges of security along Jebba-Mokwa-Birnin Gwari-Kaduna roads.

He urged the President to reinforce surveillance on the routes and to also direct more attention on the construction of federal roads in the state.

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The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, who is also the Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, commended the President for providing exemplary leadership for the country.

Legit.ng previously reported that the lawmaker representing Osun East senatorial district, Babajide Omoworare, has condemned the slow passage of budget in the country saying he and his colleagues need to do their jobs well.

Omoworare made this remark on Wednesday, October 31, at a lecture at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun state.

He said: If the legislative arm of government can hold on to the budget for months, then there is something wrong with the legislative arm. One of the functions of the legislative arm is checks and balances, but it does not have to be at the detriment of the citizens.

Nigeria News 2018: Nigerians Blow Hot as President Buhari Signs 2018 Budget in June | Legit TV

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

Source: Legit.ng
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, have finally touched down in Ghana to begin their historic visit.

The British Royals arrived in the West African country on Friday, November 2, and they will be spending five days.

They were greeted at the Kotoko International Airport by Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Ocquaye.

Following their arrival they were taken to the Jubilee House to meet President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo.

British Royals' arrival (Photo credit: Twitter)

READ ALSO: Meet the only Nigerian lady who has been invited to Prince Harrys Royal wedding

Prince Charles of Wales first visited Ghana since 1977. The Duke and Duchess will be touring some parts of Accra and Kumasi before leaving for Nigeria on Tuesday, November 6.

The British Royals at the Jubilee House with President Akufo-Addo (Photo credit: British High Commission)

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The main reason for the visit is to strengthen diplomatic ties between Ghana and the United Kingdom and would highlight key themes within the Commonwealth of Nations.

The two nations have a long standing history dating as far back as pre-independence.

On Saturday, November 3, the British Royal will call on the Asantehene Otumfour Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia palace.

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The British Royals at the Jubilee House (Photo credit: British High Commission)

They will also make a trip to the Christianborg Castle which was previously owned by the British.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that First Lady Melanie Trump of the United States had also visited Ghana recently to promote her Be Best child welfare initiative.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

Daddy Freeze on Nigerian Pastors and British Royals - on Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Queen Olaitan, wife of Alaafin of Oyo, visits her alma mater dressed in school uniform

- The queen who recently gave birth to twins rocked the back to school look in a white and purple uniform

- She also revealed that a student had confessed to her that she was being abused during her visit to Alma mater

Olori Badirat Olaitan Ajoke Adeyemi, the last wife of Alaafin of Oyo, has made her mark on social media after sharing a photo of herself rocking a back to school look. The queen was fully dressed in a purple and white uniform.

In a post shared on her Instagram page, the olori had expressed that she rocked the back to school look during her visit to her Alma mater.

The queen had explained that she decided to visit the school eleven years after graduating to give girls education on intercourse as a part of her birthday celebrations. She shared a video of herself talking to the students at the Alma mater.

READ ALSO: Ooni of Ife and new wife Olori Naomi make first public appearance

She wrote: "Visiting my Almamater today after 11years to educate students on s*x education as part of my birthday celebration tomorrow.."

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On another post, the young queen shared a photo of a note given to her by a student who confessed to being abused The teenager had asked the queen what to do.

Queen Olaitan shared the post with this caption: "And ds is a question asked by one of the students... Am moved to tears.. What do u think she can do??"

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NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

There is light at the end of the tunnel - Ooni of Ife - on Legit TV

Source: Legit
Within 10 years, the drug trade will reach up to $ 60 billion. 33% is for medical use; 67% for recreational use. China and Hong Kong prohibit growth and use, but half of the world's patents on the use of Indian cannabis are of Chinese property. In medicine, marijuana is used to alleviate problems related to Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and cancer. But its use creates addiction and problems to the heart and the brain.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - The marijuana market is flourishing and within the next 10 years will reach a value of around 60 billion US dollars. Although there are still many legal blocks, Asia is becoming the center for investment, research and (perhaps) the use of cannabis.

Already this year Thailand and Malaysia are preparing to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. China, where so far growth and consumption of light drug is prohibited, is among the largest investors in research, backed by government investment.

Out of over 600 world patents related to cannabis, 309 are Chinese property and concern the use of hemp to produce food and textiles, as well as the production of cannabidiol, the element that is used in medicine as an analgesic. Although in China, its consumption remains illegal, the government allows experiments for the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and cancer.

According to some experts in the field, China will legalize the use of cannabis within one or two years. It must be said that according to commercial studies on the subject, the medicinal use of marijuana covers only 33% of the market; the remaining 67% concerns the recreational use of drugs.

So far in the world, only 34 countries have legalized the medicinal use of marijuana. Canada and Uruguay are the first two that have also legalized recreational use.

Just yesterday, 200 world cannabis investors met at a symposium in Hong Kong to discuss possibilities for collaboration in markets where drugs are legalized. They also called on the Hong Kong government to legalize the medicinal use of cannabis.

Saul Kaye, the founder of an Israeli cannabis company, said that "marijuana is not a drug. It is a great medicine and it is natural. We have really started to revolutionize cannabis thinking. "

But not everyone agrees with him. According to Prof. William Chui Chun-ming, of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists, although cannabis "is a natural medicine, this does not mean that it is not dangerous. Although it can relieve pain and anxiety, it produces a series of negative effects, such as an increase in heartbeat and brain problems. It is addictive ".
- A woman who specialises in baby selling has been arrested

- She is a 52 year-old woman, Chief Lilian Nma Achumba, who runs a charity home in Aba, Abia state

- 35 pregnant girls and six children and a day old baby were found in her charity home

Police said they have bust a gang which specialises in baby selling for as much as N700,000 each to willing buyers, even across the border in Benin Republic.

Chief Superintendent of police, Aremu Adeniran, who is the deputy force public relations officer unveiled the three-person gang in Abuja on Friday, November 2.

Chief Lilian Nma Achumba, runs a charity home in Aba where babies are harvested for sale. She leads the baby selling gang. Credit: NAN

Source: Instagram

The gangs kingpin is a 52 year-old woman, Chief Lilian Nma Achumba, who runs a charity home in Aba, Abia state.

READ ALSO: INEC closes submission of nomination forms for governorship, State Houses of Assembly elections

A police investigating team was stunned when it found 35 pregnant girls and six children and a day old baby at the Nma Charity and Rehabilitation Centre,Umunkpeyi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government in Abia.

The team was led there by two of the suspects, initially arrested at the Idi-Iroko border in Ogun state on 20 July. They were caught with two newly-born babies, meant for smuggling for sale in Benin Republic.

Upon interrogation, the two suspects, 44 year old Emmanuel Chigozie Elesuwa and 33 year-old Chioma David, a woman confessed they bought the babies at N350,000 each at Nma Charity home and they were taking them to Benin to sell at N700,000 each.

According to Adeniran, investigation into the case by the Anti-Human Trafficking and Women/Children Protection Unit of the Force revealed that the suspects arrested are notorious criminals that deal in buying and selling of babies and children within and outside Nigeria.

Consequently, the suspects, Emmanuel Chigozie Elesuwa and Chioma David, admitted and confessed to the Police investigation team that they are members of a criminal gang that specialize in buying and selling of new born babies and children within and outside Nigeria and have been in operation for over ten years.

Emmanuel Chigozie Elesuwa and Chioma David: the other suspects arrested at Idi-Iroko with two babies. Credit: NAN

Source: Twitter

During interrogation and further investigation into the roles played by Chief Lilian Nma Achumba , the owner of Nma Charity Home in Aba, Abia State indicted in the confession of the two suspects, it was discovered that the purpose of establishing the Orphanage Home is to harvest babies for sale and she also operate other branches of the orphanage home in Port-harcourt and some other parts of the Country.

The police spokesman said 28 of the 36 pregnant girls or women and three children found at the Nma charity home, have been handed over to the Ministry of Strategy and Social Development, Umuahia, Abia State and all have since been re-united with their families after receiving medical attention.

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The Principal suspect Chief Lilian Nma Achumba has admitted and confessed to her criminal roles in the case, Adeniran said.

Achumba also revealed she has other branches of the orphanage in Port-harcourt and some other parts of the country.

The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris on assumption of Office on the 22nd June, 2016 expanded the Anti-Human Trafficking and Women/Children Protection Unit of the Force under the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID).

The Anti-Human Trafficking and Women/Children Protection Unit of the Force in compliance with the directives and their expanded mandate have been working in synergy with relevant agencies of Government in the fight against the trafficking of persons and abuse of rights and privileges of women and children.

Police said investigation is being intensified to uncover other illegal orphanage branches being operated by Achumba , to rescue victims and arrest other members of the syndicate still at large.

Legit.ng had reported that no fewer than 141 Nigerians including 11 pregnant women have voluntarily returned from Libya to Nigeria with the assistance of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU).

Segun Afolayan, Chief Planning Officer, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, October 31, in Lagos.

Mass deportation: Tales of woes from Libya on Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
- A man has been rearrested shortly after he was released from prison

- The man had been arrested 24 hours after he was released

- He was arrested for stealing a motorcycle after knocking the ride unconscious

A man identified as Kingsley Chukwu has been rearrested 24 hours after he was released from a prison in Ogun state. The man had reportedly been rearrested for stealing a motorcycle.

It was gathered that Onipanu Police station in Otta, had received a distressed call, reporting the incident. The suspect was reported to have posed as a passenger when he knocked the rider unconscious and stole his motorcycle.

Police operatives had immediately launched a search for the suspect and apprehended him while his alleged accomplice escaped.

Man gets rearrested for stealing 24 hours after prison release in Ogun state Photo: Instagram/Depositphotos

Source: Instagram

READ ALSO: Ex-convict re-arrested 5 days after release from prison

According to reports, the victim of the attack was immediately rushed to the hospital for emergency care. He is also reported to be responding to treatments well.

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The suspect's arrest had caused a stir on social media with many wandering why he would be released only to commit another crime.

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NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

Busted: Over 300 suspected hoodlums, criminals and prostitutes paraded in Lagos | - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit
A second carrier will offer flights between Lehigh Valley International Airport and Chicago starting next year.

American Airlines plans to launch a service to Chicago O'Hare International Airport beginning next April. American offers daily service from LVIA to Charlotte and Philadelphia.

United already offers flights between the Lehigh Valley and Chicago, part of the 10 air destinations offered by four airlines at the Hanover Township, Lehigh County, airport.

The last carrier to add a new service at LVIA was when Allegiant added a Fort Lauderdale stop in 2017, said LVIA spokesman Colin Riccobon.

Earlier this year, Allegiant added additional flights between the Valley and stops in Florida and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a pair of Macungie residents after authorities removed five dead and 81 live animals from their home last month.

Melanie Rehrig, 33, and Jason Wieder, 39, both lived at the home in the 900 block of Hillcrest Drive South where the animals were removed on Oct. 15.

Macungie police were called for a barking dog at the home that day.

After seeing the deplorable conditions and the number of animals living there, officers called the Lehigh County Humane Society for assistance, the Lehigh County District Attorney's office said in announcing charges against the pair Friday.

The home was deemed too hazardous to enter without breathing equipment; human society officer Barbara Morgan found animals living in filth and debris, and suffering from neglect.

The menagerie included birds, snakes, rabbits, frogs, pigs, monitor lizards and dogs. The 81 living animals and reptiles were removed from the property because of the unsanitary conditions and taken to the humane society.

The couple was each arraigned Friday afternoon on five counts of aggravated cruelty to animals; six counts of each of animal cruelty and animal neglect; and 86 summary counts of animal neglect.

They were each released on $25,000 unsecured bail; attorneys had not yet entered appearances for the duo.

Authorities said the investigation into the Macungie home led to a raid in Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County, where authorities seized more than 100 snakes, several alligators, five tortoises, two skunks, at least a dozen ferrets and some guinea pigs.

Some of the animals were dead. Humane Society personnel say others were kept in plastic bins stacked on top of each other and were in poor health. Charges have not been filed in that incident.

This is not the first animal cruelty case for Wieder.

When he lived in Emmaus, Wieder was accused of neglecting more than 50 birds, snakes and dogs that lived with him.

The animals included three huskies, a mix of six boa constrictors and pythons that were found dead, and approximately 40 birds, including cockatiels, cockatoos and parrots, authorities said.

The dogs and birds were seized in September 2014, and Wieder was was accused of failing to provide clean living conditions, access to clean water and veterinary care for the animals.

He pleaded guilty to a dozen animal cruelty charges and was ordered to pay $9,157 in restitution to the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A 7-year-old boy found dead at his school bus stop Thursday morning in central Pennsylvania was hit by a delivery truck driver, Pennsylvania State Police say.

According to the Altoona Mirror, state police Trooper David McGarvey said the truck driver backed over the boy around 7 a.m. Thursday on Huntingdon Furnace Road in Franklin Township, Huntingdon County.

The newspaper reports the truck was making a delivery at the home, where a family business is based.

Police told the newspaper the driver said he was unaware the child was there.

"That's what we believe," the trooper said.

State police said the investigation is ongoing, and it has not been determined if charges will be filed against the driver.

The second-grader was discovered dead by a Tyrone Area school bus driver at just after 7 a.m. Thursday, sending shock and sadness throughout the tight-knit community.

The identity of the boy was not immediately released.

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A Slate Belt man is facing aggravating assault charges after allegedly hitting a 7-year-old boy over homework.

Christopher Lauchnor, 26, reportedly told officers he "scolded the boy," and later said he meant he "spanked him on the butt and mouth."

Lauchnor, who lived with the boy and his mother on Dewey Street in East Bangor borough, was arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated assault of a child under the age of 13, reckless endangerment and harassment.

He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail.

Roseto police said the boy was left with Lauchnor Tuesday night while the boy's mother attended a college class.

The next morning, the mother saw several red, raised marks and bruises on the boy's face. Police said the boy told his mother he fell and hit a table.

Later that day, a relative saw similar red marks and bruises on the boy's stomach and back, according to police. The boy then told the relative Lauchnor spanked him.

Police spoke with the child in the presence of his parents, and the boy reported Lauchnor spanked him for not doing his homework. Officers confirmed seeing the reported injuries on the boy's face, stomach and back.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Omar Bambara was a big man with a big heart, his Marine buddy Nicholas Alberino recalled Friday, four days after the onetime corporal died in a household accident in North Carolina.

Alberino, 30, whose wife Karissa was raised in Phillipsburg, was Bambara's supervisor from 2010-11, as the two communications specialists served in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Alberino was a corporal at that point, but also was Bambara's sergeant when they returned stateside.

Bambara leaves behind his wife Tireka and children Akera, Armani, Ava, Omar Jr. and Ace. He was serving in the Army Reserves at the time of his death in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Bambara had joined the Marines in 2009 and the Reserves in 2013, his obituary says.

Alberino, of Perkasie, Bucks County, put up a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise money to pay for Bambara's burial and other costs, he said.

"I have two children and I can't imagine his wife being alone" and going through this, Alberino said. "Omar would have done this for any of us."

As of Friday afternoon, more than $1,800 had been raised on the gofundme.com page with a goal of $10,000.

"She feels very alone in this situation, but she's not alone," Alberino said. "People are sharing their prayers."

While unrelated Marines often form a bond very much like family, wives and children are an essential part of that, Alberino said.

"Omar was a big guy, very strong," Alberino, who served in the Corps from 2008-2012, said. "He was always looking out for his friends. He was committed to the Marine Corps. He loved his family."

While he could "light up the room" when reading to his children in off hours when calling home, Bambara was actually very reserved, Alberino said.

"He always wanted to hear other people speak," Alberino said. He would "dig deeper" in order to understand other points of view, Alberino added.

"It was a pleasure to lead him," Alberino said.

A church was created in a tent in Afghanistan and Bambara quickly signed up to volunteer, Alberino said. It was who he was. A gentle giant with a deep faith.

While Alberino wasn't certain if Bambara saw firefights similar to those Alberino experienced -- the radio operations unit was often split up to support infantry battalions in the field in the war zone -- he was positive Bambara was on base during regular attacks.

Bambara was working Monday on his car when a jack failed, Alberino said. The vehicle fell on Bambara's chest. He called out to his wife, who tried to get the jack to work and then attempted to lift the car, Alberino said. One of the children came out and held Bambara's hand, but the devoted dad was soon gone, Alberino said.

The tight group of Marines had stayed in touch over the years and when a fellow Marine called with the bad news, Alberino felt he needed to do something.

The family didn't have enough money for a proper farewell and was hoping for a free burial in a military cemetery, Alberino said. Eventually a relative stepped forward with a loan and funeral services were planned for Saturday, Alberino said. Visiting hours were scheduled for Friday evening and Saturday morning in North Carolina.

Bambara will be buried with National Reserves honors, Alberino said.

"Omar was a Marine's Marine," Alberino wrote in the GoFundMe introduction. "He was strong, loyal and a brother to all of us. His love for the Lord and his family was evident in every way possible. During Christmas in Afghanistan, Omar built a Christmas tree made out of water bottles. We did not have access to an actual tree but that did not stop Omar.

"He lifted everyone up around him. That is the kind of man Omar was. His wife and children were his entire world."

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
More detailed investigations and permanent repair work is likely at three big Laois schools as a result of the Western Buildings System controversy, the Department of Education has confirmed.

The Minister for Education said on Thursday night that schools in Portarlington and Portlaoise and other counties hit by the school defect controversy are set to get a more information outlining where they stand due to problems that have come to light.

Minister Joe McHugh promised on RTE that parents, principals and communities would get a clearer picture on Friday as to where things stand ahead of a return to schools rurrounded by high steel fences and possible scaffolding.

"A letter will be issued from the Department tomorrow outlining the process that went on over the past week and these 42 schools will be open Monday morning," he said.

Prior to his appearance on RTE Perimeter fencing had already been erected around Portlaoise Educated Together NS and Gaelscoil Phortlaoise to create exclusion zones in the short term. Similar steps have to be taken at Presentation Primary School Portarlington at an extension which houses junior infants, the school hall and an ASD unit.

While the schools will open after the mid-term break, further inspection and remedial work is likely. The department has not yet outlined what precisely is planed or the flaws that have been revealed.

However, it did indicate on Thursday evening that further disruption is possible. In a statement, the Department confirmed that "more detailed investigations and any necessary permanent remediation work will be dealt with in a follow-up phase".

No timeframe was put on this work.

During the interview, he insisted that none of the schools are in imminent danger adding that the approach taken to date has been 'ultra cautions - ultra precautionary'.

He said he completely understands parents concerns. He said his priority over the past week has been safety and getting the schools open.

As to where the fault lays he said self-certification rests with the contractor.

Earlier on Thursday, the Department of Education and Skills confirmed that the outcomes of the structural assessments conducted on all schools constructed by Western Building Systems have now been received.

The summary position is:

 19 schools cleared to open in full without intervention

 19 schools enabled to open in full following external precautionary measures in the form of a fence around the building (or part of the building) and protective decking

 3 schools which will be enabled to open, initially at ground floor level only, following the implementation of internal engineering solutions and external precautionary measures

 1 building (part of Ardgillan Community College) closed

Confirming the outcome of the assessments, Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh T.D. said:

The project managers, structural engineering teams and Department officials have been working intensively to enable the finalisation of all structural assessments today and to give the necessary clarity to school authorities and communities.

"Right throughout this process, our overriding priority has been the safety of school students and staff. This has led us to adopt a very cautious approach and to initiate precautionary interventions where structural issues have been identified during the assessments.

"In cases where precautionary external or internal interventions are being implemented, this is with the purpose of ensuring the safe occupation of all or part of the building and ensuring that disruption to classes is minimised.

"The next phase of the process will involve more detailed assessment and, where required, permanent remediation works to fully rectify any issues arising, he said.

By Friday, the Department said contractors will have mobilised to implement precautionary measures at all schools where this is required. The target is to have these interventions completed in time to facilitate schools reopening after the mid-term break.

Arrangements are in place to ensure that school principals concerned are kept fully informed of progress on a daily basis.
The construction company at the centre of the school building controversy insists it did not take short cuts or penny pinch when working on schools in Laois and elswhere in Ireland.

Western Building Systems was responding to the Department of Education and Skills conclusion of the initial assessment of all 42 identified schools. All schools will reopen after the mid-term break but fencing and other safety meassures are needed ahed of further investigation and repairs.

In a its statment the Tyrone-based company said its work at two schools in Portlaoise and a large Portarlington extension was carried out to high standards.

"Hard work, innovation and high standards have underpinned our business for 35 years. The Department itself awarded us contracts to build 42 schools over a 14-year period based on continuous quality of delivery.

"There were no shorts cuts or penny pinching here and those involved know this. While it remains unclear as to why and how we have reached this point, we are not walking away. We honour our contracts, as we have always done. We recognise the responsibility we have to our clients. We know how important schools are to pupils, parents, teachers and the wider community," said the statement.

The company said no details of the safety assessments carried out this week have been shared with them. They also claim not to know the methodology of the assessments or the basis of any conclusions reached.

The builders ay each school was previously certified for completion as being free from defects and suitable for use by the Department and its employed professionals. They claim the same people who have now arrived at a different view.

It is argued that the Department only invited tome to view 14 schools during the assessment period but they were given insufficient time on site to make structural evaluations.

Wester Building Systems say some of the schools identified as now requiring remedial works are still in their defects liability contract period. They say this provides for the contractor to remedy notified defects which the Department identifies under the contract.

"Some of the schools identified as now requiring remedial works were previously inspected and approved as compliant in line with the new building regulation control process. This includes schools where the Department appointed its own assigned certifiers, and a Clerk of Works who had a full-time presence on site," said the statement.

The builders say they have also written to the Department requesting proper access and time to evaluate the identified schools.

They said that twelve months ago, the then Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, told the Oireachtas Education Committee that its schools were built to the highest standards. That such a turnaround is now being reached is troubling on a wider scale.

Western Buildings also asked if the initial response proportionate to the risk? It claims that an "impression was allowed to develop" that 42 schools may have to close, giving rise to avoidable doubt and concern among officials, pupils, parents, families and teachers

The company says there are two main parties to every school building projectthe Department and the contractor.

"Each of these parties have several other qualified professionals assessing the requirements, design, build and certification of every project. There are numerous contracts in place overseeing each project. With every contract, the Department has four weeks to decide on issuing certificates of substantial completion and making payments. What were the Departments officials and employed professionals looking at daily, fortnightly and monthly when they were on our school sites, and originally when evaluating tender proposals?." said the statement.

The company also challanged the Department over how many of the 317 new schools built since 2000 ahve have been structurally assessed by the Department under its representative audit programme as announced last year.

It says improvements in the school building programme have been made, not least a doubling of the construction delivery timeline (contracts now stipulate 44-week delivery times, compared to 20-weeks previously).

It also said that given 10 billion has been earmarked for investment in school buildings over the next decade, does the Department continue to be satisfied with its procurement and supervisory process.

On the issue of school building maintenance the company asked what are the Departments views on introducing a nationwide facilities management programme to ensure school building standards are met and maintained post construction.

"We regularly handover certified schools to Principals who have no caretaker or support to maintain standards. It is our view that shortcomings in the regulatory system have once again been exposed.

"Provisions within the existing regulations can be further utilised, and additional reforms warrant consideration. Our company works in the UK and Northern Ireland where school building projects are monitored and certified by a wholly independent entity with no Departmental and contractor involvement," concluded the statement.
One of the groups that will benefit from the 30 million charitable donations by Elizabeth O'Kelly from Stradbally had a strong Laois connection.

The Board of the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) express its sincerest gratitude to the late Elizabeth OKelly for the largest single bequest in the 40-year history of the Association. The association had, perhaps the closest connection.

The late Martin Doody, from the Well Road, Portlaoise, was a former national chairman of the IKA. He and the late Mrs O'Kelly became friends through their common interest in archaeology.

Mr Doody, a transplant recipient, passed away peacefully in 2015 with mourners asked to make donations to the Irish Kidney Association as a mark of respect.

An association statement said Mrs O'Kelly's donation allows projects to proceed.

"With the extremely generous bequest received from the late Mrs. Elizabeth OKelly she has given us the opportunity to consider delivering projects that were previously aspirational. It is our responsibility to ensure that the benefits of her legacy will be felt by people living with, and affected by, kidney failure for many years to come.

"The Board of the IKA has been discussing how to make a real difference with the unprecedented opportunity afforded to us through Mrs OKellys bequest. This has involved reviewing what we do now and what are the needs going forward," it said.

However, it has already began investing the funds.

"With the continued support of our members and supporters in funding the delivery of existing services, the Association will be able to use Mrs OKellys bequest to deliver on plans for new and enhanced services. For example, we have already purchased a house next to Cork University Hospital that we will convert to an accommodation facility for patients and family members when they have appointments or admissions  similar to the services currently provided through our Renal Support Centre in Dublin for people attending Beaumont Hospital.

"We are also now in a position to deliver a dialysis unit next to our holiday facility in Tramore which, with HSE cooperation, will open up the opportunity for increased holiday dialysis. Most dialysis patients are totally restricted to their local dialysis treatment centre making it difficult for them to travel due to a shortage of national dialysis capacity.

"We have also agreed to financially support research through the Irish Nephrology Society  an aspect of the work of the Association that we have not been able to fund for a considerable period," said the association.

"Through Mrs OKellys thoughtfulness, we can look forward to being able to deliver enhanced services to our members and the wider renal community. Her legacy will greatly ease the burden on those affected by renal illness for years to come. For this, we express our deepest gratitude," concluded the statement.

The Irish Cancer Society, Irish Heart Foundation, the RNLI and Irish Autism Society also received an equal portion of the 30 million left by Mrs O'Kelly who died aged 93 in December 2016.

Prior to her death, she was a shareholder in Clylim Properties but also earned 30 million from the sale of the Leinster Leader Ltd in 2005 to the Johnston Press Group. She was a shareholder in the Leinster Express.
Islamist gunmen attack a bus carrying pilgrims in a desert area south of the capital. Coptic sources say ten died, but the toll could get higher. For Catholic Church spokesman, the militants acted out of revenge, raising fear of a new wave of attacks.

Cairo (AsiaNews)  Egypts Copts are once again the target of Islamic militants. Today a bus carrying Christians pilgrims was ambushed on their way to a monastery in a remote desert area south of the capital, Cairo, killing at least seven and wounding 12, the Interior Ministry said.

A spokesman for Orthodox Coptic Church, Bouls Halim, said that the death toll was likely to rise. Other unconfirmed Christian sources in Minya, where the incident occurred, said that ten people were killed.

No group has yet to claim responsibility for the attack, but the incident has all the hallmarks of the Islamic State (IS) group.

IS cells have been operating in the region in question for some times. They have also clashed with Egyptian security forces in the Sinai Peninsula and in the desert along the border with Libya.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Fr Rafic Greiche, spokesperson for the Egyptian Catholic Church, expressed "solidarity and condolences to the Copts, our brothers in Christ".

The "painful event" did not touch only "Christians, but also many Muslims" who are peaceful and opposed to jihadi violence.

According to the Christian cleric, "the attack could be the Jihadis response " to the World Youth Forum (WYF) scheduled for 3-6 November in Sharm el Sheikh.

"Not being able to hit the WYF because of the imposing security measures, the militants decided to hit a soft and simpler target."

A year and a half ago, jihadis "hit the same target with the same means. This is the second time this happens and it is likely that they acted out of revenge".

In a country of almost 95 million people with a large Muslim majority, Copts are a substantial minority of around 10 per cent of the total population.

Many now fear that this incident might be the beginning of a new wave of violence. In 2016 and 2017, a series of deadly attacks took place, some against Christians.

A few weeks ago, a military court sentenced 17 people to death in connection with this violence.

The violent escalation almost jeopardised Pope Franciss apostolic trip to Egypt in April 2017. However, the pontiff was able to visit the country and meet Egyptian President Abel al-Sisi and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmad al-Tayeb as well as celebrate Mass in front of tens of thousands of faithful.
New laws that came into effect last week will mean a three-month ban for any drink drivers found to be over the limit.

Laois woman and Road Safety Authority board member Gillian Treacy whose son was killed by a drunk driver has welcomed the ban which replaces penalty points.

We are thrilled and absolutely delighted. It is unfortunate that it is too late for us but if it prevents another family having to go through what we went through, she told the Leinster Express.

Gillian and her husband Ronan bravely took on a harrowing tv and radio campaign revealing their trauma and grief since a drunk driver killed Ciaran and badly injured Gillian in 2014 in Portarlington.

We have done this for Ciaran, at the launch people were calling it the Ciaran Treacy change of law. He captured everybodys hearts and brought about a very positive change. It means a lot to us and it is a big achievement for Ciaran but he is still not here, she said.

It is hard to look at the posters used in the campaign but Im very honoured too for someone so small he made such a powerful impact on the country, she said.

Some TDs had objected to the tougher laws, and Ms Treacy had personally visited them to explain the impact on bereaved families.

That was an insult to anyone who lost a family member to drink driving. Eventually, we got there and got through to them and we showed them the heartache, she said.

Her work on the board of the Road Safety Authority continues.

We are working on the next strategy for 2020, there's loads in the pipeline, Im passionate about it and it is important to have someone like me on the board and I am also pushing for the rights of people who are injured, she said.

Laois publican Lar Hogan says the new laws make it harder on rural pubs and their customers while accepting the law change.

Its making it harder on publicans out in the country. Customers cant drive and thats it. Most of our customers are elderly locals. Its not the pints they come for, its just the chat, talking about cattle, farming, the price of everything, he said.

To help his pub Sheeran's in Coolrain stay open, he offers a free driving service for customers. He collects a dozen or so customers each evening and drops them home.

We are doing it for two years now. We had some customers breathalised and fined, and others who passed the test. Thats bad for the pub, I cant afford to let that happen so I drive them every night. These are people only living four miles or so up the road, he said.

He wants a tax break.

The law is what it is now, and we have to work with it, but even if they gave us a tax break on diesel it would help. I will spend 80 on diesel this weekend, and there is wear and tear on the car, the roads here arent that great. Then I need to have someone else behind the bar when I go out, Mr Hogan said.

Some will drive in and leave their cars for the next day, but it's an inconvenience to them. The culture has changed fast, in 10 years I can see nobody driving to pubs, he said.

Mr Hogan is optimistic that the legislation will have another positive, besides saving lives.

I think it will be good for developing rural villages. People will live more in villages, he said.

Alcohol is a factor in 39pc of driver fatalities in Ireland. The three-month ban is for drivers with a blood alcohol concentration between 50mg and 80mg. One glass of beer may be enough to put a driver over the limit. The limit for professional, novice and learner drivers is 20mg.

120 people have died so far on Irish roads in 2018, five less than this time last year. They were 32 pedestrians, 52 drivers, 18 passengers, 11 motorcyclists and seven cyclists.
The prosecutor in the trial of a man, who shot his friend and dismembered his remains, has told the jury that the deceased was not just murdered but executed in an act of premeditation.

Sean Gillane SC was giving his closing speech yesterday, Thursday November 1 in the Dubliners murder trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Paul Wells Snr (50) of Barnamore Park, Finglas has admitted shooting dead fellow Dubliner Kenneth OBrien and dismembering his body. However, the father-of-five has pleaded not guilty to murdering the 33-year-old at his home in Barnamore Park on 15th or 16th January, 2016.

He claims that the deceased had wanted him to murder Mr OBriens partner, so that he could take their child back to Australia, where he had previously lived.

He told gardai that Mr OBrien had brought a gun to his house for this purpose on the evening of the 15th but that he didnt want to do it. He said this resulted in a scuffle between them, that the gun fell, they both tried to get it, but that he got to it first and shot his friend in the back of the head.

He said that he then panicked, chopped him into pieces with a chainsaw Mr OBrien had lent him, put his torso into Mr OBriens suitcase and dumped it in the Grand Canal.

Mr Gillane said that there was a body of evidence, which established beyond any doubt that Mr Wells Snr murdered Kenneth OBrien and did so in an act of premeditation.

He described the suggested plan to murder Eimear Dunne as a nonsense wrapped in self-defeating contradictions.

He noted that Mr OBrien had told their young son that he was moving home to Ireland for good.

He questioned Mr Wells story that, having decided to make himself a single parent through an act of violence, Mr OBrien had arrived at the accused mans house with nothing but the clothes on his back and a gun in his waistband.

He reminded the jury of the pathologists finding of a contact entry wound, where the gun had been pressed up against the back of Mr OBriens head.

That, I suggest, is overwhelming evidence even on its own of an intention to kill or cause serious injury, he said.

He addressed Mr Wells admissions to gardai three days after his arrest. The jury had seen DVD recordings of the relevant interview, where he had accepted physical responsibility for what hed done.

Mr Gillane said that one might well think that this was done out of empathy or sorrow. However, he said that this was not the product of conscience but was as a result of the crushing weight of evidence.

Those tears are not tears of sorrow. We can also cry because were caught, he said. What you see in that interview thereafter is Mr Wells doing what hes being doing since the moment he pulled the trigger on Kenneth OBrien: exercising control, control and manipulation from the very word go.

He said that from the moment the accused had engaged with gardai, he had sought to demonise Kenneth OBrien. The barrister said that he wasnt going to do the opposite.

I'm not going to try to suggest he was a saint, he said. Like all of us, were somewhere on that spectrum, a combination of good and bad.

He accepted that Mr OBrien was someone, who could hurt people, be it through affairs or meanness.

So what? Thats a smokescreen, he suggested. Just because youre having affairs or whatever you're up to doesnt dilute your essential humanity. Nor does it mean whats suggested to you, a plan to murder the mother of your child.

He spoke of the accused mans account of Mr OBriens arrival to his home that Friday evening, having not been there in more than a year.

Yet hes chosen to arrive on the one day the matriarch of the house is away in Cork with his son, which was planned and known about by Paul Wells, he said. A stroke of bad luck for Kenneth OBrien.

Hes also chosen the one day that Gary Wells isnt at home, he said of the accused mans adult son.

He reminded the jury of this sons testimony that his father had told him not to be at home that evening because he was expecting a friend.

Perhaps that involves a question of ur toleration of coincidence, said Mr Gillane.

He recalled Mr Wells account of his scuffle with Mr OBrien and his description of both of them flipping head over heels to arrive in a row-your-boat position.

Mr Wells now in interview has to explain how it is that someone gets shot in the back of the head in self defence, he remarked.

I say to you, not only was Mr OBrien murdered, he was in effect executed efficiently with a single bullet to the back of his head and, after being killed in that way, his body was desecrated, he concluded, asking for a guilty verdict.

However, Michael OHiggins SC, defending, questioned whether a prepared killer would have carried out the crime and the cover-up as his client had.

He drew the jurys attention to what Mr Wells had told gardai had gone through his head as he sat on a beer crate in his shed after the shooting. He claimed he had wondered how he would get the body through the family home without destroying the house and he had worried that someone could walk in at any minute; there was evidence that this was a house where people regularly called unannounced.

If you were going to kill somebody in the backyard of your own house..., you wouldn't wait until you were sitting on the beer crate to pose all these questions, suggested the barrister. Surely, you would have posed them before you carried out your plan.

He noted that his client had involved three of his adult children in the cover-up. He had rung his daughter, asking for ratchet straps, had asked one son to dispose of the chainsaw and another to remove rubbish from the scene.

If you really were planning to kill somebody, would you be turning to three members of your family to get you out of this mess? he asked. I suggest no.

He noted that the disposal of the remains involved two trips to the canal near Celbridge.

What state of preparedness would involve a situation where you took the torso away at 5am and left the other body parts and did not dispose of them until 7pm? he asked. What sort of plan would that be?

He suggested that the argument that this was a planned event did not add up.

You could not even be satisfied that this was probably the case, never mind satisfied beyond reasonable doubt, he said.

He then outlined a number of factors which he said supported his clients case about the alleged murder plot to kill Eimear Dunne. He reminded the jury that Mr Wells claimed that the alleged killing was to take place on Friday, 15th January.

He noted that the CCTV system in Mr OBriens and Ms Dunnes home had been working day and night from midnight 7th January until the early hours of 13th January. It then operated for about a minute on 14th January before going blank.

Its access code had also been changed by the time Ms Dunne tried to check it after her partner went missing. She agreed in court that the only person who could have changed it was Mr O'Brien.

There's no evidence before the court as to how or why this machine stopped, said Mr OHiggins.

He noted that Ms Dunnes birthday party, scheduled for 15th January, had been cancelled at Mr OBriens request because he said he had to work.

But it was an out and out lie, and to this day nobody has ever been able to shed any light whatsoever on why that lie was told, he said, reminding the jury of his bosss evidence that the work had been cancelled.

He noted that Mr OBrien had got keys cut on 14th January.

Another odd coincidence, the CCTV is out, hes cutting keys, the party is changed and the rationale for changing it is non-existent work, he remarked.

He pointed to the removal of the numbers of two of Mr OBriens bosses from Ms Dunnes phone.

That is an extraordinary thing to do, to go to your partners handset and start deleting numbers, he suggested. Its not normal. Its not eccentric. You cant file it under odd behaviour.

He said that it wouldnt be unreasonable to speculate that one reason might be to prevent Ms Dunne finding out that he wasnt working that Friday.

He pointed to what he said were Mr OBriens multiple phones and the fact that his passport was missing from the safe, where it was usually kept.

Mr OHiggins will continue his speech this morning.
Female entrepreneurs from across Leitrim took part in Irelands largest National Womens Enterprise Day on Thursday, 18th October, when they attended their local event at The Landmark Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon.

An initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, and now in its 12th year, over 1,400 female entrepreneurs attended National Womens Enterprise Day events across the country.

At the Leitrim event, over 50 local entrepreneurs were in attendance to hear the thoughts of successful business women, Detta McNiffe, Aoife McNiffe and Norah Casey. The Master of Ceremonies was Orla Casey from Momentum.

Selina Shanley, Leitrim Physiotherapy, Deirdre OConnell, Lenas Tea Room, Orla Barden, One Simple Change.

The National Womens Enterprise Day initiative is led by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices nationwide, and funded by the Government of Ireland, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland, Local Authorities and the Enterprise Europe Network.

The theme of this years National Womens Enterprise Day was From Local To Global, aiming to highlight the success stories of female entrepreneurs who have taken their local ideas and turned them into global success stories with the hope of inspiring more women to do the same.

High profile entrepreneurs that were sharing their success stories at sixteen different National Womens Enterprise Day events around the country included Oscar-nominated Catherine Roycroft of Cartoon Saloon, Oonagh OHagan of Meaghers Pharmacy Group, Mary McKenna of Tour America, Marissa Carter of Cocoa Brown and Eleanor McEvoy of Dragons Den and Budget Energy.

In 2017, the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) played a key role in supporting female entrepreneurs at all stages of their business journey.

Geraldine Reynolds, Carmel Coll, Moira Maguire and Maisie Fee.

Over 18,500 female entrepreneurs took part in LEO-led training, mentoring and networking programmes, while the Local Enterprise Offices provided direct funding to 280 female-led businesses in 2017.

Over 14,500 female entrepreneurs have already received training or mentoring through their Local Enterprise Office this year alone.

Joe Lowe, Head of Local Enterprise in Leitrim, said; National Womens Enterprise Day is a key milestone for Local Enterprise Offices around the country. Since it started twelve years ago, the popularity of NWED has grown and every year we have more female success stories in business to highlight.

The events are as important as ever, as they connect female entrepreneurs and give them the opportunity to learn from each other and share business challenges and solutions.

For any female entrepreneurs in business or starting one up, our advice is to come and talk to the team at the Local Enterprise Office and we will quickly put you on a path to the right enterprise supports. Just start conversation with your Local Enterprise office and we can guide you from there.

Geraldine Moran, Geraldine Reynolds, Nora Casey, Carmel Coll, Joe Lowe and Orla Mongey, Local Enterprise Office Staff.

Lar Power, Leitrim County Council Chief Executive said; It is fantastic to see the level of interest National Womens Enterprise Day attracts each year. The event is not only a great opportunity to hear from inspirational women in business, and to showcase what they have achieved, but also provides important networking opportunities for women throughout the country.

In the context of Brexit, I am very pleased to see this years theme, From Local to Global and I would like to highlight to businesses that their local LEO is on hand to support them in maximising market growth opportunities.

Further details on the supports available to female entrepreneurs in Leitrim are available from www.LocalEnterprise.ie or by contacting Local Enterprise Office Leitrim at Leitrim County Council or by email to info@leo.leitrimcoco.ie

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Tesco stores in Ballinamore and Carrick-on-Shannon raised a fangtastic 2,790 as part of Trick or Treat for Temple Street over the bank holiday weekend. In all 151 stores across Ireland, Tesco colleagues dressed up in a variety of costumes while they hosted Halloween parties at the front of each store with cake sales, face-painting, balloons and much more.

All funds raised by Tesco stores will purchase a new Ultrasound machine for Neurosurgery which will be used during neurosurgical procedures to get real-time views of the brain anatomy and thereby facilitating the removal of brain tumours and accurate placement of devices and shunts.

Aoife Donohoe, Head of Corporate Affairs, Tesco Ireland said, We are really proud to have supported Trick or Treat for Temple Street and are amazed by the level of support from our colleagues and customers alike. It really shows what can be achieved when people pull together for a great cause. What a fantastic result for the little heroes of Temple Street.

Denise Fitzgerald, Chief Executive, Temple Street Foundation said, The funds raised by Tesco colleagues and customers at this years Trick or Treat parties in stores across the country is nothing short of phenomenal. We are tremendously grateful to everyone who got involved in the Halloween fun in support of our patients and their families. The funds you have raised will be put to work where they are needed most to transform lives for the better. From all of us here in Temple Street, thank you so much for supporting Temple Street and being a vital part of the extraordinary circle of care that surrounds each sick child in our hospital.

Temple Street has been Tesco Irelands charity partner since October 2014 and to date Tesco Ireland has raised 3.6 million in aid of the little heroes of Temple Street.

Each year Temple Street Childrens University Hospital treats over 145,000 children from across the country and operates the busiest A&E department in Europe. For thousands of children, Temple Street is the only hospital in Ireland in which they can be treated. Through the charity partner programme, Tesco colleagues and customers can help little people from all over Ireland get better and be real life heroes to children attending the hospital.
Leitrim County Council along with a team of Mohill businesses and community representatives hosted a national conference SMART Towns and Villages an Opportunity to Revitalise Rural Ireland in Lough Rynn Castle, Mohill on Monday, October 22nd.

The conference welcomed over 150 delegates from local authorities all over Ireland as well as regional agencies and community groups, to engage with speakers on this relatively emerging concept.

The conference followed the adoption in early 2018 by the Committee of the Regions of their recent paper on Revitalisation of Rural areas through Smart Towns/Villages into which Leitrim County Council had input and an ongoing process in Leitrim of Town regeneration.

Leitrim County Council hosted the conference to highlight the issues, opportunities and progress achieved in developing this concept.

Towns and Villages in rural Ireland and further afield have been in decline over the last number of years, but with a renewed focus from government on putting people first and enhancing towns and villages, the concept of Smart Towns and Villages has developed taking account of targeted actions to support the revival of rural areas as sustainable places in which to live and work.

Leitrim County Council were delighted to welcome representatives from the EU commission as well as Minister Canney and several other expert speakers on the day.

Lar Power, CE of Leitrim County Council commented, We are delighted to host this event which we envisage will add to the conversation on this topic of Smart Towns and Villages, in addition it gives us the opportunity to showcase some of the innovative place-making initiatives we are involved in at Leitrim County Council including The Hive, Slow Adventure Tourism and Smart Green Mohill.

Leitrim County Council will continue to work hard to revitalise its towns and villages over the coming years and welcomes continued collaboration with the wider business and community networks.

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A HIGH-profile Limerick councillor has said he would welcome Peter Casey into Fianna Fail over some of the other rats and snakes he claims the party has.

Veteran member Kevin Sheahan, who lives in Askeaton where Mr Casey got a huge share of the presidential vote, has suggested the former Dragons Den star could make a contribution.

Maybe we need a few Caseys in the party, he said.

The former mayors comments put him on a collision course with senior Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins who was one of the first to dismiss Mr Caseys hopes of joining the Soldiers of Destiny and becoming Taoiseach following his comments which criticised Traveller culture.

Speaking to the Week in Politics on RTE One in the wake of Mr Caseys better-than-expected display, Mr Collins said he must realise that you cant just rock up to political parties and think that you can get your way.

But Cllr Sheahan said: I wouldnt agree with opposing Mr Caseys desire to join any political party. I have met that man. I dont think he would be a monster in any political party. Fianna Fail has always put its chest out and say we welcome everyone to our party. There are other rats and snakes in our party, we could do without them.

Rural county Limerick represented the third highest constituency in terms of vote share for Mr Casey, who achieved close on 35% of the votes cast, a total of 10,865.

Senior figures within Fianna Fail have been quueing up to dismiss any notion of the businesman  who received Limerick councils nomination to run for Aras an Uachtarain  joining their party, a move which prompted Mr Casey to suggest he might set up a new party.

However, Cllr Sheahan said: We wouldnt be sending out a good message to young people if we started to say you can join, but you cant. We need members in Fianna Fail.

Remarkably some of his highest votes appeared to be in Askeaton, and Rathkeale, both areas known for having a higher than average Traveller population.

Just a week before the election, the Irish-American businessman was on 2% in the polls  but come polling day, he had climbed to 23%, and secured almost 343,000 first preference votes nationwide.

Former mayor of Limerick, Cllr Stephen Keary has revealed that he gave his first preference to Mr Casey.

The Croagh man said: This was a call from middle Ireland for their voices to be heard. Thats what Peter Caseys vote has echoed. Peter Casey was someone I would have respected in the run-up to the election. I gave him my vote last Friday.

But Cllr Keary criticised Mr Caseys actions since polling day, saying rather than expressing a desire to become leader of Fianna Fail, he should have sat back and done an appraisal of how he got on.

Asked if he can understand why so many people across West Limerick gave their first preference to Mr Casey, he said: Yes.

If there are issues with the different ethnic groupings and one feels they are not getting the same attention as the other, then maybe that could be a part of it. People are fed up of that. Im talking about middle Ireland people who get up in the morning, go to work and pay their fair share, their mortgages and their taxes, and get nothing.

They feel they are being abused to some degree when they look around them and see their neighbours maybe getting the benefits they do, an they dont work at all, Cllr Keary said.

He also criticised his own party leader, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for intervening in the presidential election debate, suggesting it acted as a positive for Peter Casey.

People are adults, they are educated, they are well-informed, and they dont want the Taoiseach of the day to tell them who to vote for, particularly when they are not a member of his party, Cllr Keary added.

The Limerick Leader published Cllr Sheahans initial comments on Sunday online  in which he feels the electorate were giving the Taoiseach the two fingers, and advising that he should refrain from comment in future.

Since the article, he says he has had a lot of telephone calls from people congratulating him over his stance.

Limerick City TD Willie ODea said he would not welcome Mr Casey into Fianna Fail, saying: I dont share his views on social welfare in particular. Peter Casey is saying people on social welfare should receive less. Its extraordinary.

Contrary to popular opinion, there is a tiny tiny percentage of the social welfare bill being paid to those who are unemployed. The majority goes on old-age pensions, and people who are too ill to work.

Does he think reducing people to starvation levels is going to transform Irelands economy? I doubt it.

Independent councillor Emmett OBrien, a former member of Fianna Fails national executive, says he cannot understand why the party would reject an advance from Mr Casey.

This is a man who got 10,000 votes in Limerick. Thats a quota. How any TD can come along and say Fianna Fail is full is a bit rich in my opinion, he said.

Cllr OBrien added he was not surprised in the slightest by Mr Caseys performance in the county.
THE DANCE Academy in Castletroy has combined its love of dogs and ballet in a brilliantly titled charity calendar  The Mutt Cracker.

Monies raised from the pedigree product featuring teachers and pupils with their canine chums will go to Limerick Animal Welfare and Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland. Principal of The Dance Academy, Stacey Booth said they were inspired by St Louis Ballet Company in America.

We had seen some wonderful photos online they had done with dogs and dancers. We thought it would be a lovely idea for us to do something similar. I said if you are going to do it you have to do it for charity and people will be happy to support it, if it is for charity, said Stacey.

They phoned and emailed photographers and they all jumped at the chance. Kevin Murphy, Cormac Byrne, Jody Neville, Michele King, Susan Parkes, Br Denis Hooper and Daisy Chain Photography all gave their time for free.

The calendar was produced by The Dance Academys students and teachers.

It involves seven local photographers, dancers, rescue and working assistance dogs, and our aim is to raise 15,000 minimum for the two charities. The calendar includes 12 beautiful photos of dancers with dogs, and is appropriately called The Mutt Cracker. Its been a fabulous, fun project for our school, said Stacey.

Each month features a photograph more adorable than the next. They say you should never work with animals or children but The Dance Academy has managed it perfectly for two very good causes.

The difference that an autism assistance dog can make in peoples lives is massive. It is absolutely incredible, said Stacey.

While Limerick Animal Welfare promotes the humane treatment of all animals, working towards a more compassionate society. They believe in educating young people about responsible pet ownership. Volunteers and staff rescue and rehome dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and many other animals when they find themselves homeless, abandoned, cruelly abused or injured through no fault of their own.

Limerick Animal Welfare has a no-kill policy and animals remain in their care until they find the right homes for them.

The work they do is unreal, said Stacey, whose own beautiful Irish Wolfhound, Mo, features in The Mutt Cracker.

The calendar is available in Castletroy Shopping Centre, vets in the locality and can be purchased online from The Dance Academys Facebook page. Stacey will also have a Dance Academy stall at a special sensory harvest festival for autistic children and adults in the Milk Market this Sunday, November 4 from 11am to 4pm.

It will be a more sensory environment for them as opposed to the normal market which would obviously be quite overwhelming for them. We are going to be there selling calendars and do some dancing as well. There will be dogs there as well from the charities, said Stacey.
QATAR Racing has doubled down on its investment in County Limerick by purchasing a second million euro farm.

The global racing and bloodstock operation bought 102 acres at Spring Lodge, Manister for 1,050,000 in 2013. When an adjoining 115 acres went up for auction in the Woodlands House Hotel on Friday they snapped it up for 1,060,000.

Billy Gabbett, of John Shaw Auctioneers, remained tight lipped on the purchaser of the land at Knocknagranshy, Grange Hill, Manister but the Limerick Leader has learned it was Qatar Racing.

Their equine stars of the future have been born and nurtured at Spring Lodge. They include offspring sired by Galileo and Dubawi. It is managed by Peter Molony, owner of neighbouring Rathmore Stud and Irish representative of Qatar Racing.

The Leader understands that Qatar Racings plan is to expand their very successful breeding operation in County Limerick.

The progeny of Roaring Lion - the best three-year-old in the world on ratings - could yet be raised in County Limerick.

The John Gosden-trained colt has helped Qatar Racing to their most successful season since they entered the sport. After four Group One successes, Roaring Lion will be retired to stud after the Breeders Cup this weekend.

Qatar Racing is chaired by Sheikh Fahad Al Thani - a son of the former prime minister and first cousin to the Emir of Qatar. The country has been ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-19th century. Forbes magazine has named it the worlds richest country.

On a visit to Manister in 2014, Sheikh Fahad told the Leader: I believe this part of the world, the land is one of the best lands to raise race horses, that is why we bought the place and we are going to raise a few of our race horses down here.

Mr Gabbett, who conducted the auction last Friday, said it is top class limestone land ideally suited to raising bloodstock. It puts "great bone" on horses and gives them a great start in life. This is borne out by the number of stud farms in the area - Islanmore, Manister House, Rathmore, Caherass House, Roundhill, Ballyphilip, Croom House and Spring Lodge.

Mr Gabbett said there were around 30 at the auction in Adare.

There were three good bidders. It opened at 350,000, it went up in bids of 10,000. It took off at around 750,000 where one bidder fell out. It went to 1,040,000 with the two bidders and I put it on the market, said Mr Gabbett. The two fought it out in bids of 5,000. Mr Gabbet dropped the gavel at 1,060,000

On behalf of John Shaw Auctioneers, Mr Gabbett said they were very satisfied with the price.

I was guiding around 8,000 / 9,000 an acre. It actually made 9,200 an acre. The land speaks for itself - it is top quality, said Mr Gabbett.

Back in 2014, Sheikh Fahad was asked could there be further investment in Limerick? He replied: Definitely, who knows. I cant say yes or no at the moment but if the need is there, yeah, definitely. We take small steps and we see where we go.

A large step was taken last week in the Woodlands House Hotel.
ONE of the youngest candidates ever could be selected to contest a local election in Limerick this Friday.

Twenty-year-old Patrickswell man Daniel McSweeney is vying to win a place on the Fine Gael ticket in City West for next Mays local election.

He will face a party convention at the South Court Hotel this Friday night, and there will be competition from incumbent councillors Elenora Hogan and Daniel Butler, as well as Patrickswell publican Fergus Kilcoyne to secure a place on a three-person ticket.

The youngsters selection has caused something of a stir locally, with sources telling the Limerick Leader he sought a nomination from Young Fine Gael. This comes despite the fact he is vice-chairman of the Willie O'Brien branch in Patrickswell.

A lot of people in the area are shocked he is putting himself forward. You need to crawl before you can walk, you have to walk, said one Patrickswell member, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Ironically, it now means Mr McSweeney will go up against branch chair Mr Kilcoyne, who narrowly missed out on the last seat in City West four years ago.

We had a meeting a month ago. A vote was taken whether one or two people would go forward at convention. It was a secret ballot and the motion of one to go forward was taken by majority decision. Then there was a vote on whether Fergus or Daniel should go forward, and Fergus was selected, the source added.

But Mr McSweeney has insisted he did not seek the Patrickswell nomination. He was proposed and seconded, but declined to take part in the contest, having already secured the nod from Young Fine Gael.

Cllrs Hogan and Butler are being put forward by their own branches in the city and Raheen respectively  and their strength in numbers will likely see them over the line.

But with the vote carried out under the single transferable vote rule, it will be intriguing to see who out of Mr Kilcoyne or Mr McSweeney takes the final slot on the Fine Gael ticket for next summer.

In a statement, Mr McSweeney, who is currently studying law and taxation in the Limerick Institute of Technology, said he believes it is crucial Fine Gael run a young candidate in City West.

I believe I can win a third seat for Fine Gael in City West and I also believe both youth and experience is required on Limericks local authority to represent all our constituents, he said. Mr McSweeney is also a member of the executive for Limerick County Fine Gael, while he has previously served on Comhairle na nOg.
One of the most exciting Limerick bands to emerge from the local music scene in recent years make a return for a home city show this Saturday.

Trio Whenyoung play a gig for Seoda Shows this Saturday Upstairs at Dolans (9pm, tickets 10) surfing a wave of well deserved hype.

The group, who met as teens in Limerick when at school in the city, are based in London where they have been working with Florence and the Machine manager Mairead Nash, plus inking a deal with major record label Virgin EMI.

They are Aoife Power from Raheen, Niall Burns from Westbury and Andrew Flood from Clonlara.

Whenyoung have had something of a breakthrough year in 2018, supporting, among others, The Vaccines, and have just announced the release of new EP Given Up, the title track for which mixes a gritty alt-rock edge with a shimmering chorus.

They turned in some fantastic performances at All Together Now and Electric Picnic this summer, as well as playing a high profile support slot to Nick Cave in Kilmainham.

Speaking to the Leader, they said it was unbelievable to get to play on the same stage as Nick Cave and Patti Smith, both of whom, they say, are inspirations, but they would more readily position themselves as The Clash meets Blondie, according to Aoife.

We are like a punk band but with strong melodies. If we write a song it has to have a meaning and having the melody play the story out is what I look for, she says.

Niall chuckles: If you are waiting over a minute for a chorus in our song then we have done something wrong! The Ramones music is fairly choppy and to the point, we are like them as we dont like waiting around, he laughs.

Asked about the scene in London compared to Limerick, Andrew says: There is a huge variety in London, there is always something on every night of the week. There is so much more of everything, its like amplifying the Limerick scene by a thousand.

He adds that the trio are really looking forward to playing again in Limerick.
by Melani Manel Perera

Under international pressure, President Sirisena will reconvene Parliament on 7 November. MPs will face two prime ministers. Civil society groups collect 16,000 signatures in a petition in favour of the sacked prime minister. For many, Sirisena broke his election promises.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  Sri Lankan political parties "should set aside their interests and resolve the ongoing conflict whilst respecting the rules of the Constitution, said Sri Lankas Catholic bishops in response to the political crisis that has gripped the country for the past week.

Meanwhile, under international pressure, President Maithripala Sirisena announced the reopening of Parliament, which he had suspended after sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, until then a political ally.

The presidents action has sparked criticism with many civil society groups protesting against his unexpected move, including his decision to name former dictator Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister. The latter has been accused of rights abuses and violations during the countrys civil war.

Set initially for next Monday, parliament will resume on Wednesday, placing its members in an awkward situation of having two prime ministers vying for their support.

"The people's voices have been heard. Parliament will be reconvened [. . .]. Democracy will prevail, Wickremasinghe wrote on Twitter.

Yesterday, thousands of his supporters gathered in Colombo. One of them told AsiaNews that "Sirisena has betrayed the promises he made in the election campaign on the basis of which we voted for him."

On Wednesday, a delegation of activists met with parliamentary Speaker Karu Jayasooriya, handing him a petition signed by over 16,000people.

In its official statement, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka (CBCSL) stressed that political leaders should not focus on staying in power or getting into power, but serve the people and the development of the country".

The Methodist Church also expressed its concern over the constitutional crisis. Mgr Asiri Perera noted that the irresponsible actions of political leaders are the cause of this crisis, not ordinary Sri Lankans.

As Christians, he added, "we cannot wash our hands but we have the responsibility of kneeling before God to seek his blessings and mediation for our country and its people."
May 3, 2021, 6 PM

The Nov. 14-16 Robert A. Siegel auction in New York City includes another rare error, a used 1869 30 Eagle, Shield and Flags stamp with the blue flags inverted. Just 47 examples of the variety have been accounted for.

The position 49 Jenny Invert was certified by the Philatelic Foundation earlier this year after being out of the public eye for a century. It will be offered during the Nov. 14-16 Robert A. Siegel auction.

Two examples of the 1918 3 dark violet type II George Washington with gauge 10 perforations at bottom are offered in the November Siegel sale. This example is struck with a Holyoke, Mass., precancel.

An unused 1 invert from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition issue, one of five (plus one used) that will be offered in the Siegel auction.

By Michael Baadke

Its whereabouts unknown for a century, the Jenny Invert stamp from position 49 on the discovery sheet of 100 stamps surfaced earlier this year.

Graded extremely fine (XF 90) with a 2018 Philatelic Foundation certificate, that 1918 United States 24 carmine rose and blue airmail stamp with the image of the blue Curtiss Jenny biplane flying upside down (Scott C3a) is now heading to auction.

News that the long-absent stamp had turned up was reported here.

A Chicago-area family submitted the stamp to the Foundation for certification. While preferring to remain unnamed in publicity, the family did disclose that the stamp spent most of its life in a safe deposit box, untouched by stamp hinges and protected from potential damage, including light and environmental fluctuations.

Because the stamp was never mounted in an album, it is coveted by collectors as a mint, unhinged copy with its original gum. Only six unhinged Jenny Inverts, including this example, are recorded from the original sheet of 100, the Foundation reported.

Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries in New York City will offer the Jenny Invert stamp during its Nov. 14-16 auction.

It is part of a larger sale that includes Confederate States and Hawaii stamps and postal history, along with U.S. unused and used stamps and postal history, back-of-the-book material and more.

The Jenny Invert is the top attention-grabber in a sale that offers many U.S. rarities, a number of highly graded singles and multiples, and perforation varieties that are sought after by specialists and other U.S. collectors.

Siegel expressed the opinion that the Jenny Invert in this auction is the finest example in existence, by virtue of its pristine gum and phenomenal centering.

This particular stamp is offered to the market for the first time since the error sheet of 100 was broken up following the original discovery. Each stamp was carefully numbered in pencil on the back to note its position on the sheet, and the 49 lightly applied in the lower right corner by stamp dealer Eugene Klein can still be read in the photograph Siegel shows in its auction catalog.

The stamp is mint, never hinged, possessing a deep rich color unlike any we have ever encountered, according to Siegel.

The stamp is listed by Siegel with the $850,000 value assigned by the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers for a never-hinged Jenny Invert grading very fine (VF 80).

Keep in mind that the never-hinged stamp being auctioned by Siegel graded XF 90.

Other significant invert errors in this sale include a used example of the 1869 30 ultramarine and carmine Eagle, Shield and Flags stamp with the ultramarine flags inverted (Scott 121b).

Compared to the 100 Jenny Invert errors known to exist, there are only 47 known examples of the 1869 30 invert, according to the Siegel census of the issue.

Perhaps ten used examples are confirmed as sound, Siegel noted. Several have significant faults. The example offered here, with just a single slightly short perf, is essentially sound.

Much like the Jenny Invert described previously, this stamp has also been out of sight for quite some time. It was acquired at the 1941 Harmer, Rooke auction of the C.A. Brown collection, according to Siegel, and has been held by the same family ever since.

A 2018 PF certificate also accompanies the used stamp, which is listed with the Scott catalog value of $90,000.

This auction also offers eight lots with inverts from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition stamp set, including five unused and one used of the 1 green and black with the black steamship vignette inverted (Scott 294a).

One of those unused 1 inverts was kept in a safe deposit box for more than 70 years (sharing space with the Inverted Jenny Position 49), according to Siegel.

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Also on offer are unused examples of the 2 carmine and black stamp with the black train vignette inverted (Scott 295a), and the 4 deep red brown and black stamp with the black electric automobile vignette inverted (296a).

For good measure, collectors can also bid on two different examples of the $1 tan, brown, orange and yellow Candle Holder error stamp with the engraved brown design elements inverted (Scott 1610c). Just 93 examples are known of the stamp error popularly identified as the CIA invert because the incomplete pane was originally purchased at a post office by office employees of the spy agency.

Among the scarce perforation varieties offered in this sale are two examples of the 1918 3 dark violet type II George Washington flat-plate printing with gauge 10 perforations at bottom (Scott 502e). The stamps are otherwise perforated gauge 11, which is the perforation gauge normally found on all sides.

Both stamps in this sale are precanceled  one in Janesville, Wis., and the other in Holyoke, Mass.  as are seven of the nine examples of this variety recorded in the Siegel census, which advises that the variety is not known in unused condition.

The stamps are listed by Siegel with the $30,000 value found in the Scott catalog.

The final two sessions of the auction on Friday offer stamps and postal history of Confederate States and Hawaii, respectively.

The Hawaii material includes what Siegel describes as the finer of the two recorded tete-beche panes of 10 of the 1865 5 Interisland Numeral issue (Scott 22a).

The auction will take place at the Siegel galleries in midtown Manhattan. The catalogs are posted at the Siegel website with online bidding options available.

For additional information, contact Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, 6 W. 48th St., 9th Floor, New York, NY 10036.
May 3, 2021, 4 AM

Bickels sketch of the Lavorgo-Giornico section of the Gotthard Railway in Canton Ticino is reproduced on the 1936 20c carmine Gotthard Railway stamp. Jordi designed the 1934 20c red stamp.

By Molly Goad

The Nov. 19 monthly issue of Linns Stamp News just landed on the presses and goes in the mail to subscribers Monday, Nov. 5. And if you subscribe to Linns digital edition, youre at the head of the line with early access Saturday, Nov. 3. Here are three previews inside the issue.

Bickel designs bring stamps to life

Switzerlands 1934 typographed definitive issue and the countrys 1936 engraved issue are among collectors favorite stamps. See the Swiss Stamp Scene column by Richard T. Hall.

Lithuanian 1932-33 stamp issues raised funds for children

Four separate sets of regular and airmail Lithuanian Child issues helped to benefit the countrys orphaned and underprivileged children. Kathleen Wunderlys Classic Stamps of the World column has all the details.

Surcharge on surcharge

Amazing Stamp Stories highlights the British colony Straits Settlements, formed in 1867. In 1879, the colony began surcharging its own Queen Victoria stamps.



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Apr 29, 2021, 6 PM

The 2019 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940 includes many editorial enhancements and value changes.

From the Scott Editors  By Donna Houseman

The 2019 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940, widely recognized as the best single-volume catalog for classic-era stamps of the world, celebrates its 25th anniversary.

The Scott Classic Specialized catalog has grown substantially since the first volume was introduced in 1994 (the 1995 edition)  from 857 pages of listings in the 1995 edition to 1,308 pages in the 25th edition.

The first edition consolidated the basic listings from the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue for stamps issued from 1840 to 1940. In the 1996 edition, editors began to add values for covers. In the 1998 edition, listings of British Commonwealth countries were extended to 1952 to include all British Commonwealth stamps issued under King George VI.

Since the first edition was published, special editorial consultant Sergio Sismondo has worked tirelessly each year to help the editors expand the editorial content and listed values in the Scott Classic Specialized catalog, and this year was no exception.

Sismondo was instrumental in the creation of the Scott Classic Specialized catalog. James E. Kloetzel, editor emeritus, and Bill Jones, a former Scott associate editor, also provided substantial input by updating values and making significant editorial enhancements throughout the catalog.

We extend special thanks to our many advisors who offer improvements each year to make this catalog an invaluable reference work for worldwide classic stamps.

Now we turn to the content of this years catalog. Classic Germany received a complete review this year, resulting in more than 1,900 value changes, with a mix of increases and decreases. Increases are especially notable among never-hinged and on-cover values.

Collectors of Portugal and its colonies should pay special attention to Mozambique Company. The listings from Scott 1 through 104 have been completely reorganized by the paper on which the stamps were printed and by perforation gauge. Collectors are encouraged to refer to the Classic Specialized Additions, Deletions & Number Changes for important changes to the listings. In addition to this beneficial reorganization, more than 160 value changes were made.

Almost 1,200 value changes were made to the listings of the Colombian states of Antioquia, Bolivar, Boyaca, Cundinamarca, Santander and Tolima.

Malaya and the Malayan states of Sungei Ujong and Trengganu weigh in with more than 400 value changes. Values for Malayan stamps reflect an overall softening of the market, but a few increases are sprinkled throughout Sungei Ujong. The 1878 2 brown (Scott 2) jumps from $3,600 unused to $4,400, and from $3,900 used to $4,600.

Significant value increases are found among the listings of Transvaal, which was known as the South African Republic until 1877 when it was occupied and annexed by the British.

A complete examination of Australia resulted in more than 700 value changes, with more decreases than increases. The 1915 2-penny gray type I (Scott 45) moves upward slightly, from $37.50 unused to $42.50, but drops from $10.50 used to $7.50.

Among the listings for Fijis classic stamps, 150 value changes are the result of a line-by-line review. A similar review occurred for Scott Standard catalog Vol. 2B listings for stamps issued from 1938 to early 2006. Although decreases in value predominate among the listings for stamps issued from 1938 to 2006, values for early classic issues reflect a mix of increases and decreases. The 1874 6-on-3 -penny green surcharged issue (Scott 24) climbs upward, from $2,500 unused to $2,750. The value for used examples remains at $750.

Thrace also was closely examined this year, resulting in more than 180 value changes, most of which are increases. New varieties have been added for this country as well.

New never-hinged listings have been added to Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon.

Almost 770 value changes were recorded for Italian Offices Abroad in Aegean Islands.

Editorial Enhancements

An abundance of editorial enhancements are found throughout the catalog.

Various notes and footnotes have been clarified or expanded to further explain complicated listings, and other notes have been screened carefully to ensure accuracy.

What sets the Scott Classic Specialized catalog apart from the Scott Standard catalog are the thousands of never-hinged listings, pre-stamp postal markings and forerunner listings, among other features.

New to this edition of the Scott Classic catalog are listings for numeral cancellations of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The cancellations can be found on New Brunswick 3-penny and 5p stamps, and on Canadas 1868 3 red Large Queen (Scott 25), and 1873 3 orange red (37) and 1888 3 bright vermilion (41) Small Queen stamps.

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On-cover values have been added for the first time to Malaya and Malayan States. Users of the Scott Classic Specialized catalog will find a list of countries with listings for stamps on covers on page 23A of the introduction to this catalog.

The unused 1898 5 Ponce, Puerto Rico, stamp (Scott 200), is now delisted, with explanatory notes. A Special Feature article by respected dealer, collector and author Bill DiPaolo in the 2019 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers explains why the unused stamp has been delisted.

Five new major numbers have been added to Reunions parcel post stamps. As a result, the 1906 10-centime red parcel post stamp previously listed as Q1 has been renumbered to Q4.

To purchase the 2019 Scott catalogs, contact your favorite dealer, or call Amos Media at 1-800-572-6885. Also visit Amos Advantage. For Scott eCatalogues, visit Scott Online.
by Pierre Balanian

Washington appeals for an end of the fighting and the beginning of negotiations. The US press "discovers" the tragedy in the country, children reduced to skin and bone. The Khashoggi case and the responsibilities of bin Salman in Yemen. Houthi rebels: the solution to the crisis remains "inter-Yemeni" if "free from foreign interference".

Sana'a (AsiaNews) - The wall of silence surrounding the slaughter in Yemen has finally collapsed Yemen. Washington has spoken through the Secretary of State and the Minister of Defense: "The parties in conflict have 30 days to end the fighting and sit around the negotiating table".

The Sana'a government says it is ready to restart peace talks with the Houthi Shiite rebels, in the context of growing international pressure for the end of the conflict. "Yemen - reads a statement released yesterday - is ready to immediately launch negotiations [of peace]", responding to a UN appeal in this regard.

In the meantime, after almost four years, even the US newspapers have finally "discovered" the tragedy: the New York Times recently published a shocking photographic reportage of the Yemeni victims, especially children, reduced to skin and bone. The war is being called "one of the most inhumane tragedies since the Second World War".

Paris and London have welcomed the positive change in attitude but no comment has yet come from the two countries that triggered the war: The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, both of which are allies of the USA, Britain and France.

Since the very first day of their military intervention in Yemen, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have enjoyed the support of the United States with Intelligence, satellite images, logistic help and more; perhaps even with military experts on the field and in air raids. A conviction so rooted in the Ansar Allah, that every missile launch in the direction of Saudi Arabia or the Emirates comes with the cry of "Death to America".

The "Khashoggi affair", with all that has emerged, has served to draw attention to another crime committed against humanity and always under the direct guidance of the heir to the throne Mohammad bin Salman (Mbs), in Riyadh defined architect and architect of the war in Yemen. The military defeats of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the Emirates in the battle for control of the port of Hodeyda caused heavy losses in human lives on both sides. And, according to AsiaNews sources, forced the "coalition" (especially Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) to look for new mercenaries from Somalia and other African countries.

After repeated military failures and the escalation of the humanitarian tragedy, a situation that is no longer sustainable has been reached. The tragedy is of such proportions that not even the powerful countries and allies of the West can continue to tolerate, support and cover it.

Trapped in the Yemeni quagmire, both Abu Dhabi and Riyadh have repeatedly given signs of wanting to withdraw without losing face. After many defeats, these two countries have turned to many international organizations. This is why it is unlikely that Saudi Arabia and the United Nations will miss the way out now being offered by the United States.

However, the same cannot be said of the Ansar Allah [the Houthi], who know they have won the war and who see the proposed negotiations as an attempt to achieve through political means what war has failed to deliver. Hazzam Al Assad, of the Shia rebel Political Bureau, has declared: "We know very well that the planes that kill women and children are American aircraft ... we know that there is an American cover [...] consequently an end to aggression occurs at the hands of the Americans and not of Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates ".

"The Americans - he concludes - are trying to divert attention from the crimes perpetrated by Saudi Arabia in Yemen or the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi". And he accused Washington through this proposal tof aiming for "the partition of Yemen", the real reason for the war wanted by Washington. The only solution to the crisis remains "inter-Yemeni and can be achieved by the Yemenis themselves if left free from foreign interference".

He is echoed by Mohamed Ali Al Houthi, who considers the US declaration "formal, not serious and an escape from responsibility". The foreign minister of Sanaa instead, Hisham Sharaf, for his part welcomed "the efforts of the UN special envoy for Yemen that aim to end the armed clashes, lift the embargo and reach a lasting political solution ".

Abdel Ghani, a Yemeni analyst, states that "the United States is part of the problem and cannot be part of the solution at the same time and, let alone mediators ". The fundamental question remains: how can the international community detect the challenge and stop the trail of hunger and epidemics threatening to exterminate an entire innocent people of 23 million inhabitants.
By Gilby Jepson, PhD Candidate, University of Adelaide

Gilby Jepson, Author provided

This article is part of our occasional long read series Zoom Out, where authors explore key ideas in science and technology in the broader context of society and humanity.

Nestled deep in Central Asia, the Tianshan is a huge mountain range that stretches from Uzbekistan in the west, all the way through to China and Mongolia in the east. It is more than 2,500km in length and has numerous peaks that soar to over 7,000m in height.

Though you may not know it, the Tianshan mountain range probably changed the lives of your ancestors  and to this day, you.

Through defining and shaping ancient trading routes of the Silk Road and still now Chinas Belt and Road initiative, the Tianshan has been key to the development and spread of human society and culture over thousands of years.

Were now able to put together geological evidence to see how this incredible mountain range formed. When it all began more than 700 million years ago, the world was a very different place.









Gilby Jepson, Jack Gillespie (using data from ESRI, NASA, and NOAA)





Like a string of pearls

The Tianshan mountain range created a stage for world-changing human activities.

Beginning in 138BCE, the Silk Road trading routes connecting Asia with Europe carried not just merchandise and precious commodities but also allowed movement and mixing of populations with their accompanying knowledge, ideas, cultures and beliefs.

Traders on the Silk Road weaved their way through the valleys of the Tianshan; their path focused by its broad east-west orientation. The ranges offered climatic stability and facilitated relatively easy cross-continent travel.

It was through this network that goods and technology such as paper, the compass, gunpowder, and (of course) silk, were transmitted across the continent to profound impact.









NASA





As a result, numerous wealthy societies and cultures bloomed along the length of the Tianshan, like pearls connected by a line of silk. Cities of the Silk Road such as Samarkand, Bukhara, and Kashgar were important centres of learning and rich trade hubs, a history that is reflected in their gorgeous architecture.

Even today, the land routes of modern Chinas One Belt, One Road Initiative  a distributed infrastructure system to facilitate trade  will be governed by the Tianshan geography.









Gilby Jepson, Author provided









Read more:

The Belt and Road Initiative: China's vision for globalisation, Beijing-style





How the Tianshan formed

Geologists look back to well before human existence to understand how the Tianshan came about.

The Earth looked completely different when the Tianshan first began to form 700 million years ago, or more.









There was no Eurasia at this time. Instead, the ancestral Tianshan began in the ocean, starting as volcanic magma and lava that formed island chains above subduction zones (the deep parts of the oceans where the sea bed plummets further down into the deep earth). These early island arcs most likely resembled modern Indonesia.

Over millions of years, these islands merged together to form a land bridge connecting the lands of what we now know as eastern Europe and Siberia.

As this proto-Eurasian continent came together, the land mass grew further due to rocks being scraped off the tectonic plate as it moved downwards. Its a similar scenario to whats still going on in the Andes today.

This Andes-style growth of the Tianshan continued until 250 million years ago, when a large continental plate, known as Tarim (today the Taklamakan Desert in far west China) collided with early Asia.

This ancient plate collision between Tarim and the nucleus of Asia created the first version of the Tianshan mountains.





Read more:

A map that fills a 500-million year gap in Earth's history





Scars from the past

Bands of smashed rock amid massive fault zones are preserved from these ancient plate collisions. Also referred to as sutures, these scars represent the sites of ancient oceans that used to separate these now-combined continents.

In the Tianshan, these sutures are mostly aligned east-west, and are typically weaker than the rock in between. As a result, when the entire region is placed under stress from the movement of the tectonic plates at the edge of Eurasia, these zones often break, forming faults and earthquakes.

The faults also push rock up on top of other layers and form mountains  giving the fundamental east-west alignment of valleys and mountains in the Tianshan region.









Gilby Jepson, Author provided





The positioning of these geographical features had a major impact on human history. The spread of domesticated animals and plants from their places of origin, whether wheat from the Fertile Crescent or horses from Central Asia, would not have progressed so smoothly without these structures. The similar climate along latitudinal valleys helped horses, pigs, cattle, wheat, barley, and all the other biological hallmarks of advanced agricultural societies spread.





Read more:

A precarious geological bargain





When India collided with Asia

After the Tarim-Asia collision 250 million years ago, the Tianshan mountains underwent significant erosion. This process of wearing down took place over hundreds of millions of years, causing central Asia to look much like the arid, weathered hills of central Australia.









Gilby Jepson, Author provided





But then a new geological event forced the mountains back up again: the collision of India with Asia between 50 to 30 million years ago.

In addition to driving up the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau at the site of the collision, this collision reactivated ancient sutures in the Tianshan. The forces caused many of the low hills along the Tianshan to be thrust back up.

This is the modern topography of the Tianshan that we see today.

Mountains shape life

As well as providing structures for human activities, mountains like the Tianshan have played other roles in shaping non-human life on Earth.

One important way they do this is through influencing the climate of the planet. The formation of mountain ranges exposes vast areas of fresh rock. The weathering activity of rain and air in these rocks over time creates chemical reactions that locks up huge volumes of carbon dioxide and other molecules. This has the effect of reducing the greenhouse effect and cooling the planet on a timescale of millions of years.

Another effect of the erosion of rocks is that they release chemicals that were vital for the first life on Earth, and are still essential for our own existence today.





Read more:

Phosphorus is vital for life on Earth  and we're running low













Gilby Jepson, Author provided





Phosphorous, in particular, is thought to have been lacking in the early oceans, its supply limiting life as it is an essential component in DNA. The weathering of phosphorous-rich rocks could have been the driver for billion year old life to bloom.

The critical link between the deep earth, plate tectonic processes and the climate is one of considerable active research. It feeds into major questions. How did the Earth become habitable for complex life? Does the formation of mountains control ice ages?

Answering these questions, and others like them, is important if we are to properly understand our place in the world and the forces controlling the development of our dynamic Earth.

Gilby Jepson receives funding from Australian Research Council.

Alan Collins receives funding from the Australian Research Council, State and Federal government bodies and a range of minerals and energy companies

Jack Gillespie receives funding from the Australian Research Council

Originally published in The Conversation.
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Taking a tiny dose of "magic mushrooms" might boost creativity, according to a preliminary study.

The researchers weren't able to use a control group in the study, which would have allowed them to determine whether the 'shrooms really caused the creativity burst or whether some other factor  like people's expectations about the drug  were the cause. Studies with a control group are now underway, said study co-author Bernhard Hommel, a psychologist at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.

The new study is, however, the first scientific attempt to study microdosing with psychedelics. Microdosing is generally defined as taking approximately a tenth the standard dose of a psychedelic substance in an attempt to boost creativity or improve mood. It's become something of a mini-trend in recent years, with articles in Rolling Stone and new businesses launching around the concept. Last year, the writer Ayelet Waldman published "A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life" (Knopf, 2017), a book about taking tiny doses of LSD to improve her mental health. [Trippy Tales: The History of 8 Hallucinogens]

But "anecdotal evidence is not enough," Hommel told Live Science. "Science is necessary to really nail it and know whether there is something in this, or whether it is a waste of money and time."

The study was published on Oct. 25 in the journal Psychopharmacology.

Testing creativity

Psychedelics aren't legal in the United States, but the laws are more lax in the Netherlands, where Hommel and his colleagues conducted their study. There, magic mushrooms, or any mushroom containing the psychoactive compound psilocybin, are banned. But magic "truffles," or sclerotia, which are an underground portion of the same fungus, are legal. These sclerotia contain the same psychoactive psilocybin as the more familiar, above-ground, mushroom. The researchers were invited to do the research by the Psychedelic Society of the Netherlands, which was conducting a microdosing event. Because people who signed up for the event had already paid the organizers and expected a dose of real drugs, Hommel and his team couldn't ethically make a control group and give them fake 'shrooms.

But they could test participants before and after they took the mini-dose of psychedelic truffles. The researchers asked 38 participants to do three short written tests before they microdosed. One was a brief intelligence test. Another tested convergent thinking, a component of creativity that involved solving problems with just one solution. In this test, a participant would be shown a grid of pictures of objects. They then had to pick one object from each row and describe their commonality. A sink, a hose and a bathtub, for example, would all have water in common.

The final test focused on divergent thinking, or the ability to come up with many possible solutions to a problem. Participants were given a word (either "pen" or "towel") and told to come up with as many uses for that object as they could think of. For a pen, Hommel said, this could be as dull as "write with it" or as wild as "stick it in the right eye of your boss."

After taking a dose of around a third of a gram of magic truffles, the participants took different versions of these same tests.

Creative magic?

The results showed that, after the microdose, intelligence didn't change. But both divergent and convergent thinking improved, the researchers reported. This was a surprise, Hommel said. One previous study that looked at psychedelics and creativity used full recreational doses of ayahuasca, a tea made from psychoactive vines and shrubs from the Amazon. That research, published in 2016, found that ayahuasca also improves divergent thinking, but it makes convergent thinking worse.

It was thus "very strange to see" that microdosing psilocybin improved both, Hommel said.

The difference could be in the dosage, rather than the substance, said study co-author Luisa Prochazkova, a doctoral candidate at Leiden University. With recreational dosages, people report an almost dreamlike, unconstrained thought process. This might be great for brainstorming, but not so great for more structured problem-solving, she said.

"A small dose might tip us to an ideal balance between the two modes," she said. [Creative Genius: The World's Greatest Minds]

Because there was no control group, it's impossible to say for sure whether the microdose was really the reason that creativity went up. People might have learned how to do the tests from the first round, though that is unlikely, Hommel said  a practice round isn't known to improve people's scores on these kinds of creativity tests. Alternatively, people might have simply expected to become more creative because they'd had a similar experience with magic mushrooms before. But still, Hommel said, those expectations would be based on a real effect of the drug.

One big question is whether better scores on the kind of tests Hommel and his colleagues administered actually translate to real-world problems, said Jonathan Moreno, a professor of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Moreno, who was not involved in the study, has argued for destigmatizing psychedelic drugs and researching them as potential treatments for mental disorders.

Creativity is highly situational, Moreno told Live Science. Psychedelics might help, but then so might changing up one's office layout or going for a hike. There are too many variables in the actual work world to assume that microdosing makes a key difference, he said.

"There are so many of these people who think they're going to be the next Steve Jobs," Moreno said of microdosing advocates. "Is there any measurable improvement in the new ideas that they bring out?"

There are still many, many questions to answer about how microdosing might work, Hommel said. First, the researchers want to prove that their findings at the Psychedelic Society event weren't a fluke. To that end, they're conducting laboratory experiments with control groups. A further question would be whether microdosing works in the long run, or whether people would become inured to the tiny amounts of psychedelics over time.

"Nobody in the world at the moment is doing longitudinal studies with microdosing, to our knowledge," Prochazkova said. "So we are still a while from knowing."

Originally published on Live Science.
A mysterious, bubbling mud geyser is on the move in Southern California, flitting dangerously close to railroad tracks, Highway 111 and some very expensive optic cables, like a geologic poltergeist, according to news sources.

Even stranger, this puzzling geyser  dubbed the "Slow One"  is in the same neighborhood as the source of the so-called "Big One," the giant earthquake that is expected to shake things up where the North American and Pacific tectonic plates rub together to form the San Andreas Fault.

But despite the Slow One's unprecedented movement as of late, there's no evidence that this muddy geyser is an imminent precursor to an earthquake, geophysicist Ken Hudnut, with the U.S. Geological Survey, told the Los Angeles Times. In fact, the region has experienced less seismic activity in recent months than average, he said. [Gallery: Probing Geysers in Yellowstone and Chile]

Researchers have known about the Slow One, also called the Niland Geyser, since 1953. It formed when historic earthquakes caused deep cracks underground that allowed gases to move upward and escape at the surface, causing the bubbling mud pools, the Los Angeles Times reported. Unlike Yellowstone's Old Faithful, which has molten rock that superheats the circulating hot-spring water, the Niland Geyser is heated by bubbling carbon dioxide and registers at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit (nearly 27 degrees Celsius).

After not moving for decades, the geyser caught the attention of scientists when it began moving around over the past few years, David Lynch, a geophysicist, told the Los Angeles Times. Then, over the past six months, the geyser went on an erratic tour, first moving 60 feet (18 meters) over a few months and then a whopping 60 feet in one day, officials reported in Imperial County, where the muddy spring is located.

The geyser's latest move is threatening the region's infrastructure, including a Union Pacific freight railroad track going to Yuma, Arizona; a petroleum pipeline owned by the energy company Kinder Morgan; a line of fiber-optic telecommunications lines owned by Verizon; and a section of Highway 111, which connects Interstate 10 to the California-Mexico border, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"It's a slow-moving disaster," Alfredo Estrada, Imperial Countys fire chief and emergency services coordinator, told the Los Angeles Times.

So far, attempts to halt the geyser have not worked. For instance, officials tried draining some of the moving spring's water. And Union Pacific built a 100-foot-long (30 m) underground wall out of boulders and steel that extends more than 75 feet (23 m) deep as a measure to protect the railroad tracks.

But Mother Nature simply shrugged its shoulders. In October, the bubbling mud slipped under the wall, creeping even closer to the railway. And the muddy spring shows no signs of letting up; over the past 10 years, the rotten-egg-smelling, muddy spring has moved more than 240 feet (73 m) from its old location. So far, the mud spring has carved an approximately 24,000-square-foot (2,230-square-m) basin that's about 18 feet deep and 75 feet wide (5 by 23 m), according to research by Lynch and his colleagues.

In the meantime, Union Pacific has taken precautions by building temporary tracks on more-stable land and lowering the speed limit for trains in the area, the Los Angeles Times said. The California Department of Transportation said it will shut down part of Highway 111 if the gurgling mud gets too close for comfort.

For now, the spring is acting like a moving sinkhole, with mud about 40 feet (12 m) deep. As it moves through the region's mudstone (a soft, sedimentary rock), it leaves behind a sunken trail, much like the glossy path left behind a moving snail.

The public is advised to steer clear of this roving, bubbling mess. Toxic gases and a lack of oxygen could suffocate any victim who falls in it within minutes, Lynch said. But the carbon dioxide dissipates within a few feet of the spring, so scientists and other officials have stayed safe so far.

"It's a quirky thing," said Lynch, who has been consulting with Union Pacific since May. "If there was no railroad nearby, you wouldn't even know about it. This would just be something out there chewing out the desert."

Originally published on Live Science.
These mosaics would have covered the floor of a second-century latrine in the city of Antiochia ad Cragum in what is now Turkey.

As men relieved themselves at the public toilets in the coastal city of Antiochia ad Cragum some 1,800 years ago, they probably would have been amused by dirty scenes crafted into floor mosaics, archaeologists have found.

The second-century mosaics, found inside a Roman latrine in Turkey, show scenes that clearly play on myth: Narcissus fascinated with his own phallus and Ganymede getting his genitals sponged clean by a bird.

"We were stunned at what we were looking at," said Michael Hoff, an archaeologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "You have to understand the myths to make it really come alive, but bathroom humor is kind of universal as it turns out." [Image Gallery: Pompeii's Toilets]

Narcissus and Ganymede

The two mosaic scenes twist common tropes in Greek and Roman art. Narcissus is typically shown falling in love with his own reflection in water. In the mosaic at Antiochia ad Cragum, which was likely created in the second century, only half of the scene is preserved but, Hoff told Live Science, "it's the good half."

Narcissus is shown with an uncharacteristically long nose, which would have been considered ugly by the beauty standards of the time. He looks down, presumably admiring the reflection of his conspicuous penis instead of his face.

In myth, Zeus disguised himself as an eagle to kidnap the Trojan adolescent Ganymede and make him a cupbearer to the gods. (The myth offered a model for relationships between men and adolescent boys in ancient Greece.) In art depicting that abduction, Ganymede is often shown holding a stick and rolling hoop as a toy.

In the image in the latrine, Ganymede instead holds tongs with a sponge, a reference to the sponges that would have been used for wiping the toilet. And Zeus is not an eagle but a heron, with a long beak grasping a sponge and dabbing Ganymede's penis. [Through the Years: A Gallery of the World's Toilets]

"Instantly, anybody who would have seen that image would have seen the [visual] pun," said Hoff. "Is it indicative of cleaning the genitals prior to a sex act or after a sex act? That's a question I cannot answer, and it might have been ambiguous then."

A latrine for large crowds

The rare bathroom mosaics were revealed during the last couple days of this past summer's excavation season at Antiochia ad Cragum, on the southern coast of Turkey. "There is a well-known axiom in archaeology that you find your best stuff on the last day," said Hoff, who is co-director of the project. The team had to cover up the toilet art for its protection, but Hoff said the researchers plan to expose the mosaics again next summer for further study and conservation work.

The latrine would have had clean water channels as well as seats made of marble or wood, which are now lost. Hoff said he suspects the public bathroom would have been used primarily by men. It shared a wall with the grand bath and was next to the bouleuterion, or council house, and "should have served the large crowds with its location," said Birol Can, a mosaic expert at Usak University in Turkey, who worked on the excavation.

"Of course, all of the ancient cities had latrines, but not all of them have been exposed or

survived to the present day," Can said in a statement. "The number of mosaic-paved latrines is very low. Antiochia ad Cragum latrine is one of the rare examples."

The artworks are also the only examples of figurative mosaics found at Antiochia ad Cragum. Hoff and his colleagues previously uncovered a huge mosaic next to a pool in the bath complex, but this artwork featured only geometric patterns.

A literal buried treasure

Established around the era of Emperor Nero in the first century, Antiochia ad Cragum may have had a population of more than 6,000 people at its peak. The city was abandoned by the 11th century. During the following centuries, the secluded Roman ruins might have been a good place to hide loot or a body at least according to other evidence the archaeologists uncovered this year.

In the vaulted chamber of another bath building right outside the city gates, the archaeologists found a stash of more than 3,000 mostly silver, early 17th-century coins from all over Europe and the Ottoman Empire.

"It's pretty clear that these coins were purposely buried in order to keep them hidden, with the plan of retrieving them at a later date," Hoff said. He added that he can't be sure yet whether the coins were a Mediterranean pirate's stash or "some ill-gotten treasure" from the inner reaches of Anatolia. "Maybe once we get all these coins clean and understood, we'll learn a little more."

Several feet below where the coins were buried, the archaeologists also discovered a skeleton.

"Our physical anthropologist believes it may have been a murder [victim] or someone who was violently killed and their body was dumped in this location," Hoff said.

Original article on Live Science.
On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope

By DeRay Mckesson

Viking. 220 pp. $25

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One of the most visible faces to emerge from the protests in Ferguson, Mo., and the Black Lives Matter movement they sparked is DeRay Mckesson. Days after the protests began in August 2014, Mckesson, then a 29-year-old school administrator in Minneapolis, began driving to Ferguson to join in. He live-tweeted his journey to Missouri and posted it on Facebook, at one point asking for a couch to sleep on when he arrived. Once there, he and other participants took to Twitter as an organizing tool and an alternative to the mainstream media, which, they thought, misrepresented the protests as violent.

Mckesson spent more than a year in the streets of Ferguson, becoming instantly recognizable in his ever-present blue vest (which he says he wore just to keep warm). He unexpectedly took on the role of documentarian and organizer. Since Ferguson he's helped create a database to track police shootings. He's tweeted to presidential candidates to request meetings (and gotten them) and run for mayor of Baltimore. He's been sued by police officers and worried at various moments that he faced imminent death at the hands of police. His work has won him awards from civic organizations and garnered him an invitation to debate policy at the Obama White House. As host of the podcast "Pod Save the People," Mckesson has reached untold numbers of listeners with frank discussions about social justice, culture and politics.

Mckesson's unexpected rise to prominence has also sparked criticism and suspicion that he has put himself forward unduly as the face of a movement that professes to have no leaders and whose name is still hotly debated.

His book "On the Other Side of Freedom" is, in part, Mckesson's response to the charge that he has grabbed too much of the limelight and is unrepresentative of the dispersed networks of organizers, online activists and street protesters who compose this difficult-to-define movement. It is a combination of memoir, self-justification and inspirational guide to imagining a different world of racial politics and criminal justice. The book is divided into 12 short chapters, each communicating lessons Mckesson has learned on his journey through protest and life.

Mckesson clearly feels the weight of history that has settled onto his shoulders. Each chapter begins with epigrams and quotations from James Baldwin, Shirley Chisholm, Assata Shakur, Frederick Douglass and others. The book is best in its earliest pages, where Mckesson stays closer to what happened in Ferguson and to his difficult childhood in Baltimore.

The first chapter, "On Hope," is a message to those who balk at the notion that a radically different system of policing and criminal justice is possible in the near future. That kind of change is possible, Mckesson insists, invoking the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for inspiration, if grass-roots activists maintain faith and hope, and remain committed to doing the difficult and frustrating work to create it. In early chapters, Mckesson also cites some bracing facts about Ferguson and police shootings, including the "five second rule" - the insistence by Ferguson police that no one stand still for more than a moment during a public protest. Mckesson's tweets, documenting the existence of the rule, helped get that policy struck down in federal court.

Hope, faith and work helped him achieve concrete goals, including the creation of the first police shooting databases. The data paints a horrific picture of the frequency of the killings and, more important, Mckesson contends, shows that these tragic and seemingly inevitable events are closely connected to local policies and previously secret police union contracts that shield the system from accountability on all levels.

Mckesson also weaves in personal stories of his upbringing as the child of two alcoholic parents, his first exposure to going to school with white children (and to the privileges that whites take for granted), his childhood sexual abuse by an acquaintance, and his complicated role as a gay black man in the Black Lives Matter movement. "Those of us who were there" in Ferguson - a phrase he repeats again and again to establish his authenticity as the face of a movement suspicious of leaders - "have a responsibility to remember" the movement and to tell its stories without the exclusions and misrepresentations that a system of white privilege and domination seems to demand.

This is a poetic, passionate and deeply personal book that dutifully disclaims any pretense of leadership, crediting everything to the collective actions of individuals in the streets of Ferguson. Mckesson spends an entire chapter justifying acts that brought him attention - from meeting with figures such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to running for mayor.

He ends with a "Letter to an Activist," where he advises readers that they already possess all the knowledge and all the skills to work for a new future of racial and criminal justice without the assistance of leaders, or even the example of those who came before them. It's almost as if he has nothing to teach them, other than to have faith in their innate capacity for change. Mckesson is convincing in his explanation of why he has hope, but beyond this it isn't entirely clear why others should feel similar inspiration.

Mckesson, of course, is not the first African-American to face questions about how he became the face of a movement and whether he deserves that role. In fact, almost every historical figure he invokes - Douglass, King, Chisholm and others - faced sustained criticism from ordinary African-Americans concerning their representation as the face of social change. "Who elected them?" is a question that has been asked repeatedly about those who came to the fore by some combination of chance and their own evident skill. It has been asked even of the person who actually did get elected in part because of the strength and passion of voters of color - the black president whom Mckesson has to justify meeting. "The Other Side of Freedom" is a good guide to the ironies and contradictions of this new social movement, and of the individual who has reluctantly come to personify it.

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Mack, a historian and a professor of law at Harvard, is the author of "Representing the Race: The Creation of the Civil Rights Lawyer" and a co-editor of "The New Black: What Has Changed - and What Has Not - With Race in America."
AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order

By Kai-Fu Lee

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 272 pp. $28

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Silicon Valley was once able to write off Chinese tech companies as mere copycats. The big American players, from Twitter to Facebook to Google, all had a Chinese impersonator. But the rise of hugely successful Chinese messaging apps like WeChat - not to mention all the U.S. tech companies that failed in China - now make clear that Chinese tech companies should not be underestimated.

In his book "AI Superpowers," Kai-Fu Lee, a well-known artificial-intelligence expert, venture capitalist and former president of Google China, argues that China and Silicon Valley will lead the world in AI. But his highly readable book covers a lot of other ground as well, and among the most interesting insights are his descriptions of the differences between Chinese and Silicon Valley tech culture.

Lee observes that U.S. companies tend to be more mission-driven, at least in their rhetoric. "It's all about 'pure' innovation, creating a totally original product that generates what Steve Jobs called a 'dent in the universe,' " Lee writes. Where American companies like the idea of "building one thing and building it well," in China, it's all about the market. The goal is to make money, and companies will do what it takes to achieve that goal.

The Chinese approach, Lee argues, has its benefits. It allows start-ups to be fast, flexible and open to constant experimentation. Lee was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and emigrated to the United States, where he attended middle and high school, graduated from Columbia University in computer science, and earned a Ph.D. in the same field from Carnegie Mellon.

Lee spends a good portion of his book discussing these Chinese and American differences, which will also play out in the arena of artificial intelligence. AI, most simply put, refers to machines doing things that human beings would normally do. Sometimes machines outperform humans, which happened in 2017 when a computer defeated a Chinese teenager at Go, a board game that once seemed too complex for a computer to win.

The United States may have been a first mover in AI, Lee says, but that advantage will not last forever. The AI era will reward "the (BEGIN ITAL)quantity(END ITAL) of solid AI engineers over the (BEGIN ITAL)quality(END ITAL) of elite researchers," Lee writes. Strength will come from an army of well-trained engineers and entrepreneurs, and "China is training just such an army."

But it's not just about the numbers. China's edge, Lee says, lies in its "abundant data, tenacious entrepreneurs, well-trained AI scientists, and a supportive policy environment."

In America, Lee's choice of words might have a different meaning. Some would read "abundant data" as "surveillance," and "a supportive policy environment" as "top-down decision-making that isn't hindered by public opinion."

Take China's government-led AI plan, for example. It includes research subsidies, venture capital, special development zones and incubators. The plan aims for China to become the global leader in AI by 2030. Lee admits that China's AI campaign is likely to be "somewhat inefficient," but Beijing won't necessarily let that get in its way. And unlike in the United States, Chinese officials are not hamstrung by the messiness of the democratic process, where politicians risk being punished by voters for ineffective campaigns.

Lee grapples with the dark side of artificial intelligence, exploring job losses and the loss of self-worth when people discover that they have been replaced by machines. But Lee's concerns about AI are not limited to the dystopian vision of humans mastered by smart robots. His chief worry, which makes a lot of sense, is that AI will exacerbate global inequality by putting disproportionate power in the hands of two nations, the United States and China.

AI by definition trends toward monopoly, Lee explains, namely because of its reliance on data. "Better products lead to more users, those users lead to more data, and that data leads to even better products, and thus more users and more data." Chinese and U.S. companies have already started this process, he writes, "leaping out to massive leads over the rest of the world."

This might be great for the United States and China, but it's terrible news for much of the world. "Deprived of the chance to claw their way out of poverty," Lee writes, "poor countries will stagnate while the AI superpowers take off."

Despite these warnings, Lee's book is ultimately optimistic, and not for the reasons you would think. The latter part takes a deeply personal turn, as Lee describes how a battle with Stage 4 lymphoma caused him to re-evaluate his entire life. Before he encountered the disease, he made life decisions on the basis of cold calculations, so much so that he seriously considered missing the birth of his daughter to attend an important business meeting. Confronting his mortality made him realize the limits of machine-like thinking, and the importance of family and love. The lesson for Lee is that robots cannot replace basic human compassion.

These personal insights aside, Lee's book is fundamentally about the interplay between the United States and China in the world of artificial intelligence and technology more generally. Not everyone will agree with Lee's rosy assessment of China's tech culture, which turns many of Silicon Valley's stated beliefs upside down. China's approach has drawbacks, and it's way too early to say that the Chinese model has "won." But Lee is right to point out that Chinese tech companies must be taken seriously.

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Parker, who covered China for the Wall Street Journal, is the author of "Now I Know Who My Comrades Are: Voices From the Internet Underground."
On Nov. 6, voters will elect a slate of leaders who will decide how best to address a variety of issues that will profoundly impact the country for decades to come. A recent poll by Harvard University is predicting a historically high voter turnout among Americans under age 30, with 40 percent reporting they "will definitely" vote in this midterm election.

Being politically engaged is not only good for society, but research suggests it's good for individuals, too. "Voting and feeling a commitment to a community gives young people a bigger sense of purpose and builds their social network," says Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. A study last year in the journal Applied Developmental Science found that community engagement may provide mental health benefits for youth, while another recent study in the journal Child Development found that adolescents and young adults who voted, volunteered or engaged in activism had better life outcomes: They were more likely to stay in school longer and earned higher incomes than their peers.

So what can parents do to raise the next generation of voters to be informed and engaged? Experts say that civic education is a gradual process that starts early and builds through the years - and that parents play an important role in its development. Here are some practical tips for building civic skills and motivation in children of all ages:

- Elementary school: Teach young children the behaviors of good citizenship, whether it's at school, on the playground or in the home. Talk about how our positive and negative actions affect others, and why it's important to treat classmates with care and respect. At home, assign chores and frame it as each person's contribution to making the home better, says Amber Coleman-Mortley, senior digital media manager at iCivics, a nonprofit group that promotes civics education. Show children how to invest in their communities by organizing a neighborhood cleanup or visiting elderly neighbors during extreme weather, Coleman-Mortley says. Be explicit about why these actions matter.

Bring your children to the polls every time you vote. Don't just show them how to vote; tell them whom you are voting for and why. "Then, talk about what happens if your candidate doesn't win," Coleman-Mortley says. "Part of being a good citizen is figuring out what you can do next," she says, while still being open to the possibility that the candidate you didn't vote for may make a positive impact, too.

- Middle school: Introduce children to the basics of how our government works through books such as "How the U.S. Government Works" and free educational video games such as those found on iCivics.org. For example, children and parents can play "Counties Work," a simulation game in which players take on the role of a county commissioner and learn firsthand how local governments impact citizens. The website Teaching for Democracy is a great source for building civic skills in older children, too. Without a strong foundation in civic literacy, kids may have difficulty understanding how to effect change, Kawashima-Ginsberg says.

Teach children how to stay informed and think critically about the news they consume. Introduce them to reliable, kid-friendly news outlets such as PBS NewsHour Extra, Scholastic News and Smithsonian Tween Tribune, and warn them about sources that spread misinformation. Watch political ads together on YouTube and talk about whether the claims are factual and how smear ads make candidates look, Coleman-Mortley says. "Being able to decipher between truthful and false information in ads is an important part of media literacy."

Help adolescents form their own opinions around social issues. Validate their perspectives and encourage them to challenge beliefs with civility. Research finds that families who discuss current events and allow disagreements are more likely to raise young adults who vote and are civically engaged than those who don't. When young people believe their opinions matter, it creates a mind-set that they are capable of impacting people who have authority over them, says psychologist Richard Weissbourd, faculty director of the Making Caring Common project at Harvard University - one that will make them more likely to vote down the road.

- High school: Give teens a glimpse of how government works by introducing them to local politics. Take them to council meetings where issues are hotly debated, and allow them to get to know politicians as people, Kawashima-Ginsberg says. When you know people, you are less likely to make hasty judgment about their intentions, she says, and those hasty assumptions about what our political leaders think or will do are often a source of disaffection and disengagement. Show them that politics is a messy, living process, she says, not the neat laws that students read about in their history textbooks.

Help teens become invested in their communities by providing well-structured and meaningful opportunities for them to engage in activities that make a difference, whether it's through volunteering or being part of a political action group. Introduce them to people who have made an impact in their communities, says Weissbourd, and be aware of whether you as a parent are modeling positive community involvement, too.

Make voting a "right of passage" in your family. Have "the talk" about the importance of being a voter, says Kawashima-Ginsberg, and help your children with the logistics of registering to vote. Several states allow teens as young as 16 to preregister, so when they turn 18, they can automatically vote. Preregistration allows parents to answer questions and help with the sometimes confusing paperwork, instead of relying on an overwhelmed college student to navigate the process.

"Voting should be a fundamental expectation that parents have for their children," adds Weissbourd. "Make it clear that your family believes being an engaged citizen is a moral responsibility because other people's lives - and the well-being of our community and country - depend on it."
In the mood for a cup of holly jolly? Well, youre in luck. Later this year, San Antonio will play host to a holiday-themed pop-up bar concept called Miracle on Houston Street.

In addition to a fanciful lineup of cocktails with names like Bad Santa, Run Rudolph Run and Christmapolitan, Miracle on Houston Street will give another gift to San Antonio-area bar hounds: a first peek inside the new project from former Juniper Tar manager Benjamin Krick.

Krick is currently putting the finishing touches on a new bar called Pastiche, located at 1506 E. Houston St. Krick had signed on to host a Miracle outpost at Juniper Tar before that bar closed in June and has since moved the pop-up to his new bar.

RELATED: New Mexican bakery opens in San Antonio's Deco District

The whimsical watering hole is part of a global network of Miracle-branded bars with nearly 100 participants, including locations in Canada, England, France, Mexico and Panama. Miracle on Houston Street will be one of six in Texas.

Greg Boehm, who also runs the high-end barware manufacturer Cocktail Kingdom, launched Miracle in 2014 in New York City. The concept quickly spread through a network of likeminded bar operators.

Established bars (and their existing staff) rebrand themselves as Miracle locations for a five-week stretch through the holiday season. Participating establishments decorate in festive Miracle trappings and agree to serve a uniform menu of Miracle-approved cocktails.

All of the Miracle drinks are served in Cocktail Kingdoms customized glasses, which will be available for purchase. A portion of the sale of those glasses will benefit Action Against Hunger, a nonprofit focused on eradicating child malnutrition.

After Miracle concludes its Nov. 23 through Dec. 30 run, Krick will formally open Pastiche in the space early next year.
A man has been arrested for making unauthorized transactions to a credit or debit card, according to Laredo police.

On Thursday, Javier Contreras, 22, was served with an arrest warrant that charged him with credit, debit card abuse.
A woman was arrested by Laredo police for allegedly leaving her children unsupervised.

Marisela Castillo, 35, was charged with abandoning, endangering a child by criminal negligence.

READ ALSO: Laredo police: Man caught changing price tags at Tommy Hilfiger store

At about 11:18 a.m. Tuesday, police officers responded to a report of abandoned children in the 1800 block of Flores Avenue.

A 1-year-old child was located inside a locked vehicle and a 3-year-old was found unsupervised on a second-floor balcony, LPD said.

Officers said they were able to open the vehicle with a key that was left hanging on a passenger door. Police then located the mother, who was identified as Castillo.

RELATED: LPD: Grandmother charged with child abandonment and endangerment

LPD said Castillo told officers that her 3-year-old somehow opened the front door of the apartment and walked out with his 1-year-old brother while she was asleep.

A family member took custody of the children. Officers contacted Child Protective Services.
A man who was wanted on various charges, including a hit-and-run, is accused of leading police on a chase Thursday after shots rang out in a central Laredo area, authorities said.

Laredo police said no injuries were reported.

Rodrigo Flores, 38, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, evading arrest with a vehicle and resisting arrest.

More charges could be pending. At least three reports for unlawful discharge of a firearm were filed because of the shots fired.

Police said those cases could possibly be connected to this shooting.

Laredo police officers responded to shots fired in the area of the 3100 block of North Jarvis Avenue at about 12:55 a.m.

READ ALSO: Laredo police find marijuana in car of man wanted on marijuana charges during traffic violation

The report states that a white Chrysler 200 was involved.

Officers searched the area and located the suspect vehicle at the intersection of the East San Jose Street and North Jarvis.

Police said the driver refused the stop and a vehicle pursuit ensued. It ended at the intersection of East Elm Street and North Canada Avenue.

LPD identified the driver as Flores.

Hit-and-run

Police said Flores had three outstanding arrest warrants for evading arrest, failure to identify and accident involving damages.

The vehicle crash dates back to March 26. At about 7:50 p.m., police officers were dispatched to hit-and-run report in the 600 block of Shiloh Drive.

A black pickup had reversed and hit the front of another vehicle, causing damage, according to police.

The complainant stated that he was able to record the incident on his personal dash cam. Investigators presented their findings to an assistant district attorney, who approved the issuance of a warrant for Flores.
CARROLLTON  The not-for-profit Illinois Alluvial Regional Water Co. provided some clarity about its proposed water-system project during a recent meeting in Carrollton.

Bob Manns of MECO Henneghan Engineers, the engineering consulting firm for IARWC, said the Oct. 24 meeting was strictly to update Carrollton residents on the projects progress. With $66 million in loans and grants from the United States Department of Agriculture, the project is fully funded and moving forward.

While the project is being designed for the five entities forming it  Carlinville, Jersey County Rural Water Co., Bunker Hill, Dorchester and Central Macoupin County Rural Water District  there is room for Carrollton to get in on the project, Manns said, noting that the work will be done, either way.

I know they have a tough decision to make, Manns said. What we were there for was to let everybody know that the project was fully funded and the five were moving forward. What we were not there to do was to convince them to join.

Carrollton can take a wait-and-see approach and decide to join after the project is completed, if officials choose, Manns said.

Carrollton has been discussing options for its aging water treatment plant and transmission lines since that system was found to have significant water-loss issues. Engineering firm Benton and Associates has been looking into the citys options, which include renovating the citys current system, building a new facility or buying water from an outside source.

IARWC approached Carrollton early this year with a proposal to join the company.

With funding now in place, IARWC estimates that treated water costs would run about $4.28 per 1,000 gallons, although that depends on many variables, some of which wont be determined until the end of the project, Manns said.

Carrollton now delivers its own water at a cost of around $3.78 per 1,000 gallons, but that price doesnt include any future cost increases stemming from construction expenses if the city decides to rehabilitate its current system or buy a new one.

The IARWC project would include several new wells in the Illinois River bottom around Jerseyville and the construction of a new water treatment plant. The company is aiming for construction to begin in May 2020 and be complete in December 2021.

While there are no firm costs set for individual communities hooking up to IARWC, Jersey County Rural Water, for example, is looking at about $2 million to hook onto the system.

If Carrollton were to become a member, we would have to see how Alluvial could serve Carrollton, Manns said. Carrollton would have to learn if Alluvial could serve them by gravity or if there would have to be pump stations installed. All of that would affect costs.

Community concerns included a lawsuit regarding how IARWC was formed; that lawsuit is ongoing.

Another concern is that the communities would lose control over their water systems.

Everybody still maintains their system, Manns said. They retire one component, their treatment plant, but theyd still have their distribution system, their meters, theyd still bill their customers.

Carrollton has taken no action on its water system and Benton and Associates has not yet made a recommendation.

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.
They were sprinting from the Mexican border straight into oncoming traffic on Interstate 5 in California, zigzagging their way around cars approaching the San Diego port of entry.

"They keep coming," the narrator said over ominous music. "Two million illegal immigrants in California."

The footage was from "Border Under Siege," a 1992 PR film produced by the U.S. Border Patrol. But on the TV screens of millions of Californians, it was a 1994 reelection campaign ad for Gov. Pete Wilson, who had just sued the federal government for failing to stop an "invasion" of undocumented immigrants under the Constitution's Invasion Clause: Article IV Section 4, which requires the federal government to protect the states against invasion. Wilson was running one of the most anti-immigrant campaigns of his era, seeking to strip all social services from undocumented immigrants under his Proposition 187.

But his militaristic "invasion" metaphor, fueling beliefs that California was literally "under siege," was an old usage.

It's one of the oldest and most persistent anti-immigration metaphors in the country's history, employed to oppose Irish Catholics, Asians, Latinos, Germans, Jews and just about everyone except white Protestants of English ancestry who now live in America. The nation has been perpetually facing a supposed "invasion" from many stripes of immigrants, said Leo R. Chavez, a social sciences professor at the University of California, Irvine and author of "The Latino Threat: Constructing Immigrants, Citizens, and the Nation."

President Donald Trump's recent use of the "invasion" metaphor to describe the caravan of thousands of asylum-seeking Central Americans now approaching the southern border is only the latest iteration.

"It's like an invasion," he said during his remarks about the caravan Thursday. "They have violently overrun the Mexican border. You saw that two days ago. These are tough people, in many cases. A lot of young men, strong men. And a lot of men that maybe we don't want in our country."

The rhetorical tool, Chavez said, "erases the real characteristics of those who wish to come to the United States," instead creating the image of a single army "bent on destroying our way of life."

"People have to realize that Trump didn't invent this rhetoric," Chavez said. "He's just able to use it effectively."

The strategy of framing immigration as an invasion can be traced back to the antebellum era in the 1850s, when the Protestant-majority Know Nothing party, the original "America First" party, rallied against Catholic immigrants. Believing they were controlled by the pope and therefore incompatible with American liberties, the Know Nothings charged that Catholic immigrants "march and countermarch with the precision of regular soldiers, at the tap of the Popish drum."

Next, it was the Asians. In an 1889 court decision against a Chinese migrant seeking entry, Supreme Court Chief Justice Stephen J. Field summed up California politicians' attitudes toward Chinese laborers this way: "Their immigration was in numbers approaching the character of an Oriental invasion, and was a menace to our civilization; the discontent from this cause was not confined to any political party, or to any class or nationality, but was well-nigh universal."

Fear of immigrants was not confined to uneducated working class Americans. "The Immigration Restriction League, founded by young Harvard-educated Boston Brahmins in 1894," wrote Charles Hirschman in a 2006 study, "advocated a literacy test to slow the tide of immigration. It was thought," he wrote, "that a literacy test would reduce immigration from southern and eastern Europe, which was sending an 'alarming number of illiterates, paupers, criminals, and madmen who endangered American character and citizenship."

But for Latino immigrants, such negative attitudes toward their migration didn't proliferate until the early 1970s, when illegal immigration at the southern border first started rising, as demographers Douglas S. Massey and Karen A. Pren of Princeton University's Mexican Migration Project found in a 2012 paper examining immigrant metaphors.

Officials under the administration of President Gerald Ford were particularly fond of warning of an "illegal alien invasion," as though America were bracing for a sequel of H.G. Wells's "War of the Worlds."

Leonard Chapman, then-commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, wrote an article in Reader's Digest in 1976 describing a looming national crisis, titled, "Illegal Aliens: Time to Call a Halt!"

"When I became commissioner in 1973, we were out-manned, under-budgeted, and confronted by a growing, silent invasion of illegal aliens. Despite our best efforts, the problem - critical then - now threatens to become a national disaster," Chapman wrote.

Then-CIA Director William Colby believed the situation was so pressing that if Mexican immigrants weren't stopped, they would create a "Spanish-speaking Quebec" in the southwestern United States, according to the book "Operation Gatekeeper: The Rise of the 'Illegal Alien' and the Making of the U.S.-Mexico Boundary."

"The most obvious threat," Colby said, "is the fact that...there are going to be 120 million Mexicans by the end of the century. . . . [The Border Patrol] will not have enough bullets to stop them."

Chavez, the UC Irvine professor, said these fears of Mexican immigration, and of nonwhite immigration generally, spread as a result of evolving demographics after changes in immigration law in the mid-1960s. America's immigration policies in the coming years - and politicians' border rhetoric - was a response to what became known as "the browning of America."

Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1965, which replaced what was seen as a racist quota system that, for decades, restricted immigration of Africans, Asians and Eastern Europeans with a system that more equally distributed yearly visas to countries worldwide. But it was the first time countries in the Western Hemisphere and Latin America were subject to any immigration quota. And around the same time, Congress canceled the Bracero program, which allowed temporary migrant workers to come and go across the border for farm labor, making about 450,000 fewer legal visas available to Mexicans per year.

The result, Chavez said, was that while the same number of people from Latin America wanted to come over for work, the vast majority suddenly lacked a readily available legal option. The annual total of people who illegally crossed the border from Mexico increased from fewer than 25,000 in 1958 to more than 450,000 by 1978, according to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Chavez said Trump's rhetoric does not match reality. Trump has often described a crisis at the border, necessitating a wall and troops. But data from the Department of Homeland Security show illegal crossings to be at historic lows, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

But the caravan presents a different challenge. Trump has said he may deploy as many as 15,000 members of the military to the border to meet more than 5,000 men, women and children who have been traveling for 21 days from Central America. The president said he plans to take executive action next week seeking to stop "abuse" of the asylum system and to limit the migrants' entry, vowing that they will be confined to "massive tent cities." But he offered few details.

Asked Thursday by reporters if his planned response to the caravan is legal, Trump said, "Oh, this is totally legal. No. This is legal. We are stopping people at the border. This is an invasion, and nobody is even questioning that."

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https://youtu.be/lLIzzs2HHgY
CAIRO - Gunmen said to be from the Islamic State opened fire on a bus carrying worshippers heading to a remote Coptic Christian monastery in upper Egypt on Friday, killing at least eight and wounding 14, said a top religious leader and local officials.

"Terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying people," said Coptic Christian Archbishop Makarious of Minya, a town roughly 150 miles south of Cairo, in a phone interview. The pilgrims, said community leaders, were returning from a visit to Saint Samuel the Confessor Monastery in a remote patch of Egypt's western desert.

On Friday evening, Egypt's Islamic State affiliate, which has vowed to target the nation's minority Coptic Christians, claimed responsibility for the attack through their Amaq news service. It was the first attack claimed by the militant group this year outside of the northern Sinai, where it is fighting Egyptian security forces.

Friday's violence comes more than a year after a similar assault on Christian pilgrims traveling to the same monastery. In May 2017, gunmen attacked buses carrying worshipers, leaving at least 28 people dead. Since December 2017, the last major assault on Christians, there has been a relative lull in the targeting of the Coptic community. Friday's attack, many fear, could signal the launch of another deadly campaign by the Islamic State against Christians.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi on Friday sought to allay the concerns of a community that has staunchly supported him, even as they have been under attack by Islamist extremists for the past two years. Egyptian officials and analysts view the Islamic State's targeting of Christians as an effort to expand beyond their traditional theater of operations in the northern Sinai and foment religious divisions among Egyptians.

"I mourn with deep sorrow the martyrs who were killed today by treacherous hands which aim to undermine the solid fabric of the nation, and I wish speedy recovery for the injured," Sissi said in a statement. "I confirm our determination to continue our efforts to combat dark terrorism and apprehend the culprits."

The death toll Friday could have been much higher. There were several vehicles carrying Christian pilgrims, but the militants targeted two buses, said Bishop Aghathon Tala'at, a Christian community leader. One bus escaped when its driver swerved onto another road. But the second bus, carrying at least 20 passengers, was stopped by the militants, who were in two SUVs, said Tala'at in a phone interview.

"A number of masked men got out of them, took the mobile phones of the passengers and then shot all the men dead," said Tala'at, who is the bishop of Maghagha, a nearby town with a hospital where many of the wounded were treated. "They were wearing militarylike uniforms, survivors told me."

Images of the bus distributed on social media showed a bloody scene, including a wounded child. The execution-style killings mirror that attack in May 2017 in which gunmen, also dressed in fatigues, killed some victims with single gunshots to the head.

Since 2016, Islamic State suicide bombers in Egypt have targeted churches in Cairo, Alexandria and Tanta, killing scores. Last month, an Egyptian military court sentenced to death 17 people convicted in those attacks. The defendants were charged with belonging to the Islamic State and orchestrating the assaults on the Christian community, who make up about 10 percent of the population.

Attacks by the Islamic State prompted Sissi's government to launch a major military operation this year in Egypt's restive northern Sinai province, the stronghold of the militants. A wave of Islamist militancy has pervaded the country since the military overthrew elected former president Mohamed Morsi and the subsequent crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood party's supporters.

The Islamic State has also targeted Sufi Muslims, which the groups considers heretics. In November 2017, militants attacked a Sufi mosque in the northern Sinai, slaughtering more than 300 worshipers. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Egypt's modern history.

After every assault on the Christian community, Egypt's security forces bolster security around churches and other holy sites around the country. But Friday's violence was an indicator to many that such measures have not worked.

After the attack, Tala'at said, some people angrily took to the streets and blocked a road, demanding better security for their community. The remote area in the western desert, where militant groups have long targeted Egyptian security forces, has poor cellphone reception and unpaved, often unlit roads.

"There has to be a security solution," said Tala'at. "The road is not paved well, there is not enough lightning, and there is no cell network either. This is why it is targeted."
A swastika was found drawn on a classroom desk at a suburban Maryland high school last week, authorities said.

The hate symbol, discovered by a student during a lunch period at Winston Churchill High School in Montgomery County, Maryland, was immediately reported to police, according to a letter sent home to parents by Principal Brandice Heckert.

The incident at the Potomac school happened Oct. 25, two days before a gunman killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.

The tragedy has intensified debate about political discourse in America.

Heckert said in her letter last week that the graffiti was removed by building services workers and that the school is investigating. She noted that "in the eyes of the law, it can be considered a hate crime or bias-based crime."

"This type of behavior will not be tolerated at Winston Churchill High School and those found responsible will be subject to disciplinary actions aligned with the Student Code of Conduct," she said.

Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Derek Turner said the incident was the first reported this school year in the state's largest school system, with 206 schools.

Churchill has a significant population of Jewish students and has had several anti-Semitic incidents in recent years, said Guila Franklin Siegel, who oversees education outreach as associate director at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.

Still, she said, "it would be wrong to assume students in middle school and high school uniformly know the history of the swastika, and why it is such a trigger, as we get farther away from the Holocaust and fewer Holocaust survivors are alive."

Siegel said educators and Jewish leaders have a responsibility to teach students about history.

"Our concern is about raising children who understand the perniciousness of anti-Semitism, and of all bias and intolerance, because these are the future leaders," she said.

Two years ago, bias incidents surged in Montgomery County, particularly following the 2016 presidential election.

A Washington Post analysis of county school and police information showed more than three dozen bias incidents in the 2016-2017 school year were linked to schools, mostly involving vandalism with swastikas, racial epithets or other bigoted messages.

Last school year, two swastikas were reported, Turner said. One was drawn in an elementary student's assignment book, and another was discovered on a middle school desk.

In neighboring Washington, a swastika sticker was found on the wall in a high school bathroom Monday. Police are investigating the incident at the School Without Walls.
Climate change, offshore drilling, the regulation of toxic substances -- several science-related policy issues are at stake in the mid-term elections, and a new political action committee wants more scientists voting on them.

Organizers formed 314 Action Fund -- the name comes from the first three digits for Pi -- after the 2016 election brought President Donald Trump and his planned regulatory rollback to Washington. Now, as Congress ponders legislation options that include defanging states' product-labeling laws, the PAC has spent more than $1.7 million to back 13 congressional candidates who have science and technology backgrounds.

All of them happen to be Democrats -- though the group says it's not a partisan organization.

"What is so troubling with the Trump administration is deregulation at all costs," said Shaughnessy Naughton, founder and president of 314 Action, the non-profit affiliated with the fund. The Republican platform is "just in denial of the scientific consensus too often."

The use -- and definition -- of science in public policy is playing out in races across the country, a signal that such issues may represent a growing political battlefield.

"Science should not be a partisan issue," said Jeff Stier, a senior fellow at the Consumer Choice Center, another new group, which advocates rolling back regulation. "It has obviously become one."

Nowhere is it more intense than in a congressional district in suburban Chicago. There, incumbent Republican Rep. Peter Roskam is backed by the chemical industry, while his challenger, Democrat Sean Casten, is a clean-energy executive endorsed by former President Barack Obama and 314 Action.

The district is also home to a sterilization facility that's under fire for emitting ethylene oxide, a chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency said in 2016 was "carcinogenic to humans" and more dangerous than previously thought.

A bombshell report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this summer said the 19,721 people living within a mile of the Sterigenics facility were at an elevated risk for cancer. Four schools and a daycare center are also located within that one-mile radius. The chemical industry's trade group, the American Chemistry Council, says the testing is flawed and has asked for the data to be corrected.

Also last summer, the ACC spent $82,250 on TV ads supporting Roskam, according to Kantar Media -- ads that were focused on Roskam's support of the 2017 income-tax overhaul legislation. Scott Openshaw, a spokesman for the ACC, said the industry group has a long history of "periodically running issue ads thanking elected officials from both parties for their efforts to improve economic growth, job creation and overall U.S. economic competitiveness, including comprehensive tax reform." Nationwide, the group spent about $2.2 million on such ads for 14 candidates, Openshaw said.

Last month, the 314 Action PAC countered by spending $92,696 to oppose Roskam in direct-mail ads, federal records show.

Casten, the Democrat, whose background includes degrees in molecular biology and biochemical engineering, has called for halting production at the Sterigenics plant until further study. While Roskam also called for closing the plant last month, Casten says Roskam would have a hard time separating his constituents' needs from the industry's.

Roskam's office didn't provide comment for this story. He has voted with his party in favor of bills that have drawn the ire of environmental groups, including the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act, which expands industry representation to panels that inform policymaking and makes it harder for academics to serve; and the Honest Act, which would bar certain data not publicly available or replicable. Critics say that would exclude epidemiological data that's been used to demonstrate substances' harm to populations. Both measures passed the House on near party-line votes.

The non-partisan Cook Political Report says the close Roskam-Casten race is leaning Democratic with just days to go before voters head to the polls. Casten said it's important to get more science-minded people in policymaking roles.

"To the extent that you make government beholden to outsiders, you basically put all the institutional knowledge on K Street rather than in the government, and there's a real problem there," Casten said in an interview. "But here we've got something right in people's backyards where we're saying the data from the EPA science advisory board, which was a decade in the making, is pretty unambiguous."

The 314 group is also backing 75 state-level candidates in Tuesday's election and says it has raised as much as $5 million to fund its aims this cycle. As of Oct. 17, it had raised about $2.5 million for use in federal campaigns, according to its filings with the Federal Election Commission.

"What I realized was that we really need to get scientists to go beyond just advocacy and actually get involved in electoral politics, whether it's to run for office themselves or support their colleagues," said Naughton, a former chemist and breast-cancer researcher who ran unsuccessfully in two Democratic congressional primaries in Pennsylvania. When the group put out a call in January 2017 for scientists interested in running, 7,000 responded.

The group is what's known as a "hybrid" super PAC, meaning it contributes directly to candidates but can also make "independent expenditures" that support candidates but can't be coordinated with their campaigns. As of Wednesday, it had spent $1.5 million independently and contributed $231,500 directly to congressional candidates.

The outcome of those races matters when it comes to how Congress thinks about science, said Stier of the anti-regulation group Consumer Choice Center. Although that group doesn't back candidates, it does work to promote its anti-regulatory positions, and it warns a Blue Wave could make it more burdensome on companies trying to keep costs to consumers down.

If Democrats advance, "there is going to be a move toward a European style regulatory approach that embraces the precautionary principle at the expense of consumer freedom, low priced, affordable and safe products," he said.

- - -

Bloomberg's Stephen Joyce and Bill Allison contributed.
WASHINGTON - The top executive of the Democratic Party committee charged with winning control of the House predicted victory in Tuesday's midterm elections, projecting confidence as President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders try to seize on a growing economy and immigration fears to save their majority.

"We're going to win the House," said Dan Sena, executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, echoing the confidence of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who made a similar prediction earlier in the week.

His Republican counterpart, National Republican Congressional Committee Executive Director John Rogers, predicted that voters would respond to fears of Washington gridlock and a moribund economy by spurning Democrats and saving the GOP House majority, albeit by a narrow margin.

"I expect that we may not know who has control of the majority on Election Night," he said.

Both men spoke in interviews for an episode of C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" set to air Sunday. A Washington Post reporter participated in the questioning.

Sena's prediction comes two years after top Democratic officials entered Election Day convinced that presidential nominee Hillary Clinton could not lose, based on the party's "blue wall" in upper Midwest states. Clinton shockingly lost Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, and with them, the presidency.

But Sena said Democrats had multiple paths to victory Tuesday.

"There are probably 15 to 20 seats that the Democrats will certainly pick up. You then look at any of the seats that are toss-up or leaning our way, and there's like another 20 of them," Sena said. "I can't tell you how all those seats are going to play out, but what I can tell you is, we are going to win some of them. That would give us a narrow majority. On a good night we could win a majority of them."

The Democrats' closing argument, he said, would remain trained on health care, while Rogers said Republicans are highlighting immigration to rouse their conservative base as well as a "resistance mob mentality" that would obstruct President Trump's agenda.

"Just the thought of Nancy Pelosi taking the House back and getting the reins of Congress and getting back to ruining this country," he said. "I think that'll be really motivational for our folks out there and should be if you're a Republican."

Sena said he was not concerned by Trump's last-minute appeals to his base.

"Every time Donald Trump does something, there's an opposite and equal reaction within the electorate," he said. "I call it shaking the snow globe . . . What we wanted to do was be in a place where we had the ability to fight to get to the majority regardless of what he did. So if he took races in South Carolina and West Virginia and was able to do something to put them away . . . there's an equal reaction in California" that would help Democrats in those seats.

Democrats have been able to expand the House battlefield into dozens of seats that have not been competitive in previous cycles. That's in part because individual Republican campaigns in key districts have been badly outraised by their Democratic challengers, which has forced national groups such as the NRCC and GOP super PACs to spend heavily to keep races competitive.

But Rogers said the impact of Democratic hard-money advantage would ultimately be negligible. "At some point in time, TV gets saturated, the Internet gets saturated, your mailbox get full, and you just need to have enough money to compete in these races," he said.
Gas prices are expected to continue to drop into next week during the midterm elections, a new report predicts.

Oil Price Information Service analyst Tom Kloza told USA Today on Friday that there could be a nationwide "colossal collapse" in gasoline prices thanks to a sharp drop in oil prices.
A jury took less than three hours Friday to find a former Ballet San Antonio dancer not guilty in a sexual assault case brought by a ballerina in the company.

The defense had argued that the accuser regretted having consensual sex as the two slept in her apartment bed in March 2017. Prosecutors said Hugo Ihosvany Rodriguez, 27, once a rising star with the dance company, never received a hint of approval yet forced himself on her.

He could have faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Finishing four days of testimony, defense attorney James Tocci earlier Friday told the seven-man, five-woman jury that the former ballerina, whose name is being withheld, had lied to prosecutors about a kiss she shared with the defendant prior to the alleged assault and that she lied to the jury when she claimed late in the trial to have suddenly remembered it.

If you dont believe she lied to your faces, Tocci told the jury, then you havent been paying attention. Shame on them (the prosecutors). They think youre dumb.

In 20 years (of legal practice) Ive never heard of someone just coming in and magically recalling such an important detail, he added.

Prosecutor Anna Scott recalled the ballerinas testimony that she was asleep in her apartment when Rodriguez, who had been let in by the womans roommate and had slept on a couch at the apartment before, crawled into her bed and then penetrated her before she awoke, without her verbal consent.

Its very common in sexual assault to remember things in pieces, to not remember everything at once, Scott told the rapt jury. Victims are trying to get to the other side of the event and not trying to store every last detail that the defense may want.

No one is saying he thought he was going to go out and rape (the dancer) that night, Scott continued. Were saying he decided to have sex with her even when the night wasnt going the way he plannedthat though he didnt have the green light (to have sex) he went through with it anyway.

Tocci reminded jurors that Rodriguez ended the sexual intercourse immediately when the woman said, Stop, left the apartment without incident and then fully cooperated with detectives. He never tried to conceal evidence of text messages and photos on his cellphone, Tocci said.

Dont send an innocent man to prison, he said. Ask yourself, does this sound like sexual assault or a girl having consensual sex that she later regrets?
A man ran to a West Side home moments after he was shot Thursday evening, according to San Antonio police.

The man was found with two gunshot wounds when police arrived at about 8:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of San Carlos, officers said.
More women in this country may have jobs that pay a salary, but if the price of affordable child care keeps going up many may decide its more economical to stay home. Part of the blame should go to politicians who pay lip service to the problem without doing enough to solve it.

The U.S. Department of Education says families spent $4.9 billion on child care in 2016. That 70 percent increase since 1995 in part reflects the increased number of women in the labor force, which has leaped from 18.4 million women workers in 1950 to more than 73 million last year. During that period, women have gone from being about a third of all U.S. workers to nearly 47 percent.

Thats the reality in a country where working mothers arent just common but often necessary to pay the bills. Ironically, the resulting impact of child-care costs on a familys budget could offset the benefit of two incomes.

An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute shows infant child-care costs in six states have grown to 20 percent or more of the median incomes for families with children under age 5.

In Texas, families now pay about $8,759 annually on infant child care, or about 15.5 percent of the states median family income of $56,373. Median, however, means many families are paying that average price for child care with a much smaller income.

Thats when some families decide it makes more sense for them to pocket the money spent on child care. In such situations the mother usually quits her job or takes one with fewer hours so she can stay home with the children. That can stunt a womans career trajectory and wage growth, points out Grover Whitehurst, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.

Affordability isnt the only issue with child care. Effective early education should be part of any program serving children beyond infancy, but often its not.

Under Gov. Greg Abbotts leadership, the Texas Legislature in 2015 passed House Bill 4, which created the High Quality Pre-K Grant Program for the states 530 independent school districts and 43 charter districts. But HB4 has never been adequately funded. During the 2016-2017 school year about $734 per student was allocated, which was only about half what Abbott had proposed.

Dr. Elizabeth Gregory, director of Womens, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Houston, says adequate funding for early education is crucial to making the experience meaningful beyond being babysitting. She pointed out New Yorks announcement in September of $15 million in additional funding for pre-K education programs aimed at 3- and 4-year-olds.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo spearheaded New Yorks drive to fund pre-K programs, just as Abbott did in Texas. Providing children with the opportunity to begin learning from an even earlier age is one of the smartest investments we can make as a state, said Cuomo.

Working with the Greater Houston Partnership, a coalition of business, civic, educational and philanthropic organizations formed a coalition in 2014 called Early Matters. Its mission is to improve the funding, access, and quality of early childhood education programs over the next decade.

Not only should Texas increase HB4 funding to reach more students, it should consider additional steps the state could take to offset the high cost of child care that has forced some women who want a career to stay home.

Whitehurst says the cost of child care in America has become almost as daunting an economic issue as the cost of a college education. In either case, the public loses when someone who one day might make the difference in the success of a business or a community never gets the chance because she has child care issues and has to step off a career ladder she spent years preparing herself to climb.

Unaffordable child care should not be an impediment to success for women who want a career outside the home. Neither should the lack of quality pre-K programs be the difference in why some children fail to succeed academically later.

Abbott and the Legislature did the right thing two years ago in passing HB4. Now they need to work with groups like Early Matters to take even bigger steps  for children, for families, for Texas.
The Government has confirmed that it intends to apply to the EU Globalisation Fund to help affected Bord na Mona workers to transition into new employment.

The news came after the announcement of up to 430 redundancies in the company last week.

Longford Westmeath Fine Fail TD Peter Burke welcomed the announcement by Independent MEP Marian Harkin last week, stating that the full support of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment would be needed going forward.

I emphasised to the Minister (Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton) the need to ensure the best possible redundancy package for those staff who are considering that option, he said.

I believe this package needs to be on a par with recent packages in other state companies such as RTE and An Post.

I also stressed to the Minister the need for the full support of his department for Bord na Mona as they look ahead to aim to become the largest renewables company in the country.

In this regard, I believe part of the 150 million Climate Action Fund could be used to assist Bord na Mona utilise the assets they have, including their dedicated and experienced work force and their large land banks.

I will continue to assist those affected and my thoughts are with the employees and their families at this difficult time.

Bord na Mona has pledged to engage in extensive consultation with workers in the coming weeks, which will include a series of town hall meetings, the Fine Gael TD said.

In light of the jobs loss announcement, Fianna Fail General Election Candidate, Cllr Joe Flaherty, is calling on Longford Co Council to establish a high level transition forum that will focus on future plans for Bord na Mona facilities and assets in the region.

While a small number of Co Longford based workers are likely to be affected in this round of redundancies, I believe that Longford Co Council and the full resources of the State must come together to formulate a plan for the future of the countys 195 Bord na Mona workers, said Cllr Flaherty.

Bord na Mona was a major catalyst in the economic growth and development of Longford. It was a visionary company and it brought workers from the four corners of Ireland to live and work here and they in turn built communities in Lanesboro and the surrounding areas.

Having grown up in the heart of the Bord na Mona country, Ive seen the impact of the company locally, he continued.

The ambitious house building programme of the fifties stands in stark contrast to the current governments feeble efforts.

Bord na Mona built communities and homes and from those houses then came the Gardai, teachers, chefs, innovators and creative forces that we now know and celebrate today.

Now it is vital that Longford positions itself to ensure that the county and more importantly, the 195 workers are protected and can benefit from the next phase.

I know plans are underway for a similar Forum in Offaly and I think its vital all stakeholders come together to leverage the best possible supports for the affected workers.

Lough Ree Power Plant in Lanesboro is currently paying 20 per tonne of peat burned under the EU Emission Trading System (ETS).

Cllr Flaherty is adamant that a portion if this money needs to be ring-fenced for the affected Bord na Mona communities and contends that there are a number of investment and support channels which need to be pursued.

I believe that the Midlands region makes a compelling case for access to the European Globalisation Fund (EGF) for the Bord na Mona workers, he said.

The EGF assists EU member states to support workers made redundant as a result of the adverse impacts of globalisation, by providing 60% co-financing for approved active labour market programmes of guidance, training, education and enterprise supports.

We need to be positioned to feed into a regional Sustainable Transition Forum which will co-ordinate plans with the other affected counties. This is about getting the best possible outcome for the 195 Longford workers and the wider community.

Read Also: Bord na Mona must commit to keep jobs in the Midlands

Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois says 'shocking' Bord na Mona job cuts announcement could force midlands region back into recession
Local News, Crime, Business & Finance, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: November 02 2018

Pan-American Relocation Services, AAA Moving Services, and Mayflower Moving Services Illegally Operated Fraudulent Schemes and Paid for Fake Positive Online Reviews.

New York, NY - November 2, 2018 - Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood today announced a court order against Goldy Sandhu and his businesses, Pan-American Relocation Services, Inc., AAA Moving Services, Inc., and Mayflower Moving Services, Inc., for illegally operating an online household goods moving broker company and paying for fake positive online reviews. The order permanently bans Sandhu from operating a household goods moving broker or carrier business, requires that all three businesses be dissolved, and imposes up to $65,000 in penalties and costs. Sandhu has admitted to all of the Attorney Generals allegations.

My office has zero tolerance for scammers who attempt to defraud and deceive New York consumers, said Attorney General Underwood. New York moving brokers and carriers must comply with state and federal law or we will hold them to account.

Goldy Sandhu paid for at least 60 fake positive online reviews of his businesses to make consumers believe they were dealing with qualified moving companies. Sandhu posted these reviews on his companies websites under the heading, CHECK OUT OUR REVIEWS POSTED BY CUSTOMERS JUST LIKE YOU, when in fact none of the reviews were made by actual customers. He also attempted to deceive consumers by naming his companies similarly to reputable businesses such as AAA and Mayflower Moving, even offering consumers a AAA member discount although his company had no affiliation with the American Automobile Association.

Sandhu and his companies operated their fraudulent scheme by contacting consumers interested in hiring movers for their household goods and deceiving consumers into believing that they were speaking with an actual moving company. In reality, Sandhu and his companies were merely a broker, and the deposit money they asked consumers to pay to reserve their move was a broker fee. Once a consumer paid, Sandhu and his companies would perform an online search to find an actual moving company in the area and hire them to perform the job. The movers selected by Sandhus companies were often poorly reviewed, disreputable, and unlicensed; several had their licenses to operate as movers revoked by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

On moving day, consumers realized that their movers were from a company they had never heard of, instead of the five-star reviewed company they thought they had hired. The movers selected by Sandhu and his companies often demanded payments far in excess of the binding quotes consumers had agreed to. Many consumers, who had a deadline to leave their residence and needed their entire household to be moved interstate, had little choice but to agree to these extortionate demands. In addition to being overcharged, consumers goods were frequently broken and lost by the movers. When consumers contacted Sandhu and his companies to complain, Sandhu routinely attempted to evade liability by stating that they were merely brokers and any complaints should be directed to the company that actually performed the move.

In addition to their deceptive advertising and fraudulent conduct, Sandhu and his companies violated federal statutory requirements by providing estimates for transporting household goods without having broker-carrier agreements in place.

The court order permanently bans Sandhu from the household goods moving industry; bans Sandhu from operating any company dealing directly with consumers for one year and any telemarketing or call center based business for five years; and imposes reporting and compliance requirements, including a requirement to report any change of employment and any new businesses established. The defendants are also required to pay up to $65,000 in penalties and costs.

Consumers are advised to thoroughly vet any moving company they are considering hiring, even if the company has many positive online reviews. Consumers can learn more about steps to take when selecting a mover  including how to verify whether a household goods carrier or broker is licensed  by visiting the Attorney Generals website at https://ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds/hiring-a-moving-company
Aotearoa Hip Hop Podcast

Hosted by DJ Sir-Vere, this podcast series is a deep dive into Aotearoas Hip Hop history.
SPRINGFIELD -- A mass mailing Baystate Health sent in the final days of the election asking voters to reject Question 1 alarmed some recipients -- and left lingering questions about how Baystate got their address.

The letter, which bears the facsimile signatures of four Baystate executives, covers the same arguments Baystate and other Massachusetts hospitals have used for months against Question 1, which would establish mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios in hospital settings statewide.

But it came in an otherwise plain envelope with the words "TIME SENSITIVE" in red under Baystate's return address. Nowhere on the outside of the mailing are words or a logo saying "No on 1" or indicating that it is election mail and not a bill or urgent medical information.

That initial sense of alarm -- even if there was subsequent relief at finding the election material inside -- prompted some recipients to complain on social media and MassLive.

MassLive commenter BabyDoomers said it this way:

"Baystate sent out letters with the title "Time Sensitive Material" in red text on basic envelope. Making it look like important related to you , your insurance , or your heath.. Guess what it was a letter about All the boogie men that will appear if we make them staff correctly."

Candace Clement of Belchertown said she was confused when she saw the mailer.

"Other members of my household received it as well which made me think it was some sort of HIPAA mailer or privacy policy," Clement said in an email to The Republican. "I work in campaigning so I'm no stranger to political advocacy. But this just felt wrong. To have a healthcare facility use their patient data to advocate in this way felt really inappropriate. It would be one thing to have signs up at the hospital. It's another to receive a mailer at home because I went there for care."

Clement said she plans to vote yes on Question 1.

Baysate spokeswoman Shelly Hazlett said Baystate sent the letter to communicate what she described as the devastating impact government-mandated nurse staffing ratios would have on the health care Baystate provides to the region.

Of the appearance of the envelope, she said: "With the significant healthcare impact this initiative would have on our community, and with the election just days away, this is a time sensitive matter."

Other recipients wondered how they ended up on a mailing list and if their medical records were accessed for political reasons.

"We did not access patient medical records," Hazlett said. "We are aware of and take very seriously our confidentiality obligations under HIPAA. As the largest healthcare provider in western Massachusetts, the community is filled with our patients and we maintain lists of community members who engage with Baystate Health in a variety of ways and that was the list used for this mailing."

But not everyone who got the letter was local. And in at least one case, the person's only contact with Baystate was for emergency medical treatment. One recipient of Baystate's Question 1 letter was Stephen J. Dennis, a union carpenter who lives in Los Angeles.

A childhood friend of Northampton City Councilor William H. Dwight, Dennis was helping to build a timber-frame cabin in Hawley this August when he fell off a ladder and broke his leg. He was taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and then transferred to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

This week the letter showed up addressed to Dennis at the home of Dwight and his wife, Lida L. Lewis.

"I opened it thinking I'd need to send it to Stephen," Lewis said. "I thought it was a bill, because it said time sensitive."

Since the accident, she said, other bills for Dennis have been sent to her home. Lewis said she believes she gave her home as a local address for Dennis while he was on painkillers and unable to speak with hospital staff.

Other recipients have asked how the letter could have been sent using nonprofit postage rates. Baystate is following Postal Service regulations here, said U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Maureen Marion.

"This piece was mailed as non-profit and properly prepared as political mail due to the fact that the mail content deals with a referendum question on the ballot related to the core purpose of the permit holder," she wrote. "This information was confirmed by a review of the mail piece by the Postal Service's Pricing and Classification Services Center in New York, again affirming the correct use of both the nonprofit permit and political mail designations."

Mercy Medical Center spokeswoman Mary Orr said Mercy has not sent out a mailer. Holyoke Medical Center expressed its opposition to Question 1 with a cover story in the most recent edition of its quarterly magazine, Valley Health & Life.

Cooley Dickinson Heath Care has not sent out a mailer, said Christina Trinchero, marketing communications director.

The Republican Assistant Managing Editor Greg Saulmon contributed to this report.
BOSTON -- Boston Celtics wing Gordon Hayward knows what's coming.

A little over a week after the Celtics' 117-113 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, he's going to return to Salt Lake City for the first time since he left in the summer of 2017. Jazz fans have been bitterly awaiting their first opportunity to let him know how they feel about him in the wake of his departure.

"It's been a year so hopefully not as vicious a booing, but I'm sure I'll get booed," Hayward said. "It is what it is."

"Not as vicious" is probably a little optimistic. Jazz fans online are some of the most vengeful of any small market team that has lost a star to a bigger market. Hayward going down with a broken ankle last season temporarily stayed their vitriol, but none of it seems to have trickled away in the interim.

The Celtics have a pair of other players who left situations to join the Celtics: Kyrie Irving, who requested a trade from Cleveland, and Al Horford, who signed with the Celtics after leaving Atlanta. Both have returned to their former teams for road games, and both have been booed enthusiastically.

"Well first of all, Utah is a tough place to play to begin with," Horford said. "And for him it's going to be a lot of emotions, a lot of emotions, a lot of people you're going to see -- people that work in the building to ballboys and just reporters from there. Just everybody, it's like a big homecoming. It's a little overwhelming and it's almost one of those things that you can't wait just to get it over with. I'm sure he'll go through all that and we've got a few games for him to get ready for that."

Hayward said he appreciated all of his time in Utah.

"Great years in Utah," he said. "I thank the Jazz for everything they did for me in my career. I'm looking forward to being able to play there. I was really looking forward to last year, obviously, that didn't happen. It'll be a good game, they are a good team."

Nice sentiments. Hayward is still going to get booed.
Nicki Minaj has broken many records. She recently dropped her fourth album "Queen" and is featured on a new bop with BTS. Back in April, iHeart Radio reported Minaj was the first female rapper to sell 5 million per album, and she beat Aretha Franklin's record of having the most Billboard Hot 100 entries than any other female artists. But Beyonce recently swiped Minaj's title on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart, "Queen" only debuted at No. 2 and she's constantly in beefs. Is she the Queen of Rap?

PERSPECTIVES

Hip-hop is a male-dominated genre, but Minaj managed to break through and has given music lovers consecutive hits for a decade. USA Today acknowledges Minaj as the Queen of Rap, and Billboard listed all the times Minaj out-rapped a man on a track.

Nicki Minaj is the best Female Rapper, let's face it   Drew (@Drewyboy95) August 24, 2018

Minaj had a tumultuous week after the release of her album in August. She canceled the North American leg of her tour with rapper Future and recently had a beef with the streaming service Spotify. Plus, Nicki and Cardi B are constantly beefing. Cardi threw a shoe at Minaj at a Fashion Week event in September, and it all went downhill from there.

Nicki Minaj is the worst thing to happen to music  Dario (@KangMUCK) October 31, 2018

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Former Springfield resident Hanna Perlstein Marcus was asked her reaction as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor to last Saturday's deadly synagogue attack in Pittsburgh and she raised the issue of responsibility extending beyond oneself.

"When my mother and I came to Springfield a few years after World War II, we sought a place of freedom, where we could practice our faith without concern of oppression or hatred. No longer would my mother have to worry about brutal aggression or the loss of loved ones to outright bigotry," said Marcus, a Connecticut resident who has participated in Holocaust Remembrance Day observances at area synagogues.

"Now, almost 70 years have passed since our arrival in America, and the fear of outright bigotry has returned. There is a saying among Jews that we are responsible, one for the other. As Americans, I believe the axiom can be applied to all Americans. We are responsible for one another."

Hate crimes and anti-Semitism have been on the rise in recent years in the country. The FBI has said that more than 54 percent of hate crimes motivated by religious bias in 2016 were anti-Jewish.

Marcus' mother, Sidonia Perlstein, was born in Hungary and was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust. She came to Springfield at the age of 36 with 22-month-old Hanna in 1949 and worked as an area seamstress before her death on Mother's Day in 2006 at the age of 93.

A 1963 graduate of Classical High School who followed a career in social work, Marcus has written about their life here in "Sidonia's Thread: The Secrets of a Mother and Daughter Sewing a New Life in America" and in its sequel, "Surviving Remnant - Memories of the Jewish Greenhorns in 1950s America."

Springfield's Sinai Temple and Temple Beth El are holding a Solidarity Shabbat Service tonight at 6 p.m. at Sinai, 1100 Dickinson St.

B'nai Torah in Longmeadow is also among the synagogues that have responded to the American Jewish Committee's call for a nationwide campaign, #ShowUpFor Shabbat, in which civic and religious leaders and others show up for Shabbat events this Friday night and Saturday in the aftermath of the attack at Tree of Life Congregation.

B'nai Torah is inviting people to come to its Eunice Drive location on Saturday at 9 a.m. to "show you are not intimidated by hate, cowed by fear, or paralyzed by hopelessness."

The morning will include Shabbat services, followed by luncheon and then a study and discussion program at 12:15 p.m. on "Jewish teachings on how to respond and how not to respond to tragedy" that will include an open forum.

Information on other related events Friday and Saturday in the Pioneer Valley can be found on the website of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts.

"The response of the Pittsburgh community and first responders can be viewed as heartening by all of us as Americans," Marcus said.

"If I can't make it to one of the peaceful memorials to the victims being held in my area, I will be lighting a candle at my home in their memory and in the hope that it never happens again," Marcus said.

Robert Bowers has been charged with the shootings that left 11 dead and six wounded, including four police officers, in a 44-count indictment accusing him of federal hate crimes. The 46-year-old truck driver and Pittsburgh resident made statements indicating his desire to "kill Jews" while inside the Tree of Life synagogue, according to the indictment.

Polish-born George Torrey, a member of Congregation B'nai Torah and a Holocaust survivor, said the "massacre in Pittsburgh is a horrific event" but one to be distinguished from the Holocaust though vigilance against bigotry is needed.

"Having personally experienced the Holocaust I can well associate with the feelings of the family members affected by the murder of their loved ones," Torrey said.

"I was with my mother and grandmother in Ravensbruck concentration camp when after a couple of months, the Germans came for my grandmother and we never saw her again. My other grandparents and six of my uncles also did not survive the Holocaust."

He added, "As terrible as the shooting in Pittsburgh was, I do not compare it to the Holocaust."

"Unlike the Pittsburgh shooting, the Holocaust was organized by the German government. It was the systematic murder of the Jewish people by those in power," said Torrey who frequently talked to students about the Holocaust.

"Having said that, I do not underestimate the increase in anti-Semitism in our country today. I suspect that the anti-Semitism was always there, but more people are acting on their impulses today. This, of course, is a frightening situation and we have to try to reverse it."

He added, "Personally, I do not feel less safe today than I did before, but I do have concern for my children and grandchildren because the rhetoric against Jews and other minorities is increasing, though it is nowhere near what it was in Germany."

"I am an optimistic person who looks to a better future," Torrey said.

"We live in a country built on individual freedom and freedom of worship. If we are vigilant and fight against the bigots, we will reverse the present trend and assure a better future."



Gerald Steinberg, too, did not equate the Pittsburgh attack with the Holocaust. He and his family survived the Holocaust thanks to the efforts of a Ukrainian and two Polish farmers who ho hid them for two years in a hole underneath their barns in eastern Poland.

"I, personally, do not equate this event to the Holocaust," Steinberg said.

"These events are committed by individuals who are mentally deranged and have a personal feeling to committing the crime. Very hard to predict. Unlike Hitler's political movement."

He added, however, "Those of us who experienced discrimination always feel the pain for being singled out."

"I am very fortunate to have lived the 'American Dream' and feel very comfortable within society," Steinberg said.

"However, when in certain situations, I feel like a minority."

Steinberg, referring to the Holocaust Remembrance Wall dedicated in 2011 in the lobby of the Springfield Jewish Community Center, said he is "still happy that it is there to remind people on a personal level about that horrific event."

"Unfortunately, man's inhumanity to man continuous on a daily basis and personally I do not feel or have the confidence that it will ever end," Steinberg whose family story is among those told as part of the Hatikvah Holocaust Memorial at the JCC.

He said when he and his wife attend services at a Florida synagogue "we go through a metal detector with armed police upon entering the temple."

The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts listing of other Pioneer Valley events today and tomorrow in solidarity with the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh is updated as information is received.

Here are others currently listed in addition to the joint service tonight at Sinai Temple and Saturday's events at B'nai Torah in Longmeadow, as well as a #ShowUpFor Shabbat, hosted by Temple Beth El, 979 Dickinson St., Longmeadow, Saturday at 9:30 a.m.:

Beit Ahavah, 130 Pine St., Florence section of Northampton: Kabbalat Shabbat "Tree of Life" Service tonight at 7:30 p.m. with an earlier Tot Shabbat and potluck for young families at 5:15 p.m.

Congregation Sons of Zion, 378 Maple St., Holyoke: Solidarity Shabbat, Saturday, 10 am.

Jewish Community of Amherst, 742 Main St., Amherst: Youth and family service, tonight, 5:30 p.m.; Shabbat service, Saturday, 10 a.m.
For the fifth time in two weeks, graffiti that targeted students of color, as well as the Jewish and LGBTQ communities, has been discovered at Reading Memorial High School, officials said.

The graffiti, which used hateful and threatening language toward African Americans, was discovered in a boys' bathroom, METCO Director Jason Cross wrote in a letter to the community.

METCO is a voluntary grant program funded by the state that is intended to expand educational opportunities, increase diversity and reduce racial isolation in schools by permitting students in certain cities to attend public schools in other communities that have agreed to participate.

Reading Memorial High School Principal Kate Boynton said that police, town officials and school administrators are investigating each incident of graffiti, but have been frustrated at the lack of progress in figuring out who was responsible.

"In my 31 years as an educator in the Reading Public Schools, I have never been more upset, angry and distraught as I am right now," Boynton said in a statement. "These events are troubling and they cannot or will not define us as a community."

She said the district's teachers and administers are working diligently to educate students about respecting each other's differences.

The school will hold a candlelight vigil in response to the discoveries on Saturday from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Memorial Wall entrance of the high school.

"Whether or not we are the targeted group, these events impact each and every one of us," Superintendent John F. Doherty said. "All of us, including parents, administrators, staff, students, and the greater Reading Community, need to come together and recognize that these acts of hate speech are real and need to be addressed by all of us working together."
A child was rushed to the hospital after being hit by a car in Roxbury Friday morning, Boston police said.

A call for a juvenile hit by a car on Shawmut and Ball Streets came in around 9:45 a.m., police said.

Police said they could not confirm the age, gender or condition of the child.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information is available
On Oct. 18, Mark Kayserman hired an Uber to bring his parents home from a dentist appointment. But the Needham couple, both 87, wound up getting driven home in a police cruiser instead.

The Boston Globe's Sean P. Murphy tells the story this week of the couple's interaction with an Uber driver, which resulted in Needham Police Officer Katie McCullough responding to a report of a disturbance between the driver and a passenger. That disturbance allegedly began when 87-year-old Maya Kayserman told the driver he was going the wrong way back to the couple's home.

The woman, Murphy reports, is recovering from a stroke, has skin cancer, macular degeneration and uses a cane after undergoing one hip and two knee replacements. Her husband Isak, also 87, lives with advanced dementia.

Mark Kayserman says he received a text after hiring the Uber for his parents saying "Your mother is being combative. She's telling me which way to go. I'm asking them to leave my car," the Globe reported. Kayserman said he immediately drove to where his parents were, but police got there first.

McCullough tells the Globe that when she arrived she found the Uber driver, identified only as William, standing outside the car, waving his arms to the officer and saying he wanted the couple out of his car.

McCullough said the couple seemed OK, but the driver seemed "anxious" to get them out of his car so she decided the best thing to do was to drive the couple home herself.

Asked if they seemed upset, McCullough told the Globe: "No, not at all -- she was lovely. She sat in the front with me and gave me directions and talked about raising her children in Needham and pointed out landmarks as we went along. "She was like your favorite aunt."

Uber responded to a Globe inquiry that the company "regrets this situation" and that it takes "incidents like this seriously and will take appropriate action."

Uber has become a popular transportation option for people across Massachusetts and particularly in major cities, but the transportation company which pays independent contractors who drive their own vehicles, has not been without its blemishes.

In 2017, an Uber driver in Quincy accidentally drove off with a couple's baby still in the car.

A couple of high-profile incidents in 2016 prompted Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria to call for Uber to do better screening of drivers.

The first incident involved an Uber driver getting arrested and charged with the rape of a teenage girl. In the second incident, an Uber driver was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior.

In April, CNN reported an investigation that found that nationally 103 Uber drivers faced accusations of sexual assault or abuse, though there is no publicly available data shared by the company.

The company later announced it would now continuously monitor its drivers for new criminal offenses. After launching the new policy the company removed 25 drivers in the first month, according to CNN.

The incidents, although sometimes serious, represent a fraction of the total ride share market, however. As of June, Uber had roughly 75 million riders and utilized about 3 million drivers. San Francisco-based rival Lyft provided passengers with 375.5 million trips in 2017.
Authorities have identified Lowell man Paul J. DeCologero as a second suspect in the murder of Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, reports indicate.

The Boston Globe said two unidentified law enforcement officials confirmed they believe DeCologero is a second suspect alongside Fotios "Freddy" Geas in the murder of Bulger Tuesday morning at a penitentiary in West Virginia. The suspects' reported weapon of choice was a padlock stuffed into a sock.

Bulger was beaten to death within 11 hours of arriving at the high-security US Penitentiary Hazelton, which has a violent reputation, according to reporting by the Globe.

The newspaper said DeCologero, 44, whose family is associated with extensive violent criminal activity in the Boston area, is serving a life sentence for the 1996 murder of Medford teenager Aislin Silva. Court documents reportedly reveal DeCologero and family members sliced up Silva's body and buried it on the North Shore.

It is unclear what DeCologero's motive may have been in any involvement in Bulger's death.

The first suspect reported was former West Springfield man Geas. The 51-year-old serving a life sentence in West Virginia for two murders "has a great disdain for informants," Springfield attorney Daniel D. Kelly told The Republican. Kelly represented the Geas family for multiple crimes.

Bulger himself is known as one of the most violent and brutal criminals in the country.

He has been associated with more than a dozen murders, and has been a national subject of scrutiny in media, including a documentary and movie "Black Mass" starring Johnny Depp. Bulger was convicted off 11 murders while serving as an informant to the FBI.
Voters in the 2nd Hampden District will decide Tuesday whether to send incumbent Democratic state Rep. Brian Ashe to Beacon Hill for a sixth term or choose his Republican challenger, political newcomer Allison Werder.

The district comprises the towns of Longmeadow, Hampden and Monson and Precincts 2, 3 and 4 in East Longmeadow.

Ashe was first elected to the seat in 2008, succeeding Republican Mary Rogeness, who retired after nine terms. He defeated Republican Marie Angelides in 2010 and 2012 and was unopposed in 2014 and 2016.

Ashe, who grew up in Springfield, lives in Longmeadow. Before securing the seat, he worked for the Hampden County Sheriff's Department for 16 years and also served on the Longmeadow Select Board.

As state representative, he serves on a number of committees, including serving as a vice chairman of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs.

Werder, also a Longmeadow resident, has promised change, including added transparency to government and what she calls "responsible spending."

Originally from Pennsylvania, Werder moved to Western Massachusetts from New Jersey six years ago to serve as president of MassLive.com. She stepped down from the position last year.

Werder has been connected to a number of business-oriented organizations. She is the co-founder of Women Innovators and Trailblazers (WIT), a mentoring group and Angel Fund that provides community and guidance to female entrepreneurs. She also serves as a trustee for Western New England University and is a board member of the region's largest start-up accelerator, Valley Venture Mentors.

After announcing in April that she would run for Ashe's seat, Werder took aim at a number of government policies that she said needed change -- including what she called the state's "spending problem."

"Fiscal responsibility and social responsibility don't have to be at odds," Werder said in a previous interview.

However, Ashe has countered that Werder hasn't spelled out what she would replace current policy with.

"She hasn't been clear on what she would cut," Ashe said by in a phone interview Thursday. "You have to spend. That's how we get our roads and our schools, that's what pays for our fire departments or police."

"That's government -- you have spend money. Spending responsibly is the key," he said.

Werder has taken aim at Ashe's voting record, claiming repeatedly that the representative had the fifth-worst roll call record.

Ashe has defended his record. "Ten years in the House of Representatives and I've missed three days," Ashe said at a forum in East Longmeadow last month. "Two of those days were when my father passed away. His funeral and his wake. So I apologize for missing that, but to me that was more important."

Werder has criticized measures that would use progressive taxation to fund public goods. In May, she openly criticized the Fair Share Amendment, also dubbed the "Millionaire's Tax," which would have increased taxes on the state's richest to fund education and transportation.

Werder has said that she would like to make sure that tax revenue from the new MGM Springfield casino makes its way back to communities in Western Massachusetts, instead of seeing it put into the state's general tax pool.

Ashe has criticized Werder's goals, saying that her political inexperience and status as a political minority in the Legislature would mean ineffectiveness, not the change she promises.

"As a new Republican, unfortunately she would be at the bottom of the totem pole," Ashe said. "She would never be in a leadership position for as long as she's there and wouldn't be able to bring home anything for the district."

Ashe said his lifelong residence in Western Massachusetts is also an advantage to doing the job that Werder does not have. "Living here my whole life, having relationships, knowing people in every community inside the district is a huge advantage," he said.

One place where the two candidates have found common ground was the idea of supporting east-west rail to connect the two parts of the state.

Both also said they felt money needed to be better allocated to fund roads and infrastructure in Western Massachusetts.

Ashe has received the endorsements of a large number of local officials, including Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni and U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield. He has also been endorsed by a majority of state and regional labor unions.

Werder, meanwhile, has received the endorsements of Gov. Charlie Baker as well as the local chapter of The National Federation of Independent Business.

Voters will head to the polls Nov. 6.
AGAWAM - A four-term Republican and a Democratic newcomer square off Tuesday in a race for the 3rd Hampden District seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Incumbent Nicholas Boldyga of Southwick and Forrest Bradford of Agawam have been voicing differing priorities while campaigning in the district, which includes in Agawam, Southwick and Granville.

Boldyga was first elected in 2010, narrowly defeating three-term Democrat incumbent Rosemary Sandlin. In 2016, after twice defeating challenger Sam DiSanti of Agawam, Boldyga prevailed again over Sandlin, who mounted a successful write-in campaign to get on the ballot.

A former police officer, auditor and member of the Southwick Board of Selectmen, Boldyga has identified the economy, public safety and veterans issues among his priorities. He serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee for Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets.

Bradford, a New Hampshire native who grew up in Agawam, had a career in the hotel industry that took him to California and Hawaii before returning to Agawam to care for his elderly parents.

He cites environmental and consumer issues as his priorities, including combating global warming to forcing phone companies to take stronger action to block nuisance phone calls. He has also expressed support for stronger unions and economic policies to shore up the middle class.

Bradford has also been active in town educational matters, even working as a bus driver for special needs students. In that role, Bradford said he realized the need to devote more state resources to repairing roads instead of the current patch-after-patch approach.

Neither candidate faced opposition in the September primary, and no debates were held during the campaign.
SPRINGFIELD -- Three years before he allegedly set off homemade bombs outside an Agawam woman's house, Dustin O. Rogers was turned down for a dating relationship by the same woman, a judge wrote in a decision denying Rogers bail.

The defendant, 36, of West Springfield, will remain in jail without right to bail for 180 days after Hampden Superior Court Judge William Ritter ruled he was too dangerous to release.

"The circumstances of the current offenses demonstrate that the defendant poses a significant risk and danger to the public," Ritter wrote.

The judge held a hearing Thursday to determine if there were any conditions under which Rogers could be released safely while awaiting trial.

Ritter wrote, "These circumstances include the planting and detonation of 3 explosive devices specifically directed at the victim, the stealth and planning of the detonations (2 of which occurred while the victim was sleeping), and the timing of the explosions over a three week period."

"Remarkably, no one was physically injured from the three bomb explosions," Ritter said.

The judge said he was "further concerned with the randomness of the defendant's contact with the victim more than three years after the victim refused a dating relationship."

Kathleen A. Cavanaugh, lawyer for Dustin O. Rogers, on Thursday asked for her client to be released with GPS monitoring and provisions to keep him away from the alleged victim.

Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth argued Rogers should be held without right to bail. He said even though Rogers doesn't have much of a criminal record, his alleged "pattern of behavior" means he is too dangerous to be released under any conditions.

Rogers has pleaded not guilty to three counts of using explosives, two counts of malicious damage to property, three counts of malicious explosion, six counts of possession of an incendiary device, and a count each of illegal possession of ammunition, sale or possession of explosive substances, and driving after his license was suspended.

The first incident was Aug. 3, when an explosive blew out a bedroom window about 3:30 a.m. A second explosion, on Aug. 17, blew out another bedroom window around 5 a.m., the report said.

On both occasions the woman was sleeping and the explosive devices were placed in windows with air conditioners. "The (victim) states that she was covered with glass" after the first explosion, the report said.

A third explosion took place on Aug. 25 in the front yard of the Cooper Street home.

Forsyth said a car registered to Rogers' family member was seen on surveillance video on the street, and six seconds later a bomb went off. He said Rogers was seen driving that car several days later near the woman's house.

Investigators said they seized six explosive devices, 70 fireworks and 47 rounds of 9 mm ammunition from Rogers' apartment, according to the arrest report. Forsyth said distinctive orange paper found in Rogers' bedroom matched paper used in the explosives.

Cavanaugh said the police reports on the incidents show any evidence against her client is "circumstantial at best."

She said in the first two incidents there is no surveillance footage of any car related to Rogers driving by the woman's home. She said Cooper Street is a main thoroughfare and many cars use it.

The surveillance footage does not show who was driving the car and there are no distinctive marks on it, Cavanaugh said.
The early morning hours of Oct. 31, 2013, were a time of joy across Massachusetts, as Red Sox Nation celebrated its team's third World Series victory in 10 years.

It was less celebratory for State Police Sgt. Mark Lynch, now the head of the State Police union, who totaled his cruiser while off-duty that night.

Shortly after 1 a.m., Lynch drove his unmarked police car onto the median of Route 3 in Billerica, where it rolled over and came to rest on its roof, according to internal affairs records obtained by MassLive.

An internal investigation found he had violated department rules for using police cruisers while off the clock.

But he was not cited for the crash itself. Lynch told State Police Sgt. Shawn O'Neil, who responded to the scene, that a dark minivan had run him off the road -- a claim that O'Neil took at face value, according to the report he filed on the incident.

"The investigation reveals that Vehicle #1 was traveling in the left lane on Route 3 South, when a dark colored minivan forced vehicle #1 out of his travel lane and into the grass median. Vehicle #1 then rolled over and came to a final rest upside down in the median," O'Neil wrote. "At this time, Sgt. Lynch was unable to provide any further description of the second vehicle other than a dark colored minivan."

O'Neil's report does not describe any investigative measures other than taking Lynch's statement and his observations of skid marks in the grass median.

No other witnesses were present, O'Neil wrote. The report gives no indication that O'Neil searched for the vehicle that had allegedly caused a dangerous accident for one of his colleagues.

When asked about the crash during a brief phone conversation, O'Neil said "I don't know what you're talking about" and declined to comment.

An attorney with the State Police public records division confirmed there was no further investigation of the incident, beyond the crash and internal investigation reports reviewed by MassLive.

The cursory nature of the investigation is strange, Northeastern University School of Law Professor Daniel Medwed said in an interview -- particularly given the late hour of the crash and Lynch's statement that another vehicle ran him off the road.

"It's bizarre that there wasn't at least a field sobriety test or some additional steps," Medwed said. "It's doubly bizarre given the claim of a rogue menacing driver endangering a Sate Police officer. It's almost inconceivable to me that if the investigating officer credited that account he would not pursue it, both as a matter of protecting the state police and protecting public safety."

Lynch and the State Police Association of Massachusetts declined to answer questions about the circumstances of the crash or comment for this story.

In a statement, State Police spokesman David Procopio wrote that further investigation of the crash was not possible due to the limited description of the minivan. And he noted that the responding officer would have needed to have reasonable suspicion based on his observations of Lynch's condition to conduct any field sobriety tests.

"The crash was investigated as we would any other single-car rollover with minor injuries and no witnesses. The Sergeant who investigated the crash collected as much information as possible, and determined, based on his observations, that he did not have reason to pursue further investigative actions," Procopio wrote. "Sgt Lynch was subject to an internal investigation for using a department vehicle well after the conclusion of his shift. The charge was sustained and commensurate action was taken against him."

There are also inconsistencies between O'Neil's report that night and subsequent reports filed by Lynch and O'Neil over a week after the crash. In the initial report, O'Neil indicated that Lynch had been injured and had declined medical treatment at the scene.

But both Lynch's hand-written crash report, dated Nov.11, 2013, and O'Neil's full report filed Nov. 20 claim that Lynch suffered no injuries.

The claim that Lynch was uninjured also conflicts with the Billerica Fire Department's report on the crash. In an interview, Billerica Fire Chief Robert Cole said Fire Capt. Frederick Wiggins responded to the crash and found that Lynch had sustained a minor laceration.

Wiggins recommended that Lynch be checked out by ambulance EMTs, but he declined. The captain gave Lynch a bandage and ice pack, Cole said.

Wiggins, who is now retired, told MassLive he has no specific recollections about responding to the crash.

The Billerica Police Department told MassLive a police cruiser arrived at the scene, but departed after it became clear that State Police had already responded.

In December of 2013, about two months after the crash, State Police Major Francis Hughes ordered Lt. Richard Hunter to conduct an internal investigation.

The scope of the inquiry was limited. Hunter wrote that after reviewing reports and conducting interviews with O'Neil, Lynch and Lynch's unit commander, there was just one matter to investigate: whether Lynch was off-duty while he was driving the cruiser at the time of the crash.

Hunter's report does not address the circumstances of the crash or whether Lynch was at fault.

During Lynch's interview, Hunter asked him whether he was on duty at the time of the crash. Lynch referred Hunter to his written statement. Parts of that statement were redacted for privacy and investigative reasons when provided to MassLive.

"Upon completion of my assigned duties, I [redacted] for dinner and personal reasons," Lynch wrote. "At approximately 0104 hours on Oct. 31, 2013, I was traveling Route 3 southbound in Billerica."

Hunter concluded that Lynch was off-duty at the time, noting that his tour of duty had ended at 5 p.m. Lynch was found to be in violation of department vehicle use policy.

News of Lynch's 2013 crash, which has not been previously reported, comes as the union he leads finds itself increasingly entangled by the series of scandals afflicting the Massachusetts State Police.

Lynch was appointed President of the State Police Association of Massachusetts on Oct. 1 to serve out the remainder of former President Dana Pullman's term.

Pullman, a 31-year veteran of the state police, resigned as union president in late September, citing personal reasons. But the Boston Globe has reported that at the time of Pullman's resignation, federal authorities had begun an investigation of union political donations and of a charitable trust run by Pullman's wife.

And on the day of Pullman's resignation, State Police Col. Kerry Gilpin sent the union a letter saying the department would begin cracking down on allegedly improper uses of publicly funded union business leave.

Per the union's contract with the State Police, SPAM can allocate 10,000 hours per year of paid leave for union representatives to attend disciplinary hearings, union board meetings and other union functions.

The union has strongly disputed her conclusions, filing a labor complaint and lawsuit claiming that the department unfairly changed leave policies without negotiations, the Boston Globe reported.
SPRINGFIELD -- As the rain poured down at Calhoun Park on Jefferson Avenue, family and friends of community activist Christine Williams huddled under tents and talked about the impact she had on their lives and the lives of many people in Springfield's North End neighborhood.

"To say that my grandmother was a passionate woman is kind of an understatement, but it was her passion that led her to work for other people, to sit on many boards, to be innovative," said Telleha Howard, Williams' oldest grandchild. "There are things that people in Springfield enjoy now that she sat at a table and helped make happen."

Williams, who died in 1993, spent her life advocating for families in the city. She also served on a number of nonprofit boards including the New North Citizens Council, the former Northern Educational Service and the Johnson Life Center.

She had nine children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Six of her children and several of her grandchildren and other relatives and friends gathered on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Chestnut Street Friday morning for the dedication. Under the Jefferson Avenue street sign is now a sign that reads Christine Williams Way.

"Simply put Christine was all about community. She was not one to look for a pat on the back or accolades, she was about getting the job done," said Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. "Her legacy continues on through family and friends, but now people will see it depicted on the street sign right in the heart of the North End."

Two of Williams children, Roger Williams and Zora Ortiz, spoke about their mother.

"This is truly a very long time coming for our family. The fact that we are standing here is a testament to the love we have for our mother and the great work that she did," Ortiz said. "My mother was known for her outspokenness and her passion. We are so very proud of all that she was able to accomplish not just for the North End, but for the city of Springfield."

Williams said he owes everything he has and everything he is to his mother.

"There were a lot of kids in this neighborhood, a lot of friends I had that are not here today, but for my mom I graduated from high school, went into the United States Air Force, had an honorable discharge, and became a police officer at Westfield State University until I retired. All of this, everything I did and everything I achieved, all came from one person who believed in me, who kept me alive and for that I honor my mother," he said.

The short ceremony ended with the Williams family unveiling the new street sign that reads "In Honor of Christine Williams Way," the sign is just across the street from where Williams lived.

"If she didn't show me what it meant to be a good citizen, a true participant I wouldn't be here today," Howard said. "I am so grateful that we are keeping her memory alive."
SPRINGFIELD - Police arrested an 18-year-old man on gun charges Thursday night, charging him with shooting at a car on Oakwood Terrace.

Anthony Gonzalez, 18, is charged with discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, attempted assault and battery by means of a firearm, malicious damage to a motor vehicle, and receiving stolen property.

The gun, which was recovered by police, had been reported stolen from Newington, Connecticut, according to police spokesman Ryan Walsh.

Police were called to Oakwood Terrace by the city's Shotspotter gunshot detection system. Officers met the owner of the vehicle who reported it was hit by gunfire.

The investigation at the scene led officers to a nearby duplex where Gonzalez was found in the basement with the gun.
SPRINGFIELD -- Narcotics detectives raided a residence in Liberty Heights Thursday, arresting seven and seizing 254 bags of heroin, $35,000 in cash and two firearms, police said.

Police spokesman Ryan Walsh said police executed a search warrant on 22 Webster St., off Liberty Street, at around 2:30 p.m. The raid was executed by the Narcotics Unit under the command of Capt. Brian Keenan and the Tactical Response Unit under the command of Lt. Brian Beliveau.

Walsh said the raid was the result of a month-long investigation by police into drug activity in the area.

As part of the search, police found 180 bags of heroin, five bags of crack cocaine, two firearms, 240 rounds of ammunition and $13,000 in cash. One of the guns was reported stolen from Vermont.

Arrested on Webster Street were residents Angela Santiago, 21, and Jean Carlos Santiago, 18, and David Olivo, 27, of West Springfield, Ricardo Olivera, 23, of Forest Park Avenue, Springfield, and Natasha Lantigua, 21, of Pemaquid Street.

Each is charged with possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to distribute, distribution of heroin, conspiracy to violate drug laws, larceny of less than $1,200, and two counts each of improper storage of a firearm, possession of a large-capacity firearm, possession of a large-capacity feeding device, possession of ammunition without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, and possession of a large-capacity firearm in the commission of a crime.

In Massachusetts, a large-capacity firearm is any weapon fitted with a magazine that can hold more than 10 rounds.

Just before the raid, police stopped a car on Maple Street after seeing it involved in drug activity on Webster. Officers found 10 bags of heroin and $21,000 in cash, police said.

Arrested were Kaseem Lomax, 37, of Kent Road, and Christian Roman, 23, of Freeman Terrace. Each is charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws and possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
EASTHAMPTON -- As the 2nd Hampshire District loses clout with the retirement of state Rep. John Scibak, Daniel R. Carey said he could bring enthusiasm and knowledge about the needs of municipal government to the seat.

"I know how important the job is and I enjoy public service. It was John's retirement that made me initially think of it. But having served on the City Council and School Committee, I knew strong representation was important," Carey said.

Scibak, D-South Hadley, said in February he would retire at the end of the current term from the seat he has held for 16 years. He endorsed Carey for the seat Oct. 24.

Carey, 33, a Democrat and Easthampton city councilor, spoke to The Republican Oct. 24 at his uncle's law office at 203 Northampton St.

Carey is an assistant district attorney in the office of Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan. He is former director of the district attorney's Drug Diversion and Treatment Program.

The district covers Easthampton, Hadley, South Hadley and Precinct 2 in Granby and consists of about 41,000 residents.

Carey is running against Republican Donald Peltier, of South Hadley, on Election Day, Nov. 6.

Pelter hasn't returned messages seeking comments about his candidacy and positions on issues.

Carey discussed the importance of getting locals represented on Beacon Hill, the passion of the district's voters, how to cut escalating costs for health care and public education, property taxes and the need to review the Massachusetts Legislature's exemption from the Open Meeting Law.

Here are Carey's comments:

Importance of representation:

Carey is in his second term on the Easthampton City Council, having been re-elected in 2017 after joining the board in 2015. He was on the School Committee before that.

Losing Scibak means the district will need a representative in Boston with vigor. "And I think I've got that," he said.

"Western Massachusetts is already under-represented and so we need leaders who are going to step in from the get-go and not just sit back for two or three terms. There's excitement in Western Massachusetts, fresh voices, enthusiasm," he said.

He has been discussing issues and how to get things done in Boston with Scibak and other lawmakers, previous legislators and community groups, "so that I can hit the ground running the best I can," he said.

District residents are tuned in:

"Every house has a different issues that's important to them," Carey said he has found, going door to door.

He was impressed by "the passion with which they talk about whatever issue is important to them."

"People in this district are really tuned into what's going on," he said.

Health care spending:

In 2017, Massachusetts spent $61.1 billion on health care, an increase of 1.6 percent from 2016, according to the state Center for Health Information and Analysis.

Key to the "hugely important" issue of health care spending is how the state continues to address the opioid epidemic, Carey said.

"I think there's huge room for improvement there. ... It's something that we need to make sure stays on our radar," he said.

He has seen the benefits of getting addicts treatment instead of prosecution in the district attorney's Drug Diversion and Treatment Program. He also has seen the extent of the harm of opioid abuse, he said.

"Addiction doesn't care who you are, what your background is ... and I really saw that. I believe that'll help me going forward. It affects everybody," he said.

Public education funding:

In most cities and towns, spending on the public schools consumes half or more of the municipal budget. That means that what's left must cover everything else, from public safety to snow plowing and veterans services.

The formulas that determine how much funding cities and towns get from the state for classroom spending and transportation are outdated and must be changed, he said.

"The public education piece of the municipal budget is a huge piece and so much of that is underfunded and unfunded mandates and so much of what's supposed to be reimbursed by the state isn't reimbursed by the state," he said.

He supports establishing a millionaire's tax to generate new revenue to help cities and towns fund public education. A 4 percent surtax on income over $1 million could raise $2 billion from the state's 16,000 millionaires, according to bostonmagazine.com.

The state should re-explore a millionaire's tax even though the Supreme Judicial Court in June blocked from the election ballot a constitutional amendment that would have established such a tax, Carey said.

In that ruling, Justice Frank Gaziano of the Supreme Judicial Court found that the proposed ballot question contained two subjects that were not "related or mutually dependent," which is not allowed under state law. That is because the question both sets the tax rate and also earmarks money for education and transportation.

"Massachusetts is supposed to be a leader in public education. We're not doing that," Carey said.

How to get tax relief for home and business property owners:

Officials can help by exploring state laws that permit tax exemptions such as for senior citizens and residents on fixed incomes, and ensure that such folks can access them, Carey said.

A problem he would try to address is that the laws regarding such exemptions are so poorly written that nobody uses them, he said.

Open Meeting Law:

The Open Meeting Law requires that municipal boards and commissions like the City Council or School Committee conduct business in open session, available for anyone to attend if they choose, to observe debates and decision making. The law requires that the public receive 48 hours notice of such open sessions with available postings including online notices.

The law includes 10 exceptions boards can cite to hold closed-door, or executive, sessions the public and press are prohibited from attending. These include to conduct collective bargaining or discuss litigation or the purchase of real estate.

The Massachusetts Legislature has exempted itself from the law. That means lawmakers can meet behind closed doors to make public safety, spending, health care, education and other decisions that affect the public without the public's knowledge.

Carey said he supports at least reviewing the propriety of the Legislature shading itself from the sunshine of the Open Meeting Law.

"I think it's important that any elected official be held responsible by their constituents. I think that's a problem. I think that's a huge problem. So I think those areas of transparency definitely need to be explored. I think it's being talked about," Carey said.

Carey's grandfather, the late William A. Carey of Easthampton, was the district's state representative for six terms from 1974-86.
A new, profane video urging voters to be a "Masshole and not an asshole" when they vote on Question 3 hit the internet Thursday night.

The video, posted to YouTube and viewed more than 27,000 times as of Friday morning, urges voters to vote yes on ballot Question 3, which would keep the law that forbids discrimination based on gender identity in places of public accommodation signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in 2016 on the books.

It starts with a man in a red hoodie brooding over a beer. Then he launches into a speech about the rights "our forefathers granted us.

"We cut you off on the Pike and then we slow it right the f--k down. And then the second that light turns green, I'm honkin'" the actor says in a convincing Boston accent.

"Spoken like a true Masshole," replies a gray-haired bartender, who the actor continuously calls "kid."

He continues to run through some of what you might call a Bostonians greatest hits:

"We use our grandmother's furniture to save our parking spots. We drop our Rs and put them back in words that don't even have them," he said.

And because no Massachusetts satire would be complete without a little Tom Brady shoutout, he adds: "And we'll remind you who the f--king GOAT is every five minutes."

The actor then takes a more serious tone, reminding viewers that this country was founded on people's rights to be "loud and proud and sometimes obnoxious."

So why our Bostonian beer lover asks, would we vote to "take away our neighbor's liberties?"

The video was produced by ad agency MullenLowe and filmed at the Porter Cafe in West Roxbury, according to Boston Magazine.

"This came about as one of our LGBTQ employees came forward asking how we could help support Yes votes for Question 3. We did it in the way we do best - create content that inspires people to act," Kelly Fredrickson, president of MullenLowe Boston told Boston Magazine.

It looks and feels like a political ad but was not funded by a political organization, the ad agency told the publication.

"I know some people question the use of our words," Fredrickson told Boston Magazine. "But I'm from here and I'm a proud Masshole. I've been raised in a state that protects all our liberties and I want those to exist for my kids."

Freedom Massachusetts, the group that found for the protection law, is distancing itself from the ad, however.

"This video was not produced or coordinated with our campaign," says spokesman Matt Wilde, in a statement to the magazine. "While it's intended to be a fun take on the ballot question, we recognize that this is a serious issue and the Yes on 3 campaign rejects name calling."

Watch the video below.
EASTHAMPTON -- Plans by developer Michael Michon to transform an old mill complex at One Ferry Street into mixed-use housing and commercial space gained traction Friday with the announcement of a state infrastructure grant.

"I've got $3.5 million worth of good news today," Massachusetts Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash told a roomful of community leaders gathered at Mill 180, a building which Michon previously rehabilitated.

The MassWorks grant will leverage plans by Michon and his Longmeadow business partners to create a $43 million, 310,000-square-foot project including 152 housing units, retail, office and restaurant space, and common areas.

The grant will pay for new water and sewer lines, a roundabout at Ferry and Pleasant streets, parking, a pathway along Lower Mill Pond, and a new connection to the Manhan Rail Trail.

Ash offered supportive words for Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, and said the two of them "clicked" when he previously visited the city to visit the One Ferry Street site.

"We work well with municipalities that like to work with us," said Ash, who described himself as a "Democrat in a Republican administration."

LaChapelle, a Democrat, offered good words for the administration of Republican Governor Charlie Baker, and said she has a good working relationship with Ash and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito.

Ash said Massachusetts is "number one in bi-partisanship" and said Baker has worked with Democratic lawmakers to advance three major economic development bills to finance MassWorks grants and other projects.

He expressed admiration for retiring state Rep. John Scibak, saying the South Hadley Democrat commands respect on Beacon Hill because he is "not a yeller, a screamer, or a pontificator."

Scibak was present along with Dan Carey, his presumptive replacement in the State House. Carey, an Easthampton city councilor, won the Democratic primary in September and faces no Republican opponent.

Many local officials and business leaders were present at Friday's event.

"We are a city that's moving forward, and we're cognizant of where we've been," said LaChapelle. "I'm going to play hard, and I'm going to play hard until this project is done."

Michon appeared with members of his team, including Springfield lawyers Frank Fitzgerald and Brad Martin. He did not address the room, but mixed and mingled with those present.

Michon's team appeared before the Easthampton Planning Board last week, and will be back Nov. 20 as they seek a special permit, said City Planner Jeffrey Bagg, who wrote the successful grant application.

The derelict complex at One Ferry has long been the bane of city leaders, and news last month that Michon had submitted plans was greeted with excitement.

The Baker administration has committed $80 million in MassWorks grants at 40 sites in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 6 election.

The grants, which help cities pay for infrastructure to attract private development, will "leverage $2.9 billion in investment, create 9,000 jobs, and 4,400 units of new housing," said Ash.
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and his Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez sparred Thursday night on issues ranging from transportation to party loyalty in a contentious final debate before Tuesday's election.

One sharp exchange came when Gonzalez challenged Baker to defend his support for other Republican candidates on the ticket - Attorney General candidate Jay McMahon and U.S. Senate candidate Geoff Diehl.

Baker said he decided from the beginning that he will support the Republican ticket. He said other Massachusetts residents will make their own decisions.

"This isn't a race for attorney general or a race for Senate, it's a race for governor," Baker said.

Gonzalez responded, "The governor's saying his loyalty is to the Republican Party, regardless of the consequences."

Speaking to reporters after the debate, Baker said he has disagreements with some of the other Republican candidates. He added, "I'm running on my record."

The debate represented Gonzalez's last chance to break through in a race where public polling shows Baker with a commanding lead.

Held at the WCVB-TV studios in Needham, the debate was moderated by WCVB's Maria Stephanos and WBUR's Bob Oakes, with three additional journalists asking questions.

It was sponsored by a consortium that included WCVB Channel 5, The Boston Globe, WBUR, University of Massachusetts Boston John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, and Western Mass News.

As he has in the past, Gonzalez tried to tie Baker to Republican President Donald Trump, while Baker distanced himself from the president, who is unpopular in Massachusetts.

Asked what three words they would use to describe the president, Gonzalez said "hateful, racist un-American," while Baker said, "outrageous, disgraceful, a divider."

Gonzalez accused Trump of inciting violence like the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting through "his hateful and divisive language," and said Baker has not spoken out enough against the president.

But Baker said he has criticized Trump's language that he finds "destructive and appalling."

The two gubernatorial candidates disagreed repeatedly on Baker's record, and on whether the governor has gone far enough on various issues.

Gonzalez charged that Baker should have done more to respond to the Merrimack Valley gas explosions.

"It feels like we've trusted the gas company to take care of this," Gonzalez said. "The governor needs to take charge and get on top of it and own it and manage it."

Baker said he placed Eversource in charge of the recovery effort within 24 hours, rather than Columbia Gas, and put a team in place that is continuing to work to get gas restored.

On transportation, Gonzalez said it is "ridiculous" that Baker will take 15 years to get the MBTA in a state of good repair, and Baker must treat transportation with a greater sense of urgency.

"If you believe your commute is better now than it was four years ago, you should vote for Charlie Baker," Gonzalez said. "If you want someone who will actually take this on and be honest about the fact we need to invest more and work with a sense of urgency to fix it, I am your guy."

Baker said riders will see a difference within two years due to plans to modernize the MBTA's Red, Orange and Green Lines.

Baker repeatedly accused Gonzalez of "dishonesty" in proposing expensive plans without saying how he would pay for them. Gonzalez has said he would raise $3 billion by raising taxes on the wealthy, which would take a constitutional amendment, and taxing college endowments, which would need legislative approval.

"Our plan is real and it's specific and it's detailed," Baker said. "What he's talking about just doesn't exist."

Asked for a "big idea" he would execute in the coming term, Gonzalez pledged to give every child from birth to age five access to high-quality affordable childcare and preschool. He did not offer specifics of how he would do that.

Baker said he would address climate change, by continuing to work with every city and town to develop mitigation plans.

The salary a governor draws also surfaced as an issue.

The Legislature in January voted to raise their own pay and the pay of the constitutional officers, including the governor. Baker vetoed the bill, and once his veto was overridden, refused the pay increase to $185,000 from $151,800.

Both Baker and Gonzalez said they would accept the full salary next term.

Baker said he opposed the legislative process to raise pay in a tight budget time, but now that the new pay levels are law, "I'll take it because that's what it is."

The two were also asked about broadband internet in Western Massachusetts. Baker said he and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito have been working to get broadband to all 53 communities that did not have it, and they have gotten funding from the Legislature to support the effort. "Our goal is all 53 of them with high speed internet sooner or later," Baker said.

Gonzalez responded, "Four years later, some still don't have it. This is like running water at this point."

Gonzalez added, "People in Western Massachusetts often feel neglected by state government and legitimately so. I want to be governor of the whole state."

Baker responded by noting that The Republican - which he referred to by its old name, The Springfield Union, before correcting himself - endorsed him.

Asked who their political hero was, Gonzalez said his previous boss, former Gov. Deval Patrick. Baker said President Abraham Lincoln.

Asked for three words to describe their opponent, Gonzalez said "status quo governor." Baker called Gonzalez a "smart, ambitious, public servant."
In their final televised debate, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez were asked to describe President Donald Trump in just three words.

"Hateful," Gonzalez said. "Racist. Un-American."

Baker, who has blanked the 2016 presidential ballot rather than vote for either Trump or Hillary Clinton, took a breath before responding.

"Only three," he said. "Outrageous. Disgraceful. And a divider."

Later in the debate, which was hosted by WCVB-TV in Needham, the two candidates for governor were asked to describe each other in just three words.

Gonzalez reprised a line he has been using to knock the Swampscott Republican on the campaign trail, and called Baker a "status quo governor."

For his part, Baker said Gonzalez is "smart, ambitious and a public servant."

The hour-long debate was sponsored by a consortium that included WCVB, the Boston Globe, WBUR, UMass Boston's McCormack Graduate School and Western Mass News.

The two candidates were also asked whether the Red Sox should go to the White House to meet Trump.

"I think that's completely up to the team," Baker said. "I mean, my guess is if they get asked, people will make whatever decision they think is best for them, and I think that's okay."

"I'm going to invite them to the governor's office when I'm governor," Gonzalez said.

"Good luck getting them to come," Baker said as the moderators moved onto other topics.

Baker clarified after the debate that he was not needling Gonzalez but referring to his own inability to get athletes to visit the Statehouse.

"I can't get college hockey teams and basketball teams to come to the Statehouse when they win big things," Baker said. "They're busy."

Reporter Shira Schoenberg contributed to this report.
Massachusetts' top politicians will be going to synagogue for services this week celebrating the Jewish Sabbath.

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh are all planning to attend events to honor the victims of last Saturday's synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh.

The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown Friday night and continues through Saturday evening, and many Jews attend synagogue services both Friday night and Saturday morning.

Last Saturday, as prayers were beginning at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, a man who had expressed anti-Semitic views online has been charged with entering the synagogue with a gun and murdering 11 worshippers.

In response, Jews around the country are participating in a "Show up for Shabbat" effort this week, encouraging Jews and non-Jewish supporters to attend synagogue services.

Baker, Markey and Walsh plan to attend Friday night services at Temple Israel of Boston as part ofa "Shabbat of Comfort, Community and Courage."

Warren will speak at a #ShowUpForShabbat service on Saturday morning at Temple Emanuel in Newton.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., will face off against Republican challenger Geoff Diehl and independent candidate Shiva Ayyadurai Tuesday as she seeks her second term on Capitol Hill.

With a $13.6 million fundraising advantage and polls giving her a more than 20-point edge over her opponents, Warren is predicted to easily win re-election.

Despite such projections, Diehl, a Whitman state representative, and Ayyadurai, an entrepreneur, have remained confident about their own chances of victory on Election Day.

Warren, who entered the U.S. Senate after defeating Republican incumbent Scott Brown in 2012, has spent much of her time on Capitol Hill pushing for progressive consumer financial, health care and environmental protections.

Her vocal criticism of President Donald Trump and support among progressives, meanwhile, has led many to see Warren as a leader in Democratic politics.

Warren, who has gained attention for her high-profile spats with the president, drew headlines in early 2017 after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell formally silenced her as she spoke out against Jeff Sessions, Trump's attorney general nominee.

The move drew outrage from Democrats and led Warren to adopt McConnell's words -- "nevertheless, she persisted" -- as a campaign slogan.

Warren's growing national profile has sparked speculation that she will pursue a 2020 White House run -- an issue that has dominated much of the 2018 U.S. Senate race.

Warren stoked talk of a possible 2020 run after telling supporters at a town hall meeting in Holyoke in late September that she planned to "take a hard look at running for president" after the 2018 midterm election.

During her third and final debate with Diehl, Warren refrained from saying definitively whether she intends to fulfill her full six-year term if returned to the Senate this fall.

"I've already said that I will take a look at running for president after the election," she told moderators of the WCVB debate. "But I can guarantee this: No matter what I do, I will work for the people of the commonwealth of Massachusetts."

Diehl, who told moderators he will serve all six years if sent to the Senate, has repeatedly raised concerns about Warren's rumored 2020 intentions, arguing that the Democrat is more focused on the White House than Massachusetts residents.

He recently called on the senator "to do right by Massachusetts" and drop out of the Senate race after a Washington Post report highlighted Warren's campaign activities in other states.

Diehl argued that such campaigning, along with a video Warren released to tout her "family story" and DNA results supporting her claims of Native American heritage, show she has no intention of serving her full term if re-elected.

Diehl, the co-chairman of Trump's 2016 Massachusetts campaign, has argued that as a Republican with positive ties to the White House he is best positioned to advocate for state residents on Capitol Hill.

"I think a lot of people see it as a positive that me being able to serve in what I know is going to be a Republican-controlled Senate, which means I'll be in the majority party and be able to have a relationship with the administration, gives Massachusetts a huge leg up when it comes to getting things done for the state that are certainly needed," he said in a recent interview.

Diehl handily defeated two other candidates to win the GOP primary in September. He has questioned the accuracy of surveys placing him far behind Warren in the final weeks before the general election.

"I look at the primary, where some of the polling companies had me tied pretty much neck-and-neck with my opponents, and yet I ended up winning my primary more than two-to-one over my nearest competitor. ... Whether it's the methodology or whether it's an attempt to shape public opinion, I don't think the people right now look at polls as the absolute standard by which a campaign should be based," he said.

Diehl, who has endorsed many of Trump's immigration, tax, trade and other policies, rejected Warren's efforts to paint him as someone who aligns with the president on every issue.

"I certainly have a different tone and tenor as to how I serve in office," he said.

Ayyadurai, who initially entered the race as a Republican before switching to run as an independent, has taken aim at both Warren and Diehl throughout his campaign.

The independent candidate, who is of Indian descent and is campaigning on immigration, education and innovation-related policies, has repeatedly criticized Warren's claims of Native American ancestry, referring to her as a "fake Indian."

Ayyadurai has also questioned the sincerity of Diehl's support for the president and cast the GOP U.S. Senate hopeful as a "fake Trumper."

He has condemned "fake news media" coverage of his campaign and protested his exclusion from three debates between Diehl and Warren. Supporters of the independent candidate disrupted the second debate by speaking out against Ayyadurai's absence from the stage.

Massachusetts voters will decide whether to send Warren, Diehl or Ayyadurai to the U.S. Senate on Nov. 6.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Geoff Diehl took aim at incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Warren's work on Capitol Hill in a new campaign video released this week.

Diehl, who is one of two challengers looking to unseat the Massachusetts Democrat in next week's general election, questioned "What has Elizabeth Warren done?" in an online ad posted to his campaign's YouTube account Thursday.

The minute-long video features various clips edited together from television and campaign appearances the senator has made.

It also includes video clips of U.S. Reps. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, Seth Moulton, D-Salem, and Michael Capuano, D-Somerville, purportedly being asked about what legislation Warren has passed in Congress to help Massachusetts.

Diehl, who has repeatedly accused his Democratic opponent of being more focused on a 2020 White House run than serving the people of Massachusetts, argued that "this video should not be surprising considering that from the moment Warren got elected, she has put Massachusetts in the rearview mirror."

"Her top priority is her presidential ambitions not our state," he said in a statement. "She cannot even stay here for 5 days. Massachusetts deserves a senator who will work for us."

Diehl added that, if elected, he will be "100 percent for Massachusetts."

Warren's campaign, however, noted that "more than a dozen proposals authored by Sen. Warren have become law just since Donald Trump was elected."

"From over-the-counter hearings aids, to cutting red tape so veterans can get their truck license, Elizabeth worked on a bipartisan basis to help families in Massachusetts and across the country," a campaign spokesman said in an email. "Dredging Boston Harbor, the seven bridges in Lowell, sea walls in Scituate and millions for firefighters are just a few examples of the infrastructure funds she's helped Massachusetts get. And when the Trump Administration wanted to cut spending on opioid treatment, Elizabeth rounded up her colleagues and got a $100 million increase for those suffering from opioid addiction across the country."

The campaign added that the Democrat "will work with anyone willing to fight for working families across Massachusetts."

Diehls' campaign video came just days after Warren released two 30-second online ads: one that takes aim at "corruption" in Washington and one that touts her efforts to connect with Massachusetts voters -- including at a Springfield town hall.

Warren, Diehl and independent candidate Shiva Ayyadurai will square off in next week's election.
Market Scenario:

Brain monitoring is defined as the process of studying and reporting the brain functioning. Various EEG devices are used for the process. Due to increasing cases of depression, neurological disorders and other brain disorders with increasing awareness and technological advancements the brain monitoring market is expected to grow at a higher rate.

EEG is widely used to detect epilepsy, sleep disorders, brain death, and encephalopathy. Intracranial pressure monitors are used to record the action of brain of patients suffering from severe traumatic brain injury. The most widely used method to measure intracranial pressure is by introducing a catheter into the cranium. EEG is widely used in hospitals, laboratories, clinics and in home settings

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Major Key Players of Global Brain Monitoring:

Philips Healthcare

Medtronic plc

Natus Medical Inc.

Nihon Kohden Corporation

Siemens Healthineers

GE Healthcare

Compumedics Ltd.

Electrical Geodesics Incorporated

CAS Medical Systems, Inc.

Advanced Brain Monitoring

Industry Updates:

In January 2018, Masimo, an American developer of non-invasive patient monitoring technologies, has received FDA approval for home use of Rad-97, its new product that offers non-invasive pulse oximetry and continuous monitoring.

In February 2018, Elekta, a Swedish company that provides radiosurgery, radiation therapy, related equipment and clinical management for treatment of brain disorders and cancer, has received clearance from China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) for its new product, Leksell Gamma Knife Icon Radiosurgery System.

Segments:

The Global Brain Monitoring Market is segmented on the basis of type of devices, procedures, modality and end users. Based on devices used the market is segmented into intracranial pressure monitor, Magnetoencephalography (MEG), Electroencephalograph (EEG), Cerebral oximeters, and Transcranial doppler. Based on procedures, the market is segmented into invasive and non- invasive. Further on the basis of modality, market is segmented into portable EEG devices and fixed EEG devices. On the basis of end users, the market is segmented into hospitals, diagnostics center and others.

Regional Analysis:

Geographically, the Global Brain Monitoring Market is segmented into four major regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa. The brain monitoring market in the North America region is expanding at a significant pace owing to the easy adoption of advanced technology in the well-developed healthcare sector of this region. The Europe region is growing at a noteworthy rate in the global brain monitoring market owing to the increasing healthcare expenditure and rise in incidences of neurological disorders among the population of this region.

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Brief Toc

1 Introduction

1.1 Definition

1.2 Scope Of Study

1.2.1 Research Objective

1.2.2 Assumptions & Limitations

1.2.2.1 Assumptions

1.2.2.2 Limitations

1.3 market structure:

2 Research Methodology

2.1 Research Process:

2.2 Primary Research

2.3 Secondary Research:

3 Market Dynamics

3.1 Drivers

3.2 Restraints

3.3 Opportunities

3.4 Macroeconomic Indicators

4 Market Factor Analysis

4.1 Porters Five Forces Model

4.2 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers

4.3 Bargaining Power Of Buyers

4.4 Threat Of New Entrants

4.5 Threat Of Substitutes

4.6 Intensity Of Rivalry

Continued!

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Philips Healthcare, Retina Implant AG, Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. Bionic Eye Technologies, Inc., Bionic Vision Australia, VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc, Abbott Vascular.

Retinal Implant Market: Rise in number of FDA Approvals is Likely to drive globally

Retinal implants Market have proven its mettle as a breakthrough therapy in the treatment of visual impairment. The global retinal implants market is perceived to be growing at a recurring rate and is expected to reach high revenue figures in the coming years, as per the analysis of Market Research Future (MRFR).

Global Retinal Implants Market Has Been Segmented into device type, disease indication, and end user.

By device type, the market has been segmented into retina implant alpha AMS, Argus II, implantable miniature telescope, and others.

the market has been segmented into retina implant alpha AMS, Argus II, implantable miniature telescope, and others. By disease indication, the market has been segmented into age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa.

the market has been segmented into age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa. By end user, the market has been segmented into multi-specialty hospitals, ophthalmic clinics, and research institutes.

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Competition Tracking

The report offers insights into the leading market players and presents an assessment of their current market position. Company information with regards to revenue, segmental share, geographical income, SWOT, growth strategies, new product launch, M&A activities, and the latest R&D initiatives is also available in the report.

The global retinal implant market has been flourishing on account of the widespread prevalence of eye disorders across the globe. Growing cases of retinal disorders have induced high demand for retinal implants since they aid in the restoration of vision. Retinal implants have demonstrated significance for application in eye disorders which were once far-off impossible to achieve.

The fact that these devices can be implanted with minimally invasive procedures has added to its popularity and driven the market. The rise in geriatric population is a crucial factor driving the growth of the retinal implant market. Owing to various health insufficiencies, the aging population is more susceptible to acquiring visual impairment and require retinal implant.

Substantial investment in R&D activities by various medical device manufacturers and governments have led to the development of advanced retinal implants which can be successfully implanted in patients. Extensive clinical trial activities have also contributed to the growth of the market. Few retinal implants have already cleared clinical trials, and many more are underway which is expected to spur the market in the future. In addition, the rise in a number of FDA approvals has been a plus for the growth of the global retinal implants market.

A large number of retinal implants are due for approval and patent from various regulatory authorities, the market stores opportunities for expansion. Also, expected expansion in reimbursement coverage for retinal implants is also expected to augment the market in the coming years. Other driving factors include the rise in the prevalence of degenerative diseases and raising awareness regarding the availability of the device which raises adoption. However, lack of skilled medical professionals with adequate knowledge of performing surgery and stringent and complex FDA approval process remains a significant hurdle for the growth of the global retinal implants market. High costs associated with retinal implants, the risk of biocompatibility and unknown long-term efficacy of the product are also expected to hinder adoption.

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Geographically, the global healthcare cold chain logistics market has been segmented into four major regions such as North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and the rest of the world.

North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World are the key markets for retinal implants. North America accounts for a substantial share of the global market. Higher availability of the product, improving reimbursement scenario and higher affordability in the region supports the growth of the North America market for retinal implants. Presence of highly skilled surgeons to perform immensely complex surgical procedure also accelerates adoption in the region.

In Europe, the market is driven by an increase in R&D activities and the expansion of clinical trials.

Presence of developing countries such as India, China, and Japan, who outlay massive amounts on healthcare expenditure, coupled with growing disposable income and affordability supports the growth of the market in Asia Pacific.

Rest of the World market is expected to fare well in the coming years since various market players are foraying into the untapped regions to leverage the potential they offer for market expansion.

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About Market Research Future: MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

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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Cloud computing reduces overall costs as it is used without the need for physical infrastructure. The internet is used to store and manage data which also cuts down on maintenance costs. This is a significant driver of the global healthcare cloud computing market.

Eminent market players that have been included in MRFRs analysis of the competitive landscape include GE Healthcare, Athena Health Inc., IBM Corporation, Sectra AB, CareCloud Corporation, Carestream Corporation, Agfa-Gevaert N.V., NextGen Healthcare, ClearData Networks Inc., Nuance Communications, Oracle Corporation, Siemens Healthineers, Microsoft Corporation, Cerner Corporation, Merge Healthcare Inc., and Dell Inc.

The IT revolution and widespread growth of and demand for cloud computing has affected the healthcare sector in a highly positive manner. The large amounts of data generated in healthcare has encouraged the adoption of cloud computing. The generation of large volumes of data has increased further with high adoption of Scalability and flexibility are some of the growth driving factors in the global healthcare cloud computing market.

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Major healthcare cloud computing players are actively involved in the development of new and improved services which will continue to optimize operations in large and complex industries such as healthcare. Security risks and the concern regarding sensitive data being made available on the cloud is expected to restrain market growth. Cloud breaches with regards to data and inefficient backup activities undertaken by healthcare organizations are likely to pose challenges to market growth, which may be addressed to some extent in the coming years.

Global Healthcare Cloud Computing Market Is Segmented In MRFRs Report On The Basis Of Applications, Deployment, Service, End-User, And Region.

By applications

Non-clinical information system (NCIS)

Clinical information system (CIS)

By Deployment

Private cloud

Public cloud

Hybrid cloud

By end-user

Healthcare providers

Healthcare players

By service

Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS)

Software-as-a-service (SaaS)

Platform-as-a-service (PaaS)

Cloud computing offers several important benefits which have significantly impacted the general market for cloud-based technologies. The various features of the cloud deployment of IT software increase the collection of data in real-time and significantly improves data retrieval among other things. Market Research Future has deeply examined the global healthcare cloud computing market to understand the various factors that influence growth in its upcoming report on the subject. Document processing is an ongoing task in healthcare facilities and the speed and efficiency that cloud computing offers has increased the adoption of the same.

Market Research Future has deeply examined the global healthcare cloud computing market to understand the various factors that influence growth in its upcoming report on the subject. Document processing is an ongoing task in healthcare facilities and the speed and efficiency that cloud computing offers has increased the adoption of the same.

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Regional analysis of the market has segmented the global market into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World

North America due to its inclusion of the U.S where there is a high concentration of market players and the presence of a significant healthcare sector is expected to be a significant market in the global healthcare cloud computing market. North America has a well-established healthcare sector due to the concentration of developed economies in the region. The region also displays an affinity for the adoption of advanced technology.

The Asia Pacific is a rapidly growing market due to the presence of a rapidly developing healthcare sector in the region. Countries such as India and China are among the most populous countries in the world which have a massive patient population. The need to have efficient operations in treating these masses is expected to encourage the adoption of advanced healthcare cloud computing solutions during the forecast period.

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About Market Research Future: MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

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.

Contact:

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by Tanya Gazdik , November 1, 2018

With gun violence in the headlines and the midterm election days away, a new campaign couldnt be more timely.

States United to Prevent Gun Violence and Grey New York have teamed up once again to raise awareness of gun violence prevention with a new effort, Common Sense Quotes.

The group is asking graduating students nationwide to use their senior yearbook quote in 2019 to demand stricter gun policies. The effort includes a website where the student pictures and quotes will live, and a 90-second video (below). The effort will be supported with high-profile activists in social media and public relations.

A volunteer team from Grey New York created the effort. The goal is to amass all the quotes received in a physical book that will be shared with members of Congress to spur common sense gun reform.

Students, teachers and industry experts report high school yearbooks continue to be amazingly popular among the digital natives of the Snapchat generation. Rather than a song or lyric or joke, students are encouraged to donate a "Common Sense Quote," whether it's a call to action for legislators or thoughts on what a gun-free environment looks like.

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"States United is looking to high school seniors to lead the way and be the generation that finally makes Congress listen and enact common sense gun reform, says John Patroulis, chief creative officer of Grey New York, in a release. There is real wisdom in their quotes."
by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, November 2, 2018

Longtime New York-based media agency exec Bonnie Barest has joined The Media Kitchen as managing director of its New York headquarters, a new position at the MDC Partners media agency.

Barest, who reports to TMK CEO Barry Lowenthal, joins from her own consultancy. Previously, she was executive vice president of Havas Media in New York City.

Barest began her career in the famed media department of Benton & Bowles; she held senior positions at Publicis and Optimedia before joining Havas in 2010.

As managing director of TMK, Barest will oversee operations at the New York office, with an emphasis on building strong client relationships and leading new business efforts.

The appointment comes as TMK has been expanding its footprint worldwide and establishing similar managing director positions in key markets.
by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, November 2, 2018

Between now and Nov. 20, Moet & Chandon is running a Chicago-based out-of-home and interactive campaign to promote new, limited-edition bottles of Moet Nectar Imperial Rose Champagne designed by Virgil Abloh.

Abloh  who has been the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's men's wear collection since March of this year, in addition to being CEO of his Milan-based fashion house Off-White  designed an all-white-top version of the roses normally gold-topped bottle, bearing the playfully meant message Do Not Drop.

For the campaign, bus shelters throughout Chicago  Ablohs home town  are featuring posters of the designer bottles, and have been custom-wrapped in tape bearing another joking message, "For Display Only."

In addition, on Nov. 2 only (until 5 p.m. Central time), fans were invited to stop by one of three designated bus shelters to collect samples of Do Not Drop adhesive tape, available through pop-up dispensers. (A ready-made Instagram opportunity.)

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One natural connection between the designer and the Champagne brand: Moet is part of the LVMH group, which also houses Louis Vuitton.

The limited-edition 750-milliliter bottle of Moet Nectar Imperial Rose  the top-selling rose champagne brand in the U.S.  is being sold for about $65 in select stores in New York, Miami, L.A., Atlanta, and Chicago, and online at Close19.com.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, November 2, 2018

A recent Facebook initiative aimed at combating foreign interference in elections involves requiring political-ad purchasers to identify themselves in paid for by disclaimers.

But Facebook's system suffers from some significant apparent loopholes, including one that allows ad purchasers to lie about their identities, Senate Democrats Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota) and Mark Warner (Virginia) say in a new letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The fact Facebooks new security tools allow users to intentionally misidentify who placed political ads is unacceptable, the lawmakers write. Free and fair elections require both transparency and accountability which give the public a right to know the true sources of funding for political advertisements in order to make informed political choices and hold elected officials accountable. However, it is clear that there are significant loopholes with regard to how Facebook sells ads and the process by which disclaimers are applied to political ads.

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Their letter comes several days after Vice reported that its staff was able to purchase fake ads in the names of all 100 U.S. Senators. All 100 sailed through the system, indicating that just about anyone can buy an ad identified as 'Paid for by' by a major U.S. politician, Vicewrote. These tests show that compliance with the feature is entirely voluntary, meaning a tool that Facebook introduced to increase trust in advertising can also be used as a vector for misinformation, and another way bad actors can game Facebooks platform.

Two weeks ago, The New York Times also reported that people could get around Facebook's new transparency rules.

The lawmakers are asking Zuckerberg to take every step necessary to close these loopholes.

Rob Leathern, director of product management at Facebook, says the company investigates and removes deceptive ads after being informed about them. Were exploring additional checks to help prevent abuse and will respond to requests from law enforcement and election officials now and in the future if new requirements arise, he said in an emailed statement.

Facebook said earlier this year that it supports passage of the Honest Ads Act -- a bill introduced by Warner and Klobuchar. It would require digital platforms with at least 50 million monthly viewers to maintain publicly available copies of political ads purchased by groups spending more than a total of $500. The web platforms also would have to maintain public records about the target audience, number of views, rates charged, and dates and times of publication.

The lawmakers unveiled the proposed bill after it emerged that Russian operatives used Facebook's platform to spread propaganda during the last presidential election. At least 3,000 ads linked to Russian accounts ran during the 2016 election cycle; those ads may have reached at least 146 million Facebook and Instagram users.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, November 2, 2018

T-Mobile's proposed $26 billion acquisition of Sprint will result in higher prices for consumers, poorer service and fewer incentives for the companies to invest, a coalition of advocacy groups is telling the Federal Communications Commission.

As structured, the T-Mobile-Sprint combination is illegal on its face under the antitrust laws, does not serve the public interest, and should be rejected, Public Knowledge, Open Markets Institute, Common Cause, Consumers Union and Writers Guild of America, West write in comments submitted this week to the agency.

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The groups are weighing in on T-Mobile's bid to purchase Sprint -- a deal that would leave the country with only three major mobile wireless carriers, all of which are roughly the same size. T-Mobile and Sprint combined have around 100 million wireless customers, while Verizon has roughly 116 million and AT&T has around 93 million.

T-Mobile and Sprint say that if the merger goes through, they plan to invest nearly $40 billion to roll out a nationwide 5G network. T-Mobile and Sprint argue that the new network will offer 5G speeds four to six times faster than each company could achieve independently, which will spur competition by forcing Verizon and AT&T to improve their own networks.

But the advocacy groups say the market will be more competitive with four companies than three. They point to T-Mobile's growth since 2011, when the government blocked its proposed merger with AT&T. Given T-Mobiles impressive track record of doubling its customer base, deploying a 4G LTE network, building a best-in-class customer service team, and introducing pro-consumer and innovative pricing and service plans, it appears that acquiring Sprint is unnecessary for T-Mobile to continue driving innovation and competition in the wireless market, the advocacy groups write.

The FCC isn't the only agency weighing in on the merger. State attorneys general also could play a role in deciding whether the deal is approved. In New York, Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood is concerned the companies may raise prices on their less expensive prepaid plans if the merger goes through, according to The New York Post.
Asthma is a chronic condition that affects the airways. It causes wheezing and can make it hard to breathe. Some triggers include exposure to an allergen or irritant, viruses, exercise, emotional stress, and other factors. Asthma causes the inside walls of the airways, or the bronchial tubes, to become swollen and inflamed. During an asthma attack, the airways will swell, the muscles around them will tighten, and it becomes difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs. Around 7.9% of people in the United States had asthma in 2017. There are many types of asthma, and several factors can cause asthma or trigger an acute attack. This article looks at the types, causes, and triggers of asthma, as well as how a doctor diagnoses it. Learn more about managing asthma here.

What is asthma? Share on Pinterest Yaroslav Danylchenko/500px/Getty Images Asthma is a long-term condition affecting the airways. It involves inflammation and narrowing inside the lungs, which restricts air supply. A person with asthma may experience: tightness in the chest

wheezing

breathlessness

coughing

increased mucus production An asthma attack occurs when the symptoms become severe. Attacks can begin suddenly and range from mild to life threatening. In some cases, swelling in the airways can prevent oxygen from reaching the lungs. This means that oxygen cannot enter the bloodstream or reach vital organs. Therefore, people who experience severe symptoms need urgent medical attention. A doctor can prescribe suitable treatments and advise a person on the best ways to manage their asthma symptoms. Learn more about the signs and symptoms of asthma here.

Types Asthma can occur in many different ways and for many different reasons, but the triggers are often the same. They include airborne pollutants, viruses, pet dander, mold, and cigarette smoke. The sections below list some common types of asthma. Childhood asthma Asthma is the most common chronic condition in children. It can develop at any age, but it is slightly more common in children than in adults. In 2017, children aged 514 years were most likely to experience asthma. In this age group, the condition affected 9.7% of people. It also affected 4.4% of children aged 04 years. In the same year, asthma affected 7.7% of people aged 18 years and over. According to the American Lung Association, some common triggers of childhood asthma include: respiratory infections and colds

cigarette smoke, including secondhand tobacco smoke

allergens

air pollutants, including ozone and particle pollution, both indoors and outside

exposure to cold air

sudden changes in temperature

excitement

stress

exercise It is vital to seek medical attention if a child starts to experience asthma, as it can be life threatening. A doctor can advise on some of the best ways to manage the condition. In some cases, asthma may improve as the child reaches adulthood. For many people, however, it is a lifelong condition. Adult-onset asthma Asthma can develop at any age, including during adulthood. According to one 2013 study, adults are more likely than children to have persistent symptoms. Some factors that affect the risk of developing asthma in adulthood include: respiratory illness

allergies and exposure to allergens

hormonal factors

obesity

stress

smoking Learn more about adult-onset asthma here. Occupational asthma Occupational asthma results from exposure to an allergen or irritant present in the workplace. In the following workplaces, allergens may cause asthma in those with a sensitivity or allergy: bakeries, flour mills, and kitchens

hospitals and other healthcare settings

pet shops, zoos, and laboratories where animals are present

farms and other agricultural settings In the following occupations, irritants can trigger asthma symptoms: car repairs and manufacturing

engineering and metalwork

woodwork and carpentry

electronics and assembly industries

hairdressing salons

indoor swimming pools Those with a higher risk include people who: smoke

have allergic rhinitis

have a history of asthma or environmental allergies A persons work environment can trigger a return of childhood asthma or the start of adult-onset asthma. Difficult-to-control and severe asthma Research suggests that around 510% of people with asthma have severe asthma. Some people have severe symptoms for reasons that do not relate directly to asthma. For example, they may not yet have learned the correct way to use an inhaler. Others have severe refractory asthma. In these cases, the asthma does not respond to treatment  even with high dosages of medication or the correct use of inhalers. This type of asthma may affect 3.6% of people with the condition, according to one 2015 study. Eosinophilic asthma is another type of asthma that, in severe cases, may not respond to the usual medications. Although some people with eosinophilic asthma manage with standard asthma medications, others may benefit from specific biologic therapies. One type of biologic medication reduces the numbers of eosinophils, which are a type of blood cell involved in an allergic reaction that can trigger asthma. Learn more about severe asthma here. Seasonal asthma This type of asthma occurs in response to allergens that are only in the surrounding environment at certain times of year. For example, cold air in the winter or pollen in the spring or summer may trigger symptoms of seasonal asthma. People with seasonal asthma still have the condition for the rest of the year, but they usually do not experience symptoms. Asthma does not always stem from an allergy, however. Learn more about the difference between allergic and nonallergic asthma here.

Causes and triggers Health professionals do not know exactly what causes asthma, but genetic and environmental factors both seem to play significant roles. Some factors, such as sensitization to an allergen, may be both causes and triggers. The sections below list some others. Pregnancy According to one study , smoking during pregnancy appears to increase the risk of the fetus developing asthma later in life. Some women also experience an aggravation of asthma symptoms while pregnant. Obesity One article from 2014 suggested that there seem to be higher levels of asthma in people with obesity than those without it. The authors note that, in one study, children with obesity who lost weight also saw improvements in their asthma symptoms. There is now a growing body of evidence suggesting that both conditions involve a chronic inflammatory response, and this could explain the link. Allergies Allergies develop when a persons body becomes sensitized to a specific substance. Once the sensitization has taken place, the person will be susceptible to an allergic reaction each time they come into contact with the substance. Not every person with asthma has an allergy, but there is often a link. In people with allergic disease, exposure to specific allergens can trigger symptoms. One 2013 study found that 6080% of children and young adults with asthma are sensitive to at least one allergen. Learn more about allergic asthma here. Smoking tobacco Cigarette smoking can trigger asthma symptoms, according to the American Lung Association. Asthma, even without smoking, can cause damage to the lungs. This can increase the risk of developing various tobacco-related lung conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and it can make symptoms more severe. Environmental factors Air pollution, both inside the home and outside of it, can affect the development and triggers of asthma. Some allergens inside the home include: mold

dust

animal hair and dander

fumes from household cleaners and paints

cockroaches

feathers Other triggers in the home and outdoors include: pollen

air pollution from traffic and other sources

ground-level ozone Stress Stress can give rise to asthma symptoms, but so can several other emotions. Joy, anger, excitement, laughter, crying, and other emotional reactions can all trigger an asthma attack. Scientists have also found evidence to suggest that asthma may be more likely in people with mental health conditions such as depression. Others have suggested that long-term stress may lead to epigenetic changes that result in chronic asthma. Genetic factors There is evidence to suggest that asthma runs in families. Recently, scientists have mapped out some of the genetic changes that may play a role in its development. In some cases, epigenetic changes are responsible. These occur when an environmental factor causes a gene to change. Hormonal factors Around 5.5% of males and 9.7% of females have asthma. In addition, symptoms may vary according to a females reproductive stage and point in the menstrual cycle. For example, during their reproductive years, symptoms may worsen during menstruation, compared with other times of the month. Doctors call this perimenstrual asthma. During menopause, however, asthma symptoms may improve. Some scientists believe that hormonal activity may impact immune activity, resulting in hypersensitivity in the airways. People with intermittent asthma may also have symptoms only some of the time. Learn more about intermittent asthma here.

Diagnosis A doctor will ask the person about their symptoms, their family medical history, and their personal medical history. They will also carry out a physical examination, and they may conduct some other tests. When the doctor makes their diagnosis, they will also note whether the asthma is mild, intermittent, moderate, or severe. They will also try to identify the type. People can keep a log of their symptoms and possible triggers to help the doctor make an accurate diagnosis. This should include information about potential irritants in the workplace. The sections below discuss some other tests a doctor may conduct to help diagnose asthma. Physical exam The doctor will focus on the upper respiratory tract, the chest, and the skin. They will listen for signs of wheezing, which can indicate an obstructed airway and asthma. They will also check for: a runny nose

swollen nasal passages

any growths on the inside of the nose They will also check the skin for signs of eczema or hives. Asthma tests The doctor may also carry out a lung function test to assess how well the lungs are working. A spirometry test is one example of a lung function test. The person will need to breathe in deeply and then breathe out forcefully into a tube. The tube links up to a machine called a spirometer, which shows how much air a person inhales and exhales and the speed at which they expel the air from the lungs. The doctor will then compare these results with those of a person who is similarly aged but who does not have asthma. To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor may then give the person a bronchodilator drug  to open the air passages  and repeat the test. If these second results are better, the person may have asthma. This test may not be suitable for young children, however. Instead, the doctor may prescribe asthma medicines for 46 weeks and monitor any changes in their symptoms. Other tests Other tests for diagnosis include: A challenge test. This test allows a doctor to assess how cold air or exercise affect a persons breathing. A skin prick. A doctor can use this test to identify a specific allergy. Tests to rule out other conditions. Sputum tests, X-rays, and other tests can help rule out sinusitis, bronchitis, and other conditions that can affect a persons breathing.
Modern medicine, or medicine as we know it, started to emerge after the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. At this time, there was rapid growth in economic activity in Western Europe and the Americas. During the 19th century, economic and industrial growth continued to develop, and people made many scientific discoveries and inventions. Scientists made rapid progress in identifying and preventing illnesses and in understanding how bacteria and viruses work. However, they still had a long way to go regarding the treatment and cures of infectious diseases.

Infectious diseases Share on Pinterest Victorian workers were exposed to new problems and diseases. During the 19th century, the way that people were living and working was changing dramatically. These changes affected the risk of infectious diseases and other conditions. Industry : As more manufacturing processes became mechanized, various work-related diseases became more common. These included lung disease, dermatitis, and phossy jaw, a type of jaw necrosis that affected people working with phosphorous, usually in the match industry.

: As more manufacturing processes became mechanized, various work-related diseases became more common. These included lung disease, dermatitis, and phossy jaw, a type of jaw necrosis that affected people working with phosphorous, usually in the match industry. Urban sprawl : Cities started to expand rapidly, and certain health problems, such as typhus and cholera, became more common as a result.

: Cities started to expand rapidly, and certain health problems, such as typhus and cholera, became more common as a result. Travel: As people traveled between various parts of the world, they carried diseases with them, including yellow fever. Meanwhile, scientific advances at that time started to make new treatments possible. Scientific breakthroughs : As germ theory developed, scientists began to test and prove the principles of hygiene and antisepsis in treating wounds and preventing infection. New inventions included the electrocardiograph, which records the electrical activity of the heart over time.

: As germ theory developed, scientists began to test and prove the principles of hygiene and antisepsis in treating wounds and preventing infection. New inventions included the electrocardiograph, which records the electrical activity of the heart over time. Communications : As postal services and other communications improved, medical knowledge was able to spread rapidly.

: As postal services and other communications improved, medical knowledge was able to spread rapidly. Political changes: Democracy led to people demanding health as a human right. The 19th and 20th centuries saw breakthroughs occurring in infection control. At the end of the 19th century, 30 percent of deaths were due to infection. By the end of the 20th century, this figure had fallen to less than 4 percent.

Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur (18221895), a chemist and microbiologist from France, was one of the founders of medical microbiology. As a professor of chemistry at the University of Lille, he and his team had the task of finding solutions to some of the problems that were affecting local industries. Pasteur showed that bacteria caused wine, beer, and milk to go sour. Boiling and cooling a liquid, he explained, would remove the bacteria. Together, Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard (18131878) developed a technique for pasteurizing liquids. Claude Bernard was also the first scientist to suggest using blind experiments to make scientific observations more objective. Later, after investigating an epidemic among silkworms in the silk industry in the south of France, Pasteur determined that parasites were the cause. He recommended only using silkworm eggs that were healthy and had no parasites. This action resolved the epidemic, and the silk industry recovered. Pasteur was sure that pathogens attack the body from the outside. This was the germ theory of disease. However, many scientists could not believe that microscopic beings could harm and even kill people and other comparatively large species. Pasteur said that many diseases, including tuberculosis (TB), cholera, anthrax, and smallpox, happen when germs enter the body from the environment. He believed that vaccines could prevent such diseases and went on to develop a vaccine for rabies.

Florence Nightingale Share on Pinterest Florence Nightingale impacted attitudes to hospital hygiene, nursing, and the role of women in healthcare. Florence Nightingale (18201910) was a British nurse, statistician, and writer. She did pioneering nursing work while caring for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. Nightingale was from a well-connected family. At first, they did not approve of her studying nursing. However, her parents eventually agreed that she could take a 3-month nursing course in Germany in 1851. By 1853, she was the superintendent of a womens hospital in Harley Street, London. The Crimean War broke out in 1854. Sidney Herbert, the Minister for War, asked Nightingale to lead a team of nurses in the military hospitals in Turkey. She arrived in Scutari, Turkey in 1854 with 34 nurses whom she had trained. Nightingale was shocked by what she saw. Exhausted medical staff members were tending to wounded soldiers in unbearable pain, many of whom were dying unnecessarily, while the officials in charge remained indifferent. A lack of medication and poor hygiene standards led to mass infection. Nightingale and her team worked tirelessly to improve hygiene and provide patient services, including cooking facilities and a laundry. Under her influence, the fatality rate fell by two-thirds. In 1860, Nightingale founded a training school for nurses in London. Nurses who trained there went on to work all over the United Kingdom. They took with them everything that they had learned about sanitation and hygiene, proper hospital planning, and the best ways to achieve health. Nightingales work also marked a turning point for women, who took on a more significant role in medical care. Many of her practices still apply today.

Timeline of milestones: 19th century 1800: British chemist and inventor Humphry Davy described the anesthetic properties of nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas. 1816: Rene Laennec, a French doctor, invented the stethoscope and pioneered its use in the diagnosis of chest infections. 1818: James Blundell, a British obstetrician, performed the first successful blood transfusion on a patient who had hemorrhaged. 1842: Crawford Long, an American pharmacist and surgeon, was the first doctor to give a patient inhaled ether anesthesia for a surgical procedure. Share on Pinterest In 1847, Semmelweis found that hand washing reduced infection rates during childbirth. 1847: A Hungarian doctor called Ignaz Semmelweis found that the incidence of childbed fever, or puerperal fever, fell considerably if health workers disinfected their hands before touching the woman during delivery. Childbed fever was fatal in 25 to 30 percent of sporadic cases and 70 to 80 percent of epidemic cases. 1849: Elizabeth Blackwell, an American, became the first fully qualified female doctor in the United States and the first female to be on the U.K.s Medical Register. She promoted the education of women in medicine. 1867: Joseph Lister, a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, successfully used phenol  then known as carbolic acid  to clean wounds and sterilize surgical instruments, resulting in a reduction in postoperative infections. 1879: Pasteur produced the first laboratory-developed vaccine, which was against chicken cholera. 1881: Pasteur developed an anthrax vaccine by attenuating the anthrax bacterium with carbolic acid. He demonstrated its effectiveness to the public using 50 sheep. All 25 of the unvaccinated sheep died, but only one vaccinated sheep perished, probably from an unrelated cause. 1882: Pasteur managed to prevent rabies in Joseph Meister, a 9-year-old boy, using a postexposure vaccination. 1890: Emil von Behring, a German physiologist, discovered antitoxins and used them to develop vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus. He later received the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. 1895: Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen, a German physicist, discovered X-rays by producing and detecting electromagnetic radiation in this wavelength range. 1897: Chemists working in the German company Bayer AG produced the first Aspirin. It was a synthetic version of salicin, which they derived from the plant species Filipendula ulmaria (meadowsweet). Within 2 years, it became a global commercial success.

Timeline: 20th century 1901: Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian biologist and physician, identified the different blood types and classified them into blood groups. 1901: Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, identified presenile dementia, later known as Alzheimers disease. 1903: A Dutch doctor and physiologist called Willem Einthoven invented the first practical electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). 1906: Frederick Hopkins, an English biochemist, discovered vitamins and suggested that vitamin deficiencies were the cause of scurvy and rickets. 1907: Paul Ehrlich, a German doctor and scientist, developed a chemotherapeutic cure for sleeping sickness. His lab also discovered arsphenamine (Salvarsan), the first effective treatment for syphilis. These discoveries were the start of chemotherapy. 1921: Medical scientists Sir Frederick Banting, a Canadian, and Charles Herbert Best, an American-Canadian, discovered insulin. 19231927: Scientists discovered and used the first vaccines for diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tuberculosis (TB), and tetanus. 1928: Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist, discovered penicillin, which came from the mold Penicillium notatum. This discovery changed the course of history, saving millions of lives. 1929: The German doctor Hans Berger discovered human electroencephalography, making him the first person to record brain waves. 1932: Gerhard Domagk, a German pathologist and bacteriologist, developed a cure for streptococcal infections and created Prontosil, the first antibiotic on the market. 1935: Max Theiler, a South African microbiologist, developed the first successful vaccine for yellow fever. 1943: Willem J. Kolff, a Dutch doctor, built the worlds first dialysis machine. He later pioneered artificial organs. 1946: American pharmacologists Alfred G. Gilman and Louis S. Goodman discovered the first effective cancer chemotherapy drug, nitrogen mustard, after noticing that soldiers had abnormally low levels of white blood cells following exposure to nitrogen mustard. 1948: American chemists Julius Axelrod and Bernard Brodie invented acetaminophen (paracetamol, Tylenol). 1949: Daniel Darrow recommended using oral and intravenous rehydration solutions to treat diarrhea in infants. With Harold Harrison, he created the first electrolyte-glucose solution for clinical use. 1952: Jonas Salk, an American medical researcher and virologist, invented the first polio vaccine. Salk was hailed as a miracle worker, because polio had become a serious public health problem in the U.S. after World War II. 1953: Dr. John Heysham Gibbon, an American surgeon, invented the heart-lung machine. He also performed the first ever open-heart surgery, repairing an atrial septal defect, also known as a hole in the heart. 1953: Swedish physicist Inge Edler invented medical ultrasonography (echocardiography). 1954: Joseph Murray carried out the first human kidney transplant, which involved identical twins. 1958: Rune Elmqvist, a doctor and engineer, developed the first implantable pacemaker. He also developed the first inkjet ECG printer. 1959: Min Chueh Chang, a Chinese-American reproductive biologist, carried out the in vitro fertilization (IVF) that later led to the first test tube baby. Chang also contributed toward the development of the combined oral contraceptive pill, which the FDA approved in 1960. 1960: A group of Americans developed the technique of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). They tested it successfully on a dog first, and the technique saved a childs life shortly afterward. 1962: Sir James W. Black, a Scottish doctor and pharmacologist, invented the first beta-blocker after investigating how adrenaline affects the functioning of the human heart. The drug, Propranolol, is a treatment for heart disease. Black also developed cimetidine, a treatment for stomach ulcers. 1963: Thomas Starzl, an American physician, performed the first human liver transplant, and James Hardy, an American surgeon, carried out the first human lung transplant. 1963: Leo H. Sternbach, a Polish chemist, discovered diazepam (Valium). Throughout his career, Sternbach also discovered chlordiazepoxide (Librium), trimethaphan (Arfonad), clonazepam (Klonopin), flurazepam (Dalmane), flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), and nitrazepam (Mogadon). John Enders and colleagues developed the first measles vaccine. Share on Pinterest 20th-century scientists developed many vaccines that would save millions of lives around the world. 1965: Harry Martin Meyer, an American pediatric virologist, co-developed the rubella vaccine. It became available in 1970. 1966: C. Walton Lillehei, an American surgeon, carried out the first successful human pancreas transplant. Lillehei also pioneered open-heart surgery, as well as new equipment, prostheses, and techniques for cardiothoracic surgery. 1967: Christiaan Barnard, a South African cardiac surgeon, carried out the first human-to-human heart transplant. Maurice Hilleman, an American microbiologist and vaccinologist, produced the first mumps vaccine. Hilleman developed over 40 vaccines , more than anybody else. 1970: Doctors used the first effective immunosuppressive drug, cyclosporine, in organ transplant procedures. Cyclosporine also treats psoriasis and other auto-immune conditions, including severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis. 1971: Raymond Vahan Damadian, an Armenian-American medical doctor, discovered the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for medical diagnosis. In the same year, Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, a British electrical engineer, presented the computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan machine that he had developed. 1978: Doctors recorded the last fatal case of smallpox. 1979: George Hitchings, an American doctor, and Gertrude Elion, an American biochemist and pharmacologist, made important breakthroughs with antiviral medications. Their pioneering work eventually led to the development of azidothymidine (AZT), an HIV drug. 1980: Dr. Baruch Samuel Blumberg, an American doctor, developed the hepatitis B diagnostic test and vaccine. 1981: Bruce Reitz, an American cardiothoracic surgeon, successfully performed the first human heart-lung combined transplant procedure. 1985: Kary Banks Mullis, an American biochemist, made improvements to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), making it possible to generate thousands and possibly millions of copies of a specific DNA sequence. 1985: Sir Alec John Jeffreys, a British geneticist, developed the techniques for DNA fingerprinting and profiling that forensic departments now use worldwide. These techniques also resolve problems not relating to crime, such as paternity disputes. 1986: Eli Lilly launched fluoxetine (Prozac), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class antidepressant that doctors prescribe for several mental health problems. 1987: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first statin, lovastatin (Mevacor). Statins can reduce LDL cholesterol levels by up to 60 percent , reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. 1998: James Alexander Thomson, an American developmental biologist, derived the first human embryonic stem cell line. He later found a way to create stem cells from human skin cells.

Timeline: 2000 to the present 2000: Scientists completed the draft Human Genome Project (HGP). The project involves collaborators from around the world. It aims to: determine the sequence of chemical base pairs that make up DNA

identify and map all 20,00030,000 or so genes of the human genome The project may lead to the development of new medications and treatments to prevent or cure genetically-based diseases. 2001: Dr. Kenneth Matsumura created the first bio-artificial liver. This could lead to scientists creating artificial livers for transplantation or other techniques that enable a damaged liver to renew itself. 2005: Jean-Michel Dubernard, a French transplant specialist, carried out a partial face transplant on a woman whose face became disfigured as a result of a dog attack. In 2010, Spanish doctors carried out a full-face transplant on a man who had been in a shooting accident.

Where are we now? Share on Pinterest Genetic discoveries are revolutionizing medicine today. Research continues to move medical science forward. Some of the areas that scientists are working on now include: Targeted cancer therapy: Doctors are starting to use a new class of drug called biologics to treat cancer and other diseases. Unlike conventional chemotherapy, which can destroy fast-growing healthy cells, these drugs target specific proteins on cancer cells and cause less damage to the whole body. HIV treatment: The effectiveness of HIV treatment is now such that people who take the medication regularly will not pass on the virus. The amount of the virus in their blood, known as viral load, is almost zero. Stem cell therapy: Scientists are working on making human tissue and even whole organs from stem cells. This technique could one day help in treatments ranging from wound healing to prosthetics and replacement livers. Gene therapy: A type of genetic engineering known as CRISPR gene editing may make it possible in the future to prevent genetic and inherited conditions, such as heart disease, leukemia, cystic fibrosis, and hemophilia. Robotics: Robotics and remote-controlled tools can already help surgeons carry out certain types of procedure. One day, surgeons may carry out all operations by controlling the movements of a surgical robot while looking at a monitor. This could enable greater precision and remove some of the risks of human error. On a different scale, medical supply companies have already used drones to deliver medicines to remote areas of the world.
A new study now published in the journal Scientific Reports has identified three new subtypes of depression. The findings help explain why some types of depression do not respond well to medication. Share on Pinterest Using brain imaging techniques, researchers found three new subtypes of depression. According to recent estimates, depression affects over 300 million people worldwide, and at least 16 million people in the United States. Over 60 percent of U.S. individuals living with depression have experienced severe impairment as a result, and up to 30 percent of people living with depression do not find relief in existing treatments. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed drugs for depression. They work by boosting levels of the happiness hormone in the brain: serotonin. New research may help explain why SSRIs are unable to fully tackle some types of depression. A team led by Prof. Kenji Doya, of the Neural Computation Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) in Japan, has now identified three new subtypes of depression.

Mapping the brain in depression Prof. Doya explains the motivation for the recent study, saying, It has always been speculated that different types of depression exist, and they influence the effectiveness of the drug. But there has been no consensus. To shed some light on this, the researchers examined the clinical data of 134 study participants, half of whom doctors had recently diagnosed with depression. Using questionnaires and blood tests, the scientists collected information about the participants life histories, mental health, sleep patterns, and other potential causes of stress in their lives. The scientists also used functional MRI scanners to study the participants brain activity, enabling them to map 78 brain regions and examine the connections between these areas. The major challenge in this study, explains first study author Tomoki Tokuda, who is a statistician at OIST, was to develop a statistical tool that could extract relevant information for clustering similar subjects together. Tokuda developed a new statistical method that allowed the researchers to break down more than 3,000 measurable features into five data clusters. The measurable features included the incidence of childhood trauma and the initial severity of the depressive episode.
Parkinsons disease, a progressive neurodegenerative condition, has no cure. However, specialists are hard at work to remedy that situation. A new study conducted in mice suggests that one way to treat this condition may be by cooling off inflammation in the brain.

Share on Pinterest By fighting brain inflammation, researchers stop Parkinsons disease in mice.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Parkinsons disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimers disease.

In the United States alone, doctors diagnose approximately 50,000 cases of Parkinsons disease each year.

Although it is not clear exactly what causes this disease, scientists agree that an important characteristic of Parkinsons is chronic inflammation.

For this reason, researchers from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia have been thinking about ways in which to counteract inflammation in the brain as a means of stopping Parkinsons from progressing.

In a recent study that they conducted in mice, the scientists identified the molecule MCC950  which, they say, was effective in blocking the disease from advancing further.

We have used this discovery to develop improved drug candidates and hope to carry out human clinical trials in 2020, notes study author Trent Woodruff, an associate professor at the University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine.

Parkinsons disease, explains Woodruff, is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, with 10 million sufferers, whose control of body movements is affected.

The disease, he says, is characterized by the loss of brain cells that produce dopamine, which is a chemical that coordinates motor control, and is accompanied by chronic inflammation in the brain.
It's Shah Rukh Khan's birthday today. It should have been a national holiday, ideally, at least for women throughout the country, but it's not an ideal world after all. But it's the king of romance we're talking about, so we're all celebrating it anyway. So is he, in Mannat. But what struck us the hardest on this birthday is his choice of outfit. Take a look!

 Viral Bhayani

SRK is legit wearing a shirt made out of what looks like the quintessential desi 'gamchha'. There isn't a man in the country who hasn't used one of these to dry themselves after a shower. They might have become a little tough to spot of late, thanks to the reign of fluffy towels, but move a little beyond metro cities, and you can still easily spot these beauties everywhere.

 Viral Bhayani

 Viral Bhayani

Though we're a little perplexed about his choice of fabric, we think it doesn't look bad at all! In fact, it looks like the desi cousin of a plaid jacket. Plus, it looks really, really comfortable.

 Viral Bhayani

 Viral Bhayani

All we can say is that he is probably the only person in Bollywood who can pull off a statement piece like this while giving 'zero' hoots (see what we did there?) Happy Birthday, SRK!
Just like everything else, Chinese companies try to copy or steal ideas from innovative companies and sell it as their own. Of course, there are a few exceptions to the rule however in a new scandal, Chinese hackers and spies were caught by U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for stealing confidential aircraft technology from American and French companies. According to the indictment, the two accused were Chinese intelligence officers.

 YouTube

We've already seen Chinese companies lifting ideas, technology and designs in other products such as smartphones, earphones and even cars; however, this is the first time Chinese intelligence officers have been caught stealing information.

According to DOJ, that from January 2010 until May 2015, the officers and their teams attempted to hack and steal tech related to a new turbofan engine. Stealing the information would enable Chinese companies (public and private) to copy and build similar jet engines. Stealing of this information would prevent the Chinese from investing a lot of money into research and development. During the time of the hacks, a government-owned aerospace company was working to develop a comparable engine.

 Pexels

The Chinese hackers targeted firms like Capstone Turbine, French company Safran SA, that co-develops engines with U.S.-based General Electric and other companies in Arizona, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Oregon, and the United Kingdom.

The packers used techniques such as phishing schemes, domain hijacking, and using the companies' own websites to steal visitor information. The two accused were employed by the French company and used their position to install the Sakula remote access trojan onto their systems.

"State-sponsored hacking is a direct threat to our national security," said U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman. "The concerted effort to steal, rather than simply purchase, commercially available products should offend every company that invests talent, energy, and shareholder money into the development of products.

Seems like Chinese entities can't help themselves from stealing information and ideas rather than investing in research and development. Earlier this month, Yanjun Xu, a spy for the Chinese ministry of state security, was arrested for economic espionage and attempting to steal trade secrets from US aviation and aerospace companies.

Source: Engadget
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Bolaris today received the Slovenian Ambassador to Greece, Ms Anita Pipan, in the context of a courtesy visit.

The Deputy Minister expressed Greeces interest in promoting cooperation with Slovenia in the cultural and educational arenas, at the same time expressing his conviction that the two peoples, through their differing historical experiences, have formed cultural values and traditions able to contribute to mutual cooperation between the two countries.

On her part, Slovenia's Ambassador referred to the historical bonds between the two countries and subsequently praised the efforts of the Greek Government to bolster the Greek economy and tackle the issue of immigration. Finally, Ms. Pipan briefed the Deputy Minister on the initiatives that she intends to undertake, in the near future, in the cultural arena, in Greece, and extended a series of invitations to the Deputy Minister, who accepted them with pleasure.
The Diaspora Ministers of Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt, in the context of the "NOSTOS II" Programme which is being held in London, agreed to a cooperation with the competent Ministries of their countries, to encourage their Nationals everywhere - Organisations and natural persons - to further strengthen the trend of tourism to their Countries.

In his intervention, during the course of the Round Table discussion on "Diaspora - Tourism" Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Terens Quick stressed:

"Our Nationals undoubtedly represent a driving force that can help the Mother Country on numerous levels. One of these is Tourism.

I have had numerous discussions with my colleague, Minister of Tourism Elena Kountoura, and we have agreed to launch a programme entitled "Bring a friend along on your holiday to Greece".

The reasoning begins with the fact that our Nationals usually come with their friends or neighbours who are of Greek descent. The point is for them to motivate a friend or neighbour of theirs, who is a citizen of the country where they live, to come to Greece with them, for them to become their tour guide and teach them everything from our history and culture to all the beauties of our Country.

The Programme "Bring a friend along on your holiday to Greece was also approved by two of my colleagues Mr. Fotis Fotiou and Ms. Nabila Makram, and indeed we have proposals for collaboration between our Diasporas, which we will each submit to the Ministry of Tourism of our respective country.

We also discussed Medical Tourism -in its strict sense- an issue in which the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tourism must of course be involved."

The specific issue of Medical Tourism concerned another Round Table discussion which was held during the "NOSTOS II" Programme, with the participation of Greek, Cypriot, and Egyptian physicians who reside in Great Britain. At the discussion, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Terens Quick proposed to the Hellenic Medical Society of the UK the establishment of a small group of volunteers to support patients who come to London or other British cities for treatment following a decision by the Greek National Health System.

"There are families who need support, chiefly psychological in nature, especially when they come to a country not familiar to them, perhaps without speaking the language and with anxiety about a family members treatment, which for the most pertains to children. I can say that I had a good response, in conjunction also with the Greek Diplomatic Authorities in London."

And the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs concluded:

"In Britain, we have many "brain drain" doctors. When I proposed that we include Medicine in London's NOSTOS II," I did so to show that Greek physicians are great and enviable scientists, not only here but throughout the world. It may be painful for us to have lost so many young people who have studied in Greece, at the expense of the Greek State, but I would like to stress that they have grown to become the best ambassadors for our Country, in one of science's most important fields. This is the continuation of great Greek physicians who for many years, much before the financial crisis, thrived in Britain, as well as in Germany and Scandinavia."

Greek Ambassador Dimitris Caramitsos-Tziras participated in Londons "Nostos II" Programme, as did the Director of the Greek National Tourism Association Office in Britain and Ireland, Emi Anagnostopoulou, and physicians Kiki Sonidou, Foteini Kalofonou, and Ourania Fragkouli, members of the Hellenic Medical Society of the UK.

The "NOSTOS II" programme concluded with a visit by the three Ministers to the British Parliament, where they collaborated with the Presidents of the Interparty Parliamentary Friendship Groups of Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt.
JOURNALIST: What can we do, as a country, in order for our neighbours to conduct a real, serious, and objective investigation into the cause of death of our compatriot?

G. KATROUGALOS: We clearly have three priorities: one is the one you mentioned, to clarify the true circumstances and mainly investigate if every possibility was exhausted to avoid the death of the Greek national; The second long-standing goal is protection of the rights and interests of Greek nationals, for a negative climate not to be created for our people there; the third goal is for bilateral relations not to be upset, without of course making concessions or compromises with regard to the first two.

We have taken action, as a government, on all levels. From the beginning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a demarche to the Albanian Ambassador, inviting her here to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressing precisely these priorities. Our Ambassador to Albania proceeded with a Note Verbale, requesting for Greek representatives to be present in the forensic examination so that there is nothing secret. And since we are paying particular attention to the matter, I personally spoke on the telephone with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Bushati, yesterday afternoon, conveying to him our priorities and the need for cooperation to exist, while respecting the independence of the judicial on both sides.

On other levels now, on the level of the Police, since the day of the death, there has been contact between the respective Heads of Police, so that there is a Greek Police official there, and for him to be present during the investigation and be updated, so that he can in turn update our side. And finally, from a judicial point of view, Article 7 of the Penal Code allows for a parallel judicial investigation when we have a crime against a Greek citizen. An investigation was ordered by the Prosecutor of the Ioannina Court of First Instance, which has already been transferred, for reasons of competence, to the Prosecutor's Office of the Athens Court of First Instance.

JOURNALIST: I come now to our outstanding national issues. I begin with the continuous, and indeed intense provocations on the part of Turkey in the maritime space of the Eastern Mediterranean. I am referring to the dispatching of the Conqueror which many in the neighbouring country say - the media report this - that it seeks to sail to areas that belong to the Cypriot EEZ and, of course, the leak of maps from the Turkish Ministry of Defence, which only left the island of Gavdos out, going as far South as Crete.

G. KATROUGALOS: As regards the second, this has to do with a misunderstanding. The information we have is that this map is described by the Turkish side as being Greeces claims; in other words, that it is not a projection of the Turkish EEZ but of the Greek EEZ. They want to show the abusive nature of our positions, that we seemingly want to reach as far as Turkey. Consequently, let me confirm what I said, without negating what you said: there is a long-standing effort on the part of Turkish foreign policy towards revisionism; Turkey does not take as a basis the International Law of the sea, and especially the International Convention on the Law of the Sea; and it does not recognise the preparations that have been made between the Republic of Cyprus and the neighbouring countries to forge its own EEZ, in order to create faits accomplis. Faits accomplis are not created though, given that we take every necessary measure, also on a diplomatic level with demarches that dispute this creation of a legal precedent, as well as with the presence of a Greek frigate in the region, so that our rights are not only supported in law but are strengthened with the necessary presence. But the most essential protection of our national interests has occurred with the systematic diplomatic preparation that has preceded between Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, and which pertains also to the creation of trilateral cooperation schemes - especially with Israel and Egypt - so that the legal and political safeguarding of our rights is secured, but also with the corresponding preparation which has taken place after assignment by the Republic of Cyprus of the search for hydrocarbons to large multinational giants that clearly also have the corresponding political support of their governments, especially France and the US. We are therefore not worried about the developments; of course, we do watch them closely, so that faits accomplis are not created to our detriment. I believe, though, that we are in a much better position than we were in in the past, precisely because we are now calling the shots, and Turkey is attempting to react. We promote our national interests in a way that is not contrary to International Law, but exactly as International Law dictates.

JOURNALIST: You know, there is concern that Turkey may perhaps cause a heated incident in order to involve us in a discussion in which we do not wish to participate.

G. KATROUGALOS: There are two deterring factors for something like this. First, diplomatic strengthening of the standing of our country and chiefly the presence, as I told you, not only of our own armed forces but also of other countries forces, especially in the area of Cyprus, which ensure compliance with what is agreed on. On the other hand, this period is characterised by an effort on the part of Turkey to open up to the West, and especially to Europe, precisely due to the problems with its economy. I consider it highly unlikely - not impossible of course, since Turkey has made us become accustomed to unexpected moves - for it to proceed with such an action which will essentially negate the effort it is making to save its economy.

JOURNALIST: I am now coming to the 12 miles, in this discussion. Perhaps the announcement by the departing former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nikos Kotzias, was premature? Did it happen at the wrong moment? You know there are many who feel that these types of moves should not be announced in advance, just like a cabinet reshuffle should not be announced in advance, or devaluation of the national currency, for example, should not be announced in advance, when we indeed had a national currency.

G. KATROUGALOS: Do you know why I disagree with this view, and why the Prime Minister in fact also announced that we will proceed in Parliament - one step further - and not with a Presidential Decree? Precisely because these issues require broader consensus - if this can be achieved- and, at the very least, public dialogue, for the Greek people to understand what is really at stake.

This is simple: For 40 years, perhaps 30 if we count ratification by Greece of the International Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1995, we have been reiterating - and this is truly how it is - that it is an inalienable right of ours to expand our sovereignty with regard to our territorial waters. But in light of the complicated nature of the issue and Turkeys reactions - while clearly this sovereign right of ours is not being challenged - a certain idleness has reigned; we are putting off taking specific measures.

But we are not a power of inaction. On a series of issues, we need to crack a few eggs, because otherwise, we cannot promote our national interests and the public interest. The Prespa Agreement is emblematic, as is the issue of Sharia law in Thrace, which is equally emblematic, not to mention the internal reforms that are politically neutral, such as the land register or the forest maps.

Consequently, we begin this discussion from the Ionian Sea, where we need to extend our territorial waters, also on the delimitation of the EEZ with Albania and Italy. Everything I am telling you now on the radio, we need to discuss it with the political powers, which will be called upon by the Prime Minister, and the public will be informed through the debate in Parliament.

JOURNALIST: I am coming to the Prespa Agreement. How do you see things advancing? What is the time table? In other words, when will it come for ratification to the Hellenic Parliament, and how optimistic or, on the contrary, pessimistic, are you about the vote that is going to take place there?

G. KATROUGALOS: This is a crucial week, because we shall learn the precise wording of the constitutional provisions. We are of course in contact, and we are following things so that this wording does not differ from what has been agreed upon.

JOURNALIST: Pardon me for interrupting, Mr. Minister, could there perhaps be one or two points that are up for renegotiation? This is a question that many people raise. In other words, whether we could insist, for example, on the issue of citizenship, for it to be Northern Macedonian" and not simply Macedonian.



G. KATROUGALOS: To conclude what I told you, we are closely following the constitutional revision. Now, as to what you are asking, we have the deep-rooted conviction that the agreement could not be further improved and everything that you are saying to be broached again has been exhaustively discussed. And every agreement represents a compromise.

As far as the citizenship, you are very correct in saying that the ideal thing would be for there to be a reference to Northern Macedonian citizenship. What was agreed was somewhere in the middle. In other words, while until now these people would come with passports - and as tourists in Northern Greece - which simply said Macedonia, now citizen of Northern Macedonia has been added next to the indication of the citizenship as Macedonian. I repeat that this is a compromise. If this is combined with the rest of the provisions of the Agreement, and especially with Article 7, which fully distinguishes what they mean, and what we mean, as Macedonia, in other words that they are in no way related to the ancient Greek Macedonia or the history of our Macedonia, then I believe that it is a compromise that benefits us. I repeat that this is not 100% what we wanted. But 100% of what you want, you never achieve it with agreements, you achieve it with wars, and agreements that are humiliating to the other side are not successful. As soon as the other side grows a bit stronger, they challenge them.

Now with regard to your initial question as to whether I am optimistic - I am convinced, I am not merely optimistic - because we already have a stated intention on the part of many MPs, as well as political powers. Potami has already stated its position in this regard. A majority exists in Parliament at this point, despite the opposition of our junior partner, which will lead to it being passed. I cannot precisely predict the time frame, because they are obligated in Skopje to go through a period of consultation, which is not stipulated by the Constitution, but which in part is a political decision. At some point, of course by March, the issue will come to Parliament, and it will be passed.

JOURNALIST: Thank you Minister. Have a good day.

G. KATROUGALOS: Thank you. Have a good day.
To the rditor:

Remember when President Trump was on the campaign trail and said, Mexico is not sending their best across our borders?

Well, I am saying is we are not sending our best to Washington either. Look at our leaders Feinstein, Flake, Ryan, Scheff, Booker, Menendez and Pelosi. Really, that's the best we have to offer?

I watched the confirmation vote on the Senate floor for Kavanaugh and actually cringed when Sen. Stabenow, in her barely audible voice, voted no even after an editorial in the Detroit News said, Confirm Brett Kavanaugh." A vote against Kavanaugh was a vote against the very Constitution Stabenow swore under oath to uphold and defend. A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This hearing was a disgrace at the highest level, and I wondered why anyone would submit themselves and their entire family to this harassment. I'd love to put some of those politicians in the swamp under the same microscope.

Stabenow marches and takes her orders from Schumer, Pelosi and Maxine Waters. Does she really want our president and country to fail all for some vote along party lines? Is she that naive that she cant see that my president has brought us out of the abyss?

Stabenow has not voted for one item on President Trumps agenda. She voted no to repeal of Obama Care, no on your tax breaks, no on Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsche and no on the wall, which has caused our present catastrophe; another mess handed down from papa Bush to Clinton to G.W. to Obama that my president has to clean up.

We now have an about 30 million illegal immigrants in this country with thousands more moving north in a caravan towards our border. We also have thousands waiting to enter legally. Have you ever had someone cut in line ahead of you? Well how did you feel? What gives them the right to break our laws? Stabenow wants to pick and choose which laws to enforce. She wants wide-open borders with no laws. I say vote to build the wall and stop innocent Americans from being murdered and killed by illegals.

Now Stabenow is up for re-election. After 43 years in politics, 18 of them in the swamp, her time is up. Do we really want someone who leads from behind like Obama?

Enter John James, a 34-year-old Detroit businessman, former U.S. Army captain, West Point graduate, Apache helicopter pilot who served in Iraq. He is bright, smart and personable. Although Ive never met him, Ive watched his interviews on TV. He is definitely a leader with high energy who will follow President Trumps agenda. He is what we want and need in Washington. I urge you all to vote accordingly. He will not let you or your country down.

Thomas Peters

Bad Axe
HURON COUNTY  Three local schools will receive a portion of $25 million in state grants to purchase equipment and/or technology to improve the safety and security of school buildings, students and staff.

The Michigan State Police recently announced its Competitive School Safety Grant Program recipients, with 114 public school districts, 42 non-public schools, 22 public charter schools, and 10 intermediate school districts/regional education services agencies to receive funding.

Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port, Caseville Schools and Zion Lutheran School in Harbor Beach were among those that were awarded locally.

Laker schools received the largest amount among local schools, at an amount of $91,728. Caseville was awarded $7,500 and Zion Lutheran $5,974. Grant recipients have until Sept. 30, 2019, to spend their awards.

"We're honored and humbled to receive the MSP school security grant," said Laker Superintendent Brian Keim. "Schools everywhere are taking a hard look at student safety, so we know there were many deserving applicants."

Over $69 million in requests were included in 407 applications submitted. Grant applications were reviewed by a committee that included representatives from the MSP, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, Michigan Sheriffs Association, Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools, school security personnel and the Executive Office of the Governor.

These grants are part of the proactive approach the state is taking to help prevent tragedies in our schools and provide for the safe learning environment that our kids need and deserve, stated Gov. Rick Snyder. A multifaceted approach is necessary to keep our schools safe and these grants are a component of the comprehensive effort to keep Michigan school children safe.

Keim said Laker schools received the majority of what it had requested in its grant application. As part of the grant, eligible expense categories include security window film, two-way radios, bollards, a safety/communication phone app, metal detectors, interior signage, trauma kits and courtyard ladders.

MSP Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue stated the review committee gave priority to proposals that sought to secure access points at school buildings, as it is considered one of the best and most cost-effective ways to improve school safety and security.

Aside from the state grant money, Laker schools also recently received a Federal Security Grant in the amount of $111,542. Keim said that money will help cover the majority of the expense of the school's security officer, as well as two additional STOP Violence Educators for the county.
MIDDLETOWN  A 13-second video posted to the towns Republican Town Committee Facebook page two weeks before the election charges Middletowns seven-year treasurer has not shown up to a majority of city meetings.

The video, uploaded Oct. 21, claims Treasurer Quentin Q Phipps, a Democrat now running for the 100th District House seat, has not shown up for 99 percent of meetings in his capacity. The short post asks Where was Q before #Election2018? and #MiddletownCT needs a State Representative who actually spends time in #Middletown, as an audio clip of Phipps saying So good to be back plays.

The 100th District is being vacated by state Rep. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, who is running for the Senates 9th District seat.

A comment with the post asked people to vote for Phipps political opponent, Middletown School Resource Officer Tony Gennaro. It has garnered more than 2,700 views. Gennaro said he isnt responsible for the video, but has been constantly told that people are unhappy about it and the record allegedly shows he (Phipps) has never shown up. Thats unfortunate, if that is the case.

The city charter doesnt outline which meetings the treasurer is expected to attend.

The treasurers stipend is $4,000, and has fluctuated over the seven years Phipps has been in office, according to city budgets.

For the second time this week, we witnessed divisive and discriminatory attacks that have no place in our political landscape or anywhere at all, said Common Councilman Robert Blanchard, chairman of the Middletown Democratic Town Committee. He also is referring to a mailer sent by the campaign of Lessers opponent Ed Charamut, with a doctored photo of Lesser gripping a handful of dollars, regarded by many as anti-Semitic.

Charamut apologized Wednesday to Lesser, the Jewish Community and anyone who found the mailer to be anything other than a depiction of policy differences between the two candidates, he said in a prepared statement.

Blanchard referenced a comment, made by Fred Carroll, on Middletown Republican Town Committee Chairman William Wilsons personal Facebook page.

When Wilson wrote a post criticized Phipps work as a lobbyist, Carrolls remark characterized something Phipps allegedly did as ghetto. Carroll did not immediately return phone messages and a request on Facebook to comment for this story.

I did disagree with it (the comment). I wouldnt have posted it, but I do allow free speech on my page, unlike others, who limit it, Wilson said. Unless someone threatens someone, I leave it up, even when they trash me, he added.

Last evening, after incredibly offensive and overtly racist comments were posted about local Middletown candidate Quentin Phipps, we are again forced to ask our Republican counterparts to denounce and reject racist stereotypes that we have unfortunately become accustomed to on a national level. In 2018, and in the state of Connecticut, we assume that certain things do not need to be said  the last two days have been an alarming and devastating wake-up call, Blanchard said.

In 2014, the Charter Revision Committee had recommended eliminating the city position, according to Common Councilman and Minority Leader Sebastian N. Giuliano. Phipps has served two, two-year terms and one, four-year term, after a change in Middletowns charter, which took effect in 2015. Phipps, first elected in November 2011, was formerly chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

In 2015, an ordinance, passed unanimously, requires the treasurer to attend a minimum number of Finance & Government Operations Commission meetings, according to Giuliano.I have served on that commission since the 2015 election, and I have been present at every one of its meetings. I can tell you without hesitation that Mr. Phipps does not attend them, he said.

Phipps didnt return a phone call, text or email asking for comment.

Gennaro acknowledged sometimes elected officials have other commitments that preclude them from attending a city meeting. Especially with myself, with kids. Even with that, I always find a way. Its a big responsibility. Its also an integrity thing. When you say youre going to do something, you do it, he said.

Wilson, who said he didnt make the post, said his research turned up evidence that supports claims of Phipps absence: I do know his rate of going to meetings besides a bonding meeting is none  he never went. Thats true, he said.

(At that one bonding meeting), we got in just under time, otherwise, we would have had an issue with our bonding, said Wilson, adding hes not certain who is responsible for the Facebook claim, but suspects it is a RTC member.

But Blanchard said he finds the attacks on the experience and truthfulness of Quentins candidacy both petty and desperate. To question his heart and dedication to Middletown is absolutely outrageous.

Quentin has spent every day fighting for his community  whether it be educational opportunity, economic revitalization of our downtown or supporting youth arts programs. Any attempt to marginalize his accomplishments is evidence of a last-ditch effort, he said.

Phipps, director of advocacy and policy for Excellence Community Schools in Stamford, also works at the state Capitol as a lobbyist. Much of his professional time is spent as a parent advocate, helping with special education issues, housing and jobs, and as a liaison to lawmakers at the Capitol, he has told The Press. My job is to help parents navigate complex systems in their own communities, and help them make empowered decisions for the betterment of themselves and for their children, he has said.

Wilson argues Phipps job presents a conflict of interest that would interfere if he were elected to the House. He tells people he is an advocate for parents and hes a lobbyist. I have nothing against Q. My thing is be honest with people. Youre now a state rep. How does that not affect what you do?

Youre lobbying basically for yourself. Ethically, I wouldnt do it, Wilson said.

During a candidates forum sponsored by the Middlesex Coalition for Children at the deKoven House in early October, Phipps said he wants young people to have all the opportunities hes been afforded. There are tons of inequities, especially when you look at racial and economic lines. How do we create decisions of change to make sure the color of your skin or how much money your parents have  or dont have  in their checking account arent going to be the deciding factors of whether or not you are successful? he asked.

The former head of the Downtown Business District was named to Connecticut Magazines 40 Under 40 list in 2013, and also served at development chairman of the Oddfellows Playhouse Board of Directors, vice president of the Middlesex Substance Abuse Action Council Board of Directors and has been a member of the Middlesex United Way Young Leaders Society.

Again, we ask our local leaders, both elected officials and candidates, is this the type of values you represent or racist comments you would choose to ignore in our community? I urge our leaders to stand with us and denounce this racism and divisiveness that is so sadly similar to what we see in national politics, Blanchard said.

Editors note: This story has been updated with the name of the person, Fred Carroll, who made the ghetto comment on Wilsons Facebook page. It also clarifies that Wilson said he had seen Phipps at a single bonding session and no other meetings and adds a statement from Common Councilman Sebastian N. Giuliano about Phipps attendance.
A doctor in Plano, Texas, apologized Sunday after sparking outrage for saying that female physicians make less than men because they "don't work as hard" and prioritize "something else  family, social, whatever."

Medical professionals had taken Gary Tigges to task on social media for views they say are discriminatory and disproved by most research. Some have criticized the Dallas Medical Journal for highlighting the remarks; others have praised the monthly magazine for exposing them.

The quote appeared in the "Big and Bright Ideas" section of the September edition of the Dallas Medical Journal as part of a feature asking industry professionals to share their thoughts and potential solutions to the gender pay gap in medicine.

Tigges contribution: "Female physicians do not work as hard and do not see as many patients as male physicians ... This is because they choose to, or they simply don't want to be rushed, or they don't want to work the long hours."

An internist at Plano Internal Medical Associates, Tigges went on to write that women tend to care more about outside obligations than work. The pay difference, he said, is a natural consequence.

"Nothing needs to be 'done' about this unless female physicians actually want to work harder and put in the hours," Tigges wrote. "If not, they should be paid less."

Male and female doctors alike called out Tigges remarks as sexist and ignorant. "These kinds of views ... are not supported by actual data," tweeted Esther Choo, physician and founder of gender equity consulting firm, Equity Quotient. "This doctor is not only wrong, he's part of the problem," tweeted Jorge Montoya, a cardiologist in Mexico.

Men in medicine often earn 20 to 30 percent more than their female counterparts, research shows. And the gap may be widening. A study released this March from Doximity, a social networking platform for health care professionals, examined compensation data from more than 65,000 doctors across 40 different specialties, and found that female doctors earned an average of 27.7 percent less than males in 2017, amounting to $105,000 less a year.

Tigges did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But he told the Dallas Morning News that his comments were taken out of context and that he didn't know they were going to be published.

"My response sounds terrible and horrible and doesn't reflect what I was really trying to say," Tigges said late last week. "I'm not saying female physicians should be paid less, but they earn less because of other factors."

Tigges, originally from Iowa, founded Plano Internal Medical Associates in 1996, according to the practice's website. He's held several leadership positions at Presbyterian Hospital of Plano and has served on councils for the Texas Medical Association.

Doctors are paid in proportion to the number of patients they see, Tigges said, pointing to data suggesting women work shorter shifts and deal with fewer patients because of other obligations, the Dallas Morning News reported.

On Sunday he apologized in a statement posted on his practice's website.

"I have heard from several trusted female physician colleagues who disagree with and are deeply hurt and offended by the comments," he said. "I sincerely apologize to all female physicians for my comments and the pain they have caused."

Many female doctors do work fewer hours and see fewer patients, but not because of laziness or lack of drive, according to studies from the Annals of Internal Medicine and the American Medical Association. Female physicians shoulder more of the burden at home; those with kids work an average 11 fewer hours a week than ones without, according to a 2017 study by JAMA internal medicine. Their extra burdens at home are used against them - to justify their lower pay and elevate men's higher pay, according to Kim Templeton, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.

"Some people have said women doctors don't see as many patients as male doctors because they have other responsibilities at home with kids. That's why they make less," Templeton told CNN Money. "Decades later, the assumption is that (male doctors) should make more because they are taking care of the family."

The myriad responsibilities female doctors often bear can take a heavy toll. Far more female physicians grapple with burnout, according to Dr. Susan Thompson Hingle, a professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. This leads many to switch careers at a time when the U.S. stares down a troubling doctor shortage -- with the nation potentially lacking 120,000 physicians across various specialties by 2030, according to recent data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Women in medicine are also more likely to deal with depression, and are twice as likely to commit suicide as the general population, according to a 2018 study by Louise Andrew.

Despite these factors, denial of the gender pay gap and the struggles faced by women is common, Gabriela Zandomeni, a Dallas physician and chair of the committee that publishes the Dallas Medical Journal, said in a statement Sept. 1. The committee chose to publish Tigges' comments because his perspective is common, Zandomeni said, and needs to be dealt with out in the open.

She wrote that she was also outraged by the opinions claiming a gender pay gap doesn't exist. But the problem isn't in what one doctor thinks.

"The danger is in the physicians who think this but do not express it, or who justify it."

The Dallas Medical Journal asked readers to submit reactions to the opinions about gender pay gap from this month's issue, and will publish a "representative sample" next month.
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Some junior Marines in Japan have shredded their meal cards and moved to a simpler system that requires only a common access card, or CAC, to dine at mess halls.

Part of a Marine Corps-wide initiative, the change eliminates an unnecessary piece of paper that can easily be lost or forged, said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Denis Lebreton, director of the Installation Personnel Administration Center, which oversees dining facilities at MCAS Iwakuni.

The CAC system increases accountability and reduces the administrative burden of managing the program, he said. For example, Marines who lost their meal card were required to fill out a statement that had to be routed through their chain of command, the provost marshal office and the mess hall.

Using CACs also eliminates the ability for Marines to loan their meal card to another individual or make a copy that could then be used by someone else, Lebreton said.

The new system has been up and running for months; however, IPAC just recently received official word from the Marines to stop issuing meal cards at Iwakuni, he said.

Marines were instructed to shred their meal cards last month, prompting rumors that they would be put on a basic allowance for subsistence, or BAS.

Lebreton said that is not the case; however, the change should also benefit Marines on BAS, because they will no longer be required to use cash to purchase a meal. Instead, the cost will automatically be deducted from their BAS and reflected on their leave and earnings statement at the end of the month.

Marines receiving BAS can still use cash, but there is now an option if they forget to bring money with them, he said.

The change does not affect members of other services stationed at Iwakuni or other Marine installations, Lebreton said. Sailors based at Iwakuni still need to use a meal card to dine at the mess hall, and servicemembers receiving BAS will have to show their ID and pay cash at the register.

Marines assigned to bases owned by a different service will have to follow requirements at that installation.
China's Sub Force Is Growing More Powerful. This Is What the US Navy Needs to Do to Stay Ahead
The commander-in-chief gave troops headed to the U.S.-Mexico border a confusing message on Thursday when he said during a press conference that if migrants throw rocks at them, they should consider it a weapon.

If U.S. military personnel on the border face a violent showing like Mexican police officers saw along the Guatemala-Mexico, President Donald Trump said "we're not going to put up with that."

"[If] they want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back," Trump said during a press conference at the White House. "We're going to consider it -- and I told them, 'consider that a rifle.' When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexico military and police, I say 'consider it a rifle.'"

His comments raise serious questions about rules of engagement the thousands of troops being sent to operate along the U.S. border are supposed to follow, and it doesn't fall in line with what Pentagon officials have outlined so far.

Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, head of U.S. Northern Command, said this week that "everything that we are doing is in line with and adherence to Posse Comitatus," a congressional act dating back to the 1800s that prohibits the military from participating in domestic law-enforcement activities.

And a Pentagon memo, obtained by the Washington Post, also states that the troops -- who will deploy with their service and non-lethal weapons -- are authorized to use deadly force only when "faced with imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm, and where lesser means have failed or cannot be reasonably employed," the paper reported.

Earlier this week, a second caravan of Central American migrants heading toward the U.S. border on foot clashed violently with Mexican police and immigration officials outside Guatemala. One person was killed and dozens more injured, the LA Times reported, and "many migrants" were taken into custody.

Trump was asked whether he could see the armed active-duty military personnel on the border firing at anyone if a similar situation occurred in the U.S.

"I hope not, I hope not," the president replied. "... But I will tell you this: Anybody throwing stones, rocks like they did to Mexico and the Mexican military and Mexican police, where they badly hurt police and soldiers, we will consider that a firearm because there's not much difference when you get hit in the face with a rock."

Luis Martinez, a reporter with ABC News, said Trump's comments contradict what military leaders have been telling the public about the troops' mission on the border.

"What I heard was a major disconnect," he said on ABC News following the president's press conference. "... Yes, they do have the right of self-defense and yes, some of these personnel will be armed, but their main duty is not to carry out law enforcement along that border. That is the task of [Customs and Border Protection]."

Trump has also contradicted military leaders this week on the number of troops preparing to go to the border, and the tents they will bring, which military leaders say are for border-patrol agents and Trump has implied will be used to house migrants.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ginaaharkins.
The number of veterans living in shelters or on the streets dropped by about five percent between January 2017 and January 2018 -- from about 40,000 to nearly 37,900 -- despite slight increases on the West Coast, according to the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs.

The decline followed a slight uptick in the previous year.

"Our nation's approach to ending veterans homelessness is working," HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson said Thursday in a conference call with VA Secretary Robert Wilkie.

The new data also shows a 10 percent drop in homelessness for women veterans over the reporting period, from 3,571 to 3,219.

"It's not good enough, but it's better," Wilkie said, adding that continuing declines in the estimates for the number of homeless veterans on any given night will depend upon providing the services many homeless veterans will need once they find housing through the HUD-VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) voucher program.

"You get into an endless cycle if you don't address the other issues" that can leave a veteran on the street, such as drug and alcohol addiction, Wilkie said.

He called homelessness "part of a series of larger crises" involving suicide rates, mental health issues and opioid addiction among veterans.

"It's a difficult problem," Carson said, "because not every veteran is going to come to us and say: 'Please help.'"

Despite the overall decline in veterans homelessness, there were slight increases in West Coast big cities, said Norm Suchar, director of Special Needs Assistance Programs at HUD, who joined the call.

Wilkie cited West Los Angeles, where he said about half of the homeless veterans were from the Vietnam era and were suffering from "many problems building for 50 years."

The overall decline through January 2018 followed a slight increase in veterans homelessness in the first year of President Donald Trump's administration, from 39,471 to 40,020, according to HUD figures.

Unlike the previous administration, Wilkie and Carson did not attempt to set a date for ending the problem of veterans' homelessness entirely.

In 2010, President Barack Obama and then-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki set the ambitious goal of getting all veterans housed by 2015.

The Obama administration's effort resulted in a dramatic decline, from 74,000 homeless veterans in 2010 to about 47,700 in 2015, but the number still stood at about 39,400 when Obama left office, according to HUD figures.

Carson would only say that the goal for the Trump administration was to get all veterans housed "as soon as possible."

"We owe it to our veterans to make certain they have a place to call home," Carson said. "We've made great strides in our efforts to end veteran homelessness, but we still have a lot of work to do to ensure those who wore our nation's uniform have access to stable housing."

The latest figures, the result of surveys of homeless veterans, showed that about 23,000 veterans, from the total homeless count of 37,878, were living out of shelters and about 14,500 were on the street in what HUD called "places not meant for human habitation."

Wilkie and Carson said that three states -- Virginia, Delaware and Connecticut -- and 64 communities nationwide had "effectively ended" veterans homelessness. The list of the 64 communities can be found here: https://www.usich.gov/tools-for-action/communities-that-have-ended-homelessness/

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson raised the possibility Friday that F-22 Raptors, the nation's most advanced fighters, may never return permanently to storm-ravaged Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida's Panhandle.

"That has not been determined," Wilson said in a conference call with defense reporters Friday when asked whether the more than 50 F-22s that had been at Tyndall before Hurricane Michael hit would once again be stationed at the base that served as the main training installation in the Air Force for F-22 pilots. "We haven't made a decision on that."

While Tyndall is undergoing repairs that could take several years, the 43rd and 2nd Fighter Squadrons' F-22 Fighter Training and T-38 Adversary Training units will relocate to Eglin Air Force Base, about 60 miles from Tyndall, the Air Force said in a release.

The 372rd Training Squadron, Detachment 4, also will relocate with the F-22 Fighter Training units to Eglin, the Air Force said.

In addition, personnel and F-22s from the 95th Fighter Squadron will relocate to Langley AFB, Virginia; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, the Air Force said.

The Air Force also will shift the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy based at Tyndall to four other locations: McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Tennessee, Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Alabama, Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi and Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.

Much of Tyndall, including all of the base housing, suffered major damage when Michael came ashore in Florida on Oct. 10. All 11,000 personnel and family members were safely evacuated before the storm hit and the vast majority of the F-22s also were flown to other bases.

However, a number of F-22s -- the Air Force has still not said how many -- that were undergoing repairs remained behind and suffered unspecified damage levels when the roofs were torn off some of their hangars.

Wilson indicated that the damage to the F-22s that remained at Tyndall during the storm may not have been severe. She again did not give a number, but said most of the F-22s that remained behind would be flown out of Tyndall by Nov. 6.

Wilson stressed that Tyndall would be restored but said it could take "several years." She cited the example of Keeler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, which took five years to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Wilson also had no initial estimates on the costs for the restoration of Tyndall. She said a civil engineering evaluation of the projected costs had yet to be completed. The Air Force said that the money to rebuild "will require supplemental funding from Congress."

Most of the Tyndall families would be able to return "within the next three months," Wilson said, with the exception of the family members among 500 Tyndall personnel who were being reassigned to other bases.

"We are focused on taking care of our airmen and their families and ensuring the resumption of operations," Wilson said. "We're working hard to return their lives to normalcy as quickly as possible."

In a statement, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said the expectation was that all airmen who had been stationed at Tyndall before the storm would have some certainty on their future assignments by the end of the year.

"By the winter holidays and in many cases well before, we expect all our airmen -- military and civilians -- to have certainty about their options, so that everyone is either on a path or already settled," Goldfein said.

One of the units that will resume operations at Tyndall by Jan. 1 was the 601st Air Force Operations Center, which tracks foreign aircraft for U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the Air Force said.

According to the Air Force release, other Tyndall units expected to resume operations in the coming months included the 337th Air Control Squadron, the Air Force Medical Agency Support team, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the 53rd Air-to-Air Weapons Evaluation Group and the 823rd Red Horse Squadron, Detachment 1.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com.
If you one day hear the Marines' Hymn while driving between Agena Road and Sierra Highway in Palmdale, CA, do not fret; your ears are not having a "major malfunction."

That section of road  known as Avenue N  will be named for acclaimed actor and Marine Corps veteran R. Lee Ermey during a ceremony on Nov. 10, the Marine Corps' birthday, according to a fundraising page linked to Ermey's family, friends and supporters.

Ermey lived just off Avenue N for the past 24 years, until his death in April at age 74, the GoFundMe page said. Efforts to rename the road after him began in May and have since been unanimously approved by the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster, Los Angeles County and the California Department of Transportation.

Plans call for street and highway signs reading "R. Lee Ermey Avenue (Avenue N)," plaques and even a "musical road" that will play the Marines' Hymn via grooves in the road when driven upon. There are many such roads across the globe, including one in New Mexico that plays "America the Beautiful."

While Ermey's friends and family received overwhelming support from municipal government officials to rename the 7-mile stretch of roadway, they bear the onus to pay for the memorial, the GoFundMe page said. That is why they are attempting to raise $150,000.

"Even though all four governmental entities have unanimously approved this change, they do not have the money to fund it," the page said. "Not only do we need Street signs, we need Highway signs, Memorial plaques, and other Roadside signs. The estimate to make this Memorial happen is $150,000. This is why Gunny's family and community have come together to make sure this memorial happens."

They had raised $5,365 in the campaign's first 24 days.

The ceremony honoring the Golden Globe-nominated actor is slated to take place at the intersection of Avenue N and Sierra Highway, The Antelope Valley Press in Palmdale reported this week. It's known to aviation enthusiasts as a prime viewing spot for aircraft taking off from Air Force Plant 42.

The event will feature the singing of the National Anthem, the posting of the colors by the Young Marines, a flyover, remarks from dignitaries as well as the unveiling of the new street sign, the report said.

The Ermey family will be escorted to the event by the Patriot Guard Riders in the Missing Man Formation, according to the GoFundMe page.

The street's old name will remain on all signs in parenthesis next to Ermey's, Los Angeles County records said, so that residents and businesses can keep their addresses and to prevent confusion among emergency personnel.

"I can't wait to see when I'm driving up the 14 (Freeway) to see the next exit is R. Lee Ermey Avenue," Ermey friend and business partner at Lancaster's Bravery Brewing, Bart Avery, told The Antelope Valley Press this week. It was Avery's idea to name the stretch of road for Ermey.

Ermey  a Vietnam veteran who spent 11 years in the Marines  is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the foul-mouthed drill instructor, Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, in Stanley Kubrick's Academy Award-nominated "Full Metal Jacket," but he had over 100 additional credits in film, television and video games that included everything from "Toy Story" to "The Simpsons." He was also an author, a businessman and a humanitarian, particularly known for his work on behalf of veterans.

He credited the Marine Corps with saving his life by teaching him to become "an honorable human being," he told Stars and Stripes during a trip to mainland Japan and Okinawa in 2006. The Kansas native enlisted in 1961 at age 17 with his mother's signature.

Over the course of his career, Ermey spent 14 months in Vietnam, did two tours in Okinawa and was a drill instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, the GoFundMe page said. He was promoted to staff sergeant during his final Okinawa tour before being discharged in 1972.

He was discovered by legendary director Francis Ford Coppola while studying drama at the University of Manila in the Philippines. Coppola was filming "Apocalypse Now" and he hired Ermey as both technical advisor and gave him a small role as a helicopter pilot. Eight years later, he was cast in "Full Metal Jacket."

Ermey filled out his later years with steady work on television and the silver screen. He also toured the globe visiting with troops and veterans and championing their causes.

He would dress up as Santa Claus every year for Toys for Tots, the GoFundMe page said. He also worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"Gunny visited injured soldiers and their families home and abroad, and he did not shy away from visiting the troops in combat areas such as Afghanistan and Iraq," the page said. "Gunny traveled throughout the US and the world, giving his time and self, to help others."

Ermey is the only Marine to ever be brought out of retirement for promotion, the GoFundMe page said. In 2002, he was promoted to the rank he had made famous in "Full Metal Jacket," gunnery sergeant, by then-Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Jones.

Ermey died on April 15 due to complications from pneumonia. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

For more information, visit the GoFundMe page.

burke.matt@stripes.com
7:14pm: Heyman tweets that Gonzales agreed to drop his grievance, which could have increased his service time and, consequently, his earnings, in exchange for a current salary greater than that of a typical player with his service time.

6:13pm: According to Heyman, part of the explanation for the abnormally high value of Gonzales deal is the existence of a previous grievance from his time with the Cardinals, which is still pending (Twitter link). The grievance reportedly concerns the timing of a demotion. The outcome of this dispute may alter Gonzales service time and therefore his earning power, which would explain the $1.9MM figure.

4:40pm: The Mariners have agreed to a highly unusual two-year contract with lefty Marco Gonzales, reports Fancreds Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The contract promises Gonzales a total of $1.9MM despite the fact that Gonzales is still two full years from reaching arbitration. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that Gonzales will earn $900K in 2019 and $1MM in 2020.

Presumably, then, theres some type of club option associated with the deal that will give the Seattle organization the right to control at least one of Gonzales arbitration seasons at a predetermined rate. Beyond that, its not entirely clear why the Mariners would bump Gonzales pay to this extent; he earned just north of the league minimum in 2018 and couldve been given only minimal raises over that sum in both of the next two seasons. While its only a minor difference, the Mariners are effectively promising as much as an additional $700-800K with this deal.

Gonzales, 27 in February, emerged in 2018 as a quality rotation piece for a Seattle team that was in desperate need of arms. While some raised an eyebrow when Seattle traded slugging outfield prospect Tyler ONeill to St. Louis in order to acquire Gonzales, the lefty delivered plenty of value to the Mariners in his first full season with the organization. Through 166 2/3 innings (29 starts), Gonzales pitched to an even 4.00 ERA with 7.8 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9 and a 44.9 percent ground-ball rate.

Theres also yet some reason to believe that Gonzales has more in the tank. His pristine control helped to offset his average strikeout tendencies, prompting metrics like FIP (3.43), xFIP (3.49) and SIERA (3.81) to view his 2018 results even more favorably. Meanwhile, he induced swings on pitches out of the strike zone at a whopping 35.9 percent clip  a mark that ranked fifth in the Majors and trailed only Patrick Corbin, Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco and Miles Mikolas. That speaks to the deception that Gonzales brings to the table and suggests that there could eventually be more strikeouts  or at least more weak contact  in the future for the southpaw.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Voters in Ann Arbor's 1st 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.

Jeff Hayner, who narrowly defeated Ron Ginyard with 51 percent of the vote in a messy Democratic primary battle, now faces independent Ryan Hughes, a democratic socialist and University of Michigan computer programmer who argues the rent in Ann Arbor is "too damn high" and more affordable housing is needed.

Hayner is a skilled tradesman and small business owner with concerns about some of the new development Ann Arbor is seeing.

The candidates have different takes on issues ranging from affordable housing to the city's pursuit of an $86 million new train station in Fuller Park to the future of the city-owned Library Lot and whether it should be sold for development or become a downtown park.

They discussed those issues and more during a recent forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.

"The Ann Arbor I fell in love with is diverse, vibrant and creative, but now we're the eighth most segregated metropolitan area in the country and that's a problem," Hughes said.

"That's not a problem that the market is going to solve for us. We have to fix that. We have to commit to funding affordable housing."

Hughes said the city also needs to demonstrate that black lives matter by creating a police oversight commission with sufficient power and independence, a point on which Hayner agrees.

The two are competing for the seat being vacated by Sumi Kailasapathy, who is backing Hayner.

Hayner also has endorsements from Anne Bannister, the city's other 1st Ward rep, the local and state chapters of the Sierra Club, and Council Member Jack Eaton, D-4th Ward.

Hayner, a critic of the mayor, council majority and Downtown Development Authority, is politically aligned with the current minority faction on council that will be growing its ranks this month.

"For 35 years, I've lived in and engaged in our community, raising my family, investing in our city and our schools and our transportation systems, learning all I can about how our city works," he said, adding he reads every council meeting packet and is ready to serve.

"With toxins in our water and developers gone wild on permissive zoning, we need a passionate and knowledgable defender of our land and water resources," Hayner said.

"Your choice in this election is critical for our city's future. We're picking the best team to represent Ward 1."

Hughes is endorsed by the Huron Valley Area Labor Federation, Huron Valley Democratic Socialists, four current City Council members and two former council members. That includes Kirk Westphal, Julie Grand, Zachary Ackerman, Chip Smith, Sandi Smith and Jason Frenzel, all of whom are allies of Mayor Christopher Taylor.

Multiple businesses in the Kerrytown area, including the Detroit Street Filling Station, also have Hughes' signs on display, while signs of support for Hayner can be found at the headquarters of the Ann Arbor Central Park Ballot Committee, the group behind a proposal for a downtown central park and civic center commons.

Hughes' campaign will test the question of whether an independent can get elected to City Council anymore, now that the city has switched to holding council elections only in even years.

With it being a federal midterm election when many Ann Arborites will be casting their votes for all Democrats up and down the ballot, Hughes may be the underdog, but he believes the fact that straight-ticket voting is now banned in Michigan gives him a boost.

Hayner said if he's elected he would work with Bannister and others on council and in the community to focus priorities on what he thinks people really need from city government: responsiveness, integrity, and a safe, affordable and welcoming place to call home.

Changes in the 1st Ward

The candidates were asked at the forum to state their positions on three potential changes that could have big impacts on Ward 1, including creation of the Treeline urban trail and redevelopments of the DTE Energy site along the Huron River off Broadway Street and the city-owned 721 N. Main St. property.

Hughes limited his answer to talking about the 721 N. Main property and the potential he sees for affordable housing there.

"One of the main things that I'd to see the city do is to fund affordable housing and build city-owned affordable housing on land that the city already owns, and I think the maintenance shed on North Main is a great spot to build a mixed-use development there," he said. "It's owned by the city and is affordable."

Since the city can't impose rent control regulations on landlords under state law, Hughes said, having the city build its own affordable housing is one way the city can set affordable rents.

"I want to see us fund affordable housing in a couple different ways," he said, suggesting the city should earmark a portion for affordable housing any time city revenue increases.

Hughes said he also supports putting a city income tax proposal before voters to fund affordable housing. He said he would want it structured so it applied only to people who could afford it, taxing those who pay it at a rate of 1 percent for residents and corporations, and 0.5 percent for non-residents who work in the city.

"If we did that, we would have plenty of money to work with the Ann Arbor Housing Commission and Avalon Housing," he said.

Hayner said he thinks the DTE riverfront site presents a great opportunity for the city and for the Lower Town area.

"We need to clean up the contamination on that site, first and foremost," he said, suggesting there should be a substantial open space on the site. "And I think there should be public space on that site. Whatever development that happens there needs to respect the river and the master plan."

He added, "There's been a lot of effort on the part of the developers to work with neighbors to come up with a friendly kind of compromise for that area. We need to work with the neighbors more."

The developer of the DTE site, which recently submitted plans to the city, is asking to rezone the property from light industrial to campus business residential. Hayner said he "absolutely" opposes that and thinks it should be reconfigured as a planned unit development.

As for what to do with the city-owned property on North Main Street, he said, there needs to be robust public input on that.

He noted there are plans to route the Treeline trail, a project once referred to as the Allen Creek Greenway, through there.

"It is public land, it's a public asset, and we need to respect that," Hayner said, noting there also are concerns about stormwater management that could be addressed.

"The original vision of the Allen Creek Greenway was ... to create a greenway by not developing in the floodplain, and I think that's still important that we realize that vision," he said.

Central park proposal

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 Nov. 6 ballot proposal that calls for designating the lot as a city park and civic commons.

The city plans to put $5 million of the sale proceeds toward affordable housing if the deal goes through.

"We need affordable housing and we need a park," Hughes said, adding it's painful to see publicly owned land sold.

"Because, you know, my whole deal is I want to put affordable housing on public land," he said.

On the other hand, Hughes said, $5 million for affordable housing is "nothing to sneeze at."

That's the amount of money that we've had in the affordable housing trust fund cumulatively since it was created in 1989, so that is a lot of money for affordable housing," Hughes said.

According to the Ann Arbor Housing Commission, every dollar from the city could be leveraged to get $25 more in outside funding such as low-income housing tax credits, so $5 million could become $130 million and pay for up to 500 new units of affordable housing.

"So that's actually a huge pile of money for affordable housing, so I wouldn't want to see that go away," Hughes said.

Hughes said he thinks the 12,000-square-foot plaza proposed as part of the Core Spaces development, with an easement so it's an actual public space where free speech applies, would be a "pretty good compromise" to go ahead with the development. The high-rise is expected to include a mix of high-end housing and other "workforce" apartments set at 150 percent of fair market rent.

"If I had my way, the city would continue owning the land, would build some more missing-middle type of housing there, and all over the city, but several hundred units of affordable housing in the hand is worth a couple thousand in the bush," Hughes said.

Hayner, who is backed by supporters of the central park proposal, said what happens on the Library Lot is a matter for voters to decide on Nov. 6 and "ask me Nov. 7 what I want to do with that."

"You got to respect the will of the people and their tenacity to get it on the ballot in its original form," he said of the park proposal.

"If the vote is a yes and people vote yes to keep that as public land, then we're going to have to get busy and we're going to figure out what to do with that land," he said.

If the park proposal is defeated and the development rights to be sold, he said, "Let's work for the best public benefits."

As for the $5 million for affordable housing that Hughes argues would be lost if the Core Spaces deal doesn't go through, Hayner said, "You can't lose something you never had."

Hayner argues the Core Spaces development is not necessarily a good deal for the city.

He noted there were other development ideas for the Library Lot that would be less impactful and still include a public space.

"All great cities have a public space. They have open spaces and public squares," he said. "And so I don't like this 'one or the other' -- it's divisive to the community. It's not doing the community justice."

'This affordability crisis'

Both candidates were asked where they'd support more affordable housing in the 1st Ward.

Hayner said affordable housing has become important to the city and there are a lot of market forces at play.

"It's a not a typical market where supply and demand is going to solve this issue," he said. "We have a university who builds demand and it offers high-paying jobs, pays good wages, and so that drives up rents, and we also have -- it's a great city, a lot of people want to live here, and we're constantly hyping our city.

"You know, we have organizations in the city like the Downtown Development Authority whose very existence is predicated on raising taxable value, and so that raises affordability issues also," he added.

"One thing I would recommend we do first is to look back at what we've been doing for the last 15 or 20 years or so that has got us in this position where we have this affordability crisis -- we have this wealth disparity in the county and in the city."

Hughes believes the city needs to get far more serious about affordable housing.

He notes the city has not kept pace with its affordable housing goals set in 2015, which called for the creation of 2,787 new affordably priced rental units by 2035, or about 140 per year.

"That was three years ago and we've built 50 total since then, so we're not coming anywhere near where we need to be," he said, noting hundreds of additional affordable housing units in the county could transition to market-rate housing as affordability periods expire for projects built using low-income housing tax credits.

"So we need something big in order to create the affordable housing that we need," he said. "We've been trying to cajole developers to put one or two units here and there, you know, into their private development ... and that's not going to get us to the 140."

Hughes believes a city income tax paid for by those who could afford it would cover the costs to build 140 new units per year.

Hayner said the 1st Ward has "all kinds of land" coming onto the tax rolls, including township islands and some large properties.

"And so I'm calling for equitable growth in the city," he said. "When we look at growth moving forward, we need to realize that we've only addressed one market segment. We've addressed the high-end segment of the market and not the missing middle and not the lower end. We're 400 or 500 units behind on the lower end."

Hayner said infill development and looking at the zoning for township islands coming into the city are good ways to get a mix of uses.

"We need senior housing, we need affordable housing at all levels up to the middle, and we need cooperative housing," he said. 'We need to be more thoughtful and more practical."

$86M train station project

The two have different thoughts on whether the city should try to build an $86 million train station in Fuller Park, a project the city has been pursuing in hopes that it would be mostly federally funded.

Hughes said public transit is a worthwhile investment and there are tens of thousands of people commuting into Ann Arbor.

"And if we could get some of them onto trains rather than in individual cars, that would alleviate a lot of our traffic problems, and less wear and tear on our roads," he said.

He said he's not sure if Fuller Park is the perfect site for a new station, but he said Fuller Road can handle a lot of traffic.

"There's plenty of space there for parking, which the current site doesn't really have," he said. "So, if we can get good funding from the feds, then that sounds great to me."

Hayner said he doesn't think there will be federal funding for a station anytime soon and $86 million could be better spent elsewhere.

"I'm a big supporter of transit, too, and living in the 1st Ward at the Barton and Pontiac intersection, more or less, we see the traffic every day," he said, arguing the University of Michigan is responsible for at least some of that.

Hayner suggests keeping the Amtrak station at Depot Street for passenger service between Detroit and Chicago and having UM build a European-style commuter rail platform along the tracks in front of the university hospital for Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter service.

Hayner said there's a lot that's good about the current Depot Street location for a station in terms of placemaking.

"It's centrally located. It's downtown. It's going to be next to this new DTE development, the new Lower Town, and there's a lot of opportunity to work with the DTE developer to consider combining parking situations, to consider amenities and other things that would fit on their site next to the limited space of the station," Hayner said.

"So, if we could partner with the development of the DTE site, I think we'll have a better opportunity to get the kind of station we need for the Chicago trains, the through trains, the Detroit commuter trains, and potentially also to create a new commuter hub with them."

Tweets questioned

After launching his campaign this year, Hayner faced heavy criticism from various community members for being a lifetime National Rifle Association member and sending tweets on topics such as gun control and abortion -- as well as one making reference to penis size -- that left some offended and questioning his politics.

He has since made his Twitter account private, but not before various people took screenshots and shared them, and someone created an online database of his tweets.

Hayner has argued some of his tweets were taken out of context and mischaracterized, though he acknowledged the penis joke he made in reference to a city ordinance was in poor taste.

He said he considers himself a "pretty liberal guy" and he's both pro-choice and in favor of gun control reforms, but that's not the impression some have gotten from some of his tweets.

In a March 2 tweet, Hayner wrote:

"We demand the right to abortions! Also, ban guns before any more of our precious children are killed! See how stupid that sounds? 'Leftists', go right ahead & have all the abortions you want, you're doing the world a favor. #Overpopulation #WaterPlanet"

In an interview, Hayner explained that tweet by saying he was just "trolling" some "fake leftists" and he knew some people would take it out of context and think it's outrageous.

On March 24, Hayner, who acknowledges he's an NRA member, tweeted about a USA Today column in which Taylor joined other mayors across the nation in calling for gun control reforms and allowing cities to adopt local firearm restrictions to reduce the threat of gun violence while respecting constitutional rights.

"We can do what needs to be done on guns, if our state legislatures get out of the way," the column from the mayors stated.

Hayner tweeted: "Mayor Taylor looking to ban guns in #AnnArbor."

Hayner said he's only an NRA member because he started shooting guns for sport as a teenager, continuing competitively into adulthood, and he had to be an NRA member to participate. He said his dad paid a small amount to make him a lifetime NRA member many years ago and he hasn't given any money to the organization since then.

"I loathe their politics," Hayner said, arguing there should be more restrictions on access to firearms and he supports reasonable limitations that still respect constitutional rights.

Some have criticized Hayner for other tweets, including one in June 2015 when he tweeted: "Why are some women bad at estimating heights? Their whole life men have told them this is 12" #a2council." The tweet included a photo of a hand with the index finger and thumb spaced about an inch or two apart.

Hayner said it's fine if people don't get the joke and he acknowledges the tweet was in poor taste. For context, he said, he was mocking an ordinance before council that night regarding vegetation height.

In another tweet from 2015 that's been circulated, Hayner wrote: "Halfway to Halloween @necto Costume contest at midnight - I'm going as a douchebag yuppie that's ruining A2. #a2council."

Asked about the yuppie remark, Hayner said, "We certainly have our fair share. I mean, who pays seven bucks for a cup of coffee?"

Hayner, a Saginaw native who moved to Ann Arbor in 1983 and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1987, believes there's going to be new energy on council starting later this month.

Assuming he gets elected, he said, he looks forward to working with fellow incoming council members Ali Ramlawi and Kathy Griswold, as well as newcomer Elizabeth Nelson if she wins her race.

"I've worked up some good ideas for bringing transparency to city processes and increasing public notice and public participation opportunities," Hayner said.

"Ward 1 has active, knowledgable residents," he added. "There's a lot of sharp people living up our way. We've probably got the most diverse ward in the whole city and it's fantastic. It's why we chose to live there. And I've got a great team behind me with the ward, and I'm prepared to listen, and I'm prepared to take informed action."

Hayner said he wants to get to work on fixing the city's water problems, and issues of equitable growth, equitable housing and land use.

"And let's make real commitments to fix our roads and to solve our longterm stormwater issues, and to preserve our parks, and to put sustainability practices into our city management," he said. "It's time to move forward with Ann Arbor, to put aside any kind of squabbles that we've had, and to move forward."

Hughes, an Okemos native who came to Ann Arbor in 1998 to attend UM and earn a degree in computer science, said he was inspired by the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in 2016.

He acknowledges some of his ideas might fall "outside the acceptable political spectrum," but he said if there's one thing he took away from the Sanders campaign, it's that people are ready to vote for candidates with radical, inspiring ideas.

"Ann Arbor is having a lot of growing pains right now. None of us want to find ourselves priced out of the city and we also don't want to lose what we love about the city," he said.

"We love that Ann Arbor is diverse, vibrant and creative."

Hughes said he's been lucky enough to afford buying a home in Ann Arbor's Water Hill neighborhood, but he's tired of watching more and more people, including longtime renters, priced out of the city. Prior to home ownership, he lived in cooperative housing in Ann Arbor.

"I lived in the co-ops for 10 years and I was on the board for five," he said, referring to the Inter-Cooperative Council.

"We made all of our decisions by consensus," he said. "We had 30 people in the room, we had to all agree, and that's where I got my political education there.

"That's where I developed my political style, and I learned that you don't win by defeating your opponent. You win by listening to their ideas and incorporating them. And then you find that you've eliminated your opponent by turning them into a comrade."

Hughes suggests complicated problems and disagreements about how to proceed are a job for a consensus builder with a bold, progressive vision, and he says that sounds like a job for a democratic socialist.

Appealing directly to voters, Hughes said in closing at the forum, "Now I'm a lover, not a fighter, but I promise that I will love fiercely on your behalf, and I will never stop loving for your rights."
ANN ARBOR, MI - A Guinean immigrant with an inherited disease has taken refuge in a local church to avoid deportation.

Mohamed Soumah, 44, suffers from a genetic kidney disease and was hospitalized on Friday, Oct. 19, the day he was to report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at the airport to catch a flight to his home country, Guinea.

He has since taken sanctuary at Ann Arbor Friends Meeting House after a social worker called the Quaker church to share Soumah's situation. Members met with him in the hospital and decided to take him in.

"I've been here for 15 years," Soumah said tearfully. "For 10 years, I had a kidney disease ... I've been working. Never committed any crime. (I'm) paying my taxes. And now I'm going to be deported."

Soumah's condition requires dialysis three times a week. He says his home country lacks adequate equipment and training for proper treatment.

"If I get deported, I will die," he said. "My mom died from the same disease seven years ago. If I go to my country ... I will die."

Soumah's mother died after two hours on dialysis for the first time in Guinea, he said.

Mary Anne Perrone of the Washtenaw Congregational Sanctuary, an interfaith coalition, said there are very few dialysis machines in Guinea and when they malfunction, without replacements on-hand, it can be deadly.

"The technicians, are very few in proper training," Perrone said. "In order to train technicians, they have to be sent out of the country. And after they're trained, they often do not return. There's a scarcity of machines, technicians and quality of care is insufficient."

Andrew Zweifler, a retired UM physician, said Soumah "absolutely has to have" dialysis to survive.

"The condition is not treatable with medication," he said, adding each dialysis treatment in Guinea requires separate payments in a country the World Bank calls low-income, with an average life expectancy of 60 years old.

"To survive, he either needs dialysis or a kidney transplant," Zweifler said.

Soumah has worked in a cafeteria at the University of Michigan and later moved into a custodial role, which paid more, Perrone said.

"He has been working in the United States with permission for at least seven years ... each year, he applied to have it renewed and it was ... until this year. They just said no," Perrone said.

Soumah was married to a U.S. citizen, from whom he is now separated. He has two children who are both citizens and living with their mother.

Soumah was admitted to the U.S. into 2002, according to an ICE spokesperson, and "violated the terms of his admission by remaining in the U.S. beyond his authorized term."

In 2011, an immigration judge ordered him removed, but he was placed on supervision because the agency was "unable to obtain a travel document from his home country," the spokesperson said.

He is now considered a "fugitive."

"In an exercise of discretion, ICE had previously allowed Mr. Soumah to remain free while arrangements were being made for his departure from the U.S.," ICE said in a statement. "Mr. Soumah failed to report as instructed for his removal and is now considered a fugitive alien."

ICE has a policy against conducting enforcement activity at sensitive locations unless "exigent circumstances" exist. Sensitive locations under ICE policy include schools, places of worship, hospitals, public rallies and demonstrations, and more.

More on the policy here.

In January, Albanian immigrant Ded Rranxburgaj took sanctuary in a downtown Detroit church after being ordered deported. Rranxburgaj has two sons and an ailing wife who suffers from a severe case of multiple sclerosis.

A federal hearing on the government's request for dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Rranxburgaj is set for 2:30 p.m. Nov. 13.
FLINT, MI -- The Flint Board of Education is seeking applications for a vacant seat following a recent resignation on the governing body.

Applications are being taken until 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5 after school board member Kenyatta Dotson announced at the Oct. 17 meeting that she was stepping down.

Her move comes due to plans on moving out of the boundaries for the school district, according to a district statement. She served on the board for approximately four years.

Dotson was recently recognized by the Michigan Community Service Commission, which named her Volunteer of the Year at the

.

"Kenyetta Dotson played an important role as a longstanding a member of the Board, and we are incredibly grateful for her service to the District,"

said Diana Wright, school board president.

"We will miss her strong community voice and her dedication to bettering the lives of our students in Flint."

Those interested in the vacancy must be a registered voter of the School District of the City of Flint.

The board will consider all applications, but it may also consider any recommendations for the appointment of others to fill the existing vacancy.

"As we look to fill the vacancy, we're eager to have another member of our community join us in our commitment to serving the children of Flint Community Schools and helping to advance the district," Wright said.

Applications can be found online at flintschools.org and should be filed with Monaca Wood, the board's executive assistant, at the FCS Administration Building, 923 E. Kearsley Street.

The vacancy must be filled by Nov. 17.
FLINT, MI - The trial for the man accused of trying to kill a police officer at Bishop Airport is set to start with jury selection on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Amor M. Ftouhi is charged with committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, violence at an international airport and interference with airport security.

Ftouhi, who is a dual citizen of Canada and Tunisia, is accused in the June 21, 2017, stabbing of Bishop Airport Police Lt. Jeff Neville inside the terminal.

Jury selection is expected to begin Nov. 8 and the trial will run through Nov. 16, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

MLive-The Flint Journal could not immediately reach the U.S. Attorney's Office or Ftouhi's attorney for comment.

Prior to the attack, police claim Ftouhi had attempted to purchase a gun after researching gun laws and searching for gun shows in the state. However, prosecutors say he was denied the ability to purchase a gun at a Mount Clemens gun show.

Ftouhi is accused of stabbing Neville with a large knife while shouting "Allahu Akbar" and referencing killings in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq just four days after entering the United States from Canada, federal prosecutors claim. Neville survived the attack.

Investigators said Ftouhi said he was a "soldier of Allah" and subscribed to the ideology of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, according to the indictment.

Ftouhi faces the potential of a life sentence in prison if convicted.
ALLENDALE, MI - Grand Valley State University suspended all fraternity and sorority events with alcohol until there is "confidence that student welfare and institutional obligations can be achieved,'' officials said.

School leaders say the decision is not a response to any event this semester but what has occurred over five years in which seven fraternities and two sorority chapters have been sanctioned or suspended, including one this school year.

"This is not about the latest issue, rather that the latest issue is the latest in what has been a pattern and alcohol is a common thread,'' said Loren Rullman, vice provost for student affairs and dean of students, about studying Greek violations since he took the job in July.

"We are concerned about the welfare and safety of our students. We need to take a pause, understand what's happening, and how we can come together and figure how to be better.''

Rullman, who discussed the decision Thursday night with MLive/The Grand Rapids Press, said Grand Valley is being proactive because it doesn't want to be in national conversations responding to a tragedy like has occurred with other universities in recent years.

An institutionally approved task force of students, faculty, and staff is going to be formed to examine issues within and expectations of the fraternity and sorority community, according to a letter notifying Greek students about the ban sent Wednesday, Oct. 31 by Bob Stoll, associate dean for student life.

The letter followed an earlier town hall meeting of 300 people. The Greek Life Board called the meeting to discuss topics, including alcohol usage, tied to improving the Greek culture and experience, said Mikaela Padgen, president of the Greek Life Board.

Padgen said the alcohol ban has drawn a mixed response from the Greek community.

"There are student-leaders within the Greek community who are willing to embrace this, see what areas we need to improve and take the opportunity to become more educated on safety issues,'' she said.

"There are other people who are upset, primarily because the administration is telling us what we need to be doing, not student governed or initiated.''

Padgen said most of their chapters follow the code of conduct and are practicing safety but there are some chapters that "need a lot more work in areas such as knowledge of safety.'' She said it doesn't come as surprise the administration took what she views as a preventative measure, rather than punishment.

Grand Valley has also suspended any additional Greek chapter expansions until a new framework for evaluating expansion requests is approved.

Rullman said Kappa Sigma was suspended for two years this semester for violating the code of conduct related to alcohol usage. He said the national organization has revoked the fraternity's charter.

Last fall, the university suspended Sigma Phi Epsilon for five years following a five-week investigation revealed student code violations for hazing and consumption of alcohol were widespread enough to warrant dismissal.

"I think growth is what we are looking for here, not just a pause,'' said Padgen, about working together with the administration keep members safe.

"I hope people understand that Greek life is not a negative aspect of the Grand Valley community but has long been an asset," she said. "We have some amazing leaders and incredible people involved in service opportunities and philanthropy in the community.''

In September, the North-American Interfraternity Conference, voted to ban hard alcohol - drinks with 15 percent or more alcohol by volume - at its fraternities nationwide. The ban came after the recent deaths of students at events.

In March, Florida State University lifted a five-month ban on alcohol, as part of a suspension of Greek life activities. The suspension and crackdown on alcohol followed the Nov. 3, 2017 death of Pi Kappa Alpha pledge Andrew Coffey, who died of alcohol poisoning at a frat party.

Grand Valley has approximately 1,800 students involved in Greek life, according to Rullman.

"I value our fraternities and sororities, especially when they are contributing to the universities objectives,'' said Rullman, about student success and educational standards.

"When there is a danger to those objectives or other students, I get concerned. I am pretty hopeful we can move forward and get stronger as a community."
GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, MI - Police searched a home for explosives after a man with a "Trump is Satan" sign allegedly said that Republic headquarters in Northern Michigan ought to be bombed.

Police have talked to the man.

Grand Traverse County sheriff's detectives, an explosive-detection K9 team, an interdiction team and state police bomb squad used a search warrant Thursday, Nov. 1, at the East Bay Township home related to the alleged threats. Police found no evidence of explosives or bomb-making materials.

Police had also searched the Republican Party headquarters in Garfield Township but found nothing.

Staff told police that an angry man, holding the "Trump is Satan" sign, walked into the Republican headquarters on Wednesday and said that "'someone should bomb this place' or 'I should bomb this place,'" police said in a statement.

Police eventually tracked down the man and interviewed him. Police expect to turn reports over to prosecutors to determine if any charges should be filed.

Police on Thursday provided additional patrols near the office.

Michigan Republican Party Chief of Staff Colleen Pero blamed "extremist activists" in the Grand Traverse County incident and earlier incident of graffiti on the party's Lansing office.

State Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, said on Facebook that the man entered the office as she was leaving the parking lot. She said he "made real serious threats to the victory center staffers. Several of my colleagues saw the man as we were leaving in the parking lot. I find it disturbing that this is becoming the norm."
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The Grand Rapids school board Monday, Nov. 5, will vote on a proposal for the Kent ISD to engage the community and gather information for its superintendent search.

Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal is retiring, effective July 1, after seven years.

In October, the board voted to seek proposals to conduct community engagement with some members thinking the Kent ISD would make a submission.

However, the educational agency does not compete with outside firms, rather provides the engagement service to its districts if asked at no fee.

"What we really want is for the community to know that we value strongly their input,'' said school board member Tony Baker, about seeking input about the next superintendent, as well as on district direction, challenges, and what it is doing well at and not so well on.

Baker, who chairs a school board Superintendent Transition Planning Committee, said the Kent ISD did effectively engage the community in 2011 when they were seeking new superintendent.

He said the committee is recommending the board support the agency doing the work again.

"We view this task as part of our mission as a service agency and given our knowledge of the community we believe we're uniquely suited to gather this input,'' said Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Caniff.

If the board decided to use the Kent ISD's services, Caniff said it will save them time and money, if and/or when the board decides to eventually hire a superintendent search firm.

"If selected, Kent ISD will work closely with the board to design an engagement process that will seek out and elicit the voice of staff, community stakeholders, government and philanthropic leaders in community meetings, focus groups and one-on-one interviews,'' Caniff wrote school board president Wendy Falb on Nov. 1.

"We will also employ an online survey tool to ensure all members of the community are given the opportunity for input."

The school board will review a stakeholder input process the Kent ISD has outlined that includes questions for the board to consider in the information gathering process.

For example, how should the process be structured to be totally transparent?

Timely reports to the board in public meetings

Sharing of raw data with board members

Written report of findings

Board discussion of stakeholders' advice

Board decision on agreed upon profile for superintendent

Last month, board members emphasized they wanted to get started with the process, so that they had ample time to find a replacement and not be put the position of having to select an interim.

There was some initial reluctance about getting too far out in the search process because of the Nov. 6 general election in which seven candidates, including three incumbents, are running for five seats on the school board.

If they move forward with Kent ISD, Baker said the engagement work could be completed before the end of year and the new board would be prepared to work on a candidate profile in January.

The proposal request was never officially posted. If the board decides to go that route, it would need to go through the Purchasing department after some tweaks to language.

A joint work session with newly elected board members is scheduled for Nov. 12, but Baker said the board will also vote Monday on whether to cancel that meeting.

If the Kent ISD proposal is approved, there could potentially be a joint work session in December after the engagement process.

The school board meets at 6:30 p.m. in the administration building, 1331 Franklin St. SE.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The way in which Grand Rapids community members are engaged in helping shape local policing is "remarkable," according to a research group that was "really impressed" following a three-day visit to the city.

Policing Project, a group from New York University School of Law, is conducting a nationwide field research study on "democratic policing." It visited Grand Rapids for three days in late September -- the first of five cities that will be studied.

The group's visit came about a month after the latest in several incidents involving the handcuffing of children by Grand Rapids police officers that have sparked public outcry.

How police interact with youth, especially when it comes to detaining children and young teens who haven't committed a crime, has sparked community conversations over the last two years and has been a significant topic of the ongoing community-police engagement.

For several days in late September, project researchers met with police, residents, local leaders and community groups to better understand the city's state of policing and community-engagement.

"Democratic policing means communities have a voice in how policing works in their neighborhoods, and that police departments and cities respect and incorporate that input into policies and practice," said Brian Chen, senior program manager for the Policing Project.

"Grand Rapids is an example of a city and community groups seriously engaging in what they want policing to look like. It was remarkable to us ... It was impressive and clear that there was a role for everyone to play in this."

But the director of a local, non-profit advocacy group, said that although the community and police department engaged in the dialogue that the group praised, those conversations haven't always resulted in sufficient changes.

Jeremy DeRoo, director of LINC Up, spoke with members of the Policing Project during their visit. He said the group did its research and understood the perceived disconnect by some between public dialogue and actual systematic changes being made.

"There are different ways to evaluate engagement; that's something they're trying to explore," DeRoo said. "One question is are there conversations happening. Another is are things changing because of it. I do think Grand Rapids is getting the first question right.

"As to the second question, there have been changes. Are they happening at a speed the community thinks is appropriate? Some I speak to in the community say no, but that doesn't mean they're not ahead of other departments around the country."

Policing Project is a non-profit organization at New York University School of Law that says it's dedicated to strengthening policing through accountability and ensuring that community voice and sound decision-making techniques are part of policing.

The group recently set out, in partnership with the National Police Foundation and National Urban League, to answer questions and determine best practices related to police-community engagement.

Grand Rapids was the first stop. Austin, Texas, was the second, and Chen said the group will visit three more cities in the near future, though he declined to identify which cities in advance.

"We're looking for different models of community engagement," Chen said. "I don't think there's any one city that offers the answer for what every community ought to do."

The group sought out a variety of cities based on size, system of government, how organized community groups are, and types of community engagement. Grand Rapids caught the group's attention with actions like the 12-point plan to improve community-police relations from 2015, and the hiring of 21st Century Policing Solutions to assist a task force in reviewing the department's policies and procedures.

Members of Policing Project spoke with police department leadership and officers, the former interim city manager, and representatives of the local NAACP, Urban League and LINC Up during their three-day visit.

In a brief report on its website, the group said it heard different, and at times conflicting, perspectives as to what has been tangibly achieved and what still needs to be done in Grand Rapids.

"Still, Grand Rapids provides guidance for other cities, particularly those with a council-manager system of governance, that are attempting to deepen community voice in policing," the group wrote.

For Grand Rapids to be selected was significant to Police Chief David Rahinsky, who said the group's praise was a compliment to the department and the community for their collaboration.

"We have been so introspective here in Grand Rapids and have opened ourselves up so much and with that comes criticism," Rahinsky said. "In our continual efforts to improve, I think there has been a focus on areas in need of improvement or could be improved. What that has neglected is how well the men and women that where this uniform represent and serve this community."

The police chief highlighted to the group various types of engagement by the department, including the Police Chief's Youth Advisory Council (IMPACT), local Boys & Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids and Camp O'Malley, Advocates and Leaders For Police And Community Trust (ALPACT), and the Grand Rapids Community Relations Commission.

DeRoo said although there might be more engagement in Grand Rapids, it hasn't always led to system changes. He did highlight some concrete changes, like the addition of officer-worn body cameras, which has allowed for further conversations on topics like the handcuffing of youth.

On Oct. 21, the police department hosted a community forum to hear resident concerns in the wake of a fourth incident in which an unarmed African American youth was handcuffed at gunpoint. The forum grew out of a planned protest at the police department.

A local representative of the American Civil Liberties Union said the group is looking 'very closely' at the department's handcuffing of youth to determine if officers have violated the children's constitutional rights.

DeRoo said it was telling that a national group, when looking for stories around community-police interactions, came to Grand Rapids to learn about what's going on.

"That tells me that something is happening here," DeRoo said. "There's a different dynamic going on in Grand Rapids. It's not necessarily a positive or a negative, it's just different."

Joe Jones, second ward city commissioner and president of the Urban League of West Michigan, said he appreciated hearing the group's take and giving his perspective on the city's efforts to develop a community that's "wedded in mutual respect."

He said he's seen progress in the city's community-police relations.

Chen said he's not prepared to evaluate the state of policing in Grand Rapids. He said his group expects to put out a summary of its findings at the conclusion of their field research.

"What we're hoping to do is put out practical, actionable recommendations that people who are in law enforcement or community organizers or city officials, we want to give them some concrete, practical steps to making engagement deeper, more substantive, more meaningful in terms of having actual changes come about after the talking ends and having real changes to policies and practices," Chen said.

After its visit, the group identified key questions "that police and community leaders in Grand rapids are asking themselves," including:
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Grand Valley State University President Thomas Haas said the alcohol ban on all fraternity and sorority events imposed Wednesday, Oct. 31 is an educational opportunity.

"If there are behaviors, like with alcohol, that are precipitating negative consequences for our students and their safety, I am going to step in,'' Haas told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press Friday, Nov. 2.

"We try to anticipate problems and be proactive that's our culture here. "Student voices are going to be very important in the task force being created as they have been for my 12.5 years here.''

Haas and the Board of Trustees discussed the ban during the board's Academic and Student Affairs Committee Friday, Nov. 2, prior to the full board meeting at the Eberhard Center on GVSU's Pew Campus in Grand Rapids.

School leaders said the alcohol ban wasn't prompted by a single event but a pattern of events.

MLive/The Grand Rapids Press was given a list of a dozen fraternities and sororities, including three repeat offenders, that have been sanctioned or suspended since 2015. There were three this calendar year.

An institutionally approved task force of students, faculty, and staff will examine issues within and expectations of the fraternity and sorority community.

"At the end of the day, the students are going to own this and that's why we are who we are at Grand Valley,'' Haas said.

Mary Kramer, chair of the Board of Trustees, said the task force is going to be very important. In this process, she said students have an opportunity for engagement and a seat at the table.

The presidents of the Greek Life Board and the Student Senate say the reaction on campus has been mixed with many eager to work with the administration on positive changes and others upset and frustrated by the action.

"This is a great opportunity for everyone to reflect on safety, not just at GVSU, but across the county,'' Greek Life Board President Makaela Padgen told MLive Thursday. "Students don't want to see something tragic happen here like at other universities.''

Rachel Jenkin, Student Senate president and a resident assistant, addressed the board committee Friday.

"We are excited about having students involved in the task force,'' she told MLive after the meeting. "The university has issued a call to action as a prevention method, where as other universities have done this in response to negative events.''

For example, Florida State University imposed a five-month ban on alcohol and Greek activities following the death of a fraternity pledge last November. The ban was listed in March.

"I want to ensure time and time again safety for all - students, faculty, staff, and those who are visiting us,'' Haas said.

"We are going to work together with our Greek men and women to create the culture that we want for student success and safety on and off campus.''

In October, Kappa Sigma was suspended for two years for violating the code of conduct related to alcohol usage. The university said the nation organization revoked the fraternity's charter and it has been removed from campus.

The others Greek chapters cited since 2015 are:
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Hundreds of people across many faiths gathered in Grand Rapids to denounce hate and pray for victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting.

About 300 people stood in Calder Plaza as darkness descended Thursday, Nov. 1 for an event called "Stand with Pittsburgh: A Prayer Gathering for Shalom."

"In a tragedy, there is a lot of love that comes out. If only we could see that love before the tragedy," said Rabbi Michael Schadick of Temple Emanuel.

"Unfortunately, it often takes events like this (the shooting) to bring people out and remind ourselves that in fact we do care for each other," he said

Schadick was one of many religious leaders, from many faiths, to speak at Thursday's candlelight vigil.

Mostly, the leaders delivered messages that condemned hate and encouraged religious and cultural understanding and diversity.

The shooting on Saturday, Oct. 27 left 11 worshipers dead at Tree of Life synagogue. Six other people were injured.

Robert Bowers has been indicted on 44 federal charges. Prior to the attack, he had posted dozens of anti-Semitic messages on a social network called Gab, a site sometimes associated with white supremacists and extremists.

Jack Novick, who came to Thursday's vigil with his wife, Jeanne Englehart, said the event was reaffirming that most people are good and caring. He carried a sign that read "Hate has no home here."

"We are going to have setbacks like this," he said. "This gathering kind of reinforces the fact that most of us are going in the same direction.

He said the Pittsburgh shooting caused him to consider whether such a tragedy could happen in West Michigan.

"I think there are white supremacists in Michigan, without a doubt," he said.
ELMWOOD TWP, MI -- A five-time repeat intoxicated driver was arrested early Friday morning on allegations he was driving inebriated again.

Around 1 a.m. Friday, Nov. 2, deputies attempted to pull over a pickup "for failing to dim headlights" on M-22 near Cedar Cove Road just north of Traverse City, according to the Leelanau County Sheriff's Office.

The pickup then "abruptly" turned into a private driveway, and the driver took off on foot, the sheriff's office states.

The driver was arrested in the backyard. Deputies believed he was intoxicated.

After running his information, deputies found the man had five operating while intoxicated convictions since 2005, according to the sheriff's office.

His latest conviction was in 2013 for operating while intoxicated and fleeing and eluding police in Kalamazoo County, the sheriff's office reports. His other convictions were in Alpena, Wyoming, and Charlevoix County.

The man was lodged in the Leelanau County Jail on allegations of felony operating while intoxicated and driving on a denied or suspended driver's license.

Under Michigan law, a person operating while intoxicated within 10 years of two or more prior convictions is charged with a felony.

The felony is punishable by a fine of $500 to $5,000 and either one to five years in prison or less than a year in jail with several months community service.
Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services plans to open a psychiatric urgent care center in March at its Gaines Township headquarters, a move to provide immediate help to people suffering from depression, anxiety, psychosis and other behavioral health issues.

Megan Zambiasi, who will serve as the urgent care center's director, said the facility will reduce wait times for non-emergency mental health care services that can often stretch to a month or more. It's geared toward people who are not an immediate threat to themselves or others but are nonetheless in need of care.

"It is expected to dramatically reduce wait times for psychiatric assessments and will provide much needed clinical services in a safe and calm environment for those experiencing acute psychiatric distress," she said.

The urgent care center will be located within Pine Rest's headquarters at 300 68th St. SE in Gaines Township, south of Kentwood. The project will not require new construction, though additional mental health professionals will be needed to staff the center, Zambiasi said.

Pine Rest is launching the urgent care center as a six-month pilot program to gauge demand for the service. It will provide treatment to adults age 18 and older, though it may expand to offer treatment to children in the future, Zambiasi said.

She said there are no other dedicated psychiatric urgent care centers in West Michigan. Network 180, Kent County's mental health authority, provides psychiatric urgent care but only for patients on public insurance programs such as Medicaid, Zambiasi said.

The shortage of providers has resulted in patients, who are experiencing psychiatric distress, turning to emergency rooms for care. And that in turn puts pressure on emergency rooms to "board" such patients before evaluating them and referring them to a treatment provider, a practice that increases costs and delays treatment, Pine Rest said in a news release.

There were 14,623 visits to emergency rooms at Grand Rapids-area hospitals in 2016, with the primary need being behavioral health care, Pine Rest says.

"A Psychiatric Urgent Care Center, paired with the existing continuum of behavioral health care available at Pine Rest and in the community, will help to address these problems," Pine Rest President and CEO Mark Eastburg said in a statement. "As the comprehensive behavioral health provider in West Michigan, we're well-qualified to step in and fill this growing need."
WHITE CLOUD, MI -- A West Michigan judge has been suspended from the bench after "complaints of sexual harassment and misconduct," according to an administrative order.

Newaygo County Chief Probate Judge Graydon W. Dimkoff said he was informed Monday morning, Oct. 29, he was suspended and accused of sexual harassment.

The 71-year-old judge denies the accusation.

Newaygo County Chief Judge Robert D. Springstead wrote in a Nov. 1 administrative order that Dimkoff's suspension came after receiving "complaints of sexual harassment and misconduct."

Springstead ordered Dimkoff barred from court property and relieved of his docket and work hours until further notice. Dimkoff also was ordered to surrender his keys, access cards and other county property.

The order states that those measures were needed because "it appears from initial interviews of county staff, that the safety and well-being of court staff needs to be protected."

Dimkoff is still allowed to give judgements on cases he has received all testimony in, the order states.

Springstead did not describe the nature of the allegations and had no further comment.

The order states that Springstead's office and county administration are investigating the allegations.

Dimkoff said Springstead informed him Monday morning he was being suspended.

"The judge announced that I was being relieved of my judicial duties and I was to accompany him to the county manager's office," Dimkoff told MLive. "Judge Springstead then informed me an allegation of sexual harassment was made against me. I felt very humiliated. I asked what the allegation was. They would not tell me."

Dimkoff said Springstead and Newaygo County Administrator Christopher Wren wouldn't tell him the details of the allegation. They also did not ask him about it, he said.

"I departed the premises and I've been sitting here in the dark ever since," he said.

Wren did not return calls for comment.

According to state police records, Dimkoff has not been arrested or charged with any crime.

Dimkoff denies he's sexually harassed anyone.

"I've searched my heart, mind, body and soul," he said. "I cannot think of anything I've ever done to anybody to sexually harass them. It just is out of the blue."

Investigations into alleged wrongdoings by elected judges can be conducted by a chief judge, county administration and/or the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission, said Michigan Supreme Court spokesman John Nevin.

The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission then forwards the results to the Michigan Supreme Court for possible action.

Dimkoff said Springstead did not tell him when he would be able to return to the bench.

Dimkoff is set for retirement on Jan. 1, 2019 -- a decision made before the allegation and suspension.

Voters will choose his successor at the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

According to his county biography, Graydon Dimkoff was appointed as the chief judge of Newaygo County Probate Court by former Michigan Governor John Engler. He has served since 1998.

Before his time on the bench, he practiced general law. Graydon Dimkoff opened a law office in the county in 1976.

Just like a case in his courtroom, Dimkoff said he wants to know the allegations against him so he can present a defense.

"I feel I'm going to be maligned here at the very end of my career," he said. "If I did something wrong I would confess it in a heartbeat."
CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, MI - A Michigan resident used some odd terminology to describe a distressed animal in their backyard, prompting an investigation by the DNR.

According to an official report, the incident occurred in mid-October when Chad Baldwin, a conservation officer in DNR District 3, received a complaint about a raccoon that, according to the caller, appeared to be "rolling around and dancing" in their backyard.

CO Baldwin contacted the complainant who stated that the raccoon seemed very friendly but that it was "a little off."

By the time CO Baldwin arrived at the Charlevoix County residence, the raccoon had apparently convulsed and passed away. CO Baldwin recovered the raccoon and submitted it to a nearby lab for testing.

DNR District 3 is in the Northern Lower Peninsula and includes Alpena, Antrim, Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Emmet, Montmorency, Otsego and Presque Isle counties.
In a speech to Michigan supporters in Lansing, former Vice President Joe Biden stressed that the words of both those in power and ordinary citizens matter - and that staying silent isn't an option on Election Day.

Speaking to a crowd at Lansing Community College Thursday, Biden - who spoke softly for the majority of his speech due to laryngitis - sought to make the case for Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, in the 8th Congressional District, and other Michigan Democrats.

Doing so would help the country get back to American ideals, he said.

"Together we can do anything and we can take it all back," he said. "So get the hell up, go out and vote."

In his often-somber speech, Biden called to the crowd's attention the recent shootings at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, and said something needs to change.

"It's on our leaders to set the tone, to dial the temperature down, to restore some dignity," Biden said. "With all due respect, we have to recognize that how we treat one another as individuals also matters...Each one of us has the power to change the tone."

Biden said as he's continued to tour the country, he's noticed people in both parties are seeking people who are authentic, tell the truth and treat people with dignity and respect as candidates, qualities he said Slotkin and other Michigan candidates possess.

He said political opponents and the press aren't the enemy, adding, "before you're a Democrat, Independent or Republican, you're an American."

Biden expressed frustration with Republicans currently in power, arguing Republicans have put redrawing political districts, high spending and supporting President Donald Trump over the needs of citizens.

"This is not your father's Republican party," he said.

About 1,100 supporters were let into the main rally, although organizers estimate another 1,200 were watching via livestream in an overflow area.

Slotkin used the Biden rally as an opportunity to make her pitch as a new type of leader who thinks bigger, works harder and would never forget her role as a public servant if elected.

She drew cheers from the crowd when she said she would open an office in Lansing, and said she wasn't scared off by attack ads currently running against her in the 8th.

"You and your attack ads do not scare me," Slotkin said, addressing Bishop. "Those attack ads do nothing for the people that you represent."

Also featured at the rally were U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer, lieutenant governor nominee Garlin Gilchrist II and other state and local candidates.

Ahead of Biden's speech, Stabenow told the crowd: "Who we are as Americans is on the ballot, and it's time to take our country back."

Stabenow said she takes the 8th Congressional election personally, as she once served in the district before running for the Senate. She expressed frustration with how the district's shape has changed under Republican control, but said that wouldn't matter this year.

Republicans "can change all the rules they want - Elissa Slotkin is going to be the next Congresswoman," Stabenow said.

Outside the rally, supporters of Bishop stood around a "pallet of cash" meant to symbolize Slotkin's support of giving funds to Iran. Slotkin dismissed the demonstration as a "gimmick."

.@ElissaSlotkin supported giving $150 billion to Iran, the worlds largest sponsor of terror. Her pallet of cash was in Lansing tonight #mi08 #forslotkinitspartybeforecountry #alwaysalways pic.twitter.com/oNQVGH4p3e  stusandler (@stusandler) November 1, 2018

Biden - who was last in Michigan in September on Whitmer's behalf - is one of several high-profile party leaders to visit the state to campaign for candidates in recent weeks.

Also on Thursday, Kellyanne Conway, counselor to Trump, was originally scheduled to come to Michigan to rally with prominent Republican candidates, but canceled due to a plane malfunction.

Other visitors have included Vice President Mike Pence, former President Barack Obama, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump.

Currently, Trump is not scheduled to visit Michigan ahead of the Nov. 6 election.

Watch a recording of the Biden rally below:
STERLING HEIGHTS, MI - Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, did not attend a rally she was set to headline in Macomb County Thursday night.

Before the cancellation, Conway was set to rally for candidates including Republican governor candidate Bill Schuette and Republican U.S. Senate candidate John James.

"I am highly disappointed that I will not be able to take part in tonight's 'Get Out the Vote' Rally, due to unforeseen aircraft mechanical problems," Conway said in a statement released and read to event attendees.

"However, I am incredibly excited by the tremendous momentum John James, Bill Schuette, and the rest of the Michigan Republican ticket has shown over the past weeks, and I will make every effort to come to Michigan prior to the Election.

"I look forward to lending my support to Michigan's tremendous grass roots efforts. I am confident that on Tuesday, November 6, the people of Michigan will once again vote to drain the swamp and will send career politician Debbie Stabenow into retirement," she said in the statement.

James is running to unseat Stabenow for the U.S. Senate seat.

He has support from people like Richard Southern, a retired judge who attended the event in Macomb. He's voted for Stabenow in the past, but thinks she got trapped in holding the line for Democrats in Washington.

"He seems to be even-tempered and hardworking and he believes in merit, hard work, tending to business, and I believe in that. He's not a big government guy, not a handout guy, and I'm not either," Southern said.

He was a little disappointed Conway couldn't make it but understood the mechanical problems.

"I'm a big fan of hers. I always like it when she's interviewed because she doesn't try to overwhelm but she usually says something fresh that's a little bit off the talking points and I've always thought she tried to honestly respond to the questions," Southern said.

Other candidates and area officials did still speak at the event. In attendance were statewide candidates including Republican Secretary of State candidate Mary Treder Lang and Republican Attorney General candidate Tom Leonard.

Conway was to be the latest in a stream of Trump surrogates that have visited Michigan in the lead-up to the election. Vice President Mike Pence, Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump have all visited the state in recent weeks.

Trump himself has not visited in the lead-up to the general election, and speculation abounds on whether he will. He is making stops in surrounding states but has not announced publicly any stops in Michigan.

Conway's stop was to take place in Macomb County, where Trump won handily in the 2016 presidential election.
In the week before the Nov. 6 election, a number of big Michigan companies are sending money to the campaign opposing marijuana legalization.

Midland-based Dow Corporation made the largest donation to Healthy and Productive Michigan, sending $100,000 this week.

Furniture manufacturer Haworth Inc., Gordon Food Services, automotive supplier Lear Corporation, manufacturer Lacks Industries, construction firm Walbridge Aldinger, Two Men and a Truck and the Edwn. C. Levy Co. all chipped into the campaign as well, according to late campaign finance contribution reports filed with the Secretary of State.

The companies are joining a roster of DTE Energy executives who have backed the opposition campaign, which has largely been funded up unto this point by the national group SAM Action.

"It is obvious that companies will be testing a lot more frequently to ensure that those working in fields like transportation, manufacturing, medical, and a host of other jobs are not impaired at all," said Scott Greenlee, president of the opposition campaign. "And many companies will simply choose to be drug free regardless of what business they are in."

The campaign behind the ballot proposal, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, has also received support late in the campaign from two groups: the New Approach PAC ($742,150 of in-kind contributions and cash) and Drug Policy Action ($100,000). Both are pro-drug policy reform groups.

"Businesses have said they are concerned about workplace safety and maintaining drug testing. Proposal 1 specifically states that businesses have the right to continue their existing drug-free workplace programs," said Josh Hovey, spokesman for the coalition.

Proposal 1 would allow employers in Michigan to continue to fire or refuse to employ workers over marijuana use -- but companies would quickly have to review their drug testing policies if it passes.

"I represent a lot of manufacturing companies. You're going to have a hard time finding an employer allowing their workers to run machinery while high," said Nikole Canute, a labor and employment lawyer with Mika Meyers in Grand Rapids.

Proposal 1 doesn't prohibit employers from having a zero-tolerance drug policy. It also does not require employers to drug test. Any employer who is a federal contractor would have to keep their zero-tolerance drug policy due to the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988, Canute said.

Zero-tolerance drug use policies would be the simplest way forward for employers, Canute said.

"I've had a couple of employers come to me already," Canute said. "If employers want to take a more forgiving approach when it comes to marijuana, and allow for it in their policies, they could run up against insurance claim denials."
PORT HURON, MI - A Michigan man has been sentenced to 47.5 months to 15 years in federal prison for his involvement in the human trafficking of a minor female.

Joseph McGough, 24, of Port Huron pleaded guilty to one count of Human Trafficking - Forced Labor resulting in Commercial Sex, for his involvement in the sex trafficking of a minor in Macomb and Oakland counties between April and September 2017. He will get credit for 343 days served.

Joseph McGough, 24, of Port Huron

"Human trafficking is a serious crime that unfortunately happens every day here in Michigan," said Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. "I want to thank AAG (Kelly) Carter for her work on this case and the commitment to fighting this form of modern-day slavery."

McGough and his friend Robert Standfield, who is set for trial in February 2019, were charged in December 2017 after their alleged victim came forward in September of that year.

The Warren Police Department and an FBI-led task force investigated the claims by the female, who said McGough was trafficking her out of hotels in Metro Detroit.

The victim alleged that she and her friend were recruited and encouraged to engage in commercial sex by McGough and Standfield.

McGough showed his victim how to use Backpage, a classified advertising website that has since been seized by U.S. authorities. Its chief executive officer pleaded guilty to charges of facilitating prostitution and money laundering.

According to a news release, the men instructed the victim to post in the "massage" section under a pseudonym. McGough also took all earnings his victim made from performing commercial sex. His victim alleged she had to go on multiple "dates" a day.

Standfield allegedly took over McGough's role in the operation during a period of time when he was out of town.
It's not too late to vote by absentee ballot in Nov. 6 general election.

In fact, Michigan's city and township election officials are required to have office hours until 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, specifically to hand out and collect absentee ballots.

Voters can fill out the ballot on the spot and hand it in, or take it home and return it.

The deadline for obtaining an absentee ballot is 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5. However, ballots picked up on Monday from local clerks must be fill out and turned in immediately; they can not be taken home.

Ballots must be turned in to their local clerk's office by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Absentee ballots are available to voters:

Age 60 or older.

Who will be out of town Tuesday.

Unable to get to the polls without assistance.

Serving as an election worker.

In jail or in prison awaiting arraignment or trial.

The ballot includes candidates for governor, U.S. Senate, Congress and the Michigan Legislature, county commissioners and local school boards.

There are also three proposals on the statewide ballot, including an initiative that would legalize recreational use of marijuana, and numerous counties and local governments have ballot proposals.

A few additional points about Tuesday's election.

Straight-party voting is not an option in this election.

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Voters guide for November election

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FERNDALE, MI - Police are looking for a man they say caused a rash of flat tires by dumping hundreds of nails and screws in government parking lots.

The Ferndale Police Department posted several images of the suspect to Twitter on Friday. The suspect allegedly dropped the nails and screws in the Metro Detroit city's courthouse and police station parking lots.

If you know this person call @MIcrimestoppers 800-SPEAK-UP or 248-541-3650. 100s of screws were dropped in the parking lots of the PD & courthouse damaging tires of a @FerndaleMich PD scout car, court employee, & an elderly woman visiting city hall. https://t.co/pIs8WMI4Rz pic.twitter.com/JdWFODrCU9  Ferndale Police Dept (@FerndalePolice) November 2, 2018

According to police, a police car, a vehicle driven by a courthouse employee and one driven by a member of the public suffered flat tires earlier in the week.

Video showing the suspect also was posted to YouTube. The video can be seen below.

Police Sgt. Baron Brown told WXYZ-TV that they believe the suspect "seemingly has some sort of beef with the criminal justice system."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ferndale Police Department at 248-541-3650 or Michigan Crime Stoppers at 800-SPEAK-UP.
ESCANABA, MI - A Michigan K-9 is a little safer on the job thanks to a generous donation.

Delta County Sheriff's Office K-9 Jet received a bullet and stab protective vest from the non-profit organization, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. The vest was sponsored by Sharon Peter of Grosse Point Shores and embroidered "In memory of Det. Lt. Richard J. Scott."

Based in East Taunton, Mass., the charity's self-stated mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The vests are often manufactured by Central Lake's Armor Express.

Since being established in 2009, the organization has provided more than 3,100 protective vests in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a value of $5.7 million dollars.

The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age. New K-9 graduates, as well as K-9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.

K-9s in Keweenaw, St. Joseph, Grand Traverse, Roscommon, Oakland, Kent, Allegan, Genesee and Van Buren counties are among those that have received vests in recent years.
The USS Wichita, the U.S. Navy's newest Freedom-Class Littoral Combat Ship, will call Detroit home for a couple of days before it heads back to the Naval station in Jacksonville, Florida.

For those wanting to check out the USS Detroit's sister ship head down to the Port of Detroit Authority at 130 E. Atwater St. before the end of the weekend.

The Metro Detroit Navy League reports in a news release that the USS Wichita arrived Thursday morning, and will only be in "Detroit for only a few days. It's departure time is anticipated to be sometime this weekend."

"While the ship will not be conducting tours or doing interviews," the release from the Metro Detroit Navy League reads. "However photo ops of the ship abound and Sailors will be in and around downtown eateries."

The USS Wichita has called Marinette, Wisconsin and Lake Michigan home for the summer and early fall as it goes through testing. Back in July, the combat ship performed a full-power run, maneuverability testing and air detect-to-engage demonstrations of the Wichita's combat systems. Other tests included the ship's ability to provide aviation support, and small boat launch handling and recovery.

Check out a time-lapse video of the Wichita leaving Marinette for the final time below:

Good morning to all of our friends and family following us on facebook, here's a time lapse of our final departure from Marinette, Wisconsin and into the Great Lakes!!! Photos coming soon. Posted by Wichita Blue Crew on Thursday, November 1, 2018

--

As for the ship itself, Lockheed Martin reports in a news release that its Freedom-variant LCS ships are "highly maneuverable, lethal and adaptable" that are meant to support countermeasures, and anti-submarine and surface warfare.

"The U.S. Navy's ability to operate anywhere, anytime is essential. The Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship is a resilient flexible warship, designed from the keel up to affordably take on new capabilities -- from the most advanced sensors, to the latest missiles, to cutting-edge cyber systems," Lockheed Martin says of its LCS.

"Its speed, strength and versatility make it a critical tool to help our Sailors achieve the mission."

The future USS Wichita recently passed a series of tests known as acceptance trials and is scheduled for delivery to the Navy later this summer. Its expected to be commissioned by early next year. https://t.co/R0NasvO2DN  Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) July 24, 2018

Lockheed Martin now has 14 ships under contract for the U.S. Navy and the company is proposing to build an additional 12. The next one will be the LCS 15 USS Billings, which will undergo trials at see before the end of the year.

"The future USS Wichita is the first East Coast Mine Warfare Division ship," Capt. Shawn Johnson, commander of LCS Squadron Two, said in a previous U.S. Navy news release. "She will have a chance to test some of the latest and greatest mine warfare systems after she completes her remaining combat systems trials."
MARCELLUS, MI -- The former village of Marcellus manager and clerk who pleaded no contest to an embezzlement charge after thousands of dollars turned up missing was sentenced to serve two years of probation, according to court records.

Krista Jourdan was ordered to pay $8,481, including $7,223 in restitution, according to a sentencing document from the court that the Kalamazoo Gazette obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Village meeting minutes show Jourdan was hired as village clerk beginning Dec. 1, 2006.

She was serving as the clerk and village manager in 2016, according to village documents. Jacqueline LaBudie took over as village clerk after Jourdan submitted notice of her resignation in April of that year.

Village President Ron Welburn said the village had to find evidence and submit it to the Michigan State Police, and the new clerk put together the evidence she could find.

"She started digging," Welburn said.

LaBudie first found a check made out to an insurance company, and found that the insurance company never received the money, Welburn said.

Village officials submitted what they found to the village attorney and then to Michigan State Police investigators, who obtained a warrant to further investigate and, ultimately, filed charges, Welburn said.

Jourdan, who was slated to leave the village, was terminated instead, village minutes show.

She was charged with three counts of embezzlement, including embezzlement by a public official over $50, embezzlement by an agent or trustee of $200 to $1,000, and embezzlement by agent or trustee of $1,000 to $20,000, court records show. Counts two and three list the village of Marcellus as the victim, records show.

On Aug. 6, 2018, Jourdan pleaded no contest to embezzlement of a public officer - over $50. She was sentenced in October to two years of probation, court records show.

A no contest plea is a plea by which a defendant accepts conviction as though a guilty plea had been entered, but does not admit guilt.

Several village officials submitted victim impact statements to the court.

"The annual audit for 2015 started shortly after I began working with the Village. The auditor questioned Jourdan about why the bank records and accounting were not reconciled, why the books were in such disarray, why there were large sums of monies owed between funds and why budgets were not amended," LaBudie wrote in an impact statement submitted to the court.

She began taking notes soon after she was hired as the new clerk because she suspected something fraudulent was going on, LaBudie wrote. She noticed money was missing and noted how Jourdan would bad-mouth village leaders and the fire department.

"Not only did she steal money from the Village residents, she sabotaged the Village, the Village Council, and created a hostile work environment," LaBudie wrote.

LaBudie alleged in her impact statement that Jourdan overpaid herself more than once, including in August 2014 when $3,062.50 more than what was owed to Jourdan was sent to Jourdan's bank account.

"The day after payroll was issued, she changed the amount of her check in the accounting program to reflect the usual amount and created an invoice and posted a false payment to Employee Benefits Corporation for that amount, then posting a check that didn't even have a check number to the accounting program," LaBudie wrote.

"These thefts were verified by the State Police Detective's warrant on Jourdan's bank account used to receive her direct deposits. As you can see, the theft went on for years. It is unfortunate that the Village of Marcellus hasn't the time and especially the money to forensically audit the financials from day one of Jourdan's employment," she wrote.

LaBudie and Welburn said they don't know what the missing money was spent on.

Neither Jourdan nor her attorney, Thomas D. Swisher, returned messages left seeking comment.

James Thomas Sr., a village of Marcellus council member and the town's fire chief, said Jourdan accused him of mishandling funds. Thomas believes Jourdan should have been sentenced to jail for the crimes with which she was charged.

"I remember back in January of 2011 that the Marcellus Fire Fighters Association had a problem. Ms. Jourdan made a statement in her office that they (Village President at that time) thought I was involved in the problem when I was not. She accused me when she was mishandling funds, the audit shows this. She had to have a lot of nerve and guts to accuse me when she was mishandling funds for the village," Thomas wrote.

The village's former treasurer, Sandra Bauer, resigned the day after Jourdan was terminated, according to village documents. The village has since hired a new treasurer.

Now, Welburn said he is more involved in the village's accounting and he looks at direct deposit slips.

The new treasurer also signs off on things, he said.

"It is kind of easy in a village like we have to embezzle, and that's too bad," Welburn said, because of the financial situation of the village and other small governments are in, and because of limited personnel.

The manager position remains open now, Welburn said.

The village is limited in what it can investigate about previous years, in part because the statue of limitations for a liability lawsuit would only allow the village to sue for things that happened within the last three years, he said.

"I'm sure there is more money missing we just don't have the financial means to get an auditor in there and go over the books for all the years that Krista was the clerk," he said. "I just find it hard to believe that what we found was 100 percent. In fact, I know it wasn't."

He said the village did pay about $6,000 for an audit of one previous year, but the audit only revealed the same issues found in earlier investigations.

Welburn said he doesn't believe the public realizes the seriousness of embezzlement of public funds.

"As far as i'm concerned, she has taken money from every taxpayer in the village of Marcellus, which I do take rather seriously," he said. "When you do it to the taxpayers, that's pretty low."

The village received more than $12,000 from an insurance company after submitting a proof of loss document that lists $8,971 in funds lost to embezzlement, as well as more than $3,000 in state fees, costs and interest.

Bauer, the former village treasurer, is currently employed as treasurer in the adjacent jurisdiction of Marcellus Township.

Jourdan has been serving as Macellus Township's deputy treasurer since at least November 2014, according to Township Supervisor Ed Koshar.

In light of Jourdan's felony conviction that was entered on Aug. 6, Koshar said on Oct. 30 that he plans to submit a motion to cancel Jourdan's appointment unless the current treasurer cancels the appointment herself before the next board meeting.

Bauer has done a good job for the township, he said. Bauer could not be reached for comment.

Koshar said the township board does not have a say in who the treasurer appoints as deputy treasurer, but the board can now intervene because of Jourdan's felony.
GALESBURG, MI -- A private oil company is seeking rights to oil and gas beneath a Galesburg city park.

A lease was proposed to the Galesburg City Council, reviewed by the council's attorney, amended and then resubmitted for the council's consideration.

At the October council meeting, a Galesburg resident requested the council hold a community information meeting to discuss the proposed lease. The council granted the resident's request.

The information meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, at Galesburg City Hall, 200 E. Michigan Ave.

City Hall is adjacent to the Galesburg Community Park, where oil company Savoy Energy LP is seeking to lease oil and gas rights.

Savoy Energy LP, based in Traverse City, is requesting the oil and gas rights to 22.53 acres of park land, rights currently held by the city of Galesburg. The proposed lease would also grant the company the right to any oil and gas beneath roads, lakes, creeks or rivers adjacent to the property and owned by the city.

The city park extends from City Hall south to the banks of the Kalamazoo River.

The proposed lease states the only surface operation allowed through the lease would be seismic surveys, conducted by the company.

Under the Savoy Energy proposal, the city would be given $200 per acre, $4,706 total, and one-eighth of any royalties.

Savoy Energy LP proposed oil and gas lease

Mayor Keith Diller said Savoy Energy LP came to a council meeting to explain the lease earlier this year.

"The lease is very clear that there will be no drilling, period," Diller said.

Details on when the lease was first proposed, discussion about the proposal and what amendments were made to the original lease requested after the lease was sent to the attorney are not included in council meeting minutes.

Diller said he could not remember exactly what amendments to the lease were requested but it was something the lawyer wanted for the benefit of the city.

Representatives from Savoy Energy LP will be at the upcoming meeting, Diller said.

"I'm going to say that people are going to ask questions of Savoy because they're the ones who have the answers," he said.

Galesburg resident Scott Cadwell said he requested the informational meeting because not enough residents knew about the lease proposal.

"I think an oil development along Kalamazoo River would be a pretty big concern to residents along that river," Cadwell said.

Cadwell said he did not think an information meeting would have been called if he had not asked for one. He said he hopes the meeting will allow the community to express whether or not they think local officials should accept the lease.

"I have my opinions on what they should do, but I think the council should listen to the public to hear what they want," Cadwell said.
NEWAYGO COUNTY, MI - Police are seeking the public's help in locating a missing girl from Grant.

Brianna Dempsey, 13, was last seen the night of Wednesday, Oct. 31, at her home, according to a press release from the Michigan State Police.

Grant is located in Newaygo County about 40 miles north of Grand Rapids.

Dempsey is described as 5-foot-4-inches, about 110 pounds with blonde hair. She was last seen wearing gray Nike pants and a black sweatshirt, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call Newaygo County Central Dispatch at (231) 689-5288.
SAGINAW, MI -- Described by prosecutors as "one of the most dangerous men in Saginaw," Troy L. McClain Jr. is newly convicted of murder, thanks to the testimony of the man who actually pulled the trigger on the victim.

The jury on Wednesday, Oct. 31, found the 42-year-old McClain guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit that crime, felon in possession of a firearm, and three counts of second-offense felony firearm. The jury also convicted one of McClain's codefendants, 27-year-old Benjamin R. Daly, of first-degree premeditated murder and felony firearm.

First-degree murder comes with a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The convictions relate to the shooting death of 41-year-old Willie Dawson, who was killed in the parking lot of Dom's Food Market, 2326 N. Michigan Ave., on Sept. 8, 2017.

Serving as the prosecution's main witness was 41-year-old Alexander J. Jones, who testified he shot Dawson.

Willie Dawson (Facebook screen capture)

"It's pretty extraordinary," said Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Shellbe A. Sanborn, who prosecuted McClain and Daly. "Usually, it's everyone else flipping on the shooter, but this time, it's the shooter flipping on everyone else. It's very unusual how this case turned out."

Sanborn said McClain had a strong influence over Daly and Jones, describing him as a kingpin, with Daly and Jones as his minions.

"They do whatever (McClain) tells them to," Sanborn said.

Jones might have pulled the trigger, but he functioned as a surrogate gun for McClain, she said.

"This entire thing was Troy's idea," she said. McClain's wife had had some type of affair with Dawson, which led to the two men having an altercation two weeks prior to Dawson's death, she said.

The early morning of Sept. 8, 2017, several people were hanging out at McClain's house when McClain told Daly to go to Dom's Food Market to get some liquor. At the store, Daly spotted Dawson, who was also there as a customer, prompting Daly to place 15 calls to McClain, Sanborn said.

On learning Dawson was at the store, McClain instructed Jones to go to there and kill him.

"Alex originally said no and he wasn't going to do it," Sanborn said. "Troy kind of stood over him and said, 'Get in the truck.' Troy took Alex to Dom's and on the way gave him the gun and told him to kill (Dawson)."

Jones exited the truck and shot Dawson as McClain sat in his truck nearby. Jones and Daly then returned to the vehicle and McClain drove them back to his house.

On the witness stand, Jones showed remorse, Sanborn said.

"He said, 'I'm sorry (Dawson) died, he didn't deserve to die, but in that moment, in my mental state, it was either his life or mine. I felt that my life was in jeopardy.'"

Jones is facing murder and firearms charges in connection with Dawson's death. His case is slated for trial on Dec. 4.

Saginaw County Circuit Judge Janet M. Boes is to sentence McClain and Daly at 2 p.m. on Dec. 11.

McClain, Daly, and Jones have several other outstanding cases, involving the May 2015 arson of his McClain's home on Benjamin Street and the arson and shooting of a house on Hazelwood in April 2015.

Jones is also one of six people charged in the murder case of Shlindrill B. Lewis, 54, who was shot numerous times on the afternoon of Oct. 26, 2017, inside her vehicle in her driveway at 2825 Capeheart Drive in the Sheridan Park subdivision.
Mexico Takes a Big Step Toward Marijuana Legalization

Mexico's Supreme Court on Wednesday deemed the country's marijuana prohibition law unconstitutional, bringing America's neighbor one step closer to marijuana legalization.

It was not the first time the court made such a ruling, but it was the fifth time - a crucial threshold in Mexico. Under the country's legal system, once the Supreme Court reaches a similar decision in five separate cases, the standard set by the rulings applies to the country's entire court system.

As the Associated Press explained, "The rulings technically do not legalize recreational use, however. They establish that courts must allow it, but it is still up to each individual to press his or her case in the judicial system." The rulings apply to possession, use, and growing - not commercialization or sales.





The Supreme Court "found that adults have a fundamental right to personal development which lets them decide their recreational activities without interference from the state," the AP reported. The right is not absolute, and it does not apply to all substances - but it does mean that total marijuana prohibition is unconstitutional.

Mexican lawmakers could react to the ruling by adjusting the law to regulate marijuana under the new legal framework set by the Supreme Court. Officials in President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's government have indicated that they may legalize marijuana, Reuters reported.

If Mexico's government follows through, the country could become the third in the world to legalize pot for recreational purposes - after Uruguay and Canada.

Although nine states in the US have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes, pot is still illegal under federal law in America.

Supporters of legalization argue that it eliminates the harms of marijuana prohibition: the arrests over a relatively harmless drug (and the racial disparities involved in America), and the billions of dollars that flow from the black market for marijuana to drug cartels that then use the money for violent operations around the world. All of this, legalization advocates say, will outweigh any of the potential downsides - like increased cannabis use - that might come with legalization.

Opponents, meanwhile, claim that legalization will enable a huge marijuana industry that will market the drug irresponsibly. They point to countries' experiences with the alcohol and tobacco industries, which have built their financial empires in large part on some of the heaviest consumers of their products. This could result in far more people using pot, even if it leads to negative health consequences.

At least in Mexico, the supporters won a big victory this week.
Medical cannabis products were legalized under certain circumstances in Britain on Thursday.

This photo shows a budding marijuana plant. [Photo: AP]

More than 80,000 specialist doctors are qualified to prescribe cannabis-based products. According to a guidance published by National Health Service, they are allowed to prescribe medical cannabis only when "there is clear published evidence of benefit" and other treatment options have been exhausted.

The new rule about medical cannabis came after the cases of two kids, Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell who had severe epilepsy which has been improved by cannabis oil treatments. Their parents' campaigns pushed forward with changing the legislation.

However, reactions to the law change from the public are not all positive.

"It's absolutely gutting and not what my campaign was about," said Hannah Deacon, Alfie Dingley's mother. She added that the guidelines meant people would struggle to access the oil her son had been given because scientific studies had not been carried out on the treatment.

Dr. Waqar Rashid, a consultant neurologist at St George's Hospital, called for medical trials for medical cannabis products.

"Even with the best will in the world we're looking at very selective numbers of neurologists prescribing this and it would need the infrastructure to support it," he said.

Britain is not the only country where medical cannabis is legalized. The United States, Chile, parts of Australia and parts of India also allow some use of medical marijuana.

In October, Canada became the second country after Uruguay where weed is fully legalized.




Jet Airways owes banks nearly Rs 8,000 crore.

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Jet Airways has offered its pilots an option to leave the airline without serving a notice period as the cash-strapped carrier aims to cut capacity and scale down its operations, The Economic Times reported.

Over 50 Jet Airways pilots have resigned in the past few months, with a majority of them serving a notice period of just 48 hours.

Most of these pilots used to fly the carrier's ATR turboprop aircraft. Jet Airways has grounded 3 of its 16 ATRs and plans to put 6 more out of operation soon, the newspaper reported.

The carrier operates a total of 124 aircraft and has a workforce of about 16,000, including 2,000 pilots.

"We strongly refute observations regarding the indicated numbers, time frame as well as the nature of crew departures. Attrition is a part of any organisation and at Jet Airways, it is well within industry norms. The company respects the personal decisions of its employees to pursue opportunities outside the organisation," a Jet spokesperson told the paper.

Usually, pilots are required to serve a notice period of six months after they resign.

Read  Cash-strapped Jet Airways ropes in McKinsey to help cut costs: Report

Jet Airways' move comes when its rivals such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Vistara are striving to retain their own pilots and poach pilots from rivals with attractive incentives and salary packages as commanders or captains are in short supply.

Indian carriers require over 800 to 1,000 first officers and commanders as India has one of the fastest growing aviation industry in the world.

Jet Airways has been facing one of its worst-ever financial crises and it has been taking several cost-cutting measures such as delaying salaries, grounding planes, cutting flights and laying off staff, to stay afloat.

The Naresh Goyal-promoted airline is struggling to mop up funds to meet its payment obligations, including salaries to its over 16,000-strong workforce.

Editor's Take| Jet Airways stake sale: End game for Naresh Goyal?

The company's salary expenses have ballooned 53 percent in the last five years. Several senior-level executives, who were working in the airline's crucial in-flight services department, have been handed pink slips over the past four months to curtail costs, the news daily reported.

On October 31, representatives from Jets pilots' union reportedly approached Chairman Naresh Goyal asking for a clearance of their salary arrears.

"We want to be sure we are getting salaries. The airline is our bread and butter but if we remain unpaid, we will have to take some stricter action," a senior pilot was quoted as saying.
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Laurus Labs on November 2 said it had received one observation from USFDA for its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) plant Unit 6 located at Atchutapuram in Visakhapatnam.

The company called the observation procedural.

The US drug regulator conveys its concerns or observations on manufacturing practices through Form 483.

Companies that receive observations must respond in writing with a corrective and preventive action plan in 15 days.

The facility which has 42 reactors with 253 Kilo litres capacity, started commercial operations early this year.

The unit acquired through slump sale from Sriam Labs in January.

Laurus is one of the world's largest suppliers of APIs for antiretroviral and Hepatitis-C drugs and works with most of the top generic companies.

Shares of Laurus Labs rose 2.37 percent to close at Rs 365.30 on BSE, the benchmark Sensex gained 1.68 percent to end 35,011.65 points.
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Sounak Mitra

ITC Ltd, which launched packaged milk and yogurt in its home market Kolkata on October 30, said it is planning to ramp up presence in the dairy market with value-added products, including milkshakes, nationwide. This is part of the firm's diversification strategy to generate Rs 1-trillion revenue from non-cigarette packaged good business by 2030. Of this, around 65 percent, or Rs 65,000 crore, is targeted from food products. Currently, the non-cigarette packaged goods business accounts for 25.77 percent of its Rs 43,956.90 crore total revenue from operations (FY18).

Despite India being the largest milk producer and consumer, 78 percent of the market is still unorganised and that explains ITC's foray. Organised dairy sector accounts for 22 percent, or around Rs 1.2 trillion, but is projected to grow to Rs 2.5 trillion by 2020, according to a study by The Trust Group.

But it may not be smooth going for the new entrant in a hyper competitive market.

The organised part of India's dairy market is dominated by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, that owns the Amul brand, which reported revenues of Rs 29,220 crore in fiscal 2018. Other key players include Nestle India Ltd and Britannia Industries Ltd that have a nationwide presence. Moreover, each region is dominated by well-entrenched local players such as Mother Dairy and Kwality in the north, Prabhat and Parag in the west, Hatsun and Heritage in the south, and Metro and Mother Dairy in the east. Besides, there are strong co-operatives brands such as Nandini in Karnataka, Vijaya in Andhra Pradesh, Verka in Punjab, Saras in Rajasthan, Milma in Kerala, Gokul in Kolhapur and Sudha in Bihar.

That's not all. ITC is not the only big firm eyeing this segment. The Kolkata-based firm will have to compete against multinationals like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola in the value-added segment, which includes ready-to-drink milk-based beverages, flavoured milk, fusions of milk and fruits, frozen desserts, besides Indian drinks such as chhaas and lassi. Plus, theres Baba Ramdevs Patanjali Ayurved that has also ramped up its dairy portfolio with a bunch of milk-based products. Simply put, the competition is too stiff.

India's dairy market, often referred to as white gold, has never been easy to crack. Danone, which is among world's top dairy companies, finally decided to exit the business in January this year after three failed attempts. PepsiCo has had limited success in penetrating the value-added segment. Coca-Cola's first attempt did not work, and the company has reworked its product portfolio hoping to get some traction in high-margin value-added dairy.

Co-operatives have been successful due to their deep-rooted distribution network, efficient procurement systems, proximity among milk producers, collection centres, processing units and end consumers. Thats one of the reasons why every region has one or two big players.

For a successful nationwide presence, ITC will have to build a strong sourcing-to-retail supply chain in each region, preferable every state. What could come handy for ITC is its understanding from the well-experimented e-chaupal, and blend that with product innovation.

Milk is an easily perishable commodity and ITC claims to have been researching on product development for about 10 years now to ensure quality and freshness. The challenge for ITC now is to efficiently implement that in each part of India.

Besides Munger in Bihar, ITC has set up a factory at Punjabs Kapurthala that comes with the advantage of the milk supply chain of the state where Nestle also has its oldest and the largest milk processing unit.

In any case, ITC's long-term game is to crack the relatively high margin value-added milk-based products which has been growing the fastest despite being the smallest segment in the entire milk products category.

The firm has also said that its expansion will be done in a measured manner. By the time it will start selling milk and milk-based products nationwide, most of its planned 20 integrated factories will be operational. Considering locations of these factories, ITC can create 20 different hubs across the country to serve the whole of India as 20 different markets, at least for milk and milk products.

If ITC manages to develop that, it would be able to bring fresh milk to consumers at lowest possible time, ensure quality and bring region-specific or hyper local products. But until that happens, it would not be easy for ITC despite its strong retail network across kirana stores, modern retail and now e-commerce.
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Welspun Corp's more than decade-old international foray continues to play an important role in the company's performance, as its second quarterly financial results show.

The world's second largest producer of large diameter pipes reported a 38.32 percent increase in its consolidated net profit, which rose to Rs 55.84 crore in the second quarter of the present financial year, from Rs 40.37 crore a year ago.

The consolidated revenues increased to Rs 2,440 crore from Rs 2,043 crore a year earlier.

However, Welspun Corp reported a net loss in the standalone basis, at Rs 10.55 crore. The silver lining being that the losses have narrowed from Rs 18.5 crore in the same three-month period last year.

Apart from its facility in India, the company also has manufacturing plants in the US and Saudi Arabia.

Order book

The company has an order book of 1.7 million tons, valued at about $2.05 billion, a historic high.

The record is thanks to the company's operations in Saudi Arabia and the US.

"Half of the order book comes from our facility in Saudi Arabia. The order is good enough to keep our facility there engaged for eight more quarters," MD and CEO Vipul Mathur, told Moneycontrol.

About 500,000 tons of the order has gone to the company's US facility. "It is good enough for up to five quarters" said Mathur.

While India has the company's largest facility, its share in the order book is of 325,000 tons.

"The US market is still looking very good, as high crude prices and demand, have fueled demand for our products. Demand for gas is also high. The environment will continue for two more years, resulting in more orders," said Mathur.

The outlook is similarly optimistic for the Saudi Arabia market, where the increase in crude prices has prompted state-owned Saudi Aramco to announce multi-billion dollar projects.

"Oil and gas is making a comeback there. Because of the new projects, we will see huge requirement," said Mathur.

Interestingly, the present orders for the facility there is for water projects. Water is transported in the same kind of pipes that are otherwise used to move oil, because of the huge distance between water resource/treatment plant and residential places.

In India, however, Mathur said that 'things could be better.' He added that there is a lag in demand in the domestic market.

"Overall, India is looking optimistic. We see huge opportunities in the water market, especially in Madhya Pradesh and the southern states," said Mathur.

He expects the remaining two quarters of the year to bring in better numbers for the company. "The first two quarters have set the tone," said Mathur.
Indian Oil | The board has approced implementation of Petrochemical and Lube Integration Project at lndianOil's Gujarat Refinery at an estimated cost of Rs 17,825 crore. (Image: PTI)

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Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), reported a fall of 52 percent (quarter-on-quarter) in its net profit for the September quarter at Rs 3,247 crore. The company had reported a net profit of Rs 6,831.13 crore in the previous quarter.

The revenue rose to Rs 1.32 lakh crore during the quarter under review, a marginal rise from Rs 1.29 lakh crore in the June quarter.

The earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell 46 percent to Rs 6,762 crore against Rs 12,576 crore from the previous quarter.

The operating margin fell to 5.1 percent from 9.7 percent during the June quarter.

The company reported an average gross refining margin (GRM) at USD 8.45 per barrel.

During the quarter, the company has settled its liability for entry tax in the State of Bihar consequent to the order of Commercial Tax Tribunal, Patna and accordingly, an amount of Rs 1,155.02 crore, being provision no more required, has been written back and included in Revenue from Operations, the company said in an exchange filing.

Further, the company outlined that employee benefit expenses of Rs 1,266.52 crore towards one time contribution for superannuation benefit scheme for past periods.

Meanwhile, there was a foreign exchange loss of Rs 4,424.57 crore included in Other Expenses.

At 13:42 hrs Indian Oil Corporation was quoting at Rs 148.70, up Rs 7.35, or 5.20 percent, on the BSE. It touched an intraday high of Rs 150.95 and an intraday low of Rs 145.05.
Amitabh Kant

The country would be adding an additional USD 700 billion to its economy if its share of the women workforce increases to 48 percent from the present 24 percent, chief executive officer of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant said on Thursday.

For this, attention should be on women's health and education, Kant said while delivering his speech during the 7th N J Yasaswy Memorial Lecture at ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education here. Yasaswy was a finance and investment writer and a founding member of ICFAI University.

"Nation can grow at a rate of 9 percent to 10 percent only if there is gender parity," he said. Only 24 percent of the women in the country work, while the percentage is 48 across the world. To achieve this, men have to push women into employment, Kant said.

There is a need to create jobs for women for which their education and nutrition, especially in rural areas and eastern parts of the country, were imperative, he said.

Creation of a world-class infrastructure like in China is a challenge to India where there is a mismatch between demand and supply, Kant said while touching upon challenges India faces to achieve growth. The government should take up greenfield infrastructure projects on roads and airports and allow private sector for operations and maintenance, he said.
In an apparent dig at RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya's 'wrath of financial markets' comment, Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg on Friday said vital economic indicators are showing improvement, including rupee trading below 73 to a dollar.

Acharya, in his much talked about speech last week, had raised the issue of autonomy of central bank and undermining the central bank's independence could be "potentially catastrophic".

"Governments that do not respect central bank independence will sooner or later incur the wrath of financial markets, ignite economic fire, and come to rue the day they undermined an important regulatory institution; their wiser counterparts who invest in central bank independence will enjoy lower costs of borrowing, the love of international investors, and longer life spans," Acharya had said.

The Deputy Governor's comment had generated controversy, hinting at the growing rift between the government and the central bank.

Taking to twitter Friday, Garg took a jibe at Acharya's comment wondering whether improvements in macro economic parameters can be termed as 'wrath of markets'.

"Rupee trading at less than 73 to a dollar, Brent crude below $73 a barrel, markets up by over 4% during the week and bond yields below 7.8%. Wrath of the markets?," Garg tweeted.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, rupee was trading at 72.50 per US dollar at 1600 hours.

Earlier this week, Finance Ministry had issued a statement saying that the autonomy for the central bank, within the framework of the RBI Act, is an "essential and accepted governance requirement".

However, it added that "both the government and the central bank, in their functioning, have to be guided by public interest and the requirements of the Indian economy".

The government, according to sources, has sent at least three letters to the central bank on different issues under Section 7 of the RBI Act that gives it powers to issue any direction to the apex bank governor on matters of public interest. The government had never used Section 7 in the 83-year old history of the Reserve Bank.

The standoff was in relation to RBI's handling of weak public sector banks, tight liquidity in the market and ways of resolving bad loans in the power sector. Unconfirmed reports claimed Governor Urjit Patel was considering stepping down if the government were to issue an unprecedented direction.

Sources said these letters had prompted Acharya to raise the issue of autonomy of central bank, stressing it was needed to secure greater financial and macroeconomic stability.
U.S. President Donald Trump rallies with supporters in a hangar at Missoula International Airport in Missoula, Montana, U.S. October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1ABB606CE0

The US is considering "significant reduction exceptions" on a "case-by-case basis" for countries to bring down their oil purchase from Iran to zero ahead of the November 4 deadline set by the Trump administration, the State Department has said, amid reports that India may get a waiver.

The US has told various countries, including India, to cut oil imports from the Persian Gulf nation to "zero" by November 6 or face sanctions.

India, which is the second biggest purchaser of Iranian oil after China, is willing to restrict its monthly purchase to 1.25 million tonnes or 15 million tonnes in a year (300,000 barrels per day), down from 22.6 million tonnes (452,000 barrels per day) bought in 2017-18 financial year, sources in New Delhi said.

In May, US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark nuclear the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) terming it as disastrous". Under the Obama-era deal, involving five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany, Iran agreed to stop its nuclear programme in exchange of relief from economic sanctions.

Moments after coming out the deal, Trump singed fresh sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with Tehran on its controversial nuclear weapons programme.

"The United States is in the midst of an internal process to consider significant reduction exceptions for individual countries, but that is only on a case-by-case basis," State Department's Deputy Spokesperson Robert Paladino told reporters.

He was responding to questions on the news reports from South Korea and India that they are getting waiver from the US on the punitive Iranian sanctions.

Paladino said that the US will continue to discuss America's Iran policy with its counterparts across the world.

"We will continue to discuss our Iran policy with our counterparts around the world and the implications of our re-imposition of sanctions previously lifted or waivered under the JCPOA," he said.

He said that the US will continue to exert pressure on the the Iranian regime

"We ask that it to modify its behaviour, and the Secretary (of State) has been clear frequently on what we expect from the regime and human rights are certainly an important aspect of that," he said.

"This is something that we're going to ask others to help us with and we're going to maintain this pressure on this regime. There is much more that it's going to need to do," he said.

Earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the punitive Iranian sanctions would return on Monday, November 5.

"On Monday, in front of us, all of the sanctions that had been relieved by the Obama administration will return. And that's important, because Iran remains  after a couple years plus of the JCPOA, they still remain the world's largest state sponsor of terror," he said.

"They continue to produce better and better missiles that can threaten the Middle East and eventually potentially Europe as well.

"These are not the kinds of behaviours of a normal nation," Pompeo said.

Pompeo said that he is convinced these sanctions are going to have an enormous impact on the Iranian leadership.

"Most European countries  in spite of the UK, Germany, and France having determined that they want to stay inside the JCPOA, in spite of that, nearly every significant European company has already fled Iran. So while their governments say it's okay to do business there, they know," he said.

Pompeo said that President Donald Trump was very clear about the policy against Iran.

"They know the President's words, which are that if you choose to do business with Iran, that is your choice, but if you do you won't do business with America as well. You have to choose between us.

"And the history, since May, now almost six months on, is that most European companies are choosing  not surprisingly  to do business with America. So I'm very confident these sanctions will have their intended effect," said the top American diplomat.

Sources in New Delhi said that India is close to a deal with the US that will allow it to continue buying crude oil from Iran without attracting any sanction after it agreed to cut imports and escrow payments.

India, the world's third-biggest oil consumer, meets more than 80 per cent of its oil needs through imports. Iran is its third-largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia and meets about 10 per cent of total needs.

Currently, India pays its third largest oil supplier in euros using European banking channels. These channels would get blocked from November.
Ikea is planning to tie up with real estate developers in Hyderabad to display its fully furnished "show homes" in upcoming housing projects to attract buyers, as per a report in Mint.

The aim is to give buyers an idea of how their homes would look with Ikea furniture, a company executive told the paper.

"Business to business is also an important area for us going forward. So what we know in Hyderabad today is that approximately about 1,000 new homes are being built a week. Our ambition is to build contact and be the partner of choice for constructions," John Achillea, Manager of Ikea's Hyderabad store, said in an interview.

Swedish home furnishing major Ikea opened its first store in the country in Hyderabad on August 9.

In pictures: Inside Ikea's first ever store in India that has just opened in Hyderabad

Achillea said Ikea is looking for developers and is in talks with firms such as the Ramky Group to implement the "show homes" concept.

"We dont want to rush this, because it isnt just an exhibition. Here, the furniture belongs to the developers as well, so they dont pay for it. It is us showcasing our product. But we get to go there and talk about it," he said.

Ikea has invested Rs 1,000 crore in the Hyderabad outlet, which spreads across four-lakh square feet and displays over 7,500 products. The outlet sees about 20,000 to 25,000 customers on weekends, and about 15,000 people on weekdays, the report said.

Read  Ikea plans to invest Rs 3,000 crore for three new centres

Achillea said 60 percent of the store's sales come from home furniture and the rest of home furniture accessories. Home accessories under Rs 300 have reported very high volumes in sales. For instance, the "Kalas" -- four-piece spoon set -- that is priced at Rs 15 has turned out to be one of the best-selling items, selling between 2,000 to 3,000 pieces in a day, he added.

"It is a part of our affordability strategy. This is a spontaneous purchase, you see the price and say wow. But when youre talking about say a Rs 20,000 sofa, more conversations need to happen," Achillea added.

Ikea's "show homes" concept, however, is not new as real estate developers already do the same with local furniture outlets in cities, Harminder Sahni, Founder and MD of Wazir Advisors, told the paper.

Read  Now hiring! Ikea to create 10,000 jobs in Maharashtra over next three years
GSK Pharma | Company reported lower profit at Rs 76.5 crore in Q2FY21 compared to Rs 502.7 crore, revenue fell to Rs 879 crore from Rs 882 crore YoY.

Moneycontrol News

Shares of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare rose over 2 percent in early trade after the company reported strong results for the September quarter.

The company reported a net profit of Rs 275.49 crore, up 43.2 percent YoY for the second quarter.

Net sales of the company for the quarter were at Rs 1,271.99 crore, up 14.41 percent jump from the same quarter last year.

GSK Consumer Healthcare is a subsidiary of British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

At 0917 hours GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare was quoting at Rs 7,265, up 2.69 percent from the previous close.
November 02, 2018 / 03:40 PM IST

Markets at close: Sensex ended the day at 35,011, surging 579 points or 1.68 percent, whereas the Nifty jumped 172 points to close at 10,553, 1.66 percent higher than the previous day. Both benchmark indices closed the week 5 percent higher.

Auto, Banks and FMCG ended the day higher. Nifty Auto surged 4.15 percent, Nifty Bank gained 4.49 percent and Nifty FMCG jumped 1.7 percent. The corresponding sectoral indices on the BSE gained 4.05 percent, 1.42 percent and 1.52 percent, respectively.



Sectoral indices for IT, Pharma and PSU banks closed the day in the red.

The biggest gainer on Sensex were Maruti Suzuki which gained 6.4 percent, Tata Motors which spiked 6.3 percent and Vedanta which jumped 6 percent. IT majors Wipro, TCS and Infosys were biggest losers.

The biggest gainers on Nifty were BPCL (6.2 percent), Maruti Suzuki (6.3 percent), Vedanta (6.2%), Tata Motors (6 percent) and IndusInd Bank (5.3 percent). Among the biggest losers on the index were Tech Mahindra, Wipro and Dr Reddys Lab.

The 'Muhurat' trading, which is conducted on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, will be held between 1700 hours and 1830 hours on November 7, the stock exchanges said.
Rank 1| India (Image: Reuters)

The Supreme Court on November 1 came down heavily on the Delhi Development Authority and other civic agencies for keeping "their eyes closed" on misuse of residential premises for commercial purpose since 2006 that has led to a "mess" in the national capital. The apex court said authorities, including the court-mandated monitoring committee, should be allowed to seal a property being misused and if its owner does not furnish documents showing permission or licence to run the business.

A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur also slammed the Centre for not giving requisite information to the court about the survey conducted in south Delhi areas to ascertain misuse of residential properties.

"There cannot be a compelling reason for misuse. It is a mess. According to newspapers, around 56,000 properties are being misused. From 2006 onwards, the DDA and the municipal corporations of Delhi have not done anything and that is why we are facing these problems," the bench, comprising justices M M Shantanagoudar and S Abdul Nazeer, said.

"The Supreme Court had said way back in 2006 that there is connivance and corruption but DDA and MCDs have not learnt a lesson. They have kept their eyes closed," the bench said.

It said that if the owner of a property, which is being misused, is unable to produce relevant documents within 48 hours before authorities, the premises should be sealed.

The bench observed that subsequent to its orders, there does not seem to be any agreement between the Centre and the counsel assisting the court as amicus curiae on the sealing matter on the issue of giving advance notice to the owner of a property before sealing it.

Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, assisting the court as amicus curiae, gave suggestions for sealing of premises that were being misused.

"The concerned municipal authorities, accompanied, if necessary, by the representatives of the monitoring committee, will visit the premises which are allegedly being misused for unauthorised activity. The team will videograph the unauthorised activity in the presence of the persons who are misusing the premises for unauthorised activity," the proposal given by Kumar stated.

He said people misusing premises for unauthorised activity would be asked to produce permission or licence to carry out that activity and if such a document was produced, "the matter closes then and there".

The proposal also said that if a person was unable to produce any permission or licence, he or she would be given 48 hours to produce the same.

It said that after 48 hours, the team which had videographed the misuse would visit there again and if the owner produces the licence or permission, the matter would end there.

"However, in the event the persons are unable to produce any permission or licence, the premises will be sealed due to the unauthorised misuse," it said adding that if the owner would give an undertaking that he would stop the misuse, then another 48 hours would be given to him.

The bench noted in its order that the entire process of stoppage of unauthorised user would be completed within 48 hours in some circumstances and on the outside within 96 hours.

"Amicus curiae points out that laxity in sealing is giving an opportunity to misusers to clean up their act," the bench said.

Additional Solicitor Generals A N S Nadkarni and P S Narasimha, appearing for the Centre and DDA respectively, told the bench that they would take instructions with regard to the suggestions given by the amicus.

The bench has posted the matter for hearing on Friday.

The apex court had in July said that a show-cause notice should be issued to the owner of building where unauthorised construction or misuse was found and 48 hours time be given to him or her respond to it as to why action be not taken.

The monitoring committee Thursday told the court that issuing advance notice creates more problem as people "hoodwink" with agencies which perpetuates corruption.

ASG Nadkarni told the court that if misuse was found, the owner be given notice and if after that the misuse remains, "there is no need to serve second notice" to the defaulters.

ASG Narasimha told the court that if owner of a property being misused furnishes documents in this regard, the DDA needed some time to scrutinise them.

The top court is dealing with the issue of validity of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislations which protect unauthorised constructions from being sealed.
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Shares of Hindalco Industries rose 5.7 percent intraday Friday after company reported 54 percent jump in its Q2FY19 net profit at Rs 725 crore against Rs 470 crore in Q2FY18.

The company's revenue including Utkal Alumina was up 5 percent at Rs 10,833 crore against Rs 10,313 crore.

EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation) up 5 percent at Rs 1,922 crore versus Rs 1,825 crore. However, margin remained flat at 17.7 percent.

The share touched its 52-week high Rs 283.95 and 52-week low Rs 192.50 on 05 January, 2018 and 23 July, 2018, respectively.

Currently, it is trading 14.49 percent below its 52-week high and 26.13 percent above its 52-week low.

At 13:58 hrs Hindalco Industries was quoting at Rs 242.80, up Rs 11.75, or 5.09 percent on the BSE.
Saudi Arabia, the second largest producer of crude oil to world, faced an attack on its oil infrastructure facilities on September 14, which caused a sharp increase in fuel prices. Do you know where petrol prices were the highest? Here's a list of the countries where petrol is the cheapest and most expensive. (Note: All price comparisons are on rupee terms only. Global rates as of September, 16 2019 - Image: Reuters)

The US government has agreed to let eight countries, including close allies South Korea and Japan, as well as India, keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes sanctions on Tehran from next week, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a US official.

Iran's biggest oil customers - all in Asia - have been seeking sanctions waivers to allow them to still buy some of its oil.

Bloomberg reported that close US allies South Korea and Japan had received waivers along with India, which relies heavily on supplies from Iran, adding that a list of all countries getting waivers was expected to be released officially on Monday.

A Chinese official told Reuters that discussions with the US government were ongoing and that a result was expected over the next couple of days.

"We think Trump will agree to China importing some volumes, similar to the treatment that India and South Korea receive," Clayton Allen of Height Securities said in a note on Friday.

However, analysts said any potential Iranian oil sanction waivers would likely only be temporary.

"The US may use waivers to slow-walk implementation, but these will not apply indefinitely," Allen said.

Goldman Sachs said it expects Iran's crude oil exports to fall to 1.15 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of the year, down from around 2.5 million bpd in mid-2018.
People walk past a barricade inside the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headquarters in Mumbai, India June 7, 2017. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade - RC18B616FD00

Continuing its decline, the country's foreign exchange reserves slumped by $1.444 billion to $392.078 billion in the week to October 26 due to a fall in foreign currency assets, according to RBI data.

In the previous week, the reserves had declined by $942 million to $393.523 billion.

In the reporting week, foreign currency assets, a major component of overall reserves, fell by $1.426 billion to $367.350 billion, as per the RBI data.

Expressed in US dollars, foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US currencies such as the euro, the pound and the yen held in the reserves.

Forex reserves had touched a record high of $426.028 billion in the week to April 13, 2018. Since then, the forex kitty has been on a slide and is now down by over $31 billion.

Gold reserves remained unchanged for the second consecutive week at $20.522 billion, the data showed.

The special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was down by $7 million to $1.458 billion.

The country's reserve position with the IMF also declined by $11.6 million to $2.447 billion, the apex bank said.
Venkaiah Naidu

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has hailed demonetisation saying the move has led to money stashed in "the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows" coming into the banks.

Naidu, who is in Botswana on an official visit, said the southern African country is also following India's efforts to curb black money.

He said reformative measures like demonetisation "may be painful but are meant for public good".

"Paisa joh bedroom, bathroom aur pillow ke neeche tha, woh bank mein pahunch gaya. Pata ke saath, pita ke saath aur pati ke saath (The money that was in the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows reached banks due to demonetisation)," the vice president said.

Interacting with the Indian community in Botswana here on Thursday night, he said measures like demonetisation were "temporary pain for long term gain".

"Now how much (of this money) is white, how much is tax-paid money that will be known. It is the duty of the Reserve Bank of India and income tax people to verify and see to it that everybody falls in line," the vice president said.

"You are aware that Government of India has launched several flagship schemes for making India a skilled and knowledge society and manufacturing hub. Measures like the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) have also been taken to make it a transparent and integrated market with greater ease of doing business," he said.

India has taken a major leap towards financial inclusion by encouraging 330 million people to open bank accounts, Naidu said. The tax base has widened by 26 per cent in the last one year with nearly 68 million tax payers paying taxes, he said.

Naidu termed Botswana as a land of god-gifted serenity and natural beauty.

He asked Indians everywhere not to forget their mother tongue and motherland. "I am not against other languages. One must learn as many languages as possible, but should not forget the mother tongue," he said.

"I know that many of you have been living here for several decades and have made Botswana your second home. The Indian diaspora in Botswana has not only well-integrated into its pluralistic, free and democratic society, but, also have immensely contributed to the economy of Botswana," he said.

"I am glad that you have contributed hugely to the successful story of Botswana's economic growth," he said.

He thanked the Indian community here for contributing to flood relief in Kerala.

Naidu, who is on an official trip to the African nations of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi, said India is changing rapidly.

"The business environment is changing for the better. The archaic regulations are being dismantled. Seamless processes are being introduced," he added.

If the talented enterprising Indian diaspora can lend its active support, the pace and quality of transformation in India can be considerably enhanced, he said.

Naidu hoped that Indians abroad will continue to cherish their Indian roots and nourish the socio-economic and cultural life of Botswana and other countries with which they are connected.

"You are India's cultural ambassadors and the world sees you as the representatives of Indian values and way of life," he said.

Naidu also expressed satisfaction that the Swachh Bharat initiative, launched when he was Union urban development minister, has become a people's movement. Four crore toilets have been built under the scheme, he said.
BJP released its second list of 28 candidates for the coming Telangana assembly elections. Baddam Bal Reddy and Endala Lakshminarayana, MLAs in the undivided Andhra Pradesh assembly, are among the prominent in the list.

Bal Reddy, who had earlier represented Karwan in Hyderabad, would contest from Rajendranagar.

The assembly segment mainly comprises areas on the periphery of Hyderabad. Lakshminarayana would test his fortunes from Nizamabad Urban constituency, which he had represented earlier.

BJP, which is going it alone in the December 7 elections to the 119-member assembly, had released its first list of 38 nominees on October 20.

The latest list was finalised by the Central Election Committee of the BJP which met on November 1 under the presidentship of party chief Amit Shah in Delhi.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders and members of the committee, a BJP release said. The announcement of candidates triggered protests by supporters of aspirants who failed to get the party ticket.

While the party named G Yoganand, who is into construction business, as the nominee from Serilingampalli assembly segment in Hyderabad, the supporters of an aspirant for the ticket held protest at the BJP office.

In Nizamabad, a group of people, stated to be the supporters of an aspirant, damaged furniture at the party office after their leader was denied the ticket.

Shah had kicked off the party's campaign for the Telangana polls on September 15 at Mahabubnagar and addressed another rally at Karimnagar lat month. BJP had five MLAs in the recently dissolved state assembly.
Bhopal: Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala addresses a press conference in connection with the upcoming state assembly election, at MPCC office in Bhopal, Friday, Oct 12, 2018. (PTI Photo) (PTI10_12_2018_100047B)

The Congress on Thursday alleged that the BJP government in Chhattisgarh, which goes to polls later this month, did not act against chit fund companies which duped investors to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore in the last nine years. Around one crore people lost their hard-earned money in these scams, the opposition party alleged.

As many as 161 chit fund companies in the state are accused of cheating investors of a total of Rs 5,000 crore, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said at a press conference here.

He alleged that the dubious firms were shielded by the BJP government.

As many as 310 FIRs were registered against chit fund companies in the state but no action was taken in any of these cases and no victim ever got back a single rupee, Surjewala claimed.

Even the banned chit fund companies were allowed to operate in Chhattisgarh, he alleged.

Offices of some of the chit fund companies were sealed when people complained, but these firms soon resumed operations, thanks to the political patronage they enjoyed, the Congress spokesperson said.

Over 50 agents of chit fund companies allegedly committed suicide while some were killed, but the government did nothing, he alleged.

A Congress government will conduct a time-bound probe into all this, Surjewala said.

He took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his photograph in front of the gigantic monument of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which the latter inaugurated in Gujarat's Narmada district on Wednesday.

"He was trying to prove as if he was greater than Sardar Patel. No one can replace Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel and no one can be bigger than them," Surjewala said.

"If he (Modi) wants to become as great as Sardar Patel, then (he should) quit the politics of dividing the country, quit the language of hatred and jealousy," the Congress spokesperson said.

The assembly elections in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases on November 12 and November 20, respectively.

The counting of votes will be held on December 11.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has called on tech companies to treat privacy as a human right, with political and business leaders working together to protect people from cyber threats.

The Indian-origin boss of one of the world's biggest software giants was delivering a keynote address at the Microsoft Future Decoded conference in London on November 1 when he focussed his speech on privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) among the key aspects of an increasingly digital landscape.

"All of us will have to think about the digital experiences we create to really treat privacy as a human right," Nadella said.

"We need to use our collective prowess and power to protect these most vulnerable of populations, and it requires not just our industry but also nation states to be part of that," he said.

The 51-year-old tech whiz was all praise for Europe's recently-implemented General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which impose stringent online privacy standards.

"GDPR as a piece of legislation, a piece of regulation is a great start. We think about it as something that sets the standard, the bar, for how people need to think about privacy worldwide," he said.

The Microsoft boss covered a range of issues during his keynote address, including the scope offered by AI to impact modern day lives and moving the cloud under water.

"When you have some AI capability and it's trained for one purpose but used for another purpose, that's an unethical use of it," he warned.

As a positive impact AI could have, he used one of Microsoft's biggest UK clients  the state-funded National Health Service (NHS)  as an example of how it could cut costs in the future with the use of artificial intelligence.

He said: "If you talk about any improvement of the economy here (Britain), there's no way you're going to think about it without taming the ever-increasing costs of healthcare.

"New tools could change how care is given, how the patient is informed and most importantly the trajectory of healthcare costs going up."

On November 1, the company announced it has struck a deal to supply all of NHS Scotland's 161,000 employees with Office 365 and Windows 10 E5.

Nadella also touched upon underwater server farms are part of the American giant's plans for future data centres.

Under "Project Natick", Mictosoft has deployed a 40-foot waterproof data centre pod on the seafloor off the coast of Scotland.

"Since 50 percent of the world's population lives close to water bodies, we think this is the way we want to think about future data centre expansion," he said.

The senior executive opened his speech by congratulating his company for "building out Azure as the world's computer". He highlighted the 54 regions around the globe in which the cloud infrastructure operates, highlighting that the number was "more than any other provider".
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/Pool - RC1BD12454F0

China on November 2 reportedly agreed to provide $6 billion in aid to cash-strapped Pakistan to minimise its dependence on an IMF bailout package as Prime Minister Imran Khan on a maiden visit held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Khan, who arrived in the early hours on November 2 on a four-day visit, met Xi in the Great Hall of People where the two leaders also held one-on-one meeting besides delegation-level talks, Pakistan media reports said.

Pakistan is expected to receive $6 billion economic package from China during the visit, Pakistan's Geo TV reported.

A loan of $1.5 billion is also expected to be offered, along with an additional package of $3 billion for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the report said.

The loan and the investments were reportedly part of the $6 billion package.

There is no official comment from Beijing yet on the report.

This is the second $6 billion package which Khan has managed to obtain in the last few weeks as Pakistan reeled under severe financial crisis.

Earlier during his visit to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh committed $6 billion funding which included $3 billion deferred payment for oil imports.

Pakistan Finance Minister Asad Umar, who is accompanying Khan, earlier told media in Islamabad that his government's strategy was to seek loans from multiple sources instead of asking the International Monetary Fund (IMF) alone to plug the entire gap in the country's financing needs.

Khan's visit evoked considerable interest as it comes in the wake of his past criticism of the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and remarks by his ministers to cut down some of the projects over debt concern.
Prices for palm oil and soy oil are seen rising by $50 to $100 per tonne in the next nine months as palm stockpiles dwindle, leading analyst Thomas Mielke said on Friday.

Speaking at a palm conference in Indonesia, Mielke said global palm oil stocks would peak in November or December this year, before starting to fall in 2019 as growth in output slows.

Mielke reiterated that he estimated Malaysian palm oil prices would trade between 2,200 ringgit ($528) and 2,600 ringgit per tonne in the first-half of 2019.

Sino-U.S. trade tensions will also push up demand for palm, sapping stockpiles, he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian production will hit 20.2 million tonnes next year, up from an estimated 19.6 million tonnes in 2018, Mielke said.

He estimated Indonesia's 2019 output at 41.5 million tonnes in 2019, rising from the 39.8 million tonnes expected this year.
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena

Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said on Friday that President Maithripala Sirisena has agreed to summon the legislature on November 7, in a fresh twist to the ongoing political crisis after former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa replaced Ranil Wickremesinghe as the prime minister.

There was confusion since Thursday on the date when the parliamentary deadlock would end as Sirisena had suspended the sittings until November 16.

Controversially-appointed prime minister Rajapaksa said Thursday that Parliament would be convened on November 5. This was later denied by Rajapaksa loyalists.

President Sirisena's party said on Thursday night that Parliament will not be convened before November 16, contradicting Rajapaksa's office.

Harsha de Silva, a Wickremesinghe supporter, said that 115 Members of Parliament belonging to different political parties including Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), the main Tamil party Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) -- People's Liberation Front -- met Jayasuriya Friday morning and urged reconvening of Parliament.

Sirisena replaced Wickremesinghe with Rajapaksa in a dramatic turn of events last Friday and suspended Parliament after the sacked premier sought an emergency session to prove his majority.

Wickremesinghe has refused to accept his dismissal, claiming to be the country's legitimate premier. He argues that he cannot legally be removed until he loses the support of Parliament and called for a floor test to prove his majority.

The President was under increasing political and diplomatic pressure to reconvene Parliament.

Prior to the crisis, Wickramasinghe's UNP had the backing of 106 parliamentarians while Rajapaksa and Sirisena combine had 95 seats.

Rajapaksa has so far managed to rope in five lawmakers from Wickramasinghe's party to bolster his strength to 101. One UNP lawmaker has offered his support to him.

It was, however, not immediately known if Rajapaksa has managed to secure 113 votes required to prove the majority.
The fee hike is set to be implemented from October 2, 2020

The Trump administration has introduced a new set of stringent provisions to the H-1B labour application process under which the US employers must disclose the total number of foreigners already employed by them, making it tougher to sponsor fresh foreign workers.

The H-1B visa, popular among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

The new information required by the Department of Labour is significant because before sponsoring a foreign worker for the H-1B visa, the company needs to get its labour application approved by it.

The department certifies that there are no domestic worker for that particular position and as such the company can hire a foreign guest worker under the H-1B visa category.

The Labour Condition Application form updates will now require employers to provide more detailed information about H-1B worker employment conditions, including disclosing all places of employment for H-1B workers, including periods of short duration and providing the estimated number of H-1B workers at each place of intended employment.

It also requires the clear identification of secondary entities which are using H-1B workers and seeks H-1B dependent employers which are claiming an exemption solely on the basis of education, such as a master's degree, to provide documentation of the degree.

Under the new forms, employers also need to give an estimate of the total number of foreign nationals already working at each location listed in the application.

Further, revisions to the worker complaint form include added data fields designed to better describe the nature of an alleged programme violation, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

To allow appropriate time for transition, the new forms will be made available for use in the coming weeks.

An announcement will be made on the Office of Foreign Labour Certification's website identifying the date when they will be made available, it said.

Since 2017, the department has taken action to combat visa fraud and abuse and encouraged US workers to report complaints, including establishing protocols for promptly referring matters related to criminal fraud to the department's Office of Inspector General for investigation.

It has also directed the department's Wage and Hour Division to use all its tools in conducting civil investigations to enforce labour protections provided by the visa programmes.

Further, it has signed an agreement with the US Department of Justice to promptly refer complaints from US workers who believe they have been discriminated against based on the nationality or citizenship.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the form changes are the latest in a series targeting employers who place foreign nationals at third-party worksites.

In a February policy memo, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) required employers to provide detailed work itineraries for the entire duration of H-1B petitions involving offsite employment. An advocacy group representing small and medium size IT companies have filed a lawsuit against USCIS on this issue.

"Employers should expect renewed scrutiny on where H-1B employees are working, whether they are working at third-party sites and, if so, whether the arrangement is permissible," said Justin Storch, director of regulatory affairs and judicial counsel at the Society for Human Resource Management.
The US has agreed to temporarily allow eight countries to continue buying Iranian oil after it reimposes crippling sanctions on Tehran on November 5, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on November 2, citing significant reduction in imports of oil from the Persian Gulf nation.

Earlier in the day, Bloomberg quoted a US official as saying that the eight countries being exempted from sanctions include India, Japan and South Korea.

While the US had previously wanted countries including India to completely halt oil purchases from Iran by November 4 when its full sanctions against Tehran come into force, it seems to have relented considering the havoc the move to completely take out Iranian supplies from the market would have had on prices.

India, which is the second biggest purchaser of Iranian oil after China, is willing to restrict its monthly purchase to 1.25 million tonnes or 15 million tonnes in a year (300,000 barrels per day), down from 22.6 million tonnes (452,000 barrels per day) bought in 2017-18 financial year, sources in New Delhi said.

Pompeo said, the US is to issue temporary exemption to eight "jurisdictions" from Iranian sanctions recognising their significant reduction in imports of oil from Iran. The names of the jurisdictions would be released on November 5.

The US will allow the eight nations to import Iranian oil but only at much lower levels after the reimposition of sanctions on November 5, Pompeo said.

The US will also demand the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) global financial network stop supporting Iranian banks as part of enforcing sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme and alleged support for terrorism.

The sanctions will penalise countries that do not end importing Iranian oil and foreign companies that do business with blacklisted Iranian firms.

Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin made the announcement on November 2. They said sanctions will remain until Iran meets demands that include ending support for terrorism, ending military engagement in Syria and completely halting its nuclear and ballistic missile programme.

In May, President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) terming it as disastrous". Under the Obama-era deal, involving five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, Iran agreed to stop its nuclear programme in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

After the US' withdrawal from the deal, Trump signed fresh sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with Tehran over its controversial nuclear weapons programme.

Iran has dismissed these charges and maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

"The United States is in the midst of an internal process to consider significant reduction exceptions for individual countries, but that is only on a case-by-case basis," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Paladino said on November 1.
November 02, 2018

The Film The Israel Lobby Doesn't Want You To See

Today The Electronic Intifada published the first two parts of "The Lobby  USA", a four-part undercover investigation by Al Jazeera into Israels covert influence campaigns in the United States.

The planned broadcast of the film was prevented by Qatar, which owns Al Jazeera, on behalf of Israel.

From EI's description:

To get unprecedented access to the Israel lobbys inner workings, undercover reporter Tony posed as a pro-Israel volunteer in Washington. The resulting film exposes the efforts of Israel and its lobbyists to spy on, smear and intimidate US citizens who support Palestinian human rights, especially BDS  the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. It shows that Israels semi-covert black-ops government agency, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, is operating this effort in collusion with an extensive network of US-based organizations. These include the Israel on Campus Coalition, The Israel Project and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

It is amazing that Israel gets away with such spying and intelligence operations against U.S. citizens and within the United States.

Israel and its lobby did a lot to suppress the movie and its wider distribution. That can only mean that it is good and deserves a large viewership.

Watch it here.

Posted by b on November 2, 2018 at 19:28 UTC | Permalink

Comments
Airbus is set to foster new aerospace business models with African startups, with the launch of the second edition of #Africa4Future.

Launch of the 2nd Edition of Airbus Bizlab Africa4Future initiative, in Toulouse, France

Airbus announced the launch of its second edition of #Africa4Future, a joint accelerator programme between Airbus global aerospace accelerator BizLab and Make-IT in Africa, a programme by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit German (GIZ), the German agency for International Cooperation.First launched in 2017, the #Africa4Future initiative was created by Airbus BizLab with the objective to encourage and support entrepreneurship in Africa. The continents young and increasingly techno-savvy population is likely to be the driving force behind Africas socio-economic development.Setting up an entrepreneurship eco-system requires investment and collaboration. Through #Africa4future, Airbus seeks to build bridges between the aerospace industry and the different players in Africa.For this second edition, Airbus calls for African tech start-ups that are actively working on solutions related to unmanned logistics and remote sensing technology, including automation and drones, electrification, blockchain, artificial intelligence, data analytics and material composites and manufacturing.The joint programme will be implemented by the MEST and Innocircle consortium - two organisations with a significant presence and deep knowledge of entrepreneurial ecosystems in Africa.Startups can submit applications for the programme via www.airbus-bizlab.com/africa4future Following a review, ten applicants will be chosen to receive the opportunity to join #Africa4Future, a six-month acceleration programme, starting on 7 January 2019.
Prince Harry has shared a photo he snapped of his stunning wife Meghan Markle in the Redwood Forest.

In the photo, where Meghan is cradling her little bump, Prince Harry captioned it with a message thanking New Zealand for the special last week they had on their royal tour.

Thank you New Zealand for the most wonderful last week of our tour. It has been a privilege to meet so many friendly Kiwis. Australia, Fiji, Tonga and NZ - we leave feeling inspired and reminded of how every single one of us can make a difference.

He then topped the caption off with a quote from our late Kate Sheppard, the most prominent member of the women's suffrage movement in New Zealand.
Warc has announced the winners of its Warc Prize for Asian Strategy 2018, a search for the best strategic ideas that have driven business results in Asia.

From the 'Touch of Care' campaign for Vicks (India) Publicis Singapore. Image supplied.

India at the top of the leaderboard

Judges admired it for the way in which Saregama's agency, The Womb, had challenged the brief and innovated its way out of it instead of taking the easier - and far more familiar - option of producing a campaign. This not only helped people to remember the brand and engage with it, but the success filtered through to younger music lovers who bought Carvaan sets too.

The winners of the Warc Prize for Asian Strategy 2018

'Why not an innovation for the old?'  Carvaan  India  The Womb + Category Disruptor Special Award

'India's newest status symbol'  Harpic  India  McCann Worldgroup India

'Touch of Care'  Vicks  India  Publicis Singapore

'Helping India cope with the death of cash'  Paytm  India  McCann Worldgroup India + Early Adopter Special Award

'Sit Improper'  Whisper  India  Leo Burnett India

'Hijacking the largest shopping festival in the world'  UNIQLO  China  Mindshare + Customer Journey Special Award

'If you can dream it, you can Pylox it'  Nippon Pylox  Malaysia  Ensemble Worldwide + Research Excellence Special Award

'Dead Whale'  Greenpeace Philippines  Philippines  Dentsu Jayme Syfu

'Full-heart support for Gaokao'  McDonald's  China  BBDO China

'Welcome to the era of sam-chee'  Mokjang Nadeuli Grill Grill Cheese  South Korea  McCann Worldgroup + Local Hero Special Award

'Defined by our values'  UOB Private Bank  Singapore  BBH Asia Pacific, Zenith

'Capture'  Verena Sure  Thailand  McCann Worldgroup Thailand

'Touch'  Johnson's Baby  Indonesia  BBDO Indonesia

'Sakhi' - SMS to fight sexual harassment  Vodafone  India  Ogilvy Mumbai

'Gamers' Playground'  KFC  China  Mindshare

'Making the Invisible Visible'  Dettol  India  McCann Worldgroup India

Now in their eighth year, the awards were judged by an eminent panel of 23 agency- and client-side experts, who selected 16 winning campaigns for global and local brands, which showcase Asia's smartest thinking of breakthrough marketing ideas.One Grand Prix, three Golds, five Silvers, seven Bronzes, as well as five special awards honouring specific areas of excellence, have been awarded.India leads with seven winning campaigns followed by China with three. Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand have all won one award.Additionally, five special awards were given to honour specific areas of excellence: The Category Disruptor Award, The Early Adopter Award, The Customer Journey Award, The Local Hero Award and The Research Excellence Award.Mumbai-based agency The Womb, won the Grand Prix, as well as the Category Disruptor Special Award for its campaign 'Why not an innovation for the old?' which saw Saregama, India's oldest music label, create Carvaan, a new 'old looking' radio with digital music pre-loaded to monetise its music archive and appeal to older people.Commenting on the Grand Prix-winning campaign, jury chair, Shekar Khosla, chief commercial officer, Kellogg's, commented: "This entry captivated the judges  one even bought the product straight away after seeing just one ad.Grand PrixGoldSilverBronzeView all the winners here . The winners of the Grand Prix and Special Awards share a prize fund of $10,000.A 'Lessons from winners of the Warc Prize for Asian Strategy 2018' event will be held in Singapore on 21 November.
It was well-received, he said. We had a good corporate journey over the last couple of years and people are excited to see what were doing. Our partners have approached us to work more deeply together. From our broker partners, we were well-received when we talked about the need to protect, own and manage the almighty client data.

Finastra isnt just resurfacing with Filogix, it is readying to make a slew of announcements over the coming weeks that should whet the appetites of both the broker channel and lenders. That, says Rye, is one of the messages Finastra emphatically communicated in Montreal.

We announced our commitment to an open lending ecosystem and giving choice to all of our partners, he said. Weve made further announcements to ensure other frontend origination platforms that are not our own can now have access to all lenders available on our network.

We talked to our lender partners about downstream data services and looking hard with partners at how we can open up data technology and can focus on better data integration, business intelligence and driving workflow improvements for all of the partners. Our focus is on opening up and expanding our industry-leading secure network of connectivity.

Some of the rollouts will focus on automation, invariably saving time, however, security will always remain at the heart of what Finastra offers, and therein is the brands value proposition.
Midland stores on average werent as receptive to lowering the price of gas this week as others around the state, according to AAA Texas.

The organization reported the average drop across the city was 3 cents, which was half the average decline across Texas and the lowest average decline of any of the 27 major metropolitan areas AAA Texas surveyed.

Around the region, Midland was surrounded by lower average drops during the past seven days  6 cents in Abilene and San Angelo, 7 cents in El Paso, 8 cents in Lubbock and 10 cents in Amarillo. Even in Odessa, the average decline was 5 cents. Odessas average price for regular unleaded dipped below $3 a gallon, making Midland the lone larger market in the state where the average price for a gallon is $3 or above.

The average price in Midland this week was $3.03, which is 51 cents higher than the state average and 69 cents higher than the average price found in Sherman-Denison, which is located north of Dallas.

Around the region, average prices were $2.41 in Amarillo, $2.46 in San Angelo, $2.49 in Lubbock, $2.66 in El Paso, $2.68 in Abilene and $2.97 in Odessa.

Distributors have told the Reporter-Telegram there are many complexities in the fuel business that impact pricing. They pointed to the high cost of transportation from Gulf Coast refineries and Midlands distance from pipelines. There are also issues with the high cost of living, at least in Midland and Odessa, where rents are climbing at rates incomparable around the nation. Theres also the supply-and-demand factor. There is a great demand in Midland and Odessa relative to the amount of supply.

AAA Texas reports that the average price of gas in Midland dropped by 8 cents in the past two weeks. The organization also states that the lower prices across the state and nation are not likely to be a long-term trend. Market analysts indicate that gas prices could begin to rise within the next week, as the Iran sanctions announcement is expected just ahead of the mid-term elections on Nov. 6.

Gas prices are falling for now, but that could change soon as market analysts indicate global supply for crude oil could be impacted by the U.S. sanctions against Iran scheduled to take effect in the next week, said Daniel Armbruster, AAA Texas/AAA New Mexico spokesman. How expensive gas prices will be depends on how the market reacts to the early November events.

The average price of gas in Midland one year ago was $2.45  58 cents lower than this weeks average. The state average one year ago was $2.24  28 cents lower than this week.

Gas Price report

Cheapest gas: $2.72 (Sams Club, Tradewinds/SH 191)

Cheapest gas (non-membership club): $2.76 (Murphy USA, Briarwood/Midland Drive)

Most common price: $3.07

Cheapest prices in West Texas: Amarillo $2.26, San Angelo $2.26, Lubbock $2.28, El Paso $2.44, Abilene $2.59, Odessa $2.72, Midland $2.72

Mid-Odessa Texas

Thursday $2.970 $2.483

Last week $3.009 $2.586

Last month $2.981 $2.639

Last year $2.430 $2.251

Source: TexasGasPrices.com
As milder weather sets in this fall, gorgeous autumn colors have finally started to pop up on trees around Texas.

Many are in the northern portion of the state, where temperatures have already dipped into the 30s this year and fall is in full swing  but there are plenty that are just a short road trip away from San Antonio.
Not even the chill of the latest front could cool enthusiasm Thursday as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott made his last Midland appearance before Tuesdays general election.

Over at Macs on Indiana Street, supporters and local dignitaries ate breakfast burritos and drank coffee, enjoying the type of fellowship that a lower-key Abbott appearance could offer.

In contrast to a rowdier crowd at Wednesdays Ted Cruz event, Thursdays affair was more laid back. And why not? Abbott, by most polls, is an easy double-digit leader over his opponent, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez. Unlike the other higher-profile Republicans, Abbott walked away with endorsements of Texas largest newspapers (including the Dallas Morning News), and his war chest offers him something that Cruz could only dream of at this point  total domination over his opponent. He also holds an electoral advantage that would serve him well if he can repeat it next week. Four years, ago, the governor received 44 percent of the Hispanic vote statewide. His other stops Thursday were El Paso and Harlingen.

Other Republican leaders from the area  Congressman Mike Conaway, state Reps. Tom Craddick and Brooks Landgraf -- told those in attendance about Abbotts conservative values.

Conaway, in particular, mentioned Abbotts leadership during responses to Hurricane Harvey and the recent flooding in Central Texas. He said Abbotts leadership and the execution of the governors plan helped prevent the failures seen when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.

Being a chief executive is all about leadership, and we have a leader in Austin, Conaway said. He has earned a second term.

And not surprisingly, Abbotts appearance wasnt about pumping up his own credentials. His message was about getting out the vote from the top of the ticket to the bottom. He said Midlanders, Texans and Americans cant afford a U.S. House led by Democrat Maxine Waters. He said outcomes of the state Senate and state House races will help determine the policies pursued in the upcoming legislative session.

Abbott addressed the top-of-the-ticket U.S. Senate race between Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Beto ORourke. Abbott said ORourke is hostile to the values of the state of Texas.

We need to send a message that all the gold in California will not buy Beto a Senate seat from the Lone Star State, Abbott said.

The governor also said Cruz versus ORourke is more than a race for Senate. He said it represents an opportunity for Democrats to break through the Republican red firewall that has been in place in Texas politics for more than two decades. The last time a Democrat won statewide was 1994. Abbott said if Democrats ever add Texas to their Electoral College voting totals, a Republican would never win the presidency again.

A future between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, is how he described that scenario.

The governor provided some red meat for the morning audience. He talked about how kneeling for the national anthem is wrong and that our elected leaders must stand up and preserve and protect what the nations military men and women have done.

Abbott hit the political high notes one would expect. He also mentioned that the 2019 legislative session provides opportunity to help West Texas -- whether it is providing more money for better roads, fixing the broken Robin Hood school finance system or giving teachers a well-deserved raise.

He did just about everything  except mention his opponent by name. It has been that type of a campaign for arguably the strongest statewide candidate on the ballot.
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!
E-levy is not the best of ...
Sacramento, CA  A statewide Halloween stake out operation targeted sex offenders on parole and got some chilling results.

The holiday sweep, coordinated by California corrections officials, is designed to keep sex offenders from contacting children or engaging in other Halloween activities. This years sting involved officers contacting 1,252 parolees statewide on Wednesday. The operation netted 110 sex offender parolee arrests. Thats about 9 percent of those parolees singled out during the sweep. Regarding the arrest, eight parolees face new charges while the rest allegedly violated conditions of their parole. Thirty offenders were found with pornography, 31 had drugs or other parole violations, and 13 were found with weapons.

Clark Broadcasting also contacted the Tuolumne County Probation Department to inquire if they were involved with the sting and have not yet heard back. According to the arrest logs in both Tuolumne and Calaveras counties there were no arrests involving sex offender parolees.
Sacramento, CA  The state water resources control board is scheduled to vote on aspects of a controversial plan, November 7th, which lawmakers say would have big impacts on the region.

The board is planning to finalize parts of the Bay Delta Plan unless water districts come up with a voluntary settlement ahead of time with the board.

The proposal on the table requires rivers in the San Joaquin watershed to maintain 40-percent of unimpaired flow levels between February and June. It would impact the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced rivers. It is adamantly opposed by many regional state and federal lawmakers, and it also sparked a rally on August 20 in Sacramento that was attended by local leaders like Tuolumne County supervisors Randy Hanvelt and Karl Rodefer.

Trump Administration Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is also opposed, and has hinted that legal action could be taken if the state moves forward. The Interior Department has maintained that the state board must ensure that water decisions comply with federal directives. Irrigation districts in the central valley have also hinted they may take legal action.

Clarke Broadcasting asked Congressman Tom McClintock about the plan while he was in Sonora last week. The Congressman stated, Im very concerned. The state water resources control board has made its intentions very clear that they are going to order 40-percent of the flow off our reservoirs. It means we will watch our reservoirs drain down to dead pool levels regularly for no other purpose than dumping that water into the Pacific Ocean.

Proponents at the state level have argued that the increased flows will help the salmon population and improve local ecosystems. Groups like the San Francisco County Supervisors have passed resolutions supporting the tentative state actions.

With legal action threatened, a decision on Wednesday to move forward is unlikely to be the final chapter of the story.
Furnmart this week disclosed the draft National Credit Amendment Bill in South Africa, which proposes that all or part of the debt under certain qualifying credit agreements can be extinguished will hit them hard.

The Botswana-based furniture retailer has several furniture shops in South Africa, the continents most industrialised economy. However, the new bill will have devastating impacts on their bottom line, especially that some of their customers, including low income earners have credit arrangements with the group.

This amendment bill is of great concern as most of the Groups South African customers fall in the income bracket that this legislation is targeting, said the company when announcing full year results to July 2018. For the period under review, the company recorded a 67 percent jump in profits to P107, 9 million. The results are up on back of growth in revenue and operating income.

The operating income was picked up by the closure of some of their non-performing units. Meanwhile, cash generated from operations has declined by P26.8m mainly due to an increase of P83.3m in the groups debtors book, resulting in lower cash and cash equivalents. Nonetheless, the group has continued to expand its footprints.

The Group opened nine new Furnmart stores during the period under review and is now trading out of 129 stores in three countries, said the company manager Daniel le Roux. However, the company will be cautions with expansion in South Africa, which its economic forecast has also been reduced.

The furniture retail market in Botswana and Namibia remains overtraded and imminent sweeping regulatory changes, in these markets, may present future headwind, said the BSE listed group.
The San Mateo County District Attorneys Office has cleared four Redwood City police officers of potential criminal charges in a fatal incident involving a man with mental health issues, officials said Friday.

The incident occurred on Aug. 13 when Officer Oscar Poveda responded to a home in Redwood City after receiving reports that 55-year-old Ramzi Saad, who suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was acting erratically, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

Poveda was the first officer to arrive at the scene, Saads mothers house, after Saad had shoved his mother to the ground.

After confirming with the neighbors that Saad had mental health issues, Poveda attempted to lower his voice to calm Saad down and lure him to the curb.

Saad then told the officer, You wanna pull out your gun and shoot me, dont you? Wagstaffe wrote in his report.

Poveda attempted to calm Saad down, but to no avail. As Saad appeared to become increasingly agitated, Poveda pulled out his Taser and hid it behind him, Wagstaffe wrote.

Poveda called his supervisor and said that he didnt need back-up, but asked for medical assistance for Saads mother. During this time, Saad punched Poveda in the face, Wagstaffe wrote.

Poveda deployed his Taser in response causing Saad to fall to the ground on his stomach. He used his Taser again when Saad didnt comply with commands to put his hands around his back. In response, Saad grabbed a piece of fruit from a nearby tree and threw it at the officer, Wagstaffe wrote.

Saad then grabbed a brick as Poveda attempted to deploy the Taser again, but the Taser didnt work and instead shocked the officer twice.

When the Taser didnt work, Poveda dropped it on the ground and started inching closer to Saad to physically subdue him, Wagstaffe said.

Saad rolled onto his back and began kicking at the air until Poveda grabbed his left leg, Wagstaffe said.

Stop, yelled Poveda, according to the report.

But Saad continued squirming and kicking as he rolled onto his stomach.

Finally, Officer Poveda, struggling constantly with Ramzi Saad, was able to get both of his wrists handcuffed behind his back, Wagstaffe said.

At that time, three other officers, Daniel Di Bona, Brian Simmons and Matthew Cydzik, arrived at the scene. The three officers described Poveda sounding scared and in a physical fight when they heard his voice over the radio, Wagstaffe said.

The district attorney noted throughout his report that Saad was a large man at 6-feet-1-inch tall and 273 pounds, and that officers said Saad had unbelievable strength.

After joining Poveda, Di Bona grabbed Saads flailing legs and used his body weight to push Saads legs to the ground. Using his own body weight, Di Bona crossed Saads ankles and bent his legs at his knees and lower legs toward his buttocks.

Cydzik put his knee between Saads shoulder blades, but Wagstaffe said that Cydzik didnt use his entire body weight. And Simmons centered himself on Ramzi Saads mid-body, controlling the decedents handcuffed arms, as he had been bucking his body under the officers.

The officers relieved the pressure when Saad appeared to calm down. Wagstaffe said the officers monitored Saads breathing.

When his body became less rigid moments later, the officers realized he had become non-responsive and called the paramedics that were helping Saads mother.

Poveda and Cydzik had crisis intervention training, which prepares officers to deal with people in mental health crises, Wagstaffe noted.

An autopsy on Aug. 16 concluded that Saad died from cardiac arrest that occurred during physical exertion, physical restraint and from the Taser.

Wagstaffe concluded that the officers were justified under California Penal Code section 196, which is to apprehend a person for a felony, or lawfully suppressing any riot, or lawfully keeping the peace.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
If you follow these weekly restaurant reports from city health inspectors long enough you will begin to see patterns emerge. Aside from the usual dirty ice machines, flies and the continuing saga of trash bins in women's restrooms across the city missing covers.

This week it was potatoes and utensils. Stored below raw food or held at improper temperatures - potatoes threw area eateries for a curve this week. Not to mention the random utensil lying in the picadillo at one Mexican restaurant while another had to be reminded how to properly store utensils because knives were found in their restroom.

LAST WEEK'S INSPECTIONS: Oct. 19, 2018

However, as far as cleanliness goes, one South Side food mart was so dirty that the inspector had to repeatedly instruct the proprietor in his report to "clean" (insert noun here). Seriously, the fryer baskets, pots, cutting boards, restroom toilets, trash can near food area, ice machine, you name it and it was probably dirty.

To make the Express-News' list of dirtiest restaurants, an establishment must score 89 or below  or anything less than an "A"  during a random city health inspection over the past week.

The San Antonio Express-News examines hundreds of restaurant inspections each week conducted by the San Antonio Food and Environment Services division to bring you the eateries with scores of 89 or below.

Click through the slideshow above to check out this week's lowest-scoring restaurants.

Restaurants are graded on a 100-point system. where "100" is a perfects score, and demerits are based upon the number of violations found during a regular food establishment inspection. There are three categories of demerits and each is assigned a demerit score of 3, 2, 1 points, according to the health division.

Scores and demerits listed are representatives of the state of the restaurant at the time of the inspection and establishments are surveyed at random.

If you have questions about inspections or complaints about a food establishment, contact the Metropolitan Health District office by calling 3-1-1 or 210-207-6000. Be prepared to provide the name, location, date of incident and details of the incident.
STAMFORD  Thick smoke from a basement fire has displaced two families on the citys West Side Friday morning.

The Connecticut Red Cross will have to find temporary lodgings for up to eight people following the residential blaze on Wilson Street.

There was smoke coming from the whole building, top to bottom, Deputy Chief Tom Glowersen said at the scene. When asked if the house was fit for occupancy, Glowersen said, It was smoke, not water. We only used water in the basement. Its smoke. Its terrible. There are carcinogens in it, its nasty and it stinks, he added.

Firefighters were called to the blaze at 7:40 a.m. Friday, but officers on patrol arrived first and made sure everyone was out of the two-family home.

Glowersen said firefighters located the blaze in the basement and pulled a hose and knocked the fire down in about five minutes.

Fire crews searched the home but found no animals or people inside.

The basement is burned out.

Glowersen said he does not know what caused the fire. Fire marshals will investigate what caused the fire.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
BRIDGEPORT  Former gubernatorial rivals Joe Ganim and Ned Lamont stood side by side chanting blue wave Thursday night.

Was it really just this past summer that Ganim, Bridgeports mayor, mocked millionaire Lamonts wealth and eight bathrooms during their primary battle?

But there they were under the chandeliers in restauranteur and Democratic Town Chairman Mario Testas banquet room, rallying the crowd of Democratic city insiders to get out the vote Tuesday for Lamont for governor and for the partys entire ticket.

We have the best candidates, at every level, for every office, Ganim said during a thunderous pep talk, proving yet again how much better of a public speaker and politician he is than Lamont. Are you with me on that?

In the two-and-a-half months since their bitter primary ended with Lamont victorious, Ganim, Lamont and their respective allies have tried to come together. And with polls showing a close governors race, the latter has ramped up his campaign stops in Connecticuts largest city.

Republican Bob Stefanowski, on the other hand, has barely shown his face in this reliably blue town.

Ganim recalled for the crowd Thursday night how Lamont ate veggie soup and chicken in the heavily-minority Stratford Avenue neighborhood earlier in the day.

I love Bridgeport, a verging-on-hoarse Lamont shouted to the crowd, some of his other praise for the city getting drowned out as wait staff brought dinner to the banquet tables. Every day, Im going to fight for good-paying jobs right here in Bridgeport.

Ganim, who is running for re-election next year, needs a Democratic governor in office that he can work with to push local economic development and other initiatives forward.

As the states largest city, we have somewhat of an obligation, Ganim said. We need to turn out the neighborhoods and the Democratic vote in Bridgeport on Tuesday.

Joining Lamont Thursday night were his running mates  Susan Bysiewicz, candidate for lieutenant governor; Comptroller Kevin Lembo; and William Tong and Shawn Wooden, contenders for attorney general and treasurer, respectively.

While it was a boisterous evening, there were also somber reminders of a nation in turmoil.

Councilwoman the Rev. Mary McBride Lee, who got the blue wave chant going, first offered a prayer for the lives lost at Saturdays synagogue shooting in Philadelphia.

And U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who is on Tuesdays ballot for re-election, talked about divisive Republican President Donald Trumps pre-election decision to send U.S. troops to the southern border. Murphy referred to news reports that Trump stated any migrants who throw rocks at soldiers should be considered armed.

Is that what America is about? Murphy told the crowd, casting Tuesday as the most important election of their lives.

Testa, the evenings host, insisted in a brief interview before the rally and dinner began that we are doing our best to get the vote out next week.

Ganim may be more of a natural interacting with urban voters, Testa said, but Lamont has improved.

We have the same energy for Ned Lamont as it was for Joe Ganim, Testa said.
MIDDLETOWN  The Middlesex Coalition for Children will be hosting a free data workshop at the deKoven House next week with representatives of CT Kids Count and the Connecticut Data Collaborative.

Guests include Samantha Hills, policy analyst for Connecticut Association for Human Services and Kids Count data coordinator; and Michelle Riordan-Nold, executive director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative.

Participants are invited Thursday from 9 to 10 a.m. to learn how to use online data tools for grant writing, program improvements and advocacy efforts, according to a press release.

CT Kids Count is one of 50 state-level Kids Count projects funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and staffed by CT Association for Human Services, the release said. The Connecticut project is a public education and advocacy campaign that provides reliable, comprehensive, timely data and analysis on how well Connecticuts children are doing at the state and local levels, according to the agency.

Hills will introduce participants to the online Kids Count Data Center, where people can find online data and resources specific to a Connecticut town or county, as well as statewide data. The tool is easy to use and is relevant to grant writing, advocacy and programming improvement, the release said.

Riordan-Nold will teach participants how to use the The Connecticut Data Collaborative online data tools.

The Data Collaborative is a public-private partnership empowering an ecosystem of data users by democratizing access to public data and building data literacy, the release said. It provides accessible public data that the organization processes and displays in a user-friendly format on its online data portal, ctdata.org.

The CTData Academys goal is to increase data literacy, build data capacity and enable the government and organizations across the state to use data effectively in evaluation and advocacy that impacts social lives.

Evaluating data quality and understanding data limitations are key challenges facing organizations that use data to address community issues. Participants are building a network of critical data users in Connecticut who employ quality data and strong analytics to improve their communities, the release said.
Courtesy photo

Johnson Development will be the title sponsor for the Lamar Educational Awards Foundations largest annual fundraiser, Men Who Cook 2019, set for Feb. 16, 2019, at Safari Texas Ranch.

We are so thankful to have Johnson Development as the presenting sponsor for 2019, said Chip Sutton, LEAF board president. Their enthusiastic support of the students in our school district and of the areas overall economy shows their commitment to our community.
Leading property company, New Africa Properties has posted a modest improvement in profit for the twelve months to July 2018. This is according to a financial statement posted on the Botswana Stock Exchange Limited website on Wednesday afternoon. For the period under review, the company which is under the leadership of Tobias Mynhardt, recorded a profit of P217 million, compared to P199 million made during the same period last year.

NAPs performance in 2018 is reflective of the sound property portfolio performance in line with the trend since initial listing, all underpinned by the strength and diversity of the tenant base occupying the well-established portfolio, said NAP. The owners of Madirelo Centre and Riverwalk mall in Gaborone said.

Profit exceeds distributable income by P69 million as a result of the after-tax revaluation and other accounting adjustments that are non-cash flow items and do not impact distributions, but add to the underlying net asset value of NAP which has increased by 5.2% this year. The fairly constant exchange rate resulted in a P96 000 exchange loss under other comprehensive income, in comparison to last years P1.4 million gain, noted the company.

Directors of the company have disclosed the company has the necessary war chest to survive the market. NAP has significant gearing capacity available to fund acquisitions which would enhance long term returns. The catalyst for this would be securing quality property investments at appropriate initial yields, commented John Chairman Mynhardt and Tobias Myhardt.
In the 117th District, state Rep. Charles Ferraro, R-West Haven, faces a challenge in his bid for a third term from Milford Democrat Cindy Wolfe Boynton, a writer and adjunct journalism professor who was inspired to run by her own familys difficulties with health care.

The district includes sections of Milford, West Haven, Orange and Woodbridge.

This years race has been a bit quieter than the 2016 race, when Ferraro, 65, was opposed by West Haven City Councilman Sean Ronan, D-9.

I know very little about my opponent. I really havent run into her on the campaign trail, although I saw her at a couple of functions, said Ferraro, who said he finished earlier this week walking the entire district  and knocking on all 9,133 doors.

Maybe thats because Boynton, 51, a former New York Times reporter who is president of the Connecticut Chapter of the National Organization for Women, also has been out walking and knocking on doors  more than 8,000 as of earlier this week.

Boynton said shes running because too many of us are struggling. Connecticut needs new leaders, with new ideas, to lead us in a new direction. She also is running because I had this perfect storm sort of thing happen in my life that inspired me to run, she said.

She spent three years  a second full-time job for me  trying to find her elderly parents assistance to pay for home health aides so they could remain in their home at a time when they were too inform to live independently but not yet ready for a nursing home.

Ferraro, who is on the General Assemblys Human Services Committee and Energy and Technology Committee and is ranking member on the Veterans Committee, said Connecticut has a lot of problems, with the need for more and better jobs being a major one.

Unfortunately, some folks would like to make the election about national issues, such as Donald Trump and immigrants, etc. And those things are important on a national level, he said. But here in Connecticut, were going to be facing a $5.4 billion deficit when we get back in session on Jan. 20.

And the budgetary problems beyond this session ... unless we make serious structural changes to our budget , will only get worse, he said.

Looming over the state are about $100 million in unfunded pension liabilities for our teachers and our state worker pensions that must be dealt with, Ferraro said.

This is why I think this election is so important, because we really need to address longstanding problems to get out state back on track, he said.

Boynton said that during her travels around the district, she has found that health care and taxes are voters greatest concern.

What I hear over and over and over again are about property taxes and health care  and those are both really big concerns for me, as well.

I am against any new taxes, she said. We need to look at restructuring our tax system so its not the middle class who are paying the largest share of taxes  and I think we should look at those who can afford it the most.

Boynton also said that education is important, saying there are manufacturing jobs going unfilled because Connecticut schools are not getting people ready for them. Advanced manufacturing provides good jobs that get people off state assistance and help them become role models, she said.

Ferraro, who has owned the West Haven Academy of Karate for 42 years, said that many of Connecticuts problems are, of course, budget related.

We need to bring more manufacturing back to Connecticut and we need to increase skilled labor by using the community college system to do a better job of educating people to get them ready for manufacturing jobs, he said.

When you talk to the people at the doors, their major concern is ... the cost of living in Connecticut with regards to property taxes, especially with older residents who are on a fixed income, he said.

He aims to make the business climate better, and said he supports measures aimed at bolstering small businesses, such as an effort to try to repeal the business entity tax,

Ferraro also said he is fighting against issues that would negatively affect small businesses, such as mandatory family paid leave and the mandatory $15 minimum wage.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com

A higher minimum wage is a great idea, but if youre going to do it by balancing it on the backs of small businesses, then youre going to lose small businesses, Ferraro said. Id rather see people make $13.50 and have a job than see people lose their jobs because their bosses cant afford to pay $15 an hour.
WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration approved a powerful new opioid Friday for use in health care settings, rejecting criticism from some of its own advisers that it would inevitably be diverted to illicit use and cause more overdose deaths.

The drug is five to 10 times more potent than pharmaceutical fentanyl. The tiny pill - just three millimeters in diameter - is likely to worsen the nation's drug crisis, according to critics and the head of the FDA's advisory committee on painkillers.

At the same time, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb issued an unusual statement saying he would seek more authority for the agency to consider whether there are too many similar drugs on the market. That might allow the agency to turn down future applications for new opioid approvals if the drugs are not filling an unmet need.

"We need to address the question that I believe underlies the criticism raised in advance of this approval," Gottlieb wrote. "To what extent should we evaluate each opioid solely on its own merits, and to what extent should we also consider...the epidemic of opioid misuse and abuse that's gripping our nation?"

As the worst drug crisis in U.S. history has accelerated, agency critics and some public officials have clamored for that holistic approach to narcotic painkillers, instead of the FDA's practice of evaluating each opioid application on its own.

Gottlieb has pledged that the FDA would do more to balance efforts to curb the epidemic--which killed a record 49,000 users in 2017, according to preliminary data--with the needs of people who need strong pain relief. But Friday's statement is the first detailed indication of how the FDA might use its drug-review process to tackle the overall problem.

Gottlieb said he would bring a plan to the FDA's Opioid Policy Steering Committee and perhaps Congress. The guidelines would allow the agency to consider a narcotic's benefit to public health, its risk of being diverted for inappropriate use or abuse and its unique benefits to groups of people in pain before deciding to approve an opioid.

"In this way, [drug companies] would know up front where the opportunities are for developing new drugs that meet the FDA's standards for safety and effectiveness," he wrote.

The drug approved Friday is a 30-microgram pill form of sufentanil, a powerful, 34-year-old opioid commonly used after surgery and in emergency rooms. Each pill, placed under the tongue for quick absorption, would have the same impact as five milligrams of intravenous morphine. Each would come in a plastic applicator that looks like a syringe.

The drug is intended for use within health-care settings and perhaps on the battlefield. It would not be available in retail pharmacies.

The manufacturer, a California company called AcelRx, will market the drug beginning in early 2019 under the name Dsuvia, at a wholesale price of $50 to $60 per dose. A spokeswoman said the company is not providing information on expected sales.

AcelRx aready has approval for 15- and 30-microgram versions of the drug in Europe.

An FDA advisory committee recommended approval of the new drug in a 10-3 vote on October 12. But Raeford Brown, a professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at the University of Kentucky who chairs the committee, then took the rare step of publicly condemning that decision and urging the FDA to reject the drug. Brown missed the meeting because he was speaking at a medical conference that day.

Brown, four U.S. Senators and the advocacy group Public Citizen have predicted that Dsuvia will be diverted to illicit use and cause more opioid overdose deaths.

"It is certain that Dsuvia will worsen the opioid epidemic and kill people needlessly," Sidney Wolfe, founder of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said in a statement. "It will be taken by medical personnel and others for whom it has not been prescribed. And many of those will overdose and die.

Brown added that he has personally tried to resuscitate health care providers who abuse sufentanil, "some successfully."

"Clearly the issue of the safety of the public is not important to the commissioner, despite his attempts to obfuscate and misdirect," Brown said in his joint statement with Public Citizen.

The FDA says that controls on drugs inside medical facilities are tight and the greatest risk of diversion is among medical personnel themselves.

A 2016 survey conducted by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that narcotics are rarely stolen from doctor's offices, clinics, hospitals or pharmacies. Fewer than 1 percent of people said they acquired opioids that way.

The rate of overdose deaths among health care workers is relatively high, however, according to an August study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with 876 succumbing to prescription opioids between 2007 and 2012.

Hundreds of millions of doses of prescription painkillers have been diverted from the pharmaceutical supply chain to illegal users over the past 15 years. In many cases, illicit users obtain them from friends, relatives or rogue doctors and pharmacists, according to the SAMHSA survey.

One factor that weighed heavily in the Dsuvia decision is military interest in the drug, Gottlieb said in his statement. The military wants to explore whether the pill can be used as a battlefield painkiller that is less cumbersome than liquid analgesics. The Pentagon has spent millions of dollars helping to fund AcelRx's research, public documents show.

"The FDA has made it a high priority to make sure our soldiers have access to treatments that meet the unique needs of the battlefield, including when intravenous administration is not possible for the treatment of acute pain," Gottlieb wrote.

Pamela Palmer, an anesthesiologist, said she founded the company to reduce the number of deaths caused by opioid dosing errors in hospitals and ambulatory care centers. She said caregivers can make these mistakes as they calculate the amount of clear liquid painkillers such as morphine to administer intravenously.

"The FDA approval of Dsuvia is the culmination of nearly 15 years of research to improve the standard of care for managing acute pain in medically supervised settings," Palmer said in a statement.

Including brand name and generic drugs, there are nearly 400 opioids currently on the market.
WASHINGTON - A federal judge on Friday denied President Donald Trump's request to stay a lawsuit alleging he is violating the Constitution by doing business with foreign governments, a decision that paves the way for plaintiffs to seek information about customers at his District of Columbia hotel.

U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte in Greenbelt, Maryland, denied the Justice Department's request that he pause the case to allow a higher court to intervene. And Messitte sharply questioned the president's position that his business does not improperly accept gifts or payments - called emoluments - as defined by the Constitution.

By Trump's analysis, Messitte wrote, the term emoluments is the subject of such "substantial grounds of disagreement" that payments his business received from foreign governments could not qualify. The judge did not agree: "The Court finds this a dubious proposition."

More for you Prosecutor digging into the Trump organization once faced fallout from Goldman

Messitte ordered the plaintiffs, the attorneys general for the District and Maryland, to submit a schedule for discovery - the process of producing evidence for the case - within 20 days. That decision is subject to appeal.

The judge has limited discovery to information related to the president's District. hotel. This is the second civil case in which Trump's business is now subject to discovery, after Trump agreed Tuesday to produce portions of his calendar from 2007 and 2008 in a defamation lawsuit brought by former "Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos.

In his 31-page opinion, Messitte rejected Trump's argument that this case should be halted so it could be appealed midstream - a request typically granted in extraordinary circumstances, where an unresolved legal question makes it hard to go on.

Justice Department attorneys argued that the lawsuit should ultimately be dismissed because it was a burden for Trump, distracting from his duties as a sitting president. The department issued a statement signaling it would appeal again.

"The Department of Justice disagrees with and is disappointed by this ruling," said spokeswoman Kelly Laco. "This case, which should have been dismissed, presents important questions that warrant immediate appellate review."

The Trump Organization did not immediately return requests for comment.

The Justice Department "is attempting to delay discovery in our case," said Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, D, who brought the case along with D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine, D. "Their ultimate argument was that this the president of the United States, he's too busy."

But Messitte had rejected that argument earlier, and in this opinion he noted, wryly, that - instead of avoiding legal battles - Trump seems to seek them out while in the White House.

Messitte noted Trump's threats to sue author Michael Wolff and former adviser Stephen Bannon, and Trump's taunting of former CIA director William Brennan in August. After Trump revoked Brennan's security clearance, Trump wrote on Twitter: "I hope John Brennan, the worst CIA Director in our country's history, brings a lawsuit."

"It bears noting that the President himself seems to have had little reluctance to pursue personal litigation despite the supposed distractions it imposes on his office," Messitte wrote.

Trump still owns his company, although he says he has stepped back from day-to-day control. The Trump Organization has held several large events paid for by foreign governments at Trump's District hotel and reported about $150,000 in what it called "foreign profits" last year.

The judge found that, "the President's ownership interest in the Trump International Hotel and his apparent receipt of benefits from at least some foreign and state governments, as well as from the Federal Government itself, suggest that he has received 'emoluments' in violation of the Constitution."

In an earlier ruling, Messitte had found that the definition of word emoluments, in the context of the late 1700s, was broad enough to include sales of goods or services. By the judge's logic, that definition meant that Trump could be taking emoluments merely by renting ballrooms to foreign-government customers.

Trump had objected, saying that the word should be defined more narrowly, to mean only payments made to Trump specifically to influence his behavior as president.

"By every reasonable metric, [Trump's definition] appears to describe what is tantamount to a bribe," the judge wrote in the Friday decision, calling that interpretation"exceedingly strained."

Trump's legal team has some options to prevent discovery from proceeding, but they are dwindling. The judge directed Frosh and Racine to submit a schedule for discovery within 20 days.

"We will soon provide the court a new schedule to begin the process of getting information about how President Trump is profiting from the presidency," Racine said in a statement.

Frosh and Racine will seek details about spending at Trump's D.C. hotel by foreign governments, state governments and the federal government. They want to look inside the finances of Trump's company to see how money flows through individual Trump businesses to Trump.

They also want to seek information from Trump on "his communications with foreign, state and domestic government officials" regarding the District hotel. And they want information about Trump's lease with the federal government, as his District hotel is located in a federally owned historic building, which Trump leased long before he ran for office.

Trump's lawyers have asked for their own discovery - demanding details about whether the District or Maryland governments have been harmed, financially, by foreign-government customers leaving other hotels for Trump's.

- - -

The Washington Post's Ann E. Marimow contributed to this report.
NEW HAVEN  The executive management and confidential employees were the first to get the news.

This group of 37 City Hall workers was told they need to take three days, or 21 hours, of unpaid furlough time during this fiscal year.

The city , when putting its budget together last spring, originally set a goal of $3.6 million in concessions from the unions.

By the time the budget was adopted in May, the city lowered the concession savings in the General Fund to $1.9 million in compensation that it needed workers to give up, in addition to changes already negotiatied.

Laurence Grotheer, spokesman for Mayor Toni Harp, said the unpaid time for the executive management and confidential employees will save some $60,000.

We have already done a (hiring) freeze. I think between that and the furloughs, that will help us get very close to where we need to be, Mayor Toni Harp said Thursday.

Director of Labor Relations Thomas McCarthy is the point man in negotiations with all the unions, including the estimated 2,000 teachers.

So far, the unions he has reached out to have not been receptive to accepting furlough days.

David Cicarella, president of the teachers union, said they created a whole new salary schedule, cutting the value of the salary steps, as well as agreed to pay more toward benefits in the three-year contract they just signed.

He said they were reasonable in response to the citys needs and he questions being asked for more at this point.

Cicarella said the city is looking for two furlough days for the teachers.

The union president countered that he wants a no-layoff clause for the three years of the new contract. He said he would consider a no-layoff agreement for two years in exchange for the two furlough days, but the city said it could only guarantee no layoffs for one year.

Cicarella said he hoped that two years would give the city time to deal with its fiscal problems.

Malinda Figueroa, president of Local 3144, which covers some 340 professional and supervisory workers, said McCarthy asked that the membership take two furlough days. She said she would consider that if combined with a no-layoff clause, but that was not acceptable to the city.

Doreen Rhodes, president of Local 884, which represents the clerical workers, said she was also presented with a request that her members take two furlough days, but she rejected it.

The police union currently is in arbitration, while full negotiations for a successor contract are under way for the fire department.

Alder Anna Festa, D-10, when asked about the forlough days for the 37 executive management and confidential workers, said the city should not have given that group raises without aldermanic approval and after the budget was approved. The total $491,271, over two years, could have gone toward the $1.9 million needed in savings.

The mayor handed out the increases after Local 3144 had settled its contract. Harp had said several in the group had not gotten raises in years and were making less than the people they supervised.

The awards were split between retroactive payments of $245,636 for the current fiscal year and an equal amount for fiscal 2019, which began on July 1, according to an aldermanic analysis.

The mayor said she has the ability to give raises without going to the alders as long as they are within the salary range approved for the position.

Alders disagreed, citing a city ordinance that requires aldermanic approval if a transfer of appropriation increases the total annual salary estimate. The raises were taken from the contract reserve account, which was listed as having $1.84 million for this fiscal year and $1.8 million starting on July 1, according to the city.

Harp on Tuesday afternoon sent a letter to the executive management and confidential employees in the city notifiying them of the furlough days.

As leaders in our various departments and our city, we need to be role models in demonstrating our support of sound fiscal responsibility, the mayor wrote, after reminding them of the citys financial problems.

The staff was told it could take the time in increments as small as one hour at a time, subject to approval of their department head or coordinator. It would be implemented similarly to personal time: it must be requested in advance and approved the same way as personal time.

The 21 hours must be used and recorded before June 30, 2019.

Implementing this furlough time in this manner permits the continued operations of your department with a lessened impact to services, while creating a savings for the city, Harp wrote.

The mayor started the letter by recognizing the employees hard work and dedication in serving the great people of New Haven.

The furlough would also apply to the mayor.

In a budget workshop in the spring, McCarthy, was asked by Festa how he was going to arrive at the concessions.

The labor relations director said he would determine them by worker, by salary and then add up what that would mean for each union, according to the New Haven Independent. He enumerated such things as furloughs, raise deferrals or cut uniform allowances.

Each union will have their own personal view of how they get to that concession, or even if they do get to that concession. I have an obligation to get to that number. If I cant get to that number, I will inform them that we probably will have to do layoffs or something else to get to that number. Thats the negotiation that goes back and forth, McCarthy was quoted as saying.

mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577
An elementary school student in Austin appears to have gotten a little too into the Halloween spirit last week.

According to the Hays County Sheriff's Office, the student had a rabid bat in their jacket pocket Oct. 26 while on campus at Sycamore Springs Elementary School in the 14000 block of Sawyer Ranch Road.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi as a dangerous Islamist days after his disappearance in a phone call with President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and national security adviser John Bolton, according to people familiar with the discussion.

In the call, which occurred before the kingdom publicly acknowledged killing Khashoggi, the crown prince urged Kushner and Bolton to preserve the U.S.-Saudi alliance and said the journalist was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group long opposed by Bolton and other senior Trump officials.

The attempt to criticize Khashoggi in private stands in contrast to the Saudi government's later public statements decrying the journalist's death as a "terrible mistake" and "terrible tragedy."

"The incident that happened is very painful, for all Saudis," Mohammed, the kingdom's de facto leader, said during a panel discussion last week. "The incident is not justifiable."

The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Khalid bin Salman, described Khashoggi last month as a "friend" who dedicated "a great portion of his life to serve his country."

In a statement released to The Washington Post, Khashoggi's family called the characterization of the columnist as a dangerous Islamist inaccurate.

"Jamal Khashoggi was not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He denied such claims repeatedly over the past several years," the family said. "Jamal Khashoggi was not a dangerous person in any way possible. To claim otherwise would be ridiculous."

A person familiar with the discussion said Bolton did not signal that he endorsed the crown prince's characterization of Khashoggi during the call.

A Saudi official denied Wednesday that the crown prince made the allegations, saying that "routine calls do exist from time to time" between the young leader and top U.S. officials but that "no such commentary was conveyed."

Saudi Arabia has faced international condemnation for its shifting accounts of Khashoggi's disappearance Oct. 2 at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

The kingdom initially said Khashoggi walked out of the consulate unharmed but then said Saudi agents had accidentally killed him in a fistfight, and more recently announced it had evidence his killing was "premeditated."

Analysts said the crown prince's efforts to discredit Khashoggi in private suggested a two-faced attempt at damage control.

"This is character assassination added to premeditated murder," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official and scholar at the Brookings Institution.

The White House declined to discuss sensitive conversations with the Saudis or say how many phone calls the crown prince and Kushner have had since Khashoggi's disappearance. Mohammed has spoken to Kushner multiple times, according to people familiar with the matter, but the most recent call with Bolton and Kushner happened Oct. 9.

Officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.

Other Middle East leaders also have come to the crown prince's defense. In recent days, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reached out to the Trump administration to express support for the crown prince, arguing that he is an important strategic partner in the region, said people familiar with the calls.

Israel, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have united behind the Trump administration's efforts to bring pressure on Iran and force through a Middle East peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians.

Other U.S. allies, notably Germany, Britain and France, have voiced serious concern about what happened to Khashoggi, who wrote opinion articles critical of the Saudi leadership in The Washington Post.

The Trump administration revoked the visas or made travel ineligible for 21 Saudi nationals implicated by Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Khashoggi's death.

As U.S. officials contemplate a more robust response, Kushner has emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Saudi alliance in the region, said people familiar with the conversations.

Other officials at the State Department and Pentagon, however, have said the options under consideration could include a clear discipline of the Saudi government, an end to the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar or a winding down of the war in Yemen. Officials cautioned that no decision has been made, and Trump has expressed little desire to significantly alter U.S.-Saudi relations, but there is an interest in a full vetting of the potential options.

Kushner's efforts to carefully cultivate a relationship with the heir to the Saudi throne makes him a critical voice in deciding the Trump administration's response. After several private talks early in the administration, Kushner championed Mohammed as a reformer poised to usher the ultraconservative, oil-rich monarchy into modernity. Kushner privately argued for months last year that Mohammed would be key to crafting a Middle East peace plan, and that with the prince's blessing much of the Arab world would follow.

It was Kushner who pushed his father-in-law to make his first foreign trip to Riyadh, against objections from then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and warnings from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. In the early days of the administration, Kushner often preferred to talk to the crown prince privately but now coordinates his conversations with the National Security Council.

Kushner visited the crown prince at his palace in a secret October 2017 trip, a plan so closely held that it caught some White House and intelligence officials by surprise.

The two 30-somethings stayed up late into the evening alone discussing the prospects of Kushner's Middle East peace plan. A few days later, the prince ordered the house arrest of dozens of rival royals and imprisonment of other enemies in a bid to solidify his control of the government. The White House and the Saudis have denied Kushner approved the power grab.

Saudi officials had made no secret of their antipathy toward Khashoggi, including expressing consternation last year when he began writing a regular column for The Post. In the days after his disappearance - before the Saudis acknowledged his death in Istanbul - a person close to the royal palace said Mohammed was puzzled by the high level of concern about Khashoggi, whom he considered part of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as an agent of Qatar.

Khashoggi's family said his views were much more nuanced than those described by Saudi officials. "Although he sympathized with certain objectives of the Muslim Brotherhood, he also sharply disagreed with many of their positions, especially toward Saudi Arabia," the family said in its statement.

Saudi Arabia severed relations with Qatar last year, charging among other things that it harbored Muslim Brotherhood "terrorists." Although the Saudis maintained a cordial relationship with the Brotherhood for decades after its founding in Egypt as an Islamist political and social movement, Riyadh declared it a terrorist organization after the upheavals of the Arab Spring.

Many Republican lawmakers and Middle East analysts on the right agreed with the Saudi assessment - in 2015, now-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, then a member of the House, co-sponsored a resolution calling on the State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. During Trump's campaign, several prominent supporters, including Bolton, called for such a designation.

Egypt's Sissi, whose military government overthrew an elected Muslim Brotherhood-allied government in 2013, and Israel's political right share that view.

Trump considered such an action early in his administration but was dissuaded by Pompeo, who had become CIA director, and others in the administration. They noted that while the designation would please some Arab partners, others in the region would reject it. The Brotherhood has mainstream political stature and legitimacy in Jordan, Turkey and Morocco, among other countries.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a rival of the Saudi crown prince, has called for Saudi Arabia to be held accountable for the killing. Erdogan called Trump on Thursday to talk about a handful of issues including the Khashoggi investigation, according to people familiar with the conversation, but neither government acknowledged in official readouts of the call that the investigation was discussed.

- - -

The Washington Post's Karen DeYoung and Tom Hamburger contributed to this report.
Botswana Post, which has been posting losses, has turned the corner thanks to a number of interventions implemented by the new leadership. The latest annual results are a clear indication the government-owned postal service provider is out of the woods.

The parastatals annual financial report for the 2017/18 year indicates a profit after tax of P3.1 million, a significant 139.4 percent turnaround from the previous years loss. The development is attributed to change in revenue appreciation of the parastatals virtual sales, mainly electricity and airtime propelling the company to consider investing more in technologies.

An investment of USD13.9 million has been committed to system development to keep up with advances in information technology over the next ten years, said Ofentse Mabote, Botswana Post Chief Finance Officer (CFO). During the financial year under review, the virtual sales were recognised on a net instead of a gross basis.

This was due to the fact that these items are now determined to be advance payments rather than stock items as the company has little control of the tokens sold, said Mabote. The Botswana Posts financial chief said other income revenue recorded a 3.8 percent up from the previous year and the non-traditional revenue lines of business services and agency services grew 6 percent against 1.8 percent for traditional revenue lines.

As Botswana Post gets into full swing with its new blueprint - Executing Innovating Excellence, the company is determined to improve its systems to ensure effective management information for enhanced decision making. The importance of technology and its assimilation in our operations as a key differentiator has been at the centre of our business strategic focus.

E-platforms have played a role in our positive developments as far as our multi-channel approach is concerned, said Clifford Lekoko Chief Commercial Officer. Botswana Post believes opportunities exist in the market to address the growing demand for convenience, and the demand for ease of access to services, whether native or third party.We set out to pursue a strategy of digitalization of services enacted through the post office network, said Lekoko.

BotswanaPost has digitalized most bill payments and critical government services, answering and meeting the market demand for ease of transacting.Through the Botswana Post web portal, the following services are now available to the public in real time - online vehicle licence renewal, Postal box renewal, water bill presentment and payment, prepaid electricity purchases, money transfer, insurance premium payment and pay TV subscriptions.

Turning the fortunes of BotswanaPost was through strategies that hunt down additional sources of revenue growth and enhanced existing ones, leveraging new technology and strategic relationships.The parastatal also took bold steps to decrease controllable costs, applied a wide variety of performance improvement measures to instill a culture of high performance in every staff member and re-arranged human resources, restructuring the organisation to deliver maximum value and customer impact.

Having stabilised our cost base and driven revenue growth across key channels, we have rapidly gone from the inflection point, beyond the break-even point, to a healthy profitable position, said Cornelius Ramatlhakwane, Chief Executive Officer at Botswana Post.
SAN SALVADOR - As the sun rose on the Salvador del Mundo monument in San Salvador, dozens of would-be migrants with small backpacks and duffel bags trickled into the central plaza. They settled on benches and stairs to await instructions.

Within an hour, at least 100 had gathered. By 8 a.m., about 300 - all of them responding to the same WhatsApp group message about when and where to meet. From the far corner of the plaza, a voice called out "Let's go," jolting the group into action.

Within moments, all the migrants had stood up, gathered their belongings, and walked through the plaza, across the street and past a gas station - their first steps in a potential 1,600-mile journey to the United States.

The group, which left San Salvador on Wednesday, became part of at least the fourth Central American caravan to form since mid-October, when one left San Pedro Sula in Honduras and headed north.

Caravans were once used sparingly to spotlight a particular problem. A group of Central American mothers, for example, has traveled through Mexico each year for 14 years searching for their sons and daughters who disappeared on the migrant trail. The Mesoamerican Caravan for a Good Life has organized migrant caravans for years, including one in March that gained international attention.

But experts now predict that caravan-style treks could become a more frequent scene along the decades-old migration routes from the region.

Part of the reason could be the attention given to the caravans by U.S. political races. This year's caravans have coincided with the U.S. midterm election and President Donald Trump's attempts to portray the migrants as a threat that requires military mobilization at the southern border.

The result has been to raise the profile of the caravans and how they take shape in Central America and elsewhere. The unintended consequence could be even more such groups heading northward in the future, immigrant experts say.

"We haven't previously seen caravans as an organizational strategy to get to the U.S. and cross the border," said Celia Medrano, chief program officer at Cristosal, a San Salvador-based organization that works with migrants. "This is going to be the new method of irregular immigration."

Traveling in groups is perceived as safer and cheaper for migrants, who often pay $7,000 to $10,000 to human smugglers called coyotes to avoid the dangers of crossing Mexico. Migrants don't pay to join a caravan and many travel without much cash to avoid being robbed. Rather than carry many provisions, members of the caravan often rely on the generosity of people along the way to feed them.

But the caravans also present tough logistic and political issues along the routes.

On Oct. 22, Trump threatened to cut off aid to Central American countries if they did not stop the flow of migrants, putting even more pressure on the governments to take a stand.

"The government institutions in all of the countries had become accustomed to making invisible the phenomenon [of undocumented migrants], looking the other way knowing that thousands of people are crossing underground," said Medrano, the Cristosal regional director. "Now they can't deny it, they can't ignore it and they can't avoid confronting it because it is right under their noses."

In Honduras, the caravan stoked already high political tensions between President Juan Orlando Hernandez and opposition leaders who call his re-election fraudulent. Fliers promoting the Oct. 12 caravan openly criticized the Honduran government and blamed the current administration for creating the conditions that migrants flee. Hernandez has tried to lure migrants back to Honduras with the promise of employment.

Both Guatemala and Honduras temporarily closed their borders in October, even though a regional agreement allows citizens of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua to pass freely between borders with proper documentation. President Salvador Sanchez Ceren of El Salvador has said he will not comply with the U.S. demand to stop migrants from leaving.

Yet while the Salvadoran government recognizes its citizens' right to leave, it also felt compelled to warn would-be migrants about what is often a harrowing process.

Police, immigration officials and child-protection institutions were dispatched to the plaza where migrants gathered to speak to them about the travel documents they would need and the dangers of the journey. The underlying message was clear: Don't go.

"We've talked to most of these Salvadoran citizens about the dangers of irregular migration to raise awareness," said Evelyn Marroquin, director of the General Directorate of Migration and Immigration, in an official statement. "In the last minute they can reflect and give up this voyage that can be so grave for them and their families."

These campaigns are "too late" for migrants who have already made the decision and understand the risks, said Medrano. The government would have more of an impact, she said, if it worked to reduce the crime and corruption that drive so many migrants to leave.

The wave of caravans has been particularly challenging for the Mexican government, which has dedicated extensive resources to helping its northern neighbor prevent Central American migrants from reaching the U.S. border, by deporting them and making their journey more difficult.

The Mexican government has tried multiple strategies to stop the caravan - repression at borders, promises of work permits, and offers for asylum - but to no avail. There are still an estimated 4,200 migrants from the first caravan heading to Mexico.

Trying to stop the caravan places Mexico in a political dilemma. While the United States threatens political retribution for not blocking the caravans, Mexican citizens appear to overwhelmingly support the migrants and their journey.

"They are caught between the concerns of the U.S. government, which they want to be responsive to, and Mexican public opinion, which they have to listen to," said Andrew Selee, the president of the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

As more migrants have banded together, caravans are gaining legitimacy in the eyes of would-be migrants.

"If images keep being transmitted of people traveling together, and if those people make it further along, more people are going to see the groups as a safe way to travel and, hopefully, be able to reach the U.S. border and request asylum," said Maureen Meyer, the director for Mexico and migrant rights in the Washington Office on Latin America, a research organization.

Even for groups that assist migrants, travel by the thousands poses new difficulties.

Despite the outpouring of support for the caravans by many migrant rights organizations, these large groups may unknowingly complicate the work of networks designed to help them.

Mexico's network of migrant shelters and migrant rights, known as Zona Norte, said in a statement that it was concerned that the caravans could overwhelm existing humanitarian resources on the Mexican side of the border.

The statement suggests that asylum seekers at the northern border "distribute themselves in smaller groups in the different border cities, which would allow better attention to basic needs such as food and first aid."

The prospect that caravans could become more common hinges partially on what happens once the early groups reach the U.S.-Mexico border. Signs that their asylum applications are being rejected, for example, could deter future groups, said Meyer. If caravans result in mass deportations, Central American institutions tasked with receiving and reintegrating deportees could collapse, said Medrano.

But as long as the caravans remain a safe and viable option for migrating, experts believe they will continue.

"It's the new way," said Medrano, "of making visible what was before invisible."

- - -

The Washington Post's Joshua Partlow and Kevin Sieff in Mexico City contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - The White House is growing increasingly concerned about allegations of misconduct against Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, according to two senior administration officials, and President Donald Trump has asked aides for more information about a Montana land deal under scrutiny by the Justice Department.

Trump told his aides that he is afraid Zinke has broken rules while serving as the interior secretary and is concerned about the Justice Department referral, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. But the president has not indicated whether he will fire the former Navy SEAL and congressman and has asked for more information, the officials said.

Earlier this month, Interior's Office of Inspector General referred the inquiry - one of several probes into the secretary's conduct - to the Justice Department to determine whether a criminal investigation is warranted. That referral concerns Zinke's involvement in a Whitefish, Montana, land development deal backed by David Lesar, chairman of the oil services firm Halliburton.

The business and retail park, known as 95 Karrow, would be near multiple parcels of land owned by Zinke and his wife, Lola. The inspector general is looking at discussions Zinke had with Lesar and others about the development that could indicate he was using his office to enrich himself.

Interior has played no role in the Montana project, but congressional Democrats asked for an investigation in June because the department issues regulations on oil and gas development that has financial implications for companies such as Lesar's.

No decision about Zinke's tenure has been made, said the officials. But the shift within the West Wing highlights the extent to which the interior secretary's standing has slipped in recent months.

Both the White House and Interior declined to comment Thursday. Zinke has indicated that he intends to stay in his post, according to an individual who talked to him recently and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation.

White House officials' trust in 57-year-old Zinke - a vocal proponent of the president's push to expand coal, oil and gas production in the United States - began eroding at the start of the year, after he traveled to Florida to meet with Gov. Rick Scott, R, and announced that he would exempt the state from the administration's new plan to allow drilling off the state's coasts. The move, which was not coordinated with the West Wing's political shop, exposed the five-year leasing plan to legal challenges and sparked pushback from governors in other states.

But administration officials' concerns have intensified as multiple allegations have mounted against Zinke, who has denied any wrongdoing. Earlier this month, Interior's watchdog unit issued a report finding that Zinke's travel practices and efforts to designate his wife as a department volunteer had raised red flags among Interior ethics officials.

Zinke is the second member of the Trump Cabinet to come under scrutiny from the Justice Department. Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general referred a case involving then-Administrator Scott Pruitt's rental deal with lobbyist Steve Hart and his wife, Vicki, to federal prosecutors. That inquiry appears to have lost momentum after Pruitt resigned in July, according to two individuals apprised of the probe who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

A referral to the Justice Department means prosecutors will explore whether a criminal investigation is warranted. An agency's inspector general refers cases to the Justice Department only when it has determined that there could be criminal violations, and regularly does so even before completing its own investigation.

New York University public service professor Paul Light, who wrote a book about inspectors general, said in an interview that they regularly notify prosecutors about potential wrongdoing within the agencies they oversee. But he said it is far less common for them to refer cases involving a Cabinet member.

"It's unusual," Light said. "A Cabinet officer, that's a big-ticket issue."

Interior's acting inspector general, Mary Kendall, is conducting at least three separate probes connected to Zinke. One involves his decision not to grant a permit to two Connecticut tribes to jointly run a casino, despite the fact that career staff had recommended the move, after MGM Resorts International lobbied against it. Another focuses on whether Interior officials redrew the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to benefit Utah Rep. Mike Noel, R, who owns property in the area.

The Montana project is another. When the referral to the Justice Department was reported by The Washington Post on Tuesday, it was not yet clear which of the probes had been turned over for possible criminal investigation.

A senior White House official said the White House understood the investigation was looking into whether the secretary "used his office to help himself."

Last year, Zinke's wife, Lola, signed an agreement that would allow the 95 Karrow development to use land owned by the Zinkes' foundation, Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation, as a parking lot. The proposed hotel, retail and microbrewery site is near several properties owned by the Zinkes.

Details of the land deal were first reported by Politico.

Zinke stepped down as the foundation's president after joining Trump's Cabinet, and his wife took over in that capacity. But federal records show that the interior secretary continued to discuss the project with Lesar and his son, along with local developer Casey Malmquist.

On Aug. 3, 2017, according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, Zinke met with all three men in his Washington office, took them on a private tour of the Lincoln Memorial and had dinner with them. The next month, Malmquist emailed Zinke blueprints of the development and solicited his input.

"I want you to know that whatever assistance you need to protect and promote your vision for the park, please let me know and I will make sure that it's communicated and executed," Malmquist wrote in an exchange that Zinke forwarded to his assistant.

The Zinkes own two companies, Continental Divide International and Double Tap, that have several parcels of land near the proposed project. According to Zinke's most recent financial disclosure form, he received between $15,001 and $50,000 in rental or royalties from Continental Divide International last year and between $5,001 and $15,000 from Double Tap. Zinke stepped down from his leadership posts at both companies in March 2017.

The Continental Divide's properties' assessed 2018 tax value stood at $858,160, while Double Tap's properties were $467,400.

In an interview Thursday, Whitefish city planner David Taylor said the secretary's involvement in the project was limited to the parking and access agreement his foundation struck with the developers. Zinke had expressed an interest in opening a brewery in Whitefish in the past, Taylor said, but 95 Karrow's site plan did not say who would run the microbrewery.

"They never said who was going to own the brewery," Taylor said.

At the moment, the Peace park - whose land is valued at just over $501,000, according to the foundation's 2017 tax returns - is mainly used for sledding during winter. There is no way to directly drive into the park because the Zinkes have put up a gate at the request of neighbors living along Murray Avenue, Taylor said, so as not to disturb them with additional traffic.

"It seemed like, 'We'll help you do this if you help us do that,' " Taylor said, noting that the additional parking would benefit visitors to the development and the foundation's park.

The multiple inquiries surrounding Zinke's conduct are taking place as he is searching for someone the president can nominate as the department's inspector general. Kendall has served in an acting capacity since early 2009.

In a phone interview Wednesday, Kendall declined to discuss any pending investigations but said that she supports the idea of Trump nominating someone to serve in a permanent capacity.

"The bottom line is, I think the organization needs a properly nominated and confirmed IG," Kendall said. "The time is right. It might have been right some time ago."

- - -

The Washington Post's Magda Jean-Louis, Alice Crites and Ashley Parker contributed to this report.
On average, high school principals in Bexar County make a base salary of about $109,000 each year, according to data obtained from each school district.

More than 75 percent of principals made more than $100,000 a year, with the highest-paid principal earning nearly $137,000. Some of the principals with lower salaries were splitting the job with others. Burbank High School in San Antonio ISD had three principles listed, and Jefferson and Edison High Schools each had two.
A San Antonio Latino claims he was stopped in June by a Border Patrol agent who refused to believe he was a citizen and had him deported to Nuevo Laredo the next day, where he was kidnapped by cartel members and held for ransom.

Julio Cesar Ovalle, 24, said in an interview Friday that he was not released until days later when the FBI intervened with Mexican authorities.

There was no independent verification Friday of Ovalles claim that a Border Patrol agent stopped him without cause June 11 and asked for his papers as he walked along Portranco Road to his neighborhood H-E-B. But officials did verify that he was kidnapped in Mexico and held for ransom, then freed with the help of U.S. authorities.

RELATED: Judge sentences S.A. killer who cut up, burned man's remains to life

In September, Ovalles attorney Javier Espinoza filed an administrative claim, which is required before a lawsuit can be filed in court, seeking $1 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes the U.S. Border Patrol, for the alleged wrongful deportation.

Federal officials have up to six months to respond to the administrative claim.

According to documents and information provided by Espinoza and Ovalle to reporters, Ovalle was born at a hospital in Los Angeles to a U.S. citizen mother and a legal resident father, but raised in Mexico until he moved to San Antonio nine years ago. He has a U.S. passport.

A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, of which Border Patrol is a part of, said the agency does not comment on matters under litigation, and the FBI said it could not comment on whether it had a hand in helping free Ovalle.

But a law enforcement source told the San Antonio Express-News that a distraught Ovalle may have called 911 himself, claimed he was an undocumented immigrant and precipitated a response from Border Patrol that ended with his deportation.

Asked about the differing accounts, Espinoza said Ovalles brother was told by law officers that someone had called 911. But Espinoza said Ovalle denied he made the call and stands by his story.

Espinoza said that regardless of why Ovalle was detained, he was deported without due process and forced to sign paperwork in English that he did not understand. Ovalle attended special education classes at Stephens High, but did not graduate, according to the three-page claim.

RELATED: Former Ballet San Antonio dancer not guilty in sex assault case

Even if he had a mental episode, and Im not saying that he did, hes an American citizen, Espinoza said, adding that Ovalle should not have been deported. They should have held him and processed him, or let him call his family.

Ovalle, in an interview at his Northwest Side home earlier Friday, said he believes he was targeted by the Border Patrol simply because he is Hispanic and speaks little English.

It was an injustice and racism, all because I dont understand or speak English well, Ovalle said in Spanish.

Ovalle said he did not have identification because he had left his wallet in a car his father took to work, and only had some cash and his cell phone in his pocket. Ovalle said he told the agent that he had a passport and other documentation showing his U.S. citizenship at home, but the agent would not listen and instead took Ovalles cell phone and transported him to the Border Patrol station in Cotulla.

He said he was deported to Nuevo Laredo the next day.

Ovalle said his cell phone was returned to him on the bridge and he promptly called his father, who told him to wait for him. As Ovalle waited outside an immigration center in Nuevo Laredo with another deportee, four men came up and forced them into a truck, Ovalle said. He said he was held in a house with about 80 other immigrants by armed men.

I had a panic attack and I was very scared, Ovalle said, adding that he was trembling and couldnt answer one of the captors, who slapped him and told him to calm down.

Ovalle said when his older brother called his cell phone, the captors took the phone away and demanded $4,500 in ransom.

Ovalles family called Laredo police, who referred them to the FBI, Espinoza said. FBI agents reached out to their counterparts in Mexico, according to Espinoza.

At one point, Ovalle said, he was asked by one of his captors, Who is Julio Cesar Ovalle? and when he answered, he was taken back to Nuevo Laredo, where he eventually was released at one of the international bridges.

Special agent Michelle Lee, spokeswoman for the FBI in San Antonio field office that includes Laredo, said the agency cannot comment on whether it had a hand in Ovalles release.

U.S. citizens and others have been kidnapped along the border, Lee said. We have assisted them in the past. Its important that family members reach out to law enforcement if such a situation arises.

Federal tort law requires those who claim they were wronged by a federal agency to first file an administrative claim with the agency. If the matter is not resolved within the six-month response period, the government can be sued in federal court.

Guillermo Contreras covers federal court and immigration news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
A man seen entering a convenience store on the Northwest Side is being sought for questioning in the fatal stabbing of a woman Tuesday morning.

Mia Lutzenberger, 20, was reported stabbed in a call to San Antonio police at about 5 a.m. at the Leon Creek Greenway.

Officers found her body 100 feet from the trail entrance on Border Brook near Ingram Park Mall, police said.

Investigators are asking for the publics help in identifying the man seen in a photograph released by police Thursday evening.

RELATED: Woman found dead by running trail near Ingram Park Mall identified

The photograph shows a man walking into a gas station at 7 a.m. Tuesday at 7305 Culebra Road.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the homicide unit at 210-207-7635.

Chief William McManus said Tuesday that Lutzenberger had been stabbed multiple times.

McManus said four witnesses  two men and two women  and Lutzenberger knew each other.

The five had been in the park before the curfew was lifted at sunrise, and none were at the trail to run, said McManus.

"What they were doing there at least makes you wonder," he said.

McManus said he believes Lutzenberger was not randomly attacked, and that the witnesses' stories did not add up.

Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | | Twitter: @JBfromSA
A mother of three was arrested by the Kerr County Sheriff's Office after methamphetamine was discovered in her children's systems.

Christina Durham, 33, was arrested Thursday on three counts of endangering a child, according to the office's Facebook post.
Russian officials say they plan to move up the date of the next launch to the International Space Station now that they have determined why and how the aborted launch last month occurred.

On Wednesday, Russian officials confirmed that a malfunction sensor caused the first and second stages of the rocket launching their Soyuz spacecraft to the station to crash into each other, breaking the second stage and forcing an emergency landing.

On Thursday, Russia state space corporation Roscosmos announced that the sensor was damaged during the rocket's assembly at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where the Soyuz is launched.

"The nozzle lid of the oxidizer tank in the block D did not open as a sensor of the stages' separation was deformed (a 6-degree bend) during the assembly of the 'package' at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which was the cause of the off-nominal separation," said Oleg Skorobogatov, deputy director of the Central Research Institute of Machine-Building who led the investigation into the failed launch.

In October, American astronaut Nick 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.

Roscosmos has developed a set of measures to make sure this doesn't happen again, officials said.

And now that they know where and when this happened, Roscosmos said the commission investigating this matter has approved the next human spaceflight to the space station -- originally intended to launch Dec. 20 carrying NASA's Ann McClain -- to occur Dec. 3.

Moving the next Soyuz launch up to Dec. 3 will allow the crew currently living on station, including NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor, to return home Dec. 20, Roscosmos said.

NASA officials said the agency is working closely with Roscosmos to move forward on crew launch plans.

"Roscosmos plans to launch the Progress 71 resupply mission on Nov. 16, and is targeting the launch of the Expedition 58 crew including NASA astronaut Anne McClain for Dec. 3, pending the outcome of the flight readiness review," the agency said Thursday.

" NASA formed its own team to work alongside Roscosmos to gather insight from the investigation to inform NASA's decision on launch readiness that will be made during the flight readiness review."

NO FEAR: NASA astronaut Nick Hague ready to fly again after aborted Soyuz launch last week

Since NASA's space shuttle program was shuttered in 2011, the agency 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.

The failed mission earlier this month would have been Hague's first spaceflight since being tapped as an astronaut in 2013. NASA officials aren't sure when he will get to fly again, but Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Roscosmos, has said he and Ovchinin would get to fly again in spring 2019.

How that would work still is unclear. The Soyuz' April 2019 launch already has an assigned crew and NASA has yet to offer insight into the development.

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.

NASA expects that investigation to conclude in December.

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.
At last, Democrats and Republicans have found common ground in hoping that Michael Avenatti, the wannabe progressive president, will soon disappear.

Best known as the lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels and more recently for representing Julie Swetnick, who leveled a dubious gang-rape charge against now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Avenatti added to his infamy last week by suggesting that Democrats need to nominate a white man for president.

Because?

When you have a white male making the arguments, they carry more weight, he said in a Time interview posted last week. Should they carry more weight? Absolutely not. But do they? Yes.

Well, he did promise that he was the Democratic version of Donald Trump. So theres that.

It isnt funny.

Coincidentally, Avenattis fateful remark came just as NBC was ousting Today host Megyn Kelly for insisting that wearing blackface for Halloween was a fun childhood tradition. Though she ultimately apologized, it was too little, too late. Welcome to 2018, Megyn.

On the very same day, more greasepaint hit the fan when Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley referred Avenatti and Swetnick to the Department of Justice for investigation into the possibility that the two conspired to give false testimony against Kavanaugh and attempted obstruction of a congressional investigation.

Swetnick claimed that Kavanaugh was part of a drug-and-gang-rape operation at weekend high school parties that she attended as a college student. Pause for reality check: What female college student (1) attends high-school parties on weekends; (2) witnesses gang rapes; (3) doesnt notify the police; and (4) keeps coming back? I recognize that one is never supposed to question a womans credibility in such matters, but given that Swetnick essentially recanted her story, it seems fair-enough play to offer a little balance for a change.

Swetnicks allegations were delivered in a sworn statement to Grassleys committee on Sept. 26, the day before the much-watched dual testimonies of Kavanaugh and first-accuser Christine Blasey Ford. Even though Swetnicks story fell apart a few days later during an NBC News interview, in which she walked back or contradicted parts of her sworn statement, the damage had been done.

The next day, at Fords hearing, ranking committee member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., mentioned the Swetnick allegations (but not specifically the gang-rape portion) in her opening statement. As she spoke, television cameras showed Ford tearing up. This not only set the tone for the day, but it surely created sympathy for Ford and added another layer of presumed guilt against Kavanaugh.

Also, a letter signed by all 10 Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee was sent  within minutes of Swetnicks sworn statement being delivered  to President Trump requesting that he withdraw Kavanaugh from consideration, according to Capitol Hill officials. How anyone was able to get 10 senators to sign a letter in such quick order is a mystery among veteran Hill staffers, many of whom will tell you its virtually impossible.

Grassley clearly suspects a conspiracy involving Avenatti and Swetnick. Whatever occurred with them or others, the connections between one of Fords attorneys, Debra Katz, and Feinsteins staff, which recommended Katz, suggest close channels of communication. In a small-world asterisk, Katzs law firm represented Swetnick in a case a decade ago.

Meanwhile, Avenatti, expressed glee at Grassleys DOJ referral in a tweet: Maybe if Grassley was actually a lawyer that knew something about the law, he would realize what he has done. He just opened up Pandoras box as it relates to Justice Kavanaughs conduct. It is Christmas in October!

Its true that we dont yet know what brand of toothpaste Kavanaugh preferred at 17, but it seems unlikely that theres much left to discover about a man whose life has been so thoroughly examined. And, by the way, Avenattis white man appeal is hardly the brightest path for one hoping to snare a nomination from the party of identity politics.

Avenatti tried to explain himself in a Vanity Fair interview, saying that his words were taken out of context. What he meant, he said, was that a white man defending a woman or minority person is most effective. Time stands by its story.

kathleenparker@washpost.com
In America 2018, whataboutism is the last refuge of scoundrels, and bothsidesism is the last refuge of cowards.

In case you hadnt noticed, were in the midst of a wave of hate crimes. Just in the past few days, bombs were mailed to a number of prominent Democrats, plus CNN. Then, a gunman massacred 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Meanwhile, another gunman killed two African-Americans at a Louisville supermarket, after first trying unsuccessfully to break into a black church  if he had gotten there an hour earlier, we would probably have had another mass murder.

All of these hate crimes seem clearly linked to the climate of paranoia and racism deliberately fostered by Donald Trump and his allies in Congress and the media.

Killing black people is an old American tradition, but it is experiencing a revival in the Trump era.

When the bombs were discovered, many on the right immediately claimed that they were fake news or a false flag operation by liberals. But the FBI quickly tracked down the apparent source of the explosive devices: a fanatical Trump supporter, whom many are already calling the MAGABomber. His targets were people and a news organization Trump has attacked in many speeches. (Since the bombings, Trump has continued to attack the news media as the enemy of the people.)

The man arrested at the Tree of Life synagogue has been critical of Trump, who he apparently believes isnt anti-Semitic enough. But his rage seems to have been fueled by a conspiracy theory being systematically spread by Trump supporters  the claim that Jewish financiers are bringing brown people into America to displace whites.

This conspiracy theory is, it turns out, a staple of neo-Nazis in Europe. Its what our own neo-Nazis  whom Trump calls very fine people  were talking about in Charlottesville last year, when they chanted, Jews will not replace us.

Its also the barely veiled subtext of the manufactured hysteria over the caravan of would-be migrants from Central America. The fearmongers arent just portraying a small group of frightened, hungry people still far from the U.S. border as a looming invasion. They have also been systematically implying that Jews are somehow behind the whole thing.

So how are Trump apologists dealing with this ugly picture? Partly through denial, pretending not to see any link between hateful rhetoric and hate crimes. But also through attempts to spread the blame by claiming that Democrats are just as bad if not worse. Trump supporters try to kill his critics? Well, some Trump opponents have yelled at politicians in restaurants!

This whataboutism doesnt stop with equating protests with violence. It also relies on outright lying.

The day after the Pittsburgh massacre, John Cornyn  the second-ranked Republican in the Senate  tweeted Pelosi: If There Is Collateral Damage for Those Who Dont Share Our View, So Be It. This is a lie, plain and simple. I know, because I was there.

Nancy Pelosis remark about collateral damage came while I was interviewing her in front of a live audience. She wasnt talking about punishing political opponents. She was, instead, talking about the economic impact of policies to fight climate change, which she conceded would adversely affect some industries even as it helped others.

But, false equivalence, portraying the parties as symmetric even when they clearly arent, has long been the norm among self-proclaimed centrists and some influential media figures. Its a stance that has hugely benefited the GOP, as it has increasingly become the party of right-wing extremists.

You might have thought that the horrifying events of recent days would finally break through that norm. But you would have been wrong. Bothsidesism is, it turns out, a fanatical cult impervious to evidence. Trump famously boasted that his supporters would stick with him even if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue; what he didnt point out was that pundits would piously attribute the shooting to incivility, and that Sunday talk shows would feature Fifth-Avenue-shooting advocates and give them a respectful hearing.

This needs to stop, and those who keep practicing bothsidesism need to be shamed. At this point, pretending that both sides are equally to blame, or attributing political violence to spreading hatred without identifying whos responsible for that spread, is a form of deep cowardice.

The fact is that one side of the political spectrum is peddling hatred, while the other isnt. And refusing to point that out for fear of sounding partisan is, in effect, lending aid and comfort to the people poisoning our politics. Yes, hate is on the ballot next week.
President Trumps announced assault on birthright citizenship has a sole insidious purpose. That is to cause a nation of immigrants to eye present-day immigrants with suspicion and exclusion, as the other among us. Another way of saying, even if his name isnt on any ballot, he believes this midterm election can be won if he divides and deflects with the same corrosive wedge issue he thinks worked for him in 2016.

No, he is not doing this to resolve any deep constitutional question  birthright citizenship has pretty much been a settled legal question  but to divide us along tribal lines. Those issues he wants us to forget about in favor of this one? They include health care and pre-existing conditions, climate change deniers in office, real immigration reform that doesnt involve separating babies from mothers and the efficacy of tax cuts that benefit mostly the wealthy and cause the national deficit to balloon.

His reasons are transparent. And, still, his desire to undo a constitutional amendment  and birthright citizenship  by executive order must be treated with utmost seriousness.

Thats because, while the consensus is that the Constitutions 14th Amendment means precisely what it clearly says, these are not times in which we can take for granted that plain language is understood, even by judges.

Heres what the amendment says, our emphasis added: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside.

Those who argue that all persons doesnt mean what it says, talk about intent  that the 14th Amendment was meant solely to confer citizenship on freed slaves after the Civil War. But immigrants teeming on our shores was not a foreign concept even then and there was, essentially, no concept of undocumented immigrants  or citizenship  at the time. Citizen is mentioned in the Constitution several times but isnt defined until the 14th Amendment gave us that definition  in furtherance of a more egalitarian country. Its a concept weve honored since  to great benefit.

Some argue that subject to the jurisdiction of tells the courts that limits can be placed on this right. But it was well accepted at the time that this referred to Native Americans  in their own sovereign nations but who nonetheless became citizens in 1924  and the children of foreign diplomats. Moreover, other non-citizens have been and are still subject to the jurisdiction  meaning the laws of  the nation and states where they live. This is no loophole. It, too, is plain language.

If the president issues his executive order, it will be challenged in court. The president will mostly lose  the courts telling him constitutional amendments can only be undone by other constitutional amendments or Congress has to act to get the ball rolling. The administration will appeal and the case could even reach the Supreme Court, where  well, we wish we could tell you with certainty what would happen there, which is another reason this must be taken seriously.

But heres perhaps the most compelling reason: If constitutional amendments can be overturned by executive order, there are plenty of advocates of all stripes for undoing one or more of them, starting with the 1st and 2nd through to the 10th in the Bill of Rights, all the way to the 27th.

There is a prescribed method for changing the Constitution. Not making it as easy as signing an executive order is on purpose. What the president proposes stands the Constitution  and democracy  on their head.

Political opportunism and the division it creates motivate this proposal, part of a theme weve seen for awhile, starting with the presidents broad labeling of Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals and, now, his demonization of a caravan of poor asylum seekers, also just before midterm elections.

The U.S. citizen children of undocumented immigrants pay taxes, join the military and contribute generally to the nations economy and well being. They have been, are and will be, in every sense of the word, citizens.

The 14th Amendment means what it plainly says.
One fact will be made clear in our winner take all system mid-term elections: the myth of a majority. Just consider that in the national elections of 2016 for just our President: 46.9 percent didnt vote; 25.6 percent voted for Hillary Clinton; 25.5 percent voted for Donald Trump and 1.7 percent voted for Gary Johnson.

Whatever the results in these elections, I suspect the outcome will be the same. Those elected will not represent a majority. Why should it matter? For the simple fact that if that truth was to be honored by those elected and their supporters, we would go a long way toward modesty, humility and honesty. My prayer after Nov. 6 will remain the same for all our elected leaders: remember and be respectful of all our citizens and the decisions you make because the chances are high that they did not vote or did not vote for you.

Rev. Charles A. Fredrickson, Pastor, Hope Lutheran Church

Its time

Now is the time for all good Americans to come to the aid of their country!

And if you have the even slightest amount of good common sense, youll know how to vote.

Ron Moy

Common sense plea

The current Republican headline is the migrant caravan. Fearsome messages broadcast from Trump and echoed by his party urge citizens to beware! An army of thousands of illegals including many hardened gang members, and terrorists is marching to invade our country and Democrats are to blame. Voting Republican is the only way to preserve our threatened way of life.

Before anyone wastes a precious vote moved by this inflammatory portrayal I urge you to apply your God-given common sense. Thoughtful review of credible intelligence indicates that there is no army, just poor, abused people driven by fear and hope. It is unreasonable to think that their intention is to sneak into the United States or storm our border by force. Requesting asylum does not make them illegal. Lets protect our borders but please also preserve our common sense.

Clement Kichuk, Austin
President Emmerson Mnangagwas staunchest backers  the war veterans  are now divided over State capture allegations that have sucked in oil tycoon, Kudakwashe Tagwirei.

While the chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) Christopher Mutsvangwa has been stinging in his criticism of the businessman whom he accused of capturing the top echelons of government, he now faces rare opposition from some of his lieutenants.

ZNLWVA insiders told the Daily News yesterday that fault lines are emerging in the association between those sympathetic to the Sakunda founder and those opposed to his growing influence.

There are some war veterans who dont want him (Tagwirei) criticised let alone scrutinised, but the majority have coalesced around Mutsvangwa, including the group that stormed the partys headquarters recently seeking the removal of some party heavyweights, said a source.

Indications are that ZNLWVAs secretary-general Victor Matemadanda, who was not picking up his phone yesterday, was one of those clandestinely backing Tagwirei.

One of the most recognisable leaders of the association, Matemadanda now doubles up as deputy minister of Defence, which is also responsible for the welfare of the former liberation war fighters.

He recently came under the cosh from ZNLWVA members in Mashonaland East who accused him of having forgotten the poor lot that made it possible for him to climb the political ladder.

The Daily News established yesterday that a section of the war veterans sympathetic to Tagwirei is pushing for a meeting on Tuesday next week, where they are planning to oust Mutsvangwa although some members of ZNLWVA denied any knowledge of the purported indaba.

While ZNLWVA spokesperson Douglas Mahiya could not be reached for comment yesterday as he was said to be in a meeting, a member of the association Sam Parirenyatwa said notwithstanding some minor differences, the war veterans were still intact.

ZNLWVA played a critical role in the ouster of former president Robert Mugabe last year in November and his replacement with Mnangagwa.

In the twilight years of Mugabes rule, Mutsvangwa was a thorn in the flesh for the fallen despot, serving as the symbol of resistance against the man who was feared far and wide until his inglorious exit last November.

Mutsvangwas fortunes have somewhat dimmed since last Julys elections.

He failed to land a post in Mnangagwas government after an embarrassing defeat to independent legislator Temba Mliswa in the Norton parliamentary election.

But never one to shy away from public brawls, Mutsvangwa has of late come to the grand stage through his stunning revelations that the State is now in the pockets of a few individuals.

In a statement, Zanu PF youth league boss Pupurai Togarepi said people who are fermenting factionalism should not mistake statecraft and State capture and must remember always that the door is ever open for all those who feel bigger than the party.

We are, however, concerned at the extent of indiscipline that and irresponsibility which is now being unfortunately stirred by some persons who all along we thought had the national interests at heart, but as it is turning out are only interested in lining their pockets never mind the pursuit of genuine economic goals that will benefit the people at large.

There has been a lot of nonsense from otherwise respected individuals who are trying to put a wedge between the president and his two deputies through making sensational corruption stories which have no grain of truth in them, said Togarepi.

Signalling all is not well among former combatants, Togarepi, who is also chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Collaborators Association, said anyone who sows seeds of discord must be accordingly punished.

Tagwirei was referred to as Queen Bee by then Finance Ministry communications chairman Acie Lumumba when he exposed his deals last month.

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Invictus, the Australian company prospecting for oil in Muzarabani, has not found oil, according to a statement released this morning.

The company wishes to reiterate that an oil or gas discovery has not been made, the statement reads.

At no point did President Mnangagwa state that an oil discovery had been made in Zimbabwe, but that the exploration activity being undertaken by Invictus had positive indications and that an exploration well would be drilled to confirm the potential of the Muzarabani prospsect.

Geologists that spoke to Kukurigo said the Press conference by President Emmerson Mnangagwa was unnecessary and risked inflating Invictus stocks.

We are prospecting every day; there is major work happening in gas and lithium but we never hear the president giving Press conferences about promising finds, a geologist who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals said.

The stock market is very sensitive to statements by government and when the President comes out and says all these nice things about a company that is merely prospecting there is a serious risk that he could be accused of trying to manipulate the financial markets to boost Invictus shares and help them raise money.

Invictus would have issued the statement under compulsion from listing requirements to dispel misinformation that can influence trades.

Mobil Oil was the first company to undertake oil and gas studies in Muzarabani in the early 1990s but abandoned the work. Invictus is using the data generated by Mobil.

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Controversial activist Acie Lumumba is threatening to spill more beans on Sunday, barely a week after his expose ruffled feathers in the corridors of power.

The self-proclaimed corruption buster said he will on Sunday expose the powerful people behind Queen Bee, whom many suspect to be oil mogul Kuda Tagwirei of Sakunda Holdings.

On Sunday, I will expose those behind Queen Bee, but I dont believe that I name and shame  I only raise issues.

The reason why I (will) leave (out) names is because I dont want people to focus on personalities; this country is made of lies, the lies begin at the party level and migrate to government where they are no longer simple lies, said Lumumba.

Last week, Lumumba made serious allegations that some in the high corridors of power have been captured by Queen Bee.

He alleged that Queen Bee, leads a corrupt cartel that has captured some senior politicians, and named certain directors at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), claiming they were part of a syndicate causing untold suffering in the country.

Consequently, and because of Lumumbas revelations four directors at the central bank were suspended pending investigations.

Lumumba made the accusations after he was appointed chair of a communications taskforce in the ministry of Finance.

His appointment triggered sharp criticism from inside and outside government, with many questioning Finance minister Mthuli Ncubes judgment in appointing a person with a chequered history littered with scandals that range from graft to leaked sex tapes.

Three days after he assumed the position, Ncube was pressured into withdrawing Lumumbas appointment letter.

Asked whether Tagwirei was the real Queen Bee, Lumumba, was non-committal yesterday.

He said: Kudakwashe is one of the sharpest businessmen I have come across in this country, his business model has outlived most locals, he is a rock star in the business sector but in due course I will expose the real Queen Bee.

Pressed further to clarify if he was exonerating Tagwirei, he quipped: I can neither confirm now nor deny it but the public seems to be on the right track.

Lumumba denied speculation that he was working with war veterans leader and special advisor to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Chris Mutsvangwa, saying he was his own man.

I am not sure why that would be an allegation; I dont see why it can only be Chris who can talk about corruption, of course Chris is a person I respect very much but I am doing this for my country, said Lumumba.

The only person I voted for in the presidium is president Mnangagwa and he will have my full support, I will not take instructions from anyone but the man I voted for and what he stands for, he said, adding that the president was compromised by people around him.

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President Emmerson Mnangagwa has moved to cut off Vice President Constantino Chiwenga from the military by withdrawing his oversight role of the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans.

In a stunning political blow to Chiwenga, Mnangagwa reassigned the former Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander to exercise oversight in procurement and research instead.

The changes were published in the Government Gazette on Friday in Statutory Instrument 214 of 2018.

Chiwenga led a military coup that ousted former President Robert Mugabe in November last year, installing Mnangagwa in his place.

He assumed the Vice Presidency when Mnangagwa formed a new government, and the new leader had allowed him to maintain military oversight. But after 2018 elections, when he formed his Cabinet, Mnangagwa removed him from Defence Ministry in a bid to weaken his grip on the military.

The blow is just the latest political setback suffered by Chiwenga, who has ambitions to be President, some say as early as the next election in 2023. Mnangagwa has systematically appointed tribal and political loyalists to government positions, including the Cabinet and key government institutions.

Earlier this week, the Zanu PF Youth League appeared to shut the door on Chiwenga succeeding Mnangagwa after just one term by chanting the slogan 2023 ED Pfee. Mnangagwa told the youths during their annual national assembly that he liked the slogan.

Political analyst Alex Magaisa said the withdrawal of Chiwengas oversight role was the latest move to completely remove the principal author of the coup from any official role over the military.

Such was Chiwengas residual influence over the military that he was still using the office he occupied as commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces at Defence House, a stones throw from Mnangagwas Munhumutapa offices where Chiwenga initially refused to move after ordering renovations.

Supporters of the two men have squared off on the internet, and the partys annual conference in December could prove to be a barometer of the widening schism.

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By Thomas Ferguson, Director of Research, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Boston; Paul Jorgensen, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Texas-Pan American, and Jie Chen, University Statistician, University of Massachusetts. Originally published at the Institute for New Economic Thinking website

Talk about tribalism in American politics is all the rage. But in politics the chiefs of the tribes do almost all the talking. And they raise money, on a colossal scale. So, take a look. Does their fundraising reflect a tide of small donations from masses of concerned Americans they claim to be speaking for?

Size of Contributions: Profiles of American Political Leaders, 2016 Cycle

The Lesson:

1. Political leaders of both major parties depend heavily on large contributions  meaning over $10,000 or $100,000  in our 2 year election cycles. 2. Mitch McConnell is uniquely reliant on them. In 2016 Clinton relied more on them than Trump, though both had high levels. 3. Bernie Sanders was the one exception. Almost 60% of his were below the $200 limit for itemization. He received essentially no large contributions. Trump also received substantial small contributions.

But perhaps through some miracle of democracy elections express the will of the people anyway?

So, take a look at some more pictures. Does their fundraising reflect a tide of small donations from masses of concerned Americans they are speaking for?

What Would the Sound of Money Talking Look Like?

How about a straight line?

The vote split in races closely tracks the money split in the 2016 Congressional elections:

All American Elections for Which the Data Exist Show This Pattern

(See Ferguson, Jorgensen, Chen, 2016).

But its not a pathology peculiar to the US. French parliamentary and municipal elections show the same linear model pattern (Cage, 2018).

US House Elections, 1980-2012

Money spent closely tracks votes, yet again.

The same pattern shows in Senate Elections, 1980 to 2014

Saving the appearances?

Maybe the money follows votes?

Not in general: See Ferguson, Jorgensen, and Chens How Money Drives US Congressional Elections, INET Working Paper # 48, 2016

Many estimates of donor concentration  how much of total money comes from a few donors  exist. We find none convincing; they are nearly all too low, even when the numbers are shocking. They do poorly at aggregating money from people in the same firms.

Measuring Formal Campaign Money Is Very Difficult

1. Must combine Federal Election Commission totals + IRS, which oversees 527 monies + state and local 2. Names of individuals are unreliable; same with addresses, occupations, Sr., Jr., Ms., etc. 3. Many company names are opaque or disguised 4. Massive double counting, including ersatz dark money with PACs and 527s party transfers, etc.; disentangling flow of actual new money from real sources is the key problem 5. Critical role of the investing unit  that is putting people from the same companies together.

See Ferguson, Jorgensen, Chen, 2013, 2016, 2017; our estimates are routinely much higher than others.

Our estimates do not include state and local races, unless they make it into federal sources.

Percent of Original Money from Top 400 Donors & Top .01% of Donors

DONOR PERCENT AMOUNT Top 400 Donors % 29.86 $2,446,370,446.62 Top .01% % 57.16 $4,682,337,094.94

Percent of Original Money from Top 400 Donors & Top .01% of Donors, Not Including Labor

DONOR PERCENT AMOUNT Top 400 Donors % 26 $2,150,496,653.66 Top .01% % 54 $4,386,463,301.98

The State of Countervailing Power in America, 2016

 Sum the two types of Labor contributions  itemized and un-itemized $ totals  to arrive at total Labor $ in federal elections and compare to all other money.  $564,592,573  7% of all money

Some leaders of the Blue Tribe are now proposing a bold reform:

Refuse all PAC money.

What difference would that make?

Our answer:

Very little.

Contributions from Pacs to Dem Senate campaigns add up to about 10% of all spending.

(Higher figures you see come from excluding outside money from Super Pacs and non-profits officially unconnected to the campaigns.)

Even assuming no substitution of additional personal contributions for the missing pac funds (a ridiculous notion), this doesnt add up to much.

What would truly change the system?

First consider two sobering points:

1. The power of money is directly related to inequality. 2. There may be a point of no return. Consider the next graph.

This plots salaries of top federal regulators over time against incomes of those in financial markets. If you can walk out of your post to become far richer, it is idle to expect serious regulation.

Figure After Ferguson and Johnson, 2013

And Remember: Formal Campaign Money is Only A Slice of the Spectrum of Political Money

Campaign finance follows the basic axiom of the investment theory of politics:

Campaigning isnt free. Costs are much higher than classical liberal theorists believed. As a result, either everyone pays a little to fund campaigns or a few pay for nearly everything  and control the system.

Public funding would represent a substantial improvement; and we think the few places in the US that have tried it have gained from it. Only it institutionalizes the possibility for people to run and be heard without depending on big money.
Machine learning spots natural selection at work in human genome Nature (David L)

Woman survives six days in Arizona desert after crash Reuters (EM)

Climate change will make America much warmer by 2050. See how these US cities will change Vox (UserFriendly)

Hologram lecturers to teach students at Imperial College London BBC. Not appealing to people who dont have depth perception.

The Ethical Data Scientist Slate (David L)

Apple launches vintage repair pilot program to fix aging iPhones, MacBooks and more 9to5Mac

Google says exponential growth of AI is changing nature of computers ZDNet (David L)

Major Study Finds Some Evidence of Link Between Cellphone Radiation and Brain Cancer New York Times (David L)

China?

India

If everything is so wunderbar in Germany, why are the voters so unhappy? Asia Times (Kevin W)

Italys Conte confident about reaching budget deal with Brussels Politico

Brexit

Syraqistan

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Trump Transition

American Terror Is Not New Black Agenda Report (UserFriendly)

GOP infighting spills into public view The Hill

Whos Winning the Democrats Wonk Primary Politico (UserFriendly)

Judge nixes effort to open new polling site in Dodge City, Kansas NBC (Kevin W)

How anti-clean energy campaigns create a mirage of public support Grist

How the Charter School Wars Turned an Obscure Race Into Californias Second Most Expensive Election Intercept

Black Injustice Tipping Point

Education Corporation of America brazenly uses an Alabama court to delay lawsuits against it. Is this a great country or what? Condemned to DEBT (UserFriendly)

Start-up Blue Forest secures funding for first privately financed forest fire bond Los Angeles Times (allan)

How to tax digital companies Richard Murphy

Googles famous Googleplex headquarters was the epicenter for its worldwide walkout over gender discrimination  heres what it was like on the scene Business Insider

Apple downgraded by Bank of America Merrill Lynch after earnings: We see increased risk CNBC

Millennial Men Leave Perplexing Hole in a Hot U.S. Labor Market Bloomberg. You heard it at NC first! Except for the hot part, for obvious reasons.

Trade War Could Be Pivotal For U.S. LNG OilPrice

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Joshs beloved Burmese died a few years ago of cancer but now he has a happy new pair:

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Yves here. In case you hadnt noticed it, the economics discipline has doctrinal norms. Academics who stray too far from it find themselves welcome only at the small number of colleges and universities, such as the University of Missouri  Kansas City and the University of Massachusetts  Amherst, that embrace heterodox views.

The top five economics journals play a large role in enforcing the orthodoxy. Jamie Galbraith has described how hed submit suitably mathed-up papers to one of the heavyweights, get an initial positive response, but when they understood where he was going, theyd alway reject the paper. The reviewers would claim that the mathematics were flawed, when that was not the case. But being published by the top five is essential to advancing in prestigious economics faculties, such as Harvard, Chicago, Princeton, and MIT.

It should be noted that no real science has a rigid hierarchy of journals like this. The article documents disfunction among the editors at these journals, such as incest and clientelism.

By James Heckman, Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, University of Chicago; Founding Director, Center for the Economics of Human Development and Sidharth Moktan, Predoctoral Fellow, Center for the Economics of Human Development, University of Chicago. Originally published at VoxEU

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Top Five economics journals have a strong influence on tenure and promotion decisions, but actual evidence on their influence is sparse. This column uses data on employment and publication histories for tenure-track faculty hired by the top US economics departments between 1996 and 2010 to show that the impact of the Top Five on tenure decisions dwarfs that of non-Top Five journals. A survey of US economics department faculties confirms the Top Fives outsized influence.

Anyone who talks with young economists entering academia about their career prospects and those of their peers cannot fail to note the importance they place on publication in the so-called Top Five journals in economics: the American Economic Review, Econometrica,the Journal of Political Economy,the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and the Review of Economic Studies.The disciplines preoccupation with the Top Five is reflected in the large number of scholarly papers that study aspects of the these journals, many of which acknowledge the Top Fives de facto role as arbiter in tenure and promotion decisions (e.g. Ellison 2002, Frey 2009, Card and DellaVigna 2013, Anauti et al. 2015, Hamermesh 2013, 2018, Colussi 2018).

While anecdotal evidence suggests that the Top Five has a strong influence on tenure and promotion decisions, actual evidence on such influence is sparse. Our paper (Heckman and Moktan 2018) fills this gap in the literature. We find that the Top Five has a large impact on tenure decisions within the top 35 US departments of economics, dwarfing the impact of publications in non-Top Five journals. A survey of current tenure-track faculty hired by the top 50 US economics departments confirms the Top Fives outsize influence.

Our empirical and survey-based findings of the Top Fives influence beg the question: is the Top Five an adequate filter of quality? Extending the analysis of Hamermesh (2018), we show that appearance of an article in the Top Five is a poor predictor of quality as measured by citations. Substantial variation in the citations accrued by papers published in the Top Five and overlap in article quality across journals outside the Top Five make aggregate measures of journal quality such as the Top Five label and Impact Factors poor measures of individual article quality. This is a view expressed by many economists and non-economists alike.1

There are many consequences of the disciplines reliance on the Top Five. It subverts the essential process of assessing and rewarding original research. Using the Top Five to screen the next generation of economists incentivises professional incest and creates clientele effects whereby career-oriented authors appeal to the tastes of editors and biases of journals. It diverts their attention away from basic research toward strategising about formats, lines of research, and favoured topics of journal editors, many with long tenures. It raises the entry costs for new ideas and persons outside the orbits of the journals and their editors. An over-emphasis on Top Five publications perversely incentivises scholars to pursue follow-up and replication work at the expense of creative pioneering research, since follow-up work is easier to judge, is more likely to result in clean publishable results, and is hence more likely to be published.2 This behaviour is consistent with basic common sense: you get what you incentivise.

In light of the many adverse and potentially severe consequences associated with current practices, we believe that it is unwise for the discipline to continue using publication in the Top Five as a measure of research achievement and as a predictor of future scholarly potential. The call to abandon the use of measures of journal influence in career advancement decisions has already gained momentum in the sciences. As of the time of the writing of this column, 667 organisations and 13,019 individuals have signed the San Francisco Declaration of Research Assessment, a declaration denouncing the use of journal metrics in hiring, career advancement, and funding decisions within the sciences.3 Economists should take heed of these actions. We provide suggestions for change in the concluding portion of this column.

Documenting the Power of the Top Five

We find strong evidence of the influence of the Top Five. Without doubt, publication in the Top Five is a powerful determinant of tenure and promotion in academic economics. We analyse longitudinal data on employment and publication histories for tenure-track faculty hired by the top 35 US economics department between 1996 and 2010. We find that Top Five publications greatly increase the probability of receiving tenure during the first spell of tenure-track employment (see Figure 1). This is true if we limit samples to the first seven years of employment. Estimates from duration analyses of time to tenure show that publishingthree Top Five articles is associated with a 370% increase in the rate of receiving tenure, compared to candidates with similar levels of publication in non-Top Five journals. The estimated effects of publication in non-Top Five journals pale in comparison.

Figure 1 Predicted probabilities for receipt of tenure in the first spell of tenure-track employment

Notes: The figures plot the predicted probabilities associated with different levels of publications by authors in different journal categories, where the predictions are obtained from a logit model. White diamonds on the bars indicate that the prediction is significantly different than zero at the 5% level.

A survey of current assistant and associate professors hired by the top 50 US economics departments corroborates these findings. On average, junior faculty rank Top Five publications as being the single most influential determinant of tenure and promotion outcomes (see Figure 2).4

Figure 2 Ranking of performance areas based on their perceived influence on tenure and promotion decisions

Notes: The figure summarises respondents rankings of either performance areas. Responses are summarised by type of career advancement: tenure receipt, promotion to assistant professor, and promotion to associate professor. The bars present mean responses for each performance area. Respondents were given the option to not rank any or all of the eight performance areas. As a result, the number of respondents varies across the performance areas.

Responses to our survey reveal a widespread belief among junior faculty that the effect of the Top Five on career advancement operates independently of differences in article quality. To separate quality effects from a Top Five placement effect, we ask respondents to report the probability that their department awards tenure or promotion to an individual with Top Five publications compared to an individual identical to the first individual in every way except that he/she has published the same number and quality of articles in non-Top Five journals. If the Top Five influence operates solely through differences in article impact and quality, the expected reported probability would be 0.5. The results in Figure 3 show large and statistically significant deviations from 0.5 in favour of Top Five publication. On average, respondents from top 10 departments believe that the Top Five candidate would receive tenure with a probability of 0.89. The mean probability increases slightly for lower-ranked departments.

Figure 3 Probability that a candidate with Top Five publications receives tenure or promotion instead of an identical candidate with non-Top Five publications, ceteris paribus

Notes: The figure summarises respondents perceptions about the probability that a candidate with Top Five publications is granted tenure or promotion by the respondents department instead of a candidate with non-Top Five publications, ceteris paribus. Responses are summarised by type of career advancement: tenure receipt, promotion to assistant professor, and promotion to associate professor. The bars present mean responses for each performance area. White diamonds indicate that the mean response is significantly different than 50% at the 10% level.

The Top Five as a Filter of Quality

The current practice of relying on the Top Five has weak empirical support if judged by its ability to produce impactful papers as measured by citation counts. Extending the citation analysis of Hamermesh (2018), we find considerable heterogeneity in citations within journals and overlap in citations across Top Five and non-Top Five journals (see Figure 4). Moreover, the overlap increases considerably when one compares non-Top Five journals to the less-cited Top Five journals. For instance, while the median Review of Economics and Statisticsarticle ranks in the 38thpercentile of the overall Top Five citation distribution, the same article outranks the median-cited article in the combined Journal of Political Economyand Review of Economic Studies distributions.

Figure 4 Distribution of residualalog citations for articles published between 2000 and 2010 (as at July 2018)

Source: Scopus.com (accessed July 2018)

Note: a The table plots distributions of residual log citations obtained from a model that estimates log(citations+1) as a function of third-degree polynomial for years elapsed between the date of publication and 2018, the year citations were measured. This residualisation adjusts log citations for exposure effects, thereby allowing for comparison of citations received by papers from different publication cohorts.

Definition of journal abbreviations: QJEQuarterly Journal Of Economics, JPEJournal Of Political Economy, ECMAEconometrica, AERAmerican Economic Review, ReStudReview Of Economic Studies, JELJournal Of Economic Literature, JEPJournal Of Economic Perspectives, ReStatReview Of Economics And Statistics, JEGJournal Of Economic Growth, JOLEJournal Of Labor Economics, JHRJournal Of Human Resources, EJEconomic Journal, JHEJournal Of Health Economics, ICCIndustrial And Corporate Change, WBERWorld Bank Economic Review, RANDRand Journal Of Economics, JDEJournal Of Development Economics, JPubJournal Of Public Economics, JOEJournal Of Econometrics, HEHealth Economics, ILRIndustrial And Labor Relations Review, JEEAJournal Of The European Economic Association, JMEJournal Of Monetary Economics, JRUJournal Of Risk And Uncertainty, JInEJournal Of Industrial Economics, JOFJournal Of Finance, JFEJournal Of Financial Economics, ReFinReview Of Financial Studies, JFQAJournal Of Financial And Quantitative Analysis, and MathFinMathematical Finance.

Restricting the citation analysis to the top of the citation distribution produces the same conclusion. Among the top 1% most-cited articles in our citations database,5 13.6% were published by three non-Top Five journals.6

Low Editorial Turnover and Incest

Figure 5 Density plot of the number of years served by editors between 1996 and 2016

Source: Brogaard et al. (2014) for data up to 2011. Data for subsequent years collected from journal front pages.

Compounding the privately rational incentive to curry favour with editors is the phenomenon of longevity of editorial terms, especially at house journals (see Figure 5). Low turnover in editorial boards creates the possibility of clientele effects surrounding both journals and their editors. We corroborate the literature that documents the inbred nature of economics publishing (Laband and Piette 1994, Brogaard et al. 2014, Colussi 2018) by estimating incest coefficients that quantify the degree of inbreeding in Top Five publications. We show that network effects are empirically important  editors are likely to select the papers of those they know.7

Table 1 Incest coefficients: Publications in Top Five between 2000 and 2016, by author affiliation listed during publication

Source: Elsevier, Scopus.com.

Notes: The table reports three columns for each Top Five journal. The left most columns report the number of articles that were affiliated to each university. The middle columns present the percentage of articles published in the journal that were affiliated to the university out of all articles affiliated to the list top universities. The right most columns present the percentage of articles published in the journal that were affiliated to the university out of all articles published in the journal. An author is defined as being affiliated with a university during a given year if he/she listed the university as an affiliation in any publication that was made during that specific year. An article is defined as being affiliated with a university during a specific year if at least one author was affiliated to the university during the year.

Discussion

Reliance on the Top Five as a screening device raises serious concerns. Our findings should spark a serious conversation in the economics profession about developing implementable alternatives for judging the quality of research. Such solutions necessarily de-emphasise the role of the Top Five in tenure and promotion decisions, and redistribute the signalling function more broadly across a range of high-quality journals.

However, a proper solution to the tyranny will likely involve more than a simple redefinition of the Top Five to include a handful of additional influential journals. A better solution will need to address the flaw that is inherent in the practice of judging a scholars potential for innovative work based on a track record of publications in a handful of select journals. The appropriate solution requires a significant shift from the current publications-based system of deciding tenure to a system that emphasises departmental peer review of a candidates work. Such a system would give serious consideration to unpublished working papers and to the quality and integrity of a scholars work. By closely reading published and unpublished papers rather than counting placements of publications, departments would signal that they both acknowledge and adequately account for the greater risk associated with scholars working at the frontiers of the discipline.

A more radical proposal would be to shift publication away from the current journal system with its long delays in refereeing and publication and possibility for incest and favouritism, towards an open source arXiv or PLOS ONE format.8 Such formats facilitate the dissemination rate of new ideas and provide online real-time peer review for them. Discussion sessions would vet criticisms and provide both authors and their readers with different perspectives within much faster time frames. Shorter, more focused papers would stimulate dialogue and break editorial and journal monopolies. Ellison (2011 )notes that online publication is already being practiced by prominent scholars. Why not broaden the practice across the profession and encourage spirited dialogue and rapid dissemination of new ideas? This evolution has begun with a recently launched economics version of arXiv.

Under any event, the profession should reduce incentives for crass careerism and promote creative activity. Short tenure clocks and reliance on the Top Five to certify quality do just the opposite. In the long run, the profession will benefit from application of more creativity-sensitive screening of its next generation.

See original post for references
The Google walkout is the highest profile incident yet of employees demanding that the the Silicon Valley giant take action. Google said it would stop providing artificial intelligence for a Department of Defense drone program after thousands of employees signed a petition opposing it. In August, Google staffers were in an uproar over the companys involvement in a censored search engine in China. James Damore was fired after publishing an article internally that argued that women were inferior coders.

A New York Times article last week, on how the creator of the Android operating system, Andy Rubin, received $90 million when he left Google in the face of allegations that hed pressured an employee into preforming oral sex, a charge Google investigators deemed credible, triggered the walkouts. Wired summarized some of the related issues:

Recent allegations about inequity inside Google include a Department of Labor investigation into systemic gender pay gap, a lawsuit alleging gender bias in pay and promotion, a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, and the doxxing and harassment of diversity advocates after a since fired Google engineer argued in a memo that women were less biologically suited for technical roles.

The demands:

We, Google employees and contractors, will walkout on November 1 at 11:10am to demand these five real changes. #googlewalkout pic.twitter.com/amgTxK3IYw  Google Walkout For Real Change (@GoogleWalkout) November 1, 2018

I particularly like #1 and am glad they put that first. Mandatory arbitration clauses are designed to deprive employees and consumers of legal redress. #2 is an obey the law demand; #5s board member is similar to the German practice of having labor representatives on the board.

Managements response was meek, perhaps because it doesnt see itself as being from a markedly different class from its workers. From the Guardian:

Sundar Pichai, Googles chief executive, insisted that the company had taken a hard line over sexual misconduct and would support employees who took part in the protests. Employees have raised constructive ideas for how we can improve our policies and our processes going forward. We are taking in all their feedback so we can turn these ideas into action, he said.

I have to confess that Ive been scratching my head as to what in Googles culture facilitated this outcome. Ive worked for elite companies, and theyve been adept at keeping supposedly very sought-after people insecure. Goldman and McKinsey were self-conscious about hiring people who were insecure. On top of that, some employers where is is difficult to get in the door are very cult-like. For instance, the employees lives become all bound up with work (at Goldman, employees were expected to get summer shares or homes in the communities where other Goldmanites hung out) and are indoctrinated to think that leaving would be a huge step down. Cults are a great business model: the followers are very devoted.

Even when dissent is encouraged, its on the project level. For instance, at least historically, Bain would have team members vote monthly, anonymously, as to whether the engagement they were working on was adding value (Bain client teams were large by the standards of those days). If a majority said no, the assignment would be wound down pronto. And even if those measures resulted in short-term costs, they were intended to be quality control checks to help preserve the reputation of the firm.

Google, with its lavish perks designed to keep people on campus (three meals a day, cooking classes, gyms, massages) looked to be intended to have workers become very attached to Google. And the famed difficulty of getting hired there should create a sense of elitism and exclusiveness. So how was the ground laid for this sort of rebellion?

The first is, and Im surprised that it hasnt happened sooner, is that programmers and systems administrators are positioned to hold employers hostage. Programs are just about never well enough documented for someone outside the original developers to know it well. But at big companies, the software professionals are virtually without exception seen as the help, so even if they are critical to keeping essential programs functioning, theyll often be tossed over the side, and then have to be engaged at a much higher pay rate to salvage the situation, or the company has an expensive disaster but finds a way to blame something other than firing the wrong people.

Another factor that has worked against techies becoming a political force is that a lot of techies are libertarian. In addition, programmers outside the very top companies are likely to have well-founded concerns that they might not land a new job quickly.

But the one time I had a long conversation with a Google employee, one whod done serious academic work before coming to Google, was openly not terribly attached to Google. He was facing having to move out of the US due to Trumps changes in immigration laws. Even though Google would post him in Vancouver or Toronto, his attitude clearly was, If I am going to have to move, why should I stay with Google? While the plural of anecdote is not data, that wasnt what I expected to hear.

But here is a key explanatory factor for Googles case, found at the very end of the write-up by the seven central walkout organizers of the situation at Google and their demands:

A company is nothing without its workers. From the moment we start at Google were told that we arent just employees; were owners. Every person who walked out today is an owner, and the owners say: Times up.

Needless to say, this is a radically different view of employee rights than you see in most public companies. There was considerable upset in the Wall Street Journals comment section over the walkout, with sexist andssnowflake comments, demands the protestors be fired. And there was also this one from Sree Srinivasan:

These protesters at Google ought to watch 1970 movie Molly Maguires starring Sean Connery (the true James Bond, but not in that movie) as Black Jack Kehoe. That movie portrays the struggles of coal miners fighting oppression by mine owners in 19th century Pennsylvania. Forget bloody miners strikes, where the consequences of protest were life or death matters. Even Thoreaus Civil Disobedience made it clear that those who dare to disobey must be willing to bear the punishments meted out by the authorities. What did these protesters at Google have to lose, when the management is so eager to pacify them? If you expect to lose nothing by your protest, do you really hope to gain anything for your cause?

Indeed, I find it hard to feel much solidarity with workers who can go out and spend a day protesting, with management approval, and not even have their pay docked. Perhaps they have accurately assessed that Google has such a glass jaw in terms of its perceived need for top talent that it is hyper sensitive to any PR that might lead prospective employees not to consider them. But given the state of Googles search engine, from the outside, it looks as if its claims of tech excellence are running on brand fumes.
The Human Resources/Information Technology director of a well-known car company has secured a temporary High Court injunction lifting his suspension from work.

Terence O'Regan secured the order against his employer, Cork-based Henry Ford and Son Ltd, after the High Court was informed that he was suspended on full pay late last month over an alleged breach of data protection.

The alleged breach relates to material he furnished to his solicitor concerning a claim that he made a once-off inappropriate comment of a sexual nature to a former female coworker.

Mr O'Regan of Monroe, Lisronagh, Clonmel, denies both allegations and claims his suspension, which occurred last week without any prior notice to him, is unlawful in breach of fair procedures and should be set aside.

Seeking the order, Marguerite Bolger SC for Mr O'Regan said her client was not given an opportunity to respond to the alleged data breach before being suspended by his employer. Her client had worked with the company for 20 years and had an excellent record.

Earlier this year, he was the subject of an email from an anonymous sender to senior persons at the company alleging that in September last year he made an inappropriate comment of a sexual nature in the workplace during a verbal exchange.

An investigation into that claim, which Mr O'Regan fully denies, was launched. Counsel said her client has at all times fully co-operated with the investigation into the allegation of making an inappropriate comment.

He was informed that the outcome of that process could result in his dismissal.

Due to the potentially serious consequences of that probe, Mr O'Regan wanted to obtain legal advice.

He claims his employer was not happy about that and Mr O'Regan was told by his employer that "if he went legal" he might be suspended.

Counsel said Mr O'Regan obtained a solicitor and provided that firm with documentation relevant to the complaint, including the file of the former employee who he allegedly made the comment to.

This was done so his solicitor could be fully instructed on the matter.

Just before the close of business on October 25th, last Mr O'Regan was informed of his immediate suspension on the grounds that providing the material to his solicitor was a breach of data protection.

After being informed of his suspension, counsel said Mr O'Regan was "frogmarched" out of the workplace. Counsel said this was humiliating, extremely distressing and embarrassing for her client.

Counsel said Mr O'Regan denies any data breach and was entitled to provide his lawyers with the information.

Counsel said her client also believes the suspension was premeditated and has the potential to severely adversely impact on his professional reputation.

As a result of his suspension, Mr O'Regan applied to the High Court for an injunction restraining his purported suspension, otherwise than in accordance with his contractual entitlements and under his employer's disciplinary procedure.

The injunction also restrains his employer, with an address at Elm Court, Boreenmanna Road, Cork, from communicating or publishing any statement referring to the suspension and from disparaging his professional reputation.

The injunction was granted on an ex parte basis by Ms Justice Teresa Pilkington on Friday afternoon.

The judge, who said that based on the evidence put before the court she was satisfied to grant the order, made the action returnable to a date next week.
Watch and share everywhere. This is whats coming to America if the Democrats win the coming mid-term elections: Total lunacy, insanity and left-wing violence against America.

The following video compiles many of the best examples of mass mental illness by deranged Leftists, ranging from violent Antifa terrorists to anti-GOP online activists who openly call for murdering all men in sight.

No wonder so many former Democrats are leaving the party and escaping the lunacy of the Left. Brandon Straka, for example, has launched the highly successful #walkaway movement. Many young people are bucking the trend, too, and coming out as conservatives.

Mental illness is now fully embraced by the Left as an asset, not a condition requiring medical intervention. Instead of seeking treatment, these dangerous mentally ill people are seeking power . If they could only gain power over everyone else, they could rewrite the science books to remove all references to male / female anatomy and achieve their genderless utopia of equality. And if they could just silence all conservative voices, they could dominate all online conversations with left-wing gibberish that defies rationality or reason.

( Natural News ) See the video proof that Democrats have now become the party of mass mental illness. Unhinged doesnt even begin to describe the lunatic behavior of left-wing activists. One left-wing professor named Christine Fair recently said that conservative (GOP) senators should be murdered, have their genitals cut off, and then their genitals should be fed to pigs.

About the author: Mike Adams (aka the Health Ranger) is a best selling author (#1 best selling science book on Amazon.com called Food Forensics), an environmental scientist, a patent holder for a cesium radioactive isotope elimination invention, a multiple award winner for outstanding journalism, a science news publisher and influential commentator on topics ranging from science and medicine to culture and politics. Follow his videos, podcasts, websites and science projects at the links below.

Mike Adams serves as the founding editor of NaturalNews.com and the lab science director of an internationally accredited (ISO 17025) analytical laboratory known as CWC Labs. There, he was awarded a Certificate of Excellence for achieving extremely high accuracy in the analysis of toxic elements in unknown water samples using ICP-MS instrumentation. Adams is also highly proficient in running liquid chromatography, ion chromatography and mass spectrometry time-of-flight analytical instrumentation. He has also achieved numerous laboratory breakthroughs in the programming of automated liquid handling robots for sample preparation and external standards prep.

The U.S. patent office has awarded Mike Adams patent NO. US 9526751 B2 for the invention of Cesium Eliminator, a lifesaving invention that removes up to 95% of radioactive cesium from the human digestive tract. Adams has pledged to donate full patent licensing rights to any state or national government that needs to manufacture the product to save human lives in the aftermath of a nuclear accident, disaster, act of war or act of terrorism. He has also stockpiled 10,000 kg of raw material to manufacture Cesium Eliminator in a Texas warehouse, and plans to donate the finished product to help save lives in Texas when the next nuclear event occurs. No independent scientist in the world has done more research on the removal of radioactive elements from the human digestive tract.

Adams is a person of color whose ancestors include Africans and American Indians. He is of Native American heritage, which he credits as inspiring his Health Ranger passion for protecting life and nature against the destruction caused by chemicals, heavy metals and other forms of pollution.

Adams is the author of the worlds first book that published ICP-MS heavy metals analysis results for foods, dietary supplements, pet food, spices and fast food. The book is entitled Food Forensics and is published by BenBella Books.

In his laboratory research, Adams has made numerous food safety breakthroughs such as revealing rice protein products imported from Asia to be contaminated with toxic heavy metals like lead, cadmium and tungsten. Adams was the first food science researcher to document high levels of tungsten in superfoods. He also discovered over 11 ppm lead in imported mangosteen powder, and led an industry-wide voluntary agreement to limit heavy metals in rice protein products.

In addition to his lab work, Adams is also the (non-paid) executive director of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (CWC), an organization that redirects 100% of its donations receipts to grant programs that teach children and women how to grow their own food or vastly improve their nutrition. Through the non-profit CWC, Adams also launched Nutrition Rescue, a program that donates essential vitamins to people in need. Click here to see some of the CWC success stories.

With a background in science and software technology, Adams is the original founder of the email newsletter technology company known as Arial Software. Using his technical experience combined with his love for natural health, Adams developed and deployed the content management system currently driving NaturalNews.com. He also engineered the high-level statistical algorithms that power SCIENCE.naturalnews.com, a massive research resource featuring over 10 million scientific studies.

Adams is well known for his incredibly popular consumer activism video blowing the lid on fake blueberries used throughout the food supply. He has also exposed strange fibers found in Chicken McNuggets, fake academic credentials of so-called health gurus, dangerous detox products imported as battery acid and sold for oral consumption, fake acai berry scams, the California raw milk raids, the vaccine research fraud revealed by industry whistleblowers and many other topics.

Adams has also helped defend the rights of home gardeners and protect the medical freedom rights of parents. Adams is widely recognized to have made a remarkable global impact on issues like GMOs, vaccines, nutrition therapies, human consciousness.

In addition to his activism, Adams is an accomplished musician who has released over fifteen popular songs covering a variety of activism topics.

Click here to read a more detailed bio on Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, at HealthRanger.com.

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(Natural News) What began as a concerted effort earlier this year by the countrys biggest social media companies to deemphasize and downrate conservatives and pro-POTUS Trump content has now expanded into a full-blown drive to push them out completely using the excuse of hate speech.

As Tyler ONeil reports at PJ Media, the far-Left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), working in tandem with a host of other Marxist organizations with financial ties to George Soros, joined together to pressure Big Tech to reduce hateful activities on their platforms.

While that sounds very noble, the real objective behind the push is to deplatform anyone and everyone who backs the president and his party as they work to restore our country after eight destructive years of crime and corruption compliments of former President Barack Hussein Obama.

ONeil wrote that mainstream conservative and Christian groups that have fallen afoul of the SPLC warned that these liberal organizations have an Orwellian definition of hate that most Americans would disagree with. He added: Worse, social media companies already seem biased against conservatives, and this SPLC campaign would only embolden that bias.

Since earlier this year, conservative media organizations especially began noticing that traffic to their websites from Facebook, Twitter, and Google began dropping substantially, leading many to either reduce their reporting staffs or to go out of business altogether. In addition to taking a financial hit, these sites also saw their reach  and thus their influence  severely impacted as well.

President Trump and some congressional Republicans have warned that regulations are coming if the social media giants did not stop censoring conservatives, but apparently, those threats have gone unheeded. (Related: Fascist Democrats call for tech giants to blacklist independent media news sources they dont like.)

Now, with the SLPC and other groups couching the censorship in the removal of hate speech, the social media giants have the political cover they need in order to make their censorship efforts against the Right seem legitimate.

Conservatives expose the Left for who they really are

ONeil notes that last week the SPLC-led coalition of groups released Change the Terms, a call to social media giants that seeks to reduce hateful activities on their platforms. The groups warned that white supremacist and other organizations that incite hate are using online platforms to organize, fund, recruit supporters for, and normalize racism, sexism, religious bigotry, as well as anti-LGBTQ and anti-immigrant animus, among other activities.

But as weve seen in the past, despite the rosy language, what the SPLC and the Left have historically meant when they have issued such calls is for censorship and banning efforts to be aimed at conservatives and Christians  not overt anti-Semites like Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan or Left-wing hate groups like Antifa.

Others who have been targeted by the SPLC in the past and have suffered for it are understandably wary of this latest anti-hate push.

Its obviously concerning that they want to censor free speech, and of course their definition of hate speech is not what most people think of as hate speech, Mat Staver, founder, and head of Liberty Counsel, a Christian-based legal nonprofit organization.

Most people think of hate speech as somebody encouraging physical violence, he told PJ Media. Organizations like the SLPC and other Soros-funded groups extend it to anybody who doesnt accept their view on LGBT issues, same-sex marriage, abortion, immigration, or Islam.

Thats true. Recently, the SPLC was forced to pay $3.375 million to Maajid Nawaz, a Muslim reformer the group branded as anti-Muslim extremist, to settle a defamation lawsuit.

Following the settlement, Staver said his organization and dozens of others were considering similar lawsuits after being branded hate groups.

The bottom line is this: The Left is attempting to drive conservative, pro-Trump voices from the public arena so they dont have to compete with our ideas. They cant fool Americans about who they really are as long as conservatives are around to expose them.

Read more about the Lefts drive to censor the Right at Censorship.news.

Sources include:

NewsTarget.com

PJMedia.com

TheNationalSentinel.com
(Natural News) Over the past several years, ANP has been documenting the fall of Europe to what weve called global-Islamo-fascist tyranny and in this October 29th story over at the Conservative Review titled Look at your fate, America, their first sentence sums up Americas future should the masses not awaken quickly and the globalists complete their vision for our nation: Behold, America, what an utterly stupid fate awaits if you dont turn things around quick and realize that youre about to make every existential mistake theyre currently making in Europe as we speak.

(Article by Stefan Stanford republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

As their story then reported, the European Court of Human Rights had just outlawed truth from being spoken in the European Union, with the so-called defaming of the Prophet Mohammed by correctly calling him a paedophile outlawed all across Europe. Yes, their ruling amounted to what was supposed to be Europes highest court protecting human rights instead bowing to totalitarian, dictatorial sharia law.

As the National Review reported on October 27th of this sham ruling, Europeans are free to say.only what the courts let them. And while it is fact that when he was age 50, the prophet of Islam took as his wife Aisha, who was then only 6 or 7 years old, with the marriage consummated when the bride was 9, that fact can no longer be discussed in Europe. After the ECHRs ruling which struck down any remaining version of free speech that the Europeans had left, the rule of law in Europe was replaced by Sharias blasphemy standards.

First, in the excerpt below from the National Review story we learn more about the background of this recent ruling with much more below on the fall of Europe and still smoldering tensions within the Middle East, including a recent warning from self-proclaimed-Islamic-caliph Turkeys president Recep Tayip Erdogan to the nation of Greece that should it decide to wage war upon Turkey, it will end in catastrophe for Greece in just a matter of hours.:

The case involves an Austrian woman (identified as Mrs. S. in court filings and believed to be Elisabeth Sabaditsch Wolff) who, in 2009, conducted two seminars entitled Basic Information on Islam. She included the account of Mohammeds marriage to Aisha. Though this account is scripturally accurate, Mrs. S. was prosecuted on the rationale that her statements implied pedophilic tendencies on the part of the prophet. A fine (about $547) was imposed for disparaging religion.

Mrs. S. appealed, relying on Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. That provision purports to safeguard freedom of expression, though it works about the same way the warranty on your used car does  it sounds like youre covered, but the fine print eviscerates your protection.

Article 10 starts out benignly enough: Europeans are free to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. But then comes the legalese: Ones exercise of the right to impart information, you see, carries with it duties and responsibilities. Consequently, what is called freedom is actually subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties that the authorities decide are necessary in a democratic society, including for public safety and for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others.

amounts

As the National Review story then pointed out, the ruling of Europes high court simplyto Europeans being free to say only what they are permitted to say by the unelected judges of the European courts, with truth now irrelevant. And their story also warns that this is what the very last vestiges of Western civilization are coming to: I say something that is true; it hurts your feelings, so  of course  you blow up a building; and its my fault.

Or in the case of the all out attacks upon Conservatives and independent thought on social media that were now witnessing here in the USA, when big tech doesnt like what you have to say, theyre stepping in on their own and silencing the messenger as weve been witnessing most recently with big tech attempting to silence Gab (while big tech itself is interfering with the US elections) but also the co-ordinated facebook/twitter purge upon alternative media including Infowars, the Free Thought Project and many, many others.

Yet with Europe now showing the world exactly the direction the global-islamo-fascist tyrants are taking us, showing us that their battle plan includes silencing truth, were given an exact recipe for fighting back against their tyranny: Shouting out truth from the tops of the mountains to the cities and valleys below until the entire world hears it and prepares to defend itself against the crush of tyranny.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
(Natural News) A traditional Chinese medicine therapy known as moxibustion might hold potential in disease management for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a study published in the African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines revealed. An entry posted on the Taking Charge website explained that moxibustion is a form of heat therapy that involves burning dried plant materials called moxa  usually made from the dried leafy material of Chinese mugwort  on or near the surface of the skin. The treatment aims to warm and invigorate the flow of Qi in the body and eliminate certain pathogenic influences, the article noted.

A team of health experts from Chinas premiere universities and health organizations used mice models of IPF in order to examine the treatments efficacy in relieving the lung condition. The researchers divided the mice into four groups, two of which received either moxibustion therapy or prednisone treatment, while the other two served as the model group and the non-treatment controls.

Data from Hematoxylin and Eosin (H.E.) staining showed that transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF?1), a protein associated with cell death, significantly decreased in both the moxibustion and prednisone groups. The results also showed that the levels of interferon gamma (IFN?), a cytokine used in IPF treatment, increased in both groups. In contrast, the researchers saw a reverse effect on both the model group and the controls. (Related: Use Enzymes for Fibrosis, Scars, Keloids, Lung Disease and Cancer.)

The moxibustion group showed moderate pulmonary fibrosis and some lymphocytic infiltration, and there were limited pathological changes compared to the model group. It seems moxibustion can relieve traumatic pulmonary alveolitis and inhibit pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, and the effect was as good as prednisone. The moxibustion and prednisone groups had less severe alveolitis comparing to the model group, and the differences were statistically significant. For fibrosis, the moxibustion and prednisone groups showed alleviated physical signs compared to the model group, the researchers said.

The study gained support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Key Project of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province.

U.S. IPF rates are higher than previously thought

The recent findings may have important implications in IPF treatment, particularly in the U.S. where the disease appeared to be more prevalent than previously estimated. The researchers pooled information from various claims databases and found that the incidence of IPF was approximately 17 cases per 100,000 men and women aged 18 years and older, which marks a stark difference from the previously estimated rates of only nine cases per 100,000.

The results of our study suggest that the prevalence and incidence of IPF in the United States are probably higher than previously reported. Further research is needed to confirm and update these findings. Additional research on the economic burden of this disease is also needed so that the cost-effectiveness of newer, more effective medical interventions may be properly evaluated, the researchers concluded.

The study was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Fast facts about i diopathic pulmonary fibrosis

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), IPF is a form of severe lung disease in which the respiratory tissues become thick, stiff, or scarred over time. This results in reduced lung function and inadequate oxygen supply across the body, the health agency explained. The NHLBI also cautioned that exposure to environmental pollutants, use of certain medications, cigarette smoking, and viral infections may raise the odds of developing the disease.

Likewise, the health agency listed a few symptoms that indicate the onset of IPF. These symptoms include:

Shortness of breath;

A dry, hacking cough that doesnt get better;

Rapid, shallow breathing;

Gradual, unintended weight loss;

Fatigue or malaise;

Muscles and joint pain; and

Clubbing of the fingers or toes.

According to the NHLBI, the disease can be rectified by undergoing lung transplant, pulmonary rehabilitation, and other alternative therapies.

Sources include:

Journals.SFU.ca

TakingCharge.csh.umn.edu

ATSournals.org

NHLBI.NIH.gov
Ahead of the Nov. 6 election, Governor Scott Walker and challenger Tony Evers are locked in a neck-and-neck race that has them vigorously touring across Wisconsin.

Their efforts appear to have paid off:

released on Oct. 31 poll finds the candidates tied at 47 percent.

So far the candidates have leaned on their opposing viewpoints, ranging from education and health care to transportation and taxes.

Walker and Evers are not the only candidates in the ring. The Marquette poll has Libertarian candidate Phil Anderson with 3 percent. The other candidates include Independents Arnie Enz and Maggie Turnbull and Green Party candidate Michael White.

NBC15 has been following the gubernatorial election closely. These are Walker's and Evers' positions on the issues that may matter most to you.

Republican Governor Scott Walker

Part of Walkers campaign slogan is to keep Wisconsin working.

"That first term was all about jobs and now the second term is all about educating and training the workforce, Walker said. But going forward I'm asking for your vote so we can finish the job.

Part of that effort is attracting employers to the state  such as Foxconn  and keeping the ones already in Wisconsin, like the Kimberly-Clark paper company.

In the end, Walker says his pitch is plain and simple.

"If you like more jobs, and you like higher wages, than I'm your candidate, Walker said.

Walker got his start in politics in the state legislature, and then as Milwaukee County Executive.

He won his election for governor in 2010. Less than two years later, he won a state-wide recall election, and a second term as governor in 2014.

See Walkers policies on his

Democratic challenger Tony Evers

Democratic candidate for governor Tony Evers believes some of the most meaningful moments in his life happened in the classroom.

He said it's where he met his wife, and its where he learned "what's best for the kids is what's best for the state and the state's democracy."

It's a phrase he has based his campaign on.

Tony Evers has been the State Superintendent in Wisconsin since 2009. He said watching cuts to public education is what created this base for his campaign for Governor.

"Wisconsin shouldn't be like that. We have to be consistent and have the highest standards possible," Evers said.

Evers says his campaign is based on four issues: improving education, transportation, healthcare and environmental science.

"It means bringing people together, finding common ground. That's always been my motto; that's what educators do frankly," Evers said.

Evers is not a career politician, and that's something he thinks appeals to voters. He said he doesn't plan to run for president; rather, he wants to focus on the problems facing Wisconsin.

"People in Wisconsin are tired of fighting with each other, Evers said. That's not me. What you see is what you get. My goal here is to accomplish things for the people of Wisconsin."

See Evers' policies on his
NBC Bay Area has partnered with ProPublica and other news organizations covering problems that prevent eligible voters from casting ballots  and we need your help.

The Electionland project relies on citizens on the ground to tell us about issues like long lines, registration problems, purged voter rolls, broken machines, voter intimidation and changed voting locations.

Here are the different ways you can participate:

Contact our Investigative Unit tip line at 1-833-622-5688.

SMS: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or  (for Chinese) to 81380 (standar text message rates apply).

WhatsApp: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or  (for Chinese) to 1-850-909-8683.

Facebook Messenger: Go to m.me/electionland.

Sign up using the form thats embedded at the end of this post.

In 2016, the Electionland coalition went through thousand of tips from a legal call center hotline, as well as thousands of text messages and social media posts. Local journalists around the country reported 400 stories and helped bring attention to voting problems that were fixed before polls closed.

If you notice problems while voting during the 2018 midterm elections on Tuesday, Nov. 6, please share so we can help investigate them.
Following the discovery of a mother's body in a duffel bag in an Orange County dumpster, a man believed to be her boyfriend was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as he attempted to board a plane out of the country, police said Thursday.

The lifeless body of a 38-year-old Tyanie Ly, a mother of three from Santa Ana, was found in luggage in a dumpster early Tuesday morning.

The Anaheim Police Department responded to a call at 2:15 a.m. from a person who found her body in a duffel bag while searching for recyclables in a dumpster behind the Villa Del Amo apartments on the 2000 block of south Balboa street.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Amer Alhasan was arrested at LAX while attempting to board a flight heading to Germany, said Chief of Police Jorge Cisneros.

Alhasan is a 28-year-old La Habra resident with familial ties to Jordan.

Ly and Alhasan were in a dating relationship, Cisneros said.

"We're asking for anybody else who may have been in a dating relationship with him in the past to call us," Public Information Officer Daron Wyatt said. "There are likely prior events of domestic violence or sexual assault."

The family of the victim, whose youngest child is under 12 years old, said they were devastated. The children were with her family following the discovery of her body.

Wyatt said Alhasan is believed to have been accused of sexual assault in the country of Jordan, and also believed to have been arrested of a crime in California, for which he was never charged.

His bail was set at $5 million. Wyatt said police are seeking to revoke the option of bail because authorities consider him a flight risk.

Police expect first-degree murder charges to be filed on Friday, Wyatt said.
Law enforcement officials intercepted a second suspicious package addressed to California billionaire Tom Steyer Thursday at a mailing facility in Burlingame just south of San Francisco. The latest package was intercepted a week after two similar-looking packages were discovered in California, one addressed to Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris and the other to Steyer, the FBI confirmed.

The package found Thursday was rendered safe by FBI bomb technicians. Federal officials said the package was similar in appearance to the package addressed to Steyer that was found last week, but they could not confirm yet that the two were connected.

Officials had said the first package sent to Steyer and the one sent to Harris did appear to be linked to the series of packages intercepted last week that were addressed to various prominent Democrats and CNN's New York offices.

Fifty-six-year-old Cesar Sayoc of Florida has been charged for the crimes. He is accused of sending at least 15 improvised explosive devices. He was arrested a week ago outside a South Florida auto parts store. The suspect appeared in federal court in Miami on Friday. His lawyers said they would not seek his release on bail for now.

Steyer, the California billionaire who has been known for running a high-profile campaign to try to have President Donald Trump impeached, released a statement Friday thanking the law enforcement officials who discovered and intercepted the latest threatening and potentially explosive package, which he said is "a part of a larger assault."

"These threats are not isolated but are a part of a larger assault on the norms that uphold our democracy," Steyer said in his statement. "We will not relent as we push for the broadest possible democracy and a life of dignity and respect for every American.

"We are more motivated than ever this Election Day to secure victories for representatives who will uphold the values of democracy rather than assault them for political convenience," the statement read.

Law enforcement agencies in California descended on the state capital Sacramento and the city of Burlingame just south of San Francisco last Friday to investigate the packages addressed to Steyer and Harris, neither of which detonated or caused any injury.

Gonzo Rojas contributed to this article.
An East Bay woman was calling out BART Thursday after one of the transit agency's employees did not allow her 11-year-old son to ride home because he was 40 cents shy of the ticket price.

Catalina Ocampo of Richmond wants the BART employee fired after her son Sebastian was kicked out of the BART MacArthur station in Oakland, putting him in danger and leaving him with no way to get home to Richmond.

Ocampo recalled the frantic call she received in the middle of work on Tuesday. Sebastian, a sixth grader at Oakland Military Institute, told her that a BART employee had asked for his Clipper Card at the station.

"They were like, 'Oh you cant go because you dont have 40 cents; you have to have more money to go in,'" Sebastian recalled. "I didnt have no money, no nothing, everything was in my Clipper Card."

Sebastian said he was escorted out and had to figure out how to get back home to Richmond. He said he was scared someone might hurt him.

"Its extremely upsetting for us to hear that," BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said. "Thats not what we are here to do."

BART said what the employee should have done was give Sebastian a pay voucher.

"A pay voucher that says you owe us 40 cents and then continue on your trip," Trost said. "We dont want anyone being kicked out, especially an 11-year old."

BART says it is investigating and still working on identifying the station agent involved. The agency said employees should use discretion when it comes to children, even if there is fare evasion involved, and make sure they have a way to get home safely.
For her most recent checkup at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, 7-year-old Claire Noland arrived from her hometown of San Luis Obispo carrying a favorite doll as well as her latest school writing assignment.

Camp Barnabas

Like millions of other first-graders Noland has been asked to write about what she did over her summer.

"It's the story of when I had cancer," Noland said, handing the papers to her nurse practitioner, Anne Walkush.

Fortunately, Walkush already knew the happy ending to the story. "I beat it," Noland said.

There is, however, one part of the story Noland did not include in her school report, the part that left Walkush and others in awe.

"She is the best person I know," Walkush said.

On the very day after Noland's final chemotherapy treatment in early July, after 6 grueling, nauseating months, her parents offered Noland the chance to do whatever she wanted to do, go wherever she wanted to go.

It could have been a trip to the beach, to the park, or even to one of Noland's favorite places: the nearby American Girl Doll Store.

Noland said, "No," to all of them.

Camp Barnabas

"I kind of wanted to go back to the hospital," Noland said. "I wanted to spread joy to the patients there."

"She thought, 'There's still kiddos there and I know what that feels like,'" Noland's mother, Lindsey, said. "She said, 'I want to bring them joy.'"

Noland decorated a handful of signs with inspirational slogans and then returned to the same floor where she had felt so sick for so long to hopefully make other patients feel better.

"I just like making other people happy," Noland said.

Noland was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma in February. It was an aggressive cancer that required an equal response: six aggressive rounds of chemotherapy.

The treatments often left Noland barely able to get out of bed.

Still, Lindsey Noland said her daughter faced the entire ordeal with a positive attitude and a smile when she had the energy to muster one. Doctors determined that Noland was cancer-free on July 25th.

The decision to return to the hospital after her treatment may seem surprising to some but for those who know Noland the best, it made perfect sense.

"She loves everybody. She loves spreading joy. You can feel that," Walkush said.
A federal jury in San Francisco on Thursday awarded a Rohnert Park couple $145,000 for an unconstitutional search of their home by three city police officers in 2014.

Elva and Raul Barajas will receive $75,000 from the city and the officers as well as an additional punitive award of $70,000 from one officer, former Sgt. Jacy Tatum, who entered the couple's house from the back door with his gun drawn on Nov. 4, 2014, while the other two officers were at the front door.

Tatum, Officer Matthew Snodgrass and now-retired Officer Dave Rodriguez were conducting a routine probation check on Elva Barajas's adult son, Edgar Perez, who was on probation from a felony drug possession conviction. The home was Perez's residence but he was not present during the search.

The jury found that both the city and the officers were responsible for violating the U.S. Constitution's ban on unreasonable searches and that Tatum was additionally liable for an unreasonable entry into the house, negligence and violation of the right to privacy, according to the jury verdict posted on the court's online docket.

But the jury rejected an additional claim that the search was unfair harassment by the officers in retaliation for previous confrontations with Perez.

The verdict came after a five-day trial in the court of U.S. Magistrate Sallie Kim.

Alexis Amezcua, a lawyer for the couple, said in a statement, "The jury understood that parents do not forfeit their constitutional rights simply because their child is on probation.

"We realize that searching probationers is important, but it can be done in a way that respects the rights of other people who live in the home," she said.

Amezcua said the couple will now ask the court for an injunction prohibiting the city from allowing warrantless searches in similar situations.

"We will use this verdict to obtain an injunction barring defendants from barging into families' homes, detaining all residents, and searching every room, simply because one of the residents is on probation," the attorney said.

Kim has scheduled a hearing on the request for Jan. 7 and has directed both sides to file briefs discussing their positions on the issue.
A man suspected of trying to shoot his ex-girlfriend last week at a Concord business has been arrested after he allegedly fled to southern California, Concord police said Thursday.

Luis Cuevas, 23, allegedly walked into the undisclosed business on Oct. 26 armed with a firearm looking for his former lover.

Cuevas then tried to shoot someone in the business but he failed and then fled in his 2014 Ford Fusion, according to police.

Police issued an arrest warrant for Cuevas on suspicion of attempted murder and possession of a firearm and asked the public to be on the lookout for him, warning that he should be considered armed and dangerous.

This week, Concord police tracked Cuevas to his cousin's home in Southern California and took him into custody for the warrant.

According to police, Cuevas will be charged by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office and he remains in custody on $1.6 million.
U.S. securities investigators have subpoenaed information from Tesla about production forecasts for the Model 3 electric car that were made last year, the company acknowledged in a regulatory filing Friday.

The disclosure in Tesla's quarterly financial report also says the Securities and Exchange Commission subpoena covered other public statements made about Model 3 production.

The filing adds that Tesla is cooperating with a Justice Department request for information about Model 3 forecasts.

It's the first time Tesla has formally disclosed the SEC subpoena in a regulatory filing, but there have been widespread news reports about its investigation into production forecasts.

The Model 3 is a central part of Tesla's plan to expand from a niche player in the luxury segment to a car maker with broader appeal. It's also key to the company's cash flow and pledge to make quarterly net profits into the future. In 2017 and this year, Tesla had trouble producing the cars, drawing a lawsuit from investors who said they were misled by CEO Elon Musk's production targets.

Early last year the Palo Alto, California, company announced plans to produce up to 5,000 Model 3s a week by the end of 2017. But the company fell far short due to problems with automation at its Fremont, California, factory, making just 793 in the last week of 2017 and 2,700 for the entire year. It didn't hit the 5,000-a-week target until June 2018.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the FBI is doing a criminal investigation into whether Tesla misled investors by overstating Model 3 production forecasts.

Tesla Inc. says in the filing that to its knowledge, no government agency in an ongoing investigation has determined that it did anything wrong.

A company spokesman wouldn't comment beyond the filing. Messages were left Friday seeking comment from the SEC and the Justice Department.

In September, Tesla settled a civil lawsuit by the SEC over tweets by Musk that funding was in place to take the company private. Musk and Tesla agreed to pay a combined $40 million without acknowledging or denying wrongdoing.

"Aside from the settlement with the SEC relating to Mr. Musk's statement that he was considering taking Tesla private, there have not been any developments in these matters that we deem to be material," the company wrote in the filing.

But the company also says if the government decides to take enforcement action "there exists the possibility of a material adverse impact on our business, results of operation, prospects, cash flows, and financial position."

Last month Tesla reported a $311.5 million profit for the July-through-September period, its first quarterly profit in two years. The company said it produced about 4,300 Model 3s a week, excluding planned shutdowns, and 5,300 in the final week of the quarter.

A year ago, a group of shareholders sued the company in federal court alleging that it made false statements about Model 3 production and misled investors. The original complaint was dismissed but was refiled in September.

"We believe that the claims are without merit and intend to defend against this lawsuit vigorously," the company said in its filing.
What to Know The 300 block of Hyde St. in San Francisco has made national headlines as the "dirtiest block" in the city based on 311 complaint data

Neighbors in the Tenderloin district say they've gotten used to seeing trash, drugs, human and dog waste in the area near Hyde and Eddy St.

Sean Miller built SnapCrap as a quick way to file a street cleaning request with the city for human or animal waste on the sidewalk

Sean Miller moved to San Francisco a year and a half ago, and quickly noticed something: when he walked outside his apartment, he needed to watch where he stepped.

"Within a couple of days, it was super obvious that there was a huge problem here," said Miller, who's 24 years old.

The problem in San Francisco's Tenderloin district is one that neighbors admit they've gotten used to: sidewalks littered with trash, used syringes, and  most troubling for some  human and animal feces.

"It's everywhere," Miller said.

Getty Images

European tourists we talked to said they were shocked by the filth  and Miller said he worries it'll affect the city's economy.

"I don't think any company's going to want to come here, and I don't think people are going to want to work here," he said.

Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area

That fear is among the core arguments of those campaigning for Proposition C on San Francisco's November ballot. The initiative, which has tech executives sharply divided, would tax the city's largest companies and earmark the funds for housing and homelessness. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who favors Prop C, has said addressing homelessness is critical to attracting employers and conventions to the city. Opponents including Mayor London Breed and the city's Chamber of Commerce have said the new tax would be the wrong approach to cleaning up the streets.

Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area

Several neighbors told us they deal with the dirty streets on a daily basis, but have given up on reporting them to the city.

"I would spend my whole day wasting time, calling reporting stuff like that," said Sharon Russell, who walks up the 300 block of Hyde Street on her way to and from work every day.

The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit surveyed a section of downtown San Francisco to determine the amount of feces, hypodermic needles, and garbage littering the heart of the city. The results reveal a disgusting and potentially deadly mix of contamination that experts now believe could exceed some of the dirtiest slums in the world. Investigative reporter Bigad Shaban reports on a story that first aired Feb. 18, 2018.

That block has earned a special kind of notoriety: by one measure, it could be called the dirtiest block in the city. NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit surveyed 153 blocks and found more than 300 piles of feces, 100 used drug needles, and trash on every block. But according to the city's 311 data, it's the 300 block of Hyde that gets the most street cleaning requests of any in the city  some of them by phone, some through the city's own 311 app, and now some through the app Miller created called SnapCrap.

Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area

"I wanted to be able to do it in like two clicks," Miller said. "So that's kind of where I came up with the idea for SnapCrap."

The free smartphone app bears a striking resemblance to the social sharing app SnapChat: it opens directly to the camera, and allows instant sharing of an image once it's captured with just one more tap. Unlike the social app, though, SnapCrap only shares images with one "friend:" San Francisco's Public Works department.

Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area

"I don't think the people at Public Works are super psyched," Miller confessed. "I think it's creating quite a few more tickets for them."

Within two weeks, SnapCrap had been downloaded more than 7,000 times, and Miller said the app had successfully submitted 50 to 100 tickets per day. By default, all of those tickets are automatically filled out to request cleaning of human or animal waste on the sidewalk. In a future version, Miller said he'll add an option for reporting used drug needles and other types of blight including graffiti.

But first, Miller said he had to make another change: the app's logo and icon, previously drawn in the same shade of yellow as SnapChat, are now a bright shade of lavender. Miller said he made the change to comply with a request he received from SnapChat's lawyers.
What to Know The sanctions penalize countries that don't stop importing Iranian oil and foreign companies that do business with blacklisted entities

Eight countries are getting waivers so they can continue temporarily importing Iranian oil

The sanctions had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal

The Trump administration on Friday restored U.S. sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, but carved out exemptions for eight countries that can still import oil from the Islamic Republic without penalty.

The sanctions take effect Monday and cover Iran's shipping, financial and energy sectors. They are the second batch the administration has reimposed since Trump withdrew from the landmark accord in May.

The 2015 deal, one of former President Barack Obama's biggest diplomatic achievements, gave Iran billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, which many believed it was using to develop atomic weapons. Trump repeatedly denounced the agreement as the "worst ever" negotiated by the United States and said it gave Iran too much in return for too little.

But proponents as well as the other parties to the deal  Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union  have vehemently defended it. The Europeans have mounted a drive to save the agreement without the U.S., fearing that the new sanctions will drive Iran to pull out and resume all of its nuclear work.

Friday's announcement comes just days before congressional midterm elections in the U.S., allowing Trump to highlight his decision to withdraw from the deal  a move that was popular among Republicans.

Shortly after the announcement, Trump tweeted what looks like a movie poster image of himself that takes creative inspiration from the TV series "Game of Thrones" with the tagline: "Sanctions are Coming, November 5."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the sanctions are "aimed at fundamentally altering the behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran." He has issued a list of 12 demands that Iran must meet to get the sanctions lifted that include an end to its support for terrorism and military engagement in Syria and a halt to nuclear and ballistic missile development.

Pompeo said eight nations will receive temporary waivers allowing them to continue to import Iranian petroleum products as they move to end such imports entirely. He said those countries, which other officials said would include U.S. allies such as Turkey, Italy, India, Japan and South Korea, had made efforts to eliminate their imports but could not complete the task by Monday.

The waivers will be valid for six months, during which time the importing country can buy Iranian oil but must deposit Iran's revenue in an escrow account. Iran can spend the money but only on a narrow range of humanitarian items.

Pompeo defended the oil waivers and noted that since May, when the U.S. began to press countries to stop buying Iranian oil, Iran's exports had dropped by more than 1 million barrels per day.

He said the Iranian economy is already reeling from the earlier sanctions, with the currency losing half its value since April and the prices of fruit, poultry, eggs and milk skyrocketing.

Some Iran hawks in Congress and elsewhere said Friday's move should have gone even further. They were hoping for Iran to be disconnected from the main international financial messaging network known as SWIFT.

With limited exceptions, the reimposed U.S. sanctions will hit Iran as well as countries that do not stop importing Iranian oil and foreign firms that do business with blacklisted Iranian entities, including its central bank, a number of private financial institutions, and state-run port and shipping firms, as well as hundreds of individual Iranian officials.

"Our ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlaw activities and behave as a normal country," Pompeo told reporters in a conference call with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Mnuchin said 700 more Iranian companies and people would be added to the sanctions rolls. Those, he said, would include more than 300 that had not been included under previous sanctions.

Israel, which considers Iran an existential threat and opposed the deal from the beginning, welcomed Friday's announcement.

"Thank you, Mr. President, for restoring sanctions against an Iranian regime that vows and works to destroy the Jewish state," Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer said in a tweet.

Mnuchin defended the decision to allow some Iranian banks to remain connected to SWIFT, saying that the Belgium-based firm had been warned that it will face penalties if sanctioned institutions are permitted to use it. And, he said that U.S. regulators would be watching closely Iranian transactions that use SWIFT to ensure any that run afoul of U.S. sanctions would be punished.
What to Know Authorities said the children were at the bus stop and the stop-arm on the bus was out when a pickup truck hit them.

An 11-year-old boy was also injured in the crash and airlifted to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne.

A 24-year-old woman has been charged in the deaths of the three children.

A somber service was held Thursday to remember three children killed as they waited for their school bus in Indiana.

Speakers recalled the special bond big sister Olivia shared with her twin brothers Xavier and Mason. Many emotions were on display for so many people at the Fulton County church where the service was held. The message was one of unity and choosing grace.

Inside Grace United Methodist Church in Rochester, the mayor explained how the mother of the children believes Olivia chose to go to heaven with her twin brothers when it was clear they wouldnt survive the crash.

The truck driver, 24-year-old Alyssa Shepherd, has been charged with three felony counts of reckless homicide and failure to stop for a school bus. She was the children's director at Faith Outreach Church where they too are asking for prayers.

The school district has now changed the pickup location for the school bus to a location inside the trailer park where the kids lived.

The change went into effect this week, but too late for the sweet siblings and months after their mother had repeatedly asked for a safer pick up.

The community plans another vigil Friday night for the kids outside on a field where they used to play.
How secure will your vote be when you head to the polls on Tuesday and could Connecticut be at risk of hackers disrupting our elections? NBC Connecticut Investigates looked into whether there is reason for concern.

Last year, federal intelligence agencies revealed that in 2016, hackers using Russian IP addresses tried to get into the voting registries of 21 states, including Connecticut.

Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, who oversees our elections, said this was a probe where someone was testing our vulnerabilities, rather than a successful intrusion, or hack.

They didnt get in, nothing worked, said Merrill.

Jake Braun, who helps organize the annual DEFCON hacker conference in Las Vegas where participants conducted what they called successful, simulated intrusions of a number of election machines, said hacking of elections systems is a reason for concern.

The Russians kind of like to poke and prod and then they go back and they look at the soft spots, he said.

But Braun gives Connecticut high marks for its election security.

Connecticut is definitely doing a great job, he said.

Cybersecurity experts, including Braun, say Connecticut benefits by:

Having a decentralized town-by-town voting system

Double checking votes with post-election audits

And having a voter center at UConn that evaluates our elections for security concerns and accuracy

But perhaps the biggest obstacle to hackers attacking Connecticuts elections is that we still use paper ballots.

We are pretty secure here in Connecticut. Mostly because we have a lot of paper, ironically. We have paper ballots, we have paper lists, we have backups of backups of backups, Merrill said.

However, cybersecurity experts tell NBC Connecticut Investigates there are reasons to be concerned about Connecticuts election security.

Our ballot tabulators have not been manufactured in over a decade

Our post-election audits randomly sample the vote of just 5 percent of all towns and cities

And the registrars offices in some smaller towns are using outdated, unsecure computer workstations

These old operating systems have so many vulnerabilities, known vulnerabilities that need to be fixed. That is a huge hole in security, said Suzanne Mello-Stark, a computer scientist at Rhode Island College.

Merrill said those issues are going to be addressed. She explains Connecticut recently bought 169 used tabulators as a backup, and the state is considering a more robust post-election audit covering all of Connecticut. Plus, federal funds are also on the way so small towns can upgrade their potentially vulnerable computer systems.

But voters also play a key role in election security, according to Merrill.

The biggest challenge is the American public. Because I am convinced that a lot of this, whatever the Russians were up to, was to create chaos, and confusion, and distrust, Merrill said.

Voters NBC Connecticut Investigates spoke with dont seem worried.

I think theres a lot of precautions set up to prevent that, Maya Gibbs, of Pomfret, told NBC Connecticut Investigates.
A Republican candidate for Connecticut's state legislature says she was stopped by a state trooper while going door-to-door and told she would need a permit to campaign.

The Rev. Ernestine Holloway, who is black, says the incident occurred last week and she believes it was a case of racial profiling.

Holloway is running against Democratic state Rep. Buddy Altobello of Meriden.

Holloway says she was with volunteers distributing campaign literature in Middlefield when they were stopped.

"He said maam, you need a peddlers license to hand out what youre handing out. I said but were not peddling. Were not soliciting, so why do we need one?" Holloway told NBC Connecticut.

She said rather than argue with the trooper, she went to town hall and obtained a peddler's license, which is not needed to campaign.

The trooper who stopped the Holloway team is also a driver for Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Susan Bysiewicz, leading Holloway to question the trooper's true motivation.

Calling reports of the incident deeply disturbing, in a statement Bysiewicz said she has severed ties with the trooper involved and I have zero tolerance for any group or person who would hinder our democratic process.

Holloway hopes something will be done to bring the truth about the incident to light.

"They never called me to ask me what happened. And thats what bothers me. They should not go unchecked. Somebody should say this is wrong," Holloway said.

State police told NBC Connecticut the incident is under review.

"We hold our troopers to the highest standards of conduct. Immediately upon hearing of Rev. Holloways experience, State Police leadership referred the matter to Professional Standards which has generated a Complaint # and is actively gathering information so as to thoroughly and expeditiously address this matter in its entirety, and in accordance with agency policy," a department spokesperson said in a statement.

State Republican Party Chairman J.R. Romano has called on the state police to apologize.

"Once he recognized that this was in fact a campaign and a candidate, that shouldve been the end of the interaction," Romano said.

"Im not going to project in terms of what the motivation of the officer was. But I have to tell you any way how you look at it, it doesnt look good," he added.
A South Windsor family is warning others to be on alert after their dog was attacked by a coyote.

Coyote sightings arent unusual along Abbe Road, but neighbors have recently reported seeing two or three coyotes traveling together, and thats what Monica Rich thinks attacked their dog.

I think a smaller animal would not have survived that and I'm grateful we got him, Rich told NBC Connecticut.

Claw marks cover 8-year-old Huxleys back, bites and deep wounds scar his face  the evidence of a brutal coyote attack last Sunday.

Rich said her kids let the Wheaten terrier outside and forgot he was out there. An hour later when she came home, Huxley came limping over.

He looked like he was covered in mud like he'd gotten into water or something and it was dark - when we brought him inside we realized he was actually covered in blood, Rich said.

Rich said a trip to the vet revealed the extent of the wounds, and that at first Huxley couldnt walk. After days of care, hes getting back to his old self.

Normally coyotes keep to the woods, steering clear of the dog. But with this change in behavior, Rich wants her neighbors to know what happened. Shes now changing how Huxley goes out and how late her kids go outside to take care of their farm animals.

We used to let them go out as late as 8 at night to do that but I don't think we're going to and when we take Huxley out at night we take him out on a leash because we dont feel he's safe on his own, Rich said.

Rich wants neighbors to be aware and take precautions to make sure something like this doesnt happen again.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said that while some coyotes sometimes exhibit bold behavior, it is unusual for them to attack humans. Small pets, especially those under 25 pounds, are at risk.

For more information on coyotes, visit the DEEP website.
A prosecutor in the trial of an Iowa father whose infant son was found dead in a baby swing last year has told a jury the child "died of diaper rash."

Assistant Iowa Attorney General Coleman McAllister told jurors Tuesday that 4-month-old Sterling Koehn had been in the same diaper for nine to 14 days when his body was found in the swing Aug. 30, 2017, at his parents' Alta Vista apartment, the Courier reported.

The baby's father, 29-year-old Zachary Paul Koehn, is charged with murder and child endangerment. The boy's mother, Cheyanne Harris, is also charged and faces a separate trial at a later date.

McAllister said Tuesday in opening statements that the baby's heavily soiled diaper attracted bugs. The resulting diaper rash led to ruptured skin, and e.Coli bacteria set in.

"He died of diaper rash. That's right, diaper rash," McAllister said.

A coroner's report showed the baby died of malnutrition, dehydration and the infection.

In opening statements Tuesday, Koehn's attorney said the baby's death was a tragedy, but not a crime.

McAllister denied the defense's claims, saying Koehn was an experienced parent. He noted that Koehn's 2-year-old daughter was also in the apartment and was healthy, and that Koehn had money to buy food and baby supplies. He stated Koehn was a drug user.

Nurse and county rescue squad EMT Toni Friedrich testified Tuesday that she was the first to arrive at the apartment after Koehn called 911 to report the baby had died. Friedrich said Koehn showed no emotion when he led her to the dark, hot bedroom where the baby's body was.

The baby's "eyes were open, and it was a blank stare," she said.

Friedrich said when she touched the baby's chest, his clothing was crusty. When she moved his blanket, gnats flew up, she said.

Koehn's trial was moved from Chickasaw County to Henry County to counter pretrial publicity.
The race for U.S. Senate in Connecticut is shaping up to be a referendum on President Trump.

While Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy has become a vocal critic of Trumps policies, Republican challenger Matthew Corey told NBC Connecticut the state needs a senator who will be more willing to work with the Trump administration.

Whether you agree with the administration or not, we need someone in Washington that will work with this administration, theres too much federal funds and too many needs in Connecticut like crumbling foundations and infrastructure needs, Corey said.

On the final Friday before Election Day, Murphy went for a walking tour of businesses on New Havens Whalley Avenue.

I want to make sure everybody here understands the stakes of this election, Murphy said. Here in New Haven people are very disappointed with President Trump, theyre really sickened about how hes chosen to end this campaign by trying to divide us from each other

The senator stopped at Greg Simpkins barbershop.

I like the way he fights for us, Simpkins said. I always see him, theres an issue we have in this state, he goes down and fights.

In Enfield, Corey met with supporters at Boscos auto repair shop.

I resonate with them because Im a small business owner, blue collar worker, Corey said.

Co-owner Joe Bosco said he wants a U.S. senator who will be supportive of the president.

Here in Connecticut, were never going to get nothing, Bosco said. You may like the man or hate man, you have to work the man and you cant be beating him up all the time because hes going to give the money somewhere else.

Leading up to the midterm elections, the president has made immigration a central issue, claiming he can eliminate birthright citizenship with an executive order.

The president doesnt care about the Constitution, Murphy said. The idea that hes going to change it by executive order is nonsense, that executive order would be overturned by the courts within about five minutes.

I think we need to look at birthright citizenship, Corey told NBC Connecticut. You should have some stake in our country, not just people that come over here to have a baby and say look hey Im part of the community, Im part of society.

Murphy said health care is the top issue on the minds of Connecticuts voters.

People are really fearful that President Trump is going to take away their health care, put the insurance companies back in charge of their health care, take away protections for people with pre-existing conditions, Murphy said.

The Affordable Care Act has made it unaffordable for a lot of small business owners like myself, Corey said, I believe the president is on the right track.

Since being elected six years ago, Murphy has become a national leader in the push for more gun safety laws.

Sen. Chris Murphy and his opponent, Matt Corey, spoke with voters on Friday, just days before Election Day.

We know that sensible gun laws work here in Connecticut, Murphy said. Weve seen a sharp reduction in gun murders in this state and its because we have universal background checks. We make sure everybody who buys a gun isnt a criminal and we need other states to do the same thing, I think we can pass that next year if democrats do very well.

Corey said he does not think it is necessary to make law abiding citizens go through more hoops and hurdles to enjoy their second amendment rights.

We need to focus on is more mental illness, we need to focus how hostile the media is who is fueling these people with mental illness, Corey added.

NBC Connecticut asked Corey if there are areas where he disagrees with President Trump.

Yeah a lot of the tariffs I dont agree with, Corey said, but I think those are bargaining chips, hes bringing countries to the table, if thats the means we have to do it thats great.

Both Corey and Murphy said they plan to make joint campaign stops over the next few days with their partys candidates for governor.

I dont know if theres going to be a blue wave or not, Murphy said. I just think here in Connecticut folks understand that Donald Trump isnt good for our state and that Bob Stefanowksi, the Republican candidate for governor gives Donald Trump an A rating. I dont think that squares with Connecticut values.
A new Sacred Heart University Institute for Public Policy poll suggests that while the Democrat and Republican candidates for governor are neck and neck, Republican Bob Stefanowski currently has a slight edge over Democrat Ned Lamont in the race.

The poll shows that while the candidates are statistically tied, Stefanowski with a 2.4 percentage point lead over Lamont.

Conducted from Oct. 29 through Oct. 31, the poll data shows that 40 percent of likely voters indicated they would support Stefanowski, with 37.6 percent of likely voters preferring Lamont and 9 percent supporting unaffiliated candidate Oz Griebel.

The poll also found that 38.4 percent of Connecticut voters had a favorable view of Lamont, compared to 41.6 percent with a favorable view of Stefanowski.

Stefanowski has stronger in-party support, with 83.9 percent of Republicans supporting his run, while Lamont only saw support from 68.3 percent of Democrats, based on the poll.

Participants listed their top concerns in the governors race as Connecticuts high tax burden, the state budget crisis, and low economic growth in the state.

For more on the poll, click here.
The last day of early voting brought U.S. Congressman Beto ORourke (D-El Paso) to North Texas to campaign for Republican Ted Cruzs U.S. Senate seat.

Out of six campaign stops across North Texas, four included cities in Denton and Collin counties  both typically won by Republican candidates.

Hes not afraid to go where those other people fear to tread, said Hermione Yeldell, an ORourke supporter in Plano. I love it.

Debi Coleman, another Collin County supporter, said she knocked on 56 doors in Plano Thursday night to drum up support for ORourke.

Im seeing it happen, said Coleman. The doors I knocked last night, I only had one slammed.

From the bed of a pickup truck, the tops of picnic tables and step stools, the Democratic Congressman from El Paso spoke to supporters in parks in Lewisville, Carrollton, Plano, Murphy and Dallas.

As an LGBTQ community, as a brown community, as a POC [person of color] community, hes all of that rolled up in a politician unlike any other than weve seen in a while, said Dallas supporter Brandi Skyy.

North Texas has seen higher than average early voting turnout numbers that more closely resemble the turnout in a presidential election year than a midterm election.

ORourke said he believes that bodes well for his campaign.

If this continues, we win, said ORourke. I feel very good about our prospects, not just on election night but on being able to deliver for the next six years that follow.

Recent polls the last week of early voting, show Ted Cruzs lead narrowing over ORourke, but Cruz still taking the election.

ORourke said he doubts polls take into account new midterm voters and young voters he believes could swing the election in his favor.

None of these polls reflect these first time voters were seeing at every single event that we hold in Denton, Collin, Dallas or Tarrant counties, said ORourke. Folks who are 18 years old for whom this is the first election of their lifetime, people who told me they never voted in a midterm before though they are 70 years old.

Supporter Jay Shauf of Lewisville agreed.

Im really confident, said Shauf. I think theyre underestimating the younger generation thats just now ready to vote, I dont think theyre taking them into account. I think theyre rising up.

The last day to vote early in Texas is Friday, Nov. 2. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6.
The story of money in politics doesn't stop with spending on races for Congress.

Candidates for governor, legislature and other state offices this year have brought in $2.2 billion in campaign contributions  nearly matching the combined total of $2.4 billion for candidates for the U.S. House and Senate.

That makes this year among the most expensive ever in state-level politics, and the total will only grow in the final stretch before Tuesday's election.

At stake is control of 36 governors' offices and legislative chambers in most states.

Activists see state elections as a good investment because it doesn't take as much money to influence them as it does congressional races.

The upstart organization Flippable has raised about $1 million this year for 130 Democratic state legislative candidates in 10 states. Its chief executive, Catherine Vaughan, points out that legislative campaigns cost around $150,000 on average, compared with more than $1 million for a congressional race.

An Associated Press analysis of campaign finance data collected by the National Institute on Money in Politics, the Federal Election Commission and the IRS shows where the state-level money is going.

THE BIG PICTURE

The top states this year for reported contributions to candidates are, in order, Illinois, California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia and Pennsylvania. They also happen to be among the states with the largest populations  but not necessarily the most competitive state-level races.

Donors also have contributed more than $400 million to support or oppose ballot initiatives.

While Democrats are spending more in federal elections, it's about even in state-level elections. As of Thursday, reports processed by the National Institute on Money in Politics show that both parties had brought in just over $1 billion, with a slight edge for the GOP. Nonpartisan and third-party candidates had raised about $40 million.

But the money race is not even on a state-by-state basis. Republicans running for legislatures have raised $370 million to Democrats' $354 million. It's no surprise that Wyoming Republicans have raised six times as much as Democrats and that Massachusetts Democrats have nearly as big an advantage.

But there's also lopsided funding in some more competitive states. Republican legislative candidates have brought in about twice as much as Democrats in Florida. In Colorado, Democrats have a 2-to-1 fundraising advantage.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE RACES

Illinois has the second most expensive race for governor on record at $210 million so far. This year's second costliest governor's race is in Florida.

Both already are among the 10 costliest races for governor on record.

Polls have consistently shown a tight race in Florida between U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, a loyalist to President Donald Trump, and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.

In Illinois, nearly 90 percent of contributions have come from just three wealthy investors. Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker, who is leading in polls, has used more than $106 million of his own money in the race.

Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner has spent $57 million. Citadel founder Ken Griffin has kicked in more than $22 million to support Rauner.

The most expensive state legislative race is for a state Senate seat in north Texas that has cost $10.8 million so far. Nearly half the total was from Phillip Huffines, who self-financed his losing Republican primary campaign.

The most expensive legislative race with a competitive general election is the 12th Senate District in central California. Democrat Anna Caballero and Republican Rob Poythress each have raised about $2 million.

BIGGEST SPENDERS

The list of the largest contributors across all state-level elections is dominated by self-funded candidates. Nine candidates, all running for governor, have spent at least $10 million on themselves this year. In addition to the two in Illinois, only one other  Jared Polis, a Colorado Democrat  won a primary.

The list of big organizational contributors is dominated by labor groups spreading money to a variety of candidates  mostly but not exclusively Democrats. Unions representing laborers, educators, service workers and plumbers, including their regional affiliates, have contributed at least $7 million each.

Realtor associations also have contributed more than $11 million, the majority of it to Republicans.

INDEPENDENT MONEY

Most states limit the amount a contributor can give to each candidate. But political groups, companies, charities and individuals have no restrictions on how much they can spend on their own.

In some cases, they can do this spending without disclosing the identities of their donors; in some states, they don't even have to report the spending.

The one catch: They're generally not allowed to coordinate with the candidates' official campaigns.

Among those that do report spending are national party-affiliated organizations, which have arms that do work with campaigns. Republican groups trying to elect their partisans to governor's offices, legislatures and other positions such as state attorney general have an edge over Democrats. Corporations are major contributors to the groups on both sides.

Filings by the Republican Governors Association this month show it has raised $156 million from the start of 2017 through September. The Democratic Governors Association brought in $108 million through Oct. 17. Both use much of their money to fund ads attacking their opponents.

Groups that are key to the parties' attempts to win state legislative seats also are spending big this cycle.

The Republican State Leadership Committee had raised $33 million through September and expects to spend up to $50 million.

Its counterpart, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said it has brought in $35 million through October, a record amount for the group. Its efforts are being bolstered this year by other organizations with similar goals.

THE NATIONAL PLAYERS

A handful of wealthy individuals fund organizations that spend on politics across the country.

The industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch and other conservatives are major players through a group of organizations that include Americans for Prosperity. It's impossible to tell from campaign finance filings how much they're spending this year. An Americans for Prosperity spokeswoman said the network plans to put a total of $400 million into state and federal political efforts in 2017 and 2018 but declined to break down how much would go to state races.

Tom Steyer, a San Francisco liberal who has called for impeaching Trump, has announced contributions totaling at least $7 million to support Florida's Gillum.

That includes more than $2 million in direct contributions to a political action committee that supports Gillum, along with $800,000 from the Steyer group NextGen Climate America and direct mail pieces being sent by another Steyer group, Need to Impeach.
What to Know Greg Carlson is wanted for an armed sexual assault in 2017 in West Los Angeles

The cross-country search included a high-speed police pursuit in Alabama

Carlson is on the FBI's Top-10 Most Wanted Fugitives list

The FBI has confirmed a sighting of a suspected sexual predator wanted in the armed sexual assault of a woman in her West Los Angeles home.

The cross-country search for Greg Alyn Carlson, 46, appears to be focused on the southeastern United States. The FBI received a confirmed sighting of the suspect -- who was added to the agency's Top-10 Most Wanted Fugitives list -- in the Mount Pleasant area of South Carolina.

Carlson has ties to the area.

He was last seen in a late-model white Hyundai Accent -- the same car he was driving in previous sightings. He likely stole a license plate from another vehicle, investigators said.

The FBI said investigators have not ruled out the possibility that Carlson traveled to other states. He also might have crossed the U.S. border.

Carlson is accused of sexually assaulting a woman, striking her in the head with a gun during a July 13, 2017 burglary in West Los Angeles. He was arrested by Los Angeles police in two months later, but was released on bond.

Carlson then traveled to South Carolina, but likely left the state with a stolen handgun, rental car and large amount of cash, the FBI said. Agents said they're not sure how he obtained so much money, adding that he might have worked as an actor when he lived in Southern California.

In November 2017, he was seen in Hoover, Alabama, where he led police on a high-speed pursuit. Police called off the pursuit due to safety concerns.

Investigators said he traveled to Florida and was seen Nov. 30, 2017 in Daytona Beach.

He has also resided in the Southern California seaside communities of Santa Monica and Redondo Beach.

The 2017 arrest marked the first time he had been arrested for a felony crime. Carlson was previously arrested for a misdemeanor in Beverly Hills.

He might be behind additional sexual assaults, investigators said. A $100,000 reward was issued for information in the case.
What to Know The body of 38-year-old mother of three, Tyanie Ly, was found stuffed in a duffel bag in a dumpster by someone looking for recyclables.

Amer Saleh Alhasan, 28, was arrested at LAX trying to board a flight out of the country.

Alhasan was being held on $5 million bail.

A family mourned the loss of a mother of three whose body was found in a dumpster in Anaheim.

The body of Tyanie Ly, 38, was found Tuesday morning. Her boyfriend, Amer Saleh Alhasan, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday afternoon after he checked in for a flight to Germany, with a final destination of Jordan where some of his family lives, Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said.

He is charged with her murder.

Her body was found stuffed into a duffel bag about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday in a dumpster behind a condominium complex at 2156 S. Euclid St. Someone made the discovery while going through the bin looking for recyclables, Wyatt said.

"I want him to know we as a family do not forgive him for what he did, the way he left my sister," said Adam Margaros, the victim's brother in law.

Ly's father says the family didn't know Alhasan, but did notice that since she started dating him, she never seemed to have enough money to pay her bills. She worked as an ultrasound technician at a medical facility and was a proud and devoted mother of three. They have no idea why anyone would want to hurt her, but they are relieved Alhasan has been caught.

"It just gives us a little piece of mind knowing he's going to have to face the music for what he did," Margaros said.

Ly came to America from Cambodia as a young girl in 1983. Her family escaped war and poverty and built a life for themselves here in the U.S. Her father says he never could have imagined he came all this way to lose his daughter to violence, but even now, he still believes in the American Dream. Alhasan allegedly fled Jordan because of a sexual assault in that country, Wyatt said. He was also arrested for a crime in California previously, but was not charged, the sergeant said.

The victim was the mother of three young children, the oldest 12 years old, Wyatt said. Her family called police when they were unable to contact her, which helped investigators focus in on Alhasan as a suspect, Wyatt said.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to assist the family. You can visit the page here.
Following the discovery of a mother's body in a duffel bag in an Orange County dumpster, a man believed to be her boyfriend was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as he attempted to board a plane out of the country, police said Thursday.

The lifeless body of a 38-year-old Tyanie Ly, a mother of three from Santa Ana, was found in luggage in a dumpster early Tuesday morning.

The Anaheim Police Department responded to a call at 2:15 a.m. from a person who found her body in a duffel bag while searching for recyclables in a dumpster behind the Villa Del Amo apartments on the 2000 block of south Balboa street.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Amer Alhasan was arrested at LAX while attempting to board a flight heading to Germany, said Chief of Police Jorge Cisneros.

Alhasan is a 28-year-old La Habra resident with familial ties to Jordan.

Ly and Alhasan were in a dating relationship, Cisneros said.

"We're asking for anybody else who may have been in a dating relationship with him in the past to call us," Public Information Officer Daron Wyatt said. "There are likely prior events of domestic violence or sexual assault."

The family of the victim, whose youngest child is under 12 years old, said they were devastated. The children were with her family following the discovery of her body.

Wyatt said Alhasan is believed to have been accused of sexual assault in the country of Jordan, and also believed to have been arrested of a crime in California, for which he was never charged.

His bail was set at $5 million. Wyatt said police are seeking to revoke the option of bail because authorities consider him a flight risk.

Police expect first-degree murder charges to be filed on Friday, Wyatt said. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
A Northern California judge on Monday upheld a jury's verdict that found Monsanto's weed killer caused a groundskeeper's cancer, but she slashed the amount of money to be paid from $289 million to $78 million.

In denying Monsanto's request for a new trial, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos cut the jury's punitive damage award from $250 million to $39 million. The judge had earlier said she had strong doubts about the jury's entire punitive damage award.

Bolanos gave DeWayne Johnson until Dec. 7 to accept the reduced amount or demand a new trial.

Johnson's spokeswoman Diana McKinley said he and his lawyers are reviewing the decision and haven't decided the next step. "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," she said.

Monsanto spokeswoman Christi Dixon didn't return phone and email inquiries placed late Monday.

The jury awarded punitive damages after it found that the St. Louis-based agribusiness had purposely ignored warnings and evidence that its popular Roundup product causes cancer, including Johnson's lymphoma.

Punitive damages are designed to punish companies that juries determine have purposely misbehaved and to deter others from operating similarly.

In a tentative ruling on Oct. 11, Bolanos said it appeared the jurors overreached with their punitive damages award. She said then that she was considering wiping out the $250 million judgment after finding no compelling evidence presented at trial that Monsanto employees ignored evidence that the weed killer caused cancer.

The judge reversed course Monday and said she was compelled to honor the jurors' conclusions after they listened to expert witnesses for both sides debate the merits of Johnson's claim.

The judge said jurors are entitled to accept the conclusion of Johnson's expert witness who said Roundup caused his cancer and reject the conclusions of Monsanto's expert witnesses, who concluded there's no proof the weed killer causes cancer.

"Thus, the jury could conclude that Monsanto acted with malice by consciously disregarding a probable safety risk," Bolanos wrote in her ruling.

Some jurors were so upset by the prospect of having their verdict thrown out that they wrote to Bolanos, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"I urge you to respect and honor our verdict and the six weeks of our lives that we dedicated to this trial," juror Gary Kitahata wrote. Juror Robert Howard said the jury paid "studious attention" to the evidence and any decision to overturn its verdict would shake his confidence in the judicial system.

The judge did slash the $250 million punitive damage to $39 million, the same amount the jury awarded Johnson for other damages.

Johnson's lawsuit is among hundreds alleging Roundup caused cancer, but it was the first one to go to trial.

Johnson sprayed Roundup and a similar product, Ranger Pro, at his job as a pest control manager at a San Francisco Bay Area school district, according to his attorneys. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014 at age 42.

Many government regulators have rejected a link between the weed killer's active chemical  glyphosate  and cancer. Monsanto has vehemently denied such a connection, saying hundreds of studies have established that glyphosate is safe.

Lawyers for the plaintiff from Baum Hedlund and The Miller Firm released a statement on the ruling Monday:

"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. The evidence presented to this jury was, quite frankly, overwhelming. And, as we saw in recent days, this jury was intelligent, diligent, and followed the letter of the law. We are happy the jurys voice was acknowledged by the Court, even if slightly muted. We are still reviewing whether we will accept the proposed remittitur or retry the punitive damages. That said, today is a triumph for our legal system. We care deeply for Lee and his family, and we are excited to share this important win with them and all those who supported this case."

Bayer, the parent company for Monsanto, also released a statement Monday on the decision:

The Courts decision to reduce the punitive damage award by more than $200 million is a step in the right direction, 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.

Glyphosate-based herbicides have been used safely and successfully for over four decades worldwide and are a valuable tool to help farmers deliver crops to markets and practice sustainable farming by reducing soil tillage, soil erosion and carbon emissions. There is an extensive body of research on glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides, including more than 800 rigorous registration studies required by EPA, European and other regulators, that confirms that these products are safe when used as directed. Notably, the largest and most recent epidemiologic study  the 2018 independent National Cancer Institute long-term study that followed over 50,000 pesticide applicators and was published after the IARC monograph  found no association between glyphosate-based herbicides and cancer. Additionally, EPAs 2017 post-IARC cancer risk assessment examined more than 100 studies the agency considered relevant and concluded that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans, its most favorable rating.
What to Know The first 100 or so active duty troops arrived at the border on Thursday, making initial assessment at the McAllen, Texas, crossing

The head of "Operation Faithful Patriot," has argued that the caravan is a potential threat, although he has not fully defined that

AP journalists traveling with the largest group say it includes many families, including hundreds of children, and it has been orderly

President Donald Trump ordered troops to the border in response to a caravan of migrants slowly making its way through Mexico toward the United States and still about 900 miles away, with many dropping out. Here's what we know so far about the military's mission:

WHAT TROOPS ARE INVOLVED?

More than 7,000 active duty troops have been told to deploy to Texas, Arizona and California. They are a mix of forces, including military police, an assault helicopter battalion, various communications, medical and headquarters units, combat engineers, planners and public affairs units.

As of Friday, one week after the Pentagon acknowledged that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had approved a Department of Homeland Security request for military support at the border, the troop deployment was still unfolding, with about 3,500 at staging bases in the Southwest. Of those, about 2,250 active duty troops are at staging bases in Texas, about 1,100 Marines are at Camp Pendleton in California and fewer than 200 are in Arizona. About 100 troops are actually on the border, at the port crossing near McAllen, Texas.

Most of the troops are being used to facilitate the movement of border patrol agents, house them, feed them and provide some of their protection.

WHAT IS THEIR ROLE ON THE BORDER?

The Pentagon is adamant that active duty troops will not do law enforcement, which they are forbidden from doing under the Posse Comitatus Act in the Constitution. Troops can't arrest people at the border. Their main job will be to support the Border Patrol.

This means the military will transport border patrol agents to and along the border, help them erect additional vehicle barriers and fencing along the border, assist them with communications and provide some security for border agent camps. The military also will provide the border patrol agents with medical care, pre-packaged meals, and temporary housing.

WILL TROOPS BE ARMED?

Yes, many of them will be, mainly for self-protection.

Military police at the border will be armed, although they will have non-lethal options for dealing with unexpected conflict. Pentagon officials say they are planning for a worst-case scenario of violence that could force soldiers to rely on their training to make split-second decisions to defend themselves or civilians. MPs might, for example, be dispatched to provide armed security for military engineers placing barricades at locations where there are no border patrol agents to provide protection.

One day after Trump suggested soldiers on the southwest border may open fire if migrants throw rocks at them, he insisted Friday that he meant that rock-throwers would be arrested. "I didn't say 'shoot,'" he told reporters at the White House. Either way, his scenario of violence captures in a nutshell the risk of using active duty troops for domestic security: Their mission does not include confronting migrants, but some may be unable to avoid it.

The commander in charge of the military operation, Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, head of U.S. Northern Command, said earlier this week that handling migrants will be primarily the job of the Customs and Border Protection agency. But he acknowledged "there could be incidental interaction" between migrants and soldiers. In light of that possibility, the soldiers "are going to be fully trained in how to do that," he said.

Lt. Col. Jamie Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the military will not disclose details of its rules on the use of force.

DOES CONGRESS SUPPORT THIS MISSION?

With members of Congress focused mainly on Tuesday's midterm elections, reaction has been mild. A group of senior House Democrats wrote a letter to Mattis on Thursday expressing opposition to the military mission and demanding answers on its cost. The deployment of active duty troops, they wrote, "only exacerbates the potential to unnecessarily escalate the situation."

Chuck Hagel, a former Republican senator and Army combat veteran who served as defense secretary under President Barack Obama, told CNN the mission is "folly" because there is "no need, no threat."

Retired Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, who preceded Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took double-barreled aim at the border mission. Writing on Twitter Thursday, he called the military mission a "wasteful deployment of over-stretched Soldiers and Marines" that would be "made much worse" if they used force disproportional to the threat they face on the border.
The number of homeless veterans across the U.S. declined more than 5 percent over the past year after a slight rise in 2017, the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs announced Thursday.

The decrease shows the federal government is making progress in its nearly decade-long efforts, but the problem poses a challenge in areas such as California where the cost of housing is high, officials said.

The number of homeless vets dropped to about 38,000 -- about half of those counted in 2010, according to an overall count of the homeless taken in January.

As many as 64 communities and three states -- Virginia, Delaware and Connecticut -- effectively ended veteran homelessness. That means all homeless veterans in those areas had been offered homes, even if some didn't accept them.

Homelessness among female veterans fell by 10 percent from just a year ago.

"Our nation's approach to veterans' homelessness is working," Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said.

The Obama administration in 2010 set a goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015, but Carson said the Trump administration will not set a specific date to reach that goal.

"The date would be as soon as possible, I don't think I could be more specific than that," he told reporters.

Officials largely credit the progress to an approach started under the Obama administration. It centered on a program called the HUD-VA Supporting Housing Program, which Congress boosted funds for in 2008.

It gives homeless veterans permanent housing while also providing them a case manager and clinical care services. The old way tried to treat mental health issues and drug and alcohol addiction and require people to get treatment as a requirement to qualify for a home.

Officials attributed the small uptick in 2017 largely to the high cost of housing in Los Angeles, which has the second-largest homeless population in the U.S. and the largest homeless veteran population.

HUD said veteran homelessness decreased from 2017 to 2018 in California.

San Diego County saw a decrease of 9 percent in all veteran homelessness, according to the annual report by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. The survey also showed a 21 percent decrease in unsheltered homeless veterans from a year earlier.

In April 2017, NBC 7's Gene Cubbison reported the population of homeless veterans in the city of San Diego had dropped 29 percent since special housing programs were launched in 2013.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said he plans to visit Los Angeles this week to meet with local officials and charities to discuss what further support is needed in their efforts. He would like to see an even bigger drop in the numbers.

"It's not good enough, but it is better," Wilkie said of 2018 numbers.

Veterans Affairs is working to identify vets who may have lost contact with the agency after years of living on the streets, Wilkie said.

Marine veteran Shaun Tullar, 33, said many vets do not realize what the VA can do for them. Tullar was experiencing post-traumatic stress from his time in combat in Afghanistan when he began using drugs after his brother, a fellow Marine, was killed in that country in 2012.

Tullar became homeless and cycled in and out of jail on drug charges until finding help through a program behind bars that connected him with the VA. He now lives at Veterans Village of San Diego, is sober and working toward finishing a college degree. He hopes to one day own a farm.

"A person cannot address fully any emotional needs if their basic needs of safety, food, water and shelter are not met," he said, adding that thanks to the support he's been given, "I have a very bright future."
Immigration has again become a hot political issue as President Donald Trump portrays the Mexico border in a state of crisis, underscored by dramatic images of a caravan of Central American migrants moving toward the U.S. and dozens of people climbing the border fence in Arizona.

The Border Patrol released video Friday of the fence incident near Yuma, Arizona, on the same day that the president traveled to the state for a rally where he stressed the need for a tougher border. The government said smugglers helped the migrants over the wall in four places and that the group was comprised of 108 people, including 52 children.

Trump's critics say the characterization of an out-of-control border is overblown and that Republicans are twisting the issue for political gain more than two weeks before the elections.

Here are some questions, answers and facts about what is happening at the border and with immigration:

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE BORDER?

Large groups of Central American families, particularly from Guatemala, have increasingly been making dangerous journeys through Mexico to the U.S. border. Many turn themselves in to U.S. border agents near the banks of the Rio Grande in Texas or in the deserts of Arizona to seek asylum.

Border Patrol agents arrested 16,658 family members in September, up 30 percent from August and up 80 percent from July, according to preliminary figures from Trump administration officials who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give out the numbers.

"If October is any indication, Fiscal Year 2019 is going to be a very busy year," Manuel Padilla Jr., chief of the Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley sector, tweeted this week.

Agents made 396,579 arrests on the Mexican border during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, up 31 percent from a 46-year-low in 2017, according to preliminary figures from the officials. Despite the year-over-year surge, the numbers are still low in historic terms, down 76 percent from more than 1.6 million in 2000.

WHERE ARE MIGRANTS GOING?

The U.S. government is having trouble keeping up with the recent influx, forcing officials to find creative ways to handle the situation.

They have been dropping off immigrants at churches in Arizona, equipping them with an ankle-monitoring bracelet and giving them instructions to make court appearances at a later date. Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona, coordinating closely with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, recently placed 340 people in motels in Yuma and Tucson until they could leave for other parts of the country.

Family detention space is limited to about 3,300 beds nationally and, under a court settlement, children can generally be held no more than 20 days, causing many families to be released.

Many of the immigrants are seeking asylum from violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador but the Trump administration has imposed tougher rules for these immigrants. Still, asylum seekers can wait years for their cases to be decided in immigration courts, which have a backlog of nearly 800,000 cases.

In addition, the U.S. continues to see large numbers of children coming to the border without parents. The number of these unaccompanied children held in a network of federally funded locations has soared, including a tent city in Tornillo, Texas, that is being expanded to 3,800 beds.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH FAMILY SEPARATION?

The White House found itself in a full-blown global crisis this year over a policy of separating children from their parents at the border. More than 2,500 children were separated from their parents after the administration adopted a "zero-tolerance" policy to criminally prosecute every adult who enters the country illegally. Hundreds of parents were deported without their children.

The administration scrapped the policy, but is considering new options to create deterrents for immigrant families.

The government is unable to hold children generally past 20 days under court-mandated guidelines on the care of children in government custody. But administration officials are working to amend the guidelines to allow for longer detentions.

Another possibility officials were considering is to give parents 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, administration officials said.

Immigrant advocates say that would leave parents with a horrible choice: face detention together or agree to separation.

The government is moving to create more detention space, but it's a lengthy process.

WHAT'S TRUMP'S TAKE ON IT ALL?

Trump is now touting family separation, even though it is highly debatable that the practice works.

"The one thing I will also say is that when a person thinks they will not be separated our border becomes overrun with people coming in." he told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Central American leaders since a caravan of more than 2,000 migrants that left Honduras, threatening to cut off aid. He tweeted Thursday that he may call up the military to "CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!"

The caravan has increased the presence of immigration as a campaign issue with the midterms drawing closer. But it's unclear how many of the immigrants will ever make it to the U.S. on a trek that could extend past the election.

An earlier caravan this year largely lost steam in Mexico and only a couple hundred of the migrants arrived in the U.S. to seek asylum.
What to Know The end of the work week is here, South Florida  and NBC 6 has the top six stories you need to know for Friday.

The end of the work week is here, South Florida  and NBC 6 has the top six stories you need to know for Friday.

Weather wise, it will be a warm and humid day with afternoon and evening showers possible and high temps in the mid to upper 80s

No. 1  Accused pipe bomber Cesar Sayoc is appearing in federal court in Miami today. A judge has already denied Sayoc bond while he awaits trial as officials plan to move him to New York to face more charges.

No. 2 Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis is sending his wife to Miami Springs this morning as Casey DeSantis will be at the Cozy Corner Diner from 10am to 11am.

No. 3  His opponent, Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum, also wants your votes and he's bringing in former President Barack Obama and Senator Bill Nelson. They're holding a rally at the Ice Palace film studios in Miami this morning.

No. 4  Royal Caribbean is opening their new terminal at Port Miami this morning. The expanded Terminal A will welcome guests to some of the biggest ships in the world capable of whisking seven thousand people to a vacation destination at one time.

No. 5  The Wings Over Homestead air and space show is back as members of the United States Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 demonstration team will be tearing through the skies over Homestead Air Reserve Base through the weekend - and best of all: it's free!

No. 6 - Fort Lauderdales 59th annual International Boat Show continues today. It's the largest boat show in the world and lasts through the weekend.
What to Know Gillum has spent plenty of time in South Florida of late, attending an event in Key West on Thursday before taking a six city bus tour.

Gillums opponent in the election  GOP candidate and former Rep. Ron DeSantis  attended events Thursday in Southwest Miami-Dade.

Former President Barack Obama told attendees at a Friday campaign event for Florida's Democratic candidates that democracy can't work when words stop having meaning.

Obama encouraged a crowd of more than 4,000 to vote for gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and others during the event in Miami.

"We need leaders who will actually stand up for what's right, regardless of party," Obama said. "Leaders who represent the best of the American spirit. Patriots who will stand up for anyone whose fundamental rights are at stake."

Obama warned voters not to get bamboozled by misinformation while Republicans allow polluters to poison the environment, give tax cuts to billionaires and take health care away from millions.

"It's like the con where a door-to-door salesman says you need a security system while his buddy sneaks in the back and steals your stuff," Obama said. "But it's not just the practical effect in terms of policy. When words stop meaning anything, when truth doesn't matter, when people can just lie with abandon, democracy can't work."

Besides encouraging Democrats to vote, Obama also tried to bring Republicans to his side.

"It shouldn't be Democratic or Republican to say we're not going to target certain groups based on what they looked like or how they pray," Obama said. "It shouldn't be Democrat or Republican to know that climate change is real and threatens our futures and our kids' futures."

During Obama's speech, a protester shouted that Obama should "denounce ANTIFA"  the protesters who square off against neo-Nazis. Obama responded by citing anger among Trump supporters despite their candidate's win, and asked, "Why are they so mad?"

Obama drew boos from critics, but they were silenced by supporters who chanted "Obama" and "Bring it Home!"

That protester and two others were escorted out of the venue.

Loretta McNeir, a 65-year-old retired civil servant, attended the rally with a group of friends. Like many others in attendance, she had to wait in line under the warm Florida sun before the doors opened.

"I went through the civil rights movement, so this is nothing compared to what my people paid the price for to be able to vote," McNeir said.

She said she has a special feeling about Gillum.

"I haven't found this much excitement since Obama ran," she said.

Gillum asked the large crowd of supporters if they were ready to flip Florida blue.

"We now find ourselves in this moment where we set the precedent of something great  something transformational in our state," he said. "(We have) the opportunity to put the voice of everyday working people of our state at the centerfold of public policy and decision making  and results inside Tallahassee."

Gillum said he wanted voters to give him the chance to provide pay raises for the state's teachers. He said he wants to fight climate change and outlined his plans for Medicaid expansion and criminal justice reform. He also called for stricter background checks for gun buyers.

Nelson said Republicans are attempting to undo the legacy of President Obama. Citing the cutting of environmental regulations and medical coverage spending for citizens, he claimed that both he and Gillum could successfully direct the state into a progressive direction.

"Now more than ever, the country, indeed Florida, needs people that they can trust," Nelson said.
Disciplinary issues prompted the transfer of gangster James "Whitey" Bulger to the federal prison where he was beaten to death within hours of his arrival, a federal law enforcement official said Thursday.

An official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press that the 89-year-old former Boston crime boss and longtime FBI informant was transferred to USP Hazelton in West Virginia after causing problems at the prison in Florida, where he had been serving a life sentence for participating in 11 killings.

The official insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to release details. He said he did not have specifics on Bulger's disciplinary problems in Florida or why Bulger was specifically sent to Hazleton.

Bulger, who ran a largely Irish mob in Boston in the 1970s and '80s, benefited from a corrupt relationship with the FBI. He worked as an FBI informant who ratted on the New England Mob while simultaneously running his own crime ring responsible for loansharking, extortion and a string of murders.

Bulger fled Boston in late 1994 after being tipped off by his FBI handler that he was about to be indicted. He spent the next 16 years as one of America's most wanted fugitives until he was found in 2011, living with his girlfriend in a rent-controlled apartment in Santa Monica, California.

A Mafia hit man, Fotios "Freddy" Geas, who is said to hate "rats," and at least one other inmate are believed to have been involved in Bulger's killing , an ex-investigator briefed on the case said Wednesday. The longtime investigator was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Many questions remain about why Bulger was put into the general population at USP Hazelton when his notoriety as a crime boss and FBI informant was highly publicized.

The FBI has declined to comment on the investigation.

Federal officials have only said they are investigating Bulger's death as a homicide.

The federal Bureau of Prisons has not responded to requests for comment about safety concerns at USP Hazelton.

Robert Hood, a former warden at the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, said Bulger's age alone would put him potentially at risk in the prison's general population. Add on top of that Bulger's notoriety, Hood said he could not imagine housing him with other inmates.

"A known snitch in almost every prison is in jeopardy," Hood said. "I don't think it was intentional. I just think they gave too much credit to the age of the inmate, thinking: 'He's old, he's not going to hurt anyone,'" he said.

Bulger's killing marks the third at Hazelton in the last six months.

Last week, five members of Congress wrote to Attorney General Jeff Sessions about what they called "dangerous continual understaffing" at federal prisons in West Virginia and Pennsylvania and stated their alarm about the deaths at USP Hazelton.

Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle said DOJ was "aware of the concerns raised in the letter" and would respond to the members of Congress.
Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger was wrapped in a blanket and put in bed with his head on the pillow to make it look like he was sleeping after being choked and fatally beaten with a "lock-in-the-sock" inside his cell, multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the case tell NBC News.

NBC Investigations reported Wednesday about the apparent use of the "lock-in-the-sock," which involves placing a prison lock inside an inmate's sock and hitting the victim repeatedly. Several sources familiar with the investigation say that Bulger was hit repeatedly.

Investigators are working to build an exact timeline of events leading up to his death, how and why he was placed in the West Virginia lock-up and who is responsible for the killing.

Fotios "Freddy" Geas, a reputed New England mafia hitman has been named as a potential suspect, but law enforcement sources tell NBC News he is one of several potential actors they are looking at in the Bulger killing.

Geas was friendly with a South Boston man who was convicted of murder in 1981. Fred Weichel had long blamed Bulger for framing him for the crime, for which he served nearly 40 years until it was overturned. Weichel and Geas both served time together in Massachusetts.

Weichel's attorney, however, disputed any claim that his client could have motivated Geas to kill Bulger at all. Attorney Christopher Nasson said while there was certainly "no love lost" between his client and Bulger, Weichel was not dwelling on the past.

Bulger was found dead the morning after being transferred to United States Penitentiary, Hazelton in Bruceton, West Virginia. He had previously been in a prison in Florida, with a stopover at a transfer facility in Oklahoma City. Federal Bureau of Prisons officials and his attorney declined to comment on why he was being moved.

Sources say Bulger was processed at USP Hazelton starting at 8 p.m. Monday. Processing took about two hours and included background checks and medical assessments.

The prison was locked down for the night sometime around 10 p.m. Monday and Bulger likely got to his cell around that time. The prison lockdown is lifted after the 5 a.m. prisoner count ends, typically around 6:15 a.m. Authorities believe Bulger was killed sometime between then and 8:20 a.m., when correction officers discovered him unresponsive in his cell after he failed to show up for breakfast.

One key issue being examined is Bulger's medical classification when he was transferred to West Virginia. There are four Bureau of Prisons medical care levels. Documents obtained by NBC News show Bulger was classified as 2 in West Virginia, a lower level than when he was in other medical facilities in the BOP system. They also show a code indicating his medical treatment had been completed, allowing for referral to general population.

That reclassification came months after he allegedly threatened a nursing supervisor in Florida, saying "your day of reckoning is coming." It is not immediately clear what role, if any, this played shipping him to a different prison. Documents show that on the day he was killed, he was scheduled to for some kind of medical exam in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Bulger led the Irish mob in South Boston for decades and became an FBI informant who supplied information on the New England Mafia, his gang's main rival, in an era when bringing down the Italian mob was a top national priority for the bureau.

Tipped off that he was about to be indicted, Bulger became a fugitive and eluded authorities for 16 years before being captured in 2011. He was convicted in 2013 in 11 underworld slayings and a long list of other crimes and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Bulger's attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., blamed his death on prison officials, saying Bulger "was sentenced to life in prison, but as a result of decisions by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, that sentence has been changed to the death penalty."

The investigation is ongoing.
South Korea began clearing mines from two sites inside the heavily fortified border with North Korea on Monday under tension-reducing agreements reached this year. Seoul says North Korea is expected to do the same.

The development comes amid renewed international diplomacy on North Korea's nuclear weapons program after weeks of stalemated negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to visit Pyongyang this month to try to set up a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

South Korean troops entered the Demilitarized Zone on Monday morning to remove mines around the border village of Panmunjom and another frontline area where the rivals plan their first joint searches with North Korea for soldiers during the 1950-53 Korean War, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry.

The South Korean troops will try to focus on taking out mines on the southern parts of Panmunjom's Joint Security Area and the so-called "Arrow Head Hill," where one of the fiercest battles during the Korean War happened. Seoul officials believe the remains of about 300 South Korean and U.N. forces are in the Arrow Head Hill and likely many Chinese and North Korean remains too.

South Korean Defense Ministry officials said they couldn't immediately confirm whether North Korea also began demining on the northern parts of the two sites. But they said they expected the North to abide by the tension-easing deals their defense chiefs struck on the sidelines of their leaders' summit last month in Pyongyang.

Aiming to reduce conventional military threats, the Koreas' defense chiefs also agreed to withdraw 11 frontline guard posts by December and set up buffer zones along their land and sea boundaries and a no-fly zone above the borderline to prevent accidental armed clashes.

About 2 million mines are believed to be peppered inside the Koreas' 248-kilometer (155-mile)-long Demilitarized Zone that was originally created as a buffer zone at the end of the Korean War. The DMZ is the world's most heavily fortified border that is also guarded by hundreds of thousands of combat troops, barbed wire fences and tank traps on both sides.

Many experts say the fate of inter-Korean deals can be affected by how nuclear negotiations would go between the United States and North Korea. Past rapprochement efforts were often stalled after an international standoff over the North's nuclear ambitions intensified.

After provocative tests of three intercontinental ballistic missiles and a powerful nuclear weapon last year, North Korea entered talks with the United States and South Korea earlier this year, saying it's willing to deal away its expanding nuclear arsenal. Kim Jong Un has subsequently held a series of summits with U.S., South Korean and Chinese leaders and taken some steps like dismantling his nuclear-testing site.

Nuclear diplomacy later came to a standstill amid disputes over how genuine North Korea is about its disarmament pledge. But Trump, Pompeo and other U.S. officials have recently reported progress in the denuclearization discussions with the North. Pompeo is to make his third trip to North Korea soon for talks.
What to Know Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman initially said, "We have nothing to hide"

Saudi Arabia describes claims in the media that there were "orders to kill (Khashoggi)" as "lies and baseless allegations

Saudi Arabia then said preliminary investigations show an "altercation" and "fistfight" led to Khashoggi's death at the consulate

The official Saudi statements on the fate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi have changed several times since he mysteriously disappeared after entering his country's consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

The latest announcement on Saturday, declaring that Khashoggi had died in a "fistfight" with officials that came to see him there, increased criticism over Saudi's handling of the case and concern over the kingdom's possible complicity in the killing of the prominent Washington Post columnist.

Here is a look at the Saudi narrative regarding Khashoggi, as it developed.

___

Oct. 2: Khashoggi enters the Saudi consulate in a leafy neighborhood in Istanbul at 1.14 p.m. on Tuesday. He had left his mobile phones with his Turkish fiance, who waited for him outside the consulate. She calls friends hours later to tell them that Khashoggi never emerged from the consulate.

Oct. 3: In a wide-ranging interview, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman tells Bloomberg he understands that Khashoggi left the consulate after "a few minutes or one hour." Bin Salman says his kingdom's authorities are in talks with the Turkish government to determine what happened. He insists Khashoggi is no longer inside the consulate and says Turkish authorities are welcome to search the diplomatic mission. "We have nothing to hide," says the crown prince.

Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor, is feared dead after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week and has not been seen since. Khashoggi has been a vocal critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Khashoggi went to the consulate to pick up paperwork in order to marry his fiancee.

Oct. 4: On Twitter, the Saudi consulate in Istanbul says it is following up on media reports of Khashoggi's disappearance "after he left the building" of the consulate.

Oct. 4: Turkey summons the Saudi ambassador.

Oct. 6: Saudi Arabia says it has dispatched a team to "investigate and cooperate" with Turkish officials over Khashoggi's case.

Oct. 7: Turkish officials say Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate. A Saudi government statement describes the Turkish allegations as "baseless."

Oct. 9: Turkey says it will search the consulate.

Oct. 11: Turkey says it has agreed with Saudi Arabia to form a joint group to shed light on the disappeared journalist's fate. The Saudi team arrives in Istanbul a day later.

Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor, is missing and feared dead after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week. President Donald Trump says he wants to learn more about the incident but does not want to place sanctions on Saudi Arabia.

Oct. 13: Saudi Arabia's interior minister describes claims in the media that there were "orders to kill (Khashoggi)" as "lies and baseless allegations." Turkish media quote officials as saying Khashoggi has been killed and dismembered inside the consulate.

Oct. 14: Turkey's Foreign Ministry renews calls on Saudi Arabia to allow investigators to search the consulate.

Oct. 15: Nearly two weeks after Khashoggi's disappearance, teams of Turkish investigators enter the consulate to start their search.

Oct. 15: A Saudi-owned satellite news channel says the 15-member team referred to by Turkish media as Khashoggi's "hit squad" were "tourists" visiting Turkey.

Oct. 16: Without warning, the Saudi consul in Istanbul, a key witness in the case, leaves Turkey to Saudi Arabia.

Some members of Congress say the U.S. must act against Saudi Arabia if the country's leaders are responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but they differ on exactly what that action would entail.

Oct. 17: Turkish authorities begin searching the consul's residence in Istanbul.

Oct. 19: In a late-night announcement, Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor says preliminary investigations show an "altercation" and "fistfight" led to Khashoggi's death shortly after he arrived at the consulate. He adds that 18 Saudi nationals were detained. A Saudi foreign ministry official says the kingdom is investigating the "regrettable and painful incident of Jamal Khashoggi's death" and forming a committee to hold those responsible accountable.
What to Know Companies spanning tech, financial services and consumer products are standing up for legal protections for transgender people

The companies represent over $2.4 trillion in annual revenue and have almost 4.8 million employees

The statement comes after a NYT report that the Trump administration is considering limiting the definition of gender to birth anatomy

More than 50 companies representing over $2.4 trillion in annual revenue took a stand Thursday for legal protections for transgender people following a report that the Trump administration is considering limiting the definition of gender to birth anatomy.

Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google are among the companies spanning tech, consumer products and financial services that signed a statement supporting the protections.

The move is a response to an Oct. 21 New York Times report that the Trump administration is considering limiting the definition of gender to birth genitalia.

"Sex means a persons status as male or female based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth," the Department of Health and Human Services proposed in a memo obtained by the Times.

If legislation were to move forward, it would jeopardize legal protections for an estimated 1.4 million Americans who identify as a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth, the Times said.

The statement from the companies, which have nearly 4.8 million employees, said "diversity and inclusion are good for business."

"Transgender people are our beloved family members and friends, and our valued team members," the statement said. "What harms transgender people harms our companies."

Out Leadership and the Human Rights Campaign mobilized the 15 LGBTQ community organizations that sought signatures for the statement.

This is the full statement along with the list of signatories:

We, the undersigned businesses, stand with the millions of people in America who identify as transgender, gender non-binary, or intersex, and call for all such people to be treated with the respect and dignity everyone deserves.

We oppose any administrative and legislative efforts to erase transgender protections through reinterpretation of existing laws and regulations. We also fundamentally oppose any policy or regulation that violates the privacy rights of those that identify as transgender, gender non-binary, or intersex.

In the last two decades, dozens of federal courts have affirmed the rights and identities of transgender people. Cognizant of growing medical and scientific consensus, courts have recognized that policies that force people into a binary gender definition determined by birth anatomy fail to reflect the complex realities of gender identity and human biology.

Recognizing that diversity and inclusion are good for business, and that discrimination imposes enormous productivity costs (and exerts undue burdens), hundreds of companies, including the undersigned, have continued to expand inclusion for transgender people across corporate America. Currently more than 80 percent of the Fortune 500 have clear gender identity protections; two-thirds have transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage; hundreds have LGBTQ+ and Allies business resource groups and internal training efforts.

Transgender people are our beloved family members and friends, and our valued team members. What harms transgender people harms our companies.

We call for respect and transparency in policy-making, and for equality under the law for transgender people.

Accenture

Adobe Systems Inc.

Airbnb

Altria Group

Amalgamated Bank

Amazon

American Airlines

Apple

Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP)

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Ben & Jerrys Homemade

BNY Mellon

Cargill

Cisco Systems Inc.

Citi

Clifford Chance

Corning Incorporated

Corteva Agriscience, the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont

Deutsche Bank

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

Facebook

Fastly, Inc.

Google

Hogan Lovells International LLP

HSBC

IBM Corporation

Intel Corporation

Intuit Inc.

Iron Mountain

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Levi Strauss & Co.

LinkedIn

Lush Handmade Cosmetics

Lyft

Marriott International

MassMutual

MGM Resorts International

Microsoft Corp.

Nike Inc.

PepsiCo

Replacements, Ltd.

Ropes & Gray

Royal Bank of Canada

S&P Global

Salesforce

Sheppard Mullin

Sodexo Inc.

Splunk

State Street Corporation

The Coca-Cola Company

The Dow Chemical Company

TiVo Corporation

Trillium Asset Management

Twitter Inc.

Uber

Warby Parker
What to Know Anti-Semitic messages were found written in black marker inside Union Temple in Prospect Heights on Thursday, police said

The hate-filled message read 'Die Jew Rats We Are Here,' 'Jews Better Be Ready' 'Hitler' and 'Rose,' according to the NYPD

Brooklyn has been the target of anti-Semitic acts in recent weeks and last weekend a gunman killed 11 at a Pittsburgh synagogue

Hate-filled messages were scrawled inside a Brooklyn synagogue, the latest incident in a string of alarming attacks on New York City's Jewish population in the borough, police say.

The anti-Semitic messages written in black marker at Union Temple in Prospect Heights come less than a week after a gunman stormed into a synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people.

The NYPD said the messages, which include Die Jew Rats We Are Here, Jews Better Be Ready, "Rose" and Hitler, were discovered by a woman congregant around 8 p.m. Thursday on the second and fourth floors of the house of worship.

A political event hosted by Broad City star Ilana Glazer was canceled after the messages were found. A video posted to Instagram shows Glazer addressing a crowd. Glazer was scheduled to moderate a talk with a journalist and state senate candidates, including Andrew Gounardes.

Gounardes told News 4 he had been "incredibly excited" to appear on Glazer's series and to work alongside State Senate candidate Jim Gaughran and Amy Goodman of "Democracy Now!" to talk about the importance of the election.



"Hate speech and anti-Semitic graffiti have no place in New York State. I am outraged that cowards would make threats and deface property to spread their hate," he said in a statement. "I am proud to stand with my brothers and sisters in the Jewish community and all religious affiliations because we are all Americans and all New Yorkers."

A quiet block in Brooklyn Heights famed for its popularity with trick-or-treaters was defaced with Nazi symbols and other slurs the night before Halloween. John Chandler reports.

Neighborhoods in the borough have been the targets of anti-Semitic acts in recent weeks. Several days ago, swastikas were found in Brooklyn Heights and last month a man was charged with assault as a hate crime in a beating of a Jewish man in the middle of a Borough Park street.

A Hate Crimes Unit is investigating.

Acts of hate against Jews have also been on the rise across the country. In February, the Anti-Defamation League reported that the number of anti-Semitic incidents against Jewish institutions rose nearly 60 percent last year over 2016, the largest single-year increase on record.

Top Tri-State News Photos
What to Know Two bodies found in the Hudson River last month have been identified as missing sisters from Fairfax, Virginia; it's unclear how they died

Rotana Farea, 23, and Tala Farea, 16, were fully clothed and duct taped together when they were found

Tala Farea had last been seen Aug. 24; the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said she may have been with her sister

A man whose daily exercise routine takes him near Riverside Park, not far from the Hudson River, called the NYPD on Halloween to report he saw two young women alive, apparently praying at a playground, the morning their bodies were discovered taped together and floating in the river.



Calling the witness "credible," NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said at a briefing Friday that the man reported seeing the women about 30 feet apart; they appeared to be alone, had their heads lowered and appeared to be praying.



The witness told police that image had been "haunting" him.



Later that day, a passerby on the bike path saw two bodies in the water, bound together at the waist and fully clothed. That passerby called 911. The women in the water would be identified as 16-year-old Tala Farea and 23-year-old Rotana Farea. The medical examiner's office has yet to rule on a cause or manner death for either sister, but Shea says it seems they went into the water alive. He added that reports they jumped from a bridge were unfounded.



Shea said detectives are looking into reports that the Saudi nationals had recently requested political asylum; cops are also looking into statements the sisters allegedly made saying they would rather die than return to Saudi Arabia.



At this point, Shea says, "there is no credible information that any crime took place in New York City, but that's still under investigation."



TIMELINE BEGINS TO DEVELOP

Family members of the sisters say they haven't seen them since Nov. 30, 2017. At some point, that December, they were found and ended up going to some sort of shelter facility, Shea said. They still had no contact with their family, and Shea said there have been abuse allegations involving the mother, father and brother. No abuse has been corroborated, Shea said, and he did not elaborate.

From December 2017 to August 2018 there was no real contact with the family, Shea said. Then the sisters vanished from the facility; they were apparently last seen together on Aug. 24. They were reported missing on Sept. 12. They were already in New York City by that time, Shea said, adding they made stops in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia and took various transit modes to New York.



The sisters arrived in the city on Sept. 1.



Shea said detectives are still sifting through copious amounts of records to determine what happened once the sisters got to the city. What authorities do know, he said, is that credit card records show they stayed at a number of high-end hotels. Security and surveillance cameras show them in good health up to a week before their bodies were discovered.



They had a pattern of ordering meals -- always two meals -- Shea said, "until, at best we can surmise, the money started to run out."

The investigation is active and ongoing. A reward of more than $12,000 is being offered for information in the case, Shea said. Anyone who has information is asked to call Crime Stoppers or submit tips anonymously online.
What to Know The Fearless Girl statue in Wall Street was cloaked in a bulletproof vest Friday

The father of a student murdered during the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, placed a bulletproof vest on the Fearless Girl statue

The move is to protest mass shootings in the United States

The Fearless Girl statue was cloaked in a bulletproof vest Friday.

The father of a student murdered during the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, earlier this year, placed a bulletproof vest on the Fearless Girl statue on Wall Street to protest mass shootings in the United States.

Manuel Oliver, the father of, Joaquin Guac," who was one of 17 people killed inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, placed the vest on the statue to create #FearfulGirl.

Olivers organization, Change the Ref, is a nonprofit that uses urban art to creatively confront and expose the mass shooting impacts in the country.

The goal of #FearfulGirl is to promote sensible gun laws before Tuesdays elections, according to a statement from the organization.

She cant be fearless if shes afraid to go to school. #fearfulgirl pic.twitter.com/6XO3x8bwpS  Change the Ref (@ChangeTheRef) November 2, 2018

She cant be fearless if shes afraid to go back to school, Change the Ref said in a tweet Friday, which showcased the statue in the bulletproof vest.

Change the Ref partnered with Fight Gunfire With Fire, a group that encourages students to use creativity to help stop gun violence in America.

Three advertising students from the University of Alabama, MK Holladay, Emeline Earman and Mingyu Jo originated the idea, which grew into #FearfulGirl, according to Change the Ref.

#FearfulGirl comes on the heels of Change the Refs multi-city tour to drive awareness of gun safety and encourage people to vote. Just this week, Change the Ref also unveiled a 3-D printed statue resembling the organization's founders' son in Times Square to fight the threat of blueprints to print a 3-D gun.

Top Tri-State News Photos

Change the Ref was founded by Manuel and Patricia Oliver in memory of their son who was one of the 17 victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. The organization's mission is to keep the memory of the victims alive, while working to achieve change to prevent future shootings from taking place by raising awareness through strategic urban art interventions.

Fearless Girl  a bronze statue of a girl was installed near the iconic Charging Bull statue on Wall Street ahead of International Womens Day early March  has since become, to some, a symbol of strength and defiance.
What to Know The person who took the scarecrow known as Juliette Low apparently had a change of heart.; the scarecrow was made by a Girl Scouts troop

Surveillance footage on Friday shows a scarecrow being returned to its rightful owner, placed back on the front porch of a home in Bayside

The remorseful snatcher also left an apology note and a donation to the Girl Scouts; the decoration was originally stolen Halloween night

The person who took the scarecrow known as Juliette Low apparently had a change of heart.

Surveillance footage on Friday shows a scarecrow being returned to its rightful owner, placed back on the front porch of a home in Bayside, Queens  the location from which it was originally stolen.

The remorseful snatcher also left an apology note and a donation to the Girl Scouts along with the scarecrow shortly before 1 p.m. Friday.

On Thursday, NBC 4 New York reported the Halloween night snatching of the festive decoration, which was constructed by Girl Scouts Trop 4030 and stolen from the troop leaders front porch.

Surveillance video captured the alleged theft of the scarecrow that was apparently swiped from the Girl Scouts leaders home just before 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Footage showed one suspect getting out of a car, grabbing the autumn-themed decoration before getting back into the vehicle.

The getaway may not have been as smooth as the suspect may have liked given that the scarecrows head fell off during the escape, but they made sure to pick the pumpkin head before fleeing.

The troop leader does not know the person who took the scarecrow, but says all that matters is that the troop's project is back where it belongs.
What to Know Eleven new cases of children with measles have been confirmed in Brooklyn  bringing the total to 17, city health officials announced Friday

The NYC reports that the recent cases  which involves children from 7 months to 4 years  are in Williamsburg and Borough Park

Rockland County has also been grappling with a measles outbreak in recent weeks  asking students who are unvaccinated to not attend school

Eleven new cases of children with measles have been confirmed in Brooklyn  bringing the total to 17, city health officials announced Friday.

The New York City Health Department reports that the recent cases  which involves children from 7 months to 4 years  are in Williamsburg and Borough Park.

Six children in Brooklyn have been diagnosed with measles after one of them apparently returned from Israel with the highly contagious disease and exposed others to it, city health officials say.

Three infections, including the initial case of measles, were acquired by children on a visit to Israel, where a large outbreak of the disease is occurring.

Further transmission of the disease has taken place in schools with children who are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated, officials note.

While there are no deaths associated with this cluster, there have been complications including hospitalization. Complications from the disease put one child in the hospital with pneumonia, and another with an ear infection, health officials say.

To increase awareness about measles, the citys Health Department is sending notifications to schools, providers and hospitals with large Orthodox Jewish populations.

Health officials are also conducting community outreach in the affected communities, placing ads in local newspapers and distributing posters to health care provider. Since the outbreak, there has been an increase in vaccination rates in the Orthodox Jewish community, health officials say, noting that more children should receive the MMR vaccine to stop measles transmission.

Dozens of other New York state residents in Rockland County have been diagnosed with measles, with some of the afflicted picking it up during travel to Israel, and others being infected after being exposed to a person with measles.

Rockland County has been grappling with a measles outbreak in recent weeks  even asking students who are unvaccinated to not attend school.

"Although measles is preventable, too many families are choosing to not vaccinate or delay vaccination, putting their children and other children at risk," said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot.

Children who develop a fever and rash should be kept home from school or day care while they seek doctor's treatment.

Measles is a highly contagious disease. Young children, the immunocompromised, and non-immune pregnant women are at highest risk for severe complications. Measles is transmitted by airborne particles, droplets, and direct contact with the respiratory secretions of an infected person.

Measles typically presents in adults and children as an acute viral illness characterized by fever and generalized rash. The rash usually starts on the face, proceeds down the body, and may include the palms and soles. The rash lasts several days. Infected individuals are contagious from four days before rash onset through the fourth day after rash appearance.

Health officials say it's important to make sure the entire family is vaccinated before traveling overseas. In addition to the large outbreak currently going on in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Israel, there are large outbreaks in Europe; in the first six months of 2018, over 41,000 cases of measles and 37 deaths have been reported.

Countries most affected include Serbia, Ukraine, Georgia, Greece, Romania, Italy, France, Slovakia, Russia and the United Kingdom, although all countries in Europe have reported cases. There are also outbreaks in many other parts of the world, including countries in Asia, South America and Africa.

For more information, visit nyc.gov/health and search "measles."
In solidarity with the victims of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue attack, major Jewish organizations have invited people of all faiths to "show up for Shabbat" this weekend.

People gathered in cities across the United States, as well as abroad in Canada and France, to remember the victims of a deadly shooting in Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue that took 11 lives.

The American Jewish Committee started the Show Up For Shabbat campaign to increase attendance at Friday night and Saturday religious services as a show of support for Pittsburgh's Jewish community after 11 people were killed in the shooting at their house of worship a week ago.

The Oct. 26 tragedy is the deadliest act of anti-Semitism to occur on U.S. soil to date.

Daniel Elbaum, the American Jewish Committees chief advocacy officer, said the Jewish community is taking initiative to send a message that challenges the hate that motivated the Pittsburgh shooting.

That message for Jews is were not afraid, that we wont go back to those dark times in our history when Jews were afraid to publicly congregate in our places of worship, Elbaum said. And we wanted to give an opportunity to our allies, to our friends and all other communities to stand with us, to show their solidarity and say that a crime against one of us is a crime against all of us.

The movement has attracted the attention of orthodox and reform congregations across the country and world, as well as many politicians and public figures.

The Jewish Federations of North America have partnered to help spread the word.

The Tree of Life will hold their Shabbat services at the neighboring Beth Shalom synagogue, which has enough seating for 1,000 attendees, according to the Boston Globe.

Rabbi Matthew Soffer of Temple Israel of Boston told the Boston Globe his synagogue is expecting about 1,500 people to join its Friday evening Shabbat of Comfort, Community, and Courage service. Soffer also said Bostons Gov. Charlie Baker, Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Sen. Edward Markey, City Councilor Ayanna Pressley and Police Commissioner William Gross plan to attend.

For those unable to attend Shabbat in-person, New York Citys Central Synagogue will live-stream its services, starting at 6 p.m. Friday and 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Prominent political figures and celebrities have also urged people to attend Shabbat service this weekend.

This weekend, Americans of many faiths are gathering to send a message of strength and unity against the forces of anti-Semitism that continue to exist in this country, tweeted Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. We have so much more in common than what separates us.

This weekend, Americans of many faiths are gathering to send a message of strength and unity against the forces of anti-Semitism that continue to exist in this country. We have so much more in common than what separates us. #ShowUpForShabbat

https://t.co/APKBKGLbEz  Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) November 1, 2018

When the American Jewish Committee tweeted at Entourage actor Jeremy Piven to ask if he would attend services, Piven responded, It would be an honor.

The initiative has also spread to Jewish congregations across the pond.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted Thursday that he planned to attend services in his city.

Places of worship should be sanctuaries and safe spaces. Tomorrow I will be standing shoulder to shoulder with Jewish Londoners for their Shabbat service to show solidarity to the victims of the Pittsburgh shooting last weekend. #ShowUpForShabbat #PittsburghStrong  Mayor of London (@MayorofLondon) November 2, 2018

Places of worship should be sanctuaries and safe spaces, Khan wrote. Tomorrow I will be standing shoulder to shoulder with Jewish Londoners for their Shabbat service to show solidarity to the victims of the Pittsburgh shooting last weekend.

Elbaum said its been truly wonderful to see how quickly #ShowUpForShabbat resonated with Jewish and ally communities as far away as London, South Africa and Asia.

Were hopeful that this is just the beginning of the story, that these relationships that have been rebuilt...can help us address some of the real pressing issues in society and really heal a lot of rifts that our society feels, Elbaum said.

Jerry Silverman, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, hopes the campaign shows that the Jewish community and its supporters will not tolerate hate, will remember the innocent lives lost and will celebrate the first responders who saved lives last weekend.

We come together as a community that will not tolerate hate, will not tolerate anti-Semitism, we will not tolerate racism, we will not tolerate xenophobia, Silverman said. We will be resilient, we will be unified and we will be together.
Police in Delaware have found a missing 1-year-old and her teenage babysitter safe and sound.

The 17-year-old was babysitting her 1-year-old neighbor when they were last spotted at the Citgo station at 601 Concord Avenue in Wilmington around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Wilmington police said.

The duo didnt return to their homes, which are within blocks of the gas station, Thursday night, police said.

Both girls were found safe and are in good health, police said late Friday morning.
Authorities are investigating whether a Roman Catholic diocese in Ohio responded appropriately last November when it learned that a priest for two of its parishes had taken a now-pregnant altar girl to a wedding reception last November, Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn told The Associated Press.

Blackburn's office on Tuesday charged the Rev. Henry Christopher Foxhoven with eight counts of sexual battery for his relationship with the girl, who is 17. He is being held on a $1 million bond and doesn't have an attorney.

Revelations about Foxhoven's behavior have shaken Catholics in the two small former mining towns where Foxhoven ministered, Blackburn said. The story began to unravel Oct. 26 when the 45-year-old priest and the teen told her parents she was two months pregnant. A spokesman for the Diocese of Steubenville said Foxhoven called Bishop Jeffrey Montforton the next day to tell him about the relationship.

Spokesman Dino Orsatti said a diocesan attorney immediately called the Athens County Sheriff's Office to report what Montforton had learned. Foxhoven was ordered to move out of his parish residence at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Glouster and to stay out of that village and Buchtel, where he was pastor at St. Mary of the Hills.

The Athens County Sheriff's Office searched the residence Monday and found used condoms and a positive pregnancy test kit.

Blackburn said his office received a call after the news broke from an out-of-town guest at last year's wedding reception who said she saw Foxhoven inappropriately touching the girl. The diocese sent a letter to Blackburn's office this week saying when it learned last November about the reception, it suspended the priest for a week and ordered him to receive counseling for "boundary issues."

The diocese did not contact authorities when it learned about the outing. Orsatti said in an email that Foxhoven denied acting inappropriately and said the teen needed a ride to the reception.

"The parents never filed a complaint and there were no complaints filed against Foxhoven," Orsatti said.

Under Ohio law, institutions such as churches, schools have a duty to report allegations of physical or sexual abuse of a minor.

"On Saturday, the church did everything right," Blackburn told the AP. "I hope they did the right thing last year."

Foxhoven became the pastor of Holy Cross around four years ago. Blackburn said the teen served as an altar girl and was "heavily involved" in the small parish.

Blackburn's office is investigating when sexual contact between the teen and Foxhoven began. Blackburn said that if contact occurred before she turned 16, Ohio's age of consent, Foxhoven could face additional charges such as unlawful conduct with a minor or gross sexual imposition.

Blackburn said Foxhoven "groomed" the girl.

"He took her at a young age and used religion to the point where she fell in love with him," he said.

Montforton on Friday released a statement to the AP that said: "This is a devastating and heart-wrenching time for the diocese. The victim and the victim's family deserve our thoughts and prayers. The diocese is grieving over the admitted actions of Father Foxhoven."

Montforton asked that anyone with information that could assist the investigation contact authorities.

Blackburn said no one else has stepped forward to accuse Foxhoven of wrongdoing.

The diocese on Wednesday released the names of 16 priests and one seminarian it said had been credibly accused or had admitted to sexually abusing minors dating back to 1944 when the diocese was formed. Foxhoven was on the list.
A lack of health care hits residents especially hard in Maine, with the oldest population in the country, and so the Democratic challenger in the state's Second Congressional District is focused on saddling the incumbent with his vote to kill "Obamacare," following a playbook unfolding across the country.

Rep. Bruce Poliquin, New England's only Republican in the House of Representatives, voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act last year in the Republicans' most recent attempt to end former President Barack Obama's signature program. Democrat Jared Golden is not letting voters forget.

Asked why he thought the race was so close  the Cook Political Report puts it as a toss-up  Golden singled out Poliquin's vote and the deep cuts in Medicaid it would have brought. Maine residents have voted to expand Medicaid under "Obamacare," a step with bipartisan support that would give an additional 80,000 people health coverage.

"There is no clearer contrast in this election than that and it's not between me and Bruce, it's between Bruce and his own constituents," Golden said.

Not only does Maine have the oldest population in the country, according to the Census, an AARP survey in September found that health care was the top issue for those 50 and older.

The Second District sprawls across Maine, the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River, a mostly rural expanse covering all but the southern part of the state near Portland and Augusta. It has an equal number of registered Democrats and Republicans, and more voters than either without a party affiliation.

Poliquin has represented it for two terms, but before he won the seat in 2014 it was held for 20 years by Democrats. President Donald Trump took the district in 2016, following Obama four years earlier. The race is one of the most closely contested in the country. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which labeled the contest a "hot race," Golden outraised Poliquin $4.6 million to $3.7 million and has outspent the incumbent.

Outside money also poured in, putting the election on track to be the most expensive congressional race in Maine history, according to The Associated Press.

This article, part 8 in a series, examines one of the key battleground races for control of the House of Representatives in the Nov. 6 midterm elections. Carried by grassroots momentum, Democrats must take 23 seats from Republicans to win the balance of power. They are contending with Republicans' experience and organization, and an outspoken but polarizing president.

Poliquin, 65, is a third-generation Mainer who worked in finance before returning to Maine, according to his House biography. He did not respond to a request for an interview.

In an August 2017 recording leaked to the website Maine Beacon, Poliquin can be heard saying he rarely agrees to interviews, saying, "It would be stupid for me to engage the national media, to give them and everybody else the ammunition they need and we lose this seat."

Golden, 36, is a former Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, enlisting after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He worked on national security issues for the state's Republican U.S. senator, Susan Collins, and is now in his second term in the Maine Legislature, where he is the assistant House majority leader.

Golden is emphasizing two main Democratic issues, health care and the Republican tax cuts, which he ties together to dispute his opponent's assertion that Maine's economy is benefiting from the GOP tax reform bill.

"The two go hand in hand because we've lost a lot of our good middle-class manufacturing and mill jobs," Golden said.

Hospitals are the largest employer in many rural communities, he said. About half of Maine's hospitals are designated critical access hospitals by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, meant to keep essential services in rural communities, and they would have been hard hit under the "Obamacare" repeal bill, Golden said.

Last year, the Maine Hospital Association estimated that the state's hospitals received $200 million a year from insurance subsidized by "Obamacare."

Golden has argued that Medicaid expansion would bring almost $500 million in federal investment into the state's economy and create 3,000 new jobs. At the same time, one in five people in Maine is on Medicaid. He says the country needs to move toward a universal health-care system like Medicare for all.

Medicaid expansion has been a contentious issue in the state. Voters in both of Maine's congressional districts approved the move by referendum after Republican Gov. Paul LePage repeatedly vetoed the Legislature's attempts to do it. LePage argued that there were insufficient funds.

Poliquin first voted against repealing "Obamacare" in 2015, saying that he believed a replacement plan first needed to be in place. He changed his vote last year, approving a move to repeal and replace it with the Republicans' American Health Care Act.

He said afterward that he knew that the House bill needed work  it would have stripped 24 million Americans of health insurance by 2026, according to the Congressional Budget Office  but had hoped it would be improved by the Senate. Instead, it failed there with Collins' help.

At a debate in October, Poliquin pointed to his first vote against ending "Obamacare" and said, "Everybody in this country needs to have health care. And everybody needs to be able to afford health insurance in order to get that care."

Poliquin says he would protect residents with pre-existing conditions, but the plan he voted for would have driven up their premiums.

"Health care is a huge issue in this election, as much as any one issue is, and Poliquin has votes to explain away, which he has not done yet," said L. Sandy Maisel, a political science professor at Colby College.

The district is blue-collar and socially conservative, said Maisel, the co-author of "Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process." Poliquin, though socially conservative, "does not really support the working class nature of the district."

"Enter Jared Golden  of the district, the opposite of Wall Street, a veteran who can field dress a rifle, plain talking, close to his roots," he said. "While progressive on some issues, he can sell himself to the district. In fact, I would argue he is the perfect Democrat for this district  if he cannot beat Poliquin, no one can."

Poliquin touts a career creating jobs. He's a member of the House Financial Services Committee who served as Maine's treasurer and who says the district is benefiting from his efforts to bring about less red tape, lower taxes and fairer trade deals. He's also called Golden a young radical with a socialist agenda.

Golden counters that his record shows anything but a socialist. He described himself as a labor Democrat, who supported tariffs on softwood lumber, for example. He said he would work with Trump when he could, as he has with Maine's governor on allowing returning military members with a medic background to get licensed as a nurse.

Golden said that to improve the economy, he would emphasize investing in infrastructure  revamping utilities, focusing on renewable energy to bring down Maine's high energy costs, rebuilding roads and bridges and improving rail lines. Low employment does not equal a successful economy, he said.

Poliquin has attacked Golden on his gun record, too, comparing his A rating from the National Rifle Association to Golden's D rating. Poliquin says on his website that he supports the state's "long outdoor traditions including firearms ownership," and that he defends the Second Amendment.

Golden supported legislation allowing courts to confiscate weapons from domestic abusers, opposes a ban on semiautomatic rifles but would back a debate about whether to limit high-capacity magazines.

James Melcher, a professor of political science at the University of Maine at Farmington, said Poliquin was helped in past election years by ballot measures connected with firearms  on restrictions on bear hunting in 2014 and on more stringent background checks in 2016. There is no similar ballot initiative this year.

On Tuesday, Maine will use what is called ranked-choice voting for the first time in a federal race, a system in which voters pick candidates in order of preference. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote  and there are two independent candidates, Tiffany Bond and Will Hoar  the one with the fewest number of first-ranked votes is eliminated and those ballots are assigned to each voter's second choice. The process continues until there is a winner.

"Because the race is close, even a few voters could flip over," Melcher said.

Democrats have tried to portray Poliquin as someone who does not really fit the district, he said, and cited an ad in 2016 in which a suit-clad actor meant to be Poliquin struggles with a kayak.

"Mainers are very, very willing to split their ticket for somebody with whom they feel personally comfortable, especially at the local level, so that sense of fit I think is important," Melcher said.

But, he added, "Democrats have underestimated Poliquin again and again and again and they underestimate him at their peril."

Calista Cross, 76, is voting for Golden. She likes his military background  she said she has helped to erect two memorials to veterans  and his position on health care. The governor and Poliquin have not done much to ensure affordable health care for residents, she said.

Cross, who lives in Cornish, dismisses accusations that Golden would not be a supporter of Second Amendment gun rights, but others among his supporters fear the issue might hurt his chances.

Maryanne Forbes, a 62-year-old retired nurse who lives in Hanover and who has been making telephone calls on Golden's behalf, said he needed to make a clearer statement about his positions. Voters she has spoken to believe he will try to take away their rifles and their ability to hunt, she said.

"They're not going to vote for him," she said. "They like him, they think he's a good candidate  but the guns."

Sharon Sibley, the vice chair of the Lincoln Town Council and the office manager of her family-owned logging company, Hanington Bros. Inc., backs Poliquin, citing his support for legislation that has benefited the logging industry.

Poliquin opposed the creation of a national monument in Maine's North Woods under Obama and agreed with a recommendation from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to allow trees to be cut there. He also has introduced legislation that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work in logging operations under parental supervision.

"I think experience plays a huge role, his experience as a business owner," said Sibley, 53.

She said she would support Medicaid expansion provided funding was available. The company's group insurance premium for 32 employees rose 34 percent this year and 29.4 percent last year, she said, and employers cannot absorb those kinds of increases plus a tax increase to support others' insurance.

"It's going to take more than one man and one president to fix health care," she said.

Professors Maisel and Melcher agreed that Trump did not seem to be much of a presence in the race, but Cross was quick to accuse the president of stirring hate by repeatedly attacking people.

"Trump is a bad influence," she said.

Golden, who said he was not running a campaign against Trump, argued that voters were fed up with the country's extreme partisanship. He has been endorsed by nonpartisan PAC With Honor, which backs veterans of both parties with the goal of moving away from the political divide.

"We are trying to push a message that we've got to get beyond this deep partisanship and get back to the kind of environment where we're all thinking about things as Americans and not as some member of a political party," he said.

Nathalie Sczublewski and Sam Hart contributed to this report.
Carrying signs that included a mocking use of the company's original "Don't be evil" motto, thousands of Google employees around the world briefly walked off the job Thursday to protest what they said was the tech giant's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives.

From Tokyo, Singapore and London to New York, Seattle and San Francisco, highly paid engineers and other workers staged walkouts of about an hour, reflecting rising #MeToo-era frustration among women over frat-house behavior and other misconduct in heavily male Silicon Valley.

In Dublin, organizers used megaphones to address the outdoor crowd of men and women, while in other places, workers gathered in packed conference rooms or lobbies. In New York, there appeared to be as many men as women out in the streets, while in Cambridge, Massachusetts, men outnumbered women by perhaps 6 to 1.

"Time is up on sexual harassment!" organizer Vicki Tardif Holland shouted, her voice hoarse, at a gathering of about 300 people in Cambridge. "Time is up on systemic racism. Time is up on abuses of power. Enough is enough!"

About 1,000 Google workers in San Francisco swarmed into a plaza in front of the city's historic Ferry Building, chanting, "Women's rights are workers' rights!" Thousands turned out at Google's Mountain View, California, headquarters.

The demonstrations reflected a sense among some of the 94,000 employees at Google and its parent Alphabet Inc. that the company isn't living up to its professed ideals, as expressed in its "Don't be evil" slogan and its newer injunction in its corporate code of conduct : "Do the right thing."

"We have the eyes of many companies looking at us," Google employee Tanuja Gupta said in New York. "We've always been a vanguard company, so if we don't lead the way, nobody else will."

The protests unfolded a week after The New York Times detailed allegations of sexual misconduct about the creator of Google's Android software, Andy Rubin. The newspaper said Rubin received a $90 million severance package in 2014 after Google concluded the accusations were credible. Rubin has denied the allegations.

The same story also disclosed allegations of sexual misconduct against other executives, including Richard DeVaul, a director at the Google-affiliated lab that created self-driving cars and internet-beaming balloons. DeVaul had remained at the "X'' lab after the accusations surfaced a few years ago, but resigned on Tuesday without severance, Google said.

In an unsigned statement, the Google protesters called for an end to forced arbitration in harassment and discrimination cases, a practice that requires employees to give up their right to sue and often includes confidentiality agreements.

Besides being angry about what they contend has been lenient handling of executives who mistreat women, the protest organizers demanded more aggressive steps for gender pay equity and more inclusive hiring practices to reduce the high concentration of white and Asian men in the industry's best-paying programming jobs.

Women account for 31 percent of Google's employees worldwide, and it's lower for leadership roles. The numbers are similar elsewhere in Silicon Valley.

"I have seen friends get hurt and have their careers destroyed by this, not just at Google but everywhere," protester J.J. Wanda, a male software engineer, said in Mountain View. "We need to show that time's up."

In a statement, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company is reviewing all the "constructive ideas" from employees to improve policies and practices.

Beyond Google, Facebook has faced criticism over pay inequity and discrimination. The appearance of a Facebook executive behind Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings also caused rifts inside the company.

As Thursday dawned, organizers had predicted about 1,500 employees would participate in the walkouts, mostly women. But the numbers appeared to exceed that, based on media accounts and images posted on the protest's Twitter account.

The protests at Google are the latest sign that frustrations among women are reaching a boiling point, said Stephanie Creary, a professor who specializes in workplace and diversity issues at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

"People simply aren't willing to put up with it anymore," Creary said. "The workers at Google seem to be saying, 'How is it that we are still having to have this conversation?'"

Google's CEO assured employees earlier this week that the company would support them in their protest. He also apologized for Google's "past actions."

"I understand the anger and disappointment that many of you feel," Pichai said in an email. "I feel it as well, and I am fully committed to making progress on an issue that has persisted for far too long in our society ... and, yes, here at Google, too."

Pichai last week sought to assure employees that the company had cracked down on misconduct, saying it had fired 48 employees, including 13 senior managers, for sexual harassment in recent years without giving any of them severance packages.

In recent months, Google and other Silicon Valley companies have also been plagued by dissension over other corporate policies, customer privacy and what some employees regard as misuses of technology.

More than 1,000 Google employees signed a letter protesting the company's plan to build a search engine that would comply with Chinese censorship rules.

And thousands signed a petitio asking Google to cancel an artificial-intelligence protect to help the Pentagon improve the targeting of drone strikes. Google later said it won't renew the contract, according to published reports, and opted not to bid for another military contract that could be worth $10 billion.

AP Technology Writers Mae Anderson, Matt O'Brien and Frank Bajak, and AP videojournalists Joe Frederick and Haven Daley contributed to this report.
What to Know Jayme has been missing since early on Oct. 15

Police found the door to her family's home near Barron kicked in and her parents, James and Denise Closs, shot dead inside

Authorities are transitioning from a round-the-clock reactive operation to a more methodical investigative approach in looking for her

Wisconsin authorities are scaling back their ground search for a missing 13-year-old girl whose parents were shot dead, saying Wednesday that their investigation into Jayme Closs' abduction is entering a new phase.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said in a Facebook post that the search for Jayme remains his number one priority and authorities will continue to analyze new leads. But he said incoming tips have declined, so authorities are transitioning from a round-the-clock reactive operation to a more methodical investigative approach.

"I want to reassure the great residents of Barron County and everyone else across the nation who continue to support and follow this case that we have left no stone unturned," Fitzgerald said.

Jayme has been missing since early on Oct. 15, when sheriff's deputies responding to a 911 call found the door to her family's home near Barron kicked in and her parents, James and Denise Closs, shot dead inside. Investigators believe Jayme was abducted and ruled her out as a suspect in her parents' killings.

Fitzgerald said authorities have received more than 2,100 tips in the case. He said authorities have spent the last 18 days going over information from social media platforms, phone records, family members, friends and co-workers.

"They have worked with passion, determination and resilience to solve this case and bring Jayme home. I am so proud of each and every one of them," he said. He thanked community members who provided investigators with meals, people who submitted tips, and volunteers who helped search for Jayme, and he encouraged others to continue to report tips that might lead to her.

"Just because the posture of our operations center has transitioned, does not mean the tips should stop. We still have a team on-call, to handle them as they come in. Please continue to call in your tips  there is a tip out there that will help us solve this case and bring Jayme home," he wrote.

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to Jayme.
What to Know A Malaysian financier and two former Goldman Sachs employees were charged in a money laundering and bribery scheme

The charges represent the first criminal prosecutions in the U.S. arising from the epic corruption scandal at the state investment fund 1MDB

The scandal has already had major political ramifications in Malaysia

The Justice Department announced charges Thursday against a fugitive Malaysian financier and two former Goldman Sachs bankers accused in a money laundering and bribery scheme that pilfered billions of dollars from a Malaysian investment fund created to spur economic development projects in that country.

A three-count indictment charges Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, with misappropriating money from the state-owned fund and using it for bribes and kickbacks to foreign officials, to pay for luxury real estate, art and jewelry in the United States and to help finance Hollywood movies, including "The Wolf of Wall Street."

Also charged was a former Goldman Sachs banker, Tim Leissner, who pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and to conspiring to violate foreign bribery laws. Another former bank official, Ng Chong Hwa, 51, also known as Roger Ng, was arrested earlier Thursday in Malaysia and accused of circumventing internal accounting controls, prosecutors said.

Leissner's attorney did not return messages seeking comment. It was not clear if Ng had a lawyer.

A spokesman for Goldman Sachs, which the indictment says raised about $6.5 billion through bond offerings for the fund, said the firm "continues to cooperate with all authorities investigating this matter."

Police in Malaysia said in July that Low had fled Macau to an unknown destination. Before facing criminal charges, Low became well known in the New York City and Los Angeles club scenes. In 2012, he threw a lavish 31st birthday bash attended by Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian and other celebrities that The Wall Street Journal called the "wildest party (Las) Vegas ever saw."

Low, who remains at large, issued a statement through a spokesman maintaining his innocence.

"Mr. Low simply asks that the public keep an open mind regarding this case until all of the evidence comes to light, which he believes will vindicate him," the statement said.

Leissner acknowledged paying millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to government officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi, according to court records. He was ordered to forfeit $43.7 million as part of his guilty plea.

The set of charges represent the first criminal prosecutions in the U.S. arising from the epic corruption scandal at the state investment fund known as 1MDB. The Justice Department in 2016 moved to recover more than $1 billion that it said had been stolen, filing a civil complaint that sought the forfeiture of property, including a Manhattan penthouse, a Beverly Hills mansion, a luxury jet and paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet.

In a speech last year in Washington, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions denounced the scandal as "kleptocracy at its worst." The pilfered funds were used on a "lavish spending spree," the attorney general said, including a $265 million yacht and a $100 million investment in the music label EMI.

"In total, 1MDB officials allegedly laundered more than $4.5 billion in funds through a complex web of opaque transactions and fraudulent shell companies with bank accounts in countries ranging from Switzerland and Singapore to Luxembourg and the United States," Sessions said.

The fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad, was set up in 2009 by then-Prime Minister Najib Razak to promote economic development. It relied primarily on debt to fund investment and economic development projects and was overseen by senior Malaysian government officials, according to court records.

Najib chaired its advisory board and as finance minister held veto power over its activities. Low, a friend of Najib's stepson Riza Aziz, had no official role at 1MDB but had considerable influence over its dealings and was in frequent contact with Najib, U.S. authorities have said.

"As noted in the indictment today, Mr. Low held no formal position at 1MDB, nor was he ever employed by Goldman Sachs, or the Governments of Malaysia or Abu Dhabi," Low's spokesman said.

The scandal has already had major political ramifications in Malaysia, where Najib in 2015 sacked his attorney general and a deputy prime minister for demanding answers about 1MDB. A parliamentary inquiry found many irregularities but had no mandate to prosecute.

Former leader Mahathir Mohamad, outraged over the scandal, came out of retirement and the opposition united behind him in the national elections, leading to Najib's ouster in May.

Najib and his former treasury chief were charged last week with criminal breach of trust involving 6.64 billion ringgit ($1.6 billion), charges that came on top of 32 earlier counts of corruption, breach of trust and money laundering that Najib faces in connection with the 1MDB scandal.

Najib and Mohamad Irwan Serigar Abdullah, the former treasury secretary-general, pleaded not guilty to misappropriating government funds between December 2016 and December 2017. Police have also seized hundreds of luxury handbags, jewelry and cash  worth more than $266 million  during raids on apartments linked to Najib's family.

An attorney for Najib, Shafee Abdullah, dismissed the latest charges as "foolish."
What to Know A migrant caravan traveling toward the U.S. through Mexico has been denied requests for buses to carry them northward

They are still roughly 900 miles away from U.S. soil

The Pentagon has announced it is sending 5,200 troops to the Southwest border

Thousands of Central American migrants resumed their slow trek through southern Mexico on Thursday, and activists aiding the group said they were shifting their route toward the Gulf coast, a path closer to the Texas border.

The migrants set out before dawn after taking a day's break in the Oaxaca state city of Juchitan. The activists said they would try to reach the town of Matias Romero, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) ahead.

They had tried to arrange bus transport from Juchitan, but failed, leaving them once again on foot, hitch-hiking and looking for rides where they can find them.

The migrants have not said what route they intend to take northward or where on the U.S. border they planned to reach, and Juchitan, still about 900 miles from U.S. soil, was something of a crossroads.

While Matias Romero would carry them toward the Gulf coast city of Veracruz and a route toward the Texas border, another large caravan early this year passed through Veracruz and then veered back toward Mexico City and eventually tried to head to Tijuana in the far northwest. Few made it.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday praised Mexico for stopping the migrants from getting rides. "Mexico has stepped up in an unprecedented way," Sanders told Fox News. "They have helped stop a lot of the transportation means of these individuals in these caravans, forcing them walking. They have helped us in new ways to slow this down, to break this up and keep it from moving as aggressively toward the United States."

But U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his pre-election focus on the caravan and others behind it, talking of creating a U.S. military force on the border that would outnumber the migrants, many of them women and children.

"As far as the caravan is concerned, our military is out," Trump said. "We have about 5,800. We'll go up to anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 military personnel on top of Border Patrol, ICE and everybody else at the border."

Later Wednesday, Trump told ABC News, "We have to have a wall of people."

He is expected to give remarks on immigration from the White House Thursday afternoon, two White House officials told NBC News.

A second, smaller group of 1,000 or so migrants is more than 200 miles behind the first caravan. A third band of about 500 from El Salvador made it to Guatemala, and a fourth group of about 700 set out from the Salvadoran capital Wednesday.

Altogether, the four caravans represent just a few days' worth of the average flow of migrants to the United States in recent years.

Similar caravans have occurred regularly over the years and passed largely unnoticed, but Trump has focused on the latest marchers seeking to make border security a hot-button issue in next week's midterm elections.

Worn down by days of long walks, many migrants have dropped out and returned home or applied for protected status in Mexico.

The initial caravan has shrunk significantly from its estimated peak of more than 7,000 migrants. A caravan last the spring ultimately fizzled to just about 200 people who reached the U.S. border at San Diego.

Mexican Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete Prida said about 2,300 migrants have applied to stay in Mexico under a government plan, and hundreds more have accepted assisted repatriation.

Also Wednesday, a Guatemalan woman gave birth to the first known caravan baby at a hospital in Juchitan. Mexico's governmental National Human Rights Commission said it had arranged for medical attention for the woman, who was 28 weeks pregnant, and the girl was healthy.

Associated Press writer Peter Orsi contributed to this report.
The United States imposed new sanctions Thursday on Venezuela and Cuba and promised additional penalties against Nicaragua as the Trump administration laid out a hard-line policy toward countries the White House branded a "troika of tyranny."

National security adviser John Bolton condemned what he called the "destructive forces of oppression, socialism and totalitarianism" that he said the three countries represent.

In a speech in Miami, home to thousands of exiles from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, Bolton said the U.S. "will no longer appease dictators and despots near our shores in this hemisphere." He spoke at the Freedom Tower, an important local landmark to the Cuban community in South Florida.

The administration will prohibit U.S. citizens from involvement in the gold export trade from Venezuela. American officials have said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro illegally exported at least 21 metric tons of gold to Turkey to avoid U.S. sanctions and to try to help rescue a collapsing economy once bolstered by vast oil reserves.

The U.S. government has sanctioned dozens of top Venezuelan officials, including Maduro, as part of economic measures designed at pressuring the South American country's return to democracy.

Bolton blamed Cuba for enabling Maduro's government and he urged the nations of the region to "let the Cuban regime know that it will be held responsible for continued oppression in Venezuela."

In a clear contrast to the Cuban policy of the Obama administration, Bolton said the State Department added over two dozen entities owned or controlled by the Cuban military and intelligence services to a restricted list of entities with which financial transactions by U.S. persons are prohibited.

Bolton said the goal is to prevent dollars from reaching the Cuban military, security and intelligence services.

South Florida has long been home to a large community of Cubans emigres, many of whom will welcome a tougher line on the Havana government. In recent years, tens of thousands of Venezuelans have settled in the area as Venezuela's economy has collapsed. Bolton's speech may energize voters in both groups heading into Tuesday's elections.

Bolton also sent a strong warning to President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, where more than 300 people have been killed since protests erupted in April calling for Ortega's resignation.

"Free, fair, and early elections must be held in Nicaragua, and democracy must be restored to the Nicaraguan people," he said. "Until then, the Nicaraguan regime, like Venezuela and Cuba, will feel the full weight of America's robust sanctions regime."

In grouping the three countries together, Bolton said "this troika of tyranny, this triangle of terror stretching from Havana to Caracas to Managua, is the cause of immense human suffering, the impetus of enormous regional instability, and the genesis of a sordid cradle of communism in the Western Hemisphere."

Bolton mocked the leaders as stooges of socialism. "These tyrants fancy themselves strongmen and revolutionaries, icons and luminaries," he said. "In reality, they are clownish, pitiful figures more akin to Larry, Curly, and Moe."

On the other hand, Bolton called Brazil's president-elect, Jair Bolsonaro, a "likeminded leader" and said his election last weekend demonstrates "a growing regional commitment to free-market principles, and open, transparent, and accountable governance."

Bolsonaro whose victory moved Brazil sharply to the right, built his popularity on a mixture of often outrageous comments and hard-line positions, but he consolidated his lead by promising to enact market-friendly reforms.
What to Know Maryland polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. First-time voters need an ID.

Virginia polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Every voter needs an acceptable ID to cast their ballot.

Washington, D.C. polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can register to vote on Election Day with valid proof of residency.

The stakes will be high on Tuesday as voters cast ballots in a host of statewide and local races.

More than 24 million votes have already been counted, nearly double the number of early votes cast in midterm elections four years ago.

Voters will decide which party controls the House of Representatives and who wins D.C. Council seats, the Maryland state house and one of Virginia's U.S. Senate seats.

But first, they need to turn out to cast those ballots. Here's what you need to know ahead of Election Day:

Where to Vote

Enter your address in this Voter Information Tool to find your polling place and learn about what's on your ballot:

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You can also check at your locale's website: Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia

When to Vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6. Polls will be open during these hours:

Maryland: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Virginia: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Washington, D.C.: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In all three areas, anyone in line when the polls close will be able to vote.

How to Avoid Lines

Vote late in the morning or early in the afternoon for the best chance of avoiding lines.

Getting to the Polls

Uber, Lyft and Capital Bikeshare are among companies offering free or discounted transportation to the polls. Learn more about rideshare services here and other transportation options here.

What to Bring

Maryland

Some first-time voters will be asked to show an ID. Acceptable forms of ID are detailed here and include a Maryland driver's license, MVA ID card, student, employee, or military ID card, U.S. passport, copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address, or any other State or federal government-issued ID card.

Virginia

All voters will be asked to show an ID. Acceptable forms of ID are a drivers license, a DMV veterans ID Card, U.S. passport, a tribal ID, a valid Virginia university, college or school ID, a valid employee identification card or another government-issued ID. Click here for a full list of accepted identification.

If you forget your ID, you can still vote with a provisional ballot, but a copy of the voters ID must be sent to their local electoral board by noon on Friday, Nov. 9 for their vote to count.

Washington, D.C.

You can just show up and vote if you have already registered. If youre registering on Election Day or have recently changed your address, youll need to bring proof of residency. Acceptable documents include a photo ID or bill. They are listed here.

Polling Place Don'ts

Think twice before you take that selfie. In Maryland, you cannot use your phone or any other electronic device in the polling booth.

Nothing in Virginia law prohibits voters from taking pictures of themselves, fellow voters or their ballot within the polling place, Attorney General Mark Herring has said. And residents of the nation's capital are also clear to snap away in the booth, according to Ballotpedia.

You are not allowed to electioneer, or campaign, near a polling place. There will be signs indicating where it is prohibited to electioneer.

Many voters can wear hats, T-shirts or other apparel containing a political message or supporting a candidate. In Virginia, candidates, representatives of candidates and those who go to the polls for reasons besides voting are not allowed to wear such apparel. In Maryland, those wearing political messages on their clothes must leave their polling place immediately after voting.

In Virginia, D.C. and Maryland, you are allowed to bring a sample ballot or other notes inside the booth. Make sure not to forget your notes in the voter box. In Virginia, you are not allowed to print the sample ballot on yellow or white paper and you cannot give it to anyone else.

Voter Assistance: Disability, Seniority and Language

Many polling places are accessible, but you can check with your polling location to make sure. If your polling location is not accessible, you can request a change with your local Board of Elections.

In Virginia and Maryland, the availability of ballots in Spanish or other non-English languages varies by county. Check with your local board of elections.

Anyone is allowed to bring someone with to help them vote, except for their union representative or employer.

Maryland

The Disability Rights Maryland Voter Hotline can help address concerns. Call 443-692-2492, 800-233-7201 ext. 2492 or TTY 410-235-5387. You can also email Voting@DisabilityRightsMD.org.

Virginia

Curbside voting is available for people age 65 and older or anyone with a physical disability.

Washington, D.C.

Voters can cast a ballot from their car if they cannot enter a polling place due to disability, seniority or illness. Spanish, Mandarin and American Sign Language interpreters are available at certain polling places. Election workers can help call an interpreter for voters who speak any language.

Voter Registration

Maryland

The registration deadline passed Oct. 16, and registration during early voting ended Nov. 2.

Marylanders can check their voter registration status here.

Virginia

The deadline passed Oct. 15. You can no longer register to vote in this Tuesday's elections.

Virginians can check their voter registration status here.

Washington, D.C.

Same-day voter registration is available at Early Voting Centers and at the polls on Election Day. You can also register at a D.C. DMV or a number of other government buildings detailed here.

Washingtonians can check their registration status here.

Early and Absentee Voting

Time is running out to vote early or absentee. Find more information here.

Sample Ballots

Maryland

Sample ballots for each county can be found here.

Virginia

The Virginia Board of Elections directs people to the Voter Information Tool to find out whats on their ballot.

Washington, D.C.

Sample ballots for all eight wards can be found here.

Whom to Call If You Have a Problem

If you have any questions about voting, run into a problem at the polls or think you are a victim of voter intimidation, you can call the Voter Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE or 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA for Spanish. You can also contact your local boards of elections at the following numbers:

Washington, D.C.

The supervisor of your voting place, called the precinct captain, is the first person to contact with questions. You can also contact the Board of Elections at 202-727-2525. To report misconduct, called the Boards Office of the General Counsel at 202-727-2194.

Virginia

The state offers three ways to file a complaint about your registration or voting experience:

Send a letter to the Virginia Department of Elections: Virginia Department of Elections, 1100 Bank Street, First Floor, Richmond, Virginia, 23219

Go to www.elections.virginia.gov/voter-complaints and file an informal complaint form online.

Send an email to info@elections.virginia.gov.

Maryland

Call the Maryland State Board of Elections at 410-269-2840.
Welcome to another fall weekend! Trying to figure out how to make the most of it? We've got plenty of options.

But first:

 You can still squeeze in some Halloween! Here's where to get spooky:

Get Spooked at These DC-Area Haunted Attractions

 Great music coming to D.C.:

DC's Best Upcoming Concerts: Diana Ross, Beck u0026 More

 Fall got you feeling festive? Check out these fall festivals across the D.C. area.

 Eat a Michelin-approved meal at a good-value price.

Here are our top picks for your weekend:

True Crime Festival

Saturday and Sunday, Lisner Auditorium

Brightest Young Things has lined up some of the biggest shows and personalities telling true crime stories  including "BuzzFeed Unsolved," "Criminal," "Mindhunter" author John Douglas and Paul Holes, the man credited with solving the Golden State Killer case. You can buy tickets to individual events on the Brightest Young Things website.

Superfine! DC Art Fair

Oct. 31 to Nov. 4, Union Market's Dock 5

Browse and shop work from hundreds of artists at an art fair that has already caught on in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. Tickets start at $12 for Thursday or Friday admission and $15 for Saturday and Sunday admission.

Nature's Best Photography

Through September, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Tour five continents of wild animals and scenes on the second floor of the Natural History Museum. This year's can't-miss winning shot from Nelis Wolmarans captures a mother gorilla holding a baby as she sleeps.

World Press Photo Exhibition 2018

Through Nov. 25, 2018, Dupont Underground

Catch some of the best photos taken over the last year in large format and projected versions in Dupont Circle's unique underground venue.

ARTECHOUSE New Nature by Marpi

Ticketed Daily through Jan. 13, 1238 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, D.C.

The interactive art space's newest exhibit takes you outside. Timed tickets cost $15 for adults.

Artechouse's 'New Nature' Exhibit in DC Gives a High-Tech Look at the Outdoors

Death Becomes Us Pop Up Bar

Through Nov. 4, 1843 7th Street NW

Can't get enough of true crime? Drink Company's newest pop-up bar is right up your alley. The bar showcases three of history's most infamous crimes. The GWAR pop-up bar continues the horror in other rooms.

First Look: Inside DC's GWAR Pop-Up Bar

Broccoli Bar

All weekend, 1817 7th Street NW

The organizers of Broccoli City Festival are bringing a community-minded restaurant, bar and meeting space to Shaw. They'll be serving drinks during happy hour on Friday and host their inaugural brunch Sunday at 11 a.m.  you can add a morning cocktail carafe to your &pizza pie for $20.

Check out our first look:

Photos: A Sneak Peek of Shaw's New Broccoli Bar

Your Friday

Black Tie Day of the Dead Festival

Friday, 8:30 to 11:45 p.m., Mexican Cultural Institute

Celebrate a combination of American Halloween with Dia de Muertos in a party with a unique international touch. Tickets start at $130 and come with an open bar.

Ragamala Dance Company: Written in Water

Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., The Kennedy Center

Witness a beautiful large-scale multi-disciplinary work with dance, music, text and painting at the Kennedy Center. Taking inspiration from the Indian board game Paramapadam, the performance creates a mythic, mystical dance landscape.

Your Saturday

Adams Morgan Apple Festival

Rescheduled for this Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., 18th Street Northwest and Columbia Road Northwest

Embrace your fall spirit and head out to the Adams Morgan farmers market for the 5th Annual Apple Pie Contest, featuring 16 local entries, all made with apples from Takoma Park's Licking Creek Bend Farm. Slices of pie will be sold for $5 per slice and all proceeds will be donated to Higher Achievement, a middle school education advocacy group. A panel of local foodies and celebrities, including WAMU politics analyst and former News4 reporter Tom Sherwood, will select the winner.

DC Beer Festival

Saturday, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Nationals Park

This 21+ event returns to Nats Park with dozens of craft breweries, seasonal beers, and food trucks for beer lovers in the D.C. area. General admissions tickets are $45 and VIP tickets are on sale for $75 for one of two sessions. Both tickets include unlimited beer tastings, while food is sold separately; VIP tickets provide attendees access to the warning track and dugout on the park field, plus commemorative tasting glasses and knit hats.

Smithsonian Food History Weekend Festival

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Smithsonians National Museum of American History

This full day of free activities celebrates food history in the United States, including live demonstrations and talks with chefs, experts, museum curators and more. Chef Aaron Sanchez will prepare a unique mole, a Mexican chocolate paste while highlighting regional Mexican food and their influence on American culinary culture at noon, while Chef Jason Flores, executive chef at Hilton Sedona Resort in Bell Rock, Arizona, will talk about Oklahoma food traditions and the role of wild game in regional American food traditions. The list goes on, and the day features plenty of fun, hands-on activities for kids of all ages.

Scott Kelly: Infinite Wonder

Saturday, 7 p.m., National Portrait Gallery, McEvoy Auditorium

Astronaut Scott Kelly knows a little bit about life in space: hes the American record holder for consecutive days spent in space, been on four space flights and written three books on his journey to the stars. Now out with a new book of photos, "Infinite Wonder," Kelly will visit the District and share details of his life on Earth and life among the stars while describing the stories behind the breathtaking collection of photos he took while stationed on the International Space Station. Tickets are $45 and include a signed paperback copy of his 2017 book Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery, whileInfinite Wonder will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Side Yards 2018

Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., The Yards

Contortionists, aerialists, fortunate tellers set a spooky scene alongside photobooths, caricatures and food. It's family-friendly and free to enter.

Unofficial' Freddie Mercury Convention

Saturday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wonderland Ballroom

Bring your best Freddie Mercury for a chance at winning $250.

Your Sunday

Pottery on the Hill Show & Sale

Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Capitol Hill

The nations top ceramic artists are all on the hill to showcase and sell their work.

DMV Black Restaurant Week 2018

Starts Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday kicks off Black Restaurant Week which brings black restaurant owners, managers, chefs, caterers and financiers into one room to discuss.

Free Day: National Museum of Women in the Arts

Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., National Museum of Women in the Arts
Two residents and a firefighter were injured after a fire tore through an apartment building in Southeast Washington.

The fire started Thursday night in the 1300 block of Alabama Avenue SE. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy fire on the first floor of the building.

The flames then spread to the second and third floors. Firefighters had to make several rescues using ladders.

"When I stepped into the living room, I heard my neighbor saying she couldn't see, her eyes were burning," said Lonise Jameson, who lives in the building. "I opened the door, and this cloud of smoke just hit me in the face."

Two residents were taken to the hospital, but they are in stable condition and are expected to be OK. A firefighter suffered a minor injury.

Thirteen people were displaced by the fire. The Red Cross was called in to help those resident.

Fire officials say the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Authorities are investigating after a photo shows a prison van driving down Interstate 270 with the back doors wide open.

The Montgomery County, Maryland, prisoners were secured and were not hurt, the county's sheriff's office told News4.

Capt. Maxwell Wee said the van was headed from the Montgomery County Correctional Facility near Clarksburg to a courthouse in Rockville about 7 a.m. when the doors flew open.

Wee said the doors were open for about 10 minutes before the problem was discovered. He said at least one person made a call to 911.

"They were restrained. I'm not going to get into all of the specifics, but there are restraints that we utilize to keep them immobile and also to safeguard during the transport," Wee said.

He said the van, a newer model, has been taken out of service and the doors were thoroughly examined.

"There are multiple doors on that vehicle and they should have been secured. It appears they were not secured. We are still looking into all the facts and circumstances ... but that's what it appears at this time," Wee said.
The two young Saudi sisters who vanished from Virginia and were found dead on a bank of the Hudson River reported abuse at home and were seen praying at a playground near the river the day their bodies were discovered.

Sixteen-year-old Tala Farea and 22-year-old Rotana Farea were found dead, tied together at the waist and facing each other, on Oct. 24. The NYPD revealed new details Friday about their mysterious disappearance and deaths.

"At this point in time, we have no credible information that any crime took place in New York City," NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said at a briefing Friday.

However, the investigation is ongoing.

A man whose daily exercise routine takes him near Riverside Park, not far from the Hudson River, called the NYPD on Halloween to report that he saw two young women  believed to be the Farea sisters  alive, apparently praying at a playground, the day their bodies were found.

Calling the witness "credible," Shea said the man reported seeing the women about 30 feet apart; they appeared to be alone, had their heads lowered and appeared to be praying.

The witness told police that image had been "haunting" him.

Later that day, a passerby on the bike path nearby saw two bodies in the water, tied together at the waist and fully clothed. That passerby called 911. The young women in the water would be identified as the Farea sisters.

Shea said detectives are looking into reports that the Saudi nationals requested political asylum. Police also are looking into statements the sisters allegedly made saying they would rather die than return to Saudi Arabia.

They had stayed at a "shelter-like facility" in Virginia after they reported that they were abused.

The medical examiner's office has yet to rule on a cause or manner death for either sister, but Shea said it seems they went into the water alive. He added that reports they jumped from the George Washington Bridge were unfounded.

Timeline Develops

The family of the sisters told authorities they hadn't seen them since Nov. 30, 2017. The sisters were located that December and went to the shelter facility, Shea said.

They still had no contact with their family, and Shea said the sisters alleged abuse involving their mother, father and brother. No abuse has been corroborated, Shea said, without elaborating.

From December 2017 to August 2018 there was no real contact with the family, Shea said. Then the sisters vanished from the facility; they apparently were last seen together on Aug. 24.

They were reported missing on Sept. 12. They were already in New York City by that time, Shea said, adding they made stops in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia and took various modes of transit to New York.

The sisters arrived in the city on Sept. 1.

Shea said detectives are still sifting through copious amounts of records to determine what happened once the sisters got to the city. What authorities do know, he said, is that credit card records show they stayed at a number of high-end hotels. Security and surveillance cameras show them in good health up to a week before their bodies were discovered.

They had a pattern of ordering meals  always two meals  Shea said, "until, at best we can surmise, the money started to run out."

The investigation is active. A reward of more than $12,000 is being offered for information in the case, Shea said. Anyone who has information is asked to call police or submit tips anonymously online.
A jury has convicted a man accused of opening fire on a Maryland police station in a videotaped attack before an undercover narcotics detective was mistakenly shot and killed.

The jury Friday found Michael Ford guilty of second-degree murder in the March 2016 shooting death of Prince George's County police detective Jacai Colson. A prosecutor said even though Ford didn't fire the fatal shot, he created a "combat zone'' outside the station and caused Colson's death.

In all, Ford was found guilty of 31 charges and found not guilty in 13 other charges, including all attempted murder charges.

He faces up to 30 years in prison for the murder of Colson and up to 25 years for each assault charge.

Deliberations began Friday, a day after attorneys for both sides presented closing arguments.

Ford, the only defense witness at his trial, testified Wednesday that he was trying to get himself killed when he attacked the station in Landover, and never intended to harm anybody.

Ford said he never saw Colson before a fellow officer mistakenly shot the plainclothes narcotics detective. But authorities say Ford exchanged gunfire with Colson before Officer Taylor Krauss shot his colleague.

Ford fired as many as 23 shots outside the police station but didn't hit anybody during the videotaped ambush.

"I shot low," he said. "I wasn't trying to shoot nobody."

Ford was charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder, assault and other offenses. Prosecutors argued he was legally responsible for Colson's death even though he didn't fire the fatal shot because he started the deadly shootout.

His attorney, Antoini Jones, asked him why he opened fire on the police station.

"Because I wanted to die," Ford said. "And I knew the police kill black men with no problem."

Ford is black, and so was Colson. Krauss, who is white, was not charged in Colson's death.

Krauss testified earlier this week that he never saw Colson hold up a badge or heard him identify himself as a police officer before shooting him once in the chest.

Ford, then 22, claimed he didn't know his two younger brothers were recording cellphone videos of the ambush after dropping him off at the station outside D.C.

One of the videos shows Ford screaming obscenities and shouting, "Do something!" in between shots.

A judge ruled before trial that Ford couldn't present an insanity defense despite his serious mental-health issues.

Ford said he was hearing voices in his head after he woke up on the morning of the shooting. He said he retrieved a gun from a safe in his car and held it to his head.

"I couldn't pull the trigger," he said.

After meeting his brothers at his mother's home, Ford dictated his last will and testament minutes before they dropped him off at the station.

A 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.

"I had nothing to do with that," Ford said during a prosecutor's cross-examination.

Ford's brothers, Malik and Elijah, pleaded guilty to related charges and await sentencing hearings.

Colson's parents sued Krauss and Prince George's County, accusing Krauss of recklessly firing his rifle that day.

Ford shot out the police station's glass door before firing 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 was a four-year veteran of the department and 28-year-old native of Boothwyn, Pennsylvania.

Ford said he never had any problems with police officers in Prince George's County before the shooting. He said he respected police.

"When I was homeless, they would buy me food all the time," he said.
Newly released emails from the 2016 presidential campaign appear to show political operative Roger Stone presenting himself as a WikiLeaks insider to Steve Bannon, who was at the heart of then-candidate Donald Trump's run for president.

The emails, which were published Thursday by The New York Times, touch on a central question of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation: Did Stone have advance knowledge of WikiLeaks' plans to release hacked material damaging to Democrat Hillary Clinton?

Stone says no, and the emails do not provide a definitive answer to that question. But the correspondence suggests that Stone wanted Bannon to see him as plugged in to WikiLeaks as it was planning to publish documents that would upend the campaign.

American intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian agents were the source of information released by WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign. And Mueller, who is investigating potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign, has focused on Stone recently.

Mueller's team questioned Bannon last month about his exchanges with Stone, according to a person familiar with the interview. Bannon's interview was with prosecutors, though other people close to Stone have been called before a grand jury to discuss his ties to WikiLeaks.

The person familiar with Bannon's interview said Bannon and other top campaign officials were skeptical of Stone and his claims about having insight into WikiLeaks' efforts. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the confidential interview.

Stone, who confirmed the authenticity of the emails, denies being a conduit to WikiLeaks.

"What I am guilty of is using publicly available information and a solid tip to bluff, posture, hype and punk Democrats on Twitter. This is called 'politics.' It's not illegal," he said in an opinion piece published Thursday by The Daily Caller website.

He said he had based his comments on Assange's public statements and conversations with a New York radio host, Randy Credico, a vocal supporter of Assange who has also been interviewed by Mueller's grand jury.

In a telephone interview with the AP, Stone said: "I had no advanced notice of the source or content or the exact timing of the release of the WikiLeaks disclosures."

In one email exchange from Oct. 4. 2016, Bannon asks Stone about an announcement that morning by Assange that puzzled some Trump supporters.

In the announcement, Assange said he would be posting a cache of documents weekly that would include some related to the 2016 election, among other topics, but he denied that WikiLeaks intended to harm Clinton, saying such suggestions were "false."

Many Trump supporters  egged on by Stone himself  had been expecting Assange to provide details on potentially damaging information about Clinton, possibly even posting it that day. Stone had built up suspense on Twitter, saying on Oct. 3, 2016, "I have total confidence that @wikileaks and my hero Julian Assange will educate the American people soon. #LockHerUp."

In the wake of the disappointing announcement, Bannon fires off an email asking Stone "What was that this morning???"

Stone writes back: "Fear. Serious security concern. He thinks they are going to kill him and the London police are standing done. However a load every week going forward."

Days later, WikiLeaks released the first batch of material  emails stolen from the account of Clinton campaign chairman, John Podesta. The Oct. 7, 2016, document dump came just hours after The Washington Post released audio from "Access Hollywood" in which Trump boasted of kissing and groping women without their permission. (NBCUniversal is the parent company of both "Access Hollywood" and this station.)

WikiLeaks proceeded to dribble out the Podesta emails a thousand or so a day until Election Day.

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.
NEC showcases biometrics and blockchain technologies for the financial sector at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2018

Singapore & Tokyo, 2 November 2018 - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) and NEC Asia Pacific announced today their participation in the Singapore FinTech Festival 2018 from 12 to 16 November as a gold sponsor of the event in Hall 3, Booth#3E17.



In recent years, more and more banks and financial service providers have started adopting biometrics technologies to enhance their services and operations. The NEC booth will highlight how its biometrics-based applications can improve the customer experience, boost security for transactions, and enable a smart and secure e-KYC (Know-Your-Customer) process.



Also, NEC will share its latest blockchain technology development and use case examples for financial sectors.



Key exhibits this year include:

NeoFace Watch: Powered by NEC's facial recognition AI engine which has been recognized as the world's most accurate (*), this solution extracts faces in real time from CCTV footage and instantaneously matches them against a pre-registered facial database. The application includes VIP customer identification and enhanced video surveillance.

Powered by NEC's facial recognition AI engine which has been recognized as the world's most accurate (*), this solution extracts faces in real time from CCTV footage and instantaneously matches them against a pre-registered facial database. The application includes VIP customer identification and enhanced video surveillance. NEC BioTrust: Using machine learning and NEC's "Liveness Detection" technology, this solution enables a smarter and more secured way for Digital ID login to e-government or online web services, such as online banking, using facial recognition technologies.

Using machine learning and NEC's "Liveness Detection" technology, this solution enables a smarter and more secured way for Digital ID login to e-government or online web services, such as online banking, using facial recognition technologies. FIDO Biometric Authentication: NEC's NC7000-3A-FS is a Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) UAF 1.0 certified platform for simple, secure and swift biometric authentication for mobile transactions.

NEC's NC7000-3A-FS is a Fast IDentity Online (FIDO) UAF 1.0 certified platform for simple, secure and swift biometric authentication for mobile transactions. Digital KYC solution: With Digital KYC, financial service providers can launch biometrics-based online verification services and eliminate the need for customers to visit bank branches for account opening.

During the event, experts from NEC will participate in a panel discussion and an "Open Mic" session to talk about the latest developments among FinTech related technologies.



Panel discussion

On 14 November at 3.00pm-3.50pm, Mr. Daichi Iwata, Head of the FinTech Business Development Office, NEC Corporation, will join the panel discussion themed "Big Tech to TechFin". Mr. Iwata, together with other industry leaders, will discuss how top technology companies around the world are enabling rapid transformation in the financial sector.



Open mic

On 12 November at 3.00pm-3.45pm, Mr. Iwata will lead the discussion on the blockchain technology development for business and its social impact. Also, Ms. Helen Chua, Senior Sales Director, NEC Asia Pacific will present how facial recognition with liveness detection capability can address the new challenges of a digital identity crisis.

***
A convicted child rapist whose residency in Rhode Island has caused controversy has been arrested weeks after being released from prison.

Law enforcement sources told WJAR that Richard Gardner will be charged with two misdemeanors after he allegedly put a Massachusetts address on his marriage license when he was actually living in Providence, which is reportedly a probation violation.

Cranston police confirmed Gardner's arrest warrant stemmed from using "fraudulent activity" when he applied for a marriage certificate at Cranston City Hall.

Gardner was released last month following a lengthy legal fight to keep him behind bars after he served 30 years for kidnapping and raping boys in the 1980s in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

He was married in the backyard of a Cranston home days after his prison release, and has registered as a sex offender in Providence.

He's expected to be arraigned at Cranston Municipal Court Friday afternoon. It's unclear if he has an attorney for this arrest.

Gardner's move into a Providence neighborhood sparked a massive backlash from residents, prompting a police detail to watch the 52-year-old registered sex offender at all times.
In a four-way race for Maines Second Congressional District, ranked choice voting may determine the outcome of one of the most competitive and expensive House races in the nation.

Recent polls show Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin neck-and-neck with Democratic challenger Jared Golden. If neither candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, Maines new system of voting will kick in. Voters who selected Independent Tiffany Bond or Independent Will Hoar as their first choice would have their second choice counted instead  until either Poliquin or Golden got above 50 percent.

Honestly, its made the campaign more fun, said Bond.

She said ranked-choice voting encourages independents to enter races and try creative methods of the campaign.

In Bond's case, she has refused campaign contributions, and instead directed donors to charities and small businesses. She has not put out campaign signs or taken out political ads.

Lets make politics a force for good, Bond said.

In a race that has brought in millions of dollars in campaign spending, with endless attack ads on television, Bond wants to put energy into exploring the issues.

We get no gross ads, we help the economy, and we help small businesses, she said. I hope it catches on. Isnt that a better way to do it?

Golden spent Friday campaigning in Oxford County, where he said voters are most concerned with healthcare.

[Poliquin] voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, said Golden. None of us [in the race] agree with Poliquins vote to repeal the ACA.

Golden acknowledges the race is tight but feels confident he can come out on topwhether its in the initial round of voting, or in the run-offs with ranked choice voting calculated.

Poliquin was not available for an interview Friday. When asked how ranked choice voting affects his re-election campaign, his office provided the following statement:

My focus remains on continuing to help the Maine economy grow and provide more good-paying jobs, protecting and preserving Medicare, and working to lower the cost of healthcare. Ive been meeting with, talking with, and hearing from hundreds of constituents every day. They agree we need to keep our economy growing, lower healthcare costs, and protect our Constitutional Rights. Im the only candidate with the job creation experience to do that who has a proven record of protecting our Constitutional Rights.

If instant run-offs need to be tabulated, it could take several days to know the winner.
A group studying marijuana legalization in New Hampshire recommends the creation of a Cannabis Commission to regulate it, similar to the state's Liquor Commission's governmental organization.

The Commission to Study the Legalization, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana released a report Thursday with 54 recommendations, should legislators pursue marijuana legalization.

New Hampshire Public Radio reports the recommended Cannabis Commission would be charged with licensing and enforcement, with four distinct contracts: cultivation, manufacturing, retail, and testing.

The group estimated marijuana legalization could bring in a broad range of revenue, anywhere from $15.3 million to $57.8 million, not including licensing fees. The report said it is likely the revenue will come in near the midpoint of $36.6 million once the market, stabilizes, and in time, possibly reaching about $47 million.
Harrison Lewis wasnt looking for SD-WAN, but hes glad he found it.

Northgate Gonzalez, which operates 40 specialty grocery stores throughout Southern California, had distributed its compute power for years. Each store individually supported applications with servers and other key infrastructure and relied on batch processing to deal with nightly backups and storage, according to Lewis, the privately held companys CIO.

Over time, the companys needs changed, and it began centralizing more services, including HR and buying systems, as well as Microsoft Office, in the cloud or at the companys two data centers. With this shift came a heavier burden on the single T-1 lines running MPLS into each store and the 3G wireless backup. Complicating matters, Lewis says, rainy weather in the region would flood the wiring, taking down terrestrial-network connectivity.

It was problematic. We even doubled up on T-1 lines to each location, but it still wasnt enough. The network had to be a lot more reliable, Lewis says.

Lewis searched for a suitable  and cost-effective  alternative, researching incremental options that could have increased bandwidth and addressed the companys security needs. They all came with a significant price tag, he says.

In July 2016, Lewis and his team came upon software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN), technology that decouples the control plane from the data plane and enables networking groups to control the entire WAN in a centralized manner. Uniquely, SD-WAN supports the use of multiple types of connectivity (such as MPLS, broadband, broadband wireless), offering flexibility and ease of use for organizations with multiple locations.

Lewis thought the technology was too immature to deploy at the time, but he kept an eye on its growth and by late 2017, considered it ready for a proof of production. With the NSX SD-WAN appliance from VeloCloud (VMware acquired VeloCloud in December 2017), he, along with his carrier AT&T, created a test zone at a single store, running the SD-WAN and traditional network side by side. The SD-WAN linked to two broadband connections and 4G wireless as a backup, along with ZScaler for Internet security. He put a similar configuration in the two data centers, which soon proved a viable approach. Today, Northgate Gonzalez has deployed SD-WAN in all 40 stores, with a recent bump to 5G wireless as backup.

READ MORE: How enterprises can prep for 5G

The move to broadband and wireless backup increased bandwidth because all three connections can be used interchangeably by SD-WAN, Lewis says. It also decreased monthly connectivity expenses by about 40%. Hes particularly proud of this result, as he is mindful of his fiduciary responsibility to not just keep throwing T-1 lines at the problem. Doing so could have led Northgate Gonzalez to have to raise prices or negatively impacted shareholders. That just doesnt make sense if there are alternatives, he says.

He appreciates SD-WANs ability to prioritize traffic in support of business-critical activities, including payments and ordering, allowing them to take precedence over all else, and the somewhat zero-touch nature of provisioning the appliances. It doesnt require a great deal of skill to install the appliance, he says, adding he leveraged store technicians and help desk members to get the preconfigured appliances up and running at each site.

SD-WAN handles diversity of circuits

Luis Castillo, senior network manager for global network engineering at National Instruments, also was drawn to SD-WAN for its ease of deployment. National Instruments, an Austin-based maker of scientific equipment and software, operates in 50 countries and needed a solution that could handle the complexity of its distributed workflow. Customer service calls and research and development are handled by teams around the world, requiring tight attention to quality of service.

We were throwing money at QoS toolsets to get classification, packet shaping, queuing, etc.  that was the only way we could maintain a certain quality of service, Castillo says.

Along with the cost of the toolsets, requirements for bandwidth would climb  as much as 25% or more. We only got approved for 1% or 2% increases in our annual budget, so the gap kept getting wider, he says. As bandwidth demands grew, the company began to bump up against issues surrounding availability and the cost of more lines into their offices. In Russia, a 4M bit/sec [connection] cost $10,000 a month. We couldnt pay that, he says.

The global nature of their business also made it difficult to get a single MPLS provider to handle all locations  and some locations, such as Armenia, didnt have MPLS.

Castillo first began looking for alternatives in 2008, and deemed performance-based routing, a precursor to SD-WAN, not good enough to operationalize. Most of the efforts in those early days didnt leave the lab, he says.

When SD-WAN emerged, he connected with Viptela (Cisco closed its acquisition of Viptela in August 2017), and determined the software-driven technology (atop Cisco vEdge routers) to be the best bet to integrate with National Instruments environment, especially its diversity of circuits.

Viptelas zero-touch provisioning was also a draw. It saved money because we didnt have to ship engineers
Bucklebury Primary School head says additional 400m is "offensive"

A ONE-off 400m payment for schools  announced by chancellor Phillip Hammond during his budget speech on Monday  has been described as insulting by one West Berkshire headteacher.

The payment, amounting to an average of 10,000 per primary school and 50,000 per secondary school, was branded disappointing by the chairman of the West Berkshire Primary Headteachers Association, Andy Higgs.

The chancellor faced criticism from teachers after announcing the bonus for that extra bit of kit that school budgets did not always stretch to.

Mr Higgs, the headteacher at Bucklebury Primary School, said: I think it would have almost been better to have said nothing about schools than to wind his way down the little extras cul-de-sac.

Its done nothing other than offend anybody to do with schools up and down the country.

Mr Higgs said that schools would be restricted in spending the money as it is tied to capital.

He added that, as most schools in the district were small rural ones, they would get nowhere near the average 10,000.

He said: Schools are not taking services because the local authority is charging for them where they havent in the past.

Bucklebury, for some considerable time, took IT support and we cant afford to take that now and we have to use the expertise available to us in school.

Its an insult because people in schools know that we are at a point now where we have to change... where theres essentially a check list.

He said that many schools asked for annual donations, some requesting pencil cases, pencils and pens.

We are now at the stage of talking about fundamentals  paying for people and classroom resources, he said.

Across West Berkshire parents are being asked to provide or support classroom resources. At the same time the chancellor says heres a bit of money to pay for these little extras.

Its targetted in the wrong place.

I dont understand how there can be such a fundamental disconnect between discussions in central government and the challenges that school leaders are facing.

The 400m is separate from long-term schools funding, and public service finances will be assessed in an upcoming spending review.

Mr Higgs said local headteachers thought that there needed to be more cash going into schools.

He added that the national funding formula was not going to resolve the crisis and restrictions on funding streams coming into schools needed to be removed as they could inhibit rather than enhance what schools do.

The pressure on schools is coming in the revenue budget, he said. We need support to be able to pay people and we spend more and more on people.

People are important, but so are resources to allow children to learn.

When asked about the chancellors wording, Newbury MP Richard Benyon said: I think the words little extras werent actually the ones the chancellor used.

He said that the funding would not resolve the issues, but help ease them.

Its certainly responding to some of the needs that have been raised by parents and schools, he said.

The decisions taken in this budget have been to address fundamental financial requirements of the NHS.

If we can come to a sensible Brexit, all the headroom money that the chancellor is holding back will be available for future budgets.

Mr Benyon said that Britain did pretty well when comparing school spending across Europe, but admitted there were undoubtable tensions in school budgets that need to be addressed in the future.

Some schools are doing well, others arent, and we need to make sure we understand the reason why others are not, he said.

The message coming from people right across the country in MPs boxes is NHS, NHS. The chancellor has responded to that.

Im hoping that after Brexit there will be more funding for other areas of public services.
Woman was treated at the scene

A CYCLIST was treated for injuries following a collision in Thatcham on Monday night.

Emergency services were called to Chapel Street near to the Sainsburys Local following reports of a collision between a car and a cyclist at around 5pm.

A police spokesman said that the cyclist, a 58-year-old woman, was treated at the scene for non life-threatening or life-changing injuries.
BRIDGEPORT  Senate candidate Dennis Bradley has threatened Connecticuts elections watchdogs with legal action after they denied him a $95,710 campaign grant.

I am hopeful the State Elections Enforcement Commission will ... reverse their decision, Bradley, a Democrat, said in a statement accompanying a letter from his attorney, R. Bartley Halloran, that alleges flaws in the decision to bar Bradleys participation in the so-called clean elections program.

But if they do not (reverse their decision), I have every intention of fully litigating this overstep based on the facts and the law, Bradley said.

Whether or not Bradley was unfairly deprived of the grant, his campaign for the 23rd Senate District probably does not need the states money. His self-funding Republican opponent, John Rodriguez, does not have deep pockets or a campaign infrastructure, or demographics  the district is heavily Democratic  on his side.

As a God fearing man, a Christian man, Im saying, Lord, it doesnt look too good over here,  admitted Rodriguez.

His recent campaign finance filings with the SEEC all show zeroes  nothing raised, nothing spent. Rodriguez said he might invest around $1,500 in photocopied fliers and a family-recorded robo-call.

Im a good customer at Staples (office supplies), he joked.

Meanwhile, Bradley, according to his paperwork on file with the SEEC, has spent $101,691  $84,140 of that a clean elections grant he received for the summers primary race against fellow Democrat Aaron Turner.

Oh my word, Rodriguez said of that $101,691 total. Look at that  wow.

And since the states rules for distributing the grants only contemplate whether candidates face a major party, minor party, or no opponent  not party dominance or a particular candidates chances of winning  Bradley could have received another $95,710.

But two weeks ago the SEEC whitheld the funds after concluding Bradley broke the grant programs rules. So now Bradleys campaign is, technically, broke  even in debt by $1,274.

In another race, the SEECs decision might have crippled Bradleys Senate bid  or, at the least, leveled the playing field.

In a more equitable environment, its a competitive race, said Bridgeport Republican Town Chairman Mike Garrett. But as long as were in Bridgeport, theres a demographic disadvantage. Does John Rodriguez deserve to win? Yes. Do the demographics favor him? No.

About equality

Connecticuts clean elections program  which provides substantive state grants to candidates who qualify by raising small contributions from individuals  was established following then-Republican Gov. John Rowlands pay-to-play scandal.

Proponents argue the grants help keep special interest money out of politics and free candidates from focusing on fundraising. Critics counter the program is unaffordable, and its future has been debated by elected officials during tough budget years.

The SEEC, following an investigation, concluded that Bradley, in part through his Bridgeport law firm, made or incurred prohibited campaign expenditures.

Bradley said the issues surrounding the SEECs decision are not about whether he needs the money to win his race against Rodriguez.

Its not about $95,000; its about equality, Bradley said. He insisted that the SEEC unfairly targets Bridgeport, which has a reputation for having produced its share of corrupt politicians.

Bradleys campaign manager, Jason Bartlett, also this week blasted the SEECs decision as driven by racial bias toward not just Bradley but the people of Bridgeport and the majority minority district he will represent once elected.

The SEEC declined to comment on Bartletts charges or on Bradleys and Hallorans demands the $95,710 grant be released.

So how would Bradley spend that money? He said on voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, and on educating 23rd District residents on why they should vote for him beyond his party affiliation.

If I dont get a chance to message those things, what are (voters) holding me accountable to do? Bradley said.

Give it back

Bradley admitted that perhaps there should be new guidelines placed on the amounts of state money provided candidates in certain districts, depending on the competitiveness of their races. He noted that the clean elections program also helped pay for a 23rd Senate District primary between Rodriguez and Casimir Mizera. Mizera qualified for a $39,410 primary grant, and lost.

We need to revamp how we use that money, Bradley said.

How that would be done is a complicated question.

Cheri Quickmire is executive director of Common Cause, a good-government nonprofit. She supports the clean elections program, but said the problem with placing new limits on the grants is that there are unknowns that the SEEC is unable to predict.

One example, Quickmire said, is whether an outside entity is willing to invest in a candidate. For example, Build CT, funded by pro-charter school advocate and Walmart heiress Alice Walton, spent thousands of dollars in support of Bradleys state Senate bid  money that is separate from the $101,691 Bradley reported spending.

Until we have legislation that changes the rules, independent expenditures can swoop in and drop millions of dollars, Quickmire said.

And, she added, since Connecticut law allows same-day voter registration, a particular candidate who might at first appear to be an underdog could, potentially, suddenly register 100,000 (voters).

Quickmire noted candidates who wind up not needing to spend some of their clean elections money have the option of returning it.

You could give it back at the end, she said. Thats what some people do.
A Drexel University-led research project aimed at studying the health and behavioral effects of medical marijuana use for young adults living in Los Angeles has been renewed for another five years. The project offers a unique opportunity for researchers to track how the state's changing cannabis laws are impacting public health.

California became the first state to establish a medical marijuana program in 1996. In 2013, the National Institutes of Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded the Cannabis, Health, and Young Adults (CHAYA) research project in an effort to better understand the health and social effects of the law. The longitudinal study followed 18 to 26-year-olds - 210 medical cannabis patients and 156 non-patients who used marijuana recreationally - for four years.

Through a series of interviews and surveys, the researchers assessed the study volunteers' drug usage, health and risk behaviors. The project was the first of its kind to look at the habits and health outcomes of medical cannabis use within this age group. One goal was to uncover whether the legalization of medical marijuana led to safer, more controlled use of the drug for patients when compared to non-patient users.

Now, following California's legalization of recreational marijuana use in 2016 and sales in 2018, NIDA has awarded the CHAYA investigators $4.1 million to recruit a new cohort of study volunteers and continue tracking the first group of young adults, some of whom are now ages 25 to 30.

"We'll have four years of data prior to the change in California's cannabis law, and four more years of data following, so we will have a comprehensive picture of how this policy change has affected the health and drug use of young people," said Stephen Lankenau, PhD, a professor at Drexel's Dornsife School of Public Health and the principal investigator of the CHAYA project.

All young adults enrolled in the latest study will participate in four additional follow-up interviews at one-year intervals directed by collaborators Ellen Iverson, and Carolyn Wong, PhD, at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Around 60 of the young adults will participate in three waves of qualitative interviews. A community advisory board comprised of stakeholders in Los Angeles will advise the study investigators on research strategies, findings and implications for policy and practice.

"Once cannabis became legal, a common thought pattern is that everyone is going to use it, and bad things will happen," Lankenau said. "What we're interested in seeing is, how do rates of cannabis use among young people actually change following this legalization? What are the factors that contribute to safer use? Are there experiences that may make some young adults better equipped to use it more safely?"

Lankenau and his colleagues have already published a diverse collection of data from the first four years of the study.

They found, for instance, that the "gateway effect" theory - which purports that the use of cannabis can increase the chances of using harder drugs - did not hold up in this case. Though young adult medical marijuana patients reported significantly greater recent use of the drug than their counterparts who used marijuana for non-medical purposes, the medical marijuana patients misused prescription drugs at lower rates.

Additionally, the researchers found that becoming a medical marijuana user was influenced by a "self-discovery" process for a majority of patients, in which they discovered the medical benefits of cannabis while using the drug recreationally early in adolescence, typically individually or apart from other marijuana users. After they became patients, their interactions with dispensary staff and other patients resulted in more sophisticated medical use of cannabis, such as a better understanding of strains, potency and effects. Finally, the researchers found that medical marijuana patients were significantly more likely to report a range of health conditions and motivations associated with medical use than non-patients. This suggests that young adults' motivations for use were consistent with California's cannabis law at the time of the study.

In this next phase of the study, the investigators plan to continue looking at the over-arching topics of how marijuana laws affect both medical marijuana patients and non-patients, while also zeroing in on more specific questions, such as whether marijuana policies can reduce opioid consumption. They will also observe whether the legalization of marijuana affects the number of users who drive under the influence. Sprawling Los Angeles is a perfect place to observe trend, since most of its young adults or own or drive vehicles. Lankenau and his team also plan to look usage of "high-potency" forms of marijuana, such as edibles, and how those may influence health outcomes.

The research team hypothesizes that legalizing cannabis for personal use will increase cannabis use, other drug use, and risk behaviors among young adult cannabis users, but this increase will vary by patient status (patient vs. non-patient) and orientation towards cannabis use.

"Our long-term goal of the continuing investigation is to inform public policy with study findings on safer and controlled use of cannabis among young adults," Lankenau said.
A new study conducted at Stanford University in California has shown that infants of older fathers are less likely to be healthy at birth, compared with infants of younger fathers.

Image Credit: Tatiana Shepeleva / Shutterstock

The authors say the risks of poorer health remain low, but that the study suggests men should be included in preconception care and the health implications of rising paternal age should be investigated further.

Traditionally, women have been encouraged not to leave having children until their late thirties and forties because of the increased risk to their offspring and themselves. It is widely believed that aging does not carry the same risks for men. However, the current study suggests that paternal age also has an impact.

Few studies have assessed the effect paternal age may have and those that have, have mainly looked at the risk of congenital diseases.

As reported in the BMJ, the Stanford researchers examined data available for 40,529,905 births that took place between 2007 and 2016 for the influence of paternal age on various health outcomes of babies and mothers.

After adjusting for maternal age, maternal smoking status, the number of prenatal visits, race and education, children with fathers aged 45 years or older were born an average of 0.12 weeks earlier than babies with fathers aged 25 to 34 years and were at a 14% greater risk of being born prematurely (at less than 37 weeks.)

The children of fathers aged 45 plus were born an average of 20.2g lighter and were at a 14% greater risk of low birth weight (less than 2500g). Their risk of being admitted to neonatal intensive care was also 14% greater and their risk of having seizures was 18% greater.

In addition, the infants of fathers aged 55 years or more tended to have lower scores on a test of newborns health called the Apgar test.

The study also showed that women carrying the baby of fathers aged 55 plus were at a 34% greater risk of developing gestational diabetes.

The researchers emphasise that this is an observational study, meaning no firm conclusions about cause and affect can be drawn. However, they suggest that changes in the sperm of older fathers could explain the results.

They also stress that the overall risks of the poorer health outcomes is probably still low, but that rising paternal age is associated with a negative health impact on mothers and babies.

A significant number of these negative birth outcomes were estimated to be prevented if older fathers had elected to have children before the age of 45 years. The risks associated with advancing paternal age should be included in discussions regarding family planning and reproductive counselling."

Sources:

Infants of older fathers are more likely to be less healthy at birth.

Association of paternal age with perinatal outcomes between 2007 and 2016 in the United States: population based cohort study. BMJ. 31st October 2018.
Scientists at USC have discovered biomarkers for fetal birth defects in the blood of pregnant women infected with Zika.

Image Credit: Sushitsky Sergey / Shutterstock

This breakthrough finding could result in a diagnostic test to screen fetuses for Zika-associated birth defects whilst still in the womb. This would reassure expectant mothers that their babies are healthy.

The Zika virus is transmitted by the bite of the Aedes species of mosquito. It produces no or very mild symptoms such as low fever.

However, a pregnant woman infected with the virus has a high risk of giving birth to a child with very severe developmental defects.

One such defect is an abnormally reduced fetal head size, called microcephaly. This anomaly became well-known after many babies were born with the defect in Brazil in 2015.

These children sometimes fail to develop normally, being blind, unable to chew, talk or walk, in which case they will require permanent care, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in the USA.

The importance of the current research finding lies in its potential to detect cthe presence of birth defects caused by the virus with clarity, simplicity, and safety during pregnancy.

While ultrasound scans are in routine use during pregnancy, they often fail to show such defects.

On the other hand, magnetic resonance imaging can visualize fetal development at a particular point in time with high resolution, but are not recommended in the first trimester for fear of causing genetic damage to the fetus.

However, says Suan-Sin Foo, the studys first author, "The highest risk of birth defects is from Zika virus infection during the first and second trimester. A prenatal test has the potential to relieve the concerns of many expectant mothers."

For this reason, the present work could be tremendously helpful in screening for Zika-associated anomalies at any stage of pregnancy.

Our findings identified a panel of biomarkers which may potentially be useful in predicting Zika-associated fetal outcomes regardless of pregnancy stages, simply by evaluating the mothers' blood." Weiqiang Chen, Co-first author

Though Aedes mosquitoes have been found in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health says that none are positive for the Zika virus.

However, the US alone has reported 2483 women infected with Zika in pregnancy, resulting in 116 babies with congenital defects caused by the virus, in just the three years since 2015.

The current study used blood samples taken from 30 pregnant women in Brazil with Zika infection and 30 and 14 healthy pregnant women in Brazil and Los Angeles, respectively.

In particular, the pattern of blood chemicals called cytokines, which are released by cells in response to infections and other stresses, was examined. These are important in signaling within and between cells.

The researchers screened these women using a 69-cytokine panel, and found significant differences in 16 cytokines in pregnancies associated with Zika-linked birth abnormalities.

Despite this, they could not identify whether the cytokines identified as abnormal actually caused the birth defects or were part of the bodys response to some other process.

The work could also help understand how these defects are caused by Zika infection.

We still have a lot to learn about how Zika virus affects the immune responses in the mother, and how infection can negatively impact her baby." Suan-Sin Foo, Co-first author

The study was published in the journal Clinical Investigation Insight on November 2, 2018.

It was led by Jae Jung, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology of USC, with other scientists from other countries.
City of Hope, a world-renowned independent cancer research and treatment center, and its affiliate, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), have announced a letter of intent to develop a state-of-the-art cell therapy manufacturing facility in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, a move that would improve the speed at which stem cell research and cancer treatment is delivered.

The Phoenix facility would model City of Hope's three Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facilities in Duarte, California, which have produced well over 1,300 cell and gene therapy products and oncology drugs for many cancer clinical trials across the nation. City of Hope is one of a small number of select cancer centers in the U.S. to provide both biological and chemical GMP manufacturing at a single institution. Its facilities have the ability to produce both gene therapy viruses and cells needed for CAR T therapies.

"City of Hope is dedicated to innovation in biomedical science and has one of the most comprehensive CAR T cell programs in the world with 16 ongoing CAR T clinical trials," said Robert W. Stone, president and chief executive officer of City of Hope as well as vice chairman of the TGen board of directors. "Cancer patients need effective treatments now. City of Hope and TGen are working to quickly move effective therapies from the laboratory to patients' bedside. Additional cGMP facilities will help us expand our capabilities to serve people in Arizona and across the nation."

Demand for clinical cell therapies is expected to grow 42 percent annually over the next decade, according to "Cell Therapy Manufacturing Market." Most cell therapy manufacturing facilities are at capacity or over capacity because demand is outpacing production rates.

"This significant investment further enhances Arizona's reputation as a hub for bioscience and health care innovation," said Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. "Our state offers a strong concentration of talent ready to meet the needs of this facility. The work being conducted by City of Hope and TGen is critical in the fight against cancer, and Arizona is proud to play a role in it."

The planned facility would meet an urgent need of accelerating cures for patients in Arizona, Southern California and elsewhere. The facility would also provide additional opportunities to partner and collaborate with scientists in Arizona, an important objective for TGen, an affiliate of City of Hope.

At this future facility, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, which have demonstrated durable cancer remission in blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, would be among the cells that are produced. The new facility could also support the cell therapy production needs of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies who need this kind of specialized GMP capability to move clinical trial programs forward.

"The road to future cancer cures requires genomic-enabled medicine and the type of immune-system enhancements that would result from this cell therapy manufacturing facility, which will provide local access to new treatments for Arizona patients," said Jeffrey Trent, Ph.D., TGen president and research director. "City of Hope's clinical and manufacturing expertise in immunotherapy is at the forefront of this field, and combined with TGen's genomic testing, offers patients new hope for their future."

The Arizona Commerce Authority will work in partnership with City of Hope and TGen to provide workforce development assistance through its Navigator and local One-Stop programs.

Source: https://www.cityofhope.org/news/city-of-hope-and-tgen-announce-cell-therapy-facility
Researchers of the Neurobiology and Neurophysiology team of the Medicine Faculty at Valencia Catholic University (UCV), headed by Jorge Bacia, have discovered that exosomes - microscopic extracellular vesicles that are released by all cells - from the retinal pigment epithelium lead to cases of neovascularization, a finding which could be closely related to similar processes in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

In this sense, the UCV researchers say that in the future, diseases such as AMD will be diagnosed "analyzing the exosomal content from a blood sample or other biological fluids".

The Medicine Faculty team has published its findings in an article in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Therein, the UCV researchers explain how they observed that "if the pigment epithelium cells in the retina are subjected to stress, they release exosomes that facilitate the generation of new blood vessels, in an analogous way to what happens in AMD." This excessive vessel growth is due to these exosomes containing "a high proportion of the VEGFR-2 protein".

AMD is a disease that causes vision loss and affects elderly people. The disease often becomes apparent with an 'overgrowth' of new blood vessels in this area, "vessels which are fragile and very permeable, creating alterations which lead to spots in central vision". This process specially affects the macula, the retinal area which is responsible for acute vision, "which makes detailed vision more difficult, such as reading".

"Until a few years ago it was thought that the role of these vesicles was to release 'cellular waste' to the exterior. However, nowadays we know that exosomes contain genetic material, proteins and lipids, so they can carry that material intact from one cell to another", explain the UCV researchers.

Therefore, the discovery of exosomes has enabled "huge" progress in fields as diverse as oncology (exosomes play a relevant role in metastases), neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's) and even diseases that cause blindness. It has also been observed that the composition of the exosomes changes depending on their cellular origin and the state of health of the cell.
Guwahati: A bandh, called by the All Assam Bengali Federation, was observed in Tinsukia on Friday against the killing of five people by suspected ULFA militants. Trinamool Congress also took out a state-wide protest march in West Bengal, questioning if the deaths had any links to NRC.

Vehicles were off the roads and shops were closed. No untoward incident was reported till 9 am, police said.

Assam: Women block Dhola-Tinsukia highway & burn tyres in protest in Tinsukia. All Assam Bengali Youth Students Federation has called a 12-hr shutdown in the dist today in protest against murder of 5 people by ULFA terrorists in Bishnoimukh village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge y'day. pic.twitter.com/IOmhEpTx4W ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

Meanwhile, the Assam Police Friday launched a massive combing operation to nab those involved the killing of five people in Tinsukia district Thursday even as the ULFA (Independent) denied its involvement in the attack.

Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia and Additional DGP Mukesh had rushed to Tinsukia to review the law and order situation. A massive combing operation was launched to nab the accused, police said.

All the possible hideouts were being combed and senior officials were directed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to remain alert.

The five people, including three of a family, were killed and two others injured at Kheronibari village under Dholla police station limits while they were playing a game of Ludo at a roadside dhaba, they said.

The police had Thursday expressed suspicion that the ULFA (I) was behind the incident but the organisation denied its involvement.

Publicity Department member of the ULFA(I) Romel Asom in a statement e-mailed to PTI here said, "The ULFA (I) would like to make it clear to all concerned authorities that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident last night."

In view of Thursday night's attack, security has been beefed up in the state with the chief minister directing all deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to remain alert.

Condemning "the killing of innocent people", Sonowal had said, "Strong action will be taken against the perpetrators of this dastardly violence. We will not tolerate such cowardly act."

Water Resource Minister, Keshav Mahanta, and Minister of State for Power, Tapan Gogoi, are in the district to take stock of the situation. Political parties and organisations across the state condemned the killing and demanded that the culprits be immediately nabbed.

(With inputs from PTI)
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Three new grants from Church of the Brethren funds will aid projects in Honduras, Indonesia, and Haiti, responding to disasters and assisting training for farmers.

Two of the grants come from the denominations Emergency Disaster Fund. The most recent provides $18,000 in emergency relief for Honduras, which suffered severe flash flooding in its southern region last month. The Honduras emergency response agency reported that 25,558 people were affected, with nine dying in the floods. The funds will support long-time partner PAG, which is working with churches in Honduras to help provide emergency food, drinking water, and household supplies to the most vulnerable families.

Prior to the storm, a shipping container of supplies was assembled to preposition emergency relief, medical, and agriculture supplies for PAG, including canned chicken provided by the Mid-Atlantic and Southern Pennsylvania districts meat canning committee, hygiene kits from Church World Services, medical supplies gathered by PAG, and some farming equipment. The container left the Port of Baltimore on Oct. 21 and will provide critical supplies for the response.

A grant of $40,000 will aid the Church World Service (CWS) response to the earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Sept. 28. The 7.5-magnitude quake and the resulting 10-foot tsunami waves brought destruction to the city of Palu (pop. 335,000) and surrounding areas. The death toll is at least 2,096, with hundreds still missing and thousands injured. Around 79,000 people have been displaced, and some 330,000 people are left without adequate shelter.

The CWS emergency response team is working in Palu, providing clean water daily to 2,500 people and working to expand the water supply to reach more people. CWS also sent relief items including tarps, rope, sleeping mats, blankets, hygiene supplies for women and babies, and hygiene kits for families. They are working to implement a short-term response program designed to support disaster-affected families in Sigi district, Central Sulawesi, by improving access to water supplies and sanitation facilities, building temporary and transitional shelter, and rebuilding livelihoods through early recovery interventions.

The CWS response is part of a larger ACT Alliance program. CWS is partnering with members of the ACT Alliance Indonesia Forum and the Humanitarian Forum Indonesia.

And a grant of $1,659 from the Global Food Initiative covered costs of an Oct. 21-25 farmer-to-farmer exchange between agronomists/farmers from Haiti who traveled to the Dominican Republic to meet with counterparts. Three agronomists from Eglise des Freres (Church of the Brethren in Haiti)/Haiti Medical Project traveled to the DR, along Eglise des Freres general secretary Romy Telfort. In the DR they traveled with the president of the board of Iglesia de Los Hermanos (Church of the Brethren in the DR), Gustavo Bueno, along with Global Mission worker Jason Hoover and two Dominican farmers. A reverse visit hopefully will be scheduled at a later date to install a drip irrigation system in Haiti.
New Delhi:

As the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections date nears, the two major parties in the state - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress - are making their last ditch effort to grab power in the state, which could be a deciding factor in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.



Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has been in power for the last 13 years, is facing anti-incumbency factor, while the Congress under its new president, Rahul Gandhi, seems quite confident to make a comeback in the state.



On , the BJP announced its first list of 177 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. While Shivraj Singh Chouhan will contest from the Budhni seat, state ministers Narottam Mishra and Yashodhara Raje Scindia will fight from Datia and Shivpuri respectively. The partys Central Election Committee (CEC) had held a meeting at its headquarters in New Delhi on to finalise the names of candidates.



The Congress also held a similar meeting on , but interestingly, it remained inconclusive after party leaders Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia exchanged heated notes in the presence of party chief Rahul Gandhi over distribution of tickets, according to reports.



The situation forced Rahul Gandhi to ask senior party leaders Ahmed Patel, M Veerappa Moily and Ashok Gehlot to sit with the "warring" leaders and resolve the differences.



The Congress, however, denied the reports, saying there was no differences between the two leaders. Later, Digvijaya Singh also denied the report in a tweet. All of us in MP Congress are one and determined to defeat the corrupt BJP Govt in MP, he tweeted.



BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh is all set to go for polling on to elect members of the 230 constituencies. The last date of filing nominations is . The counting of votes will take place on .



Here are the major issues in Madhya Pradesh:



Farmers suicide



Farmers suicide is one of the major political issues in the state. Despite Chouhans claims of farm sector success, official data shows between and mid-February last year, 1,982 farmers and farm labourers committed suicide in Madhya Pradesh which is one-tenth of the 21,000 farmers who have taken their lives in the state in the past 16 years.



The police firing on farmers in Mandsaur on , 2017 is still fresh in voters memory. Six protesters were killed in the police firing, leading to violent protests that spread to neighbouring districts, forcing the Chouhan government to launch the Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY) in , under which registered farmers would be paid the difference between the minimum support price (MSP) and a modal price.



Corruption



Chouhan has been facing corruption allegations for the last several years. The Opposition has been alleging that the state has witnessed the maximum number of corruption cases under the Chouhan government.

Scams like Vyapam (a board which selects candidates for government posts through competitive exams) followed by deaths of witnesses and accused made national headlines. The corruption in Vyapam highlighted the deeper crisis in Madhya Pradeshs education and medical sector.



Drought and water scarcity



Drought in the past two years may hurt the BJP when it comes to rural voters. The water crisis reached severe levels in Jabalpur, Indore, Ujjain, and Sagar divisions in . The government had to declare 13 districts as drought-hit after almost no rains in 31 districts during the 2017 monsoon season.



Unemployment in both urban and rural areas



The unemployment issue continues to plague the Chouhan government. According to the Labour Ministry, Madhya Pradesh had an unemployment rate of 40 per cent in urban areas and 44 per cent in rural areas in 2015-16. The overall unemployment rate was around 43 per cent. Chouhans government has come under fire for lack of job creation.



Education and literacy rate



According to the 2011 census, the literacy rate in Madya Pradesh stood at 70 per cent, which was lower than the national average of 74 per cent.

A CAG report published last year shows the condition of school education in the poll-bound state is dismal. The report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India shows the state has been unable to ensure the implementation of the RTE norms. Also, there has been a significant rate of drop-outs. In five years, the enrolments in elementary education dropped overall by 26.44 lakh or 17%  from 154.24 lakh to 127.80 lakh  between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
New Delhi:

Dhanteras 2018 is upon us and the market for Gold is on its all-time high. If we look at the statistics and records then whoever has invested in Gold 10 years ago then that person would be enjoying a CAGR (Compound annual growth rate) of more than 10 per cent. None of the banks offer that kind of return on their Fixed Deposit (FD) schemes. Not only this, if a person had invested their money on Gold 13 years back, then that person would be enjoying a CAGR return of more than 12 per cent.

If a person would have invested Rs 1 lakh in Gold 10 years ago then the value of the Gold right now would be 2.67 lakh, with 10.35 per cent of CAGR return. But, if this money would have gone to any bank in their FD scheme, then the value now would have been Rs 2.15 lakh. Meaning, a loss of around Rs 50,000.

ALSO READ: Ahead of Diwali, Delhi's Air Quality continues to alarm citizens

And, if the investment on Gold would have been done 13 years ago, then the person would be enjoying a CAGR return of 12.40 per cent. Which means, a return of Rs 4.57 lakh on an investment of Rs 1 lakh on Gold. The same amount in Bank would be now valued at Rs 2.72 lakh.

(Note: The interest of Fixed Deposit (FD) have been counted as an average of 8 per cent)

The president of ShareKhan, Mridul Verma said that investment on Gold is always taken as a safe investment, adding that Gold has never disappointed its investors. It is regarded as a long term investment and early returns should never be considered when investing on Gold.

Rate of Gold in last 13 years on Dhanteras:

30 OCTOBER 2005: Rs 6990 19 OCTOBER 2006: Rs 8728 7 NOVEMBER 2007: Rs 10710 26 OCTOBER 2008: Rs 11915 15 OCTOBER 2009: Rs 15817 3 NOVEMBER 2010: Rs 19625 24 OCTOBER 2011: Rs 26735 11 NOVEMBER 2012: Rs 31588 1 NOVEMBER 2013: Rs 30626 21 OCTOBER 2014: Rs 27458 9 NOVEMBER 2015: Rs 25800 28 OCTOBER 2016: Rs 30049 17 OCTOBER 2017: Rs 29671 1 NOVEMBER 2018: Rs 32860

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New Delhi:

Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon is gearing up for Diwali with a special plan. This Diwali, Kriti's family would fly down to Mumbai from Delhi to celebrate the festival of lights with her, sources close to the actress said. Kriti is all thrilled as she recently got a new house and has been planning to deck up the house to celebrate the festival with her family. And what better time to celebrate the new house than Diwali.



Every Diwali, Kriti joins her family in her hometown Delhi. This year, since her jam-packed work schedule does not allow her to travel, her family will join her in Mumbai.

Also Read | Twitterati compare Thugs Of Hindostan with Pirates Of The Caribbean



"I am in the midst of shooting for my film and it will be difficult to fly to Delhi. So, my parents have planned to come down and it will be our first Diwali puja and celebration together in this house," Kriti was quoted as saying by the sources.



The actress has many fond memories of the festival and eagerly awaits Diwali every year. Kriti is looking forward to celebrate the festival with her parents and the positive vibes the celebrations will bring to her new home.

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Western Pennsylvania became the latest district to pass a policy on same-sex weddings and related issues as delegates gave overwhelming support to a measure while meeting Oct. 20 at Camp Harmony (Hooversville, Pa.).

The Resolution on Biblical Marriage, modeled on similar statements adopted in recent years in Shenandoah District and elsewhere, reaffirms the 1983 Annual Conference statement on homosexuality and affirms that marriage is a God-ordained covenant that can only be entered into by one man and one woman. It says district ministers may only officiate at such marriages and that district properties or congregations may only be used for such marriages. It also says the district will consider for its slate of office only persons who uphold the teachings of the Bible on human sexuality and the Western Pennsylvania Districts affirmations on human sexuality.

An amendment struck a paragraph that had said the district recognizes that conversations about LGBTQ concerns may well continue within the Western Pennsylvania District and that such conversations will not be deemed to violate any district policies.

A similar policy to the one adopted in Western Pennsylvania was rejected by Atlantic Northeast delegates last month, while one was adopted in Northern Ohio this past summer.

The Western Pennsylvania District conference, led by moderator Peter Kaltenbaugh, also consecrated licensed ministers, called Cheryl Marszalek as moderator-designate and elected others to various offices, approved a budget of $162,597, and filled the district van with hygiene kits, school kits, and clean-up buckets for Church World Service.

In other district conference news:
Bengaluru:

Indrajit Lankesh says he will steer clear of adapting his father's literary works and making a film on his sister's life as the filmmaker-journalist believes he would not be able to do justice to them.

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Lankesh is the son of illustrious Kannada writer-journalist P Lankesh and brother of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was assassinated by unknown assailants last year.

"I will not touch my father's books and my sister's biopic. It's very difficult and emotional for me to be able to do justice to them. My father's books are at another level, I can't translate them on celluloid. He was a Sahitya Akademi Award winner and he's also won the National Award for Best Director for Kannada film 'Pallavi' in 1976. The language and essence of his work, I feel, will get lost in a film.

"About Gauri's biopic or documentary, I'm a journalist too and she had an ideology. People are judgemental and people will question me on whatever I do... I know what relationship I had with her. A lot of questions were raised because of the differences in our ideologies," Lankesh told PTI in an interview here.

The filmmaker, who is currently busy wrapping up the "Shakeela" biopic, says till the investigation is over in the murder case, he will refrain from making any comments.

"Right now, I don't know. Maybe after the probe and judgement, I'll make a film. When the killers are nabbed and the verdict is out later, maybe. I'm not even thinking about her as if she's not here.

"I usually don't talk about it. I have told the media that till the time the case is on, I'll not talk about it. I still feel she's somewhere here. And that's the best way how you will not miss her and you stay calm."

Also Read | Shah Rukh Khan fans pool outside Mannat to wish the superstar a very Happy Birthday

Lankesh is helming "Shakeela", featuring Richa Chadha in the title role of the Malayalam adult film star who ruled the South Indian cinema in the 1990s. Pankaj Tripathi is also part of the cast.

The biopic is his Hindi directorial debut and he dubs the film as a pan-Indian project.

"Language is not a matter at all. It's the story. We felt the story had to be told for a bigger audience from a greater stage. So we had to choose Hindi. We are bringing the audiences from the south and the north closer.

"With Richa and Pankaj, we are taking a pan-India approach. We also have Malayalam actor Rajeev Pillai and Esther who has acted in Konkani, Mangalorean and Kannada films. So, we hope to bring India together," he says.

"Bollywood would not have seen this kind of backdrop. The canvas and what we have shown is very different," he adds.

Also Read | This Diwali, Kriti Sanon's family to ring in the festive joy in Mumbai

Lankesh says he is lucky to have actors like Richa and Pankaj.

"Richa is a natural actor and she has taken it to another level. The film now feels even closer to the truth. It would have been incomplete without Pankaj. He came so much prepared on the sets. He is someone who gives lots of inputs and yet keeps the director's brief in mind while performing."

The director says through "Shakeela", the team is trying to tell an honest story without glorifying or demonising the real woman, who is still active in the film industry.

"We live in a judgemental society. People badmouth about such movies and yet watch 'Shakeela films'. Why else would a film with a budget of say, Rs 8-10 lakhs go on to collect Rs 50 crores? They still call her a porn star or an adult film star. And her films do well. The distributors and producers are happy. End of the day we brand her a porn star. This is hypocrisy at its best.

Also Read | Twitterati compare Thugs Of Hindostan with Pirates Of The Caribbean

"We are not trying to project her holier than thou. As a director, I'm aware that she's made mistakes but in what circumstances she has made those mistakes is a question," he says.

The film is slated to release in 2019.
New Delhi:

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Thursday alleged that the successive governments in the state, where corruption and nepotism were at their peak, do not make an optimal use of the assistance provided by the Centre.

Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir: BJP state secretary Anil Parihar shot dead in Kishtwar; Amit Shah condemns killing

Malik was addressing a lecture at Patna University where he stated that Pakistan has no role to play in Kashmir and weighed that no talks will be held with those who intend to make a party with neighbouring country  an oblique reference to separatist groups.

The Governor said, The Centre has been generously doling out funds for the development of Jammu and Kashmir, which is essential to bring about peace in the state. But those at the helm of affairs in the state have never been up to the mark. The twin evils of corruption and nepotism are at their peak in Jammu and Kashmir."

Before taking up the gubernatorial assignment in the communally sensitive northern state, Malik served as the Governor of Bihar.

Also Read | Sridevi's English Vinglish sister Sujata Kumar dies after cancer battle

"Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan has no role to play in any problem that concerns the state. And, we cannot deal with anybody who seeks to make Pakistan a party in matters relating to Jammu and Kashmir," he added.

He admitted that when he was offered to serve as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, he was anxious, as he was entering a state amid political turmoil, which followed the resignation of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and imposition of Governors Rule.

However, Malik took it as a challenge that was worth accepting and enjoying.

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New Delhi:

After a senior BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother, Ajeet Parihar, were shot dead by militants in the communally-sensitive Kishtwar on Thursday night, angry civilians have staged protests on Friday against officials and started manhandling senior police personnel. Jammu and Kashmir officials imposed a curfew and called for the Army to control raging protests.

Also Read | Maoists on Dantewada ambush: No intention of targeting media

BJP state secretary Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother Ajeet, 55, were killed when they were returning home from their shop. The assailants fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house. According to the sources, they were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them. As soon as they were rushed to a hospital, the doctor declared them dead.

Immediately after the attack, people started assembling outside the Parihar residence and denied the entry of any senior police officers. The mourners protested against handing over the body to police and even stopped them from collecting evidence from the crime scene, Parihar Mohalla.

Kishtwar district magistrate A S Rana had to request to call out the Army in the town and adjoining areas to take the internal security situation under control. The decision was taken to protect the endangered life and property of citizens of Kishtwar town.

Also Read | Bofors Case: Supreme Court to hear CBI plea against Delhi HC decision today

Police announced the curfew in Kishtwar, Doda and Baderwah, besides imposing prohibitory orders, banning assembly of more than four people in Ramban, Banihal, Poonch, Kathua, Rajouri and upper reaches of Gool Gulabgarh.

Talking about Parihar's political career, he contested the 2008 Assembly Elections on the ticket of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party and bagged the Kishtwar constituency.

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain the CBI plea filed against Delhi High Court's decision in the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case.

Early this year, CBI filed an appeal against the Delhi High Court decision repressing charges against all the accused. A bench consisting of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice K M Joseph were dealing with the 13-year delayed appeal.

The CBI filed an appeal on February 2, 2018, against the May 31, 2005, Delhi High Court verdict.

Read | Hemant Gupta, Ajay Rastogi among four new Supreme Court judges sworn in today

BJP leader and advocate Ajay Agrawal has been pursuing this case for over a decade since he filed an appeal in the Supreme Court in 2005 after the CBI failed to challenge the high courts order within a mandatory period of 90 days.

The Rs 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army was entered into on March 24, 1986.

Here are the Highlights from the SC hearing:

The Supreme Court will hear the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case in which CBI filed an appeal, earlier this year, against the Delhi High Court decision repressing charges against all the accused. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice K M Joseph will hear the 13-year delayed appeal. CBI filed an appeal on February 2, 2018, against the May 31, 2005, Delhi High Court verdict. BJP leader and advocate Ajay Agrawal has been pursuing this case for over decade since he filed an appeal in the Supreme Court in 2005, after the CBI failed to challenge the high courts order within a mandatory period of 90 days. The Rs 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army was entered into on March 24, 1986.

12:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The apex court said that it is not convinced with CBI's grounds on delay in filing the appeal against HC verdict discharging Hinduja brothers in Bofors case

12:27 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In SC dismisses CBI's appeal against high court verdict discharging Hinduja brothers in Bofors case



Supreme Court refuses to entertain the appeal filed by the CBI in Bofors case pic.twitter.com/0GbAUIVz3P

 ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018



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New Delhi:

After the killing of two policemen and a Doordarshan cameraman in a Maoist attack in Dantewada Tuesday, Maoists on Friday released a statement saying DD Cameraman Achutyanand Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and they had no intention of targeting the media.

Also Read | Bofors Case: Supreme Court to hear CBI plea against Delhi HC decision today

Naxals release a statement on Dantewada attack, saying 'DD Cameraman Achutyanand Sahu was killed after being caught in the ambush and we had no intention of targeting the media.' pic.twitter.com/bAoEQ8ScaS  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

The murder incident took place in a forest area near Nilawaya village around 11 am on October 30, when the Maoists ambushed a squad of local police which was carrying out patrolling on motorcycles from Sameli camp towards Nilawaya, deputy inspector general (anti-Naxal operations) Sundarraj said. During the encounter, two policemen and DD camera person Achutyanand were killed and two others were injured.

A three-member team of Doordarshan was travelling for election-related news coverage when it was caught in the cross-fire. Sub-inspector Rudra Pratap Singh, assistant constable Mangalu and DD News Cameraman Achyutanand Sahu were killed in the attack, Sundarraj said.Sahu had come from New Delhi for the election coverage.

Also Read | Shah Rukh Khan fans pool outside Mannat to wish the superstar a very Happy Birthday

Other two members of the DD team, including a journalist, were safe, the officer said. Constable Vishnu Netam and assistant constable Rakesh Kaushal sustained injuries in the gunfight, he added.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore condemned the attack and said the insurgents won't be able to weaken the government resolve.

"Strongly condemn the Naxal attack on @DDNewsLive crew in Dantewada. Deeply saddened by the demise of our cameramanAchyuta Nanda Sahu and two jawans of @crpfindia. These insurgents will NOT weaken our resolve. We WILL prevail," the minister tweeted.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ram Singh said: Naxals never stop from executing their act of cowardice. As soon as elections approach, they do something to affect them. Their goal is to spread terror but we won't to be scared.

Also Read | Senior Congress leaders to sort out differences over allotment of tickets in Madhya Pradesh

The special director general of police (Anti-Naxal operations) DM Awasthi said the attack was not related to the upcoming elections.

Today's ambush was to target the road construction work in Dantewada's Aranpur. Naxals had warned against causing harm if the road construction work continued. More anti-Naxal operations will be conducted in the coming days, Awasthi added.

The assembly election will be held in Chhattisgarh in two phases - November 12 and November 20. The Maoist-affected districts of southern Chhattisgarh will vote in the first phase of polling.

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New Delhi:

With the recent spat within the Madhya Pradesh Congress between former chief minister Digvijaya Singh and former Union minister in the erstwhile UPA government Jyotiraditya Scindia in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi the chinks in the party armour stand exposed.

The fangs of intense infighting have often stood the Congress in poor stead but there was a new-found determination among the top leaders that this time they would not fall prey to infighting and factionalism.

Seeing no room for compromise between the two senior leaders of the state Congress, Rahul Gandhi set up a three-member committee with Ashok Gehlot, Veerappa Moily and Ahmed Patel tasked to resolve the Digvijaya-Scindia tangle. With that, the cat is out of the bag and the spat is the talk of Madhya Pradesh.

Read Opinion | Tamil Nadu appears set for another political turmoil

There was indeed a glimmer of hope that the perceptible feeling of anti-incumbency among the people could take toll on the Shivraj Singh Chauhan government which has been in the saddle for a decade-and-half.

As things stand, however, the BJP may well retain power in MP with the principal leaders under-cutting each other. While Digvijaya and Scindia were seen sniping at each other at the election cell meeting in Bhopal to give final shape to the list of candidates contesting the impending Assembly elections, there are also reports that the third heavyweight in the partys electoral battle, Kamal Nath, who rose decades ago as a protege of Sanjay Gandhi, is unhappy with Rahul Gandhis manifest promotion of Scindia.

The contrast with the BJP is all too glaring because there is cohesion within that party and Chauhans candidacy as chief minister for another term is virtually without a challenge from within. That being the case, Shivraj Singh Chauhan looks taller than he is in terms of his governance standards.

Read More Opinion | CBI versus CBI and the 2019 elections

The BJP, which a couple of months ago, looked down and out is today seeming to have bounced back and is being favoured for a win by bookies and opinion pollsters alike.

BJP cadres are indeed waiting for Prime Minister Modis blitzkrieg campaigning to add further impetus to the party and iron out some of the creases. There are sections of society that are angry with the BJP, including farmers and small-scale traders, who are waiting to teach the BJP a lesson.

Read More Opinion | Look before you leap into higher learning destinations

The real bone of contention within the Congress is who would be chief minister if the Congress were to come to power. That all the bigwigs are on their own ego trips and there is no love lost between them even as they profess unity is a hard reality of the times which the Congress is finding difficult to reconcile to.

What has gone against Digvijaya primarily is his tendency to shoot his mouth off. The manner in which he so brazenly played the Muslim card while he was in favour with the powers-that-be in the party proved a liability for the BJP and alienated a section of Hindus, it is now deemed.

The party has not forgiven Digvijaya for the loss of Goa to the BJP when he, as the Central leader in-charge of that state, did not manoeuvre to catapult it to power despite the Congress having won more seats than the BJP in the state elections. That the BJP eventually formed the government is blamed on Digvijaya.

Now that Rahul Gandhi is on a drive to cultivate a pro-Hindu image by visiting temples across the country and professing that he is a Shiv-bhakt, he is apparently keen not to rekindle the ire against Digvijaya for his pro-minorities stance in the past to the detriment of Hindus.

Jyotiraditya Scindia is doubtlessly the favoured one in the good books of Rahul but that has raised the ire of Kamal Nath who sees himself as senior and exalted and one who has for long been unjustifiably denied the chief ministerial mantle.

Indeed, the battle for supremacy within the MP Congress goes on with characteristic cut-throatism with deleterious effects on the electoral prospects in the upcoming elections.
New Delhi:

The United States on Friday decided to exempt eight countries, including India, from new Iran oil sanctions, said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He said the exemptions would be temporary. The Donald Trump administration also announced the return of all US sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

The US is to issue temporary exemption to eight "jurisdictions" from Iranian sanctions recognising their significant reduction in imports of oil from Iran. The names of the jurisdictions would be released on Monday, Pompeo said.

India, which is the second biggest purchaser of Iranian oil after China, is willing to restrict its monthly purchase to 1.25 million tonnes or 15 million tonnes in a year (300,000 barrels per day), down from 22.6 million tonnes (452,000 barrels per day) bought in 2017-18 financial year, sources in New Delhi said.

In May, US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark nuclear the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) terming it as disastrous". Under the Obama-era deal, involving five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany, Iran agreed to stop its nuclear programme in exchange of relief from economic sanctions.

After the US' withdrawal from the deal, Trump signed fresh sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with Tehran on its controversial nuclear weapons programme.

"The United States is in the midst of an internal process to consider significant reduction exceptions for individual countries, but that is only on a case-by-case basis," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Paladino said on Thursday. He was responding to questions on the news reports from South Korea and India that they are getting waivers from the US on the punitive Iranian sanctions.

Eight nations among Irans biggest customers are China, India, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Greece and Italy.

Irans biggest oil customers - all in Asia - have been seeking sanctions waivers to allow them to continue buying some of its oil and have argued that a total ban would spur a further rally in the price of crude.

The United States has vowed to end all sales of Iranian oil, the country's crucial export, as well as international banking transactions, snapping back sanctions lifted by Trump's predecessor as US president, Barack Obama.

(With agency inputs)

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BUCKS COUNTY >> State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10), along with state Representative Shelby Labs (R-143) have announced the award of $686,000 in Commonwealth funds for the expansion of a multi-use trail originating in Central Park in Doylestown Township. The lawmakers also announced a $450,000 grant to Plumstead Township for pedestrian improvements on Old Easton Road and Route 611 and $50,000...
Neil Young spilled the beans.

The 72-year-old musician revealed he's married to actress Daryl Hannah, 57, in an online post encouraging people to vote and featuring his new video for the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young classic "Ohio."

In the message on Young's personal site, he refers to Hannah as "my wife."

Young has been in a relationship with the "Splash" actress since 2014, and rumors have circulated for months the coupled tied the knot in a small ceremony, but neither publicly confirmed this.

MORE: Bay Area rock legend Neil Young on Trump: 'He has no balls'

Prior to Hannah, Young was married to Pegi Young for 36 years and the two lived together in the Bay Area for many years. The couple divorced in 2014.
In August as OsteoStrong set about establishing its first studio in Greenwich to help people avoid the effects of osteoporosis, the programs inventor Dr. John Jaquish recollected to Hearst Connecticut Media how in researching the disease as he sought ways to help his own mother after her diagnosis, he came to learn that gymnasts have higher bone density than the general population.

The takeaway? The high-impact forces that gymnasts generate in their training represent a cure of sorts for bone mass loss as a result of osteoporosis  and Jaquish is now bringing that osteogenic loading concept to the masses via his machines that remove the injury risks that confront gymnasts.

There are ... studies since the 1970s proving that osteogenic loading builds bone, Jaquish said. There had just never been a safe way to apply this high-impact type of stimulus.

OsteoStrong held its formal Greenwich opening in mid-September at 126 E. Putnam Ave., with another slated in a few weeks time at the Goodwives Shopping Center on the Old Post Road in Darien.

Local co-owners Allan Grossmann, Wesley Peixoto and Christine Moffatt secured four franchises this year for Fairfield County and Westchester County, N.Y., with the partners considering an additional Fairfield County location, possibly Westport or Ridgefield.

Grossmann and Peixoto met as Brazilian expatriates working in the area, with Grossmann having ample corporate experience in finance and strategy and looking for an investment opportunity and Peixoto hearing about OsteoStrong through an event featuring the motivational speaker Tony Robbins, who is an OsteoStrong backer.

Im a skeptical guy  a numbers guy.  I said, let me see the data, Grossmann said. We started our due diligence and we started talking to other franchisees around the country, there were about 30 or 40, and the first thing that got my attention is that every one of them were happy. We spoke to people who had 300 members in their center, and we spoke to people who had 40 members in their center  (and) they were happy.

OsteoStrong is based in Houston and was created by Jaquish as a way to help his mother ward off osteoporosis, a condition which causes the loss of bone mass that can lead to other health problems.

Under a theory called osteogenic loading, Jaquish created weight resistance machines that to the naked eye do not appear radically different from those at fitness centers, but which are designed for people to work with higher levels of weight in short intervals, with comparatively minimal risk of injury. That is the key to building bone mass under the precepts of osteogenic loading, with the OsteoStrong program requiring only 10 minutes after an hour introductory session to go over the concepts and techniques.

In addition to bone strength, the program builds muscle density and healthier tendons and ligaments, with benefits for posture, joints and overall balance. OsteoStrong originally geared the studios toward physicians and chiropractors before embracing all comers, as the programs benefits as part of an overall fitness regimen became apparent.

These are small locations that have the energy of a gym, but with the professionalism of a medical practice, Jaquish said in August. Very non-intimidating  its a pleasant experience, ... a spa-like experience.

OsteoStrong has been offering free trial sessions in Greenwich, with the regular program costing about $200 monthly for scheduled, supervised sessions each week, with additional services extra. Information is online at www.osteostrong.me or by calling 203-900-1661.

Weve had people coming in from a really wide range of areas  its been really interesting, Moffatt said. Theres an epidemic of osteoporosis and bone density issues.  We want to be able to bring this kind of information to our community; we want to be a resource.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
UB School of Law Mitchell Lecture to address power and varying forms of capitalism in society

John Braithwaite is one of the worlds greatest scholars of regulation and governance. For 40 years he has consistently led the way in understanding and improving how societies channel behavior toward the broader public good. 

BUFFALO, N.Y.  Today different kinds of capitalisms operate within one set of borders, and global connections exist among them. Liberal capitalisms take advantage of the absence of environmental and labor protections in authoritarian capitalist societies for factory production. Non-authoritarian capitalisms exploit internal authoritarian capitalisms particularly in their service sectors, as in the exploitation of illegal immigrants and human trafficking of sex workers.

The challenge of tempering power in a world of variegated capitalisms is the topic of the Fall 2018 Mitchell Lecture to be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9, in the Charles B. Sears Law Library in OBrian Hall on the UB North Campus. The event, titled Tempered Power, Variegated Capitalism, Law and Society, is sponsored by the University at Buffalo School of Law.

The lecture features John Braithwaite, distinguished professor at Australian National Universitys School of Regulation and Global Governance, and co-founder of RegNet, a community of interdisciplinary scholars united by an interest in governance and regulation.

John Braithwaite is one of the worlds greatest scholars of regulation and governance, says Errol Meidinger, professor of law and director of UBs Baldy Center for Law & Social Policy. For 40 years he has consistently led the way in understanding and improving how societies channel behavior toward the broader public good.

In this path-breaking presentation, he will address the challenges of doing so in a world of variegated capitalism  i.e., one in which the fundamental economic structures to be dealt with vary greatly among sectors and fields, both within and among societies. I am confident he will do so in clear, accessible language that will also be a feast of rich, fruitful ideas.

Braithwaite is a former trustee of the Law and Society Association. He has worked with many national governments and the United Nations on topics such as peacebuilding, crime and business regulation, and formulating responsive regulatory theory and restorative justice. Active in social movement politics, his most recent book is Cascades of Violence: War, Crime and Peacebuilding in South Asia (2018 ANU Press, with Bina D'Costa).

Mitchell Lecture presentations are free and open to the public. Further information is available at www.law.buffalo.edu/mitchell.

More about the Mitchell Lecture:

The Mitchell Lecture Series, the law schools signature lecture series, was endowed in 1950 by a gift from Lavinia A. Mitchell, in memory of her husband, James McCormick Mitchell. An 1897 graduate of the Buffalo Law School, Mitchell later served as chairman of the Council of the University of Buffalo, which was then a private university.

Justice Robert H. Jackson delivered the first Mitchell Lecture in 1951, titled "Wartime Security and Liberty Under Law." The lecture was published that year in the first issue of the Buffalo Law Review.

Other speakers have included C. Edwin Baker, Derrick Bell, Barry Cushman, Carol Gilligan, Elizabeth Holtzman, Irene Zubaida Khan, Stewart Macaulay, Catharine MacKinnon, Carrie Menkel-Meadow, John Payton, Richard Posner, Hon. James Robertson and Clyde Summers.
I believe in human rights. I believe in celebrating diversities of age, gender, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, and every profile under the sun. I believe in volunteering in the community. I believe in our country.

I believe in enjoying and protecting the sun, the moon, the stars, the ocean, the land and all of creation. I believe in animals and their right to be cuddled, not abused.

I believe life is grand at some points and very challenging at others. I believe in a lot of things.

I also believe in history. My history has been significantly influenced by attending St. James Episcopal Church of Danbury and by serving as the president of the Association of Religious Communities (ARC).

Ive been influenced greatly by the Rectors and Assistants at St. James, Rev. Michael Coburn and Rev. Ann Coburn, Rev. Laura Ahrens, Rev. Iris Peterson, Rev. Joseph Krasinski, and at ARC, Rev. P. J. Leopold. Ive been influenced by messages of sermons and the songs of choirs in our church sanctuary.

Ive been influenced by prayer meetings in small rooms and by board meetings in big rooms. In addition to those influences shared in official public places, my beliefs have also been guided by interesting people I have simply bumped into  in hallways, cafeterias, coffee shops, or the local diner.

I believe all people of good faith hold good principles. And that most principled people try to practice what they preach. But for all our good intentions and holy practices, I come back to the question Rodney King once asked, Cant we all just get along?

History has also taught me that beliefs evolve. People once believed the world was flat. People once believed children should be seen but not heard.

In the Episcopal Church, people once believed only men could be ordained. In our country, people once believed only men could serve in public office or be on the Supreme Court. Im glad those things have changed.

In our personal lives, individuals and families reach tipping points. Lives change when we get married, divorced, have a child, or suffer a loss.

Societies also have tipping points. Peace gives way to war and vice versa; war gives way to peace. Where in days gone by women lacked basic civil rights, now we see an unprecedented number of women running for public office.

History causes me to rejoice whenever there is progress.

I believe there is still much progress to be made, especially in our politically divided nation. For instance, if I were to meet you and say the word Trump, I wonder how you would react? If we were to meet and I were to say the word Kavanaugh, I wonder if that would be a conversation spoiler.

I pray for the return of civility. It was once possible. I believe we can get there again. I believe we must.

I believe we can no longer afford to speak just in terms of my faith or my heritage. Because I believe we are all part of one human family. That includes voters too. Whether we identify with blue or red, we need to be able to speak factually. And civilly.

I believe we owe it to God our Creator to strive for unity. We owe it to one another to be able to tolerate different beliefs, and to listen to one another in a respectful manner.

I believe in history, and in learning from it.

I am grateful that God has so graciously given us days, years, and even centuries to get things right with one another. I look forward to being able to answer Rodney Kings Cant we all just get along? question with a Yes.

I look forward to ARCs Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19, at the Danbury United Methodist Church on Clapboard Ridge Road. I hope to see you there, because I believe this years theme is especially appropriate at this point in history: Imagining Civility.

Joseph Walkovich is warden at St. James Episcopal Church of Danbury and board president for the Association of Religious Communities (ARC). He can be reached at walkovich2000j@aol.com.
Monkey see, monkey do  these monkeys are getting a new home at Connecticuts Beardsley Zoo!

Questionably rhyming couplets aside, it is true that the zoo will break ground Thursday on a spacious indoor/outdoor habitat for a troop of Black-handed Spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi geoffroyi), arriving at the zoo in spring, 2019. Native to the tropical forests of Central and South America, the Spider monkeys will join the Zoos family of animals when their habitat is complete.
DANBURY  The future of the United States will look a lot like the Danbury of today, expert demographer Ken Gronbach declared Friday morning.

The population is increasing across the board and its becoming ever more diverse, just as Danburys population has ballooned, blossoming into one of the most diverse cities in Connecticut and one of the few still growing.

Danbury is very, very healthy, Gronbach told members of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce gathered for their annual meeting at the Amber Room Colonnade. From the beginning of time, your population just keeps on going up.

You have a lot of foreign-born people  a ton, he continued. You are basically, in terms of diversity, where the United States will be in 2045. Youre way ahead of your time and thats a good thing, folks, because you seem to have done very, very well with that.

In an increasingly partisan political culture in which immigration is a sharply divisive issue, Gronbach argues immigrants actually are the countrys  and Danburys  economic salvation.

He points to Generation X, which is significantly smaller than both the Baby Boomers who preceded them and the Generation Y that followed. That population lull could have had devastating consequences to the economy, with a smaller market for goods and labor, but it was backfilled by immigrants who arrived here and started their own families.

The percentage of people who identify as foreign-born is about 13 percent nationwide and 14 percent in Connecticut. But in Danbury, the number jumps to about 30 percent, according to Gronbachs research.

Just over half of Danbury residents identify as white, while nearly one-third of residents today identify as Hispanic or Latino. That reflects federal project population trends for the entire country over the next 20 years.

Without Latinos, we dont have a country in 50 years, he said. We dont have enough people. My advice is to go find a Latino, kiss them on the lips and thank them for coming.

Gronbachs wide-ranging and often comical presentation covered a slew of issues and argued that business leaders and chamber members need to pay more attention to demographics succeed financially.

But Gronbach also pointed out that only a few of the hundreds of faces in the audience were people of color and emphasized that is another problem their businesses must overcome for the changing future.

You should have 30 percent of you here being Latinos, but you have what, four or five? he said. Folks, lose the white bubble. This is not honky heaven. Lose the white bubble because its over ... Next time I come here, I want to see more color.

Many attendees nodded along and more than one thanked Gronbach after the presentation for the push.

Danbury is the future, I believe that as you dig into this stuff, Mayor Mark Boughton said after the meeting. Im bullish on Connecticut exactly because of these things.

Boughton was surprised by Gronbachs emphasis that the country actually faces a housing shortage as young Millennials grow up and out of their parents homes, despite the reverberations of the housing crisis a decade ago.

That gap between the smaller Generation X and a growing younger population is also the cause of Connecticuts ongoing budget woes, Gronbach noted.

What is Connecticuts unsolved money problem: We dont have enough heavy-lifter taxpayers, 40 to 60 years old, he said. A small population is passing through that right now. We made all of our obligations when we had a large population of taxpayers and now we dont.

Gronbach and local leaders agreed that means the future is bright for Connecticut and the opportunities ripe for Danbury now.

We are so well positioned demographically, dont worry about the president, Gronbach said. The republic is bigger than the presidency, the republic is bigger than the government  We have a wonderful, wonderful future.

zach.murdock@hearstmediact.com
Who doesn't love free food? Or better yet, free money?

It's the best.

People from around the world came together on Reddit to share stories of the most victorious times they gamed the system and scored.

It started with the question, "What is the best loophole you've ever found?"

The Reddit thread garnered more than 16,000 comments in a day.

One Redditor bragged about a fast food conquest: "Back in the day, two 5-piece chicken nuggets at Burger King cost less than a single 8-piece chicken nuggets. Me and those two extra nuggets were laughing all the way to the piggy bank."

Others explained how they got around school dress codes or won free international vacations.

We collected some of the best and funniest answers in the slideshow above. Click through for some clever loopholes.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at amartichoux@sfchronicle.com.

Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.
Neil Chatterjee, the new chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, has pledged to keep politics out of the agency's decisions, including high-profile issues about whether to prop up coal and nuclear plants that have been beset by competition from renewables and natural gas.

Chatterjee told reporters Wednesday he has a different outlook since he first joined the commission thanks to the influence of the outgoing chairman Kevin McIntyre, who gave up the chairman's role last week citing severe health problems. McIntyre was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the summer of 2017.

Chatterjee had been a top aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., before joining the commission as acting chairman in 2017 and he was openly sympathetic to President Donald Trump and the Energy Department's plan to aide ailing coal and nuclear plants and prevent them from shutting down. Trump has vowed to do something and one of the president's biggest contributors, coal tycoon Robert Murray, has lobbied hard for a change.

However, the five-member commission voted unanimously to reject the Energy Department's first plan, and it now anticipates a new plan. It is also conducting a study of reliability and resilience of the electricity grid, two factors the Energy Secretary Rick Perry's team cited in its initial effort. Thousands of individuals, environmental groups, corporations and others have filed comments to the commission.

"When I first came to the commission last fall, coming from a partisan legislative role in which I worked on behalf of my boss to fight against the retirement of coal-fired generation. . . you know initially I was sympathetic to Secretary Perry' s proposal because of my concern for these rural communities, because of my concern about what the retirement of nuclear units might mean for mitigating carbon emissions," Chatterjee said Wednesday in a briefing for reporters at FERC's offices.

"But as I evolved into the role, I recognize that is not part of our record. That doesn't figure into the statute that governs us."

Chatterjee added: "I had to make a decision based on the record before us" and that any ruling by the commission would have to be grounded in that record.

FERC has been in the spotlight an unusual amount over the past year, not only because of the issue of subsidizing coal and nuclear plants but also because its approval is needed for the construction of interstate natural gas pipelines and for liquefied natural gas export terminals. Moreover, while a key regulatory agency for pipelines and electricity grids that cross state borders, FERC must come to grips with local and state initiatives in many places to boost solar and wind power generation.

The commission is currently down to just four members, divided equally between Democrats and Republicans. Many issues could end in deadlock, which would prevent those issues from moving forward.

Trump has nominated Bernard McNamee to fill the empty slot, but he awaits confirmation by the Senate. Currently working as a political appointee at the Energy Department, McNamee had defended the department's initial plan to subsidy coal and nuclear energy in front of the Senate.

Chatterjee said he would try to move ahead without waiting for McNamee. "There's just too much on our plates to wait for the unpredictable Senate confirmation process," he said.

The commission is also examining cybersecurity issues, something Chatterjee said he was working on closely with Democratic commissioner Richard Glick.

When Chatterjee voted against the DOE's proposal to aide coal and nuclear, he said that the "proceeding speaks to the prudence of considering, as soon as practicable, whether interim measures may be needed to avoid near-term bulk power system resilience challenges that could result from the rapid, unprecedented changes in our generation resource mix."

But he said that the issues seemed more complicated now.

"For me the complexity of these questions weigh heavily on me," he said. "Because I am very pro-market, I also believe fundamentally in state rights and the ability for states to make local decisions about their energy futures. The reality is that these two constructs that I believe in my core are colliding right now. States are taking actions regarding their local generation mix that are having a broader impact on competitive markets."

The former McConnell aide repeatedly praised McIntyre. A fellow Republican and former Jones Day lawyer who had done a lot of work before FERC on behalf of corporations prior to becoming chairman, McIntyre publicly differed from Trump administration officials who suggested declaring a state of emergency to help protect coal and nuclear plants.

"He could not be more strenuous in saying that politics should not be allowed to interfere with the work of the commission," Chatterjee said, "and that has really helped me grow in my role as I've made the transition from formerly partisan legislative aide to independent regulator."
Accommodation that helps homeless people take their first steps towards independence has been refurbished thanks to charitable donations.

The Winchester Churches Nightshelter supports up to 200 people facing homelessness each year. Within it is a move-on accommodation called Bens House which is a halfway house for residents who are ready to leave the shelter.

It was named after Ben Blyth, an ex-Nightshelter resident who died in 2010 aged 33. Blyth suffered from a mental health condition and spent many months living homeless in Winchester, where received support from local agencies.

Bens House was recently refurbished with the help of patrons of CRASH, a charity that provides construction services to homelessness charities and hospices.

Arcadis, British Gypsum, Dulux Trade and Knauf Insulation donated their professional expertise and building materials, enabling the Nightshelter to refurbish Bens House and convert a disused garage onsite into a much needed private space for support work. CRASH also added a grant of 5,000, bringing the total value of support to 8,205.

Michele Price, the Nightshelters Manager, said: We have always had in mind that the new rental house should feel like a home for our tenants.

We want them to feel comfortable, safe and secure, so that they can have the best possible start to their experience of independent living after being at the Nightshelter.

CRASH has been instrumental in making this happen  without their support, the project would not have launched as successfully as it has.

Pictured: Former Nightshelter residents (far left and far right) celebrate the launch of Bens House with members of Ben Blyths family.
In his first term as a U.S. Senator, Chris Murphy has become the passionate, steadfast voice for common sense gun violence prevention.

He filibustered for nearly 15 hours on the Senate floor three years ago after the Orlando shootings to force a vote on gun safety measures. He spoke out immediately after the Parkland high school shootings in February. He speaks with an authenticity forged from the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy of Dec. 14, 2012.

Though his rage and frustration are barely contained, he has been able to work effectively with Republican colleagues  earlier this year he and John Coryn, R-Texas, successfully ushered the Fix NICS Act to strengthen background checks on gun purchases.

While gun violence prevention has defined Murphy, he is not a sole-issue candidate. He has been active in writing bills to help Connecticuts economy, fight the opioid epidemic, and strengthen national security.

He co-wrote, with a Republican lawmaker, the Mental Health Reform Act, which was signed into law, and requires insurers to treat mental illness the same as any other physical illness. This resulted in millions of new funding to Connecticut for mental health programs.

Murphy has long been a proponent of Buy American policies, and after taking office President Trump adopted two of his proposals.

His seats on the Senate Appropriations Committee, its Transportation subcommittee, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee enable him to work on legislation important to Connecticut. For example, he procured $88 million this year to protect Long Island Sound; he wrote the Students Before Profits Act to strengthen oversight of for-profit colleges; he successfully led the effort to reinstate funding for the Senior Community Service Employment Program, aimed at low-income or unemployed older citizens.

Murphys experience as a state Representative, state Senator, and then congressman representing the 5th District before his election to the U.S. Senate six years ago, have informed his understanding of the states needs.

He actively tries to find out what constituents think and want. His walks across the state ground him in what he calls the kitchen table issues. Three years ago he started a project called Fed Up to collect stories about transportation problems and sent them to the federal administration.

Matt Corey, a Hartford-area businessman, is the Republican challenger. With a high-rise window washing business, he said he knows what its like to meet payroll. He supports vocational training and believes, rightly, that people are worried about jobs and property values. But he thinks the minimum wage is not supposed to be a living wage; its part of the learning process. For too many, thats not reality.

Coreys political experience is twice challenging, unsuccessfully, First District Congressman John Larsen.

Connecticut needs a strong antidote to the Trump administration, someone who can accomplish meaningful bipartisan legislation in an otherwise divisive time.

Chris Murphy is exactly right for Connecticut. We endorse him for a second term in the U.S. Senate.
This appeared online in Friday's Washington Post.

The most important question in the case of Jamal Khashoggi is whether Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, will be held accountable for what his regime acknowledges was a premeditated act of murder. Much of the available evidence points to the prince. We cannot find a Middle East expert who believes the official story that the 15-member assassination team sent to Istanbul, including five probable members of the prince's security detail, was a rogue operation.

Yet the regime is engaged in a determined stonewalling operation to protect the 33-year-old crown prince, who stands to inherit the throne from his father and become the absolute ruler of one of the world's largest oil producers, potentially for decades. He has the support of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sissi - another dictator who has killed peaceful opponents - and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Post reporting, Sissi and MNetanyahu have lobbied the White House not to punish Mohammed bin Salman.

On the other side of the discussion is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is understandably outraged that Saudi Arabia would have used its consulate in Istanbul to slaughter a Post contributing columnist who was engaged to marry a Turkish citizen. In a Post op-ed posted online Friday, Erdogan rightly says that had the murder happened in Washington, U.S. officials would insist on getting "to the bottom" of what happened.

Yet the Trump administration appears to be cooperating with Riyadh in protecting Mohammed bin Salman. It has not announced its conclusions about the murder, even though Turkish authorities shared their evidence - including an audio recording of Khashoggi's final moments - with CIA Director Gina Haspel. It has taken no punitive action, other than suspending travel privileges for the low-level suspects the Saudis have rounded up. Like the Saudi regime, the White House and State Department have gone silent about the Khashoggi case - in the evident hope that demands for justice will fade.

Like his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts, Erdogan may have political reasons for his strong stance. His government is competing with that of Saudi Arabia for regional leadership. He is a supporter of Islamist political movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, that the Saudi and Egyptian regimes are trying to annihilate. The Post reported that Mohammed bin Salman falsely smeared Khashoggi as a Muslim Brotherhood militant in a call to the White House. In fact, the journalist's allegiances were to democracy and free expression: He argued that neither was possible in the Middle East without tolerance of peaceful Islamic political parties.

Mohammed bin Salman's advocates argue that holding him accountable would risk turmoil. There is a fundamental illogic to this. The crown prince has already done much to destabilize the region, by leading a military intervention in Yemen, launching a boycott of Qatar and kidnapping the Lebanese prime minister. If he is allowed by the United States to get away with murdering a journalist inside a diplomatic facility in a NATO country, what will he be emboldened to do next - and what license will other dictators take, both in the Middle East and elsewhere?

Those who seek genuine stability in the Middle East should be insisting that the truth about Jamal Khashoggi be disclosed - and that all who played a role in his murder be punished.
MONTREAL, Nov. 2, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Enerkem Inc., a world-leading waste-to-biofuels and chemicals producer, announced today that Cofounder, President and CEO, Vincent Chornet received the 2018 EY Quebec Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the Cleantech category at the regional awards gala held last night in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Picture of Vincent Chornet, Cofounder, President and CEO of Enerkem (CNW Group/Enerkem Inc.)

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program recognizes Quebec's most creative and high-achieving entrepreneurs. A panel of independent judges selected the Quebec 36 finalists and 10 winners highlighting individuals that are forging new paths to business success through vision, leadership and enduring entrepreneurial spirit.

"It is an honor to receive this award amongst so many talented entrepreneurs", shared Vincent Chornet, President and CEO of Enerkem, following the announcement of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. "I must thank our highly talented and dedicated management team and employees who have supported me and this organisation since the beginning, and who continue to contribute to our success across the world in providing innovative, sustainable waste-to-biofuel solutions."

For 25 years, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program has recognized the achievements of Canada's entrepreneurial trailblazers  recognizing more than 3,800 finalists and presenting more than 1,000 awards to inspiring Canadian entrepreneurs.

About Enerkem

Enerkem produces advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals from waste. Its disruptive proprietary technology converts non-recyclable, non-compostable municipal solid waste into methanol, ethanol and other widely-used chemicals. Headquartered in Montreal (QC), Canada, Enerkem operates a full-scale commercial facility in Alberta as well as an innovation centre in Quebec. Enerkem's facilities are built as prefabricated systems based on the company's modular manufacturing infrastructure that can be deployed globally. Enerkem's technology is a prime example of how a true circular economy can be achieved by diversifying the energy mix and by making everyday products greener while offering a smart, sustainable alternative to landfilling and incineration.

www.enerkem.com

SOURCE Enerkem Inc.

For further information: Media Relations: Pierre Boisseau, Senior Director, Communications and Marketing, Enerkem inc., +1 514-375-7800, [email protected]

Related Links

http://enerkem.com/


WATERTOWN, N.Y. (AP) -- A state trooper who was fatally shot in the line of duty last year in northern New York has been posthumously awarded a top state honor for his bravery.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that Trooper Joel Davis' three children were presented with the Division of Criminal Justice Services' Lifesaving Award during a ceremony held at the state police's Watertown station.

Davis responded to a report of a violent domestic dispute near Fort Drum in July 2017. Police say a 10th Mount Division soldier had already fatally shot his wife and was firing a gun into a shed where the wife's friend and two children sought safety.

As Davis engaged the gunman, he was fatally shot in the chest.

The accused shooter is awaiting trial on murder charges.
Director Peter Brook, a spry 93, shows no sign of slowing down. The legendary director-writer of such iconic and influential stage productions as Marat/Sade, King Lear, and the 1963 film Lord of the Flies comes to New Haven with the American premiere production of The Prisoner, running at Yale Repertory Theatre through Nov. 17.

Fans of Brook familiar with his 1998 autobiography Threads of Time already have a glimpse of the subject matter of The Prisoner, with text and stage direction by Peter Brook and Marie-Helene Estienne. Chatting last Tuesday from his hotel the day after arriving in New Haven for his first time, Brook describes a visit to Afghanistan over 50 years ago.

I went there with my wife and two friends just because we wanted to explore something unknown. And in it, I found a tiny group, a little Sufi group with their teacher and I got to know them. There was a very nice, young man who was their leader (called Black Dervish in his book), and he said: When you leave here, if youre going south, take a little dust track on the left, which a person would never think of taking. But since you have Land Rovers and youre traveling that way, go up there.

If you go for a couple of miles, youll see a prison, he said. A horrible, old building thats our only local prison. And in front, youll see a young man sitting facing it. That young man was part of a little group here, and I know him well.

The young man had, as Brook said, committed an unspeakable crime.

Since this Sufi community was quite small, the Sufi leader also knew the presiding magistrate ultimately responsible for the young mans presence outside the prison. The leader reasoned with the judge that the young mans several admirable qualities would wear away in such a horrible prison. The Sufi leader, Brook recalled, suggested that the prisoner sit for the time of his sentence  10 years  facing the prison from the outside.

Just finding, just from the ground around him, water and some bits and pieces that he can eat, Brook said, recalling the Sufi leaders words. But otherwise, hes responsible for himself.

So if he feels he needs to be punished, now he needs to find his own way to redemption, Brook continued in the leaders voice. He doesnt get pretentious to think you can forget; pretentious to think you can forgive. But you can learn to live with yourself, to forgive yourself. And then you can be useful to other people.

Brook, speaking for himself again, said that this unique experience has never let us sleep in peace. Its always been there nagging, saying: This is not just for you, he said. Youve had this experience. You MUST share it. Thats what theaters all about.

Brook and his longtime collaborator Estienne initially considered The Prisoner as a film. Yet logistics proved troublesome and the collaborators tucked their copious notes on the project away.

So, just about a year ago, the way things matured, we said to one another: Weve never made this into a theater form, said Brook, essentially taking a chapter from his own book The Empty Space.

Theater has a freedom because it appeals to the imagination, he said. So that way one can go beyond a film. One has to just do it looking for simpler and simpler ways of directly speaking, through words, through movement, through silence, to the imagination of the spectator.

... Thats theaters advantage, which is why I stormed out of opera after so many experiences, said Brook, who has scaled the heights of opera as well as theater and film. Theater  whats the old saying? Two planks and a passion? Thats why its clear to me that (theaters the way)  unless you need crowd scenes, then of course you have to do it on film.

Brook, who said that as a young man he seriously considered a career as a foreign correspondent because of the prospect of working all over the world, said that travel is essential training for an artist.

Absolutely! I think thats the only way one could really discover, he said. Just talking to another person, looking at the person, listening to them, feeling them feeling you. There is a great, unknown foreign country in daily life just if you go and take a subway.

Subway? Had Brooks train of thought jumped a rail?

I love taking the subway, Brook said. When I come to a new city, the first thing I ask is take me on the subway. Suddenly, Im no longer just a foreigner. Im part of the throbbing life. And so I would agree that nothing is more valuable than putting yourself through all these different cultures, images, colors.

And at the same time, to feel the exploration in nature is also very powerful. The two go together. Exploring to discover.

Brook then returned to his current passion, The Prisoner, which moves to New Yorks Theatre for a New Audience after New Haven. The story concerns the title character, a good person, who kills his father in a blind rage after discovering him in bed with his sister.

The young man loved his sister as a sister  there was no suggestion of sex between them, said Brook. But the shock of seeing her in his fathers arms for him was so painful that he picked up a large stone object and smashed his fathers head.

This, for us, was a powerful thing to carry through the whole story. But the essence of the play is  true love, which is what were all looking for in life. While we know that killing our father is a terrifying crime, its not even for us to judge. On social terms, social morality, we can understand ... that none of us could live with that without deep, deep remorse, he said. At the same time, the question is put in the play to the girl who was in bed with the father: How did this happen? And this is her question. But for us, what matters in each case, there was love.

The father loved the daughter, Brook explained. The father had his wonderful wife who had just died. And (his daughter) saw the father so distraught and so unhappy that she tried to console him in every way she knew.

Brook said that the audience never learns exactly why the relationship devolved to incest.

We dont know the nature of that  we never will. We only know were there to respect love. I know now that this subject of incest (that) we hear from so many people takes so many forms, and its there present in every community, Brook said. He said todays focus on sexual harassment is good because that is liberating the women by being able to speak about it.

The idea, Brook said, is for theatergoers to empathize with the title character.

(Seeing) The Prisoner is to feel with him without wanting the play to be a judgment, or discussion, or any of these issues. It is about crime, punishment and redemption.

Yale Rep, 1120 Chapel St., New Haven, Nov. 2-17, 8 p.m., with some 2 p.m. matinees. $92-$31. yalerep.org

E. Kyle Minor is the New Haven Register theater writer.
WEST HAVEN  Dusan Jenkins told West Haven police he came home from working the overnight shift July 19, took his wife to work, and began watching their two sons, 4 and 2, who were sleeping.

After scrolling through his phone and taking a shower, he went to bed as well. His son, 4, came into his room and woke him a few hours later. He told him he was tired, ushering him away, and went back to sleep.

By the time he awoke, his sons were in the familys car in the summer heat, at deaths door. One survived; one  his namesake, the 4-year-old, did not.

Jenkins, 34, and LaToya Walters, 34, his wife, and the mother of the two boys, were arrested Wednesday in connection with the death of their son, also named Dusan. The arrest warrant affidavits in the case were released Thursday at Superior Court in Milford.

According to the warrant affidavit, Jenkins told police he called out to his sons after waking up, but got no response. He began to search the apartment, then, noticing open doors to the hallway, then the outside, the neighborhood. While searching, he got a call from his wife, and while on the phone, he looked in his car.

The two boys were there, unconscious, according to the affidavit. Walters would later tell police she heard Dusan, frantic and nervous, repeatedly tell them to wake up  the younger boy cried out, while his brother did not.

Jenkins told police he carried them inside, called 911, and began to perform CPR until the West Haven Fire Department arrived.

The younger Dusan Jenkins died at Yale New Haven Childrens Hospital that afternoon, according to the affidavit. His internal temperature was measured at 108.3 degrees.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found that the injuries observed were consistent with a hot environment exposure for an extended period of time, according to the affidavit.

A West Haven detective measured temperatures of 134 to 154 degrees in the interior of the car, according to the document.

Jenkins told police he and Walters would usually leave the boys alone while he drove her to work, according to the affidavit. It was cautiously admitted  according to the affidavit, he first said that was the case, then reversed himself, then reversed himself again.

Jenkins said he would typically secure multiple locks on the exterior door of the apartment, one of which would be out of the reach of the two boys. He said he did not on July 19  an unusual deviation from his routine.

Walters told police they brought the boys with them while they traveled to her job, which was also at Yale New Haven Hospital. This was later proven to be untrue by surveillance video, according to the affidavit.

The misleading statement LaToya provided clearly indicates that she knows that children four and two years old should never be left alone, that she knowingly participated in events that created a situation that the well-being of both children was endangered, Detective Jonathan Suraci wrote in a separate affidavit for her case.

Surveillance footage showed Jenkins and Walters leaving the apartment building just after 6:48 a.m. without the two children. Jenkins returned at approximately 7:10 a.m., the warrant says.

Just after 12:12 p.m., the video shows the two boys leaving the apartment, then the apartment building, by themselves.

According to the affidavit, the footage shows that the two boys played around, then inside of the vehicle, leaving the door open. They got out of the car, walked around toward its front, then disappear from view at approximately 12:21 p.m.

Cars drive past; one parks behind the car, with the driver leaving, coming back, and driving away. Movement can be seen in the back seat of the vehicle at approximately 12:31 p.m., 12:51 p.m., 12:53 p.m., 12:56 p.m., and for the last time, at 12:59 p.m.

Cars continue to pass. Jenkins leaves the apartment building at 2:46 p.m., according to the affidavit. He finds his sons at roughly 2:49 p.m. and carries them inside.

Dusan Jenkins knowingly created a dangerous and reckless environment when he came home from work and went to sleep in his bed as part of his daily routine, while his four year old and two year old sons were allowed to move freely through the home, said Suraci in the affidavit. Dusan failed to protect his children when he failed to lock his vehicle and his kitchen door... Dusan also failed to protect and care for his Juvenile children who are observed exiting the apartment at approximately 12:12 p.m. and entering the vehicle at approximately 12:21 p.m.

It is this Affiants belief that this extreme lack of supervision and clear disregard for the wellbeing of the Juvenile children lead to (the four-year-olds) death, said Suraci.

Jenkins is charged with criminally negligent homicide, two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment and two counts of risk of injury to a minor, according to court records. He was released on $15,000 surety bond.

Walters is charged with second-degree false statement, two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment and two counts of risk of injury to a minor, according to court records. She was released on $10,000 surety bond.

Both are scheduled to appear in court Nov. 13.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
| BY Ricki Green |

Australian bath, body and home gragrance brand, MOR has appointed The Reactor as its creative agency as part of its plans to refresh its brand and expand its international profile.

According to MORs senior marketing manager, Courtney Sims, The Reactors full-service offering was too compelling to pass over.

Says Sims: We knew they had the creative skills we needed when we asked them to pitch, but what has impressed us most has been the full-service offering we found when we walked through the door. Brand strategy, digital strategy, design, SEO, SEM, in-house developers and content creators has meant that weve been able to bring all our work under one roof.

Says Jade Callas, in-house creative manager, MOR: On top of this, theyve also showed that they can respond to our needs quickly and effectively without the need for endless meetings or six-figure invoices.

Says Angus Smallwood, director of strategy, The Reactor: MOR Boutique is an Australian success story. Not only are they sold in over 20 countries, they are currently building a new facility in Melbourne to meet the growing demand for their products from around the world. Our aim is to help them achieve their ambition of growing their global presence so that they are known throughout the world as the perfect way for someone to treat themselves to a moment of luxurious me- time.
| BY Ricki Green |

As Australians turn to cashless payments in ever increasing numbers, vendors selling The Big Issue are making the move to contactless payments for those wanting to pay for the magazine without cash. A new integrated campaign by full service creative agency Town Square has been launched to show how vendors are Now accepting the new digital payment methods.

Each self-employed Big Issue vendor buys copies of the fortnightly magazine for half the cover price and retains the retail margin as their income. After consulting with vendors, The Big Issue has adopted two new payment systems to enable customers to pay without cash from November: Airpay  a tap and go credit/debit card terminal powered by NAB that the vendor wears on a lanyard and Beem It  an app that allows transactions between vendor and purchasers mobile phones.

Town Square, which has been working with The Big Issue on a pro bono basis for a number of years, has developed the campaign in association with Carat, who has secured donated media on TV, cinema, radio, press, OOH and online.

The campaign highlights often overlooked vendors, who run the risk of being left behind by a cashless society and creates an association between individual vendors and worlds most trusted payment brands. The resulting message is as simple as it is powerful.

Says Steven Persson, CEO, The Big Issue: The Big Issue is addressing the trend towards digital transactions. This campaign is our proud announcement that vendors are now trading with contactless technologies, as well as cash. The campaign has its creative focus firmly where it should be  on the vendors  and we look forward to seeing more Big Issue readers enjoy the magazine, knowing that each transaction is helping marginalised Australians to earn a living in the community.

Says Harry Corsham, director, Town Square: Imagine the challenge of creating a digital payment system for a national network of self-employed, homeless and disadvantaged people. Its a big, complicated project and one we are very proud to have been part of. With so much complexity behind this innovation, Town Square sought to address the communication challenge with radical simplicity. And its the simplicity of the campaign that makes it flexible enough to run across the many media channels our friends at Carat have secured from a wide range of supportive media partners. Were proud to be collaborating with so many parties to give vendors the support they need to earn an income.

Says Lizzy OConnor, client operations director, Carat: Its so rewarding to witness the generosity of our long-term media partners who have really got behind this great cause. With such an agile campaign that cuts through so many mediums, we have been able to secure a very robust media plan for the metro areas where vendors work. Its great to see the industry get behind such a worthy cause.

The Big Issue

CEO: Steven Persson

National Marketing & Partnerships Manager: Louise Gray

Town Square

Creative Director: Brendan Day

Creative Director: Gareth Davies

Art Director: Benny Moore

Copywriter: Kevin Dolan

Chief Strategy Officer: Neville Doyle

Producer: Anna Phillips

Production Assistant: Ellen Richardson

Photographer: Nicole Reed

Director: Caleb Mountjoy, North End Content

DOP: Alex Serafini, North End Content

Sound recordist 1: Fabrice Galli

Radio interviewer: Matt Bamkin, Light + Shade

Sound recordist 2: Tim McCormick

Editor: Jimmy Walker

Colourist: Ciara Gallogly

Sound Studio: Bang Bang Studios

Account Manager: Jessica Hay

Carat
I spent last weekend in Budapest, Hungary, presenting a workshop to university students on religion and the transformational leader. While I was there, I visited the TerrorHaza - the House of Terror. This is a museum and monument to the Hungarian victims of ideological violence in the 20th century. Located on one of the most beautiful streets in the city, it is a place with an ugly past. It housed a secret prison of the Hungarian Nazi party, which after WWII became a secret prison used by the Hungarian Communist regime.

Frankly, there arent words to describe my experience. I walked through rooms in which innocent, ordinary people were tortured and killed because they werent the correct ideology, political orientation, race, or religion. I was moved viewing the exhibit honoring those persecuted for their faith. On display was the torn cassock of Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty, the Catholic primate of Hungary, who was arrested by both the Nazis and the Communists. He was imprisoned and tortured in a tiny cell in the basement of this building. His show trial in 1949 shook the Western world.

There were also Jewish artifacts on display: a tallith  a prayer shawl  and a small prayer book in Hebrew and Hungarian.

Moving through the exhibits, again and again I saw the name and faces of the victims. They were all very ordinary looking people. They were just the faces one sees in a crowd.

And someone else hurt them because they didnt like them.

But of all the rooms I walked through that day, there was only one in which my anger eclipsed my sadness. It was the final room on the tour; it was the room of the victimizers. Here the walls are lined with small, framed pictures of the people who ran this house of terror. Here were the images not only of the tortures and executioners, but also of the maintenance staff, the guards, the secretaries, and the petty functionaries. All in their own way, regardless of their work, were nonetheless guilty. Here again, I was struck but the ordinariness of their images. They were, like their victims, the faces indistinguishable in a crowd. Looking at them, however, reminded me of Hannah Arendts expression  the banality of evil.

I was still processing this experience when I heard the news about the shooting at the synagogue is Pittsburg. I have an old friend who is a rabbi there and I frantically, half the world away, swiped at my phone to find out whether he was safe. He was. I was relieved for a moment, but then I had the stark realization that it was still someone elses friends, family, co-workers, and co-religionists who were killed because they werent the right ideology, political orientation, race and religion.

When hours later I learned the names of the dead, and saw their faces, I was stuck by their very ordinariness as well. They were just normal people in a typical American city who had gone to pray that day.

And someone else hurt them because they didnt like them.

This has got to stop.

I, for one, will not be silent in the face of this violence and hatred. Because you see, touring the House of Terror, I learned another lesson. The violence that took place was made possible in part because the nation as a whole didnt stop it. They didnt raise their voices, stand up, and say no. They didnt fight back against extremism.

And if history has a lesson to teach, it is that I do not want to be on the side of the silent, whose actions tacitly embolden vicious purveyors of violence.

So I wont.

I will stand with the victims, the marginalized, the people targeted because they are not the right race, religion, sexual orientation or economic status.

Because you see, when the monuments are raised to the terrors of this moment, I choose to have my name written alongside the victims, rather than having my picture placed alongside the victimizers.

What about you?

The Rev. Jordan Lenaghan, O.P is executive director of University Religious Life at Quinnipiac University.
The Rev. Ernestine Holloway is waiting for apologies.

Her dream of becoming a state representative has been deflated by multiple stops by state police troopers as she has campaigned on the streets of Middlefield and Middletown.

I should be judged by the merit of what I do, not the color of my skin. I am angry because this has always been a dream of mine, Holloway, who is black, said on Friday. This is the first time that I have actually had joy in a long time... so why cant I achieve the American Dream like everybody else?

On Oct. 24, Holloway and a team of about 10 volunteers, mostly African Americans, were knocking on doors in the district, which is about 80 percent white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A van of Holloways volunteers was stopped by at least one police vehicle and asked what they were doing in Middlefield.

When Holloway arrived at the scene moments later, she was told by state Trooper Larry Morello that she needed a peddlers permit to campaign. Holloway ceased her door-to-door effort and went to Town Hall to see whether a permit was required. It was not.

Morello was a driver for the campaign of Susan Bysiewicz, the Democratic lieutenant governor nominee.

Thats racial profiling, said Holloway, who is challenging veteran state Rep. Emil Buddy Altobello. Then he knew that I didnt need a permit.

Bysiewicz said she fired Morello, whom she characterized in a statement Thursday as an occasional volunteer driver.

But Holloways trouble with the state police did not stop there, she said. On Oct. 25, another trooper asked Holloway if her car had broken down when she stopped at a house to campaign. Holloway claims the officer saw her park the vehicle. When she started to say not again, he drove off, she said.

Ive spoken to Ernestine, and Im appalled by what she experienced, said House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, in a statement Thursday. Everyone in this country has the undeniable right to run for office regardless of race, gender or ethnicity, and all candidates must be allowed to do what is necessary to run a campaign without fear as they express their ideas to residents they hope to serve.

The state police, through a spokesman, asserted that a thorough investigation of the incident will be done .

Dora Schriro, the commissioner of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, which oversees the state police, personally called Holloway to respond to the incident, said Kelly Donnelly, spokeswoman for the governors office. Holloway said she received no such call.

The police will have to investigate whether the incident constitutes racial profiling, said J.R. Romano, chairman of the state Republican Party.

This definitely is a situation where the state police have to take stock, said Romano. This is unfortunate. I have never heard of this before where a candidate has to go get a peddlers license.

Theresa Tillett of Windsor was the treasurer for Holloways 2017 mayoral campaign and discussed the incident with her.

It is very clearly a case of driving while black, Tillett said. Shes had people say things. Its despicable that here it is 2018 and we are still dealing with racism.

Bysiewicz said she was deeply disturbed by the incident.

As the former Secretary Of the State, I believe in fair and open elections, and I have zero tolerance for any group or person who would hinder our democratic process, she wrote. As soon as the details were shared with me, we severed ties.

Holloway said she was disappointed she has not received a personal apology from Bysiewicz, nor have Republicans  though eager to denounce the event to the press  come to see how she and her team are holding up. The incidents have hindered her campaign in the week before the election because her volunteers do not feel safe campaigning, she said.

Holloway believes her identity as a Republican is part of the problem.

If youre black and you are not Democrat it is a problem, she said. Up North they havent seen too many African Americans who are conservative. Being a candidate has been really hard.

News of the incidents follow reports earlier this week in Middletown that a Republican running for the state Senate distributed a mailer depicting a Jewish legislator greedily holding fistfuls of $100 bills. The mailer, which targeted Democratic state Rep. Matt Lesser, has been widely denounced as anti-Semitic.

The mailer was sent by Republican Ed Charamut. Lesser and Charamut are competing for the Senate seat vacated by Paul Doyle, who competed in a Democratic primary for attorney general. The district comprises Rocky Hill, Newington, Cromwell and parts of Middletown and Wethersfield.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
A man trapped on a cliff ledge above the Palisades Interstate Park was rescued early Friday by a rappel team and first-responders from several North Jersey agencies, authorities said.

Authorities found Erick Sanes, 23, of New York City, "injured but alert and conscious" at 11:19 p.m. in section of the park in Fort Lee, according to a news release from Palisades Interstate Parkway police.

Sanes was on a ledge about 30 feet above Henry Hudson Drive, which runs through the park below, police said in a statement.

Police believe he fell off a cliff and became trapped on a ledge.

Witnesses who called police directed responding officers to a wooded area, where Sanes had fallen, authorities said.

"Rescue crews were able to access the victim from the road and provide medical assistance before removing him from the ledge," police said.

Sanes was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center.

The extent of his injuries and condition were not available Friday morning, police said.

Police said they are unsure how Sanes fell from a cliff onto a ledge. The investigation is ongoing, they said.

Responding agencies included the Fort Lee Fire Department, Fort Lee Ambulance Corps, East Bergen Rappel Team and Englewood Hospital EMS.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka had an emphatic message Friday for Brick City residents who are concerned about the water they drink.

"Newark is not Flint."

The mayor said he decided speak out to rebut "deliberate misinformation circulating in the media."

Newark's water woes have been compared to the crisis in Flint, Michigan, by the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is currently suing Newark over the elevated lead levels.

Representatives from the NRDC, in an April interview with NJ Advance Media compared Newark's water issues to those in Flint, which made national headlines in 2014 for greatly elevated lead levels in its water supply.

This week, Erik Olson, a drinking water expert for the NRDC, defended the group's comparison during an interview with WNYC's Brian Lehrer.

"There are echoes of Flint," Olson told Lehrer. "They're not exactly the same, but if you go down the litany, there's a significant health problem with elevated lead levels coming out of people's tap water, you've got a situation where the city is not exactly being straight with people and saying the water's fine and people should drink it."

After months of Newark defending its method of treating its water supply, NJ Advance Media reported in October that the city admitted its treatment was "no longer effective," and allowed lead to leach into the water. The lead problem received more attention this week after additional reports in other media outlets, like The New York Times, which published a story headlined "In Echo of Flint, Mich., Water Crisis Now Hits Newark," and WNYC.

For three consecutive six-month periods, the city has reported elevated levels of lead in more than 10 percent of its tap water samples according to state data.

Baraka has not denied that the lead problem exists. But Newark city officials maintain the issue is with old, private service lines that are made out of lead. The lead pipes can corrode and leach lead into the water they carry if the water's pH shifts too low.

Records show that there are at least 15,000 properties with lead service lines and another 3,000 suspected of having lead service lines in Newark.

Flint's water crisis was caused in large part by the city's failure to properly apply corrosion control treatment to its drinking water. According to Baraka, Newark's corrosion control has simply become less effective, and the city is taking steps to remedy that issue.

Newark became aware of the ineffective corrosion control treatment in October after it commissioned a report.

Specifically, Baraka said that corrosion control improvements are coming to the city's Pequannock Water Treatment Plant. The other plant that treats Newark's water, the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission's Wanaque Water Treatment facility, has more effective corrosion control.

"[Mayor Baraka is] correct that the city is working on the steps required under the Safe Drinking Water Act to comply with the federal lead and copper rule," said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Baraka also pointed out that unlike Flint, Newark is not dealing with widespread water main breaks and the city has not issued a boil water advisory.

"Newark is moving more aggressively on the lead issue than any city ever has," Baraka said.

Specifically, the mayor noted that Newark is providing water filters and paying to replace resident's lead service lines despite not being required to do either under the state's Safe Drinking Water Act. Baraka said that the city wants every lead service replaced in the next eight years.

"Newark is going above and beyond what the law requires to make sure the city's water infrastructure will support the tremendous growth and development that is on the horizon for Newark," Baraka said.

Baraka's statement did not address the elevated levels of haloacetic acids that have been found in Newark's water. The chemicals, which are byproducts of the water disinfection process, are potentially cancer-causing, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Where to get filters

Boylan Recreation Center: 916 South Orange Avenue

John F. Kennedy Recreation Center: 211 West Kinney Street (entrance on Howard Street)

Vince Lombardi Center of Hope: 201 Bloomfield Avenue

St. Peter's Recreation Center: 378 Lyons Avenue

Hayes Park West Recreation: 179 Boyd Street

The Water and Sewers Facility: 239 Central Avenue

For more information or to get your home tested for a lead service line call: 973-733-6303.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Karen Yi contributed to this report.

Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A North Bergen man wearing Pagans Motorcycle Club clothing was arrested in Newark early Wednesday after he was spotted firing a gun, police said.

Larry M. Ortiz, 28, also tried to escape police by speeding away from officers on his motorcycle, but eventually crashed in Elizabeth, Newark police said in a statement.

Larry M. Ortiz, 28, of North Bergen

Newark police responded to the 100 block of Sherman Avenue around 12:30 a.m. after officers were alerted by the city's gunshot detector system, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

Officers saw a man on a motorcycle drive away from the scene, and witnesses told the officers that a man on a motorcycle fired a gun on Miller and Vanderpool streets, which run parallel, police said.

No injuries were reported to police.

Officers then located a man on Frelinghuysen Avenue and Empire Street who fit a description given to them. Police said the man ignored the officers' demands to pull over.

Instead, police say, he sped away.

He was later found lying on the street at North Broad Street and Newark Avenue in Elizabeth, and identified as Ortiz. He was arrested and taken to the hospital. As of Wednesday afternoon, he was in stable condition.

Ortiz was charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and eluding. He was also given additional summonses for several traffic violations.

NJ Advance Media reported in May that the Pagans, which have a heavy presence in South Jersey, were looking to expand into northern New Jersey.

After an Edison man was charged with brutally beating a Hells Angels associate near a clubhouse in Newark, the New Jersey State Police sent an unclassified memo to law enforcement warning of the Pagans intentions of expanding their territory "violently if necessary."

The memo, obtained by NJ Advance Media, said the Pagans are beefing up membership on the entire East Coast by absorbing other outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Along with South Jersey and the Jersey Shore, the Pagans are also known to congregate in Elizabeth.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A real estate agent from New Jersey was found mysteriously shot to death on Wednesday morning in his car outside a home in Philadelphia he was showing to a prospective buyer, authorities said.

Orlando Martinez, 54, of Westville, was not robbed and police said they believe he knew his killer.

Martinez was likely shot on 10/30. He was found in his vehicle outside a home he was showing to prospective buyers. @6abc pic.twitter.com/UYnpvJQww9  Maggie Kent (@MaggieKent6abc) November 1, 2018

Martinez was found by police in his Honda Accord outside the home on the 4500 block Oakmont Street at about 11:40 a.m. with at least one gunshot wound to the head.

The vehicle was locked, not running and Martinez's wallet and other personal possessions were still on him, police said at a press conference on Thursday. Police had to break one of the car's windows to reach Martinez, who was pronounced dead at nearby hospital.

Martinez might have been at the home in the city's Mayfair section for a full day. He never made it home to Gloucester County on Tuesday night after having been scheduled to show a home around noon that day, according to police. His family then called police to report him missing.

"He has no priors, he's not on our radar, he's a family guy working for a living doing real estate," Capt. John Ryan said at the news conference.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is continuing.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
When their daughter was born with profound medical problems, Modeline Auguste and Ocroimy Dolcin said they decided they would never have another child.

"We wanted to give her all our love," Auguste said.

The parents said they always knew their daughter, who needed both a tracheostomy and a feeding tube to live, probably would not have a long life.

But they never thought she would die just three weeks after her fourth birthday.

Dorcase Ephraime Dolcin is one of 10 children who died in the adenovirus outbreak that has swept through the pediatric unit at the Wanaque Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Passaic County. Another 27 children have been infected. The state Health Department assigned a team to monitor Wanaque's infection control practices and closed admissions to the facility.

In an interview at their East Orange apartment this week, her parents insisted that Wanaques decision to delay transferring their daughter to a hospital denied Dorcase a chance at survival.

Auguste said during a visit on Sunday, Sept. 30, her daughter developed a fever that would rise and fall over the next few days. By Wednesday, Oct. 3, Dorcase spiked a 102-degree temperature, the mother said the nurse told her.

"I said, send her to the hospital," Auguste said, a Haitian native whose neighbor, Nidja Charles, translated for the couple. "They said they were waiting for the doctor."

The next day, the nurse told her there was blood around Dorcases trach. Her mother said she insisted that Wanaque take her to the emergency room. They were still waiting for the doctor, Auguste said.

"It was negligent," Dolcin said.

By that evening, workers told her a blood test said she needed to go to the hospital, Auguste said. The parents said they didn't yet know she had the adenovirus.

When the child arrived Friday night Oct. 5 at Saint Josephs Regional Medical Center in Paterson, the doctors told them she had pneumonia and a stomach infection, Auguste said. Dorcase was sent to the intensive care unit.

"By Sunday, she was already gone," Dolcin said, meaning she was unresponsive. "It was so quick."

She died the next day, Oct. 8.

Wanaque did not respond to a request for comment.

The adenovirus is usually not fatal. It's a respiratory illness that feels like the flu.

But to children with anemic immune systems like Dorcase, the virus is life-threatening.

Dorcase Dolcin was suffering from an intermittent fever in the week leading up to her death, her parents say. (Photo courtesy of the family)

Dorcase -- named after a woman in the Bible who helped feed and clothe the poor -- was delivered two months early because Auguste said she could not feel the baby moving inside of her. The doctors explained she wasn't getting enough oxygen.

She was born Sept. 16, 2014, at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, where the parents said they were taught how to take care of an infant with such profound feeding and breathing problems.

"They were good. They loved that baby so much," Auguste said of the Barnabas staff.

Dorcase lived at home for only three months, said Dolcin, 41, who works at a warehouse loading trucks, and Auguste, a 40-year-old certified nursing assistant. She underwent brain surgery at University Hospital in Newark at age 2.

The state and the child's treatment team decide whether babies as ill as Dorcase need around-the-clock skilled nursing care, which is paid for by the Medicaid system. There are four such facilities in New Jersey, and where a child ends up is usually based on closest available bed to the family.

The couple said their daughter spent time at Children's Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick and in another skilled nursing facility in South Jersey, and complimented the care their child received there. But they requested a location closer to home. The state transferred their toddler to Wanaque about two years ago, they said.

The couple said they would visit multiple times a week, separately or together, and usually on the same days. But when they visited on a different day, on several occasions they found their daughter in a dirty diaper, with feces visible on her body.

"She was dirty with poop. Even the chair was dirty," Auguste said.

"When they don't know you are coming, the baby was always dirty," Dolcin said.

The parents complained, but Dolcin said he sometimes discouraged his wife from speaking up. He was afraid if they complained too often, his daughter's care would suffer.

"I would go and bathe her. I told them, when I am here, you don't have to do nothing -- I'm good. "I washed her clothes. Shampoo, soap and towels -- everything I buy. I wanted nothing from Wanaque," Auguste said.

"The baby was always smiling, laughing. She knew my voice," she said.

The couple's home is crowded with a basinet, a pack-and-play and stacks of photos of Dorcase, some of her dressed in a princess gown and a tiara for her birthday.

Dolcin said he doesn't understand why the employees -- some of them themselves parents -- lacked the "compassion" to send her to the hospital at the first sign of trouble. Wouldn't they want the same for their own child? he asked.

With his only child gone, he said he hopes state officials come to the same conclusion he and his wife have.

"That place should close."

Do you have a family member on the pediatric unit at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, or a child who has been affected by the viral outbreak there? NJ.com would like to hear from you. You may reach us at (732) 902-4559, or write to Susan Livio at slivio@njadvancemedia.com, Spencer Kent at skent@njadvancemedia.com, or Ted Sherman at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com.

Research Editor Vinessa Erminio contributed to this report.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Progressive millennial needed in Jersey City

I am pleased and honored to announce my candidacy for the Jersey City Board of Education, as there are presently three seats open and due to be filled on this upcoming election on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

I am committing myself to run because it is my firm belief that the time for a progressive millennial to represent our Jersey City children is now. I myself am a product of the Jersey City Public School system in which for twelve years I have benefited greatly and amassed a great wealth of knowledge from the teachers, tutors and faculty members of the JCBOE. Therefore, I understand greatly the needs that are required to ensure that every Jersey City student receives not only world class education, but the skills that will help sustain their future success in life.

During the past several weeks, I have spent countless hours in each ward talking to voters like you, the beating hearts of Jersey City, about how they can help me improve Jersey City Public Schools to better serve our children. I have met with community groups, attended neighborhood events, and spent time in every corner of this city to show you that I am truly committed on improving all Jersey City Public Schools through my own experience, but also to put at the forefront of every decision making, the voices and needs of the children of Jersey City.

Issues that I wish to tackle head on include; Accountability, Fiscal Responsibility and Budget-end crisis to say the least. Today is the time for us to start focusing on fixing school facilities, improving graduation rates and ending school suspensions. In addition, provide mental health resources such as, mentoring and counseling

overall supporting all teachers and school staff during these drastic budget cuts while also cutting back on overcrowded classrooms that inhibit teachers without Teaching Assistants to provide quality education.

It is for these reasons and many more that I want to represent our children on the Jersey City Board of Education and bring real solutions for our Jersey City children. I ask that you vote with your conscience for the best candidate you believe will rebuild our broken system, regardless of whether familiar candidates have reached out seeking your support as a friendly favor. Your choice should be based off of the individual willing to work the hardest for our Jersey City children. And as you go to cast your vote, remember and be assured that every vote is private and protected. Please remember the dedication, love and commitment I have towards bringing our Jersey City Public Schools to the highest level it

deserves.

Asmaa Abdalla, Jersey City, Progressive Millennial Movement

Bayonne needs fair, balanced board

On November 4, 2017, the Jersey Journal printed my letter supporting Michael Alonso for School Board Trustee. He promised to help the taxpayers by abolishing school tax for senior citizens and reducing the property tax.

On Apri1 12, 2018, the Bayonne Community News printed my letter commending Mr. Alonso for keeping his promise and for being the only Trustee who voted against the 3 percent tax hike.

The Jersey Journal had reported that in Bayonne, about 47 percent of the school budget is funded by local taxpayers. Therefore, with the 3 percent increase, the Bayonne taxpayers will be paying 50 percent of their taxes to the school district.

Since Bayonne has 9 school board trustees, 8 of the trustees voted in favor of raising our taxes. OnIy 1 trustee, Mr. Alonso, voted against this unfair tax hike.

My family has been paying taxes i-n Bayonne for 74 years and as a taxpayer, I have joined the "Make Bayonne Great Again" team with Lauren Alonso, and Charles Shepard. VOTE 10, 11 and 12 on Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Evelyn Sabol Benyo, Bayonne

Hugin sinks to a new low

During the past two years, I believed political candidates couldn't go any lower than Donald Trump. Last week, Bob Hugin's performance during the Menendez/Hugin debate showed me I was wrong. Hugin exhibited a new level of repulsive behavior.

Hugin would like to represent the people of New Jersey in the U.S. Senate. He has no experience representing New Jersey residents. His sense of entitlement permits him to lie and distort facts.

Any search of the internet reveals Celgene, the company Hugin led for years, settled a $280 million dollar whistleblower lawsuit brought by a sales manager employed by Celgene. Beverly Brown, the Celgene employee, alleged Celgene was promoting cancer drugs for uses not approved by the FDA. Celgene made false and misleading statements about the drugs and was paying kickbacks to physicians to induce them to prescribe the drugs.

To date, fact checkers, political commentators and newspapers have not been able to substantiate Hugin's claim, Senator Menendez engaged in sex with underage girls. If Hugin is willing to allow misrepresentations to cancer patients, put their well-being in jeopardy and pay kickbacks in the name of making a profit, what type of representation can the people of New Jersey expect if elected a U.S. Senator?

Although the $280 million dollar settlement allowed Celgene to get away with admitting "no wrong", Hugin's leadership of this company and his character must be considered.

Yes, Bob Hugin "New Jersey Can Do Better".

Mrs. Mary Jane Fennell, Bedminister

Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournal.com
JERSEY CITY  Ruth Gavino, who works the front desk at Candlewood Suites hotel in Downtown Jersey City, is voting for the very first time this November.

Gavino, 40, recently became a U.S. citizen  she's originally from the Philippines  and when she heads to her polling place at Washington Community School in Bayonne on Tuesday, she'll remain on the clock.

"I'm going to vote and I'll know that I'm paid and I'm not going to lose money," she said.

That's because of a deal her union, the Hotel Trades Council, made with hotel management this year, one that requires hotels to give workers paid time off to vote and to offer on-site voter registration. The agreement covers 6,200 hotel workers in North Jersey and New York.

Those new provisions have led to over 400 new voters registering on-site and, the union hopes, will result in over 600 workers taking advantage of the paid time off to head to the polls on Tuesday, according to Rich Maroko, the Hotel Trade Council's vice president and general counsel.

The changes were not an easy lift because of the economic cost to the hotels, Maroko said. But the union felt it was important to push for them so their members would have all the help they needed to exercise their right to vote.

"Arguably in a democracy the most fundamental right you have is the right to vote," he said. "It occurred to us that our members were often denied that right because either they couldn't take time off or they couldn't afford to lose the pay to take time off. Or in some cases they didn't know how to go about registering."

John Weingart, associate director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, said there are numerous examples of private entities offering incentives for civic engagement, including voter lotteries in Philadelphia to Princeton University halting classes pre-election so students can work on campaigns.

There's an added benefit for labor unions that have seen their political clout diminished in recent years.

"It's true that unions would be looking for perks they can give their members," he said. "Also if they think their members are more likely to vote in directions that are beneficial to the union, that's all the more reason they would want to make it easier for the members to get out and vote."

Here in New Jersey, the Hotel Trades Council's political action committee has contributed only to Democrats in partisan races. In New York, it endorsed Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo's re-election bid.

Eduardo Bermudez, a Belleville man who is a banquet server at the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City, told The Jersey Journal that in past years he struggled to schedule time to vote around his busy work schedule.

"It's kind of hard. You've got to ask for management to take you off on that day," said Bermudez, 53.

But now that he and his colleagues can take up to four hours off without losing pay, he added, "we have plenty of time to vote."

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
The budget is an issue that has subsumed all others in a series Jersey City Board of Education elections that continue to be crucial not only to how our city takes the helm of our school system, but how we look to the future to ensure every student in our city receives a "thorough and efficient" education.

While five candidates will not win this election, those with the most to lose are our students. Jersey City students are already feeling the squeeze through things such as cuts in after-school programs and forecasted layoffs.

There are eight candidates vying for three seats on the board. It's a field of compassionate people who all seem to have great intentions. There doesn't seem to be a single candidate this year running the hollow campaign of a political upstart reaching for the lowest hanging political fruit with no business being on the school board. Hopefully, this is an indication that there are rising numbers of regular folks in Jersey City who are willing to fight for all students in Jersey City and who can truly lead our school system.

These three seats need to be occupied by people who believe in a unified public school system, who understand how our schools operate, who are willing to problem solve immediate budget issues, and who can plan for long-term, systemic funding solutions that allow us to both address a gaping hole in the school tax levy and plan for opening more schools for our increasing school-aged population.

It's a tall order.

In doing all of this, they also need to ensure their actions help attract the strongest teaching talent in North Jersey -- a task not mentioned by any candidates on the campaign trail, but one that is fundamental to building great schools.

Most of the eight candidates strike me as qualified for a spot on the board, but I've settled on three: Mussab Ali, Natalia Ioffe, and Marilyn Roman.

Mussab Ali is the candidate who is speaking most clearly about our budget issues. He's spent his last year on the board wisely, taking action on his platform and now speaking to the difficult decisions the board must make to fully fund its schools rather than tossing the responsibility on the city council with the proposed payroll tax or vaguely referencing "creative solutions."

Natalia Ioffe is a legitimate and substantive public school parent voice who has an eye specifically on shoring up the budget. She's dedicated to our public schools and, like several other candidates, is extremely interested in reducing inefficiencies in the school system. She also has experience as a parent board president at her children's school.

Marilyn Roman has a lifetime of experience both in our public schools and city government. She has depth of knowledge of the school system and the ability to identify where cost savings can happen. She is also the only candidate who has proposed any sort of space-saving measure for our schools.

This election has been a tough one in terms of choosing the right candidates. Regardless of who wins, the board and the citizens of Jersey City still have a lot of work to do to ensure all of our students receive the education they deserve.

Nick Lawrence, Jersey City

Submit letters to the editor and guest columns to jjletters@jjournal.com.
MIAMI (AP) -- The Florida man accused of sending pipe bombs to prominent critics of President Trump agreed Friday to be transferred to New York to face charges, while the FBI said an additional package was found addressed to Democratic billionaire donor Tom Steyer.

In this undated photo released by the Broward County Sheriff's office, Cesar Sayoc is seen in a booking photo, in Miami.

Attorneys for Cesar Sayoc said Friday in Miami federal court that it's better if his lawyers in New York can take the case as soon as possible. They could still seek a bail hearing there, but prosecutors say he should remain jailed, given the magnitude of the charges and the strong evidence against him.

"We wanted to make sure that all of his constitutional rights were preserved," said attorney James Benjamin after the hearing. "We feel we've done all we can."

Sayoc has been accused of sending 15 improvised explosive devices to numerous Democrats, Trump critics and media outlets.

The FBI said Friday an additional package similar to the earlier ones was recovered at a postal facility near San Francisco. The package discovered late Thursday was the second addressed to Steyer, who has done TV ads calling for Trump's impeachment. None of the packages have exploded and no one was injured.

The FBI has confirmed a package was recovered last night in California, similar in appearance to the others, addressed to Tom Steyer.  FBI (@FBI) November 2, 2018

The timing of Sayoc's transfer is uncertain. It can happen quickly or take weeks, and is not usually announced ahead of time by the U.S. Marshals Service, Benjamin said. Even defense lawyers are not informed.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he said. "The government wants to get him up there as soon as they can."

Prosecutors left court without speaking to reporters.

Sayoc was arrested a week ago outside a South Florida auto parts store in a white van in which he had been living, a vehicle covered with stickers of Trump and showing images of some of the president's opponents with red crosshairs over their faces.

Sayoc faces nearly 50 years in prison if convicted on five federal charges that were filed in New York because some of the devices were recovered there.

Sayoc's lawyers decided not to seek release on bail after prosecutors released a letter outlining more evidence against him, including DNA linking him to 10 of the explosive devices and fingerprints on two of them.

Other evidence includes online searches Sayoc did on his laptop and cellphone for addresses and photos of some of his intended targets, which included former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, California Sen. Kamala Harris and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. Packages were also mailed to CNN in New York and Atlanta.

The laptop also has a file with the address in Sunrise, Florida, of the office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. That office was used as the return address on the packages containing the pipe bombs, according to the FBI. The computer file was labeled "Debbie W.docx".

Benjamin, however, said the prosecution letter does not prove anything yet. He noted that it refers to "possible" DNA matches to Sayoc.

"The word flimsy actually still applies," Benjamin told reporters. "We can't do anything but speculate now. And it's too early."

___

Mike Balsamo in Washington contributed.

___

Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Miamicurt
Note: This article has been updated to reflect the job title of public relations official who works with Hot Wheels.

A New Jersey man's custom car will be made into a Hot Wheels, the toy company announced this week.

Luis Rodriguez, of Hope, spent a year and a half building his car, called the 2JetZ, entering it into a regional Hot Wheels competition in Garfield in June. His car won the contest, going on to compete against 14 entries at a national car show in Las Vegas.

The car combines parts from several Japanese cars, according to Rodriguez. It will be made into a 1:64 die-cast toy, explained a public relations official who handles the Hot Wheel tour's publicity. Rodriguez said his inspiration for the hot rod came from a fighter plane, and he made it to honor American Veterans. The car has a Toyota Supra engine, a Subaru STI 6-speed transmission, 600 horsepower and a driver's seat in the middle of the vehicle.

Hot Wheels designers and famous car-lovers like Jay Leno, Magnus Walker and Rich Rawlings helped pick out the winner, according to a press release.

In June, Head of Hot Wheels design Ted Wu said the winning car must exhibit both originality and the "garage spirit," meaning that it was built, not bought.

"Do you look at it and automatically say, 'Does that look like a Hot Wheels car?" Wu said. "We've had over 25,000 different designs over the years, and we want to make sure this really stands out as a kind of a unique car."

Rodriguez's rod must have fit the criteria; it will become the first Hot Wheels fan's car to be miniaturized and sold globally, the press release said.

Cassidy Grom may be reached at cgrom@njadvancemedia.com Follow her at @cassidygrom. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
A man who ran a scheme to fraudulently obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise from several companies has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison.

Federal prosecutors say Roy Depack received a 45-month sentence Thursday. He also must pay $394,143 in restitution.

The 44-year-old Elizabeth man had pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Prosecutors say Depack and others obtained merchandise -- including computers, a walk-in freezer, a snow blower, televisions and tool kits -- from at least six companies.

Depack contacted them and falsely claimed to represent firms that had pre-existing business relationships, lines of credit or accounts with the companies. He then had them ship products to addresses in New Jersey and New York.

The goods obtained eventually were sold to pawn stores and other individuals.
Among the six candidates running for three seats on the Brick Board of Education next Tuesday is challenger Edward X. Young, who has raised eyebrows with his work as an actor in low-budget horror films that include nudity, sex, drugs and violence against women. It's work critics say should keep him off the board and out of the lives of Brick students.

"Every parent has to look at that and make a judgement for themselves," said Board of Education President Stephanie Wohlrab, who is seeking re-election on a three-person slate under the "Believe in Brick" banner on Tuesday's ballot. As for her own feelings about Young, Wohlrab said, "I do not believe that he should be in a position of making decisions that affect school children."

The school board candidate's film career was first reported in the New Jersey Globe.

Young filed his school board candidacy jointly with another challenger, the Rev. Rob Canfield, a youth pastor at the Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church in Tinton Falls. Although their New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission filing technically makes them running mates, Canfield is running under a separate slogan, "Better Brick Schools," and he has distanced himself from Young and his film work.

"I knew Ed was an actor and Republican when we decided to pool resources, but I had never seen any of Ed's films," Canfield said in a statement released to NJ Advance Media and other news outlets. "As a minister, I find these horror films to be very distasteful."

Canfield, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Brick in 2017, promises on his campaign Facebook page to tighten district spending in light of state aid cuts to Brick imposed under Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat.

Young's candidacy, on the other hand, seems to be as underground as his film career. A search failed to turn up a campaign website or Facebook page, and he has no published phone number. He did not respond to messages on his personal Facebook page, and an attempt to reach him through Canfield was also unsuccessful.

Young's candidacy was condemned on social media, as was Canfield's, by those skeptical of the pastor's ignorance plea.

According to a biography of Young on IMDB.com, a film website, the 59-year-old studied film and television production, acting and directing at institutions including Seton Hall and New York University. The bio lists appearances in several mainstream dramas, including "Amadeus" and "Children of a Lesser God," though without production information.

"He has also worked on numerous experimental film and video projects as director, writer, editor, animator, and make-up special effects artist," the bio states. "His recent film work as an actor is focused on genre horror features."



Promotional material for one of his recent films, "Big Foot: Blood Trap" includes a still photo of Young, marching through the woods, dressed in a jacket and tie and carrying a deer-hoofed staff, leading a procession of two naked women, a middle-aged man in a fedora and sleeveless T-shirt, and a pair of actors in Big Foot costumes. Another still includes a third woman, also naked, in neck and wrist shackles, with a Big Foot looming over her.

"Big Foot: Blood Trap," which IMDB says was completed last year, was posted on at least two subscription film sites, though it could not be viewed without a password.

But Brick voters still undecided about the school board race can watch another one of Young's films, "Two Guys, One Box," a short that he wrote, directed and starred in, that is posted on YouTube.

In the film, two men kidnap a prostitute, tie her to a chair, and take turns beating her bloody as they snort cocaine. The pair get their comeuppance as the plot turns metaphysical, when all but a few scraps of their bodies are devoured by some unseen force unleashed from a small box they purchase from a mysterious visitor.

The 10-minute film, posted in January 2017, is followed by an interview Young gave at the Macabre Faire, an independent film festival on Long Island where the film was shown.

"The movie is raw, it's very raw," Young tells the interviewer.

Young's on-camera appearances include an interview on the local Fox News affiliate, Fox5NY, as a supporter of President Donald Trump, sticking with the president in the wake of Michael Flynn's resignation as national security advisor.

Young is running under the slogan, "Make Brick Great," a reference to Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

Wohlrab's "Believe in Brick" slate includes another incumbent school board member, Victoria Pakala, as well as newcomer Nicole Siebert, who is vying for a seat being vacated by John Lamela, who is not seeking another term. In addition to Young and Canfield, a sixth school board candidate, John Barton, is running on his own under the "Barton for Board" slogan.

Like Wohlrab, Pakala emphasized the importance of her board experience in being able to adjust to state aid cuts projected to total about $25 million over the next seven years while preserving the quality of education and breadth of programs that Brick students and parents demand.

To plug the state aid gap, Pakala said, the board will be forced to raise school property taxes by the maximum 2 percent under a cap imposed by Murphy's Republican predecessor, Gov. Chris Christie, a reality that Pakala said Young fails to grasp.

"I see on his campaign road signs he's promising, 'No more tax hikes,' when the state is mandating a 2 percent tax hike over each of the next four years," Pakala said.

On the question of Young's choice of film roles and his screenwriting, Pakala said she could not rule out the possibility that Young's screen portrayals of violence against women were actually a conscious effort to expose and counter it. But she didn't think it was.

"I don't know what's in his head, I don't know what's in his heart," Pakala said. But she added, "I don't think he shares the values of parents and taxpayers in Brick."

Lawn signs are ready! Reach out to me or go to Country Store Jewelers to pick up yours today! Posted by Rob Canfield for Brick on Saturday, October 13, 2018

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The 80-year-old member of the Crescent Shrine mini-car team who fractured his skull while performing in Toms River's Halloween parade remains in stable condition in intensive care, a spokesman for the organization said Friday.

Harold Oswald, a longtime performer with the Crescent Shrine team, hit his head on the pavement after the gas-powered vehicle tipped over Wednesday evening and he fell out, according to police.

Investigators are still attempting to determine how the vehicle overturned, but Crescent Shrine spokesman Steve Telofski said it's possible the mini-car hit a patch of uneven road as there are several repaved areas on that stretch of Main Street.

"The maneuvers are not complex by any means," Telofski said Friday morning. "They're mainly circles and figure 8s."

Oswald, a resident of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center after the crash.

The organization's mini-cars have been a part of about 150 parades over the past 11 years. This is the first time one of its drivers has been injured, according to Telofski.

The 1,350-member strong Crescent Shriners are based in Westampton, Burlington County. The organization works to raise money for the 22 Shriners hospitals across the country, including one in Philadelphia. The hospitals provide specialized care to children with orthopedic, burn, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate conditions.

More photos from the Toms River Halloween parade. Wish you were there! Posted by Crescent Shrine on Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
New Jersey health officials have confirmed four cases of measles in Lakewood and say they are testing two other people who have symptoms of the illness.

The state health department considers this an outbreak.

The first case, reported to the Health Department on Oct. 26, involved a person who traveled to Israel and contracted the disease there.

Officials say three people in New Jersey contracted the illness after they were exposed to the traveler. The infected people may have exposed others to the disease while they were at sites in Lakewood between Oct. 25 and 31.

The initial infected person visited the following Lakewood locations:

Schul Satmar, 405 Forest Ave. from Oct. 13 to Oct. 21 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Eat a Pita, 116 Clifton Ave. on Oct. 15 between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

CHEMED Health Center, 1771 Madison Ave. on Oct. 17 between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. and Oct. 18 between 10:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Dan Regenye, spokesman for the Ocean County Health Department, said officials are examining two other people "with symptoms such as fever" but that those cases were not confirmed as of Friday afternoon.

Anyone who suspects they were exposed to the disease should call a health care provider before going to a medical office or emergency department so special arrangements can be made for an evaluation. This will also protect other people and medical staff from possible infection.

Measles is a highly contagious disease. Symptoms include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
New Jerseyans already know what happens when we defund Planned Parenthood, which is on almost every congressional Republican's list of Things To Do, regardless of the appalling consequences.

We had a governor who pulled the plug on family planning funding for eight years. In the end, Chris Christie's elimination of $55 million resulted in the closure of six facilities and 33,000 fewer patients receiving medical care statewide.

Result: Sexually transmitted infections, such as chlamydia and syphilis, jumped 35 percent between 2009 and 2015.

There was also a 5-percent increase in breast and cervical cancer, with a spike among women of color, who are more likely to use Planned Parenthood - a 6.6 percent increase among black women, a 25-percent surge among Latinas. And the number of new HIV cases spread from sexual contact increased.

These were just a few effects of New Jerseyans when access to reproductive health care was reduced. Who wants to go back there exactly?

Meet your Republican candidates for Congress.

Incumbents Leonard Lance, Tom MacArthur, Chris Smith and candidate Jay Webber all have supported the defunding of Planned Parenthood, which is not surprising, since they belong to a party that often views women's sovereignty as a political pinata.

The GOP has long targeted Planned Parenthood, which it equates with expanding access to abortion, even though federal funds cannot be used for that constitutionally-protected procedure. And it hardly matters that Planned Parenthood has done more than any other organization in the last century for women's health, or that it is the only place for 4 million low-income women to go for cancer screenings, STD testing, prenatal care, and birth control, the latest GOP target.

Nor do they seem to get that funding of family planning facilities prevents 2 million unintended pregnancies each year, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Still, Assemblyman Webber, running in the 11th District against Mikie Sherrill, has a record on women's issues that borders on hysterical. He has voted against funding for women's health services, and he is against Medicaid coverage for family planning for just above the poverty level. He even voted against allowing birth control prescriptions from state-sanctioned plans to be extended from 3 to 6 months.

And on his website, Webber also gives credence to the mendacious "Planned Parenthood sells baby parts" story, which led to more than a dozen state and federal investigations and found no wrongdoing.

Lance has voted to defund Planned Parenthood nearly a dozen times, but now he's trying a political dodge: He proposes separating health services from abortion services -- never mind that the latter is not federally funded, and never mind that the right to choose is often a health issue.

MacArthur's record speaks for itself: His career is defined by his effort to wreck the Affordable Care Act, and every ACA repeal bill called for excluding Planned Parenthood from using Medicaid funds. That's a direct attack: Three-quarters of public dollars spent on family planning are Medicaid dollars.

Then there is Smith, an anti-choice crusader for four decades, who is defending his 4th District seat against Navy veteran Josh Welle. He is the driving force behind Health and Human Services' latest effort to enforce the so-called "gag rule," which prohibits Planned Parenthood from discussing abortion, lest it risk its Title X funding.

It begs the question: If a Planned Parenthood patient has a condition that would severely affect her health - say, she discovers she's pregnant after a cancer diagnosis and needs to terminate the pregnancy - how could she make a life decision if her doctor is gagged? We asked. Smith didn't respond.

These candidates might consult the last Rutgers-Eagleton poll, which found 77 percent of New Jerseyans in support of federal funding for reproductive health services for lower-income women; 84 percent support Medicaid paying Planned Parenthood for reproductive and preventative care; and 76 percent want birth control covered. Overall, Planned Parenthood has 65 percent approval, which matches the national mood.

Yet Planned Parenthood now faces the most challenging time in its history, perhaps since Margaret Sanger courageously opened a birth control clinic in a Brooklyn brownstone 102 years ago. And only informed voters -- men and women alike -- can protect it.

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During his televised debate against incumbent Bob Menendez, challenger Bob Hugin somewhat snidely echoed comments made during the Brett Kavanaugh Senate confirmation hearings and said he and his opponent were on a "job interview.''

Although his choice of words and tone felt like a swipe at women who fought Kavanaugh's confirmation, he was nonetheless correct.

On Tuesday, New Jerseyans are faced with a choice of hiring a candidate with decades of on-the-job experience or a political newcomer who has gained exposure by pouring tens of millions of dollars of his own money into his campaign. We are faced with a choice between a Democratic candidate who has consistently pushed for progressive ideals in healthcare, immigration and beyond and a Republican candidate who tells us he is a moderate but has no track record to show us he will vote the way the majority of New Jerseyans would if they were among the 100 men and women in the U.S. Senate.

Based on their qualifications, The Jersey Journal believes the choice is clear: Re-elect Bob Menendez.

Yes, we, like many New Jerseyans, have misgivings because of the federal accusations and Senate Ethics Committee's admonishment of Menendez over gifts he accepted from a friend and campaign donor and actions he took on that donor's behalf. Perhaps we are more sensitive than most to the disappointment these actions stirred. We have followed Menendez's ascent from testifying against his former mentor in a corruption trial to local elected office to the House of Representatives to the Senate. Over four-plus decades, we've noted the pride he brought to the Hudson County and Hispanic communities with his many "firsts." And we've recorded the policy achievements that have had lasting impacts for our readers. The accusations cut deep even for jaded news veterans who have become inured to the sight of Hudson County politicians at the defense table.

We can wag our fingers and say he should have retired and let another accomplished New Jerseyan take his place on the Democratic primary ballot - which we believe to be true. But, in the end, we are still left with the same choice on Tuesday: Menendez or Hugin.

Now is not the time in our state's or nation's history for a protest vote.

Menendez has been a force in the creation and protection of the Affordable Care Act, which got health insurance for a million New Jerseyans and took a burden of charitable care off our hospitals. He was instrumental in getting the Children's Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, renewed despite the Trump administration's efforts to slash funding. The child of immigrants in a county of immigrants - both documented and undocumented - he has fought for pathways to citizenship as opposed to the Trump administration's ever-more disturbing efforts to vilify those who come here seeking better lives and, in turn, contribute to our mosaic.

Menendez is experienced. He sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and its Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development; and the Senate Finance Committee and its Subcommittee on Health Care.

And he has policy plans to, he hopes, better the ACA's regulations on chronic disease and end-of-life care -- the costliest aspects of healthcare, but also the areas where government and insurers need to have the most compassion - and to implement a "Medicare at 55'' program who those who would like to purchase it.

Hugin says his stance on issues of importance to New Jerseyans is to the left of President Trump's. But, after seeing Republican after Republican fold and take up Trump's anti-American causes, we cannot afford to risk another yes man in Congress. To that point, Hugin's approval of Kavanaugh's confirmation - which came only after it was clear Kavanaugh would be confirmed - is especially worrisome.

And Hugin has his own ethical challenges, accused of profiting off cancer patients when he led the Celgene pharmaceutical company.

Hugin is campaigning as a fresh face, but what he's mostly brought to the table are piles of cash and negative ads.

We urge voters to cast their ballots for Sen. Menendez on Tuesday.

Submit letters to the editor and guest columns to jjletters@jjournal.com.
Jersey City residents can be proud that the eight candidates for three seats on the city school board this year bring a wealth of dedication to the table. Each, in her or his own way, works hard for students' betterment.

Voters, then, have to make tough choices on Tuesday.

The Jersey Journal endorses incumbent Vidya Gangadin and newcomer Dominique Smith on the Preparation, Community, Sustainability ticket and independent Natalia Ioffe, running under the Building Bridges banner.

Gangadin, an ally of Superintendent of Schools Marcia Lyles, already has two terms under her belt, including several years as the board's president. Her experience on the board and as a financial analyst serve the district well.

Smith, an admissions counselor at New Jersey City University who proposes implementing associate degree programs in high schools, will help keep the board mindful that our responsibility for the success of Jersey City public school students can and should extend beyond getting them through 12th grade.

Ioffe, a School 16 parent, has impressed us through the years with her dedication and creativity. Earlier this year, she and other members of the school parent council even traveled to Trenton to attend an assembly budget committee hearing on education.

Submit letters to the editor and guest columns to jjletters@jjournal.com.
By Cristina Pinzon

My story, like many stories across our country, started in a small apartment in a big city in Latin America. Despite having a decent life in Bogota, Colombia, my mother chose to come to this country to provide me with the opportunity to create a brighter future.

She took a risk bringing a young newborn to a new country. She wanted to make sure I could have exposure to better opportunities than those that were afforded to her in Colombia. Our new home became the City of Elizabeth, a developing and changing community where no family looked alike and no language was similar.

Pinzon: My mother took a risk bringing me as a young newborn to a new country. She wanted to make sure I could have exposure to better opportunities than those that were afforded to her in Colombia. (Photo courtesy of the Pinzon Family)

Having been raised in Elizabeth, I never felt any different or labeled because that's not how I was treated or taught to think. Instead, as I got older and became more involved in different organizations, I found myself to be the minority in more than one way. At 24, I was a recent grad trying to find my way through life. After having worked for and served on the board of several recognized organizations, I noticed one constant theme: I was always the youngest, the only minority, and a female at that.

While I was grateful for these opportunities, I came to the grueling realization that our society is separated by several factions, including power, income, and gender. Here I am now in my 30s, a millennial, still trying to figure out what label I should wear, especially in a time of racial and gender divisiveness.

Like so many nowadays, I found myself having to defend my patriotism when a stranger called me un-American for being a Latina. Never have experienced such direct blatant racism, I was shocked when the woman approached my side and repeatedly told me I was not American because I was not born here. And for some odd reason, she was also surprised that I could speak English and was married to a Caucasian man. At first, her disparaging remarks hurt but I didn't let it phase me, because I honor my patriotism and devotion to this country by helping where I can and participating in the democratic process.

As a Latina millennial, I believe that my duty, along with all other Americans of voting age, is to participate in our democracy. I vote out of respect for all the young men and women whose families took risks to build a new life here. They thought the promise of freedom and the prospect to self-govern was worth the sacrifice. I vote for all those who came here seeking the same opportunities as my mother, but do not have a pathway to citizenship. I vote, too, to improve a fragile economy that if not addressed could have dire consequences for millennials as we get older.

Millennials make up the majority of Latino voters at 43.5 percent, and one-fifth or 18.1 percent of everyone in the 18 to 35-year-old age group, according to Pew Research.

The good news is that more young Latinos voted in the most recent election. Between 13.1 million to 14.7 million Latinos voted in 2016, according to The Washington Post. Between 2014 and 2018, four million more Latinos became eligible to vote, mostly by young people coming of age and naturalized.

More can be done. The Latino community's concerns are lost opportunities because their voices are not heard through the ballot. This is a monumental lost opportunity to make the concerns of the Latino community known.

Next week, we will have another opportunity to vote, and the stakes have never been higher. In the last two years, Latino millennials have been under attack, faced with the constant threat of deportation while thousands of families have been torn apart. Those who have the right to vote can stand up for those who are powerless and to make our concerns and our values known.

I want to make clear that we Latinos do not make up a monolithic voting bloc. We come in an all shapes, colors and beliefs. We share a common heritage and many of us still speak Spanish. But as Americans we want the same as any another American - or any other immigrant who aspires to be American.

That said, when the Latino community does not bother to walk to the polling booth, they send a message that no one has to listen to them. We cannot afford to do this anymore.

Voting is the only voice most of us have. It is the only way to make our issues important to those who have the power to act on them. It is also the means by which Latinos can assert ourselves as full participants in this American democracy with every right to be heard.

Vote on Nov. 6.

Cristina Pinzon is the founder of Stateside Affairs, a women-minority owned public and government relations firm based in New Jersey. She is also a member of LUPE PAC, a non-partisan political action committee whose mission is to increase the number of Latinas in elected and appointed office in the state of New Jersey.

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By Peter Rezk

As a kid from Jersey City, I have been around plenty of gun deaths in my young life. This past weekend gun violence struck close to home when a horrific massacre took the lives of 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue, just a 10-minute walk from my campus in Pittsburgh. I know people who worship there.

They are devastated, and I feel their pain.

Thankfully, there have been no mass killings in my hometown, but I know the effects that senseless murders can have on a community.

Two years ago, I graduated from County Prep High School in Jersey City. I've been studying biological sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. I've always planned to return to Jersey City. It's the community I grew up in, and I care deeply about the challenges we face because they are personal.

"While I mourn the devastating tragedy at Tree of Life and grieve alongside my Pittsburgh neighbors, something is apparent: certain communities are erased from conversations around gun violence." (Photo courtesy of Peter Rezk)

Not long after leaving for college, I learned about the passing of a teen, Anthony Rios, who had been shot and killed at home. He had the same name as my high school best friend. Immediately, I panicked. My heart began to race as I fumbled around with my phone to call my friend. Eventually, he picked up the phone and assured me that it wasn't him in the news but rather another teenager with the same name. Unfortunately, soon after that phone call, I learned that the young man who was murdered was the brother of another high school friend, Tamir Rios. While I thanked God that my best friend was okay, my heart ached for another friend's family whose lives would be forever changed by the tragic loss of their young son.

While I mourn the devastating tragedy at Tree of Life and grieve alongside my Pittsburgh neighbors, something is apparent: certain communities are erased from conversations around gun violence.

Every year, 231 young people die in New Jersey because of gun violence. According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, New Jersey has averaged 280 gun-related homicides, 184 gun-related suicides, 764 non-fatal interpersonal shootings, and 599 unintentional shootings per year.

Latinx and black youth are disproportionately affected by this epidemic. Every single day, youth of color are gunned down in neighborhoods around the country, with little national media attention and few calls to action from national leaders.

In 2014, 56 percent of American children killed in gun homicides were black. Even more shocking, gun violence affects the youth drastically as it has now surpassed car accidents as a leading cause of death. Children and young adults make up 38 percent of all firearm-related deaths and non-fatal injuries. Simply put, gun violence is killing young people of color, and the national media doesn't seem to care.

From Jersey City and Newark to Camden and Trenton, New Jersey is full of cities experiencing the effects of gun violence.

This year, New Jersey's U.S. Senate race pits incumbent Democrat Bob Menendez against Republican challenger Bob Hugin. Menendez, through his years in the Senate, has consistently advocated for stricter gun laws. He has voted in favor of banning high-capacity magazines. Menendez has also voted against allowing firearms in checked baggage on Amtrak trains -- an issue that can lead to the illegal trafficking of firearms into New Jersey. He has also voted to prohibit product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers. These votes have earned him an "F" rating from the National Rifle Association.

Hugin, on the other hand, has refused to take a position on whether weapons of war should be banned from our streets. Moreover, if he were to be elected, Hugin would become nothing more than a rubber stamp for the agenda of Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump, both of whom have consistently refused to advocate for stricter gun laws.

Data has proven time and time again that states that have the strictest gun laws also have the lowest number of firearm-related homicides. Today, most of the young people getting wounded or killed by guns are hurt by firearms that were illegally trafficked into New Jersey. Three out of four weapons found in New Jersey's gun-related crimes were purchased in states with weaker gun laws.

My generation can't afford a U.S. Senate that will kick the can down the road again. New Jersey needs a senator who will look after young people of color and fight back against the NRA and gun lobby. Our lives depend on it.

Peter Rezk, a Jersey City native who calls Bayonne home, is a third-year student studying biological sciences at Carnegie Mellon University.

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By Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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We know what you're thinking.

Can't wait until Wednesday, right?

That's when we'll all know if Republicans or Democrats are the victors in this long and nasty campaign for control of the House and Senate that's seen as a midterm test of an increasingly frenetic President Donald Trump.

Oh yes. It's also the day all of those shrill, scary, dirty and repetitive campaign ads that are all over New Jersey will disappear.

But until then, you can't escape them. They're repeated incessantly on TV. They're on your favorite websites, your Facebook feed. They even sneak into the stuff you're watching on YouTube.

And New Jersey, with its close Senate race and Republican House districts that could turn blue, is at the center of the storm.

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Andy Kim, right, the Democratic candidate, speaks during an October debate with Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-3rd Dist. (AP Photo | Julio Cortez)

Of course, lots of the ads really stretch the truth. And the campaigns and parties and their friends are paying millions in the battle for power.

In New Jersey's congressional districts, candidates have busted spending records and are flooding the airwaves from now until Tuesday.

And much of the money is coming from outside New Jersey: The House Democratic and Republican political arms and their aligned super political action committees are spending millions, as are special interest groups, some of which keep their donors secret.

"It means these are among the most competitive in the nation," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group. "As such, they are magnets for outside groups."

Are those ads true or lies? And who is paying? Here's what you need to know:

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He lobbied for terrorist rights!

Longtime Republican Rep. Leonard Lance is in the fight of his political life to fend off Democrat Tom Malinowski in the 7th District. The money and charges are flying fast.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., claimed in an ad that Malinowski, former Assistant Secretary of State T "lobbied for terrorists' rights."

The truth: This referred to his efforts with the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to ban torture of U.S. detainees.

It also described Tom Malinowski as a "D.C. lobbyist."

He spent seven years registered to lobby for the nongovernmental human rights organization Human Rights Watch, Senate records show.

The Congressional Leadership Fund spent $3.9 million on the race, more than any other outside group, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group. Its biggest donors are casino executive Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam, who combined contributed $50 million.

It also received more than $16 million from the American Action Network, a nonprofit that keeps its donors hidden and supported the Republican tax bill that capped the federal deduction for state and local taxes.

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House Majority PAC, the super PAC aligned with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, was the second-biggest outside spender in the district at $2.4 million. The PAC couldn't attack Lance for supporting the Affordable Care Act repeal last year because he bucked his party and voted no. He was the first New Jersey Republican to oppose the bill.

But he did vote to move a portion of the repeal bill to the House floor from his perch on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Lance was being hammered for that.

House Majority PAC's biggest donors include several labor unions, including the American Federation of Teachers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

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Malinowski didn't need the outside help as much as Lance did. He more than doubled the incumbent's fundraising.

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You're with Pelosi and a tax cheat! Oh yeah, you're a stooge for insurers!

Democrat Andy Kim, who is challenging Republican Rep. Tom MacArthur in the 3rd District, opposed the Republican tax bill that targeted New Jersey and other high-tax states by capping the federal deduction for state and local taxes.

The measure used the extra revenue from limiting that break to fund a tax cut weighted heavily in favor of corporations and the rich. It remains unpopular both in New Jersey and nationwide, and MacArthur's support of the measure threatens his re-election.

From the beginning, Republicans falsely have described their bill as a middle-class tax cut, even though every independent study showed it primarily benefitted the wealthy.

That hasn't deterred the GOP from insisting that those who opposed the legislation opposed helping the middle class.

Republicans in ads also have hammered Kim for claiming a D.C. homestead exemption even after moving back to his native New Jersey.

Kim's campaign said the tax break automatically was renewed through the bank holding the mortgage and provided documents showing that Kim cancelled it and refunded $687 in homestead rebates he received for 2017 and 2018, before the MacArthur campaign first raised the issue.

The GOP also dusted off its old playbook of trying to link Democrats to Pelosi, the former House speaker.

Pelosi was viewed favorably by just 22 percent of U.S. voters in a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, slightly more than the 21 percent who favored Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

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MacArthur was also a target of ads.

He played a major role in saving the House Republican health care bill that the Congressional Budget Office said would leave 23 million more Americans uninsured. Outside groups have taken turns attacking him on the bill, as well as his support of the Republican tax law.

End Citizens United, one of the anti-MacArthur groups, criticized him for taking contributions from the insurance industry and suggested that influenced his vote. But the health insurers' trade group, America's Health Insurance Plans, was not enamored with the House legislation. Its president and chief executive, Marilyn Tavenner, said "important improvements" were needed.

Besides, MacArthur had just moved to the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees insurance issues. For better or worse, that means the insurance industry began to pay attention, with campaign contributions.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., who opposed the health care bill, also sits on the committee and received $217,935 in donations from insurance industry employees, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That was just slightly less than the $246,708 given to MacArthur, a former insurance executive.

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Kim outraised MacArthur, forcing the incumbent to write himself $1.4 million in checks to remain competitive financially.

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You oppose tax cuts! You'll hurt seniors!

Open-seat races usually attract the most spending from political party committees and other outside groups.

Not so in the 11th District battle to replace the retiring Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen.

Former Navy pilot and federal prosecutor Mikie Sherrill had such a commanding fundraising lead over Republican Jay Webber that she was favored to win the race, enticing others to spend their money elsewhere.

Sherrill's $7.7 million in receipts was the most ever raised by any House candidate in New Jersey, including self-funders. Webber couldn't keep pace, though he received help from both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who have hosted fundraisers for him.

Frelinghuysen has not contributed to the Republican running for his seat.

That didn't stop the House Majority PAC from spending $1.6 million to support Sherrill, including one ad that was a twist on the Republican arguments about the tax bill.

The GOP argued that anyone opposing the measure supported higher taxes on the middle class, even though its tax bill was heavily weighted toward the rich and took aim at the deduction for state and local taxes, primarily used by middle-class homeowners in high-tax states.

Even with the $10,000 deduction cap, however, studies show that a majority of New Jerseyans -- though a much lower percentage than 45 other states -- would see a tax cut. So supporting the tax bill, even with the deduction limit, doesn't mean wanting to raise taxes on the middle class.

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Webber has tried to link Sherrill to the proposal by some Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., to set up a Medicare-like government insurance program for everyone rather than rely on private companies. The proposal has been dubbed "Medicare for All."

To suggest that it would hurt seniors who now rely on traditional Medicare is a "horrible mischaracterization of the proposal," the Urban Institute's Linda Blumberg told the Pulitzer Prize-winning Politifact.

The only people who wanted to slash Medicare funding were Webber's fellow Republicans. House Republicans voted in 2014 to end traditional Medicare and instead offer seniors vouchers to help pay for private insurance or a government-run program with a cap on benefits.

The effort was led by Ryan, then House Budget Committee chairman, who came to New Jersey last month to endorse Webber,

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That nasty Senate race: You're a corrupt Dem! You're a Trump tool!

Former Celgene Corp. executive Bob Hugin has pumped $36 million of his own money to try to defeat U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

While the most recent Real Clear Politics poll average gave Menendez a lead of 6.5 percentage points and he has never trailed in any survey, the race was close enough that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Senate Democrats' super PAC, the Senate Majority PAC, pumped around $7 million into the race to try to retain the seat.

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Polls show that Menendez was ahead because opposition to Trump took precedence over revulsion at the senator's ethical problems, which included a Senate Ethics Committee rebuke as well as a 14-count indictment that failed to yield a conviction.

So Menendez tried to connect Hugin to Trump at every opportunity, including an ad airing in the final days of the campaign. Hugin contributed $200,000 to help elect Trump and continued to support Republican lawmakers and political committees that backed the president.

Still. Hugin tried to put some distance between himself and the president, most recently criticizing Trump's proposal to unilaterally overrule the Constitution and declare that those born the U.S. were not citizens if their parents were unauthorized immigrants, and calling his rhetoric on immigration "inflammatory."

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The President is wrong to end #BirthrightCitizenship. I took an oath to defend the Constitution including the 14th Amendment. Were a nation of immigrants made better by the diversity of its people, especially in NJ. We need compassionate comprehensive immigration reform now. -BH  Bob Hugin (@BobHugin) October 30, 2018

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Hugin continued to run ads highlighting the unproven allegations that Menendez slept with underage prostitutes while visiting the Dominican Republic with friend and campaign donor Dr. Salomon Melgen.

The FBI investigated the charges but couldn't prove them, and the allegations were not part of the indictment brought against the senator. Hugin's campaign was roundly criticized by fact checkers for raising them, and the person who first brought the allegations to the attention of the FBI, former federal prosecutor Melanie Sloan, said they were "discredited" and "completely untrue."

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Former Gov. Chris Christie is shown in this 2013 photo. (AP Photo | Mel Evans)

He's back! Christie spreads cash at the last minute

Former Gov. Chris Christie waited until late October before disbursing some of the $82,334 left over in his leadership political action committee. He spent almost one-fourth of it in New Jersey, making $5,000 contributions to Hugin, Webber, MacArthur and Lance.

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Rep. Leonard Lance, right, looks on as Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski answers a question during a debate on Oct. 17. (AP Photo | Julio Cortez)

Outside money really dominates these races

In two New Jersey districts, you're seeing double.

That's because outside groups spent more than the candidates to protect or defeat the state's two endangered incumbents, MacArthur, R-3rd Dist., and Lance, R-7th Dist.

Outside spending in the 3rd District was $11 million versus the candidates' $8.5 million in expenditures. In the 7th District, it was $10 million for outside groups and $6.4 million for the candidates.

They were two of the 28 congressional districts nationwide where outsiders amplified their voices more than the candidates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

"They're competing for the same airwaves," Krumholz said.

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Money goes to races on the radar

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, is strongly favored to succeed retiring Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd Dist., and flip at least one New Jersey congressional district to blue from red. The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee pulled its endorsement of Van Drew's GOP opponent, Seth Grossman, after he shared a post from a white supremacist website calling blacks a "threat to all who cross their paths."

As with Frelinghuysen, LoBiondo has not contributed to the Republican running for his seat.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., who has served in the House since 1981, raised more than $1 million for the first time. So did his Democratic opponent, Josh Welle, a Navy veteran and businessman.

But neither political party and few outside groups put any money in the race, and Smith remained the only House Republican in the state considered safe by the two Washington-based publications that track congressional races, Inside Elections and the Cook Political Report.

In the 5th District, Rep. Josh Gottheimer was the first Democrat to represent the area in 84 years, but Republicans failed to nominate a strong challenger nor adequately fund his campaign.

John McCann, general counsel to the New Jersey Sheriffs Association, almost doubled his fundraising by contributing $328,620 from his own pocket. Since Oct. 17, he has given his campaign an additional $206,000.

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Republican Seth Grossman, left, looks toward his challenger, state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, at the end of their debate at Stockton University. (Bill Gallo Jr. | For South Jersey Times)

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These safe Democrats are spreading their cash around

In the closing weeks of the campaign, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist., sent $50,000 of his campaign cash to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to help elect other Democrats and possibly win back the House majority. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th Dist, gave $25,000 to the DCCC.

Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist., contributed $1,000 to the campaign of Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Rep. Albio Sires, D-8th Dist., donated $1,000 to Kim's campaign.

Sires and Watson Coleman found themselves on opposite sides of a Democratic primary in Massachusetts. Sires contributed $1,000 to incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano. Watson Coleman gave $1,000 to the challenger who ousted him, Ayanna Pressley.

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Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-9th Dist., testifies at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in 2009 as Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist., looks on. (Aristide Economopoulos | The Star-Ledger)

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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 -- A poll released just four days before Election Day showed U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez putting some distance between him and former Celgene Corp. executive Bob Hugin.

Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat seeking a third full term, led Hugin, his Republican challenger, among likely voters, 51 percent to 39 percent, in the Stockton University survey released Friday. Libertarian Party nominee Murray Sabrin received 3 percent.

As has been the case in earlier polls, Menendez has benefitted from antipathy towards Republican President Donald Trump, which has cancelled out voter angst over his own ethical problems.

"Even though his name is not on the ballot, President Trump's presence appears to be at the top of the ticket in New Jersey," said Michael W. Klein, interim executive director of Stockton's William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy.

"Our poll indicates that New Jersey's voters oppose the president, and the best way to express that opposition at the ballot box is to re-elect Senator Menendez, despite any misgivings they might have about the senator himself," Klein said.

An earlier Stockton poll released Oct. 1 had the race closer than any other survey, calling it a dead heat.

The poll was the most recent to show Menendez ahead of Hugin, who has spent $36 million of his own money, most of it on negative ads attacking the incumbent over his ethical problems. It gave Menendez a bigger lead than other recent surveys.

In this survey, 71 percent chose either Trump or party control of the Senate as their main factor in deciding which candidate to vote for.

Just 19 percent cited Menendez's ethical problems, which include a Senate Ethics Committee rebuke and a 14-count indictment that initially ended in a mistrial before a judge acquitted him of some of the charges and federal prosecutors dropped the rest.

Menendez was viewed unfavorably 44 percent of likely voters and favorably by 23 percent. Despite Hugin's ad blitz. Menendez's unfavorable ratings dipped from 54 percent in the earlier Stockton survey.

Just 37 percent rated Trump's performance in office as good or excellent, with 62 percent saying it was fair or poor.

While the race had been closer than expected, Hugin has never led in any poll. Still, Senate Democrats were concerned enough that their political arm and their super political action committee spent around $7 million on Menendez's behalf.

The Cook Political Report recently declared the race a tossup, but Inside Elections continued to rate Menendez as a likely bet for re-election. Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight gave the incumbent a 91 percent chance of winning a third term on Tuesday.

The poll of 598 likely voters was conducted Oct. 25-31 and had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
No more elephants at traveling circuses in New Jersey? It might soon be law.

Gov. Phil Murphy could make New Jersey the first state to ban the use of wild or exotic animals in traveling animal acts.

Lawmakers have sent the Democratic governor legislation called "Nosey's Law," named after a 35-year-old African elephant used in traveling circuses across the country that authorities say was abused and neglected by its owner.

The ban would apply to carnivals, circuses, fairs, parades, petting zoos and similar live events, according to the bill.

"These are wild, endangered animals, and they should be cared for according to the highest ethical standards to ensure the survival of their species," Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, D-Hudson, said in a statement.

"We cannot allow ill-equipped handlers of traveling animal acts to mistreat and exploit endangered species," he said.

Other states, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Hawaii and New York, are considering similar bans, Mukherji said.

There were no loud roars of disapproval when the bill came up in both chambers of the Demcoratic-controlled New Jersey Legislature on Monday. It cleared the state Senate by a 36-0 vote and the state Assembly 71-3 with three abstentions.

It's now up to Murphy to either sign or veto it.

The proposal doesn't define exotic animals but would recommend state regulators rely on the state Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act for guidance.

The state defines exotic animals as "any species of mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, mollusk, or crustacean that is not indigenous to New Jersey as determined by the Fish and Game Council."

Lawmakers sent a similar proposal -- sponsored by now-retired state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union -- to former Gov. Chris Christie's desk just before the Republican left office on Jan. 16.

Christie, however, did not sign it into law.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.
The man suspected of robbing eight banks across the region admitted his role in at least one of them, a court document shows.

Since his arrest Tuesday, Mark Elbaum, 52, of Hillsborough, has been charged with robbing banks in Trenton, West Windsor, Franklin Township, Bridgewater, North Brunswick and Middlesex Borough in a spree that started Oct. 1.

Mark Elbaum, police photo

On Friday, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office charged him with robbing the Northfield Bank in Flemington on Oct. 24. Around 8:45 a.m., Elbaum entered the bank and handed over a demand note, the office said in a news statement. It did not mention a dollar amount.

Court records in Pennsylvania don't show any recent charges for Elbaum, though he is believed to be the man who entered a First Bank in Bensalem, in Bucks County, with a demand note. Two tellers there are seen on video denying that man's request for cash.

Elbaum, after he was arrested and read his rights, was interviewed and it was recorded, according to an affidavit of probable cause in the case.

In that interview, police showed him a surveillance photo of one of the robberies and Elbaum admitted his involvement, the affidavit reads.

That document also alleges he received $900 in $50 and $100 bills from the Bridgewater robbery.

Elbaum remains in the Somerset County Jail.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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He's accused of stealing from an educational nonprofit when he was a school principal in Middlesex County, and he remains on the ballot for a school board election in his hometown.

Joseph Armstead, the former principal of the Piscataway campus of Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools, was indicted in July on one count of burglary, two counts of theft and one of forgery.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said in a news statement at the time that Armstead received checks from the nonprofit, which tutors kids and helps them apply to colleges. He was also accused of taking $10,000 in property from the organization's offices and placing it in storage in Edison.

His lawyer listed in court records, Scott Kraus, did not return multiple requests for comment in recent days, including emailed questions about his status on the ballot, or if he would like to discuss his case.

But officials confirmed that Armstead is still in the school board race.

He is one of three candidates up for three open seats on the Washington Township Board of Education in Warren County.

"Unless somebody is a write-in or people for another reason do not vote for him," Armstead could be elected, said Jason Sarnoski, a Warren County freeholder and the liaison to the county Board of Elections.

Being indicted does not bar him from election, but any school election candidate, when filing a petition for nomination, consents to a criminal history background check within 30 days of their election.

He has not attended a school board meeting since Feb. 12 of this year, the meeting minutes show.

Armstead was last in court on Oct. 22. At this appearance, the matter was adjourned until Nov. 30, Carey's spokeswoman said.

He is no longer listed as principal of Middlesex Vo-Tech on the school's website.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A man who died in August after police say he was beaten by a person whose wallet he stole died of an irregular heartbeat, the Orleans Parish Coroners Office said.

However, the irregular heartbeat, known as a cardiac arrhythmia, was associated with cocaine and alcohol intoxication, as well as physical exertion and altercation, Dr. Dwight McKennas office said in a statement on Thursday (Nov. 1). The office declared the Aug. 10 death of 31-year-old Kerwin Duncan a homicide, which is a medical determination, not a legal one.

Its unclear what the coroners findings mean for Simon Morris, the 32-year-old man who had been arrested on a manslaughter charge in Duncans death, and was then released last month without charges, pending the medical findings.

Man accused in South Claiborne beating set free pending coroners report

Orleans Parish District Attorneys Office spokesman Ken Daley said earlier this week the office was unable to make a decision on possible charges prior to Thursday because the Orleans Parish Coroners Office had not released its final pathologist report on Duncan. Morris was released under Article 701, according to court documents, which requires prosecutors to file charges within a certain time period if they want to keep the accused in custody.

The DAs office was closed on Thursday, when the coroner released his findings, Daley said. Case screeners within the office will likely review the full report before making a decision.

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New Orleans police said Morris chased down a man who stole his wallet and beat him outside a row of storefronts in the 4100 block of South Claiborne Avenue on Aug. 10.

The altercation began when Duncan asked Morris for a dollar around 8 a.m. in the 2100 block of South Claiborne Avenue, and Morris refused. Duncan then snatched Morris' wallet and ran across the street, according to the warrant for Morris arrest. Two witnesses observed Morris follow then beat Duncan. When the witnesses attempted to restrain Morris, he continued to punch and kick Duncan, who begged Morris to stop as he struggled to covered his face, head and body, the warrant states. The beating continued for more than five minutes, police said, before a witness was finally able to pull Morris away and stop the fight, the warrant states.

A man stole a wallet, then was beaten to death on Claiborne Avenue, police claim

Two weeks after the beating, Morris requested to have his $150,000 bond lowered in magistrate court, but a commissioner denied the request, telling Morris attorney David Gremillion he needed to address the allegation in the police report that the beating lasted five minutes or more.

Louisiana law defines manslaughter as a homicide which would be murder ... but is committed in sudden passion or heat of blood immediately caused by provocation sufficient to deprive an average person of his self-control and cool reflection or a homicide committed, without any intent to cause death or great bodily harm. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reporter Hanna Krueger contributed to this report.
A 29-year-old woman watched a relative climb through the front window of her New Orleans East home with a knife in his hand and a gun in his waistband during a burglary reported early Friday morning (Nov. 2), New Orleans police said.

The armed relative, a 20-year-old man, broke into the womans home in the 4600 block of Rosemont Place around 1:19 a.m., according to a preliminary NOPD report. Police said the woman went to respond to her doorbell when she noticed the man, described as a relative," climbing in through a window. The 20-year-old man ran away after making eye contact with the womans boyfriend inside.

Police have not arrested anyone in connection with the burglary, according to the report, sent Friday morning. No other details were immediately available.

NOPD also reported an armed robbery, a stabbing and an aggravated burglary between Thursday and early Friday morning.

At 4:19 p.m. Thursday, a 64-year-old man reported he was working on his car near the intersection of North Claiborne Avenue and Kerlerec Street when a man he did not know approached him and pointed a gun at him, according to an initial police report.

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The armed man said, Give me your money, according to the report, and the 64-year-old complied. The stranger took the money and ran toward Esplanade Avenue. The initial report did not specify the amount of money stolen.

Around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, a man forced his way into a building on the 2400 block of Freret Street and grabbed a cellphone out of a 34-year-old womans hand, according to a preliminary report. The man threatened to kill the woman and fled the scene. Police said the woman reported knowing the man.

At 11:24 a.m. Thursday, a 60-year-old man and a 43-year-old man were inside the 60-year-olds apartment in the 1900 block of Leonidas Street when they started arguing, according to the police. The 60-year-old, who police later identified as Mark Charlot, wanted narcotics, and the 43-year-old told him he did not have any, police said. Charlot started to attack the man, pulled out a knife and stabbed him once in his left hand, police said.

Police arrested Charlot, pictured below, in connection with the stabbing, police said. Charlot was also charged with theft and simple burglary, according to jail records.
Three people orchestrated a heist at Larry Flynts Hustler Club, according to New Orleans police, and got away with more than $25,000 after entering through the strip clubs roof and cutting a hole in a safe.

A warrant for the arrest of one of the accused, James Cheek, 33, states Cheek acted as a lookout during the August burglary. Police arrested Cheek Thursday (Nov. 1) and booked him on a charge of principal to simple burglary of a business.

The safe was robbed around 6 a.m. Aug. 23 at the strip club located at 225 Bourbon Street, according to the warrant. NOPD Detective Marshall Scallan, who authored the document, said one of the participants entered the club from the roof before the person cut a hole in a safe, and removed $25,589 in cash.

The three participants could be seen on video footage from city-owned crime cameras arriving near the club and then leaving it, the warrant states. The footage showed a man identified as Cheek, and two others, enter a property in the 800 block of Bienville Street about 12:50 a.m. on Aug. 23. The warrant says the property on Bienville is next to the rear of the Hustler Club.

Hours later, about 5:05 a.m., video shows Cheek and the person police say went inside the club walking together in the 200 block of Bourbon. Cheek stayed at the intersection of Bourbon and Iberville streets, then relocated to the other side of 200 block of Bourbon, where he stayed at the corner on his cellphone until about 6:40 a.m.

Cheek then met with the other lookout in the 800 block of Bienville Street, the warrant states. They fled in a gray vehicle.

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NOPD looking for 3 men suspected in French Quarter burglary

Scallan wrote that the other two involved in the burglary have been identified by police. Cheeks social media showed that he and the two others wanted in connection with the burglary knew each other via social media, the warrant states. It also states a photo on Cheeks social media showing the same tattoos on Cheeks hand and arm as was seen on the man in the surveillance video.

Police in September released a photo of Cheek and two other men wanted in the burglary investigation. Cheeks hair in court appeared to have been dyed bright red, different from the dark brown hair in the photo police released to the public.

Orleans Parish Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell on Friday set Cheeks bond at $10,000. He has a hearing scheduled Monday to determine counsel.

Cheek pleaded guilty in February 2017 to attempted possession of heroin, possession of alprazolam and possession of drug paraphernalia. In that case, Orleans Criminal District Judge Robin Pittman sentenced him to three years in prison and gave him credit for time already served.
New Orleans police believe the man and woman they are searching for in connection with a Wednesday (Oct. 31) armed robbery on UNOs campus mistakenly targeted the two students they robbed.

An NOPD investigation indicates the armed duo appeared to target the two students at their on-campus apartment because they thought they had drugs on them, according to a news release. After learning that the two students did not have any drugs, the armed man and woman forced the students to withdraw money from an on-campus credit union and a nearby bank, police said.

NOPD releases image of armed woman and man suspected of holding UNO student at gunpoint, robbing him

The armed robbery occurred around 1 p.m. at the Privateer Place apartments on the UNOs campus in the 2000 block of Lakeshore Drive. The couple forced their way into the students on-campus apartment and held a gun to one of the students heads, police reported. Then, the couple forced the students into a car, drove them to the banks and forced them to withdraw money, police said.

After returning to the apartment complex, the armed man and woman took the cash withdrawals and a phone from one of the students, and fled in a black, four-door Chevy Malibu with a temporary tag. The tag number is 08114T2, according to police. Police did not specify the amount of cash stolen.

NOPD is still looking for the man and woman involved. NOPD and UNO police described the woman as about 5 feet, 4 inches tall and 180 pounds. She was wearing a black zip-up hoodie with the hood pulled over her head and gray sweatpants. The man was described as about 5 feet, 8 inches tall to 5 feet, 11 inches tall and between 145 to 160 pounds. He wore a gray hoodie and dark blue jeans.

Anyone with information on the robbery or the people or vehicle pictured above is asked to call NOPD 3rd District detectives at 504-658-6030 or submit an anonymous tip by calling Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP.

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reporter Laura McKnight contributed to this report.
A 23-year-old man was arrested Wednesday (Oct. 31) and booked with manslaughter in connection to an Oct. 18 hit-and-run that killed a pedestrian on South Claiborne Avenue, police said.

The Orleans Parish Coroners office identified the pedestrian as Ricky Hill, 56, and said he died of blunt force injuries.

Howard McDowell, who is charged in the pedestrians death, had unrelated charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics and failure to stop and yield dismissed in April of this year after completing a diversion program, court records show. The charges were related to a Sept. 3, 2017 arrest.

Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run on South Claiborne, police say

New Orleans police said the Oct 18 crash was reported about 2:25 a.m. in the 2300 block of South Claiborne, between First and Philip streets. Officers found a man, now identified as Hill, injured on the sidewalk. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

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Police said the day of the crash, which NOPD said was a hit-and-run, they were searching for a dark-colored SUV with damage to its front and/or passenger side, including possible windshield damage.

McDowell was represented at his first-appearance hearing on Thursday by private attorney Carolyn Cooper. Cooper also represented him in the previous case resulting in the dismissal of DUI and failure to stop charges.

Orleans Magistrate Commissioner set McDowells bond at $20,000. He also set conditions of his bond, including that McDowell is barred from driving and is under curfew from 11 p.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Louisianas legal definition of manslaughter includes a homicide committed without intent to cause death or great bodily harm but when the offender is engaged in the perpetration of a felony or any intentional misdemeanor directly affecting the person." The charge carries a maximum penalty of 40 years.
Kenner police issued a warning Friday (Nov. 2) about telephone scammers who are targeting elderly Hispanic Entergy customers, seeking to trick them out of their money.

Investigators have received reports from two separate victims who decided to call authorities before providing any cash, said Lt. Michael Cunningham, spokesman for the Kenner Police Department.

Man shot by St. Bernard Parish deputy during chase booked with attempted murder

The Spanish-speaking scammers call their targets and identify themselves of employees of Entergy. The caller tells the target that their Entergy account is past-due and threatens to immediately disconnect service unless a payment is made, according to Cunningham.

But the caller instructs the target to pay the Entergy bill with a Green Dot MoneyPak card, a prepaid credit/debit card that can be bought and loaded at local Walgreens or CVS stores, Cunningham said.

The target is told to buy the MoneyPak card, load a specific amount onto the card and call back a number provided by the caller. The scammer then gets the target to provide the cards serial number, allowing the scammer to transfer the money off the card.

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Kenner police gave the followings tips to avoid falling victim to such scams:

- Utility companies and government agencies (including law enforcement and courts) will not contact you demanding immediate payment by MoneyPak, iTunes gift cards or any other prepaid credit or debit cards.

- Never give out personal or financial information to anyone who e-mails or calls you unsolicited.

- Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.

- Never provide debit or credit card numbers or Green Dot MoneyPak card numbers to anyone you do not know.

Kenner Police Chief Michael J. Glaser urges anyone who has any information about these incidents to call the Kenner Police at (504) 712-2222 or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office arrested a man suspected of shooting a clerk at a Metairie service station during a holdup.

Eric Nichols, 40, of Marrero was booked Wednesday (Oct. 31) with armed robbery, aggravated battery and possession of drug paraphernalia, said Glen T. Boyd, spokesman for the department.

JPSO seeks suspect in Metairie robbery, shooting

Detectives identified Nichols as a suspect after receiving a tip from Crimestoppers Inc. of Greater New Orleans.

Nicholas is accused of robbing the Shell Service station in the 900 block of Clearview Parkway just before 3 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 27). The suspect entered the store, pulled out a gun and demanded money from the on-duty clerk, Boyd said.

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The employee handed over cash from the register. But he also tried to grab the suspects gun, Boyd said.

The clerk was shot as the two fought over the weapon. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, but is expected to survive his injuries, authorities said.

Nichols was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service, Boyd said. He was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna.

Nichols was still being held there Thursday in lieu of a $301,000 bond.
New Orleans actor Wendell Pierce had better enjoy the home cooking while he can this Thanksgiving season. After months of trotting the globe while filming the forthcoming second season of the Amazon series Jack Ryan, hes about to hit the road again -- this time to make his London stage debut.

Pierce announced this week hell play the dejected Willie Loman in Arthur Millers classic American play Death of a Salesman, which will begin its run at Londons Old Vic Theatre in May. Dame Marianne Elliott is directing, with Sharon D. Clarke and Arinze Kene also starring, Pierce said in a Twitter message.

Before that, Pierce will be working a little closer to home, when he returns to the recurring role of Alderman Ray Price in the NBC drama series Chicago PD. Hell start shooting his characters five-episode arc in December, with the episodes expected to begin airing in January, he said.

Catching up with Wendell Pierce, of Amazon's globe-trotting 'Jack Ryan'
Docking facilities planned for a proposed 20-million-barrel crude oil export storage terminal  and the oversized ocean-going vessels and barges that would be berthed there  could reduce the land-building ability of the states proposed $1.4 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, just downstream, by as much as 15 percent.

Proposed oil export terminal may conflict with Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion

Thats the warning raised by Bruce Lelong, a project leader with AECOM, the state contractor overseeing engineering and design of the diversion for the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, in an Aug. 30 email sent to the companys subcontractors.

I expect it will have significant and potentially adverse impacts to MBSD, he wrote, using the initials of the diversion project and citing a 2012 study completed by the Water Institute of the Gulf for the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority about an earlier plan by RAM Terminals to build a coal export facility on the same property.

The study was written by Ehab Meselhe, lead scientist with the Water Institute, and three researchers with ARCADIS. They concluded that a Mississippi River docking facility just upriver from the proposed diversion site actually would reduce the amount of sediment captured by the diversion by as much as 17 percent.

That reduction was based on modeling assuming an ocean-going vessel with a draft of minus 40 feet and a large barge were berthed at the facility. In his email, Lelong said the new oil terminal project proposed berths for multiple larger post-Panamax ships, which have drafts of as much as minus 50 feet, plus barges.

The oil terminal is being proposed by the Plaquemines Port and Harbor District, Tallgrass Energy LP, and Drexel Hamilton, a Philadelphia-based investment firm, and would be operated by Tallgrass. The Plaquemines Parish Council has approved the issuance of up to $650 million in revenue bonds to underwrite Drexel Hamiltons recently created Plaquemines Liquids Terminal LLC.

The port authority has been attempting to develop the Myrtle Grove property adjacent to the state diversion site and just below the Phillips 66 Alliance refinery since the cancellation of a proposal by RAM Terminals LLC to build a coal export terminal there.

The state Department of Natural Resources issued a permit for the RAM facility in 2013, but a Plaquemines Parish judge threw out the permit, saying the state hadnt considered alternative sites. In April 2016, the state issued a second permit, but it was put on hold when officials asked for information about potential impacts on the diversion. The RAM projects federal and state permit applications expired in December 2017.

The oil terminals efforts to receive a permit from state officials has been delayed by repeated requests from the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority for information on how the terminal might affect the diversion. Authority officials are concerned about the terminals potential to reduce the amount of sediment captured by the diversion, and about any oil or chemical spill at the terminal could move through the diversion into Barataria Bay.

Under state law, the CPRA is required to determine whether any project like the terminal will adversely affect state projects built as part of the coastal Master Plan.

In his email, Lelong also raised concerns that the water flow from the river into the diversion when its operating might also adversely affect the terminals berthing area or the ability of ships using the terminal to traverse the diversion mouth safely.

The interaction of the two projects operations I expect will be far from ideal for either. The (terminal) going forward must be permitted, as does MBSD, Lelong said. It is easy to image this becoming a large and highly political controversy front and center in the public spotlight.

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The Water Institute study compared the amount of sediment captured in the diversion without the upstream terminal, and with the terminal, a barge and a large ship in place.

The sediment-water ratio was reduced by nearly 17 percent, the study said.

Assuming that the diversion operates a maximum of 30 days a year, during periods when the river flow exceeds 700,000 cubic feet per second, the RAM terminal upriver  with a single ship and single barge -- would have reduced the amount of sand captured by the terminal by almost 500,000 tons over 10 years, according to the study.

In separate studies, the Water Institute has predicted that the diversion could rebuild as much as 7,089 acres  or just over 11 square miles  of new land in Barataria Bay during its first 20 years of operation. A 17 percent reduction in sediment would represent a reduction of more than 1,200 acres  or almost 2 square miles of new land lost.

The Water Institutes RAM study also warned of safety concerns for ships using the RAM terminal from the cross-flow of the diversion, and for barges that would pass in front of the proposed diversion intake and be parked just downstream from the diversion.

The study also pointed out that by building the RAM terminals docking facility atop a sediment bar inside the riverbed, the sediment of that bar also would not be available to the Army Corps of Engineers to build an earthen sill on the bottom of the river during very low water periods to block the flow of saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico reaching public water intakes in New Orleans and St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes.

It also would block the ability of the state to mine that sediment to add to water moving through the diversion and increasing the sediment flow into Barataria Bay, the study said.

It also pointed out that, based on studies of erosion occurring just above the West Bay sediment diversion near the mouth of the river, the new diversion might also cause erosion of the sand bar upriver that could threaten the terminal docking facility.

Anne Hawes, a spokeswoman for the CPRA, said Lelongs comments may not reflect the opinion of CPRA. She said the agency has not yet made a determination of whether the project is consistent with the states Master Plan.

We have been coordinating with (the port authority) to obtain information CPRA requires in order to make a consistency determination, Hawes said in an email. The information provided by the port authority so far is not sufficient for CPRA to make a determination regarding the potential impacts of the proposed project on the MBSD.

The letter sent by Lelong to AECOM subcontractors was a request for formal letters confirming that they would not work on the upstream terminal project. If they did plan to work on the terminal, Lelong said, they would have to drop out of the diversion project.

Lelong said CPRA notified AECOM formally that they consider involvement in the PLT (Plaquemines liquids terminal) project a COI (conflict of interest) for any team member of the MBSD design team, and said two subcontracts had already notified AECOM they would not participate in the terminal project.

CPRA and AECOM verbally discussed concerns with conflict of interest, Hawes said in a response to questions about the Lelong letter. AECOM re-visited any potential conflict of interest with their subcontractors.
The Army Corps of Engineers has begun inspecting Mississippi River levees for potential damage because its level has risen above 11 feet at the Carrollton gauge in New Orleans.

While the river actually rose above 11 feet earlier in the week, after a major storm system dropped heavy rain across a large segment of the rivers watershed, forecasters have predicted it will stay above 11 feet in the city through at least Nov. 24.

The corps' river safety rules require it to enter what it calls Phase 1 flood fight procedures when the river is at 11 feet high and rising. On Friday morning, the river was at 11.4 feet, and its expected to remain between 11 and 11.5 feet for the next three weeks.

The flood fight procedures also trigger work restrictions on the levees and adjacent to them on the east and west bank of the river. Work that may impact the levees, including transport of heavy loads over them, disturbance of its grass cover or subsurface work within 1,500 feet, is prohibited.

Waivers are considered on a case-by-case basis, and are dependent on conditions, including underground conditions. Existing permit holders for such work should contact their local levee districts for detailed information, and can monitor river stages and forecasts by calling the corps at 504.862.2461 or online at www.rivergages.com.
The controversy over the states plan to allow an airport in Elmers Island Wildlife Refuge has uncovered an important fact: much of the refuge wasnt actually a refuge.

In the wake of the airport plans cancelation last month, state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officials discovered that they had forgotten to make the bulk of the refuge into what its name, signs, maps and state legal documents say it is. Nearly 80 percent of the 1,160-acre refuge in south Jefferson Parish was never granted the habitat and wildlife protections afforded by refuge status. While the lack of protections may have made it easier to build an airport, Wildlife and Fisheries staff say it was an honest mistake.

We marked it as a refuge, people utilized it that way and it was incorporated into our refuge system, said Cole Garrett, Wildlife and Fisheries policy attorney. But formally, that didnt happen.

On Thursday (Nov. 1), the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission finally took steps to correct the agencys mistake. The commission unanimously voted to make all of the beach part of the refuge, and designate the remaining land  more than 800 acres  a wildlife management area (WMA). A WMA is managed much like a refuge except some hunting and fishing is allowed, and theres more flexibility for recreation-related development, such as boardwalks and parking lots. The combined refuge and WMA will now be known as the Elmers Island Wildlife Complex.

Louisiana cancels controversial plan to build airport in wildlife refuge

Commission Chairman Bobby Samanie asked for the change. He also requested a list of other state-owned lands that could be added to adjacent to refuges and WMAs.

Im adamant about this  that we should grab all that property and add it in, he said. We dont want this (airport) issue or anything like it coming up again.

Last month, Wildlife and Fisheries canceled an agreement that would have allowed a commercial airport on a section of the refuge that was owned by the agency but wasnt technically part of the refuge. The cancelation came shortly after NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune revealed the agreement was struck without consulting the commission, conservation groups or scientists who conduct research at the refuge.

The commission didnt know anything about it, Samanie said. I was getting phone calls asking me what was going on.

The airport plans, acquired through public records requests, called for the construction two airstrips, air traffic control tower, terminal and hangars in an area of coastal marsh considered vitally important for several species of birds and diamondback terrapins, an increasingly rare turtle.

Audubon Louisiana and other groups blasted the proposal, saying it ran counter to the purpose of a wildlife refuge and would harm critical habitat.

The airport was proposed by Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle, whose small community is linked to Elmers by bridge, and would have been run by the Grand Isle Independent Levee District, on which Camardelle is chairman. Under the agreement, the levee district would have paid nothing for the use of state-owned land and retained all revenue generated by the airport. Camardelle believed the airport would bring more tourists to Grand Isle.

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Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet, who leads the agency and signed the airport agreement on its behalf on Aug. 14, cancelled the plan after receiving a flood of phone calls and emails opposing it. At an Oct. 4 commission meeting, Camardelle said he didnt intend to embarrass Louisiana. Montoucet said it was not his intent to operate outside the public eye.

Garrett said the refuges wildlife protections and land use restrictions would not have applied to the land proposed for the airport.

Until its formally resolved as a refuge, its just a state-owned property, he said.

The refuge was established in 2009 with the acquisition of 244 acres, much of it beach and dune. In 2014, another 877 acres were acquired partly to facilitate the $216 million Caminada Headland project, Louisianas most expensive ecosystem restoration effort. About 13 miles of eroded beach, including 2.5 miles on Elmers, was restored with sand dredged from the Gulf of Mexico. Garrett said the 877 acres were supposed to be incorporated into the refuge but never were. The same thing happened with two more acquisitions  1-acre lot purchased in 2015 and a 37-acre parcel acquired in 2016. They, too, failed to go through a formal land-designation process.

State committee overturns approval to farm Russian fish

Garrett couldnt answer why the three properties were never included into the refuge.

Thats a good question, he said. It should have been, but it wasnt.

Conservation groups commended the commission for setting things straight.

This is what the commissions for  providing oversight of the publics property, said Rebecca Triche, executive director of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation.

Erik Johnson, Audubon Louisianas director of bird conservation, said the WMA designation is a positive step, but he would have preferred refuge status for the entire property. He worries that hunting, which could be allowed in the WMA, may spark conflicts between duck hunters and bird watchers, kayakers and other visitors.

Itd be wise to get input from all these stakeholders, he said. Id hate to see (Wildlife and Fisheries) jump the gun and have things backfire like the airport agreement.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans on Friday (Nov. 2) released the names of 57 Roman Catholic clergy members credibly accused of abusing minors over many decades in southeast Louisiana, answering a clarion call for transparency in a scandal that has rocked the worlds largest Christian church.

All of the credibly accused clergy members are either deceased or have been removed from the ministry, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said. The names have been turned over to the New Orleans District Attorneys Office and will be made available to any other district attorney in the area. The New Orleans DA issued a statement Friday morning saying it is willing to take part in investigations as needed.

For our sins of the past, we ask for your forgiveness and the mercy of God, Aymond said in a pastoral letter released in conjunction with the list of the accused. Our sin is public and it calls us as church leaders to repentance in order that our church can experience renewal.

In an interview Friday, Aymond said the names of the accused clergy members will be published on the archdiocese website. If any additional clergy members are deemed credibly accused, their names will be made public and added to the list, he said.

The list of accused clergy and the pastoral letter will be made available to church members who attend masses this weekend, either as a printed handout or in the archdiocese newspaper. Aymond said it was decided that the letter should not be read by priests during masses because its mature subject matter might not be suitable for children in attendance.

The archbishop said a team of more than 10 legal professionals and archdiocese staff members reviewed the files of 2,432 priests who served in the archdiocese since 1950. Of those, the review identified 57 who were included in the report. Some of the reported offenses occurred as far back as the early part of the 1900s although they were not reported by victims and logged by the archdiocese until the second half of the 20th century, archdiocese officials said.

List of accused clergy members

There has not been a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor committed in well over a decade by a member of the clergy in ministry in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, he said.

Aymond said the archdiocese has done its best to make the report released Friday "as accurate and complete as possible. He invited those who wish to raise questions about someone not on the list to come forward.

Eight of those on the list are were assigned to Hope Haven, a church-run orphanage in Marrero. The archdiocese said it learned of allegations against the eight between 2006 and 2011.

All clergy members on the list released Friday were deemed to be credibly accused by the archdiocese. Since 2000, that determination has been made through a multi-step process. Any priest accused of abuse is immediately suspended from all church ministries while the archdiocese, and in some cases police, investigate. The results are turned over to a lay review board made up primarily of mental health professionals and chaired by a psychiatrist. If the review board determines that the complaint is credible, a recommendation is made to the bishop and the bishop can then immediately defrock the cleric and the parishes in which he worked are notified, the archdiocese said.

For cases that were reported before the review board was established a decade and a half ago, the way in which the cases were investigated and declared credible varied, Aymond said. The process was formalized in 2002.

In publicly identifying local offenders the day after All Saints Day, Aymond followed the lead of about 50 dioceses in the U.S. who have published lists of accused priests in the wake of an explosive Pennsylvania grand jury report in August that named more than 300 priests credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 child victims over several decades in that state.

That report reignited the national, decades old scandal over clergy abuse and the churchs coverup, which had its origins in south Louisiana in the 1980s.

"Priests were raping little boys and girls," the Pennsylvania grand jury wrote in its report, "and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all. For decades."

Archbishop's letter regarding accused sexual abusers

Aymond announced last month that he would release the names sooner rather than later as he and other church leaders scrambled to quell outrage among the faithful. Many bishops have said identifying the offending clergy members is an important step toward full transparency, accountability and renewal of the church, which has approximately 1.3 billion followers worldwide.

As church leaders, in many ways, we have lost your trust and I am keenly aware of that, Aymond said during a Mass St. Louis Cathedral in late August. We want to regain that trust. And we know that it will take a long time."

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Prosecutors in jurisdictions across the country have in recent months launched investigations into the churchs conduct, including an inquiry by the U.S. Department of Justice in Pennsylvania. As part of that investigation, the department has asked all dioceses in the U.S. to preserve records of abuse. The New Orleans archdiocese last week said it is keeping its records and would cooperate with any investigation, although it said it had not yet received a direct request from the Justice Department.

Meanwhile, New Orleans area district attorneys and state officials, including Attorney General Jeff Landry and Gov. John Bel Edwards, have not announced any investigations into clergy abuse.

Clergy abuse in the Catholic Church made headlines decades ago when New Orleans investigative reporter and author Jason Berry documented the wrongdoings of the Rev. Gilbert Gauthe, a priest in the Diocese of Lafayette. In 1985, Gauthe was convicted of sexually abusing as many as 39 young children.

How to share info confidentially about clergy abuse with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

Other revelations surfaced over the years, setting the stage for an explosive 2002 report by the Boston Globe that revealed widespread abuse and coverup in Boston, leading to the criminal prosecutions of five Roman Catholic priests for sexually abusing minors. That report prompted the U.S. Conference of Bishops to create the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter, which has been updated three times since 2002, mandates that all dioceses in the U.S. establish safeguards to protect children who are involved in the Catholic Church.

Aymond and other Catholic leaders have said that while the church hierarchy has sinned in covering up the actions of pedophile priests and in some cases simply transferring them to other ministries after they were found to have abused children, the number of offenses drastically declined since the charter was put in place.

Still, the constant barrage of news reports detailing the churchs actions are prompting victims who were abused by clergy years ago to step forward, at times resulting in high dollar settlements paid out by the church.

Church critics have said even though the number of clergy abuse incidents may be on the decline, the fact that the church has continued to shield past offenders from public disclosure is fueling anger.

Where did accused priests serve? Search by church, school, city and name.

Victims, their families, the news media and others have said the biggest step toward healing is full transparency, an opening of the records to name all the priests who were found to be credibly accused of child sex abuse.

Tim Lennon, president of the board of directors for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priest, said the release of names by dioceses across the country is a step in the right direction but does not completely absolve the church.

One one hand, its great for survivors, said Lennon, who says he was abused by a clergy member as a child. Most survivors are looking for acknowledgement for what they suffered. On the other hand, why did it take all of the high profile exposures before you (the church) to do the right thing.

Aymond acknowledged he prayed long and hard over whether to release the names before deciding it is the right thing to do. The surviving clergy members on the list were notified that their names were going to be released. Efforts were made to reach family members of deceased clergy members on the list, but some efforts were not successful.

Clergy release

Some will be surprised to see the name of a priest who served in your parish or who you personally knew very well, Aymond said in his letter to local Catholics. As you experience this disappointment, I raise you to the Lord and ask him to give you comfort and his peace.

The archbishop said he had hesitation in releasing the names because he wanted to make sure the list was complete and accurate. He said he was also concerned about releasing the names of deceased priests who are no longer around to defend themselves.

I brought this to prayer and it became very clear to me that this was the right thing to do, he said. We have to be open, honest and transparent. Its a sad day, but my sadness is for the victims and survivors who are still going on with their daily lives and experiencing a lot of pain. But I also have hope that this will help them heal.
Eight Roman Catholic priests whom the Archdiocese of New Orleans identified Friday (Nov. 2) as being credibly accused of sexually abusing children decades ago had been assigned to Hope Haven, a church-run orphanage in Marrero. Six of the accused are now dead.

All eight were members of the Salesians of Don Bosco order, said the archdiocese, which released a list of 57 accused priests and deacons who had served in its jurisdiction. The archdiocese said it learned of allegations against the eight between 2006 and 2011, and identified them as Paul Avallone, Stanislaus Ceglar, Paul Csik -- who was in charge of Hope Haven for six years -- Anthony Esposito, Ernest Fagione, August Kita, Joseph Pankowski and Alfred Sokol.

Hope Haven opened in 1925 as a group home for children from families in disarray. Across Barataria Boulevard, the affiliated Madonna Manor was founded in 1933 for younger children while Hope Haven focused on older children and teenagers. Some residents were sent to the orphanages by the courts as wards of the state; others were handed over to the church by desperate families unable to care for their children.

The residential part of the orphanages closed long ago, but well into the 21st century Hope Haven continued offering services to at-risk youth and housing other ministries, too. The last ministry left in 2014, and the Jefferson Parish Council decided in 2017 to lease the property.

It was not immediately clear from the archdioceses list whether the eight Salesian brothers molested Hope Haven residents or violated even any children on campus, or whether the victims, the abuse or both were unrelated to the orphanage. Two of the priests had other church assignments in the archdioceses jurisdiction: Avallone at Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, and Fagione at Shaw and St. John Bosco Church in Harvey.

In 2009, however, the archdiocese announced it was settling, for almost $5.2 million, 20 lawsuits filed against it by an undisclosed number of adults who alleged they had been beaten, berated and sexually molested in the 1950s and 1960s at Hope Haven or Madonna Manor. The suits were filed beginning in 2005.

Church pays $5 million for Marrero orphanage sex abuse

None of the priests was named at the time of the settlement, which came seven years into the national priest sex abuse scandal and two months after Gregory Aymond became archbishop of New Orleans. On Friday, however, the archdiocese said its newly released list of accused priests includes defendants in the settled lawsuits.

Here is the information released Friday by the archdiocese on the eight Hope Haven priests:

PAUL AVALLONE

Born: 1921

Born in the Bronx, Avalone was the founding principal of Shaw High, which opened in 1962, and a Salesian for 65 years, according to The Times-Picayune records.

STANISLAUS CEGLAR

Born: Unknown

PAUL CSIK

Born: 1898

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Csik was a Hungary native who joined the Salesians in 1925 and was ordained in 1932, according to a May 18, 1957, story published by The New Orleans States newspaper. He arrived at Hope Haven as prefect in 1933, when the order assumed charge of the orphanage, and directed it from 1949 to 1955.

ANTHONY ESPOSITO

Born: Unknown

ERNEST FAGIONE

Born: 1917

Where did accused priests serve? Search by church, school, city and name. Among the questions on the minds of New Orleans Catholics today: Do I know any of the 57 priests named by the Archdiocese of New Orleans as ha

AUGUST KITA

Born: 1931

JOSEPH PANKOWSKI

Born: 1915

ALFRED SOKOL

Born: 1911

. . . . . . .

Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and education, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans decision Friday (Nov. 2) to release a list of 57 area clergy members credibly accused of sexually abusing minors was met with support from the leader of Jesuit High School, who said the release was done in the spirit of reconciliation and transparency.

Four people named on the list were at one time employed by the Mid-City high school, including a former president of the school.

The horrible stories of abuse from the past have given us the task of reconciliation, which, though painful for members of our school community, is the only proper response for Christians, said the schools president, the Rev. Christopher S. Fronk, in a letter to the school community.

We make these efforts with the archbishop in order to bring the truth of our past into the light, he continued. While we continue to pray for healing for all victims of abuse, we remain vigilant in creating the safest environment for our young people and the entire Jesuit community.

57 clergy members credibly accused of abuse in New Orleans area since 1950, archdiocese says in releasing names

The list of accused clergy includes the Rev. Donald Pearce, who led Jesuit High School from 1965 to 1968. According to the archdiocese, Pearces estimated timeframe of abuse was the 1960s. An allegation against Pearce was received in 2003 and the Jesuit order was notified in 2010, six years before Pearces death.

Also on the list from Jesuit High School is Claude Boudreaux, the schools former religion and languages teacher, employed from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1980 to 2005  the same year that, according to the archdiocese, the Jesuit order was notified of the allegation against him.

Charles Coyle taught English, Latin, history and religion from 1958 to 1961, the high school said in its letter. Jesuit and the archdiocese said the abuse allegation against Coyle occurred outside of the New Orleans archdiocese.

Here are the 57 clergy 'credibly accused' of abuse in the Archdiocese of New Orleans

Read the full letter below:

Dear members of the Jesuit High School community,

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In a spirit of reconciliation and transparency, we at Jesuit support the decision of New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond to release the names of clergy members credibly accused of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

In addition to the many steps we have taken to ensure the safety of todays young people, Jesuit High School and the Jesuit province of which we are a part (the U.S. Central and Southern Province) have been pro-active in communication with the archbishop to ensure that the archdioceses list corresponds with records from the province. It is the province that makes assignments for its men and keeps their personnel records, not Jesuit High School.

We continue to make every effort to support victims and respect their requests for privacy. We are able to release information about clergy on the archdioceses list who were at some point assigned at Jesuit High School. Claude Boudreaux taught religion and a variety of languages (1976-1977; 1980-2005). Neil Carr was a religion teacher, chairman of religious affairs, and associate chaplain (1976-1980). Charles Coyle was a scholastic teaching English, Latin, history, and religion (1958-1961). J. Donald Pearce served as a Spanish teacher (1960-1961), prefect of discipline (1961-1965), and president (1965-1968).

The scope for the archdioceses list extends to clergy (priests and deacons) working in the archdiocese, which includes clergy from the Society of Jesus. Therefore, religious brothers and scholastics (seminarians) in the Society of Jesus, like Claude Ory and Donald Dickerson who were mentioned in recent media reports, are not listed. Charles Coyle was also a scholastic when he worked at Jesuit High School. He was included on the archdioceses list because his priestly faculties, which he received later, were restricted while he was living in New Orleans, even though the reported abuse occurred elsewhere.

The Central and Southern Province will be taking further steps for transparency and reconciliation and will announce those plans soon.

The horrible stories of abuse from the past have given us the task of reconciliation, which, though painful for members of our school community, is the only proper response for Christians. We make these efforts with the archbishop in order to bring the truth of our past into the light. While we continue to pray for healing for all victims of abuse, we remain vigilant in creating the safest environment for our young people and the entire Jesuit community.

Sincerely,

Fr. Christopher S. Fronk, S.J.

President

How to share info confidentially about clergy abuse with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
The Archdiocese of New Orleans released its list of priests credibly accused of sexual misconduct involving minors Friday (Nov. 2). Now the rest of the state is waiting to see when Louisianas six other Catholic dioceses will do the same.

In addition to New Orleans, the Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette, Alexandria and Houma-Thibodaux dioceses have committed to providing their own lists of priests credibly accused of abuse of minors. When they might release the names is unknown and, for some, not likely to happen anytime soon.

Rob Tasman, with the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the response among dioceses to sexual abuse scandals, and decisions regarding the identification of clergy members involved, is not coordinated.

The Baton Rouge diocese said its list might not be released at same time or close to the New Orleans one.

The diocese continues to work on this matter expeditiously, but the release of the list might not happen simultaneously with either the archdiocese or other dioceses in Louisiana, the Baton Rouge diocese said when contacted Thursday.

How to share info confidentially about clergy abuse with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

The Lafayette diocese said it is weeks, if not months, away from releasing its names, but the diocese has begun to check the names of priests that worked in its area against the list released by the New Orleans archdiocese Friday, said Blue Rolfes, communications director for the Lafayette diocese.

The Houma-Thibodaux diocese said in a written statement Friday that they dont have a date set yet for their names. "We remain focused on a thorough and complete process, not on a specific date for release, said Bishop Shelton Fabre.

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In the Alexandria diocese, church authorities and a group of lay people are going to review the records of all priests who ever served there, dating back to 1853. Given the long timeline, it could be awhile before that list is released either, according to a letter posted on the dioceses website.

The Shreveport diocese did respond to requests Thursday or Friday about when it might release its list of credibly accused priests. Earlier in the week though, the Rev. Peter Magnum, that dioceses administrator, invited Catholics to join him in fasting and intensified prayer from Nov. 5-11 for the victims of priest sex abuse and for the church leaders who have to handle the crisis. He said several U.S. bishops and administrators around the country are doing the same.

Its not not clear whether Lake Charles dioceses will give out names at all. Staff did not respond to a request for comment. The Lake Charles diocese appears to be at least contemplating releasing names though, since Bishop Glen John Provost issued the following statement on the dioceses website Oct. 18:

The concern of the Diocese of Lake Charles has always been and continues to be the victims of sexual abuse. On the subject of issuing a list of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors, this list requires three conditions. First, the privacy and identities of the victims must be protected so that even the possibility of additional harm and injury is eliminated. Second, the integrity and thoroughness of the process must be assured. Third, the Diocese must include expert collaborators in the process. Out of respect for the victims, the process will not be rushed.

Here are the 57 clergy 'credibly accused' of abuse in the Archdiocese of New Orleans

About 50 dioceses around the country have released the names of clergy who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse involving minors in the wake of the explosive report from Pennsylvania. It identified some 300 priests who abused 1,000 victims over several decades in six of Pennsylvanias eight dioceses.

The report reverberated beyond Pennsylvania, as some of the priests identified in it went on to work in other parts of the country. Its brought a whole new round of allegations of priest abuse to light, including incidents in Lafayette and Lake Charles.

In October alone, dioceses in Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Bridgeport, Connecticut, Steubenville, Ohio and Youngstown, Ohio, released their own lists of priests credibly accused of abusing minors.
Among the questions on the minds of New Orleans Catholics today: Do I know any of the 57 priests named by the Archdiocese of New Orleans as having been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors? And where did those priests serve?

To make it easier for you to find the answers, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune has converted the archdioceses list into a database that is searchable by priest or deacon names; church, school or other religious institution; and city.

All information contained in the database was provided by the archdiocese, which did not include detail about exactly when and where alleged abuse occurred. Therefore, readers should not conclude that abuse occurred at every location listed, only that an accused priest spent time there.

Clicking on the Detail link in the search results will reveal the priests year of birth and death; year of ordination into the priesthood; decade(s) during which the alleged abuse occurred; when the allegations were made; and when the priest or deacon was removed from or voluntarily left the priesthood.

The church names and their locations are listed as the archdiocese identified them; in some instances, the same church may be listed more than one way. The database will be corrected and clarified as more information becomes available. If you see information that you believe to be in error, please email watchdog@nola.com.
The St. Tammany Parish Council refused Thursday (Nov. 1) to grant a bed-and-breakfast operation on scenic Bayou Liberty a new zoning change that would have allowed it to serve more as an event venue. Council members noted the business owners' past run-ins with the parishs Code Enforcement Department and opposition from some neighbors.

The councils unanimous vote came after nearly two hours of impassioned comments from opponents and supporters of Bayou Haven Bed & Breakfast, a business that was pitched as an overnight inn but has since hosted wedding receptions and other large parties that have rankled nearby residents.

The new zoning Bayou Haven sought would have allowed it to legally host bigger events. The parishs Zoning Commission denied the rezoning in October, and owners Dawn and Juraj Pekarik appealed that decision to the council. That set the stage for Thursday nights long hearing before a packed house in the council chambers in Mandeville.

One one side of the room, the Pekariks and their supporters claimed the business is a good fit in the community, providing a classy party venue. On the other, anguished neighbors complained of traffic congestion and loud music.

Both sides agreed that the Pekariks had signed a deed restriction with the Bayou Liberty Association when they opened in 2014, agreeing to only use the business as a B&B. Opponents said the Pakariks have violated that deed restriction, even after parish officials warned them to stop hosting large events.

Dawn Pekarik told the council that changes in the couples lives  a contractor embezzling from them, the couples cleaning business losing a major contract  forced them to rethink their business model and push for hosting larger events.

There was no malicious intent, Dawn Pekarik told the council, adding that the 12,000-square-foot, seven-suite bed-and-breakfast is a $2 million investment for the couple.

St. Tammany Parish mulls short-term rental regulations.

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The Pekariks' attorney, Jeff Schoen, acknowledged that the business had stumbled, but said through the new zoning the Pekariks were trying to get it right.

Mike LaBourdette, who lives next door, spoke in support the business. Theres never a traffic issue. Theres no noise.

Opponents said traffic and noise from events at Bayou Haven is a problem and mars their sleepy bayou community.

This is a quiet kind of jewel in St. Tammany Parish," Charlie Caplinger told the council.

Caplinger said he was on the board of the Bayou Liberty Association when the deed restriction with was hammered out. But he said the Pekariks quickly disregarded the deed restriction that specified the business would only be used as a bed-and-breakfast.

Deed restriction. Deed restriction. Deed restriction, attorney Ross Lagarde, representing the Bayou Liberty Association, told the council.

That deed restriction, and the Pekariks violation of it, would become the foundation of the councils vote.

You knew the rules you were supposed to be operating under, Councilman Steve Stafancik, who represents a portion of Bayou Liberty, told the Pekariks.
Louisiana declared in 2012 that it was making child care and preschool a priority. Thats the year the Legislature passed the Early Childhood Education Act, which required stricter licensing and standards for early childhood programs.

The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children gives the state credit for some progress. There is now a definition for what it means to be ready for kindergarten, a new level of licensing for publicly funded programs and the requirement for a teaching certification in those programs by 2019. The oversight of licensing has shifted to the Department of Education from the Department of Children and Family Services, which had been criticized for failing to ensure providers followed state standards.

Louisiana needs tougher child care oversight, audit says

A new state audit says the Department of Education has put in place fingerprint-based background checks, increased training requirements for child care providers and staff and prohibited the use of corporal punishment, among other improvements.

But six years after Act 3 became law, Louisiana still isnt where it should be. The October report from the legislative auditor found that state standards arent strict enough, and there is a lack of follow-up on some complaints.

Louisiana allows child care centers to have a higher child-to-staff ratio and larger class sizes than other states do. This is despite research showing that having more staff per child encourages positive interactions with providers because children are safer and form stronger emotional bonds with caregivers," the audit said.

One of the weaknesses the audit pointed out is that Louisiana is one of only eight states that lets family and in-home providers care for more than six children without a license. The department also doesnt effectively track complaints against providers and doesnt consistently document which ones are found to be valid.

In the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years, fewer than half the complaints about unlicensed operators were investigated promptly and 16 of 72 cases were left partly unfinished, according to the audit. During that time period, the department also failed to do a timely investigation in almost one-third of complaints against licensed providers, the audit said.

That is worrisome. Some of those complaints were about physical mistreatment of children. Those should be handled quickly and thoroughly.

We will not do better as a city until all of our children are doing well

Louisiana also hasnt been requiring unannounced inspections of family and in-home providers, the audit said. Unannounced inspections could help prevent providers from covering up violations, especially when there is history of violations, sanctions, or complaints, it said. For example, we compared the addresses of registered sex offenders with addresses of family and in-home providers and found a convicted rapist residing in a home of a family provider. That person might never be in the home when an inspection is done because there is advance warning.

That is changing. In a statement responding to the audit, state Education Superintendent John White said the department put in place new policies in July to require all providers accepting Child Care Assistance Program funding to undergo one announced and one unannounced inspection visit annually. That must be done consistently.

The Legislature hasnt helped fulfill the promise to improve preschool and childcare. With constant budget deficits since 2009, lawmakers have yet to provide funding for all the provisions of Act 3.

And some services have been eroded. The Child Care Assistance Program, which provides aid for low-income working parents or in school or job training, was serving almost 40,000 children under age 4 a decade ago. But it only had money for 15,000 by last year.

This spring, lawmakers put $28 million in new federal funding into the program. That money was expected to cover 4,000 of the 5,200 children who were on a waiting list for services.

But there are hundreds of other families who cant get quality childcare or preschool. State leaders ought to show their commitment to them, not just talk about it.
All over social media youll find people posting selfies of themselves with I Voted stickers.

Because we live in a country where people arent automatically granted time off to cast a ballot, Im glad early voting exists. It wouldnt be right to force people to choose between civic engagement and making money. But even though I appreciate that early voting exists and think that its necessary to maximize participation, I have always preferred the excitement and electricity of an election day itself.

Queuing up, providing my name to the poll worker, signing the book, parting the curtain and stepping into the the voting machine and finally pressing the button to locks in ones votes. Theres something about every step of the process that feels important and necessary to me, and so I choose not to skip that process and vote early unless I have real doubts that Ill be in town on the day of election.

While Im aware that there are often lines when people vote early and that its rare that a person who goes to vote early will vote alone, my preference for election day itself also has something to do with the larger crowd of people. An activity takes on added importance  feels more ritualistic and sacred  when everybody else is engaged in that activity at the same time.

Well, in theory everybody would be doing it. But the reality is that suffrage is a right that many Americans take for granted and not just take for granted but forsake. Far too many Americans dont vote at all  not early, not absentee, not on election day  essentially deciding that other people, and not they themselves, should help determine the direction of their country, state or local jurisdictions.

In the December 2016 run-off election between U.S. Senate candidates John N. Kennedy and Foster Campbell, 29 percent of registered voters participated. Yes, that election was held a month after the far more consequential presidential election the month before, and, yes, control of the Senate had already been decided the month before. Still, a U.S. Senate seat is a U.S. Senate seat, and it doesnt speak well of Louisiana that 70 percent of registered voters didnt show up.

One could make the argument that Louisianas election calendar  including the high number of elections we have  contributes to what has often been an embarrassingly low participation from voters. For example, whereas other states time their run-off elections to coincide with the biggest election of the year, Louisianas run-off elections come about a month after. The Kennedy-Campbell run-off was not unique in that regard. Imagine the producers of the Academy of Motion Pictures giving out its award for Best Picture early in the broadcast and then expecting fans to stick around to see wholl win the prize for Best Sound Mixing.

Only the true movie nerds will. Similarly, Louisianas election calendar often front-loads the excitement, which means that the people who show up during run-off elections are often those people who take their status as chronic voters seriously. The civic nerds, if you will.

It would be nice if the ranks of civic nerds would increase, but, really, the more times voters are asked to go to the polls that the less enthusiastic they will be about going. And Louisianians  it seems  are always being asked to go to the polls.

Anybody who has observed local politics in Louisiana can tell you that proponents of new millages will routinely attempt to use voter exhaustion to their advantage. They know that the lower the turnout, the more likely it is that people who support their particular issue will be the majority.

So there are real, systematic and structural issues that help contribute to low-voter turnout.

But its not just that. Voter apathy is also a big factor.

In November 2013, when New Orleans voters had candidates for magistrate judge and traffic judge on their ballots, there were two precincts  Ward 4 Precinct 05 and Ward 2 Precinct 06A  where absolutely nobody showed up to vote.

The low numbers are disappointing in part because there are Louisianians who want to vote but cant. The Louisiana Supreme Court just ruled against a group of plaintiffs who are on probation and parole who argued that they ought to be able to cast a ballot. State law says the franchise is open to any Louisianian of voting age who isnt under an order of imprisonment. Because theyre not under an order of imprisonment, the plaintiffs say, they ought to be allowed to vote. Chief Justice Bernette Johnson agrees. She says denying the vote to those on probation or parole is unconstitutional. But the chief justice was the only one who agreed, and so state law will continue to keep those whove recently served time out of the voting booth.

Even though the plaintiffs didnt win, their advocacy can still teach us something. They recognize how precious the right to vote is. At the same time, far too many who have that right do not.

Jarvis DeBerry is a columnist on the Latitude team at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Latitude is a place to share opinions about the challenges facing Louisiana. Follow @LatitudeNOLA on Facebook and Twitter. Write Jarvis at jdeberry@nola.com or @jarvisdeberry.
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
Your doctor makes important decisions, including when you return to work and whether you're permanently disabled.

Reasonable and necessary medical care is one of your most valuable workers' comp benefits. It's important to choose a doctor who will not only treat your injuries, but also advocate on your behalf in your workers' comp case. That's because the medical findings and opinions of your treating physician are perhaps the most critical elements in proving your workers' comp claim.

If your doctor isn't willing to help with your workers' comp claim, seriously consider finding one who will. An experienced workers' comp attorney can help point you in the right direction.

Below, we discuss the significance of your treating physicianand how to change doctors if necessary.

Injured on the job and don't know where to start? Our guide to workers' compensation will walk you through the process of applying for benefitsfrom reporting your injury to filing a claim to appealing a denialand explain how much you might receive.

Importance of Treating Physician in a Workers' Comp Case

Your treating doctor's opinion will carry significant weight in your workers' compensation case. Unlike a doctor who examines you once, your treating doctor monitors your recovery over time. This gives your treating doctor a better understanding of your injuries, your need for medical treatment, your ongoing physical limitations, and the likelihood of a full recovery.

Your doctor will make important decisions in your case that will directly affect your recovery and benefits, including:

Diagnosing and treating your condition. In order to receive workers' comp benefits, you'll need a medical diagnosis from a doctor. Your doctor will also direct all of your medical care, deciding whether you need physical therapy or medications, for example.

In order to receive workers' comp benefits, you'll need a medical diagnosis from a doctor. Your doctor will also direct all of your medical care, deciding whether you need physical therapy or medications, for example. Referring you to specialists. In most cases, your doctor will need to sign off on any referrals to a specialist, such as a surgeon or orthopedist. Your doctor's willingness to listen to you and get you the treatment you need is essential.

In most cases, your doctor will need to sign off on any referrals to a specialist, such as a surgeon or orthopedist. Your doctor's willingness to listen to you and get you the treatment you need is essential. Deciding your work restrictions. Your treating doctor will decide if you need time off work, giving you a chance to recover and receive partial wage benefits (called temporary disability benefits). Your doctor will also decide when you're able to return to work. If you're sent back to work too early, or without any work restrictions, you might injure yourself further.

Your treating doctor will decide if you need time off work, giving you a chance to recover and receive partial wage benefits (called temporary disability benefits). Your doctor will also decide when you're able to return to work. If you're sent back to work too early, or without any work restrictions, you might injure yourself further. Determining your level of permanent disability. Once you reach maximum medical improvementwhen your condition is stable and will no longer improveyour doctor will evaluate whether you have a permanent limitations. Your doctor's conclusions will be used to calculate how much you'll receive in permanent disability benefits.

Once you reach maximum medical improvementwhen your condition is stable and will no longer improveyour doctor will evaluate whether you have a permanent limitations. Your doctor's conclusions will be used to calculate how much you'll receive in permanent disability benefits. Providing evidence in your case. At every appointment, your physician will create medical records that will serve as valuable evidence in your workers' comp case. Careful and consistent documentation of your injury, treatment, and recovery can lead to fewer disputes with the insurance company. Your doctor will probably also need to testify on your behalf, either in a deposition or at a workers' comp hearing.

Who Chooses My Treating Doctor?

The rules about who selects the treating doctor vary from state to state. In some states, you can choose your own doctor from the very beginning. For example, in California, you may "predesignate" your primary care doctor to treat your work injuries, as long as you do that before the injury. (See details in our article on choosing treating doctors in California.)

In other states, you might be limited to selecting a doctor from your employer's established health care network or from a list of approved physicians. Finally, some states let your employer choose your initial treating doctor.

Changing From Your Company Doctor

If you live in a state that allows your employer or its insurance company to choose your doctor (sometimes called a "company doctor"), you might find yourself receiving substandard care. While some company doctors are unbiased and provide high-quality treatment, others tailor their treatment to minimize the insurance company's expenses. For example, it's not uncommon for a company doctor to send an employee back to work too quickly or deny a necessary surgery because of the expense.

Because your treating doctor's opinions will have serious impacts on your health and your workers' comp benefits, you need a doctor that focuses on your recoverynot on the insurance company's financial interests. If you're worried about the company doctor's potential conflict of interestor you're unhappy with your medical care and lack of improvementconsider changing doctors. In nearly all states, you can change doctors at least once in your workers' comp case. However, you need to follow the proper procedures in your state. (To learn more see our article on how to switch workers' comp doctors.)

How to Choose a Treating Doctor for Your Workers' Comp Case

If your state lets you choose your treating physician, you should take advantage of this opportunity and carefully weigh your options. You should research doctors in your community and consider their:

level of experience and skill

area of specialization (such as orthopedics or neurology)

familiarity with your type of injury

understanding of workers' comp claims and willingness to advocate on your behalf

willingness to accept your state's workers' comp medical fee schedule

availability for appointments, and

proximity to your home.

The doctor's personality is also important. You should trust your doctor and feel comfortable discussing your conditions and concerns with him or her. To learn more, see our article on finding a treating doctor in your workers' comp case.

Consult a Workers' Comp Attorney

One of the advantages of hiring a workers' comp lawyer to represent you is that they understand how to develop medical evidence in a case. An experienced workers' comp attorney will understand what sort of medical documentationlab tests, MRIs, x-rays, hospital recordsis needed to prove your case, and how to get it.

Your attorney might also be able to point you in the right direction when it comes to finding a treating physician. And, when the time comes, your lawyer can ask your treating physician for opinion evidence on the extent of your work-related limitations. This sort of evidence is critical in a workers' comp case, and often makes the difference between a winning and losing claim.


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The problem was the event was put together way too late, Mr. de Blasio said at his weekly news conference. It was not planned way out. I think the idea really emanated from what happened the week before, because it focused everyones attention on the fact we went through another type of attack.

Mr. de Blasio appeared to be referring to the delivery a week ago of pipe bombs to the Manhattan offices of CNN and the actor Robert De Niro, as well as to prominent Democrats and critics of President Trump around the country; and the shooting in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, in which 11 Jewish worshipers were killed.

Mr. de Blasios press secretary, Eric F. Phillips, said that preparation for the memorial began on Sunday, adding that the families were not invited until Tuesday, the day before the event. He would not say which mayoral office or aide handled the preparation.

I didnt have anything to do with the details to put together the event, but I still have to take responsibility as mayor, Mr. de Blasio said on Thursday. It wasnt handled right and I apologize to the families.

[Here are 10 of our best reads from our New York campaign coverage.]

It was the second time that Mr. de Blasio has tripped in a significant way over his attendance at a memorial ceremony, the type of occasion that should be rote for New York City mayors.
One of the pleasures and challenges of this job is you do a lot of traveling. Ive been in 23 states over the last three months. The general impression I get is that Im not covering a midterm election campaign. Im covering two separate electorates.

The biggest difference is atmospheric. In urban and suburban America, Donald Trumps outrage du jour is on everybodys lips: Did you see what he tweeted now? Did you see his racist ad? Where will the Mueller investigation go?

In rural America, by contrast, all that stuff is like a thunderstorm in Inner Mongolia. Its something happening very far away with no particular relevance here, and so no ones paying much attention.

In urban America people talk about Trump constantly. In rural America people generally avoid the subject. Even if 80 percent of the locals support Trump, you never know how somebody will react if you mention his name  they might call you a racist  so its not a safe topic of conversation.
Mr. Molinaros substantive, largely positive campaign is refreshing. He has distanced himself from the national Republican Party, saying he wrote in the name of former Representative Chris Gibson in the 2016 presidential election rather than vote for Donald Trump. The father of a daughter with special needs, he has focused on advocating for the rights of people with disabilities. He has criticized the states high tax rates, a significant burden for many New Yorkers. He has embraced the ambitious rescue plan for the citys subway system put forward by the New York City Transit chief, Andy Byford, and has proposed far-reaching ethics reform, including an initiative to create an independent redistricting body for the state.

His legislative record , however, presents few signs of the centrist politics he has recently espoused.

While in the State Assembly, from 2007 to 2011, Mr. Molinaro voted against limiting access to firearms for domestic abusers. He voted against sensible rent regulations several times. He voted against a measure that would have stopped the shackling of pregnant prisoners while in labor. He opposed Mr. Cuomos signature gun safety law. He says he has evolved on gay marriage, which he voted against while in the State Legislature but now sees as a civil right. He also voted against a proposal to allow unmarried partners to adopt a child.

New York is best served by robust democratic competition, with healthy political parties guaranteeing voters a true choice at the polls. But Mr. Molinaros record puts him far out of line with the views of the average New Yorker. His aversion to raising taxes also risks hampering the effort to repair the subway. And while split control of government might be seen as a way to force effective compromise, more often over the years in Albany it has provided excuses for stalemate and inaction.

Voters will be best served by casting their ballots for Mr. Cuomo. He is better positioned to lead this diverse, dynamic state, particularly at a time in which too many of its residents  immigrants, minorities and the poor and middle class  are under attack from a hostile administration in Washington.

Theres no doubt that Mr. Cuomo seeks to leave a lasting legacy in New York. To do so, he will need to keep his campaign promises.

Fixing the subway, and finding the political will to pay for the repairs, is the most urgent task before him. That will mean working with legislative leaders to find the votes to approve congestion pricing, to pay for the biggest chunk of the subway fixes.
We focus so much on guns  their control, our rights, the Second Amendment, on and on  that we seldom think about bullets. We should. Of the nine billion bullets manufactured every year, roughly 90 percent are made at least partly of lead. In hunting season, that lead can end up in the bodies of animals that arent hunters targets  especially birds  which then die slow, painful deaths from lead poisoning.

Ive been a hunter and bird watcher most of my life. The cackle of a pileated woodpecker stops me in the woods just as much as the sight of the candelabra rack of a buck. But for over 40 years, as I became more knowledgeable about deer and birds, I somehow remained naively blind to what happens to the lead in a bullet once shot. I just bought the bullets, loaded the gun and fired.

Then I read Katie Fallons Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird. Then the more I read, the more I realized we need to ban lead bullets.

In many ways, hunters are the staunchest conservationists. We understand deer populations and forest dynamics. We spend time outside observing. We support wildlife conservation through hundreds of millions of dollars in license fees. So why do we poison the very places and animals we love?
This is what the government would like to teach society  that there are no reliable sources at all among those who criticize the government, explained Attila Batorfy, who tracks the Hungarian media for Atlatszo.

Hungary was especially vulnerable to this kind of takeover. The country became a democracy only in 1 989. And government advertising for everything from the national lottery to the state opera is still a key source of revenue for media companies, and has long been doled out to friends.

Still, journalists I met in Budapest were struck by how quickly the press had changed, and that all it took to break this pillar of democracy was a combination of money and fear. Its not Russia, Csaba Lukacs told me. No one thinks that someone will be shot. Everyone thinks that he will lose his job. Its enough.

Mr. Lukacs was a senior reporter at Magyar Nemzet, an 80-year-old daily newspaper that closed in April. (Its government advertising evaporated after its owner broke with Mr. Orban.)

In May, Mr. Lukacs and two dozen former colleagues started a weekly called Magyar Hang (Hungarian Voice), which operates out of a one-room Budapest storefront. Most of its issues have no advertisements, because companies fear drawing the governments ire by association, Mr. Lukacs said. The paper is printed across the border in Slovakia, because no Hungarian printer would do it. One of the biggest problems is that people are afraid to be subscribers, he added. Its journalists worked unpaid for the first two months. Now they sell enough copies  just under 10,000 per week, mostly at newsstands  to pay themselves the minimum wage.

Magyar Hang is a conservative, center-right newspaper  no more radical than The Wall Street Journal. Some of its writers, including Mr. Lukacs, used to support Fidesz. But because theyre willing to criticize the ruling party and report on official malfeasance, the government hasnt credentialed its reporters, so they cant attend its news conferences and question officials there, Mr. Lukacs said. And no state entity responds to their calls.

If we ask someone from the governmental hospital, How many cases of infections? they will not answer us, he said. For Fidesz, its not enough to be loyal, you have to be servile. You have to follow their instructions without questions, without any doubt.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines)  I should rephrase that. Are "creative" people, all that different from the rest of us? In a way, yes, they are. The difference I am referring to, is how better-connected their brain are. I've always struggled with trying to draw people or animals, that looked how they should, in art class growing up. And I always envied my classmates who could draw my comic book superheroes in their best action poses, in what seemed to be effortless strokes of the pen.

A new study suggests it's how well the two brain hemispheres communicate that sets highly creative people apart.

For the study, statisticians David Dunson of Duke University and Daniele Durante of the University of Padova analyzed the network of white matter connections among 68 separate brain regions in healthy college-age volunteers.

The brain's white matter lies underneath the outer grey matter. It is composed of bundles of wires, or axons, which connect billions of neurons and carry electrical signals between them.

A team led by neuroscientist Rex Jung of the University of New Mexico collected the data using an MRI technique called diffusion tensor imaging, which allows researchers to peer through the skull of a living person and trace the paths of all the axons by following the movement of water along them. Computers then comb through each of the 1-gigabyte scans and convert them to three-dimensional map-wiring diagrams of the brain.

Jung's team used a combination of tests to assess creativity. Some were measures of a type of problem-solving called "divergent thinking," or the ability to come up with many answers to a question. They asked people to draw as many geometric designs as they could in five minutes. They also asked people to list as many new uses as they could for everyday objects, such as a brick or a paper clip. The participants also filled out a questionnaire about their achievements in ten areas, including the visual arts, music, creative writing, dance, cooking and science.The responses were used to calculate a composite creativity score for each person.Dunson and Durante trained computers to sift through the data and identify differences in brain structure.

They found no statistical differences in connectivity within hemispheres, or between men and women. But when they compared people who scored in the top 15 percent on the creativity tests with those in the bottom 15 percent, high-scoring people had significantly more connections between the right and left hemispheres. The differences were mainly in the brain's frontal lobe.

Dunson said their approach could also be used to predict the probability that a person will be highly creative simply based on his or her brain network structure. "Maybe by scanning a person's brain we could tell what they're likely to be good at," Dunson said.

The study is part of a decade-old field, connectomics, which uses network science to understand the brain. Instead of focusing on specific brain regions in isolation, connectomics researchers use advanced brain imaging techniques to identify and map the rich, dense web of links between them.

Dunson and colleagues are now developing statistical methods to find out whether brain connectivity varies with I.Q., whose relationship to creativity is a subject of ongoing debate.

In collaboration with neurology professor Paul Thompson at the University of Southern California, they're also using their methods for early detection of Alzheimer's disease, to help distinguish it from normal aging.

By studying the patterns of interconnections in healthy and diseased brains, they and other researchers also hope to better understand dementia, epilepsy, schizophrenia and other neurological conditions such as traumatic brain injury or coma.

"Data sharing in neuroscience is increasingly more common as compared to only five years ago," said Joshua Vogelstein of Johns Hopkins University, who founded the Open Connectome Project and processed the raw data for the study.

Just making sense of the enormous datasets produced by brain imaging studies is a challenge, Dunson said.

Most statistical methods for analyzing brain network data focus on estimating properties of single brains, such as which regions serve as highly connected hubs. But each person's brain is wired differently, and techniques for identifying similarities and differences in connectivity across individuals and between groups have lagged behind.
During my first year as an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times, I wasnt allowed to use the word lie.

That first year coincided with the 2000 election, and George W. Bush was, in fact, being systematically dishonest about his economic proposals  saying false things about who would benefit from his tax cut and the implications of Social Security privatization. But the notion that a major partys presidential candidate would go beyond spin to outright lies still seemed outrageous, and saying it was considered beyond the pale.

Obviously that prohibition no longer holds on this opinion page, and major media organizations have become increasingly willing to point out raw falsehoods. But theyve been chasing a moving target, because the lies just keep getting bigger and more pervasive. In fact, at this point the G.O.P.s campaign message consists of nothing but lies; its hard to think of a single true thing Republicans are running on.

And yes, its a Republican problem (and its not just Donald Trump). Democrats arent saints, but they campaign mostly on real issues, and generally do, in fact, stand for more or less what they claim to stand for. Republicans dont. And the total dishonesty of Republican electioneering should itself be a decisive political issue, because at this point it defines the partys character.
During that dark chapter of American history, Senator Joseph McCarthy abused the awesome powers won during Teapot Dome to smear hundreds of American servicemen, civil servants and ordinary citizens through secret proceedings, selective leaks and crass bullying. He also branded those who invoked their constitutional rights not to testify as Fifth Amendment Communists. These disgraceful tactics ended in McCarthys own disgrace after he was censured by the Senate in 1954.

McCarthy would cheer the methods of todays Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee. They have conducted much of their business through so-called confidential interviews and depositions that are not public, binding witnesses to silence while lawmakers leak selectively from the testimony.

Republicans have used this practice to wreck reputations and careers. They have gratuitously exposed the private lives of dedicated civil servants. They have deprived Americans of some of the nations most dogged, experienced crime fighters, falsely accusing whistle-blowers of criminal wrongdoing and mocking their invocation of constitutional rights.

A senior F.B.I. lawyer, Lisa Page, was forced to resign after being pilloried by House Republicans. A senior F.B.I. counterintelligence agent, Peter Strzok, was fired for his texts with Ms. Page , but not before enduring crude questioning about his personal life by a Republican congressman, Louie Gohmert. Committee attacks on Bruce Ohr led to his removal as associate deputy attorney general. His wife, Nellie, a former contractor for us, was subjected to the misogyny of the president.

Finally, there is the constant pleas from Mr. Trump and his allies on the Hill for criminal investigations of those who have tried to raise the alarm about Russia. The low: Senators Charles Grassley and Lindsey Graham referring Mr. Steele to the Justice Department to investigate if he lied to the F.B.I., a false allegation made to discredit a long-valued bureau source.

One of the most astonishing recent examples of the House Judiciary Committees character assassination involves Republican leaks to conservative news outlets of the closed-door testimony of James Baker, who was the F.B.I.s general counsel from 2014 to December 2017. If reports based on those leaks are to be believed, Mr. Baker testified that a former senior Justice Department attorney came to him weeks before the 2016 election with information regarding possible Russian efforts to collude with the Trump campaign.

In other words, a sworn officer of the court reported a possible crime in progress to another sworn officer of the court, knowing full well that to do so falsely is a crime. But Republicans assert that his information should be rejected merely because that former Justice Department official had gone to work for Democrats.
In life, drama queens, those extravagantly emotional beings who suck up all the oxygen in a room, are fatiguing souls, to be avoided at all costs when one is tired. But, ah, in fiction  in books and film, and especially on the stage  these same creatures can be an energizing joy, as stimulating as four shots of espresso.

Thats why I am advising you to make the acquaintance of a grade-A specimen of this spectacular genus, whose presence is overflowing the Helen Hayes Theater. His undramatic name is Arnold Beckoff, though he also goes by the more promising moniker of Virginia Ham. And, as embodied by Michael Urie in the happy revival of Harvey Fiersteins Torch Song, which opened on Thursday night, Arnold is just the guy and gal to pull you out of your election-season weariness.

He may also cause you to shed a few sentimental tears, but isnt that what you expect of a drama queen? And wait until you meet Arnolds mother, who is played, if you please, by Mercedes Ruehl.

Though a slender fellow, Mr. Urie reads so exultantly big in this production that you almost forget the man who indelibly created Arnold. Thats Mr. Fierstein, the author and original star of Torch Song Trilogy, as it was known when it shook up Broadway in the early 1980s, copping Tony Awards for best play and best leading actor in a play.
what trump said

Were not letting them into our country. And then they never show up, almost, its like a level of 3 percent. They never show up for the trial. So by the time their trial comes, theyre gone, nobody knows where they are.

False.

President Trump was referring to the rate that migrants show up to immigration court proceedings after being apprehended and released into the United States. Data from the Justice Department shows that most immigrants do, in fact, show up to their court hearings.

In the 2017 fiscal year, about 28 percent of immigrants failed to attend their court hearings  not the 97 percent Mr. Trump estimated.

Among asylum seekers, only 11 percent did not show up for legal proceedings. Of the asylum seekers who participated in a pilot program tested as an alternative to detention, 99 percent attended Immigration and Custom Enforcement check-ins and appointments. And 100 percent turned up for court hearings.

The Trump administration ended the pilot program last June.

what trump said

We cant get any Democrat votes to change them. Its only the Republicans that are in unison they want to change them. They want to make strong borders.

This is misleading

Citing immigration laws that he said are so bad, Mr. Trump accused Democrats of causing overhaul legislation to fizzle in Congress. Left unsaid was that disarray among the Republican Party partly contributed to the bills demise.
Ms. Jones said she felt like it was kind of a big deal to plant that sign in the northern Atlanta suburbs, which were once a bastion of Southern conservatism but now appear to be in political flux, in part because of more liberal newcomers like herself.

So she and Ms. Winfrey talked about the sign, and Ms. Winfrey shot a video of it, and Ms. Winfrey asked Ms. Jones about Ms. Abrams, and Ms. Jones said she was voting for her  although she had not yet because the lines for early voting had been so long. Polls show a tight race between Ms. Abrams and Brian Kemp, the Republican nominee.

The entire encounter lasted eight to 10 minutes. Ms. Jones said it was somewhat surreal to have Oprah Winfrey (and her rather large entourage) on the lawn of her quiet suburban street. Then again, part of the Oprah mystique is that after someone does a double-take after seeing her in person, she just seems to get on with the business of being a normal human. You open the door, and there she is canvassing, clipboard in hand, and maybe you give a wild yawp of recognition and excitement.

Then again, such audiences do not come every day, and Ms. Jones made the most of it. She told Ms. Winfrey about a speech she saw her give at the Kennedy Center, and how it had brought tears to her eyes and made her think that maybe the problems of race and politics in this troubled country really can improve.

I said, I hope you run in 2020, Ms Jones recalls saying. She said, No, no.
ATLANTA  President Trump disparaged Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia, in ambiguous and unusually personal terms on Thursday, warning that her past left her not qualified to be the governor.

Mr. Trump did not elaborate and offered no evidence for his assertion, which seemed to be a potential preview of the political message he will deliver on Sunday, two days ahead of the election, at a Georgia rally for Brian Kemp, Ms. Abramss Republican rival.

But the decision of the president, who has been criticized for inflammatory language, to invoke Ms. Abramss background so broadly was a distinct escalation in his attacks on her bid to become the first black woman to be elected governor in the United States. Ms. Abrams, a former Democratic leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, has staked out an array of liberal positions during her campaign, but her tenure in the Legislature has drawn measured praise from the Republicans who led the State Capitol.

Mr. Trump had previously attacked Ms. Abrams on Twitter, but he had not made any overt references to her background until Thursday.
The lawsuit, which was filed in 2016, said the episode occurred at a swing that was hanging from a tree and had a separate rope used to pull it higher. The girl said she was standing to the side when she felt the rope pulled around her neck, violently jerking her to the ground.

The girl said her classmates had bullied her before the school trip, according to the lawsuit.

The familys lawyer, Levi G. McCathern II, said that he saw race as playing a role in the schools failure to notify the girls parents after the episode. If it had been a little white girl they would have been on the phone with her mother within the hour, he said on Thursday.

David N. Deaconson, the lawyer for the school, rejected the assertion that the girls injury was a result of bullying and that the schools response had anything to do with race. He said the school recognized that it erred in failing to call the girls mother after her daughter was injured and in not having a chaperone with the children playing at the swing.

Mr. Deaconson has described the scene this way: Several children were pulling on the rope to raise the swing into the air, he said, and when they let go, the rope whipped past the girl and hit her in the neck.

On Wednesday, the jury for the court in Travis County ordered the school to pay $55,000 for the girls physical pain and mental anguish, $10,000 for disfigurement sustained during the episode and $3,000 for medical expenses. The verdict was not unanimous; one juror disagreed, but the court documents did not say why.
The language in Luca Guadagninos remake of the horror film Suspiria goes beyond words. His witches speak in movement.

In one scene, a dancer  Susie (Dakota Johnson)  performs in a studio, expelling sharp, sudden breaths as she rises and falls, her arms shooting out like daggers. Another dancer, older and worn down, finds herself locked in a mirrored room; she twitches and contorts as she slams into walls and onto the floor to the sound of her own snapping bones. They protrude through her flesh like splitting seams.

Whats stunning about the scene isnt just the violence (though that is shocking), but how Susies movements control the other dancer, and how the energy sweeping through Susies body is palpably wild and free.

The scene also serves as a sly metaphor for what happens when an aging dancer is confronted with a younger, fresher version of herself. There may not be broken bones, but the result can feel just as violent. In one room, you see the force of life, the films choreographer, Damien Jalet, said in an interview. And in the other it is the force of destruction.
Few classical recordings have aroused as much fascination as Glenn Goulds 1981 take on Bachs Goldberg Variations.

Gould, whose first major-label recording was a classic 1955 account of the Goldbergs, rerecorded them more than 25 years later. He then died, at 50, just after the release  leaving the two Bach statements as bookends to his career.

[Listen to takes from Goulds 1955 Goldbergs recording.]

Now the score he used while making the 1981 recording has resurfaced, offering clues about the creative process of one of the most original pianists of the 20th century. The heavily marked-up score  which will be offered at auction on Dec. 5 at Bonhams in New York  shows the nearly obsessive attention to detail Gould was famous for, especially after he stopped giving live performances in order to focus entirely on making recordings.

I would call this the equivalent of a shooting script of a movie, said the critic Tim Page, a professor of music and journalism at the University of Southern California and the editor of The Glenn Gould Reader. He keeps track of which takes he likes, and how long they are.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox.

Campaign Fatigue

Late-night hosts are counting the days until the midterms and, as usual, watching President Trumps every move. Jimmy Fallon sounded like he was getting tired of watching.
Since 1952, weve convened a rotating annual panel of three expert judges, who consider every illustrated childrens book published that year in the United States. They select the winners purely on the basis of artistic merit. The judges this time were Leonard Marcus, a childrens literature historian and critic; Jenny Rosenoff, a childrens librarian at the New York Public Library; and Bryan Collier, the author and illustrator of many acclaimed picture books and a past winner of the award.

Below youll find images from each winning book, with commentary from the judges.

[See photos of the artists at work in their studios.]
In the authors approving view, men like the banker John Pierpont Morgan, the oil baron John D. Rockefeller and the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, all born within a few years of one another in the 1830s, were giants of energy and ambition who exercised more power than anybody other than kings or generals had exercised before. These men (and they were all men) are heroes of creative destruction because they helped to produce a massive improvement in living standards for all.

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That they also produced social and economic upheaval for many is a small price to pay, the authors contend. The rise of their great corporations, not to mention the industries they helped build and finance, from railroads to autos to retail chains like Sears, Roebuck, displaced millions of workers and small-business owners who were rendered obsolete. Cyrus McCormacks threshing machine displaced a quarter of the worlds agricultural workers. People seldom achieve great things without being willing to ride roughshod over the opposition, the authors note.

Not surprisingly, these giants attracted popular hostility and resentment  Teddy Roosevelt called them malefactors of great wealth. Their success and attendant wealth unleashed a populist backlash. Williams Jennings Bryan campaigned against Wall Street and its cross of gold. Congress passed the first antitrust laws. The first federal income tax paved the way to income redistribution.

Historys harsh judgment of the era (which culminated in the 1929 stock market crash and ensuing Great Depression) suggests why creative destruction has had trouble gaining much of a following. Like the Robber Barons, todays drivers of creative destruction, technology and internet entrepreneurs, are seldom the easiest of heroes, nor the nicest, the authors note. They will sacrifice anything, from their own peace of mind to the lives of those around them, to build a business empire and then protect that business empire from destruction. Such people are prone to what the Norwegians call Stormannsgalskap, or the madness of great men. Teslas Elon Musk, who merits several approving mentions, comes to mind. The disruptive forces they unleash generate unease: the fiercer the gale the greater the unease.

And not all destruction, it should be said, is creative. In a nod to the exotic derivatives and mortgage-backed securities that led to the Great Recession (and went largely undetected by Greenspans Fed), Greenspan and Wooldridge acknowledge that creative destruction can sometimes be all destruction and no creation.

The popular reaction is typically a well-intentioned but misguided effort to preserve the status quo. People link arms to protect threatened jobs and save dying industries. They denounce capitalists for their ruthless greed. The result is stagnation: In trying to tame the creative destruction, for example by preserving jobs or keeping factories open, they end up killing it, the authors contend.

In their view, America today is already well along that path to stagnation. Capitalism in America barely mentions Trump beyond condemning his dangerous trade policies and warning about the fiscal recklessness of his tax cuts. But the entire book is an indictment of Trumps stands on immigration and protectionism and his attempts to resurrect fading mining and industrial concerns  attempts that, as Capitalism in America shows repeatedly, are almost surely doomed.
THE KING AND THE CATHOLICS

England, Ireland, and the Fight for Religious Freedom, 1780-1829

By Antonia Fraser

Illustrated. 319 pp. Nan A. Talese/ Doubleday. $29.95.

When Amazon Prime finally starts delivering to heaven, Evelyn Waugh should order a copy of Antonia Frasers new book, The King and the Catholics: England, Ireland, and the Fight for Religious Freedom, 1780-1829. Frasers latest considers a topic close to Waughs tart heart: bleak Roman Catholic prospects in aggressively Anglican England. The reference to religious freedom in the books subtitle suggests why more earthly readers would find the book of interest, but, refreshingly, Fraser makes no effort to convince us that a centuries-old story of religious and political conflicts and competing minority rights remains relevant. Such confidence is rare today, given the easy temptation to gravely invoke Brexit and ISIS and Donald Trump and the Vatican. Instead, Fraser trusts that we can make the germane connections  or not. As far as shes concerned, the story matters anyway.

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The King and the Catholics isnt as magisterial as Mary Queen of Scots or as flat-out exciting as Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot. Instead, its a convincing and worthy addition to the already impressive Fraser corpus. It opens boldly. The story begins with violence: In the summer of 1780 London was the scene of the worst riots the city had ever experienced. About 1,000 people died, and the physical damage to the structure of the city would not be surpassed until the Blitz in the Second World War. The riots were a reaction to the Catholic Relief Act, passed two years before under George III, which proposed to repeal measures that had been in place since the Jesuit martyr Edmund Campions day, including the arrest and imprisonment of Catholic priests and teachers, and the prohibition against Catholics purchasing land. A new Oath of Allegiance, featuring a repudiation of the popes temporal authority and prayers for the king, was also included, but this didnt mollify the acts opponents, elite Protestants who stirred up popular resistance that was in turn fed by Game of Thrones-worthy rumors, including one declaring the presence of 20,000 Jesuit priests lurking in the tunnels beneath the Thames, only waiting for orders from Rome to blow up the banks and bed of the river in order to flood the whole of London. There were no more than 80,000 Catholics in England at the time, in a population of seven million.
[ Despite a new movie based on Marie Colvins life, Hollywood has a spotty track record when it comes to female war correspondents ]

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Colvin grew up in Oyster Bay, Long Island, the daughter of schoolteachers who doted on their five children. Her upbringing was Roman Catholic, suburban and comfortably middle class. At Yale, she fell under the tutelage of John Hersey, author of Hiroshima, one of many influential figures who would shape her career. She got her start livening up a newsletter for the Teamsters in New York, jumped from there to U.P.I. and was soon dispatched to Paris. Hired away by Rupert Murdochs Sunday Times, she made her name in 1987 with a story about watching a young woman die after being shot by a sniper during a militia siege of a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut. The reporting she did there  excruciatingly close, filled with intimate glimpses of human suffering  established a template. It has always seemed to me that what I write about is humanity in extremis, she would say in a 2001 feature article, pushed to the unendurable, and that it is important to tell people what really happens in wars.

Hilsum unpacks one terrifying story after another to illustrate how far Colvin was willing to go to expose the truth. Trapped in Chechnya in December 1999 during an aerial bombing campaign by the Russian Army, she and a young Russian photographer were forced to hike for days through the snowbound Caucasus to the Georgian border. Stopping to rest meant becoming a target for bombs. She struggled to breathe, regretting every cigarette she had smoked, Hilsum writes in an excruciatingly vivid account. Dima sat down, saying he could go no further. Marie knew that despair was even more dangerous than the cold. Get up! Keep moving! she urged.

Colvin also had a knack for gaining the confidence of dictators and demagogues. In 1986 she talked her way into the compound of the Libyan strongman Muammar el-Qaddafi in Tripoli. Hilsum delights in describing their first meeting: After a few minutes Qaddafi entered dressed in a gray padded flight suit, sockless feet peeking from lizard skin slip-on shoes. I am Qaddafi, he announced. No kidding, Marie thought. She landed an exclusive interview and maintained contact with him for years. She befriended Yasir Arafat in exile in Tunisia, joined him on his return from the 1993 Oslo Accords and visited his Ramallah compound when it was besieged by the Israel Defense Forces in 2002. Colvin liked Arafat but sparred with him over his failure to suppress Palestinian violence; she was commissioned to write an Arafat biography, but could never find the discipline to finish it.

Away from combat zones, Colvin moved easily through London high society and hosted memorable soirees in her Hammersmith home. Elegant in a black cocktail dress, she mixed vodka martinis, the house full of actors, poets and politicians as well as journalists, Hilsum writes of one such gathering. She drank to excess, took many lovers and married twice. Her relationships with gifted but unreliable men who abused her trust left her emotionally shattered. Some anecdotes that Hilsum relates will be familiar to those who have read Marie Brenners fine profile of Colvin in Vanity Fair, now adapted for film and republished in an anthology of Brenners pieces, A Private War: Marie Colvin and Other Tales of Heroes, Scoundrels, and Renegades (Simon & Schuster, paper, $16). But Hilsum, who had full access to Colvins notes and journals, is able to delve far deeper into her subjects complicated inner life. I was blinded by your looks and the sex and so tried to ignore what my brain was telling me, Colvin writes in her diary after discovering her longtime partners multiple affairs. So I drank more and read less and my world telescoped down to yours  sex, looks and money.
Despite the foreboding weather that forces the family to stay inside in dangerously close quarters, they somehow pull through, and even have time for a blowout party and a baby-naming ceremony before the movers arrive, an ending that, along with the rest of the novel, only the most determined optimist will find plausible.

NEWS OF OUR LOVED ONES

By Abigail DeWitt

222 pp. Harper. $25.99.

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Exploring the physical and emotional landscape of war and its aftermath, DeWitts novel traces the history of the Delasalle family from World War II into the decades that follow, moving, not always seamlessly, between past and present.

Genevieve, Yvonne and Francoise live with their mother and stepfather, Oncle Henri, in the seaside Norman town of Caen, which has been occupied by the Nazis: Every week brought the announcement of a new set of rules  and all we thought about was food.

As the war gains momentum, Genevieve goes to Paris to further her study of the violin. There, a year after the armistice, she meets the American cellist who will become her husband, with whom she sets sail for the United States. Yet even in the safety of North Carolina, even though the war is long over, Genevieve is haunted by her memories of its deprivations, of the bombs and rubble and prison and torture that wrought irrevocable changes in her family. Its not surprising, then, that her American-born daughter drinks the war in with her mothers milk. At one point, she notes that although the war had been over for 15 years when I was born  still the sound of German unsettles me.

The narrative passes quickly, and sometimes chaotically, from person to person as DeWitt writes from multiple points of view, linking the stories of a host of characters, including not just the women of the family but Marie-Claire, a girl from the mountain town of Les Houches, and a nameless SS officer met while filling out the paperwork on a Jewish pediatrician who has been arrested by the Germans.

While the revolving cast and leaps between historical eras can be confusing, the narratives details of daily life  a patisserie with its bright little door chime and the smell of chocolate. Shop girls in their crisp, white coats, like doctors; a Nazi informant, detectable from the delicious scent of pate and cognac on her breath  ultimately pull the reader along.
Fortunately for publishers and my library, unread books remind me of the many pleasures to come. Books have been the center of my intellectual life, but, read or unread, they interrupt the drift of ordinary life with the thrill of expectancy and unlearned pleasures. And yes, sometimes that leads to intellectual growth. Sometimes not.

ARDIS CAMERON

STONINGTON, ME.

Libraries

To the Editor:

In Praise of Libraries (Reading Room, Oct. 21) prompts me to share a favorite quote from John Updike. When I write, he said, I aim in my mind not toward New York but toward a vague spot a little to the east of Kansas. I think of the books on library shelves, without their jackets, years old, and a countryish teenage boy finding them, and having them speak to him. The reviews, the stacks at Brentanos, are just hurdles to get over, to place books on that shelf.

SUSAN SCHUUR

NEW YORK



To the Editor:

While Edith Wharton may not be living, she is a constant presence. In her autobiography, she described Bernard Berensons library in his home, I Tatti, as the bookworms heaven: the fulfillment of all he has dreamed that a great working library ought to be, continually weeded out and renewed, not made of spent deeds but of doing, not a dusty mausoleum of dead authors but a glorious assemblage of eternally living ones.

SUSAN BARILE

NEW YORK

The author is co-editor of the forthcoming volume The Letters of Edith Wharton to Bernard and Mary Berenson.



To the Editor:

Upon reading In Praise of Libraries, I concluded that my life could be described by the libraries I have visited. As a young child there was a weekly trip to the Brooklyn Public Library. When I became a preteen, there were visits to the childrens room of the main branch and in junior high its adult room. Then, at Brooklyn College, the student library. In graduate school, the iconic reading room of the New York Public Librarys main branch became a frequent destination.
Even rugged he-men like Jack Reacher need to sleep once in a while. In PAST TENSE (Delacorte, $28.99), Lee Childs wandering hero is on an epic road trip in search of his roots. Reacher has made his way to his fathers birthplace in Laconia, N.H., where he finds the remains of his family home in the rubble of Ryantown, a settlement that grew up around a tin mill that turned out to be an ecological disaster. At its peak, Reacher discovers, the mill seemed to be universally accepted as a horrific tableau of clouds of smoke and raging fires and boiling metals, like a miniature hell. Intrigued, he sticks around to learn more.

While Reacher is occupied with his research, another drama is unfolding at the isolated motel where a young Canadian couple, Shorty Fleck and Patty Sundstrom, are stranded when their clunker of a car breaks down. After a number of guests arrive carrying disposable luggage and archaic weapons, it slowly dawns on Shorty and Patty that something is not right. By this time, theyve been locked in their room, left to wonder, with mounting dread, exactly what kind of lethal games are being played.

Childs writing seems unusually expressive in this novel, possibly because of its intimate subject matter. While making inquiries around town, Reacher is invited inside the home of a man who keeps 12 dogs. The screen door creaked all the way open ahead of him, and slapped all the way shut behind him, which were in his limited experience the eternal sounds of a New England summer. Its a startlingly sweet-tempered image, coming from a big bruiser like Reacher  and a reminder that Child is one writer who should never be taken for granted.

Explore the New York Times Book Review Want to keep up with the latest and greatest in books? This is a good place to start. Learn what you should be reading this fall: Our collection of reviews on books coming out this season includes biographies, novels, memoirs and more. See whats new in October: Among this months new titles are novels by Jonathan Franzen, a history of Black cinema and a biography by Katie Couric. Nominate a book: The New York Times Book Review has just turned 125. That got us wondering: What is the best book that was published during that time? Listen to our podcast: Featuring conversations with leading figures in the literary world, from Colson Whitehead to Leila Slimani, the Book Review Podcast helps you delve deeper into your favorite books.





Mystery lovers read for story  except when we read for character. DARK SACRED NIGHT (Little, Brown, $29), the latest novel from Michael Connelly, has a narrative that keeps veering off the main line and onto side tracks. Harry Bosch, the semiretired hero of Connellys police procedurals, is obsessed with the unsolved cold-case murder of Daisy Clayton, a 15-year-old runaway whose short career as a prostitute ended when her body  used, abused and washed clean with bleach  was found in an alley.
Its a question parents have wrestled with since the 2016 presidential election: How do we explain this political moment to our children? I, for one, was hoping the answer would not involve a book aimed at teenagers in which a candidates obscene reference to female anatomy appears on Page 2, but that is where we are. In UNPRESIDENTED: A Biography of Donald Trump (Feiwel and Friends, 384 pp., $19.99; ages 12 and up), Martha Brockenbrough provides an encyclopedic tale of the rise of Donald J. Trump. Brockenbroughs version is, unapologetically, a liberals framing of events. Then again, Im not sure if a nonpartisan book about Trump could grow out of the current climate. For now, there is this thorough, hard-hitting volume that seeks to explain Trump, from the time he was born with a silver spoon and golden hair, pink cheeks and a tiny pucker of a mouth, to his shocker of a presidential campaign (candidates typically dont insult the parents of soldiers who die in combat).

The tone isnt lighthearted, yet I laughed out loud in Chapter 4. Is there any more telling symbol of our bizarre (and yes, unprecedented) times than Roy Cohn appearing prominently in a young adult book, and not one about the bygone days of McCarthyism? Brockenbrough describes Trumps infamous lawyer and fixer (or attack dog, as she calls him) in such stark, terrifying terms that he seems almost like a cartoon villain, a closeted Cruella de Vil with weatherworn skin, dark eyes and a nose that looked like it had encountered many fists in his 46 years.

Halfway through Unpresidented, I found myself craving a different type of childrens book, something that would enlighten kids about the current climate, educate them on the historical struggles that got us here, but also offer bipartisan hope. I wanted a respite from the partisan rancor, preferably with appealing illustrations that didnt include a 2016 Electoral College map.

I found all of this and more in several immersive picture books about women leaders. The standout books of the bunch tell the stories of two remarkable women of color. In WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A VOICE LIKE THAT? (Beach Lane, 48 pp., $17.99; ages 4 to 8), a biography of Representative Barbara Jordan written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Ekua Holmes, we go from Jordans modest upbringing in Houston to her civil rights activism to the halls of Congress and back to Texas after a multiple sclerosis diagnosis takes her out of public life. All the way, Jordans distinct big, bold, booming, crisp, clear, confident voice guides us.
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__________

Dan Loeb could win even if he loses his battle at Campbell Soup.

The activist investor and founder of the hedge fund Third Point has sought to instigate change at the food maker. He blames poor deal making for the near-halving of the companys share price over the past three years, and wants its shareholders to replace the entire board of 12 people.

But cutting costs from those bad deals should raise Campbells valuation whatever happens.

Mr. Loeb described a 100-day plan for the company in a presentation that he published on Tuesday, which included a proposal to hit the ground running in order to revive the companys soup. He believes that Campbells stock could be worth $70 a share by 2022 if he can overhaul the board and implement other changes. Thats roughly 45 percent higher than its current price, and almost where the stock traded in early 2016 before Campbell bought Pacific Foods and Snyders-Lance, leaving it financially and operationally stretched.

The idea is to boost earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization to $2 billion by 2020, from an estimated $1.6 billion in 2019. Thats easy to get behind.
The Martin Act has been used in high-profile cases before. Maurice R. Greenberg, a former chief executive of the American International Group, finally settled a lawsuit last year that rested on the law. Initially filed in 2005 by Eliot Spitzer when he was attorney general of New York, the case related to two transactions that inaccurately portrayed A.I.G.s financial results over four years. The settlement required Mr. Greenberg to pay $9 million, which represented the bonuses he received during the period when the transactions took place.

Mr. Greenbergs dislike for the Martin Act did not end with the settlement. He joined with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to support legislation that would effectively prohibit states from pursuing fraud claims involving corporate disclosures, as The New York Times reported in April. I fought two wars for my country, he said. This is another war.

The bill, introduced this year by Representative Tom MacArthur, a Republican from New Jersey, would require that all securities fraud claims be filed in federal court. That would mean that only federal antifraud provisions applied.

The legislation also stipulates that no law, rule, regulation, judgment, agreement, order or other action of any state or political subdivision thereof shall regulate securities fraud with respect to an issuer. That would prevent states from adopting provisions to address fraud involving companies operating within their jurisdiction unless those laws were based on the same requirements as the federal securities laws.

This approach is consistent with laws passed by Congress in the 1990s to require that most private securities fraud lawsuits be filed in the federal courts rather than state courts and impose heightened standards for proving a violation. These laws effectively limit the authority of states to use their own courts to pursue fraud claims against corporations.

Mr. MacArthurs bill has not moved forward, but there is a chance Congress will adopt it after the midterm elections, especially if the Republicans lose control of the House. That would largely undermine the power of the state attorneys general to police corporate conduct and leave it to the Securities and Exchange Commission or private investors to pursue cases. And the S.E.C. has not been focused on corporate disclosure (unless a chief executive takes to Twitter and makes highly publicized statements that turn out to be false).

The lawsuit against Exxon shows that the Martin Act retains its vitality as a means to police corporate conduct. A case like this can become a lightning rod for those who want to keep the states from using their authority to get involved in corporate disclosure. It remains to be seen if that might generate the attention required to help Mr. MacArthurs bill advance.
Disruption happens at a geometric pace as opposed to a linear pace.  Jeff Raider

How did the company get started?

When I first heard about the idea for Warby Parker, I was sitting around after class with one of my good friends, and another one of our friends came up and said, What do you think about the idea of selling glasses online? At the time, I had on a $500 pair of designer glasses that were being held together by a piece of duct tape. I was, like, Oh man, theres this huge pain point here. I would love a new pair of glasses.

I went home that night and I couldnt sleep. I emailed my friends at 1 a.m. and I was, like, I cant stop thinking about this. This is a good idea. We should do this. And then they emailed right back and said, Yeah, I cant sleep either.

Was the school supportive?

Yeah. They had a venture award in which they essentially just granted money to people starting businesses, which we got. They had this program called the Venture Initiation Program, where we had space where we could kind of congregate and work, which became the early Warby Parker addresses. And wed take a marketing class with an amazing professor, and wed say, Were going to make our class project about Warby Parker.

Were you convinced it would be successful?

No. We did the Wharton business plan competition and we lost. And at that point, I was like, Oh, man, is this going to work? I went to my co-founders and was like, Guys, I dont know. Im not sure this is a good idea. And Neil, one of my co-founders, said, I believe in this idea. I believe in us. We are going to make this happen and we are going to prove to these naysayers that they were wrong. Theres going to be ups and downs in the journey, and the ability of your co-founders to pick you up when youre a little bit down is super important.

What had changed from your childhood that you now wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Ive thought a bunch about this over time. The thing that I misunderstood about my moms experience as an entrepreneur, because I was young and not really talking to her in a grown-up way about it, is that, while there were ups and downs, she loved it.

After school you left Warby Parker and went to private equity. How did Harrys start?

I went back to Charlesbank, but it started to feel a little bit more like work, rather than fun. It was at that moment I realized that I wanted to do something entrepreneurial again. I had to take a step back. What do I want to do with my life, at least professionally? Right around that time, Andy called me with the idea for Harrys, and it felt like the first conversations we had at Warby Parker. I remember being like, This is what Ive got to go do. Here we go again.
At CBS, succession wont be swift.

The network has lost several top executives in the last few months, and finding a new leader will be a more difficult prospect than usual. That person will have to deal with an open investigation into sexual harassment claims that implicate former bosses and the culture of the company they oversaw. He or she will also have to grapple with a rapidly shifting business landscape and pay attention to the long-term wishes of the controlling owner of CBS, Shari Redstone.

The industry backdrop is daunting, too. CBS, the most-watched network for the past decade, is still the king of prime time, but it presides over a dwindling empire. Audiences across television have eroded as tech platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Netflix attract more of their time.

Richard D. Parsons, who was leading the board before stepping down last week for medical reasons, had informal discussions with a few executives to gauge their interest in leading CBS. Those executives included the HBO chief Richard Plepler, according to two people with knowledge of the conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the conversations were private.

Mr. Plepler was not interested, and no formal offers were made, the people said. But the casual approach befits the style of Mr. Parsons, who is known for talking through an idea with a small group before broaching it more widely.
A rather sparkly example of this comes from a building with the presidents name on it in my hometown  the Trump Hotel and Tower on the banks of the Chicago River. The tower is among the tallest buildings in America. On sunny days, the giant chrome T-R-U-M-P letters shine down on the bustling riverfront crowds below.

Its an extraordinary location where city and nature and public spaces all come together. On the water, architecture cruises, party boats and kayak tours weave around one another. On its banks, the River Walk has drawn millions of visitors and hatched a series of restaurants and shops, including the Apple Michigan Avenue store, and multiple high-end condo buildings. The Trump building includes condominiums listed for as much as $2.7 million (though these days many sellers prefer to label their listings as simply 401 N. Wabash).

Yet for much of the 20th century, most people didnt want to live anywhere near the river. Companies dumped all manner of unpleasant things in the water. It stank up the city and poisoned its residents.

Environmental regulation and investment turned around the river. The cleanup was instrumental in making the neighborhood blossom and the economy boom.
After having children, I started a home business sewing bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses and other items. When they were older, I began sewing for several space industry companies, and in 2011, I started as a sewing technician at Leidos, a science, engineering and I.T. services company.

What types of items do you sew?

Leidos has several contracts with NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, including some related to cargo logistics and astronaut performance. I modify some of the astronauts clothing by removing buttons and snaps that can break off in space, float away and damage equipment, and I add Velcro on pocket flaps to keep items from escaping. I also design and modify cargo bags, blankets and so forth.
And the expansion is not just happening in the countrys top science and technology schools. The University of Rhode Island this fall opened an A.I. lab operated by its college library.

But this growth also means new challenges, such as figuring out how to teach the subject in ways understandable to those who are not computer science majors and addressing ethical dilemmas raised by the technology, such as privacy and job displacement.

We have to start teaching those who will be practitioners and users in the broad discipline of A.I., not just computer scientists, said Emily Fox, an associate professor of computer science, engineering and statistics at the University of Washington.

Professor Fox developed an A.I. course for nonmajors, which was first offered last spring. To qualify, students had only to have completed courses in basic probability and basic programming, far fewer prerequisites than typically needed by students taking A.I.

She had to cap enrollment at 110 students because of such high interest.

Demi Tu, a senior studying information technology at the University of Washington, is an example of the value of reaching out to students who are not classic technology whizzes. She said she was so taken with what she learned in Professor Foxs class that she may choose to pursue it in graduate school.
He said members of the administration have received messages from students expressing gratitude for the reminder, or asking for help. That opens the door for someone to intervene.

Using software that was originally designed to track technology help desk tickets, Mr. Ingerman and his team also route faculty concerns about students who seem to be at risk of dropping out.

We can have a faculty member identify a student whos not doing well, maybe theyre sleeping in class because they dont have housing, said Mr. Ingerman. Whatever the issue may be, we know the right people to help.

Professors also have access to a fuller picture of their students, with information about how often they open their materials, or how long they spent on an assignment.
Editors published the obituary at 1:35 p.m., and sent a news alert to readers at 1:43.

But reporters kept working. The statement from the Bureau of Prisons increased suspicion around Mr. Bulgers death. It said the F.B.I. had been notified; an investigation had been opened; no staff members or other inmates had been injured; and at no time was the public in danger.

It doesnt really sound like the kind of language you use when someone has medical problems that lead to a death, said Monica Davey, the Chicago bureau chief for The Times.

Danielle Ivory, an investigative reporter who writes about government, contacted over two dozen people working for the Bureau of Prisons, including in the Hazelton federal penitentiary, where Mr. Bulger died.

One trusted source, who told her that Mr. Bulger was murdered, had enough details about the killing that Ms. Ivory believed the account. By 3 p.m., a second source gave the same account, unprompted.

At that point, I was feeling very confident, Ms. Ivory said. William K. Rashbaum, a senior writer on the Metro desk, also had sources confirming that Mr. Bulger had been killed.

Other reporters then contributed context to frame the story beyond the days news. Ms. Ivory had found in her reporting on understaffing in prisons that the prison where Mr. Bulger was killed had experienced an increase in the number of violent episodes from 2016 to 2017.

Mr. Rashbaum  who has spent decades writing about crime, law enforcement and the mob  added accounts of other organized crime members who were killed behind bars.
Before reading the article:

The conflict between Saudi-backed forces and Houthi rebels in Yemen, which has led to the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, has captured growing international attention. The recent killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a dissident Saudi journalist, seems to have been the catalyst to drawing more scrutiny to Saudi Arabias behavior and role in the conflict.

First, can you find Yemen on a map?

Next, have you heard or seen anything in the news about the crisis in Yemen or the killing of Mr. Khashoggi? If yes, what have you heard or seen?

Then, watch this 10-minute PBS NewsHour video covering the war in Yemen. If you are short on time, you can watch just the first minute.

Now, read the June 13, 2018, article, How Yemen Became a Humanitarian Nightmare: Untangling a Complex War, and answer the following questions:



1. Look at the map of Yemen embedded in the article. Who are the main parties to the conflict?

2. How did the civil war begin?
Oct. 31 Uruzgan Province: 21 people killed

Clashes between the Taliban and a local militia commander named Hakim Shujaee have been terrorizing Khas Uruzgan District for several days. The exact reason of fighting is not clear. Twenty-one people, both militia members and civilians, were killed and hundreds of families have been trapped by the fighting or displaced from their homes.

[Read Once at Guantanamo, 5 Senior Taliban Members Now Join Political Office in Qatar]

Oct. 31 Farah Province: 27 people, including high-ranking officials, killed in helicopter crash

A military helicopter, flying from Farah to Herat, crashed due to technical issues in Anar Dara District. All 27 people on board were killed, including Farid Bakhtawar, the head of provincial council, Nimatullah Khalil, the deputy of 207th military corps in Herat and Jamilah Amini, a member of provincial council in Farah province. The others on board were soldiers and police officers. The Taliban claimed that they shot down the helicopter, but government officials denied any insurgent activities in the area during the incident.

Oct. 31 Kabul City: three police and four civilians killed

Three police officers and four civilians were killed by a suicide bomber. Four police officers and four civilians, including three children, were wounded in the attack. The target was a bus carrying prison workers to the Pol-e-Charkhi prison. The Islamic State claimed responsibility.

Oct. 30 Kunduz Province: two pro-government militia members killed

A vehicle of pro-government militias hit a roadside bomb in Arjal village of Khan Abad District. Two pro-government militias were killed and five more were wounded in the explosion. A local commander was among those killed.
At War is a newsletter about the experiences and costs of war with stories from Times reporters and outside voices.

Getting back to Yemen was probably the hardest trip Ive ever had to arrange. It took months of work, two separate visas, talks with three different governments and endless negotiations with Yemeni friends and helpers. We had to overcome the understandable doubts of The Times about the safety of our travel plan. But in the end, the 11-hour drive from Aden to northern Yemen  the most dangerous stretch  proved strangely anticlimactic. Every time we approached one of the checkpoints manned by young Yemeni gunmen, Id slink lower in my seat and take off my shades, in hopes of looking a bit less like a Blackwater mercenary. (Lynsey Addario, in a full black niqab, was less conspicuous.) We were traveling through a lawless desert where all kinds of gangs and jihadists, including Al Qaeda, are active. But our 19 year-old driver just looked over at me and laughed. You can keep them on, he said.

The key to safety in Yemen is social networks. If you know a family with local and tribal connections, they can protect you in almost any situation. Our trip was made possible by a southern family Ive been close to for more than a decade. Their knowledge of the terrain, and their ties to various factions across the south, were worth more than any number of bodyguards or cars. But their influence extended only to the south, the non-Houthi areas of Yemen. In the north, I depended on another old friend named Nasser, who has negotiated Yemens chaotic politics with unusual skill (and some luck). He always maintained a good relationship with Yemens longtime ruler, Ali Abdullah Saleh. After the Houthis captured Yemens capital, Sana, in 2014, he made sure to stay on their good side. He helped link me to the people I needed to meet, as did a couple of other old Yemeni friends.

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Even then, we faced many obstacles getting the Houthis to talk. They are an Islamic militia with a profoundly conspiratorial mind-set. They were happy to show us houses bombed by their enemies, and to recite their propaganda. But they initially refused to let us talk to any fighters or clerics, or to attend funerals. Halfway through our trip, Lynsey and I were talking to a young Houthi official when it suddenly became clear: This guy understood what we wanted. Not only that, he was willing to push hard to help us get it. From then on, we exploited him as much as we dared, asking him to wake up at 7 a.m., and to accompany us everywhere  because only he, the insider, could persuade the Houthis to talk to us in the short time frame we had.

This weeks cover story for The Times Magazine is the culmination of reporting from that trip to Yemen. Today the Houthis fight on in a war that has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
My name is Paul Dano. I am the director of Wildlife. This is a film about family. And right now, the father, Jerry, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, has left his family to go and fight these forest fires. And the mother, Jeanette, played by Carey Mulligan, is taking her son on an unexpected journey to go see them. Right now, were passing what is called the stage-up, where all the firefighters stay. We went through a lot of work to get some period cars and costumes and all these extras muddied up, all for one shot. Because we wanted to sort of keep it from the kids point of view. We didnt want to break that. So a lot of work for one passing shot. I really like these shots here, because its sort of a super simple and really muscular way to sort of old school, like car driving, again, because its sort in line with our kids POV here. But frankly, we did not have the budget for, like, some huge jib arm swinging off of a truck to, like, circular a camera around the car. And that was not the aesthetic of this film anyways. I was really trying to keep things simple and clear and kind of get to the essence of whatever the moment was. Here, Joe, played by Ed Oxenbould, is stepping out of the car to look at something that weve really heard quite a bit about in the film thus far, but we havent yet seen it. This is a scene that was really inspired by the location. Were in Paradise Valley in Montana. Its a really magical place. I had this moment in my head when writing it for years, and, as soon as we scouted, suddenly thought of a new way to reveal the fire in this film that felt really exciting to me. Do you like it? No. By basically withholding the information  Ive always liked that in film, the way information is revealed. You had to see what he finds so important. Im sorry we both cant sympathize with him. And then going to this close-up before revealing what the kid is actually looking at, and just trying to really be sort of sucked into his face and into his inner life. And here, this is a point when making a film, where every director says, it has to be real. It has to be real. And then, of course, youre making a film, and somebody tells you, you cant do it for real. So this was the only shot in the film that I really wanted to burn the heck out of something. And its probably too dangerous and expensive. So we used some good trickery and a wonderful VFX team at Digital District. And we worked for a long time on this one shot. [fire blazing]
But it would be too simple to suggest that his solitary artistic ambition was to sneak into classical music. He chose his instrumentation, he said, to emulate the sound of the organ he had grown up hearing in church. And he argued for the importance of establishing an American concert canon, spanning African-American work songs, spirituals, the blues and Broadway tunes.

The young pianist Kris Bowers composed the score to Green Book and rerecorded Shirleys arrangements for the soundtrack. Unsurprisingly, he had never heard Shirleys music before, but speaking about it now, he borders on reverence. Lullaby of Birdland was one of the first ones that I knew I wanted to include, because he starts off quoting a couple of classical pieces, and then when he goes into the song, its almost like a false start, because he uses the melody as the beginning of a fugue, Bowers said in an interview. Hes doing a proper fugue, exposing the subject, et cetera, within a jazz context. I listened to that and said, Wow, Ive never heard anybody do that before.

By the early 1960s, Shirley was recording regularly for Cadence Records and was represented by Columbia Artists management (whose roster included Igor Stravinsky, Paul Robeson and Aaron Copland). This helped him become a fixture of New York cabarets like the Cookery, though he despised playing in clubs, where he rarely felt the audiences respected his music enough. Columbia also booked the tour depicted in Green Book.

Six years earlier, Nat King Cole had been brutally assaulted onstage in Birmingham, Ala., and swore he would never return to the segregated South. The region remained dangerous for black travelers into the 1960s (the movie title refers to a guide, similar to one that AAA might have issued, to help them find safe passage), but Shirley undertook his tour of whites-only theaters and parlor venues out of civic obligation  and stubbornness. He refused to be told, yet again, what he could play where.

In Green Book, the tour begins at Shirleys resplendent apartment in the artists units above Carnegie Hall, where he lived for more than 50 years. You can imagine that he enjoyed the real estate but also felt trapped in a kind of bell tower, overhearing the symphonies that he would rather have been performing. Yet Shirley did have illustrious moments on Carnegies stage. He played concerts with his trio there once a year. And he held the piano chair during the Carnegie Hall debut of Duke Ellingtons New World a-Comin, in 1955, playing big, flourishing chords during his cadenzas and strutting proudly in the left hand under the combined jazz ensemble and symphony orchestra.
The African Burial Ground Monument in Lower Manhattan, a treasured site for the nations black community, was defaced with a racist slur on Thursday, the authorities said.

In black marker, a vandal scrawled Kill, followed by the slur, on a plaque at the monument. The authorities said they did not have a suspect in the incident.

Discovered in 1991 during construction of an office building, the six-acre burial ground is estimated to contain 15,000 intact skeletal remains of New York Citys colonial African-American community, who were not allowed at the time to be interred in traditional church cemeteries. Many were slaves.

The monument, which is steps from City Hall, is considered a literal and figurative symbol of New Yorks prominent and long-ignored role in colonial African-American culture.
So he began to recruit other blacks to the party. I went around here on Jefferson Avenue canvassing to get signatures on the Democratic petitions and a black woman came to the door, recalled Baker at age 87, three years before he died. She looked at me astonished. She said, Young man, Im ashamed of you. I was a Republican born, I was Republican bred and Ill be a Republican when Im dead. Bam. And she slammed the door in my face.

Dealing with the Irish was a balancing act for Baker. He could make nice as any politician could. But he also had aggressive impulses that could jeopardize relations with higher-ups. One of his first full-time jobs was as a bookkeeper with Cox and Nostrand, a lighting fixture outlet. The owners were Irish-American who ended up giving an important promotion to someone else, not Baker. It did not end well.

Bertram got on a platform, recalled his wife, Irene, years after Bakers death. He said they had deceived him and they had placed someone else in that position and that he was quitting, and he left.

In 1933, Baker met with a group of like-minded blacks (including a few women) at his home on Throop Avenue in Brooklyn. They formed the United Action Democratic Association. Baker would be its leader, and through that organization, he would shift between the Irish and Jewish Democratic leaders, supporting them at times, opposing them at other times.

Through much of the 1940s, Baker served as a confidential inspector for John Cashmore, the Brooklyn borough president who was Irish American. With this position, Baker was able to provide a liaison between Cashmore and the growing black community of central Brooklyn.

When the Democratic bosses finally realized they could no longer remain an all-white cadre, they cut a deal to get Baker into an elective office. They promised the Irish-American assemblyman at the time, John Walsh, who was slated to be the Democratic candidate for the next general election, that if he declined the nomination, they would give him a judgeship. This would give the bosses the right to appoint a replacement nominee. And that nominee would be Bertram L. Baker.

The breakthrough was at hand, Baker recalled at the Brooklyn Historical Society in 1976. The final barrier would be broken down.

In November of 1948, Baker would become the first black elected official from Brooklyn, representing Bedford Stuyvesant in the State Assembly.
My life is a lot better without being in politics, she said. I took a year out of my life, put my own money into this and stopped all of my business in order to do this. I only decided to do this when I thought there was a path to victory.

It can be hard to see where her confidence comes from. Ms. Gillibrand, who has more than $10 million on hand compared to Ms. Farleys $195,000, leads by at least 25 points in all public polls. Ms. Farleys name recognition is dismal. When she recently visited a local television studio for an interview, at least one reporter who ran into her beforehand did not recognize her.

Ms. Gillibrand has all but ignored Ms. Farleys candidacy, barely touching her campaign funds and agreeing to only one debate, which she used largely to focus on Mr. Trump.

The political circumstances of this particular year have further complicated things. Ms. Farleys advisers acknowledge that Democratic energy around the country, which has thrust once-safely Republican seats into play, has limited the resources that donors and party officials are willing to divert to a long-shot bid like hers. (Still, she has raised nearly 10 times more than the last Republican Senate candidate in New York.)
HONG KONG  Jin Yong, a literary giant of the Chinese-speaking world whose fantastical epic novels inspired countless film, television and video game adaptations and were read by generations of ethnic Chinese, died on Oct. 30 in Hong Kong. He was 94.

His death, at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, was confirmed by Ming Pao, the prominent Hong Kong newspaper that Jin Yong helped establish and ran for decades. Chip Tsao, a writer and friend, said the cause of death was organ failure.

Jin Yong, the pen name of Louis Cha, was one of the most widely read 20th-century writers in the Chinese language. The panoramic breadth and depth of the fictional universes he created have been compared to J. R. R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings and have been studied as a topic known as Jinology.

Jin Yong received his start as a novelist in the mid-1950s while working as a film critic and editor for The New Evening Post in Hong Kong, which was then a British crown colony. He had moved there in 1948 and lived there for most of his life.
Jun Ashida, a designer who dressed everyday women and members of the Japanese monarchy in practical, sophisticated silhouettes, died on Oct. 20 at his home in Tokyo. He was 88.

The death was announced by his daughter, Tae Ashida, in an Instagram post.

In designing his collections, Mr. Ashida sought to imbue Western styles with a traditional Japanese aesthetic. He fashioned brocade suits in the image of gakuran schoolboy uniforms. He cut gowns from white silk faille, a material sometimes used to make wedding kimonos.

I look for a Japanese classic in Western design, Mr. Ashida told The International Herald Tribune in 2002. Now, you do not see many Japanese women wearing kimonos. But I want to put in the Japanese spirit by playing with sleeves and tie belts.
Mr. Gyari, who was a longtime resident of Washington, had more success promoting the cause of Tibet in the United States. The Tibetan government in exile, which is based in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala, credited him with Congresss passage of the Tibet Policy Act in 2002. The law guides American policy over Tibet, encouraging dialogue between exiled Tibetans and the Chinese authorities with the goal of protecting Tibetans distinct identity.

Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari was born in 1949 in Nyarong, a Tibetan district that is now in western Sichuan Province. He was recognized as a rinpoche, or reincarnated lama, and educated as a child in the traditional monastic system of Tibetan Buddhism.

He became active in the cause of Tibetan independence as a young man in exile in India, and at one point was recruited to work as a translator for a C.I.A. effort to train Tibetan fighters. But he went into journalism instead, editing a Tibetan-language newspaper and then an English-language publication that became The Tibetan Review.

In 1970 he co-founded the Tibetan Youth Congress, which is now the largest Tibetan exile organization seeking independence from China. But his own position became more moderate, and as he held increasingly prominent positions within the exile government, including speaker of Parliament and cabinet member, he became a leading advocate of the Dalai Lamas Middle Way.

Mr. Gyari traveled to China in 1982 and 1984 as part of Tibetan delegations that held exploratory talks with officials. He later said that the Chinese governments deadly crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 had frightened the Chinese leadership, inhibiting political liberalization and the possibility of a changed relationship with Tibet.

In a 2014 talk, Mr. Gyari said he still felt some optimism despite decades of unsuccessful negotiations with the Chinese. Xi Zhongxun, the father of Chinas current leader, Xi Jinping, had met with the Dalai Lama in the 1950s, and the Tibetan leader had given him a luxury watch that he showed to Mr. Gyari during their meeting in 1982. Mr. Gyari hoped that Xi Jinping had inherited some of his fathers affinity for Tibet.

Those 30 years have been challenging and disappointing  disappointing because I left the responsibility without really making any major breakthrough, he said. However, those 30 years of dealing with the Chinese government in some ways have deepened my heart and given me some hope.
This is not Ted Cruzs Texas. Neither is Mr. ORourkes hometown (and mine) of El Paso. Its a tattooed, blue-collar, Latino city of nearly one million. Mr. Cruz hardly comes here; his last visit he attracted just 2,000 people at a West Side high school  on a Saturday. This Texas hasnt benefited from a quarter-century of unbroken Republican power. The biggest employer, the Army, ships people out just as quickly as it ships them in. A sprawling city of rail yards and refineries, El Paso has one of the highest illiteracy rates in America and some of its worst access to health care.

Theres a lot more of this Texas: the Lower Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, South Dallas, East Austin and inside the Loop in Houston. This is a young Texas, about which there is a prevailing myth: It doesnt vote. But that myth is being sorely tested. Some 15.6 million people are registered to vote this year, 1.6 million more than in 2014. More than four million have voted so far; so far in El Paso this years turnout has looked more like a presidential contest than a midterm.

Theres another myth about Texas: Yeah, but its still Texas. Which is to say, whatever the personalities and trends might indicate, in the end, Texas will vote as it always has, for crimson-red candidates.

As Erica Grieder at The Houston Chronicle has pointed out, thats about the laziest thing that non-Texan experts on politics can say. The number of Texans who identify as conservative has flattened, according to the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, while the number who identify as progressive has swollen.

This election is an exercise in brute electoral force: the full on clash of the real, modern Texas with a worn out, calcified caricature. This is not a persuasion election, said James Henson, a University of Texas political scientist. This is a mobilization election.

The Cruz-ORourke race may be the main event, but the ballot is full of competitive matchups. Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, may lose to a Houston lawyer named Justin Nelson. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has his hands full with his Democratic opponent, a retired Air Force colonel named Kim Olson. Up in Dallas, Representative Pete Sessions, a Republican, is hearing the footsteps of the former N.F.L. player Colin Allred. In the western Houston suburbs, the Democrat, Lizzie Fletcher, is just a few points behind the incumbent, John Culberson. The Texas Tribune reports that Republicans may even lose their supermajority in the State Senate.

Another myth? Latinos dont vote. In fact, Latino turnout in Texas has been creeping up, though its not yet at the same rate as Anglos. Its a chicken-and-egg problem: Candidates spend so much time talking to Anglo voters they get around to Latinos late, so theyre less motivated.
Faith & Freedom monitors voters databases to see which of the people they have interacted with vote early, Lance Lemmonds, the communications director of the coalition told The Christian Post. For those that havent voted early, the organization will send out about 28 million digital ads encouraging them to vote in the last weekend and Monday. The coalition, he added, will inundate Christian conservative voters in the last weekend. We will send those ads directly to their cellphones.

The Faith & Freedom Coalition and the Family Research Council have also teamed up with United in Purpose, a data-mining operation that seeks to transform culture in what some people call the seven mountains, according to the president of United in Purpose, Bill Dallas. According to a 2012 article on NPRs website, the organization assigns citizens points for certain characteristics, such as membership on anti-abortion lists or an interest in Nascar. If a voters score totaled over 600 points, Mr. Dallas said, we run that person against the voter registration database. If not registered, that became one of the key people we were going to target.

In a 2016 interview on Daystar TV, Mr. Dallas was even clearer: We have a ministry consultant who will work with each church to help them get their people out to vote on Election Day.

It would be inaccurate to assume that Christian nationalists are targeting only white evangelicals. Conservative Catholics are very much part of the focus, as are nonwhite evangelicals. Latino pastors and churches are targeted with messages about abortion, religious freedom and economic self-sufficiency.

Maybe because you believe that when American Democrats offer you free stuff they care about you? said the Spanish-speaking narrator of a Prager University video that aired at an event for dozens of Latino pastors in the San Diego area last month. The event, held at the Ocean View Church, was organized by Alianza de Pastores Unidos de San Diego, a regional affiliate of Church United. Lets be honest, the narrator said. You didnt come to the U.S. for free stuff; you came here for the opportunity that allows you to work and earn money.

At the same event, a businessman named Craig Huey, speaking through a translator, told the assembled pastors: You need to be able to explain to your fellowship these issues. When we talk about abortion, for example, what is more important, talking about the minimum wage or about life? Mr. Huey volunteered to host election forums at the pastors churches. You dont have to worry about it, he said. We can do it for you. And if you want to do it, we have a PowerPoint that you can use to go straight down the ballot. Its not Republican, its not Democrat. But where do they stand on abortion?

Leaders of the Christian nationalist movement appear to be aware that their political activity may raise questions about their compliance with the legal and tax guidelines intended to prevent churches from engaging in direct campaigning for political candidates and parties. At the Unionville pastor briefing, Tami Fitzgerald instructed pastors on how to thread the needle: Im telling you, you can talk about issues all day long as a pastor, you can tell people who youre going to vote for, she said. But you must not publish that information in a church newsletter or state it from the pulpit.
If you think your vote doesnt count, here are three hotly contested races from districts in New York and New Jersey that are likely to be decided by a handful of voters. Liuba Grechen Shirley, Antonio Delgado and Tom Malinowski, endorsed by the Times editorial board, will be campaigning tirelessly from now until Election Day. They hope to be part of the wave that will help Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives.

Liuba Grechen Shirley

New Yorks 2nd Congressional District

Ms. Shirley, a Democratic activist, successfully lobbied the Federal Election Commission to allow her to use campaign funds for child care, then took on the veteran incumbent Republican Representative Peter King, who voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and has whipped up anti-immigration sentiment. Ms. Shirley supports Medicare for All and a $15 minimum wage. She says she is running to see more working people in Congress.
LONDON  The Democratic Unionist Party, the hard-line Northern Irish Protestant party that essentially has both Prime Minister Theresa May and the Brexit process in a death grip, is not merely stupid or fanatical. The party understands that its fortunes depend on an increasingly threatened British nationalism.

Unionism is dying in Northern Ireland. During the 30-year war, the Protestant majority was mostly loyal, even though Northern Ireland was one of the the poorest parts of the United Kingdom. With a dwindling industrial base, it was subsidized by war, infused with money for an occupying army and giant, garrisoned stations full of police officers.

When I was growing up in the 1980s, in a small Protestant town in the east of the six counties, Protestants could believe that those men of violence were there for us, that the Union was ours. Electoral gerrymandering shored up Unionist power. There were jobs for the Prods, as Protestants were known. Protestants occupied most of the skilled work and the few professional and managerial jobs available. The south of Ireland was poor, and everyday chauvinism said Catholics were poor because they were backward and dirty, and brought it on themselves. Thats a Protestant-looking house, mothers would chirp after tidying up.

The annual Twelfth of July bonfires and parades, celebrating the history of Ulster Loyalism, saw effigies of wicked Papists burned for public edification and the delight of inebriated Loyalists. This was our culture. These festivities helped create a lynch mob atmosphere, leading to the murder of Catholics. Every year, the stories were the same: Bonfire night was a night for petty terror and bricking Catholic windows. Parades day was a day for blood. I recall that one year during my childhood, members of a local Loyalist flute band stabbed a Catholic bus driver repeatedly; a woman tried to stanch the bleeding by wrapping him in towels, but when the ambulance arrived, he was dead. We heard this story on the radio, on the way back from watching a parade. Many paid with blood for Protestant loyalty to Britain.
Ahead of the last election the same people who are now demanding the army chiefs head laid siege to the capital. They were protesting against the government for changing one word in the oath that you are required to take as a member of parliament. This blasphemy brigade was egged on by the media and opposition political parties. Khan, who was the opposition leader at the time, said that his followers were rearing to join the protest. Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, the armys top commander, said publicly that it couldnt be expected to use force against its own people, an honorable sentiment with little precedent in Pakistans history.

After a botched police operation, the army triumphantly negotiated with the protesters, and an agreement was signed conceding many of their demands. The law minister was fired. The word change in the law was changed back. A general was seen distributing 1,000-rupee notes to demonstrators and patting them on the back: Are we not with you? Arent we all part of the same brotherhood?

Now those brothers have returned to bite our military and civilian establishment. An arm around the shoulder and some petty cash may be a good law-and-order strategy in some potentially explosive situations. But not when you play politics with the Prophets honor.

Its almost certain that Bibi will not be able to live in the country after her acquittal. And a lot of people like her are still languishing in cells waiting to be tried. Theres a literature professor, Junaid Hafeez, who has been in jail for the last five years facing bogus blasphemy charges. After he was arrested, his lawyer was shot dead for defending him. His current lawyer cant be named. Hafeez has to be kept in solitary confinement to protect him from other prisoners who might take it upon themselves himself to avenge the Prophets good name.

Now that the prime minister himself is in the righteouss sight  protecting a blasphemer may be even graver blasphemy  and a man even more powerful than him, Bajwa, has been declared kafir, an infidel, one can only hope their respective institutions wont use the blasphemy card against their perceived enemies. There were about a dozen reported cases of blasphemy between 1927 and 1986, but there have been more than 4,000 since then, when the laws were reinforced.

Pakistani liberals are asking the government and the army to go and crush the mullahs and take the country back. It might be more useful to go after these blasphemy laws that seem to be turning all of us into blasphemers.
The mission of the S.R.A. is to arm and train the working class for self-defense.

It launched in its current form this spring  before that there was a Facebook group of the same name  and now has several hundred dues-paying members and over 30 chapters. This Monday, 28 new people joined, the group said.

Brad, a 36-year-old math professor, is a founder of the S.R.A.s North Georgia chapter and a member of the S.R.A.s central committee. Some people are scared with whats going on in the country right now, he told me. He only recently started carrying a gun, after getting death threats for the socialist organizing he was doing in his small town. People want to be able to protect themselves, he said.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, parts of the radical left fetishized firearms. Back then, some conservatives supported gun control as a way to disarm African-American militants; Ronald Reagan signed a bill banning open carry of loaded weapons when he was governor of California. The Black Panthers and other extremists of the 1960s inspired some of the strictest gun control laws in American history, the U.C.L.A. law professor Adam Winkler wrote in his book, Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America.

Since then, however, gun culture has become virtually synonymous with American conservatism. The National Rifle Association is now perhaps the most powerful Republican lobby in the country, and its rhetoric increasingly echoes that of the apocalyptic far right. Over the last 20 or 30 years, Winkler told me, not only has the N.R.A. become more and more associated with the right, but theres an increasingly militaristic, rebellious tone to the N.R.A. and the gun rights movement. Its become, he said, all about arming up to fight the tyranny thats coming.

Meanwhile, most of the left has embraced gun control, something thats unlikely to change anytime soon. But it was probably inevitable that, as our politics have become more polarized and violent, a nascent left-wing gun culture would emerge.
My synagogues old prayer book hints at what these stories meant to American Jews Ms. Mallingers age. Its 1939 English preface to those stories of murdered rabbis asks : Who can forget, even after decades, the sight of his father huddled in the great prayer shawl and trying in vain to conceal the tears which flowed down his cheeks during the recital of this poem? By the time I was a kid reciting those poetic stories, no one was crying. Instead my siblings and I smirked at the excessive gory details, the violence unfamiliar enough to be absurd. But Rabbi Hanina must have been right, because we still were reading from that same scroll, the same words Jews first taught the world: Do not oppress the stranger. Love your neighbor as yourself.

People Ms. Mallingers age were in their 20s when word spread about mass murders of Jews in Europe. In synagogue on Rosh Hashana, they read the old words begging God for compassion, for the sake of those killed for your holy name, and for the sake of those slaughtered for your uniqueness. My husbands grandparents came here after those massacres, their previous spouses and children slaughtered like the people in the prayer. They kept reciting the prayer, and for their new American family it reverted to metaphor.

In the decades that followed, Jews from other places joined American synagogues, many bringing memories that American Jews had forgotten. Those memories were waiting for them in the synagogues books. On the holiday of Purim, they recited the Book of Esther, about an ancient Persian leaders failed attempt at a Jewish genocide. Its a time for costumes and levity, for shaking noisemakers to blot out the evildoers name. One year my brother dressed as the ayatollah, and the Persians in our congregation laughed. Another year someone dressed as Gorbachev; the Russians loved it. The evildoers seemed defeated.

In 2000, when Ms. Mallinger was 79, a Jewish senator was his partys nominee for vice president. A year later the White House hosted its first official Hanukkah party. About a decade later I attended one myself. In the White House we recited ancient words thanking God for rescuing us from hatred. To older Jews, this felt miraculous: My parents and grandfather gawked at my photos, awe-struck . But at the party I met younger Jewish leaders who often attended these events. To them, this was normal. The ancient hatred was a memory, words on a page.

Or maybe it wasnt. In 2001, after terrorists attacked American cities, concrete barriers sprouted in front of my familys synagogue , police cruisers parked in the lot. This felt practical in a nation on edge; we assumed it affected everyone. As my children were born and grew, the barriers and guards became their normal. When I took my children to an interfaith Thanksgiving service at a church down the street from our synagogue, one of them asked me why no one was guarding the door.
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First, This president has always wanted the election to be about him. And, in these final hours hes made sure to put the focus back on himself, writes Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report, in a good state-of-the-midterms piece. Yet that approach may be a gift to Democrats, she explains: Trumps approval ratings tend to rise when the focus is elsewhere  and fall when its on him.

Race, class or both? Since 2016, there has been a raging debate about the main causes of Donald Trumps shocking victory. On one side are journalists, political scientists and others who believe that racial resentment was the overwhelming reason that Trump won. On the other side are people (including me) who believe this story is too simplistic and that, while race played a big role, economic factors did too.

In a new book, Steven Pearlstein of The Washington Post has a chart that reminds me of this debate. The chart contains two lines, the first measuring income inequality and the second measuring political polarization between the two parties in Congress. Both start in 1967 and go until almost the present. And both lines rise sharply, in close proximity: As inequality increases, so does polarization.
The twins asked Mr. Shrem to help them amass the beginnings of what would become an enormous stockpile of cryptocurrencies, giving him $750,000 to buy Bitcoin from other deep-pocketed investors.

A few months into this partnership, the twins said, they realized that Mr. Shrem had not given them all the Bitcoin they were due. The brothers gave Mr. Shrem $250,000 in September 2012, but the lawsuit says that a month later, he delivered only around $189,000 worth of Bitcoin at the going price, which was around $12.50.

The 5,000 or so missing Bitcoins became a point of tension between the twins and Mr. Shrem. They asked him numerous times for an accounting of the Bitcoins he had purchased and eventually brought in an accountant who documented the missing funds, according to court documents.

I have been patient, and at this point its getting a bit absurd, Cameron Winklevoss wrote to Mr. Shrem in 2013 in an email quoted in the lawsuit. I dont take this lightly.

The missing Bitcoins, which were worth 98 percent less at the time, appeared to have been forgotten in a broader battle between the brothers and Mr. Shrem over an investment in Bitinstant.

In 2013, Bitinstant fell apart, and the twins blocked Mr. Shrems efforts to revive the company with new investors because of their concerns about his management style. By the time Mr. Shrem was arrested in 2014, as a result of activities at Bitinstant that took place before the brothers invested, they had cut off contact with him.

The Winklevoss twins problems with Mr. Shrem have not held them back. They were briefly each cryptocurrency billionaires last year, and they have built one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges, Gemini. Despite this years big drop in cryptocurrency prices, their holdings are still worth nearly a billion dollars.
WASHINGTON  Susan Molinari, who leads Googles federal lobbying and policy effort and is a former Republican congresswoman from New York, is stepping down from her role at the company.

The change, during a turbulent time for Google, is the latest indication of a shake-up at the companys large Washington operation.

Google has been under fire from lawmakers in Washington and Europe and faces growing antitrust scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic. Corporate leaders at Alphabet, Googles parent company, have been criticized by their workers for working on artificial intelligence with the Pentagon and for developing a search engine that would censor results in China.

Google subsequently did not renew its Pentagon contract and has not moved forward on the search product for China. Thousands of employees also walked out of work on Thursday to protest the companys treatment of women.
MUNICH  As befits the worlds most famous playwright, William Shakespeare has had his work translated into over 100 languages, including Klingon. But long before he was the international superstar we know today, he was adored by the Germans with a fervor that led August Wilhelm Schlegel, the poet and critic who masterfully translated his complete works in the early 19th century, to claim him as ganz unser  entirely ours.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, this countrys most revered writer, compared his experience of discovering Shakespeare at age 22 to a blind man given the gift of sight by some miraculous healing touch. Roughly a century later, in 1864, the worlds first Shakespeare Society was founded in the city of Weimar. It survived the Cold War divide and is still going strong, with roughly 2,000 members. In 2010, Shakespeares Globe in London held a season of events to acknowledge Germanys special relationship with the playwright. (He is performed more frequently here than in his native land, the theater said.)

So far this season, the highest-profile Shakespeare production here has been a new King Lear that reopened the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg in October, after the theater underwent a major renovation.

Karin Beier, the companys artistic director since 2013, set the action inside a huge white cube that is tilted toward the audience. Working from a new modern-language translation by Rainer Iwersen, she also streamlined some of the action and whittled down the large cast of players to 10 speaking roles.
The House bill, called the American Health Care Act, had provisions that would have weakened current protections for people with pre-existing illnesses. It would have allowed states to eliminate Obamacares rules that health insurance must cover a standard set of benefits, like prescription drugs and mental health care, and its rule that insurance companies must charge the same prices to customers whether they are healthy or sick.

The House bill created a small pool of money for states to help sick customers who might be shut out of such markets. A majority of House Republicans voted for this bill.

Had this bill become law, the precise results would have depended on the choices by individual states. But the Congressional Budget Office estimated that nearly half of all Americans lived in a state that would have pursued such a waiver from standard benefits. The consequences, the C.B.O. said, would have been coverage that was unaffordable to many with pre-existing illnesses, along with holes in coverage for many serious conditions. For example, someone with a substance-abuse disorder might have lived where plans for people with that condition were very expensive and didnt include addiction treatment.

The Senate considered several bills. A majority of Republican senators supported them all. Two would have included slightly different programs that would have allowed states to sidestep Obamacare protections.

Nearly every Republican incumbent who is now pledging to protect pre-existing conditions supported one of these measures. Thats true of Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who once helped to shut down the entire federal government over a demand that Obamacare be reversed. It is also true of Dana Rohrabacher, a congressman from California, and Martha McSally, a congresswoman running for Senate in Arizona.

President Trump has said he continues to back repeal efforts. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, said recently that Congress would consider such legislation if Republicans retained their control after the election.

Several Republican senators have co-sponsored a bill that would ensure that people with pre-existing illnesses could buy insurance at standard prices if Obamacare were repealed or overturned. But that bill includes a large loophole: Insurers would not have to cover any care related to that condition. That bill is not scheduled for a vote, and the president has not endorsed it.
Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford was on a Delta flight from Indianapolis to Boston on Tuesday when she noticed the woman next to her showing signs of distress. So Dr. Stanford did what she was trained to do in more than a decade of experience as a doctor  she began to assist her.

But Dr. Stanford, who is black, said she had just started to help the passenger when a flight attendant approached and asked if she was a doctor. Dr. Stanford said yes and, without being asked, she took out her medical license, which says she is a physician registered in Massachusetts and has the letters M.D. after her name.

I know I dont look the part, Dr. Stanford, 39, said in an interview on Thursday. So I just carry it with my drivers license at all times.

The flight attendant glanced at it and walked away, she said. As Dr. Stanford continued to try to calm the passenger, another flight attendant approached and asked to see the license. She, too, looked at it and walked away. Then the two flight attendants returned together and began another series of questions.
Missouri. Gateway to the West. Barbecue, baseball and the blues. [Blues music] Home of Truman, Twain and the father of rock n roll. [Rock n roll music] Oh, and this thing. This former swing state packs political power. And while these days its leaning more red, its also home to one of the tightest Senate races in the nation. Its a contest between a straight-talking, but politically vulnerable, Democratic incumbent. Its dirty. Its unfair. But you know what? Its worth it. And an attorney general backed by President Trump. Our country is at a critical turning point. So whats at stake? Trump won Missouri. But his popularity there is teetering. I love you people. This race? It could be a referendum on his presidency. Its also one of the G.O.P.s best shots at adding a seat to their slim majority in the Senate. So who are the candidates? Claire McCaskill: the Democrat. When I think its the right thing for Missouri, I go after it. She was elected to the Statehouse in 1982 and became the first female prosecutor for a large county in Missouri. McCaskill is known as a moderate Democrat who says she isnt afraid to buck the party line. I could care less what the national party thinks, or what theyre doing. Shes also one of the wealthiest sitting senators in Congress, and its something shes taken some heat for. Claire spent big bucks chartering a private plane with public funds, a plane they co-owned. The Republican? Josh Hawley. Hes young and telegenic. Josh is a star. He went to an Ivy League school and clerked for a Supreme Court justice. Nine months after becoming Missouris attorney general, he announced his Senate candidacy. Im going to run for the United States Senate. That didnt really match up with his promise not to be a ladder-climbing politician. Using one office to get another. Also, his short time as attorney general has been characterized by chaotic management and high costs for taxpayers. Both candidates have tried to paint the other as out of touch with real Missourians. D.C. changed Claire McCaskill. Josh Hawley. Hes just part of the problem in Jefferson City. So what about the issues? Hawley is pretty happy with just about all of Trumps policies. Ill tell you what, hes delivering big for the state of Missouri and the United States of America, isnt he? Hes defended tariffs, and the practice of family separations for those who cross into the U.S. illegally. Hes also part of a lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It has proven to be outrageously expensive for federal taxpayers. McCaskill mostly likes Obamacare but thinks it needs a few fixes. Im not afraid to fight for folks health care. Shes supported more Trump administration moves in the Senate than most other Democrats. I voted for more than half of his cabinet members. I vote with him half the time. Including a law rolling back regulations on banks. But she voted against both of Trumps Supreme Court picks. And the polls? The margins are razor-thin. So the Show-Me State? Theyll be showing the nation just where they stand on Nov. 6. [Rapping]
Texas: Border walls, oil wells, Lone Star beer, margaritas, the deep red Panhandle, sky-blue Austin. A Senate race between an unflinching liberal with a punk-rock past and a God-fearing evangelical Tea Partier with a thing for country music. These are my people. Over all, Texas is red. Like big, bright, Republican red. A Democrat hasnt been elected to a statewide position since this song was at the top of the charts. I saw the sign But things are changing. Trump won Texas by smaller margins than the last two Republican presidential candidates. The state is becoming more diverse, less white, and the Democratic candidates fund-raising numbers so far  astronomical. So who are these guys? This is Beto ORourke, the Democrat. You and 44 million other people may have seen him in this viral video, talking about N.F.L. players kneeling for the national anthem. They take a knee to bring our attention and our focus to this problem to ensure that we fix it. He used to be in a band, lived in a loft in Brooklyn, has been out on the road with Willie Nelson. Hes Mr. Congeniality and has that kind of Kennedyesque swoon factor that nostalgic Democrats crave. You can catch him driving all over Texas often live-streaming. Let me see if I can put this  Also, hes become a bit of a media darling. People are pretty excited. And then theres Ted Cruz, incumbent Republican candidate with a successful track record in Texas. He loves playing up the whole Texas thing. Cowboy boots? Cowboy boots? Check. Gun? Gun? Check. Prayer? Prayer? Check. We can return to our nations founding rituals. He rode the Tea Party wave right into the Senate in 2012 and then ran for president in 2016. Cruz supports Trumps border wall and is against a path to citizenship for so-called Dreamers. ORourke: Pro-immigrants rights and anti-border wall. He also wants more gun restrictions, like universal background checks. He wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. And legalize weed. And in the end, its Cruzs race to lose as long as he can keep the new Democratic poster boy at bay.
You got elected because you werent Obama, said Anthony Sykes, a conservative state senator, speaking of some of his hard-line colleagues. But the Obama well went dry. And youve got to produce some results now.

That a purge of hard-right lawmakers had even been considered is a function of the scale of Republican domination in Oklahoma. Long a minority party operating chiefly out of the Chambers of Commerce and Rotary Clubs of Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Republicans went on a partisan land rush over the past couple of decades, winning rural and small town seats that had been in Democratic hands since statehood.

When I got elected it was kind of a fluke, said Mr. Faught, who in 2006 won a seat in Muskogee that had never been held by a Republican.

With ever-expanding majorities, longtime Republicans saw a chance to pass long-delayed priorities like tort reform, but the arrivals from the partys new frontiers came with their own ideas. Lawmakers barely known by the party leaders were now in the headlines for forming a legislative caucus to stamp out the Muslim Brotherhood in Oklahoma or proposing to screen thousands of students for possible deportation.

This was messy but manageable in the good times. Then the fiscal emergency hit. Party leaders knew they had to come up with a plan, but a vote to raise taxes, already extremely difficult in Oklahoma, was proving next to impossible, even with a supermajority. In March, the House finally, and barely, managed to pass a tax package to pay for teacher raises. Nineteen Republicans voted against it.

You had the governing Republicans versus what I call the Lets barely keep the doors open Republicans, said Chad Alexander, a former chairman of the state Republican Party. And the Democrats.

Of those 19 no votes on the tax package, only four are left running in the general election. The rest either ran into term limits, chose not to run or lost in primaries, defeated by fired-up teachers and the dark-money-fueled housecleaning of the Project.
PITTSBURGH  Forty years before Robert Bowers was accused of gunning down 11 people in an anti-Semitic rampage at the Tree of Life synagogue, the man believed to be his father was charged with raping a stranger and later committed suicide, according to court records unsealed on Friday.

The alleged attack was about a mile from where the synagogue massacre took place.

The court documents add a new shard in the fragmented, solitary life of Mr. Bowers, 46, who pleaded not guilty in the killings this week. The records were sealed by a judge on Thursday after a request from the Allegheny County district attorneys office, but were then made public after The New York Times and other news media outlets petitioned a Pennsylvania court for their release.

Mr. Bowers would have been about 6 years old on the night in April 1979 when the police in Pittsburgh received a call reporting the sound of screaming and, according to records, found Randall G. Bowers sexually assaulting a woman in Squirrel Hill  the same neighborhood where the Tree of Life attack occurred last Saturday.

Public records, including a marriage license, indicate that Randall Bowers was the father of Robert Bowers. Relatives have declined to confirm the family relationship or discuss the familys history.
In an election shaped by the #MeToo movement, where female candidates and voters are likely to drive any Democratic gains, Mr. Clinton finds his legacy tarnished by what some in the party see as his inability to reckon with his sexual indiscretions as president with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, as well as with past allegations of sexual assault. (Mr. Clinton has denied those allegations.) Younger and more liberal voters find little appeal in Mr. Clintons reputation for ideological centrism on issues like financial regulation and crime.

Im not sure that with all the issues he has, he could really be that helpful to the candidates, said Tamika D. Mallory, an organizer of the Womens March, whos now promoting female candidates across the country. It would do the Democratic Party well to have Bill Clinton focus on his humanitarian efforts.

Rebecca Kirszner Katz, a veteran Democratic strategist, says many Democrats have reassessed the partys support for Clintons behavior in light of changing views about women, power and sexual misconduct.

It was an abuse of power that shouldnt have happened and if the Clintons cant accept that fact 20 years later, its hard to see how they can be part of the future of the Democratic Party, said Ms. Katz, who worked as a top strategist on Cynthia Nixons bid to unseat Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York this year.

Mr. Clinton, 72, currently chairs the board of the Clinton Foundation, helping to promote and manage the philanthropic organization he founded after leaving the White House. Angel Urena, a spokesman for Mr. Clinton, said the former president believes this election should be about these times and these candidates.

President Clinton is encouraged by the large number of impressive Democrats running for office who are personally telling their stories and laying out their vision for how to get America back on track, he said. They are the people voters need to hear from.
While some Americans have prepared for next weeks election by obsessively following the news or canvassing neighborhoods, a small minority has poured that energy into a more quirkily patriotic pastime: crafting!

Etsy, the online craft store, has in recent years become a clearinghouse for homemade political paraphernalia. During the 2016 election, meme-able phrases from debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump were transformed into T-shirts within hours. In the run-up to the midterms, some new candidates have received the Etsy treatment, including prominent Democrats like Beto ORourke and Andrew Gillum. But the 2016 heavyweights, including President Trump, continue to dominate the site. Mr. Trumps image adorns thousands of shirts, hats and knickknacks created by both supporters and detractors.

Below, weve highlighted a selection of political merchandise available on the site.

Image

Beto ORourke votive candle | $12.99

These candles were created by Camillo Melchiorre, a 39-year-old Philadelphian who has been closely following Mr. ORourkes campaign to represent Texas in the Senate.
WASHINGTON  An email message released Friday shows the Trump administration bracing for scrutiny over the cost of its plan to build a new downtown headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation instead of moving the agency to Maryland or Virginia.

The email raises questions about the White Houses explanation for President Trumps desire to keep the F.B.I. in Washington. Last month, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said that Mr. Trump wanted to save the government money.

The Trump administration has faced questions from congressional Democrats after it abandoned a long-discussed plan to build a campus for the F.B.I. in the Washington suburbs while turning over the bureaus existing headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue for commercial development. In February, the administration presented lawmakers with a new plan: It would seek to demolish the existing headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, and rebuild on that site.

Mr. Trump has taken an unusual interest in the F.B.I. building, including taking part himself in at least one meeting about the headquarters project before the new plan was announced. The Hoover building is a block from the Trump International Hotel, and the plan to build a new F.B.I. headquarters on the existing site will keep the property out of the hands of a commercial developer.
At a campaign rally Friday morning for Mr. Cruz, Ann Harbuck, 65, praised Mr. Trumps use of the term nationalist to describe himself at a campaign rally last week. Critics say the term is coded language for racism and anti-Semitism, pointing to its association with far-right politics and fascism.

A nationalist is somebody who cares about our nation, said Ms. Harbuck, a retired teacher.

Ms. Harbuck and others at the event told me that they worried about illegal immigration, particularly a caravan of migrants many believed was just about to cross the U.S. border.

They say, Oh, dont worry about it, theyre two months away, a thousand miles, but those people are catching rides, said Warren Fachner, 63, a disabled retiree. I cant believe the politicians that say the president is doing this as a stunt for ginning up the base.

But, remember Mockingbird Lane? There were indications of that divide even here, among Mr. Cruzs most loyal backers.

Mr. Fachner, who attended the rally with his sister, said his wife was turned off by what she saw as Mr. Trumps disrespectful treatment of the other candidates during the 2016 election. During the primaries, she voted on the Democratic ballot, telling him that she just didnt like Mr. Trump.

Its iffy whether shes voting for Beto or not, said his sister, Victoria Fachner, 62. She doesnt like when we talk politics.

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____________________

Jonathan Martins BBQ picks

While Im in Texas, I asked my most trusted source on campaign trail dining  our national political correspondent Jonathan Martin  where I should get a bite to eat. Heres what he told me:

I know what youre thinking about: Texass BBQ.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide whether a 40-foot cross on state property in suburban Maryland violates the First Amendments ban on government establishment of religion.

The case will give the court an opportunity to clarify its famously confused jurisprudence on government entanglement with religion. It will also allow the justices to continue a discussion about the meaning of crosses used in war memorials.

The cross at issue sits at a busy intersection in Bladensburg, Md., and commemorates 49 soldiers from Prince Georges County who died in World War I. It was built in 1925 using contributions from local families and the American Legion.

The state took over the monument and the land under it in 1961. Since then, the state has spent more than $117,000 to maintain and repair the memorial.
Good Friday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

_____________________

 As the midterms edge closer, President Trumps strident language on race and gender is narrowing his partys appeal among educated, prosperous suburbanites  a traditionally significant bloc for Republicans.

 Mr. Trump has fully embraced an anti-immigrant argument ahead of Tuesdays elections in the hope of persuading voters to support Republicans. Heres more on his divisive messaging and inaccurate claims.

 The special counsel is investigating Roger Stone, who sold himself to Trump campaign advisers as a potential conduit to WikiLeaks, which published thousands of emails in 2016 damaging to Hillary Clintons campaign. Read the story and emails between the Trump campaign and Mr. Stone.
We spent the week crying and burying the dead, the rabbi said.

Communities all over the world gather in their sanctuaries, she said, to turn them into sanctuaries again.

The pain doesnt diminish the hope.

Rector Jolly spoke about Richard Godfried, one of the people killed in the Pittsburgh attack, who was a friends uncle. Mr. Godfried, she pointed out, was married to a Roman Catholic woman, and the two ministered as a unit to the needy faithful in their separate congregations. As the service ended, Christian and Jewish clergy who had been sitting in the pews joined the rabbi on the bimah, or stage. They wrapped arms around each other and sang a final song in Hebrew.  Sarah Maslin Nir

All of us have been wounded deeply

Nearly 2,500 miles west of Pittsburgh, at a synagogue in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, Rabbi Ed Feinstein opened Shabbat services with a simple declaration about the 11 lives taken last week: I didnt know any one of them. But I know every single one of them.

Heads nodded in the packed pews at Valley Beth Shalom, a thriving synagogue that is one of the largest in Judaisms Conservative movement. The men and women who were killed in Pittsburgh are familiar to every synagogue. These are the faithful congregants who show up early, cut the bagels for the social hour afterward, greet the worshipers and hand out the prayer books at the sanctuary door.

The service on Friday, Rabbi Feinstein said, was a communal sitting shiva, the mourning period observed by Jews for close family and friends. We need to sit shiva because all of us have been wounded deeply this week, he told the congregation.

He had spent the last week receiving emails and phone calls from clergy of many faiths, offering solace and support  which made him hopeful. But he had also been counseling parents who wanted advice on how to talk to their children about what had happened in Pittsburgh. He said he soon came to realize that what they really wanted was help processing the tragedy for themselves.

In the car on the way to temple on Friday, Jamie Weissman decided to broach the issue with her 6-year-old son. She told him that a man sick in the head shot and killed some Jews far away from here, so it was important to go to temple and be with other Jews. Because if we dont stay together, we might become extinct, she told him, knowing that he was learning about endangered species and knew the meaning of extinct.
Mr. Bulger may have gotten the better deal. He wooed Mr. Connolly with jewelry and money, and got protection in return. Two days before Christmas in 1994, he received the ultimate protection. Mr. Connolly warned him that he was about to be indicted on federal racketeering charges, prompting Mr. Bulger to flee.

While he was on the lam, Mr. Connolly was convicted in 2002 of helping Mr. Bulger and received a 10-year prison sentence. He was later convicted of murder for providing information to mobsters to carry out a killing.

Mr. Connolly, 78, is in a Florida prison and is eligible for parole in 2039, when he would be 98.

Catherine Greig

Image Mr. Bulgers longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig, was captured with him in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2011. Credit... U.S. Marshals Service

By the time Catherine Greig met Mr. Bulger in the early 1970s, he was already thought to have been involved in the killings of two of her brothers-in-law. Nonetheless, she was smitten. And she was doted upon  showing up to work wearing flashy jewelry and a fur coat.

But two decades later, when Mr. Bulger got the tip about his impending arrest, he darted off not with Ms. Greig but with his other longtime girlfriend, Teresa Stanley. They traveled to New York, Florida and Louisiana as Mr. Bulger insisted they were simply taking a lengthy vacation. Ms. Stanley grew tired and decided after a few months she wanted to return home. (She died in 2012.)

Mr. Bulger then arranged to be reunited with Ms. Greig, the start of their 16-year run from the authorities. They crisscrossed the United States, ultimately settling in 1998 into Unit 303 in an apartment building just blocks from the beach in Santa Monica, Calif.

They had new names: Charles and Carol Gasko.

Mr. Bulger kept a low profile, while Ms. Greig ventured out to get her hair done. By 2011, the F.B.I. determined that its best bet to catch Mr. Bulger would be through Ms. Greig, on the assumption she was more recognizable and had distinctive habits. The strategy worked, and the couple were arrested on June 22 that year.
DAKAR, Senegal  The Nigerian Army, part of a military criticized for rampant human rights abuses, on Friday used the words of President Trump to justify its fatal shootings of rock-throwing protesters.

Soldiers fired this Monday on a march of about 1,000 Islamic Shiite activists who had blocked traffic on the outskirts of the capital, Abuja. Videos that circulated on social media showed several protesters hurling rocks at heavily armed soldiers who then shot fleeing demonstrators in the back.

The Nigerian military said three protesters were killed, but the toll appears to have been much higher.

Amnesty International and leaders of the protest said more than 40 people were killed at the march and two smaller marches, with more than 100 wounded by bullets. A Reuters reporter counted 20 bodies at the main march.
Maybe theres too much negative energy, Wang Chenshuang, 30, a resident of Chongqing who works in the education industry, said by telephone. Its surprising.

Two people who were on the bus are still missing, and no survivors have been found, the police said.

The authorities said the woman, surnamed Liu, 48, began hitting the driver, surnamed Ran, 42, after she missed her stop and he refused to let her off.

Much of the fury on Friday played out online, where internet users said they were outraged that Ms. Liu and Mr. Ran would allow a petty fight to endanger the lives of so many people. They called on the government to do more to protect bus drivers.
HONG KONG  When the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong decided in late July to invite an obscure political activist to speak at the elegant 19th-century building that is its home, there was a vague sense among its board that the move might upset some people.

Their guest, Andy Chan, was the leader of a fledgling political party with at most a few dozen members but a provocative goal  the secession of Hong Kong from China  and the local authorities were preparing to outlaw the party as a threat to public order and national security.

Still, few expected the reverberations that followed: Beijing demanded that the club cancel the speech. Hong Kong expelled a prominent journalist after the club refused. And the backlash raised questions about the citys future as a haven where rule of law and civil rights are better protected than elsewhere in Asia.

I would say it is the biggest mistake the Hong Kong government has ever made, said Fu Hualing, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong, of the decision to expel Victor Mallet, the Asia news editor of The Financial Times. It has a huge impact. I dont know whether it was intended or not, but it has been felt everywhere.
KARACHI, Pakistan  After protesters blocked highways and forced the closing of schools and businesses, the Pakistani government and Islamist leaders enraged over the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy reached an agreement on Friday night that allows further appeals and bars her from leaving the country.

The woman, Asia Bibi, was convicted in 2010 on little evidence of violating Pakistans law against blasphemy by insulting the Prophet Muhammad. She spent years on death row before she was acquitted on Wednesday by the countrys Supreme Court.

Despite her legal victory, which was hailed worldwide by rights groups, Ms. Bibis lawyers and her family have expressed fears for her safety because hard-line Islamist parties in Pakistan have called for her execution.

Under the accord, which some analysts viewed as a capitulation to extremists, the government agreed not to oppose the filing of an appeal in the Supreme Court of Ms. Bibis acquittal. It also agreed to initiate legal proceedings to prevent her from traveling abroad.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan  A Pakistani Muslim spiritual leader known as the father of the Taliban was killed Friday evening by a knife-wielding attacker who sneaked into his bedroom, officials said, further roiling the countrys combustible religious tensions.

The leader, Maulana Sami ul-Haq, 81, exerted an overarching influence over the Taliban movement in neighboring Afghanistan and within Pakistan and led his own faction of a religious party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.

He has been stabbed to death, said Fawad Chaudhry, the countrys information minister.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and the circumstances of the killing were unusual. Mr. Haq was resting at home in the city of Rawalpindi adjacent to Islamabad when he was stabbed.

Police officials said an unidentified assailant entered the house while Mr. Haqs personal staff members were at a nearby market. They said the attacker went into Mr. Haqs bedroom, stabbed him in the chest and shoulder multiple times and left.
SYDNEY, Australia  The Western Pacific nation of Palau has become the first country to ban many kinds of sunscreen, in a move to protect its coral reefs from chemicals that scientists say cause significant damage.

Under the ban, which will take effect in 2020, reef toxic sunscreen  defined as containing one of 10 prohibited chemicals, a list that could grow later  can be confiscated from tourists when they enter the country, and retailers who sell it can be fined up to $1,000.

Damage to coral reefs worldwide from climate change has been widely reported, but scientists say there is growing evidence that chemicals from sunscreen, which washes off swimmers or enters the ocean through sewer systems, also causes grave harm.

Palau passed the ban into law last week. President Tommy Remengesau called it especially timely, saying that a major impetus was a 2017 report that found sunscreen products to be widespread in Jellyfish Lake, one of the countrys Unesco World Heritage sites.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Sri Lankas politics plunged into deeper turmoil on Friday when a majority of the countrys parliamentarians refused to recognize the appointment of the new prime minister amid rising tensions and accusations of millions of dollars in bribes.

Last week, President Maithripala Sirisena unexpectedly fired Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, accusing him of being inflexible and corrupt, and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president who is considered by many to be the strongman of Sri Lankan politics. Human rights investigators have accused Mr. Rajapaksa of war crimes dating to the countrys civil war.

Since last week both Mr. Rajapaksa and Mr. Wickremesinghe have claimed to hold power, setting off a constitutional crisis in this island nation, a popular tourist destination and a major producer of tea and coconuts.

While Mr. Rajapaksa has been meeting with foreign diplomats and making the rounds of government offices in the seaside capital, Colombo, Mr. Wickremesinghe has been holed up in the stately prime ministers residence, Temple Trees. Hundreds of his supporters are standing guard outside, vowing to protect him.
In Kandahar, the security of one of most critical provinces in Afghanistan was immediately cast into question with the death of General Raziq, who held together by force of personality a network that outstripped the capabilities of the central Afghan government anywhere outside Kabul, the capital.

When General Raziq was made police chief of Kandahar in 2011, while in his early 30s, the Taliban were at the city gates. In fact, they would frequently grab government employees from the heart of the city to a kangaroo court on the outskirts. Two of General Raziqs predecessors as police chief were killed on the job.

General Raziq was ruthless in his pushback, personally leading operations that dealt heavy casualties to the Taliban. Human rights groups accused him of torture and extrajudicial killings, including of tribal rivals. But as he established his grip in recent years and turned to national politics, officials described him as more disciplined and cautious.

General Raziqs death sent the Taliban into a frenzy of celebration, captured on videos circulating on social media accounts. At the central prison in Kabul, dozens of Taliban inmates danced to an improvised group chant: O, they killed Raziq! In Kandahar, they killed Raziq! (Song and dance were forbidden when the Taliban controlled Afghanistan.)

This Raziq martyred 2,800 people, without a court and justice, and buried them in the sands of Kandahar as their mothers still wait, a Taliban official, Mawlawi Abdul Ghafoor, told a packed gathering of Taliban in Quetta, Pakistan, where the groups leaders are based. The Talib who tore a hole in Raziqs chest  may God unite us with him in heaven. And may God unite Raziq with his Scott Miller.

One of our leaders was saying he wished Scott Miller was also gone. I said, Why are we so greedy? I wouldnt have been as happy if 500 Americans were killed as I am that Raziq is killed.

General Raziq became an overnight national martyr of a battered nation. His picture is on billboards in roundabouts and on windows of bakeries. His grave, just outside the governors compound where he was killed, has already become a shrine.
For many people, all of this creates a sense of dislocation and anxiety. Even within national borders, its hard to know whats really shaping daily life as the world feels progressively harder to understand.

At The New York Times, of course, we believe that part of our job is to help with that  for readers in Australia and everywhere. But we also rely on political leaders to frame goals and strategies for dealing with the forces that affect us all.

This week, I got a taste of how Australias leaders are managing.

Both Bill Shorten, the opposition leader, and Scott Morrison, Australias prime minister, gave speeches in Sydney on foreign policy. I attended both.

Id hoped to hear them grapple with some of the new challenges that go beyond nation-states or China vs. America. Id hoped to hear a sophisticated argument and maybe a vision for what the world could learn from Australia, and what Australia could learn from the world.

Instead, I heard status quo thinking and caution.

Mr. Shortens lecture at the Lowy Institute emphasized that if Labor wins the next election, Australia will not view China solely through the lens of worst-case scenarios, seemingly a dig at the Liberals focus on foreign interference. He emphasized a need for independence, but did not provide much clarity when I asked about Australias areas of concern. Perhaps that was because the Chinese ambassador was in attendance.

Mr. Morrison, speaking at an Asia Society gathering hosted by Bloomberg, focused more on the benefits of trade and expanded military spending. He started out trying to emphasize values: We are more than the sum of our deals, he said. We are better than that.

Then he proceeded to talk mostly in transactional terms. The word technology did not appear once in his prepared remarks.
She has also rebranded her shop, since operating a medical marijuana retail operation is officially illegal. But as of Friday, the provincial authorities had still not granted her license. She is determined to be part of the legal trade.

I dont look good in an orange jumpsuit, she said, smiling.

A Cannabis Conversation in Vancouver

Were holding our first Times subscriber event in Vancouver on Nov. 15. Ill be joined by The Timess San Francisco bureau chief, Thomas Fuller, as well as guests from within the industry to discuss the impact of marijuana legalization on Canadas economy and culture. Canada Letter readers can use the promo code CANADALETTER to get $5 off the ticket price. You can get your tickets and find out more here.

______

This weeks Trans Canada and Around the Times highlights were compiled by the Canada audience growth editor, Lindsey Wiebe.

Trans Canada

My job is to encourage hesitant lovers to take the risk. In this imagined fairy tale by the author Michael Cunningham, featured in the travel issue of T: The New York Times Style Magazine, a matchmaking sprite in Montreal remembers a now-iconic poet, a dancer, and the meeting that may or may not have inspired an unforgettable song.

Ts travel issue also includes this guide to Montreal. On the agenda: vintage designer shopping, Cubist architecture, inspired cocktails and, of course, fresh bagels.

Theres a lot of Calvin Klein underwear on display in the new music video by Carly Rae Jepsen, the B.C.-born pop star behind Call Me Maybe. But Calvin Klein says it had nothing to do with it.

Every month, Netflix Canada introduces a new batch of programming. Novembers highlights include the prescient sci-fi thriller Children of Men, as well as Narcos: Mexico. The crime dramas third season leaves behind trafficking in Columbia and, with a new cast, follows the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel.

In the latest edition of the Climate Fwd. newsletter, The Timess energy and environment policy reporter Coral Davenport brings readers up to speed on Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus political battle over taxing carbon emissions.

Around the Times

In the three years since Saudi Arabia unleashed a full-scale military campaign in Yemen, at least 10,000 civilians have been killed and 14 million face starvation. Robert F. Worth, the Timess former bureau chief in Beirut, explores how the bloody war began, and why it will be so hard to end, for The New York Times Magazine.

Theres an image of homelessness etched in the public consciousness, writes Nikita Stewart, a Times reporter who covers social services. That picture wouldnt normally include baby Antonio, born homeless, and part of the largest single population in New York Citys shelter system: kids under the age of 6.

A year ago, it was easy to be blissfully unaware of CBD, writes Alex Williams, reporter and feature writer for The Times. Now, judging by the hype, its as if everyone suddenly discovered yoga. Or penicillin. Or maybe oxygen.
OXFORD, England  Citing security concerns, Alice Weidel, the leader of Germanys far-right political party, has canceled an appearance at the University of Oxford.

Ms. Weidel, the leader of the Alternative for Germany party, had been scheduled to give a short speech on Wednesday before the Oxford Union, a famed debating society, and to answer questions from audience members.

Facing widespread protest, Stephen Horvath, the president of the Oxford Union, had steadfastly refused to cancel the event, citing the importance of free speech and the educational value of engaging with prominent politicians across Europe, regardless of their ideology.

On Friday, however, Mr. Horvath said in a statement that Ms. Weidel had decided to withdraw.

Alice Weidel has canceled her planned trip to the U.K. next week due to concerns with the security arrangements for aspects of her travels and engagements, the statement read.
ISTANBUL  Turkeys president lashed out again at Saudi Arabia over the killing of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, and turned up pressure on the kingdom by invoking the NATO alliance as a means to ensure the perpetrators will be punished.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post on Friday, reiterated his assertion that the order to kill Mr. Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul came from the highest levels of the Saudi government.

At the same time, however, he said he did not believe Saudi King Salman ordered it. That seemed to suggest that he blames Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdoms de facto ruler.

No one should dare to commit such acts on the soil of a NATO ally again, Mr. Erdogan wrote in The Post, which had published columns by Mr. Khashoggi. The Khashoggi murder was a clear violation and a blatant abuse of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Failure to punish the perpetrators could set a very dangerous precedent.
The basic principle is straightforward.

If you make it to the border of a foreign country, you have a right to request asylum. That country is obligated to hear and evaluate your claim. It cannot kick you out while its processing you  which can take months or years  or if you face a credible threat of persecution at home. If the country finds you meet the definition of a refugee, it is obligated to shelter you. If you dont, only then can it expel you.

These rights came out of World War II, which created huge numbers of refugees in Europe. The wars victors spent much of the next decade setting up what became the international order, enshrined in laws that regulate things like warfare or that establish universal rights.

Protection for refugees made the list because it was an urgent issue at the time and because it was seen as a way to uphold stability and basic rights amid any future humanitarian crises.

And after the United States and others had turned away Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, the world felt compelled to promise never again.

Refugees rights became enshrined in international law through global agreements signed in 1951 and again in 1967, when the end of colonialism brought more crises.

Not all countries signed these pacts; the United States ratified only the 1967 agreement and several Middle Eastern and Asian countries signed neither. But they are considered to be to be so widely agreed upon that they constrain everyone.

Still, what makes asylum one of the worlds strongest norms is that it is written into the domestic laws of many countries, including the United States. After all, asylum is administered by domestic governments and courts.
LONDON  After several months of scandal within Britains opposition Labour Party over its handling of anti-Semitism in its ranks, investigators in London said on Friday that they have opened a criminal inquiry into accusations that some party members posted anti-Semitic threats online.

The Metropolitan Police commissioner, Cressida Dick, said in an interview with BBC Radio 4 that officers were looking into online posts by Labour members that amounted to more than just offensive comments. The police are consulting with prosecutors at this stage of the investigation.

We are now investigating some of that material because it appears there may have been a crime committed, she said.

Ms. Dick said that the Labour Party itself was not under investigation, and that while she hoped political parties policed themselves on issues like anti-Semitism, officers had an obligation to look into such allegations.
WASHINGTON  The United States and Turkey have lifted sanctions against top officials in each others government in a mutual sign on Friday of warming diplomatic relations between the two NATO allies after last months release of an American pastor.

The Trump administration had imposed financial sanctions on two Turkish officials in August to punish the country for the two-year detention of the pastor, Andrew Brunson. In turn, Turkey placed its own sanctions on Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary.

In Ankara, Hami Aksoy, the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the sanctions against Mr. Sessions and Ms. Nielsen responded according to reciprocity principle, which is basis of diplomatic practices.

He said those constraints  which included a travel ban to Turkey, the freezing of any assets in Turkey and a ban on any financial transaction with people or entities in Turkey  were lifted in parallel with the scuttled sanctions against Turkeys minister of justice, Abdulhamit Gul, and the interior minister, Suleyman Soylu.
The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, claimed responsibility on its Amaq news service.

A video circulating on Facebook from the site of the attack showed a man slumped over the steering wheel of a bus. Two other bloodied, inert figures lay on the back seats. A door of the vehicle, apparently ripped from its hinges and covered in blood, lay on the ground.

The Interior Ministry said the attackers appeared to have used a secondary road to approach the bus in the vicinity of the remote desert monastery south of Cairo.

Ambulances carrying three people seriously injured in the attack pulled into Cairos Sheikh Zayed Specialized Hospital on Friday evening. Nader Adel, a volunteer who accompanied a wounded teenage boy to the hospital, said the boy described the ambush to him.

By that account, masked gunmen riding a pair of small, off-road vehicles stopped the buses as they left the monastery. The gunmen stepped up and opened fire. One of the buses managed to speed away, but the other, in which the seven people were killed, did not. People were injured on both buses.

The same desert road was the site of an almost identical attack in May 2017. In that incident, gunmen wearing military fatigues opened fire on three buses that were traveling in a convoy toward the monastery of Saint Samuel. At least 28 people were killed.
BEIT SHEMESH, Israel  Orthodox and other Jewish women in Beit Shemesh, a fast-growing, ultra-Orthodox stronghold, have been stoned, pepper-sprayed, spat on or called whore by puritanical Jews who take their beliefs about modesty to violent extremes. So the election this week of a woman as mayor  with the support of thousands of ultra-Orthodox voters who defied their rabbis to support her  was felt across this hilly city like nothing less than an earthquake.

Aliza Bloch, a 51-year-old former high school principal, didnt just defeat the two-term incumbent, an ultra-Orthodox man who enjoyed the backing of rabbis from the dominant sects. She did it by uniting nonreligious longtime residents angry about being turned into minorities in their own city, English-speaking Orthodox immigrants impatient with inadequate government services, and forward-thinking ultra-Orthodox who were both sick of being denigrated as not religious enough and embarrassed by the bad press that Beit Shemesh has earned as a hotbed of religious fanaticism.

Until now, radicals controlled the discourse, Ms. Bloch told a cheering crowd of supporters who had waited around till after 3 a.m. Thursday for her razors-edge victory to be assured with the counting of absentee ballots. They prevented us from seeing one another as human beings. Until today, they were the ones who set the tone.

But no longer, she vowed: From now on, the city would become a model for all Israel. Weve realized that we share a common good that unites us, Ms. Bloch said, adding: No more I take care of the people in my sector. Were done with that sort of talk in Beit Shemesh.
Arash is one of the many Iranians I spoke with on Telegram to see how theyre dealing with U.S. sanctions. He says hes having trouble buying the bare essentials his family needs. The U.S. was the only country to leave the multilateral nuclear deal, and quickly moved to put pressure on Iran. We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction. Economic pressure is nothing new for Iranians, but many say this is the most hopeless theyve ever felt. Many Iranians I spoke with seemed exhausted by this back-and-forth with the West and frustrated by the gridlock. One person was against the Iranian government altogether and saw Trumps exit from the nuclear deal as a blessing. And it could get worse: The U.S. imposed a second round of sanctions on Iran on Nov. 5. This round is focused on stopping the sales of Iranian oil and petrochemical products. It could be a big hit to Irans economy because oil generated $50 billion in revenue last year. Irans foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, isnt backing down despite sanctions and tough talk from the U.S. We have, in fact, survived in spite of the U.S. pressure for 40 years. If they try to put pressure on Iran, if they try to threaten Iran, Iranians respond very negatively to pressure and threats. And it will further strengthen the resolve of the Iranian people to resist. International companies started to cut ties with Iran after Trump left the nuclear agreement in May. In the face of U.S. sanctions, many companies got cold feet and got out of the Iranian market. But some countries, like India, China and Turkey, say they are committed to buying Iranian oil despite the threat of U.S. sanctions. And Zarif says the U.S. posturing impacts how Iranians want to interact with the West. Well, the Iranians have lost some hope in engagement. But the international community has failed. So, that has long-term consequences for Irans foreign policy behavior. For now, both countries are steadfast in their positions and people are continuing to be caught in the middle.
Just a small proportion of parents of children heading to college are putting money aside in state 529 savings plans, though a new analysis finds that many of the plans have been making themselves more attractive by reducing fees.

In its annual rating of the plans, the investment research company Morningstar noted that the industry had been making significant fee cuts, so plans become less competitive if they dont follow suit.

The company analyzed 62 plans, comprising the bulk of money held in 529 accounts, and rated 31 as the best based on factors like fees, choice of investments and strong professional oversight.

The accounts, which are authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, are offered through state-sponsored programs to help people invest for higher education. Money withdrawn from 529 plans is tax free as long as it is spent on tuition, fees and other eligible costs, like room and board, books and equipment.
Michael Ricci 74 years old, retired truck driver Harvard, Ill. Illinoiss 14th District Voting for the Republican, Randy Hultgren.

Mr. Riccis biggest issues are health care and immigration, and he didnt like where the Democratic candidate stood on those. I dont think we need any more socialists going on than we already have, he said. Thats why these people are coming here from all over the world, to take advantage of us. The only problem with that is, whos picking up the bill?



Hed like to see the House stay Republican. Of the president, he said, I think hes been doing a pretty good job, considering nobodys been giving him any help. He doesnt trust newspapers, and gets his political information mostly from Fox News and CNN. I like to hear both sides of the story because if you hear both sides, then somewhere in the middle is where the truth is, he said.
The team undertaking the second phase of the governments Reserve Bank Act Review is seeking feedback on the range of proposed topics, which includes the option of deposit insurance.

The joint Treasury and Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) group published a consultation paper focusing on the regulators financial policy framework, which includes objectives set out in legislation, governance, separation of prudential supervision from RBNZ, depositor protection and perimeter for prudential regulation.

A non-technical booklet summarising the main issues for consultation and giving the public an opportunity to submit their views on them is also available.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 2)  Armed with garbage bags and kitchen tongs, volunteers of a non-governmental organization (NGO) collected the trash of over a million people who visited a Manila cemetery on All Saints' Day.

EARLIER TODAY: Trash bags litter some streets around the Manila North Cemetery despite repeated pleas from officials to visitors to keep the park clean #Undas2018 | @cnnphilippines pic.twitter.com/i3yAs8bec9  Paolo Barcelon (@pnbarcelonlive) November 1, 2018

The Tzu Chi Foundation is a Taiwan-based, humanitarian NGO that converts garbage, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, plastic cups and cartons, into useful items.

Volunteers on Friday went around Manila North Cemetery, the country's oldest graveyard, to gather trash that will be sent to Taiwan.

The bottles will then be turned into items that can be distributed to disaster survivors in the Philippines.

"'Yung ganito 80 pieces makakagawa na ng isang pirasong T-shirt. 'Yun ngang banig, PET bottle din. Itinutulong namin sa mga nangangailangan tulad ng nasunugan, nababahaan," volunteer Maria Teodoro Sarcon explained.

[Translation: These 80 pieces can create one T-shirt. The mat, also made out of PET bottles. We help those in need like those affected by fires, floods.]

The blanket above is made out of 80 1.5-liter plastic soda bottles.

The NGO will also sell the cartons and cans collected from the cemetery, with the proceeds going to a fund that helps those in need in the Philippines.

Visiting the cemetery today? Check this out: Light to moderate traffic along Blumentritt Road, in front of Manila North Cemeterys main gate | @CarolynBonquin #Undas2018 pic.twitter.com/zNvI5fjdkl  CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) November 1, 2018

The crowd at the Manila North Cemetery reached 1.4 million visitors on Thursday, according to the Manila Police District, up from 900,000 last year.


Heather Nauert

President Trump is expected to name Heather Nauert, a ten-year veteran of Fox News, next week as his choice to succeed Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the United Nations.

Nauert joined the State Dept. last year as chief communications officer, where she worked for now former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Mike Pompeo, his replacement.

CNN reported that Nauert, who has been keeping a low-profile of late, met with the president on Oct. 29.

Trump has confirmed Nauert is under consideration for the job."She's excellent. She's been with us a long time. She's been a supporter for a long time. And she's really excellent," he said said on Nov. 1.

At Fox News, Ms. Nauert was an anchor who also appeared on "Fox & Friends," which is must-see TV for the president.

Prior to Fox, she did a two-year stint as correspondent at ABC News, where she covered domestic and international developments on "Good Morning America," "World News" and "Nightline."
Hot Paper Lantern, a tech-focused affiliate of Peppercomm, is partnering with SwissVBS, a provider of digital learning solutions, on a cloud-based, SaaS solution that empowers employees to learn at their own pace. Hot Paper Lantern says that HPL Echo offers companies several ways to achieve greater ROI from their learning programs. The platform reinforces key competency development through short bursts of information given to the user over time. The platform uses gamification, flashcards, podcasts & videos, quizzes and push notifications to reinforce that information. The benefits include improving engagement, eliminating risk of compliance, tracking behaviors and exposing gaps in learning, and using AI to create individualized learning programs.

Golin is launching an effort intended to boost the reputation of the PR industry as a whole. In an age of earned media, our industry needs to have clarity and conviction on the impact public relations has on business, said Golin co-CEO Matt Neale. Noting that the industry has tended to favor buzz words such as digital and integrated, Golin is promoting what it calls progressive PR. As part of the effort, it is introducing its Relevance Radar, an AI listening platform that it says will help predict and measure opportunities for clients, and CXPR, which will leverage insights from social data to inform business decisions.

Germinder + Associates is continuing its Power of Pink program with the naming of Dotted Line Marketing founder Lane Odie as the 13th Power of Pink Honoree. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the agency, the program is a womens storytelling initiative that highlights founder Lee Ann Germinders successful battle with breast cancer. In addition to recognizing leaders whose stories have inspired her, Power of Pink has also made contributions to such charitable causes as The Weill Cornell Breast Center, Missouri Humane Society and Lutheran the News Literacy Project. Before founding Dotted Line Marketing, Odie was a senior account executive at Geminder + Associates. A contribution in her name is being made to Sunflower House, a non-residential childrens advocacy and abuse prevention center.
Let's hear it for the hardest working people in journalism!

Hats off to the Washington Post fact-checkers who have spent countless hours and many sleepless nights digesting 3 a.m. bulletins from the Tweeter-in-Chief in their mission to catalog the number of whoppers from Donald Trump. Your country owes you a debt of gratitude.

We do worry though about your mental health. The concern: do our intrepid fact-checkers have the stamina and intestinal fortitude to make in through next week's political Super Bowl, the midterms? It won't be easy.

The Washington Post today divulged that Trump is pumping it up. He's obviously not satisfied with saying an average five lies or misleading claims each day of his nine-month reign through Oct. 30. For those keeping score, that's 6,420 falsehoods and misleading statements.

While hitting the campaign trail in the friendly confines of places like Ohio, Tennessee, Arizona, Texas, and Wisconsin during the past seven weeks, the president spewed an incredible 30 whoppers a day.

That's a head-spinning performance. Pinocchio is a chump compared to Trump.

The president is also adding a dash of creativity to his repertoire of deceit, resulting in a 'say what' response from fact-checkers.

For instance, how do you begin to challenge off-the-wall statements that cities across the US are being "liberated" from the MS-13 gang, or that his famous Southern Wall is currently being built? Some stuff is just divorced from all reality.

The pressure though may be getting to the noble fact-checkers. The staff originally wanted to track Trump's whoppers through Oct. 31 for today's story. Alas, the 10,000 words spoken by Trump and 20 tweets sent on Halloween were target-rich and kept them busy well beyond the deadline for the article.

The worst or best is yet to come.



The president is holding rallies non-stop through Monday, when he will visit Ohio, Indiana and Missouri. There will be plenty of bogus claims, tall tales and lies.

Godspeed, fact-checkers.
Akon Is Very Seriously Thinking of Running In 2020 Presidential Race Against Trump Ivie Ani Ivie is a Nigerian-American, native New Yorker, and journalist covering

View this post on Instagram A post shared by AKON (@akon) on Aug 1, 2018 at 9:18am PDT

Akon for president?

Akon might be gearing up to run in the 2020 presidential election to counter Donald Trump.

Ive been thinking about running for 2020 very seriously, the 45-year-old entertainer and philanthropist told Newsweek in a recent interview. But I didnt want to just do it because I feel like I want to continue doing what Im doing and hope that builds me enough momentum [for people] to say, You know what, if you run well support you.

Akon, who was born in Missouri, but grew up in Senegal said he feels uncomfortable in America now that Trumps in office, and that after former President Obamas time in office, everything that was done is being undone.

I feel a lot more unsafe. I feel unempowered. Honestly, I feel its gonna be a fight. I feel like I should be always prepared for the unexpected. He added,  I feel a lot of Americans do; even some white Americans feel that way because theyre watching backlash of his decisions. Its not whats happening now, because its clear its creating a whole bunch of divide today. But I think tomorrow that impact is going to be so much more devastating.

On potentially running for president, he said, At first, I used to always tell myself that I would never do it But now Im starting to realize through experience that the only way to make change is to be in it.

READ: Kanye West Says Hes Done w/ Politics: Ive Been Used to Spread Messages I Dont Believe in

In slightly tangential but kind of relevant news, according to his Instagram, Akon met with former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger to discuss climate change.

So, it looks like hes already one step ahead of vehement climate change denier Trump in that department.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by AKON (@akon) on Oct 26, 2018 at 4:23pm PDT

Source: Newsweek
Photo: Maxim

A Kelowna woman is vying for the opportunity to become Maxim Magazine's next cover girl.

Chloe Smeltzer describes herself as, "just a small-town Canadian girl, chasing big city dreams, one photo shoot at a time."

Chloe's grandmother, Evelyn Dillabough, is looking to help her granddaughter reach her goal.

"Can you give her a hand? She needs exposure and votes. This girl could win it all!" Dillabough said, signing, "A proud gramma ."

On Maxim's website Chloe describes herself as empathetic.

"I put myself in people's shoes, and relate with them on a personal level, making it easier to help them. Id say Im not just empathetic with only people, but animals as well. Theres nothing better than being able to deeply feel, understand, and love to help make this world a better place."

If Chloe wins the cover girl contest she'll grab a cool $25,000 plus a lavish photo shoot with legendary photographer Gilles Bensimon which will go along with worldwide recognition as a Maxim Cover Girl.

Another Kelowna woman, Krista Kemp, was also in the running for one of Maxim's cover girl contests earlier this summer.
Photo: Contributed

A North Okanagan-based forestry company is teaming up an American company in Mississippi.

Tolko Industries (U.S.) Ltd. and Southeastern Timber Products have formed a 50-50 joint-venture partnership in a lumber mill in Ackerman, Miss., which will now be known as Southeastern Timber Products LLC, an STP-Tolko Partnership.

Were pleased to have found a partner like STP that we share the same family-owned business values with, said Tolko CEO Brad Thorlakson.

We look forward to the opportunity to invest in this, our second asset in the U.S., to support the future growth of our company. Were pleased to support this facility and enhance its sales, marketing and logistic capabilities to service our customers across North America and abroad.

We couldnt be more excited to be partnering with Tolko, said STP Manager Billy VanDevender.

Tolko has a long family history in the lumber-manufacturing business and a proven ability to excel in our industry. We are thrilled about our partnership. We look forward to working with Tolko, the local economic community and the State of Mississippi to support further investment in our facility to expand capacity.

The mill employs 150 people.
Photo: The Canadian Press Carcross Dunes in the Yukon.

Researchers who have produced a map of the world's remaining intact land and ocean areas are urging international delegates at an upcoming meeting on biodiversity to set a target and push governments to conserve what's left of the wild.

Oscar Venter, associate professor of forestry in the ecosystems science and management department at the University of Northern British Columbia, said the map shows human activity has encroached on 87 per cent of the ocean and more than 77 per cent of Earth's land, excluding Antarctica.

"There's normally this idea that wilderness is kind of remote and it's far from people and it's safe but through our work we've shown this is really not the case," he said.

He said the 14th gathering of a biodiversity convention, hosted by Egypt and involving 190 nations later this month, should include a mandated global target beyond 2020 to save all remaining intact ecosystems.

Venter and scientists from Australia and the United States have outlined their concerns in a paper published in the journal Nature.

They say a century ago, only 15 per cent of Earth's land was used to grow crops and raise livestock and between 1993 and 2009, an area larger than India  3.3 million square kilometres  was lost to human settlement, farming, mining and other industries.

As for the ocean, the only areas that are free of industrial fishing, pollution and shipping are almost completely confined to the polar regions, say the authors.

Their mapping methods for terrestrial wilderness included data such as population density, night-time lights and major roadways and indicators such as fishing, fertilizer run-off and industrial shipping to determine ocean ecosystems.

The authors say more than 70 per cent of the world's remaining land mass is in five countries: Russia, Canada, Australia, the United States and Brazil.

Venter said those countries have a role to play in preserving wilderness, including the boreal forest of Canada, which could be impacted by climate change according to the Prairie Climate Centre at the University of Winnipeg.

However, recent gutting of environmental regulations in the United States and possible exploitation of the Amazon under Brazil's new president are adding to the urgency for nations to take action.

The authors say the steps that countries take, or do not, to limit the expansion of roads and shipping lanes and to reduce large-scale developments in mining, forestry, agriculture, aquaculture and industrial fishing will be critical.

"This is a very important time to raise awareness about the value of these systems, about how imperilled they are and to help decision-making that balances human needs and environmental needs and think strategically about where we develop and how we develop," Venter said. "I don't think the conservation community is calling for no development, we're calling for strategic development, and development that's both sustainable ecologically and socially."

Wilderness areas with pure water, uncontaminated fish stocks and a high abundance of game species are also important for the livelihood of the world's Indigenous people, who must be consulted, Venter said, adding governments in Brazil and Australia have high levels of involvement by Indigenous communities in their decision-making.

"I think that's the model we really need to look to in Canada," he said.
The United Nations climate organization (IPCC) 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.
15 terrorists had moved into Kishtwar, days before BJP leader was killed

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Jammu, Nov 2: The killing of a BJP leader and his brother in Jammu and Kashmir is a new low. Anil Parihar, the BJP's J&K unit secretary and his brother were gunned down in Kishtwar town of Jammu division on Thursday, when they were returning home from work.

The police are yet to ascertain the reason behind the killing. The cops are probing whether it was an act of terror or a incident carried out by criminals owing to some rivalry.

Army on standby in J&K after BJP leader, brother shot dead

In this backdrop, one must take note of an Intelligence Bureau report, which spoke about heavy movement of terrorists in Kishtwar in the past 15 days.

The report spoke about the movement of 15 terrorists in the area. They had moved in from Anantnag district of South Kashmir into Kishtwar.

There are several aspects to the ongoing probe. The police suspect that this could have been an act of terror ahead of the November 17 panchayat elections. Various reports have suggested that Pakistan and its terrorists would up the ante. Moreover several terror groups have been trying to target and disrupt the elections. The J&K administration had said that Pakistan is particularly upset that the election process is underway and was also successfully completed where the urban local body polls were concerned.

Jammu and Kashmir: BJP's state secretary Anil Parihar, his brother shot dead in Kishtwar

Following the killing the Army was told to be on standby. The police were expecting violent protests and as a precautionary measure, imposed curfew in the Muslim majority town. The police say that it would be too early to comment on the motive, but according to divisional commissioner of Jammy, Sanjeev Verma, it was a subversive attack.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 9:35 [IST]
Photo: The Canadian Press

A judge has granted bail to a teenager charged in the August shooting of a German tourist west of Calgary.

Provincial court Judge Peter Barley granted the youth's release Thursday on conditions that he pay $2,500 and live with his grandparents on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation.

The youth, who was 16 when he was charged, is to remain in the home, be under constant supervision and abstain from drugs or alcohol.

He faces 14 charges, including attempted murder and possession of a prohibited firearm.

His lawyer said it's not often that a court will keep someone that young in custody.

"It's rare for young offenders to be detained but again it can happen depending on a number of circumstances including the seriousness of the crime, the record of the young offender if they have any," Balfour Der said outside court Thursday.

"Courts try to release young offenders because they recognize jail isn't a good place for young people to be."

The teen is to return to court in Cochrane, Alta., on Nov. 13.

Der said it's too early to say if the prosecution will seek to try his client as an adult.

"The crime is very serious so that would encourage the prosecution to want to try and get an adult sentence," Der said.

"But on the other hand he's a very young person with no prior record so in that regard it would probably lean towards staying in youth court so it's hard to say."

A 60-year-old tourist was driving a black Dodge Durango with his family near Morley, Alta., when he was shot on Aug. 2.

RCMP have said another vehicle was passing the Durango when a shot was fired from its passenger window and into the tourist's SUV. The Durango crashed into a ditch near the Goodstoney Rodeo Centre on Stoney Nakoda land.

Three family members in the SUV weren't seriously injured.

The driver survived and was flown back to Germany, where surgeons removed the bullet.
Anti national NGOs, urban naxals: The crackdown has begun

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Nov 2: The role of several NGOs fuelling anti national activities has come under the scanner of the Union Home Ministry.

The government has now in an advisory directed all states to keep a close tab on NGOs for anti national activities. The advisory states that the police in all states should keep a close watch and also act against those NGOs indulging in anti national activities.

Urban naxal case: Review seeking SIT probe into arrest of activists rejected by SC

In various cases, it has come to light that the NGOs fuel protests. Several instances have been reported when the protests turn violent and investigations have shown that they were fuelled solely by NGOs.

This advisory comes after it was noticed a few years back that many NGOs in India had been receiving foreign funding. The funding it was found was used for various anti national activities such as staging protests and ensuring that they turned violent. One such instance was the protest at Thootukudi in Tamil Nadu that led to the loss of 11 lives.

The role of an NGO had come under the scanner and the investigations showed that the the violence was stage managed. The Bhima Koregaon violence was also staged by an NGO. The role of several persons close to naxalites had come under the scanner and a case was registered.

Investigations also had led to the filing of cases against NGOs run by the likes of Teesta Setalvad and Zakir Naik. They had been booked by the National Investigation Agency for anti national activities. In the case of Naik, it was alleged that the NGOs run by him had indulged in forced conversions.

Last week the Enforcement Directorate had raided the office of Amnesty International in Bengaluru for violating norms under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act or FCRA.

In 2016, nearly 25 NGOs were placed under the watchlist for anti national activities.

To earn their daily bread, how the urban naxals have spread

Sources say that these NGOs have been under close scrutiny for sometime. The NGOs were brining in the money and it was noticed that a large sum was being used for anti national activities.

The home ministry has been cracking down on thousands of NGOs since the past three years. Most of the NGOs had not applied for a renewal of licences under the FCRA. There were other NGOs which had not filed their annual returns for three years. Following this massive clean up act, there are currently 20,500 NGOs that receive foreign funds as opposed to the 42,500 that had licences to receive foreign funds.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 9:24 [IST]
Army on standby in J&K after BJP leader, brother shot dead

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Jammu, Nov 2: The Indian Army has been asked to remain on standby following the killing of a BJP leader and his brother at Jammu and Kashmir. The police are ascertaining whether the killing of the BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit was a criminal act or the doing of terrorists.

The Army has been asked to remain on standby amidst fears that the incident could provide widespread violence.

Parihar, 53, and his brother Ajit were returning home after closing their stationery shop late evening when two unidentified gunmen came and shot them at point-blank range. ".. it appeared they had been keeping a watch on the daily routine of the BJP leader and his brother," an officer said.

Jammu and Kashmir: BJP's state secretary Anil Parihar, his brother shot dead in Kishtwar

The killings, coming ahead of the Panchayat elections starting November 17, triggered angry protests in Kishtwar. The authorities imposed curfew in a bid to maintain law and order. As the news of the killings spread, protests erupted in the town. A mob stoned the police station and allegedly assaulted the station house officer. There were also reports said that even senior superintendent of police Rajinder Gupta faced resistance from protesters as he rushed to the spot.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 6:44 [IST]
BJP-ruled states slashes petrol, diesel rates further: New price to come into effect from today

Assam: BJP govt dividing Assamese & Bengalis, alleges state Oppn leader

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Guwahati, Nov 2: The BJP government of Assam is playing a dangerous game of creating divide between the Bengalis and Assamese in the state for political gains, the state's Opposition leader Debabrata Saikia has alleged.

The Congress leader also said that an evil effort is already underway over the past few decades to ruin the harmony in the state and members of the current BJP government are making contradictory statements to put more fuel on the fire, Dainik Jugashankha newspaper reported.

'Culprits will not be spared', says Rajnath Singh on killing of 5 people by terrorists in Assam

Speaking at a media conference, the 53-year-old leader, son of former Assam chief minister Hiteswar Saikia, said the BJP government is doing nothing to resolve the situation which is turning more dangerous and accused it of trying to make electoral gains by fuelling the fire.

Not us says ULFA-I on Assam killings

He also accused the BJP of adopting a two-faced strategy of threatening to stop entry of foreigners into Assam and also at the same time, speaking about giving rehabilitation to Hindu Bengalis coming from Bangladesh, the newspaper report said.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 17:21 [IST]
Keshab Mahanta

"Compensation of Rs. 5 lakhs to be given to the families of the deceased," said Assam Minister Keshab Mahanta. (Image courtesy - ANI/Twitter)

Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that asked the state Chief Minister to take "strictest action" against the perpetrators.

The terrorists allegedly belonged to the the ULFA-Independent faction led by Paresh Baruah. The terrorists wore battle fatigues and randomly picked five people at gunpoint from Kherbari Bisonibari area and killed them by the bank of the Lohit river, reports said. All the victims were Bengalis, the police said.

The incident took place at Kherabari area, near Dhola-Sadiya bridge under Sadiya assembly constituency of Upper Assam, at around 7.45 pm, on Thursday (November 2).

Also Read |Not us says ULFA-I on Assam killings

"I have talked to the CM and asked him to investigate the matter. I have told him that strictest action should be taken and culprits should not be spared," the Home Minister said.

Meanwhile, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-Indepdent) has denied killing five persons at the Bishnoimukh village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Tinsukia district.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned "the killing of innocent people" and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families.

Also Read |'Culprits will not be spared', says Rajnath Singh on killing of 5 people by terrorists in Assam

"Strong action will be taken against the perpetrators of this dastardly violence. We will not tolerate such cowardly act," he told PTI.

Unrest in Assam

Police said the situation remained tense after the killings and the local Bengali organisations have announced a shutdown.

"We are as Assamese as others. We only speak a different language. We demand security for our people," Ajit Debnath, a Tinsukia-based student leader of All Assam Bengali Youth Students Federation, said. (Image courtesy - ANI/Twitter)
BJP-ruled states slashes petrol, diesel rates further: New price to come into effect from today

Assam killings: Trinamool, Mamata turn their social media DPs black in protest

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Kolkata, Nov 2: Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday, November 2, took out protest marches and held rallies across the state to condemn the killing of five people by suspected ULFA terrorists in Tinsukia district of Upper Assam on Thursday (November 1) evening.

The five were picked at gun point from Kherbari Bisonbari area and gunned down by the bank of Lohit River. The police said all the victims were Bengalis. The Army launched a massive counter-strategy operation along the state's border with Arunachal Pradesh post the tragedy. Assam Rifles personnel were also keeping a vigil on the India-Myanmar border.

Also Read | Assam govt announces Rs 5 lakh compensation to families of those killed by ULFA terrorists

The TMC turned its social media display pictures (DPs) on platforms like Twitter and Facebook into black for a day on Friday, November 2, to condemn the incident and also appealed to people to do the same.

In solidarity, on #ProtestDay to condemn the brutal killings of Bengalis by a State ruled by the #BJP, we are turning our Twitter/FB DPs into black. Street protests throughout #Bengal. Please turn your DP into black for today  All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) November 2, 2018

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also turned her Twitter and Facebook DPs into black to condemn the killings. On Tuesday, October 30, Banerjee had said in a rally in North Bengal that the BJP was hell-bent to drive out the Bengalis from Assam. She has been a vocal critic of the National Register of Citizens of India, accusing the BJP of trying to divide people. Her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who is an MP, led the protests in Kolkata. A number of senior TMC leaders and ministers also joined the protests.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 17:53 [IST]
BJP under its 'Booth Mahasampark Abhiyan' to reach out to 4.75 crore voters in 3 days

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Nov 2: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made a target of reaching out to around 4.75 crore voters of Rajasthan in three days by starting a Booth Mahasampark Abhiyan (booth mass campaign programme) with all its senior and other leaders participating including party in-charge and Union human resources development minister Prakash Javadekar and chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

All the senior and junior leaders are reaching out to people with the schemes implemented by the Centre as well as the state government. Prakash Javadekar started this campaign from Govindev Temple in Jaipur while state organising secretary Chandrashekar started his campaign from Bhomiaji temple.

Congress to win big in Rajasthan with 120 seats says this survey

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje has started this campaign from Jhalawad while state home minister Gulab Chandra Kataria did it from Udaipur. But state party president Madan Lal Saini could not participate in the programme due to his bad health. Sources said that every worker of the party has been asked to reach out to people two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.

Congress accuses the government of hobnobbing with sand mafia in Rajasthan

The party has the target of reaching out to people in three days to all the booths in the state. Under these areas connected with any particular booths are supposed to be visited and pamphlets are being distributed in which schemes of the central government, as well as the state government, are mentioned. Besides these, a sticker is being stuck outside a shop with the permission of the owner in which it is written that 'I am with the BJP.'
We have nothing to do with farm laws: Reliance Industries

Congress party's attacks on Anil Ambani are shameful, deplorable: Reliance

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

New Delhi, Nov 2: After Rahul Gandhi levelled fresh allegations about Anil Ambani's role in the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal, Reliance Group slammed the Congress for "continued lies and falsehoods".

In a statement released by the company, Reliance Infrastructure spokesperson, said, "Unfortunate that Reliance Group and its Chairman Anil Ambani are being dragged into a political battle in view of impending State and General polls. Congress falsely alleged that funds invested in RADL was used for purchase of land at Mihan,Nagpur for Dassault-Reliance 49:51 JV."

Rafale: Govt will maintain topmost secrecy in SC in national interest

"The payment for the land at MIHAN, Nagpur, Maharashtra was made from 2015 to 2017, much before the investment by Dassault in RADL. The Congress party's attacks on Mr. Anil Ambani in his individual capacity are shameful and deplorable, " Reliance Infrastructure Limited stated.

Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, Prashant Bhushan move SC seeking FIR into Rafale deal

Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference on Friday (November 2), alleged that Anil Ambani received a kickback in the Dassault Aviation in Rafale deal.

He alleged that Dassault Aviation gave money to Ambani to purchase the land that was the basis on which Reliance Defence was made Dassault's offset partner in India.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 20:09 [IST]
'Consensual relationship with Pallavi Gogoi ended on a bad note, says MJ Akbar

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

New Delhi, Nov 2: Former Union Minister MJ Akbar in an exclusive statement to ANI denied rape charges filed against him by his former colleague Pallavi Gogoi.

MJ Akbar who recently resigned as Union Minister of State for External Affairs Ministry in the wake sexual harassment allegations, however, agreed that Pallavi Gogoi and him entered into consensual relationship that spanned several months, perhaps not on best note.

Also Read | #MeToo: Offending part is when Priya Ramani referred me as 'talented predator' says Akbar in Court

"Somewhere around 1994, Ms. Pallavi Gogoi and I entered into consensual relationship that spanned several months.This relationship gave rise to talk &would later cause strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on best note, " said MJ Akbar.

In connection with her allegations, on Oct 29, the Washington Post had forwarded to Akbar's lawyers a series of cryptic and non-specific questions, regarding incidents alleged to have taken place approximately 23 years ago. "These allegations were false and were consequently denied, said MJ Akbar.

Also Read | #MeToo: MJ Akbar drops Minister of State for External Affairs title from Twitter bio

On 2 Nov, 2018, the Washington Post ran a piece written by Ms. Pallavi Gogoi, detailing false allegations of rape and violence against me. I have had occasion to read this article and it has become necessary, at this point in time, to bring certain facts to light.

Former Union Minister #MJAkbar in a statement to ANI denies rape allegations levelled against him by journalist Pallavi Gogoi in Washington Post. pic.twitter.com/RqWYuQycgu  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

He further said that people who worked with him and knew both of them have indicated that they would be happy to bear testimony to what is stated above and at no stage, did the behavior of Pallavi Gogoi, give any one of them impression that she was working under duress.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 17:22 [IST]
Urmi Boruah reminds us that Sky is not the limit

BJP-ruled states slashes petrol, diesel rates further: New price to come into effect from today

'Culprits will not be spared', says Rajnath Singh on killing of 5 people by terrorists in Assam

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Nov 2: With Assam on the edge over the killing of five people allegedly by ULFA terrorists, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that asked the state Chief Minister to take "strictest action" against the perpetrators.

The terrorists allegedly belonged to the the ULFA-Independent faction led by Paresh Baruah. The terrorists wore battle fatigues and randomly picked five people at gunpoint from Kherbari Bisonibari area and killed them by the bank of the Lohit river, reports said. All the victims were Bengalis, the police said.

The incident took place at Kherabari area, near Dhola-Sadiya bridge under Sadiya assembly constituency of Upper Assam, at around 7.45 pm, on Thursday (November 2).

"I have talked to the CM and asked him to investigate the matter. I have told him that strictest action should be taken and culprits should not be spared," the Home Minister said.

[Assam: 5 people killed by ULFA in Tinsukia district]

Meanwhile, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-Indepdent) has denied killing five persons at the Bishnoimukh village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Tinsukia district.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned "the killing of innocent people" and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families.

[Not us says ULFA-I on Assam killings]

"Strong action will be taken against the perpetrators of this dastardly violence. We will not tolerate such cowardly act," he told PTI.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 14:14 [IST]
Police deny:

However the police while reacting sharply to the statement said that the naxals had looted the camera because it had recorded evidence of what happened in the first few minutes of the ambush. The multiple bullet wounds and skull fractures on the martyred cameraman in no way indicates that it was by mistake, Dantewada SP, Abhishek Pallav told ANI.

Killed in an ambush:

It may be recalled that earlier this week two policemen and a cameraman from national broadcaster, Doordarshan were killed in a naxal attack at Dantewada, Chhattisgarh.

While the probe into the incident got underway, preliminary investigations say that the incident could be directly linked to the elections in the state.

Poll bound

The first phase of the polls will be held in the state on November 12 covering 18 constituencies across the eight Naxal-affected districts namely Bastar, Kanker Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon. The remaining 72 constituencies will go to polls on November 20, while counting will be held on December 11.

Election coverage:

The Doordarshan crew was in Dantewada for the election coverage. They had interviewed SP Abhishek Pallav in the morning and were moving towards Nirbhaya when the incident occurred on the Aranpur-Dantewada road.
Photo: SD 22

The rain didn't stop several dozen elementary school students from honouring the sacrifices of the Canadian military, and local Vernon and area Veterans Thursday.

Approximately 60 students from Harwood Elementary and Ecole Beairsto stood in the rain to honour and recognize the sacrifices of the Canadian military, and local Vernon and area Veterans.

As part of the No Stone Left Alone Memorial Foundation, approximately 60 students from Harwood Elementary and Ecole Beairsto visited Pleasant Valley Cemetery to pay their respects.

For the second year in a row, the students spent time researching some of the Veterans buried in Pleasant Valley Cemetery and Thursday they laid 521 poppies at the grave sites.

Dennis Windsor of the Royal Canadian Legion spoke to the students and acknowledge their efforts to remember the Vernon and area Veterans.

The actions today, define the true meaning of remembrance.

Windsor went on to speak of how World War I ended. The Armistice was signed just after 5 a.m. on the morning of November 11, 1918, however, the actual ceasefire would not start until 11 a.m. to allow the news to travel to the many soldiers on the frontlines.

Over 2,700 Allies were killed that morning, with the last Canadian being killed at 10:58 a.m.

As the ceremony concluded, Windsor reminded the students that the rain and cold temperatures they were experiencing that morning were very similar to what the soldiers faced every day during World War I.

Afterwards, the students visited the grave sites and laid their poppies on the graves of their great-grandparents and soldiers unknown.

Last year, 8,001 students in Canada visited 101 cemeteries and laid 49,821 poppies as part of the No Stone Left Alone Memorial Foundation.
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

Delhi: Bawana govt teacher killed; three including husband arrested

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Nov 2: Three people including the deceased's husband and his girlfriend who is a model identified as Angel Gupta was arrested by Delhi Police in connection with the murder of a school teacher.

According to the police, the accused have been identified as Manjeet (38) his girlfriend Angel Gupta (26) and Rajeev so-called father of Angel Gupta.

Police claimed that they conspired to eliminate her as she used to object the relationship between her husband and another woman.

"The persons hired to kill her are still absconding," said Rajneesh Gupta, Deputy commissioner of police (Rohini)

On Monday, a 38-year old government school teacher was shot dead by unknown assailants while she was on her way to the school in outer Delhi's Bawana area.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 10:39 [IST]
Dilli Gupshup: Is Sheila Dikhsit getting ready for second innings in Delhi?

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Nov 2: Grapevine is abuzz that Sheila Dikshit might get appointed as Congress chief of Delhi replacing Ajay Maken, Aparna Yadav comes out in open to support Ram Temple in Ayodhya which was fiercly opposed by his father in law, defence ministry spokesperson has been brought to teach a lesson by one minister to another and abusive south Delhi MPs days in politics seems to be over as people of Delhi protesting against him not any particular section. Some news with a pinch of salt for weekend reading:

Is Sheila Dikhsit getting ready for the second innings in Delhi?

Name of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit is once again in the reckoning for the post of Delhi Congress president as the incumbent party chief Ajay Maken unofficially communicated his unwillingness to continue as party chief due to his health issues. Despite being away from the day to day political activity, Dikshit is the tallest leader in Delhi with huge support base. Moreover she is still fit to lead the party in the state. She also has the support of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. So will this be again the Sheila regime in Delhi.

Dilli Gupshup: It is feared Yogi might change name of Kareena's son from Taimur to Tukaram

Not only politically, Yadav family in UP divided over Ram Temple

Aparna Yadav, the younger daughter-in-law of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, has supported construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the person who is accused of getting karsevaks killed during the Ram Temple movement in Ayodhya in ninetees. Lots of water have flowed down the Narmada River since then but politicking is still continuing but the leader who stood by saving Babri Mosque is silent on the issue as his party marginalized and even Muslim too believe they use them for their benefits.

Dilli Gupshup: Better to organise road show than rally to avoid Rahul's faux pas

Neglected IIS officers take a dig on Defence spokesperson

Defence ministry spokesperson was forced to proceed on leave for tweeting disrespectful comment on a former Admiral but a cadre of bureaucracy is happy what had happened to her. Actually due to personal ego of two women ministers in the Modi government, a person from other than Indian Information Services was made spokesperson of the Defence ministry. Grapevine is abuzz that she is a distant relative of husband of one of the ministers so when this goof up happened, they were heard saying training does matter and IIS officers are trained to deal such issues.

Time to go for Bidhuri as his rustic behaviors not to be tolerated

South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri is known for his rustic behaviors with people not only of his own party but also with bureaucracy and other political workers including opposition. He is abusive in certain cases but now all those victim of highhandedness of Bidhuri are out to protest against him cutting across the party line saying that in the city like Delhi such people don't deserve to be in public life and he must be forced to hang his boots. Enough is enough. No more humiliation from a person who is voted to power by people of the city. So tough time seems to be ahead for Bidhuri.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 23:28 [IST]
Bombay HC pulls up MSRTC workers' union for going ahead with strike despite court directive

HC refuses interim stay on construction of Chhatrapati Shivaji statue

India

oi-Vikas SV

Mumbai, Nov 2: The Bombay High Court on Friday refused to give interim stay on the construction of the proposed Shivaji memorial off Mumbai coast in an island in the Arabian Sea.

In February, the Bombay High Court sought response of the central and state governments to petitions challenging the grant of coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) and environmental clearance for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial.

Hearing a petition urging the Bombay High Court to put a stop to reclamation of land for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Memorial in the Arabian Sea, the High Court on Thursday came down heavily on the Centre for failing to file an affidavit seven months after a court order, the India Express reported.

5 facts you should know about Chhatrapati Shivaji, the bravest Maratha ever

The petitioners had challenged the grant of environmental clearance to the memorial. The project envisages a 210-meter tall statue of Shivaji on a small rocky island located 3.5km off the Mumbai coast.

The petition said the CRZ notification of 2011 permits memorials and allied facilities in CRZ-IV only in exceptional cases, but here under the guise of memorial, the Centre has allowed the state to construct 10 levels of exhibition halls, an amphitheatre, an oceanarium and other recreational facilities such as water sports.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 14:48 [IST]
Hindus feeling insulted, SC must show haste in Ram Temple matter: RSS

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Nov 2: Expressing disappointment over the Supreme Court's decision to push the hearing in the Ayodhya matter to January, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday said "Hindus are feeling insulted".

RSS' Bhaiyyaji Joshi said that Hindus have been waiting for a long time for the resolution of the matter. He said Hindus had put a lot of hope on the SC when it was decided that the matter would be heard on October 29, but the top court has 'indefinately' deferred the matter.

"Hindu apamanit mehsus kar raha hai, humein is baat ki vedana hai (Hindus are feeling insulted, we are sad over this)," Joshi said.

He urged the Supreme Court to show haste in the matter as it is something concerning sentiments of crores of Hindus. Joshi said delay in the Ram Temple issue is hurting Hindu sentiments.

"Ram sab ke hriday mein rehte hain par wo prakat hote hain mandiron ke dwara. Hum chahte hain ki mandir bane. Kaam mein kuch baadhaein awashya hain aur hum apeksha kar rahe hain ki nyalalya Hindu bhavnaon ko samajh ke nirnay dega (Lord Ram is in everyone's heart, but Lord apepars (Manifests) through temples. We want that (Ram) Temple be constructed. There are some hinderances and we expect from the Supreme Court that it would understand the sentiments of Hindus are take a decision)," he said.

[Ayodhya case: List in January to fix date of hearing says SC]

The Supreme Court will in January decide on when the Ayodhya matter will be heard. The court on October 29 said that it would decide in the first week of January, the composition of the Bench and also the date on when the matter will be heard.

The CJI on October 29 clarified that this does not mean that the appeals will be heard in January. It will be listed for fixing another date of hearing, the CJI also said. "We have our own priorities. Whether it comes in January, February or March will be the call of the appropriate Bench," the CJI also said.

Taking a strong exception to CJI's "We have our own priorities" statement, Joshi said that it was sad that Hindu sentiments is not among the priorities of the top court.
In Rajasthan Assembly polls: Ashok Gehlot as CM is the bet for the Congress!

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Nov 2: Any meaning could be drawn from the speeches of Congress president Rahul Gandhi about any issue but contrary to the perception about Rajsthan Congress president Sachin Pilot being at the help former chief minister of the state Ashok Gehlot is favourite to become chief minister of the state in case the Congress gets the required number at the hustings.

In one of the important meetings of the party, the message has been made clear that Gehlot has not only the ability but other qualifications to become chief minister of the state. Sachin Pilot might be accommodated in the Centre and if the Congress comes to power in New Delhi.

Congress to win big in Rajasthan with 120 seats says this survey

Sources said that the party wanted to keep the matter under wrap but ever since it got leaked, infighting between both the factions of the Congress intensified and violent clashes are happening in Rajasthan. Both the groups are making police complain against each other. There is a complete divide in the Congress and it is beyond anyone's control.

Sources said that the Congress does not want any message to travel across the state that the party is preferring a Jat leader as the chief ministerial candidate. The moment this message goes in public, the two other dominant communities - the Gujjars and the Meena - will start uniting against it harming the party.

With Meena leader Kirori Lal Meena merging his party with the BJP, the Congress already has very little chances of getting Meena votes but the moment this message of Pilot being considered for being made chief minister reaches to public, the tide will turn against the Congress. Meena community comprises 7.5 per cent of Rajasthan's 13.5 per cent scheduled tribe (ST) population and 25 seats out of 200 are reserved for STs in Rajasthan Assembly.

Gujjars are fragmented across the state but they are decisive on certain seats and in no way could be ignored and have a fierce rivalry with Jats not only in Rajasthan but in other parts like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. So the Congress does not want to take any chances of missing the winning chance by projecting Sachin Pilot. On the contrary Ashok Gehlot is not only being given importance in ticket distribution but also in may other decisions in the state. This has intensified the rivalry between supporters of both the leaders.

Congress accuses the government of hobnobbing with sand mafia in Rajasthan

Sources also said that pilot is being dubbed as outsider in Rajasthan despite the fact that he was MP from Rajasthan and even his father got elected to Lok Sabha from Rajasthn but his ancestral place is Uttar Pradesh. So there is confusion among people on this issue and it is being racked in a subtle manner. This is also a risk that the party does not want to go ahead with Pilot's name despite the young leader taking the Congress to the place from where its victory is almost certain.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 10:30 [IST]
J&K: One terrorist killed in encounter with security forces in Handwara

Terrorists killed in Handwara were active in forests for two weeks

J&K: One terrorist killed in joint operation in Handwara

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Srinagar, Nov 2: One terrorist has been killed in a joint operations in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara district in late Thursday night.

Speaking to media, Northern Command, Indian Army said,''One terrorist was killed in joint operations.

Security forces launched an operation based on credible inputs about the presence of militants in the district. The exchange of fire was underway when the last reports came in.

Earlier on Thursday, in yet another encounter in Budgam district, two militants were neutralised. Their identities are being ascertained.

The gunfight ensued after the militants fired on the search party, which was retaliated by the security forces.

An outdoor broadcasting (OB) van of a media organisation was also damaged in a seperate stone-pelting incident in Budgam, the police said.

The windscreen of the OB van of a television news agency was damaged after it was attacked by a stone-pelting mob while the media crew was on its way to cover the encounter, a police official said.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 8:53 [IST]
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

Many areas of Bengaluru to face power cuts for 7 hour on Nov 3

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, Nov 2: The residents Bengaluru will have a tough time as there will be intermittent power supply on November 3 due to maintenance work by Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM).

In a press statement, Bescom said, "There will be no power supply in the following areas on 3.11.2018 between 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM to carry out maintenance work of all equipments at 66/11KV K&C Valley Sub-Station."

The affected areas include Challaghatta, B Nagasandra, NAL Road, SR Layout, NR Layout, PR Layout, Rustum bagh, Koramangala and Challaghatta Valley, Yemalur Logica, Epsilon Layout, Kempapura, Kempapura A K colony, Wind Tunnel road, Vinayaka Nagar, Pearl Paradise Layout, Intel, Mahesh Kethan, Rohan Jharoka, LG Software, Salarpuria Sattva, Konena Agrahara and NAL installation, and surroundings areas.

BESCOM said that out of 9,207 complaints registered on Wednesday, 8,957 complaints were resolved.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 16:50 [IST]
MJ Akbar's wife Mallika breaks silence over Pallavi Gogoi's allegations

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

New Delhi, Nov 2: Former Union Minister MJ Akbar's wife Mallika broke her silence over 'me too' campaign unleashed against her husband following journalist Pallavi Gogoi's sexul assault allegations.

In an exclusive interview to ANI, Mallika said, " I don't know Pallavi's reasons for telling this lie, but a lie it is." Mallika alleged that Pallavi Gogoi caused unhappiness and discord in her family.

'Consensual relationship with Pallavi Gogoi ended on a bad note, says MJ Akbar

Mallika said, "I have been silent all this while as a 'me too' campaign has been unleashed against my husband, Mr. MJ Akbar. However, the Washington Post article by Pallavi Gogoi alleging that she was raped by him forces me to step in with what I know to be true."

"Over 20 years ago, Pallavi Gogoi caused unhappiness and discord in our home. I learned of her and my husband's involvement through her calls and her public display of affection in my presence. In her flaunting the relationship,she caused anguish and hurt to my entire family," she said.

She further said that at an Asian Age party at home, crowded with young journalists, she watched with mortification and pain as they (Akbar and Pallavi) danced close. " I had confronted my husband at the time and he decided to prioritize his family," she added.

#MeToo: Offending part is when Priya Ramani referred me as 'talented predator' says Akbar in Court

"Tushita Patel and Pallavi Gogoi were often at our home, happily drinking and dining with us. Neither carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault. I don't know Pallavi's reasons for telling this lie but a lie it is," said Mallika.

Former Union Minister #MJAkbar in a statement to ANI denies rape allegations levelled against him by journalist Pallavi Gogoi in Washington Post. pic.twitter.com/RqWYuQycgu  ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 17:32 [IST]
NDA may send Ram Vilas Paswan to Rajya Sabha as per seat sharing deal

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Nov 2: Alliance in Bihar may be announced any time with the Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reaching to an agreement of contesting equal number of seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It was more or less agreed upon by these two political parties that Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) will be given six seats while Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) two seats.

Sources said that neither the LJP nor the RLSP is agreeing to anything less than what had they contested in the last elections. This is the reason that RLSP leader is not only meeting leaders from other political parties in Bihar but making statements that have more than one meaning. The LJP leadership has clearly told the BJP leadership that it is not ready for anything less than seven seats. Now, the BJP leadership and Janata Dal (U) are thinking in terms of sending LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan to Rajya Sabha from Bihar. Ram Vilas Paswan is also not very keen on contesting Lok Sabha elections due to his deteriorating health conditions.

Also Read | ABP DeshKaMood survey: Mahagathbandhan in UP likely to affect BJP's tally

Sources in the LJP confirmed that the National Democratic Alliance may move in this direction and LJP may agree on six Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat but RLSP leader Upendra Kushwaha will have to agree on two seats. So the likely situation will emerge like this BJP and JD (U) to contest 16 seats each and LJP to contest six seats and RLSP two seats.

Also Read | BJP to ensure 100% voting of its own voters besides taking other measure to ensure 51% votes

Sources said that if RLSP still does not agree to contest on two seats then the BJP and JD (U) will distribute one seat each between themselves as both the parties are not ready to contest anything less than 16 seats. But the NDA does not want RLSP to go away from the NDA. The NDA does not want to repeat what happened to it in the Assembly elections.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 15:59 [IST]
Saeed to Lakhvi: Arrests in Pakistan more protective than preventive

2 suspects arrested in connection with blast outside Hafiz Saeed's house in Pak

NIA Special Court issues non-bailable warrants against Hafiz Saeed, Shah Salahuddin

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

New Delhi, Nov 2: NIA Special Court Friday issued Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs) against LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Mohd Yusuf Shah Salahuddin in connection with Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case.

In a press statement, NIA stated that on 01.11.2018, the NIA Special Court, Patiala House, New Delhi, issued Non Bailable Warrants (NBWs) against wanted accused Hafiz Muhammad Saeed (Founder of LeT and Jamat-ud-Dawa) resident of Mohalla Johar, Teshil Lahore, Pakistan and Mohd. Yusuf Shah @ Salahuddin (Head of Hizbul Mujahideen) resident of Police Station Budgam, District Budgam, Jammu & Kashmir and presently residing at Islamabad, Pakistan, in NIA case RC-10/2017/NIA/DLI (J&K Terror Funding case), who stand charged with offences under Section 120B, 121 & 121A of IPC and Sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39 & 40 of UA (P) Act 1967.

15 terrorists had moved into Kishtwar, days before BJP leader was killed

Hold your breath: Hafiz Saeed could be Pakistan's next Prime Minister

They mobilized Pakistan trained terrorists and pushed them into India from Pakistan in connivance with secessionist and separatist leaders for waging war against Government of India with the nefarious design of seceding Jammu and Kashmir from Union of India.

NIA has already filed chargesheet in the instant case on 18.1.2018 against 12 accused persons including the above 2 accused persons.

Further investigation in the case is underway.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Huntington's disease sufferers from across Canada are converging on Kelowna for a national conference connecting them with research, caregiving and treatment professionals.

The two-day event at the Delta Grand Hotel is filled with informative sessions on caregiving, animal therapy, research, skills building and more.

Throughout these two days, we have an incredible lineup of keynote presentations and workshops that will be presented, said spokesperson Robin Markowitz.

Today's events include presentations on care for the caregiver, and the impact of Cannabinoids on Huntington's.

On Saturday, attendees will receive valuable information on grief/guilt, self-care, music therapy and research updates.

Presenters include: Dr. Blair Leavitt (professor in the department of medical genetics and department of medicine (neurology) at the University of British Columbia, Yvonne Heath (TV host and author of Love Your Life to Death), and Dr. Jeff Carroll, associate professor studying Huntington's at Western Washington University.

Huntington's is a debilitating brain disorder that is fatal and incurable. About one in 7,000 Canadians have the disease. It is often described as having the symptoms of Alzheimers, Parkinsons and ALS simultaneously.
Not us says ULFA-I on Assam killings

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Guwahati, Nov 2: The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-Indepdent) has denied killing five persons at the Bishnoimukh village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Tinsukia district on Thursday.

In a press statement, the outfit said, We the ULFA-I would like to make it clear to all concern (sic) authorities that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident that occurred on 1st November 2018 at Sadiya Saikhowaghat in Tinisukia district.

Assam: 5 people killed by ULFA in Tinsukia district

Following the incident, the chief minister of Assam, Sonowal tweeted, "I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on innocent people at Sadiya. My heartfelt condolence to the family members of those who have lost their lives.""We will take strongest action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime. I have directed all law enforcing agencies to maintain peace and take stern action against anybody trying to destabilise our peaceful society and state," he said.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 10:17 [IST]
UP BJP chief to workers: Have tea with Dalits, make them understand votes are cast on nationalism, not caste

Ramanagara fiasco: The lesson for BJP is use your own people

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Bengaluru, Nov 2: It was nothing short of a pathetic embarrassment for the BJP, when its candidate for the Ramanagara by-poll jumped ship and returned to the Congress. This embarrassment came at the worst possible time, with just two days remaining for the constituency to go to polls.

The first lesson for the BJP is to rely on its own candidates, rather than depending on those who switch sides. L Chandrashekar originally from the Congress joined the BJP, following which he was declared as the candidate for Ramanagara. His return to the Congress has put a big question mark on the BJP's Vokkaliga leaders, whose decision making prowesses have now come under question.

Karnataka bypolls 2018: EC declares dry day for bypoll areas for 48 hrs

There appeared to be absolutely no coordination between the top Vokkaliga leaders of the party, D V Sadananda Gowda, R Ashok and C P Yogeshwar. It could be argued that this is a very strong bastion of the JD(S) and Congress, who are fighting the elections together.

However there was no harm in fielding a strong candidate and putting up a strong fight.

As expected the BJP resorted to a blame game after this fiasco. Gowda blamed Yogeshwar for bringing Chandrashekar into the party. He went on to add that he expected Chandrashekar to build a base for the party, but he ended up betraying the BJP.

The party's top brass is currently busy with the elections in the five states. It would take stock of the Karnataka situation soon and once it acts on it, several big heads are likely to roll.

Several party insiders say that the increased dependance of B S Yeddyurappa on R Ashok is not going down too well for the party. Ashok has also been given the responsibility of handling the campaign in Mandya, which is again a Vokkaliga stronghold.

The BJP clearly found itself in an embarrassing situation following the exit of Chandrashekhar. Reacting to the development, Yeddyurappa said that he was always suspicious about him and that is why he chose not to campaign for him. He said that he was having doubts about him since the past one week. His father was a Congressman and hence he had connections with Congress leaders, Yeddyurappa also said.

Did you know the first by-election in Mandya was held in 1968

Senior BJP leader, K S Eshwarappa too was quick to react and said that this was a lesson for the BJP. We should select candidates from our own party. There is no logic in Chandrashekhar blaming the BJP, he was purchased by the Congress and JD(S), Eshwarappa also went on to add.

The u-turn by Chandrashekhar may not make a big impact in the elections, where the results are concerned. The bastion belongs to the JD(S)-Congress, which has fielded, Karnataka CM, H D Kumaraswamy's wife, Anitha Kumaraswamy. It is however being seen as a psychological blow to the BJP, which appears to have played its cards wrong.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 16:27 [IST]
No protection, no hearing until we know where you are, SC tells Param Bir Singh

SC declines to interfere challenge to the Triple Talaq ordinance of Sep 19

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Nov 2: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain petitions challenging the ordinance on Triple Talaq which was promulgated by the Centre on September 19.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) said that the ordinance on Triple Talaq bill was promulgated just 2 months back and there is six months time for it. CJI said the bill can be taken up during the Winter Session of Parliament.

Prime Minister Modi ensured triple talaq has no place in country: Amit Shah

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance was promulgated on September 19 under which instant triple talaq has been declared illegal and punishable with a jail term of three years for the husband.

On August 9, the Union Cabinet had approved three amendments to the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill which has been cleared by Lok Sabha but is pending approval of the Rajya Sabha. The government was unable to get the Triple Talaq Bill passed during the monsoon and the budget sessions of Parliament.

Becasue of this, the Union Government took the Ordinance route in this matter. President can issue ordinance when one of the houses of the Parliament is not in session. The maximum validity of an ordinance is 6 months and 6 weeks. An ordinance will expire after 6 weeks once both houses of the Parliament are in session.

Bail clause amendment in Triple Talaq approved by Cabinet

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017 was originally drafted in 2017 following a Supreme Court verdict. This Bill makes instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat a punishable offence.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 12:36 [IST]
Can BJP counter Rafale with Bofors: Two contentious deals that are very different

SC dashes CBI hopes to revive Bofors case against the Hinduja brothers

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Nov 2: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed CBI petition challenging Delhi High Court verdict of 2005 discharging Hinduja brothers - Srichand, Prakashchand and another - in Bofors case and closing the politically sensitive case on ground that the appeal is time barred.

CJI said Court not convinced by CBI explanation that UPA govt delayed the filing of appeal for 12 years.

The apex court however said CBI may agitate its grounds against Hindujas in a separate complaint filed by Ajay Agarwal, which is pending in SC. Thw CBI was made a party in the case filed by Agarwal.

The probe agency filed an appeal on February 2 this year against the May 31, 2005 verdict of the Delhi High Court.

BJP leader and advocate Ajay Agrawal, who is pursuing the matter for over a decade, had filed an appeal in the top court in 2005 itself after the CBI had failed to challenge the high court's order within the mandatory 90 days period.

Mr Agrawal, who contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli against the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, had filed the appeal in which he had also made CBI as one of the respondents.

His appeal was already admitted and is pending.

After the NDA government came to power, there were speculations that CBI would take a call to either respond as respondent in Agrawal's petition or prefer a separate appeal.

After lot of deliberation, the CBI this year got the nod from the NDA government to file an appeal in the apex court.

The filing of the appeal assumes significance as Attorney General Venugopal in January had advised the agency against moving a petition against the high court verdict after a delay of more than a decade.

Later, after consultations, law officers were in favour of the appeal as the CBI came out with "some important documents and evidence" to challenge the high court order.

Sources in February had said the agency swung into action after the Attorney General orally gave it a go-ahead to file the appeal in the case in which it cited the October 2017 interview of private detective Michael Hershman, who alleged that the then Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government had sabotaged his investigation.

Hershman, who is the president of the US-based private detective firm Fairfax, had claimed in television interviews that Rajiv Gandhi was "furious" when he had found a Swiss bank account "Mont Blanc".

He had also alleged that the bribe money of the Bofors gun scandal had been parked in the Swiss account.

The CBI in its appeal stated that further investigation was necessary in view of the reports relating to Hershman's interviews.

Before the 2005 verdict of Justice RS Sodhi (since retired), another judge of the Delhi High Court, retired Justice JD Kapoor, had on February 4, 2004, exonerated the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in the case and directed the framing of charge of forgery under section 465 of the IPC against Bofors company.

The Rs. 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army was entered into on March 24, 1986.

Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987, had claimed that the company had paid bribes to top Indian politicians and defence personnel.

The CBI on January 22, 1990 had registered the complaint for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then president of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Hinduja brothers.

It had alleged that certain public servants and private persons in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy between 1982 and 1987 in pursuance of which the offences of bribery, corruption, cheating and forgery were committed.

The first chargesheet in the case was filed on October 22, 1999 against Chadda, Ottavio Quattrocchi, the then defence secretary SK Bhatnagar, Ardbo and the Bofors company.

A supplementary chargesheet was filed against the Hinduja brothers on October 9, 2000.

A special CBI court in Delhi on March 4, 2011, had discharged Quattrocchi from the case saying the country could not afford to spend hard-earned money on his extradition which had already cost Rs. 250 crore.

Quattrocchi, who had fled from here on July 29-30, 1993, never appeared before any court in India to face prosecution. He died on July 13, 2013. The other accused persons who died are SK Bhatnagar, Win Chadda and Martin Ardbo.
KCR govt is responsible for being unable to provide houses to poor, says Amit Shah

Telangana elections: KCR returns in style and here is how he did it

Telangana elections: The biriyani proposal

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Hyderabad, Nov 2: If you are in Telangana, then it is a good time for some biriyani. The Election Commission has suggested bringing down the prices of biriyani in a bid to bring down poll expenditure.

Telangana polls: As Naidu gets closer to Congress, TRS set to play insider-outsider card

However, do note that this reduction of price would not be applicable in hotels, but for the candidates who have to spend a huge amount of money supplying food for party workers during the elections.

The proposal was made by Telangana's chief electoral officer, Rajat Kumar to political parties. If this does go through, then the cost of mutton biriyani would be reduced from Rs 170 to 140. Chicken biriyani would cost Rs 120 per plate instead of Rs 140.

This is a proposal made to bring down the expenditure borne by the candidates. The money spent on food is accounted for by the EC.

Telangana elections: Here is what the seat sharing deal between Cong-TDP looks like

This proposal is not restricted only to biryani alone. The price of lemon rice was brought down from Rs 40 to 30. There is also a proposal to reduce the cost of other items such as idli, vada, tea and coffee.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 11:35 [IST]
Telangana polls: As Naidu gets closer to Congress, TRS set to play insider-outsider card

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Hyderabad, Nov 2: Ahead of the Telangana assembly elections 2018, the insider-outsider issue is likely to play out. The TRS in particular has decided to rake up this issue to corner Chandrababu Naidu, whose TDP is contesting the elections in an alliance with the Congress.

Caretaker minister and TRS leader, Harish Rao said that there was no discord between the people of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He was however quick to add that the objection was only to the leaders from AP, who were posing a threat to the identity of Telangana.

Telangana elections: Here is what the seat sharing deal between Cong-TDP looks like

The people of Telangana will not accept the fact that the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Uttam Kumar Reddy would be reporting to Naidu in AP Bhavan. He said that the TRS would soon release letters written by the martyrs of the Telangana agitation.

This would help in explaining to the people of Telangana what the opinion of the matrys were about Naidu. It may be recalled that Naidu had strongly opposed the creation of a separate Telangana state.

The Congress on the other hand was a divided house on the issue. While the Congress leaders from Telangana supported a separate state, those from Seema-Andhra had vehemently opposed it.

According to leading psephologist Dr. Sandeep Shastri, the TRS continues to hold the edge in the state. It is the newest India and let us remember that it is the first formal election in Telangana, he says.

It appears to me that the TRS has a distinct advantage and the hallow over its leadership which for the state is still there. Secondly, TRS has not done anything dramatically bad in the five years to inviter the wrath of the voter, Dr. Shastri says. What I get to see is that the TRS still enjoys a reasonably high popularity wave.

Telangana polls: BJP promises a statue in this state too

Dr. Shastri however points that the the Congress and the BJP are fighting for the second position in Telangana. This is important considering both are eyeing for the second and not the first position. Both the parties are looking at it from the view point of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in terms of positioning themselves as the main opposition. I feel that both are fighting so that they can emerge as the number 2 party in the state. Either do not believe that they can come to power. This is in fact working well in the advantage of the TRS, which for me as of now looks like the comfortable winner, Dr Shastri also adds.

Telangana votes on December 7 and counting of votes will take place on December 11. There are 119 seats in total and the magic number is 60.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 11:04 [IST]
While Rahul eyes national alliance with regional parties, Congresss internal fissures are widening

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

New Delhi, Nov 2: It's a strange situation for the Congress. On Thursday, November 1, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met a number of Opposition leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in New Delhi, and said in a press conference that their aim to "save democracy" and they wanted to bring together all non-BJP parties and build a common programme. "We will have to work together," Naidu said.

The Congress president also said after the meeting that all Opposition forces will work together to defend India and its democracy. The target of the leaders was clearly the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress-TDP meeting: 'We are not going to talk about our past, says Rahul Gandhi

While Rahul Gandhi is busy finding national friends, his own party is seeing bickering

Shift the focus to another development on the same day in the same capital. Deep fissures in the Congress's wing in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh were exposed as two leaders from the state - Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia - got engaged in verbal arguments in the presence of their party chief.

As per an Indian Today report, the two leaders, who have been asked to pick winnable faces as candidates for the November 28 Assembly elections, took on each other over distribution of tickets and choice of candidates. It was even reported that the argument was serious enough for Rahul Gandhi to make a three-member committee to settle it.

Though Singh later tweeted denying there was no argument between him and Scindia, the damage had already been done by then. It is being reported that while Scindia and veteran leader Kamal Nath are in the front in the run-up to the elections, Singh has increasingly fallen out of favour. It was also reported that he complained about the prevailing situation to former party president Sonia Gandhi and sought tickets for 57 candidates who he found able. Singh though denied saying that he did not write such a letter.

For Congress to have successful allies, it has to get its grassroots organisation in place

These two instances speak volume about the Congress's problem. At one hand, the Congress's top leadership is trying to make friends across the country to take on the BJP - a move which is made more out of desperation now for another big Lok Sabha poll debacle could put Rahul Gandhi's leadership in a serious jeopardy. The Grand-Old Party is no more in a position to dictate terms in alliances with regional parties, as we saw recently in a few poll-bound states where Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati openly snubbed it.

Madhya Pradesh matters and why the Congress is going all guns blazing here

And this brings us to the Congress's second problem and it is about the party's vulnerable internal affairs. The bickering among the top leaders of the party in Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress is out of power since 2003, shows how factionalism has deeply plagued the party and leaders do not even care to vent it out in front of the top leadership. The crisis in the Congress's MP wing in a way justifies Mayawati's allegations that the party's local leadership doesn't want to make an alliance with her. Her target was predominantly Digvijaya Singh.

The issue with the Congress's lower rungs is that the party has such deep-rooted problem of factionalism now that all the factional leaders want to keep their own loyalists happy so that they can somehow remain influential through electoral results and hence, all the bickering because none of them are ready to cede an inch. Is it really possible for Rahul Gandhi to make credible and strong alliances with other parties for the general polls when his own party has such a weak bonding within itself?

Recently in West Bengal, the state chief of the Congress party was removed because he was too adamant to negotiate with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee who has a good relation with the Gandhis and whom the latter would highly require if the idea of federal front has to succeed. Is it possible for the top brass to do the same in every state to make way for understandings over alliance? One is doubtful.

The Congress president first has to set his own house in order before he makes commitment to national alliance-building. With each electoral loss in the provinces, the Congress's local leaders are getting more and more agitated because their survival is at stake. If the party is not able to make amends to its electoral journey soon enough, an implosion can not be ruled out.

But for that implosion to be averted, the Congress has to win elections and for that, internal coordination and unity have to be strong.

It's a classic 'egg or chicken first' riddle for the Congress. Who can solve it?

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 10:39 [IST]
Death of Amal Hussain, malnourished Yemeni girl, brings back haunted memory of Aylan Kurd

International

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Sana, Nov 2: The disturbing memory of Aylan Kurdi is back again to haunt us. Amal Hussain, the seven-year-old Yemeni girl who stole headlines across the globe to make the "man-made" famine in the West Asian country apparent, thanks to her severe malnourishment, has reportedly died.

According to the New York Times which did a story on the devastating situation in Yemen featuring Amal, has reported about her death in a refugee camp in the war-torn country. Her condition was so serious that even a visit to the hospital failed to improve her condition.

Bus service with Pak and Kashmir, two different issues says China

Amal's bereaved mother told the Times that her heart is broken and she is worried for her other children. The continuous war in Yemen led by Saudi Arabia has reportedly resulted in a severe famine. Amal's family earlier resided near the border between Yemen and Saudi Arabia in a province called Saada when air strikes by the Saudi-led front forced them to flee. That was in 2015.

Riyadh has reportedly led in least 18,000 airstrikes in Yemen over a power battle and according to the Times, there are 1.8 million "severely malnourished children" in the country now. The United Nations has reported that the number of people in Yemen depending on emergency aid for their survival could rise to 14 million, which is half of the country's population.

Three-year-old Aylan had drowned in sea while trying to reach safe shores.

Trump, Putin to discuss INF Treaty in Paris, Russian foreign minister confirms

On September 2, 2015, pictures of three-year-old Aylan, a Syrian of Kurdish ethnic background, left the world in deep mourning as his body was found lying on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea as he was one among the refugees who were trying to reach Europe during the refugee crisis triggered by the country's internal disturbances.

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Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 9:54 [IST]
Committee to Protect Journalists reveal number of journalists jailed due to their work

With ship now freed, investigation into Suez Canal blockage begins

Suez Canal: 25 Indian crew onboard Ever Given in 'good health'

Egypt: 7 killed, 14 injured in attack on bus near Coptic Christian monastery

International

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Cairo, Nov 3: At least seven people killed, 14 injured in an attack on a bus heading towards Coptic monastery in Egypt, reports Reuters.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on Egyptian Christians, propaganda arm says.

ISIS co-conspirator from Tamil Nadu arrested

The incident took place on Friday as the vehicle was nearby the Saint Samuel Coptic Christian monastery close to Minya, a city about 270km south of the capital, Cairo, according to Al Jazeera.

The archbishop of Minya, Anba Makarious, told the Reuters news agency that at least seven people were killed and 14 wounded in the attack.
India, 7 other countries exempted from US sanctions on Iran

International

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Washington, Nov 2: Donald Trump administration exempted eight countries from sanctions on Iran. The US government announced the return of all sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

"United States to exempt eight countries from new Iran oil sanctions, " AFP quoted US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as saying. The names of the jurisdictions would be released on Monday, Mike Pompeo said.

Turkey has been told it will receive a waiver on U.S. sanctions against Iran, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez told reporters.

The US government has agreed to let 8 countries, including close allies South Korea and Japan, as well as India, keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes sanctions on Tehran.

India, which is the second biggest purchaser of Iranian oil after China, is willing to restrict its monthly purchase to 1.25 million tonnes or 15 million tonnes in a year (300,000 barrels per day), down from 22.6 million tonnes (452,000 barrels per day) bought in 2017-18 financial year, sources in New Delhi said.

In May, US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark nuclear the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) terming it as disastrous".

(With PTI inputs)
A shocking incident was about to take place when two planes were to collide in mid-air at the airspace border of India and Bangladesh. According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials, two IndiGo planes were averted a mid-air collision at the border airspace of India and Bangladesh.

The tragic incident was barred to happen just 45 seconds before the collision. As per reports, one of the planes was instructed by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower in Kolkata to turn right and move away from the other aircraft that had come at the same level.

"Both the aircraft, belonging to low-cost carrier IndiGo, had come on the same level on Wednesday evening and posed a threat to both the aeroplanes," a senior AAI official at the Kolkata airport told PTI.

"One aircraft was going to Guwahati from Chennai and the other from Guwahati to Kolkata. The planes had come close to each other around 5.10 pm," he said.

As per reports, the Kolkata-bound plane was at 36,000 ft in Bangladesh airspace while the other one at 35,000 ft in Indian airspace.

The official said that the Bangladesh ATC has asked the Kolkata-bound flight to descend to 35,000 ft and when the aircraft followed the order, it came close to the aircraft which was at 35,000 ft.

However, the presence of mind of an ATC official and quick action after witnessing the collision could take place, they asked the Chennai-Guwahati flight to make a right turn and move away from the path of the descending aircraft, averting a disaster, he said.

"We have no such information as of now," an IndiGo spokesperson told PTI when contacted. According to standard procedure, an investigation will be initiated, another AAI official said.

As per rule, the standard separation gap between two aircraft, both vertical difference and lateral difference, should be a minimum of 1000 ft, said sources at the airport.

Also read: J&K: Shocking! BJP state secretary Anil Parihar shot dead by unidentified gunmen
Pakistan hit my mysterious viral fever: All you need to know

Pak religious scholar Maulana Samiul Haq assassinated in Rawalpindi

International

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Islamabad, Nov 2: Pakistani religious scholar and former senator Maulana Samiul Haq, also known as 'father of Taliban', was assassinated in Rawalpindi on Friday.

According to Pakistani media, Maulana Hamidul Haq, the son of the JUI-S chief, said his father was stabbed to death while he was resting in his room. Maulana Sami was a heart patient, Hamid said.

"His driver Haqqani had gone out. On his return, he saw that Maulana Sami was lying in his bed in a pool of bed. He was no longer alive," Hamid said while talking to Geo News.

Will decision on Asia Bibi help bail out Pakistan from financial mess?

Haq, 82, was the head of the Islamic religious seminary Darul Uloom Haqqania in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Akora Khattak town and also the chief of the hardline political party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Sami (JUI-S). Haq, a heart patient, was killed by unidentified attackers while he was resting in his room, his son Maulana Hamidul Haq was quoted as saying by Geo News.

He was regarded as the "Father of the Taliban" because of the relationship between a student (Talib) and Teacher is a relationship of Father and Child, and had close ties to Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. Sami ul Haq was the chancellor of Darul Uloom Haqqania, a Deobandi Islamic seminary which is the alma mater of many prominent Taliban members

(With PTI inputs)
Sri Lanka won't be allowed to be used for 'any activity' against India: President Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa poaches Tamil MP ahead of crucial trust vote

International

pti-PTI

Colombo, Nov 2: In a boost for newly-appointed Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, a lawmaker from the main Tamil party defected to the premier's side and was made a minister on Friday even as President Maithripala Sirisena agreed to summon Parliament on November 7 for a floor test to end the political turmoil.

Rajapaksa claims he now has enough numbers to prove his majority and at least five of ousted premier Ranil Wickremasinghe's men have defected to his side.

The current suspension of Parliament is seen as key to Rajapaksa negotiating for enough defections. Rajapaksa was further bolstered by the defection of TNA MP S Vilenthiriyan from the eastern district of Batticaloa, who was made the deputy minister of eastern development.

Sri Lankan President to reconvene parliament as international pressure builds

Wickremasinghe's United National Party said they have handed over a motion of no confidence against new Prime Minister Rajapaksa. Senior UNP member Lakshman Kiriella said Secretary General of Parliament was informed of the motion.

The Rajapaksa-Sirisena combine has 96 MPs in the 225-member assembly, which is 17 short of the 113 required working majority. Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said that Sirisena has agreed to summon the legislature on November 7, in a fresh twist to the ongoing political crisis after former strongman Rajapaksa replaced Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

Sri Lanka crisis: All calls taken as per constitution, Sirisena tells UN envoy

There was confusion since Thursday on the date when the parliamentary deadlock would end as Sirisena had suspended the sittings until November 16. Controversially-appointed Prime Minister Rajapaksa said Thursday that Parliament would be convened on November 5.

This was later denied by Rajapaksa loyalists. Sirisena's party said on Thursday night that Parliament will not be convened before November 16, contradicting Rajapaksa's office.

Harsha de Silva, a Wickremesinghe supporter, said that 115 Members of Parliament belonging to different political parties including Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), the main Tamil party Tamil National Alliance (TNA), and the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) -- People's Liberation Front -- met Jayasuriya Friday morning and urged reconvening of Parliament.

Wickremesinghe has refused to accept his dismissal, claiming to be the country's legitimate premier. He argues that he cannot legally be removed until he loses the support of Parliament and called for a floor test to prove his majority.

The President was under increasing political and diplomatic pressure to reconvene Parliament. One UNP lawmaker has also offered support to Rajapaksa taking his tally to 101.

On Tuesday, angry protests rocked Sri Lanka's capital as thousands of demonstrators gathered for a rally organised by Wickremesinghe's party against what it said was a "coup" by President Sirisena.

PTI
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres

In 2018 alone, at least 88 journalists have been killed according to the UN. Many thousands more have been "attacked, harassed, detained or imprisoned on spurious charges, without due process," Guterres said in a video message for The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, marked annually on November 2.

Jamal Khashoggi murder 'savagely planned', says Turkey

The United Nations

Secretary-General Guterres paid tribute to the reporters in the field "who do their jobs every day despite intimidation and threats." And he called on the international community "to protect journalists and create the conditions they need to do their work." To mark the International Day, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is launching an initiative to fuel awareness on the issue of journalists killed on the job.

UN concerened about killing of scribes

Called "Truth Never Dies," it encourages people to share stories by and about fallen journalists to keep their legacies alive and to push for investigations into their deaths to be continued. "The truth never dies. And neither must our commitment to the fundamental right to freedom of expression," the UN chief said, highlighting that when journalists are attacked "societies as a whole pay a price."

Also Read |Jamal Khashoggi's death: US to revoke visas of Saudi officials

A study on global trends in media published by the UNESCO in 2017 highlights that impunity for crimes against journalists remains the norm, and trends in kidnappings, disappearances and torture have shown substantial increases since 2012. The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in September, calling on the international community to promote strategies that protect journalists and bring perpetrators of violence against the media to justice.

Jamal Khashoggi

The latest incident against a scribe was the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month. Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. The Saudis, under intense pressure to explain Khashoggi's whereabouts, have offered conflicting accounts. They initially said he had left the consulate on October 2, but later admitted that he had been killed in a fight.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 2)  Jose Duterte, who had been held captive by the Abu Sayyaf Group for over a year, was rescued Thursday afternoon in a military operation in Sulu.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines- Western Mindanao Command confirmed Friday that Duterte was released following intelligence operations of the Philippine Marine Ready Force in Panamao town.

The 66 year-old Duterte was abducted by unidentified bandits in his home in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte last March 3, 2017.

According to authorities, intelligence reports pointed out that Duterte was held under the custody of an Abu Sayyaf Group sub leader.

"The relentless effort of our troops to exert more pressure through focused military operations gives the ASG no other recourse but to surrender and for us to be able to rescue their captives," said Commander Lt. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega of the operation.

Duterte was brought to the Camp Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital in Sulu for medical check-up following the rescue.

Officials said the freed kidnap victim does not know if he is related to President Rodrigo Duterte or at least share the same ancestry with him.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 2)  In what seems to be another attack against the Catholic faith, President Rodrigo Duterte mocked the Church's observance of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

"Sabagay itong t****** talaga itong mga Katolikong p***. Bakit naman may All Souls' Day tapos may All Saints' Day? Hindi nga natin alam kung sino 'yang mga santo na 'yon. Sino 'yung mga g*** na 'yon? Mga lasenggo," Duterte said during the situation briefing in Isabela province Thursday in the aftermath of Typhoon Rosita.

[Translation: Well, these Catholics. Why do they have All Souls' Day and All Saints' Day? We don't even know who those saints are. Who are those? Just drunkards.]

He then said he would give the public one patron saint to recognize.

"Get hold of a picture of mine. 'Yan ang ilagay niyo sa altar [That's what you put on the altar]- Santo Rodrigo," the President said.

This is not the first time Duterte made controversial remarks against the Catholic church. On June 23, he called God "stupid," which prompted the Church to issue a strong statement against challenges to the faith.

READ: Duterte not apologizing for speaking against God, Church

Malacanang had also claimed the Church has links with the Communist Party of the Philippines.

READ: Bishop to Palace: Name church members with communist links

He even went so far as lambasting the clergy, saying that they should die of venereal disease.

The President, however, previously said he refuses to apologize for his comments against God and the Church, although he had asked God for forgiveness.

READ: Duterte: I told God I'm sorry

Malacanang earlier issued a statement from the President for the observance of the holidays. In that message, Duterte called on Filipinos to honor those who have passed away and "gain from their virtuous example."

READ: Duterte's message for #Undas2018

"We all have our obligations to the dead. It's a --- it's practically part of the culture but more than that it's something that is very important for us to commune with our ancestors," Duterte said in the briefing.
Opalesque Industry Update - Neuberger Berman has broadened its alternative investment platform through the acquisition of specialist asset manager Cartesian Re, which with its affiliate Iris Re, manages more than $1 billion in assets under management (AUM) focusing on the insurance-linked strategies (ILS) asset class. Cartesian Re was developed as a portfolio company of Cartesian Capital Group, which will work with Neuberger Berman to deliver ILS capabilities to clients globally. The addition of Cartesian Re illustrates Neuberger Berman's continued focus on diversifying its alternative capabilities, particularly with strategies offering returns uncorrelated with financial markets. Cartesian Re will be renamed NB Insurance-Linked Strategies and its affiliated Bermuda reinsurer, Iris Re, will be renamed NB Reinsurance Ltd. Led by Managing Partner Peter Yu, Cartesian Capital Group is a global private equity firm with $3 billion in committed AUM. In 2009, Cartesian Capital Group founded Cartesian Re as an ILS manager focused on industry-loss warranties, and has grown the firm consistently for nine years. Since its inception, Cartesian Re has consistently sought investment returns that are uncorrelated with traditional asset classes, while providing investors with greater transparency and less counterparty risk than other traditional insurance-related strategies. Cartesian Re brings to Neuberger Berman a diverse group of institutional clients and an experienced investment team, which has produced a long-term track record driven by a proprietary investment process and sophisticated quantitative analytics. All Cartesian Re professionals, including Managing Directors Peter DiFiore, Cedric Drui and Charles Mixon, have joined Neuberger Berman and will continue to serve in their current roles. Neuberger Berman and Cartesian Capital Group have taken great care to preserve continuity in Cartesian Re's investment management, investment philosophy, strategy and operations. "We are excited that Cartesian Re has now joined Neuberger Berman. I have long had the highest regard for Neuberger's thoughtful investment philosophy and execution," said Mr. Yu. "We look forward to a long and productive collaboration." "The investment team from Cartesian Re brings to our clients an established track record from unique investments that are not correlated with traditional asset classes," said Tony Tutrone, Head of Alternatives, Neuberger Berman. "Peter and his team started with a concept and have built a world-class organization and we look forward to working together." The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Sandler O'Neill + Partners, L.P. acted as financial advisor to Cartesian Capital Group and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal advisor. Willkie Farr acted as legal advisor to Neuberger Berman.
New Children's Book About Adoption, 'Lucy Ladybug Becomes A Big Sister' By Viki Doyle Heagy, To Be Released During National Adoption Month

Viki Doyle Heagy

https://www.vikiheagybooks.com

Children's book author Viki Doyle Heagy has announced the upcoming release of a new book for kids about adoption entitled 'Lucy Ladybug Becomes a Big Sister'. The release will occur in November 2018 during National Adoption Month.In the storyline of the new book, Lucy Ladybug is excited. Her parents are adopting. Her new brothers and sisters come from Hawaii. Mr. and Mrs. Ladybug host a luau to welcome them to the forest. The new ladybug kids have shells that are a pretty purple. Their adoptive family have red shells. This blended family knows that all that matters is love."Parents and children will enjoy reading about how adopted kids are chosen to complete a family," Heagy stated. "Love and acceptance are key issues in this story. All colors are beautiful."Viki believes reading to children is the best gift you can give them. It opens up a new world of adventure and knowledge. Stories should be fun and teach a lesson. A favorite quote of Vikis is attributed to Albert Einstein. He said If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.Heagy was inspired to write children's book as her grandchildren love story time and look forward to the quality time spent with their Kiki. When they started pre-school, Viki realized that her granddaughters had concerns about a number of issues. In response she has produced three kids books to date:Izzie The Inchworm's First Day of SchoolThis book, for preschoolers up to age 8, features Izzie and her friends Barney Beetle, Flora Firefly, Lucy Ladybug and Sam and Stan the Spider twins.Izzie and her friends provide important lessons on shyness, friendship and character building. This book also provides an opening for a discussion on bullying.Barney's Clubhouse AdventureBarneys Clubhouse Adventure is an entertaining story about teamwork. It picks up the story line from the first book, Izzie the Inchworms First Day of School. Barney, Izzie and their friends decide to meet and work on the project. They all have different ideas on how to build the clubhouse. They begin working individually. Disagreements occur. After some discussion, they finally decide on a design.Barney and his friends learn how to communicate and work together. They realize that by working together as a team, they can accomplish a lot. Everyone uses their talent to help build a fun place to play and hangout. They learn that Together Everyone Achieves More.Paddy the Wee LeprechaunAn enchanting and entertaining story following the disappearance of Paddy the Wee Leprechaun. Paddy is adventurous which tends to get him into trouble. One day he is late for dinner. His mother becomes extremely worried and calls upon the leprechauns and fairies in the glen to help search for him. Will Paddy be found?This exciting tale will have readers guessing where Paddy is while presenting a lesson, teaching children not to stray too far away from home.Schools, clubs and organizations can contact Viki for special pricing on large quantities.Viki Doyle Heagy is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at viki.heagy@gmail.com. All of her books are available at online retailers. More information is available at her website.Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Viki Doyle Heagy has built her life with a strong foundation of prioritizing faith and family. She hopes the characters in her books inspire and motivate children, as well as provide a spring board for parents and teachers to discuss issues facing children today.Currently she is employed at the Community College of Beaver County where she holds a fulltime position in admissions/registration. She is also an alumnus having received associate degrees in Humanities and Business Administration.PO Box 1613Shallotte, NC 28459
Global Payment Bank Solutions Market 2018-2023 | Focuses On the Key Players, To Define, Describe and Analyze the Value, Market Share, Market Competition Landscape, Development Plans

Payment Bank Solutions

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A payment system is any system used to settle financial transactions through the transfer of monetary value and includes the institutions, instruments, people, rules, procedures, standards, and technologies that make such an exchange possible. A common type of payment system is the operational network that links bank accounts and provides for monetary exchange using bank deposits.Request for Sample of Global Payment Bank Solutions Market 2018 Research Report:Leaders of The Industry: - MasterCard, EdgeVerve Systems, Mahindra Convivial, Gem alto, IBM, ACI Worldwide, BPC, and so on.Furthermore, years considered for the study are as follows:The historical year 2013, 2016The base year 2017Forecast period 2018 to 2023What makes a payment system a system is the use of cash-substitutes; traditional payment systems are negotiable instruments such as drafts and documentary credits such as letters of credit. With the advent of computers and electronic communications, a large number of alternative electronic payment systems have emerged. These include debit cards, credit cards, electronic funds transfers, direct credits, direct debits, internet banking, and e-commerce payment systems. Some payment systems include credit mechanisms, but that is essentially a different aspect of payment. Payment systems are used in lieu of tendering cash in domestic and international transactions and consist of a major service provided by banks and other financial institutions.Grab Guaranteed Discount:Segmentation by product type:SoftwareHardwareSegmentation by application:Mobile appsPlatformsDebit cardsATM cardsForex cardsWe can also provide the customized separate regional or country-level reports, for the following regions:AmericasUnited StatesCanadaMexicoBrazilAPACChinaJapanKoreaSoutheast AsiaIndiaAustraliaEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaSpainMiddle East & AfricaEgyptSouth AfricaIsraelTurkeyGCC CountriesWe Also Can Offer Customized Report To Fulfill Special Requirements Of Our Clients.Purchase this Premium Report at -Table of Contents2018-2023 Global Payment Bank Solutions Market Report (Status and Outlook)1 The 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 Payment Bank Solutions Market Size 2013-20232.1.2 Payment Bank Solutions Market Size CAGR by Region2.2 Payment Bank Solutions Segment by Type2.2.1 Software2.2.2 Hardware2.3 Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Type2.3.1 Global Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.3.2 Global Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Growth Rate by Type (2013-2018)2.4 Payment Bank Solutions Segment by Application2.4.1 Mobile apps2.4.2 Platforms2.4.3 Debit cards2.4.4 ATM cards2.4.5 Forex cards2.5 Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Application2.5.1 Global Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Market Share by Application (2013-2018)2.5.2 Global Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Growth Rate by Application (2013-2018)3 Global Payment Bank Solutions by Players3.1 Global Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Market Share by Players3.1.1 Global Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Players (2016-2018)3.1.2 Global Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Market Share by Players (2016-2018)3.2 Global Payment Bank Solutions Key Players Head office and Products Offered3.3 Market Concentration Rate Analysis3.3.1 Competition Landscape Analysis3.3.2 Concentration Ratio (CR3, CR5, and CR10) (2016-2018)3.4 New Products and Potential Entrants3.5 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion4 Payment Bank Solutions by Regions4.1 Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Regions4.2 Americas Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Growth4.3 APAC Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Growth4.4 Europe Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Growth4.5 the Middle East & Africa Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Growth5 Americas5.1 Americas Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Countries5.2 Americas Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Type5.3 Americas Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Application5.4 United States5.5 Canada5.6 Mexico5.7 Key Economic Indicators of Few Americas Countries6 APAC6.1 APAC Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Countries6.2 APAC Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Type6.3 APAC Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Application6.4 China6.5 Japan6.6 Korea6.7 Southeast Asia6.8 India6.9 Australia6.10 Key Economic Indicators of Few APAC Countries7 Europe7.1 Europe Payment Bank Solutions by Countries7.2 Europe Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Type7.3 Europe Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Application7.4 Germany7.5 France7.6 UK7.7 Italy7.8 Russia7.9 Spain7.10 Key Economic Indicators of Few Europe Countries8 Middle East & Africa8.1 the Middle East & Africa Payment Bank Solutions by Countries8.2 the Middle East & Africa Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Type8.3 the Middle East & Africa Payment Bank Solutions Market Size by Application8.4 Egypt8.5 South Africa8.6 Israel8.7 Turkey8.8 GCC Countries9 Market Drivers, Challenges and Trends9.1 Market Drivers and Impact9.1.1 Growing Demand from Key Regions9.1.2 Growing Demand from Key Applications and Potential Industries9.2 Market Challenges and Impact9.3 Market Trends10 Global Payment Bank Solutions Market Forecast10.1 Global Payment Bank Solutions Market Size Forecast (2018-2023)10.2 Global Payment Bank Solutions Forecast by Regions10.2.1 Global Payment Bank Solutions Forecast by Regions (2018-2023)10.2.2 Americas Market Forecast10.2.3 APAC Market Forecast10.2.4 Europe Market Forecast10.2.5 the Middle East & Africa Market Forecast10.3 Americas Forecast by Countries10.3.1 United States Market Forecast10.3.2 Canada Market Forecast10.3.3 Mexico Market Forecast10.3.4 Brazil Market Forecast10.4 APAC Forecast by Countries10.4.1 China Market Forecast10.4.2 Japan Market Forecast10.4.3 Korea Market Forecast10.4.4 Southeast Asia Market Forecast10.4.5 India Market Forecast10.4.6 Australia Market Forecast10.5 Europe Forecast by Countries10.5.1 Germany Market Forecast10.5.2 France Market Forecast10.5.3 UK Market Forecast10.5.4 Italy Market Forecast10.5.5 Russia Market Forecast10.5.6 Spain Market Forecast10.6 the Middle East & Africa Forecast by Countries10.6.1 Egypt Market Forecast10.6.2 South Africa Market Forecast10.6.3 Israel Market Forecast10.6.4 Turkey Market Forecast10.6.5 GCC Countries Market Forecast10.7 Global Payment Bank Solutions Forecast by Type10.8 Global Payment Bank Solutions Forecast by Application11 Key Players Analysis11.1 MasterCard11.1.1 Company Details11.1.2 Payment Bank Solutions Product Offered11.1.3 MasterCard Payment Bank Solutions Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2018)11.1.4 Main Business Overview11.1.5 MasterCard News11.2 EdgeVerve Systems11.2.1 Company Details11.2.2 Payment Bank Solutions Product Offered11.2.3 EdgeVerve Systems Payment Bank Solutions Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2018)11.2.4 Main Business Overview11.2.5 EdgeVerve Systems NewsAbout 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 the 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
Gypsum Fiber Board 2018 Global Market Key Players  Saint Gobain, USG, Johns Manville, Georgia-Pacific, National, Eagle Materials  Analysis and Forecast to 2025

Gypsum Fiber Board Market

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WiseGuyRerports.com Presents Global Gypsum Fiber Board Market Research Report 2018 New Document to its Studies DatabaseThis report studies the global Gypsum Fiber Board market status and forecast, categorizes the global Gypsum Fiber Board market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in North America, Europe, Japan, China, and other regions (India, Southeast Asia).The major manufacturers covered in this reportSaint GobainUSGJohns ManvilleGeorgia-PacificNationalEagle MaterialsContinental Buiding Products(Lone Star)PABCOFermacellCNBMHeng ShenglongHuilonShanghai Chuncui Decoration MaterialRequest 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 AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoGlass Fiber Reinforced GypsumWood Fiber Gypsum BoardOthersOn 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, includingResidentialCommercial BuildingOthersThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Gypsum Fiber Board capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Gypsum Fiber Board manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future.Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the marketTo analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the marketTo strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Complete Report Details @Table Of Contents:1 Gypsum Fiber Board Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Gypsum Fiber Board1.2 Gypsum Fiber Board Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum1.2.3 Wood Fiber Gypsum BoardOthers1.3 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Segment by Application1.3.1 Gypsum Fiber Board Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Residential1.3.3 Commercial Building1.3.4 Others1.4 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Gypsum Fiber Board 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 Gypsum Fiber Board (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)2 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Gypsum Fiber Board Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Gypsum Fiber Board Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Gypsum Fiber Board Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Gypsum Fiber Board Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion7 Global Gypsum Fiber Board Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Saint Gobain7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Gypsum Fiber Board Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Saint Gobain Gypsum Fiber Board Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 USG7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Gypsum Fiber Board Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 USG Gypsum Fiber Board Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Johns Manville7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Gypsum Fiber Board Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Johns Manville Gypsum Fiber Board Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Georgia-Pacific7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Gypsum Fiber Board Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Georgia-Pacific Gypsum Fiber Board Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 National7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Gypsum Fiber Board Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 National Gypsum Fiber Board Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2018)7.5.4 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 spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Address:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Squalene Market Research - Forecast Report 2018-2024 | Top Key Participant Amyris, Croda, Nucelis LLC, Focus Quimica, Tianjin Ringpu Bio-Technology Co., Ltd.

Squalene Market

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Squalene market to reach USD 241.9 million by 2022, with major revenue generation expected from personal care & cosmetic applications in anti-ageing and moisturizing creams.Squalene market size was estimated at 2.67 kilo tons in 2014, as per the latest research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Strong cosmetic industry growth expectations, majorly in Germany, Italy UK and France, will be key industry drivers, as emollient applications in creams, lotions, ointments and lipsticks are predominant uses.Request for a sample of this research report @Vegetable squalene market size, derived from olive oil, wheat germ, amaranth oil and rice bran oil, dominated the industry demand and accounted for over 49% of share in 2014. These vegetable sources have suffered tight supply situation over the recent years due to low crop output and growing demand in competing applications.Another source, shark liver oil derived from Portuguese shark and gulper shark may experience below average gains throughout the forecast period. This may happen due to deep sea fishing limitations set through regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) such as NEAFC, NAFO and CCAMLR.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis:1. Arista Industries, Inc.2. Amyris3. Empresa Figueirense de Pesca Lda (EFP)4. Nucelis LLC5. Focus Quimica6. Arbee Biospecialities Pvt Ltd7. Gracefruit Ltd8. Kishimoto Special Liver Oil Co., Ltd9. SeaDragon Marine Oils Limited10. Coastal Fisheries11. Tianjin Ringpu Bio-Technology Co., Ltd.12. Croda13. CARBOMER INC14. Aasha BiochemMake an inquiry for purchasing this report @Global squalene market size is projected to grow at 9.1% CAGR and reach 5.37 kilo tons by 2022.Cosmetic application dominated the demand and accounted for close to 66% of the share in 2014. Pharmaceutical applications may grow significantly with 9.0% CAGR from 2014 to 2022.Synthetic squalene market size is set to attain above average CAGR and register over 850 tons by 2022.APAC squalene market size, promoted by rise in per-capita middle class spending capacity for cosmetic products in China and India, may grow significantly at 9.5% CAGR from 2014 to 2022. Vegetable sources dominated the demand in APAC and registered close to USD 11.5 million in 2014.North America dietary supplement application is predicted to grow over at 8.5% CAGR and register close to 305 tons by 2022. Increasing focus towards marinating a healthy lifestyle coupled and avoiding expensive medication is likely to drive product demand for dietary supplements applications.Global squalene market share is characterized by major players focused on technology innovation to obtain high purity product for supplements and pharmaceutical applications.Amyris, Arbee Fish Oil, SeaDragron Ltd and Kishimoto Special Liver Oil are among notable industry participants.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:
Global Specific pathogen free eggs Market Size, Share Analysis to 2022,Key Players- ALPES, Venkateshwara Hatcheries Private Limited, Couvoir de Cerveloup, RM Group, VALO BioMedia GmbH, Jinan SAIS Poultry Co. Ltd

Specific pathogen free eggs Market

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Global Specific pathogen free eggs Market Overview:Specific pathogen-free eggs are free from particular Viruses, Bacteria, Mycoplasma and so on. SPF raiser runs are tried against in excess of 20 illnesses as indicated by necessity of the nation of starting point and these are Avian Adenovirus Group 1&2, Avian Encephalomyelitis, Avian Leucosis, Avian Nephritis, Avian Rhinotracheitis, REO malady, Chicken Anemia, Egg Drop Syndrome'76, Fowl Pox, Infectious Bronchitis, Infectious Bursal Disease, Infectious Laryngotracheitis, Influenza Virus Type-A, Marek's ailment, Newcastle ailment, Turkey Viral Rhinotracheitis (Avian pneumovirus), Avian Reticuloendotheliosis, Salmonella pullorum, Salmonella gallinarum, Salmonella enteritidis, Avian Paramyxovirus Type 2&3, Mycoplasmosis (Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mycoplasma synoviae).Explore More Information about report @Global Specific pathogen free eggs Market Analysis:India has risen as the main nation in the creating scene with an independent, innovation-driven poultry industry with the capacity to deliver each fundamental contribution for effective poultry cultivating, including indigenous hereditary asset and rearing, world-class poultry antibodies and meds, Specific pathogen-free eggs (SPF), ranches and incubation facility computerization frameworks, pellet feed, egg handling, poultry preparing, across the nation system of illness indicative research centers and offices for entrepreneurial improvement and preparing in both private and open parts.Our report "Indian Poultry Feed Market Opportunities" depicts the present situation of-poultry feed industry in the nation with a 10,000 foot see on both conventional and bundled feed. Our investigation foresees the poultry feed market to develop at a CAGR of around 8% till 2019-20. In the coming years, bundled poultry feed is relied upon to develop at a higher pace contrasted with the conventional poultry feed. The exploration report offers an all-around surrounded picture of poultry feed advertises elements, basic to get a grip of the market nerve.Request free sample @In light of our careful examination of the over a significant time span advertise patterns, drivers, difficulties and late improvements; gauge for poultry creation, feed markets with exhaustive estimation of market sections have been attracted a complete way. Our examination unmistakably delineates the notable, ebb and flow, and expected future patterns of layer and oven encourage utilization, and obviously, the key drivers and imperatives impacting the market development. State-wise poultry feed market of a portion of the noticeable states is a critical expansion to the exploration. Government activities to support poultry creation and more powerful bundled feed have additionally been exactly consolidated in the examination.In addition, keeping in mind the end goal to evaluate the opposition in the poultry feed industry; we have profiled key industry players, covering their business diagram and item portfolio. In spite of the fact that the occupant feed producers are not ready to investigate the maximum capacity of the Indian market, they are hopeful about the splendid future prospects. Their up and coming development designs and the section of new players approve the reality. Along these lines, incorporating every basic part of the Indian poultry feed showcase, the report exhibits an exhaustive standpoint of the area's past, present, and future situation.The key players in the market are ALPES Venkateshwara Hatcheries Private Limited Couvoir de Cerveloup RM Group VALO BioMedia GmbH Jinan SAIS Poultry Co. Ltd Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute Immune Lifesciences Private LimitedAbout Us:Research Cosmos is a provider of standard and customized Industry research, business intelligence and consulting services across more than 100 domains in different industries of the world. We host the trending Industry reports of the worlds top-notch publishing companies, offering services to a wide range of customers from students to fortune 500 companies and discloses the hidden opportunities in every leading industry of the world.Contact:Kevin Stewartkevin@researchcosmos.comGlobal Sales ManagerResearch Cosmos+1 888 709 8757LinkedIn -Twitter -Google+ -Facebook -
Quality Management System (QMS) Software 2018 Global Market Key Players IQS, Inc, MasterControl, EtQ, Intelex Technologies, Pilgrim Quality Solutions, MetricStream  Analysis and Forecast to 2025

Quality Management System (QMS) Software Market

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WiseGuyRerports.com Presents Global Quality Management System (QMS) Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 2018-2025 New Document to its Studies DatabaseA quality management system (QMS) is a collection of business processes focused on consistently meeting customer requirements and enhancing their satisfaction.In 2017, the global Quality Management System (QMS) Software 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 Quality Management System (QMS) Software status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Quality Management System (QMS) Software development in United States, Europe and China.The key players covered in this studyIQS, IncMasterControlEtQIntelex TechnologiesPilgrim Quality SolutionsMetricStreamSparta SystemsSAPArena SolutionsAutodeskOracleArasAssurXPlex SystemsIQMSUnipoint SoftwareIdeagenDassault SystemesSiemensMicro FocusRequest For Sample Report @Market segment by Type, the product can be split intoOn-premiseCloud-basedMarket segment by Application, split intoIT & TelecomManufacturingHealthcare and Life ScienceOthersMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaCentral & South AmericaThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze global Quality Management System (QMS) Software status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players.To present the Quality Management System (QMS) Software development in United States, Europe and China.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their development plan and strategies.To define, describe and forecast the market by product type, market and key regions.Complete Report Details @Table Of Contents:1 Report Overview1.1 Study Scope1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Players Covered1.4 Market Analysis by Type1.4.1 Global Quality Management System (QMS) Software Market Size Growth Rate by Type (2013-2025)1.4.2 On-premise1.4.3 Cloud-based1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Quality Management System (QMS) Software Market Share by Application (2013-2025)1.5.2 IT & Telecom1.5.3 Manufacturing1.5.4 Healthcare and Life Science1.5.5 Others1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Global Growth Trends2.1 Quality Management System (QMS) Software Market Size2.2 Quality Management System (QMS) Software Growth Trends by Regions2.2.1 Quality Management System (QMS) Software Market Size by Regions (2013-2025)2.2.2 Quality Management System (QMS) Software Market Share by Regions (2013-2018)2.3 Industry Trends2.3.1 Market Top Trends2.3.2 Market Drivers2.3.3 Market Opportunities..12 International Players Profiles12.1 IQS, Inc12.1.1 IQS, Inc Company Details12.1.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.1.3 Quality Management System (QMS) Software Introduction12.1.4 IQS, Inc Revenue in Quality Management System (QMS) Software Business (2013-2018)12.1.5 IQS, Inc Recent Development12.2 MasterControl12.2.1 MasterControl Company Details12.2.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.2.3 Quality Management System (QMS) Software Introduction12.2.4 MasterControl Revenue in Quality Management System (QMS) Software Business (2013-2018)12.2.5 MasterControl Recent Development12.3 EtQ12.3.1 EtQ Company Details12.3.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.3.3 Quality Management System (QMS) Software Introduction12.3.4 EtQ Revenue in Quality Management System (QMS) Software Business (2013-2018)12.3.5 EtQ Recent Development12.4 Intelex Technologies12.4.1 Intelex Technologies Company Details12.4.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.4.3 Quality Management System (QMS) Software Introduction12.4.4 Intelex Technologies Revenue in Quality Management System (QMS) Software Business (2013-2018)12.4.5 Intelex Technologies Recent Development12.5 Pilgrim Quality Solutions12.5.1 Pilgrim Quality Solutions Company Details12.5.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.5.3 Quality Management System (QMS) Software Introduction12.5.4 Pilgrim Quality Solutions Revenue in Quality Management System (QMS) Software Business (2013-2018)12.5.5 Pilgrim Quality Solutions Recent DevelopmentContinued.CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Address:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Global Internet of Things Insurance Market Key Players Analysis and Forecast to 2025: IBM Corporation, SAP SE, Oracle Corporation, Google Inc, Microsoft Corporation, Cisco System Inc

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Internet of Things Insurance Market Size, Status and Forecast 2018-2025 to its huge collection of research reports.The use of interconnected devices with real time data collaboration within the insurance industry is known as Internet of Things (IoT) insurance. The IoT enabled devices help insurer provide data, which can be used to manage claims, reduce risk, and identify various frauds. Easy settlement of claims, creation of analytical value from obtained data, and development of flexible insurance products for various sectors of the market are some of the advantages of IoT in insurance technology. The privacy of the user identity and over dependency on technology limit the adoption of IoT in insurance.You can get free access to samples from the report here:The growth in inclination towards IoT and increased demand for IoT-based devices in insurance industry majorly drive the IoT insurance market.Further, growth in practice of cloud computing in insurance sector and improved insurance service owing to adoption of IoT also propel the market toward growth. Development of new insurance model based on smart devices, growth in need to insure the devices such as smart automobiles, and analytics based on data provided by IoT devices for improvement of business creates sufficient opportunities in the IoT insurance market.In 2017, the global Internet of Things Insurance 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 Internet of Things Insurance status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Internet of Things Insurance development in United States, Europe and China.The key players covered in this studyIBM CorporationSAP SEOracle CorporationGoogle IncMicrosoft CorporationCisco System IncAccenture PLCVerisk Analytics, IncConcirrus LtdZonoff, InMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoProperty & Casualty InsuranceHealth InsuranceLife InsuranceOthersRead Complete Table of Content @Market segment by Application, split intoAutomotive & TransportationHome & Commercial BuildingLife & HealthBusiness & EnterpriseTravelOthersMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaCentral & South AmericaThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze global Internet of Things Insurance status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players.To present the Internet of Things Insurance 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.Read Detailed Research Study at:In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Internet of Things Insurance are as follows:History Year: 2013-2017Base Year: 2017Estimated Year: 2018Forecast Year 2018 to 2025For 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.About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow Us on LinkedIn:Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.comBlog:
Cardiac Surgical Devices Market Key Players : Edwards Life Science Corporation, Medtronic Inc., Getinge Group, Atrion Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Sorin S.P.A.

Cardiac Surgical Devices Market

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Global Cardiac Surgical Devices Market accounted for $1,700 million in 2016, and is estimated to reach $2,124 million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 3.2% during the analysis period (2017-2023). There is a high prevalence of cardiac diseases worldwide, hence an increase in the number of cardiac surgeries. Products such as beating heart surgery systems, cardiopulmonary bypass equipment, cardiac ablation devices, and perfusion disposable are used for cardiac surgery.Major companies operating in this market adopt product launch as their key development strategy. Companies profiled in this market include, Edwards Life Science Corporation, Medtronic Inc., Getinge Group, Atrion Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Sorin S.P.A., Terumo Medical Corporation, Boston Scientific Corporation, Cook Medical, and Angiodynamics, Inc.Other players (the profiles of these players are not covered in the report) in the value chain include C. R. Bard, Inc., Trinity Biotech, Abiomed, Inc., Cardinal Health, CyberHeart Incorporated, MedWaves Incorporated, and Transmedics, Inc.Get Sample PDF Brochure :The key factors that drive the growth of cardiac surgical devices market include rise in incidence & prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the rise in healthcare expenditure and healthcare insurance are expected to fuel the market growth during the analysis period. However, shortage of experienced healthcare professionals and lack of awareness among the population restrict the growth.Segment ReviewBased on product type, the global cardiac surgical devices market is categorized into beating heart surgery systems, cardiopulmonary bypass equipment, cardiac ablation devices, and perfusion disposable. Perfusion disposables held the highest market share and is expected to grow with the highest growth rate during the forecast period. The growth of the perfusion disposable market is fueled by the growth in use of perfusion disposables during cardiac surgical procedure for transferring the blood to different parts of the body. On the basis of application cardiac arrhythmia held the highest market share owing to the high prevalence of cardiac arrhythmia.Geographic Review:Geographically, the global cardiac surgical devices market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. North America held the largest share of the market in 2016, followed by Europe. On the other hand, Asia is anticipated to be the fastest-growing regional segment during the analysis period. The key factors that drive the growth of this market include increase in pool of patient population, rise in prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, and rise in government investments for development of better healthcare facilities and R&D. Asia-Pacific is expected to emerge as the area with maximum growth potential due to the focus of key players in the emerging economies and improving healthcare infrastructure.Growth in Incidence of Cardiac DiseasesMajority of the deaths, worldwide, are due to cardiac diseases; accounting for 17.3 million deaths per year, and projected to grow more than 23.6 million by 2030. American Heart Association (AHA) estimated that approximately 31% of total deaths globally in 2013, were because of cardiac diseases. Around 80% of those cardiac deaths were from low and middle income countries. These factors majorly drive the growth of the cardiac surgery devices market.In addition, rise in incidences of diabetes, atherosclerosis, strokes, hypertension, and other chronic disorders that arise due to change in lifestyle habits (such as unhealthy dietary habits, lack of physical activity, and smoking) are also expected to boost the growth of the market, as the aforementioned factors lead to disorders of the circulatory system.Large Pool of Geriatric PopulationThe global geriatric population has increased significantly and is vulnerable to various cardiac disorders, such as stroke, cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmias. For instance, according to the estimates of American Heart Association (2015), approximately 43.7 million suffered from cardiovascular disorders and above the age of 60 years in the U.S. alone. In addition, 69.1% of men and 97.9% of women, aged between 60 and 79 years, had cardiac disorders in 2015, in the U.S. Similarly, about two-thirds of deaths are from cardiac diseases in the people aged 75 and above. Emerging countries have high number of elderly population throughout the world. For instance, according to the estimates of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 2016, approximately 27.3% of population were above 65 years. Therefore, the escalation in rate of the geriatric population is expected to raise the demand for surgical procedures, thereby driving the cardiac surgery devices market.Key Market Benefits: The study provides an in-depth analysis of the cardiac surgical devices market with current trends and future estimations to elucidate the imminent investment pockets The report provides a quantitative analysis from 2016 to 2023 to enable the stakeholders capitalize on prevailing market opportunities Extensive analysis by product and application helps understand various trends and prevailing opportunities in the respective market Comprehensive analysis of all geographical regions is provided, which determines the main opportunities in these geographies Key market players are profiled and their strategies are analyzed thoroughly, which predict the competitive outlook of the marketAllied 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.David C5933 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:
Asia Pacific SCADA Market Growth & Key Business Strategies by Leading Industry Players Siemens AG, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Emerson Electric Co, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Fuji Electric Co. Ltd.

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SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is a computer-based system used to gather and analyze real-time data. A SCADA system usually consists of remote terminal units, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), telemetry and human-machine interface. The information from sensors or manual inputs is sent to PLCs, which is further processed by computers using SCADA. Real-time data is analyzed and displayed in a logical and organized fashion to reduce waste and improve efficiency in the manufacturing processes.Download PDF Report Sample@The primary function of SCADA systems is to monitor and control remote equipment. It is used across diverse industries such as telecommunications, transportation, oil and gas refining, water and waste control. Increase in infrastructure investments in emerging countries and the demand for SCADA in oil and gas industry are driving the market for SCADA. Rising demand for monitoring, visualization and controlling equipment from remote station is also adding to the market. The growing trend of automation among industries is creating opportunities for the SCADA market. SCADA systems use internet to control the equipment, and are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Thus, cyber security concerns are acting as a restraining factor for the market.The SCADA market is segmented on the basis of components, architecture, application and country. Components segment includes programmable logic controller (PLC), remote terminal unit (RTU), human machine interface (HMI) and communication systems. Applications segment includes industries of telecommunications, transportation, oil and gas refining, power, water and waste control, manufacturing, chemicals, food and beverages and pharmaceuticals. Key players in the Asia-Pacific SCADA market are Siemens AG, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Emerson Electric Co, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Fuji Electric Co. Ltd., OMRON Corporation, Fanuc Corporation, ICONICS Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Schneider Electric.Get Customized Report @KEY BENEFITS The report provides an in-depth analysis of the SCADA market and offers current and future trends to identify lucrative investment pockets in the market. The report identifies the key drivers, opportunities and restraints that shape the market and provides an impact analysis for the forecast period. Porters five forces analysis highlights the potency of the buyers and suppliers participating in this market. Current and future trends are outlined to determine the overall attractiveness and figure out profitable trends in order to gain a stronger foothold in the marketMARKET SEGMENTATIONThe Asia-Pacific SCADA market is segmented on the basis of components, architecture, application and countryMARKET BY COMPONENTS Programmable logic controller (PLC) Remote terminal unit (RTU) Human machine interface (HMI) Communication systemsMARKET BY ARCHITECTURE Hardware Software ServicesMARKET BY APPLICATION Telecommunications Transportation Oil and gas refining Power Water and waste control Manufacturing Chemicals Food and beverages PharmaceuticalsAccess Full Summery @KEY PLAYERS Siemens AG Rockwell Automation, Inc. Emerson Electric Co Yokogawa Electric Corporation Fuji Electric Co. Ltd. OMRON Corporation Fanuc Corporation ICONICS Inc. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Schneider ElectricAbout 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:
Global and United States Digital Colposcopy Equipment Market Research by Company, Type & Application 2013-2025

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Market Segment as follows:By TypePortableFixedHandheldBy ApplicationCervical cancer screeningPhysical examinationsOthersBy CompanyDySIS (US)CooperSurgical (US)Atmos (Germany)Olympus (Japan)Karl Kaps (Germany)McKesson (US)Danaher (US)Carl Zeiss (Germany)The main contents of the report including:Section 1:Product definition, type and application, global and United States market overview;Section 2:Global and United States Market competition by company;Section 3:Global and United States sales revenue, volume and price by type;Section 4:Global and United States sales revenue, volume and price by application;Section 5:United States export and import;Section 6:Company information, business overview, sales data and product specifications;Section 7:Industry chain and raw materials;Section 8:SWOT and Porter's Five Forces;Section 9:Conclusion.Get sample copy of this report:Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Portable1.1.2.2 Fixed1.1.2.3 Handheld1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Cervical cancer screening1.1.3.2 Physical examinations1.1.3.3 Others1.2 Global and Regional Market Size1.2.1 Global Overview1.2.2 United States Overview2 Global and Regional Market by Company2.1 Global2.1.1 Global Sales by Company2.1.2 Global Price by Company2.2 United States2.2.1 United States Sales by Company2.2.2 United States Price by Company3 Global and Regional Market by Type3.1 Global3.1.1 Global Sales by Type3.1.2 Global Price by Type3.2 United States3.2.1 United States Sales by Type3.2.2 United States Price by Type4 Global and Regional Market by Application4.1 Global4.1.1 Global Sales by Application4.1.2 Global Price by Application4.2 United States4.2.1 United States Sales by Application4.2.2 United States Price by Application5 Regional Trade5.1 Export5.2 Import6 Key Manufacturers6.1 DySIS (US)6.1.2 Company Information6.1.2 Product Specifications6.1.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.2 CooperSurgical (US)6.2.1 Company Information6.2.2 Product Specifications6.2.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.3 Atmos (Germany)6.3.1 Company Information6.3.2 Product Specifications6.3.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.4 Olympus (Japan)6.4.1 Company Information6.4.2 Product Specifications6.4.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.5 Karl Kaps (Germany)6.5.1 Company Information6.5.2 Product Specifications6.5.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.6 McKesson (US)6.6.1 Company Information6.6.2 Product Specifications6.6.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.7 Danaher (US)6.7.1 Company Information6.7.2 Product Specifications6.7.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.8 Carl Zeiss (Germany)6.8.1 Company Information6.8.2 Product Specifications6.8.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)7 Industry Upstream7.1 Industry Chain7.2 Raw Materials8 Market Environment8.1 SWOT8.2 Porter's Five Forces9 ConclusionBuy this report online :Market Density is your one stop market research and industry analysis reports' library providing business data and intelligence information on thousands of micro markets with global as well as regional coverage.Market Density offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Market Density understands 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:Email: Support@marketdensity.comWebsite:Phone: +1 669 264 16564340 Stevens Creek Blvd,Suite # 172,San Jose, CA 95129
Interventional Cardiology and Peripheral Vascular Devices Market: Including Top Companies Abbott Laboratories, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Boston Scientific Corporation, C. R. Bard, Inc., Cardinal Health, Inc.

Interventional Cardiology and Peripheral Vascular Devices Market

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Interventional Cardiology and Peripheral Vascular Devices Market is estimated to garner $25,349 million by 2022, registering a CAGR of 9.7% during the period 2016-2022.Angioplasty stent systems are estimated to generate the highest revenue among all segments throughout the forecast period, owing to technological advancements and development of bioabsorbable stents. North America held the leading position in the global market in 2015, and is expected to maintain its lead in the future. This is attributed to the increase in incidence of heart failures, changes in lifestyle, and high adoption of interventional cardiology and peripheral vascular devices in the region.Growth in geriatric population,increase in prevalence of chronic diseases, changes in lifestyle of the people, technological advancements in devices, improvement of healthcare infrastructure in developing countries, development of minimally invasive procedures, and increase in patient awareness propel the market growth. However, stringent approval process for interventional cardiology and peripheral vascular devices is a major factor that hampers the market growth.Download PDF Report Sample @Key players have adopted product development as their key strategy to cater to the changing needs of the industry.Major players operating in this market include Abbott Laboratories B. Braun Melsungen AG Boston Scientific Corporation C. R. Bard Inc. Cardinal Health Inc. Cook Medical Inc. Medtronic plc St. Jude Medical Inc. Terumo Corporation The Spectranetics CorporationAs of 2015, Medtronic dominated the overall renal denervation market, followed by Abbott Laboratories and Boston Scientific Corporation.Plaque modification devices are projected to be thefastest growing segment, with a CAGR of 13.7% from 2016 to 2022, as these devices provide an efficient alternative when ballooning of arteries fail. In addition, plaque removal is also important before a stent implant as this helps in prevention of restenosis in the arteries. Apart from this, increase in incidences of plaque buildup in coronary as well as peripheral arteries and minimally invasive nature of the procedure will also drive the market.Bioabsorbable stents system is expected to register a very high CAGR of 46.0% during the forecast period as this system is fully absorbed into the body and eliminates chances of restenosis. In addition, bioabsorbable stents improve endothelial function, avoid the loss of blood, and restore normal vasomotion. This is not possible when bare metal stents are used. Therefore, bioabsorbable stents would grow with a very high growth rate.For More Information @Key findings of the Interventional Cardiology and Peripheral Vascular Devices Market: On the basis of product type, angioplasty stents segment accounted for more than half of the total market in 2015. Plaque modification devices are expected to grow at high rate (with a CAGR of 13.7%) as use of these devices before stent implant decreases the chances of restenosis. North America accounted for more than one-third of the total market in 2015, and it is projected to lead the overall market in the forecast period. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region (with a CAGR of 10.4%) throughout the analysis period, owing to presence of ample growth opportunities in terms of unmet medical needs for the treatment of cardiac disorders in this region.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:
Global and United States Charcoal Grills Market Research by Company, Type & Application 2013-2025

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Market Segment as follows:By TypePortableDesk TypeBy ApplicationCommercialResidentialBy CompanyWeberColemanMasterbuilt GrillsAmericana GrillsChar-GrillerDyna-GloVision GrillsRiverGrillePortable KitchenMasterbuilt ProLANDMANNUniFlameFire SenseChar-BroilKingsfordThe main contents of the report including:Section 1:Product definition, type and application, global and United States market overview;Section 2:Global and United States Market competition by company;Section 3:Global and United States sales revenue, volume and price by type;Section 4:Global and United States sales revenue, volume and price by application;Section 5:United States export and import;Section 6:Company information, business overview, sales data and product specifications;Section 7:Industry chain and raw materials;Section 8:SWOT and Porter's Five Forces;Section 9:Conclusion.Get sample copy of this report:Table of Contents1 Market Overview2 Global and Regional Market by Company3 Global and Regional Market by Type4 Global and Regional Market by Application5 Regional Trade6 Key Manufacturers7 Industry Upstream8 Market Environment9 ConclusionBuy this report online :Market Density is your one stop market research and industry analysis reports' library providing business data and intelligence information on thousands of micro markets with global as well as regional coverage.Market Density offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Market Density understands 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:Email: Support@marketdensity.comWebsite:Phone: +1 669 264 16564340 Stevens Creek Blvd,Suite # 172,San Jose, CA 95129
NFC Chips Market Expanding at a CAGR of 26.0% Between 2016 - 2024 | NXP Semiconductor (Netherlands), Texas instrument (U.S), Qualcomm Inc. (U.S.)

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TMR has envisaged the NFC chips market to post a whopping CAGR of 26.0% to attain a valuation of US$10.62 bn by the concluding forecast year. On the basis of application, the market could gain immensely from smartphones anticipated to secure a larger share in the near future. By region, Asia Pacific may snatch the dominance from North America while expanding at a 27.90% CAGR.Global NFC Chips Market: OverviewNear Field communication (NFC) chips systems are communicating device that are ideal for electronic applications and are capable of identifying the radio frequency identifying technology. Dispensing technology have been widely accepted since 2004 and the further technological advancements have led to evolution of shorter range radio identification technologies between two devices. This advancements helps in facilitating safer data transfer. A key trend that has been observed in the recent past years is growing demand of NFC chips among consumer electronics manufacturer, which is a key driver during the forecast period of 2016-2024.A surge in demand for smart phones across the globe is driving the demand for NFC chips in global market. This technology is being deployed in electronics to increase and boost contactless safe data transfer. Consumer electronics manufacturers are increasing their demand for NFC chips overtime, this factor acts as a major driving factor for future demand of NFC chips. Additionally, rapid technological advancements in radio frequency identification are fueling the growth of the global market.Request to Get Sample Copy of This Report @The government initiatives as well as private investments in research & devolvement of NFC chip technology are supplementing the growth of the market. Thus, the conjoint effect of all these drivers is set to strengthen the growth of the global NFC chip market in the coming years. NFC chips are sometimes of very complex design is expected to hindering the growth for NFC chips during the forecast period. Simpler version of NFC chips designs as an alternative to traditional complex product design is required for wider application usability. Furthermore, cost effectiveness and simplicity to install in devices is boosting the growth of this product market.Global NFC Chips Market: SegmentationThe global market has been segmented in the basis of application, storage, end users and geography. By application, the global NFC chip market has been broadly classified into smartphone, television, medical equipment, car and others. On the basis of storage NFC chip has been further sub-divided into 64 Bytes, 168 Bytes, 180 Bytes, 540 Bytes and others. Furthermore, end users of NFC chip has been fragmented into consumer electronics, automotive, retail, medical, and aviation among others. By geography, this market has been segregated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America.Growing popularity in end-user industries such as medical, automotive, retail, and aviation among others coupled with healthy economic growth of emerging economies are offering potential growth opportunities to the global NFC chip market. NFC chips have been extensively used in healthcare sector such as NFC based diabetes monitoring system, NFC for heart monitoring devices, medical implants, and medical data storage devices among others are expected to gain popularity across several end user application is set to boost the market growth in the coming years.Request to Get Complete Report List Of Tables and Figures @Global NFC Chips Market: Competitive AnalysisThe key players in the global NFC chip market have been competitively profiled across the five broad geographic regions. This competitive landscape is inclusive of the various business strategies adopted by these major players and their recent developments in the field of NFC chip. Further, this report includes the market attractiveness analysis of the electronics applications for offering and insight into the major application area of the NFC chip.An exhaustive analysis of the market dynamics of the global market that is inclusive of the market drivers, restraints and opportunities is covered under the purview of the study. Therefore, the global high resolution dispensing systems and equipment market report offers and extensive study of the market along with providing the forecast of the market in terms of revenue (USD Million) and volume (Units) from 20162024. Some of the major players operating in the NFC chip market are NXP Semiconductor (Netherlands), Texas instrument (U.S), Qualcomm Inc. (U.S.), among others.The global NFC chips market has been segmented into:By ApplicationSmart phoneTelevisionMedical equipmentCarOthersBy Storage Capacity64 Bytes168 Bytes180 Bytes540 BytesOthersBy End UsersConsumer ElectronicsAutomotiveRetailMedicalAviationOthersRequest to Buy This Report From Here @By GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle East and AfricaLatin AmericaMarketResearchReports.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
Fluid Sensors Market 2018 Regional Trends, Revenue, Forecast & Companies  (Honeywell, Schneider Electric, NXP Semiconductors, TE Connectivity, Infineon Technologies, SICK, FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology, Inc., Yokogawa) 2024

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The Fluid Sensors Market will experience a rapid expansion owing to the demand from the oil & gas industry for applications such as tank level monitoring and oil quality assessment. Increasing mobility and industrialization have led to a rise in the demand for crude oil and natural gas. Given the extreme and harsh conditions in the oil & gas industry, reliable and high-quality sensors are experiencing a rising demand. Pressure and temperature sensors are increasingly being deployed in the sector for maintaining the oil composition and the environmental parameters. They are being used for monitoring the vibration and pressure changes that may damage pipelines and equipment. The demand for multi-level sensors for oil separating in oil drilling operations will fuel the fluid sensors market growth.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @Technological advancements in the fluid sensors market will support the adoption of these sensors in various industry verticals. Developments in wireless transmission technologies are facilitating enhanced communication amongst several devices, thereby ensuring a granular control of all the parameters functioning in the system. Field effect sensors possess the unique ability to detect semi-solid materials and fluids without any direct contact. The ongoing advancements in the electronics and semiconductor industry have enabled the manufacture of robust sensors that can withstand harsh environments. The advent of smart sensors that can adapt to the surrounding environment and ensure highly precise readings will support the fluid sensors market growth.The growth in the automotive industry attributed to the rising standard of living and the growing disposable incomes has led to the demand for high-performance automated solutions to ensure comfort and safety. Sensors are increasingly being incorporated into vehicles by leading automobile manufacturers such as Audi and BMW. Sensors are being used for the measurement of fluid in the braking system and for water cooling & temperature detection to avoid potential dangers. Liquid sensors with integrated cable terminals and magnetic floats can be used to detect multiple fluid points or low liquid levels.Request for customization @These sensors are increasingly being used in wastewater treatment operations, exposing them to several chemicals and hazardous materials, thereby hampering their quality and efficiency of operation. The need for replacing the sensor system periodically will lead to increased operational and maintenance costs, which will hinder the fluid sensors market growth. The complexity of installation of the sensor system coupled with the lack of availability of skilled technicians in the emerging regions will hinder the fluid sensor market growth. The installation of these sensor systems in turbulent and agitated liquids may impact the quality of the sensors thereby making them unsuitable for such applications.The rising demand for the detection of liquid leakages in chemical & thermal plants, water & gas supplies, and manufacturing facilities will contribute to the fluid sensors market growth. In chemical industries, leakage results in a significant loss of capital and resources, thereby stressing the importance of incorporating sensors in the system. These sensors also find applications in the detection of early oil or chemical detection in underwater or ground vehicles that explore sea lines. Stringent regulations for environment safety pertaining to hazardous liquid leakages will further boost the fluid sensors market growth.Browse Report Summery @The fluid sensors market will witness growth in India and China due to the rapid urbanization and industrialization happening in these countries. Sensors form the core components of the latest technologies such as AI and IoT. The growing penetration of these technologies in countries including Singapore and India is anticipated to propel the fluid sensors market growth. Water and wastewater treatment projects such as National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), India are demanding the installation of high-quality sensors, further supporting the fluid sensors market growth in the region.Key players in the fluid sensors market include Honeywell, Schneider Electric, NXP Semiconductors, TE Connectivity, Infineon Technologies, SICK, FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology, Inc., Yokogawa. The fluid sensors market is characterized by the extensive R&D investments. Major players are investing in launching new and innovative solutions that differentiate their product offerings. Increasing competition among key players to launch advanced solutions will drive the fluid sensors market growth.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:
Iron Ore Mining in China to 2021 Key Players-China Minmetals Corporation, Anshan Iron and Steel Group Corporation, Hebei Iron & Steel Co., Ltd and Hengshi Mining Investments Ltd

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Iron Ore Mining in China to 2021-Structural Reforms in Domestic Steel Industry to Enhance Iron Ore Imports" to its huge collection of research reports.Iron Ore Mining in China to 2021 - Structural Reforms in Domestic Steel Industry to Enhance Iron Ore ImportsSummaryGlobalDatas "Iron Ore Mining in China to 2021", report covers comprehensive information on Chinas iron ore mining industry, crude ore reserves, the historical and forecast numbers for iron ore production. The report also includes the historical and forecast numbers for iron ore consumption, and imports. Detailed analysis of the Chinese mining industrys regulatory structure, demand drivers, competitive landscape, and mining projects at various stages (active, exploration and development) of the supply chain is provided.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Scope- Summary of the countrys mining industry across various parameters - reserves, production, consumption, imports, competitive landscape, regulatory scenario and the future potential.- Iron ore production, consumption and import numbers from 2000-2016 and forecast for next five years to 2021.- Policies and regulatory framework governing the industry.- Company details, including company overview, business description and data on major active, exploration and development iron ore projects.Reasons to buy- Gain an understanding of Chinas iron ore mining industry- Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data- Obtain the state-wise most up to date information for active, exploration and development iron ore projects.- Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events- Identify various factors affecting the iron ore demand.- Identify key operating companies and obtain the business structure, strategy and prospects.1 Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 11.1. List of Tables 31.2. List of Figures 32. Iron Ore Mining in China to 2021 42.1. Key Highlights 43. Iron Ore Mining in China: Reserves, Production, Consumption, and Trade 53.1. Reserves by Geographical Region and Grade 53.2. Historical and Forecast Iron Ore Production 73.3. Active Mines 113.4. Exploration and Development Projects 12Get Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @3.5. Historical and Forecast Iron Ore Consumption and Trade 133.5.1. Domestic iron ore consumption vs. steel production 133.5.2. Chinese Iron Ore Imports 133.5.3. Imports by country 163.6. Demand Drivers 183.6.1. Reforms in Domestic Steel Industry 184. Major Iron Ore Producers in China 194.1. China Minmetals Corporation 194.2. Anshan Iron and Steel Group Corporation 204.3. Hesteel Company Ltd 214.4. Hengshi Mining Investments Ltd 225. Iron Ore Mining in China: Fiscal Regime 235.1. Chinas Mining Fiscal Regime - Governing Bodies 235.1.1. State Council 235.2. Chinas Mining Fiscal Regime: Laws, Regulations, Rights, and Obligations 255.2.1. Mineral Resources Law 255.2.2. Law on the Coal Industry 255.2.3. Law on Safety in Mines 265.2.4. Environmental Protection Law 26Continue...About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on @
Wireless Power Transmission Market Key Trends 2017-2025 : Witricity Corp., Qualcomm Inc., and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd

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Global Wireless Power Transmission Market: OverviewThe concept of wireless power transmission or transfer dates back to the mid-18th century when Nikola Tesla, a prominent contributor to the design of alternating current (AC) power supply systems, first worked on wireless power transmission projects. Wireless power transfer allows to lose the limitation of a power cord while keeping electrical devices constantly charged. Solar cells, resonance, and microwaves are the three principal systems employed for wireless power transmission. This concept is expected to resolve the complicated energy crisis concerning the entire world to this day.Global Wireless Power Transmission Market: Key TrendsThe global wireless power transmission market is expected to rise at a sturdy CAGR between 2017 and 2025 on account of certain factors propelling the growth. The requirement of effectual charging systems and surging consumer preference for wireless connectivity and the convenience offered are prognosticated to raise the hopes of vendors operating in the global wireless power transmission market. In the years to come, the global wireless power transmission market could witness the rise of the magnetic resonance technology making way into the introductory phase and inductive technology into the growth phase.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Smartphone giant Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. headquartered in South Korea possesses a powerful line of smartphones that flaunt the capabilities of a wireless charging receiver. Some of the popular smartphone series other than Samsung Galaxy that carry wireless charging capabilities are Google Nexus and Motorola Droid. The adoption in a range of smartphones in the inductive wireless power transmission market is predicted to hoist smartphones as a larger receiver application.Lack of common standards raising compatibility issues and trade-offs between safety, efficiency, and range of wireless power transmission is prophesied to injure the growth of the global wireless power transmission market to some extent. However, opportunities in various segmentation markets such as integrated implementation and induction technology are predicted to compensate for the effect of deterrents in the global wireless power transmission market.Global Wireless Power Transmission Market: Market PotentialA demonstration test of a motor-assisted bicycle was initiated in Kyoto Prefecture by a team functioning in the Kyoto University. The bicycle is capable of wirelessly receiving charge by merely parking it facing a charger stand. The front wheel of the bicycle is docked in a rack where power is drawn in the form of microwaves with the help of a battery pack and a receiver. The testing began early in March 2017. A differentiating aspect noticed is that the charging is only done late night to avoid potentially harmful contact of humans with microwaves equaling a 100 watts. The charging is designed in such a way that it stops as soon as anybody comes within a particular range.Request TOC of the Report @Global Wireless Power Transmission Market: Regional OutlookThe international wireless power transmission market is anticipated to see Asia Pacific receive a telling traction in terms of market size due to the snowballing presence of a significant number of consumer electronics industries. Countries such as South Korea, India, Japan, and China could lead the Asia Pacific wireless power transmission market from the front. Swift urbanization and aggressively increasing population are the other growth aspects of Asia Pacific in the wireless power transmission market. Researchers also point out Asia Pacific being a mammoth manufacturing hub of consumer electronics as another factor augmenting the progress of the regional wireless power transmission market.Global Wireless Power Transmission Market: Competitive LandscapeTDK Corp., Integrated Device Technology, Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., Witricity Corp., Qualcomm Inc., and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. could be the leading companies in the worldwide wireless power transmission market.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global and United States Oil Skimmers Market Research by Company, Type & Application 2013-2025

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Market Segment as follows:By TypeOleophilic SkimmersNon-oleophilic SkimmersBy ApplicationWastewater SumpsCoolants and Cutting FluidsOther ApplicationBy CompanyAbanakiMegatorE-COSK.E.M.Oil SkimmersAtlas Precision Tools (India)SkimOILZebra SkimmersFriessDesmiThe main contents of the report including:Section 1:Product definition, type and application, global and United States market overview;Section 2:Global and United States Market competition by company;Section 3:Global and United States sales revenue, volume and price by type;Section 4:Global and United States sales revenue, volume and price by application;Section 5:United States export and import;Section 6:Company information, business overview, sales data and product specifications;Section 7:Industry chain and raw materials;Section 8:SWOT and Porter's Five Forces;Section 9:Conclusion.Get sample copy of report:Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Market Segment Overview1.1.1 Product Definition1.1.2 Market by Type1.1.2.1 Oleophilic Skimmers1.1.2.2 Non-oleophilic Skimmers1.1.3 Market by Application1.1.3.1 Wastewater Sumps1.1.3.2 Coolants and Cutting Fluids1.1.3.3 Other Application1.2 Global and Regional Market Size1.2.1 Global Overview1.2.2 United States Overview2 Global and Regional Market by Company2.1 Global2.1.1 Global Sales by Company2.1.2 Global Price by Company2.2 United States2.2.1 United States Sales by Company2.2.2 United States Price by Company3 Global and Regional Market by Type3.1 Global3.1.1 Global Sales by Type3.1.2 Global Price by Type3.2 United States3.2.1 United States Sales by Type3.2.2 United States Price by Type4 Global and Regional Market by Application4.1 Global4.1.1 Global Sales by Application4.1.2 Global Price by Application4.2 United States4.2.1 United States Sales by Application4.2.2 United States Price by Application5 Regional Trade5.1 Export5.2 Import6 Key Manufacturers6.1 Abanaki6.1.2 Company Information6.1.2 Product Specifications6.1.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.2 Megator6.2.1 Company Information6.2.2 Product Specifications6.2.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.3 E-COS6.3.1 Company Information6.3.2 Product Specifications6.3.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.4 K.E.M.6.4.1 Company Information6.4.2 Product Specifications6.4.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.5 Oil Skimmers6.5.1 Company Information6.5.2 Product Specifications6.5.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.6 Atlas Precision Tools (India)6.6.1 Company Information6.6.2 Product Specifications6.6.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.7 SkimOIL6.7.1 Company Information6.7.2 Product Specifications6.7.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.8 Zebra Skimmers6.8.1 Company Information6.8.2 Product Specifications6.8.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.9 Friess6.9.1 Company Information6.9.2 Product Specifications6.9.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)6.10 Desmi6.10.1 Company Information6.10.2 Product Specifications6.10.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)7 Industry Upstream7.1 Industry Chain7.2 Raw Materials8 Market Environment8.1 SWOT8.2 Porter's Five Forces9 ConclusionBy this report online:About Market Density:Market Density is your one stop market research and industry analysis reports' library providing business data and intelligence information on thousands of micro markets with global as well as regional coverage.Market Density offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Market Density understands 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:Email: Support@marketdensity.comWebsite:Phone: +1 669 264 16564340 Stevens Creek Blvd,Suite # 172,San Jose, CA 95129
Frequency Synthesizer Market Key Trends 2017-2025 : Texas Instruments Inc., Ultra Electronics, National Instruments, Analog Devices Inc

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Global Frequency Synthesizer Market: OverviewFrequency synthesizers are a type of electronic circuit commonly used for creating multiple frequencies based on an oscillator or a timebase that is single fixed. Most modern devices make use of some form of frequency synthesizers, as they are an inseparable part of technologies such as televisions, radio receivers, CB radios, mobile telephones, and short range transmitter-receiver systems. The common concepts that a frequency synthesizer makes use of are frequency mixing, direct digital synthesis, frequency division, and frequency multiplication.The uses of frequency synthesizers in modern electronics can be found in the industry verticals of telecoms, measurement and research, and the defense and aerospace sectors. One of the primary requirements of a frequency synthesizer is to obtain a signal of high purity and stability from a standalone emitter while providing a low phase noise performance, a large output frequency range, and a high switching speed.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Frequency Synthesizer Market: Key TrendsSeveral factors are currently responsible for the overall growth of the global frequency synthesizer market, the leading one among which is the increasing use of frequency synthesizers in mobile technology. The demand and usage of smart phones and mobile phones is increasing at a very high rate across the world. This large scale usage of cellular devices is creating the need use frequency synthesizers to generate purer signals. The demand volume in the global frequency synthesizer market is also likely to continue increasing over the coming years, thanks to the growing use of ICs that make use of radiofrequencies.The global frequency synthesizer market is, however, being restrained by factors including the high cost of research-based frequency synthesizers.Global Frequency Synthesizer Market: Market PotentialCurrent breakthroughs in the global frequency synthesizer market are largely associated with the incoming advancements in mobile networking technologies, or 5G technologies. While field testing and standardization of 5G technologies is being conducted at lightning fast rates, players in the global frequency synthesizer market are yet to identify worthy avenues of investment. Nokia, for instance, is claiming a massive potential in the upcoming waves of 5G technologies melded with the IoT boom. The use of advanced frequency synthesizers can be a perfect fit to puzzle that is the provision of everything-as-a-service. Nokia is eyeing the potential of using advanced networking technologies in the Asia Pacific region, which already has a large scale of users for mobile networking and cloud based technologies.Request TOC of the Report @Global Frequency Synthesizer Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global frequency synthesizer market can be segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. The overall growth rate of the market is expected to continue being strongly influenced by the high rate of developments and implementation in North America. Europe is showing a similarly high rate of demand for frequency synthesizer equipment. Meanwhile, the MEA and Asia Pacific regions are likely to show a phenomenal rate of growth in demand within the global frequency synthesizer market over the coming years. Most key countries in these regions are showing a massive upswing in the advancements of telecom infrastructure, fueling the demand for the latest networking technologies.Global Frequency Synthesizer Market: Competitive AnalysisCurrently, the leading players in the global frequency synthesizer market include Texas Instruments Inc., Ultra Electronics, National Instruments, Analog Devices Inc., and Qorvo, Inc. The overall competitive index in the global frequency synthesizer market is expected to remain high over the coming years, primarily due to the imminent arrival of 5G technologies. The growing implementation of high-speed data services over mobile devices will continue bringing in new waves of innovations and investments from players of all sizes in the market. Other factors prominent in the global frequency synthesizer markets competitive landscape include mergers and acquisitions, business expansions, partnerships, product innovations and new product launches.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global Gamma Knife Market Will Reach USD 651,241.9 thousand by 2020

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According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Gamma Knife: Asia to Witness Highest Growth by 2020, the global Gamma Knife market is valued at USD 526,733.2 thousand in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.6% from 2014 to 2020 to reach an estimated value of USD 651,241.9 thousand in 2020.Radiation therapy is a procedure entailing the precise delivery of high doses of radiation to tumors and other relevant anatomical targets. Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a major form of radiation therapy. It is mainly used to treat brain tumors, arteriovenous malformations, trigeminal neuralgia, acoustic neuroma, and pituitary tumors. Globally, the Gamma Knife market is witnessing significant growth due to increasing prevalence of cancer and obesity and growing aging population. In addition, rising number of initiatives undertaken by various government associations and the advanced features of Gamma Knife systems are also driving the growth of the market. However, stringent regulatory requirements and prolonged approval time for Gamma Knife systems and a high cost of implementation and shortage of skilled manpower inhibit the growth of the market. The global Gamma Knife market is anticipated to grow from an estimated USD 526,733.2 thousand in 2014 to USD 651,241.9 thousand by 2020 at a CAGR of 3.6% during the forecast period.Request Sample Report@In North America, the Gamma Knife market is growing due to the rising incidence of cancer in the region. In addition, increased awareness about Gamma Knife technology for cancer treatment is also boosting the growth of the market in the region. According to WHO, approximately 2.8 million people had cancer, including brain cancer, in the U.S. in 2000. Moreover, according to the Hindawi Publishing Corporation, an international journal of surgical oncology, approximately 98,000 to 170,000 new brain metastases cases occur every year in North AmericaIn Europe, increasing prevalence of cancer is boosting the growth of the Gamma Knife market in the region. According to WHO, Europe accounts for only one-eighth of the worlds population. However, the region records around a quarter of global cancer cases. Several government associations, such as the Women Against Lung Cancer in Europe (WALCE) and European Head and Neck society (EHNS), are trying to increase awareness about breast cancer, lung cancer, and head and neck cancer and their brain metastases effects in Europe.However, Asia represents the fastest growing region in the Gamma Knife market due to the rise in cancer patients in various countries such as India, China, and Japan. According to WHO, the occurrence of cancer in India and China is set to climb at a rate of 78% from 2013 to 2030. In addition, growing aging population is also supporting the growth of the Gamma Knife market in the region.In Latin America, construction of manufacturing and research facilities by many companies is driving the Gamma Knife market in Latin America. Furthermore, the governments of Latin American countries have recognized the growing epidemic of cancer and are actively devising several patient awareness programs to raise awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer, including brain cancers.Request TOC@Elekta AB, Varian Medical Systems, Inc., and Hokai are some of the leading players in the Gamma Knife market. Other major players in the Gamma Knife market include Huiheng Medical, Inc., Cyber Medical Corporation Limited, Masep Infini Global, Inc., Nordion, Inc., ET Medical Group, and American Shared Hospital Services.The global Gamma Knife market is segmented as follows:Gamma Knife market, by applicationBrain MetastasesBrain TumorsTrigeminal NeuralgiaArteriovenous MalformationsOthersGamma Knife market, by geographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaRest of North AmericaEuropeGermanyFranceU.K.ItalySpainRest of EuropeAsiaChinaJapanIndiaRest of AsiaLatin AmericaBrazilRest of Latin AmericaRest of the World (RoW)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:
Worldwide Alternative Sweeteners Market 2018 Flourishes with International Prestigious Players |Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cargill Incorporated, Monk Fruit Corporation, Etc.

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Market Definition:Alternative sweeteners are food additives which contain no/low calories and can be used in place of sugar due to their sweet taste. They are sweeter than table sugar and thus, a small amount is sufficient to achieve the same sweetness level as sugar. They also help in enhancing the flavor of foods. Alternative sweeteners can either be produced using natural sources or synthetically. Synthetically produced sweeteners are also called artificial sweeteners. Natural sweeteners include stevia, maple syrup, monk fruit, sucrose, and many others while artificial sweeteners consist of aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame potassium, and many others.Get a Sample Report @Market Scenario:One of the significant reasons for the rising growth of alternative sweeteners market is the mounting growth of various beverages. Beverages are gaining traction both in the developed and developing economies. Increasing population coupled with the rising per capita disposable income is anticipated to fuel the sales of beverages. Apart from that, factors such as rising women workforce and increasing demand of convenience products are anticipated to be the significant factors for increasing demand of beverages which is ultimately anticipated to fuel the overall growth of alternative sweeteners market. Alternative sweeteners are hugely used in the bakery & confectionery products, dairy products, and various frozen foods which will aid to upsurge the sales of alternative sweeteners during the forecast period of 2017-2023.Key Players:Some of the key players profiled in the global alternative sweeteners market: Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.), Ajinomoto Co. Inc. (Japan), DuPont Nutrition & Health (Denmark), Tate & Lyle Plc (U.K), Cargill Incorporated (U.S.), Ingredion Incorporated (U.S.), Roquette Freres S.A. (France), Macandrews & Forbes Incorporate (U.S.), Associated British PLC (U.K), JJD Enterprise (India), Heartland (U.S.), Niutang Changhai Food Additives Co, Ltd. (China), Sunwin Stevia International (China), Monk Fruit Corporation (U.S.) Avestia Pharma (India), Panchsheel Organics Limited (India), A.B. Enterprise (India), Akhil Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. (India), Herboveda (India), Anhui Elite Industrial Co.,Ltd (China), Hill Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (China), Shandong Shengwang Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (China), Azucares Prieto (Spain), Hangzhou Focus Corporation (Shanghai), Denk Ingredients (Germany).Report Features:This report presents market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights into the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:Natural Alternative Sweeteners Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysisNatural Alternative Sweeteners Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porters five forces analysis, SWOT analysisNatural Alternative Sweeteners Market trend and forecast analysisNatural Alternative Sweeteners Market segment trend and forecastCompetitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.Natural Alternative Sweeteners market segments and associated growth opportunitiesEmerging trendsStrategic growth opportunities for the existing and new playersKey success factorsWhy buy this report?The report identifies and addresses key markets for Natural Alternative Sweeteners, which would help manufacturers review the growth in demand.The report helps system providers understand the pulse of the market and provide insights into drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges.The report will help key players understand the strategies of their competitors better and will help in making strategic decisions.Segments:The global alternative sweeteners market is segmented into product type and application,On the basis of the product type, it is segmented into artificial sweeteners, natural sweeteners, and others. Among all, artificial sweeteners segment is projected to account maximum market proportion and projected to grow at CAGR of 5.10% during the forecast period of 2017-2023.On the basis of application, it is segmented into sweet snacks, bakery & confectionery, dairy & frozen desserts, alcoholic beverages, none.Regional Analysis:The global alternative sweeteners market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Among these, North America is estimated to account for the highest market proportion of 37.9% in the year of 2017 and the trend is expected to continue throughout the forecast period. However, Asia Pacific region is projected to expand at a high growth of 20.1% during the forecast period of 2017-2023.Access Report Details @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
E-Paper Display Market Overview, Size, Share, Analysis by Qualcomm Inc., Amazon Liquavista B.V., Pervasive Displays Inc., Samsung electronics co. Ltd.

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Global E-paper Display Market, by Product (Mobile Device, Smart card, E-readers), by End-User (Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Retail, Medical), by Technology (Electrophoretic Display, Electrowetting Display, IMOD) - Forecast 2022Competitive AnalysisThe global e-paper display market is highly competitive characterized by the presence of local and international vendors. The key players functioning in the market include Plastic Logic (Germany), OED Technologies Co. Ltd. (China), LG Display (South Korea), Cambrios Technologies Corporation (U.S.), Gamma Dynamics (U.S.), E Ink Holdings, Inc. (Taiwan), Qualcomm, Inc. (U.S.), Amazon Liquavista B.V. (The Netherlands), Pervasive Displays, Inc. (Taiwan), Samsung electronics co. Ltd. (South Korea) and others.Get Sample Report @OverviewThe global e-paper display market is slated to capture a CAGR of 36% and reach USD 3878 Mn by the end of the forecast period of 2018-2022, reveals a research report published by Market Research Future (MRFR). The market has witnessed rapid growth over the years on account of the benefits offered by it such as high performance and low power consumption as compared to conventional display technologies. E-paper provides advantages such as high durability, enhanced readability while addressing the drawbacks of glass displays due to which e-paper displays are finding widespread adoption. They are used in e-book readers, e-paper magazines, and electronic price labels in retail shops, timetables at bus and railway stations and alongside, they are ideal for various other consumer and industrial applications and its application in various industry verticals such as automotive, consumer electronics, medical and retail is a crucial driver of the market. Extensive use of e-paper displays in the retail sector majorly helped in bringing e-paper displays to the mainstream. Blended learning, which is one of the latest trends in learning has supported the growth of the e-paper market. Educational institutions are increasingly turning to new technologies to impart education more dynamically and interactively so that the learning experience becomes efficient. For the same, they are increasingly leveraging hardware technologies such as e-paper displays. Rapid urbanization and growth initiatives to turn cities into smart cities also is a vital driver of the market. Smart city projects deploy e-paper displays in bus stations, smart signage for transportation, e-paper license plates, etc. and their use is expected to increase in future. Endeavors to reduce paper wastage and carbon footprint is also impacting the growth of the market. Businesses across the globe are now committed to protecting the environment and paper waste being one of the key contributors to environmental issues, have observed a reduction in paper usage chiefly. E-paper offers the advantage of being eco-friendly and are widely adopted. Free internet access in e-readers has also helped in popularizing e-paper displays which would lead to market expansion in future. However, lack of awareness regarding this technology is believed to hamper the growth of the market. Other factors include the threat from alternatives such as paper signage, prevailing practice of updating labels in retail manually with the help of cheap workforce and high costs associated with them.SegmentationThe global e-paper display market has been segmented based on product, end-user, and technology. By product, the market has been segmented into (Mobile Device, Smart card, and E-readers. By end-user, the market has been segmented into Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Retail, and Medical. By technology, the market has been segmented into Electrophoretic Display, Electrowetting Display, and IMOD.Regional AnalysisThe key markets of the global E-Paper Display Market include North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. North America market is expected to lead the market with the US being the most significant contributor to the market growth. Higher adoption of the technology is facilitating the growth of the market in the region. Europe market is also expected to exhibit substantial growth opportunities owing to growing technological advancement in the region. Furthermore, Asia Pacific is foreseen to emerge as the fastest growing market owing to rising investment by industry players in the region and growth and adoption of technology.Get Discount Details @Study Objective of E-paper display market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next five years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global e-paper display To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the environmental monitoring market based on various factors- porters five force analysis, mega trend analysis, macroeconomic indicators etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by products, by technologies, end-users and sub-segments. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global E-paper DisplayIndustry Updates In March 2018, E Ink Holdings announced a partnership with Papercast Ltd. for crafting e-paper passenger information display at a smart bus stop in the Japanese city of Aizuwakamatsu. Smart bus stops will use Papercast's management solution which would be run on solar-powered e-display technology. In May 2018, Plastic Logic, a leader in the field of plastic electronics, announced a new e-paper display that has improved features as compared to its previous technology. The new 500 PPI E-Paper display offers increased resolution and has added advantages over traditional glass displays in terms of power consumption and daylight readability. California approved the use of e-paper license plates that are capable of displaying custom messages. The e-paper displays could be updated remotely and are being made by a company called Reviver Auto.Target Audience: E-paper Display manufacturers Mobile display manufacturers Research & consultancy End-user sectors Technology investorsGet Report Details @TABLE OF CONTENTS1. Executive Summary2. Research Methodology2.1. Scope Of The Study2.1.1. Definition2.1.2. Research Objective2.1.3. Assumptions2.1.4. Limitations2.2. Research Process2.2.1. Primary Research2.2.2. Secondary Research2.3. Market Size Estimation2.4. Forecast Model3. Market DynamicsContinuedAbout 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.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.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 membersContact:Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Hyaluronic Acid Products Market Growth By 2027 | Allergan plc, Anika Therapeutics, Shanghai Jingfeng Pharmaceutical Co., Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Galderma SA, Sanofi, Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

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The World Bank estimates that the geriatric population in the worlds most populous country China had reached 10% of the population in 2016. The United Nations believes that nearly a third of the country will be over the age of 60 in 2050. A geriatric population is far more susceptible to osteoporosis the treatment of which necessitates hyaluronic acid products. Future Market Insights in its report titled Hyaluronic Acid Products Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017  2027 anticipates the global hyaluronic acid products market to be worth approx. US$ 5 billion in 2027.To know key findings Request Sample Report @:Product Type  Three Cycle Injection Products Critical in Hyaluronic Acid Products MarketThe three-cycle injection product segment is the largest in the hyaluronic acid products market at the end of 2017 and is on track to retain its pole position for the next decade. The three cycle injection product segment is predicted to have a value of just under US$ 2 billion by end 2027, making it vital for key stakeholders in the hyaluronic acid products market. The market attractiveness of three cycle injection products is 1.2. However, three cycle injection products typically have a premium price and it remains to be seen if they become as popular in emerging economies as they are in developed ones.Application  Osteoarthritis and Dermal Fillers Neck and Neck in Hyaluronic Acid Products MarketThere is a close battle between the osteoarthritis and dermal fillers application segment in the hyaluronic acid products market with the former inching slightly ahead. The CAGR of the osteoarthritis segment is 7.8% to the 7.7% witnessed in the dermal fillers segment from 2017 to 2027. Therefore, it wouldnt be advisable to ignore one of these over the other in the hyaluronic acid products market. There has been a noticeable spike in osteoarthritis patients seeking out alternative options to knee replacement in order to avoid the side effects of corticosteroids injections that could pose a challenge to growth in the hyaluronic acid products market.Request for Report Methodology @:Region  Target North America and Western Europe Hyaluronic Acid Products MarketNorth America and Western Europe hold the maximum share in hyaluronic acid products market and are likely to remain so for some time to come. The two regions are expected to be the only ones in the hyaluronic acid products market worth more than one billion dollars by the end of the forecast period with a higher CAGR in North America. Favourable reimbursement policies for treating various scar conditions fuels demand for hyaluronic acid products in the US. Furthermore, reimbursement for HA injections also play a major role.Competition Dashboard in the Hyaluronic Acid Products MarketFuture Market Insights has profiled a few of the companies in the hyaluronic acid products market. The companies are Allergan plc, Anika Therapeutics, Shanghai Jingfeng Pharmaceutical Co., Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Galderma SA, Sanofi, Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Smith & Nephew, Zimmer Biomet, Seikagaku Corporation, and Fidia Farmaceutici.Get access to full summary @:TakeawaysManufacturers in the hyaluronic acid products market have focused their attention on developing new custom-made implants for minimally invasive surgery. Companies now outsource their manufacturing to reduce the high cost and thereby improve their competitive position vis-a-vis their immediate rivals in hyaluronic acid products market. Lastly, companies have entered into collaboration activities to expand their portfolio and boost their presence across countries in hyaluronic acid products market.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact UsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:
Digital Telepathology Market Revenue, Opportunity, Forecast and Value Chain 2016-2026

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Pathology is the study of diseases and one of the major fields in medicine & diagnosis. It is mainly concerned with the cause, origin and study of different diseases. It is done by examining bodily fluids, tissues, & organs. It is currently divided into eight main areas of study. With the advent of Information Technology and the digital age, a new field has sprung up  the digital telepathology market. As the name suggests, it is pathology with the help of telecommunications technology. As opposed to general pathology which is conducted at a short-range, digital telepathology is typically performed at distance. Pathology image-rich data is transferred great distances for the purpose of diagnoses, education or even research purposes. The term was coined by Dr Ronald S. Weinstein in 1986 and he also spoke about the potential of this in a journal publication back then. He is rightly known as the father of telepathology. The digital telepathology market is mainly focused on serving the need for medical research, education, subspecialty pathology, histopathology diagnoses, second opinion diagnosis, and also that of frozen section specimens.Digital Telepathology Market DriversOne of the main drivers of the digital telepathology market is bound to be the information technology wave sweeping across the world. Western countries already have a strong digital infrastructure, but Internet penetration is rapidly increasing in the developing world. This can enable pathologists to examine, study, and diagnose patients not only in remote locations within the country but also anywhere else in the world. A second factor is a flexibility and convenience offered to seek a second opinion. The digital telepathology market will enable pathologists in any part of the globe to consult their peers in other countries, which will ensure an appropriate diagnosis. According to the W.H.O, cancer cases are expected to increase by nearly 70% in the next twenty years with nearly 1.4 million of them being misdiagnosed. Thus, quick (and appropriate) diagnoses will be critical to saving millions of lives. The third driver is expected to be increasing digitisation in the field of research. Digital pathology is relevant in the field of medical education, histopathology and even for examining frozen section specimens. With the help of digital technology, pathologists could convert physical data into digital files, eliminating the need to physically store it. This would also help them drive down their cost and improve efficiency.Request Sample Report@Digital Telepathology Market RestraintsThere are a few challenges faced by the digital telepathology market, one of the biggest being cost. Digital telepathology equipment is very expensive which will almost certainly be a problem in developing countries. Government reimbursements are typically unavailable there which makes the initial investment quite difficult. Another issue is regulatory concerns. Digital telepathology walks a fine line between both medicine & technology so each country would have different laws concerning both. There can also be resistance from pathologists themselves. Few pathologists today can truly operate these systems and they might even be unwilling to trust the results. These are some of the reasons why the digital telepathology market is still a niche one at present.Digital Telepathology Market Key RegionsThe digital telepathology market serves the following main geographic regions  North America, the E.U., Asia-Pacific, MENA and the rest of the world. North America is the largest market and is anticipated to show moderate growth over the next decade. This is due to a strong healthcare system, regulations like the Affordable Care Act, the high prevalence of various cancers and an ageing population requiring medical assistance. It is also boosted by world-class medical education & research facilities, eager adoption of technology and government reimbursement being available in these critical fields. Europe is the second largest market but is expected to remain flat or post negative growth. However, the high prevalence of cancer in this region will ensure that there remains a strong future for the digital telepathology market there. Asia-Pacific is anticipated to be the market of the future mainly because of China, India and Japan.Request to View TOC@Digital Telepathology Market Key Market PlayersSome companies involved in the digital telepathology market include Leica Biosystems, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., GE Healthcare, Olympus Corporation, Philips Healthcare, MikroSkan Technologies, Inc. and many others.Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705
Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices Market Size, Analysis, and Forecast Report 2017-2027

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Diabetes has evolved as one of the primary healthcare epidemic characterized by high sugar levels and principle cause of mortality worldwide. In 2014, World Health Organization (WHO) estimated 8.5% of adults living with diabetes. A diabetic person cannot either synthesize enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or either does not make enough insulin or cannot effectively use the insulin produced by the body (type 2 diabetes). Another type of diabetes that occur in women during her pregnancy is gestational diabetes. However, gestational diabetes is usually resolved after delivery but can precede towards type 2 diabetes later in a womens life.Most of the continuous glucose monitoring devices are invasive and involves use of needles leading to increased chance of infection. Furthermore, the invasive glucose monitoring device is considered to be discrete glucose measurement system which cannot be practically used for continuous monitoring of blood glucose. Certain evidences of hyperglycemia between measurements are however not recorded thus resulting in false or no representation of the blood glucose pattern. Noninvasive monitoring of glucose levels eliminates the need of painful pricking with increased risk of infection, and amount of damage caused to the finger tissue.Request Sample Report @Therefore, non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring devices are being widely investigated and studied over the past few years for their ability to monitor glucose continuously under highly controlled (e.g. in-clinic) conditions. Various techniques that involves measurement of blood glucose levels non-invasively includes, Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), Mid -Infrared Spectroscopy (Mid-IRS), Raman Spectroscopy, Photo-acoustic Spectroscopy (PA), Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and many more.Non- Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring DevicesMarket: Drivers & RestraintsRising prevalence of diabetes globally is expected to result in greater use of noninvasive blood glucose monitoring devices among the prevalent population. Owing to the several disadvantages imposed by the use of invasive blood glucose monitors and growing need to develop noninvasive glucose monitoring diagnostic techniques, the market for non- invasive blood glucose monitoring devices is expected to rise at a greater pace during the forecast period. For instance, in June 2015, researchers in U.K. developed blood glucose device that utilizes low-powered lasers in order to measure the blood glucose levels on the skin surface. Also a bench-top version of the system is currently in clinical trials studies which might land in the market over the next few years.This includes, a finger-touch device similar to a computer mouse and a wearable version for continuous blood glucose monitoring. In addition, increasing efforts by several startup manufacturers, for example, Prediktor Medical- a Norway based manufacturer is developing a wearable device for estimation of blood glucose levels based on the combination of several principles determining the noninvasive glucose monitoring including, advanced multivariate analysis and dynamic models for insulin or glucose interaction. The device is expected to be in the form of a watch or bracelet communicating with the mobile phone or a tablet for data presentation.This would enable patients monitor their glucose levels continuously without the need for an implant. Currently available blood glucose measuring devices lacks specificity and sensitivity due to the substantial physical and chemical interference. Non-invasive glucose monitoring devices use multivariate regression analyses converting optical signal to glucose concentration. Hence the device should be designed in such a way that it leads to accurate detection of blood glucose levels imperative for optimum therapy and disease management.Non- Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices Market: SegmentationNon- invasive blood glucose monitoring devices marketis segmented by technology, modality end user and geography:By TechnologyMIR/NIR (Mid/Near Infrared Spectroscopy)Raman SpectroscopyOcclusion SpectroscopyOptical Coherence TomographyThermal Emission SpectroscopyPhotoacoustic SpectroscopyImpedance/Dielectric SpectroscopyElectromagneticPolarimetryFluorescenceBy ModalityWearable Blood Glucose Monitoring SystemsNon-wearable /Table top Blood Glucose Monitoring SystemsBy End UserHospitalsHome Care SettingsClinicsNon- Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices Market: OverviewRising prevalence of diabetes worldwide imposes significant economic consequences on the individuals life. Currently, there are 350 million people worldwide estimated to live with diabetes. Thus continuous monitoring of blood glucose levels is essential in order to manage the ever increasing prevalent population living with diabetes currently. For this reason manufacturers are focusing on developing diagnostic techniques that are highly reliable and monitors individuals blood glucose levels with greater accuracy with the capability to improve glycemic control and patient wellbeing. By integration of sensing elements, electronics along with a reliable power source in a single unit, noninvasive blood glucose monitors are offering immense opportunity for all the device manufacturers along with patients and various healthcare providers across the world. Accelerated regulatory approvals of blood glucose monitors is one of the another important factor leading to increased revenues of noninvasive blood glucose devices over the forecast period.Non- Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices Market: Region-wise OutlookOn the basis of region presence, Non- Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Asia pacific excluding japan, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Growing number of diabetic population in U.S. is the leading factor contributing towards higher adoption of noninvasive blood glucose monitoring systems. Center of Diseases Control and Prevention estimated 29.1 million of U.S. population with diabetes in the U.S.The data also estimated adult population with diabetes are at 50% higher risk of death. Furthermore, growing need of continuous non-invasive method of blood glucose diagnosis among patients is expected to create higher demand for noninvasive blood glucose monitoring systems worldwide. The incidence of diabetes is higher in regions such as Asia Pacific, North America and Western Europe. Presence of several pipeline blood glucose monitoring systems and their expected launch is expected to drive the market for noninvasive blood glucose devices over the forecast period.Request to View TOC @Non- Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players in the non- invasive blood glucose monitoring devices market are, Abbott, Animas Technologies, Bayer Healthcare, Cercacor, Pendragon Medical, OrSense, and Bayer Healthcare.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:
Street and Roadway Lighting Market by Top Competitors Analysis (Hubbell Incorporated, Eaton, Cree, Inc., SYSKA LED, Thorn, Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc., Dongguan Kingsun Optoelectronic Co. Ltd)

Street and Roadway Lighting Market

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Databridgemarketresearch brings to you a report on Global Street and Roadway Lighting Market which will keep you informed in this CAGR growing market by letting you know in-depth how the key players and brands are driving the market in the forecast period of 2018-2025.SWOT analysis can be quite a great tool to know what the market drivers and restrains in the Global Street and Roadway Lighting Market along with all that the report also covers all the key aspects so that you know what moves really the key players and brands are playing like what acquisitions, merges, joint ventures, recent developments, products launches and the competitive research are they doing. The report also explains what market definition, classifications, applications, engagements, and global reach is for the Global Street and Roadway Lighting industry while also giving a CAGR forecast for the period of 2018 and 2025.Download Sample PDF Report atThis report also shows what the compound annual growth rate values are and will be in the forecast period and also gives a deep knowledge of market trends. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats) analysis can be a handy tool when it comes to finding the right market drivers and restrains along with this the report also contains the company profiles of the top brands in the Global Street and Roadway Lighting Market.Global Street and Roadway Lighting Market accounted for USD 7.71 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Major Market Competitors: Global Street and Roadway Lighting MarketKoninklijke Philips N.V., GENERAL ELECTRIC, Hubbell Incorporated, Eaton, Cree, Inc., SYSKA LED, Thorn, Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc., Dongguan Kingsun Optoelectronic Co., Ltd., LED ROADWAY LIGHTING LTD., OSRAM Licht AG, Virtual Extension, ClaroLux Landscape Lighting, ShenZhen HengXinDa Lighting Co.,Ltd., Shenzhen GHC Co., Ltd., WS Atkins plc, Lighting Reality, Forus Electric and MMA Lighting Consultancy Ltd. these players are making moves that is changing the global street and roadway lighting market for the good not only in sales, import, export and revenue but also in the CAGR values.Inquiry Before Buying:Table of Contents Global Street and Roadway Lighting Market1. Introduction2. Market Segmentation3. Market Overview4. Executive Summary5. Premium Insights6. Global, By Component7. Product Type8. Delivery9. Industry Type10. Geography10.1. Overview10.2. North America10.3. Europe10.4. Asia-Pacific10.5. South America10.6. Middle East & Africa11. Company Landscape12. Company Profiles13. Related ReportsRequest for Detailed TOC:Major Market Drivers and Restraint: Growing development and modernization of infrastructure Increasing insights more about usage of LED lights and need of energy efficiency Safety concerns for drivers and ridersCompetitive Landscape:The global street and roadway lighting market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market.Market Segmentation: On the basis of light source, global street and roadway lighting market is segmented into light emitting diodes (LEDs), high intensity discharge (HID) Lamps and fluorescent lights. High intensity discharge (HID) Lamps are sub segmented into high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps, metal halides and induction lamps and mercury vapor lamps (MVL). On the basis of wattage type, global street and roadway lighting market is segmented into less than 50W, between 50W and 150W, more than 150W. On the basis of offering, global street and roadway lighting market is segmented into hardware, software and services. Services are sub segmented into pre installation and post installation. Pre installation is further sub segmented into design and installation whereas, post installation is further sub segmented into maintenance and support. On the basis of end user, global street and roadway lighting market is segmented into highways, street and roadways, bridges and tunnels. On the basis of geography, the global street and roadway lighting market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and Africa.Access Full Report @:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com
Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) Treatment Market Size, Analysis, and Forecast Report 2017-2027

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Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory condition that causes inflammation of joints. Psoriatic arthritis affects both the skin and the musculoskeletal system. Musculoskeletal symptoms include joint pain, swelling, tenderness, morning stiffness, reduction in joint movement; skin symptoms include reddening and thickness of the skin, separation on the nail bed; other symptoms include general fatigue, inflammation of the membrane lining the eyelid Psoriatic arthritis mainly affect those who are affected with skin disease known as psoriasis. Out of 10 people with psoriasis, only one or two will develop arthritis. Psoriasis is characterized by scaly red and white skin patches that may affect any joint in the body such as elbows, knees, scalp, including the spine and others.Psoriatic arthritis is caused due to genetic and environmental factors. It often, often between the ages of 30 and 50 years, but it can also develop in children called psoriatic type juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It is more common in Caucasians people than African Americans or Asian. According to disease control and prevention, about five to seven percent of the population suffer from psoriasis, out of these 10-20% people will develop psoriatic arthritis. Diagnosis of the psoriatic arthritis is done by rheumatologists, by looking at the swollen and painful joints, skin and nail change by various diagnostic procedures like X-rays, MRI, ultrasound, CT scans and othersRequest Sample Report @Treatment for psoriatic arthritis depends on its severity. Various over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and prescribed drugs are available for treatment. Drugs prescribed for psoriatic arthritis includes immune-suppressing drugs, Non-steroidal drugs, and various biologics. Biologics works by stopping the inflammatory process, mainly tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL) inhibitors are used to treat psoriatic arthritis. Different ways for the treatment include Short-term oral therapy, Low-dose, ongoing oral therapy or Injection administered directly into the joint. Change on lifestyle such as physical exercise, limiting alcohol intake, weight management etc. may also help in the treatment process. Psoriasis is a severe disease affecting about 100 million individuals globally, according to world health organization prevalence of psoriasis in countries ranges 0.09% to 11.43%. Patient with psoriasis is at higher risk of developing other clinical conditions such as CVD and other non-communicable diseases.The global psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment market is segmented on basis of mechanism of action, disease condition, distribution channel and geographySegment by Mechanism of ActionTNF inhibitorsPDE4 inhibitorsInterleukin blockersOthersSegment by Disease ConditionMild psoriatic arthritisModerate psoriatic arthritisSevere psoriatic arthritisSegment by Distribution ChannelHospital PharmacyDrug StoresRetail PharmacyE-commerceGlobal psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment market is segmented by mechanism of action, disease condition and distribution channel. Based on the product type, global psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment market is segmented TNF inhibitors, PDE4 inhibitors, and Interleukin blockers. TNF- inhibitors are said to revolutionize the market. IL-17 inhibitors are the latest wave, as companies are developing new biologics based on this inhibitor. On the basis of disease condition, the global psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment market is segmented into mild psoriatic arthritis, moderate psoriatic arthritis and severe psoriatic arthritis. On the basis of distribution channel, the global psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment market is segmented into hospital pharmacy, drug stores, retail pharmacy and e-commerce. Rise in incidence of psoriatic arthritis, increased awareness of healthcare professional and new product launch is said to drive the global psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment market during the forecast period. Whereas inadequate access to health care, cost and availability of essential medicines and lack of standardized tools for diagnosis and treatment will hamper the growth of global psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment market.By regional presence, the global psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment market is segmented into five broad regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. North America is estimated to lead the global psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment market. According to world health organization, in 2008, the annual cost of psoriasis in the United States was estimated at US$ 11.5 billion. Europe market is also projected to experience high growth in the near future. Asia Pacific market is anticipated to grow at the fastest growth rate during the forecast period, owing to factors such as rising standard of living, lifestyle changes and focusing on healthcare expenditures.Request to View TOC @Some of the major players in global psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment market are Celgene Corporation, Amgen Inc., AbbVie, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Janssen Global Services, LLC, Eli Lilly and Company, UCB, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Novartis AG and Others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:
Convenience Foods Market is driven by busy lifestyles and ageing population

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The convenience foods market is driven by busy lifestyles and ageing population. It includes a range of processed foods that has longer shelf life and are easy to use. The major attributes that consumers look for in convenience foods are ease of use, packaging, nutritional value, safety, variety and product appeal. These are prepared by adding various preservatives at specific conditions and few of them need an efficient supply chain and storage to retain their properties. Convenience foods save time and energy for preparing food at home or hotels. Technology and innovative packaging options have widened the food choices that are available in the market in various categories such as frozen, chilled, packaged foods, etc.The market has been segmented by type as canned foods, frozen foods, ready-to-eat snacks, meals, chilled foods and others. The market can also be segmented on the basis of distribution channels into supermarkets and hypermarkets, departmental stores, mom-and-pop shops, convenience stores and others. Geographically, the market can be segmented into Asia-Pacific, North America (the U.S., Canada and Mexico), Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East & North Africa and RoW (Rest of the World, including Latin America and South Africa).With more women in the workforce, the demand for convenience foods is rising, primarily in emerging economies. The rapid growth of the food service industry in large number of developing markets is also expected to fuel the demand of packaged ready-to-eat snacks such as potato fries, bakery products and meat products. However, lack of proper storage and logistics is a threat to the frozen and chilled category of convenience foods in developing countries. There are stringent regulations on labelling and manufacturing of convenience foods in both developed and developing nations. One of the major drivers for convenience foods industry growth is widened distribution channels and tendency of consumers to buy off-the-shelf especially in emerging markets of BRICS and MENA.The U.S. is the largest market for convenience foods in the world and the emerging markets of Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Latin America would fuel the future growth of the same. The U.S. will remain a strategic market for convenience food processors in the forecast period due to declining trend towards away-from-home dining and at-home cooking. There is a rising demand for meal solutions/ready-to-eat meals that can be prepared in two-step cooking. For instance, in December 2013, ConAgra Foods launched 23 new varieties of quality meals and desserts in Bertolli and P.F. Changs brands to enhance consumers at-home dining experience with convenience. In addition, consumers are looking for meals with foraged, hyper-local ingredients with different flavours and blends such as mushrooms, nettles, blackberries, rose hips, seaweeds, truffles, etc.Request for sample report:The global convenience foods market is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR from 20142020. Some of the emerging markets may even experience a double-digit growth rate through the forecast period in significant categories.Large multinational corporations follow multiple strategies to develop and penetrate the market for convenience foods in different regions. However, providing products that match local consumer taste is of utmost importance. Pricing is another important factor for convenience foods, however nowadays, consumers are ready to pay a premium price if they get to buy quality convenience foods with health benefits. Some of the common strategies that companies have adopted in recent times are portion controlled packaging, in-store promotions, mergers & acquisitions and health claims in labels. There is a growing trend towards healthy convenience foods that are rich in proteins, functional fibres, vitamins, probiotics and omega-3 fatty acid. For this, many market leaders are integrating their operations by acquiring ingredient manufacturers to increase their technical know-how. Availability of customized food ingredients has become a boon for convenience food manufacturers as they can provide large varieties in each category.Request Report toc @Some of the key companies manufacturing and distributing convenience foods are Amys Kitchen, Inc., Cargill, Incorporated, ConAgra Foods, Inc., General Mills, Inc., Tyson Foods, Inc., Mondel?z International, Inc. and Kraft Foods Group Inc.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +13479183531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Cyber Security Market Poised to Expand at 12.0% CAGR During 2017-2025

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Ongoing technological evolution has increased the emergence of new pathways for accessing restricted data from the World Wide Web. Information stored on online platforms, databases and websites continues to be at the risk of malicious breach from hackers and unethical cyber professionals. Steadfast proliferation of information technologies across multiple business verticals has created a vast network of IT-enabled companies and enterprises. Since these companies continue to use information technologies actively, the need for adopting appropriate security measures has escalated. Cyber security has emerged as the key aspect companies must consider prior to the implementation of IT-based business models.A sample of this report is available upon request @Persistence Market Researchs latest report on the global cyber security market reveals that in the upcoming years, the adoption of cyber security will gain steadfast momentum against the backdrop of rising attacks of hackers and an overall upsurge in the global cybercrime levels. Key findings from the report estimate that the global cyber security market will be worth over US$ 200 Bn by the end of 2025. The report also projects that during the forecast period, 2017-2025, the global cyber security market will expand robustly at a CAGR of 12.0%.Key Players in the Global Cyber Security LandscapeCompanies that have built the very systems used for IT operations have been putting considerable efforts towards the development of cyber security solutions. Leading manufacturers of computing systems such as Microsoft Corporation and International Business Machines Corporation have been recognized as key developers of cyber security in the global market. Intel Corp.  a leading manufacturer of computer peripherals, chips and operating systems  has also stepped up its contribution in the global cyber security market. The study has profiled prominent developers of cyber security software as well as cyber security service providers, which include Trend Micro, Sophos, Check Point Software Technologies, Secureworks, Symantec Corp., and Verizon Communication Inc.Growing Focus on Improving the Features of Cyber Security SoftwareFor developing in-depth forecast on the market, the study has analyzed the global cyber security market on the basis of components, technology, industrial vertical and region. Rising penetration of attack vectors such as ransomware, botnets and autonomous vehicles has propelled the adoption of end-point cyber security technologies. Moreover, threats such as identity theft and data manipulation are stimulating the need for implementing unified threat management technologies against cyberwarfare.In the recent past, several companies in industrial verticals such as banking, healthcare, process manufacturing and telecommunication have faced tangential issues involving threat to data sovereignty, data path tracing from digital trails and an unethical leveraging of technology talents. In the view of such developments, the demand for robust cyber security software continues to gain traction. The study projects that by the end of 2025, cyber security software sold across the world will bring in revenues worth over US$ 50 Bn in the global market. Nevertheless, the demand for services will spearhead the global cyber security market, procuring the largest piece of the revenue pie throughout the forecast period.Cyber Security: Technology Challenges & Regional OpportunitiesCloud computing networks can be observed as a veiled threat for the effectiveness of cyber security solutions. While increasing uptake for cloud computing boosts the need for adopting cyber security software, these networks create a vast maze of gateways for security breach. End-point security services are unable to trace the source of attacks or loopholes for hacking in the vast cloud networks. With the passing years, more companies are anticipated to switch to edge computing, providing a temporary respite for cyber security solution providers.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Countries such as the US and Europe have recorded highest job openings in cyber security over the past few years. The study anticipates that sales of cyber security software in North America will witness robust expansion at a CAGR of 9.4% over the forecast period. Technological advancements in manufacturing operations will fuel the presence of the Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region in the global cyber security market. Increasing use of data encryption among enterprises based in Western European countries will also create lucrative grounds for the adoption of cyber security in the years to come.About UsPersistence 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 UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Micro-Hospitals Market Will Reflect Significant Growth Prospects during 2017  2027

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Micro-hospitals are small scale In-patient facility that offers a variety of emergency medical services. They mostly focused on treating low-acuity patients and provides ambulatory and emergency services. Micro-hospitals can bridge the gap in care delivery and quality of healthcare in underdeveloped areas. Due to its economic nature, intimate delivery model, micro-hospitals are ideal in rural areas. Micro-hospitals differs from traditional hospitals in the range of operations done. It is also gaining importance to improve healthcare system by reducing cost and patient compliance.Micro-hospitals are typically composed of five components, namely a) Emergency Department, b) Imaging and Diagnostics, c) Surgery and Procedure Centers, d) Inpatient Nursing Unit and e) Medical Office. Micro-hospitals designed for both operationally and functionally to deliver the right care, at the right time. Micro-hospitals subjected to same rules and regulations imposed on large scale hospitals in the place they are built. Telehealth facilities are offered for integration of care continuity with micro-hospitals. Micro-hospitals providers are mainly concentrated on the single access point for multiple levels of care and specialty. The primary focus is on industry-leading clinical quality and patient satisfaction.Request to Sample of Report @Micro-Hospitals Market: Drivers and RestraintsDecreasing admission rates of large-scale hospitals and rising importance of micro-hospitals due to increasing patient compliance are expected to boost the growth of the micro-hospital market. The micro-hospital market is gaining traction globally due to the comparatively lower construction cost and higher reimbursement for services that large hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. Rising health care demand due to the need for more intensive service offerings locally that cannot be provided by traditional hospitals. This unmet need for large scale hospitals acts as a driver in the burgeoning growth of the micro-hospital market. Growing technology along with increasing expectation of patients on healthcare system becomes a significant threat to large-scale hospitals and give the opportunity to micro-hospitals. All these factors are fueling the growth of the micro-hospital market. Micro-hospitals are shifting the healthcare landscape, as they become an integral component of health care system.Slower penetration of micro-hospitals due to slower adoption rate results in the slow growth of the micro-hospital market.Micro-Hospitals Market: SegmentationSegmentation based on LocationTier-1 CitiesTier-2 CitiesTier-3 CitiesSegmentation based on End UserInternational TouristsCorporatesIndividualsMicro-Hospitals Market: Market OverviewGlobal Micro-Hospitals Market has witnessed a burgeoning growth due to increasing adaptation due to increased ease of use. Increasing government support for healthcare development is encouraging private organizations to participate in funding and partnership. Micro-hospital cost is comparatively less than large-scale hospitals and more than urgent care units which act as a driver in the growth of the micro-hospital. Micro-hospital enables fast treatment for emergency cases and also offers primary care services which are competitive advantage over ambulatory surgical centers. The future of Micro-Hospitals Market anticipated with double CAGR during forecasting period.Micro-Hospitals Market: Region-Wise OverviewGlobal Micro-Hospitals Market segmented into following regions North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan and the Middle East and Africa. North America is dominant in the Global Micro-Hospitals mainly due to the well-established health care system. In North America, USA is dominating because of increased of increased adoption of micro-hospitals. European region follows North America, growth fuelled by increased penetration of the micro-hospital market. Economic conditions in the APAC region are set to drive the Micro-Hospitals Market to new heights. APAC is fastest growing region due to increasing government support for healthcare system. Growth in the Middle East and African region is considerably less but still with significant growth.Request Report for TOC @Micro-Hospitals Market: Key ParticipantsThe key participants in the Micro-Hospitals Market are Emerus Hospitals, SCL Health, Saint Lukes Health System, etc. The service providers are mainly focusing on the collaboration and partnership to increase the adaptation of Micro-Hospitals.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.U.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:
Operating Room Management Market 2023 Top Key Players are Getinge AB, Cardinal Health, Omnicell, Inc., HCA Healthcare, TECSYS Inc., Healthcare IQ, Medtronic plc, Siemens, Owens & Minor Medical

Operating Room Management Market

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An expert on premium research reports, Market Research Future has added a report titled Operating room management Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023 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.The Global Operating Room Management Market is expected to generate an impressive double digit CAGR of 18.6 % during the forecast period 2017-2023.Market players of Global Operating Room Management Industry:Getinge AB, Cardinal Health, Omnicell, Inc., HCA Healthcare, TECSYS Inc., Healthcare IQ, Medtronic plc, Siemens, Owens & Minor Medical, Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Merivaara, EIZO Corporation., Mizuho OSI and others.Get Sample PDF Copy @Operating rooms need high investment and maintenance costs. Surgeries also account for the largest share of the revenues and budgets of hospitals. Thus it is imperative as well as strategic for hospitals to manage operating rooms efficiently as the opportunity to increase returns omn investments by optimising the use is greatest for operating rooms. Operating room management aims to maximize operational efficiency by increasing the number of surgical procedures performed and by minimizing the resources needed. Strategic operating room management deals with long-term decision-making based on predicted work load which is not limited to maximizing the utilization of personnels and materials but also involves expansion decisions, optimal patient safety and outcomes, decrease delays with an end result of achieving satisfaction of outcomes for both the physicians and the patients.The prime drivers of the market are pricing pressures on hospitals, concerns over growing healthcare costs, greater patient satisfaction, growing healthcare infrastructure and redevelopment. Growing numbers of surgeries owing to rising risk factors such as elderly and chronic sick population, diseases are the demographic drivers of the market.Elective surgery is scheduled in advance and are subject to choice of the patient or physician depending on economics, medical conditions and payers concerns. Thus the emergence of payers like healthcare insurance and reimbursements coupled with the growing choices has led to increase in the power of buyers in the surgeries market which is favouring hospitals with the least cost and best outcome.The development of these antecedents coupled with the adoption of information technology and analytics in healthcare has charged the market. Advent of cloud computing has eliminated the need for onsite deployment of operating room management systems. The growing functionality of operating room management systems is reflected by the plethora of function additions representing the dashboard of a financial company! The list includes but is not limited to utilization rates, case cancellation rate, contribution margin per operating room hour, turnover time, staffing costs, contribution margin per hour and others.The advent of connected healthcare and big data has only resulted in heating the market as more and more players are entering the market. The consolidation of the U.S. healthcare sector in the recent years and the growing development of multispecialty hospitals is expected to benefit the market owing to increase in purchasing power.Segments:To generate a birds view, the global operating room management market is segmented on the basis of solution, deployment, end users and regions.Based on the solution, the market has been segmented as data management & communication solutions, anesthesia information management solutions, operating room supply management solutions, scheduling solutions, performance management solutions, pre and post-operative management solutions, climate solutions and others.On the basis of deployment, the market has been classified as on-premise, and cloud-based.On the basis of end user, the market has been classified as hospitals, ambulatory surgical units, others. The hospitals segments is sub segmented into large hospitals of greater than 300 beds, and small which have less than 300 beds.Get Valuable Discount @Regional analysis:To generate a birds view of the differential demand of the market, the report has been segmented into regions of North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and Africa.North America led by the U.S. commands the largest market share owing to the faster uptake of new technology, presence of well-developed hospital infrastructure of U.S. and Canada, largest number of multi-specialty hospitals and others. Europe accounts for the second largest market led by Germany, France and the U.K.Asia Pacific region is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR growth led by Japan, china and India. The Middle East & African region, is expected to generate moderate growth owing to poor social and economic reasons especially in Africa. However the Gulf economies are expected to generate strong growth due to the faster expansion of healthcare in the region and the development of large hospital complexes such as the King Fahd hospitals in Riyadh.TABLE OF CONTENTChapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope of the Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restrains4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & AssessmentContinued!Reports Enquiry @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Obesity Management Market 2027 | F Hoffmann La Roche Ltd, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., VIVUS, Inc. and Novo Nordisk A/S

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The global obesity management market is expected to increase at a y-o-y growth rate of over 4.9% and reach US$ 1,078.9 Mn in revenues in 2027. North America and APEJ has collectively accounted for nearly 47.1% revenue share of the obesity management market in 2016. The increasing population of diabetes people worldwide and increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases are some of the major factors favouring the growth of the global obesity management market. Increasing awareness about the health concerns due to obesity and overweight resulting in the increasing demand for the anti-obesity drugs and bariatric procedures which fuel the growth of the global obesity management market. Asia Pacific and MEA regions are the highest population regions. The increase in health care infrastructure and increasing medical tourism in these regions is expected to play an important role in driving growth of global obesity management market.Request For Report Sample:The rise in investments to develop novel anti-obesity drugs and the strategic collaborations among companies, research institutes and universities for novel drug development and patent transfer are also anticipated to fuel the growth of this market over the forecast period. The increasing focus on body toning and grooming therapy as greater emphasis on the aesthetic appearance is also one of the important factor fuelling the revenue growth of the global obesity management market.Global Obesity Management Market Revenues to Grow by Over 4.9% in 2017 to Reach US$ 1,078.9 Mn in Revenues in 2027: RRI ReportOn the basis of drugs type, the obesity management market is segmented into bupropion and naltrexone, orlistat, lorcaserin, phentermine and topiramate, and Liraglutide. The liraglutide drug is expected to contribute the highest market share of 34.7% in 2027 and expected to register a significant CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period 2027. Orlistat drug will have the major market share, followed by liraglutide. The availability of orlistat throughout the world is expected to boost the market over the forecast period. Gastric sleeve surgery will remain the largest segment by the surgery, accounted for over 39.6% revenue share of the market in 2016. The Increasing preference to the gastric sleeve surgery due to shorter hospital stays, faster recovery with the smaller scars and less pain as compared to other surgical procedures.The developing medical industry in respect to advanced infrastructure and increasing medical tourism in the developing countries from the APEJ such as China, India will continue to have a positive impact on obesity management market in APEJ. The emergence of targeted and combination treatment in the North America and Western Europe such as a combination of drugs along with the bariatric treatment and physical exercise is anticipated to boost the growth of the obesity management market over a forecast period. The rise in discretionary funding for the research and development activities for the novel anti-obesity drugs will also drive the market in the North America and Western Europe. The MEA is at a nascent stage to the global obesity management market and expected to show a moderate growth over a forecast period.Request Report Discount:F Hoffmann La Roche Ltd, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., VIVUS, Inc. and Novo Nordisk A/S. are leading players in the global obesity management market. Companies in the global obesity management market are focusing on strategic alliances such as strategic agreements, collaborations, rising research and development activities, new product launches, joint ventures, partnerships, and mergers & acquisitions to sustain in the overall competition in the obesity management market.Report Analysis:About Us:Research Report Insights (RRI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver a host of services including custom research reports, syndicated research reports, and consulting services which are personalised in nature. RRI delivers a complete packaged solution to clients; this combines current market intelligence, technology inputs, statistical anecdotes, valuable growth insights, 360-degree view of the competitive framework, and anticipated market trends.Contact Us:Research Report Insights (RRI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +1-631-721-4201Website:Email: sales@researchreportinsights.com
Travel Retail Market to 2025 (9.4% CAGR Expected) Top Player Profiles  DFS Group, Dufry, LS travel retail, Lotte Duty Free, King Power International Group, The Shilla Duty Free, Gebr, Heinemann and More

Travel Retail

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According to a new report published by Big Market Research, titled,"Travel Retail Market by Product and Channel: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018 - 2025",the global travel retail market size was valued at $74.9 billion in 2017, and is projected to reach $153.7 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2018 to 2025. Perfumes & cosmetics segment has a strong customer base in the global travel retail market. Some of the leading companies, such as Estee Lauder, LOral, Rituals Cosmetics, Revlon, and others, are expanding their businesses by opening their outlets at every international airport with an exclusive and a wide range of fragrances and skin care products. This is because billions of people travel internationally every year and spend money and time at airports. The travelers get a lot of free time at the airport to browse and buy products. In addition, travel retail creates more visibility for their products, which draws the attention of new customers in different countries and increases brand loyalty of existing customers.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Development of the travel & tourism industry, rapid urbanization, and changes in lifestyle, owing to increased disposable income of consumers drive the growth of the travel retail market. In addition, increase in travel & tourism or international tourist arrivals in the emerging economies, such as Asia-Pacific and LAMEA is anticipated to create lucrative opportunities for the global travel retail market. However, unorganized local markets and stringent regulations in airport retailing hamper the growth of the travel retail market.Wines & spirits is the second largest revenue contributor in the global travel retail market. The consumption of wines, particularly luxury wines and spirits has witnessed considerable growth in the past few years. Wines & spirits, of the total, have 15.9% of the travel retail market share. In addition, it has been observed that luxury wines & spirits are highly preferred by the international passengers, which leads to the growth of the market. Passengers travelling over distances mostly prefer wines & spirits. Also, the growth in culture of owning luxurious goods and consumption of expensive wines & spirits are driving the growth of the market.Asia-Pacific is the largest travel retail market in the world, and is growing at the fastest rate owing to improvements in living standards, rise in disposable income, improvement in lifestyle, and development of the tourism industry.Furthermore, Europe is one of the largest travel retail markets, owing to its stronger base of luxury products. It is anticipated to have the fastest travel retail market growth with a CAGR of 7.2% in the forecasted period. The region possesses some of the biggest apparels and cosmetics brands, namely, LVMH from France and H&M from Sweden, which hold a significant share in the luxury apparels, perfumes, and cosmetics sector, thereby making it the second largest travel retail market. Wealthy tourists from the Middle East, China, the U.S., and Russia contribute significantly toward the growth of the European travel retail market. Being the historical home of most of the luxury houses, Europes market accounts for nearly $23 billion of the travel retail sector.The report offer a comprehensive analysis of the key players such as DFS Group, Dufry, LS travel retail, Lotte Duty Free, King Power International Group, The Shilla Duty Free, Gebr, Heinemann, China Duty Free Group (CDFG), Aer Rianta International (ARI), and The Naunace Group.Get a discount on this research report @Key Benefits for Travel Retail Market : This report provides an in-depth analysis of the global travel retail market to identify the potential investment pockets. It outlines the current trends and future scenarios to determine the overall market potential and gain a stronger market foothold. It discusses the key drivers, restraints, and opportunities and their detailed impact analysis. Quantitative analysis of the market from 2017 to 2025 is highlighted to recognize the financial competency of the market. Porters Five Forces model illustrates the threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and strength of the buyers & suppliers.Travel Retail Key Market Segments :By Product Type Perfume & Cosmetics Wine & Spirit Electronics Luxury Goods Food, Confectionery, & Catering Tobacco OthersBy Channel Airport Cruise Liner Railway Station Border, Downtown & Hotel ShopInquiry before Buy @About Us:Industry executives tend to keep a tab on their business competitors. This keeps them updated on strategic business activities and investment trends. Company profiles are crucial to participating players of interconnected verticals.Contact Us:5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United StatesCall answer Direct: +1-971-202-1575Call answer Toll Free: +1-800-910-6452Email help@bigmarketresearch.com
Worldwide Hydroelectric Power Generation Market 2023 Key Players  Voith, ANDRITZ HYDRO, General Electric, China Three Gorges Corporation, Alfa Laval, Metso, China Yangtze Power, Hydro-Qu bec, RusHydro, Agder Energi and More

Hydroelectric Power Generation Market, Hydroelectric Power Generation Market Trends, Hydroelectric Power Generation Market Growth,

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The latest Hydroelectric Power Generation Market Research Report 2023 contains complete Industry outlook, market manufacturers and key statistics analysis. The industry sales & Share, industrys trends are all discussed, explained and analyzed. It provides marketing strategy analysis, distributors/traders list, raw materials analysis, import and export analysis, Key success factors and Supply Chain Analysis.This report focuses on the Hydroelectric Power Generation 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.The worldwide market for Hydroelectric Power Generation 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.Request a sample of this premium report at:Scope of the Report:Hydroelectric Power Generation is the use of rivers, lakes and other high water flow with potential energy to the lowest point, which convert potential energy into the kinetic energy of the turbine, and then take the turbine as the original power, to promote the generator to generate electricity.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers: Voith, ANDRITZ HYDRO, General Electric, China Three Gorges Corporation, Alfa Laval, Metso, China Yangtze Power, Hydro-Qu bec, RusHydro, Agder Energi, Duke Energy, Georgia Power, Ontario Power Generation, StatKraft, ABB, Engie, Tata Power and MoreMarket Segment by Type, covers: Dike Type Diversion Hydropower Station Mixed Type Tide Pumped StorageMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into: Residential Industrial Commercial Military Defence Transportation OthersRequest a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers:North 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 Hydroelectric Power Generation market.Chapter 1, to describe Hydroelectric Power Generation Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Hydroelectric Power Generation, with sales, revenue, and price of Hydroelectric Power Generation, 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 Hydroelectric Power Generation, 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, Hydroelectric Power Generation market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Hydroelectric Power Generation sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceTable of Contents1 Hydroelectric Power Generation Market Overview2 Manufacturers Profiles3 Global Hydroelectric Power Generation Market Competition, by Players4 Global Hydroelectric Power Generation Market Size by Regions5 North America Hydroelectric Power Generation Revenue by Countries6 Europe Hydroelectric Power Generation Revenue by Countries7 Asia-Pacific Hydroelectric Power Generation Revenue by Countries8 South America Hydroelectric Power Generation Revenue by Countries9 Middle East and Africa Revenue Hydroelectric Power Generation by Countries10 Global Hydroelectric Power Generation Market Segment by Type11 Global Hydroelectric Power Generation Market Segment by Application12 Global Hydroelectric Power Generation 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:
Vietnam Mobile Payment Market Outlook and Forecast 2025 - Leading Market Players Mobivi, NganLuong, OnePay, Smartlink, Orange S.A., PayPal Holdings Inc.

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The Vietnam mobile payment market was valued at $16,054 million in 2016 and is projected to reach $70,937 million by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 18.2% from 2018 to 2025. Near-Field Communication (NFC) mode of transaction is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, as the country has been investing in digital infrastructure and e-payment services, which includes NFC payment.Get Sample Copy -Changes in customer preference from cash to digital payments, surge in need for immediate transactions in Vietnam, increased penetration of internet and smartphones, and growth of the e-commerce industry majorly contribute towards the growth of the market. However, data breaches & security concerns are expected to hamper the Vietnam mobile payment market growth.Based on type, the remote payment segment dominated the Vietnam mobile payment market in 2016, and is expected to continue this trend during the forecast period, owing to extensive use of this payment method across various sectors such as IT, retail, telecommunications, hospitality, healthcare, and others. Furthermore, the proximity payment segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to rising adoption of mobile point of sale (mPOS) solutions among small- and medium-sized businesses in Vietnam.For Access Inquiry -The Vietnam mobile payment market was led by the retail segment in 2016, and is projected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. However, the hospitality & tourism segment is expected to witness the highest growth, as large number of consumers in Vietnam have been doing transportation reservations such as hotels, flights, and railway tickets through apps, mobiles, or websites.Why Buy this Report from Allied Market Research?- Allied Market Research has access to a wide range of regional and global reputed paid databases, which helps the company to figure out the regional and global market trends and dynamics.- A holistic approach is used to ensure that the granular and uncommon parameters are taken into consideration to ensure accurate results.- Analyst Support: Get you to query resolved from our expert analysts before and after purchasing the report.- Customers Satisfaction: Our expert team will assist with all your research needs and customize the report.- Inimitable Expertise: Analysts will provide deep insights into the reports.- Assured Quality: We focus on the quality and accuracy of the report.Connect to Analyst@Leading Industry players profiled in the report includeMobiviNganLuongOnePaySmartlinkOrange S.A.PayPal Holdings Inc.PayooMOMO123PaySohaPayAbout Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1-855-550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb:
Analyze the First and Second Stage Scuba Market Regulator With Respect To Individual Growth Trends, Future Prospects, and Their Contribution to the Total Industry

First and Second Stage Scuba

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In this report, covers the present scenario (with the base year being 2018) and the growth prospects of global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator market for 2018-2023.First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator can deliver the air from your scuba tank to you the first stage of a scuba diving regulator is the part of the regulator that attaches to the tank valve. The second stage of a scuba diving regulator is the part that the diver puts into his mouth.Dont Miss this opportunity to know more about XXX Market Size, Get a Sample Report @Leaders Of The Industry:- Aqua Lung International, Crisis, TUSA, SCUBAPRO, Sherwood, Mares, Beagle, Apex, Oceanic, Hollis, Poseidon, Atomic Aquatics, Bichat, Genesis Scuba and so on.This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of the First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions.To calculate the market size, Publisher considers value and volume generated from the sales of the following segments:Segmentation by product type:First Stage Scuba RegulatorSecond Stage Scuba RegulatorSegmentation by application:Diving ClubTourism ProjectsPersonal consumerGrab Guaranteed Discount:This report also splits the market by region:AmericasUnited StatesCanadaMexicoBrazilAPACChinaJapanKoreaSoutheast AsiaIndiaAustraliaEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaSpainMiddle East & AfricaEgyptSouth AfricaIsraelTurkeyGCC CountriesThe report also presents the market competitive landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major vendor/manufacturers in the market. The key manufacturers covered in this report:Aqua Lung InternationalCressiTUSASCUBAPROSherwoodMaresZeagleApeksOceanicHollisPoseidonAtomic AquaticsBeuchatGenesis ScubaIn addition, this report discusses the key drivers influencing market growth, opportunities, the challenges and the risks faced by key manufacturers and the market as a whole. It also analyzes key emerging trends and their impact on present and future development.We Also Can Offer Customized Report To Fulfill Special Requirements Of Our Clients.Purchase this Premium Report (Flat 20% off Apply Coupon Code DISC20):-Research objectivesTo study and analyze the global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator 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 the First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator market by identifying its various sub-segments.Focuses on the key global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator 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 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator 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 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator 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.Table of Contents2018-2023 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption Market Report1 The 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 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption 2013-20232.1.2 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption CAGR by Region2.2 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Segment by Type2.2.1 First Stage Scuba Regulator2.2.2 Second Stage Scuba Regulator2.3 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Type2.3.1 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.3.2 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.3.3 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sale Price by Type (2013-2018)2.4 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Segment by Application2.4.1 Diving Club2.4.2 Tourism Projects2.4.3 Personal consumer2.5 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Application2.5.1 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption Market Share by Application (2013-2018)2.5.2 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Value and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)2.5.3 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sale Price by Application (2013-2018)3 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator by Players3.1 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sales Market Share by Players3.1.1 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sales by Players (2016-2018)3.1.2 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sales Market Share by Players (2016-2018)3.2 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Revenue Market Share by Players3.2.1 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Revenue by Players (2016-2018)3.2.2 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Revenue Market Share by Players (2016-2018)3.3 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sale Price by Players3.4 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types by Players3.4.1 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Manufacturing Base Distribution and Sales Area by Players3.4.2 Players First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator 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 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator by Regions4.1 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator by Regions4.1.1 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Regions4.1.2 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Value by Regions4.2 Americas First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption Growth4.3 APAC First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption Growth4.4 Europe First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption Growth4.5 the Middle East & Africa First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption Growth5 Americas5.1 Americas First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Countries5.1.1 Americas First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Countries (2013-2018)5.1.2 Americas First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Value by Countries (2013-2018)5.2 Americas First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Type5.3 Americas First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Application5.4 United States5.5 Canada5.6 Mexico5.7 Key Economic Indicators of Few Americas Countries6 APAC6.1 APAC First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Countries6.1.1 APAC First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Countries (2013-2018)6.1.2 APAC First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Value by Countries (2013-2018)6.2 APAC First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Type6.3 APAC First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Application6.4 China6.5 Japan6.6 Korea6.7 Southeast Asia6.8 India6.9 Australia6.10 Key Economic Indicators of Few APAC Countries7 Europe7.1 Europe First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator by Countries7.1.1 Europe First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Countries (2013-2018)7.1.2 Europe First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Value by Countries (2013-2018)7.2 Europe First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Type7.3 Europe First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Application7.4 Germany7.5 France7.6 UK7.7 Italy7.8 Russia7.9 Spain7.10 Key Economic Indicators of Few Europe Countries8 Middle East & Africa8.1 the Middle East & Africa First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator by Countries8.1.1 the Middle East & Africa First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Countries (2013-2018)8.1.2 the Middle East & Africa First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Value by Countries (2013-2018)8.2 the Middle East & Africa First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Type8.3 the Middle East & Africa First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption by Application8.4 Egypt8.5 South Africa8.6 Israel8.7 Turkey8.8 GCC Countries9 Market Drivers, Challenges and Trends9.1 Market Drivers and Impact9.1.1 Growing Demand from Key Regions9.1.2 Growing Demand from Key Applications and Potential Industries9.2 Market Challenges and Impact9.3 Market Trends10 Marketing, Distributors and Customer10.1 Sales Channel10.1.1 Direct Marketing10.1.2 Indirect Marketing10.2 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Distributors10.3 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Customer11 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Market Forecast11.1 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Consumption Forecast (2018-2023)11.2 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Forecast by Regions11.2.1 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Forecast by Regions (2018-2023)11.2.2 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Value Forecast by Regions (2018-2023)11.2.3 Americas Consumption Forecast11.2.4 APAC Consumption Forecast11.2.5 Europe Consumption Forecast11.2.6 Middle East & Africa Consumption Forecast11.3 Americas Forecast by Countries11.3.1 United States Market Forecast11.3.2 Canada Market Forecast11.3.3 Mexico Market Forecast11.3.4 Brazil Market Forecast11.4 APAC Forecast by Countries11.4.1 China Market Forecast11.4.2 Japan Market Forecast11.4.3 Korea Market Forecast11.4.4 Southeast Asia Market Forecast11.4.5 India Market Forecast11.4.6 Australia Market Forecast11.5 Europe Forecast by Countries11.5.1 Germany Market Forecast11.5.2 France Market Forecast11.5.3 UK Market Forecast11.5.4 Italy Market Forecast11.5.5 Russia Market Forecast11.5.6 Spain Market Forecast11.6 Middle East & Africa Forecast by Countries11.6.1 Egypt Market Forecast11.6.2 South Africa Market Forecast11.6.3 Israel Market Forecast11.6.4 Turkey Market Forecast11.6.5 GCC Countries Market Forecast11.7 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Forecast by Type11.8 Global First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Forecast by Application12 Key Players Analysis12.1 Aqua Lung International12.1.1 Company Details12.1.2 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Product Offered12.1.3 Aqua Lung International First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2016-2018)12.1.4 Main Business Overview12.1.5 Aqua Lung International News12.2 Cressi12.2.1 Company Details12.2.2 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Product Offered12.2.3 Cressi First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2016-2018)12.2.4 Main Business Overview12.2.5 Cressi News12.3 TUSA12.3.1 Company Details12.3.2 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Product Offered12.3.3 TUSA First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2016-2018)12.3.4 Main Business Overview12.3.5 TUSA News12.4 SCUBAPRO12.4.1 Company Details12.4.2 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Product Offered12.4.3 SCUBAPRO First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2016-2018)12.4.4 Main Business Overview12.4.5 SCUBAPRO News12.5 Sherwood12.5.1 Company Details12.5.2 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Product Offered12.5.3 Sherwood First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2016-2018)12.5.4 Main Business Overview12.5.5 Sherwood News12.6 Mares12.6.1 Company Details12.6.2 First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Product Offered12.6.3 Mares First and Second Stage Scuba Regulator Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2016-2018)12.6.4 Main Business Overview12.6.5 Mares NewsResearch Reports Inc. is one of the leading destinations for market research reports across all industries, companies, and technologies. 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By Danielle Paquette, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON - The U.S. economy added 250,000 jobs in October, federal economists reported Friday in the government's last labor market snapshot before the midterm elections.

The unemployment rate stayed at 3.7 percent, a 49-year low, and the typical worker's earnings rose by 3.1 percent over the year that ended in October, the biggest leap since 2009. Oregon's jobless rate was at 3.8 percent in September, the lowest point on record.

"This is the best labor environment in over a decade," said Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US, an international consulting firm.

The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics arrives less than a month after Hurricane Michael pummeled the Florida panhandle and Georgia, knocking some people temporarily out of work and dampening economic activity in the southeast. Michael's destruction followed Hurricane Florence, which devastated homes and roads in the Carolinas with flooding.

President Donald Trump celebrated the country's rebound from the disasters Friday on Twitter.

"Wow! The U.S. added 250,000 Jobs in October - and this was despite the hurricanes. Unemployment at 3.7%. Wages UP!" he wrote.

The country now has 7.1 million job openings, a record high, the Labor Department announced Tuesday.

Analysts say America's robust growth streak took off in 2014 and has largely kept pace since. The average number of monthly jobs added from 2015 to 2016 was 211,000, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The last two years have maintained that course.

Companies feel pressure to offer higher paychecks at a time when there are more jobs vacant than applicants to fill them, said Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at jobs site Glassdoor.

"Average wages are finally starting to pick up, especially for some lower-skilled positions," Chamberlain said. "Maintenance workers, bank tellers, cashiers, cooks - employers are running out of workers for many of these roles."

Health care, manufacturing, construction, transportation and warehousing fueled October's particularly strong job growth.

Employment at hospitals, nursing homes and other medical facilities surged by 36,000 positions.

Manufacturing jobs jumped by 32,000, with the largest gains stemming from goods production. Construction expanded by 30,000 roles, nearly half of which focus on residential homes.

Transportation and warehousing saw gains of 25,000, while leisure and hospitality recovered from September's hurricane slowdown with 42,000 positions.

The country's jobless rate hit a near half-century low in September. The president has embraced this data point. "Just out: 3.7% Unemployment is the lowest number since 1969!" Trump tweeted on Oct. 5.

Some analysts have tied rising pay to legislative moves. Eighteen states have increased their minimum wages this year.

Speaking Thursday at The Washington Post, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said he stands against that kind of policy at a national level. "My view is a federal minimum wage is a terrible idea. A terrible idea," he said, adding that pay restrictions hurts small businesses.

Markets jumped immediately after the release of the report on Friday, but had pared much of their gains by midmorning.

Job growth in the United States slowed considerably in September, thanks largely to Hurricane Florence's devastating run through the Carolinas. About 313,000 people did not clock in at work in September because of the rough weather, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Federal economists revised September's job growth down to 118,000 from 134,000 - a weaker showing, thanks to Florence. Economists say tens of thousands of others likely missed paychecks in October, due to the damage from Hurricane Michael.

Service and construction workers are most likely to lose shifts during and after major storms. Pounding rain shutters stores, wrecks roads and delays shipments of building materials.

Business falters amid severe weather, according to a Federal Reserve study. It can take months for economic activity to pick back up.

"You can't work on a jobs site if it's underwater," said Robert Frick, corporate economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union in Virginia.

-- The Washington Post
Federal officers say they placed an immigration hold in March on a man facing domestic violence allegations but the Multnomah County jail wouldn't recognize their civil detainer.

The man is now accused of killing his wife and dumping her body in a ditch near a summer camp outside Sandy in Clackamas County.

The case is the latest to shine the spotlight on Oregon's controversial sanctuary law just as voters in next week's election will decide whether to repeal the law.

The matter goes to the heart of the debate over the 31-year-old law, a major thorn in the side of the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has singled out Oregon and other states with similar laws as a haven for criminals who don't belong in the United States.

It also exposes the fraying relationship between the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The latest case has both agencies accusing the other of not protecting the Portland community.

ICE officials said they put a hold on Martin Gallo-Gallardo on March 6 after he was arrested and accused of felony fourth-degree assault in the alleged abuse of his wife. The agency provided The Oregonian/OregonLive with a copy of the receipt from the fax they sent to the Sheriff's Office.

Receipt showing the fax of an ICE civil detainer sent to the Multnomah County Detention Center on March 6, 2018.

Gallo-Gallardo, a Mexican citizen, illegally entered the U.S., according to ICE. Border Patrol officers had previously apprehended him multiple times, federal officials said.

ICE wanted the county jail to alert immigration officers before Gallo-Gallardo's release so they could pick him up and hold him for deportation proceedings.

County sheriff's officials said they didn't get the ICE request but wouldn't have followed it anyway. They argue that the detainers are administrative requests, not criminal warrants, and don't meet state and federal law.

Gallo-Gallardo, 45, posted bail and prosecutors soon dismissed the felony assault allegations when his wife and a daughter wouldn't cooperate in the case and a grand jury didn't return an indictment, according to court records and investigators.

This week, Gallo-Gallardo was charged with murder, accused of fatally stabbing his wife, Coral Rodriguez Lorenzo, 38.

An ICE spokeswoman suggested if Multnomah County had alerted the federal agency so its officers could pick up and hold Gallo-Gallardo before he was released from jail, he probably wouldn't have returned to his family.

"ICE maintains that cooperation by local law enforcement is an indispensable component of promoting public safety,'' said Tanya J. Roman, a spokeswoman for the ICE regional office that covers Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.

"It's unfortunate that law enforcement agencies like the Multnomah County jail refuse to work with ICE to promote public safety by holding criminals accountable and providing justice and closure for their victims," she said.

Sheriff Mike Reese has said his deputies will hold a person for ICE only when they receive a federal criminal arrest warrant signed by a judge, and won't share information with federal immigration authorities.

The Sheriff's Office said it never received the civil detainer for Gallo-Gallardo, though it wouldn't have kept him on an administrative immigration hold in any case, said Sgt. Brandon White, sheriff's spokesman.

The Sheriff's Office pushed back at ICE in a scathing response Friday.

"ICE is putting our community at risk with their failed enforcement strategy of not using the authority the agency already has to hold people accountable," the office said in a statement.

"No Oregon jail can hold someone on a civil detainer based on the federal court case Miranda Oliveras v. Clackamas County. The U.S. Attorney's Office knows this, ICE knows this, but they persist in pursuing this failed strategy. Federal officials had ample time to do their job. They had his name, address and his telephone number.

"It is disingenuous to make this claim when they failed to follow the process for even entering the civil detainer information into any law enforcement database. MCSO wants to make clear that we did not receive any information from ICE regarding this individual."

In the 2014 Miranda Oliveras case, a federal magistrate judge ruled Clackamas County was liable for damages after it held an inmate beyond her release date at the request of immigration agents who were still investigating her immigration status.

***

Federal authorities continue to complain, arguing the sheriff's stance misinterprets state and federal law.

Oregon's 1987 sanctuary law prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from using public resources to arrest people whose only violation of the law is being in the country without documentation. Simply being in the country without authorization is a civil offense rather than a crime.

Federal officials say it shouldn't affect defendants who are already arrested on a criminal charge. They argue that neither the 2014 federal judge's ruling or the state sanctuary law prevents local police and jails from sharing information with federal agents about people in the country illegally who face criminal charges. Other Oregon counties and the state Department of Corrections routinely provide that information.

"Sanctuary policies not only provide a refuge for illegal aliens, but they also shield criminal aliens who prey on people in their own and other communities,'' Roman said.

"In addition to false claims that ICE never filed a detainer, the county's statement on this matter ignores the fact that there is no mechanism for a judge to issue a criminal warrant for an administrative immigration arrest,'' she added. "Oregon's sanctuary policies fail to recognize federally established processes for the enforcement of immigration law, and they do so at the expense of the safety of their citizens.''

Oregon voters are now deciding whether to repeal the law. Opponents of the repeal have far outraised and outspent its supporters.

Mat dos Santos, legal director of the ACLU of Oregon, has argued in the past that a defendant's crimes are unrelated to immigration status. Tying them together appeals to the stereotype that immigrants are dangerous, when research shows that undocumented immigrants commit significantly fewer crimes than citizens born in the United States, he said.

"Our hearts go out to the family of Coral Rodriguez Lorenzo. It is sad that ICE is politicizing her tragic murder," he said Friday. "ICE knows that courts have ruled that jails can't hold people after they make bail or would otherwise be released. This has nothing to do with Oregon state laws; this is because of the U.S. Constitution."

***

Gallo-Gallardo was arrested early on March 4 after a daughter called 911 at 4:24 a.m. and reported her father was yelling and hitting her mother, court records show. The girl said Gallo-Gallardo had come home drunk from a party.

Police arrived and interviewed other children in the home, including a 15-year-old boy, who said he awoke to his father's shouts and heard sounds of a physical fight. He told police his father had assaulted his mother in the past.

Police said they found Coral Rodriguez Lorenzo with a lump above her right eye and a lump on her forehead but she refused to answer questions about her pain level.

Gallo-Gallardo was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center in downtown Portland on two counts of felony fourth-degree assault.

ICE officials said they placed a hold on him two days later, faxing a civil detainer notice to the jail and sheriff's office on March 6 at 12:13 p.m. The Sheriff's Office, as required, shared Gallo-Gallardo's fingerprints with the FBI, which in turn provided the prints to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Homeland Security ran them through its immigration databases.

Gallo-Gallardo posted 10 percent of his $20,000 bail and was released on March 8.

On March 12, Multnomah County prosecutors dismissed the assault allegations, unable to proceed without the help of Gallo-Gallardo's wife and daughter.

The District Attorney's Office had tried to connect the wife and daughter to support services, said Brent Weisberg, spokesman for the office.

"It's every prosecutor's worst nightmare to have a situation like this unfold," Weisberg said, regarding the dismissal of the assault case only to be followed by a murder case.

Court records indicate Gallo-Gallardo has lived with his wife in Portland for two years. His last address was on Southeast 160th Avenue. He was working full-time at the Pacific Seafood warehouse in Clackamas County. He had no prior convictions and no valid driver's license, according to the records.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said local police, corrections officials and prosecutors "did their best to hold this person accountable for his domestic violent assault, including taking the case to a grand jury. However, we were unable to hold him accountable without the cooperation of the victim."

Sheriff's officials said they don't know why the wife didn't cooperate "but we know that many immigrant victims of domestic violence are concerned about how reporting will affect their status and status of their children. This a terrible tragedy for her and her children. We remain committed to building a relationship of trust with immigrant communities so they feel comfortable sharing their story. Public safety needs to be for all."

Claire Barrera, a supervisor who works with assault survivors through El Programa Hispana, said she can't say why the woman in this case didn't pursue the assault charges against her husband. But Barrera said many immigrants are distrustful of police and prosecutors, fearful that they or their abusers could face deportation if they come forward. The greater the separation is between police and immigration officials, the more trust domestic violence survivors will have in the criminal justice system, she said.

***

On Monday, an employee at Camp Namanu, east of Sandy, reported finding a body in a ditch but authorities didn't know who it was.

Rodriguez Lorenzo was reported missing Tuesday, and authorities determined the body found the day before was hers.

Investigators learned she was last seen with her husband arguing at a party in Multnomah County, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Detectives went to question Gallo-Gallardo later Tuesday at his job. He agreed to go with them to the Sheriff's Office in Clackamas County. There, he confessed to the killing, the affidavit said.

He said the two had been arguing and he accidentally elbowed his wife in the face, injuring her. He said she intended to call police. He then drove her to rural Clackamas County. He told detectives that his wife got out of the car to clean her face and he attacked her, according to the affidavit.

An autopsy found Rodriguez Lorenzo died from blunt-force head trauma and multiple stab wounds, the affidavit said.

After Gallo-Gallardo's murder arrest, ICE placed a hold on him with the Clackamas County jail.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
Portland's elected leaders unanimously threw their support Thursday behind a proposed 12-mile light-rail extension from downtown to Bridgeport Village.

The estimated $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion project would give passengers a 30-minute ride between downtown and the suburban shopping center by 2027.

Portland leaders haven't figured out how much money the city is willing to chip in for the long-awaited project, which is expected to be the centerpiece of a 2020 regional transportation bond. But the City Council's support for the preferred rail route is the latest indication the so-called Southwest Corridor plan is one step closer to reality.

"We have an opportunity to deliver high-capacity transit service and safety improvements to one of the most congested parts of our region," said Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who oversees the Transportation Bureau. She and other leaders called the project "transformative."

Planners said the project goes far beyond bringing 13 transit stations and seven park and rides to Barbur Boulevard and the shopping district in the Tigard and Tualatin area. Designs include miles of sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, bike lanes and a dramatic overhaul for how motorists get to and from the Ross Island Bridge. It will also include better connection between Barbur and Oregon Health & Science University and the medical campus on Marquam Hill.

Two aging bridges - the Vermont and Newbury Street Viaducts - will be replaced to give more space to walkers and cyclists.

Portland, TriMet and Metro are trying to approach the project differently than they did previous light rail lines in North Portland, Milwaukie and elsewhere.

If Portland-area voters approve a $652.8 million housing bond next week, the public agencies say they will use some of the proceeds to build affordable housing complexes along the route before the light-rail project drives up land prices.

This week TriMet and the city revealed another strategy geared toward preventing homes and businesses from being priced out of the neighborhood. The transit agency often has surplus land from MAX projects because it purchases large parcels as a placeholder for construction equipment or other properties are deemed larger than necessary.

The route passes through a part of Portland that boasts about 11,400 homes within reach for low- and moderate-income renters, according to a Portland State University study.

Metro Councilor Bob Stacey said the regional partners are committed to preserving and expanding on that supply "as development occurs."

Doug Kelsey, TriMet's general manager, said the region of Southwest Portland, Tigard, Tualatin and Sherwood expects to add 70,000 people and 65,000 jobs by 2035.

"This is one of the largest infrastructure projects in this region's history," Kelsey said, "and yes, it's a complex one." Kelsey cautioned that the engineering design for the undulating terrain is just at 5 percent, adding there was an "immense amount" of work to do.

The Portland area will need to compete with other cities and regions for federal funding. "We will complete for these dollars like never before," Kelsey said.

The project comes as public transit agencies nationwide have seen ridership declines. Eudaly said that doesn't concern her.



"I don't believe increasing ridership on mass transit is a lost cause," she said. "Because we have failed to mitigate displacement and because we haven't developed affordable housing strategies alongside these transit projects, we've seen decreased ridership. It's my goal we don't continue to do that."

The council heard testimony from more than a dozen community members and business owners, largely in support of the project.

Tony Jordan, an outspoken Portlander interested in parking policy, cautioned the seven park and ride locations and thousands of spaces is not the right step for the region, given the environmental implications. "If we're still building 4,000 parking stalls in 2027," he said, "we've gone down the wrong path."

The Metro Council, the regional government's elected tri-county representatives, will cast the ultimate vote on the preferred route at its meeting Nov. 15, adding the project to a list of the region's most important transportation projects.

The Southwest Corridor would be the first light rail line since the Orange Line to Milwaukie opened in 2015. Metro expects the first trains to roll out on the new line by 2027 if federal and local funding is secured.

Metro estimates 43,000 people would ride the line every day by 2035. The hope, planners say, is the transit line will provide a new option to car commuters stuck in traffic on adjacent Interstate 5. Ultimately, the estimates say 20 percent of southbound commuters in the evening hours may take the train instead of driving.

Elliot Njus contributed to this report

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
Second marriages aren't guaranteed to work, but they do hold promise, a chance for couples to live together without blinders, more realistic about who they are and what they want from a relationship.

North Portland's new Smallwares is a second marriage, one catered with fried-chicken lollipops and fish-sauce-laced oysters. For chef Johanna Ware, it's a chance to present her eclectic, East and Southeast Asian-inspired menu to a livelier neighborhood after the Northeast Portland original died on the vine. And for business partner David Haddow, it's a do-over for the space briefly home to the modern Mexican restaurant Chalino.

The new Smallwares swims in the same East-meets-West waters as the original. A jasmine rice porridge slicked with oyster mushrooms, Cellophane strips of parmesan cheese and a dusting of nori ash sits at the midpoint of risotto and congee. Clams and chorizo sit above rice cakes in a broth vaguely reminiscent of a Korean jjigae. Those chicken lollipops, the fried meat turned inside out to form a tiny bone handle, have a flaky crust that's a little like Southern fried chicken, a little like Japanese karaage.

The signatures are still in place, including the deep-fried kale, a bowl of crunchy leaves tossed with smoky bacon partially submerged in a fish sauce pool. It's a dish that asks the question, "What if we took Portland's health-food punchline and made it as unhealthy as possible?" Two years later, the answer remains potent and delicious. Chawanmushi is back, too, the silky Japanese custard recently spiced like mapo tofu under a pool of hot oil and wilted scallions. Ordering a side of rice isn't just a smart idea here, it's a necessity.

Fried kale with smoky bacon at Smallwares

In other words, fans of the original Smallwares will find much to like. Is there a bit less polish than there was six years ago? If so, that could be a side effect of Ware running her counter-service Wares kiosk at The Zipper complex for the past two years. Interestingly, dishes that once embraced saltiness and spice seem to be more comfortable with sweetness now -- bulky threads of braised short rib on golden griddled arepas might come with a slather of mango jam, lending a deep caramel note to the beef.

Smallwares and the restaurant it replaced have deep ties, with both Ware and former Chalino chef Johnny Leach returning to Oregon from time spent in the Momofuku restaurant group in New York. Both chefs were reticent to pigeonhole their projects, with Ware's "inauthentic Asian" motto at Smallwares occasionally echoed by Leach's "inauthentic Mexican" at Chalino. And, of course, both proved bad fits for their original neighborhoods. (Later this month, Leach will return to Mexican flavors with a new restaurant, La Neta, at boutique Chinatown hotel The Hoxton.)

When they announced their new partnership, Ware and Haddow both talked about maturity. They seem to be walking the walk. Smallwares has both a happy hour and a children's menu. A recently added brunch offers breakfast burritos, congee and pandan mochi French toast. At dinner, there's even a burger, a kitchen sink number that on an early visit featured tomato, pickles, fried shallots, a shimmer of chile jam and a scattering of fresh cilantro (Ware has never met a cilantro stalk she didn't like).

It's hard to imagine Ware offering so many neighborhood-friendly options when she first touched down in Portland six years ago. Her first restaurant and its back bar, Barwares, were more interested in having fun, with a menu that catered to a restaurant industry crowd -- at least the ones willing to head up the hill to the sleepy Beaumont neighborhood. That meant good ramen, globally spiced drinks and a funky wine list. That fun approach to cocktails, beer and natural wine hasn't changed.

Mapo-style chawanmushi at Smallwares

American food has. When Smallwares first opened six years ago, Ware's former boss, David Chang, didn't yet have his own Netflix show or a restaurant empire with locations from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. The modern Asian-fusion movement he began, including jump-starting America's ramen obsession at Momofuku Noodle Bar, hadn't yet seeped into the country's culinary fabric.

These days, Smallwares' menu looks less like an outlier and more like part of a larger trend, one that left a ramen shop in every Portland neighborhood and a pork belly banh mi at half of Oregon's brewpubs. Expatriate took Barwares' cocktails-and-Asian-fusion concept and ran with it. And Han Oak, The Oregonian's 2017 Restaurant of the Year, has assumed Barwares' old role as an industry clubhouse. It's interesting that Ware chose to revive Smallwares -- and not, say, Barwares -- at the Chalino space, which now has the smart red shelving from the original restaurant, but otherwise looks much the same. Embracing turnkey real estate might be another sign of maturity.

Statistically speaking, second marriages don't actually fare better than firsts. Yet early on, the new Smallwares is making a go of it, eyes wide open.

WHAT TO ORDER | Fish sauce oysters, Dungeness crab salad, fried kale, braised short rib arepa, chawanmushi and a side of rice.

PRICES | Smaller dishes, $8-$12; larger dishes, $12-$22.

DETAILS | 5 to 10 p.m. daily; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; 25 N. Fremont St.; 503-206-6421; smallwarespdx.com

-- Michael Russell
A 50-year-old man is suspected of being high on drugs earlier this week when he drove at a sheriff's deputy in a Hood River parking lot, hit his patrol car and then drove 15 yards down an embankment, authorities say.

Hood River County Deputy George Economou fired several shots as Lonnie Stinnett of Garibaldi was driving at him in the parking lot at Mitchell Point Trailhead around 1:40 a.m. on Monday, according to Oregon State Police. None of the shots hit Stinnett and Economou was outside of his patrol car when it was crashed into.

Economou was initially in the parking lot to check on Stinnett's car, which was parked in the lot. As the deputy was walking toward it, the car backed out of its space, drove around the lot and then headed toward Economou, police said.

Stinnett was arrested after going down the embankment, the sheriff's office said. Neither person was hurt. Economou has been a deputy since January, state records show.

Stinnett remains held Thursday at the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility on accusations of driving under the influence of a controlled substance, reckless driving, reckless endangering and second-degree criminal mischief.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
Two employees who were assigned to assist special needs students in the classroom have filed a $900,000 lawsuit against Portland Public Schools, claiming the district ignored their pleas for help as violent students repeatedly grabbed their breasts, shoved their hands down the womens pants and otherwise assaulted them.

Joyce Moore and Virginia Ferrer-Burgett worked as paraeducators for some of the districts youngest students -- pupils at Woodlawn Elementary School who had a range of disabilities, according to their lawsuit filed Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

The abuse was so bad that when the districts senior director of student services at the time, Mary Pearson, and special education administrator, Linda Moon, visited the school, the students also grabbed their breasts, the lawsuit says.

Harry Esteve, a spokesman for Portland Public Schools, said Friday that the district has just received a copy of the lawsuit. Esteve said the district was "assessing it and gathering basic facts" and was not yet able to comment.

Rebecca Cambreleng, a Portland attorney representing the women, said though their lawsuit describes the behavior as sexual assault, she doesnt think the children had sexual motivations. Rather, it was their way of expressing frustration or trying to get the attention of the paraeducators, Cambreleng said.

In addition to the inappropriate touching, the suit says, students also choked, bit, kicked, punched, head-butted and urinated on Moore and Ferrer-Burgett. Students threw furniture at them, and Moore suffered at least one broken toe after one student stamped on her foot, according to the lawsuit and Cambreleng.

The lawsuit was filed the same day a Beaverton High School paraeducator also filed a $504,000 lawsuit against the Beaverton School District, claiming he was sexually assaulted by a teenage special needs student while on school grounds.

The assaults at Woodlawn Elementary were daily and began almost as soon as Moore and Ferrer-Burgett began working with the students in the Communication Behavior classroom, according to the pair's lawsuit. Moore started working in the classroom in the 2014-15 school year, and Ferrer-Burgett started in fall 2016.

This case is about safety and the school districts failure to protect these employees, who are doing their best with these students, Cambreleng said.

Her clients worried that by filing the suit it would seem as if they were blaming the students, but they aren't, Cambreleng said. The women fault the district for allegedly failing to place the students in settings where their behavior could be properly addressed by staff members with additional training, she said.

The lawsuit describes classroom instruction grinding to a halt when a student acted up.

Several times a week the (Communication Behavior) Classroom would have to be cleared and all education in that room interrupted because a student was having a dangerous behavioral episode and threatening themselves, other students, and the educators, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says paraeducators at the school had to chase after special needs students who bolted from the classroom and tried to leave the school on a "regular basis." Moore says she tore her shoulder while stopping a student before the student tried to jump from the top of a staircase down onto a landing in an attempt to escape.

The suit claims Moore and Ferrer-Burgett repeatedly requested help from the school or the district, but administrators didnt address the problems and the assaults continued.

Ferrer-Burgett left the school district last school year due to the continuous stress and emotional toll of her job, the suit says. Moore still works for the district, but now gets paid less in a different position, the suit says.

Read the lawsuit here.

-- Aimee Green
A Vancouver man is still recovering in a hospital Thursday after being shot by a Portland police officer and Clackamas County deputy during a shootout on Oct. 19, authorities say.

The wounded man has been identified by Portland police on Thursday as Jason L. Hansen, 29. The agency said Hansen won't be officially charged for his alleged role in the shooting and a police chase in a reported stolen car before the gunfire until after he is booked into jail.

Clackamas County Deputy Jon Campbell, a 12-year veteran of the sheriff's office, and Portland Police Officer Kameron Fender, who has been with the police bureau for nine years, have been identified as the officers who fired. Fender was also at some point bitten by a Clackamas County Sheriff's dog during a search for Hansen before he was shot.

According to police, Hansen sped away from a Clackamas County deputy trying to pull him over in Happy Valley, authorities chased Hansen into Portland and he later crashed in Southeast Portland. Hansen ran from the car, abandoning a woman who was riding with him inside.

Police found Hansen a few blocks away from the crash and the two sides opened fire on each other, according to police. Hansen was hit twice and later taken to a hospital.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
A mailer in the Washington County chair race between Commissioner Bob Terry and Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington came under fire Thursday for including an image of the protests that wracked downtown Portland in late 2016.

The campaign literature claims Harrington will "bring Portland's problems" to the western suburbs. And one of the two sepia-toned photographs -- taken Nov. 10 just before a violent anti-Trump protest caused thousands of dollars' worth of damage -- features a poster with a swastika on it. A faint line cuts through the Nazi icon.

"The swastika is obviously crossed out, and anyone with a shred of intellectual honesty would know exactly what this is," said Shelby Blake, a spokesperson for the Terry campaign. The color copy of the original photo the campaign provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive shows a red strike-through over the swastika.

"The mailer is making the case that we do not want Portland issues, leadership and crime creeping into Washington County," Blake said. "Kathryn is a proponent of Portland's agenda through her role at Metro."

Metro is the regional Portland-area government.

But Metro Councilor Juan Carlos Gonzalez, whose tweet about the mailer gained attention Thursday afternoon, said the strike-through is light enough that most mailer recipients will still get the impression that the icon is associated with Harrington.

"I just don't think it's okay," he said. "I don't know if it's intentional or not."

The mailer also attracted the attention of Portland's Resistance founder Gregory McKelvey, who's prominently featured on the campaign material.

In a series of tweets, McKelvey, who has since moved to Atlanta, Georgia, denounced the Terry campaign's use of his image and said he's never met Harrington. The image, McKelvey said, wasn't even from the November 2016 demonstrations.

Also, I already lived in Washington County for most of my life and I didnt wreck the place. It was fine. Im not that scary.  Gregory McKelvey (@GregoryMcKelvey) November 1, 2018

It was a vigil for a rally in memory of Heather Heyer, the woman killed during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year.

"Also, I already lived in Washington County for most of my life and I didn't wreck the place. It was fine. I'm not that scary," McKelvey tweeted.

A spokesperson for Harrington's campaign told The Oregonian/OregonLive the Metro councilor's camp is focused on the outcome of Tuesday's race.

"Kathryn's run a very positive campaign. We're proud of the campaign she's run. She's focused on the issues," Amy Enbysk said.

Terry, who represents District 4 on the five-member commission, and Harrington, a three-term Metro councilor, are battling to succeed Washington County Chair Andy Duyck. The at-large, nonpartisan position will be decided during Tuesday's election.

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.com
Pechanga DISENROLLMENT Under The Guise of Sovereign Immunity is NOT Immunity from Condemnation or Sanctions.
As the organization continues to grow, Jim Skogsbergh, who has served as president and CEO since 2002, said he tries to visit each facility within the Advocate network to get face time with employees, but technology helps too. Staffers can, for example, fill out company surveys, send questions in as part of an Ask the CEO initiative and get a response in 24 hours. They also can send in feedback during the last 30 minutes of the quarterly companywide webcast.
A presentation by Quita Shier, a member of The Wilbur T. Lanphierd Chapter of the Daughters of the Union, opened the group's first fall meeting. Shier discussed her recently published book, Warriors in Mr. Lincoln's Army - Native American Soldiers who Fought in the Civil War.

The meeting, "Subs and Sides" luncheon, was attended by 27 members and five guests.

Shier's book details her 26 years of research about the men of Company K of the First Michigan Sharpshooters. The 137 enlisted men and one of the three officers of Company K were all native Americans with most being members of the Ojibwa (Chippewa), the Ottawa or the Potawatomi tribes. They referred to themselves as the Anishinabek. These men enlisted in the Union Army to defend their homeland. Also, many feared they would be forced into slavery if the South won. In addition, the U.S. government promised that Native American soldiers would receive the same pay and benefits as non-Native American soldiers, and the U.S. government honored that promise. Finally, the men considered themselves warriors and possessed the warriors' sense of honor.

Company K included some of the best crack shots in the entire regiment. These marksmen were snipers whose main duty was to kill the officers of the opposing army and harass and create confusion in the enemy forces. Company K arrived in Maryland in March 1864 and were assigned to General Ambrose Burnside's Ninth Corp. The men of Company K served bravely until the end of the war in April 1865 and saw action at the battles of Petersburg, Spotsylvania and the Wilderness. Unfortunately, 41 of these Anishinabek, both enlisted men and one officer did not return home. They either died from wounds in battle or from disease. Quita's book includes interesting materials such as enlistment data, biographical information and other personal details about the 137 men and the three officers of Company K.

At the meeting, DOU members displayed 1170 personal care, snack, instant drink and game items that were collected for a fall service project. These items were donated to The Blue Star Mothers of Midland County. The Blue Star Mothers will use these articles to prepare gift containers for soldiers deployed in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries.

The fifty-four members of the Daughters of the Union, Wilbur Thomas Lanphierd Chapter meet four times per year. Membership in the organization is open to females who have a Civil War ancestor. Those individuals who are interested may receive more information by contacting Paulette Bird, chapter regent, at birdpm@charter.net or 989-687-7776.
Halloween may have ended Wednesday night, but on Thursday morning it was time for a handful of adults to don costumes. Instead of witches or zombies, though, a parade of holy people came to visit Blessed Sacrament Elementary School classrooms.

Thursday was All Saints Day, a Catholic holiday which recognizes the saints of the church who have entered heaven. For the past 25 years, adults have visited students at the school dressed as famous and obscure saints throughout the ages.

"It adds a face to the saints. The students learn about saints, but sometimes I think they might be relatively abstract, so having these folks coming in and literally dressing and acting that part, I think it gives a more human side to the saints that the students hadn't really experienced," said Principal Patrick Bevier.

This year, seven adults portrayed St. Rose of Lima, St. Peter, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Damien of Molokai, St. Gianna Bretta Molla and St. Joan of Arc. In past years, the cast mainly consisted of parents of students; this year five of the seven were parishioners with no link to the school.

"We try to really make a connection with the parish," Bevier stated.

Each individual had six minutes in each room to impart knowledge of his or her chosen saint before rotating to the next class. Debbie Smith, of Midland, portrayed St. Joan, decked out in armor, ready to face the trials before her.

"(St. Joan) teaches us the importance of trust and conviction, doing what you know what's right even though it's hard," she said.

Sarah Selaty, of Midland, hoped that the students would take to heart the message of each holy person.

"(St. Therese) was very simplistic. She didn't have to do great deeds. You can do simple little things and small deeds. I think that's a good message for the kids."

At the end of the session, some of the saints gave out information for the students to continue to research about saints.

"I hope they're inspired by what they hear today," Smith said.
Midland City Council candidate Pam Hall did not respond it time to have her answers published in this fall's League of Women Voters guide. She has since released those answers. They are:

LWV -- How does your background qualify you to serve on the Midland City Council?

Pam Hall: A resident of Midland for 38 years, in Ward 1 for 24 years, I have held various jobs as well as attended college here, and am well acquainted with the needs of the city. As an entrepreneur witnessing many changes over time in our area, I am able to keep a fresh perspective on the future of possibilities of more inclusiveness for the people who live and work here. I'm actively volunteering with many political organizations to help make sure the people's voices are being heard. Being the first of the three people running for Ward 1 Councilperson this year, I've attended most of the City Council meetings since the beginning of the year. I have engaged with every member of the council, including the mayor, and had an opportunity to speak on issues. In the Primary Election held this last August, I had the most votes from the people of Ward 1.

LWV -- What are the most pressing issues facing the City Council, and how would you address them?

Pam Hall: Our city has growth and decline happening simultaneously, as have many other cities. We need to investigate the best ways to balance incorporating new ideas and ventures while preserving what is here, maintaining quality of life for our seniors while providing opportunities for our young. Address how increasingly extreme weather is impacting the safety and livability of our city, improve infrastructure and adjust for growth of the population. We have a lot of untapped talent needing opportunity in fields of work focused on future solutions to current problems. I'm optimistic if we work together as a community towards these ends, there will be a brighter future for all of the people of Midland. We can bring back balance with fair, equitable compensation that will stabilize our economy.

LWV -- How will you balance your responsibilities to your Ward with the needs of the entire city?

Pam Hall: In business as in the world there is macro and micro. What effects one, affects the other. While each counsel member represents their ward, there is also the big picture. Ward 1 is one of five wards in the city of Midland, part of the state of Michigan, part of the U.S., part of the world. Keeping abreast of trends in business and providing opportunities in each ward will help each coordinate efforts that affect the whole city. To optimize the best use of our time and resources, we need all people to be as successful as possible. We lose more than money when we lose our democracy, we lose our decency.
Chippewa Nature Center will host the MidMichigan Rock Club's annual Rock Show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the center, 400 S. Badour Road in Midland. Admission is free.

The 25th annual show will include presentations on topics such as metal detecting, beach and rock fossil identification and rock collecting, educational displays and activities for all ages. There will be special children's events and children's rock collection displays. Dealers will have rocks, minerals, fossils and jewelry for sale. Door prizes will be awarded throughout each day.

Vendors will have fossils, rocks, minerals, gemstones and jewelry available for purchase. There will be several activities including a black light booth with florescent rocks, a scavenger hunt for kids (geared toward Scouts meeting geology related badges, open to all), a free rock and fossil dig for children (each may keep up to three rocks), a display of common uses of minerals and rocks (such as gypsum in drywall and copper in pennies) and a rock-themed photo backdrop for visitors to take photos. Area children will share their rock collections, and information such as the Rock Hound Code of Ethics and other rock collecting and identification will be available.

The MidMichigan Rock Club will have the following items available for sale: Beginner Collector bags in three categories (agates, fossils and beach rocks) for $1 each; a variety of rocks, minerals and fossils starting at 25 cents and kids booklets related to rocks and fossils starting at $1.

There will be several presentations free and open to the public throughout the two-day show:

Saturday

11 a.m. - Improve Rock Identification with Testing - John Copp will demonstrate how to run four important physical property tests (hardness, streak, magnetism and specific gravity) using everyday household items. These tests will help identify rocks that may look the same, but have different physical properties.

1 p.m. - Beach Rock Identification - Randy Kursinsky will provide a hands-on display and slide show to help identify the majority of rocks, fossils and man-made items people might find on Michigan beaches. Included will be rock hounding tips.

2 p.m .- Petoskey Stones and Related Fossils - John Hodgson will focus on Petoskey Stones and other fossils found in the same area, including horn coral and Favosite (Charlevoix Stone). He will provide tips on how and where to find these fossils, along with polishing methods. Each child attending will be allowed to select a fossil stone of their choice.

3 p.m. (also Sunday at 3 p.m.) - Rocks and Minerals for Webelos and Everybody Else - Pam Kirchoff will provide a brief overview of geological science. The emphasis will be on structure, composition of geological materials, their formation, occurrence and uses. Examples and minerals will be available to examine.

Sunday

11 a.m. - Geodes - Deb Young will help you understand what geodes are and how they are formed. Information on where to find geodes and examples of geodes found in central Kentucky will be provided.

1 p.m. - Gold & Silver and How to Identify in Jewelry - Dean Hollsworth will present methods of identification of gold and silver jewelry and bullion. He will show what marking to look for on items and give examples of fakes versus real.

2 p.m. - Fossils of Lost Lake Wyoming - Spectacular new discoveries give us a new view of the ancient world from 50 million years ago in what is now southwestern Wyoming. PaleoJoe will discuss the forces that caused the catastrophes that destroyed an entire ecosystem, what fossils can be found there and what they can tell us.

3 p.m .(also Saturday at 3 p.m.) - Rocks and Minerals for Webelos and Everybody Else
By day, Courtney Wunder works in the Molecular Diagnostics Lab at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

By night, she becomes a regular Michelangelo, spending hours carving intricate designs on foam pumpkins to get family and friends in the Halloween spirit.

RELATED: One of the world's 'most haunted hotels' is in Seattle

Wunder said she's been carving since she was a little girl. But she's been creating designs that look as real as photographs since around 2011, she said.

This year, her pumpkin designs were inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, Harry Potter and The Nightmare Before Christmas, among other things.

"I always just thought it was a nerdy hobby," Wunder told Chron.com after multiple news stations reached out to her on Wednesday.

Wunder said complex designs sometimes takes up to eight hours to carve. Although she called it a hobby, she said she has been selling her pumpkins to mostly family and friends in 2015, when she created four designs. This year, she carved 16 pumpkins, including two for The Melting Pot restaurant.

RELATED: Explore Seattle lore and history in episode of this spooky podcast

"That may not seem like a lot to some, but it is to me," she said in a Facebook message, "Especially [since] people want this hobby of mine in their homes."

See more of Wunder's designs in the slideshow above. You can find her creations by following "wunderkinspumpkins" on Instagram.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston.
When Rebecca Johnston and Brian Papendick faced the loss of their child, a local nurse's care and compassion made their suffering more bearable. Autumn Voss, an RN at MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland, was recognized for her kind service by the Economic Alliance for Michigan.

"In maternity care, nurses and doctors witness all the joy a newborn brings and they also witness great sorrow when unfortunate events occur," stated Bret Jackson, president of EAM. "I am in awe of how Ms. Voss personally devoted her time to this family when they needed it most. She is truly an inspiration and very deserving of this honor."

Johnston went into early labor at 21 weeks on March 3, 2017. Voss helped deliver Johnston's daughter, Abigail Marie Papendick, just before midnight. At 12:04 a.m. March 4, 2017, Abigail died in Johnston's arms. Voss was with the family the entire time.

"The care we received that night from Autumn and from all the staff here is unspeakably good. I can't even put into words how compassionate and helpful they were through the wonderful and horrible experience," Brian said.

Voss remained in close contact with the family, attending the memorial service for Abigail and sending a thoughtful card a year later. Her gestures made a difference in the lives of Johnston and Papendick and the people around them. One of their friends, inspired by the couple's experience, started a local chapter of Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death, a national non-profit that reaches out to families that have lost an infant.

To honor Voss' efforts, Johnston and Brian submitted their story to EAM's Maternity Care Hero Awards.

"Autumn cared for both Abigail and me with such respect and gentleness. It could not have been an easy shift for her, but she was there with us through that night, and the way she treated us made a terrible experience much better than it could have been," Johnston stated in her application.

Johnston's entry was eventually chosen out of a selection of stories from around the state and Voss was named the 2018 Maternity Care Hero Grand Champion at MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland. This is the highest level of Maternity Care Hero Awards.

"There were so many wonderful stories, but Becky's touched us the most," Jackson said.

Early Thursday morning, Jackson, Johnston and Papendick traveled to MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland to present the award to Voss as she got off her shift.

The staff did not know about the event, but were called together to help recognize their co-worker. The award caught Voss by surprise.

"It actually means a whole lot because it's been a rough year," she said. "It's very nice to be recognized."
It is absolutely a requirement that all of our team, regardless of your level, feel motivated and refreshed and in a position to do the best work, Prince said. Theres time during the day when you need a change of scenery. You need to get up and move around or a bit of sunlight.  We realize that thats critical for what were trying to do.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter John Kennett.

Wednesday, Oct. 31

9:12 a.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a road hazard in Mills Township. Upon arrival the deputy observed an older tan pickup hooked to a broken trailer hauling a large pontoon boat. These vehicles were broken down in the lane of traffic. All Night Towing was called to remove. While the wreckers were on scene the owner arrived. He was given warnings for the violations and told to make an agreement with the wreckers concerning removal.

10 a.m. -- Midland County Animal Control received a complaint about a neighbor's chickens coming over into their yard in Ingersoll Township and digging up plants. A notice was left for the owner.

10:12 a.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a vehicle that had crashed in to a ditch in Mills Township. The registered owners were not able to be reached. Coles Wrecker removed the vehicle, and the vehicle has been listed in LEIN as impounded. The registered owner needs to identify the driver and sign for vehicle release. No crash report completed. Inactive pending owner contact

1:23 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Larkin business that suffered a drive-off of fuel. The deputy made contact with the owner/clerk who believes the subject used their credit card and the transaction failed. The store reviewed video and obtained a plate number and description. The deputy located contact phone numbers for the subject and called them. The subject then paid for their fuel over the phone.

1:38 p.m. -- A case of fraud was reported in the 200 block of Sycamore Square.

4:33 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Jasper Township state land area for a report of a limousine parked in the woods. The complainant thought it was suspicious. The 36-year-old Saginaw County man owner was contacted and stated he works on the oil wells in the woods.

5:02 p.m. -- A 34-year-old Clio man requested a civil standby while he attempted to get his two children from their mother, a 25-year-old woman, for visitation. The woman was not home. Deputy spoke with the woman by phone who advised that she would not turn the children over to the father. Both subjects were advised to contact FOC in the morning.

6:38 p.m. -- Officers investigated a case of retail fraud in the 1700 block of Bay City Road.

7:41 p.m. -- A be-on-the-lookout/attempt to locate was issued in the area of Eastman Avenue and Sylvan Lane.

9:36 p.m. -- A warrant arrest was made in the 4600 block of Washington Street.

10:44 p.m. -- A liquor inspection was conducted in the 3000 block of Bay City Road.

Tuesday, Oct. 30

11:04 a.m. -- A 30-year-old Edenville Township woman called to report a suspicious situation/vehicle that occurred the previous day. She advised that she noticed a newer black Dodge Ram pick-up parked at the end of her driveway. When she got closer, the occupants covered their faces with their sweatshirt/hood and left. She was not able to get a plate.

8:18 p.m. -- A deputy arrested a 37-year-old Edenville Township man for OWI and high blood alcohol content following a traffic stop in the City of Midland. The man was transported to the MCJ without incident.
To the editor:

I highly recommend Annette Glenn for state representative in Michigan's 98th District. Having worked with Annette I can personally attest to her strong work ethic and integrity. I first had the opportunity to engage with Annette a number of years ago when I was serving in the state Legislature. She, along with a number of other parents, were concerned about a proposed change in instructional hours. She did a great job of helping to generate a strong community discussion on a critical issue.
To the editor:

Positive change can come about even in times of political unrest. We are in one of those times.

I am thankful that Proposal 2 will be on the ballot Nov. 6. It will create a bipartisan commission of 13 Michigan citizens to draw the district lines. It is a just cause in response to a rigged system.

Groups opposed to Proposal 2 have deep pockets and will stop at nothing to hold onto power. They disseminate disinformation, like that the Secretary of State will have the ability to select the commissioners, which is just not true. Their involvement is simply administrative. The Secretary of State also administers elections, but they dont pick the winners. Please read the proposal at VNP.com.

Yes, the proposal is very detailed. It must be to ensure that politicians cannot meddle with or corrupt the process. Citizens who serve on the commission are paid a nominal salary and there are many safeguards to ensure that administrative funding is audited, and that the process is completely transparent with ample public oversight. Citizens commissions have been used in six other states with resultant fairer district maps and increased voter participation. Proposal 2 takes the best of what has worked in other states. More districts will be competitive, so politicians are less likely to enjoy safe seats and must appeal to a wider spectrum of voters if they hope to be re-elected. We will become less polarized.

There is also the idea that we, as Americans share core democratic values. All voters should be able to trust that their voice and vote are not manipulated by politicians. We the people should not be a forgotten phrase lost in the backroom smoke of politicians and lobbyists lust for power.

Vote yes on Proposal 2.

KATHLEEN CURELL

Midland
Internally, employees are speaking a common language. One mantra is be here now, meaning be present, or dont sit in a meeting and answer emails. If we see someone not adhering to that, its OK to call them out, Ehlers said. Hey, is your empire going to fall while youre here for the next 30 minutes?
(CNN)  Speaking before an elite audience in Washington in March 2000, then US President Bill Clinton summarized much of Western thinking on the internet when he hailed a new century in which "liberty will be spread by cell phone and cable modem."

This would occur, Clinton said, despite the efforts of countries like China to fight the spread of information.

"Now there's no question China has been trying to crack down on the internet," Clinton said, his eyebrows arched as he neared the punchline. "Good luck! That's sort of like trying to nail jello to the wall."

In the decades since that speech, Clinton's jello comment has become a something of a dark joke among internet freedom advocates, as China continued to build up the Great Firewall, the world's most sophisticated system for controlling and surveilling the web.

A new report out this week shows that China is by far the most effective censor of the internet, and far from retreating, is exporting its model around the world.

Beijing has consistently defied all the confident predictions (including by people far more knowledgeable about the internet than Clinton) that this would be impossible. China's censors have reigned in blogs, social media, and US search giants, and repeatedly defeated or stymied any attempts to undermine the Firewall, from virtual private networks (VPNs) to the dark web.

Sunday Yokubaitis, chief executive of VPN company Golden Frog, told CNN they have "witnessed a massive increase" in attempts to block their services in China.

"We used to see blocks roughly once every six weeks; they now try to block our service multiple times every day," he said.

As I document in my book, "The Great Firewall of China: How to Build and Control an Alternative Version of the Internet," Beijing's model of the internet is now spreading beyond its borders, with China's censors working actively with their counterparts in Russia, Uganda and a host of other countries to build up internet controls and crack down on online dissent.

A new report from Freedom House -- a US government-funded NGO -- supports this. During 2018, the authors found, "internet freedom declined for the eighth consecutive year."

"A cohort of countries is moving toward digital authoritarianism is moving toward digital authoritarianism by embracing the Chinese model of extensive censorship and automated surveillance systems," Freedom House said.

Forlorn hope

During the early decades of the internet, many influential thinkers claimed the internet -- by its very nature -- would spread democracy and freedom of speech.

The combined forces of globalization and the web were, Thomas Friedman wrote in 2000, "acting like nutcrackers to open societies."

But as writer Evgeny Morovoz has demonstrated, this assumption was often based on a willful misreading of the events of the Cold War, and the effectiveness of strategies like smuggling photocopiers and fax machines through the Iron Curtain and Radio Free Europe broadcasts.

"Viewing it through the prism of the Cold War, they endow the internet with nearly magical qualities; for them, it's the ultimate cheat sheet that could help the West finally defeat its authoritarian adversaries," Morozov writes. "In other words, let them tweet, and they will tweet their way to freedom. By this logic, authoritarianism becomes unsustainable once the barriers to the free flow of information are removed. If the Soviet Union couldn't surprise a platoon of pamphleteers, how can China survive an army of bloggers?"

In fact, as the Freedom House report demonstrates, the internet is an excellent tool for social control, enabling surveillance and guiding of public opinion that would have been impossible in the past.

This has been further boosted by the ongoing panic in the US and other countries which have typically been the biggest proponents of internet freedom over fake news and alleged election interference online.

"Throughout (2018), authoritarians used claims of 'fake news' and data scandals as a pretext to move closer to the China," the report said. "Governments in countries such as Egypt and Iran rewrote restrictive media laws to apply to social media users, jailed critics under measures designed to curb false news, and blocked foreign social media and communication services."

Global model

Since the first virtual blocks were laid in the Great Firewall, China has acted as a potential model for online censorship, with everyone from Bono to US lawmaker Joe Lieberman citing Beijing's policies in arguments for greater internet controls.

In recent years, however, especially since President Xi Jinping came to power, China has actively worked with foreign governments to help them build firewalls of their own, and lobby at the United Nations and other bodies to reduce protections for internet freedom worldwide.

This week, the UN's International Telecommunication Union gathered for its quadrennial meeting in Dubai. In the past, the ITU has been a key body for China and other leading internet censors, particularly Russia, to push for changes to international regulations to legalize or enable their controls.

In 2015, China succeeded in expanding the ITU's powers and those of national governments to set internet policy, though Chinese delegates failed to remove the terms "freedom of expression" and "democratic" from a key internet governance document.

While the meeting has only just got underway, most experts expect the issue of internet governance -- the key argument over which boils down to whether only governments should be able to set global policy, or if civil society and industry should have a role as well -- to dominate matters again in Dubai.

China's position is that national governments have the ultimate right to control the internet within their borders, and that this covers foreign companies, citizens, and anyone who attempts to interfere by, for example, creating software to undermine the Great Firewall.

The doctrine of cyber sovereignty, as advocated by Xi Jinping, will be on full display next month at China's own World Internet Conference in the southern Chinese river town of Wuzhen.

This year's forum "will further enhance the establishment of an internet development outlook characterized by mutual trust and collective governance among countries worldwide," according to Liu Liehong, deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country's top censor.

Worrying trend

As well as working to change international law and craft a model of internet control that can be easily adopted by other countries, Chinese officials and companies have also been actively engaged in the groundwork of building censorship networks overseas.

Golden Frog's Yokubaitis said his company had seen Chinese-style tactics being adopted in Russia and the Middle East, adding that China is "exporting blocking technologies to countries with repressive regimes."

The Freedom House report said that Beijing was taking steps to "propagate its model abroad" with large-scale trainings of foreign officials, providing censorship and surveillance technology, and pressuring international companies to comply with Chinese standards even when operating outside the country.

"These trends present an existential threat to the future of the open internet and prospects for greater democracy around the globe," the report said.

It listed 57 countries, from European democracies to Central Asian autocracies, which had bought telecom infrastructure, AI surveillance tools, or attended or hosted trainings by Chinese censors and propaganda operatives.

"Democratic governments will have to devote much greater diplomatic and other resources to countering China's charm offensive on the international stage," Freedom House added. "More governments are turning to China for guidance and support at a time when the United States' global leadership is on the decline, and the acquiescence of foreign companies to Beijing's demands only emboldens the regime in its effort to rewrite international rules in its favor."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "China is exporting the Great Firewall as internet freedom declines around the world."
Faced with what she calls a tough kid in a previous school year. Morley needed help figuring out how to handle his aggressive behavior and help him learn. Morley brainstormed with CASE staff on new methods to help the child learn and how to convince the school administration to sign off on the new ideas. It worked, and Morley credits her CASE peers. They are always there when I need them, she said.
Its just in its first week, but Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, Netflixs new weekly political talk comedy show, is already making waves.

In Saudi Arabia, the second of two segments that premiered on Sunday, host and former Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj broke down the U.S.-Saudi relationship, asking American viewers to reassess the two countries pairing in a John Oliver-esque deep dive. In that segment, he pointed out a United States Central Command (CENTCOM) training manual that used the phrase Negro blood in reference to the Saudi population.

Oh, America. Even in boring technical manuals, you still somehow manage to be racist, said Minhaj in the segment.

On Thursday, CENTCOM issued an apology, and also announced that it will be removing the offending document.

We regret that inappropriate material was posted to our website without a more fulsome review and apologize to anyone who took offense, said CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Bill Urban in a statement, per military newspaper Stars and Stripes. We removed the document as soon as we were notified of the content, and it was returned to the originating office for revision.

Minhaj responded to the news the same day on Twitter, where he added that his new Netflix show is out here putting up numbers.

Netflix has given Patriot Act a 32-episode order, with the next episodes set to drop this coming Sunday.

You can watch the full Saudi Arabia segment below, with the relevant comments starting around 3:40.
As Georgia Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp continues to face nationwide calls, including from former President Jimmy Carter, to resign from his role overseeing his own election, heres how several of the states would-be voters say theyve been kept from casting their ballots in the states critical midterm elections.

Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, chairman of the New Georgia Project and pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, told Sophia Nguyen of The Washington Post about some of the callers hes heard from in this election through the New Georgia Project, a voting rights group.

A young woman learned while training as a canvasser for new voters that her own name was no longer on the Georgia voter rolls, as the new use it or lose it rule had purged her name from the system, since she hadnt returned to the polls since casting her first ballot in 2008.

A dentist from Macon received a letter from the secretary of state warning him that he was at risk of being labeled an inactive voter for changing addresses, not voting or responding to election-related mail. Hed participated in every Georgia election for the past 40 years, and has lived in the same house for 30.

It took a three-way phone call between one man, a team of election lawyers and the Fulton County Board of Elections in order to move his name off the pending list of voters, because the clerk registering him had missed the hyphen in his first name.

Kemp, whose office oversees Georgia elections, has gone all-out to grab the states gubernatorial seat, one of the most tightly contested in the country. Hes currently locked in a tie with his Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams, who is already the first Black woman to become a major party gubernatorial candidate, and if elected, will also make history as the first Black governor in the South since the Reconstruction era, as well as become the first Democrat to hold her seat since 2003.

In addition to the usual tricks like gerrymandering and closing polling places, this election has seen Kemps office use Republican-backed exact match laws, which can keep applicants from voting for details as minor as an entry error or a dropped hyphen, as well as a purge of the states voter rolls.

Georgias population is approximately 32 percent Black, yet nearly 70 percent of the estimated 53,000 voter registrations on hold with Kemps office in October came from Black applicants. In addition, one investigation alleges that Kemps office purged over 340,000 voters by falsely claiming they had moved. Journalist Greg Palast, who filed the investigation, has joined a lawsuit against Kemp over his voter suppression efforts.

Back on an anecdotal level, in 2012, Olivia Pearson was subject to multiple felony charges, as well as a three-year investigation by the Georgia State Election Board, after showing a first-time voter how to use the voting machine. The first Black woman to be elected to the Douglas City Commission in rural Georgia, where she has served for 18 years, Pearson was acquitted of those charges in March, but her case helps illuminate how Kemps efforts in this forthcoming election are just one particularly egregious piece of the voter suppression puzzle. Kemp has made the news-making move to dismiss repeated calls to resign ahead of the elections in which hell be on the ballot, but if he manages to steal this election, hes be just one in a long line of Republicans who have won their seats by unfair means.
It's no secret that Apple is positioning their Apple Watch to being tightly recognized as a Health device for monitoring athletes performance and providing feedback to users about their heart. The Apple Watch 4 introduced an FDA approved ECG. Apple also has two patent-pending inventions that will one day allow a future Apple Watch user take their blood pressure (one and two). But now an easier way has been developed and Apple may want to consider it because it doesn't involve an inflatable cuff.

To make it work, Apple may have to start with it being a health app for iPhones and move it to Apple Watch if and when its selfie-camera is ready for market.

A recent report out of Korea notes that Seoul-based Deep Medi is preparing to launch software in the form of a mobile app that uses a phones camera to optically measure a persons blood pressure. The steps are simple: Place your finger on the camera lens, hold for one minute and view your blood pressure level.

Despite the apparent simplicity, the apps underlying software is more complex. The apps camera illuminates the skin and measures changes in light absorption, as skin tone undergoes subtle changes depending on how much blood is circulated per heartbeat.

The differences are usually imperceptible to the human eye. But, software powered by artificial intelligence can pick up the subtle variations and use them to deduce blood pressure levels with mathematical algorithms.

Common blood pressure readings involve two numbers  one measuring systolic blood pressure and one for diastolic blood pressure.

Right now, Deep Medi says its blood pressure measuring solution meets accuracy requirements for diastolic blood pressure, and it is working to raise the accuracy of its systolic blood pressure readings before seeking medical device designation from health regulators in Korea and abroad.

Deep Medi's CEO Lee Kwang-jin stated that "Until now, the conventional method of measuring blood pressure levels is to use an inflatable cuff around the arm that tightens and releases the artery to determine blood pressure levels. Such procedures had been confined to hospitals, as few people own blood pressure monitors at home. But our app would change this situation by enabling measurements to be made by anyone, anywhere, anytime."

The startup is currently gathering clinical data both independently and in partnership with Yonsei Universitys Gangnam Severance Hospital and the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

After gathering sufficient clinical data, Deep Medi plans to get its software approved as a medical device by regulators, including the US Food and Drug Administration and Koreas Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. It also plans to seek Europes CE mark certification for medical devices. With the approvals, it hopes to commercialize its app in major markets abroad.

While regulatory approval preparations are underway, Deep Medi has already licensed out its proprietary algorithms application programming interface to interested clients, such as Seoul-based Partron, which supplies sensors and modules to companies like Samsung Electronics.

It is also in talks with insurance provider MetLife to build insurance packages that use the blood pressure records that can be collected by Deep Medis medical software, the CEO said. This is a trend as Apple has worked with Manulife's Vitality Program.

Apple has been rapidly advancing Apple Watch to lure the health conscious consumer. Being able to capture blood pressure quickly, accurately and conveniently could be another killer app for Apple Watch.

While Apple is already working on a blood pressure solution, the use of AI in conjunction with a device camera seems to be the easier methodology that would bypass the need for a wearable cuff.





As noted in the patent figure above, Apple already has a patent pending invention for a camera for Apple Watch. We covered that in a June 2016 report titled " Apple Watch Patents Cover the Ultimate Selfie Camera, the Digital Crown & More."

In theory, Apple has all of the pieces on the table. They just need to execute on a plan or license the algorithms from Deep Medi. Apple loves to own everything that's important to a device feature so a pure Apple solution is likely they way Apple will go unless they consider acquiring the company.






In the Christian Science Monitor: The conservative Christian college where Muslims feel welcome: Being a tiny minority in a community can amplify differences. But at BYU, a common history of being the other leads to a learning atmosphere of empathy.

***

I share with you some further passages that caught my attention in John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (New York: Gallup Press, 2007):

a full third of professional and technical workers in Egypt are women, on par with Turkey and South Korea (102)

The valedictorians of Cairos elite medical school are famously known to almost always be female.

These cases are hardly unique. Nationally representative self-reported data show percentages of women in Iran (52%), Egypt (34%), Saudi Arabia (32%), and Lebanon (37%) with postsecondary educations. In the United Arab Emirates and Iran, women make up the majority of university students. However, in Muslim countries  as well as in non-Muslim countries  Gallup finds a wide range of female education with percentages of women pursuing postsecondary educations dipping as low as 8% and 13% in Morocco and Pakistan, respectively, which is comparable with 4% in Brazil, or 11% in the Czech Republic. (103)

According to the UNESCO 2005 Gender and Development report, the ratio of women to men enrolled in secondary education in 2001-2002 was 100% or higher in Jordan, Algeria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Libya, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. This compares with only 77% in Turkey, a staunchly secular nation [at the time of writing] often assumed in the West to be ahead of its neighbors in the arena of gender development, or 74% in India. The gender gap in these nations is higher than in Saudi Arabia, which boasts an 89% ratio of women to men enrolled in secondary education, according to the U.N. report.

Despite these hopeful statistics, womens basic education is still lagging in some countries. For example, in Yemen, womens literacy is only 28% versus 70% among men; in Pakistan, it is 28% versus 53% for men. These sad findings, however, are not unique to Islamic nations nor do they represent the entire Muslim world; womens literacy rates in Iran and Saudi Arabia are 70% and as high as 85% in Jordan and Malaysia. (104-105)

***

Note to self: I would really like to see this film, both for itself and because local Yuba City Latter-day Saints apparently figure positively in the story it tells:

An American Mosque

Im quite gratified at the fact that Latter-day Saints may be gaining a reputation for being exceptionally kind and religiously tolerant. Thats by far not the worst thing that I can imagine.

And Yuba City is going to get a temple.
David Foulkes, 57, will succeed Schwabero as CEO and a member of the board. Foulkes joined the company in 2007 and currently serves as president of Brunswick Marine Consumer Solutions and chief technology officer. Brunswick said Manny Fernandez, the boards lead independent director, will become nonexecutive chairman upon Schwaberos retirement.
A seven-year-old boy found dead at his school bus stop Thursday morning was hit by a delivery truck driver, Pa. state police say.

According to the Altoona Mirror, state police Trooper David McGarvey said the truck driver backed over the boy around 7 a.m. Thursday on Huntingdon Furnace Road in Franklin Township, Huntingdon County.

The newspaper reports the truck was making a delivery at the home, where a family business is based.

Police told the newspaper the driver said he was unaware the child was there.

Thats what we believe, the trooper said.

State police said the investigation is ongoing, and it has not been determined whether charges will be filed against the driver.

The second-grader was discovered dead by a Tyrone Area school bus driver just after 7 a.m. Thursday, sending shock and sadness throughout the tight-knit community.

The identity of the boy has not been released. An autopsy was scheduled for today.
A photo of a Philadelphia police officer wearing blackface and an Afro wig has landed the cop on desk duty and sparked an investigation.

As NBC-10 in Philly reports, the officer, identified as Hung Nguyen, a 22-year veteran of the department, sparked outrage after it was posted on Facebook.

Police became aware of the image late Tuesday night and confirmed it was Nguyen in the picture, the station reported, adding:

As a result, the Philadelphia department placed Nguyen on desk duty while it investigates the incident.

We dont know the nexus of the photo, Philadelphia Police Captain Sekou Kinebrew told NBC-10. It could have been some sort of computer graphic that we see, or it could be something he physically applied on himself. Thats something we are looking to ascertain.

Reached for comment by NBC-10, Officer Nguyen said he was hurt and upset. When asked if he put blackface on, Nguyen said its still under investigation and then hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, Rochelle Bilal, the head of the Guardian Civic League, a group of active and retired minority officers who work to bring neighborhoods and police together, told this to NBC-10:

If he is the one who put the blackface on and the bush and put all of it out there, then he shouldnt be a police officer. I dont know authentically if its his image but you put it on your page and you left it there, for everybody to see.
Had it not been for a trip to Italy, David T. Mills III might not be not be close to opening Smoke & Pickles Artisan Butcher Shop in Mechanicsburg.

The culinary arts instructor at Harrisburg Area Community College traveled with a student group to Panzano in Chianti, where they met internationally-known butcher Dario Cecchini. The eighth-generation butcher has followed a nose-to-tail philosophy well before it was in vogue.

His story was just an amazing story and I caught the bug, Mills said.

In January, Mills and his wife, Kelli, will open Smoke & Pickles at 30 S. Market St. in the former The Wicked Kitchen restaurant. It will combine a full-service butcher shop with 35-seat American barbecue restaurant. Eventually they will add a nano brewery.

Mills will bring in whole animals and break them down into cuts  roasts, steaks, chops and ground meats.

I will have different things you wont get in the grocery store, he said.

The meats will come from whole animals that are humanely raised. He will source guinea fowl and chickens as well as different breeds of cows and pigs from local farms such as North Mountain Pastures in Newport and Pecan Meadows Farm in Newburg. On occasion, shoppers will find rabbit, goat or Wagyu beef for sale.

Smoke & Pickles Artisan Butcher Shop will open in Mechanicsburg in January.

Every part of the animal will be utilized, following a no-waste philosophy. So, Mills will sell homemade stocks and bone broths. He will make sausage and a naturally salt cured bacon. Some of the meats will be sold pre-marinated.

In the near future, Mill said he also will make his own charcuterie.

Mills, a chef for 20 years, said he will help guide shoppers on everything from purchases to preparations. The Philadelphia native previously worked with contract management companies. At HACC he teaches classes including topics related to brewing science.

You can go to the market and go to the butcher, and thats great. It works but what I do differently is I will be there every day. I have the culinary experience, Mills said.

The restaurant will serve pulled pork, Charc Attack charcuterie platter and a chicken sandwich called the Screaming Eagle made with spicy deep-fried chicken and sweet and spicy sauce. A special Mechanics-burger will incorporate ground bacon into the beef patties.

The shop will carry Mills' hickory smoked salt and smoked jalapeno dust as well as hot sauces and T-shirts.

In addition, it will host wine and beer pairing dinners and classes on topics such as sausage making.

Smoke & Pickles will be open Wednesday-Sunday.
Veterans Day, held on the anniversary of the end of World War I, previously called Armistice Day, is a federal holiday to honor all veterans. Veterans Day 2018 is Sunday, Nov. 11.

Local events include:

ADAMS COUNTY

The Gettysburg Foundation and Gettysburg National Military Park will hold a Community Appreciation Day for veterans and Adams County residents 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 11. Veterans and Adams County residents will receive free admission to

the Cyclorama painting and the Film and Museum Experience at Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. Information: 717-338-1243.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, 950 Soldiers Drive, Carlisle, will commemorate the end of the World War I Centennial with a living history program, When the Guns Fell Silent: Remembrance and Veterans Day Event, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at the World War I Allied and German trenches on the Army Heritage Trail. A moment of silence to remember the fallen will be held at 3:20 p.m. Information: 717-245-3972.

The annual all-night POW-MIA vigil in Carlisle sponsored by the Carlisle Vietnam Veterans will begin at 11 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Old Courthouse. The vigil will end at 11 a.m. Nov. 11. Information: Bob Hinkle at 717-776-4777.

American Legion Post 751 on Shady Lane, Enola, will hold a ceremony at 11 a.m. Nov. 11. The event will include a Vietnam Veterans recognition and pinning ceremony. Guest speaker will be Sen. Pat Toomey or someone from his staff. If the weather is bad, the ceremony will be held inside. Information: Cindy Steadman at 570-916-7644.

VFW Post 7343, Mount Holly Springs, will hold a ceremony at 1 p.m. Nov. 11 in front of the veterans monument at 424 N. Walnut St. Guest speaker will be Lt. Col. Brian Gerber from the U.S. Army War College. Information: Rick Bower at 717-245-4553.

The Newville Joint Veterans Council ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Veterans Memorial at West Street and Big Spring Avenue. Hometown Heroes banners will be given to families. Guest speaker is Staff Sgt. Joseph Knouse, U.S. Air Force. If the weather is bad the service will be held at the American Legion, 28 Shepherd Road, Newville. Information: Patricia Reed at 717-776-7825.

The Joint Veterans Council in Shippensburg  American Legion Post 223 and VFW Post 6168 - will host a parade at 2 p.m. Nov. 11, starting at King and Queen streets. Information: Tim Wright at 717-372-2070.

The Joint Veterans Council of Carlisle will hold a ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 12 on the second floor of the Old Courthouse. Information: Kirk Wilson at 717-226-1554.

The Silver Spring Township Veterans Memorial Committee ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Silver Spring Twp. Veterans Memorial in Willow Mill Park, 80 Willow Mill Park Road. Information: Ami Thompson at 717-766-0178.

Shippensburg Universitys Army ROTC Raider Battalion will hold its ceremony at 11 a.m. Nov. 12 in Old Main Chapel. Information: Megan Silverstrim at 717-477-1201.

DAUPHIN COUNTY

The State Museum of Pennsylvania will host a Bells of Peace ceremony at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 to honor the centennial of the end of World War I.

The ceremony will be held on the ground-floor outdoor promenade, adjacent to North Street, with the tolling of a full-size replica of the Liberty Bell, originally exhibited at the 1964 Worlds Fair. There also will be speakers and readings. At noon, the museum will open Dressed for Service: Pennsylvanians in the Great War, a display that spotlights the contributions of six Pennsylvania residents who volunteered for service in World War I. According to the museum, Located on the first floor of the museum, the display tells the volunteers' stories of service through their uniforms, clothing and personal effects. Information: 717-787-4980.

The National Civil War Museum, 1 Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park in Harrisburg, will offer free admission for veterans noon-5 p.m. Nov. 11. Information: 717-260-1861.

A ceremony will be held at 9:15 a.m. Nov. 9 at the Widener Law Commonwealth administration building, 3737 Vartan Way, Susquehanna Twp. Speaker will be Howard Taylor, a U.S. Army War College professor and National Security Agency veteran. Information: 717-541-1955.

The office of veterans affairs and Kappa Beta Gamma sorority at Penn State Harrisburg will hold a ceremony and luncheon 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Nov. 8 outside of and in the library of Morrison Gallery.

The International Institute for Peace Through Tourism and the Harrisburg Peace Promenade: a project of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, will hold Harrisburg Citizens Gathering, Homage and Commemoration of the 100th anniversary of World War I, 10 a.m.-noon Nov. 11 at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center, 1110 N. Third St. The event includes speakers, music and the ringing of bells by more than a dozen churches at 11 a.m. Participants will promenade to the river front at 11 a.m. then place a wreath. A minute of silence will be observed at 11:11 a.m.

LANCASTER COUNTY

Lancaster County will hold a service at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 at 150 N. Queen St. A plaque honoring Lancaster County veterans will be unveiled. Speaker will be Brig. Gen. David Wood, an officer in the PA National Guard.

The Massing of the Colors at Masonic Village at Elizabethtowns Veterans Grove will be Nov. 3-12. The display is a memorial to every military service member who has died in combat since 9/11. Information: 717-367-1121.

A program will be offered at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 11 in the Freemasons Cultural Centers Brossman Ballroom at the Masonic Village, 1 Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown. The Junior ROTC cadets from Cedar Cliff and Red Land high schools will present a 50-state flag parade. Guest speaker is Maj. Gen. Kurt J. Ryan, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, N.C. Information: 717-367-1121.

LEBANON COUNTY

Lebanon Transit will offer free bus rides to veterans, Nov. 12-17. Veterans must show an active duty ID, VA ID card, discharge form, retired services ID or a drivers license with a veteran logo when boarding the buss.

StoneRidge Military Veterans Association will host a ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at Theatre on Main at StoneRidge Poplar Run, 440 E. Lincoln Ave., Myerstown. Speaker will be Berks County author and historian and Air Force veteran Barry Kauffman. He will talk about his book, The Four Heroines of World War I. Information: 717-866-3275.

Traditions of Hershey, 100 N. Larkspur Drive, Palmyra, is hosting a breakfast for veterans at 8 a.m. Nov. 12. Speaker will be state Rep. Francis X. Ryan, who is retired form the Marine Corps Reserve. Reservations are required by calling 717-838-2330.

The annual ceremony at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 11, rain or shine.

The Lebanon VA Medical Center, 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., will hold multiple events for veterans and military families this month including:

Hospice memorial service, 2 p.m. Nov. 4, in Building 3.7

Veterans recognition ceremony, 10 a.m. Nov. 8 in the chapel.

Veterans enrollment and information fair, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 8 in the lobby of Building 17.

A free meal for veterans, Nov. 9 during regular business hours at the Patriot Cafe.

VCS Veterans recognition ceremony, 1 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Patriot Cafe with free cake and ice cream.

PERRY COUNTY

The Perry County Veterans Day parade will be held at 11 a.m. Nov. 3 in Marysville. The parade starts at the Masonic Lodge and ends at the Lions Club park.

OTHER

Royers Flowers and Gifts will give veterans free red, white and blue bouquets on Nov. 10 at its 16 stores in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties.

Sheetz locations will offer a free 6-inch turkey sub and a fountain drink and a free car wash to veterans and active duty military personnel on Nov. 11.
WOOLRICH - The president of Woolrich USA calls the decision to close the oldest continuously operating woolen mill in America unfortunate and disappointing.

But, Nicholas P. Brayton said Friday he also recognizes the need to make business decisions that will allow the Woolrich brand to continue in the future.

The mill in the Clinton County village that bears the company name has been losing money for some time and, "if we are not thinking long term, we won't be here," he said.

The mill will stop producing fabric by the end of the year, causing nearly 40 workers to be furloughed.

Difficult business decisions often affect people, he said. "I wish it wasn't that way," he said.

Brayton, a descendant of the Rich family that founded the company in 1840, pledged personally to help anyone find a job if they have difficulty doing so on their own.

The company will provide a severance package and host a job fair, he said.

The decision to close the mill was made following a comprehensive review of the company's overall woven fabric business and the considerable capital improvements needed to modernize and maintain viable operations, he said.

"Unfortunately, due to higher manufacturing costs, eroding margins and continued unprofitability within the mill, it is no longer economically feasible to continue our Pennsylvania-based Woolen Mill operation," he said.

With the closing of the mill that went into operation in 1845, Woolrich no longer will be doing any manufacturing at its headquarters site.

The manufacturing of blankets will be outsourced to other domestic companies, he said.

Woolrich USA corporate offices with support facilities will remain along with customer relations, on-line catalogue sales and distribution, he said.

The retail store in Woolrich and the distribution center near Jersey Shore will remain open for now, Brayton said.

He acknowledged sales at the store, once a destination point, have decreased significantly over the years.

L-GAM Advisers, an investment company based in Luxembourg, recently bought the majority interest in Woolrich from W.P.Lavoi of Italy.

Less than 10 percent of America's oldest outdoor clothing company remains owned by descendants of the Rich family, Brayton said.

Woolrich now targets a more pricey outdoor-wear audience so its major competition is Canada Goose and not companies such as Land's End, he said.

The sale to L-GAM included the 3,500 acres of mostly wooded land on a mountainside Woolrich owns in and around the village.

Goldwin, a Japanese outdoor retailer that acquired a minority stake in Woolrich in 2017, remains a key investor, he said.

It has a premium men's outdoor clothing collection that goes along with the core Woolrich John Rich & Bros. label, he said.

Woolrich, known for its red and black check found in wool and flannel shirts and other products, had sales of about $200 million in 2017, Brayton said.

It employs about 250 people around the world, including approximately 100 in its mill and offices in Woolrich.

Besides Woolrich, it has stores in New York City, Boston and Toronto along with seven each in Germany and Italy, three in Japan, two each in the Netherlands and Sweden and one each in Belgium and London.
Tuesday is election day, your opportunity to exersize your right to vote. Heres some information to guide you in casting your ballot.

Where do I vote?

You must vote at the polling place where you are registered to vote. The Pennsylvania Department of State has an online search tool that can tell you where that is Just go to the site, enter your address to find the address of your polling place.

How can I check if I'm registered to vote?

You can go to the Department of State website here, and check your registration status by providing either your name or your Pennsylvania drivers license number or PennDOT ID number.

Is it too late to register to vote?

Yes. The deadline to register was Oct 9.

How do I find out what Congressional district I'm in?

This is particularly important because the boundaries of Congressional districts in Pennsylvania were redrawn by the state Supreme Court earlier this year, so you may live in a different congressional district today than you did the last time you voted.

But it's easy to find out. Just go to the Department of State website where you check your voter registration status. When you enter your name, or your Pennsylvania driver's license or PennDOT ID number, it will not only tell you whether you are registered to vote, but what Congressional district, state Senate district and state House district you vote in.

You can find information on the candidates running in each of those districts in PennLives Voters Guide.

For more information, call the state bureau of elections at 1-877-868-3772 or your county election office.

When are the polls open?

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. As long as you are in the polling place by 8 p.m. you have the right to vote.

Can I still request or file an absentee ballot?

The deadline to apply for a civilian absentee ballot was Oct. 30. The deadline for the completed ballot to be returned to the county elections office was Friday, Nov. 2.

For emergencies that arise after Friday, Nov. 2, a petition for an emergency absentee ballot may be filed in county court.

Do I need to show ID at the polls?

Only first-time voters must show ID. This can be a photo ID or non-photo ID.

 Qualifying photo IDs include: a valid Pennsylvania driver's license, a valid state or federal government ID, a valid U.S. passport, a valid student or employee ID.

 Qualifying non-photo IDs include: a non-photo ID issued by the state or federal government, a current utility bill, a firearm permit, a current bank statement, a current paycheck or a current government check. The law requires that a non-photo ID must include your name and current address.

You might need to provide ID before voting if you have not voted in five years or if someone challenges your right to vote in that precinct.

What do I do if Im challenged at the polls?

Your right to vote can be challenged by local election officials, poll watchers or another voter who is lawfully inside the polling place.

Challenges can only be for an individual's identity or place of residency, and the challenger must have a good-faith basis for their challenge. For example, they may not indiscriminately challenge all voters of an opposing party.

It is up to the judge of election to decide if the challenge has been made in good faith. If it is, and the judge is satisfied with your identity and residency, you must be allowed to vote.

If the judge cannot determine if the challenge is valid, you are permitted to have another voter from the same precinct vouch for you. After that, you must be allowed to vote.

If you cannot get someone to vouch for you, you must be given a provisional ballot. If it is later determined that you were eligible to vote, your ballot will then be counted.

Can I cast a provisional ballot?

If your name is not in the poll book at the polling place, you may still vote.

Local officials must first call the county board of elections to confirm whether you are registered and in the right precinct.

If you are in the wrong polling place, you will be directed to the correct one.

If your name is not found in the voter registration database, you may cast a provisional ballot. The judge of elections will give you a receipt with your provisional ballot number so that you can contact your board of elections to check if your vote was counted.

I haven't paid much attention to the election. Is there somewhere I can get information about the candidates?

Weve got you covered. PennLive and the League of Women Voters collaborated to compile this Voters Guide to the 2018 general election.

Has congressional redistricting affected where I go to vote?

Polling places did not change as a result of redistricting.

However, starting in the May primary, residents in North Middleton Township, Cumberland County, encountered a new check-in procedure, since that municipality is split between the 10th and 13th districts.

Are any polling places changing?

Dauphin County has combined some polling places in Highspire and Millersburg, and some polling place locations in Harrisburg, Londonderry Township, Lower Paxton and West Hanover townships have changed.

Its a good idea to check your polling place before you head out to vote to make sure there has been no change. You can use the Department of States polling place locator to check.

Can I take a "ballot selfie" while voting?

If you take a photo in a polling place, including a "ballot selfie," you may not disclose how others vote or how you are about to vote.

The Pennsylvania Department of State strongly recommends that you wait until you leave the polling place to post your "ballot selfie" on social media.

Once you have voted, you are free to post the photos, since there is no prohibition, after your vote is cast, against revealing how you voted.

Can I take a gun into the polls?

Even if you are lawfully in possession of a firearm and possess the proper permits, you may not be allowed to enter your polling place with your firearm. Firearms cannot be brought into polling places which are located in one of the following locations:

inside a private property forbidding them;

a school;

a courthouse; or

any other location where Pennsylvania law prohibits the carrying of firearms.

Even if you are permitted to possess your firearm at the polls, you must be responsible with it. Anyone who acts aggressively or ostentatiously displays a firearm, and whose behavior is either intended to or inadvertently intimidates another voter or voters, will be removed from the polling place and reported to law enforcement authorities. It is illegal to use any means to attempt to intimidate any voters either insider or outside of polling locations.

What do I do if I need help at the polls?

You may have someone help you cast your ballot:

If a disability impairs you from operating the voting machine.

If you have a language barrier that prevents you from understanding the ballot.

If you have difficulty reading.

You may ask anyone to assist you as long as the person is not your employer or their agent, your union representative or their agent or the judge of election.

Can I take campaign literature into the polls?

Voters may take campaign literature, such as PennLives Voters Guide, with them into the polling place and voting booth if it helps them choose who to vote for, but they may not leave it there.

All other campaign material must remain at least 10 feet from the room in which voting occurs.

Can I wear campaign gear inside a polling place?

You may wear clothing, buttons hats or other campaign gear, but you must not campaign for a candidate or candidates inside the polling place or within 10 feet of the room.

Election officials are prohibited from wearing campaign items at the polls.

Who can be inside the polls?

Election officials.

Voters who are in the process of voting.

People assisting those voting.

Constables and deputy constables tasked with preserving the peace.

Poll watchers with valid watcher certificates.

Appointed election overseers.

Police officers may only be at the polls if they are voting, if the poll is in the same building as the police station, or if they have been called to address a situation there.

Who do I contact if I have a complaint about voting?

Voters who experience problems voting in the election can fill out an online Department of State form or may call 1-877-868-3772. They may also call their county election bureau.

Who can register to vote?

You must be a citizen of the U.S. and a resident of Pa. for at least one month before the election.

You must 18 on or before the election.

If you are in prison on election day on a felony conviction, you cannot vote. Voting rights are restored when you are released from prison.

 Here is a guide to voter rights from the Pa. attorney general.

Can I vote if I am in prison?

If you are in prison on election day serving time for a felony conviction, you cannot vote.

You may vote if you are awaiting trial on a felony.

You may vote from prison if you are convicted of a misdemeanor. You must seek an absentee ballot and return it by the deadline.

Can I vote if I am on probation, parole or house arrest?

Yes. People awaiting trial in prison, even on a felony, may vote.

Can I vote if I was convicted of a felony in a state that takes away the right to vote permanently?

You may vote in Pennsylvania even if you were convicted of a felony in a state that revoked your right to vote.

What should I do if I believe someone has intimidated me at the polls?

It is illegal for anyone to block or attempt to block the entrance to the poll. Intimidating behavior, including words or actions, should be reported immediately to your County Board of Elections.

If you witness what you believe to be election-related crimes, please email the Attorney General's office at voting@attorneygeneral.gov.

Can college students vote in the polling place at their college?

College students in Pennsylvania may register at their college address or their home address. They must cast their votes at the polling place where they are registered.

What if the voting machines break?

If at least half of the voting machines in your polling place are not working, you are entitled to vote by emergency paper ballot. Do not leave without voting. If poll workers do not offer paper ballots, you may request one and they must provide it.
Hateful rhetoric and a refusal to disavow those who use it became the focus of several religious leaders who mourned together Thursday and honored the 11 people killed at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synogogue on Sunday.

The service, held at Pine Street Presbyterian Church, was hosted by Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuses Interfaith Advisory Council, and included faith leaders from the Muslim, Bahai, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Jewish communities.

Papenfuse spoke passionately, saying now is the time to speak out against the hatred spreading across the country every day.

Friends, it is fitting to ask, what is happening to our nation? Papenfuse asked.

here is the plain and ungarnished truth, Papenfuse said. Without the clear condemnation of those in power, most specifically our president, hatred has been allowed to fester on our American soil.

A member of the Buddhist community Geoffry Dunaway, called upon the people and community leaders to recognized that everyone is connected.

This is my call to action, Dunaway said. We must be there for each other.

Methodist Reverend Russell W. Goodman asked what God would represent sending pipe bombs to those who disagree politically, and the killing of a group because of their religion.

All of these such events are tragedies, and they will happen again unless theres change," Goodman said. Unless we change.

Rabbi Eric Cytryn, of the Beth El Temple in Harrisburg, spoke about how Jews are mourning as a family, and know God is walking with them.

We mourn all these senseless murders, Cytryn said. We know as members of faith communities, people who respect words, that hateful words give birth to hateful acts.
The 45-year-old man who allegedly ran off with a teenage girl from Allentown pleaded guilty Thursday to corruption of minors, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.

Amy Yu and Kevin Esterly (Courtesy photos | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Kevin Esterly, of the 3000 block of Highland Road in Lowhill Township, was in county court for a status conference when the negotiated plea was entered before Judge Maria L. Dantos, according to court records.

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 10 on the misdemeanor. Felony counts of interference with custody of children and concealment of the whereabouts of a child have been withdrawn.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Matthew Falk handled the case, and Esterly was represented by Carol Marciano in the county public defender's office. She could not be reached immediately for comment on the plea.

Esterly is accused of taking 16-year-old Amy Yu on a one-way flight to Cancun last March. He been signing her out numerous times, posing as her stepfather, from Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School in Hanover Township, Northampton County.

Yu willingly accompanied Esterly on March 5 to Cancun, Mexico. Her family had reported her as a runaway that day, and Esterly's family reported him missing March 7.

Yu's family said the two met at church years ago, and the 16-year-old girl was friends with one of Esterly's daughters.

Amid international law enforcement cooperation, they were found by Mexican authorities March 17 and sent to Miami before Yu was returned to her family unharmed.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
WILLIAMSPORT -- The soon-to-be Williamsport police chief says the department hopes to resolve two unfair labor practices complaints filed by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 29 before scheduled Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board hearings.

Capt. Jody Miller, who is to become chief in January, expressed that desire Thursday when he responded to the allegations in the complaints.

One complaint stems from an Aug. 31 conversation Agent Fred Miller, no relation, had with a patrol officer over the lack of days off while working a new flex shift designed to reduce department overtime.

It alleges Capt. Miller, in asking about the locker room meeting, told Agent Miller FOP members should "keep their mouths shut."

Agent Miller was directed to write a memo detailing the conversation so Chief David J. Young and Capt. Don Mayes, head of the investigative division, would know what transpired.

Capt. Miller, in his response said he called in Agent Miller and: "I told him to stop the complaining, as issues with the flex shift should be resolved through the chain of command.

"I told him to complete a memorandum and address it to his supervisor, who was aware of other issues and would address it with him.

"At no time during any discussion was the union mentioned and there was nothing to suggest this was in any way related to a union issue.

"From a command perspective, complaints or concerns can be detrimental unless addressed through a proper process."

Capt. Miller said that unfair labor practice complaint "came out of the blue," and had not been previously raise with him by any FOP representative.

The police administration has been working hard to ensure officers are comfortable while addressing the policing needs of the city, he said.

"Changing a culture is challenging, particularly in a labor-management setting," he said.

The FOP in the other complaint accuses the city not offering off-duty officers the opportunity to work before arranging with the Pennsylvania College of Technology police to cover the city during an April 29 active shooter-mass casualty exercise at Williamsport Area High School.

Miller claims Penn College police were asked to assist with initial responses but city officers could have been pulled from training if required. The only call during the exercise was for a burglar alarm, he said.

Calling in off-duty officers was not legally required or logical, Miller said. "There was no need to pay officers overtime to stand by during this event," he said.

The PLRB has scheduled hearings for Dec. 3 and Feb. 1 on the training and flex shift issues, respectively.
The same focus on experience that is cultivated at many craft brewpubs can also be applied to spirits, Furnari said, and some of the same raw materials can be used in both manufacturing processes. For example, beer wash, the fermented liquid used as a base to make whiskey, can be made at a brewery. Whiskey barrels can be used to age beer, and beer barrels can likewise be used for spirits, as Two Brothers did recently when it made a barrel-aged gin.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  Army officials in Alaska say a 21-year-old soldier from Dauphin County died of a gunshot in his barracks.

Spc. Mason Guckavan died Oct. 26 at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks. The death was announced Thursday.

The Armys Criminal Investigation Command is investigating. The Army says investigators have not determined whether the shot fired was intentional or accidental.

Guckavan was an infantryman with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

He joined the Army in August 2016 from Middletown, Pa. His last known address is in Lower Swatara Township. Relatives contacted today did not want to comment.

Guckavan completed basic training at Fort Benning, Ga.
Democrats are veering too far to the left and risk alienating voters with pushes to abolish Immigrations & Customs Enforcement and to enact a single-payer healthcare system.

That's the warning bell sounded by former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell as his party heads into the final weekend of a highly consequential midterm campaign and looks ahead to the White House in 2020.

In an op-Ed for the congressional newspaper, The Hill, Rendell, who served from 2002-2010, says that " if we continue to tack to the far left in the 2020 election cycle, we surely will see another four years of President Trump (please, no!)."

Here's a bit of Rendell's op-Ed from The Hill:

"Regardless of your opinion on its merits, single-payer is not a reasonable solution to the challenge of making health care accessible and affordable; it will never get the 60 votes necessary in the Senate, even if Democrats were to win back the chamber on Nov. 6. Our candidates should work for solutions that are politically achievable, and not appeal to voters with a plan they know cannot become reality. (That's like saying, "Mexico would pay for the wall.") I would respect our wannabes more if they would make realistic proposals for reform.

"The rush to declare their progressive bona fides through this topic was matched by a similar charge to pledge the abolition of ICE. Now, it's clear that ICE is a mess, needs reforming and a serious reordering of its priorities. But among other things, ICE is charged with -- and performs adequately -- keeping out young people who are being forced into our country to become sex slaves, drug dealers, etc. The proper response for someone wanting to be U.S. president should be similar to the answer regarding the ACA: "Mend it, don't end it." Kudos to Sen. Amy Klobuchar(D-Minn.) for endorsing this commonsense approach.

"The "abolish ICE" movement came at a terrible time for the Democratic Party because, in the weeks preceding the movement's arise, the Trump administration was getting savaged -- and deservedly so -- for its idiotic policy of separating families at the southern border. Public opinion polls were so strong against the administration that the divider-in-chief was forced to sign an executive order to keep migrant families together. His unfavorable ratings were shooting up, but we Democrats came to his rescue by letting him change the subject -- to say that Democrats wanted to abolish ICE and leave the border defenseless. That may appear to be a totally illogical argument, but it effectively redirected attention and halted the bleeding for President Trump."

But according to Rendell, all might not be lost.

"If we re-calibrate our thinking and come up with a solid left-of-center candidate (e.g. Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Sen. Klobuchar, or Rep. John Delaney of Maryland) we just might win -- and take the House and Senate as well."
Every once in a while, in fact, more often than Id like, people will tell me theyre staying home on Election Day because they dont think their vote matters. Or theyll tell me that they they dont think they know enough to cast a ballot. Sometimes, theyll even tell me, in that same tone we reserve for a visit to the dentist, that theyll vote, but they wont like it and dont see much point to it.

Even after more than three decades of writing about politics on every level - from borough halls to state and U.S. Capitols and the White House - Ive never thought that.

Ive never thought that even though Ive seen, firsthand, the ugly leveraging of power; watched the way the process steamrolls the little guy; and recorded the moments when those weve entrusted to lead us are perp-walked into a county courthouse.

Even after all that, Im still convinced that a single voter, standing in a polling station, pulling levers or pressing buttons for their favored candidates, can still make sure his or her voice gets heard above the din and clatter of our politics.

If you dont think thats the case, consider this past Marchs special election for Pennsylvanias soon-to-vanish 18th Congressional District. There, Democrat Conor Lamb beat Republican Rick Saccone by a mere 627 votes. If there is stone-cold proof of every vote counting, its certainly to be found in that district in the Pittsburgh suburbs.

And were going to be in that spot again during Tuesdays midterm election.

Yeah, I know, professional pundits (including this one) love to say that Tuesdays plebiscite will be the most consequential of our lifetimes, or in recent memory. Or at least, its the most important one since the last one.

But after two years of hothouse rhetoric, and after a week of pipe bombs, a deadly synagogue shooting and the rank manipulation of public sentiment over the non-existent threat posed by a column of desperate people who are hundreds of miles from our borders, weve reached a tipping point.

On Tuesday, were being asked to make a hugely important choice.

Were being asked, through our vote, to decide who we want to be as a people; where we want to go as a country, and what face we want to project to the world.

Are we a country that tries to silence political debate, as appeared to be the intent of accused pipe-bomber Cesar Sayoc, through improvised explosive devices?

Are we the kind of country that brands journalists enemies of the people, and do we cheer and celebrate when we learn theyve been assaulted?

Are we a country that stands silent in the face of the kind of vile hate spewed by the man charged with indiscriminately spraying gunfire in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, claiming the lives of 11 our elders and wounding police officers and others?

Do we allow ourselves to be cowed by disgusting and evidence-free conspiracy theories, as is the case in our talk about the migrant column?

So we have a very real choice.

We can choose leaders who directly traffick in that kind of bile. And we can give our votes to those who stand by silently in the face of it.

Look no further than the example of Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner, whose closing argument, through a TV commercial, was not an affirmative argument for his qualifications to lead, but rather the basest play on voters' fears about the non-threat the migrant column poses to Pennsylvania.

Or we can be something bigger than that.

We can be the country that we want our kids to believe that it is: The one that stands up as a leader in the world and doesnt hide behind an ocean or put up barriers to trade; a country that uses its massive wealth and power to both take care of the needy and vulnerable here at home, and help provide better lives to people thousands of miles away that most of us will never meet.

We can be a country that is both secure and welcoming to people fleeing desperate circumstances in their own countries. We can make sure that no one ever has to worry about their healthcare; their ability to pay their bills. We can provide them with both a livable wage and paid sick leave. We can give our kids good and safe schools. And we can make sure women retain the right to make decisions about their own bodies. We can make sure our parents are taken care of in their old age.

And we can stand up and repudiate those who would use fear to divide us.

In 1976, former Vice President Hubert Humphrey said that the ultimate moral test of any government is the way it treats three groups of its citizens. First, those in the dawn of life  our children. Second, those in the shadows of life  our needy, our sick, our handicapped. Third, those in the twilight of life  our elderly.

Succeeding in that moral test means shining a bright light. It means vanquishing anyone or anything that threatens to shroud us in darkness. In a very real way, were taking that test again on Tuesday.

Your vote always, always matters.

Especially now.
By Jennifer Ross

This has been a painful and challenging week for our community in the aftermath of the tragedy in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue, where 11 people were killed during a sacred time, and six additional people, including four police officers, were injured. This tragedy, the worst anti-Semitic attack in United States history, has created shockwaves across our community and across the country, and left me numb for days, unable to express my emotions through written word or speech.

Like many communities across the nation, ours came together on Monday, October 29 for a candlelight vigil to mourn and heal and stand in solidarity with Pittsburgh. Between the strength I gained from that evening, and from the numerous calls and emails and kind words I have received from people since Saturday, my own words are forming again.

Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, is a driving force behind the mission of all Jewish agencies, synagogues, and the individuals who work for them. Although Jews are in the minority in Pennsylvania, the work of our Jewish agencies have incredible impact on people of all faiths across the Commonwealth. These agencies include Jewish Federations, Jewish Community Centers, Jewish Family Service agencies, museums, Jewish Nursing Homes, Jewish Community Foundations, Jewish Day Schools, JEVS Human Services, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation of Pittsburgh, National Council of Jewish Women in Pittsburgh, and the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition.

One of the most common misconceptions is that you need to be Jewish to be served by one our agencies, even though we enrich the lives of individuals of all backgrounds from the earliest stages of life though their final moments in nearly every way. Respect for diversity is a high priority for our agencies and this extends not only to those of other faiths or those who chose not to practice, but also to people of all genders, races, ethnicities, sexual preferences, capabilities, nationalities, and other differences. The Torah teaches us repeatedly to welcome the stranger and that is inherent in the work that we do.

The agencies listed above provide a multitude of services including caring for individuals of all ages, providing preschool through high school educations, summer camp experiences that last a life time, creating forever families through adoption services, providing cultural enrichment, job training, counseling services, senior enrichment programs, meals on wheels, recreation, and advocacy services, just to name a few. Many of these service are provided regardless of ability to pay as our agencies often raise extensive funds to provide scholarships and grants to support those in need.

Tikkun olam inspires many Jewish individuals as well. You will often find people involved in board leadership outside of the Jewish community and we have been on the forefront of all aspects of civil rights and other grassroots initiatives. It has inspired me personally to serve, even when it isnt easy to serve. I am in awe of my colleagues in Pittsburgh for their strength and perseverance. I have been praying for them and everyone impact by this tragedy and I have been hurting along with so many other people, but the solidarity and support of the community is helping me heal.

There is a concept in Tikkun Olam that when you save one life, you save the world, and when you take one life, you destroy the world. Robert Bowers tried to destroy our world on October 27. He has maimed us. He has broken us. He has left us without words. However, his hate is weaker than the love and the strength of our Jewish Community and of the compassion and love from our interfaith friends and entire community. Together, we will repair the world. Dear friends, family, and colleagues in Pittsburgh-- - we stand in solidarity with you from Harrisburg  from Pennsylvania  and throughout the world. Now, and always.

Jennifer Ross is the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg.
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry grew up keenly aware he was from the wrong side of the tracks, and relied on his own grit, intelligence and hard work to build a life that speaks to America's tradition of social mobility.

Having lived that up-from-the-bootstraps climb, the York County Republican is driven to preserving the core of a free enterprise system that, in his view, allows people to rise to the level of their abilities and energies.

And stopping, wherever he sees it, government's interference with the same.

It's one of the main reasons he seeks a fourth term in Congress, battling Democratic challenger George Scott in the newly-confugured 10th Congressional District.

Perry's route to Congress has not been the traditional one.

Born in California, Perry says he has no memory of ever living in the same house with his father, Jim.

He recalls seeking out his Dad for a meeting in 1996, while attending the Republican National Convention in San Diego, maybe to spark a relationship, but at the least to answer some gaping questions.

They met for a brief, 15-minute conversation, and went their separate ways again.

It's not that there's bad blood, exactly.

"I never knew him. He never did anything for me... He's just another person on the planet as far as I'm concerned," is how Perry explains it.

Perry's mother Cecile, an airline flight attendant, made the decision to leave that marriage shortly after Scott's birth, leaving for South Central Pennsylvania on a job transfer that, her son said, was designed to get as far away as possible from the old life.

Perry, 56, has revealed more about his background than ever before during this campaign, often opening debates and even running an advertisement with anecdotes about growing up in a home without electricity or indoor plumbing, and ate food that others were throwing out.

But it's a reluctant opening, his aides say, because Perry is not eager to shove his Mom and siblings into the public eye. Efforts to reach out to Perry's family were unsuccessful for this report, so there are some gaps.

Still, the Congressman expounded on his back story a little more in an interview with the Patriot-News.

The Perry family, a single mom and her two kids, landed first in Harrisburg, on Berryhill Street.

Shortly thereafter, they moved to Chestnut Grove Road in Carroll Township, the home where Scott Perry grew up and - in this campaign - he has recalled a period of grinding poverty.

His mom eventually remarried to Daniel Chimel, a pilot and air traffic controller by profession. But the new relationship, in Perry's recollection, wasn't that much better than the one Cecile left in California.

As Scott Perry recalls it, Chimel, who died in 2015, had his own troubles keeping jobs.

"He was chronically unemployed, and my Mom worked a lot, so there was lot's of fighting over paying the bills and not working, and that kind of stuff," Perry recalled.

"We didn't have what I guess you would call a very caring family relationship."

Scott Perry, seen here with his mother, Cecile, and older brother, James, after their move to the midstate.

For a period of several years, Perry has told campaign audiences, the family lived using a generator for power, taking their water from a pump, and making full use of an outhouse on the property.

When his mother lost her airline job, she took work for a wholesale food company and brought home expired foods that could no longer be sold publically for her kids to eat.

Things would improve over time: the home was wired and connected to the power grid; a well and septic tank were added to provide modern plumbing.

But Perry still remembers the teen envy he felt wearing his Sears Toughskin jeans to school at a time when it seemed like everybody else had Levi's.

Or the humiliation of going to get a lunch token for the school meals - in kind of a forerunner of today's "lunch-shaming."

Nobody ever directly mocked him for it, Perry said, but "I just knew that I was the only kid that I knew among my friends who had to do that... and I wasn't proud how that was happening.

What he remembers, more than anything, was feeling "out of place... You're trying to fit in, but you don't fit in."

Perry graduated from Northern High School and Cumberland-Perry Vocational / Technical School with an auto mechanics certification and was working at a local service station when a chance conversation with a girlfriend's Dad got him into the National Guard.

The relationship with the girl didn't last; the one with the Guard appears to have been transformative.

Perry went off to study construction and design drafting for his occupational training, and started to grasp the idea that education could be his springboard rather than something to suffer through.

While working a series of full-time jobs, he attended HACC and later Penn State Harrisburg, eventually earning a bachelor's degree in 1991.

It was during that time that Perry started his own mechanical contracting business, Hydrotech Mechanical Services, went to Officer Candidate School and became an officer in the Guard.

He also started to get involved in local politics.

That latter passion, he says, came to him as he was completing his bachelor's degree at Penn State.

Perry was always interested in politics; he'd just always figured the doors to that kind of world were not open to people like him - people with dirt under their fingernails.

At the end of a political science class at Penn State, he asked his professor what he could do to become personally involved, and the prof put him in touch with the Republican State Committee.

Working under the mentorship of longtime York GOP Chairman John Thompson, he gravitated to the Young Republicans organization, eventually becoming state chair of that organization.

It hasn't always been a straight line up.

In a well-documented case from 2002, Perry pleaded guilty to making false reports to the state Department of Environmental Protection stemming from his firm's work monitoring a small private sewage treatment plant.

Perry, who's said his only mistake was taking on a customer who was cheating and perhaps being slow to realize it, completed requirements to have his record expunged and moved on.

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry with his wife, Christy, and their two daughters.

But wherever there have been setbacks, Perry, a married, father of two, has shown an amazing drive to persevere through and overcome them.

In his own first run for elective office, he fought through a crowded GOP primary to win his state House seat, and then a seven-candidate primary to get to Congress.

In the Guard, he deployed to Iraq in 2009, and has now attained the rank of brigadier general.

Those who have known him the longest say they appreciate that for all that climbing, he still treats them pretty much like the mop-haired teen who pumped their gas at the former Ray's Exxon on Route 15.

"I think he's always been concerned about the people in his area," said Vickie Hardy, the daughter of that service station operator who fondly recalls Perry's impromptu eulogy at her Dad's funeral a few years ago.

"I don't think he sees himself as better than anyone else.

Perry said his personal climb has left him a devout believer in the American Dream. And, at times, disappointed in how that's been translated for others.

Both sentiments inform his political world view.

"I got a hand-up, and we do help our neighbors," Perry said. "But I also know that you can also do a lot of for yourself if you show up with a good attitude and work hard."
History museum to host 'market at the museum' for holiday shopping

The Harbor Springs Area Historical Society will soon be hosting two holiday markets to help shop local this holiday season.
Seventeen days after all votes were cast, the counting of ballots in Montgomery County has been completed and the results of the closely fought Spring-Ford Area School Board race show a Democratic sweep. Representation on the Spring-Ford School Board is divided into three geographic regions and in Region 2, which is comprised of a portion of Upper Providence as well...
If the deal is finalized, Ferrara would become the second Chicago-area business with intentions to move employees from the suburbs into the 2.8 million-square-foot Old Post Office, which is undergoing a massive overhaul. In June, Walgreens said it planned to move 1,800 employees to the building, most from its Deerfield headquarters.
Its Augustthe sun is shining, summer intensives are winding down, and Nutcracker seems very far away. But this new trailer for Disneys The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is already getting us in the holiday mood. While this modern take on the classic holiday story, in theaters November 2, is not a dance film, it does include mega-stars Misty Copeland and Sergei Polunin as the Ballerina Princess and Nutcracker Prince.



The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

is not all sparkles and candy. The film pulls from the ballets darker, eerier roots, E.T.A. Hoffmanns 1816 Nutcracker and Mouse King, although the storyline has been changed. Clara (played by Mackenzie Foy) is on a quest to find a key to unlock a box holding a gift from her late mother, an accomplished inventor. Her search takes her through four realms that should sound familiar to any bunhead worth their salt: the Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers, Land of Sweets and the ominous Fourth Realm, home to an evil Mother Ginger (played by Helen Mirren). Beloved characters Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman) and the Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley) join Clara on her journey.



Liam Scarlett, resident choreographer at The Royal Ballet, choreographed the films dance sequences. Copeland and Polunin, paired together for the first time, are joined by a group of 18 dancers from a variety of countries and schools. Bringing the well-known story to life on screen provides a whole different perspective for dancers for whom the ballet is second nature. Scarlett made his Nutcracker debut as one of Fritzs friends at age 11; Copeland danced Clara at age 13, only nine months into her ballet training. Well keep you posted as more details on the film are releasedin the meantime, join us in counting down the days until November 2!
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By John Whitesides

DODGE CITY, Kan. (Reuters)  Clemente Torres has proudly cast his vote in person at Dodge Citys lone polling place in every election since he became a naturalized citizen 20 years ago.

This year is different.

After Republican officials said in September they would move the Hispanic-majority citys only polling place to a remote spot outside the city limits, across railroad tracks and away from bus lines, Torres decided to vote by mail.

I wanted to be sure I could vote, said Torres, 57, who works at a meatpacking plant in this western Kansas city best known for its history as a Wild West outpost. I didnt want to take any chances.

Torres and other voters interviewed by Reuters said they were worried voting would be more difficult at the new location. Some were skeptical of the official explanation: that construction will hinder access to the usual site.

The move has sparked an outcry from voting rights groups that say Republicans are trying to limit Hispanic votes. The state American Civil Liberties Union has asked the courts to force Dodge City to open another polling site. Democrats are mobilizing to rent vans, line up volunteers to drive people to the polls and set up a hotline to ask for rides.

Kansas is just one front in a broad national struggle over voting restrictions passed by Republicans, who say they are needed to combat voter fraud.

Democrats and advocacy groups are scrambling in courtrooms and on the ground to resist efforts they say will stack the deck against minority voters likely to back Democrats in next Tuesdays elections, where control of the U.S. Congress will be at stake.

The national voting rights debate, which accelerated after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, has been particularly intense this year in states with tight, high-stakes election races such as Kansas, Georgia, North Dakota and Tennessee.

There are a lot of grim things happening, but people are awake and highly engaged to fight back on this issue, said Leah Aden, deputy director of litigation at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

SLAP IN THE FACE

On a recent afternoon in Dodge City, where about 60 percent of the 27,000 residents are Hispanic, many of the mostly Hispanic workers pouring out of a beef processing plant during a shift change were surprised to find a trio of Kansas Democrats waiting for them.

Do you know your polling place has moved? Democratic congressional candidate Alan LaPolice asked as he and two aides handed out more than 300 packets with bilingual information on where to vote and how to call for a ride to get there.

Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, 18, a first-time voter in November and a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit, said the new polling site would make it tough on people unable to get time off from work to vote, or had transportation or language issues.

People cant just leave the plants to vote. You cant just run over on your lunch break, Rangel-Lopez said.

Suspicions about the motive behind the polling place change come naturally in Kansas, where Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach, one of the countrys foremost advocates of restrictive voting and immigration laws, is in a tight race for governor against Democrat Laura Kelly.

This is a slap in the face to voters here, said Ford County Democratic Party Chairman Johnny Dunlap. They should be making voting easier, not harder.

Debbie Cox, the Republican county clerk who ordered the move, declined requests for comment on her decision to set up a new polling place about 4 miles (6 km) from the old one.

But the states elections director, who works under Kobach, said Cox chose the best available alternative with adequate parking and space.

KOBACH HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS

I have trouble understanding how this was voter suppression. There just werent many options for polling sites that fit the criteria, Kansas Elections Director Bryan Caskey said. I can say with 100 percent certainty that Secretary Kobach had nothing to do with this.

Kobach has relentlessly promoted theories about the threat of voter fraud and was a leader on President Donald Trumps disbanded election integrity commission formed to look into possible fraud in the 2016 election.

While Republicans say new voting restrictions such as tougher ID requirements and aggressive voter-roll purges are necessary to ensure honest elections or clean up voter rolls, independent studies have found that voter fraud is extremely rare.

Other states with major election races also have wrestled with voting rights issues. In North Dakota, where Democrat Heidi Heitkamp and Republican Kevin Cramer are in a close Senate race, Native American tribal leaders have mobilized to help up to 10,000 residents in rural reservations whose voting eligibility has been threatened by a state law requiring a residential street address on IDs.

Many reservation residents use post office boxes for mail delivery and do not have street addresses. The law, which Republicans said was aimed at fighting voter fraud, was passed after Heitkamp was elected to the Senate by fewer than 3,000 votes in 2012 with strong Native American support.

Precinct maps and satellite images of the states five reservations are being used to help generate street addresses, which can be recorded and printed on tribal letterhead, said O.J. Semans, co-executive director of Four Directions, a Native American voting rights group.

This is about being pushed into a corner and having to fight back, Semans said. We want to make sure the state thinks twice about doing something like this again.

Groups in Georgia sued to block Democrat Stacey Abrams opponent for governor, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is also the states top election official, from throwing out more than 50,000 voter registration applications put on hold under the states exact match law requiring personal information on voter applications to match state databases.

The lawsuit alleged the vast majority of the disputed applications were from black voters.

Jimmy Carter, a former U.S. president and Georgia governor, even weighed in, calling on Kemp to resign his post supervising elections. Kemp has refused to step down and says he is fairly applying Georgias laws.

In Tennessee, home to another crucial U.S. Senate race between Democrat Phil Bredesen and Republican Marsha Blackburn, a lawsuit by voting rights groups led a judge to order that people in majority-black Shelby County be allowed to fix their incomplete voter registration applications and vote.

Democrats in Tennessee have formed the first statewide voter protection team to watch for problems at the polls. Tennessee Democratic Party Chairwoman Mary Mancini calls them an army of poll watchers.

(Additional reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Tennessee and Liz Hampton in Georgia; Editing by Jason Szep and Peter Cooney)
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Florida Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum said the toxic form of politics being championed by Donald Trump and his GOP opponent Ron DeSantis has no place in the Sunshine State.

In an interview with MSNBCs Chris Hayes, the rising Democratic star said he thinks voters in the state will reject Trumps dark closing message.

The only benefit I have is that my opponent Ron DeSantis and the president seem to be twins at dividing, at stoking the politics of fear, and quite frankly I think they underestimate the people of the state of Florida, Gillum said. I think people have reached their limit with this kind of politics.

Trump campaigned in Florida on Wednesday and plans to make another stop there on Saturday.

Video:

Democrat Andrew Gillum says Florida voters are going to reject Trumps toxic politics on November 6. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/qWVvhBwNcn  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) November 2, 2018

Gillum said:

Im not sure what the president does. I missed his rally last night. I was out trick or treating with my three kids. But I will tell you the president has made this election all about him. The only benefit I have is that my opponent Ron DeSantis and the president seem to be twins at dividing, at stoking the politics of fear, and quite frankly I think they underestimate the people of the state of Florida. I think that were going to resoundingly reject that kind of politics. In the same week that 11 families are burying loved ones in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and we had bombs mailed into homes of prominent Democrats around the country. I think people have reached their limit with this kind of politics, and I think theyre going to unapologetically reject it on November 6th here in Florida.

The contrast couldnt be clearer between the two parties

Whether its Andrew Gillum in Florida, Stacey Abrams in Georgia or Beto ORourke in Texas, the contrast between the two parties couldnt be more clear with less than a week to go before Election Day.

While Democrats are putting up forward-looking progressive candidates preaching inclusivity and unity, particularly after several weeks of political, racial and political violence, Republicans are banking on the politics of fear and bigotry to win them votes down the stretch.

Andrew Gillum is betting that Trumps politics of hate will fail in Florida  and all across the country  when voters weigh in next week.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook.
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Many in the media once again fell for Trumps lies on Thursday, airing his hate speech packaged as a policy announcement.

Democrats need to do to Trump what he did to the Fox debate he skipped; counter program him every day until the election.

Every public appearance by Trump or a Trump surrogate regarding the phony immigration threat Trump is claiming a caravan of impoverished and desperate people fleeing from violence represents needs to be matched by the attack on the Pittsburgh synagogue and the pipe bombs.

Democrats need to deploy their top people and celebrities to give news conferences during a Trump interview thats going to be aired, during a White House press briefing, and during todays 4:15 announcement by the President on this topic.

Deploy their top celebrity endorsers and top political stars who are not running for office right now. Discuss how Trump is going to defund the entire domestic terrorism program Obama set up, and how he has his administration deliberately ignore white supremacist violence. Tell people they and their loved ones are in danger, but its not from the caravan.

Trump doesnt allow the media to ask him real questions, so they should stop airing his propaganda.

The media should warn people before he speaks that he lies every day, that he is lying about the caravan, that he has deployed more troops to the border than we have in Iraq to meet a caravan that isnt even there and wont be for weeks or months, and remind them that he has lied 3,084 times since becoming president.

The media and Democrats need to anticipate the lies and get the truth out before Trump is spewing them on TV. Studies show that people are much less prone to fall for a conspiracy if they are exposed to the facts first. But if they are exposed to the conspiracy and then the facts, they are more prone to believe the conspiracy. Donald Trump knows this, he knows how ineffective fact-checking can be. All he needs to do is expose people to his toxicity, which he managed to do today by tricking the media once again by claiming he would be unveiling some new immigration policy in his briefing.

Trumps briefing was just more of his usual rally rant than a policy briefing. So all of the networks who fell for this again, and come on they didnt actually fall for this, theyre not stupid, they are a party to exposing the country to Trumps hate conspiracy that already motivated a shooter to kill 11 Jewish people in their place of worship and another man to send bombs to top Democrats and Trump critics.
Donald Trumps political ploy to send U.S. troops to the border to rile up his base ahead of the midterms will face consequences if Democrats take back the House of Representatives next week.

In an interview with Washington Post opinion writer Greg Sargent, Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said his party wont let Trump get away with this reckless stunt.

We would ask the Pentagon to come in and explain to us in an open public hearing what theyre doing and why, Smith said. I dont think we should let the president get away with this type of policy with no justification and no explanation for it.

Smith added: It seems like the president is trying to gin up an issue as opposed to addressing a problem. I would like to hear the policy justification.

There is no policy justification for Trumps stunt

Its important to remember that nothing Donald Trump does is based on sound policymaking because this is a president who has no grasp of actual policy details. He simply says and does whatever the crackpot voices in his head tell him to do  consequences be damned.

His stunt to send thousands of troops to the southern border to take on a non-existent caravan of criminals is no different. Its purely meant to rile up the minority of the country that supports him before the midterms.

As Greg Sargent noted in his piece, Trump is sending these troops to the border for no purpose other than dramatizing his campaign message that only he and Republicans will protect the country from what he is characterizing as a national emergency.

His characterization is simply absurd  these migrants are hundreds of miles from the border, they are dwindling in number, and the caravan is mostly made up of families with children, Sargent added. The use of the military as props to sustain that fiction is an extraordinary abuse of the public trust.

Trumps stunt isnt just an insult to the American people, who can see right through it, but its an abuse of presidential power to deploy the U.S. military to ratchet up enthusiasm among his base.

Luckily, in less than a week, the Democrats are poised to take control of the United States House of Representatives and serve as a desperately needed check on this out-of-control president.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook.
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By Jane Lanhee Lee and Angela Moon

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif./NEW YORK (Reuters)  Thousands of Google employees and contractors staged brief midday walk-outs on Thursday at offices across Asia, Europe and North America to protest sexism, racism and unchecked executive power in their workplace.

At Googles global headquarters in Mountain View, California, hundreds of employees streamed into a courtyard. One large cardboard placard held by a worker said Not OK Google, a reference to the OK Google phrase used to activate Googles voice-operated Assistant.

In New York City, women and men filed out of Googles office and silently walked around the block for about 10 minutes. A few held sheets of paper with messages including Respect for women.

This is Google. We solve the toughest problems here. We all know that the status quo is unacceptable and if there is any company who can solve this, I think it is Google, said Thomas Kneeland, a software engineer who said he has been at Google for three years.

Two blocks away, a larger crowd of people that appeared to number a thousand or more, including Google employees and New Yorkers not working for the company, filled a small park. Some held larger signs than those at the Google office, with more confrontational messages including Times up Tech.

Google employees have been getting a lot of emails from managers and colleagues to participate in the walkout recently, Kneeland said. Just around 11 a.m., people started forming groups to leave the building. We had engineers on our team bring their pagers since they were on-call, but thats how we thought of the walkout. Its important.

A few hundred people quietly sandwiched on a pedestrian median near San Franciscos ferry building listened to a fellow employee yell from a megaphone, urging people to cheer as she called out different Google office buildings in the city in a sort of roll call of protest.

Organizers said demonstrations spanned dozens of Google office globally. The actions follow a New York Times report last week that said Google in 2014 gave a $90 million exit package to Andy Rubin after the then-senior vice president was accused of sexual harassment.

Rubin denied the allegation in the story, which he also said contained wild exaggerations about his compensation. Google did not dispute the report.

The report energized a months-long movement inside Google to increase diversity, and improve treatment of women and minorities.

Those issues have been top of mind since the 2016 election of U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, stunned Silicon Valley, where liberal and libertarian policies are popular.

Tech workers have become more vocal to protest both the presidents and their companies stances on immigration, defense and discrimination. Workers have said that they are driven by the sense that the technology pioneers employing them should be standard-bearers on socioeconomic issues too.

In a statement late on Wednesday, the Google walkout organizers called on Google parent Alphabet Inc to add an employee representative to its board of directors and internally share pay-equity data. They also asked for changes to Googles human resources practices intended to make bringing harassment claims a fairer process.

Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said in a statement that employees have raised constructive ideas and that the company was taking in all their feedback so we can turn these ideas into action.

GLOBAL ACTION

Hundreds more filed out of its European headquarters in Dublin shortly after 1100 local time, while organizers shared photographs on social media of hundreds more leaving Google offices in London, Zurich, Berlin, Tokyo and Singapore.

Irish employees left a note on their desks that read: Im not at my desk because Im walking out with other Googlers and contractors to protest sexual harassment, misconduct, lack of transparency, and a workplace culture thats not working for everyone, national broadcaster RTE reported.

Google employs 7,000 people in Dublin, its largest facility outside the United States.

The dissatisfaction among Alphabets 94,000 employees and tens of thousands more contractors has not noticeably affected company shares. But employees expect Alphabet to face recruiting and retention challenges if their concerns go unaddressed.

Much of the organizing earlier this year was internal, including petition drives, brainstorming sessions with top executives and training from the workers rights group Coworker.org.

Since its founding two decades ago, Google has been known for a motto of dont be evil, a dictum preserved in its worker code of conduct, and its transparency with employees about corporate strategy.

But organizers said Google executives, like leaders at other companies affected by the #metoo movement, have been slow to address some structural issues.

While Google has championed the language of diversity and inclusion, substantive actions to address systemic racism, increase equity, and stop sexual harassment have been few and far between, organizers stated.

They said Google must publicly report its sexual harassment statistics and end forced arbitration in harassment cases. In addition, they asked that the chief diversity officer be able to directly advise the board.

(Additional reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin, Paresh Dave in San Francisco and Jane Lee in Mountain View; editing by Larry King and Nick Zieminski)
The Wicker Park shop will take over the first floor and basement of the four-story building at 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave. that was occupied for years by the Double Door. The venue shut down after longtime building owner Brian Strauss evicted it last year. Strauss sold the building in June for $9.1 million to CA Residential, the apartment investment and development division of CA Ventures. The new owner did not respond Friday to a request for comment.
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In a move that could vastly improve Democratic chances of picking up a Senate seat in Arizona, the Green Party candidate has officially dropped out of the race with less than a week before Election Day. Shes urging her supporters to cast their ballots for the Democratic Senate candidate, Kyrsten Sinema.

Green Party candidate Angela Green broke the news in an interview with an NBC News affiliated in Phoenix, Arizona.

Video:

BREAKING AZ Green Partys U.S. Senate candidate Angela Green tells #12News shes dropping out & throwing support to @kyrstensinema. Green was polling up to 6% in toss-up race. https://t.co/WwxN7M13b0 #AZSEN pic.twitter.com/GA4tfSyAoO  BrahmResnik (@brahmresnik) November 1, 2018

Green said that after watching the debates, she recognized that Sinemas positions were similar to hers, and she didnt want to risk handing the election to Republican candidate Martha McSally.

She encouraged her supporters to vote for a better Arizona, and that would be for Sinema.

The Democrats may have just picked up a Senate seat

The race between Sinema and McSally has been one of the closest Senate elections in the country with the RealClearPolitics average showing the race a virtual tie.

In the most recent NBC News/Marist poll, Green pulled in six percent of the vote. If those voters cast their ballot for the Democratic candidate without Green on the ballot, the Democrats have a solid chance of winning the Senate seat.

This news comes after other Senate polls show a slew of red-state races within single digits, even after many in the media have written off Democratic chances of winning the chamber.

As I noted yesterday after Fox News released a handful of Senate polls, it was always be going to be tough for Democrats to win control of the Senate, even in a wave election year, but if progressive voters turn out in larger-than-expected numbers next week, it is not inconceivable that Democrats can pull off some surprising victories.

On Thursday in Arizona, one of those contest just moved a little closer to the Democratic column.

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Rachel Maddow took a sledgehammer to Donald Trumps bigoted closing message on Thursday, blasting his last-minute ads and calling it a desperate attempt to scare up votes.

The shove that President Trump has tried on for this election, for this year, is remarkably unsubtle, the MSNBC host said.

Maddow said Trump and Republicans are trying to terrify low information voters into not voting at all, or for voting for the party that they think will defend the white race from the mongrel hordes who Donald Trump promises are coming into your house to punch you in the face.

Video:

Maddow said:

When it comes to this White House and this president, the shove that President Trump has tried on for this election, for this year, is remarkably unsubtle. This ad apparently created by the White House or maybe the Trump campaign, but certainly circulated by the president, it literally argues that Democrats are rioting, violent, marauding criminal mobs that will hunt you down and beat you bloody and destroy your city and then burn its wreckage. That was followed up by the president now circulating a new ad that overtly and literally blames Democrats for a sinister murderer of police officers who braids his beard hair. The ad makes the case that Democrats are in favor of murdering police officers, and specifically in favor of this guy murdering police officers. The ad says it is outrageous what Democrats are doing to our country. Literally says, quote, Democrats let him stay. Actually, after being deported during the Clinton administration, that is actually a guy who was allowed back to stay in the country by the George W. Bush administration. But apparently, thats close enough to Democrats to make the grade when it comes to the expected veracity of presidential statements in the Trump White House. These images are so scary and terrible, you cant let the truth of them get in the way of the story they are trying to tell in the last few days before the election, to try to terrify low information voters into not voting at all, or for voting for the party that they think will defend the white race from the mongrel hoards who Donald Trump promises are coming into your house to punch you in the face. I realize thats a little on the nose, but I feel like if this is the level of subtlety they want to operate at heading into this election, we should all just meet them where they are and at least talk bluntly about what they are doing here.

The Republicans know they are about to lose big

While the Republican closing message is dark, depressing and shameful, its also the clearest evidence yet that even they know theyre in for a shellacking next week.

After all, winning campaigns do not plaster the airwaves with the type of racist and hateful rhetoric and advertisements Trump and Republicans are currently using.

And in doing so, the GOP is only making the contrast in this election even clearer. Americans can choose between a slate of progressive, optimistic, and forward-looking candidates all across the country, or they can embrace the desperate scare tactics of the president and his party.

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MSNBCs Nicolle Wallace wouldnt air Trumps remarks on immigration from the White House until she preemptively fact-checked them.

Wallace explained on her show Deadline: White House, Donald Trump is making remarks in the Roosevelt room this hour. Five days before the midterm elections and a day after admitting to ABC news that he tells the truth only when he can. Todays remarks come after weeks of engaging in a deliberate strategy of stoking fear about the humanitarian crisis in Central America. A slow-moving caravan of asylum seekers and migrants. They also come after  come days after a war of words with house speaker Paul Ryan about birthright citizenship. Donald Trumps divisive speech has been cited as contributing to the climate in which the synagogue shooter targeted Jewish Americans and the pipe bomber targeted trumps critics. Because hes used immigration in blatantly political ways and in an abundance of caution, weve decided to monitor those remarks, fact-check them against his rhetoric and record on immigration and bring you the important news from them.

Video:

Nicolle Wallace won't air Trump immigration remarks live, "Because he's used immigration in blatantly political ways and in an abundance of caution, we've decided to monitor those remarks, fact-check them and bring you the important news from them." https://t.co/vAXnf0OBrw pic.twitter.com/kxtB8UxOWx  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) November 1, 2018

Trumps language has been dangerous and inspiring violence. While CNN is carrying Trump live and un-fact-checked, Nicolle Wallace and MSNBC are refusing to do. It is best for public safety that news networks not allow Trumps words on immigration to spew into the air unchallenged by facts. It is possible to cover the news, and that includes the current President Of The United States, without giving him an unfettered national platform to use as a weapon to divide the country with lies, bigotry, and disinformation.

MSNBC is not ignoring the news, but they are treating Trump as someone whose words pose a threat to the country. Trump isnt Bin Laden, but news networks handled Bin Laden tapes the same way.

After 11 innocent Jews died in Pittsburgh and 15 pipe bombs were mailed to Trump critics, the president has shown the power of his language to inspire violence. It is in the public interest for the press to act as a check on his rhetoric.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Donald Trumps tariffs have severely hit the bottom line of American farmers, yet many of them still support him.

Farmers have been hurt in many ways by Trump, including lower prices for soybean and other crops they sell, and higher prices for metal grain bins and other equipment they buy.

Yet according to a survey by POLITICO, most rural voters plan to vote Republican in the midterm elections.

Democrats in agricultural areas have predicted that farmers would abandon GOP candidates this year, as Trumps global trade war hits the Midwest. But they have discovered that the economic argument against the GOP may not be enough to carry Democrats to victory.

According to POLITICO,

Theres a disconnect between the negative effect of Trumps policies on his voters in farm country and their unwavering support for him. That could limit the size of the Democratic majority widely expected to take control of the House next year and give Trump cover to prolong his aggressive moves against U.S. trading partners.

Farmers who have been hurt in the pocketbook say that they believe the pain will be short-lived. Thus they are retaining their faith in the Republican Party. Farm incomes are down 50% from five years ago and soybean prices are down 20% since Trump announced his tariffs.

Apparently they have bought into the Trump narrative that tariffs are necessary for American national security, so they support them for that reason. Also, they believe that the president will be successful over time in negotiating better deals with China, the European Union, Mexico and Canada.

On top of that, they cite the the Agriculture Departments $12 billion aid package as proof that Trump isnt going to let them down.

I have to give the guy credit, Trump  he said he was going to do this, and we knew it, one Illinois farmer said. I personally honestly believe we have better light at the end of the tunnel, and in the end, this is going to help not only agriculture but the United States in general.

John Jackson, a political scientist at Southern Illinois University said:

The question is, do the farmers believe that theyve been hurt, and are they angry enough about the dramatic decline in prices that they blame the president and blame his surrogates who are running for Congress as Republicans? Im skeptical. Whether they vote against themselves based on the long-term belief that theyre going to be alright remains to be seen.

Yet middle class Republicans have a long history of voting against their own economic interests. Whether that historical trend continues in the 2018 elections remains to be seen.
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Democrats and voting rights advocates got another big win in Georgia as a federal judge has ruled that 3,000 naturalized US citizens must be allowed to vote:

The Campaign Legal Center tweeted:

BIG NEWS in our case with @LawyersComm @AAAJ_Atlanta: Court has ordered the Sec. of State to permit eligible voters who registered to vote, but who are inaccurately flagged as non-citizens, to vote with a regular ballot. More info to come! This is a major victory for #GA voters. pic.twitter.com/L0bM82Z5ne  Campaign Legal Center (@CampaignLegal) November 2, 2018

The judge ruled:

Breaking: federal judge rules naturalized US citizens who've been blocked from registering in Georgia must be allowed to vote. This affects over 3,000 voters with registrations put on hold by Brian Kemp. Big victory for voting rights via @LawyersComm & @CampaignLegal lawsuit pic.twitter.com/URe9AnLhkE  Ari Berman (@AriBerman) November 2, 2018

A Big Loss For Brian Kemp and The GOP Days Before The Election

Fridays win comes after a federal judge put an end to the Republican attack from mail-in ballots that came from minority voters and Democratic areas of the state. Persistent fighting and never giving up is how voter suppression is defeated. As Oprah Winfrey said yesterday while campaigning for Stacey Abrams in Georgia, voters must turn out in overwhelming numbers too big to suppress.

Democrats are winning the fight for the right to vote in Georgia, and every vote is going to matter because the gubernatorial contest is coming down to the wire. Real Clear Politics has the election rated a toss-up, with the polling average showing that Republican Brian Kemp is up by 1.1%. A one percent margin means that every vote is critical, so 3,000 voters who are probably overwhelmingly going to vote for Stacey Abrams being allowed to cast their ballots is a major development.

The GOP efforts to suppress the vote are failing and their failure to a victory that will finally turn Georgia blue.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Republican Congressman Steve King blew up when a man accused him of sharing an anti-immigration ideology with that of the suspected Pittsburgh synagogue gunman who slaughtered eleven innocent Jewish people.

During a candidate forum in Des Moines, Iowa, King, who does in fact share that ideology, got angry and denied it with the fervor of a Republican falsely claiming they are going to protect pre-existing conditions after eight years of voting against and running against supporting pre-existing conditions.

Do not associate me with that shooter! King yelled at a constituent, whom he then referred to as an ambusher.

Video:

Steve King blows up at questioner who pressed him on the Pittsburgh massacre #IA04 pic.twitter.com/7sFQyY9fOW  Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) November 1, 2018

No, dont you do that, a clearly flustered King argued. Do not associate me with that shooter. I knew you were an ambusher when you walked in the room, but theres no basis for this, and you get no question for that, and you get no answer. No! Youre done! We dont play these games here in Iowa!

Suspect Robert Bowers posted online his concerns about the caravan and the Jewish people aiding the caravan, which in fact does mirror Kings demonization of immigrants.

The Des Moines Register, where they know him best, described King thusly, King has vilified undocumented immigrants as drug mules, palled around with alt-right international leaders and declared himself the defender of the white mans culture.

Land of Lakes, Purina and others have finally stopped funding King after the Pittsburgh massacre, although his views were well known before the gunman took action on the false conspiracy that the caravan poses a danger to Americans, so while its good news that they have finally decided it is enough, its grotesque that they were okay with the things King has said in the past. After all, King endorsed a white-supremacist candidate for mayor of Toronto. Sooooo His views were not a secret.

Heres another clue: King said he was defending white men when he claimed they had contributed more to Western civilization than other subgroups or cultures. When you hear Western civilization and subgroup and culture from someone who claims they are defending white men, you are dealing with a white supremacist. Thats their language all over the web.

Google that, old white men, and youll find that comes out of the mouths of liberals in a daily basis across the country. Theyre disparaging a group of people, and its time somebody stood up for that group of people, King said in an interview, while clearly disparaging a group of people himself.

King also associates with a Nazi sympathizer and accused Dr. Christine Blasey Ford of making false accusations against Brett Kavanaugh, going so far as to ask with the self-pitying whinge that marks Republicans these days when they are called out for trampling others rights, Is there any man in this room that wouldnt be subjected to such an allegation? A false allegation? How can you disprove something like that? Which means, if thats the new standard, no man will ever qualify for the Supreme Court again.

I guess its okay for Steve King to disparage liberals and anyone who is not a white man, but these companies and the Republican Party finally see the light when that hate is acted upon.

A little late.

Steve King can dish it out, but if asked about his own views he melts down like the weak person he is.
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The rumors are true. Its not just a right-wing conspiracy theory.

George Soros, Tom Steyer, and other progressive multi-billionaires really are paying young Democratic activists to do door-to-door canvassing in swing states.

Soros and Steyer, along with the other super-rich progressives who value their privacy, are members of what is being called a secret billionaires club. The name of their group is the Democracy Alliance, and they have a hatched a plot to help Democrats take back Congress.

According to POLITICO:

The donor clique, which counts George Soros and Tom Steyer among its members, is quietly giving funds to a handful of local grassroots groups like Living United for Change in Arizona. They hope that these organizations can do a better job than Democratic campaigns at reaching and turning out young and minority voters in states that liberals have long viewed as just out of their reach.



They also view wooing new voters in diversifying states across the southern U.S. as the best way to take down President Donald Trump in 2020, rather than prioritizing fighting Republicans for older white residents of the Rust Belt.

Living United for Change in Arizona, or LUCHA, is important for Hispanics because it combines immigration services, lobbying on issues like criminal justice, and political campaigning. For the past year they have been working hard to register low-propensity voters and get them to turn out to vote.

Latinos made up 22 percent of Arizona eligible voters in 2016, but just 15 percent of people who actually voted. And not all Latinos vote Democratic. Just 61 percent of them Arizona Latinos voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, while 31 percent voted for Donald Trump.

The Democracy Alliance believes that past efforts to turn out Latinos for Democrats have been done wrong. They have been there for one political campaign season and then they moved on.

Now the Democracy Alliance is hoping it can give financial assistance to allow the efforts to remain and be permanent. This is benefiting groups like LUCHA in Arizona and similar groups in New Mexico, Florida and Virginia.

Their efforts this year have been to turn out the hard to reach eligible voters for Tuesdays midterms elections.

We dont believe in inauthentic community-based efforts. Were not interested in building an AstroTurf operation, said Democracy Alliance executive vice president Kim Anderson. We want to empower real people: authentic community members raising the issues that are important to them.

Anderson said the Democracy Alliance is interested in how to win back Rust Belt voters too, even though most of its early efforts are focused across more diverse Southern states.

This is about doing both, and, Anderson said. How to expand and continue to engage Americans and real people so were not writing states and communities off the map.

Its not just an electoral strategy, its how do you engage people all the time? said Shekar Narasimhan, a Democracy Alliance donor and board member. I think well see the results in a way we havent seen before. And you can maintain it in 19, you can maintain it in 20  but you better be there.

Democracy Alliance officials said they will not know how much donors contribute to the groups in total until after the election. No matter how much it ends up being, it will be more support for LUCHA and the other groups than they have ever received before. We should be thankful that wealthy progressives are using their wealth for a good cause  to promote and protect democracy in America.
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The organization formerly known as The Republican Party does not exist anymore. Donald Trump has destroyed it.

With his appeal to racism, white supremacists and white nationalism he has transformed the Grand Old Party. It is no longer a conservative organization of affluent and educated voters. It is now a party of angry white people who have a chip on their shoulders and believe they are the victims of a global, multicultural world.

Trump plays the part well, as leader of the Party of Aggrieved White People. Even though he inherited several hundred million dollars from his father, when he holds rallies and fires up his unhinged supporters he maintains that he is a victim and is being treated very unfairly. He blames the mainstream media, immigrants, minorities and Democrats for all of his problems.

But this shtick of Trumps is not playing well in suburbia.

According to The New York Times,Trump has caused

a generational break with the Republican Party among educated, wealthier whites  especially women  who like the partys pro-business policies but recoil from President Trumps divisive language on race and gender.

Rather than seeking to coax voters like these back into the Republican coalition, Mr. Trump appears to have all but written them off, spending the final days of the campaign delivering a scorching message about preoccupations like birthright citizenship and a migrant invasion from Mexico that these voters see through as alarmist.

In Republican-leaning districts that include diverse populations or abut cities that do  from bulwarks of Sunbelt conservatism like Houston and Orange County, Calif., to the well-manicured bedroom communities outside Philadelphia and Minneapolis  the party is in danger of losing its House majority next week because Mr. Trumps racially-tinged nationalism has alienated these voters who once made up a dependable constituency.



Many affluent, well-educated Americans believe that this election is a referendum on the president. And they believe they must support Democrats for Congress because the current GOP Congress has abdicated its responsibilities to provide oversight of the executive branch.

With Congress not really standing up to Trump, this election is becoming a referendum, said Mark Metts, a partner in a Houston law firm. Even though he is a lifelong Republican, Metts said he would no longer support the re-election of GOP Representative John Culberson. The eight-term Republican from Texass 7th congressional district (which has not elected a Democrat since 1966) is currently running even with the Democratic candidate, Lizzie Pannill Fletcher.

Traditional Republicans like Metts have tried to warn the party that Trumps divisive words and behavior is narrowing its appeal. Trump and the national party seem now to be playing more to their rural base of supporters in states like Missouri, North Dakota and Montana. Of course it is states like these that will decide control of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.

But if Republicans do retain Senate control it will probably be at the expense of their House majority. They may also lose several important governorships.

The divisiveness may play well in some parts of the country but it doesnt play everywhere, said the speaker of the Texas House, Joe Straus, who has sought to keep his party from drifting too far right. Its hard to grow a party when your whole approach is to incite the base.

To see incumbent Republicans like Mr. Culberson or Representative Pete Sessions from the Dallas area in difficult re-elections would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, said Straus.

According to The Times, something more ominous is happening to the Republican Party.

The desertion of educated whites following Mr. Trumps 2016 win could establish a new Democratic coalition in future elections, one that would certainly return to the polls in 2020, they said.

It appears that a Republican Party without affluent, college-educated whites is going to be the legacy of President Donald Trump. And this revised GOP will have its first chance on Tuesday to show the country how well it is received by the American electorate.
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During the first 649 days of his presidency Donald Trump has told 6,420 lies, according to the Washington Post Fact Checker.

And perhaps in a sign of his increasing desperation, over the past seven weeks of campaigning for the midterms his rate of lying has increased dramatically.

During the first nine months that he was president he averaged five lies per day. But over the past seven weeks he has been averaging 30 LIES PER DAY.

Never has a president seemed so desperate during a midterm campaign season. Never has a president held so many rallies, and never has a president told so many lies. According to The Post, the number of falsehoods told by the president has increased in recent weeks:

The flood of presidential misinformation has picked up dramatically as the president has barnstormed across the country, holding rallies with his supporters. Each of those rallies usually yields 35 to 45 suspect claims. But the president often has tacked on interviews with local media (in which he repeats the same false statements) and gaggles with the White House press corps before and after his trips.

So heres a tally from last month of Trumps rally falsehoods:

84 false claims made by Trump on October 1, when he held a rally in Johnson City, Tenn.,

83 false claims made by Trump on October 22, when he held a rally in Houston, and

78 false claims made by Trump on Oct. 19, when he held a rally in Mesa, Arizona.

Even though September was the second-biggest month of the Trump presidency with 599 false and misleading claims, October was much worse, with well over 1,100 falsehoods and lies told by the president as he hit the campaign trail.

Not only will the 2018 midterm elections be a referendum on President Trump, it will also be a referendum on how well his lying works to fool American voters into supporting his favored candidates.

According to the Fact Checker,

The presidents proclivity to twist data and fabricate stories is on full display at his rallies. He has his greatest hits: 120 times he had falsely said he passed the biggest tax cut in history, 80 times he has asserted that the U.S. economy today is the best in history and 74 times he has falsely said his border wall is already being built.

Here are other Trump whoppers:

Trump has many times denied he had imposed tariffs.

Over 25 times he has claimed that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was No. 1 in his class at Yale University or at Yale Law School, which is not true.

At least thirteen times, Trump invented untrue stories about Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and falsely claimed Blumenthal said he was a war hero.

Trump also said Blumenthal dropped out of the Senate race, barely won anyway, and was crying when he apologized, but none of those things are true.

Trumps attacks on Democrats have also escalated in recent weeks, as the election nears.

They want to erase our gains and plunge our country into a nightmare of gridlock, poverty, chaos and, frankly, crime, because thats what comes with it, he said about Democrats on October 4. The Democrat Party is radical socialism, Venezuela and open borders. Its now called, to me  youve never heard this before, The Party of Crime. Its a Party of Crime, its what it is. And to pay for their socialism, which is going to destroy our country.

It is doubtful that intelligent and knowledgeable voters believe Donald Trumps many lies. This means the only people who do believe them are his hardcore supporters, who attend his rallies and chant lock her up.

But the group of hardcore Trump supporters is in the minority in America, and this fact will be shown on election day. Trump supporters will be overwhelmed by voters who have grown extremely tired of listening to the lies emanating from the mouth of the President of the United States.
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President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he will sign an extensive executive order requiring asylum-seekers to present themselves at a port of entry.

In a television speech full of tough rhetoric designed to fire up right-wing voters for the midterms, he also said that he would hold the Central American refugees in tent cities while their legal cases are being heard, which could take several months or longer.

In both cases what Trump is threatening to do may be a violation of the laws of the United States.

For this president the laws dont matter, but the politics do. The substance and the timing of his remarks were designed to impact the midterms, so the legality of what he is proposing is not an issue.

Were not releasing them into our country any longer. Theyll wait, Trump said. Were putting together massive cities of tents. Were going to hold them right there.

Trump said his presidential order was necessary to protect the United States from the thousands of migrants who are traveling north in a caravan. This is an invasion, Trump declared.

He also said the more than 5,000 military troops that are assigned to harden the border will consider a rock thrown by a migrant as a firearm. And he said that U.S. troops should react as though the rocks were rifles.

Although most people were appalled at the thought of troops firing on unarmed refugees, for Trump supporters such suggestions are red meat. Talking tough about poor migrants not only gets his supporters fired up but also strengthens their loyalty to the president. He is doing what his supporters want him to do, and they love him for it.

Yet his comments suggest that the U.S. military or law enforcement could be forced to engage in lethal activity that was not part of the original plan. The Pentagon has previously said they would just play a support role.

Trump justified his plan to incarcerate asylum seekers by saying that their asylum legal cases can take years to complete. He also said that the problem is that many asylum seekers never show up for court dates and disappear into the fabric of the country. Immigration experts however, dispute this.

Trump also said his proposed moves are totally legal, but this does not appear to be the case.

U.S. immigration laws make clear that migrants seeking asylum may do it at or between border crossings. But Trump said he would limit them to using official crossing points.

The U.S. also doesnt have space at the border to manage the large-scale detention of migrants, with most facilities at capacity. Trump said the government would erect massive tents instead. Were going to catch, were not going to release, he said.

This is totally legal, Trump added. You dont have to release. You can hold. The problem is to hold people you need massive facilities.

I dont want them in this country, Trump said of the thousands of migrants working their way north. Women dont want them in this country, he added.

But most people realize Trump has other motives.

Hes really trying to scare the American public into thinking these are thousands of dangerous thugs, said Greg Chen, of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Its a classic strategy.
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By Colleen Jenkins

(Reuters)  Early turnout by young voters has surged ahead of Tuesdays congressional midterm elections, powered by gains in states whose voters are pivotal to Democrats chances of winning back control of the U.S. Congress.

Young American activists, angry over President Donald Trump and a wave of deadly school shootings, had vowed to get their peers to the polls in unprecedented numbers. The initial turnout, along with the results of opinion polls, higher registration rates and increased absentee ballot requests, suggests their political enthusiasm has not waned.

In fact, as we get closer, I think its only likely to increase, said John Della Volpe, polling director at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.

That could be good news for Democrats, who need a younger, more diverse electorate to win some of their toughest races. Young voters are more likely to be Democratic, and Reuters/Ipsos polling has found young Democrats are more likely than young Republicans to say they are certain to vote this year.

Initial estimates modeled from survey responses, voter registrations and other data show huge increases in early turnout of voters ages 18-29 compared with the last midterm elections in 2014.

In Republican-leaning Texas and Georgia, early and absentee voting by people under 30 has increased by more than 400 percent, according to TargetSmart, a Democratic data firm tracking early voting nationwide.

In Florida and Arizona, ballots cast by young voters are up 131 percent and 217 percent, respectively, from 2014, TargetSmarts analysis shows.

In comparison, among voters ages 30-39, voting is up by 121 percent in Florida and 172 percent in Arizona, the analysis shows.

Those states feature some of this cycles highest-profile races, including the progressive campaigns of Beto ORourke for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, and Andrew Gillum and Stacey Abrams for governor in Florida and Georgia, respectively.

Overall early voting in those four states has topped their 2014 levels, fueled by increased turnout across all ages. Young voters registered the biggest gains but still had the lowest turnout so far of any age group.

Early voting data does not reveal how someone voted and does not indicate what turnout will look like on Election Day.

Jesse Hunt, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Republicans should also benefit from the rising turnout of young voters due largely to the strong economy.

Recent college graduates will see the best labor market in years thanks to the policies implemented by this Republican-led Congress, and those voters will be receptive to the Republican agenda, Hunt said.

FLUMMOXED BY STAMPS

Beating the 2014 turnout is not that hard given how weak it was for young voters, said Daniel Smith, a political scientist at the University of Florida who is tracking voting data.

Youth are energized, but so is everyone else this election, he said.

In the 2014 midterm election, only about 16 percent of adults ages 18-24 voted, compared with about 39 percent of Americans overall, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Midterm elections in 1986 and 1994 marked the highest turnout for voters under 30 in recent decades at 21 percent, census data shows.

Younger voters have gotten registered, Smith said. But its not like an automatic that theyre going to start voting.

Voting rights groups say they have been especially creative this year to get young voters to the polls.

NextGen America, founded by billionaire liberal activist Tom Steyer, has targeted college campuses. At the University of South Florida in Tampa, the group made students pinkie promise to vote in exchange for ring pops and even helped carry boxes into residence halls on move-in day  while registering students to vote.

Students arent apathetic, said Rachel Clay, southeast regional coordinator for the Campus Vote Project. They are often first-time voters, there are ID problems, they often dont have a car, they have classes all day. Voting is treated as kind of a hassle, rather than being something to be excited about.

ENTHUSIASM HIGH

There are signs this year could be different.

A Harvard poll released this week showed Americans under 30 are much more interested in voting than the past two midterm cycles.

Forty percent of those polled said they would definitely vote in the upcoming elections, up from 27 percent in 2010 and 26 percent in 2014.

Della Volpe said actual turnout typically trails the polling data by the high-single digits, still putting this years turnout on track to potentially surpass previous midterm cycles.

Both Democrats and Republicans indicated increased enthusiasm since the spring, with 54 percent of Democrats intending to vote and 43 percent of Republicans planning to do so.

Were encouraged by the enthusiasm were seeing across the country, but theres a lot of work to be done, said Tyler Law, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Katelyn Dino, a junior at LaGrange College in Georgia, said Tuesday will mark the first time she votes in a non-presidential year. She plans to cast her ballot for Abrams.

I am actually skipping school on Nov. 6 to go vote, Dino said.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Additional reporting by Tim Reid in Ohio, Letitia Stein in Florida, Chris Kahn and Grant Smith in New York, Maria Caspani in Georgia; Editing by Jason Szep and Leslie Adler)
Paul Bowers is an education reporter and father of three living in North Charleston. He previously worked at the Charleston City Paper, where he was twice named South Carolina Journalist of the Year in the weekly category.
Andrew Knapp is editor of the Quick Response Team, which covers crime, courts and breaking news. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor at Florida Today, Newsday and Bangor (Maine) Daily News. He enjoys golf, weather and fatherhood.
Charleston, SC (29403)

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Abigail Darlington is a local government reporter focusing primarily on the City of Charleston. She previously covered local arts & entertainment, technology, innovation, tourism and retail for the Post and Courier.
Hannah Alani is a reporter at The Post and Courier covering race, immigration and rural life across the Palmetto State. Before graduating from Indiana University and moving to Charleston in 2017, her byline appeared in The New York Times.
This Sept. 22, 2018 photo shows the Baishui Glacier No.1 on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the southern province of Yunnan in China. Scientists say the glacier is one of the fastest melting glaciers in the world due to climate change and its relative proximity to the Equator. It has lost 60 percent of its mass and shrunk 250 meters since 1982. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil)
Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations.
The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication.
Friday's attack is the second to target pilgrims heading to the St. Samuel the Confessor monastery in as many years, indicating that security measures in place since then are either inadequate or have become lax. The previous attack in May 2017 left nearly 30 people dead. It is also the latest by IS to target Christians in churches in Cairo, the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and Tanta in the Nile Delta north of the capital.
ST. PAUL  With the calendar flipping to November, farm families across Minnesota will be looking for the health care plan that best fits their needs.

Rates on MNsure plans have dropped across all MNsure insurance providers, a decrease due largely to the reinsurance program that reimbursed providers for high-cost claims out of a $271 million pool in both 2018 and 2019, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

While MNsure rates have dipped  for example, a family of four making $85,000 in Rochester will see its premium costs fall by $114 a month, or 12 percent  Charlene Vrieze of 40 Square Cooperative Solutions said health insurance premiums through the coop will likely increase.

"We are still solidifying rates as we speak," Vrieze said about a week before open enrollment began. "We may see an increase, but it wont price us out of the market."

For those individuals simply looking for lowest price, Vrieze said provided the Legislature does not renew reinsurance for 2020, the states competitiveness with 40 Square will be a one-year anomaly.

Wade Kolander, an independent insurance broker who sells 40 Square among his products, said farm businesses are slowly seeing the advantages of the coop beyond just price.

"You have to have an employee, and theres the coop cost," said Kolander, who is 40 Squares biggest seller. "But membership means voting, and the costs are tax-deductible as part of your business planning.

"Thats what a farm is," he said. "Its a small business."

Pat Guggisberg, a New Ulm, Minn., dairy farmer, said that unless 40 Square doubles in costs, he wont be going back to any MNsure plans.

"They had one plan for me," he said. "Ive got choices here."

Those choices include what hospital he can use. For example, Guggisberg said, he knows another farmer who had the same MNsure plan he used to have. When that farmer had an accident and was transferred to a Mayo Clinic hospital without a referral, his Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance refused to pay.

"I dont think Im ever going to consider (going back to MNsure)," he said. "I believe in the co-op concept. The more people they get signed up, the more the risk is spread."

Furthermore, he said, with MNsure he needed to watch his income because MNsure provides tax credits that help offset premium costs. When Guggisberg used MNsure, he needed to watch his income level so he wouldnt have to pay back any subsidy amount. "MNsure kind of forces you to not want to better yourself," he said.

Vrieze said 40 Square is a self-funded insurance program. In a co-op setting, that means the pool of clients includes other farmers and people in the agriculture industry.

The co-op works to add options like telemedicine and cost comparisons for procedures in order to keep costs down. And allowing service at a variety of health-care providers helps keep competition in the mix, she said.

"The whole point is to decrease potential claims," she said. "And the savings are passed along to the members."

Part of 40 Squares plan for success in 2019 is to offer insurance plans that members have asked for, Vrieze said. "We heard loud and clear that members in the ag community are looking for higher deductible plans."

While MNsures open enrollment runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15, 40 Squares open enrollment extends to Dec. 19.

For 2018, 40 Square finished with 1,079 enrolled members. Thats a drop in the bucket compared to MNsures numbers, even if youre just counting farmers enrolled through MNsure, a number the company doesnt track.

But Vrieze said 40 Square is hopeful itll double its 2018 number for 2019.

"We have a year under our belt," she said. "Last year, we were still new in the market. People didnt know if they wanted to take a chance."

Now, the co-op can show a healthy financial outlook and let people know that, for those who qualify in the agriculture industry, the co-op is here to stay.

"I have a high anticipation to grow and prosper," Kolander said. "I havent stopped spreading the word."
Time to step up and vote. Perhaps you've already cast your ballot like my college kids. If you haven't, I've got some information that might help at the polls.

Poll finder

Where do I vote? What's my ballot look like? Well, the Minnesota Secretary of State Office has the gold standard, in my book. It's the poll finder, which can winnow down your address to find where you should vote. Click around and find other information. It's nonpartisan. It's just straightforward information to help you guide you to your duty. Good luck!

https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

Voting

The Washington Post has a good graphic that chronicles some of the quirks or questions you might have about voting. Not all items are applicable to where you might vote. I found it a bit elementary, but it might be more revelatory to folks who don't follow election news or vote that frequently. Give it a look.

www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/politics/voting-quirks/

Iowa Caucuses

I debated about this one because I do despise the long political campaign,but it's interesting to see who's already visited Iowa. The Des Moines Register ran its listing of politicians who've visited the Hawkeye State. See what's happening.

www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2018/10/16/iowa-stumping-2020-caucus-midterms-donald-trump-cory-booker-mike-pence-bernie-sanders-kamala-harris/1658184002/

Happy Halloween

Yes, the Hallows Eve has passed, but I loved the Google Doodle for Halloween. It's a game. Give it a play.

www.google.com/doodles/halloween-2018

Christmas tree

Remember when the national Christmas tree came through town four years ago? The Capitol Christmas Tree is traversing its route from Oregon to Washington, D.C., this year, but it's not coming through Rochester. Even so, take a look at where it hails from and what the route is to the capitol city.

www.capitolchristmastree.org/tour
But first, a tour. We march to the back of the restaurant, because Bar Sotanos entrance will be in the alley behind Clark Street (much like Three Dots and a Dash, two doors to the south). From there, its a short ride down the large but well-worn freight elevator (Well fix it up, Bayless promises, but not too much). The ride itself will be part of the experience; guests will enjoy a short sip of a batched cocktail  an amuse bouche in liquid form  during the one-story descent.
Now in its 25th year, SOFA is the Ron Swanson to EXPO Chicagos April Ludgate (Is it really art criticism without a Parks and Rec reference?). With an emphasis on utility, exactness and pragmatism, its treatment of the art world offers a non-scary version of populism  what I see as the best of Midwestern impulses. And, at the risk of over-romanticizing the exhibition (and politics), it was a comfort to see these ideas seamlessly occupy the same space as contemporary art.
My guiding philosophy in life has always been to go where Im not wanted. This includes the insular, majority-white world of journalism, the insular, majority-white world of public education, and the insular, majority-white world of governing nonprofit organizations.

Ive always said that those institutions needed me more than I needed them, because diversity equips them to speak more effectively to an increasingly multicultural America. It was an economic pitch, one that scores of Fortune 500 corporations have adopted and profited from.

But marketing wisdom tells us that the profit motive for diversity only works for products or services looking to gain market share  luxury products are basically immune to changing tastes because their appeal is exclusivity.

This is why its unlikely, despite ongoing court challenges, that Harvard University will be forced to change much about its methods for admitting what it believes is the right mix of students for its campus.

A key part of Harvards appeal is how difficult it is to get into. This is what gives graduates from elite universities so much cache in the marketplace  though apparently not enough to overcome racism, considering that studies have shown that white candidates with degrees from highly selective universities still get more employer responses per resume than black candidates.

The truth is that, even today, I would jump at the opportunity to study at Harvard, but I fear it would be fraught.

You see, even though I wish more Asians, Latinos, Native Americans and African-Americans could go to Harvard, I cringe at the thought of those students  with all their hopes, dreams and sense of accomplishment for just getting in  being on campus at least partly for the sake of enabling schools to boast about their diversity statistics.

Schools that have actively worked at being designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) have made commitments of time and money in the form of diverse teaching staffs and grass-roots outreach to those communities.

But elite universities are not primarily dedicated to nurturing first-generation college students for the sole purpose of promoting social mobility.

Harvards mission statement is lofty, seeking to create a diverse living environment, where students live with people who are studying different topics, who come from different walks of life and have evolving identities [where] intellectual transformation is deepened and conditions for social transformation are created.

This sounds pretty awesome, but Ive been down that road before. Trust me, being the campus diversity  and representing a whole demographic for a mostly white peer group  is soul-deadening.

I secured a full-ride scholarship to a prestigious graduate program in marketing at Northwestern University, but became every class official Latina, routinely called upon to enlighten my white classmates about Hispanic consumers struggles in the barrio with English-language acquisition, gangs, and discrimination  none of which Id ever experienced.

Being the diversity-scholarship recipient, which is how it felt the other students saw me, was no fun.

This is the opposite of how Ive felt when observing the warm, nurturing environments of HSIs like Chicagos Dominican University, which is nearly half Latino, about a third white, and 17 percent Asian, black and international.

On a campus that has made its mission to serve Latinos and other students of color, its difficult to imagine anyone feeling like they were admitted for the sole purpose of rounding out the life experiences and social interactions of people so rich theyve been sheltered from having to get to know people of other races.

Yes, this is a thing  for at least a decade, academic research has found that school integration potentially benefits white students more than students of color. Even scholars who research bilingual or dual-language programs have worried that white students benefit from Latino students culture and native-language skills more than the students working to learn English while maintaining their mother tongue.

What it all boils down to is that students are increasingly seen by universities as consumers with choices. And while all high school students should aim high, they should also aim to be welcomed at schools that are looking out for them, rather than proffering an added diversity benefit for a colleges core, white, customers.

Esther Cepedas email address is estherjcepeda@washpost.com, or follow her on Twitter: @estherjcepeda.

(c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group
PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-02 10:45:02

ADES Completes Acquisition of Drilling Operations from Weatherford in Kuwait

ADES International Holding

Hussein Badawy, Investor Relations Officer

T: +2 (0)2 2527 7111

ir@adesgroup.com

or

Instinctif

David Simonson

david.simonson@instinctif.com

+44 (0)20 7457 2020

or

George Yeomans

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+44 (0)20 7457 2020

or

Sarah Hourahane

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ADES International Holding Ltd. (ADES or the Company), a leading oil & gas drilling and production services provider in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of twelve onshore rigs from Weatherford International plc. (Weatherford) in Kuwait.

The transaction forms part of the previously signed definitive agreement with a subsidiary of Weatherford to acquire thirty-one onshore drilling rigs for a total consideration of US$ 287.5 million across Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Southern Iraq.

Transaction Highlights

Twelve rigs acquired for a total consideration of US$ 123 million, two idle land drilling rigs in Southern Iraq for an additional US $12 million pending delivery, all of which were financed through a combination of cash and secured debt instruments

Eight out of twelve rigs currently contracted in Kuwait with a cumulative estimated backlog of US$ 600 million to be consumed over the next six years (including options)

Includes Weatherfords associated assets in Kuwait, management systems and circa 976 employees and contract personnel

ADES continues to work towards closing the acquisition of the remaining seventeen Weatherford rigs, including eleven rigs in Saudi Arabia and six rigs in Algeria, with completion expected by the end of 2018.

ADES will provide a trading update to the market mid November 2018.

Dr. Mohamed Farouk, Chief Executive of ADES, said: Todays announcement is an important milestone for the Group as we enter the attractive Kuwaiti market for the first time. The twelve Kuwaiti rigs bring ADES total number of onshore rigs in the MENA region to fifteen, significantly increasing our onshore capabilities and cementing the Groups position as a major drilling contractor for both onshore and offshore markets.

View the full announcement here.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005
Vltava (Moldau) long has been the most beloved of Ma Vlasts tone poems, the piece often performed as a stand-alone work, its main theme essentially the same as Hatikvah, Israels national anthem (scholars debate the origins of the melody). But theres so much more to this work than its famous tune, a point Barenboim expressed via the orchestral detail he brought forth in the descriptive opening pages, which evoked the rushing waters of the title river. Most remarkable here was the sensitivity with which Barenboim shaped phrases, the conductor bringing nuance to melodic lines that others simply plow through.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-02 10:13:58

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Keisha Gomes

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30 Hampshire Dr, Warminster , PA 18974, United StatesKeisha Gomes1-424-444-0255

2th November 2018 - All Swiss Watch provides great replica watches for everyone caring about quality. If you were always dreaming bout an expensive and great watch, then this chance is perfect for you. With an affordable budget, everyone can get something from All Swiss Watch and have a cool and Swiss watch for him. Dont hesitate to discover all the range of products available online and pick the right model for yourself.The website of All Swiss Watch is the brand new page of the greatest company that delivers worldwide. In order to make accessible Swiss genuine products to the world marketplace, there is done a huge work and now the All Swiss Watch page hosts daily more than ten thousands guests and potential buyers. You can be one of those lucky ones who are able to discover the great Swiss watches, having the possibility to ask online the All Swiss Watch representatives about some details or even get the contact information to phone them. For everyone who is interested in those services, there is a great opportunity here to make use of the All Swiss Watch website and delivering options.To deepen your understanding of the All Swiss Watch services, they allows their users to discover all the range of the Swiss watches available on their page, and then giving the possibility to buy online and request a delivery to their location. Any US addresses are permitted, thus you can be sure that the watches will arrive exactly at your home. Dont be afraid to pay on All Swiss Watch, because the system security is very high and it is worth it. One more thing to mention, the All Swiss Watch advantages are large. You can compare the prices on the marketplace and notice that All Swiss Watch have the lowest ones.About All Swiss Watch:All Swiss Watch is the most trustworthy company providing Swiss watches to the US market. Anyone who is dreaming to own a pair of those beautiful Swiss products, is more than welcome to visit the All Swiss Watch page and pick the right model of watches. Dont hesitate to make your life better and feel more comfortable with the watches on your hand.Contact:Company: AllswisswatchContact Name: Keisha GomesAddress: 30 Hampshire Dr, Warminster , PA 18974, United StatesPhone: 1-424-444-0255Website: https://www.allswisswatch.eu/
PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-02 13:00:45

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 2, 2018 / BTU METALS CORP. ("BTU" or the "Company") (BTU-TSX:V) is pleased to welcome Mr. Tony Pryslak to its Advisory Board effective immediately. Mr Pryslak is an institution in the Red Lake camp having been working in NW Ontario since the 1960s including holding increasingly senior posts as mapper and Resident Geologist in Red Lake. In addition, Mr Pryslak has held senior geological positions at major corporations, including posts with Abitibi-Price and BP Minerals and as a consulting geologist to Goldcorp and Rubicon.Mr Pryslak's 50 years' experience at Red Lake includes work in recent years consulting with BTU's vendor of the recently acquired Dixie Halo South project.BTU Director and geologist Doug Hunter stated "Mr Pryslak is a highly esteemed geologist with a significant pedigree throughout Canada and within the Red Lake district in particular. One of the first to map the Dixie area, Tony identified the hinge offset in 2014-15, pre Great Bear's discovery, and its importance to BTU's newly acquired Dixie Halo South project. His concept of an offset, faulted and tracing down southwest from Great Bear is significant knowledge for BTU. Work has now begun towards proofing this theory by following structures confirmed by the recent Fugro Airborne survey (see Condor report here)." 2015 South Dixie Map by Tony PryslakThe technical contents of this release were approved by Douglas Hunter, PGeo, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The property has not been the subject of a National Instrument 43-101 report, and Mr. Hunter has not verified the technical data disclosed in this release due to the historic nature of reports quoted.*Note grab samples are selected samples and are not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property.About BTU Metals CorpBTU Metals is a Canadian-based junior exploration company focused on its highly prospective Dixie Halo properties adjoining Great Bear resources Ltd. on north, east and southern borders located in Red Lake, Ontario. For more information on BTU Metals Corp. please visit our website located at www.btumetals.com.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Paul Wood"Paul Wood, CEO, DirectorFOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:Telephone: 1-604-683-3995Toll Free: 1-888-945-4770Neither 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.FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward -looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at WWW.SEDAR.COM).SOURCE: BTU METALS CORP
PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-02 07:03:01

Improved profitability and cash flow

JULYSEPTEMBER 2018

Order intake decreased 4.9% to EUR 37.2 million (39.1)

Order book increased 7.3% to EUR 104.7 million (97.5)

Revenues decreased 5.9% to EUR 49.2 million (52.2)

EBIT excluding non-recurring items increased to EUR 2.1 million (0.8), corresponding to an improvement of the EBIT margin to 4.4% (1.6%)

Non-recurring items resulted in an income of EUR 0.7 million, due to a lower outcome of an extraordinary warranty cost at the end of a project

Net result for the period was EUR 1.2 million (-7.6)

Earnings per share, basic and diluted, amounted to EUR 0.016 (-0.097)

Operating cash flow amounted to EUR 4.3 million (-2.7)

JANUARYSEPTEMBER 2018

Order intake increased 11.4% to EUR 167.3 million (150.1)

Order book increased 7.3% to EUR 104.7 million (97.5)

Revenues decreased 4.9% to EUR 148.1 million (155.8)

EBIT excluding non-recurring items increased to EUR 3.8 million (2.7), corresponding to an improvement of the EBIT margin to 2.6% (1.7%)

Non-recurring items amounted to EUR 6.5 million, of which EUR 6.8 million is related to the US litigation provision

Net result for the period was EUR -5.1 million (-11.4)

Earnings per share, basic and diluted, amounted to EUR -0.065 (-0.145)

Operating cash flow amounted to EUR -0.5 million (-5.0)

Net debt increased to EUR 31.3 million (FY2017: 20.4)

Unless otherwise stated, figures in brackets refer to the same period in the preceding year.

Comment from the CEO

Transformation progressing according to plan

 restructuring programme and fully guaranteed rights issue next steps

Cavotecs order intake increased 11.4% year-over-year in the first nine months and the order book was at the end of the quarter worth EUR 104.7 million. This is 7.3% higher than at the same time in 2017 and 22.3% higher than at the end of last year. This gives us a solid base to build on.

Revenues in the nine months to date were in line with last year in local currencies, but down 4.9% including exchange effects. The soft order book at the end of 2017 explains the development to some extent but continuing start-up issues in our new production facility in Italy also contributed. The production issues are being addressed under the leadership of our Chief Operations Officer, who is in place since July, and should be solved before the year end.

A New Day, our transformation program, is progressing well with two thirds of the 50 projects completed or almost completed. We see clear signs that the transformation is starting to take hold. Higher quality decision making as a result of the new processes has increased the cost control in the Group. This translated into higher gross and EBIT margins in the third quarter, despite the lower revenues.

At the beginning of October, we announced the second phase in the transformation of Cavotec with a programme to address structural inefficiencies in the Group caused by a historically fragmented organization. The programme will focus on reducing SG&A and other inefficiencies and is targeting annual savings of approximately EUR 10 million by 2021, whereof significant run-rate savings already in 2019.

The reduction in headcount as a consequence of the restructuring is estimated to be around 100 people spread across multiple locations. In addition, the programme will include a reduction in the number of legal entities the Group has today. This is expected to improve the effective tax rate and result in lower statutory costs.

Short-term, however, the restructuring will result in one-off costs expected to amount to EUR 7 million. A majority of these costs will be accounted for in 2018 thus putting pressure on our balance sheet.

It is in the light of this, very encouraging that the transformation of the Group has the full support of our major owners. Separately, Cavotec today announced its plans for a new rights issue of approximately EUR 20 million with preferential rights for its existing shareholders. The entire rights issue will be covered by a subscription and guarantee undertaking by Bure Equity AB.

This gives us the full firepower needed to swiftly execute on the restructuring and also provides room for quick actions on opportunities for accelerated growth.





For further details please contact:

Johan Hahnel

Investor Relations Manager

Telephone: +46 70 605 63 34 - Email: investor@cavotec.com

This is information that Cavotec SA is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 07:01 CET on 2 November 2018.

Attachment
PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-02 20:06:47

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Polaris Market Research

Contact us-





Mr. Neel



Corporate Sales, USA



Polaris Market Research



Phone: 1-646-568-9980



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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

The Global Computer Aided Engineering Market is anticipated to reach USD 11.86 billion by 2026. The increasing penetration of smartphones and tablets are the major factors driving the demand for CAE software. The developing economies worldwide are witnessing high increase in the demand for consumer electronics owing to rising affordability of the people. Further, augmented use of modern engineering modes including, 3D printing, building information modeling, concurrent engineering, and 3D modelling are bolstering the computer aided engineering market growth for CAE software worldwide. However, factors such as piracy of CAE software as well as rising open-source threat are hampering the market growth to certain extent. Also, inadequate technical expertise and lack of skilled labor in several countries globally is restricting the growth of the computer aided engineering market.Request for Free Sample Report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/computer-aided-engineering-market/request-for-free-sample On the other hand, cloud-based CAE tools helps the vendors to escalate market penetration in small as well as medium sectors by providing advantages such as reduced maintenance costs and operating costs as well as mobility of the companies. Further, CAE software plays a significant role in the economic growth of several industries including aerospace & defense, automotive, finance, oil & gas, and healthcare among others.Top Key Player: -Casio Computer Co. Ltd.BenQ CorporationDell Technologies Inc.Seiko Epson Corp.NEC Display SolutionsPLM Software, Inc.Dassault SystemesExa CorporationESI GroupNumeca International.During the past few years, a trend has been noticed in the CAE software marketplace. The players operating in the computer aided engineering market are entering into partnerships as well as mergers & acquisitions between the CAE providers and resellers. This has resulted in increased presence of value-added resellers in large number, which is further acting as a driver to boost computer aided engineering market growth. CAE software offers broad application range as well as supports various tasks including, analysis, simulation, validation, and manufacturing of engineering products. Although, CAE software is an analysis and troubleshooting tool, several critics claims that there is a delay in the accurate results, which acts as a hindrance to the market growth. Also, due to availability of open-source solutions, companies often avoid to make investments in attaining commercial licenses of CAE solutions thus, further restraining the CAE software market growth. Moreover, increasing computational fluid dynamics adoption that facilitates in reducing electric vehicles costs as well as forecast of thermal conditions, is anticipated to propel the growth of the computer aided engineering market during the coming years.Speak to our analyst and gain crucial industry insights that will help your business grow: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/computer-aided-engineering-market/ On the basis of geography, Europe is anticipated to account for the major share of the computer aided engineering market in terms of revenues, followed by North America. Also, Asia Pacific computer aided engineering market is expected to demonstrate high growth during the forecast period. The presence of strong automotive industry in Europe and consumer electronic industry in developing nations of Asia Pacific are the factors influencing market growth for computer aided engineering. Further, governments of the developing nations of Asia Pacific region are encouraging the growth of their manufacturing sector by providing funds, subsidies, and tax benefits in order to boost their economic growth. This is anticipated to support the market growth owing to constant increase in the manufacturing sector. Some of such initiatives include Make in India as well as Made in China 2025. Also, automation of industrial equipment is rising at a very high pace, which is likely to bolster the computer aided engineering market growth. Moreover, constant increase in the labor costs worldwide is encouraging the adoption of equipment automation by the manufacturing industries thereby, positively influencing the market growth.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
PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-01 23:01:36

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CRANBROOK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 1st, 2018 / Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. ("EPL":TSX-V, or "Eagle Plains") and Rockridge Resources Ltd.("ROCK" TSX-V, or "Rockridge") have entered into an agreement (subject toregulatory approval) whereby Rockridge may earn a 100% interest in EaglePlains' 100%-owned Knife Lake Project, located approximately 50 kilometersnorthwest of the community of Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan. The 85,196 ha Knife Lakeclaims cover both the historical Knife Lake VMS deposit and an extensive,under-explored regional VMS target area. The Knife Lake area saw extensiveexploration from the late 1960's to the 1990's with the last documented workprogram completed in 2001. Link to Knife Lake regionalmap: https://www.eagleplains.com/sites/default/files/2018.11.01_Knife_Lake_Region.pdf To earn a 100% interest, Rockridge has agreed to make a cash payment toEagle Plains of $150,000 upon regulatory approval, issue up to 5,250,000 common shares of Rockridge and complete $3,250,000 in exploration expenditures over four years. EaglePlains will retain a 2% net smelter royalty ("NSR") on certain claims whichcomprise the project area. The proposedtransaction is subject to the completion of a National Instrument 43-101technical report on the Property, currently being prepared by an independentconsultant. Knife Lake Geology and HistoryThe Knife Lake deposit lies within the Scimitar Complex, which isbelieved to be the disconnected, northwest extension of the northern Flin Flondomain and the Amisk Volcanic package, which hosts massive sulphidemineralization in the Flin FlonSnow Lake mining district, the most prolificgreenstone belt in Canada. Since the initial discovery of mineralization in1915, the Flin Flon camp has produced over 170 million tons of sulphide orefrom 31 VMS deposits worth in excess of C25 billion dollars. (2002 NRC, CurrentResearch). Exceptionally high Au contents of many of these deposits, includingFlin Flon (62.4 Mt @ 2.6 g Au/t) and Lalor (8.8 Mt @ 4.6 g Au/t in the Auzone), make them particularly attractive exploration targets. This information is provided only ashistorical reference. Management cautions that past results or discoveries onproximate land are not necessarily indicative of the results that may beachieved on the subject properties.Knife Lake is interpreted to be a remobilized VMS deposit. Thestratabound mineralized zone is approximately 15 m thick and contains copper,silver, zinc and cobalt mineralization which dips 30 to 45 eastward over astrike-length of 4,500 m, with an average horizontal width of approximately 300m.The deposit is hosted by felsic tointermediate volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks which have been metamorphosed toupper amphibolite facies. The deposit is typical of VMS mineralogy which hasbeen significantly modified and partially remobilized during the emplacement ofgranitic rocks. The mineralization straddles the boundary between two rockunits and occurs on both limbs of an overturned local fold. Drilling has outlined a series of stratabound ore lenses which arecontrolled by complex geological structures. In the copper mineralized zone,significant thickening of the mineralization occurs near the central portion ofthe deposit. Sulphides and rare native copper are visible in outcrop. Massivesulphides consist of 25 to 60% pyrrhotite and 0.2 to 10% chalcopyrite mineralization.Pyrite is present as irregular disseminations and masses. Locally, up to 8%sphalerite (zinc mineralization) is present.The first documented work in the Knife Lake showing area occurredbetween 1969-1973, consisting of ground and airborne geophysical surveys andextensive soil geochemical sampling. The discovery drill-hole, collared inSeptember, 1969, returned 2.37% Cu over 4.48m from 19.96-24.44m, including 3.5%Cu over 2.5m from 20.27-22.77m. A total of 96 diamond drill holes (8,232m) werecompleted between 1969-1971 and in 1973 Straus Exploration announced a maidenresource on the Knife Lake Deposit.Hudson's Bay Exploration and Development Company Ltd. later carried outa regional Airborne EM geophysical survey in the Knife Lake  Scimitar Lakearea, followed up by geological mapping, prospecting, ground geophysics anddiamond drilling. The property was subsequently optioned by CopperquestIncorporated in 1989, which carried out further geophysical and geochemicalsurveys and optioned the property to Leader Mining International in 1996.Between 1996 and 2001, Leader flew various airborne geophysical surveys in thearea, including EM, magnetic, and gravity surveys. This was followed up withstripping and trenching of the outcropping deposit area. Ground TEM, magnetic,ground IP/Resistivity and VLF-EM surveys were completed over and adjacent tothe main deposit area. Between 1996 and 1998, Leader completed 315 drill holes, outlining abroad zone of mineralization occurring at less than 100 meters depth (AF63M-0006, Report 10). Late in 1998, Leader published the geological reserves ofthe deposit, reporting a drill-indicated resource of 20.3 million tonnesgrading 0.6% Cu, 0.1 g/t Au, 3.0 g/t Ag, 0.06% Co and 0.11% Zn. It wassuggested that 11.0 million tonnes grading 0.95% Cu could be mined using anopen pit (SMDI 0406).* A 357kV powerline has recently been completed to within 16km of theKnife Lake Deposit area, greatly enhancing the project's infrastructure. Tim Termuende, President and CEO of Eagle Plains commented recently onthe transaction: "we are pleased to beworking with Rockridge on the Knife Lake Project. Rockridge brings to the tablea solid management team with strong financial and marketing abilities, whileEagle Plains will maintainsignificantupside exposure to the project through its sizeable shareholdings in Rockridgeand the retention of an NSR.Byfarming-out Knife Lake, Eagle Plains stays true to its proven model as aproject generator and will continue its' focus of researching, identifying andacquiring new exploration opportunities in western Canada without the attendantdilution that invariably accompanies specific project development." Future PlansThe Knife Lake Project has a drill permit in placeand Rockridge is planning for an initial diamond drill program in early 2019. Charles C. Downie, P.Geo., a "qualified person" for the purposes ofNational Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, hasprepared, reviewed, and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in thenews release.Other Saskatchewan VMSProjectsAs announced on September 12, 2018 Eagle Plains has recently acquiredthe historic Schotts Lake Cu-Zn VMS deposit located 40km northwest of FlinFlon, Manitoba. The Schotts Lake property hosts metamorphic and intrusive rockswhich are dominantly volcanic in origin and associated with an island arc environment.The rocks are folded into an easterly-dipping synform.Mineralization consists of semi-massive to massive pyrrhotite and pyrite withassociated chalcopyrite (copper) and
PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-02 08:16:38

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2th November 2018 - Elite Replica Watch provides high class Swiss watches for men. Replica watches became a trend nowadays, that is why, it is worth it to own a pair of them as well. For you and everyone who trusts Swiss quality, Elite Replica Watch proposes good price ranges and totally unique and personal customer approach and support. Dont hesitate to check how this e-shop works.The website of Elite Replica Watch is a very reliable and easy to use shop, that presents a lot of useful info for their potential clients. Anyone living in UK or US can buy from Elite Replica Watch and be sure that their shipping will arrive in some days without any worries. Dont hesitate to contact the Elite Replica Watch representatives in order to be sure about the possibility of discounts or bonuses for their devoted clients.The many advantages of Elite Replica Watch make the real difference between this company and many other similar shops. Despite other platforms, Elite Replica Watch is the one who cares about quality and assures their clients of a 100% Swiss quality range. You will be able to test each and every product a period of time to be confident in the product you have purchased. One more thing to point out, Elite Replica Watch is definitely your best choice, because of the high range of available goods from the Elite Replica Watch page. You will remain impressed with the fats service and communication with clients offered by the Elite Replica Watch representatives, so you will receive a 24/7 support after purchasing something on Elite Replica Watch. Last but not least, the Elite Replica Watch page is totally user friendly and safe. All the data is anonymous and private indeed.About Elite Replica Watch:Elite Replica Watch is the platform offering a grand shop of Swiss replica watches for everyone living in UK and US. If you would like to have your own Swiss genuine watches form Elite Replica Watch, then everything you have to do is to start your Elite Replica Watch experience and purchase from their website. Dont hesitate to make use of the greatest Elite Replica Watch services and the lowest price ranges that they offer.Contact:Company: Elitereplicawatch GroupContact Name: Keisha GomesAddress: 743 Farmhouse Road, Mickleton, NJ 08056, United StatesE-mail: sales@ elitereplicawatch.eu Phone: +1-424-444-0255Website: https://www.elitereplicawatch.eu/
PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-02 00:01:03

Johnson & Johnson Innovation Announces Extension of JJIPO @ QUT in Collaboration with Queensland State Government to Further Boost Life-Science Innovation in Queensland

Media Contact:

Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Asia Pacific

Julien Dedman, +852 9022 8032

jdedman@its.jnj.com



Johnson & Johnson Innovation announced the extension of the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Partnering Office at Queensland University of Technology (JJIPO @ QUT) for three years in collaboration with the Queensland State Government at the AusBiotech National Conference in Brisbane yesterday.

The extension of the joint initiative between Johnson & Johnson Innovation, the Queensland Government, and QUT will allow JJIPO @ QUT to continue nurturing and accelerating innovative research and new product development and commercialisation for a global market, as well as local job creation in Queensland.

Australia has a pioneering healthcare ecosystem, and this initiative represents Johnson & Johnson Innovations ongoing commitment to both helping connect life-science innovators in Queensland to the global innovation ecosystem and bringing Queenslands home-grown healthcare solutions to the wider world, said Dr. Rowan Chapman, Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, California1, who oversees the Western US region.

The JJIPO @ QUT was originally launched in 2016 by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palazczuk to provide crucial support to researchers and companies in the Queensland life-science sector as part of the $650 million Advance Queensland initiative.

Queensland is Australias innovation state, and were committed to collaborating with organisations to expedite the life-sciences sector and enhance the world in which we live, said Premier Palaszczuk. This is why we are delighted to extend for three years our joint agreement with Johnson & Johnson Innovation to maintain the partnering office at QUT.

Kathy Connell, Senior Director of New Ventures Australia and New Zealand, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, which is affiliated with Janssen ANZ (Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd), said: The extension of the partnering office is testament to the valuable work that is taking place at JJIPO @ QUT. In its first two years, JJIPO @ QUT has helped accelerate innovation in Queensland by nurturing the capabilities of life-science researchers. A few notable collaborations include potential new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, as well as a saliva-based diagnostic for the early detection of throat cancers.

Since its inception in 2016, JJIPO @ QUT has provided a platform for major life-science collaboration in Queensland to strengthen the healthcare ecosystem and enable future impact, including:

Forty educational training and networking events

Over 20 international executive visits from the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies to provide mentorship to Queensland entrepreneurs, investors, academics, government and industry stakeholders

More than 1,600 stakeholders and attendees engaged through JJIPO @ QUTs global network

The launch of the Advance Queensland Johnson & Johnson Innovation QuickFire Challenge with 12 finalists and three winners

Investment of AUD300,000 from Queensland Government resulting in in-bound investment of AUD12.5M following comprehensive training, networking and mentoring programs at the JJIPO @ QUT

International tours to connect Queensland innovators to the Johnson & Johnson Innovation network, including Johnson & Johnson Innovation Centers, JLABS @ TMC, JLABS @ San Diego, JLABS @ SSF and CDI @ TMC, as well as Janssen Research & Development, LLC (US) and Janssen Research & Development, Division of Janssen Pharmaceutical NV (Belgium), and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. (US)

Several meetings with Australian federal and state government leaders and ministers

QUT is committed to developing its research for the global innovation value chain and considers the JJIPO @ QUT as an asset for all Queensland institutions and entrepreneurs to access and use to accelerate Queensland healthcare technology, said Professor Margaret Sheil, Vice Chancellor, QUT.

Since 2012, Johnson & Johnson Innovation has played an active role in establishing connections with key stakeholders in the Australia life-science ecosystem, including academia, government and venture capitalists, to enable public-private collaboration and support early-stage entrepreneurs and academic researchers.

JJIPO @ QUT works with emerging healthcare companies and academic researchers across Queensland, providing commercialisation training, mentoring and networking support at no cost, to accelerate translational life-science research along the path to commercialisation. These activities are part of Johnson & Johnson Innovations ongoing commitment to strengthening Queenslands healthcare innovation ecosystem and to giving locally developed technologies a greater chance for investment by industry, for reaching patients faster, and for realising a fair return on investment.

The Advance Queensland initiative is part of the Queensland Governments vision to grow the economy and knowledge base through funding to support programs that drive innovation and help raise its profile as an attractive investment destination. With the renewed support of Advance Queensland, JJIPO @ QUT can continue to accelerate Queenslands shift towards a globally competitive life-sciences ecosystem with the potential of improving the health and wellbeing of people in Australia and around the world.

1 Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181101005
PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-01 23:46:02

COLUMBUS, Ohio - November 1, 2018 - Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD) today announced it will host a conference call to discuss the Company's third quarter results on Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To hear a live webcast of the call, visit www.mt.com/investors on the Company's website. A replay of the webcast will be available until November 12, 2018.

METTLER TOLEDO (NYSE: MTD) is a leading global supplier of precision instruments and services. We have strong leadership positions in all of our businesses and believe we hold global number-one market positions in most of them. We are recognized as an innovation leader and our solutions are critical in key R&D, quality control, and manufacturing processes for customers in a wide range of industries including life sciences, food, and chemicals. Our sales and service network is one of the most extensive in the industry. Our products are sold in more than 140 countries and we have a direct presence in approximately 40 countries. With proven growth strategies and a focus on execution, we have achieved a long-term track record of strong financial performance. For more information, please visit www.mt.com.

Contact: Mary T. Finnegan, Treasurer / Investor Relations, +1-614-438-4748





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: Mettler-Toledo International Inc. via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-02 02:01:32

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SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / November 1, 2018 / In early October, Dr. Haisong Gu, co-founder of VisionX ( www.visionx.org) , presented his latest project to the state-owned enterprise China Coal Technology Engineering Group (CCTEG) in Changzhou and established a strategic collaboration. Within the next three years, the current system of manual inspection at CCTEG could be entirely replaced by cameras and sensors with AI visual inspection technology developed by VisionX. Dr. Haisong Gu was among the first group of artificial intelligence post-graduate students incubated by China who were admitted to the Southeast University Computer Vision Research Lab in 1985. In 1993, Dr. Gu obtained his PhD in Computer Vision from Osaka University, a globally renowned institute in the intelligent recognition field. He has also worked as professor and researcher at Southeast University, Osaka University, University of Southern California, PRI and Stanford University; as well as having worked as Senior Researcher at Panasonic and many other esteemed companies in the field of image recognition.During his 30+ years of involvement in AI application development, Dr. Gu developed the first iteration of an image-assisted smart training system for China's national diving team in the 90s, using the 'Positioning method' theory, and was awarded first place in the Culture Department's Technology Achievements Award. Utilizing his innovative Computer Vision technology, Dr. Gu generated an automatic scoring system for various applications in gymnastics competition. Dr. Gu also assisted in the construction of the only train ferry' in Chang Jiang which allowed ferry navigation in poor weather conditions and enabled year-round functionality.In the early 90s, Dr. Gu used machine learning and motion modeling technology to devise an innovative image-semantic segmentation theory based on MDL. Dr. Gu was invited to publish a paper at the Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, regarded worldwide as the most prestigious and acclaimed artificial intelligence conference, for two consecutive years. In Matsushita, the company successfully developed an intelligent robot with threedimensional object sensing capability, and realized one of the first applications of artificial intelligence, defect sorting and placement, in production lines, and was subsequently awarded the Japan Automation Association Technology Progress Award.After traveling to the United States in 2000, Dr. Gu developed an operation control system based on gesture recognition at the USC Artificial Intelligence Institute in Nankai. As part of the face recognition startup Eyematic (acquired by Google in 2007, becoming the core of Google's face recognition technology), it successfully commercialized an animation system based on face recognition and tracking. Dr. Gu lead development and was first authour of a research project by Ford which was developed to realize facial expression recognition (CVPR2002) through real-time tracking of facial feature points and Efman facial motion coding (FACS), and subsequently developed a driver fatigue intelligent detection and control system based on facial expression recognition. As part of the intelligent video surveillance technology startup, Vidient, the technology was used to develop a number of practical algorithms for object and motion recognition analysis based on intelligent video analysis, which was selected by the US aviation department and successfully implemented at the San Francisco International Airport, one of the first applications of such technology in the world. At present, SmartCatch intelligent video monitoring software products have been installed in airports and other transportation hubs around the world.In 2008, Dr. Gu was invited to design the "Intelligent Real-Time Passenger Flow Statistics System" for the Shanghai World Expo, as well as the passenger flow management system for the China Mobile Business Office. The passenger flow intelligent statistics implemented at the CCP's first-level conference site successfully solved issues related to audience management.Dr . Gu is currently the leader of the AI team at the Silicon Valley World's Top 500 R&D Center. He led the AI R&D team to successfully develop the HSTT image diagnosis system based on deep learning. Utilizing AlphaGo technology in the field of medical diagnosis, recognition accuracy has drastically improved and outclasses current professionals. This innovation was named one of Japan's 2020 core technologies, predicted to have huge applications into the future. It was successfully employed to assist Midea in the realization of AI applications for surface quality inspection of home appliances. It proposed the solution of an intelligent collaborative robot (AI Cobot) to improve flexibility of welding and assembly production of home appliances, and promoted the integration of intelligent manufacturing technology in the industry.Dr . Gu has published more than 30 academic papers for world-class AI conferences and publications including the Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition and also the Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence journal. Dr. Gu currently hold 20 granted invention patents in the United States, Japan and China and has a further 17 applications pending. He is currently a senior member of IEEE and was a corporate representative of the IEEE International Industrial Standards Technology Association (IEEEISTO). On behalf of Konica Minolta and Stanford University, Dr. Gu led a number of industrial joint research projects. According to available statistics, there are about 60 million quality inspectors engaged in surface defect testing in various industries in China alone. They use the naked eye to do monotonous and repetitive work every day. This is a serious financial and logistical burden among multiple industries. By utilizing its innovative visual inspection technology, VisionX can alleviate this work-load and improve products with increased accuracy and efficiency. By improving quality and speed of production, this technology will eventually replace the necessity for manual labor and potentially reduce production costs by billions of dollars per year. Dr. Gu said, "Using the blockchain's distributed AI technology and model sharing mechanism, we can make the production of individual industries highly efficient. Utilization of our technology has the potential make a great contribution to China's ultimate realization of the national smart manufacturing 2025 strategy."CONTACT: Company Name: VisionXContact Person: Shawn YouEmail:service@ visionx.orgCountry: SingaporeWebsite: www.visionx.orgSOURCE: VisionX
PR-Inside.com: 2018-11-02 08:23:48

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SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / November 2, 2018 / When was the last time you donated money to some charity and patted yourself on the back, thinking that your $10 has done an outstanding job? But it probably never did. And when was the last time you looked at the crowdfunding market without lamenting what it has become?Crowdfunding is not what it used to be. Not too many people stop to think as to why there is so much misery in this world when there is an $800 billion charity market alone, and rampancy in the crowdfunding market when there are ways of solving its main problems. The reasons for the ongoing stagnation are simple - because the money being spent on charity is not being tracked adequately, leaving people hoping that likes on Facebook will feed the poor in Africa, and the crowdfunding market simply lacks sustainable development and proper accountability.The cornerstone of many responsible and noble projects these days is the crowdfunding market. And the truth is that it needs a good revamp. In reality, it really needs a stable and sustainable solution, or a platform, that would allow projects to raise funds responsibly and the donors to see the results of their donations through transparency and accountability on the part of the projects they are willing to help. There are very few alternatives at the moment, but the recent wave of blockchain innovations that has swept the world gave hope for some solutions. The immutability and vast infrastructure buildup potential that blockchain offers gave rise to some projects, like W12, associated with the charity market, which are offering a platform that would act as an infrastructure for thousands of projects to have their causes placed on it under the watchful eyes of a diligent goal and fund tracking system.The Essence of It AllCertainly, having a good platform that would host organizations and give them the tools they need to operate is good. But what's more important is garnering the trust of the audience. Unlike centralized platforms, organizations and banks that have plenty of loopholes to misspend funds, blockchain automatically does away with intermediaries, commissions and other challenges that impede the uninterrupted and uninhibited transfer of funds. That alone buys trust, but W12 has gone a step further in its strive to lend a helping hand to projects by creating its own technological mainframe based on one of the most detailed roadmaps out there. And that creates room for thinking that W12 is actually working on a platform for a completely new generation of crowdfunding.One might ask how W12 seeks to buy the trust of users and attract them to the projects placed on its platform. More on that a bit later, but the basis is solid as it is founded on the one thing all projects are dependent on and the one thing they will fulfill their promises for  the money.The W12 protocol consists of templates for smart contracts and a network of oracles, which monitor the implementation of roadmap phases of projects placed on the platform, as that is the only way the project will receive the money it manages to raise through crowdfunding. As the star-studded project team with advisors from top-end companies claims, the technology employed by W12 reduces risks, eliminates the need for intermediaries, reduces costs, protects against scams, and improves transparency on the Charity, ICO, STO, Crowdfunding and other markets. The project has a sound business model as W12 charges a commission for transactions of users of the protocol through the use of its ERC20 W12 Token. The more W12 Tokens are used in transactions, the lower the commission. In addition, the built-in exchange and wallets allow projects placed on the platform to distribute their tokens to the holders of various accounts of ecosystem users. The model is quite reminiscent of a grading scale with premium account holders having the ability to receive the tokens of hundreds of projects for their contributions.Applications in Our WorldBy their very nature, projects seek to fulfill goals, and crowdfunding is their way of doing that. But the rather vague guarantees that users had sought in an attempt at distancing themselves from scams have dwindled and led to a sag in the crowdfunding market. That leads to the logical conclusion that the problem is not even in the projects themselves, but in the basis acting as their infrastructure, namely  the crowdfunding market itself. If a structure that were to be rebuilt and projects would be able to raise funds, then a lot of markets would receive a much needed boost, the charity market, for example.We all want to see the impact our donations have on lives out there, but 96% of projects never reach any of the key milestones they promise to. Since more than 50% of charity funds do not reach the recipients, hundreds of billions of funds are lost. By relying on the W12 protocol, as the project team claims, each participant will be able to monitor and control the funds, as well as assess the impact of the contribution in the case of charity projects, for instance.. It really does look like one of the few real cases of applying smart contracts and blockchain technologies in life with positive influence. If trust could ever be guaranteed, then the only way of doing so would be by making sure that the money donated to projects would either be spent on the intended purposes or returned to the donors. Apparently, W12 has taken that into consideration as well, since it promises to return the funds in case a project fails at any stage of its development.This approach applies to any of the projects placed on the platform as the only way they will receive the funds is by fulfilling their promises and actually doing something, whether that be making a product, delivering services, or changing the world for the better.The Yays and NaysMany speak of achievements and hype as the key success points for a project in the blockchain industry. But, reality says otherwise. If a project does not have a real, working product with applications in the real world, then it is waste even reading about it. The W12 project has a working blockchain of its own and a product that can already be tested in demo mode with test tokens. The team also promises mobile apps that would allow donors to track their donations in real time and get feedback from the people their money actually helped, like messages and emails with gratitude as an added human touch. They have also built the internal marketplace, and the PRODUCT, their code is solid, and they have already managed to sign up several dozen projects that are ready to start selling their tokens on the platform. Popularity is important too, so W12 has built up 20 active international communities with more than 90,000 participants and has received about 200 reviews in a number of languages, most of which are positive. W12 project has also
The 11th Hour was supposed to last only through the 2016 campaign season. But the program is entering its third year this fall. The format of the program  which expanded to an hour in April 2017  allows Williams to use a more conversational style than an evening news anchor is allowed in 22 story-packed minutes. Later, the president warns a foreign country not to let their people come here, or as we call it  Tuesday, Williams said on one recent broadcast, an example of his casual tone.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Thursday issued guidelines for licensing, regulation and operation of payment service banks (PSBs) in the country.

The Director, financial policy and regulation department of the regulatory body, Kevin Amuga, said the guidelines were in furtherance of the apex banks effort to leverage on technology to promote financial inclusion, enhance access to financial services to the rural poor, low income earners and financially excluded in the society.

In line with the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS), the CBN seeks to ensure over 80 per cent of the bankable adults in Nigeria have access to financial services by 2020.

Despite several initiatives, including Introduction of microfinance banking, agency banking, tiered know-your-customer requirements and mobile money operation (MMO) in pursuit of the objective, the CBN noted inclusion rate remains below expectation.

To drive financial inclusion, the CBN said it has collaborated with groups, like the Nigerian Communication Commission, commercial banks, mobile money operators and telecommunications companies to conduct several studies.

The regulator said the latest regulations are to provide for the licensing and operations of PSBs in the country to utilise the mobile and digital channels to enhance financial inclusion and stimulate economic activities at the grassroots through financial services.

Dos and Donts

The PSBs would operate mostly in the rural areas and unbanked locations with the financially excluded persons as target, including not less than 25 per cent of financial service touch points in such rural areas as may be defined by the CBN.

Besides, operators would be expected to enter into direct partnership with card scheme operators, with such cards not eligible for foreign currency transactions.

Also, operators would be allowed to deploy automated teller machines (ATMs) as well as point of sale (POS) devices in some of the rural areas.

They would also be free to operate through banking agents and roll out agent networks with the prior approval of the CBN, while other channels, including electronic platforms, would be used to reach-out to customers.

To supervise and control the activities of the various financial service touch points and banking agents, operators would be allowed to establish coordinating centres in clusters of outlets.

The CBN said technology deployed by operators to drive their operations would have to conform to best practices on data storage, security and integrity.

Under the guidelines, the CBN said PSB operators would be allowed to accept deposits from individuals and small businesses covered by the deposit insurance scheme as well as carry out payments and remittances (including inbound cross-border personal remittances) services through various channels within Nigeria.

Also, PSB operators would be allowed to handle sale of foreign currencies realised from inbound cross-border personal remittances to authorised foreign exchange dealers as well as issue debit and pre-paid cards on their names.

Other approved services by the PSBs include operation of the electronic wallet; render financial advisory services; invest in Federal Government and CBN securities as well as carry out such other activities as may be prescribed by the CBN.

Under the guidelines, PSB operators were barred from granting any form of loans, advances and guarantees (directly or indirectly), or accept foreign currency deposits; deal in the foreign exchange market and undertake insurance underwriting.

Operators were also not allowed to undertake any other transaction not prescribed by the Guidelines, by accepting any closed scheme electronic value (airtime) as a form deposit or payment or establish any subsidiary.

Promoters of payment service banks (PSBs)

Promoters of PSBs may include banking agents, telecommunications companies (Telcos), through subsidiaries; retail chains (supermarkets, downstream petroleum marketing companies) and postal services providers and courier companies.

Other promoters may include mobile money operators (MMOs desirous of converting to PSBs, financial technology companies (Fintech), financial holding companies and other entities subject to CBNs approval.

Requirement for application

Applications for selection as PSB operators shall be accompanied with a non-refundable application fee of N500,000 in bank draft to the CBN; evidence of minimum capital deposit, capital contribution by each shareholder, name reservation with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as well as detailed business plan or feasibility report.

To secure a final license, the guidelines stipulate not later than six months after obtaining the approval-in-principle, PSB promoters must submit application to the CBN, with a non-refundable licensing fee of N2 million in bank draft.

The application would be accompanied with the Certified True Copy (CTC) of Certificate of Incorporation of the bank.
The Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday launched visa-on-arrival services for all fellow African citizens in order to realise a peaceful and integrated Africa.

This is contained in a statement issued by the ministry in Addis Ababa.

The Ethiopian government, under the leadership of Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, is working to realise the vision of our founding father to see a peaceful and integrated Africa, where minds, ideas and markets are open to trade, the ministry said.

The issuance of visa-on-arrival for fellow Africans will clearly demonstrate our commitment to the ideals of free movement of people across the continent and integration agenda.

These are also inscribed as objectives of the continental body, AU, the ministry said, referring to the AU.

The East African country, which hosts the headquarters of the AU, hopes that the move will assist the AUs initiative on the free movement of people.

The AU urged all African countries to issue visas on arrival as of 2023.

Ethiopia also hopes the visa-on-arrival initiative would facilitate the economic integration of Africa by pushing tourist flow to a higher level and help advance conference tourism.

(Xinhua/NAN)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declined to condemn Saudi Arabia after the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October, denouncing the murder for the first time as he showed deference to Riyadh as a regional power.

Mr Netanyahu said this while making his first public statement about the Khashoggi case since the Saudi dissident disappeared on October 2.

What happened in the Istanbul consulate was horrendous and it should be duly dealt with, Netanyahu said.

Yet the same time I say it, it is very important for the stability of the world, for the region and for the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable, Mr Netanyahu said.

I think that a way must be found to achieve both goals. Because the larger problem is Iran, he said.

Israel and the Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia are both hostile towards Iran, a Shiite Muslim country, and are eager to reduce Tehrans influence in the region.

Mr Netanyahu is known as one of the most strident critics of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and Western powers.

Mr Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get the paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

His remains have not been located, and there has been no confirmation on, who ordered the killing.

Istanbuls chief prosecutor said earlier this week that Mr Khashoggi was strangled upon entering the consulate and then dismembered and disposed of in a premeditated operation.

(dpa/NAN)
A retreat to bridge service delivery gaps and demand for more openness in the management of Kano State health sector opens for the second day this morning in Abuja.

Representatives of various civic groups and government organs in the state would be discussing issues bedevilling the health sector of the state today, the final day of the two-day event.

The event is organised by Women in Media (WIM) in partnership with development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) under the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFAH).

According to organisers, the event aims to find solutions bedevilling the various sectors of governance in the state, and especially in the health sector. It is geared towards developing an implementation plan for the realisation of the goals of the Kano State action plan of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), especially in the health sector.

Organisers said the recent health indices released by the NDHIS and MCS 2017 for Kano State, shows high child and family health burden for children under 5 girls and women of reproductive age.

Yesterday, various panel sessions were held on the structure and the challenges in implementation of the OGP plan in the state.

Open government is the process of engaging with civil society and the citizens in a transparent and accountable partnership to promote democratic, equal, sustainable and prosperous society.

The Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, in August signed an Executive Order making the state to formally join the OGP plan as part of efforts toward the fight against corruption, improved transparency and accountability in governance. Kaduna and Anambra states have also joined the plan.

The Co-Chairperson of the OGP  Civil Societies (CS), Halima Umar, said the retreat will develop mechanism for inclusiveness in the health and other sectors of the state.

The relationship between OGP and the PAS project is a welcome development that will not only improve the social accountability framework in Kano state, but will go a long way in improving the public engagement in some identified areas for socio-economic development of the state

By the end of the two day retreat, it is hoped that we will come out with strategies that will galvanize citizens participation in governance in Kano state, she noted.

Members and participants of the Open Government Partnership (OGO) observing reasons on child spacing. Members and participants of the Open Government Partnership (OGO) observing reasons on child spacing. Members and participants of the Open Government Partnership (OGO) observing reasons on child spacing. Members and participants of the Open Government Partnership (OGO) observing reasons on child spacing.

The Co-Chairperson of the OGP  CS, Ben Umar, would head a panel discussion on service delivery gaps in implementing OGP in the health sector by 11:30p.m. at Corinthia Hotels Garki Abuja, the venue of the event.

A series of strategic engagements and panel discussions would follow until 12:30p.m. when organisers planned to wrap up the session. Those expected to participate in the session among others include Autwalu Naiya, Head of Service Kano state.

The two-day retreat also presents opportunities to the participants to look at the partnership in line with the state action plan and to agree to the strategies that will be adopted in resolving the missing links in the structure of states steering committee.

Follow this page for PREMIUM TIMES live updates from the event.

Open Government Partnership (OGP) in Kano Health Sector Group Photograph. Open Government Partnership (OGP) in Kano Health Sector Group Photograph.

10:30pm TEA BREAK!!!

The Co-Chairperson of the OGP  CS, Mrs Ben Umar says the panel discussion on service delivery gaps on health in implementing OGP which she would head shortly after tea-break will focus on the 24 challenges in state health sector.

Panel Discussion on service delivery gaps  health led by Co-Chairperson of the OGP  CS, Mrs Ben Uma.

Panelists: Hajiya Saa Nataal, Kano state coordinator, reproductive health and family planning; Hajiya Hadiza Saai Gadanya, rep Kano state ministy of health; Hajiya Mairo Bello, Civil society activist; Alhaji Abdulrazak Alkali, Civil society activist and Public advisor.

Mrs Ben Umar says the panel will look at how to include the health sector in the OGP work plan.

Hajiya Bello takes the stage to project the 24 issues in the health sector that were not captured under the OGP plan.

She says the issues projected goes beyond health sector. The issues also affects Education, water and other sectors in Kano state.

She lists three the issues on the health sector: Maternal and child health/Child Mortality and Mordibility rate in the state; Inadequate Primary Health Sector/dilapidated facilities in rural areas; and Inadequate training institutions.

In tackling Maternal Child health challenges, Hajiya Bello says multiple and early pregnancy, malnutrition for the children and the mother is major problem.k

Hajiya Bello takes the stage to project the 24 issues in the health sector that were not captured under the OGP plan.

Hajiya Bello takes the stage to project the 24 issues in the health sector that were not captured under the OGP plan.

She explains that multiple pregnancy is when a mother gives birth consistently without child spacing. She further lists the dangers of multiple pregnancy which eventually leads to mother or child death.

She advocates for child spacing as a way to tackle such challenge. She also advocates for community sensitization.

Hajiya Gadanya also speaks on child spacing. She advocates for inclusion of child birth spacing campaign and sensitization in the OGP plan.

Mrs Gadanya urges traditional and religious leaders also to join the campaign and sensitize people on family planning.

She further appeals to the media to report more and create awareness on the importance of family planning.

She says the Kano state governments the budget had over the years for campaign on Child spacing released N5million; 10million and in the present government N15million but no single fund has been released.

She further explains issues in Child nutrition. she appeals to mothers in rural and urban areas to key into balance diet.

Alhaji Alkali speaks on the issue of training of community health extention workers in the state. He stresses the need for a followup in the recruitment of the students of such institutions so as to bridge the gap of inadequate health workers in the state.

He also reiterates the need for sensitization and promoting family planning in the state.

Hajiya Bello calls for reduction of stigmatization of immunization in the state. She says some religious and traditional leaders opposes the idea of immunization.

She calls for inclusion of more sensitization for immunization in the OGP plan.

The Chairperon, Hajiya Ben said child spacing is allowed in Islam. Panelist Alhaji Alkali discussing on the need for family planning in Kano State. Panelist Hadiza Gadanya discussing on child spacing urging the online media and print media to contribute on child spacing.

She stresses the implications of child spacing if not properly conducted. She urges parents to make sure they meet health professionals that will give them the best and safest methods for child spacing.

She explains the challenges the state is facing in getting adequate health professionals in the state. She says the OGP plan should broaden the scope.

Mrs Ben Umar, the head of the panel also stresses the challenge of attitude of health professionals in rendering services to people.

She says there is need to also sensitize health workers.

11:30pm  Panelists takes questions from participants.

Abba Wada Waziri, a participant recommends a proper structure for health workers to be implemented in the OGP plan.

Another participant observes the issue of mothers malnutrition during birth. He says the OGP made provision for that in selecting mothers that are malnourished from the three senatorial zones so as to give them help so as to deliver safely.

He urges that child spacing be put in the OGP. He says there should be synergy between OGP coordinators and the hospitals.

He also appeals that the OGP create family planning drug administration mobile team that can go house to house. if you go to hospitals you will see women lining up to access these drugs and this is a problem. If there is a mobile team that goes house to house it will reduce such hitches.

A participant asks the panelist to also look at issues of viral and communicable diseases such as diarrhea in the state.

Managing Director, Kano Radio, Umar Tudunwada says there is need for proper statistics on death and disease rate to be included in the OGP plan.

Where do we situate child abuse? the issue of child trafficking? the issue of domestic violence in the plan?, He asks.

A Co-chairperson OGP, Muhuya Magaji Rimingado urges the house to look beyond the OGP plan in tackling the challenges the health sector of the state is facing. He says the problem is not for the government alone but they should be held accountable.

He frowns at several amount of funds released to tackle health issues in the state that are not being utilized.

Director Information Kano state, Inuwa Idris Yakasai reiterates the challenge of negative attitude of health personnel in the state. He stresses the need for reorientation.

Display of OGP Health indice. Hajiya Bello takes the stage to project the 24 issues in the health sector that were not captured under the OGP plan. Display of OGP Health indice.

Rabi Yusuf Gazewa OGP, CSO steering committee official in persons with disabilities unit speaks on the challenges persons with disability face in accessing health care in the state.

She says health workers should be sensitized on how to handle persons with disabilities in the state.

A lawmaker, Nasiru Magaji asks if N15million is enough to handle child spacing challenges in the state?

He suggests that the house attend the upcoming town hall public hearing meeting on the 2019 budget by the state house of assembly so as to make contribution for improvement of funds for child spacing.

12 P.M.  Panelists responds to questions.

On inadequate staff in health facilities, Hajiya Nataala says there is need for a supervisory body to identify the gaps and do a comprehensive report back to the government.

She further stresses the need to enhance shifts among health workers.

Mrs Ben Umar wraps up the panel discussions.

12:08pm  Panel session ends!!!

From the left Director of Kano Radio Umar Tudunwa, Director Information Kano state, Inuwa Idris Yakasai
Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has failed to appear before the committee constituted by the states House of Assembly to investigate alleged $5 million bribery against the governor.

Rather, Mr Ganduje was represented at the committee sitting on Friday by Kano States commissioner of information, Muhammad Garba.

Addressing the panel after submitting a written statement to the chairman of the committee, Bappa Danagundi, Mr Garba said the bribery allegation was damaging to his personality.

His Excellency has categorically and unapologetically denied collection of bribe as alleged by Daily Nigerian. His Excellency has not collected and will never collect bribe. The allegation is injurious and damaging to his personality, the commissioner said.

He advised the committee to exercise caution in handling the allegation, in view of antecedents of the Daily Nigerians publisher for publishing similar allegations against former governor of Kano, Ibrahim Shekarau, and Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi ll.

We were able to read the invitation extended to His Excellency. After analysing the content of the letter critically we were able to identify three options. Either His Excellency responds in writing, sends representative or appears himself.

Because of (the) high respect His Excellency has (for) the committee and the assembly, he opted for the second option. That is why I am here to represent him, Mr Garba told the panel.

About four videos are online, allegedly showing the governor receiving dollar bills believed to be bribe, from contractors.

In his remarks, the attorney general of Kano State and commissioner of Justice, Ibrahim Mukhtar, commended the committee for being just and fair to the accused and accuser.

The way the invitation to the governor was crafted, shows fairness by providing multiple options to His Excellency either to appear himself, send representative or (a) written statement, Mr Mukhtar said.

The counsel to Mr Ganduje, Maaruf Yakasai, said his client has the option to sue the publisher for defamation but opted to honour and allow the house to handle the matter.

The chairman of the committee, Bappa Danagundi, said the committee will invite graphic experts to watch the video clips on Tuesday, along with lawyers of Messrs Ganduje and Jaafar at an undisclosed location.

He assured to be just and fair to the parties involved.
The West African Examination Council (WAEC), has issued an attestation certificate to President Muhammadu Buhari, a presidential aide has said.

Mr Buhari has been criticised by opposition politicians and many other Nigerians after he told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that his school certificate is still with military authorities.

The president stated this in his submission of essential forms to INEC for the 2019 elections where he is the presidential candidate of the ruling APC.

His spokesperson, Femi Adesina, in a tweet from his verified handle said WAEC presents attestation certificate and confirmation of school cert result to President Buhari. What will the naysayers say next?

The criticism of the president over the certificate is in the build up to the 2019 general elections where he seeks to be elected for a second term in office.

Mr Buhari experienced similar criticism in the build up to the 2015 general elections when he was then an opposition presidential candidate.

Findings by PREMIUM TIMES then showed the president sat for the school certificate examination with this newspaper exclusively publishing results garnered during the examinations.

Mr Buhari later joined the army where he rose to the rank of major general before retiring in 1985 when a military government he led was overthrown in a coup.

President Muhammadu Buhari receives WAEC attestation [Photo: @BashirAhmad] President Muhammadu Buhari receives WAEC attestation [Photo: @BashirAhmad]

Watch here:

Details later
An Abuja court has ordered labour unions not to commence a planned nationwide strike scheduled for next week.

Justice Sanusi Kado of the National Industrial Court gave the order on Friday following an ex-parte motion filed by the federal government and the attorney general.

An ex-parte application is an interim application sought by an applicant in the absence of the other party or parties. In this case, the labour unions were absent.

The judge said he granted the application because of the effect the strike, planned for November 6, could have on the Nigerian economy and people. He then adjourned the hearing till November 8.

The NLC and TUC were yet to react to the ruling as at the time of this report.

The labour unions are demanding a N30,000 minimum wage and say that amount had been agreed at a triparite meeting with government and private employers of labour.

The federal government, however, insisted on a N24,000 minimum wage, while state governors after a meeting last week said they would only accept a N22,500 minimum wage.
The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has attacked the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, and that of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, calling them emperors.

Addressing a press conference on Friday in Abuja, Mr Oshiomhole, reacting to comments made by both governors on the outcome of APC primaries, specifically described Mr Okorocha as an embarrassment to the APC.

Mr Okorocha on Thursday, after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari, said the party chairman is destroying the party with his method of handling party primaries.

Mr Amosun similarly attacked the party chairman accusing him of injustice and fraud in relation to the APC primaries held in Ogun.

On Friday, Mr Oshiomhole accused both governors of imposition of candidates in their respective states.

In the case of Imo State, Mr Oshiomhole declared that the NWC has met and we have upheld the result of the Gulak committee and we have prepared the name of Hope (Uzodinma) to be submitted to the INEC.

If Governor Rochas chose to relocate to the (Presidential) Villa and use the ground of Villa to try to intimidate me to create a dynasty, I will  even on one leg but powered by the truth  uphold the best interest of APC members and indeed of APC people in Imo State.

Explaining the situation in Ogun State, he said Mr Amosun went against the primary process. The chairman said the governor had called him to say that the Ogun APC was going to adopt consensus option, but he rejected it, insisting on direct primary.

Governor Amosun decided that him and his prefered aspirant will not participate in the primaries organised by the working committee and even tried to withdraw the security that was necessary for the primary panel.

At a stakeholders meeting, Governor Amosun decided to introduce the third element which didnt feature in the resolution of the NEC, announced that Ogun State was going to adopt consensus and he proceeded to define what in his view constitute consensus.

He announced somebody as the consensus governor, he proceeded to announce another man as the deputy governor, he went on to proclaim (himself) as the next senator and he said the current serving senator, Tejuoso, should step aside.

He also went on to announce that the second senator also from Ogun State will step aside while another man will come in. Governor Amosun went on to announce another man who will be the next speaker, and another one as the next deputy speaker. He also singlehandedly pronounced that of the eight House of Representatives members, seven will not return. According to him, only one will return. All these he claimed is a consensus.

However, Ogun State governor decided in his wisdom to conduct his own self help, I mean resulting to what you can call self help by conducting what he called his own primary. The Secretary to Ogun State Government became the Chief Returning Officer and I and other NWC members were watching the Channels Television and we saw the Secretary to Ogun State Government proclaiming himself as the returning officer, and purported to have conducted primary.

Despite the crises in his party, however, Mr Okorocha says he believes his party will win next years elections.

The national chairman, who has been accused of mishandling the party, assured Nigerians that his party will defeat the candidate of the main opposition People Democratic party (PDP) in next years presidential election.

We will defeat Atiku the way we have defeated him before, he said.
No fewer than 1,100 journalists have been murdered in over a decade, the UN has said.

In 2018 alone, at least 88 journalists have been killed, according to the UN.

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in a video message for the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, marked annually on November 2, called the killing of journalists outrageous.

The UN chief also regretted that the journalists were killed in line of duty.

Mr Guterres saidThe killing of journalists around the world for doing their job is outrageous and should not become the new normal.

In just over a decade, some 1,010 journalists have been killed for reporting the news, and in nine out of 10 cases, the perpetrators are never brought to justice.

The UN chief said many thousands more have been attacked, harassed, detained or imprisoned on spurious charges, without due process.

The Secretary-General paid tribute to the reporters in the field who do their jobs every day despite intimidation and threats.

He, however, called on the international community to protect journalists and create the conditions they need to do their work.

To mark the International Day, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is launching an initiative to fuel awareness on the issue of journalists killed on the job.

Called Truth Never Dies, it encourages people to share stories by and about fallen journalists to keep their legacies alive and to push for investigations into their deaths to be continued.

The truth never dies. And neither must our commitment to the fundamental right to freedom of expression, the UN Chief said, highlighting that when journalists are attacked societies as a whole pay a price.

A study on global trends in media published by UNESCO in 2017 highlighted that impunity for crimes against journalists remained the norm, and trends in kidnappings, disappearances and torture had shown substantial increases since 2012.

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in September, calling on the international community to promote strategies that protect journalists and bring perpetrators of violence against the media to justice.

(NAN)
Chimamanda Adichie, the Nigerian author, has been conferred with a humanitarian award at the 2018 Action Against Hunger Gala.

The Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award is given to individuals and corporations that have made significant contributions in the humanitarian field.

Ms Adichie was presented with the award by the CEO of the organisation, Andrea Tamburini, in New York.

Annually, hundreds of Action Against Hungers most dedicated supporters come together for an evening of inspiration, hope and to reflect upon Action Against Hungers mission to save the lives of children worldwide.

Past Humanitarian Awards recipients include CNNs Anderson Cooper, Tyco International, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and its Director-General, Jacques Diouf, Visa, Procter & Gamble, and Wall Street Journal reporters Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman.

Ms Adichie was recently honoured with the Special Distinction for Thought Leadership award by the Global Hope Coalition.

The renowned author had in the past received several awards including PEN Pinter Prize, MacArthur Fellowship, Commonwealth Writers Prize, and recognition for her contribution in the literary world.

She has written several novels, short stories essays including Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah, The Thing Around your Neck and We should All Be Feminists.

(NAN)
At the same time, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb issued an unusual statement saying he would seek more authority for the agency to consider whether there are too many similar drugs on the market. That might allow the agency to turn down future applications for new opioid approvals if the drugs are not filling an unmet need.
The Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism is set to premiere a documentary titled Journalisms Silent Battle to commemorate the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

The short documentary is an exposition on the state of press freedom in the country at present and highlights victims experiences, assessment of efforts by professional bodies and CSOs to advance press freedom in the country and emphasizes strategies to advance the struggle for complete freedom of the press.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed November 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists in General Assembly Resolution. The Resolution urged Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity.

The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on November 2, 2013. This landmark resolution condemns all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers. It also urges Member States to do their utmost to prevent violence against journalists and media workers, to ensure accountability, bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against journalists and media workers, and ensure that victims have access to appropriate remedies. It further calls upon States to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference

Although Nigeria is a member state, it still falls far below expectation according to the World Press Freedom Index 2018, despite moving up from 122 in 2017 to 119 in 2018. The plurality of the Nigerian press industry, with highest numbers of privately owned media outlets in Africa notwithstanding, journalists are still attacked, harassed, arrested and detained, in the course of their duty and even family members and friends of journalists are not exempt. In almost all instances of such attacks, there is little or no effort to prosecute perpetrators; it is against this backdrop, that conversations around this subject matter must remain an agenda.

The documentary, produced as part of the PTCIJs Press Freedom Program, will serve as an advocacy tool to further the cause of a freer press in Nigeria and will be premiered at the launch of the #ISupportFreePress campaign organised by Reboot, a social impact organisation advancing social justice, in partnership with the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism.

WATCH TRAILER HERE:
An investigative journalist with PREMIUM TIMES, Kemi Busari, has emerged winner of the 2018 Newcomer of the Year  Hans Verploeg Award.

Mr Busari, the National Assembly (Senate) correspondent of PREMIUM TIMES, received the award at an event held at the Peace Palace, The Hague, Netherlands.

He edged out two other nominees; Chinwe Agbeze, also from Nigeria, and a Cameroonian journalist, Amos Nkunchoh, to the coveted award.

Mr Busari was particularly praised for holding the authority accountable, impacts generated by his stories and his innovative way of reporting which makes it easy for readers to understand. 

In his reaction, Mr Busari traced his journalism path to the urge to make positive change in society since he was a child.

I grew up in a small community in Nigeria. I grew up listening to radio which was perhaps the most expensive gadget in my family then. I grew up listening to stories about Gaza Strip, Nigeria civil war, killing of Nigerias brightest journalist in the 80s, Dele Giwa, who was killed by a mail bomb in 1986. I grew up listening to the series of arrest and unjust treatment of Nigerian journalists by the then military government.

As a young boy, I wanted to be like one of these people I listen to and not only that, I had the dream of making positive changes in my society.

So when it was time for me to choose between science and art, it was quite easy for me to go for arts and at the university, I chose social sciences above law. Today, Im happy to say that some of the things I had as a young boy dream are now being fulfilled.

Mr Busari said the award would spur him to do more.

The kind of journalism I strive to practice is such that impacts my society, affects the people around me positively. So, sometimes, when these little things I do in my closet are being celebrated at a stage like this, it can only serve as a motivation, it can only serve as an inspiration to creating an ideal society my children, your children and everyone deserves.

For this(award), I say a big thank you to Free Press and of course my media house, Premium Times, for their support. 

Rana Ayub, an Indian journalist, won the Most Resilient Journalist category while Mirjam van Biemen and Mike van Wijk won the Best Report award.

Mr Busari, a Political Science graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, has won several recognitions for his works including the Promasidor Quill Awards, Nigerian Writers Award and Pwc Award for Media Excellence.

In 2017, he emerged as runner-up for the online category of Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Journalism.

In Ghana, last month, he was a runner up for the anti-corruption category of the West Africa Media Excellence Award.

Free Press Unlimited every year organises Free Press Live focusing on the impunity of crimes against journalists.

During this international event in the Peace Palace in the Hague, policymakers and media professionals are invited to draw attention to the risks journalists take when doing their job.
Nigerian security forces have denied killing dozens of Shiite protesters during marches between Saturday and Tuesday, despite evidence provided by independent sources that soldiers repeatedly opened fire on civilian demonstrators, killing many.

At issue was the allegation raised by Amnesty International against the Nigerian Army and the Police, whom the foremost rights group accused of intervening in the protests around Abuja with intention to kill rather then quell them with tactics that conform with acceptable global standards.

We have seen a shocking and unconscionable use of deadly force by soldiers and police against IMN members. Video footage and eyewitness testimonies consistently show that the Nigerian military dispersed peaceful gatherings by firing live ammunition without warning, in clear violation of Nigerian and international law, Osai Ojigho, director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said in a statement Wednesday evening.

Those injured were shot in different parts of the body  head, neck, back, chest, shoulder, legs, arms  and some of them had multiple gunshot wounds. This pattern clearly shows soldiers and police approached IMN processions not to restore public order, but to kill, the statement added.

The findings by Amnesty International came hours after PREMIUM TIMES reported that dozens were killed in the protests on Saturday and Monday, disputing Nigerian Armys account which said only three persons were killed.

Our publication followed a painstaking assessment of the aftermath of the protest on Monday around Mararaba-Old Karu, including a documentation of 21 bodies of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, all shot by live rounds likely by soldiers.

Several victims are also receiving treatments at various hospitals, all of whom sustained gunshot wounds, PREMIUM TIMES and Amnesty Internationals investigations showed.

The rights group, which estimated at least 45 Shiite protesters killed by Nigerian soldiers since October 27, said there was no justification whatsoever for the lethal weapons deployed and those responsible for the killings must be timely brought to book.

Both the Nigerian Army and the Police denied the reports in separate statements on Thursday, saying personnel responded with proportionate force and alleging deliberate attempts to bring them into disrepute before Nigerians and foreign countries.

John Agim, a spokesperson for the Defence Headquarters, said Amnestys account of the incident was worrisome and could have adverse consequences on national security and cohesion of Nigeria.

The AI report is not a true reflection of what transpired in the last few days, Mr Agim said. What AI published was a figment of its own imagination to further paint Nigeria black among the comity of nations.

Mr Agim said: military has never been sent to stop the protesting Shiites group at any given time. On the events referred to by the AI, the soldiers were not after the protesting Shiites, neither was there such number of casualties.

Instead, a convoy from the Army Headquarters Garrison Abuja was conducting a routine shipment of ammunition and missiles to a military formation in Kaduna escorted by troops when they ran into the protesters at Zuba in FCT.

The protesting Shiites prevented the convoy from proceeding on its mission but rather attempted to overrun the escorts to cart away the shipment. Hence, the troops had to protect the goods and extricate themselves from the imminent mob action by applying minimum force.

The following day, the IMN also had another confrontation with the military at a popular checkpoint along Nyanya  Mararaba road leading into the FCT.

Everyone living in or transiting the FCT knows that the military checkpoint had been established since 2014 after the Boko Haram Terrorist attack on Nyanya Motor Park. Unfortunately, the group tried to overrun the checkpoint in which the military resisted.

In all these attacks, the IMN was the aggressor while the military only acted in self defence. The Shiites actions were planned and premeditated as the group were aware of the existence of the military checkpoint and were prepared to confront the soldiers.

The casualty of IMN stands at 4 wounded and 3 dead at Zuba while at the Nyanya-Mararaba road checkpoint, 3 died with 3 wounded. The military also had 6 of its personnel seriously wounded and currently at intensive care.

Police respond

Police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood, also responded to the Amnesty Internationals findings in a statement Thursday night.

The Nigeria Police Force after a careful study the entire report and the allegation against the Police on paragraph 3 of the report We have seen a shocking and unconscionable use of deadly force by soldiers and police against IMN members. Video footage and eyewitness testimonies consistently show that the Nigerian military dispersed peaceful gatherings by firing live ammunition without warning, in clear violation of Nigerian and international law, said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

The Nigeria Police Force wishes to state categorically that the allegation against the Police by the Amnesty International as stated in paragraph 3 quoted above is in its entirety untrue, misleading, a clear misrepresentation and absolute distortion of facts to divert attention from the heinous crimes committed by the El-Zakzaky Group, which include unprovoked attack on Police personnel and the setting ablaze of Police vehicle in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on 30th October, 2018 and disturbance of public peace and public safety in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on the said date.

To set the record straight, there was no report of death in any Police Station in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja from the Police intervention and quelling of the disturbance of public peace and public safety, and unrest created by the El-Zakzaky group in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on the 30th of October, 2018.

The Force despite the height of provocation from the El-Zakzaky group and the setting ablaze of a Police patrol vehicle resist the use of maximum force on the group but effected the arrest of Four Hundred (400) members of the group for disturbance of public peace, disruption of law and order in the Federal Capital Territory and setting ablaze of Police patrol vehicle. Some of the members of the El-Zakzaky groups were also arrested with Thirty One (31) bottles of petrol bombs, other dangerous weapons and illicit drugs. All those arrested are being prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The Force sees the Amnesty International allegation against the Police as deliberate and desperate attempt to cast aspersions on the investigation and ongoing prosecution of the arrested members of the El-Zakzaky Group to pervert the end of justice.

The Nigeria Police Force will not be deterred from carrying its statutory duties nor condone lawlessness, disturbance of public peace and public safety by any group(s) under any guise that runs contrary to the constitutional provisions and other enabling laws on preservation of law and order and protection of lives and property of all Nigerians.

The general public are hereby implored to disregard and discountenance the allegation by Amnesty International that the Police used deadly force against IMN members as untrue, diversionary and distortion of fact.

For avoidance of doubt, the Force has continuously in the last two (2) years contained several violent protests by the El-Zakzaky group using minimum force within the Federal Capital Territory and in the process, some Police personnel sustained various degree of injuries and some police vehicles damaged while preventing the El-Zakzaky group from causing breakdown of law and order in the FCT.

Some Police officers were killed in Kaduna and Kano States by the El-Zakzaky group within the same period. Aftermath of these violent protests, the Police have always charged the arrested members of the El-Zakzaky group to Court.

This can be verified by the Amnesty International and the general public. The Force will continue to operate within the ambit of the law and ensure the diligent prosecution of the arrested members of the El-Zakzaky group on the 30th October, 2018 for acts and offences prohibited under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013.

Thousands of IMN members have regularly protested release of their leader since 2015 when he was taken into custody after soldiers killed at least 347 of his followers and family members. Federal courts in Nigeria have repeated ordered his unconditional release, but the State Security Service, the secret police responsible for his arrest, has refused to obey the court orders, saying Mr El-Zakzaky was being held for his own safety.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja expressed disappointment with the conduct of members of the National Assembly with regards to the passage of budgets.

The president said the tardiness in the passage of budgets by the lawmakers, sometimes lasting seven months, delay completion of projects across the country. He urged more effort to speed up the process.

The president, who received a delegation of Eminent and Respected Citizens of Niger State led by Garba Duba, a retired lieutenant general of the army, at the Presidential Villa, said the governments achievements in ensuring better roads, rails, power and repositioning of the airports was in spite of the delays. He prayed for more understanding and commitment to infrastructural development from the lawmakers.

If the National Assembly takes seven months to pass a budget, then we should be commended for the much that we have achieved, and can still achieve, Mr Buhari said.

I personally feel very disappointed. I spoke with the leaders of the National Assembly on the issue that seven months is a long time to work on a budget, he said.

Mr Buhari said ongoing efforts to improve road and rail networks across the country will be increased as infrastructural development remains paramount for improving the livelihood of Nigerians.

President Buhari told the delegation, which included Governor Abubakar Bello (Niger State), military and traditional leaders, that his administration will pay more attention to the stretch of 2,150km federal roads in the state.

On security, he said: we cannot manage our communities and societies without security. A lot of resources are being diverted to provide security instead of going into infrastructural development.

The president reassured the delegation that his administration will stay focused on securing lives and property, fighting corruption and stimulating the economy for more progress.

President Buhari said the Minister of Agriculture and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria had been directed to increase monetary supports, through loans, to farmers in the next farming season, and ensure that farmers are not overwhelmed with the traditional demand for collaterals.

Traditional institutions and families can serve as guarantors because we cannot continue with that colonial style of asking for collaterals that people dont have, he added.

The president also commended the Chinese government for accepting to finance 85 per cent of Nigerias infrastructural development need.

I thank you so much for coming. It is a good morale booster for me and the country that a State will bring a strong delegation to show appreciation for our efforts, he said.

In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, Mr Duba, who is a former military governor, commended the president for the significant stride in the repositioning of roads, rails and airports across the country.

He said Niger State still faced challenges of security along Jebba-Mokwa-Birnin Gwari-Kaduna roads. He urged the president to reinforce surveillance on the routes and also direct more attention on the construction of federal roads in the state.

The Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, who is also the Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, commended the president for providing exemplary leadership for the country.
A National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, again on Friday, visited the Presidential Villa, Abuja where he met behind closed door with President Muhammadu Buhari.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Tinubu had on October 31 paid similar visit to the State House and dismissed the call for the resignation of the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiohmole, saying party supremacy must be respected.

He said Mr Oshiohmole has so far not violated APC constitution or engaged in any anti-party activity that will warrant his resignation or removal from office.

Mr Tinubus comments on Oshiohmole have continued to attract comments from some aggrieved members of the APC including Governor Rochas Okorocha, who spoke to State House correspondents on Thursday after he met with Mr Buhari at the State House.

Mr Okorocha, who reacted to Mr Tinubus approval of Oshiomholes leadership style, opined that the APC national leader must have been `ill-informed.

The governor said the national chairman should be called to order to respect the rule of law, do the right and respect court orders.

Mr Tinubu, however, declined to comment on the matter after the meeting on Friday with the president.

(NAN)
The police in Ondo State have confirmed the arrest of the suspected killer of an Ondo high chief, Ope Bademosi, who was stabbed to death on Wednesday allegedly by his cook at his residence in Lagos.

The suspect, who has been identified as Sunday Anani, reportedly stabbed Mr Bademosi, the chairman of Credit Switch Technology, a Nigerian tech company, several times with a knife, before making away with his valuables.

The incident was said to have occurred at No.3A Onikoyi Lane residence, Parkview estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, three days after Mr Anani was employed as a cook.

The police immediately declared him wanted, alerting the public on the incident.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the Ondo State command, Femi Joseph, told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday that the suspect was arrested at the Ayeyemi area of Ondo town in the state.

You know we have been on the trail of the suspect once he was declared wanted, explained Mr Joseph.

We got information that he was hibernating somewhere in Ondo town at the Ayeyemi area and the DPO Fagun Police division led by SP Olajide Samuel, led his men to the place and picked him up.

He said the suspect has been transferred to the Lagos Police Command for further investigation, given that the crime was committed there.

The suspect, who is believed to be a citizen of the Republic of Benin, was brought to the police headquarters in Akure, the Ondo State capital, where he was shown to journalists before he was transferred to Lagos.

He was arrested along with two other suspects in connection to the crime.

Mr Joseph said the phone of the deceased was found on the suspect when he was arrested.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will display voters register in Anambra between November 6 and12.

Leo Nkedife, head, voter education and publicity, INEC, made the disclosure in Awka on Friday.

Mr Nkedife said the voters register would be displayed in all the 326 electoral wards of the state.

He said the display would enable prospective voters to make claims and objections on the information about them as they have been recorded by the commission.

The head said the register had been cleaned up by removal of deceased persons, under-aged voters, non-Nigerians registrants with still pictures and multiple registrations.

INEC in Anambra State wishes to inform the general public that it will display the register of voters in all polling units for claims and objections from Tuesday, November 6 to Monday, November 12, 2018.

In line with the above, the Commission will be at the 326 Ward centres to entertain claims and objections designed to enhance the credibility of the Voters Register, he said.

Mr Nkedife said all those who registered as voters were advised to visit their designated polling unit to cross check whether their names are on the register.

They are to check if their names are correctly spelt, omitted etc, and raise objection(s) if any, regarding the inclusion of name(s) of person(s) who are not eligible to be on the register, he said.

He said the distribution and collection of Permanent Voters Cards be carried out within this period at the wards simultaneously and urged those who registered from 2010 to March 2018 to go and collect theirs.

After this, collection reverses back to local government area offices of the commission, he said.

(NAN)
The management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) and the students union have agreed on new tuition fees following a downward review of the fees announced last week.

Officials of the university and students union leaders told PREMIUM TIMES on telephone the latest review followed a meeting involving them and other stakeholders on Friday.

We are done with the meeting, the Students Union President, Abiodun Oluwaseyi, stated in a text message he sent to this newspaper Friday evening.

According to Mr Oluseun, 300- 500 level students will now pay N90,000 for indigenes and N100,000 for non-indigenes. The 200 level will remain N120,000 and N150,000 for indigenes and non-indigenes respectively and incoming 100 level indigenes will pay N140,000 while their non indigenes counterpart will pay N170,000.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the university had in July announced that students who are indigenes of Oyo and Osun states would pay N200,000 while others would pay N250,000 from the 2018/19 session.

The announcement led to wild protests by groups of the students in Ogbomoso and Osogbo where the university has campuses.

Apparently influenced by these protests, the university through a mail to the students last week Friday from the office of the Registrar, Jacob Agboola, said the increment had been reviewed downward.

According to the mail, indigenes would pay N140,000 per session while others would pay N170,000.

But some students who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES then condemned the fees regime and the students union also threatened to sue the school.

It was against that backdrop that the management met leaders of the students on Friday.

Before the first increment of fees last year after the school was shut down for months by workers over poor funding, returning students who are indigenes of Oyo and Osun states paid N63,500 as tuition fee, while their non-indigene colleagues paid N72,500.

When the school reopened, the present 100-level students from Oyo and Osun states were charged N120,000 while the other 100-level students paid N150,000 as part of the resolution to improve internally generated revenue.

The owner Oyo and Osun state governments last week distanced themselves from the increment announced at that time.

The Registrar, Mr Agboola and the institutions spokesperson, Lekan Fadeyi, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES call at the time of filling this report. But Sunday Adewale, a professor and Dean of Students Affairs, confirmed the fees have further been slashed.

Yes, thats true It has been reduced, he said on telephone.

A member of the Governing Council and President of the alumni association, Onilede Solomon, described the new development as positive.

It is a positive one. I actually facilitated it (the meeting between management and students leaders). As the president of Alumni Union and a member of the council, it our heritage. If everyone is tired, we cant be tired. We have to contribute back to our alma mata.

One of the student leaders, Fawole Isreal, said although they demanded total reversal, they accepted the new fee regime in order to make sure justice is done to all parties and to maintain the standard of the school.

The students union president, Mr. Oluwaseyi, appealed to the two state governments to be more responsive to their responsibilities in the school.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the meeting had in attendance representatives of the parents forum, Ogbomoso leaders, governing council, the alumni and student bodies.
The Lagos Police Command has arrested the Togolese Cook, who allegedly murdered his boss, Ope Bademosi, two days ago.

The suspect, identified to be Sunday, allegedly stabbed his boss to death while his wife was out of the house and absconded with valuables two days after he was employed.

Confirming the arrest in a press statement, the State Commands spokesperson, Chike Oti, a chief superintendent of police, said the suspect was arrested in Ondo by a crack team of detectives.

The Togolese, who allegedly murdered Chief Ope Bademosi on Wednesday, Oct. 31, at his residence, No. 3A Onikoyi Lane, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, barely three days after he was employed as a cook, was arrested today Nov. 2, at about 09.30 hrs, at Yaba Area in Ondo Town, Ondo State.

The fleeing cook, later identified as Sunday Anani, 22 years of age, was arrested by homicide detectives attached to State Criminal Investigation And Intelligence Department (SCIID) Panti Street, Yaba, Lagos, is right now undergoing interrogation.

Recall that CP Lagos had earlier promised Lagosians that the suspect will be arrested to face the law and that the suspect can only run but not hide.

He assured that at end of the investigation, the command, in its usual manner, would give the public detailed account of how the suspect committed the crime.

(NAN)
How does this relate to their childhood or their past? Why do they feel this? Why does this matter to them? Why is this the hill on which theyll die? he said. You have to try to understand the emotions and the feelings and the needs of the person whos in opposition to you. Its hard, but its the only way that gets you to a place of, I disagree with you, but I understand why you believe that.
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.




The handler explained that after a night out drinking and smoking pot, he had gone to bed around 10 p.m. and reported to his job at Kansas City International Airport at 4 a.m. the next day. After loading some bags, he walked into the cargo hold of the American Airlines plane and fell asleep, according to the police report.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Humans are on the precipice of becoming an interplanetary species. We earthlings are on our way to becoming Martians. In fact, the future Martians are here on Earth now, training for Mars missions using new technological developments following a strict timeline that will get us there within 25 years.

At 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 13 the National Press Club will host a Headliners press conference featuring four presenters directly responsible for creating and implementing elements of a mission to Mars and serving a new vision of mankind as a visitor  then resident  of the red planet.

Once limited to the imaginations of sci-fi enthusiasts, NASA now has mission-specific technology in development, and a hard deadline for humans landing on Mars following a series of robot landers that have mapped out the terrain and other features of what could soon be our new world  the latest is InSight, scheduled to land on Mars on November 26, and drill deeply into the Martian soil to deliver clues about the planet's core and interior structure.

Presenters will include:

Astronaut Tom Jones , a former B-52 U.S. Air Force, space resource researcher, NASA space shuttle mission specialist and payload commander for four space shuttle flights, who has logged over 52 days (1,272 hours) in space, including 3 space walks totaling over 19 hours.

, a former B-52 U.S. Air Force, space resource researcher, NASA space shuttle mission specialist and payload commander for four space shuttle flights, who has logged over 52 days (1,272 hours) in space, including 3 space walks totaling over 19 hours. James Garvin , chief scientist of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, who also served as chief scientist for Mars exploration from 2000 until 2004 and spearheaded the development of the scientific strategy that led NASA to select such missions as the Mars Exploration Rovers, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Phoenix polar lander, and the Mars Science Laboratory.

, chief scientist of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, who also served as chief scientist for Mars exploration from 2000 until 2004 and spearheaded the development of the scientific strategy that led NASA to select such missions as the Mars Exploration Rovers, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the polar lander, and the Mars Science Laboratory. Richard Davis , assistant director for science and exploration, and executive secretary of the International Mars Exploration Working Group - Planetary Science Division Science Mission Directorate for NASA, who co-leads a science mission directorate study to begin the process of identifying potential human landing sites on Mars.

, assistant director for science and exploration, and executive secretary of the International Mars Exploration Working Group - Planetary Science Division Science Mission Directorate for NASA, who co-leads a science mission directorate study to begin the process of identifying potential human landing sites on Mars. Finally, adding background about the human side of being an interplanetary species for the humans likely to be the first residents of Mars will be Janet Ivey , creator of a children's science series, Janet's Planet, and a member of the Board of Governors for the National Space Society.

The press conference will be held in the Bloomberg Room of the National Press Club, located at 529 14th Street, NW, 13th floor. This news conference is open to credentialed media and members of the National Press Club free of charge, however registration is required. Please click here to register.

PRESS CONTACT: Lindsay Underwood, [email protected], (202) 662-7561

SOURCE National Press Club
"Creating a holiday tradition of warm memories, we turn our attention to the finer details. A stitch in a quilting pattern, a cookie dipped in fine chocolate, a perfectly tied ribbon," said Julie Plant, vice president of Retail. "We hope you enjoy the 2018 Holiday Collection, the latest gift in our handcrafted legacy of Aloha."

The Mele Two-Tier Showcase Box is an innovative display piece and a cookie-bearing centerpiece for any holiday party. Generosity shines through this gift, offering 32 cookies in 16 flavors.

The Mele Keepsake Box is sought-after each holiday season for its collectable pineapple quilt-design ornament. Seasonal specialties are included in the box, packed with 16 cookies in eight flavors.

Honolulu Cookie Company's Mele Pineapple Tin offers nine cookies in five flavors and the Mele Pineapple Shape Box contains 21 cookies in 16 flavors. Both wear festive red ribbon for the holidays.

Find more options can in-store or order via the Honolulu Cookie Company website. Media needing high-res images can find them here: http://bit.ly/HCC_Holiday2018.

About Honolulu Cookie Company

Marking its 20th anniversary in 2018, Honolulu Cookie company has baked its premium shortbread cookies fresh daily in Hawai'i since 1998. The cookies inspired by Hawai'i are handcrafted using only the freshest and finest ingredients, are individually wrapped and available for shipping. Honolulu Cookie Company has 17 locations across Hawai'i, Las Vegas and Guam and our cookies are also available at select retailers: The DFS Group; Aulani a Disney Resort & Spa; Disney's Polynesian Village Resort; Bloomingdale's; Neiman Marcus and Tommy Bahama. Visit www.honolulucookie.com, at facebook.com/honolulucookie, or call toll free at (866) 333-5800.

Media contact:

Erika Engle

Food Gurus Hawai'i

[email protected]

(808) 946-4525

Brandon Suyeoka

Honolulu Cookie Company

[email protected]

SOURCE Honolulu Cookie Company

Related Links

http://www.honolulucookie.com


RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, November 12, for the 18th consecutive year, Golden Corral restaurants across the country will once again thank more than 300,000 active duty and retired United States military personnel for their service with a free dinner buffet and beverage, while also raising donations for DAV (Disabled American Veterans). A tradition started in 2001 to celebrate our nation's heroes, Golden Corral's Military Appreciation Night has served 5.4 million complimentary meals to military personnel and generated more than $14 million dollars in guest contributions to support community-based service initiatives for veterans.

"Our employees and franchisees are passionate about supporting our military service men and women, and we believe thanking them with a free dinner buffet is one way to show our gratitude for their service," said Lance Trenary, President and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Corral. "Along with the generous support from our guests and suppliers, we are honored to have raised more than $14 million for DAV over the past 17 years, and we look forward to adding to that total again this year."

Golden Corral will serve free dinner buffets with a beverage from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, November 12 to any person who is or has served in a United States Military branch, including the National Guard and Reserves. State and local DAV representatives will be on-site at all Golden Corral locations coordinating the collection of donations from customers. While only current and former United States military personnel qualify for the free meal, everyone is encouraged to come out and show support for our veterans. For more information on Military Appreciation Night, please visit https://www.goldencorral.com/military-appreciation/.

About Golden Corral Corporation:

Founded in 1973, privately held Golden Corral Corp. is headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. Lance Trenary serves as its president and chief executive officer. Golden Corral has 489 restaurants in 41 states as of January 1, 2018. Golden Corral restaurants nationwide have long been strong supporters of the U.S. Military and DAV (Disabled American Veterans). Golden Corral helped raise more than $1.4 million dollars for DAV in 2017 as part of its annual "Military Appreciation" initiative. Golden Corral is the founding sponsor of Camp Corral, a free "week of a lifetime" summer camp for children of wounded, disabled or fallen military families ( www.campcorral.org ). For more information on Golden Corral, visit www.goldencorral.com .

About DAV (Disabled American Veterans) :

DAV empowers veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. It is dedicated to a single purpose: fulfilling our promises to the men and women who served. DAV does this by ensuring that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fighting for the interests of America's injured heroes on Capitol Hill; providing employment resources to veterans and their families; and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life. DAV, a nonprofit organization over 1.3 million members, was founded in 1920 and chartered by the U. S. Congress in 1932. Learn more at www.dav.org.

Media Contacts:

Kevin Behan [email protected] 919.459.3595

Sue Yannello [email protected] 919.459.8162

SOURCE Golden Corral

Related Links

http://www.goldencorral.com


Featured event programs will also take place in the same period, including Design Week Shanghai and series conferences, Charm of Light, Hotel Culture Week, Mockup Room Show, Global Real Estate Architect Festival, B&B Cultural Festival, Award and Gala Dinner. These event programs, whose preparations are in full swing, are also highly sought after by exhibitors and potential sponsors.

Booths about to Be Sold Out, Visitor Registration Started.

Covering the entire space of SNIEC and the whole industry chain of construction and operation in hotels and commercial properties, the event will gather well-known enterprises at home and abroad together to showcase their products and follow the growing trend, forming a one-stop purchasing platform for the construction and operation of hotels and commercial properties.

So far, up to 80% of booths have been sold out. The exhibitor recruiting work will soon draw to an end. The event has already attracted plenty of premium brands to participate, including Gree Air-conditioner, Panasonic, Yuanzhicheng, Ruiyate, HD Carpet, Pusu, Florina, PAK, Tons Lightology, Lierda, BeyondHost, Bittel, DMVP, Tianyang Wall Covering, L'Occitane, Tangnian, Technogym, Liangmianzhen, and Jiaomu, among others.

Hotel Plus - HDE Shanghai 2019 will continue its commitment to support material suppliers, realizing business value of their products, building brand design concepts and expanding the most promising and emerging markets.

Meanwhile, the event registration has opened. Visitors can register now at the official website, where they will get a free ticket and save 50 RMB.

For more information about the event, please visit www.hdeexpo.com or follow us on WeChat (Account ID: HotelexHDE).

Event Programs are Being Prepared, New Title Sponsors Welcomed.

After years of development, event programs will make further exploration into its theme of "design". Industry professionals including land owners, developers, architects, designers, lighting engineers and hotel management company representatives will be brought together through Design Week Shanghai, Global Real Estate Architect Festival, Hotel Culture Week, Charm of Light, Awards and Gala Dinner, exchanging information and sharing opinions with deep passion.

Mockup Room Show

With great support from China Tourist Hotel Association, Mockup Room Show has been successfully held for several years. The show presents popular hotel brands and innovative design concepts by mocking up rooms in real scenes. Former participants included hotel management companies, namely Intercontinental, Greenland, Kaiyuan, Hilton, Starwood, Shimao, Huazhu, Dongcheng, Minyoun and Canbeauty, as well as design firms, such as Studio HBA, Interscape, Woods Bagot, WT (Italy), Lai Yanan form DOMO (HK), James Tu from Audi Design, Huang Quan from G-art Design, Ling Zida from Daguan Architecture, Zheng Shiliang, Wang Xinyan and Fang Zhenhua.

Series Conferences

Over 50 high-end forums and salons took place along with the event in 2018, where more than 500 industry celebrities and elites in the fields of real estate development, hotel management and design shared their experience with over 9,000 professional visitors. World top designers are invited to share their philosophies every year, which receive great responses. Tony Chi, Wu Zhongkuang, Yang Bangsheng, Hu Weijian, Joey Ho, Kinney Chan, Bill Bensley, Piero Lissoni, Nathan Thompson and Sally Storey have showed up in the forums in the past.

Golden Palace Award and Gala Dinner

In order to fully honor the industry achievements and highlight the excellent work of leading companies and professionals, the Golden Palace award ceremony is held every year during the event. Real estate tycoons, hoteliers and top designers gather here to present a grand industry evening party.

Charm of Light, Ingenuity of Heart

Many top designers and representatives from hotel groups, commercial real estate and design communities gather together to discuss front-line topics dealing with lighting in commercial properties including commercial buildings, hotels, retail space, restaurants and clubs, interpreting the core value of design from their professional perspectives of lighting.

More event programs including Global Real Estate Architect Festival, B&B Cultural Festival, Hotel Service Skill Competition and Hotel Uniform Show are also being prepared. These exciting event programs will connect professionals from different sections in the fields of production, purchasing, application and construction to create enormous business opportunities.

Plenty of leading companies sponsored the event in 2018 and received great attention. Premium brands including Kohler, IKEA, de RUCCI, Bergdala and Visual Feast declared that sponsoring the event was a great opportunity to enhance the brand image and gain exposure.

Companies who would like to be the sponsor of Hotel Plus  HDE Shanghai 2019, please contact Ms. Du.

Shanghai UBM Sinoexpo International Exhibition Co., Ltd.

Ms. Du

E-mail: [email protected]

Tel: +86 21 3339 2095

SOURCE UBM Sinoexpo
WARWICK, R.I., Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to help empower travelers to make more informed decisions when it comes to Thanksgiving 2018 travel plans, Hopper and InsureMyTrip research teams reveal what airports and flights to avoid, the best time to buy, and how the latest data trends can aid travelers when comparing travel insurance benefits.

Summary

The data revealed the following trends for Thanksgiving 2018:

Busiest day to depart for Thanksgiving: Wednesday, November 21

Busiest day to return from Thanksgiving: Sunday, November 25

Top Busiest Airports & Times (local time):

Atlanta (ATL) - 8:00am Los Angeles (LAX) - 7:00am Chicago (ORD) - 6:00pm Dallas (DFW) - 9:00am Denver (DEN) - 10:00am New York (JFK) - 6:00pm

The busiest day to depart for the Thanksgiving holiday this year is Wednesday, November 21, while the busiest day to return is Sunday, November 25.

This is the list of the busiest airports for Thanksgiving, based on total departing passengers and volume of scheduled departures:

Rank Airport City Scheduled Outbound

Passengers Busiest Time

(local time) 1 ATL Atlanta 1,263,168 8:00 am 2 LAX Los Angeles 1,074,752 7:00 am 3 ORD Chicago 1,057,482 6:00 pm 4 DFW Dallas 828,891 9:00 am 5 DEN Denver 787,629 10:00 am 6 JFK New York 781,953 6:00 pm 7 SFO San Francisco 714,796 12:00 pm 8 CLT Charlotte 614,779 8:00 am 9 MCO Orlando 603,100 6:00 am 10 SEA Seattle 590,938 6:00 am 11 LAS Las Vegas 585,395 8:00 am 12 PHX Phoenix 572,981 10:00 am 13 EWR Newark 571,303 5:00 pm 14 IAH Houston 551,436 5:00 pm 15 MIA Miami 548,175 10:00 am 16 BOS Boston 509,491 6:00 am 17 FLL Fort Lauderdale 475,635 8:00 am 18 DTW Detroit 426,725 7:00 am 19 MSP Minneapolis 426,900 2:00 pm 20 LGA New York 393,599 10:00 am 21 PHL Philadelphia 384,000 7:00 am 22 BWI Baltimore 365,379 7:00 am 23 DCA Washington, D.C. 323,566 4:00 pm 24 SAN San Diego 312,840 9:00 am

The busiest airports for Thanksgiving week, based on the volume of scheduled departures.

While the Thanksgiving travel period is a busy time of year, airlines are improving their on-time performance track records. Last year, airlines reported the lowest percentage of canceled flights, since at least 2009.

Year Total Flights On Time Delayed Canceled 2009 199,280 88% 12% 0.40% 2010 204,172 81% 18% 0.83% 2011 187,088 85% 14% 0.74% 2012 173,469 86% 13% 0.57% 2013 197,013 78% 21% 1.29% 2014 180,929 79% 20% 0.87% 2015 181,512 84% 15% 0.93% 2016 177,471 85% 15% 0.25% 2017 178,139 89% 11% 0.20%

Best Protection For Flight Delays

Based on these data results, travelers can make smarter choices about their travel plans and travel insurance purchases. For example, passengers with departing flights at busier airports are more likely to utilize a travel delay benefit and, therefore, may want to compare travel insurance policies with better delay protection.

"If travelers are made aware of the probability of delays, they can then use that data to help them compare travel delay benefits when considering a travel insurance purchase," says InsureMyTrip Intelligence Analyst Danny DeMello.

Travel delay benefits vary with each travel insurance provider, generally between a 5 and 12-hour window. The benefit is designed to provide reimbursement for reasonable meals and accommodations while unable to travel.

Tip: Travelers must be delayed for a certain number of hours before this benefit can be applied. When comparing travel insurance, look for the minimum delay time (typically, starting at 5 hours) to start qualifying for coverage as soon as possible.

Best Protection For Delayed Bags

Travelers may also want to ensure baggage delay coverage is included under a selected comprehensive travel insurance plan. Baggage delay coverage generally becomes active after belongings have been delayed for a specified period of time, typically 12 or 24 hours.

To schedule an interview with an expert or to request specific research data, please contact [email protected].

About InsureMyTrip

It's simple. InsureMyTrip finds you the right travel insurance plan, every time. InsureMyTrip is the authority on travel insurance. We are committed to empowering travelers to make the best possible insurance decisions by leveraging our technology, data intelligence, and expertise.

About Hopper

Hopper is the smart way to plan and book travel on your phone. Combining trillions of data points and powerful machine learning, the app saves users time, money, and anxiety in their quest to book the perfect trip. Hopper makes it possible to save money and travel more, predicting future prices for flights and accommodations with 95% recommendation accuracy, offering personalized tips, and notifying users about price drops and exclusive deals. Visit www.hopper.com for more information and to download the free app.

Related Links

http://www.insuremytrip.com

SOURCE InsureMyTrip

Related Links

http://www.insuremytrip.com


When I found out about this, when my mother was picking them up from school, I called to give her fair warning, said Ray Schott. My concern is not just about one school, my concern is about the entire diocese. (Braxton) needs to learn to talk to certain levels of children; what he said is unacceptable. We are owed an apology.
Joint statement from Rainbow Railroad and All Out

HONG KONG, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Today, rights groups Rainbow Railroad and All Out join an international chorus of human rights defenders to demand an immediate investigation into the serious allegations of disappearances, unlawful arrests, torture, and killings of LGBTQI people in Chechnya.

Yesterday, as the Russian Federation continued to dismiss reports of a horrific anti-gay crackdown on LGBTQI people in Chechnya, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) invoked what is known as the "Moscow Mechanism."

The mechanism, which was voted on by the 16 member countries that make up the OSCE, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, authorized a fact-finding mission to investigate human rights abuses in Chechnya.

At the Miles of Love LGBT travel conference in Hong Kong, Rainbow Railroad executive director Kimahli Powell joined All Out's Matt Beard, Planet Ally founder Bess Hepworth, and a member of Russian punk band and activist collective Pussy Riot in a live video announcement to demand an investigation into the atrocities in Chechnya.

Powell said many survivors of the crackdown are still recovering from the serious trauma, humiliation, torture, and abuse that they faced there. In some cases, Chechen officials even encouraged families to murder relatives they suspected might be gay or bisexual.

"Over the past year, working with the Russian LGBT Network and with various governments, we were able to help 70 people find safety from the state-sponsored terror regime affecting LGBTQI people in Chechnya," Powell said. "We must continue to press for an investigation into what happened, so this does not happen again with impunity."

All Out's Matt Beard said the advocacy work of the Russian LGBT Network and their international allies has achieved an important initial goal: raising hope for justice in Chechnya and Russia.

"By invoking the Moscow Mechanism, the international community can now initiate an official inquiry into the anti-gay purge that took place last year in Chechnya under [head of the Chechen Republic] Ramzan Kadyrov's reign," Beard said. "This mechanism provides us with hope that we might finally get some justice in Chechnya and the rest of Russia. It is owed to the survivors and the victims of the atrocities."

"We need as much international pressure as possible around the Moscow Mechanism over the next days and weeks," he added.

The 16 countries voting to invoke the Moscow Mechanism were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The mechanism has been invoked a total of only seven times in cases of Russia (2018), Belarus (2011), Turkmenistan (2003), Serbia and Montenegro (1993), Moldova (1993), Estonia (1992), and Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992).

While at the Miles of Love conference in Hong Kong, Powell has also had the opportunity to meet with activists and business leaders from around the world to discuss how international travel can be more inclusive of LGBTQI+ people, especially those facing persecution.

About Rainbow Railroad

Rainbow Railroad is an international charitable organization that assists LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex) people seeking safe haven from state-enabled violence, persecution, and the threat of death where homosexuality is criminalized. We provide information, connections, and funding for travel and other associated costs. www.rainbowrailroad.com

About All Out

In 71 countries, it is a crime to be gay; in 10 it can cost you your life. All Out is building a world where no person will have to sacrifice their family or freedom, safety or dignity, because of who they are or who they love. www.allout.org

SOURCE Rainbow Railroad
Liquid will also tap into Gemini's liquidity for Liquid's External World Book, a global liquidity pool sourced from a network of crypto exchanges. The World Book is already active internally on Liquid for for select pairs, providing highly liquid order books for traders by matching orders under the hood.

With the addition of GUSD, a regulated stablecoin with value pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar, Liquid is now more than ever at the forefront of cryptocurrency innovation and compliance. The U.S. dollars that back GUSD are held at the State Street Global Bank in the United States and eligible for federal deposit insurance coverage.

The balance held by State Street is examined monthly by an independent, registered public account firm, with reports available to the public, while the smart contracts underlying the GUSD token have been audited and formally verified by an independent security firm, whose report is also publicly available. In addition, the multi-layered GUSD protocol brings a high level of security.

"The Gemini dollar is an obvious choice for Liquid. Both Liquid and Gemini put transparency, regulation and compliance at the forefront of our operations. We are proud and honoured to be able to offer Liquid customers the opportunity to use a stablecoin that can stand up to regulatory scrutiny. We will now explore the opportunity to develop a JPY-pegged stablecoin," said Liquid CEO Mike Kayamori.

GUSD will be tradeable on Liquid initially against Bitcoin and Ethereum with plans to expand to additional pairs in the near future.

"We are excited to see Liquid's adoption of the Gemini dollar. We believe a truly regulated and transparent stablecoin is a huge step forward for the ecosystem and appreciate Liquid's support in bringing GUSD to their marketplace," said Gemini CEO Tyler Winklevoss.

Stablecoins are an important part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem, giving traders flexibility to hedge against volatile markets and the ability to easily and safely move funds between platforms.

About Liquid



Liquid is a global cryptocurrency platform powered by technology called the World Book, which provides customers with enhanced price matching and deeper liquidity for various fiat and cryptocurrency pairs. More information can be found at: https://liquid.com



The company behind Liquid is Quoine, a leading global fintech company that provides trading, exchange, and next generation financial services powered by blockchain technology. With offices in Japan, Singapore and Vietnam, Quoine combines a strong network of local partners with extensive team experience in banking and financial products to deliver best in class financial services for its customers. More information is available at quoine.com

About Gemini

Gemini Trust Company, LLC (Gemini) is a digital asset exchange and custodian that allows customers to buy, sell, and store digital assets such as bitcoin, ether and Zcash. Gemini is a New York trust company that is subject to the capital reserve requirements, cybersecurity requirements, and banking compliance standards set forth by the NYDFS. Gemini was founded in 2014, by brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, to build a bridge to the future of money. Gemini, in partnership with the Cboe Futures Exchange, LLC, launched the first-ever bitcoin futures contract in December of 2017. Gemini is also the world's first licensed exchange to offer trading and custody services for ether and Zcash, in addition to launching the first regulated stablecoin, the Gemini dollar. For more information, visit Gemini.com.

Liquid Contact Person: Renee Tng

Email: [email protected]

Corporate Website: https://quoine.com

Liquid Website: https://liquid.com

Telegram Community: https://t.me/Quoine



Katherine Ng

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Quoine

Related Links

https://quoine.com


BOSTON, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- With Edina, Minnesota, native John Smaby set to become the National Association of Realtors' 111th President, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton proclaimed today, November 1, 2018, as "John Smaby Day."

Smaby began his Minnesota real estate career as a six-year-old assisting his father's firm, Bernard Smaby Realty, in Edina. As a professional, John spent nearly three decades managing the flagship office for Edina Realty, where he served thousands of clients across the Minneapolis and St. Paul region.

Today, John took the oath for his one-year term leading America's largest trade association, where he will work to strengthen America's real estate industry on behalf of NAR's 1.3 million members.

Additionally, with midterm elections just four days away, Smaby has prioritized work to strengthen NAR's advocacy operations, ensuring both federal and local-level government decisions continue to support America's property owners and reflect the priorities of NAR's membership. Specifically, and in conjunction with NAR's advocacy staff in both Chicago and Washington, D.C., Smaby is focused on capitalizing on  and refining  NAR's advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill and in state houses across the country.

"The National Association of Realtors continues to work to adapt our advocacy approaches to the evolving world. Above all else, we remain focused on effectively promoting policy issues related to homeownership and real estate investment in order to ensure our members will continue to succeed in any economic environment. We look forward to working alongside John and the entire 2019 NAR leadership team to accomplish all of these goals as we enter into the 116th Congress," said NAR Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Shannon McGahn.

The National Association of Realtors, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

SOURCE National Association of Realtors

Related Links

http://www.realtor.org


WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly formed Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce (TACC) will host a cocktail reception and panel discussion on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at TACC headquarters, 1315 K Street, NW, to commemorate its launch.

TACC, which opened in late September, brings grassroots membership on the ground in Taiwan with small and medium sized enterprises and individual members looking to foster increased trade with the United States. In addition, TACC seeks members from the American business community who trade with Taiwan or seek to build such a business relationship. A documented and widespread interest in fostering greater business ties with Taiwan was the foundation on which TACC was conceptualized, and is the basis of the organization's mission:

To bring together businesses, tradespeople, thought leaders and community representatives in order to develop and facilitate trade and economic ties between Taiwan and the U.S.

With a population of 25 million people, Taiwan boasts the 11th largest economy in the world. According to the United States Trade Representative, Taiwan was the U.S.'s 10th largest goods trading partner in 2016, with $65.3 billion in total goods traded. Trade in services with Taiwan totaled $19.4 billion in 2016. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. exports of both goods and services to Taiwan supported an estimated 208,000 U.S. jobs in 2015.

The top export categories in 2016 included machinery ($5.4 billion), aircraft ($3.2 billion), optical and medical instruments ($1.8 billion) and organic chemicals ($824 million). Taiwan also represented the United States' seventh largest agricultural export market, with leading domestic export categories including soybeans, corn, beef, wheat and fruit.

The launch event begins with a panel discussion, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., entitled, "The Future of U.S.-Taiwan Trade Relations." Speakers include Stephen Renna, Director of the Advocacy Center, US Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration; Hector Barreto, Chairman of the Latino Coalition and former Small Business Administration Administrator under George W. Bush; Clark Packard, Trade Policy Counsel, R Street Institute; Shikoko Goto, Senior Northeast Asia Associate, Wilson Center; and Nova J. Daly, Senior Public Policy Advisor, Wiley Rein, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Investment Security & Policy, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of International Affairs under George W. Bush.

A cocktail reception immediately follows the discussion. This event is sponsored by The Washington Examiner. Additional sponsorships, speaker opportunities and tickets are still available. Tickets can be reserved online at http://bit.ly/2Jclnub.

About TACC

Building on the traditional ideals of Chambers of Commerce, TACC, founded in 2018, offers a mutually beneficial membership opportunity for both Taiwanese and American businesses. TACC offers members a resource for economic development; an influential voice with legislative decision makers; and regular networking and educational. www.t-acc.com

Contact:

Neil Hare, President & CEO, Global Vision Communications, Board Member TACC

[email protected]

[email protected]



SOURCE Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce

Related Links

http://www.t-acc.com


(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/726391/Persistent_Logo.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779153/IoT_Technology_services_overall_rating.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779154/IoT_Technology_services_IoT_Engineering.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779155/IoT_Technology_services_Platform_and_application_competency.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779156/IoT_Technology_services_Big_data_management_and_analytics.jpg )

In addition to its overall IoT competency, Zinnov analysts also placed Persistent in the 'Leadership Zone' in the following IoT dimensions: 'IoT Engineering', 'Platform and Application Competency' and 'Big Data Management and Analytics'.

Zinnov Zones for IoT Technology Services is an annual industry report that relies on Zinnov's proprietary Zinnov Zones methodology to analyze and determine market leaders and laggards across a variety of IoT-related capabilities.

Zinnov's evaluation model incorporates a number of measurable characteristics, including innovation, capabilities, financials, human capital, ecosystem linkages, infrastructure, maturity and diversity of services, scale, and vertical market support.

For additional details about Zinnov's model and methodology, visit: https://www.slideshare.net/zinnov/zinnov-zones-for-iot-services

Quote from Sanjeev Srivastav, Senior Vice President and General Manager

"Zinnov's recognition of Persistent's IoT leadership and capabilities as both 'expansive' and 'established' for the second straight year is strong validation of our ability to stay ahead of the rapidly-evolving IoT market. The report shows that our strong software product DNA in developing and successfully launching comprehensive end-to-end IoT solutions using our Persistent Flywheel framework gives us unique capabilities that differentiate us from others in the market.

Our IoT customers rely on our leadership status in the areas of IoT engineering, platform and application development and big data and analytics to help them quickly bring to market innovative, robust and secure platforms and services that deliver a superior customer experience, increase their market share and drive sustainable, profitable growth."

Quote from Sidhant Rastogi, Partner & Practice Head, Zinnov

"Persistent's engineering capabilities coupled with its investments in ecosystem and infrastructure for IoT services have helped cement its leadership position for overall IoT services. In addition, the firm's robust platform development and big data & analytics capabilities have contributed to its strong competitive positioning in the market."

Additional Resources and Information:

Tweet this:

@Zinnov considers @PersistentSys #IoT leaders in IoT engineering, platforms, applications, #BigData and #analytics, per latest #ZinnovZones IoT Technology Services Report

About Zinnov

Founded in 2002, Zinnov is a global management and strategy consulting firm, with presence in Silicon Valley, Houston, Bangalore, and Gurgaon. Over the past 16 years, Zinnov has successfully consulted with over 250 Fortune 500 customers to develop actionable insights that help them in their transformation journeys.

With core expertise in Product Engineering and Digital Transformation, Zinnov assists clients by:

Providing research and strategy consulting for Technology Service Providers in the areas of Product Engineering and Digital Transformation;

Enabling companies to develop and optimize a global engineering partner strategy to achieve higher throughput, innovation, productivity, and cost savings;

Growing revenue for companies' products and services in India and other emerging markets;

Helping MNCs expand and/or consolidate their globalization footprint.

With their team of experienced professionals and research teams, Zinnov serves clients from across software, semiconductor, consumer electronics, automotive, storage, telecom & networking, healthcare, banking, financial services and retail verticals in U.S., Europe, Japan and India.

About Persistent Systems

Persistent Systems (BSE & NSE: PERSISTENT) builds software that drives the business of our customers; serving software product companies and enterprises with software at the core of their digital transformation.

Forward-looking and Cautionary Statements: For risks and uncertainties relating to forward-looking statements, please visit http://www.persistent.com/FLCS.

Persistent Media Contacts:

Saviera Barretto

Text100

+91-84249-17719

[email protected]



Isha Kulkarni

Persistent Systems

+91-86696-70068

[email protected]



Ken Montgomery

Persistent Systems (US)

+1-949-939-5164

[email protected]



Zinnov Media Contact:

Nitika Goel

Director - Marketing & Communications, Zinnov

+91-9845016255

[email protected], [email protected]



SOURCE Persistent Systems
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Petros PACE Finance, LLC (www.petros-pace.com) announced today the closing of a $2.3 million Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) transaction in Nebraska with Lucky Omaha Hospitality, LLC. The project will fund energy efficiency upgrades to a 30-year-old midtown Omaha hotel undergoing redevelopment.

The efficiency project is part of the conversion of the six-story, 119-room University Inn Midtown Crossing into a Four Points by Sheraton hotel that is scheduled to be completed toward the end of 2018. This is the second C-PACE project in Nebraska funded by Petros PACE Finance and PACE Sage Capital.

"Many times, real estate capital stacks can fall short of the funds necessary to cover the additional up-front cost of more expensive energy and water saving equipment that lowers the property's operating costs," said Petros PACE Finance CEO Mansoor Ghori. "C-PACE can replace or complement more expensive equity or mezzanine with lower-cost, non-accelerating financing."

"This was a transaction where the senior lender and our PACE financing were in perfect harmony, demonstrating how much PACE has become mainstream in the lending community," said Rob Shear, CEO of PACE Sage Capital, a key C-PACE financing originator in the Midwest.

Lucky Omaha Hospitality, LLC utilized Omaha's PACE program to finance energy efficient lighting, elevators, building automation system, restaurant and bar equipment and low-flow plumbing in the guest rooms. The upgrades are expected to generate $2.3 million in energy savings over the 20-year loan. The borrower will repay the loan via a special assessment on their local property tax.

"C-PACE financing allowed us to increase the building's energy-efficiency, which enabled us to lower energy costs and attract hotel guests that want to stay in an eco-friendly property," said Chris and Nick Patel with Nexgen Hotels, project developer and owner of Lucky Omaha Hospitality, LLC.

About Petros PACE Finance

Petros PACE Finance, LLC is the leading financier of long-term capital for C-PACE. The principals of Petros PACEMansoor Ghori, Jim Stanislaus, and Tommy Deavenporthave executive level expertise in all critical aspects of C-PACE: Commercial lending, structured finance, debt fund management, and direct, long-term institutional investor relationships. Learn more at petros-pace.com.

Media Contact: Natalie Groves

Phone: 512-599-9042

SOURCE Petros PACE Finance, LLC

Related Links

http://www.petros-pace.com


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- PNM Resources' (NYSE: PNM) transmission and distribution utility in Texas, TNMP, has filed an unopposed settlement with Texas state regulators in its general rate review. The settlement calls for a return on equity of 9.65 percent and a capital structure of 55 percent debt and 45 percent equity. If approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUCT), new rates are expected to be implemented in January 2019. TNMP's general rate review filing in May 2018 was its first since current rates were approved in 2011.

"The unopposed settlement is evidence of the atmosphere in Texas where parties recognize the importance of a regulated utility's financial health as capital investments are made to support the state's continued growth," said Pat Vincent-Collawn, PNM Resources' chairman, president and CEO. "The settlement returns savings from federal tax reform to customers and lays the groundwork for continued growth and recovery of capital investments, including the restoration work that was done following Hurricane Harvey."

The settlement reflects a $10 million net increase to base rates for retail and wholesale customers and a $73 million increase to rate base, which is incremental to previous Transmission Cost of Service (TCOS) filings and Advanced Metering System (AMS) investments. Although some amounts were excluded from the originally filed rate base, these are largely related to transmission projects that are expected to be included in subsequent TCOS filings. The settlement approves the depreciation rates proposed by TNMP and shortened the period to return part of the excess deferred income taxes to customers. Consistent with TNMP's filing, the increase includes the integration of AMS recovery into base rates, including collection of the remaining unrecovered investment. Schedule 1 below summarizes the key components of the rate filing.

Management also affirmed its consolidated ongoing earnings guidance of $2.08 to $2.18 per diluted share for 2019.

Documents related to the rate filing can be found at: http://www.pnmresources.com/investors/rates-and-filings.aspx.

Schedule 1



Changes to

Filed Increase

(in millions) Filed increase to base rates (retail and transmission) $25.9 ROE (10.5% filed, 9.65% settlement) (4.4) Capital structure (50/50 filed, 55/45 settlement) and cost of debt (7.2% filed, 6.4% settlement) (5.9) Rate base reductions (1.8) Return of excess deferred federal income tax reduction (3.2) Other (0.6) Stipulated increase to base rates (retail and transmission) $10.0

Background:

PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) is an energy holding company based in Albuquerque, N.M., with 2017 consolidated operating revenues of $1.4 billion. Through its regulated utilities, PNM and TNMP, PNM Resources has approximately 2,580 megawatts of generation capacity and provides electricity to more than 773,000 homes and businesses in New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit the company's website at www.PNMResources.com.

CONTACTS:

Analysts

Media

Lisa Goodman

Pahl Shipley

(505) 241-2160

(505) 259-8063

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Statements made in this news release that relate to future events or PNM Resources, Inc.'s ("PNMR"), Public Service Company of New Mexico's ("PNM"), or Texas-New Mexico Power Company's ("TNMP") (collectively, the "Company") expectations, projections, estimates, intentions, goals, targets, and strategies are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and estimates. PNMR, PNM, and TNMP assume no obligation to update this information. Because actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, PNMR, PNM, and TNMP caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements. PNMR's, PNM's, and TNMP's business, financial condition, cash flow, and operating results are influenced by many factors, which are often beyond their control, that can cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of risk factors and other important factors affecting forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which factors are specifically incorporated by reference herein.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

GAAP refers to generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. Ongoing earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impact of net unrealized mark-to-market gains and losses on economic hedges, the net change in unrealized gains and losses on investment securities, pension expense related to previously a disposed of gas distribution business, and certain non-recurring, infrequent, and other items that are not indicative of fundamental changes in the earnings capacity of the Company's operations. The Company uses ongoing earnings and ongoing earnings per diluted share (or ongoing diluted earnings per share) to evaluate the operations of the Company and to establish goals, including those used for certain aspects of incentive compensation, for management and employees. While the Company believes these financial measures are appropriate and useful for investors, they are not measures presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for these measures, or any piece of these measures, to represent any financial measure as defined by GAAP. Furthermore, the Company's calculations of these measures as presented may or may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company uses ongoing earnings guidance to provide investors with management's expectations of ongoing financial performance over the period presented. While the Company believes ongoing earnings guidance is an appropriate measure, it is not a measure presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for ongoing earnings guidance to represent an expectation of net earnings as defined by GAAP. Since the future differences between GAAP and ongoing earnings are frequently outside the control of the Company, management is generally not able to estimate the impact of the reconciling items between forecasted GAAP net earnings and ongoing earnings guidance, nor their probable impact on GAAP net earnings without unreasonable effort, therefore, management is generally not able to provide a corresponding GAAP equivalent for ongoing earnings guidance.

SOURCE PNM Resources, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.pnmresources.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Drowsy driving is estimated to be a factor in 328,000 traffic crashes every year, reports the Governors Highway Safety Association, resulting in an estimated 5,000 deaths. Studies by NHTSA and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety find that more than 31 percent of Americans have driven when they're so tired that they have trouble keeping their eyes open.

Drowsy driving is the theme of the annual Drive2Life PSA Contest, which has just launched from The National Road Safety Foundation in collaboration with Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education and media company. Students in grades 6  12 throughout the U.S. are invited to submit a script or storyboard for a 30-second video public service announcement (PSA) to help educate their peers and others about the dangers of drowsy driving.

The winner will receive a $1,000 prize and an expenses-paid trip to New York to work with an Emmy Award-winning director to turn his or her idea into a public service message that will air nationwide on more than 150 TV stations on the nationally-syndicated program "Teen Kids News" next May during Global Youth Traffic Safety Month. The winner will be profiled in select Scholastic Classroom Magazines, reaching nearly 5 million students and 50,000 teachers. Two runners-up in each grade category (grades 68, 912) will each receive $500.

"Drowsiness is often overlooked," said Michelle Anderson of The National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF), a non-profit group that creates driver safety programs distributed free to schools, police and traffic safety advocates. "Most of us, and especially teens, tend not to get enough sleep. Drowsiness and driving can be a deadly combination, which is why we are asking teens to help us spread the important message to avoid driving while fatigued."

"Scholastic has collaborated with The National Road Safety Foundation for more than seven years, recognizing the power of youth voices to affect change among their peers," said Ann Amstutz Hayes, Senior Vice President, Scholastic National Partnerships. "We hope this year's contest helps young people recognize the risks of drowsy driving and how to avoid it, while spurring important dialogues around road safety. We look forward to seeing the creative ideas from students to help address this serious safety issue."

Entry deadline is Feb. 4, 2019. For information, entry form, prize details and complete rules, visit http://nrsf.org/teenlane/contests/drive_2_life. No purchase necessary. No videos or group entries will be accepted and void where prohibited.

Last year's winner, Pavel Karabelov, an eighth grader from Santa Rosa, Calif., was selected from more than 1,400 entries. His PSA dealt with the theme of speeding.

The National Road Safety Foundation, Inc. (NRSF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that for more than 55 years has worked toward reducing crashes, deaths and injuries on our nation's highways by promoting safe driving habits through greater public awareness. NRSF produces documentaries, educational programs and public service campaigns for broadcast and for use by police, teachers, traffic safety agencies, healthcare professionals, youth advocacy groups and other grass-roots related agencies, as well as federal, state and local government agencies. NRSF programs, which are free, deal with distracted driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving, driver proficiency and pedestrian safety. NRSF also works with youth advocacy groups and sponsors contests to engage teens in encouraging safe driving behavior to their peers and their communities.

Contact: David Reich (212) 573-6000

[email protected]

SOURCE The National Road Safety Foundation

Related Links

http://www.nrsf.org


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The global pea starch market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.0%.

The global pea starch market is estimated at USD 91.8 million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 134.7 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period. Some of the major factors driving the market include integrated use of pea starch in ethanol production, growth in the demand for convenience food, and an increase in the production of peas. Increasing instances of retrogradation impact the functional properties of pea starch, which is a major factor inhibiting the growth of the market.





Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05605402





The food & beverages segment, by application, is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Pea starch finds use in various food applications such as confectionery products, processed food, beverages, and others; the segment accounted for nearly half of the global pea starch market share.It is generally used in food products to provide consistency in terms of texture and stability.



In addition, it is a clean label substitute to modified starch such as corn and potatoes, which helps in expanding its utility in food products. Although pea starch is considered as a low-level substitute in the food & beverage industry over the years, its acceptance has increased in recent past, due to the growing demand for natural ingredients in products around the globe.



Pea starch as a gelling agent is dominating the market and also growing at the highest rate.



Pea starch is used to maintain the texture of food and to create texture in water-based products.It contains amylose, which acts as a gelling agent for various food products.



The use of the gelling agent enhances the impact of starch amylase hydrolysis.Hence, the gelling of starch is used in the food & beverage industry to provide digestible starch and to thicken or bind food products.



It is used in various confectionery products, which include candies, chew gum, and jelly beans. In addition, this starch is also used in feed, pet food, and other industrial applications.



North America is estimated to account for the largest market share in 2018, whereas Asia Pacific is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The market in North America is projected to account for the largest share during the forecast period.This is attributed to factors such as the increase in consumer demand for healthy processed food.



In addition, consumers in this region are calorie-conscious and prefer low-calorie and low-fat foods. Due to these factors, the demand for pea starch is projected to remain high in this region.

The market in the Asia Pacific is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The rapid growth of the market in this region is mainly attributed to the increasing demand for pea starch in the food & beverage industry in China and India.



Break-up of Primaries:

 By Company Type: Tier 1: 43%, Tier 2: 41%, and Tier 3: 16%

 By Designation: C-level: 54%, D-level: 46%

 By Region: North America: 22%, Europe: 35%, Asia Pacific: 28%, and RoW*: 15%



Note: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 companies are classified on the basis of their product portfolios and regional presence.

Tier 1: Revenue > USD 500 million; Tier 2: USD 100 million > Revenue > USD 500 million; Tier 3: Revenue < USD 100 million

*RoW includes South Africa, Middle East, and South America.



The key players in the pea starch market include the following:

The market for pea starch is dominated by key players such as Emsland Group (Germany), Roquette Freres (France), and Vestkorn Milling AS (Norway), Cosucra Groupe Warconing SA (Belgium), and Roquette Freres (France). The other players operating in the pea starch market include Meelunie B.V. (Netherlands), Parrish and Heimbeckar, Ltd. (Canada), Puris Foods (US), Yantai Oreintal Protein Tech Co., Ltd.(China), Axiom Foods, Inc. (US), The Scoular Company (US), Shandong Jianyuan Group (China), AGT Food and Ingredients (Canada), Felleskjpet Rogaland Agder (US), Yantai Shuangta Food Co., Ltd. (China), and Dakota Dry Bean (US).



Research Coverage

The report provides an analysis of the pea starch market across different segments.It aims at estimating the market size and the future growth potential of this market on the basis of grade, application, function, and region.



The report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key players in the market along with their company profiles, recent developments, and business strategies.



Key Reasons to Buy the Report:

 To get an overview of the global pea starch market.

 From an insight perspective, this research report has focused on detailed analysisindustry and company profiles.

 This report also analyzes the high-growth segments of the global pea starch marketits high-growth regions, drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05605402



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


LONDON, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The global production monitoring market size to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% during the forecast period



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5605403





The global production monitoring market size 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. Major growth factors for the market include rising demand for industrial automation in the manufacturing industry, servitization in manufacturing, need for centralized monitoring and predictive maintenance, and rise of industry 4.0. However, data security concerns and privacy issues could restrain the market growth.



Services component segment to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period

Services are considered an important component of the production monitoring market, as they majorly focus on improving business processes and optimizing the production management of manufacturing companies. Services are considered as the backbone of the production monitoring software ecosystem, as they are instrumental in fulfilling end-users' and clients' custom requirements.



North America to hold the largest market size, and APAC to grow at the highest rate 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.Countries in this region 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.North American countries have developed infrastructure and skilled workforce, which help production monitoring solution providers offer 24/7 support and maintenance to their clients.



This factor assures manufacturers to rely on production monitoring solutions and focus on increasing their operational revenues.

Asia Pacific (APAC) is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.Countries in this region are expected to record high growth rates in the production monitoring market.



The region has witnessed advanced and dynamic adoption of new technologies.Additionally, it is taking aggressive initiatives to increase its IT infrastructure and enable commercial users to adopt cutting-edge technologies.



With a lower level of entrenched processes than their American or European counterparts, Asian manufacturing businesses have a greater ability to alter their operations. By integrating and adopting new technologies, companies can reduce their operating costs and increase efficiency across every industry.



In-depth interviews were conducted with Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), marketing directors, other innovation and technology directors, and executives from various key organizations operating in the production monitoring marketplace.

 By company type: Tier 1: 25%, Tier 2: 25%, and Tier 3: 50%

 By designation: C-level Executives: 50%, and Others 50%

 By region: North America: 25%, Europe: 50%, and APAC: 25%



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).



Research Coverage:

The report includes an in-depth competitive analysis of key players in the global production monitoring market, along with their company profiles, recent developments, and key market strategies. The report segments the global production monitoring market by component (solutions and services), service (professional and managed), application area, deployment type, organization size, industry (process and discrete manufacturing), and region.



Key Benefits of Buying the Report:

The report will help the market leaders/new entrants in this market with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall production monitoring market and the subsegments.This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to better position their businesses and to plan suitable go-to-market strategies.



The report also helps stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5605403



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Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



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Today what we have is something thats monumental: Its the second strike authorization vote taken within the week by educators in the charter industry, CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said Friday. I think that with this vote today, with the vote that we saw from (Acero) teachers, is that were going to see something quite different with respect to the type of education that students are getting.
"We know our customers and personalization is a fundamental aspect of our new rewards programit's very responsive to what consumers want regardless of how and where people choose to shop for our wines, whether in store, at restaurants or online," says Jennifer Leitman, EVP of Marketing, The Family Coppola. "We also know how important experiences are to our fans. By giving away once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like a trip to the 2019 Sundance Film Festival  and thousands of rewards across our entire portfolio, we hope more people will explore all The Family Coppola has to offer."

Coppola Rewards will invite more brand affinity not only through experiences, but also education and service. Some initial earnings could include a digital wine pairing guide or recipe book, or the ability to connect with an award-winning Francis Coppola Winery winemaker. The program launches with select rewards and will continue to roll out other special offers, like exclusive branded merchandise and partner rewards, to evoke an element of discovery.

Anyone can easily sign up for free at CoppolaRewards.com and use code REWARDS to immediately earn 20 bonus points. As part of the simple registration process, Coppola Rewards members can customize a profile, upload receipts for wine purchases and track points. Members will learn there are several ways to earn points, one is by purchasing at retail, online, through Francis Coppola Wine Family club participation, Virginia Dare Winery Lost Colony Society wine club or at either of the winery properties. In addition to receiving exclusive access, Coppola Rewards members enjoy several benefits, including no membership fees and a monthly e-newsletter bringing announcements and offers. The program runs all year and members will receive special perks during key time periods as they support The Family Coppola wine brands, including Francis Coppola Diamond Collection, Coppola Directors and Director's Cut and Sofia.

Connect with The Family Coppola online through its website, blog and video content. Fans can also enjoy The Family Coppola brands while visiting the Francis Ford Coppola Winery and RUSTIC, Francis' Favorites restaurant in Sonoma County, California, or at the legendary Cafe Zoetrope restaurant in San Francisco. Other Coppola-owned brands include Mammarella Foods and Great Women Spirits. Coppola Hideaway experiences include Blancaneaux Lodge, Turtle Inn and Coral Caye in Belize, La Lancha in Guatemala, Palazzo Margherita in Italy, and Jardin Escondido in Argentina.

To learn more about Coppola Rewards visit CoppolaRewards.com including Terms of Service and Frequently Asked Questions. Check out the Store Locator to learn where to buy The Family Coppola wine brands near you or visit us online.

About The Family Coppola

The Family Coppola encompasses all of the things Francis loves mostcinema, wine, food, resorts and adventureand embraces quality, authenticity and pleasure as a backbone to each of these vibrant business endeavors. Anchored in Sonoma County, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, known for its superior level of quality and integrity, is, as Francis puts it, "a wine wonderland, a park of pleasure where people of all ages can enjoy all the best things in life: food, wine, music, dancing, games, swimming and performances of all types. A place to celebrate the love of life." Coppola's second foray into Sonoma County came in 2015 with the launch of Virginia Dare Winery, American wines since 1835, ushering in a new era of elevated quality and vineyard-specific wines. The Family Coppola are lovers not only of wine, but spirits as well. Great Women Spiritssmall-batch, house-crafted, classically styled spiritsare a collection of spirits as unique and remarkable as the women they honor. The Family Coppola Hideaways are a collection of unique properties where adventure meets serenity. Drawing upon inspiration from his film career and travels around the globe to the far-reaching corners of the world, Francis created each resort, embracing off the beaten path locations and making each locale an ideal destination for exploring the natural wonders of the area while relaxing in tranquil surroundings. Additionally, The Family Coppola operates a venerable film production company, American Zoetrope; the award-winning literary and art magazine, Zoetrope: All-Story; Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco's iconic Sentinel Building in North Beach; and Mammarella Foods, an authentic line of premium organic pastas and sauces. Earn and redeem points through Coppola Rewards membership at CoppolaRewards.com or visit www.TheFamilyCoppola.com to learn more.

Media Contacts:

Kristin Thwaites Rose Jimenez Communications Director, The Family Coppola PR Manager, The Family Coppola [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE The Family Coppola

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KANSAS CITY, Mo., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- When 500 middle and high school students from six of Kansas City's urban school districts come together on Saturday, November 10, 2018, they won't just be competing for team awards and individual scholarship opportunities. They also will be demonstrating that any student can be a successful Math achiever with the right curriculum and support.

Students competing in PREP-KC's Math Relays

PREP-KC, the region's leading intermediary for public education programming, is hosting its 9th Annual Regional Math Relays competition at Center High School in Kansas City, Missouri as part of its Math Benchmarking initiative. This year's competition will begin at 8:00 am on Saturday, November 10 at Center High School, and will host students from schools in PREP-KC's five partner districts: Center, Grandview, Hickman Mills, Kansas City, KS (KCKPS), Kansas City, MO (KCPS) and Allen Village Charter Schools.

Thanks to sponsors including Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies, Cerner Corporation, and the KU School of Engineering, students participating in Math Relays compete for both team awards as well as individual scholarships. 429 students from 19 urban high schools on both sides of the state line participated in the 2017 competition.

Math Benchmarking increases the number of students who complete advanced math courses by providing teachers with training and support focused on curriculum alignment and high-quality instruction.

"Many peoplestudents and adults alikeresign themselves and say, 'I'm just not good at Math.' But we don't believe that needs to be the case," said Susan Wally, president and CEO of PREP-KC. "Our Math Benchmarking strategy, and events like the Math Relays, are helping students see themselves as Math achievers, and studies show that high school students who succeed at a rigorous Math curriculum in high school do better in college and in their future careers."

About PREP-KC

PREP-KC was founded in 2005 to assist urban school districts to improve college and career participation. Its mission is to increase college-readiness and access to high-quality employment for the more than 65,000 mostly low-income students served by six of Kansas City's bi-state urban school districts. PREP-KC provides its funders with independent and timely data on the impact of their investment, a commitment to stewardship of their funds, and the opportunity to join together to focus resources on improving student outcomes in Kansas City's bi-state, urban region.

For more information on the Math Relays, contact Susan Engelman at [email protected] or (913) 645-3534.

SOURCE PREP-KC
NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018.

"We delivered another exceptional quarter, with results well ahead of our expectations, including operational revenue growth above 18 percent and EPS growth greater than 50 percent. Based on our continued momentum across multiple products in our portfolio, we are raising our full year 2018 EPS guidance once again," said Richard A. Gonzalez, chairman and chief executive officer, AbbVie. "We're particularly pleased with our progress in building a leading hematologic oncology franchise, which is now delivering revenue in excess of $1 billion per quarter and is poised for continued strong growth next year and beyond."

Third-Quarter Results

Worldwide GAAP net revenues were $8.236 billion in the third quarter, up 17.8 percent year-over-year. Worldwide adjusted net revenues of $8.236 billion increased 18.5 percent on an operational basis, excluding a 0.7 percent unfavorable impact from foreign exchange.

in the third quarter, up 17.8 percent year-over-year. Worldwide adjusted net revenues of increased 18.5 percent on an operational basis, excluding a 0.7 percent unfavorable impact from foreign exchange. Global HUMIRA sales increased 9.0 percent on a reported basis, or 9.8 percent operationally, excluding a 0.8 percent unfavorable impact from foreign exchange. In the U.S., HUMIRA sales grew 12.5 percent in the quarter. Internationally, HUMIRA sales grew 4.2 percent, excluding a 2.4 percent unfavorable impact from foreign exchange.

Third-quarter global IMBRUVICA net revenues were $972 million , with U.S. sales of $812 million and international profit sharing of $160 million for the quarter, reflecting growth of 41.3 percent.

, with U.S. sales of and international profit sharing of for the quarter, reflecting growth of 41.3 percent. Third-quarter global HCV net revenues were $862 million .

. On a GAAP basis, the gross margin ratio in the third quarter was 77.7 percent. The adjusted gross margin ratio was 81.7 percent.

On a GAAP basis, selling, general and administrative expense was 23.3 percent of net revenues. The adjusted SG&A expense was 19.1 percent of net revenues.

On a GAAP basis, research and development expense was 15.4 percent of net revenues. The adjusted R&D expense was 15.4 percent, reflecting funding actions supporting all stages of our pipeline.

On a GAAP basis, the operating margin in the third quarter was 38.4 percent. The adjusted operating margin was 47.2 percent.

On a GAAP basis, net interest expense was $302 million . On a GAAP basis, the tax rate in the quarter was 0.5 percent. The adjusted tax rate was 9.1 percent.

. On a GAAP basis, the tax rate in the quarter was 0.5 percent. The adjusted tax rate was 9.1 percent. Diluted EPS in the third quarter was $1.81 on a GAAP basis. Adjusted diluted EPS, excluding specified items, was $2.14 , up 51.8 percent.

Recent Events

AbbVie announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, under Priority Review, of IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) plus rituximab for the treatment of adult patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM), a rare and incurable type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). With this approval, the IMBRUVICA prescribing information now includes combination use with rituximab, representing the first and only chemotherapy-free combination treatment specifically indicated for the disease. The approval is based on data from the Phase 3 iNNOVATE study, which demonstrated a significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) with IMBRUVICA plus rituximab compared to rituximab alone. Patients taking IMBRUVICA plus rituximab experienced an 80 percent reduction in relative risk of disease progression or death compared to those only treated with rituximab. IMBRUVICA is jointly developed and commercialized with Janssen Biotech, Inc.

AbbVie announced FDA acceptance of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Priority Review for IMBRUVICA in combination with obinutuzumab in previously untreated adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). The submission is based on positive results from the Phase 3 iLLUMINATE (PCYC-1130) trial, which demonstrated superior progression-free survival for IMBRUVICA plus obinutuzumab versus chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab in CLL/SLL. If approved, the use of IMBRUVICA with obinutuzumab would become the first chemotherapy-free, anti-CD20 combination approved by the FDA for the first-line treatment of CLL/SLL.

AbbVie announced the FDA expanded the label for VENCLEXTA (venetoclax) in combination with rituximab to include information about patients with previously-treated CLL who achieved minimal residual disease (MRD)-negativity in the Phase 3 MURANO trial. In the MURANO study, more than half (53 percent) of patients treated with the VENCLEXTA and rituximab combination achieved MRD-negativity (undetectable disease) in their blood after approximately nine months on therapy, while 12 percent of patients treated with the standard chemoimmunotherapy regimen of bendamustine plus rituximab achieved MRD-negativity. VENCLEXTA is being developed by AbbVie and Roche; it is jointly commercialized by AbbVie and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, in the U.S. and by AbbVie outside of the U.S.

AbbVie announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved the type-II variation application for VENCLYXTO (venetoclax) in combination with rituximab for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) CLL who have received at least one prior therapy. This approval allows more patients to receive VENCLYXTO in combination with rituximab in the second-line setting and gives healthcare providers the ability to prescribe this medicine to a broader population of patients with R/R CLL than the previously approved indication for VENCLYXTO as monotherapy in the European Union. The approval is based on results from the Phase 3 MURANO trial, which demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in investigator-assessed progression-free survival for patients who received VENCLYXTO plus rituximab compared with bendamustine plus rituximab.

The FDA accepted for Priority Review a supplemental NDA for VENCLEXTA in combination with a hypomethylating agent (HMA) or in combination with low dose cytarabine (LDAC) for the treatment of newly diagnosed patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. VENCLEXTA has received two Breakthrough Therapy Designations from the FDA for combination treatments of patients with untreated AML not eligible for standard induction chemotherapy.

AbbVie announced positive results from CLL14, a Phase 3, randomized clinical trial evaluating VENCLEXTA plus obinutuzumab versus obinutuzumab plus chlorambucil in patients with CLL and coexisting medical conditions who have not received a prior treatment. The study met its primary endpoint of investigator-assessed progression-free survival with a 12 months fixed duration of treatment. Results from the CLL14 trial will be presented at a future medical meeting.

At the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress, AbbVie presented new data from its investigational medicines, risankizumab and upadacitinib, and HUMIRA across multiple dermatological conditions. Presentations included clinical and patient-reported outcomes data from three pivotal Phase 3 trials evaluating risankizumab in psoriasis, 32-week safety and efficacy data and patient-reported outcomes data from a Phase 2b trial evaluating upadacitinib in atopic dermatitis and long-term safety and efficacy data evaluating HUMIRA in hidradenitis suppurativa. Risankizumab is being developed in collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim.

trial evaluating upadacitinib in atopic dermatitis and long-term safety and efficacy data evaluating HUMIRA in hidradenitis suppurativa. Risankizumab is being developed in collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim. At the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/Association for Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP) Annual Meeting, AbbVie presented new data for upadacitinib, an investigational oral JAK1-selective inhibitor, and HUMIRA, with 35 abstracts presented across multiple rheumatic conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and uveitis. Included in the presentations were data from three of the five pivotal studies from the SELECT Phase 3 program evaluating the safety and efficacy of upadacitinib in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

At the United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW) conference, AbbVie showcased its gastroenterology portfolio with 11 presentations of Humira and pipeline data, including the first presentation of data from a Phase 2b study (U-ACHIEVE) evaluating upadacitinib in adult patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Results from the U-ACHIEVE study demonstrated that after 8 weeks, upadacitinib (15/30/45 mg, once daily) met the primary endpoint of clinical remission (per adapted Mayo Score ) and ranked secondary endpoints, including endoscopic improvement, clinical remission (per Full Mayo Score) and clinical response, in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.

study (U-ACHIEVE) evaluating upadacitinib in adult patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Results from the U-ACHIEVE study demonstrated that after 8 weeks, upadacitinib (15/30/45 mg, once daily) met the primary endpoint of clinical remission (per adapted ) and ranked secondary endpoints, including endoscopic improvement, clinical remission (per Full Mayo Score) and clinical response, in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. AbbVie received FDA approval of Humira for the treatment of non-infectious intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis in patients down to 2 years of age and for the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa in adolescent patients 12 years of age and older.

AbbVie, in cooperation with Neurocrine Biosciences, announced the FDA and Health Canada approvals of ORILISSA (elagolix) for the management of moderate to severe pain associated with endometriosis. ORILISSA represents the first FDA-approved oral treatment for the management of moderate to severe pain associated with endometriosis in over a decade.

AbbVie, in cooperation with Neurocrine Biosciences, announced top-line results from the Phase 3 ELARIS UF-EXTEND extension study, which is evaluating the efficacy and safety of elagolix alone and in combination with low-dose hormone (add-back) therapy in premenopausal women with heavy menstrual bleeding associated with uterine fibroids for an additional six months (up to 12 months total) following treatment in one of the two pivotal Phase 3 studies, ELARIS UF-I and ELARIS UF-II. The extension study results showed elagolix, in combination with add-back therapy, reduced heavy menstrual bleeding for up to 12 months, with 87.9 percent of women with uterine fibroids achieving clinical response. The primary and secondary endpoint results from the extension study were consistent with that observed in the two pivotal Phase 3 studies. Data from the pivotal Phase 3 studies will be presented at a medical conference later this year and the ELARIS UF-EXTEND Phase 3 study data will be presented at a future medical conference. Data from the Phase 3 program will support regulatory submission for elagolix in uterine fibroids, anticipated in 2019.

AbbVie announced that it will assume full development and commercial responsibility for its collaboration with Galapagos to discover and develop new therapies to treat cystic fibrosis (CF). Under a revised agreement, AbbVie will assume full development and commercial responsibility over the investigational program comprising several clinical and pre-clinical compounds originally discovered and developed jointly by AbbVie and Galapagos. Galapagos will not pursue further research and development in CF, but is eligible for future milestones and royalties on commercialized programs.

AbbVie announced global resolutions of all intellectual property-related litigation with two manufacturers, Sandoz and Fresenius Kabi, over their proposed biosimilar adalimumab products. Under the terms of the settlement agreements, AbbVie will grant to Sandoz and Fresenius Kabi non-exclusive licenses to AbbVie's intellectual property relating to HUMIRA beginning on certain dates in certain countries in which AbbVie has intellectual property. The license period will begin on September 30, 2023 in the U.S. for both Sandoz and Fresenius Kabi, and will not be accelerated by the entry of companies who have already taken a license. The license for Sandoz began on October 16, 2018 in most countries in the European Union, and will begin on other dates in various countries in which AbbVie has intellectual property. In the European Union, Fresenius Kabi can launch upon approval from the European Medicines Agency. Sandoz and Fresenius Kabi will pay royalties to AbbVie for licensing its HUMIRA patents and both manufacturers acknowledge the validity of the licensed patents. AbbVie will make no payments to Sandoz or Fresenius Kabi. The precise terms are confidential between the parties. All litigation pending between the parties will be dismissed. On September 28, 2017 , AbbVie announced a global resolution with Amgen to enter the U.S. on January 31, 2023 , and on April 5, 2018 , AbbVie announced a similar resolution with Samsung Bioepis to enter the U.S. on June 30, 2023 . On July 17, 2018 , AbbVie announced resolution with Mylan to enter the U.S. on July 31, 2023 .

in the U.S. for both Sandoz and Fresenius Kabi, and will not be accelerated by the entry of companies who have already taken a license. The license for Sandoz began on in most countries in the European Union, and will begin on other dates in various countries in which AbbVie has intellectual property. In the European Union, Fresenius Kabi can launch upon approval from the European Medicines Agency. Sandoz and Fresenius Kabi will pay royalties to AbbVie for licensing its HUMIRA patents and both manufacturers acknowledge the validity of the licensed patents. AbbVie will make no payments to Sandoz or Fresenius Kabi. The precise terms are confidential between the parties. All litigation pending between the parties will be dismissed. On , AbbVie announced a global resolution with Amgen to enter the U.S. on , and on , AbbVie announced a similar resolution with Samsung Bioepis to enter the U.S. on . On , AbbVie announced resolution with Mylan to enter the U.S. on . AbbVie made charitable contributions totaling $115 million in the third quarter. These donations are part of AbbVie's plan to make an additional $350 million in charitable contributions to U.S. not-for-profit organizations in 2018. The contributions will provide AbbVie with the opportunity to support charities creating long-term impact in communities in need, including Puerto Rico , North Chicago and cities across America.

Full-Year 2018 Outlook

AbbVie is updating its GAAP diluted EPS guidance for the full-year 2018 to $6.43 to $6.45. AbbVie is raising its adjusted EPS guidance range for the full-year 2018 from $7.76 to $7.86 to $7.90 to $7.92. The midpoint of this guidance reflects year-over-year growth of 41.3 percent. The company's 2018 adjusted diluted EPS guidance excludes $1.47 per share of intangible asset amortization expense, changes in the fair value of contingent consideration, a one-time net tax benefit related to the timing of the phase in of provisions of the U.S. tax reform legislation on certain subsidiaries, and other specified items.

Company Declares Dividend Increase of 11.5 Percent

AbbVie is announcing today that its board of directors declared an increase in the company's quarterly cash dividend from $0.96 per share to $1.07 per share beginning with the dividend payable on February 15, 2019 to shareholders of record as of January 15, 2019. This reflects an increase of approximately 11.5 percent, continuing AbbVie's strong commitment to returning cash to shareholders through a growing dividend. Since the company's inception in 2013, AbbVie has increased its quarterly dividend by 168 percent. AbbVie is a member of the S&P Dividend Aristocrats Index, which tracks companies that have annually increased their dividend for at least 25 consecutive years.

About AbbVie

AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Conference Call

AbbVie will host an investor conference call today at 8:00 a.m. Central time to discuss our third-quarter performance. The call will be webcast through AbbVie's Investor Relations website at investors.abbvie.com. An archived edition of the call will be available after 11:00 a.m. Central time.

Non-GAAP Financial Results

Financial results for 2018 and 2017 are presented on both a reported and a non-GAAP basis. Reported results were prepared in accordance with GAAP and include all revenue and expenses recognized during the period. Non-GAAP results adjust for certain non-cash items and for factors that are unusual or unpredictable, and exclude those costs, expenses, and other specified items presented in the reconciliation tables later in this release. AbbVie's management believes non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors regarding AbbVie's results of operations and assist management, analysts, and investors in evaluating the performance of the business. Non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. The company's 2018 financial guidance is also being provided on both a reported and a non-GAAP basis.

Prior Period Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications were made to conform the prior period financial results to the current period presentation.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). AbbVie undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

AbbVie Inc. Key Product Revenues Quarter Ended September 30, 2018 (Unaudited)















% Change vs. 3Q17

Net Revenues (in millions)





International Total

U.S.

Int'l.

Total

U.S.

Operational

Reported Operational

Reported ADJUSTED NET REVENUESa $5,597

$2,639

$8,236

22.0%

11.7%

9.6% 18.5%

17.8% Immunology 3,546

1,578

5,124

12.5

4.2

1.8 9.8

9.0 Humira 3,546

1,578

5,124

12.5

4.2

1.8 9.8

9.0





























Hematologic Oncology 881

187

1,068

47.3

52.3

51.9 48.2

48.1 Imbruvicab 812

160

972

41.5

40.1

40.1 41.3

41.3 Venclexta 69

27

96

>100.0

>100.0

>100.0 >100.0

>100.0





























HCV 444

418

862

>100.0

95.6

94.5 >100.0

>100.0 Mavyret 444

395

839

>100.0

>100.0

>100.0 >100.0

>100.0 Viekira 

23

23

n/m

(86.1)

(87.0) (86.2)

(87.1)





























Other Key Products 792

365

1,157

3.6

(2.1)

(4.9) 1.7

0.8 Creon 239



239

11.3

n/a

n/a 11.3

11.3 Lupron 173

41

214

7.6

7.2

1.5 7.5

6.4 Synthroid 192



192

0.7

n/a

n/a 0.7

0.7 Synagis 

97

97

n/a

(14.1)

(16.2) (14.1)

(16.2) AndroGel 135



135

(8.3)

n/a

n/a (8.3)

(8.3) Duodopa 19

87

106

18.7

12.2

10.8 13.3

12.1 Sevoflurane 18

68

86

(2.8)

(12.2)

(15.7) (10.4)

(13.2) Kaletra 16

72

88

(2.9)

8.2

5.3 6.0

3.7





Note: "Operational" growth reflects the percentage change over the prior year excluding the impact of exchange rate fluctuations.



n/a = not applicable n/m = not meaningful



a Adjusted net revenues exclude specified items. Refer to the Reconciliation of GAAP Reported to Non-GAAP Adjusted Information for further details. Percentage change is calculated using adjusted net revenues. b Reflects profit sharing for Imbruvica international revenues.

AbbVie Inc. Key Product Revenues Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 (Unaudited)















% Change vs. 9M17

Net Revenues (in millions)





International Total

U.S.

Int'l.

Total

U.S.

Operational

Reported Operational

Reported ADJUSTED NET REVENUESa $15,836

$8,592

$24,428

19.2%

15.1%

19.5% 17.8%

19.3% Immunology 10,070

4,948

15,018

11.3

5.9

10.3 9.5

11.0 Humira 10,070

4,948

15,018

11.3

5.9

10.3 9.5

11.0





























Hematologic Oncology 2,286

518

2,804

41.2

58.6

59.4 44.2

44.3 Imbruvicab 2,129

455

2,584

36.6

48.5

48.5 38.5

38.5 Venclexta 157

63

220

>100.0

>100.0

>100.0 >100.0

>100.0





























HCV 1,209

1,545

2,754

>100.0

>100.0

>100.0 >100.0

>100.0 Mavyret 1,206

1,413

2,619

>100.0

>100.0

>100.0 >100.0

>100.0 Viekira 3

132

135

(96.3)

(78.9)

(78.1) (80.6)

(79.8)





























Other Key Products 2,310

1,309

3,619

2.7

(1.9)

1.0 1.0

2.1 Creon 667



667

11.8

n/a

n/a 11.8

11.8 Lupron 530

126

656

8.7

6.9

7.4 8.3

8.4 Synthroid 567



567

(1.5)

n/a

n/a (1.5)

(1.5) Synagis 

462

462

n/a

(2.2)

1.3 (2.2)

1.3 AndroGel 393



393

(10.1)

n/a

n/a (10.1)

(10.1) Duodopa 57

260

317

30.0

15.6

22.8 18.1

24.0 Sevoflurane 54

251

305

(2.8)

(2.8)

(1.5) (2.7)

(1.7) Kaletra 42

210

252

(21.4)

(19.0)

(18.1) (19.5)

(18.7)





Note: "Operational" growth reflects the percentage change over the prior year excluding the impact of exchange rate fluctuations.



n/a = not applicable



a Adjusted net revenues exclude specified items. Refer to the Reconciliation of GAAP Reported to Non-GAAP Adjusted Information for further details. Percentage change is calculated using adjusted net revenues. b Reflects profit sharing for Imbruvica international revenues.

AbbVie Inc. Consolidated Statements of Earnings Quarter and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)



Third Quarter

Ended September 30

Nine Months

Ended September 30

2018

2017

2018

2017 Net revenues $ 8,236



$ 6,995



$ 24,448



$ 20,477

Cost of products sold 1,835



1,616



5,696



4,761

Selling, general and administrative 1,919



1,457



5,470



4,339

Research and development 1,268



1,228



3,834



3,599

Acquired in-process research and development 55







124



15

Other expense 







500





Total operating cost and expenses 5,077



4,301



15,624



12,714

















Operating earnings 3,159



2,694



8,824



7,763

















Interest expense, net 302



252



825



752

Net foreign exchange loss 2



9



18



28

Other expense, net 94



338



411



449

Earnings before income tax expense 2,761



2,095



7,570



6,534

Income tax expense 14



464



57



1,277

Net earnings $ 2,747



$ 1,631



$ 7,513



$ 5,257

















Diluted earnings per share $ 1.81



$ 1.01



$ 4.79



$ 3.27

















Adjusted diluted earnings per sharea $ 2.14



$ 1.41



$ 6.01



$ 4.11

















Weighted-average diluted shares outstanding 1,515



1,603



1,561



1,602







a Refer to the Reconciliation of GAAP Reported to Non-GAAP Adjusted Information for further details.

AbbVie Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Reported to Non-GAAP Adjusted Information Quarter Ended September 30, 2018 (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)

1. Specified items impacted results as follows:



3Q18

Earnings

Diluted

Pre-tax

After-tax

EPS As reported (GAAP) $ 2,761



$ 2,747



$ 1.81

Adjusted for specified items:









Intangible asset amortization 320



263



0.17

Acquired IPR&D 55



55



0.04

Charitable contributions 115



89



0.06

Change in fair value of contingent consideration 95



95



0.06

Litigation reserves 228



176



0.12

Impacts of U.S. tax reform 



(177)



(0.12)

Other 7



7





As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 3,581



$ 3,255



$ 2.14





Acquired IPR&D primarily reflects upfront payments related to R&D collaborations and licensing arrangements with third parties. Impacts of U.S. tax reform reflects a net tax benefit related to the timing of the new legislation's phase in on certain subsidiaries. Other primarily includes restructuring charges associated with streamlining global operations.



2. The impact of the specified items by line item was as follows:



3Q18

Cost of

products

sold

SG&A

Acquired

IPR&D

Other

expense,

net As reported (GAAP) $ 1,835



$ 1,919



$ 55



$ 94

Adjusted for specified items:













Intangible asset amortization (320)













Acquired IPR&D 







(55)





Charitable contributions 



(115)









Change in fair value of contingent consideration 











(95)

Litigation reserves 



(228)









Other (6)



(1)









As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 1,509



$ 1,575



$ 



$ (1)





3. The adjusted tax rate for the third quarter of 2018 was 9.1 percent, as detailed below:



3Q18

Pre-tax

income

Income

taxes

Tax rate As reported (GAAP) $ 2,761



$ 14



0.5 % Specified items 820



312



38.1 % As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 3,581



$ 326



9.1 %

AbbVie Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Reported to Non-GAAP Adjusted Information Quarter Ended September 30, 2017 (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)

1. Specified items impacted results as follows:



3Q17

Earnings

Diluted

Pre-tax

After-tax

EPS As reported (GAAP) $ 2,095



$ 1,631



$ 1.01

Adjusted for specified items:









Intangible asset amortization 268



201



0.13

Milestones and other R&D expenses 32



32



0.02

Change in fair value of contingent consideration 401



401



0.25

Litigation reserves 4



3





Other 6



5





As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 2,806



$ 2,273



$ 1.41





Milestones and other R&D expenses are associated with milestone payments for previously announced collaborations. Other includes restructuring charges associated with streamlining global operations.



2. The impact of the specified items by line item was as follows:



3Q17

Cost of

products

sold

SG&A

R&D

Other

expense,

net As reported (GAAP) $ 1,616



$ 1,457



$ 1,228



$ 338

Adjusted for specified items:













Intangible asset amortization (268)













Milestones and other R&D expenses 







(32)





Change in fair value of contingent consideration 











(401)

Litigation reserves 



(4)









Other (6)













As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 1,342



$ 1,453



$ 1,196



$ (63)





3. The adjusted tax rate for the third quarter of 2017 was 19.0 percent, as detailed below:



3Q17

Pre-tax

income

Income

taxes

Tax rate As reported (GAAP) $ 2,095



$ 464



22.1 % Specified items 711



69



9.7 % As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 2,806



$ 533



19.0 %

AbbVie Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Reported to Non-GAAP Adjusted Information Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)

1. Specified items impacted results as follows:



9M18

Earnings

Diluted

Pre-tax

After-tax

EPS As reported (GAAP) $ 7,570



$ 7,513



$ 4.79

Adjusted for specified items:









Intangible asset amortization 974



801



0.51

Milestones and other R&D expenses 87



87



0.05

Acquired IPR&D 124



124



0.08

Calico collaboration 500



500



0.32

Charitable contributions 235



182



0.12

Change in fair value of contingent consideration 432



432



0.28

Litigation reserves 346



276



0.18

Impacts of U.S. tax reform 



(534)



(0.34)

Other 38



39



0.02

As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 10,306



$ 9,420



$ 6.01





Milestones and other R&D expenses are associated with milestone payments for previously announced collaborations. Acquired IPR&D primarily reflects upfront payments related to R&D collaborations and licensing arrangements with third parties. Impacts of U.S. tax reform reflects a net tax benefit related to the timing of the new legislation's phase in on certain subsidiaries. Other primarily includes milestone revenue under a previously announced collaboration and restructuring charges associated with streamlining global operations.



2. The impact of the specified items by line item was as follows:



9M18

Net

revenues

Cost of

products

sold

SG&A

R&D

Acquired

IPR&D

Other

operating

expense

Other

expense,

net As reported (GAAP) $ 24,448



$ 5,696



$ 5,470



$ 3,834



$ 124



$ 500



$ 411

Adjusted for specified items:

























Intangible asset amortization 



(974)





















Milestones and other R&D expenses 











(87)













Acquired IPR&D 















(124)









Calico collaboration 



















(500)





Charitable contributions 







(235)

















Change in fair value of contingent consideration 























(432)

Litigation reserves 







(346)

















Other (20)



(34)



(1)



(23)













As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 24,428



$ 4,688



$ 4,888



$ 3,724



$ 



$ 



$ (21)





3. The adjusted tax rate for the first nine months of 2018 was 8.6 percent, as detailed below:



9M18

Pre-tax

income

Income

taxes

Tax rate As reported (GAAP) $ 7,570



$ 57



0.8 % Specified items 2,736



829



30.3 % As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 10,306



$ 886



8.6 %

AbbVie Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Reported to Non-GAAP Adjusted Information Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 (Unaudited) (In millions, except per share data)

1. Specified items impacted results as follows:



9M17

Earnings

Diluted

Pre-tax

After-tax

EPS As reported (GAAP) $ 6,534



$ 5,257



$ 3.27

Adjusted for specified items:









Intangible asset amortization 808



606



0.37

Milestones and other R&D expenses 68



68



0.04

Acquired IPR&D 15



15



0.01

Acquisition related costs 73



49



0.03

Change in fair value of contingent consideration 547



546



0.34

Litigation reserves 97



65



0.04

Other 19



16



0.01

As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 8,161



$ 6,622



$ 4.11





Milestones and other R&D expenses are associated with milestone payments for previously announced collaborations. Acquired IPR&D primarily reflects upfront payments related to R&D collaborations and licensing arrangements with third parties. Acquisition related costs primarily includes the amortization of the acquisition date fair value step-up for inventory related to the acquisition of Pharmacyclics. Other includes restructuring charges associated with streamlining global operations.



2. The impact of the specified items by line item was as follows:



9M17

Cost of

products

sold

SG&A

R&D

Acquired

IPR&D

Other

expense,

net As reported (GAAP) $ 4,761



$ 4,339



$ 3,599



$ 15



$ 449

Adjusted for specified items:

















Intangible asset amortization (808)

















Milestones and other R&D expenses 







(68)









Acquired IPR&D 











(15)





Acquisition related costs (52)



(14)



(5)







(2)

Change in fair value of contingent consideration 















(547)

Litigation reserves 



(97)













Other (14)



(5)













As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 3,887



$ 4,223



$ 3,526



$ 



$ (100)





3. The adjusted tax rate for the first nine months of 2017 was 18.9 percent, as detailed below:



9M17

Pre-tax

income

Income

taxes

Tax rate As reported (GAAP) $ 6,534



$ 1,277



19.5 % Specified items 1,627



262



16.1 % As adjusted (non-GAAP) $ 8,161



$ 1,539



18.9 %

SOURCE AbbVie

Related Links

http://www.abbvie.com


SAN CARLOS, Calif., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alkahest Inc. ("Alkahest"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapies to treat age-related diseases, announced today that Tony Wyss-Coray Ph.D., Alkahest's co-founder and board member was named to TIME Health's list of individuals who were most influential in transforming healthcare in 2018.

"Time Magazine's 'Health Care 50' highlights those who have significantly changed the state of U.S. health care this year and we are pleased to see this recognition for Tony's pioneering work in understanding the role of the plasma proteome in age-related diseases," said Karoly Nikolich, Ph.D., Alkahest's co-founder and chief executive officer.

Professor Wyss-Coray received his Ph.D. from the University of Berne, Switzerland and joined Stanford University's faculty in 2002, where he now serves as a professor of neurology and neurological sciences. He is also the co-director of Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and associate director of the Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair and Restoration at the Palo Alto VA. His lab investigates the role of immune responses in brain aging and neurodegeneration with a focus on cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Together with Dr. Karoly Nikolich, Professor Wyss-Coray established Alkahest in 2014 to translate his pioneering research into innovative medicines that can help patients with age-related diseases.

About Alkahest

Alkahest is a privately-held clinical-stage company based in the San Francisco Bay Area developing treatments for age-related diseases, with an emphasis on neurodegeneration  a key medical challenge for our generation. The company's breakthrough research has elucidated changes in the plasma proteome in healthy aging and age-related diseases, and demonstrated that factors in the blood plasma can be augmented or inhibited in order to reverse detrimental effects of aging in both normal aging and disease models in animals. Alkahest is developing novel plasma-based therapies in collaboration with Barcelona, Spain-based Grifols, a global healthcare company and leading producer of plasma therapies. For further information see www.alkahest.com.

Contact Information:

Joe McCracken

Vice President Business Development

Alkahest, Inc.

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Michael Tattory

LifeSci Public Relations

[email protected]

SOURCE Alkahest Inc.

Related Links

http://www.alkahest.com


BERGEN, Norway, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BerGenBio ASA (OSE: BGBIO) announces that the analysis of the first stage of its Phase II clinical trial with bemcentinib, a first-in-class selective oral AXL inhibitor, in combination with the anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in patients with previously treated, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been selected as a Late-breaking Abstract at the annual Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer (SITC) 2018 congress in Washington D.C. (7-10 November 2018).

Late-breaking abstracts highlight novel and potentially practice-changing studies, and their acceptance for presentation is subject to favourable assessment by a panel of clinical and scientific experts. In total, only 21 abstracts were accepted in the late-breaking category at this year's SITC congress: https://sitc.sitcancer.org/2018/abstracts/titles/late-breaking/

An update from BerGenBio's biomarker and companion diagnostic programme will also be presented as a poster within the regular abstract section. See details below.



Presentations at SITC: Friday 9 November, 12:45  2:15 p.m. and 6:30  8 p.m. EST, Hall E

A Phase II study of bemcentinib (BGB324), a first-in-class selective AXL inhibitor, in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced NSCLC: Analysis of the first stage Matthew Krebs, PhD et al Category: 33rd Annual Meeting Late-Breaking Abstracts Presentation number: P715 Predictive and pharmacodynamic biomarkers associated with treatment with the oral selective AXL Inhibitor bemcentinib in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced NSCLC and Melanoma Robert Holt, PhD, et al Category: Biomarkers and Immune Monitoring Presentation number: P115

The full abstracts will be published on November 6th at 8 a.m. Eastern time at https://www.sitcancer.org/2018/home.

About SITC

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is the world's leading member-driven organisation specifically dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the science and application of cancer immunotherapy. Over 4,000 delegates are expected to attend the SITC 33rd Annual Congress in Washington D.C. on Nov 7-10 2018. For more information please see www.sitcancer.org

About the BGBC008 trial: A Phase II study of bemcentinib in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC

The BGBC008 trial is a phase II multi-centre open-label study of bemcentinib in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in previously treated, immunotherapy naive, patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung, the most common form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The objective of the trial is to determine the anti-tumour activity of this novel drug combination. Responses will be correlated with biomarker status (including AXL kinase and PD-L1 expression).

For more information please access trial NCT03184571 at www.clinicaltrials.gov.

About AXL

AXL kinase is a cell membrane receptor and an essential mediator of the biological mechanisms that drive aggressive and life-threatening diseases. In cancer, AXL drives tumour survival, treatment resistance and spread, as well as suppressing the body's immune response to tumours. AXL expression has been established as a negative prognostic factor in many cancers. AXL inhibitors, therefore, have potential value at the centre of cancer combination therapy, addressing significant unmet medical needs and multiple high-value market opportunities.

About BerGenBio ASA

BerGenBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative drugs targeting AXL as a potential cornerstone of therapy for advanced and aggressive cancers. The company's proprietary lead candidate, bemcentinib, is a potentially first-in-class selective AXL inhibitor in a broad phase II clinical development programme. Ongoing clinical trials are investigating bemcentinib in multiple solid and haematological tumours, in combination with current and emerging therapies (including immunotherapies, targeted therapies and chemotherapy), and as a single agent.

In parallel, BerGenBio is developing a companion diagnostics test to identify patient populations most likely to benefit from bemcentinib: this is expected to facilitate more efficient registration trials and support a precision medicine-based commercialisation strategy.

BerGenBio is based in Bergen, Norway with a subsidiary in Oxford, UK. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: BGBIO). www.bergenbio.com

Contacts

Richard Godfrey

CEO, BerGenBio ASA

+47-917-86-304

Rune Skeie, CFO, BerGenBio ASA

[email protected]

+47-917-86-513

International Media Relations

David Dible, Mark Swallow, Marine Perrier, Citigate Dewe Rogerson

[email protected]

+44-207-638-9571

Media Relations in Norway

Jan Petter Stiff, Crux Advisers

[email protected]

+47-995-13-891

Forward looking statements

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, which as such are not historical facts, but are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. These assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this announcement by such forward-looking statements.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/bergenbio-asa/r/bergenbio-to-present-late-breaking-abstract-on-phase-ii-trial-of-bemcentinib-in-combination-with-key,c2662515

SOURCE BerGenBio ASA

Related Links

http://www.bergenbio.com


LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dan Brozost, founder of boutique real estate law firm Blackacre LLP , was named today among National Law Journal's list of "Elite Boutique Trailblazers."

In the journal's special issue , Brozost was praised for pioneering a unique fixed fee business model with respect to his commercial real estate practice. After Brozost formed Blackacre, the fixed fee model attracted appreciative clients and fueled the firm's rapid growth.

"The traditional law firm model is antiquated and designed to work for attorneys, not clients," Brozost told the National Law Journal. "So in early 2017, I decided to leave my prior firm and start a new shop. And every single one of my clients followed me."

Blackacre LLP only practices real estate law, a practice area which Brozost said lends itself more to the flat fee model because much of the work has a defined scope. In barely a year's time, Blackacre's client list has grown to include well-known clients like Guitar Center and Veggie Grill. Los Angeles real estate developer The Luzzatto Company, Inc. relied on Blackacre to shepherd their lease of a 79,000 square-foot building to The Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine, which will house a cancer clinic and research laboratories under the direction of University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.

National Law Journal says the Trailblazers list was designed to "spotlight those making a big difference," and describes those chosen for the honor as having "shown a deep passion and perseverance in pursuit of their mission, having achieved remarkable successes along the way."

Blackacre LLP represents clients on a wide variety of real estate transactions, including real property acquisitions and dispositions, leases, brokerage matters, property management matters and financing. Clients include national and regional restaurants and retailers, real estate brokerages, investment funds and trusts, developers, syndicators and high net worth individuals. To learn more, visit Blackacre Law .

CONTACT:

Jonathan Fitzgarrald

1-310-6016008

SOURCE Blackacre LLP
"Blockchains will empower humanity by creating an environment where anyone, from anywhere, can collaborate together, establish the rules of that collaboration, and even exchange value, all enforced and executed by the public blockchain," said Jeffrey Berns.

Berns unveiled several details of Innovation Park, including plans for the world's first smart city, where every aspect of daily life will be addressed using public blockchain to improve the way we interact with technology and infrastructure.

He also announced the company will break ground on a Blockchains Campus, where developers from around the world will collaborate and create the advancements necessary to bring these concepts to life. He noted one of the key differentiators for this effort is the creation of a Distributed Collaborative Entity (DCE) rather than a typical company. He explained that the DCE, which has assets worth well over $300 million and zero debt, will ultimately be distributed among relevant stakeholder groups who will have ownership and control of Blockchains.

"Our DCE is a forward-thinking business model that's in a class of its own with one goal: changing our world for the better," Berns says. "With the DCE, my vision is that the stakeholder groups will eventually be responsible for all corporate management and governance."

Berns unveiled a host of other components of the company and his plans, including:

Digital Identity. In 2015, Berns began developing NetID as an identity platform using vein-based biometric authentication to securely bind a user and their data to a unique digital identity. The application hashes and encrypts the individual's vein pattern, and other personal identifying information, and then places it on the public Ethereum blockchain so that the NetID user will be able to prove their identity to anyone as long as there is internet access. Control of, and access to, the user's information will be solely with the individual.

In 2015, Berns began developing NetID as an identity platform using vein-based biometric authentication to securely bind a user and their data to a unique digital identity. The application hashes and encrypts the individual's vein pattern, and other personal identifying information, and then places it on the public Ethereum blockchain so that the NetID user will be able to prove their identity to anyone as long as there is internet access. Control of, and access to, the user's information will be solely with the individual. The Modern-Day Fortress. Berns believes that eventually all assets will be digitized, and protection of that data will be essential. Blockchains has designed a digital asset storage solution which uses a multisig application along with decentralized physical storage. The custody contract is a series of formidable executable distributed code contracts (often referred to as smart contracts) that allow for the safe cold storage of digital assets, in a way that still allows for access to those assets when necessary. For the physical storage, they acquired two decommissioned military communications bunkers in different parts of the United States that were built by the U.S. government in the 1960s. For digital asset storage outside the U.S., they have also acquired the equivalent of a modern-day fortress that exists in a granite mountain in Switzerland , and one in Sweden . Once developed to specifications, these fortresses in three stable countries will offer unmatched digital asset storage protection.

Berns believes that eventually all assets will be digitized, and protection of that data will be essential. Blockchains has designed a digital asset storage solution which uses a multisig application along with decentralized physical storage. The custody contract is a series of formidable executable distributed code contracts (often referred to as smart contracts) that allow for the safe cold storage of digital assets, in a way that still allows for access to those assets when necessary. For the physical storage, they acquired two decommissioned military communications bunkers in different parts of that were built by the U.S. government in the 1960s. For digital asset storage outside the U.S., they have also acquired the equivalent of a modern-day fortress that exists in a granite mountain in , and one in . Once developed to specifications, these fortresses in three stable countries will offer unmatched digital asset storage protection. A Smart City. The Blockchains land in Innovation Park will be a smart city with a decentralized blockchain infrastructure underlying all interaction. The planned city will encompass, among other projects, a highly-secured, high-tech park that joins blockchain technology with artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing and nanotechnology; residential units that will provide a new living environment to thousands; and various concepts that showcase how business development, residential living and commerce can flourish alongside world-changing technologies.

At the event, Jeffrey Berns showed a visual effects display of the smart city to those in attendance. For a link to a video of Jeffrey Berns' keynote speech, click here

About Blockchains, LLC

Blockchains, LLC was founded by individuals who believe blockchain, in conjunction with other emerging technologies, will change all aspects of our daily lives for the better. The company maintains its headquarters in Innovation Park in northern Nevada, where it owns more than 67,000 acres that it plans to devote to the incubation of innovative ideas that simplify every aspect of our daily lives. By empowering the individual and restoring trust in all transactions, and fostering cutting-edge technologies, Blockchains LLC's goal is to help facilitate the technological revolution that will improve everyday life for the next generation.

SOURCE Blockchains, LLC

Related Links

https://blockchains.com


ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BNY Mellon Wealth Management has announced that Shannon Kennedy, President of U.S. Markets, Southwest, was honored as an OC500 award recipient. The OC500 is an annual book published by the OCBJ that highlights the most influential business people and opinion shapers in the Orange County community.

"This award is a true testament to the dedication that Shannon exemplifies in her community. We are immensely proud of her ongoing impactful initiatives and everything she will continue to accomplish in Orange County and the Southwest region," said Tom Dicker, President of U.S. Markets at BNY Mellon Wealth Management.

In Shannon's 30 years of experience, she has received multiple honors. She was named to Crain's Chicago Magazine's "40 under 40" and nominated as a top 25 Wealth Manager Private Asset Management. In 2016, she was named as one of Modern Luxury's Dynamic Women of Orange County and was honored as an outstanding community volunteer by the Girl Scouts of Orange County in 2015.

"I am dedicated to being a positive influence in my community and industry," said Kennedy. "For the past 30 years, my commitment to the Orange County Community has introduced me to many great people and organizations and I am excited to be honored amongst such a notable group of leaders in Orange County."

The OCBJ directory will be distributed to subscribers on November 5.

ABOUT BNY MELLON WEALTH MANAGEMENT

BNY Mellon Wealth Management is a leading wealth manager. In 2018, it was ranked the 11th largest U.S. Wealth Manager by Barron's. The firm has more than two centuries of experience in providing services to clients who today include financially successful individuals and families, their family offices and business enterprises, planned giving programs, and endowments and foundations. It has $261 billion in total client assets, as of September 30, 2018, and an extensive network of offices in the U.S. and internationally. BNY Mellon Wealth Management, which delivers leading wealth advice across investments, banking, custody and wealth and estate planning, conducts business through various operating subsidiaries of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. For more information go to bnymellonwealth.com or follow us on Twitter @BNYMellonWealth.

ABOUT BNY MELLON

BNY Mellon is a global investments company dedicated to helping its clients manage and service their financial assets throughout the investment lifecycle. Whether providing financial services for institutions, corporations or individual investors, BNY Mellon delivers informed investment management and investment services in 35 countries. As of September 30, 2018, BNY Mellon had $34.5 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration, and $1.8 trillion in assets under management. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.

SOURCE BNY Mellon Wealth Management

Related Links

http://www.bnymellon.com


The beloved Brazilian singer-guitarist-composer's unique samba-soul fusion has helped to establish the artist as a key figure in such musical movements as bossa nova, Tropicalia and Jovem Guarda, and to establish Ben as one of Brazil's most important composers and performers. His distinctive performing style and adventurous rhythmic approach has been emulated by countless Brazilian artists, and his compositions have been recorded by acts as diverse as Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Gal Costa, Jose Feliciano, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Julio Iglesias, Al Jarreau, Miriam Makeba, Caetano Veloso and Sergio Mendes who had a huge hit with the ubiquitous "Mas Que Nada."

Although it did not receive a U.S. release when it was originally issued in 1969, Jorge Ben has been acknowledged as a seminal work, with such songs as "Que Pena" and "Pais Tropical" standing amongst the artist's most popular and enduring material. Jorge Ben is a landmark album in other respects, introducing many of the elements of Ben's unique fusion of samba, funk, rock and bossa nova, along with humorous lyrics that explore edgy and unpredictable subject matter.

Jorge Ben was born Jorge Duilio Lima Menezes in Rio de Janeiro on March 22, 1942. The son of a local musician, he grew up in poverty in the Favela da Rua do Bispo, but played music through his youth and became a professional while still in his teens, performing in a variety of styles. In 1965, he toured the U.S. for the first time, and was featured in his first TV series in Brazil. Ben's penchant for unconventional hybrid rhythms made him a controversial figure in Brazil, leading to multiple bans from television. But successful American covers of his songs by Herb Alpert, Jose Feliciano and Sergio Mendes helped to set the stage for a series of Brazilian successes, and Ben was in demand on his home turf by the time Jorge Ben was released.

Now, American listeners can experience this visionary classic the way it was meant to be heard.

Jorge Ben Track Listing

Side A

1. Criola

2. Domingas

3. Cade Teresa

4. Barbarella

5. Pais Tropical

Side B

1. Take It Easy My Brother Charles

2. Descobri Que Eu Sou Um Anjo

3. Bebete Vaobora

4. Quem Foi Que Roubou A Sopeira De Porcelana Chinesa Que A Vovo Ganhou Da Baronesa

5. Que Pena

6. Charles Anjo 45

SOURCE Verve/UMe

Related Links

http://www.umusic.com


LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Calyx Peak Capital announced today Ed Schmults, former CEO of FAO Schwarz and COO of Patagonia, will join its elite team of cannabis industry experts. As CEO, Ed brings his extensive experience in worldwide branding to Calyx Peak, joining chief investment officer Michael Bang, and Dr. Paul Y. Song, chief medical officer, in their pursuit to revolutionize and further develop the burgeoning cannabis industry ahead of full federal legalization.

As a cannabis-centric funding partner, Calyx Peak Capital has set itself apart with a diverse team of medical, construction, business, financial, and cannabis industry experts, who tout extensive experience in heavily regulated industries, such as finance, trading, and government contracting, as well as retail, healthcare, consumer products, operations, IT and logistics. Additionally, it is among the only capital groups in the industry to also boast a house brand, Josh D, with such a strong legacy.

"The cannabis market is very intriguing to me, given the market size, growth rates, and the incredible life-changing and life-saving medicinal benefits cannabis has to offer. In addition, there are significant positive social justice benefits to decriminalization as well as other societal benefits, like safer products and substantial tax revenues," says Schmults. "I've spent my career building and turning around brands with rich histories. I joined Calyx Peak because I believe my experience is an excellent fit to help them build a great brand and team. We're here to create a rich branded experience through high quality and innovative product and long-lasting relationships with our customers based on reliability and trust."

"We're very proud to be welcoming Ed to our team," says Bang. "His resume says it allhe's transformed brands, built strong operational teams and infrastructure and understands how to build and market products that create strong emotional connections with customers. He's an integral piece to Calyx Peak's future in the cannabis industry."

Calyx Peak launched with a small investment in Nevada in 2016 and quickly expanded to investments in three states within its first 18 months. Currently, Calyx Peak Capital manages seven permits and related operations in three states with 225,000-square feet of cultivation facilities and continues to expand. It operates cultivation, processing, and distribution facilities in California, Ohio, and Nevada, with pending operations in Massachusetts. Calyx Peak is poised to broaden operations as cannabis regulations evolve nationwide.

"Our goal is to continue to build a great company with strong national brands, with scalable processes and procedures that will prepare us for the eventual legalization or decriminalization at the federal level," says Schmults.

To learn more about Calyx Peak Capital, please visit www.calyxpeak.com

SOURCE Calyx Peak

Related Links

http://www.calyxpeak.com


CPS announced in June that it would undertake an effort to run new background checks and fingerprint workers who had no fingerprints on file. The district did so in response to Tribune reporting that found some school employees had been hired with criminal backgrounds or were arrested for sex crimes after being hired.
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) today announced that Cameron LNG has initiated the commissioning process for the support facilities and first liquefaction train of Phase 1 of its Hackberry, La., liquefaction-export project.

"All major construction activities have been completed to begin the commissioning and start-up process to produce LNG from the first liquefaction train," said Joseph A. Householder, president and chief operating officer of Sempra Energy. "This is a significant milestone for this landmark U.S. energy infrastructure facility  an important step forward in advancing our strategic vision to become North America's premier energy infrastructure company."

Phase 1 of the Cameron LNG liquefaction-export project, which includes the first three liquefaction trains, is a $10 billion facility with a projected export capability of 12 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of LNG, or approximately 1.7 billion cubic feet per day. All three trains are expected to be producing LNG in 2019.

The commissioning process includes testing of all support systems, combustion turbines and compressors, as well as the delivery of feed gas from the transmission pipeline and production of the first LNG. Once all of the steps of the commissioning process are approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and successfully completed for the first liquefaction train, LNG production will start up, and then ramp up to full production for delivery to global markets.

Cameron LNG is jointly owned by affiliates of Sempra LNG & Midstream, Total, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., and Japan LNG Investment, LLC, a company jointly owned by Mitsubishi Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK). Sempra Energy indirectly owns 50.2 percent of Cameron LNG.

Sempra Energy's share of full run-rate earnings from the first three trains at Cameron LNG are projected to be between $365 million and $425 million annually.

Cameron LNG Phase 1 is one of five LNG export projects Sempra Energy is developing in North America. Cameron LNG Phase 2, previously authorized by FERC, encompasses up to two additional liquefaction trains and up to two additional LNG storage tanks. Sempra Energy's other LNG development projects include Port Arthur LNG, Energia Costa Azul (ECA) LNG Phase 1 and ECA LNG Phase 2.

Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based energy services holding company with 2017 revenues of more than $11 billion, is the utility holding company with the largest U.S. customer base. The Sempra Energy companies' approximately 20,000 employees serve more than 40 million consumers worldwide.

This press release contains statements that are not historical fact and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," "contemplates," "assumes," "depends," "should," "could," "would," "will," "confident," "may," "can," "potential," "possible," "proposed," "target," "pursue," "outlook," "maintain," or similar expressions or discussions of guidance, strategies, plans, goals, vision, opportunities, projections, initiatives, objectives or intentions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Future results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.

Factors, among others, that could cause actual results and future actions to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties relating to: actions and the timing of actions, including decisions, new regulations, and issuances of permits and other authorizations by the U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, states, cities and counties, and other regulatory and governmental bodies in the United States and other countries in which we operate; the timing and success of business development efforts and construction projects, including risks in (i) timely obtaining or maintaining permits and other authorizations, (ii) completing construction projects on schedule and on budget, and (iii) obtaining the consent and participation of partners and counterparties and their ability to fulfill contractual commitments; the availability of natural gas and liquefied natural gas, and natural gas pipeline and storage capacity; equipment failures; changes in energy markets; volatility in commodity prices; moves to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas; risks posed by actions of third parties who control the operations of our investments; weather conditions, natural disasters, accidents, equipment failures, computer system outages, explosions, terrorist attacks and other events that disrupt our operations, damage our facilities and systems, cause the release of greenhouse gases and harmful emissions, and subject us to third-party liability for property damage or personal injuries, fines and penalties, some of which may not be covered by insurance (including costs in excess of applicable policy limits) or may be disputed by insurers; cybersecurity threats to storage and pipeline infrastructure, the information and systems used to operate our businesses; the impact of recent federal tax reform and uncertainty as to how it may be applied, and our ability to mitigate adverse impacts; changes in foreign and domestic trade policies and laws, including border tariffs, revisions to or replacement of international trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, that may increase our costs or impair our ability to resolve trade disputes; and other uncertainties, some of which may be difficult to predict and are beyond our control.

These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that Sempra Energy has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and on Sempra Energy's website at www.sempra.com. Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and Sempra Energy or its subsidiaries undertake no obligation to update or revise these forecasts or projections or other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Sempra South American Utilities, Sempra North American Infrastructure, Sempra LNG & Midstream, Sempra Renewables, Sempra Mexico, Sempra Texas Utility, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC (Oncor) and Infraestructura Energetica Nova, S.A.B. de C.V. (IEnova) are not the same companies as the California utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and Sempra South American Utilities, Sempra North American Infrastructure, Sempra LNG & Midstream, Sempra Renewables, Sempra Mexico, Sempra Texas Utility, Oncor and IEnova are not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

SOURCE Sempra Energy

Related Links

http://www.sempra.com


SAN DIEGO, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A California Court of Appeal has affirmed the trial court's ruling in favor of Aya Healthcare ("Aya") in a lawsuit brought by its competitor AMN Healthcare, Inc. ("AMN").

Previously, a California Superior Court dismissed all of these claims on summary judgment, finding that the non-solicitation provisions in AMN's employment agreements were unlawful, void and unenforceable under California law. The Superior Court also issued a statewide injunction against AMN which precludes AMN from enforcing these provisions in California against any of its former employees. AMN had previously filed lawsuits and taken other actions against numerous former AMN employees in an attempt to enforce these unlawful provisions. Aya had alleged that these provisions were an unlawful restraint of trade and that AMN was enforcing them in order to discourage former employees from obtaining employment with AMN competitors. This Superior Court's decision and injunction prevented AMN from "using, enforcing or attempting to enforce any contract or employment agreement in the State of California which purports to restrain its former employees from directly or indirectly soliciting or inducing or causing others to solicit or induce, any employee of AMN to leave the service of AMN."

In addition to its dismissing AMN's claims and issuing an injunction, the Superior Court held that awarding attorneys' fees was appropriate because AMN's misappropriation claims were "objectively baseless" and had been filed in "bad faith." In this respect, the Superior Court held that evidence presented by Aya indicated that "prior to the litigation AMN engaged in 'strong arm' tactics, including a demand that Aya enter into a mutual no-hire agreement (of specious legal basis)" and that AMN's conduct supported the inference "AMN was bringing this litigation to intimidate its competitor." The Superior Court further held that awarding Aya attorneys' fees on its successful unfair competition claim was "appropriate in the interests of justice."

The Court of Appeal has now affirmed the Superior Court's rulings in their entirety. The Court of Appeal independently found AMN's non-solicitation provision to be unlawful and void under California law. The Court of Appeal held that the action "resulted in the enforcement of an important right affecting the public interest" and "conferred a significant benefit on a large class of persons.namely all current and former AMN California employees who had signed [the employment agreement]and all California-based competitors of AMN who wanted to hire such former employeesbut were concerned about, or refrained from doing so because of [the employment agreement] and the potential risk of litigation resulting from its enforcement."

AMN's bad faith pursuit of sham litigation is just one of the anti-competitive behaviors that Aya alleges AMN uses to artificially limit clinical supply and inflate prices for hospitals throughout the country. These anti-completive allegations are the subject of a separate antitrust lawsuit against AMN that Aya filed in federal court (S.D. Cal) on Feb. 2, 2017.

About Aya Healthcare

Aya Healthcare is reimagining healthcare staffing and workforce solutions in the United States. We are the largest privately held travel nurse and workforce solutions provider and deliver solutions for all aspects of healthcare staffing including locums, allied health and just-in-time local staff. The company continues to experience rapid growth as it reshapes the healthcare workforce landscape through its transformative use of technology including its cloud-based MSP solution and real-time Shifts app for per diem clinicians. Aya's platform provides access to one of the largest sources of contract clinicians in the country, which improves efficiency, increases quality and reduces costs for healthcare systems. To learn more about Aya Healthcare, visit www.ayahealthcare.com.

Media Contact

Erin Stafford

VP of Marketing

[email protected]

858.216.2012

SOURCE Aya Healthcare

Related Links

http://www.ayahealthcare.com


MAUMEE, Ohio, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) today announced that Shelley Bridarolli will be joining the company as senior vice president of human resources, effective Nov. 26, 2018.

In this role, Ms. Bridarolli will have responsibility for H.R. strategy, processes, talent management and development, employee relations, knowledge management, labor relations, organizational design, change management, and integration activities.

"Shelley Bridarolli is a world-class human resources executive who has an extensive background in the mobility and industrial markets," said Jim Kamsickas, Dana president and CEO. "She will play a critical role as Dana expands its talent base to address the growing e-Mobility sector."

Ms. Bridarolli comes to Dana from BorgWarner, where she most recently served as vice president of human resources for the company's PowerDrive Systems group. In that capacity, she had global responsibility for up to 10,000 employees and a team of more than 70 human resource professionals located in the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Canada, China, Korea, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and Sweden.

Prior to BorgWarner, Ms. Bridarolli served for 13 years in a variety of leadership roles at Eaton Corporation, where she progressed from human resources manager to divisional vice president of human resources. She began her professional career at the National Fuel Exploration Corporation as leader of human resources and administration.

Born and raised in Canada, Ms. Bridarolli earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Lethbridge, and an MBA in human resources from Royal Roads University in Canada.

About Dana Incorporated

Dana is a world leader in highly engineered solutions for improving the efficiency, performance, and sustainability of powered vehicles and machinery. Dana supports the passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway markets, as well as industrial and stationary equipment applications. Founded in 1904, Dana employs more than 30,000 people in 33 countries on six continents who are committed to delivering long-term value to customers. Based in Maumee, Ohio, USA, the company reported sales of $7.2 billion in 2017. Dana is ranked among the Drucker Institute's listing of the 250 most effectively managed companies. For more information, please visit dana.com.

SOURCE Dana Incorporated

Related Links

http://www.dana.com


SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to increase donations to nonprofit organizations on #GivingTuesday, YouTube show host Devin Thorpe will be streaming live for 24 hours on Tuesday, November 27, 2018. He calls the event the #GivingTuesday streamathon.

The event will include interviews with nonprofit leaders who are fundraising on #GivingTuesday. While dozens have already signed up and scheduled their interviews, times are still available and Thorpe is still accepting applications at apply.gtstreamathon.org.

Devin Thorpe, host of the #GTstreamathon Devin Thorpe, near the end of the 24-hour 2017 #GTstreamathon

"Every year since the 92nd Street Y and the UN Foundation came together to organize the first #GivingTuesday, the event has grown, motivating people to make giving a part of their holiday tradition," Thorpe says. "Black Friday and Cyber Monday help us think about our closest friends and how to make them happy. #GivingTuesday helps us turn our attention to those beyond our personal circles."

"The #GTstreamathon is a fun way for us to expand our reach on #GivingTuesday," says Heidi Totten, founder of 100 Humanitarians. "We're looking to significantly increase donations this year and participating in Devin's show gives us another way to reach new people and share urgency and excitement with our existing donor base so we can help more families lift themselves out of poverty in Kenya."

The nonprofits participating in this year's #GTstreamathon include: Penn State, the Rotary International, Smile Train, GlobalGiving and Water.org. There is no cost to participate. Nonprofit leaders can join the call from their laptops or cell phones from almost anywhere in the world. Large or small, all nonprofits are invited to apply.

The #GTstreamthon is made possible by sponsors, including: DonorPerfect, Johnson & Johnson's CaringCrowd, FundRazr, Durham Jones & Pinegar and a generous donor who sponsored in honor of the Salt Lake Choral Artists. There are limited sponsorship opportunities still available. Interest parties can express interest at apply.gtstreamathon.org.

More about the #GTstreamathon:

The #GTstreamathon is a 24-hour video livestream on #GivingTuesday hosted by Devin Thorpe, a YouTube show host, whose guests include nonprofit leaders, celebrities and crowdfunding professionals. Watch the live stream on November 27, 2018 at gtstreamathon.org.

Contact: Devin Thorpe

Your Mark on the World Center

801-747-9575

[email protected]

48 W. Broadway, #1903N

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

SOURCE Devin Thorpe
PETALUMA, Calif., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- It takes employees to run a business, even if the only employee is the boss and owner, too. As a business grows, it's going to need more employees. Brandon Frere, successful entrepreneur and CEO of several companies, advises business-healthy ways of finding and hiring employees for the betterment of a company.

It's becoming more common to enlist the help of temp agencies for finding the right employees for the job. Temp agencies take the time to already perform background checks and deliver cherry-picked resumes to an employer's hands, so to speak. After the most ideal candidates have been chosen, they'll have a temporary contract put in place for a trial period where usually the temp is hired afterward. This system is great to help bring employees to companies that need them, but maybe don't have the resources to put out their own social net to grab the attention of prospective employees.

But with any system, there are ways to exploit it. In this case never hiring temps as full-time employees, or firing current full time employees in the end goal of hiring them through a temp agency again for less money. Doing so damages the integrity of the company and if the exploitation goes on long enough, has the potential to drive away future employees who have heard about the company's abuse of its employees and maybe even ruin a company's reputation. "Taking advantage any and all things available to advance a business is necessary, but people aren't things. Employees that work for a company are key assets that need to be properly taken care of. My employees have chosen to work towards the betterment of my businesses, and it humbles me, and so I make sure to take care of them," said Frere.

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

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SOURCE Brandon Frere

Related Links

http://www.BrandonFrere.com


Icelandair joins airlines around the world in taking steps to modernize their flight tracking capabilities. Largely in response to the loss of flights AF447 and MH370, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is a United Nations specialized agency, created the Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System or "GADSS". GADSS establishes standards and recommended practices for flight tracking by aircraft operators and has been adopted by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

GADSS begins taking effect on November 8th of this year, when aircraft operators will be expected to track their aircraft at a frequency of one position every 15 minutes during normal operations. By 1st January 2021, airlines should receive position updates once per minute if an aircraft is in distress.

"Icelandair is unique in the sense that 100% of their routes fly over remote bodies of water where precise flight tracking hasn't been feasible until now," said Max Tribolet, Director of Business Development for FlightAware. "Augmenting FlightAware's terrestrial ADS-B coverage with Aireon's space-based ADS-B network will ensure position updates of at least once-per-minute anywhere in the world. This means that Icelandair will far outperform the GADSS standard for normal conditions and will proactively meet the 2021 recommendation for tracking aircraft in distress."

FlightAware's terrestrial network, which consists of over 20,000 ground stations around the world, provides position updates multiple times per minute for aircraft flying over land. This network also captures aircraft movement on the ground with position updates every second. Through partnership with Aireon, FlightAware's feed includes space-based ADS-B coverage as well. Aireon's space-based ADS-B network, which is hosted on the Iridium NEXT constellation, will eliminate coverage gaps over oceans, polar regions and other remote areas with position updates at least every minute. Because ADS-B OUT is mandated throughout the world, the vast majority of airlines  including Icelandair  do not need to install any additional equipment to be tracked on these networks.

"While Iceland's geographical location between North America and Europe has proved to be strategic for building international routes, it has also presented challenges for tracking our aircraft until now," says Captain Haukur Reynisson, Director of Flight Operations at Icelandair. "By integrating live flight tracking data from FlightAware, Icelandair gains incredible situational awareness that will drive operational optimization and reinforce passenger safety."

About FlightAware

FlightAware (FlightAware.com) is the world's largest flight tracking information company and provides over 10,000 aircraft operators and service companies as well as over 12 million passengers with global flight tracking solutions. FlightAware leverages data from air traffic control systems in over 45 countries, from FlightAware's network of nearly 20,000 ADS-B ground stations in nearly 200 countries, from AireonSM space-based ADS-B and from global datalink providers. FlightAware is privately held with offices in Houston, New York and Singapore.

SOURCE FlightAware

Related Links

www.flightaware.com


PEORIA, Ill., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P., Halunen Law, and Levin Sedran & Berman, counsel for the plaintiffs in In re: IKO Roofing Shingles Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 2104 (C.D. IL), announced today that the plaintiffs have entered into an agreement to settle various class actions relating to IKO "organic" asphalt roofing shingles that were installed on buildings in the United States primarily between 1978 and 2008. IKO denies any liability in the actions. The parties agreed to the settlement to avoid the expense and distraction of further protracted litigation and to fully resolve this matter.

This class action settlement, which must be approved by a judge, was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois. The benefits to Settlement Class Members include extensions of shingle limited warranties by up to five years on existing warranties and some expired warranties and increases in the payments on certain valid warranty claims.

People who own or owned buildings with IKO organic shingles can obtain additional information about the settlement by checking the website at www.IKOOrganicRoofingShinglesClassActionSettlement.com.

For Further Information:

For Class Plaintiffs:

Robert K. Shelquist

Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P.

612-339-6900

www.locklaw.com

Clayton Halunen

Halunen Law

612-605-4098

www.halunenlaw.com

Charles Schaffer

Levin Sedran & Berman

877-882-1011

www.lfsblaw.com

SOURCE Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P., Halunen Law, and Levin Sedran & Berman
HOUSTON, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lime Rock, private equity investors of growth capital in E&P and oilfield service companies, today announces the final closing of Lime Rock Partners VIII, L.P., and an affiliated co-investment vehicle with $688 million in aggregate capital commitments. Inclusive of the previously announced June 2018 closing of Lime Rock Partners IV AF, L.P. at $1.9 billion, with $741 million of new capital commitments, Lime Rock has held a final close on $1.4 billion in new capital commitments this year.

Nearly 90% of institutional investors from Lime Rock Partners' previous fund, Lime Rock Partners VII, L.P., made commitments to Fund VIII. One-third of the capital in Fund VIII came from new investors who had not participated in Fund VII. The Lime Rock Partners team will seek to deploy the capital in Fund VIII through investments in high-growth, differentiated oil and gas businesses in the E&P and oilfield services sectors with a particular focus on U.S. shale-related opportunities.

Jonathan Farber, Managing Director and co-founder of Lime Rock, noted, "We are extremely appreciative for the support of both our longstanding investors and new limited partners whose commitments allowed Fund VIII to exceed Fund VII's capital commitments by twenty percent. We have begun working hard to deliver value at the seven portfolio companies already in Fund VIII and other potential new investments."

John Reynolds, Managing Director and co-founder of Lime Rock, added, "This is almost the twentieth anniversary exactly of the first official day at Lime Rock, and a time of reflection for the entire team. After two decades, we owe tremendous thanks to our colleagues, their families, our portfolio company partners, and supporters in the industry. At the top of that list, though, are the Lime Rock Partners and Lime Rock Resources fund investors, who have put their institutions' trustand their missionspartly in our hands."

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP acted as legal counsel to Fund VIII, and Eaton Partners served as the placement agent.

Since its inception in 1998, Lime Rock Management has raised $8.9 billion in private equity funds and affiliated co-investment vehicles for investment in the energy industry through Lime Rock Partners, investors of growth capital in E&P and oilfield services companies in the U.S. shales and elsewhere, and Lime Rock Resources, acquirers and operators of oil and gas properties in the United States. For more information, please visit: www.lrpartners.com.

SOURCE Lime Rock

Related Links

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Each USDC represents a single US dollar and moves neither up nor down relative to its reference currency. One USDC is a 1:1 representation of a US dollar on the Ethereum blockchain. Each USDC is 100% collateralized by a corresponding US dollar held in accounts subject to regular public reporting of reserves.

"We are thrilled to see Liquid launch support for USDC. As the leading exchange for the Japanese Yen market and a pioneer in the cryptocurrency exchange market, they are a strong partner for USDC. We share a common vision of an open, connected and global financial system built on cryptocurrency assets and blockchain technology, and this is an important step in reaching that goal as we connect additional major markets with open fiat rails. We are looking forward to future collaboration with Liquid as we expand our efforts in this space together," said Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire.

"Circle is a natural partner and ally for Liquid as we share common values in our motivation to clean up cryptocurrency, bring much needed liquidity to the space and lay the foundations for the kind of sector-wide stability that will lead to the next wave of adoption. This pro-regulation partnership is more than just a listing of USDC. This is a pledge between Liquid and Circle to join forces together and with other regulated actors to legitimize cryptocurrency for the whole world," said Liquid CEO Mike Kayamori.

Circle is a money services business registered with FinCEN and holding 48 US state money transmitter licenses. Circle was also the first recipient of the BitLicense issued by the New York State's Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) and is actively working with NYDFS to bring USDC to New York customers in a regulated way. Quoine, the fintech company behind Liquid, is licensed by the Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA). Quoine is a member of the Japan FSA cryptocurrency self-regulatory body, JVCEA, mandated to formulate guidelines for cryptocurrency exchanges in Japan.

About Liquid

Liquid is a global cryptocurrency platform powered by the World Book, which provides customers with enhanced price matching and deeper liquidity for various fiat and cryptocurrency pairs. More information can be found at: https://liquid.com

The company behind Liquid is Quoine, a leading global fintech company that provides trading, exchange, and next generation financial services powered by blockchain technology. With offices in Japan, Singapore and Vietnam, Quoine combines a strong network of local partners with extensive team experience in banking and financial products to deliver best in class financial services for its customers. More information is available at quoine.com

About Circle

Circle is a global crypto finance company on a mission to make it possible for anyone, anywhere to help change the global economy. Circle believes money should be like the internet -- open, secure, free, everywhere.

Liquid Contact Person: Renee Tng

Email: [email protected]

Corporate Website: https://quoine.com

Liquid Website: https://liquid.com

Telegram Community: https://t.me/Quoine

Katherine

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Quoine

Related Links

https://quoine.com


In Waukegan, community activists have been focused for years on noxious pollution emitted by one of the states last coal-fired power plants, an aging facility on the shore of Lake Michigan that can be seen from miles away. They also have joined city officials pushing the EPA to clean up abandoned industrial sites  projects that have hindered redevelopment of citys lakefront.
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Finding and acquiring good quality e liquids are paramount to a satisfying vape experience. There's no point in using e-cigs with e-juices that lack flavor and consistency. A new Southern California company named Hot Juice aims to solve that by providing a variety of different vape flavors at affordable price points. Hot Juice carries all sorts of e liquids that range from favorite breakfast cereals to mouth-watering pastries and dessert vapes.

Hot Juice

The wide assortment of flavor profiles Hot Juice carries makes them a very hot commodity amongst religious vapers. If delicious vape flavors are being searched for, that are both high quality and budget-friendly, Hot Juice is usually on the top of the list for tens of thousands of vapers. It's No wonder their presence as a reputable online e juice seller has been continually growing day by day because of the effort Hot Juice puts into making their e liquids.

Hot Juice allows anyone to choose the preferred nicotine strength and VG/PG blend according to personal tastes. This way, their flavors can be enjoyed just the way a customer likes it. No matter the flavor, the nicotine strength, or the VG/PG blend, they have something for every vaper out there to keep their cravings satisfied

Development Of The MBFI System

Let's talk about the e-juice quality of Hot Juice's products. They carefully select their ingredients that are locally sourced from Southern California so they have direct control over the quality of their e liquids. By doing this, they're able to craft delicious flavors that are well-rounded and on-point when it comes to the taste.

Hot Juice has tested almost 100 competitive brands. Their primary focus was to test flavor longevity. The first thing they noticed was a significant loss of flavor throughout their vaping experience.

After further testing, the Hot Juice team concluded that their competitor's flavor compounds were being separated from the propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin mixtures. This is what led the team to develop the MBFI system also known as Micro-Bubble Flavor -injection. With this system, Hot Juice is able to inject flavor into every particle of e juice. There is a final secret to Hot Juice's success and that is to increase their flavor profile by 30% compared to other leading brands on the market today.

"Increasing the flavor profile by 30% isn't exactly an inexpensive business decision. This increases our cost per bottle significantly however our customer retention is through the roof and also our customer satisfaction is at 97% which makes it all worthwhile" - Jon Deak CEO.

Manufacturing CBD Vape Oil and Ejuice Under One Roof

Hot Juice is also the first company in America that is officially manufacturing CBD Vape Juice and Ejuice under one roof in Los Angeles California. They have been applying their vast knowledge of E-Liquid flavor blends and applying it to creating some of the most delicious and potent CBD Vape-Oil on the market.

Hot Juice offers their CBD Juice in a variety of milligram levels which can range from 200mg to 5000mg. They use only the purest CBD Isolate that is free of any THC. If guests of the website wanted to know if CBD vape juice would give them a high, the answer is that since Hot Juices' Isolate does not contain THC, there is no way anyone could get high from vaping it.

E-Liquid Flavors Made For Enthusiastic Vapers

Hot Juice is making their mark in the vaping industry as one of the most reliable sources of quality e-liquid online. Their website is easy to navigate and they deliver such amazing quality at affordable prices. Not only are their flavors highly accurate, but customers also get to customize their vape depending on what nicotine strength they want. They also allow customers to choose the VG/PG ratio if they want more flavor or more vapor.

Having 60 different quality flavors sounds like heaven for the ears of enthusiastic vapers who have adventurous tongues. Hot Juice definitely knows a thing or two about crafting e-liquid vapes that are consistent in flavor from the inhale all the way to the exhale. Their fruity flavors are perfect as an everyday vape and their coffee and beverage juices are great for relaxing on early mornings.

Their candy vapes are also great if the craving is for some sugary treats. Giving their flavors a try will reveal why more and more vapers are enjoying their e juices.

Over 60 Different Vape Juice Flavors!

Hot Juice's collection of 60 different flavors immediately stand out from a vaper's point of view. The myriad of choices they offer is enough to keep any vaper's cravings at bay. Fancy a refreshing vape on an early Sunday morning? Try out their sweet tea and rainforest punch to quench a big thirst. How about sweet pastries and desserts? Their fudge brownie pie and peach custard cream vape juice will certainly fill any hunger up. In total, they have 9 different flavor profile categories for taste buds to explore.

Everyone will love their coffee vape juice blends. Imagine pouring a favorite Mocha Frappe directly in a vaporizer tank. The flavor is incredible! Once people try out their other juices, it'll really blow their minds on how accurate their flavors are! Aside from everyday vapes such as fruity vapes and candy treats, Hot Juice also offers unique flavors like carnival kettle corn, cloves, and even bacon bits! If someone's looking for something different, they have to give these flavors a try and see how they taste! They also carry tobacco and menthol vape juice too.

Age Restricted Website  Sales To Minors Prohibited

All purchases on Hot Juice's website are age restricted and customers must be of legal smoking age to purchase Hot Juice products. In some states that can be 18 years old and other states, it can be 21 years old.

While Hot Juice believes that responsible adults should be able to enjoy the vast flavor selections offered, they also firmly believe that children should not be able to purchase these products. The company has gone through great lengths to make sure that an Age Verification check is processed with every purchase.

Hot Juice also makes certain that all of their bottle designs and the overall appearance of the website is very professional. They have gone out of their way to make sure none of their packagings attracts children and that all products have the correct and required FDA labeling practices. In other words, Hot Juice doesn't want money from any child and they will do everything in their power to make sure no underage purchases go through.

If you would like to learn more about this new exciting company you can visit the Hot Juice Website.

Contact Information

Jon Deak - CEO

HotJuice.com

[email protected]

Toll-Free: 1-877-835-8423

Related Images

hot-juice-country-gentleman-vape.jpg

Hot Juice Country Gentleman Vape Juice

hot-juice-bananaberry-tropicburst.jpeg

Hot Juice Bananaberry Tropicburst Vape Juice

hot-juice-green-apple-tango-vape.jpeg

Hot Juice Green Apple Tango Vape Juice

Related Links

Facebook

YouTube

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K99Dykp9v3Y

SOURCE Hot Juice

Related Links

http://HotJuice.com


FORT MILL, S.C., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A survey by YouGov of 16,000 people worldwide reveals that 60 percent of Americans believe daylight affects their productivity. Fifty-five percent think exposure to daylight affects their sleep8.

Numerous studies have proven the role of daylight in promoting a good night's sleep while highlighting the negative impacts a lack of daylight has on health3.

"Exposure to light-dark cycles is an absolutely crucial part of our biology and that's due to the role of light in resetting our circadian clock each and every day," said Dr. Steven Lockley, neuroscientist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. "It resets our clocks to be in tune with environmental time, and light is the primary time-cue. If you're exposed to higher light levels and bluer light in the daytime, then you get a better stimulant effect. You'll be more alert and have better cognitive function; potentially be more productive at work and so on."

The global survey was commissioned by global skylight manufacturer VELUX for a report called The Indoor Generation, aimed at highlighting the importance of living in healthy homes and the role fresh air and natural light play in them. Initial findings revealed that over half of those surveyed believe they spend between 6-10 hours outside each day; in reality findings from the US Environmental Protection Agency show that on average people only get outside for about 2.5 hours each day  that's 90 percent of their day inside.

"It's clear that many people across the world believe that daylight has a notable impact on their sleep and productivity and it's very likely that there's some truth in these beliefs. Studies have revealed that the daily light dose might be too low among people in the Western countries," said Peter Foldbjerg, Head of Daylight, Energy and Indoor Climate at The VELUX Group.

As the days become shorter during the switch to Standard Time and colder, the importance of getting enough daylight is even more acute. A review published by the National Research Council Canada suggested that inadequate exposure to daylight could be detrimental to our wellbeing.

Our body clocks are informed by the different levels of daylight in a 24-hour period, we need plenty of light during the day and darkness at night to ensure a good night's sleep. Some of the consequences caused by poor sleep include depression, diabetes, heart disease and weight gain. Other side effects linked to poor sleep include higher risk of work accidents, reduced concentration and low mood and difficulties in making decisions4.

Daylight can also help enhance productivity

As many as 63 percent of people polled globally in the YouGov survey said that daylight influences their productivity. The link between daylight and office productivity has also been widely investigated and various studies show that daylight and a view to the outside increase performance at work.

Workers in a call center were processing calls 6 percent to 12 percent faster when they had the best possible view versus those with no view. Other office workers, meanwhile, were found to perform 10 percent to 25 percent better on tests of mental function and memory recall when they had the best possible view versus those with no view.

"One relevant question to raise, with these findings in mind and the fact that personnel costs typically account for 90 percent of a business' operating costs: Do the offices and schools offer the right thinking-environment that boosts the performance of employees and children's learning?" Foldbjerg said.

Top tips for improving your sleep

Increased exposure to daylight will help you sleep at night  sitting near a window at work or school and making an effort to get outside more will also help with this

Eliminate light from the outside to enter your bedroom at night

Sleep in a cooler bedroom

Avoid looking at electronic devices (TVs, smartphones / tablets) which distribute blue light before going to sleep  this can trick the brain into staying alert at the wrong time of day

Establish a good bed time routine  read a book instead of having more screen time

Give children a red or orange night light if they are afraid of the dark as these are the least disruptive to sleep

About The VELUX Group

For more than 75 years, the VELUX Group has created better living environments for people around the world; making the most of daylight and fresh air through the roof. Our product programme includes roof windows and modular skylights, decorative blinds, sun screening products and roller shutters, as well as installation and smart home solutions. These products help to ensure a healthy and sustainable indoor climate, where people work, learn, live or play. We work globally  with sales and manufacturing operations in more than 40 countries and around 10,200 employees worldwide. The VELUX Group is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company wholly owned by non-profit, charitable foundations (THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS) and family. In 2017, VKR Holding had total revenue of EUR 2.5 billion, and THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS donated EUR 168 million in charitable grants. For more, information, visit www.velux.com.

About VELUX Skylights

VELUX is the world leader in skylights and roof windows and is one of the strongest brands in the global building materials sector with sales and manufacturing operations in more than 40 countries. VELUX America products are available nationwide through home centers, building material suppliers, lumberyards and independent door, window or roofing retailers. Consumers can locate local suppliers and installers and access information on skylight selection by visiting www.veluxusa.com or www.whyskylights.com. VELUX skylights are made in America in Greenwood, South Carolina.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Website: www.veluxusa.com/indoorgeneration

Sources

People spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors (WHO Europe 2013 report, US Environmental Protection Agency), http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/environment-and-health/air-quality/publications/2014/combined-or-multiple-exposure-to-health-stressors-in-indoor-built-environments Principles of healthy lighting: a role for daylight, Jennifer Veitch , NRCC. 2002, http://www.iar.unicamp.br/lab/luz/ld/Sa%FAde/Pesquisa/Principles%20of%20Healthy%20Lighting.pdf Office workers productivity is impacted by poor light (Heschong Mahone Group (2003) Windows and Offices: A Study of Office Worker Performance and the Indoor Environment), http://h-m-g.com/downloads/Daylighting/order_daylighting.htm Why Sleep Matters  the economic costs of insufficient sleep: A cross country comparative analysis ( Nov 30, 2016 ), RAND Corporation https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1791.html The Physiological and pscyhcological effects of windows, daylight and view at home, Jennifer Veitch and Anca D. Galasiu (NRCC, 2012) https://nparc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/view/fulltext/?id=06e1364d-71f3-4766-8ac8-f91da5576358 Assessment of daylight quality in simple rooms, Danish Building Research Institute by Johnsen K., Dubois M., Grau K. (2006), https://www.velux.com/deic/daylight/daylight-with-roof-windows-flat-roof-windows-and-modular-skylights.



YouGov Survey Research for The Indoor Generation Report was carried out by YouGov in March and April 2018 surveying around 16,000 homeowners across Northern European and Northern America ( Great Britain , USA , Canada , Denmark , Germany , France , Belgium , Netherlands , Czech Republic , Slovakia , Italy , Austria , Switzerland and Spain ).



For direct access to YouGov raw data, please provide your email address and you will be granted access to YouGov's online data portal.

How much time do you think you spend indoors during an average 24-hour day?



0-14 HOURS 15-18 HOURS 19-20 HOURS 21-24 HOURS

% % % % DENMARK 25 29 29 17 GREAT BRITAIN 25 28 25 23 USA 34 21 20 25 GERMANY 38 25 23 15 FRANCE 47 25 18 9 BELGIUM 45 24 18 13 NETHERLANDS 51 24 16 9 CZECH REPUBLIC 57 26 12 5 SLOVAKIA 35 30 25 10 ITALY 57 27 11 5 AUSTRIA 32 30 25 13 SWITZERLAND 41 26 23 11 SPAIN 45 27 19 9 CANADA 31 21 22 26









TOTAL RESPONDENTS 38 24 20 18

How does daylight influence your sleep?



Not at all A little Somewhat A lot Don't know

% % % % % DENMARK 19 29 25 20 7 GREAT BRITAIN 21 33 23 19 5 USA 22 18 26 29 5 GERMANY 12 27 30 27 5 FRANCE 15 29 28 23 6 BELGIUM 19 26 26 26 4 NETHERLANDS 22 26 25 25 3 CZECH REPUBLIC 14 28 27 30 2 SLOVAKIA 9 27 26 35 3 ITALY 14 23 28 34 1 AUSTRIA 12 28 27 30 2 SWITZERLAND 15 29 26 26 3 SPAIN 17 28 28 26 2 CANADA 18 24 26 30 3











TOTAL RESPONDENTS 17 27 26 26 4

How does daylight influence your productivity?



Not at all A little Somewhat A lot Don't know

% % % % % DENMARK 10 21 34 30 5 GREAT BRITAIN 19 26 29 20 6 USA 21 14 26 34 5 GERMANY 8 21 38 29 5 FRANCE 12 23 32 25 7 BELGIUM 16 18 31 31 4 NETHERLANDS 21 17 28 31 3 CZECH REPUBLIC 12 19 33 35 1 SLOVAKIA 8 15 33 42 3 ITALY 12 14 31 41 2 AUSTRIA 8 21 37 31 2 SWITZERLAND 10 20 38 29 3 SPAIN 10 17 35 35 3 CANADA 16 17 28 37 3











TOTAL RESPONDENTS 14 19 32 31 4

SOURCE VELUX Skylights

Related Links

http://www.veluxusa.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Author Paul Orwell predicts that after losing the House in the midterm elections, Big Trump willusing the language of 1984make a flurry of decrees to confuse opponents and implement his manifesto.

"As we saw in 2016, when confronted with facts, Big Trump will simply deny them. Instead he will shirk his responsibilities, shift the blame, and attempt to rectify the record, declaring victory after suffering a defeat, and making several dayorders, some of which may be blackwhite or contradictory."

Big Trump has many times spoken of mutability and shapeliness of truth and I predict that he will appoint Alex Jones to the Ministry of Truth (formerly the National Archives and Records Administration). Jones will revise the historical record according to a newly-implemented truth-fake axis. The Records Department (Recdep) at 1515 Pennsylvania Avenue will increase its supply of corrected information to media organs in the United States of America. In all media, "fake news" will be replaced with goodthink.

Memory holes will be widely distributed to State Governments so records of election results can be conveniently disposed of.

At the Ministry of Love, General Sessions will be declared an unperson and replaced by Stoogey Graham. Michael Moore, Jimmy Kimmel and Chris Hayes will be declared Enemies of the State. Books by Stephen King will be burned.

Comrade DeVos will introduce the zero-sum game into the school system which will deprecate facts and learning, and emphasize the importance of winners and losers. 2 + 2 = 5 will also be taught.

Comrade Sanders will introduce a Two-Minute Press Hate (distributed by State-Sponsored Fox News via telescreens to proles) immediately prior to White House briefings.

Kanye West will head the Ministry of Truth's Fiction Department, pornosec.

The Department of Homeland Security will be renamed The Ministry of Peace and tens of thousands of Peace Officers will be hired and despatched to the borders. "There will be so much love out it won't be believed! Incredible!!" Big Trump announced. Anyone who crosses Oceania's borders without correct documentation will be transported to joycamps.

The war with Eurasia will be declared over. Simultaneously, a new war with Eastasia will be started. Eastasia will be the enemy and will always have been the enemy.

There will be changes to Newspeak itself. The period will be deprecated in favor of single exclamation mark (neutral), double exclamation mark (good) and triple exclamation mark (doubleplusgood). In addition "bigly" will be officially added to Newspeak (adverb, super big), as will "yuge" (adjective, bigger than "bigly.")

Paul Orwell, a writer and businessman, has lived in New York, Moscow and Washington DC and yearns for an era where Newspeak is abolished and the world can return to political conversation and bi-partisan compromise. He is the author of "Sad! Donald 'Biff' Trump is President" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HQYY28N, the blog http://donaldbifftrump.com and is @trumpbiff on Twitter.

Media Contact:

Julia Smith

Oceania Press

[email protected]

646.918.8807

SOURCE Oceania Press
HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Following validation of 51 bids received by the Oct. 30 deadline for the seventh restaurant license auction authorized by Act 39 of 2016, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has issued Notices of Selection to top bidders on 25 licenses.

Winning bids range from $25,331 for a license in Fulton County to $176,001 for a license in Philadelphia. The average winning bid in the seventh auction was $73,915.

The number of bids received for each of the 25 licenses receiving bids ranged from one to four.

Eight licenses  one each in Allegheny, Carbon, Forest, Indiana, Luzerne, Northumberland, Potter, and Somerset counties  received no valid bids.

Winning bids and bidders are posted to the PLCB restaurant license auction web page.

Top bidders have 14 days from the date of each Notice of Selection to remit full bid payment to the PLCB. If bid payment is not received within two weeks of auction award, the second-highest bidder will have the opportunity to remit its full bid payment.

Each auction winner has six months from the issuance of the Notice of Selection to file a license application with the PLCB. Bids will be held in escrow by the PLCB, pending approval of the license application.

This auction included one license in each of the following 33 counties: Allegheny, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Carbon, Clarion, Clearfield, Columbia, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Forest, Fulton, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Somerset, and Wayne.



Auction revenue recognized since the first auction in 2016 totals $23 million, while another $4.4 million remains in escrow, pending license approvals.



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.state.pa.us


LAS VEGAS, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Planet Home Lending, LLC has opened a new branch in Las Vegas at 9130 W. Russell Rd.

L to R: Mark Lewis, Alejandra Martinez, Stephanie Patino, Carie Ann Ormonde, Tara Damelos, Ed Kami, Adam Haupt, Randy Viars, Jackie Garcia, Michelle Leaf, Desiree Hansel, and Joe Giuliano

"Planet Home Lending is a great fit for Las Vegas because the company understands the way people in Las Vegas make money is a little different," said Planet Regional Vice President Ed Kami (NMLS #288587). "The local economy includes a lot of service industry employees who rely on tips, so we have home loans you can get based on tip income. And because we have a lot of self-employed people and business owners, we offer a home loan you can get using your bank statements instead of your tax return."

Las Vegas also appeals to retirees who relocate here because there's no state income tax. "For them, there's a Planet home loan based on pension or investment income," Kami said.

Since real estate investors own a large portion of the properties in Las Vegas, the branch offers investors loans to buy multiple properties using rental income instead of personal income.

There's one way that Las Vegas residents are like everyone else in the U.S. Many struggle to save a down payment and afford their first home. "This branch is especially good at helping homebuyers who don't have a big down payment," said Planet Home Lending Executive Vice President of National Sales Mike Lee. "They know multiple ways to get down payment and closing cost help for homebuyers."

Branch Manager Adam Haupt (NMLS #371022) will lead the Las Vegas branch, assisted by Sales Manager Tara Damelos (NMLS #1496392), Production Manager Randy Viars, Mortgage Loan Officers Anthony Mason (NMLS #404046), Mark Lewis (NMLS #1480686), Anna Connot (NMLS #1709846), Desiree Hansel (NMLS #1620095), Jacqueline Gargia (NMLS #1069411), Merli Garcia (NMLS #993424), Yelina Garcia (NMLS #1598011), Joseph Giuliano (NMLS #1714202), Michelle Leaf (NMLS #1436732), Donald McCorkle (NMLS #1656849), Loan Officer Assistant Stephany Patino, Loan Officer Assistant Alejandra Martinez, and Processor Carie Ann Ormonde.

About Planet Home Lending, LLC

Founded in 2007, Planet Home Lending (NMLS #17720) is a privately held, national residential mortgage lender with multiple business channels uniquely positioned to provide competitive products and services. It is an approved originator and servicer for FHA, VA, and USDA, a Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Seller/Servicer, and a full Ginnie Mae Issuer and approved sub-servicer. For more information about Planet Home Lending, please visit planethomelending.com/

Press Contacts

Dona DeZube

Director, Communications Strategy

Planet Home Lending, LLC

[email protected]

(443) 263-2832

Branch Address

9130 W. Russell Rd.

Suite 210

Las Vegas, NV 89148

Branch NMLS# 1646117

SOURCE Planet Home Lending

Related Links

http://planethomelending.com/


NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network  it's easy and free. Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

National Bullying Prevention Month: Is Your Child Being Bullied?

Saint Germain des Pres: Home to One of History's Earliest Fairs

MEDIA JOBS

North America Oil & Gas Reporter  SparkSpread (TX)

Graphics Editor  The Wall Street Journal (NY)

Sports Videographer  Alabama Media Group (AL)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

5 Tips to Leverage Facebook Live for Your Brand

Digital Journalist or Media Professional? Building a Personal Brand Is Essential

Blog Profiles: Road Trip Blogs

EXPERT ALERTS:



National Bullying Prevention Month: Is Your Child Being Bullied?

Dr. Bradley Nelson

Holistic Physician and Author

"It is really a vicious thing that happens with bullying, and it is difficult. Oftentimes parents are the last to know that their child is being bullied. Warning signs include emotional upset, anxiety, depression, frequent headaches or stomach aches, faking illness, unexplained injuries, lost or destroyed property, changes in eating habits, poor sleep, frequent nightmares, poor school performance, not wanting to go to school, sudden loss of friends, avoidance of social situations, helplessness or low self-esteem, self-destructive behaviors such as self-harm, running away, and talking about suicide. All these warning signs can become long-lasting coping mechanisms to avoid pain of all kinds, and they can really become ruinous. Chronic illness as an adult can stem from faking or creating illness as a child to avoid going to school, for example. Finding the underlying causes of these coping mechanisms -- for example, trapped emotions -- can really help this and can remove the underlying causes."

Dr. Nelson is a holistic chiropractic physician, a medical intuitive, and one of the world's foremost experts in the emerging fields of bioenergetic medicine and energy psychology. His bestselling book, "The Emotion Code," is helping people all over the world to improve their lives easily and quickly. Users of "The Emotion Code" have found freedom from emotional problems such as depression and anxiety, as well as physical problems including fatigue, pain and disease. A key element of "The Emotion Code" is removing emotional energies that have clustered around the heart, interfering with one's ability to find love and success. Dr. Nelson has coined this cluster of emotions the "Heart-Wall," and it has been called "the most important discovery in the history of energy medicine." He has trained thousands of practitioners worldwide to help people overcome unresolved anger, depression, anxiety, loneliness and other negative emotions and the physical symptoms associated with them.

Online Press Kit: http://drbradleynelson.onlinepresskit247.com

Websites: www.DrBradleyNelson.com and www.EmotionCodeGift.com

Contact: Jennifer Thomas, [email protected]



Saint Germain des Pres: Home to One of History's Earliest Fairs

Brian W. Smith

Director, Treasurer

American Friends for the Preservation of Saint Germain des Pres

"Many people know Saint Germain des Pres has long been a religious and cultural hub, but what they may not know is that one of Europe's oldest fairs was held here annually for hundreds of years. Merchants from all over Europe gathered in Saint Germain des Pres 15 days after Easter in 1176 and stayed for three weeks. While the dates of the fair changed over the years, the fair continued to be held annually until the French Revolution in 1789. The fair was famous for its incredible array of goods and services as well as the wild revelry of attendees, including gambling and even a riot that occurred in 1762 when a group of local university students stormed in."

Smith is an acknowledged expert in bank regulation and regulatory transactions involving complex, interindustry, or first impression issues as well as payment systems/products and financial product development and distribution. He serves as director and treasurer of American Friends for the Preservation of Saint Germain des Pres and has more than 45 years of experience as a senior executive in an international financial services company, as a senior federal bank regulator and as a senior partner in a multinational law firm. During this period, he has been associated with many of the major developments in financial services. Smith is a graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Business and St. John's University (BA and JD). He resides in Gulfstream, Fla.

Online Press Kit: http://preservesaintgermain.onlinepresskit247.com

Website: www.PreserveSaintGermain.org

Contact: Michelle Tennant, [email protected]



MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

North America Oil & Gas Reporter  SparkSpread (TX)

Graphics Editor  The Wall Street Journal (NY)

Sports Videographer  Alabama Media Group (AL)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

5 TIPS TO LEVERAGE FACEBOOK LIVE FOR YOUR BRAND. Since its 2016 debut, Facebook Live has proven to be a valuable and innovative tool for media companies and brands to get their message out. Facebook says there have been more than 3.5 billion Live broadcasts, created by hundreds of millions of people. Additionally, nearly 2 billion people have watched a Live broadcast -- that's more than a quarter of the entire population of the world



. So how can you effectively utilize Facebook Live for your brand? Here are some essential tips to harness the true power and reach that only Facebook can offer: https://prn.to/2qn4PXX





DIGITAL JOURNALIST OR MEDIA PROFESSIONAL? BUILDING A PERSONAL BRAND IS ESSENTIAL. Modern society has invested so much in digital communications that the internet and the media industry now are completely inextricable from one another. Today, the general public's perception of a journalist largely depends on how the journalist presents themselves and their work online. But with so many voices on the internet, finding an authentic identity that resonates with a wide audience is much easier said than done. To remain competitive in the digital age, media professionals must cultivate an online presence that is trustworthy and unique: https://prn.to/2yK4cwe

Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team selects an industry/subject and profiles a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at a few road trip blogs: https://prn.to/2Jw2v9M BLOG PROFILES: ROAD TRIP BLOGS.

PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire.

To contact ProfNet: [email protected] or 800-776-3638, ext. 1

SOURCE ProfNet

Related Links

http://www.profnet.com


OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Progentec Diagnostics, Inc. ("Progentec"), a leader in the development of technological innovations in the field of diagnostics, today announced the completion of a second round of funding co-led by i2E and Chicago-based OCA Ventures. NMC Lifesciences, a leading global healthcare provider also participated in the round. The funding will help bring Progentec's tool for identifying Lupus flare ups and a biomarker-based disease-activity index closer to commercialization. Technology created by the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) is at the core of the platform being developed by Progentec.

Progentec today also announced the acquisition of LupusCorner, a leading patient-empowerment platform for people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis. By integrating LupusCorner's technology platform and data insights, Progentec is positioned to develop a first-in-class lupus-management platform. The founders of LupusCorner, Arif Sorathia and Brett Adelman, have joined Progentec and will help lead technology, outreach and growth initiatives.

Progentec's technologies include highly accurate bio-marker based tests to diagnose disease before symptoms begin to show, as well as tests to monitor and predict disease activity levels in Lupus.

"We've made tremendous progress in developing a tool for the identification of lupus flare-ups before they occur," said Mohan Purushothaman, CEO of Progentec. "Today's funding round is the next step on our journey to making this and other advanced tools commercially available to patients with lupus, a disease that afflicts more than one million Americans, many of whom are women. The Progentec tests will become powerful tools to help patients and healthcare providers stay ahead of lupus."

"NMC Lifesciences is excited to partner with Progentec," said Prasanth Manghat, CEO and Executive Director NMC Health Plc. "As a leading global healthcare provider that has put key components in place to build a strong, inter-dependent, integrated, multi-vertical and multi-brand private healthcare network of a team of over 2,000 doctors serving 8.5 million patients in over 17 countries, NMC is looking forward to a strong symbiotic partnership with Progentec delivering value all across the healthcare delivery ecosystem."

LupusCorner was founded in 2016 with the mission of transforming the lupus patient experience by creating easy-to-use and powerful technologies. Today, nearly 45,000 people with lupus interact with the LupusCorner platform each month.

"LupusCorner is a powerful platform that connects people battling lupus in an online patient community to share information and better manage the disease," said Brett Adelman, a LupusCorner founder. "Our goal is to empower our users to be active participants in their healthcare and we are excited to be part of Progentec. This is a giant step towards uniting patient-generated data with clinical measures to improve patient outcomes."

"The addition of LupusCorner and its users furthers our vision of creating a comprehensive disease-management platform and ensures that the patient voice will be a valued part of our process," said Mohan Purushothaman, CEO of Progentec. "We look forward to advancing the platform and fulfilling the unmet need for lupus diagnostics and management tools."

The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that there are as many as 1.5 million lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE) patients in the U.S. alone. Seen mostly in women between the ages of 15 and 44, lupus causes the immune system to recognize and attack the body's own tissues. Lupus sufferers have periods of flares and remission with organs typically affected including the skin, kidneys, lungs and reproductive organs, as well as the cardiovascular system.

About Progentec Diagnostics, Inc.

Progentec Diagnostics, Inc. ("Progentec") is committed to exploring and commercializing state of the art diagnostic interventions along with digital and social infrastructure to improve access and outcomes for patients in therapeutic areas with a high level of unmet need. By collaborating with research institutions and individuals around the world, Progentec works towards bringing the latest technological innovations to the field of diagnostics. Progentec's work is rooted in the belief that better diagnostics would not only help in ensuring cost-effective management of diseases, but also help tremendously in reducing the mortality and morbidity associated with these diseases.

About LupusCorner

LupusCorner is a health management platform for people living with lupus systemic erythematosus and lupus nephritis. With an assortment of smartphone-optimized tools, LupusCorner supports the tracking of patient-generated data, health literacy, and community.

Contact:

Mohan Purushothaman

(973) 885-5242

[email protected]

SOURCE Progentec Diagnostics, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.progentec.com


BOSTON, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move planned to shake up the real estate technology space, three software leaders - Propertybase , a global real estate CRM; Boston Logic, an award-winning provider of luxury IDX websites and CRM; and BackAgent, a comprehensive real estate intranet and transaction management system - have announced today the availability of a new unified product that simplifies the entire process of acquiring, nurturing and closing real estate transactions. The new brand will maintain the Propertybase name.

Propertybase, Boston Logic & BackAgent Join Forces With Unified Brand

The platform will be officially released during the 2018 REALTORS Conference & Expo in Boston, where Propertybase, Boston Logic and BackAgent are co-exhibiting "Brokerage to the Future" at Booth #1463. With over 200,000 agents from 1,500 brokerages and teams across 60+ countries, the all-new Propertybase will take innovation and scale to a new level in the real estate industry. The core suite of tools are designed to drive more closings by engaging buyers and sellers through extraordinary digital experiences, helping agents ditch the grunt-work to focus on meaningful client interactions and streamlining the closing process. Prospective customers will now have all the tools necessary to tackle today's real estate challenges from one tightly integrated platform. Existing customers of all three brands will remain fully supported on their current platform, but will also have the opportunity to leverage the new product offerings.

"Our team has been hard at work for over a year to bring this new brand and unified platform to market," said Vance Loiselle, Propertybase CEO. "Our recent acquisition of BackAgent just adds to what was already going to be an unrivaled set of innovations."

The new pillars of the Propertybase platform put all of your assets in one place and include:

Fully configurable real estate websites with embedded themes and intelligent SEO

A smart, goal-driven real estate CRM with lead routing, portal syndication and fully integrated MLSs

Compliance-driven back office tools, including paperless transaction management and a collaborative brokerage intranet

A modern marketing center that engages your customers with proprietary mass email and drip campaign functionality, print marketing, brandable templates and Quicksend emails that are easy to automate and track

Configurable dashboard and reporting engine to provide meaningful insights across your business

A platform that is powered by the most scalable and secure cloud in the industry, which can support many variants of team, brokerage and franchise organizations and business models.

"Many real estate tech companies are talking about future innovations and business models," continued Loiselle. "We are delivering that innovation today, so our customers can focus on empowering agents and driving long-term business success."

About Propertybase

Propertybase is the leading global cloud platform for real estate brokerages and teams looking to showcase their brand and drive more business through extraordinary digital experiences, collaboration and automation. The Propertybase platform includes IDX and MLS-integrated luxury websites, the leading real estate CRM built on Salesforce, and intelligent transaction management and back-office tools. Our software powers over 200,000 users at 1,500+ real estate businesses in 60 countries worldwide, including Hawai'i Life, Nan and Co. Properties, Harry Norman REALTORS, Pacific Union, Jack Conway REALTOR, and Coldwell Banker Mason Morse. The company is funded by Providence Equity. For more information, visit www.propertybase.com .

Media Inquiries:

John Voigt

[email protected]

203-856-7331

SOURCE Propertybase

Related Links

http://www.propertybase.com


Rise Koreatown will comprise 364 luxury studio and one-bedroom apartments averaging 649 square feet, catering directly to the young professional demographic who desires a luxury product in a highly walkable urban location. The property will also feature 52,000 square feet of ground floor retail anchored by Zion Market, a Korean grocery chain.

The project is one of many new developments in the Koreatown area, which is currently experiencing an unprecedented amount of investment activity. In addition to this multifamily offering, several office, retail, and hotel deliveries are scheduled for the coming years. The neighborhood's rise in popularity is thanks to its centralized location near downtown, proximity to multiple metro stops, and access to trendy restaurants, businesses, and a forthcoming museum.

Led by Miami, Florida-based Kevin O'Grady and Eric McGlynn, both Managing Directors in Walker & Dunlop's Capital Markets group, the team structured both senior and mezzanine financing for the project. They leveraged their broad network of capital providers, identifying Barings LLC as the developer's ideal partner for the nonrecourse financing.

O'Grady and McGlynn have been active in structuring nonrecourse construction loans for apartments and other property types nationwide. They also focus on identifying providers of equity, structured debt, and portfolio financing for developers and value-add owners and operators. Together, they have closed in excess of $16 billion in debt and equity transactions.

Said McGlynn, "This project represents another in a series of highly walkable, urban infill communities that is Rescore's focus. Barings provided a higher leverage, nonrecourse loan which achieved Rescore's objectives."

Walker & Dunlop is a leader in the multifamily space and was ranked the #2 Multifamily Agency lender in 2017 by Commercial Mortgage Alert. The company's Capital Markets team closed a record $7.3 billion in total brokered volume with over 235 different capital providers in 2017, up 75 percent from 2016. To learn more about Walker & Dunlop's financing capabilities, visit our website.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of the largest commercial real estate services and finance companies in the United States providing financing and investment sales to owners of multifamily and commercial properties. Walker & Dunlop, which is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index, has over 650 professionals in 29 offices across the nation with an unyielding commitment to client satisfaction.

SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.walkerdunlop.com


HONOLULU, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pono Life Sciences released a white paper, "Rising Above the Opioid Crisis," that outlines how medical cannabis can help curb America's opioid crisis.

The white paper provides a closer look at the local and national cannabis landscape being shaped by regulatory decisions, policy trends, and public health opportunities. It also sheds light onto a possible role for medicinal cannabis in mitigating opiate dependence and addiction, such as emergency rulemaking by New York Department of Health, urging doctors to consider medical cannabis as an alternative to opioids for patients with severe pain.

In an effort to inform decision makers towards action, Pono Life Sciences makes it makes clear that collaboration amongst all key stakeholders, including legislators, regulators, insurers, providers, and patients is essential in order to make any meaningful impact on the opiate scourge. They highlight that ignoring the role cannabis has to stem the opioid tide is tantamount to doing nothing, and as we have learned from the opiate crisis, doing nothing can cause more harm.

Please download "Rising Above the Opioid Crisis  Medical Cannabis Insurance Reimbursement & A New Wave of Legal Cannabis in Hawaii" through the following URL:

https://ponolifesciences.com/medical-cannabis-insurance-reimbursement-and-a-new-wave-of-legal-c annabis-in-hawaii/

About Pono Life Sciences:

Pono Life Sciences, LLC ("PONO") is a Hawaii-owned and operated coalition of medical, legal, and business leaders deeply committed to responsibly establishing and advancing product and educational solutions in the realm of botanical therapies. Through our company's collaborative efforts with lawmakers and healthcare experts, we persist in responsibly striving to provide remedies specifically tailored to a patient's needs, improving quality of life, and promoting overall wellness.

www.ponolifesciences.com

 2018 Pono Life Sciences. All rights reserved.

PLS Press Release for White Paper 18.11 Rising Above the Opioid Crisis

Media Communications

Pono Life Sciences (808) 489-9454x3

[email protected]

SOURCE Pono Life Sciences

Related Links

https://ponolifesciences.com


About 2  miles northeast, dozens of family and friends, antiviolence workers among them, waited for news on the sidewalk outside Sinai Hospital. With the news came an outpouring of grief. A group of men stood in a circle with their arms around one another and prayed.
"We're very proud to partner with the Michigan National Guard in what is the fifth International Cyber Exercise. Using the flexibility and strength of the Michigan Cyber Range, the Guard is setting a high standard for cyber security training and extending that training to partner nations in a cost effective, robust, and challenging way," said Dr. Joe Adams, VP of Research and Cybersecurity for Merit and the Michigan Cyber Range.

While the Michigan teams participated from the Summit's location, the other teams took part from their home station  making the exercise span 11 time zones. Set in the virtual cyber city of Alphaville, the teams had to attack targets while defending servers that they controlled, stressing the importance of quick decision making, communication and technical skill.

At the end of the day, the Latvian team prevailed, but the competition challenged all the teams. Everyone who participated is eagerly anticipating next year, when they hope to return to Alphaville and compete against other teams again.

About Merit Network:

Merit Network, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation owned and governed by Michigan's public universities. Merit owns and operates America's longest-running regional research and education network. In 1966, Michigan's public universities created Merit as a shared resource to help meet their common need for networking assistance. Since its formation, Merit Network has remained on the forefront of research and education networking expertise and services. Merit provides high-performance networking and IT solutions to Michigan's public universities, colleges, K-12 organizations, libraries, state government, healthcare, and other non-profit organizations.



About the Michigan Cyber Range

The Michigan Cyber Range prepares cybersecurity professionals to detect, prevent and mitigate cyber-attacks in a real world setting. Certification courses, hands-on exercises and workshops are hosted on the range, the nation's largest unclassified private cloud.

The Michigan Cyber Range is hosted and facilitated by Merit Network.

Media Contact

Pierrette Dagg

Director of Marketing and Communications, Merit

734.527.5500, [email protected]

SOURCE Merit Network
CHICAGO, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

As previously announced, TDS will hold a teleconference November 2, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. CDT. Listen to the call live via the Events & Presentations page of investors.tdsinc.com.

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) reported total operating revenues of $1,297 million for the third quarter of 2018, versus $1,251 million for the same period one year ago. Net income available to TDS common shareholders and related diluted earnings per share were $46 million and $0.41, respectively, for the third quarter of 2018. Excluding a $262 million ($190 million, net of tax and noncontrolling interests impacts) non-cash charge related to goodwill impairment recorded during the quarter ended September 30, 2017, net income available to TDS common shareholders and related diluted earnings per share were $9 million and $0.08, respectively. Including the goodwill impairment charge recorded during the quarter ended September 30, 2017, TDS recorded a net loss available to TDS common shareholders and related diluted loss per share of $181 million and $1.64, respectively.

"We are pleased with the TDS Family of Companies' results this quarter," said LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr., TDS President and CEO. "U.S. Cellular increased revenues and profitability while continuing to make enhancements to its high-performing network. TDS Telecom grew total operating revenues through strong increases in broadband connections.

"Due to the continued success of the Total Plans, U.S. Cellular added postpaid handset customers in the quarter. Increased inbound roaming, higher device sales and increased postpaid average revenue per user (ARPU) drove revenue growth. During the quarter, more and more customers continued to choose unlimited plans, contributing to increased average revenue per user (ARPU). Adjusted EBITDA increased 19% in the quarter, compared to a year ago, and U.S. Cellular raised its profitability guidance for the year. U.S. Cellular has enhanced its network with further commercial rollouts of VoLTE and it plans to deploy this technology in additional markets in 2019.

"At TDS Telecom, customer demand for faster broadband speeds and video connections generated higher wireline residential revenue per connection. The Wireline segment continued to see growth in revenues from fiber investments and through Federal A-CAM support. Cable operations produced another outstanding quarter, generating higher revenues through a continued increase in broadband connections - achieving the tenth consecutive quarter of double-digit cable broadband growth. TDS Telecom continues to advocate for full funding of the A-CAM program which will further close the digital divide. "

2018 Estimated Results

TDS' current estimates of full-year 2018 results for U.S. Cellular, TDS Telecom, and TDS are shown below. Such estimates represent management's view as of November 2, 2018. Such forward-looking statements should not be assumed to be current as of any future date. TDS undertakes no duty to update such information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that final results will not differ materially from such estimated results.



2018 Estimated Results





U.S. Cellular

TDS Telecom (1)

TDS (1)(2)

Current (3) Previous

Current (3) Previous

Current (3) Previous (Dollars in millions)















Total operating revenues $3,950-$4,000 $3,925-$4,025

$900-$950 Unchanged

$5,080-$5,180 $5,055-$5,205 Adjusted OIBDA (4)(5) $760-$810 $700-$800

$290-$320 Unchanged

$1,045-$1,125 $985-$1,115 Adjusted EBITDA (4) $925-$1,000 $850-$950

$300-$330 Unchanged

$1,220-$1,325 $1,145-$1,275 Capital expenditures $500 $500-$550

$250 $270

$770 $790-$840

The following tables provide reconciliations of Net income to Adjusted OIBDA and Adjusted EBITDA for 2018 estimated results, actual results for the nine months ended September 30, 2018, and actual results for the year ended December 31, 2017. In providing 2018 estimated results, TDS has not completed the below reconciliation to Net income because it does not provide guidance for income taxes. Although potentially significant, TDS believes that the impact of income taxes cannot be reasonably predicted; therefore, TDS is unable to provide such guidance.



2018 Estimated Results





U.S. Cellular (3)

TDS Telecom (1)(3)

TDS (1)(2)(3) (Dollars in millions)









Net income (GAAP) N/A

N/A

N/A Add back:









Income tax expense (benefit) N/A

N/A

N/A Income before income taxes (GAAP) $175-$250

$80-$110

$155-$260 Add back:









Interest expense 115



175 Depreciation, amortization and accretion expense 645

220

900 EBITDA (Non-GAAP) (4) $935-$1,010

$300-$330

$1,230-$1,335 Add back or deduct:









(Gain) loss on asset disposals, net 10



10 (Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges, net (20)



(20) Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP) (4) $925-$1,000

$300-$330

$1,220-$1,325 Deduct:









Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities 150-175



150-175 Interest and dividend income 15

5

20 Other, net (6) 

5

5 Adjusted OIBDA (Non-GAAP) (4)(5) $760-$810

$290-$320

$1,045-$1,125



Actual Results



Nine Months Ended

September 30, 2018 (3)

Year Ended

December 31, 2017

U.S. Cellular

TDS Telecom (1)

TDS (1)(2)

U.S. Cellular

TDS Telecom (1)

TDS (1)(2) (Dollars in millions)





















Net income (GAAP) $ 143



$ 73



$ 155



$ 15



$ 138



$ 157

Add back or deduct:





















Income tax expense (benefit) 55



7



48



(287)



(13)



(279)

Income (loss) before income taxes (GAAP) $ 198



$ 80



$ 203



$ (272)



$ 125



$ (122)

Add back:





















Interest expense 87



(1)



129



113







170

Depreciation, amortization and accretion expense 478



160



662



615



195



844

EBITDA (Non-GAAP) (4) $ 763



$ 238



$ 994



$ 456



$ 319



$ 892

Add back or deduct:





















Loss on impairment of goodwill 











370







262

(Gain) loss on asset disposals, net 5



(2)



3



17



3



21

(Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net 











(1)







(1)

(Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges, net (18)







(18)



(22)







(22)

Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP) (4) $ 750



$ 236



$ 979



$ 820



$ 323



$ 1,152

Deduct:





















Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities 120







121



137







137

Interest and dividend income 10



5



18



8



5



15

Other, net (6) 



2



1







3



4

Adjusted OIBDA (Non-GAAP) (4)(5) $ 620



$ 229



$ 839



$ 675



$ 314



$ 996





Note: Totals may not foot due to rounding differences.



(1) TDS has re-evaluated internal reporting roles with regard to its HMS business unit and, as a result, has changed its reportable segments. Effective January 1, 2018, HMS is no longer reported under TDS Telecom. Prior periods have been recast to conform to the revised presentation. (2) The TDS column includes U.S. Cellular, TDS Telecom and also the impacts of consolidating eliminations, corporate operations and non-reportable segments (including HMS as indicated in Note (1) above). (3) As of January 1, 2018, TDS adopted the new revenue recognition standard, ASC 606, using a modified retrospective approach. Under this method, the new accounting standard is applied only to the most recent period presented. As a result, 2018 amounts include the impacts of ASC 606, but 2017 amounts remain as previously reported, except as specifically stated. (4) EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA are defined as net income adjusted for the items set forth in the reconciliation above. EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA are not measures of financial performance under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States (GAAP) and should not be considered as alternatives to Net income or Cash flows from operating activities, as indicators of cash flows or as measures of liquidity. TDS does not intend to imply that any such items set forth in the reconciliation above are non-recurring, infrequent or unusual; such items may occur in the future. Management uses Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA as measurements of profitability, and therefore reconciliations to Net income are deemed appropriate. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA are useful measures of TDS' operating results before significant recurring non-cash charges, gains and losses, and other items as presented above as they provide additional relevant and useful information to investors and other users of TDS' financial data in evaluating the effectiveness of its operations and underlying business trends in a manner that is consistent with management's evaluation of business performance. Adjusted EBITDA shows adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and accretion, and gains and losses, while Adjusted OIBDA reduces this measure further to exclude Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities and Interest and dividend income in order to more effectively show the performance of operating activities excluding investment activities. The table above reconciles EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA to the corresponding GAAP measure, Net income or Income (loss) before income taxes. (5) Additional information and reconciliations related to Non-GAAP financial measures for September 30, 2018, can be found on TDS' website at investors.tdsinc.com. (6) ASU 2017-07, regarding net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost was adopted as of January 1, 2018, and applied retrospectively. All prior period numbers have been recast to conform to this standard.

Conference Call Information

TDS will hold a conference call on November 2, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. Central Time.

Access the live call on the Events & Presentations page of investors.tdsinc.com or at https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1145/28103.

Access the call by phone at 877-273-7192 (US/ Canada ), conference ID: 7739698.

Before the call, certain financial and statistical information to be discussed during the call will be posted to investors.tdsinc.com. The call will be archived on the Events & Presentations page of investors.tdsinc.com.

About TDS

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (TDS), a Fortune 1000 company, provides wireless; cable and wireline broadband, TV and voice; and hosted and managed services to approximately 6 million connections nationwide through its businesses, U.S. Cellular, TDS Telecom, BendBroadband and OneNeck IT Solutions. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Chicago, TDS employed 9,600 people as of September 30, 2018.

Visit investors.tdsinc.com for comprehensive financial information, including earnings releases, quarterly and annual filings, shareholder information and more.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: All information set forth in this news release, except historical and factual information, represents forward-looking statements. This includes all statements about the company's plans, beliefs, estimates, and expectations. These statements are based on current estimates, projections, and assumptions, which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that may affect these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: intense competition; the ability to execute TDS' business strategy; uncertainties in TDS' future cash flows and liquidity and access to the capital markets; the ability to make payments on TDS and U.S. Cellular indebtedness or comply with the terms of debt covenants; impacts of any pending acquisitions/divestitures/exchanges of properties and/or licenses, including, but not limited to, the ability to obtain regulatory approvals, successfully complete the transactions and the financial impacts of such transactions; the ability of the company to successfully manage and grow its markets; the access to and pricing of unbundled network elements; the ability to obtain or maintain roaming arrangements with other carriers on acceptable terms; the state and federal telecommunications regulatory environment; the value of assets and investments; adverse changes in the ratings of TDS and U.S. Cellular debt securities by accredited ratings organizations; industry consolidation; advances in telecommunications technology; pending and future litigation; changes in income tax rates, laws, regulations or rulings; changes in customer growth rates, average monthly revenue per user, churn rates, roaming revenue and terms, the availability of wireless devices, or the mix of services and products offered by U.S. Cellular and TDS Telecom. Investors are encouraged to consider these and other risks and uncertainties that are discussed in the Form 8-K Current Report used by TDS to furnish this press release to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are incorporated by reference herein.

For more information about TDS and its subsidiaries, visit:

TDS: www.tdsinc.com

U.S. Cellular: www.uscellular.com

TDS Telecom: www.tdstelecom.com

OneNeck IT Solutions: www.oneneck.com

United States Cellular Corporation Summary Operating Data (Unaudited)

As of or for the Quarter Ended 9/30/2018 (1)

6/30/2018 (1)

3/31/2018 (1)

12/31/2017

9/30/2017 Retail Connections

















Postpaid

















Total at end of period 4,466,000



4,468,000



4,481,000



4,518,000



4,513,000

Gross additions 172,000



146,000



129,000



177,000



191,000

Feature phones 3,000



5,000



5,000



5,000



7,000

Smartphones 130,000



106,000



91,000



128,000



132,000

Connected devices 39,000



35,000



33,000



44,000



52,000

Net additions (losses) (1,000)



(13,000)



(37,000)



5,000



35,000

Feature phones (14,000)



(12,000)



(15,000)



(15,000)



(15,000)

Smartphones 29,000



17,000



(1,000)



33,000



44,000

Connected devices (16,000)



(18,000)



(21,000)



(13,000)



6,000

ARPU (2) $ 45.31



$ 44.74



$ 44.34



$ 44.12



$ 43.41

ABPU (Non-GAAP) (3) $ 59.41



$ 57.75



$ 57.10



$ 56.69



$ 54.71

ARPA (4) $ 119.42



$ 118.57



$ 118.22



$ 118.05



$ 116.36

ABPA (Non-GAAP) (5) $ 156.57



$ 153.03



$ 152.26



$ 151.68



$ 146.65

Churn rate (6) 1.29 %

1.19 %

1.23 %

1.27 %

1.16 % Handsets 1.02 %

0.92 %

0.97 %

1.00 %

0.96 % Connected devices 3.04 %

2.85 %

2.79 %

2.84 %

2.33 % Prepaid

















Total at end of period 528,000



527,000



525,000



519,000



515,000

Gross additions 80,000



78,000



88,000



83,000



102,000

Net additions 1,000



2,000



6,000



4,000



31,000

ARPU (2) $ 32.09



$ 32.32



$ 31.78



$ 32.42



$ 33.12

Churn rate (6) 4.98 %

4.83 %

5.27 %

5.09 %

4.75 % Total connections at end of period (7) 5,050,000



5,051,000



5,063,000



5,096,000



5,089,000

Market penetration at end of period

















Consolidated operating population 31,469,000



31,469,000



31,469,000



31,834,000



31,834,000

Consolidated operating penetration (8) 16 %

16 %

16 %

16 %

16 % Capital expenditures (millions) $ 118



$ 86



$ 70



$ 213



$ 112

Total cell sites in service 6,506



6,478



6,473



6,460



6,436

Owned towers 4,119



4,105



4,099



4,080



4,051







(1) As of January 1, 2018, U.S. Cellular adopted the new revenue recognition standard, ASC 606, using a modified retrospective approach. Under this method, the new accounting standard is applied only to the most recent period presented. As a result, 2018 amounts include the impacts of ASC 606, but 2017 amounts remain as previously reported. (2) Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) - metric is calculated by dividing a revenue base by an average number of connections and by the number of months in the period. These revenue bases and connection populations are shown below:

 Postpaid ARPU consists of total postpaid service revenues and postpaid connections.

 Prepaid ARPU consists of total prepaid service revenues and prepaid connections. (3) Average Billings Per User (ABPU) - non-GAAP metric is calculated by dividing total postpaid service revenues plus equipment installment plan billings by the average number of postpaid connections and by the number of months in the period. Refer to the end of this release for a reconciliation of this metric to its most comparable GAAP metric. (4) Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA) - metric is calculated by dividing total postpaid service revenues by the average number of postpaid accounts and by the number of months in the period. (5) Average Billings Per Account (ABPA) - non-GAAP metric is calculated by dividing total postpaid service revenues plus equipment installment plan billings by the average number of postpaid accounts and by the number of months in the period. Refer to the end of this release for a reconciliation of this metric to its most comparable GAAP metric. (6) Churn rate represents the percentage of the connections that disconnect service each month. These rates represent the average monthly churn rate for each respective period. (7) Includes reseller and other connections. (8) Market penetration is calculated by dividing the number of wireless connections at the end of the period by the total population of consolidated operating markets as estimated by Nielsen.

TDS Telecom Summary Operating Data (Unaudited)

As of or for the Quarter Ended 9/30/2018

6/30/2018

3/31/2018

12/31/2017

9/30/2017 TDS Telecom

















Wireline

















Residential connections

















Voice (1) 278,400



282,200



286,000



290,600



298,200

Broadband (2) 237,100



234,300



230,500



228,600



229,900

Video (3) 53,100



51,500



50,300



48,600



47,200

Wireline residential connections 568,600



568,000



566,900



567,700



575,300





















Total residential revenue per connection (4) $ 47.30



$ 47.22



$ 47.04



$ 46.21



$ 46.07





















Commercial connections

















Voice (1) 134,000



137,300



140,100



143,000



146,900

Broadband (2) 20,700



20,600



20,600



20,600



20,900

managedIP (5) 138,000



141,400



143,000



146,500



147,600

Video (3) 400



400



400









Wireline commercial connections 293,100



299,600



304,000



310,100



315,300





















Total Wireline connections 861,700



867,700



870,900



877,800



890,700





















Cable

















Cable Connections

















Broadband (6) 163,600



159,400



156,800



153,300



143,800

Video (7) 102,100



101,600



100,700



101,800



97,900

Voice (8) 63,600



62,000



60,600



59,700



58,500

managedIP (5) 700



700



600



400



400

Cable connections 330,100



323,700



318,700



315,100



300,600











































Note: Totals may not foot due to rounding differences.



(1) The individual circuits connecting a customer to Wireline's central office facilities. (2) The number of Wireline customers provided high-capacity data circuits via various technologies, including DSL and dedicated internet circuit technologies. (3) The number of Wireline customers provided video services. (4) Total residential revenue per connection is calculated by dividing total Wireline residential revenue by the average number of Wireline residential connections and by the number of months in the period. (5) The number of telephone handsets, data lines and IP trunks providing communications using IP networking technology. (6) Billable number of lines into a building for high-speed data services. (7) Generally, a home or business receiving video programming counts as one video connection. In counting bulk residential or commercial connections, such as an apartment building or hotel, connections are counted based on the number of units/rooms within the building receiving service. (8) Billable number of lines into a building for voice services.

TDS Telecom Capital Expenditures (Unaudited)

Quarter Ended 9/30/2018

6/30/2018

3/31/2018

12/31/2017

9/30/2017 (Dollars in millions)

















Wireline $ 41



$ 33



$ 29



$ 55



$ 41

Cable 13



13



11



20



14

Total TDS Telecom (1) $ 54



$ 46



$ 40



$ 74



$ 56





Note: Totals may not foot due to rounding differences.



(1) TDS has re-evaluated internal reporting roles with regard to its HMS business unit and, as a result, has changed its reportable segments. Effective January 1, 2018, HMS is no longer reported under TDS Telecom. Prior periods have been recast to conform to the revised presentation.

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. Consolidated Statement of Operations Highlights (Unaudited)



Three Months Ended

September 30

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

2018 (1)

2017

2018 vs. 2017

2018 (1)

2017

2018

vs. 2017 (Dollars and shares in millions, except per share amounts)





















Operating revenues





















U.S. Cellular $ 1,001



$ 963



4 %

$ 2,916



$ 2,862



2 % TDS Telecom (2) 234



230



2 %

695



690



1 % All Other (2)(3) 62



58



6 %

166



184



(10) %

1,297



1,251



4 %

3,777



3,736



1 % Operating expenses





















U.S. Cellular





















Expenses excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion 804



796



1 %

2,296



2,339



(2) % Depreciation, amortization and accretion 160



153



4 %

478



460



4 % Loss on impairment of goodwill (4) 



370



N/M





370



N/M (Gain) loss on asset disposals, net 3



5



(36) %

5



14



(61) % (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net 



(1)



N/M





(1)



N/M (Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges, net 







N/M

(18)



(19)



6 %

967



1,323



(27) %

2,761



3,163



(13) % TDS Telecom (2)





















Expenses excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion (5) 157



154



2 %

466



453



3 % Depreciation, amortization and accretion 53



49



8 %

160



146



10 % (Gain) loss on asset disposals, net (3)



1



N/M

(2)



2



N/M

206



203



2 %

624



601



4 % All Other (2)(3)





















Expenses excluding depreciation and amortization (5) 65



58



10 %

176



179



(2) % Depreciation and amortization 7



7



(6) %

24



26



(5) % Loss on impairment of goodwill (4) 



(108)



N/M





(108)



N/M

73



(42)



N/M

200



97



N/M Total operating expenses 1,246



1,484



(16) %

3,585



3,861



(7) % Operating income (loss)





















U.S. Cellular 34



(360)



N/M

155



(301)



N/M TDS Telecom (2)(5) 28



27



1 %

71



88



(20) % All Other (2)(3)(5) (11)



100



N/M

(34)



88



N/M

51



(233)



N/M

192



(125)



N/M Investment and other income (expense)





















Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities 42



35



19 %

121



101



20 % Interest and dividend income 6



4



56 %

18



12



51 % Interest expense (43)



(43)





(129)



(128)



(1) % Other, net (5) 2



1



N/M

1



3



(32) % Total investment and other income (expense) (5) 7



(3)



N/M

11



(12)



N/M Income (loss) before income taxes 58



(236)



N/M

203



(137)



N/M Income tax expense (benefit) 5



(5)



N/M

48



39



24 % Net income (loss) 53



(231)



N/M

155



(176)



N/M Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests, net of tax 7



(50)



N/M

36



(42)



N/M Net income (loss) available to TDS common shareholders $ 46



$ (181)



N/M

$ 119



$ (134)



N/M























Basic weighted average shares outstanding 112



111



2 %

112



111



1 % Basic earnings (loss) per share available to TDS common shareholders $ 0.41



$ (1.64)



N/M

$ 1.06



$ (1.21)



N/M























Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 114



111



3 %

113



111



2 % Diluted earnings (loss) per share available to TDS common shareholders $ 0.41



$ (1.64)



N/M

$ 1.04



$ (1.21)



N/M



N/M - Percentage change not meaningful.

Note: Totals may not foot due to rounding differences.

End Notes (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)  Explained on page 11 of the release.

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited)



Nine Months Ended

September 30,

2018 (1)

2017 (Dollars in millions)





Cash flows from operating activities





Net income (loss) $ 155



$ (176)

Add (deduct) adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash flows from operating activities





Depreciation, amortization and accretion 662



632

Bad debts expense 71



68

Stock-based compensation expense 37



34

Deferred income taxes, net 31



(23)

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities (121)



(101)

Distributions from unconsolidated entities 91



85

Loss on impairment of goodwill 



262

(Gain) loss on asset disposals, net 3



16

(Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net 



(1)

(Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges, net (18)



(19)

Noncash interest 3



2

Changes in assets and liabilities from operations





Accounts receivable (5)



(6)

Equipment installment plans receivable (88)



(164)

Inventory 13



44

Accounts payable 13



(59)

Customer deposits and deferred revenues (7)



(16)

Accrued taxes (3)



41

Accrued interest 11



11

Other assets and liabilities (36)



(9)

Net cash provided by operating activities 812



621









Cash flows from investing activities





Cash paid for additions to property, plant and equipment (447)



(398)

Cash paid for acquisitions and licenses (10)



(200)

Cash received for investments 100





Cash paid for investments 



(100)

Cash received from divestitures and exchanges 28



19

Other investing activities 4



1

Net cash used in investing activities (325)



(678)









Cash flows from financing activities





Repayment of long-term debt (15)



(9)

TDS Common Shares reissued for benefit plans, net of tax payments 27



(1)

U.S. Cellular Common Shares reissued for benefit plans, net of tax payments 7





Repurchase of TDS Preferred Shares 



(1)

Dividends paid to TDS shareholders (54)



(51)

Payment of debt issuance costs (2)





Distributions to noncontrolling interests (5)



(2)

Other financing activities 



5

Net cash used in financing activities (42)



(59)









Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 445



(116)









Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash





Beginning of period 622



904

End of period $ 1,067



$ 788





End Note (1)  Explained on page 11 of the release.

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. Consolidated Balance Sheet Highlights (Unaudited)

ASSETS



September 30,

2018 (1)

December 31,

2017 (Dollars in millions)





Current assets





Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,062



$ 619

Short-term investments 



100

Accounts receivable 1,058



961

Inventory, net 132



145

Prepaid expenses 102



112

Income taxes receivable 3



2

Other current assets 30



27

Total current assets 2,387



1,966









Assets held for sale 42



10









Licenses 2,198



2,232

Goodwill 509



509

Other intangible assets, net 260



279

Investments in unconsolidated entities 500



453









Property, plant and equipment, net 3,229



3,424









Other assets and deferred charges 594



422









Total assets $ 9,719



$ 9,295



Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. Consolidated Balance Sheet Highlights (Unaudited)

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY



September 30,

2018 (1)

December 31,

2017 (Dollars in millions, except per share amounts)





Current liabilities





Current portion of long-term debt $ 20



$ 20

Accounts payable 365



368

Customer deposits and deferred revenues 182



223

Accrued interest 22



11

Accrued taxes 55



64

Accrued compensation 115



126

Other current liabilities 93



106

Total current liabilities 852



918









Deferred liabilities and credits





Deferred income tax liability, net 642



552

Other deferred liabilities and credits 542



495









Long-term debt, net 2,422



2,437









Noncontrolling interests with redemption features 11



1









Equity





TDS shareholders' equity





Series A Common and Common Shares, par value $.01 1



1

Capital in excess of par value 2,424



2,413

Treasury shares, at cost (563)



(669)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (3)



(1)

Retained earnings 2,683



2,525

Total TDS shareholders' equity 4,542



4,269









Noncontrolling interests 708



623









Total equity 5,250



4,892









Total liabilities and equity $ 9,719



$ 9,295







(1) As of January 1, 2018, TDS adopted the new revenue recognition standard, ASC 606, using a modified retrospective approach. Under this method, the new accounting standard is applied only to the most recent period presented. As a result, 2018 amounts include the impacts of ASC 606, but 2017 amounts remain as previously reported, except as specifically stated. (2) TDS has re-evaluated internal reporting roles with regard to its HMS business unit and, as a result, has changed its reportable segments. Effective January 1, 2018, HMS is no longer reported under TDS Telecom. Prior periods have been recast to conform to the revised presentation. (3) Consists of TDS corporate, intercompany eliminations and all other business operations not included in the U.S. Cellular and TDS Telecom segments. (4) During the three months ended September 30, 2017, U.S. Cellular recorded a goodwill impairment of $370 million while TDS recorded a goodwill impairment of the U.S. Cellular reporting unit of $227 million. Prior to 2009, TDS accounted for U.S. Cellular's share repurchases as step acquisitions, allocating a portion of the share repurchase value to TDS' Goodwill. Further, goodwill of the U.S. Cellular reporting unit was impaired at the TDS level in 2003 but not at U.S. Cellular. Consequently, U.S. Cellular's goodwill on a stand-alone basis and any resulting impairments of goodwill does not equal the TDS consolidated goodwill related to U.S. Cellular. The TDS adjustment of $143 million is included in "All other". During the three months ended September 30, 2017, TDS also recorded a goodwill impairment of $35 million related to its HMS operations included in "All other". (5) ASU 2017-07, regarding net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost was adopted January 1, 2018, and applied retrospectively. All prior period numbers have been recast to conform to this standard.

Balance Sheet Highlights (Unaudited)





September 30, 2018

U.S.

TDS

TDS

Corporate

Intercompany

TDS

Cellular

Telecom

& Other

Eliminations

Consolidated (Dollars in millions)

















Cash and cash equivalents $ 730



$ 23



$ 309



$ 



$ 1,062

Affiliated cash investments 



427







(427)







$ 730



$ 450



$ 309



$ (427)



$ 1,062





















Licenses, goodwill and other intangible assets $ 2,189



$ 759



$ 19



$ 



$ 2,967

Investment in unconsolidated entities 461



4



42



(7)



500



$ 2,650



$ 763



$ 61



$ (7)



$ 3,467





















Property, plant and equipment, net $ 2,126



$ 973



$ 130



$ 



$ 3,229





















Long-term debt, net:

















Current portion $ 19



$ 1



$ 



$ 



$ 20

Non-current portion 1,609



2



811







2,422



$ 1,628



$ 3



$ 811



$ 



$ 2,442



TDS Telecom Highlights (Unaudited)









Three Months Ended

September 30,

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

2018 (1)

2017

2018 vs.

2017

2018 (1)

2017

2018 vs.

2017 (Dollars in millions)





















Wireline





















Operating revenues





















Residential $ 81



$ 80



1 %

$ 241



$ 240



1 % Commercial 46



50



(8) %

140



151



(7) % Wholesale 50



49



2 %

144



147



(2) % Total service revenues 176



178



(1) %

524



537



(2) % Equipment and product sales 







15 %

1



1



31 %

177



179



(1) %

526



538



(2) % Operating expenses





















Cost of services 68



66



4 %

200



194



3 % Cost of equipment and products 







(35) %

1



2



(33) % Selling, general and administrative expenses (2) 49



49



(1) %

146



147



(1) % Expenses excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion 118



115



2 %

346



343



1 % Depreciation, amortization and accretion 35



38



(6) %

108



114



(5) % (Gain) loss on asset disposals, net (4)







N/M

(3)



1



N/M

149



153



(3) %

451



457



(1) % Operating income (2) $ 28



$ 25



9 %

$ 75



$ 81



(8) %























Cable





















Operating revenues





















Residential $ 47



$ 43



11 %

$ 140



$ 125



12 % Commercial 10



9



14 %

30



27



11 %

58



52



11 %

170



152



12 % Operating expenses





















Cost of services 26



25



2 %

78



73



7 % Selling, general and administrative expenses 14



13



7 %

42



39



9 % Expenses excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion 40



38



4 %

120



112



8 % Depreciation, amortization and accretion 17



11



56 %

52



32



63 % (Gain) loss on asset disposals, net 1



1



16 %

1



1



(9) %

58



50



16 %

174



145



20 % Operating income (loss) $ 



$ 2



N/M

$ (4)



$ 7



N/M























Total TDS Telecom operating income (2)(3) $ 28



$ 27



1 %

$ 71



$ 88



(20) %



N/M - Percentage change not meaningful.

Note: Totals may not foot due to rounding differences.



(1) As of January 1, 2018, TDS adopted the new revenue recognition standard, ASC 606, using a modified retrospective approach. Under this method, the new accounting standard is applied only to the most recent period presented. As a result, 2018 amounts include the impacts of ASC 606, but 2017 amounts remain as previously reported, except as specifically stated. (2) ASU 2017-07, regarding net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost was adopted as of January 1, 2018, and applied retrospectively. All prior period numbers have been recast to conform to this standard. (3) TDS has re-evaluated internal reporting roles with regard to its HMS business unit and, as a result, has changed its reportable segments. Effective January 1, 2018, HMS is no longer reported under TDS Telecom. Prior periods have been recast to conform to the revised presentation.

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. Financial Measures and Reconciliations

Free Cash Flow

Three Months Ended

September 30,

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

2018

2017

2018

2017 (Dollars in millions)













Cash flows from operating activities (GAAP) $ 349



$ 263



$ 812



$ 621

Less: Cash paid for additions to property, plant and equipment 171



156



447



398

Free cash flow (Non-GAAP) (1) $ 178



$ 107



$ 365



$ 223







(1) Management uses Free cash flow as a liquidity measure and it is defined as Cash flows from operating activities less Cash paid for additions to property, plant and equipment. Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure which TDS believes may be useful to investors and other users of its financial information in evaluating liquidity, specifically, the amount of net cash generated by business operations after deducting Cash paid for additions to property, plant and equipment.





Net income (loss) excluding goodwill impairment charge

The following non-GAAP financial measures present certain information in the table below excluding the effect of the goodwill impairment charge, related tax effects and noncontrolling interests impacts. The goodwill impairment charge, which occurred in the third quarter of 2017, is being excluded in this presentation, as it is not related to the current operations of TDS. TDS believes these measures may be useful to investors and other users of its financial information when comparing the current period financial results with periods that were not impacted by such a charge.



Three Months Ended

September 30,

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

2018

2017

2018

2017 (Dollars in millions, except per share amounts)













Net income (loss) available to TDS common shareholders (GAAP) $ 46



$ (181)



$ 119



$ (134)

Adjustments:













Loss on impairment of goodwill 



262







262

Tax benefit on impairment of goodwill (1) 



(20)







(20)

Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests, net of tax 



(52)







(52)

Subtotal of Non-GAAP adjustments 



190







190

Net income available to TDS common shareholders excluding goodwill impairment charge (Non-GAAP) $ 46



$ 9



$ 119



$ 56

















Diluted earnings (loss) per share available to TDS common shareholders (GAAP) $ 0.41



$ (1.64)



$ 1.04



$ (1.21)

Adjustments:













Adjustment to weighted average diluted shares (2) 



0.02







0.01

Loss in impairment of goodwill 



2.34







2.34

Tax benefit on impairment of goodwill (1) 



(0.18)







(0.18)

Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests, net of tax 



(0.46)







(0.46)

Diluted earnings per share available to TDS common shareholders excluding goodwill impairment charge (Non-GAAP) $ 0.41



$ 0.08



$ 1.04



$ 0.50

















Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (GAAP) 114



111



113



111

Adjustment to weighted average diluted shares (2) 



1







1

Adjusted diluted weighted average shares (Non-GAAP) $ 114



$ 112



$ 113



$ 112







(1) Tax benefit represents the amount associated with the tax-deductible portion of the loss on goodwill impairment. (2) Adjustment to reflect the incremental shares deemed anti-dilutive for GAAP diluted earnings per share.

Postpaid ABPU and Postpaid ABPA

U.S. Cellular presents Postpaid ABPU and Postpaid ABPA to reflect the revenue shift from Service revenues to Equipment and product sales resulting from the increased adoption of equipment installment plans. Postpaid ABPU and Postpaid ABPA, as previously defined herein, are non-GAAP financial measures which U.S. Cellular believes are useful to investors and other users of its financial information in showing trends in both service and equipment and product sales revenues received from customers.

For the Quarter Ended 9/30/2018(1)

6/30/2018(1)

3/31/2018(1)

12/31/2017

9/30/2017 (Dollars and connection counts in millions)

















Calculation of Postpaid ARPU

















Postpaid service revenues $ 607



$ 600



$ 598



$ 598



$ 586

Average number of postpaid connections 4.47



4.47



4.50



4.52



4.50

Number of months in period 3



3



3



3



3

Postpaid ARPU (GAAP metric) $ 45.31



$ 44.74



$ 44.34



$ 44.12



$ 43.41





















Calculation of Postpaid ABPU

















Postpaid service revenues $ 607



$ 600



$ 598



$ 598



$ 586

Equipment installment plan billings 189



174



172



170



152

Total billings to postpaid connections $ 796



$ 774



$ 770



$ 768



$ 738

Average number of postpaid connections 4.47



4.47



4.50



4.52



4.50

Number of months in period 3



3



3



3



3

Postpaid ABPU (Non-GAAP metric) $ 59.41



$ 57.75



$ 57.10



$ 56.69



$ 54.71





















Calculation of Postpaid ARPA

















Postpaid service revenues $ 607



$ 600



$ 598



$ 598



$ 586

Average number of postpaid accounts 1.70



1.69



1.69



1.69



1.68

Number of months in period 3



3



3



3



3

Postpaid ARPA (GAAP metric) $ 119.42



$ 118.57



$ 118.22



$ 118.05



$ 116.36





















Calculation of Postpaid ABPA

















Postpaid service revenues $ 607



$ 600



$ 598



$ 598



$ 586

Equipment installment plan billings 189



174



172



170



152

Total billings to postpaid accounts $ 796



$ 774



$ 770



$ 768



$ 738

Average number of postpaid accounts 1.70



1.69



1.69



1.69



1.68

Number of months in period 3



3



3



3



3

Postpaid ABPA (Non-GAAP metric) $ 156.57



$ 153.03



$ 152.26



$ 151.68



$ 146.65





Numbers may not foot due to rounding.



(1) As of January 1, 2018, U.S. Cellular adopted the new revenue recognition standard, ASC 606, using a modified retrospective approach. Under this method, the new accounting standard is applied only to the most recent period presented. As a result, 2018 amounts include the impacts of ASC 606, but 2017 amounts remain as previously reported.

SOURCE Telephone and Data Systems, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tdsinc.com


To celebrate the vital album's milestone, Def Jam/Urban Legends/UMe will release a newly remastered and expanded 30 th Anniversary Edition in a suite of digital and physical formats, including Deluxe digital and CD packages on February 22, 2019, and Deluxe and Standard vinyl LP editions on March 15, 2019. The package includes Rick's first new original song since 1999, " Can't Dance To A Track That Ain't Got No Soul ." A previously unreleased track, " Snakes of the World Today ," written, recorded and produced by Slick Rick during sessions for the album, is available now for streaming and download purchase. Slick Rick also debuts two limited-edition ' Great Adventures ' t-shirts, available exclusively from Bravado.com and Rick's own online store: slickrickisart.com .

Stream and purchase "Snakes of the World Today": https://SlickRick.lnk.to/SnakesOfTheWorldToday

Preorder THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) : https://SlickRick.lnk.to/TheGreatAdventuresofSlickRick

THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) adds six previously unreleased tracks, including a brand-new song, demos, and the shelved session recording, plus memorabilia and paraphernalia, and more. The album's 12 songs, including the classics "Teenage Love," "Children's Story," "The Ruler's Back," "Lick the Balls," and "Treat Her Like a Prostitute," are joined by:

- Rick's brand new song, "Can't Dance To A Track That Ain't Got No Soul"

- the previously unreleased 'Great Adventures' session track, "Snakes of the World Today"

- four previously unreleased demo recordings for songs on the album, recorded in 1984 in Rick's home studio: "Children's Story," "Hey Young World," "Teenage Love," and "Mona Lisa."

Driven by the back-to-back chart successes of "Teenage Love" (Top 20 R&B, Top 10 Rap), and "Children's Story" (Top 5 R&B and Rap, and consistently cited as one of the Top 50 Rap hits of all time), THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK soared to No. 1 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart for five weeks. The album was one of the first hip-hop LPs to be certified platinum by the RIAA and it provided a solid foundation for Slick Rick, who went on to release three successful follow-up albums on Def Jam: The Ruler's Back (1991), Behind Bars (1994), and The Art of Storytelling (1999).

Recently, Slick Rick's omnipresent influence within fashion and lifestyle culture landed him as the face of a new collaborative campaign between fashion retailer Nordstrom and luxury travel goods and accessories brand, MCM. The retro collection includes over 100 exclusive items for men and women, inspired by the brand's most coveted and iconic styles. Veteran hip-hop photographer Sue Kwon shot the campaign highlighting the collaboration. She returned to the streets of New York to shoot Slick Rick, who merges his personal style with pieces from the collection.

ABOUT SLICK RICK :

Grammy-nominated Slick Rick's impact on Rap and rock over the last three decades is attested to by the volume of artists who have sampled his work, starting with his first double-sided hit single with Doug E. Fresh's Get Fresh Crew in 1985 (prior to arriving at Def Jam), "The Show"/"La Di Da Di." According to whosampled.com, "The Show" has been sampled more than 144 times, by Eminem, Jay Z, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, LL Cool J, Redman, and others. "La Di Da Di" has been sampled some 940 times, by the likes of Eminem, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Big Daddy Kane, Ini Kimoze, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, E-40, the Beastie Boys, and more. It is one of a handful of the most sampled rap songs in the history of all genres of music.

Rick's Def Jam output added countless hundreds more samples to the tally. In fact, he would go on to become the most sampled British-American artist in hip-hop history. Ever influential, he has been referenced in over 100 songs from the early 1990s to present day, by artists ranging from Nicki Minaj, J Cole, Pitbull, and will.i.am., to Amy Winehouse, Big Sean and Future. Slick Rick has acted and cameoed in more than 10 movies and videos. He has collaborated with musical icons from Jay-Z and Missy Elliot to OutKast, Jermaine Dupri, Mos Def, Common, R. Kelly and Aaliyah.

Born to Jamaican parents in South Wimbledon, London, 1965, Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters was raised in England for most of his first 10 years. It was there he was blinded in his right eye as an infant, which would result in his signature eyepatch. His family emigrated to the Bronx when Rick was 11, and he later attended LaGuardia High School of Music & The Arts. There he formed the Kangol Crew, a 7-member posse (including two co-eds) with future rap star Dana Dane. Rick graduated in '83 and hooked up with Doug E. Fresh a year or so later, after defeating the legendary Cold Crush Brothers at a rap contest in the Bronx. One of the most audacious debuts in the history of rap was made in the summer of 1985 by a young man billed as MC Ricky D and dubbed Slick Rick by his partner, Doug E. Fresh. The two were teamed up on the 12-inch single, "The Show" b/w "La-Di-Da-Di" (Reality Records). The record was everywhere that year, and ultimately led to Rick's contract with Def Jam.

As a philanthropist and longtime Bronx supporter, Rick has given of himself to his community and culture for more than three decades. In turn, January 9th was declared Slick Rick Day three years ago by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz. Rick and his wife Mandy have spent Christmas Eve with inmates at New York's Riker's Island prison (where he himself had once been housed). He has worked with the Bronx Youth Empowerment Program (BYEP); done seminars in Florida on immigration reform and bettering the community; participated in will.i.am's "Trans4M" concert, which raised more than $2.4 million for the music producer's i.am.angel Foundation; and donated items from his iconic wardrobe collection to the Smithsonian Foundation's National Museum of African-American History. His efforts have earned Rick accolades from Miami Dade College, the Florida House of Representative, the State of Arkansas, Keys to the City of Houston, New York City Council, and Music Saves Lives, and the Mixx Cares Humanitarian Award from the Latin Mixx Awards Committee.

In addition to owning real estate in the Bronx, Rick's business interests include partnering with will.i.am to create a limited edition ill.i Optics capsule collection of sunglasses in 2015. That same year, Rick joined forces with custom-apparel platform Teespring to produce a limited edition white tee featuring representations of his best-known gold and diamond chains. 2018 found Rick connecting with Odd Sox to release two customized socks from the company's music collection, featuring iconic images of the artist from hip-hop's golden era. He also teamed up with Lyric Culture for a limited-release women's tank top sporting the lyrics to "La Di Da Di," sold exclusively at Forever 21. A new collaborative campaign between fashion retailer Nordstrom and luxury travel goods and accessories brand MCM features the face and flair of Slick Rick. [email protected], the rotating concept shop at Nordstrom, features a special capsule collection celebrating the heritage, history and future of MCM. The collection includes over 100 exclusive items for men and women, inspired by the brand's most coveted and iconic styles. [email protected] MCM is available now through November 11th at 10 Nordstrom locations and online at Nordstrom.com/pop.

In other roles, Rick has read the audio book version of How To Get A Record Deal: The Knowledge To Succeed written by music-industry veteran Wendy Day. Rick's next moves are in voice animated content and fashion, and the design of a custom sneaker/shoe line.

Despite all his considerable accolades and accomplishments, "Hip-Hop's Greatest Storyteller" was unable to travel or perform outside of the United States for most of his iconic career. A turbulent, two-decade-plus immigration battle ended in April 2016, when he became a naturalized U.S. Citizen. Maintaining dual citizenship with Great Britain, he celebrated the milestone in November 2016, performing sold-out shows in Manchester, Bristol, London, Birmingham, and Brighton in the United Kingdom. The "Coming Home" tour also hit nearby Dublin, Ireland and Paris, France. Live Nation UK streamed the London show worldwide.

With more than three decades in the world of music, this legacy artist is still striving, still working, still giving back to his community and still ruling.

slickrickisart.com

THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

(Remastered original album, plus six previously unreleased tracks)

Treat Her Like a Prostitute The Ruler's Back Children's Story The Moment I Feared Let's Get Crazy Indian Girl (An Adult Story) Teenage Love Mona Lisa Kit (What's the Scoop) Hey Young World Teacher, Teacher Lick the Balls Children's Story (Demo) - previously unreleased A Teenage Love (Demo) - previously unreleased Mona Lisa (Demo) - previously unreleased Hey Young World (Demo) - previously unreleased Snakes of The World Today (Session Track) - previously unreleased Can't Dance To A Track That Ain't Got No Soul (new song) - previously unreleased

SOURCE Def Jam/Urban Legends/UMe

Related Links

http://www.slickrickisart.com


First unveiled at the recent Paris Motor Show, the GS5 has already made a huge impression with its stunning appearance and emphasis on driving comfort. The GS5's design specifically caters to young consumers living in cities, offering a balanced driving and riding experience that fulfills consumers' needs for practical utility as well as creating personal value by achieving a sense of premium appeal.

Powered by GAC Motor's new generation of car-building technologies, the GS5 SUV is a benchmarking creation that combines rideability and advanced technologies, typifying GAC Motor's pursuit of manufacturing excellence.

Robust power

Developed using GAC Motor's Cross-platform Modular Architecture (G-CPMA), the GS5 utilizes new third-generation "Ti Power" to achieve a perfect balance between stability and comfort.

The GS5 adopts GAC Motor's next-generation 1.5T GDI engine delivering a vibrant and exciting driving experience with enhanced performance:

Peak torque of 270T;

Strong power per litre performance, up to 83KW/L;

Torque per litre of 177NM/L;

Equipped with Aisin 6-speed hydrodynamic automatic transmission;

Features six technical innovations including continuous variable valve timing, patented GCCS combustion control technology and Bosch high-pressure injection system.

The GS5 features an upgraded, high-performance driving chassis.

0.088-second rapid steering response time;

Ultra-small roll angle at bends of up to 0.6g;

35.48 m shortest-in-class and sports-car-level braking distance;

shortest-in-class and sports-car-level braking distance; 74 km/h anti-rollover maximum speed;

Dramatically reduced vibration on level roads;

2.38 dB minimum-in-class pulse vibration.

GAC Motor has leveraged its global supply chain system to create world-class products. For example, the compressive capacity of the GS5's roof is far beyond the most stringent U.S. regulatory limits, and the model's five-star enhanced safety package comprises ten smart driving safety guarantees.

Style refined with strength

The GS5's forward-leaning stance is represented by the brand's iconic 'Flying Dynamics' front grille that forms a bold and cohesive structure while spreading its wings into both of the diamond-cut LED matrix headlights to create the impression of taking off.

The body of the GS5 features a suspended roof design and stunning 19-inch machined rims. The dynamic model also boasts rear smart skyline LED run-through taillights and roaring chrome-plated double exhaust pipes.

The GS5 offers best-in-class cabin space both in the front and rear while enhancing the joys of driving with a panoramic sunroof and Qiyun AI mobility solution.

Some of the GS5's functions are remote-controlled, such as activating the onboard triple air purification function with a simple tap of a smartphone.

The GS5 is the latest achievement of GAC Motor's integrated global supply chain; it's a strong player in the compact SUV market sector and is destined to be a future star of the GAC Motor family after the GS4 and GS8.

About GAC Motor

Founded in 2008, Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor CO., LTD (GAC Motor) is a subsidiary of GAC Group which ranks 202nd among Fortune Global 500 companies. The company develops and manufactures premium quality vehicles, engines, components and auto accessories. GAC Motor has now ranked first among all Chinese brands for six consecutive years in J.D. Power Asia Pacific's China Initial Quality Study SM (IQS), demonstrating the company's quality-centric strategy from innovative research and development (R&D), manufacturing to supply chain and sales & services.

For more information, please visit:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GACMotor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gac_motor

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/gac_motor

Media Contact:

Sukie Wong

+86-186-8058-2829

[email protected]

SOURCE GAC Motor
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Market Share Analysis by Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Processing Capacity (MTPA) of Leading Companies Including Financial Data & Analysis of Existing Waste to Energy Facilities & Upcoming Projects





Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05606243





The leading players comprise a diverse range of companies, including international utilities, national agencies and devolved bodies, and smaller engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operations and maintenance (O&M) companies. Most of the operators have established dominant positions in mature markets, but those that have expanded into developing markets have the most potential for capacity growth.

Visiongain's report will ensure that you keep informed and ahead of your competitors. Gain that competitive advantage.



The report will answer questions such as:

- Who are the leading companies in the WtE industry?

 What is their strategy?

 What is their existing processing capacity and where is it based?

 What are their core strengths and weaknesses?

 Do they have expansion plans, and if so where are they likely to go?

- What is driving and restraining the involvement of each leading company within the market?

- What is the MSW-processing capacity and share of the market for each leading company in 2017 in tonnes per annum?

- What is the total size of the WtE market in 2017? How much will it grow and why?

- What political, economic, environmental and technological factors affect the WtE market?



How will you benefit from this report?

- This report you will keep your knowledge base up to speed. Don't get left behind

- This report will allow you to reinforce strategic decision-making based upon definitive and reliable market data

- You will learn how to exploit new technological trends

- You will be able to realise your company's full potential within the market

- You will better understand the competitive landscape and identify potential new business opportunities and partnerships



Four reasons why you must order and read this report today:



1) The study reveals where and how leading companies are investing in WtE plants. We show you the prospects for companies operating in:

- North America

- Middle East

- Asia

- Europe



2) The report provides a detailed individual profile for each of the 20 leading companies in waste to energy market in 2017, providing data for MSW-processing capacity, details of existing and upcoming WtE projects:

- Veolia

- China Everbright

- Covanta

- EDF

- Suez Environnement

- Hitachi Zosen Inova AG

- Ramboll Group

- Grandblue Environment Co. Ltd

- Wheelabrator

- EQT AB

- Keppel Seghers Belgium N.V.

- Attero

- Chongqing Iron & Steel Company (CISC)

- Clean Association of Tokyo 23

- Viridor

- China Metallurgical Group

- Hunan Junxin Environmental Protection

- Babcock & Wilcox Vlund A/S

- AVR

- GCL Poly



3) The analysis is also underpinned by our exclusive interview with an expert from one of the leading companies analysed in this report



4) It also provides a PEST analysis of the key factors affecting the overall WtE market:

- Political

- Economic

- Social

- Technical



Competitive advantage

This independent, 145-page report guarantees you will remain better informed than your competitors. With 100 tables and figures examining the WtE market space, the report gives you an immediate, one-stop breakdown of the leading WtE companies plus analysis and future outlooks, keeping your knowledge one step ahead of your rivals.



Who should read this report?

- Anyone within the WtE value chain

- CEOs

- COOs

- CIOs

- Business development managers

- Marketing managers

- Technologists

- Suppliers

- Investors

- Banks

- Government agencies

- Contractors



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05606243



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Myrtle Beach-based vacation ownership company, National Hospitality Group (NHG), recently welcomed Travis Bary, a former Executive Vice President with Wyndham Vacation Ownership as their Chief Operating Officer.

During his time in the industry, Mr. Bary was an integral part of Wyndham's growth and innovation. Mr. Bary brings extensive operational experience, exceptional leadership and a long history of successful results.

"We look forward to the unique vision and varied experience Travis will add to NHG as we continue to grow within the vacation ownership industry," said Jason Shroff, CEO of National Hospitality Group.

National Hospitality Group brings innovative solutions to the vacation ownership industry by offering quality timeshare management and high-volume sales to both legacy and newly developed resorts. These options allow owners to benefit from diverse vacation experiences and deliver tangible results to resorts and timeshare owners associations.

"I was drawn to National Hospitality Group because the company has created a unique niche in the timeshare industry. NHG is only at the beginning of a long and successful run," said Mr. Bary. "We are going to do some great things together, so I am very excited about the future."

ABOUT NATIONAL HOSPITALITY GROUP

National Hospitality Group ("NHG") is one of the largest managers and developers of North American vacation ownership resorts. NHG provides its customers with tailored hospitality and vacation offerings. NHG currently operates seventy-one resorts throughout the United States and Caribbean. You can learn more about National Hospitality Group and our resorts at NHGVacations.com.

SOURCE National Hospitality Group

Related Links

http://www.nhgvacations.com


BOSTON, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to an announcement today by Life Biosciences Inc., Dr. Bill Avery and Dr. Michel Wathier have been appointed vice presidents. Dr. Avery is the vice president for nonclinical safety, providing preclinical development and translational program management, operation, and regulatory expertise. Dr. Michel Wathier is vice president of chemistry manufacturing and control (CMC), with specific expertise across devices, small and large molecules, and combination products. Their technical acumen supports Life Biosciences and its six Daughter companies as they pursue independent and collaborative research and development into the eight pathways of age-related decline (ARD).

"Bill and Michel bring to our company a remarkable depth of scientific, regulatory and business experience," said Tristan Edwards, co-founder and chief executive officer of Life Biosciences. "We are excited for them to work at both the enterprise level and with our Daughter companies to develop drugs, therapies and treatments designed to reduce and reverse age-related decline."

Dr. Avery brings to Life Biosciences 18 years of developing drugs in successful biotechnology companies. During his career, he has led non-clinical development for 20 investigational new drug (IND) filings and 3 Biologics License Applications (BLA) registrations. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in Veterinary and Animal Sciences, his JD and MBA from Suffolk University and his PhD in Health Sciences from Trident University. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Toxicology.

Dr. Wathier's career encompasses more than 20 years of leading the formulation development and manufacture of drugs and biologics. His expertise is in leading complex drug substance and drug product manufacturing processes through drug approval. He has worked in regulatory environments in both the United States and internationally. He has led 15 compounds through successful IND filings. He received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Avignon, France and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University in the department of chemistry.

Co-founded in 2017 by David Sinclair, PhD, AO, and Tristan Edwards, Life Biosciences is the first and largest company addressing the eight pathways of age-related decline (ARD) as a systemic breakdown of the body, not a series of isolated symptoms and conditions. It has established Daughter companies around the world, led by a Dream Team of respected scientists, to independently and collaboratively attack these pathways through pioneering research and product development. The company provides Daughter companies with the full resources of LifeLab, its 24,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art research facility that includes a vivarium, robotics, and drug screening capabilities; and an emerging AI platform being developed by the company's Lua subsidiary. Life Biosciences seeks to increase healthspans for everyone, including companion animals.

For more information on Life Biosciences, please visit www.lifebiosciences.com.

Press Contact:

[email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE Life Biosciences

Related Links

http://www.lifebiosciences.com


HOLMDEL, N.J., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE: VG), a business cloud communications leader, today announced results for the quarter ended September 30, 2018.

Consolidated Results

"Vonage delivered another strong quarter, as Business service revenues grew 23% and total Business revenues accounted for 59% of consolidated revenues," said Vonage CEO Alan Masarek. "These results underscore the tremendous progress that we are making with the development of our OneVonage technology platform, and in sales and marketing execution within the mid-market and enterprise segments."

For the third quarter of 2018, Vonage reported revenues of $262 million, a 3% increase from the year-ago quarter. The Company announced and closed the acquisition of TokBox, and announced the acquisition of NewVoiceMedia during the quarter. Both of these transactions had one-time deal-related costs and, in the case of TokBox, operating losses, that impacted earnings. Accordingly: Income from Operations was $15 million, down from $25 million in the prior year quarter; Adjusted Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization ("Adjusted OIBDA")1 was $50 million, down from $51 million in the prior year quarter; GAAP net income was $10 million or $0.04 per diluted share, down from $11 million or $0.04 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter; and Adjusted net income2 was $22 million or $0.09 per diluted share, up from $17 million or $0.07 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter.

Third Quarter Business Segment Results and Highlights

Vonage Business total revenues were $154 million , representing 19% GAAP growth on a year-over-year basis.

, representing 19% GAAP growth on a year-over-year basis. Vonage Business service revenues grew 23% to $134 million .

. Service Revenue per customer was $362 per month, a 12% year-over-year increase.

per month, a 12% year-over-year increase. Business Revenue Churn was 1.1%, improving from 1.2% in the year-ago quarter.

Registered developers on Vonage's API Platform increased to 696,000.

Third Quarter Consumer Segment Results and Highlights

Consumer revenues were $108 million compared to $124 million in the prior year, a decline of 13%.

compared to in the prior year, a decline of 13%. Consumer customer churn was 1.8%, improving from 1.9% in the year-ago quarter.

Average revenue per line ("ARPU") in Consumer was $26.30 , roughly flat compared to the year-ago quarter.

, roughly flat compared to the year-ago quarter. The Consumer segment ended the quarter with approximately 1.3 million subscriber lines.

Consumer's tenured customers, defined as those with the Company for more than two years, increased to 85% of the base. The churn rate of this tenured cohort is 1.5%.

Completed Acquisition of NewVoiceMedia

On October 31, Vonage completed the acquisition of privately-held NewVoiceMedia, an industry-leading cloud Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) provider, for an equity price of $350 million in cash.

NewVoiceMedia was the largest privately-owned, pure-play, cloud contact center company globally. NewVoiceMedia is in the Leader's quadrant of the Gartner CCaaS Magic Quadrant for Western Europe for the second year in a row; was recently named a strong performer in the Forrester Wave for Cloud Contact Centers; and was included for the third consecutive year on the Forbes Magazine Cloud 100, a list of the top 100 private cloud companies in revenue, sales growth, valuation and culture.

More than 700 primarily mid-market and enterprise customers rely on NewVoiceMedia for a range of customer engagement use cases, from inbound customer support to outbound sales, including worldwide brands like Adobe, Siemens, Time Inc., FundingCircle and Rapid7.

The acquisition combines Vonage's robust UCaaS and CPaaS solutions with NewVoiceMedia's pure-play cloud contact center offerings to provide an end-to-end communication experience for a company's employees and customers. The addition of NewVoiceMedia advances Vonage's strategy to provide a fully integrated cloud communications platform.

"The need for an integrated communications experience is critical as businesses undergo digital transformation. Specifically, deep integration between business applications and enterprise communications tools is necessary to improve customer experience and deliver Better Business Outcomes," said Mr. Masarek.

"With NewVoiceMedia, Vonage is now the only cloud communications company to combine deep CRM integrations with the full range of programmable communications used by a business's employees and customers."

Updated Guidance

The Company is updating its 2018 guidance to reflect the acquisition of NewVoiceMedia and now expects the following:

Consolidated revenue in the range of $1.048 billion to $1.052 billion . Within this, Vonage Business revenue is expected to be in the range of $608 million to $612 million . Consumer revenue is expected to be in the area of $440 million .

to . Within this, Vonage Business revenue is expected to be in the range of to . Consumer revenue is expected to be in the area of . Adjusted OIBDA in the range of $177 million to $180 million , which takes into account NewVoiceMedia's organic OIBDA profile and the loss of a portion of its revenue and OIBDA from the required write-down of a portion of its deferred revenue. Additionally, Adjusted OIBDA is impacted by the accelerated adoption of the Vonage Business Cloud (VBC) platform, which is driving higher cloud hosting operating expense in lieu of capital expenditures, and currency translation.

to , which takes into account NewVoiceMedia's organic OIBDA profile and the loss of a portion of its revenue and OIBDA from the required write-down of a portion of its deferred revenue. Additionally, Adjusted OIBDA is impacted by the accelerated adoption of the Vonage Business Cloud (VBC) platform, which is driving higher cloud hosting operating expense in lieu of capital expenditures, and currency translation. Capital expenditures in the $25 million area, improved due to the shift to the public cloud-hosted VBC platform and away from usage of the company's private data centers, equipment and third-party software.

area, improved due to the shift to the public cloud-hosted VBC platform and away from usage of the company's private data centers, equipment and third-party software. Adjusted OIBDA minus capital expenditures of $152 million to $155 million , with the improved capital expenditures more than offsetting the change in Adjusted OIBDA.

Conference Call and Webcast

Management will host a conference call to discuss the Company's financial results for the third quarter of 2018 and other matters at 8:30 AM Eastern Time. To participate, please dial (866) 891-8177. International callers should dial (412) 902-6756.

A live webcast of the conference call will be available on the Vonage Investor Relations website. A replay of the webcast will also be available shortly after the conclusion of the call, and may be accessed through Vonage's Investor Relations website or by dialing (877) 344-7529 or (412) 317-0088 for international callers, and entering the passcode 10125508.

(1) This is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer below to Table 3 for a reconciliation to GAAP income from operations.

(2) This is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer below to Table 4 for a reconciliation to GAAP net income.

VONAGE HOLDINGS CORP. TABLE 1. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA (Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)



Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

June 30,

September 30,

September 30,

2018

2018

2017

2018

2017

(unaudited)

(unaudited)

(unaudited)

(unaudited)



















Statement of Operations Data:

















Revenues $ 261,531



$ 259,875



$ 253,083



$ 774,979



$ 748,266





















Operating Expenses:

















Cost of revenues (excluding depreciation and amortization of

$6,386, $6,226, $6,852, $19,046, and $20,497, respectively) 104,351



107,204



102,938



315,122



301,688

Sales and marketing 74,380



77,685



73,576



229,201



235,245

Engineering and development 14,309



10,375



6,956



35,504



21,996

General and administrative 37,620



32,174



26,811



97,376



98,411

Depreciation and amortization 16,024



19,062



18,179



51,886



54,520



246,684



246,500



228,460



729,089



711,860

Income from operations 14,847



13,375



24,623



45,890



36,406

Other income (expense):

















Interest expense (3,036)



(3,097)



(3,821)



(9,294)



(11,385)

Other income (expense), net 347



337



468



431



943



(2,689)



(2,760)



(3,353)



(8,863)



(10,442)

Income before income tax 12,158



10,615



21,270



37,027



25,964

Income tax (expense) benefit (2,570)



(2,056)



(10,668)



5,644



(4,624)

Net income $ 9,588



$ 8,559



$ 10,602



$ 42,671



$ 21,340

Earnings per common share:

















Basic $ 0.04



$ 0.04



$ 0.05



$ 0.18



$ 0.10

Diluted $ 0.04



$ 0.03



$ 0.04



$ 0.17



$ 0.09

Weighted-average common shares outstanding:

















Basic 239,303



237,919



227,943



236,775



223,956

Diluted 249,516



248,256



242,720



248,780



242,552



VONAGE HOLDINGS CORP. TABLE 1. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA - (Continued) (Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)



Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

June 30,

September 30,

September 30,

2018

2018

2017

2018

2017

(unaudited)

(unaudited)

(unaudited)

(unaudited)



















Statement of Cash Flow Data:

















Net cash provided by operating activities $ 28,528



$ 42,467



$ 47,907



$ 94,463



$ 80,600

Net cash used in investing activities (37,177)



(5,610)



(9,349)



(49,184)



(23,626)

Net cash used in financing activities 6,841



(32,971)



(35,379)



(50,130)



(56,757)

Capital expenditures and acquisition and development of software

assets (4,878)



(5,610)



(9,349)



(16,885)



(25,228)







September 30,

December 31,



2018

2017



(unaudited)













Balance Sheet Data (at period end):







Cash and cash equivalents

$ 25,735



$ 31,360

Restricted cash

1,984



1,967

Accounts receivable, net of allowance

57,060



44,159

Inventory, net of allowance

1,420



2,971

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

26,707



31,285

Property and equipment, net

42,754



46,754

Goodwill

389,490



373,764

Software, net

17,828



22,252

Deferred customer acquisition costs, current and non-current

45,490





Intangible assets, net

158,939



173,270

Deferred tax assets

114,757



110,892

Other assets

27,546



20,007

Total assets

$ 909,710



$ 858,681

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

$ 125,488



$ 115,472

Deferred revenue, current and non-current

27,509



30,576

Total notes payable, net of debt related costs and indebtedness under revolving credit facility, including current portion

210,672



232,515

Other liabilities

8,147



7,220

Total liabilities

$ 371,816



$ 385,783

Total stockholders' equity

$ 537,894



$ 472,898



VONAGE HOLDINGS CORP. TABLE 2. SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED OPERATING DATA (Amounts in thousands, except per line amounts) (unaudited)

The table below includes revenues and cost of revenues that our management uses to measure the growth and operating performance of the business focused portion of our business:

Business Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

June 30,

September 30,

September 30,

2018

2018

2017

2018

2017 Revenues:

















Service $ 133,709



$ 127,692



$ 108,819



$ 377,703



$ 303,814

Access and product (1) 12,427



12,716



13,749



37,674



41,622

Service and Access and product 146,136



140,408



122,568



415,377



345,436

USF 7,499



7,434



6,738



22,768



19,386

Total Business Revenues $ 153,635



$ 147,842



$ 129,306



$ 438,145



$ 364,822





















Cost of Revenues:

















Service (2) $ 59,600



$ 60,335



$ 49,078



$ 172,917



$ 134,041

Access and product (1) 14,887



13,913



14,401



43,291



43,537

Service and Access and product 74,487



74,248



63,479



216,208



177,578

USF 7,499



7,434



6,738



22,773



19,386

Cost of Revenues $ 81,986



$ 81,682



$ 70,217



$ 238,981



$ 196,964





















Service margin % 55.4 %

52.7 %

54.9 %

54.2 %

55.9 % Gross margin % ex-USF (Service and Access and product margin %) 49.0 %

47.1 %

48.2 %

47.9 %

48.6 % Gross margin % 46.6 %

44.8 %

45.7 %

45.5 %

46.0 %

(1) Includes customer premise equipment, access, and shipping and handling. (2) Excludes depreciation and amortization of $5,141, $4,978, and $5,053 for the quarters ended September 30, 2018, June 30, 2018, and September 30, 2017, respectively, and $15,092 and $14,931 for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

The table below includes revenues and cost of revenues that our management uses to measure the growth and operating performance of the consumer focused portion of our business:

Consumer Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

June 30,

September 30,

September 30,

2018

2018

2017

2018

2017 Revenues:

















Service $ 97,093



$ 100,467



$ 111,913



$ 301,954



$ 346,666

Access and product (1) 92



289



94



472



498

Service and Access and product 97,185



100,756



112,007



302,426



347,164

USF 10,711



11,277



11,770



34,408



36,280

Total Consumer Revenues $ 107,896



$ 112,033



$ 123,777



$ 336,834



$ 383,444





















Cost of Revenues:

















Service (2) $ 10,661



$ 12,375



$ 19,434



$ 37,050



$ 62,969

Access and product (1) 993



1,870



1,517



4,657



5,475

Service and Access and product 11,654



14,245



20,951



41,707



68,444

USF 10,711



11,277



11,770



34,434



36,280

Cost of Revenues $ 22,365



$ 25,522



$ 32,721



$ 76,141



$ 104,724





















Service margin % 89.0 %

87.7 %

82.6 %

87.7 %

81.8 % Gross margin % ex-USF (Service and Access and product margin %) 88.0 %

85.9 %

81.3 %

86.2 %

80.3 % Gross margin % 79.3 %

77.2 %

73.6 %

77.4 %

72.7 %

(1) Includes customer premise equipment, access, and shipping and handling. (2) Excludes depreciation and amortization of $1,245, $1,248, and $1,799 for the quarters ended September 30, 2018, June 30, 2018, and September 30, 2017, respectively, and $3,954 and $5,566 for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

VONAGE HOLDINGS CORP. TABLE 2. SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED OPERATING DATA - (Continued) (unaudited)

The table below includes key operating data that our management uses to measure the growth and operating performance of the business focused portion of our business:

Business Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

June 30,

September 30,

September 30,

2018

2018

2017

2018

2017



















Service revenue per customer $ 362



$ 348



$ 324



$ 345



$ 323

Business revenue churn 1.1 %

1.2 %

1.2 %

1.2 %

1.2 %

The table below includes key operating data that our management uses to measure the growth and operating performance of the consumer focused portion of our business:

Consumer Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

June 30,

September 30,

September 30,

2018

2018

2017

2018

2017



















Average monthly revenues per line $ 26.30



$ 26.37



$ 26.29



$ 26.41



$ 26.18

Subscriber lines (at period end) 1,341,662



1,393,131



1,543,760



1,341,662



1,543,760

Customer churn 1.8 %

1.7 %

1.9 %

1.8 %

2.0 %

VONAGE HOLDINGS CORP. TABLE 3. RECONCILIATION OF GAAP INCOME FROM OPERATIONS TO ADJUSTED OIBDA AND TO ADJUSTED OIBDA MINUS CAPEX (Amounts in thousands) (unaudited)



Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

June 30,

September 30,

September 30,

2018

2018

2017

2018

2017



















Income from operations $ 14,847



$ 13,375



$ 24,623



$ 45,890



$ 36,406

Depreciation and amortization 16,024



19,062



18,179



51,886



54,520

Share-based expense 8,484



8,497



7,594



23,690



22,070

Acquisition related transaction and integration costs 9,509



432



15



9,941



172

Organizational transformation 923



3,011







4,043



4,000

Acquisition related consideration accounted for as compensation 39



559



886



1,425



11,959

Adjusted OIBDA 49,826



44,936



51,297



136,875



129,127

Less:

















Capital expenditures (2,900)



(4,537)



(6,795)



(10,687)



(15,790)

Acquisition and development of software assets (1,978)



(1,073)



(2,554)



(6,198)



(9,438)

Adjusted OIBDA Minus Capex $ 44,948



$ 39,326



$ 41,948



$ 119,990



$ 103,899



VONAGE HOLDINGS CORP. TABLE 4. RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET INCOME TO NET INCOME EXCLUDING ADJUSTMENTS (Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts) (unaudited)



Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

June 30,

September 30,

September 30,

2018

2018

2017

2018

2017



















Net income $ 9,588



$ 8,559



$ 10,602



$ 42,671



$ 21,340

Amortization of acquisition - related intangibles 8,746



8,594



9,257



26,170



27,325

Acquisition related transaction and integration costs 9,509



432



15



9,941



172

Acquisition related consideration accounted for as compensation 39



559



886



1,425



11,959

Organizational transformation 923



3,011







4,043



4,000

Tax effect on adjusting items (7,283)



(4,177)



(4,197)



(14,761)



(17,954)

Adjusted net income $ 21,522



$ 16,978



$ 16,563



$ 69,489



$ 46,842

Earnings per common share:

















Basic $ 0.04



$ 0.04



$ 0.05



$ 0.18



$ 0.10

Diluted $ 0.04



$ 0.03



$ 0.04



$ 0.17



$ 0.09

Weighted-average common shares outstanding:

















Basic 239,303



237,919



227,943



236,775



223,956

Diluted 249,516



248,256



242,720



248,780



242,552

Earnings per common share, excluding adjustments:

















Basic $ 0.09



$ 0.07



$ 0.07



$ 0.29



$ 0.21

Diluted $ 0.09



$ 0.07



$ 0.07



$ 0.28



$ 0.19

Weighted-average common shares outstanding:

















Basic 239,303



237,919



227,943



236,775



223,956

Diluted 249,516



248,256



242,720



248,780



242,552



VONAGE HOLDINGS CORP. TABLE 5. FREE CASH FLOW (Amounts in thousands) (unaudited)



Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

June 30,

September 30,

September 30,

2018

2018

2017

2018

2017



















Net cash provided by operating activities $ 28,528



$ 42,467



$ 47,907



$ 94,463



$ 80,600

Less:

















Capital expenditures (2,900)



(4,537)



(6,795)



(10,687)



(15,790)

Acquisition and development of software assets (1,978)



(1,073)



(2,554)



(6,198)



(9,438)

Free cash flow $ 23,650



$ 36,857



$ 38,558



$ 77,578



$ 55,372



VONAGE HOLDINGS CORP. TABLE 6. RECONCILIATION OF NOTES PAYABLE, INDEBTEDNESS UNDER REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITY, AND CAPITAL LEASES TO NET DEBT (Dollars in thousands) (unaudited)





September 30,

December 31,



2018

2017









Current maturities of capital lease obligations

$ 21



$ 140

Current portion of notes payable

10,000



18,750

Notes payable and indebtedness under revolving credit facility, net of current maturities and debt related costs

200,672



213,765

Unamortized debt related costs

828



672

Gross debt

211,521



233,327

Less:







Unrestricted cash

25,735



31,360

Net debt

$ 185,786



$ 201,967



About Vonage

Vonage (NYSE: VG) is redefining business communications. True to our roots as a technology disruptor, we've embraced technology to transform how companies communicate to create better business outcomes. Our unique cloud communications platform brings together a robust unified communications solution with the agility of embedded communications APIs. This powerful combination enables businesses to collaborate more productively and engage their customers more effectively across messaging, chat, social media, video and voice.

The Company also provides a robust suite of feature-rich residential communication solutions.

Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Israel. Vonage is a registered trademark of Vonage Marketing LLC, owned by Vonage America Inc. For more information, visit www.vonage.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release includes measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by Regulation G adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, including: adjusted Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization ("adjusted OIBDA"), adjusted OIBDA less Capex, adjusted net income, net debt (cash), and free cash flow.

Adjusted OIBDA

Vonage uses adjusted OIBDA as a principal indicator of the operating performance of its business.

Vonage defines adjusted OIBDA as GAAP income (loss) from operations excluding depreciation and amortization, share-based expense, acquisition related transaction and integration costs, change in contingent consideration, acquisition related consideration accounted for as compensation, organizational transformation costs and loss on sublease.

Vonage believes that adjusted OIBDA permits a comparative assessment of its operating performance, relative to its performance based on its GAAP results, while isolating the effects of depreciation and amortization, which may vary from period to period without any correlation to underlying operating performance; of share-based expense, which is a non-cash expense that also varies from period to period; of one-time acquisition related transaction and integration costs, acquisition related consideration accounted for as compensation and change in contingent consideration, organizational transformation costs and loss on sublease.

The Company provides information relating to its adjusted OIBDA so that investors have the same data that the Company employs in assessing its overall operations. The Company believes that trends in its Adjusted OIBDA are valuable indicators of the operating performance of the Company on a consolidated basis.

The Company does not reconcile its forward-looking adjusted OIBDA to the corresponding GAAP measure of income from operations due to the significant variability and difficulty in making accurate forecasts with respect to the various expenses we exclude, as they may be significantly impacted by future events the timing and nature of which are difficult to predict or are not within the control of management. As such, the Company has determined that reconciliations of this forward-looking non-GAAP financial measure to the corresponding GAAP measure is not available without unreasonable effort.

Adjusted OIBDA less Capex

Vonage uses adjusted OIBDA less Capex as an indicator of the operating performance of its business. The Company provides information relating to its adjusted OIBDA less Capex so that investors have the same data that the Company employs in assessing its overall operations. The Company believes that trends in its Adjusted OIBDA less Capex are valuable indicators of the operating performance of the Company on a consolidated basis because they provide our investors with insight into current performance and period-to-period performance.

Adjusted net income

Vonage defines adjusted net income, as GAAP net income (loss) excluding amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition related transaction and integration costs, change in contingent consideration, acquisition related consideration accounted for as compensation, organizational transformation costs, loss on sublease and tax effect on adjusting items.

The Company believes that excluding these items will assist investors in evaluating the Company's operating performance and in better understanding its results of operations as amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets is a non-cash item, one-time acquisition related transaction and integration costs, change in contingent consideration, acquisition related consideration accounted for as compensation, loss on sublease and tax effect on adjusting items are not reflective of operating performance.

Net debt (cash)

Vonage defines net debt (cash) as the current maturities of capital lease obligations, current portion of notes payable, notes payable and indebtedness under revolving credit facility, net of current maturities and debt related costs, and capital lease obligations, net of current maturities, less unrestricted cash and marketable securities.

Vonage uses net debt (cash) as a measure of assessing leverage, as it reflects the gross debt under the Company's credit agreements and capital leases less cash available to repay such amounts. The Company believes that net cash is also a factor that first parties consider in valuing the Company.

Free cash flow

Vonage defines free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities minus capital expenditures, purchase of intangible assets, and acquisition and development of software assets.

Vonage considers free cash flow to be a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management about the amount of cash generated by the business that, after the acquisition of equipment and software, can be used by Vonage for debt service and strategic opportunities. Free cash flow is not a measure of cash available for discretionary expenditures since the Company has certain non-discretionary obligations such as debt service that are not deducted from the measure.

The non-GAAP financial measures used by Vonage may not be directly comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies due to differences in accounting policies and items excluded or included in the adjustments, which limits its usefulness as a comparative measure. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP results.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about acquisitions, acquisition integration, financing activity, growth priorities or plans, revenues, adjusted OIBDA, churn, seats, lines or accounts, average revenue per user, cost of telephony services, capital expenditures, new products and related investment, and other statements that are not historical facts or information, that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, other statements in this press release that are not historical facts or information may be forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are based on information available at the time the statements are made and/or management's belief as of that time with respect to future events and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to be materially different. Important factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the competition we face; the expansion of competition in the cloud communications market; our ability to adapt to rapid changes in the cloud communications market; the nascent state of the cloud communications for business market; our ability to retain customers and attract new customers cost effectively; the risk associated with developing and maintaining effective internal sales teams and effective distribution channels; risks related to the acquisition or integration of businesses we have acquired; security breaches and other compromises of information security; risks associated with sales of our services to medium-sized and enterprise customers; our reliance on third party hardware and software; our dependence on third party facilities, equipment, systems and services; system disruptions or flaws in our technology and systems; our ability to scale our business and grow efficiently; our dependence on third party vendors; the impact of fluctuations in economic conditions, particularly on our small and medium business customers; our ability to comply with data privacy and related regulatory matters; our ability to obtain or maintain relevant intellectual property licenses; failure to protect our trademarks and internally developed software; fraudulent use of our name or services; intellectual property and other litigation that have been and may be brought against us; reliance on third parties for our 911 services; uncertainties relating to regulation of business services; risks associated with legislative, regulatory or judicial actions regarding our business products; risks associated with operating abroad; risks associated with the taxation of our business; risks associated with a material weakness in our internal controls; governmental regulation and taxes in our international operations; liability under anti-corruption laws or from governmental export controls or economic sanctions; our dependence on our customers' broadband connections; restrictions in our debt agreements that may limit our operating flexibility; foreign currency exchange risk; our ability to obtain additional financing if required; any reinstatement of holdbacks by our credit card processors; our history of net losses and ability to achieve consistent profitability in the future; our ability to fully realize the benefits of our net operating loss carry-forwards if an ownership change occurs; certain provisions of our charter documents/ and other factors that are set forth in the "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. While the Company may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so except as required by law, and therefore, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to today.

(vg-f)

SOURCE Vonage Holdings Corp.
Srinagar, Nov 2 : A militant was killed by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, police said on Friday.

The incident occurred on Thursday night in Sagipora village of Handwara after a patrol party of 9 Para Regiment noticed suspicious movement, leading to the firing.

The identity of the militant is yet to be ascertained, police sources said.
That brings the total of those cleared of wrongdoing because of the alleged misconduct of Watts and officers who worked under him to a staggering 50. And that number is likely to continue to rise, said attorney Joshua Tepfer, who represents many of the exonorees.
Lucknow, Nov 2 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked District Magistrates and police chiefs to ensure Diwali passes off peacefully without any untoward incident, an official said on Friday.

The District Magistrate of Faizabad has been asked to ensure the temple town of Ayodhya was clean for the 'Choti Diwali' when 'deepotsav' is held on the banks of river Saryu.

Adityanath held a video conference session with the officials late on Thursday.

He was expected to lead the devotees in lighting up lakhs of lamps on the ghats of Saryu river and has ordered the police to manage patrolling on foot.

The Power and Water departments must ensure uninterrupted supply during the festival of lights, he said.

The Fire Department, community health centres (CHCs), primary health centres (PHCs) and district hospitals have been asked to be on stand-by for any eventuality.
London, Nov 2 : A Japan Airlines pilot has admitted to failing a breath test shortly before he was due to fly from London to Tokyo, the police said.

Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, had almost 10 times more than the legal permitted amount of alcohol in his bloodstream when he was arrested, CNN quoted the Metropolitan Police as saying on Thursday.

At Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Thursday, the pilot pleaded guilty to being over the alcohol limit.

Japan Airlines flight JL44 was due to take off just 50 minutes after tests showed that First Officer Jitsukawa had 189 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood in his body.

The legal limit for pilots is 20 mg, while drivers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are allowed as much as 80 mg.

He was caught after the driver of a crew bus smelled alcohol and called the police, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.

Jitsukawa was scheduled to fly a 244-seater Boeing 777 aircraft. He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced November 29.

Japan Airlines has apologised for the incident, saying that "safety remains our utmost priority" and it will "implement immediate actions to prevent any future occurrence".
London, Nov 2 : Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has called on technology companies to defend users' privacy as human right, urging firms and governments to collectively work together to protect the most vulnerable section in society.

Speaking at an event "Future Decoded" here on Thursday, Nadella applauded the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as first step towards securing data privacy, The Registrar reported.

"All of us will have to think about the digital experiences we create to treat privacy as a human right," Nadella was quoted as saying.

"GDPR as a piece of legislation, a piece of regulation is a great start and we've done a lot of hard work to become compliant with GDPR," Nadella added, adding that the companies need to develop ethical standards around Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Nadella said that 54 Azure Cloud regions worldwide is "more than any other provider".

According to him, underwater data centres will play a key role in expanding Microsoft's Cloud computing platform.

Under its "Project Natick", Mictosoft has already deployed a 40-foot data centre pod on the seafloor off the coast of Scotland.

"Since 50 per cent of the world's population lives close to water bodies, we think this is the way we want to think about future data centre expansion," Nadella said.

Microsoft also unveiled an AI report titled "Maximising the AI Opportunity" for businesses.

The company announced at the event that the health agency NHS Scotland will deploy Office 365 to all of its 161,000 employees, moving away from a complicated organisation that included more than 100 separate computer systems.

Microsoft also formed a strategic partnership with Centrica, the British energy and services company behind brands like British Gas, Dyno and Direct Energy.

Centrica plans to transform field operations by leveraging Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Artificial Intelligence, providing employees with real time and actionable insight so they can improve customer service.
Los Angeles, Nov 2 : Talk show host-producer-philanthropist Oprah Winfrey returned to the campaign trail for Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who is running for Governor of Georgia in the upcoming midterm polls, saying "all the noise", "crazy talk" and "vitriol" was now part of political discourse.

"You know what? They are designed to confuse and confound you with fear. They are not designed for people with discernment," she told a crowd on Thursday at the Cobb Civic Centre in Georgia, reports variety.com.

Winfrey did not mention US President Donald Trump's name or reference Abrams' Republican opponent, Brian Kemp. But she called for woman to do the right thing.

"Women, people. We have discernment... When you can feel what is the right thing to do, you can't be influenced by propaganda and fear," she said.

This was Winfrey's first foray into midterm politics this year, after largely sitting out the 2016 presidential campaign.

In January, when she gave a speech at the Golden Globe Awards, it ignited speculation that she too may be looking to run for president in 2020.

At the event on Thursday, Winfrey again dismissed those prospects.

"I'm not here because I'm making some grandstand, I'm thinking about running myself," Winfrey said. "I don't want to run. I'm not trying to test any waters."

She touched on one of the major issues of the Abrams-Kemp campaign: voting rights.

"I'm here today because of the men and because of the women who were lynched, who were humiliated, who were discriminated against, who were suppressed, who were repressed and oppressed. I refuse to let their sacrifices be in vain," Winfrey said.

Kemp, Georgia's Secretary of State, has been challenged for his decision to freeze some 50,000 voter applications.

Abrams' campaign has called on him to resign, while he has said that it is a manufactured problem at a time when registration is at a record high.

She told the crowd that she was registered as an independent.

Winfrey added: "Nobody paid me to come here. Nobody asked me to come here. I came for myself, and I approve this message."

She said that she called Abrams up and offered to make campaign appearances for her. Winfrey said to Abrams: "You keep standing strong for the values that matter to me, and the values that matter to Georgians all over this state."

Winfrey's first dive into the political arena came in 2007, when she endorsed Barack Obama and campaigned for him in South Carolina and other states.

The midterm election are slated to take place on November 6.
Kochi, November 02 : Senior BJP leader from Kerala B Gopalakrishnan was on Monday booked by the Ernakulam central police over the controversial comments he made against ranking IPS officer Manoj Abraham.

Addressing a protest march taken out against alleged police high-handedness against those staging protests at Sabarimala to prevent women from entering the hill shrine, Gopalakrishnan had referred to Mr. Abraham as an undignified dog of Kerala police, besides issuing threats against the IPS officer.

Blaming all the skirmishes at Sabarimala on the IPS officer, Gopalakrishnan had said that the former would have to knock on the doors of the central administrative tribunal for getting another promotion.

The BJP leader was booked under sections 294(b) and 506 of the Indian penal code, pertaining to use of obscene words in public and criminal intimidation respectively.

Responding to news of police booking him, Gopalakrishnan told the media he was merely exercising his democratic right by making the comments against Manoj Abraham, adding that his criticism was aimed at the IPS officers attitude.

Even as he said that as an advocate he welcomed the registration of cases against him, he added that considering the IPC sections slapped against him in the FIR, the cases against him were legally untenable because police dog was not a derogatory phrase.

On charges of criminal intimidation against him, he defiantly said that the LDF government could not intimidate him by slapping charges of criminal intimation against him.

Mr. Abraham who was the officer-in-charge at Sabarimala drew the ire of right-wing groups over the police baton charge to disperse Save Sabarimala campaigners and protesters at the hill shrine who vowed to prevent women from entering the temple in the wake of the supreme court verdict lifting curbs on entry of women of child-bearing age.

A vicious online smear campaign had been carried out by right-wing groups in the wake of skirmishes at Sabarimala, holding Mr. Abraham responsible and labelling him anti-Hindu.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : The standoff between the Centre and Reserve Bank of India continued on Friday with Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg dismissing RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya's comments about incurring the market's wrath if the central bank's independence was harmed.

Garg was sarcastic as he mentioned the recent macroeconomic developments -- the performance of rupee, oil and stock markets -- that did not reflect any "wrath".

"Rupee trading at less than 73 to a dollar; Brent crude below $73 a barrel; markets up by over four per cent during the week and bond yields below 7.8 per cent. Wrath of the markets," he tweeted.

Garg's remarks came after Acharya, during a lecture last week, made out a strong case for the central bank's autonomy, saying that governments that do not respect its independence "will sooner or later incur the wrath of financial markets, ignite economic fire, and come to rue the day they undermined an important regulatory institution".

On Thursday, he said that Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore, the rupee appreciating by 40-50 paise and the performance of crude and bond yields were "very good developments essential for sound macroeconomic performance of India".

Acharya's remarks brought into spotlight the differences between the RBI and the government, as reports also suggested that the Centre has invoked a never-before-used section of the RBI Act to make the central bank fall in line.
Beijing, Nov 2 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived here on Friday on a four-day visit to China which comes at a time when Islamabad has shown misgivings about Beijing's connectivity project, the CPEC.

During his visit, Khan is likely to seek fresh loans for his country's limping economy from China which is Islamabad's biggest lender.

Khan will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. He will also attend China's International Import Expo on Sunday in Shanghai.

The new government under Khan has expressed concerns over the Chinese debt under the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key project of Beijing's Belt and Road initiative.

In fact, it slashed the budget for a railway project under the CPEC from $8.2 billion to $6.2 billion, citing Islamabad's financial constraints.

Khan's invitation to Saudi Arabia to join the Chinese-funded CPEC, which he retracted later, would have irked Beijing. Saudi Arabia is a US ally and enemy of Iran, largest exporter of oil to China.

Beijing has, however, rubbished reports of Pakistan being worried over the CPEC, saying that the two countries were "all-weather friends".

Beijing might given fresh loans to Pakistan after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) asked Islamabad to divulge the financial details of the CPEC if it wanted fresh loans for a bailout.

Khan, who has already secured a $6 billion loan from the Saudis, has some friendly nations that are ready to help Pakistan.

Beijing would be averse to the US-dominated IMF to know about the financial details of the CPEC.
Yaongyimchen (Nagaland), Nov 2 : With a dip in the mercury, the people of Nagaland's Longleng district have started welcoming their annual winged guests, the Amur falcon.

The residents of Yaongyimchen, Alayong and Sanglu villages in Longleng district have ensured the Amur falcons, during their month-long sojourn, could roost there without any threat of poaching. They are likely to stay in the area for about a month before taking off for their wintering grounds in southern Africa.

The Amur falcons are the longest travelling raptors in the world and come to these areas in Nagaland in the hundreds of thousands, say ornithologists.

Until recently, Naga tribesmen would hunt thousands of these raptors for meat. However, after a vigorous campaign by wildlife activists and some local and international NGOs, they pledged to protect the bird and since then their hunting in the area has been minimised.

"The first batch of Amur falcons has arrived at their roosting site. We have noticed about three to four lakh birds, and more will arrive in the days to come," said Alex, an intern from Dehradun's Wildlife Institute of India (WII), who is doing his internship in Longleng this year.

These amazing raptors travel one of the longest migration routes of all birds, doing up to 22,000 km in a year and they arrive in Nagaland from Siberia en route to their final destination.

"The Amur falcons take off in the third week of September and start reaching the roosting sites in Nagaland from early November. This year they have started arriving early," said Y. Nuklu Phom, Chairman and team leader of the Lemsachenlok Society, responsible for protecting the roosting sites in Yaongyimchen, Alayong and Sanglu villages.

The villages are part of the Yaongyimchen Biodiversity Conservation Zone.

"The falcons stop here for food. Flying termites and other insects come out at this time and the falcons get their nutrition from these insects before reaching their final stop," Phom said, adding that Nagaland is the final stop for these birds before reaching their final destination.

Phom and other volunteers will be on their toes for this whole period to protect the avian guests. All the volunteers will be deployed in shifts across the villages so that not a single bird can be harmed before their departure towards the end of the month.

The local community performs the conservation and protection effort entirely voluntarily and does not receive any money from the government.

"There are other roosting sites in and around Longleng area as well. However, those were not officially recognised by the Nagaland government," Phom said, adding that birds from the Arctic region have also been spotted roosting at the site.

"The Amur falcons make up most of the migratory birds but there are many others which are yet to be identified. More study is needed to identify the birds," he added.

According to conservation organisation BirdLife International, till five years ago, hundreds of thousands of migrating Amur falcons were being slaughtered annually in northeast India. Today, they are celebrated.

The falcons were trapped, slaughtered or taken to local markets alive and sold as fresh food.

Pangti, the largest hunting village in the area, recently declared a total ban on airguns -- a very significant development as it was a common hunting method, said the world leader in the bird conservation.

Furthermore, the village council put a seasonal ban on the hunting of all wild birds, fulfilling another one of the goals of the Bombay Natural History Societyin the area, it added.

(Aditya Baruah can be contacted at aditya.assam@rediffmail.com)
New Delhi : Book: The Idol Thief; Author: S. Vijay Kumar; Publisher: Juggernaut Books; Price: Rs 499; Pages: 224 Here is a gripping account of one of the most sensational crimes of recent times involving the plunder of India's cultural treasures. It captures the rise and fall of an art dealer, the man behind the biggest heist of priceless idols from ancient temples in Tamil Nadu.

As Subhash Kapoor cools his heels in a jail in Chennai, the author narrates how he executed the plot to loot the idols and how he sold them to museums around the world with the collusion of people at every level.

What makes the tale more captivating is that author is one of the protagonists, who not only played a key role in the capture of Kapoor and his associates but also helped in bringing back India's invaluable heritage.

Vijay Kumar, an Indian shipping executive from Singapore, explains how the smuggling network of Kapoor thrived with the nexus between art dealers, museums, academia and law enforcement officers.

Piecing together the real-life events, he describes how the network functions from thieves in remote villages to art dealers, smugglers, buyers and even experts.

The efforts of the author, who describes himself as shipping executive by day and art-thief-hunter by night, and some other committed volunteers, has helped India get back 27 artefacts during the last four years.

A celebrated art dealer based in New York, Kapoor was arrested by Interpol in Germany in 2011 and extradited to India eight months later. The raids in the US yielded stolen Indian art worth $100 million from his warehouses and galleries. In subsequent years, antiquities associated with Kapoor reveal themselves on every continent of the globe.

Kumar writes that Indy, the name he used in the book for an American official who probed Kapoor, was blown away by the art dealer's exploits. "There were tonnes of shipments coming in by ocean containers, airfreight and courier parcels, making a mockery of international laws and customs regulations. For the outside world, Kapoor was art connoisseur, his objects were on loan at premier hotel lobbies, his gifts adorned prestigious museums, and he was invited to give talks over cocktails and canapes to the elite on art and collecting."

"Behind this facade was a veritable factory churning out paperwork for fake provenance, a plethora of assistants sending out portfolios to museums worldwide and a team of celebrated scholars writing catalogues and authenticating the items. He had running accounts with largest art auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's and, above all, had all his objects vetted by the Art Lost Register (ALR) -- a certificate which washed his tainted objects and gave them authenticity," Kumar wrote.

Indy took help from an American journalist, an Australian investigative reporter and an Indian academic, besides Vijay Kumar, to build a strong case against Kapoor and expose the network spread over continents.

The author describes how shipping out priceless idols was child's play for Sanjeevi Asokan, one of Kapoor's main idol suppliers. He used to hoodwink the entire system by shipping out the original antiques as replicas.

The book describes in detail the operation led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Selvaraj of the Idol Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police, to catch Sanjeevi for robberies at the Sripuranthan and Suthamalli temples.

Kumar explains why the ancient temples in Tamil Nadu were the targets. From 850 CE to 1250 CE, the Chola dynasty witnessed the building of many elaborately carved stone temples all over what is now Tamil Nadu. While main deities were made of stone, there were number of bronze idols, which are highly coveted by museums and art collectors.

Kapoor, who ran a gallery called Art of the Past in New York, put Chola-era idols of Natraja and Sivakami, dating to the 12th century CE, for sale for a whopping $8.5 million. This was in 2010 and it was the beginning of the end of his run as some art lovers found "Suthamalli" inscribed in Tamil on the pedestal of the idols and finally traced it to Suthamalli temple from where the idols were stolen in 2006.

Kapoor had visited Chennai in May 2005 to meet Sanjeevi and plan the biggest heist of Chola bronzes in history. Their target was temples in Suthamalli and Sripuranthan, which had several bronze idols. Sanjeevi used thieves to steal the idols and have them exported to Kapoor, who paid him over Rs 2 crore.

Kapoor's former girlfriend from Singapore also played a key role in his arrest. It was revenge by spurned lover Grace Paramaspry Punuswamy, who used to do provenance paper work enabling him to create fake ownership records and helped to sell to prestigious museums.

Kapoor, whose father used to deal in rare books and manuscripts, moved to the US in 1974 and continued the same business. Till 1994, he was a small-time gallery owner but went on to become one of the most prominent figures of the international art circuit.

According to Kumar, Kapoor used to gift several artefacts to museums around the world as a quid pro quo. Through donations he earned their goodwill and this lessened the suspicion of the museums.

(Mohammed Shafeeq can be contacted at m.shafeeq@ians.in)
New Delhi, Nov 2 : The Man Booker Prize "cares very much about diversity" and the Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood, is confident that the Prize is selecting the best fiction from what is submitted to it every year. But the submissions, in the first place, are imperiled by the restriction of being published in the UK. Can a truly global literary award, as it is regarded, ignore all the novels not published in the UK and yet claim to recognise "the finest in fiction"?

In "an elimination of the premise of citizenship", Wood told IANS, the rules were recently amended, opening the doors to Irish publishers to submit their works so that anyone writing in English and published in the UK could be considered.

"The writers themselves could be Turkish, Chinese, etc; the books, in a literal sense, had to be British -- that is, published here. So it wasn't really an expansion, it was an elimination of the premise of citizenship. The parameters regarding publication have remained the same: All books submitted must have UK or Irish ISBNs, and 'UK and Ireland' is a common delineation in those terms, so it made sense for that particular amendment to be made," Wood said.

She was appointed the Literary Director of the Booker Foundation "after a careful selection process" in April 2015, following the death of her predecessor Ion Trewin, an editor, publisher and author.

Wood maintained that the Man Booker Prize is designed to reflect the experience of the British reader. She said that in considering all that is available to readers in the UK, the design of the Prize is such that it corroborates with the unlikeliness of a reader standing in a bookshop and judging a book based on the passport of its author.

But even according to the existing rules, a novelist from a country like India, which is now the second-largest publishing market in English language worldwide, hailed by several prominent literary stalwarts as the emerging capital of global literature, hosting more literary events and selling more books than most other countries, still requires to be published in the UK to compete for the award.

On this being pointed out and on being asked whether she, in her capacity as the Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, felt a need to re-look at some of the rules to make the Prize truly global in its character, she said it's something they "think about" but maintained that the restriction of being published in the UK is the "most coherent one".

"It's interesting you should raise this question, though, because, of course, it's something we think about. It's important to view the Man Booker Prize for Fiction alongside its younger sibling, the Man Booker International Prize, which rewards fiction translated into English. We think this offers a good global span, but it has to have some parameters, or the judging process would be impossible. The restriction of being published in the UK and available to UK readers is the most coherent one we've thought of," she added.

Wood acknowledged that fiction written in English but not published in the UK, or fiction written in other languages but not translated in the UK, can't be considered under the current rules.

"But we hope that the openness of Man Booker judges to reading books from all over the world will encourage British and Irish publishers to take on more fiction from elsewhere," she said.

And as for India, she said that she would love to have more Indian authors on the judging panel. "But when I ask, they are mostly too busy writing to take part -- which I think is, in its own way, a good thing for literature," she shared.

Wood pointed out that each year, the Frankfurt Book Fair takes place just before the Man Booker winner is announced. "And each year we're reminded that many writers on the shortlist establish lifelong relationships with international publishers as a result. So although the Prize sheds direct light on one book by each author, it will lead those authors to publishers who will go on to publish all of their books, all over the world, in the future," she added.

Wood, who, as the head of books at the Daily Telegraph, "reinvigorated the paper's literary coverage", is an accomplished author and is published widely. In continuation with her prior accomplishments, as the Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, she has had a ringside view of literature globally. All of this (and more) at a time when there has been a parallel rise of social media, platforms like Netflix, studies suggesting that human attention span is shrinking and the closing down of physical bookstores across the globe at a fast pace.

"Without question, books are here to stay. They may shift shape, but reading will remain, and fiction will always allow people to expand their capacity for imagination and empathy. You see this everywhere, from primary schools to prisons. But I also think of books as being part of the whole world, not just part of the book world, and I worry that we can get blinkered. If people's attention spans change, if films or TV series create new structures for telling stories, if social media generates a new language: Those are all things from which fiction can benefit," she said in response to a question on what the future holds for books.

Wood added that sometimes there is too much interest in the creation of a "finely crafted novel" and not enough interest in "reflecting various forms of reality or thought".

"If the nature of reading changes, then writing can too, and in this way we all move forward. The 2018 Man Booker winner, 'Milkman' by Anna Burns, is a case in point. Some people have found it difficult to read, others have found it to be coruscatingly true to life. The fact is, it is like life, a certain kind of life, but it is not like very many novels. Of course, an old-fashioned novel can still come out as the strongest, but we can't want all novels to be alike. We have to be open to hearing voices that affect us, however they go about it," she said.

(Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)
Madigan is the head of it, but hes got his cronies, his minions all buried in the judiciary in the judicial branch, all through the General Assembly and unfortunately in most of the departments over in the administration, the executive branch of government, he said.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : After several women accused former Union Minister M.J. Akbar of sexual harassment in the wake of the #MeToo campaign, an allegation of rape has now surfaced with a US-based journalist narrating her ordeal of working under him when he was the editor of The Asian Age.

Pallavi Gogoi, Chief Business Editor at National Public Radio, in an article written under her byline for The Washington Post published on Friday (Thursday, India time), narrated her detailed account and described the incident of rape and various others incidents of sexual assault on her 23 years ago as "the most painful memories of my life".

Akbar's lawyer, Sandeep Kapur, told the Washington Post that his client "states these (incidents and allegation) are false and expressly denied." When contacted by IANS, Kapur said the same thing adding that "any further course of action would be decided by the evening."

After two incidents in Delhi and Bombay where Akbar had sexually molested and assaulted her, she said, one news story took her to a remote village a few hundred miles from Delhi.

"The assignment was to end in Jaipur. When I checked back, Akbar said I could come discuss the story in his hotel in Jaipur, far from Delhi."

"In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me. Instead of reporting him to the police, I was filled with shame," said Gogoi.

"I didn't tell anyone about this then. Would anyone have believed me? I blamed myself. Why did I go to the hotel room?" she added.

She said after the Jaipur incident, "his grip over me got tighter".

"I stopped fighting his advances because I felt so helpless. He continued to coerce me. For a few months, he continued to defile me sexually, verbally, emotionally," she added.

After several women journalists charged Akbar with sexual harassment and assault in the past one month, he resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs on October 17. He has filed a defamation case against one of the first accusers.

In her 1,800 word article, Gogoi attacked the ruling BJP for letting Akbar continue as its member.

"He's still today a member of the Indian Parliament and a member of the ruling party, which prides itself on advancing rights for young girls," she wrote.

Gogoi added that he would burst into loud rages in the newsroom if he saw her talking to male colleagues of her age. "It was frightening."

Later, when Gogoi was posted in London, she felt that the abuse would stop because she would be far away from Delhi office "except the truth was that he was sending me away so I could have no defenses and he could prey on me whenever he visited the city where I would be posted."

She also alleged that Akbar was hit her when he saw her speaking to a male colleague in London office and "went on a rampage, throwing things from the desk at me -- a pair of scissors, a paperweight, whatever he could get his hands on", she said.

"I was in shreds -- emotionally, physically, mentally..." she wrote She said it was difficult to explain why she didn't fight him back then.

"I cannot explain today how and why he had such power over me, why I succumbed. Was it because he was so much more powerful than I was?..."

She said over the years, she did not bring up Akbar in conversations as "I've always felt that Akbar is above the law and justice doesn't apply to him. I felt he would never pay the price for what he had done to me."

"But I am writing this because I know what it is like to be victimized by powerful men like Akbar. I am writing this to support the many women who have come out to tell their truth."
Dubai, Nov 2 : Professor and Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) C. Raj Kumar has been felicitated with the Global Education Leaders Award for his contribution to research, innovation and institution building in higher education at the India-UAE Partnership Summit 2018 (IUPS) here.

Kumar was awarded by UAE Cabinet Minister of Tolerance Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan and Navdeep Suri, Ambassador of India to the UAE.

"I am truly humbled that the exemplary achievements of JGU have been truly recognised in the international arena. I have received this award on behalf of the faculty, students and staff of JGU as it is they who have enabled us to reach where we are today," Kumar said in a statement.

Kumar, a Rhodes scholar who studied at Oxford and Harvard Universities, became the Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU at the age of 34 in 2009.

He was also a key speaker at the two-day summit held from October 30-31, attended by over 400 delegates from the academia of India and UAE.

He highlighted the expansion of the Indian higher education sector and how it is being developed through the five critical initiatives that focuses on providing autonomy to universities; internationalisation and global engagement; research excellence and publications; role of the pubic and private sector; and holistic regulatory reforms.

"India is a young nation that has a significant demographic dividend and is now empowering its universities to build a knowledge society. There is enormous potential for partnerships between UAE and India," Kumar said.

IUPS is an event specifically designed for the promotion of bilateral investments between UAE and India. The focus sectors for IUPS 2018 were investments in 'Education' and 'SME & Skill Development'.
Srinagar, Nov 2 : Security forces shot dead a militant in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, police said on Friday. In his hometown Sopore, security personnel used tear gas to break up street protests on Friday against his killing.

A police officer said that tear gas shells were lobbed to disperse those who took to stone pelting on hearing about the death of Naseer Teli late on Thursday.

He was killed by the Para Regiment in Sagipora village, the officer said.

As the militant's identity was established on Friday, a spontaneous shutdown was observed in Sopore town. Authorities closed schools and colleges to maintain law and order in the area.

All shops and business establishments were shut and public transport went off the roads as authorities imposed restrictions and suspended mobile Internet services in the area.
Mumbai, Nov 2 : Filmmaker and "Urban Naxals" author Vivek Agnihotri has put together a budget of Rs 250 crore for a trilogy on the history of Hindu civilisation. The ambitious project will be rolled out over the next five years.

The project has begun with extensive research. A 10-member research panel, led by Agnihotri, has been formed with eminent and award-winning scholars, historians, archaeologists, astrologists and anthropologists. Casting for the project will begin after the release of Agnihotri's next "The Tashkent Files", read a statement issued on behalf of the filmmaker.

Agnihotri said in the statement: "'The Tashkent Files' in itself was a humongous project to pull through. After 3 years of intensive research, finally we are in post-production and looking at an early 2019 release. As for my trilogy, I would say we have just laid the foundation.

"The project is gigantic in terms of scale and we will cover the Vedas, Mahabharata, Indus Valley and the various forces of nature that have been central to the Hindu civilisation's existence.

He said the project was conceived and the funding came to fruition while he was on the US-UK leg of his book launch tour for "Urban Naxals".

"I was conducting sessions at Purdue and Oxford University and more recently was called for speaking at the World Hindu Congress at Chicago where 125 years ago Swami Vivekananda made his historical speech. Enthusiasts and academicians took note of my work and came forward to fund the project," he added.

The trilogy, he said, will be funded by a newly formed consortium of donors, Karmandya Studios based in Houston, Texas and will closely monitor the production also, especially the research.

"This is a very ambitious projects and needed deep pockets. Most importantly I wanted a larger body to associate because it gives you confidence that people believe in your concept," said Agnihotri, who has earlier helmed "Buddha in a Traffic Jam".

The trilogy will trace the start of Hindu civilisation, with the first instalment spanning from Brahma to Buddha.
Washington, Nov 2 : The US military has apologised for including discriminatory language in a manual offered to troops deployed in Saudi Arabia.

The June 2018 guide, designed to inform newly deployed troops about the Kingdom's culture and customs, said in one paragraph a "mixture of N***o blood from slaves imported from Africa" can be found in some of the Kingdom's population.

Bill Urban, a spokesman of the Central Command, said in a statement on Thursday that "we regret that inappropriate material was posted to our website without a more fulsome review and apologise to anyone who took offence".

"We removed the document as soon as we were notified of the content, and it was returned to the originating office for revision," Urban said.

The Central Command will review other training material for inappropriate content, he said.

The offensive wording was brought to light by comedian Hasan Minhaj, who joked on his show that "Oh America, even in boring, technical manuals you somehow manage to be racist."

The US Central Command is a Unified Combatant Command headquartered in Florida.

Its Area of Responsibility includes parts of North Africa and Central Asia, most notably Afghanistan and Iraq.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : Conservationists fear a significant increase in poaching as a result of China lifting a 25-year-old ban on trade in tiger bones and Rhino horns for "medicine and research purposes". They have called for strict plans to protect India's wildlife.

Foresters say Beijing's decision will create an increase in demand for wildlife derivatives, risking animals in India -- home to world's 70 percent of wild tigers and 85 per cent of single horned rhinos. The decision will also affect African countries, experts say.

Although China has set up about 6,000 tiger farms, products from there are not so much in demand as through poaching. "Tigers in the farms are much more expensive to obtain than those in wild. It is a proven fact that the consumers have demanded, and prefer wild tigers, for strength and power," Belinda Wright, wildlife conservationist and founder of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) told IANS.

According to WWF officials, China is currently working to establish rhino farms and is planning to procure them from Nepal and other countires.

Wright says that the announcement by China had affected years of efforts by wildlife campaigners to curb demand for wildlife articles.

"India needs to and will protect its tigers and rhinos. But we need more strict planning for that," says Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO of WWF-India.

WWF has urged China to rethink its decision.

Tiger bones and other parts are used in traditional chinese medicines, which have no clinically proven properties. Apart from Tigers and Rhinos, several other animals like Pangolin, leopard, clouded and snow leopards and bear are also preffered by Chinese black marketeers. The bones and other derivaties of some Asian cats like leopards are used for around 36 different products in China, including bone wine.

At least 134 rhinos and 180 tigers were confirmed poached in India between 2013 and 2017. The figures were based on seizures. Foresters, though, believe that actualy figures may be much higher.

"The Wildlife Justice Commission identified two parallel supply routes for illegal tiger trade, a trans-Himalayan route for wild and a Southeast Asian route for captive as well as wild, with the primary destinations China and, to a lesser extent, Viet Nam," an official document of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) mentions.

According to a report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), over 5,030 leopards, 1912 tigers, 292 snow leopards and 95 clouded leopards were seized from illegal trade in Asia between 2002 and August 2018.

"The (Chinese) decision is a staggering display of brazen disregard for global opinion and seriously jeopardises the future survival of wild tigers by stimulating demand for their body parts," Debbie Banks, Campaign Leader on Tigers and Wildlife Crime at EIA told IANS.

Saying that raising tigers in a farm requires a lot of clearances and big investments in infrastructure, Banks adds that most poaching gangs find it easier -- and cheaper -- to trap a tiger in the wild.

Banks, credited with exposing a secret order to use farmed tiger bone in 2013, said that the decision will put the animals from Africa and the Asian range countries at major risk. "It runs completely counter to everything that other tiger range countries such as India, Nepal, Bhutan and Russia are trying to do," she added.

Dipankar Ghosh, director Species and Landscape WWF-India, believes the Chinese decision will have direct consequenses on Indian wildlife. "China doesnt have population of wild tiger or the rhino. India is the nearest source. Trends show that whenever such trades are legalised, demand increases and black market booms," Ghosh told IANS.

According to experts, countries like South-Africa, that has stockpiles of rhino horns but cannot sell them due to agreements, will have leverage to send it to China, thereby increasing demands.

"Basiclly, the Chinese are conferring legal status to trade of captive tigers, not poaching. But Our problem is that you can't distinguish between the two in trade. This puts Indian wildlife at risk," Wright says.

China had banned trade of rhino horms and tiger bones in 1993, under the CITES Convention -- an agreement among more than 170 countries.

At a CITIES meeting held in Russia in September this year, demand was raised urging China to ban the leopard trade. The Chinese government said that it was currently considering it and will reply by the end of this year.

Defending its move on tiger and rhino, China said that the new norms sought to regulate derivatives from captivity for research and traditional medicines. The new norm, it claimed, would ensure "protection of the animals".

(Kushagra Dixit can be reached at kushagra.d@ians.in)
Panaji, Nov 2 : A steady stream of carefully choreographed activity, which included strategic release of photographs of the ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar chairing meetings, appear to have further queered the pitch in BJP's battle to manage the ongoing battle of perception to show that the government and its chief political executive are both in good health.

After months of being on the battering end to prove that the former Defence Minister's failing health was not a deterrent to efficient administration of the state, and with the Congress even questioning whether Parrikar was alive or not, three photographs released to the media this week showing a gaunt-looking CM chairing a cabinet meet, among other interactions, have not just invoked popular ire, but barbs of pity from the opposition too.

"I earnestly request Parrikar, his family and his party leaders, please save him from this agony. Let him rest and he needs rest. Give the reins to anyone from your party. I have not spoken on this issue but when I saw the photo, I feel pity for the BJP. Please let him take rest," former Union Minister of State of Law and Congress leader Ramakant Khalap told IANS.

In the two photographs released on October 30, showing Parrikar meeting Speaker Pramod Sawant and members of the Investment Promotion Board, one can see a gaunt-looking Parrikar's right side profile. The CM is seated in virtually the same position, with pillows on his left thigh, through both the meetings.

A cabinet minister who attended another meeting on October 31 at the CM's private residence said that Parrikar had medical paraphernalia strapped to the left side of his body, which the released photographs co-incidentally did not capture.

For the record, however, Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho insisted that the CM was in good shape.

"He participated in discussions. He gave his valuable suggestions. Except that the meeting did not take place at the Secretariat. Everything else is like a normal cabinet meeting... It is only that the Chief Minister needs a little more rest. So he will be resting for sometime. But he said that in between whenever there are issues, he will be calling each one of us individually," Godinho said.

The BJP was forced into releasing the photos after the Congress taunted the party leadership to prove that Parrikar, who had not been seen in public since August 14, was indeed alive and able to function as a CM.

The photographs have also triggered more popular conspiracy theories about the health and well-being of the Chief Minister, who is suffering from pancreatic cancer and has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and Delhi for nearly nine months.

When asked about the health status of the Chief Minister, state BJP president Vinay Tendulkar said: "I do not have much medical knowledge. I was not a science student. I am not that smart...".

The story of Goa BJP's current spell of woe does not end here. The arrival of former deputy CM Francis D'Souza, who was being treated for cancer in a US hospital, and his immediate attack on the functioning of the state BJP leadership, as well as former CM Laxmikant Parsekar's open rebellion, has also added to the suffering of the saffron party, which is facing a tough road to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the coastal state.

"I am expecting raids from the Income Tax department, Central Bureau of Investigation or Enforcement Directorate now that I am back. I have criticised the functioning of the party, because it is heading downwards and I cannot tolerate what is going on," said D'Souza who arrived from the US on a wheelchair earlier this week.

Parsekar, whose arch rival from the Congress Dayanand Sopte was inducted into the party last month, said the core committee of the BJP, which met Parrikar on Tuesday, was only taking "dictations" from party leaders, who had lost touch with ground realities.

"What is the point of attending meetings of the core committee when decisions are already taken and relayed to us? There is no discussion which takes place," Parsekar said, adding that he had vowed to defeat Sopte in the yet-to-be-scheduled by-polls.
Kolkata, Nov 2 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee turned her social media display picture (DP) black on Friday as a mark of protest against brutal killings in Assam's Tinsukia district with her party Trinamool Congress urging others to do the same.

"In solidarity, on #ProtestDay to condemn the brutal killings of Bengalis by a state ruled by the #BJP, we are turning our Twitter/FB DPs into black. Street protests throughout #Bengal," the All India Trinamool Congress (AITCo) tweeted.

Marking its protest prior to the rally, the party posted: "Please turn your DP into black for today (Friday)."

"In protest against the brutal killings in Assam, @AITCofficial will organise protest rallies tomorrow (Friday, November 2) in different parts of north and south Bengal including Siliguri and Kolkata," Banerjee had tweeted on Thursday.

Five people were killed at Kherbari under Dhola Police Station when unidentified armed assailants in battle fatigues fired at them on Thursday.
Chennai, Nov 2 : Home mortgage lender LIC Housing Finance Limited is hoping to realise about Rs 100 crore out of a project loan that turned a non-performing asset (NPA), a top company official said here on Friday.

He also said the company is targeting a business growth of 15 per cent over last year's figures and plans to raise about Rs 75,000-80,000 crore of funds this fiscal.

"During the first quarter we recovered Rs 50 crore from an old loan account. Another such account is expected to give about Rs 100 crore soon," Vinay Sah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer told reporters.

As per National Housing Bank (NHB) norms, the Gross NPAs for the company stood at 1.20 per cent as on September 30.

Gross NPAs in individual segment was 0.81 per cent as on September 30, while the gross NPAs as on June 30 was 1.21 per cent, the company said.

Sah was here to inaugurate the 21st edition of Ungal Illam (Your Home), a property fair in which several real estate developers are showcasing their residential projects.

Queried about the recent deferring of Rs 1,500 crore non-convertible debenture (NCD) issue as the rates were high, Sah said such deferments have happened earlier owing to market conditions.

"We will go to the market when the rates are comfortable for us," Sah said.

Sah said the company would be coming out with the NCD issue some time next month.

He said the company has passed on the rate hike four times to the borrowers this year.

According to Sah, the company has already raised about Rs 50,000 crore of funds budgeted this fiscal (Rs 75,000 crore - Rs 80,000 crore) and the balance would be raised during the course of the fiscal.

In the quarter ended September 30, 2018, total disbursements were Rs 14,272 crore as against Rs 10,975 crore for the corresponding period in the previous year, registering a growth of 30 per cent.

Out of that, disbursements in the retail loan segment were Rs 11,324 crore against Rs 10,367 crore, whereas total disbursements in project loans were Rs 2,948 crore as against Rs 608 crore for quarter ended September 30, 2017, the company had said earlier.
London, Nov 2 : Two people were stabbed at Sony Music's headquarters in west London on Friday, the police said.

The Metropolitan police said officers with firearms and the London ambulance service were called to the scene shortly after 11 a.m., the Guardian reported.

People were evacuated from the building and the roads nearby were closed.

"At this time, we believe two people are injured... One person, believed to be behind the incident, has been arrested and at this stage we are not looking for anyone else," the police said.

Officials said that there was no evidence of firearms being involved and the incident was not being treated as terror related.

Witnesses near the record label's offices in Derry Street, Kensington, reported workers running away from the building, which is opposite Northcliffe House, the home of the Daily Mail, Independent, Metro, and other media organisations.

Neither of those stabbed suffered life-threatening injuries, Scotland Yard said. Evacuations had taken place "as a precaution" and officers remain at the scene.
It should not be that one individual has unilateral and sole veto power over something as critically important as building housing that is affordable in neighborhoods, Lightfoot said of aldermanic privilege. Its important if an alderman is doing his or her job they have some ability to have say and influence, but not a unilateral veto, particularly in areas where there is so little affordable housing in ward after ward. It absolutely perpetuates segregation, and that is a big problem in our city.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : Two persons were arrested on Friday for snatching a gold chain from a woman here a week ago, police said.

Acting on a tip, Nadeem (20) and Faizan (21) were taken into custody from Nehru Vihar in north Delhi and the chain was recovered from them.

On October 26, the bike-borne accused snatched the gold chain from the woman when she was walking on a street with her child in Dayalpur after threatening her with a knife.

The crime was captured on CCTV camera, Joint Commissioner of Police Ravinder Yadav said, leading to Friday's arrests.
Tokyo, Nov 2 : The Japanese government approved a bill on Friday to revise the immigration control law to allow more foreign workers to undertake work in a variety of sectors.

The move comes as the nation grapples with a serious labour crunch caused by its rapidly aging and shrinking society.

Due to the rapidly greying population and declining birthrate, the bill, which was approved by the Cabinet, will allow eligible foreign workers to apply for newly-created visas spanning a variety of sectors from agriculture and construction to daycare and nursing, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Labour shortages are starting to become a major factor hampering economic growth. We will create a proper system," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was quoted as saying at a parliamentary committee.

The bill indicated a significant shift in Japan's previous tight restrictions for foreign workers entering and working in the country. The change in policy on foreign labour had met some reservations by opposition parties who voiced concern about the shift in Japan's famously cautious immigration stance.

The Japanese market is in dire need of more foreign labourers, experts say.

Under the proposed legislation, the first status will allow five-year working visas to foreigners with applicable vocational skills in certain fields, but they will not be allowed to bring their families.

For foreign workers eligible for the second status, who have more advanced skills, the length of their stay will be open-ended and they will be allowed to bring their families with them.

Japan's government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that foreigners coming to work in Japan will be treated equally to their Japanese peers and be made to feel comfortable living and working in Japan.

"We want to create a country where foreigners feel that they want to live and work," Suga said.

The government and the ruling coalition are aiming to begin deliberations on the bill next Thursday with Abe keen to see it enacted.

Opposition parties, however, warned that the bill is lacking in detail and should not be rushed through Parliament.
Chennai, Nov 2 : Renewable energy (wind and solar) major Siemens Gamesa India has bagged two wind power orders from ReNew Power, totalling 176.8 MW.

In a statement issued here Siemens Gamesa said it has got two orders from ReNew Power, an independent power producer (IPP). One order is for construction of a 100.8 MW wind farm in Gujarat's Kutch district and another for a 76 MW wind farm in Maharashtra's Osmanabad district.

As part of the turnkey contract, Siemens Gamesa will provide the infrastructure needed to install and operate the facility including supply, erection and commissioning of 48 units of SG 2.1-122 wind turbines in Gujarat and 38 units of SG 2.0-114 wind turbines in Maharashtra, respectively.

Repeat orders such as this solidify our enduring partnership, are an acknowledgement of our quality service, and a testament to our expertise, said Ramesh Kymal, Onshore CEO, Siemens Gamesa India.

Since January, Siemens Gamesa India has announced bagging of 910 MW worth of orders.

Present in India since 2009, the accumulated base installed by Siemens Gamesa recently topped the 5.5 GW mark.
Aizawl, Nov 2 : The Election Commission on Friday issued the statutory notification for November 28 Assembly elections in Mizoram, an official said.

"Separate notifications were issued by the Election Commission and state Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan for the Mizoram Assembly elections to be held on November 28," an Election Department official said here.

With the issuance of statutory notification, already hectic political activities have further intensified in the Christian-dominated Congress-ruled state.

The official said with the issuance of statutory notification, filing of nomination papers began from Friday.

The last date for submitting candidature is November 9, scrutiny of nominations would take place on November 12 and the late date for withdrawal of nominations is November 14.

The five-year term of the 40-member Mizoram Assembly expires on December 15.

In all 768,181 voters, including 393,685 women, are eligible to cast their votes in 1,164 polling stations across the mountainous state, which shares international borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh.

All political parties, including the ruling Congress, opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), besides other smaller parties, have already declared their candidates for the upcoming polls.

After forming governments on its own or in alliance with other parties in six northeastern states, the state BJP leaders say they would make all-out efforts to vote the Congress out of power, to "paint the North East saffron".

Mizoram is the only state ruled by the Congress in north-east India that comprises eight states.

The Congress has mostly ruled the state every since it become a full-fledged state in 1987, except for 10 years -- 1998-2003 and 2003-2008. It has, however, suffered several setbacks over the last one-and-half months.

Senior Congress leader and state Home Minister R. Lalzirliana and three sitting legislators -- Lalrinliana Sailo and Buddha Dhan Chakma, both former ministers, and Hmingdailova Khiangte resigned from the party.

While Lalzirliana and Sailo joined opposition MNF and Chakma joined the BJP, Khiangte has announced to contest the polls as an Independent candidate.

With these resignations, the Congress' strength in the 40-member House has reduced to 30, while MNF has six lawmakers. Four seats are vacant after the resignations of four Congress legislators.

Sources in the MNF said both Congress deserters joining the party are likely to be its candidates in the state elections. The MNF has ruled the state for two terms (1998-2003 and 2003-2008).

The MNF is one of the constituents of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA).
Beijing, Nov 2 : Amnesty International (AI) on Friday urged the UN Human Rights Council to urge China to tell the truth over the mass internment of up to one million, predominantly Muslim people, in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

AI denounced that independent UN human rights experts had not been able to visit Xinjiang in recent years and urged the UNHRC to intervene to clarify the situation, Efe news reported.

"The Human Rights Council must send an unequivocal message to the Chinese government that their campaign of systematic repression in the XUAR (Xinjiang), including the arbitrary detention of up to one million people, must end," AI's China researcher Patrick Poon said in a statement.

"This would contribute to addressing the plea of hundreds of thousands of families who have been left devastated by this crackdown against ethnic minorities," he added.

AI's statement came ahead of an UNHRC meet on Tuesday in Geneva, where China's human rights record was expected to be reviewed.

Beijing was expected to send a high level delegation led by former Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng to the meeting.

"China is willing to adopt an open and candid attitude to conduct constructive dialogue with all parties," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang.

Last year, the Chinese government intensified a campaign against the Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang under the pretext of fighting terrorism.

AI said that the government had set up camps, where people were detained and tortured, leading sometimes to death.

China had denied the existence of these camps till October, when Xinjiang Governor Shohrat Zakir described them as "vocational training" centres to help wean off people from terrorism and religious extremism.

Muslims in the Xinjiang region face a multitude of restrictions, including on praying openly, wearing a veil or growing a beard.

The possession of books or articles on Islam or Uyghur culture can also be considered extremist behaviour by the Chinese government.
Jakarta, Nov 2 : The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) on Friday appealed to governments in Southeast Asia to check growing attacks on press freedom and punish those responsible for killing journalists.

The lawmakers warned that a culture of impunity will result in more attacks against journalists, who play crucial roles in holding power to account and bringing information to the public, Efe news reported.

"Media is under increasing threat across Southeast Asia," APHR member Teddy Baguilat, a Philippines lawmaker, said in a statement issued on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

"It is abhorrent that brave journalists should have to put their personal freedom or even lives on the line when they are simply trying to do their jobs," he said.

According to the APHR, the Philippines is one of the most dangerous country for journalists with a poor record of arresting and prosecuting those responsible for killing media people.

On June 7, unidentified gunmen shot dead Dennis Donora, editor of the Trends and Times weekly, in his car in Panabo City in the Davao del Norte province.

Justice in the murders of 47 journalists, who have been killed since 2008, was still pending.

The APHR also flagged the situation in Myanmar, a country which has been widely criticized for the seven-year prison sentence given to Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, on charges of violating an archaic official secrets act while they were investigating a story on the Rohingya crisis.

The group also criticized the government of Cambodia, the military junta of Thailand and the communist regimes of Laos and Vietnam for continuing to crack down on media freedom.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) comprises of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Hyderabad, Nov 2 : The BJP on Friday announced the second list of 28 candidates for next month's Assembly polls in Telangana but it triggered angry protests and attack on the party office by those denied ticket.

The differences in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came out in the open after the party leadership cleared the second list for the December 7 election to 119-member House.

Party spokesperson K. Naresh was furious over the denial of ticket from Serilingampally constituency. He and his supporters staged a sit-in at the office of BJP's state headquarters.

Naresh alleged that the leadership ignored him to give ticket to G. Yoganand, a realtor who joined the party only three days ago.

He wanted the leadership to spell out the reasons for giving ticket to Yoganand and demanded that it change its decision.

The BJP faced the ire of another leader for denying him ticket from Nizamabad Urban constituency. Angry over the party's decision to allot ticket to Y. Lakshminarayana, Suryanaryana Gupta's supporters attacked the party office in Nizamabad town and ransacked it.

The protestors damaged window panes, chairs, television and other items in the party office.

The candidates announced by the BJP on Friday included two Muslims, one of them a woman.

Syed Shahezadi will contest from Chandrayangutta constituency in Hyderabad. This constituency was represented by Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in the dissolved Assembly.

Haneef Ali has been named the candidate from Bhadurpura, another MIM stronghold.

BJP's senior leader Baddam Bal Reddy will contest from Rajendernagar.

The party had announced the first list of 38 candidates on October 20. With the second list, it has so far declared candidates for 66 seats.

The BJP, which had an alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 2014 elections and had won five seats, is going it alone this time.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : The Centre has issued order to Madhya Pradesh government to immediately shut an adoption agency following gross violation of norms, the Women and Child Development Ministry (WCD) said on Friday.

The ministry said an inquiry committee set up by it observed gross violation by Bhopal-based Kilkari (Udaan) of the provisions of the law under Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and Adoption Regulations, 2017 pertaining to sourcing, care and placement of children in adoption.

The ministry stated the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), the government's nodal agency monitoring adoption in the country, had received many complaints from domestic and foreign parents against Kilkari (Udaan).

"Taking due cognisance of the matter, @MinistryWCD has issued order to the #MadhyaPradesh Government recommending immediate closure of the Specialised Adoption Agency, Kilkari (Udaan) and transferring of children from the agency with immediate effect," it said.
Chennai, Nov 2 : DMK President M.K. Stalin on Friday welcomed the meeting between Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP leader N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Stalin tweeted that he "happily" welcomed the meeting, adding that all opposition parties should join together to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

According to Stalin, all regional parties have to unite to defeat the Modi government which he alleged curbed the autonomy of states.

Naidu and Gandhi met in New Delhi on Thursday, ending decades of political enmity.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea for allowing entry of women of all ages at temples, mosques and Zoroastrian fire temples.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Rajendra Menon rejected the plea observing that none of the temples mentioned in the petition is within the territorial jurisdiction of this court.

The court was hearing a petition filed by advocate Sanjiv Kumar who pleaded that women in all age groups from every religion be allowed to enter and pray at all shrines.

The petitioner had also sought a declaration that prohibiting Hindu and Muslim women from observing fast and offering prayers during menstruation was "unconstitutional".
The voters in the three districts shes attacking understand who we are, what we are, and we represent the values and the concerns of the people of our districts, Schneider said. I dont believe she will be successful. No matter how much money you spend, if you have the wrong message, you lose.
Hyderabad, Nov 2 : Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) leader M. Kodandaram on Friday called on Congress President Rahul Gandhi and demanded 17 seats for the party in next month's Assembly elections in Telangana.

A day after the Congress announced that it will leave 24 seats for its three allies in the grand alliance, Kodandaram urged Gandhi to formalize the alliance and finalise seat sharing among its constituents.

Kodandaram told reports after the meeting in New Delhi that the seat sharing talks among the allies had not concluded.

Claiming that TJS was strong in at least 25 constituencies, he said the party was keen to field candidates in 17 constituencies. He said the delay in giving a shape to the alliance and finalizing the candidates could affect the prospects of the alliance.

Congress' Telangana unit president Uttam Kumar Reddy announced on Thursday that the party had decided to contest 95 seats in the 119-member Assembly. It has left 24 seats for allies - 14 seats for Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and 10 for TJS and Communist Party of India (CPI).

Kodandaram, a former professor of Osmania University, was one of the prominent faces of the Telangana movement.

He headed the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC), comprising various groups fighting for the separate state. After formation of Telangana state, he fell out with Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrshekhar Rao.

Earlier this year, Kodandaram turned TJAC into a political party and vowed to end what he calls dictatorial rule of TRS.

Assembly elections in Telangana are scheduled to be held on December 7.
Bengaluru, Nov 2 : Leading IT solutions provider Sonata Software on Friday reported Rs 62 crore consolidated net profit for the second quarter of fiscal 2018-19, registering 37 per cent annual growth from Rs 45 crore in the same period a year ago and 8 per cent up sequentially from Rs 58 crore a quarter ago.

"Consolidated revenue from international and domestic operations for the quarter under review (Q2) grew 39 per cent annually to Rs 593 crore from Rs 427 crore in the like period a year ago but declined 14 per cent sequentially from Rs 688 crore a quarter ago," said the city-based company in a statement.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and mortisation (Ebitda) grew 37 per cent annually to Rs 91 crore from Rs 66 crore a year ago and 9 per cent sequentially from Rs 83 crore a quarter ago.

"Our strategy of implementing proprietary Platformation methodology for digital transformation has been a driver for the progress we made in the quarter," said Sonata Chief Executive Srikar Reddy in the statement.

The company has acquired an unspecified number of new clients and strengthened relations with its partners.

"We believe that building and developing new technologies and focus on core digital platforms will help us to differentiate in the digital transformation opportunity," added Reddy.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : The Police has to do a preliminary enquiry before registering a First Information Report (FIR) against former minister M.J. Akbar, who has been accused of rape by his former colleague in her article written in a US based newspaper.

However, the police has said that it will wait for a complaint by the US-based woman journalist before proceeding with the investigation.

Senior Advocate K.V. Viswanathan also said that police should act with caution and not do anything hastily.

A journalist, formerly associated with Asian Age, narrated in the Washington Post her detailed account and described the incident of rape and various others incidents of sexual assault on her 23 years ago calling them "the most painful memories of my life".

Akbar on Friday termed allegations of rape by the journalist a "lie" and claimed they had entered into a "consensual relationship".

"If the contents of this article are given to a police officer in the form of an information, because of the huge delay, the Police officer has to do a preliminary enquiry before registering the first information report, as per Supreme Court judgement on Lalita Kumari issue," Viswanathan told IANS.

The senior advocate maintained that police cannot straightaway register an FIR in this case. However, the police has to be satisfied that there was good reason for the delay.

"It will be extremely unjust to register a criminal case 23 years after the alleged incident, when the complainant is a well read person, with a good position in life and has not been under the influence of Akbar, admittedly for at least two decades," the advocate said.

However, known advocate Vrinda Grover said that if woman approached the police then police can registered an FIR against Akbar. As per law, on the basis of the article, police can registered an FIR against Akbar, conduct investigation in the case and can approach the woman journalist for recording her evidence, said Grover.

But Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa said that under Section 154 of The Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) regarding a cognizable offence like rape, molestation or outraging the modesty of a woman, FIR can be registered only when a complaint either oral or in writing is given to a police officer by the victim.

Pahwa said that an FIR can be registered in a police station which has jurisdiction to investigate, the place where the offence has taken place.

Young lawyer Ashish Dixit said that normally the police acts on a written complaint in case of sexual assault because the victim's statement has to be recorded before a magistrate. "Suo Motu FIR or zero FIR will not be an efficacious remedy as in the absence of the complainant, matter will not proceed further." Dixit said.

(Amiya Kumar Kushwaha can be reached at amiya.k@ians.in)
New Delhi, Nov 2 : The railways on Friday ordered a probe into the Amritsar train tragedy in which 60 people were killed while watching a Dussehra function on October 19, officials said.

A senior official said an inquiry would be conducted by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS), Lucknow.

The official said the probe was ordered after Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla met Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on October 23 and demanded such an investigation.

The official pointed out that the ministry considered Aujla's request and other facts, circumstances and legal provisions.

"As per law, in such cases, it is not mandatory to conduct an inquiry by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, but it is not impermissible either," he said."

He said in the past, a CRS inquiry was conducted into incidents involving trains running over persons on the tracks.

"Though prima facie, railways does not appear to be responsible in Amritsar incident, the issue of inquiry by an independent and technically competent authority not reporting to Railway Ministry was considered and a request was made to the CRS," he said.

At least 60 people died and dozens injured after people watching the burning of effigy of Ravan on Dussehra were mowed down by a speeding train near Joda Phatak in Amritsar.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has already ordered a magisterial probe.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : Journalist-turned-politician M.J. Akbar, who quit as Union Minister after charges of sexual harassment by many journalists, has now been accused of rape by US journalist Pallavi Gogoi. Akbar said they had a "consensual relationship" even as his wife accused Gogoi of lying.

In a first person account in The Washington Post published on Friday, Gogoi, now the Chief Business Editor at National Public Radio, gave a detailed account of how she was allegedly raped by Akbar and narrated her ordeal of working under him when he was the Editor of The Asian Age years ago.

After two incidents in Delhi and Mumbai where Akbar "molested and sexually assaulted her", Gogoi, now a US citizen, narrated how she was raped in a hotel in Jaipur.

"In his hotel room, even though I fought him (Akbar), he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me. Instead of reporting him to the police, I was filled with shame," wrote Gogoi.

She said after the Jaipur incident, "his grip over me got tighter".

"For a few months, he continued to defile me sexually, verbally, emotionally.

With over a dozen journalists accusing him of sexual harassment and assault, Akbar quit as Minister of State for External Affairs on October 17. Denying the charges, he filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani who was the first to accuse him.

Gogoi also attacked the BJP for letting Akbar continue as its member.

Later, when Gogoi was posted in London, she felt the abuse would stop because she would be far away from Delhi. But "the truth was that he was sending me away so I could have no defenses and he could prey on me whenever he visited the city where I would be posted".

She said she did not bring up Akbar in conversations as "I've always felt that Akbar is above the law and justice doesn't apply to him.

"But I am writing this because I know what it is like to be victimized by powerful men like Akbar. I am writing this to support the many women who have come out to tell their truth," she added.

Both Akbar and his wife Mallika trashed Gogoi's allegations.

Akbar claimed his relationship with Gogoi was "consensual".

"Somewhere around 1994, Gogoi and I entered into consensual relationship that spanned several months. This relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on best note," he said in a statement.

He said that "at no stage did the behaviour of Pallavi Gogoi give any one of them impression that she was working under duress".

Coming out in his defence, Mallika, who has been silent so far on the charges against her husband, said: "More than 20 years ago, Gogoi caused unhappiness and discord in our home. I learned of her and my husband's involvement through her late night phone calls and her public display of affection in my presence. In her flaunting the relationship, she caused anguish and hurt to my entire family.

"At an Asian Age party at our home, crowded with young journalists, I have watched with mortification and pain as they danced close. I had confronted my husband at the time and he decided to prioritize his family."

She said Gogoi would "happily drink and dine at our home with us and did not carry the haunted look of victim of sexual assault... I don't know Pallavi's reasons for telling this lie but a lie it is."

Meanwhile, The Editors Guild said it was writing to Akbar and would wait for his response before deciding on his membership.
Kolkata, Nov 2 : After a diktat from the RBI to comply with all the terms and conditions of banking licence, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank is "exploring various options" to get listed in the bourses and hopeful to figure out the best one by December, an official said here on Friday.

The small finance bank, a 100 per cent subsidiary of the Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd, had commenced its operation in February 2017.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had stipulated that the bank should be listed within three years from the date of commencement of its operations, that is, by January 31, 2020 and to maintain at least 40 per cent promoter shareholding in the bank for a period of five years from the date of commencement of the business of the bank, that is until January 31, 2022.

"We had gone to RBI seeking permission to reverse merging (holding company to get merged into the bank) after three years of operations. But the apex bank did not allow us," bank's MD and CEO Samit Ghosh said here.

The apex bank, however, reiterated that it should comply with all the requirements of the Guidelines for Licensing of Small Finance Banks, dated November 27, 2014 and the terms and conditions of the banking licence, he said.

"We have enough time and it should not be a problem. We are exploring various options. Hopefully, we will figure out the best option by December-end for timely listing of the bank," Ghosh said.
Beijing, Nov 2 : Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping here amid reports that Beijing was likely to give $6 billion economic aid to Islamabad to manage its financial crisis.

There was no official version from either side about what transpired at the meet, but a report by Pakistan's Geo TV said that Beijing was expected to give $6 billion in economic aid to Islamabad.

A loan of $1.5 billion was also expected to be offered, along with an additional package of $3 billion for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the report added.

Pakistan is in excessive foreign debt and to stave-off the crisis it has already secured $6 billion from Saudi Arabia and reached out to the International Monetary Fund for the bailout.

Beijing is wary of the US-dominated International Monetary Fund that has sought from Islamabad the financial details of the CPEC. This might prompt Beijing into issuing more loans to its "all-weather ally" Islamabad.

Khan also met Chinese-Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank chief Jin Liqun. His four-day visit comes at a time when Islamabad has shown misgivings about Beijing's connectivity project, the CPEC.

The new government under Khan has expressed concern over the Chinese debt under the $60 billion CPEC, a key project of Beijing's Belt and Road initiative.

In fact, it slashed the budget for a railway project under the CPEC from $8.2 billion to $6.2 billion, citing Islamabad's financial constraints.

Khan's invitation to Saudi Arabia to join the Chinese-funded CPEC, which he retracted later, would have irked Beijing. Saudi Arabia is a US ally and enemy of Iran, the largest exporter of oil to China.
Bengaluru, Nov 2 : State-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was "unaware" of the previous Rafale fighter deal being scrapped by the NDA government, a top company official said on Friday.

"We were not aware of the earlier deal being scrapped. We do not want to comment on Rafale as we are no longer a part of the deal," city-based HAL Chairman R. Madhavan told IANS at a media interaction here.

The multi-billion dollar deal the UPA government did not finalise with French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation envisaged HAL manufacturing 108 of the 126 Rafale under licensed production, and 18 delivered in a fly-away condition to the Indian Air Force (IAF) from the French aerospace major.

The Narendra Modi-led government signed another deal in 2015 with the French government to buy outright 36 Rafale in flying condition for an estimated $54 billion.

"We are not into that business now (referring to Rafale aircraft making). Rafale was one of the projects that we were into and not the only project. HAL makes helicopters, engines etc.," Madhavan said.

As the deal was a direct purchase by the government, the company cannot comment on the specifics of it, HAL chief said.

"As it (Rafale contract) is a direct purchase by the government, we cannot make any comment on the pricing or the policy changes in the deal," Madhavan added.
Thane, Nov 2 : Building further pressure on the government, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday hinted at a fresh "mass agitation" akin to 1992 for constructing a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

"We are confident that the Ram Mandir will be built soon. We have already waited too long for it and cannot wait indefinitely. If needed, we shall launch a 'jan andolan' (mass agitation) for the temple," declared RSS General Secretary (Sarakaryavyah) Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi.

He responded to mediapersons when questioned what would be the RSS stance if the issue was prolonged in the court or a law could not be enacted soon.

Joshi also urged the courts to take up sensitive cases like the Ram temple on priority and expressed confidence that all legal hurdles would be removed soon in this regard.

He reiterated the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's demand of October 18 that the government should consider enacting a law or promulgating an ordinance to pave the way for constructing the temple.

Pointing out that the Supreme Court has to give its ruling on the title suit, he said the RSS was expected "some good news before Diwali", but rued that the apex court pushed the matter further till early 2019.

"The Supreme Court has hurt the feelings of Hindus by observing that it was not a matter of priority and deferring the case hearing to January. This is a matter of deep anguis," Joshi said.

Highlighting the delays of nearly six-seven years, he referred to the Supreme Court ruling of 1994, the Allahabad High Court verdict in 2010, the appeal before the apex court in 2011 and the findings of Archaeologial Survey of India (ASI).

However, he made it clear that on the promulgation of an ordinance or enacting a law, "that is something the government only can decide".

Touching on the Sabarimala temple controversy, Joshi said that while the RSS was in favour of entry of women in all temples, the customs and traditions of individual temples must be respected.

"We do not support discrimination of women in places of worship. But some temples have restrictions and rules which need to be honoured. The society has beliefs and views of all stakeholders must be considered. Peoples' faith is supreme," Joshi said.

The RSS leader's remarks came at the end of a three-day RSS Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal conclave held near Uttan Beach of Bhayander town, and shortly after Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah called on the RSS brass including Bhagwat.

Reacting sharply to Joshi's statements, Antar Rashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) founder-president Pravin Togadia said it implies that the RSS-associated party (BJP) was now ruling the nation but the RSS was talking of a "1992-style agitation" as if it (BJP) was still in the opposition.

"The RSS remembers Ram when its government has failed miserably on all fronts in past four-and-half years. All true Hindus who sacrificed their lives for the organization kept demanding for a law on Ram temple but were humiliated," Togadia said in a statement from Ahmedabad.
Islamabad, Nov 2 : Maulana Samiul Haq, a former Pakistani Senator more widely known as the "Father of Taliban", was stabbed to death on Friday while resting in his room in Rawalpindi city, his family said.

The influential religious leader lived in Rawalpindi with his son Maulana Hamidul Haq.

"His driver Haqqani had gone out. On his return, he saw that Maulana Sami was lying on his bed in a pool of blood. He was no longer alive," Hamidul Haq told Geo News.
I appreciate what hes been doing, Hultgren said about Trump, who called him up on stage at the southern Illinois event. We wouldnt have gotten a lot of these things done, certainly not tax reform, a lot of the regulatory reform, if he wasnt in office. So again, dont always agree, but when I do, Im going to say thank you.
Chandigarh, Nov 2 : Following directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday, various unions of Haryana roadways employees have agreed to withdraw their 18-day-old strike.

The strike crippled the state-run public transport as hundreds of Haryana Roadways buses went off the road. Daily commuters and passengers bore the brunt of the strike.

The roadways employees have been on strike since October 16 demanding that the BJP government in the state withdraw its move to partly privatize the service.

"The representatives of Coordination Committee of Haryana Roadways Employees' Union, present in the High Court, said buses would start plying in the state from tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.," a Haryana government spokesman said on Friday.

"As per the orders of the High court, it has been decided that no coercive action would be taken. The orders passed by the state authorities in respect of suspension, disciplinary proceedings and dismissal of employees on account of their participation in the recent strike probation would remain suspended till further orders and that all employees would be permitted by the State Transport Department to join duty," the spokesman said.

He said any action pending against any of the employees under the Haryana Essential Services Maintenance Act (HESMA) relating to recent strike would reamain in abeyance till further orders of the high court.

The directions issued would also be applicable to the employees of other Departments as well as those who had proceeded on strike in solidarity with the call given by the employees of the Haryana State Transport Department, he added.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : Signalling that women could be inducted as sailors, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba has said that inclusion of women in warships was also being considered in the near future, sources said here on Friday.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who addressed the Naval Commanders Conference which concluded here on Friday, urged the Navy to give impetus to women enrolment, sources said.

The sources said Lanba stated that enrolment of women in the sailor's rank (equal to jawan in the Indian Army) was on the agenda of the three-day conference.

Lanba said inclusion of women in sea-going cadre "is also being looked in near future but not immediately."

The sources said that the new warships are being designed in a way that they could accommodate women officers. Sea-going cadres are deployed on warships, submarines and other vessels.

At present, all non-sea going cadre are open to women and there are 639 officers, including 150 medical officers.

The sources said that women are at present being deployed as "observers" on patrol aircraft such as P-8Is and IL 38 aircraft.

They said Sitharaman also urged the Navy to optimize the use of budget allocation by "proactive and innovative means."

She also said that Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman, COSC (Chiefs of Staff Committee) would be part of the tri-services commanders conference.
Islamabad, Nov 2 : Maulana Samiul Haq, a former Pakistani Senator more widely known as the "Father of Taliban", was stabbed to death on Friday while resting in his room in Rawalpindi city, his family said.

The influential religious leader's son Maulana Hamidul Haq told Geo News that his father's driver had gone out. On his return, he saw that Maulana Sami was sprawled on his bed in a pool of blood. "He was no longer alive."

The news of Maulana Sami's death comes at a time when religio-political parties are protesting the Supreme Court's acquittal of a Christian woman in a blasphemy case.

According to Hamidul, Maulana Sami, a close ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan, was unable to take part in the protest against the woman's acquittal due to road blockades and had returned home.

"He was stabbed multiple times," he said.

Maulana Sami's driver and bodyguard had both left the room for some 15 minutes when he was stabbed.

Maulana Sami, said to be around 83 years old, headed the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Akora Khattak area.

He was a Senator between March 1991 and March 1994. He was elected on an Islami Jamhoori Itehad ticket.

He was aligned with the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of Imran Khan in the July 25 parliamentary election.

Last month, a high-level delegation from Afghanistan called on Maulana Sami at Darul Uloom Haqqania and urged him to play a role in resolving the Afghan crisis.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : In the wake of allegation of rape by US journalist Pallavi Gogoi against M.J. Akbar, The Editors Guild on Friday said it was seeking the former editor's response before deciding on his membership.

The Guild said it was "tracking with great concern" the fresh and serious charges of sexual misconduct against Akbar, a past president and now a member of the Guild.

"In accordance with the decision of the Guild's last EGM, as ratified at the subsequent meeting of the executive, membership of those editors, whose profession has changed from journalism goes dormant. Akbar's membership is also therefore dormant," it said in a statement.

"The Guild executive is discussing further course of action. As provided by the Guild's Constitution, the executive committee is writing to him to respond to these allegations. His response will then be put up to the executive. A decision on his membership will be taken once this due process is completed," it added.

Akbar, who quit as Union Minister after charges of sexual harassment by many journalists, has been accused of "rape" by Gogoi while she was working under him when he was the Editor of The Asian Age years ago.

The journalist-turned-politician and Rajya Sabha member has rubbished Gogoi's allegations and claimed they had a "consensual relationship".
Mumbai, Nov 2 : Sahara India Commercial Corporation (SICCL) on Friday said that market regulator SEBI's order to refund Rs 14,000 crore to the company's investors with annual interest of 15 per cent goes against the spirit of natural law.

In a statement here, SICCL said that it has "already discharged all its Optionally Fully Convertible Debentures (OFCD) liabilities except for Rs 17 crore as outstanding OFCD liability towards 54,804 members".

The tax deducted at source (TDS) on interest paid has been deposited with the Income Tax Department, it added.

"We consider the recent order passed by SEBI as totally against the spirit of natural law. While taking the decision, SEBI once again has overlooked the hard facts and situations that very much prevailed at the time when SICCL issued OFCDs in 1998," it said.

The company also said that it would take up the matter at the "appropriate platform".

In an order dated October 31, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said the company had raised Rs 14,000 crore in violation of rules and ordered SICCL and its then directors, including Subrata Roy, to refund the money along with 15 per cent annual interest.

The regulator also barred the company and its then directors and associated entities from the markets and from associating with any public entity.
Lucknow, Nov 2 : First Lady of South Korea, Kim Jung-sook, will be visiting the temple town of Ayodhya on November 6, a state government spokesman said on Friday.

She, along with other dignitaries from South Korea, would be participating in a grand 'Deepotsava' organized by the ruling BJP government.

Bihar Governor Lalji Tandon, his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Ram Naik, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and many other Central ministers would also be present on the banks of the Saryu when a million earthen lamps will be lit to mark the 'Choti Diwali'.

There would be processions and tableaus about Ramayana. A cultural fest will be organized in which local artists from Trinidad, Russia and Korea would take part, the spokesman said.

The dignitaries would inaugurate 'Ram Bazaar' at the Shilp Gram and view the sand art made by Sudarshan Patnaik from Odisha.

The First Lady will lay the foundation stone for the Queens Memorial along with the UP Chief Minister. The characters playing Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman would then arrive in a chopper where after landing, the Chief Minister will welcome them with full rituals.

Hectic arrangements are under way in Ayodhya ahead of the high-profile visit and many buildings in the temple town have been lit up in red, purple and green.
Bengaluru, Nov 2 : State-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will roll out more Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas from its new production facility at Nashik in Maharashtra, a top official said on Friday.

"We are setting up a new facility at Nashik to double the production of Tejas fighters to 16 from 8 per year," HAL Chairman and Managing Director R. Madhavan told reporters here.

The company is investing Rs 1,300-crore for the Tejas fighter production augmentation, he said.

The defence behemoth has two production units in Bengaluru where the advanced fourth generation multi-role light fighters are built for the Indian Air Force (IAF) combat fleet.

The new facility is expected to be operational by 2020.

Going forward, the additional capacity will augment the LCA production to 20 units per annum.

The city-based company has an order book of Rs 64,000 crore.

"We certainly like to have a better order book position. Generally, an order book covers 5-7 years of our sales, but what we have covers four years. It is slightly on the lower side, but we have pending orders which should make up," said the Chairman.

An order of 83 LCAs for the IAF is pending, he said.

Fresh orders are expected for the defence major within the next 3-6 months.

"We are looking at orders for 83 LCA Mk-1s and 15 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH)," Madhavan said.

Over the last six months, HAL received an order worth Rs 950 crore for the upgrade of 17 Dornier aircraft from the Indian Coast Guard.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : Alleging massive corruption in the procedure for government jobs, Yuva-HallaBol on Friday organised 'youth panchayats' across the country on the rising unemployment in the country.

In the panchayats, the youth representatives deliberated on the way forward and decided to organise Yuva-HallaBol rallies in more cities.

The Yuva-Hallabol is a nationwide youth movement against corruption and lack of job opportunities.

"Yuva-Hallabol has in the past protested against SSC (Staff Selection Commission) scam and also organised a rally at Parliament Street. Noted activist and Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan is now handling the SSC case in the court," said Yuva-HallaBol leader Anupam.

He said youth panchayats were organized in various cities today to discuss the roadmap for the nationwide movement against unemployment. The cities included Delhi, Kolkata, Patna, Jaipur, Bhopal, Allahabad, Rewari, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune.

"Youngsters have a deep sense of insecurity for their future, which casts a shadow on the country's future. The anger among the youth is beacuse of the failure of the government to even acknowledge the problem," he said.

He said there are over 24 lakh sanctioned but vacant posts in various government departments. Instead of filling these positions, the government has ordered to scrap 4 lakh such posts, he added.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : With India jumping 23 ranks on Ease of Doing Business index, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim on Friday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to congratulate him for the 'historic rise' in the rankings.

According to a PMO release, Kim said this has been made possible, in large measure, due to the unwavering commitment and leadership of Prime Minister Modi. He described this as a historic, and unprecedented achievement.

Kim called it 'remarkable' for a nation of over 1.25 billion people to have achieved a rise of 65 ranks in a short period of 4 years.

He also promised the World Bank's unflinching and continued support to India's initiatives on ease of doing business.

Modi thanked Kim for the Bank's continued guidance and support in India's efforts to improve ease of doing business.

India leapfrogged 23 places to 77th rank in the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' ranking, released on Wednesday.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Friday warned education institutes against keeping the original certificates of students at the time of admission, directing them to return the certificates immediately after verification and be satisfied with their self-attested copies.

The commission has issued such notifications in the past, but the still high number of student complaints indicate that these have been in vain.

"The commission has notified UGC (Grievance Redressal) Regulations, 2012 on redressal of multifarious grievances of students. But given the sheer volume of the complaints, the commission felt the need to notify elaborate instructions so as to curb such malpractices," the UGC said in its notification.

On the original certificates, the commission instructed that no institution will insist on submission of original certificates such as mark sheets, school-leaving certificates. "The submission of self-attested copies shall be mandatory".

It said it is mandatory for the institutions to return the original certificates immediately to students after physical verification in their presence, and "strictly prohibited" them from taking the certificates into custody anytime "under any circumstance".

The commission prohibited the charging of fees in advance for a year or a semester. It also warned institutes against forcing students to buy the institutions' prospectus, leaving it to students' choice and directing them to upload all relevant information on their website.

It laid out a depreciating refund system, according to which, a student is liable to fully refund if he/she cancels admission in 15 days before the last date of admission. There is no refund after more than 30 days of last date of admission.

The premier funding body also instructed the institutions to build a 'grievance redress mechanism' and make it available on their website.

It reserved punishments ranging from cancellation of affiliation and withholding of grants to shaming in public domain for the erring parties.
The 89-year-old Bulger, who benefited from a corrupt relationship with the FBI before spending 16 years as one of America's most wanted men, was found unresponsive Tuesday morning, just hours after he arrived at USP Hazelton. He was declared dead shortly afterward. Authorities have not released a cause of death, but prosecutors said it was being investigated as a homicide. A Mafia hit man, Fotios "Freddy" Geas, who is said to hate "rats," and at least one other inmate are believed to have been involved in Bulger's killing, an ex-investigator briefed on the case said Wednesday. The longtime investigator was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah on Friday said he "truly believes" that the future of Jammu and Kashmir lied with the Union of India and that the state could not survive on its own if given Azadi (independence).

He also underlined that the people of Kashmir were well within their right in demanding greater autonomy for the state as that was the main condition for joining the Union of India.

"I honestly, truly believe that the future of Jammu and Kashmir lies within the Indian Union. And I am not playing politics here or playing to the gallery," Abdullah said during a panel discussion at the launch of the book "Paradise At War - A Political History of Kashmir", penned by Radha Kumar and published by Aleph.

"I don't believe that an independent Jammu and Kashmir can survive in this environment of Pakistan on one side, China on the other and then India here (on one side). Mine is a practical realisation. It is based on analysing and understanding the realities of Jammu and Kashmir.

"But they (people demanding Azadi) are entitled to their sentiments and I don't argue with that. Their sentiment is based on emotions. Mine is based on 'if it comes, you won't survive'," he said.

Abdullah added the government of India needed to fulfil its promises that were made to the state in 1947 when it became a part of the Union of India.

"Autonomy is a historic fact. How is asking for autonomy in any way anti-national? If autonomy is secession, then there is no mainstream politics in Jammu and Kashmir," he added.

Berating the Narendra Modi government's handling of the Kashmir situation, Abdullah said that a large number of youth were willing to join militancy in recent years and militancy had spread to regions of the state where it earlier was not.

"The fact that of late, the highest number of youngsters are willing to join militancy can't be blamed to Pakistan. If you look at the ground situation, militancy has emerged in areas which were hitherto free of militancy," Abdullah said.

He also accused the Congress of playing the "Jammu card" or trying to play up the communal divide between the regions of Jammu and Kashmir for political gains, although not "to the extent" that BJP did in 2014 elections.

Radha Kumar, who was part of the interlocuters' team despatched by the Centre at the height of the 2010 unrest in the Valley, said the failure of the peace process engendered more discontent. She regretted that the Union government never acted on the recommendations made by the interlocuters and hence the situation went from bad to worse.

"We have today reached a point where I don't see any Kashmiri willing to make peace (with India) at least in the next five years, and I am being optimistic," she said.
New Delhi, Nov 2 : Indian Navy has inducted a submarine rescue system with a Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) along with associated equipment, it said on Friday.

This system has a 'Side Scan Sonar' for locating the position of the submarine in distress at sea, providing immediate relief with the help of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and thereafter rescuing the crew of the submarine using the DSRV itself, as per a release.

"To ensure early mobilisation, the system has been procured in a Flyaway configuration which permits rapid transportation of the rescue system from the base to the exact location of the distressed submarine by transportation using air/land/sea vessel"," said the release.

The Indian DSRV has the capability to rescue personnel from a distressed submarine (DISSUB) up to a depth of 650 m and it is the latest in terms of technology and capabilities.

The Navy said the system has been designed and supplied to meet unique requirements of the submarines by James Fishes Defence, UK.

"We have ordered two systems which shall be based on the West and East Coast of India respectively to provide redundancy, high operational availability and early response to deal with a submarine contingency," it said.

"With this capability, India has joined a select league of nations which have this unique capability and we are now in a position to not only provide rescue cover to our own submarines but also to other friendly nations in the IOR (Indian Ocean Region) and beyond."

The DSRV is likely to be inducted in the Indian Navy by end of this year.
Construction of new dwellings in established areas in the ACT has been very active over the last one to three years, owing heavily to the Mr. Fluffy buyback scheme, according to the latest Herron Todd White (HTW) residential report.

The report suggests that the scheme has forced many properties to be demolished, and as a result the land is resold on the market.

"The vacant blocks are incentivised by having increased development potential, where planning will allow multiple dwellings that can be unit titled and sold individually," the valuer said.

The fluffy vacant lands are being purchased by a mix of developers, investors and owner- occupiers who are looking to build.

Most developers are purchasing the land to utilise the increased development potential and constructing two dwellings on the blocks.

There are also multiple owner-occupiers who are purchasing the blocks to build single owner-occupied dwellings.

Most of these sales are in the older established areas of Canberra constructed between 1960 and 1980, such as Belconnen, Woden Valley, Tuggeranong, Inner North and Inner South.

"If a prospective purchaser were to buy one of these blocks, they could expect to pay between $350,000 and $1.5 million, depending on the location and specifications of the block," HTW said.

"If a prospective purchaser were to purchase an established, unrenovated dwelling in a similar area, they could expect to pay between $450,000 and $1.6 million."

Renovations are also common within these older established areas due to ageing improvements (kitchens and bathrooms) and larger blocks which provide the opportunity for property extensions.

A renovated three bedroom house in Nicholls has been sold for $615,000 (pictured above).

The home situated at 9/123 Kelleway Avenue comes with three bedrooms, spacious lounge and dining area, and rear yard.

It situated close to the Gold Creek Country Club with easy access to the relaxing walking tracks and close to local schools, public transport and playing fields.

Another three bedroom Ainslie house has been sold for $1.385 million (pictured above).

Situated at 5 Fisher Street, the extensively renovated home comprises of three bedrooms, open plan living/dining, marble-finished kitchen and large timber deck.

It is close to schools, parkland, shopping and transport.
GUEST OBSERVATION

Just 20 countries are home to 94% of the worlds remaining wilderness, excluding the high seas and Antarctica, according to our new global wilderness map, published today in Nature.

A century ago, wilderness extended over most of the planet. Today, only 23% of land  excluding Antarctica  and 13% of the ocean remains free from the harmful impacts of human activities.

More than 70% of remaining wilderness is in just five countries: Australia, Russia, Canada, the United States (Alaska), and Brazil.

Watson et al. 2018

We argue that wilderness can still be saved. But success will depend on the steps these mega-wilderness nations take, or fail to take, to secure the future of Earths last remaining wild places.

James Allan, Author provided

Wilderness areas are vast tracts of untamed and unmodified land and sea. Regardless of where they are  from the lowland rainforests of Papua New Guinea, to the high taiga forests of Russias Arctic, to the vast deserts of inland Australia, to the great mixing zones of the Pacific, Antarctic and Indian Oceans  these areas are the last strongholds for endangered species, and perform vital functions such as storing carbon, and buffering us against the effects of climate change. In many wilderness areas, indigenous peoples, who are often the most politically and economically marginalised of all peoples, depend on them for their livelihoods and cultures.

Yet despite being important and highly threatened, wilderness areas and their values are completely overlooked in international environmental policy. In most countries, wilderness is not formally defined, mapped or protected. This means there is nothing to hold nations, industry, society and community to account for wilderness conservation.

Beyond boundaries

Almost two-thirds of marine wilderness is in the high seas, beyond nations immediate control. This effectively makes it a marine wild west, where fishing fleets have a free-for-all. There are some laws to manage high-seas fishing, but there is no legally binding agreement governing high-seas conservation, although the United Nations is currently negotiating such a treaty. Ensuring marine wilderness is off-limits to exploitation will be crucial.

And we cannot forget Antarctica, arguably Earths greatest remaining wilderness and one of the last places on the planet where vast regions have never experienced a human footfall.

Author provided

While Antarcticas isolation and extreme climate have helped protect it from the degradation experienced elsewhere, climate change, human activity, pollution, and invasive species increasingly threaten the continents wildlife and wilderness.

Parties to the Antarctic Treaty must act on their commitments to help reduce human impacts, and we need to urgently curb global carbon emissions before it is too late to save Antarctica.

Our maps show how little wilderness is left, and how much has been lost in the past few decades. It is hard to believe, but between 1993 and 2009 a staggering 3.3 million square kilometres of terrestrial wilderness  an area larger than India  was lost to human settlement, farming, mining and other pressures. In the ocean, the only regions free of industrial fishing, pollution and shipping are confined to the poles or remote Pacific island nations.

Saving wilderness

Almost every nation has signed international environmental agreements that aim to end the biodiversity crisis, halt dangerous climate change, and achieve global sustainable development goals. We believe Earths remaining wilderness can only be secured if its importance is immediately recognised within these agreements.

At a summit in Egypt later this month, the 196 signatory nations to the Convention on Biological Diversity will work alongside scientists on developing a strategic plan for conservation beyond 2020. This is a unique opportunity for all nations to recognise that Earths wilderness are dwindling, and to mandate a global target for wilderness conservation.

A global target of retaining 100% of all remaining wilderness is achievable, although it would require stopping industrial activities like mining, logging, and fishing from expanding to new places. But committing explicitly to such a target would make it easier for governments and non-governmental organisations to leverage funding and mobilise action on the ground in nations that are still developing economically.

Similarly, the role of wilderness in guarding against climate change  such as by storing huge amounts of carbon  could also be formally documented in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which holds its annual conference in Poland next month. This would incentivise nations to make wilderness protection central to their climate strategies.

Mechanisms such as REDD+, which allows developing nations to claim compensation for conserving tropical forests they had planned to clear, could be extended to other carbon-rich wilderness areas such as intact seagrasses, and even to wildernesses in rich countries that do not receive climate aid, such as the Canadian tundra.

Keith Williams, Author provided

Nations have ample opportunities, through legislation and rewarding good behaviour, to prevent road and shipping lane expansion, and enforcing limits on large-scale developments and industrial fishing in their wilderness areas. They can also establish protected areas to slow the spread of industrial activity into wilderness.

A diverse set of approaches must be embraced, and the private sector must work with governments so that industry protects, rather than harms, wilderness areas. Key to this will be lenders investment and performance standards, particularly for organisations such as the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the regional development banks.

Our planet faces not just a species extinction crisis, but also a wilderness extinction crisis. Once lost, our wild places are gone forever. This may be our last opportunity to save the last of the wild, we cannot afford to miss it.

James Allan, Postdoctoral research fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland

James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland; Jasmine Lee, PhD candidate, biodiversity conservation and climate change, The University of Queensland,\

Kendall Jones, PhD candidate, Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Main photo: Brazil, home to the Amazon, is one of just five mega-wilderness countries. CIFOR, Author provided
EXPERT OBSERVATION

According to the latest CoreLogic Home Value Index results for October 2018, national dwelling values have fallen by -3.5% over the past year and are -3.5% lower than their peak.

Although this is a pretty moderate fall it is interesting to take a look at what this means and where values sit historically.

A -3.5% decline in national dwelling values from their peak to October 2018 means that values are now the lowest theyve been since January 2017.

Given this, if youve purchased a property any time since January 2017 it is likely that your property is worth less than you paid for it.

While home owners dont like to see the value of their assets falling, to put this into perspective values are still 44.8% higher over the past decade and 209.9% higher over the past 20 years.

In Sydney, dwelling values have recorded their largest annual decline since February 1990, falling by -7.4% over the year to October 2018 and now sitting -8.2% lower than their peak in July 2017.

The Sydney dwelling value index is currently the lowest it has been since September 2016.

Although values are currently falling, they are still 81.4% higher over the past decade and 220.1% higher over the past 20 years.

Dwelling values in Melbourne peaked in November 2017 and to October 2018 have fallen by -4.9%.

The Melbourne index is now at its lowest level since March 2017. Over the 10 years to October 2018, values in Melbourne have increased by 74.7% and they are 295.4% higher over the past 20 years.

Based on this data, most home owners are still ahead however, recent buyers are likely to have seen values slip below the purchase price.

Following a peak in April 2018, Brisbane dwelling values have fallen by -0.3% to October 2018.

Although falls have only been moderate to date, values are at levels last seen in Brisbane in February 2018.

A big difference between Brisbane and Sydney and Melbourne is that Brisbane has seen very little value growth over the past decade (16.1%) however, values are 185.3% higher than they were two decades ago.

Adelaide dwelling values sit at record high levels as at October 2018.

Although values are continuing to climb the rate of growth is moderate at just 1.8% over the past year.

Like Brisbane, Adelaide has seen very little value growth over the past decade, up by 23.7% with values 198.6% higher over the past two decades.

Perths housing market has been in the midst of a correction since 2014 with dwelling values currently -14.2% lower than their June 2014 peak.

Based on index values, current values are the lowest theyve been since June 2009.

This means many recent buyers are in a position whereby the current value is lower than what they paid.

Over the past decade, values in Perth are -1.1% lower however, the previous decade was much stronger for value growth resulting in 20 year growth of 159.0%.

Values have been rising at a rapid rate in Hobart over recent years and although the rate of growth has slowed a little of late, they remain at an historic high level.

Over the past decade, values in Hobart have increased by 42.9% with value growth much stronger over the previous 10 years with an increase of 230.0% over the past two decades.

Darwin has seen a substantial correction in housing values over recent years and as at October 2018, values were -23.6% lower than their May 2014 peak.

The last time dwelling values were as low as they are currently was November 2007.

This means anyone that has purchased over the past decade is likely to have a current home value lower than the purchase price.

This is reflected by the fact that values are -3.1% lower over the past decade.

NT housing data is only available from 1999 so over the 19 years to October 2018, values in Darwin are 77.8% higher.

Dwelling values in Canberra are continuing to rise and sit at historic high levels however, the rate of growth has slowed of late.

Over the past 10 years, Canberra dwelling values have lifted 35.4% and over the past 20 years values are up 233.6%.

Although values in Sydney and Melbourne are seeing accelerating rates of decline, in the context of the run-up in values over recent years it has not greatly improved affordability.

In fact in both cities values have only returned to levels seen a couple of years ago.

CoreLogic expects values to continue declining over the coming months however, it is unlikely that these falls will make any significant improvement to affordability, especially in the absence of real income growth.

Although, if the declines continue for a number of years we could see a more substantial improvement in affordability as per what has occurred in Perth and Darwin following four years of ongoing value falls.
Laura Ely, President of TransMachine Additive I am excited to lead the TMA team on a world class production journey and unlock the full build volume and throughput potential of the Q20plus platform.

The scope of the agreement includes The Barnes Group Advisors (TBGA) providing strategic leadership with Laura Ely as President of TransMachine Additive (TMA) and The Barnes Group Advisors providing TMA with technical support via the Technical Excellence Resource Model (TERM). The Technical Excellence Resource Model allows TMA to tap into TBGA technical expertise for application development without the overhead burdens of a large business.

We are excited to support TMAs growth via the TERM concept, says John Barnes, Managing Director, The Barnes Group Advisors. It is a great opportunity to leverage our diverse experience in additive manufacturing to reduce risk and accelerate time to profitability.

The objective of the collaboration is to build on TMAs mission to provide world class EBM additively manufactured products in an agile, cost-effective, and customer-focused environment.

Ive always had a vision to expand our high quality, precision manufacturing presence in the US, says Barry Leonard, CEO, TransMachine Additive. With our investment in EBM additive manufacturing and the industry leading business and technical expertise of The Barnes Group Advisors, that dream is rapidly becoming a reality.

TMA is ready to support customer programs ranging from early application development to serial production. Full product solutions are available with project management including delivery of fully finished parts. TMA operates out of a 22,000 square foot ITAR registered production facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They currently operate an Arcam Q20plus and Arcam A2X system. TMA plans to be AS9100 certified by early 2019.

To learn more about TransMachine Additive, please visit http://www.trans-machine.com/additive.

TransMachine Additive is a division of TransMachine Technologies (TMT). TMT is a Global Supplier of precision components to the Railroad, Mining, Automotive and OEMs. TMT offers high precision components through Additive Manufacturing, Casting, Precision Machining and Fabrication.

The Barnes Group Advisors is the largest independent additive manufacturing engineering consultancy. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, TBGA has presence in Australia, the United Kingdom, Austin, TX, Phoenix, AZ, Youngstown, OH, St. Louis, MO and State College, PA. TBGA helps companies work through their AM adoption strategy via strategy, design, leadership, training, metallurgy, and economics, and is comprised of seasoned specialists with well over 100 years of experience in additive manufacturing.
Mentor Collective programs have been launched at more than 50 educational institutions across the country and have reached over 35,000 students. Listening hard to our usersmentors, students, and educatorsand relentlessly focusing on impacting their lives, rather than building flashy features, will continue to drive our growth, said Eliza LaJoie, Head of Product at Mentor Collective

Mentor Collective, the leading partner for educational institutions to deploy and manage large-scale mentoring programs, announced today that it has received gold statusthe top award for its categoryin the 10th Annual Golden Bridge Awards as the Startup of the Year - Founded in 2015.

The Golden Bridge Awards honor the worlds best in organizational performance, products and services, executives, management teams, and more. Organizations worldwidepublic and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and smallare eligible to submit nominations.

This years judging panel selected Mentor Collective for its unique results in these areas:



Doubling the size of their team while continuing their commitment to hiring and developing mission-driven, exceptional people

Establishing 50+ school partnerships, doubling revenue annually for 3 years in a row, and achieving financial sustainability

Industry-leading student outcomes including increased student retention rates demonstrated by randomized controlled trials and 35,000+ students receiving access to mentorship

Continued thought leadership in student success through its webinar series

Were honored to be joined by such a powerful movement of innovative educators at the forefront of student success and mentorship, said George Boyar, Head of Partner Success at Mentor Collective. Together, we are on a mission to bring transformative mentorship to 100,000 students by 2020.

Listening hard to our usersmentors, students, and educatorsand relentlessly focusing on impacting their lives, rather than building flashy features, will continue to drive our growth, said Eliza LaJoie, Head of Product at Mentor Collective. By empowering students to shape their own mentorship experience, we are constantly learning how to better support them and our partner schools.

Mentor Collectives recognition comes on the heels of recent awards that include last months honor as a member of BostInno's 50 on Fire in 2018. The list celebrates 50 of the most innovative companies or people in Boston each year.

The recent honors from the Golden Bridge Awards and 50 on Fire underscore our commitment to student success through providing every student with a transformative mentoring experience. We attribute our recent achievements, more than anything else, to our people and culture, said Jackson Boyar, CEO of Mentor Collective.

About Mentor Collective

Mentor Collective is on a mission to provide every student with a transformative mentoring experience. It is the leading partner for educational institutions to deploy and manage large-scale, sustainable mentoring programs that meet every student where they are in their journey to success. Mentor Collective programs have been launched at more than 50 partner institutions across the country and have reached over 35,000 students. Additional information is available at MentorCollective.org as well as on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook
Ampex Data Systems (Ampex) will display the nano-R, a breakthrough recording system for rugged environments, at the International Telemetering Conference (ITC) in Glendale, Arizona on November 6th-8th, 2018. Ideal for use in rugged environments, including manned and unmanned vehicle applications, the nano-R data storage system creates a revolutionary new concept in affordable recording and data processing.

The innovative nano-R Recording System confirms Ampexs commitment to supporting rugged applications within the aerospace community. said Jim Orahood, Vice President and General Manager. Additionally, the nano-R Recording System offers the best value on the market, further developing Ampexs excellence at the edge.

The complete nano-R Recording System consists of three components: nano-R Intelligent Storage Elements (ISEs), which are rugged, removable modules that take the place of traditional removable memory bricks; the nano-R Deck, into which ISEs are inserted; and the nano-R Controller, a detachable touchscreen handset.

The systems core, the nano-R ISE, provides the intelligence to encode, format, store, stream, and share up to two channels of HD video while acting as a file server. Additionally, it utilizes state-of-the-art encoding technology from Ampexs sister company, Delta Digital Video, to produce MISB-compliant video streams that can be recorded and/or streamed over a network.

The nano-R Deck contains the systems power supply, the USB to network interface and an embedded switch, the video conversion logic, and slots for one or more nano-R ISE modules. The final component is the nano-R Controller, a detachable touch-screen handset that can run Windows 10 or Android, and provides a convenient mechanism to monitor and control the system. Additional display and control options are available for the nano-R system to interface with existing installations.

Visit Ampex at ITC Booth #601 to see the nano-R system in action and to learn more about our avionics technologies.
Every family has a story. For Angela Fortnum, her maternal family story would begin eight generations before her and reach back to the turn of the 18th century in England  and it is a story that she will tell and continue today.

In Pages and Leaflets of North Oxfordshire (published by AuthorHouse UK), Fortnum shares a well-researched family history of her maternal grandfathers, offering a compelling window into the life and times of her ancestors. This history chronicles the Page familys shift from agricultural and labourer life to self-employment and smallholding. It also lists the changes in the familys religious beliefs over time, as well a discussion of the richness and diversity of the church and chapel buildings that were linked in some way to her family, each of which tells a story of their own.

In the end, the story of the Page family lives on today, as Pages and Leaflets of North Oxfordshire stands as a legacy to the author, her mothers family and the great changes they experienced over the centuries of living in England.

The book is suitable for anyone with an interest in family genealogy, or church history in North Oxfordshire.

Pages and Leaflets of North Oxfordshire: My Lineage Pre-17001959

By Angela Fortnum

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 72 pages | ISBN 9781546297963

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 72 pages | ISBN 9781546297956

E-Book | 72 pages | ISBN 9781546297949

Available directly from the author

About the Author

Angela Fortnum was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and she attended school in the town before fulfilling her desire to work in a bank. In 1982, she took a permanent position in Birmingham and moved to Shirley near Solihull in the West Midlands. Following retirement in 1998, she returned to Banbury and took a course in health and social care for which she received a certificate. After her mothers death, she rekindled her interest in genealogy and now shares a tribute to her mother in Pages and Leaflets of North Oxfordshire. For more details about the author and her book, visit http://www.angelafortnum.com.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrated 15 years of service to authors in Sept. 2011.For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 0800 1974150. For the latest, follow @AuthorHouseUK on Twitter.
AZBEE AWARDS now open for 2018 writing, research, and design entries. Business-to- Business, Association, and Professional Magazines, Newspapers, Newsletters, Websites Eligible.

The Azbee Awards are highly competitive and celebrate the highest quality writing, graphics and design in business-to-business, trade, association and professional publications.

The awards honor all types of publications including magazines, newspapers, newsletters, websites, and digital media. Sign up for free membership and take a look at last years winners gallery for inspiration.

https://azbeeawards.secure-platform.com/a/gallery?roundId=35

ENTER NOW! Sign up for free membership and save on entry fees!

https://azbeeawards.secure-platform.com/a/

SUBMISSION DEADLINES



Early-bird deadline: Monday, December 10

Final deadline: Monday, January 7, 2019

Important Notes:

With submission deadlines in 2018 and 2019, you can submit your award entries from either years budget!

Early-bird pricing is the same as last yearno cost increases!

Entries must have been printed or posted in 2018!

WHAT'S NEW

Weve made a few changes to reflect industry transitions. In the past, weve had Print, Online, Design, and Overall Excellence award divisions. But not all content you publish are cleanly print or online anymore.

A New Awards Division, All Content

This year, were introducing a new combined awards division called All Content. We know journalism no longer exists in silos. ASBPE has created this new Azbee Awards division to reflect your reporting work in print, online, and other digital formats. We dont just write articles for print anymore; we create stories that live in multiple formats  sometimes for different audiences. The following awards categories are in this new division:



Company Profile

Data Journalism

Enterprise News Story

Online Q&A

Original Research

Trade Show/Conference Coverage

Government Coverage

Humor

Be a Judge!

https://azbeeawards.secure-platform.com/a/judgesolicitationprofiles/login?solicitationId=30

Applying to judge this years entries is a great way for qualified authors, editors, graphic artists and designers to see the best of the best in B2B journalism and get new ideas. And no, you cannot judge categories you or your publication enter! Judging sign-up deadline is Friday, December 7.

Annual Meeting: Save the Date:

May 9 - 10: The 2019 ASBPE National Conference and Azbee Awards banquet will be held at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. Enjoy the beautiful spring weather in St. Pete and bring the whole family to enjoy a weekend by the shore!

Questions? Feel free to reach out to ASBPE coordinator Jessi Marie McCarthy at info(at)asbpe.org or (727) 553-4214.
Iowa Congressman Steve King fires back at a man who asked a question about remarks King has made in the past during a candidate forum at the Greater Des Moines Partnership office in Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. (Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register via AP)
Bari and Doug Wachs Ive always loved the Caring Transitions concept. Doug and I are extremely excited to start this journey and to have the opportunity to serve the community in a new way ... Its all about helping you meet your goals in the quickest, most efficient and compassionate way possible. - Bari Wachs

Bari and Doug Wachs are pleased to announce the launch of their new senior-focused business, Caring Transitions of South Jersey.

Caring Transitions specially-trained professionals handle organizing, packing, de-cluttering, moving, resettling, in-person and online estate sales, liquidations, and preparing homes for market. Caring Transitions of South Jersey serves Marlton, Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Mt. Laurel, Moorestown and the surrounding areas.

Bari and Doug moved to Marlton more than 18 years ago to bring their children closer to their four living great-grandparents and grandparents. Family has always been the cornerstone of their relationship and their goal is to include their now adult children, Alyssa and Aaron, in their Caring Transitions business. They will even involve their 2-year-old golden retriever, Ringo, who is a trained therapy dog.

Bari brings more than 15 years of healthcare sales and marketing experience to Caring Transitions of South Jersey. She began working in the homecare and hospice industry after her two grandfathers passed, one requiring home hospice care.

I was blessed to have four grandparents as an adult. I was very close with all of them. My familys first experience with home hospice care was life altering. My grandfather was a vibrant, impassioned and loving family man. When he fell ill, we did not know where to turn and were so fortunate to have a warm, compassionate hospice team to support us, Bari said.

From that loss, Bari became passionate about becoming an advocate for seniors and their families. She has spent the last 10 years working in the senior care sector, helping seniors and their families navigate through challenging medical decisions while ensuring their needs are met with dignity and respect.

Much of what we do at Caring Transitions comes at a very emotionally difficult time for clients and their families. From both my professional and personal experiences, I can empathize with the stress our clients our facing. Thats one of the things I love about Caring Transitions  having customizable services, we can assess the overall situation and personalize a plan that focuses on their needs. Its all about helping you meet your goals in the quickest, most efficient and compassionate way possible, Bari said. Ive always loved the Caring Transitions concept. Doug and I are extremely excited to start this journey and to have the opportunity to serve the community in a new way.

Caring Transitions services are perfect for managing the many aspects of a senior move or assisting with the process of downsizing to provide a safer living situation as well as for busy families and people clearing out the home of a loved one who has moved into assisted care or passed. All of Caring Transitions services are customizable, so clients choose the solution that best fits their needs  whether that means managing the entire move and estate-clearing, just getting someone resettled into their new place, or anything in between.

Caring Transitions is bonded, insured and their W2 employees have been background checked. For additional information about Caring Transitions of South Jersey, call (856)288-1467, email BWachs@CaringTransitions.com or visit http://www.CaringTransitionsSouthJersey.com.

About Caring Transitions

Caring Transitions, founded in 2006, is the first national franchising concept specializing in senior relocation and transition services. With more than 200 locations throughout the United States all owned and operated by Certified Relocation and Transition Specialists, Caring Transitions provides clients with supportive moves, auctions, rightsizing and transitions. This includes expert advice plus a well-executed transition plan beginning with the initial sorting of personal belongings through packing, shipping and selling of items to the final clearing and cleaning of the property. For more information, visit http://www.caringtransitions.com or visit us on Facebook.
Political Scams Likely to Increase Scams during election seasons come at people like a blizzard. Take the time to do your research and dont let your election emotions lead you to do dumb things just to try and have your say to what often is just a scammer trying to rip you off, said Barry N. Moore, BBB-CV President.

BBB serving Central Virginia is warning consumers that the upcoming midterm elections are likely to generate loads of scammers pretending to be pollsters, campaign volunteers, fundraisers, and even candidates. Here are some common political scams and frauds to watch out for:

Fundraising: You get a call from someone claiming to represent a political candidate, raising money to support the campaign. They may be collecting funds for a specific cause, such as healthcare reform, or on behalf of a group of people, such as veterans. BE SURE who you are donating to. Do your research first.

Polling: The call is from someone claiming to be conducting a political survey. The pollster wants to ask you questions about the upcoming election. In exchange for a few minutes of your time and your opinions, youll get a gift card or other reward. After asking several legitimate-sounding survey questions, the caller typically then asks you to provide your credit card number to pay for the shipping and taxes of the "prize" you've won. Legitimate polling companies rarely offer prizes for a survey. None would ask for a credit card number.

Impersonation: You get a call that sounds like one of the candidates, or perhaps even the President, asking you to make a special contribution. This scam uses real audio clips of politicians voices, likely lifted from speeches or media interviews. Digital technology has made these recordings sound very realistic. At some point, the politician will ask for a donation and request that you push a button to be redirected to an agent, who will then collect your credit card information. Since real politicians use pre-recorded calls, its challenging to tell which ones are fake. Again, know who youre giving money to. Tell them youll call back later. Do your research.

Sharing your personally identifiable information (PII) and/or credit card number can open you up to the risk of fraudulent charges and even identity theft. These examples are primarily telephone scams, but fraudsters can use other methods to reach you such via mail, email, social media, text, or even knocking on your door.

Here are some BBB tips to avoid political scams:



Donate directly to the campaign office: Donations made over the phone can be valid, but to be sure you are donating directly to the campaign, donors should give either through the candidates' official website or at a local campaign office.

Watch for spoofed calls: Your Caller ID may say that someone from Washington DC or from a campaign office is contacting you, but scammers can fake this using phone number spoofing technology.

Beware of prize offers: Just hang up on any political pollster who claims that you can win a prize for participating in a survey. Political survey companies rarely use prizes, so thats a red flag.

Dont give out personal or banking information: Political pollsters may ask for information about your vote or political affiliation, and even demographic information such as your age or race, but they don't need your Social Security Number or credit card information.

Research fundraising organizations before donating: Be especially cautious of links that come to you through email or social media; dont click through. Instead, go directly to an organizations website by typing the URL in your browser or using a search engine.

Scams during election seasons come at people like a blizzard. Take the time to do your research and dont let your election emotions lead you to do dumb things just to try and have your say to what often is just a scammer trying to rip you off, said Barry N. Moore, BBB-CV President. The scammer could care less what you think. They just want your money or a way into your bank accounts, Moore added.

For more BBB information please contact the name and number provided with this press release.

About BBB serving Central Virginia: Provides service to Richmond, the Tri-Cities, Charlottesville, and Fredericksburg, as well as 42 surrounding counties from Fauquier to Mecklenburg and Northumberland to Amherst. The nonprofit organization was established in 1954 to advance responsible, honest, and ethical business practices and to promote customer confidence through self-regulation of business. Core services of BBB include business profiles, dispute resolution, truth-in advertising, consumer and business education, and charity review.
The newly redesigned website offers quick and easy access to essential information and interactive features, as well as, a mobile-friendly and responsive design for on-the-go users. We are excited about our new website launch and the robust information and resources it provides our customers. We believe this new site design will allow our visitors to have a very informative experience before stepping into one of our model centers.

Wayne Homes, an Ohio-based custom home builder that specializes in on-your-lot custom homes, launched their newly designed website this week.

The newly redesigned website offers quick and easy access to essential information and interactive features, as well as, a mobile-friendly and responsive design for on-the-go users.

We are excited about our new website launch and the robust information and resources it provides our customers, Maurie Jones, senior vice president of marketing, said. We believe this new site design will allow our visitors to have a very informative experience before stepping into one of our model centers.

Notable features of the website include an improved model home overview page and model home pages with galleries, floor plans and interactive floor plans, virtual tours, and an open house and events page with an interactive map.

The new website was developed by the Bokka Group out of Denver, Colorado to create a better user experience for Wayne Homes customers.

Wayne Homes has always been a company that puts customers first, and the launch of this website is no exception, Sara Lambert, account strategist from the Bokka Group, said. From online design tools to virtual tours, Wayne is helping their customers visualize their dream home from the very beginning of the home shopping experience.

Wayne Homes website will be updated on a regular basis with news of product launches, open houses and events, contests, and more. Visitors are encouraged to explore the website and sign up for direct emails for the latest special offers and updates.

For more information about building a custom home with Wayne Homes, visit WayneHomes.com.

About Wayne Homes

Wayne Homes is a custom home builder in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia (see all Model Home Centers). We offer nearly 50 fully customizable floor plans and a team dedicated to providing the best experience in the home building industry. For more information, Ask Julie, our online sales team, by Live Chat or call us at (866) 253-6807.
With Statusbin, company reports and documents can be published to any employee on their mobile device. Automate the distribution of ERP system reports. Publish documents created manually in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF, Text and other formats. The Statusbin mobile app allows employees to view the reports subscribed to them on their cell phones or tablets.

In addition to publishing reports you already have, Statusbin can be used to create new mobile reports. Data from Excel, CSV and text files can be transformed into informative and interactive charts, graphs and tables. Mobile reports can be created without needing any special technical skills.

Statusbin will automatically re-publish a report whenever any information in the report changes. This assures that the latest information is always available to the mobile employee on the Statusbin app. All this is accomplished without having to directly connect to a companys internal databases and applications. This makes getting started simple and secure.

Statusbin provides the mobile app, back-end platform and management tools to realize the power of mobile reporting within your company.

For the past 25 years, ERP Consulting has been providing software development and support services to manufacturing companies across a wide range of industries. Our customers consider us their partner. The development of Statusbin is in response to the frustration experienced by many companies looking to find a sensible way to use mobile technologies to improve internal operations.

Get more information at http://www.statusbin.com or call (475) 212-3251.

Media Contact:

Robert Bucciferro

contact@statusbin.com
The use of blockchain technology means that investors can participate from just 1,000 as opposed to the 10,000 minimum that we had to set for the previous Dutch fund

Real Estate Company, Max Property Group (MPG) is using their newly developed property platform, Dominium, to launch the first ever tradable, automated, multi-lingual property fund in the Netherlands. This is the second Dutch fund to be launched by the group, and the first in history to use a blockchain based platform.

Dominium users can subscribe to the fund online, pass KYC procedures digitally, purchase regulatory compliant property bonds from as little as 1,000, and once the fund is fully subscribed, trade the tokenised assets with other users. Property Director Esther Dekker says,

The use of blockchain technology means that investors can participate from just 1,000 as opposed to the 10,000 minimum that we had to set for the previous Dutch fund.

The original Dutch property fund by MPG, Max Property Fund which offered 8% return per annum plus a profit share, was launched in September 2016 and was fully subscribed in the first year. Having set up subsequent investment funds in Germany and the UK, MPG decided to co-invest in a blockchain based platform that would streamline the investment process for both their clients and staff.

The result is property platform Dominium which uses Ardor blockchain technology to provide an array of services within the real estate industry, from launching regulated and unregulated property funds to project management, property listings and smart contracts, in multiple languages and in multiple countries. To date, no other blockchain platform has offered this combination of features.

The second Dutch property fund by MPG, Max Property Fund II offers 6.25% return per annum plus profit share and is being launched on the Dominium platform, in the hope that automating the investment process will result in a more streamlined experience. Head of Development Erwin Van Kekem says,

All the hard work that has been invested over the last few months is now coming to fruition and we hope that the system we have designed to help make everyones jobs easier and our services better will do just that.

About Dominium

The development for Dominium started in late 2017 and the platform was officially launched in May 2018. Within six months, the platform has gained over 55,000 users, from over 170 countries and millions of euros of property assets have been transferred to Dominium B.V. by its founders, Max Property Group and Munte Immobilien. Dominium is a registered company in the Netherlands. The company is dedicated to the development and maintenance of the Dominium platform, as well as investing in property assets. The company is supervised by Confidon and publishes audited accounts.
Murdered without Cause: a probing memoir of life after violence. Murdered without Cause is the creation of published author Genie Massey, a degreed legal assistant and Christian writer born in Arkansas and raised in the South who has worked as a counselor in rehabilitation centers and shelters for domestic violence and rape victims.

Massey writes, In case no one ever tells you that your loved one is already dead, and sometimes, even after they do, we have, as humans, an instinctual desire to want to see for ourselves. We assume the human body still clings to life and will respond to our comforting touch, a warm gentle hand that says, hold on. We were not prepped for what we saw. I felt horrified at that moment. It was if all the blood drained out of my own body with a stinging sensation down the lower part of my spine. All the hairs on both arms stood straight up. I dont, to this day, remember us walking back from that lab area to the waiting room we were assigned to. It did not seem real. I was in shock and

did not know it. Id been in shock for other events in my life, but not like this. My body was refusing to accept or digest what I had just seen and heard. My mind was attempting to believe or absorb it. It was an unreal, imaginary state of being.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Genie Masseys new book is a shocking story coupled with a courageous step forward into acceptance, healing, and closure.

With the publication of Tresias story, Massey continues to give back to the community of survivors, in this case victims of homicidal acts, encouraging a sense of hope and the strength to move into a new purpose in life.

View a synopsis of Murdered without Cause on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Murdered without Cause at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, Books-A-Million or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Murdered without Cause, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
JLG Atlanta-Area Service Center We provide comprehensive service for JLG and non-JLG branded equipment to help maintain the overall health of our customers mixed equipment fleets, said Andy Tacelosky, JLG Industries chief operating officer.

JLG Industries, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company [NYSE:OSK] and a leading global manufacturer of aerial work platforms and telehandlers, recently opened a new service center in Hiram, Georgia. The 14,400-square-foot, eight-bay Atlanta-area facility joins the growing list of JLG service centers that includes facilities in Houston, Texas; Riverside, California; Hagerstown, Maryland; and the Rock Hill, South Carolina opened last year.

The new center will inspect, maintain, and repair all brands of lift and access equipment at the facility or on location at a customers job site. The list of services includes quarterly and annual ANSI-required mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) inspections, preventive and planned maintenance, light and heavy repairs, and mobile service for customers who preference on-site service of their equipment.

We provide comprehensive service for JLG and non-JLG branded equipment to help maintain the overall health of our customers mixed equipment fleets, said Andy Tacelosky, JLG Industries chief operating officer. Strategically located centers like our newest location in Atlanta enable us to respond quickly to the needs of our customers and their customers, increasing the amount of uptime of their machines, which boosts productivity and drives down total cost of ownership.

In addition to its twelve service bays, the Atlanta-area service center includes a wash bay, four ten-ton overhead cranes and fully-equipped mobile service vehicles. The center sits on seven acres of land that includes 4.4 acres of on-site equipment storage.

As part of its ongoing commitment to support its customer base, in addition to its company service centers, JLG has a network of service provider partners throughout North America.

To learn more about the JLG service offering, please visit http://www.jlg.com/en/parts-services/service-center-locations. For more information about JLG, visit the website at http://www.jlg.com.

About JLG Industries, Inc.

JLG Industries, Inc. is a world-leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of access equipment. The Companys diverse product portfolio includes leading brands such as JLG aerial work platforms; JLG and SkyTrak telehandlers; and an array of complementary accessories that increase the versatility and efficiency of these products. JLG is an Oshkosh Corporation company [NYSE: OSK]. For more information about JLG Industries, Inc., visit http://www.jlg.com, or find us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Oshkosh Corporation

Founded in 1917, Oshkosh Corporation is more than 100 years strong and continues to make a difference in peoples lives. Oshkosh brings together a unique set of integrated capabilities and diverse end markets that, when combined with the Companys MOVE strategy and positive long-term outlook, illustrate why Oshkosh is a different integrated global industrial. The Company is a leader in designing, manufacturing and servicing a broad range of access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency, military and specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies under the brands of Oshkosh, JLG, Pierce, McNeilus, Jerr-Dan, Frontline, CON-E-CO, London and IMT.

Today, Oshkosh Corporation is a Fortune 500 Company with manufacturing operations on four continents. Its products are recognized around the world for quality, durability and innovation and can be found in more than 150 countries. As a different integrated global industrial, Oshkosh is committed to making a difference for team members, customers, shareholders, communities and the environment. For more information, please visit: http://www.oshkoshcorporation.com.

,  All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that the Company believes to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Companys future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as may, will, expect, intend, estimate, anticipate, believe, should, project or plan or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Companys control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
L.L.Bean Northern Lights Celebration features thousands of lights and a forest of Christmas trees surrounding Santa's workshop and reindeer barn, with fun for the whole family November 16-December 31. People of all ages are invited to join this Maine holiday tradition and to help illuminate the Discovery Forest of hundreds of Christmas trees.

Internationally recognized outdoor retailer L.L.Bean, best known for its legendary customer service and high-quality gear and apparel that help to further peoples enjoyment of the outdoors, will the open the annual Northern Lights Celebration on its Freeport campus on Friday, November 16. People of all ages are invited to join this Maine holiday tradition and to help illuminate the Discovery Forest of hundreds of Christmas trees at 6:45 p.m. Before and after the lighting, families can visit Santa and his reindeer, a model train village, and a new warming hut. The opening event will feature free hot cocoa and performances by members of the Portland Symphony Orchestra.

Opening Night, Friday, November 16



4:00-8:00 p.m. Visit Santa in his workshop and reindeer in his barn

4:00-9:00 p.m. Experience the Model Train Village and write a letter to Santa, sip a free cup of hot cocoa and visit the new Warming Hut, or join a festive scavenger hunt across the whole L.L.Bean campus

6:45-7:00 p.m. Lighting ceremony in Discovery Park

7:00-8:00 p.m. Enjoy music from Portland Symphony Orchestra members inside the store

7:00-8:30 p.m. Watch a family holiday movie in the Camping Atrium

7:00-9:00 p.m. Explore the trails of Discovery Forest with hundreds of lighted Christmas trees

Southern Maine Agency on Aging will once again be on hand to collect Coats for Seniors throughout the opening weekend. Visitors are invited to donate their gently used adult winter coats to keep their elder neighbors warm during the winter ahead.

L.L.Beans Northern Lights Celebration continues with events and activities every day through New Years Eve. Ongoing daily events include the Discovery Forest, warming hut, and model train village. Weekends will feature Santa, reindeer, and horse-drawn wagon rides until December 23. A full schedule is online at http://www.llbean.com/northernlights.

ABOUT L.L.BEAN

L.L.Bean, Inc. is a leading multichannel merchant of quality outdoor gear and apparel. Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, the company began as a one-room operation selling a single product, the Maine Hunting Shoe. L.L.Bean is a family-owned Maine company led by Executive Chairman Shawn Gorman, the great-grandson of Leon Leonwood Bean, and Stephen Smith, President and CEO. While its business has grown over the years, L.L.Bean continues to uphold the values of its founder, including his dedication to quality, customer service and a love of the outdoors. In the past five years, L.L.Bean has donated over $6 million toward conservation and land stewardship. L.L.Bean currently operates 43 stores in 18 states across the United States, along with 28 stores in Japan. The 220,000-sq. ft. L.L.Bean retail store campus in Freeport, ME, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and welcomes more than 3 million visitors every year. L.L.Bean can be found worldwide at http://www.llbean.com, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Lexalytics, the leader in words-first machine learning and artificial intelligence, announced today that its Chief Scientist, Paul Barba, will participate on the Ask the Experts panel at the Text Analytics Forum 2018, taking place November 7-8 in Washington, D.C.

Who: Paul Barba, Chief Scientist, Lexalytics; Bryan Bell, EVP, Corporate Development, Expert System; Jeremy Bentley, CEO, Smartlogic; Sean Coleman, CTO & Chief Customer Officer, BA Insight

What: Ask The Experts panel at the Text Analytics Forum 2018, a panel of text analytics experts answering questions related to natural language processing (NLP), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), text and sentiment analysis, and their applications, that have been gathered prior to and during the conference, along with additional questions from the program chair.

When: Wednesday, November 7, 2018, 4:00 p.m. ET -- 5:00 p.m. ET

Where: JW Marriott, Grand Ballroom, Salon 1

1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20004

Why: The Ask the Experts Panel was one of the Text Analytics Forums most popular features last year. The Text Analytics Forum invites all who deal with text to take a deep dive into this powerful set of techniques.

About Lexalytics

Processing billions of words every day across more than 20 languages, Lexalytics is the industry leader in translating text into profitable decisions for social media monitoring, reputation management and voice of the customer programs. In addition, the Lexalytics Intelligence Platform leverages leading-edge artificial intelligence and natural language processing to allow enterprises across all industries to quickly, easily and cost-effectively create custom analytics solutions to address their unique data problems. Based in Boston, MA, Lexalytics has offices in the US and Canada. For more information, please visit http://www.lexalytics.com, email sales(at)lexalytics(dot)com or call 1-617-249-1049. Follow Lexalytics on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
The new LSP Technologies headquarters at 6161 Shamrock Ct., Dublin, Ohio, will provide more room for expanding staff and larger customer parts. The move represents a significant expansion for LSPT. The new facility will support a growing team and provide the ability to handle larger customer components onsite.

LSP Technologies, Inc. (LSPT), the rapidly growing leader and innovator in laser peening services and equipment, has acquired a 65,000-square foot facility at 6161 Shamrock Ct., Dublin, Ohio. LSPT will continue serving customers during the transition from its current headquarters and plant at 6145 Scherers Place, Dublin, Ohio, only 1.2 miles away.

We are delighted to remain in Dublin, our home base since the company began 20 years ago, said Jeff Dulaney, LSPT President and CEO. "We appreciate the continuing support of Dublin city officials, who made the decision to stay in Dublin an easy one." LSPT plans to transition to the new facility in early 2019.

The move represents a significant expansion for LSPT. The new facility will support a growing workforce and provide the ability to handle larger customer components onsite. LSPT employs more than 50 full-time staff, which is more than twice the companys workforce from 2017, including more than 35 engineers, technicians, designers and technical support staff added since May.

Laser Peening, often called Laser Shock Peening, is a metal enhancement technology used to combat metal fatigue and extend the life of metal parts. Short laser pulses create a shock wave at the surface of the part, changing metal surfaces to counteract corrosion, cracking, and vibration stress.

LSPT has provided laser peening for many mission-critical parts in aircraft manufacturing, power generation, automotive, and heavy equipment, including gears, drive shafts and turbine engine blades. Laser Peening extends the life of metal parts up to 20 times, lowering costs and minimizing maintenance and downtime.

LSPT provides Laser Peening services onsite, and it also sells the Procudo Laser Peening System for customer factory installations. The company has also developed Laser Bond Inspection technology, a non-destructive testing method for adhesively bonded structures, and Laser Peen Forming, which uses precise Laser Peening patterns to shape  or straighten -- curved metal surfaces.

LSP Technologies is the worlds premier laser peening services, technology, and equipment provider. It is the only company in the world selling, installing, and integrating state-of-the-art laser peening systems in manufacturing, maintenance, and research facilities. The company has been providing laser peening production services for clients in the aviation and power generation industries for over twenty years and has been awarded more than fifty patents for innovations in laser peening equipment and technology.
Validation training at Bella Mar Its pretty amazing to know that we will be a part of helping Validation grow in Japan

On September 7th, Meridian at Bella Mar Memory Care, a Meridian Senior Living, LLC community, was delighted to host representatives from The Validation Teachers Association of Japan and Kanagawa Social Welfare Junior Chamber Japan for a demonstration of Validation with staff and residents at their location on 825 Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. Validation is a method of communicating with and helping disoriented seniors that helps reduce stress, enhance dignity and promote happiness. Validation, developed by Naomi Feil at The Validation Institute, is built on an empathetic approach and holistic view of individuals where you step into their shoes and see through their eyes to understand the meaning of their often bizarre behaviors.

Representing Kanagawa Social Welfare Junior Chamber Japan and The Validation Teachers Association of Japan were Mr. Sasaki (Kinoko Hospital Group), Ms. Tamaoki (Validation Teacher), Ms. Iwamura (Validation Teacher), Mr. Shogaki (President of Japan AVO), and Ms. Inatani (Validation Teacher). The Kanagawa Social Welfare Junior Chamber Japan has 100 members from different social welfare facilities. The Validation Teachers Association of Japan is a new Authorized Validation Organization (AVO), which is an organization that is contracted with The Validation Institute to offer Validation certification courses in Japan.

According to the Alzheimers Association in Japan, more than 4.6 million people are suffering from dementia in Japan. In Japan, some older adults are not only suffering from dementia and/or Alzheimers disease, but also struggling to overcome distressing events from war, nuclear disasters, or natural disasters compounding the affects. These older adults are in need of the Validating care of families and caregivers. In response to this need, The Validation Teachers Association of Japan has developed a plan for offering Validation training and dispersing information throughout the country. Meridian at Bella Mar was pleased to assist in the education and training of this The Validation Teachers Association of Japan.

Its pretty amazing to know that we will be a part of helping Validation grow in Japan, says Kevin Carlin, Principal and Chief Sales Officer. We are committed to enriching the lives of seniors and continue to actively support our memory care communities.

Meridian Senior Living:

Meridian Senior Living, LLC owns and operates senior housing communities across the United States and in China. With more than 7,000 beds, Meridian is currently the eighteenth largest senior care provider in the United States. Meridian prides itself on providing the highest quality care and affordable living options to residents in their own communities. Although large in scale, Meridian focuses its growth effort on building state-of-the-art properties in cities outside major markets. For more information on Meridian Senior Livings Heritage Crossing, visit us online at http://www.meridiansenior.com.
Mirage Horizon 4800 Turn a covered patio or other covered outdoor area into a protected outdoor living space.

Mirage Screen Systems Inc., a leading manufacturer of retractable screening systems in North America for over 20 years, introduces their new H4800 retractable screen for large openings as wide as twenty-two feet and as high as sixteen feet. This product turns a covered patio or other covered outdoor area into a protected outdoor living space with side-retained fabric rolling down two vertical tracks to prevent bugs or other unwanted pests from entering. Various fabrics can be utilized to eliminate anywhere from 60% to 97% of the suns rays.

The H4800 is constructed with heavy duty aluminum in North America and will withstand years of regular use and exposure to the elements. The screens motor possesses an object detection feature to automatically stop and prevent closing of the screen on items inadvertently left underneath it.

The quality and sleek appearance of the H4800 will impress guests to your home and allow for many wonderful gatherings in the fresh air of the outdoors. The experienced Mirage network of dealers will ensure that installation of the product will be professionally done.

Mirage has built a name for itself with its retractable screen door for over two decades and with the introduction of the H4800 large format screen we are excited to build on that success. Our dealer network partners have been extraordinary ambassadors of our brand and we see that continuing as they embrace this new product. Their passion and professionalism installing the H4800 will translate into many satisfied new customers of Mirage products. says Pete Ingram, Mirage CEO.

This exciting new product was released through the Mirage Dealer Network across North America on October 31, 2018. Learn more at https://miragescreensystems.com.
Neil Mitchell was born in Mississippi to a career USAF family and earned degrees in political science and accounting. He lives in Provo, Utah as a widower and retired from dual careers in tax preparation and as a teamster. His new book, A Stateside Tour of Duty is a very entertaining novelized Army memoir.

Author Mitchell writes about the state of affairs during Nicks time: Nick Moultrie is drafted into the US Army at the height of the Vietnam War. By dumb luck, the new lieutenant avoids being shipped to Vietnam and is assigned to Fort Benjamin McCulloch, Texas. As a pencil pusher for the military police on base, he is safe from the mortal perils of ambushes and booby traps in Southeast Asia, yet he faces other perils almost daily in his mostly desk job stateside. His poorly disciplined unit more resembles the Keystone Cops than professional law enforcement personnel. Lieutenant Moultrie finds himself surrounded by incompetent or corrupt commanding officers, and he never knows when the mind-numbing tedium of his job will suddenly erupt into a crazy, senseless episode in which people are killed and military careers are destroyed.

Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Neil Mitchells new book is an engaging and unexpectedly uplifting tale, considering the jaded state in which the main character leaves his Army life. All in all, it is a portrait of wisdom acquired through the hardening events of one of the most trying times in American history.

Readers who wish to experience this riveting work can purchase A Stateside Tour of Duty at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time-consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
"...we are so proud to support their work and thank our visitors who took action to be part of the solution..."

Oakland Zoo, governed by the Conservation Society of California (CSC), has raised a record-breaking $332,000 for animals in the wild over the past year, largely due to itsQuarters for Conservation, program where 50 of every ticket sold and $2 from every membership is designated to the Zoos 25 wildlife conservation partners. The contribution significantly in surpassed previous efforts - $126,000 in 2017 and in $104,000 in 2016.

The substantial increase in funding raised is due in part to the Zoos re-brand earlier this year in re-naming its governing organization from East Bay Zoological Society to the CSC to better demonstrate the Zoos commitment to conservation. With that change, the amount allocated to Q4C was doubled from 25 to 50, also adding the per Zoo membership contribution. Since the opening of the 56-acre California Trail expansion, Oakland Zoos has experienced increased attendance which further aided in growing the Zoos Q4C program.

Fifty percent of this years funds will go directly to three featured out-in-the-field conservation programs focused on species related to the new California Trail at Oakland Zoo; Grey wolves (California Wolf Center), Mountain Lions (Mountain Lion Foundation) and bears (The Bear League). These species reflect native California animals now living at Oakland Zoo, many who had been orphaned and rescued from the wild  with the Zoos aim to educate visitors on how to help conserve these animals counterparts in the wild.

It is a thrill to be able to contribute more than ever in supporting these local organizations this year and for years to come. Their partnership in working to create a California that can coexist with wildlife is vital. We are so proud to support their work and thank our visitors who took action to be part of the solution - just by buying a ticket to visit Oakland Zoo,said Amy Gotliffe, Conservation Director at Oakland Zoo.

Twenty-five percent of the funds raised will be used towards Oakland Zoos onsite conservation programs such as veterinary care for California condors, the Western Pond Turtle head-start program, and Puerto Rican toad recovery  a species once thought extinct.

The remaining twenty-five percent of the monies helps support the Zoos conservation field partners around the world, including: ARCAS wildlife rescue in Guatemala, the Bay Area Puma Project, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center, the Kibale Fuel Wood Project, the Reticulated Giraffe Project, the Marine Mammal Center, The Budongo Snare Removal Project, EWASO Lions, and the Ventana Wildlife Society.

Oakland Zoos new featured conservation partners for 2019 are focused on the conservation of jaguars, California condors and African lions.See below descriptions for additional information about the 2018 partners:

Kaminando Jaguar Connectivity Project in Panama employs the largest camera trap research initiative in the country, empowers the community through environmental education and alternative income generation, and works to ensure a connected and flourishing jungle home for jaguars.

Pinnacles California Condor Program tracks critically endangered California condors using GPS technology across their range in central California. There are only 260 in the wild today. Monitoring their nests, habitat use, flight activity and survival provides the knowledge needed to reduce human-caused issues and save these amazing birds.

The Lion Recovery Fund works to save African lions in Ugandas Queen Elizabeth National Park. These lions are threatened by human-wildlife conflict, pushing the status of these African cats into crisis. The Lion Recovery Fund responds to these issues through swift support for projects that reduce the conflict by hiring community lion scouts and rapid response teams to monitor, protect, and ensure a safe future for lions.

For more information on the above programs, visit: [https://www.oaklandzoo.org/conservation-partners/quarters-for-conservation __title__ the Oakland Zoo website.]
As a public speaker, Jeannette Collazo hopes to to share her message of perseverance and persistence with groups of business people, entrepreneurs IT professionals and young women. As a speaker I enjoy connecting with seasoned entrepreneurs and business people as well as young ladies who are just setting out on their career adventure.

Nationally recognized, bilingual author, speaker and consultant Jeannette L. Collazo, MSMIS, PMP, has launched a website at jeannettecollazo.com to promote her speaking services. Collazo is the president and CEO of Lurdez Consulting Group, Inc. As an entrepreneur and successful information technology project management consultant, she hopes to share her message of perseverance and persistence with groups of business people, entrepreneurs, IT professionals and young women who may be exploring a career in information technology.

As a speaker I enjoy connecting with seasoned entrepreneurs and business people as well as young ladies who are just setting out on their career adventure, Collazo said. My mission is to inspire everyone in the audience to understand that reaching your goal is never easy but can be done with the right mindset, resilience and perseverance. For young girls, I hope to introduce them to the wonderful opportunities available in information technology that I myself have experienced.

Her portfolio of presentation topics include:



Overcoming Adversity

Spirituality

Latina Empowerment

Women in Tech and IT

Advice for Young Graduates

IT Project Management

Building Culture for 21st Century Companies

Jeannette L. Collazo was born in Chicago but is of Puerto Rican descent and was raised on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. She weaves her personal story of overcoming health problems and the challenges of coming to the mainland into her message of inspiration and personal growth. Before forming her own consultancy last year, she shattered the glass ceiling in information technology at firms such as Datalink, Nicor Gas and Deloitte Consulting with her innovative IT project, data migration and data center transformation skills.

Collazo is also an author and contributor to the award-winning, 4th volume of the Todays Inspired Latina book series. She has addressed audiences at book launches held in Chicago, New York, Amsterdam and Paris. With her new website, she is hoping to secure an engagement as a speaker for keynotes, breakout sessions and panel discussions. Collazo has received praise and accolades for her efforts thus far.

Jeannette is compelling speaker who effectively motivates people with her unstoppable energy! The message to think bigger about your life resonates strongly with everyone, said Jelena Sanchez, assistant professor at North Central College.

Collazo resides in Naperville with her adorable Yorkshire Terrier, Bentley. For seven years she volunteered for Edward Hospitals Dog Therapy program, where she would visit patients with her dog to brighten their day during their time in the hospital.

About Jeannette Collazo

Jeannette Collazo, MSMIS, PMP is a bilingual speaker, author and president and CEO of Lurdez Consulting Group, which offers IT project management. She speaks on motivational topics related to entrepreneurship, overcoming diversity and advancing young women in the field of information technology. She is an author in Todays Inspired Latina, Vol. 4. Book Jeannette for a speaking engagement at jeannettecollazo.com or connect with her on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Home and business owners that suffer damage and water intrusion from storms such as Hurricane Michael desperately need to rapidly address issues that cause continuing damage and the promotion of adverse health conditions. Assignment of Benefits (AOB) agreements offers a valuable process.

While insurance companies are typically overwhelmed and slow to respond following large-scale emergency situations, and their procedures may delay addressing of immediate needs, many independent service providers and contractors are often the first rapid responders and offer valuable assistance to protect the property from further damage and address health-related issues such as the growth of mold and bacteria. Roof tarping to prevent further water intrusion, water cleanup and thorough drying are examples of professional services that are highly sought and recommended.

Water intrusion creates the perfect environment for mold to grow, and it can develop and begin to thrive in as little as 24-hours. Professional inspection and testing for mold should be conducted whenever a property is compromised by water. Joe Puentes, President of Healthy Homes Council

Many of these service providers will work with homeowners on an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) basis. This is a written agreement stating that payment for the work performed will be issued from the insurance carrier directly to the service provider. This process is of enormous benefit to the homeowner because it means that there is no out-of-pocket cost and the work can be performed immediately!

While there has been considerable negative advertising regarding the use of AOBs, it is very important that property owners understand that an AOB can be very beneficialas long as it is Safe-to-Sign, meaning that it is properly written and issued by a reliable, licensed and insured service provider. A Safe to-Sign AOB must clearly state that it (1) applies only to specified work to be performed by the provider, and (2) if the insurance company fails to pay the provider the property owner will not be liable for payment. Healthy Homes Council, as well as many legal and industry experts, strongly endorses the use of properly written Safe-to-Sign AOBs from qualified service providers.

"AOBs are an equalizer for consumers who suffer damage to their property by allowing contractors who know the true cost of repairs to deal directly with insurance companies. The healthcare industry uses AOBs in almost every instance of medical carea home or business owner should enjoy the same rights and protection." Florida State Senator Gary Farmer, Attorney and Consumer Advocate

In addition to the benefits of Safe-to-Sign AOBs, Healthy Home Council recommends that property owners that have incurred storm-related damage seek the assistance of Public Insurance Adjusters and attorneys specializing in property insurance claims, rather than relying on adjusters from the insurance carriers. Public Insurance Adjusters (PAs) and attorneys represent the interest of their clients, not the interest of the insurance carrier, and will work for the property owner to fully document the extent of the damage and maximize the compensation to the property owner from the insurance carrier.

"Public Adjusters level the playing field for the policyholders. Public Adjusters are a necessary safety net for the policyholders and consumers. Jimmy Farach, President Emeritus of Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA) and President of All Risk Claims
Celebrating with Paul Bernard, Senior Vice President of Finance & Process Improvement; Laura Dailey, Vice President of Revenue Management; Brad Schmidt, Chief Financial Officer At Smile Brands our primary mission is to create Smiles for Everyone!, which includes making dental care easier and affordable so that more people can get the care they need,

Smile Brands Inc. employees took home several prestigious trophies at the 2018 Red Carpet Golden Bridge Awards Ceremony this week in San Francisco. The coveted annual Golden Bridge Awards program encompasses the worlds best in organizational performance, innovations, products and services, executives and management teams, women in business and the professions, innovations, best deployments, product management, public relations, marketing, corporate communications, international business, and customer satisfaction programs from every major industry in the world.

Smile Brands Revenue Cycle Management team received the Gold award for Support Team of the Year for their efforts to simplify and improve insurance claims handling, patient billing and collections processes across the organizations nearly 400 affiliated dental practices. Laura Dailey, Vice President of Revenue Management, has helped her team realize huge reduction in bad debt, aged claims, and days sales outstanding over the last several years.

At Smile Brands our primary mission is to create Smiles for Everyone!, which includes making dental care easier and affordable so that more people can get the care they need, stated Dailey. Timely, accurate and understandable billing and financing is a big part of a quality customer experience, and Im thrilled that the teams efforts to better support our practices and our patients have been recognized.

Dr. Vidhyalakshmi Sampath, Lead Dentist and Director of Clinical Care for Smile Brands affiliated practices in Colorado, received the Silver award for Best Woman Professional of the Year. Dr. Sampath was appointed to the Colorado Dental Board in September 2017, serving as a voice for dentists who are affiliated with dental support organizations (DSOs). She consistently receives top ratings from patients for her superior skills and kindness and frequently gives back to her community, donating her time and skills to provide free dental care to those in need.

About the Golden Bridge Awards

Golden Bridge Awards are an annual industry and peers recognition program honoring best companies in every major industry from large to small and new start-ups in North America, Europe, Middle-East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin-America, Best New Products and Services, Best Innovations, Management and Teams, Women in Business and the Professions, Case Studies, Customer Satisfaction, and PR and Marketing Campaigns from all over the world. Learn more about Golden Bridge Awards at http://www.goldenbridgeawards.com

About Your Company

Based in Irvine California, Smile Brands Inc. is one of the largest providers of support services to dental groups in the United States. Smile Brands Inc. provides comprehensive business support services through exclusive long term agreements with affiliate dental groups, so dentists can spend more time caring for their patients and less time on the administrative, marketing, and financial aspects of operating a dental practice. Smile Brands supports nearly 400 Bright Now! Dental, Monarch Dental, Castle Dental, A+ Dental Care, OneSmile Dental, Johnson Family Dental and P3 Dental Group offices in 16 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit http://www.smilebrands.com.
Leading British Columbia Alcohol Our website is often the first point of contact with persons suffering from addiction as well as trauma and/or PTSD.

Sunshine Coast Health Centre (https://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/), one of the top Centres in British Columbia for drug, alcohol, trauma, and PTSD treatment, is proud to announce an ambitious program of upgrades to its website for fall 2018. As 2018 comes to a close, many people who suffer from addiction begin to investigate their treatment options, so the website upgrades are rolling out just as the seriousness of fall and winter enters the collective consciousness.

Our website is often the first point of contact with persons suffering from addiction as well as trauma and/or PTSD, explained Casey Jordan, Chief Marketing Officer. Accordingly, our fall, 2018, upgrades are beefing up our content and making it easy for potential clients to learn about addiction as well as our innovative non-12 step methodology to combat drugs, alcohol, and other forms of substance abuse.

Here are some sample pages that offer new content for fall, 2018. First, there's the page on trauma therapy at https://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/trauma-program/. Trauma is often suffered by first responders, and the program works at getting at the fundamental causes of trauma as opposed to the superficial causes. Clients are treated respectfully and seen as full partners in their treatment strategy. Second, there's the PTSD therapy page at https://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/ptsd-therapy-program/. PTSD is a growing problem throughout Canada, and many clients come to the Centre as one of Canada's leading programs of PTSD therapy. Third, both the page for alcohol treatment (https://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/alcohol-treatment/) and drug rehab (https://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/drug-rehab/) have had information overhauls as well.

Throughout, interested persons whether potential clients or loved ones or even journalists or bloggers in Canada are urged to reach out for a confidential consultation. No two clients are alike, and the Centre's methodology is to work with each client to create a customized treatment program whether against drugs, alcohol, substance abuse as well as trauma and/or PTSD. They can also check out Sunshine Coast's directory website at http://www.canadadrugrehab.ca/ which is a directory of nonprofit and governmental programs in Canada to combat drug and alcohol addiction.

A NON 12 STEP METHODOLOGY

Sunshine Coast uses a unique non 12 step methodology as a treatment methodology. Many lay people are familiar with the popular 12 step program popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous and based on a religiously based twelve steps. While those programs may work for some people, others find better success with a non-religious methodology that is evidence based and treats the client with a strong dose of respect. Sunshine Coast uses a methodology based on Viktor Frankl's "psychology of meaning," which works with each client to discover fundamental psychological goals. Clients in this methodology are seen as deserving partners and given honest respect. The upgrades across the website seek to showcase this methodology across problems, whether those be drug addiction, alcohol dependency, or trauma and/or PTSD.

ABOUT SUNSHINE COAST HEALTH CENTRE

Sunshine Coast Health Centre is a 47-bed drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility exclusively designed for men, officially opened on the 15th of March 2004. The Centre has a philosophy of care that goes beyond just addiction to include personal transformation based on three key therapeutic principles: interpersonal relatedness, self definition (autonomy & competence), and intrinsic motivation. The Centre offers both drug rehabilitation and alcohol treatment near Vancouver, BC, but serving patients across Canada, particularly British Columbia and Alberta and cities such as Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer. Sunshine Coast Health Centre uses a form of drug rehabilitation based on the research of Viktor Frankl and methodology of Paul T.P. Wong, namely 'Meaning Centered Therapy'.

Website. http://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca
Thats why we created the Small Business HRA Guide, adds Hooper, to take the legwork and confusion out of choosing tax-advantaged strategies like the one-Person 105 HRA or a QSEHRA for small businesses structured as corporations, proprietorships, or other pass-through entities.

Take Command Health, the leading resource for affordable, personalized benefits for small businesses, is excited to share their newly published Small Business HRA Strategy Guide, a free resource designed to help small business owners and sole proprietors discover and implement the most tax-efficient strategy for health insurance and medical expenses.

With an increasing amount of HRA choices (two new ones were announced just last week), a continuous flux in healthcare policy, and stabilizing but still sky-high healthcare costs, its as important as ever to take advantage of tax deductions when it comes to small business health insurance for owners and employees.

If youre a small business owner or sole proprietor, youve probably wrestled with how to deduct your health insurance premiums and medical expenses from your taxes, shares Take Command Health CEO, Jack Hooper. Do I purchase through my business and try to expense it? What about a self-employed deduction? And if you have employeesHow can I reimburse them without triggering tax consequences?

Thats why we created the Small Business HRA Guide, adds Hooper, to take the legwork and confusion out of choosing tax-advantaged strategies like the one-Person 105 HRA or a QSEHRA for small businesses structured as corporations, proprietorships, or other pass-through entities.

This issue is as complex as it is confusing, because there isnt a one-size-fits-all answer to what HRA is best. The answer is it depends on a few things, including: business entity type, whether you work alone or have W-2 employees, and whether youre an owner or employee.

Many small business owners simply opt to skip using an HRA altogether to save time in the short-term, and others spend hours online trying to find answers from questionable sources and multiple sites. Both are costly mistakes; choosing the wrong type of HRA or foregoing an HRA altogether can waste thousands of dollars each yearand those costs just continue to rise as businesses grow.

About Take Command Health

Health technology startup Take Command Health launched three years ago with the goal of bringing awareness, advocacy, and transparency to the confusing world of health insurance for small businesses and individuals. Take Command Health is at the forefront of this issue, with a recognized team of thought leaders and an award-winning platform for simple, affordable QSEHRA administration. In addition to offering QSEHRA nationwide, Take Command Health can also help match employees to health plans with their doctors and prescriptions as a licensed health agency in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Although Take Command Health is a licensed health insurance firm, we are not tax professionals. We always recommend people consult with their tax professional before implementing a strategy, but this can be a great resource to start the conversation.
Were so proud of our team. Every department  from exhibit design to engineering to fabrication to project management to logistics  really pushed hard to make sure all client projects were ready to go and delivered on time for the different shows, says Chavez.

October was a busy month for The Trade Group, culminating in a jam packed final week. The exhibit house and event marketing firms event pros supported clients at major industry trade shows in France and Thailand, as well as five large events in the US.

According to Stephanie Chavez, Director of Marketing at The Trade Group, Were so proud of our team. Every department  from exhibit design to engineering to fabrication to project management to logistics  really pushed hard to make sure all client projects were ready to go and delivered on time for the different shows.

As a member of OSPI, an elite network of trade show service providers across the globe, The Trade Group worked closely with their trusted international partners to ensure client needs were met at two gaming events in Paris and Thailand.

The Trade Group traveled to France for Paris Games Week, a five-day event that focuses on video gaming animation and esports competitions. The companys esports pros also ventured to Thailand, where they managed the trade show exhibit project for Facebook Gaming in Bangkok at the Thailand Game Show, the largest gaming event in Southeast Asia.

Back in the US, The Trade Groups domestic team assisted clients at a variety of major industry trade shows in Arizona, California, Illinois and Texas. The five US events included:



Oracle OpenWorld 2018 in San Francisco, California, one of the top business and tech conferences focused on cloud-based technologies.

The Assembly Show in Rosemont, Illinois, an event that focuses exclusively on assembly technology equipment and products.

National Safety Council Congress & Expo in Houston, Texas, the worlds largest annual safety event.

Air Medical Transport Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, THE conference for air and ground medical transport providers, attended by individuals from clinical, administrative and aviation disciplines.

TwitchCon in San Jose, California, a convention for fans of live streaming video platform Twitch.tv devoted to Twitch and the culture of video game streaming.

While late October was especially busy for The Trade Group, it wasnt all that unusual. As Chavez explains, While some months are busier than others, its a rarity that we dont have one of our teams traveling somewhere across the globe, racking up more frequent flyer miles.

To learn more about The Trade Groups multitude of exhibit and event services, both domestic and international, call 800-343-2005 or visit http://www.tradegroup.com.

About The Trade Group

The Trade Group is an award winning, full-service event marketing and creative design firm, specializing in trade shows, esports events and activations, corporate events, brand activations, retail merchandising, commercial graphics and experiential solutions. Since 1986, the companys team of live event, design and engineering experts has helped thousands of clients amplify their brands and successfully navigate a wide range of events and experiences. Clients rely on The Trade Group for: event ideation, creation and production; esports expertise; exhibit design and fabrication; graphic design and production; strategic marketing solutions; technology integration and more.
We celebrate the connection between Thiel College, Mister Rogers and the McFeely-Rogers Foundation. Mr. Rogers inspired us to be curious about the world and caring of our neighbors.

Thiel College leaders celebrated the Colleges ongoing relationship with iconic childrens advocate and television host Fred Rogers with representatives of the McFeely-Rogers Foundation and about 15 preschoolers on Tuesday when they dedicated the Mister Fred Rogers Room in the James Pedas Communication Center.

It is wonderful to have our young Pre-K students here to help us celebrate the visionary educator Fred Rogers H69, Thiel College President Susan Traverso, Ph.D., said. We celebrate the connection between Thiel College, Mister Rogers and the McFeely-Rogers Foundation. Mr. Rogers inspired us to be curious about the world and caring of our neighbors.

More than 50 people including students from Thiel Colleges campus preschool program attended the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony.

Its a beautiful day at Thiel College, Executive Director of the McFeely-Rogers Foundation James Okonak said.

Students use the collaborative space in the state-of-the-art Pedas Center as a study or meeting room. Since the addition of the Mr. Rogers images, it has become a popular spot for student meetings, school officials said during the dedication. Images of Mr. Rogers cover the walls and windows of the room. The space includes important career highlights including snippets from his speech Encouraging Creativity which he delivered during his honorary degree ceremony at Thiel College in 1969. About a year-and-a-half after the debut of his television program, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, Thiel College awarded him his first honorary degree. More than 40 institutions of higher learning followed suit.

Thiel College recognized his greatness early, said Thiel College Trustee Emeritus James McHugh 62, H02. McHugh is from Mr. Rogers hometown of Latrobe, Pa. and was a friend of Rogers.

According to the Fred Rogers Archive, Encouraging Creativity was so popular that to meet the requests for it, they had copies printed in advance for immediate distribution. In his address, he admonished educators and society in general for forcing conformity on children and encouraged understanding and tolerance as children endeavored to find their gifts.

After receiving his honorary doctorate from Thiel College, Mr. Rogers created a scholarship for Westmoreland County students at the College. Katie McKeever 22, a first-year psychology major from Irwin, Pa., is a scholarship recipient and was one of the students participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.
Shenzhen Mitsuden logo Hernon products offer Shenzhen Mitsuden the ability to support new adhesive applications across a broad range of manufacturing processes. The partnership is a win-win. Past News Releases RSS Trade and Distribution Networks...

Hernon Manufacturing to Debut...

Hernon Manufacturing Inc....

Hernon Manufacturing, Inc., an innovator in the production of high-performance adhesives, sealants and dispensing equipment, is proud to announce a new partnership with Shenzhen Mitsuden. Shenzhen Mitsuden, offers customers a successful 30-year history of chemical production and distribution in both China and Singapore. With an established presence in the core of Chinas electronics manufacturing region, Shenzhen Mitsuden is known for selling world-famous brands across a broad range of industries and applications. Please see the partners list on the Shenzhen Mitsuden website for further information: http://en.mitsuden.com/.

Shenzhen Mitsuden is headquartered in Guangdong Province, at the heart of Chinas southern manufacturing region. Representatives from Hernon and Shenzhen Mitsuden met today at Hernon Manufacturings Sanford Florida manufacturing facility to sign the partnership agreement in the presence of many local officials including Sanford Mayor, Jeff Triplett.

The partnership signed today is effective immediately. Hernon representative Zahjyee Whineglass, Sales Manager for the Asia/Pacific region, will be managing the account. Hernon and Shenzhen Mitsuden are moving quickly to take advantage of opportunities to support targeted manufacturing applications. Says Whineglass, We are excited to establish Hernon even more firmly in the Chinese Manufacturing industry and are looking forward to proving Hernon quality.

Hernon Manufacturing has built a network of distributors with hundreds of individual locations selling their products around the globe. Partner level distributorship, however, indicates a higher level of coordination requiring significant investment and specific yearly sales growth. Hernon partners benefit from the agreement with purchasing discounts, repackaging and down-pouring licenses and often unique distribution rights.

Edgardo Rodriguez, Hernons Director of Sales and Marketing commented on the new agreement saying: Shenzhen Mitsuden is a well-established corporation with an impressive history of supporting some of the largest manufacturing operations in the world. Hernon products offer Shenzhen Mitsuden the ability to support new adhesive applications across a broad range of manufacturing processes. The partnership is a win-win.

Hernon Manufacturing, Inc., established in 1978, exports high-performance adhesives, sealants and coatings as well as precision dispensing equipment and UV curing systems throughout the globe. A longtime member of Floridas industrial manufacturing community, Hernon Manufacturing provides solutions for a variety of industries including: Energy and Power Generation, Medical, Electronics, Electrical, LED, Automotive, Appliances, Sporting Goods, Ammunition, Communications, Aerospace, Aviation, High Tech Audio, Defense, Fire Suppression, Transportation, Marine Manufacturing and more, with products proudly made in the United States.
Clean Energy FCU If you are looking at expanding your accounting or adding another employee, this is where you are going to see the cost savings. Why not outsource some of the duties? Allow the staff you already have to do alternative tasks to save even more money. -Terri Mickelsen

Clean Energy FCU, a newly-launched institution based in Boulder, Colorado, has selected CU Service Networks Outsourced Accounting Service for their accounting function. The credit union, launched in April of 2018, was founded to empower the public to participate in the clean energy movement and they strive to keep their costs down in order to provide members better loan terms. Thus, it made sense to consider outsourcing of common functions in order to stay lean.

Using outsourced accounting just makes sense, said Terri Mickelsen, CEO of Clean Energy FCU. We are brand new and trying to do a lot with less. I wanted to make sure that our accounting function was streamlined and while hiring was a possibility, hiring CU Service Network made more financial sense. Mickelsen has more than 25 years of credit union operations experience. Prior to her new role at Clean Energy FCU, she served as COO and VP of Internal Operations at two credit unions, each with over $500M in assets. Efficiency and cost savings are core principals to her.

The service does not aim to replace current staff, but simply allows them to focus on strategic or higher priority tasks. And in Clean Energys case, where there wasnt any staff to begin with, outsourcing the accounting function made even more sense. Mickelsen commented, If you are looking at expanding your accounting or adding another employee, this is where you are going to see the cost savings. Why not outsource some of the duties? Allow the staff you already have to do alternative tasks to save even more money.

Branda Gilmore, CFO of CU Service Network and head of the Outsourced Accounting Service, commented, We are excited to help a startup credit union. Clean Energy FCU doesnt have the internal staff to complete these duties, and hiring an internal staff didnt make sense for them at this point in their journey. Outsourcing to us will give them the ability to focus on growing the credit union.

While Mickelsen is a champion of outsourcing, she knows it is critical that you choose the right company. CU Service Network is not just a start up, like Joe Schmos Accounting Service. They have a reputation. They already have experience with our accounting software; having a team of people ready to help me, not having to train  that is a huge time saver for me.

For more information on CU Works Accounting, please visit accounting.cusn.com, or contact CU Service Network at hello@cusn.com / (720) 945-7235.

About CU Service Network

CU Service Network, LLC, established in 1992, is a CUSO owned by 50 credit unions, and serves nearly 200 participating clients. They provide a variety of progressive solutions that drive credit union success, from back office services, like Accounting and Compliance, to delivery channel products, like shared branching. CU Service Network is a leader in credit union innovation, cooperation and research. Additional information is available at http://www.cusn.com.

About Clean Energy FCU

Clean Energy Credit Union was started by a group of people who are passionate about promoting clean energy in order to protect our environment and improve our economy. Instead of starting a green bank, they chose to take an innovative approach to a proven, cooperative business model (i.e. a credit union). Its difficult to find affordable financing when purchasing a clean energy product or service. Current financing options are more expensive than they should be, partly because clean energy markets are relatively new and unfamiliar to most traditional financiers (e.g. banks and other credit unions) which can typically provide the lowest rates. Clean Energy FCU is changing that!

First, they make it easier for everyone to afford to use clean energy by providing loans with amazing terms. Since the new credit union will be a 21st century, online-only financial institution, all the overhead savings that result from not having brick-and-mortar branches are passed through to members in the form of better loan terms. Second, Clean Energy Credit Union makes it easier for everyone to invest in the clean energy movement by offering impact investment opportunities.

The credit union is guided by the ideologies that people want and deserve a better way to participate in the clean energy movement. Learn more at http://www.cleanenergycu.org or call 720.479.7900
Longtime childrens book marketing executive Kaylee N. Davis died on October 30 in New York of complications from a recent surgery. She was 63.

Davis grew up in Minneapolis, and graduated from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis with a degree in womens studies and political science. By 1986 she was manager of a B. Dalton Bookseller store in Minneapolis, which was the beginning of her rise through Barnes & Noble Bookstores. Through a series of promotions, Davis moved from juvenile buyer/merchandiser to childrens marketing manager and senior author promotions manager at the national level for the retailer.

In 1995 Davis moved into the publishing side of the book world with a position as director of marketing at William Morrow & Company. A year later, she returned to childrens books as v-p and director of marketing at Golden Books, followed by a stint in the same position at HarperCollins Childrens Books. From 20042007, Davis was editor-in-chief of Childrens Book-of-the-Month Club and Kids BookPlanet where she acquired and created titles and exclusive products for both clubs. Davis also worked as a literary agent at Screenland Literary Associates and cultivated her own business as a freelance publishing consultant. Most recently she was licensing manager at Parragon Publishing.

Davis was a self-described lifelong reader and had a great passion for childrens books and literacy. That passion was the cornerstone of Daviss two published works. In 2009, she collected her reviews of childrens titles into the book 1001 Childrens Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up (Rizzoli Universe). A few years later, she published the The Barnes & Noble Guide to Childrens Books (Sterling, 2013), which friends noted was a crowning achievement for her. On the flap copy for that book, Davis wrote: You dont have to be a child to love childrens books; they are filled with important life lessons for the child in all of us.

Virginia Anagnos, executive v-p at Goodman Media International and a former colleague of Davis, offered this remembrance of her friend: Kaylee and I shared a love of many thingschildrens books, contests to find the kitschiest item at Home Goods, and food, she wrote. She introduced me to her five-cheese mac n cheese and corn pudding, and I introduced her to spanakopita and buttered noodles with feta. We debated, which one always did with Kaylee, how much was too much butter and/or cheese. Never enough was her stance. When she texted me about a week ago [from the hospital] that shed dreamed of the buttered noodles dish, I was soon by her bedside making a takeout delivery. I was delighted at her renewed appetiteperhaps it was the bit more butterand thought she was finally turning the corner on all her ills. Unfortunately, that did not come to pass. She will be terribly missed at Thanksgiving, but Im finding great solace in knowing that she got her noodles to go this year.

Plans for a memorial service in New York have not yet been finalized.
No question, theres much at stake in next week's midterm elections, and turnout is predicted to be at record levels. And though the national races tend to get most of the attention, for libraries, key decisions are made by voters at the local level, stresses John Chrastka, executive director of EveryLibrary, the national political action committee dedicated to helping local libraries.

Specifically, Chraskta said EveryLibrary is supporting 10 local library initiatives on Election Day, and is tracking at least 65 more library-related elections around the country. There are hundreds of millions of dollars at stake for public libraries this election cycle, Chrastka told PW, noting the more than 6,000 legislative seats up for grabs on November 6, including 36 governorships, as well as seats in Congress, state legislatures, school boards, and city councils. With as much as 90% of library funding coming from the local and state levels, either through the discretion of elected officials, or via direct ballot initiatives on Election Day, Chrastka says library supporters have every reason to get to the polls this yearand to stay politically activated.

EveryLibrary, meanwhile, has been running its #votelibraries campaign to raise funds and awareness for libraries. When people take the pledge to Vote Libraies, they are on record as supporting libraries for this election, and, they are much more likely to show-up again in support of local, state, and federal library funding, Chrastka says of the campaign, adding that EveryLibrary will be live tweeting library election results using the #votelibraries hashtag on Election Night, and following up with a snap election recap on November 7.

And speaking of election recaps, the ALA will also be running one, via a free webcast. "Participants will learn the library-related implications of the 2018 election results; how those results affect library policy agenda, outreach, and advocacy plans for 2019 and beyond; and specific policy and political opportunities for ALA and libraries."

The free 60-minute webcast starts at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday, November 9. Participants can register here.

Reserve Reading

Ahead of this year's election, The New York Public Library has appropriately released a limited, special edition library card emblazoned with the words, Knowledge is Power. If you're an NYPL customer, the card is available in limited quantities at any of system's 92 locations across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. "Public libraries have always been at the foundation of our democracy of informed citizens, said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx, in a release. This special edition card shares that message, and serves as a reminder to visit your local library, get a card, and start your journey now."

The New York Times, meanwhile, is polling readers this week: "In your opinion, are public libraries still relevant and important today?"

In other NYPL news, Geekwire, reports on NYPL chief digital officer Tony Ageh's recent visit to Seattle, where in the shadow of Amazon, he talked about the importance of privacy, and how libraries are committed to privacy in this increasingly invasive digital age. Every library Ive ever been to, every librarian Ive ever spoken to, seems to be far more concerned about [privacy] than I think the public think they are, Ageh said, in a public interview hosted by the Seattle Public Library. He went on to point out how libraries delete patron records as soon as they are able to, but expressed concern that third party vendors serving libraries may not have the same diligence and the same concerns.

The Verge has a good look at how Congress is slowly angling toward privacy legislation, and why some are concerned about what Congress can actually accomplish. Industry leaders say "setting a single federal standard" makes it easier for businesses to comply with new rules. Privacy advocates, however, say a federal standard makes it easier for industry to lobby in Washington D.C., instead of in 50 states: It has often been state legislaturesnot Congressthat have led efforts to protect consumer privacy, American Civil Liberties Union senior legislative counsel Neema Singh Guliani said in an op-ed last month. The private sector knows this, and many companies are looking to put a stop to it.

Also from The Verge, California has agreed to delay implementation of its recently enacted net neutrality bill, until the courts have resolved pending litigation.

Wired has a thoughtful look at how we should police online platforms which can become bastions of hate speech, like Gab, where the shooter in the horrific synagogue murders in Pittsburgh appears to have spent a lot of time. "Theres a bigger question at play, though, and its the most important one the technology industry has to deal with when it comes to the massacre in Squirrel Hill or the pipe bombs allegedly sent to targets of Donald Trump's rhetoric. Did the platforms radicalize the attackers? The United States government has a firm belief that jihadists can be radicalized online; can domestic terrorists, too? Would alleged pipe bomber Cesar Sayoc have sent those packages if he hadnt found Twitter? Would Pittsburgh shooting suspect Robert Bowers have stormed a synagogue if Gab hadnt sprung up?"

From NBC News, Facebook has reportedly banned far-right hate group Proud Boys, after members of the group were arrested recently after a fight following a speech by Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes on Manhattans Upper East Side. "Social media services and other tech companies have faced pressure from some users to be more aggressive in enforcing their bars on hate speech," the report notes, "especially as online threats have evolved into violence in the real world. Other users have expressed concern about the companies becoming more powerful arbiters of speech."

In American Libraries, ALA executive director Mary Ghikas reports that the hard work is underway to retool the ALA for the next generation of libraries. Sound like it's going to be a lot of heavy lifting. "Collectively, we are in a moment of challenge, change, and great opportunity," she writes. "That means the Association must not only be financially and operationally strong, it must also nourish strong collaborations and focus our resourcesincluding the critical work of members, staff members, and allieson work that moves us toward shared goals."

Also in American Libraries, a recap of OCLC's Americas Regional Council Conference, which very much focused on the change that is affecting the work of libraries, and how best to manage it. What influences change, is control, OCLC president and CEO Skip Prichard told attendees.

Library Journal has released its Star Libraries for 2018. "This year, 7,361 U.S. public libraries are scored on the LJ Index, and there are 257 Star Libraries, 60 of which were not Star Libraries last year."

From NewsOK, (OK as in Oklahoma) a nice article on Julie Ballou, who last month took over as the new executive director of the Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma City.

From the local Brooklyn Eagle, Nicholas Higgins has been named Brooklyn Public Librarys new chief librarian, after serving as interim chief librarian since January. Higgis was named a Mover and Shaker by Library Journal in 2017 for "creating an award-winning citywide library-based video visiting service for kids with parents incarcerated on Rikers Island."

Here's a well-timed story for Halloween week, via BoingBoing: Librarians have cleverly figured out which books Bram Stoker used in researching Dracula. Using Stoker's working notes for Dracula, researchers at the library pulled the titles Stoker referenced and were able to nail the list of books Stoker used because the author had "defaced the library books, circling the phrases he later made notes on."

In the serials market, Europeans are keeping the pressure on, with news this week via Gary Price at InfoDocket of a complaint filed with the EU Competition Authority regarding Anti-Competitive Practices of RELX/Elsevier and the Wider Scholarly Publishing Market.

Meanwhile, closer to home, The Daily Iowan reports that library officials have notified faculty of the need to cut more than $600,000 worth of subscriptions. A press release from University Librarian John Culshaw and interim Provost Sue Curry explained what's driving the cuts: In recent years and continuing today, scholarly publishing companies have levied annual price increases of 5% to 7% while for the last three fiscal years, the UIs annual budget for these materials has remained mostly unchanged. Such an environment diminishes our purchasing power, and these cost increases are simply not sustainable.

On the international copyright front, two posts from Cory Doctorow on the EFF blog: the first on how the new copyright rules under consideration in Europe could undermine things like open access and creative commons sharing. "The idea that creators can be 'protected' by banning them from sharing their works is perverse," he writes. "If copyright is supposed to protect creators' interests, it should protect all interests, including the interests of people who want their materials shared as widely as possible."

And the second, on a new proposal in Australia that is causing concern. The current Australian copyright regime empowers rightsholders to secure court orders "requiring the country's ISPs to block sites whose 'primary purpose' is to 'is to infringe, or to facilitate the infringement of, copyright'" whether the site is Australian or not, Doctorow explains. But that apparently hasn't satisfied the content industries, and a new proposal, he reports, would enable rightsholders "to demand blocks for sites whose 'primary effect' is copyright infringement," which apparently would include search engines, who could be forced de-list search results.

And finally this week, something for the kids: The New York Times has released its list of best illustrated children's books for 2018.
In Ghosts in the Schoolyard, Eve Ewing revisits the 2013 closure of 54 Chicago public schools due to declining rates of enrollment. Ewing focuses on three schools in Bronzeville, on Chicagos South Side, most notably Dyett High School, where news of the schools closure sparked a monthlong hunger strike among community members. Two questions permeate this study: If the schools were so terrible, why did people fight for them so adamantly? and What role did race, power, and history play in what was happening in my hometown? Ewing, a Chicago native and professor at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, selects her favorite books about Chicago.

Nelson Algren, in his essay Chicago: City on the Make, wrote this widely-quoted gem about the city and the charm of its imperfections: Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely so real. Less famous is the not-so-often quoted description with which Algren follows that passage. Chicago, he says, forever keeps two faces, one for winners and one for losers; one for hustlers and one for squares. One for the open-eyed children of the thousand-windowed office buildings. And one for the shuttered hours. One for the sunlit traffic's noontime bustle. And one for midnight subway watches when stations swing past like ferris wheels of light, yet leave the moving window wet with rain or tears.

In the tradition of Algren, contemporary commentatorsmyself includedoften characterize Chicago as being not one city, but two. One is glittering and opulent, growing, comfortable, and mostly white. The other is a city of near-constant struggle, rust, hunger and the hustle to abate it. And its impossible to understand Chicago without understanding this duality. The rub, though, is that the citys richest literary histories are strewn in equal measure between its two halves. They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, wrote Carl Sandburg, illuminating the paradox of our ugly-beautiful bedraggled little city: it is the hungry people, not the satiated ones, who have made its best art and who speak its clearest truths about what it is to live and fight and die in America.

Here are six of my favorite books that about the city of my birth.

1. Blacks by Gwendolyn Brooks This is the essential anthology of poems by Brooks, who was the Illinois Poet Laureate for many years. Aside from the artistic significance of her work as a doyenne of the Black Arts Movement and her craft as a documentarian of everyday people, one of the most important aspects of her legacy lay in her model of what it means to be a writer-in-the-world. Brookss mentorship, unassuming demeanor, and personal attention toward younger poets established the groundwork for the citys contemporary literary landscape.

2. The Coast of Chicago by Stuart Dybek Much like Brooks, Dybek brilliantly illustrates the quotidian struggles of average people, elevating them to the level of myth or epic even as he writes plainly. The short stories in this collection reflect Dybeks experience as a member of the Eastern European diasporic wave that found a place in Chicago and shaped so much of its geography, cultural milieu, and politic in the twentieth century.

3. Division Street: America by Studs Terkel In this collection of personal accounts gathered from diverse Chicagoans across boundaries of race, class, religion, and geography, Terkel paints a moving portrait of the city while cementing his reputation as one of Americas greatest oral historians. His questioning is profound in its simplicity and its empathy, bringing to the fore the honest truths of regular people.

4. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros This story about a young girl named Esperanza growing into herself in the cocoon of her neighborhood has been heralded as a coming-of-age story, but truthfully, Cisneross text has much to offer for people learning and growing at all phases of life. Cisneros also blurs the lines between prose and poetry, bringing a complexity of craft to the delights and sorrows of this book.

5. Black on the Block: The Politics of Race and Class in the City by Mary Pattillo Lauded by some as the birthplace of the sociological discipline, Chicago has been the subject of hyper-study by journalists and academics fascinated with the city and its sorrows. But few have approached the task with the attention and acumen of Pattillo, who approaches this study of a class-diverse Black community on the citys South Side with nimbleness and care.
Buzzed-About 'Children's Train' Sells in Flurry of Sales

One of the hottest books of the Frankfurt season, The Children's Train by Viola Ardone, has sold in over 10 international deals, including to Einaudi Stile Libero (Italy), Albin Michel (France), and DVA (Germany). Italian agency Alferj e Prestia controls rights for the novel, which is based on a true story about a group of poor children from Naples who were sent, in 1946, to northern Italy where they were hosted by foster families of communist militants.

Finnish NF Book Lands on U.S. Shores

The Meaning of Your Life Explained by Frank Martela has sold to Harper Design for world English rights, and to Ambo Anthos in the Netherlands. Elina Ahlback Literary, which controls rights to the title, also sold the book to Gummerus in Finland. The author is an academic, and the narrative nonfiction book examines the history and psychology of meaningfulness in life.

Spanish 'Cook' Moves to Germany

Spain-based IMC Literary has sold The Cook of Castamar by Fernando J. Munez to C. Bertelsmann. Spanish publisher Planeta will be publishing next year. Set in the 18th century, it's about a young woman who supports herself by her cooking skills after losing her father in the Spanish War of Succession.

French Nonfiction Title Sells in Germany & Greece

The Children of the Void: Breaking Away from the Impasse of Individualism by Raphael Glucksmann, has sold to Hanser in Germany and Polis in Greece. The Two Seas Agency handled the sale, on behalf of Allary Editions, which is the book's French publisher. Two Seas said the book "questions the lack of a collective outlook in the generations that have grown up in individualistic societies."
The heir apparent to the British throne and his wife will stay in Ghana for 4 days (November 2-6).

He together with his wife is on a tour of Africa to deepen the British Monarchs historical ties with its former colonies, including Ghana.

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Prince Charles first visited Ghana in March 1977 to attend the Golden Jubilee of Achimota School, formerly The Prince of Wales College, and a durbar in his honour in Kumasi by His Majesty Otumfuo Nana Opoku Ware II.

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READ ALSO: Teacher 'cripples' pupil for making noise in classTeacher 'cripples' pupil for making noise in class

The Royal family will later attend a State Banquet organised by the Presidency in their honour, celebrating the ties between the UK and Ghana. It will be attended by senior dignitaries, a number of British Ghanaians, as well as prominent figures from business, arts, culture, and media.

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The Prince will also attend a meeting with Ghanaian and International business leaders to discuss sustainable practices in Ghanas cocoa industry and key environmental issues.

READ ALSO: Download and fill Ghana biometric passport application form hereDownload and fill Ghana biometric passport application form here

His Royal Highness will visit the Christiansborg Castle, once a Danish and then British, slave fort, which was until a few years ago the seat of Ghanas Government after independence, to discuss the future restoration and reuse of the area, as part of a major redevelopment of Accras waterfront, conceived by the Ghanaian Government with the architect Sir David Adjaye.

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Their Royal Highnesses will also visit Kumasi to meet His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene at the Manhyia Palace. The Prince and The Duchess will then attend a traditional durbar or procession at the palace with the Asantehene and local chiefs.

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In a tweet on the Clarence house page  which is the official residence of the Prince of Wales  it said that Their Royal Highnesses will also visit the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in the Ashanti region.
I am going to the Jubilee house in 2021 and will be Ghanas president for 8 good years. So Ghanaians should watch out for me. I will make Ghana the Swiss of Africa when given the nod and I know I will win hands down, he said on Happy FM.

He believes President Akufo-Addo cannot fulfil most of the promises he made before coming to power. According to him, the New Patriotic Party administration has been fraught with promises upon promises with little action towards delivering them hence Ghana needs a transformational leader like him to put the country on the right track.

When Prof. Alabi was asked by the host to rate Nana Addos government on the scale of 1  100, He asserted that its difficult to rate the President because he [Nana Addo] is not living up to expectation.

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Socially and politically, America was bitterly divided in 1919, much as it is nearly a century later. The recent case of more than a dozen package bombs allegedly sent by Cesar Sayoc, a Florida man who is a supporter of President Donald Trump, is similar to the 1919 case. But with one difference: The recent bombs discovered over the course of about a week in October all targeted prominent liberals such as Hillary Clinton and George Soros. In 1919 the suspected bomb senders were liberals, and the targets were conservatives, such as banker J.P. Morgan and oil magnate John D. Rockefeller.
The Nigerian government is leaving no stone to unturned in a bid to revive its multi-million dollar leather industry and boost business opportunities aimed at reducing its ever-increasing poverty figures.

This development caused the Federal Executive Council, the highest executive body, to approve the Nigerian leather policy at its meeting held on Wednesday, November 1, 2108.

Ogbonnaya Onu, Nigeria's science and technology minister, says the industry can generate $900 million if well harnessed.

He said the government is ready to replicate the 2013 feat when the sector alone generated about $921million for the country.

We resolved to harness the national leather and bye products policy that will enable the government to attract more investment into the sector

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We would do this in a manner that will allow us to make more gains instead of exporting raw leather or semi-finished products. We want to prepare our nation so that we can process our leather and use the leather in the production of finished leather products, the minister told correspondents after the meeting.

The minister said the sector is applicable in almost every sector of the country's economic life, which includes footwear, apparels and automobile industry.

The leather industry will tackle unemployment

Onu said the leather industry will help the country to fight poverty by creating jobs and wealth for the people.

In any country, they always start with textiles and then leather. Here we have a comparative advantage because our labour cost is low. As far as light leather is concerned, we are number two in Africa and number 8 in terms of exporting leather in the world.

Nigeria has world poverty capital

In June, the World Poverty Clock estimated that 86,977,400 are currently living in Nigeria, a number that accounts for 44.2% of its current estimated 196 million population.
Halloween

There are only two acceptable celebrations for Muslims. These are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace, and blessings be upon him, arrived in Medina during two days in which they were celebrating. The Prophet said, "What are these two days?" They said, "We would celebrate these two days in the time of ignorance." The Prophet said, "Verily, Allah has replaced these two days with two better days: the day of sacrifices and the day of breaking fast" (Sunan Abu Dawud 1134).

This is one explanation for why Muslims do not celebrate Halloween.

Another reason is that the holiday and its traditions are either based on ancient pagan culture or Christianity. Since none of these honor Islamic faith or beliefs, everything about Halloween can be considered as idolatry (shirk).

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In the words of Dr. Muzamil Siddiqi, former president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA): "Halloween is an old pagan holiday of the witches and the dead. Later some Christians tried to Christianize it by calling it "All Saints Day." However, there are still many Christians who resent it and consider it a bad holiday. Some of them even call it a "holiday." Whether Christians accept it or not, we Muslims should not accept this holiday. Muslims should not participate in this holiday."

ALSO READ: 3 popular things Christians do that are deeply rooted in Paganism

Valentine

Islam is not against sharing gift items with loved ones, in fact, it is encouraged amongst Muslims. Prophet Muhammad said: "Give gifts to each other and you will love each other".

Still, the religion does not support Valentine's Day. One reason is the fact that Valentine, also known as lovers' day, celebrated globally on February 14, encourages casual sex.

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Since the day also holds zero value on the Islamic Calendar, Muslim scholars all over the world agree that Valentine's Day is haram (prohibited).

New Year's Day

As mentioned above, any holiday or celebration that is not one of the two approved Islamic festivals - 'Eid al-Fitr and 'Eid al-Adha is not regarded since Muslims do not engage in any practice that is not established in their religion.

Allah says "'For every nation, We have ordained religious ceremonies which they must follow" (Q 22:67).

Based on this and the fact that New year's day has pagan origins, Muslims also do not celebrate this day.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced its partnership with the Nigeria Education Research Development Council (NERDC) to introduce financial literacy into the secondary school curriculum.

The CBN Director of Consumer Protection Department, Mr Kofo Abdulsalam-Alada, made the announcement while speaking at a during a school mentoring programme at the Victory College, Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State.

Kofo said, We are collaborating with the Nigeria Education Research Development Council to design a curriculum that will ensure that financial literacy is actually infused into subjects taught in secondary schools in Nigeria.

A series of workshops and pilot testing of some of the designed programmes have been carried out in Lagos. Within the current school calendar year, infusion into the system should commence in subjects like accounting, economics and commerce in order to give the children knowledge about savings and other forms of investment. It is not when they get to the university that they should start learning about financial literacy.

We have some graduates out there who are not financially literate. If you have a lot of money and you dont how to manage it, you may experience a problem with spending. That is why the CBN decided to introduce this programme so as to catch these children young.
The students were advised by the spokesperson of the Enugu State Police Command on Friday, November 2, 2018, while addressing students of Coal Camp Secondary School, Ogbete, Enugu.

Amaraizu said students usually claim they join cultism because of peer group influence and desire to be famous and to gain protection.

I will advise you to love yourself because if you do, you cannot be deceived into something that will destroy your future.

Cultism is like an envelope containing many crimes, such as murder, ritualism, drug addiction, murder, stealing, robbery, fraud and exam malpractice among others, he said.

You must know your friend and what your friend is up to. You must also be able to resist any pressure to lure you into becoming a member of any cult group.

Do well to quickly report such pressure or threat to your parents, guardians and teachers for prompt and necessary action.

This is because the consequences of being a cultist include death, rustication from school, interrupted education, jail, life-threatening injuries, among others.
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The piece went viral. Many readers got madder and madder as they read about Anna, the 21-year-old from Austin, Texas, living in New York, who can't handle her registration problems by mail (Honestly, if someone had the forms printed for me and was willing to deal with the post office, I'd be much more inclined to vote), or 25-year-old Aaron from Atlanta, who volunteered for Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016 but who's now mad at Democrats for not seeming to care about climate change or much else (And I just don't see the point anymore), or Laura, the 21-year-old also from Atlanta who didn't know in high school there was a vice president named Joe Biden but who promises she will educate herself enough to vote someday  hopefully by 2020.
The suspect identified as Sunday reportedly killed Badamosi on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, three days, after he was employed.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the deceaseds wife had gone to the bank when the cook carried out the act and only came back to find her husband in a pool of his blood.

A police source also said that the suspect had turned up the sound system to the loudest volume while he stabbed his victim on his chest multiple times.

After committing the act, the suspect went to the toilet and pulled off his white cook uniform as it had been stained with blood.

He also left the knife he used inside the toilet, the police source said.

The source noted that the knife used in perpetrating the act signified that the suspect could be an ex-military man.

Again, we went through his things and found some old pictures of him putting on a camouflage belonging to Republic of Benin military, he added.

The suspect, after committing the act then ransacked the apartment and stole a huge amount of money, valuables such as jewellery and a mobile phone.

The police, in a notice issued to declare the cook wanted, said actions have been taken to apprehend him.

Two days after he was declared wanted, the police arrested the suspect on Friday, November 2, 2018, at his hideout in Ondo state. He is currently at Fagun Police station in Ondo.
The mother of one beat him to death with a stick in self-defense, after he tried to rape her. After this infamous incident, she ran away. But before she was taken into custody, several reports claim she was raped by nine Saudi men.

Migrant Care, a non-governmental organization into protecting the rights of Indonesians working abroad has said that the incident occurred only nine months after Tursilawati arrived in Saudi Arabia and she had been expressed fear that her boss was going to rape her.

In 2011, she was convicted and sentenced to death  one of 18 Indonesians on death row in Saudi Arabia at the time.

On Monday, October 29, 2018, she was executed for the same offence without either Ms. Tursilawatis family or the Indonesian government being informed in advance  this was the third time in three years Saudi Arabia will execute an Indonesian without diplomatic information to the Indonesian Government.

This comes after the murder of Indonesian journalist, Jamal Khasoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

ALSO READ: Read all about the luxurious lifestyle of Otunba Cash before arrest

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters Tuesday that, Tutis execution was carried out without [prior notification]. I also summoned the Saudi ambassador in Jakarta to meet me in Bali.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has filed a complaint with Saudi foreign minister after Tursilawatis unexpected execution.
Through the evolution of empires, religions, colonization and trade, the language of music in Hausa land has changed over the centuries. Some instruments and sounds were heavily influenced by Arabs and foreigners and the locals decided to adapt them to form their own unique sounds. These sounds of the north are also reflected in music from the Gambia, Mali, Ghana, Niger, Senegal and many other West African countries.

These five instruments are some of the most popular instruments used to make music in Hausaland.

1. Kakaaki

The Kakaaki is a very popular trumpet used during the major festivals like the Durbar. It is a wind instrument characterised by its long length, usually three or four meters long. The sound of Kakaaki is associated with royalty and it is only played at events at the palace of the king or sultan in Hausa societies. In Hausa land, only men are permitted to play this instrument.

2. Goje/Goge

The Goje is a stringed fiddle resembling the guitar made out of lizard skin over a gourd bowl, and horse hair string suspended over the bridge. It brings a multiphonic sound.

3. Kalangu

Kalangu, or talking drum, is used differently than in the language of music in Yoruba land. To the Yoruba people, the talking drum can sing praises and chants with intended messages, while the hausa people only use the Kalangu to make deeper pitch for their music and create a more rhythmic tune.

4. Kora

The Kora is a large stringed instrument made up of 21 strings are placed on a gourd covered with skin/hide of an animal. It is also used by the people in Senegal, the Gambia, and Mali.

5. Drum
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a video message for the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, marked annually on Nov. 2, called the killing of journalists outrageous.

The UN chief also regretted that the journalists were killed in line of duty.

Guterres said: The killing of journalists around the world for doing their job is outrageous and should not become the new normal.

In just over a decade, some 1,010 journalists have been killed for reporting the news, and in nine out of 10 cases, the perpetrators are never brought to justice.

The UN chief said many thousands more have been attacked, harassed, detained or imprisoned on spurious charges, without due process.

The Secretary-General paid tribute to the reporters in the field who do their jobs every day despite intimidation and threats.

He, however, called on the international community to protect journalists and create the conditions they need to do their work.

To mark the International Day, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is launching an initiative to fuel awareness on the issue of journalists killed on the job.

Called Truth Never Dies, it encourages people to share stories by and about fallen journalists to keep their legacies alive and to push for investigations into their deaths to be continued.

The truth never dies. And neither must our commitment to the fundamental right to freedom of expression, the UN Chief said, highlighting that when journalists are attacked societies as a whole pay a price.

A study on global trends in media published by UNESCO in 2017 highlighted that impunity for crimes against journalists remained the norm, and trends in kidnappings, disappearances and torture had shown substantial increases since 2012.
The committee Chairman, Sen. Solomon Adeola, gave the warning in Rivers while briefing newsmen at the end of the two-day oversight visit to oil and gas companies in Rivers and Bayelsa states.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NCDF was established by Section 104 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010.

It provides that one per cent of every contract in the upstream sector of the Nigerian oil and gas industry shall be deducted at source and paid into the fund.

The fund, managed by the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), is meant for projects, programmes and activities directed at increasing Nigerian content in the oil gas industry.

Adeola (APC-Lagos) said besides the EFCC, the Attorney-General of the Federation had been briefed and was being carried along on moves to prosecute defaulting companies.

He said that any company found culpable would be charged for defrauding the Federal Government.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in being carried along and anybody found wanting, will be dealt with.

The team of auditors have commenced work and in a couple of weeks, reports will start coming in to know the companies that have complied or defaulted.

The legislature is aware that there are issues on the remittances to the fund and we will follow through to ensure compliance.

The NCDMB has set up a team of auditors who are already going round the length and breath of this country to audit oil and gas companies.

This is to ensure that any company that is found wanting or that has defrauded the government in this regard will be dealt with, he said.

The lawmaker said that the fund was meant to bridge the gap between indigenous and foreign companies.
He said that his administration would look into possible appointment of women ministers to replace those that left the cabinet recently.

He also said that soft loans would be made available to women for agricultural activities.

The president promised to address the deficit in women appointments by appointing more women into the cabinet following the demand by the NCWS for more women representation in the Federal cabinet.

I have appreciated the subtle and timely threat you have made; I said timely because you waited until campaigns are about to start, you mobilised yourselves to come and threaten.

I hope you are being very fair to me; I will leave you to the public to judge. You said I havent replaced the casualties from my council about the ladies.

Im sure you are following up (Finance and Women Affairs).

One applied to leave because I think she wants to be the governor of the state and one failed to meet the government requirement of declaring NYSC certificate.

I replaced them with other ladies; so, I dont know where I went wrong there?

This deficit in women appointments I will look at it and the road is clear; election is coming perhaps I will get a few more advisers, ministers from the women.

I thank you most sincerely for coming to see me.

On the rate of sexual violence and abuse in society, particularly at the Internally Displaced Persons camps (IDPs), the president said he had already directed the security agencies to immediately address the problem.

He said the security agencies had been directed to bring to book all those implicated in the dastardly acts.

I have taken note of the observations you made on the abuse of women in the IDPs camps.

Im encouraging the police to be much more efficient and I think something is being done about it.

The president also pledged to ensure that women farmers benefit from Federal Governments agricultural loans and other programmes to boost food production in the country.

He, therefore, advised the women to form themselves into cooperative societies to enable them benefit from such loans.

In her remarks, the President of the NCWS, Mrs Gloria Laraba, commended the Buhari-led administration for implementing laudable programmes that aim to uplift the quality of life of the citizens.

According to her, the Trader Moni programme is a worthwhile intervention to keep the spirit of entrepreneurship alive in local communities and help petty traders grow their micro businesses.

We are pleased that these initiatives are beneficial to many of our women one way or another.

This is because we are in the front-end of the concerned activities and will be impacted the most, she said.

Laraba called on the president to encourage the Nigeria police to strengthen its investigation and prosecution of sexual violence through the creation of a new department to arrest the menace across the country.
The TUC Chairman stated this in Ilorin on Friday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on his reaction to the judgment retraining the NLC from embarking on the strike scheduled to begin on Nov. 6.

Olumoh described the judgment as a ploy to cause confusion which was already belated.

He said the National body of the organised Labour Unions would appeal the judgement while the proposed nationwide strike would continue

Olumoh said labour was magnanimous enough to stand at N30,000 minimum wage for workers which could not be compared with the jumbo pay of the political office holders.

We are fully prepared for the proposed strike in Kwara if the Federal Government fails to accept the N30,000 as minimum wage,  Olumoh said.

He advised workers in the state to fully prepare for the impending strike and cooperate with the Labour Unions in the struggle.
Abdulrrahaman, who made the disclosure at a press briefing in Kaduna, explained that 45 of the suspects where arraigned at the Chief Magistrate Court, Ibrahim Taiwo Road Kaduna on Oct 24,

Also 52 suspects were equally arraigned in the same court on Oct. 31 accordingly. he added.

The CP said that normalcy has been restored in all troubled areas of the state and residents have resumed normal businesses.

The command is currently committed to post violence management efforts and I am appealing to the general public to support the command to ensure success by giving us prompt and relevant information that can facilitate peaceful coexistence in the state as well as expose criminally minded people and rumour peddlers in our midst.

Abdulrrahaman also disclosed that within the last two weeks, another set of 26 suspects were arrested in various crime not related to Kasuwan Magani crisis. which includes

The crimes include criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, rape, illegal and possession of firearms, kidnapping, culpable homicide, drug peddling among others.

He also disclosed that the police recovered one Locally made Pistol, one Short Dane Gun, single barrel Gun, four live Cartridges, a Toyota Siena registered DKA 830 AU, two Fabricated Wooden Pistols, seven Machetes, two Knives, one torch light and 20 bags of substance suspected to be Indian Hemp.

The CP said the 26 suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.

I wish to thank the good people of Kaduna state for their support to the Police and other security agencies during this trying period and to appeal for strict compliance during the remaining curfew period, the CP said.

He reassured of the command commitment to reduce crime to its barest minimum in the state with the full support of residents.
Ganduje before a seven man probe panel set up by the State House of Assembly.

The panel is tasked with looking into allegations of bribe seeking and gratification levelled against Ganduje and depicted in a series of video clipswhich the governor has often referred to as doctored and cloned.

Instead, the governor asked his Commissioner for Information, Mr. Muhammad Garba, to represent him at the hearing.

Politically injurious allegation

Testifying before the house, Ganduje said the allegation levelled against him are injurious.

Ganduje added that the video clips as released by the publisher of Daily Nigerian, Jafaar Jafaar, were aimed at tarnishing his image politically.

Garba told the House that he was at the assembly complex to represent the governor because the option of a representation was provided for by the committee in its invitation letter.

In the document presented before the committee, Ganduje denied collecting bribes from the contractors as alleged by the publisher of the online newspaper.

The Governor stated that he's never been the kind of person to solicit bribe and will never do so.

He also called on the public to discard the allegations in their entirety because they never happened and called on publishers to desist from publications capable of tarnishing the image of leaders.

Such false publications were done to the Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi the II and also to the former Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Ganduje said in the document.

Fair hearing

Also commenting on the issue, the Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General Barrister Ibrahim Mukhtar commended the way and manner the committee is handling the issue by giving fair hearing to both parties.

Stern looking security personnel cordoned the Assembly complex to prevent the breakdown of law and order, while the hearing lasted.

On October 15, 2018, the Kano State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Alhaji Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, constituted a committee whose mandate was to establish the authenticity of the videos.

On October 14, 15 and 31, Daily Nigerian had exclusively published three videos showing Mr Ganduje allegedly receiving bribe in dollars.

Daily Nigerian maintains that it has many more of those videos in its kitty.
A Nigerian Airforce aircraft marked NAF 038 which conveyed the corpse landed at the Ilorin International Airport at about half past one on Thursday afternoon.

The corpse was received by the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold.

Also in the government's high-powered delegation were the Deputy Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Elder Mathew Okedare, the Head of Service, Mrs. Dupe Oluwole, commissioners of Education, Health, Energy, Women Affairs, Environment and Commerce, Special Advisers, Special Assistants and other top government officials.

Also at the Airport were former Chief Judges of the state, former Secretaries to the State Government and the representative of the Emir of Ilorin, the Balogun Gambari of Ilorin, Alhaji Aliyu Adebayo Muhammad.

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Others include the Talfida of Ilorin, Dr Amuda Aluko, family members, community leaders, students and associates of the late governor.

While handing over the corpse to the younger brother of the deceased, General Theophilus Bamigboye, the State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed consoled the family over the loss and promised to continue to stand by the family.

Meanwhile, a Service of Songs for Late General David Bamigboye comes up this evening at the State Banquet Hall, opposite Government House, Ilorin, starting at four o'clock.

General Bamigboye, aged 78, died on September 21, 2018 following a brief illness.
Remember the start to Donald Trumps presidency? Feels like a million years ago, and a million news cycles, we know. But on Jan. 23, 2017, his first work day in office, Trump made it clear that his Job One would be boosting economic growth. The president said he wanted to reduce the corporate tax rate and relieve the burden of federal regulation. Good, we wrote at the time: Those are the kinds of moves that encourage companies to invest more and add jobs.
Mr Danielson Bamidele, NANS President, made the pledged at a news conference held on Friday in Abuja.

According to Bamidele, NANS has observed with utter dismay, the unfortunate turn of things in our dear country.

The disturbing issues of the moment ranging from arbitrary increase in tuition fees, lack of adequate attention to education and poor funding of education.

Also, the near absence of student welfare on campuses or welfare facilities and schemes for students by various governments, insecurity and among others; and in all these, students are the worst casualties, directly or indirectly,  he said.

Bamidele noted that under the alarming atmosphere, some governors have continued to arbitrarily increase the tuition fees of the state owned educational institutions.

According to him, students are tired of dropping out of school and neglect of the education sector.

He said that NANS was ready and set to join forces with the organised labour to rescue the dying workers, saying that reasonable and acceptable increment in workers wages was long overdue.

NAN wished to state clearly that this issue of N30, 000 minimum wage is a challenge and we therefore demand that government and the Private Sector should immediately accept the meager N30,000 as minimum wage.

Throwing helpless Nigerians into untold hardship that will be occasioned by the impending strike is totally needless as negotiation has been concluded, he said.

He, however, said that NANS also noted that the financial straits that the state government are faced with, but advised them to mop up funds with the responsibility of the well-deserved minimum wage.

Bamidele, therefore, called on state governments to reduce the amount channeled to unproductive parties, rallies and other frivolities in the Government House.

The NANS president also advised government to reduce security votes, especially since it has provided no security, save for those managing the funds.

He urged states to reduce both the entourage of governors and the estacode paid to the retinue of aides on the numerous travels and among others.

He added that NANS cannot find any cogent reason why any of the parties should find it difficult to pay a minimum wage of N30, 000.

After all, has any governor, deputies, House of Assembly members, political office holder ever been own salaries? He asked.
The statement was signed by the associations Public Relations Officer, Comrade Idowu Odebunmi, after the NANS National Executive meeting.

We applaud Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State for restoring the glory of Ekiti as a state known for quality education and a Land of Honour.

Within two weeks of assuming office, the governor has removed illegal levies on education, pronounced free education from primary to secondary schools, reinstatement of students unionism, released funds for accreditation and set up Visitation Panels in various higher institutions in the state and we see these as highly commendable, the statement said.
In clashes that happened on two different days over the past week, the Army admitted that soliders killed six members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also called Shiites. The group claimed that around 50 people were actually killed in attacks that were carried out by the Army and Police.

In the wake of the killings, the Army had announced that soldiers only shot at the protesters after they attacked troops with stones while transporting ammunitions in the Federal Capital Territory.

The killings have been largely condemned by many Nigerians and local and international human rights groups who protested that soldiers should not have employed lethal methods to deal with the protesters.

However, in an apparent bid to defend itself against the accusations, the Army took to its official Twitter account to post a video of Trump endorsing lethal methods under similar circumstances that the US Army might be about to face.

Trump had recently deployed US troops to the border it shares with Mexico in a bid to stop thousands of Central American migrants from gaining entrance into the North African country.

In the video posted by the Nigerian Army captioned "Please Watch and Make your Deductions", Trump suggested that migrants who throw stones at troops should be shot in response.

He said, "I'll tell you this, anybody throwing stones, rocks like they did in Mexico and badly-hurt police and soldiers, we'll consider that a firearm because there's not much difference.

"They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. We're going to consider, I told them to consider it a rifle."

While defending why the Army posted the video, the Director, Defence Information, John Agim, told AFP, "The video was posted in reaction to the Amnesty International report accusing the army of using weapons against pacifist Shiite protesters."

Despite what might be considered Trump's endorsement of the actions of the Nigerian Army, the US Embassy in Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to conduct an investigation into the killings.

UPDATE

The Army deleted the Trump video from its Twitter account after backlash from the local and international community.

(Below is a similar video of Trump making the remarks).

Shiites vs Nigerian Army

400 IMN members were arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police Force for disturbance of public peace and law and order in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday, October 30, 2018. They were alleged to have set a Police vehicle on fire, and arrested with 31 bottles of petrol bombs and other dangerous weapons.

The group has been agitating relentlessly for the release of its spiritual leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who was arrested in Zaria, Kaduna in 2015 after soldiers killed over 300 members of the sect for allegedly throwing stones at the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, an act declared by the Army to be an assassination attempt.

In the violence that escalated, troops attacked the group's shrines, firebombed its religious center, the Husseiniyya, destroyed another religious center on the outskirts of the city, and firebombed and demolished El-Zakzaky's home.

During the invasion of his home, El-Zakzaky was arrested and imprisoned with his wife, Zeenah, without any official court charges.

He was eventually arraigned before a Kaduna High Court in May 2018 and charged with unlawful gathering, criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.
According to his media aide, Kunle Oyewunmi, the former governor left the country on Monday, October 29, 2018, aboard a Lufthansa airplane.

Oyewunmi stated that his principal left for Germany alongside his wife, Ifunanya, to undergo a major surgery for an undisclosed and life-threatening ailment.

In a statement he made available today, Oyewunmi said Kalu was rushed in an ambulance to Helios Klinik, Wiesbaden, Germany on Tuesday and was immediately wheeled into the surgical theatre.

He quoted Kalu's wife, Ifunanya, as saying that the surgery was successful, adding that the ex-governor had regained consciousness.

She was quoted as saying "Although the surgery was successful, my husband will still have to be monitored closely by a medical team for at least four months in order to prevent complications.

"His condition is improving gradually and he will be fine if he is able to keep to his doctor's advice," she added.
In a statement on Thursday by Brig.-Gen. John Agim, the Acting Director Defence Information (DDI), the DHQ said the AIs hate and disdain for peaceful co-existence of Nigerians was manifested in the ways it consistently fabricates lies and gives negative narrative of issues related to Nigerias national security and its military.

Agim was reacting to a report in which the group alleged that the military and police engaged in horrific use of excessive force that led to the killing of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), popularly known as Shiites during peaceful protests.

According to the DDI, the AI report was not a true reflection of what transpired in the last few days.

Members of IMN or Shiite clashed with the military on Saturday and Monday at Zuba and Kugbo/Karu bridge junction, all in the FCT, as they tried to push themselves into the city centre for a protest.

For the sake of the good people of Nigeria and the international community who quest for the truth, what the AI cooked up in that report is a figment of its own imagination to further paint Nigeria black among the comity of nations.

The military has never been sent to stop the protesting Shiites group at any given time.

On the events referred to by the AI, the soldiers were not after the protesting Shiites, neither was there such number of casualties.

Instead, a convoy from the Army Headquarters Garrison Abuja was conducting a routine shipment of ammunition and missiles to a military formation in Kaduna escorted by troops when they ran into the protesters at Zuba in FCT.

The protesting Shiites not only prevented the convoy from proceeding on its mission, but also attempted to overrun the escorts to cart away the shipment.

Hence, the troops had to protect the goods and extricate themselves from the imminent mob action by applying minimum force, Agim said.

He explained that the next day, the IMN also had another confrontation with the military at a popular checkpoint along Nyanya  Mararaba road, leading into the FCT.

Agim said that the check point had been in existence since 2014 after the Boko Haram Terrorist attack on Nyanya Motor Park.

Unfortunately, the group tried to overrun the checkpoint in which the military resisted.

In all these attacks, the IMN was the aggressor while the military only acted in self defence.

The Shiites actions were planned and premeditated as the group were aware of the existence of the military checkpoint and were prepared to confront the soldiers.

The casualty of IMN stands at four wounded and three dead at Zuba while at the Nyanya  Mararaba road checkpoint, three died with three wounded, he said.

According to him, the military also had six of its personnel seriously wounded and currently at intensive care.

The DHQ wishes to emphasise for the umpteenth time that the narratives of the AI are outright falsehoods and calculated attempts at whipping up sentiments and misleading unsuspecting Nigerians as well as demoralising friendly nations.

The organization has continued to churn out reports that are outside the confines of the principles of objectivity, truth and balance reportage which provides all sides to the story the way it happened.

Sadly, AIs past activities in Nigeria and its negative reportorial of the Nigerian Armed Forces is capable of emboldening the IMN in its unwholesome activities.

Also, what AI is doing could stop friendly nations from collaborating with Nigeria in its war against insurgency, Agim added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the women, under the aegis of Aggrieved Women of the APC in Edo, expressed their grievances at a meeting held in Benin on Friday.

The Coordinator of the meeting, Dr Aisosa Amadasun, said that the gender avowed commitment to stimulate the growth of the party motivated women in the state to contest for various political positions.

She, however, said that the aspirations of the women were truncated by the exorbitant fees for the collection of nomination and expression of interest forms.

Amadasun also explained that about 10 women from the three senatorial districts of Edo South, Central and North were denied tickets by the national leadership of the party.

This, she said, was in spite of their sacrifices and huge resources committed to the project.

According to her, any party that fails to recognise the inputs of women and reward them with positions commensurate to their painstaking efforts to ensure victory, is not only doomed but will suffer defeat.

We must not fold our hands and allow women to be deprived of their rights and aspirations, as they clamour to break the jinx of male domination in occupying plum party and elective positions.

We have resolved to stop playing second fiddle to men and being used as campaign tools during electioneering periods, she said.

The coordinator, who was until the recent party congress in the state, the APC State Women Leader, also alleged that the primaries were conducted without a comprehensive party register.

According to her, the last registration exercise for party members was in 2014.

How did the party hierarchy know those who were registered members of the party by using direct primaries to select candidates?, she lamented.

Amadasun said that before the emergence of the current National Working Committee, waivers were granted to women by the party as a way of encouraging them to get deeply involved in contesting for political positions.

She, therefore, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, to urgently take pragmatic steps to redress the injustice done to women members of the APC.

According to her, proper reconciliation remains sacrosanct in guaranteeing victory for the party in the 2019 general elections.
The online newspaper names the lobbyist as Brian Ballard.

Who is Brian Ballard?

Politico magazine writes that Ballard is closer to President Trump than perhaps any other lobbyist in town.

Hes parlayed that relationship into a booming business helping clients get their way with the Trump administration  and his clients and even some of his rivals say his firm has a better grasp of whats going on in the West Wing than almost anyone else.

Ballard was one of the top fundraisers in the country for Trumps campaign and continues to raise millions for his reelection campaign. Wiles, one of his top lieutenants, ran Trumps campaign in Florida and delivered the nations biggest swing state to the president,Politico writes.

Wording of contract between PDP, Ballard's firm

TheCable writes that it has seen contract papers of the deal between Nigerias major opposition party, PDP, and Ballards firm.

According to TheCable, the PDP has agreed to pay $90,000 (N31.5m) to Ballard Partners Inc. on a monthly basis throughout the duration of the contract.

The story states that the contract which was signed on September 21, 2018 is for a year, meaning Ballard would rake in close to N400 million from the deal.

Excerpts from the contract as seen by TheCable reads as follows: This contract is entered into between the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria (the Client), Plot l970 Michael Okpara Street, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, and Ballard Partners, Inc. (the F irm), 601 13th Street NW, Suite 450N, Washington, D. C. 20005.

This agreement shall automatically renew for successive one-year periods on the anniversary of the effective date of the agreement unless either party terminates the agreement. Upon renewal this agreement may be terminated within thirty (30) days written notice by either party.

Duties of the firm. It shall be the Firms duty to consult with the Client and advocate on its behalf those issues the client deems necessary and appropriate before the US Federal government.

Issues and objectives may include, but not be limited to, enhancement of US Nigerian relations; strengthening and advancing democratic values and the rule of law in Nigeria, with a special focus in the coming months on maintaining political and security conditions free of intimidation and interference in order to ensure the success and fairness of Nigerias national election for president in 2019. It shall further be the Firms duty to inform the Client of developments in legislation and policy relevant to the Clients issues and objectives.

It shall be the Clients duty to provide the Firm the information necessary to best represent the Client. It shall also be the Clients duty to timely compensate the Firm for its services.

Compensation. The Firm shall receive from the Client $90,000 a month, payable in quarterly installments for this agreement, plus the reasonable costs associated with the representation, including but not limited to, necessary registration fees; and travel expenses.

A former Aviation Minister, Mr. Osita Chidoka, was said to have appended his signature for the PDP.

Contracting foreign PR firms is a thing these days

Atiku and top ranking PDP chieftains have briefly relocated to Dubai where they have been locked in strategy meetings.

It is not the first timea Nigerian political party will be enlisting the services of a United States or foreign Public Relations (PR) firm to win a presidential election.

In 2014, the All Progressives Congress (APC) signed up AKPD Media and Messages to frame the narrative for election season.

AKPD is a political consulting firm founded by David Axelrod.

Axelrod consulted for Barack Obama in 2008 and advised Obama as President.

Another US firm, Levick which is led by former US President Bill Clintons confidant Lanny Davis, was hired by the Jonathan administration for the 2015 election.
The meeting took place late on Thursday, November 1, 2018, and the former president's son pledged his commitment towards ensuring Buhari is re-elected in the 2019 presidential election.

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In a letter of endorsement he wrote to the president's campaign organisation in September, Olujowon said the current administration has begun the process of laying a solid foundation for future generations and urged Nigerian youths to back Buhari for a second term in office.

He said, "The ingenuity of the current administration in proffering solutions is highly commendable. No human is perfect, no government is perfect, only the Creator of heaven and earth embodies perfection. We are on the right path and should not deviate.

"The youths of our great nation should join hands and support the progress and giant strides of President Buhari, he is working commendably to free us from past bondage and captivity."

Olujonwo's support for Buhari's re-election is sure to not sit well with his father who has relentlessly criticised the current government since January 2018.

Obasanjo has also publicly endorsed his former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to beat Buhari in the 2019 presidential election. Obasanjo backs Atiku to boot Buhari out of the Presidential Villa next year and believes he can do a better job as president.
Responding to questions at an event in Lagos on Thursday, November 1, 2018, Obi said it was pitiful that rather than finding a way to resolve the plight of Nigerians, the opposition is spreading falsehoods in their desperation to be elected into public offices.

Obi described the allegations as sheer fabrication, wicked and inhuman as he was accused of snubbing the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar and former Minister of Planning, Shamsudeen Usman in their attempts for mediation.

The former governor denied disrespecting the Sultan as it is never in his character to disrespect elders.

He said, "The irony of this concoction is that I have been a friend of His Eminence, the Sultan right from my first year at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1980 through his tenure as Nigeria's Defence Attache in Pakistan till the present.

"The fact is that the visit of his Eminence, during which I was alleged to have snubbed him was purely a courtesy call after which I personally accompanied him to see the Obi of Onitsha, Obi Alfred Achebe with whom he had a meeting. I also requested His Eminence to visit the Hausa community in the state during which I offered to rebuild and subsequently gave them the funds for that purpose."
Nigerians in diaspora, under the umbrella of Hungary-based European Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria (ECSDN) overwhelmingly voted for the candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in an online presidential election conducted on Thursday, November 1, 2018.

The election took place live on ECSDN's YouTube channel, Nelson M46664, with voters, who were expected to be subscribed to the channel, commenting with the names of their preferred candidates. It's unclear how ECSDN determined how commenters were Nigerians based in the diaspora or not.

In the results announced after the election that was conducted for 90 minutes, Sowore won with 81.3% of the total votes cast, with candidate of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), Fela Durotoye, coming a distant second with 8.5% of the votes.

Incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) might be considered a favourite for the main poll next year, but he only won 1% of the votes cast in the diaspora election. Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), another frontrunner, fared better with 2.8% of the votes.

Former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) came third with 3.2% of the votes, while David Esosa Ize-Iyamu of the Better Nigeria Progressive Party (BNPP) won 1.2% of the votes.

Former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke, of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) both acquired 1% each. The ECSDN noted that all other candidates scored below 1% of the votes.

The Director General of the TakeItBack Movement/Sowore 2019 Campaign and Deptuy National Chairman (Administration) of AAC, Dr Malcolm Fabiyi, described Sowore's victory as proof that Nigerians want a departure from the old order of politicians and are desperate to vote for someone who can chart a better future for the nation.

He said, "We are proud of our supporters who came out en masse, participating and dominating the ninety minute voting session with a unanimous call for our presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to lead the way into a better Nigeria. Your rallying and unwavering support is the reason this race must continue all the way to Aso Rock, and we are glad that today, we have yet another body of passionate Nigerians joining us in this journey. Your determination has shown one thing only - Nigeria MUST progress!"
Weve been through quite a few elections, and the sky remains securely above. So we wont harangue voters about The Once-in-a-Lifetime Nature of This Particular Election. We will remind them, as always, that politicians have plans. To raise taxes or lower them. Cut government spending or increase it. Expand health care options or limit them. Grow school choice or cut it. Legalize marijuana or block it. Serve as a check on the executive branch or work alongside it.
The 43-year-old was taken to a woman's prison in the south of the capital after a night in a sleeping bag in a cell at the Palace of Justice, where judge Richard Concepcion Carhuancho delivered the verdict Fujimori had feared.

Around a dozen supporters of the Popular Force party that Fujimori founded in 2001 chanted, "Courage, Keiko, your people are here," as she arrived at the prison.

The daughter of disgraced former president Alberto Fujimori is accused of accepting $1.2 million in illicit party funding from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht for her 2011 presidential campaign.

She could face 20 years in prison if eventually convicted.

In ordering her detention, Carhuancho said there was a "serious suspicion" that Fujimori was running a "de facto criminal organization that is entrenched within the party" and had laundered illicit money.

He described Fujimori as a "high flight risk" and said "the only necessary measure in her case is undoubtedly preventive detention."

The judge took eight hours to reach his verdict, which almost certainly scuppers Fujimori's hopes of running for the presidency in 2021.

Twice before, in 2011 and 2016, she was defeated in a presidential run-off, despite the Popular Force party winning the most votes in both elections.

Her attorney Giuliana Loza told RPP radio station she would lodge an appeal on Monday.

Carhuancho is due to rule on public prosecutor Jose Domingo Perez's request for another 10 suspects to be held in preventive detention in connection with the Odebrecht investigation, which involves tracing millions of dollars in illicit payments.
Authorities say Bowers, 46, burst into the Tree of Life synagogue on Saturday with an AR-15 assault rifle and three handguns, killing 11 worshippers at Sabbath services and wounding six other people, including four police officers.

He is now facing 44 charges including federal hate crimes in connection with the shooting.

jpegMpeg4-1280x720The charges allege that he carried out the killings while violating the victims' constitutional right to the free exercise of religious beliefs -- which is considered a hate crime under US law.

Under the expanded charges, he could face the death penalty, or life in prison without parole followed by a consecutive sentence of 535 years' imprisonment, the Justice Department said.
US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin are scheduled to attend the event.

Uruguay's defense ministry submitted a two-part bill to Congress, the first of which sought permission for the US troops, official sources said.

The bill's second article asks for authorization to allow troops from other countries whose leaders are attending the summit to be stationed in Uruguay, according to a document seen by AFP.

Opposition senator Javier Garcia told AFP that such authorization can only be issued by the General Assembly through a constitutional mandate.

But he stressed that any such authorization would be for a specific request rather than a "carte blanche" opening of doors to unspecified foreign troops.

Garcia said the defense ministry would have to ask each other country wishing to use Uruguayan soil to provide a detailed request similar to the one US officials presented.
Annabel Langbein, joins The Long Lunch with her latest book Free Range Life: Together, a joint effort with her New York-based daughter, Rose.

You can also find her recipe for an Egyptian Orange and Almond Cake here.
Conversion therapy could be banned in New Zealand if Labour List MP Marja Lubeck gets support from other MPs.

Labour is pushing Ms Lubecks members bill, which aims to put an end to a practice that proponents say uses psychotherapy to convert homosexuals into heterosexuals.

Ms Lubeck told RadioLIVE that conversion therapy is harmful and shouldnt be promoted.



Not only is it giving them false hope, its also reinforcing the message that whatever theyre feeling, theyre not right.

The Prohibition of Conversion Therapy Bill bans advertising or offering and treatment which aims to change a persons sexuality.

The new Labour Party member says people in this situation are vulnerable and the last thing they need to hear is that there is a treatment available to fix them.

Both the Prime Minister and National leader Simon Bridges have not revealed how they would vote, with both saying theyll review the facts before making a decision.

"I will be interested to see what they come up with," Jacinda Ardern said.

Listen to the full interview with Marja Lubeck above.



Morning Talk with Mark Sainsbury, 9am - 12pm Weekdays and streaming live on 'rova' channel 9 - available on Android and iPhone.

RadioLIVE.
FreightCar America has announced revenue of $790m and a net loss of $62m for Q3 to September 30. It delivered 498 new and 390 rebuilt wagons, and its order backlog totalled 1 911 wagons worth $167m. 'While we continue to be very encouraged by the progress we are making in ...
A senior Russian official said Wednesday that his country was seriously considering establishing a military base in Cuba, just as the two Cold Warera allies were set to meet for high-level talks and the United States mulled quitting a nuclear missile deal.

Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov, head of the Russian lower house of parliament's defense committee and a former airborne troops commander, became the latest Moscow figure to warn of the historic consequences of the U.S. leaving the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The U.S. and Russia have accused one another of violating the agreement, but now President Donald Trump has announced his intention to end it, paving the way for new nuclear and conventional weapons systems at a time of heightened tensions.
We now know the answers. Democratic majorities in the House and Senate sent Rauner a wildly unbalanced budget the very first year, daring him to veto it. He did. Legislation that reflected the policy changes Rauner sought stayed bottled up in committees, or got otherwise manipulated by the Democrats, or were ignored altogether. Tensions flared. Heels dug. A war over the future of the state, punctuated with personal attacks from all sides, manifested itself in an inexcusable two-year budget standoff that damaged Illinois.
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The scorched-earth tack that the Saudi kingdom takes in its prosecution of the 3-year-old war against Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen has turned that Arabian Peninsula nation into the worlds worst man-made humanitarian disaster. More than 16,000 civilians have been killed or injured in the conflict, the U.N. says. As many as 14 million people  nearly half of the countrys population  are on the verge of famine. Yemen also is home to the worlds worst cholera epidemic in modern history, with more than a million Yemenis contracting the disease.
Hate is as much as issue now as it was in 1965. Call out bigotry and anti-semitism on campus, or else ensure prejudice continues.
A lot goes on around Athens and UGA campus and sometimes it can be hard to keep up. From Georgia football climbing to No. 5 in ranking to the 
All the campaigning, political ads and election-related articles from The Red & Black will near its end come Nov. 6  hopefully. To celebrate the long midterm season, here are the details for election night watch parties you can attend.
Amidst heartbreaking devastation from back-to-back disasters in Indonesia, the American Red Cross has contributed $1 million and seven disaster responders to support relief efforts on the islands of Sulawesi and Lombok.

Learn more and read an account from one American Red Cross responder who recently returned from Lombok.

First, earthquakes rattle Lombok

In July and August, people on the island of Lombok, Indonesia endured a series of five powerful earthquakes, including one of 7.0 magnitude. 75% of all structures were demolished in North Lombok and not a single home remained standing in some villages. Hundreds lost their lives, thousands suffered injuries, and more than 500,000 have been affected by the devastating events.

The Indonesian Red Cross is providing critical shelter materials, health care, clean water, food, and psychosocial support to families as they cope.

Disaster strikes again in Sulawesi

With relief efforts only two months underway on the island of Lombok, a massive earthquake and tsunami ravaged another Indonesian island, Sulawesi. On September 28, Central Sulawesi was struck by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that triggered a destructive tsunami. Houses were swept off the shoreline. An entire village in Palu was obliterated due to a phenomenon called soil liquefication. Tragically more than 2,000 people lost their lives, while thousands of loved ones remain missing. At least 10,000 suffered injuries in the double-disaster, and more than 67,000 homes are damaged.

In Sulawesi, hundreds of Indonesian Red Cross volunteers have been working tirelessly to conduct search and rescue, provide health support, deliver clean water, and connect loved ones through Restoring Family Links.

Red Cross volunteers will continue working in both Lombok and Sulawesi delivering hope and comfort to affected community members.

About American Red Cross Support

The American Red Cross is supporting relief efforts in the hardest-hit areas. The American Red Cross has thus far contributed $1 million to relief efforts on the islands of Sulawesi and Lombok  in addition to deploying a team of seven disaster responders.

Prior to the earthquake, the American Red Cross worked alongside the Indonesian Red Cross to prepare communities  including through disaster simulations, teaching earthquake preparedness in schools, and providing first aid training.

Read about one American Red Cross responders experience supporting relief efforts in Lombok, Indonesia: https://medium.com/@AmericanRedCross/through-my-eyes-one-red-cross-aid-workers-experience-with-indonesia-s-back-to-back-disasters-86b788045bfd
If the church wants to show the world the strength and sincerity of its hunger for reform, this seminar is a good starting point. However, to punctuate the importance of this retreat, Pope Francis should attend and promulgate this message in person  not have it filtered through other hierarchy. He has traveled to Ireland, Jerusalem, the Baltic and other countries to greet the faithful. Why not come to Mundelein Seminary and work with the bishops and priests working in the parishes? Saying he is sorry while remaining ensconced in the Vatican is no longer a defensible position. At Mundelein, during the days of prayer and discussions, he could receive the resignation offers of the U.S. bishops in attendance (similar to the offers made by the Chilean bishops). He could work with others to establish and publish definitive abuse guidelines, and provide courses of action ensuring that these abominations never again plague the church.
BRIDGEPORT  A city man who was arrested Friday is accused of sexually soliciting a 13-year-old who was a passenger on his bus route, an arrest affidavit said.

Jose Manuel Santos, 36, of Bridgeport, was charged with transfer of obscene materials to a minor and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

The arrest affidavit filed by lead investigator Brendan P. Lundt, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, said Santos and the teen victim exchanged text messages from Oct. 25 to Oct. 29.

The teen told investigators Santos gave her a business card with his cellphone number on it and told her to text him, the affidavit said. He also allegedly told her he didnt want anyone to find out they were talking.

On Oct. 29, the 13-year-old told school officials about the text messages with Santos, according to the affidavit.

To protect the identity of the victim, investigators redacted specifics about what school the girl attends and where the bus route is. The only information provided was that the bus route was for a primary/middle school in Connecticut.

Santos was a driver for Curtin Livery, a company that provides statewide transportation, including student transportation, disabled transportation and limo/town car transportation.

When Santos supervisor at Curtin Livery found out about the accusations on Monday, he immediately suspended Santos, the affidavit said. When he pushed Santos on the accusations, Santos allegedly denied it. The supervisor told investigators that Santos is suspended until further notice.

Authorities got access to the teens phone, though many of the text messages between her and Santos were deleted, when the girls mother provided it to the investigating agency.

Preliminary analysis of the cell phone revealed a sexually explicit photo of Santos that Santos sent to the minor victim, and text messages from Santos, including a text message asking the minor victim to send him a sexually explicit photo of her, the Department of Justice said.

Santos appeared in court in New Haven on Friday and has been detained.

He faces a maximum term of 10 years in prison for the transfer of obscene materials charge. And on the enticement charge, he faces a minimum of 10 years in prison. It was unclear if those charges could be served concurrently.
Harold is more socially conservative than the average Illinoisan, but my gut feeling  no wagering, please!  is that independent voters will elect her to be at least a mild check on the impulses of Democrats who look likely to be in charge of everything else here for at least the next two years.
Dozens of nongovernmental organizations marked International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists Friday by slamming Cambodia for failing to hold the perpetrators of crimes against reporters and rights activists accountable and demanding independent, transparent probes of their cases.



When journalists are targeted by violence for what they write or report, freedom of expression is stifled and replaced by self-censorship and fear; the public is denied information; and the powerful cannot be held to account, said the statement, signed by 42 watchdogsincluding global groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and local organizations Adhoc and Licadho.



When the state fails to investigate and punish violence against journalists, it sends a chilling message that attacks on journalists are permissible.



The NGOs noted that since 1994, at least 13 journalists have been murdered in Cambodia for their reporting, and that all but one of them were engaged in activities that posed a direct threat to powerful individuals within the Cambodian elite.



In 11 of the cases, no one was convicted for the murders, the groups said, while in seven, no suspect was arrested or interrogated. Serious concerns remain in the two cases where a trial took place, they added.



And while no journalists have been killed in the last two years in Cambodia, reporters are regularly targeted with judicial harassment, according to the statement, including trumped-up charges, and media outlets perceived as critical of Prime Minister Hun Sens regime have been forced to close.



The groups noted that impunity in Cambodia is not limited to attacks against journalists, citing the murders of environmental activist Chut Wutty, trade unionists Chea Vichea and Ros Sovannareth, and political analyst Kem Ley as representative of the thousands of instances of abuse against outspoken critics that have gone unaddressed by authorities.



We condemn the rampant impunity that harms Cambodian people and society and demand justice for all those whose rights have been cast aside, the groups said.



We call on the authorities to prosecute perpetrators of crimes committed against journalists and human rights defenders by undertaking effective, independent, and transparent investigations and prosecutions in accordance with international human rights standards  and to restore the integrity of the Cambodian legal system.



Call for justice



Separately on Friday, Club of Cambodia Journalists president Pen Bona urged authorities to seek justice for the 13 slain journalistsThou Char Mongkol, Nun Chan, Chan Dara, Thun Bun Ly, Chet Duong Daravuth, Pich Em, Dok Sokhan, Ou Saroeun, Chour Chetharith, Khim Sambo, Hang Serei Oudom, Suon Chan, and Taing Try.



Speaking in an interview with RFAs Khmer Service, he said it was a good sign that no reporters had been killed in Cambodia over the past two years, but questioned why there have been no breakthroughs in finding those responsible for the 13 murders since 1994, despite authorities claiming that they continue to investigate the cases.



Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak could not be reached for comment Friday, but has previously pledged that authorities wont close those cases until the perpetrators are brought to justice.



But Ministry of Justice spokesman Chin Malin on Friday hit out at the statement from the NGOs, telling RFA that there is no impunity in the cases of the slain journalists, as investigations continue.



It isnt impunityits still at the investigative stage, he said, adding that the cases are complicated and require more time to close.



Nop Vy of the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, however, refuted Chin Malins claims, noting that the journalists had all been killed after reporting on sensitive issues, including corruption scandals involving powerful people.



He urged authorities to be more responsible because journalists are working to improve society, and said a culture of impunity had negatively impacted local reporting.



We have seen a delay in bringing justice to victims, he said, adding that authorities should speed up investigations to end impunity.



Internet freedom



Fridays statement came days after U.S. NGO Freedom House said in its annual Freedom on the Net report that of the 65 countries it monitors, Cambodia was one of five nations that experienced the steepest deterioration in internet freedom over the last five years, citing amendments initiated by the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) that led to an uptick in arrests for online political commentary.



Freedom House designated Cambodia partly free with a score of 55 over the past year, on a scale where zero represents most free and 100 indicates least free, noting a crackdown on online dissent by Hun Sens government that led to a surge in arrests and prison sentences, and ensured his partys victory ahead of a July 29 election.



Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan slammed the Freedom House report Friday as bogus and lies, saying Cambodia doesnt have any law restricting internet freedom.



Phay Siphan said Hun Sens regime is working to improve internet access for everyone throughout the country, but warned that internet freedom doesnt give users free rein to insult people or incite violence.



When asked about claims in the report that China has provided Cambodia with training on how to monitor the internet use of its citizens, the spokesman said that authorities only monitor the internet to fight against terrorism and for other security reasons.



Requesting happier news



Also on Friday, Hun Sens wife and Cambodia Red Cross chairwoman Bun Rany urged members of the local media to decrease reporting on crimes, rapes, and deaths from traffic accidents, asking them to instead focus on the work her husbands government has done to develop the country.



Pro-government media outlet Fresh News quoted Bun Rany during a donation distribution in Kampong Chhnang province as saying that local TV stations dont broadcast news about government efforts that have helped to develop the country, but only about violent crimes, suicides, traffic accidents, rapes and killings.



Every morning, I only see news about people dying, rapes and killings. I would like to use this forum to appeal to all TV stations to broadcast government achievements instead of bad topics.



The Red Cross chairwoman did not specify what kind of developments she would prefer the nations news organizations to focus on.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Cambodian prisons are overcrowded, and the countrys criminal justice system must begin granting bail to citizens awaiting trial, the Cambodia-based rights group Licadho says in a new report.



Already troubled by violations of prisoners rights, disproportionate sentencing, and a rampant culture of corruption, the situation grew worse in 2017 when the numbers of prisoners dramatically increased when Phnom Penh began a war on drugs, the report Time For Bail: Ending Needless Mass Detention" says.



Speaking to RFAs Khmer Service, Licadho monitoring manager Am Sam Ath said All 18 prisons that Licadho has worked with are holding three times as many prisoners as they should.



If the number of prisoners continues to increase, they will face even more issues, Am Sam Ath said, adding that while Cambodias Prisons Department has built more prisons to accommodate the surge in numbers, these are still not enough.



Reached for comment, Justice Ministry spokesman Chin Malin acknowledged the increase in numbers, saying that as many as half of those detained while awaiting trial are being held on drug charges.



Pretrial detentions are needed to maintain security and social order and to protect witnesses and for court proceedings, he said, adding that if NGOs report that judges are holding suspects beyond the limits for pretrial detention, we will take action.



At-risk groups



Overcrowding in the prisons exacerbates other problems already present, especially for at-risk groups in the prison population, Licadho says in its report.



Pregnant women or mothers with young children must deliver and care for their children behind bars, for example, while juveniles held for long periods before trial fall behind in their education and lose contact with their families and communities, Licadho said.



This, combined with exposure to adult criminal behavior in prison, could lead to them committing crimes in the future, the report says.



People charged with crimes are sometimes held for as long as 22 months before trial, and are often treated as if they are guilty until proven innocent, Licadho director Naly Pilorge says in the report.



If Cambodias court system uses bail more effectively, fewer mothers will be forced to care for their children behind bars, and fewer juveniles will be held, as those below the age of 16 would not be held at all, and those between 16 and 18 could still apply for bail, Licadho says.



Reported by Eugene Whong with additional reporting by Samean Yun for RFAs Khmer Service.
The screen of a laptop shows the word 'VPN' typed in the search field of the Chinese website Baidu, in Beijing on March 30, 2018, a day before state authorities blocked all unrecognized VPN services.

China was the worst abuser of internet freedom in 2018, according to a report from the U.S. nongovernment organization Freedom House.

As internet freedoms were rolled back around the world this year, online censorship and a lack of digital privacy meant that China once more ranked lowest in the world in the group's "Freedom on the Net" report.

"Leaders in Beijing have stepped up efforts to use digital media to increase their own power, both at home and abroad," the report said.

"China was once again the worst abuser of internet freedom in 2018, and over the past year, its government hosted media officials from dozens of countries for ... seminars on its sprawling system of censorship and surveillance," it said.

Beijing has been keen to export its model of digital authoritarianism, the report said, and has supplied telecommunications hardware, advanced facial-recognition technology, and data-analytics tools to a variety of governments with poor human rights records.

"Digital authoritarianism is being promoted as a way for governments to control their citizens through technology, inverting the concept of the internet as an engine of human liberation," Freedom House said.

Meanwhile, China is demanding that companies store their citizens data within their borders, where the information can be accessed by security agencies, it said.

The implementation of a draconian Cybersecurity Law and growing use of surveillance technologies had led to "new extremes" in the country, where internet policy is centralized under the powerful Cyberspace Administration, the report said.

"One of the most alarming developments this year has been the uptick in state surveillance," the report said, citing the rolling out of facial recognition and other advanced surveillance tools in the western region of Xinjiang, where as many as one million Muslims have been incarcerated in camps.

"Many detainees are held as a result of their nonviolent online activities," the report said.

In addition, service providers must now register users under their real names, immediately delete banned content, and host all data about Chinese users within the country.

Authorities have also cracked down on the use of VPNs to circumvent the Great Firewall, leading Apple to delete hundreds of the services from its local app store, the report said.

Beijing is also forging ahead with a nationwide social credit system, which combines data on users' online and offline behavior, rating their "trustworthiness," the report noted.

Antidemocratic entities

The report also warned that democratic societies are vulnerable to infiltration by more authoritarian regimes, via the internet.

"If antidemocratic entities effectively capture the internet, citizens will be denied a forum to articulate shared values, debate policy questions, and peacefully settle intrasocietal disputes," it said, adding that democracy also requires protections for personal privacy.

"The unrestrained and largely unexamined collection of personal data inhibits ones right to be let alone, without which peace, prosperity, and individual freedom  the fruits of democratic governance  cannot be sustained or enjoyed," it warned.

It called on global governments to empower internet users the power to ward off "undue intrusions" into their personal lives by both the government and corporations.

"The health of the worlds democracies depends on it," the report said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang denied the content of the report was accurate, however.

"The accusations of this institution ... are empty; neither professional nor responsible, and we think it has ulterior motives," Lu told a regular news briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Reported by Jia Ao for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
A Hong Kong-based labor rights group on Friday called on authorities in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen to release all detained workers and their student supporters, 100 days after the first raids on a unionization campaign at Jasic Technology.



"China Labour Bulletin [CLB] calls on the Shenzhen authorities to immediately release all those still in detention as well as those detained subsequently for nothing more than demanding for workers' legal right to establish a trade union," the group said in a statement on its website.



Some 30 workers were detained on July 27, with four facing charges of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order."



According to CLB, the former Jasic campaigners haven't been allowed to see their lawyer since Oct. 1, and one of the lawyers has now been pressured by the local authorities to resign from the case.



"These workers were willing to stand up to the widespread and long-standing management abuses at Jasic Technology, including the underpayment of social insurance contributions, and understood that the most effective way to defend the interests of their co-workers was by unionizing," CLB said.



The call came a day after a rare protest on the campus of Nanjing University in the eastern province of Jiangsu over the authorities' banning of a Marxist study group.



Marxist and Maoist activists, many of them students, had flocked to Shenzhen to support the Jasic workers' cause, with some of them taking jobs in the factory.



However, dozens of members of the Jasic Workers' Solidarity Group (JWSG) were themselves detained in a mass raid on their temporary accommodation on Aug. 27. According to CLB, many were subsequently released, but 11 remain under some form of house arrest.



The ruling Chinese Communist Party has responded with a clampdown on student activism on campus, banning Marxist study groups, punishing students at Peking University, Renmin University and Nanjing University.



Protest over treatment



Protesters held banners and shouted defiance outside Nanjing University's canteen on Thursday over the treatment of students who wanted to put Marxist theories into practice by supporting workers' movements.



"Some students are demonstrating in the school canteen because the officials of the school refuse to give an explanation and the students are regularly being tracked by some plainclothes [police] recently," according to a tweet posted by the @xiaozimurong Twitter account, with a video clip showing the protest.



"What have we been doing in the Marxism Research Club? We only read Marxist works ... What is wrong about that?" a young man shouts at a crowd of bystanders, as a large banner flutters nearby.



"If they have a problem with that, why don't they come out and say so. Why are they oppressing our members? Why are they using shameless and underhand tactics?" the man shouts.



"Come out and debate with us. You don't dare, and that's why you are using such tactics to suppress ... our fellow students. Is it acceptable that they do such things to make us disappear?"



As an unidentified woman appeared to try to restrain another protesting student, the man said the students had staged the protest after asking for an explanation from the university and receiving none.



"We came here after waiting three days for some kind of response, and that's why we are standing here today. We will not forget. We want answers," he said. "They have been threatening our families and they want to punish our students with expulsion."



A university lecturer surnamed Liu said the detentions coincided with a nationwide ideological campaign waged by the administration of President Xi Jinping on Chinese campuses.



"There is definitely a movement towards greater ideological and political management in higher education institutions," Liu said.



"I saw a slogan [recently] that called for a firm hand on the ideological battlefront in schools and universities, and that universities should take a stance."



Partnership suspended



Meanwhile, Cornell University recently suspended an academic partnership with Beijing's Renmin University (Renda) after a crackdown on Chinese students who supported the Jasic workers' movement.



Eli Friedman, director of international programs for Cornells School of Industrial and Labor Relations, said the school had suspended cooperation with Renda after it had punished, surveilled or suppressed students who supported workers trying to unionize at Jasic Technology.



Yue Xin, a graduate of China's prestigious Peking University and former #MeToo campaigner remains incommunicado after being detained alongside dozens of others on Aug. 27, the JWSG said in a recent open letter.



Renda philosophy major and JWSG member Yang Shuhan said in a video statement posted to YouTube on Sept. 1 that she was mobbed, robbed and threatened by unidentified persons before trying to board a train to resume her studies in Beijing, and later asked to take a year's leave of absence.



Another undergraduate student, Zhang Zihan, was criticized by the teacher in front of all the students, and told to delete any content on the social media platform WeChat about the Jasic campaign.



While revering Mao as the leader who founded the People's Republic on Oct. 1, 1949, the party has also torn down locally funded statues of Mao in recent years, reflecting official concerns over the potential use of the Great Helmsman's image as a focus for millions of poor and dispossessed people in China.



Government censors have shut down a number of Maoist websites in recent years. The Red Flag Network website's editor Wu Lijie was detained and the site shut down after he made a trip to visit the Jasic campaign in Shenzhen.



Chen Hongtao, editor-in-chief of the Red Reference website said in August that its offices in Beijing's Fangshan district had been raided at around the same time as the JWSG members were being detained in Shenzhen.



Reported by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The Department of Children and Families says Eaton and Tristan's father, 26-year-old Daryan Carlos Valenzuela, were under investigation at the time over concerns of domestic violence between the two. Valenzuela was jailed last month on domestic violence charges. He posted bail Monday.
A Myanmar border guard policeman patrols a fence along a 'no-man's land' zone between Myanmar and Bangladesh as seen from Maungdaw district in western Myanmar's Rakhine state during a government-organized visit for journalists, Aug. 24, 2018.

Human rights groups warned on Friday that its still too early for Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh to return to Myanmar where their safety is not guaranteed and they will likely continue to face repression and discrimination, calling for a freeze on repatriations set to begin in mid-November.

New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Myanmar and Bangladeshi governments to immediately suspend a plan to return hundreds of thousands of refugees to northern Rakhine state, arguing that they will return to dire conditions where their lives and liberty are at risk.

Myanmars government keeps talking about returns, but it has done nothing to allay the Rohingyas fears of being returned to the same violence and oppression they fled, said Bill Frelick, HRWs refugee rights director, in a statement.

If Bangladesh moves forward on repatriations without the U.N., it will squander the international goodwill it has accrued over the past year as a host to Rohingya refugees, he said.

Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement nearly a year ago to repatriate some of the more than 800,000 refugees who fled two brutal crackdowns by Myanmar forces in 2016 and 2017, though the program has been beset by delays.

Officials from both sides involved in a joint working group to carry out the terms of the agreement decided during meetings in Bangladesh earlier this week to begin returning refugees in mid-November, with an initial group of 2,260 Rohingya verified for return from a list of more than 8,000 refugees that was submitted to Myanmar in February.

Bangladesh selected names of refugees on its registration lists at random without consulting them to see if they wanted to return or have their personal details shared with Myanmar officials, HRW said, citing Abul Kalam, Bangladeshs refugee relief and rehabilitation commissioner.

Bangladesh officials also told HRW that they gave Myanmar a second list with more than 22,000 refugee names and addresses for verification.

Phil Robertson, HRWs deputy Asia director, told RFAs Myanmar Service that nothing has changed in Rakhine state.

There are no guarantees of safety or protections for the Rohingya people to go back to Rakhine state at this time, he said. These are two governments that are working to try to force the Rohingya to go back, and it looks like a very bad arrangement that would result in more rights abuses if it is undertaken in its current form.

London-based Amnesty International also blasted the plan to begin reparations in November.

The perpetrators of atrocities remain at large, and those who would return will continue to face severe restrictions on their movements, difficulties accessing hospitals [and] schools, and no clear legal fate in the country, Laura Haigh, Amnestys Myanmar researcher, told RFA.

Whats more, theres been no consultation with the refugees themselves and no guarantees they theyre going to be protected if they go back to Rakhine state where the authorities are still restricting humanitarian access, she said.



Still living in fear

ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, a group of Southeast Asian lawmakers, also sid conditions are not yet ripe for the repatriations to begin.

The group has called on both Naypyidaw and Dhaka to stop plans for the return of the Rohingya, who are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and are subject to systematic discrimination and restrictions on their movements.

This is a poorly thought-out plan, Charles Santiago, a Malaysian lawmaker who leads the group and has been outspoken in his criticism of Myanmars treatment of the Rohingya, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Friday.

Myanmar must first ensure the protection and livelihoods of the Rohingya, said Santiago, who led a fact-finding mission to Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh earlier this year.

They [Rohingya refugees] were still licking their wounds; they are still living in fear, he was quoted as saying. We're not expecting them to go back to live in barracks and as squatters.

U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said that the returns should be voluntary, during a press briefing on Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Its important to us that our efforts remain focused on steps that would improve the situation for the Rohingya refugees and to hold accountable all those responsible for this, he said.

We continue to call for accountability for those that were responsible, and we would look closely at any plans to ensure that it [repatriations] is, in fact, voluntary, he said.



A Rohingya refugee man from Myanmar plays with his daughter by the entrance of their tent at the Kutupalong camp in Ukhia sub-district, Cox's Bazar, in southeastern Bangladesh, Aug. 13, 2018. Credit: AFP No law can harm them

Myanmar has an agreement with the U.N.s refugee (UNHCR) and development (UNDP) agencies to help with the voluntary return and reintegration of displaced Rohingya and to assess conditions in Rakhine state for those contemplating returns.

But UNHCR said that conditions are still not conducive for returns.

It is critical that returns are not rushed or premature, UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic told Reuters news agency on Oct. 30.

Win Myat Aye, Myanmars minister for social welfare, relief and resettlement who is in charge of the repatriation program, said the government has no intention of harming refugees who return.

The government has been working according to the law on their behalf, and there is no law that can harm them, he said.

State Counselor Daw [honorific] Aung San Suu Kyi said that anyone who violates the law will be taken action against, and that we also have rule of law, so theres no reason to be concerned about their return, he said.

Officials are working on preventing communal tension and problems from arising between ethnic Rakhine Buddhist and Muslim communities when the refugees return to northern Rakhine state, Win Myat Aye said.

Earlier this week, Myint Thu, permanent secretary of Myanmars Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited the Kutupalong refugee camp where Rohingya refugees handed over a letter of demands addressed to Aung San Suu Kyi, outlining their position before some of them return to Myanmar.

They demanded that the government accept the Rohingya as an official Myanmar ethnic group, restore their full citizenship rights, and establish an international security mechanism to protect them after they return.

Reported by Nandar Chann for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
UPDATED at 4:36 PM on 11/20/2018

A well-known Vietnamese blogger and human rights advocate is set to face trial for "affronting the national flag or national emblem, a rights group and her lawyer said on Friday, three months after she was briefly detained and had her computer, books and other items confiscated.

Huynh Thuc Vy, 33, a co-founder of the advocacy group Vietnamese Women for Human Rights, was taken away on Aug. 9 by police in Dak Lak provinces Buon Ho town in the countrys central highlands after refusing previous summons to come in to their offices for questioning, Huynhs husband Le Khanh Duy told RFAs Vietnamese Service at that time.

On Friday, the rights group Defend the Defenders quoted Dak Lak police and prosecutors as saying she would be prosecuted for Affronting the national flag or national emblem under Article 276 of the countrys 1999 Penal Code.

I believe the prosecutors report has all details about her case. The report even elaborates on all her motives. Even though Huynhv admitted what she did but whether or not it violated the law or not is still depends on our argument at the trial, lawyer Dang Dinh Manh from Ho Chi Minh City told RFAs Vietnamese Service.

According to Defend the Defenders, the charges stem from a 2017 incident in which [Huynh] was pictured with the Vietnamese national flag which was tainted with paint.

Someone said she intentionally defamed the flag that she has never recognized, the rights groups website reported.

Manh told RFA that if the court finds Huynh guilty and sentences her to prison, she would not have to serve the sentence right away because her two-year-old daughter is under 36 months old. The sentence would be postponed until the child reaches the age of three, he said.

Huynh is the oldest child of former political prisoner Huynh Ngoc Tuan, who spent ten years in prison in 1992-2002 for sending a political book he had written abroad, Defend the Defenders said.

In 2017, she was listed by the BBC among five women in Asia who risk their lives for others' rights and spoke to the British network about her familys troubles with the one-party communist government in Hanoi.

"Even though the imprisonment of my father and the repeated harassment towards our whole family has made us so tired, we have the chance to have meaningful and altruistic lives, by taking risks, acting on behalf of vulnerable people and facing the authorities," she told the BBC.

"If we do not play a role in activism now, we will never be able to demand gender equality later."

Her father Tuan still suffers from police harassment, while his youngest child has had to flee to Thailand to seek political asylum, Defend the Defenders said.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
Outspoken scholar and translator Zi Zhongyun, a former director of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, announced in September that government censors had slapped restrictions on her social media account on the Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo. The 88-year-old Zi had gained a strong social media following for her liberal views, but until recently was still regarded as a privileged insider in the ruling Chinese Communist Party elite. RFA's Mandarin Service looked at some of her recent statements for clues about why she has been silenced:



Online searches this week showed that keyword searches for Zi's name on Sina Weibo were unavailable, while video and text of her comments were blocked.



Zi's previous comments have included some of the "Seven Taboos," topics banned from public discussion by the government's powerful propaganda bureau and Cyberspace Administration.



"Why are there so many different views on universal values?" Zi once said in a video clip still available on YouTube. "I don't think universal values are unique to the West."



In another comment, she asks: "Since we have already accepted that there must be a constitution, for the founding of the country, then why not use it?"



Later in the same clip, Zi says she hopes China will move forward with constitutional government, one of the Seven Taboos, which also include human rights and democracy, press freedom, civil society, citizens' rights, the historical mistakes of the Chinese Communist Party, the financial and political elite and judicial independence.



In another YouTube clip, Zi tells an audience that the purpose of a government is to ensure people's welfare and livelihood.



"If the people are being deprived of happiness, or harmed by others in the name of the state, then this cannot be called patriotism," she says.



"The people aren't an abstract concept. We often use the abstraction 'the people' to replace real human beings, saying that we work for the people, but it is not right to deprive people of their right to life."



Zi goes on to say that patriotism shouldn't just mean loving one's country regardless of how it treats its citizens.



"I think core values need to be about more than just patriotism, military might and prosperity; they also need to include freedom and democracy, justice and equality, the rule of law and civilized conduct," she says.



Chinas achievements during the past 30 years are obvious to all, but the problems it faces are numerous, she continues.



"One is that the Chinese model [of economic reform without political reform] is not sustainable," she "The second is corruption, which is difficult to contain. The third is the widening gap between the rich and the poor, and the intensification of social conflicts."



Her comments were later criticized on the social media platform WeChat by Hu Yiren, professor at the School of Marxism at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, as being inconsistent with Maoist patriotism.



And her former bosses of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said that her advocacy of constitutionalism was "an error."



Reported by Xiao An for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
ALMATY -- A group of children of ethnic Kazakhs from China have urged Kazakh authorities to help release their parents from so-called "reeducation camps" in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Some 50 schoolchildren attended a meeting at the Almaty office of Atazhurt Young Volunteers, an NGO that organized the gathering on November 2.

They asked Kazakh authorities and international human rights groups to press for the release of their parents and their resettlement to Kazakhstan.

Some of the children were accompanied by adult relatives, in some cases a parent whose spouse is in China.

A number of the children said one or both of their parents had been detained and sent to reeducation camps while traveling back and forth to their native Xinjiang, which borders Kazakhstan.

Others said their parents had been allowed to relocate to Kazakhstan but were not given the documents needed to apply for resident status in the Central Asian country.

After Kazakhstan gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, many ethnic Kazakhs from Xinjiang and elsewhere benefited from Kazakhstan's state program on resettlement of ethnic Kazakhs into the country.

Many of them obtained permanent residence in Kazakhstan or Kazakh citizenship, but continue to visit their relatives in Xinjiang on a regular basis.

Last month, Kazakh repatriates from China held two separate public protests in Almaty, asking German and French officials to help their relatives get released from the camps in Xinjiang.

UN human rights officials said in August that an estimated 1 million Muslims from Xinjiang were being held in "counterextremism centers" in China and millions more have been forced into reeducation camps.

In August, a court in Almaty refused to extradite Sairagul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen who was wanted in China for illegal border crossing.

Sauytbay fled China in April and testified in the Almaty court that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Muslims in Xinjiang are undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of "reeducation camps."

She testified that Chinese authorities had forced her to train "political ideology" instructors for reeducation camps, giving her access to secret documents about what she called a state program to "reeducate" Muslims from indigenous ethnic communities.

Uyghurs are the largest indigenous community in Xinjiang, followed by Kazakhs, and the region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz and Hui, also known as Dungans.

Han, China's largest ethnicity, are the second largest community in Xinjiang.

On October 19, the state-run China Daily newspaper said in an editorial that Muslims in Xinjiang were vulnerable to foreign extremist propaganda and needed education and vocational skills.

The editorial accused the Western media of "double standards" when it comes to reporting on Xinjiang, adding that the "false picture" of Xinjiang in the foreign media was "aimed at smearing the Chinese government."
Yerevan has recalled Mikayel Minasian, the son-in-law of former Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, from his ambassador posts in the Vatican and Portugal.

A decree issued on November 1 said the move was "based on the prime ministers recommendation."

The move comes amid changes put in place by acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, a former opposition lawmaker who took office in May after spearheading weeks of protests.

The demonstrations helped bring the resignation of Sarkisian, his long-ruling predecessor.

Minasian was appointed Armenias ambassador to the Vatican in 2013. He served as first deputy chief of the presidential staff in 2008-2011.

Many political analysts regarded him as Sarkisian's political and public relations strategist during that period.

During his years of work in public office Minasian, 41, mostly kept a low profile, but he is also thought to have controlled several private TV stations as well as a number of online news services.

Pashinian's new administration has brought cases against several former officials and close relatives of Sarkisians family for a variety of alleged crimes, although the reasons for the ambassadors recall were not explained and he has not been charged with a crime.



The health minister in the Pashinian government in July sacked Minasians father, Ara Minasian, from the position of executive director of a leading Yerevan hospital.

Separately, investigators in Yerevan said on November 2 that fraud charges have been brought against Ara Minasian, whose whereabouts are not known to authorities.

The Investigative Committee said he is suspected of embezzling funds allocated by the Health Ministry.
Hard-line Pakistani Islamists blocked roads in major cities for a third day on November 2 in protest against the acquittal of a Christian woman on death row for blasphemy allegations.

The Tehrik-e Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party said its talks with the government have failed and called on its followers to get ready for a confrontation with police.

"Talks have completely failed, Federal and provincial representatives and an Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) General Faiz took part in talks," Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of the TLP, said in a tweet early on November 2.

"Government has warned, 'we will finish you off'," Rizvi said.

Cell-phone services have been suspended in many parts of the country, making communication difficult.

In a televised national broadcast late on November 1, Prime Minister Imran Khan warned the protesters the government would act against any prolonged blockade.

"We will not allow any damages. We will not allow traffic to be blocked," Khan said. "I appeal to you: Do not push the state to the extent that it is forced to take action."

Protesters from the TLP continued to block roads in the southern city of Karachi and eastern Lahore, Pakistani television said. Private schools in both cites were shut, as well as in the capital, Islamabad.

One TLP speaker exhorted a crowd to light new fires if the police managed to douse burning tires and other objects they had already set ablaze.

The demonstrators were protesting the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision on October 31 to acquit and release Asia Bibi, a mother of five who had been living on death row since 2010. She was the first woman sentenced to death by hanging under Pakistan's tough blasphemy laws.

Bibi was accused of making derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbors objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not a Muslim.

But a three-judge panel set up to hear the appeal, headed by Chief Justice Sahib Nissan, ruled the evidence was insufficient.

Authorities say they have stepped up security near an undisclosed detention facility where Bibi is being held for her safety, with some reports in local media suggesting she might have already been flown out of Pakistan due to safety concerns.



Bibi's family had expected her release on November 1. Her husband, Ashiq Masih, returned from Britain with their children and was waiting for her release so that they can fly out of Pakistan. Though the family has not disclosed the country of her destination, France and Spain have offered asylum.

The case has divided Pakistan, where two politicians who sought to help Bibi were assassinated, and outraged Christians worldwide, with Pope Francis saying he has personally prayed for Bibi.

The case prompted calls from the TLP for the assassination of Nissan and the other two judges that decided the case.

"They all three deserve to be killed," TLP co-founder Muhammad Fatal Badri told a protest in Lahore. "Either their security, their driver, or their cook should kill them."

He also called for the ouster of Khan's new government and urged army officers to rise up against powerful military chief General Lamar Jawed Baja.

Hafiz Saeed, an influential Islamist whom the United States accuses of being the mastermind of attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that killed 166, has called for protests after Friday Prayers on November 2.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling Iran the "most potent force of militant Islam," says he has warned Europe of possible Iranian attacks on its soil.

Speaking to reporters on November 1 after talks with his Bulgarian counterpart in Sofia, Netanyahu said radical Islam is a threat to the world and that Israel has recently revealed a number of Iranian plots to carry out attacks on European soil.

Netanyahu did not provide details, but cases involving alleged Iranian plots to attack Iranian opposition groups or figures in both France and Denmark have emerged in recent months

The Israeli premier's warnings about Iranian plots in Europe have been part of his campaign to pressure European nations to take a tougher stance toward Tehran.

Israel was one of the only countries to side with the United States this year in its decision to pull out of Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimpose sanctions.

European countries refused to follow suit, and European powers Germany, France, and Britain have been working with Iran to keep the nuclear agreement in place and circumvent U.S. sanctions.

Ahead of his trip to Bulgaria, Netanyahu said his goal is to "change the hostile and hypocritical approach of the European Union" on matters like Iran and the Palestinian question.

Netanyahu is meeting on November 2 in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Varna with European leaders he views as more "friendly" in the Craiova Forum, which includes the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania, as well as the president of Serbia.

"This is not just a meeting of friends," Netanyahu said. "It is also a bloc of countries with whom I want to promote my policy, to change the hypocritical and hostile attitude of the EU."

Based on reporting by AP and AFP
Karachais in Russia's North Caucasus region of Karachayevo-Cherkesia have marked the 75th anniversary of their mass deportation to Central Asia by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Prayers in the region's mosques on November 2 were dedicated to those who died during the Karachais' deportation to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan between 1943 and 1957.

Karachayevo-Cherkesia's leader Rashid Temrezov, Prime Minister Aslan Ozov, and parliament speaker Aleksandr Ivanov, issued a joint statement on November 2, calling the deportation "a monstrous injustice that lasted 14 years.

The statement praised Karachai elderlies who survived the deportation and were able "to preserve dignity, language, traditions, and culture," and managed to return back to the North Caucasus in the 1950s.

Karachais are a small, Turkic-speaking, and predominantly Muslim ethnic group.

They were the first ethnic group in the North Caucasus deported by the Soviet regime in the 1940s.

Between November 2-5, 1943, some 70,000 Karachais were deported in cattle train cars to Central Asia by Moscow, which accused them of collaborating with Nazi Germany.

According to unofficial estimates, about a quarter of those deported perished during the journey.

Those who survived deportation were allowed to return back to the North Caucasus in 1957.
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The children of ethnic Kazakhs being held at "reeducation camps" in China begged for their release, at an event held by a non-governmental group, Atazhurt, in Almaty on November 2.
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz authorities say they have detained nine people suspected of being members of an unidentified international terrorist organization.

The State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said on November 2 that five of the suspects detained in the northern Chui region are foreigners and four are Kyrgyz citizens.

According to the statement, the suspects were involved in recruiting fighters for "terrorist groups" in Syria and Afghanistan since 2017 and planned a series of terrorist attacks in Kyrgyzstan.

The statement also says an investigation is under way and Kazakh authorities are cooperating with foreign security services.

Kyrgyz authorities have said that up to 500 Kyrgyz citizens have joined the Islamic State group and other extremist organizations in Syria and Iraq in recent years.
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Even back when construction of the controversial, $3.7 billion Crimean Bridge was just beginning, RT Editor in Chief Margarita Simonyan already knew how the story ended.

Crimea Bridge: Made With Love! -- a new film written by Simonyan and directed by her husband, Tigran Keosayan -- is an uber-patriotic romantic comedy that was filmed against the backdrop of the rising edifice, which links Russia via the Kerch Strait with the Ukrainian region of Crimea that was annexed by Moscow in 2014.

The film had a gala Moscow premiere on October 30 and opened generally on November 1. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova were among the glitterati attending the opening, both giving it two thumbs up.

Crimea Bridge: Made With Love! is something of a cross between the 2008 hit musical Mamma Mia! and the 1938 socialist-realist fantasy Volga-Volga, the film often said to have been dictator Josef Stalin's personal favorite.

"It is a film about love during the building of the Crimean Bridge," Simonyan told journalists in August. "It begins in 1940, during the war, and ends in the current day, the day of the opening of the bridge. Before I started working on the script, we traveled several times to the bridge, to take a look, to get to know the people, to talk to them. Several of them became prototypes for the characters in the film."

Anton Dolin, film critic for the Meduza website, writes that the film takes place in an idealized Crimea where the sun always shines, the women are all beautiful, everyone speaks in folksy intonations, and even the mud has health-giving properties.

"Leaving the theater," Dolin writes, "just like after seeing a 3D film, you automatically start looking for the box in which to drop your rose-tinted glasses."

Fantasy Tatars

The film offers an unlikely take on the issue of Crimean Tatars. It opens with a young Crimean Tatar boy named Damir recalling how the original Kerch Strait bridge, a temporary wartime construction, was destroyed by winter ice in early 1945.

The scene is improbable at best, since the entire Crimean Tatar population was ruthlessly deported from the peninsula in 1944 by Stalin. In fact, Simonyan's masterpiece was filmed just a few dozen kilometers from the Arabat Spit, where the last pockets of Crimean Tatars who had escaped deportation were loaded onto a boat that was then scuttled in the Sea of Azov, drowning all aboard.

Damir, however, grieves because the destroyed bridge separates him from his wartime love, a Russian girl named Raya, who has gone missing.

Damir is a forgiving type. At one point, discussing his own family's fate under Stalin, he says simply, "They were sent away -- that means it had to be." At other points in the film, he has approving words for Stalin.

After the 2014 annexation of Crimea, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised the Crimean Tatars equal treatment and respect, despite the fact that the vast majority of them -- along with the UN -- refused to recognize Russia's takeover of the region.

In the years since, Crimean Tatars and international rights groups have denounced Russia's "persecution" of the group, noting harassment, threats, unlawful searches of their homes, physical violence, and disappearances.

Nothing of that sort makes it onto the sun-dappled screen of Simonyan's depiction of Crimea.

"In the film's finale, Damir and his newly found, beloved Raya meet again in an embrace on the just-completed bridge," Meduza's Dolin writes, "and all the other people suddenly disappear, as if they had never been there. Instead of them, innumerable Russian flags unfold on the breeze: the people are finally transformed into simple, comprehensible symbols...."

Simonyan's film was released almost exactly one year after the state-funded feature film Crimea by director Aleksei Pimanov, which gave a patriotic and Putin-friendly accounting of the events of 2014.
Norway summoned the Iranian ambassador in Oslo on November 1 to protest a suspected assassination plot against an Iranian Arab opposition figure in Denmark that allegedly involved a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin.

Denmark said on October 30 that it suspects the Iranian intelligence service tried to carry out an assassination on its soil. It is now calling for new European Union-wide sanctions against Tehran.

A Norwegian citizen of Iranian background was arrested in Sweden on October 21 in connection with the plot and extradited to Denmark, Swedish police have said.

"We see the situation that has arisen in Denmark as very serious and that a Norwegian citizen of Iranian background is suspected in this case," Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said.

She said that during her meeting with Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Hassan Habibollah Zadeh, "we underlined that the activity that has come to light through the investigation in Denmark is unacceptable."

The target of the alleged plot was the leader of the Danish branch of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA), Danish authorities said.

Danish police said they temporarily closed bridges and halted ferry services to neighboring Germany and Sweden at the end of September as part of their attempts to foil the plot.

ASMLA seeks a separate state for ethnic Arabs in Iran's oil-producing southwestern province of Khuzestan. Arabs are a minority in Iran, and some see themselves as under Persian occupation and want independence or autonomy.

The Norwegian citizen has denied the charges, and the Iranian government has also denied the alleged plot.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on October 31 met with other Nordic prime ministers in Norway and said he hoped to secure broader support for a unified response to Iran.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and Reuters
Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian says he made clear to U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton last week that Armenia will pursue its national interests and maintain "special relations" with its neighbor Iran.

Addressing the Armenian parliament on November 1, Pashinian said he told Bolton when he visited Yerevan last week that Armenia is a landlocked nation that does not have diplomatic relations with either neighboring Turkey or Azerbaijan, so it must retain "special relations" with its other two neighbors -- Iran and Georgia -- which he said are Armenia's only "gateways" to the outside world.

I reaffirm the position that we should have special relations with Iran and Georgia that would be as far outside geopolitical influences as possible. This position was very clearly formulated also during my meeting with Mr. Bolton, and I think that the position of Armenia was clear, comprehensible, and even acceptable to representatives of the U.S. delegation, the Armenian leader said.

Bolton visited the Caucasus nations of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan last week in part to push for compliance with the sanctions that the United States is reimposing on Iran's oil and financial sectors on November 5 after withdrawing from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers in April.

In an interview with RFE/RLs Armenian Service on October 25, Bolton said he told Pashinian that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump will enforce sanctions against Iran very vigorously. For that reason, he said, the Armenian-Iranian border is going to be a significant issue.

Obviously, we dont want to cause damage to our friends in the process, Bolton added.

Pashinian told the parliament that his response to Bolton was: We respect any countrys statement and respect the national interests of any country, but the Republic of Armenia has its own national and state interests, which do not always coincide with the interests and ideas of other countries, any other country.

Let no one doubt that we are fully building our activities on the basis of Armenias national interest  be it in our relations with the United States, Iran, Russia, all countries.

Pashinian made his remarks in response to a lawmaker's question about what effect the U.S. sanctions on Iran would have on Armenia.

Days after his talks with Pashinian and other foreign leaders, Bolton conceded that the White House is unlikely to achieve its stated goal of reducing Iran's oil exports to "zero" under the sanctions.

"We understand, obviously, [that] a number of countries -- some immediately surrounding Iran, some of which I just visited last week, others that have been purchasing oil [from Iran] -- may not be able to go all the way to zero immediately. So, we want to achieve maximum pressure [on Iran], but we don't want to harm friends and allies either, and we are working our way through that," Bolton told the Alexander Hamilton Society in Washington on October 31.

A hard-liner who has pushed for the toughest possible sanctions on Iran, Bolton's remarks suggested for the first time that the White House may be preparing to grant waivers from the sanctions to some countries like India, Turkey, and South Korea that have requested them.

Still, Bolton insisted that the sanctions already are having a powerful effect on Iran's economy, in particular helping to cause a collapse in Iran's currency, the rial, this year.

"Already, you see reduction in purchases in countries like China that you would not have expected -- countries that are still in the nuclear deal [with Iran]. We have also seen Chinese financial institutions withdrawing from engaging in transactions with Iran. European businesses are fleeing the Iranian market. Most of the big ones are already out," he said.
The presidents of Russia and Cuba have vowed to strengthen political, economic, and military ties and denounced what they called U.S. "interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign nations."

In a joint statement following talks in Moscow on November 2, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Russia's Vladimir Putin also called for closer integration between Moscow and Latin American nations.

The visit comes at a time of heightened tensions for both nations with the United States.

U.S. officials continue to assail Havana for its alleged human rights violations, while Moscow and Washington have several contentious issues between them -- including accusations, denied by Moscow, of Russian interference in U.S. elections, Moscow's aggressive actions in Ukraine, and its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Diaz-Canel invited Putin to visit Cuba in 2019. He has twice traveled there, in 2000 and 2014, as part of efforts to revive relations with the communist island nation.

In a news conference, Diaz-Canel said that "we are going to develop trade and economic ties" and raise them to a high level, citing joint projects in energy, transportation, metals, and biotechnology.

Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak told reporters that Moscow was close to agreeing to a 38 million euro loan for Cuba to help it buy Russian-made arms. He said the accord could be finalized within two weeks.

During the Cold War, Moscow provided billions of dollars in aid and subsidies to bolster the government of Fidel Castro, a fierce rival of the United States.

But support was slashed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, when Russia was no longer able to provide financial assistance.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and Interfax
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President Vladimir Putin was a no-show at ceremonies honoring the victims of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's Terror, while rights activists accused Putin's government of abuses of its own, including a sharp increase in the number of political prisoners. Russia's only aircraft carrier was back in the news after a dry dock plunged into the sea, a teenager died in a possible suicide attack on an FSB office, and "the country of Tolstoy" came under fire over the wars in Syria and eastern Ukraine.

Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward.

Just Remember This

Vladimir Putin often sends signals to Russians and the West with his words and actions -- driving a truck across a bridge to Crimea, say, or telling an audience that the aggressors in a nuclear war will "croak" within moments of launching an attack.

This week, as Russians solemnly honored the memory of the victims of Josef Stalin and the Soviet state, Putin sent a pretty clear message by saying and doing nothing at all.

A year after he opened the Wall Of Sorrow on the official Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression and said that "this horrific past must not be stricken from the national memory," Putin was absent from the all-day ceremony at the Moscow monument on October 30.

He was also a no-show the day before, when thousands of Russians lined up at Lubyanka Square, near the headquarters of the Soviet KGB and the Russian FSB, to read the names and occupations of thousands of long-dead relatives, friends, and citizens -- along with the date when each one was executed by the state in Stalin's Great Terror of 1937-38.

In short, pointed statements, several of them also called for the release of people they say are political prisoners of Putin's government today.

Political Prisoners

Their numbers are rising, according to Memorial, the human rights and historical-documentation group that organizes the Returning the Names ceremony at the Solovetsky Stone every year. Memorial said the number of political prisoners in Russia increased sharply in the past year, rising from at least 117 to at least 195.

Putin, who reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in a 16-year KGB career, headed the FSB for eight months in 1998-99 -- a short step in his swift rise from oblivion to the Kremlin. So he may have little interest in drawing attention to killings carried out, however long ago, by the secret police.

Despite the strong words last year, Putin's public remarks about the "horrible past" have been mixed -- in 2017, Putin said that the "excessive demonization" of Stalin was used as "a way of attacking the Soviet Union and Russia."

Arseny Roginsky, an activist who was chairman of the respected rights group Memorial and died in December 2017, accused the authorities of trying to push the memory of Stalin's abuses "to the distant periphery of the consciousness."

Another factor in Putin's decision to steer clear of the ceremonies could be that as he settles into his fourth term -- with no right to seek reelection in 2024 without changing the constitution -- his focus is less on the past than on the future. Specifically, on whether -- or exactly how -- to stay in power.

Evidence? There were two pieces of that this past week.

Room For Change

At an October 30 ceremony, Putin said that the electoral system was "constantly being perfected" and that such a "complex organism as Russia" must "adapt to the growth of political culture" and other developments.

As is often the case with Putin's remarks, on one level these seemed unremarkable and reasonable -- pallid and perfunctory comments about the need for gradual change.

On another level, though, they could reinforce suspicions -- generated by Constitutional Court head Valery Zorkin's article in the official government gazette in October -- that changes could be made to keep Putin in power, either as president or in some other role.

In another sign that he may be seeking ways increase control over Russia and discourage outbreaks of discontent amid uncertainty about the future, Putin signed the latest in a series of laws Kremlin critics say are intended to rein in street protests and stifle dissent.

It Sank

Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov  a 305-meter-long metaphor for Russia's assertive behavior on the world stage and the problems that hamper its progress -- was back in the news when the massive floating dry dock being used to stage costly repairs sank, sending a crane crashing down on deck and leaving one worker missing, now feared dead, and four injured.

The Admiral Kuznetsov made waves two years ago when it steamed toward Syria from the Russian Arctic, belching smoke as it circled around Europe and causing NATO countries concern.

As Russia's only aircraft carrier headed back home from the mission, Britain's defense chief called it the "ship of shame" for its role supporting Moscow's military campaign in Syria, which saved President Bashar al-Assad from possible defeat and strengthened his hold on power.

Throughout the throughout the nearly eight-year war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it began with a crackdown on protests against Assad's rule, Russia has used its position in global diplomacy and its veto power at in the UN Security Council to protect the Syrian president.

The latest evidence of its success in shielding Assad came at a summit between Putin and the leaders of Germany, France, and Turkey in Istanbul on October 27: A communique said that the leaders called for a committee tasked with creating a new Syrian constitution to convene before year's end, but there was no mention of Assad's fate.

Tolstoy's Country

Asked whether that issue had come up in the talks, Putin said that "no personalities were discussed" because, in his words, that would be counterproductive to the peace process.

Putin also said that Russia reserved the right to help Assad mount an offensive in Idlib Province, Syria's last rebel-held region, where an agreement between Turkey and Russia to establish a demilitarized zone averted a threatened assault by Russian-backed government forces in September.

The day before the summit, the outgoing UN envoy for Syria said that the United Nations was facing a "serious challenge" to its efforts to end the conflict because Assad's government was refusing to let the UN have any formal role in forming the constitutional committee.

Amid renewed fears of violence in Idlib and uncertainty about the fate of the diplomatic efforts to forge peace and a new constitution, the French ambassador to the UN said that "between war and peace in Syria, the key is largely in the country of Tolstoy."

The bearded count's country was also in the spotlight at the UN over its interference in Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists plan to hold elections in the territory they hold in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk on November 11.

'Sham Elections'

In a vote on October 30, Western states blocked a Russian bid to have a separatist figure in Luhansk brief the Security Council on what the U.S. deputy ambassador called "sham elections staged by Russia."

UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo said that elections held "outside Ukraine's constitutional and legal framework would be incompatible with the Minsk agreements," referring to a 2015 pact on a cease-fire and steps toward peace.

In a joint statement read out before the Security Council meeting, eight European Union countries called on Russia to "bring its considerable influence to bear to stop the so-called 'elections' from taking place."

That clearly won't happen, and several recent developments have done nothing to improve the already dim-seeming prospects for implementation of the Minsk agreements -- which were supposed to restore Kyiv's full control over its border with Russia by the end of 2015.

The dispute over the Ecumenical Patriarch's decision to bless the creation of a Ukrainian Orthodox Church free of control from the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church has added to strains that have only worsened since Russia seized Crimea and backed the separatists in 2014.

The rift widened further on November 1, when Russia retaliated for sanctions imposed by Kyiv by hitting 322 Ukrainians and 68 companies with punitive measures that include the freezing of any assets or property they hold in Russia.

'Pretty Scary'

Back home, the Kremlin got what observers said should be a serious scare when, according to the authorities, a 17-year-old student at a local technical college was killed and three Federal Security Service (FSB) officers were injured when explosives the teenager brought into an FSB office in the northwestern city of Arkhangelsk detonated.

Media reports said that minutes before the blast on October 31, a member of an anarchist group on Telegram posted about his intentions to attack the FSB building in Arkhangelsk, saying that the FSB "fabricates cases and tortures people."

The source of the post could not be confirmed. But Andrei Soldatov, an author and expert on Russia's security services, wrote on Twitter that it appeared to be "the first suicide attack carried out not by a usual suspect" -- a reference to the fact that such bombings in the past have almost invariably been claimed by or blamed on Islamic militants.

"Pretty scary development for FSB," Soldatov wrote in the tweet.

It came two weeks after the authorities said an 18-year-old student mounted a bomb-and-gun attack on his college on the Russian-controlled Crimean Peninsula, killing 20 of his fellow students and faculty and fatally shooting himself.
A court in Russia's autonomous republic of Bashkortostan has ordered the arrests of three police officers in the regional capital, Ufa, on suspicion of raping a colleague.

The Kirov District court in Ufa ruled on November 2 that the police chiefs of the Ufa and Karmaskaly districts and the chief of the migration department of Ufa must be held in pretrial detention until December 31.

The three men are suspected of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman who works at the Ufa police department as an investigator.

On November 1, Bashkortostan's Interior Ministry announced that all three suspects in the case were dismissed from the republic's police force.

Russian Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said investigators from the ministry have been sent to Bashkortostan to look into the case.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS
WASHINGTON -- The United States says that eight "jurisdictions" will receive temporary exemptions to sanctions set to be imposed on Irans oil and financial industries in three days, but that Washington will "aggressively enforce" the measures designed to put "maximum pressure" on Tehran.

Speaking in a telephone briefing with reporters on November 2, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined to specify which countries or entities would receive waivers but said the list will be made public on November 5.

Pompeo also did not say whether "jurisdictions" referred to countries or political blocs, but he did specify that the European Union as an entity would not be receiving a waiver.

Separately, Turkey and Iraq said they have been told they would be granted waivers, although U.S. officials did not immediately confirm those claims.

Washington's move brought a rare rebuke from its closest allies, with the EU, Germany, and Britain in a joint statement saying they "deeply regret" the U.S. decision to reinstate sanctions against Iran.

U.S. allies fought unsuccessfully to convince Washington to remain a part of a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and have promised to help Tehran counter the financial damage caused by the sanctions and to protect European companies doing "legitimate" business with Tehran.

Washington is moving to reimpose sanctions on Iran's oil sector that were lifted under the nuclear deal in exchange for curbs on Iran's atomic activities.

President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the pact in May and began reimposing sanctions on the Iranian economy in August, saying the terms of the accord were not strict enough to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and accusing Tehran of supporting militant activity in the region. Iran denies that.

As part of the new round of sanctions, the White House has warned Iran's customers that they must reduce their purchases of oil to zero or face U.S. penalties. The waivers will allow the jurisdictions to temporarily continue imports of Iranian oil.

After the announcement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi told state TV that "we have already prepared for these sanctions in advance, and there is therefore no reason to worry."



Earlier, Deputy Oil Minister Ali Kardor was quoted by state TV as asserting that the granting of waivers was proof that Iran's crude was crucial to preserving the efficient functioning of world oil markets.

"The waivers granted to these eightshow that the market needs Iran's oil and it cannot be pulled out of the market, Deputy Oil Minister Ali Kardor was quoted by state TV as saying.

Pompeo said the sanctions, and other previous wider measures, were designed to "fundamentally alter the behavior" of the Iranian government, which Washington has long accused of supporting militant activity and terrorism throughout the Middle East.

The moves have contributed to great stress on the Iranian economy and helped lead to a near-collapse of the country's currency, the rial.

In response to the threat of U.S. sanctions, several major European companies announced they were suspending operations in Iran, including energy giant Total; carmakers Peugeot, Renault, and Daimler; aviation companies Airbus, Air France, and British Airways; and German corporate giants Siemens and Deutsche Telecom.

Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the briefing that the fresh sanctions will target Iran's energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and financial sectors.

They said some 700 entities would be added to the list of previously sanctioned individuals and entities.

Among them will be several Iranian banks, the list of which will also be published on November 5.

Temporary Relief

Prior to the announcement of the waivers, Washington had suggested it might grant temporary relief to some countries. Bloomberg News reported that South Korea, Japan, and India were among those receiving waivers.

India, which is Iran's second-largest customer for oil, had said it would not be able to immediately replace its Iranian imports, while South Korea asked for "maximum flexibility" on its request for a waiver to ease the financial impact on companies there.

Meanwhile, acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said he made clear to U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton during his visit to Armenia in late October that Armenia will pursue its national interests and maintain "special relations" with neighboring Iran, without being more specific about oil imports.

In an interview with RFE/RLs Armenian Service on October 25, Bolton said he told Pashinian the U.S. administration would enforce sanctions against Iran "very vigorously." For that reason, he said, the Armenian-Iranian border is "going to be a significant issue."

Other countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan, also depend on some imports from Iran.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, RFE/RLs Armenian Service, and Bloomberg
A mother of four has been vilified by Russian media in Crimea for protesting against what she says may be continuing leaks from a chemical plant. The factory was shut down and hundreds of children temporarily evacuated in September due to a sulfur dioxide leak, but reopened on October 20.
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The Break Hotel, located at 1208 Ocean Road in Narragansett, was named a top lodging option in New England for the second time.
Multiple students have been arrested throughout the last month for allegedly threatening schools in District 308. On Oct. 1, a 16-year-old Montgomery juvenile was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly wrote threats on two bathroom walls at Oswego High School. Police officials said he is a student at the high school. He allegedly wrote down a list of names and threatened violence at the school and the date 10/9/18.
However, according to information from the library, if the measure passes residents would not see much of a change in the overall tax rate, because the librarys current rate for paying off construction bonds of a little more than seven cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation will be eliminated when the debt is retired in December.
Cruise ship company to begin operating out of Puerto Morelos reports secretary of tourism

Puerto Morelos, Q.R.  A cruise company is anticipating the start of a new service out of Puerto Morelos in early 2019 with cruises to Cuba and the Caribbean.

Marisol Vanegas Perez, the Secretary of Tourism, says that Capri Cruises is in their final stage of approval that would allow them to operate a home port in Puerto Morelos beginning Easter.

The cruise ship will have capacity for 800 passengers and set sail from Puerto Morelos to a route that would travel through Cuba, among other areas of the Caribbean.

Vanegas Perez says the company is processing environmental permits as well as the corresponding licenses before the Port Authority of Quintana Roo and the Ministry of Communications and Transportation.

He says as long as the project meets all the requirements of legal and environmental conditions, they will support this and any other project that represents a new investment for the state.

If the service is approved for 2019, Capri Cruises services would include a charter flight from the United States to embark its cruise passengers in Puerto Morelos, generating hotel stays prior to leaving the ship and later upon returning from their cruise.

With the announcement came objections from many hotel owners who say the home port ship will take away from their occupancy rates since the ship offers overnight stays. They also said that the charter flights would lead to a decrease in plane seats into Cancun since these would be occupied by travelers who would only set foot in the Mexican Caribbean to embark on a cruise.

However Vanegas Perez says that this new segment of tourists would not occupy spaces in regular flights to Cancun.

Head of the Association of Hotels of Cancun and Puerto Morelos, Roberto Cintron Gomez said that they are rejecting the project because the competition cheapens the destination generated by the cruises throughout the Cancun-Riviera Maya corridor by attracting tourists of low economic income with an average stay of just three nights.
Today, wild virus polio has been basically eradicated in every country except Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Nigeria, great strides have been made. At one time, officials thought it was eradicated there too, but several cases made them restart the clock on whether or not it was eradicated in Nigeria. There must be no cases of the disease for three years before declaring it eradicated.
Adiza Shardow as Private Sarah Findlay. Photo by Sam Taylor.

Sheffield Theatres and Out of Joint

Until Saturday, November 10

A WOMANS place is in the trenches, according to a hair-raising new play now showing in Sheffield.

Close Quarters follows Pte Sarah Findlay (Adiza Shardow) into action on the Estonia-Russia border.

She fights alongside childhood friend Pte Alison Cormack (Chloe-Ann Tylor), foul-mouthed Pte Clare Davies (Sophie Melville) and LCpl Brian Armstrong (Dylan Wood).

Under Sgt John Adeyemi (Bradley Banton) and Cpt Alison Sands (Kathryn OReilly), they scout the border territory as political tensions rise.

Close Quarters explores issues of race, identity, women on the front line and their relationship with male grunts, capturing the banter, humour and tension of these extraordinary young women.

Shardow does an exceptional job, considering she was called in as a last-minute replacement days before the show began its run.

Her character grapples with low self-esteem as she tries to convince her comrades others that she deserves her infantry role.

Her relationship with Pte Cormack is put under strain as the pressures of active duty mount  and Pte Davies grows annoyed at playing third wheel.

And while all three share respect for the veteran Cpt Sands, an ulterior motive for her service soon becomes apparent.

Director Kate Wasserberg and writer Catriona Craig portray a harrowing scenario for the privates as they embark on a dangerous scouting mission in the Estonian woods which almost ends in disaster.

Set designer Max Jones and lighting designer Sarah Jane Shiels excellent work adds to the drama of a nail-biting scene.

Close Quarters captures the drama and tension not just of being on the front line but also of living and working with close friends in highly-pressured situations.
Teachers, curriculum coordinators, school and district administrators have a process to vet the deletions, additions and revisions we need to make for the course catalogue to stay relevant and make sure the courses are as vibrant for students as they can be, he told the board. We also want to make sure the courses are keeping pace with the different ways education is moving in our society.
AN MP backing the Advertisers campaign to tackle stress and anxiety in schools has called a government budget bonus for mental health well short of what experts say is needed.

John Healey, MP for Wentworth and Dearne, said he feared that extra funding promised by the Chancellor this week would come too late for many children.

Last week, the Advertiser launched its Class Action campaign against failing mental health in schools - demanding more help for students and teachers.

Our campaign comes after a survey by Mr Healey found more students and teachers were suffering mental health problems.

Mr Healey wants to see counsellors appointed in every school and shorter waiting times for those needing help - both of which the Advertiser is backing.

This week, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced a 2 billion increase in funding for the UK mental health sector over the next six years.

His plans include mental health staff in every A&E department, a dedicated mental health hotline and childrens crisis teams around the country.

Mr Healey said: The 2b budget commitment is welcome, but well short of what experts say is needed.

My main fear is this new money will come too late.

My report showed we have a mental health crisis in our schools now, yet this funding is not due for five years as the Budget Red Book small print admits it wont be in place until 2022-23.

He added: I am set to see the Schools Minister next month with some of our local headteachers, so we will tackle him on the deal of plans for schools mental health teams and on making funding available faster.

Sean Duggan is chief executive of the Mental Health Network, which is part of the NHS Confederation.

Responding to the budget, he said: The scale of the challenge the sector faces cannot be underestimated - a five per cent annual increase in the mental health budget is absolutely necessary in order to achieve true parity with physical health.

It is positive to see that specialist crisis teams for children and younger people will be set up in every part of the country, as we know how important it is to address mental illness as early as possible.

However, we must keep our eyes on the immediate needs of our core inpatient and community mental health services.

We must also remember that social care, capital budgets and public health will need additional funding.
They found the teeth after knocking out a wall on the buildings second floor. While its unclear why the teeth were inside the wall, Harry Evans, a researcher for the Lowndes County Historical Society and Museum, told the media the building was once occupied by a dentist named Clarence Whittington, in 1900. The building was then occupied by a different dentist, Dr. Lester G. Youmans, until at least 1930. Whats even more unusual, this isnt the first time human teeth have been found in older buildings in the state. Teeth have been found in buildings in both Greensboro and Carrollton.



Teeth from inside the wall

Dentists at the time may have done this to dispose of pulled teeth, IFLScience reported. Here at the historical museum, we see them having another story, the researcher Davis said, adding he would be interested in trying to have DNA testing performed on the teeth. The City of Valdosta is holding a giveaway on social media. A portion of the found teeth have been placed in a jar and whoever can guess how many are in the container will win. Theyre offering a prize to the person who can guess the exact amount of teeth. The discovery is also considered a unique way to promote downtown Valdosta. They want to come down, they want to learn about the teeth, they want to see the building where they were found. If they just come and hang out and buy a cup of coffee, thatll be a win for all of us, said Ellen Hill with Valdosta Main Street.
Signature Bridge on the Yamuna

New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI): The much-awaited Signature Bridge on the Yamuna is set to open for public on November 5, with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia inspecting the infrastructure project Friday. As per the project plan, the bridge, which will reduce the travel time between north and northeast Delhi, will have designated selfie spots. Delhiites will be able to enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the top of the bridge, where they will be taken in four elevators with a total capacity of carrying 50 people.

Kejriwal to inaugurate Signature Bridge on November 5

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The elevators area likely to be operational in two months, an official said. He said the bridge will serve as a tourist destination with the 154-metre-high glass box giving a bird's-eye view of the city to visitors. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to inaugurate the bridge on November 4 and it will be thrown open for public on November 5. Talking to reporters during the inspection, Sisodia said the bridge will become a tourist spot.

Manish Sisodia inspecting the infrastructure project

Announced in 2004, the bridge has missed several deadlines since 2011. The proposal for the bridge, mooted in 2004, received approval of the Delhi Cabinet in 2007. It was initially expected to be completed at a modified estimate of Rs 1,131 crore for the Commonwealth Games, held in Delhi in October 2010. In 2015, the cost of the project rose to Rs 1,594 crore. Reportedly, the bridge was proposed for the first time as early as in 1997 at an initial cost of Rs 464 crore. The bridge will share the burden of vehicular traffic currently borne by the Wazirabad bridge.
DGP, Punjab Suresh Arora releasing a book titled "Report on Punjab Road Accidents and Traffic-2017"

Spokesman News Service: Chandigarh November 2: Director General of Police, Punjab, Suresh Arora today released a book titled as "Report on Punjab Road Accidents and Traffic-2017" which gives in detail of road safety scenario in Punjab. Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan ADGP Traffic and Navdeep Asija traffic advisor Punjab took the lead in compiling the details of road accidents and traffic projections in the state for the second consecutive year.

Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Punjab Police said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) releases such a booklet at the national level annually but Punjab compiles its traffic situation separately to analyze road safety arrangements. He added that the Supreme Court Committee for monitoring road safety has also appreciated this fact.

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He further informed that this book would be circulated to all Deputy Commissioners/CoP/SSsP to analyze road safety and accident scenario in their respective areas of jurisdiction and take remedial steps to reduce accidents and deaths on road. In addition to this, the copy of the e-book would also be uploaded on the website of the Punjab Police to make it available for the public, students, researchers etc. for use of data at their end.

Giving details about this book Dr Sharad Chauhan ADGP Traffic said last year on an average of 12 people lost their lives daily in road accidents in Punjab. "Sharpest decline of 12.1% road fatalities observed in the state last year against the rising trend of previous years. This is the sharpest yearly decline achieved by the state of Punjab in this decade", he added.

Dr Chauhan revealed that 2.25% of the total countrys population of lives in Punjab but its share in the total road accident deaths was varying from 3.3 to 3.5% of road accident deaths of India in the last five years. About 60-67% of the total road fatalities occurred on National and State Highways, both comprises of 5.4% of the total road length in Punjab. City wise five cities of Punjab mainly Ludhiana, Patiala, Shri Amritsar Sahib, Bathinda, Mohali, and Jalandhar alone contributed 15% deaths to the total road fatalities in Punjab, he added.

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ADGP Traffic said the number of fatalities per million population of Punjab was 148, against the national average of 119. Three districts of Punjab Rupnagar, S.A.S Nagar and Fatehgarh Sahib ranked number 1, 2 and 3, respectively where the rate of fatal road accidental deaths was almost double than the states average. In the year 2017, out of 22, all 18 districts reported in a decrease in road fatalities except for the district Rupnagar and S.A.S. Nagar, Fazilka and Tarantaran. Continuous decline in the road fatalities was observed in all 12 months of the year 2017, as compared with the previous year 2016, he added.

Dr Chauhan informed that as per the report, over speeding was the leading cause of deaths in Punjab. In the year 2017, a total 2,363 people died in road accidents due to over speeding. A total of 462 people died due to road accidents in three Police Commissionerate jurisdictions, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Amritsar that account for 10.4% in the total share of road accident fatalities in the state. Age wise, 75% of the people involved in various fatal road accidents, were from the age group of 18 to 45. Road accident is one of the leading causes of young people deaths in Punjab, he added.

As per the data available, motor vehicles are growing at 9-10% rate in Punjab and last year on an average daily, 300 new cars and 1700 two-wheelers were registered in Punjab. The total cumulative registered vehicle in Punjab till March 2017 were 98,59,742. At the same time in 2017, neighboring state in the plains, Haryana recorded with an increase of 3.5% in road fatalities and Rajasthan with almost negligible change of -0.2%.

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As per the socio-economic cost analysis, Dr Chauhan informed that Punjab saved Rs. 620 crores due to a reduction in road accidents compared with the previous year based on the socio economic cost calculations devised by the planning commission and Mondel et al.
GS Kangar, Power & NRES Minister, Punjab conferring the State level Award for Excellence in Energy Conservation to the winners in various categories of institutions, organizations and buildings

Spokesman News Service: Chandigarh, November 2: Conferring the State level Award for Excellence in Energy Conservation to ten industrialists, representatives of the establishments and organizations in a ceremony held in PEDA Auditorium, Chandigarh, Mr. GS Kangar, Power & NRES Minister, Punjab said that the State sincerely recognizes industries and establishments that have taken special efforts to promote energy efficiency and the adoption of clean and innovative technologies in industrial and other sectors.

The Minister emphasized on the need of energy conservation and energy efficiency in the state to meet the gap between the demand and supply of power. He stressed upon the need to adopt renewable energy sources and use power judiciously by adopting energy conservation and energy efficiency measures. He said that the demand of power is increasing day by day with the expansion of industry and need of infrastructure.

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The power is mainly being generated from fossil fuels such as coal, gas, petroleum which are depleting day by day and polluting the environment by releasing carbon dioxide emission. So , it is pertinent to shift from the conventional power generation to renewable energy sources such as Solar, Hydel, Biomass and co-generation power production which is clean and green energy, said he.

The minister informed that with the concerted efforts of PEDA, 1600 MW capacity renewable energy projects have been installed in the state of Punjab which is about 14% of the total installed capacity. At the same time, efforts are afoot to use energy judiciously by adopting energy conservation measures in different sectors of the economy such as industrial, agriculture, commercial, municipal and domestic.

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On the occasion, Mrs. Vineeta Kanwal, Joint Director, Bureau of Energy Efficiency spoke about the energy efficiency programs initiated in the Centre and appreciated the efforts made by PEDA as State Designated Agency (SDA) for implementation of the Energy Conservation Act-2001.

Mr. Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa, Chief Executive Officer, PEDA highlighted the initiatives taken under energy conservation programs in the state. The awareness of energy conservation is being created through workshops / seminars, print / electronic media and mainly through school children by organizing painting/ debate competitions on the theme of energy conservation / energy efficiency.

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The function was attended by different category of consumers from Energy Intensive Industries (Designated Consumers), Commercial Buildings, Govt. Buildings, Architects and Municipal Corporations. Mr. Balour Singh, Executive Director, PEDA thanked all the participants and impressed upon adopting energy conservation measures at works and residences.

The units who took extra efforts for efficient utilization management and conservation of energy during the last two years in the state and were bestowed with the prestigious State level Award for Excellence in Energy Conservation include Nabha Power Limited, Patiala and Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant, Lehra Mohabbat, Bathinda at first and second place respectively in Thermal Power Plant Category .

Rishab Spinning Mills, Ludhiana and Vardhman Spinning & General Mills, Ludhiana bagged first and second place respectively in Textile category. Amongst the Large and medium scale Manufacturing Enterprises Nectar Lifesciences Ltd. Unit II, Derabassi, Mohali stood first while Diesel Loco Modernisation Works, Patiala stood second.

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In the Commercial Buildings( government/private) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited Main TE Bldg. MTS Nagar, Jalandhar was first and Anandpur Sahib Foundation, Virasat-e-Khalsa, Anadpur Sahib stood second. Similarly, in the Educational Institutions (Government & Private Buildings) category Indian School of Business, Mohali bagged the first position followed by Gian Jyoti Group of Institutions, Patiala at second position. All the award winners were given a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 for the First Position and Rs. 30,000 for Second Position and a Memento and a Certificate.
Punjab declines to grant monthly financial assistance

By: Niel Bhalinder Singh: Chandigarh, 2nd November: In resumed proceedings (on Wednesday, 31st October), of the Contempt Petition filed by H.C. Arora, Advocate, against Sh. Sarvesh Kaushal (the then Chief Secretary, Punjab) and others), the Punjab Government filed an affidavit under the signatures of N.D. Sharma, Under-Secretary, Department of Social Security and Women and Child Development, Punjab on behalf of the State of Punjab.

Wherein it has been stated that the scheme for giving financial assistance to acid attack victims was framed in 2016, with women acid attack victims in mind as the main reasons for the females to become a victim of such acid attack is to thwart the physical or sexual advances, spurned lovers, sexual harassment, eve teasing and other reasons incidental thereto. Due to such attacks, the females face great hardship in their lives.

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A fortune of life earnings of such females is spent on various medical procedures to reverse the physical damage. Besides such victims are not treated as a part of community and they live to fend for themselves and to live a life of penury. The State of Punjab therefore, is not inclined to grant monthly financial assistance, as envisaged in the similar scheme framed by the State of Haryana, where under the acid attack victim girls, women and boys up to 18 years of age residing in Haryana are entitled to monthly financial assistance at the rate of Rs. 8,000/- per month w.e.f. 2.5.2011 onwards.

The State of Punjab has stated that such male acid attack victims may claim disability pension at the rate of Rs. 750/- per month. On the other hand, the State of Haryana has produced a copy of notification dated 8.5.2018 before the Court of Justice A.G. Masih which envisages the payment of monthly assistance to acid attack victim girls, women and boys up to 18 years of age residing in Haryana at the rate of Rs.8,000/- per month.

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As the respondents produced their respective schemes and notifications before the HC Bench, the petitioner Advocate H.C. Arora, appearing in person, vehemently contended that the State of Punjab had undertaken before the PIL Bench to follow the scheme of monthly financial assistance to be framed by the State of Haryana, it cannot now turn around to say that it is not inclined to grant such monthly financial assistance to male acid attack victims, because the State of Haryana has issued the notification for giving such financial assistance at the rate of Rs. 8,000/- per month to the acid attack victim girls, women and boys up to 18 years.

The petitioner also protested against the provisions of the scheme framed by the State of Haryana where under such monthly financial assistant of Rs. 8,000/- per month is envisaged to be given to male acid attack victims only, if they are up to 18 years of age. The petitioner contended that acid attack victims cannot be discriminated on the basis of sex, nor such financial assistance can be restricted only to male acid attack victims up to the age of 18 years.

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He cited certain instances where males of more than 18 years age were attacked, and one such male acid attack victim (Malkeet Singh of Dhuri Tehsil) had lost vision of both his eyes on account of acid attack, resulting into loss of livelihood also. The HC Bench after hearing the submissions on behalf of the petitioner and the Law Officers of the Punjab and Haryana Governments, adjourned the matter to 15.12.2018, for hearing arguments at length.
Legalizing panhandling not a good idea: Oh boy, panhandling is legal now. I didnt know it was illegal because they are everywhere you look. Theres somebody holding up a sign. Good luck cleaning up the downtown when people go in there and will be approached for money. They dont just hold up a sign, they come up to you and ask for $2 or a cigarette or something. Hesed House provides food, shelter and clothing, so you are pretty much enabling them for their substance abuse, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, whatever it is. There was a guy who use to be a regular out at the McDonalds on Union Street faking a limp. Then he would be miraculously cured and go into Walgreens there and buy a bottle of booze. Its a bad idea.
The old report card did not do a very good job of measuring improvement in the area of student performance. Heres why: Every year the report card measured student performance in a specific grade. If you looked at the report card from one year to the next, you would be comparing a completely different set of students.
In the most recent battle in the unending war between farmers and bugs, the bugs are biting back by adapting to crops genetically engineered to kill them.

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identifies a dominantly inherited mutation that confers resistance to engineered cotton in caterpillars of the cotton bollworm, one of the world's most destructive crop pests. The study's cutting-edge use of genomics and gene editing signals a new era in global efforts to promote more sustainable pest control.

Cotton, corn and soybean have been genetically engineered to produce pest-killing proteins from the widespread soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt. Non-toxic to people and wildlife including bees, these environmentally friendly Bt proteins have been used in sprays by organic growers for more than 50 years and in engineered Bt crops planted by millions of farmers worldwide on a cumulative total of more than two billion acres since 1996.

Entomologists at the University of Arizona, the University of Tennessee and the Nanjing Agricultural University in China collaborated in the three-part study. Their goals were to pinpoint the mutation conferring Bt resistance in bollworms, precisely edit one bollworm gene to prove this mutation causes resistance and discover how the resistance is spreading through cotton fields in China.

"It's a remarkable detective story," said Bruce Tabashnik, Regents' Professor in the UA Department of Entomology and co-author of the study. "Without the latest advances in genetic technology, it would not have been possible to find the single DNA base pair change causing resistance among the hundreds of millions of base pairs in the bollworm's genome."

For years, scientists have known that insects can evolve resistance to Bt proteins, just as they have to conventional insecticides. However, Bt resistance is inherited recessively in nearly all previously studied cases. This means insects must have two copies of the resistance gene -- one from each parent -- to enable them to feed and survive on the Bt crop.

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To combat resistance, farmers plant refuges of non-Bt crops, where susceptible insects can thrive. The idea is the rare resistant insects will mate with the more abundant susceptible insects from refuges, producing offspring that harbor only one copy of the resistance gene. With recessively inherited resistance, such offspring do not survive on the Bt crop.

Though refuges do not stop evolution of resistance altogether, they can delay it substantially -- particularly when resistance is recessive.

But in China, the paper reports, dominant bollworm resistance to Bt is on the rise. Only one copy of a dominant mutation makes a bollworm resistant.

Because the genetic basis of dominant Bt resistance was previously unknown, the researchers had to scrutinize the bollworm's entire genome to find the culprit. By comparing the DNA of resistant and susceptible bollworms, they narrowed the search from 17,000 genes to a region of just 21 genes associated with resistance.

"But only 17 of those genes code for proteins that are produced by the caterpillars," Tabashnik said, explaining that only the bollworm caterpillars feed on cotton and can be killed by Bt proteins.

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"In comparing the sequences of those 17 genes between the strains, there was only one consistent difference," Tabashnik said. "There was one position where all of the resistant bollworms had one DNA base pair and all of the susceptible bollworms had a different DNA base pair."

This pivotal base pair is in a newly identified gene named HaTSPAN1, which codes for a tetraspanin -- a protein containing four segments that span cell membranes. Although the normal function of HaTSPAN1 is not known, many other tetraspanins are important in cell-to-cell communication. Despite nearly 30,000 previous studies of either Bt or tetraspanins, the new study is the first to find a strong connection between them.

With the mutant base pair identified, the second challenge was to determine if this single mutation causes resistance. To find out, the research team used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to precisely alter only the HaTSPAN1 gene. When the gene was disrupted in resistant bollworms, they became completely susceptible to Bt. Conversely, when the mutation was inserted in the DNA of susceptible bollworms, they became resistant -- proving this single base pair change alone can cause resistance.

The final step was to test the hypothesis that this mutation contributes to resistance to Bt cotton in the field. By screening for the mutation in the DNA of thousands of preserved bollworm moths collected between 2006 and 2016, the researchers found the frequency of the mutation increased by a factor of 100, from 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10.

The resistant bollworms are not yet numerous enough to noticeably decrease cotton production in China, but the dominant gene is spreading faster than other resistance genes. Tabashnik's analysis predicts that if the current trend continues, half of northern China's cotton bollworms will have resistance conferred by this mutation within five years.

"If things continue on the same trajectory, this is the mutation that is going to cause problems for the farmers in the field," said Tabashnik.

It is early enough, however, for farmers in China to change their tactics and ward off Bt resistance. The paper mentions they could switch from cotton that produces only one Bt protein to the types of cotton grown in the United States and Australia, which produce two or three distinct Bt proteins. Tabashnik hopes the new research will spur enhanced sustainability for farmers.

"It gives them the information to make constructive, proactive decisions before it's too late," Tabashnik said.

By sampling pest populations from year to year, farmers and researchers may be able to learn which methods are most effective for thwarting resistance.

Understanding bollworm resistance has global implications because it occurs in over 150 countries and now threatens to invade the United States.

"It will be interesting to screen for this mutation in cotton bollworm from Australia, India, and Brazil," said Yidong Wu, a professor of entomology at Nanjing Agricultural University who led the research in China.

Of course, the technology to scan genomes is not limited to one species of crop pest.

"The data shows that genomic scans will be helpful in monitoring resistance evolution not only for Bt, but for insecticides in general," said Fred Gould, who was not involved in the study but is a professor of entomology at North Carolina State University and member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Environmental conditions could play a major role in the instigation of fights within the animal kingdom, according to new research.

Scientists at the University of Plymouth have discovered that different flow regimes and oxygen levels within the marine environment are likely to result in conflict.

Writing in the Journal of Experimental Biology, they say that conditions also play a key role in an individual's resources of strength and stamina and -- consequently -- their success in such battles.

The study is part of a long-term investigation into the behaviour of sea anemones, funded through a grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Professor Mark Briffa and Dr Sarah Lane, from the University's Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, have previously demonstrated the influence of both immune function and prior experience on the likelihood of fighting success.

They have also shown that creatures who instigate fights are just as likely to suffer long term harm as those defending themselves.

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However, the current study could be particularly relevant amid continuing changes to the marine environment brought on by global warming.

Dr Lane, a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, said: "The coastal environment that these sea anemones live in is rarely stable. We wanted to understand how such changes might affect the fights which take place in the wild. Our results revealed conditions can not only prompt fights but completely alter both an individual's ability to fight and its motivation."

The study focused on the beadlet sea anemone Actinia equina, which is found in large quantities on coastlines across the UK.

Scientists exposed some creatures to decreased levels of oxygen (hypoxia) within tanks and then examined their willingness to fight over a prize they would encounter in the wild, fast-flowing water.

The results showed those anemones who had been living in aerated water were more likely to initiate combat, and more successful in it, than their oxygen-deprived rivals.

However, those housed in hypoxic conditions were still willing to start fights -- and succeeded in them -- against those from similar conditions.

Professor Briffa, who has been studying animal behaviour within the marine environment for more than 20 years, added: "Typically we think of fighting prowess as an intrinsic trait of individual animals. Our new study shows that external conditions can cause differences in fighting ability, in a way that influences the outcome of a fight and has the potential to be seen throughout the animal kingdom."
Members of a majority group tend to hold negative views of minority-group individuals who claim more than one identity, according to new Yale-led research. The negative bias is driven by fear that dual-identity individuals will be disloyal to the majority, the researchers said.

Yet, the bias can be offset when minority-group members demonstrate their loyalty to the majority or dominant group. The paper was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Increases in immigration worldwide have caused a clash between immigrants who prefer to hold dual identities -- such as "Arab" and "American" -- and majority-group members who prefer assimilation. To understand the psychology behind majority-group bias against those with two identities, Yale researchers conducted five experimental studies.

In the first study, through an online platform, the research team recruited study participants who were randomly assigned to different scenarios. The researchers provided half of the participants with information about the 2015 ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in San Bernadino, California; others were given no details about the attack. Then participants were asked to assess the loyalty of a fictional immigrant named Mohammed, who they were told either identified as American only, or as both American and Arab.

The researchers found that the participants felt significantly less positively about the immigrant espousing a dual identity compared to those with a single, common identity. The negative bias was greater for those primed with the example of the terrorist attack, the researchers said.

These findings confirm the researchers' hypothesis that majority-group concerns about the loyalty of a minority group are strongly influenced by the perception of threat, and by minority group preference for a dual identity.

This majority-group fear of a minority's "divided loyalties" was further confirmed in four subsequent studies using different scenarios. Yet, in one of their experiments, the researchers also discovered that the negative bias toward dual-identifiers could be disrupted under certain conditions. Participants felt more positively toward minority-group members -- even those preferring two identities -- if they had been told that the minority individual had risked his or her life for the majority.

Taken together, the experiments offer insight into the underlying psychology of intergroup conflicts. "People value loyalty and they tend to expect it from newcomers," said first author Jonas Kunst. "This can be seen as a natural tendency that people show across contexts."

Yet this understanding of the reasons behind majority-group suspicions of minorities can help improve dynamics between groups, as well as the treatment of immigrants and minorities. "If the common assumption is that immigrant groups are disloyal to the nation they move to, challenging this assumption might offset this kind of skepticism and improve relations across societies," he said.

Other authors are John Dovidio of Yale and Lotte Thomsen of the University of Oslo and Aarhus University.

This work was funded by grant 0602-01839B from the Danish Research Council and grant 231157/F10 from the Norwegian Research Council.
Compared with U.S. states with the strictest gun control legislation, gun deaths among children and teenagers are twice as common in states with the most lax gun laws, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has found.

In addition, states with laws that restrict children's access to guns have lower rates of firearm-related suicides among youth, even after controlling for other factors, the study said.

The research will be presented in a scientific talk Nov. 5 at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2018 National Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Florida.

The title of the presentation is "Strict Firearm Legislation Is Associated With Lower Firearm-Related Fatalities Among Children and Teens in the United States."

"A child is 82 times more likely to die in our country of a firearm injury than in any other developed nation," said senior author Stephanie Chao, MD, assistant professor of surgery at Stanford. "We focus a lot on the federal government and the things they can do to protect our children from firearms. But our study shows that what states do at the state level really does have an impact."

The lead authors of the study are former graduate student Sriraman Madhavan and postdoctoral scholar Jordan Taylor, MD.

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Chao, a pediatric surgeon, is the medical director of trauma care at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, where her role includes investigating how to prevent serious childhood injuries. "If you look at what causes injury deaths in U.S. children, sadly, firearms are always in the top five," she said.

Gun death data

Chao's team used 2014 and 2015 data on firearm deaths of individuals 0 to 19 years old from the National Vital Statistics System, which is maintained by the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics. About 2,715 children died of firearm injuries each year. Of those deaths, 62.1 percent were homicides, 31.4 percent were suicides and the remaining deaths were accidental, of undetermined intent or the result of legal interventions.

The researchers examined the firearm laws of all 50 states. They rated the overall stringency of each state's gun laws as of 2014 using a metric called the Brady score, which ranged from -39 in the least strict state, Arizona, to +76 in the strictest state, California. (The score is named for James Brady, who has advocated for gun control since being permanently disabled in the 1981 assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan.) The researchers also evaluated whether each state had child access prevention laws, which were classified in two groups: legislation that requires storing guns safely (locked or unloaded, or both), and laws that impose liability for failing to prevent minors from gaining access to guns.

Analyses of the relationship between gun deaths and gun laws were controlled for many socioeconomic and demographic factors, including unemployment rates, poverty, urbanization, alcohol dependence, tobacco and marijuana use, and high school graduation rates. The analyses also accounted for the strictness of gun laws in each state's neighboring states and the number of registered firearms per 100,000 children in each state.

The researchers grouped the states by Brady score. Before adjusting for socioeconomic and demographic factors, the states in the highest quartile -- with the strictest laws -- had an annual youth firearm mortality rate of 2.6 per 100,000, while states in the lowest quartile, with the least strict laws, had nearly twice that mortality rate, at 5.0 per 100,000. States' Brady scores were still significantly correlated with pediatric gun deaths after controlling for other factors.

States with both types of child access prevention laws had pediatric firearm suicide rates of 0.63 per year per 100,000 children, while states that had no CAP laws had 2.57 pediatric firearm suicides per year per 100,000 children. The relationship was significant even after controlling for other factors, the study found.

Chao hopes the work will inform state-level legislators. "If you put more regulations on firearms, it does make a difference," she said. "It does end up saving children's lives."
Space in the existing building vacated as part of the expansion will be used for things such as medical staff and administration offices and educational classrooms, Advocate said. A resource center is planned that can be used by patients and their family members, as well as the public, where they can find materials related to health and healthy lifestyles, according to Advocate.
On September 27, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged a group of internet marketers who allegedly created and disseminated elaborate rags-to-riches videos to trick retirees and other retail investors into opening brokerage accounts and trading high-risk securities known as binary options.

According to the SEC's complaints, investors were conned out of tens of millions of dollars through these marketing campaigns, which promised that investors would make large amounts of money by opening binary options accounts and using free or secret software systems to trade in them. The SEC alleges that the marketers were paid for each new brokerage account that investors opened and funded. According to the complaints, the marketers' internet video advertisements, which were disseminated through spam emails, used actors to portray ordinary people who became millionaires by trading binary options. The videos staged fake demonstrations of supposed software users watching their account balances grow in real time. The SEC alleges that the software was simply a ruse to persuade investors to open accounts with the brokers.

The SEC's complaints charged 10 individuals and two companies involved in the fraudulent marketing campaigns. The SEC alleged that Timothy Atkinson, All In Publishing, LLC, Ronald Montano, Antonio Giacca, Travis Stephenson, Grayson Brookshire, and Justin Blake Barrett violated Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and Sections 5(a), 5(c) and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"). The SEC also alleged that Jay Passerino violated Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5(a) and (c) thereunder and Sections 5(a), 5(c) and 17(a) of the Securities Act. The SEC further alleged that all of these defendants aided and abetted each other's violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and Section 17(a) of the Securities Act. In addition, the SEC alleged that Atkinson and Montano each violated Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5(b) thereunder through or by the means of the other defendants, in violation of Section 20(b) of the Exchange Act, and that Atkinson is liable under Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act as a control person for the violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder by All In Publishing, LLC. Finally, the SEC alleged that William Berry, Berry Mediaworks,LLC, Shmuel Pollen, and Michael Wright aided and abetted violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and Section 17(a) of the Securities Act by Atkinson, Passerino, All In Publishing, LLC, Giacca, Montano and Stephenson.

The SEC's complaints seek penalties, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, and permanent injunctions against Timothy J. Atkinson, Ronald "Ronnie" Montano, Jay Passerino, Michael Wright, and All In Publishing LLC. Justin Blake Barrett, William E. Berry and his company Berry Mediaworks, Grayson Brookshire, Antonio Giacca, Shmuel Pollen, and Travis Stephenson have agreed to settle the SEC's charges. Without admitting or denying the charges, they agreed to pay a combined total of $4.1 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest. Pollen has agreed to pay a $42,500 penalty. The Commission did not assess a penalty on the other settling parties as a result of their cooperation during the investigation and ongoing cooperation.

The SEC's investigation, which is continuing, is being conducted by Jason Anthony, Michael Fuchs, and Deborah Maisel, and supervised by Jennifer Leete. The SEC's litigation against Atkinson, Passerino, Montano, Wright, and All In Publishing will be led by Kenneth Donnelly. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Tamara Terichow was leading a quiet life in San Rafael when she got a call last year that would give her one of the biggest shocks of her life.

It was the Red Cross. They had found her sister, Lidia, lost a lifetime ago when they were children and the world was at war.

Next would come phone calls back and forth and, finally, a reunion. Over the summer, Terichow flew to Finland, where the sisters met for the first time in 74 years.

We talked, we were happy, Tamara said. We cried.

The last time theyd seen each other, they were two little girls caught up in the swirl of World War II. Their mother had died and their father had been taken away from their Russian homeland by the Germans. They had fled one army, then another. They nearly starved in an orphanage, survived being bombed by the Russians, roamed through the ruins of Berlin. By the end of the war, the sisters had lost each other, and Tamara was living in a refugee camp.

She said she was ill when she and Lidia were separated. There was too much confusion, and she was too young to remember.

As little girls, Lidia and Tamara Haltsonen lived with their parents, Alexsander and Tatiana, in a house on a hill just outside of Leningrad, as St. Petersburg was called then. Lidia was 9, and Tamara was 5, when in 1941 the Germans came, Tamara said matter-of-factly.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

They kicked the civilians out of their homes and took their father away to a labor camp.

Left on her own, Tatiana took her two girls and started walking toward Pskov, some distance away. But Tatiana was very ill. Starvation, sickness, I dont know, Tamara said. All I know is she died. I was 5 years old and dont remember. I do remember seeing her dead.

Now the two sisters were on their own. They went south to Lithuania, to an orphanage. There were few comforts  no heat, no running water. All we had to eat was dried peas, Tamara said. I remember looking for food in the dump.

Lidia and Tamara moved again; farther south, this time to a monastery. Then, by some miracle, the girls father, Alexsander, reappeared. He had gotten away from the Germans. But now the sisters got separated when a married couple, Peter and Adele Filatov, adopted Tamara. While she went with her adoptive parents, Lidia went with her father.

I left my sister behind, Tamara said. What could I do? I was a kid. It was 1944, and it would be the last time Tamara saw her sister until her visit.

Tamara and her new family went south and west with streams of refugees fleeing the Russian armies. We rode trains, she said. We went where they went.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

She remembers being in Berlin, then to places in eastern Germany. When the war ended in April 1945, she and the Filatovs were in a displaced persons camp in the American zone of occupied Germany. They stayed for four years.

Eventually, the family made its way to the United States, where Peter Filatov had relatives in Chicago. He was a civil engineer, Tamara said. But the only job he could get was in a bakery, washing pans for 50 cents an hour. He took the job. We had to survive.

The years went by. Tamara learned English in school. Filatov eventually got a position as a draftsman. Tamara married Oleg Terichow, an engineer who was born in Yugoslavia of Russian parents and immigrated to the United States in the 1920s.

The Terichows had a daughter and a son, and moved to California. Tamara has lived in the same house in the Marinwood neighborhood of San Rafael since 1972.

Her sister, Lidia, had a more difficult life. She ended up behind Russian lines and lived after the war in the Soviet Union, first near Leningrad, then in northern Russia. Lidia also got married  her last name was now Isakov  and had a daughter. Life was difficult in the old Soviet Union, especially in the north. She had a hard time, Tamara said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

After the Soviet Union collapsed, Lidia was able to move to Finland. Eventually, Lidias granddaughter, Anna Haltsonen, became curious about her mothers life and her long-lost sister.

The sisters had left a paper trail  Tamara in the displaced persons camp, Lidia in Russia, the documents required to immigrate to Finland.

Haltsonen heard of a Red Cross program called Restoring Family Links. The Finnish Red Cross worked with the American Red Cross to find Tamara in California. When the Red Cross called, she thought they were trying to raise money and told them she wasnt interested.

But the call changed her life.

The sisters are both elderly now. Lidia is 88 and has vision problems. Tamara is 83.

Tamara hopes to pay a return visit to her sister again next summer. But at our age it depends on our health, she said. Thats life.

But they talk often on the telephone. There are a lot of old stories, a lot to remember.

You couldnt make a movie like this, said Tamaras son, Andrew Terichow.

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @carlnoltesf
The uptick in early-voting numbers in Cook and Will counties appears to be part of a nationwide trend. As of Wednesday, more than 24 million absentee and early-voting ballots had been counted, compared to 12.9 million for the same time period during the 2014 midterm election, according to NBC News, CNN and others.
Back in the 1970s, the Bay Area was an incubator for political activism  activism that often sought to block new development that seemed to threaten a neighborhoods character.

Now, a much different activism is rearing its head: a push by mostly younger adults to demand that more housing be built, and the sooner the better.

The movement goes by the acronym YIMBY, for Yes In My Back Yard, and its dissected in a fascinating trio of pieces by Chronicle reporter J.K. Dineen.

We learn how a frustration shared over drinks after work has expanded into a political force that has logged legislative victories in Sacramento. Dineen talks to YIMBYs like Steven Buss, a software engineer who says I dont know a single person under 35 without a roommate ... We are all just trying to make it work.

Or David Holub, who endured 14 public hearings in Sausalito trying to build a single house before YIMBY lawyers filed suit on his behalf: They brought me in out of the wilderness, says Holub, who now has his approvals.

Theres a flip side to the movement thats almost gleefully abrasive, and Dineen captures that aspect as well. The YIMBYs approach has always been about confrontation, says one neighborhood leader who has sparred with the group. We are supposed to be pilloried because we dont want to have a 60-foot (tall) building besides a 26-foot home?

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Four card-carrying YIMBYS are running for the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Dineen reports. The group has weighed in on pro-development ballot measures across the Bay Area. Their political power is being put to the test  but as long as the regions housing prices remain painfully high, the frustration that fuels it will remain.

Top of the News

#Themtoo: Google employees around the world marched Thursday to protest what they see as Googles ho-hum attitude toward sexual misconduct complaints. The final marches were in San Francisco and Mountain View; CEO Sundar Pichai responded with a statement that Employees have raised constructive ideas for how we can improve our policies and our processes going forward.

Fatal encounter: Oakland police have released videos of a March 11 scene where four officers fatally shot Joshua Pawlik while he lay on the ground between two houses. Though Pawlik was clutching a gun as he lifted himself up, his familys attorney said the victim was basically comatose, and that criminal charges should be filed against the officers.

Out but not down: With all due respect to GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox, its never a good sign when you enter the final campaign weekend insisting that polls are bunk. But that was the case in Vallejo on Thursday. Californians are famous for making their minds up at the last minute, said Cox, who in the most recent statewide poll trailed his opponent, Gavin Newsom, by a 58-40 margin.

Craven campaigning: The Chronicle editorial board sees political cynicism as the driving force behind President Trumps threats to use the U.S. Army to repel a supposed migrant invasion at our southern border: He might as well have ordered the armed forces to protect vulnerable Republican congressional seats from the electorate.

Willie Mac, RIP: Giants beat reporter Henry Schulman recalls his encounters with Willie McCovey, who died Wednesday and may have been the most beloved ex-Giant of all. That old cliche about being a man of the people truly fit, Schulman writes. Trust me. Too many Hall of Famers are not remembered that way.

Political capital: We still dont know what Salesforce does, but we do know this: company founder Marc Benioff really, really, really wants Proposition C to pass. He and his firm have put $7.9 million into Prop. C, which would double funding for homeless services by increasing business taxes. When he talked to columnist Heather Knight in a lounge atop Salesforce Tower, Benioff said theres a simple reason: Its a crisis of inequality. Its a crisis of inaction. Its a crisis of indifference.

On the run: Nevermind getting millenials to vote. Run For Something wants them in office. Holly Honderich introduces us to a national group providing organizational support to several young Democratic candidates in Northern California. My campaign manager works in Santa Monica, my social media manager lives in Wisconsin, marveled one, who has embarked on a longshot bid for a conservative Assembly seat in the Central Valley. Just having that community has been really helpful.

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.

One thumb down: What do Forrest Gump, To Kill a Mockingbird and Slumdog Millionaire have in common? According to our ever-opinionated film critic, Mick LaSalle, theyre all examples of respected movies that I dont think are all that good.

Hard to swallow: Peter Hartlaub, our pop culture critic, has a fetish for odd nuggets from The Chronicles archives. This ones particularly tasty: our first article on that newfangled food sensation, a short fat rectangle ... named for its resemblance to a small donkey. Believe it or not, the 1977 piece is all about  burritos.

Not-Super Bowl: On the off chance you werent at Levis Stadium on Thursday evening, or camped in front of the television with nachos close by: the now-2-7 49ers trounced the now 1-7 Raiders 34-3.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

The Kicker

Every settled community has one  the Italian restaurant that seemingly has been around forever, dishing out comfort alongside the cannelloni. In San Francisco its the Gold Mirror in the quiet Parkside neighborhood, and youll want to accompany Jonathan Kauffman as he savors the pleasures of a corner spot in a part of town that looks stable but has changed 10 times over, in the words of one of the founders sons. Perhaps. But as our columnist points out, Each new wave makes its way to the Mirror. And then they come back.

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
A key tactic: Sue the suburbs Citing a state law that limits cities power to reject developments, lawsuits sometime result in new housing projects, sometimes just a big payout

A key tactic: Sue the suburbs Citing a state law that limits cities power to reject developments, lawsuits sometime result in new housing projects, sometimes just a big payout

The campaign to tackle the Bay Areas housing crisis by forcing residential development in reluctant communities started with a simple idea: Sue the suburbs.

Pro-housing activist Sonja Trauss, a pioneer in the YIMBY movement, was reading about a controversial 315-unit affordable apartment project in Lafayette in 2015 when she learned about a 1982 state law shed never heard of before: the Housing Accountability Act.

The law said municipalities must approve a housing development as long as it is consistent with local zoning rules and general plan objectives, would not create a public health hazard or take water from neighboring farms, and would meet state environmental standards.

Once I started reading about it, I realized it was a very powerful law, and nobody was enforcing it and it could help make a difference around the state, said Trauss, a candidate for San Francisco District Six supervisor in Tuesdays election.

The discovery of the largely ignored law gave the growing YIMBY  Yes In My Back Yard  movement a tool for taking its pro-housing fight into exclusive bedroom communities that routinely reject code-compliant housing proposals.

Some communities are more welcoming to new residential development, but the state as a whole has a dismal record. California is 49th out of the 50 states in per capita housing inventory, according to a new report by the McKinsey Global Institute. Just 2.4 percent of California communities meet the states Regional Housing Needs Assessment, which quantifies the need for housing within each jurisdiction.

The needs assessment is mandated by state housing law as part of the periodic process of updating local housing elements of the general plan. The assessment quantifies the need for housing within each jurisdiction during specified planning periods.

The California Renters Legal Advocacy Fund, or CaRLA  a group Trauss and her YIMBY allies formed in 2015  is waging the sue-the-suburbs campaign. CaRLA has used the Housing Accountability Act to sue on behalf of developers in Sausalito, Berkeley, San Mateo, Sonoma, Dublin and Lafayette.

In Sausalito, the town dropped its opposition to a two-unit building and paid CaRLAs legal fees.

 In Berkeley, the city dropped opposition to a three-unit building, allowing it to go forward. The city paid CaRLA $45,000 in attorneys fees.

 In San Mateo, CaRLA sued over a 10-unit building, in Dublin a 220-unit building, in Sonoma a three-home development. All those cases are pending.

In Lafayette, CaRLA sued when a 315-unit, moderate-income apartment complex facing local opposition was replaced with a plan for 44 homes on 22 acres. The town settled, but the original project has since been revived.

In other places, like Gilroy, Clayton and San Luis Obispo, the simple threat of a suit was enough to prompt those cities to allow proposed housing developments to go forward.

While the lawsuits will eventually result in some increase in the Bay Areas housing stock  none of the projects in question have opened yet  the bigger impact so far has been to make municipal officials aware that violations of the Housing Accountability Act could result in expensive litigation.

There are YIMBYs all over the place, paying attention and seeing violations of the law. We get phone calls pretty regularly  Hey, weve got this embattled project. Can you help? said Ryan Patterson, an attorney who represents CaRLA in these cases.

The YIMBYs delight in forcing the states most exclusive communities  the richer the better  to build housing.

One such case was in Sausalito. Over three years David Holub had tried to get permission to add a second home on his through lot  it runs street to street  at 77 Crescent Ave.

Holub sat through 14 public hearings over nearly four years trying to win approvals for the project. The City Council ultimately rejected his plan in September 2017 on the grounds that the the project was out of scale with the village-like quality of Sausalito.

I was not asking for a variance ... I was not asking for any exceptions to any rules whatsoever, Holub said.

Tales of the housing crisis Housing is the Bay Areas most troubling issue. Whether you are a buyer, a seller, a renter, a landlord, a builder or an investor, the availability and affordability of housing are everyday concerns. As part of its continuing coverage, The Chronicle wants to hear the story of your housing experience. Tell us your story: www.sfchronicle.com/housingstories

Eventually he contacted CaRLA, which has its offices in San Francisco.

They brought me in out of the wilderness, Holub said. It was a clear example of precisely the type of behavior they are trying to correct  communities and neighbors acting selfishly with a purely subjective criteria.

In April, the lawsuit CaRLA filed against Sausalito was dismissed as part of a settlement agreement under which the city approved Holubs project.

Victoria Fierce, CaRLA executive director, said after the settlement, Today, the city of Sausalito learned a valuable lesson. No suburb is safe from the watchful eye of CaRLA.

While the YIMBYs were successful on a small scale in Sausalito, the outcome of their suit in Lafayette was less definitive.

A developer had proposed a 315-unit, moderate-income apartment complex on 22 acres at Deer Hill and Pleasant Hill roads. The project, which was consistent with zoning, was en route to being snuffed out by neighborhood opposition, so the city and developer scrapped the apartments in favor of 44 single-family homes.

CaRLA sued, arguing that city support of the single-family homes equaled a rejection of the apartment complex and was therefore a violation of the Housing Accountability Act. Lafayette agreed to settle before the suit got to court  but it didnt agree to reinstate the apartment plan.

Lafayette Mayor Don Tatzin said he didnt have a problem with the YIMBYs position but that he wished they hadnt sued the city.

What they accused us of was turning down the apartment project, he said. We didnt take a vote to deny the apartment project. We and the developer came to an agreement to process a different project. It was a waste of their resources and our resources to sue us.

He said that the lawsuit was without legal merit: We paid them to go away.

In June, Lafayette voters killed the single-family home project. The original 315-unit complex has been resurrected, although it still faces opposition from the City Council.

So while the YIMBYs didnt get the project they favored, they did get money. The settlement amount wasnt disclosed, but public records show CaRLA had revenue of $295,000 in that time frame.

The (settlement) created a war chest for the sue-the-suburbs campaign going forward, Patterson, the CaRLA lawyer, said.

The YIMBYs and CaRLA registered a lobbyist in Sacramento and started supporting pro-housing bills in the Legislature. They have worked with state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, to pass legislation strengthening the Housing Accountability Act  the 2017 bill increased penalties for violations, closed loopholes and put the burden of proof on the local communities to prove that the law didnt apply.

But while the initiative to force housing on suburban communities has found support among lawmakers in Sacramento, it has come with a price: a strong backlash across the state.

Earlier this year, a group of elected officials and other concerned citizens formed a new group called Livable California, with a mission to protect California cities and oppose state overreach and big money influence. The group started after a February town hall meeting at the Taraval Police Station in San Francisco and has several hundred members, including candidates for local office in Pleasanton, Cupertino, Orinda and San Luis Obispo.

Livable California co-founder Susan Kirsch of Mill Valley said the group has gained momentum among people who believe that the top-down push for housing development  and big money flowing into the YIMBY movement  is eroding representative democracy and local decision-making.

The consensus was that we are getting clobbered, said Kirsch. There has been an amassing of power into the hands of state and regional government. We are not NIMBYs or anti-housing; for us the issue goes back to democracy and local control.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen
Salesforce contributed $50,000 this week to a committee supporting Jessica Hos run for District Four supervisor. But now its asking for that money back, the company said Friday.

Salesforces contribution to the committee  called Safe & Clean Sunset Coalition, Supporting Ho for D4 Supervisor 2018  was notable because Ho opposes Proposition C, which would tax large businesses to raise money for homeless services. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, on the other hand, has been the loudest proponent of the measure, spending millions of dollars of his own and his companys money supporting it.

Salesforce has supported San Francisco candidates and ballot measures, a company spokesperson said in a statement. We made the decision to contribute to the Safe and Clean Sunset Coalition some time ago. We are focusing our efforts on Prop. C, and have requested a return of our contribution.

Edward Wright, campaign manager for Hos opponent, Gordon Mar, said he pointed out the contribution to the committee supporting Prop. C, called Our City, Our Home, Yes on C, Thursday.

Derek Jansen, a principal officer for the Safe & Clean Sunset Coalition  which is not affiliated with the Yes on C campaign  said they received a request from Salesforce to return the contribution Friday morning.

We will honor their request, Jansen said in a statement.

The Safe & Clean Sunset Coalition is sponsored by Progress San Francisco, a super PAC that typically supports moderate candidates in local races. Third-party money spent supporting Hos campaign has reached well over $600,000, by far the most of any candidate in any of the races for the Board of Supervisors. By law, candidates cannot coordinate with independent committees, and cannot control where the money comes from and where it is spent.

Hos main competitor is Mar, whose run for supervisor has attracted $132,000 in third-party spending, largely from the San Francisco Labor Council Labor & Neighbor Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee, whose donors include Dignity CA SEIU Local 2015 and the United Educators of San Francisco PAC. Mar said he supports Prop. C.

Benioff also personally donated $500 to District 10 candidate Theo Ellington.

 Trisha Thadani

Trash talk: A number of last-minute amendments to complicated waste management legislation held up the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee for about three hours Thursday as the members tried to understand what was before them.

The ordinance, sponsored by Supervisor Ahsha Safai, would audit properties in the city that generate a large amount of waste and determine if they are properly separating trash under San Francisco law. If the properties  which range from restaurants to city buildings like San Francisco City Hall  fail the audit, they would be forced to hire a full-time trash sorter at about $20 an hour, plus benefits.

At issue Thursday was the number of amendments that committee members Malia Cohen, Sandra Lee Fewer and Catherine Stefani said they received only shortly before the meeting. The most notable change raised the threshold for how much waste a property needs to generate to fall under the ordinance, from 30 cubic yards to 40 cubic yards or more.

I had not seen the amendments until this morning, Fewer said, adding that receiving last-minute amendments is not completely unusual. But the complex legislation and the extensive amendments made it harder to digest.

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The city identified more than 100 buildings in San Francisco  15 of which are city owned  that would fall under the ordinance. But just because the properties are on the list doesnt mean they do not meet the law.

The citys budget and legislative analysts office estimated San Francisco would spend an additional $416,000 to $832,000 per year paying full-time employees to sort through the trash at its 15 sites.

Cohen, chair of the committee, said the ordinance was well-intentioned, but she was concerned about the extra costs public housing sites  such as Sunnydale  would incur. Fewer worried about the public schools that would fall under the audit.

Its not an easy concept to grasp, Safai said after the meeting. There was a significant amount of education going on during the meeting.

The ordinance will be heard again at the next committee meeting on Nov. 15.

 Trisha Thadani

Email: cityinsdier@sfchronicle.com, tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfcityinsider, @TrishaThadani
The 61st floor of Salesforce Tower  the highest point you can get to over San Francisco without taking flight  feels heavenly.

Smiling baristas pour coffee. A pianist in a jaunty fedora plays upbeat tunes. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer stunning views of the citys older, more established sights: the Transamerica Pyramid, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz.

From up here, you cant see the hellish landscape for which the city is becoming equally well known. The people jabbing needles into their necks, the tent camps, the piles of trash and feces. Theyre out of sight from this perch, and you could easily pretend they dont exist.

But Salesforce chief Marc Benioff wont pretend. In fact, he wont stop talking about that other San Francisco, the one that cant even be called an underbelly anymore because its so out there and so in your face when youre not high up in a tower. Benioff will tell anybody he encounters that whats needed to finally fix the homeless crisis is the passage Tuesday of a tax on Salesforce and other big companies.

Benioff really, really, really wants Proposition C to pass. But why?

From here, its beautiful, he said, as we talked on the Ohana Floor, the name Salesforce gave the towers top floor  its Hawaiian for family. Were looking at Mt. Diablo from this window, but the reality is if we went down on the streets, it would be a horror show, and that has to come to an end. I think its extremely embarrassing.

It was embarrassing, he said, that when Jim Cramer, the host of CNBCs Mad Money, interviewed him the other day about Prop. C, Cramer told him about seeing what he said was a homeless man rob a cashier at knifepoint at a San Francisco Walgreens and the cops telling him the assailant would be back on the streets in a couple of days.

Its embarrassing that some of the 170,000 people attending Dreamforce, his companys annual September conference, emailed him to complain about the homeless problem and filthy streets. But mostly, he said, its embarrassing that in a city with 70 billionaires, there remains poverty so stark that public schools count more than 2,000 homeless children among their students.

Its a crisis of inequality, he said. Its a crisis of inaction. Its a crisis of indifference.

Prop. C would raise the gross receipts tax an average of 0.5 percent on the 375 companies in San Francisco that bring in more than $50 million a year and would apply only to their revenue above $50 million. It would raise $300 million annually for supportive housing, mental health and drug treatment services, and more shelter beds and hygiene centers.

Mayor London Breed and other opponents of Prop. C say throwing more money at the problem isnt the answer and that there needs to be better accounting of the money San Francisco already spends. But Benioff says the crisis demands an immediate injection of major funds, before our city and its business community is lost for good.

You have to ask the question  if things get really bad with homelessness, am I going to have Salesforce in San Francisco? he said. The homeless problem is becoming bad for our business, and that is why we are getting involved and taking action.

The measure was chugging along, not much noticed inside the city, let alone outside it, until Benioff declared his support on Oct. 8. He has personally given $2.02 million to the Yes on C campaign, and his company has given an additional $5.88 million. That is believed to be the most ever spent on a local San Francisco campaign in its final weeks. The campaign has so much money to spend so rapidly, its even putting up billboards outside San Francisco.

Jess Montejano, a spokesman for the No on C campaign, said his team doesnt expect the outcome to be much different than it did before Oct. 8, though he wouldnt say what that predicted outcome is.

Election day will tell the final story, but we believe that Marcs multimillion-dollar investments failed to effectively move the needle to earn the broad support that this measure needs, he said.

Most observers expect Prop. C to win the majority of votes and pass, but not achieve the two-thirds support it would need to prevent a likely lawsuit by those who believe that level is required under state law.

Perhaps determined to surpass that two-thirds mark, Benioff is appearing on every national news network to talk up the measure, tweets about it constantly and gave a long, rousing sermon-like speech written by a former Obama speechwriter to a packed crowd of businesspeople and politicians at the annual SPUR lunch Tuesday.

He had two tables at the luncheon, with seats reserved for Jennifer Friedenbach, the director of the Coalition on Homelessness, and progressive supervisors and Prop. C supporters Jane Kim and Aaron Peskin  not exactly the types youd imagine breaking bread with a tech titan. But nothing about Benioff  Forbes once described the 6-foot-5 billionaire as having the mind of a fox and the body of a bear  is predictable.

Until recently, he didnt talk much about other CEOs and their philanthropy, or lack thereof, but that changed big-time when he got into a Twitter squabble about Prop. C with Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey.

Thats been manna from heaven, Benioff said with a smirk, noting the national and international media took note of Prop. C once it became a battle of the tech billionaires.

He said he simply doesnt buy the claims of Dorsey and others who oppose Prop. C that the tax would harm their businesses and, in the case of Square, perhaps lead to a departure from San Francisco altogether.

I dont believe their accounting, Benioff said.

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I asked for comment on his charges from Twitter, Square and Stripe. Twitter and Stripe declined.

A Square representative said, We are not opposed to a tax increase. We are opposed to a tax increase that could result in Square paying twice as much as Salesforce, which is four times larger than Square. We just want to be treated fairly compared to our peer companies.

One little-known inspiration for Benioffs determination is his maternal grandfather, Marvin Lewis, who was a San Francisco supervisor from 1944 to 1955. He was credited with championing the creation of BART and backing the pedestrian scramble  the traffic signals that allow walkers to cross an intersection in any direction while cars wait.

Courtesy Moulin Studios

Lewis was also an advocate for the homeless and showed a short movie about the problem in SoMa at a Board of Supervisors meeting. A 1953 Chronicle article about it read, According to the supervisor there are many persons, including children, forced to live in sub-standard dwellings, just a few blocks from the citys finest shopping district.

By the time Benioff was born, Lewis was working as an attorney on Market Street. He was best known for representing a woman who claimed she became a nymphomaniac after a cable car accident. The media called the 1970 case The Cable Car Named Desire.

But Benioff most remembers visiting his grandfather at his offices and walking around Mid-Market with him, handing out $20 bills to homeless people.

Maybe its in my subconscious somewhere. Maybe Im just channeling my grandfather, he said. He always told me to take care of people who are less fortunate than myself.

So would he follow in his grandfathers footsteps and run for political office, a goal some observers say must be the point of his Prop. C proselytizing?

I would never run for political office, he said. I really believe, exactly as Im trying to demonstrate, that business is the greatest platform for change. ... My goal is to demonstrate that businesses can be this kind of force for good in the world  that we can do well and do good.

Prop. C is trying to do good. Whether itll do well with voters, well find out Tuesday night. And you can be sure a certain billionaire will be watching.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com, Twitter: @hknightsf
The day she moved to San Francisco in her early 20s, Dana Sniezko said it felt like home. That was more than a decade ago. As tent cities bloomed across the city and she saw people close to her struggle with homelessness, Sniezko, now a software engineer at Stripe, decided she needed to do more to make her adopted home feel whole.

She began knocking on doors for the campaign to pass Proposition C, a ballot measure to reduce homelessness with a new business tax, and personally donated $4,100 to the Yes on C campaign.

Her employer, an online-payments startup valued by investors at $20 billion, is spending a hundred times Sniezkos amount to defeat the measure, donating $419,999, according to campaign filings.

Tam Duong Jr./The Chronicle

Stripe, in turn, has been outspent by a crosstown foe: Salesforce chief Marc Benioff, who has committed $7.9 million in personal and corporate money to get Prop. C passed.

Prop. C, one of the citys most closely watched measures in Tuesdays election, has spurred a monetary arms race between tech moguls. Benioff is the most notable yes voice; Stripe CEO Patrick Collison and Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, oppose the measure. The three of them are worth an estimated $15 billion and employ a large segment of the citys fast-growing tech workforce. But all their wealth and power hasnt won them lockstep loyalty from their employees.

I support Prop. C, Sniezko said in an email, because homelessness in S.F. is a humanitarian crisis and we have a moral obligation to address that head on.

Manuel Blondeau / Getty Images 2016

Blind, an app that lets workers talk about their companies anonymously, conducted a poll of its users for The Chronicle in late October, asking employees of Salesforce, as well as Stripe and other companies opposing Prop. C, how they feel about the tax. Blind verifies users work emails to determine their employer.

While not scientific  participants volunteer their answers, they are not randomly sampled  the results give a glimpse into how divided San Francisco tech workers may be. Nearly 330 people participated, with 60 percent saying they oppose Prop. C.

An overwhelming majority of Stripe and Square employees said they would vote no on Prop. C, echoing the sentiments of their CEOs. Dorsey has pitched in $125,000 to the opposition campaign, and Square has contributed an additional $50,000.

Even across Dorseys companies, opinions differ. At Twitter, which has not taken a position, 15 respondents said they support Prop. C, and 16 oppose it. Twitter declined to comment.

Despite Benioffs voluble support for Prop. C  a campaign office inside Salesforce Tower houses a phone bank for volunteers with the Yes on C campaign  only a narrow majority of Salesforce workers surveyed on the Blind app said they would vote for Prop. C.

Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle 2018

At least 65 tech professionals have each donated more than $100 to the Yes on C campaign, according to public records. (The city doesnt require donors who give less than $100 to provide employer information.) Those supporters range from an Airbnb experience designer who gave $100, to a Pinterest search quality engineer who contributed $500, to Evan Owski, a startup founder who now works at LinkedIn and has spent more than $39,000 to pass Prop. C.

Sniezko is one of two Stripe employees who donated at least $100 to the Yes on C campaign, according to public records, though she said she suspects that more of her colleagues donated smaller amounts.

She said she believes the measure would make the city a better place to live and work through increasing the number of shelter beds, providing mental health care services, and creating public restrooms.

Sniezko said she could not comment on Stripes position specifically, but has heard few substantive policy arguments and a lot of excuses from the measures opponents, which include Stripe.

Collison, Sniezkos boss, has argued that Prop. C doesnt have the teeth to ensure new funds would be properly spent. But some people have called into question the tech billionaires motives. Observers believe Stripe and other financial services companies would pay more in taxes under Prop. C than a business like Salesforce, because San Francisco taxes companies of different industries at different rates.

Sniezko shrugged off the claim.

Large companies received a windfall from permanent corporate tax cuts enacted by a Republican-controlled Congress, she said, and most will still come out ahead with a modest increase in gross receipts tax from Prop. C.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Benioff says Salesforce has saved much more from cuts in the federal corporate income tax than the $10 million additional tax he estimates the company would owe. Stripe is privately held, so its financial performance is not known, but if it is unprofitable like many startups, it would not see any immediate benefit from the federal tax cuts.

Travis Brown, who until a few weeks ago worked as a software engineer at Stripe, donated $100 in support of Prop. C. Brown tweeted that he left the company in part because of decisions like this, including a screenshot of a campaign finance statement showing Stripes six-figure contribution to the No on C campaign.

Brown did not respond to multiple requests for an interview. Stripe declined to comment for privacy reasons.

Employment law experts say rank-and-file tech workers have good reason to avoid sharing their political differences with company executives in public, because their comments could be seen as disparaging their companies. Yet many tech companies deliberately foster a culture of internal debate, and cracking down on workers for expressing their views could hurt their prospects of recruiting sought-after candidates.

John Hyland, a partner at employment law firm Rukin Hyland & Riggin, said a much greater number of people are willing to criticize their employer in todays political climate. Sometimes, as when thousands of Google employees staged walkouts around the world Thursday to protest the companys handling of sexual misconduct claims, they do so with the bosses express sanction.

Most employees in the U.S. work at will, which means they can be fired at any time, for any reason, unless that reason is illegal, said Ceilidh Gao, an attorney with the National Employment Law Project.

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Hyland said if a Square employee came out strongly in favor of Prop. C and was fired for that reason, she would have a pretty good claim for violation of the California Labor Code, which protects employees right to engage in the political process and prohibits employers from trying to coerce employees to support a particular political view or activity.

But if a workers online commentary veers into the area of criticizing Dorsey for being so opposed to it, thats where an employee could face a problem, Hyland said.

In public tweets, Dorsey has been solicitous of others opinions about Prop. C, admitting he may be wrong and inviting debate, and Square said the CEO has encouraged discussion of the issue internally as well.

Catherine Bracy, executive director of TechEquity Collaborative, an Oakland nonprofit that seeks to educate and engage Bay Area tech workers on civic issues, said some Square and Stripe employees may fear a backlash not from their bosses but from peers.

Theres a critical mass of people who work at tech companies who think our industry could be doing better to help the community and wants to be part of the solution, not the problem, Bracy said. But those same employees might ask themselves, What can I, this mid-level customer success representative at some large, multinational corporation, really do?

In October, as Benioff and Dorsey volleyed tweets back and forth, a small group of people gathered outside the South of Market headquarters of Stripe, offering doughnuts and Yes on C campaign literature to Stripe employees. They convened again outside Square headquarters on Market Street, and at Lyft, which donated $100,000 to the No on C campaign.

Not everyone welcomed them. When Jason Prado, a Facebook software engineer who joined the protest, tweeted photos from the rally outside Squares offices, several Square employees responded in anger.

Can you not lump us all together? Janaiah McClure, a program manager at Square, tweeted. I have a voice here.

David Haley, a Square technical lead, agreed. There is a very active culture of internal criticism here, leadership gets called out in front of the whole company quite often, Haley wrote.

In fact some people are even tired of it, he said, adding a winking emoticon.

Melia Russell is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: melia.russell@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meliarobin
Over the weekend, while out on a walk, savoring one of the last warm days of autumn, I came upon a fawn that had been struck by a car  so violently it had been split almost in half. Its little black hooves and its little face were still perfect, but what remained of its middle had become a red horror. Shuddering, I turned away from its ruined body. The fawns death seemed like yet another ill omen in a time of unrelenting darkness in this country.

Last week, Gregory A. Bush, a white supremacist, tried to enter a predominantly black church in Kentucky. Unable to get in, he left, then shot and killed two African Americans  Maurice Stallard and Vickie Jones  at a nearby grocery store.

In Florida, Cesar Sayoc Jr. was arrested after allegedly sending pipe bombs to former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, former President Obama and his wife, liberal philanthropist George Soros, and other prominent Democrats, as well as the news outlet CNN.

In Mexico, thousands of desperate migrants originating from Central America are headed north, hoping to seek asylum in the United States. At campaign rallies ahead of next weeks midterm elections, President Trump has demonized them, claiming that the travelers include gang members, terrorists and very bad people who are about to invade our southern border.

As I began walking home, my thoughts turned to errands: We had to carve our pumpkins, hang up the decorations, clean up the house and plan the menu for our Halloween party. But when I glanced down at my phone, I reeled again at the reports of a massacre at the Tree of Life, a venerable Pittsburgh synagogue.

Eleven victims  ranging in age from 54 to 97  Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil and David Rosenthal, Bernice and Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger  perished in what may be the deadliest attack in history on Jewish people in the United States. They died on their Sabbath day at the hands of a modern-day Nazi.

Robert Bowers shouted All Jews must die!and fired upon worshipers. Hours earlier, in a social media post, he had blamed HIAS  a Jewish refugee resettlement organization  for bringing in invaders that kill our people. He had added, I cant sit by and watch my people get slaughtered.

Like Bush, like Sayoc, Bowers is a fan of Trump, whose hateful rhetoric has created a climate of fear and uncertainty. Extremists get riled up with conspiracy theories, such as a recent one that claims that Soros is funding the migrants traveling north. Yet the president blames the media  Fake News ... the true Enemy of the People  for the divisiveness that he himself has stoked.

Halloween is fun in part because its ephemeral: the spooky skeletons, giant spiders and bloody axes arent real. The scary masks will come off and the gory makeup will wash away. Starting the day after, all those ghouls, witches and zombies will be tucked away for another year, and candy corn will go to the sale rack  where it belongs.

By contrast, whats chilling about the recent news is how such violence, hatred and xenophobia are a permanent fixture of American life.

This week, Trump  despite knowing what happens when he scapegoats migrants  continued his crass political plays: He sent troops to the border, to defend us against the families who are hundreds of miles away and whose numbers will shrink as the people straggle on the arduous journey. He also claimed hell use an executive order to end birthright citizenship. (In fact, Congress would have to amend the Constitution or the Supreme Court would have to overturn the 14th Amendment.)

The twins have heard us talking about the news, and weve explained, as best we can, about the pain and injustice in this world, the devastation that traces its roots to generations ago and persists until now.

The hope persists, too. After Didi and Gege sketched out the designs for their pumpkins, my husband and I cut them open and pulled out the slimy guts and seeds.

Carve its mouth, Gege said. When you put a candle in, it comes alive.

Its a light that will last long past Halloween, a light that drives us to the polls; a light that glows over the interfaith gatherings that reject hate; a light that symbolizes every effort to get out the vote and fight voter suppression, to donate to causes and candidates; a light thin and flickering but one that does not go out in the deepest part of the night.

Vanessa Hua is a Bay Area author. Her columns appear Fridays in Datebook. Email: datebook@sfchronicle.com
FBI officials intercepted a second suspicious package addressed to California billionaire Tom Steyer on Thursday night, authorities said, a week after he and other high-profile Democrats, among others, were sent improvised explosive devices by mail.

Like the earlier packages, Thursdays parcel, which was found at a mail processing facility in Burlingame, was discovered by FBI officials before it arrived at the recipients address. Officials did not describe its contents.

The package was very similar in appearance to the others, Katherine Zackel, a spokeswoman for the FBIs San Francisco office.

The package was rendered safe by FBI bomb technicians at an off-site location, Zackel said. Detectives with the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspector and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the mailing.

Last week, a package containing an improved explosive device addressed to Steyer was found in the same facility, prompting an evacuation.

That day, a Florida man was arrested for sending more than a dozen improvised explosive devices to politicians and prominent public figures, many of whom had been critical of President Trump, including Sen. Kamala Harris.

Officials have not yet said whether suspect Cesar Sayoc is believed to be responsible for the packages mailed to Steyer.

Earlier this week, postal workers intercepted a package addressed to CNN at a postal facility in Atlanta. In total, 16 packages have been recovered by FBI investigators.

Steyer, who ran the hedge fund Farallon Capital for 26 years and is now a prominent Democratic activist, led an effort to impeach President Trump this year.

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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, Steyer tweeted after the first package was found last Friday. Whether its voter suppression, voter intimidation, attacks on our free press, gerrymandering, or attempted violence  the trust and norms that are the actual basis of our civil society and political system are being eroded.

On Friday, Sayoc was transported to New York to face federal charges for the pipe-bomb mailings. He was charged with five counts of transporting explosives across state lines, illegally mailing explosives, threatening former presidents and other people, threatening interstate communications and assaulting federal officers, according to the criminal complaint.

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu
At least 40 of those routes also have daily parking restrictions in which residents are required to park on one side of the street on even-numbered days and the opposite side on odd-numbered days, he said. It didnt make sense to make people move their cars nightly for even/odd parking and then remove cars from the street completely when there was snow, Neal said.
Johnathan Vidal, 25, of the 3500 block of North New England Avenue, Chicago, was charged Oct. 20 with operating an uninsured vehicle, possession of cannabis and driving with an obstructed front windshield after a traffic stop in the 2800 block of Harlem Avenue, police said. He is to appear for a hearing Nov. 16 in Maybrook Court.
Salesforce founder Marc Benioff is putting a twist on the conventional CEO claim that nurturing a vibrant business environment through lightened taxes and regulation is the key to giving government the resources to fund social programs.

In pitching for a tax increase measure on Tuesdays San Francisco ballot, Benioff is arguing for reverse order: that nearly doubling city spending on its most pervasive social ill is essential to preserving the citys business climate.

The tech titan is applying his checkbook and the full force of his personality on behalf of Proposition C, which would tax 300 to 400 of the citys largest businesses to raise about $300 million a year for homelessness programs. Benioff has poured about $8 million in personal and company funds into the Yes on C campaign.

His late surge into the campaign goes well beyond the issue at hand. It has become an in-your-face challenge to his fellow CEOs and entrepreneurs to take responsibility for the plight of the city in which they have prospered.

Is the business of business just business? Or is the business of the business improving the state of the city? Benioff said during a breakfast meeting Monday with Chronicle Publisher Bill Nagel, Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper and me.

He was neither shy nor coy about his reason for requesting the meeting. He hoped to persuade The Chronicle to withdraw its opposition to Proposition C. He acknowledged the ask was maybe too crazy to contemplate. It certainly would be unprecedented to overturn an endorsement, at least in my 22 years as this newspapers editorial page editor. (Note: The Chronicles news and opinion operations are kept independent of one another; I do not make news section judgments, and Cooper is not involved in endorsement decisions.)

We need a lot of money, and we need it now, he said. If we dont get Prop. C, where does it come from?

While its not unusual for any endorsement to elicit detractors who call and send emails, I cant recall a more direct and impassioned pitch than the one made by Benioff.

Im not telling you that you should do it ... he said with a smile near the end of the meeting.

Except he was.

But we wont. Here is why:

While Benioffs intervention has changed the political dynamic of Prop. C  elevating its chances of passage  our editorial boards fundamental concerns about the measure remain. We wholeheartedly agree with Benioff that reduction of homelessness to the extent humanly possible should be the citys No. 1 priority. Our editorial board also has consistently acknowledged that it will require more money  beyond the $380 million the city now spends on homelessness  to truly make a difference.

However, we also have consistently argued that the city needs to get a better handle on the effectiveness and efficiency of the money it now spends through eight city departments and more than 70 private and nonprofit organizations in 400 contracts. Under Jeff Kositsky, overseer of San Franciscos homeless programs, the city has been making strides in scrutinizing its spending, but no one would argue that it has yet to root out all duplication and ineffectiveness.

Voters should note that Prop. C requires the city to maintain its $380 million baseline spending. Is there any doubt that the infusion of an extra $300 million would ease any pressure on the city to hold those existing programs accountable?

As our Sept. 30 editorial noted, Prop. C suggests that money, alone, is the cure-all to homelessness. It is not.

Our rare front-page editorial on July 3, 2016, A civic disgrace, noted many of the elements that would be essential to tackling homelessness. This is not just a San Francisco problem: It needs to be approached regionally, statewide, even nationally. Also, in a concept that is painful but necessary to confront, San Francisco needs to shed any perception that it is a sanctuary for people who are unwilling to participate in programs designed to get them off, and keep them off, a life on the streets.

Prop. C avoids those tough issues.

It is worth reminding that some of the main architects of Prop. C have opposed everything from Gavin Newsoms Care Not Cash plan to the implementation of the state Lauras Law to compel outpatient treatment for mental illness to conservatorships for chronically homeless people who cant care for themselves. They have condemned laws against aggressive panhandling, tent encampments and defecation and urination in the streets as criminalizing poverty.

Thus, the investment from Prop. C is considerable, but the strategy is incomplete.

Benioff is not naive about the inefficiencies in a bureaucracy. He pointed out that any operation, even a business as successful as his, has a certain level of inefficiency. Still, he sees Prop. C as a difference maker  and it frustrates him to no end that his fellow CEOs fail to share his moral indignation or sense of urgency about homelessness.

For philanthropist Benioff, homelessness has long been one of his main causes. He and his company have poured millions into programs such as the nonprofit Hamilton Families, which helps families get into permanent housing. Benioff can quickly rattle off examples of its innovations and results, and suggested that Prop. C would allow the city to offer that and other services at greater scale.

Benioff decided to get involved with Prop. C about a month ago when he started getting calls against it from some of the same business leaders who had not bothered to donate to programs for homeless kids.

That got my psychic attention, he said, and he was off and running  and spending  as the unofficial yet undeniable face of Yes on C.

He has scoffed at the notion that the citys wealthiest companies could not afford the tax. As for the argument that the tax could cost 700 jobs citywide, Benioff said, Thats how many I hire in 90 days.

Benioffs attempt to jolt the conscience of the tech class enjoyed a godsend in the form of a tweet from his pal Jack Dorsey, the head of Square and Twitter, who wrote that he wanted to help fix the homeless problem but I dont believe this is the best way to do it.

Benioff tweeted back: Exactly (how) much have his companies & personally given back to our city, our homeless programs, public hospitals and public schools?

The tweet war was on, and the exchanges between the two billionaires went viral. Proposition C was suddenly getting national attention. Benioff had an opinion piece in the New York Times and has been making the rounds on national television in the past week, as he noted during our breakfast meeting.

For Benioff, all of this is in service of his hometown.

Were not the first company like this, he explained, suggesting that Salesforce was following part of a lineage of companies such as Levi Strauss, Wells Fargo and the Gap, or business leaders such as the late Warren Hellman, the Haas family and Donald Fisher, in using their economic and political clout to enrich the city in so many ways.

I may disagree with Benioff on the wisdom of Proposition C, but there is something to admire about an entrepreneur at the top of the San Francisco skyline breaking from his business brethren to stand for what he is convinced is the public good, even at the expense of his own companys bottom line.

In doing so, Benioff is forcing an overdue reckoning among the rest of the tech billionaires who were under the illusion that their value to San Francisco could be measured solely by the size of their payrolls and height of their office towers.

That worthy conversation is sure to continue no matter what happens on Nov. 6.

John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron
President Trump got the military parade he wanted after all. His deployment of 5,239 active-duty troops to the southern border  supposedly to counter a shrinking caravan of Central Americans desperate enough to walk the length of Mexico  is effectively a parade because it has no legitimate military purpose.

The force, which Trump has threatened to triple, is his latest and most reckless effort to draw undue attention to the migrants and stoke racist passions the week before the midterm elections. He might as well have ordered the armed forces to protect vulnerable Republican congressional seats from the electorate.

The caravan set out from Honduras nearly three weeks ago and eventually grew to 7,000 or more migrants. Since then, their number has dwindled by about half as they have traversed more than 600 miles through Guatemala and southern Mexico to the state of Oaxaca. Trumps agitation, meanwhile, has only grown. He has made largely implausible threats to end aid to Honduras and other Central American countries, suspend the North American Free Trade Agreement, change U.S. immigration law and close the border.

The president has also promoted false claims that the so-called invasion is a conspiracy involving Democrats and is replete with criminals and terrorists  just the sort of fantasies that figured prominently in the social media posts of the man who massacred 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue last week.

With the migrants still nearly 900 miles away from the closest border crossing, any contingent that reaches the United States is unlikely to arrive for weeks. But with only a few news cycles left before election day, Trump began Monday to deploy what looks to be the largest active-duty military force sent to the border since shortly after World War I. Most of the forces deployed there over the past century, including more than 2,000 troops sent in April, have been members of the National Guard.

While the administration claims the approaching migrants justify the armed response, they dont. The caravan consists of vulnerable migrants, including many women and children, seeking safety in numbers as they flee violence and poverty. The utility of the deployment is even more questionable given legal limits on military activity within the United States.

If some part of the caravan makes it to the border, the migrants are not expected to challenge or evade authorities but to surrender to them and seek asylum under U.S. and international law. With many such groups having preceded the caravan, and more already on the way, this is certainly a legal, logistical and social problem. But it is not a military problem.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
Through more than a half-century, American schools have been blamed for almost every major national problem, from the Russians success in beating us into space with Sputnik in 1957 to the nations perceived failure to match the apparent economic successes of the Germans and the Japanese in the 1980s.

If the schools didnt shape up, according to Adm. Hyman Rickover, the father of the atomic submarine, the Russians would win the Cold War; if they didnt shape up, according to an influential national report called A Nation at Risk, issued in 1983, the Germans and the Japanese would beat our economic brains out. We have, in effect, the report ominously warned, been committing an act of unthinking, unilateral educational disarmament.

Neither of these Chicken-Little warnings had much merit. We didnt lose the Cold War. The Germans and Japanese didnt beat our economic brains out.

But maybe the biggest educational shortcoming of the past 50 years has gotten almost no attention, and thats the failure to adequately teach government, civics and history. Nearly four in 10 American adults, according to the latest polls, still support the presidency of a self-confessed sexual abuser, a chronic liar, an abettor of every form of bigotry, public corruption and violence. Millions still support politicians who work hard to deny the voting franchise to ethnic minorities and other opponents in their own communities. They watch with equanimity as the nations prestige and influence abroad, not long ago as great an element of our security as our military, are systematically undercut by the very people sworn to uphold them. They watch quietly as the courts, even the Supreme Court, are politicized.

How much do those millions of Americans know about our history, about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, about economics, about the great traditions of tolerance and justice that for more than two centuries made this nation a model for the world? Do they understand that it was America that created the great global institutions that have kept the nukes in their silos for nearly 75 years? Did they learn anything about the Marshall Plan that brought Western Europe back from the devastation of World War II and kept communism from sweeping through it?

Do they know that theyre all descendants of immigrants, the great majority of whom came before immigration documents were even required?

Do they know that in the past six years the increases in the number of the undocumented immigrants in this country werent driven by people sneaking across the Mexican border, but by those who came with visas that have since expired?

What did they learn in school? What did the schools not teach? Are we surprised when people deny the science of climate change and global warming when, according to Gallup, some 38 percent of us still reject Darwinian evolution?

No, not all of that can be blamed on the schools. The great industrial unions  the autoworkers, the steel workers, the mine workers, the garment workers, the communications workers  now badly reduced in their membership, once were also great teachers of democracy and great introductions to our democratic institutions.

Our media, the newspapers, the TV networks, most of them, once fostered and catered to national and local communities. They sought to appeal to the common elements in their viewers and their readers, sometimes at the cost of mind-numbing blandness. Some still do, but with ever smaller resources. The internet and so-called social media (really the anti-social media)  few of them with editors or fact checkers  foster and play to separatist subgroups of true believers. As such, they undercut whatever communitarian civic sense the schools still instill.

But the schools and the people who control and run them, both at the local and the state level, bear a good share of the responsibility. A century ago, though the schools were often segregated by race and class, as many still are, we celebrated them as engines of democracy, citizenship and civic virtue. In the years since, some state and local school boards suppressed the classroom reading of books that might challenge local prejudices or offend some group, even classics like Huckleberry Finn because it had the N-word in it.

More broadly, the reforms of the past decades emphasized reading and math, testing and the so-called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects  fitting students for the economy, not for the arts, the humanities, and not for community and citizenship. Were now paying the price.

Peter Schrag is the former editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee and the author of Final Test: The Battle for Adequacy in Americas School.
Upcoming political events in the Bay Area.

TUESDAY

Election night party: Featuring creators of Trump-themed card game Conviction. Free. 6 p.m. PianoFight bar stage, 144 Taylor St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Election night party: Hosting by drag queen and activist Honey Mahogany. Flip the House drinking games, board games, music, etc. Free. Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Watch party: Sister District San Francisco and partners in the S.F. Resistance Coalition host an election night watch party. Free. 6 p.m., Standard Deviant Brewing, 280 14th St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Tech for Campaigns party: Election night watch party for campaigns the group has worked on and others. Free for donors and volunteers, $50 for others. 5 p.m., Pedros Cantina, 128 King St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Watch party: Fight for a Better America hosts a returns watch party. $20. 6 p.m., Monroe Jazz Lounge, 473 Broadway, San Francisco. More information is here.

Tenderloin watch party: A returns-watch party for the Tenderloin community. Free. 7 p.m., 512 Ellis St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Democracy watch gathering: Election night to watch the returns and consider the state of American democracy with James Miller, author of Can Democracy Work? A Short History of a Radical Idea, from Ancient Athens to Our World, and UC Berkeley philosophy Professor Hans Sluga. Sponsored by Starline Social Club. Free. 7 p.m., 2236 Martin Luther King Junior Way, Oakland. More information is here.

WEDNESDAY

Election recap: Day-after recap from Indivisible, Swing Left and Sister District San Francisco. $8. 7-8:30 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Election wrap-up: Discussion of the midterm elections at the Commonwealth Club with Melissa Caen, political and legal reporter with KPIX-TV; New York Times journalist Katie Hafner; and HuffPost assignment editor Mollie Reilly. $20 for nonmembers, $8 for students. Noon-1:05 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

Jeffrey Rosen: Scholar and author examines constitutional questions and the post-Anthony Kennedy Supreme Court. Sponsored by Commonwealth Club. $25 for nonmembers, $10 for students. 6:30-7:30 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

Betty Yee: State controller discusses challenges of dealing with Californias finances. Presented by the Berkeley Forum. Free. 7-8:30 p.m., 125 Morrison Hall, UC Berkeley. More information is here.

THURSDAY

Susan Rice: Former President Barack Obamas national security adviser and U.N. ambassador discusses U.S. foreign policy priorities and national security interests. Sponsored by the World Affairs Council. $40 for nonmembers, $10 for students. 6:30-7:30 p.m., Marines Memorial Theater, 609 Sutter St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Digital privacy: Will Yoon, senior director of product counseling at Dropbox, discusses whether warrantless search and seizure of cell phone records violate the Fourth Amendment. Part of Rooftop Law School. Free. 5:30-7 p.m., Ironclad headquarters, 325 Fifth St., San Francisco. More information is here.

SUNDAY

Civil conversation: A Better Angels Skills Workshop to learn skills for having respectful conversations that clarify differences between politics among families and friends, search for common ground and affirm the importance of the relationship. Free. 1-3:30 p.m., Twin Towers United Methodist Church, 1411 Oak St., Alameda. More information is here.

Election analysis: East Bay Peace Action sponsors a gathering featuring Eric See presenting a post-election analysis. 2 p.m. at the Fred Weaver Residence Center, St. Pauls Tower, 100 Bay Place, Oakland. More information is here.

MONDAY

Climate change meetup: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientist Mark Levine presents an insiders view of the science behind the latest International Panel on Climate Change special report, Global Warming of 1.5C. $8. Sponsored by Climate Reality. Eric Quezada Center for Culture and Politics, 518 Valencia St., San Francisco. More information is here.

NOV. 13

Women in politics: San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim, Close the Gap founder Mary Hughes, and Chronicle columnist Heather Knight join Oral History Center interviewer Amanda Tewes for a conversation about the challenges, successes, and history of women involved in local politics. Hosted by the Ruby. $10 for nonmembers. 6-8 p.m., 23rd and Bryant streets, San Francisco. More information is here.

Israel and U.S.: Avraham Burg, former interim president of Israel, speaks on Israels complexities and the growing tension between American Jewry and Israel at the Peninsula Jewish Community Center. $20. 7:30-9 p.m., 800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City. More information is here.

Climate zeroes: A discusssion on stabilizing the climate through a zero-carbon grid, zero-emission vehicles, zero net energy buildings and zero-waste manufacturing. Speakers include Kate Gordon, sustainability partner at Ridge-Lane LP; Hal Harvey, CEO of Energy Innovation; and Arun Majumdar, mechanical engineering professor and co-director of the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University. $20 for Commonwealth Club members, $7 for students. 6:30-8 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

NOV. 14

Consumer protection: Discussion with David Vladeck, former director of the Federal Trade Commissions Bureau of Consumer Protection under President Barack Obama. Topics include the future of consumer protection and antitrust law, unfair and deceptive acts and practices, and privacy and data security. Hosted by Civil Justice Research Initiative. Free. 12:55-2 p.m., Boalt Hall, Room 110, UC Berkeley. More information is here.

NOV. 15

Digital government: Code for America founder Jennifer Pahlka, California CIO Amy Tong and California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Michael Wilkening discuss the future of digital government in California. $15. 5:30-7:30 p.m., Code for America, 155 Ninth St., San Francisco. More information is here.

NOV. 16

Higher education priorities: College Futures Foundation president Monica Lozano and Mark Baldassare, head of the Public Policy Institute of California, discuss the institutes new higher education survey and priorities for the new governor. Free. 9-10 a.m., Bechtel Conference Center at PPIC, 500 Washington St., San Francisco. More information is here.

NOV. 19

Case against Trump: Bill Press, radio-show host and former chair of California Democratic Party, discusses the case against Trump at the Commonwealth Club. $25 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon-1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

NOV. 27

Ginsburg biographer: Jane Sherron De Hart discusses her book Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life. $15. 7 p.m., Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St. More information is here.

NOV. 29

Fake news: Alexander Sangerlaub, project director of Misinformation in Digital Media leads a panel discussion on the terminology of fake news in a transnational framework and ways to check the spread of misinformation. Free. 6:30-9 p.m. at the Goethe-Institut San Francisco, 530 Bush St., No. 204. More information is here.

To list an event, email Politics Editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com
A record 19.7 million Californians are registered to vote in Tuesdays election, a number that shows just how important these midterm contests are to people in the state, Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Friday.

Its almost unprecedented to set a registration record in a midterm election, because far more people typically vote when a presidential race is on the ballot, Padilla said at a news conference in San Francisco. Californians are fired up and ready to vote this year.

The number of registered voters is about 1.9 million more than in the 2014 midterm election. Registered voters represent 78.1 percent of the 25.2 million Californians eligible to vote, which is also a record.

Padilla declined to predict Tuesdays turnout, but noted that vote-by-mail ballots are surging.

I think were going to have a very good turnout, he said. People are paying attention to politics right now.

Padilla, joined by Attorney General Xavier Becerra, was talking up the states Voter Bill of Rights, a list of what citizens can expect when they cast their ballots.

Speaking alternately in English and Spanish, Padilla reminded voters that if they are in line by the time polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, election workers must stay until they cast their ballot. He also said people have the right to take up to two hours off from their jobs to vote, without loss of pay, providing they give their employers two working days notice.

Padilla also warned that in the past, social media sites have provided false information about voting and voting rights. The states VoteSure site is designed to answer most voters questions, he said.

Becerra said a team of state Justice Department attorneys will be spread across the state, ready and available to protect that (voting) right, even if it means taking a fast dash to the courts.

That hasnt happened in years, he added, mainly because California has done a lot to remove the impediments to voting that exist elsewhere.

Although the polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, the election will linger for days or weeks, Padilla said.

By law, counties must count every mail ballot that is postmarked by election day and arrives by Friday. Voters also have eight days to fix problems with signatures on their mailed or provisional ballots.

Matching signatures to registration cards takes time, as does processing late-arriving mailed ballots. If a vote is close, a hand count of the ballots may be required.

It can take several weeks to get the final, final results, Padilla said. The state has until Dec. 14 to certify the election.

A handful of California congressional races may determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the House for the next two years, so the entire nation could be watching the states extended vote count.

No one will be watching more closely than House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, who could regain the speakership she surrendered to the GOP nearly eight years ago if her party nets 23 House seats. On Friday she made a brief stop at Laborers Local 261 in the Mission District, joining local and state Democrats in a get-out-the-vote event for volunteers.

Pelosi said she was confident Democrats will flip the House, but she declined to predict the margin of victory.

I think we will win, she said. I dont know what the number will be beyond that. If one looks at the races, one could say that we could easily reach 30. But well see.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
SACRAMENTO  Gov. Jerry Brown is about to do something he hasnt done in the run-up to Tuesdays election. Hes hitting the campaign trail.

Californias outgoing governor has largely remained out of the fray ahead of the election, even as heavyweights, including former President Barack Obama and Sen. Bernie Sanders, have campaigned in the state to pump up Democratic enthusiasm for flipping GOP-held House seats and other liberal goals.

Brown, however, will spend his political capital on just one cause: defeating Proposition 6, which would repeal increases in the state gas tax and vehicle license fees that the governor pushed for in 2017 to raise money for road and bridge repairs and transit improvements.

Hes scheduled to appear Friday at a Bay Area rally opposing the repeal. Hes also appearing in No on Prop. 6 television ads targeting Bay Area voters, as well as in robocall messages.

Voters could be forgiven if hearing from Brown comes as a surprise. Until now, the biggest name in California politics has been practically silent on the election.

I hadnt seen his face on TV or anything up until now, said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a senior fellow in public policy at the University of Southern California.

And aside from the Prop. 6 campaign, hes likely to stay out of the spotlight. Sen. Kamala Harris and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, running to succeed Brown, will head to Southern California this weekend to stump for fellow Democrats in races that could determine control of Congress. Brown has no such plans, his office said.

Hes very popular among Democrats and swing voters, said Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio. In a few key races, it could be helpful.

Brown is a famously unconventional politician who has always been picky about which candidates and ballot measures he campaigns for. However, hes usually been front and center when he lends his name to a cause. On Prop. 6, hes jumping into a leading role late.

Brown was the face of the campaign to pass higher sales and income taxes in 2012 to raise money for schools. It was the same with a big water-project bond in 2014, a parole-overhaul initiative in 2016 and a measure that same year to require voter approval for big infrastructure projects, which Brown opposed.

Hes been quiet this election, said Larry Gerston, an emeritus professor of political science at San Jose State University. But hes pragmatic and uses his energy where its needed and when its needed.

And when it comes to Prop. 6, voters may not need to hear from Brown, Gerston said. The gas tax repeal is lagging in recent polls.

Brown has been soliciting donations for the anti-Prop. 6 campaign behind the scenes, helping the opposition raise $46 million. The late push includes the TV ads that began running Wednesday and Fridays rally, though the anti-Prop. 6 campaign declined to give details about where in the Bay Area it would be held.

That isnt the schedule of an uninvolved politician, said former state Democratic Party Chairman John Burton.

Hes running around raising money and working his tail off to save the transportation money, Burton said. What else do you want him to do?

Brown did not take a position on any of the other major initiatives on Tuesdays ballot  including the high-stakes Proposition 10, which would allow cities to expand rent control, or Proposition 8, a measure to cap dialysis clinics profits that has become the most expensive initiative campaign in state history.

His signature on bills passed by the Legislature, however, effectively put three other initiatives on the ballot. Those would authorize $4 billion in housing bonds (Proposition 1), allow a tax on millionaires to be used to house homeless mentally ill people (Proposition 2) and ask voters to support a change to permanent daylight-saving time (Proposition 7).

This is the last election he will be involved in as a sitting politician, but he hasnt had much to say outside his official work, said Bill Whalen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and a former speechwriter for Republican Gov. Pete Wilson.

Jerry Brown is a very nonconventional politician, Whalen said. Hes just not a guy who will barnstorm for candidates. He wont show up at a VFW in Fresno at a moments notice. Thats not his style.

But even as his term ends, Brown is ensuring hell keep his relevance. He has nearly $15 million in his campaign account, a war chest that he can leverage in retirement when he moves to a ranch in Colusa County.

Brown told the New York Times in July that he wasnt itching to spend that money: You want me to spend it and have no more money and nobody is going to call anymore? Thats really dumb.

Brown spokesman Evan Westrup said the governor doesnt have to use his own campaign money to ensure that priorities such as defeating Prop. 6 are well-funded. He said Brown is holding on to his surplus to fend off possible challenges to signature reforms such as Proposition 57, the 2016 parole measure.

Backers of Prop. 6 are also attempting to qualify a followup ballot measure in 2020 that would kill a favorite project of Browns, the high-speed rail line that might one day run from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

The governor has raised tens of millions of dollars to defeat Proposition 6, Westrup said. And his war chest will certainly be needed for the battles to come.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez
Six YIMBYs on a mission Mostly younger and living with roommates, activists want a place to live that wont take their last dime  the American dream in a new context

Six YIMBYs on a mission Mostly younger and living with roommates, activists want a place to live that wont take their last dime  the American dream in a new context

YIMBY Action, the pioneering pro-housing group, has about 2,100 members and chapters in San Francisco city neighborhoods. Here are some of the neighborhood YIMBYs who advocate for more residential development in their areas.

Jane Natoli

Neighborhood: Inner Richmond

Occupation: Financial crimes investigator

Story: Natoli, 37, considers herself lucky, paying $1,441 for a one-bedroom apartment in a rent-controlled building. She had been living in the Richmond for a few years when she noticed friends began leaving the Bay Area for less-expensive places, so Natoli started following housing politics. She believes in allowing the kind of four- and six-story apartment buildings that were built all over the Sunset and Richmond before the neighborhoods were downzoned in the 1980s.

In her words: Its about offering up a vision. What does that vision look like? It looks like the city we already live in. I live in a 16-unit building on Sixth Avenue between Fulton and Cabrillo. Its not too big for my neighborhood. Its three stories. You cant build anything like that anymore. Just opening up the chance to build something like that would make a huge boon for the west side. Its simple density  the missing middle.

Steven Buss

Caroline Bas poses for a portrait near her office in the South of Market district of San Francisco, Calif. Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Caroline Bas poses for a portrait near her office in the South of Market district of San Francisco, Calif. Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close YIMBY members have various housing arrangements, but a common thread 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Neighborhood: The Mission

Occupation: Software engineer at Google

Story: Buss, 32, had lived in Los Angeles before moving back to San Francisco in 2016 with his fiance. After the relationship faltered Buss had to find a new place. He stayed temporarily with his ex-fiance and then with his parents in Petaluma, before moving into a two-bedroom apartment at 24th and Hampshire streets in the Mission. His room is $1,800 a month. Everything below that price was either a living room or didnt allow cats.

In his words: I dont know a single person under 35 who owns in San Francisco. I dont know a single person under 35 without a roommate in San Francisco. We dont get to live by ourselves. We are all just trying to make it work. I find it extremely frustrating that the Planning Commission is almost entirely made up of members who are securely housed. San Francisco is 70 percent renters, and the people making our land use decisions are almost all owners. They dont reflect the makeup of the city.

Caroline Bas

Neighborhood: The Richmond

Occupation: Consultant at accounting and tax firm Deloitte

Story: Bas, 33, owns and lives in a 700-square-foot condominium in a 15-unit building at California and Arguello with her partner and daughter. She got involved in housing advocacy after both her siblings moved away because they couldnt afford the Bay Area. That made Bas the main caretaker for her disabled mother, who she says has been evicted three times in the past five years and has schizophrenia. Its getting harder and harder to find a place to move her mother. She is always the first one who gets kicked out when the landlord decides to remodel.

In her words: When I do talk to my  for lack of a better term  NIMBY neighbors, they say its so refreshing to speak to a Millennial. If we YIMBYs sometimes live in an echo chamber, they do too. There is not enough positive dialogue between the different groups.

Giovanna Guevara

Neighborhood: Sunnyside

Occupation: Researcher at NASAs Ames Research Center

Story: Guevara, 31, grew up in Oakdale (Stanislaus County) and came to San Francisco to attend college. She lives with roommates in an apartment near City College. She says that she is fortunate to have found an affordable apartment but that she could never leave because Id have to leave the Bay Area. I could never move anywhere else in the city. If I ever wanted to live without roommates, I couldnt do that. She said she wants density that complements the neighborhood.

In her words: One of the things that Ive noticed in talking to other YIMBYs is how many of our parents are NIMBYs. Ill talk to my mother about some NIMBYs group stopping a housing project for some preposterous reason, and shell be like, Its good they stopped that. Im like OK, Mom. I dont know where to move with this conversation. Its a generational thing, which I dont think it should be.

Phillip Kobernick

Neighborhood: The Haight

Occupation: Alameda County transportation planner

Story: Kobernick, 32, lives in a three-bedroom apartment with two roommates in their late 20s. The total rent is $3,500. He said that ideally his apartment would be occupied by a family with kids, not a group of unrelated adults who would all be happier living alone in a studio or one bedroom. Koberick has been actively pushing housing at four sites in his neighborhood: the McDonalds site at Haight and Stanyan streets  where the city plans to build affordable housing  two sites on Divisadero and one on Fulton Street. All four examples are examples of infill development with no displacement. Its taking underutilized places like gas stations and activating it as a place for people to live.

In his words: NIMBYs say traffic is bad, that Oak Street is congested. Their attitude is, Why are these new people coming? They just want to put a wall up around the neighborhood. They dont want new people. Its brutal but its reality. One guy told us he didnt want to live in Hong Kong. Is that what the Haight is going to become if we allow a few seven-story apartment buildings?

David Tejeda

Neighborhood: Sunnyside

Occupation: Contractor

Story: Tejada stands out in a room full of YIMBYs. At 70, hes twice as old as most of the people active in the movement. Hes also the owner of a home he bought two decades ago near the Balboa Reservoir. Its a neighborhood where many residents are opposed to a redevelopment plan calling for about 1,100 new housing units.

In his words: A lot people in my age group have the attitude, Ive got mine. If you dont have yours, its your own fault. At the same time, they complain that their grown kids are living in their basement. Well, if there were more places for them to live they wouldnt have to stay in the basement. Im a firm believer that you dont pull the drawbridge up.
Twice a week, The Chronicle features a home on the market that caught our eye for its architecture, history or character. More photos: www.sfgate.com/columns/walkthrough

Address: 525 28th St., San Francisco

Asking price: $4.695 million

Description: EE Weiss Architects conceptualized this four-bedroom contemporary, a modernized residence awash in natural light, featuring a roof deck with views of downtown and the bay. Rear decks with glass railings punctuate all four levels, while fireplaces await in the media room, great room and owners suite. An elevator accesses all floors, and the home features an architectural staircase with floating tread. The lower levels media room includes a wet bar and opens to a deck that descends into a landscaped backyard studded by a pair of palm trees. Read more at www.525-28th.com.

Dont miss: Brightened by clerestory windows, the owners suite opens to a private deck through a collapsible glass wall. The spa bathroom has a rain shower and a soaking tub.

Built: 1910

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.

Square feet: 3,551

For more information: Mary Lou Castellanos, Sothebys International Realty, 415-901-1769, marylou.castellanos@sothebyshomes.com; Ronald Parks, Sothebys, 415-297-9000, ron.parks@sothebyshomes.com.

The Walk-Through is produced by Sentinel Media Services for The San Francisco Chronicle. Send submissions to realestate@sfchronicle.com.
San Franciscos 90-year-old Alfreds Steakhouse is back in familiar hands.

After being sold to Michelin-starred chef Daniel Patterson three years ago, the Financial District restaurant is again being operated by the Petri family, the same folks who ran the business from 1973 to 2015.

Were going to return some normalcy there, said Al Petri, the 75-year-old patriarch who retired from the restaurant business eight years ago. Petri recently became the majority investor in Alfreds, which is on Merchant Street.

San Francisco needs an affordable place where they can come, have a nice dinner and not have to pay such high prices, Petri said.

The restaurant  San Franciscos oldest steak house  is currently closed. It will reopen in early December with a new, fixed-price menu centered around fire-grilled steaks. Similar to another local beef stalwart, House of Prime Rib, the new Alfreds format will have customers pay for the steak cut they choose, with prices ranging from $39 to $68. Included in the price will be an appetizer platter for the table, a choice of starter (Caesar, heart of romaine salad or prawn cocktail) and two sides.

Under the Patterson regime, options were more expensive, and the service model leaned more on a la carte dining. Patterson remains an investor in Alfreds and will continue to help shape the restaurants menu moving forward, Petri said.

Petri originally retired from running Alfreds in 2010, about five years before it was sold to Patterson. At the time, Petri attributed the sale to a changing San Francisco restaurant market, one that made it hard for businesses like his to succeed.

So what would make the 75-year-old return to an industry he wanted to leave just a few years back, thanks partly to rent increases and the high cost of operations? Petri said he was struck with new ideas during retirement, ones that didnt come to fruition until he watched his son Marco run the business for a few years before Patterson.

By simplifying things and just giving people what they enjoy, this can work. I want Alfreds to be around for future generations, he said

Another factor for his return: boredom.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Theres only so many weeds you can pull while youre retired, he said with a laugh. Theres only so many times you can cut the grass.

The ownership transition bookends a hectic past few years. After Pattersons restaurant group revamped the space with a new coat of paint and added grass-fed beef to the menu in 2015, a two-alarm fire forced the restaurant to close in 2017.

And when it closed again without warning in June to accommodate the ownership transition, rumors swirled that the business would shutter for good.

Petri said keeping Alfreds alive is an act imbued with a sense of pride and also defiance.

I want to show that this business model can work, he said. I could see it after stepping away for a while. With some small changes, getting back to what we used to do, I think it can last.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
Whats your favorite Italian restaurant?

Since I fell into the world of food writing, thats probably been the most common question I have received from readers and new acquaintances. Like burritos and burgers, Italian food is universal in our region, both in restaurants and homes, and lord knows everyone has an opinion on their favorite Italian place.

This is a fun discussion precisely because its an impossible question. Maybe you treasure A16 because youll discover a new wine there. Surely you must love the Gold Mirror because you value community in a restaurant.

Me? La Ciccia is my favorite Italian restaurant. To me, owners Lorella Degan and Massimiliano Conti have created the perfect restaurant, the absolute idyll of a neighborhood restaurant. It emits love and hospitality  and, of course, the singular island of Sardinia.

SPQR is also my favorite Italian restaurant. I feel a connection to it. By chance, I was there on its first night of business, a 20-something craving fried Brussels sprouts. As its evolved into the realm of fine dining under Matthew Accarrino, Ive grown up alongside it and its now where I celebrate anniversaries.

Baonecci is my favorite Italian restaurant. Its the only place in San Francisco where I truly feel transported to a different country.

Original Joes Westlake is my favorite Italian restaurant. The people in there  old, young, together, alone  make me feel like Im in the real world, not some alternative timeline where everyone looks the same and must take photos of their meals.

Bertoluccis in South City is my favorite Italian restaurant. I like that my grandfather, Nat, still laughs when I suggest we go there. (Too fancy!)

I could go on. But I hope you get the idea. So, tell me your favorite Italian restaurant. You will probably be correct in your assessment. In the meantime, these are The Chronicle staffs favorites:

 Paolo Lucchesi, plucchesi@sfchronicle.com, Twitter: @lucchesi

Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle

A16

Since opening in 2004, Shelley Lindgrens Marina restaurant has earned loads of accolades and loyal fans for its Southern Italian-by-way of-Northern California fare. The Neapolitan pizzas are indeed delicious, but really, its all about Lindgrens unparallelled wine list. The award-winning program highlights an impressive collection of esoteric wines, with particular emphasis on indigenous grapes from Southern Italy, but Lindgren and companys approachable service means that choosing a wine is never intimidating. A16 is that special kind of San Francisco restaurant where one can go for a lovely anniversary dinner, but just as easily simply drop by the bar solo after work for a glass of vino and a perfectly blistered pizza.  Sarah Fritsche

What to get: Any of the Neapolitan-style pizzas; the trippa Napoletana; and, of course, the wine

2355 Chestnut St., 415-771-2216. www.a16pizza.com

Related: The best Italian wines are the ones you dont know yet

Acquerello

Every San Franciscan should have the citys only true fine-dining Italian restaurant on her bucket list. One of the few remaining local places with a dress code, the formal service is led by watchful co-owner Giancarlo Paterlini. It feels of another time, as does the setting inside a former mortuary chapel with beamed ceilings and stuffed banquettes. The menu seems traditional, but chef-owner Suzette Gresham surprises with modern elements like red dulse (seaweed) stirred into a risotto, or panna cotta in the shape of an egg. Ask Paterlini to give you a tour of his wine cellars and the Barolos he has lovingly collected over three decades.  Tara Duggan

What to get: You can choose from three-, four- or five-course prix fixe menus ($105-$150) or a seasonal tasting menu ($195)

1722 Sacramento St., 415-567-5432, www.acquerello.com

Related:

Acquerellos Italian wine list is old-school, expensive  and essential

Chef Suzette Gresham bridges classic to contemporary at Acquerello

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

Caffe Baonecci

Caffe Baonecci is a North Beach fantasy come to life: Husband and wife move to San Francisco and open a modest trattoria serving the rustic foods of their native Lucca, along with a collection of simple, impeccable thin-crust pizza. Its the kind of charming family restaurant that would be depicted in a Pixar film, a delightful, anachronistic escape to a small Tuscan village.  Paolo Lucchesi

What to get: Zuppa Garfagnina; pizza

516 Green St., 415-989-1806, www.caffebaonecci.com

Related: The best restaurants in North Beach

Che Fico

Walking into Che Fico, one treks up an eclectic pink-and-red-hued stairway to a dining room imbued with the aroma of fresh pasta and wood-fired pizza as a Mos Def track blares overhead. Its clear the restaurant isnt one of the citys old-school Italian establishments. But therein lies Che Ficos beauty. It isnt just a place for pappardelle al ragu or squash ravioli; its an experience. The restaurant is an amalgamation of new and old, a conundrum that deserves to be recognized among the citys best.  Justin Phillips

What to get: Wood-fired chicken; squash ravioli; San Francisco margherita pizza

838 Divisadero, 415-416-6959, www.chefico.com

Related: The most beautiful restaurants in San Francisco

Cotogna

Cotogna may not be as formal, or hold as many Michelin stars, as its sister restaurant Quince, but a meal here can still feel like a special occasion, just with fewer tablecloths and suits. The rooms focal point is the wood-fired oven, which turns out a rotating cast of pizza, spit-fired meat (porchetta is a specialty) and two varieties of house-made focaccia, including the paper-thin focaccia di Recco ($24, and its enough for the table). Long gone, sadly, are the days of Cotognas $40-bottle wine list, but the current list is excellent (albeit pricier), focusing on regional Italy and newer California producers. Still, dont be shy about asking for the extended wine list; Cotogna shares a cellar with Quince.  Esther Mobley

What to get: Prosciutto with gnocco fritto; focaccia di Recco; tagliatelle alla Bolognese (when available)

490 Pacific Ave., 415-775-8508, www.cotognasf.com

Da Flora

There is nothing in-the-moment about this osteria on a quiet corner near Washington Square Park, but thats not why you come. And, with its stacked wine bottles and yard-sale paintings of Venice, Da Flora stays above the fray of the many places vying for tourist traffic farther up Columbus Avenue. Longtime chef Jen McMahon and her husband, Darren Lacy, bought the restaurant when founder Flora Gaspar retired in 2016, and the still-handwritten menu highlights seasonal ingredients like Mission figs on a butter lettuce salad with gorgonzola dolce dressing. Lacy, who runs the front of the house, creates a warm atmosphere that seems to account for a lot of regulars.  Tara Duggan

What to get: Thinly sliced roast pork with tonnato and capers; tagliatelle with braised duck leg sugo and radicchio; manicotti with ricotta, chanterelles and arugula-almond pesto.

701 Columbus Ave., 415-981-4664, www.daflora.com

Related: The best restaurants in North Beach

Delfina

Trying to explain why Delfinas spaghetti pomodoro  what should be the worlds simplest pasta  is so irresistible is a bit like capturing what makes Delfina, now 20 years in, so timeless. Anyone who remembers how shocking it was in 1998 when the restaurant opened with its clash of refined food and informal service  the waiters had tattoos!  can also remember a time when that wasnt yet the norm in Bay Area dining. Founders Craig and Annie Stoll have long since branched out to Locanda, a Roman-theme restaurant around the corner, and a string of local pizzerias, but Delfina is always worth a revisit. Like the spaghetti, with its contrast of silky sauce and springy pasta, sweet tomatoes and spicy pepperoncini, its simple yet vibrant.  Tara Duggan

What to get: Gnocco fritto with lardo; grilled Monterey calamari with warm white bean salad; pansotti with walnut sauce and marjoram; and the spaghetti

3621 18th St., 415-552-4055, www.delfinasf.com

Related: Recipe: Delfinas famous spaghetti pomodoro

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Fiorella

Fiorella is a neighborhood restaurant worth trekking across town for. As Californian as it is Italian, the restaurant features quaint toile wallpaper depicting Bay Area figures including Angela Davis, Joe Montana and Mac Dre. Vegetables pervade the menu, from crispy rings of delicata squash in sage-infused brown butter to the fennel-and-pepper-loaded pork sugo fettuccine. Pizzas, the heart of the menu, are satisfying and uncomplicated, privileging fresh ingredients over novel ones. Co-owner Boris Nemchenok, also of Violets and Uva Enoteca, stocks a charming wine list, especially strong in Italian white wines and fresh but full-bodied reds. Its the sort of place youll want to go back to every week.  Esther Mobley

What to get: Borlotti beans; Neapolitan pie; pork sugo fettuccine

2339 Clement St., 415-340-3049 or www.fiorella-sf.com

Related: Violets a bright new cocktail bar in the foggy Outer Richmond

Flour + Water

Theres something a little retro about the ambitions at Flour + Water, not to mention its under-$25 entree prices: a constantly morphing menu that paints a portrait of this week in this place; pastas whose textures, whether satiny or chewy, one tends to marvel over; flavors that take no effort for a first-timer to grok yet hide extra dimensions. Whats more, the food feels relaxed, in a classic California cuisine, pre-$300-tasting-menu-with-caviar-bumps way (though there is a pasta tasting menu for $65, if you need more than three courses to feel intellectually stimulated). Under executive chef Ryan Pollnow, is the menu more globally influenced? Perhaps, but its still rooted in the same Italian tradition as Oliveto and Delfina. Flour + Water is a restaurant that still stymies every effort to make reservations and, once youve waited long enough to get a walk-in seat, makes you feel like you should drop in more often.  Jonathan Kauffman

What to get: Any of the crudi, fish or meat; filled pastas such as this months ricotta and greens pansoti with horseradish and walnut-marjoram pesto; any pasta with a deeply reduced meat stock

2401 Harrison St., 415-826-7000, www.flourandwater.com

Related: The Bay Area has become the center for creative pasta in the United States

Leah Millis / The Chronicle

La Ciccia

Theres something undeniably familial about La Ciccia in Noe Valley. Be it the cozy interior, one where jovial conversations elevate above the clatter of silverware and wine glasses, or just the homespun heartiness of the food, the restaurant is more gathering place than actual restaurant. Its a setting cultivated by owners Lorella Degan and Massimiliano Conti, both of whom are no stranger to interacting with patrons in the dining room. La Ciccia feels personal, untethered to familiar restaurant tropes. And as much as La Ciccias Sardinian fare makes it one of the best neighborhood Italian shops in the city, its the restaurants natural ambience that makes it truly special.  Justin Phillips

What to get: Prupisceddu in umidu cun tomatiga (baby octopus stew); spaghittusu cun allu ollu e bottariga (spaghetti with spicy oil, garlic and cured fish roe); pani guttiau (traditional Sardinian flabread)

291 30th St., San Francisco; 415-550-8114 or www.laciccia.com

Related: Unique taste of Sardinia in wine, and food, at La Ciccia in S.F.

Locanda

The energy of Valencia Street seeps into Locanda, pouring through the street-side windows before unspooling across the dining room and bar. Interested in having a raucous night with friends? Grab a spot at the bar or reserve a cluster of tables and explore the cocktails. Leaning toward something quiet and reserved? Sit down in a corner space near the front window as the bustling Mission passes quietly behind you.  Justin Phillips

What to get: Cacio e pepe; rigatoni alla carbonara

557 Valencia St.; 415-863-6800 or www.locandasf.com

Related: The night shift: After the dinner rush, a world of work awaits

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Montesacro Pinseria

As you can surmise from this list, theres no shortage of Italian restaurants in San Francisco, but to me, none of them captures Italian charm quite like this Roman-style pinseria. Antique photos and bric-a-brac fill the walls, as if an Italian nonna curated a TGI Fridays. A decommissioned century-old coal oven at the rear of the restaurant  a leftover from the spaces long-forgotten days as a bakery  adds even more appeal. Then there are the pinsas, which are more along the lines of oven-fired flatbreads, topped with cured meats, vegetables and other goodies. Theyre reminiscent of pizza, sure, but so much more interesting than anything youll find at other pizzerias.  Sarah Fritsche

What to get: Focaccia der muratore (mortadella-stuffed pinsa); Montesacro pinsa (stracciatella, black kale, calabrian chile, garum); infernetto pinsa (smoked mozzarella and nduja). Tor di quinto pinsa (crescenza, smoked salmon, zucchini, poppy seeds, dill), sardella e pane tostato (spicy Calabrian sardine spread)

510 Stevenson St., 415-795-3040, www.montesacrosf.com

Related: Montesacros pinsas: Not quite pizza, but great

John Storey / Special to The Chronicle 2012

Original Joes

I have a theory that subpar touristy restaurants, especially in Fishermans Wharf, killed Italian American cuisine in San Francisco. So when Joes reopened in North Beach in 2012, it was significant, because it resurrected the best possible versions of those classic Italian American dishes, from shrimp scampi to eggplant parm. Everyone has his or her Joes order. My friend Tyler, for example, always gets a char-broiled burger with a side of ravioli. Im partial to the chicken piccata on most visits to Joes (and its Daly City sister).  Paolo Lucchesi

What to get: Chopped salad; eggplant Parmigiana; chicken piccata

601 Union St., 415-775-4877, www.originaljoes.com

Related: The best restaurants in North Beach

Jason Henry / Special To The Chronicle

Perbacco

Though over a decade old, Staffan Terje and Umberto Gibins Piemontese restaurant still feels as relevant as it did in its early days. The Cass Calder Smith-designed space is elegant, and the food  especially the pastas  seals the deal. Terjes masterful cooking satisfies the taste buds, while Gibins warmth and hospitality suffuse the dining room. This is date-night Italian at its finest.  Sarah Fritsche

What to get: Agnolotti dal plin; pappardelle with lamb shoulder ragu; tajarin with pork and porcini sugo

230 California St.; 415-955-0663, www.perbaccosf.com

Ragazza

Writers dont get to be regulars, do we? Arent we supposed to maintain a certain emotional distance from the restaurants we go to, for fear of compromising our objectivity? Can we ever go out to dinner without feeling the need to chronicle our meal? The only place where my husband and I dine often enough for the host to recognize our faces is Ragazza, where we roll in on random Friday nights and celebrate modest victories like finished book drafts and signed contracts. The tables are pushed together tightly enough in the narrow dining room to conduct unpremeditated eavesdropping, yet the noise doesnt crowd out our own conversation. The food is exactly what we like to eat: massive salads, always with a little cheese or toasted nuts to keep them from being too acidic or austere, followed by Sharon Ardianas light, crisp, seasonally responsive pizzas. There are entrees and desserts on the menu, too, and perhaps I should order them. But here I claim a regulars prerogative, and stick to my favorites.  Jonathan Kauffman

What to get: Baby kale salad with farro and green goddess dressing; Amatriciana pizza (with egg); pizza bianca with onion crema, preserved lemon and arugula

311 Divisadero St.; 415-255-1133, www.ragazzasf.com

Related: Recipe: Sharon Ardianas Farrotto With Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallots

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

SPQR

You will go to SPQR, and you will have a meal you cannot have anywhere else in America. You may look at the pasta prices  $32 per plate for most  with a quizzical eye. But then you will try one of Matthew Accarrinos pasta dishes, hopefully more than one, and begin to understand why that price is fair. These are not comparable to the careless pastas of the Wharf  which, for the record, are already inching into the high $20 range  that toss together a bunch of shellfish with a day-old red sauce. SPQRs finished plates are a closer analogue to the kinds of composed dishes youll see at a four-star tasting menu restaurant that charges triple-digits. Throw in the hours of painstaking work and skill it takes to make the pasta by hand (see cover image), and youll soon understand that hes probably undercharging you.  Paolo Lucchesi

What to get: Any pasta, but especially the smoked fettucini with uni and bacon. Get wine recommendations from the well-educated staff.

1911 Fillmore St., 415-771-7779, www.spqrsf.com

Related: The Bay Area has become the center for creative pasta in the United States

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Trattoria Contadina

For those moments when you just want a hot plate of Italian food, darn it  no foam, no microgreens, no uni  Trattoria Contadina will always deliver. Few spaces in San Francisco feel as comforting as this warm, wood-paneled room, dotted with old photos and illuminated by pendant Christmas lights. Kevin Correnti operates the restaurant with his wife, Gina, and has kept alive the spirit that his father and grandfather fostered since opening Contadina in 1984. You come here for clams in lemon and white wine, saucy veal saltimbocca with garlicky mashed potatoes, bottles of Chianti and Barbera. Contadinas pasta entrees are so large and rich that youll be hard-pressed not to ask for a to-go box, but dishes like the carlesimo (rigatoncelli in a creamy sauce of sun-dried tomatoes, pancetta and porcini) taste just as good the next day. Insiders tip: Correnti is a negroni nut and loves to serve creative variations on the classic bitter cocktail  but you have to ask.  Esther Mobley

What to get: Saltimbocca; carlesimo; clams and nduja

1800 Mason St., 415-982-5728, www.trattoriacontadina.com

Related: Trattoria Contadina gets schooled in edgy Negronis

Trattoria da Vittorio

My definition of a favorite Italian restaurant includes the attributes of fairly easy parking, casual familiarity and a plate of pillow-y gnocchi. This neighborhood trattoria opened six years ago in West Portal and quickly became a spot for special dinners for my family of four  whether celebrating a birthday or simply a Friday night out. With swift yet warm service, this cozy restaurant welcomes with classic Southern Italian fare such as eggplant parmigiana, which is rich with smoky eggplant bathed in a fresh and simple tomato sauce.  Bernadette Fay

What to get: Eggplant parmigiana Mamma Francescas special recipe; hand-made gnocchi

150 West Portal Ave., 415-742-0300, www.trattoriadavittorio.com.
The new system demands of students that they start to recognize and feel and see and think about where am I, what do I need to do next, what is the most important piece for me to work on next, said Warrick at one of the sessions.
A Stanford doctor calls a polio-like disease mostly affecting children "viscerally upsetting."

Dr. Keith Van Haren, a professor of neurology at Stanford University, has evaluated 30 patients suffering from acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, since 2012, and while extremely rare (affecting one in a million people), the disease is deeply concerning to him.

"It's really the randomness and suddenness of this that's alarming and upsetting," says Dr. Van Haren. "It has the effect of a random act of violence against a child. Everything seems well and healthy with a child and suddenly in a day it's not."

ALSO: Paralyzing polio-like illness affecting mainly children confirmed in 22 states, CDC says

Health officials have been investigating AFM since an outbreak in 2014, and this year a spike in cases has the medical community concerned. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is following 72 confirmed cases in 24 states and is investigating another 119 patients who potentially have the disease with symptoms including sudden arm and leg weakness, facial weakness or drooping and difficulty swallowing or slurred speech. In the most severe cases, AFM can lead to paralysis, respiratory failure or even death.

More than 90 percent of the cases occur in patients who are under the age of 18 years old. Some people recover quickly and completely while others experience continued paralysis and weakness.

The CDC has drawn some criticism for its investigation of AFM and Dr. Van Haren is among the health professionals who say the government organization could do more to track cases and determine the cause.

"They're the best institution in the world in what they do," says Dr. Van Haren. "They're normally doing an excellent job in scientific investigation and coordination. Their potential is enormous. But with this, there's a lot of untapped potential. To not have them on task here is atypical."

Many other doctors have shared similar sentiments. "To get to the bottom of causation, we've got to start with a simple accounting of how many cases there are," Dr. Benjamin Greenberg, associate professor of neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, told CNN. "We don't know how many cases are out there, and that's just wrong."

While the CDC hasn't issued a definitive cause of AFM, Van Haren says the medical community is steadily converging on an association with Enterovirus D68. The virus hasn't been consistently detected in every patient with AFM, but many health professionals feel there's enough evidence to conduct a deep investigation into it as the cause.

"The primary driver doesn't seem to be particularly mysterious," says Dr. Van Haren. "The evidence is narrowing in on EV-D68 as the main driver. I think the mystery is why hasn't the CDC come to the same conclusions. What's keeping them from the same conclusion?"

The CDC says its conducting an investigation. "While we know that these can cause AFM, we have not been able to find a cause for the majority of these AFM cases," Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told Time. "The reason why we don't know about AFM  and I am frustrated that despite all of our efforts we haven't been able to identify the cause of this mystery illness  we continue to investigate to better understand the clinical picture of AFM cases, risk factors and possible causes of the increase in cases."
STOREY COUNTY, Nev.  An enormous plot of land in the Nevada desert  bigger than nearby Reno  has been the subject of local intrigue since a company with no history, Blockchains LLC, bought it for $170 million in cash this year.

The man who owns the company, a lawyer and cryptocurrency millionaire named Jeffrey Berns, put on a helmet and climbed into a Polaris off-road vehicle last week to give a tour of the sprawling property and dispel a bit of the mystery.

He imagines a sort of experimental community spread over about 100 square miles, where houses, schools, commercial districts and production studios will be built. The centerpiece of this giant project will be the blockchain, a new kind of database that was introduced by bitcoin.

ALSO READ: SF's largest estate has seen its asking price slashed in half. Why isn't it selling?

After his driver stopped the Polaris on a high desert plateau, surrounded by blooming rabbit brush and a grazing herd of wild horses, Berns, 56, pointed to the highlights of his dream community.

You see that first range of mountains, he said, pointing south. Those mountains are the border of our South Valley. Thats where were going to build the high-tech park, a research campus that would cover hundreds of acres. There are also plans for a college and an e-gaming arena.

As strange  even fantastical  as all this might sound, Berns ambitions fit right into the idiosyncratic world of cryptocurrencies and blockchains.

The blockchain began as a digital ledger on which all bitcoin transactions are recorded. Some aficionados have grander plans. They think it could be a new way of taking power back from the institutions they believe are calling all the shots.

Just as bitcoin made it possible to transfer money without using a bank, blockchain believers like Berns think the technology will make it possible for ordinary people to control their own data  the lifeblood of the digital economy  without relying on big companies or governments.

There is a fuzzy line between these utopian visions and get-rich-quick schemes. Several cryptocurrency projects have been shut down by regulators; apparent hucksters have been arrested; and a plan to transform Puerto Rico with cryptocurrencies has been criticized as nothing more than a bid to take advantage of the islands status as a tax haven.

Berns was drawn to Nevada by its tax benefits, including the lack of income taxes. And the breadth of his ambitions certainly raises the risk of a boondoggle.

But he is different from his crypto-brethren in one big way: He is spending his own money. So far, he said, he has spent $300 million on the land, offices, planning and a staff of 70 people. And buying 67,000 largely undeveloped acres is a bit of old-fashioned, real estate risk-taking.

Still, Berns said his ambition was not to be a real estate magnate or even to get rich  or richer. He is promising to give away all decision-making power for the project and 90 percent of any dividends it generates to a corporate structure that will be held by residents, employees and future investors. That structure, which he calls a distributed collaborative entity, is supposed to operate on a blockchain where everyones ownership rights and voting powers will be recorded in a digital wallet.

Berns acknowledged that all this is way beyond what blockchains have actually accomplished. But that hasnt discouraged him.

I dont know why, he said over the roar of the Polaris engine. I just  something inside me tells me this is the answer, that if we can get enough people to trust the blockchain, we can begin to change all the systems we operate by.

Berns has managed to win over local officials who are eager for economic development. Nevadas governor, Brian Sandoval, read a proclamation that named the Blockchains property Innovation Park at an event last month where Berns sat on a panel with the governor and Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla. Teslas Gigafactory in Nevada, which has been described as the largest building in the world, is surrounded by Blockchains land. Companies like Google, Apple and Switch also have properties in the industrial park that is surrounded by Berns holdings.

This week, he announced a memorandum of understanding with one of the states main power companies, NV Energy, to team up on projects that will run energy transactions through a blockchain.

The Nevada county where this is all located, Storey County, has only about 4,000 residents and was best known, until recently, for its history of silver mining and its modern brothels, including one owned by a county commissioner.

That same county commissioner, Lance Gilman, bought the land surrounding the brothel and turned it into the industrial park where Tesla and Google are now located.

Blockchains has already received preliminary county support for a new town along the Truckee River, with thousands of homes, a school and a drone delivery system, and is working closely with the county on a broader master plan.

But for now, Blockchains is empty land and a repurposed office building. Berns said the company wont begin construction on the broader property until late 2019, at the earliest, after putting together the master plan and getting it approved by the county.

The office manager from Berns old law office in Los Angeles, Joanna Rodriguez, moved with her four children and husband to Nevada.

He has these crazy ideas  but I know that every time he sets his mind to something he will get there, said Rodriguez, 29, who has worked with Berns for eight years and is now the manager of the Blockchains office in Nevada. Thats why I decided to move.

Berns spent most of his professional life on class-action lawsuits, many of them against financial companies. He learned about bitcoin in 2012 but was won over by another cryptocurrency called Ethereum, which makes it possible to store more than just transaction data on a blockchain.

Berns bought Ether, the digital token associated with Ethereum, in a big sale in 2015. Thanks to an astronomical increase in the price of Ether and some well-timed selling last year before it crashed, he became wealthy enough to fund his dream project.

Ethereum is what he believes makes his community more than just a giant real estate project. To understand why requires more than a bit of imagination. And faith. Every resident and employee will have what amounts to an Ethereum address, which they will use to vote on local measures and store their personal data.

Berns believes Ethereum will give people a way to control their identity and online data without any governments or companies involved.

That is a widely shared view in the blockchain community, but there are significant questions about whether any of it can work in the real world. Most blockchain companies have failed to gain any traction, and Ethereum and bitcoin networks have struggled to handle even moderate amounts of traffic.

Berns believes that one of the big problems has been security. People have been terrible at holding the private keys that are necessary to access a bitcoin or Ethereum wallet.

He wants to address that with a custom-built system where peoples private keys are stored on multiple digital devices, kept in vaults, so that no one device can access the keys. He has already purchased vaults that are burrowed into mountains in Sweden and Switzerland and he plans to build additional vaults in the mountains in Nevada.

The other thing holding back Ethereum, Berns believes, has been a lack of real-world laboratories. His Nevada land, he hopes, will change that.

This will either be the biggest thing ever, or the most spectacular crash and burn in the history of mankind, Berns said. I dont know which one. I believe its the former but either way its going to be one hell of a ride.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
If you missed it ...

In a week when Google didnt have to search for disgruntled employees, this also happened:

Red, a company with roots in digital cameras for movie productions, released a Hydrogen One phone, which has a holographic screen that produces 3-D visuals without needing special glasses. The company is hoping enough users will create and share their own videos shot with the phone.

Trying to protect its natural beauty, the Pacific nation of Palau will ban reef-toxic sunscreen starting in 2020. Banned sunscreens will be confiscated from tourists, and merchants selling the products will be fined up to $1,000.

Amazon said it hopes to teach 10 million students a year how to code. The company will pay for summer camps, teacher training and other projects to benefit kids and young adults from low-income families who might not have learned to code otherwise. It said it hopes the programs spur more black, Hispanic and female students to study computer science.

Reeses set up a vending machine in New York for five hours Wednesday so people could trade in their Halloween candy for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, according to Delish.

 Google said it will give away $25 million to projects that propose ways to use artificial intelligence to help create a more humane society. During a presentation in Sunnyvale, Google demonstrated how its AI technology is already being used to diagnose diseases, help people with disabilities, predict areas likely to f lood and protect endangered species.

 The owner of an upstate New York restaurant who sexually harassed employees was sentenced to six months in jail. Jonathan LaRock was arrested last year after a 17-year-old employee at his Howard Johnson restaurant in Lake George told police she had been sexually harassed. An investigation revealed LaRock had routinely propositioned and sexually harassed female employees for years.

On Halloween, Salesforce Tower delighted internet petitioners who had called for the buildings soaring digital displays to turn into the Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings. Salesforce chief Marc Benioff  who doesnt actually control the building  had suggested Batkid instead, but the building owners, Boston Properties and Hines, went the fiery panopticon route.

Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. Twitter: @techchronicle
When Michael ONeil tried to pay the company that inspected the Chicago condo he bought last summer, he had no idea there was a company on the East Coast with a nearly identical name and an email address that differed by just four letters  until he sent $360 to the wrong business.

ONeil, 37, sent the mobile payment using Zelle and has spent the past year trying to get the money back.

It was my mistake, but one that I thought was immediately protected, he said. Four letters shouldnt cost $360, he argues.

People want to be able to send and receive money as instantly as they can an email, whether theyre splitting the bill at a restaurant or sending allowance to their kids. Tech companies and banks met that desire with services such as Venmo and Zelle. But lost in the excitement over the new technology was the understanding that instant payments dont have the same protection as credit card transactions.

If a user sends money to the wrong person, its the senders responsibility  not the companys.

While the customer may expect banks to retrieve the money, Zelle payments are treated the same as cash. Theres only so much financial institutions can do to get the money back. In its user agreement, Zelle recommends that users not send money to people they dont know.

Venmo says it does not take responsibility for actions of recipients and doesnt guarantee the identities of users.

Still, the mobile payment operators are adding some warnings after learning that customers are more prone to mistakes than they had anticipated.

Last year, Venmo gave users the ability to add profile pictures to their accounts, introduced flags that pop up if the sender doesnt know the recipient, and added other measures to try to slow down users before they hit send. Early Warning Services, the bank-owned consortium behind Zelle, expects its partner banks to introduce pop-ups or alerts that ask users to confirm theyre sending money to the right person.

Although users often send each other $5 or $10 for pizza or beer, the transactions add up. Zelle processed $32 billion in payments between July and September, up 67 percent from the comparable period last year, according to Early Warning. More than 75 million email address and phone numbers are enrolled in Zelle, which has its own app and can be offered through banks apps or systems. Zelle also processes corporate disbursements, such as insurance payouts, which are included in its numbers.

Venmo processed about $17 billion in payments during the same period this year, up 78 percent from last year. The company, which San Joses PayPal acquired in 2013 when it bought Braintree for $800 million, does not release user numbers.

Some users have already learned their lesson about misdirected payments.

When she was fresh out of college, Melissa Rohman was at a happy hour with new work acquaintances. Someone with a very generic name picked up the tab, she said. Rohman found a Venmo account with that name, typed in some emoji and sent off about $10.

I keep tabs on my bank account pretty regularly, and I was noticing that it hadnt gone through, Rohman said.

She sent the money to the wrong person. The person on the receiving end of Rohmans $10 never accepted it, and the money was later refunded.

But the temporary loss of that $10 was enough to slow Rohman down when she sends money. Now, she makes sure shes transferring money to the right person. She checks the recipients profile picture, puts the persons number in her phone, and asks for direct confirmation that the profile she chose is the right one.

If I know that its not for certain them, I just wait and ask them, she said.

Amy Baxter, 27, also has resorted to her own analog security measures after sending $5 to the wrong person to cover her share of a beer-pong game with co-workers.

I hold up my phone and Im like, Is this you? she said.

When Early Warning started Zelle last year, it thought people would use it to send money to friends and family already in their contact lists, said Lou Anne Alexander, the group president of payment solutions.

We thought it would be mom, sister, she said. I dont think we realized how many folks would actually type in a cell phone number, for instance, as opposed to pulling it from someone (they) already know.

Users assume that banks can get their money back if its sent to the wrong person, just as unauthorized credit card charges are often refunded. But that sort of protection is paid for through annual fees or other charges, and Zelle is free, Alexander said.

She declined to provide data on the number of misfires Zelle users have experienced or the amount of money theyve sent to the wrong people.

It wasnt a lot of them, but when they happen, theyre painful, Alexander said, adding that people tend to get mad if their money goes where its not intended.

For Zelle users, that anger is amplified because its a bank-backed entity handling the money, said Sarit Markovich, a clinical associate professor in the strategy department at Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management. Venmo users, on the other hand, might not expect the PayPal-owned company to get their money back, Markovich said.

And it doesnt matter that Zelle is free, she said. They assume theyre getting certain protections since theyre already paying other bank fees.

Zelle users are covered if theyre victims of fraud. Banks have a good-faith obligation to help the customers get their money back, but sometimes its out of their control, Alexander said.

ONeil still contacts JPMorgan Chase every few months in hopes of finding an associate that can help him get his $360 back from the East Coast home inspection company. His attempts to get his money back from the company directly also have been unsuccessful.

Everyone seems a bit dumbfounded, he said. You would think more mechanisms are in place to protect consumers in this day and age.

Ally Marotti is a Chicago Tribune writer.
The flight deal gurus at Thrifty Traveler have teamed up with SFGate to provide a weekly roundup of the best domestic and international flight deals from the San Francisco Bay Area.

This week our deals include flights to Denver, New York City, Brazil, Portland, Hawaii, Barcelona, and more.

(This is our new weekly feature called Friday Fare Deals. If you are a Bay Area bargain hunter, be sure to tune in each Friday morning or sign up for our email alerts. All fares listed are round trip.)



PORTLAND: If youre looking for an excuse to visit Portland this year, this is your sign. Flights to Portland from the Bay Area are often well over $200. Cheap nonstop and roundtrip flights to Portland are available now through May with great weekend departure and return availability. We have Alaska Airlines to thank for slashing prices and competing against United on this route. (The drive between SF and Portland is about 600 miles-- a very long day in the car.)

Alaska Airlines has joined the move towards Basic Economy fares and will begin selling Basic Economy fares like their counterparts in November. Alaskas Basic Economy fares will still include advance seat assignment and a free carry-on bag.

$110 - San Francisco (SFO) to Portland (PDX)

NEW YORK CITY: How about a quick trip to NYC this December for some great shopping and holiday lights? While you'll pay an arm and a leg to stay there (hotels are charging some of their highest rates of the year) you can get there cheaply during December's "dead weeks." Have a friend with a guest room or sofa? Carry on your bag and fly in basic economy for just $263-- this even applies to weekend flights.

$263 - San Francisco (SFO) to NYC airports on Alaska, American, JetBlue, Delta, United

HAWAII: In recent weeks we've found sub-$300 fares to Hawaii. That used to be considered a rare find. But these days, it's becoming the norm. Those deals are still going strong- check them out here.

DENVER: Whether youre looking to ski this winter or hike and enjoy the city this spring, this flight deal will get you to Denver, Colorado for cheap. Delta is competing with American and Alaska for the cheapest fares on this route. Airfare from Oakland to Denver can often reach $300, with two long layovers each way. This fare includes just one quick stop each way in Salt Lake City.

Note that this is a Delta Basic Economy fare, and includes a free carry-on bag but not advanced seat assignment. Wide-open availability at this price through May.

$173 - Oakland (OAK) to Denver (DEN)

PALM SPRINGS: Those cheap flights we highlighted last week to Palm Springs are still live. Get to Palm Springs for half the typical airfare price this winter: more here.

Don't forget to check Southwest Airlines fares for great deals to nearly all of the above cities-- and when comparing, remember that your first two bags fly free on SWA.

Check out Thrifty Traveler Premium for daily international flight deal notifications.

Posnov/Getty Images

BARCELONA: You simply can't beat nonstop flights to Barcelona for $300! Flying Level which just this week moved its BCN nonstops from Oakland to SFO. Availability January and February at this price.

Standard carry-on & a personal item are surprisingly included in the price. To save, we recommend traveling light and carry-on only. Checked bags are $44 and if youd like to select your seat in advance, seat assignment starts at $17. On Level, meals are extra. Bring drinks and snacks for the flight over the pond.

$308 - San Francisco (SFO) to Barcelona, Spain (BCN) - NONSTOP

BRAZIL: Air Canada is attacking American partner LATAMs cheap flights to Brazil with ever lower prices, so now is your chance to visit Sao Paulo. Getting to South America isnt usually cheap: flights to Brazil from the Bay Area are typically well over $1,000 roundtrip. Wide open availability for nearly half the cost stretches from November to June. We recommend visiting between November and February: it will be peak summer in Brazil-- and likely cold and wet here by the Bay.

Flying Air Canada to Sao Paulo, youll get a free carry-on bag and two free checked bags at less than 70 pounds each. No fees for seats or meals. This flight deal requires one stop in Toronto each way, but total time in transit is only about 16 hours so not as crazy a routing as it seems.

$748 - San Francisco (SFO) to Sao Paulo, Brazil (GRU) - Air Canada

All flights are best found via the Google Flights links list here. New to Google Flights? Check out Thrifty Travelers guide. All fares are round-trip and valid at the time of posting, but as always, are subject to change.

What do you think of our new Friday Fare Deals feature? Have you found a great deal yet? Please leave your feedback in the comments or send us a note!

Read all recent TravelSkills posts here

Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here

Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.
Triumph was launched in 2014, after Triton identified student populations whose needs werent being met and began to develop programming to support male students who were also minorities, according to Dean of Academic Success Deborah Baness King. The programs first cohort was made up of 25 students, but Triumph is on track to have a 100-member cohort this year, she said. The program has two dedicated staffers, one of whom was recently hired.
TravelSkills on SFGate is brought to you by Visa

This week Southwest Airlines will begin offering inflight movies for free. Previously, the carrier charged $5 per movie.

The move puts Southwest in line with most other major airlines, which have recently moved to free inflight entertainment in recent years.

Southwest does not offer seatback screens on its planes. To watch a movie or TV, passengers must first download the Southwest app to laptops, tablets or phones.

Earlier this year, Southwest began offering other free device-based perks to passengers such as messaging, podcasts and music. Wi-fi costs $8 per flight (and is notoriously spotty) but passengers do not have to buy it to access entertainment options.

Don't miss a thing! Sign up for TravelSkills on SFGate bi-weekly email alerts!

As Southwest nears an announcement about flights to Hawaii, which can last 5-6 hours from the mainland, free movies are going to be a key way to pass the time on these flights. Those clever, animated Southwest Airlines flight attendants can only do so much. More about Southwest's Hawaii plans here.

Ready to tune in? Just be sure you have downloaded the Southwest app before you take off. Otherwise, you could be stuck reading the safety card.

How do you entertain yourself on long flights? Do you prefer seatback screens, or watching on your own device? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Read all recent TravelSkills posts here

Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here

Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.
This article, Elon Musk endorses Trump's Space Force as 'obvious' defense move, originally appeared on CNET.com.

Elon Musk is joining the chorus of "Space Force All The Way."

The SpaceX and Tesla CEO approved of President Donald Trump's proposed sixth branch of the US armed forces in an interview on the Recode Decode podcast's Friday episode.

"It's basically defense in space. And then I think also it could be pretty helpful for maybe expanding our civilization," he told Kara Swisher. "I do think it will become obvious over time that a Space Force is a sensible thing to do."

He said it'd be similar to the Air Force in standing as a specialized entity alongside the Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard, noting that the idea of an air branch was criticized before it was separated from the Army in 1947.

"And people today may not realize, back then it was widely panned as a ridiculous thing to create the Air Force, but now everyone's like, 'Obviously you should have an Air Force,'" Musk said. "And I think it's gonna become obvious that we should have a Space Force, too."

Musk hasn't been afraid to go against Trump, having left the president's economic advisory councils in June 2017 after Trump pulled the US out of the Paris climate accord. However, he mirrored Trump in criticizing the media during the Recode Decode interview -- saying some reporters are basically "ad salesmen."

"The amount of untruthful stuff that is written is unbelievable," he said, noting that getting rockets to orbit and cars to work is "very demanding."

On Wednesday, it was reported that Musk abruptly fired several senior managers on SpaceX's Starlink program, which is focused on beaming speedy broadband to the world via satellite.

Tech Enabled: CNET chronicles tech's role in providing new kinds of accessibility.

Blockchain Decoded: CNET looks at the tech powering bitcoin -- and soon, too, a myriad of services that will change your life.
Vallejo police officers shot and injured a heavily armed man in Oakland on Thursday afternoon after a 30-mile, high-speed pursuit from Vallejo to Oakland, officials said.

Just after 1 p.m., Vallejo police responded to a report of an armed man sitting in his vehicle outside a home in the Glencove neighborhood, Vallejo Police Capt. Lee Horton said.

Horton said the caller was a credible witness who knew the suspect well. The suspect, who police did not identify Thursday, was carrying a handgun and had assault weapons in the vehicle, Horton said.

When police arrived, the suspect fled and led police on a pursuit that reached speeds of up to 120 mph, Horton said. According to KTVU, the chase took place on Interstate 80 during which the suspect opened fire at officers.

At some point just before 5 p.m., Vallejo police shot the suspect in Oakland near the intersection of 22nd Avenue and International Blvd., where the suspect crashed his vehicle.

Horton said during a Thursday night news conference that he did not know whether police shot the suspect while the suspect was still in his car but that such a maneuver would have been highly irregular.

The suspect was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment for unknown injuries before 5 p.m. The suspects condition was unknown Thursday.

No officers were injured during the critical incident, according to the Oakland Police Department.

Oakland police are taking over the criminal investigation, and Vallejo police will conduct their own internal probe.

Crime scene tape blocked off traffic on 22nd Avenue between E. 12th Street and International Boulevard Thursday night. Less than a dozen patrol cars clustered at International Boulevard.

Lauren Hernandez and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com and megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com
In 2018, it's felt impossible to get away from reports of inappropriate sexual behavior plaguing a bevy of industries and workplaces, from Hollywood to the restaurant industry.

Well, bad news: Apparently even the ocean isn't safe.

ALSO: Fisherman jumps on entangled whale's back, cuts it free

Women who work as professional mermaids at theme parks, aquariums and children's birthday parties say they are increasingly besieged by inappropriate attention from people they've termed "merverts," Fox News reported this week.

"I've been swimming with sharks and that to me is not as scary as dealing with some of these aggressive men," Canadian mermaid Stephanie Norman told Fox. "Some people just imagine relationships that aren't there."

Like bronies of the sea, the merverts flock to their flippered targets online and in person to make obscene comments and send and solicit lewd pictures. They're giving the phrase "chasing tail" a whole new meaning.

OOPS: Idaho teachers in hot water for 'insensitive' costumes

Apparently, across the pond, mermaiding has ballooned into a full-blown mermaid economy, although multiple women have been reprimanded for wearing their tails in public pools, according to the Telegraph.

The trend has also reached Hong Kong, where a business called Aquaticity charges hundreds of dollars for mermaid masterclasses teaching people to swim and pose in tails, the South China Morning Post reported last year. A woman who goes by Mermaid Kat has opened mermaid schools in Thailand, Germany and Australia.

And on Instagram, mer-mania has spawned its own sub-trend: Mermaid themed maternity photo shoots. Mer-mamma mia!

Professional mermaids, for their part, talk to each other and help each other stay safe, Norman said.

"Us mermaids have strategies and we all tend to share this information with each other," she said. "If there's one particular individual who's harassing a lot of mermaids, we all get together and everybody makes sure that their social media is blocking that person."

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter
Those who wish to add a name can visit https://www.leyden212.org/Page/4204 where they can upload information and a photo. In the release, the district indicated it will keep a catalog of the names and information on its website.
TOPEKA, Kan.  The Kansas county clerk who moved the only polling site for the historic Wild West town of Dodge City sought to reassure a federal judge that voters can take buses to get there and that people who show up in the wrong place will get help.

But Ford County Clerk Deborah Cox acknowledged during a federal court hearing Thursday that shes still uncertain about arrangements for moving people to the new facility outside the city limits if they show up at the old site in town instead.

The only polling site for the citys now 13,000 registered voters for two decades was a civic center in a mostly white part of town. Cox decided to move the site to a new county Expo Center after learning that a construction project was planned for late October at the civic center  though work had not started as of Thursday.

The American Civil Liberties Union asked U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree to order Cox to open both the old and new polling sites for Tuesday for Election Day. The ACLU argues that moving the only polling site makes it more difficult for the citys mostly Hispanic population to vote.

The hearing ended with Crabtree questioning Cox and her attorneys about arrangements for voters who show up at the old polling site. They said the city has offered to take voters from their homes and jobs to the new polling place, and Cox said she reached out to the city again Thursday morning about moving voters between the old and new polling sites.

They do have a limited number of buses, however, she said.

Crabtree did not issue a ruling from the bench but said he would have a decision soon because, I know what day Election Day is.

The southwest Kansas city, located 160 miles west of Wichita, once was a destination for cattle drives where cowboys and gunslingers tangled. In recent decades, meatpacking plants have drawn to the town thousands of Hispanics, who now make up a majority of the 27,000 population.

Cox is a Republican who has served as the elected county clerk since 2016. She sent a notice to voters on Sept. 28 that she was moving the location for the upcoming election outside the city limits to the new Expo Center, which she acknowledged in the mailing was inconvenient. It is more than a mile from the nearest bus stop.

John Hanna is an Associated Press writer.
MIAMI  Pipe bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc agreed Friday to be transferred to New York to face charges of sending explosive devices to prominent Democrats, critics of President Trump and media outlets.

Attorneys for Sayoc said Friday in Miami federal court that its better if his lawyers in New York can take the case as soon as possible. They could still seek a bail hearing there, but prosecutors say he should remain jailed, given the magnitude of the charges and the strong evidence against him.

We wanted to make sure that all of his constitutional rights were preserved, said attorney James Benjamin after the hearing. We feel weve done all we can.

The timing of the transfer is uncertain. It can happen quickly or take weeks, and is not usually announced ahead of time by the U.S. Marshals Service, Benjamin said. Even defense lawyers are not informed.

Sayoc is accused of sending improvised explosive devices to numerous Democrats, Trump critics and media outlets. He was arrested a week ago outside a southern Florida auto parts store in a white van in which he had been living, a vehicle covered with stickers of Trump and showing images of some of the presidents opponents with red crosshairs over their faces.

No bombs exploded and no one was injured. Still, Sayoc faces nearly 50 years in prison if convicted on five federal charges that were filed in New York because some of the devices were recovered there.

Also Friday, the FBI confirmed a second suspicious package addressed to billionaire Democratic activist Tom Steyer was intercepted at a Burlingame mail processing facility. Last week, a package containing an explosive device addressed to Steyer was found in the same facility, prompting an evacuation.

The package was very similar in appearance to the others, Katherine Zackel, a spokeswoman for the FBIs San Francisco office, said of the second package, found by workers Thursday night.

Sayocs lawyers decided not to seek release on bail after Florida prosecutors released a letter outlining more evidence against him, including DNA linking him to 10 of the explosive devices and fingerprints on two of them.

Other evidence includes online searches Sayoc did on his laptop and cell phone for addresses and photos of some of his intended targets, which included former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, California Sen. Kamala Harris and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. Packages were also mailed to CNN in New York and Atlanta.

The laptop also has a file with the address in Sunrise, Fla., of the office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. That office was used as the return address on the packages containing the pipe bombs, according to the FBI.

Chronicle staff writer Gwendolyn Wu contributed to this report.

Curt Anderson is an Associated Press writer.
District-wide, the proficiency rate for both English language arts and mathematics rose from 48 percent to 54 percent on the exams given in the spring of 2018. A student is proficient, or ready for the next level, if he or she meets or exceeds standards for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level.
It is difficult to process the multiple emotions your inquiry stirred within me. While Im deeply flattered to be addressed as your Beauty Editor, still it stings to be reminded that yes, when I peer into my own mirror and wonder Who is the fairest of them all, time and time again the truth lingers and echoes in the tiled walls of my bathroom sanctuary. But the universe continues its cruel spin, and my sister Betsy has been, and forever will be, the fairest.
DAKAR, Senegal  The Nigerian army, part of a military criticized for rampant human rights abuses, used the words of President Donald Trump on Friday to justify its fatal shootings of rock-throwing protesters.

Soldiers opened fire Monday on a march of about 1,000 Islamic Shia activists who had been blocking traffic in the capital, Abuja. Videos circulated on social media showed several protesters hurling rocks at the heavily armed soldiers who then shot fleeing protesters in the back.

The Nigerian military said three protesters were killed, but the toll appears to have been much higher.

Amnesty International as well as leaders of the protest said more than 40 people were killed at the march and two other smaller marches, with more than 100 wounded by bullets. A Reuters reporter counted 20 bodies at the main march.

Human rights activists and many ordinary citizens were outraged at the militarys response, which echoed a similar confrontation in 2015, when soldiers killed nearly 350 protesters from the same group, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, the largest and most recognizable face of Shia Islam in the country. The group organizes frequent protest marches.

Early Friday, the military responded to the criticism.

The armys official Twitter account posted a video, Please Watch and Make Your Deductions, showing Trumps anti-migrant speech Thursday in which he said rocks would be considered firearms if thrown toward the U.S. military at the nations borders.

Were not going to put up with that, Trump said in the clip. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back.

In Nigeria, Trump is a popular figure among many people who praise what they regard as his straightforwardness and frank talk despite his reported insult to the nation last year when he said Nigerians in the United States would never go back to their huts in Africa.

Trump also referred to unspecified African countries as shithole countries.

Earlier this year after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, during which Trump praised the Nigerian leaders fight against the Islamic State group in West Africa, he said he never again wanted to meet someone so lifeless as Buhari, the Financial Times reported.

On Friday, John Agim, a spokesman for the Nigerian army, said the posting of the video was a response to Amnesty International, which had criticized what it called the militarys use of excessive force.

We released that video to say if President Trump can say that rocks are as good as a rifle, who is Amnesty International? he said. What are they then saying? What did David use to kill Goliath? So a stone is a weapon.

Our soldiers sustained injuries, he continued. The Shiites even burnt one of our vehicles so what are Amnesty International saying?

The Nigerian military has said as many as six soldiers were wounded during the protest after thousands of members of the sect overran a police checkpoint and blocked traffic along a highway.

Soldiers had arrived to assist police, a news release said, and were met with protesters who threw canisters of fuel, large stones, catapults with dangerous objects and other dangerous items.

The military posted photos of six slingshots and one pocketknife to its Facebook page as evidence of the protester arsenal.

They wanted to take over the checkpoint with their weapons, Agim said. They knew it was there. We responded to them.

Ibrahim Musa, a spokesman for the Shia group, said that Monday security forces refused to let protesters, who numbered no more than 1,000, pass the checkpoint as they marched toward their destination. He said 13 other protesters were killed during two other marches this week, one before and one after Mondays deadly march.

Rocks are not equal to bullets, he said. The use of force is disproportionate. I dont think President Trump is a good example  even in America many are critical of him. I am surprised that the Army will use Trump as a role model.

Despite its history of massacring innocent civilians in the war with Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, detaining innocent citizens and raping women and girls fleeing war-torn communities, the Nigerian military has been the recipient of warplane sales and other gear from the United States.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Gilbert said she and District 181 board President Jennifer Burns did a presentation on the caucus process to the districts parent-teacher organization presidents and other parents on Oct. 2. She and Burns expected that would draw 50 or so people interested in becoming delegates to the caucus meeting, but they were wrong.
For parents who have migrated from a different country, navigating the college journey with their high school student can be daunting, as their new school system may be quite different than what theyre familiar with, creating a significant barrier to their career goals.
Jenni Dinchak said while she believes her daughters recovery so far has indeed been miraculous, Leah, who will turn 6 in December, still has a long road ahead of her, including rehab sessions three times a week and a neck brace and leg braces that must be worn for at least the immediate future.
This seems to be one of those projects where several factors all at once kind of interrupted the progress, Hooker wrote via email. Mostly utility conflicts and weather though. We extended (completion) to Nov. 16 due to weather that we see in the forecast, but if things are more favorable, we hope to open before that.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



The U.S. Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in San Francisco has indicted a government-owned Chinese company, a private Taiwanese company and three Taiwanese citizens on charges of stealing trade secrets from an American semiconductor company.



The three individuals once worked for Idaho-based Micron Technology Inc. and then were hired by United Microelectronics Corp., known as UMC, of Taiwan.



They allegedly gave trade secrets from Micron concerning dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, to United Microelectronics, which in turn allegedly gave them to Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. Ltd. of the People's Republic of China for manufacturing.



U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a news conference in Washington, D.C., "As this and other recent cases have shown, Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasing -- and it has been increasing rapidly.



"Enough is enough. With integrity and professionalism, the Department of Justice will aggressively prosecute such illegal activity," Sessions said.



All five defendants are accused of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to steal trade secrets and carrying out economic espionage. The allegedly stolen secrets were worth between $400 million and $8.75 billion to the two companies in saved research costs, according to the indictment.



The indictment was filed on Sept. 27 and unsealed on Wednesday. Today, the Justice Department also filed a related civil lawsuit against the two companies and defendant Chen Zhengkun in federal court in San Jose, seeking an injunction prohibiting them from exporting any DRAM products into the United States.



Micron is the only U.S. company that manufactures DRAM and it provides 20 to 25 percent of the world's supply, according to the indictment. It has offices in a number of U.S. and international locations, including a Milpitas office that is slated to move next year to a new campus for 1,000 workers in San Jose.



Micron General Counsel Joel Poppen said in a statement, "We appreciate the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to prosecute the criminal theft of our intellectual property. Micron has invested billions of dollars over decades to develop its intellectual property."



The indictment says that United Microelectronics and Jinhua reached an agreement in January 2016 in which the Taiwanese company would provide DRAM research and development and Jinhua would provide manufacturing facilities.



Chen Zhengkun, also known as Stephen Chen, 55, formerly headed a Micron subsidiary in Taiwan, joined United Microelectronics in July 2015 and helped negotiate that company's agreement with Jinhua, according to the indictment.



The indictment alleges that he recruited He Jianting, also known as J.T. Ho, 42, and Wang Yungming, also known as Kenny Wang, 44, from Micron in 2015 and 2016, and that both brought stolen secrets with them.



In addition to the conspiracy and espionage counts, He Jianting is charged with a count of theft of trade secrets. The indictment alleges that as part of the conspiracy, he downloaded more than 900 confidential files from Micron before he left the company.



United Microelectronics said in a statement that the criminal charges are "virtually the same" as allegations in a civil lawsuit filed by Micron against the two companies in federal court in San Francisco last year.



"UMC regrets that the U.S. Attorney's Office brought these charges without first notifying UMC and giving it an opportunity to discuss the matter," the company said.



"UMC takes seriously any allegation that it may have violated any laws and fully intends to respond to these allegations accordingly," the company stated.



The charges each carry possible maximum sentences of 10 to 15 years if the individual defendants are convicted. The two companies each face a possible maximum fine of $20 billion if convicted, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Abraham Simmons.



All five defendants have been summoned to appear before a federal magistrate in San Jose on Nov. 19. Simmons said the Justice Department "fully expects them all to comply with the court summons," but said he could not comment on the location of the three individuals or on whether an extradition proceeding is needed.



The trial judge assigned to the case is U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney, who is also the judge in the civil case filed by Micron.



He, Wang and United Microelectronics were previously indicted by prosecutors in Taiwan last year on charges of stealing trade secrets, according to U.S. prosecution filings.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded San Francisco $8 million for a four-year project aimed at improving care for people living in the city with HIV, Mayor London Breed announced today.



The grant would contribute $2 million each year over a four-year period to San Francisco's Project Opt-In, which intends to improve services for people infected with HIV as well as prevention services for high-risk individuals.



According to the Mayor's office, San Francisco has one of the highest populations in the U.S. of people living with HIV, with an estimated 15,952 residents infected.



"Over the past three decades, San Francisco has made significant progress toward reducing the number of new HIV infections each year, and improving the available services for people living with HIV," Breed said in a statement. "As mayor, I remain committed to our goal of getting to zero, which will take hard work. We also know that some segments of our population still suffer disproportionately high rates of HIV infections, like our homeless population. With Project Opt-In, we are taking an important step forward in reaching that goal by providing critical and innovative services."



In order to improve services for HIV care and prevention, the project would use homeless outreach, intensive case management and other low-threshold support services to transform healthcare delivery and practices with the goal of reducing the long-term need for such services, Breed's office said.



While the city has made progress in reaching its goal of no new HIV infections, there still appears to be service gaps for certain populations, according to Breed's office.



In 2017, 14 percent of new HIV cases were homeless individuals. Access to daily HIV medications for homeless individuals presents a challenge, but is necessary for those individuals so they can reduce the level of the virus in their body to undetectable levels, thus reducing the risk of transmission to others.



In 2016, 72 percent of San Franciscans living with HIV had undetectable levels, while only 32 percent of homeless people living with HIV had undetectable levels.



According to the city's department of public health, San Francisco along with New York were the only two jurisdictions in the U.S. selected to receive top-level funding from the CDC.





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BURLINGAME (BCN)



A second suspicious package addressed to California billionaire Tom Steyer was intercepted Thursday night after one was recovered at a mail facility in Burlingame last week, FBI officials said today.



The packages have been linked to Cesar Sayoc, a Florida man who was arrested on Oct. 26 for allegedly mailing out explosive materials to former President Barack Obama, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the news network CNN and others.



The FBI wrote on Twitter late this morning that the package intercepted Thursday was "similar in appearance to the others" and was addressed to Steyer, a former hedge fund manager who has spearheaded a campaign calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.



The other targets in the attempted mail bombings have also been critical of Trump.



Sayoc was in federal court today in Florida and agreed to be transferred to New York, where the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York has charged him with five counts.



Sayoc faces charges of interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of explosives, threats against former presidents, threatening interstate communications and assaulting federal officers, prosecutors said.





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More than 500 Google employees in Mountain View walked out of the company's headquarters, joined by thousands across the globe in a protest to hold sexual harassers accountable in the workplace.



The global walkout was held Thursday.



Organizer Celie O'Neil-Hart yelled, "Time's Up in Tech!" as she read a list of demands for Google executives, including a better reporting process for sexual abuse, equal opportunities for all demographics, a public sexual assault transparency report and an end to forced arbitration, which forces employees to waive their right to sue.



The walkout was designed to support victims of abuse at the company, including those who did not speak Thursday due to fear of retaliation or fresh emotional wounds.



Oralia Alvarado, 27, began working at Google about five years ago as a barista. During that time, Alvarado said she saw cafeteria workers commonly subjected to harassment due to their perceived lower rank.



A man once told Alvarado to lick her lips for him because her lipstick was beautiful, but she said she didn't feel validated until a male employee expressed his shock at the interaction.







An ex-convict who's the father of a 3-year-old boy who was shot in East Oakland on Monday night and remains in critical condition was charged with two counts of felony child abuse in connection with the shooting, prosecutors said.



Charges were issued Thursday.



Covonne Page Sr., 29, was also charged with being an ex-felon in possession of a gun and first-degree criminal firearm storage for the shooting of his son, Covonne Page Jr., inside a home in the 10900 block of Robledo Drive at about 7:23 p.m. on Monday.



Oakland police Sgt. Michael Cardoza wrote in a probable cause statement that Covonne Page Sr. and his wife Natasha Page took their son to San Leandro Hospital after the shooting.



Covonne Jr. was later transferred to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, where he remains in critical condition.







A Vallejo police officer shot a suspect in East Oakland and the suspect has been taken to a hospital, Oakland police said.



The shooting happened Thursday afternoon near 22nd Avenue and International Boulevard.



Police said all officers escaped injury.







A National Park Service ranger saw a male fleeing a historic rifle range building at Fort Cronkhite that was broken into and destroyed by fire Wednesday night, a spokeswoman for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area said.



GGNRA spokeswoman Shalini Gopie announced the circumstances Thursday morning.



The ranger noticed the building had been broken into and set on fire around 10:15 p.m. After a lengthy chase by the ranger, the male suspect escaped in dense brush, Gopie said.



Rangers and U.S. Park police set up a perimeter and roads were closed in the headlands until Thursday morning. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and a California Highway Patrol helicopter and fixed-wing plane searched the area for the arson suspect, Gopie said.



The fire at 901 Bunker Road was reported around 11 p.m. and the structure was engulfed in flames when firefighters from several agencies arrived, Southern Marin Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Matthew Barnes said.







A man who was found unresponsive by Contra Costa County sheriff's deputies early Tuesday morning in unincorporated Oakley after struggling over an infant and allegedly trying to throw a woman off a balcony has died at a hospital, sheriff's officials said.



The officials made the announcement Thursday.



Deputies responded at 3:26 a.m. Tuesday to a report of a female screaming for help in the 3500 block of Wells Road and someone reported seeing a naked man holding an infant, according to the sheriff's office.



Additional callers reported that they had secured the infant in a nearby condominium and that the female continued to struggle with the man, who was trying to throw her off of a balcony, sheriff's officials said.



Four neighbors were able to control the man after a struggle and the female fled to safety. Deputies arrived to find the man being held down and, after putting him in handcuffs, they realized he was unresponsive, according to the sheriff's office.







The U.S. Justice Department has announced that a federal grand jury in San Francisco has indicted a government-owned Chinese company, a private Taiwanese company and three Taiwanese citizens on charges of stealing trade secrets from an American semiconductor company.



The announcement was made Thursday.



The three individuals once worked for Idaho-based Micron Technology Inc. and then were hired by United Microelectronics Corp., known as UMC, of Taiwan.



They allegedly gave trade secrets from Micron concerning dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, to United Microelectronics, which in turn allegedly gave them to Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. Ltd. of the People's Republic of China for manufacturing.



U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a news conference in Washington, D.C., "As this and other recent cases have shown, Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasing -- and it has been increasing rapidly.



"Enough is enough. With integrity and professionalism, the Department of Justice will aggressively prosecute such illegal activity," Sessions said.

























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SANTA CRUZ (BCN)



Though Halloween has become Santa Cruz's largest informal gathering of the year, police said they did not make any major arrests Wednesday night except for one intoxicated individual with a concealed, loaded gun.



Police made 17 arrests, a majority of which were for public intoxication, outstanding warrants and drugs. Officers said they also issued 57 citations for activities related to drinking alcohol.



One suspect, 34-year-old Jimi Carrozzco, was arrested after officers found him "too intoxicated to take care of himself," according to police.



He is believed to be a transient, and officers found a loaded pistol with a scratched-out serial number in his backpack, police said. Carrozzco had outstanding warrants for vandalism and was booked into Santa Cruz County jail, according to police.



Arrests and citations overall were similar to numbers from last year, which saw 18 arrests and 42 citations. The festivities on Pacific Avenue this year were "relatively calm and celebratory," according to police.



Officers received support from police departments in Capitola, Watsonville, and Scotts Valley, in addition to the University of California, the California Highway Patrol and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A federal jury in San Francisco on Thursday awarded a Rohnert Park couple $145,000 for an unconstitutional search of their home by three city police officers in 2014.



Elva and Raul Barajas will receive $75,000 from the city and the officers as well as an additional punitive award of $70,000 from one officer, former Sgt. Jacy Tatum, who entered the couple's house from the back door with his gun drawn on Nov. 4, 2014, while the other two officers were at the front door.



Tatum, Officer Matthew Snodgrass and now-retired Officer Dave Rodriguez were conducting a routine probation check on Elva Barajas's adult son, Edgar Perez, who was on probation from a felony drug possession conviction. The home was Perez's residence but he was not present during the search.



The jury found that both the city and the officers were responsible for violating the U.S. Constitution's ban on unreasonable searches and that Tatum was additionally liable for an unreasonable entry into the house, negligence and violation of the right to privacy, according to the jury verdict posted on the court's online docket.



But the jury rejected an additional claim that the search was unfair harassment by the officers in retaliation for previous confrontations with Perez.



The verdict came after a five-day trial in the court of U.S. Magistrate Sallie Kim.



Alexis Amezcua, a lawyer for the couple, said in a statement, "The jury understood that parents do not forfeit their constitutional rights simply because their child is on probation.



"We realize that searching probationers is important, but it can be done in a way that respects the rights of other people who live in the home," she said.



Amezcua said the couple will now ask the court for an injunction prohibiting the city from allowing warrantless searches in similar situations.



"We will use this verdict to obtain an injunction barring defendants from barging into families' homes, detaining all residents, and searching every room, simply because one of the residents is on probation," the attorney said.



Kim has scheduled a hearing on the request for Jan. 7 and has directed both sides to file briefs discussing their positions on the issue.





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According to a statement released by the task force, deputies responded to a 911 call around 4:45 a.m. about a burglary in progress in the 13200 block of West Greenview Drive, and the first responding deputies included a K-9 unit. The statement added that the suspect fled from the deputies.
MARTINEZ (BCN)



An Antioch man was found guilty Wednesday of three misdemeanors: animal cruelty, vandalism and resisting, obstructing, and delaying a peace officer, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney.



Vinicio Santos and his dog were at the Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch on Dec. 1, 2017. Park rangers noticed the dog was off-leash and later heard animals "in distress," according to prosecutors.



When the rangers saw Santos again, they saw his dog, a white Husky mix, attack three calves.



Rangers repeatedly told Santos to leash his dog but Santos ignored their requests. The three calves were left permanently injured.



Santos now faces a sentence of up to three years in county jail.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A Santa Rosa man has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for tax fraud, United States Attorney Alex G. Tse announced Thursday.



Charles Woods, 44, was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 and restitution of $466,707 for willfully filing a false individual tax return with the Internal Revenue Service.



Woods pleaded guilty to tax fraud on May 25.



Prosecutors said Woods admitted to engaging in marijuana distribution in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and knowingly filed tax returns for those years that underreported income from his marijuana distribution.



To conceal his income and evade currency transaction reporting requirements, Woods deposited more than $1 million into numerous bank accounts under his control in amounts less than $10,000, prosecutors said.



In total, Woods failed to report more than $1.1 million in gross receipts from his marijuana distribution business, resulting in a tax loss of $466,707 to the United States.



Following his release from prison, Woods will also serve a year of supervised release, prosecutors said.





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One of two men who were stabbed during a domestic dispute last month has died, Solano County sheriff's officials said today.



The stabbing happened Oct. 23 at a residence in the 5000 block of Fry Road in unincorporated Solano County just outside of Vacaville.



Sheriff's deputies found two men had been stabbed with a knife by a man who left the scene. He was identified as Kristopher Michael Williams, 32, of Vacaville.



Williams was involved in a custody disagreement with the family of one of the stabbing victims, and he entered the home without permission to take a 9-year-old girl whom he knew but was not related to, according to the sheriff's office.



During the disagreement, a heated verbal and physical confrontation occurred, and Williams threatened to shoot the girl if she didn't go with him willingly, sheriff's officials said.



Williams allegedly stabbed the two men, one in the neck and one in the abdomen, and both men underwent surgery. Deputies found Williams at his home that evening. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and was arraigned last Friday.



Sheriff's officials today said one of the victims, Jonathan "Johnny" Russell, 30, of San Francisco, died Wednesday.



Williams was rebooked in Solano County Jail on suspicion of murder. He is being held under no bail, and is scheduled to appear Friday in court.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



More Californians have registered to vote in next week's midterm election than in any election before, Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced in San Francisco this morning.



Padilla said 19.6 million Californians were registered to vote as of the registration cutoff day last month.



That's an increase of nearly 1.9 million voters compared to voter registration numbers for the 2014 gubernatorial election.



"It is nearly unprecedented for California to set a voter registration record in a midterm election," Padilla said.



The increase means the percentage of registered voters also rose-it's now at 78 percent of eligible citizens, the highest it's been since 1950, according to Padilla.



He said higher voter registration likely means higher turnout at the polls on Tuesday - though officials won't know for sure until ballots are cast.



"Everybody's paying attention to politics right now, and I think we're going to see that translate on Tuesday," Padilla said at a joint news conference with Attorney General Xavier Becerra, held at the Department of Justice in San Francisco.



It's possible that if turnout is high, lines may be longer at polling places.



Becerra said his attorneys will be on hand across the state in case voters have any issues.



"If you have the right to vote, go do it with confidence, and understand there's a team here to protect your right to vote," Becerra said at the news conference.



While encouraging citizens to go to the polls, both Padilla and Becerra reminded voters of their rights.



If voters get to the polls late in the day, they can still vote as long as they are line before the polls close.



Voters shouldn't be harassed at the polls and can ask for help with filling out their ballot from anyone except their employers or union officials.



If potential voters missed the voter registration deadline, they can still vote via provisional ballot. And those who need a ballot in a different language should be allowed one.



Additionally, voters can ask elections officials questions if needed and they can request a new ballot if they make a mistake.



Vote by mail ballots can be dropped off at any polling place in the state.



Becerra and Padilla also encouraged voters to report any fraudulent or suspicious activity to elections officials, though Padilla said such fraud is very rare.



"We can't help but recognize that this is one of the most important, yet politically charged elections that we've seen in a long, long time," Padilla said. "We want to be sure voters are encouraged to cast their ballots. Democracy works best when everyone participates."





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FAIRFIELD (BCN)



Two people suffered life-threatening injuries in a solo vehicle crash into a signal pole in Fairfield early this morning, police said.



The crash happened around 5:30 a.m. at the Clay Bank Road and Quail Drive intersection, Sgt. Matt Bloesch said.



Fairfield Fire Department crews extricated the 33-year-old driver and 43-year-old female passenger from the vehicle. The pair, both Fairfield residents, are in critical condition at a trauma center, police said.



The vehicle was traveling north on Clay Bank Road when it struck the signal pole, and speed is believed to be a factor in the crash.



Police are investigating whether drugs or alcohol were involved, Bloesch said.



Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Fairfield police at (707) 428-7524.





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What I found with the voluntary side of things is (psychologists) are not used all that often because theres too much pride in this profession, Guenther said. You have to be the big tough cop, right? And you cant be seen as being weak. They can sit there for an hour and stare at the wall if they want.
Residents should report possible illegal election activity, including electioneering, illegally-placed campaign signs or denial of voting rights that occur at any of the 291 county precincts or precincts in the city of Aurora that had been under the jurisdiction of the now-obsolete Aurora Election Commission.
As of Friday, 74,452 had participated in early voting since it started Oct. 22. In addition, the county has received 22,042 mail-in ballots issued, with another 19,481 still out. Thursday was the last day mail-in ballots were sent off by the commission to voters, and they must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 6, to be counted.
An eponymous endorsement, a nationally-criticized image and an ominous warning. What do all of these things have in common? Each was part of a campaign mailer sent out to some Connecticut voters this election year.

First, there was state Sen. Toni Boucher's re-election campaign mailer that not only touted her accomplishments, but also included a beyond-the-grave endorsement by Westporter Bill Meyer, who died in 2014.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Michael Cohen, President Trump's former lawyer, revealed that Trump made several anti-black statements prior to getting elected to the presidency.

"We were going from the airport to the hotel, and we drove through what looked like a rougher neighborhood. Trump made a comment to me, saying that only the blacks could live like this," Cohen told Vanity Fair writer Emily Jane Fox in an interview that was published on Friday.

Cohen reportedly told Vanity Fair that Trump made those comments in the late 2000s during a trip to Chicago. Vanity Fair reported Cohen said Trump declared black people "too stupid" to vote for him and that every country run by a black leader is a "shole."

The report comes just days after the White House held a summit of young black conservatives, where Trump attributed his increased approval rating amongst blacks to his relationship with rapper Kanye West.

He also asked the crowd of black, MAGA hat-wearing youth (moments after announcing that a man was apprehended for allegedly sending mail-bombs to prominent Democrats), "Who gets attacked more than me?"

On Monday, Oct. 29, a Rasmussen poll revealed that Trump's approval rating amongst blacks was 40 percent, the highest it has been since he took office.

Cohen's comments to Vanity Fair run counter to previous comments he has made defending Trump against charges of racism. The president came under scrutiny for his response to violent white nationalist protests in Charlottesville in August 2017. Around the same time, Cohen told Business Insider that the president "doesn't have a racist bone in his body. All morning I am receiving horrific comments about being anti-black, racist, etc. for supporting Trump. It's just wrong!"

In the hours since the Vanity Fair article was published, people have expressed everything from outrage to deflection to "I-told-you-so" over Cohen's accusations.

"When asked why Trump's #MAGA crowds are so white, Michael Cohen says that @realDonaldTrump said that black people are too stupid to vote for him," wrote Twitter user @EBoyajy. "Actually...black people are too smart to vote for him."

YouTube personalist Paul Joseph Watson said, "Hillary Clinton literally said that all black people look the same, a story that the media barely touched. That same media is now running breathless coverage of unsubstantiated claims from Michael Cohen about Trump supposedly making racist remarks. But there's no bias, honest!"

And writer and filmmaker dream hampton wrote on Twitter, "I hate when white people need white people generated evidence to believe the s we been knew."

Click through the slideshow above to see how people are reacting to Cohen's claims that Trump used racist language prior to becoming president.
The biggest things that Kanyes visit brought to us would be it reminded people that we are here, said Sandy Rocush, owner of the franchised restaurant at 1270 E. Chicago Ave. We had an influx of customers who hadnt been in in a long time coming in and asking about Kanye being here  as well as some new customers.
"Dear tenants, I hope you are healthy and doing well," begins a letter sent to Trinidad Ruiz from his landlord in September. Ruiz, 43, has lived in a non-rent-controlled two-bedroom apartment in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles for five years.

"You may be aware of proposition 10 that will be on the ballot this November," the letter continues.

"... If passed, I may potentially have difficulty meeting the high long term costs associated with the building and it's maintenance," the landlord writes. "So as a result, I will unfortunately have to raise rents again." If the measure does not pass, "I will then consider rolling back rents to their current level."

Proposition 10, if approved by voters in November, will lift limits on local rent control laws and enable California cities to extend price ceilings on more of their housing stock. You can read The Chronicle Editorial Board's analysis and recommendation for voters here.

The landlord enclosed "No on Prop. 10" materials with the letter, as well as a notice informing Ruiz that his rent would increase by $75, from $1,550 to $1,625. The landlord had already increased the rent by $50 in August, as he did every year. It was the second notice, sent just one month later, that perplexed Ruiz and his neighbors.

"It's almost like voter suppression," Ruiz told SFGATE.

After the first rent increase, Ruiz, a communications director for a community organization, started looking for a second job. When he first moved into the apartment, his rent was a manageable $1,295. He can just barely afford the current price.

"If I have to move from this apartment, I won't be able to afford Los Angeles," said Ruiz, adding that he has lived in the city for over two decades. "I'm priced out of the whole area."

Tenant advocates say that landlords across the state are preemptively raising rents on properties not protected by rent control. In at least a half of dozen instances, from National City to Sacramento, landlords or property managers have issued rent increases, explicitly citing the measure as their reason for doing so, according to letters obtained by activist organizations and shared with SFGATE.

Jacob Swanson has lived in his two-bedroom apartment in North Hollywood for eight years. It is not rent-controlled, and the property manager issues rent increases of about three-percent every year. He recently received a notice indicating that his rent would increase not by the standard 3 percent, but by 8 percent, increasing his and his roommate's rent from $1,850 to $2,000.

When he asked the general manager of the building what accounted for the unusually high increase by email, he replied: "The building is not currently rent controlled (built in the late 80s), but with the upcoming election, we're facing rent control and more importantly, the likelihood of controls on increasing rent after vacancies."

If Prop. 10 is approved in November, it would repeal the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, a state law that prohibits local governments from enacting rent control on residences built after 1995, or earlier for some cities, giving cities much greater freedom to decide how to implement rent control.

Swanson, a manager at a production rental house, called the rent hike "a pre-punishment."

In San Francisco, only buildings built before 1979 are rent-controlled under Costa Hawkins. The law enables landlords to raise rent on rent-controlled units to "market value" any time a tenant moves out. Single-family homes are exempt regardless of their construction date.

Many of the notices, provided by tenants rights organizations to SFGATE, claim the rent will be lowered to the former rate if Prop. 10 does not pass. When Swanson asked if this were the case for his building, a two-story apartment complex, the manager never responded.

"We see this as nothing more than voter intimidation and economic extortion," said Larry Gross, the executive director of the Center for Economic Survival in Los Angeles.

He said the rent increases appeared to be part of a "coordinated effort" by opponents of Prop. 10, citing the language in the notices, as well as the "history" of using rent to sway voter opinion. Some landlords used this tactic in the 1970s, Gross said, when Prop. 13 was on the California ballot.

Steven Maviglio, a spokesperson for the No on Prop. 10 campaign, denied Gross' assertions and said he has seen just one letter instating a Prop. 10-related rent increase, sent by Rampart Property Management to tenants in Los Angeles.

"This is one property owner among millions in our state that is neither a donor or participant in our campaign," he said.

Landlords who reach out to No on Prop. 10 for guidance or information are asked to "communicate why it's bad for renters," he added.

Most of the one-time increases have been small amounts  $25 to $50 per month  but some were as much as $200.

One property management company in Sacramento told tenants that if Prop. 10 is approved, their "cost of maintaining properties will be affected." They said they were issuing a rent hike to "cover the increased administrative costs and other fees" associated with the measure, according to a copy of the rent notification increase shown to SFGATE.

In September, 29 Concord families were issued 60-day eviction notices. A city investigation cited Prop. 10 as one of the reasons for the evictions, according to an email provided by Shanti Singh of Tenants Together.

Gross said tenants right groups are probing the legality of Prop. 10-related rent increases and have asked the California Apartment Association  a trade group of rental home owners, investors and developers  to discourage members from toggling prices ahead of the election.

When asked why CAA had not done so, Maviglio stressed that the issue was not widespread enough to warrant such a step.

Ruiz continues to negotiate with his landlord in the hope that he can "talk some sense into him," before taking legal action.

"The hope is that Prop. 10 passes," he said, "and the city can legislate some sense into this crazy market."

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.

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JOHANNESBURG  One by one, five to a grave, the coffins are buried in the red earth of this ill-kept corner of a South African cemetery. The scrawl on the cheap wood attests to their anonymity: Unknown B/Male.

These men were migrants from elsewhere in Africa with next to nothing who sought a living in the thriving underground economy of Gauteng province, a name that roughly translates to land of gold. Instead of fortune, many found death, their bodies unnamed and unclaimed  more than 4,300 in Gauteng between 2014 and 2017 alone.

Some of those lives ended here at the Olifantsvlei cemetery, in silence, among tufts of grass growing over tiny placards that read: Pauper Block. There are coffins so tiny that they could belong only to children.

As migration worldwide soars to record highs, far less visible has been its toll: The tens of thousands of people who die or simply disappear during their journeys, never to be seen again. In most cases, nobody is keeping track: Barely counted in life, these people dont register in death, as if they never lived at all.

An Associated Press tally has documented at least 56,800 migrants dead or missing worldwide since 2014  almost double the number found in the worlds only official attempt to try to count them, by the U.N.s International Organization for Migration. The IOM toll as of Oct. 1 was more than 28,500. The AP came up with almost 28,300 additional dead or missing migrants by compiling information from other international groups, requesting forensic records, missing persons reports and death records, and sifting through data from thousands of interviews with migrants.

The toll is the result of migration that is up 49 percent since the turn of the century, with more than 258 million international migrants in 2017, according to the United Nations. A growing number have drowned, died in deserts or fallen prey to traffickers, leaving their families to wonder what on earth happened to them. At the same time, anonymous bodies are filling cemeteries around the world, like the one in Gauteng.

The APs tally is still low. More bodies of migrants lie undiscovered in desert sands or at the bottom of the sea. And families dont always report loved ones as missing because they migrated illegally, or because they left home without saying exactly where they were headed.

Lori Hinnant and Bram Janssen are Associated Press writers.
NILTEPEC, Mexico  Toddlers slump in strollers bouncing across the rough asphalt, and infants only a few weeks old jiggle in their fathers arms. Others, limp from exhaustion and nearly too big to be carried, are slung across their mothers chests like sacks of grain, sweaty hair plastered to their heads.

There are hundreds of children traveling in the caravan of Central American migrants. That number has fluctuated somewhat as the groups size has grown and diminished, but kids of all ages are still everywhere and at risk of illness, dehydration and other dangers.

And if its exhausting for children, its perhaps even more so for their parents trying to care for them as they walk long hours in the sun, sleep on the ground outdoors and rely on donations of food and clothing to get by.

Pamela Valle, a 28-year-old from El Progreso, Honduras, said no child should have to undertake a migration like this. But unable to find work back home, she said she had no choice but to leave and take 5-year-old Eleonor with her.

Each day when they arrive in a new town on the long trek across the steamy southern Mexico countryside, she looks first for a sheltered place to sleep. On this day that was a red tarp that a group of migrants stretched across a playground in the main square of the southern town of Tapanatepec. Then she and Eleonor went in search of food and bathrooms.

For families, the long trek has imposed a particularly grueling routine that has taken a toll after more than two weeks.

The migrants rise by 3 a.m. each day to take advantage of cooler temperatures. Parents try to feed kids who are awake while letting those small enough to carry or put in a stroller sleep. Since the group usually camps in town squares and most include some sort of playground, children run around the monkey bars in the dark while their parents pack.

Also Friday, a third caravan of migrants  this time from El Salvador  entered Mexico, bringing another 1,000 to 1,500 people hoping to reach the U.S. border.

Mexico is now faced with the unprecedented situation of having three migrant caravans stretched out over 300 miles of highways in the southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. The first, largest group of almost 4,000 entered almost two weeks ago and is now in Donaji, Oaxaca.

The second caravan, also of about 1,000 to 1,500 people, is now in Mapastepec, Chiapas.

Christopher Sherman and Sonia Perez D. are Associated Press writers.
JAKARTA, Indonesia  New details about the crashed Lion Air jets previous flight cast more doubt on the Indonesian airlines claim to have fixed technical problems, as hundreds of personnel searched the sea for a fifth day Friday for victims and the planes fuselage.

The brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane plunged into the Java Sea early Monday, just minutes after taking off from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board.

Herson, head of the Bali-Nusa Tenggara Airport Authority, said the pilot on the planes previous flight on Sunday from Bali requested to return to the airport not long after takeoff but then reported the problem had been resolved. Several passengers have described the problem as a terrifying loss of altitude.

Lion Air, a budget carrier that is the biggest domestic airline in Indonesia, has said the unspecified problem was fixed after Sundays flight, but the fatal flights pilots also made a return to base request not long after takeoff.

Shortly after requesting RTB, the pilot then contacted the control tower again to inform that the plane had run normally and would not return to Balis Ngurah Rai airport on Sunday, said Herson, who uses a single name. The captain said the problem was resolved and he decided to continue the trip to Jakarta.

Data from flight-tracking websites show both flights had highly erratic speed and altitude after takeoff, though confirmation is required from data recorded by the aircrafts black box flight recorders.

Indonesias Tempo news website published a minute-by-minute summary of what it said were the conversations between air traffic control and the pilots of Mondays fatal flight, who reported a flight control problem and were unsure of their altitude. Asked about the accuracy of the report, National Transportation Safety Committee deputy head Haryo Satmiko said it had similarities with the information received legally by investigators.

Officials displayed one of the jets two flight recorders at a news conference Thursday evening, later confirmed to be the flight data recorder, and said they would immediately attempt to download information and begin an analysis.

A team from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board including Boeing experts has joined the Indonesian investigation. Indonesian investigators will also travel to the U.S. to meet with the designers of the new-generation Boeing jet.

Niniek Karmini and Stephen Wright are Associated Press writers.
SEOUL  North Korean refugees say sexual violence against women in their former homeland is part of daily life. But a new report suggests theres little chance that abused women in the North will get to say MeToo anytime soon.

North Koreas extremely patriarchal society means many women feel powerless to demand accountability over sexual violence, many are also ashamed of being bused, and some choose to keep silent because of flimsy law enforcement and support systems, according to a report published Thursday by New York-based Human Rights Watch based on interviews with 106 North Koreans who left the country, more than half of them after 2011.
ISLAMABAD  The release of a Christian woman in Pakistan, acquitted eight years after being sentenced to death for blasphemy, was apparently delayed Friday after talks failed between the government and radical Islamists who want her publicly hanged.

Islamists held rallies Friday across Pakistan against freedom for Asia Bibi and to denounce Wednesdays Supreme Court ruling that overturned her 2010 conviction of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Her family has always maintained her innocence and says she never insulted Islams prophet.

Since the landmark ruling, radical Islamists have blocked highways and damaged or set fire to dozens of vehicles to pressure the government to stop Bibis release from an undisclosed detention facility.

On Friday, some 5,000 Islamists rallied in the capital, Islamabad and nearly 4,000 demonstrators staged a sit-in in Lahore, demanding that Bibis acquittal verdict be overturned. Similar rallies were also held in the northwestern city of Peshawar; there were no reports of violence.

Over 2,000 demonstrators blocked a key road linking Islamabad with the garrison city of Rawalpindi, causing traffic jams. Hundreds also blocked another key motorway, connecting Islamabad with other major cities. No violence was reported during the rallies.

On Thursday, a lawyer representing a local cleric who had raised the initial blasphemy charges against Bibi petitioned the Supreme Court to reverse its acquittal.

Pakistan shut down schools and colleges after radical cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, announced that talks between his deputies and the government about Bibis fate had failed.

Before dawn Friday, Rizvi asked his supporters to continue sit-ins as authorities summoned paramilitary troops to restore order.

We are ready to die to show our love for the prophet, he said.

Rizvis envoys had demanded that Bibi be barred from leaving the country but Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry rejected the demand, saying the government will not accept any dictates.

Militarys spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor said Friday the army was exercising restraint, to give a chance for a peaceful resolution. He asked demonstrators to refrain from violence and await the outcome of the review petition to the Supreme Court.

Let this legal process be completed first, he told state-run Pakistan Television.

Bibi was arrested in 2009 after she was accused of blasphemy following a quarrel with two fellow female farm workers who refused to drink from a water container used by a Christian. A few days later, a mob accused her of insulting Islams prophet, leading to her 2010 conviction.

Bibis case has drawn international attention and also put Pakistans controversial blasphemy laws into focus again. The charge of blasphemy carried the death penalty in this majority Muslim nation and critics say it is often used to settle feuds and arguments.

Munir Ahmed and Asim Tanveer are Associated Press writers.
UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve a resolution condemning the American economic embargo of Cuba after rejecting proposed U.S. amendments strongly criticizing the lack of human rights in the country.

Resolutions adopted by the 193-member world body are unenforceable, but they reflect world opinion and the vote has given Cuba an annual stage for the past 27 years to demonstrate the isolation of the U.S. on the embargo.

It was imposed in 1960 following the revolution led by Fidel Castro and the nationalization of properties belonging to U.S. citizens and corporations. Two years later, the embargo was strengthened.

The General Assemblys vote on the Cuban-sponsored resolution on the Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba was 189-2 with no abstentions. The U.S. and Israel voted no and Moldova and Ukraine did not vote.

The proposed amendments expressed serious concern at the lack of freedom of expression and access to information in Cuba and the prohibition on workers right to strike. They called on Cuba to fully grant its citizens internationally recognized civil, political and economic rights and freedoms, to establish an independent civil society and to release people detained for exercising their human rights.

Cubas Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the U.S. embargo a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of the human rights of Cuban men and women and denounced what he called the politicized U.S. amendments.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley stressed before the votes that our reason for the embargo is and has always been Cubas denial of freedom and the denial of the most basic human rights for the Cuban people.

The European Union said the U.S. amendments did not belong in a resolution dealing with a trade embargo, and its members supported the resolution calling for the United States to repeal or invalidate the embargo. Canada also spoke out against the amendments.

Thursdays vote came shortly before President Trumps national security adviser John Bolton announced in Florida that the administration is imposing new sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela and soon on Nicaragua, calling the three countries a troika of tyranny.

Edith M. Lederer is an Associated Press writer.
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Chicago Sinfonietta will perform Sea of Light, Reflections on Diwali at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, in the Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave. The concert will fuse Western and Indian classical music to celebrate Diwali.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are asking for the publics help identifying two men sought for questioning in connection to the use of credit cards stolen Sunday from a car in Eltingville.

A 29-year-old woman found the cards missing from her car, parked near the intersection of Hylan Boulevard and Winchester Avenue, at around 10 a.m., according to a written statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

Surveillance footage caught two unidentified men using the credit cards on Monday to withdraw $1,000 from an ATM at the Sunny Morningside Grocery on Morningstar Road in Elm Park, according to police.

A spokesman for the NYPD said the two men are believed to have removed the cards from the unlocked car.

Police described one of the men as black and the other as Hispanic. The police spokesman said both men were seen wearing dark clothing when they were caught by surveillance footage near the store where the money was withdrawn.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 38-year-old man put himself in the express lane for jail when he allegedly masqueraded as a cop after being curbed for an HOV lane violation on the Staten Island Expressway on Halloween.

Jerome Jeffery, 38, of Van Nostrand Avenue, Jersey City, was curbed by a New York State trooper in the vicinity of the Clove Road exit on the Staten Island Expressway westbound at about 4:10 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the criminal complaint.

The trooper pulled the suspect over for allegedly being the only person in his vehicle in the carpool lane.

Jeffery allegedly then showed a fake New York City Police Department identification card with a photo of the himself, a shield number and the name Jerome Woods."

I work in the transit division, Jeffery allegedly told the trooper, according to the complaint.

The complaint also quotes him as saying: I said I work in the transit division because my friends that are cops work there, so Im used to saying that.

The suspect told the trooper that he bought the bogus ID online in June, the complaint alleges.

I was just using it to try to get courtesy, Jeffery told the trooper, according to the complaint.

Computer checks with the NYPD determined that the identification card was forged and that there was no active officer with that name and shield number. The card also lacked the proper hologram, according to the complaint.

The suspect has been charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, criminal impersonation, false personation and a traffic violation.

The suspects bond has been set at $3,000 and he is due back in Criminal Court on Monday, according to public records.

An attorney for the suspect declined to comment.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A longtime theology teacher at Notre Dame Academy is fighting for his job after the school unceremoniously suspended him for exposing a racially-charged incident in his classroom earlier this spring, a new lawsuit alleges.

Ramon K. Jusino claims he was suspended without pay after reporting a white student had allegedly made several derogatory comments about black people during a classroom discussion on May 31, said the civil complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court.

They (school) didnt care, said Jusino, 55, who has been teaching at the school for 23 years.

Its an environment of racial insensitivity, he later added.

The Livingston resident is awaiting an arbitration hearing to determine his employment status.

The Hispanic instructor is suing Notre Dame and the Archdioceses for sex, age and race discrimination. Jusino wants his job back and seeks $300,000 in compensatory damages, said the filing.

I have a lot invested in this job, he told the Advance. Im hoping me and the school can come to an amicable settlement."

Jusino claims a history of hostile and abusive harassment at the parochial school dating back to 2015, but things came to a head after a white student allegedly made some controversial remarks about black people in class -- where a black student was present, said the filing.

The white student allegedly said there was no such thing as white privilege and she resented her taxes were supporting lazy people who sat on their couches and did nothing all day, according to the complaint.

The teacher felt the comments were inappropriate and offensive, and reprimanded the girl.

Are you calling me a racist? the white student asked Jusino, said the filing.

Jusino said he did not call the pupil a racist.

The black student did not respond to the comments, he added.

Some of the students giggled (at the comments), said Jusino. I reprimanded the white student in an attempt to educate her about it.

Jusino said he reported the incident to school officials, but claims the school brushed off an investigation.

A few weeks later, he emailed the parents of both students about the clash, and told the black parents the school refused to discipline the white student.

He claims Notre Dame blamed him for telling the unsuspecting black parents, according to court papers.

Teachers have a duty to be transparent with parents regarding what their children say or do during class. No secrets, Jusino said in the filing.

His complaint also says he informed the black parents the school instructed him to withdraw his Academic Achievement Award -- which he had given to the black student based on her grades -- and give it to a white student.

"The staff handled the incident in a racially-biased way, Jusino said in the email to the black parent, said the filing.

Notre Dame accused Jusino of using the internet to criticize the white student and for publicly disparaging the NDA administration.

A school official scolded him for painting her as a racist in the email to the black parent.

In August, Jusino learned he was being suspended for his actions and for criticizing the way the school handled the incident.

Notre Dame Principal Kathryn Jaenicke declined to comment.

The Archdiocese did not return a request for comment.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Concord man, who was busted during a raid at his home last year, is moving upstate for the next few years.

Eric Commissiong, 56, was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison and two years post-release supervision.

Two weeks ago, the defendant pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court, St. George, to third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. It was the top charge against him.

The raid occurred on May 26, 2017, at Commissiongs residence on the 600 block of Elbe Avenue, said a criminal complaint.

Cops found heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, the complaint said.

Several people were inside at the time, including a 2-year-old child, said the complaint.

One of the suspects arrested, Carlise Taylor, 33, of Mariners Harbor, pleaded guilty last month to the same charge as Commissiong.

Taylor will be sentenced on Dec. 12 in state Supreme Court, St. George, to two years in prison and two years post-release supervision.

Maria Guastella represented Commissiong.

Assistant District Attorney Antonia Assenso is prosecuting the case.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An off-duty cop who authorities said attacked and tried to mug a woman in Tompkinsville six months ago pleaded guilty on Thursday to attempted robbery.

Kevin Williams, 34, accosted the victim at about 11:10 p.m. on May 10 on Castleton Avenue, said a criminal complaint.

Williams allegedly was drunk, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Im going to rape and rob you, the complaint quotes him as telling the victim.

Williams grabbed the womans handbag and pushed her to the ground, said the complaint.

She suffered lacerations to the left elbow and two fingers on her right hand, the complaint said.

Williams and the woman didnt know each other, said the complaint.

The defendant was arrested about an hour later at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, the source said.

Williams was indicted on charges of attempted robbery, assault, attempted grand larceny and attempted petit larceny.

The Silver Lake resident pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree robbery, a felony. It was the top count against him.

Williams will be sentenced on Jan. 7 in state Supreme Court, St. George.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, he will be sentenced to no more than a year in jail and could receive a lesser sentence, such as probation.

Mr. Williams is extremely remorseful, said John M. Murphy III, his lawyer, in a brief telephone conversation.

Murphy said Williams has been terminated from the Police Department.

Assistant District Attorney Frank Prospero is prosecuting the case.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Surrogate Court candidate Ron Castorina has been rated not approved for the Staten Island court by the New York City Bar Association, and the Republican South Shore assemblyman on Friday charged that the decision was purely political.

In a raucous Advance Editorial Board meeting with his opponent, Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-North Shore), Castorina said the Richmond County Bar had minimal input and that the New York City Bar Association treated him unfairly due to his conservative views.

He met with a subcommittee on Oct. 10 to review his questionnaire and said that the committee referred to him as a controversial politician." On Oct. 18, Castorina met with the New York City Bar Associations full committee and three members of Richmond County Bar Association.

Castorina was asked about his position on immigration, sanctuary cities, the 2016 Republican primary election, and his pro-life stance, according to a letter he sent to the Richmond County Bar Associations president Thursday.

I believe that my record should be reviewed by my local bar, and that the rubber stamp that was issued yesterday should be overturned. I deserve it, and so do the people of Staten Island," Castorina wrote in his letter. "I was treated differently than any other Staten Island judicial candidate because I am the only one with a record fighting conservative issues, and a voting record to match.

Titone, sometimes showing frustration with the time Castorina took answering questions -- at one point sarcastically asking if lunch was being ordered (the meeting began at 10 a.m.) -- said frequently that, Until youre approved, youre not approved."

STATE DEMS' MAILER

Castorina also cried foul at a political mailer that was paid for by the New York State Democratic Committee and released Thursday, which read Not Approved by the New York City Bar Association" and called Castorina unprepared, ineffective, and unqualified.

Since the NYC Bar Association only released its ratings for judicial candidates Thursday, Castorina alleged that Titones campaign knew that he wasnt approved before the Bar Association released its decision publicly, pointing to the length of time it takes to design, produce print and deliver through the Postal Service the political post card.

Titone maintained the mailer was the product of the State Democratic Committee.

Castorina pointed to a Facebook post published by Titones Assembly chief of staff Assembly Thursday, which contained a picture of the mailer without an address on it, saying it was a proof" and proof that Titones campaign knew about it.

There is no way in the world that this piece went through that whole process within 12 hours, said Castorina. It is impossible.

Titone flatly denied having anything to do with the mailer, but vocally defended it, saying that it was fair and accurate.

Its not a negative piece, its compare-and-contrast. Until youre approved, you are not approved. Theres not one thing on that sheet that is not true. I resent that and I think Ron is denigrating the system here," Titone said. One thing we have to look for in our next Surrogate court judge is maturity and the ability to take responsibilities for ones actions in this room right now. And theres nothing that my campaign has done that is illegal or beyond the pale.

DEM PARTY DONATIONS

Castorina also pointed out that Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island) sent Titones Surrogate campaign $5,000 the same day Castorina interviewed with the NYC Bar Association and noted that the New York State Democratic Committee spent $10,000 on campaign mailers that same day, suggesting that two legislators were involved.

Excuse me, Ron, excuse me, Titone retorted, before Castorina interrupted him, telling him to please, relax.

Relax? Youre accusing me of a crime, Ron!" Titone said.

At one point, Titone asked the board if he could leave the room as Castorina read off donations from Democratic Island politicians who gave to his campaign in an attempt to draw a financial connection to the mailer (judicial candidates are not supposed to know who donates to their campaigns).

Ron, youre telling the Staten Island Advance stories that come from your own mind, with no facts," Titone said at one point.

RICHARD LUTHMANN CONTROVERSY

Castorina apologized for his 2016 correspondence with controversial Island attorney Richard Luthmann, during which Luthmann set up a fake Facebook page denigrating Castorinas primary opponent.

I look back at it and I realize that I was wrong, Castorina said. "I shouldnt have done that. I shouldnt have participated in any placating or communication with him.

Titone said that he also had to deal with Luthmann from time to time, but said he never placated or excused his behavior.

Ive dealt with Mr. Luthmann on many, many occasions and many circumstances including the courtroom. I never once have been intimidated by Mr. Luthmann or anyone else. (I have) a moral backbone," said Titone, later adding, "Ive never felt the need to placate Mr. Luthmann or anyone else that I considered a ... political enemy.

POLICY POSITIONS

Titone told the Advance editorial board that, if elected, increased transparency would be important policy initiative for the court.

Titone added that hed like to transform the way foreclosures are handled to get rid of a backlog of cases.

Castorina said that he wants to reach out to the community on a quarterly basis to broaden understanding among Staten Islanders about the services that the Surrogate Court provides, particularly with groups like Eden II and Autism Speaks.

Castorina said that he wants to reduce the back-and-forth between Surrogate Court clerks and attorneys from the citys Law Department that occurs after a lawyer brings a petition to the court to cut potential delays. He also said he would like clerks in the Surrogates Court to have access to digitized files.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Local artist Scott LoBaido has erected a tribute honoring the 11 victims of the Jewish synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh last week.

On Thursday, LoBaido finished setting up the Tree of Life art installation -- named after the house of worship where the massacre took place -- on the grounds of Mount Loretto in Pleasant Plains.

LoBaido said creating art and displaying it for the public, especially following tragic events, is a cathartic practice for him.

Its painful and personal for me during these tragedies, said LoBaido, who referenced his connection to the Jewish community on Staten Island. I figured how great would it be to put this on Catholic church property to show the solidarity with the Jewish community.

The installation includes 11 Stars of David, constructed with white LED lights, surrounding a single tree highlighted in blue LEDs, representing the colors of the Israeli flag.

Those interested in stopping by to pay tribute to the victims can check out the lights between dusk and dawn (6:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.) each night for the next week.
Missouri is the battleground of one of the country's most hotly contested Senate races. A Reuters poll from early October showed incumbent Claire McCaskill and Josh Hawley in a dead heat, with 45 percent of likely Missouri voters voicing support for Hawley and 44 percent leaning toward McCaskill. McCaskill has been in politics for over three decades and is an established lawmaker. Hawley, a conservative who made his bones arguing the Hobby Lobby case before the Supreme Court, is looking to turn purple Missouri deep red. Who do you think will win the seat?

PERSPECTIVES

McCaskill is a political staple in Missouri, having represented the state in the Senate since 2006. Per USA Today:

As the days wane before the election, McCaskill has begun publicizing a recent report by the Kansas City Star that Hawley coordinated closely with political consultants while serving as Attorney General. Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Hawley, who rode his success arguing the Hobby Lobby case in front of the Supreme Court to an Attorney General position, is a relative political novice. The Washington Post described Hawley's speech to supporters in Missouri's boot heel.

Missouri, a state that was once known as a bellwether because "a majority of the state's voters had favored the national winner in every election from 1904 until 2004," has become reliably Republican in the last decade. McCaskill is fighting hard to distance herself from the liberal wing of the Democratic party, but she's still fighting an uphill battle for the state's conservative vote. Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

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Since the decision was issued, we have been looking into all of our rights and options with the intent to provide as little representation as legally possible to people who choose to pay nothing, Maher said. (We) clearly communicated to these members within the bargaining units that if individuals chose to exercise rights under the Janus decision and it becomes a growing portion of the bargaining unit, we would have to consider whether we would disinterest that group and walk away.
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It didnt take long for new blood to take over Draculas theatre restaurant in Carlton. International chain Heros Hot Pot has vanquished the long-running vampire-themed space. CBRE agents Zelman Ainsworth and Tan Thach have negotiated a leasing deal for the 900 sq m three storey building, with Heros Hot Pot paying $550,000 a year on a ten year lease, with no landlord contribution. Dracula's defanged - 100 Victoria Street, Carlton. Thats sure to be welcome. Sydney-based Chinese buyers, Excellion Investments, paid $10.325 million for Draculas, a record land price of $21,645 a sq m. Heros Hot Pot has opened 300 restaurants in Australia, China, Japan and Malaysia in the past three years, including three in Melbourne.

Hot pot is a trend that has erupted in Melbourne, Mr Thach said. It appeals to a wider market. It is an experience, not just a single dish, that captures a groups communal dining. Its a slightly different kind of theatre from the one Dracula's served up for 37 years. The Newman family, who had run the restaurant, had owned the city-fringe office building for 28 years. You can still get an infusion at the Dracula's Gold Coast outpost. King revival Mr Ainsworth said global retailers are quick to do deals. They understand their target market and the needs of their customers. So quick, his team has leased the newly purchased 189 King Street before settlement.

CBD hospitality operator Yang Korean BBQ is paying $235,000 a year on a 10-year deal - also with no landlord contribution. An elderly Italian couple sold 189 King Street in Melbourne. Credit:CBRE The building sold at auction in August for $5.318 million or $28,591 a sq m. The long term vendors, a couple in their 80s, paid $120,000 for the building in 1983 and had run an Italian restaurant on the premises. Retail rents in this pocket of the CBD have jumped by as much 70 per cent because retailers are anticipating population growth, he said. New apartments and office towers are driving the enthusiasm and King Street is poised to undergo a renaissance after a few decades in the strip club wilderness. No.189 served some time as the Opium Exclusive Gentlemans Lounge (sic).

McKillop shell Agents are hoping for the same effect to spill over the more central location of McKillop Street where two huge developments - NABs new headquarters on the old McEwans site at 405 Bourke Street and Cbus150 Queen Street (Tower Melbourne) - will dominate the Bourke Street hill. CBRE has been appointed to lease the newly purchased 12-14 McKillop Street, formerly the CBD nightclub. The Mantzis family fought off four other bidders. for the McKillop Street property. Credit:CRBE The Mantzis family, which owns the Sleepeezee bedding company, bought the 1529 sq m five-storey building at auction last month.

Colliers agents had several offers to lease the stripped out building before Golden Age developer Jeff Xu sent it to market as a vacant shell. Mr Ainsworth has already fielded interest from a wide range of potential users - from retailers, hoteliers, restaurants and boutique office. But none of this enthusiasm has yet yielded a tenant or tenants for the old Kozminsky building at 421 Bourke Street which stands at the entrance to McKillop. The Giannarelli family paid $7.6 million for the vacant three-storey building last July - a record land rate of more than $25,000 a sq m. It remains empty despite ambitious plans to transform the building into a multi-tenanted venue for hospitality operators and retailers. Kozminsky Jewellery shortly before it closed in February 2017. Credit:Stefan Postles

Kozminsky closed in February 2017 after 166 years but owner Kirsten Albrecht opened a new store 12 months ago on level two of the former Mercantile Bank at 349 Collins Street, Melbourne. Freeway facing Industrial developer Corplex has offloaded a prime Fishermans Bend site next to the Westgate Freeway for $6.44 million. An offshore investor, understood to be the Asian licensee of Swedish skincare brand Foreo, paid a record $1460 a sq m for the 4413 sq m site at 32-38 Cook Street. And sealed the deal with a staggering four day settlement. CBRE agent Guy Naselli, who negotiated the deal with Jake George and Harry Kalaitzis in conjunction with Vinci Carbones Joseph Carbone and Frank Vinci, said most land deals in Port Melbourne had hovered around $1100.
Property developer John Beville has offloaded a premium St Kilda Road office tower for around $165 million, almost doubling his money over four years, in a deal that foreshadows more action on the busy office and apartment boulevard.

The Beville Group commercial tower at 509 St Kilda Road has 19,500 square metres of net lettable area and is fully leased to Fuji Xerox, global life insurer AIA insurance and the Australian government.

Mr Beville, who was behind the development of Sydney's Top Ryde shopping centre, purchased the property in late 2014 for just under $84 million.

The office sectors upbeat outlook has sparked strong investor interest.

The office sectors upbeat outlook - vacancies at historic lows, tenant demand strong, and rents rising - has sparked strong investor interest and competition for assets that has driven yields on blue chip buildings below 5 per cent.
Melbournes suburban office market is set to break through $1 billion in sales this year as a new wave of offerings tempt investors.

Peaking demand for commercial real estate, sharp yields and rising office rents have prompted a string of high-profile investors to offload their holdings.

The list of noteworthy individuals selling sold-down suburban or fringe office assets over past months includes property duo Michael Lasky and Izzy Hertzog, the Myer family, Harold Mitchell, Mark Ruff from Qanstruct and Probuild founder Phil Mehrten.

They are set to be joined by another four vendors whose eastern suburbs properties from Canterbury to Forest Hill are up for grabs with a combined value of more than $80 million.
Despite the strikes, Dwyer was on the front foot when she addressed investors in these two companies. Loading She defended Tabcorps handling of the Austrac scandal and Sun Bets, saying it was the board and managements role to make considered investments to drive long term growth. She took aim at the proxy advisors who helped drive a massive 40 per cent vote against Tabcorps remuneration report. The pressure was even greater this week at Healthscope which received a first strike against executive pay at its annual meeting in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Where Tabcorp has endured more run of the mill misadventure, at Healthscope this week Dwyer was caught between a strategy that has failed to excite the market and the untimely return of a spurned and unique suitor. That suitor, private equity house BGH, just happens to be working closely with the compay's biggest shareholder AustralianSuper. It was the $140 billion industry fund's first such foray. The stakes were high heading into the meeting as Dwyer was up for re-election and potentially could have been voted off the board. Not all these bets will pay off. However, it does not serve the interests of shareholders for boards and management to do nothing for fear of retribution. Paula Dwyer The catalyst was the BGH-AustralianSuper consortium, which re-emerged after months of silence in the week before the shareholder meeting with its $4.1 billion takeover proposal and a request of access to due diligence.

The consortium had also recruited another significant investor to its cause, Ashok Jacobs Ellerston Capital. Loading Dwyer was now staring down three investors accounting for 27 per cent of the share register, and a proxy advisor which had briefly recommended a vote against her re-election over the Austrac scandal at Tabcorp. It didnt sway her. Let me be clear: there is considerable value for all shareholders at stake, and we believe that all shareholders should share in any value crystallised, she told investors. She said the board was not yet in a position to make a decision about the proposal, but made it clear that a proposed property spin-off - a deal breaker for the consortium - is scheduled to complete early next year.

Dwyer declined to be interviewed for this article, but nobody who knows her expected any different. Shes very bright and quite forthright. She really stood her ground in a blokey world, said shareholder activist Stephen Mayne when asked about the time he first crossed paths with Dwyer while working for Jeff Kennetts Victorian government in the 1990s. She was brought in as a consultant to help with the massive asset selloff being conducted out of the office of treasurer Alan Stockdale. Stockdale is a big fan of her stewardship at Tabcorp and Healthscope. I think shes done a very good job, he says. And he recalls someone who was very capable and straight forward during her time consulting with treasury.

And there is no doubting the level of respect from current and former colleagues like Elmer Funke Kupper, who served as chief executive of Tabcorp when Dwyer was on the board, and later as a fellow director. Shes grown into these roles exceptionally well, and as a result has become one of the most respected directors in the country, he says. She has a truly independent view and will express it. You would be surprised how few directors do." Mayne was on the spot when Dwyer began her boardroom career in 2001. He ran against her for a board role at RACV. She beat me comprehensively, he recalls with a chuckle.

Her tenure did not last long. In 2003, Dwyers corporate ascent began in earnest with her appointment to the boards of Promina and David Jones. Both roles came with challenges. David Jones was suffering indigestion from its food hall strategy, and Promina was attempting to float on the stock exchange in the wake of the HIH collapse. The insurance industry was a basket case at that time, with the collapse of HIH, and certainly people had dubious expectations about the float of Promina,'' she recalled in an interview in 2006. By that time Promina had succeeded to the point where it was the subject of a $7.9 billion takeover bid from Suncorp. Dwyer was in her element. I love getting immersed in a transaction and thinking through strategically the aspects which need to be conveyed and considered," she said.

She was one of the Promina directors who joined the Suncorp board when the bid succeeded. Her willingness to stand up for investors was also on full display at Leighton Holdings where she was part of the board which stood up to alleged interference from its major investor, Hochtief. But there is no doubt her crowning achievement was getting the exhausting and complex Tabcorp-Tatts merger across the line last year. Tabcorp insiders point to the extraordinary work needed to pull off a merger like this and the crucial role she played. "It was an extraordinary achievement," said Ziggy Switkowski who has board roles on both Tabcorp and Healthscope.

Loading "While many people played a part in making that happen, she was an awesomely effective leader," he says. Other insiders talk of the 14 months of early morning and late night calls with lawyers, advisors, and bankers. And keep in mind the fact that she was also chairing Healthscope and had a big role on the ANZ board. If there is any glimmer of weakness, it is the heavy workload she has taken on. "Clearly her workload is over the top," says Mayne. But Switkowski, who has also been criticised for his work commitments, disagrees.

Speaking after the Healthscope AGM, he points to "a very intense past ten days" where Dwyer was juggling ANZ commitments, the shareholder meeting and the renewed bid from the BGH consortium. According to Switkowski, she was there chairing a board meeting, meeting with advisers, investors and other related parties in a way you would expect a chairman to operate. "I have never seen any evidence where she has been found out." She will stand her ground but will also listen to feedback ... she is very ready to listen to different views and change her mind. Elmer Funke Kupper Her recent interaction with investors, in light of the two strikes, has also come under scrutiny. And in the case of the brewing takeover battle at Healthscope, it is a very live issue with more investors reported to be supporting board engagement with the consortium. Another fund manager, DNR Capital, reportedly broke ranks on Friday to argue the board should be offering due diligence to the bidder.

None of the major Healthscope investors would comment for this profile. But one institutional investor who walked away from the private hospital operator, after it spurned potential bidders and opted to spin off its property assets instead, did not take any issue with Dwyer. We had no particular issue with Paula within the context of being an investor, said Tim Kelley a fund manager with Montgomery Investment Management. He sold the fund managers shares in Healthscope when the private hospital operator denied its suitors due diligence and opted for the property transaction. Its not really creating a genuine economic benefit, he said of the plan and thinks it is very unlikely that the Healthscope board will pull it. The good news for these investors is that, while Dwyer knows her own mind, she is willing to change it.
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (102 minutes) PG

The strangers are a tennis champion (Farley Granger) and a psychopath (Robert Walker) who suggests that he and his new friend should "swap murders". The upshot is a perfect Alfred Hitchcock thriller, made in 1951 at the start of his best period, with a ingenious plot taken from a Patricia Highsmith novel and a memorably seductive villain. Screens as part of a Hitchcock retrospective. Digitally projected. Lido, Classic and Cameo, Sunday, November 4, 4pm.

Antonio Neiwiller (Mayor of Stromboli) in a scene from the film Caro Diario. Credit:Fairfax Media

MCCABE AND MRS MILLER (120 minutes) MA

Its mood of hazy melancholy reinforced by the Leonard Cohen songs on the soundtrack, Robert Altman's wintry 1971 anti-Western gives Warren Beatty one of his best roles as the doomed gambler McCabe: boastful, shy, foolish, altogether lovable. Julie Christie is Mrs Miller, the tough Cockney madam who helps him realise at least some of his dreams. Digitally projected. Thornbury Picture House, Sunday, November 4, 3.45pm.
Earlier this year Aunty Linda Ford went for a walk near Clunes, in Central Victoria, with farmer Christine Rowe, whose family had worked the local land for many generations since European settlement. There were some steep hills. "I had to have a few rests," Aunty Linda says.

They weren't daunted, though, and enjoyed talking about the land as they walked, just as they did on a later occasion exploring Bendigo Creek. They connected.

Brenda Kerr is among the Dja Dja Wurrung people to have their faces painted with clan designs for the Yapenya project. Credit:Aunty Linda Ford

Both walks were done on land traditionally inhabited by the Dja Dja Wurrung, to which Aunty Linda's clan belongs. Dja Dja Wurrung Country is huge, taking in the shires of Greater Bendigo, Hepburn, Central Goldfields and Mount Alexander. While the walks were about exploring the history and meaning of this countryside, they were also part of an artwork called Demolish, devised by Clunes theatre-makers Rebecca Russell and Ken Evans.

An elder whose recorded voice forms part of the soundscape for Demolish, Aunty Linda is also a talented photographer  she's been behind cameras since she was a girl. Her recent portraits of other Dja Dja Wurrung people, their faces painted with clan designs, are central to another artwork called Yapenya, which is also about to show.
A 43-year-old Norridge woman was charged Oct. 22 with driving under the influence. Edith Taraska, of the 4500 block of North Canfield Avenue, is due in court Nov. 27. An officer was dispatched to the 8100 block of West Maple Avenue for a crash, in which the vehicle struck a light pole. The officer observed a Mercedes-Benz positioned over the base of the pole, which had been knocked down. The officer called for assistance from the Norwood Park Fire Department, as well an ambulance, because of exposed wires. The officer reported that upon speaking to Taraska, he could smell alcohol on her breath. He said Taraska said she was trying to reverse the vehicle and did not did see the light pole. In addition to DUI, she was cited for operating an uninsured motor vehicle and damage to village property.
The story of the fashion scene in Rwanda today is a story of hope. In a country often defined by its horrific genocide in 1994, when an estimated 800,000 people  mostly ethnic Tutsi men, women and children  were killed in 100 days, a new generation of designers wants to create a future where their African nation is known for producing stylish clothes and accessories and not only its dark, traumatising past.

The government is priming these designers for success through an initiative called Made in Rwanda, aimed at supporting the production of local goods and limiting imports. Sending Rwandan designers abroad to participate in trade shows and not taxing them to import fabrics and other materials they need for their designs are two examples of the help Made in Rwanda offers.

Rwanda Clothing founder Joselyne Umutoniwase: Rwandans like dressing up. Credit:Jacques Nkinzingabo for The New York Times

In the Rwandan capital of Kigali, a city of verdant hillsides and 1.1 million people, lives Daniel Ndayishimiye, who, in 2016, established Fashion Hub Kigali, a non-government organisation that's also supporting designers. Fashion Hub helps more than 100 designers in Rwanda by offering them training and access to tools such as pattern cutters and sewing machines. Ndayishimiye's father and brother were killed in the genocide, but he says he has every reason to look ahead, not back.

"I have a purpose," he says. "I want Rwandans to be proud of donning designs by fellow Rwandans." Ndayishimiye grew up with aspirations of being a fashion photographer but says there was no fashion in Rwanda to shoot. "Fashion was non-existent, but today, there are designers all over Kigali, and throughout the country," he says.
Readers, clamber aboard my time machine! This weeks column begins with a pulsating dash ahead to the Canberra of 2068.

As you fasten your seat belts I point out that this weeks column concerns itself with the furore over Canberras place names. Bec Cody MLA is piping up on behalf of distressed Canberrans who feel they are living in Canberra places named in honour of people who are now known to have at best feet of clay and at worst to have been brutes or fiends.

There are so many ways in which our citys place names policies might be improved.

Now off we whoosh to 2068, to Canberra (population 1.5 million), and to outer suburbia. There we meet a young couple, Adam and Eve (and their faithful dog, Apple). After looking at homes in the newish suburbs of Thurston, Winx, Assange and Minogue, they have become pioneers in the brand-new suburb of Abbott.

Excited to understand their neighbourhoods place-name nomenclature they are sat together at their computer, doing some research into a man they have never previously heard of.
Two young men will spend a significant portion of their 20s in jail after a judge sentenced them for a violent home invasion in which a man and a 13-year-old girl were shot.

Reece Salcedo, 21, and Nathan Brian Stretton, 23, were both jailed for a decade for the invasion, with the judge setting a non-parole period of five years, and six years and five months respectively.

The pair had burst into the Gordon home on February 10 last year with a gun, searching for a set of car keys they believed had been stolen by someone who stayed at the house.

In the ensuing chaos, the 13-year-old girl was shot in the buttocks and her mother's boyfriend shot in the arm.

As she sentenced the men, Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson said people were entitled to feel safe in their own houses and the court had to play its role in sentencing home invasions.
Dr Frankham and Dr Johnson have become closely acquainted with the criminal underworld during the past five years. Credit:Wolter Peeters Drug smugglers take a keen interest in illegal wildlife smuggling. Its low-risk, high-reward, and a good way to test out new routes, Dr Frankham says. If you can successfully smuggle animals along a certain route, you can probably safely smuggle cocaine. And if youre caught smuggling animals, you often face only a slap-on-the-wrist punishment; small fines and a few months in jail. Illegal trade in wildlife is a massive industry, worth about $28 billion a year, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. This money often funds other illegal activities like human trafficking, drug manufacturing and money laundering. Wildlife is high value, low punishment, says Dr Frankham.

Luke Bond, a former Interpol officer who now works as a wildlife crime consultant, says nearly all wildlife smuggling is connected with organised crime (although he and Australian Border Force both say they are unaware of criminals "testing" routes using eggs or wildlife). To be involved in trafficking wildlife products illegally, you have to be organised. You have to know where to source it, to have trusted networks, to have ways to move the product. To catch them, you need to be quite sophisticated  because the criminals are. Dr Johnson and Dr Frankham have become closely acquainted with the criminal underworld since the former launched the laboratory in 2004. It's an odd fit for a pair of museum scientists more used to writing scientific journals than court papers (they continue to do research; the pair recently helped sequence the koala genome for the first time, with Dr Johnson the lead author on that paper). But they had to launch the lab, they say, because there is no one else in Australia who can do what they can. And without them, many animal crimes would go unprosecuted.

"If you were alleged to have been involved in a crime and the police sent your DNA sample to a lab, they know exactly what to look for, says Dr Johnson. They have a huge database of human DNA to compare it to ... And we deal with every other species, which has none of that set-up." Their lab focuses mainly on DNA extraction and profiling. They are experts at extracting DNA from even the tiniest drop of blood or most-desiccated piece of ivory, and then telling courts, with near 100 per cent certainty, which animal it came from. The need for a formally accredited lab became obvious to Dr Johnson in the wake of a 2003 case in Sydney, when a car deliberately drove through a flock of cockatoos as families fed them, killing 25 of the birds. After tip-offs from the public, police found the car, but the driver denied involvement. Police found blood on the tyres  but had no way of proving what the blood was from. The case was circumstantial.

At a loss, police approached the Australian Museum. Could they find out where this blood came from? Australian Museum holds samples from some 20,000 species. Using sophisticated DNA analysis, Dr Johnson was able to show the blood undoubtedly came from the cockatoos. The offender received 400 hours of community service. Fresh from that success, and seeing a need, the Museum launched the wildlife forensics lab. Just like police labs, the lab now has official accreditation from the National Association of Testing Authorities, giving courts confidence in its findings (it would take until 2013 for formal accreditation to be achieved). "A lot of people in the realm of wildlife crime don't realise you can do DNA on animals the way you can on humans. Once the enforcement people tell the court 'we have this lab that can provide this evidence', they are kind of like 'oh, well, yeah, I did do that'," says Dr Frankham, who joined the lab in 2012. The lab has been involved in around 60 cases since its formation, including the case of ex-NRL player Martin Kennedy, who pleaded guilty to smuggling animals including stingrays, sugar gliders, pythons and fish, many of which died while being shipped. They are also regularly involved in animal cruelty cases.
Perhaps by fate I was introduced to cardiologist Geoff Toogood, the incredible and inspiring founder of CrazySocks4Docs, at a college meeting a couple of weeks ago. I choked and could barely speak, but it made me determined to take something positive from my own experience. Hence this article.

When I heard that Rockhampton junior doctor Frith Footitt had taken his own life on New Years Day this year, I could not bring myself to read any of the details. The tragic outcome could easily have befallen me.

Almost exactly 30 years earlier, as an intern in the central Queensland city of Rockhampton, I had tried to kill myself. Today I am president of a specialist college, but I had kept the entire episode to myself and tried to forget it. I am deeply ashamed of not learning from my own experience sooner and using it to help others.

I discovered CrazySocks4Docs Day  held annually on June 1  only this year. The day aims to encourage conversations about mental health and help reduce the stigma for doctors experiencing mental illness. This discovery overwhelmed me.

I had found medical school difficult  I was not a natural academic like so many others in my year  but hoped that my intern year might prove better. I was wrong. Halfway through 1988, I felt overwhelmed with inadequacy. I had a patient die and felt responsible. My consultants and registrars were not exactly glowing in their feedback. My junior doctor colleagues all seemed to be more capable and were thriving. I had an all-pervasive sense of failure, that so many years of struggle at medical school had been a complete waste and that I was little short of dangerous. I could see no way out.

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So, one night, I made careful plans to kill myself. I wont go into detail but suffice to say that I stole some supplies from the wards.

Incredibly, a work colleague arrived unexpectedly and began knocking on the door of my small hospital unit. That person  I wont reveal the gender  called: I know youre in there. I will never know what made this person visit me. Perhaps my emotional state wasnt as well disguised as I thought. Perhaps it was just plain good luck. That impromptu visit saved my life.

I wont pretend I had an epiphany or that I suddenly was better. I did seek help. Rather than put my career, for what it was worth, further in jeopardy by talking to one of my hospital colleagues, I made an appointment with a GP in town. To this day, I remember the GPs advice: Under no circumstances tell anybody or see a psychiatrist. (I only knew of one in Rockhampton, and was about to become his intern.) If I had a record of suicidality or mental illness, I would never be able to buy income-protection or life insurance, and I would probably never get a good job.
A government MP has sought to reassure members of aviation pioneer Nancy-Bird Walton's family that the Department of Home Affairs has no intention of deporting them over confusion surrounding their citizenship status after one member of the family went into hiding.

Cathy Bird is the niece of the famous Australian pilot, and her father John Bird is a World War II veteran of the merchant marines. She and her siblings were born in Papua New Guinea to a Papuan mother before the nation achieved independence in 1975 and were granted Australian citizenship as children.

Cathy Bird, niece of Nancy-Bird Walton (inset) has gone into hiding after being told she is not an Australian citizen.

But, as the Herald reported on Thursday, when she and her sister sought to renew their passports two years ago, they were told they were not eligible as they were not citizens. Cathy Bird was granted a bridging visa that expired on October 31, before being renewed on Thursday after media inquiries.

She says she was told by a Border Force officer she could be detained and deported from her home in Cairns. She is now in an undisclosed location in NSW.
The young man was kept in a garage thick with blowflies and the smell of faeces, feeding on meals left at an outdoor table where the dog also helped itself.

Neighbours observed him wandering the backyard for hours in a state of distress, slapping his face, biting himself, crying and banging on the back door to his family home. He had autism and an intellectual disability.

But although agencies including Family and Community Services and the police were aware of his plight - and multiple reports of domestic violence, unexplained bruising and sexual abuse had been lodged - they determined there was insufficient evidence for a guardianship application to be made.

The cases of neglect, abuse and exploitation already identified are likely the tip of the iceberg. Credit:Tanya Lake

The case was one of more than 200 unearthed by the NSW Ombudsman in an unprecedented inquiry into the abuse of people with a disability in private homes, which has exposed for the first time abuse that would otherwise have remained a family affair.
Eight years ago, when cancer researcher Georgina Long began focusing her energy on immunotherapy in a bid to tackle melanoma, she had one clear goal - driving the cancer's death rate down to zero.

Professor Long is the first to admit the goal was laughable. At the time, an advanced melanoma diagnosis was a death sentence, with patients given about nine months to live.

Professor Georgina Long has been named Outstanding Cancer Researcher of the Year. Credit:Brook Mitchell

But as a result of her work, the median survival rate has more than tripled and some patients have been given long-term control of their disease.

"We're confident that in our lifetime we are going to achieve zero deaths," Professor Long, co-medical director of Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), said.
An Iranian migrant who fatally stabbed his wife 60 times during a frenzied attack most likely driven by jealously has been jailed for at least 15 years.

Amir Darbanou has been jailed for the murder of his wife Nasrin Abek.

Amir Homayoun Darbanou, 44, used a large knife to stab Nasrin Abek in the face, chest, throat and arms before leaving her body in their unit in Sydney's Potts Point in September 2016.

Supreme Court Justice Julia Lonergan noted the former refugee's early guilty plea on Friday when she jailed him for 21 years, with a non-parole period of 15 years and nine months.

But she threw out attempts by Darbanou's counsel to reduce the sentence because of mental health issues related to alcohol and delusions.
A Supreme Court judge has challenged an "assumption" that Islamic radicalism equates to extremist violence in freeing from anti-terrorism supervision orders a Muslim "bigot", who hates Australia.

Mohamed Naaman. Credit:Nine News

Justice Des Fagan further urged authorities to assist violent career criminal Mohamed Naaman to realise his dream of leaving the country to live in Lebanon as "it would appear to suit all parties".

The NSW government brought an application to have Naaman, 43, monitored over fears he would commit a terrorist act if left unrestrained.

In pushing for the supervision order, Crown prosecutor John Agius, SC, told the court last month that Naaman had expressed a desire to travel to the Middle East and to fight against the Syrian government.
Unspecified tools were reported stolen at 6:49 a.m. Oct. 25 from a work van parked on the 1900 block of Spring Road. Forced entry through the drivers side door was used to gain access.
A Brisbane councillor says graves are being heavily watered-in shortly after burials to prevent subsidence at a 100-year-old cemetery, and it is upsetting families.

Cr Steve Griffiths said he had spoken with about 20 distressed families about the grave flooding process at Brisbane's council-run Mount Gravatt Cemetery.

Graves at Mount Gravatt Cemetery have been flooded. Credit:Michelle Smith.

Doreen Awabdy, whose brother and father are buried at the cemetery, said people went to a lot of effort to lovingly and respectfully lay their family members to rest so what the cemetery was doing was heartbreaking.

"The minute you walk away from burying your loved one, council workers move in and they push in the hose and spike until it hits the coffin ... it can often cave the coffin in, it certainly floods everything," she said.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size A Sunday afternoon in beautiful tropical north Queensland. Toyah Cordingley parked her blue Mitsubishi Lancer at Wangetti Beach after spending an hour at her local Cairns market. She and her beloved dog left a line of foot and paw prints as they walked along the pristine sand and breathed in the fresh salty air - a routine pastime of many locals. Little did the 24-year-old know these would be among her last breaths before she fell victim to an incomprehensible killing that would rock a tight-knit community and turn much of the state's attention to this picturesque stretch of coastline. Toyah was reported missing by her family about 11pm on Sunday, October 21, after failing to make the return journey 40 kilometres south to Cairns. Police, SES and family searched the beach the next morning. Her car was found in a nearby carpark and her dog found alive by her mother before her father reportedly made the discovery no parent should make. Two weeks on, police are keeping their cards close to their chest regarding their inquiries into Toyah's death. Credit:Facebook Queensland police said the dog was believed to have been found tied up on the beach, but could not confirm reports from a family friend claiming it was "tied up so tight it couldn't sit down".

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Toyah lost her life on a stretch of sand police and locals said had been a safe place with no notable problems in the past. Detective Inspector Sonia Smith said more than 100 officers had been involved in the investigation into Toyah's death, which involved police doorknocking the area around Wangetti Beach and collecting DNA samples in a process of elimination. More than 530 pieces of information have been provided to Crime Stoppers. People who had not heard of Toyah two weeks ago trawled hundreds of social media posts from the area around Wangetti on the days before and after her death and commented to make sure those people were aware of what happened, urging them to give any information they could to police. Rex Lookout and Wangetti Beach, on the Captain Cook Highway between Cairns and Port Douglas in far north Queensland. Credit:Alamy Locals armed with more than a dozen metal detectors arranged to walk along Wangetti Beach on Sunday morning to remember Toyah and search for any clues concealed during the initial search. Douglas Shire Council Mayor Julia Leu said the community was angered and deeply distressed.

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"We are particularly angry that a young girl died doing something we do on a daily basis - walking along our beautiful beaches," she said. "No one should ever have to experience what Toyah has experienced ... everyone is still coming to grips with what has happened. "As a woman myself and living in Douglas Shire, we want to join together and vocally stand up against violence against women. "This is reflective of the strong sense of community here and we want to do everything we can to assist the police." Hartley's Crocodile Adventures co-owner Angela Freeman, whose business is located two kilometres from the beach, said everybody had been looking for clues that could bring closure to Toyah's family. "Everyone is upset about this horrible situation. Everyone is trying to be as proactive as possible, we have helped with whatever the police and SES have needed and we will continue to do so," she said. Ms Cordingley's friend Rick De Jong wrote on Facebook: "You are all humanity should aspire to be." Credit:Facebook

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"You cannot question in any way the effort and resources the police and SES have put into this. Everyone has been working hard on this. We just wish there was more we could do to assist. "I would have done the same thing as she [Toyah] did and I have on several occasions been there [the beach] by myself taking photos and never thought about it. Nobody had any great cause for concern." Close friend Megan Amour, whose wedding Toyah had been helping to plan, wrote on Facebook that since her bridesmaid-to-be's death, she had been having second thoughts about getting married. Local councillor Michael Kerr described Toyah as "the most beautiful, honest person you could imagine". She had worked at the Paws and Claws Refuge and Boarding Centre in Port Douglas before moving to Cairns and getting a job in a pharmacy. "She had a way with animals, even the most loud, vicious animals - she could calm them in minutes ... I'm devastated someone with such a beautiful soul could go this way," Cr Kerr said. Police said Toyah travelled to beaches north of Cairns about 1.30pm on October 21. Her car was seen going past Clifton Beach, near Palm Cove, about 2pm and then again at southern Wangetti Beach.

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Lanes remained blocked on a busy road in Brisbane's inner south and trains were skipping a nearby station hours after a truck rollover in Dutton Park on Friday morning.

Both lanes on Annerley Road were expected to be closed at Dutton Park on Friday afternoon while authorities righted the truck from the crash.

The single-vehicle accident happened about 9.30am, causing traffic delays for the next few hours.

A truck rollover has caused delays at Dutton Park. Credit:Nine News Queensland

Police were still on the scene at noon, urging drivers to avoid the area.
Certain restrictions on inner city high-rise buildings would be removed by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy if he wins the state election, in a policy that threatens to revive his controversial reputation as "Mr Skyscraper".

The former planning minister has also declared he has no regrets about one of the most contentious and costly policy decisions of his career  the rezoning of farmland in Ventnor, on Phillip Island.

Matthew Guy Credit:Morgan Hancock

In an interview with The Age, Mr Guy said that the Coalition would dump Labor restrictions that govern the scale of new city towers if elected on November 24.

The planning rule  known as C270  was put in place by the Andrews Government in 2016, requiring developers to meet certain conditions on height, setback, building separations and plot ratios.
A driver, who was previously imprisoned for causing a fatal crash in Western Australia, has been sentenced to one year in jail for smashing his car into a pole and seriously injuring a woman.

Joshua Wayne Bonjour was sentenced in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing bodily harm and having no authority to drive.

A woman was seriously injured in the crash.

Lily Davis suffered injuries, including a fractured collar bone, when a speeding Bonjour lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a light pole on Roe Highway in Canning Vale.

He was jailed in 2014 over a quad bike crash that killed 18-year-old Jodie Maree Worthington.
The markets are coming back to Subiaco and it's predicted they will bring an economic injection with them.

Property developer Blackburne on Friday unveiled plans for a mixed-use development at the derelict 5500sqm Subiaco Pavilion Markets site on the corner of Rokeby and Roberts Roads.

The development's ground level will feature permanent restaurants and room for up to 50 street market stalls.

The site has sat dormant for more than a decade and has become an eyesore to locals and visitors alike who bemoan the cracking paint and boarded-up windows.

Blackburne purchased the property for $25 million in July and want to build an apartment building with an indoor and outdoor public space on the ground level that has room for up to 50 street market stalls, a town square, 'pocket park' and permanent restaurants.
Dear Mum and Dad, it's your puppy Clancy here, writing again from my home in the city. I wanted to reassure you about how well the training is going. It was slow when I first arrived  that's true  but things are going better. I now have my two humans almost fully under control.

Repetition is the key. Hilariously, I've overheard the humans at the park saying, "You need to do things 70 times before they understand". They are talking about dogs, of course, but exactly that number of repetitions has, I've found, been effective in training both Man and Lady.

Clancy Glover: "Bad habits can become set in stone if you let them."

The toughest thing has been breakfast. It's my view that it should be served first thing. Dawn has sprung forth and is filling the world with its rosy hue. The birds twitter, the eyes blink awake and suddenly the possibilities of the day lie spread out in all their enticing glory.

A little sustenance, promptly served, matches the moment in a way that I find entirely appropriate.
The Morrison government has dismissed a fresh bid by a Senate crossbencher to resettle refugees in New Zealand, but continues to transfer children from Nauru to Australia, with two more families leaving on Friday.

There are now only 35 refugee children on Nauru, with more expected to leave in coming days. Fifty minors have come to Australia since October 15 - partly as a result of Federal Court orders - and the government has signalled a desire to "quietly" get all children off the island by Christmas.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Immigration Minister David Coleman. Credit:John Veage

But refugee advocates say the government undermined that intention with legal action challenging the Federal Court's right to order medical transfers from Nauru to Australia - which was thrown out by judges on Friday.

Children and their families who have been brought to Australia also face an uncertain future, with Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton insisting they will never settle here permanently.
Oil and gas giants will be hit with a $6 billion tax hike over the next decade following years of concern that Australia has been hemorrhaging lucrative revenue to multinationals.

The decision was made after an 18-month wait for the Coalition's response to a landmark review into the sector, which heard Australia would eclipse Qatar as the world's top gas exporter by 2020 but receive just $800 million revenue compared to Qatar's $26.6 billion.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

One Nation had demanded a crackdown on multinationals in exchange for supporting company tax cuts, but reneged when it became clear that the Turnbull government would not meet its demands for a Qatar-style royalty scheme.

The government went further than some in the industry were expecting on Friday by declaring current projects would have previous exploration concessions used to offset future profits crimped from 2019, despite industry threats that would put investment at risk.
Politics is a numbers game. Not the size of the GDP, or the unemployment rate or who the polls say is winning (though those are all political). In a democracy, politics is ultimately about securing a majority of votes, for preselection, on election day and on the floor of Parliament. In politics, losing by one vote is basically the same as losing by 1000.

The ironclad rule of numbers in politics was particularly brutal for the Liberal Party recently. If the Liberals had managed to hold the blue-ribbon seat of Wentworth by even one vote, they would have held their one-seat majority in the House of Representatives. Instead, the Liberals came a gutser (independent candidate Kerryn Phelps was about 1700 votes ahead of the Liberals in Wentworth at last count, an almost 20 per cent swing away from the Liberals).

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will now need to convince one of six crossbenchers each and every time he wishes to pass legislation through the lower house. Ironically, this could be the best thing to happen to the Morrison government.

Majority government is more orderly, certainly, but democracy requires a certain relish for the unpredictable. Being forced to negotiate with other political parties and the crossbench can force commonsense amendments that blunt the sharp edges of hardline policies. It can force governments to pay attention to issues they might prefer to ignore.
Most casualties over the past 30 years were in Afghanistan. About 26,000 Australians fought from 2001 to 2014; we lost 41 soldiers, sailors and air force personnel. All were professional soldiers. While we honour all Australians who served their country, and we certainly make no distinction of the dead, it should be clear that there are significant differences between the wars. Of those named at the War Memorial, 99 per cent were killed before 1950. In the past 70 years, fewer than 1000 have died in action. The World Wars involved civilians responding to the call, by the hundreds of thousands; the latter involved a highly trained and increasingly professional military elite  men and women whose vocational choices had contemplated fighting for their country. None of the struggles in which they became engaged involved the whole resources of the nation, and a significant proportion of its population and treasure. More is involved than a mere difference in scale. In World War I, Australians fought in divisional strength, sometimes at army corp (in Australia's case, of five divisions) strength. While they played only a relatively minor (and, in any event, both strategically and tactically unsuccessful) role at Gallipoli, Australian troops made a significant contribution to Allied victory in the Middle East and on the Western Front. Australian troops captured by Germans near Fromelles on the Western Front. In both World Wars, there were many single days in which more Australian died than in all conflicts in the past 70 years. Credit:Australian War Memorial Likewise, in World War II, Australian divisions played significant roles in North Africa and Syria, and, if unsuccessful other than in obtaining delay, in Greece, as well as in repelling the Japanese in New Guinea. Their efforts, again at divisional level, were less successful in Malaya, Indonesia, Bougainville and Borneo, and, generally, they were fighting alongside allies, but their efforts were rarely submerged inside a general Allied push.

Australians have been involved in sharp, and lethal, firefights in the 70 years since. But they have never fought since at even brigade level, and most engagements have been at less than company level. Brave and tactically successful as our soldiers may have been, nothing they have achieved on a battlefield in the past 70 years has made a difference to the immediate or ultimate outcome of any conflict. No enemy history will mention a single battle. Our air force and navy have been involved in or off Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf, but never against military equipment capable of meeting them on equal terms. We owe those involved, and the families of those who died, the truth about the essential pointlessness of our recent military campaigns. Australia's involvement in conflict over the past 70 years has mostly been as an ally of the US, and with a focus of being seen to be its ally and friend, rather than for any specifically Australian interest in the theatre itself. We owe those involved, and the families of those who died, the truth about its essential pointlessness. It was not worth the treasure, the deaths or the outcomes. Many Australian military leaders are frank in criticising the political decisions to get involved, the cases made in efforts to secure public support, and the want of good intelligence and clear objectives behind the missions. Nelson was defence minister when critical decisions were made. He no doubt has an obvious interest in seeing our involvement as a triumph of Australian endeavour, rather than an occasion for searching and critical inquiry. His new circus will delay the latter.

He has certainly been enthusiastic in promoting the idea that our modern conflicts deserve the attention, and honour, of our previous ones. But will they be proportional to the degree of national sacrifice or impact on the national ethos? There were many single days during both World Wars when more Australians died than have died in combat collectively since 1970. Nelson has proven a showman at the War Memorial. He has brought some innovations, not least the nightly Last Post that has proven popular with tourists. He has, perhaps, been helpful in showing that the carnage of the war spread far and wide. Loading But, like the accompanying spit and polish, provided for no military purpose whatever at vast public expense, it sometimes seems to be part of a project to turn the memorial into a Shinto temple, consecrated to some notion of flag, and ceremonial glorification of sacrifice at complete odds with what the memorial ought to be about. All the more so when the frontman is a still active politician, who has manifested a genius for turning every story about the memorial and the World War I celebrations into a story about himself. He has assumed a role  particularly outrageous for one who did not serve  that seems to be a spokesman for soldiers, for soldiers being criticised, or for the very notion of military service. It is invariably tendentious. Like all recent Liberal leaders, he has a cack ear for the public mood. He has no right to appropriate the sacrifices of civilians to his own ends, or to pretend to channel the thoughts of men and women in the services.

Australians should never forget World War I. Or World War II. Each had profound effects on the nation  the first war practically flattened and bankrupted us. It destroyed for generations the optimism and confidence of a nation that had entered the century with perhaps the highest standard of living on earth. Australians ended the war broke and almost broken  perhaps not sorry that we went but certainly, except for a certain officer class, in no mood to think that battle had baptised or ennobled us. This is not to suggest that the War Memorial should become a mere temple to the futility of war  or the cupidity of politicians. We show our respect for those who suffered, and we honour and remember them, if, any longer, we can. We should renew our cynicism about leaders who seek to politicise national security, or wrap themselves in the flag. We resolve to remember our history so we do not forget it. After the forlorn memorials of World War I, survivors of World War II thought it enough to add another plaque for the extra dead of the next war. If there was to be a second memorial, many resolved, it should be in the form of some practical civic project, which served the community's need. In the town I was born (in my family, four boys and a girl served overseas), this took the form of an ambulance station and a public swimming pool  if one off limits to Aborigines, even those who were returning soldiers, thanks to the local RSL's insistence. It was to be 15 years after the war when the local community concluded that the freedoms people had fought for, and some had died for, included the right of Aboriginal Australians to live in the town, or to walk around it after dark. Perhaps Nelson has an appropriate anecdote, told to him only yesterday, that explains and rationalises this, proving that we can honour the Aussie spirit only by turning the museum into a mausoleum. For me, I would rather honour service and suffering with some practical help and with some acknowledgement that many bear continuing psychic and physical scars from doing their duty  even when the duty has been so secret, or so shameful, that it must remain an on-water matter. Alternatively, $500 million to help with the continuing suffering of boat people fleeing from the conflicts in which we engaged might be an even more fitting monument. Meanwhile, the marking of the end, 100 years ago, of World War I ought to be a sign that we should tone down the liturgy, the bullshit, and the politicisation of personal, community and national trauma  at least until we are again in some cataclysmic conflict.
Usually, the correction is a run around the block and she is very quick to recalculate. But not in Taormina. You need to go out of town and halfway down the hill on a one-way street, and then back up the other side. We had another crack at it. Very silly. Indeed, the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result, at least according to a late 19th century edition of Narcotics Anonymous. Of course, we got the same result. And like the last time, the 25 minutes turned out to be more than an hour. The third time, as we approached the segue point on Google Maps we turned another way and stopped the car, ignored her yelling to "continue south-west for three kilometres", and phoned the hotel. They sent a human to rescue us. And an aside here on Italian driving. The stereotypical Italian driver is an impatient, aggressive, risk-taker. But like many stereotypes, it's quite misplaced. Pushing in when you don't have right of way could be seen as aggression. But if people did not push in occasionally, they would get nowhere in the near gridlocked traffic. For every pusher-in, there are an equal number of gracious drivers who allow someone to enter the traffic.

It seems more like a case of empathy. In Italy, all drivers know what it's like to face an endless stream of bumper-to-bumper traffic with no hope of getting anywhere without pushing in and hoping someone is gracious or resigned enough to let you do it. Similarly, hazardous overtaking on narrow country roads is not done so much out of a reckless death wish but in the knowledge that if someone comes the other way, they will slow up, move over and let you continue overtaking  because without such give-and-take, things would grind to a halt. Sure, like everywhere, Sicily has its share of bad drivers, but driving behaviour arises from conditions, not some mythical national trait. But back to Taormina. On leaving and finally getting on the freeway, she (Google) ordered us to "take the exit to Catania and Syracuse", without reckoning on that exit being closed. It was 40 kilometres before she could find a place to turn us around. But on re-entering the freeway, I forgot to take a pay ticket. (Italy has a manual freeway-payment system.)

Not to worry. On exiting 40 kilometres later, Google (like God) got us out of the poo into which she had put us in n the first place. Louise had keyed into her phone the whole explanation and Google translated it into Italian. We passed the phone with the translation to the bloke in the ticket box who charged the rate for 40 kilometres of freeway and let us through. Google-dependency won the day. However, we also sometimes used it for restaurants. But I don't think it was much better than taking pot luck walking about. When Google translates information into money, it does not have the purity that it has when translating languages or maps into directions. Consumers searching for goods and services on Google would be naive to imagine that the first page of any Google search contains the best deals for them. No, it contains, first, the best deal for Google and, second, the best deal for the merchant. The consumer comes a poor third.

I know this from the other side. We rely on people's Google searches and holiday-letting sites to lease our two holiday villas. Many places that we know from first-hand knowledge represent much poorer value for money rank higher in the search engines. This is not sour grapes. It adds up. Holiday-letting sites get paid percentage commissions. They get more money if the rent is higher, so why wouldn't they put the poorer deal for the consumer up higher? Google gets paid by people pushing their sites higher. That cost gets passed on to consumers. Merchants pay money to people who say they can do search-engine optimisation on your website, for a fee. If they are effective, it again means the consumer is being dudded, as the higher ranking is not being produced by better service or lower price, but by computer tweaking. A way around this is for consumers not to always look at the items on the first page, but, say, shake a dice as to which page to look at first.
Beijing: China's year-long freeze on official visits by Australian ministers has ended, with Trade Minister Simon Birmingham due to arrive in Shanghai on Sunday, cementing the Morrison government's thaw in relations with China.

Mr Birmingham will attend a state dinner on Sunday evening for ministers and government leaders attending Chinese president Xi Jinping's flagship trade event, the China International Import Expo.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham will land in China on Sunday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

More than 150 Australian companies will be represented at the Shanghai expo next week, which is designed to boost deals for more foreign products to enter the Chinese market.

Amid a trade war with the United States, the event has taken on extra significance for China as it argues it is continuing to open its markets to foreign companies and lower trade barriers.
A Central Asian people whose presence in the Tarim Basin dates to the 8th century, Uighurs have had an uneasy relationship with Chinese rule for 250 years, scholars say.

On Tuesday, at a United Nations Human Rights Council review, China will be challenged to provide statistics on how many people are detained without charge, with a call for their immediate release.

The Chinese government has rejected claims that up to one million of Xinjiang's 10 million Uighur Muslims are being held inside. It claims the buildings are education centres that teach the Chinese language to Turkic-speaking Uighurs, part of a campaign to "get rid of the environment and soil that breeds terrorism and religious extremism".

In the past 18 months, hundreds of these buildings have spread rapidly across the desert towns of China's remote Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

"Everyone talks about their absolutely ruined dreams," says Sydney resident Ruqiya of anxiety levels among her fellow expatriates.

They are the buildings in far western China that haunt the sleep of Uighur Australians. People go in and they don't come out.

This resident hasn't heard of anyone getting out in the two years since the centres began operating.

"They are so big because 40 per cent of the town is inside," explained a Turpan resident, when Fairfax Media travelled to Xinjiang to try to find out what was going on in China's westernmost region.

In the ancient silk road oasis town of Turpan , the traditional architecture is yellow mud brick. The massive, modern white buildings in rows behind a high wall stand out. They are festooned with surveillance cameras. More are being constructed in an adjacent field.

A re-education camp, officially known as vocational education and training centre, on the outskirts of Turpan City, Xinjiang. Credit:Fairfax Media

And so the fear of those living abroad, like Ruqiya, is worsened by the unknown. Has her family been taken? What really is happening inside?

Ruqiya (not her real name) hasn't spoken to her family in Xinjiang for 12 months. They won't take her calls, or respond on social media. Simply having a relative who lives in a foreign country is enough to cast suspicion on a Uighur and lead to detention.

The region's ancient history is politically contested, but Uighurs are said to have embraced Islam in AD 934, forming a unique tradition that drew from travellers on the Silk Road.

At each road intersection there is a large police kiosk, where a helmeted officer stands out front holding a large club or electric shock stick. More officers check Uighur people's cars and motorcycles at random.

Even outside the centres, the Uighurs of Turpan appear to be under a lockdown imposed by the Chinese authorities.

Few foreign journalists have been able to reach the centres and obtain photographs, as the Chinese government tries to blocks media access that it doesn't control.

Many people sent inside have been caught with material on their mobile phones that is deemed "too Islamic" or unsafe, by police who use a device that can read Arabic and scans digital content, I am told.

The inmates are allowed one phone call a week, and a visit from family every 15 days, under rules set by local authorities.

A few hundred metres along the same road, there is another large centre. There are seven in Turpan alone.

[The re-education centres] are so big because 40 per cent of the town is inside.

Some older Uighur men and women gather on the street to chat in the late afternoon, the women displaying curly hair and calf-length skirts, the men clean-shaven. This is a major change, in a town where headscarfs were once common.

Inside, there are no Uighur men of working age to be found among the stalls selling Turpan's prized sultanas and raisins. There are few seen on the streets outside, either. Where are they?

Markets, a lively outdoor community affair when I visited a decade ago, now take place inside a cage. Heavy iron bars block off a dark, covered marketplace where entry is gained through a gauntlet of security officers and a walk-through scanner.

Razor wire is standard on public buildings. Red billboards proclaim: "Resolutely implement the Xinjiang Strategy made by the Party Central Committee and comrade Xi Jinping, especially the target of social stability."

Traffic is sparse, and goats wander along the road. But a convoy of a dozen black 4WDs and vans prowl the town daily, using flashing lights to maximum effect.

ID cards are checked and facial recognition used when entering almost all public spaces in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang. Credit:Fairfax Media

A Uighur woman and a child sit under China's national flag and a CCTV camera in Urumqi, Xinjiang. Credit:Fairfax Media

After interviewing a dozen Chinese public servants in Xinjiang who had been sent to live as "relatives" in Uighur homes, Byler says their work is surveillance. The Chinese are given instructions to take notes during week-long homestays and assess the Uighur family's loyalty to China. They are told to check whether there is a Koran in the house, or if Friday prayers and Ramadan fasting are observed.

But China's crackdown on Islamic influence also reaches beyond the public sphere and into homes. Up to a million Chinese public servants in Xinjiang have been conscripted to stay in Uighur villages and spread secular values, says University of Washington anthropology lecturer Darren Byler.

There are so many police, and so many surveillance cameras, that Xinjiang is surely the safest place in the world, another resident suggests grimly.

To enter a Turpan restaurant and slurp the region's famed hand-pulled noodles, diners must pass through a scanner supervised by an armed officer. Waitresses wear red arm patches declaring they are security wardens as they wipe down tables.

An anti-extremism law passed in 2017 banned face veils and "abnormal" beards, as well as using the concept of "halal" beyond food. Violating the ban on 15 "extreme behaviours" can get a Uighur sent to the centres.

A group of older Turpan locals wait, in western dress, in front of a market. Credit:Fairfax Media

And they pose the question: does the family know anyone abroad? As a test, it is suggested the Chinese guest offers their host family a beer, Byler wrote in the Asia Society's ChinaFile.

Uighurs have told Fairfax Media they are distressed at the intrusion into family privacy. One widow must allow a Han Chinese man into her house to spend the night several times a month, said an Australian Uighur. "Sending a man to a widow's home  this isn't even accepted in Han culture," she said.

Until a few weeks ago, the Chinese government denied any "re-education centres" existed. But the scale of the building program, and the disappearance of tens of thousands of Uighurs, made this approach untenable.

Breaking the official silence, Chinese state television broadcast a propaganda documentary on October 16 depicting the buildings as vocational training centres where Xinjiang's ethnic poor were being treated to free Mandarin language classes, instruction on national laws, and provided with work skills that would lead to a better life.

The "trainees" were paid a basic income, and shown a "colourful life" with dancing competitions and sport.

The next day, state newspapers carried thousands of words from Xinjiang's second-in-charge, chairman Shohrat Zakir, in which he said most "trainees" had reflected on their mistakes and seen the harm of religious extremism.

The first of the "trainees" were expected to have sufficient skills to finish their "course" and receive certificates by the end of the year, he said. The world is watching and waiting.

The minarets of the Urumqi International Grand Bazaar Mosque are reflected on nearby building. Taking pictures of mosques, government buildings, and police is prohibited in Urumqi, a local police officer tells us. Credit:Fairfax Media

Although 90 per cent of the population in China is Han, almost half (46 per cent) of Xinjiang's population is Uighur.

Han comprised only 6 per cent of Xinjiang's population in 1949, when Mao's communist China absorbed the short-lived East Turkestan Republic into neighbouring lands conquered by the Qing Dynasty. But a surge in Chinese migration has resulted in Han now almost equalling the Uighur population at 41 per cent.

Over the past decade, Xinjiang has experienced a bitter cycle of government repression of Uighur culture  including a 2006 ban on children entering mosques  and eruptions of violence against Han Chinese.

In 2009, riots in the capital Urumqi saw almost 200 people, most of them Han Chinese, killed. In 2013, terrorists from Xinjiang exploded a car in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

In 2014, the nation was shocked by a sword attack that killed 20 and injured 100 at a train station in Kunming in Yunnan province. As Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Xinjiang in 2014, a train station was bombed. A month later, 31 people died in a market bombing in Urumqi.

A man stares at a heavily fenced and gated mosque in the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi. Credit:Fairfax Media

The Syrian ambassador to China told media in 2016 that up to 5000 "Xinjiang jihadists" were fighting with Islamic State and militias in Syria. The Chinese government feared these fighters would bring their skills home.

A new Communist Party boss, Chen Quanguo, was appointed to Xinjiang later that year. He had been recruited from Tibet.

He appears to have ramped up the campaign against Islamic foreign influence to an unprecedented level.

The impact of that campaign reaches far beyond southern towns such as Kashgar and Hotan, which are near the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan and considered hotspots for separatism and ethnic violence.

Ordinary Uighur life has been disrupted across the entire province as the campaign reaches even "mild" eastern towns like Turpan, and Hami, which has had bilingual Chinese and Uighur education since Qing times.

The University of Sydney's David Brophy, an expert in Uighur political history, says: "Turpan and Hami have never been treated the same way as the south of the Tarim Basin. Going as far back as the Qing Dynasty these oases were regarded as more loyal, and better integrated into the empire, than regions to the south."

Brophy adds that Hami was the starting point of a major Uighur uprising in the 1930s that briefly led to the formation of the first East Turkestan Republic in Kashgar in 1933. Turpan was important "in the formation of a modern discourse of Uighur nationalism".

Asked why Beijing would extend its crackdown to Turpan and Hami, Brophy suggests another reason these towns are sensitive: "Theyre both in strategic geographic locations, along major routes into and across Xinjiang."

The Belt and Road Initiative, which links China to Europe via Xinjiang, could be a factor. Zakir, in his comments, emphasised that Xinjiang had been tasked with constructing "the core zone" of the new Silk Road.

And Turpan and Hami are the major stops on Xinjiang's new high-speed rail line.

Tourists on camels at the Flaming Mountains in Turpan. Credit:Fairfax Media

The high-speed train glides through the desert at 300 kilometres an hour. The landscape is stunning  snow-dusted mountains rising up from a moon-crater surface. Wind carves the black desert soil like a sculptor.

At Hami, on the eastern edge of Xinjiang, passengers alight and push tickets into automatic gates. The door swiftly opens. A false dawn. Within minutes of stepping out of the station, the dragnet descends.

Half a dozen police in bulletproof vests stand at the bottom of the train station stairs. Behind them, a heavy metal fence and SWAT police shed.

They are looking for Uighurs and foreigners. An old Uighur man in a traditional cloth cap is picked out and asked for his identity card and papers that permit him to travel here. He is guided to a makeshift police station the size of a shipping container, where a flow chart on the wall clearly shows the process for ethnic profiling. Han Chinese will hasten through an X-ray scanner to enter Hami, while Uighurs must be checked and checked and checked.

The Uighur man says he is visiting his son. But he must prove it, and is told to call the son. It takes 45 minutes before the police are satisfied and he can enter the town.

The police routine is repeated over and over as high-speed trains pull into Hami. But they are mostly carrying Han Chinese, with less than a dozen Uighurs.

When Fairfax Media is spotted by police we are likewise taken into a police station. After three hours there, we are escorted into Hami by security and propaganda officials offering to show a neon-lit "model" Uighur culture street built two years earlier.

National flags hung on the walls of a model village in Hami City, Xinjiang. Credit:Fairfax Media

The officials have been assigned to stop the foreign journalist from seeing anything more. But this is impossible. There are police kiosks with flashing lights every few hundred metres along the main road, and a roadblock demanding identity cards from minorities or foreigners.

Petrol stations are enclosed by razor wire. To fill up, a car must first pull into a police checkpoint, open the boot, and all occupants leave the car as it is searched.

The rapidly expanded police presence has come at a massive cost. Local government tender documents show a 15,000-square-metre police skills training centre was built in Hami in December at a cost of 55 million yuan ($11.1 million). A special forces training base built in March cost 12 million yuan.

Xinjiang's total public security budget reached 57.9 billion yuan last year, soaring 93 per cent in 12 months, as thousands of roadside police kiosks were erected and auxillary police recruited.

The typical cost of building a "vocational education and training centre" is 40 million yuan, with each surveillance system an extra 3.8 million yuan.

A surveillance camera at the famous Emin Minaret in Turpan, Xinjiang. Credit:Fairfax Media

A Hami town official said the only response he could give on the vocational training centres was to refer to what was published by state media.

This week, China's government-controlled newspapers published scores of interviews with smiling "trainees", including women who had reportedly escaped abusive marriages and Islamic extremism.

La Trobe University's James Leibold says the propaganda, including the video broadcast on state television, gives an "aspirational view of what vocational education/ 'transformation through education should look like".

The intent is clear: the rewiring of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. James Leibold

"There is likely a great variation of methods and conditions inside these camps, with some more benign and vocationally focused, and others more coercive and poorly run," he says.

"Regardless, the intent is clear: the rewiring of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the image of the Han majority. Recent tours by senior Party leaders certainly signal a desire to normalise and standardise this thought and behaviour control process, and possibly transform it into a long-term strategy."

In the capital Urumqi on Friday, mosques are open for prayer, but it is mostly older Uighur men and women who arrive at 2pm and pass through security scanners and police checks to enter.

Within 100 metres of one mosque, but out of view, a dozen paramilitaries with machine guns stand at alert inside a police kiosk.

Police who force Fairfax Media to delete photographs outside the mosque scold that foreigners don't understand.

"There hasn't been a terrorist incident in 20 months."
Jakarta: Indonesia's former top diplomat in Canberra was "shocked" by the Morrison government's decision to consider moving Australia's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and has urged Australia to adopt a more independent foreign policy from the US.

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Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, who served as ambassador to Australia from 2012 to 2017 under Indonesian Presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, said the Australian government should "distance yourselves a bit" from the United States.

The comments from the recently-retired veteran diplomat underscore the deep disquiet in Jakarta over the proposal, which has led to suggestions the signing of the Indonesia-Australia free trade agreement could be delayed.

The Indonesian government has publicly dismissed that idea, so far, but with the presidential election in April next year that could change if the opposition, led by perennial presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, decides to use the issue to politically wedge Mr Widodo.
A Saudi official on Wednesday denied that the crown prince made the allegations, saying "routine calls do exist from time to time" with the young leader and top US officials, but "no such commentary was conveyed". Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denies describing Jamal Khashoggi as a dangerous Islamist. Credit:AP Saudi Arabia has faced international condemnation for its shifting accounts of Khashoggi's October 2 disappearance at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The kingdom initially said Khashoggi walked out of the consulate unharmed, then announced that Saudi agents killed him in an accidental fistfight and more recently said it had evidence that his killing was "premeditated". Analysts said the crown prince's efforts to discredit Khashoggi in private suggested a two-faced attempt at damage control. "This is character assassination added to premeditated murder," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official and scholar at the Brookings Institution. The White House declined to discuss sensitive conversations with the Saudis or to say how many phone calls the crown prince and Kushner have had since Khashoggi's disappearance. The two men have had multiple discussions, according to people familiar with the matter.

Officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. Jared Kushner pictured during a meeting with US President Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salmanin March, 2018. Credit:Bloomberg Other Middle East leaders have also come to the crown prince's defence. In recent days, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have contacted senior officials in the Trump administration to express support for the crown prince, arguing that he is an important strategic partner in the region, said people familiar with the calls. Israel, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have united behind the Trump administration's efforts to bring pressure on Iran and force through a Middle East peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians. Other US allies, notably Germany, Britain and France, have expressed serious concern about the killing of the man who wrote articles critical of the Saudi leadership.

In response to the killing, the Trump administration has revoked the visas or made travel ineligible for 21 Saudi nationals implicated by Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Khashoggi's death. Loading As US officials contemplate a more robust response, Kushner has emphasised the importance of the US-Saudi alliance in the region, said people familiar with the conversations. Other officials at the State Department and Pentagon, however, have said the options under consideration could include a clear discipline of the Saudi government, an end to Saudi-led blockade of Qatar and a winding down of the war in Yemen. Officials cautioned that no decision has been made, and Trump has expressed little desire to significantly alter US-Saudi-relations, but there is an interest in a full vetting of the potential options. Kushner's efforts to carefully cultivate a relationship with the heir to the Saudi throne makes him a critical voice in deciding the Trump administration's response. After several private talks early in the administration, Kushner championed Mohammed bin Salman as a reformer poised to usher the ultra-conservative, oil-rich monarchy into modernity. Kushner privately argued for months last year that Mohammed would be key to crafting a Middle East peace plan, and that, with the prince's blessing, much of the Arab world would follow. It was Kushner who pushed his father-in-law to make his first foreign trip to Riyadh, against the objections of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and warnings from Defence Secretary Jim Mattis. In the early days of the administration, Kushner often preferred to talk to the crown prince privately, but now coordinates his conversations with the National Security Council.

Kushner visited the crown prince at his palace in a secret October 2017 trip, a plan so closely held that it caught some White House and intelligence officials by surprise.The two 30-somethings stayed up late into the evening alone discussing the prospects of Kushner's Middle East peace plan. A few days later, the prince ordered the house arrest of dozens of rival royals and imprisonment of other enemies in a bid to solidify his control of the government. The White House and the Saudis have denied that Kushner approved the power grab. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, right, walks with Ivanka Trump at the Royal Court Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 20, 2017, a visit opposed by many in the Trump administration including then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Credit:AP Saudi officials had made no secret of their antipathy toward Khashoggi, including expressing consternation last year when he began writing a regular column for The Washington Post. In the days after his October 2 disappearance - before the Saudis acknowledged his death in Istanbul - a person close to the royal palace said Mohammed was puzzled by the high level of concern about Khashoggi, whom he considered part of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as an agent of Qatar. Khashoggi's family said Jamal's views were much more nuanced than those described by Saudi officials. "Although he sympathised with certain objectives of the Muslim Brotherhood, he also sharply disagreed with many of their positions, especially toward Saudi Arabia," the family said in its statement. Saudi Arabia severed relations with Qatar last year, charging among other things that it harboured Muslim Brotherhood "terrorists". Although the Saudis maintained a cordial relationship with the Brotherhood for decades after its founding in Egypt as an Islamist political and social movement, Riyadh declared it a terrorist organisation after the upheavals of the Arab Spring.

Many Republican politicians, and Middle East analysts on the right, agreed with the Saudi assessment - in 2015, now-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, then a member of the House, co-sponsored a resolution calling on the State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation. During Trump's campaign, a number of prominent supporters - including Bolton called for such a designation. Sissi, whose military government overthrew an elected Muslim Brotherhood-allied government in 2011, and Israel's political right share that view. US First Lady Melania Trump meets Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and his wife Entissar Mohameed Amer at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, on October 6. Credit:AP Trump considered such an action early in his administration, but was dissuaded by Pompeo, who had become CIA director, and others in the administration. They noted that while the designation would please some Arab partners, others in the region would reject it. The Brotherhood has mainstream political stature and legitimacy in Jordan, Turkey and Morocco, among other countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a rival of the Saudi crown prince, has called for Saudi Arabia to be held accountable for the killing. Erdogan called Trump on Thursday morning, according to people familiar with the conversation.
I dont like remembering those days. I dont want to go there, take part in special occasions to mark the dates. I want to erase all that. Rescuers searched feverishly for possible survivors for days after Samarco's Fundao dam burst on November 5, 2015. Credit:AP Loading Nineteen people died in the mud that day. Fourteen were workers at the plants failed Fundao dam, four were residents of Bento. One, a 60-year-old woman from another town, was fishing nearby. The mud travelled 660 kilometres across two states and all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, slamming at each bend in the river into another village, another farm, another water treatment plant.

In total it destroyed 324 hectares of forests, 1451 hectares of urban and rural areas, killed an estimated 11 tonnes of fish and polluted the water of the Doce River which serves 230 municipalities. Three years after a disaster that prosecutors call a crime and Samarco calls tragedy or simply dam failure, Jose do Nascimento de Jesus is overseeing a different Bento. A Renova worker overlooks the new Bento Rodrigues site from a recently built lookout. Credit:Lucas de Godoy Construction of a replica town, not yet on the map, has begun a few kilometres up the road. Not-for-profit foundation Renova, created on judges' orders to repair the social, environmental and economic damage caused by Samarco's failure is doing the job. Renova is also tasked with paying compensation to victims at arms length from its backers, Samarco and co-owners BHP and Brazilian mining giant Vale. A former labourer and builder, Jose do Nascimento de Jesus has been chosen by his people to be their legal representative and supervisor at the new development.

I am the eyes of the old Bento in the new Bento," he tells Fairfax Media. I come here every day as a volunteer to make sure they're doing it right. Im here to defend the community. If our community doesn't agree with something, it will not approve it," he says of the works. Temporary administration buildings line the roads already taking shape in the new Bento Rodrigues, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Credit:Lucas de Godoy Some 400 Renova employees are working 24 hours a day  under lights at night  to re-create the lost community on 90 hectares of land purchased for the task. The construction is likely to employ some 2000 people at its peak. "We want a very similar Bento, but better," says. "Similar" is not an exaggeration. One of the most important demands from the people who lost their homes and their loved ones, is to preserve the physical and social character of the old village.

Families want to live in streets bearing the same names, same house numbers and beside the same neighbours as in the past. Their blocks of land must be the same size, their school built in the same place in relation to the square, the main street, Rua Sao Bento, must host the traditional processions that pepper the local religious calendar. A model of the new Bento Rodrigues on display in a visitors' area at the construction site. Credit:Lucas de Godoy The person in charge of the relocation of the communities of Bento Rodrigues, and two other villages, Paracatu and Gesteira, which were also devastated by the mud, is Patricia Lois, a civil engineer and Renova resettlement manager. With clearing all but completed, and about 20 per cent of earthworks done since permits were granted in August, she is hoping the new Bento may be ready by October 2020.

Renova Resettlement Manager Patricia Lois, left, at the site of the new Bento. Credit:Lucas de Godoy When it is, she says all 240 Bento families will move in on the same day to close the cycle that began when they all fled together. But it may not happen so fast. Lois says she must restore the communitys old way of life within new building codes. New laws also have to be drawn in each district to permit the development of land that does not fall within the parameters of modern commercial ventures. Its been a challenge for everyone. But it was a disaster of a magnitude that never happened before, Lois says. Whilst she is careful to highlight the community's involvement (next weekend residents are visiting the site to approve their land parcels), these three years have been marred by judicial fights, controversy and never-ending meetings that are often too technically baffling for residents.

Representatives of the impacted, as the victims are known, are at lengths to explain that neither the new works, nor the millions of dollars of initial compensation already paid by Renova, have been achieved without legal fights and suffering by vulnerable people. Patricia Lois, Renova resettlement manager, explains the new Bento Rodrigues project. Credit:Lucas de Godoy The company says it has already paid 1.2 billion reais ($450 million) in immediate compensation for loss of water, farming and personal income along the entire river. Some 10,000 families along the length of the river, or 25,000 people, receive monthly allowances via a cash card. Families who lost or had to evacuate their homes also have their rent in Mariana, a nearby town of 60,000, paid for, along with medical expenses and other ongoing support. But resident representatives and activists say at least 40,000 people should be receiving allowances, many more haven't been assessed for compensation as yet. The mud created a new ground level now covered in grass and obscuring what is left of a row of houses in Bento Rodrigues. Credit:Lucas de Godoy

State Public Prosecutor Guilherme Meneghin is responsible for guaranteeing the human rights of the residents of Mariana district, of which Bento and the other two villages are part. Five days after the dam burst, he launched a lawsuit that blocked the companys bank accounts and reserved 300 million reais as an initial guarantee for compensation. The federal and state governments along with the companies were trying to exclude the victims, Meneghin says referring to the economic importance of mining to the state of Minas Gerais and to the country. Within a week, many officials were saying the company had to resume operations  the victims were being undermined. Crosses mark the lives lost at Bento Rodrigues. Credit:Lucas de Godoy
The only rehearsal time we will have as a group before the concert is live before our audiences, happens about 2 p.m. (a) few hours prior to the event. The only exception is myself and our other featured violinist Zofia will spend some rehearsal time together the night before for the two of us to practice our highlights of the work.
Georgetown, SC (29440)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High around 60F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low 43F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
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What do you do when you're one of the hottest brands on the planet?

If, like Vans, you're running neck and neck with Nike for the title of No. 1 footwear brand among teens  according to investment firm Piper Jaffray's latest survey  there's nowhere to go but up  and up.

Indeed, the California skate-shoe brand is teaming up with no less than NASA on the latest limited-edition Vans collection, which is set to drop online and in Foot Locker stores today (Nov. 2).

Vans has decked out two of its most popular silhouettes for the new collection. The Old Skool, a classic plimsoll clad in either "pumpkin suit" orange or spacesuit white, brandishes the stylized NASA "worm" and John F. Kennedy Space Center logotypes on each flank, a U.S. flag attached via fabric fasteners above the heel, and a pull tab on the tongue that says "Shuttle" on the right shoe and "Mission" on the left.

The second model, the ankle-hugging SK8-HI high-top, comes in black-on-white or white-on-black versions. It flaunts NASA's famous "meatball" insignia, patches for the Apollo 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 missions, and lunar overshoe-like ridges on the midsole.

A product-line sheet, leaked on Reddit, suggests that Vans is also releasing an orange duffel bag and a white, laptop-compatible backpack, both featuring NASA's worm logo, to round out the lineup.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
The Gravity Assist Podcast is hosted by NASA's Chief Scientist, Jim Green, who each week talks to some of the greatest planetary scientists on the planet, giving a guided tour through the Solar System and beyond in the process. This week, he's joined by Dr Kelly Fast, who is the Near-Earth Object Observation Program Manager in NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office.

You can listen to the full podcast here, or read the abridged transcript below. [Deflecting Killer Asteroids Away From Earth: How We Could Do It]

Dr. Kelly Fast, who leads NASA's NEO observation program. (Image credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

Dr. Jim Green: To find near-Earth objects we have to scan the whole sky looking for those things that cross our orbit and that may hit our Earth one day. So, there's an array of tools that you use as part of your job. Tell us a little bit about them.

Dr. Kelly Fast: Well, in th Near-Earth Objects Observations Program, the idea is to find near-Earth asteroids before they find us. Ground-based telescopes are used to survey the skies every night to look for near-Earth asteroids and try to discover the ones that haven't been seen before.

These telescopes include the Pan-STARRS telescopes that belong to the University of Hawaii, and the Catalina Sky Survey, which is part of the University of Arizona. So those are the new telescopes that provide us with new discoveries.

Dr. Jim Green: Once you have found them, you also need to know how big they are and maybe their spin rate and some attributes of them, such as whether they're iron or stony meteorites. How do we get that kind of information?

Dr. Kelly Fast: That kind of information comes from other telescopes that seek to characterize these objects. One in particular is actually a NASA telescope on the ground, the Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. At that telescope observations are made and spectra taken in the infrared, the part of the spectrum that the eye can't see. From that information it's possible to tell something about what these asteroids are made of, which is important for understanding what sort of hazard they might pose to Earth.

In addition, there are other telescopes in the space, like NEOWISE, which is the re-purposed Wide Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), and the same observations are made from space in order to learn more about the characteristics of objects.

Dr. Jim Green: There's another new tool that looks down at the Earth and sees in-falling material. What is that telescope?

Dr. Kelly Fast: It's actually an Earth Science Mission, called the GOES-16 satellite, which is looking at the Earth. There's stuff hitting the Earth all the time, but thankfully it's small material. When you look at the night sky, you see shooting stars. Those are really dust very small rocks hitting the atmosphere from outside, and they make that streak in the sky [as they burn up].

On the GOES-16 satellite is an instrument called the Geostationary Lightning Mapper, or GLM, and it's there to detect lightninglooking down at the Earth to detect lightning. But when meteors travel through the atmosphere they also create a flash of light, and the GLM is detecting those also. It turns out that there's valuable information that you can get from that. So, this is a case where you get this bonus science from a particular instrument.

A speck of interplanetary dust burns up in the atmosphere as a meteor. (Image credit: Jimmy Westlake)

Dr. Jim Green: What's really neat about that is, as I understand it, there's nearly 100 tons of meteoric material that falls into Earth's atmosphere every day.

Dr. Kelly Fast: That's true. It sounds like a lot of material, but the atmosphere is an incredible protector for us, and so much of that just never even reaches the ground. It burns up in the atmosphere, creating beautiful shooting stars and then, if there's something that's larger, it will create something brighter such as a fireball or a bolide.

Dr. Jim Green: So, as we see fireballs come in, we can then predict where the debris will make landfall. The the debris tells us what type of meteorite it was that came in.

Dr. Kelly Fast: We had an incredible experience in June 2018, when a very small asteroid, just a few meters in size, was discovered eight hours before it impacted the Earth Its designation was 2018 LA. Once it impacted with the Earth's atmosphere, the meteor was seen by surveillance cameras and government sensors and a meteorite was recovered afterwards. That's very important for science to connect the meteorite back to an actual asteroid whose actual orbit was determined, which tells you more about where it came from in the first place.

Dr. Jim Green: In October 2017, an asteroid was found coming through our Solar System. What was that?

Dr. Kelly Fast: The Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii was doing its normal Near-Earth Object survey operation, scanning the sky at night looking for new asteroids, and it found one, but the motion of this one was different. It was moving quite fast. And when its orbit was calculated it was realized that it had came from outside our Solar System, from interstellar space, and it was moving so fast that it was going to leave the Solar System. We call the object 'Oumuamua and to be able to come to the conclusion that this isn't one of our own asteroids was a very important discovery.

Dr. Jim Green: The concept that here something that was created in another solar system and was just passing through really energized many of the ground-based astronomers and our scientists wanted to know more about it. And so, there were a lot of observations of 'Oumuamua.

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper on the GOES-16 satellite is able to detect the flashes of meteors in Earth's atmosphere. (Image credit: NASA/Lockheed Martin)

Dr. Kelly Fast: And there was very little time because this asteroid was discovered after it had passed by Earth and was on its way out of the Solar System, so there was limited time to study it.

It's difficult with asteroids because, even as when they are going by the Earth, they still looks like a point of light, unless they are close enough to put radar on it. And 'Oumuamua wasn't. But, there are other things that we could learn. First of all, by looking at the light that's coming from it, you can see how the light is changing, and the light was changing a lot: it was getting brighter and fainter, brighter and fainter. That's not unusual with asteroids because they tend not to always be round. So depending on how that thing is oriented toward you, the light is going to be different. The changing light can tell you about the shape. But, this one was a little more extreme, and it appeared to possibly be even more elongated than other asteroids that have been studied in our Solar System, so that was a neat discovery. [See the Dramatic Increase in Near-Earth Asteroids NASA Has Discovered (Video)]

Dr. Jim Green: Looking at that light over time, the best fit seems to be a cigar- or elongated-shaped object.

Dr. Kelly Fast: There have been some different numbers that have come out in terms of its aspect ratio, meaning like how wide is it compared to how tall it is or its length to its width. It may be as much as 10:1 or maybe more like 5:1 or 6:1, but still something that's longer than what we've generally seen in our Solar System.

There were other properties, too, that were useful for trying to understand more about this object. One thing that was seen was its color, although unfortunately it was a little too faint to take a spectrum of it, but the color still tells you something about it. And this seemed to have a reddened color, which kind of comes with space weathering, by being bombarded by radiation in space.

Dr. Jim Green: What's really exciting about it is, now that we've found one, there must be others?

Dr. Kelly Fast: Even before it was found, it was predicted that such objects should be passing through our solar system. So, this is probably not the only one, it's just the first one that we've seen.

A artist's impression of 'Oumuamua, with jets coming off it as it displays comet-like behavior. (Image credit: NASA/ESA)

Dr. Jim Green: How many do we expect, now that we've seen this one?

Dr. Kelly Fast: There are folks who do that kind of modeling. Some of them are saying that there should be one inside the Earth's orbit at all times. But telescopes  at least those on the ground  can only look at night so they can only cover so much of the sky. The nice thing is, since this was a pathfinder, it gave an idea of what to look for, and so it might be possible to recognize this sort of thing sooner or perhaps go into older data and look for some things that were missed.

Things weren't quite exactly as they seemed at first because the people who do this sort of modeling really would have expected that this would have been an icy body like a cometary body as opposed to an asteroid. But, no coma or tail were seen when 'Oumuamua was discovered, no atmosphere that forms around as happens when the Sun heats up an icy body such as a comet. But later on, as it continued to be observed, the motion was a little odd. By very carefully measuring its motion and seeing that it was a little off, what it indicated was that this might actually be an icy body after all, because when the ice is heated on comets it produce jets when the gasses are released, and the jets can affect the object's motion, like little rocket motors on there. So it turns out that this asteroid 'Oumuamua may actually be a comet.

Dr. Jim Green: You know, this object is about 700 meters long, and it has a funny, unusual spin to it, like a cigar that is moving in a very unsystematic way. We call it nutating. But if it was a rubble pile made up of loose material, how could it even be held together? So, maybe what is, indeed, holding it together is an icy body that is allowing it to hang in that manner.

Dr. Kelly Fast: There was a lot of discussion about this. Everybody was puzzling over this because a rubble pile object probably wouldn't have been able to hold itself together and rotate like that. So, is it like a big slab of material? And then, how would that have formed? What was its history? The presence of ice adds another piece to the puzzle.

Dr. Jim Green: One of the things I always like to do is ask what your gravity assist was. What were the things that happened to you as you became the planetary scientist you are today?

Dr. Kelly Fast: I just have to credit the people around me. I think of one in particular, Ted Kostiuk of that Goddard Space Flight Center, who I was working for after I got my Masters. And I had had kids, and I was doing science and being a mom and just loving it. He said to me one day, "I want to talk to you about the future." And he encouraged me to go back to grad school and finish my Ph.D. It led to all kinds of things that I never would have expected or planned. So that was a major, major gravity assist for me.

This story was provided by Astrobiology Magazine, a web-based publication sponsored by the NASA astrobiology program. This version of the story published on Space.com. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.
Planetary Resources launched its latest satellite, Arkyd-6, in January, but by then the company was in financial difficulties when it failed to close a funding round.

WASHINGTON  Planetary Resources Inc., once a high-flying company backed by billionaires with aspirations to mine asteroids, only to later suffer funding problems, has been acquired by a blockchain company, the firms announced Oct. 31.

Planetary Resources said in a statement that it was acquired by ConsenSys, Inc. in an "asset-purchase transaction." The companies did not disclose specific terms of the agreement. Chris Lewicki, the president and chief executive of Planetary Resources, and Brian Israel, the company's general counsel, will join ConsenSys as part of the deal.

ConsenSys describes itself as a "blockchain venture production studio focused on building and scaling tools, disruptive startups, and enterprise software products powered by decentralized technology, specifically Ethereum." Ethereum itself is a decentralized computing platform best known for supporting a cryptocurrency called Ether similar to the better-known bitcoin. [Gallery: Planetary Resources' Asteroid-Mining Plans]

ConsenSys was founded by Joseph Lubin, one of the co-developers of Ethereum, in 2015. It said it has more than 1,100 employees on six continents. ConsenSys has more than three dozen "spokes," or companies working on various projects that make use of Ethereum, including financial management company Balance, journalism platform Civil and gaming company Virtue Poker.

In a statement, Lubin said that Planetary Resources' expertise in space would be folded into ConsenSys. "Bringing deep space capabilities into the ConsenSys ecosystem reflects our belief in the potential for Ethereum to help humanity craft new societal rule systems through automated trust and guaranteed execution," he said, referring to the "smart contracts" enabled by Ethereum. "And it reflects our belief in democratizing and decentralizing space endeavors to unite our species and unlock untapped human potential."

Lubin didn't disclose how specifically Planetary Resources fit into his company other than that he would be "sharing our plans and how to join us on this journey in the months ahead."

Planetary Resources first announced its asteroid mining plans in 2012 after three years in stealth mode. The company's original vision called for prospecting near Earth asteroids for water ice that could later be extracted and then sold as propellant. "I think we'll have propellant depots in operation within the decade," Eric Anderson, the co-founder and original co-chairman of the company, said in a 2012 interview.

Anderson, best known in the space industry as the co-founder and chairman of space tourism company Space Adventures, established the company with Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize Foundation. The company's initial investors featured a group of wealthy individuals, including Google co-founder Larry Page and chairman Eric Schmidt, Ross Perot Jr., and Charles Simonyi, the former Microsoft executive who flew to the International Space Station twice as a client of Space Adventures. Richard Branson later invested in the company, as did the government of Luxembourg's SpaceResources.lu initiative.

The company developed a series of cubesats to serve as technology demonstrators for future asteroid prospectors. The first, Arkyd-3, was lost in the October 2014 Antares launch failure. A second, Arkyd-3R, was deployed from the ISS in July 2015, followed by Arkyd-6 in January on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

By the time Arkyd-6 was in orbit demonstrating its mid-wave infrared imager, though, the company was in financial difficulties. Planetary Resources made was industry sources said were substantial layoffs early this yea when it was unable to close a funding round.

Lewicki said in a March interview the lead in that planned funding round was an unnamed "major global mining company" that delayed an investment it planned to make last year for budget reasons. "We just have to adjust everything and find the right timing and the right value proposition," he said then.

In the statement about the ConsenSys acquisition, Lewicki and Israel offered few details about Planetary Resources' future. Israel, a former State Department lawyer who worked on issues such as the Outer Space Treaty, suggested that the company could leverage ConsenSys' technology for space commerce.

"Ethereum smart contract functionality is a natural solution for private-ordering and commerce in space  the only domain of human activity not ordered around territorial sovereignty  in which a diverse range of actors from a growing number of countries must coordinate and transact," Israel said.

"I am proud of our team's extraordinary accomplishments, grateful to our visionary supporters, and delighted to join ConsenSys in building atop our work to expand humanity's economic sphere of influence into the solar system," Lewicki said in the statement.

In a comment attached to the statement on the Planetary Resources' website, one person asked if the ConsenSys acquisition would allow for alternative "tokenized" investment into Planetary Resources using Ethereum. "That's a possibility that could be enabled by the new venture," Lewicki responded. "Stay tuned!"

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
Trinity United Church of Christ: 1276 W. 20th Ave.  Applications for a free Thanksgiving basket can be made from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Four hundred baskets will be distributed to Gary residents who have a valid Indiana state identification or drivers license and a utility bill with name and current address. Information: 219-944-0500. A Coat Give-Away will be from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Outerwear, including coats, gloves, hats and boots, will be distributed. To donate items or for information, call Jerome Pennington at 219-292-0342.
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket lifts off from New Zealand on Jan. 20, 2018, on the booster's second-ever spaceflight. The Electron delivered four small satellites to orbit on the mission, which was called "Still Testing."

It will soon be business time for spaceflight startup Rocket Lab.

The California-based company plans to launch its first commercial mission, dubbed "It's Business Time," next week. If all goes according to plan, a Rocket Lab Electron booster topped with six satellites and a technology demonstrator will lift off from the startup's New Zealand launch site late on the night of Nov. 10.

The launch window runs for nine days, with opportunities open each night from 10 p.m. EDT to 2 a.m. EDT (0300 to 0700 GMT; 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. local New Zealand time), Rocket Lab representatives said. [Changing the Launch Equation: Q&A with Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck]

The company will follow up "It's Business Time" soon, with the ELaNa-XIX (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites No. 19) mission for NASA in December. ELaNa-XIX will deliver to orbit 10 tiny cubesats, which were developed by various university groups and NASA research centers.

The back-to-back liftoffs are in keeping with Rocket Lab's long-term vision, which involves making spaceflight more routine and accessible via Electron. The 57-foot-tall (17 meters) rocket can loft payloads weighing up to 500 lbs. (227 kilograms) for just $5 million per flight.

"This year has been about scaling our team, facilities and processes to enable reliable, high-frequency Electron launches to orbit," Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said in a statement. "The ability to build and test multiple vehicles, while operating concurrent launch campaigns, strongly positions Rocket Lab as the industry leader opening access to space for small satellites."

Though this month's launch will mark Electron's operational debut, the mission will not be the booster's first trip to space. The rocket flew demonstration missions in May of 2017 and January of 2018, successfully delivering four small satellites to Earth orbit on the latter flight.

A look inside Rocket Lab's huge new facility in Auckland, New Zealand, which includes a mission control center that will command all future Electron launches. (Image credit: Rocket Lab)

Both of those previous missions also flew out of the New Zealand site, which is on the North Island's Mahia Peninsula. But Rocket Lab will also launch from Virginia's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, perhaps as early as next year, Beck announced last month.

The six satellites launching on "It's Business Time" were built by Spire Global, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Fleet Space Technologies and the Irvine CubeSat STEM Program, Rocket Lab representatives said. The technology demonstrator also being launched is a "drag sail" designed to combat the growing space-junk problem by helping satellites deorbit more quickly.

These payloads will launch initially to an elliptical "parking orbit" that will take them as close to Earth as 130 miles (210 kilometers) and as far away as 310 miles (500 km). Rocket Lab's "kick stage" will then circularize the payloads' orbits at 310 miles, company representatives said.

"It's Business Time" was originally supposed to launch this past April, but Rocket Lab delayed the liftoff multiple times to deal with a balky rocket-motor controller and other issues.

Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, "Out There," will be published on Nov. 13 by Grand Central Publishing. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us @Spacedotcom or Facebook. Originally published on Space.com.
NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which studied two large objects in the asteroid belt, has officially run out of fuel, ending its mission to shed light on the solar system's earliest days, but the spacecraft's science legacy will live on.

Dawn was the first spacecraft to orbit two different extraterrestrial objects. The mission was technically canceled twice before the spacecraft got off the ground, but Dawn launched in September 2007 with its sights set on the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres, chosen for how little they resembled each other. While they are only two of the millions of objects in the asteroid belt, they contain a whopping 45 percent of its mass. NASA announced the end of Dawn's asteroid mission's end on Thursday (Nov. 1).

"Both Vesta and Ceres had previously only been viewed mostly as just faint smudges of light amidst the stars," Marc Rayman, Dawn's mission director at NASA, told Space.com. "Now we have these richly detailed, intimate portraits of alien terrains and complex geology and just a wealth of detail that we had never really even imagined before, unveiling secrets that these bodies have held for billions of years." [Photos: Asteroid Vesta and NASA's Dawn Spacecraft]

In order to succeed, the Dawn spacecraft needed a careful trajectory and a secret weapon  an ion propulsion system, which had only powered one previous NASA mission. As the mission played out, that system gave engineers the flexibility to spend twice as long at Vesta as originally planned and nearly five times as long at Ceres.

An artist's depiction of the Dawn spacecraft between Ceres (left) and Vesta (right) (not shown to scale). (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Scientists were oddly familiar with Dawn's first destination, Vesta, thanks to a cosmic quirk: the majority of meteorites that have fallen to Earth with an identified home are actually chunks of this distant object. But seeing planetary rubble that pummels our planet is not the same as seeing an asteroid in its full glory  and that's exactly what Dawn let us do, beginning with its arrival in 2011.

"All of the Vesta images were super cool," Kristina Larson, a systems engineer on the mission at NASA, told Space.com. She began working on Dawn as an undergraduate summer intern and gradually took on more and more responsibility with the spacecraft, and the first command she sent to it brought some of those images back to Earth. "Vesta is such a funky-looking body, it's not very spherical and it's just super heavily cratered."

Vesta's funky appearance is scientifically interesting as well: It experienced two cratering events so large that the shocks created a network of more than 90 gashes. "The entire planet-like body reverberated," Rayman said. During Dawn's time at Vesta, he said that day after day he was continually impressed by how successful the mission was and how much scientists took away from the visit. "I always felt like if the spacecraft just mysteriously died that day, at least we would have a valuable return for what we had invested."

The spacecraft did have a near-death experience as it left Vesta, when the second of four reaction wheels it used to steer broke, jeopardizing Dawn's ability to send data home. The engineers on the team hustled their way to a solution substituting fuel maneuvers, which saved the mission.

In 2015, Dawn reached its second destination, the dwarf planet Ceres. Here, its discoveries include particularly reflective regions now dubbed bright spots, which scientists now believe represent salts sprayed onto Ceres' surface from below. But for Rayman, they're also stunning. "How can you not be mesmerized by these things?" he said. "The way I like to think of it is it's as if Ceres is casting its light out like a lighthouse shining its light across the interplanetary ocean." [Photos: Dwarf Planet Ceres, the Solar System's Largest Asteroid]

Dawn has also revealed that Ceres isn't a dead world  as recently as 250 million years ago, a giant ice volcano dubbed Ahuna Mons gushed liquid water, with dozens more compatriots, making the dwarf planet's composition and geology a particularly complex puzzle. "It's kind of a hybrid world," Lynnae Quick, a planetary scientist at the National Air and Space Museum who works with Dawn, told Space.com. "Because Ceres has this kind of exotic composition, you can't just think about water and salts you have to think about water and salts and mud, and that makes it quite interesting."

As the spacecraft has inched closer  when it ran out of fuel, it was skimming as close as 22 miles (35 kilometers) above the dwarf planet's surface  its views of Ceres have only become more incredible. Dawn's time at Ceres has reshaped scientists' opinions of the object, team members said, and now it's a viable candidate for a return mission. In large part, that's because of the boxes scientists checked off their search-for-life criteria.

"Before, it was just an asteroid, and now it plays with the big boys," Julie Castillo-Rogez, a planetary scientist on the mission at NASA, told Space.com, referring to places like Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa, which have been astrobiological contenders for much longer. In order to protect any life that may be hiding on Ceres, the spacecraft's demise is carefully arranged to keep it away from the dwarf planet for at least 20 years, in case NASA decides to build a follow-up mission.

NASA is already working on a successor of sorts to the $467 million Dawn mission: Psyche. Like Dawn, it will visit an asteroid  and like Dawn, it will do so thanks to an ion propulsion system. And the scientists behind Dawn hope they have paved the way for more excursions to tiny corners of our solar system.

"I hope there's going to be many, many missions like [Dawn] that follow," Carol Raymond, the mission's principal investigator at NASA, told Space.com. "We have a new way of exploring farther into the solar system and going to smaller objects, which maybe weren't appreciated in the past for how much information they hold."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to qualify characterizations about the Dawn mission and its targets.

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
The Hellas Planitia region of Mars, where scientists believe small lakes came and went regularly.

Before Mars became a forbiddingly cold and dry world, water once came and went smoothly on the planet's surface, just as it does here on Earth. Now, scientists have identified the traces of three different sets of these ancient lakes  some nearly 50 miles (77 kilometers) across.

Those three sets of water bodies on Mars were likely each formed differently, the scientists behind the new research wrote. One class was formed directly by precipitation, one was fed by water moving through the Martian soil, and one was fed by rivers transporting water across the surface. All the studied lake beds are located in a region dubbed Hellas Planitia, the basin left behind by an ancient, massive impact.

"These hundreds-of-meters-wide channels cut across widespread ash-laden volcanic lava and impact-debris terrains across the interior slope of Hellas basin," co-author Virginia Gulick, a geoscientist at the SETI Institute, said in a statement released by the institution. [The Search for Water on Mars in Pictures]

Many of these lake beds reminded the authors of similar features here on Earth. For example, one temporary lake resembles a feature in eastern Washington formed by a catastrophic flash flood. Another looks more like features along the Mississippi River, where water has flown for centuries. One sediment-filled lake even seems to mimic salty lakes high in the Andes, where it's permanently cold and dry. If the lakes were close enough to a source of heat, the authors wrote, they may have even been habitable.

The research is described in a paper published Oct. 30 in the journal Astrobiology.

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
NCIS - Beneath the Surface - Review

Written by Scott J. Jarrett and Matthew R. Jarrett

Directed by Rocky Carroll

Reviewed by KathM



Meh. Another storyline where the main tale didnt interest me as much as the secondary ones. Marine dies in a truck stop bathroom along with another man who doesn't appear to be part of the story, just some kind of collateral damage. Over time, however, we realize that the story isn't about him at all, it's about the guy who the NCIS crew initially considered collateral damage. He's a guy without portfolio, and poor Petty Officer Buckley ended up being collateral damage himself.

That's pretty much all you hear about poor Buckley; at least Connor Reese, the Navy Lieutenant Bishop and Torres save at the end of the episode, is also a quick plot device tacked on so they could capture the killer who killed Kohl and took over his job. The rest of the story is pretty transparent, except when it's not.

I mean, the Kohl was obviously a hit man. Obviously. Even before they visited his Palace of Financial Rewards, when you hear about a highly-trained ex-Marine with no job history the word hitman enters your mind. At least, it enters mine. And his handler? If you didnt know it was his neighbor Rachel the first minute they introduced heragain, really easy to spot.

Kohls backstory, and his connection with Torres, however, is the story worth watching. Kohl is first seen as the second murder victim in the bathroom at the beginning of the story. Torres thinks he looks familiar which, if youve watched enough of these procedurals, you know means that its someone that Torres knows somehow. When the DNA is in we find out that hes Anderson Kohl, a friend of Torress from when they trained together in FLETC (Federal Law Enforcement Training Center). They were always competitive, but Torres considered him a close friend. When Kohl washed out of the program (authority issues) and Torres decided to take on Deep Cover work, they lost touch. But why did Kohl, who Torres always thought was so much like himself, end up in a truck stop bathroom? Why didnt he have any work history, what had happened to his old friend?

Upon inspection, however, we find that just because Kohl died in a truck stop didnt mean he lived that way. If that makes sense. Bishop and Torres find that Kohl lived in a large Georgetown townhouse filled with expensive cars and artifacts (including that dinosaur skull!). Torres is confused and envious. How did Kohl become so wealthy? The viewers know, but well let it be a surprise for the Bullpen Gang. Torres is baffled. He and his friend were so alike, how did Torres end up taking the other road?

Somehow this man, who Torres considers so like himself, became an extremely wealthy murderer with Bitcoins for days. It causes Torres to reflect, again, on how he became who he is today. Throughout the episode, he compares himself to Kohl. Not in any kind of long monologue, but with comments here and there, and the way he looks more and more exhausted as the episode progresses.

Torres has been down this road before. Last season in High Tide, when he and Bishop were undercover. First Torres goes rogue, scoring jobs for him and Bishop on the crew of the suspected smugglers. Vance thinks that they might have been made at one point, but Torres assures him that he doesnt get made, and later struts around Abbys lab boasting whos the man! to Abby and Bishop. Hes back in the game, where immerses himself in being someone else and working that game as hard as he can. Its what he was trained to do, Sloane reminds Leon. Follow his gut.

Torres slips up, though. He feels something for the guy in the episode Torres assumes is only a flunky when hes actually the leader of the operation. Torres spills everything to the flunky about being an NCIS agent, telling him that Torres can get him out of the crew and into protection if hed testify against his boss. Unfortunately for Torres, flunky is the boss.

And the boss is good. Despite being shot and holding a gun on Torres, he still tries to recruit Torres to the dark side. Doesnt Torres miss the work (his undercover work, not the NCIS work)? The thrill of the chase? Torres doesnt belong sitting at a desk doing paperwork, he belongs in the field, flying by the seat of his pants and calling his own shots. You can see the longing in Torress face as he thinks about that life, the one he gave up, but he stays on the right side of the law despite his fleeting thoughts. He wasnt really that guy; he just pretended to be. He is an NCIS agent and knows where he belongs.

However, Torres was in deep cover for a very long time, and he still questions the choices he made as the man he had to be then and works to reconcile them to that man he is today. Seeing Kohls life secondhand, a man that Torres saw as a mirror of himself, is sobering. He can do everything that Kohl has done, and Torres intimates that hes done the kinds of things that Kohl has done while undercover. When Kasie jokes as shes going through some of Kohls purchases that shes sure Torres isnt the type to buy a haladie knife he exclaims, Ive got two! So, what makes him different? What made him turn and take the other path?

One thing that I think differentiates Torres from Kohl is the fact that Torres needs human connections. When hes talking to Sloane about going through Kohls things and talks not finding any personal belongings, he wonders how someone can live like that. I think that Torress ability to make human connections, to want them, to have a place to come home to that is familiar and where he can showcase his possessions, is what put him on a different journey in the first place. He may have been a lot of people in his undercover past, but he never lost himself completely.

In the end, in the basement with Gibbs and an unfinished boat, Torres voices his real fear: that hell slip up and take the Kohl path. Gibbs assures him that its all about choices. Torres took that path where he catches the bad guys, while Kohl took the path where he killed them. It doesnt make Torres feel better, but Gibbs tells him that if it did, then Gibbs would be worried about him. It makes me wonder about how much Torres really wrestles with these kinds of things; how often does he feel the need to reevaluate who he is and check in with himself? Hopefully, well see more of that as the series progresses, as I find it an interesting aspect of the character.

Westley Clark: CIA

Let us not forget that Officer Clark of the CIA (I thought they called them agents) stopped by and paid visits to Leon and Sloane. He claims that he needs help with the Kohl case on the CIA end as they were also investigating some of the murders. I buy that as much as I bought that CIA chick from Sloanes past who rolled up a few episodes ago needed help with her case, too. Really? Get another story, yall. Clark is all about dropping comments to both of them about their experiences with Hakim last summer to see what theyll say and asking Sloane to profile people for him. She profiles Clark a bit, and he is not a fan. Fortunately, Leon and Sloane recognize the game Westleys playing, and they are not playing along. They will be watching him like a hawk and giving away nothing. Oh, and you know he was the guy in the hat talking to Mallory (the woman Leon met in the PT waiting room), right? Interesting story coming up there, I think.



Additional Random Thoughts:
Berlin (Germany), Nov 01, 2018 (SPS) -The Sahrawis demonstrators denounced in Berlin, Germany, the illegal looting of the Sharwi people natural resouces ,reminding the European countries of their responsibility in the decolonization of Western Sahara and to demand from the international community the holding of the self-determination referendum promised by the ONU.

The demonstration called by the collective "Banat Esaguia" coincided with the celebration of the G20-Africa Conference to promote a program of cooperation and investment in Africa.

The Sahrawi protesters mobilized to call attention to participating countries and organizations to refrain from promoting any investment project in the occupied areas of Western Sahara and respect the judgments of the European Court of Justice.

Other demands were the release of all Saharawi political prisoners jailed by the Moroccan regime and respect for the human rights of the civilian population living under occupation.

Before the Brandenburg Gate, the demonstrators, mostly women, took the opportunity to call attention to the conflict and remember that North Africa continues to suffer the aftermath of colonialism.

On the other hand, the responsibility of Spain as an administrative power was also remembered by not complying with its international commitments and the signing of the illegal Madrid agreement, an agreement that is considered by all international organizations as invalid. SPS

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United Nations, Nov 01, , 2018 (SPS) .- The UN Security Council extended for six months the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso), as presented by the United States, in order to continue pressing the parties to negotiate directly and without conditions to find a solution to the conflict.

With twelve votes in favor and three abstentions, the United Nations Security Council gave its approval to a proposal by the United States, which was discussed until the last moment, given that countries like France preferred a one-year term.

Last April the United States, also presented a request for the mandate to be renewed for only six months in order to put pressure on Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO to sit at the negotiating table after years of blockade.

For Washington, that approach has been successful and has facilitated the two parties have agreed to meet next December in Geneva at a meeting organized by the UN mediator, Horst Kohler.

The US Deputy Ambassador before the UN, Jonathan Cohen, said today that his country is satisfied with these developments, but considers that they are only a beginning.

"The political process is only beginning," Cohen said after the vote, arguing that the six-month extension will allow the Security Council to closely monitor the issue and make clear its "determination to accelerate" the discussions to resolve the conflict.

For its part, the POLISARIO was in favor of a shorter mandate for the Security Council to continue pressing Morocco to negotiate, according to the statement made to reporters by the Frente POLISARIO representative to the UN, Dr. Mohamed Sidi Omar. SPS

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Boujdour (Refugee Camps) Nov 01, 2018 (SPS)  The 12th edition of the International Arts and Human Rights Encounters in the Western Sahara (known as; ARTifariti), started Wednesday at the Sahrawi school of arts in the Wilaya of Boujdour, refugee camps, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Mr. Mohamed Al-Wali Akeik and a number of members of the National Secretariat, Sahrawi Government, seniors official of SAFR Culture Ministry in addition to several Foreign delegations

The current edition of this international cultural event is held under the motto (A poem from all), the event will bring together artists and activists from different countries around the world

The said art event will witness a various cultural activities, workshops , exhibition, documents screening and artwork presentation, the participants also will visit the liberated territories of the Sahrawi Republic

The event, on other hand, is an opportunity for the people of art and culture to exchange knowledge and expertise to improve human rights and make stronger solidarity among world societies. SPS

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Nov 2nd, 2018

Roughly one month after opening its very first 4-Star retail store, the online giant Amazon has announced and opened a second location. Amazon 4-Star is a physical store that stocks new and trending, as well as top-selling products that have a rating on its website of four or more stars.

The second Amazon 4-Star location can be found at the Park Meadows shopping mall in Lone Tree, Colorado. The store has all of the same features as the first 4-Star in SoHo, New York stocking a range of four-star rated products and offering in-store discounts to Prime members on select items.

Along with the news of the Amazon 4-Star in Colorado has come confirmation that there are already plans for another. While were not sure when itll be opening, Amazon has revealed its third 4-Star store is coming soon and will be located on Fourth St in Berkeley, California.
This summer, protesters converged four times outside the blue-gray glass tower at 201 Tresser Blvd., in downtown Stamford. Their target each time was the buildings largest tenant, drugmaker Purdue Pharma.

On a mid-August morning, hundreds marched with placards of family members and friends who had died of opioid overdoses, which they largely blamed on the maker of the OxyContin painkiller. Several weeks earlier, a local art gallery owner and a friend installed in the driveway a massive spoon stained to represent burnt heroin. A few weeks before, a pair of brothers slide-projected messages on the building condemning the company.

The protestors know the firm is not about to face a reckoning in the streets. If it happens, it would likely take place in the judicial system.

Over the past five years, local and state governments across the country have filed hundreds of complaints alleging that Purdue, with chronic and deliberate misrepresentations of its drugs, has helped cause thousands of deaths from prescription and illicit opioids. Resolving the torrent of litigation, which also involves many other opioid makers and distributors, entails protracted and complex negotiations that could lead to a colossal settlement. All the while, plaintiffs face an uncertain timeline for resolving their claims and no assurance they would receive enough funding to help tackle the epidemic.

The opioid crisis crosses all the lines  party lines, religious lines, cultural lines, Paul Hanly, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs in a consolidated group of hundreds of lawsuits involving the company, said in an interview at his law firms offices in midtown Manhattan. People of all political and cultural persuasions are united in that there is something terrible happening in our country and that drastic steps need to get taken to deal with it.

Purdue officials have denied the lawsuits allegations.

We share the state and local officials concern about the opioid crisis, the company said, in part of a statement. Purdue believes the accusations against the company are without merit, and we look forward to the opportunity to present our substantial defenses.

The company did not make CEO and President Craig Landau or other executives available for an interview for this article.

Long history of litigation

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1995, OxyContin consists of a controlled-release, semi-synthetic opioid painkiller to treat moderate to severe pain lasting more than a few days.

Its creator went to great expense to market the drug. Purdues annual spending for OxyContin advertising jumped from about $700,000 in 1996 to approximately $4.6 million in 2001, according to a 2003 federal Government Accountability Office report.

Spurred by its marketing, OxyContins annual sales surpassed $1 billion by 2001, making it the most-prescribed brand-name narcotic of its kind in the U.S., according to the GAO.

Litigation soon followed. Starting in 2003, Hanlys firm took on about 5,000 patients who had become addicted to OxyContin after being prescribed the drug. From that group, about 1,400 civil lawsuits would be filed against Purdue. That round of litigation was settled for $75 million in 2006, according to news reports at the time.

Based on those complaints, federal prosecutors built a criminal case against Purdue. In its largest punishment to date for marketing violations, Purdue pleaded guilty in 2007 in federal court to misbranding OxyContin to mislead and defraud physicians and patients. The company agreed to pay some $600 million in criminal and civil penalties.

At the same time, three former and then-executives pleaded guilty, as individuals, to misbranding charges and incurred close to $35 million in fines.

But the worsening of the opioid crisis meant the 2007 payouts were not the end of litigation.

In 2017, about 49,000 people in the U.S. died of opioid overdoses, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The toll represented a four-fold increase over the number of opioid deaths in 2002.

As local and state governments struggled with the billions of dollars needed to pay for health care, law enforcement and social services to respond to the epidemic, they increasingly sought financial accountability from the pharmaceutical industry. Opioid prescriptions in the U.S. peaked in 2010 and then dropped each year through 2015, according to the CDC, though the 2015 rate ran at about three times the 1999 level.

In addition to Purdue, the likes of Allergan, Endo, Insys, Janssen, Mallinckrodt and Teva are frequently targeted in lawsuits and investigations.

The opioid crisis has gotten into the fabric of our society and grabbed our attention, Angela Mattie, a professor in the schools of business and medicine at Quinnipiac University, said in an interview. That is reflected in the backlash and repulsion widely felt toward Purdue at this point.

Dangers in focus

Litigation filed in the past five years largely consists of civil, not criminal, complaints. The suits fit into a framework that has allowed local prosecutors and state attorneys general to invoke a range of consumer-protection and anti-fraud laws to prosecute Purdue.

The lawsuits generally share the same allegations, accusing Purdue of years of false or fraudulent marketing that misrepresents the benefits and risks of treating chronic, non-cancer pain with its opioids, namely OxyContin.

That (marketing) campaign caused a sea change in medical and scientific thought that had previously deemed these drugs too dangerous to use for chronic pain in most circumstances, Mississippis attorney general, Democrat Jim Hood, wrote in a July letter to attorneys of Purdue and several other opioid producers that he sued in December 2015. It put billions of doses of high-powered drugs into the hands of patients who were unaware of the risks of addiction and death.

Mississippis complaint led a wave of state lawsuits against the company. In 2017, 13 states sued, with 18 more following in 2018.

The lawsuits have come from Republicans in deep-red states such as Alabama, Oklahoma and South Carolina and Democrats in blue strongholds like Massachusetts and New York and Washington state.

Over the same span, hundreds of cities and counties have sued. They range from rural communities to the countrys largest cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

In total, the company faces more than 1,000 active complaints from cities, counties and states.

These lawsuits are gaining traction and gathering momentum, Robert Bird, a professor of business law at the University of Connecticut, said in an interview. The litigation generates its own publicity, which, in turn, encourages other states to file suits.

To help manage the proliferation of lawsuits, a Cleveland-based federal judge, Dan Polster, is overseeing hundreds of complaints filed by municipal and county governments in a process known as Multidistrict Litigation. Hanly  a partner in the Simmons Hanly Conroy firm, which also specializes in asbestos and mesothelioma cases  is co-lead counsel for the MDL plaintiffs.

Three MDL cases are scheduled to be heard in a trial starting next September.

More than 20 cities and towns in southwestern Connecticut have sued. The list includes Bridgeport, Danbury, New Haven and Norwalk.

Opioid addiction has had a profound impact on our community in terms of medical care costs, hospital costs and, of course, the tragedies that you see, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said in an interview. We want to be reimbursed, and we want dollars there for education and dollars for enforcement of people who are abusing the system.

The companys home city, however, has not taken legal action. Stamford Mayor David Martin was not available for an interview for this article, but Martins chief of staff, Michael Pollard, did not rule out the city pursuing litigation.

We are continuing to assess all drug companies and other illegal opioid sources involved in the epidemic, Pollard said in a statement. We will be determining the extent and cost of the epidemic to Stamford and focus our legal actions on the companies and others who are most responsible.

Connecticuts role

At the state level, Connecticut does not have an active lawsuit against Purdue. But the states outgoing attorney general, Democrat George Jepsen, said his office has confronted the opioid crisis as part of a 42-state coalition investigating Purdue and six other pharmaceutical firms.

In 2017, 1,038 people in Connecticut died of drug overdoses, more than double the 2012 total, according to state data. Nearly half of last years deaths involved heroin.

In an interview, Jepsen said his team has held extensive talks with Purdue officials. In addition, the state can gather evidence to support potential claims against Purdue and other companies and does not have a statute of limitations on opioid litigation, according to his office.

We absolutely have their attention, which is what we need and want, Jepsen said. We could make a show of filing a lawsuit and devote very significant staff resources to bringing a lawsuit. Were very comfortable with the position were in right now, (but) always keeping, if settlement talks fail, the option of filing a suit.

Jepsens involvement in the multistate alliance will soon end, as he is not running for a third term. Still, the major-party nominees vying to succeed Jepsen, Democrat William Tong and Republican Sue Hatfield, pledged in interviews to maintain Connecticuts involvement in the interstate initiative.

Because of how it has affected people in our state  and its a crisis in every community here in Connecticut  and because we have Purdue Pharma in Connecticut, we have an obligation to have a very critical eye on this whole crisis, said Tong, state representative from a district that includes parts of Stamford and Darien.

Hatfield and Tong said they would keep litigation against Purdue on the table, but they both said they would focus on continuing settlement talks.

If we have settlement discussions that are currently active and ongoing, I, as the next attorney general, wouldnt want to disrupt that, said Hatfield, a state prosecutor with the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. I would want to see that through, first and foremost, and continue on with Attorney General Jepsens work. I have a lot of respect for the work that he has done.

Connecticuts involvement in litigation involving Purdue predates Jepsens tenure. In 2007, when U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal was attorney general, the state received about $700,000 as part of a nearly $20 million settlement that 26 states reached with Purdue tied to allegations that the company encouraged physicians to overprescribe OxyContin.

The settlement restricted certain opioid marketing practices and helped support the launch of Connecticuts prescription-drug monitoring program.

It was a significant and positive first step, Blumenthal said in an interview. We continue to pursue our efforts to stop overuse of these powerful painkillers. ... If there has been law breaking, I support the effort in court to hold these companies accountable. There are other avenues of redress and remedies that can be pursued through negotiation, as well.

Purdue also faces an investigation by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Connecticut, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice. A DOJ spokesman declined to comment on the inquirys status.

Company pushback

Across the country, the lawsuits have slogged through the courts. The litigation has collectively cost the plaintiffs and defendants many millions of dollars in legal services. Purdue did not answer a question from Hearst Connecticut Media inquiring about how many of the lawsuits it had tried to dismiss or how many cases it had settled.

A $24 million payout to the state of Kentucky in December 2015 marked its most prominent settlement in recent years.

In court, Purdues lawyers have argued the companys accusers have not proved that it misled prescribers about its drugs.

The state seeks to recover costs stemming from the misuse and abuse of prescription and illicit opioids by downstream actors who are far outside the manufacturers control and who in, many instances, engaged in criminal conduct, attorneys for Purdue and the other defendants in Floridas lawsuit wrote in a September filing supporting their motion to dismiss the case.

They have also cited FDA oversight of use and marketing of prescription opioids, challenging state liability for actions they said the FDA has specifically authorized.

Company officials have also contested claims that the firm flooded the market with OxyContin. In statements, they said that their opioids comprise less than 2 percent of such prescriptions.

Outside the courtrooms, Purdue said it is is working hard to help tackle the opioid crisis. The company has allocated $2 million to support prescription-drug education for several thousand high school students around the country between 2017 and 2020. The total includes $500,000 for the programs expansion in Connecticut during the next two years.

In September, Purdue announced a $3.4 million grant to support a nonprofit pharmaceutical companys development of an over-the-counter form of naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. Purdue has also partnered with the National Sheriffs Association on a program that gives naloxone kits and training to officers across the country.

In the past year, the company has run full-page ads outlining such efforts in a number of national publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

The efforts have done little to assuage critics. They can put as many ads as they want to out there, but thats not dealing with the problem, Ohios attorney general, Republican Mike DeWine, who is his partys gubernatorial nominee in Tuesdays election, said in an interview earlier this year. Why dont we take this opportunity to start talking and try to reach an agreement, so that Purdue Pharma can be part of the solution instead of just being the creator of the problem?

Envisioning a settlement

Despite the widespread anger felt toward opioid producers, the litigants strategy is not to bankrupt the companies.

We dont want any of these companies to go out of business; this is not an act of vengeance, Hanly said. This is litigation to recover money that these government entities have spent and lost as a consequence of the defendants.

Some critics have suggested Purdue and the other pharmaceutical companies that have been sued pay into a massive fund comparable to one financed by tobacco companies as part of a nationwide settlement in 1998 that was worth nearly $250 billion.

To cover the costs of the opioid crisis, such a pool could amount to several times that of the tobacco settlement. In 2015, the opioid crisis cost the country $504 billion, equivalent to 2.8 percent of gross domestic product that year, according to an estimate last year by the Council of Economic Advisers.

A comprehensive settlement  which would probably be reached through the MDL proceedings, according to Hanly  does not appear imminent. Such a pact could take several more months, even years, to hammer out. Before entering into any major agreements, Purdue and the other defendants are expected to demand they would not be liable again for any actions predating a settlement.

These defendants need eternal peace, Hanly said. Thats why this settlement is incredibly complex  because it has to be completely buttoned up. Otherwise, if theres an escape hatch, the companies are presumably paying all this money to get sued, maybe not tomorrow, but perhaps a year from now, or three years from now.

The extent to which Purdue and its owners, members of the Sackler family, could contribute to a settlement is debatable as the company does not publicly disclose its finances.

Third-party estimates suggest OxyContin is still lucrative, but less so than at its peak. The drugs sales last year totaled $1.8 billion, down from $2.8 billion five years earlier, according to data from health care analytics company Symphony Health Solutions. Competition from generic drugs has contributed to the decline.

One of the issues that we face is not all these companies are financially that cash-flushed, Jepsen said. If you force them into bankruptcy, it might feel good, but it means youre cutting off your nose to spite your face about getting some kind of future income stream, on a pay-as-you-go basis. But theres just not the money in the industry that makes it like tobacco.

After collecting their settlement shares, hundreds of the plaintiffs would allot a to-be-determined portion of their proceeds to cover expenses and fees for private-sector law firms. They would then grapple with complicated decisions about the funds distribution.

The reality is these lawsuits take years, and years is not something we have. We need to deal with the problem in the here and now, which were doing, Dr. Jeff Gordon, a former president of the Connecticut State Medical Society, said in an interview. But if there are settlements in the future, we should be very clear that the money is protected to support prevention and treatment programs.

In the meantime, Purdues dwindling headcount suggests it may be feeling fiscal strain. In June, it announced approximately 350 layoffs, about half of which were linked to the elimination of its already-downsized sales force. That followed earlier job cuts stemming from the companys announcement in February that it would stop marketing OxyContin and other opioids to prescribers.

About 550 remain with the company, including some 250 at its Stamford headquarters. Earlier this year, the firm reported employing about 1,100.

Purdue has also shaken up its leadership. In July, the company announced a new board chairman and a new general counsel. At the same time, the company is increasingly moving away from opioids. Last month, it announced an exclusive option to acquire a Minnesota company developing an injectable steroid treatment for back pain.

Those changes may eventually help repair the companys battered reputation, but they will not end the litigation. Only money flowing out of 201 Tresser that makes its way to the plaintiffs would likely bring the company relief from its opponents.

If some company has stolen from the state of Mississippi or injured its citizens or violated its laws, Ive got a duty to collect whats owed to the state, Hood said in an interview. Thats my job.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; Twitter: @paulschott
The Indiana Democratic Party rally, in support of U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly and a host of other Democratic candidates, offered free tickets that were gone after about 11 hours on Thursday.
STAMFORD  A student getting a headache during a Monday morning gym class isnt unusual.

But warning bells went off for Westhill High School teachers Kevin DeAngelo and Marcia Sher-Kalter when one student said she was dizzy and had a headache during swim class.

DeAngelo dismissed the class into the locker room, while Sher-Kalter brought the student out of the pool.

While DeAngelo was notifying the nurse, he heard a cry for help.

Call 911!

Sher-Kalter called to DeAngelo after the student fell backward and did not have a pulse. DeAngelo called 911, while school administrators grabbed the AED and Sher-Kalter began CPR.

Sher-Kalter revived the student after two sets of compressions and rescue breaths and did not need the defibrillator. The student was taken to the hospital and has made a full recovery.

Accidents happen often, especially in Phys Ed, said DeAngelo, whos been teaching swim for 13 years. Youre playing sports. Kids are going to have bumps and bruises. Its part of sports. With this, it was a little bit different of a situation where the kid was never submerged in the water. She was just complaining of a headache...In the water, every precaution is necessary. The water adds a whole different element.

Sher-Kalter and DeAngelo said their CPR first aid certification and lifeguard training helped them respond quickly.

Everyone should know how to do it, Sher-Kalter said. In a split second, anything can happen. If you know what to do, you could make a big difference.

They have each been awarded the American Red Cross lifesaving award, one of the highest given by the organization.

Sher-Kalter emphasized the importance of learning CPR. A volunteer ambulance driver in Pound Ridge, N.Y., shes used her skills before on her second job. Sophomores at Westhill High School also learn CPR as part of their health curriculum.

erin.kayata@stamfordadvocate.com; (203) 964-2265; @erin_kayata
When President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that U.S. service members could open fire at the thousands of migrants currently on their way to the American border, he likely wanted to reach two audiences: voters demanding a hard-line stance on immigration and the migrants making their way through Mexico.

But his words were also heard much farther away from Washington: in Nigeria, where Trump has a higher approval rating than anywhere else in Africa. On Friday, the Nigerian army took to Twitter to defend its decision open fire at Shiite protesters in the capital, Abuja - by citing Trump.

"Please Watch and Make your Deductions," read the tweet, which included a video clip in which Trump says: "Anybody throwing stones, rocks ... we will consider that a firearm because there is not much difference."

"They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back," Trump said in his Nov. 1 remarks.

The Nigerian military's tweet came the same week its service members opened fire on a march of protesters belonging to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), who were demanding the release of their jailed leader, Ibrahim el-Zakzaky. IMN represents many members of Nigeria's Shiite minority and opposes the use of violence.

After Zakzaky's arrest in 2015, the Nigerian government accused him of an assassination attempt against the country's army chief of staff. Zakzaky denies those allegations.

During Zakzaky's 2015 arrest, Nigerian soldiers are believed to have killed hundreds more members of the group. IMN says that at least 42 people were killed by Nigerian forces on Monday and Tuesday.

The Nigerian army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The latest violence is part of a broader crackdown by the Nigerian government on the country's Shiite minority. The crackdown has triggered international condemnations.

"Any Shia in Nigeria is under threat and can be gunned down any day, any time, any minute," IMN youth leader Muhammed Ibrahim Gamawa told Reuters.

On Thursday, Tibor Nagy Jr., the U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, took to Twitter to condemn the violence. "Very concerned by the deadly clashes between Nigerian security forces and IMN members," Nagy wrote. "We call on both sides to exercise restraint, and we urge the Government of Nigeria to conduct a thorough investigation & hold accountable those responsible for violating Nigerian law."

But only hours later, the Nigerian army tweeted out Trump's remarks the same day. The U.S. president has never directly addressed the Nigerian sectarian tensions, but the case is yet another example of how Trump's domestic rhetoric is being used abroad to justify violence and has damaged the influence of U.S. diplomats who try to uphold official State Department policies.

Trump's repeated attacks on the media have made it harder for diplomats abroad to defend press freedom. On trade, the president has weakened the standing of the World Trade Organization by ignoring its trade war warnings and confronting China. That decision could still have broader implications in the future by preventing other disputes from being solved, with Trump blamed for breaking the international consensus first.

Trump's at times friendly treatment of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has also raised questions in other authoritarian nations about whether Trump values personal ties more than actual progress on improving human rights records, previously a cornerstone of U.S. diplomacy.

Overall, Trump's "America First" approach has satisfied the needs of some rulers, but it has left the United States far more isolated than in previous decades. Diplomats working abroad complain that the United States may still be shaping global politics, but it's no longer controlling the message.

Friday's tweet by the Nigerian army is just the latest example of that.

- - -

The Washington Post's Max Bearak in Nairobi contributed to this report.

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Video: President Trump on Nov. 1 threatened anyone in the caravan who throws a rock at the military that soldiers will 'consider that a firearm,' because 'there's not much difference.'(The Washington Post)

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Start now. If you are living a sedentary lifestyle and you are home  start walking, he said. If you go to the mall, walk around the mall. Get out there and do some type of activity.
T he casino at the Ritz Hotel  owned by the billionaire Barclay brothers  has plunged to a third huge loss in just five years after a number of high rollers made big wins at the gaming tables.

The Piccadilly casino, where customers have included Sir Roger Moore and actor Johnny Depp, fell 11.72 million into the red last year, more than wiping out the 8.91 million profit made in 2016, latest accounts filed at Companies House reveal.

It was the third heavy loss for the casino, which sits under the five-star hotel in the Ritz Club London, since 2013. In 2015 the deficit was 12.8 million and two years before that it was 12.7 million.

The accounts for the Ritz Hotel Casino stated: Casino footfall during 2017 remained constant; however, the financial results have been significantly affected by a number of customer wins. Efforts to encourage new Middle East and Far Eastern players remain focused and business in 2018 is expected to be more fortuitous.

At the end of last year it was reported that the 84-year-old Barclay twins, Sir David and Sir Frederick, had put the casino up for sale with a price tag of 200 million.

The casino loss is the latest in a series to have been reported this year at the web of businesses controlled by the Channel Islands-based tycoons.

Parcel delivery service Yodel, which has never recorded a profit, made a pre-tax loss of 85.7 million last year, widening from 58.25 million previously.

It was hit by many setbacks, including a fire that destroyed a Worcester distribution hub, the departure of key clients and intense price competition.

Yodel, which also owns the Arrow XL delivery brand, warned that the most recent financial year ending June 2018  for which it has not yet published accounts  will again be challenging.

It listed one of its major risks as the lack of customer confidence from the uncertainty relating to Brexit.

The Barclays, who live in a mock Gothic castle on the small island of Brecqhou near Sark, have been leading advocates of Britains withdrawal from the European Union.

The brothers main retail business, Shop Direct  owner of the Littlewoods and Very.co.uk brands  has also faced a tough year, making a pre-tax loss of 24.7 million after having had to put aside 128 million to cover compensation to customers who were mis-sold PPI insurance policies. There was also a provision of 22.5 million to cover the costs of a new distribution centre.

Last month, Shop Direct said it was shutting its Littlewoods Clearance operation, which will result in the closure of seven stores and the loss of 143 jobs by the end of February next year.

Profits at the twins most high-profile business, Telegraph Media Group, owner of the The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph titles, almost halved last year from 26.8 million to 14.3 million.

Its parent company, Press Acquisitions, made a 119.6 million pre-tax loss after accounting rules forced a huge write-down of the value of the Telegraph titles.

The brothers, who were born in Hammersmith, do not sit on the boards of the businesses in their empire and are instead represented by Sir Davids sons Aidan and Howard.
E x-M&S chief on brawling with Sir Philip Green and failing to keep Britain in the EU

Stuart Rose is not having any of it. Were halfway through our interview at KPMGs private members club in Mayfair, facing each other across a 10-seat conference table, when I ask if, at 69 and after nearly five decades of working in retail, he is ready to put his feet up once and for all.

If I drop dead doing something rather than drop dead lying on the couch, I know what Id go for, says the former Marks & Spencer chief. What is the point of retiring? Ive got to work. I like working.

Rose, or Lord Stuart Alan Ransom Rose, to give him his full name, has a habit of boldly asking a question and then answering it. Sometimes he will ask a few, in quick succession, as if he is reciting poetry for an invisible audience, to make a point.

Hes a man used to fighting his corner. He first joined M&S as a graduate trainee in 1971, despite having no degree, and returned to run it as chief executive and then executive chairman, to the outrage of investors who felt he wielded too much power. During his tenure, profits peaked at 1 billion, but he was vilified over his generous pay packet and accused of failing to modernise M&S.

Since he left the High Street bellwether in 2011 the suave businessman has bagged a string of jobs. He is the chairman of online-grocer-cum-tech-business Ocado and fashion chain Fat Face, which private equity firm and owner Bridgepoint has been trying to sell for some time. Hes got a clutch of other City roles, too.

Among the criticisms he has faced down over the years is the suggestion his executives tend to do the heavy lifting, while he deploys the Rose charm in the City and in private members clubs (Harrys Bar and George tend to be his haunts).

A case in point came at Fat Face where chief executive of nine years Anthony Thompson, also a key lieutenant to Rose at M&S, said he was leaving the fashion brand last month. Industry sources suggested Thompson had, again, grown frustrated with Rose. The pair had history; at M&S Thompson reportedly felt he didnt get enough recognition for his work, and eventually got the boot.

Rose says Thompson wanted a change from Fat Face and the imminent departure is very amicable. And how about that sale? Would we sell Fat Face if somebody come along for the right price? Yes. Would we sell it at a discount price? Probably not. I dont know, Im not Bridgepoint. Weve had a very good year, were cash generative. The market for retail stocks at the moment is pretty depressed.

City deal-making feels a world away from Roses early years, spent living in a caravan in Warwickshire before moving to Tanzania, where his father, a civil servant, was posted. The family returned to Britain when he was 13 and he was sent to Bootham, a boarding school in York. It was quite tough, I was a colonial boy, I was quite young, and I was a bit naive. [But] I got into it. It makes you very independent.

Although his parents wanted him to study medicine, he ended up being an admin clerk before landing the M&S gig. He left the grocer after climbing the ranks for 17 years (I wanted a change) to run Burton in 1989, which eventually demerged to become Debenhams and Arcadia. After that he ran Argos for six months, during which he unsuccessfully fought a takeover attack from GUS (we did a reasonably good job and we lost that), then Booker (and we repaired that) before it merged with Iceland (and then I fell out with [founder] Malcolm Walker). Then, he ran Arcadia (I fixed that business for two or three years and sold it to Philip Green) before returning to the mother ship in 2004. I could have made more money and had less hassle by doing something else, he admits.

It was that year that Roses career entered its most famous chapter, fending off a 9.1 billion hostile bid from Sir Philip which even saw him tussle with the fashion tycoon in the street.

How does he reflect on the episode?

I went back to Marks & Spencer because I had an affection for the business. I absolutely and fundamentally believed that a company which has been on the stock market for years shouldnt be bought out by somebody who is effectively just going to sweat the asset, drain it of cash and leave it less well off, so thats why I fought it and I believe it was right. If I did nothing else right, and Ive done a lot of things wrong, Im pleased I did my bit to keep it as a public company.

We meet as the harassment allegations against the Topshop tycoon are about to become public. Rose refuses to play ball when I ask if hed heard the rumours that Sir Philip was the mystery businessman, saying only that he last spoke to him nine months ago. He will not say whether hed heard similar allegations against his old rival over the years.

Rose had to fight a different battle more recently, against the Brexiteers. He tried to rally the troops as chairman of the Britain Stronger in Europe camp in 2016. But blunders such as the painful-to-watch footage of him forgetting the name of the campaign two months in brought him ridicule. Was it a bruising personal experience? Yes. Did I have a bad time? Yes. He turned down the gig initially, twice. I was asked the third time and thats where I made my big mistake. I should have said no. Ive always been of the belief that businessmen make not very good politicians and politicians make pretty poor businessmen. I was seduced probably by my own self-belief

His flattened, near-monotone voice gets animated when I mention Ocado, the online grocer in charge of Middle Englands weekly shop. He took the job six years ago despite protests from his entourage that it would go bust and that founder Tim Steiner was a flash in the pan. Tims done something which is a bit like women running FTSE 100 companies, there are very few. He has created a FTSE 100 company from scratch through thick, through thin. That included, he says, deploying youthful lingo, being dissed by Tesco and its former boss Sir Terry Leahy for years.

ROSE says he was enamoured with Ocados technology business, still unproven at the time, to sell its robots and software to other retailers to help them compete online with Amazon. He did, after all, try to make a swoop for Ocado while he was at Marks & Spencer. They decided to go down a different route. I wouldve like that to have happened, he says.

Ocados share price was 80p when Rose arrived in 2013. It is now 855p, thanks to a string of international deals this year to sell its tech. His old shop, M&S, meanwhile, narrowly avoided the drop from the FTSE 100 index as it struggles to turn itself around. The whole industry has changed dramatically. But retailers are all very entrepreneurial, the good ones will always survive, retail is not dead, he adds.

How long will he stay at Ocado? If a company wants me, Ill consider staying on, if they dont, Im not going to be remotely offended. Every company needs to keep moving.

Lord (Paul) Myners, a long-time friend and ally, hopes that there is one more big job out there for Rose. I can see many large charities that would benefit from having Stuart as chair. Hes an instinctive businessman who has a capacity to understand the situation, evaluate the options and take action swiftly and effectively, he adds.
A dvertising giant WPP could have been sold to Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway, it emerged Friday.

Its ousted former chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell told a Campaign magazine event in London that a deal was discussed in 2012, but no price was agreed.

Sorrell said Buffett was really interested in WPP becoming part of Berkshire.

He added: We had a brief conversation and hes very shrewd. He cuts to the quick. Hes very fixed in terms of price and the premium he offered was not sufficient.

It was about 15%, maybe a little bit more. The average premium was 30%, and we couldnt encourage him to go to 30. I wouldve loved to have done that if it had been at the right price.

According to Sir Martin, now building his own digital-based agency, Buffett offered 925p a share for WPP, higher than the present share price.
Just how urgent that is was borne out last night with the murder of a 15-year-old schoolboy, Jai Sewell, ambushed by two men who stabbed him to death outside a fast-food shop yards from his home.

He is the twentieth teenager to be murdered in London this year. What a waste of hopeful young lives.

Knife crime in London has risen to its highest ever level, with 15,000 offences recorded in the 12 months to the end of June. As the commissioner says, the rise overall is inextricably linked to the drugs market.

The Met has responded to this alarming trend with a variety of initiatives including targeting the most dangerous offenders and requiring some specialist units to make violent crime a priority.

I am asking my officers to get out on the streets more, I am asking them to be in among the drug dealers, the commissioner said.

What this means is that there are ever-increasing demands on the Mets time and resources. No wonder, then, that Ms Dick has backed Sara Thornton , chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, who has urged forces to focus on core issues of violence and burglary rather than pursuing incidents such as misogyny where no crime has been committed and investigating allegations against people who are now dead.

This is not to say these things are not important  indeed, the Met has launched an investigation into anti-Semitism in Labour  just that they are less urgent than the traditional policing priorities.

Police resources are finite and leadership is about making choices about where to deploy them. The Met has to deal with counter terrorism and cyber terrorism as well.

These are enormous challenges, but at least Ms Dick has her priorities right.

Scientists of note

The current one features the double heads of steam-engine inventor James Watt and entrepreneur Matthew Boulton, two of the Lunar Men from the Midlands (so-called because they met for dinner on the full moons, so they could ride home safely), who powered Britains Industrial Revolution.

They are great men; but we live in an age that sees value in diversity. So we have two suggestions for their replacement.

How about Ada Lovelace, the amazing 19th-century mathematician who published the first computer algorithm and is regarded by many as the inventor of the first computer program?

The fact that she was a woman who operated in a male-dominated world makes her achievement even more remarkable. Yet, in part because of her sex, she was never celebrated in her own lifetime.

Or how about Alan Turing, the genius whose eponymous Turing machine became the first general purpose computer? His work at Bletchley Park, which led to the cracking of the Nazi Enigma code, is widely regarded to have ended the Second World War early and saved millions of lives.

Not only was he not recognised in his lifetime; he was convicted of homosexuality by the country he helped to rescue, chemically castrated and committed suicide.

Lovelace and Turing are two great Britons. Its time we literally put our money where our mouths are and recognise at least one of them on our new banknote.

TODO: define component type apester

Joyful art

Ashton Attzs / Nigel Howard

Congratulations to Ashton Attzs, whose joyful painting Dont Stay in Ya Lane won the Evening Standard Art Prize at the ceremony at the National Gallery last night.

Attzs, who is just 20, said that the 10,000 prize money, given in association with Hiscox, would be a huge push towards a solo show.
P hilip Green used to feature large in my life at Vogue, both a huge advertiser and a genuine powerhouse in supporting British fashion. A few years ago I was put next to him at an intimate Vogue dinner. As deputy editor, I remember being surprised that I was beside the guest of honour  there were other more senior candidates who knew him far better. It dawned on me pretty quickly, however, that I might have been offered up as his dinner squeeze. A calculation taken that I would be both a fair match for the man, while simultaneously pretty enough to keep him happy. Dont these man-pleasing power structures run deep.

No one knew I would be so tightly squished against his bulk on a velvet banquette: thigh against thigh, plenty of jovial squeezes of my knee, arms around my shoulders, face looming so close our breath mingled. I thanked the Lord that I hadnt worn a low top. None of it was threatening. Christ, the number of men Ive pandered to around a dinner table  this was no different. My overall impression was that he hardly noticed me  it was automatic. I couldnt have been less important.

But therein lies in the rub. It isnt the petting that women hate most from men such as Green  though, seriously, wed rather you didnt  its the patronising attitude that such behaviour stems from. We matter. You dont. Let the boys do the serious business is the mindset lurking beneath. It permeates so many levels of society. If the equal pay scandals didnt confirm this, I dont know what further proof is needed.

I doubt Green understands why there is outrage at what has been claimed about his behaviour. When you look to the US and Donald Trump there is a pattern of self-pity being established, men painting themselves as the victims. #MeToo being used, they say, to unfairly destabilise their empires. How annoyingly persistent is this unfounded female rage we do it better, thats why were at the top.

This powerful retailer, who denies any wrongdoing, will see his actions as necessary outliers of why he is successful. In his eyes its about being a tough boss, taking tough decisions  because what do they know about how rough and tumble the retail business really is? His alleged cuddling of female staff is just his little way, no doubt also imagining himself as a father figure to his ladies.

"He took his hand away, patted me on the head and said, You stick to what you understand, little girl"

Green had been upset that night during dinner as his tax affairs had been in the newspapers. He moaned quietly to me that he didnt understand why he wasnt liked in Britain. He had built these businesses, employed thousands, helped to fund and generate a valuable buzz around British fashion. Anna Wintour had recently given him a rousing speech at Number 10. There was genuine hurt that this didnt protect him from other complaints.

Annoyed at the pawing, I replied that perhaps if he paid in the same way as everyone else, rather than escaping to Monaco, people might like him more. He took his hand away and patted me on the head. You stick to what you understand, little girl, he said. We didnt speak much after that.

The war on plastic doesnt go far enough

Last week I was in Ireland, in a coastal village where my favourite escape from city life is walking along the staggeringly pure white beaches. Except there on the sand to ruin every picturesque snap is plastic  nylon fishing net ropes embedded in the sand like macabre sculptures, alongside empty bottles, broken buckets and every other bit of human detritus the high tides had washed up from our carelessness.

I increasingly feel that were drowning in rubbish. Our seas are. This weeks Budget did almost nothing to help  taxing plastics that are less than 30 per cent recyclable isnt going to do a damn thing against this tide. We banned smoking in pubs and it worked. The Government can say no to vast quantities of plastic in our everyday lives, but it doesnt. Instead, politicians fiddle while we continue shuffling plastic around the planet, annoyed when the Chinese rightly say we dont want your crap any more.

Plastic bags may cost you in a supermarket but my local store hands out thousands every day and not long afterwards they waft ghost-like about our streets. If they were banned, we would take a recyclable, reusable shopping bag.

Its as simple as that. The young dont vote for the Tories  I bet theyd think harder if they saw a party do something to protect their future, not just wave recycled coffee cups about.

*I love it that the winner of Bake Off, Rahul Mandal says he wants to encourage more men to bake. But Im not sure hes in tune  the boys in my household bake more than I do. I burn the biscuits while they churn out wild creations, especially my youngest son, 10, who will whip up chocolate cookies in minutes.

2018 Great British Bake Off winner Rahul Mandal / Mark Bourdillon / Love Productions
A njem Choudarys recent release from prison , under strict and expensive supervision after serving less than half his sentence, has disturbed many. Whether from the Left or Right, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, people are fed up with the astonishing impunity with which he preached his hateful ideology on the streets of London.

But for too long there has been a persistent assumption that Choudary represents the views of at least some British Muslims. One recent example came from Sunday Times columnist Rod Liddle, who suggested that Choudary do us all a favour and blow himself up in Tower Hamlets, somewhere a decent distance from where the rest of us live.

Well, we are all angry about Choudary, his hijacking of not only Islam  my religious belief  and his abuse of liberal values, my political persuasion. But suggesting the problem be solved with a suicide bomb on one of Londons most diverse boroughs is not an attack on one man, it is an attack on Londoners and London values. Implicit in Liddles singling out of Tower Hamlets, where two-thirds of the population belong to minority ethnic groups, is that white Britons are besieged by minorities who dont belong in Britain, and who are complicit in terrorism.

And yet the writer is not alone in his misplaced outrage. To assume that Choudarys beliefs are also held by the Muslims of Tower Hamlets and communities elsewhere across the UK is to indulge in nightmarish fantasy.

Id like to invite those who share it to meet me in a mosque in Tower Hamlets to see how Muslims there feel about Choudary. Contrary to conventional wisdom, mainstream Muslims have been boycotting him year after year but found their boycotts foiled by media outlets hungry to use him for what turn out to be divisive soundbites.

Back in 2009, for instance, it was ordinary British Muslims in Luton who opposed him when he launched his poppy-burning protest against soldiers who had just returned from Iraq. Across Bury Park, where Lutons Muslim population is concentrated, mosques and shopkeepers put up signs denying entry to Choudary and his supporters.

He has been banned from preaching not just from all mosques in Tower Hamlets and across the UK but is even ostracised by Muslim stall-owners. This is all too often lost on those who believe in the us and them narrative Choudary uses to recruit his jihadist acolytes into Islamic States obscene cause. Both show they hate the very values that make Britains capital the best city in the world: a meeting point for people from all backgrounds, enriched by our differences.

Ordinary folk have legitimate grievances about how men such as Choudary have been allowed to fester. Neither he nor those who hurl stones at Muslims in his name should be tolerated.
S ara Thornton, chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, has done something guaranteed to cause trouble: she has suggested that there is something a public service should do less of. The former chief constable of Thames Valley Police is in hot water for warning that forces are too stretched by extraneous demands to take on all desirable and deserving issues, such as logging misogyny reports even when no offence has been committed.

Thornton also thinks the police should not be caught up investigating allegations against those who have died (historic child abuse springs to mind).

On both counts, I reckon she is right, but that has not been the prevailing reception of her remarks.

For some, like Labours Diane Abbott, the argument is wrapped up with the shortfall in police funding, which the Budget did not address. Abbott is right on that point, but wrong to say that there is a public appetite for the police turning into sociological sleuths, figuring out which bits of crass misogyny are worthy of their pursuit.

Because even if police numbers rise  which I suspect they will by magic when another general election is in sight  the expansion in the amount of online hatred and, more widely, greater willingness to identify ourselves as the objects or victims of hostile behaviour creates an expanding list of claims on the police,

Anne McElvoy

It leads, as Thornton diagnoses, to forces being asked to provide bespoke services, often at the behest of particularly vociferous lobby groups. It is not fair to join the chorus of opprobrium that says she is downplaying misogyny. Really, she is highlighting a distinction between the role of the state (via policing and the law) and that of active civil society setting boundaries of acceptable conduct.

Overall, I am glad we are more angry about hateful language. Here is a small example. I worked some years ago in a place where it was deemed OK for colleagues who resented a female co-worker to trade demeaning jokes about witches or bitches. Too many senior men knew of this and did nothing. Complaints were discouraged and, seeing as there was no prospect of redress, pointless. The best that can be said of where we are is that more women in a similar situation have greater confidence in saying this is unacceptable  and the same goes for demeaning language about race or sexuality.

So, yes, consistently hateful speech, intended to demean and cause misery, matters and I am glad that we can be fiercer in combating it.

But much of this is down to all of us to name, shame and address. It is true that there are some hard cases, such as vulnerable people like the rough sleepers who are particularly powerless against name-calling and humiliation. It is conduct that can only proliferate because we allow the tone of basic civility on our streets to deteriorate, and it is most often accompanied by a public-order offence and threatening conduct, which the police should be dealing with anyway.

We cannot simply wish away the need to prioritise some tasks above others. We know and accept that the National Health Service does it all the time when it triages admissions, so it is odd to say the police should treat every allegation of bad behaviour equally.

Moreover, it fails the common sense test that we should apply to key public services. Violent crime is rising sharply. In London the epidemic of horrific knife crime needs far greater attention. Nationally, clear-up rates are so low for burglary that we are effectively told to report any theft that does not involve violence straight to the insurance company and cut out the middle man. The new Home Office report shows a decline by 50 per cent in the numbers of arrests, and a 10-year high in recorded crime.

"To improve success rates in tackling serious crimes, forces need to be freed from tasks that are less urgent"

Even allowing for the vagaries of police statistics, the trend is not encouraging. Thornton herself knows about the weakness of the police at a high level, having been in the firing line in 2013 for the poor performance of Thames Valley Police in failing to detect a sex trafficking gang in Oxford over several years. That merited condemnation (including from me). But to improve success rates in tackling serious crimes, forces do need to be freed from tasks that are less than urgent and unlikely to satisfy the criteria for prosecution.

All this goes beyond a debate about how to use police resources, because so much of it turns on how far we can reasonably constrain anti-social speech. There is a more awkward tension in wanting to get rid of blasphemy laws, while adding a wide range of hate-speech definitions, than liberals readily admit.

In such matters, autocracies have it easy (and wrong) and democracies are right, but often learn the hard way. It seems clear to me, having written about the period of radicalisation of young jihadis by Anjem Choudary and other hate preachers in London in the early 2000s, that we misdiagnosed the line between free expression and a barely veiled incitement to violence  and paid a terrible price.

Even outside the sphere of extremism and its recruitment, we live with grey moral areas, where we struggle to distinguish between distressing and offensive practices and criminal activity. The borderline is porous and it can change over time. But lets err on the cautious side when it comes to policing it. Far from all the injustices we seek to right require the long arm of the law  or a desk officers time typing them into the database.
P hilip Delves Broughtons article [Teetering on the Edge of Civility, October 30] caught the general mood in US politics but left an inaccurate impression of where the battle lines are drawn. To say that Donald Trump sees himself as a radical truth-teller without qualifying that statement as absurd is irresponsible.

That can only be true insofar as Trump is a pathological liar deluded into believing his own untruths. In The Washington Post the conservative commentator Max Boot reminds readers that Trump has told an average of eight demonstrable lies a day while in office.

To say he sees himself as a radical truth-teller is thus to pander to what he and his base want: an environment where truth is the freedom to spout hate in the guise of championing free speech and combatting political correctness.

It is precisely because Trump chooses hateful lies over truth that the atmosphere in the US has become so poisoned that murders are being committed in the name of right-wing fantasies spread by Trump.

Without a doubt Democrats are angry, too. But if Democrats have been uncivil, then it is not to incite offensive action; it is to defend against the steady encroachment of Trumps GOP (Grand Old Party) on Americas political norms. Furthermore, there was no Democratic mob scene at the Kavanaugh hearings. Two vocal protestors does not a mob make.

By quoting Senator John Cornyn on this, you are giving a platform to precisely the false and inflammatory rhetoric used by these alarmist politicians to destroy American unity to serve their own  and their wealthy donors  private interests.

Susan Welsh

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Susan

Thank you for taking the time to read Philip Delves Broughtons piece. As you say, President Trump either knows that much of what he says is openly, and demonstrably, untrue, or he is a pathological liar. Both options are alarming.

But Philips article looked at the consequences. Why do so many Americans believe or tolerate his lies, and how should those who do not believe them respond? Should they deplore what he does, and allow him to call them weak  as he is doing over immigration, sending troops to the Mexican border partly in the hope Democrats will oppose it, or should they join the descent into rage and incivility? If Trump comes out on top in the mid-terms, the moderate opposition you describe will surely be one of the victims.

Julian Glover, Associate Editor (Comment)

Saving hedgehogs on Bonfire Night

Every Bonfire Night untold numbers of hedgehogs are harmed or killed in bonfire piles across the country. We are asking people to move piles of material just prior to lighting it. If the pile is too big to move, use broom handles to poke into the pile and lever it up, then use torches to look inside and listen for signs of life.

After moving or checking carefully, light the pile from one side only to allow an escape route for anything that you have missed.

If a hedgehog is found, keep it in a high-sided box with an old towel or torn newspaper in the bottom for it to hide under. Offer meaty cat or dog food, cat biscuits or hedgehog food and only water to drink.

Place the box out of harms way in a shed or garage until the festivities are over and the fire totally dampened down then release with some more food if possible.
G reat Mexican food leaves you with a full belly and flame-kissed lips.

Londons Mexican food scene is booming thanks to excellent restaurants popping up over the past decade offering tantisiling tacos, enchanting empanadas and gut-pleasingly good guac.

Theres variety too, with street food-style vegan places rubbing shoulders with high-end spots, each bringing something different to the table.

Here are some of our favourite spots to feast on Mexican food in the capital.

Ella Canta

This place offers an exotic alternative to Mayfairs white-collared dining scene. Drinks are perfectly executed, particularly the margaritas  the fiery Mayahuel features elderflower liqueur and a complex salty chilli grapefruit shrub, whereas the Coa de Jima is deliciously rich; its served with a decadent passion fruit and champagne foam. Martha Ortizs menu has a real sense of drama to it, with courses broken down into theatrical acts. The devil is in the detail at this spot; the guacamole comes with a grasshopper nestled in the middle (as an ode to the times when Mexican royalty used to snack on them), octopus is cooked to perfection with the right amount of bite and chew, and fish tacos melt in the mouth. Dont leave without trying the lollies.

Park Ln, W1J 7QY, ellacanta.com. Read our write up here.

El Pastor

Helen Cathcart

Anything with the Hart Brothers behind it is destined for culinary gold, and this spot in London Bridge is no different. It came about following Sam Hart and co-founder Crispin Somervilles stint at running nightclub El Colmillo in Mexico City during the nineties and noughties. The food frontrunner here is the al pastr, made with 24-hour marinated pork shoulder, giving it a salty, sweet and rich flavour  similar to ham hock. Another standout plate is the beef short rib made with a wildly tantalising chipotle, muscovado and coriander seed spice rub. Head chef Laura Alvarado Aleman is behind the noteworthy food and shes worked to make the menu gluten-friendly, with tacos and tortillas cooked with corn. The restaurant doesnt accept bookings so youll have to queue, but the Mexican delights at this place are worth waiting for.

7A Stoney St, SE1 9AA, tacoselpastor.co.uk. Read our write up here.

The best restaurants in London Bridge and Borough Market 1 /9 The best restaurants in London Bridge and Borough Market Lobos Paul Winch-Furness / Photographer Wright Brothers Borough Market Shucks away: Wright Brothers Borough Market Native Horst Friedrichs Padella El Pastor Helen Cathcart Roast Hawksmoor Borough O ver Story Restaurant

Club Mexicana at The Spread Eagle

Jade Nina Sarkhel

Mexican food brings visions of meaty burritos with lashings of sour cream but this brilliant spot has a menu bursting with creativity, making Mexican delights accessible for vegans. Located in the Spread Eagle, Londons first fully vegan pub, the food is inspired by the vibrant street food of Mexico City. Traditional beef is swapped for jackfruit in tacos and beer-battered tofish replaces meat in tortas. It also has a brilliant brunch menu offering a vegan twist on traditional Mexican classics, such as the Huevos Rancheros with scrambled eggs, chorizo, black beans, avocado and salsa verde on a grilled paprika tortilla and chickn and waffles with chilli-infused maple syrup. Founder Meriel Armitage ditched her job in advertising to jump in the kitchen and thank goodness she did, otherwise Londoners would have never tasted her brilliant plant-based creations.

224 Homerton High St, E9 6AS, thespreadeaglelondon.co.uk

Santo Remedio

Nick Hopper

Back in 2016 people were truly gutted when the first Shoreditch branch of this restaurant was forced to close after five months due to building issues. Still, husband and wife owners Edson and Natalie Diaz-Fuentes made a triumphant return, launching a new site a stones throw from London Bridge. Both of them lived in Mexico and this authenticity can be seen on the menu, which offers regional specialities from Yucatan Peninsula, Oaxaca, Mexico City and the Pacific. Highlights include the earthy beef barbacoa tacos and tangy chicken enchiladas.

152 Tooley St, SE1 2TU, santoremedio.co.uk. Read our write up here.

Corazon

(Steven Joyce) / Steven Joyce,

Good old Mexican comfort food is on the menu here  its nothing fancy but it certainly does the job. Scallop ceviche and a three cheese quesadilla starts things off nicely but tacos are the thing to order here and theyre hearty to say the least. Theres something to suit every taste, from 12-hour braised ox tongue and slow cooked pork belly to beer battered haddock and chargrilled swordfish. Dig in.

29 Poland St, Soho, W1F 8QR, corazonlondon.co.uk,

Tonteria

"Tonteria" means "nonsense" in Spanish and while the parties at this place are often fuelled with peculiar antics (think latex and fire-eaters) theres nothing silly about the food. Alain Dona's place is all about small plates, which is great as there are plenty of Mexican delights to try. Four different types of tacos are on offer including a seared tuna creation with a spicy jalapeno salsa and burritos come in chicken or veggie form. Once youre done with the grub, be sure to get a drink from the tequila train which does the rounds delivering shots to the tables. All aboard.
"Are we better off using the money for needs other than the trail connection? However, if people bought their homes because of the trail connection, we may need to move forward on that," Gralik said.
I t's November 5, which means our minds can now turn to firework displays - even if we wont be standing in muddy fields and eating toffee apples in the cold.

We all know that today is when we light a bonfire and set off fireworks, but why do we do this? And who was Guy Fawkes?

Here's everything you need to know about Bonfire Night.

roven-images/Unsplash

What is Bonfire Night?

Every year people gather around in early November to celebrate Bonfire Night across the UK.

There are firework displays in public parks across the country and people light bonfires with an effigy to represent historical figure Guy Fawkes.

This quintessentially British activity each year refers to an event which could have changed the course of British history almost 400 years ago.

When is Bonfire Night 2020?

Bonfire Night 2018 - In Pictures 1 /13 Bonfire Night 2018 - In Pictures Fireworks over the skyline of Canary Wharf at the Royal Docks, east London. PA Fireworks over the skyline of Canary Wharf at the Royal Docks, east London. PA Fireworks over the skyline of Canary Wharf at the Royal Docks, east London. PA Fireworks light the sky as part of Diwali festival celebrations in Mumbai on November 4, 2018. AFP/Getty Images A lantern puppet is illuminated as part of the River of Light Festival, a free firework and light arts installations event hosted by Liverpool and Wirral city councils. PA Fireworks explode over the Mersey as part of the River of Light Festival, a free firework and light arts installation event hosted by Liverpool and Wirral city councils PA Fireworks in Whitley Bay. PA Participants parade through the town during the annual Bonfire Night festivities in Lewes, Britain, November 5, 2018. REUTERS Participants parade through the town during the annual Bonfire Night festivities in Lewes, Britain, November 5, 2018. REUTERS An effigy of Boris Johnson carrying the head of Theresa May is paraded through the streets of Lewes in East Sussex, southern England, on November 5, 2018, during the traditional Bonfire Night celebrations. AFP/Getty Images Participants parade through the town of Lewes in East Sussex during an annual bonfire night procession held by the Lewes Bonfire Societies. PA An effigy of Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May paraded through the streets of Lewes in East Sussex, southern England, on November 5, 2018, during the traditional Bonfire Night celebrations. AFP/Getty Images Participants parade through the town during the annual Bonfire Night festivities in Lewes, Britain, November 5, 2018. REUTERS

This year Bonfire Night falls on a Thursday, but every year it is celebrated on November 5.

Who was Guy Fawkes and what was the Gunpowder Plot?

In 1605, a group of Roman Catholic activists arranged "the Gunpowder Plot", an attempt to assassinate the Protestant King James I.

At the time, King James I reigned over a Protestant England but Robert Catesby and his band of 12 Catholics wanted greater religious tolerance and more freedom to practice their religion.

Guy Fawkes, an explosives expert, along with the rest of the group plotted to assassinate the king and blow up the Palace of Westminster during the state opening of Parliament.

Fawkes smuggled 36 barrels under the House of Lords into a cellar. However, he was caught and sent to the Tower of London, tortured to give up the names of his co-conspirators and then executed in January 1606 for high treason.
F ireworks are set to light up London's skies soon with Bonfire Night nearly upon us.

A whole host of extravagant festivities will set the capital aglow this weekend and on Monday, November 5.

We all know the rhyme "remember, remember, the 5th of November", when crowds gather to watch effigies of Guy Fawkes being burnt on a bonfire.

But why do we commemorate Bonfire Night with spectacular pyrotechnics, who was Guy Fawkes and what did he do to deserve such a fiery fate?

What is Bonfire Night and why do we celebrate it?

Known as Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night, November 5 marks the failure of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot. A group of English Catholic conspirators, incensed by anti-Catholic sentiment during the reign of King James I, planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament and assassinate the monarch in the process.

Thirty-six barrels of gunpowder were transported to Westminster and placed in a cellar beneath the Houses of Parliament, where they were guarded by Guy Fawkes. On November 5 1605, guards were alerted to the threat, leading to a search of the cellars and the discovery of both the gunpowder and Guy Fawkes.

Reinhold Thiele/Thiele/Getty Image

Who was Guy Fawkes?

Although he was not the ringleader of the gang, Guy Fawkes has gained the most notoriety. As the member charged with the task of lighting the fuse that would set off the explosives, he was the one caught guarding them during a search of the cellars beneath Westminster.

After his capture Fawkes was to be hung, drawn and quartered - a gruesome death sentence which involved cutting off of prisoners genitalia and removing their entrails before their eyes.

However, he managed to avoid this horrifying fate by jumping from the scaffolding where he had been taken to be hung, causing instant death from a broken neck.

Boris Johnson effigy to be burned at annual bonfire event

How is Bonfire Night celebrated?

Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated with firework displays, whose sparks and flashing colours are intended to resemble the sights and sounds of the explosion that would have been. In the immediate aftermath of the failed plot, bonfires were lit in honour of King James survival. This tradition continues today, with effigies of Guy Fawkes made by local communities being burned.

To find out where to watch fireworks in London, click here.
Jai Sewell had gone out to buy a meal when he was followed down the street by two men in a minicab who jumped out and attacked him, according to witnesses.

The schoolboy - the 20th teenager to be murdered in London so far this year - was described by his family today as lovely, kind beautiful boy who dreamed of being a cartoonist.

His murder came as Met police commissioner Cressida Dick repeated her pledge to make tackling violence in London her number one focus.

Jai Sewell, 15, was stabbed to death 100 yards from his home / **FACEBOOK IMAGE**

Jais aunt Rochelle, 32, said the boy - who lived nearby with his grandmother - had not been involved with gangs adding: He said he was going out to get some food and he never came back.

Police appeal to stop senseless violence in London

She said: He loved riding his mountain bike, was very bright and brilliant at art. He wanted to be a cartoonist.

He was basically a young boy who played out on his bike and met up with friends. It was a normal day it seemed, but he never came back we are heartbroken.

Forensics inside the chicken shop collating evidence surrounded by medical paraphernalia (NIGEL HOWARD &copy;) / NIGEL HOWARD 

Scotland Yard said police were called reports of a stabbing in Randlesdown Road, Bellingham, at 5.22pm. The boy staggered into Morleys chicken restaurant where he was given first aid.

He was rushed to hospital with stab wounds but died at 8.15pm.

Forensic officers examine the crime scene in Bellingham after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death / Nigel Howard

Thomas Coffie, 23, described desperate efforts by members of the public to save the teenagers life.

The hospital IT worker said: I was passing the takeaway and saw him staggering with a wound. There was a slash in his jacket. I took my shirt off to put in the wound. He kept saying mans gonna die, mans gonna die.

Then he stopped talking and slumped down I was covered in blood. A nurse who was passing car to help we did our best. Its terrible.

Ms Dick described the murder as a horrible thing to happen to that family, to that community and of course to that poor lad, we must focus on this.

The killing case marks the 116th murder investigation launched in the capital in 2018 so far, and came 24 hours after 38-year-old Rocky Djelal was stabbed to death by a childrens playground in Southwark.

Police officers at the cordon in Bellingham / Nigel Howard

Ms Dick revealed that 30 teenagers were being stabbed in London each month, a figure she said was down from 40 a month when she took on the role 18 months ago.

She told the Standard she had ordered an escalation in action against Class A drug dealers who she blamed for fuelling much of the violence.

She said: There is a lot of violence associated with drug markets, it is primarily drug market related, the really serious violence, the homicides and the gang activity.

I am asking my officers to get out on the streets more, I am asking them to be in amongst the drug dealers, getting to know who is doing what, trying to arrest them hands on with a weapon and also potentially with drugs.

In a separate interview on Radio 4s Today programme today she called for a common sense, practical and old fashioned approach to policing.

She backed comments by Sara Thornton, chairwoman of the National Police Chiefs Council, who has said forces must focus on catching burglars and violent offenders rather than taking on all desirable and deserving issues, such as logging misogyny reports even when no offence has been committed.

Ms Dick said she would not expect her officers to record wolf-whistling as a crime but if someone complained then she would expect her officers to have a word.
A teenage boy has been stabbed to death in south-east London.

The victim, 15, was rushed to hospital after being found with knife wounds in Bellingham, Lewisham on Thursday night.

Despite efforts to save him the boy was pronounced dead shortly after 8.10pm. His next of kin are aware.

Police and paramedics were scrambled to the scene in Randlesdown road at about 5.20pm.

Forensics inside the chicken shop collating evidence surrounded by medical paraphernalia (NIGEL HOWARD ) / NIGEL HOWARD 

Footage from the aftermath showed forensic police officers working inside a Morelys chicken shop on the street.

No arrests have been made and a crime scene remained in place overnight.

Police officers at the cordon in Bellingham / Nigel Howard

It comes after a man died from fatal knife wounds next to a childrens playground in a separate incident on Halloween.

Forensic officers examine the crime scene in Bellingham after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death / Nigel Howard

In statement following the latest incident, The Met said: At this early stage officers are working to establish the circumstances.

Officers from the Homicide and Major Crime Command have been informed.
A mentally ill woman warned she would kill someone to get herself admitted to hospital just hours before she murdered a grandmother, an inquest has heard.

Nicola Edgington was taken by police to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, on October 10 2011 after asking to be sectioned.

She told the A&E receptionist: "Is it going to take for me to kill someone - as I've done it before- to be seen?"

Later that day she killed stranger Sally Hodkin in Bexleyheath, south-east London, six years after killing her own mother.

Police officers had picked up Edgington from a minicab firm office after she had called emergency services because she had no money to pay for a taxi.

Pc Dan Phillips said she had appeared "calm" and "meek" and softly spoken when he had arrived with colleague Pc Matthew Payne shortly after 4am.

An ambulance also arrived at the scene but Edgington declined to get inside, saying it made her feel claustrophobic.

"She told us, 'I don't want to get in the big box, I don't like confined spaces'," Pc Payne told a hearing at South London Coroner's Court.

After being driven to and checked in at A&E by the officers, Edgington grew more agitated and demanded to be taken to Oxleas House mental health unit in Greenwich.

She paced around the waiting room before approaching receptionist Sylvia Rogers to suggest she could kill someone in order to be seen.

Edgington was taken to Oxleas House to be admitted, but was able to freely walk out of the unit.

She later almost decapitated Ms Hodkin with a butcher's knife in a memorial park in Bexleyheath.

Coroner Sarah Ormond-Walshe asked police officers why Edgington was not sectioned, with both saying they felt she did not present a danger to herself or others.

They expressed "shock" and "surprise" when they later learned about Ms Hodkin's murder.

Pc Payne said: "At no time did she become aggressive or violent and it comes as a complete surprise to me.

"At the time of meeting Nicola I wasn't concerned about her behaviour that night."

Pc Phillips said: "This was a shock to me as she never appeared aggressive and only wanted help from the hospital."

The diagnosed schizophrenic was discharged from the Bracton Centre mental health facility in 2009, despite an order that she be detained indefinitely following the killing of her mother Marion.

The inquest previously heard Edgington threatened at least two people with knives while on discharge, smoked high-strength cannabis and had not slept in three weeks before the murder of 58-year-old Ms Hodkin.

She also believed she had a miscarriage, something the inquest was told may be significant as Edgington had a termination against her will shortly before stabbing her mother at her home in 2005.

A damning report last year concluded a catalogue of NHS and police failings led to Ms Hodkin's murder.
T he head of the Metropolitan Police has supported a call for officers to prioritise tackling burglary and violence over hate crime.

Met Police chief Cressida Dick said she backs Sara Thorntons comments on focusing on traditional values.

Ms Dick said she absolutely agrees with the chair of the National Police Chiefs Councils, who said incidents of misogyny and claims against dead people should not be pursued.

Speaking at the London Assembly, Ms Dick said: Theres never been a fag paper between us on thisIm with Sara.

Earlier this week, Ms Thornton, one of the countrys most senior officers, warned forces are too stretched to tackle all desirable and deserving issues, such as misogyny reports.

Ms Thornton called for a refocus on core policing that is currently seriously stretched as she opened a joint conference hosted by the NSPCC and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.

Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police Sara Thornton poses with her CBE, which she received from Queen Elizabeth II for her services to the police force at Windsor Castle on May 6, 2011, Windsor, Berkshire, England. (Photo by Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images) *** / Steve Parsons/Getty Images

She added: Ms Thornton said: "I want us to solve more burglaries and bear down on violence before we make more records of incidents that are not crimes."

Ms Dick said her priority was tackling violence in the capital.

TODO: define component type apester

Ms Dick said: "When I talked about traditional values what I meant was policing by consent, local policing and in particular our core values of courage, professionalism, integrity and of compassion.

"That's quite historic and quite old-fashioned in a sense but I'm contrasting that with the need to be very modern in our approach."

She added: "Violent crime is too high in London and that will be my priority.
T he anti-Semitism storm facing Jeremy Corbyn deepened today as Scotland Yard launched a criminal probe into alleged hate crimes by Labour Party members.

Labours leader came under renewed fire for failing to crack down on party activists responsible for vile abuse. One allegedly described Jews as cancer.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said it appears there may have been crime committed. She said detectives had spent two months assessing a leaked Labour Party dossier and were now working with the Crown Prosecution Service on the investigation.

Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, who has called for tougher action on the issue by the party leadership, said it was thoroughly depressing news but not surprising.

Accusing influential figures of hampering attempts to clean up the party ranks, he told the BBC: If this does one thing, it will be able to silence a very small number of people who still believe that anti-Semitism doesnt exist in my party or in other parties.

Jeremy Corbyn is under renewed fire for failing to crack down on anti-Semitism / Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

The dossier passed to Scotland Yard by LBC radio contains reports of 45 incidents, such as a Labour member allegedly saying a Zionist member of Parliament was going to get a good kicking. The threat is understood to have been aimed at Luciana Berger, a Jewish Labour MP who has also received death threats.

Another activist allegedly claimed a prison sentence for a former Nazi SS guard at Auschwitz was a disgusting travesty of justice. And a serving councillor was accused of calling a child Jew boy. The details were understood to have been leaked from a meeting of the partys disputes panel.

Asked what offences were involved, Ms Dick said she could not go in to the specifics, but the allegations centred on online crime. She told Radio 4s Today programme they were not trivial and that the Met applies a very high bar. Ms Dick said it was not an investigation into the Labour Party as a whole, adding: However, if somebody passes us material which they say amounts to a crime, we have a duty to look at that and not just dismiss it.

We have been assessing some material which was passed to me ... and we are now investigating some of that material because it appears there may have been crime committed and we are liaising immediately with the Crown Prosecution Service. I hope we will be able to clear that up very quickly. Amanda Bowman, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: This comes as no surprise to us. There is a deeply embedded culture of anti-Semitism in parts of the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn has done close to nothing to address it, to the extent that some cases may now even meet a criminal threshold. We have repeatedly set out what Labour needs to do, including taking firm disciplinary action against anti-Semites and making its opaque processes transparent. Jeremy Corbyn must also apologise for his personal failings to confront racism.

A spokesman for the anti-Semitism charity Community Security Trust said: Racism is clearly growing in society, so we welcome this investigation and hope that it sends a strong signal to both the victims and the perpetrators of anti-Semitic abuse.

Mr Watson backed the police decision, saying: If people have committed hate crimes they need to be dealt with by the full force of the law. There is no place for them in the Labour Party.

In a statement the Met said: The complainant alleged that the documentation included evidence of anti-Semitic hate crimes. The contents have been examined by specialist officers.

A criminal investigation has commenced into some of the allegations within the documentation. Early investigative advice is being sought from the Crown Prosecution Service.

A Labour spokesman said: The Labour Party has a robust system for investigating complaints of alleged breaches of Labour party rules by its members. Where someone feels they have been a victim of crime, they should report it to the police in the usual way.
T his is the moment a firework was hurtled towards police officers in an altercation that saw children caught in the crossfire outside a McDonalds in north London.

More than one was launched, leaving "a number of officers" with injuries and a nine-year-old girl had her hair singed by a projectile.

The girl's mother and three-year-old brother had their coats burnt in the incident, while a woman entering the restaurant fell and hurt her knee.

Police body cameras captured the pyrotechnic heading for them on October 31 in Enfield.

Footage shows one officer moving out of the way as the projectile hurtles towards them before exploding near to the feet of another.

The firework lanced at the feet of officers / @MPSEnfield

A scream can be heard before the crackle of the firework hitting the ground in Fore Street, Edmonton.

MPS Enfield said in a tweet that members of the public and children were injured as a result of others inappropriate dangerous behaviour on Wednesday.

It later called it a frightening experience for the officers at the scene.

A Met Police spokesperson said the group behind the attack was believed to be a mix of 14 to 20-year-olds.

An argument sparked a firework was set off in the restaurant and others launched nearby.

They added: "Fortunately all injuries were not serious and medical assistance was declined by all.

"A number of the officers who attended the scene and intervened to stop the anti-social behaviour and safeguard the local community suffered minor injuries.

"No arrests have been made. An investigation has been launched."

London Ambulance Service assessed an injured person at the scene but nobody was taken to hospital.

The clip emerged as police are investigating reports of a similar incident involving a group of youths in east London.

Witnesses told the Standard a group of some 50 youths in school uniform let off fireworks at a branch in Hoe Street, Walthamstow.

A worker at the McDonalds, who wished only to go by his first name, described his and his co-workers fear as the scenes unfolded.

Ovidiu, 29, told the Standard: The chaos started as the youths started jumping into the kitchen.

I was scared and so were my colleagues. We did not know what to do. There was about 50 of them

"Then there was lots of smoke and bangs, explosions. It was fireworks. There was about three or four bangs.

They [the youths] looked like schoolchildren or sixth formers they were all in uniform.

He said a bus driver was hurt and some of his clothes were burnt but he did not go to hospital.

Scotland Yard confirmed officers are making enquiries into the incident.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said: Police were called at approximately 5.15pm on Thursday, November 1 to Hoe Street, E17 following reports of youths setting off fireworks at a fast food restaurant.

"Officers attended but the youths left prior to arrival.

"There have been no arrests."

London Ambulance Service did not attend.

On Halloween night there were a large number of calls relating to fireworks.

Police in Haringey said that since 2pm on Wednesday, one of its response teams had received over 60 calls requiring immediate response.

Of those calls, 50 per cent were about fireworks and anti-social behaviour.

While last week a group of teens was seen firing fireworks at each other in Kymberley Road.

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O ne of the biggest threats to education in Britain is schools coming under attack from religious groups wanting to change how they operate, the head of Ofsted has warned.

Chief inspector Amanda Spielman said ministers and local authorities must do more to support schools that come under undue influence from religious and community groups.

Throwing her weight behind those that stand up to pressure groups, Ms Spielman said it is often young girls who end up having their rights curtailed. In a letter to MPs, she included community pressure on a list of what she believes are the major risks to quality of education and school effectiveness.

Earlier this year the headteacher of St Stephens primary in Newham faced a campaign of bullying and harassment after she tried to ban girls under the age of eight from wearing the hijab, and attempted to curb young children fasting at school. She had to reverse her decision after suffering abuse, including being compared to Hitler.

In her letter to the Commons public accounts committee, she wrote: I am also concerned that too little support is given by the Department for Education and local authorities to schools that face pressure from groups in the local community or national pressure groups.

You will be aware of a number of high-profile examples in recent years.

When these groups press for changes in school policy on the basis of religion or culture, it can lead to the curtailing of rights of other protected groups, most often girls. This can affect what is taught, what is not taught, what activities children take part in and what they are withdrawn from, and what children wear or do not wear.

Ms Spielman said Ofsted would always support schools that make the right decisions in the interests of all children who attend their school, particularly when this is in the face of undue influence. She added: We very much hope the DfE [Department for Education] moves to put in place stronger guidance to support schools that find themselves in these circumstances.

The DfE said: Schools should not face undue influence from pressure groups. We are working with Ofsted and unions on how we can offer further help to schools should issues like this arise. If any school feels they are being subjected to intimidating outside pressure we urge them to contact the department.
L eon co-founder Henry Dimbleby and TV chef Gizzi Erskine have backed a legal challenge to a curfew on all new bars and clubs in Hackney.

The borough council voted in July for licensing rules forcing new venues to close at 11pm on weeknights and 12am at weekends and to ban outside drinking there after 10pm. It said nightspots should be better managed and the impact on neighbours reduced.

The legal challenge was filed this week by campaign group We Love Hackney, which says the councils pre-decision consultation showed that 75 per cent of residents were opposed to each of the measures.

WLH is represented by solicitors Leigh Day and Philip Kolvin QC, who helped secure the reopening of Fabric nightclub after Islington council forced its closure in 2016. They hope to be granted a judicial review hearing.

Dimbleby, of food chain Leon, said today that the curfew could crush the most vibrant area of London. He added that his hit Shoreditch venue Dinerama wouldnt exist under these new rules  these changes are an attempt to turn Hackney into Fulham or Chelsea.

Protester from campaign group We Love Hackney / PR handout

Erskine, who helped found a food hall and creative market in Mare Street , said: Its totally wrong to penalise the small, independent businesses who have made Hackney the place it is.

We Love Hackney, a 4,000-strong group which successfully fought similar plans in 2015, is crowdfunding an initial 20,000 of the 53,000 which lawyers have said an appeal will cost.

WLH spokesman Matt Sanders said: If successful, the judicial review would have implications beyond Hackney as councils would no longer be able to ignore the voice of young people, who disproportionately use and work in the night-time economy, when drawing up licensing policies. I think we stand a good chance. He added: If everyone gave 10 we would have the money we need to defend the Hackney we all love.
Since the May primary, outside groups, which are not affiliated with any campaign, have put money into the race between Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly and Republican Mike Braun, an Evansville business owner and former state legislator, according to outside expenditure data from the Federal Elections Commission. The more than $64.6 million put toward the race is 700 times more than the amount spent during the 2010 Senate election.
M asked anti-establishment protesters led by international 'hactivist' group Anonymous are expected to descend on central London this evening.

Demonstrators from the Million Mask March will wear masks inspired by the film 'V for Vendetta' as they march through the capital, calling on people from around the world to join in their anti-government message.

The annual Bonfire Night protest has been taking place every year since 2013, with protesters to march against government corruption, surveillance and the "encroaching destruction of many civil liberties we hold dear".

With the event now just hours away, here's all you need to know about the Million Mask March.

Million Mask March London 2016 1 /15 Million Mask March London 2016 Getty Images Getty Images Protesters confront the police on The Strand, PA Protesters confront the police on The Strand PA Police arrest a protester clutching a mask in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Protesters don V for Vendetta-inspired Guy Fawkes masks EPA Protestors follow police down Whitehall, London PA There is an increased police presence for the march Joel Goodman/LNP Masked protesters hold banners and flares as they stand on Nelson's Column Getty Images The march was organised by the group Anonymous to protest austerity, government policy and what they consider corperate AFP/Getty Images Campaigners set off flares as they began the march to Downing Street Getty Images The group met at Trafalgar Square Getty Images A masked protester holds a sign which reads 'We Are Legion' in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Many are wearing the Guy Fawkes mask associated with the Anonymous hacking collective Getty Images A protester holds a sign reading 'England under new management' AFP/Getty Images

What is the Million Mask March?

The Million Mask March is part of a global anti-establishment movement spearheaded by Anonymous, with the masks inspired by the 2006 thriller V for Vendetta.

It aims to stand up to mass internet surveillance, austerity economics, official corruption, erosion of civil liberties and other causes.

The biggest events are in London and Washington, but protests have taken place in 800 cities in the past.

Thousands are thought to have taken part in the marches since its launch five years ago.

A post on the group's Facebook page reads: We have seen the abuses and malpractice of this government, and governments before it.

We have seen the encroaching destruction of many civil liberties we hold dear.

We have seen the pushes to make the internet yet another part of the surveillance state.

"We have seen the governments disregard for migrants, for the poor, the elderly and the disabled.

We have seen the capital, profit and greed of the few put before the well-being of the many and we say enough is enough

The government and the 1 per cent have played their hand, now it is time to play ours.

When and where is the Million Mask March?

This years demonstration is set to take place at 6pm on Sunday, November 5 at Trafalgar Square.

Police usually impose conditions on the march, and have in previous years limited it to three hours and on a route between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.

Roads around St James's Park and Green Park usually close early on, while other roads could be fully closed if police deem this necessary.

What can be expected of this years march?

Dozens of police vans head to Million Mask March

In the past, police have ramped up their efforts amid concerns peaceful protest is the last thing on the minds of some of those attending".

Last year protesters descended on Trafalgar Square where they gave speeches, handed out flyers with some occasionally shouting into the crowds before the march headed towards Parliament Square, where it blocked off traffic as people set off flares and chanted.

After Piccadilly Circus, the march went on to Westminster and Southwark before ending back where it began at approximately 9.30pm before beginning to disperse.

The 2016 event erupted into anarchic scenes as fireworks and flares were lit and thrown into crowds and launched at police officers.

Scores of riot police were deployed and 53 people were arrested as furious protesters shouted of f*** the police.

While at 2017's march, police made 25 arrests and fireworks were let off around Trafalgar Square and Downing Street.

Police say criminality at the event has increased year-on-year, with only 15 arrests in 2013.

In previous years, monuments have been criminally damaged and protesters have even tried to take over buildings, Scotland Yard said.

What is Anonymous?

Anonymous is a group of hacker-activists which aims to target establishment hypocrisy.

It originated in 2003 from the website 4chan  an online forum where users' identities are obscured by forced anonymity.

Since 2008s Project Chanology, when the collective took on the Church of Scientology in a series of protests, pranks, and hacks, it has become increasingly associated with collaborative hacktivism on a number of issues.
S cientists in London have created a robot who mimics the exaggerated facial expressions of political figures such as Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn to help children with autism learn how to convey emotion.

Researchers at Imperial College found that the distinctive mannerisms of the political class  from the US presidents scornful curled lips to the ex-foreign secretarys look of comical puzzlement  are an ideal template.

Digital data from a million scanned images was fed into 2ft-tall robot Zeno, developed at Imperial. It sees via a chest camera and uses facial recognition and artificial intelligence to process the information.

Zeno mimics the facial expressions, then encourages children to copy him.

Zeno was also used to mimic the expressions of Boris Johnson

He has been trialled at Queensmill School, a special school for autistic children in Shepherds Bush. Pupils treat him like a classmate.

Other politicians found to be good models include Tory MP Ken Clarke.

Maja Pantic, who leads Imperials Intelligent Behaviour Understanding Group (iBUG), said: The geometry of a face can tell many things  information on gender, facial expression, identity. We saw from expressions of politicians how their features change, what wrinkles appear, how eyebrows and lip corners are raised. We trained Zeno to interpret these movements, along with those of autistic children.

About one in 100 people is thought to be on the autistic spectrum. One aspect of the condition can be difficulty reading subtle expressions and gestures. Zeno helps children associate specific looks with specific emotions.

Face-off: Imperial Colleges Maja Pantic with Zeno, who processed data on the quirks of figures such as Jeremy Corbyn / NIGEL HOWARD 

It also appeals to the way autistic children tend to prefer things that are predictable, reducing their anxiety.

Professor Pantic said: We have 45 muscles in the face that can produce approximately 10,000 expressions, 7,000 of which we express on a daily basis. Autistic children see these thousands of expressions, while we as typically developed people classify those in maybe 15 or 20 categories.

Ian Dale, the National Autistic Societys head of research, said: Many autistic people are drawn to technology, particularly the predictability and logic it provides, which means it can be a useful means of engaging children.
A uthorities are investigating claims a 30-year-old man attended a secondary school posing as a 15-year-old GCSE pupil.

It is thought the pupil is an asylum seeker who joined at the start of the last term.

Another pupil at Stoke High School in Ipswich posted a photograph of him on Snapchat with the comment: "How's there a 30 year old man in our maths class."

The school said it had contacted the Home Office and would not be commenting further.

The pupil was attending Stoke High School in Ipswich / Google

A spokesman said: "This is a matter for the Home Office and we have referred it to them.

"The student is not attending the school at this time.

"We cannot comment further on an individual case but we have followed Government and local authority policies and guidance, as we do for any admissions matter."

Lewis Forte, whose step-daughter goes to the school, told the BBC he had raised concerns but was shut down by a teacher.

He said: "I went to the school to raise concerns about it and the teacher tried to shut me down by saying all his documents were present and correct which they probably were."

He said he is "very sorry" if the pupil is a child but added "this is something else".

Another worried parent, who did not want to be named, told the East Anglican Daily Times: This is extremely concerning.

"He has told students he has had to lie to get into high school to complete his GCSEs.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We do not routinely comment on individual cases."
A lec Baldwin has been arrested for allegedly punching someone during a dispute over a parking spot in New York.

The actor was taken into custody just before 2pm on Friday in Manhattan's West Village neighbourhood.

The parking dispute is understood to have occurred on East 10th Street, near where Baldwin lives with his wife and children.

Baldwin claimed he had a family member holding the spot when a man driving a station wagon pulled up and took it, police said.

Officials said the men were arguing and pushing each other before Baldwin, 60, allegedly turned violent.

Actor Alec Baldwin with his wife Hilaria Baldwin / REUTERS

The 49-year-old station wagon driver was taken to a hospital with jaw pain.

A representative for Baldwin did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.

Baldwin's new show, The Alec Baldwin Show, premiered on ABC on October 14.

He is known for playing President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.
M urdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi was considered a dangerous Islamist by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, according to US reports.

Prince Mohammad allegedly made the comment in a call to the White House before his nation admitted Mr Khashoggi had been killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

US-based Mr Khashoggi, 59, a fierce critic of the Saudi regime who wrote columns for the Washington Post, disappeared after visiting the consulate on October 2.

Turkish prosecutors claim he was strangled and his body dismembered. During a phone call with President Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and national security adviser John Bolton, Prince Mohammad claimed Mr Khashoggi had been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Washington Post reported.

Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 / PA

The Muslim Brotherhood is regarded as a terrorist group by several countries, including Saudi Arabia. The call reportedly took place a week after Mr Khashoggi vanished.

Prince Mohammad is also said to have urged the White House to preserve the US-Saudi alliance. Saudi Arabia denied the reports of the phone call in both the Washington Post and New York Times.

In a statement, the journalists family said he had repeatedly denied being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, adding: Jamal Khashoggi was not a dangerous person in any way possible. To claim otherwise would be ridiculous.

Saudi Crown Prince calls Khashoggi killing 'a heinous crime'

Mr Khashoggi had visited the consulate to collect documents for his marriage to Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz. Saudi Arabia denies its royal family was involved in the murder and says it is determined to find out all the facts.

It initially denied Mr Khashoggi had been killed but then said he died in an unplanned rogue operation. Last week, the kingdoms public prosecutor said the attack was premeditated.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meeting Mr Khashoggi's son Salah bin Jamal / EPA

Under pressure from Turkish authorities, the Saudis eventually identified 18 suspects but insisted they will face justice in the kingdom. Ankara has repeatedly called for them to be extradited to Turkey for trial and pressed the Saudis to disclose the whereabouts of Mr Khashoggis remains.

In a further development, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US could be ready to slap sanctions on Saudis involved in the murder within a handful more weeks.

He said: Were going to find the fact pattern. The president said we will demand accountability for those who were involved in the commission of this heinous crime.

Theresa May: UK to revoke visas of any Saudis suspected of involvement in Khashoggi killing

But Mr Pompeo added they had deep and long-term strategic relationships with Saudi Arabia and intended those relationships remain intact.
A death row inmate said lets rock as his last words before being killed in the electric chair in a rare use of the execution method.

Edmund Zagorski chose to die by the device rather than a lethal injection on Thursday in Tennessee.

It was the first time one was used in that state since 2007.

The 63-year-old had been sentenced to die for shooting and slitting the throats of two men in a drug deal decades earlier.

Crowds gathered outside the prison where he was put to death / AP

Ahead of the execution, Zargowski was seen smiling as he sat down, before a large sponge doused in water was placed on his head and a large cloth used to cover his face.

He waved before uttering his final phrase, then the voltage was shot through him, leading his fists and body to clench twice.

He was pronounced dead at 7.26pm at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.

Zagorski's attorney Kelly Henry was present for the execution and wiped away tears after.

Her client had said the last thing he wanted to see was her smiling face.

In opting for the electric chair as Tennessee allowed, Zagorski argued it would be quicker and less painful way. He became only the second person to die in the chair in Tennessee since 1960 and in the US only 14 other people have been put to death in the electric chair since 2000.

This has brought the use of lethal injection into question, with Zagorski allowed to choose against it only because his crime was committed before 1999.

His attorneys argued it was unconstitutional to force him to choose between the electric chair and lethal injection.

The Supreme Court's Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in a statement: He did so not because he thought that it was a humane way to die, but because he thought that the three-drug cocktail that Tennessee had planned to use was even worse.

Given what most people think of the electric chair, it's hard to imagine a more striking testament - from a person with more at stake - to the legitimate fears raised by the lethal-injection drugs that Tennessee uses."

However, the death came minutes after the Supreme Court refused his request for a stay.

People praying outside the facility / AP

The Supreme Court has never ruled on whether use of the electric chair violates the 8th Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

It came close two decades ago after a series of botched executions.

Republican Governor Bill Haslam declined to intervene in Zagorski's case, though he received pleas from correctional officers, Zagorski's priest and former jurors who convicted the inmate.

At the time of Zagorski's conviction, Tennessee juries were not given the option of considering life without parole.

Protestors stood outside where he was executed / AP

Protesters held vigils Thursday in Knoxville and Memphis, as well as outside the prison where Zagorski was executed.

There some raised a banner with the words: "A Free Tennessee is Execution-Free."

The double slaying Zagorski was sentenced for happened in April 1983.
E x-Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner is facing jail after being convicted of assaulting a taxi driver

The Danish international was sentenced to 50 days in prison, the City Court of Copenhagen said. He was also fined 1,500 kroner (180).

The cab driver, whose jaw was broken, was acquitted of violence but fined 3,000 kroner (350) for using his telephone while driving and not wearing his seatbelt.

Bendtner, who plays for Norwegian club side Rosenborg, has appealed the sentence, his lawyer said. He has been released until a hearing at a higher court.

Nicklas Bendtner in action for Rosenborg last week / AFP/Getty Images

Rosenborg CEO Tove Moe Dyrhaug said: "We think that it's not good for the club and not good for Nicklas, but he remains a player in the club. We are keeping him."

In a CCTV of the incident, which happened in September, Bendtner appears to hit the driver in the face and kick him.

The pair had got into an argument over which was the driver was supposed to driver.

Nicklas Bendtner and lawyer Anders Nemeth arrive for a hearing in Copenhagen / AFP/Getty Images

Bendtner admitted hitting the driver in the face but said it was because he felt threatened when a bottle or can was thrown towards him and his girlfriend after they left without paying.

The 30-year-old was left out of the Denmark side that reached the knock-out stages of the World Cup in Russia this year.
T he prominent Pakistani cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, also known as the "Father of the Taliban", has been killed at his home town of Rawalpindi, his family and police said.

The cleric who taught some of the Afghan Islamist movement's leaders was found killed on Friday in a Pakistani city, a relative and his deputy said.

Haq's son, Hamidul Haq, said his father was alone in his bedroom when he was attacked by an assailant, who escaped undetected.

"My father has been martyred. He was alone at his home. His guard had gone out minutes before the attack and upon his return he saw my father in critical condition," he told reporters.

People gather outside a hospital waiting to receive the body of Pakistani cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan / AP

Police say Haq, 81, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.

Unknown attackers killed the cleric, who runs an Islamic seminary in northwestern Pakistan, a police spokesman said.

Pakistani police stand alert outside a hospital where supporters gather to receive the body of the cleric / AP

Soon after his death, scores of Haq's supporters rioted, damaging shops and vehicles in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Haq's family has appealed to his followers to remain peaceful.

There were conflicting reports of exactly how he was killed and why his bodyguard and driver were apparently not there to defend him at the time of the attack.

Shah initially said that Haq had been shot dead.

Supporters of Pakistan's religious hardline party Jamiat Ulema Islam march during a protest rally following the Supreme Court's decision to acquit Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi of blasphemy, in Peshawar today. / AFP/Getty Images

Haq's nephew Mohammad Bilal told Reuters that his uncle was found with stabbing and gunshot wounds in a house he owns in an upscale area on Islamabad's outskirts.

"When the assailants entered his house... They first started hitting Mullah Sami ul-Haq with knives and daggers and then shot him dead," he said.

A well-known religious scholar with a large following among radical Islamists, Haq was the head of his faction of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI) party.

He ran the Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghanistan border, for decades.

Pakistan's President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned Haq's killing.

"We lost a great scholar and religious leader today," said Khan in a statement from China where he is on an official visit.
P resident Donald Trump has stated any members of immigrant caravans who throw stones at troops will be shot.

Speaking at the White House, he said that anybody hurtling projectiles at those manning the US border will be treated as if they were using a firearm.

He said the military will fight back after clashes in Mexico left authorities there badly hurt.

I hope there wont be that, but I will tell you this: anybody throwing stones, rocks, like they did to Mexico and the Mexico military Mexican place, where they badly hurt police and soldiers of Mexico, we will consider that a firearm, he said.

We will consider that the maximum that we can consider that because theyre throwing rocks viciously and violently. We saw that three days ago, really hurting the military. They wanna throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. Were gonna consider it and I told them, consider it a firearm. When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexico military and police I say, consider it a rifle.

After the clashes in Mexico, Mr Trump had Tweeted: Mexican soldiers hurt, were unable, or unwilling to stop Caravan. Should stop them before they reach our Border, but won't!"

The main caravan is made up of around 4,000 Central Americans travelling by foot and seeking to enter the US.

Second migrant caravan arrives in Mexico 1 /14 Second migrant caravan arrives in Mexico REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS

Many have dropped out or applied for protected status in Mexico and the group is significantly diminished from its estimated peak at more than 7,000.

A second smaller one is also behind the initial group.

According to reports some have died along the journey, with one drowning in a river as he attempted to cross in recent days.

President Trump stated he could send up to 15,000 military personnel to stop the caravan entering the US, with more than 5,000 already in place.

Mr Trump made the comments on Thursday / AFP/Getty Images

He has been steadfast in his stance of not allowing people to enter the US illegally.

In a previous interview, he said the US would build tent cities to hold asylum seekers.

"We're going to put tents up all over the place," he told Fox News. They're going to be very nice, and they're going to wait, and if they don't get asylum they get out."

According to protocol, migrants who clear an initial screening are often released until their cases are decided by an immigration court, which can take several years.
T he Trump administration is to reinstate all US sanctions on Iran that were previously been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

These are the second batch of penalties reinstated since President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in May.

The sanctions will cover Iran's shipping, financial and energy sectors, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Friday.

Officials said the sanctions will remain until Tehran meets a number of demands, though Iran has said it has no concerns over the restrictions.

The US has made a number of demands to Iran / AFP/Getty Images

These demands include ending support for terrorism, ending military engagement in Syria and completely halting its nuclear and ballistic missile development.

Mr Pompeo said the sanctions are "aimed at fundamentally altering the behaviour of the Islamic Republic of Iran" and added "maximum pressure means maximum pressure".

The sanctions, that will come into force on Monday, penalise countries that do not stop importing Iranian oil.

They also hit foreign companies that do business with blacklisted Iranian entities, including the central bank, a number of private financial institutions as well as state-run port and shipping companies.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the announcement with Steven Mnuchin / EPA

But eight countries, identified by officials as US allies such as Italy, India, Japan and South Korea, will receive temporary waivers so they can to continue to import Iranian petroleum products for a limited period.

Mr Mnuchin said 700 more Iranian companies and people will be added to the sanctions lists following the move.

Hardliners in the US Congress and elsewhere will probably be disappointed in the sanctions because they were pushing for no oil import waivers.

They also wanted the complete disconnection of Iran from the main international financial messaging network known as Swift.

Mr Mnuchin defended the move to allow some Iranian banks to remain connected to Swift.

He said the Belgium-based firm had been warned it will face penalties if sanctioned institutions are allowed to use it.

Mr Pompeo and Mr Mnuchin said the sanctions will have exceptions for humanitarian purchases.

"America will not be able to carry out any measure against our great and brave nation ... We have the knowledge and the capability to manage the country's economic affairs," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told state TV.

The U.S. government has agreed to let eight countries, including close allies South Korea and Japan, as well as India, keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes sanctions on Tehran.

"The possibility of America being able to achieve its economic goals through these sanctions is very remote and there is certainly no possibility that it will attain its political goals through such sanctions.
Paterson said the department did an internal investigation but the amount of time that had lapsed and amount of access that had formerly been allowed in that area made it difficult. Paterson said anyone in the department could walk through the area, there were no cameras, and no way to identify what happened.
A US study has found there is clear evidence that mobile phones are linked to cancer.

The landmark study, carried out by the National Institute of Heatlh (NIH), claims mobile phone radiation can cause cancers of the heart, brain and adrenal glands.

The NIH has studied the affects of radiation on lab rice, mice and humans since 1999.

The rodents were exposed a level of radiation far greater than humans would be exposed to when using their phones however scientists said the link was "clear".

Scientists warned that men in particular should take precautions about the levels of exposure from phones they receive.

Senior scientist Dr John Bucher at the National Toxicology Program (NTP), in North Carolina, said: "The exposures used in the studies cannot be compared directly to the exposure that humans experience when using a cell phone.

"In our studies, rats and mice received radio frequency radiation (RFR) across their whole bodies.

"By contrast, people are mostly exposed in specific local tissues close to where they hold the phone.

"In addition, the exposure levels and durations in our studies were greater than what people experience."

The study carried out has cost scientists $30 million (23 million) and was carried out over ten years.

The newly published study specifically looked at radiation from 2G and 3G phones.

The rats tested were exposed to radiation for two years - or most of their natural lifetime.
T rump plans for cities of tents at US border

Donald Trump has unveiled plans to construct cities of tents in a bid to end the so-called catch and release of immigrants at the US border.

The president said he would put a stop to releasing asylum seekers into the country as he continued to push a hard line on immigration.

An executive order on immigration will be issued next week, the US leader added as he spoke to reporters at the White House last night.

Britains heatwaves lasting twice as long

Heatwaves in the UK are lasting twice as long as they did 50 years ago, a Met Office report has revealed.

Data showed that the duration of warm spells, when temperatures are well above average for the time of year, have more than doubled.

The Met Offices report, which focuses on weather extremes, also suggests the coldest days in Britain are not as cold as the climate continues to change.

Pilot admits to being nine times over limit before London flight

A Japanese pilot arrested at Heathrow Airport for being drunk has admitted to being more than nine times the legal alcohol limit.

The pilot, who works for Japan Airlines, was detained on Sunday after failing a breath test.

He was found to have 189mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system.

The legal limit for a pilot is 20mg.

Revealed: UKs unhealthiest high streets

High streets with too many "unhealthy" businesses like betting shops, fast food outlets and off-licences could be significantly shortening the lives of locals.

Research by the Royal Society for Public Health found that residents living in such towns die younger than those with plenty of libraries and pharmacies.

Its ranking of 70 high streets found those living in the top 10 healthy areas lived an average of two-and-a-half years longer than those with the 10 unhealthiest high streets.

Grimsby was crowned the unhealthiest town, followed by Walsall and Blackpool.

Christmas ad season is here!

The Christmas advert season is beginning as retailers seek to win consumers' hearts - and cash.

Currys PC World and Argos are both launching their campaigns as November marks the build up to the festive season.

The Argos ad airs for the first time tonight during Coronation Street on ITV and Gogglebox on Channel 4 from 9pm.

Watch the adverts here.

On this day...

1903: The Daily Mirror was first published in Britain, devised as a daily paper for women.

1954: The classic comedy series Hancock's Half Hour began on BBC Radio.

1959: The first stretch of the M1 was opened.

1960: The Lady Chatterley trial ended with publisher Penguin cleared of obscenity.
L ove Island star Laura Crane has thanked fans for their well wishes after being rushed to hospital with sepsis.

The surfer, who was thrust into the limelight after appearing on the ITV2 show this summer, posted a series of snaps from her hospital bed days after being rushed in earlier this week.

A representative for Crane confirmed her alarming diagnosis, which her family are praying she makes a full recovery from.

The statement read: Yes Laura is sadly quite unwell. She was rushed in on Tuesday and they quickly diagnosed sepsis.

Bedbound: Laura Crane posted her plea to go home on her Instagram story / Instagram / Laura Crane

Its taking time to control her temperature and rid her blood of the infection, but it had spread quite rapidly.

A scary time for her and her family but were praying she makes a full recovery in the next couple of days.

Hospital bed: Laura Crane thanked fans with a selfie on Friday / Instagram / Laura Crane

Posting on her Instagram story on Friday, Crane thanked fans for their well wishes, adding that health is wealth.

The 23-year-old also shared a shot of outside her hospital bed as she begged that she would be able to go home today.

Cranes time in the Love Island villa was short after she enterted the villa weeks after the main cast. But she managed to find romance with Jack Fowler and raise a plastic baby with him.

They were dumped days before the final, which was won by Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham, while Fowler's ex Laura Anderson made the top couples with Paul Knops.

The duo have since gone their separate ways, after a two months of dating, due to busy schedules and not having the time to spend together.
W ill Smith and Martin Lawrence are officially reuniting for Bad Boys III after nearly two decades.

The duo confirmed the "crazy" on Instagram, telling fans they are back together for the third instalment of the action comedy.

In a video Smith shouted: Yo, yo. Im telling yall. Im telling yall this is crazy, wait, wait, just wait  its official!

Lawrence then joined Smith in shot and echoed his words because Smith, 50, told fans that that was all they could handle and ended the clip.

Smith captioned the post: Its been a LOOOONG time Coming. But now its Here! @BadBoys For Life We back!! @martinlawrence.

The actor, who played Detective Mike Lowrey in the franchise, also celebrated the news with a throwback shot.

Reunited: Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are teaming up on a third film / Instagram / Martin Lawrence

His on-screen professional partner Lawrence, who played Detective Marcus Burnett, also shared the exciting news, saying he was blessed to be part of the franchise.

Sharing the same video and a selfie of the two, Lawrence wrote: Cant wait to hit the ground runnin! Blessed to be a part of such a great film with my brotha @willsmith.

We still gotta learn the words to the song though! #teammartymar #badboysforlife #weback.

The original Bad Boys was released in 1995, with the second instalment in 2003. It is yet to be announced when the third film is expected to be released.
Review at a glance









T hink back a while to a time when House of Cards was really good.

What was the thing it had? Manners, certainly. It is a very well-dressed drama, stately, straight-backed, with matters of great import unfurling in high-ceilinged rooms with French windows and ceremonial plates. So many plates! It had ambition.

The drama itself was conspiratorial. Frank Underwood, the human embodiment of all this striving, was in cahoots with us, the viewers. He nodded, he winked. He lied, and did a bit of light murdering, but his psychopathic tendencies were forgivable, almost, because the joke was shared.

And then Frank became president, and everything was different. The trick of creating empathy for the devil required him to be an underdog.

House of Cards Final Season trailer without Kevin Spacey

Well, Frank is gone. He was fading anyway, drifting into the shadow of his conspiratorial wife, Claire (Robin Wright), but the banishing of Kevin Spacey from the public sphere has pushed things along. Frank is dead, and almost forgotten, though the circumstances of his demise are a bit murky.

Claire is lying about which bed he died in, while also suggesting that he was murdered. Possibly she did it, though thats not what shes suggesting. On the other hand, she lies all the time.

Iron lady: Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) finally takes control of the White House / David Giesbrecht/Netflix

There is at least one other dead character who seems to be alive. But then, its hard to keep count. The annoying journalist/biographer who got to hang around the White House having an affair with Claire? Hes dead, which is a relief, because his crimes against curiosity were a betrayal of his craft. But he does make a brief, albeit mortified, appearance in the back of a car.

And here we must pause, to consider the other problem faced by House of Cards. Deaths aside, its not mad enough. True, theres a suggestion that the strings of the presidency are being controlled by a family of rich and ultra-charmless weasels, headed by Annette and Bill Shepherd (Diane Lane and Greg Kinnear). Annette has known Claire for ever, and is as close as the show gets to a Dynasty villain, which is not close enough.

House of Cards star: It would not have been realistic to cancel the show

But compare it with the actual White House, and the craziness seems uninventive somehow, as it labours to produce a situation in which the leader of the free world can behave as an underdog. Is underb**** a thing? If it is, thats what Claire strives to be, because the mock-feminist undertow of House of Cards  in which Claires triumph is like a warped response to institutionalised misogyny  requires her to correct personal pronouns at all times, while also mentioning that she feels as if she has been emasculated.

Wright, as ever, plays the role like ice sculpture doing yoga. She has a Human League haircut and her costume is exquisite. Unfortunately she is burdened by flashbacks which seek to explain her pathology. Happily, Franks old attack dog Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) is still around, looking like an embalmed grudge.

There are at least two Lady Macbeth references in the script, and the craziness of the age is glanced upon in a glacial plot which incorporates Russian collusion and the potential triggering of the 25th amendment (in which the President is deemed incapable).

It looks and sounds like great drama. It smells like ham.

House of Cards season six LA premiere - in pictures 1 /7 House of Cards season six LA premiere - in pictures Robin Wright poses at the premiere for House of Cards REUTERS (L-R) Diane Lane, Constance Zimmer, Robin Wright, Patricia Clarkson and Nini Le Huynh at the premiere for the television series REUTERS Greg Kinnear poses at the premiere in Los Angeles REUTERS Patricia Clarkson poses at the LA premiere REUTERS Michael Kelly poses at the premiere REUTERS Patricia Clarkson poses at the premiere for the television series House of Cards in Los Angeles, California REUTERS Robin Wright poses at the premiere for the television series REUTERS
One of the greatest assets of our Public Safety Department is their quick response to emergency situations. We will continue to serve, but this may have to be done with amber lighting (a yellow colored light) instead of what we have been accustomed to (red and blue), the post states.
The justices were deeply concerned about (Rogers) ongoing and inexplicable failure, now more than three years later, to issue a refund that (Rogers) consistently has acknowledged is owed and that (Rogers) has claimed he is ready, willing and able to pay, according to the opinion.
The tentative contract was reached following months of negotiations in Pittsburgh, beginning on July 9. As talks stalled, the union held strike authorization votes, giving union leadership the authority to call a strike if they deemed one was necessary to reach an agreement with the company. The strike authorization was unanimously approved by all of its local unions.
Tyler Kent, planning director, said 10 homes are expected to be constructed the first year, with 10 more homes each additional year, and that the approximate value of each is home is $325,000. The annexation proposal will continue to be discussed at the next city council meeting on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
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If you really want to see the heartbeat of America, watch some of these Trump rallies. The people that go to these rallies love their country, are hard working Americans fully willing to earn an honest living, and are not shy about saying how they feel. It just gives you a warm feeling of so much patriotism all gathered up in one area. This is so much more like real life than all of the whining, false statements, moaning and groaning that we see in Quickly everyday. These people that go to these rallies have jobs.
Mayors of Bucharest and Madrid will sign a memorandum of cooperation between the two cities in sustainable development, infrastructure, education, culture and tourism fields, on the occasion of Aa visit that Gabriela Firea will pay to the Spanish Capital, as of November 5.

The General Mayor of the Capital City Bucharest will have a series of meetings with experts of the Madrid Municipality, on issues related to the smart city concept and infrastructure, and also with representatives of some specialized companies to discuss about urban planning and urban governance models.

She will also attend the opening of the World Forum on Urban Violence and Education for Better Living Together and Peace and she will meet President of the Madrid Community Angel Garrido."A city with almost 4 million inhabitants like Madrid, which managed in just a few year to solve, through a clear strategy, its problems related to traffic and to successfully implement smart city projects represents an administrative model for the Romanian capital. I want to set the grounds for a long term collaboration, in order to benefit from the expertise of the Madrid specialists, not only in what concerns the traffic problems, but also in areas like education, urbanism and culture," stated Gabriela Firea, according to a release of the Bucharest City Hall (PMB).
More than 300 sailors and 11 riverboats and sea-going military ships returned on Friday morning completing the 11th stage of the second series of the "Danube Protector 18" exercise carried out between Braila and Tulcea, and also on the Sfantu Gheorghe branch, according to the Romanian Navy Staff (SMFN).

Part of the "Danube Protector 18" exercise, organised on the Danube by the Mihail Kogalniceanu River Flotilla Command, between October 29 and November 1, were firing double-barrelled 100 mm and 30 millimetre cannons, a 14.5-millimetre gun machine and other naval artillery systems, including rocket launchers, and exercising standard procedures to discourage illegal action on the river in high-risk districts.

Talking about the exercise completed on Friday morning, SMFN press officer Corneliu Pavel said that is the most important naval exercise using live ammunition conducted on the Danube this year by a NATO military force."In recent years, following the degradation of the security situation at the eastern border of the European Union and NATO, training inland navy officers has intensified and diversified to ensure a steady and robust military presence at the mouth of the Danube, thus meeting one of the commitments of Romania to its NATO partners," said Pavel.Romania is the only NATO member to possess an operational river flotilla with the greatest combat and action capability. This structure has deployable boats to the Danube and the lagoon areas of the Danube Delta, as well as the vicinity of the seaside. The Romanian Navy's riverboats have been built at Romanian shipyards complete with numerous artillery systems capable of firing targets 20 kilometers away.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Melescanu has firmly pleaded for the commutation of the death sentence in the case of the two Romanian citizens sentenced to death in Malaysia, during the meeting he had on Thursday with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this country, Dato' Seri Ramlan bin Ibrahim, informs MAE.

Teodor Melescanu welcomed Dato' Seri Ramlan bin Ibrahim, who is paying a visit to Bucharest for a round of bilateral consultations.

"On this occasion, the head of Romanian diplomacy firmly pleaded for the commutation of the death sentence in the case of the two Romanian citizens sentenced to the capital punishment in Malaysia, while voicing hope for a fair treatment of the third detainee, who is still on trial. In this context, the Minister hailed the recent initiative of the Government in Putrajaya to initiate a draft law on abolishing the capital punishment," specified MAE.They also evoked the very good cooperation existing at the level of the international organisations, highlighting the opportunities of strengthening the EU-Malaysia opportunities, ahead of the signing of the Agreement for Cooperation and Partnership.Moreover, the Malaysian official had consultations with Secretary General of the MAE Cosmin Dinescu, with whom he reviewed the current stage of the bilateral relations and the cooperation fields with development potential. The two officials agreed on the need to extend the bilateral legal framework, for a proper transposition of the new economic and social realities of the relation between the two states.The two diplomats underscored their common objective of boosting the economic relation between Romania and Malaysia, on which occasion they discussed the recent evolutions regarding the European Parliament's and Council's proposal to promote renewable energy (RED II) and the measures taken by the Malaysian Government to ensure a sustainable production of palm oil, considering Malaysia's position as palm oil exporter (2nd exporter worldwide), reads the same release.The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia also paid a visit to the Consular Department, where he participates in an exchange of good practices in the consular assistance field, on which occasion they discussed in detail the situation of the Romanians sentenced to death in Malaysia."Dato' Seri Ramlan bin Ibrahim reiterated the Malaysian Government's commitment to abolish the capital punishment, while underscoring that the process meant to revise this normative act, during which there was issued a moratorium regarding the executions, needs to pass through the corresponding procedures in the Malaysian Parliament," informs MAE.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Thursday in an interview broadcast by Antena 3 private television station that he is looking forward to the day when Romania, alongside other countries, moves its Embassy for Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and gave assurances that when the move materialises, the Israeli Government will be there with "a red carpet."

When asked about the political storm sparked in Romania following the discussions regarding the move of the Embassy of Romania from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, PM Netanyahu stated he has "enough politics in Israel," thus he will not get into the politics of Romania. However, he wanted to mention founding "a tremendous friendship" from all the leaders that he discussed with.

"Obviously, we wish to have all the embassies come to Jerusalem. President Trump [the US President] did an historic statement when he actually recognised the obvious. Jerusalem is Israel's capital, it's been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years, since King David and 1,000 years before the common era (...) This is where the seat of our Government is and that's where it will always be. So, obviously we appreciated President Trump's move," Netanyahu stated, while voicing hope that other countries will do the same."I look forward to the day when Romania does it and so will others. And by the way, I expect others to do it very soon. So, it's a question of time, I'm sure, but it will take place. When the Government of Romania decides to move its Embassy to Jerusalem and recognise that Jerusalem is Israel's capital we'll be there with a red carpet, I assure you," Benjamin Netanyahu stated.
The Romanian state "is a great friend" of Israel and cooperation with Romania is currently on "an upward trajectory," the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview on Thursday broadcast by Antena 3 private television station, while specifying that he was looking forward to have concrete discussions with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila in Varna on Friday, to identify new modalities of developing the relations between the two countries.

According to the head of the Israeli Government, the level of the partnership existing between the two countries is reflected in the "depth of contacts."

"We cooperate in so many areas. Israeli investors invested in Romania, first of all because they thought it was good businesses, but also I think it's a reflection of sympathy. We cooperate in matters of security, anti-terror. Romania stands often with Israel in difficult diplomatic arenas and we appreciate this. We recognize our friends and we consider Romanian a great friend," said Netanyahu.Asked to give a mark to the Romanian-Israeli relations at this point, Benjamin Netanyahu said it was close to the top.The head of the Israeli government used this occasion to speak of the danger of "radical Islam," which is one of the common concerns he said he will approach at the high-level meeting Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, which takes place in Varna."We are a common civilization (Israel and Romania - editor's note), not only because we have this human bridge of close to half of million Israeli who come from Romania, but also because we are being challenged by the forces of radical Islam that want to bring down our civilization, kill our people. And we see that the sources of militant Islam are not only the extreme, the radical Sunnis like Al-Waida and now Daesh, ISIS (the Islamic State), but also Iran, the radical Shia that it leads; they have just sponsored several terrorist attacks on the soil of Europe, which we hope prevent. So we have a common interest to both bring our countries forward, bring a better life to our people, but also bring a safer life to our people against these common threats. And all of these I look forward to discussing with the leaders here, in Varna," said Netanyahu.He underscored the fact that he is "very proud" to be the first foreign leader to be invited to the summit and specified that he took it as "a compliment to his country and people and to our friendship."
President Klaus Iohannis argues that government action on key issues to the well-being of SMEs and the economy is still insufficient.

"The modernisation of Romania over the next decades depends, to a great extent, on the scale and the quality of the investments made in the economy. After an economic advance of almost 7pct last year, based mainly on consumption, current developments show how important it is that the economy generates quality growth based on investment and exports. Only a robust, qualitative economic growth can support the long-term increase in the incomes of the population and the economic and social well-being. From this point of view, the governmental action is still insufficient in terms of essential issues for the well-being of SMEs and the economy, such as the development of transport infrastructure, the use of European funds, the encouragement of innovative industries, and also finding sustainable solutions to the shortage of qualified workers in the economy," Iohannis said in a message to the opening of the twenty-first edition of the National Ranking of Private Companies in Romania read out by presidential adviser Cosmin Marinescu.

In his message, Iohannis points out that "improving economic competitiveness is based on smart public policies that decision-makers develop in terms of promoting innovation and new technologies, developing financial markets and education in the spirit of performance."He points out that in the modern economy, the development of firms is done through capital attracted from banks and financial markets.In this context, the head of state points out that adopting simplification measures in these areas would bring significant benefits for small and medium-sized entrepreneursHe points out that fiscal or labour market changes must also have a predictability horizon.He adds that it would be to the benefit of all if young people would be more encouraged in the relationship with the labour market."I consider it essential for the education system to be flexible and adaptable to the demands and expectations of employers, for example by shifting the emphasis on developing IT skills or practical skills. In this respect, the business environment is entitled to await responsible measures on the wage policy line. Supporting the workforce and the well-being of employees does not have to mean unsustainable costs on the part of the entrepreneurs (...) I urge you to be confident, rise up the top of the economic performance, and I assure you of all my support for an honest and constructive dialogue with the entrepreneurial sector," concludes Iohannis.
I can understand the hurt people in the Quickly column feel  the need to try and destroy President Trump with every word in the dictionary, and thinking we need a lesson on the Constitution and some guidance on who we should vote for. I just want them to know that your comments haven't changed my mind in the least because I will vote straight Republican for the first time in my voting career of over 40 years, and I will vote for President Trump again in 2020. The media is trying to portray President Trump as a monster along with people like you who put yourselves above the will of the people, and can't figure out how to get over it. Youre boring the hell out of me!
Secretary of State Dan Neculaescu paid a working visit on Thursday to the Kyrgyz Republic, context in which he stressed the importance of increasing, in the next stage, the collaboration between Romania and Kyrgyzstan at the UN level, a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) sent to AGERPRES informs.

According to the MAE release, the Romanian official met with First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dinara Kemelova, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Nurlan Abdrahmanov, Deputy Economy Minister Eldar Alisherov, Minister of Culture and Tourism Azamat Jamankulov, as well as with President of the Chamber of Commerce Marat Sharshekeev. Moreover, the Romanian diplomat also met the head of the EU delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic Eduard Auer and Romania's honorary Consul in Bishkek Ishenbay Moldotashev.

The meetings' agenda included topics related to the development of the bilateral dialogue and the economic relations between Romania and the Kyrgyz Republic, collaboration in the culture, education and tourism areas. Furthermore, the Romanian and Kyrgyz officials also tackled the relation of the Kyrgyz Republic with the European Union and the progress accomplished in the negotiation process of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the Kyrgyz Republic.The Romanian State Secretary stressed the importance of increasing, in the next stage, the Romanian-Kyrgyz collaboration at the UN level. Also, he underscored the Romanian expertise in water management, a topic that especially concerns the Central Asia region and also refereed to the connection of the region to the transport corridors linking Europe to Asia, including in the view of the initiative promoted by our country on the Black Sea - Caspian Sea Freight Corridor, the quoted source mentioned.In its turn, the Kyrgyz side underscored the determination to deepen cooperation with Romania, both at bilateral level and while considering that the latter will be holding, as of January 2019, the Presidency of the Council of the EU, while expressing a particular interest in relation with the EU Strategy for Central Asia.State Secretary Neculaescu's visit to the the Kyrgyz Republic is part of a regional tour, which also included the Republic of Uzbekistan. The tour aimed to deepen the bilateral relations with states of Central Asia, including in view of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, in the first half of 2019, but also in view of Romania's bid for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council, according to the MAE release.
But sadly, that amazing ability for increased communication and exposure to those of unfamiliar backgrounds has rattled the cages of some who would prefer to go back to the old way, living in a microcosm of similar people. They believe that is how it should be, all the while fighting attempts from the rest of the world to honor a more global outlook on our shared planet.
Lee Thinnes, owner of Lees Antiques of Winnetka, discusses design options with Luke Palese of Chicago. (Gina Grillo / Pioneer Press)
Just hours after Robert Bowers, 46, opened fire on synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing 11 worshippers, the excommunication of Gab social media platform, which Bowers used to post his anti-Semitic rants, began in earnest.

As is widely known by now, Gab, the ad-free social media service that was/is devoted to preserving individual liberty, the freedom of speech, and the free flow of information on the internet  the exact things, incidentally, that the invisible comptrollers of the Internet fear the most  is facing an Internet sanctions regime when it became know that Bowers had posted an anti-Semitic rant over their platform.

Gab suffered coordinated sanctions by PayPal, the online payment service, and Joyent, the cloud computing server, two IT powerhouses that refused to continue business relations with the social media platform, even though Gab continues to cooperate with the authorities in the case. Later, Stripe, Godaddy and Medium also joined the boycotters.

Attacking a social media platform for the content that one of its users posted is almost the same as attacking the Ford Motor Company because one of its customers drove their Mustang around town with hateful messages smeared on the window. Gab, just like Twitter, Facebook and all the others, is simply a vehicle for disseminating messages; and, try as they might, they will not always be able to control what their millions of users will write on that vehicle at any given moment. Moreover, such an unpredictable scenario, where a maniac suddenly throws up a social media post just minutes before committing a horrific crime could have happened to any company.

Gab did not create Robert Bowers any more than Facebook, Twitter or Donald Trump did. And as the above post shows, hateful messages left on Gab were not significantly more numerous than that of Twitter, its powerful competitor who would love nothing more than to see its market challenger fall to a million arrows of public acrimony. Yet, its only due to sheer luck that Facebook and Twitter, judging by the unfathomable amount of hate speech that regularly features on their platforms, have not suffered the same sort of bad luck as Gab.

To prove the point, lets play a game in the spirit of a Sarah Jeong joke. Lets take one of her past white people Twitter comments and replace the term white people or white male with another racial identity, like Asian, Black or Russian. Does such a switcheroo reduce you to side-splitting laughter? Probably not. In fact, the jokes are downright hateful. Whos to say they could not have instigated violence against some white people?

Nevertheless, the New York Times, which hired Jeong, 30, as its lead technology writer despite a clear aversion to white people, offered up an apologetic rationale for her past flight from fancy by essentially blaming the very people she hurled vicious insults against: Her journalism and the fact that she is a young Asian woman have made her a subject of frequent online harassment. For a period of time she responded to that harassment by imitating the rhetoric of her harassers. She sees now that this approach only served to feed the vitriol that we too often see on social media.

Today, Jeong still has her job, as well as an active Twitter account. There seems to be some sort of trend occurring here, and I am certainly not the first to notice it. We can all agree that hate exists on the internet and it can land on any social media platform at any time. Some of the platforms, however, are 'more equal' than the others and will not suffer industry-wide sanctions, and possible total excommunication, in the event some tragedy follows in the wake of a racist remark by one of their millions of users.

So here is where many individuals find themselves with relation to the IT giants: As more and more creators migrate for various reasons to alternative social media sites, like Gab, where there are no more racists, neo-Nazis or white supremacists than on the other more popular platforms, responsible users who do not subscribe to hate speech are at risk of losing their freedom of speech platform every time an act of violence occurs.

It needs to be remembered that every social media site has the ability to thwart an act of violence if they can recognize the would-be perpetrators in time. Gab did not create Robert Bowers, and his sick ideas would have fermented with or without the enabling powers of Gab (whatever that means), or Facebook, or Twitter, or even the Internet. To think that by terminating alternative social media will suddenly remove hate speech or hate thought is a fools errand; better to get these services to work together with law enforcement to recognize and prevent acts of violence before they happen.

Here is a short list of the acts of violence that have been aimed at Trump supporters over the last several years, a nice place to start. In total, 613 known events.

The carving up of America between two radically diverse political camps, with Liberals aggressively cordoning off university campuses, classrooms and even restaurants from Conservatives, lacks just one separate room in this rubber-padded insane asylum. And that is a separate internet space, or matrix if you will, where law-abiding internet companies are not lumped into the same loony bin as some of the deranged customers who happen to use their services.

An entirely separate internet architecture needs to be created  pay services, hosting platforms, social media services  that are not bounds by the whims of the free market, which as we have learned is not so free after all. In fact, its absolutely tyrannical. At the same time, IT companies  made up of men and women who subscribe to their own favorite ideologies, which more often than not are Liberal oriented  are no less susceptible to pursuing political agendas than the government, and to believe for a second they will not take advantage of a tragedy to oust a bothersome competitor from the marketplace would be shortsighted and plain stupid.

Since the internet is currently comprised of two separate and distinct people, from two separate universes, time to act like China and construct an entirely separate internet architecture. Personally, I see no other alternatives.
There were several takeaways from the recent Quadrilateral Summit in Istanbul on finding a peaceful settlement to the war in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin convened with his counterparts from Turkey, Germany and France for a two-day summit last weekend in a convivial and constructive atmosphere.

The four powers signed a communique emphasizing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. It was Putin who underscored the inviolability of the Syrian government of President Assad as the internationally recognized authority in the Arab country. The communique also endorsed the right of the Syrian nation to self-determination over the future political settlement, free from external interference.

These principles have been stated before in a previous UN Security Council Resolution 2254. But it seems more than ever that the sovereignty of Syria has been widely accepted. Recall that not too long ago, Turkey and France were calling for President Assad to stand down. That demand is no longer tenable, at least as far as the four powers attending the Istanbul summit are concerned.

The upholding of Syrian self-determination bears the stamp of Russias long-held position. The acceptance of this position by Turkey, Germany and France is testimony to the key role Russia has established in ending the nearly eight-year war in Syria and now creating the framework for a peace settlement in the war-torn country. This framework has been made possible after Russias principled military intervention nearly three years ago, which prevented Syria from being destroyed by Western-backed insurgents.

Ironically, the US and Britain have been pursuing a policy of trying to isolate and delegitimize Russia in international relations. Evidently from the Quadrilateral Summit in Istanbul, Moscow is far from isolated. It is perhaps the linchpin power for the reconstruction of Syria. Furthermore, Russia has emerged as having newfound leadership on the international stage owing to its laudable contribution in salvaging Syria from a foreign-sponsored war to destroy that nation.

Another important takeaway from the Istanbul gathering was that Washington and London were not invited to attend. That speaks to the diminished role these two powers have previously claimed in international politics. Their absence also speaks to the tacit recognition that the US and Britain have played a destructive part in fomenting the war in Syria. Turkey and France have also blood on their hands from likewise sponsoring regime change. But at least, it seems, the latter two have come significantly some way to accepting that the illicit objective of regime change is now a dead-end.

It remains to be seen if the Istanbul communique can be translated into substantive results in terms of Syrias reconstruction. Both Germany and France appeared at this stage to not commit to providing financial aid. Berlin and Paris appeared to with-hold specific aid, perhaps as a way to maintain some kind of leverage over shaping a final political settlement. That contradicts the principle of recognizing Syrian self-determination. Nevertheless, if millions of Syrian refugees are to return to their country  a paramount issue for the European Union  then the EU must do much more in financing Syrias reconstruction.

Another glaring contradiction in the communique is that the territorial integrity of Syria is being violated by the US and Turkey. Both have troops occupying swathes of Syrian territory in what is an egregious breach of international law. For a comprehensive peace settlement, all foreign powers present in Syria without a legal mandate must be withdrawn from the country.

While the US was excluded from the Quadrilateral Summit, Washington still exerts a baleful obstacle to peace.

Days after the Istanbul conference, the US envoy to Syria, James Jeffrey, made provocative statements that do not bode well. He gloated in the fact that the US has some 2,000 troops in the country, and the State Department official warned that Washington would not permit a normalization of Syria by giving up occupied territory.

Jeffrey told media in Brussels. We are not going to put it [Syria] back together, and we are going to do everything we can, and thats a lot, to ensure that nobody else does.

It was a staggering admission of criminality by the US diplomat. It flies in the face of UN resolutions and the Istanbul communique endorsing Syrias sovereignty and territorial integrity.

However, the threat of further destabilizing Syria by Washington illustrates that US objectives are in direct conflict with those of its European allies.

Germany, France and the rest of Europe need a peaceful reconstruction of Syria if they are to mitigate the refugee crisis that has destabilized the EU. A major political challenge to German Chancellor Angela Merkel from within her own country stems from the refugee crisis that the Syrian war has generated. The US policy of interminable interference in Syria is deeply incompatible with Europes interests for restoring peace to the Mediterranean and Middle East region.

Russia has helped decisively to win the war in Syria. But to win the peace, other powers must play a constructive role. Moscow has also decisively led the way to finding a peaceful settlement, from its diplomacy in previous summits in Astana and Sochi.

Far from being isolated or delegitimized, Russia has demonstrated an admirable leadership with regard to Syria. It is the US and Britain that are seen to be woefully isolated, and still pushing a destructive policy.

The Istanbul summit was a vindication of Russian policy. The coming together of Turkey, Germany and France with Russia is further vindication. What these four powers must do is insist on Washington abiding by international law and respecting Syrias sovereignty. By getting illegal American forces out of Syria that would also go towards solving Turkeys concerns over US-backed Kurdish separatists occupying territory in northeast Syria.

Washington is the one that is isolated over Syria, not Russia. The Europeans and Turkey are right to recognize Russia as a viable partner with regard to Syrias future and their own security. By contrast, Washington as currently positioned, and for the foreseeable future, has nothing to offer except a dead-end.
The United States is threatening to withdraw from two international organizations that survived World Wars I and II but may not survive the retrogressive neo-conservative foreign policy of Donald Trump. The worlds third-oldest international organization, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), founded in 1874 in Bern, Switzerland, has been informed by Washington of the US withdrawal. The United States became, under the administration of President Ulysses Grant, a founding member of the UPU.

The Trump administration, notably the rabidly-rightwing White House trade adviser, Peter Navarro, is upset over foreign government subsidies for certain postal authorities, most notably that of China, which reduces international parcel mailing costs to manufacturers and consumers. Rather than negotiate revised postal rates, through the auspices of the UPU, which was established to standardize the worlds postal system, Trump plans to leave the organization.

The Trump White House is also threatening US withdrawal from the second-oldest international organization, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), established by the International Telegraph Convention in Paris in 1865. The United States joined the ITU in 1908, during the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt. The two presidents  Grant and Roosevelt  who ushered the United States into the UPU and ITU, respectively, were Republicans.

Trumps beef with the ITU is over the organizations management of the international radio frequency spectrum and its movement toward managing international data bandwidth. Trumps Federal Communications Commission (FCC) members, notably FCC chairman Ajit Pai and member Michael ORielly, both of whom are owned and operated by Americas communications giants  including AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast  who want private industry, not government agencies, to set the rules for radio spectrum and bandwidth governance.

The flagrant racism of the Trump administration was on full display when the United States, for the first time in the history of its membership of the Geneva-based ITU, withdrew its candidate for chairman of the Radio Regulations Board (RRB), one of the governing bodies of the ITU. The RRB is key to the oversight and management of the global radio spectrum management, something that Trump and his business cronies want to milk for as much profiteering as possible.

The candidate dropped for RRB chair was board vice-chair Joanne Wilson, nominated by Barack Obama in 2014 to the boards second-ranking position. Breaking with protocol, Washington not only dropped Wilson as chairman-designate but counteracted the ITUs consensus that Jean Philemon Kissangou should be elected as the director of the ITUs Telecommunications Development Bureau (BDT).

The Trump administration has threatened to cut off funding of the ITU, a move tantamount to withdrawal, unless the ITU selects Doreen Bogdan-Martin, a favorite of the scandal-ridden US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, to be the next BDT director. Rosss Commerce Department touts Bogdan-Martin as the first woman to head any of the ITUs elected leadership roles in the organizations 153-year history. However, the Commerce Department is lying. Ms. Wilson was slated to become the ITUs first woman to be elected the head of an ITU body, the RRB.

Wilsons disqualifying factor for the Trump White House is that she is an African-American. Kissangous disqualifier for the Trump administration is that he is an African from the Republic of Congo, one of the nations that Trump previously described as a shithole. Bogdan-Martin, who is white, had the backing of the George W. Bush administration for various positions at the ITU. The racism that is on display by the Republican Party in elections in Georgia, Florida, Texas, and other states is also fashionable in elections for international organization leadership positions in Geneva.

The UPU is also withstanding an onslaught by the Trump administration. The advent of e-commerce has resulted in discussions by the UPU to overhaul its system of postal rates. However, rather than participate in UPU negotiations aimed at reforming the current system, the Trump administration, which eschews multilateralism, decided to walk away from an international organization that survived its adjunct status with the ill-fated League of Nations and became part of the United Nations specialized agency system.

The UPU's main responsibility is to set standards for electronic data interchange (EDI), mail encoding, postal forms, international reply coupons, international postal money orders, and meters between postal authorities. It also strives to ensure that member states adhere to uniform flat rates for mailing letters to any location around the world. Another UPU standard is that stamp values be denoted in Roman numerals.

The UPU also sets regulations for the sending of biologically perishable materials via international post and the handling of both hazardous materials and disease-bearing items that could pose a danger to postal workers. In pursuit of postal safety, the UPU coordinates its activities with the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, and the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Trump administration also announced the US withdrawal from UNESCO, effective December 31, 2018. The United States maintains the horrible distinction of being the only UPU member where the postal system was used, during the George W. Bush administration, to distribute a biological warfare agent  anthrax.

The consequences of US withdrawal from the UPU will be felt immediately. According to UPU deputy director-general Pascal Clivaz, upon termination of American membership in the treaty, Americans will no longer be able to send or receive letters or packages to and from UPU member states, including Canada and Mexico. The UPU will no longer share special codes with the US Postal Service (USPS) that are necessary to send and receive international mail. The only mechanism to send and receive international mail will be via more expensive private delivery services, such as FedEx and UPS. Trump has made no secret of his desire to completely eliminate the USPS and its employees.

US postage stamps may soon be recognized as void postal instruments, so far as the rest of the world is concerned. Postage stamps issued by Vatican City, Christmas Island, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Pitcairn Island, Aitutaki, Tristan da Cunha, the United Nations, Madeira, the Faroes, and the British Antarctic Territory will carry more international legitimacy than a US stamp, thanks to Mr. Trump and his brigands.

The US withdrawal from the UPU will adversely affect three independent Pacific states that are in "compacts of free association" with the United States. Under the compacts, the USPS handles all mail deliveries to and from the Marshall Islands, Palau, and Micronesia. In order to ensure uninterrupted postal connections with neighboring Pacific island states, Asia, and beyond, these impoverished nations will have to establish independent postal authorities and services. In one way, Trump's decision will allow these semi-colonial states to become more independent of Washington and, ultimately, establish foreign policies that will no longer ensure their reflexive support for the US and Israel in the UN General Assembly.

The UPU and ITU managed to weather the Nazi occupation of Europe and North Africa. The belligerent nations of World War II continued to maintain membership in both organizations. In addition, the UPU and ITU were the only two international organizations in which the Soviet Union maintained membership before and immediately following World War II. Mail between the Nazi Reich and the Allied powers, all of which remained members of the UPU, was possible via P.O. Box 506 at the Thomas Cook office in Lisbon or the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva.

Although belligerent nations in World War II conducted extensive wiretapping of international telegraph and telephone lines and radio connections, phone calls and telegrams could still be sent between major world capitals because the ITUs standards continued to be maintained. Seamless digital communications may no longer be the case if the Trump administration, unlike Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, or Imperial Japan, abandons the ITU and its radio frequency management and standards criteria.

The UPU and ITU survived Adolf Hitler, but not Donald Trump. That is a legacy for which every American should feel nothing but shame and everlasting remorse.
TICKERS: PGE; PGEZF; 5D32

Source: Maurice Jackson for Streetwise Reports (11/2/18)

Michael Rowley, president and CEO of Group Ten Metals, sits down with Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable to discuss his company's exploration for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper and cobalt in the Stillwater area of Montana.



Maurice Jackson: Welcome to Proven & Probable. I'm your host, Maurice Jackson. Joining us today is Michael Rowley, president and CEO of Group Ten Metals Inc. (PGE:TSX.V; PGEZF:OTCQB), which is known for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper and cobalt in the Stillwater district in Montana.

This interview is the second of a three-part series introducing the value proposition for the Metallic Group of Companies comprising Metallic Minerals, Group Ten Metals and Granite Creek Copper. These are three separate leading exploration companies, each with a different metal of focus, but with a common approach to business under the proven management of the Metallic Group.

Earlier we interviewed Greg Johnson to talk about Metallic Minerals and its exciting high-grade silver projects in the Yukon. Today we turn our focus to a second company in the Metallic Group, Group Ten Metals, a leading explorer for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper and cobalt in the world-famous Stillwater district in Montana.

Mr. Rowley, for someone new to the story, who is Group Ten Metals, what is your flagship project, and what is the thesis you are attempting to prove?

Michael Rowley: Group Ten is a leading explorer for platinum group metalsthese include platinum, palladium and rhodium, along with nickel, copper and cobalt.

Our flagship project is the Stillwater West project where we have consolidated a very large land position alongside Sibanye-Stillwater's three producing mines in the heart of the Stillwater Igneous Complex in Montana. It's one of the world's premier platinum and palladium producers and is one of the only platinum group metal producing mines outside of South Africa or Russia.

Geologically, Stillwater is a large, layered, mineral-rich magmatic system, very similar to the Bushveld complex in South Africa, which hosts over 75% of the world's platinum, as well as enormous quantities of copper, nickel, gold and other metals.

We see the potential for large-scale disseminated and high-sulphide PGE-nickel-copper type deposits similar to the multi-100-million-ounce deposits in the Platreef district of the northern limb of the Bushveld Complex, and we are the first to apply the new geological models from the Platreef district to the Stillwater district, despite these well-known similarities.

In addition to bringing the land position together with a wealth of data, we have also assembled a truly world-class team, to which we recently added one of the most celebrated Platreef geologists, Dr. David Broughton of Ivanhoe.

Maurice Jackson: Please share where in Montana the Stillwater West Project is located, and provide us some historical context.

Michael Rowley: The project is located in south-central Montana where we adjoin the three producing Stillwater mines, which were bought by Sibanye, a South African gold producer, in 2017 for $2.2 billion. The district is famous for the size and grade of its palladium-platinum mines, which are the highest grade in the world, and the largest outside of Africa and Russia with over 14 million ounces of past production, and over 80 million ounces of resources still in the ground. The PGMs occur along with nickel and copper sulphide, so these are also nickel and copper mines.

Historically, the district, including our block of claims, was also mined for high-grade nickel, copper, chrome and other metals such as cobalt.

The history at Stillwater parallels the developments at the Bushveld Complex in South Africa, so they share more than geology in that regard. Both districts were recognized over 100 years ago for their mineral riches, and both supported a number of mines for varying commodities. And, in both districts, the discovery of high-grade "reef-type" platinum group metal deposits in the 1970s produced large-scale operations that were the sole focus of exploration efforts until the 1990s when regulatory changes forced a release of mineral rights to other operators. In Montana, these changes were in the form of amended U.S. claim fees, while in South Africa it was the end of apartheid. In South Africa, the resulting exploration efforts lead to the development of Anglo American's Mogalakwena Mines, a giant at over 265 Moz PGMs and a very profitable operation that is the largest open-pit platinum mine in the world. Adjacent to that, Ivanhoe is now building the Platreef mine on the same system with over 112 Moz platinum plus substantial nickel and copper values.

We are the first operators to consolidate the lower Stillwater Complex under one owner, to recognize the similarities of the two systems, and to bring a focused exploration program for Platreef-type deposits to the Stillwater complex in Montana.

Maurice Jackson: Group Ten is exploring for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper and cobalt in a world-class district; compare and contrast how your deposits compare to similar districts like South Africa's Bushveld, and also your neighbors in Montana at Sibanye-Stillwater.

Michael Rowley: The Bushveld and Stillwater complexes are both layered magmatic systems, which means that they were both created when enormous amounts of metal-rich magma cooled, forming these massive districts nearly 3 billion years ago. As a result, both districts have high-grade PGM-Ni-Cu deposits in the upper layers and they also have lower zones where magmas where allowed to mix, creating thick intervals of sulphide mineralization enriched in PGMs.

At Bushveld, two basic types of mines have been developed for these two deposit types: narrow high-grade PGM mines on two reef-type deposits, and more recently bulk mining operations in the Platreef district such as Anglo's Mogalakwena mines and Ivanhoe's underground mechanized operation.

At Stillwater the operating mines have focused on narrow, high-grade reef-style deposits. These are the highest grade in the industry, but no systematic effort has been undertaken to explore for and develop Platreef-style mineralization. Group Ten Metals is now exploring in the lower part of the complex for potential large-scale Platreef deposits in the Stillwater district, following the parallels of the same type of settings in South Africa that have produced the Platreef deposits.

Maurice Jackson: Mr. Rowley, we've covered some good background on the Stillwater West Project, walk us through the project.

Michael Rowley: Let's begin with some of our claim holdings in the Stillwater district and some of the existing resources and operations there. As you can see on the Regional Claims Map, Group Ten's Stillwater West land position, shown in yellow and orange, is a large 25-km-long claim block located directly adjacent to Sibanye's three operating Stillwater mines (shown in grey). Proximity to the existing mines provides access to infrastructure such as roads from the west and from the northeast.

Maurice Jackson: What can you share with us regarding the geology and the potential that we have at the Stillwater West project?

Michael Rowley: This is a layered magmatic system, and layering is visible in the geologic map of the Stillwater Complex, as it shows the J-M reef depositthis is the world's highest-grade major PGE deposit at 16 g/t, and, at 80 Moz, the largest outside of South Africa and Russia.

Looking at the cross-section of the Stillwater Complex shown on the District Geology figure, this layering is clearly visible. Layers of metal-rich magma were laid down at formation, and then the whole system was later tipped up 60 degrees, which is more amenable to both mining and exploration as mineralization starts right at surface.

Like the Bushveld complex in South Africa, narrow reef deposits occur in the middle and upper layered portions of the igneous system, while the lower portion of the complex, shown here in orange, purple and light blue, are the basal layers where magma mixed with pre-existing rock, created large, disseminated and massive sulphide deposits such as those in the Platreef district in South Africa. Though it was previously recognized these areas had significant nickel and copper mineralization, this is the first time the potential for large PGM deposits with nickel and copper have been recognized, and the similarities to the large deposits in South Africa make this a very exciting exploration target for Group Ten.

Maurice Jackson: What can you share with us regarding geophysics?

Michael Rowley: A geophysical survey measuring the electrical conductivity of the rocks was conducted over the entire property. High metal contents in the rocks would make them highly conductive so this survey gives a very good indication of metal sulphide content of the mineralization that hosts the PGMs, copper and nickel. This type of geophysics is one of the main targeting tools used by companies exploring for metal sulphide deposits and maps the PGE-Ni-Cu targets, as shown in the top half of slide 8. The survey results indicate seven very large highly conductive targets across the lower part of the complex (highlighted by large blue ellipses as Platreef-type deposits), and five high-grade reef type targets (highlighted by red ellipses), above the lower part of the complex, where they would be expected.

Surface and drill results confirm that these conductors are mineralized with PGMs, nickel and copper, and that a good relationship exists between conductivity and metal content. However, Group Ten will be the first company to systematically drill test these targets in the basal zone for these types of deposits. The strongest conductive targets have yet to be tested, so these are very exciting priority targets for us.

Note that the main part of the property is over 20 km long, and that these individual targets are 3 to 6 kilometers in length each, large enough individually to contain a deposit the size of Ivanhoe's or Anglo American's Platreef deposits!

Maurice Jackson: What do we know about the soil geochemistry?

Michael Rowley: In addition to the geophysics, we have identified very high levels of metals in soils covering an 18-kilometer-long area with high levels of platinum, palladium, nickel and copper. These elevated metals in soils correlate well with the geophysical targets and the shape of the underlying geology. Group Ten's work in 2018 was the first property-wide effort to target large-scale Platreef-type systems in the lower Stillwater Complex and to see this combination of large scale geochemical and geophysical targets is very rare.

Maurice Jackson: Tell us a bit more about these geologic targets that you have identified.

Michael Rowley: Below is a picture of some of the core from our property showing strong sulphide mineralization with PGE-Ni-Cu-Co values in the lower part of the Stillwater Complex.

We have identified two primary target types: the high-grade "reef-type" type deposits that are being currently mined by Sibanye-Stillwater and the Platreef-type that Group Ten is targeting based on evidence in the data, and geologic parallels with the Bushveld in South Africa.

Maurice Jackson: What do we know about the styles of mineralization in this kind of geologic environment?

Michael Rowley: In terms of mineralization and mineralization type, slide 11 presents and compares reef type and Platreef-type targets. The Reef type deposits are presented in the brown color box and photos, and we've taken the Merensky and the J-M Reef as examples, one from Bushveld and one from Stillwater. Very high grade, very narrow thickness. On the right hand side of the slide are some good pictures showing what it's like to operate in these mines. Merensky happens to be flat lying, and the mines are deep and expensive to operate. It is expected that many of these marginal Merensky mines will close due to their high costs, which should drive platinum prices in the coming years, with continued reduction of supply even as demand for platinum and palladium continue to grow.

The lower picture on the right shows mining of the J-M Reef deposits at Stillwater, at a 60 degree angle that's more amenable to mining.

The key take-away from this slide is the scale of the Platreef-style deposits shown in the grey box in the lower left of the slide with the picture of Mogalakwena mine. The thicknesses that we see in the mineralization, and the contained metal in these depositsthese are very large and economically attractive bulk mining operations. It's worth noting that Anglo American's Platreef Mogalakwena Mines are the largest and most profitable platinum mines in the world. Ivanhoe's adjoining Platreef Mine is going to be a very high-tech underground bulk mining operation that looks similarly very economically attractive, and that's potential that we see at Stillwater West.

Maurice Jackson: The Stillwater West is considered a large brownfields exploration property; how is this important in terms of the potential for exploration discovery and development?

Michael Rowley: Brownfields is a term for a property that is in an area that has had past discoveries and/or production. So this in contrast to a greenfields property, which is outside of proven mining areas.

Many people don't realize that the majority of exploration dollars spent in the mining industry go to exploration around existing mines because it is one of the best places to make new discoveries and to rapidly be developed and produced using existing infrastructure. The adage is "the best place to find a mine is right next to an existing one."

In this case, at Stillwater, we have consolidated the district alongside three operating mines owned by Stillwater-Sibanye and are exploring in this same highly productive geologic environment, significantly increasing the probability of making new discoveries and potentially allowing for rapid development of low capital deposits because they are near surface and have the benefit of existing roads, power and other infrastructure already in the district.

Maurice Jackson: Group Ten has other assets in its portfolio. Where are these located, and please provide us with some historical background.

Michael Rowley: Following the Metallic Group model of acquiring quality assets in districts during the low parts of the metals price cycle, Group Ten has another PGE nickel copper project in the Kluane belt of the Yukon. This adjoins Nickel Creek Platinum's Wellgreen project. World-class geology, and excellent potential for scale and grade there. We are seeing good interest in this asset as well but it's at an earlier stage than the Stillwater asset.

We also have the Black Lake/Drayton gold project, which adjoins First Mining's Goldlund project and Treasury Metals Goliath project in the Rainy River belt of Ontario. We have several groups looking at this project as it is a 30-kilometer-long belt of productive geology that sits between two multi-million-ounce gold deposits. We've consolidated an impressive land position and database during the bear market and this is a very active exploration district.

Maurice Jackson: What work have you done this year, and how do you prioritize them alongside your flagship Stillwater West project?

Michael Rowley: Work programs at Kluane were focused on target refinement with an eye to adding value and assisting some of the parties from whom we have had expressions of interest. Similarly, in Ontario our work has consisted of refining targets and presenting the potential of the project to the groups we have under CA looking at a possible acquisition or partnership.

Maurice Jackson: You are just wrapping up exploration for this season at Stillwater West so when should we expect to see the next results from this year's work?

Michael Rowley: This was only our first year on the ground at Stillwater and yet, because of the amount of information we have including surface sampling, mapping, drilling and geophysics we have already identified 12 major targets on the property.

In addition, we have re-logged over 11,000 meters of core that is in our possession, some of which was assayed incompletely, or never assayed at all, and certainly never looked at with the bulk tonnage model we are using. Those results, and the new 3D models they will drive, are expected to give us a lot of news flow over the next several months as we detail the information in each of our target zones with the objective to develop and refine the targets for drilling and to focus on those areas that we may be able to rapidly advance towards new resources.

Maurice Jackson: What is management's philosophy, are you looking to build mines or are you focused on exploration?

Michael Rowley: We are very much focused on the opportunity to make discoveries and to rapidly advance those to resource definition, as shown on slide 13. This stage can be one of the greatest periods for value creation in mining for investors. It's not uncommon that the value that's created in that initial discovery and resource development phase may not be exceeded again until these projects actually go into production, often times many years later.

Maurice Jackson: Switching gears, I've learned from some of the most respected names in the natural resource spaceRick Rule, Doug Casey, Jayant Bhandari, Mickey Fulp, Bob Moriartythat the people running the business are equally, if not more important, than the latent material in the ground. Mr. Rowley, please introduce us to your board of directors and management team, and what unique skill sets do they bring to Group Ten Metals?

Michael Rowley: The quality of the Stillwater asset in particular has enabled us to attract a remarkable team. Dr. Craig Bow, who was part of the original discovery at Stillwater, is back leading the team now. Dr. Dave Broughton, of course of Ivanhoe, awarded for the discovery of the Platreef deposit and other world-class mines for Ivanhoe, just recently joined as senior technical advisor. They both are very excited about the potential here, and are experts in this type of deposit. In addition, we have a number of experienced team members who have worked in this region for decades. It's a great group of people to work with. And of course the Metallic Group management team, Greg Johnson, Gregor Hamilton, Bill Harris, myself, all of us veterans are of the industry. The team brings great depth of experience with specialized expertise in PGM and nickel systems.

Maurice Jackson: Tell us about your share structure, options and warrants.

Michael Rowley: It's early days, we have a market cap of about $8 million, and about 44 million shares outstanding. Key point is we have $3 million of both in the money warrants that are callable and that's after bringing in about $800,000 worth of those to date.

Maurice Jackson: What is your burn rate?

Michael Rowley: Presently it is about $50,000 per month. That includes our technical team and we do a good job of keeping costs down by sharing office and other back office expenses with the Metallic Group companies.

Maurice Jackson: Do you have institutional investors at this point?

Michael Rowley: We have a couple of mining-focused institutional funds with one out of Europe and one out of Toronto and a great set of high net worth investors.

Maurice Jackson: What is the float?

Michael Rowley: It's pretty tightly held so probably about 20 million shares, and we turn over about one or two million shares per month.

Maurice Jackson: Mr. Rowley, multilayered question, what is the unanswered question for Group Ten Metals, when should we expect results, and what will determine success?

Michael Rowley: We have a lot to report through coming months as we continue the work to refine the highest priority drill targets for 2019. We have over 11,000 meters of core that has been re-logged and in places re-sampled, we have completed a comprehensive program of surface mapping and sampling and are integrating the drill information along with the surface work and geophysics.

We will be reporting a large number of assay results over coming months from our 2018 programs and are excited to be able to begin 3D modelling of the geophysics and drilling towards developing a predictive 3D geologic model of the lower Stillwater Complex targets.

Maurice Jackson: Mr. Rowley, in the introduction we alluded to the Metallic Group of Companies, please tell more about this.

Michael Rowley: Group Ten Metals is part of a collaboration of leading exploration companies with some common directors between the companies and a similar approach to business. The Metallic Group of Companies includes Metallic Minerals TSX-V: MMG, which is focused on high-grade silver in the Yukon Territory; Group Ten Metals focused on platinum and palladium along with nickel and copper, in the Stillwater District, of Montana; and the newest company to join the group, Granite Creek Copper, as a newly launched copper focused exploration company with an exciting project right next door to a high-grade copper producer in the Carmacks District of the Yukon.

These three companies have each focused on acquiring large blocks of brownfield holdings during the low part of the metal price cycle, adjacent to operating mines with infrastructure and facilities already in place in the districts. All three companies have multiple targets that have potential for major new discoveries, and are focused on large-scale targets that would be of interest to the major mining companies.

We are applying new technologies to the extensive historical data on these projects that allow us to fast-track target development and refinement and drive rapid advancement to the resource delineation stage.

In each of these situations with these operating mines next door, there is an opportunity to be able to fast track development on these targets by utilizing the existing infrastructure in their respective districts. There is also the potential for partnering with those operators or, if we're successful in discovering very large scale deposits, to see interest by other larger companies.

The Metallic Group of Companies are reducing costs by having a common admin group and CFO, as well as allowing us to have a deeper technical team with some specialists that can be shared across the group.

It's an exciting group of companies with a common philosophy. Our objective is to build real value for the Metallic Group investors going forward.

Maurice Jackson: Finally, what did I forget to ask?

Michael Rowley: I think that was a very comprehensive overview of Group Ten, and thank you for it. Perhaps in closing, I'd like to touch on a couple of catalysts ahead. On the industry side, we mentioned South Africa and the costs of mining there and the expected closure of a lot of those high-cost platinum mines. It has been a well-established pattern of falling PGM production out of South Africa year-on-year and the CPM Group's work out of New York indicates that a lot of mine closures are expected soon, in 2019 and 2020. This is going to have a huge effect on platinum prices, because 75% of the world's PGMs comes out of those reef deposits in South Africa. It's also worth noting that we have significant nickel, copper and cobalt, which are such important metals for the rapidly growing battery and technology metals space.

We are very bullish on these metals after a seven-year bear market. With most commodity price cycles running four to six years, we believe that the upside opportunity in these metals moving into the next cycle ahead could be very significant.

Lastly, the fact that the Stillwater West project is a U.S.-based project adjoining these world-class, enormous PGM mines in Montana, with all the existing infrastructure in place can allow us to fast track our progress there.

Maurice Jackson: In our first interview, we shared that there was a financing opportunity for accredited investors. Please share the details with us.

Michael Rowley: We recently announced that we are in the process of completing the initial offering for our newly created copper company, Granite Creek Copper.

Maurice Jackson: For someone listening that wants to get more information on Group Ten Metals, the website address is www.grouptenmetals.com. And as a reminder Group Ten Metals trades on the TSX-V:PGE and on the OTCQB:PGEZF. For direct inquiries please contact Chris Ackerman at 604-357-4790 ext. 1 and he may also be reached at [email protected]

And last but not least please visit our website provenandprobable.com, where we interview the most respected names in the natural resources space. You may reach us at [email protected].

Michael Rowley of Group Ten Metals, thank you for joining us today on Proven and Probable.

Maurice Jackson is the founder of Proven and Probable, a site that aims to enrich its subscribers through education in precious metals and junior mining companies that will enrich the world.

[NLINSERT]

Disclosure:

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Jan Tinetti

Labour MP

Its important to feel safe in our communities and have faith in our criminal justice system, and we know there is work to do in this area.

The government is supporting safer communities by recruiting 1800 more police officers and investing in crime prevention. Every time we prevent a crime from being committed, we save another New Zealander from being a victim.

The Safe and Effective Justice Advisory Group has been appointed to support the Hapitia te Oranga Tangata Safe and Effective Justice Programme, which the government has established to create a more effective criminal justice system and a safer New Zealand.

The advisory group is undertaking a nationwide consultation to gather information on the criminal justice system, and next week it will be Taurangas turn to talk to them.

They want to hear from the public, and people who have experienced the system and the groups who work in it or with it every day.

The group, chaired by former Minister for Courts Chester Burrows, is independent of the government and has been tasked with finding out how the system can be improved. Mr Burrows believes this our chance to make a big difference to our criminal justice system.

The meeting will be on Monday, November 5, from 11.30am-1.30pm at Greerton Library. I would like to encourage you to come along.

If you cant make it, then you can make a submission outlining your experiences and ideas to the group via: www.safeandeffectivejustice.govt.nz

Alternatively, you can contact them directly at: te_uepu@justice.govt.nz
Brian Rogers

Rogers Rabbits

www.sunlive.co.nz

Should a robot car automatically choose to run over an old fogey and spare the young? Take out a jaywalker and avoid the law-abiding pedestrian? Hit the fat kid with the ice cream to dodge the fitness fanatic jogger?

These are the sort of scenarios that clever people around the globe are trying to figure, with help from the public. Except maybe that ice cream example, I just made that up.

Researchers all over the world have asked millions of people tough moral questions. What should a driverless car be programmed to do, faced with an unavoidable accident?

The study gathered 40 million decisions in ten languages from 233 countries, and theres some interesting common ground emerging. Some shared moral preferences, as the scientists call it.

Spare most lives

One concept emerging is a general agreement that, faced with unavoidable carnage, a driverless car should opt to spare the most lives, and not necessarily favour its single occupant over others outside the vehicle. Young people seem to rate a higher priority, and worldwide, research shows human lives are valued over animals.

This is all bad news if youre an aging goat who likes to smoke alone in the back seat.

Your driverless car would most likely sacrifice you to avoid a large bunch of younger, more human, health-conscious casualties.

University of Otago Associate Professor, Colin Gavaghan, is quoted in Science Media Centre NZ, saying these problems were philosophically fascinating, but until now, rarely much of a concern for law.

Most drivers will never have to face such a stark dilemma, says Colin, and those who do will not have time to think through consequentialist and deontological ethics before swerving or braking!

Translation: Its all likely to happen faster than you can blink.

Crate in a crate

Most crashes happen so fast that the average human doesnt have time to think of reslts, let alone react.One exception occurred, however, in the 1970s on Levers Road, when my Dad and I were following an apparently slow drunk home. He not only had time to realise he was going to crash, but had enough brain function and opportunity to clamber out of the careering Morris, with his crate under one arm, and exit before the car crashed.

I doubt a driverless car would have the forethought to safely extract not only the passenger, but a dozen beers.

Sure, he was a bit worse for wear, but had enough DB-sponsored anaesthetic on board to ease the pain.

Here at RR we are dismayed that no-one has worked out how a driverless car should respond in a road rage situation.

There are times, we all know, when the only option is to lean on the horn, issue colourful expletives and flip a bird. I cant see Road Robo pulling off that sort of multi-tasking.

Young versus old

The save the young concept is fraught with issues. Colin raises the question: At what point does a child cross the threshold of having a less valuable life? Aged 16, or 18? Is an infants life more precious than a toddlers or an eight-year-olds? Expressed like that, the prospect of building a preference for young lives looks pretty challenging.

Here at RR, we doubt any fancy-schmancy autonomous car will have the ability or time to ascertain a pending crash victims age before impact.

One preference that might be easier to understand and to accommodate is for the car to save as many lives as possible, says Colin. Sometimes, that might mean ploughing into a logging truck rather than swerving into the group of cyclists. Most of us might recognise that as the right thing to do, but would we buy a car that sacrificed our lives  or the lives of our loved ones  for the good of the many?

Which brings us to the role of law in all this. Maybe it just shouldnt be legal to buy a car that would discriminate on protected grounds, or that would sacrifice other people to preserve our own safety.

But in that case, how many people would buy a driverless car at all?

Good questions, Colin, but I suspect there are a few psychopathic drivers out there who would pay extra for a car that could scan for Lycra.

Road question

Unitec Professor Hossein Sarrafzadeh says that one aspect not taken into account was that future roads may not be the same roads we are using today.

Even if we use similar roads, they will be heavily-sensored, intelligent roads.

They will certainly be much safer, although these ethical dilemmas will remain if the same roads are used.

Here in the Bay of Plenty, forget intelligent roads. Wed just be happy if the government funded some roads with enough lanes.

Such as the witless Shite Highway 2, which we learnt this week isnt going to be four-laned as it should, but is getting a few band aids slapped on it.

Far from an intelligent road, more like a road that was dropped on its head by its mother. All the technology in the world isnt going to solve a simple physics problem: How to get four lanes worth of traffic shoved down the impossible bottleneck of a two-lane goat track.

The result, of course, is the goat will still be smoking in the back seat, stuck in a five mile tailback to Bethlehem, flipping a hoof.

brian@thesun.co.nz

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Katikati College students have paid witness to a special display from a New Zealand Defence Force parachute display team.

The five-member Kiwi Blue team, has conducted a display at the school today, giving students the chance to get an inside glimpse into the New Zealand Defence Force, the air force, and parachuting.

Theyll be departing the aircraft at 9000 feet where they will then go into a freefall descent, says Parachute Training Support Unit officer in charge Squadron Leader Glen Donaldson.

At this point you can often see smoke at the parachutists feet.

They will make a formation until about 5000 feet when they will break away and then open up under canopy and look to essentially reformate.

The drop takes only a matter of minutes from the time they hop out of the aircraft to the time they land, he says.

The display included a real-life enactment of what the parachutists would do in a real situation.

What they do is they come across for a low pass first and assess the drop zone area for any risks or hazards. Wed already been here a few days earlier to assess the area too.

They also release a streamer, which tests the wind to make sure what we plan is what we get.
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It has all the hallmarks of Victor Kiam  the amiable American entrepreneur who liked the Remington shaver so much he went out and bought the company.

When a consortium of Te Puke women learned the towns post office services were open for expressions of interest, they decided to make a pitch for an essential piece of kit in town.

They decided to do a Victor Kiam  like the post office, buy the post office  and they are calling on towns people, who they sense genuinely value the facility, to stump up a minimum of $50,000 to purchase NZ Posts postal and bill-pay services in Te Puke.

This week, the consortium started a crowd-funding campaign in order to seek up-front pledges. If and when the target is reached, theyll make the payment. That will be a test of the market, and so far, its all positive.

I had an 87-year-old ring me and tell me that a trip to the Post Office is her outing every fortnight, says Karen Summerhays, a leading light in the plan to save the facility. She goes to the Post Office and people know her. It is where she pays all of her bills.

The services for sale signs are the spoils of divorce. When Kiwibank and NZ Post split, the bank left town for the digital sphere and NZ Post put their services out to expressions of interest.

Thats when some small town smarts  local enterprise and guile under the banner of the Te Puke Centre Working Group  sensed an opportunity.

Te Puke doesnt have a front door. Theres nowhere for visitors, seasonal workers and even locals to go to access information or make connections. At the moment, we really lack infrastructure to encourage or support people coming to our town, claims Karen.

For 18 months, the consortium has been investigating something called The Te Puke Centre  a state-of-art information centre armed with ultra-fast fibre broadband, a co-working space for community groups and an inviting space for people, agencies, organisations and tourism.

For example, adds Karen, theres no professional space in the kiwifruit capital for the kiwifruit industry to plug into for a day and do their business. The consortium investigating the Te Puke Centre would provide do that.

The group of six women boasts a business consultant, a project manager and three community development specialists, all of whom are connected with the Te Puke community in various ways. They saw hope spring from the dissolution of a marriage.

The crew decided it would be a good relationship between NZ Post services and what we were trying to achieve with the Te Puke Centre  a fabulous social enterprise where we buy the postal services in their current main street location, and commercial business supports and grows the charitable purposes of the Te Puke Centre in the other half of the same building.

It was a case of small town New Zealand helping itself.

Neither the philanthropic trusts nor the government would buy us the business, she says. Thats understandable, and fair enough.

So the Te Puke Centre working group turned to its own. Its up to the community to pledge, to say yes, and to say we want these NZ Post services as a community asset. Its an essential service. We want to keep it and we are willing to invest in it.

It is one thing to pledge, but its another to stump up. However, the early indications are that Te Puke is willing. If not, we will have to tell NZ Post that we dont have the social license, says Karen, but we are really hoping thats unlikely.

While post may seem like a sunset industry, parcel traffic fueled by online shopping and post office boxes are a growth area.

There are hundreds of post office boxes in Te Puke, she says. Every business in the new Rangiuru Business Park will need a post box, and while there were good number of expressions of interest in the postal services in Te Puke, a very patient and understanding NZ Post wanted to work with us.

Well keep the services and put them on steroids, but we are realistic. The post office business will slowly decline and the Te Puke Centre will grow commensurately on the back of it. Thats the plan.

The working group oozes local business acumen. A highly successful business consultant did the business plan.

She didnt want to just do the plan, she wanted in on it, says Karen. The group is now aligned to social enterprise gurus, and Akina Foundation, PwC and Russell McVeagh are ensuring the trust deed and structure are fit for purpose.

PwC has offered to review our business plan. It looks very strong at the moment, and it looks like its going to work.

Information centres in many small towns can be dusty holes in the wall, manned by volunteers seated at opportunity shop furniture.

Our vision is a state-of-the-art neutral space, non-denominational and apolitical - everything that everyone wants, says Karen.

We have people working with the present landlord and architects for the best design, and we have done a lot of community engagement over the past 18 months. Those are the things that people have identified as the things they would like to see.

The group also sees little representation in the town of its broad cultural demographic. There is little representation of the areas Maori heritage reflected in Te Puke, nor other ethnic groups. The town doesnt reflect who we are.

But the Te Puke Centre working group has the vision that the centre will tell those stories and highlight some cultural heritage.

NZ Post has previously worked with community groups to deliver their services, in places like Ngaruawahia and Franz Josef. Nothing as big as our intended operation though, says Karen. There are hoops to jump through, but NZ Post is just waiting for us to be successful. There is enormous community kudos for them from trying to make this work.

To help make the grand scheme work, visit: www.pledgeme.co.nz and search for Save the Te Puke Post Office.
Housing New Zealand is now a pet-friendly landlord, with tenants now allowed to keep dogs, cats, livestock animals kept as pets, birds, fish and small animals in their homes.

Chief operating officer Paul Commons says the change, which came into effect in September, is part of a wider desire to better support Housing New Zealand tenants to live well.

Studies have shown that pets have numerous health and wellness benefits for people - particularly the elderly, small children and people who live on their own, says Paul.

Therefore, we want to be a landlord who supports our tenants to experience the joy and companionship that comes from pet ownership.

Paul says tenants need to take care of their pets and be responsible for their control, health and welfare.

They also need to let us know if they want a dog, cat or livestock animal so we can collect some information about their pet, he adds.

As part of this we will give them some guidance on what they need to consider when having a pet in their home.

To help tenants be great pet owners, Housing New Zealand will be providing further guidance and advice on pet ownership and pet care.

For more information, visit: www.hnzc.co.nz
Bollywood actor Aamir Khan expressed his deep condolence on the death of popular Chinese martial arts novelist Louis Cha.



The novelist, also known as Jin Yong, died at the age of 94, on Tuesday, after fighting with several health issues.

His death left a shock in many literature lovers, among them popular film and literature persons across the world have been expressed their thoughts.

As a former journalist and newspaper editor, Cha was considered as the grandfather of Chinese martial arts, or wuxia, fiction. He was known for writing the Legends Of The Condor Heroes series of books.

Aamir Khan, star of popular Indian film Three Idiots, shot to fame in China for his movie "Dangal" also posted on Weibo about Cha's passing, professing himself a fan of Cha.

His post reads, "I am very saddened to hear the sad news of Mr Louis Cha passing away. His book The Deer and The Cauldron gave me a lot of joy. I read it just a few months back. I wish I could have met him. He has given so much joy to so many generations. I am his big fan. I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to his family. May he rest in peace."

Aamir has always admired Cha for his works and the kind of inspiration he had felt reading Cha's novels. In a former interview with Xinhua Aamir were too vocal about Cha's works.

Moreover, In an interview with a Chinese private channel Aamir mentioned his affection to the novel The Deer and The Cauldron, one of Cha's popularly acclaimed novels.

Cha's works were largely set in the world of the jianghu, a pugilistic society where martial arts exponents travel China trading blows, teaching skills and upholding a strict code of honor.

He was one of the best-selling Chinese authors, with more than 300 million copies of his works sold worldwide. Hence, not only for Aamir but also Cha is an inspiration for people across the world. This makes his loss consider as a remarkable void to an era.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Mayor Ben Walsh will name Kenton Buckner the next chief of the Syracuse Police Department today.

Buckner has been the chief of the Little Rock Police Department in Arkansas since 2014.

Buckner was one of three finalists selected after an eight-month search process to find the next chief. The other candidates were Joseph Cecile, first deputy chief in Syracuse, and Kamran Afzal, chief of police in Durango, Colorado.

Buckner will take over for Chief Frank Fowler, who has been in the job for nine years.

Walsh will introduce Buckner to the community at an event Friday morning. Walsh said Buckner was the best candidate for the job.

"Chief Buckner brings effective crime reduction strategies and a track record for increasing the diversity of his force," Walsh said. "He understands the importance of having strong partnerships with law enforcement and the community to make our neighborhoods safer. Syracuse has an outstanding police department. I believe Chief Buckner will make it even better."

In Little Rock, Buckner oversees a department of about 600 officers. The city is slightly larger than Syracuse.

He spent much of his career with the Louisville Police Department in Kentucky. He took over in Little Rock in 2014.

He has a Bachelor's degree and Master's degree from Eastern Kentucky University. He's a graduate of the National Executive Institute, sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. He's also a commissioner for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

In an interview last month, Buckner said his top two priorities in Syracuse are reducing violent crime and building a coalition of partners from other agencies at the state and federal level.

"I think you need a chief that hits the ground and reduces violent crime," he said.
A couple has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Syracuse for conspiring to sexually exploit a two-year-old child, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York.

Amber Decker, 24, of Philadelphia, Jefferson County, and Logan Decker, 26, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, were indicted Wednesday, the attorney's office said Thursday.

The two are accused of "conspiring" with each other to use the child "to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of the abuse," the attorney's office said.

Amber Decker was arraigned in federal court Thursday and is being held pending the resolution of her case, federal authorities said. Logan Decker is being held in Sioux Falls on related charges and will be appear in federal court in Syracuse, federal authorities said.

The charges carry a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and a minimum supervised release term of at least five years.

If convicted, the Deckers will be required to register as sex offenders.
Amsterdam court judges said Wednesday that they expect to render judgement on Dec. 12 over the mummy Buddha statue case in which inhabitants of two Chinese villages argue that the Dutch collector was in bad faith when he bought the statue stolen from their village temple in the 1990s and subsequently made it away through an oral exchange deal when legal procedures started over two years ago.

"The court will render a judgement in six weeks, on Dec. 12, if it is possible," said J. Thomas, one of the judges, after the hearing that lasted nearly three hours.

In May 2016, two villages in China's southeastern province of Fujian filed this repatriation case of religious, cultural and ethical significance against Amsterdam resident Oscar van Overeem. They said the statue van Overeem lent for an exhibition in March 2015 was the one their villages had worshipped for over 1,000 years before it was stolen from the village temple in December 1995.

Van Overeem agreed that the statue comes from Fujian Province, but insisted that it is not the Zhanggong Zushi, or Monk Master Zhang Gong, as the villagers claimed. He said that his statue had been bought before the villagers found that their Buddha had been stolen, and it doesn't have two specific physical features that the villagers attributed to theirs.

Van Overeem also stated that he had reached an oral deal and exchanged the statue for another artwork with a Chinese "collector-investor-intermediary," who "was aware of the mummy controversy and political sensitivities and therefore preferred to remain anonymous."

Both the villagers and the defendant have submitted several rounds of written statements and evidence to the court. Before the hearing Wednesday, the villagers submitted an investigation report by the Fujian Relics Authentication Center dated April 28, 2018, which, according to Jan Holthuis, the Dutch lawyer representing the villagers, "sets out in a very structural and detailed way why the VO (Oscar van Overeem) statue is the villagers' statue."

"We specifically pointed out the additional evidence provided in this investigation report, such as the Chinese characters on the back of the statue and on the basket that is in the village's possession, written by one and the same villager. The judge should now deal with this specific evidence, as it has formally become part of the court case file," Holthuis told Xinhua.

The Dutch collector stressed during the hearing that his statue does not have "a hole drilled in the left hand," and "its head is not loose at all," contrary to what some villagers had said. He supported his argument with an expert conclusion of CT scans of the statue.

The villagers' lawyer told the court that the source material of the CT scans needs to be examined by independent experts, not only by parties appointed by van Overeem.

Regarding the time he bought the statue, van Overeem repeated that he has no document of the purchase. He added that he would ask the person involved in the deal, who might have kept the 1995 sales documentation.

The Dutch collector also insisted that he is no longer in possession of the statue and does not have much information about the "third party" who had allowed him to exchange the statue for another artwork.

After the previous hearing on July 14, 2017, the court had granted permission for a motion filed by the villagers to preserve evidence by seizing certain specifically defined data from van Overeem's computer. These data are now in the hands of a third independent party.

The villagers' lawyer pointed out to the court hearing that the defendant had given inconsistent statements on the completion date of his so-called "exchange deal," insisting that the plaintiffs should have access to the person in the exchange deal in order to get back the statue.

"This claim against VO to disclose the third party's name is now part of the Dutch legal proceeding and court judges' deliberation before they make a judgement," Holthuis told Xinhua.

The Dutch lawyer said the judges will make up their minds on whether they think the statue is indeed Zhanggong Zushi, and which party shall bear the burden of proof.

For Liu Yushen, a Beijing-based Chinese lawyer who is assisting Holthuis in the Dutch legal proceeding, said it is normal that this kind of case will take a long time.

"The case is complicated, not only because it involves two different legal systems, but also because of the difficulties coming from non-legal factors. It's more about history, culture, religion, etc.," Liu said.

Six villagers, who arrived in Amsterdam on the eve of the hearing, were not questioned by the judges during the court hearing. However, their presence at the hearing was important in the view of their legal representative.

"Now the judges are aware that the villagers exist. The fact that they appeared in the Dutch court shows respect for the Dutch court and the judges," said Holthuis.

"And judges can get a feeling of what kind of people these villagers are," he added.

"VO has been discriminating against the villagers, saying they are emotional and upset, and they are trying to use government power to get their statue back. This story can no longer hold now because judges have seen it is not true," Holthuis added.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The next Syracuse police chief comes here from Little Rock, Arkansas, where he leaves behind a legacy of lower crime, higher diversity and allegations of racial discrimination and heavy-handed tactics.

A review of Kenton Buckner's time as police chief in Little Rock shows he reduced crime and increased diversity among the department's ranks, but faced lingering criticism from within a racially divided department and from outside skeptics.

Buckner, 49, reduced overall crime by 10 percent during his time as chief in Little Rock. Violent crime dropped 14 percent and homicides decreased 38 percent.

He also revamped the department's hiring process to increase diversity. At the end of last year, the department was 64 percent white and 30 percent black. The most recent recruiting class was 44 percent African American, 41 percent white and 15 percent Hispanic, according to figures provided by Syracuse City Hall.

In Syracuse, diversity in the department has long been an issue. The force is 89 percent white and almost all officers live in the suburbs.

Under Buckner, the Little Rock department was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. He also established an emergency management unit to prepare for natural disasters, civil disturbances and mass casualties.

In Syracuse, he said he wants to find ways to engage with citizens on a personal and professional level. He held citizen police academies in Little Rock -- something already established here.

Buckner made news early in his career as chief when he made an arrest on the street himself. He chased down a thief who stole a woman's phone and arrested him, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

As head of a 600-officer department, Buckner faced criticism from inside and outside the department.

The Little Rock Police Department has been the subject of a yearlong investigation by Washington Post columnist Radley Balko, who said the department is "plagued by nepotism, cronyism and racism."

On the same day Syracuse officials announced Buckner as the city's next chief, the Post ran a lengthy opinion piece from Balko about a Little Rock cop who shot and killed a 15-year-old in 2012. A jury eventually found the cop liable in a civil lawsuit.

Mike Laux, a civil rights attorney in Little Rock, has filed at least five wrongful death suits against the city and the police department, according to the Arkansas Times. Many of those stem from incidents that happened before Buckner took over.

Syracuse City Hall spokesman Greg Loh noted that the incidents discussed in the Washington Post piece took place before Buckner joined the department.

Buckner also clashed with black police officers during his tenure. The department has two officers' associations: the Fraternal Order of Police and the Black Police Officers Association.

The Black Police Officers Association wrote to the city in July 2017 alleging racial discrimination by Buckner, according to KATV in Little Rock. The BPOA accused Buckner and command staff of unfair treatment of minorities and preferential treatment given to white supervisors. The BPOA also said Buckner wanted their association to dissolve.

Buckner responded, saying he wanted the department to be more unified and hadn't suggested the BPOA disband.

"Officers have the right to disagree with management decisions, but disagreement does not mean you have been the victim of discrimination," Buckner wrote in a four-page response letter.

Syracuse Police Benevolent Association President Jeff Piedmonte, who had supported an internal candidate for chief, said he looked into Buckner's background in Little Rock and was satisfied with what he found.

"I looked into his background, contacted people in Little Rock," Piedmonte said. "The FOP down there is the union. They have a good rapport with him. A lot of the stuff that we were told that was pretty outlandish is totally fabricated. So I'm not worried about a lot of the things that were said."

Buckner also fired three recruits for using racial slurs on social media, according to multiple news reports.

The BPOA alerted him last November of a white recruit who used the word "n*****" on his Facebook page. Buckner fired the recruit. He later fired two black recruits who were also found to have used that word on social media. He also suspended the officer with the BPOA who first told him about the white officer for going outside the chain of command.

All three fired recruits sued the city for wrongful termination. Those lawsuits are ongoing.

Buckner said Friday he couldn't discuss specifics of ongoing legal matters. He also said he wasn't familiar with the details of the Washington Post piece from this morning.

In 2015, Buckner lost his handgun during a move. Police recovered the gun along with drugs and scales during a traffic stop of two men later two months later, according to the Arkansas Times.

A city official reprimanded Buckner and the chief reimbursed the city for the cost of the gun -- something he said he didn't have to do.

When asked about the missing gun Friday morning, Buckner took full responsibility.

"The misstep was on my part that I didn't take the steps to properly secure the weapon before it came up missing," he said. "We were lucky to be able to locate it. I was issued a written reprimand for that, as I should have been."

Buckner said he wanted to set a tone and let people know everyone in the department would be held accountable for their actions, including the chief.

Reporter Julie McMahon contributed to this story.

Chris Baker covers city affairs and public policy for syracuse.com. You can reach him at cbaker@syracuse.com, by phone at 315-766-8329 or follow him on Twitter.
Cyrell Haygood

Syracuse, NY -- It took an Onondaga County jury a little over two hours this afternoon to find a Syracuse man guilty of shooting to death a stranger who happened to be in a rival gang.

Cyrell Haygood, 24, was found guilty of murdering George Booker Jr., 22, in what prosecutor Joseph Coolican called a gang-related "execution" on East Kennedy Street.

There was no known personal connection between the two men.

The June 2017 shooting was motivated only by the shooter and victim's memberships in rival gangs, Coolican told the jury during closing arguments this morning.

A residence where Haygood had lived on Cortland Avenue was riddled earlier with gunfire in a gang-related incident, the prosecutor said. Though there's no evidence Booker was involved, his murder was retaliation for the Cortland Avenue episode, Coolican suggested.

Prosecutors were barred at the beginning of trial from telling the jury of Haygood's gang affiliation. State Supreme Court Justice Gordon Cuffy had ruled that a DA's office gang expert's testimony was not enough to allow mention of gangs, which is considered extremely prejudicial without sufficient proof.

But after a self-described gang member came to testify at trial, the judge allowed the gang evidence in.

Defense lawyer Ed Klein had sought strenuously to keep mention of gangs out of the trial. He blasted testimony of Haygood's gang affiliation as fiction created by a professional jailhouse snitch.

"It's either a gang hit, and Cyrell did it, or it was something else," Klein told the jury.

Klein said the murder was really over some counterfeit $100 bills found near the crime scene. He suggested one of the witnesses who testified against Haygood was actually responsible.

The defense lawyer also sought to discredit the two eyewitnesses, arguing they coordinated their stories after the fact.

But in a trial that started with prosecutors acknowledging they didn't know how things would play out, the jury found the gang theory credible in short order during deliberations.

The jury started deliberating around lunchtime and delivered a guilty verdict at 3:30 p.m.

Haygood faces 25 years to life in prison for murder when sentenced Dec. 7. It's unclear if he could face additional time for the handgun used in the crime.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Syracuse police are asking for the public's help to locate a Toyota Rav4 that they say hit a pedestrian on the city's North Side last week.

The pedestrian was seriously injured, police said in a news release Friday.

The vehicles was traveling north in the 1000 block of Danforth Street just after midnight on Oct. 24 when it hit the pedestrian, police said. So far police have found no witnesses, they said.

Police believe the vehicle is a 2009-2012 grey Toyota Rav4 with New York state registration. The vehicle has a roof rack and rear hatch tire carrier.

Police said the vehicle will have damage to the front passenger's side headlight and possibly to the body of the car.

Police ask anyone with information to contact the Syracuse Police Department at (315) 442-5222. Anonymous tips can also be submitted using the "SPD Tips" app.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The president of the Syracuse police union said he's glad the Syracuse Police Department has a new chief, even if it's not the one he was rooting for.

Police Benevolent Association President Jeff Piedmonte said Friday he's telling union members to give the incoming chief, Kenton Buckner, a chance. Many have texted him with concerns and some are talking about retiring, he said.

"Don't run out the door just because there's going to be a change," he said. "Change can be good. It is a fresh set of eyes coming in."

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced Buckner's selection as chief Friday morning. Buckner is currently chief in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Piedmonte -- along with Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler and many others in the department -- was lobbying for First Deputy Chief Joe Cecile to get the top job. Piedmonte and Cecile graduated from the police academy together in 1985 and he said Cecile was always at the top of his class.

Cecile, Piedmonte said, would have been the safe, comfortable choice.

"You're comfortable with the people you know," he said. "...I think for the department, they would have been more comfortable. Nobody likes change and that's something we're going to have to get used to."

Hiring an outside candidate like Buckner, however, has benefits too, Piedmonte said. He said Buckner doesn't know anyone or owe any favors, so making changes will be easier than if he'd spent his career here.

Piedmonte has spent more than 20 years as union president. He joked Friday that he's outlasted every chief he's worked with and said he has no plan to retire.

Lastly, Piedmonte said he's not concerned about Buckner's clashes with some black officers in Little Rock. He said he spoke with union leaders there who vouched for the chief and his willingness to work together.

The Black Police Officers Association made a complaint of racial discrimination against Buckner last year.

The president of the Black Police Officers Association, however, was a reference on Buckner's application to the Syracuse job, city officials said.

"[Little Rock union leaders] said the overall BPOA gets along with him, it's just a small group of people [that doesn't], which is going to happen anywhere," Piedmonte said.
SYRACUSE, NY -- The concept wasn't new, but it was new to Syracuse: A multi-passenger vehicle powered like a bicycle, with a tour guide and opportunities to stop for an occasional drink.

It was the Big Yellow Fellow, launched at the 2016 Syracuse St. Patrick's Day Parade. It was the first pedal-powered pub in Central New York.

Now the 10-seat barcycle is for sale. Owners Michael John Heagerty and Mike Giannattasio are selling the bike and the pedal-tour business. The price is negotiable, but in the range of $15,000 to $20,000.

Heagerty said he and Giannattasio have become too busy with their full-time jobs to run the pedal tour business. Heagerty works at the Mariott Syracuse Downtown and Giannasttasio at Syracuse University.

They believe their cycle can still make a viable tour business, even though a competitor -- Syracuse Pedal Tours -- started up in 2017. Syracuse Pedal Tours is a spin-off of similar operations in Buffalo and Rochester.

"It was a good run for us," Heagerty said. "We have countless memories of good times, crazy things, building great relationships and lots of laughter."

Big Yellow Fellow, named for an early 20th Century Syracuse bicycle manufacturer, offered tours that included everything from bachelor parties to pub crawls. The barcycle also operated the past few years at the New York State Fair. It also cruised events like the Syracuse Blues Fest in Clinton Square.

The Big Yellow Fellow was most active in warmer months, but Heagerty said it could be winterized with a plastic wrap or heaters by a new owner.

It could achieve a maximum speed of around 5 miles per hour, but found hilly terrain a little difficult.

Although billed as pubs on wheels, the pedal cycles must abide by laws in the city and wherever else they operate. Riders were allowed two drinks per tour -- essentially two 12-ounce beers -- which had to be served while the vehicle stopped. Riders could not take open containers off the cycle.

Ginnasttasio, a sculptor who modified the bike at the start, recently added a new customized bar with cup holders and hooks for purses and bags.

Heagerty said he is willing to help any new owner with contacts and advice, to make the transition easier.

Michael John Heagerty and Mike Giannasttasio on the Big Yellow Fellow pedal-powered pub.

"It's a proven opportunity to do something fun and make a little money," he said.

Although he'd prefer to find a new owner in Syracuse, Heagerty said he's advertised the bike for sale in markets like Binghamton and Rochester.

"I feel like we helped pioneer something in Syracuse," he said. "I'd like to see it continue."

Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
A river through history



Stephen B. Sulavik fell in love with the splendor of the Adirondack area after meeting his wife Jeanne, a native of Tupper Lake, whose parents owned and operated the Northland Hotel from 1935 until 1960. Sulavik, a clinical professor of medicine at Yale University before retirement, spent every summer in the Tupper Lake area until his death in 2015. Toward the end of his career and during his retirement, Sulavik began researching the history of the Adirondacks with a new interest. "Along the way, he also became an expert on identifying guide boats, and so had long planned, that his next project, would be to focus squarely on the indigenous craft that helped shape the development of the region. Those efforts, many years in the making, resulted in this book," the publisher, Bauhan Publishing, shares.

After Sulavik passed, leaving his work unfinished, friend and former Chairman of the Board of the Adirondack Museum, Robert Worth took up the task of completing the book. With the help of historian Edward "Ted" Comstock and guideboat builder and expert Christopher Woodward, the team created "The Adirondack Guideboat: Its Origins, Its Builders, and Their Boats."

The publisher shares that the book offers more than just a history, but a great level of intricate detail, explaining, "More than a complete history of the iconic guideboats, the book is a heavily illustrated tribute to these unique vessels featuring distinctive characteristics (lake by lake, builder by builder), historic photographs, reproductions of paintings (including those of Winslow Homer), contemporary photos that appear plucked from a design magazine, and a complete glossary of terms related to the Adirondack Guideboat." As for why the guideboat was so important to begin with, "Roads scarcely existed in the Adirondacks prior to the 19th century, so travel was largely limited to transport on water. The need to travel with a boat through the woods to another body of water made it essential--particularly for trappers, hunters, and fishermen--to have a boat that was light enough to be carried by one person."

"The Adirondack Guideboat: Its Origins, Its Builders, and Their Boats" is available from Bauhan Publishing and many online book retailers.

"Port City" pride



Lifelong Oswego resident Mike McCrobie has a new collection of columns from his time writing for the Oswego daily newspaper, The Palladium-Times. McCrobie published "Our Oswego" in 2014, and like that collection, "We're From Oswego, and We Couldn't be Any Prouder" is comprised of 60 nostalgic columns about growing up in "The Port City" during the '60s and '70s along with some more recent reflections.

When asked about his favorite piece in the collection, McCrobie had a hard time narrowing it down. "Asking me to choose a favorite is like asking me to choose my favorite child, but I do have two that I particularly enjoyed writing. One is a humorous childhood Christmas memory, the other is "An Open Letter to My (now deceased) Parents."

The Christmas story is about a memorable year when McCrobie says he and his brother were young enough to still be swept up in the magic of Christmas, and when the promise of a giant, live Christmas tree had them especially excited for the holiday. Comedic disaster ensues, and McCrobie ultimately can't help but compare the quality of fake trees in the 1960s to the ones we're familiar with today. And the letter to his parents serves as a way for McCrobie to look back with great fondness for the ways that his parents naturally encouraged him to go out and explore his world, in response to legislation that had recently been passed in Utah that allowed for "free-range parenting."

Readers who grew up in the 60's and 70's will appreciate the look back at a childhood likely much like their own, but younger readers may also appreciate the opportunity to visit history on both a local and more broad level. While in the process of writing and then revisiting the columns, McCrobie found that "...the best lessons that I learned are that it's really just fun to reminisce, and Central New York (and Oswego in particular) was a great place to grow up in during my childhood."

"We're From Oswego, and We Couldn't be Any Prouder" is available from the River's End Bookstore in Oswego and Amazon.

Poems of reflection



Nancy Avery Dafoe returns this month with a new collection of poetry after being featured earlier this fall for her mystery sequel to "You Enter a Room." Dafoe's book of poetry, "Innermost Sea" has been in the works for awhile, as she explains, "This particular collection of poetry has been coming together for some time. My national award winning poem, 'Entrance Exam,' is featured in this collection which examines our inner lives and the lives of women who are the subjects of famous artists. That poem also caused me to think about a collection which examined ideas from an altered viewpoint. I don't know if the Faulkner prize poem is my favorite, but I know it is a fine one...The process of sorting through various poems and bringing them close to coalesce around a central concept is certainly a challenge. I had poems that I considered for the collection because I loved them, but they were not a good fit for the thematic grouping. Making decisions about which poems would work in the collection and what order they should be involves skills and thought processes nearly as difficult and as rewarding as creating a poem."

The final product is what author Jo Pitkin describes as "...a quest to apprehend the outer world's intriguing dualities ('concrete and abstract,' 'possibility and impossibility,' 'natural and unnatural') while at the same time plumbing the mind's complex 'innermost sea.'"

"Innermost Sea" is currently available for preorder through Finishing Line Press, and will be shipped on November 16. Additionally, the book will be available at later dates through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Have a book to share?

Are you a local author or have you come across a book set in Central New York? Tell us about it. Send a brief description of the book and the author and we'll add it as a candidate for coverage. Write us at features@syracuse.com.
Central New York Jewish leaders are urging everyone to join them at services this weekend as part of a national campaign to show support and love in unity following the killing of 11 people in Pittsburgh last weekend.

They are calling the effort "Show up for Shabbat."

People of all religions are asked to attend services Friday night or Saturday morning to show solidarity and spread the message that love triumphs over hate, according to AJC, a global Jewish advocacy group.

The event is designed as a response to last Saturday's massacre, when 11 worshipers were gunned down at a synagogue in Pittsburgh while attending services. The shooter told police he wanted to kill all Jews.

Synagogues throughout Central New York are participating in the effort, and encouraging attendance, according to the Jewish Federation of Central New York.

Rabbi Yaakov Rapoport, executive director of Chabad Lubovitch Central New York, said the idea is for Jewish people, along with people of all religions, to attend services.

Because the shooting happened during Shabbat, it's important to show strength at that time, Rapoport said.

"We want to overflow all these places with positive energy,'' he said. "We are encouraging all Jewish people to attend, but it is open to anyone and everyone who wants to show solidarity,'' he said.

People who are lighting Shabbat candles tonight should do so about 5:40 p.m., he said, before services.

Shabbat, Judaism's traditional day of rest, is observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening with services, prayer and meals.

Check your neighborhood synagogue for times. Here is a partial list:
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Enjoy your extra hour of sleep this weekend as daylight saving time ends.

Clocks are officially set back early Sunday morning, from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. We won't tell anybody if you do it before you go to bed Saturday night, though.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first imposition of daylight saving time in the U.S., when Congress adopted the Standard Time Act of 1918. Several alterations have been made since; most recently, Congress in 2007 pushed back the start of standard time to the first Sunday of November. It begins the second Sunday in March.

This weekend's clock rollback is good news for early risers, who get an earlier sunrise. It's a dark time for those who like to get outside after work, though, as the sun sets an hour earlier. In Syracuse, the sun will start setting before 5 p.m.

Daylight saving time is set by the federal government. States can opt out, but only two do: Arizona and Hawaii. At least 17 other states have proposed legislation to end daylight saving time, but none have succeeded, according to a recent Congressional Research Service report.





Florida this year adopted the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent. That requires congressional approval. Sen. Marco Rubio has introduced legislation, but it hasn't been acted on.

Daylight saving time saves no time, of course, but simply shifts daylight hours in relation to the clock. Studies have found little benefit. In 2008, the federal Department of Energy calculated that daylight saving time reduced energy use in the U.S. by 0.02 percent.

Contact Glenn Coin: Email | Twitter | Google + | (315) 470-3251
Syracuse University hosted its annual Remembrance Week to commemorate the 30 years since the Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland.

A bomb planted by terrorists killed all 259 people on the plane and 11 more on the ground on Dec. 21, 1988. Thirty-five SU students studying abroad were killed.

Events this week on the SU campus included a candlelight vigil on Oct. 28, a cyclists' gathering on Nov. 1 and a rose ceremony on Nov. 2.

Though the tragedy happened Dec. 21, the university's Remembrance Week takes place from Oct. 28 to Nov. 3 because students are home on break during the actual anniversary.

"We remember the loves of those who perished on that fateful December day," said Rev. Brian E. Konkol, during the Oct. 28 vigil. "We remember that they were students, that they were friends, that they were family, and that they were loved."

Several prominent members of the university and wider Syracuse community attended the rose ceremony on Friday, including SU chancellor Kent Syverud and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon.

Check back on syracuse.com in December for full coverage of the events 30 years ago, with reflections from community members who remember the bombing.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Mayor Ben Walsh announced the city's new police chief on Friday, saying Kenton Buckner was the top choice of about 30 applicants because of his experience and vision for Syracuse.

At a news conference, Buckner, 49, spoke for nearly 20 minutes about what he wants to accomplish here and why he feels he was qualified.

His last day in Arkansas is Nov. 16, and he'll start here before the end of the year, city officials said.

If members of the public have any other questions for the chief, he'll be taking questions Saturday at 11 a.m. at the atrium of City Hall Commons.

Here are eight things we learned about Syracuse's new top cop today:

1. Why he said Syracuse is the right fit for him

Buckner said he's wanted to lead a police force in a mid-sized city like Syracuse because it gives him the opportunity to build connections with residents.

He grew up in a small town in Kentucky of 30,000 people and said serving in big cities like Little Rock and Louisville, where he worked for 21 years before going to Arkansas, is not his preferred choice.

And he said Syracuse has many of the same challenges and features of Little Rock, so he felt familiar with it. The two cities have a large university, a diverse population and ongoing violent crime problems, he said.

"I felt like I could walk into (this) city, have traction fairly quickly because of the circumstances I'm currently managing in Little Rock," he said. "I felt like that could lead me in a good way going forward."

2. He plans to live in the city

The new chief said he intends to live in the city, which Mayor Ben Walsh apparently insisted upon.

"I'm required, and I also think the chief should live in the city," Buckner said.

Walsh has said he wants more police officers to live in Syracuse and that the department should be more diverse.

Only 36 of 451 Syracuse police officers lived inside city limits as of 2014, according to a city audit.

And 8 percent of Syracuse officers are black, according to the department's 2017 annual report, in a city where 30 percent of residents are black and 55 percent are white.

Buckner touted his success in diversifying his last police department, saying the Little Rock Police Department's newest recruiting class is 15 percent Hispanic and 41 percent African American.

3. His message for officers who might not have wanted him

Buckner won the new position over current Deputy Chief Joe Cecile, a longtime officer who rose through the ranks to the leadership position he has now.

Outgoing Chief Frank Fowler has regularly endorsed Cecile as his successor, and he also has the support from the police union president. At a recent police awards ceremony, many officers applauded when Cecile was jokingly referred to as the next chief.

So Buckner said he knows he'll have to win over support from rank-and-file officers, but he expects them to be professional and give him a chance to win over the department.

"When you level the playing field to where everyone has the opportunity to move around in an organization, that you're consistent about your discipline and fair, and also that I accept when I make mistakes ... organizations will more often than not give you an opportunity to lead them," Buckner said.

Buckner also said he doesn't plan to "turn over tables" upon arrival in the department and wants to listen and learn before making major changes.

4. He spoke with Deputy Chief Joe Cecile today

Buckner spoke with the deputy chief before the news conference Friday. He said Cecile and himself both made "emotional deposits" in getting the job, so Cecile was understandably disappointed.

He said it was clear Cecile deeply cared for the department and was well-respected.

He said he did not know whether Cecile intended to stay on.

"We did not have that discussion, and given that he'd just heard the news of what's going on, I don't know if that's the appropriate time to ask someone something like that when their head is kind of in a cloud."

Cecile did not respond to a call for comment Friday morning.

Buckner also said he doesn't intend to make any major changes with the department's leaders upon taking over the police force.

5. He speaks "broken" Spanish

Buckner did not mention during the news conference that he speaks some Spanish, but Police Union President Jeff Piedmonte said the incoming chief impressed the hiring committee when he spoke Spanish to some residents during the interview process.

Piedmonte said the Spanish speakers told him that the chief's Spanish was "broken," but Piedmonte said the effort shows Buckner is earnest about connecting with residents here.

According to Buckner's resume, he spent some time in a "Spanish immersion program" in Morelia, Mexico.

6. How he plans to address youth crime

Buckner said the department's relationship with the school system is crucial in helping prevent kids from going down the wrong path.

Syracuse has seen a spate of violent crime involving young people, including victims and alleged perpetrators, in recent weeks.

He said he's forged a strong relationship with the school district in Little Rock, which helps "intercede with these kids before they get involved in violent crime."

But that's not the only approach, he said. Programs need to be put in place that give families a hand, and policing can't solve the problem.

"Police can't be an occupying force," he said, saying there's an "already tense relationship" between officers and the community.

"And lastly, I will say that you will always hear me lean back on my most favorite program that was ever invented, and that is parenting," he said. "...Parenting is probably the biggest needle-mover with some of the issues we're seeing across all urban communities across the country."

When it comes to addressing violent crime overall, Buckner said his strategy revolves around having data-driven policing that identifies crime "hotspots" and focuses on known offenders.

In addition, he said the department needs to have effective partnerships with other law enforcement agencies and encourage community involvement in issues facing the city.

7. His former department is facing criticism

On the same day Buckner was announced as the new chief, the Washington Post published an opinion column at least 10,000 words in length about issues at the department, focusing on a shooting that occurred before Buckner was chief.

During the news conference, Buckner declined to comment on pending litigation that was filed when he was chief.

8. He doesn't like it hot

Buckner isn't too worried about the snow.

"As you can see I'm a big sized guy. I prefer snow over heat," he said. "I just don't like being hot... I don't think that will be an issue until it comes time to shovel my driveway."
Of all the works of William Shakespeare that have graced the theaters in China, Hamlet is arguably the most famous among Chinese audiences. It has also been adapted many times in the country.

The latest version of the play to tread the boards of the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, entitled The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, directed by Li Liuyi, will make its debut on Nov 28 and will run through Dec 5.

Veteran Chinese actors Hu Jun, Pu Cunxi and Lu Fang will play the leading roles, along with a group of younger actors, including Miao Chi, Li Shilong and Jing Xi, most of whom work with the established Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Before The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Li Liuyi directed the Chinese version of Shakespeare's King Lear last year in another collaboration with the NCPA.

The NCPA has been working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, a theater organization based in the Bard's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, on the Shakespeare Folio Project, which aims to make the playwright's work more accessible to Chinese speakers. During the development of Chinese versions of Shakespeare's plays, the Royal Shakespeare Company invites companies of actors, directors and playwrights from China and the United Kingdom to work together on translating Shakespeare's texts. So far, the NCPA has brought out five of Shakespeare's plays under the auspices of the project.

The translation of the Chinese script of the play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, was finished in London last year and Li Liuyi and the leading cast members were involved in the adaptation process.

"When we started working on adapting Shakespeare's plays, we kept asking questionsvarious questions that could help us to understand the playwright's intention," says Li Liuyi, who also works with the Beijing People's Art Theater and whose works cover traditional Chinese operas, avant-garde plays, Western operas and ballet.

"In adapting Hamlet, we were very sincere because it's a classic and so famous. We've been doing rehearsals for two weeks, and we never stop searching for ways to bring out what we perceive to be new discoveries from the classic play."

In 1990, well-known Chinese theater director Lin Zhaohua adapted Hamlet, in which Pu played the leading role. In Li Liuyi's adaptation, Pu plays the role of Claudius and the ghost of King Hamlet.

"Back in 1990, I found my ways to communicate with Hamlet and Shakespeare. It was a psychological drama," says Pu, 65. "This time, I play the character who murders his own brother and then marries the late king's widow. He is very complicated, and I am intrigued by the role."

Chinese actor Hu Jun plays Hamlet in the work. In Lin's adaptation in 1990, Hu played the role of gravedigger. Hu's wife, Lu, plays both the roles of Ophelia and Hamlet's mother Gertrude.

The creative team also includes costume designer William Cheung Suk-Ping, Chinese composer Zhou Juan from the Central Conservatory of Music and German set designer Michael Simon.

If you go

7:30 pm, Nov 28-Dec 5. NCPA, No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Want to meet the next Syracuse police chief? You'll have a chance Saturday morning.

Incoming Chief Kenton Buckner will host a meet-and-greet forum Saturday, Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. in the atrium at City Hall Commons, 201 E. Washington St.

The event is free and open to the public.

Mayor Ben Walsh announced Buckner as the city's next police chief Friday morning. He will succeed Frank Fowler, who has been chief since 2010.

Buckner is chief of police in Little Rock, Arkansas. His last day there is Nov. 16. He will start in Syracuse before the end of the year and will work with Fowler to ensure a smooth transition.

Walsh selected Buckner after an eight-month search process led by Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens. That process included 38 community meetings and input from nearly 400 people from across the area.

Buckner was chosen from a pool of three finalists, including Syracuse Deputy Chief Joe Cecile and Kamran Afzal, the chief in Durango, Colorado.

Buckner said he's excited to move to a city the size of Syracuse.
In the 22nd Congressional District, incumbent Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney and Democratic challenger Anthony Brindisi have locked up their partisans on the right and the left. In this too-close-to-call race, they are battling for the undecided voters in the middle.

Of the two, we think Brindisi is the more moderate, less polarizing candidate who could capture the center and help Congress fulfill its constitutional duty to be a check on the executive branch.

Tenney, a former member of the Assembly, was narrowly elected to Congress in 2016 in a three-person race for the seat vacated by the retirement of Republican Richard Hanna. The incumbent touts her close connection to President Donald Trump in a district that went for him by 55 percent. Tenney takes every opportunity to lobby the president on behalf of local manufacturers. The owners of Liberty Tabletop (the successor to Oneida Ltd.) credit her for bringing them national exposure and an opening to sell American-made silverware to the military. She fought against Trump budget cuts to historic tax credits and aid to cities that would have harmed Upstate New York.

Tenney also voted for the president's tax cut legislation, which this editorial board supported. Trump rewarded Tenney's support by appearing at a local event in August that raised $650,000 for her and the GOP.

Unfortunately, Tenney also emulates Trump's tendency to play to the conservative base by making provocative, divisive and sometimes false statements. The congresswoman undercuts her policy views by saying belligerent and inflammatory things.

Brindisi was elected to the Assembly in 2011. He touts state funding he secured for drone research at Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, a new hospital in Utica and nanotechnology projects allied with SUNY Polytechnic in Marcy. He says he would bring more attention and resources to the neglected Binghamton-area portion of the district, seek universal background checks for gun buyers and reform campaign finance rules. Brindisi does not accept money from corporate PACs.

Brindisi has been endorsed by the Blue Dog Democrats - a conservative wing of the Democratic Party. He says he would govern in the mold of the district's longtime moderate Republican Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, who served for 24 years. Boehlert was followed by fellow Blue Dog Democrat Mike Arcuri (four years) and Hanna (six years). The staunchly conservative Tenney is the outlier of the group.

With control of the House of Representatives in the balance, the 22nd Congressional District is the target of negative campaign ads paid for by outside groups. That has warped and soured the contest between two people who come from the Utica area, have known each other a long time and even served together in the Assembly.

While both candidates are able public servants, we endorse Brindisi as the candidate who best represents the district's centrist streak.

Why we endorse



The purpose of an editorial endorsement is to provide a thoughtful assessment of the choices voters face in an election. We offer editorial endorsements to stimulate the public conversation and promote civic engagement. Voting is a right and an obligation of citizenship. That part is up to you. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Syracuse.com editorials

Editorials represent the collective opinion of the Advance Media New York editorial board. Our opinions are independent of news coverage. Read our

Members of the editorial board are Tim Kennedy, Jason Murray and Marie Morelli.

To respond to this editorial: Post a comment below, or submit a letter or commentary to

. Read our

If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion leader, at
Republican Rep. John Katko is facing a challenge from Democrat Dana Balter in the 24th Congressional District. Katko, a former federal prosecutor, has served two terms in the House of Representatives, while Balter, a professor at Syracuse University, beat out Juanita Perez Williams in a spirited primary.



Katko has mostly delivered on his pledge to work with Republicans and Democrats, and that's why we think he deserves a third term.



Katko has split with his party on almost 10 percent of contested votes where the GOP took a party position, according to a ProPublica analysis earlier this year. That makes him the most independent of all 26 sitting House members from New York.

He broke with the GOP on key votes, including the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act and on a Farm Bill that would have hurt Central New Yorkers by cutting off food stamps for thousands of people. Katko is part of the Problem Solvers Caucus, composed of 24 Democrats and 24 Republicans, to help come up with bipartisan solutions to pressing issues. He worked hard on a compromise immigration reform bill that ultimately was sabotaged by President Donald Trump and GOP hardliners.



Katko's vote for the tax reform bill also helped Central New Yorkers. The bill has put more money in people's pockets and has been a boost to the economy.



Katko will need to continue to be a voice of moderation in the Republican party against groups like the Freedom Caucus. Should control of the House flip to Democrats, and Katko finds himself in the minority, his centrist beliefs will be subject to even greater scrutiny.



Katko, chair of a Homeland Security subcommittee, brags about the number of his bills that have passed the House. Few, if any, have a direct impact on the lives of people in Central New York. If Katko wins a third term, we'd like to see him focus on matters of greatest import to our region. Get the federal money back to deal with the lead paint crisis in Syracuse. Take a position of leadership on the replacement for Interstate 81. Attack the opioid crisis through harsher penalties, yes, but also with more addiction treatment and more support for families.



We regret Katko's decision to unleash negative (and misleading) campaign ads against Balter during the past few months. He missed a chance to set a higher tone for this campaign, especially as an incumbent who was ahead in the polls.



Balter has run a smart, strong, insurgent campaign. She started by defeating Perez Williams, the national party's handpicked candidate, in the primary. She was able to energize people not normally involved in politics by tapping into their discontent with Trump's Washington and Katko's role in it. Balter favors Medicare for all and opposed the tax cuts because they mostly benefited the wealthy and corporations -- who, not coincidentally, pay the most taxes.



Both of these candidates are strong, but we believe Katko's moderate position fits Central New York. We endorse him for a third term.

Why we endorse



The purpose of an editorial endorsement is to provide a thoughtful assessment of the choices voters face in an election. We offer editorial endorsements to stimulate the public conversation and promote civic engagement. Voting is a right and an obligation of citizenship. That part is up to you. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Syracuse.com editorials

Editorials represent the collective opinion of the Advance Media New York editorial board. Our opinions are independent of news coverage. Read our

Members of the editorial board are Tim Kennedy, Jason Murray and Marie Morelli.

To respond to this editorial: Post a comment below, or submit a letter or commentary to

. Read our

If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion leader, at
This piece has been corrected. Veterans for Peace's cemetery demonstration will occur on Sunday, not Monday.

Jack Gilroy, of Endwell, is a retired high school social studies teacher and president of the Stu Naismith Chapter of Veterans for Peace. Gilroy was honorably discharged from both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army, Infantry. He is the author of two coming of age novels of young men who refuse to train to kill, "Absolute Flanigan" and "The Wisdom Box," published by Binghamton University Global.



By Jack Gilroy | Special to Syracuse.com



One hundred years ago this Nov. 11, the Great War, World War I, came to an end. People around the world rejoiced and celebrated the end of hostilities, a time to declare peace. The following year, 1919, the day became known as Armistice Day. It was not a day to celebrate war and warriors but a day to celebrate peace.



The British and German governments are issuing a unique joint appeal to communities across the world to ring their church and other bells in unison at 11 a.m. on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 2018, to mark the one-hundredth anniversary of the end of the awful slaughter.

It's time for Americans to reclaim Armistice Day.



In 1954, we dropped the name "Armistice Day" and adopted "Veterans Day." We replaced a sacred day of thanksgiving with a day to glorify warriors. That was not the intent of veterans of World War I. Veterans rejoiced at no more artillery and mortar rounds ripping through young bodies, mustard gas searing lungs and burning skin, the end of machine gun fire projecting 450 rounds per minute, monster weapons of death like tanks, and weaponized aircraft that killed millions for Empire. People mourned for the mostly poor and working class soldiers drafted or lured by disinformation and propaganda lies.



When Armistice Day was declared one year after the war ended, people were beginning to understand that the bloodshed was not about valor or glory or medals or service, but about power and money. Just in the United States alone, 15,000 new millionaires were made in our short participation in the European war. Republican Herbert Hoover, director of the Food Administration in Democrat Woodrow Wilson's administration, summed up the situation by noting: "Older men declare war but it is the young who fight and die." He could have added "who fight and die for lies of the rich and powerful."



Rory Fanning, a former U.S. Army Ranger with two deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, has written: " It gets clearer and clearer with each passing year that Veterans Day is less about honoring veterans than it is about easing the guilty consciences of those who have sent others to kill and die for reasons that have very little to do with democracy and freedom."



Kurt Vonnegut, one of our great American writers, lived the misery of World War II as a U.S. infantryman in Europe. A character in Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions" says: "Armistice Day has become Veterans Day. Armistice Day was sacred. Veterans Day is not. So, I will throw Veterans Day over my shoulder. Armistice Day I will keep. I don't want to throw away any sacred things. Veterans Day celebrates 'heroes' and encourages going off to kill and be killed in a future war -- or one of our current wars."



Veterans for Peace of Broome County wishes to reclaim Armistice Day. Our group has petitioned all churches in Binghamton to ring their bells at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I. We urge Syracuse churches to join us by ringing their bells 11 times at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.



Veterans for Peace www.veteransforpeace.org urges all American churches with bells to help Veterans for Peace reclaim Armistice Day. Let us celebrate the end of war, not the warriors.



At 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, Veterans for Peace in Binghamton will offer Armistice Day poppies to parade viewers (of a Veterans Day parade) as a remembrance of the horror of all wars. That same day, on the lawn of First Congregational Church, corner of Main and Front, Binghamton, the Stu Naismith Chapter Veterans for Peace will have a cemetery illustrating the dead of both the Vietnam War and Iraq/Afghanistan wars. The ratio of dead Americans to dead Vietnamese, Iraqi and Afghanistan people will be shown in the cemetery tombstone numbers.



We must comprehend the terrible human cost of war to deter us from making war again.



Syracuse Armistice Day event



Chapter 51 of Veterans for Peace and the Beyond War and Militarism Committee, a joint committee of the Syracuse Peace Council and the CNY Solidarity Coalition, are inviting the public to an Armistice Day event in Syracuse, according to Veterans for Peace member Ronald L. VanNorstrand.



The group will gather at Billings Park, at the corner of South Salina Street and East Adams Street in Syracuse, where there is a statue of a World War I soldier. All will be invited to share stories about the moment that their ancestors heard the news of the armistice.



The vigil will start at 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., people will listen to Syracuse bells ring out for five minutes in remembrance of the joy and celebration of peace and in commitment to ending war and fostering justice and peace.



The group invites places of worship with bells to ring them at 11 a.m. for five minutes, to join the Billings Park group or to hold a similar vigil.




On Tuesday's ballot, Republican candidate Edward Ott will challenge Assemblyman William Magnarelli (D-Syracuse), who is seeking his 11th term in office after serving nearly 20 years in Albany.

Running on the platform of "Commitment Over Complacency," Ott hopes to unseat Magnarelli, who has been the district's assemblyman since 1998. The 129th district consists of the north and west sides of Syracuse, portions of the east and south sides, Solvay and the town of Van Buren.

Democrats outnumber Republicans among registered voters in the district, with 32,867 enrolled voters vs. 15,996 Republicans. There are 18,845 voters not registered with a party in the district, according to April 2018 enrollment data from the New York State Board of Elections.

Magnarelli has raised $200,000 in campaign contributions during his last two years in office. Ott has not filed any contributions with the New York State Board of Elections.

With many voters are familiar with the incumbent, Ott called himself the "major underdog" in the race. Previous to running for the state assembly, Ott ran unsuccessfully for Syracuse Common Council last year and ran twice for the Syracuse School board in the early 1990s. Currently, he works for Adams Apple Services, which provides transportation for people with disabilities.

A lifelong Syracusan, Magnarelli chairs the Assembly's local government committee and sits on several others, including economic development, education and steering and oversight. He received a law degree from Syracuse University in 1973 and served six years in the Army Reserves, rising to the rank of captain.

Both candidates answered the same questions for Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard this week. Some answers have been consolidated for length.

Question: Why are you running for state assembly this cycle?

Magnarelli: I think I have the experience and the expertise in the legislature to continue to do a good job for the constituents that I serve. I still enjoy what I'm doing and I'm asking the people that I represent to give me their vote one more time -- at least.

Ott: This election cycle, my respected opponent had no opponent. He really hasn't had an opponent that's gotten him to actually, dangerously campaign since Rick Zaccaria (2014). I think if nothing else, I'm giving the people of the 129th something that haven't had in the last cycles and that's a choice in terms of candidates.

Edward Ott is a 2018 candidate in the 129th Assembly District.

Question: What do you think is currently the biggest issue that your district is facing?

Magnarelli: Unfortunately, I think the biggest issue that we've always faced has been the creation of jobs and keeping people here in this area. Again, I say unfortunately; it's something I've been working on for the past 20 years. We've made some strides, I think we're going in the right direction. The biggest thing is jobs and making sure we have workers that have been educated for those jobs to go forward. It's jobs, education and then also the welfare and safety of my constituents. Their health is always an issue with me.

Ott: Economic development. In the city, for example, the westside where I take a look up and down their streets and I see untapped potential. There's a program going on over in the southside where you can see the change happening. It used to be a lot of run-down houses. There's still a few but I can see the change happening. But on the westside, you don't see that. You see lots of land bank houses, you see lots of abandoned houses, eyesores left and right. But there's potential there, and I think we can do better.

Question: What are the main pillars of your campaign?

Magnarelli: Jobs, education, healthcare. We're going to keep pushing those issues, I think we're doing better. I think we're doing a good job on the education side of it. I think we're doing a good job on the healthcare side of it but they could both be better. I hope that jobs are going to start coming because of the work we're doing in the other areas.

Ott: Bringing economic development to the 129th through different programs. I work for a small business. Between the rules, regulations, standards and the taxes, it makes it extremely difficult to grow as businesses here in the state of New York.

Along with that, I want to bring in tax reform to make our state more business friendly. We're among the top in the entire country for tax burden - not just for businesses big and small, but homeowners and property owners. By enacting tax reforms, I believe we can catch up to the rest of the country as far as economic development goes.

William Magnarelli is the incumbent in the 129th Assembly District, running for his 11th term. Staff

Question: What would you say was the biggest success of your last term?

Magnarelli: I think our budgets over the last years have been relatively good for our area in terms of both education and also funds for workforce development and economic development.

I do believe that we're putting money into economic development opportunities within Central New York that are going to benefit us over the long run. I think we're starting to see some of that in downtown Syracuse where more people are moving into, more people are living. The whole outlook on downtown Syracuse has changed because of economic development opportunities that we've been able to bring.

Question: Is there anything else I haven't asked about that you'd like to share?

Magnarelli: I think we've done a lot for the city of Syracuse over the last couple years in terms of helping put together legislation for our tribunal that will allow them to go after code violations a lot easier. We've also given the city the right to put code fines on the property tax bills which I hope will help the city go after landlords that ignore our codes and continue to violate them. I think we've given a lot of tools to the city of Syracuse. I'm looking forward to seeing how those tools are going to be used and whether or not we can tweak anything in Albany to make them better.

Ott: One thing I would like to do if I get elected is work on reforming our rules and regulations for some of our most vulnerable people in our state - mainly those who are elderly and those with special needs. We have some of the most laxed standards as far as taking care of our elderly as well as those with special needs of any state in the country and it's an absolute travesty... It doesn't matter whether you're in the 129th or you're in somebody else's district, if you have an issue, especially something as dear to me as the care of our most vulnerable citizens, by all means -- my door will be wide open.
Sherwood Boehlert, a prominent Republican who represented parts of Central New York in Congress for 24 years, on Friday endorsed Democrat Anthony Brindisi for the seat he once held.

Boehlert, of New Hartford, becomes the latest local Republican to reject the party's nominee, Rep. Claudia Tenney, in Tuesday's election.

"Assemblyman Brindisi will work hard with everyone in Congress on a bipartisan basis, which is the only way to achieve the desired outcomes that benefit all," Boehlert said in a statement.

"Our current representative, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, does the opposite," Boehlert said. "I am appalled by her blind partisanship and unwillingness to listen to other points of view."

Boehlert is the longest-serving member of Congress from the Utica area in the past 36 years. He was an influential Republican leader in Congress who led the moderate wing of the GOP through the 1990s until his retirement in 2007.

Other local Republicans to endorse Brindisi ahead of Tuesday's election include former Rep. Richard Hanna, who retired at the start of 2017, Frankfort Mayor Rick Adams and state Assemblyman Marc Butler, R-Newport.

Brindisi said in a statement that he holds Boehlert up as a model of the kind of representative he wants to be in Congress.

"Congressman Boehlert set an example as a representative who got things done for this district by working with everyone," Brindisi said. He added, "He was a strong leader in Congress who wasn't afraid to go against his party on issues that were important to him, and I hope to follow in his footsteps."

Tenney, R-New Hartford, has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and his policies. Trump and his son, Eric, have campaigned for the first term congresswoman.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, plans to visit Central New York and the Southern Tier on Saturday to attend rallies with Tenney supporters and volunteers.

The campaign between Tenney and Brindisi has emerged as one of the most competitive House races in the mid-term elections.

A Syracuse.com/Spectrum News/Siena College poll of likely voters in the 22nd Congressional District showed Brindisi with a statistically insignificant lead (46-45 percent) last week.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
Almost 50 years after New York became one of the first states in the nation to make abortion legal, the state law has become the center of a reignited debate before Tuesday's election.

The New York law that passed in 1970 doesn't give women the same rights guaranteed under federal law. It was passed three years before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that states can't ban abortion.

Now those differences are in the spotlight after the U.S. Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, tilting the court to the right.

President Donald Trump promised during his 2016 campaign that he would appoint justices who would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case, allowing the issue of abortion rights to "go back to the states, and the states will then make a determination."

What would that mean for abortion rights in New York? Consider:

-- It's illegal under New York law for doctors to perform abortions in the third trimester, even in cases where continuing a pregnancy threatens a woman's health. The only exception is if a woman's life is at risk. Under Roe v. Wade and subsequent rulings, abortions are legal after 24 weeks if a woman's life or health is at risk.

-- The state law offers no right to an abortion in the third trimester if a fetus is no longer viable. Under Roe, a state can't prohibit a woman from having an abortion at any time a fetus is deemed not viable.

-- New York treats abortion later in pregnancy as a felony -- punishable by up to seven years in prison under criminal law. Under Roe v. Wade, states decide how to regulate abortion after 24 weeks. Most states regulate abortion under public health law.

Some New York lawmakers have tried for six years to update the state law with the rights affirmed by Roe v. Wade and later Supreme Court rulings. But the effort has stalled. The issue failed to gain widespread attention until Kavanaugh's nomination.

Abortion rights advocates say the state can't afford to wait any longer.

"Abortion is healthcare, not a crime, and our laws must reflect this," said Robin Chappelle Golston, who leads Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts. The group represents nine affiliates in New York that provide abortions.

"No matter what happens at the federal level, our state must protect women's ability to make their own health care decisions and ensure trained, licensed medical providers are able to provide care to those who need it, without facing the threat of a criminal penalty," she said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo agrees. He promised to change state law, giving New Yorkers the same abortion rights now provided under federal law.

"We will not wait for our rights to be taken away," Cuomo said, vowing to codify Roe v. Wade within the first 30 days of his administration if he's re-elected.

Senate Republicans blocked previous efforts to codify Roe v. Wade, arguing that a bill supported by the governor -- the Reproductive Health Act -- would expand access to abortions later in pregnancy.

Republican Marc Molinaro, Cuomo's opponent in the November election, has said he believes Roe v. Wade is settled law.

Molinaro told the Albany Times Union editorial board on Wednesday that he would support legislation that places the rights affirmed by Roe v. Wade into state law.

But Molinaro said he wouldn't support the Reproductive Health Act in its current form. He objects to a provision in the bill that would allow non-physician assisted abortions in New York.

The Reproductive Health Act would allow licensed nurse practitioners and physician's assistants to provide abortion services, such as administering a pill to a patient early in pregnancy. The bill's authors say the change is essential for rural parts of the state with limited access to doctors.

The Assembly has passed the bill, or elements included in it, for six consecutive years. But the measure has failed to make it out of the state Senate.

Now candidates are raising the issue this election year, including in the hotly-contested race to fill the 50th District Senate seat left open by the retirement of state Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-DeWitt.

The Democratic candidate, John Mannion, says he'll vote to pass the Reproductive Health Act. The Republican candidate, Bob Antonacci, opposes the bill.

Some of the rhetoric on the issue has become heated. A mailer from Antonacci supporters recently claimed that Mannion "supports a radical expansion of abortion."

The mailer quotes the New York State Catholic Conference, which opposes the bill, saying, "The primary objective is to expand late-term abortions."

The bill's supporters say the primary objective is to make sure New York women have the same constitutional rights guaranteed under Roe. v. Wade and subsequent decisions.

Political analysts have said the race for the 50th District seat between Antonacci and Mannion is one of the most competitive in the state. The election outcome could determine whether the Senate flips from Republican to Democratic control on Tuesday. Republicans have a one-seat majority.

DeFrancisco, the Senate's deputy majority leader, said Cuomo has created a false sense of urgency to pass the bill.

DeFrancisco said he opposes the measure because he believes it would ultimately lead to an increase in the number of abortions that take place in New York.

"The bill that he wants to have passed -- that the Assembly has repeatedly passed -- goes beyond Roe v. Wade," said DeFrancisco, R-DeWitt.

DeFrancisco suggested that Cuomo's motivation to raise the issue is nothing more than a political calculation.

"He's doing only one thing," DeFrancisco said. "He's running for re-election. Anything that can put him at odds with the federal government and Republicans at the national level -- that's what he's doing. That's his sole goal in life, to win elections."

Chapelle Golston of Planned Parenthood said DeFrancisco and other abortion opponents have made it clear they want to overturn Roe v. Wade as quickly as possible.

"We know what their goal is," she said. "I don't think there is any doubt they want to ban abortions nationally."

Abortion opponents have lined up legal cases to appeal to the Supreme Court, setting in motion a potential ruling to overturn or weaken the Roe v. Wade decision.

In Iowa, for example, the governor this year signed one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws. The law bans nearly all abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually after six weeks of a pregnancy. A judge has temporarily blocked the law while a lawsuit is argued in the courts.

In his testimony at his confirmation hearings, Kavanaugh was repeatedly asked his opinion about Roe v. Wade.

Kavanaugh said the 1973 ruling was settled precedent, but he declined to say whether he thought the case was correctly decided.

"One of the important things to keep in mind about Roe v. Wade is that it has been reaffirmed many times over the last 45 years," Kavanaugh said.

Chappelle Golston said those words didn't make her feel any more comfortable about the future of abortion rights.

"We really do need to update our state laws," she said.

Where they stand

Here's where candidates for governor and the New York Senate stand on the Reproductive Health Act

Candidate How they would vote

Governor

Andrew Cuomo, D: Yes

Marc Molinaro, R: No

Attorney General

Tish James, D: Yes

Keith Wofford, R: No

New York Senate 50th District

John Mannion, D: Yes

Bob Antonacci, R: No

New York Senate 53rd District

Rachel May, D: Yes

Janet Burman, R: No

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- U.S. Rep. John Katko today said his opponent, Dana Balter, is "spewing nonsense" with her claims that he has been corrupted by campaign donations.

Katko and Balter clashed over integrity, campaign donations, healthcare and political rhetoric during an hourlong Congressional debate hosted by Spectrum News Thursday.

Balter intensified criticism of Katko's campaign donors, saying his votes are bought and paid for by special interests. She said money he's received from drug companies shows he cannot hold them accountable for their role in the opioid crisis.

Katko rebuffed those charges. He said she is crossing a line by accusing him of a crime and it calls into question her credibility.

"I am not corrupt," Katko said. "And sooner or later people are going to start ignoring the nonsense you're spewing because there's no basis in fact for it."

Balter said he, too, has impugned her integrity with "false and misleading" ads that he has refused to remove from the airwaves.

The debate was recorded Thursday afternoon at Storer Auditorium at Onondaga Community College in front of a live audience. It aired Thursday evening on Spectrum News.

Each candidate invited 40 guests and others were invited by OCC and Spectrum. Spectrum anchor Tammy Palmer and Washington correspondent Jeevan Vittal moderated the debate.

The two clashed over campaign financing, though both said they support reforms to the current system. In her opening and closing statements Balter said Katko votes with his donors more than his constituents.

Katko pointed to donations Balter has received from California and from a Super PAC formed by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. He said he's not accusing Balter of anything, but he thinks campaign finance laws should be reformed.

Katko said he supports a Constitutional amendment to curb campaign contributions. Balter said he only signed on as a sponsor of campaign reform legislation after she brought it up as a campaign issue. She said campaign finance reform is her top priority if elected.

Balter explained her Medicare for all proposal, which would expand the government-run healthcare program. The panelists asked how Balter would pay for the program. She said it would pay for itself through savings to families. She did not say how the government would initially find the money for the program.

"We have to talk about how we can not pay for it," she said. She said it's a pro- small business plan because it relieves business owners of the burden of paying for expensive health care for employees.

Katko seized on that, renewing his claim that Balter's plan would double taxes. Balter described his claims as "scare tactics."

"Over 70 percent of Americans support Medicare for all. The extreme position is to be against it," Balter said.

"They support it until they find out how we're going to pay for it," Katko replied.

Responding to a question about civility and how political rhetoric can lead to dangerous action, Katko said there is dangerous rhetoric "on both sides." He referred to Congressman Steve Scalise, who was shot and nearly killed in 2017. He also brought up a death threat he received last year.

He said he wants to dilute the influence of the far-left and the far-right in Congress. He also said he doesn't approve of President Donald Trump's Twitter behavior.

"We have a president who's Twitter happy," he said. "If I was god, I'd put him in Twitter timeout."

Balter said political violence has no place in this country and leaders and citizens have a responsibility to change the way our culture is headed.

"Language matters. Words matter," Balter said. "The messages that are put out there absolutely influence people."

Both candidates agreed the president should not try to end birthright citizenship with an executive order. Balter said Trump is trying to distract and scare voters with his recent announcement to that effect. Katko, too, said Trump is wrong and if he wants to make a change, he should do it through a Constitutional amendment.

During a series of more lighthearted questions, each candidate was asked what's one thing they always have in their refrigerator.

"Fresh fruit," Balter said.

"Ice cubes for my Scotch," Katko said.

Thursday's debate was the third of four debates in the race. Syracuse.com hosted a debate last Wednesday, CNY Central hosted a debate Tuesday and NewsChannel 9 will host a debate Sunday, Nov. 4.

The election is Tuesday, Nov. 6. Polls open at 6 a.m.

Chris Baker covers city affairs and public policy for syracuse.com. You can reach him at cbaker@syracuse.com, by phone at 315-766-8329 or follow him on Twitter.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Ryan McMahon officially took over as Onondaga County executive in a five-minute ceremony this afternoon.

McMahon, 38, was sworn into office by county clerk Lisa Dell and signed his oath in the county executive chamber in the John H. Mulroy Civic Center. His mother Susan held the Bible during the swearing-in while his father John stood alongside.

McMahon held the ceremony today after attending Gov. Andrew Cuomo's visit to the Syracuse airport. McMahon will hold a bigger, formal ceremony on Sunday.

He becomes the fourth county executive of Onondaga County.

McMahon is taking over midterm for Joanie Mahoney, who announced her departure at the end of September. He will serve the rest of her term, but will have to run if he wants to keep the position in November 2019.

Ryan McMahon signs the Onondaga County Executive oath of office in the Onondaga County Executive Chamber at the John H Mulroy Civic Center, Syracuse, NY, Thursday, November 1, 2018.

Mahoney, who served in the role for 11 years, is taking a position with the State University of New York, working with both the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and SUNY Upstate Medical University.

McMahon was all smiles today as he spoke with reporters after the swearing-in.

"The whole process has been kind of a whirlwind," he said. McMahon, the former County Legislature chairman, quickly gathered enough votes among his fellow legislators for the county executive job just hours after Mahoney publicly announced her resignation.

Poverty was the first issue on McMahon's mind today.

He said he planned to immediately convene groups of stakeholders to begin tackling the issue and formulating a plan.

He said he's looking forward to getting his executive team in place, working on improving government efficiency and modernization, and collaborating with other elected officials. McMahon appointed a new deputy and chief of staff this week.

"A lot of good things are happening in this community," McMahon said. "We need to build off of that."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to sign an order next week that could lead to the large-scale detention of migrants crossing the southern border and bar anyone caught crossing illegally from claiming asylum -- two legally dubious proposals that mark his latest election-season barrage against illegal immigration.

"This is an invasion," Trump declared as he has previously on a subject that has been shown to resonate strongly with his base of Republican supporters. He made his comments at the White House in a speech that was billed as a response to groups of migrants currently walking toward the U.S. border.

He then left for an evening political rally in Missouri, the latest in a daily series he has scheduled leading up to next Tuesday's elections for control of Congress.

U.S. immigration laws make clear that migrants seeking asylum may do so either at or between border crossings. But Trump said he would limit that to official crossing points. The U.S. also doesn't have space at the border to manage the large-scale detention of migrants, with most facilities at capacity. But Trump said the government would erect "massive tents."

"We're stopping people at the border," he said firmly.

His announcement marked Trump's latest attempt to keep the issue of immigration front-and-center in the final stretch before next Tuesday's elections. Notably, he said his executive order would come next week, which means it could be after Election Day.

Trump also said that he had told the U.S. military mobilizing at the southwest border that if U.S. troops face rock-throwing migrants, they should react as though the rocks were "rifles."

The exact rules for the use of force by military police and other soldiers who will be operating near the border have not been disclosed, but in all cases troops have the right of self-defense. At any rate, they are not expected to be in positions where anyone trying to storm across the border would quickly come in contact with them.

Mark Hertling, a retired Army general, wrote on Twitter after Trump's speech that no military officer would allow a soldier to shoot an individual throwing a rock. "It would be an unlawful order," he wrote, citing the Law of Land Warfare.

The president announced on Wednesday that he was considering deploying up to 15,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexican border in response to the still far-off caravans -- roughly double the number the Pentagon said it currently plans for a mission whose dimensions are shifting daily.

Trump said Thursday that, under his order, any migrants who do manage to enter the country illegally will be housed in "massive tent cities" he plans to build while their cases are processed.

"We're not releasing them into our country anymore," he said. "We have thousands of tents."

Under current protocol, many asylum seekers are released while their cases make their way through back-logged courts -- a process that can take years.

Trump and other administration officials have long demanded that those seeking asylum come through legal ports of entry. But many migrants are unaware of that guidance, and official border crossings have grown increasingly clogged. Immigration officials have turned away asylum-seekers at ports of entry because of overcrowding, telling them to return at a later date. Backlogs have grown especially bad in recent months at crossings in California, Arizona and Texas, with people generally waiting five weeks to try to claim asylum at San Diego's main crossing and sleeping out in the open for days at a time.

The administration has also been ramping up security at ports of entry this week. In McAllen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, workers were seen installing additional gates and fences along a walkway on a bridge between the U.S. and Mexico, according to The Monitor newspaper of McAllen.

Migrants who cross illegally are generally arrested and often seek asylum or some other form of protection. Claims have spiked in recent years, and there is currently a backlog of more than 800,000 cases pending in immigration court. Administration officials have railed against what they say are loopholes designed to encourage people, especially from Central America, to come to the U.S. and claim asylum. Generally, only about 20 percent of applicants are approved.

The U.S. fielded more than 330,000 asylum claims in 2017, nearly double the number two years earlier and surpassing Germany as highest in the world.

There are currently four caravans making their way toward the U.S. The main group of about 4,000 migrants -- down from its estimated peak of more than 7,000 -- remains in southern Mexico, mostly on foot and hundreds of miles from the border. A second, smaller group of 1,000 or so is more than 200 miles behind the first. A third band of about 500 from El Salvador has made it to Guatemala, and a fourth group of about 700 set out from the Salvadoran capital Wednesday.

Trump has nonetheless mounted an enormous show of force in response.

The first 100 active duty troops arrived at the border in McAllen on Thursday -- part of the "more than 7,000" troops the Pentagon said were being sent to support Customs and Border Protection agents.

But troop estimates have been changing at a dizzying pace. Just last week officials were indicating that about 800 to 1,000 might be sent. On Monday, officials announced that about 5,200 were being deployed. The next day, the Air Force general running the operation said more than the initially announced total were going, but he pointedly rejected a news report that it could reach 14,000, saying that was "not consistent with what's actually being planned."

Just 24 hours later, Trump caught the Pentagon by surprise.

"We have about 5,800. We'll go up to anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 military personnel on top of Border Patrol, ICE and everybody else at the border," he said Wednesday.

Trump has rejected the idea he has been "fearmongering" and using the issue for political purposes, but his escalating rhetoric in the final days of the campaign calls that denial into question. He also has said he plans an executive order to unilaterally end the constitutionally protected right of citizenship for children born to non-U.S. citizens.

Trump also tweeted a video Wednesday alleging Democrats were responsible for allowing a homicidal immigrant into the U.S. but provided no evidence supporting that claim.

The video includes scenes of migrants moving toward the U.S. and asks ominously, "Who else would Democrats let in?"

It was reminiscent of the infamous "Willie Horton" ad used against Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988 and condemned as racist. Horton, who was black, raped a woman while out of prison on a weekend furlough. As Massachusetts governor, Dukakis supported the furlough program. He lost to Republican George H.W. Bush.
What are martial arts and swordsmen like? To most Chinese, the answer is to be found in the works of the late novelist Jin Yong.



Jin, whose real name was Zha Liangyong (also known as Louis Cha), died on Tuesday evening in Hong Kong, aged 94. The news soon went viral on the Chinese mainland, where he inspired a generation, ushering them into the world of Wuxia (swordsmen).

Wang Xiaolei, better known by his nickname Liushenleilei, has an official WeChat account with more than 100,000 followers. His articles are about Jin Yong's novels.

"I began reading Jin's novels when I was in middle school," he told Xinhua. "At that time reading books like those were forbidden by parents and teachers, who feared that would distract us from study at school."

"While learning about the death of Mr. Jin I was having supper," he said. "I suddenly felt at a loss. I later sat in the toilet for quiet a while to calm down."

On early Wednesday morning, he released an article mourning Jin. "I have no chance to meet you. You even didn't know the existence of my official WeChat account," Wang wrote. "Should I meet you, I would have asked you if you liked my article and if I could be considered your disciple?"

"I am only one of the tens of thousands of Jin's readers. He was liked by so many people. I never feel alone."

Wang said he believed the reason why Jin had so many fans was that Chinese people had a deeply-rooted admiration for chivalry and love for the country. "So the swordsmen under Jin's pens were their idols."

He noted that Jin had vast knowledge of Chinese traditional culture, as shown across his books.

In terms of writing technique, Jin borrowed from Western plays. "Some of his plots were just like ancient Greek tragedy," he said. "For instance, in his 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils,' the hero was like a tragic figure in Greek mythology."

Zhang Fang also has an official WeChat account about history and Chinese literature. On Wednesday he released a prose written in the classical literary style in memory of the novelist.

"When I was a child, I watched TV dramas without knowing they were adapted from his books," he said. "When I entered primary school, I began reading his novels, only to find them so intriguing."

To some extent, his parents fell in love because of Jin Yong. "They were watching a movie adapted from Jin's novel in the cinema when they met each other," Zhang said.

While learning about Jin's death, he was reading the writer's book. "In his book you can learn about Chinese calligraphy, painting, music, medicine and wine," he said. "He was the most successful writer in popularizing traditional Chinese culture."

Zhang noted that when their generation began reading Jin's books, they were at an age when the their sense of value was just taking shape. "After I grew up, I found that my personality was so affected by the heroes in his books," he said.

Meng Yuan, who was supposed to work overtime in her company, felt too sad to continue when hearing about Jin's passing.

"He took me into such a wonderland," she said. When she was in middle school, she used to make up similar swordsman stories with her friends, some of which she still remembers.

"Writers in the West created new worlds like the one in the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter," she continued. "If there is an imagined world in China, that is the world with martial arts and swordsmen Jin penned for us."

People living as far afield as Australia mourned for Jin on Wednesday.

Ouyang Dipin, manager of the Asia Collections in the National Library of Australia, told Xinhua that they had a collection of 28 books by Jin Yong, and were preparing an exhibition.

Ouyang arrived in Australia 23 years ago, but the move didn't prevent her from reading Jin's books. "He had such excellent depiction of humanity and human emotions," she said. "In Australia I know there are scholars studying his works."

Fan Shengyu, a senior lecturer with the Australian National University, said that Jin's influence knew no national boundary. "No matter in New York, Singapore or Vancouver, where there are Chinese, there are his readers," he said. "His death marks the end of an era for martial art novels. We can hardly expect to see other writers with such influence and artistic achievement as him."
Police say an Upstate New York man killed his wife and attempted to kill his mother before committing suicide in Pennsylvania.

The Democrat & Chronicle reports Arnold Ford Jr., 52, was found dead Wednesday inside his vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound near Erie, Pa. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said the .40-caliber handgun inside the vehicle was registered to his wife, Wendy Ford.

According to WHEC, investigators say "Andy" Ford Jr. bludgeoned Wendy to death with a hammer at their home in Penfield, N.Y. He then drove more than 25 miles to Riga and attacked his 75-year-old mother, Florence Ford, with the same hammer in her home.

13 WHAM reports Florence Ford was found unresponsive after a welfare check was issued when Wendy Ford was found dead. She's currently in guarded condition at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Police first responded to the Penfield home when his employer called 911 when Ford Jr. sent an email saying he would not be in to work Wednesday. The "email raised concern," deputies said.

"It's unique from the standpoint it wasn't an overall threat to himself or somebody else. It was a rambling email," Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter told WHEC. "There were a lot of particular names in there, not that he was mad at anyone, but just mentioning coworkers or family members and particularly speaking about his injuries and being injured."

Baxter said that Ford Jr. was having difficulty recovering from an arm injury and was "feeling disconnected" at work. According to WHEC, Ford Jr. worked as a software developer at Getinge, an international medical technology company.

Authorities are still investigating for further possible explanations for the murder-suicide.

Baxter told WHEC that there had been no previous domestic violence or mental health calls at the Fords' Penfield home.

The @monroesheriffny is investigating a homicide on Collingsworth Dr. in #Penfield. They are also investigating an attempted homicide in #Riga that they believe is connected. Follow @SPECNewsROC as this story develops pic.twitter.com/RacTooPoA3  Andrew Freeman (@AFreemanNews) October 31, 2018

The investigation is still very active at this home on Leibeck Rd. in Riga. An unresponsive female was transported to Strong after she was discovered during a follow up to this mornings homicide in Penfield. @SPECNewsROC has crews at both scenes pic.twitter.com/nSCFEuXbN1  Madison Marquardt (@MMarquardtTV) October 31, 2018
A fight that caused a deadly bus crash in China earlier this week was captured on the vehicle's video recorder.



The footage shows a woman slapping at the driver with her cellphone, according to The New York Times. The driver hits back and loses control of the bus.



The passengers can be heard screaming as the vehicle bursts through a barrier on the bridge and begins to fall into the water below. The video, released by Chinese authorities, cuts off before impact.



All 15 people who were on the bus are presumed dead, according to The Associated Press. Thirteen bodies have been found so far.



The crash took place Sunday.



WARNING: The video contains content that some viewers may find disturbing.





Police said the fight began when the passenger, a 48-year-old woman, became angry because the bus missed her stop, according to the BBC. The woman hit the driver because he refused to stop and let her off and the driver fought back.



Police recovered the video of the fight from vehicle's wreckage, according to the Times. It has been viewed hundreds of millions of times and sparked expressions of shock and scorn, the Times said.



Viewers said they were outraged that the passenger and the driver would allow a petty fight to endanger other passengers, the paper said.



State media outlets previously blamed the female driver of a car that collided with the bus before it went into the river. The police on Friday made clear that the fight was the cause of the crash, according to the Times.



"Fifteen fresh lives have vanished and the lessons are extremely painful," a police statement said, according to the Times. "May the dead rest in peace and the living be warned."

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
UK Announces Digital Tax, Corporate Tax Reforms In New Budget

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

02 November 2018

The UK's 2018 Budget includes changes to tax rules for companies, and notably for multinational groups to conform with the EU's Anti Tax Avoidance Directive. Most significantly, the UK has decided to move ahead of the EU in announcing that it will apply a tax on the turnover of certain digital businesses.

The Budget announces that from April 2020 the UK will introduce a two percent tax on the revenues of certain digital businesses that derive value from their UK users. The tax will apply to revenues generated by search engines, social media platforms, and online marketplaces. It will apply to revenues from those activities that are linked to the participation of UK users, subject to a GBP25m-per-year allowance; and apply only to groups that generate global revenues from in-scope business activities in excess of GBP500m per year. The regime will include a safe harbor provision that will exempt loss-making businesses and will reduce the effective rate of tax on businesses with very low profit margins.

Legislation for the tax will be introduced in Finance Bill 2019-20 after a consultation on the levy's design.

Corporate tax relief measures

The Budget includes the introduction of new corporate tax reliefs and amendments to existing provisions. The Government proposes:

The introduction of a new Structures and Buildings Allowance (SBA), which will provide relief for qualifying capital expenditure on new non-residential structures and buildings. Relief will be available for eligible expenditure incurred where all the contracts for the physical construction works are entered into on or after October 29, 2018. Relief will not be available for the costs of land or dwellings.

The extension of the first-year allowance for electric charge-points for vehicles for four years, until March 31, 2023, for corporation tax, and to April 5, 2023, for income tax purposes.

A change to the special rate of writing down allowances for qualifying plant and machinery from eight percent to six percent for businesses claiming capital allowances from April 2019.

An increase temporarily to the Annual Investment Allowance from GBP200,000 to GBP1m, with effect from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2020.

The Government has also announced a number of integrity measures concerning corporate tax breaks. Namely, it has announced that it will restrict companies' use of carried-forward capital losses to 50 percent of capital gains from April 1, 2020. The measure will include an allowance that allows companies unrestricted use of up to GBP5m capital or income losses each year, which, according to the Government, will mean that 99 percent of companies will be financially unaffected. An anti-forestalling measure will have effect on and after October 29, 2018.

The UK will introduce a limit on the amount of payable tax credit that can be claimed by a company under the R&D SME tax relief. The limit will be set at three times the company's total PAYE and National Insurance contribution (NICs) payment for the period, with effect for accounting periods beginning on or after April 1, 2020.

The Government will also consult on aligning the Stamp Duty and stamp duty reserve tax (SDRT) consideration rules and introducing a general connected party market value rule. Reforming the consideration rules is intended to simplify stamp taxes on shares and prevent contrived arrangements from being used to avoid tax.

Finally, changes are to be legislated for in Finance Bill 2018-19 to make technical amendments to the long funding lease and corporate interest restriction rules to ensure they function as intended, including following the introduction of the new accounting standard for leases, IFRS 16, and loss relief legislation will also be amended to ensure the law works as intended and to prevent relief for carried-forward losses being claimed in excess of that intended.

International tax measures

The Government will legislate in Finance Bill 2018-9 to make two changes to the Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules. These changes relate to the definition of control and the treatment of certain profits generated by UK activity, and will ensure that the UK CFC rules comply with the EU Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD) from January 1, 2019.

Legislation will be introduced in Finance Bill 2018-19 to make two changes to the hybrid mismatch rules. These changes relate to the treatment of certain permanent establishments and the treatment of regulatory capital, and will ensure that the UK hybrid mismatch rules comply with the ATAD, effective from January 1, 2020.

Further, the Government will legislate in Finance Bill 2018-19 to introduce new rules for the taxation of hybrid capital instruments to ensure that they are taxed in line with their economic substance, taking into account new Bank of England requirements for loss absorbency, known as MREL. The new rules will also eliminate mismatches between the tax treatment of instruments used to raise funds externally and those used to lend funds internally within a group. The rules cover issues by companies in any sector and replace current rules covering regulatory capital instruments issued by banks and insurers.

The Government will also legislate in Finance Bill 2018-19 to amend the Diverted Profits Tax rules. The legislation is intended to close tax planning opportunities, make clear that diverted profits that are subject to DPT will not also be subject to corporation tax, and introduce modifications to the mechanics of the DPT legislation. This includes extending the DPT review period and permitting taxpayers to amend their corporate tax return during the first twelve months of the review period. These amendments will generally apply from Budget or Royal Assent of Finance Bill 2018-19, but will be deemed to have always had effect where they are wholly relieving.

The Government will also legislate in Finance Bill 2018-19 to give full effect to changes being made to its tax treaties through the OECD's BEPS Multilateral Instrument. The legislation tackles the erosion of the tax base by multinationals by changing the definition of the term "permanent establishment." It removes access to the exemption from having a UK permanent establishment when non-resident companies artificially fragment their business operations to avoid coming within the charge to UK corporation tax.

The Budget also announces that the Government intends to reform the corporate intangibles regime. The Government will:

Publish detailed proposals on how the government intends to partially reinstate relief for acquired goodwill in the acquisition of businesses with eligible intellectual property; and,

Alter the regime's de-grouping charge rules so that a charge will not arise where de-grouping is the result of a share disposal that qualifies for the Substantial Shareholding Exemption.

The changes to the de-grouping rules will have effect in relation to de-groupings occurring on or after November 7, 2018.

The Government has confirmed that it will also legislate for its profit fragmentation proposals that were announced at Autumn Budget 2017. This will involve the introduction of targeted legislation to prevent UK businesses from avoiding UK tax by arranging for their UK-taxable business profits to accrue to entities resident in territories where significantly lower tax is paid than in the UK. It is proposed that the taxable UK profits will be increased to the actual, commercial level.

Oil and gas sector

A number of measures affecting the oil and gas industry will be legislated for in Finance Bill 2018-19. As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, these will include the introduction of a transferable tax history mechanism for oil and gas companies, intended to remove tax barriers to new investment in the North Sea, and the Government will amend the petroleum revenue tax rules on retained decommissioning costs to simplify the way older fields can be sold to new investors. Both of these measures will apply for transactions that receive Oil and Gas Authority approval on or after November 1, 2018.

Real property taxes

As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, the Government will legislate in Finance Bill 2018-19 to broaden the UK's tax base to include disposals of all forms of UK land made by non-residents. This will include both direct disposals of UK land, and indirect disposals of entities that predominantly derive their value from UK land. Non-resident companies will be chargeable to corporation tax on their gains.

This measure extends the rules introduced in April 2015 applying to non-residents' disposals of residential UK land. As part of the measure, the rules relating to Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive-related gains will be abolished.

The Budget also announces that a requirement will be introduced for UK residents to make a payment on account of capital gains tax following the completion of a residential property disposal. The new legislation will also replace and extend the existing reporting and payment on account rules for non-UK residents.

Further, the Government will extend first-time buyers' relief to include qualifying shared ownership property purchases, whether or not the purchaser elects to pay SDLT on the market value of the property. The first GBP300,000 of an initial share purchased will not be liable to SDLT. The remainder of the initial share will be chargeable at five percent on amounts over GBP300,000.

Last, a targeted market value rule for Stamp Duty and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax (SDRT) will be introduced for listed securities transferred to connected companies. Where the rule applies, the transfer will be chargeable based on the higher of the amount or value of the consideration (if any) for the transfer or the market value of the securities. Legislation will be published on Budget Day. The rule will come into force on Budget Day.

Environmental taxes

The Government has announced that, in light of Brexit, it will introduce a new Carbon Emissions Tax to meet its carbon pricing commitments, which would be introduced in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a negotiated deal in 2019. It will would apply to all stationary installations currently participating in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. For 2019, a rate of GBP16 would apply to each tonne of carbon dioxide (or other greenhouse gas on a carbon equivalent basis) emitted over and above an installation's emissions allowance.

Next, the Government has confirmed that there will be no changes to the VAT or Air Passenger Duty regimes in Northern Ireland at this time.

Last, the Government has announced it will introduce a tax on the production and import of plastic packaging from April 2022. Subject to consultation, this tax will apply to plastic packaging that does not contain at least 30 percent recycled plastic.

Individual tax measures

The Budget features few significant changes for individual income taxpayers, other than in relation to Entrepreneurs' Relief. Otherwise, the two notable announcements were an increase to the tax-exempt income allowance  the so-called personal allowance  to GBP12,500 for 2019-20, and an increase to the basic rate limit to GBP37,500 for 2019-20, above which income is subject to the 40 percent income tax rate, rather than 20 percent. These thresholds will be retained in 2020-21 also, after which both will be indexed with the Consumer Price Index.

The Government has announced the following changes to Entrepreneurs' Relief. Two new tests will be added to the definition of a personal company for Entrepreneurs' Relief. These tests will require the claimant to have a five percent interest in both the distributable profits and the net assets of the company. The new tests must be met, in addition to the existing tests, throughout the specified period in order for relief to be due. The Government has also announced that it will increase the minimum period throughout which certain conditions must be met to qualify for Entrepreneurs' Relief, from one year to two years. Last, the Government intends to allow individuals whose shareholding is "diluted" below the five percent qualifying threshold for Entrepreneurs' Relief as a result of a new share issue to obtain relief for gains up to that time.

Offshore tax avoidance

As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, the Government will legislate in Finance Bill 2018-19 to increase the assessment time limit for offshore tax non-compliance to 12 years for income tax, capital gains tax, and inheritance tax. Where there is deliberate behavior the time limit remains at 20 years. The extended time limits will apply unless international agreements mean HM Revenue and Customs already has the information needed to assess the tax due.

As further announced at Autumn Budget 2017, legislation will be introduced in Finance Bill 2018-19 to tax income from intangible property held in low-tax jurisdictions to the extent that it is referable to UK sales. Following a consultation between December 2017 and February 2018, the Government is making changes to ensure that the policy is effective, applies as intended, and is not open to abuse. Namely it will:

Collect the tax by directly taxing offshore entities that realize intangible property income in low-tax jurisdictions, rather than through applying a withholding tax;

Broaden the income in scope of the measure to include embedded royalties and income from the indirect exploitation of intangible property in the UK market through unrelated parties; and

Introduce a de minimis UK sales threshold of GBP10m, an exemption for income that is taxed at appropriate levels, and an exemption for income relating to intangible property that is supported by sufficient local substance.

The measure will take effect from April 6, 2019, with an anti-avoidance rule that will apply from October 29, 2018.

The Government has also announced that it will publish an updated offshore tax compliance strategy, which was last updated in 2014.

Finally, the Budget announces that the rate of Remote Gaming Duty will rise from October 1, 2019, to 21 percent from 20 percent.
The first Chinese-made electric bus had been shuttling passengers in the Peruvian capital for a month, before it was officially unveiled Tuesday at the 2018 ElectroTransporte trade show, in a bid to help cut transport costs and pollutants in the city.

Manufactured by BYD, China's leading manufacturer of electric vehicles, electric buses generate less air and noise pollution than conventional gasoline-burning ones.

The joint initiative between electric power company Engie Energy Peru, the BYD and Lima's San Isidro district aims to show residents how viable alternative transportation is, said Ivan Veloso, business development manager at Engie.

"The goals of this project are to raise awareness about electric mobility (and) show that it is a totally feasible technology," Veloso said. "You can really notice the difference."

The cost of operating an electric vehicle (EV) is 20 to 30 percent lower than running a conventional one, leading to major savings in the long run, according to ElectroTransporte's website.

Citing Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), the site said the cost of an EV battery has fallen from 1,000 U.S. dollars per kilowatt hour in 2010 to about 280 dollars in 2016, and the figure is expected to continue to drop.

"The advancing of electric buses will be even more rapid than for electric cars," said BNEF.

"This bus, in addition to being electric, is modern (in design)," said Veloso, listing such features as special seating for the disabled, wheelchair ramps, surveillance cameras and reversing cameras.

The BYD's headquarters in southern Lima are a 1,300-square-meter facility built with a growing business in mind.

The idea is to "expand" and "massify" electric transport in Peru, so the capital and major cities are not the only urban centers benefiting from the technology, said Veloso.

By the end of this year, he said, Peru expects the delivery of a new electric mine bus, a heavy-duty vehicle made for mining and mineral exploration.

"It is a bus that has been adapted and tailor-made to work in a mine in Peru," he said.

ElectroTransporte's site said mine buses are "10 times more economical" than conventional vehicles, and safer.

Meanwhile, BYD is also set to expand Peru's fleet of electric buses, with another five new buses expected to boost urban transportation services, said Roberto Obradovich, the BYD's country manager for Peru.
saket77 Distinguished - BHPian



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Re: 11,000 electric rickshaws are sold in India every month! Quote: CrAzY dRiVeR Originally Posted by Surprising! Where are they hiding? Yet to notice one on the roads down here in the south.



We have a huge problem here in name of these e-rickshaws. First they were a surprise for our ancient MV act, where they didn't even need to register/ get any permits from the RTOs and forget the drivers needing any driving licence! That brought a huge influx of these rickshaws in the eastern and northern part of the country with a lot of local manufacturers producing the same. Thankfully MV Act was amended and the basics for this e-cart was put in place.



Now they hog most of the city roads and are a menace to us, mainly because:



1. The huge numbers they are in,

2. The way they drive and park,

3. Overloading as you would expect is common,

4. Have dangerous construction; the way the leg guard of driver is constructed (refer to opening post images). The ones on the local ones here are even more dangerous with sharp metal edge protruding out which can hit pedestrians, etc.

5. Due to extremely light weight and dimensions, they are prone to turn turtle, which is again a safety issue.



I appreciate the fact that these are non-polluting, but the above points make me feel that they are becoming a new problem of their own. You are lucky to not notice them down south!We have a huge problem here in name of these e-rickshaws. First they were a surprise for our ancient MV act, where they didn't even need to register/ get any permits from the RTOs and forget the drivers needing any driving licence! That brought a huge influx of these rickshaws in the eastern and northern part of the country with a lot of local manufacturers producing the same. Thankfully MV Act was amended and the basics for this e-cart was put in place.Now they hog most of the city roads and are a menace to us, mainly because:1. The huge numbers they are in,2. The way they drive and park,3. Overloading as you would expect is common,4. Have dangerous construction; the way the leg guard of driver is constructed (refer to opening post images). The ones on the local ones here are even more dangerous with sharp metal edge protruding out which can hit pedestrians, etc.5. Due to extremely light weight and dimensions, they are prone to turn turtle, which is again a safety issue.I appreciate the fact that these are non-polluting, but the above points make me feel that they are becoming a new problem of their own. Last edited by saket77 : 30th October 2018 at 16:25 .
Rumor mill: The long-rumored Nintendo 64 Classic Edition could be announced later this month. With mini versions of retro consoles proving so popular, and rival Sonys PlayStation Classic arriving soon, it wouldnt be too surprising if this rumor turns out to be true.

Speculation that Nintendo could be working on a Classic Edition of its N64 stretch back to July last year, when it filed a related trademark application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). This was followed by another filing for the N64 in Japan last May, and the approval of the EUIPO trademark application in September.

All this suggests that the N64 Classic is getting ever closer to being revealed. According to GamingINTEL, Nintendo will announce it this month. If the company really is on course to release another Classic Edition console, it would likely want the machine to arrive in time for the holidays, which means competing against Sonys PlayStation Classic that launches on December 3.

The report cites an anonymous tipster and insiders, so it should be taken with a pinch of salt. It was also suggested that an announcement would arrive at the end of yesterdays Nintendo Direct, which didnt happen.

The site says the mini N64 will come with 30 pre-installed games, the same as the NES Classic Edition and ten more than the PlayStation Classic. These include Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, and Banjo-Kazooie. With so many games to add, it would be an outrage if GoldenEye 007 isnt one of them.

There are usually around three months between Nintendo announcing a Classic Edition console and the release date, but it could make an exception with the N64. If the rumors are accurate, we might have to choose between two different 1990s consoles this Christmas.
In brief: Plenty of focus is on Samsungs upcoming Galaxy X foldable handset right now, but the company is set to unveil another device thats a far cry from the usual flagships: the W2019 flip phone. In addition to being a dual-screen clamshell, one interesting element of the W2019 is that it lacks a headphone jack.

Samsungs flip phone has leaked a number of times over the last few months, but judging from invites sent out to the Chinese media, the company is going to officially announce it on November 9.

A TEENA listing reveals that the clamshell consists of two 4.2-inch Super AMOLED screens and packs a Snapdragon 845 SoC and a 3,000 mAh battery. It also comes with a USB Type-C port. The leaked pictures do make the device look quite snazzy, with its brushed metal and glass materials, but, like Samsungs previous Android flip phones, availability is limited to China, and the W2019 is incredibly expensive: its expected to cost a breathtaking $2500 - $3000.

Whats especially interesting about this phone is that its missing a 3.5mm headphone jack, making it the first major Samsung device to lack the long-used port. Ever since Apple dropped the jack in the iPhone 7 back in 2016, more Android manufacturers have gone down the same route, with Samsung being the most notable holdoutbut that looks to be changing.

An October report claimed the Korean firm was set to finally switch to USB Type-C only in its devices, with the Galaxy S10 possibly being the last flagship to carry the 3.5mm port. Could the W2019 be a sign of things to come? If so, what would be next for Samsung? A notch?
In brief: Opening Bixby up for custom actions may help with smart home products but given the small user base, there is little incentive for businesses to create capsules that integrate with their existing apps.

Along side the Note 9, Samsung showed off its the Galaxy Home smart speaker powered by Bixby. It is a product that will have an undoubtedly tough time competing against Alexa and Google Assistant devices.

In the Wall Street Journal, Samsung is said to be readying third-party "capsules" for Bixby to run on the Galaxy Home. By the sounds of it, Samsung is coming up with its own version of Skills and Assistant Actions. Opening up the platform to developers in this manner will allow for integration of services such as calling an Uber or ordering food from a restaurant that has its own capsule. The addition will be revealed at Samsung's 2018 developer conference.

At this point in time, the most time that average consumers have spent with Bixby has probably been trying to disable the hardware button on their Galaxy smartphones. Having a dedicated speaker at home with Bixby is almost as laughable as trying to use Siri for anything beyond commanding native iOS apps. Amazon and Google have plenty of advantages over Samsung with respect to natural language processing. Apple seems to lack interest in improving Siri but certainly has the resources to do so.

Even though Samsung is not likely to put a dent in the smart speaker market with the Galaxy Home, the option for developers to integrate custom actions is a crucial "must have" feature. Having a native development platform that integrates with SmartThings could allow Samsung to build out a complete smart home solution that simply works. Creating a closed system of smart home products with a good user experience is something Samsung could achieve with the Galaxy Home even if Bixby is still not the digital assistant it needs to be.
What just happened? The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has successfully intercepted a test missile. The fake nuclear warhead tested the effectiveness of the Navys Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system. It is only the second time such a test has been successful. Two earlier tests failed. The event was caught on video (above).

The event took place on October 26, 2018. After the test warhead was fired, the USS John Finn launched a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA from the west coast of Hawaii. The rocket hit the target while it was still in space.

Live Science notes, the SM-3 is not an explosive rocket. Instead, it destroys incoming missiles through "sheer force."

The interceptors kill vehicle (a projectile) rams into a ballistic missile with the force of a 10-ton truck traveling at 600mph, said a spokesperson from Raytheon, the SM-3's manufacturer.

While the SM-3 Block IIA was fired from a ship during this test, the system is portable and can be launched from both land and sea. It was designed to intercept short and medium-range ballistic missiles before they have a chance to reenter the atmosphere.

As previously noted, its success rate of .500 is not that impressive considering the amount of damage a single nuclear warhead could inflict. The first botched attempt in June of 2017 was due to a sailor accidentally triggering the interceptor's self-destruct. In the second failure, which happened back in January, the SM-3 simply missed its target.

Shooting down a missile is no easy feat. It quite literally is rocket science.

The missile itself moves at blistering speeds and is relatively tiny in the vastness of space, said Live Science. The SM-3 must move even faster, and travel at a near-perfect trajectory, to smash into its target. It's often compared to shooting a bullet with a bullet.

Despite the 50-50 record, those involved with the joint missile defense program view all tests, successful or failed, optimistically. After the failure earlier this year, Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, Director of the Pentagons Missile Defense Agency (MDA) told Defense News that even failures can be used as a learning experience.

If North Korea is learning as much as Im learning from these failures, we all ought to be concerned, said Gen. Greaves. Weve got to figure out what happened and go fix it.

Eventually, the Pentagon would like to station SM-3s in Poland, Romania, and Japan. According to a report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), each installation would cost approximately $39 million. However, more testing of the system is still needed before a full deployment can be considered.
The debate on the potentially negative effects of cellphone radiation continues as more and more members of the public are using cellphones. A major study now finds evidence of cancer risk on male mice, but humans need not worry.

Major Study

Because of the widespread cellphone use and limited knowledge about the potential health hazards associated with it, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nominated radio frequency radiation (RFR) used by cellphones to be studied by the National Toxicology Program (NTP).

In the study, researchers used mice to study the potential health hazards such as cancer risks associated with long-term exposure to RFR similar to that used in 2G and 3G cellphones. Those were specifically looked into because they were the standard when the study was designed and is still being used today by some, though less commonly so.

Cancer Risk In Male Mice

Researchers found that upon exposure to high levels of RFR, there was clear evidence of tumors in the hearts of male mice, some evidence of tumors in the brains of male mice, and some evidence of tumors in the adrenal glands of male mice. Among the female mice, however, the evidence was unclear as to whether the cancers observed in them are associated with RFR.

Furthermore, NTP also found evidence of low birth weight among newborn rats and their mothers when exposed to high levels of RFR during pregnancy and lactation. However, they still eventually grew up to the normal size.

Interestingly, the researchers found that the male mice that were exposed to cellphone radiation actually lived longer than those that were not exposed.

No Need To Worry

According to NTP, the findings do not directly apply to humans. For one thing, the levels and durations at which they exposed the mice to RFR were much greater than what human receive via typical cellphone use. In fact, the lowest RFR exposure used in the study was the maximum level of exposure allowed for cellphone users.

In addition, the entire bodies of the mice were exposed to RFR during the study, as compared to the localized exposure that humans get while using their gadgets.

No Conclusions For Humans

It took 10 years for NTP to complete the most comprehensive study on RFR to date, and researchers surmise that the results of their investigation could serve as a guide in the research and development of new technologies. That said, the results do not apply to the newer 4G or 5G technologies and also do not apply to Wi-Fi.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, the U.S. FDAs director for Devices and Radiological Health, such animal studies are important in the discussion, but it was not designed to test the safety of cellphones in humans and could therefore not be used to draw conclusions for humans.

"Based on our ongoing evaluation of this issue, the totality of the available scientific evidence continues to not support adverse health effects in humans caused by exposures at or under the current radiofrequency energy exposure limits," Shuren said in a statement.

As such, the NTP is planning more studies that would take months instead of years in hopes of identifying the biomarkers of damage from RFR exposure.

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500,000 OR MORE

LOS ANGELES, 1ST

SAN DIEGO, 2ND

SAN JOSE, 6TH (Tied with Boston)

250,000-500,000

LONG BEACH, 4TH

RIVERSIDE, 7TH

SACRAMENTO, 10TH (Tied with New Orleans)

125,000-250,000

PASADENA, 6TH

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, 9TH

CORONA, 10TH

The winners of this years Digital Cities Survey, presented by the Center for Digital Government, are redefining the role of the public-sector technology leader at the city level.Theyre looking beyond the nuts and bolts of IT, exploring creative ways to leverage their technology investments, and building new, more effective coalitions. This year we saw a nonprofit effort to donate used government computers to the needy; a broad interagency push to collaborate on a strategic plan for IT; and an initiative to leverage IoT sensor data in support of economic development, to name just a few of the standouts.What do these efforts have in common? All take the IT department far beyond the role of a mere service provider. Each winner is elevating the role of the IT leader to make technology a driver of better, smarter, more responsive government.Here are the California cities that won recognition in their respective population categories. For complete nationwide results across all population categories, including an interactive map, see todays story inAmericas second-largest city (population 4 million-plus) prides itself on being a digital municipality run by a data-driven government. The statement is backed by this years ranking of Los Angeles as the best Digital City in its population category for the third year in a row. Led by Mayor Eric Garcetti and IT General Manager and CIO Ted Ross, the city has held on to its top ranking with significant achievements. Take, for example, how it is tackling the thorny problem of homelessness with technology tools that support collaboration and communication across agencies and third parties. The city also uses data analytics to identify at-risk individuals before they become homeless and get them additional services. Additionally, the city has provided free Wi-Fi in homeless areas.IT strategies that have reaped benefits include the citys exceptional open data platform, which receives data sets from every city department. In addition, Los Angeles has rolled out various data visualizations, dashboards and storytelling tools to ensure data can impact city policies and practices, whether they have to do with sound finances or clean streets. Reinforcing the citys dedication to data is its Data Science Federation , a partnership between city departments and 18 local universities, engaging hundreds of faculty and students to tackle a wide variety of analytic challenges, including predictive tools aimed at the citys housing problem.Los Angeles also sees wireless as the future and is committed to replacing most of its wired infrastructure with wireless. Investments in mobile technology prove that the city is dedicated to providing all of its citizen services anytime and anywhere on a mobile device. Other examples of innovation include third-party data sharing to increase the range and variety of resident services, and the use of new technologies, such as artificially intelligent voice assistants. To reduce its risk as a connected community, the city has implemented a robust cybersecurity framework, which includes an event management system that can monitor 1 billion data records daily from a single platform. The citys overall security program has been nationally recognized for its exceptional protection of city data, certainly one of its most valuable assets.San Diegos Department of Information Technology has undertaken a number of initiatives with the overarching goal of improving the quality of life for its residents through technology. And while some of the departments efforts  like the cybersecurity awareness training for all 11,000 city employees  are more felt than seen, they all tie back to keeping the city running as effectively and efficiently as possible. But this mission is not without challenges: Traffic congestion, homelessness and the commitment to rigorous climate action goals are just some of the areas where technology is being put to the test.When it comes to accessibility for residents, staff has invested in creating online portals and applications that are both aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. A prime example is the MyWaterEasy app, which allows residents to not only pay their water bill, but also to make donations toward the payment of other residents bills. Open data and transparency have also been key priorities, and efforts here have earned the city an ISO 37120 Platinum certification. When it comes to cybersecurity, some 2.5 million attacks per month have pushed the IT staff to move toward single sign-on, awareness training across the board and partnerships with a large cross-section of private, local, state and federal partners.In efforts to become a smarter, safer place to live, the city is in the process of deploying 3,200 smart streetlights to improve traffic and pedestrian safety, monitor air quality and optimize parking. The savings from this project will be an estimated $2.8 million in energy costs each year. The data pulled from this sensor network will ultimately tie into efforts to refine parking meter rates. A commitment to working smarter not harder is also evident in the citys efforts to coordinate fiber-optic installation with ongoing water and sewer pipe replacement, so they dont duplicate digging efforts and unnecessarily disrupt the community.San Diego has also put substantial energy into building partnerships. One such example is the two-way data-sharing agreement with Waze that is helping the traveling public and the city make better decisions to reduce congestion.San Jose advanced two spots this year, moving from eight place up to sixth place in the 500,000 or more population category. Larger cities like San Jose tend to have a great potential for innovation, and San Jose has certainly seemed to make good on that, making great use of initiatives such as the My San Jose website and app, which went live in July 2017; residents can now use them to request and track city services. A wide variety of smart city projects, branded under the mayors San Jose Smart City Vision, represent an ambitious drive to become the nations most innovative city by 2020. Whats perhaps most impressive, however, is that San Jose has successfully worked to reduce staff vacancies, doing so in what is arguably one of the most competitive regions to recruit and retain tech and innovation talent, with private-sector companies offering big salaries to draw tech workers to nearby Palo Alto and San Francisco.San Jose has also undertaken efforts to better equip itself for the future, collaborating with telecommunications companies to prepare for the wide-spread advent of 5G connectivity . Meanwhile, open data trends have recently demanded that cities do more than just release open data, with storytelling also coming into fashion. San Jose is addressing this by converting its open data approach to data journalism, which puts an emphasis on using its open data to tell community stories. This continues to manifest in work such as the San Jose Police Use of Force Data Analysis , among other portals. These efforts seem likely to soon accelerate with an RFP for a new San Jose data portal currently being awarded. San Joses AI-driven content search is also a forward-thinking piece of work.Moving up from sixth place in 2017 to fourth place this year, Long Beach has implemented mySidewalk , an economic insight dashboard that lets the community report neighborhood-level data and allows the city to track, analyze and share progress on citywide economic objectives. Topics cover population, economy, housing, transportation and health.Long Beach continues to expand its DataLB public data portal, offering more than 125 data sets. Last year, almost 11,000 unique visitors accessed the data. This year, the Technology and Innovation Department launched a crime incident mapping application in DataLB to provide current crime activity information for residents. The entire 2019 Proposed Budget was published on BudgetLB, enabling users to compare expenditures and revenues throughout all city departments.The Southern California city averages 15,000 unique website visitors daily and has increased mobile views by 51 percent over 2017. The mobile-optimized website is supplemented by the Go Long Beach apps, which let people submit and track service requests, find lost pets and locate polling places, among other things. The citys video team, LBTV, creates videos to explain and promote each app. These videos are published via TV, the Web and social media. The citys communications team also launched the InsideLB blog to share articles and creative videos on human interest stories related to the citys work and highlighting the people that work and live there.Long Beachs Justice Lab , launched in January 2018, has several initiatives underway that aim to break the cycle of incarceration. This includes Long Beach GUIDES (Government User Integrated Diversion Enhancement System), a mobile app developed by the police department and the city prosecutors office to give first responders needed information to quickly identify the most appropriate services for residents in need. The citys Data Warehouse, part of the Data Driven Justice Initiative, is a clearinghouse for multiple data sets that let users crosscheck information about police, health, fire, and the city prosecutors office services to help coordinate services for residents. The GUIDES app is currently being tested for the Long Beach Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program that aims to divert likely offenders to social services, including stable housing, counseling and rehabilitation. The Justice Lab also collaborated with the California Policy Lab at the University of California, Los Angeles to conduct a city data-driven, randomized control trial to identify likely repeat offenders and reduce recidivism rates.Riverside is battling back from a structural budget shortfall that resulted in three positions being eliminated from the Innovation and Technology Department and tech replacements being tabled for 10 years. IT staff in Riverside now expect an injection of $8 million spread over the next four years from the passage of a ballot measure in 2016. With the additional funding secured, IT is working on 13 priority projects in areas like cybersecurity, system upgrades, hardware and infrastructure. This well-orchestrated recovery is representative of an IT strategy that is well documented and closely aligned with the citys overall goals. One example of a recent achievement is the deployment in the past year of more than 100 high-speed access points to boost the speeds and coverage of Riversides Wi-Fi network. The additions include in-vehicle devices that expedite uploads of body-worn video from law enforcement.Transparency efforts were bolstered by Riversides selection as a What Works Cities jurisdiction, which allowed the city to add a GIS portal to its robust open data site, Engage Riverside . The citys IT Department has created an Innovation Division to support a culture of modernization, and an Innovation Lab is now available for employees to collaborate on challenges that cross departmental lines.The citys multifaceted workforce development program includes a career road map tool for IT staff to help set a path for continual learning and growth. In addition, Riversides successful internship program converts many interns to permanent staff, like the Client Services division within IT, where almost two-thirds of personnel once served as an intern.Sacramentos primary technical achievement in 2018 was beginning a citywide switch to 5G. Accomplished through a public-private partnership with Verizon in June 2017, Sacramentos overhaul of high-speed data infrastructure involved more than $100 million of investment in fiber-optic infrastructure, smart cities solutions, youth development and public Wi-Fi. By adding small cell towers to more than 200 utility poles, Sacramento plans to make 5G available everywhere and put free Wi-Fi in 27 public parks.The partnership made Sacramento one of the first markets in the nation to have citywide 5G residential broadband service. The citys website also describes plans for digital kiosks in various neighborhoods, with touchscreens that offer access to real-time transit information and public transport maps, emergency services, information about events, historical information and neighborhood news.Complementing its push toward mobile solutions, Sacramento started building a portfolio of useful apps for residents, launched a new search website, made a new Sac311 app its go-to resource for reporting issues or requesting services, and converted a parking map to a GIS-driven interactive map to help people navigate the new Golden 1 Center and elsewhere downtown.Sacramento is also attempting data-driven improvements to make garbage-collection routes, police citations, water meters, building inspection and invoice payments more efficient. Hoping to attract professionals to support its digital future, the citys IT department is conducting a study to ensure compensation, classification and staffing levels of its IT professionals are appropriate.The city of Pasadena has made the use of data a top priority and has heavily utilized the IT department to execute its plans. The city had one of the first open data sites in southern California and continues to become more transparent, especially around budgeting and city council activities. Pasadena also looks for innovative ways to use data, like leveraging it for performance measurement. In addition, it proactively shares its data with Caltech (The California Institute of Technology) for use in data analytics courses. In return, the city has been able to use the results to gain insights into its operational areas.To serve citizens better, Pasadena has an active social media program (28,000 Twitter followers and daily posts to serve a population of more than 142,000) and has launched a universal online payment gateway pilot. The city is also testing Alexa as a voice assistant service for its residents. In terms of connectivity, the city runs a 25-mile fiber backbone and has leveraged the network to bring free public Wi-Fi to city parks.Responding to shifting demographics, ninth-place Rancho Cucamonga adopted a master plan last year to provide high-speed fiber-based connectivity to residents and businesses in partnership with a local provider. The buildout will include the installation of video analytics technologies, automated license plate readers and smart irrigation devices, demonstrating the citys commitment to quality-of-life planning that takes advantage of the capabilities of the Internet of Things.An emphasis on data-driven government is evident in the initiative from the city manager to establish performance metrics for each department, which will be used to fuel budget decisions. Plans are also underway to feed key performance indicators (KPIs) into dashboards using data analytics tools. The citys mobile app has also been revamped to gather better data on events reported by citizens. Similar effort is going toward citizen engagement and transparency efforts, with recent investments in new tools from Esri and Socrata aimed at advancing detailed financial reporting goals.In the area of security, the city has upgraded its firewall and reconfigured its network for both device and identity-level security. Core business traffic on the network is separated from public and mobile network activity. A comprehensive cybersecurity training program boasts 90 percent completion for key staff, and IT employees stay current on skills with ongoing training and attendance at vendor educational events.After not making last years Digital Cities ranking, Corona showed its tech strength this year in open data and citizen-centric services. The city has created a data warehouse in the cloud, allowing for easier use of cross-departmental data, and that feeds an open dashboard as well as performance management and business intelligence software. It also enables a chatbot that helps answer citizens common questions. It credits the What Works Cities initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University for helping in those efforts.Corona also has a Citizen Tax Receipt project to show residents how their tax dollars are being spent, a construction projects story map, an open checkbook, a SeeClickFix app and a city app to communicate with residents. In the future it plans on integrating some of these systems  311 and the chatbot, for example  so they work together. The city has also made good progress on the back end, moving about half of its servers to the cloud, improving its firewalls and anti-malware protection and working to upgrade its network architecture.Coronas ongoing work includes an IT department re-organization, phishing training, a 5G deployment plan and creation of a mobile app to help people apply for homeless services  to name just a few projects.Many of San Leandros goals involve information technology and include: advancing projects and programs to promote sustainable economic development; a smart cities/broadband goal; providing quality public safety service that encompasses using cameras for crime prevention; and an upgraded dispatch building.The city plans to optimize these goals using its fiber-optic network and develop a smart city that includes digital transformation, or a digital city government experience. That includes digital services; open data; smart buildings and facilities; connecting facilities; and using integrated management systems for climate control and HVAC energy. Additionally, the plan will cover intelligent traffic signal systems that adapt to real-time traffic conditions and the use of intelligent services like cameras, drones, robotics and data for public safety.The city developed an open data policy that commits the city to implementing practices that allow it to make available useful data in useful format; provide access to free, historical archives of data; and support innovative uses of the citys publishable data by external agencies, the public, and other partners.San Leandros cybersecurity accomplishments include replacing existing firewalls with redundant Cisco Firepower 2140 Next-Generation firewalls. The agreement calls for the full suite of Next-Gen security functionality and includes identical models, which can be configured for automatic and instantaneous failure to avoid service disruption.
Nearly 180 American firms have signed up for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) scheduled for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai despite the on-going tariffs dispute between the world's two largest economies.

The event, focusing exclusively on imported goods and services, will showcase 3,000 companies from over 130 countries and regions. Among them, the U.S. firms will cover fields such as high-end manufacturing, intelligent equipment, agricultural products, culture and sports.

"There was no shortfall of interest in the Chinese market on the part of American companies. To the contrary, there was still great appetite to understand and expand within the market," said Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Chips to ginseng

For giant U.S. companies that have grown in China for decades, the expo is an important platform to showcase their technologies and services and nab an even bigger share of the fast transformational Chinese economy.

Qualcomm, a leading global company in wireless technologies headquartered in San Diego, California, is one of the first American companies to confirm its participation at the expo.

"We hope to showcase innovative technologies and products and services with our Chinese partners through the CIIE, and reveal the vision and value of the new communications era," Frank Meng, Chairman of Qualcomm China, told Xinhua.

Qualcomm, which entered the Chinese market in the 1990s, has expanded its collaboration with its local partners in areas including mobile phones, connected vehicles, Internet of Things, and integrated circuit manufacturing. It established joint innovation centers in Nanjing, Chongqing and Qingdao to empower startups and support the growth of the industrial chain.

"The development of the Chinese market offered Qualcomm unprecedented opportunities," Meng said.

China is expected to import 10 trillion U.S. dollars worth of goods and services in the next five years, according to China's Ministry of Commerce. For example, by 2025, the size of the smart logistics will exceed 1 trillion yuan (143.8 billion U.S. dollars), according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company, which established its first franchise in Shanghai in 1935, also sees great growth opportunities in China's national agenda including innovation-driven industrial upgrading and green development.

"Through the CIIE, Honeywell will introduce a series of hi-tech connected technologies to support China's booming digital economy," said Shane Tedjarati, president of Honeywell Global High Growth Regions.

China is the largest market for Honeywell outside the United States and it is also the biggest contributor to Honeywell's growth, Tedjarati said, adding that the company is now "very aligned with" China's Internet Plus strategy.

For smaller U.S. companies knowing less about China, the CIIE plays as a window for them to explore and understand more the business environment.

Horacio Licon, vice president of the Greater Houston Partnership, an economic development organization serving the Greater Houston area in the state of Texas, is leading a team of 15 delegates to Shanghai. They represent 12 companies covering diverse industries such as technology, manufacturing, energy and logistics.

Ten innovative companies from Wisconsin, to be featured as part of Foxconn Innovation Pavilion in the expo, are to showcase the midwestern state's key industries, including its advanced freshwater technology.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin ginseng products will be on display to woo Chinese customers. Statistics show that there are about 180 ginseng farms in Wisconsin producing around 1 million pounds (453,000 kg) of ginseng every year, and about 70 percent of the output has been exported to China.

Essential market

The six-day CIIE is a symbol of win-win cooperation which China has long championed in handling foreign relations, noted Robert Kuhn, a leading Chinese expert and chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"To large numbers of companies, particularly in technologies and new areas, to be in the Chinese market is not an option. It's essential for them," he said.

"China is in most areas, either the world's largest market, or will become the world's largest market and no company in this world can afford not to be in the Chinese market," said Kuhn.

China now has a middle income group of 400 million, which tops the world and is still fast growing.

According to the Group's Doing Business 2019: Training for Reform report released by the World Bank on Wednesday, China now ranks 46th in the global ranking, advancing more than 30 spots from last year, as the government continues efforts to create favorable conditions for private enterprises.

The report said China is one of this year's top 10 improvers on its business environment given the authorities' continuous opening-up and economic reform.

"There are very few industries in the future where companies can, and will be able to compete on a global basis or even in their home country, if they are not in the Chinese market, being in touch with the latest trends, or the latest problems or challenges," Kuhn added.

Open trade

For U.S. companies doing business with China, the trade tensions between the United States and China are really "a distraction," Kuhn said.

"They're unhappy with it. They really don't want to deal with the problems of the bigger macroeconomic, political, or economic or geopolitical matter. They only want to deal with the nuts and bolts of their own business. And to be successful, they need to be in the Chinese market," he explained.

"Only those of us who are most directly affected, the hog farmers, the wheat growers, the cotton and peanut growers ... All of us are just now beginning to realize that this thing is real and that it's going to impact us directly," said Randy Hudson, a pecan farmer in the leading producing state of Georgia.

Hudson used to sell over 20 million dollars worth of pecans to China every year before the U.S.-China tit-for-tat tariff measures. On July 6, the United States added a 25-percent tariff on 34 billion U.S. dollars' worth of Chinese products. Beijing responded in kind, hitting U.S. products, including pecans.

"It is the hope of both U.S. suppliers and their customers in China that current tariff rates are short-lived," said Rose Braden, president of the U.S. Softwood Export Council based in Portland, Oregon.

Braden's council is part of the 12-member delegation for the CIIE led by the Oregon-China Sister State Relations Council.

"It is particularly important in light of the current trade situation for American trade organizations and suppliers to participate in trade shows and delegation missions to China to show our Chinese colleagues that American suppliers are committed to our long-term partnerships," Braden said.

On the other hand, Kuhn said, "China is doing it (CIIE) for its own benefit and the benefit of its own industries and its own people."

"Obviously, the primary interest of (the Chinese) government is to elevate the standard of living of the people," he said, adding that inviting competitors can also force Chinese companies to elevate their game.
Firefighters from St. George Fire Department arrive on the scene to put out a car fire that damaged a minivan, on the I-10 East access road leading to Siegen Lane, Thursday, morning, Oct. 11, 2018. There were no injuries from the fire, which fire originated in the battery area of the engine compartment, and direct fire damage was limited to the engine compartment, according to St. George Fire Department spokesman Eldon Ledoux.
East Baton Rouge Parish Schools Superintendent Warren Drake said Thursday he is looking for ways to trim $30 million to $40 million next school year from the school systems general operations  cuts one board member said could "really be painful."

Drake told School Board members he plans to come back to the board in January with a set of recommendations.

To start figuring out what those recommendations will be Drake held what he described as a productive all-day retreat with his senior leadership staff Tuesday at the Louisiana Technology Park.

I was so energized, he said. We had so many innovative ideas by the time we left.

Drake said he set up three internal working groups to research the cost-saving ideas floated at the retreat and those groups are going to report to him before Thanksgiving. He said he plans to hold another retreat with senior leadership before Christmas break to refine these ideas.

Why some are happy, some mad after East Baton Rouge School Board approves $473M budget As the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday unanimously approved a $473 million spending plan for next year, two sets of interest 

The general fund budget accounts for roughly three-quarters of all spending by the school system and for most day-to-day operating expenses.

The general fund budget for fiscal year 2018-19, which was approved in June, calls for spending $473.5 million. Thats $22.3 million more than the money the school system expects to collect in taxes and other revenue. To stay out of the red, the school system is dipping into its reserves and expects by June 30 to have about $28 million left in the bank. More deficits are expected in 2019-20 unless the school system manages to significantly cut its spending.

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A lot of that current $22.3 million deficit, more than $10 million, is driven by new and growing charter schools, which capture per pupil state funding.

The budget discussion was prompted by a proposal to sell $25 million worth of revenue anticipation bonds if necessary to ensure enough cash flow to get through the current school year. The board gave the its preliminary approval to the idea Thursday and is expected to give final approval at its Nov. 15 meeting. That would allow the school system enough time to ask the State Bond Commission on Dec. 13 for permission to sell the bonds. Drake said he would only sell them only if needed.

Board member Jill Dyason asked the superintendent for evidence the school system is doing more earlier in current school year to figure out how it's going to balance its books. She said shes expecting this next round of budget cuts to really be painful.

Drake said he prefers to call what he will be recommending as efficiencies as opposed to cuts.

Were going to try as much as possible to not disrupt the integrity of the classroom, he said.

As budget cuts loom, East Baton Rouge school system turns to consulting firm for help The East Baton Rouge Parish school system is looking to hire a Huntsville, Ala.-based consulting firm to help it get ahead of a potentially ro

The belt tightening began in May when the school system stopped filling many jobs as they came open. On Sept. 20, the School Board hired Huntsville, Alabama-based LEAN Frog to conduct a comprehensive review of the schools systems organization and operations for ways to save money. Drake, however, said LEAN Frog's recommendations won't necessarily help the school system that much in the near term.

LEAN Frog is going to help with us stuff over a period of time, he said. We need to do things quicker than that.
WASHINGTON  With just days to go before Election Day, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham is re-introducing himself to voters with a new ad. But most of the Louisianans catching the campaign spot on TV likely live outside Abrahams district, and some see it as a move to raise his profile for an eventual campaign to become Louisiana's next governor.

The ad, which features the Republican two-term congressman and his wife in rocking chairs on the porch of his Richland Parish home and behind the controls of a small aircraft, is playing on television stations in Monroe, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans.

Thats because Abrahams geographically massive district  which stretches from the Arkansas border into Acadiana and stretches east through the Florida Parishes  dips into most of the states largest media markets. Monroe and Alexandria are the only sizable cities in the mostly rural district.

But its also a convenient way for Abraham, a 64-year-old physician and veterinarian, to spread his name across the states southern half ahead of a potential 2019 campaign against Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.

Stephanie Grace: Was John Bel Edwards' win an aberration? Next year's race will test that theory There have always been two competing theories as to why Democrat John Bel Edwards was able to win the 2015 governors race so handily, Louisia

Abraham has for months publicly expressed interest in running for governor but hasnt yet committed to a run. Cole Avery, a spokesman for Abraham, said Tuesday that Abraham is waiting until after the November 6 election to decide on a challenge to Edwards.

Hes singularly focused right now on being re-elected, said Cole Avery, the spokesman. He said Abraham will wait until after the race to make that decision.

Abraham is facing three challengers in his bid for a third term. All three  Democrat Jessee Fleenor, Independent Billy Burkette and Libertarian Kyle Randol  are generally considered long-shot candidates, though theres been no public polling of the race. Abraham holds a decisive fundraising advantage.

+4 U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham faces three opponents in bid for third term in Congress WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-Alto, is facing a trio of challengers in his November bid for a third term representing the sprawling 

Sen. John Kennedy and state Attorney General Jeff Landry, both Republicans, have also publicly flirted with the idea of taking on Edwards but havent committed.

Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone, a regular Republican donor now seeking to position himself as a political outsider, is the only Republican to dive into the governor's race so far.

'Outsider' launches challenge to John Bel Edwards for governor, but GOP heavyweights remain mum on plans A year out from election day, Gov. John Bel Edwards has drawn his first official Republican opponent in the 2019 governor's race, but other po

The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Abrahams new advertisement in the congressional race began running Oct. 22. The next day, Kennedy announced hed set a deadline of Dec. 1 for his own decision on running for governor.

Abrahams new ad runs through the congressmans unusually varied resume. The Alto, Louisiana, native grew up on a farm, served in the Louisiana National Guard and worked as both a veterinarian and country physician before winning a seat in Congress on his first run for office in 2014. A licensed pilot, Abraham flies for the Civil Air Patrol.

Its the largest district in the state of Louisiana. To be able to really effectively get the whole district, it connects with other media markets, said Lionel Rainey III, a Louisiana political consultant who handled the ad for Abraham. Ralph Abraham  in previous campaigns  he didnt really get to introduce himself. If you look at his resume and his biography, its amazing.

Rainey said the campaign had invested under $500,000 in buying air time for the ad.

Although those in Abrahams camp insist hes focused on his congressional re-election, outside observers said the spot  which mentions his campaign for Congress only briefly  appeared aimed at putting Abraham on the radar of voters statewide.

Hes not in a competitive election, and hes hinted numerous times at his desire to run for governor, said Joshua Stockley, a political scientist at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. I dont see any other possible explanation than setting the stage for a possible future gubernatorial campaign.

Stockley said other potential 2019 Republican candidates like Kennedy or Landry  whove already won statewide elections  are already much better known to voters than Abraham. His home in north Louisiana, Stockley said, also puts him off the radar of many residents in the states more heavily populated south.

Congressman Abraham, of all the rumored candidates, has the most work to do in raising his profile ahead of a potential statewide campaign, Stockley said.

If thats a byproduct of the ad, Rainey said, I dont think thats a bad thing. Hes fully focused on running for re-election but hes publicly stated hes looking at the governors race.

But some of Abrahams opponents havent taken as kindly to the congressmans potential 2019 ambitions. Fleenor, a vegetable farmer from Loranger and a Democrat, argues that Abrahams conservative policies are out of step with the needs of a district with a high poverty rate.

Abraham seems more interested in feeling out his potential in the governors race than he is in paying attention to the concerns of his constituents, Fleenor said. People dont take kindly to that.

Fleenor, too, cut a video introducing himself to voters and pledging to represent modest-income working folks in the district. But Fleenor said Wednesday he hasnt pulled together enough in campaign contributions to broadcast the spot and is instead hoping it reaches voters online.
A rolled French omelet is served at the Elysian Bar inside the Hotel Peter & Paul in Faubourg Marigny.
Clancy DuBos: Mayor Cantrell's first big challenge in New Orleans is this issue
Wangqingtuo town in north China's Tianjin city is a famous bike production center of the country.



The website of the Wangqingtuo government says pedal power forms the town's pillar industry, accounting for one-seventh of the country's total output.

In the past two years, China saw booming development of the bike-sharing industry, with most of the vehicles coming from Wangqingtuo.

However, the bubble has burst and with several bike-sharing companies going out of business recently, bike makers have quickly felt the pinch.

Until recently, the future had looked rosy for local bike makers, a landmark event being Tianjin Meibang Bicycle Industry Co., Ltd. receiving an order for 400,000 bikes from Bluegogo, a Tianjin-based bike-sharing company, in early 2017.

At that time, many other bike producers in the town also gained large orders from various bike-sharing companies and plunged into full-scale production.

However, Bluegogo abruptly went bankrupt at the end of 2017 and only managed to pay for some 30,000 of the bikes it had ordered. Although part of Bluegogo's business was later acquired by Didi Chuxing, a Chinese ride-sharing company, Meibang was devastated by its failure to find alternative buyers for a huge stock of bikes worth millions of yuan.

And Meibang was not alone. Many factories in Wangqingtuo town faced failure amid the bursting of the bike-sharing bubble.

"[Some bike-sharing companies] are in arrears with their payments, and made bike makers unable to accept orders from old clients. This has made many bike makers very resentful of the bike-sharing service," said a manager of Keasdon (Tianjin) Bicycle Co., Ltd.

The view was echoed by many other industry insiders. "The blow imposed by the bike-sharing services was not limited to delay or failure in payment," said a man named Wang working for Tianjin SITE Bicycle Co., Ltd. "In the past, there were some 20 million bikes used in China, but now, the bike-sharing industry alone was putting more than 20 million bikes on the streets. What can others do in such a market?"

Huo Xiaoyun, vice chair of China Bicycle Association, thought that the future of the industry lies in brand upgrading, suggesting makers focus on high-end models.

However, the manager of Keasdon was somewhat dubious, arguing that the key to brand upgrading was that the brand had to gain a certain market recognition. "A brand not familiar to customers can't attract anyone even if it goes high-end."

With the industry in a business downturn, it's less difficult for small and medium-sized makers, as they face lower costs from unused machines than large factories.

"The premises and working staff are wholly owned by us, so we can still made ends meet. For those who borrow from banks to sustain their operation, the days are too difficult," Keasdon's manager said.

Some bike makers are looking overseas for survival opportunities. A Ms. Gao of Aomei Bicycle Co., Ltd. said her company could still depend on overseas markets when domestic sales were disappointing. "We are trying to reach a deal with a Russian client. Overseas demand can sustain our business for a while," she said.

Another option is going online, but with the development of China's retail platforms, the cost for individual businesses has soared. "Some companies tried going online, but later discovered that the cost was too high," said Keasdon's manager. "We will come to a dead end if we fail in business transformation."

More people choose to give up. "Many workers left Wangqingtuo town to seek opportunities elsewhere. That's why so many factories here have stopped operation. Only small and medium-sized enterprises like us continue to struggle to survive," the manager said.
Louisiana State Police are investigating a crash that killed a bicyclist in Jefferson Parish late Thursday night, according to authorities.

Sgt. Jared L. Sandifer, a spokesman for State Police, said that troopers began investigating the deadly crash about 11 p.m. when a cyclist was hit on Earhart Expressway near Dickory Avenue.

The crash took the life of 64-year-old Daniel L. Green, a resident of New Orleans, authorities said.

In a release, Sandifer said Green was traveling northbound on Earhart Expressway on a bicycle as 57-year-old Brenda Butler, a Marrero resident, was driving northbound in the right lane of of the road in a 2006 Kia Sportage.

Green's bicycle had no lights or reflectors, and he was wearing dark-colored clothing, State Police said. As Butler approached Green from behind, she tried to avoid hitting him, but couldn't. The Kia struck the bicycle and Green was ejected from his seat, according to the release.

Green was transported from the scene to University Medical Center in New Orleans where he succumbed to his injuries, Sandifer said. Butler was uninjured, and State Police said impairment on her part was not a factor in the crash.

Results are pending from a toxicology sample, and the crash remains under investigation, authorities said.

In the release, Sandifer referred to state law stating that cyclists cannot ride on a state highway, parish road, or city street between sunset and sunrise unless their bicycle is equipped with lamps and reflectors.
Are officials doing enough to spray for mosquitoes, hold down flood insurance rates and cut grass along levees and highways? These are the questions that typically animate elections in Plaquemines Parish.

But this year, trial lawyers on one side and oil and gas interests on the other are battling for the allegiance of voters on a new issue: whether the Parish Council should continue to support lawsuits against oil and gas companies that could net the parish hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore its rapidly eroding coast.

Given the small amounts of money typically spent on Parish Council and parish president races in Plaquemines, the rival groups are attempting to have an outsized influence. So far, oil and gas interests have spent at least $70,000 on influencing voters ahead of the Nov. 6 elections while trial attorneys have spent at least $35,000.

The final tallies won't be known until after the election, but the sums spent by the warring factions so far work out to nearly a quarter of all the money spent in the last parishwide primaries, in 2014.

You have people trying to drive elections who are not from here, said Norris Babin, publisher and editor of the Plaquemines Gazette weekly newspaper. Its unprecedented.

Trial attorneys who have filed the lawsuits for the parish, led by the Talbot, Carmouche & Marcello firm of Baton Rouge, say taxpayers must hold the oil and gas companies accountable for the damage and pollution caused by their drilling over decades.

In urging the council two weeks ago not to kill the lawsuits, lawyer John Carmouche said he was engaged in secret settlement negotiations with several companies. Just the jobs that would be created for the restoration would be enormous, he said.

But oil and gas interest groups based in Baton Rouge and New Orleans blame other factors for the disappearing coast. They claim that the lawsuits have chilled oil and gas investment and cost jobs in a parish heavily dependent on the industry.

We support candidates who support the oil and gas industry, said Chris John, a former Democratic congressman who is president of the Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. The associations political action committee has donated $500 apiece to seven candidates for the Parish Council.

Another candidate, Kerry Lincoln, rejected the association's contribution, saying in an interview, They had no business in District 8. John said his group offered the money because Lincoln said he opposed the lawsuits, but Lincoln said that he doesnt.

Does the public care?

Each side has allied with local groups in the elections for parish president and the nine council seats.

Whats not clear is to what extent the lawsuit dispute matters to the 7,000 or so people who will vote in Plaquemines, despite the efforts by both sides to influence them through direct contributions to candidates and spending on mailers and social media by political action committees.

Candidates are promoting it more than the public cares, Bonnie Tonglet, a retired secretary, said outside of the Belle Chasse Branch Library after voting early with her husband on Tuesday.

A closing blitz, of course, could galvanize voters on one side or the other.

The council originally authorized the lawsuits in 2013, but oil and gas interests persuaded the council to stop them  only to have the council reverse itself once again in 2016 to reinstate the lawsuits.

Oil and gas lobbyists pushed the council once again recently to kill the suits, but failed. A vote to do so on Oct. 11 needed five votes but gained only a 4-3 majority, with two abstentions.

The oil and gas industry lobbyists might have had the votes they needed, but council Chairwoman Nicole Smith Williams abstained, saying she had recently learned that her employer might be affiliated with two companies that have been sued. Williams told the Plaquemines Gazette afterward that an article in Bayou Brief, a left-leaning digital publication, had raised the question. She did not return two phone calls from The Advocate seeking a fuller explanation.

The Oct. 11 vote means that Plaquemines remains the tip of a spear aimed at the oil and gas industry: Its on a path to become the first of the six coastal parishes that have filed suits to have its case actually heard in court. The case had been set for March 2019, but legal moves by oil and gas attorneys have delayed a trial date until late next year at the earliest.

Of the 42 lawsuits filed by the six parishes, half are in Plaquemines. A total of 202 oil and gas companies are potentially on the hook for damages.

The stakes are very high because parish and state governments overall could potentially recover billions of dollars in court, or, perhaps more likely, through a broader settlement. The money would cover part of the massive cost of restoring the coast.

The lawyers who have filed the cases for the six parish governments stand to earn millions of dollars apart from any payouts to the parishes. How much the lawyers would receive would depend on a judges ruling, as there is no set contingency fee.

Electing a Parish Council committed to killing Plaquemines lawsuits might discourage other parishes from proceeding with their lawsuits, especially if Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has had the state intervene in support of the suits, loses his re-election campaign next year.

Lots of water, few people

Plaquemines is the least populous parish in the New Orleans metropolitan area, with about 23,000 residents, while at the same time it has the biggest total area of any parish in Louisiana. The rub: 70 percent of it  and growing each year  is water.

That ready access to water has historically made Plaquemines a haven for fishermen, shrimpers and oystermen. The oil reserves deep underground, meanwhile, have attracted the energy sector.

In 2015, royalties from oil and gas wells on parish land generated $36.6 million, or about 40 percent of the parishs tax revenue, according to Tommy Serpas, the parish finance director.

But in 2018, the oil and gas royalties generated only $13.2 million, according to Serpas. That  and a $190 million debt mostly incurred by two 2012 bond issues  has forced local government entities to cut payroll by about 15 percent, and also meant a reduction in bug spraying and grass cutting, among other services.

The decline in oil and gas exploration and production has hit the economies of Buras and Venice at the southern end of Plaquemines Parish especially hard.

Gifford Briggs, president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, said that even though oil prices have recently reached $70 per barrel, investment in drilling is less than it was when prices were last at that level. Thats evidence the lawsuits are hurting Plaquemines, he said.

But Brandon Taylor, an attorney with a Belle Chasse firm that is part of the legal team that has filed the lawsuits, said oil and gas production is also down in two other coastal parishes that havent taken legal action against the industry  Terrebonne and Lafourche  showing that other factors are at work.

Kirk Lepine is a member of the Parish Council who voted recently to cancel the lawsuits. Now running for parish president, Lepine has received $11,000 in contributions from oil and gas interests, or about 15 percent of what he has raised so far. He said he hears concerns about the suits' impact on the local economy when he knocks on doors in the lower part of the parish.

He spoke Tuesday while greeting voters at an event organized by the oil and gas industry that offered free BBQ, beer and a zydeco band.

Also shaking hands at the event was Amos Cormier III, the parish president who is running for re-election. He is publicly neutral on whether to continue the lawsuits but has received $14,000 from the trial attorneys, or about 8 percent of what he has raised, versus $1,500 from oil and gas interests.

The third candidate for parish president, Burghart Turner, was casually dressed like the others, in a T-shirt and jeans.

The lawsuits have not come up one time during his campaign throughout the parish, he said.

Hey, Carlton, have you been hearing anything? Turner called out to Carlton LaFrance, a candidate for the District 7 seat who was walking by. No, affirmed LaFrance.

Neither Turner nor LaFrance has raised much money or received contributions from either the trial attorneys or the oil and gas interests.

'Whose voice matters?'

The Grow Louisiana Coalition, a political action committee headed by a New Orleans advertising executive, has sent three mailers to voters in the parish opposing the suits and the candidates who have backed them. A political action committee sponsored by the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association has sent one more.

Whose voice matters most in Plaquemines? one mailer was headlined. Ours or trial lawyers?

The mailer showed a smiling family with a nicely lit background, and a sinister-looking man peering from a dark background meant to represent trial attorneys.

The coalition also has published three full-page ads in The Plaquemines Gazette and carried out an aggressive social media campaign.

Were fighting for this so the people of Plaquemines know whats going on, Marc Ehrhardt, the advertising executive, said in an interview. Exxon, BP, Chevron and Shell are bankrolling the coalition, he added, although the coalition is established in a way that hides the contributions.

Louisiana Free Enterprise, a Baton Rouge-based political action committee that has received $100,000 apiece from businessmen Lane Grigsby and Art Favre, has donated a total of $5,000 to five candidates who want to end the lawsuits, according to campaign finance reports and the group's chairman, John Diez, a veteran conservative political operative. The PAC also mailed an anti-lawsuit flyer that voters received on Thursday.

I contribute money to people who tell me theyll do good things for the people of Louisiana, Grigsby said in an interview.

The parishs main business group, the Plaquemines Association of Business and Industry, wants the lawsuits killed. Jeff DiMarco, the groups chairman, said the suits are counter-productive for business. Its a money grab by trial lawyers.

Phil Cossich, a Belle Chasse attorney working with the Carmouche law firm, told council members at the Oct. 11 meeting that the attorneys goal is simply to make the oil and gas companies pay what they owe.

If you made up a mess, clean up your mess, he said.

Benny Rousselle, a former parish president and now a Parish Council member, sponsored the motion in April 2016 to reinstate the lawsuits. He has been the favorite recipient of campaign contributions from the trial attorneys, with 21 $1,000 donations  or more than half of the $34,000 he has collected  coming from them.

In a recent interview, Rousselle said he favors moving forward with the lawsuits to ensure that the parish has a seat at the table in any settlement negotiations. He said the state under Edwards will pursue the suits no matter what Plaquemines does.

The Oct. 11 vote to kill the lawsuits was an effort to disrupt negotiations, Rousselle said.

The race for the District 4 seat presents a stark choice for voters there on the lawsuit question  if they care.

Irvin Juneau, the incumbent, worked at an oil refinery for 20 years and sponsored the recent resolution to end the lawsuits. Suing the oil companies is a reason they all left, he said.

Stuart Guey, a dentist who previously served three terms on the council, doesnt buy that argument. He has received $6,000 from the trial attorneys out of the $27,000 he has raised. They arent investing because they dont earn enough money here, Guey said of the oil companies.

But Guey said not one person has brought up the issue while he campaigns.

They dont think its important, or theyre not informed, he said.
Archbishop Gregory Aymond on Friday released the names of 30 diocesan priests, 25 religious order priests and two deacons who, in the last century, were removed from ministry after accusations that they sexually abused minors were deemed credible. This is the first time in the history of the Archdiocese of New Orleans that a Catholic archbishop has attempted to provide an accounting of the identities of the alleged abusers in church ranks.

Aymonds list was compiled after a team of 10 people, including staff members and outside legal counsel, reviewed 2.432 personnel files. The archbishop has provided the complete work histories of diocesan priests, but only the New Orleans assignments of religious order priests, claiming the archdiocese does not have complete records for those men. He also did not provide the years that clergy worked in different schools or parishes.

The list does not include employees of the church, or any other religious -- such as nuns or brothers -- who may have been accused. Clergy accused of sexually abusing a minor can try to clear their names through church tribunals, the outcomes of which are secret.

The biographies below combine information provided by the archbishop with information found in media reports, court documents and interviews.

Click here if you're unable to see the PDF list below.

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In conjunction with the list, Aymond released a letter to the public.

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Heres the thing that got me about the newly released list of priests whove been credibly accused of sexual abuse.

Its not the length of the roster, although of course the thought of 57 abusive priests, still alive and now dead, is truly horrifying. After Spotlight and this years grand jury report out of Pennsylvania identifying more than 300 priests who victimized children over seven decades  not to mention countless individual accounts from Louisiana and everyplace else  the breadth of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church is well understood.

What really hit me is the list of churches and schools where they each served, the many communities these men were allowed to  invited to, really  infiltrate. Its the thought of so many kids in so many places being put in harms way by the very institution they were supposed to trust, and of how little was done by adults to protect them.

George Brignac, who was removed from the ministry in 1988 yet allowed to serve as a lector at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church until this year, had pastoral assignments at five schools in New Orleans and its suburbs, according to the list. Paul Calamari had eight, in Louisiana, Mississippi and Delaware before he was removed in 2003. Lawrence Hecker had 13 all around the New Orleans area; he was removed in 2002, six years after an allegation was lodged. Gerard Kinane also had 13, in south Louisiana, Florida and Pennsylvania, and 11 years elapsed between the first allegation and his removal.

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While its also well understood by now that the church would move problematic pastors from one place to another when trouble arose, seeing the list of places where children were exposed to danger, often with the secret knowledge of church officials, really drills home how much the cover-ups exacerbated the crimes.

This was one of the shocking discoveries of the team of reporters from The Boston Globe, whose investigation of the churchs behavior in Massachusetts was the basis for the 2016 Oscar-winning movie.

I dont think this breach of faith will ever lose its power to shock. At least I hope not.
There is a fuzzy line between these utopian visions and get-rich-quick schemes. Several cryptocurrency projects have been shut down by regulators; apparent hucksters have been arrested; and a plan to transform Puerto Rico with cryptocurrencies has been criticised as nothing more than a bid to take advantage of the island's status as a tax haven. The county where this is all located has only about 4,000 residents and was best known, until recently, for its history of silver mining and its modern brothels. Credit:Jason Henry/ The New York Times 'Something inside me tells me this is the answer' Berns was drawn to Nevada by its tax benefits, including the lack of income taxes. And the breadth of his ambitions certainly raises the risk of a boondoggle. But he is different from his crypto-brethren in one big way: He is spending his own money. So far, he said, he has spent $US300 million on the land, offices, planning and a staff of 70 people. And buying 67,000 largely undeveloped acres is a bit of old-fashioned, real estate risk-taking.

Still, Berns said his ambition was not to be a real estate magnate or even to get rich  or richer. He is promising to give away all decision-making power for the project and 90 per cent of any dividends it generates to a corporate structure that will be held by residents, employees and future investors. That structure, which he calls a "distributed collaborative entity," is supposed to operate on a blockchain where everyone's ownership rights and voting powers will be recorded in a digital wallet. Berns acknowledged that all this is way beyond what blockchains have actually accomplished. But that hasn't discouraged him. "I don't know why," he said over the roar of the Polaris engine. "I just  something inside me tells me this is the answer, that if we can get enough people to trust the blockchain, we can begin to change all the systems we operate by." Berns has managed to win over local officials who are eager for economic development. Nevada's governor, Brian Sandoval, read a proclamation that named the Blockchains property Innovation Park at an event last month where Berns sat on a panel with the governor and Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla. Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada, which has been described as the largest building in the world, is surrounded by Blockchains' land. Companies like Google, Apple and Switch also have properties in the industrial park that is surrounded by Berns' holdings.

This week, he announced a memorandum of understanding with one of the state's main power companies, NV Energy, to team up on projects that will run energy transactions through a blockchain. The likes of Apple, Google and Tesla and Switch all have facilities in the surrounding area. Credit:Jason Henry/ The New York Times The Nevada county where this is all located, Storey County, has only about 4,000 residents and was best known, until recently, for its history of silver mining and its modern brothels, including one owned by a county commissioner. That same county commissioner, Lance Gilman, bought the land surrounding the brothel and turned it into the industrial park where Tesla and Google are now located. Blockchains has already received preliminary county support for a new town along the Truckee River, with thousands of homes, a school and a drone delivery system, and is working closely with the county on a broader master plan.

But for now, Blockchains is empty land and a repurposed office building. Berns said the company won't begin construction on the broader property until late 2019, at the earliest, after putting together the master plan and getting it approved by the county. Loading The office manager from Berns' old law office in Los Angeles, Joanna Rodriguez, moved with her four children and husband to Nevada. "He has these crazy ideas  but I know that every time he sets his mind to something he will get there," said Rodriguez, 29, who has worked with Berns for eight years and is now the manager of the Blockchains office in Nevada. "That's why I decided to move." Berns spent most of his professional life on class-action lawsuits, many of them against financial companies. He learned about bitcoin in 2012 but was won over by another cryptocurrency called Ethereum, which makes it possible to store more than just transaction data on a blockchain.

Berns bought Ether, the digital token associated with Ethereum, in a big sale in 2015. Thanks to an astronomical increase in the price of Ether and some well-timed selling last year before it crashed, he became wealthy enough to fund his dream project. 'This will either be the biggest thing ever... or a spectacular crash and burn' Ethereum is what he believes makes his community more than just a giant real estate project. To understand why requires more than a bit of imagination. And faith. Every resident and employee will have what amounts to an Ethereum address, which they will use to vote on local measures and store their personal data. Employees inside the Blockchains office. Mr. Berns has hired a staff of 70 people to work on his dream community. Credit:Jason Henry/ The New York Times Berns believes Ethereum will give people a way to control their identity and online data without any governments or companies involved.

That is a widely shared view in the blockchain community, but there are significant questions about whether any of it can work in the real world. Most blockchain companies have failed to gain any traction, and Ethereum and bitcoin networks have struggled to handle even moderate amounts of traffic. Berns is planning to build thousands of homes along the Truckee River. Credit:Jason Henry/ The New York Times Berns believes that one of the big problems has been security. People have been terrible at holding the private keys that are necessary to access a bitcoin or Ethereum wallet. He wants to address that with a custom-built system where people's private keys are stored on multiple digital devices, kept in vaults, so that no one device can access the keys. He has already purchased vaults that are burrowed into mountains in Sweden and Switzerland and he plans to build additional vaults in the mountains in Nevada. The other thing holding back Ethereum, Berns believes, has been a lack of real-world laboratories. His Nevada land, he hopes, will change that.
If so, we'd better get busy. Because Leigh, who was an ANU economics professor before he entered Parliament, tested 481 industries in Australia. He and another ANU economist, Adam Triggs, applied a standard measure that says an industry is highly concentrated if the four biggest players control more than a third of the market. By that test, most sectors across the Australian economy are dominated by just a few firms. "Some sectors are particularly tightly controlled. In department stores, newspapers, banking, health insurance, supermarkets, domestic airlines, internet service providers, baby food and beer, the biggest four firms comprise more than 80 per cent of the market," Leigh said in his speech. The digital economy is no better. In some cases, companies are using new digital technologies to rob customers and cheat the law. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: Petrol firms are using big data analytics to collude on prices, using a single service station as their shared price signaller, Leigh says, drawing on a study of the Perth petrol market. "You no longer need to sit in smoke-filled rooms to fix prices - they are effectively colluding without breaking the law." Rod Sims, head of the consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, says that petrol is 2 cents to 5 cents a litre more expensive than it should be in some cities, yet also says there's nothing more he can do about it. And Leigh cites The Economist magazine on the biggest digitally based businesses in the Western world, the so-called FAANG firms of Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google: "There is now a kill zone," for competitors of these behemoths, "in which companies are either acquired or quashed."

Illustration: Jim Pavlidis Credit: But it's the overall effect of market concentration that has had a shocking effect. Worldwide, corporate profit margins have risen inexorably over the last 40 years. But Australia is an extreme case of corporate profiteering, according to an international survey that Leigh quotes. In the 1980s, the average prices charged by publicly listed companies was not far above the cost of production, and stayed around that level till the late 1990s. Then profit margins exploded. Mark-ups soared to an average 40 per cent by the early 2000s, climbing to 50 per cent above cost by 2010. This trend then accelerated in the last few years. By 2016, listed companies in Australia were charging prices 60 per cent above their costs of production, according to the study of 70,000 firms in 134 countries by Jan De Loecker from Princeton and Jan Eeckhout from University College London. They found the same trend worldwide, but with the global average today at 50 per cent compared to Australia's 60 per cent profit margin. This finding seemed so outlandish that Andrew Leigh contacted the authors to check their results. The inescapable conclusion is that this is national exploitation on a systematic and rising scale. Says Leigh: "It's a massive transfer of wealth from consumers to producers." "If true, it's of considerable concern," says Allan Fels, the inaugural head of the ACCC and now a professor at the Melbourne Law School. "I'm inclined to believe it is true and it probably needs more research. It is a sign that we should be concerned about more vigorous enforcement" of competition law.

How would a Shorten Labor government measure success in tackling this profiteering? "Bringing mark-ups down to 10 to 20 per cent would be much more reasonable," Leigh tells me. "It's not as if companies weren't making any profits in the 1990s", when margins were nowhere near as fat as today's. This evidence of weakening competition could also help explain two of the most important phenomena of our time - slow growth of wages and rising inequality. Leigh points to studies showing that the weaker competition gets between companies, the smaller the share of benefits that flows to the workers. You probably don't need a PhD in economics to figure out that a bigger concentration of corporate market muscle will aggravate inequality, but Leigh happens to have one and he puts it to good use in a survey of evidence. Andrew Leigh says Labor aims to increase competition. Credit:Elesa Kurtz The rising concentration of corporate power and profiteering is in line with Karl Marx's observations of capitalist economies. Marx might have been lousy at prescribing an alternative to capitalism, but he was an astute analyst of its workings. A century and a half ago Marx wrote of capitalism's natural tendency to monopoly. Which ends in the destruction of the market economy. So to save capitalism from itself, governments in market economies need to wage an unending vigil against the ever-present tendency for greater market concentration. Leigh intends to reinvigorate the effort in Australia, improving the treatment of consumers in the process and holding inequality at bay. Concentrated markets like those in Ozzigopoly are "bad for the economy and bad for democracy", says Leigh.

What would Labor do exactly? Labor would toughen the test for companies that want to merge or buy other firms, although Leigh hasn't yet specified how exactly. Australia has too many mergers and too few start-ups, he argues. He also proposes to step up penalties for anti-competitive behaviour so that, instead of paying a flat fee which is like a parking fine to a big company, firms would have to pay a penalty based on 30 per cent of their sales multiplied by the number of years they were breaking the law, as in the European Union. It'd be capped at 10 per cent of total annual sales or $10 million per infringement. Loading And a Labor government would double the ACCC's budget for litigation so that it could more aggressively sue businesses. It would also increase its investigative powers. For small businesses afraid of taking court action against big ones, Labor would change the law to protect them from any court ordering that they pay not only their own legal bills but also those of their opponent in the event that they lose a case. Fels is broadly supportive of the Leigh inclinations, but he wants governments to go further. "It's obvious that Australia needs a divestiture law" to force companies to be broken up, as in the US.

"It should be a sanction used when a company has acted illegally." This is what the Morrison government proposes for the power sector. Instead of applying to a single industry, however, Fels wants this available across the economy. And instead of the government's plan to put the break-up power into the hands of a minister, Fels says it should be put into the hands of the courts. But Leigh says that Labor would not bring in a divestiture power, for electricity or any other industry. It's going too far, he says. He says that Labor shouldn't be daunted by the prospect of taking a hard line against big business to force more competitiveness into the economy: "It's very much in the spirit of Whitlam and Keating as reforming Labor governments."
Canberra bushfire live updates: Alert level downgraded for Pierces Creek

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Six helicopters and 23 ACT Rural Fire Service units continue to battle the Pierces Creek fire on Saturday afternoon as they work to bring the blaze under control.

The fire had on Saturday afternoon burnt 202 hectares and was seven kilometres from Canberra's south-west fringe, but posed no threat to property or life.

A large amount of the fire activity on Saturday was in the north west, where backburning operations had contributed to the size of the fire.

ACT Emergency Services Agency commissioner Dominic Lane said he was confident the fire would be brought under control on Saturday after favourable conditions overnight helped firefighters strengthen containment lines.
The defamation battle between Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush and The Daily Telegraph would have to be adjourned until next year if the newspaper succeeded in its eleventh-hour bid to call a new witness as part of its case, the Federal Court judge presiding over the trial has said.

Justice Michael Wigney has imposed an interim non-publication order on the identity of the Telegraph's proposed new witness, a woman he dubbed "X", as he considers the newspaper's shock application to amend its defence on the tenth day of the three-week trial.

Eryn Jean Norvill and lawyer Leon Zwier arrive at the Federal Court on Friday. Credit:Joel Carrett/AAP

The non-publication order was unsuccessfully opposed by media outlets including Fairfax Media, publisher of the Herald and The Age, and the Nine Network.

Justice Wigney has previously castigated the Telegraph for its "undeniably unsatisfactory conduct" during the pre-trial phase of the proceedings, when the newspaper sought on multiple occasions to change its defence.
Angry Anglican school alumni are planning protests and signing petitions decrying their former principals' decisions to campaign for the preservation of powers that would let them discriminate against gay staff.

Amid the controversy, the heads of two schools that refused to join 34 other schools in signing a letter to MPs, Cranbrook and SCEGGS Darlinghurst, said on Friday said they welcomed everyone, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.

"I want to make it clear ... that I don't want SCEGGS to have any exemption from any Discrimination Act or the Fair Work Act based on our religion," SCEGGS Darlinghurst principal Jenny Allum said in a letter to parents and students.

SCEGGS Darlinghurst head Jenny Allum. Credit:Tomasz Machnik

The Anglican Synod last week sent all federal MPs a letter signed by the principals of 34 of its schools. It said while schools would not expel gay students or staff in practice, they wanted to preserve the right to employ people who "support the ethos of the school".
The 2nd World Health Conference of Acupuncture and Moxibustion was held in Quzhou, east China's Zhejiang province on Nov. 1, ahead of the eighth anniversary for the practices of acupuncture and moxibustion making the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The event brought together around 300 participants from around the world. Chinese and overseas practitioners, researchers and academics of all disciplines related to acupuncture and moxibustion gather at the event to share their knowledge, experience and practices. Government officials, representatives of the organizers, business leaders and other representatives also attended the conference.

During the conference, a memorial ceremony for the grandmaster of acupuncture and moxibustion, Yang Jizhou, was held at a square named after him.

A memorial ceremony for the grandmaster of acupuncture and moxibustion, Yang Jizhou, is held in Quzhou, Zhejiang province, on Nov. 2, 2018. [Photo by Wang Xiaojun/China.org.cn]

The famous acupuncture practitioner who lived around 400 years ago was born in the area that is now Quzhou's Qujiang district. In his life, Yang traveled to many places in China and offered cures to a large number of patients. His book, "Zhen Jiu Da Cheng" ("Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion"), is regarded as a classic by medical practitioners throughout China's history and enjoys a high reputation in the acupuncture and moxibustion community worldwide. The work was included into the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2014. It has also been translated into seven languages and spread to over 180 countries and regions.

The three-day event features a variety of other activities, including an opening ceremony, a forum on the industrial development of acupuncture and moxibustion, a seminar on acupuncture and moxibustion inheritance, a promotional activity for acupuncture and moxibustion, an expo for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and healthcare, and cultural exhibitions.

The traditional Chinese medical therapy acupuncture is becoming increasingly popular as a treatment for chronic ailments and pain. At the expo that kicked off Thursday, people crowded around the stands of various healthcare brands, and well-known TCM practitioners offered free consultations as well as opportunities to experience the treatments.

At the opening ceremony of the conference on Friday, Shi Xuemin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, announced the Qujiang Consensus reached by healthcare experts from Asia, Europe, America and other regions based on their discussions on the innovation of acupuncture and moxibustion.

The consensus document says that acupuncture going global is an irresistible trend, and a wider and higher-level platform for the international cooperation on acupuncture should be constructed; moreover, acupuncture should make greater contributions to promoting human health and improving global health governance.

In addition, a global action plan of acupuncture healthcare was also announced at the gathering.

According to the action plan, Qujiang will establish a global headquarter of acupuncture clinic chain (with the operational headquarter set in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province), open over 1,000 chain clinics around the world  especially in the countries along the Belt and Road  over the next five years, and build the first publicly listed TCM acupuncture-moxibustion brand either in China or overseas.

The hosts of the conference are the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies, the China Association of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, the Global Alliance of SMEs, the Quzhou municipal government, and the Committee of Health Industry Development of China Institute of Strategy and Management. The conference is also under the guidance of the World Health Organization and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
Revelations of mistreatment by police and public prosecutors of raped and otherwise sexually abused teenagers and young children merit official, independent investigation.

Law enforcement and the justice systems appear to be fundamentally failing some people in profound need.

'Rachael' says the rape and its aftermath destroyed her teenage years. Credit:Simon Schluter

An investigative series of stories by Richard Baker, published by The Age in recent days, sets out evidence of natural justice denied by incompetence and concealment, of callous interrogation and, tragically, of further sexual abuse that could have been prevented. It is true that the overwhelming majority of the thousands of daily interactions between the force and the public are exemplary. They should be, of course, and the community is better for it and values it. But that does not in any way mitigate travesties of the dimension set out in Bakers work.

After a 15-year-old girl and her parents reported to Victoria Police her rape three days earlier by a 44-year-old man she knew, it took detectives more than a year to question him, notwithstanding his criminal record, and another three to lay charges, amid ongoing entreaties from an abused child and her family. After six years he was tried, found guilty and jailed for nine years (he is appealing).
When the Australian healthcare entrepreneur Paul Ramsay passed away in 2014, he dedicated a portion of his estate to helping students "explore how our civilisation had grappled with life's biggest issues and history's greatest challenges". Thus was born the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation. And thus was born a great education debate.

The Ramsay Centre has been trying all year to get one of Australia's premier universities to offer a bespoke degree in Western Civilisation. The idea is to offer generous scholarships to attract some of Australia's most talented students to read the classics of Western civilisation in small seminars of six to eight students. What's not to like?

The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation is in negotiations with the University of Sydney. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Plenty, if you ask the professors at the University of Sydney. Two hundred of them have signed an open letter calling the proposed program "chauvinistic" and a tool of "European supremacism". A smaller group went even further, warning in promotional material for a public protest meeting that a deal with the Ramsay Centre would "lend credibility" to "sexist, racist and Islamophobic politics".

The Ramsay Centre is now the biggest hot potato in Australian higher education. Earlier this year, the ANU pulled the plug on Ramsay Centre negotiations in order to "protect its academic freedom", in the words of vice chancellor Brian Schmidt. The ANU's chancellor Gareth Evans went even further, warning other universities to check "the teeth of this particular gift horse". It's never been so hard to give money away. The VC doth protest too much?
Banksia Hill has copped a lot of criticism, with many warning the centres set-up is fundamentally flawed; that housing 10-year-olds alongside young adults is far from best practice. The revolving door, where more than half of the youths released end up back in the justice system within a year, points to a system that needs change. The majority of those who arrive at the centre have been traumatised by a life of neglect and abuse. As a housing option, we are leaving them in prison Alison Xamon The Telethon Kids Institute found 90 per cent were affected by significant brain impairments, and uncovered an unprecedented level of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder for a juvenile prison. Ms Xamon said the state government had failed to make progress in youth justice.

To make matters worse, the government entities that could come together to help deliver the services needed and improve the system had stopped meeting, she said. Loading "Ultimately Banksia Hill needs to be shut down," she said. "Youth detention facilities, as per the recommendation of OICS, needs to be devolved into regional and smaller populatation based facilities. But at the moment there is nothing happening. There have been no significant reforms that have occured around Banksia Hill." She said it was disappointing there had been a complete breakdown of the health-justice initiative that had been established between the health department, mental health commission and department of corrective services.

This was a high level group established to work towards a better way of delivering health and mental health, alcohol and drug services within prisons including Banksia Hill. "Not only have they not met since June, but there are no scheduled meetings for the future at all," Ms Xamon said. A government spokesman said the group had delivered a report into health services in WA prisons which was being considered. Ms Xamon remained alarmed that some youth imprisoned at the centre only remained incarcerated because the state could not find suitable accommodation for them elsewhere. In answers to questions she had asked in parliament the government had said some children were kept in the prison because they could not get into suitable alcohol and other drug treatment beds.

"So we have got kids there right now that shouldn't even be there, simply because we don't have appropriate treatment facilities for them," she said. "There are other children who have been suitable for release who can't get out because they don't have suitable accommodation options." They tended to be wards of the state who couldn't go back to their families. "As a housing option, we are leaving them in prison," she said. Ms Xamon said the state government was not moving on the issue of youth justice.

Last year the Inspector recommended smaller youth detention facilities be established across the state, rather than the one youth custodial centre attempting to cater for all needs. Loading This would allow better separation, better targeted programs for youth in conflict with the law, and an ability to keep young people closer to home, the report said. The Premier had announced the government would look at options for detaining young people from the Pilbara, Kimberley and the Goldfields in their local region, and alternatives for looking after girls. These are welcome developments but are yet to be realised, the new report said.

Justice Minister Fran Logan said the government was focused on diverting young offenders away from detention. I have been on the record as saying that I want to see more options to manage juvenile offenders on country, but it is very difficult and compounded by Western Australias serious financial circumstances," Mr Logan said. We have had many discussions with service providers, non-government organisations and others in the regions to try to find alternatives. It is highly complicated but we are continuing to seek other means of managing young offenders on country." Mr Logan said there had been a significant amount of progress at Banksia Hill to stabilise the facility, give young offenders the best support possible in a detention setting and to implement a new model of care. I have spoken with many community leaders who have noted the progress at Banksia Hill and can see the efforts that are being made to manage some of the most highly complex and challenging young offenders in our justice system," he said.

It is not easy, but we are working through an inherited legacy of underinvestment and poor foresight by the previous Liberal-National Government, which will take time to address. Commissioner for Children Colin Pettit said it was clear Banksia Hill did not meet the needs of young people in the justice system. This was particularly true for the small number of young females housed at the facility. "To provide a safer community and better results for young people, families and the community, Banksia Hill needs to be reviewed and unpacked," Mr Pettit said. "This would include investigating how the majority of young people in detention could be located in smaller, regional facilities where services for both young people and their families can be better coordinated and supportive relationships maintained."
The states peak criminal intelligence agency will be headed by a police officer in a major break from the past, with Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Cotter to be appointed as NSW Crime Commissioner after an extensive search.

Mr Cotters appointment was confirmed by Cabinet on Thursday, with the backing of Police Minister Troy Grant and Premier Gladys Berejiklian, bringing to an end a tumultuous process to find a new agency head.

The appointment may be one of the last major decisions by Mr Grant, who will retire at the March state election, and comes after other candidates for the position were rejected.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter Credit:Brendan Esposito

A spokesman for Mr Grant said "the government has approved the interim secondment of NSW Police Force Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter APM to act in the position of Commissioner of the NSW Crime Commission from 9 November 2018 pending the appointment of a permanent Commissioner".
Karachi: Pakistan's ultra-Islamist party blocked roads in major cities for a third day on Friday in protest against the acquittal of a Christian woman on death row for blasphemy allegations.

Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) said talks with the government have failed, and called upon its followers to get ready for a show down.

"Talks have completely failed, Federal and provincial representatives and an Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) General Faiz took part in talks," Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of TLP said in a tweet early on Friday morning.

"Government has warned,'we will finish you off'," Rizvi said in his tweet.
London: A month after the killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, the growing international consensus that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind it has done almost nothing to weaken his grip on power over the kingdom.

The crown prince owes his apparent impunity partly to the nature of power in Saudi Arabia's absolute monarchy and to his own proven ruthlessness. But he also owes it to the Trump administration. It has decided to stand by him, according to three people familiar with the White House deliberations.

Ruthless rise: Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Credit:AP

Barring a surprise intervention by his ageing father, King Salman, there is every expectation that Crown Prince Mohammed, 33, will succeed him and dominate Saudi Arabia for a half-century to come.

White House officials knew from an October 9 phone call with the crown prince that he considered Khashoggi, a Virginia resident and Washington Post columnist, a dangerous Islamist, two people familiar with the call said, so the officials knew he had a potential motive for the killing.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said his administration planned to require immigrants seeking asylum in the United States to come into the country through a legal port of entry, pushing a hard line on immigration ahead of elections next week.

The president's remarks, five days before US voters determine which party will control Congress and state governorships across the country, drew immediate criticism as an effort to generate fear and energise his political base.

"Migrants seeking asylum will have to present themselves lawfully at a port of entry," Trump said at the White House, painting a caravan of migrants travelling from Central America toward the United States as a dangerous threat.

"Those who choose to break our laws and enter illegally will no longer be able to use meritless claims to gain automatic admission into our country," he said.
14 People Hit at School Bus Stops in Just 3 Days, Leaving 5 Dead

At least 14 people have been struck by drivers at school bus stops across the United States in the last three days, leaving three Indiana siblings and two others dead.

Seven people were rushed to the hospital in Tampa, Florida on Nov. 1, after a driver struck students waiting at a bus stop. Two parents were among the injured.

None of the injuries are considered life-threatening, officials told ABC.

Witnesses said the driver was speeding before hitting the group. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the police. It wasnt clear if he would be charged.

At this time it does not appear that the crash was intentional and it does not appear that the driver was impaired. It is unclear whether the driver was speeding at the time of the crash, though a witness said he believed the car was traveling at a high rate of speed, Tampa Police said in a press release.

Also on Thursday, a 7-year-old boy was found dead at a bus stop in Franklin Township by the school bus driver in an apparent hit-and-run. Investigators said that the child was struck by a vehicle.

Investigators have ruled out that the child was struck by a passing motorist who then fled. Evidence has shown that the child was run over at a slow speed. A search warrant was obtained for a vehicle that was in the area at the time. The driver has been interviewed, a Pittsburgh State Trooper statement said.

On Wednesday, a 9-year-old was killed in Marietta, Mississippi while crossing the street to board his bus. The driver of the pickup truck that struck him was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, facing dozens of years in jail if convicted.

Also on Wednesday, a kindergartner was struck while crossing the street to board a bus in Tallahassee, Florida. A 19-year-old man driving behind the bus realized too late that the bus was stopped, police officers told WCTV. The 5-year-old is expected to survive.

The rash of school bus accidents started in Indiana on Oct. 30, when a driver failed to recognize a school buss flashing lights and plowed into four children who were crossing the street from their mobile home park in Rochester to board a bus. The 24-year-old driver was charged with three counts of reckless homicide.

Three children, all siblings, died. The fourth child was airlifted to a hospital, underwent emergency surgery, and was expected to live.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (pdf), there were 1,172 school-transportation related fatal motor vehicle crashes between 2006 and 2015. During that time, an average of 131 fatalities per year were attributed to those crashes.

Officials investigating the accidents urged drivers to pay more attention, especially during the morning and evening rush hours, as did people related to the children hit and those who live nearby.

Sadly it takes a reminder like this that our school buses do share the highways with us, do share the roads, in morning and evening traffic, Mississippi Highway Patrol Master Sgt. Ray Hall told WCBI.

You need to slow down, Tallahassee resident Rail Guthrie told WCTV. It doesnt take five seconds out of your day to make the kids safe.

From NTD.tv
In this file image, a Halloween scene can be viewed outside of a in New York City home on Halloween night on October 31, 2015. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

2-Year-Old in Hospital After Eating Marijuana Candy on Halloween

A 2-year-old girl is in a hospital in Las Vegas after eating a marijuana edible on Halloween.

The girl, Delilah Smith, was given the edible while trick-or-treating on Oct. 31, her sister told KVVU-TV.

When Chantelle Smiths younger sister said she had become tired, she picked her up. Id hold her for a while and we kept going back to houses and I noticed she was getting sleepy so I was like Maybe we should call it a night.'

Back at their house, Smith gave Delilah a bath but became alarmed when she became nonresponsive. She rushed her to the University Medical Center.

Doctors there told Smith that her sister tested positive for THC, an active chemical in marijuana

Toddler hospitalized for eating edible from Trick or Treat candy on Halloween #ICYMI: A 2-year-old girl was hospitilized after eating a marijuana edible she was given while Trick or Treating on Halloween. Cyndi Lundeberg heard from her family.    FOX5 Las Vegas     



I couldnt speak. I couldnt stop crying, she added.

Police officers visited the hospital and took down information.

She shouldnt be here, Smith said. She should be waking up to her bag of candy.

Some warned of potentially tainted candy before Halloween, with experts noting that looser laws in many states on recreational marijuana could lead to edibles containing the drug being consumed by children.

Theres going to be candy all over the house, Dr. James Elia from Sharp Grossmont Hospital told KGTV. If there are edibles that are in the household and are forgotten to put away, kids may be able to get into them as well.

The Drug Enforcement Agency issued an alert earlier in the week warning of drug-laced edibles, including chocolates, suckers, and gummies.

Candies with marijuana or meth cooked into them are often professionally packaged and can easily be mistaken for regular candy or baked goods, the agency said.

Last year the agency noted that marijuana-laced candies sold in packages labeled Munchy Way, 3 Rastateers, Twixed, Keef Kat, and Rasta Reeses had been collected during Halloween.

Meth Candy

The marijuana story came after a sheriffs office in Oregon said Halloween candy tested positive for meth.

Deputies conducted field tests on the gummy candy, which tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine. The candy was seized and placed into evidence, the Washington County Sheriffs Office said.

The tainted candy looked like regular Sour Patch Kids.

No children consumed it but parents who did became sick and alerted the authorities.
6-Year-Old Child Struck by Car Near Bus Stop in Benbrook, Texas

Video shows aftermath of bus stop crash in Tampa, Florida

A child in Benbrook, Texas, was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street to board a school bus on the morning of Nov. 2.

CBS Dallas Fort-Worth reported police responded to an accident on the 3800 block of Crosslands Road at around 7:15 a.m.

They found that the child, 6, was hit by a sedan. The child was then taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the CBS affiliate report said.

Charges of the sedan driver are pending. A police investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Police didnt provide any further details.

Benbrook is a suburb of Fort Worth located in Tarrant County.

Florida Update

The incident comes just a day after a vehicle hit five children and two adults at a bus stop in Tampa, Florida. It also follows several other accidents where children were killed at bus stops in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi.

Officials in Tampa said that two children suffered serious injuries, but none of the injuries are considered life-threatening, ABC Action News reported.

The Tampa victims were been identified as Alexandra Torres-Banegas, 6, Allinson Galindo, 6, Enrique Antonio Tobias Patino, 6, Sandy Quintana, 9, Perla Galindo, 12, Yanely Jurado, 31, and Laura Patino Chavez, 32.

At this time it does not appear that the crash was intentional and it does not appear that the driver was impaired. It is unclear whether the driver was speeding at the time of the crash, though a witness said he believed the car was traveling at a high rate of speed, Tampa Police said in a news release. Indiana Update Meanwhile, a 24-year-old woman from Rochester, Indiana, was charged with reckless homicide after hitting and killing three siblings at a bus stop. Alyssa Shepherd, the woman, told police officers that she saw the flashing bus lights, but she didnt recognize the vehicle as a school bus. Thats why she didnt stop. She did not recognize it immediately as a school bus. In fact, she said she was trying to figure out what it was, a detective told the judge in the case. Mississippi Update Hunter Newman, 22, was charged with aggravated assault after allegedly fatally striking a 9-year-old boy with his pickup truck while the boy was trying to board the bus, KTRK reported. With the recent tragic accident, Baldwyn School District will be offering counseling in partnership with the Family Resource Center, Region III, and local ministers on site throughout the rest of the school week. The safety of our students will continue to be our number one priority. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the family of this tragic accident, Baldwyn School District Assistant Superintendent Raymond Craven said in a statement.

Pennsylvania Update

Police say a hit-and-run driver killed a 7-year-old child who was waiting at a bus stop in Franklin Township, Pennsylvania, State Police Trooper David McGarvey told ABC News this week.

The driver didnt stop after hitting the child. McGarvey said the driver claimed he didnt see the child.
A New Zealand Adventure: Cruising in Fiordland National Park

Im beginning to wonder if Ive landed in a country of maniacs. At least, thats the impression I get while walking through the narrow avenues of Queenstown, New Zealand.

The alpine region looks tranquil enough at first glance. Tiny Queenstown, population 17,000, sits nestled on the shores of beautiful Lake Wakatipu in the middle of a lush valley. The mighty Remarkables mountain range surrounds the small community, rising up like sharp-edged giants from the rich, dark earth. Its a stunning geography that any city would envy.

Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown itself is reminiscent of Aspen, Colorado, a fashionable community with a small-town heart. Chic resorts sit among modest hillside homes with window box flowers and tidy yards, and the active city streets reveal orderly shops and outdoor cafes.

But a closer look uncovers a unique side of this mountain community, for tucked in between small restaurants and tourist stores are dozens of adventure companies offering everything from heli-hiking and hang-gliding, to skydiving and jet boating.

Although well-known for its peaceful sheep-ranching and rural tradition, this island nation of 3.8 million has been called the adventure destination of the world. Thousands flock to the southwestern tip of the South Island each year, where tiny Queenstown serves up experiences never to be forgotten.

While my parents and I peruse the adventure vendors in Queenstown, a local salesperson, sporting a friendly grin and proper Kiwi accent, regales us with tales of jet boating. Later, another vendor offers to shoot me into the air in a rocket-like contraption. It does sound like fun and I start to ask for the price, but the horrified look on my mothers face tells me to forget it.

My parents, vacationing with me far from their farm in Windsor, Colorado, are looking for a more serene way to enjoy the natural beauty of New Zealands South Island. Were eager to experience the extreme geography that this land haswe just dont want to do it from a bungee cord.

Still, its hard not to get into the spirit when youre surrounded by adventurous people. We decide to bypass all activities that propel you into the air, and ask several of the locals for their advice. Go to the Sounds in Fiordland, they say, youll be stunned.

Fiordland National Park

Fiordland National Park is an isolated area known for its awe-inspiring fjords, dramatic mountain peaks, tumbling waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. In this Switzerland of the South Pacific, tall mountains drop dramatically into the dark seas in a stunning display of natures majesty. No wonder so many movies, including Lord of the Rings, have chosen to film here.

The park is located in a remote region of the island, and we wonder how to get there. Should we drive? Take a bus tour? Eventually we decide on a two-night boat cruise on Doubtful Sound, one of the less-traveled regions of the park. The cruise company will provide the transportation.

But Doubtful Sound is not easy to reach. It takes four hours and a well-orchestrated journey involving two buses, a boat, and a van for us to reach the deep waters of the sound. By the time we reach our ship, the Fiordland Navigator, civilization is left far behind.

Real Journeys Cruise on Doubtful Sound

Today, there are 40 passengers on the Fiordland Navigator, which is operated by Real Journeys, the only commercial company allowed to overnight in the sound. The small crew is made up of fit, young people whose jovial manners put everyone in a good mood.

Within minutes were tossed room keys, shown our simple but shipshape cabins, and given safety instructions. Then its time to head into the fjords. A light rain is falling, but the air is not cold as we stand on deck, watching natures most incredible show pass by.

Lush green mountains rise majestically from the water. Dreamy white clouds drift along their massive midriffs, while the peaks reach above the cottony mass toward the sky. Its like living in a beautiful postcard.

Occasionally, dolphins swim near, jumping and leaping, while tiny penguins float nearby. The ship is in search of a calm inlet so we can drop anchor and go out in kayaks, allowing us more intimate contact with nature. It is almost dusk when we find a protected cove and the ship drops anchor. A warm rain falls with dreamlike stillness, while a thick haze covers the sea, giving the water a heavenly quality.

Kayaking Doubtful Sound

I know its wet out there, says our guide, Terri, calling us together like a team before the big game. Dont let that stop you from getting out there on the water. Its even more beautiful in the rain because it starts up the waterfalls. She is right. The mountains have sprung leaks, and dozens of waterfalls stream from their sides.

The crew urges us on. They pull out dozens of kayaks as well as two tender boats. Those who want to explore on their own will use kayaks; others will explore in the craft. My parents opt for the boats; I head toward the kayaks.

The rain will keep the sand flies away, says one of the crew cheerfully as he hands me a rain poncho and guides me into my kayak. Ive never kayaked before, and it takes me a few minutes to get the rhythm of paddling, but soon Im following the others. While my poncho keeps the rain off my face, it seems to block my view. I pull it off, ignoring the rain.

Immediately, I feel overwhelmed by the stunning scene surrounding me. I stop paddling and coast, delighting in what I see. All is silent except for the in-and-out swoosh of kayak paddles.

Then it dawns on me: this is what brings people to this island nationthe chance to throw away cares and rediscover the thrill of nature, beauty, and even life itself.

I hug the shoreline, awed by the vast numbers of green ferns and leafy trees. The vegetation is so thick on the steep mountainsides that I cant even see the earth below it. A bird flits from the shelter of one dripping tree to another, then disappears in the foliage.

Huge drops of water fall on my face as I paddle underneath tree limbs sticking out over the water. Moss covers the thick limbs. I can see the rocks below in the crystal clear water, and pull in closer for a look at the plant life that has grown together, giving the illusion of a thick green carpet covering the mountainside.

Eventually, I pull back out into the open sound. I can see my parents in the boat, listening intently as their guide describes the local fauna. Even through the drizzle, I can see the smiles on their faces. My mom waves to me, nudging my dad and pointing me out. I laugh and signal back, content in my kayak. It is a shared experience that we will always remember.

I stare up into the torrential skies and watch huge drops pouring, one by one, into the sea. I feel tiny in this land of natural wonders. The experience is so powerful that I ignore the streams of water running down my face. Right now, its unimportant. For now, I am in a yellow kayak, paddling through the protective cove of Doubtful Sound. I am in awe of the world and the gift that New Zealand has given me.

And for once in my life, words seem woefully inadequate.

Janna Graber has covered travel in more than 45 countries. She is the editor of three travel anthologies, including A Pink Suitcase: 22 Tales of Womens Travel, and is the managing editor of Go World Travel Magazine.
The logo of Alibaba Group is seen at the companys headquarters in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, on July 20, 2018. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Alibaba Cuts Sales Forecast on Economic Uncertainty, Trade Fears

Chinas Alibaba Group Holding Ltd lowered its full-year sales forecast on Nov. 2 due to concerns about the economic impact of a U.S.-China trade spat, which the company expects will dent revenue ahead of its top sale season.

Asias most valuable public company said it will cut its full-year revenue forecast to between 375 billion and 383 billion yuan ($54.4-$55.6 billion), a 4-6 percent drop, while sales growth in its core commerce business for the September quarter slowed to its lowest rate since 2016.

In a call with analysts on Friday, executives said big ticket purchases could be affected by economic uncertainty and that they will delay efforts to make more money on some aspects of its marketplaces in an effort to retain businesses on its platform.

In light of current fluid macro-economic conditions, we have recently decided not to monetize, in the near term, incremental inventory generated from growing users and engagement on our China retail marketplaces, said Alibaba in a statement.

The companys U.S.-listed stock edged up 0.4 percent to $151.81 by 1346 GMT, but is down more than 12 percent this year amid a wider sell-off of China tech stocks that has also affected Baidu Inc and Tencent Holdings Ltd.

The decision to take in less income from its platforms comes ahead of Singles Day, Alibabas annual mega-sale event, which peaks on Nov. 11 and last year netted the company over $25 billion in sales.

Alibaba competes fiercely for customers and merchants during the event, and has historically recorded much higher marketing costs around the event, which also eats into sales from the first and third quarter.

Ahead of the event, sales growth on the companys China retail marketplaces in the third quarter slowed to 37 percent, its weakest growth rate in eleven quarters.

The company has been investing heavily in offline retail and rural e-commerce in a bid to win new customers as Chinas urban market shows signs of saturation.

Roughly 75 percent of Alibabas new users last quarter were from undeveloped areas, said Chief Financial Officer Maggie Wu.

Analysts said the impact of trade tensions and tighter regulation in China, including new rules on advertising and online finance, will continue to weigh on the companys share price for some time.

At a recent event, Chairman Jack Ma predicted the trade war could last 20 years, and said the company would adapt plans, including scrapping an initiative to create a million jobs in the United States by bringing U.S. producers onto the platform.

The companys stock also weakened recently on news that Ma, 54, will retire next year on Sept. 10, passing the baton to current CEO Daniel Zhang.

Ma, who co-founded Alibaba in 1999, has become one of Chinas richest people, with a net worth of $36.6 billion, according to Forbes.

Political Demands

Mas early retirement is unexpected for an entrepreneur of his stature in China.

Mas resignation comes at a time when Beijing is trying to rein in private firms. In June, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mandated that all of the countrys publicly listed companies must set up Party organizations for its employees.

These organizations are often set up in the workplace to monitor employees and ensure workplace decisions toe the Party line.

As many of Chinas biggest firms have expanded their portfolios through risky investments overseas, the CCP has been cracking down on such capital outflows. In December 2017, the Party mandated that all businesses report their foreign investments to the central authorities.

In the meantime, many of the wealthy businessmen behind Chinas biggest conglomerates have fallen under the Chinese regimes axe in recent months.

Ye Jianming, former chairman of CEFC China Energy, Chinas largest privately held energy company, was arrested in May and also placed under investigation for economic crimes. His companys assets were liquidated in order to repay its massive debt.

China observers like Chen Pokong believe that Ma may have seen his fate coming and chosen to resign early to avoid it.

China scholar Chen Xiaonong told New York-based NTD that many entrepreneurs in China were able to become successful through political connections with powerful Party officials. But if the regime starts investigating those corrupt officials, those businessmen connected to them will also be ensnared.

($1 = 6.8925 Chinese yuan renminbi)

By Cate Cadell. Epoch Times staff Annie Wu contributed to this report.
As the centenary of World War I approaches, the Armistice Memorial Museum located in the northern French town of Compiegne, saw an increase in its number of visitors in recent months, with over 54,000 people have visited the emblematic site so far this year.

The museum houses an identical model of the Armistice Carriage, as it has come to be known, where the peace agreement ending the fighting on the Western front during World War I was signed on November 11, 1918, between the Allies and Germany.

President of the Armistice Memorial Association Bernard Letemps said the carriage was a symbol of peace and victory but should also act as a reminder of the horror and suffering of war.

I think for everyone, [the carriage] represents peace, which is the space between two wars because before the war of 1914 there was a wait  Before the war of 1870 (France-Prussian War) there was a 55-year wait, after the war of 1870 until the war of 1914 there were 44 years, between the two [World] Wars 20 years. And today were already at 73 years of peace in Europe, Letemps said.

World War I, fought out in large part on French soil between 1914 and 1918, left about 10 million dead on all sides and remains firmly anchored in French memories.

The lasting image of the war was the trenches that snaked across northern France and Belgium, where soldiers, hunkered down in the mud, fought a terrible war of attrition where territorial gains could be measured in a matter of meters won over months and years.

The carriage, which used to be set in a clearing in the woods of Compiegne, was also the location chosen by Adolf Hitler during World War II to make Frances surrender official on June 22, 1940, marking the beginning of the collaborationist Vichy regime.

Hitler had the original carriage transported to Germany to be exhibited in Berlin but it was moved to protect it from bombings. It was later destroyed in the accidental burning of the Crawinkel railway station next to the Ohrdruf prison camp.

Approximately 160,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel in the initial D-Day assault on June 6, 1944, paving the way for an Allied onslaught which would bring Hitlers German empire to its knees less than 12 months later.

In September 1950, a carriage from the same series as that of the armistice was presented by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits with identical furnishings and now sits in the museum next to the same glade that marked history.

Timothy Sandiford, a visitor from England, said, I think, especially in the world in which were living in at the moment, its a huge reminder that peace shouldnt be taken for granted.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (Center) and other new members of the Communist Party of China's Politburo Standing Committee (L-R) Wang Huning, Han Zheng, Li Zhanshu, Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, Zhao Leji meet press in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on October 25, 2017. (WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images)

Top Chinese Leaders Call for Focus on Six Stabilities as Economy Lags

In a meeting of Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the Politburo, where top Chinese Communist Party officials discussed the regimes biggest challenges, the political body called for six stabilities, in the areas of employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment, and development targets, according to CCP mouthpiece Xinhua.

In Xinhuas 860-character report about the Oct. 31 meeting, the word stability appears 16 times.

The Chinese economy faces challenges including increased downward pressure, operation difficulty among a number of enterprises, and an outbreak of long-term accumulated risks, the report said. Meanwhile, the Politburo acknowledged profound changes in the external environment and that the effects of some policies need time to take effect.

The 25-member CCP Politburo and its seven-man Standing Committee are Chinas de facto highest political bodies.

In March, the U.S. government began imposing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods, posing a shock to Chinas export-oriented economy.

In response, the Politburo decided that the future direction of the Chinese economy should be toward development based on stability, by focusing on supply-side structural reform, and achieving the six stabilities via active financial policies and stable currency policy.

The CCP called for continuous development using state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as the foundation for assisting the private sector while encouraging the growth of the capital market. It also endeavored to use foreign investment actively and efficiently, and maintain the legitimate rights of foreign-funded enterprises so as to achieve the main goal of ensuring overall social stability.

The state-run Beijing News cited Li Qilin, chief economist of Lianxun Securities, as saying that Chinese central authorities fear that the policies initiated by the CCP in July havent achieved their intended results. Li said that the U.S.China trade conflict has put great pressure on Chinas economy, which has been exacerbated by weak domestic demand. According to official statistics, Chinese GDP growth in the third quarter of 2018 was just 6.5 percent, falling short of the targeted 6.7 percent.

Since July, the government has increased investment in infrastructures to boost Chinas economy as well as balance ballooning local government debt, but with mediocre results. According to Li, mitigating debt-related risks should take priority for local authorities across China.

In September, Hu Xingdou, a Beijing economist, told Radio Free Asia that local governments in China owed about 40 trillion yuan ($5.78 trillion) in debts, or 47.2 percent of Chinas GDP in 2017, which was about $12.24 trillion.

Li Qilin said that Chinese authorities planned to carry out policies to stabilize the stock market, as both the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets have been slumping. On Oct. 18, both indexes reached their lowest point in nearly four years.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission, a state regulator, has begun introducing a series of policies to stimulate the declining market, including a relaxation of restrictions on listed companies to buy back their stock, allowing financing subsidiaries of banks to invest in the capital market, and other stimulus actions.

In a significant change of tone from previous conferences, the Politburo didnt mention deleveraging or the real estate market.

Chinese real estate performance this autumn has been disappointing. Many developers introduced large discounts to promote sales, leading to protests from home buyers who had paid full prices for homes and mortgages. Scrambling to follow CCP directives to maintain social stability, many real estate firms have moved to compensate recent buyers for their purchases.

More CCP economic decisions are expected to be made during the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee. The date for the meeting hasnt been confirmed.
The close family and friend networks among Latinos fade after assimilation, along with their protective benefits, say researchers. (Dario Valenzuela/Unsplash)

As US Suicide Rates Rise, Hispanics Show Relative Immunity

Support from family and community appear to shield Latinos from rising suicide rates, researchers say

The young man held the medication in his handand considered using it to end his life.

But then he put it down and said, No. I need help, and went to an emergency room in Laredo, Texas, said Kimberly Gallegos, who was a mobile crisis worker for a local mental health center.

Gallegos was helping evaluate whether the patient, a Latino in his early 30s, should be immediately hospitalized or could go home safely until seeing an outpatient doctor.

He returned to the home he shared with his mother and a sibling and told them what had happened. The family agreed to lock up the medicationwhich belonged to a family memberand watch out for any problematic behaviors and other warning signs of suicide, Gallegos recalled.

This mans experience illustrates a suicide paradox, experts say. Even though Latinos face economic disadvantages and other stresses in their lives, their suicide rate is about one-third that of non-Hispanic whites, both in Texas and nationally.

Experts attribute the relatively low suicide rate among Latinos to the cultures strong family and community support systems, which appear to provide some degree of protection.

It definitely did make me feel a lot more comfortable knowing that now that the family was aware of what he was going through and experiencing, that they would be a lot more vigilant with him, Gallegos said.

In Texas, the suicide rate among non-Hispanic whites has been steadily increasing during the past 16 years, from 13.4 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2000 to 19.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2016. Meanwhile, the rate has remained largely unchanged among Hispanics, with 6.7 suicides per 100,000 residents in 2016the same as the national rate.

Nationwide, suicides have increased nearly 30 percent since the turn of the century.

As a group, Latinos face obstacles that can affect their health and well-being: They earn less than non-Hispanic whites, and are more likely to lack health insurance coverage. In 2017, 16.1 percent of Hispanics were uninsured compared with 6.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites, hampering access to mental health care and other treatment. In addition, Latino immigrants contend with the challenges of moving to a new country, sometimes after leaving violence and other traumatic conditions at home.

But the practice of colectivismo, the building of a latticework of relationships through extended family, work colleagues and friends, is prevalent in the Latino community and can help provide an emotional safety net, said Luis Garcia. Garcia has developed suicide prevention programs for Latino youth in California.

Even activities such as regular church picnics or salsa dancing can help, said Garcia, vice president of cultural diversity at Arcadia, California-based Pacific Clinics.

Latinos or Hispanics have a preference to work in groups, Garcia said. Its something that, believe me, we practice on a daily basis.

Ties That BindAnd Fray

To be sure, Latinos are a multifaceted population from numerous countries who shouldnt be viewed through a single lens or set of assumptions, Garcia and other researchers stressed. And not all family or community relationships are necessarily healthy.

Still, when immigrant families assimilate and ties to the Latino culture fray, so do the protective effects, according to a study published in 2014 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Researchers, who analyzed suicidal thoughts and attempts, found that those inclinations increased as Latinos spent more years in the United States and started losing their fluency in Spanish and connections to Latino social networks and identity.

In addition, Latino youth appear more vulnerable to suicide attempts than white teens. In 2017, 8.2 percent of Hispanic high school students attempted suicide in the prior year compared with 6.1 percent of whites and 9.8 percent of blacks, according to federal data.

Still, the higher rate of teen suicide attempts has not resulted in a corresponding increase in suicide deaths among Latinos, for reasons that are unclear, said Luis Zayas, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the book Latinas Attempting Suicide: When Cultures, Families and Daughters Collide.

One possibility, Pacific Clinics Garcia said, is that the attempt is a teens cry for help and attention, and there may be an extended cultural support system to fall back on.

Sometimes, though, vulnerable individuals must be encouraged to lean on that support. Sarai, a 15-year-old Latina in Southern California who requested that her full name not be used, credits a mental health counselor at Pacific Clinics with helping her reach out to friends and family, rather than bottle up her feelings.

Sarais problems manifested when she began cutting herself. Her family did not notice because she wore long sleeves to cover the marks on her forearms.

I thought every time I did it, that it would let out some of the frustration and anger and sadness that I had, Sarai said.

One day, she found herself sitting on the kitchen floor, looking at the bleach in the sink cabinet and contemplating suicide. I was just looking at the bottle of bleach and thinking, This is it. Im just going to do it. But then I heard my moms footsteps, and it totally snapped me out.

Still, the experience scared Sarai enough that she told her family that she needed to talk to someone about her anxiety, and they sought professional help.

Sarais counselor persuaded her to share her feelings rather than to inflict pain on herself, the Latina teen said.

Over time, Sarai opened up to her older sister about her history of cutting, calling her up late one night when she was tempted to start again. We talked til probably 3 in the morning, Sarai recalled. The inclination to hurt herself completely went away, she said.

Cynthia Rodriguez, who has counseled Sarai for about a year and a half, said she encouraged the teen to not hide her emotional struggles and to take advantage of the support of close friends.

Sarai eventually told a few friends that she used to cut herself. They became like my little second family, she said.

Missing Data?

While family and community support might partially explain the suicide paradox, its likely not the only factor. It may also be that some Latino suicides are misclassified, in part due to the stigma associated with it, said Ian Rockett, a professor emeritus of epidemiology at West Virginia University School of Public Health, and a longtime researcher on suicide.

Federal suicide data, which is based on death records, relies on information compiled by local medical examiners or coroners, family, and others, Rockett said. It can be more difficult to sort out what happened with an opioid overdose or when a car careens into a tree, he said.

One clue is a note. One of Rocketts studies, published earlier this year, found that nearly 33 percent of non-Hispanic whites committing suicide left a note compared with 26.5 percent of Hispanics and 19.6 percent of non-Hispanic blacks.

Back in Laredo, Gallegos learned that the young man who had contemplated suicide believed suicide was against his familys religion and that he had brought shame upon his family even by harboring suicidal thoughts.

Once he realized his mother didnt hold such beliefs, his tense posture began to ease, said Gallegos, who now works as a quality management adviser for the Laredo-based mental health center.

He was a lot calmer, Gallegos said. He was grateful that his mom was there.
Campaign volunteer William Johnson puts out signs ahead of a campaign rally for U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) outside the John Knox Memorial Center at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Oct. 31, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Betos Campaign Staff Caught Appearing to Misuse Donor Funds

The campaign office of Texas Senate candidate Congressman Beto ORourke has been called out by undercover reporters with Project Veritas Action Fund for appearing to use campaign funds illegally.

Project Veritas Action released video footage late on Nov. 1 that was captured by their undercover journalist who had embedded themselves in ORourkes campaign for a seat in the Senate.

The video appears to show campaign staffers consciously misusing funds to pay for supplies to take to recently arrived illegal aliens from Honduras on the campaigns pre-paid credit card.

Dominic Chacon, a field manager who works for ORourkes campaign, was filmed saying, I think we can use that with those [campaign pre-paid] cards to buy some food, all that [expletive] can be totally masked like, oh we just wanted a healthy breakfast!

Chacon made this statement after receiving word that a few Hondurans that were accepted as asylum seekers from the migrant caravan had just arrived in the United States. Theyre dropping them [the Hondurans] off, like, really close to Missouri, Chacon said. They say its this Holy something church but its actually really close to here.

Im going to go get some good right now, like just some stuff to drop off, cause they need food and blankets.

Apparently, some of the kids are sick too, so they are trying to get some doctors and things to send, he said.

Chacon also revealed to the camera that he was aware he was breaking the FEC rules in misusing the campaign funds. He told the journalist, If you get caught in some sort of, like, you know, violation, thats like a $50,000 fine.

Thats why, like, with my own money, Ive been focusing on buying blankets, you know. Stuff that I feel like would be hard to pass.

Only because I know, like, the FEC regulations are that we have to spend the money to get votes and for the campaign.

Sometimes, if we have to go rogue, we have to do things under the carpet, its better to sit down and have those individual conversations like this is whats going to happen.

Make sure it doesnt get out this way, he said.

The discussions in the video suggested that knowledge of the misuse of funds went all the way up to ORourkes campaign manager, Jody Casey.

Field manager Andrea Reyes was caught on hidden cameras talking about the illegal use of funds, Well be fine. We already got approval from our field directors.

I told Jody and I told my director, she said.

Reyes said her field directors told her we can use them [pre-paid cards] on anything that boosts morale essentially and gets our job done. Im like, essentially well buy stuff except for alcohol or drugs.

Chacon said, They want us to be the ones to submit the receipts just to make it easier and then justify, like, what these costs were used for. As long as theyre netting votes.

When the journalist went with field organizer Anapaula Themann to deliver the food and supplies to the migrants, she was asked, Do you have any Beto stuff on you, like wearing it?

I just dont want them to know, Themann said. I dont think theyll associate right away. Its just, I dont want to make it seem like all of us are from there, so its like  I just hope nobody thats the wrong person finds out about this.

According to Project Veritas Actions attorney, the discussions captured in the footage could lead to criminal charges against ORourkes campaign staff for making a false statement to the federal government. Staffers could also be charged with violating FEC rules against personal use and misreporting which involve fines of up to $10,000 or 200 percent of the funds involved.

James OKeefe, founder of Project Veritas Action, commented in the video that charity and helping your fellow man are things we applaud at Project Veritas Action. The problem is, you cant break the law when you do it.

Most Expensive Campaign

The race for the Senate in Texas has been the most expensive in the country, with ORourke breaking the record for the most funds raised in a single-quarter, reported Roll Call.

According to the FEC, ORourkes campaign in 2018 has spent $60.3 million as of Oct. 17, according to records, while the campaign of Republican Ted Cruz has spent $34 million in the same period.

Records as reported on the Open Secrets website show that most of ORourkes donations came from individuals.

The Epoch Times has contacted ORourkes campaign office for comment.
Gillum Campaign Worker Arrested After Throwing Drink at Republican

A group of college Republicans was harassed by a self-described communist supporter who at one point threw her drink on one of the men at the table they were manning. The student was later arrested and charged with battery and identified as Shelby Shoup, a campaign worker for Andrew Gillum, who is running for governor of Florida.

Video footage captured the exchange on Oct. 30, in which the girl claimed that the Florida State University College Republicans were supporting Nazis.

You are supporting Nazis, do you understand that? she said.

Asked whether a hammer and sickle button she wore attached to her shirt meant was supporting communism, she replied, Yeah, I [expletive] am.

I am so sick and tired of being told that intolerance is concentrated of the right. Yes, of course there are republicans    Courtland Culver     



Shoup didnt respond when one of the Republicans noted that communism is responsible for more deaths than any other ideology, but she did throw her drink, which she said was chocolate milk, on one of the college Republicans.

You are normalizing and enabling Nazis, she claimed.

Courtland Culver, who was part of the group of Republicans being yelled at, said on Facebook: I am so sick and tired of being told that intolerance is concentrated of the right. Yes, of course, there are Republicans that are horrible people, just like there are horrible Democrats.

Florida State University said in a statement on Nov. 2 that the girl was identified, arrested, and charged with battery. FSU is a diverse community that values and respects each person. FSU expects each member of the community to embrace the values of civility and ethical conduct and obey the law, the university said.

The girl was identified by the Leon County Sheriffs Office as Shelby Shoup. According to her LinkedIn, shes a campaign intern for Gillum.

Her job description includes several activities: Conduct extensive donor research for Tallahassee, Florida, and national supporters; Advertise and staff official Andrew Gillum For Governor fundraisers, receptions, and public events; [and] Manage formal and informal Twitter Q&A sessions.

The Gillum campaign has not commented on the arrest; another Gillum campaign worker was fired this week for disparaging comments he made about white people and Florida voters.

No Links

The Republicans were asking people to get out and vote for Republicans in the midterm elections, including former Rep. Ron DeSantis, a Navy veteran who is running for governor, and Governor Rick Scott, who is challenging incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). President Donald Trump rallied for DeSantis and Scott on Oct. 31.

There are no links between the Florida Republicans and white nationalists, and the girl did not provide evidence for her claims, which sought to link Republicans to the recent shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

The alleged gunman there posted online that he dislikes President Donald Trump, accusing him of being controlled by the Jews, and interacted with another person on the social media website Gab who suggested they burn Make America Great Again hats. The alleged shooter said he did not vote for Trump. Contributing to anti-Trump views, the New York Times, among other news agencies, said without providing evidence that Trump caused the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre.

Trump has also condemned white nationalists and far-left activists, including the violent Antifa group, which has communist roots. Following the shooting, Trump said the shooter should get the death penalty. He also called for an end to political violence and asked people to come together.

We must all rise above the hate, move past our divisions, and embrace our common destiny as Americans, he said. And it doesnt mean that we cant fight hard and be strong, and say whats on our mind. But we have to always remember those elements; we have to remember the elements of love and dignity and respect.

From NTD.tv
(L-R) Astronauts Anne McClain, Oleg Kononenko, and David Saint-Jacques at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, on Aug. 17, 2018. (Melanie Marquis/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

David Saint-Jacques Scheduled to Launch Dec. 3 on Space Mission

MONTREALCanadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques is heading to spaceand a bit earlier than anticipated.

The Canadian Space Agency confirmed on Nov. 1 that Saint-Jacques, 48, will launch on Dec. 3 for a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

The fate of the Canadians voyage had been in question after a Soyuz rocket failure last month, but now he will blast off more than two weeks earlier than originally planned.

The agency said in a statement the re-scheduled launch date will allow for science work and time-critical operations aboard the space station to be maintained.

Saint-Jacques departure along with NASA astronaut Anne McClain and Oleg Kononenkoof of the Russian space agency Roscosmos was originally scheduled for Dec. 20.

But Russias space agency suspended manned space launches after the emergency landing.

Were getting ready for every option, [and] Ill be ready whatever happens, Saint-Jacques told The Canadian Press last week, as he prepared to return to Russia to complete his Soyuz training.

A Roscosmos investigation determined that a malfunctioning sensor caused a Soyuz rocket to fail shortly after it was launched in Kazakhstan on Oct. 11.

The problem occurred two minutes into the flight, sending the capsule holding NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Alexei Ovchinin of Roscosmos plummeting 50 kilometres to earth. Neither man was injured.

The agency successfully launched an unmanned Soyuz rocket last week, and said on Oct. 31 that it planned to launch two more before sending a crew to the space station.

Saint-Jacques has trained extensively for the past two years for the missionhis first since becoming an astronaut in May 2009.

The St-Lambert, Que. native has served as a part of the backup crew twice in the past five months, including for the aborted Soyuz mission in October.

He is trained in spacewalks and operating the robotics on the station and, as a trained medical doctor, will also keep an eye on the health of the crew.

Saint-Jacques and his crewmates are currently outside Moscow at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre preparing for their mission. At the space station, they will join NASA astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor, Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos.

NASA said there will be a short handover period before Aunon-Chancellor, Gerst, and Prokopyev depart on Dec. 20. Saint-Jacques, McClain, and Kononenkoof are due to return to Earth in June.
This photo illustration shows the shadow of a person and a 'tiger chair', a restraining chair reportedly used by Chinese authorities when questioning detainees, on a stage in Hong Kong on Nov. 2, 2018. An art show by Chinese political cartoonist Badiucao, whose real-time image was going to be projected onto an avatar sitting in the chair, was cancelled due to safety concerns with organizers citing "threats made by Chinese authorities relating to the artist." (Anthony Wallace/ AFP/Getty Images)

Dissident Cartoonist Cancels Hong Kong Show After China Threats

HONG KONGHong Kong organizers of an exhibition by a dissident Chinese-Australian cartoonist, a persistent thorn in the side of leaders in Beijing, canceled the event in the Chinese-ruled city on Nov. 2 given what they said were threats by China.

The exhibition by Badiucao was to have been his first international solo event. His work highlights themes including rights violations and abuse of power under Chinese Communist Party rule and he often satirizes Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

We are sorry to announce that the exhibition Gongle, by Chinese artist Badiucao, has been canceled out of safety concerns, wrote the organizers, Hong Kong Free Press, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, in a statement.

The decision follows threats made by the Chinese authorities relating to the artist. Whilst the organizers value freedom of expression, the safety of our partners remains a major concern.

The statement did not specify the threats. Chinas representative Liaison Office in Hong Kong could not be reached for comment.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a one country, two systems principle, with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy and freedoms, including freedom of expression, not enjoyed elsewhere in China.

But those freedoms have come under threat, pro-democracy activists say, with increased meddling by Beijing.

Badiucao was due to give a question and answer session at the opening alongside members of the Russian anti-Kremlin Pussy Riot punk band, as well as Hong Kongs young democracy leader Joshua Wong.

Badiucao, considered one of the most prominent Chinese political cartoonists, gave no immediate response when contacted by email.

Amnesty International, one of the co-organizers of the exhibition, expressed concern.

The threat Badiucao faces exemplifies how much overseas Chinese dissidents need to consider when they do their work, said Amnesty China researcher Patrick Poon.

Its particularly worrying that it happens here in Hong Kong as the space for freedom of expression is eroding further this year, Poon added.

Last month, Hong Kong authorities refused to renew a work visa for the Asia news editor of the Financial Times, soon after he hosted a talk by an independence activist at the citys Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC).

The incident might make other dissidents and artists rethink whether its safe for them to do their work in Hong Kong as they may also face similar situation in future, Poon added.

Tom Grundy, the editor of Hong Kong Free Press, declined to give specifics as to the nature of the threats.

As Hong Kongs government hews closer to Beijing, officials are taking a tough line on perceived national security threats, even deploying an elite police unit for political monitoring and surveillancea sharp escalation in rhetoric and action.

In just the last few months, the special administrative region has banned the Hong Kong National Party, which espouses separation from China, and barred some activists from standing in local elections.

The Education Bureau sent all secondary schools in the Special Administrative Region letters on Sept. 24 saying they must prohibit the penetration of the National Party or risk prosecution.

By James Pomfret
EU Suggests Post-Brexit Customs Backstop Could Offer Something for Everyone

BRUSSELSThe EU has suggested that a post-Brexit backstop customs arrangement covering all of the United Kingdom could give mainland Britain some scope to set trade rules while keeping the province of Northern Ireland aligned with the EU, European diplomats and officials said Nov. 2.

Since a deal that included keeping all the UK inside EU customs rules was rejected by Prime Minister Theresa May on Oct. 14, negotiators have worked to narrow differences.

The key idea would be that Great Britain and Northern Ireland would remain a single customs territory under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, linked in a customs union with Ireland and the rest of the EU, diplomats told Reuters. However, the mainland could, if it wished, apply somewhat different rules without breaking the WTO regulations on international trade.

The aim would be to satisfy Ireland, which insists that there must be no border infrastructure with the North after Brexit; the Northern Irish DUP party, which props up Mays government and insists it must not be treated differently from mainland Britain; and the Brexiteers in Mays party who say Britain must have the right to do its own trade deals after Brexit.

Northern Ireland would need to avoid diverging so far, in order to ensure that its land border was close to frictionless.

EU negotiators briefed national envoys in Brussels on Oct. 31 and are now waiting to hear back from London. EU diplomats said they doubted a deal could be completed in time for a tentatively scheduled summit on Nov. 17-18, but that it could perhaps come a week later.

That is the idea, said one senior EU diplomat briefed on the latest negotiations. Now we have to see if May buys it.

Two-Tier Customs Union

The latest customs union proposal is broadly similar to one that British negotiators took back to London three weeks ago.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier proposed then that a new customs arrangement would be set out in the legally binding withdrawal treaty itself, bending an EU red line under which he had previously insisted that the future EU-UK relationship on trade could only be outlined now, and negotiated after Brexit.

The EU originally proposed keeping Northern Ireland alone under EU customs rules and other economic regulations in order to avoid disrupting the peace in the province by setting up barriers on the Irish border, the only EU-UK land frontier.

This was to be a backstop insurance clause in the Brexit treaty, to be triggered if, by the end of a status-quo transition period, no better way had been agreed to keep the Irish border operating more or less as it does now.

May rejected that as creating new barriers between Northern Ireland and the British mainland. Brussels rejected her plan to let mainland Britain, too, enjoy special access to the EU marketbut the two sides have since come closer on a possible plan.

Brussels offered to let the whole UK stay in a customs union indefinitely, but this is unpopular with Brexit supporters, who want the freedom to set new trade terms with other countries.

By Gabriela Baczynska and Jan Strupczewski
Democratic Candidate for Florida Governor, Mayor Andrew Gillum with his mother Frances Gillum in Richmond Heights, Fla., on Nov. 1, 2018. (Michelle Eve Sandberg/AFP/Getty Images)

Gillum Campaign Cuts Ties With Aide Caught in Veritas Video Saying Candidate Fooling Voters

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has cut ties with a campaign aide and vendor who was caught on camera detailing why Gillum cant deliver on some of his campaign promises.

When questioned by an undercover reporter from Project Veritas Action about whether voters knew this, the aide, identified as Omar Smith, said, Thats not for them to know, and insisted that it be kept a secret. He also referred to Florida as an [expletive] up [expletive] state and a cracker state.

Gillums campaign responded by severing ties with Smith.

Other people associated with Gillums campaign and the Florida Democratic Party were also secretly recorded by reporters from Project Veritas Action (PVA). Those recorded said Gillum is avoiding discussion of some of his more aggressively leftist positions, so as to not alienate moderate voters.

College Buds

Gillum and Smith went to college together, Smith said. The two were making a lot of noise when they attended Florida A&M University, and Gillum was the Student Government Association president in 20012002. Both indeed attended the school at the time, according to Alumni.net records.

Both remained politically active after collegeGillum as Tallahassee commissioner and later mayor, and Smith as a campaigner.

Gillum announced his gubernatorial bid in March 2017. That month, Smith became the treasurer of a newly minted political action committee (PAC)A Better Florida for Allwhich has the stated goal of building a war chest to prepare for the gubernatorial election that will be held in 2018.

The PAC spent about $8,000 and was stripped of its registration on Oct. 25 for a failure to pay a small fine.

While PACs are forbidden to coordinate activities with candidates campaigns, PVA found Smith working at Gillums campaign office. The campaign stated he was a volunteer and vendor. Records show he was paid $4,500 in July by the Florida Democratic Party.

Not for Them to Know

Smith appeared to possess deep insight into Gillums campaign.

Gillum has promised Medicare for all, higher teacher salaries, and other spending increases. When asked by CNN who would pay for the Medicare plan, he said he will absolutely not raise taxes on everyday working Floridians, but would instead raise Floridas corporate income tax to 7.75 percent, from 5.5 percent.

So, Omar, youre saying that the corporate tax, hes counting on the corporate tax to fund all the programs he wants to fund? one PVA reporter asked Smith.

Correct, Smith replied.

What if that doesnt work out? What else would happen? How would he get the money? she asked.

He cant, Smith said.

So none of the programs that people are hoping for would happen? she asked.

Basically, Smith replied.

Do voters know that? she asked.

Thats not for them to know, he said.

When she asked if they should keep this a well-kept secret, he replied: Yes. Why wouldnt we?

A corporate tax of 7.75 percent would be the highest in the regiona likely no-go for the Florida legislature, where Republican majorities in both chambers push for attracting more businesses to the state.

Smith was aware of that, saying Gillums promises will never happen.

Were voting for him hoping that once he makes it, somebody else will pick up the fight to make sure that the proper legislators get in office when we vote again in August, he said.

Crazy Crazies

In another conversation, the reporter inquired about what progressive means.

Progressive is like the Tea Party of the Democrats, one unidentified campaign staffer is heard saying in the video.

Its the [equivalent of] far right, Smith explained. Medicare for all, borderline socialism.

He went on to say: Gillum is a progressive. Hes part of the crazy, crazy, crazies.

You have to appeal to white guilt, Smith said, seemingly in reference to how to convince voters to accept Gillums agenda.

Before PVA released the video, founder James OKeefe interviewed Smith, who said his comments were taken out of context, but didnt elaborate when asked what the context was.

I would ask that you please not publish the video, he said.

Multiple attempts to reach Smith for a comment went unanswered.

Gillums campaign responded to the PVA video by severing ties with Smith.

When I became aware of his comments, we gave instruction to immediately sever ties with him as a vendor, Gillum told NBC2. I find his comments deeply regretful.

Campaign Discrepancies

PVA also found similar discrepancies between what candidates say publicly and what they and their campaign staff say privately in North Dakota, Missouri, and Arizona. So far, the videos only featured Democrats.

Politicians commonly adjust their message for different audiences, emphasizing the points they think would resonate the most. What the latest PVA series shows, however, is that campaigns would intentionally try to avoid revealing certain policy positions to voters they feel may be alienated by what the candidates actually stand for.
Demonstrators shout slogans next to burning tyres during a protest against the killing of a leader of India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP), and his brother by unidentified gunmen in Kishtwar town, in Jammu, on Nov. 2, 2018. (Mukesh Gupta/Reuters)

Gunmen Kill a Leader of Indias Ruling Party in Disputed Kashmir

NEW DELHIUnidentified gunmen killed a leader of Indias ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir state late on Nov. 1, prompting authorities to impose a curfew in the area.

Anil Parihar, 53, state secretary of the BJP, and his brother, Ajit, were shot dead in the predominantly Muslim town of Kishtwar, while they headed home after shutting their shop, police said.

Police are investigating whether it was a militant attack or a criminal act, a senior police officer said.

Anil Parihar was an influential leader in the region. He was considered a moderate and had a sizeable support base, even among Muslims, media reported.

Indian Kashmir, its only Muslim-majority state, has been beset by a 29-year-old insurgency.

India accuses Pakistan for sheltering anti-India militants but Pakistan denies that. Pakistan, which like India, claims the whole of Kashmir, calls for talks to decide the regions future.

The BJP leader in the state had two bodyguards but they were not with him at the time of the attack, said Kishtwars senior police official, Rajinder Gupta.

Kashmir is under direct rule by the federal government, which gives the BJP a free hand to control it ahead of a general election that must be called early next year.

Federal home minister Rajnath Singh said he was shocked and pained by the killing of the brothers.

Police will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to justice, Singh said on Twitter.

Kashmir has been at the heart of decades of hostility between India and Pakistan, which have gone to war over it twice since independence from Britain in 1947.

By Fayaz Bukhari




Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will pay an official visit to China from Nov. 2 to 5 at the invitation of the top Chinese leadership. As his first visit to China, it is an opportunity to take a holistic view of the relationship and develop a workable plan to lift the cooperation to a new level.



The prime minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including the foreign minister and finance minister as well as representatives from the business community. It shows that the basic objective is to enhance commercial ties.

He will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang and also interact with leaders of China's financial and corporate sectors. Khan will also attend the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.

The relationship between China and Pakistan involves trust, immense goodwill, mutual respect and support for each other. The two sides characterize the ties with the encompassing phrase of the "all weather strategic cooperative partnership."

China is only the second country Prime Minister Khan will visit after making two successive trips to the "brotherly" country of Saudi Arabia. Already, high hopes have been expressed from the officials of the two countries about the outcome of his trip.

Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that during the visit the two sides will review the entire range of bilateral relations which have enjoyed a long history of mutual trust and support. The two countries will also sign several agreements and memoranda of understanding for cooperation in diverse fields.

Chinese foreign ministry's spokesperson Lu Kang said that Khan's visit would provide an opportunity for the leaders of the two countries to open a new chapter of development of bilateral relations under new circumstances.

Islamabad is also hoping to get some kind of financial assistance from China on the pattern of the support announced by Saudi Arabia to address its current economic hardships. Riyadh offered a package worth US$6 billion to ease pressure on the balance of payments and to provide oil on deferred payments.

Though, it is not clear yet how China can weigh in to support Pakistan's effort to wriggle out of its current problems, but it is surely in the interests of Beijing that its closest ally and friend finds much needed economic stability.

The two sides are already cooperating on the implementation of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)  a project of roads, rails, investment parks, power generation schemes and so on  that will link northwestern China with the Gwadar seaport, located on the mouth of the Arabia Sea on the coast of Balochistan province of Pakistan.

The corridor provides the shortest trade route for China to access the Middle East, Africa and Europe by sidestepping the traditional circuitous sea route which is getting complicated due to evolving global rivalries in the Pacific region.

The CPEC is the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is a brainchild of President Xi and was launched five years ago with the aim of creating a community of mutually connected people and cooperation in diverse areas to become part of a win-win development formula.

It is also important for the future of Pak-China economic and strategic ties and has wider regional dimensions because there are indications that the two countries may allow other nations to become part of the project. Thus, the bilateral corridor can become regional highway of peace.

In addition, the CPEC has great potential to change the contours of persisting regional rivalries and provide a plank to promote business and commercial linkages. Prime Minister Khan has announced that his government will expedite work on the CPEC and take it to the next level of development.

Generally, the relations between Pakistan and China have been smooth but reportedly China in the past had some concerns about terrorism. Lately, concern about the burden of Chinese debt on Pakistan is also making headlines.

Prime Minister Khan should use the visit to address such lingering concerns on a permanent basis. Creeping mutual suspicions do more damage to relations than frank expression of grievances.

Khan's visit is an opportunity to remove even a minor irritant to further add value to this historical relationship. The meetings and discussions between leaders should set a platform to break new grounds for the strategic partnership in the new era.

Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:





http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm





Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Eric Harris (L) watches as Dylan Klebold practices shooting a gun at a makeshift shooting range in Douglas County, Colo. on March 6, 1999. (Jefferson County Sheriff's Department via Getty Images)

High School Girls Suspended After Wearing Columbine Shooter Costumes for Halloween

Two high school students in Kentucky, both girls, were suspended after posing as the Columbine shooters for Halloween.

The students attend Adair County High School. Their outfits resembled the outfits that Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris wore when they killed 15 people including themselves at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999.

Posts from the girls social media accounts showed them reenacting moments from the shooting spree, including side-by-side images of the girls posing as the shooters and real photos of the shooters, reported WHAS-TV. One picture was accompanied by the caption Dylan and Eric 2018.

The girls were suspended for an unspecified length of time.

We take the situation very seriously and our personnel are continuing to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding this matter, Pamela Stephens, Adair County Schools Superintendent, said in a statement. The students are currently suspended.

Adair Co. Students Suspended After Dressing As Columbine Shootershttps://t.co/imzrWJBt5c  LEX 18 News (@LEX18News) November 1, 2018

Some parents said that they were outraged at what happened and thought the girls should have been expelled.

Its ridiculous, Amy Tarter, mother of another student at the school, said. I think any child that does that should be expelled and any parents who [support] their child [doing that] should have charges brought against them.

Tarter said the incident is emblematic of the schools in the county.

They dont take anything as seriously as they should, Tarter said. They just sweep it under the rug.

Even though its fakeits something that could happenand its very real, Erin Pineur, a county resident, told LEX 18.

The broadcaster said that the father of one of the girls who were suspended claimed the girls made a mistake but that the school blew the situation out of proportion. He said the girls have received death threats.

Two Kentucky students suspended after dressing as Columbine shooters https://t.co/G4p160vUBd pic.twitter.com/NfR8hYJE0F  WHAS11 News (@WHAS11) November 2, 2018

Mother of Shooter Speaks

Meanwhile, the mother of Dylan Klebold spoke out recently, saying she hated what he did but not him.

I never stopped loving him. The love was always the thing that remained. I hated what he did, but I never hated him, Sue Klebold said at a Dallas fundraiser for a mental health group, reported WFAA.

She told the broadcaster later that she definitely missed warning signs.

Dylan did have a change in behavior in his junior year of high school. Hed never been in trouble before, but he was suddenly in trouble with a cluster of things that he did, she said. He had a friendship that was very toxic, and I was not aware of the nature of that friendship.

She advised parents to talk less and listen more.

From NTD.tv
Illegal Immigrants Arrested After Coming Ashore at Imperial Beach in San Diego

Federal agents arrested eight people in San Diego, California, on Nov. 1 after a suspected smuggling boat came ashore at Imperial Beach.

The 19-foot craft landed south of the beach pier at around 7:55 a.m.

A lifeguard spotted the boat as it came ashore and witnessed a group of people exit the boat and head to a nearby street, U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Victor Pirro told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

There was also an alert from the Coast Guard/Harbor Joint Operation Team that monitors suspicious vessels, reported Fox 5.

#ImperialBeach boat grounding. Border Patrol and every other Fed here. pic.twitter.com/fw4XsnIXqx  Eric Syverson (@IBStewards) November 1, 2018

Border Patrol agents found the group of eight people a couple of blocks away, saying they smelled strongly of gasoline. The group included two suspected smugglers and were all Mexican nationals who entered the country illegally.

The boat was carrying seven 10-gallon fuel tanks and had exposed wiring and no life vests.

It was extremely dangerous, Pirro told the Union-Tribune. They all smelled of gasoline and they had exposed wires from the battery. It was very dangerous.

8 arrested after suspected smuggling boat comes ashore in Imperial Beach https://t.co/DB1dLfonZG pic.twitter.com/cIeFKeoHAw  San Diego Union-Tribune (@sdut) November 1, 2018

Smuggling in San Diego

The arrests came after Border Patrol and its partners busted two smuggling operations in San Diego in September.

Border Patrol agents arrested eight people who illegally landed near La Jolla on Sept. 25 after traveling there by panga boat. All of the people were Mexican nationals and two men, a 38-year-old and a 50-year-old, were identified as suspected smugglers.

The three women in the group claimed to be pregnant and complained of stomach pains so they were taken to a nearby hospital for observation.

Eight arrested after suspected smuggling boat is seized on shores of Imperial Beach. https://t.co/cmK5IiYiyk  #NBC7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) November 1, 2018

Earlier in September, agents and partners arrested 26 people off the Pacific Coast near San Diego that were associated with maritime smuggling, including one vessel that had 19 people on board, all of whom were determined to be Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States.

Maritime smuggling is an extremely dangerous human smuggling method. Transnational criminal organizations prioritize monetary gain over the wellbeing of those they attempt to smuggle. Smugglers often overcrowd small, open vessels, and in the cases where personal flotation devices are provided, these are often unsafe and insufficient, the Border Patrol stated.

Unpredictable sea and surf conditions, visibility, and weather are not important considerations to smugglers. Smugglers place an emphasis on profits over their victims safety by placing them in unpredictable and unsafe conditions, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Protection website stated.

From NTD.tv
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a joint news conference after their meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. (Kevin Lamarque/File Photo/Reuters)

Kremlin Says Putin, Trump to Hold Substantive Meeting at G20 in Argentina

MOSCOWRussian President Vladimir Putin and U.S President Donald Trump will meet for a long session on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina in a months time, a Kremlin aide said on Friday.

A separate meeting between the leaders on Nov. 11 during events in Paris to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One would be short, said the aide, Yuri Ushakov.

The two leaders have not met face-to-face since a bilateral summit in July in Helsinki.

Asked how long Moscow expected the meeting with Trump to last in Paris, Ushakov told reporters the meeting would be short but that a later meeting on the sidelines of the G20, taking place over Nov 30 and Dec 1, would be lengthy and substantive.

The White House had no immediate comment.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said this week following a trip to Moscow that the White House had formally invited Putin to Washington next year.

Speaking in ex-Soviet Georgia on Oct. 26, Bolton said that the Paris meeting would be brief and more of a base-touching exercise.

By Tom Balmforth
Migrants in Caravan Sue US Government Over Alleged Violation of Constitutional Rights

A dozen migrants that are part of the four migrant caravans now working their way toward the United States have filed a class-action lawsuit against President Donald Trump and others.

The migrants claim that the Trump administration has violated their due process, citing the Fifth Amendment.

The Fifth Amendment states that no person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. The lawsuit (pdf) states, Trumps professed and enacted policy towards thousands of caravanners seeking asylum in the United States is shockingly unconstitutional.

The migrants are being represented by attorneys with McFadden and Shoreman of Washington, Williams Oinonen of Atlanta, and Nexus Derechos Humanos Attorneys of Atlanta.

Tents and Asylum

Trump has announced plans this week to limit asylum and build more tent cities, along with sending up to 15,000 troops to the border.

On Nov. 1, he said that migrants who dont present themselves at legal ports of entry wont be released under the catch-and-release policy.

Those who choose to break our laws and enter illegally will no longer be able to use meritless claims to gain automatic admission into our country, he said, indicating hed sign an executive order to change the policy.

On Oct. 30, Trump said he will have more tent cities built at the southern border to hold migrants who cross into America, which would help solve space problems federal authorities have had due to the number of migrants.

The lawsuit alleges that the United States cannot send troops into Mexico to cut off the caravan, and when informed by migrants who want to apply for asylum, they must be allowed into America and granted a so-called credible fear hearing.

The lawsuit comes after the migrants rejected an asylum offer from Mexico, though organizers havent made the reasons for the rejections clear.

Catch-and-Release

Migrants attempting to enter the United States have been taking advantage of a lenient system to claim asylum then vanish after being processed, failing to show up to court for their hearings. The system is known as catch-and-release.

Up to 90 percent of those at the border who claim fear of returning to their home country pass the initial credible fear screening. Of those who show up at court, about 13 percent are granted asylum, according to fiscal year 2016 numbers, when more than 65,000 asylum applications were received. The courts are bogged down, with around 700,000 active cases.

Most of the migrants in the caravans are from Honduras. The number of asylum claims from Honduran nationals has skyrocketed over the last several years. However, the number granted asylum has hovered around 5 percent.

In fiscal year 2012, about 1,550 Hondurans applied for asylum and 73 were accepteda 4.7 percent rate. Another 197 were classified as other. In fiscal year 2016, almost 11,000 Hondurans applied and 620 were accepteda 5.7 ratewhile another 2,247 were classified as other.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in July that the criteria for asylum does not include people running from domestic abuse or local criminal activity.

From NTD.tv
New US Justice Department Initiative to Tackle Chinas Misconduct Goes Beyond Espionage

At a news conference on Nov. 1 where U.S. attorney general Jeff Sessions announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will be undertaking a new initiative to more aggressively pursue cases of Chinese espionage, the focus was on economic theft related to intellectual property.

After all, that was at the crux of the latest prosecuted case involving Chinese semiconductor firm, Fujian Jinhua, and Taiwanese firm UMC. The two companiesand several Taiwanese individualswere indicted on charges of attempting to steal technology related to manufacturing powerful DRAM computer chips from U.S. semiconductor firm Micron. Sessions had disclosed details of the case during the press conference, which occurred just days after the Commerce Department enacted an export ban against Fujian Jinhua forbidding it from buying U.S. components, software, and technologies.

But Sessions also touched on other broad issues concerning Chinese bad behavior: Chinese investments in the United States that can pose national security risks; Chinese influence on American campuses and threats to academic freedom; and Beijings attempts at influencing public opinion.

Indeed, Sessions noted that this wide-ranging initiative is because Chinas espionage goes beyond the traditional targets of defense and intelligence agencies, but against targets like research labs and universities, and we see Chinese propaganda disseminated on our campuses.

Recent federal cases that the DOJ prosecuted include Chinese scientists who worked at U.S. universities and companies, who stole research to bring back to China, as well as spies who work within Chinas intelligence agencies.

Sessions said the DOJ is currently prosecuting five other cases of theft or attempted theft to benefit the Chinese regime.

Five federal prosecutors, in the states of Massachusetts, Alabama, California, New York, and Texas, have been assigned to the task force.

In the area of Chinese investments, several acquisition deals involving U.S. high-tech firms have been blocked by U.S. authorities in the past year, on the grounds that Beijing would then be able to get their hands on key technologies that give U.S. industries a competitive edge.

Chief among them is the field of 5G technology, which will be critical to many cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and IoT (internet of things) devices. The DOJ initiative will look into whether China poses supply chain threats in this area, according to a separate document issued by the DOJ.

The DOJ will also assist in examining foreign investments under a new law that allows U.S. authorities tighter scrutiny over deals, as well as identify cases of Chinese companies attempting to bribe foreign government officials, the document said.

In the realm of education, the DOJ wants to tackle Beijings attempts to infiltrate U.S. campusesechoing a concern that Vice President Mike Pence mentioned in his speech on U.S.-China policy in early October at the Hudson Institute. Pence spoke about the presence of Chinese Students and Scholars Association groups, which comprise Chinese international students. They alert Chinese consulates and embassies when Chinese students, and American schools, stray from the Communist Party line, Pence had said.

Pence also noted the trend of China providing large funds to universities that promise not to touch on subjects the Chinese Communist Party finds taboo.

The DOJ initiative will also enforce the Foreign Agents Registration Act to find those who have not yet registered and seek to advance Chinas political agenda, according to the DOJ document.

In early October, amid U.S. President Donald Trumps voiced concerns about election meddling from China, media reports emerged that the DOJ ordered two Chinese state-run media outlets with U.S. operationsXinhua New Agency and China Global Television Networkto register as foreign agents.

About a week prior, China Daily, the English-language arm of Chinas mouthpiece Peoples Daily, ran a four-page advertorial in the Des Moines Register, with articles about how the trade war has forced Chinese importers to turn to South America instead of the United States for soybeans.

Iowa is a major soybean producer and one of the heartland states that voted for Trump in the presidential election.
COLUMBIA, MO - NOVEMBER 01: President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in support of U. S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley on November 1, 2018 in Columbia, Missouri. Hawley is in a tight race with incumbent Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

On Trumps Immigration Agenda, AP Runs Opinion as News

News Analysis

The headline of an Associated Press article published on Oct. 30 reads like an opinion piece from The Washington Post or The New York Times.

Trump targets citizenship, stokes pre-election migrant fears, reporters Catherine Lucey, Jill Colvin, and Colleen Long declare.

Besides being opinionated and misleading, the first half of the headline stokes fear by suggesting that President Donald Trump is targeting citizenship in general. Contrary to The Associated Presss insinuation, the president specifically proposed to limit birthright citizenship.

The second half of the headline is pure opinion, as even APs own reporting shows. In saying that the president is stoking pre-election migrant fears, AP not only assumes that politics motivate Trumps efforts but labels the presidents immigration agenda as an effort to instill fear in American citizens.

There is no problem with having that opinion. Labeling it as Top News, however, is misleading.

The thesis of the article is that Trumps recent rhetoric, promises, and actions on immigration are a fear mongering tactic designed to grab-up votes for Republicans in the midterm elections. The article includes no evidence to back up that thesis.

To substantiate their assertion, Lucey, Colvin, and Long would require confirmation from a source within the administration that what they allege is, in fact, happening.

The reporters did speak to administration officials who told them that decisions on Trumps immigration proposals are unlikely until after the midterm elections.

That response undermined the core claim made in the second paragraph of the story, in which AP suggests that Trump is rushing out hardline immigration declarations, promises, and actions as he tries to mobilize supporters to retain Republican control of Congress.

The administration officials response didnt fit APs narrative. AP placed the reporting under 33 paragraphs of copy.

At the top, the lead paragraph pitches an opinion as fact.

Thousands of U.S. troops to stop an invasion of migrants. Tent cities for asylum seekers. An end for the Constitutions guarantee of birthright citizenship, states the opening of the AP news report.

While the first two sentences are facts, the third is an opinion. There is no universal agreement that the Constitution guarantees birthright citizenship. Trump and White House lawyers dont believe there is a guarantee; former Democratic Sen. Harry Reid once said no sane country would grant birthright citizenship when he introduced a bill challenging the practice; current Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have worked on bills with a similar goal; and there are legal experts who agree with Trump.

With that in mind, to state as fact that the Constitution guarantees birthright citizenship misleads the reader by presenting the issue as settled. By omitting the substance of the ongoing debate, AP has ignored the views of the Trump administration, current and former lawmakers, and legal experts on the issue.

The reporters could have recovered from the omission by clarifying that the issue isnt settled in the second paragraph. They instead follow with the core of their story.

With his eyes squarely on next Tuesdays elections, President Donald Trump is rushing out hardline immigration declarations, promises, and actions as he tries to mobilize supporters to retain Republican control of Congress. His own campaign in 2016 concentrated on border fears, and thats his final-week focus in the midterm fight, the AP reports.

Contrary to the assertion, Trump has said that his immigration agenda has nothing to do with the midterms, as AP reports in its article.

The president has been regularly hammering on illegal immigration and border issues since taking office. He devoted extensive attention to the previous caravan, which arrived in late April, more than six months before the midterms election. These facts undermine APs narrative that Trump is using his immigration agenda to score votes for the GOP. AP did not include such facts in its article.

The article also labels Trumps efforts to secure the border as a campaign concentrated on border fears. American voters consider border security as one of the top issues facing the country. Trumps administration has been engaged in a wide-ranging effort to address the issue because the president was elected on a promise to fix the immigration system. To label the concerns of the voters as border fears whipped up by politicians is an opinion. Presenting it as fact is misleading.

In describing Trumps views on the birthright issue, the reporters cite four experts who support APs view, writing that most legal scholars say it would take a new constitutional amendment, rather than an executive order, for the president to limit birthright citizenship.

AP refers to most legal scholars but does not substantiate the claim. If the reporters conducted a survey of legal scholars or reviewed one, the readers should know. No official survey of scholars exists. Meanwhile, the admission that not all experts agree on the issues undermines APs earlier statement in the article, in which it presented the Constitution guaranteeing birthright citizenship as settled fact.

The factual issues from AP dont end with birthright citizenship. When AP returns to Trumps plan for tent cities for illegal aliens, the wire service states that the administration plans for prolonged detention of anyone coming across the U.S.-Mexico border, including those seeking asylum.

Contrary to APs claim, only aliens who cross the border illegally and claim asylum would be subject to prolonged detention. AP gets this fact right 18 paragraphs later. Readers who stopped reading before that point will have been misled.

The Associated Press did not respond to a request for comment.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the point of time a previous migrant caravan arrived near the U.S.Mexico border. That caravan arrived in late April this year. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Marie Youngblood was driving a Jeep in some ways similar to this one, which was used for rural mail delivery in North Carolina at around the same time period as Youngblood was murdered in Texas. (Christopher Ziemnowicz/Wikimedia Commons)

Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Killer of Mail Carrier

Justice Department lawyers at an Oct. 31 hearing rejected a plea offer from a man accused of killing and burning the body of a mail carrier.

James Wayne Ham is on trial in a Houston court for the 2013 killing of 52-year-old postal carrier Eddie Marie Youngblood.

Youngblood was working her rural route in Coldspring, Texas, about 60 miles north of Houston on May 17, 2013 when she was allegedly confronted by James Ham.

Youngblood was sitting in the Jeep Cherokee she used to deliver mail, talking on the phone with her youngest son, Postal News reported.

Ham fired a 30/30 rifle at Youngblood from close range, striking her several times in the chest, while Youngbloods youngest son listened to her pleading for her life.

According to Polk County Today, Youngbloods son hung up and called 911.

Ham then got into the Jeep and drove to a secluded area, where he ignited the vehicle, which still contained Youngbloods body. He also burned the clothes he was wearing, hoping to destroy any evidence.

San Jacinto County Firefighters followed the smoke plume and put out the fire, only to find Youngbloods body inside the car.

Ham became a suspect because he had complained about Youngblood not delivering his mail properly. For some reason, Ham thought that Youngblood was conspiring with his ex-wife to divert his mail to her, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Family Wants the Death Penalty

Ham has repeatedly offered to accept a guilty plea if the prosecution would give him a life sentence. However, the prosecution has repeatedly stressed that Ham has committed a capital offense and must be punished accordingly.

U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharad S. Khandelwal why the prosecution was so determined to seek the death penalty, especially since the trial had already taken so long and cost so much, and since Ham would be jailed for life if the prosecution accepted his plea.

Its not your money, its everybody elses money, the judge said, according to the Houston Chronicle. Either way hes incapacitated. Hell either be dead or in prison.

To the United States, this is not a question of money but of justice, Khandelwal said.

Khandelwal said that Ham had bragged about killing Youngblood while making calls from jail before his trial. He showed no signs of remorse.

Eddie Youngbloods surviving familyher husband, two sons, and daughter-in-lawattended the hearing. They all want Ham to face death.

Youngbloods sons, Mark Youngblood, 33, and his brother George Youngblood Jr., 36, are both postal carriers. Mark was on the phone with his mother at the time of the alleged murder.

It completely changed my life, he told the court, according to the Chronicle. I want justice.

A History of Depraved Violence

The government is apparently seeking the death penalty both to set a precedent for killing federal workers and because Ham had shown himself to be a violent, destructive man with no compassion for others.

United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson, speaking just days after the killing, said The safety of our workforce and, ultimately, the surrounding communities is of paramount concern to me and this office, Polk County Today reported.

The killing of a Postal Service worker in the course of his/her official duties is a crime that affects us all.

Anyone who is believed to have committed a crime against an employee of the United States will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

In court filings, the prosecution argued that Ham should receive the death penalty because of his record, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The prosecution pointed out that Ham had previously been prosecuted for raping a female relative and for sexually assaulting a woman he met in a bar.

Ham had threatened to kill his wife, the one with whom he believed Youngblood was colluding with to steal his mail. He had shot and killed his wifes goats, shot at a pair of dogs that belonged to another family, and stolen firearms.

The filing further noted that Ham had a propensity to set things on fire when he feels he has been wronged.

According to court records, Ham had set puppies on fire, started a blaze in a national forest, and torched a mobile home.

Hams defense lawyers said they would need two more years to prepare their case. The prosecution asked for a date in February 2019. Judge Hughes said he would consider both propositions and would probably decide on a trial date by the end of November.

From NTD.tv

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Shen Yun Performing Arts curtain call at the Teatro Verdi in Florence, Italy on April 19, 2018. Shen Yun has been the target of Beijing's attempts to persuade European theaters not to host the company. (Gabriele Bruno/The Epoch Times)

Representative to European Union Consulting Body Condemns Beijings Long Arm Over European Theaters

A member of the European Unions business consulting body condemned the Chinese regimes recent attempts to influence European theater venues.

In recent months and years, popular theater venues throughout Europe have received letters or personal visits from Chinese diplomats demanding that they not host a particular traditional Chinese performanceotherwise relations with China would be at stake, the message would often be.

The Chinese regimes target was Shen Yun, a performing arts company based in the United States and founded by Chinese artists in exile.

European media have routinely uncovered instances of Chinese consulates and their operatives around the world pressuring theaters not to lease their space to Shen Yun, or attempting to coerce Western government officials to not attend the performances or voice support for the company.

To have China interfere with our cultural life is not acceptable at all, said Henri Malosse, a French representative to the European Economic and Social Committee, a consulting body of the EU that deals with businesses, trade unions, and other economic interest groups. Malosse was president of the committee from 2013 to 2015.

Where is the freedom of expression, of culture in Europe? said Malosse in a recent interview with The Epoch Times sister broadcaster media, NTD. He lamented that European countries are increasingly submitting to the Chinese hegemonic attitude.

Why would China be attacking a cultural performance? According to Shen Yuns website, the company aims to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through music and dance. This is a feat impossible in mainland China, where the Communist Partys atheist ideology has destroyed elements of Chinese history and culture since it took power.

Some of Shen Yuns programs also deal with sensitive contemporary topics that Beijing deems taboo, such as Beijings ongoing persecution of the spiritual meditation group, Falun Gong.

Malosse likened Beijings attempts to censor Shen Yun in Europe to the time of Nazi Germany, when performances by Germans of Jewish origin were forbidden from being shown.

We cant accept this interference and refuse to let the Chinese government to continue this fascist, anti-democratic attitude, he said.

Malosse believed Chinas attempts to undermine Shen Yun are an extension of its aggressive behavior throughout the world, whether in trade or diplomacy, including Chinas use of financial clout, such as through the One Belt, One Road initiative, to pressure countries into siding with Beijings agenda.

The French representative said he had seen a performance of Shen Yun some years ago in Paris and thought highly of its rich  not fake, not superficial portrayal of traditional Chinese culture.

It is the best ambassador of real China, he said, going deep in traditions and the long, rich history of China.

Lixin Yang of NTD contributed to this report.
Robber Shoots, Kills Woman in Car in Front of 2 Children, Takes Off With Cash

A 21-year-old woman was shot and killed in front of her two nieces after a masked man got into her car on Chicagos Northwest Side on Oct. 31, police said.

Maria D. Coronel was in a parked car with her twin sister and two nieces, ages 1 and 2, going out trick-or-treating for Halloween.

According to Chicago police, at around 9:20 p.m. a masked man climbed into the backseat of the car and told them to drive away. The car had been parked in the 2200 block of North Long Avenue in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood.

According to Coronels family, the man had put a gun to Coronels back and said he would kill the children if she didnt give him moneyso she handed over the only $40 she had on her, ABC7 reported.

Then, the man asked Coronel her cell phone, but she refused. Thats when he shot her and ran away. Coronel was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the car had traveled a few blocks east when the killer took off on foot in the 2300-block of North Lawler.

Her family said Coronel would have gone to a job interview on Nov. 1, ABC7 reported.

According to The Chicago Tribune, Carlos Coronel, the victims father, said detectives had shown up at his door on Halloween letting him know his daughter was dead. On Nov. 1, instead of wishing his daughter well for her job interview, he went to the morgue to identify her body.

She was a kind person, Leticia Coronel, the victims sister told local reporters. She never do [sic] anything to anybody  lovely person.

The family of 21 y/o Maria Coronel who was shot and killed in front of her twin sister and her sisters two kids are devastated. They say the man who shot them took a life and 40 bucks. @WGNRadioNews @WGNNews pic.twitter.com/JnxnIYGbiM  Erik Runge (@WGNErik) November 1, 2018

Relatives have set up an online fundraiser to cover funeral expenses, according to The Chicago Tribune.

Community activist Andrew Holmes has since sent a message to the killer, ABC7 reported. To the perpetrator: you need to turn yourself in because I can guarantee you if your fingerprints are all over that car, save your mother and your father the headache and turn yourself in, because it will be a matter of time, especially if youre in the system already.

No suspects are in custody as of Nov. 2, as police review the evidence and continue the search for the killer.

From NTD.tv
Rubio Speaks on Trumps Interpretation of Birthright Citizenship

Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a top Republican Senator considered by some as a political moderate, said that the Supreme Court has never decided whether the 14th Amendment birthright citizenship applies to children of illegal immigrants.

Rubio also noted that President Donald Trumps planned executive order on changing birthright citizenship does not include children of citizens or legal residents.

Everybody should take a deep breath. Lets take a deep breath here for a minute. The 14th Amendment has been interpreted by the courts very clearly. If your parents are citizens or legal residents in the United States, if youre permanently in this country and youre born to people who are permanently in this country, theyre citizens, Rubio told reporters on Nov. 1.

The only thing the President has said is, for people that are in this country illegally or temporarilyhe has been told, he has interpretations of the 14th Amendment that say that that doesnt apply to them.

Never Been Decided

Echoing some experts, Rubio added, Thats never been decided by the court. So, I believe the [Supreme] Court should interpret that amendment according to its original intent by the people who wrote it. Thats what I believe courts should always do.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, spoke on the difference between legally changing how birthright citizenship is done and on whether or not its a good idea.

Separate from that is the question of whether or not thats a good idea. Thats a big change. I think we should take our time to understand what that change would mean and the unintended consequences and the like, he said, before hitting on the birth tourism issue.

This community knows as wellthere is such a thing as people who come into the U.S. simply for the purpose of citizenship. Theres an entire industry in Russia, as an example, that charges people, flies them into the U.S.Miami in particularthey have children and go back and live in Russia with a U.S. citizenship for their child, he said.

I dont think that any American looks at that and says thats a positive policy. Whether the 14th Amendment as currently written allows us to address that or not the courts will decide. But that is certainly something thats legitimate and that we should talk about.

Trump has not said when exactly he plans to sign the order but did say he expects the birthright citizenship issue to make its way to the Supreme Court. The justices will interpret directly how the 14th Amendment clause deals with the issue of children born to illegal immigrants.

From NTD.tv
 Flash





China is stepping up efforts to protect a vast mountain range in Northwest China.





On Monday, the management bureau of the Mount Qilian national park was unveiled in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province. The park, which covers an area of more than 50,000 square km, extends to northern Gansu, and includes the nature reserve of Mount Qilian, in addition to a series of other nearby national parks and wetland.





"The Chinese government will take strict protection measures and make related regulations to help with the construction of the national park," said Li Chunliang, with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.





The Qilian Mountains stand on the border of the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. The nature reserve was designated a national protected site in 1988, but hundreds of mines in the area and many construction projects took their toll on the environment.





An ecological restoration campaign was launched in October 2015 across the reserve, which covers close to 2 million hectares, with construction projects under close scrutiny and mines being decommissioned.





The Qilian Mountains are known as the "Mother Mountains" by the people of Gansu. The snow and glaciers of the range water of the Hexi Corridor are an important way for traders to transport their wares along the ancient Silk Road.





The corridor remains important to this day -- more than 5 million people who live along the Heihe, Shiyang and Shule rivers depend on the mountains for their water.





The mountains are known for their natural resources, hence the abundance of mines. Mining is often seen as a fast way to make money. Since the 1970s, the number of mines has mushroomed across the mountain ranges, particularly in the reserve.





"In the peak year of 1997, 824 mines opened in Gansu's Zhangye, of which 770 were in the nature reserve," according to a local resource development official, who declined to be named.





Decades of logging, mining, the building of factories and even tourism, have all had adverse effects on the reserve, including water loss, soil erosion and subsidence.





"If you walk deep into the reserve, you see breathtaking vistas, but you can also see the damage done by the mines," said Fang Yintian, former director of the standing committee of the local legislature. "These are the direct results of over exploitation."





Authorities have not been blind to the destruction caused by all this "development." In September 2015, the Ministry of Environmental Protection summoned the reserve managers for talks. It was as a result of this meeting that mines were ordered to close. Many locals were also relocated to help the grassland in the mountains recover.





In 2017, a government plan was passed to pilot the construction of a national park in the mountains.





"We have been working to restore the environment and the eco-system, and shut down illegal projects, and we have achieved significant results," said Wang Enguang, with Qinghai's provincial department of forestry.





"I have given up herding and opened a restaurant with the help of the government," said Ma Mingqi, who lives near the mountains. "I am glad that our homeland is getting better every day."




Saudi Sisters Found Dead in New York Preferred Suicide Over Returning to Saudi Arabia

The Saudi sisters who were found dead in New York City bound together with duct tape may have committed suicide after all, a top NYPD official said on Nov. 2.

In a press conference, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said that his detectives have developed sources who told them how much the girls didnt want to return to Saudi Arabia.

They would rather inflict harm on themselves, commit suicide, than return to Saudi Arabia, Shea said, describing statements the sources made.

It was previously reported that the girls left their family home in Virginia after suffering abuse. Another report indicated that the girls applied for asylum earlier this year. Those reports have not yet been corroborated by the NYPD, Shea said.

No Evidence of a Crime

A witness came forward on Oct. 31, to tell the police that he had a story that was haunting him.

The man, who frequently exercises at Riverside Park, where the girls were found, said he came upon them on the morning they were found dead.

He said that the girls were sitting in a playground at the park, sitting about 30 feet apart but appearing to be together. They were sitting with their heads in their hands, their heads lowered, and they were making noises loudly that he described as praying, Shea said, relaying the witnesss statement.

The playground is a very short distance from the Hudson River. Shea said the duct tape found around girls was not tight and binding, but only keeping them together, indicating they may have placed the duct tape themselves before they entered the water.

While no cause of death has been issued as of yet by the medical examiner, the NYPD believes at present that they may have entered the water alive. There is no credible information indicating that a crime took place, Shea said.

Left Home in November

Detectives said that the family of the girls last saw them on Nov. 30, 2017. The next month they were located by police officers and taken to a shelter-like facility in the Washington area due to some abuse allegations that came up.

About eight months later, in August, the girls went missing from the facility where they had been staying. The family said they were not in contact with them.

On Aug. 24, police officers said, the girls traveled to New York City, arriving on Sept. 1.

We have them staying at a number of high-end hotels in New York City during this time, Shea said. We also have them following a pattern of ordering meals, always two meals. Until as best we can surmise at this point in time  the credit card, the money started to run out.

Video footage showed the girls in good health until about a week before their bodies were found.

From NTD.tv
Tennessee Executes Edmund Zagorski, 63, in Electric Chair

A Tennessee man who was convicted of killing two people 34 years ago was put to death on Nov. 1, becoming the first death row inmate to be executed via the electric chair in the United States in five years.

Lets rock, said Edmund Zagorski, 63, when he was asked about what his last words are, CNN reported.

Zagorski had a grin on his face the entire time until a helmet and a sponge were both placed over his face; then, Zagorski grimaced, a reporter with The Tennessean said, as reported by CNN. Another reporter with WTVF said that Zagorski wore white prison trousers and a yellow shirt.

He was pronounced dead at 8:26 p.m. ET after his U.S. Supreme Court bid was denied.

He had eaten pickled pig knuckles and tails for his final meal, according to prison officials, NBC reported.

The Tennessean reported that he requested the electric chair on Monday after the Tennessee Supreme Court rejected using lethal injection drugs.

Zagorski told prison authorities that hed rather get the electric chair than lethal injection.

Between two unconstitutional choices I choose electrocution, he claimed, according to the paper. I do not want to be subjected to the torture of the current lethal injection method.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam issued a statement on using the electric chair.

I am granting to Edmund Zagorski a reprieve of 10 days from execution of the sentence of death imposed upon by him by a jury in 1984 which was scheduled to be carried out later today. I take seriously the responsibility imposed upon the Tennessee Department of Correction and me by law, and given the federal courts decision to honor Zagorskis last-minute decision to choose electrocution as the method of execution, this brief reprieve will give all involved the time necessary to carry out the sentence in an orderly and careful manner, he stated on Oct. 11.

The last time Tennessee executed an inmate via the electric chair was in 2007 when the state put 45-year-old Daryl Keith Holton for killing his four children, noted NBC.

Fentanyl Execution

In the realm of unusual executions, Nebraska recently carried out its first execution since 1997, putting Carey Dean Moore (as seen in the top video) to death for the slayings of two taxi cab drivers. The case is notable because Nebraska became the first state to use fentanyl, an opioid that has been blamed for the overdose deaths of thousands of Americans each year.

Moore was convicted in 1979 for killing Reuel Van Ness and Maynard Helgeland in Omaha.

It prompted two pharmaceutical to file a lawsuit against the state of Nebraska before dropping the suit, Omaha.com reported. Both firms, Fresenius Kabi and Sandoz, made a late attempt to try and block the state from carrying out Moores execution, saying they would suffer financial harm if their fentanyl products were linked to a lethal injection.

Moore, 60, spent 38 years on death row before the execution was carried out.
Tennessee Mans Last Words in Electric Chair: Lets Rock

NASHVILLE, Tenn.A Tennessee inmates final words were lets rock moments before he became the first man executed in the electric chair in that state since 2007, put to death Nov. 1 for shooting two men and slitting their throats during a drug deal decades ago.

Edmund Zagorski, 63, was pronounced dead at 7:26 p.m. Nov. 1 at a Nashville maximum-security prison, officials said.

Asked if he had any last words in the death chamber, the inmate said, Lets rock shortly before the execution was carried out.

A reporter who witnessed the scene said at a post-execution news briefing that Zagorski occasionally smiled while strapped down, just before a sponge was placed on his head and then his face was shrouded. The witnesses said the inmates fists then clenched when the electricity was applied and his body appeared to rise. He did not move once the procedure was over.

The reporter said Zagorskis attorney was nodding, smiling and tapping her heart just before the execution got underway. When asked about her actions, Kelly Henry, said afterward: I told him when I put my hand over my heart, that was me holding him in my heart.

She said Zagorski told her the last thing he wanted to see was her smiling face, and so she made an effort to smile at him before the shroud was put over his face.

In opting for the electric chair over a lethal injection as Tennessee allowed him, Zagorski had argued it would be a quicker and less painful way to die. He became only the second person to die in the electric chair in Tennessee since 1960. Nationwide, only 14 other people have been put to death in the electric chair since 2000, including a Virginia inmate in 2013.

The execution was carried out shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 1 evening denied the inmates request for a stay. Zagorskis attorneys had argued it was unconstitutional to force him to choose between the electric chair and lethal injection.

The state came close to administering an injection to Zagorski three weeks ago, a plan halted by Tennessees governor when Zagorski exercised his right to request the electric chair.

The Supreme Courts statement said Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the dissenting voice on Nov. 1, noting Zagorskis difficult decision to opt for the electric chair. In Tennessee, condemned inmates whose crimes occurred before 1999 can choose the electric chair  one of a handful of states that allow such a choice.

He did so not because he thought that it was a humane way to die, but because he thought that the three-drug cocktail that Tennessee had planned to use was even worse, Sotomayor said in the statement. Given what most people think of the electric chair, its hard to imagine a more striking testament  from a person with more at stake  to the legitimate fears raised by the lethal-injection drugs that Tennessee uses.

Zagorski was convicted of a April 1983 double slaying. Prosecutors said Zagorski shot John Dotson and Jimmy Porter and then slit their throats after robbing the two men after they came to him to buy marijuana.

The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on whether use of the electric chair violates the 8th Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment, but it came close about 20 years ago after a series of botched electrocutions in Florida. During two executions in the 1990s smoke and flames shot from the condemned inmates heads. In 1999, blood spilled from under an inmates mask. Shortly afterward, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to the electric chair. But the case was dropped when Florida made lethal injection its primary execution method.

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam declined to intervene in Zagorskis case despite receiving pleas from former jurors who convicted the inmate, correctional officers and Zagorskis priest.

At the time of Zagorskis conviction, Tennessee juries were not given the option of considering life without parole. Every state now requires juries to weigh that option in death penalty cases.

Tennessees electric chair was inspected on Oct. 10 and found to meet the criteria for an execution, state documents show.

The device was originally rebuilt in the late 1980s by a self-taught execution expert who had publicly worried the device would malfunction on Nov. 1. Its only been used to execute one person before: Daryl Holton, in 2007.

Before Holton, the last person to die in Tennessees electric chair was William Tines in 1960.

Zagorski had been on death row 34 years, the second-longest in Tennessee.

Protesters held vigils on Nov. 1 in Knoxville and Memphis, and outside the Nashville maximum-security prison where Zagorski was executed Nov. 1. There some raised a banner with the words: A Free Tennessee is Execution-Free.

By Kimberlee Kruesi
Tribal Leader Barred From Supreme Court Due to Traditional Headdress

A Native American chief was denied entry into the U.S. Supreme Court building because he refused to remove his traditional feathered headdress.

Yakama Nation Tribal Council Chairman JoDe Goudy went to the Supreme Court on Oct. 30 to hear arguments in a case involving his tribe.

The chairman showed up in a traditional Native American tribal leaders outfit, including buckskin jacket and pants, moccasins, and a large feathered headdress.

Court security guards informed the chairman that he was not allowed to enter, because his headdress would block the view of other visitors.

They also said the headdress might constitute external influence on the justices by drawing attention to himself, similar to holding up a sign supporting the tribes case.

In a video posted online, one of the guards told Goudy, The main overall thing is we do not want to draw attention to a particular case or to a particular litigant in the case so the court is not influenced by that.

   JoDe Goudy     

The guards told Goudy he would be welcome to enter if he removed the headdress.

The chairman refused to take off the headdress, and was thus denied entry.

Chairman Goudy left the building without protest and prayed for his tribes case outside the building.

Yakama Nation treaty case is on trial at the Supreme Court today. I cannot wear my traditional regalia before the Supreme Court for the reasons that were stated, but I refuse to take off my traditional regalia, Goudy said in a statement, the Yakima Herald reported.

The Tribal Tax Dispute

The case that Chairman JoDe Goudy hoped to observe involves a store on the Yakama reservation called the Cougar Den, owned by Yakama tribal citizen Kip Ramsey, according to ScotusBlog.

Ramsey imports gasoline from a depot in Oregon, 27 miles from the reservation, for sale at the Cougar Den. Ramsey has never paid fuel tax because of an 1855 treaty between the United States and the Yakama tribe which allows the tribe the right, in common with citizens of the United States, to travel upon all public highways, implicitly for the purpose of trade.

States do not have the authority to tax Native Americans while they are on the reservation. Therefore, the Cougar Den was able to sell imported (out-of-state) gasoline while paying no state taxes.

In 2006, the state of Washington rewrote its fuel tax laws so that importers were charged a per-gallon fee when the fuel was brought into the state. The state argued that the tax was levied on the value of the gasoline and not on the use of the highways, and thus evaded the 1855 treaty.

Based on the new regulations, in 2013, the Washington Department of Licensing sued Cougar Den for millions of dollars in unpaid taxes.

However, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that Cougar Den did not have to pay the tax since it conflicted with the Yakamas right to travel treaty with the United States. The states Department of Licensing then petitioned the United States Supreme Court to review the case.

Courts have often ruled in favor of the Yakama Native American tribe on state taxes and fees, such as logging truck licenses and overweight vehicle fees.

However, the State of Washington argues that its the imported fuel itself thats being taxed, and the use of the highway system is not the trigger for the tax in this case. In addition, the tax is levied on the Native Americans only when they are outside of the reservation.

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the tribe, Washington State could possibly rewrite its fuel tax laws again to ensure that the tax is clearly levied on the purchase and possession of the product, and not on the transportwhich might lead to another court battle.

From NTD.tv

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Trump Says Americans to Decide Between Jobs and Crime in Mid-Terms

'We believe in the process'

President Donald Trump visited voters in Missouri in the evening on Thursday, Nov. 1, to support Republican Josh Hawley in the race to secure a Republican majority in the Senate during the mid-term elections.

The choice in this election could not be more clear, Trump told an electrified crowd who lined up for hours at the Columbia Regional Airport to see the president of the United States.

The Republican agenda is the mainstream agenda of the American people. Its how we all got herethe greatest movement in the history of politics in our country, Trump said at the start of his campaign speech. Its about you, not about me.

The Democrat agenda is the agenda of the extreme far left, Trump added.

The president reminded his supporters of his view of what the Republican Party stands for: Republicans are the party of all Americans. We welcome citizens from all walks of life and we embrace freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom of everything else.

He commented on the current state of the Democrat Party, under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi.

The Democrats are the party of rigid ideology and total conformity. They demand absolute agreement and they dismiss, demean, and demonize anyone who questions their radical ideas, he said.

Trump deplored how in the last year, Republican politicians have been unable to go about their normal business because of the demonizing political culture that has been stirred up in the country. Did you ever see anything like whats going on? You cant have dinner, he said.

Lets stay being nice, he told his crowd of supporters, continuing on a theme of condemning political threats and violence, as he had done earlier in the week in response to the mail bomb scares directed at high-level Democratic politicians and the deadly mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Well stay being nice because were tough as hell, were going to stay nice, Trump said to a thundering applause.

Were much tougher, were much smarter, were much more sane, Trump said. We believe in the process.

We dont run around like Antifa with the little arms and then go home back home into Mommys basement and put on the black uniform and the black helmet, he joked, taking aim at the far-left extremist group that has been responsible for political violence across the country.

Bypassing Media to Reach Americans

Trump also said that the Democrats have been feeding their leftist lies to the angry far-left media. He said because of their partnership, he agreed with Ed Rollins who said, Never before has a president had to withstand the level of partisan assault from the media that President Trump has had to withstand.

Nobody ever had to take this, Trump said, lamenting that despite the amount his administration has achieved after almost two years in office, the mainstream media just attacks him.

Theyre attacking me really because Im fighting for you, he said. We really have to bypass the mediabecause its so one-sided and unfairin order to get straight to the American people.

So thats what were doing and it seems to work out pretty well because here we are, he told the crowd.

Its not all of them, the president explained, referring to his frequent remarks about fake news media.

Look. Some of the finest people I know  I know journalists, reporters, others are fine people, but some are not honest. We just have to go around, and we have gone around them like nobody in history has gone around them, he said.

In response to media this week saying Trump should have gone faster on the denuclearization of North Korea, Well theyre doing that  with North Korea, he said. You know, President Obama knows, they [North Korea] were ready to go to war, and now were getting along, no rockets, no nothing.

He joked that North Korea has been doing this for 75 years, saying hes proud of what his administration has been able to achieve in just over a year in office.

Optimistic About Trade with China

Trump told the crowd that after speaking to Chinese leader Xi Jinping earlier in the day, he was also feeling optimistic about the future because he felt that China was ready to make a fair deal on trade. He [Xi] wants to do it, they all want to do it, Trump said. Were going to make lots of great things happen over the next short period of time.

He added that cooperation with Xi on North Korea was now going well as the border was holding. Theyve been honorable and theyre doing what they said they were going to do.

The president also said that his relationship with Kim Jong Un was also still going strong and that North Korea is getting to a point where they want to do something about the threat of nuclear war. Were not gonna have to worry about millions of lives being lost and nuclear weapons going up all over the place and flying over Japan and everybody else, Trump said.

They dont mind having the experts come over and check the [nuclear] sites, Trump told the crowd. Were doing well. We havent taken sanctions off, and hopefully, well be able to when were down the road.

We want to take the sanctions off, he added. We want North Korea to be very successful.

Jobs or Crime

The president called on all Americans to consider what the current Republicans and Democrats stand for in casting their vote.

A republican congress means more jobs and less crime. A Democrat congress means more crime and less jobs, he said.

Republicans believe in lower taxes, less regulation, and more energy. We just became number one in the world in energy production. Its amazing what you can do with cutting regulations that are unnecessary, he said.

He clarified that by cutting regulations, he didnt mean he was cutting back environmental protection. Some regulations, by the way, are very necessary. I want the cleanest water on the planet, we want the cleanest air on the planet, and weve got it, but we want to keep it just that way. Better now than ever before.

Democrats want much higher taxes. They want many more regulations and they want to shut down American energy, he said, which would be a death sentence for the manufacturing and defense industries.

He also said that the Democrats are doing everything in their power to stop the building of the wall at the border with Mexico. With the current crisis of multiple approaching caravans of thousands of people angling to get into the country, now, its more obvious than ever, Trump said.

We want people to come into our country, but through merit, he said about his policy. We need people, but we need people who can do the job.

Its got to be based on merit. No more lotteries, he said. You know when countries do lotteries, do you really believe theyre giving us their finest? And then we have problems and they dont understand it.

Republicans want judges who will interpret our Constitution as written, they dont want to make them up. Democrats want judges who will rewrite the Constitution, who will impose their own radical views, he said.

This election is a choice between Republican results and radical resistance. Its a choice between greatness and gridlock, its a choice between jobs and mobs and its a choice between an economy that is going strong and the Democrats, who are going crazy.

We will lift millions of our citizens from welfare to work, dependence to independence, and poverty to prosperity.

For years you watched as your leaders apologized for America. Now, you have a leader who is standing up for America proudly.

For every voter across this land, whether you are registered as a Democrat, or Republican or Independent, we are asking for your support so that we can protect your family, your prosperity and we can protect your great country.

The president said he will return to the state before Election Day to rally voters in Cape Girardeau on Monday, Nov. 5.

From NTD.tv
Sara Thornton, Chief Constable of Britain's Thames Valley police, arrives at Portcullis House in London on July 12, 2011. (Max Nash/AFP/Getty Images)

UK Police Chiefs Reject Misogyny Hate Crime Proposals

LONDONThe use of Britains so-called hate crime laws has been eyed with suspicion by champions of free speech for some time. When the government announced in September that it was considering adding misogyny to the list of hate crimes, and as some police forces piloted recording non-crime hate incidents, watchdogs labeled it a step too far toward policing of thought. Rank-and-file police officers also objected.

Now, the nations top police chiefs are also pushing back, arguing there are simply more important things to focus on, such as growing knife crime, record homicide levels, and the fact that only 1 in every 20 burglaries is solved.

In a speech on Oct. 31, Sara Thornton, chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, said that misogyny should not be added to what many police officers feel is an ever-growing list of hate crimes.

She said that while it was a concern for some well-organized campaigning organizations, it should not be a matter for police.

Police recorded crime has risen 9 percent, she said. Homicide has hit the highest point for more than 10 years. Theres been a 12 percent rise in knife crime. Robbery has gone up 22 percent and vehicle theft 7 percent.

I want us to solve more burglaries and bear down on violence before we make more records of incidents that are not crimes.

Thoughts Should Not Be Criminal

Last summer police chiefs were asked to start recording hate incidents, including misogyny, when no crime had been committed. Some refused.

Other top-ranking police officers rallied behind Thorntons remarks, including the head of Londons Met Police, the most senior police officer in the country.

The Home Office in September asked the Law Commission to review hate crime laws and to consider adding women to the list of legally protected characteristics such as race, sexuality, and religion.

Index on Censorship said making misogyny a hate crime would do little to protect women from abuse and violence.

Laws that criminalize speech are deeply problematic, they said a statement. In a free society, thoughts should not be criminal no matter how hateful they are. Yet laws that make hate criminalin a well-meaning but misplaced effort to protect minorities and persecuted groupsare on the rise.

In addition to reporting hate crime, please report non-crime hate incidents, which can include things like offensive or insulting comments, online, in person or in writing. Hate will not be tolerated in South Yorkshire. Report it and put a stop to it #HateHurtsSY pic.twitter.com/p2xf6OLoQZ  SouthYorkshirePolice (@syptweet) September 9, 2018

Later reports suggested the Law Commission was also considering including hate crimes against the elderly and against men.

Writing in the Telegraph, Sergeant Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, said: Are we really going to be required to routinely record, and potentially act on, incidents like a builders wolf whistle or an insensitive comment towards an elderly driver?

I do not believe for one second that this is what the public, outside of the politically correct court of Twitter, expects or wants us to do.

Discriminating Against Odd-Number Houses

The South Yorkshire Police was mocked on social media in September when it tweeted, In addition to reporting hate crime, please report non-crime hate incidents, which can include things like offensive or insulting comments, online, in person or in writing.

South Yorkshire had the highest rise in violent crime of any region in the country last year, up by 62 percent.

The national charge rate for violent crimes dropped from 26 percent to 15 percent in the last three years. The charge rate for burglaries dropped from 9 percent to 4 percent.

In 2015, one police force investigated only robberies at even-number houses in a pilot scheme aimed at saving money.

Britain does not have a single specific hate crime law, but restrictions are found in various statutes from the past 20 to 30 years.

The interpretation of these laws is evolving.

Last month, a Christian baker in Belfast previously found guilty of discrimination for refusing to bake a cake with the words Support Gay Marriage had his conviction overturned by the Supreme Court.
A woman looks through a magnifier to see a 2GB RAM from a notebook during the semi-tech show in Taipei, on May 10, 2007. (Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images)

US Ban Hits Chinese Chipmaker Fujian Jinhua, Beijings Fledgling Tech Sector Hard

The United States recent decision to ban the export of U.S. tech components, software, and goods to Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit, a Chinese semiconductor manufacturer, has sent ripples through the industry.

One of the immediate concerns is whether the ban will affect the global supply and price of DRAM circuits, a type of semiconductor chip thats used to power virtually all computers and electronic devices.

Fujian Jinhua was months away from mass-manufacturing its own DRAM chips, Chinese media reported. The industry anticipated that such a development would immediately affect global DRAM chip prices.

But the U.S. Department of Commerce put a stop to those plans with its announcement of an export ban on Oct. 29, arguing that Fujian Jinhua poses a significant risk of becoming involved in activities that are contrary to the national interests of the United States. The Chinese firmalong with much of Chinas semiconductor industryrelies on foreign components to manufacture its products.

On Nov. 1, U.S. authorities followed up with an announcement from the Department of Justice that Fujian Jinhua, UMC, and three Taiwan individuals had been indicted in federal court on charges of conspiring to steal trade secrets from Micron, related to the development of DRAM chips.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions unveiled the indictment at a news conference on Nov. 1, where he also announced that the department is launching a new initiative to pursue cases of Chinese economic espionage more aggressively, highlighting the importance of DRAM technology.

Park Yu-ak, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities, a South Korean financial-services provider, said the ban likely wont have a substantial impact on the global DRAM industry and prices, according to a Nov. 1 online article published by South Korean magazine Smart PC Love.

Thats because Fujian Jinhua isnt currently producing DRAM chips, so the ban likely will only make the designing, testing, and manufacturing phases more difficult, Park said.

Chinese semiconductor firms make up a minuscule portion of the worlds DRAM market share. South Korea has the worlds top two DRAM makers, Samsung and SK Hynix, with the former having a market share of 44.9 percent in the first quarter of this year, with the latter at 22.9 percent, according to research firm Trendfore. U.S. memory chip maker Micron, at 22.6 percent, is No. 3.

Three Taiwanese companies, Nanya, Winbond, and Powerchip, came in at fourth (2.8 percent), fifth (0.8 percent), and sixth place (0.5 percent), respectively. Other companies around the world make up the remaining 0.6 percent of market share.

DRAM prices, which peaked in the third quarter last year, have since been on the decline. But prices will likely surge next year, if the global demand for mobile phones, computers, and servers increases, according to Smart PC Love.

Chinas DRAM Ambition

The export ban on Fujian Jinhua has only shed light on how far behind Chinas semiconductor industry remains.

China, even as the worlds largest consumer of semiconductors, continues to lag in developing domestic semiconductor technology, when compared to traditional semiconductor powerhouses in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. Thus, China relies heavily on imports to meet domestic demand.

Trade organization China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) estimated that domestic-made chips accounted for less than 20 percent of Chinas demand in 2017. That year, China imported integrated circuits worth about $260 billion, according to CSIA data. That is more than the value of crude oil imported by China.

So China has pushed aggressively to become self-sufficient in producing domestic semiconductorspart of its industrial plan to transform the country into a tech manufacturing powerhouse, named Made in China 2025. Under the plan, Beijing wants domestic chips used in smartphones to make up 40 percent of the local market by 2025, according to Reuters.

Fujian Jinhua was a key part of the countrys ambitions. According to a July 2016 report by Chinas state-run media Xinhua, the company was specifically listed as a key participant to building up Chinas IC sector under Beijings 13th Five Year Plan (20162020).

The firm was established in February 2016 with state-backed fundingfrom state-run company Fujian Electronics and Information Group, and the municipal governments of Quanzhou and Jinjiang, both located in Fujian Province.

And as part of its plans, Fujian Jinhua had invested 37 billion yuan (about $5.3 billion) for the first phase of construction for a DRAM factorywhich broke ground in July 2017. The company received an additional 3 billion yuan (about $431 million) from a state-backed fund, according to Xinhua.

With enough funding but still lacking semiconductor technology and experts, Fujian Jinhua turned to Taiwanese semiconductor contract manufacturer UMC to supply it with memory-related technologies, under a cooperation agreement signed in 2016. In return, Fujian Jinhua was to provide UMC with DRAM-related equipment and a service fee.

The cooperation resulted in UMCs deputy general manager, Stephen Chen, temporarily taking over the president position at Fujian Jinhua. Notably, Chen was a former president for one of the Microns factories in Taiwan before joining UMC.

In December 2017, Taiwanese prosecutors charged Chen and another former Micron executive with theft of trade secrets, alleging that they tried to recruit Micron engineers to join UMC.

Since then, Fujian Jinhua and Micron have been at loggerheads. First, Micron filed a civil lawsuit in California, accusing UMC and Fujian Jinhua of stealing its trade secrets. A month later, UMC filed a countersuit, alleging patent infringement, against Micron at Chinas Fuzhou City Intermediate Peoples Court in Fujian Province.

In June, the Chinese court ruled in favor of UMC, banning the U.S. chipmaker from selling 26 chip products in China, according to Reuters.

The Justice Department announcement on Nov. 1 revealed that a U.S. federal grand jury had weighed in on the debacle, indicting UMC, Fujian Jinhua, Chen, and two other former Micron employees whom Chen allegedly recruited.

The indictment mirrors allegations in the Micron lawsuit, claiming that Fujian Jinhua stole DRAM technology from Micron through the cooperation agreement with UMC, which stipulated that UMC provide Fujian Jinhua with DRAM technology so the latter could mass-manufacture the DRAM chips.

The scheme worked thusly: Chen recruited employees at the Micron factory he previously headed so that they could take Micron files with them before working for UMC, according to the Justice Department press release.

The department also filed a civil lawsuit to prohibit UMC and Fujian Jinhua from exporting to the United States any products that were made using the allegedly stolen trade secrets.

The two companies face a maximum fine of $20 billion, while the individuals face up to 25 years imprisonment and a $5 million fine.

The Future for Fujian Jinhua

The ban on Fujian Jinhua is similar to a prior U.S. ban against Chinese telecoms firm, ZTE, in April.

ZTE was blocked from buying from U.S. suppliers, after the Commerce Department said the Chinese firm had failed to comply with stipulations, because of violations of U.S. sanctions placed on Iran and North Korea. The ban on ZTE, which almost put the company out of business. was eventually lifted in July after the firm agreed to pay a settlement fee of $1 billion.

ZTE is still struggling financially. According to Chinese financial website JRJ.com, ZTE suffered a loss of 7.26 billion yuan (about $1.05 billion) for the first three quarters this year. The company will likely suffer a financial loss of 6.2 billion yuan (about $893 million) for the total of 2018.

Industry experts are speculating that Fujian Jinhua might end up in similar financial straits.

Fujian Jinhua will probably be unable to fabricate semiconductors without American-made manufacturing equipment, Robert Maire, president of the consultancy firm Semiconductor Advisers, said in a recent interview with Japanese media Nikkei. Semiconductor firms commonly source equipment from three California-based manufacturers: Applied Materials, Lam Research, and KLA-Tencor, Nikkei reported.

Meanwhile, Chinese business news site Yicai reported Oct. 30 that U.S. suppliers IBM, Lam Research, and Applied Materials have all severed their telephone communications and email exchanges with Fujian Jinhua. Many of Fujian Jinhuas equipment orders to U.S. companies are now put on hold, according to the report.

The ban on Fujian Jinhua has set a precedentChinese companies that have been accused of stealing trade secrets from the United States will likely soon face similar bans, according to an analysis by the Hong Kong Economic Times in an Oct. 30 article.
Turkey's Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul attends the opening of the Council of Europe's conference on reform of the European Human Rights Convention System, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on April 12, 2018. (Scanpix Denmark/Bax Lindhardt/via Reuters)

US Lifts Sanctions on Top Turkish Officials as Tensions Ease

WASHINGTONThe United States lifted sanctions on Nov. 2, on two top officials in Turkish President Tayyip Erdogans cabinet, a sign of improved relations after Turkey freed an American pastor from detention three weeks ago.

The United States had imposed sanctions on Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu in August to protest the case of Andrew Brunson, an American Christian pastor who had been detained by Turkey for two years.

The Treasury Department announced on its website that the sanctions had been lifted. Turkey immediately matched the move by the United States by lifting sanctions on two corresponding U.S. officialsU.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the foreign ministry said.

Tensions between the NATO allies on this and other issues have weighed on the Turkish economy. After Fridays move, Turkeys sovereign dollar bonds jumped, with many issues adding 1 cent or more.

Erdogan and Trump discussed improving relations between Washington and Ankara during a call between the two leaders, the Turkish presidency said on Thursday.

The White House did not have any immediate comment on the lifting of the U.S. sanctions.

Brunson, who had lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, was swept up in raids after a 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan. He was jailed two years ago and up until his release last month had been under house arrest since July, accused of links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a cleric blamed by Turkeys government for the coup attempt.

Brunson maintained his innocence, and his case was championed by evangelical Christians in the United States.

After a July deal to free Brunson fell apart, Washington imposed sanctions and tariffs on Ankara that sent the lira tumbling.

Relations have also been strained by U.S. support of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, Turkeys plans to purchase a Russian missile defense system and the U.S. jailing of an executive of a Turkish state bank in an Iran sanctions case.

Washington has also been pushing Turkey to release Turkish- American Serkan Golge, a former NASA scientist, who was arrested in the 2016 crackdown, as well as Turkish citizens employed by the U.S. State Department who were detained in the sweeps.
US Set to Reimpose Toughest Sanctions Ever on Iran

The United States on Nov. 5 will reimpose tough sanctions on the Iranian regime that were lifted as part of the Obama-era Iran deal.

The White House and the State Department announced the reimposition with days left before a deadline set by President Donald Trump in May. The sanctions target critical sectors of Irans economy, including its financial, energy, shipping, and shipbuilding industries.

The White House called the measures the toughest sanctions ever, adding that the move cuts off revenues which the Iranian regime directs to terrorist groups and nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The United States has launched a campaign of economic pressure to deny the regime the funds it needs to advance its bloody agenda, Trump said in a statement.

The United States will temporarily allow eight jurisdictions to keep importing Iranian oil after the sanctions go in effect, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo did not disclose the list of the jurisdictions, but noted that the 28-nation European Union will not get a waiver. Turkeys energy minister, Fatih Donmez, said his country had been told it would get a waiver.

Washington also made clear to the Brussels-based SWIFT financial messaging service that it was expected to disconnect all Iranian financial institutions that the United States plans to blacklist as of Nov. 5, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The restoration of the sanctions is part of Trumps effort to counter Irans malign influence in the Middle East and around the world. The oil-rich regime funds proxy forces in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon.

This part of the campaign is aimed at depriving the regime of the revenues it uses to spread death and destruction around the world, Pompeo said. Our ultimate aim is to compel Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlier activities and behave as a normal country.

The Nov. 5 sanctions also target transactions with the Central Bank of Iran and a list of Iranian financial institutions. The measures do not affect food and medicine.

Trump announced Americas withdrawal from the Iran deal on May 8. The president said at the time that the United States will not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail.

The United States considers Iran an outlaw regime, and accuses its leaders of illicit financial activities, threats to maritime security, cyberattacks, human rights abuses, and environmental exploitation.

Some of the sanctions against the regime were reimposed in August, targeting Irans automotive sector, currency, and trade in gold and precious metals.

Iran said it was not troubled over the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions.

America will not be able to carry out any measure against our great and brave nation  We have the knowledge and the capability to manage the countrys economic affairs, Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told state TV.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The US Capitol is seen in Washington, DC on Jan. 22, 2018. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

US Voters to Decide $76 Billion of Bonds, Taxation Limits

CHICAGOElection ballots around the United States on Nov. 5 will be packed with referendums for billions of dollars of state, local government, and school bonds, as well as measures seeking to curb taxation, expand health care for the poor and increase school funding.

There are 673 bond issues on ballots in 38 states totaling nearly $76.3 billion, the biggest amount for a November general election since 2006, according to near-final data from Ipreo by IHS Markit.

The biggest concentration of bonds, $34.9 billion split between 126 measures, will appear on ballots in California, by far the largest U.S. state in population. Voters in the Golden State will consider nearly $16.4 billion of bondsin four state-wide referendumsto fund water projects, housing, and childrens hospitals.

Tax Policy Changes

In addition, Californians will vote on repealing a 2017 hike in gasoline taxes and vehicle fees aimed at raising $5.1 billion a year for transportation projects. The measure would also require voter approval to impose future transportation-related tax and fee increases.

Ballots in other states also include questions aimed at reining in taxes.

Voters often like the idea of enacting limits on their governments ability to raise revenues, but from our perspective those kinds of constraints reduce financial flexibility and can certainly create problems for state governments, Ted Hampton, an analyst at Moodys Investors Service, said in an interview on Nov. 1.

Floridas legislature put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot mandating a two-thirds vote by each legislative chamber to pass new or increased taxes or fees.

If approved, a higher legislative hurdle to approve increases to existing revenue and taxes would slightly weaken our view of revenue structure flexibility in the states fiscal policy framework, S&P Global Ratings said in a July report.

In Oregon, a constitutional amendment on the ballot would extend an existing three-fifths legislative vote for tax increases to include revenue raised by fees or through changes to or the elimination of tax breaks.

In North Carolina, where the personal income tax rate is 5.499 percent, the legislature put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot that would lower the maximum tax rate to 7 percent from 10 percent. A proposed constitutional amendment in Indiana would mandate balanced state budgets unless a two-thirds majority vote by the legislature suspends the requirement.

The taxation of groceries is the focus of ballot measures in two states. Oregon voters will vote on a constitutional amendment prohibiting the state and local governments from imposing a tax or fee on the sale or distribution of eatable or drinkable groceries.

In Washington state, a campaign in support of a ballot initiative to ban new or increased local government taxation of food and beverages bought in stores has been largely funded by soft-drink makers, including Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. If approved, Seattles existing tax on sweetened beverages would remain in place.

Health, Transportation, and Education

Voters in three statesIdaho, Nebraska, and Utahwill be asked to expand Medicaid, the state and federal healthcare program for low-income residents.

Colorado voters will choose between two competing measures to fund transportation. One measure seeks to increase the state sales tax rate to 3.52 percent from 2.9 percent for 20 years to back $6 billion of bonds. Another authorizes $3.5 billion of bonds without specifying a revenue source.

There are several state-wide measures to boost education funding. Colorado would hike its corporate income tax rate and individual rates for residents earning over $150,000 to generate $1.6 billion a year for primary and secondary schools under a proposed constitutional amendment.

Maryland voters will decide whether to allocate an increasing amount of gambling revenue every year to public education starting in fiscal 2020. Michigans K-12 schools would receive a portion of revenue from a tax on marijuana sales if voters agree to legalize recreational use of the drug.

A Hawaii measure would impose a surcharge on residential investment property for schools, while South Dakota voters will vote on increasing a tobacco products excise tax to raise money for the states four technical institutes.

By Karen Pierog
 Flash

President Xi Jinping held talks with El Salvador's President Salvador Sanchez Ceren in Beijing Thursday, urging the two sides to consolidate a basis for mutually-beneficial cooperation.





Xi welcomed Sanchez's visit to China and his attendance at the first China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai next week.





China and El Salvador established diplomatic ties on Aug. 21 this year. Xi said the two countries have opened up a new chapter of relations ever since.





The Chinese people highly appreciate Sanchez, who has significantly contributed to the bilateral ties by making a right and historic decision with strategic vision, political courage and a sense of responsibility, Xi said.





"The decision to establish and develop diplomatic ties with each other was independently made by the two sovereign states," Xi said. "It is consistent with the international laws and purposes of the UN Charter and reflects such principles as mutual respect, equal treatment, mutual benefits and common development."





"Within slightly more than two months after China and El Salvador forged diplomatic ties, bilateral exchanges have progressed rapidly in various fields with strong vitality and robust momentum," Xi said, adding that this convincingly demonstrates the decision follows the trend of history and is in the fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries.





"China is willing to join hands with El Salvador to promote friendly cooperation in a speedy yet steady manner, so as to benefit the two peoples," the Chinese president said.





The two countries are faced with key tasks of mapping out cooperation direction as their diplomatic ties are still at an early stage, Xi said, urging both sides to firmly adhere to the one-China principle, which serves as a foundation in bilateral ties.





Stressing the importance of mutual understanding and trust, he called for more governance experience sharing, cooperation in local areas and exchanges between the two countries' political parties, legislative bodies and social organizations.





"The two sides should boost pragmatic cooperation in various areas, improve cooperative mechanisms, take the joint construction of the Belt and Road as guidance and transform complementary advantages into cooperation results in all aspects," Xi noted.





Saying China welcomes El Salvador to expand its export, Xi promised China will take measures to ease El Salvador products' access into the Chinese market.





"The Chinese side will cooperate with El Salvador in infrastructure in a government-guided, enterprise-led, market-based and mutually-beneficial way," he stressed, adding that capable Chinese enterprises are encouraged to invest in El Salvador and get more involved in its local society, premised upon legal, compliant and honest operation.





"People-to-people exchanges will be made a priority in the hope of benefiting both sides," Xi said.





He said China will support El Salvador in education, medical care, water supply and disaster prevention, increase scholarship quotas to El Salvador students, intensify bilateral cooperation in human resources training and list El Salvador as a destination for Chinese group tourists.





The Chinese president also called on the two countries to enhance coordination in international and regional affairs, jointly safeguard multilateralism and further advance China's ties with Latin American and Caribbean countries.





For his part, Sanchez said establishing diplomatic ties with China is a "long-cherished hope" of El Salvador.





He promised El Salvador acknowledges and firmly adheres to the one-China principle.





"The two countries have identical positions on many issues, and the development of bilateral relations is based on mutual respect and trust," Sanchez said.





"My visit has fully demonstrated El Salvador's confidence in advancing ties with China," he added.





Hailing China's remarkable achievements since reform and opening-up, Sanchez said El Salvador also strives to improve economic and social development and people's living standards.





"China is our partner in the path of development," Sanchez emphasized.





Viewing the upcoming China International Import Expo as "a good platform to introduce El Salvador products," Sanchez said his country welcomes Chinese investment and is willing to strengthen cooperation in areas including trade, agriculture, infrastructure, tourism, medical care, education, finance, science and technology.





He also voiced El Salvador's interest in participating in the construction of the Belt and Road.





Sanchez thanked China for its timely food aid after the drought in El Salvador not long ago.





El Salvador appreciates China's commitment to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity and stands ready to enhance political dialogue with China, and push for cooperation within such multilateral frameworks as the UN and the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, Sanchez said.





The two heads of state witnessed the signing of a series of documents on cooperation after the talks. Prior to the talks, Xi held a red-carpet ceremony to welcome Sanchez.
A general view of the ancient ruins of the Greek and Roman city of Cyrene, in Shahhat, Libya Oct. 20, 2018. (Reuters/Esam Omran Al-Fetori)

Vandalism and Neglect Haunt Libyas Ancient Heritage Sites

SHAHAT, LibyaGraffiti covers the ruins of Cyrene in eastern Libya, a city founded by Greeks more than 2,600 years ago that once attracted tourists but is now neglected and the target of vandals.

Insecurity and looting has hit Libyas archaeological sites in the chaos and fighting that has followed the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, as rival groups struggle to consolidate control of the country.

Libya is home to five of UNESCOs World Heritage sites, listed for their outstanding universal value. The sites include the ruins of the Roman city of Leptis Magna and Sabratha, which is famous for its amphitheater.

There are also prehistoric rock carvings in the Akakous mountains deep in the southern Sahara desert near the border with Algeria.

In the east, tourists once trekked to Cyrene, a site founded by Greeks and later expanded by Romans, nestled in the mountains some 200 km (124 miles) east of Benghazi.

But with foreign tourists gone and the sites visited only by Libyan families on weekend trips, locals have seized land at the sites and vandals have even smeared graffiti on columns and walls.

That presents a challenge to local authorities trying to protect the ruins located in the small community of Shahat.

In Cyrene, instead of speaking to one owner, now we speak to 50 with different backgrounds, said Ahmad Hussein, the head of the antiquities department of a parallel administration in charge of eastern Libya.

Some of the owners have built houses on these sites, he said.

The challenge is worsened by a law in 2013 that allowed people to reclaim land confiscated under Gaddafi. Some people took that literally and annexed what they felt they deserved.

Hussein wants to hold those who seized land accountable.

Two Governments, Few Visitors

The effort to preserve ruins is further hampered by the fact that Libya has two governments. One administration backed by the United Nations sits in Tripoli, while the east has a parallel government.

In a rare positive sign, Hussein said about 1,700 artifacts had been returned since 2011 after they were looted inside the country. Many other items are smuggled abroad though.

Leptis Magna in northwestern Libya has been able to escape vandalism thanks to local history fans and relative security at its location near the city of Misrata.

Sabratha has been repeatedly hit by fighting between rival factions and UNESCO last year issued an appeal to protect the site. The site received no help.

In the capital Tripoli, a lone director is trying to preserve some 18 Roman graves, dating back some 1,700 years which were found in 1958 in the western suburb of Janzour.

There is no support for this site, said al-Amari Ramadan Mabrouk, director of the Janzour antiquities office.

Libyan families come occasionally but otherwise spiders and dust cover the graves.

I cannot give a number for tourists who visit Libya  but I can say that, before 2011, tourism was popular in Libya, he said.

By Ayman al-Warfalli
Yemen Government Says It Is Ready to Resume Peace Efforts, Coalition Silent

ADENThe Saudi-backed Yemeni government said on Nov. 1 it was ready to work on confidence-building measures under U.N.-led peace efforts as the United States pressed for an end to a war that has pushed Yemen to the brink of starvation.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who are leading a coalition fighting Yemens Iranian-aligned Houthi insurgents in a conflict that has lasted more than three years, have yet to publicly comment on calls by the United States and Britain for a ceasefire.

The fighting has killed more than 10,000 people, according to United Nations figures.

The alliance, which relies on Western arms and intelligence, was on Oct. 31 still sending troops to the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah where it has massed thousands of forces in recent days, pro-coalition Yemeni military sources said.

The kingdoms ties with the West have been strained by the furor over the killing of a prominent Saudi journalist at Riyadhs consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, and its conduct in the Yemen war, in which hundreds of civilians have been killed in air strikes, has also come under closer scrutiny.

Any full-scale assault on the densely populated Red Sea city or port, which serves as a lifeline for millions of Yemenis, would further complicate relations with its main Western allies and risk triggering a famine in the impoverished country.

The internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said it was ready to return to the negotiating table after U.N.-led consultations collapsed in September when the Houthi delegation failed to show up.

The Yemeni government is ready to immediately discuss all confidence-building measures, it said in a statement.

Those steps should include freeing of prisoners, support for the central bank, reopening of airports and U.N. monitoring of Hodeidah port to prevent arms smuggling, it added.

The Houthis, who accuse the government of preventing their delegation from traveling to the last round of consultations, said on Oct. 30 that they are also willing to re-engage.

Nowhere to Go

The coalition says that seizing control of Hodeidah would force the Houthi movement to its knees by cutting off its main supply line. But a previous offensive in June failed to achieve any gains and was halted to give peace talks a chance although battles between the warring sides have continued on and off.

The Houthis still control the capital Sanaa and the most populated areas of the country despite the air superiority of the Saudi-led coalition in the conflict, which is seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

In Hodeidah city, residents already struggling to secure basic needs fear that things could get worse.

There are continuous clashes south of the city and the entrance leading to Sanaa. We hear the sound of bullets and missiles clearly, Mohammed Abdullah told Reuters by telephone.

The situation is dire and we dont know what our fate will be, he said. We cant leave the city, where would we go? It costs too much to travel and our friends who left for Aden or Sanaa are living in even worse conditions than us.

Half the population of Yemensome 14 million peoplecould soon be on the brink of famine, the United Nations says, in what it describes as the worlds most urgent humanitarian crisis.

Save the Children estimates that 100 children on average are dying every day in Yemen from preventable causes like extreme hunger and disease.

While the warring parties discuss the terms of this peace, we urge them to immediately stop the fighting so more lives arent lost, Save the Children said in a statement and called for full access for aid and commercial imports.

Its time to end this war, for the sake of Yemens children, whove suffered enough.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Oct. 30 called for a cessation of hostilities ahead of U.N.-led negotiations scheduled to begin next month, and Britain also backed an end to the fighting. At the same time, the two countries are Saudi Arabias biggest arms suppliers.

By Mohammed Ghobari
NORWALK  Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at a dozen locations throughout Norwalk for registered voters to cast ballots in state and federal elected offices.

Voters will cast ballots for governor, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as well as for local men and women to represent them in the General Assembly in Hartford.

At the top of the ticket, Democrat Ned Lamont, Republican Bob Stefanowski and Independent Oz Griebel are vying for governors seat being vacated by Democrat Dannel P. Malloy, who isnt seeking re-election.

With intense interest in that and other races, Norwalks registrars of voters expect turnout to run as high as two-thirds of the citys registered voters.

It will be fairly heavy, said Democratic Registrar Stuart W. Wells. I go along with the consensus, which is somewhere between what we get for presidential and what we normally get for governors races, so maybe 30,000 instead of 23,000 or 24,000  about 60 percent maybe  but who knows?

Historically, voter turnout in Norwalk has ranged from 37 percent in mayoral elections to as high as 83 percent in the 1992 presidential race between Independent Ross Perot, Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George H.W. Bush, who grew up in Greenwich.

Republican Registrar Karen Doyle Lyons said she expects turnout this year will be very heavy, based upon absentee ballot activity thus far.

Its very heavy with the absentee ballots, Doyle Lyons said. I would say were going to have between 60 and 63 percent (turnout). This election is very, very hot, very contentious.

As of Thursday, the Norwalk Town Clerks Office had issued 1,928 absentee ballots. The office held special Saturday hours to issue additional ballots to registered voters who wont be able to making it to the polls Tuesday. In 2014  a gubernatorial election year  921 absentee ballots were returned to the office.

As of Nov. 1, Norwalk had 52,949 registered voters of whom 21,972 were unaffiliated, 20,094 were Democrats, 9,768 were Republicans, 1,024 were Independents and 91 belonged to smaller political parties, according to the Registrar of Voters Office.

Norwalkers who are unsure if theyre registered can call the Registrar of Voters Office at 203-854-7996, or check online at my.norwalkct.org/evoterreg/. They may find their polling location by entering their house number and street name at my.norwalkct.org/evoterpoll.

Registered voters should bring a valid form of identification to their polling place. That may be a drivers license, Social Security card or a form with their pre-printed name and address such as a utility bill, according to Doyle Lyons.

Tuesday was the deadline for unregistered voters to get their names on the voter rolls. Those who didnt may avail themselves of Election Day Registration and voting, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., in the Community Room of Norwalk City Hall, 125 East Ave.

If you have not registered and youre not yet a voter, thats when you can come to the voter registration at City Hall and vote there, Doyle Lyons said. But its not like if youre in line at 8 oclock (you can vote). You have to be processed at 8 oclock.

Expect to see police at additional polling locations. In an Oct. 15 letter to the Norwalk Police Department, Doyle Lyons and Wells requested police at nine polling stations  as opposed to two normally.

The officers are there to provide security, assist the moderator if needed and assist with traffic, said police spokesman Lt. Terry Blake.
WESTPORT  The Black Duck is rising from a near-death after announcing on Tuesday the 40-year-old riverfront restaurant would close.

We are beyond pleased to announce that after many days of discussions with our creditors, landlord, and investors, the Duck has been able to secure a financial package which will allow us to continue operations (hopefully for the next 40 years!!), a note posted on the Black Duck Cafe Facebook page Friday morning read.
There are more than 56 million people with disabilities in the U.S., which equates to one in five Americans identifying as having some form of disability. This means it is highly likely you already employ individuals with disabilities, and there is a highly motivated and talented resource waiting for your call.

Too often, employers are given outdated social service reasons for building a strategy that is inclusive of disability. Yet, there is a persuasive business case for an inclusive and accessible workplace. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employers who have embraced disability as a component of their talent strategy report a:

90 percent increase in retention of valued employees

72 percent increase in employee productivity

45 percent increase in workplace safety

Related: The Incredible Reason This Company Only Hires Adults With Autism

In addition, 38 percent report saved workers' compensation or other insurance costs, and 28 percent report increased profitability. Ninety percent of consumers surveyed specifically agreed that they would prefer to give their business to companies that hire individuals with disabilities.

Given these statistics, what are the challenges to employing more individuals with disabilities?

The interview process.

A primary barrier is the attitude and inexperience of the hiring manager. Most of us would state unequivocally that we do not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. And yet, studies show that bias -- implicit or unconscious -- paired with discomfort of the unknown has a negative effect on the interview process.

The recruiter screens resumes, conducts phone interviews, and selects the candidates who make the cut. The individual with a disability arrives for the interview and the hiring manager experiences a momentary brain freeze that hijacks the process. The fear of saying the wrong thing causes the interviewer to lose track of the questions and instead become absorbed with an internal monologue that evaluates whether the candidate can do the job with the disability. Very few of the questions specifically scripted get asked. Even fewer responses get recorded. Most likely, the candidate has already conquered many of the challenges, real or imagined, that cause concern. The interview goes sideways; the paperwork is sketchy; and the candidate with a disability does not get a call back.

Related: Is An Inclusive Workforce Still a Distant Dream?

How do interviewers avoid the brain freeze trap? Stick to the script. Ask the questions that assess whether the person shares the core values of the organization, has the skills needed and is a good fit for the role. Being uncomfortable in a new situation is normal. Stay focused on the interview process and assess the whole person. This is a talented, eager candidate who is ready to prove her value to the company. Theres a person to get to know and the potential for an amazing colleague who will help an organization grow.

The workplace.

The ADA requires that employers provide effective, reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. Experienced employers understand many people arrive to the job with accommodations already in place. Employers and employees who work together as a team to understand the accommodation needs will find an effective and reasonable resolution. Use design thinking to understand the disability-related limitation causing the productivity issue. Evaluate several options to find the best solution. Think about accessibility tools and strategies that increase productivity in the workplace, rather than those that accommodate the disability. Less than 40 percent of individuals with disabilities require accommodations in the workplace. And often, the accommodation is an accessibility tool that costs less than $500 and increases productivity or safety for others. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy)

The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence are changing the future of work and directly impacting accessible technologies for employees with disabilities. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced the AI for Accessibility Initiative that will focus on the development of accessible and intelligent AI solutions for individuals with disabilities. Already, this is having a cost-efficient impact on accommodations: Microsoft Translator creates real-time captions for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

Start with three simple steps:

Talk with your HR manager to determine whether candidates are asked if any accommodations are needed during the interview process, and train for this in the interview process. Look at your website and recruiting materials to see if individuals with visible disabilities are represented. Create external partnerships with organizations like Galt Foundation, which specializes in disability employment and has access to talent and resources for your company.

The brain freeze phenomena is simply due to outdated ideas of what it means to live and work with a disability. Changing our attitudes about individuals with disabilities is the one thing over which every person has control. Employment rates wont change until companies begin to shift attitudes and awareness about the abilities, value and potential within the talent pool of disability. If the HR training is missing the humanity, your company is missing out on talent.

Related: This Leader Is Making It Easier for Members of the Deaf Community to Start Their Own Businesses

There is a new generation of 20-somethings whose mainstream education has changed the way they view themselves and their abilities. Many of these young professionals are well-educated college graduates who expect to enter an accessible and diverse workplace that is open to their talent. Since 2001, about 52,000 service men and women have been wounded in action. Many more have returned to civilian life with invisible disabilities. By the year 2020, the CDC estimates that nearly half of the U.S. population will be living with chronic medical issues.

As employers, we need a talented diverse work force to compete in the global marketplace. Understand the facts and the solutions that individuals with disabilities can provide for your gaps in recruitment. Then lead with your heart to create a fair and equitable workplace.

Related:

Employing Individuals with Disabilities May Solve Your Talent Crisis

Millennials Are Old News: What Does Generation Z Want From Work?

After Realizing He'd Hired All the Wrong People, This Food Startup Founder Hit Reset



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
NORWALK  A California woman wanted in at least five states was caught alongside an alleged accomplice in an attempted credit card theft gone wrong Thursday afternoon, police said.

Police responded to the Costco Wholesale store at 779 Connecticut Ave. around 1:48 p.m. on reports of two people in custody after an attempted theft.

Store employees told police that two individuals, a man and a woman, were caught by a shopper as they were rifling through her purse, which she had left in her shopping cart. The pair matched the descriptions of suspects involved in three prior incidents, employees said.

The two provided police with unrealistic accounts of what had occurred, police spokesman Lt. Terry Blake said, and were taken into custody. A later search of their possessions revealed a brown leather purse bearing another individuals identification and credit cards, police said.

Police said the suspects initially identified themselves as Jennifer Hernandez and Ricardo Torres-Humberto at police headquarters. However, fingerprint identification scans later identified the two as

Ximena Naranjo, 42, of Canoga Park, California, and Ricardo Torrez-Aravena, 33, of no known previous address.

According to the police database, Naranjo was a fugitive of justice on warrants out of Stamford; New York City; Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; Deerfield, Illinois; and Trenton, New Jersey.

Naranjo was charged with criminal attempt to commit sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny, interfering with officers, criminal impersonation and two counts of credit card theft. She was held on a $500,000 bond and was given a court date of Nov. 9.

Ricardo Torrez-Aravena, 33, of no known address, was charged with sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny and two counts of credit card theft. He was held on a $150,000 bond and was given a court date of Nov. 9.

In the wake of the incident, police are reminding shoppers to remain vigilant, especially ahead of the busy holiday shopping season.

This arrest highlights how important it is for shoppers to stay in visual or physical control of your personal bags while shopping. It only takes a split second for someone to steal your property while youre turning away, Blake said.
 Flash

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday called on China and the United States to manage and solve differences via consultation.





Li's remarks came as he met with a seven-member delegation of U.S. senators and congressmen led by Senator Lamar Alexander in Beijing.





China and the U.S. are the biggest developing country and the biggest developed country in the world respectively, and are at different stages of economic development, said Li.





The economies of both countries are highly complementary, and both people benefit from the bilateral cooperation, he said, adding that various problems may occur in the economic and trade cooperation.





"Both sides need to respect each other and give consideration to each other's core interests and major concerns and manage and solve differences via dialogue and consultation on an equal footing," Li told the delegation.





"This not only benefits our two countries but also benefits the whole world," he said.





"Although China and U.S. relations have had their share of ups and downs, generally speaking, they have moved forward in the past four decades," Li said.





Facts show that the sound and stable growth of bilateral relations serves the fundamental interests of the people from China and the U.S., he said.





The two countries need to follow the important consensus reached by the two presidents during their meetings and work together to move China-U.S. ties forward on a sound track, said Li.





He expressed the hope that U.S. senators and congressmen could play a constructive role to the end.





Stressing that China will firmly deepen its reform and further open up to the world, Li said China's development will provide more opportunities and a broader market for other countries.





For his part, Alexander told Li that their visit to China is to "show respect to a great country and great people."





The U.S. and China "are competitors but not adversaries," he said. "We believe with mutual respect we can continue to prosper together."





The U.S. senators and congressmen present at the meeting agreed that there are far more common interests between the two countries than disputes, adding that both countries need to treat problems in the economic and trade area through fair and equal consultations while initiating a trade war is not a way to solve problems.





They voiced the willingness to promote U.S.-China relations and boost mutual understanding and cooperation.





The two sides also exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international issues of common concern.
Within five years, Norwalks ash trees might all be dead, due to an invasive species of insect that is wreaking havoc on trees statewide.

Municipalities across the state are faced with ash trees dying faster than they can remove them due to the emerald ash borer  and its going to cost millions of dollars across Connecticut.

Were seeing them (ash trees) already dead and in the process of dying. Most have some type of borer activity at this time, said Richard Whitehead, chair of the Norwalk Tree Advisory Committee. Were in the midst of it and its just going to continue.

The spread of the insect can be prevented by providing systemic injections to repel the insects, but they require a diligent approach. The natural spread, as well as the spread through things like firework, of the insect is tough to contend with. And once the emerald ash borer is found in a tree, theres nothing that can be done.

You remove them and you dont plant any varieties of ash trees moving forward, knowing the insect has a foothold in the area, Whitehead said.

The small species of beetle has killed thousands of trees throughout the state, prompting officials to start crafting plans on how to pay for the work, including the possibility of borrowing money or deferring road work to handle trees.

Some towns hope the federal or state governments will create a way to help with the costs  much like what would happen in a natural emergency.

Everybody from this part of Connecticut has this problem, said Redding Public Works Director Jeff Hanson. The emerald ash borer is wreaking havoc.

Redding is grappling with how to remove more than 900 ash trees over the next few years. In an effort to chip away at the growing list, a crew was recently hired to take down 50 to 60 trees.

Dead trees are hazardous because they can come down on power lines, block roads and potentially injure or kill someone, especially in these recent storms with powerful winds.

A recent problem

The emerald ash borer was first seen in the U.S. near Detroit in 2002 and in Connecticut in 2012. It was discovered in Fairfield County the following year. Whitehead said the insect first showed up in Norwalk three years ago.

The removal problem is even newer, starting about a year or so ago.

Last year, the state Department of Transportation began a specialized tree removal program focusing on the trees affected by the emerald ash borer and the gypsy moth, said DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick. He added theres been a major uptick the number of compromised, dead or dying trees because of these insects and consecutive years of drought.

Were looking at tens of thousands of trees that need to be removed from Connecticut DOT right of ways, he said.

Right now, the removal is eating through the departments operational funds, but Nursick said they are looking at ways to better fund it and purchasing specialized equipment to efficiently remove trees so they dont have to keep renting the machinery.

He estimates it will cost millions of dollars over the next few years, but hesitates to set an exact time frame.

This is going to be a challenge for years to come, he said.

He said the departments 12 tree crews are taking down healthy ash trees near infected ash trees because its only a matter of time before those become infected as well.

According to Whitehead, Norwalk has been slightly less impacted than other towns in the area whose urban forests are made up more predominantly of ash trees. He estimated that in Norwalk, less than 10 percent of trees are ash.

I know a lot of municipalities tree budgets are stressed because the trees are dying so rapidly, Whitehead said. Norwalk, too, is starting to feel the pressure.

The infestation

The emerald ash borer has killed tens of millions of ashes from Colorado to New Hampshire and is marching from west to east. Some stands in eastern Connecticut seem relatively healthy, but sooner or later, theyll wither and die, too.

Authorities have set firewood quarantines in a broad swath of the U.S. in an attempt to contain the insect, but because the beetle is an excellent flier, these steps have only delayed the inevitable, experts say.

Before the emerald ash borer hit, ash represented about 3 percent of the tree population, said Jeffrey Ward, chief scientist of the Department of Forestry & Horticulture at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. That works out to over 21 million trees with a diameter of over one inch.

That percentage increases to 15 percent when looking at trees with trunks at least 30 inches in diameter. Ashes, like sycamores, are relatively immune to disease once theyre well-established, at least until the emerald ash borer came along. It was one of the species that played a part in the reforestation of the state after farms were abandoned in the 19th and early 20th centuries as agriculture moved west.

It was also considered a good street tree and replaced a bulk of New Havens elm trees a century ago after the Dutch elm disease ravaged the species of trees that gave the city its nickname.

It makes a great street tree  and until the EAB came along, it was about as disease- and pest-resistant as a tree can be, said station entomologist Claire E. Rutledge.

All of the ashes near the experiment station have takedown notices stapled to their trunks, a warning that chain saws and wood chippers will be coming soon. All are suffering from crown die-back, in which leaf growth retreats to the center of the tree.

Itll be a shame to see them all go, Rutledge said as she looked up and down the street, populated with once-healthy ashes.

Ash trees can be identified by looking for five to 11 leaflets from a single stem (its all actually one leaf). Older ash trees have diamond-shaped ridges in their bark, younger trees have smoother bark.

The aftermath

Once the ashes are removed, theres the cost to get rid of them: Redding will give it free to residents for firewood. Public Works will even deliver it to the end of driveways.

The larger wood is brought back to the transfer station and chopped up. If no one asks for the firewood, the town has to pay $10,000 to $12,000 to haul it away and clean out the transfer station. The town is looking at long-term solutions to deal with the wood removal, Hanson said.

In place of the ash trees, Whitehead said, Norway maples, which at times in the past have been considered invasive, are sprouting up.

Its one of the native species of tree to Connecticut. Whenever you lose an entire species of trees, it makes room for another. And Norway maples, which we dont really like per se, are coming in, Whitehead said.

Staff writer Katrina Koerting contributed to this report.
The following excerpt is from Jeffrey Hayzletts book The Hero Factor: How Great Leaders Transform Organizations and Create Winning Cultures. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | IndieBound

I believe we're at a crossroads where we have a chance for real change in the way we do business. All those people looking for purpose and direction ask: Who will lead? Who will propel innovation, change the culture of the workplace to be more inclusive, and drive the evolution of this country?

The answer: the heroes.

We need hero leaders and companies to reclaim the best parts of the American spirit of free enterprise and entrepreneurialism. We need to abandon the scarcity mentality (for me to win, you or someone else has to lose) for an abundance mentality that is win-win for all. But if we as a nation are going to do this, organizations and their leaders need to light a collective fire. And to start this fire, we need catalysts: more leaders and companies that are choosing the path of hero leadership.

What Im asking is for you to become a person with big ideas and noble ideals. Someone of spirit and tenacity, values and purpose, goodness and selflessness, who leads your organization or team from the head and the heart. Im looking for social entrepreneurs and CEOs, business owners small and large who have the courage and commitment to consistently and constantly give back and give more to serve others even when warning signs and Wall Street say to quit. The ones who welcome all people and all points of view to the table. The ones who make a difference in peoples lives and still beat the competition to win in the workplace and marketplace. Hero companies and leaderswhether they are solo practitioners or have millions of global employeescan do all the above without dismissing the power of profit.

These heroes understand a quote attributed to Henry Ford: A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. Money may be how we keep score, but any idiot can make money. We share this world with others and have a purpose beyond it. We need leaders and companies with hero mindsets who understand that. Without the right mindset, youll never develop the qualities and implement the strategies to be a hero leader. Youll never have the highest Hero Factor.

The Hero Factor is made up of two scales: Operational Excellence and Hero Intensity. Most of you know what operational excellence means for what you do and how long you have been in business, but let me provide this general definition of operational excellence for any and all organizations: execution of a business strategy that leads to real, consistent, and reliable results that are measurable and sustainable, despite the risks and costs and even as your products and services change and evolve to meet marketplace demands.

For most organizations big or small, this definition means executing on all these things over time:

Products and/or services that exceed the competition and industry standards

Real growth and increased revenues over time

A broad, consistent, and connected set of customers/clients that you always focus on and create value for

External partners that provide expertise, reach, and knowledge beyond what you know

Profitability

Reduced costs and efficiency

Investment in people and productivity

Productive workplaces (whether you are a business of one or have teams and offices around the globe) focused on that growth and serving those customers

Willingness to take and mitigate riskseven when you take big ones

Success through tough times small and big (either self-generated or brought upon you by forces beyond your control)

Constantly attracting and recruiting talent

Investment in and a plan for adding more value for the future through innovation, increased customer engagement, and new or improved products and services

Regardless of the size and scale of your company, Operational Excellence is something that changes every yearand must evolve faster than ever if you want to survive. Of course, the odds of operational excellence and success over time for those new and existing small businesses and entrepreneurs are pretty steep too, especially in the early years. Fail at one or two things on that list for even a few months, let alone a year, and things can get dicey. But if they do succeed, those companies cant relax: They need to continue to adapt, transform, and innovate to find new sources of revenueeven as they maintain existing oneslest they be taken down by a business that sees new and different opportunities.

But business success on the money side of things is an absolutely vital part of what makes a company great. Thats why Operational Excellence makes up half of your Hero Factor.

Related:

What Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues Taught Me About Leading a Company -- and 6 Tips All Entrepreneurs Should Practice

Operational Excellence: The First Part of Achieving an Executive Hero Factor

To Build a Resilient Culture Stop the Blaming and Shaming and Start Showing People Respect



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Republican Rep. Steve King, a member of Congress frequently criticized as aligned with the themes of white nationalism, is in the midst of a surprisingly tense reelection race.

At least one poll has shown his Democratic challenger, J.D. Scholten, within striking distance, though FiveThirtyEight still gives King a nearly 83 percent chance of winning.

And growing attention to his affiliation with far-right groups and figures, including a Nazi sympathizer, has culminated with the possible beginnings of a donor boycott. A handful of corporations, including Intel and the dairy company Land O'Lakes, have announced that they will no longer support King financially. Even the Republican Party issued a sharp rebuke of King that stopped just short of saying he promoted white supremacy.

The scrutiny built toward a confrontation Thursday after King was harshly questioned about whether his racially tinged views on immigration shared any similarities with those of Robert Bowers, the suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting Saturday who had said he was motivated by a fear of "invaders" responsible for his "people" being "slaughtered."

Video of the confrontation circulated widely after being captured by Iowa Starting Line, a political blog in Iowa.

A questioner in the room read statements from Bowers and King, and then said he thought King shared the shooter's ideology regarding immigration.

"No, don't you do that," King said, cutting the man off. "Do not associate me with that shooter. I knew you were an ambusher when you walked in the room. But there's no basis for that."

The man continued trying to ask King his question about what distinguishes King's ideology. But the congressman cut him off.

"You're done. You crossed the line. It's not tolerable to accuse me to be associated with a guy that shot 11 people in Pittsburgh," King said. "This is over, if you don't stop talking."

It was not immediately clear who the man who confronted King is or whether he was there representing any political groups.

King spokesman John Kennedy said that Iowans were calling in after seeing the video to say they agreed with the congressman.

In an email to The Washington Post, Kennedy lambasted "Leftist Media Lies," though he did not respond when asked to give specific examples.

King has come under fire in recent days after The Washington Post reported that he met with a far-right party with historical Nazi ties in Austria while on a trip to Europe that had been financed by a Holocaust memorial group.

At the forum in Iowa on Thursday, King defended the Austrian political group, saying that the party had purged former Nazis more than 50 years ago, except one with "a little youthful affiliation." The party is now led by Heinz-Christian Strache, who was active in neo-Nazi circles as a youth.

King spoke about touring Holocaust sites in Poland before he flew to Vienna, an experience he said was moving.

His past statements - King has assailed immigrants, retweeted a Nazi sympathizer, and said that "We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies," in what many interpreted as an echo of the language of white nationalists - have drawn more scrutiny since Saturday's shooting.

Last month, King's decision to endorse Faith Goldy, a white nationalist candidate for Toronto mayor who appeared on a neo-Nazi podcast around the Charlottesville, Virginia, rally and later publicly recited a white supremacist slogan, also drew uproar.

King blamed The Washington Post for the attention, saying at the forum on Thursday that "the entire fiasco that you've seen here in the state for the last three days" was based on the report last week about the Austria trip.

King's relationship with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas - King was co-chair of Cruz's presidential campaign in Iowa - has also come under question as the senator faces a tight reelection race in one of the country's most racially diverse states. Cruz called King on Wednesday to express his support, even as donors and other party officials have moved away, Bloomberg News reported.

---

The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis contributed to this report.
This appeared in Friday's Washington Post.

- - -

Saudi Arabia's dispatch of a 15-member team to Turkey to attack journalist Jamal Khashoggi added to a global trend of autocratic states reaching out to kill or kidnap exiled dissidents. Russia and China have been pioneers of the practice and for the most part have gotten away with it; that has encouraged others. One such regime is Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran, which appears to have returned to an old practice of trying to murder exiles in European capitals - notwithstanding its dependence on European support for resisting new U.S. sanctions.

This week, Denmark's government revealed what it described as an Iranian plot to assassinate a man who leads the Danish branch of a group advocating independence for an Arab-populated region of Iran. Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen, saying it was "completely clear that the arrow is pointing at the Iranian intelligence service," recalled Denmark's ambassador from Tehran and said he would raise the possibility of new sanctions by the European Union.

That was the second Iranian plot broken up in Europe in four months. In late June, European security services arrested two Iranian emigres living in Belgium and charged them with plotting to bomb a Paris rally of the opposition Mujahideen-e Khalq that was attended by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. An alleged Iranian intelligence officer who authorities said directed the operation was arrested shortly afterward in Germany.

Some have marveled at Iranian audacity in planning attacks on the territory of countries that have been trying to devise ways to circumvent the new U.S. sanctions due to take effect Sunday. Both Denmark and France strongly opposed President Donald Trump's decision this year to cancel the Iranian nuclear deal and to reimpose an economic blockade on the government of Hassan Rouhani.

U.S. and Israeli officials have done their best to exploit the uncovering of the plots. The Paris case, national security adviser John Bolton declared, "tells you, I think, everything you need to know about how the government of Iran views its responsibilities in connection with diplomatic relations."

That's true enough - and E.U. leaders ought to punish Tehran. Yet Bolton's words raise the question of how Saudi Arabia ought to be judged in light of what it now acknowledges was the premeditated murder of Khashoggi inside its own consulate in Istanbul. Should not the regime of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman be held to the same standard as Iran? And if the United States does not impose significant punishment on Saudi Arabia, how can it expect other nations to enforce its sanctions against Iran?
In the face of international demands for all the facts and circumstances surrounding the barbaric murder of Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as the outcry for accountability, President Donald Trump is putting Saudi Arabia's interests first. The Saudis wish to keep the kingdom clean from the dirtiness it has created. The president's willingness to let the Saudis escape justice is an affront to the American people.

The top of the royal family in Riyadh knows what happened inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. They know who ordered and oversaw Khashoggi's grisly death. And the Saudis, up to and including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and maybe King Salman, are dead set against revealing the truth. They cannot keep their secrets without the cooperation and complicity of Trump. And they are getting it.

How the president of the United States can allow Saudi leaders to get away with their display of contemptuous indifference to international demands for truth and justice is beyond understanding.

Set aside for the moment Khashoggi's association with The Washington Post. The fact is, a legal resident of the United States, with children who are U.S. citizens, was assaulted upon entering the Saudi Consulate, and then murdered. According to Turkey's top prosecutor, Khashoggi was immediately strangled as part of previously made plans and his body was dismembered. What happened to his remainshas still not been made public. The Saudis presumably know, but won't say.

There you have it: A legal U.S. resident becomes the victim of a monstrous act by the Saudi government, and our president, reliably informed by both U.S. and senior Turkish officials - with confirmation from Saudi authorities - that the brutal crime was premeditated, and he says not a word to the nation.

Trump knows from U.S. intelligence intercepts that the crown prince was the mastermind of a scheme to get Khashoggi back on Saudi soil. Trump knows from a briefing delivered by his own CIA director what Khashoggi's last moments were like. And he says nothing about it.

Nothing in the face of outrageous lies. Lies to the face of Saudi Arabia's oldest western ally, the United States.

Trump said nothing when Saudi officials lied when they repeatedly said that Khashoggi, who had gone to the Saudi consulate to obtain a document needed for his upcoming marriage, had left the consulate alive, and that they had no information on his whereabouts or fate.

Trump said nothing when Saudi officials next lied in an official statement that Khashoggi went to the consulate because he had expressed an interest in returning to Saudi Arabia.

Trump did squirm, however, when the Saudis said in a statement that discussions on Khashoggi's return to the kingdom "developed in a negative way" which "led to a fight and a quarrel between some of them and the citizen [Khashoggi]" - and then to Khashoggi's death "and their attempt to conceal and cover what happened."

Trump could go bail for the Saudis only so far. He said the Saudi account of the killing was the "worst coverup ever."

But when the regime reversed course, and said that Khashoggi didn't die in a botched operation; that his death was not unintended, but was "premeditated," based upon information released by Turkish authorities, Trump stirred a little.

The State Department said it would revoke visas for 21 Saudis thought to have been involved in Khashoggi's death without giving any details about who Trump intends to hold responsible or accountable.

Maybe because he has no such intentions.

Keeping in the good graces of the kingdom's leadership obviously remains Trump's top priority. His excuse is the need to continue weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. His only outrage and revulsion would stem from losing business with the Saudis, along with not having them as partners in the United States' hostility toward Iran.

It is clear that getting to the bottom of Khashoggi's murder and the crown prince's role is nowhere near a Trump priority. Because he already knows or suspects the answers. Keeping the United States in the dark works for the president and his interests.

And his contempt for Congress, human rights and America's moral values shows.

That may be the greatest travesty of all.
Members of the congressional delegation from southern Illinois are incensed over the recent appointment of Dr. Peter Almenoff - former head of the regional network responsible for Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Marion - as assistant deputy undersecretary for Health and for Quality Safety.

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, joined by U.S. Reps. Jerry Costello and John Shimkus, expressed their indignation in a letter to Dr. James Peake, secretary of Veteran's Affairs, asking for an explanation of the VA's decision to promote Almenoff and a full description of his new responsibilities.

In the letter, they reminded Peake that at least nine veterans died at the Marion VA hospital in 2007 because of surgical incompetence. They said the VA review found easily identifiable problems at Marion and certain deficiencies with the network led by Almenoff. Yet, they said, the role of that network in the failure at Marion was never formally reviewed nor were the network officials included in the Administrative Board of Investigation review.

"Instead, the VA has promoted the director," they wrote.

The Illinois congressmen further demanded any information the VA has about what efforts Almenoff may have made to ensure high-quality medical care at Marion when he was director of the VA Heartland Network.

"Dr. Peter Almenoff had oversight authority over the Marion VA Medical Center when nine lives were lost due to substandard care," said Durbin. "Just last week, he was given a promotion expanding his authority over healthcare throughout the VA. Critical questions about Dr. Almenoff's role in overseeing the quality of care at Marion VA should have been answered before he was appointed to this new position."

Obama agreed, "After last year's unacceptable tragedies and negligent administration of the Marion VA, it's deeply troubling that Secretary Peake would promote the individual apparently responsible for the mismanagement of the facility to lead the Department's health quality and safety efforts.

"There are too many unanswered questions about Dr. Almenoff's role in the mismanagement of Marion that it seems imprudent to move forward with this appointment without further explanation. Our veterans and service members deserve care worthy of their sacrifice, and they should not be put in danger. I look forward to Secretary Peake's prompt explanation."

Costello said the delegation has repeatedly emphasized that the VA should be very clear with the public about how it is attempting to restore confidence in the Marion VAMC hospital and the veterans' overall health system.

"Given Dr. Almenoff's previous position, we need more information as to how his promotion best serves the VA and our veterans moving forward," he said.

Shimkus said many veterans have lost confidence in the Marion VAMC and their trust has to be earned back.

"Promoting someone at this time who had been in the chain of command, such as Dr. Almenoff, sends the wrong message to those who have put their lives on the line for this nation."

Durbin, Obama, Costello and Shimkus have been closely monitoring progress at the Marion VAMC as well as progress in hiring a new professional leadership team for that hospital. In a meeting with the four Illinois congressmen last month, Peake announced that a new leadership team would be put in place at Marion by this fall.
ALTON  A 28-year-old Alton High School teacher was charged Friday with four counts of criminal sexual assault after an investigation was conducted into an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student.

Jordan Michael Graham, 28, 0f Godfrey was charged with four felony counts of criminal sexual assault, Class 1 felonies. An arrest warrant was obtained and the bond was set at $100,000 by the Honorable Judge Janet Heflin.

He is currently in custody at the Madison County Jail, where he awaits in lieu of bond. An additional bail bond addendum was set prohibiting contact with the victim. Graham was employed as a teacher at the Alton High School.

In an effort to protect the victims privacy, limited details beyond the information will be provided about the case, according to the Madison County Sheriffs Department.

The Alton School District received information regarding an inappropriate relationship between a student and a staff member at Alton High School, Alton High School Principal Michael Bellm wrote in an email to AHS parents Friday afternoon. This information was immediately shared with the Madison County Sheriffs Department and a full investigation was conducted leading to the arrest of the staff member.

Because of the ongoing nature of the criminal case, and because this has now become a personnel matter for the Alton School District, I am unable to share any other information at this time.

Multiple sources told The Telegraph the relationship had been ongoing for months, and was widely known among students. Graham was an English and journalism teacher at the school.

No further information was made available by police or the school Friday.
MARYVILLE  The Maryville Knights of Columbus Council 6625 and First Collinsville Bank (FCB Banks) joined forces to get coats to needy kids by combining the Knights Coats For Kids program with the banks Coats for Cuties campaign.

The Knights of Columbus have provided coats for kids on an annual basis through a national program whereby cases of boys and girls coats are provided by Supreme Headquarters on an at cost basis.
ALTON  The Genealogy & Local History Library will host a dedication of the Elijah P. Lovejoy printing press. Please come help us celebrate! The Telegraph and Hearst Communications donated the press to Hayner earlier this year and it will be on permanent display in the library.

Light refreshments will be served. A brief presentation and dedication will take place at 2:30 p.m. and local actor John Meehan will portray Elijah Lovejoy. The press came out of the Mississippi River in 1915 and has been on display in several locations since. We are very honored to be the new home of the Elijah P. Lovejoy Printing Press!

Lovejoys tragic death for freedom in every sense marked his sad ending as the most important single event that ever happened in the new world.Abraham Lincoln

Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy was assassinated on Nov. 7, 1837 at the Godfrey & Gilman warehouse and his press was smashed and thrown into the river. Lovejoy was an abolitionist, fiercely opposed to slavery, and published anti-slavery views in his newspaper, the Alton Observer. He became the first martyr to the Freedom of the Press. His final printing press was lost to the Mississippi River for three-quarters of a century.

On July 13, 1915, Doug Sparks of Sparks Mill discovered a piece of iron embedded in soil deep in the Mississippi River. Sparks and others speculated that it was a piece of Elijah Lovejoys printing press. The next day, the cast iron frame, which weighed close to half a ton, was lifted from the excavation site at the corner of the Sparks Milling Company. Experts quickly confirmed that the bell-shaped object was a piece of an old hand press. Research by the firm of C.B. Cottrell & Sons determined that the object was a Smith hand printing press (also called an Acorn press), which meant that unquestionably the frame is that of the Lovejoy printing press.

Sparks Milling Company had a bronze tablet created to hang from the press frame and placed the frame on a granite base in front of their office building on William Street. In September of 1915, Lovejoys niece, named only as Miss Lovejoy in the paper, came from Jackrabbit, Arizona, to see the printing press frame. In October 1919, Lovejoys nephew (and namesake) Elijah P. Lovejoy, son of Owen Lovejoy, visited Alton and viewed the press as well.

In 1937, to celebrate Altons centennial (and to mark the Lovejoy centennial), the press was moved to the Alton Evening Telegraph office. Another item on display was a rock from Lovejoys home in Albion, Maine. This rock is now housed at Hayner Library as well. The Lovejoy Press stayed at The Telegraph building for eighty years, where it could be viewed in the newspapers foyer.

When The Telegraph newspaper moved to its new location earlier this year, Publisher Jim Shrader coordinated donating the Lovejoy Press to Hayner Library. It is truly an honor to have the press here and we are very grateful to The Telegraph and Hearst Communications.

More Information Presentation at 2:30 p.m. Speakers include Executive Director Bernadette Duvernoy, former College Avenue Presbyterian Church minister Rev. George Humbert, Genealogy & Local History Manager Lacy McDonald, Jim Shrader, who recently retired as publisher at The Telegraph, and Lovejoy Trustee Ed Gray. Local actor John Meehan will portray Elijah Lovejoy. See More Collapse

The Genealogy & Local History Library has a museum display on Lovejoy, many books about his life, and digitized copies of Lovejoys newspaper, the Alton Observer. We are also a National Park Service passport location for the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, so visitors interested in Lincolns legacy will get a chance to see the press as well. John E. Hayner, the donor of the Jennie D. Hayner Library Building, who funded and built the Library as a memorial to his late wife, would be so proud to have the press at his library.

Hayner was an ardent anti-slavery man and was interested for many years in the project of building a monument in memory of Elijah P. Lovejoy. Hayner was Treasurer of the Lovejoy Monument Association. The monument was dedicated on November 7, 1897, the sixtieth anniversary of Lovejoys death. John Hayner died several years later and lies at rest in the shadow of that very monument.

Since its removal from the Mississippi River in 1915, the press has always resided in locations that are easily accessible. A piece of history this important deserves to be shared. The press will be placed on a granite slab in the foyer of the Genealogy & Local History Library and we invite everyone to come to the dedication on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Lacy S. McDonald is the genealogy and local history manager at Hayner Library.
EDWARDSVILLE  World-class music comes to Edwardsville when Opera Edwardsville debuts its first-ever performance, Christmas at the Wildey, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 22 at the Wildey Theatre, 252 N. Main St., Edwardsville.

Three internationally renowned professional opera performers, accompanied by a quartet of St. Louis musicians, will present an evening of classical music and Christmas favorites during this inaugural performance by Opera Edwardsville, the regions newest arts organization. The concert will feature music by Handel, Purcell, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky as well as traditional Christmas carols.

Tickets are $35 per person or participate in a VIP experience which includes the concert and after show reception for $50 per person. Tickets are available at: www.Wildeytheatre.com.

Artists performing include:

 Sofia Troncoso, a London, England based soprano, who has spent 2018 traveling the world lending her voice to Scottish Opera, the Longborogh Opera Festival, and performing as a soloist with the Xian Symphony Orchestra in China.

 Evan Bravos, a Greek-American baritone, praised as a young talent to watch by the Chicago Tribune. He has performed with the Virginia Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

 Chase Hopkins, an Edwardsville native and founder of Opera Edwardsville, has toured in opera festivals throughout Europe most recently spending time on stage in Ireland.

Opera Edwardsville was developed by Hopkins as a way to bring world-class music to the Edwardsville community.

Opera Edwardsville seeks to empower audiences through exposure to bold new ideas, relevant reminders from history, foreign perspectives, and a way to connect with each other through the shared experience of live classical music, Hopkins said.

Ticket holders who want to include an overnight stay in Edwardsville can enjoy a special rate at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 1000 Plummer Dr. Holiday Inn Express is partnering with Opera Edwardsville to offer a $109 overnight rate for those who mention Opera Edwardsville. Rooms are limited.

Christmas at the Wildey will launch Opera Edwardsville to the community and region. More information is available at www.OperaEdwardsville.org.
EDWARDSVILLE  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Business alumnus R. John Fletcher has earned the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) distinguished designation of 2018 Director of the Year.

Fletcher will be honored during the 2018 NACD Directorship 100 black-tie gala on Wednesday, Nov. 28 in New York City.

The annual event recognizes leading corporate directors, corporate governance experts, policymakers and influencersleaders who significantly impact boardroom practices and performances. It celebrates those who serve as role models in promoting exemplary board leadership, oversight and courage in the boardroom.

I am honored to be recognized as Director of the Year by the National Association of Corporate Directors, said Fletcher, Managing Partner of Fletcher Spaght Inc., which he founded in 1983.

He currently serves on the board of directors of Axcelis Corporation, MRI Interventions, and is Chairman of Metabolon. The NACD Director of the Year honor recognizes his service as Spectranetics Corporations Chairman of the Board during its turnaround and subsequent sale to Philips NV in August 2017.

Serving on a board of directors is a privilege that brings significant responsibility, he explained. The best directors are those who feel the presence of the shareholders, and thus, consistently are highly diligent in their governance. I have always believed in taking every professional effort seriously, and devoting all of my energy and capability accordingly. We cannot know how things will end up, but we must be sure we applied our personal best.

As chairman of the board for Spectranetics Corporation, Fletcher reconstituted both the board of directors and the executive management team. From 2011-17, Fletcher notes that Spectranetics enterprise value grew from $200 million to $2.2 billion.

Success of that magnitude requires a true team effort, Fletcher emphasized. I am pleased to represent the team that developed Spectranetics into a successful outcome for its shareholders.

While a U.S. Air Force jet pilot, Fletcher earned a masters in business administration from SIUE in 1973.

SIUE provided the scheduling flexibility to complete my MBA coursework and meet my flying commitments, he said. SIUE had an incredible faculty, and I could not have been more pleased with the quality of the courses. I was fortunate to have fellow students who were talented and highly motivated. They greatly enriched my MBA experience.

The nationally-recognized leader encourages individuals to become a member of a board of directors or a board of advisers as early in their career as possible, as they are highly beneficial learning experiences.

Boards are comprised of experienced business people who serve as equals, Fletcher said. In the few hours allotted to most board meetings, a director must come up to speed, decide what the issues or options are, and be persuasive relative to other directors.

At Spectranetics, it would have been easy to resign at the time the future of the company was in doubt, he added. The effort to turn it around was going to be enormous, and the probability of success was low. But, I stayed involved with the company, reasoning that if I wanted to be a director in good times, I should live up to that commitment in difficult times.

NACD Directorship magazine will feature profiles of the 2018 honorees in its November/December issue.
Custom superyacht builder Oceanco joins Phukets KRSR

PHUKET: Privately owned custom superyacht builder Oceanco has joined the Kata Rocks Superyacht Rendezvous (KRSR ). Ocenco builds full displacement yachts in 80metres long, or longer. Since its inception in 1987, Oceanco has built 29 custom superyachts up to 110m in length. Several 100m-plus yachts are currently under construction.

marine

By The Phuket News

Friday 2 November 2018, 09:46AM

Oceancos 91-metre DAR was recently hosted at the Monaco Yacht Show. Photo: Oceanco

The Kata Rocks Superyacht Rendezvous (KRSR is delighted to welcome Oceanco to the KRSR, marking the first time it has officially joined the leading superyacht event in Asia. Oceanco, builder of some of the worlds largest superyachts, will host an exclusive owners dinner in a Kata Rocks Penthouse pool villa, the KRSR organisers announced in a notice issued earlier this week.

Oceanco Group Marketing Manager, Paris Baloumis said, Oceanco is pleased to be joining the Kata Rocks Superyacht Rendezvous for the first time. Oceanco yacht owners are known to cruise extensively aboard their yachts and Thailand has become an increasingly popular destination for them. The exotic seascape, fascinating culture, and excellent superyacht facilities make this part of the world extremely appealing. We are proud to be sponsoring the Oceanco Owners Dinner held at Kata Rocks this year.

Oceancos award-winning pedigree features some of the most sophisticated yachts on the water today. It is a world leader in building prestigious custom yachts from 80 to 140 meters, integrating timeless Dutch craftmanship with sophisticated new world know-how and the technology of tomorrow, the KRSR organiser noted in their release.

Oceancos 91m yacht DAR was recently launched and was turning heads at this years Monaco Yacht Show 2018 (MYS).

The Oceanco announcement follows the KRSR team joining th e2018 Monaco Yacht Show.

The KRSR team celebrated the essence of superyacht lifestyle at the worlds leading superyacht show, embracing a busy working schedule of meetings with owners, builders, designers, brokers, luxury brands plus yachting and lifestyle media, the organisers noted.

Michael Nurbatlian, Infinite Luxury Director of Marketing, said, We would like to thank the organisers of the MYS 2018 for the incredible hospitality and for hosting the entire KRSR team this year. We are also delighted to welcome Oceanco, a truly world class shipyard and icon of innovation."

Celebrated as the event for superyacht owners, the third edition of the KRSR will take place on Dec 6-9 at Kata Rocks. (Click here.)
Winter Wonderland to honor Gordy Osthus this year, opens Nov. 26

This year, the Watertown Optimist Club dedicates the Winter Wonderland in honor of the man who helped create it - Gordon "Gordy" Osthus.
NORTH WALES  Firefighters in the North Penn Volunteer Fire Company have been preparing for months to put on a show this Saturday.

The company is putting the finishing touches this week on their newly renovated station and brand-new Ladder 62 ahead of a formal engine housing and re-dedication ceremony.

Were doing a parade through town, starting at noon, and theres 25 companies invited, and were going to have a traditional housing, backing the truck in, with all of the chiefs and officers and neighboring companies, said Fire Chief Don Holt Jr.

Then were having a party, catered by mission BBQ and the Green Turtle and Tex Mex (Connection)  were excited, I know I am, he said.

Back in May the fire company took delivery of its new Ladder 62, a 2018 model KME Predator Tractor Drawn Aerial featuring a 101-foot-tall main ladder, 17 ground ladders that total 358 feet of height, and a 1,500 gallon per minute pump.

Since then, according to Holt and fire company President Dave Quinn, the company, which serves North Wales and Lower Gwynedd, has been training drivers on how to operate the new engine. The new model has a hinged midsection allowing for more maneuverability on narrow streets, and needs a second driver with special training at the rear. About 30 drivers and rear tiller operators have already been trained, with about ten more currently in training, Holt and Quinn said.

Im very excited about how this new truck turned out, and how were moving forward with it. The members are on board 100 percent, and were out two or three nights a week training the new folks, he said.

A lot of folks who are qualified, whether as operator or tiller-man, are willing to go out with the new folks who are in training, to make us better, Holt said.

On Nov. 3, the new truck will lead a parade of dozens of current and antique firetrucks down Main Street, where the engine will be ceremonially backed into a station bay that was specially refurbished and enlarged to fit it. Local dignitaries will speak, and the companys firehouse will then be open for the public to visit, with live music, catered food, and commemorative items up for sale with proceeds to benefit the fire company  and info on how volunteers can do their part.

Every little bit is very helpful. Were very grateful to the community, and the two local governments we serve, and the community members, Holt said.

Its not just firefighting, its administrative, fundraising  if you dont want to run into burning buildings, you dont have to. We have other things for you to do, he said.

Quinn said the company is still working to raise the estimated $1.3 million needed for the purchase of the new truck, and the additional $1.5 million for the station renovations. The first two phases of the renovation project, expanding a truck bay for the new engine and refurbishing parts of the firehouse, while adding an elevator shaft with a new clock tower, are now complete, and the third phase will complete the interior refurbishments.

All of this area that we did the renovations in, we did the piping for the sprinkler system, so its just a matter of connecting that in, Quinn said.

Fire engine housing events date back to the days when wagons carrying water were drawn by horses, and had to be disconnected and pushed back into the firehouse, according to Holt and Quinn. The new engine has already been out on numerous calls over the past six months, and was on display during the boroughs Community Day events in late September.

People loved it. We had all of our trucks out on Montgomery (Avenue), we had the ladder out, and we had a small firefighter obstacle course for the kids. People were excited about it, and hopefully well have the same thing this Saturday, Holt said.

Those interested in attending the engine housing can park at the boroughs train station or in any legal spots on borough streets. Holt and Quinn said the engine housing is the companys first in four years, and once its complete, their next appearances will include carrying Santa in Lansdales Mardi Gras parade on Nov. 17, a Black Friday fundraiser on Nov. 23, then trips taking Santa to borough neighborhoods for the following month.

Ive been doing this a long time, but its amazing to me to see people dedicate so much time to this place. Its incredible. Its a strong bond, and a brotherhood, here, and everyone treats everyone like family, Holt said.

For more information on the North Penn Fire Company visit www.NorthPennFire.com, search for North Penn Volunteer Fire Company on Facebook or follow @NPVFC62 on Instagram.
A previously unreleased jam by Eric Clapton and Tim Duffy is set to be released next year.

'Mississippi Blues' will be part of 'Blue Muse', a compilation from the Music Maker Relief Foundation - founded by Tim Duffy in 1994 to preserve the musical traditions of USA's south.

The recording dates back to 1995 when Duffy - not long after he founded the foundation with his wife Denise - first met Eric Clapton.

"This particular cut began with Eric playing a slow blues in the key of A, and I backed him up with my simple rendition of the piece 'Mississippi Blues' by Willie Brown. Eric knew the tune. I told him I learned it from a Stefan Grossman recording, and Eric knew the album," said Duffy.

You can listen to the track below:
The young Malaysian tycoon wanted by the U.S. for his alleged role in ransacking a state investment fund says he's innocent, and he's been fighting back against the allegations while in hiding.

For 36-year-old Taek Jho Low, or Jho Low, it's a far cry from earlier days of partying with jet-set celebrities like Paris Hilton in Las Vegas and Saint Tropez.

On Thursday the Justice Department charged Low for alleged involvement in a money laundering and bribery scheme that pilfered billions of dollars from Malaysia's 1MDB investment fund. Prosecutors announced a three-count indictment against Low in the first charges arising from the epic corruption scandal at the now-insolvent state investment fund.

A Malaysian-Chinese born on the island of Penang whose grandfather was born in southern China's Guangdong, Low describes himself on his website Jho-Low.com as a "global investor and philanthropist" with experience in many companies, financings and projects in media, entertainment, retailing, hospitality and real estate.

Educated at Harrow, an elite British prep school, and later at Wharton, his family made its fortune in mining, trading and garment manufacturing.

Low has chafed over criticism of his partying and playboy lifestyle. The website mentions his support of the Gabrielle's Angel Foundation, which funds research into cancer treatment and prevention.

In a video to promote his family's company, Jynwel, Low said he early on wanted to be a brain surgeon but gradually grew more interested in business and politics while attending meetings with his father.

He said he "finally landed on business because it was a good combination between the ability to influence change and also the ability to help people." His company, he said, was interested both in sustainable development and social development.

In its LinkedIn profile, Jynwel Capital describes itself as an international private equity investment and advisory firm with 10-50 employees. It says it cultivates lifelong relationships with "significant investors such as leading sovereign wealth funds, major international investment companies and large family enterprises."

The company's own website is "undergoing major reconstruction."

In a statement dated Nov. 1 that reiterated earlier comments, Low asked that people "keep an open mind" and said evidence will vindicate him.

He said billions in bond offerings detailed in the DOJ indictment were "undertaken openly and lawfully between experienced, well-regulated financial institutions and government entities."

Low held no formal position at the 1MDB fund, which is insolvent but still exists pending payment of its billions of dollars in debts, though the U.S. Justice Department says he had considerable influence over its dealings.

At Harrow he became friends with Riza Aziz, stepson of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who set up 1MDB to support the country's economic development. Najib was ousted in an election upset in May after former leader Mahathir Mohamad, outraged by the scandal, came out of political retirement. The 93-year-old Mahathir is now prime minister and reopened the probe into the 1MDB fund, and Najib is facing criminal charges.

Mahathir has urged Low to return to Malaysia to sort out the legal issues.

Justice Department documents cite multiple instances in which Low allegedly siphoned funds from bond offerings for kickbacks and bribes to Malaysian officials. They say many of the transactions were done through shell companies, which often are used to obscure origins and destinations of illicit activities.

But the documents emphasize that the charges are allegations and that Low and a former banker arrested this week in connection with the case, Ng Chong Hwa, "are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."

While his lawyers fight to have the charges against him dismissed, Low's whereabouts are unknown.

In earlier statements, Low said he would not "submit to any jurisdiction" where he could not get a fair trial, especially Malaysia.

He has vehemently objected to the recently published book "Billion Dollar Whale," which says it tells the inside story of Low and 1MDB.

Low has protested the seizure of his luxury yacht, the Equanimity, by Malaysian authorities as a political reprisal. It's now on auction to help recoup some of the huge debts created by 1MDB.

Singapore has fined eight banks for failing to carry out proper anti-money laundering measures in relation to 1MDB and ordered prison sentences for several bankers. It has seized 240 million Singapore dollars ($180 million U.S.) of property and cash and says about half of that belonged to Low and his immediate family.
The sun will come out tomorrow, or at least some time next year.

Thats the message from Canadian oil producers suffering from the worst domestic glut in at least a decade. Even as prices dipped to new lows on Thursday, some companies including Suncor Energy Inc. and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. see reasons for optimism. Enbridge Inc.s Line 3 pipeline is scheduled to be expanded and more oil is moving by rail. But for now, some producers are choosing to cut output rather than sell at current regional prices.

Demand for these products is coming up, Steven Williams, Suncor chief executive officer, said in a conference call Thursday. Rail movements are starting to ratchet up, and of course, we had good news this last week about Line 3 progressing.

Canadian crude prices collapsed last month as a surge of new oilsands production and output from the shale formations of the Montney and Duvernay encountered pipeline bottlenecks and reduced U.S. demand amid refinery maintenance.

Heavy Western Canada Select fell to a discount of more than $50 a barrel to West Texas Intermediate futures last month, the biggest in at least a decade. Light Edmonton Mixed Sweet reached its widest in Bloomberg data back to 2014 Thursday, while light synthetic crude fell to its widest since 2006.

Husky Energy Inc., which is seeking to buy rival MEG Energy Corp., is less optimistic, according to chief executive officer Rob Peabody.

We are assuming that high differentials continue certainly the rest of this year, all of next year, all of the year after that, Peabody said in an Oct. 25 conference call. And then, we start seeing some structural relief from some of these pipelines if they come on according to the kind of current schedule.

Amid the glut, Canadian Natural said Thursday it would shut as much as 55,000 barrels a day of mostly heavy oil output in November and December after smaller cuts in October. Cenovus Energy Inc. is running its Foster Creek and Christina Lake projects at reduced rates and has stored some production in salt caverns, the company said Wednesday.

Hope on the horizon

Some relief is on the horizon. Most immediately, U.S. refineries that take Canadian crude, such as BP PLCs Whiting plant in Indiana, are scheduled to return from maintenance this month, boosting crude demand.

As those refineries come back up, that should allow you to start drawing down inventories, Randy Ollenberger, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets, said in an interview. The differential I think should improve for sure in December from this $45 level.

Longer term, Canada needs to break the logjam of limited export pipeline capacity. Crude shipments by rail are picking up with Cenovus signing multi-year agreements to ship 100,000 barrels a day and Canadian Natural agreeing to ship 10,000 barrels a day. Enbridges 370,000 barrel-a-day Line 3 pipeline expansion is scheduled to start operating by the fourth quarter of next year.

Line 3 should contribute to some significant easing of the differentials by the middle of next year, Alex Pourbaix, Cenovus CEO, said on a conference call Wednesday.

A total of 600,000 barrels a day of added takeaway capacity are scheduled to open up over the next year, Steve Laut, Canadian Naturals executive vice chairman, said in a conference call Thursday. This includes 150,000 barrels a day of crude-by-rail shipments as well as the Northwest Redwater refinery, which will process 80,000 barrels a day at full output and is scheduled to start operating by year end.

Its our view the market anomaly is most likely a nine to 12 month event, Laut said.
MONTREALDorel Industries Inc. shares hit a near 10-year low after the company missed analyst forecasts in its latest results and warned that it is getting caught up in the trade war between the United States and China.

Shares in the bicycle, baby gear and home furnishing maker hit a low of $19.71 in Friday morning trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the lowest point since April 2009. They recovered somewhat to close down $1.84 or 8.29 per cent to $20.36.

It was a very disappointing quarter, but were doing a lot of things and I dont think we need to wait very long to see some improved results over the third quarter, said chief financial officer Jeffrey Schwartz on an earnings call Friday.

The Montreal-based company said U.S. tariffs of 10 per cent on Chinese imports mainly affects its home furnishings and sports products businesses, since juvenile products such as car seats and strollers were excluded from the tariffs.

However, the company is worried that the tariffs imposed in September on thousands of products could reach 25 per cent in the new year without an agreement.

The company intends to pass on to retailers the rising costs from tariffs, as well as from higher input costs like resin and other inflationary pressures, said Schwartz.

We do fully intend to pass all the costs on. There could be an effect on demand.

He said the majority of producers are looking to pass on costs to retailers, and that those who arent yet will have to if the 25 per cent tariffs kick in.

The higher prices mean customers might start shopping down a tier, but that Dorel is prepared since it offers products in a range of price points.

Were going to see people, as the price gets a bit out of reach, stepping down in product, said Schwartz.

Earlier this year, Dorel was forced to write off a US$3.8 million bad debt expense because of the bankruptcy and liquidation of U.S. retailer Toys R Us.

Dorel says its third-quarter net income fell nearly 28 per cent to US$9.6 million or 29 cents per diluted share.

Excluding one-time items, it earned US$11 million or 34 cents per share in adjusted profits. Thats three cents below forecasts of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters Eikon and compared with US$14.5 million or 45 cents per share a year earlier.

Revenues grew 4.3 per cent to US$670.1 million, from US$642.6 million.
Carbon pricing should be a settled issue in Canada, as it is in much of the world, especially among countries seeking to gain competitive advantage from it.

Yet carbon pricing, which this article uses as a proxy for reduction in all greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), is shaping up as one of Canadas hottest political issues.

As recently as two years ago, there was near unanimity among provinces on the need for carbon-pricing regimes, some of which were planned or in place even before the Trudeau government mandated them for the entire country by Jan. 1, 2019.

But that consensus has been broken by subsequent changes in government in several provinces, notably a new Ontario government fiercely opposed to carbon pricing.

Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick lack carbon-pricing programs or have a climate-change program that falls short of federal standards for pricing pollution. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in particular, is engaging in populist demagoguery in holding out against putting a price on carbon pollution.

That resistance puts Canada on the wrong side of history. The World Bank insists that carbon pricing is an essential part of the solution to global warming. The venerable UN climate change panel, biggest and most authoritative agency in the fight against global warming, called in a landmark report last month on all governments to introduce carbon pricing, and to set the price as high as possible if there is to be any hope of reaching necessarily ambitious GHG reduction targets.

Closer to home, the C.D. Howe Institute, Canadas leading business lobby, says the politics of carbon pricing may have changed, but the climate change challenge has not. It labels the anti-carbon pricing jurisdictions rogue provinces.

Already, 53 governments worldwide have put a price on GHG emissions.

They include six Canadian provinces and all three territories; the European Union, worlds largest economy; Japan, third-largest economy; several of Chinas largest manufacturing centres; and powerhouse economy California.

That carbon pricing is an affordable remedy is evident in the mid-income countries that have adopted it, including Mexico, Slovenia, Latvia and Kazakhstan.

The chief weapon of climate-change deniers is not, in fact, denial that global warming exists. Instead, they are content to raise doubts about the degree to which humanity is the cause of it, and about the efficacy of proposed solutions.

That strategy is identical to the uncertainty that tobacco industry lobbyists manufactured about exaggerated human health risks from tobacco use.

So, just to set the record straight, some bald facts:

GHG emissions already impose a tax on all Canadians, in, among other degradations, poor air quality, higher health care costs, reduced crop yields and restrictions on business efficiency. Costs from weather events related to global warming alone cost Canadians more than $1 billion per year, Ottawa estimates.

Carbon pricing is the most efficient, lowest-cost means of fighting climate change. And it helps shift the costs of pollution to polluters, correcting a fundamental unfairness.

Carbon pricing is not a tax grab. Ninety per cent of the estimated annual $2.3 billion raised from carbon pricing will be rebated to Canadian households in their income-tax returns.

Last week, Ottawa unveiled its Climate Action Incentive program  payments of $128 to $305 for every adult Canadian in the four holdout provinces, with the first payments to arrive ahead of the federal election expected next year.

The feds will use the remaining 10 per cent of total funds collected to fund a program that helps hospitals, school boards, municipalities and Indigenous communities adjust to carbon pricing.

Small and medium-sized businesses alone will receive close to $1.5 billion in Ottawa adjustment assistance over the next five years.

That is not a case of simply returning to Canadians money taken from them. The carbon levy will be paid only by polluters.

Carbon pricing is a capitalistic, free-market practice. It leaves the decision on polluting to the polluter. Polluters have the option of reducing their carbon levies by making more use of public transit; by purchasing hybrid or all-electric vehicles (EV) with generous government subsidies; and in business, by switching to more energy- and cost-efficient equipment.

Carbon pricing is no different from the incentives and disincentives that both government and the private sector use to affect behaviour. With RSPs, Ottawa pays Canadians to save for their retirement. Heavy fines on failing to buckle up have saved thousands of lives. And so-called sin taxes have helped cut the percentage of adult tobacco use from 55 per cent in the 1970s to the current 18 per cent.

Carbon pricing is a powerful economic stimulant. By one estimate, the world will reap a staggering $26 trillion (U.S.) by 2030 from its transition away from fossil fuels.

The actual size of that number is debatable. But it is inarguable that a vast amount of employment income, much of it new, will be generated from installing solar panels on tens of thousands of structures, building bulwarks against rising ocean levels, replacing the global auto fleet with EVs, and providing irrigation systems in regions increasingly threatened with famine and fresh-water shortages due to climate change.

The Trudeau government has an electoral mandate for carbon pricing, and wont back away from a centrepiece of its agenda. Self-respecting premiers in the holdout provinces can choose between creating carbon-pricing programs they can call their own, or having Ottawa impose one on them of the feds design.

The Liberals will frame the next federal election as a debate not on carbon pricing, but on global warming, human survival and Canada as either a leader or foot-dragger in the fight against climate change.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who opposes putting a price on carbon emissions, accuses the Liberals of using carbon pricing to buy your vote with your money.

Justin Trudeau will enjoy stumping the country next year as a progressive alternative to the reactionary holdout premiers. And to present himself as the benevolent fellow providing every Canadian household with several hundred dollars a year in carbon-pricing rebates.

And for non-polluters, that federal money will, as they say, go straight to the bottom line.

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Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that has taken world markets by storm, may already be driving greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of a mid-size country, and a study released Monday said it could catapult the planet to dangerous levels of warming if it continues its rapid growth.

At least one critic cautioned that the new research makes much too coarse and even wrong assumptions  demonstrating that even as the cryptocurrency, worth about $6,400 per coin, grows in visibility, estimating precisely how it is affecting the environment remains hotly debated.

Theres no doubt bitcoin is notorious for its high energy use  the consequence of miners having to compute highly difficult problems to make a blockchain of transactions and win new bitcoin. This, in turn, requires high-powered, energy-hungry equipment.

These miners are well known for flocking to places with cheap electricity so that they can get a better return on mining. Sometimes, that means setting up near hydroelectric dams, in which case mining would not produce any greenhouse gas emissions. But in other cases, miners tap into electricity grids powered largely by coal plants.

Because bitcoin is a currency not maintained by banks but by a network of individuals, it relies on a technology called blockchain that is decentralized and depends on a vast number of users, called miners, to compute a record of transactions.

The computer users who do the laborious calculations are paid in bitcoin, which encourages yet more computing. No single entity manages the entire system, which eats tremendous amounts of energy from computers constantly solving problems to build the blockchain.

The problem is that as the price of bitcoin rises, there is more incentive to mine  after all, theres a better chance of making a good return. But the way bitcoin is set up, when this happens, the problems that must be solved also become more computationally difficult, requiring still more machinery and, thus, more energy use.

The study, published in Nature Climate Change, seeks both to compute the current energy use of bitcoin mining and what it could be in the future if the technology continues to grow. And it finds not only country-size present-day emissions but potentially planet-size impacts from further growth.

That to me was the mind-blowing thing about this, said Camilo Mora, a researcher at the University of Hawaii who published the work with his students.

Mora computed present-day greenhouse gas emissions tied to bitcoin by analyzing the energy efficiency of the hardware that mining uses and the countries in which the mining groups are based  mostly China, but also the United States and several other nations.

The result of the calculation was that bitcoin, today, probably releases about 62.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions  comparable with the emissions of a country like Austria, which has a population of nearly 9 million people.

Its a big deal for anything to be emitting at a country scale  and given how much trouble nations are having cutting emissions right now, anything new at this scale is nothing to sniff at. Still, with global carbon dioxide emissions at about 37 billions tonnes, bitcoin would represent just a fraction of the total.

But the study then compared a hypothetical future rate of bitcoin adoption to the history of technologies such as the credit card, the dishwasher and electricity itself, and it found that if bitcoin continues to catch on  and if computations to record transactions and generate new bitcoin become ever more complex and demanding  greenhouse gas emissions from the mining could explode.

If this thing grows to anything that resembles how technologies are included in society, this could easily exceed 2 degrees of warming within two decades, Mora said.

But the new work is contentious and probably not the final word on the subject.

Extrapolation using the other commonly used technologies will be speculative, but not unreasonable, David Malone, a lecturer at Maynooth University in Ireland, said in an email. Malone previously calculated that bitcoins energy demand was equal to that of Ireland itself.

Challenges faced by bitcoin could limit its use, Malone noted, rendering the analysis less accurate.

They talk a little bit about the problems that bitcoin has to overcome (for example, squeezing more transactions into a block and these might improve efficiency), he wrote. However, it is also possible that these limitations might limit bitcoins growth, and so limit the growth in CO2 emissions.

Another problem with the study is that it uses a countrywide average to determine the greenhouse gas emissions for a given amount of electricity use. But depending on where youre located in a country  using the U.S. as an example  your actual greenhouse gas emissions from using electricity can vary a lot because of the different power sources used to generate it.

For instance, some bitcoin miners have set up in eastern Washington state because of the cheap access to hydroelectric power in that location. This has been highly disruptive to local communities, but hydropower is a renewable energy resource, so the greenhouse gas footprint of such mining would be very low, or even possibly zero.

Harald Vranken, a professor at the Open University in the Netherlands who has studied bitcoins energy demands, raised this concern, and a number of others, in a strong critique of the study.

One of the biggest problems with the research, he said in an email, is the assumption that a growing number of transactions will power bitcoins energy use. It definitely is wrong to project that bitcoins energy consumption will increase linearly with the number of transactions!

Another, he said, is that not all miners who are part of a given group are necessarily even located in the same country. And large mining groups may operate in multiple countries.

I think it is questionable whether the estimated amount of CO2 produced by bitcoin mining in 2017 is right, and it is even more questionable whether projections for the future are right given the falsified assumption that more transactions implies more mining effort, Vranken concluded.

Still, theres no doubt that bitcoin uses a lot of energy.

Is there a solution? Mora said that, simply put, bitcoin has to change the way it operates  for instance, changing the difficulty of the problems that must be computed, or including more transactions in each calculation.

The world could also switch entirely to renewable energy, and then bitcoin mining would be as green as anything else  but were hardly there yet.

This is a good time for the people who have the power to operate these things to be aware of this potential threat that bitcoin is having, Mora said. And they have choices that are viable to reduce those emissions considerably right now.

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BEIJINGA Chinese internet company that serves up homemade breakdancing videos, dishy news bites and goofy hashtag challenges has become one of the planets most richly valued startups, with a roughly $75 billion price tag. And it has big plans for storming phone screens across the rest of the globe, too.

You may not have heard of the company, Bytedance. You may never have used any of its breezy, colourful apps. But your nearest teenager is probably already obsessed with Musical.ly, the video-sharing platform that Bytedance bought for around $1 billion last year and folded into its own video service, TikTok.

Frankly, its meaningless stuff, said Dong Yaxin, 20, a college student in Beijing who says he is active every day on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Bytedance says that more than half a billion people worldwide use Douyin or TikTok at least once a month.

Cute pet videos. Lip-synching to pop ear worms. Glossy digital effects.

There isnt such a strong sense of purpose on Douyin, Dong said. Thats actually whats so good about it.

But even for a purveyor of fluff, crossing the tech worlds most treacherous divide will not be carefree. There are two major internets right now: Chinas and the rest of the worlds. Beijings tough rules on content and operations have long made China difficult, even impossible, terrain for U.S. internet companies.

Those rules have also largely penned in homegrown titans like Tencent, whose overseas expansion plans have been hamstrung by the unique demands of catering to Chinas online population.

So far, Bytedance  which recently secured $3 billion in new funding from SoftBank and other heavyweight investors  has found a rare measure of success in both internets by doing things a little differently.

For one, it is making no pretense to be bridging the two digital realms.

Users of Douyin are entirely walled off from users of TikTok and vice versa; the better to manage the material that people in China can see. Beijings tightening controls have made these decidedly un-fun times to be in the business of fun.

Video game companies, celebrity gossip bloggers and livestreaming stars have all been through the wringer recently as the government works harder to stamp out cultural content that it deems unhealthy or unwholesome. The crackdown has not spared Bytedance  authorities ordered the companys joke-sharing app offline in April this year.

The company has also crossed borders with relative ease by focusing on light, affirming fare, and on attracting young  very young  users. But the Chinese Communist Party is not alone in having discovered a sordid side to Bytedances platforms.

Both before the company bought Musical.ly and since, horrified parents and others have reported finding adolescent users showing off suggestive dance moves on the app, mouthing lyrics about rough sex and worse. Police in Britain have investigated reports of adults propositioning children through Musical.ly.

Bytedance added new privacy settings and parental controls to TikTok in June. But if the company, which declined to comment for this article, cannot expand its ability to manage such issues at the same rapid clip at which it is drawing new users, its products could become the bane of many more parents and governments in many more countries.

Their children might not care.

Kang Sae-eun, 14, an eighth grader in Seoul, loves watching other young South Koreans on TikTok. Theres the girl who makes crazy faces, and the excellent dancer. Theres the cool girl with short hair  real girl crush material, she said.

They are funny and uninhibited, Sae-eun said. And best of all, they are regular kids like her.

It is much harder for young people like elementary school students to become famous on the better-known platforms, like YouTube, Facebook or Instagram, all of which I also use, she said.

Sae-eun said she didnt realize that TikTok was made in China, which raises what might be the most interesting question about Bytedance: How did a company that is further democratizing self-expression come out of sternly undemocratic China in the first place?

Bytedance, which was founded in 2012, did not set out to dominate the market for bite-size videos. For many years, the companys best-known product was not Douyin but a news aggregator called Jinri Toutiao, which uses machine learning to figure out what users like, then feeds them more of it.

In China, few media outlets command much loyalty among readers. That means an aggregator is a valuable and time-saving way to figure out what to read.

After a while, though, Beijing realized that an app that gave people exactly what they wanted ended up giving them a lot of not-very-wholesome stuff.

Last December, after Chinas internet regulator accused Toutiao of spreading pornographic information, Bytedance halted updates to several sections of the app and removed or suspended hundreds of content creators. A few months later, Toutiao was temporarily removed from app stores for unspecified reasons. And Bytedances joke-sharing app, Neihan Duanzi, was shut down entirely.

In a lengthy letter of apology, the companys founder and chief executive, Zhang Yiming, vowed to increase the number of employees moderating content to 10,000 from 6,000.

The product went astray, and content appeared that did not accord with core socialist values, Zhang wrote.

By then, Bytedance had another rising star in its stable.

Douyin was not even Bytedances first video app when it was released in 2016. But in the somewhat arbitrary, mildly mysterious way in which these things happen, it became huge.

The app is engineered for swift, maximal addictiveness.

Open Douyin or TikTok and you are plunged right into a video. Swipe up to get another, each refresh of the screen providing a dopamine jolt. The videos fill your phone display entirely, blocking the clock at the top and preventing you from seeing how many hours you have spent watching puppies and comedy skits and synchronized dancing.

Satsuki Hatashita, a 20-year-old college student in western Japan, has been hooked for months. She now knows not to use the app before taking a shower. I wouldnt be able to shower for a long time, until I finally stopped watching TikTok, she said.

She, too, was surprised to learn that the app was Chinese.

People like Hatashita have given Bytedance confidence in its march overseas. The company has opened offices in Japan, Brazil, India, the United States and beyond.

Still, Chinese staff stationed in China oversee significant aspects of Bytedances international apps. They even produce some culturally specific content, such as push notifications suggesting videos to watch. The company is hiring speakers of more than a dozen languages, including Portuguese, Polish, Malay and Arabic, for positions in China, according to an online posting.

An episode this year points to the importance, for Bytedance, of having people on the ground in at least one area: government relations.

In July, authorities in Indonesia temporarily blocked TikTok for hosting what they called pornography, inappropriate content and blasphemy. The Indonesian government had contacted TikToks Singapore office to give a few days warning. But it didnt receive a response until after the app was shut down, Rudiantara, Indonesias minister of information, said in an interview.

Bytedances recent hires suggest that it wants to avoid similar incidents. Instagrams head of public policy for the Asia-Pacific region, Helena Lersch, recently resigned to become Bytedances director for global public policy. Facebooks public policy leads in Indonesia and Japan recently left to join Bytedance, too.

Before Douyin took off, Chinas internet didnt have a reigning social platform dedicated to short, easy-to-make videos. In the rest of the worlds internet, where Instagram, Snapchat and others are already popular, TikTok faces stiff competition.

For Tao Ni, a 25-year-old newspaper reporter in eastern China, Tencents messaging app WeChat has already become more of a tool for work than a fun way to kill time. Weibo, a popular Twitter-like platform, can be wearying. But not Douyin, Tao said.

Its because each video is so short, she said, that she can end up spending hours on what amounts to channel-surfing. Anything longer than 15 seconds, and I might start to feel tired.
The Alberta Energy Regulator is apologizing for a staggering presentation, made last February by one of its highest-ranking officials, that warned the provinces oilpatch that it could be sitting on an estimated $260 billion in financial liabilities.

The details of the presentation, made by the regulators vice-president of closure and liability Robert Wadsworth, riled up the Alberta and federal legislatures when made public in a report on Thursday by National Observer, Global News, the Toronto Star and StarMetro Calgary.

The estimated liabilities Wadsworth cited in his February presentation are $200 billion greater than the previous calculation made public by the regulator. The AER had previously said the cost was just over $58 billion.

The joint media report, based on speaking notes released through Freedom-of-Information legislation, revealed Wadsworths thoughts on the flawed nature of Albertas oversight. He warned the industry to prepare for tougher rules cracking down on a growing number of inactive sites.

Wadsworth has declined to give an interview about his remarks. The regulator said earlier this week in a statement that the estimates he released were based on a worst-case scenario involving a complete and immediate shutdown of the entire industry.

But following the media report, the regulator went further, suggesting the decision to use the numbers in the presentation was a mistake.

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We want to apologize for the concern and confusion that this information has caused, the statement reads. The numbers are staggering: $260 billion in total liability, which is $200 billion more than we have consistently reported. This particular estimate was created for a presentation to try and hammer home the message to industry that the current liability system needs improvement.

While the message to address liability is important, the numbers were not validated and were based on a hypothetical worst-case scenario. Using these estimates was an error in judgment and one we deeply regret.

That statement appears to be at odds with Wadsworths presentation, which stated multiple times that the $260-billion figure was likely to be a low estimate.

The $58-billion calculation, according to Wadsworths presentation notes, is based on self-reported numbers from industry. The $260-billion estimate, meanwhile, was calculated internally by AERs own experts.

The AER said Thursday that its earlier, public figure of $58.65 billion was an AER-verified calculation of current liabilities.

When asked whether it disagreed with the presentation, the regulator would only say the higher estimate had not been validated by the AER.

Wadsworth also warned that provincial officials needed to act quickly to ensure taxpayers were not left on the hook for the liabilities, since companies had only submitted about $1.6 billion in security deposits to cover the cost.

The liability estimate factors in the costs of shutting down and cleaning up oil-and-gas sites at the end of their usefulness. That includes inactive wells, pipelines and tailings ponds in the oilsands.

Pressed by journalists to respond to the report, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley noted that the problem was significant.

She said the liabilities would be hard to address amid the biggest oil price drops in generations, adding that company practices have improved, but after decades of buildup, the existing problem is not one that we can fix overnight.

The issue has always been one that is of concern to us, Notley said. Its actually a matter that I raised with the provincial government well before we were in government  back when I was in opposition.

United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney declined to comment on the investigations findings.

However, UCP MLA Jason Nixon said his party will likely have more to say about the issue ahead of Albertas upcoming provincial election, scheduled for spring 2019.

Regulations were behind when our industry started, and theres going to be some creative ways that governments in the future are going to have to look at tackling, Nixon said. I dont have an answer for that today.

The issue also came up during Question Period in the House of Commons on Thursday, as federal politicians sparred over the investigations findings.

Alexandre Boulerice, NDP MP for RosemontLa Petite-Patrie, asked what it would take to get the Liberal government to take real action on climate change.

Thats a hefty bill for pollution, Boulerice said in French, referring to the estimated $260-billion price tag.

When you have to take the Liberals to court to get them to take real steps on climate change, things must be pretty bad. Is that what the Liberals are waiting for? To be taken to court?

The federal minister responsible for intergovernmental affairs disagreed.

On the contrary, responded Dominic LeBlanc. Weve shown that we would take climate change seriously. We have a plan that Canadians understand and that they know will make a real difference in the fight against climate change.

In its new statement from Thursday, the regulator added that regardless of the estimates, it was still working directly with companies to introduce new requirements that improve oversight.

With files from Kieran Leavitt, StarMetro Edmonton

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After a season marked by a new work about a Canadian animation icon, the companys triumphant return to Paris and the Toronto debut of a hot, young choreographer, the National Ballet of Canada has posted its ninth consecutive operating surplus.

It was reported at the ballets annual general meeting on Thursday that the company had a surplus of $257,000 on revenues of $35.528 million and expenses of $35.271 million.

Artistic achievement and global attention were at the centre of a remarkable year at the National Ballet of Canada, board chair Cornell C.V. Wright said in announcing the surplus.

The year included the world premiere of Frame by Frame, about Canadian filmmaker Norman McLaren, by Robert Lepage and Guillaume Cote; reprises of The Winters Tale, Nijinsky, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker; and two triple bills, one of all-Canadian works and one that featured Paz de la Jolla by Tony Award-winning New York choreographer Justin Peck.

The ballet took its acclaimed version of John Neumeiers Nijinsky on tour, including its first visit to Paris in 45 years.

All together, the company reached 26,664 people with 17 touring performances in Paris, San Francisco, Ottawa and London, England, where it performed The Dreamers Ever Leave You by choreographic associate Robert Binet.

Here at home, attendance didnt quite reach the record high of the previous season but was still quite healthy, with 143,831 people attending 79 performances at the Four Seasons Centre.

It also reached 2,313,688 viewers with digital livestream events.

And the company reported that it had reached $94 million of the $100-million goal for its Soaring campaign to ensure its future financial stability, and that its endowment fund grew $5.8 million to a new all-time record of $74.6 million as of June 30.

The success of last season couldnt have been possible without the hard work and commitment of all the talented people who work at the National Ballet, artistic director Karen Kain said in a news release. I cant thank the dancers, musicians, artistic staff, production staff, administrative staff, volunteers, donors and board members enough for everything they do.
DRUMHELLER, ALTA.A southern Alberta woman has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for animal abuse that the judge called substantial and criminal.

Catherine Adams, who is 25, was found guilty in February of animal cruelty and of wilfully causing pain, suffering or injury to an animal.

In 2015, RCMP seized nine malnourished horses, 25 dogs and 17 birds from a property in Hanna that Adams shared with her mother.

Judge Judith Shriar said in Drumheller provincial court that a written submission from Adams expressing remorse after the sentencing hearing was too little and too late.

Shriar said Adams still hasnt accepted that she did anything wrong.

The judge also sentenced Adams to two years of probation and banned her from owning animals anywhere in Canada for the next 17 years.

She rejected a request for house arrest or for Adams to be able to serve her sentence on weekends.

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OTTAWAIt was one of the sweetest energy deals ever cut. Also one of the most foolhardy. But the countrys top court has ruled the Churchill Falls-Quebec hydro contract is ironclad and cannot be undone.

For the third time Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld a controversial 1969 contract that sees massive amounts of Churchill Falls hydroelectricity sold at enormous profit to Quebec with relatively little benefit to Newfoundland and Labrador.

The 7-1 decision, written by Quebec Justice Clement Gascon, overwhelmingly rejected all arguments by the Newfoundland government and Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corp. to try to undo the original deal, or to modify it.

Only Newfoundland Justice Malcolm Rowe dissented, in support of the latest attempt by his home province to force Quebec to renegotiate a contract that has poured more than $27 billion into Quebec coffers in the past 50 years and only $2 billion to Newfoundland and Labrador.

The terms of that contract are now set to govern until 2041.

Newfoundland Premier Dwight Ball told reporters in St. Johns he was resigned to the outcome. He said his government would not file further legal challenges but would seek to cooperate with the neighbouring province. Nalcor, the provincial Crown corporation that is the parent company of Churchill Falls, echoed that.

They have little choice.

One by one, the high court decisively rejected Newfoundlands attempts to use Quebecs own civil law and distinctive legal principles to roll back what has been a humiliating and disastrous result for the province.

It punted Newfoundlands claims that Quebec was breaching a duty of good faith under the civil code to renegotiate, that the contract should be viewed more like a joint venture than a simple transaction, that an unforeseeable jump in market prices for hydroelectricity has led to a legal obligation to renegotiate. Finally, the majority said a three-year statute of limitations bars Newfoundlands latest lawsuit to overturn the original terms.

In the 1960s, Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood, desperate to develop the ferocious tumbling waterfall power of the giant Churchill Falls in Labrador, struck a deal with Hydro-Quebec that would transmit the hydroelectricity at fixed, declining prices over the life of the contract.

But after the oil crisis of the 1970s shifted international energy markets and hydro power soared in value, those fixed prices became a boon to Hydro-Quebec.

Quebec has for decades transmitted and sold Labrador-generated power into eastern Canadian and northeastern United States markets for a windfall, and resisted all efforts, legal and political, to tilt the balance back.

After the ruling was released, Hydro-Quebec said the court had vindicated Quebec after years of legal battles, and reinforced the notion it had always acted in good faith and in a fair and equitable way towards Newfoundland.

It is a fair contract, said lawyer Pierre Bienvenu. He rejected suggestions that Quebecs refusal to renegotiate is evidence it is greedy.

He said both sides in the deal got what they bargained for.

Hydro-Quebec could have developed hydro power on its own territory back in the 1960s but chose to invest in the Churchill plant as long as it reaped the kinds of benefits it would have received had it built a similar project at home, he said.

Bienvenu said Quebec and CFLCO, the Newfoundland Crown-owned company that managed the project, went into the contract with their eyes wide open, with Quebec seeking a guaranteed stable price, and Newfoundland agreeing to its inherent protection against inflation through fixed declining prices, in order to complete the project.

Now the high court, and two lower Quebec courts have confirmed that this contract was fair when it was entered into, continued to produce benefits for both parties that were fair and anticipated, and the day will come when all of the benefits of this undertaking will flow to CFLCO, said Bienvenu.

In 2041, when therell be an estimated 120 years left in the generating plants lifespan, Newfoundland will be able to renegotiate it with Hydro-Quebec or find a new client for the power and reap the benefits for itself, Bienvenu said.

Churchill Falls produces 34 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectricity a year.

Bienvenu rejected any suggestion the divisive debate in the east has carried a national unity cost. He said while much is made of the cost and length of the eight-year legal proceedings that led to Fridays decision, more attention should be paid to the rigour and impartiality of judicial analyses which completely rejected the thesis underlying CFLCOs historical grievances.

The fact that the majority ruling was not signed by the sole Newfoundland judge on the court did not trouble Bienvenu, who said the majority here was very strong.

Bienvenu and Hydro-Quebec spokesman Cendrix Bouchard said the company hopes both sides will now move on to a new chapter of collaboration between them.

Hydro-Quebec did not have a duty to renegotiate the contract when the contract proved to be an unanticipated source of substantial profits for it, wrote Justice Gascon. In Quebec civil law, there is no legal basis for Churchill Falls claim.

Gascon said the high court cannot change the content of the contract, nor can it require the parties to renegotiate certain terms of the contract or to share the benefits otherwise.

It said Newfoundlands Churchill Falls Corp. has continued to receive exactly what it was owed.

In essence, the high court said Newfoundland had accepted the risk when it signed the deal. Both parties were experienced, they negotiated the contract at length, and there was no inequality or vulnerability in the original relationship, he said.

Gascon, citing the Quebecs legislative view of contracts and the role of judges not to intervene, said the duty of good faith in Quebecs civil code is a general one and cant be expanded to penalize a party whose conduct has not been unreasonable.

The duty to co-operate with the other contracting party does not mean that ones own interests must be sacrificed, Gascon said. Nor does the magnitude of the profits it earns justify modifying the contract so as to deny it that benefit.

In any case, Gascon concluded, the most recent event that would have substantially changed the market  and pricing  for Churchill power occurred when the U.S. federal energy regulatory commission in 1997 took actions to ensure the market would be open to all energy producers.

Gascon said that meant, because Quebec civil law imposes a three-year statutory limitation on such lawsuits, Newfoundland had no case to bring.

But Justice Rowe took a dramatically different view.

He said it was clear that it created an ongoing economic relationship rather than a one-off transaction.

It was, he wrote the framework for an interdependent and long-term relationship.

Rowe said the court had a role to play in re-establishing an equilibrium where the contracts division of burdens and benefits do not align with its intended scheme.

While courts may not modify or revise contracts, they can enforce what appears to be equitable, Rowe said.

The sting of the ruling is even worse now, as Newfoundland faces huge hurdles in trying to complete yet another massive hydroelectric power plant lower down on the Churchill River at Muskrat Falls.

That project, planned on the dream of circumventing Quebec and shipping the power via undersea cables to the island of Newfoundland and then onto Nova Scotia and directly into Canadian and U.S. markets, has been floundering. Massively over budget and off schedule, it could cost double the original price, and the province has projected it could result in huge electrical bill hikes for customers.

Former chief justice Beverley McLachlin heard oral arguments on the appeal last Dec. 5, but has since retired from the court and so did not sign the judgment, leaving it an eight-judge bench.

With a file from The Canadian Press

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EDMONTONA shortage of cannabis in Alberta means pot shop Alternative Greens is losing out on the other type of green: money.

The store, in north Edmonton at 12451 97 St. N.W., has closed twice due to lack of product since it opened on legalization day, said manager Roseanne Dampier.

If the doors closed, were losing money, especially if people are showing up, try the door and its locked, she said.

And with the demand the store has seen, the retailer may be forced to close again soon.

If we place an order today, we might maybe see it next week, Dampier said. So if we start running low before we get that order in, we might have to close for a few days.

Alberta Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis spokesperson Kaleigh Miller said the problem in the supply chain is with licensed producers, who have not been able to keep up with demand.

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We continue to get shipments, but its not at the agreed upon levels  from Day 1, theyve been low on the shipping, Miller said.

This is kind of the first hurdle weve faced that we really have no control over, she added.

Miller could not provide an exact tally of how much cannabis AGLC has in its warehouses, but she said there does not seem to be a robust amount across the country, citing stores that have closed as far away as Quebec.

She also did not have numbers for how much product is available on the governments online order website, but said when she last checked, there were about nine of 115 products available.

Were definitely on the lower end, but its fluctuating, she said.

Dampier says that smaller independent retail shops like Alternative Greens are having a harder time getting deliveries than the larger chains. She said theyre receiving shipments of product bi-weekly  if theyre lucky.

Numo Cannabis, at 11733 95 St. in the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood, has faced similar issues. The cannabis store has had to close two or three times since opening, said manager Daniel Nguyen.

We were out, now were fully restocked and should be open for the rest of the weekend  I dont think anyone could have known how much of a massive demand there was, he said.

But Nguyen is confident things will get smoother in the new year.

Theres no way its going to continue like this or otherwise stores are going to start shutting down, he said.

AGLC works with 15 licensed producers to source its product and said it is actively reaching out to more.

Jeffrey Gossain, vice-president of operations at licensed producer Atlas Growers in Alberta, said the company got a heads up from AGLC that demand has been extremely high.

Were ramping up our production just for that exactly, Gossain said.

After receiving a cultivation licence two weeks ago, it is now in talks with Health Canada to get a sales licence. Gossain said Health Canada has been proactive and co-operating heavily to try to get more licensed producers selling in bulk.

Theyre trying to basically speed things up to kind of help get the supply online faster, he said.

Health Canada has licensed 132 producers nationwide, with nine in Alberta.

In an emailed statement, Health Canada spokesperson Tammy Jarbeau said at the end of September, licensed producers had reported they had shipped more than 14,500 kilograms of dried cannabis and 370 litres of cannabis oil to retailers. They also reported they still had an inventory of 90,000 kilograms of dried cannabis and 41,000 litres of cannabis oil.

Health Canada remains confident that there is sufficient supply of cannabis overall to meet market demand now and into the future, she said.

But the federal department acknowledges it has also observed localized shortages in some markets.

This was expected and will likely continue in the months ahead, the statement says.

Health Canada says 89 companies have been licensed to produce in the last 16 months, more than double the number of licensees in the prior four years.

The agency has also granted 191 expansion amendments, bringing the total square footage of licensed facilities in Canada from two million square feet to more than 13 million.

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VANCOUVERA store in Kimberley, B.C., which has been issued the first provincial licence to sell non-medical cannabis at a private retail location is preparing for changes to prices, products and even staffing.

Tamara Duggan, owner of Tamarack Cannabis Boutique, is used to being a pioneer in the cannabis industry. Duggan has operated Tamarack since July 2015, when the store was granted the first local business licence for a medical cannabis dispensary in Canada by the Kimberley city council.

She said that being the first in the province to now obtain a private retail licence under cannabis legalization feels great.

Her next step is to register with the BC Liquor Distribution Branch and order products from their wholesale website.

Today Im making sure the process works, she said in an interview on Thursday. Hopefully well have the product by the end of next week.

While the first provincially operated BC Cannabis Store is already open in Kamloops, Tamarack will be the first licenced private store, which will sell only products provided by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch.

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The new regulations are already changing the way Duggans business in run, as she moves to receiving product exclusively from the provincial wholesaler.

It will simplify and streamline things quite a bit for me, since I only have one supplier that Im dealing with instead of multiple producers and supplies, Duggan said.

While Duggan said that new process creates less work for her, it also means she has had to cut back on staff.

Because product comes to me preweighed, premeasured and prepackaged, that eliminates the packaging department I had here in my store, she said, adding that she has already eliminated two part-time positions.

Prices are also set to change, and Duggan is expecting them to increase with the addition of provincial sales tax and with the new prices of the provincially regulated products.

I know prices will go up, I don't know much beyond that as I havent seen the wholesale prices yet.

The new regulations limit her to selling products exclusively from the B.C. wholesaler. As a result, some of her most popular products for those that choose not to smoke or are unable to smoke will be taken down from the shelves  including creams and edibles. Duggan will now advise customers preferring those types of products do the research and make them at home.

Across British Columbia, many cannabis retail store licence applications have been received by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch. Applicants must go through several steps in order to officially obtain the licence, including paying an application fee of $7,500 and receiving approval from their local government or Indigenous nation.

There are currently 16 applications in final stage approval in the Greater Vancouver/Sunshine Coast region, 27 in the Vancouver Island/Powell River/Gulf Islands region, and 43 in the Interior/North region.

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The provincial government insists there is no shortage of the new high-dose flu vaccine for seniors, even though frustrated seniors have been contacting opposition MPPs and the Star to say they are having trouble finding it.

Why are we hearing from constituent after constituent about the challenges of accessing the flu shot for seniors in our province? NDP Deputy Leader Sara Singh asked during Question Period on Thursday.

In response, Health Minister Christine Elliott said there is an adequate supply of the high-dose vaccine.

I stress there is no shortage, she said, adding that anyone having trouble finding it should call her office.

The provincial government last year announced that it was going to make the high-dose shot available to seniors beginning this flu season. It provides more protection than the regular flu shot to those with compromised immune systems.

It is supposed to be available through primary care providers, for example family doctors and nurse practitioners, as well as in settings such as long-term care homes, participating retirement homes and hospitals.

It is not being made available through pharmacies.

But last week, the Star began hearing from seniors who were encountering difficulties in getting it from family doctors.

I discovered I would not, in fact, be getting my seniors level of flu shot from my GP as they were not sent enough of it. As suggested, subsequent daily calls to see if theyve heard when to expect its arrival indicate no one has a clue, senior Miriam Harris said.

In response to inquiries from the Star, ministry spokesperson David Jensen said: There definitely is not a shortage.

Singh told the legislature that the NDP had contacted 20 clinics across the province and that 12 said they had not been able to obtain any of the high-dose vaccine or had run out. The others said supplies are running low.

Patients of the Taddle Creek Family Health Team in Toronto have seen this message when they log onto the clinics patient portal: We DO NOT have the Fluzone High Dose flu vaccine for 65 and older and have not been given a date when this will be delivered. This flu vaccine in NOT available at local pharmacies.

This is the recommended vaccine for people age 65 and older, but those 65 and older can receive the flu shot for the general public, although it will be less effective.

Elliott said there might be some confusion over where to get the high-dose shot as it is not being made available in pharmacies:

We have not been advised in the ministry that there have been any significant concerns with accessing the vaccine. There may be from one location to another, but there are many locations where one can go to receive the vaccine and I would encourage people to continue looking, calling around to make sure that that actual location has the vaccine in quantities that are necessary.

The province recommends that everyone six months of age and older should get the flu shot. The vaccine is publicly covered and can also be obtained in clinics run by municipal public health units.

Children between the ages of 2 and 17 years can get the vaccine as a shot or nasal spray.

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Over the course of their three-month marriage in 2015, Rajinder Gupta repeatedly raped his wife, telling her to just let the pain happen, a court found Thursday.

Superior Court Justice James Diamond found Gupta guilty of four counts of sexual assault and one count of assault.

His parents, Sheela and Vinod Gupta, were both convicted of uttering death threats.

According to the decision, the complainant testified Sheela told her she should be killed for not making her son happy and that these types of daughter-in-laws should be killed after a news story about a woman killed in India came on the television.

The complainant and her father testified Vinod said he would hang them and cut them to pieces during a bizarre dispute about living arrangements.

Sheela was also convicted of assault for slapping the complainant after the complainant made a phone call to her sister-in-law asking her to take her away from the Toronto home because of how she was being treated.

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Although Diamond said he did not believe Guptas evidence, finding him to be dismissive, nonchalant, aloof, arrogant and not genuine with little interest in his wife and a disconcerting and bordering on unsettling lack of knowledge of her health challenges during their marriage, Diamond acquitted Gupta on six other counts of sexual assault and one count of assault, as well as one count of uttering a threat to cause death.

Diamond found the complainant, whose identity is under a publication ban, to be a credible witness and accepted her characterization of her marriage as being controlled and dominated by (Gupta) and his parents.

But while she obviously (was) not expected to testify as if she kept a diary of every event that occured in her three-month marriage, he said, she was not always consistent or reliable in her description of some of the incidents that took place over the three months, leaving him with reasonable doubt on those charges.

The complainant testified with the assistance of a Punjabi interpreter, as did Rajinder and Sheela Gupta. Two Punjabi interpreters also translated Thursdays verdict to the Guptas. A sentencing hearing is set for December.

Diamond specifically rejected an attempt by Guptas lawyer George Tsimiklis to portray the complainant as someone motivated to leave her marriage to (Gupta) with honour by fabricating her evidence so that she would still be looked as a pure in her community.

Diamond said no expert evidence was called on this point and both the complainant and her father testified this was not the case. He found the complainant held off reporting the sexual assaults for months in the hope that things would change.

Diamond also rejected the defence assertion that the complainant made up the non-consummation of her first marriage to support her request for a divorce  no evidence was presented and the issue was clearly collateral, he said.

According to Diamonds ruling, the complainant and Gupta had an arranged marriage organized by their parents through the popular website shaadi.com. The wedding took place on April 15, 2013. The complainant went to the police on July 13, 2015.

The complainant moved into the Guptas home after the wedding and eventually got a job at a factory, although she would have preferred a job in the restaurant industry.

Gupta testified that he wanted his wife to work at a factory, rather than a Tim Hortons, because she should have a job where she has to work every single day and not have it easy  working hard means a factory job. He also forbid her from wearing make-up to work because he did not want her looking attractive when she was at work.

The complainants allegations of sexual assault start from the wedding night. She testifed Gupta raped her twice. The second time, she said, she told him it was even more painful than the first time and he responded: dont worry  let it happen  let the pain happen.

Gupta claimed they had consensual sex, and that the complainant made him feel ashamed by commenting that he had a tiny penis. Diamond found Guptas claim that the complainant was not satisfied with their marital sex life and sought to leave the marriage as a result had no air of reality.

Diamond said he acquitted Gupta on the two counts of sexual assault from the wedding night because the complainant gave conflicting testimony on whether she had consensual sex with Gupta during the first two weeks of their marriage  although she did testify she did not want to have sex with Gupta most of the time and that just to make him happy, I would say okay.

For their honeymoon, two weeks after the wedding, the couple took a day trip to Niagara Falls where Diamond found that Gupta raped the complainant at a hotel.

When they returned home, the complainant testified Gupta bit her breasts hard enough to draw blood, and also bit her shoulder and thighs. Gupta was also found guilty of sexual assault for this incident.

Several days later, the complainant testified when she refused to have anal sex with Gupta, he told her he would jump from the window and die. She testified that after he said that, she said okay, if you want, you can do it from the front side.

Although Diamond acknowledged a decision to consent must be voluntary and made without the influence of force, threats or fear, he acquitted Gupta of sexual assault on this count due to concerns about the complainants reliability.

Gupta was convicted on two counts of sexual assault, including one incident where the complainant testified Gupta anally raped her and forced her face into a pillow until she had trouble breathing. Diamond found the complainants sincere and truthful testimony was enough to sufficiently support a conviction on this count. On another night, Gupta raped the complainant twice, telling her to just let the pain happen.

Gupta was also convicted of assault for grabbing the complainant by the neck and telling her to get out of the home.

However, he was acquitted of uttering a threat to cause death. Diamond found that Gupta telling the complainant during a fight that she could or should jump from a bridge as they crossed one driving home did not constitute an actual threat to cause the complainants death.
Toronto police have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for a suspect in the shooting death of a 38-year-old man in Etobicoke earlier this year.

Christopher Reid, of Toronto, was shot while driving alone near Kipling Ave. and Longfield Rd. around noon on May 7.

Emergency services found him in his car, crashed on the front lawn of a nearby property. He was rushed to hospital, where he died days later.

Police determined after an autopsy that he had died of gunshot wounds.

Shortly after his death, police released surveillance footage showing a suspect vehicle driving with Reid before the shooting.

Reid was seen driving eastbound on Eglinton Ave., in the area of Hwys. 401 and 427, in tandem with the other vehicle, identified as a white newer-model BMW X6.

Whether he just happened to be going the same direction or not is hard to say, Toronto police Det. Leslie Dunkley said at the time. What we know is, it was about a 12- to 14-second gap between the victim vehicle and the suspect vehicle.

Both vehicles turned right on Lloyd Manor Rd. and proceeded to Longfield Rd.

Near Kipling Ave., the suspect vehicle stopped in the middle of the road and an occupant allegedly opened fire at Reid.

Still in his vehicle, Reids car accelerated and drove for about 150 metres before jumping the curb and coming to a stop. Meanwhile, the suspect fled south on Kipling Ave.

Richie Blackwood, 43, of Toronto, is wanted for second-degree murder. He is described as five-foot-eight, 160 pounds, with a medium build and a large mole on the tip of his nose.

Reid has a tattoo of the words blood line famous money and an image of a diamond on his left shoulder. He also has a tattoo of flowers on his left forearm, police said.

His aliases include Anthony White, Randy Richards, Jason Michael Carter and Stitch Blackwood.

Reid was Torontos 29th homicide victim of 2018.
LONDONA month after the killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, the Trump administration has decided to stand by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, having concluded that he is almost certain to retain his grip on power despite a growing international consensus that he bears responsibility for the killing, officials familiar with the deliberations said.

The White House was aware of the crown princes hostility to Khashoggi, a Virginia resident and columnist for The Washington Post, as early as Oct. 9. That was seven days after the dissident disappeared in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and long before the crown prince acknowledged that Saudi agents killed him.

In a phone call about the case with both Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and Middle East adviser, and John Bolton, the national security adviser, Prince Mohammed argued that Khashoggi was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, according to two people familiar with the call. The Islamist group has branches in countries around the Middle East, and, to the Saudis, being a member made Khashoggi a terrorist.

Rather than weighing Prince Mohammeds chances of retaining power, officials in the White House and around the region have turned instead to the question of what effect the lingering stigma of the killing may have on the grand plans laid out by the 33-year-old prince, who could rule Saudi Arabia for the next half century. And they are all wondering how they can leverage his vulnerability for their own benefit.

Everybody is milking this, said Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. With the crown prince now in visible need of external assistance to rehabilitate himself, she added, everybody is trying to turn this to their advantage and try to get what they can out of it.

Officials in the Trump administration have discussed proposals like urging King Salman, the 82-year-old father of the crown prince, to appoint a strong prime minister or other senior official to help oversee day-to-day governance or foreign policy, according to three officials familiar with the deliberations.

But such ideas were quickly discarded as unrealistic, in part because no one would be willing to risk taking such a job, or to appear to counter Prince Mohammed while he retains full control of all the Saudi intelligence and security services as well as the aging kings ear.

One person familiar with the White Houses deliberations said the administration expects to impose some sanctions on Saudi Arabia over the Khashoggi killing, in part because of bipartisan pressure from Congress. But the White House intends to keep the sanctions limited enough to avoid a rupture in its partnership with Crown Prince Mohammed.

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ISLAMABADProminent Pakistani cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, also known as the father of the Taliban, was killed in a knife attack at his home in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Friday, his family and police said.

Haqs son, Hamidul Haq, said his father was alone in his bedroom when he was attacked by an assailant, who escaped undetected.

My father has been martyred. He was alone at his home. His guard had gone out minutes before the attack and upon his return he saw my father in critical condition, he told reporters.

Police say Haq, 81, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.

Yousaf Shah, Haqs spokesperson, told The Associated Press that neither the attacker nor their motive was yet known.

Soon after his death, scores of Haqs supporters rioted, damaging shops and vehicles in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Haqs family appealed to his followers to remain peaceful.

A well-known religious scholar with a large following among radical Islamists, Haq was the head of his faction of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI) party.

Haq was a revered teacher with vast influence over Pakistan and Afghanistans Taliban, many of whose leaders and commanders studied a strict interpretation of Islam at his Haqqani seminary, earning him the father of the Taliban title.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the deputy leader of the Haqqani network, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, was one of dozens of Taliban leaders who graduated from Haqs seminary, located in the conservative Khyber Pukhtunkhwaprovince on the border with Afghanistan.

In recent weeks, dozens of Afghan clerics had appealed to Haq to use his influence with Afghanistans Taliban to plot a path to peace that would end the 17-year-long war there.

Pakistans President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned Haqs killing.

We lost a great scholar and religious leader today, said Khan in a statement from China where he is on an official visit.

Khan was widely criticized for embracing Haq ahead of Pakistans July elections that put the former cricketer-turned-politician in power. Khans provincial government in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa donated millions of dollars to Haqs hard-line seminary. He defended the move saying he wanted to see Pakistans thousands of madrassas, or religious schools, broaden their curriculum.

Haqs funeral is expected to be held Saturday in Akora Khattak.

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LONDONThe crew of a Japan Airlines flight was travelling by bus to Heathrow Airport here when the bus driver had a suspicion that there was something wrong with the co-pilot.

He could smell it on his breath.

After the bus driver alerted authorities, the co-pilot, Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, was arrested at Heathrow  50 minutes before his flight to Tokyo. A breath test showed he was almost 10 times over Britains legal alcohol limit for pilots.

Jitsukawa admitted he had consumed two bottles of wine and five cans of beer hours before he was to help pilot Flight JL044 last Wednesday, authorities said.

At the Uxbridge Magistrates Court on Thursday, the co-pilot pleaded guilty to exceeding the legal alcohol limit, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said. He was detained until his sentencing Nov. 29.

Japan Airlines apologized for the pilots actions and said it would take the violations seriously.

Safety remains our utmost priority, the airline said in a statement. We will implement immediate actions to prevent any future occurrence and to regain our customers trust.

According to the Kyodo News Agency, before the bus driver alerted authorities at Heathrow, the pilot had passed the airlines own breath test.

Because of the pilots drunkenness, the flight was delayed for more than an hour, but eventually took off with two pilots instead of the usual three.

Japans transport minister has said he will tighten rules about alcohol consumption by flight crews after a series of incidents in the industry.

We will use all possible means to ensure flight safety, the minister, Keiichi Ishii, told reporters Friday.

In May, a Japan Airlines flight attendant was caught drinking a beer in a bathroom during a flight, Kyodo reported.

Other incidents of drunkenness among crew members have drawn scrutiny to the industry. In June, a British Airways pilot was jailed for eight months after a breath test found that he was more than three times over the alcohol limit before he was to fly a long-haul flight.

The pilot, Julian Monaghan, had consumed three double vodkas and a Diet Pepsi in his hotel room on an empty stomach before his flight, the BBC reported.

Passengers had already started to board the plane before he was escorted from the cockpit in handcuffs.
TOKYOA Japanese journalist who returned from more than three years of captivity in Syria apologized Friday to the government and said he was kidnapped as soon as he crossed the border because of a silly mistake before he even started reporting.

Jumpei Yasuda faced a crowd of reporters in Tokyo for the first time since gaining freedom last week. He said he went to Syria on June 22, 2015, to see for himself the reality and how the conflict affected ordinary people, including women and children, as well as soldiers in areas controlled by anti-government groups. His plan was to follow up his earlier reporting in Syria.

Yasuda, a respected journalist known for his coverage of conflict zones, said he made a bad decision while crossing into Syria when his local escort suddenly changed plans and Yasuda followed a pair of unknown guides instead. As they walked into Syria, the pair grabbed him, pushed him into a car, took his luggage away and kept him in a house.

It was an unthinkable silly mistake, he said, adding that he is fully accountable for his suffering.

To everyone who assisted in securing my release and those who worried about me, I deeply apologize and would like to express my sincere appreciation, Yasuda, wearing a dark suit and tie, said as he bowed deeply. I am also sorry that the Japanese government had to get involved because of me.

He was kidnapped by an Al Qaeda branch known at the time as the Nusra Front, though the group never revealed its identity to him. A war monitoring group said Yasuda was recently held by a Syrian commander with the Turkistan Islamic Party, which mostly comprises Chinese jihadis in Syria. Yasuda said he was held earlier this year at a prison run by Uighurs who called themselves Turkistans  one of several places he was moved to during his 40-month captivity. He believes he was mostly in Idlib in northwestern Syria.

Yasuda detailed his life in captivity during a more than 2 1/2-hour news conference. He said he was allowed to keep a diary  one of his limited freedoms but a crucial record of his survival.

Nonetheless, his living conditions were harsh. He said he was harassed and tortured, even for making a noise. At a multistory facility, he was held in a solitary cell where he had to stay still within a tiny space. He had to keep his knees constantly bent and hardly had space to roll over while asleep. He said they punished him for creating noise, for example by turning off a fan in extreme summer heat. One of his captors told him the facility was in an area called Jabal Zawiyah.

Yasudas release came suddenly. On Oct. 22, his captors said he was heading home, and the next day they drove him to a meeting point where they handed him over to Turkish authorities. They removed his blindfold as they arrived at the immigration centre in Antakya in southern Turkey. Yasuda said he didnt know how his release was won.

While the public generally welcomed Yasudas safe return, some criticized him as a fearless troublemaker. In a country where those who act independently are often considered selfish and receive little sympathy when they fail after defying government-issued cautions, some people on Twitter demanded that Yasuda apologize for causing trouble. Past hostages have faced similar criticism upon returning home.

I humbly accept criticisms and suggestions, Yasuda said. Naturally, I receive the blame and attention because my actions caused trouble. But I hope people would take another step and think what is happening in Syria. And hopefully, the authorities would investigate my captors, he said. He also said the role of journalists in conflict zones is still crucial for the world to know the truth, and that he hopes his example can lead to a discussion of how safety and the quality of conflict zone reporting can be improved.

Rei Shiva, a journalist who has covered Iraq, Lebanon and other areas of the Middle East, said many reporters who cover conflict zones are not doing it just for money or fame, but want to see the situation themselves and tell the world about it. He said journalists who ignore government travel warnings become targets of bashing in Japan because many people are too unquestioning of government directives.

Are we supposed to run away every time the government issues a travel advisory? Then there will be no way of knowing anything, Shiva said. Because people in Japan dont feel strongly about their right to know, there is a lack of respect for journalists who fight for it.

Yasuda started reporting on the Middle East in the early 2000s and went to Afghanistan and Iraq. He was taken hostage in Iraq in 2004 with three other Japanese, but was freed after Islamic clerics negotiated his release. He worked as a cook in Iraq for nearly a year as part of his research for a 2010 book about labourers in war zones. He also wrote articles about his 2004 captivity.

Syria has been one of the most dangerous places for journalists since the conflict there began in March 2011, with dozens killed or kidnapped.

Asked if he will return to conflict zones after his suffering, Yasuda said his plans are still blank.

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ISTANBULTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, writing in The Washington Post on Friday, said that the order to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government and that certain Saudi officials were trying to cover up the crime.

Our friendship with Riyadh, which goes back a long time, doesnt mean we will turn a blind eye to the premeditated murder that unfolded in front of our very eyes, Erdogan wrote in an article for The Posts Global Opinions section. He concluded, in part, by saying, We must reveal the identities of the puppetmasters behind Khashoggis killing.

He did not name the officials he believes are covering up information nor offer new evidence for high-level Saudi involvement.

Erdogans comments, which coincided with the one-month mark since Khashoggis killing in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, were his most direct attack yet on the Saudi government and its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. As other Middle Eastern states, including Israel, have come to Saudi Arabias defence in recent weeks, Turkey has relentlessly demanded answers from the Saudi government. In the face of those demands, Riyadh has offered shifting accounts of how Khashoggi was killed.

This Turkish campaign has invited speculation about whether Erdogan is aiming to sideline Mohammed, whose regional policies have clashed with Turkeys interests and whom Erdogan is said to personally dislike.

While the Turkish leader did not implicate Mohammed in the killing, he also did not mention the crown prince by name  even as he absolved Mohammeds father, King Salman, of any responsibility.

Read more:

Khashoggis fiancee asks Trump to press Saudis for his body

Saudi Arabia again changes its story on Khashoggi killing

Trump administration standing by Saudi prince

I do not believe for a second that King Salman, the custodian of the holy mosques, ordered the hit on Khashoggi, Erdogan wrote. Therefore, I have no reason to believe that his murder reflected Saudi Arabias official policy.

Saudi Arabia has acknowledged that Khashoggi, a Post contributing columnist, was killed by Saudi agents inside the consulate but has insisted that they were acting outside the states authority. Saudi authorities have arrested 18 people, and five officials have been fired, including two of Mohammeds top aides, the government said. It has not elaborated on what connection, if any, the pair had to Khashoggis death.

Turkeys prosecutor said this week that the Saudi agents strangled Khashoggi almost immediately after he entered the consulate on Oct. 2 and then dismembered his body. Turkey has not publicly presented evidence for its accusations, such as an audio recording Turkish officials say captured Khashoggis killing.

We have shared the evidence with our friends and allies, including the United States, Erdogan wrote on Friday.

Erdogans government has demanded the extradition of the 18 suspects and in recent days accused Saudi officials of obstructing the investigation by withholding key evidence, including the location of Khashoggis body. Erdogan also wrote that it was deeply concerning that the Saudis had taken no action against Mohammed al-Otaibi, the Saudi consul general in Istanbul, who reportedly left Turkey two weeks after Khashoggis death.

The latest Turkish recriminations came as Saudi Arabia received support from an unlikely ally  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Friday described the killing of Khashoggi as horrendous but warned against any response that would destabilize the political status quo in Riyadh.

Israel had been publicly silent during the global firestorm over Khashoggis death, although Western officials say that, behind the scenes, it has told the Trump administration that Saudi Arabia is an important strategic partner in a region where U.S. policy is focused on countering Iran.

What happened in the Istanbul consulate was horrendous, and it should be duly dealt with, Netanyahu said, speaking in the Bulgarian town of Varna. Yet at the same time I say it, it is very important for the stability of the world, for the region and for the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable.

I think that a way must be found to achieve both goals, he said, because the larger problem is Iran, and we have to make sure that Iran does not continue the malign activities.

Netanyahu has also made note of Israels improving relations with Saudi Arabia, as well as several other Arab countries, in recent months. Sometimes this has come in reference to what he views as a shared strategic threat from Iran; other times he has mentioned it in the wider context of a regional peace plan that would bypass the Palestinians.

Netanyahus comments drew swift praise from Khalid bin Ahmad al-Khalifa, the foreign minister of Bahrain, which is a strong ally of Saudi Arabia.

In a message posted to Twitter, Khalid said that the Israeli prime minister had a clear vision to the stability of the region and the role of Saudi Arabia to keep that stability.

Analysts suggested Friday that Netanyahu had decided to publicly back Saudi Arabia and Mohammed to encourage a sense of indebtedness in the future.

Netanyahu also sees here an opportunity to score points with bin Salman in case he stays in power and continues to rule Saudi Arabia, said Ofer Zalzberg, the International Crisis Groups senior analyst for Israeli-Palestinian issues. Such a display of public support for the crown prince at a sensitive political moment could have significant potential gains down the line, Zalzberg said.

Elsewhere, the fallout from Khashoggis killing continued, with Norway saying that it had summoned its Saudi ambassador.

We have raised the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and presented our point of view to the Saudi ambassador several times after it was known, Ine Eriksen, the Norwegian foreign minister, said in a statement. We underlined how seriously we take this issue.

Human rights groups also have escalated calls for action against the Saudi government, citing the chilling effect that Khashoggis killing would have on rights defenders around the world.

A letter to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres signed by more than 100 writers, journalists, artists and activists called on Guterres to immediately authorize an independent, international investigation into Jamal Khashoggis disappearance and apparent murder.

If true, the murder of a journalist inside a diplomatic facility would constitute nothing less than an act of state terror intended to intimidate journalists, dissidents, and exiled critics the world over, it continued, according to PEN America, which distributed the letter.

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WASHINGTONJamal Khashoggis fiancee is calling for President Donald Trumps help in pressuring Saudi Arabia to reveal the location of the slain journalists body.

Hatice Cengiz made the appeal in a video message Friday to a memorial in Washington, where friends and activists marked one month since Khashoggis death.

Cengiz lamented that without his body, Khashoggis loved ones had been unable to hold funeral prayers. She said: Our pain is still as fresh as the first day.

She urged Trump to support Turkeys request for Saudi Arabia to extradite those detained in the kingdom over Khashoggis murder.

Istanbuls chief prosecutor says Khashoggi was strangled immediately after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2 and that his body was dismembered and removed from the consulate.

Read more:

Khashoggis body dissolved after murder, Erdogan aide says

Trump administration standing by Saudi prince

Saudi Arabia again changes its story on Khashoggi killing

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ISLAMABADThe release of a Christian woman in Pakistan, acquitted eight years after being sentenced to death for blasphemy, was apparently delayed Friday after talks failed between the government and radical Islamists who want her publicly hanged.

Islamists held rallies Friday across Pakistan against freedom for Asia Bibi and to denounce Wednesdays Supreme Court ruling that overturned her 2010 conviction of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Her family has always maintained her innocence and says she never insulted Islams prophet.

Since the landmark ruling, radical Islamists have blocked highways and damaged or set fire to dozens of vehicles to pressure the government to stop Bibis release from an undisclosed detention facility.

On Friday, some 5,000 Islamists rallied in the capital, Islamabad, and nearly 4,000 demonstrators staged a sit-in in Lahore, demanding that Bibis acquittal verdict be overturned. Similar rallies were also held in the northwestern city of Peshawar; there were no reports of violence.

Over 2,000 demonstrators blocked a key road linking Islamabad with the garrison city of Rawalpindi, causing traffic jams. Hundreds also blocked another key motorway, connecting Islamabad with other major cities. No violence was reported during the rallies.

On Thursday, a lawyer representing a local cleric who had raised the initial blasphemy charges against Bibi petitioned the Supreme Court to reverse its acquittal.

Pakistan shut down schools and colleges after radical cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik party, announced that talks between his deputies and the government about Bibis fate had failed.

Before dawn Friday, Rizvi told an emotionally-charged rally in the eastern city of Lahore that one of the government negotiators threatened his deputies during the talks that security forces will ruthlessly kill them if they did not disperse peacefully. He asked his supporters to continue sit-ins as authorities summoned paramilitary troops to restore order.

We are ready to die to show our love for the prophet, he said.

Rizvis envoys had demanded that Bibi be barred from leaving the country but Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry rejected the demand, saying the government will not accept any dictates.

Ghulam Mustafa, a lawyer representing a provincial cleric in Punjab who had filed the initial blasphemy charges against Bibi, petitioned the Supreme Court, requesting the judges review her acquittal. The court has set no dates to take up the petition, but Bibis release could be further delayed by the process. Pakistans Supreme Court has not been known to reverse its decisions but court reviews typically take years.

Interior Minister Sheharyar Afridi said Friday that officials were trying to persuade Islamists to disperse their rallies peacefully.

Authorities also stepped up security near an undisclosed detention facility where Bibi is being held for her safety. On Thursday, prison officials said two inmates were arrested last month for planning to kill Bibi by strangling her. They said the men were still being questioned.

Bibis family had expected her release by Thursday night. Her husband, Ashiq Masih, returned from Britain with their children in mid-October and was waiting for her release so they could fly out of Pakistan. Though the family has not disclosed the country of her destination, France and Spain have offered asylum.

Islamabad authorities suspended mobile phone services on Friday in the city, likely to prevent the crowds from swelling further in the Pakistan capital.

Bibis acquittal has posed a challenge to the government of Pakistans new Prime Minister Imran Khan, who came to power this summer partly by pursuing the Islamist agenda.

Khan condemned the Islamists on Wednesday after cleric Afzal Qadri urged supporters to kill the three judges who acquitted Bibi, revolt against army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa and overthrow Khans government.

Militarys spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor said Friday the army was exercising restraint, to give a chance for a peaceful resolution. He asked demonstrators to refrain from violence and await the outcome of the review petition to the Supreme Court.

Let this legal process be completed first, he told state-run Pakistan Television.

Bibi was arrested in 2009 after she was accused of blasphemy following a quarrel with two fellow female farm workers who refused to drink from a water container used by a Christian. A few days later, a mob accused her of insulting Islams prophet, leading to her 2010 conviction.

Bibis case has drawn international attention and also put Pakistans controversial blasphemy laws into focus again. The charge of blasphemy carried the death penalty in this majority Muslim nation and critics say it is often used to settle feuds and arguments.

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CHESHIRE, CONN.Upset about a breakup with his girlfriend, officials say Luis Clarke scaled a razor-wire fence at Cheshire Correctional Institution Wednesday night before stealing a pizza delivery car nearby in a brazen hours-long escape.

A fugitive investigations team tracked Clarke, who suffered multiple cuts from the fence, to Meriden about three hours after the escape, when he tried to get into an Uber car he ordered through the delivery drivers phone, Department of Correction Commissioner Scott Semple said.

I was extremely concerned with the timing of this (escape) being Halloween, there were a lot of children out and things of that nature, Semple said.

Wednesdays escape sparked a probe into security at the facility and one legislator said he intends to meet with the warden to discuss what happened. Town officials said the escape has reminded residents to make sure they are signed up for Cheshires emergency notification service.

On Thursday, Clarke, a 25-year-old Wallingford man with tattoos across his face and neck, appeared before a Superior Court judge in Meriden on charges of larceny and escape. Bail was set at $100,000 (U.S.) and the case was continued to Nov. 30. His new charges could add years to his sentence.

A low-level offender, Clarke had been sentenced in July, said Karen Martucci, a prison spokeswoman. He was placed in a minimum-security housing unit at the Cheshire Correctional Institution, known as the annex, which houses less serious offenders in a lower-security environment.

This is a separate building that is not even located on the main campus of the Cheshire compound, Semple said. This is the lowest level of security and oversight we have in terms of what the agency does in its mission.

Clarke was approved and assigned to work outside the prison.

At one point in time he was working out in the community, Semple said.

He said while he believed the appropriate amount of security for Clarke was in place, certainly there is some vulnerability.

Because someone was able to scale the fence, there is an issue with the security, Semple said. ... we are always going to the drawing board to look at what we can do to meet our public safety obligations.

DOC officials were reviewing whether Clarke should be placed on high-security status at the Northern Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Somers, officials said.

On Wednesday, Clarke hid during an outdoor recreational break between 5 and 6 p.m., state police said. When corrections officers did the 6:15 p.m. head count, Clarke was nowhere to be found and officials locked down the prison.

As is protocol, Semple said an additional count was done and then a more comprehensive review. Within 20 minutes of confirming the inmates escape, Semple said outside agencies, including local and state police, were notified.

Outside the prison annex, authorities found a bloodstained sweatshirt near the fence. A picnic table had been upended near where Clarke climbed over the fence, state police said.

Authorities later learned that Clarke stole a car from a pizza delivery driver at a shopping plaza less than a mile south of the prison, state police said. Along with his keys, the delivery driver had left his phone in the car, which police later tracked.

Clarke ditched the stolen car at Cheshire Academy and got a ride to a home in Meriden, where he was cornered by state police at about 9:20 p.m.

Semple said that Clarke was upset about a recent split with a girlfriend and had been confiding in a fellow inmate.

He made a decision to conceal himself when they were coming back in from recreation and somehow get up the fence line, Semple said.

DOC plans to conduct a review of Clarkes escape. Semple said Thursday it was too early to say where the breakdown may have been that allowed Clarke to get out. He said there could be some level of human failure in what transpired.

We will find out whats going on and we will respond appropriately, Semple said.

Semple did commend the parole officers assigned to track fugitives for their response and speed in getting Clarke back into custody working with other law enforcement.

News of the escape, first shared by the Cheshire police, then the state police and by the Department of Correction, quickly spread across social media as concerned residents and parents shared it amid a busy night of Halloween festivities.

Rep. Craig Fishbien, R-Wallingford, who represents the portion of Cheshire around the prison, was among those sharing the news of the escape on town-focused Facebook forums.

I have friends that live right down the street from there. I was concerned for their safety and well-being. ... Its a very scary situation, Fishbein said.

Online, people had expressed concerns about the escape including fears about a convict out in the community on Halloween.

Certainly anytime something like this happens, people are in their right to be scared and I credit law enforcement for getting the individual in three hours. But God only knows what couldve happened in that three-hour time, Fishbein said.

Town officials said they made efforts to quickly inform residents about the escape.

Alerts went out in minutes, Sean Kimball, the town manager, said. He urged residents to check and update their subscription to the towns code red emergency notification system, which sends a call out to residents in incidents like the escape Wednesday.

Kimball said he was meeting with town staff Wednesday to assess the alert system and recommend improvements, if necessary. He plans to meet with DOC officials to review what happened with the escape.

State Sen. Len Suzio, R-Meriden, whose district includes parts of Cheshire, said Thursday that he plans to meet with the warden and visit the facility.

I am concerned about the security of the prison and the safety of the community.

Wednesdays escape was the second from a state prison this year.

Jerry Mercado, a Hartford man serving a three-year sentence for burglary, escaped from the Carl Robinson Correctional Institution in Enfield on Jan. 5 by clinging to the bottom of a state vehicle that was not inspected by guards.

Mercado was captured 10 days later in Georgia. A judge recently sentenced him to four more years for the escape.

Am I disappointed there were two escapes in 2018? I am more frustrated, Semple said Thursday. In the Mercado case, I believe it was avoidable. This case is a little more unique, but there certainly are some similarities.

Both men were about to be released back into the community, they were young men and they had issues in their private lives, Semple said.

At the time of Mercados escape, Department of Correction officials said they were launching a comprehensive review of security at all facilities. Semple said they have done audits of all the facilities and before Wednesdays escape there were no known security issues at the Cheshire facility.

Despite commitments to review and address security issues, union officials said corrections officer posts and man hours remain decreased in prisons including Cheshire.

Unfortunately our agency has made the determination to cut posts and remove staff from the facility and we definitely feel that that is something thats a precursor to these things happening, said Rudy Demiraj, a correction employee who is president of AFSCME Local 387, which represents Cheshire Correctional Institution employees. The less eyes and ears you have on the ground, the more likely that something like this happens and thats what we are seeing right now.

Demiraj said he and the other heads of the local unions that represent corrections employees have taken their concerns all the way up to the governors office, but he said officials have not been receptive.

Semple said staffing shortages are not to blame, noting that the annex building has seen a steady number of officers for at least 15 years.

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Trump doesnt deserve all the blame levelled at him, Oct. 31

Maybe Trump doesnt deserve all the blame levelled at him says the headline over Thomas Walkoms column. The column takes issue with Trumps critics (including the New York Times) who put the blame for increasing racist attacks and sentiments on the rhetoric coming from the White House. Walkom cites statistics of the number of anti-Semitic attacks over the last several years, which apparently contest the theory. He also points out some achievements in diplomacy and trade that he claims Trump has made in his two years in office. The column ends with the statement Trump has shown himself to be an astute politician. Those who would dismiss him would keep that in mind. Yes, an astute politician, but rabble rouser would be my choice of descriptor. Racism and violence based on race has been rising in the United States and elsewhere (Canada is not immune) at least since the 2008 election. Actually, its never been far from the surface. In the United States, I would say that the election of a Black president in that year prompted a greater racist backlash than had been seen before. Much of that backlash can be seen in the birthright controversy, of which Trump was front, centre and lead. Walkom is fairly balanced in his description of Trumps personality, but I think hes wishy washy on the true nature of the beast. Trump is divisive and, as a great rabble rouser, he is using the distrust and anger of the American people to keep himself in power. Racism is definitely one of his trump cards.

Stephen Bloom, Toronto

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I am relieved  cautiously so  to know Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has stated publicly that he believes in the essential role journalists play in our democracy and is seemingly taking a more conciliatory tone toward the media than was earlier indicated.

Still, what I want to tell him and other politicians with power and influence who may be inclined to try to score political points by casting Canadas media as the enemy is simply this: Please, do not go there.

Can we please do our best not to import the ugliness that prevails in the United States where President Donald Trump repeatedly refers to the media as fake news and impugns us with that hateful slur, enemy of the people. Can we be better than that in Canada?

Too much of the hate and mistrust of the media stoked daily by Trump has already crossed borders  too many Canadians journalists can now attest to that. I hope all involved take seriously some responsibility to set a better standard of civility in our country.

The Star reported last week that the federal Conservatives appeared to be gearing up to battle the media as part of its 2019 electoral strategy, with Scheer accusing journalists of siding with the Liberals in the carbon tax debate and telling a rally he would stand up to the media. As the Star subsequently reported, Scheer said this week that he respects the role the media plays.

I believe its essential in a vibrant democracy that the media plays its role to hold politicians of all parties to account, that does fact-checking that makes sure you hold our feet to the fire and hold us responsible for what we say, Scheer said, after a meeting in Toronto with Premier Doug Ford.

That is an accurate and fair summation of the medias role in our democracy. And, to be clear, just as the journalists hold politicians to account, so too do politicians of every political persuasion  and citizens too  have every right to hold journalists to account for accurate, fair and trustworthy news.

That is fair game all around. But, any inclination from any political party to appeal to voters by demonizing the media should be resisted. Otherwise, we risk creating the hideous, unhealthy civil discourse now raging in the highly polarized U.S., where mistrust of media too often verges on hate and many journalists now fear for their safety.

Indeed, as The Associated Press reported this week, journalists in towns and cities across America say Trumps attacks on the media have resulted in more hostility toward them within their communities.

As a result, some news groups  including the Radio Television Digital News Association and the National News Photographers Association  are developing workshops for journalists on staying safe while covering local news. Newsrooms throughout North America have re-evaluated their security measures.

The environment has changed, Chris Post, a photographer for WFMZ-TV in Allentown, Penn., told AP reporter David Bauder. Ive witnessed the transition.

As has been said many times in recent days, as violence in America has escalated, hateful words can lead to hateful actions. Most days, I feel sickened bearing witness to Trumps constant attacks on journalists and I fear where this is heading.

I wish I could tell you we are not seeing similar trends here. But, over the past couple of years  since Trump became president  we too have seen increasing hostility and hate toward our journalists in emails and social media postings.

This has resulted in some new policies and practices: We now have a harassment file to collect and monitor threatening communications to newsroom journalists. Our social media policy makes clear that Torstar journalists are encouraged to block or mute those who make threatening, abusive or harassing comments.

And, while theres never been a time throughout my four decades working in journalism that I have not heard strong  sometimes well deserved  criticism of journalists, the tone now is darker, more hateful and increasingly more polarized.

Witness these words in a recent mail from a critic who parroted that ubiquitous f-word popularized by Trump: This exposed further your bias and hence fake news status, the man said. Corrupt, incompetent organized criminals and social terrorists the lot of you clowns pretending to be journalists.

There is not a lot we Canadians can do to tune out Trump and we should not be surprised that his words seem now to be emboldening haters and infiltrating our civic discourse. But for civilitys sake, lets hold our Canadian politicians to account to ensure they never decide it is a good idea  or good politics  to ape Trumps media bashing.

Please, lets be better than that in Canada.

Kathy English is the Stars public editor and based in Toronto. Reach her by email at publiced@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @kathyenglish

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Faith Goldy and her thousands of alt-right, nationalist, white supremacist supporters in Toronto and abroad must have felt like winners on municipal election night.

Yes, John Tory was re-elected mayor as predicted and Jennifer Keesmaat finished a distant second with 24 per cent of the votes. But, in a field of 35 candidates for mayor, Goldy easily topped the rest.

The final vote tally shows 25,667 Torontonians voted for Goldy  a virtual unknown until she crashed mayoral debates she wasnt invited to participate in and Premier Doug Ford posed with her and her supporters and then for days refused to distance himself from her.

Youd be missing the point if you are complacent about the fact that only 3.4 per cent of voters opted for the ethnonationalist considered too toxic for a far-right media site where she was a star of the unabashedly pro-white movement. Rebel Media fired her after she appeared on a neo-Nazi podcast.

Since before the turn of the century, avowed white supremacist Don Andrews has been the standard-bearer for that kind of odious platform in Torontos municipal elections. Andrews practice was to register and not campaign. In the 2003, 2010, and 2014 elections, Andrews poll numbers went from 1,220 votes to 1,012 or about one-tenth of 1 per cent of voters  truly fringe.

By comparison, Goldy received more than 1,000 votes in each of 12 of the 25 city wards last month. In Ward 1, territory of the Ford dynasty, where the MPP is the premier of Ontario  the same Premier Doug Ford who was photographed with Goldy at his annual Ford Fest, Goldy got 1,098 votes.

Read more:

Opinion | Doug Ford and Faith Goldy  whats wrong with this picture?

Doug Ford finally names white nationalist Faith Goldy in denouncing hate speech

Goldys highest support came in the leafy south-central sections of Etobicoke. She received 2,077 votes in Ward 2 and 1,772 in Ward 3. In one Ward 2 neighbourhood, poll 60, Goldy outscored Keesmaat 24-22 and tied Keesmaat (49-49) in poll number 33 of the same ward.

Unless you are an ethnonationalist, alt-right propagandist, neo-con, white supremacist, populist, anti-immigrant  you get the idea  you probably hadnt heard of Steve Bannon before he and Donald Trump found each other and carved a path to the White House.

Unless you harbour one or more of those belief systems here in Toronto you probably hadnt heard about Faith Goldy until she entered the race for mayor of Toronto and demanded she be given serious candidate status and be included in the mayoral debates.

The moment her participation in mayoral debates became an issue, thousands more heard about her. The moment Premier Doug Ford appeared to give her tacit approval when, for three days he refused to distance himself from Goldy, tens of thousands were drawn to her.

Goldy was also politically astute in challenging decisions to ban her from debates. She hired high-profile lawyer Clayton Ruby for a legal challenge to Bell Medias refusal to air her campaign ads. (The court ruled against her).

All told, the controversy gave Goldy a profile she craved. Thats why opponents felt it better to silence the candidate rather than include her in civil discourse. Such opponents argue that Goldy would have received even more votes had mainstream media, election organizers and civil society allowed her to share the platform and propagate her views.

That view has merit.

But freedom of speech is never an easy accommodation  especially in matters of importance. Steve Bannon and Faith Goldy are cases in point.

Uncomfortable as it is, it would be a mistake to ban U.S. far-right nationalist and Trump whisperer Steve Bannon from debating conservative David Frum in Toronto. That would only heighten interest in his rhetoric and multiply the number of citizens introduced to his views, as if eating the forbidden fruit.

Better to dismantle the mans arguments and ideas in front of everyone. Or, at least, challenge them; declare them unwelcome, without broad appeal.

Goldy proved to be a different challenge. For one, it is impossible to decide which of the 33 fringe candidates should be included in an election debate.

Her platform promised to evict illegals from homeless shelters and give the shelters back to homeless Canadians, provide subsidized housing only to people born in Canada, stop illegal immigration, monitor imams and Islamic organizations to possibly revoke the permits of mosques where extreme views are taught, and reinstitute carding, the discredited police practice of routinely demanding Black and brown people answer police questions, even when they are not being investigated.

She also shares many Ford Nation views that attract the very immigrants her more controversial views target: subways over LRTs, unfriendliness towards bike lanes and traffic-calming, tough-on-crime, anti-refugee, limits on social housing, low taxes.

Theres a direct line linking the high-profile, far-right personalities and the less careful and nuanced racists who are easy to condemn. They are on the same train heading to a future that is violent, divisive and destructive. Some are near the front of the train, others are in the middle. Ignoring them has not and will not work. Censoring them destroys who we profess to be.

Confronting them and calling them out is a better strategy  especially when their utterances and policies are couched in coded words and ideas we have long deciphered as dog whistles intended to rally the like-minded under an invisible banner.

Evil grows in the dark. Open debate is a disinfectant, not something to fear.

Royson James is a former Star reporter who is a current freelance columnist based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @roysonjames

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OTTAWAWith the Toronto Stock Exchange as his backdrop, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will trumpet a suite of proposals Friday to crack down on tax dodgers and stop the rich from hiding their money.

In an interview with the Star, Singh said an NDP government would do what the Liberal government hasnt: ban the controversial bearer shares singled out in the massive Panama Papers leak as a way to hide stock ownership and obscure the movement of wealth.

Singh also underscored his commitment to close the stock option loophole, which allows corporate executives to avoid income taxes by receiving portions of their compensation in company shares instead of through their regular paycheques. The NDP is also promoting a bill in Parliament, sponsored by Victoria MP Murray Rankin, that strives to prevent companies from transferring money to other countries to avoid paying corporate taxes in Canada.

Why is it that the ultra wealthy and the rich have access all these loopholes that mean theyre not actually paying their fair share? Thats a problem, Singh said.

Liberals maybe dont have the conviction to follow through on these ideas because they might upset their friends, he added, suggesting the Trudeau government is too closely aligned with those folks who are the elite to take action after three years in power.

Its definitely past due that we do something about it, he said.

Singhs proposal to ban bearer shares comes after years of international pressure to restrict their use as a shadowy instrument of global finance. Bearer shares are anonymous certificates of ownership. Just like cash, whoever holds the physical certificate owns the stock or share of a company it represents.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has pressured governments around the world to eliminate bearer shares, arguing the anonymity they afford makes them vulnerable to misuse.

In May, the Trudeau government passed Bill C-25, a new law that banned the issuance of new bearer shares. That followed a statement from Finance Minister Bill Morneau in December 2017, in which Morneau and his provincial counterparts agreed to pursue amendments to laws and regulations that would eliminate bearer shares in Canada and replace them with more transparent alternatives. This is part of an effort to crack down on money laundering, corruption and the financing of terrorist activities, the joint statement said.

Nilani Logeswaran, spokesperson for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains, said, by email Thursday night, that the ministers statement is a call on provinces and territories to follow the federal government by requiring corporations to convert bearer shares into a different form when they are presented with them. She also said federal law has required new shares of a corporation be in a registered form since 1975.

Singh, meanwhile, pointed to other countries such as the Netherlands, where a deadline was imposed to switch bearer shares into more transparent forms of ownership. According to the OECD, dozens tax havens have done away with bearer shares since 2009, while financial accountability advocates like Publish What You Pay Canada and Transparency International have also called on Ottawa to restrict their use.

The NDP leader said Canada needs to eliminate them because of their attractiveness to criminals, as well as their potential as a means to hide money from the taxman.

These are untraceable, they are unregistered. They are a massive problem, because we cant actually then ensure there is proper taxation that applies from their use, he said.

(Theyre) something that criminals will find useful, money launderers will find useful, and folks like the bad guys from action movies. You might recall Die Hard, where it was used  the bearer bonds. But its certainly not in the best interests of people, so were asking that to end once and for all.

The use of bearer shares was also highlighted in the Panama Papers, a trove of leaked documents that cast a spotlight on tools used by the superwealthy to dodge taxes and hide money. Former British prime minister David Camerons father, for example, started a fund for investors that kept 2 million bearer shares in a bank safe, with no record of who owned them. The papers also showed a Panamanian company owned by anonymous holders of bearer shares bought a condo from a Donald Trump-branded skyscraper in 1991.

The Canada Revenue Agency estimates Canadians with hidden offshore accounts evade up to $3 billion per year in taxes by hiding between $75.9 billion and $240.5 billion in tax havens.

With files from Marco Chown Oved
Over the past few days, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has called for the defeat of the prime minister, while members of Trudeaus cabinet have called out the Ontario government for peddling false facts and the politics of cruelty.

Trudeau and Ford must really be looking forward to the first ministers conference due to be held in the coming weeks  most likely in the first week of December. The awkward photos will be priceless.

While its more the rule than the exception to have opposing parties in power at Queens Park and on Parliament Hill, relations between the Ford and Trudeau governments appear to be particularly raw, and especially so this week.

On Tuesday, federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer visited Queens Park and was warmly greeted by the premier as the next prime minister of Canada  a development that would come, Ford said at a photo op in his office, after voters get rid of Trudeau in next years election.

Its not the first time weve heard leaders talk like this. Former prime minister Stephen Harper was no big fan of Liberal premiers Dalton McGuinty or Kathleen Wynne and also called for their defeat  but those suggestions generally came at fundraisers or in off-hand remarks, not at official government podiums.

Meanwhile, federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen was accused once again this week of giving the back of the hand to his Ontario counterpart, Lisa MacLeod.

In an interview on Thursday night with CBCs Power and Politics, Hussen said MacLeod was engaged in fear mongering and using this issue to demonize people. As for MacLeods claim that 40 per cent of Toronto shelter occupants are refugees, Hussen said: The figures that are being thrown around are not based on facts.

MacLeod responded on Twitter that Hussen was a name-calling bully. That charge also isnt new  the two ministers have been sparring almost since the Ford government came to office last summer.

Trudeaus labour minister, Patty Hajdu, was also plunging into the fray this week, announcing a wave of new worker protections very similar to the ones that have recently been rolled back by the Ford government.

Hajdu spoke out against what she called the politics of cruelty and the devastating spectacle of governments rolling back worker benefits.

Now, it should be noted that this wasnt exactly Ottawa rushing in to serve as a backstop to Fords cuts  the measures announced by Hajdu apply only to federally regulated workers and most workers in Ontario are governed by provincial laws. As well, federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc told me last month that Ottawa could not as a court of appeal on provincial matters, even if it does disagree with them.

But Hajdus announcement was clearly intended to draw some sharp, political distinctions between the two governments and help frame the Liberals platform for next years federal election. So was Trudeaus announcement of the carbon tax rebate  right in Fords backyard of Etobicoke  a couple of weeks ago.

This harsh state of relations between Ontario and Ottawa tells us a lot about the larger picture of politics in Canada as we head into a federal election year. Its the story of big global forces  Canada picking up on the polarized tone of debate south of the border, for sure  but also the small world of Canadian politics.

There is plenty of cross-pollination between partisans in Queens Park and Ottawa at present. Trudeaus government has been built around strong connections to Ontario Liberals. His two chief advisers, Gerald Butts and Katie Telford, are veterans of the old McGuinty government.

Fords new government, similarly, has been drawing on a raft of staff connections to the old Harper regime, including Jenni Byrne, who served as Harpers campaign manager and deputy chief of staff, and is now installed in the premiers office.

All politics is personal, as they say, but this migrating network of Liberals and Conservatives, who all know each other and who have fought campaigns against one another, make things ultra-personal in the Ontario-Ottawa relationship at present.

For politics-watchers, though, these federal-provincial skirmishes are like the trailer for the election movie coming next year. Want a sneak peek at the fall of 2019? Look no further than the battles we saw between the Ford and Trudeau governments this week  and the ones well be seeing over the coming weeks too.

Susan Delacourt is the Star's Ottawa bureau chief and a columnist covering national politics. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt

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Premier Doug Ford launched his $106,700 open for business border-crossing signs in Sarnia as Statistics Canada revealed Ontario unemployment continues to hover near its lowest rate in a generation.

Doesnt that sign look beautiful? Ford said Friday morning of the Welcome to Ontario: Open For Business signage near the Blue Water Bridge to Michigan.

Youve been hearing for months that were going to put signs right across every single border in Ontario to tell the world, especially our great neighbours to the south, that Ontario is open for business, said the premier.

There will eventually be 25 such signs placed at all 18 of the provinces land crossings with American states.

After a week of opposition and media questions about the price tag of the Tory campaign promise, Fords office said later Friday that the new and replacement signage would cost taxpayers an estimated $106,700.

The blue metal highway signs, designed in-house and produced by the Ministry of Transportation, range from $3,300 to $8,000, including manufacturing, shipping, and installation.

Of the 18 locations where signs will be upgraded, three locations are missing four signs and must be replaced. The cost of replacing the four missing signs is estimated to be $32,000, and the estimated cost of upgrading 21 existing signs is $74,700, Fords office said.

NDP MPP Catherine Fife said thats a waste of public money, a point underscored by the fact the economy continues to perform well.

Weve seen this government stumbling along, Fife (Waterloo) told reporters at Queens Park.

Fords announcement came the same morning as Statistics Canadas monthly jobs survey revealed last months unemployment rate dropped to 5.6 per cent, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points since September.

While employment was little changed in Ontario, there were fewer people looking for work, lowering the unemployment rate  On a year-over-year basis, employment in the province rose by 83,000 due to more full-time work, said Statistics Canada.

Thats a 1.2 per cent increase in employment since this time last year.

Still, the premier touted his repeal of the previous Liberal governments labour reforms, which would have increased the $14-an-hour minimum wage to $15 in January and given employees two paid sick days and other workplace protections.

That was just hurdle after hurdle for small businesses, medium businesses, large businesses, said Ford, a wealthy businessman who previously ran his familys label-printing company.

Were getting rid of as many regulations as possible, he said.

But Fife warned that his cuts will force workers to make tough choices.

Without paid sick days, theyll have to choose between taking their kid to the doctor when shes sick, or keeping the days pay she needs to care for her family, she said.

Ontarians who work hard deserve more respect than that.

Liberal MPP Michael Coteau said Statistics Canadas numbers suggest this Conservative government is disconnected from reality when it comes to the economy.

Ontario has always been business-friendly, with or without a bumper-sticker slogan, said Coteau (Don Valley East), lambasting the signs.

This is a distraction and cold comfort to workers who just had their benefits slashed and their wage increase cancelled. The is not a government for the people. It is a government that thinks social programs and job benefits are red tape that should be steamrolled to make businesses more profitable.

Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military

By Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang

Norton. 576 pp. $30

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During America's invasion of Iraq in the spring of 2003, Neil deGrasse Tyson faced a hard choice. Tyson - astrophysicist, sonorous TV host, poet laureate of the sky - was attending a symposium of the nonprofit Space Foundation, which promotes space exploration. The meeting brought together university scientists, experts on space war and representatives of the military industrial complex that supports them both.

Between sessions, conference-goers watched CNN coverage of American weaponry pounding targets in Iraq. "Every time a corporation was identified as the producer of a particular instrument of destruction, its employees and executives in the audience broke into applause," Tyson writes. He blinked back tears. He thought about walking out and resigning from the foundation's board. But then he decided instead to "explore other ways to reconcile my emotions."

In his book "Accessory to War," Tyson pursues his reconciliation. Through ample research and nimble storytelling, Tyson and his co-author and longtime editor and researcher, Avis Lang, trace the long and tangled relationship between state power and astronomy. The narrative reveals key moments in the convergence of astronomy and war. In 1608, for example, Hans Lipperhey, a maker of spectacles, showed up at The Hague to present the world's first telescope to Prince Maurice of Nassau, just as the Dutch were negotiating with the Spanish to pause the Eighty Years War. Both sides recognized that the device could be used to spy on distant enemies, an advance that perhaps hastened Spain's decision to sign a truce.

The telescope then followed two paths, one that pointed to the heavens and the other to the battlefield. Galileo built a better version and found the moons of Jupiter and what would later be recognized as the rings of Saturn. Meanwhile, Spain and the Netherlands soon resumed fighting. In recognition of the new technology's capability in war, Spanish artist Diego Velazquez painted a scene featuring the victorious commander Ambrogio Spinola holding "a spyglass nearly two feet long near the focal point of the painting, as if to emphasize its role in the victory," Tyson and Lang write.

The mixing of astronomy and the military comes into sharp focus in the second half of the 20th century. The authors recount how military satellites meant to sniff out thermonuclear tests discovered gamma-ray bursts, brief flashes from energetic stellar explosions in the far reaches of space. The Air Force funded surveys of the entire sky in infrared light. Studies of the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll helped astrophysicists learn that the chemical elements that make up human bodies and everything else were forged during the life cycles of stars.

In funding and projects, the astronomical sciences are the poor stepchild of the military. Consider the Hubble Space Telescope. This low Earth orbit instrument was seen as a unique mission famous for its vivid imagery and scientific contributions. In fact, Hubble wasn't so unique. Around the same time that NASA launched Hubble in 1990 to investigate cosmic mysteries, the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office's Keyhole program was already managing 20 similar yet bigger spy satellites. NASA scientists grasped this fact only years later, once the satellites were declassified. If Hubble scientists thought they were leading the way, they were mistaken. "Hubble was a KEYHOLE-class satellite, not the other way around," Tyson and Lang write. The gulf in resources between science and military projects became even more apparent in 2011, when the same military office regifted two spare, better-than-Hubble mirrors to NASA. And today NASA still lacks the money to launch them.

Tyson and Lang also recount the peaceful and not-so-peaceful exploration of space. They trace the U.S.-Soviet Cold War competition and the United Nations' efforts to establish international space law, including the 1967 Outer Space Treaty governing states' activities in the cosmos. The authors outline the kinds of space militarization long underway with an emphasis on surveillance and communications disruptions rather than on lasers and explosives. They assess the current astro-strategic balance of power and show the United States clinging to an outdated idea of dominance and China appearing ascendant.

Given President Trump's recent proposal for a U.S. Space Force to bundle existing space-security efforts into a new military branch, this discussion seems especially timely. Readers hungry for an engaging, well-researched primer on space military policy and its history will be edified. Readers who prefer astronomy and want to learn about satellites that look up into space rather than those that look down at rival nations might find these sections less compelling.

But getting astronomy-lovers to sit with this material, of course, might be the point of the book, and in the final chapter Tyson and Lang attempt to resolve the military-science tension with brief sketches of a possible happier future. Since asteroids have plenty of metals and comets plenty of water, eventual space mining technologies might end the kind of scarcity that sometimes drives war, they argue. And astrophysics itself - by encouraging us to contemplate the cosmic sublime - might "redirect our species' urges to kill into collaborative urges to explore," they write.

Only a few quibbles: When the book veers into space policy, it becomes less focused. Although Tyson and Lang repeatedly argue for a two-way street between war and astronomy, the contemporary cases they present seem to show otherwise - that astronomy isn't so much an accessory to war as a collector of military scraps.

Tyson and Lang do not settle the moral anguish that troubled Tyson when the bombs were falling on Iraq. How does he feel now? That moment haunts the book, just as its narrative is likely to haunt astronomers crushed between their field's wide-eyed hopefulness and its deep indebtedness to national security fears. Still, kudos to Tyson and Lang for pointing out the quandary, taking a deep and eloquent look at it, and offering a way forward.

---

Sokol is a freelance science journalist in Boston.
WORDEN  In a place with more than a centurys worth of history to its name, its hard not to find relics from bygone days.

Such is the case at Worden Lumber. Amid the office supplies and paperwork, binders and boxes, exist reminders of the businesss beginnings. A sepia-toned, framed photo shows founder John Mueller standing under a building sign reading Worden Lumber Co. A worn apron on a countertop advises customers to dial 2161 to reach the company; an even older, tattered apron says phone 16 for building material.

Its a history that will be neither erased nor forgotten, but the 116-year-old business will soon close its doors, the latest in a line of small businesses struggling to keep up in a market dominated by high-profile, low-cost chains.

Ive known for two or three years this day was coming, we just didnt know when. So its not a shock to me, Worden Lumber president Robert Strothmann said. I hate to see something like this go. Its sad. Its just one more example of small, family-owned business  its getting harder and harder. Theres too many big box stores out there putting a lot of people like us under.

Strothmann has been with the business since 2001 and has been the companys president since shortly after his cousin, David Hellmann, passed away on Nov. 28, 2012. Hes watched as the numbers, both in sales and employees, have dwindled  Strothmann said the company saw sales peak in 2006 at approximately $3.25 million, roughly four times what they sold last year. Strothmann said the company currently only has three people on its payroll; for contrast, the company consists of eight buildings spread across three parcels in Worden.

Its just at the point where, you battle through winter, you go backwards, and then you try to make up for it in the good season, Strothmann said. It just was getting a little too difficult to do.

The family business

The village of Worden itself is not much older than the lumber company, having been incorporated on Oct. 22, 1877. In its early days, the village was booming, home to several hotels, grocery stores, furniture stores and several saloons.

Worden Lumber Company was started in 1902 by Mueller. The business grew and was passed down from generation to generation over the years: Mueller sold the business to his son-in-law, Reinhardt Hellmann, in the 1930s; Hellmanns son, Floyd, bought the business in 1976; he retired in 1990, handing the business over to his son, David, and son-in-law, Joe Schelling, who still helps out at the business, Strothmann said.

And the family affair doesnt stop at the business. For years, Strothmann has lived in Floyd Hellmanns old house, making Worden Lumber both a personal and professional labor of love.

Ive been coming back and forth since I was a boy, to visit Dave and his family. My dad was Daves moms brother, Strothmann said. So yeah, I have a fondness for Worden, for sure.

Worden Mayor Preston Hall said the village likewise views the business as part of its family. He is also not unaware of the fiscal implications of the loss  Worden Lumber is one of the few remaining businesses in town, and makes up the vast majority of its sales tax revenue.

The Village Board and I are very saddened to be losing the Worden Lumber Co., not just because of any economic impact it might have on our village but because I compare it to someone losing a family member, Hall said. The village is losing part of their family with this business closing, they have always been a willing partner to help improve our community by donating to local charity projects and always trying to help someone with friendly costumer service and the highest of quality of products.

New beginnings

Worden Lumber customer Marcie Foster is also sad to see the business go.

Oh, yeah, Foster said. Where am I going to get my building supplies?

It was a closed door that opened a new one for Foster, her husband, Bill, and sons Bobby and Bill. The family owns and operates Fosters Outdoor Service, and Marcie is a broker with Epic Realty.

When they heard the business was closing, they were interested in purchasing a building to house their lawn and landscaping equipment, but the conversation just kept growing, Foster said. In the end, they ended up purchasing all eight buildings across the three lots.

What they do with all the space is open for discussion. Foster said six of the buildings, comprising approximately 25,000 square feet of space, are ready and open for storage of items such as boats, campers and RVs. Fosters Indoor/Outdoor Storage also has outdoor space available, Foster said.

Another building, once Worden Lumbers cabinet shop, has HVAC, working restrooms and an air compressor and could easily be rented out to another business, Foster said. Still another building, which only until recently was adorned with a Worden Lumber sign, has the bones of a convenience or retail store. Foster said theyve received interest from potential occupants for various buildings already, and anyone interested in renting out one or more of the realtor-owned buildings can call her at 618-980-4836.

We are excited that the Fosters have decided to purchase the property and have plans to open a storage facility utilizing the outbuildings as storage units and have plans to lease the storefront as retail space, Hall said. The Fosters have invested in several properties in the village of Worden over the last few years and have done a great job improving the properties that they own. I have spoken to Bobby Foster about the plans for the retail space and he said they do have a couple people who are very interested in leasing the storefront and providing a much needed convenience store.

It was just time

As for Strothmann, hell soon trade in the village and business that have occupied so much of his life and move back to Indiana. Like the century-plus-old business, Strothmann has felt the effect of time and decided a change was, if not inevitable, at least needed.

If Im going to do something different, the sooner the better, Strothmann said. Im not getting any younger.

It was just time to do it.

Reach managing editor Nathan Grimm at 618-208-6456.
ALTON  An Alton man is being held on a charge of aggravated battery after he allegedly squeezed an infant boy less than two months old, breaking multiple ribs.

David G. Schollmeyer, 24, of the 400 block of Tara Avenue, Cottage Hills, was charged after the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services reported the incident. The victim is a household member of the suspect. Bail was set at $150,000.
Alton High School students react Wednesday as their heads are shaved during the schools 10th annual St. Baldricks Foundation fundraiser for childhood cancer research. About 27 students participated this year, raising $11,000 for the charity. One student alone raised $3,100 for the cause. Students and parents gathered to watch the annual ritual in the school gymnasium. Over the past decade, Alton High School has raised more than $90,000 for cancer research.

John Badman
A Dallas County, Texas, jury has condemned to death the hit man in a murder-for-hire plot against a dentist with ties to west-central Illinois in a scheme allegedly set in motion by the jealous ex of the victims boyfriend.

Kristopher Love was convicted last week of capital murder in the September 2015 slaying of Kendra Hatcher, who was ambushed and shot in the parking garage of her Dallas apartment complex.

She is a former Springfield resident and a 1998 graduate of Pleasant Plains High School. She still has family members in the region.

For three years, youve only been known as the shooter. I will never call you by your name because you are just the shooter, Hatchers mother, Bonnie Jameson, told Love after he was sentenced. You executed my daughter.

Love, 34, was paid in cash and drugs for his part in the meticulously plotted crime that was meant to look like a botched robbery.

It was planned. It was thought out, Hatchers sister, Ashley Turner, said. It couldve been stopped.

Love is the first Dallas County killer sent to death row since 2013, when three people were condemned to die. It took jurors about three hours to decide Loves punishment: lethal injection.

The death sentence will be automatically appealed.

Arguing for the death penalty, prosecutor Kevin Brooks said Love would always be a threat to society and to his fellow prisoners if he were housed with the general population.

If you put this man in gen pop, he becomes the go-to guy if you want something done, Brooks said.

After the sentence was read in the courtroom, Loves sobbing mother rushed out to the hallway. Several of his other relatives remained in the courtroom, their bodies shaking from crying.

Love didnt show any emotion when the sentence was read and looked back at his family before he was led from the courtroom.

Before deciding on punishment, jurors had to determine whether Love was a future threat to society, which can include prison, and whether there were reasons to save his life.

Defense attorney Paul Johnson questioned the fairness of Loves sentence when the others involved in the murder-for-hire plot wont receive capital punishment.

He said prosecutors didnt prove that Love would be dangerous even behind bars and said the punishment should not be solely about the heinousness of the crime.

Hatcher, 35, was found fatally shot in the head on Sept. 2, 2015, in the parking garage of her Uptown apartment building.

Prosecutors demonstrated how Hatcher must have looked in her final moments: hands raised behind her head to protect herself with her chin tucked. She was shot in the back of the head. The bullet pierced her spinal cord and exited through her chin.

The medical examiner said Hatcher wouldve labored to breathe during the final minutes of her life.

She knew as she struggled for breath that she was going to die, prosecutor Glen Fitzmartin said in closing arguments. He needs to feel that as well.

But Johnson argued that Love was the instrument for 36-year-old Brenda Delgado, who was said to be jealous of Hatchers relationship with Delgados ex-boyfriend, Ricardo Paniagua.

Delgados capital murder trial has not been scheduled. She cant face the death penalty because of an extradition agreement with Mexico, where she fled after Hatchers killing.

Kendra Hatcher was dead the moment Brenda Delgado decided to take her life, Johnson said during closing arguments.

Several witnesses testified during Loves trial that Delgado had asked them to harm or kill Hatcher.

One woman, 26-year-old Crystal Cortes, agreed to act as the getaway driver in exchange for $500. Though originally charged with capital murder like Delgado and Love, she pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of murder in exchange for a 35-year sentence.

Cortes testified against Love and is expected to testify against Delgado.

Prosecutors argued that Hatchers death was possible only because Love agreed to kill her.

This wasnt even happening until he said yes, Fitzmartin argued.

Relatives who testified on Loves behalf Tuesday described him as a loving father of three.

They also said his childhood had been disrupted by his parents frequent breakups. His mother estimated that she and Loves father separated at least 20 times before ultimately divorcing.

Love hadnt shown much emotion or reacted visibly during the trial until Tuesday when his sister, Meisha Beasley, testified. While she spoke of their bond and childhood, Love stood to leave.

Several bailiffs hurried over to him to put him back in a cell while jurors were escorted from the courtroom. It was about 20 minutes before he was brought back in and testimony resumed.

Prosecutor Justin Lord pointed to that moment during closing arguments Wednesday. He called Love a cold-blooded, evil assassin who is motivated by greed.

He did somebody elses bidding, put a bullet in Kendra Hatchers head for someone else, Lord said. He has no regard for anybody else.
Illinoisans are now able to review and buy health insurance coverage plans available on the Get Covered Illinois website, the official health marketplace or ACA Exchange, that will take effect Jan. 1.

The open enrollment period runs through Dec. 15. The Illinois Department of Insurance advises consumers who are enrolling or re-enrolling to start shopping early and look at all options on and off the exchange.
ALTON  A grand jury Thursday handed up indictments for alleged child abduction and for arson.

Douglas W. Keuhn, 35, of Vandalia, was charged with three counts of child abduction for allegedly bringing three children to Alton from Mount Vernon without the permission of the childrens lawful custodian.

The children, ages 15, 13 and 15, were allegedly lured into leaving Mount Vernon, according to the indictment.

The grand jury also handed up an indictment of Gregory Robinson, 42, of the 800 block of Brown Street, Alton, who was charged with arson and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

He allegedly damaged property at 914 Riley Ave. on Oct. 4 by setting a fire. The cost of the damage is estimated at more than $150. He was also charged with possession of less than 15 grams of cocaine.

The Madison County States Attorneys Office also filed charges by way of criminal information:

WOOD RIVER - Nadia K. Yorde, 20, of Vandalia, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of methamphetamine.

She allegedly possessed less than five grams of oxycodone and less than five grams of methamphetamine on July 28. Bail was set at $20,000.

WOOD RIVER - Steven L. Scott, 40, of the 100 block of Hawthorne Avenue, Hartford, was charged with possession of a stolen 2001 Lincoln Town Car. Bail was set at $50,000.

HAMEL - Travis J. McCoy, 20, of the 1700 block of No. 7 Mine Road, Staunton, was charged Thursday with burglary.

He allegedly entered a 2016 Buick SUV at 9190 Illinois Route 140 on Oct. 10. Bail was set at $60,000.

Reach reporter Sanford Schmidt at 618-208-6449.
EDWARDSVILLE  A Madison County associate judge Friday allowed the continuance of a case filed by a Republican poll watcher who said she wanted to make sure the coming election was done in a fair manner.

The suit was filed by Republican Jean Bedalow, of Collinsville, against Madison County Clerk Debra Ming-Mendoza. Associate Judge Tom Chapman approved a continuance at the request of the plaintiffs attorney, Ed Moorman. He filed a motion for continuance after Mendozas attorney filed a motion to strike and/or dismiss the case.

Defense attorney Jeff Ezra argued in a motion to dismiss that, Plaintiff has provided no factual or legal support, was not appropriately done in the past, would serve only as a political ploy and have no actual legal justification.

Before the scheduled hearing, Bedalow told a reporter that when she was a poll watcher at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2016 she was unable to obtain an electronic record of the results. She said such a record would allow poll watchers and/or candidates to check the results to ensure they were accurate.

An electronic tape of the results is supposed to be placed outside the clerks office, she claimed.

After Chapman granted the continuance, Bedalow complained that the election would be over by the time her complaint was heard, but she still plans to persist.

I want to be heard, she said.

Bedalow said she was encouraged to file the suit by Dwight Kay, a Republican candidate for state representative. Kay served as state representative of the 112th Illinois House District for six years before being defeated by Democrat Katie Stuart in 2016.

In an interview after the judges ruling, Bedalow said she was disappointed that the matter was handled by lawyers without any input from her. She said that, even her own lawyer did not tell her there was discussion of the case.

The information about the electronic record was gleaned in an interview with Bedalow before the hearing Friday.

However, the complaint filed on her behalf differed from her verbal account.

The complaint said Bedalow was assigned as a poll watcher at a precinct at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She was allegedly told the ballots were not at the university but at a place unknown to the people to whom she talked.

The complaint said that when she and other judges and poll watchers appeared at the clerks office at 7 p.m. on election night 2016, they were told the count was complete and the office was closed. The suit was filed in pursuit of an injunction preventing votes behind closed doors, moving ballots to unknown locations without full disclosure, counting ballots at times before the polls close and all other conduct declared by the court to be inappropriate.

The case was filed Oct. 24. Ezra, on behalf of States Attorney Tom Gibbons, who represents county officeholders in civil matters, filed a motion for an immediate and expedited hearing soon after the suit was filed.

In it, he said the complaint is insufficient, filed less than three weeks before the election, and alleges what appears to be something akin to the mid-term elections. Such is difficult to discern, since the complaint is so in-artfully drawn, the motion states.

In asking for an expedited hearing, Ezra wrote, That in order to reduce this issue from being a distraction in the upcoming elections; to stop perhaps unknowing and/or unwitting citizens from being used as a political tool by hacks who would attempt to use the filing as a weapon; to assure the public of the sanctity of the election process; to allay the public from fear-mongers who cannot rest on their own laurels before the electorate; to prove the allegations of the complaint false, misleading an an affront to the notions of fairness, the defendant requests an immediate/expedited hearing to ferret out to prove false the specious allegations made in the complaint, as well as the motivations attendant thereto.

Reach reporter Sanford Schmidt at 618-208-6449.
SPRINGFIELD  The story of money in politics doesnt stop with spending on races for Congress.

Candidates for governor, legislature and other state offices this year have brought in $2.2 billion in campaign contributions  nearly matching the combined total of $2.4 billion for candidates for the U.S. House and Senate.

That makes this year among the most expensive ever in state-level politics, and the total will only grow in the final stretch before Tuesdays election.

At stake is control of 36 governors offices and legislative chambers in most states.

Activists see state elections as a good investment because it doesnt take as much money to influence them as it does congressional races.

The upstart organization Flippable has raised about $1 million this year for 130 Democratic state legislative candidates in 10 states. Its chief executive, Catherine Vaughan, points out that legislative campaigns cost around $150,000 on average, compared with more than $1 million for a congressional race.

An Associated Press analysis of campaign finance data collected by the National Institute on Money in Politics, the Federal Election Commission and the IRS shows where the state-level money is going.

___

THE BIG PICTURE

The top states this year for reported contributions to candidates are, in order, Illinois, California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia and Pennsylvania. They also happen to be among the states with the largest populations  but not necessarily the most competitive state-level races.

Donors also have contributed more than $400 million to support or oppose ballot initiatives.

While Democrats are spending more in federal elections, its about even in state-level elections. As of Thursday, reports processed by the National Institute on Money in Politics show that both parties had brought in just over $1 billion, with a slight edge for the GOP. Nonpartisan and third-party candidates had raised about $40 million.

But the money race is not even on a state-by-state basis. Republicans running for legislatures have raised $370 million to Democrats $354 million. Its no surprise that Wyoming Republicans have raised six times as much as Democrats and that Massachusetts Democrats have nearly as big an advantage.

But theres also lopsided funding in some more competitive states. Republican legislative candidates have brought in about twice as much as Democrats in Florida. In Colorado, Democrats have a 2-to-1 fundraising advantage.

___

THE MOST EXPENSIVE RACES

Illinois has the second most expensive race for governor on record at $210 million so far. This years second costliest governors race is in Florida.

Both already are among the 10 costliest races for governor on record.

Polls have consistently shown a tight race in Florida between U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, a loyalist to President Donald Trump, and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.

In Illinois, nearly 90 percent of contributions have come from just three wealthy investors. Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker, who is leading in polls, has used more than $106 million of his own money in the race.

Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner has spent $57 million. Citadel founder Ken Griffin has kicked in more than $22 million to support Rauner.

The most expensive state legislative race is for a state Senate seat in north Texas that has cost $10.8 million so far. Nearly half the total was from Phillip Huffines, who self-financed his losing Republican primary campaign.

The most expensive legislative race with a competitive general election is the 12th Senate District in central California. Democrat Anna Caballero and Republican Rob Poythress each have raised about $2 million.

___

BIGGEST SPENDERS

The list of the largest contributors across all state-level elections is dominated by self-funded candidates. Nine candidates, all running for governor, have spent at least $10 million on themselves this year. In addition to the two in Illinois, only one other  Jared Polis, a Colorado Democrat  won a primary.

The list of big organizational contributors is dominated by labor groups spreading money to a variety of candidates  mostly but not exclusively Democrats. Unions representing laborers, educators, service workers and plumbers, including their regional affiliates, have contributed at least $7 million each.

Realtor associations also have contributed more than $11 million, the majority of it to Republicans.

___

INDEPENDENT MONEY

Most states limit the amount a contributor can give to each candidate. But political groups, companies, charities and individuals have no restrictions on how much they can spend on their own.

In some cases, they can do this spending without disclosing the identities of their donors; in some states, they dont even have to report the spending.

The one catch: Theyre generally not allowed to coordinate with the candidates official campaigns.

Among those that do report spending are national party-affiliated organizations, which have arms that do work with campaigns. Republican groups trying to elect their partisans to governors offices, legislatures and other positions such as state attorney general have an edge over Democrats. Corporations are major contributors to the groups on both sides.

Filings by the Republican Governors Association this month show it has raised $156 million from the start of 2017 through September. The Democratic Governors Association brought in $108 million through Oct. 17. Both use much of their money to fund ads attacking their opponents.

Groups that are key to the parties attempts to win state legislative seats also are spending big this cycle.

The Republican State Leadership Committee had raised $33 million through September and expects to spend up to $50 million.

Its counterpart, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said it has brought in $35 million through October, a record amount for the group. Its efforts are being bolstered this year by other organizations with similar goals.

___

THE NATIONAL PLAYERS

A handful of wealthy individuals fund organizations that spend on politics across the country.

The industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch and other conservatives are major players through a group of organizations that include Americans for Prosperity. Its impossible to tell from campaign finance filings how much theyre spending this year. An Americans for Prosperity spokeswoman said the network plans to put a total of $400 million into state and federal political efforts in 2017 and 2018 but declined to break down how much would go to state races.

Tom Steyer, a San Francisco liberal who has called for impeaching Trump, has announced contributions totaling at least $7 million to support Floridas Gillum.

That includes more than $2 million in direct contributions to a political action committee that supports Gillum, along with $800,000 from the Steyer group NextGen Climate America and direct mail pieces being sent by another Steyer group, Need to Impeach.

Follow Mulvihill at http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill
The week of Oct. 29-Nov. 2 as seen through the lens of Telegraph photojournalist John Badman.
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Please submit a Wordformatted letter of interest, resume (maximum 3 pages), names and contactinformation for three references to applications@ug.peacecorps.gov Please clearly indicate your name and the position applied for on the subjectline of the cover email as well as on all the attachments: For example AkelloRitah_Grants Coordinator for the Grants Coordinator Position. Do not write anyother words in the subject line of your mail. Submitted documents become theproperty of the Peace Corps.


Actress Rakhi Sawant has some harsh words in store for her counterpart Tanushree Dutta and the #MeToo movement. She had, in a press conference, alleged rape by Dutta, who had sparked off the #MeToo movement in Bollywood by alleging sexual harassment by actor Nana Patekar. Ask Sawant about Patekar, and she says that they were on the set with 200 dancers and 300 people from the film unit. How can a big star molest a girl in front of 500 people? Nana Patekar himself has questioned what she is saying and has said that she is like his daughter. In fact, when Tanushree had locked herself up in the van for five to six hours, I was summoned and I finished shooting the song for the movie, Horn OK Please, overnight, she says. Sawant also questions why Dutta had a problem doing an item number with Nana Patekar, when she didnt have a problem doing intimate scenes with Emraan Hashmi, Bollywoods serial kisser. Emraan Hashmi kare toh chamatkar, Nana Patekar kare toh balaatkar!



Has Sawant been coerced by Nana Patekar or Raj Thackeray of MNS to make these headline-grabbing statements? She denies it. Neither Nana Patekar nor Raj Thackeray has called. Whatever people say is untrue, she says.

Clearly, Sawant and Dutta are daggers drawn. I havent received a [defamation] notice yet. Im just getting threats from her lovers and boyfriends who call me at her behest. I have filed a complaint with the police. I have a video and other proof against her, which I will produce in the court, says Sawant. If she is going to slap a case of Rs 10 crore, I am going to slap a case of Rs 50 crore. Do you think Ill let go? I will tell the court to cancel her visa and her passport too because if I go to court, I want her in the court too, she says.

ALSO READ: Tanushree received money from America to destroy Bollywood: Rakhi Sawant

Sawant says that Duttas claims about rapes in Bollywood are false. Tanushree Dutta is no sati savitri, she says. I am telling you the truth about this industry. Nobody rapes in Bollywood. There are no rapes here, there are understandings, there is a give and take, but there is never a rape, or pressure, or insistence. All these girls who are disgracing Bollywood and India, I have only one thing to say to them 1000 chuhe kha kar, billi chali hajj ko [The cat goes to hajj after killing a thousand rats], says Sawant.

She harks back to the conspiracy to destroy India and vows to fight back against the #MeToo campaign. They say there is no need for AK47s or bombs to destroy India; just toss a #MeToo bomb, and India will be destroyed. Everybody will get divorced. Look at whats happening with Anu Malik. If this #MeToo campaign continues, there will be so many divorces, and instead of courts looking at real rape cases, they will just be busy looking at these false rape cases, she says.

Lashing out at the media, who she feels has also donned the mantle of a judge, Sawant says that she came across a piece where a young girl had been raped by two men which was not covered extensively by media because they were too busy running after Dutta for their TRPs. If some normal person gets raped, the media is not interested, but if a star gets raped, or if a minister or a celebrity rapes, then the media is very interested in showing that story. They are helping spread Tanushrees lies for their TRPs, advertisements, and sponsorships. If Miss India says something everybody will listen and if I, an ordinary girl, approaches the media and says that there has been a rape, then nobody will listen. [Referring to the rape allegations she has leveled against Tanushree] Is this our countrys media?

Sawant calls herself the true daughter of India and says that she will stand up alone, fearlessly, and fight against liars. Pigs are seen in packs, the tigress always comes alone, she says. Im alone from Bollywood and everybody else is with her [Tanushree]. Everybody is siding with lies, and nobody is supporting the truth, but I will fight for it, says Rakhi, who is determined to not spare anyone. I have a lot of patriotism inside of me and Bollywood is my bread and butter, the place that puts food on my table, says Sawant.

If there is a #MeToo campaign, why are there no #HeToo and #SheToo campaigns? she asks. She believes that it is important to listen to the man also, whether he is innocent or not. Men should bring out a morcha. "Stop Beti Bachao campaign, start Aadmi Bachao campaign, she says. But the media will not show this, she says. However, Sawant is quick to return to her current favourite topic, Tanushree Dutta. Miss India is bankrupt, she is a loony and a psycho. Why dont you media people think about that? I know Tanushree. She is a number one liar, they should just take away her Miss India Tag."
Three members of a family were among five people shot dead by suspected ULFA (Independent) gunmen while two others were injured at Kheroni village in Assam's Tinsukia district on Thursday night, police said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked whether the attack was related to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

A group of assailants with sophisticated weapons came to the village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge and called out five-six people from their house around 8pm, police said.

They then opened indiscriminate fire upon those people before fleeing under the cover of darkness, a police officer said.

Police suspect the gunmen belonged to the ULFA (Independent) faction as they were in battle fatigues.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned "the killing of innocent people" and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families.

"Strong action will be taken against the perpetrators of this dastardly violence. We will not tolerate such cowardly acts," Sonowal told PTI.

Sonowal said he had directed state ministers Keshav Mahanta and Tapan Gogoi along with DGP Kuladhar Saikia to rush to the spot.

"We will not spare the culprits of the killings and they will be brought to book," Sonowal said.

Sonowal appealed to the people of Assam to maintain peace and harmony.

Sonowal also directed all deputy commissioners and SPs to remain alert.

According to Tinsukia Superintendent of Police Mukdhajyoti Mahanta, the bodies have been taken to the Sadia Civil Hospital for postmortem.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Sonowal and took stock of the situation.

Singh expressed deep anguish over the incident, saying strongest possible action will be taken against the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

"Deeply anguished by civilian casualties in an attack in Upper Assam region. It is a reprehensible act of mindless violence. Spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal regarding the incident and asked him to take strict possible action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime," he said.

Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, opposition Congress state president Ripun Bora, AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam and the Assam Sahitya Sabha were among those who also denounced the incident.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a Twitter post, wondered if the attack was related to developments around the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

"Is this the outcome of recent NRC development," Banerjee questioned.

Banerjee strongly condemned the incident and offered condolences to the families of the deceased.

"Terrible news coming out of Assam. We strongly condemn the brutal attack in Tinsukia... We have no words to express our deep sorrow to the grieving families. The perpetrators must be punished at the very earliest," Banerjee added.
The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite...
Two weeks after M.J. Akbar resigned as minister of state for external affairs following multiple allegations of sexual harassment, a US-based journalist has accused him of raping her when she worked with the Asian Age. Akbar was the founder-editor of the Asian Age.

Pallavi Gogoi, who is presently chief business editor of National Public Radio in the US, made the allegation against Akbar in a column in the Washington Post on Thursday. Gogoi wrote that the abuse suffered when working under Akbar at the Asian Age were the most painful memories of my life. I have shelved them away for 23 years.

Gogoi wrote that Akbar forcibly attempted to kiss her twice. The first incident was in 1994 when she, as the op-ed page editor for the Asian Age, went to Akbar's office cabin to discuss work. The second incident happened some months later, when Akbar summoned Gogoi to his room at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai for discussions on the launch of a magazine.

Gogoi claimed she was raped after she went to Akbar's hotel room in Jaipur to discuss a story on the murder of an intercaste couple. In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me. Instead of reporting him to the police, I was filled with shame, Gogoi wrote in the Washington Post.

Gogoi wrote that Akbar continued to harass her sexually and verbally, often flying into a rage if he saw her talking to male colleagues at the Asian Age.

While Gogoi noted that Akbar got her a foreign posting in the UK, she argued the move was aimed at ensuring she had no defence and he could prey on her when he visited. Gogoi wrote Akbar hit her and threw office stationery at her in London for talking to a male colleague. She left the Asian Age after Akbar summoned her to return to India.

Gogoi is the first woman journalist who has made an open allegation of rape against Akbar. Allegations of sexual harassment against Akbar started emerging early in October after journalist Priya Ramani tweeted about it. Since then, at least 12 women accused Akbar of sexual harassment and molestation. Akbar resigned from his ministerial post on October 17, but filed a defamation suit against Ramani.
Mumbai, Nov 2 (PTI) Benchmark Sensex surged almost 580 points to end at a one-month high of 35,011.65 Friday as the rupee staged a sharp upmove amid a resounding rally in global equities.

Trading sentiment got a boost after Asian and European markets soared on easing concerns over the US-China trade war, while global crude oil prices eased.

Back home, the rupee gained a massive 95 paise to trade at 72.50 per dollar (intra-day), which added to the momentum, brokers said.

The 30-share Sensex got off to a strong start at 34,743.95 points and reclaimed the 35,000-mark to hit a high of 35,190.20 but profit-booking trimmed the gains. It finally settled 579.68 points, or 1.68 per cent, higher at 35,011.65.

This is its highest closing since October 4, when it had finished at 35,169.16.

The NSE Nifty leaped 172.55 points, or 1.66 per cent, to 10,553 after touching a high of 10,606.95 during the session.

On a weekly basis, both the Sensex and Nifty halted their two-week losing streak by surging 1,662.34 points or 5 per cent, and 523 points or 5 per cent, respectively.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, dropped below the USD 73-mark to quote at a seven-month low of USD 72.65 by falling 3.48 per cent on higher supply from the world's major producers.

Adding to the upbeat mood, GST collections in October crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark, after a five-month gap, on the back of festive spending and anti-evasion measures.

The Finance Ministry Thursday said 67.45 lakh businesses filed Goods and Services Tax (GST) returns in October and deposited Rs 1,00,710 crore as taxes.

Auto stocks were the centre of brisk activity during the session after some automakers came out with encouraging sales figures for October month.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs), which had been selling on the Indian bourses, made fresh purchases worth Rs 348.75 crore Thursday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold shares to the tune of Rs 509.17 crore, provisional data showed.

"Expectation of global trade deal and cheer in domestic auto sales numbers supported the market to extend its rally. Any consensus in US-China trade negotiation could settle global market volatility and will attract investors to the beaten down stocks. Additionally, continued fall in oil prices and drop in yield eased liquidity concerns," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services.

Maruti Suzuki was the star performer in the Sensex pack, surging 6.37 per cent, followed by Tata Motors at 6.29 per cent.

Shares of Bajaj Auto rose 2.31 per cent after the company on Friday reported a 32 per cent jump in total sales at 5,06,699 units in October.

Other major gainers included Vedanta Ltd 6.04 per cent, IndusInd Bank 5.29 per cent, Adani Ports 4.46 per cent, M&M 3.87 per cent, Hero MotoCorp 3.62 per cent, HDFC Ltd 3.59 per cent, Bharti Airtel 3.30 per cent, Tata Steel 3.07 per cent and Yes Bank 2.77 per cent.

However, Wipro, TCS, SBI, Infosys and Sun Pharma ended lower by up to 3.29 per cent.

Shares of state-run oil marketing companies such as HPCL, BPCL and IOC gained up to 6.69 per cent, supported by falling crude prices in the global market.

Sector-wise, the BSE auto index emerged the best performer by climbing 4.05 per cent, followed by metal (3.04 per cent), oil and gas (2.46 per cent), consumer durables (1.85 per cent), FMCG (1.52 per cent), infrastructure (1.42 per cent), bankex (1.42 per cent), capital goods (1.30 per cent), PSU (1.07 per cent), power (0.79 per cent) and realty (0.12 per cent).

In contrast, IT, teck and healthcare indices ended in the negative zone, falling up to 1.32 per cent.

The broader markets too were in a better shape after investors widened their portfolios, lifting the BSE mid-cap and small-cap indices by up to 0.84 per cent.

The BSE and NSE will conduct a special 'Muhurat' trading session on Wednesday, November 7.

'Muhurat' trading, which is conducted on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, will be held between 1700 hrs and 1830 hrs, the stock exchanges said.

Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 4.21 per cent, Korea 3.53 per cent, Shanghai Composite Index 2.70 per cent, Japan's Nikkei 2.56 per cent and Taiwan index advanced 0.63 per cent.

European markets too were strong in their late morning deals. Frankfurt's DAX was up 1.29 per cent, while Paris CAC 40 rose 1.26 per cent. London's FTSE too climbed 0.75 per cent. PTI SUN ABM
Jammu, Nov 2 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Commercial Taxes Department Friday set up a GST facilitation desk at Excise and Taxation Complex here for food processing MSMEs of district Jammu.

The creation of the desk envisages hand-holding of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), particularly with regard to GST related issues, an official spokesman said.

The help desk was made operational by Additional Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, S K Gupta along with nodal team of officers after the launch of 'Support and Outreach' initiative for MSMEs by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

Also present were the representatives of major food processing units of the district. The desk shall remain functional for the next 100 days to redress the GST related issues faced by food processing MSMEs of district Jammu, he said.

The participants present on the occasion were also made aware about the procedures of GST registration, return filling, refund claims and e-way registrations, among others.

Jammu has been selected among 80 other districts of the country where this outreach and support programme will run for the next 100 days.

Department of Financial Services, Government of India, is the nodal agency to monitor the overall progress of the programme. PTI AB ABM

ABM
Dharamsala, Nov 2 (PTI) Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda Friday lauded the Himachal Pradesh government's efforts towards improving the state's healthcare sector.

The minister said that Himachal Pradesh has been rated as the best performing state in the healthcare sector India.

Nadda appreciated the Himachal government for its excellent performance at the national level in the health sector, saying that at the fifth national conference held on October 30, 2018 in Kaziranga, Assam on good work and renewal in the field of health, the state was lauded as the best performing states in India.

He said that due to the vision and effective efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there has been a major change in the policy changes in the country.

The Prime Minister's efforts were the reason behind India jumping for the second consecutive year in business accessibility (ease of doing business).

In the list released by the World Bank, India has secured 77th position with improvement of 23 positions this year. India was at the 100th place last year.

He said, "When Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over the reins of governance, India's position in the ease of business was 143rd. With the efforts of the Prime Minister, the country has reached 77th position and will soon make its place in the first 50 countries."

Nadda was speaking in Dharamshala on Friday while chairing the cooperation and contact programme organised on the occasion of the launch of 'MSME 59 Minutes Portal' (from New Delhi) for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Food and Supply minister of Himachal Kisan Kapoor and industry minister Bikram Thakur were also present on the occasion. Anuradha Thakur, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance, also attended the event.

The Union Health Minister said that in order to set up mass development in the country, the emphasis is on providing all the facilities. For the purpose, this portal has been started for facilitating loan clearance for small and medium enterprises only in 59 minutes.

He said that 45 per cent contribution of total production in the country is of micro, small and medium enterprises and this region accounts for 40 per cent of the share of exports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not only taken care of the people who work in the unorganised sector but also took concrete steps to improve their lives and provide protection and facilities.

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Bima Yojana, Mudra Yojana, Ayushman Bharat Scheme are some of the many initiatives taken in this direction, he said.

Nadda said that under the Ayuhman Bharat Scheme, 10.74 million poor and deprived families of the country got the strength of healthcare and about 55 million poor people, who were unable to get treatment due to high expenses, got the facility of health insurance of Rs 5 lakhs.

Himachal Industry Minister Bikram Thakur said the Himachal government has started several schemes to promote micro, small and medium enterprises. The government is making a decision that all schemes of public welfare should be properly grounded, he said. PTI CORR MKJ

MKJ
New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours:



FGN21 BOTSWANA-NAIDU-DEMONETISATION

Money stashed in 'bedroom, bathroom, under pillows' reached banks due to demonetisation: Naidu

Gaborone: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has hailed demonetisation saying the move has led to money stashed in "the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows" coming into the banks. By Vilas Tokale



FGN9 METOO-AKBAR-RAPE

US-based journalist says she was raped by M J Akbar 23 yrs ago in India

Washington:A US-based editor of a leading media house has accused former Union minister M J Akbar of raping her in India 23 years ago, saying the "brilliant journalist" used his position as the editor-in-chief of a newspaper to prey on her, an allegation denied by his lawyer.



FGN8 CHINA-IMRAN

Pak PM Imran Khan arrives in China on maiden visit for talks on CPEC, IMF bailout

Beijing: Imran Khan arrived here Friday in what is termed as the most significant visit to China by a Pakistani Prime Minister in recent years as the all-weather allies grapple to iron out differences over the multi-billion CPEC and Islamabad approaching 'friendly nations' to avoid a tough IMF bailout package. By K J M Varma



FGN7 IMF-LD RBI

IMF says monitoring situation in India; bats for RBI's independence

Washington: The IMF has said it was monitoring the reported rift between the RBI and the Centre in India, and expressed its opposition to any move that compromises the independence of central banks anywhere in the world. By Lalit K Jha



FGN20 US-IRAN-OIL

US considering 'significant reduction exceptions' for nations to cut oil purchase from Iran

Washington: The US is considering "significant reduction exceptions" on a "case-by-case basis" for countries to bring down their oil purchase from Iran to zero ahead of the November 4 deadline set by the Trump administration, the State Department has said, amid reports that India may get a waiver. By Lalit K Jha



FGN19 US-TRUMP-CITIZENSHIP

Birthright citizenship has created birth tourism: Trump

Washington: President Donald Trump has claimed that the provision of birthright citizenship has created an entire industry of birth tourism in the US with Chinese people benefitting a lot from this "crazy, lunatic policy". By Lalit K Jha



FGN14 US-H1B

US makes it tougher for companies to employ fresh foreign workers under H-1B

Washington: The Trump administration has introduced a new set of stringent provisions to the H-1B labour application process under which the US employers must disclose the total number of foreigners already employed by them, making it tougher to sponsor fresh foreign workers.By Lalit K Jha



FGN11 APPLE-INDIA-COOK

Apple CEO 'very bullish' on India; confident of opening more stores in Indian market

New York: Apple CEO Tim Cook voiced optimism that the Indian government will at some point agree to allow the technology giant to bring in its stores as he lauded the country's bold reforms, saying he is a "big believer" and "very bullish" on India. By Yoshita Singh



FGN10 US-TRUMP-GREENCARDS

Trump shows sympathy for those waiting for green cards; says they'll enter US

Washington: US President Donald Trump appeared to be considerate to the hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals including Indians patiently waiting for years to receive green cards, saying they have done everything perfectly and they are going to enter America. By Lalit K Jha



FGN17 LANKA-PARLIAMENT

Sri Lanka's Parliament suspension will end on Nov 7: speaker

Colombo: Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said Friday that President Maithripala Sirisena has agreed to summon the legislature on November 7, in a fresh twist to the ongoing political crisis after former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa replaced Ranil Wickremesinghe as the prime minister.



FGN13 UN-GUTERRES-JOURNALISTS

Killing of journalists outrageous and should not be new normal: UN chief

United Nations: The killing of journalists around the world for doing their job is "outrageous" and should not become the "new normal," UN chief Antonio Guterres said.

By Yoshita Singh



FGN22 PAK-BLASPHEMY-LD PROTESTS

Nothing to do with Asia case, asks protestors to end standoff: Army

Islamabad/Karachi: Pakistan Army on Friday warned hundreds of radical Islamists hardliners not to test their "patience" and asked them to end the standoff peacefully to avoid the use of force as the mass protests against the acquittal of a Christian woman for blasphemy entered its third day.



FGN18 KHASHOGGI-BODY-TURKEY-

Khashoggi's body was 'dissolved' after murder: Erdogan advisor

Ankara: The body of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was "dissolved" after he was murdered and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul a month ago, an advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday. (AFP) RUP

RUP
Colombo, Nov 2 (PTI) A Sri Lankan court on Friday ordered the arrest of army chief Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne and produce him before it for his alleged involvement in the abduction and disappearance of 11 youths, including the minority Tamils, during the brutal military conflict with the LTTE.

Wijegunaratne, the Sri Lanka Armed Forces' Chief of Defence Staff, is accused of protecting the main suspect in the disappearance of the 11 individuals between 2008 and 2009 by facilitating his escape from the country.

The missing men are believed to have been murdered.

The Colombo magistrate's court ordered the police to arrest him before November 9 and warned of action if they failed to do so, a court official said.

Relatives of the missing Tamil people allege that the Lankan state - particularly its army, navy and police - were behind most of the disappearances.

Several navy officers are currently on bail in connection with the alleged disappearances of the 11 people who were abducted between 2008 and 2009.

The police's Criminal Investigation Department had uncovered details of a systematic extortion racket carried out by senior navy officers with high political connections during the height of the separatist war with the LTTE which ended in 2009.

A committee appointed by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa due to international pressure in 2013 had reported over 19,000 cases of disappearances.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Sri Lanka's human rights record, particularly over the impunity enjoyed by law enforcement officers, has been the subject of international condemnation.

The UN Human Rights Council has called for an international probe into the alleged war crimes during the military conflict with the LTTE.

According to the government figures, around 20,000 people are missing due to various conflicts including the 30-year-long separatist war with Lankan Tamils in the north and east which claimed at least 100,000 lives. PTI CORR CPS AKJ CPS
Cairo, Nov 2 (AFP) At least seven Coptic Christians were killed Friday when armed men opened fire on their bus in Egypt, the region's bishop told AFP.

A security official confirmed the attack in the central province of Minya, adding that there were "dead and wounded". (AFP) SCY

SCY
\R Ankara, Nov 3 (AP) The order to kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi came from the highest level of the Saudi government, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday, adding that the international community had the responsibility to "reveal the puppet masters" behind the slaying.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Erdogan said he did not believe that Saudi King Salman had ordered the killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate on October 2. He said Turkey's close ties to Saudi Arabia did not mean that Turkey could turn a blind eye to the killing of the journalist.

"We know that the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government," Erdogan said.

Erdogan wrote: "As responsible members of the international community, we must reveal the identities of the puppet masters behind Khashoggi's killing and discover those in whom Saudi officials  still trying to cover up the murder  have placed their trust."

Istanbul's chief prosecutor announced Wednesday that Khashoggi, who lived in exile in the United States, was strangled immediately after he entered the consulate as part of a premeditated killing and that his body was dismembered before being removed.

Turkey is seeking the extradition of 18 suspects who were detained in Saudi Arabia so they can be put on trial in Turkey. They include 15 members of an alleged Saudi "hit squad" that Turkey says was sent to Istanbul to kill The Washington Post columnist who had written critically of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Some of those implicated in the killing are members of the crown prince's entourage.

In the opinion piece, Erdogan did not mention the prince. But few in Turkey and elsewhere believe that the crime could have been carried out without the knowledge of the kingdom's powerful heir apparent.

Meanwhile, a Turkish official said he believes Khashoggi's body was dissolved in acid or other chemicals after it was mutilated.

Yasin Aktay, a ruling party adviser to Erdogan, told The Associated Press on Friday that "there can be no other formula" to explain why Khashoggi's remains have not been found a month after he was killed.

Aktay, who was friend of Khashoggi's, said he believes that the body was cut into pieces so that it could be dissolved in chemicals. He said: "all the findings point to his body parts being melted." But the official did not offer any proof for his comments.

Khashoggi had entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to collect a document he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

In Bulgaria on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Khashoggi's slaying a horrendous act that "should be duly dealt with" in a way that doesn't undermine Saudi Arabia's stability.

Netanyahu said at a news conference that Iran is a bigger threat than Saudi Arabia and those who want to punish the Middle East kingdom need to bear that in mind.

"A way must be found to achieve both goals, because I think that the larger problem is Iran," said the Israeli leader, who attended a meeting of the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania and the president of Serbia at a Black Sea resort. (AP)

HMB
Mumbai, Nov 2 (PTI) The government could bring a law for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya even when the dispute is before the Supreme Court, as there have been instances of the court's decisions being scuttled legislative process, former Supreme Court judge Jasti Chelameswar said here Friday.

His comments came when the clamour for enactment of a law to pave the way for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was growing within the Sangh parivar.

Justice (retired) Chelameswar was speaking at an interactive session hosted by the All India Professionals Congress, an organisation affiliated to the Congress party.

Earlier this year, Justice Chelameswar was among the four senior judges of the Supreme Court who went public with their objections about the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra's style of functioning.

When asked at Friday's programme whether Parliament can pass a law for Ram temple while the matter is in the Supreme Court, Chelameswar said it could happen.

"Legally if it can happen (or not) is one aspect. Whether it will happen (or not) is another. I'm aware of instances that happened in the past where decisions of the Supreme Court were scuttled by the legislative process," he said.

He cited the example where the Karnataka Assembly passed a law to overturn the SC order on the Cauvery water dispute, and another similar instance related to inter-state water dispute between Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.

"The nation should have opened up to these things much earlier.... This (a law on Ram temple) is possible as we did not stop it then," he said.

Incidentally, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said earlier Friday that Hindus were feeling "insulted" by the Supreme Court's declaration that the Ayodhya issue is not a priority and insisted that an ordinance would be needed if all options run out.

After a three-day RSS conclave in Maharashtra, its general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said the organisation "will not hesitate to launch an agitation for Ram temple, if needed, but since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there are restrictions." PTI MM KRK SMN

SMN
New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) Following are the top PTI stories at 1700 hours:



TOP STORIES:

DEL18 METOO-AKBAR-STATEMENT

Akbar denies rape accusations by Pallavi Gogoi, wife defends him; both say he had affair with Gogoi

New Delhi: Former union minister M J Akbar on Friday denied accusations of rape by US-based journalist Pallavi Gogoi, claiming he had consensual relationship spanning several months with her but it ended "perhaps not on the best note".



BOM6 MH-RAM TEMPLE-2ND LD RSS

Hindus 'insulted' by SC's observation that Ram temple is not a priority: RSS

Uttan (Maha): The RSS on Friday said Hindus were feeling "insulted" by the Supreme Court's declaration that the Ayodhya issue is not a priority and insisted that an ordinance would be needed if all options run out.



DEL23 MODI-SURVEY

Online survey says majority prefer Modi as PM for 2nd term

New Delhi: More than 63 per cent respondents in an online survey expressed their "trust" in Narendra Modi and over 50 per cent said a second term for him will provide them a better future



NATION

DEL8 RAHUL-RAFALE

Rahul alleges Dassault Aviation paid kickbacks to Ambani's firm

New Delhi: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Friday alleged that Dassault Aviation paid Rs 284 crore to Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence as the "first installment of kickbacks" and claimed Prime Minster Narendra Modi was having "sleepless nights" fearing action if a probe was conducted into the Rafale deal.



CAL5 AS-SHOT-2LD COMBING

Assam killings: Combing ops underway, ULFA(I) claims innocence

Guwahati: Assam police Friday launched a "massive combing operation" to nab those involved in the killing of five people, including three members of a family, in Tinsukia district.



DEL21 JK-ATTACK-PROTESTS

Massive protests rock Jammu region over killings of BJP leader, his brother

Jammu: Massive protests rocked Jammu division Friday against the killings of senior BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district.



BOM4 GJ-ADITYANATH-VISIT

Adityanath visits Statue of Unity, parries Ram temple poser

Kevadiya (Guj): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Friday visited the Statue of Unity, a 182-metre-tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel built near the Sardar Sarovar Dam here in Narmada district.



MDS6 KL-SABARIMALA-NSS-ATTACK

Office of outfit opposing women's entry into Sabarimala vandalised in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The office of caste-based outfit NSS, which is opposing the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple, was vandalised early Friday, police said.



LEGAL

LGD13 SC-LD BOFORS

SC dismisses CBI's appeal in Bofors case, says grounds of delay not justified

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday dismissed the CBI's appeal against the Delhi High Court's 2005 verdict discharging all the accused, including Hinduja brothers, in the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case.



LGD21 SC-TALAQ

SC refuses to entertain pleas against ordinance making instant 'triple talaq' penal offence

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday refused to entertain a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the provisions of the September 19 ordinance which make the practice of instant 'triple talaq' a punishable offence.



FOREIGN

FGN14 US-H1B

US makes it tougher for companies to employ fresh foreign workers under H-1B

Washington: The Trump administration has introduced a new set of stringent provisions to the H-1B labour application process under which the US employers must disclose the total number of foreigners already employed by them, making it tougher to sponsor fresh foreign workers. By Lalit K Jha



FGN9 METOO-AKBAR-RAPE

US-based journalist says she was raped by M J Akbar 23 yrs ago in India

Washington: A US-based editor of a leading media house has accused former Union minister M J Akbar of raping her in India 23 years ago, saying the "brilliant journalist" used his position as the editor-in-chief of a newspaper to prey on her, an allegation denied by his lawyer.



BUSINESS

DEL11 BIZ-COMPANIES ACT-ORDINANCE

Govt promulgates ordinance to amend Companies law

New Delhi: The government Friday promulgated an ordinance to amend the companies law, a senior official said. PTI



PTI

DPB
Jammu, Nov 2 (PTI) The situation in the curfew-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir remained tense Friday after a BJP leader was shot dead by suspected militants in Kishtwar, as the Army staged a flag march in certain places and the state government constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the incident, officials said.

The communally-sensitive Kishtwar area, about 240 km from here, saw the Army patrolling the streets and warning people to remain indoors in view of the restrictions imposed by the state administration after the killings of BJP leader Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother, Ajeet Parihar, 55, on Thursday night.

Two Personal Security Officers (PSOs) -- Om Prakash and Sahil Kumar -- of the BJP state secretary, have been detained for questioning.

"The SIT has been constituted by police to probe the killings. It is headed by Assistant Superintendent of Police Prabeet Singh," Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Angrez Singh Rana told PTI.

Police has started picking up evidences and recovered an empty shell of AK rifle from Tapal Mohalla, where the duo were killed by suspected militants while they were returning home after closing their stationary shop located outside old DC office complex.

A senior police official said that the incident needs to be probed in detail as militancy had been completely wiped out from this region in 2009-10.

The bodies of Parihar brothers were consigned to flames in the afternoon. Union minister Jitendra Singh was present along with around 4,000 people amidst heavy rains which lashed parts of the Jammu region.

The Army also staged a flag march in twin towns of Doda and Bhaderwah in the day.

Three Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) Sandeep Wazir, Manohar Singh and Faisal Qureshi have been deputed to Kishtwar for special duty to ensure law and order.

Inspector General of Police Jammu S D Singh and Deputy Inspector General Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban is also camping in Kishtwar town to monitor the situation.

SSP Kishtwar Rajinder Gupta said a hunt was launched to track down those involved in the case.

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Vishva Hindu Parishad blamed police and security agencies Friday for their "failure" to act on the inputs about the increasing underground activities of terrorists resulting in the killing of the senior BJP leader and his brother by suspected militants.

"The police and security agencies have failed to take steps to prevent these killings. A terrorist module was busted recently, but nothing has been done to foil the designs of terrorists in this district," former BJP minister and MLA of Kishtwar Sunil Sharma told reporters.

The VHP Friday said that it appears militancy is fast returning to erstwhile Doda district due to failure of police.

"The killings is a pointer to failure of security and intelligence. It appears that militancy is fast returning to this belt due to failure of security grid," state VHP president Leela Karan Sharma said.

In order to facilitate students for board exams, the administration has directed police to consider their roll number slips as curfew passes.

"As of now, the situation is completely under control with no untoward incident reported from anywhere, but as a precautionary measure both mobile and broadband internet services have been suspended and the Army also took out a flag march in the afternoon," the official said.

Amid shutdown in some places, massive protests rocked Jammu division Friday against the killings.

People had staged angry protests in the communally-sensitive town and manhandled senior police officials following the incident.

District Magistrate Kishtwar Angrez Singh Rana told PTI the situation was tense, but under control.

"The Army staged a flag march in Kishtwar town in order to maintain law and order this morning," Rana said.

He said the curfew, which was imposed in the town on Thursday night, was strictly in place and additional security personnel were deployed in the sensitive areas of the town.

Rana said there were no reports of any untoward incidents following the killings of Parihar and his brother by suspected militants.

Kishtwar district had witnessed communal clashes in the past. Terrorists had attempted to create communal tension in the region by targeting Hindu community, especially in higher reaches. In 2001, the terrorists killed 17 Hindu nomads.

Anil Parihar was active in politics for over 25 years and had unsuccessfully contested the 2008 Assembly polls on a Jammu and Kashmir National Panther Party (JKNPP) ticket. Ajeet Parihar was an employee of the State Forest Corporation (SFC).

On Thursday, the two were walking towards their home in Parihar mohalla through a dark lane in Tapal Mohalla when they were fired upon from a close range by suspected militants around 8.40 pm, officials said.

The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home, they said. PTI AB SKL KJ
Lucknow, Nov 2 (PTI) The police used canes to disperse people protesting here Friday against two court rulings that quashed the selection of over 12,000 government teachers and ordered a CBI probe into the process to appoint 68,500 more.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had struck down Thursday the selection of 12,460 assistant teachers through an exam advertised in 2016, during the term of the Akhilesh Yadav government.

The other order came as a major embarrassment for the Yogi Adityanath government. The bench directed the CBI to investigate a recruitment exercise begun earlier this year to fill 68,500 posts.

The protesters demonstrated in front of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha and tried to break a police cordon, when security personnel used canes to stop them from proceeding further.

The police said nobody was injured. But a protester claimed that some of them were hurt when they were hit by lathis or fell on the ground in the stampede-like situation near the Hazratganj crossing.

There were traffic snarls on arterial roads.

The protesters displayed banners that read "rozgar virodhi sarkar" (anti-employment government) and "yuvaon ke saath dhoka" (youths betrayed).

In the order cancelling the selection of 12,460 assistant teachers, the court said the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education (Teachers) Service Rules, 1981 were not followed.

The rules were said to have been broken to allow candidates belonging to districts having no vacancies to select any other district as their first priority for counselling.

In the other order by the same judge, the court asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe allegations of corruption in the process to fill 68,500 posts in primary schools through the Assistant Teachers Recruitment Examination, 2018.

The court directed the CBI to complete the investigation within six months and submit a progress report to it on November 26.

Issuing directions on a bunch of writ petitions in the 2018 case, Justice Irshad Ali said the court is prima facie satisfied that there is material evidence to establish that the examination authorities misused their power to give undue advantage to the candidates of their choice.

Both recruitment exercises were already on hold.

In the 2016 case, the selected candidates were not given appointment letters after the court earlier ordered a stay.

The court has now directed that the selection process should begin afresh in 2016 case and be completed within three months. PTI SMI SAB PTI ASH

ASH
New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal met Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat Friday, alleging that names of party supporters have been deleted from voters' list, and claimed that the EC has agreed agreed to take up a verification exercise at two places in Delhi.

He accused the ruling BJP of having gotten the names deleted from the voters list in "collusion" with lower-rung officials because it was apparently staring at a defeat in 2019 general elections.

"It's possible your name is deleted but you can not check it on Election Commission website because an old list is there. We have appealed to them (EC) to upload the names deleted till October 31," Kejriwal said.

On Thursday, Kejriwal had written to Rawat, seeking an appointment to raise the matter.

In the letter, he had said a cursory look on the deleted names "showed" most of them were AAP or Congress voters. He also alleged the deletion of names might have been done by officials "at the instance of BJP".

During his meeting with Rawat Friday, Kejriwal was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

Kejriwal said the Election Commission informed him that 10 lakh voters' names were deleted and 13 lakh were added since the last assembly election in Delhi in 2015.

"Most of the deleted names are those of our volunteers, family members of MLAs and others supporting the party," he claimed.

Kejriwal also demanded that "strict action" be taken against officials found guilty in the matter.

The Election Commission has agreed for a sample survey in Lalkuan and Tughlaqabad by its officials in presence of representatives of political parties. The verification will be video recorded, he said.

"If it is found that names have been deleted wrongly, not only guilty officials will be punished but the exercise will be carried out in all assembly segments in Delhi, Election Commission said," he told reporters.

The AAP has said a "verification inquiry" directed by Kejriwal found that nine names of AAP volunteers were deleted without proper verification of their addresses.

If lists of deleted names are uploaded on Election Commission website political parties can at least help people get their names added to the voters' list, he said adding the commission has rejected the demand to provide soft copies of deleted names to political parties. PTI VIT VIT ABH

ABH
Jaipur, Nov 2 (PTI) The BJP Friday launched its "Booth Mahasampark" campaign with the slogan "har booth, BJP majboot" ahead of the Assembly election in Rajasthan due on December 7.

During the three-day campaign, party leaders and workers will establish door-to-door contact with the people, a party statement said.

As a part of the drive, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje met people in Jhalawar, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in Bikaner and state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria in Udaipur, it added.

In Jaipur, BJP state election in-charge Prakash Javadekar spoke to people on the public welfare schemes of the Centre and the state in the Hawa Mahal Assembly area and urged the people to vote for the party.

On the other hand, BJP spokesperson Satish Punia slammed the Congress for copying BJP for seeking online suggestion for its election manifesto. PTI AG IJT
New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress chief Nana Patole Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to convene a special session of the Lower House of Parliament for discussing and solving "problems" being faced by the farmers across the country.

In separate letters to Prime Minister Modi and Mahajan, he said the farmers were grappling with various problems such as lack of water and irrigation-related issues.

Citing that earlier also a special session was convened for rolling out the GST, he said there was an urgent need to call a special session to deal with the farmers' problems. PTI ASK ASK AQS

AQS
Kolkata, Nov 2 (PTI) A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation will visit the families of the people who were killed in Assam's Tinsukia district by suspected militants, the party said Friday.

"In the next couple of days, a delegation of Trinamool MPs/MLA will visit the families of those brutally killed in Tinsukia. Humbly, our party will stand by the grieving families and assist them at this difficult time," the party said in a statement here.

Unidentified gunmen in battle fatigue shot dead five individuals, including three members of a family, near Kheronibari village in Tinsukia district of Assam on Thursday night.

On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed anguish over the killing and said an "environment of violence" was prevailing in the country.

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee sought a court-monitored inquiry and called for the resignation of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over the incident. PTI PNT IJT
Mumbai, Nov 2 (PTI) The Bombay High Court Friday dismissed a public interest litigation against the CBI's

decision to not challenge a 2014 trial court order discharging BJP chief Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case.

A division bench of justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre said it was not inclined to grant relief sought in the petition.

The petition was filed by Bombay Lawyers Association questioning the CBI's decision not to challenge the discharge granted to Shah in the case.

"We are dismissing the petition. We are not inclined to grant any reliefs...especially when the petitioner is a body which has no locus in the case," the court said in its judgement.

A special CBI court had in 2014 discharged Shah in the case. Sohrabuddin Shaikh and his wife Kausar Bi were killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2005 by the Gujarat Police. PTI SP NP AAR
Shillong, Nov 2 (PTI) The Meghalaya High Court has directed the state government to correct the contributory provident fund (CPF) with retrospective effect within 3 months failing which it will have to pay pension to all deficit college teachers in the state as per rules.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Justice SR Sen on Thursday asked the state government to comply with the various directions in letter and spirit within three months while disposing of two petitions filed by the Meghalaya College Teachers Association.

In the judgment, the bench said, "In case the government fails to correct the contributory provident fund and other directions, they will have to pay pension to government deficit/ad-hoc/aided college teachers and staff as per pension rules applicable to government college teachers and staffs."

It also maintained that the benefits of the Assam Non-Government (Deficit) College Central Pension and Provident Fund Act, 1997 and the Assam Deficit College Employees (Pension) Rules, 1998 be given to teachers who retired/joined prior to April 1, 2010, to those who are still serving, and also to those who retire after 2010 till 2018 and in future, with retrospective effect.

Government aided or ad-hoc schools and deficit schools and colleges are institutes that receive different types of support from the state government.

Directing the state government to correct the contributory provident fund immediately with retrospective effect as per the 1962 Contributory Provident Fund Rules and the 1998 Assam Deficit College Employees (Pension) Rules, the bench said that those teachers who joined service on or after April 1, 2010 should be given the benefits of the new defined contributory pension scheme with effect from the day of joining instead of April 1, 2018.

The bench also directed the state government to frame rules for all pensioner benefits, including family pension for retired teachers and those who have expired as per the Assam Acts & Rules and to ensure that none of the teachers, right from the time of statehood, lose a paisa of the benefits and that also without any tax cuts.

It also directed the state to immediately clear the monthly salary of the teachers who did not get paid for months altogether.

The government is also further directed to ensure that during and after service, all the teachers should live a decent and comfortable life with their kith and kin and no teacher or their family should suffer financial constraint which leads to starvation or non-availability of treatment, the court said.

Government should adhere strictly in letter and spirit the principle of Doctrine of Equality, Article 14, 16 and 39(d) of the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Constitution of India i.e., equal pay for equal work, it said.

"We further make it clear that government should not take the plea of financial constraint to follow the directions above. The management of fund is totally upon the respondents- government for which teacher class should not suffer," the bench stated in its judgment.

In the petition, the teachers' association had urged the court to direct the state authorities to ensure implementation of the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 and all other schemes to enable the college teachers of ad-hoc grant-in-aid colleges in the state to reap the benefits of the said beneficial legislations and for implementation of a post-retirement social security scheme.

The teachers informed the court that the state had deprived them of the benefits of any pension schemes and there was no social security scheme upon their superannuation to protect their right to a dignified life. PTI JOP SBN RHL
New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to former BSP MP's son Ashish Pandey who was arrested for brandishing gun at a five-star hotel's guests here.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh granted relief to Pandey on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety of the like amount.

The Delhi police had on Thursday filed a charge sheet against him.

Pandey had allegedly brandished a pistol at guests of a five-star hotel threatening them in the foyer, a video of which went viral on the social media.

The video of the incident, which occurred early on October 14, resulted in public outrage. It prompted the police to step in and launch a hunt for the accused who had gone missing after the incident. PTI UK PKS SA
New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Friday declined to grant interim bail to the in-laws of a flight attendant, who had allegedly committed suicide in July, to be with their family on the occasion of Diwali.

Justice Mukta Gupta issued notice to the Delhi Police on the bail petitions of the in-laws, who had surrendered Thursday and asked the agency to file a status report.

"No interim relief, not possible," the judge said and listed the bail pleas for further hearing on November 16.

Flight attendant Anissia Batra's parents-in-laws R S Singhvi and Sushma Singhvi approached the high court after their bail applications were rejected by a trial court on Thursday.

Anissia (39), wife of Mayank Singhvi, worked with a German airline. She allegedly jumped from the terrace of her house in Panchsheel Park in South Delhi on July 13. Mayank rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead. Mayank, who was married to Anissia for over two years, was arrested on July 16.

Anissia's family has alleged that her husband used to physically abuse her and often demand money. The family has claimed before the trial court that it was not a suicide, but murder.

Senior advocates A M Singhvi and Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the in-laws, said they were not living with their son and daughter-in-law and have no role in the alleged offence.

The counsel orally prayed for interim bail for a week for R S Singhvi and Sushma Singhvi to be with their family on the occasion of Diwali and said the couple would surrender thereafter.

The counsel said the couple were in advanced age and the woman has to undergo breast cancer surgery in January.

When the advocate said that two charge sheets have already been filed and no investigation was required at this stage and they have fully cooperated with the probe agency, the court said, "That is okay, but there is something called seriousness of the offence".

The couple, who was yesterday sent to one-day police custody, was remanded to judicial custody Friday by a trial court, the counsel said.

Mayank's parents were earlier denied anticipatory bail by the high court.

Before jumping off the terrace, she had sent a message to her husband that she would kill herself, police had said earlier.

The husband, a software engineer in Gurgaon, had told the police that they had regular fights due to "compatibility issues". They had an argument on the day of the incident as well, following which she jumped from the terrace, police had said.

The victim's family had also given a complaint to police on June 27 saying that if anything happens to their daughter, Mayank would be responsible, police had said. PTI SKV HMP RT
New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) The Delhi High Court Friday dismissed a petition seeking a direction to ensure that women of all ages and religions are allowed to enter and pray at temples, mosques and Zoroastrian fire temples.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and VK Rao refused to entertain the plea saying it lacked "territorial jurisdiction".

"Petitioner has not indicated which of the temples mentioned in the petition is under the jurisdiction of this court. None of the temples indicated here are within the territorial jurisdiction of this court. We are not inclined to entertain it. The petition is dismissed," the bench said.

The petition filed by advocate Sanjiv Kumar also said women should be ordained as "pujari", imam or priest of their respective temples, mosques or churches to lead prayers.

It also sought that women of menstruating or non-menstruating age from every religion be allowed to enter and pray at all times at all temples in India.

A similar order was sought in favour of the entry of men in women-only temples such as Attukal, Chakkulathukavu, Santoshi Maa "Vrat", Lord Brahma, Bhagwati Maa Temple and Kamrup Kamakhya.

It sought orders declaring as unconstitutional the prevalent practice of denying Muslim women the right to observe fast and offer prayers during menstruation.

The petition also urged the court to direct the Centre to put in place norms allowing menstruating Hindu women to enter the kitchen as well as observe fasts, offer prayers and go to any place, and said denying this should be deemed "unconstitutional". PTI SKV HMP URD









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Pathanamthitta (Ker), Nov 2 (PTI) The BJP is observing a protest here on Friday after the recovery of the body of an elderly Sabarimala pilgrim, who had trekked hills to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple last month.

The BJP alleged that Sivadasan, 60, had died during police action against devotees last month after the landmark verdict by the Supreme Court allowing women entry into the shrine.

But police said it was an accident. They said Sivadasan's body was recovered from a forest area on Thursday.

Shops and business establishments downed shutters and buses and autorickshaws stayed off the roads in the area.

Police said Sivadasan had come to offer prayers at the hill shrine on October 18 and informed his family the following day that he was able to visit the temple.

Since he did not reach home, his son had filed a missing complaint on October 21 at police stations in Pamba and Nilakkal and at Pandalam police station on October 24.

Sivadasan's family has demanded a probe into his death.

Meanwhile, describing the BJP protest as "unnecessary",

Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Suredran said it was only to cause difficulties to the people.

Even the deceased's family has not alleged there was any

foul play, he told reporters.

Noting that a "false campaign" was on against the police, a senior official said he had died in an accident.

The BJP workers have also decided to take a "re-dedication" pledge in all assembly constituencies to protect the traditions of the temple.

They alleged that the state government was trying to "destroy the uniqueness" of the shrine which prevents women in the age group of 10 and 50 from offering prayers.

Kerala had witnessed widespread protests by devotees after the state government made it clear that it was bound to implement the top court's verdict on entry of women of all ages into the temple.

The shrine had witnessed high drama after around a dozen

women in the 10-50 age group were prevented by protesting

devotees from entering it after the temple doors were opened for monthly pujas between October 17 and 22. PTI UD ROH

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New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) A 29-year-old man was arrested from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) for allegedly cheating people by impersonating an Army man, police said Friday.

The accused, who is an MA student, has been identified as Mohammad Rakib, from Rajasthan, they said.

On October 7, one Akash Pal, a resident of Pitampura, filed a police complaint alleging that some unidentified persons, impersonating Army personnel, contacted him through OLX offering an 'Apple I-Phone 7 plus' at cheap price and called him at T-1 of the IGI Airport to get the delivery of the phone, Sanjay Bhatia, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) said.

Later, he asked Pal to deposit Rs 35,000 advance money through Paytm. However, the complainant, relying on the assurance of the so-called Army personnel, transferred Rs 35,000. When he arrived at the airport to collect the delivery of the phone, no one responded, he said.

During investigation, police received the details of the alleged Paytm account. It was found that the accused persons were transferring the amount in a particular bank account through multiple e-wallets, the DCP said.

Subsequently, the details of the suspected bank account were received and the accused was later arrested, he said.

During interrogation, it was revealed that Rakib and his accomplices used to use Paytm wallets from different states like Assam, Orissa and post details of an Apple I-Phone on OLX with "very cheap price" tag, the officer added.

Moreover, they used to impersonate Army personnel to gain confidence of the victims and had also prepared forged CSD cards of Army personnel and used to send the copy of the same to the victims to convince them, he said.

A mobile phone, several SIM and ATM cards, forged picture of CSD card were recovered from them and one account of the accused with Rs 1,08,000 balance has also been seized, said Bhaitia, adding that efforts are being made to nab the other accused. PTI NIT SLB KJ

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New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) The police on Friday arrested a 30-year-old man in connection with the murder of a 38-year-old school teacher in northwest Delhi's Bawana area, officials said.

Four persons have been arrested in the case so far, the police said.

Manjeet (38), husband of the deceased, his girlfriend Angel Gupta alias Shashi Prabha (26) and Rajeev (40), were arrested on Thursday.

The fourth accused, identified as Deepak, was Rajeev's driver for the past 10 years, the police said.

Manjeet was in a relationship with Angel and his wife, Sunita, objected to it, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta said.

During investigation, Sunita's relatives handed over her diary to police in which she had written that her married life was unsatisfactory.

Manjeet's in-laws had also learnt of his illicit relationship, following which he promised to end it, Gupta said.

He and Sunita recently had a heated argument when she found out that her husband had not ended his relationship, he added.

Fed up with this, Manjeet conspired with Angel and Rajeev to eliminate his wife, the DCP said.

Deepak hired two sharp shooters who came up with a plan to kill Sunita after carrying out a reconnaissance of the area, he said.

Sunita was shot dead on Monday morning when she left her house at around 8 am. She was shot thrice, Gupta said. PTI NIT SLB DIV

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Mumbai, Nov 2 (PTI) Former Supreme Court judge Jasti Chelameswar rued Friday that no proper legal structure was ever laid down for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

He was speaking at an interactive session hosted by the All India Professionals Congress, an organisation affiliated to the Congress party, here.

Asked about the recent turmoil within the CBI, where the two senior most officials have levelled allegations against each other, Chelameswar said that "nobody issued (defined) a legal structure of the organisation" in the last seventy years.

"It is not a constitutional body. It is not a statutory body. This setup almost has tantalising powers," he said.

The CBI was set up under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.

Every time something happens at the state-level with political implications, people want the case to be referred to the CBI, forgetting that the agency also consists of human beings and they can make mistakes, he said.

"Every political party could work towards creating a proper statutory framework for the organisation," the retired judge added.

Earlier this year, Chelameswar was among the four senior judges of the Supreme Court who went public with their grievances about then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra's style of functioning.

Asked about that unprecedented press conference, Chelameswar said going public was the only option available to them.

The press conference was the culmination of a series of events that started in November 2017, and the decision to go public was taken only after a letter written to then CJI did not yield results, he said.

"There was a lot of criticism over our going public. If there was any possibility of issues getting solved internally, why would any of us venture out," he said.

Asked about the possibility of the Supreme Court coming in the ambit of the Right to Information Act, he said judges already give reasoning for the legal decisions taken by them but there could be scope for bringing administrative decisions within the RTI purview.

Asked to comment on absconding businessman Vijay Mallya's lawyers contending in the UK court while opposing request for his extradition that conditions in Indian jails are bad, he said while Indian jails do not boast of "five-star facilities", certain prisoners do get five-star treatment.

He also said that he would not be joining any political party or contest polls.

"Some may think political appointments (for retired judges) are not right. But what has the civil society done about it? If the civil society thought of it as not right, they should have protested. That may not have stopped it (the appointments) but would have been a deterrent factor," he said. PTI MM KRK SMN

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Savers have withdrawn more than 21.7billion from their private pensions in the three years since dramatic rule changes, latest figures from the taxman show.

In the three month period between July and September 2018, 258,000 people made 585,000 withdrawals, now meaning more than 1.3million Britons have taken advantage of pension freedoms.

Then Chancellor George Osborne announced the reforms in the April 2015 Budget, which allows those aged 55 and over the freedom to access as much of their pension savings as they wished, rather than having to buy a lifetime annuity or put the money into a drawdown.

A quarter of this is 'uncrystallised funds pension lump sum' that can be taken tax-free.

Lot of Lambos: Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb famously said that those taken advantage of the new rules could spend their savings on Lamborghinis if they wanted to

It led former Pensions Minister - and now This is Money pensions agony uncle - Steve Webb to comment that pensioners could spend their savings on a Lamborghini if they wanted to, stating it was 'their choice'.

However, while the total value of withdrawals since the April 2015 changes has now topped 21billion, savers don't appear to have been splashing the cash recently.

The average withdrawal per person in the last quarter was 7,597, the lowest level since HMRC began recording them - just about enough for a brand new Dacia Sandero, the cheapest car available to buy.

One analyst commented that it suggested most people were 'taking a pragmatic and controlled approach to how they manage their pension savings', with the withdrawal per person trending downward from 18,500 just after the changes came into play.

Pension reforms: Around 200,000 people have made withdrawals each quarter for the last year and a half

Separate HMRC data also revealed that it had repaid a record 38million in overpaid emergency tax to 18,000 people in the third quarter of this year, with the average refund 2,000.

This means more than 372million has been repaid by the taxman since the pension changes three years ago.

Tom Selby, senior analyst at AJ Bell, says: 'One of the real thorns in the new rules is the tax treatment applied to people making their first pension freedoms withdrawal.

'In most cases an emergency tax rate will be applied to these withdrawals meaning people pay more tax than they should do.

'This can be reclaimed but it is a hassle and doesnt help the fact that the withdrawal will be lower than the individual expected.

'Earlier this week HMRC reported that a record 38million of this overpaid tax was reclaimed by investors in quarter three, yet it seems to have no intention of changing the rules.'

There were fears when the reforms were announced that savers would spend all their money at once. However, the average amount withdrawn per person has steadily decreased since 2015

The pensions freedom statistics show that the number of people making withdrawals has shot up from 84,000 in the second quarter of 2015, to now exceed 200,000 people in each of the first three quarters of 2018.

The second quarter of this year saw both the highest number of people making withdrawals, 264,000, and the highest total value of payments since the 2015 freedoms were introduced.

Over 2.2billion was withdrawn by savers between April and June this year, while 1.96billion was taken out in the three months afterwards.

The value of payments in each year follows a consistent trend, of increased withdrawals towards the start of the year and lower withdrawals in the remaining three quarters of the year.

The number of people making withdrawals has also been consistent, around 200,000 have done so every three month period since April 2017.

Tom Selby adds: 'The Government recently upgraded its estimate for the tax take from pension freedoms withdrawal this year by a whopping 400million and now we can see why.

'The public has latched on to the flexibility the new rules gives them and as more people hit age 55 we can expect these figures to keep rising.'

Canada Life's pensions technical director Andrew Tully told Financial Planning Today: 'Typically smaller pensions are being fully withdrawn, while people with larger pensions are making multiple withdrawals in a tax year, suggesting they are treating their pension more like a bank account.

'The Treasury is enjoying a tax bonanza, as predictions that paying income tax will be a natural brake on withdrawals hasn't stopped people simply taking the money.'

However, one expert warned that danger looms.

Ian Browne of Quilter said: 'These figures may start to tell a different story soon, as freedoms are in for a whole new set of challenges given increased investor jitteriness during market volatility.

'Now, the last number of months have seen dramatic swings in the market and it's understandable that people are nervous about their future retirement, particularly if it's only around the corner, or in fact here.

'However, its important investors don't panic and do something rash, either by pulling money out of their pension or shifting their investment strategy without careful thought.

'Getting financial advice, particularly for those invested and within five years of retirement, is crucial.'
Another saver needs his money to pay for his new home - but hasn't received it

One saver transferred 320k to NS&I on Tuesday and it still isn't in his account

National Savings & Investments told a customer that it was unable to confirm where his money was after one of its IT systems crashed this week, This is Money can reveal.

Just under 9,000 NS&I customers have been affected by payment delays with NS&I confirming that customers who requested payment online or by phone on 30 October 'will receive their money a day late'.

Requests that have been received since 29 October may also be delayed.

Angry customers have taken to social media to complain about the mishap.

One saver, who contacted This is Money, is down a massive 320,000 after NS&I admitted it had 'no way to check whether the payment [was] coming through' - despite the customer transferring the cash from his bank on Tuesday this week.

One saver is down a massive 320,000 as a result of the IT issues at national savings

The saver, who wishes to remain anonymous, transferred the sum from his Barclays account on Tuesday morning, expecting it to appear in his NS&I Direct Saver account around two hours later.

But by Friday morning, the money still hadn't appeared in the NS&I account.

The Direct Saver is a popular account for high net worth individuals, as money earns one per cent interest - but crucially, up to 2million can be put in there and is guaranteed by the UK government.

On calling the national savings provider, he was told: 'We clearly should have received the funds by now.'

The NS&I representative then said: 'One of the systems we use to track payments is not functioning at the moment.'

The saver, who recorded this conversation and shared it with This is Money, then said to the representative: 'So you're telling me I can't withdraw my money? Even though this is a Direct Saver account and I've transferred it three days ago?'

The representative confirmed that this was correct and said the customer would be unable to access his funds until the IT failure had been fixed.

A statement from NS&I on Twitter said: 'We're experiencing technical issues, meaning that some customers have not received expected payments.

'We are working hard to resolve this so that customers' payments can be processed. We will issue and update as soon as we are able to.'

NS&I posted on Twitter that some customers were experiencing problems locating their cash

The saver said: 'This is just a shambles - what if I needed the cash to complete on a house purchase today? It wouldn't happen.

'It's a complete shambles - if this was RBS or Lloyds they'd be up in front of the Treasury select committee having to explain why they'd lost customers' money.

It's a complete shambles - if this was RBS or Lloyds they'd be up in front of the Treasury select committee having to explain why they'd lost customers' money NS&I saver, missing 320,000

'The guy's response is just bizarre - it's unbelievable they think it's okay just to say, sorry we don't know where your 320,000 is or if it's going to arrive in your account.'

Another saver tweeted that a payment made out of their account had failed to arrive at 9.48am today and that they need the funds to buy a house.

@njc_007 tweeted: '@nsandi any news on payments? I have not received a payment I need to buy a house!'

It's not clear how many payments are affected or how much cash has gone missing

National Savings & Investments is unable to confirm where customers' money is

Various others have also tweeted the nationally-owned savings provider to enquire after missing funds.

TECH ISSUES AT NS&I 'Technical issues' mean call centre operators are unable to access customer information

Just under 9,000 customers who requested a payment online or through the call-centre on 30 October may have experienced a delay of one day in receiving their money

Some customers who requested payment online or by phone on 30 October will receive their money a day late

Payments being requested online and by phone, meaning the majority of payments overall, are now being processed as normal and customers should not experience any delays

Customer service requests, including for repayments, received by post are currently waiting to be processed

Requests that have been received since 29 October may be delayed

This is Money has approached NS&I for comment and an explanation.

A spokesman said: 'We have been experiencing technical issues, meaning that our call centre operators are unable to access customer information.

'We are working hard to resolve these issues as soon as possible so that our operators are able to assist customers with their queries.

'Customers are still able to log into their online accounts as normal and money invested with NS&I remains safe and 100 per cent secure.

'We are working hard to resolve this issue as soon as possible so that all delayed instructions can be processed. We are very sorry for the inconvenience and will issue an update as soon as we have more news.'

A number of banks have suffered high profile IT meltdowns recently.

In April, TSB caused chaos when it attempted to transfer customers from a legacy Lloyds Banking Group system to its new owner Sabadell's IT system.

It resulted in thousands of customers losing access to their accounts, gain access to strangers' accounts and in the worst case scenarios see their data and savings stolen by scammers who took advantage of the chaos.

In May Aegon suffered similar problems after transferring customer accounts from the Cofunds investing platform.

Some 400 customers were blocked from logging on, buying and selling funds, and were unable to take their money.

Then, in July the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority warned banks and investment providers that failed customers as a result of shoddy technology and mismanagement of cyber threats to up their game.

In an unprecedented move, senior officials from the UK's two biggest financial regulators said banks, investment providers and any other financial firms dealing with consumers must step up their game on 'preventative measures' to avoid another meltdown such as the one suffered by TSB customers in April this year.
Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF's stock was trading at $93.15 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, RSP shares have increased by 71.4% and is now trading at $159.65.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
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Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Holdings Limited, Instron International Limited, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, International Leasing Company LLC, International Truss Systems Proprietary Limited, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kester Components (M) Sdn. Bhd., Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems (Canada) Inc., Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MOA Enterprises Inc, Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, Norden Olje AB, North Star Imaging Europe, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited (Enping), Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Penta Dnepr LLC, Penta Sever OOO, Penta Volga OOO, Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., Ramset Fasteners (Hong Kong) Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco (Nederland) B.V., Simco Japan Inc., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques  SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Taiwan) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes BVBA, Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek (China) Limited, Teknek (Japan) Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V.B.A., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta (Guangzhou) Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Vesta Global Limited, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, ZF TRW (Engineered Fasteners and Components), and Zip-Pak International B.V..
Fielmann Aktiengesellschaft engages in the investment in and operation of optical and hearing aid businesses. The company manufactures and sells visual aids and other optical products, including glasses, frames, lenses, sunglasses, contact lenses and accessories, and various merchandise, as well as hearing aids and accessories. As of December 31, 2020, it operated 870 stores, including 605 in Germany, 43 in Switzerland, 38 Austria, 3 in Luxembourg, 33 in Italy, 25 in Poland, 80 in Spain, 28 in Slovenia, and 15 in the rest of Europe. The company also 79 smaller locations in Eastern Europe. Fielmann Aktiengesellschaft also offers its products through online stores. The company was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. Fielmann Aktiengesellschaft is a subsidiary of Korva SE.

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San Francisco

Carrying signs with messages such as "Don't be evil," several hundred Google employees around the world briefly walked off the job Thursday in a protest against what they said is the tech company's mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against executives.

Employees staged walkouts at offices from Tokyo and Singapore to London and New York, with more expected to do so in California later in the day, reflecting a #MeToo-era backlash among women against frat-house misbehavior in heavily male-dominated Silicon Valley.

In Dublin, organizers used megaphones to address the crowd of men and women to express their support for victims of sexual harassment. Other workers gathered indoors, in conference rooms or lobbies, to show their solidarity with abuse victims.

Protesters in New York carried signs with such messages as "Not OK Google" and "Don't Be Evil"  a mocking reference to Google's one-time motto.

"Time is up on sexual harassment, time is up on systemic racism, time is up on abuses of power! Enough is enough!" organizer Vicki Tardif Holland shouted, her voice hoarse, at a gathering of about 300 people in Cambridge, Mass.

The walkouts reflected doubts among some of the 94,000 employees at Google and its corporate parent Alphabet Inc. that the company is adhering to its own dictum in the Alphabet corporate code of conduct: "Do the right thing."

Protest organizers said Google has publicly championed diversity and inclusion but hasn't done enough to put words into action.

In an unsigned statement from organizers, the protesters called for an end to forced arbitration in harassment and discrimination cases, a practice that requires employees to give up their right to sue and often includes confidentiality agreements.

They also want Google to end pay inequity, issue a report on sexual harassment inside the company and adopt a clearer process for reporting complaints.

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The Google protest unfolded a week after a New York Times story detailed allegations of sexual misconduct about the creator of Google's Android software, Andy Rubin. The report said Rubin received a $90 million severance package in 2014 after Google concluded the accusations against him were credible.

Rubin denied the allegations in a tweet.

The same story also disclosed allegations of sexual misconduct against other executives, including Richard DeVaul, a director at the Google-affiliated lab that created such projects as self-driving cars and internet-beaming balloons. DeVaul had remained at the "X" lab after the allegations surfaced about him a few years ago, but he resigned on Tuesday without severance, Google said.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai apologized for the company's "past actions" in an email sent to employees Tuesday.

"I understand the anger and disappointment that many of you feel," Pichai wrote. "I feel it as well, and I am fully committed to making progress on an issue that has persisted for far too long in our society ... and, yes, here at Google, too."
Croghan

Sen. Charles Schumer urged the GOP-controlled House of Representatives on Friday to continue funding for a federal program that promotes the state's burgeoning maple syrup industry.

Speaking at the American Maple Museum in Lewis County, the senator urged Congressional lawmakers to add funding to the 2019 budget for the Acer Access and Development Program, which was created in 2014 as part of the Farm Bill.

Currently, the Senate has set aside $4 million in its version of next year's Farm Bill to run through 2023, but the program is currently absent from the House's budget bill that passed this summer.

This year, Cornell University got about $475,000 under the program to support efforts to improve maple production efficiency and pay for workshops, maple schools, market development, publication of technical information and creation of an online multimedia program in cooperation with programs in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Cornell received one of six grants nationwide this year that totaled about $2.6 million. Programs in Vermont, Michigan, and Rhode Island were also funded.

"Maple syrup production requires a highly skilled workforce and an optimal climate. Here in New York, we have both," said Kathryn Boor, dean of the agriculture college at Cornell.

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Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York State Maple Producers' Association, also urged continued federal funding for the program, which she said has helped local producers to grow.

Maple syrup production has been climbing in New York state in recent years. Last season, the state produced more than 800,000 gallons, a 74-year record and a 50 percent production increase in just five years.

With more than 2.7 million taps currently in use, the state accounts for nearly 20 percent of total U.S. syrup production, second only to Vermont.

"New York is in the midst of a maple explosion," said Schumer, "It is critical for the federal government to continue to support this burgeoning industry through any means possible, to allow Upstate producers to keep pace with international competitors like Canada."
Get off the Northway at Exit 15 and drive north on Route 50. You will pass big-box stores, fast food restaurants and a mall, a Five Below and a Best Buy. Right after the Stewart's (because it's the Capital Region and there's always a Stewart's in driving directions) you'll see the enormous pencils  painted and sharpened pine logs  strung with Tibetan prayer flags. Then you'll see the firewood. A profusion of firewood stacked in ribbons and rows and racks, more firewood than you've ever seen in one place.

There's a couple buildings, too. Your eye might slide right on by them, in the middle of all that wood. But inside the red-roofed office, behind a door flanked by wood carvings, you will find firewood purveyor and connoisseur Lou Faraone.

Firewood is Faraone's third career. He's 77, but his white hair is the only hint to his age. He's barrel-chested, moves easily and has thick, muscled hands. He's up at 4 a.m., works until late, never takes a day off and talks like a guy who is thoroughly enjoying himself.

Faraone started Seasoned Gourmet Firewood more than 20 years ago in Malta. He retired from the manufactured home business and bought a motel. His son, Maxx, 3 at the time, kept asking his dad to take him to the store to buy toys. Faraone came up with the idea of stocking a rack with firewood in front of the motel and letting his son keep the proceeds, so he could buy his own Power Rangers. The business grew from there, Faraone says.

Eventually the business outgrew the 3 acres Faraone owned in Malta. He sold the property and bought 13 acres in Wilton and continued to expand. It's a long, cold winter in upstate, and a lot of people sell firewood. Faraone calls his "gourmet" because he lets the stacks sit for a year, up off the ground and covered with tarps to keep off the rain and snow. He sells only hardwood for heating or cooking inside. Pine, a softwood, is for camp fires. He stocks a rack with it near the road and sells it on the honor system. With video surveillance.

"We get visitors at 2 a.m. because their firewood has run out, but their beer hasn't," Faraone says.

Seasoned Gourmet Firewood employs about 18 people at peak season, which is now. They're clearing, chopping, delivering and stacking. Faraone has his own wood lots but uses them sparingly. Most of his supply comes from road and site-clearing jobs and tree removal guys who would rather sell wood then pay to dump it.

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But firewood isn't all Faraone is into. He collects slabs that can be used as bars and counters: $85 for pine, $750 for black walnut. "Uncle Charlie," a longtime employee who lives on-site  he's the one who creates the enormous pencils  cuts basswood into ovals that can be used for signs and decorative purposes.

Faraone gives a tour in an old minivan he bought to drive his dogs around  two mutts named Timber and Ziggy Marley. At the top of a rise, he shows off the spot he's planning to build a yurt. It will overlook a neighboring alfalfa field that belongs to Donald Tooker, who recently donated the development rights to Saratoga PLAN so it will remain undeveloped. There are woodchucks around to keep Timber and Ziggy entertained, a flock of turkeys and a herd of deer that comes out every evening to snack on alfalfa. Best of all, it faces west. Faraone will have a view of the sunset from the yurt.

"People driving on Jones Road will look up here at this yellow thing and wonder," he says.
As the birthplace of the Round Peak sound prized by aspiring artists from around the world, Yadkin Valley has been on the travel radar of old-time music lovers for quite some time. Factor in a tradition of stringed instrument production and a local luthier with skills so sought after he once put Eric Clapton himself on a three-year waiting list for a guitar, and it's safe to say the music heritage of this place runs deep.

Then of course, there's the moonshine. The ridge-running roots of the area's distilling heritage are alive and kicking in the form of modern-day distilleries, specialty food items and more. Paddling opportunities, hiking and biking trails, a wine scene that's starting to find its way and a serious farm-to-fork food scene add extensively to the destination's vacation value.

Perhaps the most precious place to begin your exploration of this region is the town of Mount Airy. Childhood home of Andy Griffith and inspiration for the classic fictional television town Mayberry, this place is the quintessential example of authentic Americana and chock-full of charm. Spending time on Main Street is a must. Historic buildings, wagon rides, mountain music piped into the streets and more are sure to make you feel immersed in the experience.

If you happen to be there on a Saturday, head over to the historic Earle Theater. Home to the Old-Time Music Heritage Hall, the theater also hosts live radio broadcasts of traditional area tunes every Saturday. Open to the public for $8 per person, the entry ticket also grants access to the Andy Griffith Museum.

A couple of casual lunch options exist on Main Street. Walker's Soda Fountain offers hand-mixed soda flavors along with basic burgers and fries. Mam's Eatery offers homespun food. If you're in the mood for an upscale meal, Old North State Winery's chef's table experience is worth the throw down.

Those seeking sweet treats can go see Miss Angel. Owner of Heavenly Pies on Main Street and the farm where all the fruit for said goodies is grown, this sparkly little energy tornado whips up pies, baked goods and other yummies you can order served with a side of moonshine ice cream created at her creamery next door. She's also a recommended stop on Surry County's sonker trail. A fruit cobbler-like dessert so unique to this area there's an entire driving trail devoted to showcasing places that offer it, sonker is a fun way to experience the actual flavor of the valley while visiting the various towns within it.

Regarding recommended day trips from Mount Airy proper, there a couple worth your time. JOLO winery in the town of Pilot Mountain offers some of the best wine in the area, along with live music on Sundays through mid-November. With their view of the mountain and outside seating area, it's a great place to enjoy a high-end pour and groove out to local tunes. They occasionally do vertical tastings with gourmet food pairings that are also worth the splurge if your travel timing is right. Dobson is a scenic day drive and home to Rockford General Store, an authentic vintage market with homemade canned goods, retro candy and a fun vibe. They are also on the sonker trail, and offer indoor and outdoor seating. Open Wednesday through Sunday, it makes a great preliminary stop to an early dinner at Harvest Grill restaurant located at Shelton Vineyards, which is also in Dobson. Their glassed-in dining room with fireplace overlooks the vines and offers delectable higher-end fare with plenty of atmosphere. Menu items rotate seasonally.

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When you are ready to start exploring the other end of the valley, switching your base camp to the Wilkesboro area makes a heck of a lot of sense. Home to MerleFest, the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame and the W. Kerr Scott Reservoir popular with outdoor recreation enthusiasts, this midsized town with recently refurbished community amenities is strategically positioned for a thorough investigation of this portion of the area. Also, while the distilling traditions of Yadkin Valley are prevalent in the other towns you'll visit, this is where the white lightning heritage really starts getting serious.

Call Family Distillers puts seven generations of experience into their moonshine, with facility tasting tours including a peek at some of the original souped-up shine-running cars from back in the day. This family's heritage includes not only the famously uncatchable Willie Clay Call, but also the Reverend Dan Call, who taught the trade to Mr. Jack Daniels himself. Hard spirits fans will also want to stop at Copper Barrel. Located in an old furniture plant, their master moonshine distiller is a plain-speaking, overall-wearing bit of living history by the name of Buck Nance, who produces some seriously sensational hooch.

Those ready for a bit of driving adventure will want to make their way to Moravian Falls to search out the Holman Distillery. Departing from the local moonshine scene in favor of a freezing method known as jacking, which dates back to the colonial days, this rural facility is a nifty day trip for travelers who like exploring the back roads.

Wine scene more your speed? Make your way to Raffaldini Vineyards. A spectacular view, Italian-style villa and picturesque walking trails all serve as the backdrop for sipping some serious wines. As a fan of big reds, my favorite is the 2016 Il Falco, but their 2015 Grande Riserva is nice as well. They also have outdoor seating and picnic supplies available if you want to come with friends and enjoy a pour while taking in the countryside.
PAUL BUCKOWSKI

ALBANY - The Albany County Land Bank will share a portion of nearly $26 million the state Attorney General is giving to land banks across the state.

The Albany County Land Bank will get $2 million over the next two years to help pay for demolitions, stabilizations and the clean-up of vacant lots.
ALBANY - Several local lawmakers plan to host a fundraiser to help pay the legal costs of a local banquet hall fighting to get its liquor license back, saying it is one of the few black-owned businesses in downtown and deserves backing.

"I'm supporting Levels because I think it's a really important venue for the community, especially the African-American community," one of the organizers, Albany County Legislator Sam Fein, said. "It's really one of the only black-owned businesses in the heart of downtown Albany."

In December 2017, the State Liquor Authority suspended the license for Levels Banquet Hall, just days after a man was shot to death at the North Pearl Street venue. SLA officials have said it was suspended immediately in the interest of public safety as well as Levels' repeated violations of the terms of the banquet hall-license by hosting nightclub-style events open to the public.

A banquet license applies to venues that host private, invitation-only events like wedding receptions and baby showers.

But since the license suspension, Levels has been arguing their case to get it reinstated. Community members want to help with the cost.

The fundraiser, which is scheduled for Nov. 14 at the banquet hall located at 69 N. Pearl St., is being organized by Fein, fellow county Legislator Wanda Willingham and Common Councilman Kelly Kimbrough, according to a Facebook event.

A final determination hasnt been made by the liquor authoritys full board. Hearings on the case concluded in September. A determination could be made by the end of the year, according to a spokesperson for the state authority.

Sierra Murray, co-owner of Levels, did not respond to requests for comment.

Mark Frering, a liquor authority attorney, alleged the agency's attention wasn't just drawn by the fatal shooting of 33-year-old Dashaun Oquendo, a killing during an event at Levels that was advertised in online fliers as the "official after party" for the Crew Love Concert Series at the Times Union Center.

Frering has said the agency previously sent Levels a warning letter about hosting nightclub-style events after it received a complaint about a DJ event held shortly after the downtown businesss May 2016 opening. Further investigation revealed Levels held a series of DJ-hosted events at the establishment going back months. Such gathering were alleged violations of liquor authority rules.

But those organizing the fundraiser for Levels legal fees say the business wasnt judged fairly and the liquor license shouldnt have been suspended.

I think its only fair that every business gets fair representation in this process, Fein said.

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Levels' supporters pointed to a deadly shooting at a Central Avenue night club that didn't result in the club losing its license as an example of selective enforcement of liquor authority policy. Wendell Hill, 26, was killed and three other people injured inside Rocks nightclub and bar when Kareem Blacknall, 32, opened fire during an argument. Blacknall is serving a 25-year prison sentence.

Rocks is comprised of a nightclub, where the attack took place, and an attached pub. The night of the shooting a private promoter had rented out the club for a pre-Thanksgiving bash open to the public. The business has an active liquor license through February 2019, according to the SLA database.

Unlike Levels, state officials point out that when the shooting occurred at Rocks, it wasn't violating its liquor permit, which allowed the business to be open to the public. On the contrary, Levels was only permitted to host private events.

Willingham said Levels, a female and minority-owned business, is being held to a higher standard than white establishments.

I think the way in which they are handling (Murray) has been the same way that they handled most establishments where there are African-Americans trying to make a business, especially downtown, the legislator said. Were talking about young people who were born and raised in the city of Albany. They should have the same opportunities as everyone else.

Neither Willingham or Fein could speak to the additional allegations from the liquor authority that the business had violated the parameters of its license. Kimbrough couldnt be reached for comment.

Even before Levels opened, the owners had to navigate necessary approvals and contend with c0ncern about the last business at 69 N. Pearl St.

The building was home to the Buddha Tea House  a nightclub with a reputation for unruly crowds and late-night violence  and because of promotions of events at Levels on social media, there was concern Levels was a nightclub in disguise, not a banquet hall.
ALBANY  An Albany-based lobbyist faces federal charges for offering to pay a bribe as the result of an investigation that has already seen the arrest of a state Assemblyman from the Rochester area, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office based in Buffalo.

Robert Scott Gaddy, 45, was charged with bribery and honest services fraud as part of the undercover investigation.

Gaddy's arrest, announced Thursday, grew out of an FBI probe into fraud and corruption connected to a major redevelopment project in Rochester.

The FBI last month arrested Assemblyman Joseph Errigo, a Republican.

Federal authorities say that, while investigating the development project, FBI agents learned of possible criminal conduct by Gaddy. A person working with the FBI allegedly approached the lobbyist about paying a bribe to a member of the Assembly.

Authorities say the person met with Gaddy on Sept. 4, 2017, claiming he represented a wealthy client who "wanted to stop the proposed development in Monroe County and was willing to pay $15,000 in order to do so."

"Yeah .... yeah, no problem," Gaddy responded, according to the FBI.

The U.S. Attorney's office says Gaddy, who operates the lobbying firm Excelsior Advocates LLC, faces prison time and a fine of up to $250,000 if he's convicted.

The Democrat & Chronicle reported the criminal complaint filed against Errigo did not name the lobbyist, but the newspaper at the time said it was Gaddy. On Oct. 10, federal authorities charged Errigo with taking a bribe to introduce legislation that would have helped a developer.

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Gaddy and Errigo split about $10,500 in the bribery scheme, court papers allege. The plan was devised by the FBI as a sting.

This is not the first time Gaddy had faced arrest. Last year, he pleaded guilty to harassment to resolve charges that accused him of striking and threatening a 72-year-old newspaper columnist.

That incident took place in an Albany hotel suite. An Albany city court judge ordered Gaddy to pay a fine and surcharge.
MENANDS - The man accused of making a bomb threat to NewsChannel 13 told an operator at the TV station that "with everthing going on I am going to blow this up," village police said Thursday.

Kenneth A. Barnes, 43, of Bethlehem was charged with making a terrorist threat for the Oct. 28 threat, police said.
Schenectady

Sunday's "Healing Schoharie" benefit concert at Mohawk Harbor raised more than $43,000 for the families of the victims and first responders of the deadly Oct. 6 limousine crash in Schoharie.

More than 1,200 entry tickets at $10 each were sold and another $8,860 was collected in online donations.

Druthers Brewing Co. at Mohawk Harbor donated $14,150, which includes all proceeds from its beer sales at the event and 50 percent of all customer checks for meals and drinks served in the restaurant that day. Rivers Casino also donated $347 from its food truck sales.

The remainder was raised from a raffle of items donated by Capital Region businesses and special collections at the event. Raffle prizes included set visits to "This is Us" and "Law and Order: SVU," a 55-inch flat screen TV and a signed Philadelphia Flyers jersey from former Union College hockey standout Shayne Gostisbehere.

"We are deeply gratified by the outpouring of generosity demonstrated by the local community," said Phil Wajda, director of media relations at Union College and one of the organizers. "The weather wasn't ideal, but people still felt compelled to come out to support a good cause. The community really pulled it together."

Wajda said Druthers' willingness to share its proceeds that day was critical to the event's success.

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A number of other organizations helped out, including Proctors, MVP Healthcare, Mohawk Harbor, the Galesi Group, Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corp., Beekman 1802, the Daily Gazette, Albany Broadcasting and Union College.

Musical acts included local favorites Skeeter Creek and Grand Central Station plus a special performance by Union's three a cappella groups: the Eliphalets, the Dutch Pipers and the Garnet Minstrelles.

Organizers will meet to decide how best to honor the families of the victims and the first responders.

Donations are still being accepted online. For more information, visit https://www.healingschoharie.com/
ALBANY  Some of them hadnt been born when the name Suzanne G. Lyall burst onto the headlines two decades ago, but a handful of students at The College of Saint Rose are becoming intimately familiar with everything about the University at Albany student who disappeared without a trace on March 2, 1998.

They are participating in an internship at the colleges new Cold Case Analysis Center where they are exploring and trying to recreate what might have happened to the quiet, 20-year-old UAlbany computer science student who was last seen getting off a bus at the schools uptown campus, about two miles away from Saint Rose.

So far, the students have sifted through 20-year-old internet chat-room traffic as well as recent Facebook pages dedicated to missing persons. Theyve talked to Lyalls mom, Mary Lyall, and will be assisting Albany police who continue to pursue leads in the case. Nothing is being ruled out. Is there a way that DNA can be used? Are there suspects with tattoos that might provide a clue?

Theyre also mapping out Lyalls acquaintances and friendships, generally trying to scour through every inch of her life. In law enforcement terms, its called collecting the victimology.

Were just trying to figure out who Suzanne is as a person, said Courtney Carelli, a senior from Fonda who is among the 13 women and 1 man in the student internship program.

The college on Friday hosted a news conference to highlight the new program, which started this year and is geared for students studying topics like criminal justice or forensic psychology.

While not endowed with law enforcement powers, the students will work with police in an internship capacity.

Mary Lyall, along with Saratoga/Schenectady state Sen. Jim Tedisco came to help promote the internship.

The students will also be reviewing two other local cold cases, said Associate Professor Christina Lane, who directs the internship. They couldnt yet reveal details on the other two cases, however. Students are required to sign non-disclosure agreements ensuring they wont talk about details of the cases.

On the dais where college officials, Tedisco and Mary Lyall spoke about the program, there were posters about Suzanne Lyall and another local cold case  that of 17-year old Craig Frear who went missing near his home in Scotia on June 27, 2004.

Right now our focus is on Suzanne Lyall, Lane said.

An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people go missing each year in the U.S., said Lane. About seven percent of those are believed to have been abducted by strangers. Overall, there are about 185,000 unsolved homicides that have probably occurred between 1990 and 2008, according to The National Missing and Unidentified Person System.

Some are victims of serial killers. Authorities believe there have been at least two such murderers who have come through the Capital Region over the last two decades, Lane said.

One is believed to have died while back in his home base of Alaska and another suspect, John Regan, is in prison. He was arrested after trying to grab female high school student in Saratoga Springs in 2005.

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A handful of other colleges and universities have set up cold case internships in Florida, North Carolina and Colorado.

Its a variation in what has been the ongoing growth of college programs aimed at training future police, security and forensic officials.

Spurred in part by the popularity of police procedural shows such as CSI, Law and Order and Criminal Minds, and in part by 9/11 and the threat of terror attacks, students have gravitated toward such studies in recent years.

Interns in Lanes program said they were drawn to it by the experience it would provide  which is a leg up in a competitive job market -- and the desire to help victims of disappearances.

Lane wasnt sure why there was a 13:1 female to male ratio, but she said the male criminal justice students tend to gravitate more toward classes about policing.

The fact that people continue to work on these cases is comforting to families and loved ones of the missing, said Georgina Williams, a senior from Boston. Were helping the families find closure.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
SARATOGA SPRINGS  Sheila Shepherd was 22 when her body was discovered on Nov. 25, 1980, inside her apartment at 125 Church St.

She was found naked, bound and gagged, with a five-inch steak knife in her abdomen. Investigators believe she had been suffocated two days before she was found, and stabbed after she died. No arrests were made  not in the days immediately after the killing, or in the 38 years that followed.

But her slaying bore similarities to the deadly work of two so-called "Alphabet Killers"  serial murderers who were active in Rochester and California beginning in the 1970s and killed women whose names had double initials.

The Saratoga Springs police decided in October to reopen the Shepherd case, after months of questions from the Times Union. "Sometimes it takes an outside influence to say ... we should look at this," Lt. Bob Jillson said.

Serial killer Joseph Naso is on California's death row for raping and killing six women with identical initials, including Pamela Parsons, Carmen Colon, Roxene Roggasch and Tracy Tafoya. Naso was born in Rochester and traveled between California and New York in the 1970s and '80s for his work as a commercial photographer.

In the cases that resulted in his conviction, Naso's victims were found naked, bound and gagged with pantyhose. His habit was to arrange the bodies in certain positions and photograph them  a practice that resulted in his 2011 arrest after a police officer discovered a cache of his keepsake photos.

Shepherd's murder was in some ways similar to Naso's killings, but she was found bound with shoelaces and gagged with a piece of a terry cloth robe. Pathologists at the time determined she had not been sexually assaulted.

Naso was excluded as a suspect in three early-'70s Rochester-area alphabet killings because his DNA did not match evidence found at the crime scenes. In those unsolved cases, three young girls were raped and strangled. (In a grisly coincidence, one of the Rochester victims, Carmen Colon, shared the name of one of the women killed by Naso in California.)

Saratoga Springs police have never tested DNA in the Shepherd case, and don't know yet if any of the evidence investigators collected 38 years ago can be tested in a lab.

"The capabilities weren't the same as nowadays and we are only as good as what those (investigators) in 1980 decided to retain," Jillson said. "Going through it, it's still coming together."

If any evidence in Shepherd's case contains DNA, it will be compared to the evidence collected in both serial killing cases. But it's also possible the suspect could be a local who knew Shepherd, Jillson said.

The 22-year-old was married but separated at the time of her death. Her husband was initially looked at as a suspect, but police said he lived in California and had a solid alibi. Their daughter, a toddler, was living with relatives outside New York.

Just before she died, Shepherd had moved from Colorado to Saratoga Springs for a fresh start. She enrolled in school, where she was also paid to do office work. Her family lived in the city, and were the ones who found her body.

Police say she was last seen alive two days earlier  though the exact place and time of that last sighting remain murky.

"We have one account (of someone) that saw her at a bar downtown late that Saturday night, and others that put a party taking place in her apartment the Friday before," Jillson said. "To say which one is the accurate one, I don't think that was ever determined."

Definitely, Shepherd was seen Saturday midday by her mother  the late Marcia Van Ness  and also by a neighbor, who spotted Shepherd walking into her apartment.

"She was busy. She was social," Jillson said. "She would go out three days a week  not to say she was doing anything wrong. She was 22."

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When Shepherd did not show up to Worldwide Educational Services, where she was taking typing and clerk classes, on Monday, a classmate went by her apartment to check on her. No one came to the door.

At about 10 a.m. Tuesday, her mother, aunt and uncle came to the apartment to find out what was wrong. The door was either locked or stuck, so the uncle used the fire escape to get inside the upstairs unit. He knew from Shepherd's brother that she kept the window unlocked.

"He was able to push the window open  and that's how he found her," Wilson said. Shepherd was face-up in bed, covered by a sheet.

Dr. Jack Paston, a pathologist in Saratoga Springs, conducted the autopsy. Investigators later consulted with Dr. Michael Baden, a former chief forensic pathologist for the New York State Police who chaired federal inquiries into the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. More recently, he appeared on HBO's "Autopsy."

Shepherd was stabbed after she died  a detail so odd that investigators in 1980 asked the FBI to put together a behavioral profile of the killer. The analysts concluded that the killing "was probably by someone she knew," Jillson said, noting the department may ask for an updated version of that report this time around.

Persons of interest have been identified in the past, and investigators said they intend to follow up on those leads. "There are a couple  a couple, or three  that come to our heads right now," Jillson said. He declined to name those three people, but said there is no "prime suspect."

Saratoga Springs Police Assistant Chief John Catone was in charge of the city's two cold cases: Shepherd's murder and the 1986 disappearance of teenager Tammie McCormick. When he became assistant chief in 2017, Catone handed the files over to Investigator Matt Wilson.

Wilson and Investigator Christopher Callahan volunteered as fresh eyes on the Shepherd case. For the past month, they have been sifting through boxes of handwritten notes, interviews recorded on cassette tape and yellowed newspaper clippings.

"Hopefully going through it, there will be something that someone overlooked before," Callahan said.

The dusty case files have led the investigators to sit down with retired cops to see what they remember about that fall, and also ask local TV news stations for archival footage from the crime scene. Investigators have also started to assess what evidence is on file for the case, and discussing with state lab technicians about what, if anything, can be tested.

"It depends on what we even have that's viable to send them," Wilson said. "We have standards for how we package evidence, and those standards were not in place in 1980."
The country's two main farming organisations are putting presssure on meat factories to up their prices in the run in to the Christmas market.

Both ICMSA and IFA have stated that cattle prices are on the rise and there was no reason that last year's steep rise would not be repeated this year.

The chairperson of ICMSAs livestock committee, Des Morrisson, said that farmers were absolutely entitled to expect a steady rise in beef prices from this week forward to the Christmas period.

Mr Morrison said that conditions, prices and patterns practically exactly mirrored those that applied last year when, according to the ICMSA, R3 steer and heifer prices rose week-on-week over the same period ending up by 30c per kg at the year.

He said that the figures for the UK were positive, and while the kill figures were up on the same period last year, there was absolutely no reason why factories were continuing to pay the current unjustifiably low prices unless they had made a conscious decision to do so.

Were looking closely at the data here and can find no reason whatsoever that the steep price incline that kicked-in at this time last year would not to be repeated this year, he said.

In fact, said Mr Morrisson, the data pointed even more emphatically towards a week-on-week price hike from now to year end.

Weve added Kuwait and China as overseas markets in the interim and the euro exchange rate with Sterling is effectively the same at 0.895 a year ago and 0.89 today, he said.

The chairman said that if a Q4 beef price rise didn't happen then all their very well grounded fears that the factories were deliberately disregarding the data and underpaying on cattle will be confirmed.

Last year, in a market environment that wasnt as conducive to an upswing in beef prices as we see this year, we saw a 30c per kg surge from the end of October to the years end, he said.

We want, need and expect a similar price rise this year and the factories are hereby on notice that it would want to be forthcoming immediately, he said.

Meanwhile, IFA president Joe Healy said that cattle prices were rising with some farmers securing a base price of 3.80/kg for steers and 3.90/kg for heifers.

He said with the strength of the UK cattle price and significant positive moves on the Sterling exchange rate, it was clear the factories can pay a lot more.

Mr Healy said increased demand for the Christmas trade was about to kick in and factories were trying to pin down numbers.

He said farmers must demand and insist on a strong price increase as the market can pay it.

The IFA president called on the factories to immediately increase prices by another 10c/kg and pass back the improvements in the UK market prices and positive changes to Sterling.

The loss-making prices from the factories over recent weeks had inflicted serious damage on Irish livestock farmers and the beef sector, he said.
A week long workshop that will take place in Tipperary County Museum, Clonmel, from Monday 19th  Friday 23rd November 2018. Daily from 10am -3.30pm. Cost 100.

Inspired by the glorious rich colours of the changing season, participants will be guided through the stages of making a botanical painting using watercolour.

Having chosen a subject we will practise some observational drawing focusing on light, form and composition before moving on to learning the basics of wet and dry watercolour techniques. By exploring a vibrant but simple colour palette we will use transparent layers of colour to bring vitality to our painting. A field sketching trip will provide an opportunity to explore plants in our hedgerows.

A small group will allow for demonstrations and individual tuition. This workshop is suitable for all levels of experience.

Mary Dillon is an Irish botanical artist who exhibits her work and teaches botanical art internationally. Mary recently received the Anne Marie Carney Award and the Jean Emmons Peoples Choice award at the ASBA (American Society of Botanical Artists) exhibition in San Francisco. She has been awarded Gold Medals and Best in Show in Botanical and Floral Art at Bloom, Dublin. Her work belongs in the Hunt Institute of Botanical Art and Documentation, Pittsburgh and will be seen there in 2019, in the Hunt Institute 16th International Exhibition of Botanical Art. Mary was the founding Chairperson of the Irish Society of Botanical Artists and is a member of the Watercolour Society of Ireland. Mary recently joined the teaching team at the Chelsea School of Botanical Art in London. She finds teaching botanical art the perfect opportunity to bring together her three passions of painting, plants and working with people.

For a full list of materials required and to book your place please contact museum@tipperarycoco.ie or 07 61 06 5252.
It is not given to many people to leave us with a monument as a symbol of their life. A monument, not just of stone and mortar as a mute reminder of what they once were, but a living, breathing structure with an ethos, a spirit and a purpose to serve those who work there and the members who enter and exit its precincts on a regular basis.

John Mullen left such a testament to mark his immeasurable contribution to the town and community where he lived and worked, a contribution now enshrined in Thurles Credit Union.

John had already built a significant career in the Irish Army where he was a highly regarded soldier before receiving fitting recognition of his qualities when posted as officer in charge of the 16th H.M Battery in Thurles.

During his off-duty time, John found an outlet for his enquiring mind and excellent administrative skills by joining the Board of Thurles Credit Union as a volunteer in 1977. It was a challenging time for the fledgling financial cooperative but John embraced the challenge with his hallmark enthusiasm for change, along with other like-minded volunteers.

His arrival coincided with the purchase of the Milk Bar, the site of the present headquarters of the credit union, and from that point forward John was central to the significant growth and development of the business.

He had an early opportunity to utilise his undoubted innovative skills when the decision was made to computerise the accounting system during his term as a director. In fact, expertise in information technology, and its place in modern business, became his outstanding skill and the current high-quality system in operation is due almost entirely to his remarkable strategic vision and his willingness to pilot new software programmes he felt would benefit Thurles.

Following the much-lamented death of Tom OReilly, the first full-time administrator, John was appointed to the position in December 1984 and later ratified as the first C.E.O. This decision was to have a profound beneficial effect on the welfare and development of Thurles Credit Union.

Moving from the voluntary sector of the business to the professional, John utilised his innate intelligence to develop a comprehensive knowledge of financial accounting, along with the attendant management of risk and the maintenance of relationships with financial and regulatory bodies.

John also recognised the importance of developing a relationship with the members who visited on a daily basis. To say he succeeded in so doing would be a major understatement. In time, he came to know practically every member on sight and always had time to meet and talk to them.

His advice was given first and foremost with the good of the individual or the family in mind. John was occasionally referred to as the man from Del Monte because he always said yes when the case for a loan was put to him. It was also said during the difficult 80s that there would be no Christmas in Thurles only for John Mullen.

That was certainly true in many cases but he guarded the interests of the Credit Union by developing critical lending and credit control policies. Johns kindliness, his great sense of humour and his faith in the members were invariably repaid in kind as they, in turn, respected his approach and were loyal to him.

John served two families in his mature years. The credit union family was very dear to him and his passing is more than the loss of a colleague and a mentor, not just in Thurles but in Tipperary and, latterly, on the national stage. It is also the loss of one of the architects of a modern business organisation firmly based in, and for, the community, which will always endeavour to match and uphold the standards John set.

But the greatest loss by far is to his family, and we extend the deepest sympathies of everyone involved in Thurles Credit Union to his daughter Deirdre, son Peter, daughter-in-law Jessica, his grandchildren Georgia, Lauren and Sorcha, and his sister Ann, on the passing of this giant, an honest and upright man, and we assure them of the gratitude we feel for how much John gave of himself to us.
[November 01, 2018] Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. (TYG) Provides Unaudited Balance Sheet Information and Asset Coverage Ratio Update as of Oct. 31, 2018

Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. (NYSE: TYG) today announced that as of Oct. 31, 2018, the company's unaudited total assets were approximately $2.2 billion and its unaudited net asset value was $1.3 billion, or $24.71 per share. As of Oct. 31, 2018, the company was in compliance with its asset coverage ratios under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act) and basic maintenance covenants. The company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 379 percent, and its coverage ratio for preferred shares was 290 percent. For more information on calculation of coverage ratios, please refer to the company's most recent applicable prospectus. Year-to-date, through Oct. 31, 2018, the company issued 62,700 shares of common stock under its at-the-market equity offering program for gross proceeds of approximately $2.0 million. Set forth below is a summary of the company's unaudited balance sheet at Oct. 31, 2018 and a summary of its top 10 holdings.







Unaudited Balance Sheet (in Millions) Per Share Investments $ 2,200.5 $ 41.03 Cash and Cash Equivalents 0.3 0.01 Receivable for Investments Sold 4.0 0.07 Current Tax Asset 13.4 0.25 Other Assets 18.4 0.34 Total Assets 2,236.6 41.70 Credit Facility Borrowings 153.7 2.87 Senior Notes 380.0 7.08 Preferred Stock 165.0 3.08 Total Leverage 698.7 13.03 Payable for Investments Purchased 2.3 0.04 Other Liabilities 8.9 0.16 Deferred Tax Liability 201.5 3.76 Net Assets $ 1,325.2 $ 24.71 53.64 million common shares currently outstanding.

Top 10 Holdings (as of Oct. 31, 2018) Name Ticker Market Value

(in Millions) % of Investment

Securities(1) Energy Transfer LP ET $ 231.6 10.5 % Enterprise Products Partners L.P. EPD 154.7 7.0 % Magellan (News - Alert) Midstream Partners, L.P. MMP 152.7 6.9 % Andeavor Logistics LP ANDX 137.6 6.3 % MPLX LP MPLX 131.1 6.0 % Western Gas Partners, LP WES 109.8 5.0 % EQM Midstream Partners, LP EQM 107.1 4.9 % Tallgrass Energy, LP TGE 101.3 4.6 % Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. PAA 99.3 4.5 % Antero Midstream Partners LP AM 95.2 4.3 % Total $ 1,320.4 60.0 % (1) Percent of Investments and Cash Equivalents. Energy Value Chain Conference Call Tortoise will host a conference call on Nov. 7, 2018 at 3 p.m. Central to discuss the energy sector and provide an update on the energy value chain and Tortoise's investment outlook. Toll Free Dial-In Number: (877) 407-9210

Replay Number: (877) 481-4010

Replay ID: #21460 (available through Dec. 7, 2018) About Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. (NYSE: TYG) owns a portfolio of master limited partnership investments in the energy infrastructure sector. Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp.'s objective is to provide its stockholders a high level of total return with an emphasis on current distributions. About Tortoise Tortoise specializes in essential assets and income. Tortoise invests in assets and services that serve essential needs in society and can also serve essential client needs, such as diversification and income. Tortoise's energy investing expertise across the energy value chain, including infrastructure and MLPs, dates back more than 15 years. Through a variety of investment vehicles, Tortoise provides access to a wide range of client solutions, focused on their evolving needs. For more information, please visit www.tortoiseadvisors.com. Tortoise Capital Advisors is the Adviser to the Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. Safe Harbor Statement This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction. Forward-Looking statement This press release contains certain statements that may include "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. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are "forward-looking statements." Although the company and Tortoise Capital Advisors believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the company's reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Other than as required by law, the company and Tortoise Capital Advisors do not assume a duty to update this forward-looking statement. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181101006218/en/

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[November 01, 2018] Luvera Law Firm Earns Elite 2019 Rankings in U.S. News - Best Lawyers Guide for Ninth Consecutive Year

Luvera Law Firm has earned two tier-one designations in the 2019 U.S. News - Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" rankings for its expertise in personal injury litigation and medical malpractice law for the ninth consecutive year. "It's a true honor to be recognized by our peers and included in the top-tier of the Best Law Firms guide for Personal Injury Litigation and Medical Malpractice Law for the ninth year," said Robert Gellatly, managing partner at Luvera Law Firm. "Luvera Law Firm has decades of trial experience and we are proud to harness our expertise to fight for our clients, seek justice, and hold reckless and negligent parties accountable for their actions." Law firms ranked in the top-tier of the "Best Law Firms" guide are recognized for their professional excellence and receiving consistently high ratings from clients and peers. Achieving this ranking reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading attorneys for its abilities, professionalism and integrity. Luvera Law Firm is nationally recognized for its pursuit of a wide range of personal injury cases caused by negligent and reckless individuals, government entities and corporations. The firm recently achieved a $40 million settlement for two men severely injured when a KOMO News helicopter crashed onto their vehicles in downtown Sattle; earned a $10.6 million private arbitration award for a 27-year-old struck in a crosswalk by a semi-truck, that resulted in a brain injury and multiple broken bones; and garnered a $8 million jury verdict for a man hit in a crosswalk by a negligent driver.



The firm represents numerous people injured in the Washington state Amtrak train derailment; and is undertaking a second trial against Olympus Medical Corporation for a superbug outbreak linked to its medical scopes, after exposing that the device manufacturer failed to disclose key information and witnesses in a first trial. Luvera Law Firm also specializes in advocating for clients of all ages with serious medical malpractice and negligence claims. The team recently petitioned the United States Supreme Court to challenge a portion of the widely criticized Feres doctrine, which bars military servicemembers from taking legal action against the federal government. Attorneys are working to enable client Walter Daniel to proceed with a medical malpractice case in the death of his wife, Rebekah, a Navy Lieutenant who died following childbirth at a Naval hospital.

The U.S. News - Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" rankings are determined by a rigorous peer-review survey comprised of more than 7.3 million evaluations from leading lawyers, as well as client evaluations, peer reviews from top attorneys in their field and more. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top 4 percent of practicing attorneys in the U.S. The 2019 rankings are based on the highest number of participating firms and the highest number of client ballots on record. About Luvera Law Firm: Luvera Law Firm is the Northwest's premier personal injury law firm. The firm handles a broad variety of cases, including serious injuries and wrongful death caused by commercial and vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, product defects, construction site accidents, corporate wrongdoing, and insurance misconduct. Its work in pursuing accountability also creates positive change in corporate, governmental and individual behavior that makes the world safer for everyone. Find more at: www.luveralawfirm.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181101006222/en/

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[November 01, 2018] Med-X, Inc.'s Thermal-Aid Products Win Three 2018 National Parenting Publications Awards Joining an Exclusive List of Standout Products for the Whole Family

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermal-Aid, a division of Med-X, Inc., is excited to share that it has won three 2018 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) for its Thermal-Aid Zoo, Thermal-Aid Heating & Cooling Pack, and Thermal-Aid Headache Relief System. Each year, NAPPA's independent panel of expert judges and parents stringently test and evaluate hundreds of submissions and choose only the best of the best. Products are judged on innovation, safety, quality, educational value and the degree to which they assist busy parents and families. "We are honored that all three of our Thermal-Aid product lines have received recognition as winners of the prestigious NAPPA awards," said Matthew Mills, developer of Thermal-Aid. "We have worked hard to create a product that not only helps relieve pain and inflammation naturally  but one that puts a smile on someone's face." Thermal-Aid heating/cooling packs and the Thermal-Aid Zoo line act as an all-natural relief treatment for multiple pain aliments. Users can buy the products in various sizes and shapes to correspond with the specific body parts that are affected. The packs are made of 100% natural cotton on the outside, and specifically engineered corn on the inside. Unlike most packs, the unique design enables the user to spot wash them as frequently as needed. The engineered corn eliminates any potential fungi or smell that most heating/cooling packs develop. The clinically proven packs can be both heated and cooled, allowing for the treatment of any sport injury. Thermal-Aid makes various sizes including a small, medium and large sectional pad, small pillow shape, tube shape and eye mask shape intended for migraine headache pain. About Thermal-Aid

Thermal-Aid is a division of Med-X, Inc.'s wholly owned subsidiary, Pacific Shore Holdings, Inc. based in Canoga Park, CA. The company focuses on providing natural and safe solutions to ailments and household needs that were most commonly treated with synthetic chemicals. The Thermal-Aid product lines are available online and at leading retailers throughout the country. For more information, visit: https://thermalaidproducts.com/ About NAPPA

Integrity and honesty are at the core of what NAPPA stands for. For over 28 years, the National Parenting Produt Awards (NAPPA) has been ensuring that parents purchase the highest quality products that help them connect and enjoy time with their families. NAPPA's team of independent judges, along with parent and child testers, select the best baby gear, toys, apps, games, books, music, and other family must-haves to be award winners through year-round product testing. For more information, visit www.nappaawards.com



ABOUT MED-X

Med-X, Inc. is a Nevada corporation formed in February 2014 which, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Pacific Shore Holdings, Inc., produces various products, such as the all-natural Nature-Cide pest control products that have evolved from its Nature-Cide Pest Management Service division. Pacific Shore Holdings, Inc. is also known for its patented and clinically proven Thermal-Aid hot and cold pain management modality products, which also include the Thermal-Aid Zoo and the Thermal-Aid Headache Relief System. Med-X, Inc. also supports the fast-paced, emerging cannabis industry through the company's digital magazine, The Marijuana Times, which publishes high-quality media content for the business, medical and legislative cannabis communities to generate revenue from advertisers, as well as sell industry related merchandise to consumers. The company has been involved in product development for a number of years and once the federal government allows, is ready to bring various non-psychoactive cannabidiol products to the pain management markets, as well as supplying its products to agricultural and ancillary services industries through its Nature-Cide Integrated Pest Management service division. For more information regarding Med-X, Inc. and its divisions, please visit www.medx-rx.com, www.pac-sh.com, Nature-Cide, Thermal-Aid  therapy packs, Thermal-Aid Zoo, Thermal-Aid Headache Relief System, Nature-Cide Cannabis Division, The Marijuana Times; email [email protected] or call 818-349-2870. No Offer or Solicitation Securities

This communication is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law.

Med-X, Inc. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

There may be statements in this communication that are, or could be, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and, therefore, subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Med-X, Inc. or the combined company's future financial position, sales, costs, earnings, cash flows, other measures of results of operations, capital expenditures or debt levels are forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "should," "forecast," "project" or "plan" or terms of similar meaning are also generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Med-X, Inc. cautions that these statements are subject to numerous important risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond Med-X, Inc.'s control, that could cause Med-X, Inc. or the combined company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. To learn more about the risk factors, please review Med-X, Inc.'s Regulation A+ offering circular. Contact Information: Med-X, Inc. 8236 Remmet Ave, Canoga Park, California 91304, (818) 349-2870. MEDIA CONTACTS

Tracey Rosen

818-223-9046 x 102 or 800-321-4928

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/med-x-incs-thermal-aid-products-win-three-2018-national-parenting-publications-awards-joining-an-exclusive-list-of-standout-products-for-the-whole-family-300742830.html SOURCE Med-X, Inc.

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[November 01, 2018] Sodexo BRS India Partners with Digital Gifting Platform Swych Gift Cards India to extend its Trusted Employee Motivation solutions to the working population of India

Pre-eminent gifting solution, accepted at more than two million retail outlets, now available to a larger base of corporates; targeting the $65 million Indian B2B gifting industry MUMBAI, India, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sodexo BRS India , the leader in digital employee benefit solutions, has partnered with digital gift card platform, Swych Gift Cards India , to extend its gifting offerings to their B2B clients. Sodexo Premium Pass has been the gifting solution of choice for companies across India to reward employees with a tax-saving gift card, accepted at more than two million retail outlets nationwide & 90,000+ online portals. Trusted by over 11,000 corporate clients in India, across 1,500+ cities and servicing more than 3 million daily consumers, Sodexo offers both public and private sector employers with state-of-the-art solutions to reward and motivate their employees. Employees of large companies as well as SMEs can use their gift card in retail stores as well as via a next-generation mobile app. The company also offers a virtual gift card that can be sent by companies instantly to their employees. Stephane Michelin, CEO, Sodexo BRS India said, "Sodexo BRS is constantly developing solutions to suit the needs of the millennial workforce. This festive season, owing to the growing demand in regional (Tier 2 and Tier 3) cities, we have introduced India's first-ever limited-edition festive gift cards, a new addition to Sodexo's employee gifting basket. We appreciate the collaborative approach of Swych Gift Cards India to enable Sodexo reach out to a wider corporate base during festivals and to efficiently manage instant delivery of Premium Pass to locations far and wide." Firoz Khan, CEO of GiftCardsIndia said, "Sodexo BRS is the market leader in employee benefit solutions. Their ist of partnered retailers and outlets is extremely extensive and we're proud to now be able to offer up that level of freedom and variety to thousands of corporates across India. As the digital gifting industry grows, it's important to us that GiftCardsIndia users maintain the maximum amount of choice possible and partnering with Sodexo achieves just that."



For more information, please visit http://www.goswych.com . To purchase a Sodexo gift card, please log on to https://www.giftcardsindia.in. About Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services, India:

The Sodexo group works towards improving the quality of daily life for employees, partners and customers across the world. Sodexo BRS, India's No.1 Employee Motivation & Benefits Services provider is a partner to over 11,000+ HR Leaders. Our fully-compliant Multi-Benefit Digital Solutions are customized to meet specific needs of organizations and help them develop their best motivated workforce.

Sodexo BRS offers a range of 100% Digital Employee Benefit Solutions. The meal benefit offerings include Meal Cards, & Cafeteria Cards. The company's fully-digital Gifting & Recognition offerings include the Premium Pass range of solutions that include the Premium Pass Celebrations for festive gifting & Premium Pass Rewards for ongoing Reward & Recognition programs. The company also has a revolutionary virtual B2B gifting solution, Sodexo Premium Pass  Virtual Card. Sodexo reaches out to over 3 million daily consumers in India across 1,500+ cities nationally including tier 3 & tier 4 cities making it India's largest Digital Meal Benefit Network with over 100,000 unique points of acceptance. For more information regarding our services, please call our toll-free numbers

1800 267 3030 or visit our website www.sodexobenefitsindia.com For media related queries, please write to [email protected]

or call 0224321 4321 About Swych:

Swych's patent pending mobile gifting platform enables users to send "swychable" gifts from their mobile device that can be instantly redeemed for electronic gift cards from more than 600+ popular brands. Swych users can instantly buy, send, re-gift, upload, "swych" and redeem gift cards conveniently from their mobile device. Swych is a private company funded by seasoned angel investors from banking, financial services, payments, gifting, telecom and enterprise computing space. The Swych app is available for download on iOS and Android. For more information, please visit http://www.goswych.com. For Gift Cards India, please visit http://giftcardsindia.com and http://www.giftcardsindia.in . Contact:

Nicole Pfeifer

P: (917) 900 8576

E: [email protected] About GiftCardsIndia:

GiftCardsIndia, recently acquired by Swych, provides consumers and businesses with a reliable, efficient and high-quality source of the widest selection of gift products from the top brands in India. GCI has successfully operated a robust aggregation and distribution network for gift cards and has been serving millions of consumers, enterprises, loyalty platforms and wallet operators in the Indian market.

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[November 02, 2018] McAfee Named a Leader in the 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Access Security Brokers

McAfee, the device to cloud cybersecurity company, today announced it has been positioned as a Leader in the 2018 Gartner (News - Alert) "Magic Quadrant for Cloud Access Security Brokers." 1 The report is the second-ever Gartner Magic Quadrant on cloud access security brokers (CASBs), and identifies 13 vendors across the industry. "Cloud access security brokers have become an essential element of any cloud security strategy, helping organizations govern the use of cloud and protect sensitive data in the cloud," the Gartner report states. "By 2022, 60 percent of large enterprises will use a CASB to govern cloud services, up from less than 20% today." "We're proud to be placed highest on the ability to execute axis among vendors that were evaluated in the 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for CASB," said Rajiv Gupta, senior vice president of the Cloud Security Business at McAfee (News - Alert). "We believe our leadership position is a reflection of our ability to deliver a cloud-native and frictionless way for organizations to consistently protect their data and defend from threats across the spectrum of SaaS (News - Alert), IaaS and PaaS." Gartner defines the cloud access security brokers (CASB) market as products and services that provide visibility into general cloud application usage, data protection and governance for enterprise-sanctioned cloud applications. This technology is the result of the need to secure the significantly increased adoption of cloud services and access to them from users both within and outside of the traditional enterprise perimeter. This year, Gartner introduced Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) security and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) security as evaluation criteria. Over the last year, McAfee's roadmap has been shaped by a number of market-defining technology innovations and accolades: McAfee introduced McAfee MVISION Cloud, which takes the former McAfee Skyhgh Security Cloud product and introduces new integrations within the broader McAfee suite, including unified data loss prevention (DLP) policies across cloud and device environments. The McAfee MVISION Cloud platform enables enterprises to adopt cloud services while securing both sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud services, protect sensitive data across the cloud and stop the most advanced threats.

McAfee was recognized in the 2018 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB), and has been rated by more IT professionals than any other CASB provider by a factor of nearly 2.5x as of October 26. The Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice is a recognition of vendors in this market by verified end-user professionals, taking into account both the number of reviews and the overall user ratings.

McAfee launched the McAfee CASB Connect Program, the industry's first self-serve framework and accompanying program that enables any cloud service provider or partner to rapidly build lightweight API connectors to McAfee within days-without writing a single line of code-to help secure the data in the cloud service and protect it from threats. With this program, enterprises can leverage McAfee MVISION Cloud to confidently adopt any cloud service.



here. Resources:

1 2018 Gartner "Magic Quadrant for Cloud Access Security Brokers" by Craig Lawson, Steve Riley, 29 October 2018. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, 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. Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice constitute the subjective opinions of individual end-user reviews, ratings, and data applied against a documented methodology; they neither represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, Gartner or its affiliates. About McAfee McAfee is the device-to-cloud cybersecurity company. Inspired by the power of working together, McAfee creates business and consumer solutions that make our world a safer place. www.mcafee.com McAfee technologies' features and benefits depend on system configuration and may require enabled hardware, software, or service activation. No computer system can be absolutely secure. McAfee and the McAfee logo are trademarks of McAfee, LLC or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other marks and brands may be claimed as the property of others. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181101006234/en/

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[November 02, 2018] Keep 2D See 3D!: A Better Image for Endoscopic Surgery

Keep 2D, See 3D! MonoStereo, a smart 3D endoscope visualization system, integrates the benefits of 2D and 3D function, providing an advanced 3D endoscope image for better endoscopic surgery. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181101006246/en/ Armando Melani, Director IRCAD America Latina and Rio, illustrated MonoStereo 3D image evolution for endoscope surgery brought by MedicalTek at 2018 SEGE Expo. (Photo: Business Wire) This surgical image breakthrough was selected by RESI (Redefining Early Stage Investment) New York 2018 Innovation Challenge Companies as one of the finalists who stands out from hundreds of competitors globally. "It is the first 3D image system which provides epth perception and spatial view of anatomy; however, the 2D functions, like zooming and rotating, are reserved at the same time," said Dr. Kai-Che Liu, the MeidcalTek CEO. "It is both Mono and Stereo. You may keep 2D, see 3D." Dr. Liu explained the brand name with confidence.



The MedicalTek, a Taiwanese start-up, has a close network with IRCAD, a world class minimally invasive surgery training center. After years of extensive study from dozens of international endoscopic experts and 7000 surgeons from 60 countries in Taiwan and France, a software based MonoStereo 3D endoscope visualization system was launched. Since 2017, this advanced 3D image technology has earned positive feedback and high satisfaction among surgeons at SAGES (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons) annual meetings. Either 3D image display, comfortable 3D vision, or detail perception on tissues and organs were highly acknowledged by a pilot clinic trail.

"MonoStereo 3D seems to be helpful for the therapeutic endoscopic procedures." Said by Dr Gabriel Rahmi, Medical Doctor specialized in Endoscopy at the Georges Pompidou European Hospital. Over 120 minimally invasive surgeries with MonoStereo have been performed by hundreds of surgeons in ENT, Urology, GI, GS, GYNE, and VATs. Diagnostic and interventional endoscopy is a fast-growing mini-invasive alternative to classical surgical techniques. The irresistible trend comes along with a huge capital investment, complex assets management, and cost of obsolescence.. The plug-in MonoStereo 3D endoscope visualization system is a smart investment. It allows hospitals/clinics to have a 3D visualization surgery with a minimized equipment transition cost. Due to the superb compatibility, MonoStereo functions well with hundreds of rigid, flexible and others endoscopes. There is no need to buy the new ones, nor to throw pre-existing endoscope, camera, and monitor away. It is a seamless connection, without any workflow change during the surgery. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181101006246/en/

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[November 02, 2018] INNATE PHARMA : clinical data featured as oral presentations at two major upcoming oncology conferences

INNATE PHARMA CLINICAL DATA FEATURED AS ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT TWO MAJOR UPCOMING ONCOLOGY CONFERENCES Late-breaking abstract and oral presentation on clinical and translational biomarker results from the combination of monalizumab and cetuximab in R/M SCCHN at the SITC 2018 Annual Meeting

Oral presentation of updated data from Phase I of IPH4102 in patients with relapsed/refractory Sezary Syndrome at the ASH 2018 Annual Meeting Marseille, France, November 2, 2018, 07:00 AM CET Innate Pharma SA (the "Company" - Euronext Paris: FR0010331421 - IPH) today announced that new data from ongoing clinical trials evaluating monalizumab, partnered with AstraZeneca/MedImmune, and first-in-class antibody, IPH4102, will be presented at the SITC[1] 2018 Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., USA, November 7-11, 2018 and at ASH[2] 2018 Annual Meeting in San Diego, USA, December 1-4, 2018, respectively. SITC 2018: Title: monalizumab in combination with cetuximab in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN): clinical and translational biomarker results

Date and time: November 11, 2018, 9:05 am

Session: Clinical Trials Session 302

Presenter: Roger Cohen, Principal Investigator and Prof. of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Location: 202 AB, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., USA

ASH 2018: Title: IPH4102; an anti-KIR3DL2 monoclonal antibody in refractory Sezary Syndrome: Results from a multicenter phase 1 trial

Date and time: December 3, 2018, 11:45 am

Session: 624. Hodgkin Lymphoma and T/NK Cell Lymphoma-Clinical Studies: Immunotherapy and Targeted Strategies.

Presenter: Martine Bagot, Principal Investigator and Head of the Dermatology Department at the Saint-Louis Hospital, Paris, France

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 6F, San Diego, USA Innate Pharma is also taking part in many other scientific congresses, listed below: 13th Annual Meeting of Chinese Society for Immunology, Shanghai, China, from November 7 to November 11, 2018

PEGS Europe 2018, Lisbon, Portugal, from November 12 to November 16, 2018

4th ICI Europe Summit, Berlin, Germany, from November 27 to November 29, 2018

3rd International Confernce on Innate Lymphoid Cells, Tokyo, Japan, from November 29 to December 1st, 2018



Events" section on Innate Pharma's website. About Innate Pharma:

Innate Pharma S.A. is a fully integrated oncology-focused biotech company dedicated to improving treatment and clinical outcomes for patients through therapeutic antibodies that harness the immune system to fight cancer. Innate Pharma's commercial-stage product, Lumoxiti, in-licensed from AstraZeneca, was approved by the FDA in September 2018. Lumoxiti is a first-in class specialty oncology product for hairy cell leukemia (HCL). Innate Pharma's broad pipeline of antibodies includes several first-in-class clinical and preclinical candidates in cancers with high unmet medical need. Innate Pharma has pioneered the discovery and development of checkpoint inhibitors, with a unique expertise and understanding of Natural Killer cell biology. This innovative approach has resulted in major alliances with leaders in the biopharmaceutical industry including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi, and a landmark and multi-products partnership with AstraZeneca/MedImmune. Based in Marseille, France, Innate Pharma is listed on Euronext Paris. Learn more about Innate Pharma at www.innate-pharma.com. Information about Innate Pharma shares: ISIN code

Ticker code

LEI FR0010331421

IPH

9695002Y8420ZB8HJE29 Disclaimer: This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Although the company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. For a discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause the company's actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors ("Facteurs de Risque") section of the Document de Reference prospectus filed with the AMF, which is available on the AMF website (www.amf-france.org) or on Innate Pharma's website. This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to shares in Innate Pharma in any country. For additional information, please contact: Investors







Innate Pharma



Dr. Markus Metzger / Danielle Spangler /

Jerome Marino



Tel.: +33 (0)4 30 30 30 30



[email protected]



International Media







Consilium Strategic Communications



Mary-Jane Elliott / Jessica Hodgson



Tel.: +44 (0)20 3709 5700



[email protected] French Media







ATCG Press



Marie Puvieux



Mob: +33 (0)6 10 54 36 72



[email protected]









[1] Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer [2] American Society of Hematology

Attachment INNATE PHARMA clinical data featured as oral presentations at two majo.pdf

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[November 02, 2018] Alibaba launches Indonesian Pavilion on Tmall Global

SHANGHAI, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alibaba Group Holding Limited officially launched the Indonesian Pavilion on Tmall Global today in an effort to raise the brand awareness of the best of Indonesian products among hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers in the run-up to Alibaba's 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, the world's largest one-day-sale extravaganza held annually on 11 November. In a show of support for the initiative, President of Indonesia Joko Widodo spoke to Indonesian dignitaries and guests attending the launch ceremony at Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower in a video message highlighting some of the best-loved Indonesian brands. "Indonesia not only is renowned for its rich resources and beautiful natural environment, we are also a country known for producing some very high-quality products," President Joko Widodo said in Bahasa in the video. "As the President of Indonesia, my family and I enjoy very much the quality and authenticity of these products. I wholeheartedly present these finest products that Indonesia have on offer to all of you." The milestone in introducing Indonesian brands to Chinese consumers was achieved after fruitful discussions between the Indonesian Government and Alibaba Group on ways to collaborate on enabling Indonesian businesses so they can reap the benefits of cross-border trade in the digital era. Other initiatives discussed included helping Indonesia train up a pool of local digital talent as well as innovation in fintech. Officiating the launch ceremony in Shanghai were H.E. Djauhari Oratmangun, Indonesian Ambassador to the People's Republic of China and Ryan Wang, Tmall's General Manager of Public Affairs, who were joined by other guests including Siti Nugraha Mauludiah, Consul General of the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Shanghai. The Pavilio is initially launched with five leading Indonesian food and beverage brands with the hopes that it would open up a path for more unique and authentic Indonesian products to win over more Chinese consumers in the longer term.



The five brands that have joined the Pavilion are instant noodle maker Indomie, coffee specialist Kapal Api, biscuit company Richeese, bird's nest brand Yan Ty Ty and shrimp cracker maker Papatonk. Launched in time to join this year's 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, the Pavilion not only is a one-stop destination for Indonesian products to raise their brand awareness, it also serves as a gateway for Chinese consumers to learn more about Indonesia's rich culture and exotic travel destinations. "The Indonesia Pavilion launch is a major step forward for our partnership with Alibaba Group in providing the best e-commerce platform for Indonesia's export products to reach the Chinese market. We hope this initiative will further entice Chinese consumers to enjoy the flavors of Indonesia through its finest products and attract more Indonesia's best brands to take advantage of this not-to-be-missed opportunity," said H.E. Djauhari Oratmangun, Indonesian Ambassador to People's Republic of China.

Ryan Wang, General Manager of Public Affairs, Tmall, said: "Through the launch of the Indonesian Pavilion to spotlight local brands and hosting various activities to promote Indonesia in the run-up and during the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, we demonstrate our commitment to providing Indonesian businesses a platform to showcase their high-quality offerings to Chinese consumers. We hope this will encourage other Indonesian businesses to learn more about this great opportunity and perhaps even to participate in the next 11.11 Global Shopping Festival." Indonesia is the newest country that has its unique products showcased in the country pavilions on Tmall Global, joining other countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, the U.S. and more. Tmall Global, a platform within Tmall, is dedicated to helping overseas brands and retailers reach Chinese consumers without the need for physical operations in China. In line with its vision of "Making it Easy to Do Business Anywhere", Alibaba over the past years has undertaken various initiatives to enable the SMEs and young people in Indonesia. These include the opening of Alibaba Cloud's first data center in the country to empower the its start-up industry, the cooperation between its B2B marketplace Alibaba.com and local partners to help Indonesian wholesalers find buyers from around the world, as well as various e-commerce training programs run by Alibaba's education arm Alibaba Business School and other business units in the company's ecosystem. About Tmall Global - Launched in 2014, Tmall Global (www.tmall.hk) is an extension of Alibaba Group's Tmall platform that addresses the increasing Chinese consumer demand for international products and brands. It is the premier platform for overseas brands and retailers to reach Chinese consumers, build brand awareness and gain valuable consumer insights in forming their overall China strategy, without the need for physical operations in China. According to Analysys, for fiscal year 2018, Tmall Global was the number one import e-commerce platform in China based on transaction value. About Tmall - Launched in 2008, Tmall (www.tmall.com) caters to consumers looking for branded products and a premium shopping experience. A large number of international and Chinese brands and retailers have established storefronts on Tmall. According to Analysys, Tmall was the largest B2C platform in China in terms of gross merchandise value in 2017. Tmall is a business of Alibaba Group. About Alibaba Group - Alibaba Group's mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere and the company aims to achieve sustainable growth for 102 years. For fiscal year ended March 2018, the company reported revenues of US$39.9 billion. Logo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20180419/2109626-1LOGO-c

Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181102/2288082-1LOGO SOURCE Tmall, Alibaba Group

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[November 02, 2018] Caelum Biosciences Announces Data on CAEL-101 in AL Amyloidosis Selected for Oral Presentations at 60th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

NEW YORK, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caelum Biosciences, Inc. (Caelum), a company focused on developing treatments for rare and life-threatening diseases, today announced that additional global longitudinal strain (GLS) data from the Phase 1b study of CAEL-101 (a light chain fibril-reactive monoclonal antibody 11-1F4) in patients with amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis and imaging data from a pre-clinical study have been selected for two oral presentations at the 60th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, to be held December 1-4, 2018, in San Diego, CA.

Details of the oral presentations are as follows: Title: Improvement in Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS) Correlates with NT-ProBNP Response in Patients with Cardiac Amyloidosis Treated on a Phase 1b Study of Anti-Amyloid mAb CAEL-101

Abstract Number: 958

Oral Session: 653. Myeloma: Therapy, Excluding Transplantation: Immunotherapies in Plasma Cell Disorders

Date and Time: Monday, December 3, 2018; 4:30 PM  6:00 PM PT

Presentation Time: 5:15 PM PT

Location: San Diego Convention Center, Ballroom 20A

Presenter: Divaya Bhutani, M.D., Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY Title: Personalizing Amyloidosis Therapy with Real Time PET Imaging of Fibril-Reactive Monoclonal Antibody CAEL-101

Abstract Number: 1003

Oral Session: 652. Myeloma: Pathophysiology and Pre-Clinical Studies, Excluding Therapy: Molecular Mechanisms of Myelomagenesis and Its Dependencies

Date and Time: Monday, December 3, 2018; 6:15 PM  7:45 PM PT

Presentation Time: 6:15 PM PT

Location: San Digo Convention Center, Ballroom 20A





Presenter: Jing Fu, Ph.D., Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY The abstracts can be viewed online through the ASH meeting website at www.hematology.org .

About AL Amyloidosis

AL amyloidosis is a rare systemic disorder caused by an abnormality of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Misfolded amyloid proteins produced by plasma cells cause buildup in and around tissues, nerves and organs, gradually affecting their function. This can cause progressive and widespread organ damage and high mortality rates. AL amyloidosis affects roughly 30,000  40,000 patients in total throughout the U.S. and Europe, and it is estimated that there are approximately 3,000  4,000 new cases of AL amyloidosis annually in the U.S., though actual incidence is likely higher as a result of under-diagnosis. Amyloidosis has a one-year mortality rate of 47 percent, 76 percent of which is caused by cardiac amyloidosis. About CAEL-101 (mAb 11-1F4)

CAEL-101 is a light chain fibril-reactive monoclonal antibody (mAb) that has completed a Phase 1a/1b trial at Columbia University for the treatment of patients with AL amyloidosis. While current treatment with chemotherapy is aimed at reducing production of the amyloid-forming light-chain protein, CAEL-101 attempts to reduce and / or eliminate the amyloid deposits. About Caelum Biosciences

Caelum Biosciences, Inc. (Caelum) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing treatments for rare and life-threatening diseases. Caelums lead asset, CAEL-101 (mAb 11-1F4), is a novel antibody for the treatment of patients with amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis. Phase 1a/1b data support CAEL-101s potential to be a safe and well-tolerated therapy that promotes amyloid resolution. CAEL-101 has received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a therapeutic agent for patients with AL amyloidosis, and as a radio-imaging agent in amyloidosis. For more information, visit www.caelumbio.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, as amended. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our growth strategy and product development programs and any other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition and stock price. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated include: risks relating to our growth strategy; our ability to obtain, perform under and maintain financing and strategic agreements and relationships; risks relating to the results of research and development activities; uncertainties relating to preclinical and clinical testing; risks relating to the timing of starting and completing clinical trials; our dependence on third-party suppliers; our ability to attract, integrate and retain key personnel; the early stage of products under development; our need for substantial additional funds; government regulation; patent and intellectual property matters; competition; as well as other risks described in our SEC filings. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. Contacts:

Caelum Biosciences, Inc.

Michael Spector, President & Chief Executive Officer

(212) 574-2811

[email protected] Media Relations

Tony Plohoros

6 Degrees

(908) 940-0135

[email protected]

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By Han Baoyi, China Daily | Nov. 01, 2018

A new direct airline service connecting London and China's first special economic zone, Shenzhen, was launched on Tuesday, establishing the first direct connection between the two cities.

Departing Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport with 172 passengers on board, the inaugural flight landed at London's Heathrow Airport 13 hours later. Just after two hours, this Airbus 330 aircraft made the return trip. There will be three such round flights per week, with the other two being on Thursdays and Sundays.

This service is the first intercontinental route for the operator, Shenzhen Airlines, which was founded in November 1992 and now has almost 300 domestic and international routes, carrying nearly 25 million passengers per year.

Wang Jie, vice-president of Shenzhen Airlines, who was one of the passengers on the flight to London, said afterwards "As this is the first long haul intercontinental route we have launched, it is a crucial starting point for Shenzhen Airlines as we step out into the world."

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, which started in 1978. Shenzhen, located in the south of the country, was one of the first areas to benefit from this process, as it became the China's first special economic zone. Over the course of 40 years, it has been transformed from a small fishing village into one of China's first-tier cities, famous for its youth and innovation. Such world renowned brands as Huawei and ZTE have set up their headquarters there.

"Shenzhen - Heathrow is a very significant route not just for Heathrow but also the city of London and connecting the 'Silicon valley of Asia' with London, regarded as Europe's technology hub", said John Holland-Kaye, the CEO of Heathrow Airport.

Shenzhen is the 10th city in Chinese mainland to have the direct flight with Heathrow, and Wang said that despite their contrasting ages, the two cities were well matched.

"Shenzhen, the youngest city in China, and London, a historically renowned city in the UK, in my view, share a lot in common since both of them are immigration cities featured by innovative spirit and metropolises with diversity, openness and inclusiveness," he said.
[November 02, 2018] Humanigen Announces Lenzilumab Study Results Accepted as Oral Presentation at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH)

Study Demonstrates that GM-CSF Neutralization with Lenzilumab in Combination with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) Cell Therapy Prevents the Onset of Cytokine Release Syndrome, Significantly Reduces the Severity of Neurotoxicity and Improves CAR-T Proliferation and Effector Functions

BURLINGAME, Calif., Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Humanigen, Inc., (OTCQB: HGEN) (Humanigen), a biopharmaceutical company developing its portfolio of Humaneered monoclonal antibodies to address cutting-edge CAR-T optimization and oncology treatments, today announced that final results from a preclinical study demonstrating that use of the Companys proprietary, anti-GM-CSF monoclonal antibody, lenzilumab, in combination with CD19 targeted chimeric antigen receptor T (CART19) cell therapy prevents cytokine release syndrome (CRS), significantly reduces neurotoxicity (NT) and enhances CART19 proliferation and effector functions have been accepted as an oral presentation at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). The study, led by Rosalie M. Sterner and Saad S. Kenderian at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, utilized a novel xenograft model derived from patients with high risk, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with patient-derived CART19. This xenograft model was designed to recapitulate the findings that have been reported in CART19 clinical trials in patients with severe CRS and NT. In this model, five days after CART19 treatment, animals began to develop progressive motor weakness, hunched bodies, and weight loss that correlated with massive elevation of circulating human cytokine levels. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain during this syndrome showed diffuse enhancement and edema, associated with central nervous system (CNS) infiltration of CART cells and murine activated myeloid cells similar to findings seen in patients with severe NT. MRI with volumetric analysis was used to characterize and quantify the neuro-inflammation associated with CART19 therapy with and without lenzilumab. The proprietary xenograft model was designed using: Human tumor blasts (ALL)

Human CD19 CAR-T

Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) Compared to CART19 plus control antibody, the combination of lenzilumab plus CART19 resulted in: a significant reduction in neuro-inflammation and cerebral edema as measured by quantitative MRI

prevention of CRS-induced emaciation, weakness, and weight loss

a significant reduction in GM-CSF and othr downstream pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines associated with and predictive of NT and CRS including MCP-1/CCL2

an exponential increase in CAR-T cell proliferation

a reduction in myeloid cell infiltration into the CNS

enhanced central nervous system (CNS) leukemic disease control



https://ash.confex.com/ash/2018/webprogram/Paper111766.html The oral presentation will include updated data not available in the abstract and the complete data set will be presented in the oral plenary session at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology, at 4:30pm PT on Monday, December 3rd, 2018 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, San Diego Ballroom B. This is the only clinical stage asset that has been demonstrated in vivo to improve both the safety and efficacy of CART19, said Dr. Cameron Durrant, chief executive officer of Humanigen. CRS and NT are associated with extended hospitalization and ICU admissions, which creates an added pharmaco-economic burden that limits the utility and uptake of CAR-T cell therapy. We are committed to developing lenzilumab to help CAR-T cell therapy realize its full potential.

About Humanigen, Inc. Humanigen, Inc. is developing its portfolio of Humaneered monoclonal antibodies to address cutting-edge CAR-T optimization and oncology treatments advancing safer, better, and more effective cancer therapies. Derived from the companys Humaneered platform, lenzilumab and ifabotuzumab are monoclonal antibodies with first-in-class mechanisms. Lenzilumab, which targets GM-CSF, is in development as a potential biologic therapy to make CAR-T therapy safer and more effective, as well as a potential treatment for rare hematologic cancers such as CMML and JMML. Ifabotuzumab, which targets the Eph type-A receptor 3 (EphA3), is being explored as a potential treatment for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and other deadly cancers, both as naked antibody and as part of an antibody-drug conjugate, as well as a backbone for a novel CAR-T construct, and a bispecific antibody platform. For more information, visit www.humanigen.com Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements that are intended to be subject to protection afforded by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current knowledge, assumptions, judgment and expectations regarding future performance or events. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such statements are reasonable, they give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and you should be aware that actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Words such as "will," "expect," "intend," "plan," "potential," "possible," "goals," "accelerate," "continue," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding our expectations for future development of lenzilumab to help CAR-T therapy reach its full potential. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risks inherent in Black Horse Capital and its affiliates owning more than 50% of our outstanding common stock, including their ability to control the company; our lack of profitability and the need for additional capital to operate our business as a going concern; the uncertainties inherent in the development and launch of any new pharmaceutical product; the outcome of pending or future litigation; and the various risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" sections and elsewhere in the Company's periodic and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. CONTACT: Investors:

Al Palombo

650-243-3181

[email protected]

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[November 02, 2018] Decernis to Highlight Cosmetics Compliance Through IT at CCE's Open Academy

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Decernis LLC (http://www.decernis.com), the leading provider of technology and content solutions for product compliance, safety, and risk management will present on IT Technology Enabling Cosmetics Global Risk Management on November 6th at the CCE's 2nd Open Academy, Cosmetics from Inside Out, From Latest Marketing Trends to Global Regulatory Affairs which takes place November 5-6 in Barcelona, Spain. The cosmetics and personal care products industry is driven by the continued development of new products to meet consumer and global market demands on the backdrop of a constantly changing regulatory landscape. The ability of businesses to access industry specific regulatory requirements and information is essential for effective product development and life cycle management. Information Technology enables the effective global risk management for cosmetics manufacturers. This will result in fewer surprises during research and development, trend analysis and prediction, and identification of regulatory compliance and consumer-concern-driven areas of concern or risk. Decernis' technology-enabled risk management solutions help guide cosmetic brands, manufacturers and ingredient suppliers' business objectives through a fast and cost-effective go-to-market assessment to satisfy the necessary global compliance and safety requirements. Dr. Ruud Overbeek, Chief, Business Development and Strategy at Decernis will highlight latest information technology enabling cosmetic and personal care ingredient and product manufacturers' global risk management through digitalization that will drive innovation efficiency. Included will be a review of how digitalization and changing demographics are impacting the industry and how integrated tools will address these complex challenges. And, how this complex, multi-dimensional value chain will require systematic compliance support, expedited change, automated solutions, and expert tools that will enable digital threads. "Speed of change is accelerating more rapidly than ever for cosmetics companies and traditional solutions are insufficiently cost-effective and efficient." said Dr. Ruud Overbeek. "As these companies sell to younger, more demanding generations, including Gen Z, requiring more personalized products, and thus expedited product development. Global compliance technology tools fed by expert data must be utilized to allow manufacturers to enter new markets and continue to sell into existing markets." About Decernis Decernis LLC delivers global solutions for product compliance, safety, and risk management through smart technology, Intelligent Systems Technology, Big Data Analytics, and global expertise. Our horizon scanning, enterprise solutions, supply chain management and experts in global food, consumer, and industrial product safety support our clients in meeting complex market demands and key decisions. Decernis tracks regulatory developments in more than two hundred countries on a day-by-day basis. Decernis contact:







Americas Contact: EU/APAC Contact: Susanne Kuehne Christina Zimmermann Senior Manager, Business Development Decernis GmbH Decernis LLC Germany Phone +1 240.428.1800 Tel. +49 (6483) 915303 [email protected] [email protected] www.decernis.com www.decernis.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/decernis-to-highlight-cosmetics-compliance-through-it-at-cces-open-academy-300742938.html SOURCE Decernis LLC

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[November 02, 2018] OpenGate Capital Welcomes Shawn Haghighi to the Firm's Global Senior Leadership Team

OpenGate Capital, a global private equity firm, announced today that it has hired Shawn Haghighi as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. Working from the firm's office in Los Angeles, Haghighi joins OpenGate's global senior leadership team comprising investment professionals in Los Angeles and Paris, France. Haghighi is a tenured professional with over 18 years of legal practice and experience with a diverse background gained through his tenure at two global, investment firms and leading, international law firms. Prior to joining OpenGate, Haghighi was Senior Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Platinum Equity. During his four-year tenure at Platinum, Haghighi was instrumental in managing that firm's compliance and regulatory programs, fund formation and co-investment offerings, and numerous other legal and regulatory matters relating to the firm and its portfolio companies. Prior to Platinum, Haghighi worked at Oaktree Capital Management as a Vice President - Legal where he was esponsible for various compliance and regulatory matters and fund formation matters across multiple investment strategies, as well as a wide range of general, in-house counsel matters. He began his legal career in the New York offices of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher.



Andrew Nikou, OpenGate Capital's Founder and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are excited to welcome Shawn into the OpenGate family. Shawn's breadth and depth of experience relating to international private equity funds, co-investments, compliance and regulatory matters will be invaluable to OpenGate's processes and procedures. We're so pleased Shawn joins us at a vital time in OpenGate's growth." Haghighi stated, "I am so pleased to be joining OpenGate at this point in the firm's growth. I look forward to working with the entire organization and supporting OpenGate in its growth."

OpenGate Capital has a team of 31 people in the firm's Los Angeles and Paris offices executing on the firm's integrated value creation strategy of sourcing, execution and operations which is applied throughout an investment's life cycle. About OpenGate Capital OpenGate Capital is a global private equity firm specializing in the acquisition and operation of businesses to create new value through operational improvements, innovation and growth. Established in 2005, OpenGate Capital is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with a European office in Paris, France. OpenGate's professionals possess the critical skills needed to acquire, transition, operate, build and scale successful businesses. To date, OpenGate Capital, through its legacy and fund investments, has executed more than 30 acquisitions including corporate carve-outs, management buy-outs, special situations and transactions with private sellers across North America and Europe. To learn more about OpenGate, please visit www.opengatecapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005081/en/

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[November 02, 2018] Free Christian Community App 2or3 Reaches 100K Users

DALLAS, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Christian community app 2or3 reached the 100,000 registered users and 2,000 registered pastors milestones, marking the beginning of a new era for digital communication in the Christian community. As a free Christian community app, 2or3 allows users to stay in daily communication with their small groups, family, and friends. 2or3 is designed to help people experience love, support, accountability, and daily community with each other in Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." 2or3 helps Christians stay connected in this digital age, when many feel isolated socially and spiritually. "We're a church of second chances, and this app is helping us build community," said 2or3 user Meg Watt. 2or3's private and public groups give Christians a place to fellowship with each other anytime, anywhere. Users can readthe Bible together and share Scriptures. They can also engage in discussions, connect with other like-minded Christians, and pray together. 2or3 user Christopher Walker said, "2or3's prayer feature reminds you to pray for that person throughout the day, and it encourages them to see that they're being prayed for." Walker says people often say they'll pray for each other, and then forget about it later, but 2or3 is the solution.



The interactive feed feature gives Christians opportunities to share their insights and to follow other people and ministries who are in the app. 2or3 also brings community to the younger generation using their own "language" of communication. Statistics show that 58% of self-identified Christian millennials agree that technology and digital interactions have made sharing their faith easier. 2or3's tools bring offline communication and daily routines into an all-in-one mobile experience. Ingod Limited plans to continue to improve the app and to keep building strong community in Christ.

The app is available for download from the App Store and Google Play Store. About Ingod Limited:

Founded in 2017, Ingod Limited is a startup aspiring to serve Christians in community. In early 2018, Ingod Limited launched the 2or3 app with the vision of being a witness of God's love, serving small group ministries, and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Related Links:

http://www.2or3.io View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/free-christian-community-app-2or3-reaches-100k-users-300742909.html SOURCE Ingod Limited

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Hot Topics Recap: Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Following are the latest Black Friday (News - Alert)/Cyber Monday 2018 news releases and story ideas for reporters, bloggers and media outlets. These recaps, curated by Business Wire, provide reporters and bloggers around the globe instant access to the latest news releases, providing relevant and trending content to share with their audiences. Discover more news via Business Wire's Hot Topic recaps or create a custom news feed specific to your needs here. This service is provided at no charge to members of the media and financial communities.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis.--Kohl's Rewards the Gift Giver this Holiday Season, Gifting More Kohl's Cash than Ever Before Source (News - Alert): Kohl's

SAN JOSE, Calif.--Adobe Forecasts $124 Billion in U.S. Online Sales This Holiday Season Source: Adobe (News - Alert)

SAN FRANCISCO--HARRODS PARTNERS WITH WILLIAMS SONOMA TO LAUNCH EXCLUSIVE COLLECTION AVAILABLE IN THE U.S. Source: Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

NEW YORK--Celebrate with your Community this Small Business Saturday Source: American Express (News - Alert)

REDMOND, Wash.--Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Nintendo Direct Unleashes New Details Source: Nintendo

NEW YORK--Let's Have A Parade: The World-Renowned Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Kicks Off The Holiday Season Source: Macy's

BOSTON--Top iPad mini & iPad Pro Black Friday Deals for 2018: Best Early Apple Tablet Deals Revealed by Consumer Walk Source: Consumer Walk

NEWARK, Del.--Attention College-Going Families: Put College Scholarships on Your Black Friday Must-Haves Lists Source: Sallie Mae

LIVONIA, Mich.--Valassis Research: Consumers Leverage Three Phases to Get the Most From Their Holiday Shopping Source: Valassis

AUSTIN, Texas--ShippingEasy Releases Its Popular Annual Holiday Guide Source: ShippingEasy

BOSTON--Consumer Walk Share Roomba Black Friday 2018 Deals Predictions Source: Consumer Walk

NEW YORK--Online Retailers Gear Up to Deliver Fast, Reliable Holiday Shopping Experiences Source: Catchpoint

BOSTON--Innovation and Entrepreneurship Highlighted at Innovate Celebrate Source: Consumer Technology Association (CTA)

ARLINGTON, Va.--Holiday Tech Spending to Reach a Record $96.1 Billion in Revenue - TVs Top Wish Lists Again, Says CTA Source: Consumer Technology Association







BOSTON--Retailers to Spend More on Black Friday Digital Ads than Cyber Monday in 2018 Holiday Shopping Season, Nanigans Research Finds Source: Nanigans, Inc.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--Merry Maids Shares the List to Check Twice for Less Holiday Stress: Your Pre-Holiday Game Plan Source: Merry Maids

SANTA PAULA, Calif.--Limoneira to Launch Two In-Store Promotions to Zest Up Holiday Sales Source: Limoneira Company

BENTONVILLE, Ark.--Walmart Brightens Customer Experience and Expands Assortment To Help Customers Light Up Christmas Source: Walmart Inc.

BOSTON--The Best 4K TV Black Friday 2018 Deals: Consumer Walk Review Top Early TV Sales Source: Consumer Walk

LOS ANGELES--OnlyLeggings.com Releases One of the Largest Collections of Winter and Christmas Themed Leggings and Leg Fashion for 2018 Source: BRAVADA International Ltd

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.--Pirates Voyage Dinner Attraction to Begin Holiday Show Nov. 1 in Myrtle Beach Source: World Choice Investments

ROCHELLE PARK, N.J.--Avenue Stores Partners with PredictSpring to Launch New Mobile App Ahead of the Holiday Season Source: PredictSpring

SEATTLE--Holiday Hiring: Amazon Paying $15 an Hour or More for 100,000 Seasonal Jobs Source: Amazon.com (News - Alert), Inc.

MIAMI--Psycho Bunny Opens First U.S. Retail Store in Miami Source: Psycho Bunny

NEW YORK--Introducing the GUESS Holiday 2018 Advertising Campaign Source: GUESS?, Inc.

NEW YORK--Dr. Seuss' "The Grinch" Takes Over Barnes & Noble This Holiday Season Source: Barnes & Noble, Inc.

WASHINGTON--Consumers Will Spend 4.1 Percent More Than Last Year During Winter Holidays, According to NRF Survey Source: National Retail Federation

STAMFORD, Conn.--Pitney Bowes Global Ecommerce Study Finds We Are Shopping Online More Frequently and Frustrated More Often Source: Pitney Bowes Inc.

SAN FRANCISCO--Philo Launches Hallmark's Suite of Networks Just in Time for the Highly Anticipated "Countdown to Christmas" Source: Philo

NEW YORK--Find the Ultimate Gift for Everyone on Your List at Macy's This Holiday Season Source: Macy's, Inc.

ALAMEDA, Calif.--Cost Plus World Market Partners with Hallmark Channel to Celebrate the "Countdown to Christmas" Source: Cost Plus World Market

NEW YORK--Marciano Los Angeles Unveils the Holiday 2018 Collection and Advertising Campaign Source: GUESS?, Inc.

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn.--Christmas Comes to Life at Dolly Parton's Stampede This Holiday Season Source: Dolly Parton's Stampede Dinner Attraction

LOS ANGELES--Give the Gift of Nostalgia This Holiday Season with Popcornopolis' Elegant and Delicious Gourmet Popcorn Source: Popcornopolis

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.

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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005018/en/
[November 02, 2018] State Electric Supply, Inc. Named One of the Top Five Electrical Distributor B2B Websites

DES PLAINES, Ill., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As B2B ecommerce continues to grow a significant number of manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers are still using printed catalogs, phone, and fax for taking orders. 58% of B2B companies surveyed by Apruve do not have any form of ecommerce. Of the companies that do have ecommerce, many of the solutions are inadequate for customers' needs. Many ecommerce efforts are low cost solutions which could lead these companies to go the way of Sears instead of the way of Amazon. For B2B companies that have embraced ecommerce, Apruve, a leading B2B Credit Network, publishes annual reports that rate how well they're doing. It's called the Apruval Rating Report. Americaneagle.com is proud to announce that customer State Electric Supply, Inc. was recently put in the top five for B2B electrical distributors. You can view the site at https://www.stateelectric.com/. State Electric Supply, Inc. VP of Ecommerce & Strategic Sales David Gravely said, "Being recognized as one of the top ecommerce sites in our industry is truly a credit to the hard work from both of the teams at Americaneagle.com and StateElectric, and we are extremely proud of the website."



Americaneagle.com President Michael Svanascini said, "Working in collaboration with the knowledgeable leadership of State Electrical Supply, the B2B website that was created is definitely an elite B2B web presence, and we're proud to share in their success." Apruve's business is based upon serving the needs of B2B ecommerce sellers and their buyers and they are well-known for their understanding of what's going on in the B2B market. Based on their research, they publish a number of reports and come up with an "Apruval Rating." In their 2018 report that focuses on Electrical Distributors, they reviewed more than 230 websites.

State Electric Supply Co. Inc. scored a rating of 201.3, putting them in the top 5 of all Electrical Distributors. Any score reaching 200 or over is considered elite. As Apruve states in the report, "These superior companies provide B2B customers with an excellent website experience, multiple ways to purchase, and provides comprehensive product information to customers." To learn more, visit www.Apruve.com. About Americaneagle.com

Americaneagle.com, Inc., founded in 1978, is a leading Web design, development, and hosting company based in Des Plaines, Illinois. Currently, Americaneagle.com employs approximately 400+ professionals in offices throughout the country, including Chicago, New York, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington DC. For additional information about Americaneagle.com, visit www.americaneagle.com. About State Electric

From a humble start in 1952, State Electric Supply Co. has grown into one of the nation's highest ranked and best-known distributors; with hundreds of employees and 44 locations in 7 states. From the beginning, their goal has been to align themselves with the highest quality, best performing manufacturers in the industry in order to deliver a full range of quality products and services to their customers. Contact:

Michael Svanascini, President

[email protected]

847-699-0300 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/state-electric-supply-inc-named-one-of-the-top-five-electrical-distributor-b2b-websites-300742945.html SOURCE Americaneagle.com

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[November 02, 2018] Northern Light's CEO Announces the End of the Era of Search at the MarketsandMarkets AI in Healthcare Conference

BOSTON, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Speaking at the MarketsandMarkets AI in Healthcare Conference last week in Boston, Northern Light CEO C. David Seuss told attendees that machine learning heralds the end of the traditional search paradigm, and represents a boon to efficiency and productivity for market researchers in the healthcare industry and many others. In his 30-minute presentation, entitled "Machine Learning for Search in Market Research and Competitive Intelligence," Seuss explained that, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), now the computer can refine queries for the user, read the reports and tell the user what it finds, and watch the content flow and alert the user when there is something they should know. "Business search is far more complex than consumer search, because it's about mastering a topic, such as 'what are our competitors up to' or 'what do our customers care about', rather than simply finding a fact, like 'what time will the movie start'," Seuss said. "What businss users really want from search is to not have to manually refine a query to find more on-point articles, and to not have to manually review a search result at all. They want the machine to figure out the right query, and read the documents on the search result and report on what it finds. That's all now possible."



About Northern Light

Northern Light has been providing knowledge management platforms for competitive intelligence and market research insights to global enterprises since 1996. The company pioneered the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence for the automated analysis and extraction of meaning from large collections of market research and competitive intelligence. Northern Light's current clients include seven of Boston Consulting Group's 50 "Most Innovative Companies" of 2018, and Fortune 1000 leaders across multiple industries such as information technology, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, and life sciences. Northern Light has over 250,000 users of its strategic research portals. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Northern Light has unique content aggregation partnerships with more than 150 of the world's leading syndicated technology and industry research publishers, aggregates business and technology news from over 6,500 news sources, and is a charter member of the Center for Complex Systems and Enterprises at the Stevens Institute of Technology. Media Contact:

David Domeshek

508-873-7068

[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/northern-lights-ceo-announces-the-end-of-the-era-of-search-at-the-marketsandmarkets-ai-in-healthcare-conference-300742951.html SOURCE Northern Light

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[November 02, 2018] Results of Cynata's World-First GvHD Clinical Trial Accepted for Presentation at American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

MELBOURNE, Australia, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cynata Therapeutics Limited (ASX: CYP), a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in cell therapeutics, is pleased to announce that results from Cohort A of the Phase 1 clinical trial of CYP-001 for the treatment of steroid-resistant acute graft versus host disease (GvHD) will be presented in a poster at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, which will take place in San Diego, California, from 1-4 December 2018.

CYP-001 is Cynatas lead Cymerus mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product candidate. The Phase 1 trial of CYP-001 represents the first time a clinical trial using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived MSCs has been completed. Dr Kilian Kelly, Cynatas Vice President, Product Development, said, Being selected to present at this prestigious meeting is further recognition of the potential of CYP-001 and the compelling results of our world-first clinical trial. We look forward to raising awareness of CYP-001 and the Cymerus technology more broadly, as we continue planning Phase 2 clinical trials. Details of the poster are as follows: Title: A Phase I Trial of iPSC-Derived MSCs (CYP-001) in Steroid-Resistant Acute GvHD

Abstract Number: 4562

Date and Time: Monday, December 3, 2018, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

Location: Hall GH (San Diego Convention Center)

Presenter: Dr Adrian Bloor, The Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK Chief Investigator of the Phase 1 trial The ASH Annual Meeting is the largest haematology conference worldwide, with an expected attendance of more than 25,000 haematology professionals, pharmaceutical company executives and investors. CONTACTS:

Dr Ross Macdonald, CEO, Cynata Therapeutics, +61 (0)412 119343, [email protected]





[email protected]

Annie Starr, U.S. Media Contact, +1 973.768.2170 , [email protected] About Graft-versus-host-disease

Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a complication that can occur after a bone marrow transplant or similar procedure, when the donors immune cells (from the graft) attack the recipient of the transplant (the host). The only approved treatment for GvHD is corticosteroid therapy, which is typically only effective in about 50 percent of patients. When GvHD fails to improve or worsens despite steroid treatment, patients are described as having steroid-resistant GvHD. The prognosis for these patients is poor, with mortality rates in excess of 90 percent.1

About the Phase 1 Clinical Trial (Protocol Number: CYP-GvHD-P1-01)

The trial is entitled An Open-Label Phase 1 Study to Investigate the Safety and Efficacy of CYP-001 for the Treatment of Adults With Steroid-Resistant Acute Graft Versus Host Disease. Participants were required to be adults who had undergone an allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) to treat a haematological (blood) disorder and subsequently been diagnosed with steroid-resistant Grade II-IV GvHD. The first eight participants were enrolled in Cohort A and received two infusions of CYP-001 at a dose of 1 million cells per kilogram of body weight (cells/kg), up to a maximum dose of 100 million cells. Seven participants in Cohort B received two infusions of CYP-001 at a dose of 2 million cells/kg, up to a maximum dose of 200 million cells. There was one week between the two CYP-001 infusions in each participant. The trials primary objective was to assess the safety and tolerability of CYP-001, while the secondary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of two infusions of CYP-001 in adults with steroid-resistant GvHD. The primary evaluation period concluded 100 days after the first dose in each participant. Efficacy was assessed on the basis of response to treatment (as determined by change in GvHD grade) and overall survival at 28 and 100 days after the administration of the first dose. After the completion of the primary evaluation period, participants entered a longer-term, non-interventional follow-up period, which will continue for up to two years after the initial dose. About Cynata Therapeutics (ASX: CYP)

Cynata Therapeutics Limited (ASX: CYP) is an Australian clinical-stage stem cell and regenerative medicine company focused on the development of therapies based on Cymerus, a proprietary therapeutic stem cell platform technology. Cymerus overcomes the challenges of other production methods by using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and a precursor cell known as mesenchymoangioblast (MCA) to achieve economic manufacture of cell therapy products, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), at commercial scale and without the limitation of multiple donors. Cynatas lead product candidate CYP-001 met all clinical endpoints and demonstrated positive safety and efficacy data for the treatment of steroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in a Phase 1 trial. Cynata plans to advance its Cymerus MSCs into Phase 2 trials for GvHD and critical limb ischemia. In addition, Cynata has demonstrated utility of its Cymerus MSC technology in preclinical models of asthma, critical limb ischemia, diabetic wounds, heart attack and cytokine release syndrome, a life-threatening condition stemming from cancer immunotherapy. ________________________________________________

1 Westin JR, Saliba RM, De Lima M, et al. Steroid-Refractory Acute GVHD: Predictors and Outcomes. Adv Hematol. 2011; 2011:601953.

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[November 02, 2018] Phoenix Life Sciences International Receives Approval for Name Change, Symbol Change, and Completion of Consolidation of Businesses

DENVER, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Phoenix Life Sciences International Limited (OTC: PLSI) (Phoenix Life), an international adaptive healthcare solutions company, today announced it has completed the last stages the consolidation of businesses and received approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) of the corporate action completing its name change and change of stock symbol.

Phoenix Life Sciences International Limited will now trade under the stock symbol PLSI. After five years of planning and hard work, we could not be more excited to have completed this consolidation to build a world changing organization, said Martin Tindall, CEO of Phoenix Life Sciences International. This marks the end of what has been a long transitional period for our company and the beginning of a new chapter of opportunity for Phoenix Life. We have made incredible progress over the past months towards our goal of creating a truly international healthcare organization. Our focus on creating global supply of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products derived from medical cannabis and other botanical compounds targeted towards treating patients across the world with a range of diseases makes me truly proud. The company has recently announced some of the following milestones: Completion of merger including retiring all convertible notes

Appointment of new Board of Directors and executive team

Received approval to establish operations in the country and manufacturebotanical pharmaceutical products

Medical Advisory Council adds Diabetes Director







For more information about Phoenix Life, visit https://www.plsi.co/ .

About Phoenix Life Sciences International Limited

Phoenix Life Sciences International Limited is an adaptive healthcare solutions company. Our business is to advance research and integrate programs and manufacturing of products that target and treat diabetes, pain, cancer, and address psychological, gastrointestinal, autoimmune, neurological and sleep disorders. We strive to create partnerships and integrate these programs for human health into communities worldwide as part of our Global Health Initiative. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Information contained in this press release regarding Phoenix Life Sciences International, Limited and its subsidiaries, (the Companies) may constitute forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements. The words plan, forecast, anticipates, estimate, project, intend, expect, should, believe, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Companys actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors are more fully discussed in the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Companies herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the above-mentioned cautionary statement. The Companies disclaim any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this press release, except as may be required by law. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) DISCLOSURE These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and therefore the products sold by Phoenix Life Sciences International are not available on U.S. LEGAL DISCLOSURE Phoenix Life Sciences International does not sell or distribute any products in the United States that are in violation of the United States Controlled Substances Act (US.CSA). This company does not grow, sell, and distribute cannabis-based products in the United States and is solely involved with the legal distribution of medical cannabis-based products within certain international markets outside of the United States. Investor Contact:

Phone: 1.888.717.5655 or international +1.720.699.7222

E-mail: [email protected] Media Contact:

Kathryn Reinhardt

CMW Media

[email protected]

619-972-3089

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[November 02, 2018] Advantage Announces Partnership with Plug and Play

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Advantage Rent A Car, the fourth-largest car rental company in America (Advantage), is pleased to announce its partnership with Plug and Play, a Silicon Valley-based global innovation platform. Advantage joins Plug and Play's Travel & Hospitality and Mobility ecosystems, focusing on partnerships that will enhance the Advantage customer experience. By sourcing innovative emerging company technology that aligns with its long-term vision and strategy in travel and mobility, Advantage intends to enrich its service offering and streamline our customers' experience with the optimized features and capabilities. "We are thrilled to be part of the Plug and Play ecosystem," says Scott Davido, President and CEO of Advantage. "As a Plug and Play corporate partner, we meet, evaluate, and support selected, relevant emerging companies as they develop new products and technologies that will further enhance our customer experience." Together with Plug and Play, Advantage will identify and work with emerging companies that have created new approaches and technologies to enhance the passenger journey, improve efficiency and advance the future of car rental. Plug and Play Founder and CEO Saeed Amidi said, "We are here to helpAdvantage engage with the most promising emerging companies in the industry and bring new ideas into their business. Their expertise will be a great addition to our ecosystem and we welcome them to Silicon Valley."



About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. With over 25 locations around the world, 280 official corporate partners, 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs and over 250+ investments made in 2017, Plug and Play created the ultimate startup ecosystem across 14 different industries including Travel & Hospitality. We currently work with JetBlue Technology Ventures, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Accor Hotels, AirAsia, Swissport, Star Alliance, trivago, Changi Airport, TUI Group and many more. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. To join the ecosystem, please visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/travel. About Advantage Rent A Car

Advantage Rent A Car and its sister company, EZ Rent A Car (AEZ), is the fourth-largest car rental company in America. AEZ is active nationwide with two brands in 44 markets and 75 locations, including 23 of the nation's 25 largest airports, and globally through its partnership with Europcar.

For more information visit Advantage.com or E-ZRentACar.com, or engage with AEZ on Facebook and Twitter. Use the hashtags #AdVroomVroom, #YourAdvantage, #EZLiving, #TheEZWay and #EZBreezy to join the conversation online. Media Contacts

Advantage Rent A Car

Andrea Peters

[email protected] Plug and Play

Jordan Bray

[email protected]

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/advantage-announces-partnership-with-plug-and-play-300742873.html SOURCE Plug and Play

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[November 02, 2018] HPC & Artificial Intelligence: Addressing Humanity's Grand Challenges

To solve humanity's most complex and demanding problems ranging from creating sustainable global food production and preventing infectious disease epidemics to ensuring the safety of our planet and natural resources is the HPC community's next grand challenge. HPC and AI are revolutionizing how we untangle and solve global threats and humanitarian crises. The SC18 plenary session will examine the potential for advanced computing to help mitigate human suffering and elevate our capacity to protect the most vulnerable. This plenary session will hear from innovators who are redefining how we predict and prevent humanitarian crises by leveraging advanced computing. The session is the kick-off event, which immediately precedes the Exhibitor Opening Gala. Highlights: Over the next two generations, we face an enormous human security challenge. We must adapt to rapid economic and climate change by creating a food system that provides adequate and appropriate nutrition for 9 billion people in a way that does not compromise the environment.

Emerging infectious diseases pose a growing threat to human populations. Many of the world's epidemic diseases are known to be sensitive to climate. This session will explore our ability to build accurate disease forecasting models for prevention or containment of outbreaks.

In the year 2050, 70% of the world's population will be living in cities and this will bring major challenges for urban sustainability and population health. We will discuss how large digital datasets and AI can be powerfully applied to design more human-centric, healthy and sustainable cities. How do we rethink the problem by using the best minds, most advanced tools and networks to anticipate and solve our most vexing global crises? Researchers and scientists with deep experience will gather to discuss this topic during SC18, the premier international conference of HPC professionals this November 11-18, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. PANEL DISCUSSION:

HPC and AI -The Next Horizon: Addressing Humanity's Grand Challenges PANELISTS: Dr. Evan Fraser started thinking about agriculture and food systems while working summers on his grandfather's fruit farm in Niagara, Canada. Fueled by his farm experiences, Fraser earned degrees in forestry, anthropology and agriculture at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto. He is currently the director of the Arrell Food Institute, a professor of geography and holds the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security at the University of Guelph. He is the author of more tha 90 scientific papers and book chapters on these topics, has written for the Globe and Mail, The Guardian, CNN, Foreign Affairs, The Walrus and The Ottawa Citizen.



Fraser authored two popular non-fiction books about food and food security including Empires of Food: Feast, Famine and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations. Fraser created teaching tools including a popular web video series called "feeding nine billion," a graphic novel called #FoodCrisis, and a card game about global food security that have been assembled along with teacher-friendly high school lesson plans and used to educate students around the world. He is a Fellow of the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation, a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geography Society, and a member of the Royal Society of Canada's college of new scholars. Dr. Robert S. Hart is Vice President of Global Good and General Manager of the Institute for Disease Modeling at Intellectual Ventures (News - Alert). IDM's mission is to guide global efforts towards the eradication and control of infectious disease through the use and promotion of quantitative analysis. Dr. Hart has over thirty years of experience founding and managing high technology-based software firms both as an executive officer and as a venture investor and board director. He was most recently a founder and CEO of Veratect Corporation, an open source data mining and analysis firm providing the earliest possible indicators of the emergence of infectious disease worldwide with particular focus on the developing world.

Prior to Veratect, highlights of Dr. Hart's career include tenure as CEO of Corazonx, a cardiac ultrasound software firm; as General Partner at SeaPoint Ventures, a venture capital firm focusing upon the wireless telecom industry; CEO of Tegic Communications, the developer of the predictive text input software used in most cellular phones; CEO of Optimas Corporation, a digital image analysis firm; and as CEO of Sierra Geophysics, a leading provider of applications software to the global oil and gas industry and as a Division President of Halliburton Company. Dr. Hart serves on a number of both corporate and non-profit boards. Dr. Hart holds a SB degree in Earth & Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and both an MS and a PhD in Geophysics from the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Marguerite Nyhan is a Research Scientist at United Nations Global Pulse, which is a flagship initiative of the United Nations' Executive Office of the Secretary General. Her work is focused on data science for humanitarian and sustainable development efforts. While conducting her PhD in environmental engineering, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study at MIT (News - Alert) in Boston, where she became a post-doctoral researcher and led the Urban Environmental Research Team within MIT's Senseable City Laboratory. Nyhan was a scientist at Harvard University's School of Public Health before joining the United Nations. Her research has been featured extensively in the media, including in The Guardian and NPR (News - Alert). She has addressed a range of audiences globally, from delivering a TED Talk in her home country of Ireland to addressing the United Nations Environment Assembly in Kenya. Marguerite is based in New York City. Moderating the panel is Debra Goldfarb, who has spent most of her thirty-five year career in HPC driving science and technology policy initiatives in the U.S. and abroad, highlighting the impact and importance of HPC as a fundamental economic and innovation driver for a variety of high-profile companies. She is currently an Intel (News - Alert) Fellow and Chief Analyst for Intel's Data Center Group. Goldfarb has also held senior positions at IBM, Microsoft, and IDC. She is actively involved in STEM policy initiatives, mentoring and diversity programs and working with global organizations to advance economic development through access and use of leading-edge technologies. The conference features many other big-idea deliverables including a high-interest keynote address, workshops, tutorials, exhibits, demonstrations, hands-on learning opportunities, and industry awards. For more information about the SC18 technical program or any aspect of the conference, contact Brian Ban, SC18 Communications ([email protected]). SC18 is the premier international conference showcasing the many ways high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis leads to advances in scientific discovery, research, education, and commerce. The annual event, created and sponsored by the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) and the IEEE (News - Alert) Computer Society, attracts HPC professionals and educators from around the globe to participate in its complete technical education program, workshops, tutorials, a world class exhibit area, demonstrations and opportunities for hands-on learning. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005115/en/

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[November 02, 2018]

Persistent Systems' IoT Leadership Recognized Once Again in Zinnov Zones 2018 - IoT Technology & Services Report

SANTA CLARA, California and PUNE, India, November 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Persistent Systems (BSE & NSE: PERSISTENT) is pleased to announce that for the second consecutive year, the company's overall IoT competency has been considered "Established and Expansive" in the Zinnov Zones 2018 - IoT Technology & Services report produced annually by industry analyst firm Zinnov Management Consulting.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/726391/Persistent_Logo.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779153/IoT_Technology_services_overall_rating.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779154/IoT_Technology_services_IoT_Engineering.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779155/IoT_Technology_services_Platform_and_application_competency.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/779156/IoT_Technology_services_Big_data_management_and_analytics.jpg )

In addition to its overall IoT competency, Zinnov analysts also placed Persistent in the 'Leadership Zone' in the following IoT dimensions: 'IoT Engineering', 'Platform and Application Competency' and 'Big Data Management and Analytics'.

Zinnov Zones for IoT Technology Services is an annual industry report that relies on Zinnov's proprietary Zinnov Zones methodology to analyze and determine market leaders and laggards across a variety of IoT-related capabilities.

Zinnov's evaluation model incorporates a number of measurable characteristics, including innovation, capabilities, financials, human capital, ecosystem linkages, infrastructure, maturity and diversity of services, scale, and vertical market support.

For additional details about Zinnov's model and methodology, visit: https://www.slideshare.net/zinnov/zinnov-zones-for-iot-services

Quote from Sanjeev Srivastav, Senior Vice President and General Manager

"Zinnov's recognition of Persistent's IoT leadership and capabilities as both 'expansive' and 'established' for the second straight year is strong validation of our ability to stay ahead of the rapidly-evolving IoT market. The rport shows that our strong software product DNA in developing and successfully launching comprehensive end-to-end IoT solutions using our Persistent Flywheel framework gives us unique capabilities that differentiate us from others in the market.







Our IoT customers rely on our leadership status in the areas of IoT engineering, platform and application development and big data and analytics to help them quickly bring to market innovative, robust and secure platforms and services that deliver a superior customer experience, increase their market share and drive sustainable, profitable growth."

Quote from Sidhant Rastogi, Partner & Practice Head, Zinnov

"Persistent's engineering capabilities coupled with its investments in ecosystem and infrastructure for IoT services have helped cement its leadership position for overall IoT services. In addition, the firm's robust platform development and big data & analytics capabilities have contributed to its strong competitive positioning in the market."

Additional Resources and Information:

Tweet this:

@Zinnov considers @PersistentSys #IoT leaders in IoT engineering, platforms, applications, #BigData and #analytics, per latest #ZinnovZones IoT Technology Services Report

About Zinnov

Founded in 2002, Zinnov is a global management and strategy consulting firm, with presence in Silicon Valley, Houston, Bangalore, and Gurgaon. Over the past 16 years, Zinnov has successfully consulted with over 250 Fortune 500 customers to develop actionable insights that help them in their transformation journeys.

With core expertise in Product Engineering and Digital Transformation, Zinnov assists clients by:

Providing research and strategy consulting for Technology Service Providers in the areas of Product Engineering and Digital Transformation;

Enabling companies to develop and optimize a global engineering partner strategy to achieve higher throughput, innovation, productivity, and cost savings;

Growing revenue for companies' products and services in India and other emerging markets;

Helping MNCs expand and/or consolidate their globalization footprint.

With their team of experienced professionals and research teams, Zinnov serves clients from across software, semiconductor, consumer electronics, automotive, storage, telecom & networking, healthcare, banking, financial services and retail verticals in U.S., Europe, Japan and India.

About Persistent Systems

Persistent Systems (BSE & NSE: PERSISTENT) builds software that drives the business of our customers; serving software product companies and enterprises with software at the core of their digital transformation.

Forward-looking and Cautionary Statements: For risks and uncertainties relating to forward-looking statements, please visit http://www.persistent.com/FLCS.

Persistent Media Contacts:

Saviera Barretto

Text100

+91-84249-17719

[email protected]



Isha Kulkarni

Persistent Systems

+91-86696-70068

[email protected]



Ken Montgomery

Persistent Systems (US)

+1-949-939-5164

[email protected]



Zinnov Media Contact:

Nitika Goel

Director - Marketing & Communications, Zinnov

+91-9845016255

[email protected], [email protected]



SOURCE Persistent Systems
EQUITY ALERT: Rosen Law Firm Announces Investigation of Securities Claims Against NiSource Inc. - NI

Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces it is investigating potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) resulting from allegations that NiSource may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

On September 13, 2018, dozens of gas explosions destroyed multiple homes in Andover, North Andover, and Lawrence, Massachusetts, killing one person and injuring more than one dozen. Andover's Fire Chief subsequently announced that investigators suspected over-pressurization of a gas main belonging to Columbia Gas of Massachusetts ("Columbia"), a unit of NiSource. Following this news, NiSource's stock price fell $3.29 per share or 11.72% to close at $24.79 on September 14, 2018.

Then, on November 1, 2018, NiSource disclosed that NiSource and Columbia "are subject to a criminal investigation being conducted under the supervision of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts." NiSource disclosed that the grand jury subpoenas were served on September 24, 2018.

Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action lawsuit to recover losses suffered by NiSource investors. If you purcased shares of NiSource please visit the firm's website at https://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-1442.html to join the class action. You may also contact Phillip Kim or Zachary Halper of Rosen Law Firm toll free at 866-767-3653 or via email at [email protected] or [email protected].







Follow us for updates on LinkedIn (News - Alert): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter (News - Alert): https://twitter.com/rosen_firm.

Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 3 each year since 2013.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005372/en/
[November 02, 2018] Luxembourg to Host NewSpace Europe 2018 Conference Aimed at Identifying Opportunities in the Global Space Economy

The Luxembourg Space Agency and the Space Frontier Foundation are organizing the 2nd NewSpace Europe conference on November 27 and 28, 2018 in Luxembourg City. NewSpace Europe is the only annual space conference in Europe to focus solely on the newspace industry and the emerging opportunities in the space sector. Leaders from industry and major corporations, entrepreneurs, investors and representatives from Government Agencies meet in Luxembourg to explore how the space industry can break down barriers to economic growth and fuel the expansion of the commercial space industry with a focus on launch, remote sensing, investment, space-based economy and communications. Marc Serres, CEO of the Luxembourg Space Agency, stated: "Since decades, Luxembourg's frontrunner approach to focus on supporting commercial space activities has been successful for the country, as demonstrated by its status as a global player in the satellite communications business. The SpaceResources.lu initiative is part of this business-oriented strategy that already attracted numerous newspace companies to Luxembourg and further developed the national ecosystem. Thus, the Grand Duchy's can-do environment makes the country the ideal place to host the NewSpace Europe conference."



"Europe is a leader in the space economy which is fueling job creation through innovation and economic growth globally. The government and people of Luxembourg are committed to leading the European community. We are proud to partner with the Luxembourg Space Agency for another year," said Jeff Feige, Chairman of the Space Frontier Foundation. "This is a critical time to come together to ensure that we are breaking down the barriers to growth." Presenters include Nicolas Chamussy, Executive Vice President of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space; Clay Mowry, Vice President - Sales, Marketing & Customer Experience at Blue Origin; Steve Collar, President and CEO at SES (News - Alert); Pierre Bertrand, Digital Officer and Final Assembly Line project manager at OneWeb Satellites; Alvaro Alonso, Business Development Manager at Telespazio (News - Alert) VEGA; Jim Cantrell, CEO at Vector Launch; Sandy Tirtey, Director of Business Development (Australia) and Launch Director at Rocket Lab; Peter Platzer, CEO at Spire Global; Chris Cummins, COO at Nanoracks; Gareth Keane (News - Alert), Partner at Promus Ventures.

For more information (agenda and registration) visit www.newspace-europe.lu. Released by the Luxembourg Space Agency View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005380/en/

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[November 02, 2018] DrChrono Offers Complimentary Square Reader for Contactless and Chip, Easing Patient Payment Process for Physician Practices

First and only EHR integrated with Square committed to offering best technology package to improve the way medical practices process patient payments SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DrChrono Inc., the company enabling the medical practice of the future, announced a new promotion for the month of November to provide physician practices with the latest in hardware technology to more efficiently run their practice. From now until November 30, 2018, DrChrono will give away $49 Square Readers for Contactless and Chip for practices that attend its Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) demo. In addition, if the practice signs up for DrChronos Apollo Plus (RCM) plan it will get 0% on collections for the first three months with minimum software fees. DrChrono has partnered with companies like Apple and Square so we can bring the best hardware packages to medical practices of all sizes and offer them the very latest technology to run their practices efficiently, said Daniel Kivatins. We are the very first EHR to partner with Square and our customers now rely on using Squares readers to make payments much simpler for their patients. This new giveaway promotion will give more practices the opportunity to use the Square Reader and improve payment processes and cash flow, a major priority for growing their operations.?



For information about the promotion, please visit here to review promotion rules. About DrChrono

DrChrono focuses on bringing the medical practice of the future to reality; the company built the first iPad EHR. DrChrono creates the best electronic health record, practice management, medical billing and revenue cycle management experience for physicians and patients; the health platform was built for iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and the web. The EHR includes customizable medical forms, e-prescribing, real-time patient eligibility checks, patient portal and more. The healthcare App Directory offers a multitude of apps that a practice can select from to bundle in and a medical API for healthcare app developers. For more information about DrChrono, visit www.drchrono.com

Media Contact:

Kerry Metzdorf

Big Swing Communications

978-463-2575

[email protected]

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Echodyne Adds New CFO

Echodyne, the manufacturer of innovative, high-performance radars for securing critical infrastructure, counter-UAS, and guiding autonomous machines announced today that it has added Paul Farmer to its management team as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Echodyne manufactures high-performance, software-defined radars for government, military, and commercial customers. It offers the only true beam-steering radar with all the benefits of an electronic scanning array but in a compact, solid-state format and at commercial price points.

Paul brings 30 years of financial and operational leadership with high growth technology companies along with public company CFO experience. With leading sensor products in multiple, diverse markets, Echodyne is poised for significant growth across each of its market segents.







"I am really pleased to welcome Paul as our new CFO," said Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne. "His expertise with fast growing tech companies will be a tremendous asset to us as we continue to scale the company to meet customer demand."

To learn more about how Echodyne radars are advancing the Security, UAS, and Automotive markets, visit echodyne.com.

About Echodyne

Echodyne's innovative high-performance software-defined radar sensors provide high-resolution 3-D situational awareness data for autonomous vehicles, unmanned aircraft systems, critical infrastructure security, and smart cities. A unique blend of agile hardware and intelligent software provides unprecedented perception, safety, and reliability for machines in the autonomous age. Privately held, the company is based in Bellevue Washington, and is backed by Bill Gates (News - Alert), NEA, Madrona Venture Group, Vulcan Capital, and Lux Capital among others.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005059/en/
[November 02, 2018] 5G Has Arrived. How Does Your Infrastructure Measure up?

5G, or 5th generation cellular wireless networking is not just an increase in speed over 4G LTE, it is a complete redesign of the cellular wireless network. Chatsworth Products (News - Alert) (CPI) will discuss how 5G will affect network infrastructure in its next Drive Forward webinar, taking place Nov. 15, 2018 at 10 a.m. CST / 4 p.m. BST. 5G will involve hundreds of thousands of sites, millions of users and eventually billions of connected things. "5G Has Arrived. How Will You Safeguard Your Network?" will provide attendees points for consideration when expanding networks to support cellular equipment in both indoor and outdoor environments. Join CPI Field Application Engineer, Tom Cabral, as he presents several important 5G topics including: What 5G and who is using it

New 5G standards and implementation time frames

The fundamental shift in cellular networks closer to users

Protecting 5G equipment in harsh environments To register and see the complete list of upcoming and on-demand webinars, visit the CPI Drive Forward Webinars page.



About Chatsworth Products At Chatsworth Products (CPI), it is our mission to address today's critical IT infrastructure needs with products and services that protect your ever-growing investment in information and communication technology. We act as your business partner and are uniquely prepared to respond to your specific requirements with global availability and rapid product customization that will give you a competitive advantage. At CPI, our passion works for you. With over two decades of engineering innovative IT physical layer solutions for the Fortune 500 and multinational corporations, CPI can respond to your business requirements with unequaled application expertise, customer service and technical support, as well as a global network of industry-leading distributors. Headquartered in the United States, CPI operates from multiple sites worldwide, including offices in Mexico, Canada, China, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. CPI's manufacturing facilities are located in the United States, Asia and Europe.

CPI is listed with the General Services Administration (GSA (News - Alert)) under Federal Supply Schedule IT 70. Products are also available through GSA Advantage and through Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), including GSA Connections and NITAAC-ECS III (www.chatsworth.com/gov). While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all information, CPI does not accept liability for any errors or omissions and reserves the right to change information and descriptions of listed services and products. 2018 Chatsworth Products, Inc. All rights reserved. Chatsworth Products, Clik-Nut, CPI, CPI Passive Cooling, eConnect, Evolution, GlobalFrame, MegaFrame, Motive, OnTrac, QuadraRack, RMR, Saf-T-Grip, Secure Array, SeismicFrame, SlimFrame, TeraFrame and Velocity are federally registered trademarks of Chatsworth Products. CUBE-iT, EuroFrame and Simply Efficient are trademarks of Chatsworth Products. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005403/en/

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[November 02, 2018] Experience High-Res Science in First 8K Footage from Space

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Fans of science in space now can experience fast-moving footage in even higher definition as NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) deliver the first 8K ultra high definition (UHD) video of astronauts living, working and conducting research from the International Space Station. The same engineers who sent high-definition (HD) cameras, 3D cameras, and a camera capable of recording 4K footage to the space station now have delivered a new camera capable of recording images with four times the resolution than previously offered. The Helium 8K camera by RED, a digital cinema company, is capable of shooting at resolutions ranging from conventional HDTV up to 8K, specifically 8192 x 4320 pixels. By comparison, the average HD consumer television displays up to 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution, and digital cinemas typically project in resolutions of 2K to 4K. "This new footage showcases the story of human spaceflight in more vivid detail than ever before," said Dylan Mathis, communications manager for the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The world of camera technology continues to progress, and seeing our planet in high fidelity is always welcome. We're excited to see what imagery comes down in the future." Viewers can watch as crew members advance DNA sequencing in space with the BEST investigation, study dynamic forces between sediment particles with BCAT-CS, learn about genetic differences in space-grown and Earth-grown plants with Plant Habitat-1, observe low-speed water jets to improve combustion processes within engines with Atomization; and explore station facilities such as the MELFI, the Plant Habitat, the Life Support Rack, the JEM Airlock and the Canadarm2.



While the 4K camera brought beautiful footage of fluid behavior in the space station's microgravity environment to the world, the new 8K video takes viewers through a variety of experiments and facilities aboard the orbiting outpost, which on Friday, Nov. 2 will celebrate the 18th anniversary of humans living continuously aboard and the 20th anniversary of the launch of the first two space station elements on Nov. 20 and Dec. 4, 1998, respectively. Delivered to the station in April aboard the 14th SpaceX cargo resupply mission through a Space Act Agreement between NASA and RED, this camera's ability to record twice the pixels and at resolutions four times higher than the 4K camera brings science in orbit into the homes, laboratories and classrooms of everyone on Earth.

"We're excited to embrace new technology that improves our ability to engage our audiences in space station research," said David Brady, assistant program scientist for the International Space Station Program Science Office at Johnson. "Each improvement in imagery fidelity brings that person on Earth closer to the in-space experience, allowing them to see what human spaceflight is doing to improve their life, as well as enable humanity to explore the universe." The RED camera is the same brand used to record theatrical releases such as The Hobbit trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, and television programs such as, Stranger Things, Maniac, and Lost in Space. Viewers can watch high-resolution footage from inside and outside the orbiting laboratory right on their computer screens. A screen capable of displaying 8K resolution is required for the full effect, but the imagery is shot at a higher fidelity and then down-converted, which results in higher-quality playback, even for viewers who do not have an 8K screen. Download the video in full resolution at: https://images.nasa.gov/details-First-8K-Video-from-Space.html In addition to the new 8K video, NASA astronauts Andrew Feustel and Ricky Arnold and Russian space agency Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev recently took new images of the world's unique orbital laboratory as they departed at the conclusion of their mission. The photos are available at: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmuLTSzb View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/experience-high-res-science-in-first-8k-footage-from-space-300743108.html SOURCE NASA

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[November 02, 2018] Hilliard Lyons Now Offers Clients Medicare Planning Through HPOne

Hilliard Lyons clients will need to make important Medicare decisions as they approach age 65. To meet this need, the wealth management firm has geared up to provide clients personal Medicare planning guidance in a new partnership with HPOne, recently rolled out across Hilliard Lyons' 12-state footprint. Clients have many questions about Medicare, including: Should I go with Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare with a supplement?

What type of supplement should I get?

What drug coverage do I need?

What exactly do Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D cover?

How often should I reevaluate my choices once made? Helping clients answer these questions and evaluate confusing Medicare options is now an ancillary service that Hilliard Lyons Wealth Advisors will be offering. "Our Wealth Advisors already offer financial planning to help clients achieve their financial goals," said Jaleigh White, a Hilliard Lyons EVP and Director of Wealth Services. "We also offer Social Security planning, insurance planning, an in-house investment banking division for owners of mid-sized businesses, a trust company with concierge-level service, and a wealth and family office for ultra-high-net-worth clients. With HPOne's guidance, helping clients make better Medicare choices will give clients confidence that their inancial plan is optimized."



HPOne is appointed with all major and many regional insurance companies in the Medicare space and can consult with Hilliard Lyons clients across its entire footprint. Not only can they provide advice on their Medicare options, they can also compare costs across multiple providers to find optimal solutions. Clients will have exclusive access to some of the most experienced health insurance agents working in HPOne's specialty brokerage group. A co-branded website also lets clients review plans and compare their costs. About Hilliard Lyons: The Wealth Advisors of Hilliard Lyons (hilliard.com) get to know clients deeply, understand their goals and ambitions, then build personal financial roadmaps that will allow them to reach their goals. Building on industry best practices and leveraging the acumen of Home Office staff, they guide clients through all the stages of their financial lives to help them achieve long-term peace of mind.

J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, LLC is a member of the New York Stock Exchange, FINRA, and SIPC. Founded in 1854, the firm currently has over 75 branches in 12 states. About HPOne: Founded in 2006, HPOne is a leading sales and marketing organization that operates across multiple segments of the Medicare and health insurance marketplaces. Using proprietary technology solutions coupled with deep industry knowledge, the company provides a range of outsourced sales, marketing, and contact center services for national and regional health plans and manages the largest exclusive Medicare lead generation marketplace in the industry. HPOne's core differentiation is its exclusive focus on the health insurance industry, bringing innovative and performance-based solutions that address the most pressing challenges facing clients. For more information, visit www.HPOne.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005418/en/

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DynCorp International Inc.'s Parent, Delta Tucker Holdings, Inc., Schedules Earnings Conference Call to Discuss Third Quarter 2018 Results

DynCorp International Inc.'s (DI) parent, Delta Tucker Holdings, Inc., will host a conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, to discuss results for the third quarter 2018. George Krivo, chief executive officer, and Bill Kansky, chief financial officer, will review financial results and business developments.

The call may be accessed by webcast or through a dial-in conference line.

To access the webcast and view the accompanying presentation, please go to http://www.dyn-intl.com, click on "Investor Relations" and view "Events & Presentations." Please goto the site approximately fifteen minutes prior to the start of the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software.







To participate by phone, dial (866) 871-0758 and enter the conference ID number: 2888329. International callers should dial (706) 634-5249 and enter the same conference ID number above.

A telephonic replay will be available from 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 13, 2018 through 11:59 p.m. on December 13, 2018. To access the replay, please dial (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406 and enter the conference ID number.

About DynCorp International Inc.

DynCorp International is a leading global services provider offering unique, tailored solutions for an ever-changing world. Built on over seven decades of experience as a trusted partner to commercial, government and military customers, DI provides sophisticated aviation, logistics, training, intelligence and operational solutions wherever we are needed. DynCorp International is headquartered in McLean, Va. For more information, visit www.dyn-intl.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005443/en/
[November 02, 2018] PAR Technology Corporation Releases Conference Call and Webcast Information for Fiscal 2018 Third Quarter Financial Results

PAR Technology Corporation (NYSE: PAR) today announced that it will hold a conference call on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time to review results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018. The financial results will be issued in a press release prior to the call. PAR Technology President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Donald Foley, Chief Financial Officer Bryan Menar, Chief of Staff Karen Sammon and VP for Business & Financial Relations, Christopher Byrnes will provide a business and financial update from the recently concluded third quarter. To access the call, please dial 844-419-5412, approximately 10 minutes in advance. No passcode is required to join the live call. Individual & Institutional Investors will have the opportunity to listen to the conference call/event over the internet by visiting PAR's website at www.partech.com. Alternatively, listeners may access an archived version of the call after 7:30 p.m. on November 7 through November 14, 2018 by dialing 855-859-2056 and using conference ID 3593778.



Please call Tiffani Temple at 315-738-0600 x 6325 with any questions. ABOUT PAR TECHNOLOGY

PAR Technology Corporation's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PAR. PAR's Restaurant/Retail segment has been a leading provider of restaurant and retail technology for more than 35 years. PAR offers technology solutions for the full spectrum of restaurant operations, from large chain and independent table service restaurants to international quick service chains. Products from PAR also can be found in retailers, cinemas, cruise lines, stadiums and food service companies. PAR's Government segment is a leader in providing computer-based system design, engineering and technical services to the Department of Defense and various federal agencies. For more information visit http://www.partech.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005458/en/

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[November 02, 2018] Global Online Language Learning Market 2019-2023 | AI in Language Learning to Boost Demand | Technavio

Technavio analysts forecast the global online language learning market to grow at a CAGR of close to 18% during the forecast period, according to their latest market research report. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005463/en/ Technavio analysts forecast the global online language learning market to grow at a CAGR of close to 18% by 2023. (Graphic: Business Wire) The artificial intelligence (AI) in language learning is one of the major trends being witnessed in the global online language learning market 2019-2023. It has been found that the adoption of AI in language learning comparatively reduces the time taken in learning a language when compared with traditional methods of language learning. For instance, Duolingo offers AI-powered chatbots for support in language learning. The company has three bots (virtual) characters to make the language learning experience more interactive. The curriculum of online language learning platforms is highly relevant and customized as per the learners' needs. For instance, the learning content is tailor-made for business learners, students, and travelers. This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing



According to Technavio analysts, one of the key factors contributing to the growth of the global online language learning market is the cost benefits and flexibility of online language learning: Global online language learning market: Cost benefits and flexibility of online language learning

Online language learning programs cost less when compared with offline ones. Costs associated with the classroom space, equipment, and other physical amenities do not apply to online language learning programs. According to a senior analyst at Technavio for research on education technology, "The minimum requirements of an online language learning program are the necessary software and hardware to register and complete the course assignments. Moreover, with the rapid digital penetration globally, online language learning apps and software are easily accessible." Global online language learning market: Segmentation analysis The global online language learning market research report provides market segmentation by product (courses, solutions, and apps), by language (English, Mandarin, Spanish, and others), and by region (the Americas, EMEA, and APAC). It provides an in-depth analysis of the prominent factors influencing the market, including drivers, opportunities, trends, and industry-specific challenges. Of the three major languages, English, Mandarin, and Spanish, the English language segment held the largest market share in 2018, contributing to 40% of the market. This language segment is expected to continue to dominate the global market throughout the forecast period. The APAC region held the largest share of the market in 2018, accounting for more than 39% share, followed by EMEA and the Americas respectively. The region is expected to continue to dominate the market during the forecast period. Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Some of the key topics covered in the report include: Market Landscape Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis Market Sizing Market definition

Market size and forecast Five Forces Analysis Market Segmentation Geographical Segmentation Regional comparison

Key leading countries Market Drivers Market Challenges Market Trends Vendor Landscape Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Competitive scenario About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005463/en/

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[November 02, 2018] Blockchains, LLC Launches At Prague Blockchain Week

PRAGUE, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeffrey Berns, CEO of Blockchains, LLC and company president David Berns hosted the company's global launch event during Prague Blockchain Week, revealing the long-awaited details of his plans for more than 67,000 acres of land in northern Nevada in what is now called Innovation Park. More than 1,000 developers in Prague for DevCon4 attended the Blockchains launch event on November 1 at Forum Karlin to learn about the company and Jeffrey Berns' plans for the future. "Blockchains will empower humanity by creating an environment where anyone, from anywhere, can collaborate together, establish the rules of that collaboration, and even exchange value, all enforced and executed by the public blockchain," said Jeffrey Berns. Berns unveiled several details of Innovation Park, including plans for the world's first smart city, where every aspect of daily life will be addressed using public blockchain to improve the way we interact with technology and infrastructure. He also announced the company will break ground on a Blockchains Campus, where developers from around the world will collaborate and create the advancements necessary to bring these concepts to life. He noted one of the key differentiators for this effort is the creation of a Distributed Collaborative Entity (DCE) rather than a typical company. He explained that the DCE, which has assets worth well over $300 million and zero debt, will ultimately be distributed among relevant stakeholder groups who will have ownership and control of Blockchains./p>



Berns unveiled a host of other components of the company and his plans, including:

Digital Identity. In 2015, Berns began developing NetID as an identity platform using vein-based biometric authentication to securely bind a user and their data to a unique digital identity. The application hashes and encrypts the individual's vein pattern, and other personal identifying information, and then places it on the public Ethereum blockchain so that the NetID user will be able to prove their identity to anyone as long as there is internet access. Control of, and access to, the user's information will be solely with the individual.

In 2015, Berns began developing NetID as an identity platform using vein-based biometric authentication to securely bind a user and their data to a unique digital identity. The application hashes and encrypts the individual's vein pattern, and other personal identifying information, and then places it on the public Ethereum blockchain so that the NetID user will be able to prove their identity to anyone as long as there is internet access. Control of, and access to, the user's information will be solely with the individual. The Modern-Day Fortress. Berns believes that eventually all assets will be digitized, and protection of that data will be essential. Blockchains has designed a digital asset storage solution which uses a multisig application along with decentralized physical storage. The custody contract is a series of formidable executable distributed code contracts (often referred to as smart contracts) that allow for the safe cold storage of digital assets, in a way that still allows for access to those assets when necessary. For the physical storage, they acquired two decommissioned military communications bunkers in different parts of the United States that were built by the U.S. government in the 1960s. For digital asset storage outside the U.S., they have also acquired the equivalent of a modern-day fortress that exists in a granite mountain in Switzerland , and one in Sweden . Once developed to specifications, these fortresses in three stable countries will offer unmatched digital asset storage protection.

Berns believes that eventually all assets will be digitized, and protection of that data will be essential. Blockchains has designed a digital asset storage solution which uses a multisig application along with decentralized physical storage. The custody contract is a series of formidable executable distributed code contracts (often referred to as smart contracts) that allow for the safe cold storage of digital assets, in a way that still allows for access to those assets when necessary. For the physical storage, they acquired two decommissioned military communications bunkers in different parts of that were built by the U.S. government in the 1960s. For digital asset storage outside the U.S., they have also acquired the equivalent of a modern-day fortress that exists in a granite mountain in , and one in . Once developed to specifications, these fortresses in three stable countries will offer unmatched digital asset storage protection. A Smart City. The Blockchains land in Innovation Park will be a smart city with a decentralized blockchain infrastructure underlying all interaction. The planned city will encompass, among other projects, a highly-secured, high-tech park that joins blockchain technology with artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing and nanotechnology; residential units that will provide a new living environment to thousands; and various concepts that showcase how business development, residential living and commerce can flourish alongside world-changing technologies. At the event, Jeffrey Berns showed a visual effects display of the smart city to those in attendance. For a link to a video of Jeffrey Berns' keynote speech, click here About Blockchains, LLC

Blockchains, LLC was founded by individuals who believe blockchain, in conjunction with other emerging technologies, will change all aspects of our daily lives for the better. The company maintains its headquarters in Innovation Park in northern Nevada, where it owns more than 67,000 acres that it plans to devote to the incubation of innovative ideas that simplify every aspect of our daily lives. By empowering the individual and restoring trust in all transactions, and fostering cutting-edge technologies, Blockchains LLC's goal is to help facilitate the technological revolution that will improve everyday life for the next generation. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blockchains-llc-launches-at-prague-blockchain-week-300743185.html SOURCE Blockchains, LLC

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[November 02, 2018] Vancouver School District and City of Vancouver Launch FuturePLAY, a STEAM Program with BroadbandTV

Today, the Vancouver School District and City of Vancouver announce in collaboration with BroadbandTV (BBTV) the launch of FuturePLAY - a sustainable and scalable educational program aimed at fostering digital and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Design, and Mathematics) literacy in grades four to seven students. Beginning in vulnerable communities in Vancouver, FuturePLAY will be rooted in two key goals: creating engaging and well-equipped learning spaces for students, and providing deep professional development for teachers to support them as they use these spaces. FuturePLAY will also directly support British Columbia's redesigned curriculum, with guiding principles that include personalizing learning, enhancing core competencies, mastering foundational skills (reading, writing and numeracy) and engaging in real-life situations. Through the development of 21st century competencies such as critical thinking, creative thinking as well as collaboration, FuturePLAY will also help prepare students for secondary and post-secondary programs and the future workforce. For students, the program provides technology such as Chromebooks and iPads pre-loaded with educational software for coding, design, CAD and other technical disciplines, while also creating resource spaces with modular environments that enable an array of collaborative methodologies and lend to different learning styles. For teachers, FuturePLAY offers deep professional development programs in collaboration with Science World to leverage the spaces effectively, as well as information about careers and skills needed n fast evolving STEAM industries including engineering and technology.



"Digital fluency will be essential to all new jobs. An understanding of technology will be essential for youth to integrate with critical thinking, social perceptiveness, and complex problem solving to remain competitive and resilient in a multi-job career pathway," comments Suzanne Hoffman (News - Alert), Superintendent, Vancouver School District. "It's our role as educators to equip learners with the right tools and to foster their curiosity so they can be successful in a fast-changing industry landscape." A unique partnership between the Vancouver School District, City of Vancouver and local industry, the program leverages joint funding from both the public and private sectors. It will also meet the increasing need in Vancouver for fostering homegrown talent alongside its burgeoning profile as a global hub for the STEAM industry. Public sector funding will be provided by the City of Vancouver and private funding will be led and sourced by BBTV's CEO from Vancouver's thought leaders, innovators, and top companies supporting STEAM, including Gold donor, TELUS (News - Alert) Friendly Future Foundation; and Silver donors, Impactreneur Capital, Garibaldi Capital Advisors, and Westbank. BBTV is a Platinum donor. The Province of British Columbia supports the endeavour.

"Vancouver is now a global powerhouse for tech startups and leading innovative enterprises and we need to ensure all kids have the educational support to pursue career opportunities in our local economy," comments Mayor Gregor Robertson. "I'm so thankful to see this creative partnership of our Vancouver schools with leaders of Vancouver's innovation community - it will benefit local kids and our city well into the future." "FuturePLAY is a game-changer for elementary STEAM education, offering a multitude of potential benefits for students" comments Shahrzad Rafati, Founder & CEO, BroadbandTV. "It has the potential to dramatically scale digital and STEAM literacy, beginning in the areas of Vancouver that need it the most, while also expanding the pipeline of entrepreneurial graduates interested in pursuing jobs in B.C.'s growing innovation ecosystem. I'm particularly excited about how the program can increase the number of girls and indigenous youth who remain engaged in science and technology, and ultimately choose to pursue STEAM careers." "We are making sure B.C.'s students receive an education that provides them with the tools they need to thrive and contribute to a prosperous 21st century economy," said Minister of Education Rob Fleming. "FuturePLAY fits perfectly with B.C.'s new curriculum and is a great example of partners coming together to ensure students have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed now and into the future." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005526/en/

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[November 02, 2018] Vincent Chornet, Enerkem's Cofounder, President and CEO, Named 2018 EY Quebec Entrepreneur Of The Year in the Cleantech Category

MONTREAL, Nov. 2, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Enerkem Inc., a world-leading waste-to-biofuels and chemicals producer, announced today that Cofounder, President and CEO, Vincent Chornet received the 2018 EY Quebec Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the Cleantech category at the regional awards gala held last night in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program recognizes Quebec's most creative and high-achieving entrepreneurs. A panel of independent judges selected the Quebec 36 finlists and 10 winners highlighting individuals that are forging new paths to business success through vision, leadership and enduring entrepreneurial spirit.



"It is an honor to receive this award amongst so many talented entrepreneurs", shared Vincent Chornet, President and CEO of Enerkem, following the announcement of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. "I must thank our highly talented and dedicated management team and employees who have supported me and this organisation since the beginning, and who continue to contribute to our success across the world in providing innovative, sustainable waste-to-biofuel solutions." For 25 years, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program has recognized the achievements of Canada's entrepreneurial trailblazers  recognizing more than 3,800 finalists and presenting more than 1,000 awards to inspiring Canadian entrepreneurs.

About Enerkem Enerkem produces advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals from waste. Its disruptive proprietary technology converts non-recyclable, non-compostable municipal solid waste into methanol, ethanol and other widely-used chemicals. Headquartered in Montreal (QC), Canada, Enerkem operates a full-scale commercial facility in Alberta as well as an innovation centre in Quebec. Enerkem's facilities are built as prefabricated systems based on the company's modular manufacturing infrastructure that can be deployed globally. Enerkem's technology is a prime example of how a true circular economy can be achieved by diversifying the energy mix and by making everyday products greener while offering a smart, sustainable alternative to landfilling and incineration. www.enerkem.com SOURCE Enerkem Inc.

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[November 02, 2018]

Course Hero Signature Lecture Series to Feature Texas A&M's Dr. Rodney Hill

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Course Hero, an online learning platform where members can access over 20 million course-specific study resources contributed by a community of students and educators, today announced that renowned architect and futurist Presidential Professor Rodney Hill will participate in the Course Hero Signature Lecture Series on Monday, November 5.

"One of our core company values is to always be learning," said Course Hero's cofounder and CEO Andrew Grauer. "Hearing first hand from our Course Hero community members truly is an incredible experience for our team. Not only do we get to learn from the leaders in their respective fields but we also have the opportunity to meaningfully engage in discussions on how, together, we can support students through the Course Hero platform."

Esteemed educators from colleges and universities across the country are invited onto the Course Hero campus to perform their "signature lecture" for team members. Presenters range from university administrators to award-winning instructors and represent a range of disciplines.

Dr. Hill will share the first of a two-part lecture on creativity for his Design Process Class. The lecture introduces the audience to the concept of Flow and how it is used to achieve optimum behavior across multiple disciplines. The lecture covers basic concepts and illustrates how scientists and artists have utilized the creative process throughout the ages.

Dr. Hill holds the Harold Adams Professorship in Interdisciplinary Studies at Texas A&M, is on the board of the Institute for Applied Creativity, and is a Research Fellow for the Center for Housing and Urban Design and the CRS Center and a Faculty Fellow for the Center for Health Systems and Design. He holds a joint appointment with the Department of Humanities & Medicine at the Health Science Center and teaches short courses on the future of medical technology.

Professor Hill received the 2014 United States Presidential Call to Service Award from the White House and was granted the 2010 Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence Award at Texas A&M University. He has been recognized by DesgnIntelligence as one of the 25 most admired design professors in the United States and was granted the Piper Professor for Teaching Excellence Award from the State of Texas, an honor bestowed on the top eight professors in the state.







"Course Hero's vision is for every student to graduate confident and prepared," continued Grauer. "We are excited to partner with educators to enable the best possible outcomes, for students and instructors alike."

In addition to providing a platform that allows educators from all over the world to share resources with each other, Course Hero actively partners with educators in a variety of ways, including on-site lectures at Course Hero headquarters, video course creation, and interviews that celebrate educators' best lessons in the Course Hero Faculty Club.

Course Hero's newest Educator Partners include: Anita Huizar-Hernandez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at University of Arizona; Courtney Pierre Joseph, PhD, Assistant Professor of History at Lake Forest College; Joseph Andriano, JD, Assistant Professor of La at the David D. Reh School of Business, Clarkson University; and Samir Tartir, PhD, Head and Assistant Professor, Department of Web Engineering and Department of Management Information Systems, Philadelphia University (Jordan).

Educators who are interested in learning more about Course Hero's Partnership Program are invited to contact [email protected]. Additionally, tenure-track and nontenure-track educators who are interested in active learning and pedagogical innovation in higher ed are encouraged to apply for the Course Hero  Woodrow Wilson Excellence in Education Fellowship, a $20,000$30,000 grant. Applications are due Friday, November 9, 2018, at 5 p.m. EST.

About Course Hero

Course Hero is an online learning platform where members can access over 20 million course-specific study resources contributed by a community of students and educators. The platform includes Practice Problems, study guides, videos, class notes, and step-by-step explanations to help with every college classfrom economics to literature, biology to history, accounting to psychology, and everything in between. Course Hero has been recognized as one of the 2017 Technology Fast 500 by Deloitte and named a 2018 Best Place to Work in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times and Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Connect with Course Hero at www.coursehero.com or on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.

For more information, contact:

Grayling PR for Course Hero

[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/course-hero-signature-lecture-series-to-feature-texas-ams-dr-rodney-hill-300743278.html

SOURCE Course Hero
[November 02, 2018] Policy Certainty a key focus at SA Tomorrow Investor Conference

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange took part in the annual SA Tomorrow Investor Conference ("SA Tomorrow") that kicked off on Thursday, 01 November in New York. Along with a South African delegation that included the newly appointed Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni, South African Reserve Bank Governor, Lesetja Kganyago, cabinet ministers and members of the business community, the conference set out to boost investor confidence in the region. Now in its sixth year, "SA Tomorrow" is an investor roadshow aimed at attracting new investment opportunities to the country and creating a platform to discuss solutions to South Africa's current challenges. Following closely on the minister of finance's recent Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), the conference focused primarily on the creation of an environment supportive of inclusive growth as South Africa battles a shrinking economy. Pressing policy and regulation issues also featured prominently with the concerns around the 3rd iteration of the Mining Charter, expropriatin of land without compensation and the restructuring of state owned enterprises.



"We welcome President Cyril Ramaphosa's recently announced economic stimulus package. While we acknowledge that this is an important stepping stone to revive Africa's most industrialised economy, we believe that implementation is what will unlock the country's full potential. Naturally this needs to be coupled with a legislative and regulatory environment that is more business and investor friendly, something the current political leadership is keenly aware of," says JSE chairman, Nonkululeko Nyembezi. The various plenary sessions and speeches echoed sentiments delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent trip to the United States and the local investor summit held last week.

ABOUT THE JSE The Johannesburg Stock Exchange is based in South Africa where it has operated as a market place for the trading of financial products for 130 years. It connects buyers and sellers in equity, derivative and debt markets. The JSE is one of the top 20 exchanges in the world in terms of market capitalisation and is a member of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) and holds the chairmanship of the Association of Futures Markets (AFM). The JSE offers a fully electronic, efficient, secure market with world class regulation, trading and clearing systems, settlement assurance and risk management. www.jse.co.za View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005412/en/

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Homeless Veterans Shelter to Receive $10K Grant from First Security Bank and FHLB Dallas

First Security Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) will award $10,000 in Partnership Grant Program (PGP (News - Alert)) funds to Bob Davis Male Veterans Shelter to help the organization cover operating expenses.

Local dignitaries will join bank representatives in awarding the funds at a check presentation at noon Friday, November 9, 2018, at First Security Bank's offices at 949 Hwy 62 NE in Mountain Home, Arkansas. The media is encouraged to attend.

The mission of Bob Davis Male Veterans Shelter is to provide homeless veterans with food, shelter, clothing and social services needed to reintegrate into society. Services provided by the shelter include job training, education, counseling and job placement.

The structure of the PGP allows FHLB Dallas member institutions like First Security Bank to make a contribution of $500 to $4,000 to a community-based organization (CBO), which FHLB Dallas will match at a 3:1 ratio.

For more information about the PGP, visit fhlb.com/pgp.







WHAT: Check Presentation WHEN: 12:00 p.m., Friday, November 9, 2018 WHO: Tim Coleman, President, First Security Bank Cindy Arnold, Branch Manager, First Security Bank Joanna Farris, Secretary and Treasurer, Bob Davis Male Veterans Shelter Melanie Dill, Community and Economic Development Product Manager, FHLB Dallas WHERE: First Security Bank 949 Hwy 62 NE Mountain Home, Arkansas 72653

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005580/en/
Gigabytes GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G offers great performance at 2560x1440 on high-refresh displays, the luxury of a semi-passive fan mode, and a quiet cooling solution. Now that it costs less than Nvidias sturdily-built Founders Edition model, we're willing to consider it a viable alternative for enthusiasts looking to save some money.

Gigabytes GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G offers great performance at 2560x1440 on high-refresh displays, the luxury of a semi-passive fan mode, and a quiet cooling solution. Now that it costs less than Nvidias sturdily-built Founders Edition model, we're willing to consider it a viable alternative for enthusiasts looking to save some money.

Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G Review

Update, 11/23/18: Due to depleted inventory of GeForce GTX 1080 Ti cards and falling prices on third-party Turing-based models, we are revisiting our impressions of Gigabyte's GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G and updating value comparisons throughout the review.

Just weeks after the launch of Nvidias GeForce RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti cards, previous-gen 1080 Ti boards based on the Pascal architecture have almost completely disappeared.

Perhaps thats alright, though. The least-expensive GeForce RTX 2080 now sells for $750 (585 in the UK), which is still higher than the price Nvidia told us to expect when its Turing-based line-up debuted in the U.S., but substantially less expensive in the UK. And the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G were reviewing today even includes a copy of Battlefield V. Clearly, Nvidias board partners are trying harder to drum up interest in GeForce RTX 2070 and 2080 (the 2080 Ti remains woefully overpriced).

When we originally published our review of the GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G, it was priced around $830 (750 in the UK). In the weeks that followed, however, it fell to $750 (585 in the UK). Those prices are far more attractive compared to Nvidia's own Founders Edition design. After all, Gigabyte offers a highly-capable Windforce 3X thermal solution, a semi-passive fan mode for absolute silence at idle, configurable lighting, and a four-year warranty.

Meet The GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G

Despite the GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8Gs commanding size, its not that heavy of a graphics card. Nvidias Founders Edition weighs 2.8 pounds (1.3 kg). The Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 2080 AMP dips in at 2.5 pounds (1.2 kg). Meanwhile, our scale claims the Gigabyte card weighs just 2.12 pounds (0.98 kg). Less heft usually means a lighter heat sink cooling the GPU. But good fans can help counter a lack of mass.

The GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G measures 11.3 x 4.4 x 2 inches (28.7 x 11.3 x 5 cm), meaning it occupies three expansion slots worth of space on your motherboard (along with a bit of room above/behind the card due to its backplate). For some enthusiasts, this isnt an issue. The extra width is used for a taller heat sink, which improves cooling. Gamers with smaller cases or multiple GPUs will have a harder time accommodating such a configuration though, especially when it exhausts waste heat out the cards top and down toward the motherboard through vertically-oriented fins.

Gigabyte uses plastic gratuitously across its shroud, which houses three 82mm fans. These fans blow down through an array of aluminum fins split into three sections. The section closest to the display outputs sits up over the PCB. It doesnt make contact with any on-board components, but rather helps dissipate thermal energy from four heat pipes touching the TU104 processor. The middle section rests on top of Nvidias GPU. Six pipes cross through it. Below the fins and heat pipes, a plate mounts to the PCB. Thermal pads between it and the GDDR6 modules help cool Microns memory. The third section is the largest, extending from the power circuitry out over the PCBs back edge by almost a centimeter. It also has four pipes passing through, along with a shaped metal plate underneath drawing heat from the VRMs through pads.

The trio of fans, the six copper heat pipes, and the direct-touch sink combine to form what Gigabyte calls its Windforce 3X cooling system. As part of this system, the outside fans spin counter-clockwise, while the middle fan rotates clockwise. Turbulence is purportedly kept to a minimum, generating less competing airflow from adjacent fans. Then, at idle, the fans stop spinning altogether through a feature that Gigabyte calls 3D Active Fan. Enthusiasts who prefer to maintain lower idle temperatures can disable 3D Active Fan through Gigabytes Aorus Engine software. Frankly, the fans make so little noise at idle that wed prefer to keep them spinning (even though the semi-passive mode is one of this cards competitive advantages).

The Nvidia and Zotac cards we already reviewed are big and heavy, justifying base plates that help keep both cards rigid. Gigabytes doesnt weigh as much, so it doesnt run quite the same risk of flexing in a mobile LAN box. However, the GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8Gs thermal solution moves a lot more relative to its PCB when you press on one side of the fan shroud or the other.

Gigabyte does add a metal plate to the back of its Gaming OC card. Seven screws keep it pinned up against the PCB, with thick chunks of thermal pad behind the GDDR6 memory and power circuitry helping circumvent hot-spots.

Up top, Gigabytes GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G hosts a single NVLink connection covered by a think piece of plastic, a company logo in the middle, and GeForce RTX branding on the other end. Downloadable RGB Fusion software allows you to control the color and effect of LED back-lighting the Gigabyte logo, similar to what we saw on Zotacs Gaming GeForce RTX 2080 AMP. Eight- and six-pin power connectors are rotated 180 degrees to avoid conflict with the form-fitted heat sink, and special white LEDs mounted to the PCB light up to tell you if something is wrong with the auxiliary power. We only saw these illuminate at boot.

Display outputs on Gigabytes card match the GeForce RTX 2080 Founders Edition: you get three full-sized DisplayPort 1.4 connectors, one HDMI 2.0 port, and VirtualLink support via USB Type-C. A fairly free-flowing grille isnt functionally significant, unfortunately, since the coolers fins move air perpendicular to the bracket.

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti FE Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G GeForce RTX 2080 FE GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FE Architecture (GPU) Turing (TU102) Turing (TU104) Turing (TU104) Pascal (GP102) CUDA Cores 4352 2944 2944 3584 Peak FP32 Compute 14.2 TFLOPS 10.7 GFLOPS 10.6 TFLOPS 11.3 TFLOPS Tensor Cores 544 368 368 N/A RT Cores 68 46 46 N/A Texture Units 272 184 184 224 Base Clock Rate 1350 MHz 1515 MHz 1515 MHz 1480 MHz GPU Boost Rate 1635 MHz 1815 MHz 1800 MHz 1582 MHz Memory Capacity 11GB GDDR6 8GB GDDR6 8GB GDDR6 11GB GDDR5X Memory Bus 352-bit 256-bit 256-bit 352-bit Memory Bandwidth 616 GB/s 448 GB/s 448 GB/s 484 GB/s ROPs 88 64 64 88 L2 Cache 5.5MB 4MB 4MB 2.75MB TDP 260W 225W 225W 250W Transistor Count 18.6 billion 13.6 billion 13.6 billion 12 billion Die Size 754 mm 545 mm 545 mm 471 mm SLI Support Yes (x8 NVLink, x2) Yes (x8 NVLink) Yes (x8 NVLink) Yes (MIO)

What lives under the GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8Gs hood is already well-known. We dug deep into the TU104 graphics processor and its underlying architecture in Nvidias Turing Architecture Explored: Inside the GeForce RTX 2080. Gigabyte takes the same graphics processor with 2,944 of its CUDA cores enabled and bumps the typical GPU Boost rating up slightly to 1,815 MHz in Gaming mode and 1,830 MHz in OC mode (versus the Founders Edition cards 1800 MHz). Eight gigabytes of GDDR6 memory move data at 14 Gb/s, matching Nvidias reference design. As you might expect, then, performance comparisons between the two models fall within a single-digit percentage variance.

How We Tested Gigabytes GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G

While many users will attach Gigabytes card to a system with the latest Intel or AMD processor, our graphics station still employs an MSI Z170 Gaming M7 motherboard with an Intel Core i7-7700K CPU at 4.2 GHz. The processor is complemented by G.Skills F4-3000C15Q-16GRR memory kit. Crucials MX200 SSD remains, joined by a 1.4TB Intel DC P3700 loaded down with games.

As far as competition goes, we can assume that GeForce RTX 2080 and all of the partner boards based on the same design are bested by GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and Titan V, both of which we have in our test pool. We also compare GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, Titan X, GeForce GTX 1080, GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, and GeForce GTX 1070 from Nvidia. AMD is represented by the Radeon RX Vega 64 and 56.

Our benchmark selection now includes Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation, Battlefield 1, Civilization VI, Destiny 2, Doom, Far Cry 5,Forza Motorsport 7, Grand Theft Auto V, Metro: Last Light Redux, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Tom Clancys The Division, Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Wildlands, The Witcher 3 and World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.

The testing methodology we're using comes from PresentMon: Performance In DirectX, OpenGL, And Vulkan. In short, these games are evaluated using a combination of OCAT and our own in-house GUI for PresentMon, with logging via AIDA64.

All of the numbers you see in todays piece are fresh, using updated drivers. For Nvidia, were using build 411.51 for GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and 2080. Zotacs Gaming GeForce RTX 2080 AMP is tested on 411.70, while Gigabytes GeForce RTX 2080 Gaming OC 8G employs 416.34. The other cards were tested with build 398.82. Titan Vs results were spot-checked with 411.51 to ensure performance didnt change. AMDs cards utilize Crimson Adrenalin Edition 18.8.1, which was the latest at test time.

Interestingly, there is a bug in The Witcher 3 that was introduced a couple of builds ago. It causes flickering through our benchmark scene, where the background appears to go white and come back. This issue doesnt seem to affect performance, but its certainly distracting. Nvidia released a hotfix driver on October 28 to address it.

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MORE: All Graphics Content
More Deets On Morning Gunfire

KCPD officer fires gun while trying to arrest suspect with multiple warrants A Kansas City, Missouri, police officer fired his gun while pursuing a suspect Thursday night.

Phony Alarmist Now Felon

Lawrence man pleads no contest after 122 crank calls to a sheriff's dispatch A Lawrence man pleaded no contest Wednesday in Leavenworth County, Kansas, to three felony counts of making a false alarm. Justin A. Roehrich, 38, allegedly called Leavenworth County...

Golden Ghetto Capture

Captured: Police say violent sex offender who escaped custody is behind bars in Miami County OSAWOTOMIE, Kan. -- The violent sex offender who escape custody during a work release program in Johnson County is now back behind bars. Police arrested 38-year-old Jason Hale in Osawotomie Friday around 5 a.m. Hale now in custody in the Miami County Jail.

Latest KCMO Mystery

One year later, family fears Kansas City dad's murder may go cold KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- One year ago, John Jones told his wife he'd stop by a store before he drove home. "I talked to him around 4:35 p.m. I don't know where he was, but he just said he'd go by the store for me because I was making dinner," said Jones' wife, Kenyada Jones.

Jezzy Creezy Update

Metro mom shocked by sex abuse allegations against Shawnee Christian school founder SHAWNEE, Kan. -- There are new criminal charges for the former head of a Christian school in Shawnee. Dennis Creason now faces nine counts of indecent liberties with a child. The allegations stem from incidents at Oaklawn Christian School spanning from May 2009 through August 2018.

Tragic Baby Shake Murder Charge Two Decades Later

Man Dies 20 Years After Being Shaken, Thrown As A Baby And His Father's Being Charged With His Murder A man who was shaken as a baby died 20 years after the fact, and his biologigal father is being charged with his murder. Olin Shane Tannery, 39, had already served 13 years behind bars for shaking and throwing his infant son, Dominick J. Pittsenbarger, in 1998.

Bullying Costs KC Parents

They claim. . . Actually, it was reallyand that debate leads us to these local crime links . . . Take a look:Developing . . .
Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre is entering a new era - but are its leaders stuck in the past? Multiple actors and technicians describe uncomfortable working conditions at the Kansas City theater company.

Warning . . . This extensive write-up features the complaints of Kansas City thespians who are well-known for their histrionics . . . And so the behind the scenes spectacle might be entertaining but maybe not the greatest injustice confronting metro workers. You decide . . .
Trump continues campaign-season barrage on immigration at Missouri rally President Donald Trump hammered away on illegal immigrants and Democrats at a Missouri campaign rally for Senate candidate Josh Hawley

A packed house welcomes Prez Trump to Missouri and gleefully cheers his pronouncements against a bunch of sick migrants moving toward the U.S. and the Democratic Party incumbent. Take a look:








Kansas City Cash Out

Ending A River Market Era, Pioneering Kansas City Developer Dana Gibson Sells His Holdings Dana Gibson, who along with Mel Mallin began developing residential projects in the River Market in 1984, has sold his holdings, the final chapter in a

G-Men Give Kansas City Love Advice

FBI warns of online romance scams after KC victims lose millions Two men face federal charges related to wire fraud and money laundering

Forecast Today

First Alert: Partly sunny, high near 55 degrees Friday We'll see partly sunny skies with a high near 55 degrees. Rain is on the way for the weekend. Don't forget to fall back one hour Saturday night.

Comeback In Brookside

Plate reopening in Brookside after fire destroyed original location nearly 2 years ago Plate is coming back to east Brookside after owners Christian and Andrea Joseph watched fire destroy their restaurant almost two years ago.

Local Job Board Redux

5-year government grant will help KCSourceLink fill gaps, build inclusivity The payoff from a new five-year grant to KCSourceLink will most immediately be seen in a refreshed website with a more streamlined user experience.

Classic Kansas City Condo Decor

A Local Designer Revamps a Crown Center Condominium to Reflect His Eclectic Taste - In Kansas City ''It was all about the view," says designer E. Michael Sandridge of Alejandro Design Studio of his San Francisco Tower condominium. Sandridge had previously lived on the Country Club Plaza but was ready for a change and was seduced by the post-Brutalist architecture of the building. "The architecture is so raw and unpretentious.

Not So Scary Match-Up Ahead

Five things to watch as the Chiefs face the Browns Even though Halloween is behind us, there's lots of frightening stuff in the matchup between the Chiefs and the headless Browns team - and here are five scary things to watch

Pop culture news and enduring fashion help us catch up right now . . . Take a peek:Closer to home, here are some of the more interesting news links we're checking right now . . .is the song of the day and this is thefor right now.
Remarks by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat

I am pleased to be here today on the occasion of the official launching, by Ethiopia, of a visa-on-arrival and E-visa regime for all African citizens.

This is a truly historic moment. By taking this decision, Ethiopia is, once again, demonstrating its commitment to the ideals of our Union and the principles which inform pan-Africanism.

I commend Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Ethiopian Government for this landmark step. There is no doubt that the institution of a visa-on-arrival and E-visa arrangement for all African citizens will greatly enhance the status of Addis Ababa as the political capital of our continent. This measure will also boost tourism.

I remember that, when I first met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, he requested me to help increase the number of African visitors to Ethiopia. I challenged him, by responding that he should first ease the travel of all Africans to the country. He committed himself to do so and has, today, fulfilled his promise.

It is now my turn to pledge to redouble my efforts to promote Ethiopia not only as a destination for conferences, but also for leisure. I have no doubt that my task will not be that difficult given that Addis Ababa is one of the key air transport hubs on the continent, thanks to Ethiopian Airlines, a truly pan-African carrier, and that Ethiopias beautiful landscape and rich history are outstanding assets.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend all Member States that have already taken measures to ease the travel of African citizens on the continent. I urge those that have not yet done so to follow suit.

Free movement of African people in their own continent is a long-held dream for all Pan-Africanists.

One of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063 is the free movement of people in Africa. In January this year, in Addis Ababa, the Heads of States and Government of our Union adopted the pdf Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and the Right of Establishment (3.80 MB) , as well as its Implementation Roadmap.

To date, 32 Member States have signed the Protocol, while only one Member State  Rwanda  has ratified it. It is critical that all Member States become parties to this instrument, as soon as possible.

The Protocol on Free Movement is one of the pillars of the integration process of the continent, along with the pdf Agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area (4.67 MB) and the Single African Air Transport Market.

As we gather here, I dream of the day when all Africans can freely circulate in their own continent.

This will be the day when Pan-Africanism will assume its full meaning for our citizens.

This will be the day when Africans will no longer experience the indignities and impediments that, more often than not, mark their travels on the continent.

This will be the day when our forefathers  Haile Selassie, Kwame Nkrumah and many others  will rejoice in the progress made towards integration.

I know that the full implementation of free movement of people requires overcoming numerous challenges. But these cannot and should not stand in the way of our dream. What is required is renewed political will.

More than any other group in the world, Africans suffer from the scourge of xenophobia and racism. While we cannot ensure that these injustices will be eliminated anytime soon, it is within our power to make Africans feel at home everywhere on the continent.

I thank you all.
No matter what I'm cooking, I always seem to reach for the same pot.

My efforts to declutter my house have prompted some deep thinking about which household items add the most value to my life. Particularly in the kitchen, which has a tendency to build up clutter because so many tools have specialized functions, I've been paying closer attention to which items I use most often and which are most versatile.

One item stands out above all else  a Dutch oven made by Le Creuset. It seems that, every single day, no matter what I'm making, this is the pot I reach for. If you're familiar with the iconic French brand, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about  a round, red, 5.5-liter pot with a nice solid lid and black handle. (I also have an additional stainless handle that can replace the black one if I'm baking at high temperatures.)

My husband purchased the pot shortly after we got married, following a conversation with the staff at The Healthy Butcher in Toronto. At the time I thought it was a rather spontaneous and overly pricey purchase, considering how little money we had, but he was determined to build up our collection of kitchen tools, slowly but surely. It turns out he was right; it quickly became one of my all-time favorite things to use.

That Creuset pot is like the analog equivalent of an Instant Pot. It does everything. In fact, there's hardly anything it doesn't do. The thick, heavy bottom makes it good for heat-sensitive sauces like bechamel, vanilla pudding, custard for ice cream, and caramel. The cast iron heats up beautifully to sear vegetables, meats, and to caramelize onions. The enamel interior washes clean and does not retain strong flavors, so I don't hesitate to use it for spicy curries and dals and long-simmering bolognese sauce.

Thanks to a heavy lid that fits perfectly, there are countless dishes I can start on the stovetop and transfer to the oven, like braises, chili, stew, baked mushroom risotto, and beans. It's perfect for baking loaves of wet no-knead bread and other slow-rise fermented loaves, giving it a divinely crispy crust, like something straight out of an artisanal bakery.

When I have a heap of dripping greens to saute, I prefer the Creuset to a frying pan because I can dump everything in and it will fry up in no time, with less spitting oil and a shorter time to cook down. It's great for large batches of kale, collards, spinach, and rapini.

I've used that pot as a cake pan in a pinch, making a blueberry coffee cake, and it has worked well for loaves of cheesy cornbread. It even made an appearance once in the middle of an elegant afternoon tea table, acting as a punch bowl for lemonade.

Freedom II Andres -- Creuset pots in assorted colors/CC BY 2.0

Le Creuset appeals to me also because it represents a style of manufacturing that's largely being lost today. Still made by hand in France, every pot take ten hours to make and is handled by 15 people. In that context, it's easier to understand a price tag that's often in the mid-300s.

This is a tool that's built for constant use and an indefinite lifespan. Pastry chef and author David Lebovitz was a lucky visitor to a Le Creuset factory in France and described why he thinks this brand stays so relevant after almost a century in business, with virtually no change to its manufacturing process:

"Unlike a luxury watch or Hermes handbag, a Le Creuset pot, pan, or gratin dish is something that you can buy and use every day. If you buy a Made in France Le Creuset enameled cast iron pot or pan, youll be owning one that can be handed down for generations, just like they are in France."



To me, that's a beautiful concept, and one that's well worth the upfront investment. After nearly a decade of using this pot daily, I can say with confidence that it's hard to imagine life without it.
The island nation in the western Pacific wants to protect its coral reefs from toxic sunscreen runoff.

Palau is the first country to ban "reef-toxic" sunscreens. It passed a law this week banning sunscreens that contain any one of ten chemicals, including oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are the same chemicals targeted in Hawaii's chemical sunscreen ban earlier this year. (Full list of Palau's banned chemicals here.)

Palau, which is home to 500 islands and over 21,000 people in the Micronesia region of the Pacific Ocean, is drawing ever greater numbers of tourists, but with this has come environmental degradation. Palau's president, Tommy Remengesau, Jr., issued a statement, saying that citizens must not relinquish their responsibility for their islands:

"We must meet our duty, at every opportunity, to educate international visitors about how Palau has lasted in this uniquely untouched natural state for so long, and about how we can keep it this way."

Part of this education plan is to ban the sale of chemical sunscreens as of January 2020. Retailers must stop importing the products immediately, but have until that date to sell off remaining inventory. After that, anyone caught breaking the ban will face a fan of up to $1,000. (Interestingly, the new law also says that tour operators must provide reusable food containers, water bottles, and straws to all customers.)

Evidence is mounting for the damaging effects of sunscreen chemicals on sensitive coral reefs. I wrote at the time of Hawaii's ban:

"Oxybenzone and octinoxate leach nutrients from coral, bleach it white, and reduce its resiliency in the face of climate change. NPR writes that 'even a small drop is enough to damage delicate corals.' The chemicals are known endocrine disrupters, causing feminization of male fish, reproductive diseases, and embryonic deformation. Haereticus Environmental Laboratory says that oxybenzone is harmful to all mammals."



A spokesman for the president told NPR that "a big impetus for this legislation's passing was a 2017 report from the Coral Reef Research Foundation which found widespread sunscreen toxins in Jellyfish Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage site and highly popular tourist attraction."

An estimated 14,000 tons of sunscreen wash off swimmers' skin and end up in coral reefs every year, so it is a lifestyle habit that needs to be seriously rethought. Fortunately there are more and more non-chemical sunscreens available that use physical blocks, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, rather than chemical ones; so it's still possible to slather up without hurting the environment as much  that is, as long as the sunscreen doesn't come in plastic bottles!

Other research has shown that plastic waste is also devastating to coral reefs, as it blocks the flow of oxygen and light to the organism, pierces its surface, and acts as a vector for disease, which infects entire colonies. So if places like Palau and Hawaii are serious about protecting their coral reefs, they should also look at mandating plastic-free packaging for natural sunscreens, and yes, these do exist. Check out Raw Elements' metal tins, Avasol's cardboard tubes, and Butterbean Organics' metal tins and cardboard tubes!

Palau's decision is a sign of how a forward-looking government understands that environmental stewardship not only saves on cleanup costs, but also makes their nation a more desirable destination to live in and visit. Hopefully this is just the start of a global movement away from chemical sunscreens.
LAWRENCE  Authorities on Thursday raided a home on Mink Court in connection with a criminal investigation, possibly related to prostitution, in the township, The Trentonian has learned.

Officials were being tight-lipped about the early-morning raid saying only it was part of a larger ongoing joint investigation involving the Mercer County Prosecutors Office and the Lawrence Township Police department, along with others.

A Lawrence Police deferred comment on the operation to the MCPO. And a spokeswoman from the prosecutors office wouldnt immediately offer details on the raid saying more information would be released later in the week.

The Trentonian learned from sources that a search warrant was served on a home on Mink Court, near the township high school. It was unclear which home was targeted and if anyone has been arrested or charged as a result of the raid.

Police were still conducting interviews as of Thursday afternoon.
shriaya.dutta@tribuneindia.com

New Delhi, November 2

The global smartphone shipments hit 386.8 million units in the third quarter this year (ending on September 30)  declining 3 per cent annually  while Chinese players OPPO, Xiaomi and Vivo reached their highest ever shipments in a single quarter, a new report said on Friday.

Samsung continued to lead the smartphone market with 19 per cent market share. The South Korean giant recorded its highest smartphone shipments ever in India, said Counterpoint Research's "Market Monitor Service".

Chinese players continued their growth trajectory with strong performances in markets outside China.

"Despite the decline in its home market, Chinese brands OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi reached new highs in smartphone shipments in a quarter. Huawei was also able to maintain its over 50 million smartphone shipments and retain its second position (after Samsung) in 3Q 2018," said Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research.

"The brands will further expand outside China as they push into Asia Pacific countries and Europe," he added.

While Apple iPhone shipments remained flat annually, revenues for the devices grew 29 per cent with a record average selling price of $793.

The top 10 players now capture 78 per cent of the market, leaving more than 600 brands to compete for the remaining 21 per cent.

"This is the first time that the global smartphone market has declined for three consecutive quarters. It can be attributed to a weakening demand in developed markets like China, the US and Western Europe which account for almost half of smartphone sales globally," Pathak noted.

Although emerging markets like India showed double-digit growth, it was not enough to compensate for the volume decline in developed markets.

"The growth in the emerging markets is led by Chinese smartphone players that are venturing out of China to capture sales. The offerings have intensified competition and many features and capabilities common among flagship models are now progressively diffusing through to the lower price bands," said research analyst Shobhit Srivastava.  IANS
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, November 2

Telangana has registered the highest consumption of electricity in the country, recording a growth of 14 per cent, Central Electricity Authority (CEA) said on Friday.

This puts Telangana in the first position across the country for highest consumption of electricity, making the per capita consumption at 1,727 units.

According to chairman and managing director of Telangana Genco and Transco, D Prabhakar Rao, Telangana registered highest growth rate in two divisions stand first in the country.

By recording 13.62 per cent annual growth rate in power consumption, Telangana topped among the other states. This is 122.91 per cent more than a countrys average growth rate, the CMD said.

Uttar Pradesh stood second despite its mammoth size compared to Telangana with a growth rate of 11.92 per cent. Andhra Pradesh secured the third position in power consumption with an annual growth of 7.43 per cent.

Andhra Pradesh was the highest consumer of power before the bifurcation of the state in 2014, but the annual growth of power consumption in joint Andhra stood at a mere 6 per cent.

The Power Corporation chief said that in Telangana, the consumption of power stood at 53,017 million units (MU) in 2016-17, which has now gone up to 60,237 MU in 2017-18.

The increase in power consumption is directly related to the economic activity that includes Information Technology (IT), manufacturing and service industries. The increase in overall availability and negligible outages has also contributed to higher power consumption, Rao said.

Similarly, per capita consumption in 2016-17 was 1,551 units while it was increased to 1,727 units with about 12 per cent. At the same time, for the same period, the nationwide power consumption growth rate was just 2.4 per cent.

Telangana could achieve this due to 24 hour free power supply to agriculture and uninterrupted power supply to both domestic and industrial sectors. Power consumption has increased substantially in commercial and industrial sectors due to quality power supply without any power cuts, Prabhakar Rao said.
laxmi@tribune.com

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

The sale of traditional sweets have taken a back seat this festive season compared to chocolates, confectioneries, dry fruits and juices amid reports of massive food adulteration, particularly spurious milk and milk-products from across Punjab.

Shops selling sweets say the sale of traditional sweet items has been affected by 20-40% compared to last year due to adverse publicity. They are, however, able to retain their business by selling packaged confectionaries and dry fruits.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Punjab has been conducting raids in the state for the past one month and it has seized spurious milk products in large quantities. The FDA has also found unscrupulous dairy manufacturers using harmful chemicals for increasing their profit margins.

We have seized around 550 quintals of milk products, including sweets and desi ghee, in the state last month, says FDA Commissioner KS Pannu. In order to curb the rising instances of food adulteration in the state, we will increase our raids in the coming days, he says.

As a precautionary measure against the sale of substandard sweets in the ensuing festive season, the food safety teams have been put on high alert. They have been directed to maintain constant vigil on the bulk sale and purchase of milk and milk products, especially khoya, besides the routine inspections, says Pannu.

Amritsar based-Bansal Group proprietor Anoop Aggarwal says there should be quality certificate issued to the sweets manufacturers. Even those who are in the business of manufacturing sweets prefer chocolates, juices and dry fruits as they have longer shelf life. Spurious products have dented the business of traditional sweets, says Aggarwal, who is also the member of the Federation of Sweets and Namkeen Manufacturers (FSNM).

In a recent meeting of the FSNM, which was held in Mumbai, I had suggested that the federation should issue quality certificate to members to gain consumer confidence, says Aggarwal.

Earlier, sweets were preferred by all. The trend is declining due to health concerns and fears of adulteration, says a sweet shop-owner in Patiala.

The decline in sales has given a fillip to the demand of chocolates, juices, dry fruits and other gift items. If trends are anything to go by, there is a considerable rise in demand of around 30% for biscuits, juices, chocolates and bakery products this Diwali as consumers shift away from sweets amid fears of adulteration, says Mandeep Singh, a Ludhiana-based retailer.

Due to adulteration, consumers are shifting to healthy and low-fat packaged products, say Chandigarh-based retailers. According to them, the online retail orders have also jumped significantly due to this reason.

Changing trend
vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today minced no words to say that crores of rupees collected from taxpayers were spent and land taken from owners, yet facilities for international flights were lacking at the Chandigarh airport. The Bench also asked for the reasons behind grounding the Bangkok flight.

As the case came up for resumed hearing, the Bench of Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Palli asserted the project was of great significance for the people of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh. However, the people were compelled to spend time and money on travelling extra distances in the absence of facilities for international flights. The Bench, during the course of the hearing, made it clear that the issue was not just of the Bangkok flight, but convenience of the public.

Complying with the directions issued on the previous date of hearing, Air Indias executive director appeared before the Bench for clarifying the status of the Chandigarh-Bangkok flight. The Bench asserted all was well till June before the flight was suspended for Haj. When time came to resume the flight, it was stated that it was not financially viable.

The Bench then asked the executive director to submit a fresh affidavit explaining the reasons behind suspending the flight. Directions were also issued to furnish details of viable flights and schemes. The Bench also asked the officer to try to assist the court on the next date of hearing as well. The officer, in turn, gave details of the losses incurred.

The Bench also asked the airlines to put their heads together within two weeks for making the airport fully functional. The Bench, in fact, asked all stakeholders to come forward to ensure that the airport was fully functional for national and international flights by April 1 next. The Bench made it clear to the airport authorities that the meeting was required to be held under amicus curiae or the friend of the court ML Sarin before submitting a status report on the developments.
vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

Dr Swaran Jeet Singh Flora, Director of the Rae Bareli-based National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), has been given the additional charge of the Mohali-based NIPER. He has already joined the institute.

Dr Flora did his PhD in Biochemical Toxicology from the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow, and postgraduation from the University of Kanpur. His research interests include drug development, toxicity of chemicals, preventive measures against chemical toxicity and biological monitoring of human metal exposure.

He has over 250 research publications. He has one patent too. He was conferred the DRDO Scientist of the Year Award in 2014, Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in Medicine in 2012, Shakuntala Amir Chand Award of ICMR in 1994 for contribution to clinical therapeutic measures in lead toxicity, Brig KM Rao Award of Defence Research Development Establishment (DRDE) for the best papers in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009 and the DRDE Best Technology Award for development of an antidote to arsenic poisoning in 2009.

Suspension of Prof Rao

President Ramnath Kovind placed the services of the Mohali NIPER Director, Prof Raghuram Rao Akkinepally, under suspension on the grounds of gross insubordination unbecoming of a government servant and allegedly for non-compliance of orders issued by the Chairman and the Board of Directors of the institute.

The order of suspension of Professor Rao, issued by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Government of India, a copy of which is with The Tribune, stated that the officer not only allegedly indulged in gross insubordination, but also defied the orders issued with the approval of the Board of Governors and proceeded on a foreign visit without approval of the competent authority.

The reply to the show-cause notice has not been found acceptable and it has been noted that the working atmosphere at the institute has been badly affected due to the rebellious attitude of Professor Rao. There are various other acts of indiscipline/insubordination by Professor Rao. As such, disciplinary proceedings are to be initiated against Professor Rao for various acts of misdemeanour and pending these, he is to be placed under suspension, said the suspension order signed and issued by Rajneesh Tingal, Joint Secretary to the Government of India in the name of the President.

Mohali has been fixed as the headquarters of Professor Rao during the period of his suspension and he has been ordered not to leave the headquarters without obtaining permission from the competent authority.

Hails from Jalandhar

Dr Flora is from Jalandhar though he was brought up in Lucknow. My priority is to maintain NIPER, Mohali, as the top institute of the country. My focus will be on academics and sciences, said Dr Flora.

On the controversies surrounding the institute, he said he did not want to get into those issues and an appropriate decision would be taken by the ministry.
vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

The police have arrested four persons for thrashing and robbing an auto driver of Rs 2,800 and valuables at the Sector 44/45 light point on the intervening night of October 31 and November 1. According to the police, complainant Sandeep, a resident of Zirakpur, an auto-driver, reported that he dropped a passenger at Sector 44 after which he was driving towards the Sector 44/45 light point when four persons stopped his three-wheeler. The suspects pulled out the victim and thrashed him. The suspects then escaped from the spot.

The victim was admitted to the GMCH, Sector 32. The police have registered a case at the Sector 34 police station.

Later, the four suspects -- Pawan (22), a resident of Burail, Aakash (19) and Anil (33), both residents of Teen Colony, Sector 52, and Anil (18) -- were arrested by the police. Some valuables were recovered from them, the police said.
vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

Panic gripped the staff of Government High School, Maloya, when a mob of rioters, armed with sticks and bricks, attempted to hit teachers and sabotage school property here today.

According to a complaint submitted by school Principal Darshanjit Kaur to the police, some people violently entered the school premises at 2.30 pm and manhandled teachers. As the mob went on the rampage by breaking flowerpots and doors of classrooms, the teachers lurked in classrooms to protect themselves.

The Principal alleged that the family of the 13-year-old boy, who was apprehended on October 26 by the police under the POCSO Act, beat up the teachers. He had allegedly sexually abused a six-year-old girl in the school washroom.

Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case of rioting under Sections 147, 149, 452, 332, 353 and 427 of the IPC.

According to District Education Officer Anujit Kaur, a few parents in the mob initially accused a schoolteacher of showing a porn film to primary students. The mob went berserk and vandalised the school property thereafter.

The Principal first approached senior officials for help at 1.37 pm through a mail when one of the parents from the group objected to the film being shown to children and created a nuisance in the school by bringing people from the neighbourhood. Nearly an hour later, when a few more people thronged the school premises and starting assaulting the staff, police protection was sought by the Principal through another mail.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, DEO Anujit Kaur said, We had written to the SSP to provide security to the teachers. The family of the suspect, which was allegedly involved in the attack, also asked the school authorities the reasons for rusticating him and questioned whether there was any prejudice against a community that propelled the school to remove the suspect from the school. The teachers of the morning shift were so petrified after the incident that they remained locked till 4.45 pm.

She said, According to instructions from the MHRD, children should be made aware of good touch and bad touch. For this, an animated film called Komal was shown to the children to sensitise them to the issue.

The Principal said, Around 50 people entered the school and created disorder. A brick was thrown at a peon. However, she had a close shave. A pregnant teacher fainted.

Eyewitness account

Around 11.30 am, a few people reached the school and blamed a teacher for misbehaving with a girl, a cousin of the suspect. The Principal informed the police and the allegations against the teacher were probed by counsellors and the police. The group was sent back when nothing was found during the inquiry. After a few hours, the group returned with a large number of people with sticks and started attacking the staff. They started shouting, leave our child (suspect). Why are you doing this to our community? they kept asking.

Teachers feel threatened, seek security

Teachers of the school protested after the incident and demanded security. Officials of the District Education Office assured them that the security measures in the school would be tightened. The teachers demanded a three-day holiday in the wake of the incident and transfer of teachers who were attacked. The DEO has written to the SSP to provide security to the teachers in the school. The security of teachers is at stake. Students with a criminal mindset cannot be dealt with in class. The Education Department should take necessary steps to maintain the dignity of teachers. Incidents like these show that there is no respect for teachers among society, said Savinder Singh, president of the Joint Action Committee. DSE Rubinderjit Singh Brar did not respond despite repeated attempts.

Teacher accused of showing porn film

According to District Education Officer Anujit Kaur, a few parents in the mob initially accused a schoolteacher of showing a porn film to primary students. The mob went berserk and vandalised the school property thereafter. She added, According to instructions from the MHRD, children should be made aware of good touch and bad touch. For this, an animated film called Komal was shown to the children to sensitise them to the issue.
Behind '60 Minutes' Show on Bishop Malone

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the "60 Minutes" report on Bishop Richard J. Malone:

Buffalo Bishop Richard J. Malone didn't come across too well on the October 28 edition of "60 Minutes." But there is more to this story than what the CBS show aired. None of the parties to this story come to the table with their hands clean.



Bishop Malone has admitted making bad decisions, but he maintains that his overall record is defensible. The "60 Minutes" segment detailed some of those bad decisions. For example, giving Father Arthur Smith, a known homosexual predator, a clean slate, and then assigning him to the post of cruise ship chaplain was indefensible.





Some priests have come forward with complaints against Bishop Malone. Father Bob Zilliox contends there are eight or nine priests in the Buffalo diocese who should not be in the priesthood. If he is correct, then this would be a very serious situation, one in need of immediate redress.



The "60 Minutes" episode focused heavily on the claims made by Bishop Malone's former executive assistant, Siobhan O'Connor; she worked for him for three years. The 35-year-old quit her job on August 10, but not before anonymously turning over to WKBW-TV copies of files she obtained. The ABC-affiliate ran a three-part series on her and the church documents, and that, in turn, led CBS to interview O'Connor.





Did O'Connor ever appraise Bishop Malone of her concerns? Yes, she spoke to him in March. He said he was handling these matters. Did she do anything further, in the five months before she quit? She wrote an opinion column in the Buffalo News in May, stating her sympathy for the victims of abuse, but she never said a word about any wrongdoing by the bishop or anyone else in the diocese. "60 Minutes" did not ask her to explain herself.



O'Connor has moved quickly from the inquiring assistant to the courageous activist. According to CBS News, she wants a "cleansing" of the Church, saying that "full financial bankruptcy" is preferable to what she witnessed. That is quite a statement given her limited experience working with priests and bishops. Interestingly, on November 13, when the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops assemble in Baltimore for their fall meeting, she will be speaking at a rally organized by anti-Church zealots.





It appears O'Connor is fast learning the ropes of how to "cleanse" the Church. Most of those who work for the Catholic Church have never heard of Mitchell Garabedian, but somehow O'Connor has. He is a Boston attorney with a long-standing hatred of the Catholic Churchhe does not hide his animus. He was at her side at a press conference on October 30 in Buffalo, saying he is prepared to defend her, if necessary.



Garabedian and I locked horns in 2011 when a Boston priest, Father Charles Murphy, died. As I said at the time, Murphy died "a broken man." The man who broke him was Garabedian.

In 2006, Garabedian sued Father Murphy for inappropriately touching a minor 25 years earlier; on the eve of the trial, the woman dropped her suit. In 2010, he sued the priest again, this time for allegedly fondling a man 40 years earlier. The accuser was deep in debt and his credibility was questioned even by his own family!





When Father Murphy died, Brian McGrory of the Boston Globe called what Garabedian did to him "a disgrace." I called Garabedian at the time to see if he had any regrets about pressing charges against Father Murphy, and he immediately went into a rage, screaming like a madman. I asked him to calm down, but he continued to go ballistic, making sweeping condemnations of all priests. This is the kind of lawyer that the former executive assistant managed to find.



The media involved come across even worse. On October 30, Bishop Malone released an email that O'Connor sent to employees at the diocese the day before she quit. In it, she commended the bishop for his great work, saying "it has been a privilege to work by your side as you shepherd our diocese." She specifically singled out his holiness, as well as his "Sheen-like eloquence" (a reference to one of the Church's towering American figures, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).





O'Connor closed her letter thanking Bishop Malone for "all the opportunities I've had and lessons I've learned while working for you and with you."



Remember, she had already leaked damaging information to the press about Malone. Did she lie about the bishop in her praiseworthy remarks, or is she simply a duplicitous activist?



When Bishop Malone released O'Connor's letter, the Associated Press, the most powerful wire service in the nation, took the occasion to make him the bad guy. In a short news story, it said, "Bishop Blasts Whistleblower Who Copied Sex Misconduct Files." Malone did nothing of the kind: He made public her letter, noting how contradictory it was. AP intentionally misled readers, trying to exculpate O'Connor.



CBS, and "60 Minutes" in particular, also deserve to be criticized. It has had its share of accused molesters working in the most important jobs in the companyCharlie Rose, Jeff Fager, and Les Moonvesyet it never has time to turn its "60 Minutes" cameras on them. In August, Brian Steinberg, writing for Variety, said, "The allegations are worthy of an investigation by '60 Minutes'if only they weren't about the news division that produces the show."





Dozens of women have accused Rose, the CBS anchor and pundit, of sexual misconducthe allegedly likes to expose himselfdating back to 1986. According to a Washington Post blog story, "Rumors about Rose's behavior have circulated for years."



One of Rose's assistants, Kyle Godfrey-Ryan, "recalled at least a dozen instances where Rose walked nude in front to her while she worked in one of his New York City homes." He also made sexually charged phone calls to the then-21-year-old late at night or in the early morning.





Did she report it? Yes, she told Yvette Vega, Rose's long-time executive producer. "She [Vega] would just shrug and just say, 'That's just Charlie being Charlie.'" To show what a class act Rose was, when he found out that Godrey-Ryan told a mutual friend about his behavior, he fired her.





Before he became chairman of CBS News in 2011, Fager was the executive producer of "60 Minutes." He then took over the reins at "60 Minutes" again in 2015. He has been accused by six women of sexual misconduct, especially when he was drunk. Fager is also accused of covering up for his sexually compromised workplace buddies who reported to him.



Moonves was CBS chief executive for 20 years; it ended in September when he stepped down amidst serious sexual misconduct allegations. He has also been accused of promoting several men known for their sexual misconduct. This may sound familiar: CBS quietly paid settlements to the women who complained.





Just recently, it was reported that more than 250 women who work at CBS have spoken to investigators. Some, however, refuse to talk because they don't trust the company.



Not only will CBS not authorize "60 Minutes" to disclose the depth of its own sexual abuse scandal, it has the nerve to claim that all priests are engaged in a cover-up. The "60 Minutes" producer of the O'Connor segment, Guy Campanile, told CBS News that "the church is made of people, but the ones in charge are priests [evidently they are not people] and priests are so good at keeping secrets."





Would that include New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who outed Theodore McCarrick? It wasn't the media which did that. Moreover, just this week Dolan made public some accusations against one of his auxiliary bishops, stemming from alleged offenses that occurred decades ago. Does CBSor any media outlet in the nationhave a program like the New York archdiocese that outs suspected abusers? Why not?



NBC is just as phony. Its Buffalo affiliate, WGRZ-TV, has unveiled a petition asking the public to pressure the Buffalo diocese to publicly release the full list of accused priests. If it were serious about the issue of sexual abuseand not "getting the Church"it would begin by pressing NBC to make public a list of all those employees who have been accused of sexual misconduct.





After all, Matt Lauer is hardly the only NBC employee to have been accused of being a predator. Last year, Variety wrote the following. "Lauer's conduct was not a secret among other employees at 'Today,' numerous sources say. At least one of the anchors would gossip about stories she had heard, spreading them among the staff. Management sucks there,' says a former reporter.They protected the s*** out of Matt Lauer."





Addie Zinone, who worked for Lauer, and media critic Ken Auletta, confirm that many others knew something was wrong. Joe Scarborough, co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," had this to say about Lauer. "The whole theme was that he does the show and then he has sex with people, with employees. So this was whispered behind closed doors? No, it was shouted from the mountaintops and everybody laughed about it." Including, evidently, Scarborough, who never said a public word about it.



Jessica Steyers, who worked at NBC Sports, has spoken out about the constant harassment by coworkers, and the nonchalant reaction by executives. Karin Roland, a feminist who has examined NBC, says "this happens as the result of a culture and a pattern of protecting stars and making them untouchable."





Most of the sexual abuse in the Catholic Church occurred in the last century, primarily between 1965 and 1985. But when it comes to sexual abuse in Hollywood and in the media, it is as bad today as it ever was. Lucky for them there is little interest in outing the dregs among them. They'd rather focus on accused priests from a half-century ago.


vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, November 1

Rumours spread by villagers foiled an attempt of the district administration to auction land and houses in Nadda and Choki villages in the district to recover the double compensation of Rs 52 crore paid to 23 persons.

To recover the amount by auctioning two acres of land and houses in the villages, the district administration had invited investors on October 31 to the district administrative complex. However, the auction could not take place as only a few investors turned up. When officials asked some real estate dealers why they did not come, the latter told them that people in the village were stating that the court had granted a stay in the matter.

In 2002-03, the Haryana Urban Development Authority had acquired land from farmers and had paid compensation to them. However, in a Vigilance inquiry, it was found that 23 people had received double compensation in their accounts. Now, the administration wants to recover Rs 52 crore paid as double compensation by auctioning the land and houses.

Officials said on condition of anonymity that the auction was to be held in the office of the SDM, but could not be started till 4 pm as bidders did not turn up. When they told them that there was no stay, only a few bidders turned up, but they demanded that the sites for which the auction was being held should be shown to them first. Some of the bidders, after offering the bids, demanded the possession of the properties, but as the officials failed to give a suitable reply, the bidders withdrew their bids.

Despite repeated attempts, SDM Pankaj Setia was not available for comments.

Now, the auction is likely to be held next week. The properties to be auctioned include small and large plots.
vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) president Kanupriya hit back at the university authorities with a bigger protest late tonight in support of their demand for opening girls hostels 24X7. Students gheraoed the Vice-Chancellors residence.

The protesters finally left the VCs residence around 12.15 am. Earlier, Prof Emanuel Nahar, Dean, Students Welfare, tried to pacify the students and told them that they would talk on their demands on Monday. However, the students said if he did not agree, he should leave. He was accompanied by some wardens too. No one came out from the VCs residence.

How it started

Standing on the base of a street lamppost outside Girls Hostel No. 3 and 4, Kanupriya said, The authorities have conducted a survey to know parents viewpoint on opening of girls hostels. Why dont they take parents feedback when they have to hike the fee?

She added, Even if 1 per cent or 2 per cent girls want to go out in the night, it has to be allowed. We have the right over PU roads. We are not going to pay the fine charged for coming late to hostels.

Students for Society (SFS) spokesperson Hassanpreet Kaur said, First, the authorities said girls do not want to keep hostels open. Now, they have gone to the parents. Are we safe during the day? A teacher of the dental department has allegedly molested 10 women students. If the campus is not safe, will they make it safe or shut women students inside the hostels.

She asked the crowd, Are you scared? The women students replied, No.

Earlier, Hassanpreet led a march of students from hostel number 8, 9 and 10. After that, Kanupriya led the march and went to hostel number 4, 5, 6 and 7 where she addressed the students. She exhorted them to join the azadi march (march for freedom from patriarchy).

Men supporters were instructed to stay back, but they also raised slogans for opening the hostels in one corner. The crowd started swelling. Kanupriya then led the march to hostel number 1 and 2.

Gita, an MA-I student of philosophy, confronted them outside hostel number 1. It is a sheer awaragardi. Even freedom to visit the library has been misused. Girls are going to clubs instead of the library. What kind of azadi (freedom) are they talking about, she said.

Kanupriya also called for 24X7 availability of e-rickshaws, more space in AC Joshi Library and reducing the mandatory attendance from 75 per cent to 50 per cent.

The azaadi march then went back and gheraoed the VCs residence.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has thrown a challenge at his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar for a reality check on five healthcare centres in each others states.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Kejriwal asked Khattar to choose any three mohalla clinics in Delhi for inspection while two other mohalla clinics would be chosen by the Delhi Government.

Similarly, the Haryana Government should let Delhi Government choose three dispensaries in Haryana and nominate two other good-performing dispensaries to be jointly inspected by both the chief ministers to have a real assessment of the healthcare facilities in the two states, Kejriwal asserted.

I will write a formal letter to Khattar on Friday inviting him to visit the mohalla clinics. Similarly, I intend to visit Haryanas dispensaries on November 12 or any mutually-settled date, Kejriwal said.

Coming down heavily on other parties for indulging in caste politics, the AAP stalwart alleged that while Congress and INLD leaders had been seeking votes for being Jats, the BJP had played the non-Jat card to grab power. Only AAP is seeking votes on the basis of its performance in the fields of education, health, infrastructure and improved water and power supply, Kejriwal said.

The Delhi CM said though all political parties had ruled Haryana in the 52 years since its formation, yet peoples condition had remained pitiable with all sections of society, including farmers, youths and children, at the receiving end of mal-administration. While the INLD was notorious for its strong arms tactics, the Congress Government, led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was infamous for alleged irregularities in the grant of change of land use (CLUs). Meanwhile, ineffective governance has been the hallmark of the BJP Government in the last four years, Kejriwal alleged.

Seeking mandate for good governance in Haryana in the next years elections, he alleged that the successive governments had deliberately kept the people poor and backward in Haryana in the past 52 years.
editorial@tribune.com

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

The National Authority for Anti Profiteering has passed an order directing M/s Pyramid Infratech Pvt Ltd, a prominent builder having projects in Gurugram, to return a sum of Rs 8.22 crore to 2,476 investors and homebuyers within three months.

The orders have been issued for charging more money as GST from homebuyers under the anti-profiteering mechanism of the government.

Sanjeev Kaushal, Additional Chief Secretary, Excise and Taxation Department, Haryana, told The Tribune on Thursday that the Anti-Profiteering Steering Committee of Haryana, comprising Vidya Sagar, Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Haryana and Rajesh Sanan, Commissioner (GST), Panchkula, had so far held 11 meetings in the past one year and considered 398 complaints.

Each complaint conveyed a specific instance of profiteering by different companies after the reduction of taxes under the GST regime. The committee after consideration made its recommendations in 395 such complaints to the National Standing Committee for Anti-Profiteering. The national committee, in turn, sent some selected complaints from all states to the Director General, Anti-Profiteering for inquiry. Based on the outcome of the inquiry, the National Committee for Anti-Profiteering, headed by BN Sharma, an IAS officer, passed the orders, Kaushal said.

He added that the Commissioner of the GST, under whose jurisdiction the builder falls, had been directed to get the order enforced at the earliest and send a report.

Besides, other inquiries were at an advanced stage of consideration by the National Anti-Profiteering Authority.

Kaushal said the effective rate of tax on work contract for the construction of flats and complexes in the pre-GST tax regime was 16.4 per cent.

However, in the GST regime, the effective rate came out to be 12 per cent.

The burden of tax under the GST regime was lesser due to the availability of the input tax credits (ITC) on the material which the builder should pass onto the homebuyers.

In the case of affordable housing schemes, the impact of the reduced tax liability in the GST was even more as the applicable rate of the GST was 8 per cent only.

GST benefit not given
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 2

Haryana Roadways employees have agreed to call off their strike after the Punjab and Haryana High Court intervened on Friday.

Buses will start plying across the state from 10 am on Saturday, union leader Sharma said.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Palli on Friday asked the state government to take back all the suspended and dismissed employees immediately, said senior advocate Anupam Gupta, who was appointed as amicus curiae to assist the court in the case.

The high court, which was hearing a Public Interest Litigation, has asked the state government and employee unions to resolve their dispute amicably. The state government has been told not to take any action against the protesters until the courts next hearing of the case.

The court will hear now hear the case on November 14.

The employees have been on strike since October 16 to protest the state government's decision to hire 700 buses from private owners. There are about 19,000 employees in Haryana Roadways. With PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Karnal, November 1

The ongoing strike by Haryana Roadways employees on Thursday entered its 17th day. The employees observed Haryana Day as black day by wearing black clothes.

They were protesting against the governments decision to run around 720 private buses under the km scheme. The employees consider it to be an attempt to privatise transport services.

Sukhwinder Singh, president, All-Haryana Roadways Workers Union, said that they have been protesting for 17 days, but the government was sitting like a mute spectator. Instead of resolving the issue through dialogue, the government has been removing employees and registering FIRs against them. To press for their demand, they have observed Haryana Day as black day, he said.

He said that they would continue their protest till the decision is revoked.

Criticising the lathicharge on the protesting employees at Bhiwani and Bhuna town of Fatehabad district on Wednesday, Virender Kumar, another protesting employee, said it was an attempt to create terror among employees, but they would not bow down before the dictatorial attitude of the government.

Meanwhile, Hari Narayan Sharma, members of the Haryana Roadways Talmel Committee, told mediapersons near Bastara toll plaza on national highway-44 that the government was trying to arrest the leaders, but they would continue their protest. We will decide our next move in a rally at Jind on November 4, he said.

Police remove protesters tent

Yamunanagar: Striking roadways employees staged a protest outside the DC's residence here on Thursday after the police on Wednesday night removed their tent erected in front of the roadways workshop. The employees demanded that they should be allowed to erect the tent there as it was done after getting permission from a local court. TNS

Bishnoi condemns lathicharge

Hisar: Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi has condemned the lathicharge on government employees, who were on strike in Bhiwani and Fatehabad districts on Wednesday, while alleging that adamant stand being taken by the state government was responsible for making the matters worse. The Congress stands by employees on strike, he said. TNS
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Jammu, November 2

Two personal security officials of the senior BJP leader, who was killed by suspected militants, were detained in Kishtwar district and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Jammu and Kashmir Government on Friday to probe the incident, officials said.

BJP state secretary Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother, Ajeet Parihar, 55, were killed on Thursday night when they were returning home after closing their stationary shop located outside old DC office complex, officials said.

The SIT has been constituted by police to probe the killings. It is headed by Assistant Superintendent of Police Prabeet Singh, Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Angrez Singh Rana told PTI.

They will probe all the aspects of killing and find who are involved in it, he said.

Police have detained two personal security officials (PSOs) Om Prakash and Sahil Kumarwho are being questioned, Senior Superintendent of Police Kishtwar Rajinder Gupta said.

Anil Parihar had been given these two PSOs for his security, but at the time of the attack they were not accompanying the leader, he said.

Police swung into action and detained them from their houses and they are being interrogated, he said.

If the PSOs would have been with him, tragedy could have been averted, police said.

We urge all the political leaders and protected persons to keep their PSOs with them and do not allow them to leave them unguarded, the DC said.

Authorities will be issuing an advisory asking protected persons in Jammu and Kashmir to not move anywhere without their PSOs.

Amid shutdown in some places, massive protests rocked Jammu division on Friday against the killings of the senior BJP leader and his brother in the militant attack.

The Army also staged a flag march in Kishtwar town of Jammu and Kashmir.

District Magistrate Angrez Singh Rana said a curfew imposed in the area on Thursday night was still in place and additional security personnel had been deployed.

Rana added that no untoward incidents was reported.

Following the incident, people had staged angry protests in the communally-sensitive town and manhandled senior police officials.

Kishtwar district had witnessed communal clashes in the past. Terrorists had attempted to create communal tension in the region by targeting Hindu community, especially in the higher reaches. In 2001, the terrorists killed 17 Hindu nomads.

The killings of Parihar brothers drew severe condemnation from all quarters.

As the two were walking towards their home in Parihar mohalla through a dark lane in Tapal Mohalla on Thursday, they were fired upon from a close range by suspected militants around 8.40 pm, the officials said.

The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home, they said.  PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 2

A three-day international conference of the Forum for Interdisciplinary Mathematics (FIM) commenced on the main campus of Jammu University here on Friday.

Hosted by the Department of Statistics, Jammu University, the conference on Interdisciplinary Mathematics, Statistics and Computational Techniques has been organised in association with the third Convention of Indian Association of Reliability and Statistics.

Organisers have received around 200 abstracts from different parts of the world while the delegates from the country and abroad are attending the conference and participating in various technical and academic sessions.

In the inaugural function, Prof MK Dhar was the chief guest while Prof Junzo Watada from Petronas, University of Technology, Malaysia, delivered the keynote address.

Describing statistics as the king of sciences, Prof Dhar said, Without it no scientific research can progress and no new tool can be developed.

He narrated how the statistics has amalgamated biology and computer science, and quoted many examples from biological sciences.

On the occasion, Prof BK Das, president of FIM, talked about how the forum with an objective of development of mathematics as an interdisciplinary subject had led to new developments and emerging fields.

Parmil Kumar, organising secretary of the conference, presented the vote of thanks.
editorial@tribune.com

Arun Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 2

National Conference president and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah is happy that the Oppositions unity moves were heading in a right direction, but made it clear that, this unity is neither against Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor against mandir (Ram temple) in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

His remarks came a day after a meeting of Opposition leaders seeking unity of their groups ahead of the 2019 parliamentary polls. The move has been initiated by Telugu Desam Party chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. Farooq, who is playing a pivotal role in the effort, told The Tribune over phone that it was wrong to assume that the Opposition unity was against any individual leader.

For a man who prizes his reputation for straight talking, Farooq is remarkably adept at sending mixed messages as well. It is patently wrong to assume that we (the Opposition leaders) are seeking Opposition unity guided by the anti-Modi factor, he said, adding, Let it be clear that we have a larger goal in mind. It is neither anti-Modi nor about mandir or any mosque.

The Opposition leaders are looking forward to two clear goals, save democracy, save nation. He said that the democratic institutions were under assault at the moment, and there is a dire need to save them.

The saving of these institutions has become a necessity to save the nation, he said, adding that the communal and fascist forces were taking away the democratic space. We have to get that back for the sake of the people of the country.

Farooq, who has attained the stature of a national leader in the Indian politics, said the unity moves would fructify and the next meeting of the Opposition leaders would be held in New Delhi after Diwali.

The NC leader was certain that Jammu and Kashmir, too, would be the beneficiary of the unity move and hinted that the special status of the state under Article 370 would be strengthened on the lines of autonomy that the party had been pitching for since long.
editorial@tribune.com

Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 1

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the financing of secessionist activities in Kashmir, has summoned senior Shiite separatist leader Agha Syed Hassan to its office in Srinagar on Friday.

The agency is investigating the separatist funding case in Kashmir since May 30 last year. It had raided the house of Hassan in central Kashmirs Budgam district in September 2017 in connection with the case.

The NIA has registered a case and it appears that you are acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case. You are hereby directed to appear before the agency on November 2, 2018, at 10 am at Police Officers Mess, Humhama, Srinagar, in connection with the investigation of the case, read the NIA letter to Hassan.

The NIA had carried out raids in Srinagar, Jammu, and Delhi in June 2017 to probe the entire chain of players behind the financing of secessionist activities, including stone-throwing on security forces.

The agency registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to waging a war against and hatching a criminal conspiracy against the Indian state and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Following the preliminary investigations, the NIA arrested seven Kashmiri separatist leaders, their relatives, and a businessman in July 2017 for allegedly funding militancy and unrest in Kashmir. They have been lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi.

The NIA had also summoned Ghulam Nabi Sumji, general secretary of Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference.

The NIA IGP Alok Mittal confirmed that the agency had sent notices to both separatist leaders. Mittal, however, said Sumji was questioned at the Srinagar office on Thursday.
editorial@tribune.com

New Delhi, November 1

A Delhi court today extended till November 26 protection from arrest to former Union Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis money-laundering case filed by the CBI and the ED.

The Enforcement Directorate filed a reply to Chidambarams plea for anticipatory bail in the case yesterday, maintaining that his custodial interrogation was necessary as he was evasive and non cooperative in the probe.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and AM Singhvi, appearing for Chidambaram, today submitted they would argue on the anticipatory bail application and also respond to the EDs reply.

Taking note of Chidambarams submission, Special Judge OP Saini extended till November 26 the protection from arrest granted to him. Chidambaram filed his anticipatory bail application in May. His protection from arrest has been extended from time to time.

We have to meet a deadline and he (Chidambaram) is not cooperating, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI and the ED, told the court.

From the conduct of the petitioner, which gets amply demonstrated from the records available, the investigating agency has reached a bona fide conclusion that in the absence of custodial interrogation, it will not be possible to reach the truth of the allegations as the petitioner has chosen to be evasive and non-cooperative, the ED said yesterday.  PTI
shalender@tribune.com

Guwahati, November 2

The Assam Police today launched a massive combing operation to nab those involved in the killing of five persons, including three members of a family, in Tinsukia district.

The police suspect the gunmen belonged to the ULFA (Independent) faction as they were dressed in battle fatigue, but the outfit has denied its involvement in the attack. A group of assailants had called out six persons at Kheronibari village  three from their home and as many from a local shop  around 8pm on Thursday.

They then took them to the edge of Dhola-Sadiya bridge in the area and opened indiscriminate fire, killing five of them on spot. One of them fell off the bridge and survived.

Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia and Additional DGP Mukesh rushed to Tinsukia, shortly after the incident, to review the law and order situation.

Talking to media in Guwahati, Saikia said, A massive combing operation has been launched to nab the accused. No one involved in the incident will be allowed to escape. Since last night (Thursday), we have started several operations to nab the culprits.

Asked about the involvement of ULFA factions in the killings, he said, It isnt about taking random names. We will take action as per law.

The lone survivor in the incident, identified as Sahadeb Namasudra, told reporters this morning that he had a providential escape as he fell off the edge of the bridge, where the gunmen had lined up the six persons and shot five of them dead.

Publicity department member of the ULFA(I) Romel Asom, in a statement e-mailed to PTI here, said, The ULFA (I) would like to make it clear to all authorities concerned that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident last night. CM Sarbananda Sonowal has directed all deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to remain on the alert.  PTI
gspannu7@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, November 2

A day after the Congress announced to contest a major share in the Maha Katumbi (grand alliance) for the Telangana Assembly elections, the BJP on Friday announced yet another list of 28 candidates taking the total number of candidates for the 119 seat assembly to 66.

The party had released a list of 38 nominees on October 20 for the December 7 assembly elections.

The BJP has decided to go alone in these elections.

Party sources said that the list of 28 names was finalised by the central election committee of the BJP which met in Delhi yesterday with party president Amit Shah in the chair. In the last House, the BJP had five MLAs.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders and members of the committee, a BJP spokesperson said.

The announcement of candidates has triggered some protests by supporters of aspirants who failed to get the party ticket.

In Nizamabad, a group of people, stated to be the supporters of an aspirant, damaged furniture at the party office after their leader was denied the ticket.

Shah had launched the partys campaign on September 15 at Mahabubnagar and addressed another rally at Karimnagar last month.
editorial@tribune.com

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

A Brigadier and four other officers, including three Colonels and a Lieutenant Colonel, are facing disciplinary proceedings for allegedly causing a loss of about Rs 56 crore to the government by procuring items at highly exorbitant rates, as well as downgrading equipment for disposal without following due process, it is learnt.

According to sources, five charges were levelled against the Brigadier, who was then the Commandant of an Ordnance Depot, under various provisions of Section 52 of the Army Act for intent to defraud and criminal breach of trust in respect of property belonging to the government.

The other officers, who were then posted under the Brigadier in the same depot, are facing different charges. Following a court of inquiry that held the officers blameworthy for their acts of commission and omission, they were attached with Headquarters Purva Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Sub Area for recording of the summary of evidence (SoE), which concluded at Agra today.

The SoE is a prelude to a possible trial by court martial and a decision to hold such a trial is taken on the evaluation of the available evidence and advice thereon by the Judge Advocate Generals branch.

Sources said that according to the tentative chargesheet on the basis of which the SoE was recorded, the professional officers valuation board, tender documents and price negotiation committee proceedings were approved for procuring various items from a private firm well knowing that the rates were much higher than the last purchased price rates, thereby causing wrongful loss to the government.

The chargesheet also states that the said firm was not registered with the Directorate General of Quality Assurance as was required. Further, a large quantity of communication and electro-optical equipment and generators was downgraded without going through the stipulated echelons of repairs.

The court of inquiry into the matter, presided over by the General Officer Commanding, Paschim Uttar Pradesh Sub Area at Meerut, had been ordered after complaints of misappropriation and financial irregularities were received by the office of the Chief of Army Staff in 2017, sources said.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Guwahati/Kolkata, November 2

Two pro-talk ULFA leaders were arrested in Assam on Friday for their provocative remarks as a massive combing operation was launched to nab those behind the gunning down of five persons in Tinsukia district with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal blaming hate speeches by political parties for the killings.

The Assam Government announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a job for the next of the kin of the deceased.

Though the police suspect that the gunmen belonged to the ULFA (Independent) faction as they were dressed in battle fatigue, publicity department member of the outlawed group Romel Asom, in an e-mail statement, however, denied its involvement in Thursdays incident.

In neighbouring West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress organised protest marches and sought a court-monitored inquiry into the killing of the five Bengali-speaking individuals.

They also called for the resignation of the Assam chief minister over the incident. Left parties, too, took to the streets in Kolkata to protest the killings.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep anguish over the incident and said a sense of sadness descended on my mind seeing innocent and poor persons being killed in a village in Assam.

She changed her display picture to black on Twitter along with other leaders of her party.

I dont know why these people were killed, but one thing is for sure, the ominous signals have started surfacing, she said.

The TMC also sought to link the attack as a fallout of the draconian NRC exercise.

Over 40 lakh people are facing deportation from India as their names have been excluded in the NRC draft, TMC Youth Congress president and MP Abhisekh Banerjee told a rally in Kolkata.

He sought a court-monitored inquiry into the incident.

On Thursday night, a group of assailants called out six villagers of Kheronibari. They then took them to the edge of Dhola-Sadiya bridge in the area and opened indiscriminate fire, killing five of them on spot, police said, adding one of them survived the firing.

Sahadeb Namasudra, in his early 20s, said he had a providential escape as he fell off the edge of the bridge, where the gunmen had lined them up.

Though he did not sustain injuries, he fell unconscious out of fear and nervousness. On regaining consciousness, he found one of the five persons still alive beside him, Namasudra claimed, adding the man died before any arrangement for help could be made.

Chief Minister Sonowal warned of strong action against those who make inflammatory statements.

The perpetrators of this dastardly violence will not go scot-free. We will not tolerate such cowardly act, he said.

For this situation today, I hold responsible a section of political parties, organisations, news media, social media and peoples representatives for their inflammatory statements, Sonowal told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting in Guwahati.

Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia said several operations were underway to nab the culprits. He said pro-talk ULFA leaders Jiten Dutta and Mrinal Hazarika were arrested for making provocative statements.

Asked about the involvement of ULFA factions in the killings, the DGP said, It isnt about taking random names. We will take action as per law.

Political parties and organisations across Assam condemned the killings and demanded that the culprits be immediately nabbed.

A bandh, called by All Assam Bengali Federation, was observed on Friday in Tinsukia district. Vehicles were off roads and shops were closed. No untoward incident was reported in the morning, a police officer said.

The ruling BJP said the incident was a result of the Congress party continuously making provocative statements on sensitive issues such as the NRC and the Citizenship Bill.

Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass also criticised a section of the media for broadcasting provocative statements uninterruptedly, thereby vitiating the atmosphere.

He asked the Assam Government to set up a judicial probe into the incident.

Countering the BJP leaders claims, veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said the Sonowal-led government has failed to maintain law and order in the state.

He also sought a CBI probe into Thursdays incident. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

Taking cognisance of a petition alleging that the strike by the roadways employees union had thrown life out of gear, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice to the state of Haryana, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and other respondents.

The court also clubbed together other related cases, including contempt petition against employees union and other respondents.

The developments before the Bench of Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Palli took place on a petition filed in public interest by advocate Arvind Seth against Haryana and other respondents.

Raising concerns about inconvenience caused to people in Haryana due to the ongoing strike, Seth asserted that the situation might worsen on account of a call given by various government employees unions of Haryana to join the strike.

Appearing on behalf of the state and other respondents, Additional Advocate-General Deepak Balyan accepted the notice.

The Bench then asserted that the office-bearers of the Haryana Roadways Employees Union and Haryana Parivahan Karamchari Sangh Union were to appear in connection with a contempt petition in the high court on November 2; and directed the listing of the matter before it.

Senior advocate Anupam Gupta was appointed amicus curiae or the friend of the Court in the matter.
rajivbhatia82@gmail.com

Patna, November 2

RJD chief Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav Friday filed a petition before a court here seeking divorce from his wife of six months, sources in the civil court said.

According to the sources, Tej Pratap had approached the court with a divorce petition a few days ago which was turned down due to technical reasons following which he moved a fresh application on Friday which has been forwarded by the filing section for necessary action.

No member of the family was, however, available for comments.

Journalists and cameramen made a beeline outside the 10, Circular Road residence of Tej Pratap's mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi where Aishwarya Rai along with her father Chandrika Rai visited in the evening while refusing to take questions.

They were later joined by Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti, the eldest of Lalu-Rabri's nine children.

Lalu is lodged in jail in Ranchi in connection with multi-crore fodder scam cases.

Tej Pratap and Aishwarya, whose father is a sitting RJD MLA and grandfather Daroga Rai was chief minister in the 1960s, had tied the knot in May at a grand ceremony which was attended by leaders cutting across party lines.

Tej Pratap was health minister in the grand alliance ministry. He is an MLA from Mahua in Vaishali district.

Tej Pratap has been also dropping hints that he did not get along well with his younger brother Tejashwi who has emerged as the party's de facto leader in their father's absence. - PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 1

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday took forward his plans to assemble various political parties opposed to the ruling BJP around the message it is time for everyone to keep aside differences and work together to save the country and democracy.

The Andhra CM and Telugu Desam party chief announced that in the first phase, the plan is to work for a mutually convenient time for all leaders to sit down.

A past architect in managing coalitions, Naidu on Thursday met Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah, Rahul Gandhi, Ajit Singh, Mulayam Singh and his son Akhilesh and Sitaram Yechury, who he met at the airport on his way back to the state just as he ran into Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on his way into Delhi.

Today, the main issue is to save India and democracy... in this country, there have been only three coalition arrangements, anti-Congress, anti-BJP and the united front to which the Congress extended support from the outside, Naidu said.

Yet, the significant move of the day was Naidus meet with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi who said the meeting was good and discussion was on Opposition unity. I look to carrying forward our dialogue and to working together in the upcoming state and general elections, he said. After the meeting, Rahul told the media in the presence of Naidu it was time to leave the behind the past and move forward. The obvious reference was to the creation of TDP as a party representing Telugu pride against the affront caused to it by the Congress led first by Indira Gandhi and later Rajiv Gandhi.

We have had a past. Both of us have agreed we are not going to get into the past. We are going to talk about the present and future because it is critical for our country, Rahul said. Because of the situation in the country, let all Opposition forces come together and provide a vision.

On the possible leader of the Opposition alliance, Rahul said he and Naidu agreed that the principle idea is to defeat the BJP and defend democracy and institutions of this country. All other ideas, we will discuss later, he said.

Separately, at a press conference when asked whether Rahul could be a good PM, Naidu quipped anybody will be a better PM than Modi.

After the second round of meetings with leaders of various parties, Naidu was reluctant to be identified as future convener of an alternative arrangement, but former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah declared in a tweet that Naidu emerges as chief coordinating force among Opposition parties. All parties will have a meeting and then chalk out future course of action, he (Naidu) says.
gspannu7@gmail.com

Gaborone (Botswana), November 2

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has hailed demonetisation saying the move has led to money stashed in the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows coming into the banks.

Naidu, who is in Botswana on an official visit, said the southern African country is also following Indias efforts to curb black money.

He said reformative measures like demonetisation may be painful but are meant for public good.

Paisa joh bedroom, bathroom aur pillow ke neeche tha, woh bank mein pahunch gaya. Pata ke saath, pita ke saath aur pati ke saath (The money that was in the bedroom, bathroom and under the pillows reached banks due to demonetisation), the vice president said.

Interacting with the Indian community in Botswana here on Thursday night, he said measures like demonetisation were temporary pain for long term gain.

Now how much (of this money) is white, how much is tax-paid money that will be known. It is the duty of the Reserve Bank of India and income tax people to verify and see to it that everybody falls in line, the vice president said.

You are aware that Government of India has launched several flagship schemes for making India a skilled and knowledge society and manufacturing hub. Measures like the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) have also been taken to make it a transparent and integrated market with greater ease of doing business, he said.

India has taken a major leap towards financial inclusion by encouraging 330 million people to open bank accounts, Naidu said.

The tax base has widened by 26 per cent in the last one year with nearly 68 million tax payers paying taxes, he said.

Naidu termed Botswana as a land of god-gifted serenity and natural beauty.

He asked Indians everywhere not to forget their mother tongue and motherland. I am not against other languages. One must learn as many languages as possible, but should not forget the mother tongue, he said.

I know that many of you have been living here for several decades and have made Botswana your second home. The Indian diaspora in Botswana has not only well-integrated into its pluralistic, free and democratic society, but, also have immensely contributed to the economy of Botswana, he said.

I am glad that you have contributed hugely to the successful story of Botswanas economic growth, he said.

He thanked the Indian community here for contributing to flood relief in Kerala.

Naidu, who is on an official trip to the African nations of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi, said India is changing rapidly.

The business environment is changing for the better. The archaic regulations are being dismantled. Seamless processes are being introduced, he added.

If the talented enterprising Indian diaspora can lend its active support, the pace and quality of transformation in India can be considerably enhanced, he said.

Naidu hoped that Indians abroad will continue to cherish their Indian roots and nourish the socio-economic and cultural life of Botswana and other countries with which they are connected.

You are Indias cultural ambassadors and the world sees you as the representatives of Indian values and way of life, he said.

Naidu also expressed satisfaction that the Swachh Bharat initiative, launched when he was union urban development minister, has become a peoples movement. Four crore toilets have been built under the scheme, he said.  PTI
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2

The Indian Navy is considering entry women as sailorsequal to jawans of the Indian Armyand separately to permit existing women officers on board warships.

While addressing the Naval Commanders on Friday, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked the top-brass of the Indian Navy to give more impetus to enrollment of women in the Navy. Navys Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba confirmed that the enrollment of women in sailor-ranks is one of the agenda of the three-day Naval Commanders conference that concluded Friday, official sources said.

So far, the armed forces do have not women in non-officer ranks. In March this year, the Army announced that it will start recruiting women in other ranks in the Corps of Military Police.

The Navy has 639 women officers (including 148 doctors). The only combat-related role they have is as observors on the maritime reconnaissance aircraft the Boeing P8-I, the IL-38 and the Dornier. Women officers are also in logistics, law, education and naval constructors, etc.

The Defence Minister was assured at the conference that Navy was considering inclusion of women in the sea-going cadre. That is being looked at in the near future, official sources said.

The Defence Minister complemented the Navy for maintaining a high operational tempo and ensuring maritime security of the country. She reiterated the need for the nation to be strong at sea and the Navy to be ready and vigilant to counter any challenge in the maritime domain.

She appreciated Navys efforts in the area of indigenisation, self-reliance and support to the Make in India initiative of the government. She expressed her satisfaction at Navys initiatives to achieve Digital Navy vision in line with the Governments initiative of Digital India Programme.

She lauded the navy for the outstanding and efficient rescue operations undertaken in the wake of the recent floods in Kerala wherein close to 17,000 personnel were rescued. The conference undertook a review of the Navys modernisation plan, including induction of aircraft carrier, ships, nuclear powered submarines, conventional submarines, re-vitalisation of the aviation and sub-surface assets and induction of certain state-of-the-art weapons, sensors and equipment. Further, development of technical and support infrastructure for maintenance of these assets were also discussed in consonance with the Indian Naval Indigenisation Plan 2015-30, which has formulated the requirements of the Indian Navy towards indigenous development of equipment and systems over the next 15 years.
rajivbhatia82@gmail.com

New Delhi, November 2

A special NIA court has issued non-bailable warrants against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin for their involvement in terror funding activities, officials said Friday.

"NIA approached the special NIA court for issuing non-bailable warrants against the above accused for their active involvement in terror funding for creating unrest in the Kashmir valley and other parts of India," NIA's spokesperson said here.

The two mobilised Pakistan-trained terrorists and pushed them into India in connivance with secessionist and separatist leaders for waging war against India with the nefarious design of seceding Jammu and Kashmir from India, the agency said.

The NIA has already filed charge sheet in the instant case on January 18 against 12 accused people including Saeed and Salahuddin.

The probe agency had filed the 12,794-page charge sheet against Saeed and Salahuddin for conspiring to wage war against the government (Section 121 of Indian Penal Code) by carrying out terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the NIA, the case was registered on May 30, 2017 and the first arrests made on July 24 last year.

The agency said that during the course of investigation, its teams conducted searches at over 60 locations spread across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Delhi and seized over 950 incriminating documents and over 600 electronic devices.

Over 300 witnesses were examined during the probe, it said.

The NIA said the scrutiny and analysis of the documents and digital devices established that the accused Hurriyat leaders, the terrorists and the stone-pelters were carrying out terrorist attacks and orchestrating violence in Jammu and Kashmir as a part of their "well-planned" criminal conspiracy.

It said that conspiracy was hatched with active support, connivance and funding from terrorist organisations based in Pakistan and its agencies to achieve their objective of secession of the Jammu and Kashmir by waging war against the Indian government. - PTI
shriaya.dutta@tribuneindia.com

Patna, November 2

Hundreds of police officials are on a rampage here damaging police vehicles and attacking officers following the death of a woman police constable early on Friday.

More than 300 trainee officials, including a large number of women, at the Patna Police Lines ransacked officers quarters after their fellow member lost her life "due to sheer negligence and inhuman authoritarian stance of her seniors", the protesters said.

They complained that they were exploited in the name of duty for hours without even being provided basic facilities.

"We do duty without food, water and toilet facility. It is impossible to get leave for genuine reasons," they said.

Patna: Police personnel protest and create ruckus allegedly after an ailing woman constable passed away due to lack of treatment.Protesters claim the commandant did not grant her an adequate leave period to get treated.The commandant was injured after being thrashed by protesters pic.twitter.com/GtJbgN1owL  ANI (@ANI) 2 November 2018

The dead official has been suffering from dengue, and had applied for leave. However, despite repeated requests she was not granted permission, a police official said.

Tension gripped the police lines in the heart of the city after the ramapaging mob damaged a temple structure nearby and general public turned on them.

The protesting officials have attacked City Superintendent of Police, his Rural counterpart, Officers-in-charge at half a dozen police stations besides others.

The mob even chased away seniors who approached them to pacify the situation. They pelted stones and even thrashed some of the senior officers, police said.  IANS
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2

The central government has ordered a railways inquiry into the accidental deaths of Dussehra revellers last month, as pressure mounts for action against the driver of the train that ploughed through the crowd.

Hours after Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal announced an inquiry into the October 19 incident, railways said Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, Lucknow Division, would conduct the investigation.

The developments came on the back of a meeting between Goyal and Amritsar Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla. Aujla is believed to have handed over a letter demanding investigation into the incident.

A train ran over Dusshera revellers standing on and near a railway track to watch an effigy of demon king Ravana burn on October 19. Some 61 people were killed in the accident, and scores were wounded.

Railways refused to conduct an inquiry into the driver's role, instead calling it a clear case of "trespass" and blaming organisers for not having permissions for the event. Its response was widely considered callous and drew severe criticism.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered a separate inquiry into the incident.
editorial@tribune.com

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 1

After BJPs Ambedkar Nagar MP Hari Om Pandey, Rajya Sabha member and RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha today expressed his intent to move a private members Bill in the coming Winter Session of Parliament on building Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

MPs other than ministers are called private members and Bills presented by them are known as private members Bills.

The dare to Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Chandrababu Naidu and Mayawati comes amid their fresh efforts to build an anti-BJP front and the Sanghs renewed effort to keep alive the saffron poll plank ahead of the 2019 General Election.

Whether a smart strategy to corner the Opposition on a day former ally Naidu tried to make new friends, the move is also being seen as an attempt to keep happy the upset core saffron vote bank.

With the kind of pressure being built by the RSS, VHP and ally Shiv Sena, it remains to be seen how Prime Minister Narendra Modi chooses to tackle the issue. An ordinance or a legislation, however, seems unlikely.

The Supreme Court would decide in January when to begin hearing in the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi case and many BJP leaders feel everyone should wait till then.

MP: will you back it?

"To those who keep asking the BJP and the RSS about when Ram Temple will be constructed, I have a direct question: will you support my private member Bill?"  Rakesh Sinha, RS MP (on twitter)

UNCONstitutional: PC

"Govt is letting its followers test the waters. When the matter is pending as a regular appeal in SC, an ordinance will be unconstitutional. So will be private members Bill."  P Chidambaram, senior Congress leader
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 1

Congress social media head Divya Spandana Ramya courted controversy yet again today with a tweet with disparaging references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Is that a bird dropping? she captioned a post that pictured the PM standing at the feet of the newly unveiled Sardar Patel statue.

Twitter witnessed a storm after pro-right handles as well as several neutral observers engaged Ramya on why it was necessary for her to lower the already low discourse of Indian politics at a time when the Congress is espousing I love my rival narrative.

Ramya, however, decided to brazen it out saying: Apologize for what? For having a sense of humour or for others not having it?

She also took on journalists who asked her how her distasteful tweet squared up with Congress president Rahul Gandhis public embrace of PM Modi. To a journalists post saying what a distasteful tweet, Ramya retorted, what a dirty mind.

The Congress was left embarrassed and decided to remain silent about Ramyas language on Twitter saying she ran her own department.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Washington, November 2

A US-based editor of a leading media house has accused former Union minister MJ Akbar of raping her in India 23 years ago, saying the brilliant journalist used his position as the editor-in-chief of a newspaper to prey on her, an allegation denied by his lawyer.

Akbar, 67, who resigned in October after multiple women came out with accounts of alleged sexual harassment, has filed a criminal defamation case against one of them amid the raging #MeToo campaign in India.

The latest allegation of rape was levelled against him by Pallavi Gogoi, the chief business editor of National Public Radio (NPR), a Washington-based American media organisation. She has detailed the most painful memories of her life in an article in The Washington Post. Akbars lawyer Sandeep Kapur said: My client states that these (allegations) are false and expressly denied. Gogoi said she was 22 when she joined Asian Age and was star-struck working under Akbar. At 23, Gogoi became the editor of the op-ed page, which was a big responsibility at a young age, she said.

But I would soon pay a very big price for doing a job I loved. In 1994, I had gone into his office... to show him the op-ed page. He applauded my effort and suddenly lunged to kiss me. I reeled. I emerged from the office, red-faced, confused, ashamed, destroyed, she alleged. The second incident was a few months later when she was summoned to Mumbai to help launch a magazine, she claimed. He called me to his room at the fancy hotel, again to see the layouts. When he again came close to me to kiss me, I pushed him away. He scratched my face as I ran away, tears streaming down, she wrote in the Post.

When she got back to Delhi, Akbar threatened to kick her out of the job if she resisted him again, she alleged, adding that she did not quit. One story took her to a remote village and the assignment was to end in Jaipur. When she checked back, Akbar said she could come discuss the story in his hotel in Jaipur, she claimed. In his hotel room, though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me, she alleged, adding that instead of reporting him to the police, she was filled with shame.

Gogoi also alleged Akbar once worked himself into a rage in the London office after he saw her talking to a male colleague. He hit her and went on a rampage. He summoned her back to Mumbai after which she left the job. Today, I am a US citizen. I picked up my life, piece by piece. I know that I dont have to succumb to assault to have a job and succeed.  PTI
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Washington, November 2

The US has agreed to temporarily allow eight countries to continue buying Iranian oil after it re-imposes crippling sanctions on Tehran on November 5, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday, citing "significant reductions" in imports of oil from the Persian Gulf nation.

India is one of the countries expected to get the exemptions. But senior administration officials refused to spell out the names on Friday.

The list of these exemptions would be announced on Monday, Pompeo told reporters during a conference call on Iranian sanctions, with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

While the US had previously wanted countries including India to completely halt oil purchases from Iran by November 4 when its full sanctions against Tehran come into force, it seems to have relented considering the havoc the move to completely take out Iranian supplies from the market would have had on prices.

Pompeo said that countries like India, if it gets the exemption, would be asked to bring down their oil imports from Iran to zero in six months' time.

Negotiations are still ongoing, he said explaining the reasons for not revealing the names of the countries that are expected to get exemptions from the US from this latest and so far the toughest American sanctions on Iran.

"We expect to issue some temporary allotments to eight jurisdictions, but only because they have demonstrated significant reductions in their crude oil and cooperation on many other fronts and have made important moves towards getting to zero crude oil importation. These negotiations are still ongoing. Two of the jurisdictions will completely end imports as part of their agreements. The other six will import at greatly reduced levels," Pompeo said.

These economic sanctions are just a part of the US government's total effort to change the behaviour of the Iranian regime, he said.

"On November 5th, the United States will re-impose sanctions that were lifted as part of the nuclear deal on Iran's energy, shipbuilding, shipping and banking sectors. These sanctions hit at core areas of Iran's economy. They are necessary to spur changes we seek on the part of the regime," he said.

"In order to maximise the effect of the president's pressure campaign, we have worked closely with other countries to cut off Iranian oil exports as much as possible," Pompeo said.

The expected list of exemptions to eight jurisdictions, that too temporary, is far less than the 20 countries, including India, which were exempted from Iranian sanctions during the previous Obama administration, he said.

"We will have issued, if our negotiations are completed, eight and have made it clear that they are temporary," he said.

"Not only did we decide to grant many fewer exemptions, but we demanded much more serious concessions from these jurisdictions before agreeing to allow them to temporarily continue to import Iranian crude oil. These concessions are critical to ensure that we increase our maximum pressure campaign and accelerate towards zero," Pompeo said.

As a result of the latest sanctions, he said the US expects to have reduced Iranian crude oil exports by more than 1 million barrels even before these sanctions go into effect. "This massive reduction since May of last year is three to five times more than what many analysts were projecting when President Trump announced our withdrawal from the deal back in May," he said.

"Starting today, Iran will have zero oil revenue to spend on any of these things. Let me say that again: Zero. 100 percent of the revenue that Iran receives from the sale of crude oil will be held in foreign accounts and can be used by Iran only for humanitarian trade or bilateral trade in non-sanctioned goods and services," he said.

Pompeo said the latest US sanctions are targeted at the regime, not the people of Iran who have suffered grievously under this regime.

"It's why we have and will maintain many humanitarian exemptions to our sanctions, including food, agriculture commodities, medicine and medical devices," he said.

India, which is the second biggest purchaser of Iranian oil after China, is willing to restrict its monthly purchase to 1.25 million tonnes or 15 million tonnes in a year (300,000 barrels per day), down from 22.6 million tonnes (452,000 barrels per day) bought in 2017-18 financial year, sources in New Delhi said.

The US will also demand the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) global financial network stop supporting Iranian banks as part of enforcing sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme and alleged support for terrorism.

In May, President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) terming it disastrous. Under the Obama-era deal, involving five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, Iran agreed to stop its nuclear programme in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

After the US' withdrawal from the deal, Trump signed fresh sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with Tehran over its controversial nuclear weapons programme.

Iran has dismissed these charges and maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. PTI
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

N N Vohra, former governor of Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday red-flagged the growing violent activities of varied community groups against cow-slaughter and inter-caste marriages where people have been killed for alleged offences.

Delivery the 1st KPS Gill Memorial Lecture, initiated by the Punjab Police to mark the Punjab Day today, Vohra spoke on the subject 'National Security-Some Concerns' at the Indian School of Business auditorium.

Recounting his experiences as Punjab Home Secretary of working with Late KPS Gill, Vohra called for greater role of the state's in formulating national security policy and to increase budgetary allowance for police. He also laid emphasis on the importance of constabulary as the first responder to a crisis situation and how professional they should be.

"We need to be concerned about yet another species of threat to the maintenance of law and order: this relates to the growing violent activities of varied community groups against cow slaughter and the sale or consumption of buffalo meat. The massive agitations against these has caused loss of livelihoods of thousands engaged in rearing and selling meat and caused huge economic losses . Some of these agitating groups took law in their hands, held roadside trials of innocent persons, beat them mercilessly and even lynched them," Vohra said.

He lamented that there have been incidents of similar lawlessness being perpetrated by radical community groups who are opposed to inter-community and inter-caste marriages. "In several reported incidents such frenzied groups have held kangaroo courts and burnt or beaten to death innocent young couples," he underlined.

Vohra pointed out another species of lawlessness related to activities of the followers of 'gurus' or 'godmen'. Referring to a recent court order against the immoral activities of a 'godman', Vohra said even before the court order was announced, thousands of devotees blocked roads, burnt private and public property and indulged in organised violence.

He said these new species of disturbances were serious as besides being inherently lawless, such agitations have the propensity to trigger Inter and inter-community tensions, which could lead to bigger conflicts and large-scale violence.

Vohra called for urgent action by the Union government to evolve a National Security Policy, in close consultation with the states. He said time-bound steps would need to be taken to establish an effective pan-India security administration infrastructure.

He noted not enough importance was given to the police and states were grossly indifferent to the needs of the force. He said he has found that 17 states spent less than 4 per cent of their total budgets on police, three states spent less than 2 per cent and Odisha spends only 1.05 per cent.

"It is a matter for serious concern to observe that most states have not been making adequate provisions for refresher training being imparted to personnel at various levels, particularly constables. "Of the 25 states for which data is available for 2016-17, as many as 12 spent less than 1 per cent of their police budget on training. And J&K, which faces the largest and most complex security challenges, spent only 0.01 per cent of its budget on training."

Earlier, Punjab Co-operation and Jails Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa paid glowing tributes to late KPS Gill. He called on the police to effectively deal against the threat of narco-terrorism. DGP Suresh Arora while presenting his vote of thanks to the speakers said there is need to inculcate fear of the law than the fear of the police for meaningful policing. IG-cum-Director Punjab Police Training Academy, Phillaur, Anita Punj moderated the event. A large number of serving and retired police and army officers graced the occasion. A number of them participated in an interactive session with NN Vohra.
editorial@tribune.com

Patiala, November 1

The Patiala Health Department raided an illegal sex determination centre in Patran and arrested a doctor on Thursday.

Health Department officials raided the Chandigarh Ultrasound Centre for conducting sex determination tests in violation of the PNDT Act.

Investigations revealed that the accused doctor, NM Bhalla. used to come from Sangrur to carry out gender determination tests. After receiving a tip-off, the Health Department sent a decoy patient there. The deal was fixed at Rs 26,000.

Officials caught the doctor red-handed after he declared the sex of the unborn child. Civil Surgeon Dr Manjit Singh said, We have sealed the centre. Strict action will be taken against those violating the Act. TNS
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

Demanding more autonomy for states, Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi-led Punjab Manch on Thursday organised a convention on federalism. The speakers observed that the rights ensured to the states by the Constitution are being denied to them.

While explaining the concepts of federalism and autonomy, Dr Gandhi asserted that genuine federalism should not be a long-term, but an immediate goal for them.

The speakers emphasised on the need to launch a campaign for a review of the Centre-state relations and restoration of balance between the two.

Prof Pritam Singh from Oxford Brooks University asserted that India was a multi-national country and this truth be given precedence in all spheres and all walks of life. He said the unity of all Punjabis was a necessary condition for prosperity of the state. The failure to decentralise power to the states led to the division of India in 1947, he said.

Garga Chaterjee of Bangla Pokho from West Bengal emphasised the need for self-respect in the diversity as a necessary condition for unity among diversity. He reminded that India was not built on one religion or one language.

Aazhi Senthilnathan from Tamil Naidu spoke on the meanings of region, states and nation.
editorial@tribune.com

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 1

Following intelligence inputs, the Patiala police on Thursday claimed to have busted an ISI-sponsored terror module, the Khalistan Gadar Force, with the arrest of Shabnamdeep Singh from here. The police linked the module with the US-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), saying that its plan was to target a police station or a market during the ongoing festive season.

The Samana youth was in touch with Gopal Singh Chawla, former secretary general of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), a top police officer said.

Shabnamdeep was planning to attack police stations/posts and crowded places. A pistol, a hand grenade, a motorcycle and letter pads belonging to the Khalistan Gadar Force and some banned terror outfits have been recovered from him, confirmed Patiala SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu.

The arrest has exposed the nexus between Pakistans spy agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Gurpatwant Singh Pannuns fringe outfit (SFJ). It proves once again that the SFJ continues to spearhead and promote the Sikh Referendum-2020 campaign through violence and arson, said state DGP Suresh Arora, adding that the SFJ is preying on poor, illiterate and devout Sikh youths from Punjabs countryside and radicalising them.

Arora said Shabnamdeep alias Maninder Lahoria alias Sheru Deep of Daftari Wala Burar village, Samana (Patiala district), was currently out on bail in a case registered in Rajasthan. He was operating a Facebook account under the name of Lahoria Jatt Gill with a profile picture of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. In July 2018, he was contacted by Javed Khan Wazir, a suspected Pakistani intelligence officer, and introduced to Pakistani Sikh leader Gopal Singh Chawla. He was further introduced to Nihal Singh and another person, who told him that they were SFJ supporters. They asked him to promote Sikh Referendum, the DGP claimed.

Shabnamdeep and his aides set vends and shacks afire last month and sent videos. He purchased a motorcycle and a mobile phone, after which Rs 50,000 was transferred to him by Nihal, the police said.

Sukhraj Singh alias Raju of Nagoke village in Tarn Taran, who was also involved in setting liquor vends ablaze, was recently arrested by the Amritsar police.

Recently, Wazir asked Shabnamdeep to issue press statements under the name of Khalistan Gadar Force and claim responsibility for arson and other terror acts committed by them, the police added. He was assured of Rs 10 lakh for each terror act. On October 24, a pistol and a grenade were delivered to him and he was asked to hurl the grenade at a police station or in a crowded place during the festive season, said Sidhu.

A police team headed by DSP Sukhminder Chauhan and Samana CIA incharge Vijay Kumar cracked the case on the basis of inputs. Shabnamdeeps initial grilling has revealed that he was planning to strike a couple of days before Diwali, the Patiala SSP said.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

Admitting that the text of the history books of PSEB Classes XI and XII was open to modifications, members of the Oversight Committee on Thursday claimed that they had not been given ample time by the Education Department to complete their job.

Saying that they are open to valid objections, the members pointed out that certain changes had already been incorporated in the text like those with reference to the lives of Guru Angad Dev and Guru Gobind Singh.

A committee note said: As professional historians, we welcome constructive suggestions and arguments.

Prof Prithipal Singh Kapoor, former Pro-Vice Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, said it was unfortunate that the understudy text had been approached negatively right from the beginning. Scholars associated with the project have an impeccable record for more than five decades. Instead of appreciating the good work, which is backed with research, the so-called critics were engaged in finding holes, he claimed.

Historian Prof Indu Banga said: Proper research needs time. A tight schedule in middle of an academic session was challenging.

Prof Kirpal Singh, Chairman of the Oversight Committee, said: In reply to the allegation about lesser importance to the life of Gurus, I would like to point out that early life of the Gurus has been given space in text of Class X. Their later life forms part of the text for Classes XI and XII. Due respect has been given to the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev.

Adding to the fact, Prof JS Grewal pointed out that the section title itself was Guru Arjan Devs martyrdom.

Act against authors of sgpc books: Cong

Chandigarh : The Congress on Thursday urged SAD chief Sukhbir Badal and SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal to take action against the authors who distorted facts in history books published by the SGPC.

: The Congress on Thursday urged SAD chief Sukhbir Badal and SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal to take action against the authors who distorted facts in history books published by the SGPC. It seems both Sukhbir and Longowal are ignorant of even contemporary history, otherwise they would not have tried to make distortions in now withdrawn textbook a political issue, said Congress leader Tript Rajinder Bajwa.

He asked as to what action had been taken against the authors of the book on history in Hindi published by the SGPC and had to be withdrawn following protests in 2007.

Referring to objections raised against book Sikh Itihaas published in Hindi by the SGPC in September 2007, Bajwa said news reports had pointed out then that some of passages in context of Sikh Gurus were offensive. After objections were raised by former MP Atinderpal Singh, the distribution of the book was stopped. TNS

Harsimrat flays cong

Bathinda: Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday sought strict action against those distorting Sikh history. Talking to the mediapersons here, Harsimrat said the Akali Dal would not tolerate any attempt to misrepresent Sikh history. Hitting out at the state government over the controversy surrounding Cabinet Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, she alleged that Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was trying to shield the minister. She said the CM should sack Channi. tns
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Chandigarh, November 2

Punjab Environment Minister OP Soni on Friday took exception to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals statement in which he had blamed Punjab for rising pollution levels in the national capital.

During his visit to Chandigarh on Thursday, Kejriwal had said stubble burning in Punjab was the sole reason behind the rising pollution levels in the national capital.

A day later, Soni asked Kejriwal to see facts and logic before holding Punjab farmers responsible.

He said Kejriwal should rather look for the internal reasons of Delhi air pollution as mentioned by the National Green Tribunal in its directions in Vardhaman Kaushik case.

The environment minister advised Kejriwal that he should see the scientific facts and logics before blaming hardworking farmers of Punjab, who he said have opted various means offered by the government to manage paddy stubble and shunning the old practice of burning it in open fields.

Soni claimed that the average air quality index (AQI) of Punjab in the month of October remained below 170, while in Delhi it remained above 350.

The average wind velocity remained below 1.5 km per hour and wind direction was from South East and going to North West but not towards Delhi, he said.

How can air pollutants reach Delhi, which is about 250 km from Punjab border and that too crossing whole of Haryana, which is burning its stubble in open fields, he asked.

Soni said paddy was sown in 65 lakh acres in Punjab and till date about 21,000 fire incidents had been reported which were just 323 fire incidents per one lakh acre.

If the average is calculated per village, it is just less than two fire incidents per village, he said.

Kejriwal must not blame Punjab farmers without going through the scientific facts, figures and logics, the minister said, adding that due to awareness among farmers, this year fire incidents reduced by nearly 35 per cent as compared to last year, while average AQI of the state improved to 170 as against 275 the previous year.

Soni advised Kejriwal not to indulge in blame game but to find out the reasons of air pollution within Delhi and try to take measures so that Delhites may breathe in fresh air.  PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 1

Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday said he had identified five families which had lost their sole breadwinner in the Dasehra train tragedy. He said he would give Rs 8,000 per month to each of the families from his pocket.

The minister claimed that the amount would be transferred into their bank accounts on the first day of every month.

He said he was gathering information about the other families too whose kin were killed in the train tragedy. The minister stated that the families, which had been left with no earning member, would receive financial assistance from him every month.

Meanwhile, Sidhu and Education Minister OP Soni on Thursday visited the residence of slain municipal councillor Gurdeep Pehalwan and handed over an appointment letter to his daughter Harsimrat Kaur.

Sidhu said the state government had promised to give job to a family member of Gurdeep Pehalwan, who was shot dead at Golbagh on June 2. He said they would also provide a job to the late councillors son after he turned 18.

The Education Minister announced that that he would give Rs 20,000 every month from his personal account to the family. He said the deceaseds daughter would be placed as per her qualification and all assistance with regard to her pursuance of higher education would be provided.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 2

Former MLA Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu joined the magisterial probe into the Amritsar train tragedy on Friday. She appeared before Jalandhar Divisional Commissioner B Purushartha, who is conducting the inquiry, at the office of the Improvement Trust here.

Her husband, Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, did not turn up, but she submitted his written statement before the panel. Both had been summoned by Purushartha.

Dr Sidhu was the chief guest at the Dasehra function at Joda Phatak on October 19, when a train had mowed down spectators, claiming the lives of 60 of them.

I have come to counter the misinformation being spread by vested interests. I told the inquiry officer whatever I was asked, she said. Dr Sidhu has been accused of arriving late for the function and leaving the venue minutes after the accident took place.

On the ministers absence, she said, Following a request, the officer accepted his written statement as he could not make it due to prior engagements.

Purushartha said, He (minister) submitted that he was not in Amritsar between October 17 and 20 and had no input to provide regarding the incident. I have exempted him from appearance as of now. I have got satisfactory feedback from Dr Sidhu.

The Divisional Railway Manager, Ferozepur, and the Divisional Security Officer also appeared before the inquiry officer on Friday.

The DMU locopilot (driver), Arvind Kumar, and the gateman on duty at Joda Phatak on October 19, Amit Kumar, were examined separately by the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Beas police station and the Divisional Commissioner in Jalandhar on Thursday.

Purushartha said the witnesses, including the organisers, and the Sidhu couple could be summoned again, if needed.

Rlys orders inquiry

New Delhi: The Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, Lucknow Division, will probe the Amritsar train tragedy. The inquiry has been ordered by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal after a demand was made by Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla. He met the minister and handed over a letter seeking an inquiry. The Railway Ministry said, As per law, in such cases it is not mandatory to conduct an inquiry by the Chief Commissioner of Railway

Safety, but it is not impermissible either. In the past, such an inquiry was conducted when some persons were run over on the tracks. TNS
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 1

The 34th anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was observed in New Delhi, Chandigarh and other cities on Thursday. Several resolutions, including one seeking completion of the investigation within a time frame to ensure justice to the victims, were adopted.

A panel discussion on Genocide November 1984: Justice still awaited was organised under the aegis of The Sikh Forum, an NGO led by Pushpinder Singh Chopra, in New Delhi. A one-minute silence was observed in memory of the victims. A resolution seeking declaration of the violence as Sikh Genocide Day was also passed.

Former Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly HS Phoolka alleged that the violence against Sikhs was unleashed at the behest of the establishment.

Ex-MP and former chairman of the National Commission for Minorities Tarlochan Singh said: It is a shame that the government of the day and society failed to protect the Sikhs for three days.

In Chandigarh, the Sukhpal Khaira-led group of AAP MLAs staged a dharna in Sector 17, demanding justice for the riot victims.
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Beijing, November 2

China on Friday reportedly agreed to provide USD 6 billion in aid to cash-strapped Pakistan to minimise its dependence on an IMF bailout package as Prime Minister Imran Khan on a maiden visit here held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Khan, who arrived here in the early hours of Friday on a four-day visit, met Xi in the Great Hall of People where the two leaders also held one-on-one meeting besides delegation-level talks, Pakistan media reports said.

Pakistan is expected to receive USD 6 billion economic package from China during the visit, Pakistans Geo TV reported.

A loan of USD 1.5 billion is also expected to be offered, along with an additional package of USD three billion for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the report said.

The loan and the investments were reportedly part of the USD six billion package.

There is no official comment from Beijing yet on the report.

This is the second USD 6 billion package which Khan has managed to obtain in the last few weeks as Pakistan reeled under severe financial crisis.

Earlier during his visit to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh committed USD 6 billion funding which included USD 3 billion deferred payment for oil imports.

Pakistan Finance Minister Asad Umar, who is accompanying Khan, earlier told media in Islamabad that his governments strategy was to seek loans from multiple sources instead of asking the International Monetary Fund (IMF) alone to plug the entire gap in the countrys financing needs.

Khans visit evoked considerable interest here as it comes in the wake of his past criticism of the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and remarks by his ministers to cut down some of the projects over debt concern.

Khans visit to China will provide an opportunity for the two countries to open a new chapter of bilateral relations under the new circumstances, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Monday. PTI
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Cairo, November 2

Gunmen killed at least seven Christians in an attack on a bus near a Coptic monastery in Egypt on Friday, authorities said  the most serious assault on the minority in more than a year.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but militants linked to Islamic State have regularly targeted Christians.

The attackers struck close to Saint Samuel the Confessor monastery in Minya, 260 km (160 miles) up the river Nile from Cairo, the Archbishop of Minya, Anba Makarious, told Reuters.

The attack took place very close to the spot where gunmen killed 28 Christians in a similar assault in May 2017.

"Terrorists opened fire on a tour bus from Sohag province, heading back from the ... monastery," the archbishop said. He had earlier said the bus was approaching the monastery.

He said seven people were killed and 14 were wounded. State news agency MENA, citing a security source, put the number of injured at seven and said the bus was transporting Christians.

Local residents said the bus was part of a convoy.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he mourned the victims as martyrs and vowed to push ahead with a campaign against militants.

"I assert our determination to fight dark terrorism and to pursue the perpetrators," he said on Twitter.

Egypt has been waging a major military and security campaign, mainly in Sinai, but also on the border with Libya to crush militants behind a wave of attacks on security forces and civilians, including Christians.

Egypt says fighting Islamist militants is a priority to restore security after the years of turmoil that followed the "Arab Spring" protests in 2011.

Egypt's public prosecutor ordered an investigation and said her had sent a team of investigators to the location and to nearby hospitals.  Reuters
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United Nations, November 1

Political incitement to violence against journalists is toxic, a group of independent, UN-appointed human rights experts have said as they called on nations to take firm steps to ensure accountability for attacks against scribes.

They particularly highlighted the killing earlier this month of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and condemned the response of UN member states, the international community and the United Nations itself, for the failure to address his enforced disappearance and apparent murder.

Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Saudis, under intense pressure to explain Khashoggis whereabouts, have offered conflicting accounts.

They initially said he had left the consulate on October 2, but later admitted that he had been killed in a fight.

The only way forward is to establish an independent, transparent and credible investigation into his murder, one authorised by and reporting to the United Nations. Anything short of a complete investigation, recognised as such by the international community, will make a mockery of government claims of commitment to the safety of journalists, they said.

Ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, marked on November 2, the experts said in a statement that these last weeks have demonstrated once again the toxic nature and outsized reach of political incitement against journalists, and we demand that it stop.

The experts include David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; and Bernard Duhaime, Chair of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

They strongly urged nations to take firm steps to ensure accountability for violence and attacks against journalists, reversing and resisting the appalling trend of impunity.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) says that, between 2006 and 2017, over 1,000 journalists were killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public; an average of one death every four days.

In nine out of ten cases the killers go unpunished, and this impunity, say the UN experts, triggers further violence and attacks: perpetrators must be brought to justice, and victims and families should have access to remedies.

High-level international commitments already exist, such as a resolution on the safety of journalists, adopted by the Human Rights Council in September. The UN experts called on world leaders to implement such resolutions and end their role in inciting hatred and violence against the media.

On this years International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the UNESCO is launching a new campaign, Truth Never Dies, to raise awareness of this situation, and is calling for media partners to support the initiative by publishing stories by, and about, journalists killed as a result of their work. PTI
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Islamabad, November 1

Radical Islamists burnt tyres and blocked major roads as they held protests across Pakistan for the second day on Thursday against the acquittal of a Christian woman sentenced to death for committing blasphemy, defying PM Imran Khans stern warning.

Asia Bibi (47) was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam.

The judgment triggered protests across Pakistan with protesters led by Islamic political party Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan and other groups blocking major highways and roads in the country.

On Wednesday, Section 144 was imposed till November 10 across Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.

The largest province of Punjab decided to close down schools for a day and also cancelled supplementary secondary school certificate examination.  PTI
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Colombo, November 1

Sri Lankas suspended Parliament will not be convened before November 16, a senior leader from President Maithripala Sirisenas UPFA said on Thursday, hours after officials at Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksas office said the House would meet on Monday.

Susil Premjayantha, a senior parliamentarian from Sirisenas United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), said Parliament was unlikely to meet on November 5.

He said Parliament needs time to prepare to meet and there was not enough time to meet on Monday.

Premjayantha said reports claiming Parliament would meet on Monday were misleading and the House was most likely to meet on November 16, as announced by the president earlier.

Sirisena had suspended Parliament till November 16 after Wickremesinghe sought an emergency session to prove his majority.

The President is facing increasing political and diplomatic pressure to reconvene Parliament which he had suspended apparently to allow Rajapaksa to engineer crossovers from Wickremesinghes side.

Meanwhile, Sirisena has sworn in three more Cabinet ministers, four state ministers and a deputy minister this evening.

The President is keeping open government positions to lure Wickremesinghe lawmakers to join him and provide Rajapaksa with 113 seats to prove the new Prime Ministers majority.

Wickremesinghe maintains he still commands the majority and remains the legally appointed Prime Minister. The ousted premier has already suffered five defections to Rajapaksa.  PTI

After China, Pak backs Rajapaksa as PM

Colombo: Pakistan on Thursday became the third country after China and Burundi to recognise Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, which is facing political turmoil after his appointment. Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Ahmat Hashmat called on Rajapaksa and offered congratulations to the former strongman. PTI
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London, November 2

The Bank of England on Friday asked the public to submit nominations of prominent British scientists to appear on a new 50 pound note.

Governor Mark Carney said the figure can come from any field of science  but I have ruled out economists.

The current 50 pound note (worth USD 65) features steam-engine pioneers Matthew Boulton and James Watt.

The UKs highest-denomination note is the last to be redesigned and switched from paper to more secure and durable polymer.

Theres no shortage of individuals to nominate. From physicist Stephen Hawking, who died in March, to Dorothy Hodgkin, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964.

Suggestions can be made on the banks website until December 14.

A committee will create a shortlist from the recommendations, and Carney will make the final choice next year.

The bank says the individual must be dead, and real  to avoid a repeat of the process that saw the public choose Boaty McBoatface for a new research ship.

The bank is converting its notes into plastic to make them harder to counterfeit.

A new 10-pound note with author Jane Austen went into circulation last year, and a 20-pound note featuring artist JMW Turner will be produced in 2020.  AP
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Washington: An American woman has been found alive six days after her car flew off a highway and landed on a mesquite tree in the state of Arizona, the police said on Wednesday. The 53-year-old woman was travelling on national route 60 near Wickenburg, about 80 km north of Phoenix, when she lost control on October 12, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said in a news release. AFP

UK plans fund for Indians who fought World Wars

London: The UK government has unveiled plans to offer support to Indian soldiers who fought for Britain during the two World Wars but lost out on pensions and other benefits accrued to British armed forces personnel at the time. UK International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said the government was keen to rectify the injustice faced by Indian and other Commonwealth war veterans, many of whose families are now living in harsh conditions. PTI

Argentinas capital unveils its first Maradona statue

Buenos Aires: Argentines celebrated the 58th birthday of Diego Maradona on Wednesday by unveiling a bronze statue of the soccer legend that recreates his goal against England that was voted the greatest of the 20th century. Maradonas birthday was on October 30, but the unveiling was postponed a day due to rain. The statue is located near the Argentinos Juniors club stadium in Buenos Aires, where he made his career debut in 1976. AP
THE murder toll continues to rise following the shooting deaths of three men in separate incidents between Thursday evening and yesterday morning.

The killings took place in Laventille, San Juan and Freeport.

Two of the victims have been identified as Aaron Thomas and Nathaniel Phillip, while the victim in the Freeport incident remained unidentified up to yesterday evening.
Agree to spend your time in SE Queensland at that time of year.

Look in to one way car hire costs - if you get a deal with flying from Brisbane to LEI and can then pick up a car in Hervey Bay and it won't cost much in one way fees then all good. If you get stung silly fees, then look at driving up from Brisbane to HB - you could overnight at Noosa on the way up, and Caloundra on the way back down, and I highly recommend adding a day trip or overnight tour of Fraser Island while you are in Hervey Bay.

With all there is to do in the region, you will find you are short of time whatever you choose, but I know you will enjoy it

If you want any info re good suburbs while you are studying, let us know.

For getting to know what to do in Brisbane, have a look at these websites:

www.mustdobrisbane.com.

Cheers.
Hi,

We plan on flying to New York (from the UK) and driving down to Florida.

We would love to know if there are any must sees to help plan our route.

We will be including the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Weve 4 children who will be 11,9,4 and 3, and we will be travelling from the end of July for 4 weeks. We plan to stay in hotels and Air B n B along the way.

Any help or suggestions most welcomed
Re: Tokyo to Kawaguchiko to Hakone to Kyoto

1. Re: Tokyo to Kawaguchiko to Hakone to Kyoto

Q1. Both options are doable. If you're travelling during weekends/public holidays from mid-April thru late Nov, better book online in advance.

Q2. The annual Koyo festival would have finished around 23rd Nov. Refer to Japan guide on spots in Fuji 5-lake.

Q3. by buses with a transfer in Gotemba station to Hakone Togendai.

Consider buying the Fuji-Hakone Pass which saves in your case.

Take Tokaido Shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto direct.

use hyperdia.com to check train schedules, fares.
Thank you for all the help planning this trip, here my report:

27oct Shirakawago

Arrive at Kansai Airport 5.35am, T2

After departure, take a shuttle bus near the departure gate to aeroplaza. Go up the escalator to jr west ticket office to exchange Kansai Hokuriku pass

6.40am Haruka (non reserved seat car 5) - 7.37am Shin-osaka arrive track 3

7.44am same platform track 4, Thunderbird - 10.25am Kanazawa

Deposit luggage at Hotel Vista

12.40pm East gate gate 2, use the reserved ticket email to board hokutetsu bus to Shirakawago 14.05pm

Once reached buy the return ticket Shirakawago to Takayama since the hida train track is still under service. It is okay to buy tickets from different bus company (toyama chiho and hontetsu) and still pay the return trip price. Return ticket is not available for web booking.

Drizzling day, immediately go to queue for shuttle bus to observation deck

The view is very scenic. There is another view pt at the car park. Walk back to the main observation deck, walked down to the village.

Walked towards suspension bridge, the cloudy weather hide the backdrop scenery.Small village, easy to walk around within 2 hr

16.15pm Shirakawago - 17.20 Takayama

Already quite dark, walked to K house oasis, very near to station.

28 Oct Kamikochi

No advance ticket available, First bus 7am

Went to bus station, near the train station. Buy the return ticket 5040 to Kamikochi

7am Takayama - 7.58 Hirayu Onsen, 8.00 Hirayu Onsen - 8.16am Taishoike.

Taisho pond - Tashiro pond (left lane) - Taishiro bridge (right lane, dont need cross bridge) - kappa bridge (cross bridge) - myojin bridge, reach around 11am. Not really scenic, no water in lake.

To return, fastest way, cross myojin bridge - walk thru the forest, pass by camp area - kappa bridge - kamikochi bus terminal 11.35am

Do queue up 15-20min earlier, else once bus full, you need to wait 2nd bus half hr later.

Kamikochi is very beautiful, must go.

12pm kamikocki - 12.25 Hirayu Onsen, 12.40 Hirayu Onsen - 13.30 Takayama

14.30pm Takayama - 15.20 Shirakawago

16.15pm Shirakawago - 17.20 Kanazawa(I reserved online, use confirmation email printout to board the bus)

29 oct Kanazawa

Although can take free Jr bus with kansai hokuriku pass, but we still buy the 500 one day bus tkt.

Omicho mkt, dt museum, ken-rokuen, higashi chaya (a pricy place)

With the day pass you can board any bus

30 oct Kurobe Gorge

Raining day

7.23am via Haktaka train, Kanazawa - 7.59am kurobe-unazukiOnsen - walk 5min to Shin kurobe station

8.14am via Toyama Chiho) Shin kurobe - 8.46 unazuki-onsen

Once out of station, turn left walk 5min. 9.21am unazuki - 10.39 keyakidaira

As it was drizzling, those taking regular seat worn rain coat. Quite cold too.

Must sit on right side, else you will be disappointed.

At keyakidaira, staff there are very kind to borrow us umbrella to walk to saruboten observation deck. Took half an hr. We also walked 15min to nearby onsen and return

13.31 keyakidaira - 14.48 unazuki - walk 5min - 15.39 unazuki onsen - 16.04 Shin-kurobe - walk 5min - 16.45 kurobe-unazukionsen - 16.57 Toyama

Overnight at Toyama Toyoko Inn in front of train station

31 oct Himi

We planned to visit alpine route, but due to rain and mt murodo is snowing, we decided to go Himi as suggested by tourist info counter, 10min walk from train station

Himi a very quiet village, train drove along the seas, a different experience

We went for a free foot bath, eat lunch. Not much tourist around, maybe is weekday. All places are walkable.

1 Nov Alpine route

Weather forecast says is sunnny

5.25am Toyama - 6.16 Tateyama

We are informed that the staffs are clearing the snow, we cant rake 7.20 cable car

7.50am Tateyama - bijodaira

8.20 bijodaira - 9.10 mt murodo

Sit on left side can see waterfall. The whole area is like winter wonderland.

Mt murodo is full of snow, no wind and not snowing anymore.

We walk around the snow to nearby pond. Advise to wear sunglasses.

We return to tateyama after 30 -45min there.

Tateyama - Toyama - osaka- tennoji, get our dinner, and go to rinkutown stargate hotel. Walked to 24hr trial center. Very cheap supermarket.

2 Nov home

5.50 stargate hotel free bus to kansai airport t2

Home
Hi All,

I have some some great experiences with the communities on these forums on my US road trip and tour around parts of Europe. Hoping I will be able to learn some more before I take my next trip

This is very overwhelming. I have reading through lots forums, blogs and a few travel sites. We are heading over to Japan next year in March/April for the first time. Just the two of us, both about 30. We have really only done big trips in Europe and US so far (6 weeks & 11 weeks). This one will be a month trip. Hoping to get some suggestions or redirections. We are fairly fast paced travelers (11 week loop around US camping and loved it). The things that are interesting us in Japan are history, tradition, nature, different cultural experiences and food. Sure there is 100 other things we are interested in. But generally we just want to move around see new and interesting things. Can find interest in most things. Generally not going out to clubs or sitting by a pool at a resort though.

We don't plan to drive. Looking like JR pass will be the go for most of it so will want to make the most of it and use it where we can. Flying in & out of Toyko because we got direct Flights from Melbourne and were happy with the tickets. I still have a lot to plan and really only just starting to piece it together. However want to get some accommodation booked in really soon for some places as I can already see it booking out.

Currently this is what I have. By no means final and missing a couple days. List the locations where I am thinking of staying the night. Few things might be out of order or could be done better. We want to leave Tokyo to last as my wife quite keen on shopping and bringing home more luggage. Don't to lug that around at the start. Some of the choices we have made are for interests like Onsens, snow monkeys, rural villages, nature, Buddhist temple, and possible cherry blossoms. We want to leave a day or two flexible somewhere to be able to travel elsewhere if things don't align with the cherry blossoms.

Thought about going down around Nagasaki way but thought we might be pushing it too much.

Day 1 Mon, Mar 18, 2019  Tokyo - Fly in Narita  Land 8.40am

Day 2 Tue, Mar 19, 2019  Yamanouchi

Day 3 Wed, Mar 20, 2019  Matsumoto

Day 4 Thu, Mar 21, 2019  Magome / Tsumago Kiso Valley  walk between towns

Day 5 Fri, Mar 22, 2019  Nagoya

Day 6 Sat, Mar 23, 2019  Takayama

Day 7 Sun, Mar 24, 2019  Takayama

Day 8 Mon, Mar 25, 2019  Shirakawago

Day 9 Tue, Mar 26, 2019  Kanazawa

Day 10 Wed, Mar 27, 2019  Kanazawa

Day 11 Thu, Mar 28, 2019  Kyoto

Day 12 Fri, Mar 29, 2019  Kyoto

Day 13 Sat, Mar 30, 2019  Kyoto

Day 14 Sun, Mar 31, 2019  Kyoto

Day 15 Mon, Apr 1, 2019  Nara

Day 16 Tue, Apr 2, 2019  Mount Koya

Day 17 Wed, Apr 3, 2019  Osaka

Day 18 Thu, Apr 4, 2019  Osaka

Day 19 Fri, Apr 5, 2019  Hiroshima

Day 20 Sat, Apr 6, 2019  Himeji via Okunoshima island perhaps

Day 21 Sun, Apr 7, 2019  Miyazu  Amanohashidate

Day 22 Mon, Apr 8, 2019

Day 23 Tue, Apr 9, 2019  Fuji Five Lakes  Lake Kawaguchiko

Day 24 Wed, Apr 10, 2019  Tokyo Day trip to Nikko

Day 25 Thu, Apr 11, 2019 - Tokyo Day trip to ....

Day 26 Fri, Apr 12, 2019  Tokyo

Day 27 Sat, Apr 13, 2019  Tokyo

Day 28 Sun, Apr 14, 2019 - Tokyo

Day 29 Mon, Apr 15, 2019  Tokyo Fly out Narita  Take off 10.30am
We have done Vanuatu (Efate only) fairly thoroughly. The Yasawas and part of Nadi/Denarau in Fiji.

My choice - difficult one. For diving I would go to the Yasawas - definitely the better option there.

But Fiji is more expensive than Vanuatu.

Both have pros and cons. Fiji mainland is a lot more civilised (?) if thats the right word. Vanuatu not so much, but definitely getting there.

Both peoples are just so happy and friendly.

If I was 22 again I would choose Fiji - without a doubt, and stay at Barefoot Manta. Very much a good place for a young person wanting to meet travellers with the same mindset. Also its reasonably priced as far as Fiji goes and the snorkelling and diving is exceptional!

I hope you enjoy whichever you choose!
>>Do they do the whole fireworks thing on New Year's Eve<<

No, the Japanese do not normally celebrate the New Year with fireworks. For fireworks, come in summer, as it's traditionally a summer festival activity in Japan, sometimes in commemoration of those who passed away (during war, fire, or famine).

Edited: 3 years ago
How much time do you want to spend in the lounge? I can see an hour or two being enjoyable. Are you planning on 3 hours? Longer?

Most airlines will accept checked luggage 4 hours in advance. Some will accept it 6 hours in advance.

So it may be a moot point, unless youre planning on spending 4+ hours in the lounge.
If near the F train you can be in midtown in about 45 minutes. It's a mixed area of residential and commercial - not much in the way of interesting dining or shopping. Not a place I'd want to spend a vacation.

If it's in a building with three or more units the illegal hotel law that prohibits AirBnB style rentals applies (as it does in all 5 boroughs on NYC) If it's a one or two family house it might be legal - but IIRC houses that might be legal in that area would be a bit of a hike to the subway

If you want help finding a legal place that is more conveniently located start a fresh thread with a title that will get the attention of the hotel experts. Specify 1) travel dates 2) room/bed configuration needed and 3) hotel budget
Representatives from the media have been told not to attend.

The family and friends have requested privacy and respectfully asks that no media attend the event.

It is requested media be respectful of the familys wishes, said a Queensland Police spokesperson.

Police and Ms Cordingleys loved ones are yet to find out who is responsible for her murder.

The 24 year-old was killed when she went to the beach to take her dog for an afternoon walk.

Despite an appeal for public assistance leading to more than 600 calls to Crime Stoppers, there has been no breakthrough in the investigation.
- Kenya was ranked as the African country with much ease of doing business

- In the world, it was listed in position 61 and this has caused alot of excitement

- Government and KEPSA claimed responsibility for the remarkable performance

The latest ease of doing business report by World Bank has left President Uhuru Kenyatta and Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) jolly over the country's top ranking.

In the report, Kenya was ranked 61 globally as a country with an environment that encouraged business and investments to thrive.

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READ ALSO: Kenya jumps 19 places in Africa in ease of doing business index by World Bank

Uhuru, Kenya Private Sector Alliance over the moon as Kenya ranks top in ease of doing business globally

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Equity bank emerges top in terms of customer experience in Kenya

In Africa, World Bank ranked Kenya as the second after Rwanda as an economy with a healthy business environment.

Both Uhuru and KEPSA, separately claimed to have overseen events that catapulted the country to international recognition.

READ ALSO: Detectives arrest two people repackaging expired wheat flour in Dandora

On his part, the president stated the development was made possible by a series of government flagship programs he oversaw since he clinched office in 2013.

Since I took office in 2013, it has been my administration's singular focus to position Kenya as a preferred gate way to Africa for regional, foreign but also for domestic development. Through hard work, this aspiration is evolving right before our eyes and it is turning into a reality.

We strive each day to create an environment conducive for business by implementing a raft of measures to attract investments, accelerate economic growth and create jobs," stated Uhuru.

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The private sector lobby group through a statement seen by TUKO.co.ke also claimed to have pushed the country to its current ranking.

Through its Chair Nick Nesbitt, KEPSA said it had pushed the government to implement a raft of changes after a series of meetings and wide consultation.

"All these achievements have been made possible through KEPSAs various engagement structures established in partnership with the government over the years including Presidential Round table, Speakers Round table, Ministerial Stakeholders Forums, among others that have been crucial in ensuring a stable, secure and enabling business environment where all businesses large and small, domestic and foreign can start, grow and thrive.

KEPSA has been pushing for the simplification of these tax processes, reduction of tax burdens and widening the tax base and this has been achieved through the iTax. This can be seen through the reduction of time spent making tax payment from 308 hours in 2014 to 179.5 hours this year," the statement read

Through its Chair Nick Nesbitt, KEPSA said it had pushed the government to implement the raft of changes after a series of meetings and wide consultation. Photo: President Uhuru Kenyatta's Twitter

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Uhuru tells Central Kenya leaders to stop taking his silence for granted

Uhuru, nonetheless, noted the private sector was a key area which the government needed to directly focus on.

This, he observed, would yield better results and push the country towards becoming a continental economic giant by 2030.

"We seek to strengthen Public Private Partnerships to deliver on the Big 4 Agenda and the improved Ease of Doing Business will definitely catapult us to achieve our development goals. I appreciate those people who have put in the work to ensure we achieve this milestone.

We may have a few rotten apples, but I can assure you that the bulk of the Civil Service is a committed group of people determined to see the improvement of their country and betterment of the lives of citizens," noted the Head of State.

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Shosh Cecilia: Ladies Stop Dating Sponsors | Tuko TV.

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- Maeza Ashinagi was nominated as the country's Chief Justice

- Ethiopia's Prime Minister cited her competence and experience as her greatest assets

- Her appointment came barely days after Ethiopia made history by electing its first female president

- The country also boasts of the highest number of female ministers among peers globally

The female leadership wave in Ethiopia is showing no signs of slowing down after the country welcomed its first female Chief Justice and President of the Federal Supreme Court.

Maeza Ashinafi was nominated by Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, before the House of People's Representatives and Legislative chamber unanimously voted for her.

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READ ALSO: Ethiopia's PM makes history by appointing Cabinet made up of 50% women

Maeza Ashinafi had been nominated by Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, before the House of peoples Representatives and Legislative chamber unanimously voted for her.

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Rwanda follows Ethiopia's example by appointing Cabinet made up of 50% women

Ashinafi, who was once a human rights activist and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2015, was sworn-in on Thursday, November 1.

She is also reported to have served as a judge in the county's High Court and is renown for working on pro bono cases to serve the less fortunate in society.

According to the prime minister who has been keen on ensuring gender balance in government, Ashinafi's competence and relevant experience are what qualified her for the position .

READ ALSO: Trade boost as Uhuru opens another ultra-modern market in line with Vision 2030

This came barely days after lawmakers approved the appointment of Ethiopias first female President, Sahle-Work Zewde.

An astute international civil servant and diplomat, Zewde was at the time of her appointment serving as top official of the United Nations chief to the African Union.

This followed the appointment of a gender-balanced Cabinet with 50% women, with the country giving sensitive portfolios of Defence and the Peace Ministry to women just a fortnight ago.

READ ALSO: 'Ghost MPs' show up in Parliament during Finance Bill voting

While announcing the new Cabinet on Tuesday, October 17, the PM noted he was also keen on appreciating the contribution of women in the growth of the country's economy.

The country's new Cabinet will now have 10 men and 10 women, some of whom took up positions that were previously held by their male counterparts.

This is to show respect to our women for the contribution they have made to the country. The new Cabinet is expected to reform their respective ministries, get rid of bureaucracy, and bring innovation and technology to enhance service delivery, Ahmed said.

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Former Auntie Boss actress Nyce Wanjeri and her hubby Titus Wagithomo have parted ways, TUKO.co.ke has learnt.

The unexpected breakup was first made public by Wagithomo who took to social media to share the same with his fans.

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READ ALSO: Award winning actress Shiro exits Auntie Boss show, denies she was fired

READ ALSO: Ex-Auntie Boss actress Shiro lands new job at local TV barely days after exiting show

Taking to Facebook on Thursday, November 1, night, the musician revealed their marriage suffered thanks to his wife who had become an absentee in the union.

According to Wagithomo, things started going south following Nyce's success in the TV world.

Because of her absenteeism, the union lost its spark since there was no bonding and family time.

''Why am I using Facebook? My marriage is over. So painful I swear. I saw it coming though. Success causes absenteeism, lack of bonding and lack of family time. Why did I imagine we last forever? We are both artists. It's not normal. It doesn't work.'' Wagithomo wrote.

READ ALSO: Meet another beautiful Kenyan actress making it big in Nollywood

A reliable source intimated to TUKO.co.ke the breakup dealt Wagithomo a big blow as he even tried to harm himself.

''A day ago, he said he wanted to end it. We looked for him everywhere in vain. He was not even answering our calls.'' the source told TUKO.co.ke on phone.

The breakup shook quite a multitude of the couple's fans who could not believe the two were no longer an item.

READ ALSO: Ex-Kilifi MP Gideon Mung'aro buys Prado for musician who campaigned for him

It should be noted Nyce's marriage came to an end just months after she opted out of Auntie Boss over contractual differences.

Despite her exit, the actress clinched the Best Actress Comedy Movie/TV Series award in the 2018 AMVCA awards, a fete that catapulted her even further in her acting career.

The couple has a daughter together and have been enjoying their happily ever after until the recent break up.

Nyce had not opened up about the split at the time of publishing this story.

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Shosh Cecilia Story Continues: Shosh Cecilia Gets New Teeth | Tuko TV

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- A section of MPs said revelations by Agriculture CS Kiunjuri that over four million bags of maize were illegally imported was reason enough to summon his predecessor Willy Bett

- Dagoretti MP Simba Arati called on Director of Public Prosecutions to recall Bett from Kenya's High Commission in India

- The MP argued the illegal dealings that led to the rot of over 50% of maize at NCPB happened under Bett's tenure

- Legislators said he would be better placed to point out individuals who imported the extra maize which denied local farmers market

The stench of the rot in National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores could haunt former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett as he sits in Kenya's Embassy offices in New Delhi, India.

This is after a section of MPs probing the maize scandal at the agency established over four million bags of maize were illegally imported during the tenure of Bett who was appointed Kenya's ambassador to India.

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READ ALSO: Parents of KCPE candidates who deliver on exam day could be arrested - Government

Former Agriculture CS Willy Bett is accused of allowing illegal importation of 4.4 million bags of maize at a cost of KSh 3 million per bag during his tenure. Photo: The Star

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Form Four boys in Kitui break into girls' dormitory

Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati who is also a member of the Agriculture Committee in Parliament said the admission by current CS Mwangi Kiunjuri that 10 million bags of grains were imported against the approved six million bags was reason enough to have Bett grilled.

He called on the Director of Public Prosecutions to look into the issues raised by Kiunjuri before Parliament's ad hoc committee on Wednesday, October 31, and consider recalling the ex-CS back to give answers to happenings which took place under his watch at the Agriculture Ministry.

"The DPP should find a reason to call Bett back from India to appear before Parliament and help give answers to the serious revelations by his predecessor Mwangi Kiunjuri who admitted over four million unauthorised bags of maize entered the country denying local farmers market," said Arati.

Kiunjuri however, failed to exactly point out individuals behind the importation of the extra 4.4 million bags of maize each bought at KSh 3,000, making the MPs consider having Bett who was in service to help unravel the mystery.

Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri told Parliament that over 4 million bags of maize were imported illegally before he was appointed. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Notorious Kakamega village woman eater busted with Class 7 pupil in bush

Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen backed the need to grill the ambassador but reiterated the process of law be followed before summoning Ruto's wedding best man.

"If the process of law will establish a prima facie (substantial) case against any investigated person including Bett, then he should come back home and help give answers," Murkomen said.

Arati argued the ex-CS had mismanaged importation of maize through a vague notice which was abused by unscrupulous traders to flood local market besides irregular payment of deliveries by NCPB.

These happenings follow a revelation by Kiunjuri that over 60% of the maize in NCPB stores was declared unfit for human consumption by Kenya Bureau of Standards, saying the consignment was imported in October 2017 before his appointment.

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Why Jacque Maribe's lover(Jowi) will remain behind bars for 8more months| Tuko TV

Source: Tuko Newspaper
- Communication Authority of Kenya has initiated a study which will guide regulation of WhatsApp and Skype

- WhatsApp and Skype fall under Over The Top Services (OTTS) and are owned by Facebook and Microsoft respectively

- The regulator seeks to ensure owners of the two messaging services comply with security agencies demand for data like mobile phone service providers

- Regulators world over argue the applications must enabled phone calls and texts via internet be regulated same way with service providers they replaced

The government of Kenya has began working on a plan which will see it have control over online platforms popular among the populations like WhatsApp and Skype.

The move deemed radical if successful will force service providers over the internet to allow access and share with government authorities data from users.

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READ ALSO: Airtel beats Safaricom, Telkom as firm with best customer experience

Communication Authority Boss Francis Wangusi. The agency has commissioned consultants to establish a structure in which the regulation will be made possible. Photo: Daily Nation.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: All eyes on William Rutos ally as maize scandal unfolds

Communications Authority of Kenya disclosed it was in the process of assigning a consultant to study and come up with structure which will make it possible for government authorities to have some control like it was doing with phone calls and text messages.

The authority indicated there was a need to monitor WhatsApp which falls under the Over The Top Services (OTTS) operated by groups such as Facebook.

This move could also see Skype with is an OTTS of Micrsoft monitored and regulated.

"Providers of WhatsApp and Skype services among other OTTS are in a position to gather data of their subscribers which could not be permanently from Kenya. Recommendations of the study will give guidance on the exact aspects to be covered under mandatory regulation," a statement by CA read.

The move will see government have authority to demand data from owners of the OTTS services like Whatsapp and Skype like they do with phone calls and text messages. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

Regulations by CA would therefore demand owners of the two OTTS abide by security and privacy provisions in the law of Kenya alongside guiding their compliance with security agencies in availing data.

Currently, Kenyan laws require telecommunications and mobile service providers like Safaricom, Airtel and Telekom comply with requests to avail information by security agencies.

The move by CA is, however, not unique to Kenya with several international regulators attempting to implement control measures on the American companies which dominate the sector.

European regulators argue that OTTS which facilitates making of calls and sending of text messages through the internet should be regulated the same way with services they have replaced.

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Why Jacque Maribe's lover(Jowi) will remain behind bars for 8more months| Tuko TV

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- The government said the tilapia import ban was set to kick off in January 2019

- Kenya had already written to respective firms indicating cancellation of business

- China expressed displeasure in the ban and threatened to impose trade sanctions

- Government backtracked and said it was developing frameworks of handling tilapia imports

The government has bowed to pressure from China and suspended a recent ban it had imposed on tilapia fish imports from the Asian nation and which was set to kick off in January 2019.

The ban was made public and the same relayed to the Chinese embassy by the Department of Fisheries on Wednesday, October 24.

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READ ALSO: China threatens to stop SGR funding after Kenya bans Chinese fish imports

The ban, which has now been put on hold, was made public and the same relayed to the Chinese embassy by the Department of Fisheries on Wednesday, October 24. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kisumu fishmongers oppose Uhuru's ban on fish imports from China

But in another statement issued on Monday, October 29, the department's acting director general Susan Imende lifted the embargo to allow for what she termed as consultations between Nairobi and Beijing.

"This is to inform you that the same had been put to stay to allow further consultations, assessments, and development of frameworks for handling tilapia imports," the statement read.

READ ALSO: Uhuru tells government officials to declare Chinese fish bad to boost local traders

The move which saw the government quickly shift its position has raised questions as to whether its is aimed at cooling the raging trade wars between the two countries.

This unfolds even as President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to make another trip to Shanghai for the China International Import Expo set to start on Monday, November 5.

This unfolds even as President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to make another trip to Shanghai for China International Import Expo set to start on Monday, November 5. President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Source: Facebook

Earlier, the Chinese government had threatened to withhold funding for the second phase of Naivasha-Kisumu Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to protest against the ban.

READ ALSO: Chinese company under fire as several fish and wildlife are found dead in BLOODY stream (photos)

Speaking to a section of Kenyan politicians on Tuesday, October 30, China's Acting Ambassador Li Xuhang confirmed Kenya's department of fisheries had served their consulate with a letter imposing the ban of importation of fish from its market.

"We have received a letter from the department of fisheries canceling all fish importation applications from China. The move is shocking and we could respond to it the way we did with the US after it imposed tariffs on goods from our markets," Xuhang said.

The department of fisheries was prompted to announce the ban after Uhuru's order to government officials to devise creative means to ensure Chinese fish which had flooded local market does not get into the country.

This also came amid concerns that Chinese nationals have deeply infiltrated the local job market and they have taken up even casual jobs.

In a move to mitigate this, Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua said he would table a proposal in the National Assembly to bar foreigners from being awarded tenders valued at less than KSh 1 billion.

Gachagua said the proposal would go a long way in cushioning Kenyans from unfair job and resources competition waged by Chinese and other foreigners.

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Kenya's Former Gangsters Now Cleaning Nairobi City - Kenya Untold Stories | Tuko TV.

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- A high level delegation was sent to lure the former governor to join and work with the government

- The delegation was led by DP Ruto's aide Farouk Kibet, four governors, two senators and 11 MCAs

- Isaac Ruto has been in the political cold since he lost the gubernatorial seat to his Jubilee rival

Deputy President William Ruto has moved in speed to sharpen his political weapons and gather his troops in the Rift Valley region ahead of the 2022 elections in a bid to avoid further political split.

The DP has now chosen to mend fences with his former ally and Bomet ex-governor Isaac Ruto who turned his foe ahead of the August 2017 General Election.

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READ ALSO: Form Four boys in Kitui break into girls' dormitory

Former Bomet governor Isaac Ruto has been in the political cold until recently when he defended Mau Forest evictees. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Meru senator threatens to shoot wife in their Runda home

A high level delegation of politicians from the Rift Valley region pitched camp at Isaac's home on Thursday, November 1, where they held talks with the former governor asking him to join Jubilee for the sake of unity in the region.

The emissaries were led by DP Ruto's aide Farouk Kibet, four governors, two senators and 11 MCAs and they held a closed door meeting where they asked the former governor to join and work with the government.

The leaders later addressed the residents and Chama Cha Mashinani(CCM) party members who were invited in Isaac's home.

READ ALSO: Government lifts ban on Chinese fish imports

"We have come here to urge Ruto to work closely with the president and his deputy in delivering on their development agenda both at the national and regional levels, said Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago.

I have personally talked to both the president and his deputy on the intention to bring the former governor on board and our presence here today is to appeal to Ruto to be part of us, Mandago told the CCM delegates.

The former governor has been in the political cold until the recent Mau Forest evictions when he came out to defend the evictees.

Isaac Ruto made a dramatic U turn in the 2017 repeat presidential election when he deserted the Opposition to support President Uhuru's election. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Ex-Auntie Boss actress Nyce Wa Njeris marriage crumbles, husband blames it on her success

The vote rich region will be a great determinant in the 2022 elections and leaders across the country interested in the presidency have visited the former Rift Valley province to appeal to voters.

Already, vocal Baringo Senator Gideon Moi who is among the key leaders in the Rift Valley and who has declared interest in the presidency has shown signs of warming up to Opposition leader Raila Odinga.

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Kenya News Today: This Is Why Jacque Maribe Was Granted Bail | Tuko TV

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Controversial Kenyan songstress Akothee is one of Kenya's female celebrities with bodies for days.

Unlike most people especially celebrities who would expose less to zero portion of their bodies, Akothee has never been shy of flaunting hers for all and sundry to see.

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READ ALSO: Akothees model daughter leaves nothing to imagination after stepping out in skimpy bikini

READ ALSO: Is Akothee's daughter turning into a socialite?(Photos)

The musician has more than once paraded her envious body online, leaving Team Mafisi high and not so dry.

Well, one of Akothee's daughters Rue Baby recently joined the musician in showing off what her mama gave her.

READ ALSO: Akothees 19-year-old daughter introduces her boyfriend

From posting photos of herself in revealing clothes to teasing men with sensual videos, Rue has been following her mum's footsteps in perfect fashion..

The lass who is a model on Friday, November 2, proved to the world she was ready to fill her mum's shoes should she retire after she took to the swimming pool at their home to get her body wet alongside the songstress.

READ ALSO: Riveting TV girl Joey Muthengi denies dating a governor

Dressed in sexy bikinis, Rue and Akothee posed for some pictures beside the pool and flaunted their flawless bodies.

The photos which were later shared online by Akothee attracted the attention of their fans, especially men who could not help but openly drooled over them.

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THE SAD LIFE OF DEDAN KIMATHI'S FORGOTTEN FAMILY| Tuko TV

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- The three claimed they had been deployed by a State House controller to fence off the land

- Their arrests was confirmed by the area OCPD who said the matter was still under investigations

- Officers from Uasin Gishu county found beacons already erected on the parcel of land

Police in Eldoret are investigating an incident where a parcel of land meant for Eldoret State Lodge was grabbed in unclear circumstance.

TUKO.co.ke understands three people claiming to have been deployed by a State House controller to fence off the piece of land were arrested on Friday, November 2.

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READ ALSO: Meru senator threatens to shoot wife in their Runda home

Three people claiming to have been deployed by a state house controller to fence off the piece of land were arrested.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Househelp allegedly steals KSh 5 million from former Minister Simeon Nyachaes house

Officers from Uasin Gishu county who carried out operations on the piece of land found beacons already erected on it.

Their arrests was confirmed by the area OCPD who said the matter was still under investigations since those arrested claimed to have documents for the land.

"I cannot comment further over the matter but those arrested are helping us with the investigations," the police said.

READ ALSO: First photo of Migori Woman Rep healing in hospital emerge 5 days after grisly road accident

According to the three, the said State House controller, believed to be a powerful private developer, told them he had shares in the piece of land.

"Those involved must be very daring or well-connected because they have the guts to move in and fence off land in a protected area," a former police boss was quoted.

This comes at the backdrop of cases of grabbing of public land being rampant with land belonging to seven state lodges among them.

READ ALSO: Girls living in rural areas break virginity earlier than those in towns - Ministry of Health study

The seven include Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Kakamega, Mtito Andei, Nakuru and Kitale state lodges said to have been grabbed by private developers.

While raising concerns over illegal allocation of the lands in September 2014, National Lands Commission (NLC) Chairman, Mohamed Swazuri said lands where Eldoret High court and Uasin Gishu district Hospital are located had also been grabbed.

Cases of land grabbing in Uasin Gishu county have been on the rise with over 4000 acres of land belonging to Kenya Defense Force (KDF) at Moi Barracks being the latest cases of land grabbing.

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The Sad Life of Dedan Kimathi's Forgotten Family - on Tuko TV.

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- Raila said making a vehicle is more difficult and hard than just yapping in the courts

- He said engineers are the most learned people only that they do not brag

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has launched a serious attack on the learned legal practitioners saying they are just noise makers.

According to the engineer, making a vehicle is more difficult and hard than just yapping in the courts.

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Opposition leader Raila Odinga says engineers are just cool but they are the most learned. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

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In a undated video doing rounds on social media, the former premier said engineers were cool people unlike lawyers who every time brag around calling each other learned friends.

"Lawyers are the ones who always brag around calling each other learned friends, we engineers say we are the ones learned because we are more learned than them. Making a vehicle is more difficult than making noise in the courts," said Raila.

READ ALSO: New study links older fathers to increased birth risks among women

Its not clear the circumstances under which the four time presidential loser was talking given he is a major beneficiary of the legal services offered by lawyers in his party.

In 2017, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader won a case against President Uhuru Kenyatta and Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) having been represented by some of Kenya's top lawyers led by Siaya Senator James Orengo.

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Kenya News Today: This Is Why Jacque Maribe Was Granted Bail | Tuko TV

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It's just over two weeks to go to the Tobago House of Assembly elections.
Germany and France as members of the "Normandy format" strongly condemned the downing of a drone operated by the OSCE monitors over separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine, and blamed Moscow and the separatists it backs for the incident.

This was stated in a joint statement by two countries at the OSCE Permanent Council on November 1, Reuters reported.

"Berlin and Paris said the long-range drone had been shot down early in the morning of October 27 near the Russian-Ukrainian border over territory controlled by the Moscow-backed separatists," the statement reads.

The information gathered by the Monitoring Mission suggests that the Russian Federation and the separatists it supports are responsible for the drones downing, they wrote in a statement.

Russia is also a member of the OSCE. Together with Ukraine, all four countries are part of the so-called Normandy process, aimed at settling the conflict that has flared in eastern Ukraine since the separatists rose up in 2014.
The Latvian airlines AirBaltic will launch regular direct flights from Riga to Lviv starting from April 1, 2019.

As avianews.com portal reports with reference to the airlines reservation system, the flights will be operated four times a week: on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The cost of roundtrip ticket for Lviv-Riga direct flight starts from EUR 130.

Currently, the AirBaltic performs regular flights between Kyiv and Riga and flies to Odesa on a seasonal basis. Thus, Lviv will become the third Ukrainian city in the route network of the Latvian airlines.

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Minister for the Temporary Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine Vadym Chernysh as a co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation is currently visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The purpose of the visit is to hold a meeting of co-chairmen of the Joint Committee between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine with the participation of Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Mr. Mato Franjicevic, the Government portal reported.

During the meeting, the parties identified the priority directions of bilateral cooperation, in particular in the area of trade, energy, agriculture, and also finalized the agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism.

Recalling the conclusions of the second meeting of the Joint Committee held in Sarajevo on October 12, 2012 , the sides agreed that further action should continue on the basis of results achieved ever since, reconsidered and reprioritized in order to achieve a progress of bilateral cooperation.

During the meeting of the Joint Comittee, Vadym Chernysh spoke about the intentions and positive dynamics of the results of trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Bilateral trade volumes increase steadily. For example, for only seven months of 2018, the turnover indicators have already exceeded the figures of 2017, and for some types of goods there is increase by 2 to 10 times. We hope that the private business of both countries will be able to explore prospects for further development of trade and economic relations of our states," the Ukrainian minister stressed.

The Ukrainian side also emphasized that Ukraine supported the aspiration of Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a member of the World Trade Organization.
Canada intends to send a strong monitoring mission to the presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine scheduled for 2019.

This is said in a response by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada to the electronic petition.

The Government of Canada is fully committed to send a strong and effective monitoring mission to the upcoming presidential and legislative election in Ukraine and will work with all its international partners to ensure a free and fair electoral process, reads a document signed by the Honourable Chrystia Freeland.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs has made it a personal priority to ensure that Canada restore its meaningful role in election observation around the world. This means funding international assistance programs, sending Canadian diplomats abroad to work as observers, and a firm commitment to playing a major role in observation and support for the upcoming election in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said.

The petition initiated by Nicholas Krawetz from Winnipeg, Manitoba, was registered in the Parliament by MP James Bezan six months ago. It received 1.5 times more signatures than needed for the official response from the Government.

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United States Secretary of Energy Rick Perry will visit Ukraine next week as part of his Eastern European tour.

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry will visit Ukraine, Poland and other eastern European countries next week as the Trump administration seeks to offer them alternatives to buying coal and gas from Russia, the Department of Energy said in a release on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Perry will also visit Hungary and the Czech Republic on the trip. He will meet with government officials on topics from nuclear energy to cyber security and coal and liquefied natural gas exports.

The Trump administration is seeking foreign markets for coal as domestic consumption has dropped to the lowest level since 1983 due to closures of coal-fired power plants that are suffering from abundant, cheap supplies of natural gas.

In July, 2017 Centrenergo PJSC, one of the largest power companies in Ukraine, agreed to buy 700,000 tons of U.S. coal.
Ukraine is advancing actively towards the achievement of 17 goals outlined by the European Union within the framework of the 20 key deliverables for 2020 for the Eastern Partnership.

This is evidenced by the results of the analytical report Progress of Ukraine in the achievement of the 20 key deliverables for 2020 for the Eastern Partnership, presented by the experts of the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.

"The use of the Eastern Partnership resources can be an additional factor in the effective implementation of the bilateral dimension of the EU-Ukraine interaction," said Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

The report indicates that Ukraine is advancing most actively in the fight against corruption, the public administration reform, the security reform, the development of small and medium-sized business, the introduction of the free trade area with the EU, the environmental protection and visa liberalisation.

The 20 key deliverables for 2020 for the Eastern Partnership is a kind of European integration roadmap, which defines the goals and reforms to be carried out by Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus until 2020.

Ukraines activity can be explained by the fact that the overwhelming majority of the goals, which the EU has set for Ukraine until 2020, echoes the objectives of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement to some extent. This contributes to the implementation of additional reforms that are important for Ukrainians. At the same time, the 20 key deliverables for 2020 are not as binding for the Eastern Partnership countries as the association agreement. Each of the six partners can choose the number of deliverables and the level of their use, which corresponds to the level of their ambitions on the path of integration into the EU. We believe that Ukraine should take advantage of the financial support within the framework of the 20 key deliverables for 2020 for the Eastern Partnership, which will facilitate the implementation of major reforms and the association agreement, said Hennadiy Maksak, the national coordinator of the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.

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The European Union has criticized Russia for the imposition of sanctions on individuals and some companies in Ukraine.

Ukrinform learnt this from a representative of the European Union on Friday.

"The decision of the Russian Government to introduce economic measures against Ukrainian individuals and companies is groundless. It is necessary to avoid steps aimed at aggravating the situation and undermining the search for a solution to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine," the EU stressed.

As reported, Russia imposed special economic measures against 322 Ukrainian citizens and 68 Ukrainian companies.

On October 22, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed the decree on sanctions against Ukraine. The document will be revoked if "Ukraine abandons sanctions against Russian companies and citizens."

Ukraines sanctions lists include about 1,700 individuals and about 700 legal entities, mostly from Russia.

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President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has authorized Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko to sign an agreement between Ukraine and Egypt on mutual legal assistance in civil and economic matters.

The corresponding decree was published on the website of the Head of State.

To authorize Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko to sign the Treaty between Ukraine and the Arab Republic of Egypt on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Economic Affairs, the document reads.

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The Ukrainian community of Tbilisi and the diplomats joined the international action Light a candle of remembrance! dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-33 in Ukraine.

"At 17:00, near the monument to Taras Shevchenko in Tbilisi, the representatives of Ukrainian NGOs in Georgia, the Embassy of Ukraine in Georgia, deputy head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, the staff of the Center for Ukrainian Studies at the Tbilisi State University and Georgian activists commemorated the victims of the genocide of Ukrainian people and lit a candle of remembrance," the press service of the Embassy of Ukraine in Georgia reports.

As noted, the participants in the action read out the names of 85 children, who had been starved to death in 1932-33, and read a joint prayer for all Ukrainians starved to death.

In addition, on October 30-31, the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia in Tbilisi hosted a round table meeting on the topic "Holodomor of 1932-33 in Ukraine", which was attended by Ukrainian and Georgian scholars, representatives of Ukrainian NGOs in Georgia, the Patriarchate of Georgia, the Public Defender's Council of National Minorities of Georgia and others.

The global action "Light a candle of remembrance!" started on September 1. It is held daily by the embassies and general consulates of Ukraine in different countries of the world, will last for 85 days and end in Kyiv on November 24. During each action, 85 names of children from millions of those starved to death are read out.

Photo courtesy of the Embassy of Ukraine in Georgia

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G7 Ambassadors have visited Ukraines National Public Broadcasting Company.

The Embassy of Japan in Ukraine wrote this on its Facebook page on November 1.

The G7 Ambassadors welcome opportunity to visit the Ukraines Public Broadcaster. Essential to ensure existence of an independent broadcaster with sustainable financing and the ability to reach out to a broad public ahead of next years elections, reads the report.
Facing the increased effects of climate change, natural disasters, and the outsized impacts of global economic shocks on small economies, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) resolved to strengthen their efforts to achieve sustainable development at the conclusion of a three-day meeting that ended this week in Apia, Samoa.

The Apia Outcome, adopted by SIDS, will serve as the basis for the preparation of the inter-governmentally agreed Political Declaration of the High-level SIDS Midterm Review of the SAMOA Pathway, to be held in September 2019. The Apia Outcome reaffirms that SAMOA Pathway is a standalone, overarching framework for guiding SIDS in their global, regional and national development efforts and is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The just concluded Inter-regional Preparatory Meeting for the Midterm Review of the SAMOA Pathway, held from 30 October to 1 November, in Apia, Samoa, saw countries recommit to key priority areas including climate change mitigation, disaster risk reduction, the sustainable management of oceans and improved connectivity between SIDS and between SIDS and other states. They called for increased international support for the next five years of the SAMOA Pathway, especially with capacity-building, data collection and monitoring and review.

About 250 representatives from Small Island Developing States governments, their partners, the private sector, civil society and the UN system participated in the meeting, organized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), and the Government of Samoa. The meeting also included side events focused on opportunities for youth in SIDS, the sustainable ocean economy, and SIDS marine heritage.

Without a doubt, this Midterm review of the SAMOA Pathway  SIDS blueprint for sustainable development  presents a key opportunity to re-examine progress and gaps, to determine priorities ahead, and to reaffirm and reinforce partnerships, said Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, at the opening of the meeting in Apia.

The meeting in Apia was preceded by the Samoa Partnership Dialogue on 29 October, where SIDS and their partners worked to increase the capacity of stakeholders in forging new, genuine and durable multi-stakeholder partnerships, and strengthen the monitoring and review process of partnerships in SIDS. The Partnership Dialogue resulted in a set of SIDS Partnership Criteria and Norms, a SIDS Partnership Toolbox, a set of SIDS partnership case studies and an analysis of existing SIDS partnerships done by UN DESA.

Were small, and we cannot make progress unless we co-op all the help that we can get, said Lois Young, Belizes Ambassador to the UN and co-chair of the Partnership Dialogue. It has to be a win-win situation, both for us and for those who we partner with.

Additionally, SIDS National Focal Points held their first meeting on 29 October. This network will provide a vital link between work at the global and national levels, facilitating coordination, information sharing and planning for the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway and the SDGs.

About the SAMOA Pathway

The Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway (SAMOA Pathway), adopted at the Third International Conference on SIDS held in Apia, Samoa, in 2014, is a dedicated 10-year programme of action to promote international assistance to address the unique set of challenges the islands face.

The inter-governmental meeting and Partnership Dialogue in Samoa this year provided an opportunity to review and analyse the conclusions of three SIDS regional meetings and partnership dialogues held earlier in 2018 in Mauritius (Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China SeaAIMS), Belize (Caribbean) and Tonga (Pacific).

For more information: bit.ly/SamoaSIDS
Russia on November 1 imposed sanctions on 68 Ukrainian companies and 322 citizens.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov says the Kremlin has resorted to sanctions against Ukraine to "encourage the normalization of bilateral relations."

"Certainly, we hope that sooner or later the political will to normalize relations with Russia will somehow produce certain sprouts on Ukrainian soil. We don't see it now," Peskov told an UNIAN correspondent in Russia on November 1, answering a question whether the Kremlin expects to change Ukraine's political position through sanctions-based pressure.

At the same time, he did not rule out that, in the event of lifting of sanctions by Ukraine against Russia, the Russian Federation could also take a similar step.

Read alsoIhor Kolomoisky: Kremlin's sanctions list edited on Bankova Street in Kyiv

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia on November 1 imposed sanctions on 68 Ukrainian companies and 322 citizens.

The sanction list also includes judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, parliamentarians of the Verkhovna Rada of the 8th convocation, Ukrainian major businessmen, officials from Ukraine's Presidential Administration, heads of executive bodies and large-scale Ukrainian companies, and legal entities controlled by the Ukrainian major businessmen.

The relevant resolution issued by the government of the Russian Federation says that it "is designed to counter Ukraine's unfriendly actions towards Russian citizens and legal entities and to encourage the normalization of bilateral relations." At the same time, the government of the Russian Federation claims it reserves the right to cancel these special restrictive measures in case Ukraine cancels the sanctions imposed on Russian citizens and legal entities.
From now on, citizens of Ukraine may visit Qatar without visas, however, it is possible to stay in the country under such conditions for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period.

The Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the State of Qatar on the mutual abolition of visa requirements comes into force on November 2.

From now on, citizens of Ukraine may visit Qatar without visas, however, it is allowed to stay in the country under such conditions for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. Travel passports must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry, according to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The citizens who intend to cross into Qatar for a period exceeding 90 days, regardless of the purpose of their trip, must obtain a valid visa.
Peskov insists that Vyshinsky be released immediately.

The Kremlin does not consider the option of an exchange of editor-in-chief of RIA Novosti Ukraine Kirill Vyshinsky, indicted in Ukraine on high treason charges, for Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko, who was captured by the FSV in violation of international legislation and fundamental human rights.

"We believe that Vyshinsky must be released immediately. This is not a topic for any swap. This is a violation of all international rules and the principle of freedom of the press, because in fact he was arrested for his journalistic activities," Russian President Vladimir Putin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said, as reported by an UNIAN correspondent in Russia.

At the same time, Peskov said that Vyshinsky's activities in Ukraine "were no different" from those of an UNIAN bureau in Moscow.

Responding to a question by an UNIAN correspondent, whether it means that the Kremlin isn't interested in the release of Vyshinsky, despite Ukraine's repeated declarations on its readiness for the swap, Peskov said: "Vyshinsky must be immediately released."

Read also"He exposed Russian propaganda": Diplomats call Sushchenko case evidence of Russia's attacks on freedom of speech

As UNIAN reported earlier, on May 15, the SBU Security Service of Ukraine detained Chief of the Russian RIA Novosti's Kyiv office Kirill Vyshinsky on treason charges. The SBU and prosecutors had uncovered the illegal activity of a Russian-controlled media chain in Ukraine.

UNIAN memo. Roman Sushchenko has worked for Ukraine's news service Ukrinform since 2002. Beginning in 2010, Sushchenko has been reporting for the agency from France.

The Russian FSB detained Sushchenko at a Moscow airport upon his arrival on a private visit on September 30, 2016.

Read alsoIn flashback: Ukrainian journalist Sushchenko detained in Russia two years ago

He was charged with "espionage," as the Russian authorities insist he is an "operative" of Ukraine's intelligence service.

The court started considering the Sushchenko case on March 27, 2018. On June 4, the Moscow city court unlawfully sentenced Sushchenko to a 12-year term in a high-security colony.

On September 12, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has upheld the verdict, overruling the lawyer's appeal.

Sushchenko says he pleads not guilty and will continue the struggle for his release, including by lodging a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights.
The man has been working in the Russian Embassy in Riga since 2011, the investigation says.

Information published in the media about Russian officers who studied at the GRU Academy together with the infamous Russian military intelligence officer Anatoliy Chepiga, accused of a military grade nerve agent attack on British soil against a turncoat spy Yuriy Skripal, helped identify another Russian intelligence operative, Roman Tatarka.

In the investigation published on the website of Russian opposition's Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Mbk.media, there is a list of people who studied with Anatoliy Chepiga at GRU's main educational facility  the Military Diplomatic Academy, Ghall.com.ua reported.

In this elite academy, to which the GRU operatives refer as "Conservatorium", future spies have been trained to work for the country's military intel. According to Mbk.media data, 12 officers studied there in the period from 2009 to 2015 along with Chepiga and were registered in the same dormitory with him. Using OSINT tools, the investigation managed to find out that one of them is a GRU officer Roman Tatarka, who since 2011 has been posing as a diplomat of the Russian embassy in Latvia.

The first mention of R. Tatarkas career can be found in the list of accredited foreign diplomats published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia on March 3, 2011, where R. Tatarka is named third secretary of the Russian Embassy (together with his wife Irina Tatarka).

Information on the website of the Diplomatic Economic Club organization also testifies to the activity of R. Tatarka in Latvia. Photos are published there from the trip of club members to the Inchukalns gas storage facility dated April 19, 2011, with a note that the event was attended by a member of the club and the attache of the Russian Embassy in Latvia, Roman Tatarka.

It is curious that in one of the photos from the event, R. Tatarka is seen standing next to Alexander Gaponenko, a pro-Kremlin radical who was arrested by the Latvian security services on April 21 and against whom several charges were brought, including one of assisting a foreign country in its destructive activities against Latvia. Here, it is also worth noting that radical movements throughout Europe are one of GRU's priority areas of responsibility.

Therefore, it is possible that the responsibilities of R.Tatarka include supervising agents tasked with subversion activities, just like Mr Gaponenko. Also, we should recall the attempted coup in Montenegro in 2016, which was organized by the GRU officer, Colonel Eduard Shishmakov, in collaboration with local radical figures (Serbian nationalists) (the operative used an alias of Eduard Shirokov).

According to the information on the website of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, Mr Tatarka keeps working at the Russian Embassy in Latvia, having been promoted to the rank of the 1st secretary, which suggests that he has been coping just fine with his tasks.

The facts mentioned suggest that Mr Tatarka in Latvia is concentrated on critical infrastructure facilities (the Inchukalns gas storage is considered one of the main energy sites), and also under the guise of an attache and secretary of the Russian Embassy, on establishing and developing contacts with pro-Kremlin activists, both radical and moderate.

Perhaps, as his colleagues do in Ukraine, he is preparing them for future actions against the sovereignty of the Latvian state.

Read alsoSurveillance photos 'show Russian intelligence officers plotting Montenegro coup'  The Telegraph

It is worth mentioning that in response to Skripals poisoning, Latvia expelled Tatarkas colleague, second secretary of the Russian Embassy Alexander Sazonov. However, the question arises, why did the Latvian authorities allow someone who studied with Chepiga to stay in the country?

Were the security services of Latvia really unaware about Tatarka's ties with the GRU or did they naively hope that crimes like those committed in Salisbury were impossible in their country?

By the way, the Conservatorium's curriculum also includes training to carry out kinetic operations, including murders.

The likelihood that such events may repeat themselves is aggravated by the fact that in recent years the flow of Russian political emigres seeking asylum in Latvia has increased.

In 2013, Putin's critic Garry Kasparov applied for Latvian citizenship. In 2014, as a result of repression in Russia, Galina Timchenko emigrated to Latvia. She had held the position of chief editor at Lenta.ru, and later in Riga she founded an online publication Meduza.io, which quickly became popular among the Russian opposition and where journalists regularly publish investigations that shed light on the crimes committed by the Russian authorities.

Read alsoSecond Skripal poisoning suspect awarded Hero of Russia for Ukraine  Bellingcat

In 2015, a Russian dissident, leader of the political movement New Power Dimitri Savvin requested and later received political asylum. In Latvia, he founded the Association for the Development of Russian Civil Society and the Support of Russian Emigrants (AREM) to protect those targeted by the Kremlin.

It is not excluded that the duties of the GRU operative Roman Tatarka include monitoring these and other enemies of Putin abroad, as well as preparing for their elimination if necessary, which, judging by the Salisbury precedent, can be a great threat to local residents.

Therefore, the Latvian special services and authorities probably need to be more careful and scrupulous about the issue, not to give the GRU a chance to do something similar to Salisbury or Montenegro in Latvia.
The meeting is to begin at 12:30 local time.

President of the European Council Donald Tusk is to meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Helsinki, Finland, on November 8.

In particular, Helsinki will host a European People's Party (EPP) congress on November 7-8, an announcement on the European Council's website said.

The Tusk-Poroshenko meeting is to begin at 12:30 local time on November 8.

Read alsoTusk: Russians will not refrain from any means to weaken European unity  media

"12.30 Meeting with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko," the agenda on the website said.

EPP members will elect their lead candidate for the next European elections, scheduled to take place on May 23-26, 2019, the website of the EPP Helsinki Congress said.

German politician, leader of the European People's Party in the European Parliament Manfred Weber and former Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb are EPP candidates for president of the European Commission.